TRPG General Chat

NautArch

4:01 PM

i'd probably consider dex

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP Can't get to dndbeyond at the mo, and my brain is not parsing Inheritor Paladin. (Eberron?)

NautArch

@KorvinStarmast INheritor is background.

KorvinStarmast

Yeah, there are a bunch of Class features that rely on charisma bonus. @NautArch XgTE or SCAG?

NautArch

@KorvinStarmast scag

KorvinStarmast

@NautArch OK, i have a background summary somewhere, brb

Inheritor/Inheritance/Survival, Arcana, History, Religion Do you get all four, or pick two from those four? (IIRC, you pick two from those four but AFB)

NautArch

4:09 PM

@KorvinStarmast looks like you get Survival, then you pick one of the next three.

KorvinStarmast

@NautArch we had a dwarf paladin with 11 charisma in one of our 5e campaigns a few years ago. He didn't cast or prepare many spells, mostsly smited with spell slots. But his level 1 paladin skill is usable between rests based on cha bonus. (Sense evil?)

We asked him to consider boosting his cha to 12 so that his spells had a DC. He thought about it, and decided on "nah. Smite!"

NautArch

@KorvinStarmast yeah, you can opt not to cast spells that require saving throws. Not a huge deal. The divine sense is meh.

Hot RPG Questions

10

Q: Can a 14th level Theurgy Wizard with the Arcana Domain cast their 8th/9th level spells after picking up three levels in another Full Caster class?

The Theurgy Wizard from UA: Wizard Revisited gets to choose a Cleric Domain at 2nd level. At 14th level they get the Arcane High Priest feature, which grants them the 17th-level benefits associated with their chosen domain. A cleric who chose Arcana as their domain would therefore gain the Arcan...

KorvinStarmast

@NautArch It is situationally useful ... and sometimes there's nothing to apply it to.

But I think it will detect a fiend if you are talking to a disguised rakshasa.

NautArch

The bigger use for more CHA is more prepared spells.

KorvinStarmast

4:12 PM

@NautArch Yeah, and if you go ancients, that save bonus.

Sorry, the level 6 Paladin generic: Aura of Protection.

@JohnP I am very partial to Oath of Ancients, so any answer I give is very biased. :) I'll start the cheer GO....LIATH!

@NautArch And Find Steed does not require a DC consideration ... I have a custom steed our dwarf used from our first campaign that was a cross between a war horse and a giant boar ... I'll see if I can find it ...

SmokeDetector

4:39 PM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword in answer, blacklisted website in answer, link at end of answer, potentially bad keyword in answer (239): How can I make sure my players' decisions have consequences? by goshaly on rpg.SE

NautArch

@KorvinStarmast ANd when Find Greater STeed comes online...whoooboy

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast - So...was the general agreement that Dex->Cha is a favorable shift or not?

NautArch

@JohnP what armor are you going to wear/want to wear?

JohnP

@NautArch Heavy. The party seems light in the tank division, so I'd head that way.

Currently I just have the base chain that it gave me listed.

NautArch

@JohnP Then Dex's only real use for you is initiative and saves. CHA will impact your DC (for your channel divinity options) and eventually your aura of protection.

as well as your prepared spell count.

KorvinStarmast

4:55 PM

@JohnP Heavy armor is a great idea, we no have tank.

Can you just list your attributes since I can't get to DnDbeyond atg the moment?

JohnP

@NautArch k thx. This would be first time playing a paladin.

@KorvinStarmast Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Wis 10, Int 10, Cha 14

Including the extras for leveling, racial bonuses

err...wait.

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP Ah, no, that's not includig bonuses ...By the way, I think Ancients is a fantastic choice for our party in particular, since we have a Nature Cleric,

JohnP

That's the base. Effective is Str 18, Dex 11, Con 15, Wis/Int 10, Cha 14

NautArch

@JohnP I'd also recommend S&B for maximum AC to go along with the defensive style.

KorvinStarmast

a Ranger, a Lore Bard, and a flying monk/outdoorsy type. Thematically, that oath is a perfect fit.

NautArch

4:58 PM

or H&B in your case (which I think you're doing)

JohnP

@NautArch S&B?

KorvinStarmast

18/11/15/10/10/14 Looks solid to me, and I will note that our previous paladin, Trogdor (Sword and BOard) was a hammer wielding dragon born.

NautArch

@JohnP sword and board (shield and weapon)

JohnP

Ah, yes. Hammer and shield.

@KorvinStarmast I thought about dragon born, but I wanted something a little less mainstream. As long as I'm doing something completely new, might was well take it all the way.

I still need to choose spells, the ones listed are ones that I get with the ancients.

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP Goliath is cool, looking forward to walking the shadow of the big man. (That's a veiled musical reference, Guadalcanal Diary....)

JohnP

5:12 PM

@KorvinStarmast Who is the GM and when is actual game time(s)?

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP Nitsua60 is the DM. Game time start is 9PM Eastern / 8 PM Central.

NautArch

Am I daft today, or can someone help explain this question to me.

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast What days...please do not say Wednesdays.

Xirema

Today I am ashamed and disgusted with myself. I just realized that during my last D&D session, I turned into J.J. Abrams.

NautArch

@JohnP If you've got paladin questions, feel free to ask me :) Played mine 5-20 (vengeance, though.)

JohnP

5:21 PM

@Xirema Too much lens flare?

Xirema

@JohnP Nope. I Mystery Box'd my players.

NautArch

@Xirema Better than turning into Michael Bay

Xirema

The Artificer rolled a 25 on her Intelligence (Investigation) check to search a ruined village, and I gave her a scroll, written in elvish, containing a list of components with no explanation of what they're for or how they're supposed to be used.

(Spoilers: I don't know how they're supposed to be used either)

NautArch

@Xirema that's the best kind of mystery!

Xirema

- 1 Mote of Stardust
- 1 Crystal Vial made in Slythia
- 1 Ounce of Unicorn Horn; Powdered
- 5 Gallons of Spring Water from the Oasis of Xelos
- Non-Ferrous Acid (Quantity Unspecified)
- 1 Ounce of an Immortal's Menarchy
- 50 tons of Wheat; dried, unprocessed
- A tear of L▒▒▒▒▒ (Word Unreadable)
- 30 Copper Coins

That's good DMing, right? Right???? 🙃

NautArch

5:31 PM

@Xirema It is once they start coming up with ideas :)

honestly, had to look up menarche. TIL.

Someone_Evil

@Xirema That's a lot of wheat and you had me google ferrous acid, which does not appear to be a thing (in reality)

Xirema

XD

@Someone_Evil It just means "Acid that does not contain any Iron". Some acids have iron in them, IIRC.

Someone_Evil

Ah fair

Xirema

@NautArch Relatedly: do "Immortals" exist in Faerun/Forgotten Realms, or is that just something I made up for my campaign setting?

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP Saturdays

NautArch

5:35 PM

@Xirema wrong guy to ask :) My lore knowledge is weak.

KorvinStarmast

@Xirema I am so stealing that idea for use with my player who has an artificer. Thank You! :)

@Someone_Evil Ferrous, actually. X^D

@Xirema Mystara had them, I think.

1d10

1

d20

17

5:37 PM

I was hoping to get a 2, actually ...

d30

d8

2

booo

Shoulda tried a d1+1 =)

JohnP

5:38 PM

@Xirema Yes, there are immortals in the FR.

KorvinStarmast

@nitsua60 And then there's Agent 9d9.

hat, coat, exit

Xirema

The way that Immortals work in my setting is that they are a creature that, when it dies, is automagically Reincarnated immediately into the next infant born on the planet, keeping all their memories. The only way to permanently kill them would be if no one else is born on the planet, ever.

@JohnP Do they map onto my understanding of what an Immortal is?

KorvinStarmast

How many of them are there? Are any of them named McCloud?

Xirema

@KorvinStarmast 3 (so far), and no.

JohnP

@Xirema Hrm...I don't think so, FR imortals are ones that have an immortal origin or are deities. The rebirth sounds familiar, but I'm not sure if it is FR specifically. I can dig around a bit.

Technically the aasimar do this though.

Er, wait. Devas were 4e, which edition are you targeting? 5?

Xirema

5:42 PM

@JohnP Yeah.

Although most of the Deep Lore™ of my setting is system-agnostic.

JohnP

Hrm. I don't think Deva aasimar made it to 5e, but I stand to be corrected.

Xirema

I mean, you can play as an Aasimar in 5e, and it doesn't specify that you automatically reincarnate or anything like that.

@JohnP The lore for Aasimar in 5e is that they're linked to a divine entity, which often is a Deva, but they aren't meant to be the same as them. They're more like a guide, or like a weaker version of a Warlock Patron (particularly Celestial).

JohnP

@Xirema Devas were a specific type of aasimar that were angels in human form, reborn to human with memories to continue the good fight.

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP In 5e a Deva is in the MM as a lower powered Angel/Celestial, CR 9.

Xirema

@JohnP Gotcha. Aasimar in 5e are more like "Humanoid but has a trace of Celestial blood/empowerment/whatever".

JohnP

5:58 PM

@Xirema Gotcha.

Yuuki

@Xirema Weaker in power or weaker in bond/relationship?

Not-Fallen aasimar Fiend Warlock, hmm

Xirema

@Yuuki Both. The "link" between an Aasimar and their Guide seems to provide only nominal benefits, whereas a Warlock Patron provides ~~UNLIMITED COSMIC POWER~~ more substantial benefits.

@Yuuki Tiefling Celestial Warlock.

Yuuki

@Xirema I was speaking less about aasimar or warlock and more about the Patron and source-of-aasimarness.

Xirema

@Yuuki Gotcha. XD

NautArch

@Yuuki you can be such an aasimar :P

goodguy5

6:09 PM

@NautArch is he a whole aasimar?

Yuuki

I suppose the difference between Guide and Patron is entirely up to RP.

V2Blast

7:14 PM

@goodguy5 ...as opposed to? :P

goodguy5

@V2Blast halfaasimar

Xirema

@goodguy5 Boo.

JohnP

@Xirema @goodguy5 is such a smartaasimar.

Been waiting to play that one :p

David Coffron

7:36 PM

Are there any spells like spike growth?

JohnP

@DavidCoffron How so?

David Coffron

@JohnP Damages for every 5 foot section you move rather than just from entering the area of effect?

Xirema

So you mean 'are there any other spells like Spike Growth?'

Hmm.

NautArch

no filter for area effects on dndbeyond :(

Someone_Evil

You can sort by it to some extent

Rubiksmoose

8:21 PM

Off-topic but found this funny tweet by theAngryDM twitter.com/TheAngryGM/status/1153820168910340101?s=19

> Hot Take: If you want to call social interaction a pillar of your game on par with combat, it needs to be governed more by one attribute, three skills all keyed to the same attribute, and a rule that says "meh, wing it." t.co/im1G6ZHiUJ

4

(oh oneboxing how I miss you)

kviiri

@Rubiksmoose Haha

So true

Xirema

He's not wrong. I like campaigns that have social intrigue as a core component, but D&D is, at its roots, a War Game pared down to the micro level.

Which I'm totally fine with: like 80% of the games I play are strategy games to one degree or another.

NautArch

With 5e, it's like we want to RP, but when it actually presents itself...we don't.

@Xirema Yeah, the biggest RP i'm setting up in my campaign is having to balance and eventually choose which side (and there are 3, maybe 4 sides.)

maybe more...depends on which parts of the world(s) they visit.

Rubiksmoose

I actually find that at times 5e's rules make it actively harder to do RP beyond just free form stuff.

NautArch

@Rubiksmoose THe dice rolling almost takes the fun out of RP. Oh, it doesn't really matter what I say?

Xirema

8:25 PM

But that also frustrates me when I see people like Dice Funk, who so clearly would be better served having their "political intrigue thriller" campaigns taking place in a PbtA system, trying to force fit everything into 5e.

Rubiksmoose

@NautArch yeah. That's certainly an issue. Though even games which I think do have robust support for RP enhancing mechanics also suffer from that.

@Xirema Sammmme.

Xirema

@NautArch One workaround (and I think TheAngryGM proposed this?) is to have the rolls come first, and then the players narrate based on the roll.

> Player: "I rolled a 6 to persuade them."
DM: "Alright, what did you say to them?"
Player: "Well, Elias really hates the king's choice of color palette for his robes, so he tries to condescend to the king by insisting that if we go on this campaign, we'll be able to bring back a much better cache of dyes that his decorators may use."

Of course, that has its own issues.

But it at least helps the rolls feel more organic.

Rubiksmoose

@NautArch I hate it so much when I (or another player or DM) goes all-out and RPs amazingly and/or lays down a sick speech or song and then rolls a 1. Like, I know the DM can not call for a roll, but that can feel weird too.

Xirema

The biggest issue, IMO, is that it puts way more heavy lifting on the players to get in the headspace of their character and reckon with not only what the character's base motivations are, but also how their vices might interfere with those motivations. Which is good, compelling storytelling, but also a lot harder.

David Coffron

@goodguy5 @Xirema I finally got around to doing all the *conjure animals* options, and the best are (assuming Flanking or some other advantage):

- 32 Cow/Ox/Rothe/Deep Rothe/Stench Kow: 300.72 damage
- 16 Sea Lion/Clawfoot Raptor: 159.54
- 8 Deinonychus: 105
- 4 Aurochs/Rhinoceroses: 65.9

So more is better

If you put the target to sleep before the wave, you can get up to 462 with the Cows

Xirema

8:35 PM

@Rubiksmoose I decided that our Artificer, who has proficiency in cooking tools, can make an Intelligence (Cooking) check once per day to determine how good the food is; but every time she fails the check, the players immediately assume the food must be revolting, and I have to keep pointing out "no, she just made regular food, it doesn't mean it turned out terrible"

I've been ruling that success on the check means a +1 buff until the next long rest to a randomly selected type of roll, whereas failure just means "no benefit".

Rubiksmoose

@Xirema That's a really nice way to encourage them to use that skill (which honestly would never get used otherwise).

(and also brings up the issue I have with the default pass/fail mentality of D&D's checks)

Honestly one of the things I most love about PbtA is their resolution mechanic and how it helps drive a story forward by design.

David Coffron

@Rubiksmoose (Which reminds me of the issue I have with arbitrary DCs)

nitsua60

@DavidCoffron I once had a caster end a campaign with a well-placed summons like that. BBEG was flying 20ft. above a lava pool. Ceiling was another 30 ft. above that. The character summoned 32 horses to appear at the ceiling above BBEG.

Rubiksmoose

@DavidCoffron Oof yeah. That's another issue too!

David Coffron

@Rubiksmoose Especially with knowledge checks. It's like if you roll a 1, you think something stupid, less than 10, you don't know much. If you roll between 10 and 14 you get a medicore knowledge drop, 15-19 you learn what you needed, 20+ you learn everything there ever was to ever know about the thing

NautArch

8:43 PM

@Xirema I dunno, I don't actually mind the steps of player says what they want (either in character or 3rd person description) and then I roll for the NPC's reaction and respond accordingly.

I think this is also why my groups tend to gravitate to combat. We understand it and we like it. I think we like the idea of RP, but we don't really understand it and we don't know how to make it fit.

David Coffron

@NautArch It's tough to make work well in a D&D-like system, and even harder to feel like your character choices govern the direction (rather than them being treated like puzzles that the players have to guess the right thing to say)

Xirema

@NautArch I mean, I don't think the alternate method is perfect, or even necessarily "better" than what you're describing. It just solves different problems.

Rubiksmoose

@NautArch That's a really interesting point. Players will use the systems they know and understand (especially the risk involved with using). If social stuff is a big mystery I can see that definitely making people nervous to try it.

V2Blast

Ghosts of Saltmarsh error that will get fixed in errata/future printings: The Pressure Capsule's benefit has a planned duration of about 8 hours, not permanent. It currently says:
"This small capsule is made of beeswax blended with sand and a variety of enchanted water plants. A creature who consumes a pressure capsule ignores the effects of swimming at depths greater than 100 feet (see “Unusual Environments” in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide)."

Jeremy Crawford and Bart Carroll are currently live on Dragon+: twitch.tv/dnd

nitsua60

@V2Blast Maybe if they gave us more than a week's notice to playtest these things we'd find all the errors....

(Or if they gave themselves more than a week to process our feedback?)

V2Blast

8:53 PM

lol

Next UA is coming out "pretty soon".
Next time we'll see artificer is likely "in a book", so the UA is non-artificer-related. (Artificer is being revised after UA feedback.)

Xirema

Final version of the Stone Sorcerer when? =3

V2Blast

never

:P

Xirema

=(

nitsua60

4 core classes, NWPs, throw Coleville's Strongholds and Followers and a bit of an old FUDGE magic system I like in there... I think I've finally settled on my favorite version of D&D.

Anyone know if green flame blade is a direct homage to OOTS, or vice versa?

Xirema

@nitsua60 If it were, would it be a reference to Roy's sword, or something else?

nitsua60

8:58 PM

@Xirema Yeah, Roy's sword.

V2Blast

Apparently it's a reference to something Chris Perkins did as DM in Acq Inc?

reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/4x6nde/green_flame

Xirema

Because Roy's sword is explicitly described in-game as producing a green glowy effect that's especially harmful to undead, and is a property of the weapon itself, whereas Green Flame Blade is just fire damage that also leaps to an additional adjacent target, and is a spell.

V2Blast

which is itself a reference to Big Trouble in Little China

Xirema

They're a little bit too different to be a clear reference, IMO.

@V2Blast This seems a lot more plausible.

If it was a reference, the spell would definitely have to be referencing the webcomic, since Roy's Sword glowing green predates multiple editions of D&D. =P

(God that webcomic has been running for a long time...)

nitsua60

@Xirema Yeah--I just reread it this week, which is what had it on my mind.

G. Moylan

9:24 PM

@nitsua60 that book is SO GOOD. I got mine in the mail a couple weeks ago and I'm itching to use it. it'll probably be a while, though. the group I DM is super low level and doesn't meet often

@nitsua60 also NWPs?

Rubiksmoose

@G.Moylan which book is this? AI?

G. Moylan

@Rubiksmoose Colville's Strongholds and Followers

Rubiksmoose

Ah gotcha. I understand now.

G. Moylan

@Rubiksmoose it's worth a read. It's got a lot of nice stuff in there that takes a lot of weight off a DMs shoulders for establishing bases and whatnot

Rubiksmoose

Neat. I'll have to give it a look!

Glazius

9:35 PM

@Rubiksmoose That seems like an excellent place to rehabilitate terrible game design idea "oh no, you succeeded too well so something bad happens instead!"

Xirema

@DavidCoffron Kinda suspected as much. Good to see confirmation though.

Glazius

King immediately believes you and orders his diplomat executed while demanding you fill the position, shopkeep gives you what you asked for free but then follows you around like a lost puppy, etc.

G. Moylan

one of the problems I've seen with just RP is that the less-witty players might not be capable of making a persuasive argument but their character might be. Why should a player's skill affect the character's skill? That's what a roll with bonuses is for

They may be a bad flirt, or poor musician, but that doesn't mean their bard is terrible at either of those.

which is why I think charisma checks are almost always made backwards. I shouldn't call for a roll based on whether I think the player made a decent argument.

BESW

Jul 1 at 21:20, by BESW

Dee Pennyway wrote a thread on Twitter about the benefits of descriptive play over performative play.

Jul 1 at 21:25, by BESW

@BESW Nicholas Masyk elaborates on how descriptive play creates more equitable table dynamics and character-driven stories.

@Rubiksmoose I think this is something that games like Golden Sky Stories and Gumshoe have figured out pretty well: not all "do you succeed?" decisions have to involve a randomizer or just be left to GM fiat.

Both GSS and Gumshoe (and Fate!) have non-random resource-expenditure-based decision-making models where the determination is put in the hands of the player without making the choice trivial.

nitsua60

@G.Moylan I'm currently experimenting with giving out a keep at very low level--like 1-2--and slowly doling out some of the benefits, then over the course of levels 3-4 bringing it fully "online."

@G.Moylan Nonweapon proficiencies, a la 2e.

G. Moylan

9:51 PM

@nitsua60 aren't there already skill proficiencies? are those different?

@nitsua60 :O

nitsua60

@Rubiksmoose It starts with an introduction that says (paraphrased) "remember when by level 8-9 you'd built your own inn and were assembling a following..." and I was all "YES!!! I miss NAME LEVELS!"

KorvinStarmast

@V2Blast Artificer as currently written needs to be burninated with napalm, or confined only to Eberron campaigns. My two cents as a DM with a player who has an artificer. he's having fun, so that's good, but on the whole I don't like auto crafting magic items at 2d level for regular 5e.

@NautArch I tend to agree with Mike MOrnard. The more you role play, the better you get at it, and the less you roll the dice as a player role playing, the better you get at it. That was my experience for not quite two decades before I took a haiatus from RPing games. Relying on dice for role playing still seems very awkward to me.

V2Blast

@nitsua60 We kind of have this in our Wednesday night streamed game, though our keep itself is mostly just a place for us to come back to in terms of narrative importance. We saved a kid at relatively early levels. The kid turned out to secretly be the son of the king of the region, and the king gave us some land and funding for a keep in exchange for training him

KorvinStarmast

@BESW Yeah, the GSS encourages / enables RP with a less random RP currency/resource base. You are making an active choice when you expend wonder or other points, and you know how it's going to apply.

Black Spike

@KorvinStarmast Except for one of our Group. The eldest by a couple of years, and one of the longest RPG'ers. His default when anyone even looks at him is to reach for the dice, and say "What do I need to roll?" ...

Xirema

10:03 PM

@KorvinStarmast Eh. The official DMG recommendation for Magic Item distribution averages out to about 5 per level per party of 4 players, and even if you don't think that number is too low, adding a flat quantity of relatively mundane magic items on top of it doesn't really break the game.

KorvinStarmast

@BlackSpike My brother does that a lot, and he's my vintage. But I played a heck of a lot more back then. When he went to law school he stopped cold turkey.

OK, RL calls, so I hope you all are well and fun is had.

Xirema

Unless you're referring to their ability to craft real magic items via their tool proficiencies + specialization, but even so, you can't craft anything without obtaining a process (recipe) for making it in-game, so...

KorvinStarmast

The UA gives free cloak of mata ray if you have a cloak.

Xirema

Yeah, and it's a Minor, Uncommon item, so if you're following the DMG's guidelines, you'll have 3 of them by level 5. XD

BESW

"Age of Ravens: The Many Names of Gamemasters (2019 Update)," a blog post by Lowell From The Gauntlet that contains exactly what it says on the tin.

Hot RPG Questions

10:13 PM

15

Q: Can a character with a low Intelligence score take the Ritual Caster feat and choose the Wizard class?

The Ritual Caster feat (PHB, p. 169) has this prerequisite: Prerequisite: Intelligence or Wisdom of 13 or higher. You also have to choose one of the following classes: bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard. Is there any reason that a character with a high enough Wisdom could n...

dnd-5e feats ability-scores feat-qualifications

Xirema

Correction: it's actually Xanathar's Guide to Everything that has the guidelines for how frequently Magic Items should be distributed. My point stands though.

BESW

@BlackSpike Playing RPGs is not always the same as practicing role-playing.

Especially if people are thinking of a specific type of role-playing, such as speaking in character.

Xirema

@BESW Speaking as someone who killed their voice this week trying to voice Agatha, the banshee from LMoP, I don't recommend any kind of role-playing under any conditions in any game. =P

BESW

(Also, it's been my experience that how long somebody's played doesn't map to their skill or flexibility as proportionally as the variety of play experiences they've had. Somebody who plays one system with the same group for thirty years is less likely to have a lot of different roleplaying tools available than somebody who's played ten different games with five different groups over the course of a year.)

Black Spike

10:30 PM

@BESW True. But this player has had quite a varied experience. Think he's just picked up some habits :)

BESW

Yeah, broad principles are broad.

I know my group had to actively un-learn grabbing for the dice every time.

We did it by giving the GM all the dice, and the GM would hand the player the dice when it was time to roll something, then take the dice back after.

Less than a month of that broke us of the habit.

Black Spike

When we play diceless/narrative games, he comes up with interesting stuff :) and makes a good GM (even if some of us get a little frustrated at how free-n-easy he is with "rules")

V2Blast

@Xirema Thankfully I didn't strain my voice too much when I had to voice Agatha

Black Spike

@V2Blast I'm no good at voicing NPCs :(

Ben

Morning all

Black Spike

10:43 PM

@Ben hullo

Ben

How's Things?

Hopefully no more Stranger than usual...

Black Spike

Hot

20'C at midnight isn't right

Ben

It's currently 18'C here... and my toes are cold

Hahaha

BESW

That's what pets are for, lying on cold toes.

user15026

My cat is good for that until your toes move

MikeQ

10:49 PM

@BESW Many a goldfish would disagree

Ben

My main problem is that I'm wearing steel caps (I am at work), and the temperature is cooling the steel haha

ACuriousMind

@BlackSpike Some people are actually good at doing voices, the rest of us have to aim for "memorable" ;)

BESW

Jun 1 '15 at 3:08, by BESW

It's 8 C tonight in Rochester. I'm freezing, but there is a cat on my feet.

@ACuriousMind I used to do a lot of voices, but that changed mostly because (a) I no longer had a commute that involved walking down an empty road so I could practice out loud and (b) I started gaming in an apartment with thin walls.

Black Spike

@ACuriousMind I try to make the NPCs memorable, but usually through describing their mannerisms, getting my gf to draw a sketch, and giving them a nick-name or title :)

Our latest game, the PCs rivals (all vying politically for power in their street gang) were explicitly called (out of character, and sometimes in-character) "The Geek", "The Goth", "The Artist", "The Mortician" etc.

ACuriousMind

@BlackSpike Ah, sure, yet I find that doing different voices helps a lot when there's more than one NPC in a scene so that you don't always have to describe who's talking

Ben

11:00 PM

@MikeQ I second this :P

ACuriousMind

At least when I'm a player myself, I tend to get quickly confused as to who's talking if the GM uses the same voice for all NPCs and the narration.

Black Spike

@ACuriousMind true. I tend to give them different attitudes. One will be angry, another conciliatory ... players usually get it ... usually ...

(that, and try not to spend much time 'talking to myself'. :D )

I did have an idea to get lots of index cards, with a name, pic and brief description on one side (player-facing) and a few notes on the other ... can hold them up as needed

Ben

@BockSpike how goeth the dungeon building?

Black Spike

@Ben slowly.

Ben

Brick by brick

Black Spike

11:09 PM

It's in the latter stages, all the bits I've been putting off! :D

BESW

Ben

Oh nice haha

Black Spike

Need to make it prettier, a little more user-friendly, and fix some layout issues

@BESW yeah, that's the sort of thing :)

Ben

Sounds good :D

BESW

I shared a Google Photos folder and uploaded a new character every time they met someone.

Black Spike

11:11 PM

could do with fixing my linear/quadratic algorithms ... small dungeons are crowded, large ones more spread out

BESW

Oh, hey. [rummages for link]

Black Spike

@BESW cool. I put a wiki together, along with a Google Drive. We play in the lounge, with a big tv, and I chrome-cast to it :)

BESW

8

A: Where can I find a foldable character sheet for The Dresden Files?

Since I couldn't actually find a character sheet like this for The Dresden Files, I created my own. Since I used assets from the Evil Hat character sheet, I submitted it to them first to make sure it's OK for me to distribute it; Fred Hicks has graciously given his permission for me to distribut...

There are character sheets that fold so everyone else can see the important info to remember.

I should do that for Lady Blackbird next con time.

Ben

@BlackSpike accounting for 3 toed camels

Or however the saying goes lol

Black Spike

@Ben Somethink like that lol

My Dwarven Ranger for Rolemaster game is now probably a Human Monk! Still an "outdoorsman", but wandering Hermit :)

Our local System-Master (min-maxer :) ) had a look through the books, see what he could come up with. Might change again before we start play

Hot RPG Questions

11:34 PM

8

Q: Can you drop a weapon/item when it is not your turn?

Thought of while contemplating this question on whether you can drop prone off your turn, I am wondering if you can drop a weapon/item. This Q/A claims that dropping a weapon is a free action, but I am not sure if this means it is something that can be done when it is not your own turn. This Q/...

dnd-5e spells actions equipment

Shalvenay

11:53 PM

hey there @BlackSpike, how're things going?

Hot RPG Questions

6

Q: How do changes to your speed that occur on your own turn affect your available movement?

After seeing this Q/A on whether releasing a grappled creature increases your available movement, I am wondering a more general question. Under "Your Turn" it states: On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed... I also noticed that the Dash action specifically states: Any ...

dnd-5e movement

Black Spike

@Shalvenay hi

Shalvenay

also: is that Rolemaster game you mentioned going to be your first experience with the system, or?

Black Spike

Oh no, we're veterans :)

I still struggle to work my way through character creation ... so much going on ... but once we're up and running, it's all good :)

Transcript for