It's been a long time since I played a game that really felt like the tactile element was important to the experience.

Well, except Surgadores. Obviously.

Hrmm yeah not sure other than the Webcam suggestion then

@Ryan A handy guide I found a long time ago: Guide to the Controller (Google Docs Link)

I want to write a semi-comedic campaign where the BBEG is your classic BBEG (ruthless, evil mastermind) with one exception: the BBEG is a doting/helicopter parent and one of the party members is their child.

@Yuuki Ooh, use something like Bubblegumshoe relationship rules?

That would be hilarious.

@BESW Not familiar with them.

@Randomorph skimming over it doesn't actually have much for Bard beyond saying Lore Bards can get all these nifty spells from other classes

@Ryan bards still get a fair amount of good options, their default spell lists are just smaller

It's more about the mindset of control > damage

@Yuuki Relevant Greentext (Reddit)

But this came from imagining a scenario in which the BBEG has sent a minion to go undercover and spy on some good guy alliance that the party is helping out. Picture BBEG with a classic deep rumble or rich purr (depending on gender).

You get a handful of points to put into positive relationships, which can be Like or Love as defined by the NPC's attitude toward you rather than the other way around. You can spend those points to get help or support from that NPC (literally they're there for you, or you get emotional stability from the relationship, or you have some skill or equipment from your time with them, or you can use their name to get influence with someone else or gain access to an otherwise closed place, etc).

@Randomorph glorious

@Randomorph I really just need to find a magic rapier. I'm starting to feel like that will never happen though and no other weapons really work well because of the Dex requirement

To regain the points, you must have scenes with that NPC doing things to reinforce the relationship, like going to a movie together.

> BBEG: Is it a good or bad thing if they've made friends?

There are also Hate relationships, which give you more points for positive relationships, and the GM can spend those points against you as appropriate.

@Ryan by the time you find a magic rapier, you'll be even further behind the martial characters, unless you're College of Swords/Valor

The mechanic is for games where social interaction is Important And Meaningful, and it quickly leads to interesting and often hilarious complexity.

@Randomorph Agreed. @Ryan Just go with a crossbow or something. Odds are you don't want to get up close and personal anyway :)

@Randomorph yeah I know. I'm never going to be the most effective in combat and don't mind that.

(Notice that the PCs don't get mechanized relationships with each other; they're the most complex because they're the PCs, and so are left to the roleplaying choices of the players.)

@NautArch I throw daggers but again need magic daggers

or a magic crossbow I guess and switch to that

@Ryan being effective in combat isn't all about damage

@Ryan What level are you now? Do all your martial characters have magic weapons?

He's at least level 5, since his martials have Extra attack, and he has 3rd level spells, but not 4th level yet

Vicious Mockery should be doing 2d4 now (with the Disad rider). If you're feeling really left behind in melee, you could always ask your DM if they'll let you take one of the Wizard melee cantrips, like Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade

Really though, you should focus on the Bard's specialty of Sweet-talking, buffs/debuffs and control

@Randomorph im aware, I don't like combat or dealing damage but I also don't want to take spells for controlling combat. I just don't want to be in combat at all

@Ryan The MorePurpleMoreBetter form-fillable character sheet (PWYW on DM's Guild) has a spell sheet that fills in with one-line descriptions of the spells. I've been super-happy with it for my casters.

@Ryan Ooooh well that's an entirely different problem than the one I was trying to solve lol :D

@nitsua60 I consider modern-era D&D patterns to be akin to National Treasure puzzles: they're mostly based on ancient traditions and non-diegetic cultural references, rather than anything internally consistent with the text.

@Ryan Dodge is your friend, then.

And when you get 7th level spells....etherealness.

@NautArch As in, "get out of"?

@Randomorph yes I'm just trying to be slightly more effective so I'm not completely worthless lol if Vicious Mockery doesn't stick because of the Wisdom Save then I often just pass on my turns or cheer on other people and yell insults at the enemies

@BESW in this case, yes.

@Ryan Diplomat from the UA Feats for Skills might be up your alley (if your DM permits it of course)

Vicious Mockery, Dissonant Whispers, Suggestion, and Phantasmal Force all have saving throws that can really ruin them

its not like half damage or anything like many other spells are, its just a big ol whiff

Yep, welcome to the life a full caster, you either make the DM cry, or your team cry

Learning what saves are good against what type of creatures can make a big difference too

It's also why AoE CC is much preferred to single target: More saves = more likely at least a few get stuck

@Ryan Play Golden Sky Stories instead?

@BESW Luckily, I minored in Biblical studies, so I have some training in sitting at a table with six slightly-varying versions of the same text in front of me, slowly cultivating quietude in my heart and searching for inspiration... until the Spirit tells me to go outside and play tag with my kids.

yep I've wasted a few spells not knowing the enemy was immune to charm based effects

@Ryan even knowing, can confirm that forgetting can also be a thing

That's where them knowledge skills shine

but I can start using Psychic Blades more especially now that its damage increased at level 5. 3d6 is at least useful

Psychic Blades don't increase at level 5, they do more damage when used in a higher level slot

well can be, can also waste a Bardic Inspiration to deal only 3 extra damage

@Randomorph Psychic Blades is a Bard ability and increases at level 5. Not sure what you're thinking of

@Ryan Oh. Oh whoops, was thinking of the new XGE spell "Shadow Blade"

i can throw a dagger or use my rapier and if it connects drop an inspiration to deal 3d6 of psychic damage

Could also fire a short bow, or crossbow too

just wish my rapier was magic since so many things we've been fighting (everything we've been fighting really) has immunity to non-magical damage

Wait, immunity? What have you been fighting? Almost nothing has immunity to non-magical.

Resistance, sure

or resistance sorry

half damage

Hrmm, yeah then Vicious Mockery or you Psychic Blades would be best

we're doing Curse of Strahd and we got all really difficult stuff in the deck thing.

@Ryan do you absolutely need magic weapons, or will silvered do?

@NautArch dont know

@Ryan just thinking that since you have a rapier, it doesn't cost much to get it silvered (can you do that in Strahd?)

with Calm Emotions I think I'll be way more effective though, I can't imagine a lot of these barely living slaves of Strahd have charisma

@Ryan are strahd minions under his charm? never played it.

@NautArch ooh I didnt even think about that aspect but yes i think so

in which case Calm Emotions would be even better

This is a pretty genuinely great case of spell component gags.

@Ryan otherwise, i guess you've got a minute to hightail it out of there

(as in how they're actually jokes)

@doppelgreener is this right? "The bee will appear in whatever spot the caster is gazing at, up to 1ʺ distance from him or her." that seems like it'll always be on the caster - and a bad idea to cast.

@NautArch the older editions of D&D used table inches for spell's and effects

So it was 1 inch from your mini

There were also conversion numbers to use actual distance, if you weren't relying on the table distances as much

@Randomorph ah, that makes much more sense. so it's a 5' range?

Given @SevenSidedDie 's comment on the answer, I'd guess 1" = 10 ft

@NautArch yes, it looks like it can't be right. They might have meant a foot.

But I think the implication is that the wizard makes a little buzzing noise then jabs someone with something sharp and says it was a bee.

@doppelgreener which is fantastic

@NautArch Yep, all AD&D distances are in table inches. They're equal to 10 feet indoors and 10 yards outside.

@SevenSidedDie man, i do not remember that. But that was also about 25 years ago.

@SevenSidedDie ooh, that makes sense.

Man this bee question is great, glad I got to be a part of it haha

This article on risks is pretty good. It particularly talks about using them with Fate Accelerated approaches, but there's a lot of solidly generalizable insight.

> We have been trained by skill lists to think that “sneaking” is an action in its own right, but really it’s just moving with intent.

That's like saying "diplomacy" isn't a skill, it's talking with purpose.

Umm. That's not a parallel construction.

@doppelgreener For some value of “sense”. ^^; A 3× variation on movement and ranges depending on whether there's a roof above makes a sort of sense in context, but it's pretty weird.

@Shalvenay this is actually way more relevant than you're thinking shal

@Yuuki That's called Great Ork Gods.

In our first game, we opened with the Orks running down a hill. Trogdor's character died before he reached the bottom of the hill.

@BESW Nice.

You get penalized if it takes you more than ten minutes to make a new character during the game. It's simple enough that ten minutes is more than double the time you actually need, and the game's deadly enough that you get a lot of extra points for lasting a whole session with the same Ork.

Durn tootin', I wouldn't let my players get away with playing Pathfinder.

Now I want to fight a Gordian Knight.

It's a humanoid construct composed entirely of a single length of rope.

hey there @JuneShores and @Yuuki

Howdy.

Hi.

how're things going?

On the way FRIGGIN STRIKETHROUGH DOESNT WORK ON MOBILE CHAT BECAUSE TWO EN DASHES ALWAYS AUTOCORRECT TO AN EM DASH

On the way home hotel.

There we go.

@BESW lol

hey there @SevenSidedDie