TRPG General Chat

Shalvenay

00:02

hey there @JohnClifford and @BlackSpike

Black Spike

@Shalvenay hey

John Clifford

Hi! And goodnight. XD

Black Spike

00:20

Trawling youtube mashups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-T0GjrMSs8

Rage against the Bad Moon Rising

Hot RPG Questions

7

Q: Is Levitate supposed to basically disable a melee based enemy?

We are a group of new players and I feel that I miss some important properties of the levitate spell as it proved extremely powerful in the last encounter in Cragmaw Castle in The Lost Mine of Phandelver. The party caused a alarm to ring which caused the entire final group, with bodyguards, to p...

Hot RPG Questions

00:45

8

Q: Spare the Dying during Rage Beyond Death

How does spare the dying cantrip effect rage beyond death. Would the stabilize mean he doesnt need to make saves till attacked again?

dnd-5e barbarian

Hot RPG Questions

02:25

8

Q: How to describe hit point damage without talking about wounds

From the PHB: Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. Creatures with more hit points are more difficult to kill. Those with fewer hit points are more fragile. Also Dungeon Masters describe hit point loss in different ways. When y...

dnd-5e damage hit-points narration

Ben

05:17

Afternoon everyone

trogdor

Yes quite

Jolly good

XD

Ben

Asked a question over on movies and TV and I have 4 votes on both the question, and all the answers. Lol

Not making my decision to choose the right answer any easier haha

Hot RPG Questions

06:47

2

Q: Can you use Shape Water on Tidal Wave?

Is it possible to use Shape Water to control the water generated by Tidal Wave?

dnd-5e spells

Pierre Cathé

07:24

Morning

Nyakouai

Evernoon

Derpy

07:57

Morning

just a quick service message. Some of you may remember that some months ago I have posted a link to a Meta discussion about some "Ads testing" that the SE network is undergoing.

vicky_molokh

@Derpy They gave a meaningful answer / allowed ad config customisation / etc.?

Derpy

@vicky_molokh No, au contraire. That was exactly what I was going to point out

Nyakouai

I smell baguette and sedition here

Oh, nevermind, the baguette smell come from here, my bad

Derpy

I won't try to convince any one here, but IF you plan to allow ads on SE, I recommend you first read this and the recent followup here

3

Nyakouai

08:16

Just finished reading... What to say...

There is a lot of websites nowadays asking to disable adblockers and saying how much this practice hurt the Internet as a whole. Well, maybe, but maybe we wouldn't have to if ads did not became that toxic...

Thanks for the heads-up

Derpy

Spoiler: I was the one who posted this far before we saw the audio fingerprint incident, so I think my position on the matter should be evident. But again, I won't try to convince anyone - just linking the discussion so that you can make your informed choice about allowing ads on the network.

I am doing this because I am pretty sure that the issue isn't very know to users outside the main meta site, and the network doesn't seem to be really pushing to make it more know.

Ben

08:53

Cc @BESW

BESW

V2Blast

PowerScoreRPG on Twitter previewed the Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus adventure: https://twitter.com/Powerscorerpg/status/1169038283994779649 (apparently Mike Schley did at least some of the maps)
and images of the dice+accessory pack (and back cover): https://twitter.com/Powerscorerpg/status/1169032950274506757
Click through for full threads.

Also, I can't believe I missed a whole conversation on language :(

Someone_Evil

09:18

Sorry. Would it be better if we ping you next time?

V2Blast

09:42

Haha. It can't hurt! ;)

vicky_molokh

Could always start a new one.

V2Blast

True. I should sleep, though :)

goodguy5

12:25

another day another dollar

Derpy

soon, volume 8 will be mine

KorvinStarmast

@BlackSpike It appears that answering in comments is OK at SO.

@vicky_molokh Quick question on indo european roots. Are Stanislaus and Constantine names from the same root? IIRC, Stalislaus is either slavic or Greek in origin, or a bit of both given Cyril's and Methodious' work ...

Derpy

@KorvinStarmast actually, judging by the continuous warfare, it must depend on the current moon phase.

KorvinStarmast

@Derpy I gave up with attempting to influence folks at aviation SE to stop answer in comments. The recent mod election there was painful to watch.

@V2Blast Board game?

Derpy

@KorvinStarmast I think I know what you mean. I actually visited some chatroom dedicated to the recent Meta SO "incident"... and comment deletion became one of the central points in the fighting there.

Not fun to watch.

KorvinStarmast

12:37

@vicky_molokh As I was pondering your point on Istanbul, I got a little brain wave that said "bul" and "polis" may have a common bul/pol root that pre existed both (but I have no idea where or how the "shift" from hard to soft would have take place)

@Derpy Comment deletion is one piece of the discipline, but the answering in comments is an utter lack of discipline.

Derpy

@KorvinStarmast to be fair, I think people got mad because allegedly some comments in a pretty long discussion-in-comment chain of messages were deleted while keeping others, and now the remaining ones made no sense or seemed totally out of context.

Didn't really dig to much into it, I don't know the details

Black Spike

@KorvinStarmast even if that answer is a one-liner, or "Go read a book" :(

Nyakouai

@BlackSpike Which, to be honest, solves 90% of CS related question

goodguy5

12:52

*go search on SO

Carcer

that specific SO question, the comments read to me "this is conceptually how you approach this kind of problem, but if you give more details on what you're working with I can tell you more exactly what you should do"

so I sort of understand the logic there

vicky_molokh

@KorvinStarmast Doesn't seem to be a relation. One is related to being constant, the other is made of two words that are even split along different lines and have unrelated meanings to the former.

@KorvinStarmast What happened at the election?

GcL

@Nyakouai I found a community that was adamantly against "RTFM" and "go read X". They're the only devs I actually enjoy spending significant amounts of time with.

Derpy

@BlackSpike to be fair, the increasing amount of "question hijacking" (you asked X but I will answer Y because I KNOW) together with the knowledge that if I couldn't find an answer on Google after days of searching N other random users doing the same searchs won't probably have much more luck made me drop the idea to ask questions on most Stack sites. The spreading illness in the staff VS users relationship is also discouraging me far from contributing in other ways.

KorvinStarmast

13:07

@vicky_molokh lack of what I consider to be qualified candidates (although I did vote for two nice people whom I have interacted with there). I have a Personal pet peeve with that site - the lack of actual aviation experts/professionals on the mod team, but apparently for a site filled with "enthusiasts" that's OK? I admit to having a hard bias there, do to my professional careers in aviation and aviation related fields. Addressed my concerns during the last mod election. unhappy with answers

GcL

@Derpy Sometimes I find or am reminded of the term or phrase that I actually need to search to find the path to a solution in SO Q&As. Also, meeting people where they are, like trying to use the R language as an SSH control master, is really hard.

@KorvinStarmast The real experts have their head in the clouds. /S

vicky_molokh

@KorvinStarmast This makes me consider/wonder about the ratio of experts (e.g. professional writers of respectable game companies) vs. enthusiasts (players, amateur writers etc.) in our own stack, both in general and among mods. (And by wonder, I mean I don't know and it's a curious thing to find out.)

KorvinStarmast

@GcL The real experts post a PPRuNe.

GcL

@KorvinStarmast Sounds like that's the pits.

Carcer

@vicky_molokh be fair, you don't have to be a professional in order to qualify as an expert on something

KorvinStarmast

13:10

@vicky_molokh Suggest you read the meta I cited a few days ago about what is an "expert" in RPG. My problem with aviationSE is that spreading misinformation in aviation gets people killed. Bad info in an RPG has less dire consequences.

@Derpy Aha, got it "you delteded mine but not theirs" complaint. OK, that makes a bit more sense in re kerfluffle

Derpy

@KorvinStarmast more of "you deleted some comment in the chain and now it looks like my comment is agreeing with the post while originally it was quite the opposite"

But I repeat, I don't have all the details.

KorvinStarmast

@Derpy that too, contextual clues of a discussions continuum missing, makes for a mess. Yeah.

Derpy

> Potassium Cyanide: This is the kill-all of cleaning products! Containing a triple Carbon-Nitrogen bond it breaks open any mould DNA down to the molecular level and leaves behind the most sterile and clean area you've ever witnessed. Just add it to water (even a 2% solution will work great!) and again use a sponge (synthetic or natural: now it doesn't matter) and the same physical treatment as the above solutions. This is the most permanent solution of all!

GcL

@Derpy And smells like roasted almonds to boot!

Derpy

taken from "How to get rid of black mold", on Lifehacks Beta

KorvinStarmast

13:15

@Derpy Ok, but does it have an MSDS sheet ? HAZMAT?

@Derpy I ask because I know of an electrolytic industrial process that uses a potassium cyanide solution related to plating and base metals ...

Derpy

@KorvinStarmast they suggest....

> Before attempting any of the following remedies, you need rubber boots, chemical gloves and a gas-mask.

KorvinStarmast

@Derpy Ah, right, HAZMAT. :)

Derpy

or, still my favorite....

"How do I safely look at an eclipse?"

0

A: What office equipment can I use to safely observe a solar eclipse?

Remember the floppy discs? We dug one out from our storage, opened it up and looked through the film sheet. Alternatively, a friend of mine took a lighter and a glass cup mat. He placed the glass mat above the lighter to get some soot onto it and watched it through the mat.

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh here is the meta I was referring to

Derpy

Use an old floppy disc "film sheet"

vicky_molokh

13:18

@Carcer Maybe. The way word is used seems to vary between demographics. But I would say that my impression is that most members of this stack would be described/qualified as enthusiasts.

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh You can become expert in a game system (See grand masters in Chess for example) through play and study. So too with board games and RPG's. You don't have to know how to design them. Likewise, you can become expert in golf without knowing how to design a golf club or even a golf course.

But honestly? I value the input of such designers/experts when we can get them.

And I think that you are right about a lot of our participants being at least in the "enthusiast" class.

(does that come with extra advantages during point buy?)

Nyakouai

@GcL Not denying it, receiving help when asking by patient and pedagogic people is always nicer. On the other hand, a lot of non-dev or rookie resort to asking directly instead of just googling their problem. "Give a man a fish..." and all that

vicky_molokh

@KorvinStarmast True, but some questions do require design experts. Some are ones that I have answered, even, but I'd say I'm just a very enthusiastic enthusiast.

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh I seem to recall that SSD (former diamond mod) had a winning entry in 2012 for a "design a one page dungeon" contest. (I seem to remember seeing a link to that here somewhere) KRyan has some published third party material (IIRC, for Pathfinder and maybe for 3.5e) mxy was a triad for the living greyhawk thing in 3.e. IIRC, the author of Great Ork Gods has posted here before.

GcL

@Nyakouai I understand that point of view. I held it for a long time. Dismissing the question with RTFM does not improve anyone's situation. For me, I just answer their question and then point out where that answer might be found on their own. I try to recall the times I don't know the name of the plumbing tool or nut or bolt.

The Oracle

13:25

0

Q: How to tell what actually happened, after what I asked about is resolved?

So, let's say I ask a question about some actual issue. And I get answers, and maybe already accept one of them. Then the situation gets resolved whatever way in reality. How should I tell what happened? Edit the question and add extra section telling what happened. Add an answer telling what...

discussion answers self-answering

Nyakouai

@GcL Same here, in a more or less patient manner depending on the mood and the asker (though I try not to vent on the person). I believe answering and pointing out the process to get the answer in the first place yield better results, which leads to less disturbance from people asking. So less time wasted answering "RTFM" in the future.

(Plus, we almost all needed help at some point)

GcL

Like every week. Even if it's just remembering, "what's the property off-hand weapons need so you can make a bonus attack with them?" Which came up last week among 5 veteran D&D players.

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh Don't disagree; I think we even have a tag for that.

Derpy

oh, nice, I have found another pearl for my collection. In case of nosebleed, lean back

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh FWIW, and it's been a while, I recall one of the appeals of GURPS when I first encountered it in the 80's (but it didn't last long, that group broke up) is that it enabled one to do a little bit of customization and even mini design as a feature of that system.

Nyakouai

13:32

I wouldn't consider asking something you know but don't remember at your table the same as going on a forum or SE to ask how to solve your issue at work.
At the table, you know it, just miss it at the moment and need a quick, easy answer as not to hold up everyone. You know how to get it, it's just more time consuming than asking someone who is sitting right next to you and can answer from the top off the head.
At work (at least in my field), your job is to figure things out. If you resort to waiting for someone to come and solve your issue without looking, you're wasting time not improving.

KorvinStarmast

@Nyakouai golf clap well said.

Nyakouai

(Just to be clear, not saying you never need help. But I think it's best to enforce looking it up beforehand and developping skills over directly asking for help - not good with words, I'm gonna pass for someone harsh again...)

goodguy5

btw, @KorvinStarmast, I always feel bad when:

1- the answer to a question is just a short thing. title, link, conclusion.

2- when my short answer does better than someone else's long answer.

Though, your answer says "as goodguy shoes" instead of "shows"

KorvinStarmast

@goodguy5 I like a concise and correct answer, and you provided it. I only got to it as I was researching the comparison ... so nice job! :)

And as Spike Lee used to say, in a commercial, It's Gotta Be The Shoes! Now corrected

goodguy5

Although, Spike Lee is also an idiot, but yea.

KorvinStarmast

13:42

@goodguy5 Heh, he was a very famous Knicks fan back when I was living in the NY/NJ/Conn area.

I liked some of his movies better than others

goodguy5

blind squirrels too find a nut

KorvinStarmast

One of my favorite funny lines in one of his movies was uttered by Denzel Washington's character in Mo Betta Blues.

I still use it in certain company.

goodguy5

♥ Denzel Washington

KorvinStarmast

My wife and I loved Book of Eli. but he's been so good in so many movies.

goodguy5

I wanted to go through and watch that again after the fact to see if I could pick up on it

That's all I'll say about it unless you want to go over to .....

do we have a spoiler discussion chat? Or do we just default to notabar

KorvinStarmast

13:46

I know what you mean, don't need to comment further. :)

goodguy5

fair enough

KorvinStarmast

One of these days, I'll likely watch it again at home and try to see the same thing.

Hot RPG Questions

4

Q: Can a readied action be taken after a spell is cast, but before it deals damage?

This question evolved from discussion in the comments from another Q/A: "Can you use Shape Water on Tidal Wave?". I've become unsure about how spells with a duration of "instantaneous" work. Specifically, do their effects also happen instantaneously? An example where it matters: If one readies ...

dnd-5e spells readied-action spellcasting

KorvinStarmast

@vicky_molokh Also, speaking of experts - designers, Ken St Andre has posted a few times, and Frank Mentzer participated here for a while before an unfortunate dispute (won't comment further) resulted in his choosing not to any longer.

Also, one of the original mods here RsConley has done some design work/published in the OSR genre at least ... and some of our participants have run game stores (I think aramis did at one time, but maybe I am not remembering correctly)

KorvinStarmast

14:05

Just out of curiosity, does anyone have the D&D 4e book that describes the 4e version of the bag of holding? (DMG, I guess?)

Hot RPG Questions

7

Q: Is a paralyzed creature limp or rigid?

When a creature is paralyzed, is it rigid (akin to frozen or petrified but not stone) or limp like a rag doll? Specifically, what happens to what they are holding? Do they have it in a death grip or does it fall from their saggy hands? The picture in the book doesn't clarify. Looks like he has a...

dnd-5e conditions

Carcer

@KorvinStarmast fsvo have

4e put magic items in the phb, by the by

goodguy5

I cannot for the life of me remember how the layout of my basement maps to the layout of my upstairs, and I don't know why

Carcer

that's

what

do you live in some sort of noneuclidean house

Yuuki

@goodguy5 Basements generally go below upstairs, if that helps.

goodguy5

14:16

haha

no, like.... which part of my basement is under which part of my upstairs

Carcer

it seems like that should be easy to figure out

goodguy5

the stairs are vaguely in the middle and when I try to remember which side is which, it gets jumbled for some reason

Yuuki

@goodguy5 Well, the part below your master bedroom should be below your master bedroom.

goodguy5

right, but which part is that

Carcer

how complicated is your basement

goodguy5

14:18

I'm honestly considering putting down painter's tape outlining the upstais

Yuuki

Press F3 and look at the x and z coordinates.

goodguy5

dat's a minecraft joke right there

GcL

@Yuuki Always put your master dungeon below your master bedroom. Just saves on heating that way.

goodguy5

Though, I think I just figured it out.....

GcL

@goodguy5 I labeled the basement windows when I was doing a renovation. Since they were what I was trying to use as a reference anyway.

goodguy5

14:22

I know which way is the back of the house, and I should be able to keep the floor plan in my mind from there

GcL

@goodguy5 Depends on how well you can expand your mind. Fitting 1000 square feet in there is difficult. Probably why feet are mostly rounded wedges of some sort in nature.

goodguy5

I think my confusion has been stemming from the fact that the stairs down face the opposite direction as the house, so I literally get turned around going downstairs.

GcL

@goodguy5 Sounds like a dangerous maneuver to do on stairs. I recommend going down in a linear fashion. That hand rail is not there to support your stairway ballet moves.

goodguy5

yea, I've had this problem for almost 3 years and I think that complaining about it to strangers on the internet helped me solve it.

Though, we'll see if I remember next time people come over

Yuuki

@goodguy5 Complaining about things to strangers on the Internet seems to work pretty handily.

I mean, each SE site is basically just ComplainingAboutSubjectToStrangersOnTheInternet.com.

goodguy5

14:31

that's true

Carcer

so

out of curiosity

what problem exactly does this solve?

goodguy5

"which parts of the basement are under my baby's bed and/or my wife's bed so I know where I can be louder or quieter"

Yuuki

Knowing where rooms are in relation to other rooms is pretty important, particularly if you're going to be running some cable, etc.

KorvinStarmast

14:48

@Carcer can you c&p the description here in to chat? I'd like to add it to my answer for completeness.

Carcer

yis

JohnP

Humble has an RPG bundle available now.

Borderlands, Pillars of Eternity, Hiveswap among a couple others.

Carcer

@KorvinStarmast Bag of Holding Level 5 - This item appears to be a simple sack of brown canvas. - Wondrous Item 1,000 gp - Property: This bag can hold up to 200 pounds in weight or 20 cubic feet in volume, but it always weighs only 1 pound. Drawing an item from a bag of holding is a minor action.

KorvinStarmast

@Carcer That's the whole thing? (PHB 1? for 4e?)

Carcer

yes

KorvinStarmast

14:50

@Carcer Thanks! :) Appreciated

Carcer

no worries

KorvinStarmast

And ... done ... with attribution to Carcer. :)

@JohnP arrgh, got borderlands for 5e from amazon a few months back in hard copy. Maybe I should have waited ...

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast Waited for a hit or miss site to maybe post the specific RPG you want somewhere down the road? Good plan.

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP giggle

KorvinStarmast

16:02

@JohnP Thanks John for the C&P, will use. :)

JohnP

No problem.

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP OK, I have it all and while I guess PF would be fine to add, I suspect it is identical to 3.5 as a descriptive. currently pfsrd blocked where I am

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast Correct. Refers to it as non-dimensional space.

KorvinStarmast

16:18

@JohnP Cool, I guess it's a wrap. Thanks for the assist.

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast Yawp. pfsrd is blocked where I am too, but because of what I do I have a jumpbox outside the blocker with access to everything.

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP Nice to have tools. :)

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast Yes, but my coworkers aren't that bad...

Black Spike

Still getting nowhere with data-shuffling. Starting to look like it will be easier/quicker to write out all the tables by hand :(

KorvinStarmast

18:39

@Novak You here?

Novak

@KorvinStarmast yeah. Time-limited but yeah.

KorvinStarmast

@Novak As I wandered through the edits I wondered at whether or not the close votes weren't such a bad idea ... at first. And then as the effort to clarify came, it seemed to me to miss the core element of "What problem are you solving here."

So, before I cast a reopen vote, to you think that's asking too much?

I find that your brand of common sense/judgment is a good point of reference.

Novak

Let me go look back through the edits for a minute, so I'm basing my response off reality instead of my memory.

KorvinStarmast

I have a DM telling me to make a character using only the Forgotten Realms setting.

But that got edited out. scratches head

Novak

Yes, it did.

By NautArch. But there was a history of comments there no longer accessible (to me at least) which implied that this was in accord with the OP's actual desire.

Did those comments get moved to a chat? I didn't even think to look.

KorvinStarmast

18:45

@Novak Arrgh. I was hoping to edit that back in since it seems to fit the "what problem are you trying to solve" but I guess I missed all that

Novak

Yeah, and no mods here to ask if there's a way to see those comments.

KorvinStarmast

Do you think a reopen fits?

Novak

I think maybe not yet if we can get OP to help clarify further. This is doubtful, because the reason those comments got deleted is because they went from room temp to boiling over very quickly.

KorvinStarmast

@Novak yeah, I guessed that from your comment.

Ok, I'll just not do anything, thanks for the sanity check.

Novak

My issue-- and I hate myself a little for this-- is that I think I know what he wants, but I also think format is important on this one and I have no idea what kind of format he's looking for.

KorvinStarmast

18:48

@Novak My issue is that I assume that the "my DM wants this" gives me the the "what problem" piece, but since I missed all of that in betwen dialogue, I a mmissing context

Novak

Okay. For the record, I am absolutely convinced that he is not focused exclusively on FR material. The comments were all about that, and the edit history doesn't show it.

KorvinStarmast

@Novak OK, good, then I'll sit on my hands. Thanks. :)

Novak

I am also pretty sure he wants a pre-existing master list of some sort, which may not exist. But I don't know if he means something that lists books, or some sort of lower level granular feature like classes, spells, monsters, whatever. THAT is what is exercising me.

Take that for what it's worth, though. I cordially loathe the "unclear" category of post closings.

Hey, there's a mod.

@V2Blast are the deleted comments from the "How do we know what content is in/from the different settings" available anywhere, or are they just gone forever?

Someone_Evil

this question, right?

Novak

Yes. There was a heated thread of comments before mine (I'm surprised mine wasn't deleted too) which I think will be useful to anyone who tries to surgically improve that question.

But then, they were heated, so I understand why they were removed.

V2Blast

18:59

@KorvinStarmast What about a board game?

@Novak They were simply deleted.

Novak

@V2Blast that's what I expected, but it was worth asking.

V2Blast

If you're curious what they said: in short, OP wanted to ask the general question about various settings rather than a specific one about FR specifically.

Including the specific context about FR was causing confusion.

Novak

Yeah, I know. I read them. But I wasn't the one who wanted to edit or reopen the question.

KorvinStarmast

@V2Blast You posted a link to a game about the Avernus and it looked to me like a board game

@V2Blast The original question/problem was "MY DM says "make a FR character" and the querent did not edit that out, one of the users did during the dialogue.

V2Blast

@KorvinStarmast I didn't link to a game about Avernus. I linked to PowerScoreRPG's preview of the dice and accessory pack sold alongside the Descent into Avernus adventure.

KorvinStarmast

19:04

@V2Blast But I missed it all and in its current form I was discussing with Novak "reopen, or not reopen" and I am now on the "not reopen" side.

@V2Blast Aaah, accessories, not a game, sorry, I misunderstood that.

V2Blast

yep

dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/…

Novak

Right, and when I saw @KorvinStarmast circling back to the "What actual problem are you trying to solve?" I realized that the edit history only told half the story, especially since the OP had just gotten criticized for including perceived irrelevant material in the question.

I think his specific problem generated a desire for a general solution, which is IMO quite reasonable.

KorvinStarmast

@Novak was this a "help pile" that didn't help, I wonder?

Novak

No one was covered in glory from what I remember.

Some, more un-glory than others.

KorvinStarmast

We'll see if they come back and like either of the answers.

@Novak chortle

Novak

19:10

Okay, I have to go. I've wasted enough time this day (and week and month) already.

KorvinStarmast

@Novak Thanks!

Novak

NP

Hot RPG Questions

19:49

8

Q: What is the statistical difference between "choose either total" or "choose new total" when rerolling damage die?

I am reworking a homebrew class I made a while ago where one class feature stated: when making a melee attack you can choose to reroll the damage die. The new total must be used. I wanted to make this a bit stronger by making it into: when making a melee attack you can choose to reroll ...

dnd-5e homebrew statistics

JohnP

20:01

ugh. main is offline

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP yeah just noticed

JohnP

20:14

And I was about to post a brilliant examen on an unanswered question, that I've now forgotten my reasoning on.

hey, we're back!

and not.

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP And thus, your brilliance is lost to mankind. Tragic loss, it is. Here, have a pint.

JohnP

w00t.

and back. worse than the cat.

KorvinStarmast

20:29

Do you refer to the one with a chapeau?

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast nein, sans chapeau.

Yuuki

A chapeau or a chateau? Because someone with a chapeau is a pretentious rich person and someone with a chateau is... also a pretentious rich person?

JohnP

@Yuuki Generally I would expect if you have a chateau, you also have a chapeau, which you wear in said chateau.

Someone_Evil

This question has now gotten it's third answer (attempt) which wrongly assumes the question is about D&D 5e. Makes me wish we could have system tags be like blue (or something) so it pops out more.

Not a new idea apparently

Xirema

20:52

Does anyone know of a paragraph or sentence in the 5e books (PHB or DMG, ideally) that suggests that, inherently, adventurers are meant to be relatively superhuman[-oid] compared to other characters in the setting? I know that was kind of a thing in earlier editions, but while it feels true in 5e, I'd like to see a reference that makes this claim more explicit.

(or a reference that rejects that claim)

Like, as an example: a relatively well-leveled Fighter is implied to be superhumanly strong, durable, etc., despite mechanically not having any actual magical abilities.

Someone_Evil

PHB p 15 on Tiers of Play sort of touch on this

Xirema

Yeah, kind of, but I was expecting something a bit more direct than that.

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V2Blast

@Someone_Evil I've protected the question now

Someone_Evil

@V2Blast Are you sure that question should be protected? If there is anyone out there who has the answer, they are now even less likely to be able to answer it.

Xirema

21:09

@Xirema The context for this is that I'm trying to come up with an answer to that question about Extreme Cold Effects, and I feel like "because the Adventurers are inherently superhuman[-oid], therefore they can tolerate harsher climates than regular human[-oid]s" is the answer, but I'd like something I can actually cite to make that claim.

Eternallord66

Hello I've come to try to fix the confusion

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 Hi, glad that it now works

Eternallord66

Apparently I was viewing and not part of the chat

KorvinStarmast

But you are now. :)

Eternallord66

Yes, so what do you need to know

KorvinStarmast

21:14

What problem are you trying to solve? Your DM put a particular demand on you. What character options are you interested in, and what do you think you can't do?

When you asked the DM to clarify, what happened? ? Any response?

Eternallord66

Those issues have nothing to do with the question I asked.

KorvinStarmast

OK, that is what I got out of the original question.

Eternallord66

My question was very simple. How do we know what setting the various character options are in/from.

KorvinStarmast

What are you looking for? Your responses to the two answers show me that you are not happy with them.

Do you mean in the PHB?

Eternallord66

You, like everyone else, focused on one sentence from the whole post.

KorvinStarmast

21:16

Classes, sub classes, and races?

Eternallord66

Reread the question as is and that is what I'm asking

The answers said do a web search or said things would say but doesn't clarify where it says.

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 Tell ya what, I don't like where this convesation is going, tone wise. So I'll change direction. What about the answer that Michael Campbell offered is incomplete?

Xirema

@Eternallord66 I mean, there's not one specific way to know what is or isn't in a given setting without researching that setting to at least a moderate degree. There's not going to be like an easy checklist if that's what you're looking for.

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 I say that because in all setting all PHB classes and races are available.

Eternallord66

Campbells answer was the best one

KorvinStarmast

21:19

@Eternallord66 OK, that's good. Do you feel like accepting it?

Someone_Evil

@KorvinStarmast (*the DM may choose to exclude classes, but should of course make this clear to their players)

Xirema

The 5e setting of Faerun presumes that all options in the PHB (and, ostensibly, any later released Sourcebooks) are available to adventurers in that setting, unless they say otherwise—though even then it can be a little dicey.

KorvinStarmast

@Someone_Evil I know that, but I am trying to deal with this question ..let's not drift please.

Eternallord66

The issue is besides the PHB being accepted in all settings how do we know if there are any differences in the other settings. I know some settings don't like clerics for example

Xirema

@Eternallord66 I think the best answer here is you need to specifically ask your DM, because while many settings are hostile to certain races/classes/etc., there's very few where those things don't exist or are implausible to exist, so if your DM thinks that, for whatever setting you're using, there's some obvious examples of characters/races/classes that won't exist, you might need to ask them to clarify.

KorvinStarmast

21:22

@Eternallord66 OK, Dark Sun isn't published in 5e yet, so a core piece of any answer to your question is discuss with your DM if there are any limits. (I do not permit PC tieflings, for example when I DM, nor Kenku).

Are you thinking of porting an Eberron or Ravnica choice into a standard game?

Eternallord66

Aside from the PHB though are there some races or classes etc not in the forgotten realms?

KorvinStarmast

Yes, but one needs to look in the other setting/books, which so far includes: Eberrron, and Ravnica.

Eternallord66

The books do not clarify anything except ravnica and sword coast

KorvinStarmast

No, Eberron.

Eternallord66

Eberron isn't official

KorvinStarmast

21:24

Xanathar's Guide to Everything adds lots of sub classes.

Sword coast adds lots of sub classes.

@Eternallord66 OK, neither is Ravnica.

Eternallord66

But are those specific to the forgotten realms

KorvinStarmast

Volos Guide to Monsters Expands on Races. Volo

Eternallord66

Ravnica is a published hardcover book in stores

KorvinStarmast

(Kenku, Tabaxi, Etc)

Is your DM good with Ravnica material? You have to answer that first.

Eternallord66

you are missing the point. where does it say what setting those are from/in

Someone_Evil

21:26

@KorvinStarmast Do you mean Volo's. Mordenkaines only has Gith

Eternallord66

My DM only wants forgotten realms

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 Then no Ravnica.

Then no eberron.

With that limitation, your three source book supplements are Volos, Sword Coast Adventures Guide, and Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

Eternallord66

The question I asked has nothing to do with what my DM wants

Why no MToF

KorvinStarmast

You question is a dupe, I think, of a community wiki nitsua started. Lemme get you a link

Eternallord66

Where does it say Volos or XGtE is in the forgotten realms

No one is answering my question aside from SCAG and PHB

KorvinStarmast

21:29

You are going back to front with your logic.

Eternallord66

Also ravnica and eberron

Xirema

@Eternallord66 It's more that there's no indication that they're not. Ravnica and Eberron are very specific settings, so it makes sense that anything in those books wouldn't show up in Forgotten Realms.

@Eternallord66 I think MToF should be in the Forgotten Realms as well.

Eternallord66

@Xirema Yes I know ravnica and eberron are specific to themselves but how are players supposed to know about the other books

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 Here is the link, please review it

Eternallord66

You say should be forgotten realms but you don't know?

Xirema

21:31

@Eternallord66 If the book is meant for a specific setting, it'll usually say so in the foreword or in some other obvious way.

@Eternallord66 Well, I've been trying to dig through the book to make sure I'm right, but I haven't personally verified. =P

V2Blast

@Someone_Evil Hmm. That's a fair point. I mostly did it to stem the tide of answers being posted for the wrong system.

Eternallord66

@KorvinStarmast That question isn't about setting specific things

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 Your conversational style is not coming across well, so I'll stop responding for a bit. Please review that link and see if it answers your questions.

As I noted above, your logic is back to front. You can assume all of those sources are available in all realms, except for Eberron and Ravnica - you can't make that assumption. Why are you having trouble understanding this? THis isn't that complicated. What words are you looking for?

V2Blast

@Eternallord66 the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron is indeed official (albeit not finalized). Being a digital product doesn't change anything about its officiality (after all, EEPC content is also official). It will eventually be updated with the final versions of those races updated after UA survey feedback. Most of those character options will also be reprinted in the Eberron: Rising from the Last War book, which is also official.

Eternallord66

It does not help at all. I'm getting frustrated that no one is able or willing to answer a very simple question. You are all focusing on the wrong thing as I've been saying all along

KorvinStarmast

21:34

@Eternallord66 Your are right, we are wrong, good bye for now.

Eternallord66

@KorvinStarmast I keep hearing we can "assume" but how

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 You have exhausted my patience, so I'll pass the baton to someone who can find the words that you are looking for. I didn't have the right ones.

V2Blast

@Eternallord66 ...Because they don't say they're setting-specific. I think you're looking for some irrefutable proof that something is meant to apply across all settings, but that simply doesn't exist.

Eternallord66

Assumption doesn't help

V2Blast

That is the best you will get.

Xirema

21:36

If you want to know if a book is in Forgotten Realms, here's the process, in order of priority:

1. Does it specifically say it is? (Most won't, but these books have different authors so they may prioritize certain information differently)
2. Does it specifically say it isn't? (Eberron and Ravnica specifically say they are not in the Forgotten Realms)
3. Does your DM say it's valid for their setting? (Maybe the adventure doesn't happen near the Sword Coast, so anything Sword Coast related is inappropriate?)

Someone_Evil

Along with "Ask your DM"

Eternallord66

@Xirema That is the best answer I've gotten

Xirema

@Someone_Evil We need a proper rich text editor in chat. =P

Yuuki

@Xirema At the very least, a lower-middle-class text editor.

V2Blast

@Someone_Evil I've unprotected that question now. Since there isn't actually a flood of off-topic answers, I think we can delete the occasional answer by someone who doesn't know the system as needed instead of preventing new users from answering entirely.

Eternallord66

21:39

One thing I was also trying to know is locations in the different settings

I know there are a lot of books written by various authors that fill in the gaps but I don't have the time or inclination to read them.

V2Blast

@Eternallord66 Well, for locations... Aren't they basically all setting-specific, unless the location is explicitly left ambiguous? (Even Saltmarsh from the Ghosts of Saltmarsh book is set in Greyhawk by default, though it gives guidance on using the adventures in different settings.)

If a location is mentioned in a book, it's basically always specified (at least by context) what setting that location is in.

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 Sorry I was not able to be more useful, but I am glad that you got into chat so that we could brainstorm this a bit ... so that's good.

Eternallord66

@V2Blast I don't understand. Where does it say that? I have no experience with older systems so I don't know what is in greyhawk

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 A few hours from now, I can get you a link to the most current map of Greahawk that you can find online. It's really nice, but I have to be at home for the lnk.

There is a current adventure in Greyhawk called Ghosts of Saltmarsh but it is only in a small piece of that immense setting.

Eternallord66

I think part of the confusion and bickering is that you all seem to know more of the history of D&D and I only know 5E

V2Blast

21:44

@Eternallord66 It... says where Saltmarsh is in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, where it's mentioned. (If you're asking what else is in Greyhawk, well, you could probably find material from older editions that describes it in more detail.)

Regarding D&D, I've only ever played 5e.

Xirema

@Eternallord66 I mean, my non-5e knowledge is pretty piecemeal, TBH.

Eternallord66

@V2Blast Where does it say that

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 If you never played older editions, then there is some burden on you to do some research if you want to get a grip on Greyhawk. It's been alive and well for over 40 years .. there is no "short answer" to that.

Xirema

@Eternallord66 I don't think V2 has a page number, if that's what you need. We'd need to have the book open to figure that out.

V2Blast

> Ghosts of Saltmarsh continues that tradition, presenting a portion of the coastal lands of Keoland, a kingdom in the Greyhawk setting. Each adventure notes where that story might unfold in the region around Saltmarsh, providing a shared setting for them all. Although these seven adventures weren’t designed to create a single overarching narrative, the tools provided herein make it easy to link these stories into a wider Saltmarsh campaign.

it's in the intro

Eternallord66

21:46

Ok in the intro is all I needed to know

Someone_Evil

If you want to find locations in Forgotten realms, SCAG and Tomb of Annihilation are your best bets for 5e books, as far as I know

BESW

Jul 28 '17 at 8:43, by BESW

But I'm reasonably sure based on stuff I've heard in chat that 5e is designed to be deliberately flexible about its lore, and adapt to the needs of a group.

Eternallord66

@KorvinStarmast Yes but I don't know where to get the information aside from unofficial sources

BESW

Jul 28 '17 at 8:44, by BESW

4e was kinda like that too, but to an even more extreme degree: its lore was consistent in the broad strokes but deliberately contradictory in the details in order to wedge open room for each group's needs and pre-empt arguments about "canon."

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 WoTC has, so far, not chosen to publish a lot of Lore for Greyhawk, so Canonfire web site is a nice repository of lore.

V2Blast

21:47

There's also a sidebar in each adventure chapter explaining where the adventure is set by default (in/near Saltmarsh, in Greyhawk), and where it could alternately be set if using other campaign settings such as Mystara, Eberron, or the Forgotten Realms.

KorvinStarmast

@BESW you are correct, I think.

Eternallord66

I've never heard of Mytara

V2Blast

Mystara

Mystara is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. It was the default setting for the "Basic" version of the game throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Most adventures published for the "Basic" edition of D&D take place in "The Known World", a central continent that includes a varied patchwork of both human and non-human realms. The human realms are based on various real-world historical cultures. In addition, unlike other D&D settings, Mystara had ascended immortal beings instead of gods. The Mystara planet also has sub-settings. The older Blackmoor setting was retconned...

Black Spike

Does Adventurers' League have any Official setting info?

KorvinStarmast

IIRC, it mostly uses FR but it used Boravia for Curse of Strahd, and it uses Greyhawk for Ghosts of Saltmarsh .,..

V2Blast

21:49

(I imagine the Wikipedia articles for most campaign settings do mention some sourcebooks that cover them)

Eternallord66

I only knew of forgotten realms, ravnica, greyhawk and eberron

KorvinStarmast

There is also Planescape and Dark Sun, but they've not been "formally" introduced into 5e.

Eternallord66

I thought barovia was in the forgotten realms as a demiplane

KorvinStarmast

It's in the multiverse as a demi plane, accessible from FR.

Or from elsewhere.

V2Blast

This article lists the various (official?) campaign settings that exist in D&D:

Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings

The flexibility of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) game rules means that Dungeon Masters (DM) are free to create their own fantasy campaign settings. For those who wanted a pre-packaged setting in which to play, TSR, Wizards of the Coast (WotC), and other publishers have created many settings in which D&D games can be based; of these, the Forgotten Realms, an epic fantasy world, has been one of the most successful and critically acclaimed settings. Many campaign settings include standard sword and sorcery environments, while others borrow Oriental, Central American, swashbuckling, horror and even...

Eternallord66

21:50

Other settings are accessible from FR?

Someone_Evil

Dragonlance, Spelljammer, Ravenloft

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 ask your DM. They have not published Spell jammer for this edition yet.

V2Blast

@Eternallord66 As the Forgotten Realms wiki article on the Demiplane of Dread notes:

> The Demiplane of Dread, sometimes known as Ravenloft or the Domains of Dread, was unique, similar to the plane that contained the city of Union in that many worlds and planes connected to it but it was still independent of them all.

KorvinStarmast

This isn't an MMORPG;

Xirema

@Eternallord66 See, I think your mistake is expecting that any of this is supposed to make sense or be reasonable to follow. When in fact trying to comprehend the multi-planar madness is actually what Nietzsche meant when he said to beware gazing into the abyss™. =P

Someone_Evil

21:52

@Eternallord66 Sort of: they are different worlds on the material plane (excepting the MtG worlds), so maybe

Eternallord66

You all know a lot more than I. Hence why I asked the initial question. this is helpful. I was only aware that the different "planets were FR, Ravnica and Eberron.

MtG worlds?

BESW

All the realms' interconnectedness is after-the-fact; each was created independently and then stitched together in different ways depending on the editions/authors in order to better serve the franchise by letting them interact.

Someone_Evil

@Eternallord66 Plane shifts and Ravnica, they are part of the MtG multiverse which is different

BESW

Some editions/authors treat them as if they're complementary pieces of a coherent whole vision, others just mash 'em together and run away laughing.

Modern fandom is used to franchise curators trying to make everything fit together and explain away inconsistencies, but that's... not really possible even if we try. Unfortunately some D&D editions/authors do try, which makes the whole thing even more confusing because they're presenting a false unity.

Eternallord66

@Someone_Evil What does MtG stand for? I'm unfamiliar with the term

BESW

21:59

That's one reason I liked 4e's "Points of Light" setting so much, they basically said "It's all in here somewhere, but we aren't gonna pretend we have a single answer."

Xirema

@Eternallord66 Magic The Gathering

BESW

@Eternallord66 Magic: the Gathering. It's a trading card game published by the same company.

Eternallord66

I didn't know they were together

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