TRPG General Chat

1:00 AM

6

Q: When does a Chain Familiar’s attack occur using the new UA Eldritch Invocation: Chain Master's Fury?

When using the new UA Eldritch Invocation, Chain Master's Fury (from the UA Class Feature Variants, p. 10): Chain Master's Fury Prerequisite: 9th level, Pact of the Chain feature As a bonus action, you can command your familiar to make one attack. When does a Chain Familiar’s at...

Ben

1:28 AM

I got a secret hat... 2 actually

And I don't know what i did to earn them. Lol

Ben

1:38 AM

@Someone_Evil I read this to the theme of "Kookaburra sits in the old gumtree"

Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree

►

Ben

2:03 AM

Ok

I have an interesting quandary, and an interesting solution.

We're doing a "Secret Santa" this year for family, and I found a good gift for my sister, but unfortunately I left it a bit late, so it won't arrive until Early January :(

But, I thought an interesting way would be to do some "ransom notes"

Send one every other day, maybe, or give clues or puzzles to solve

Make a little game of it

Ben

2:36 AM

Hot RPG Questions

7

Q: How does divination manifest for spells such as Scrying?

I had an interesting question raised a couple sessions ago, and I haven't been able to find an answer yet. Spy's Bauble, a first-level divination spell from Ebonclad, states: Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a small bauble used in the spell) Duration: Concentr...

dnd-5e spells

V2Blast

> immeditaely

:P

Is this "spell" a reference to something

Ben

@V2Blast Yeah there's a couple in there lol. Components are "v, S"

Lol

V2Blast

spotted that too

Ben

@V2Blast The Bethesda Physics engine haha

V2Blast

2:46 AM

(and the fact that "duration" and "curse" are capitalized in the description...)

lol, that's what I figured

wasn't sure if there was a more specific reference being made

Black Spike

@Ben Secret Hat? How do you keep a hat a secret???

Ben

@BlackSpike It's a secret.

Black Spike

@Ben :D

Ben

@V2Blast well, that's cos they are referencing the specific aspects of the spell. I.e. "Duration: Concentration up to 1 minute"

Black Spike

I suppose you could wear another hat over it ...
Foe knocks off hat ...
Aha! You didn't know I'd got a Secret hat!
Aha! I also have a Secret Hat!

Ben

2:49 AM

I actually just took the spell block from "Bestow Curse" and reworded it

@BlackSpike I've heard of "hat on a hat", but "hat on a secret hat" is a whole new level

V2Blast

@Ben Still wrong by the style guidelines. Other spells reference "the spell's duration" without capitalizing it. "Curse" isn't normally capitalized in the rules either :P

27

A: ❄️ Winter Bash 2019 Hat list ❄️

Secret hats The Merlin Warm Welcome Universe Brain This Is Fine 007 Blue in the Face Propel Thyself Rubber Ducky 180° Mother of Dragons

Ben

@V2Blast Fair enough then :)

V2Blast

WotC, hire me as an editor!

;)

Black Spike

@V2Blast Still none the wiser ... :D

Ben

I have blue in the face, that is still yet to get a description

I feel special haha

Black Spike

2:53 AM

And although "The Merlin" looks suspiciously close to my Company Logo, I only recognise one Merlin Hat. The definitive Terry English <Excalibur> version

V2Blast

lol

Ben

3:23 AM

@BlackSpike It's even more special because my hat is in fact not a hat at all!

Hot RPG Questions

3:45 AM

6

Q: What would be the difference between dual-wielding a rapier and dagger vs. two shortswords?

In a game I'm playing, I have a Swashbuckler rogue, and my DM gave me the okay on using two-weapon fighting with a rapier and a dagger instead of two shortswords. (But not rapier and shortsword, because that would be directly better.) I also don't want to use the Dual Wielder feat to fight with t...

dnd-5e house-rules two-weapon-fighting

Jadasc

Say, @NautArch, if you can clarify what your issue is with the M:tA answers, I think I'd be able to address it with a good answer. I may be too close to the issue to see what you think is wrong.

Hot RPG Questions

4:49 AM

1

Q: What is the mathematical formula for proficiency bonus vs level/CR?

I'm programming a database for our homebrew setting and I would really like to be able to mathematically calculate proficiency bonus from a monster's CR, but try as I might, I can't find a formula that fits. One of the answers to this question suggested that it was 1 + (level/4) rounded up, but ...

dnd-5e monsters proficiency

5

Q: Synergistic walls: How would they interact?

In 5th edition DND suppose I cast a hemispherical wall of force trapping a creature inside it on the ground. We will make the hemisphere 5 foot diameter so encompasses a medium size creature size. No saving throw for this as I read wall of force. Now suppose my esteemed friend and colleague cas...

dnd-5e spells

KorvinStarmast

5:00 AM

@Ben What is a static humming panel beater? That kukabura song ended up with me finding Minstrel in the Gallery. And I still have no idea what allusion Ian Anderson was making with that piece of lyrics. I almost grok "freshly day glowed factory cheaters" ...

I think I bought that album in '75 ... my fave Tull album ... and I still don't understand that lyric

maybe it is better as a mystery

@BlackSpike Nicole Williamson?

Ben

@KorvinStarmast Not sure where you got the "static humming panel beater" from, but a "panel beater" is a repairman/role that repairs dings, dints etc in metal constructs.

KorvinStarmast

Sorry, Nicol Williamson

@Ben It is a lyric in a Jethro Tull song, Minstrel in the Gallery.

Your link led me to the youtube rat hole and I ended up in a Tull section

Ben

@KorvinStarmast Ah right. Not part of the song I linked haha

KorvinStarmast

"Over fed and undertakers" ... he did a lot of interesting stuff with lyrics, usually an allusion that was almost within one's grasp ...

Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The Gallery (album version)

►

It is the theme song for every bard in D&D, as far as I see it. :)

the guitar riff is hard to play ...

V2Blast

About to stream our D&D 5e actual-play podcast momentarily: https://www.twitch.tv/bigdredwun

In a universe adjacent to our own lies a world known as Runia. This world, once peaceful and idyllic, is now threatened by a monstrous being from its prehistory. A group of adventurers known as Whiskey Company have risen up to do what they can to fight this entity known only as Nagat. They have trekked far across the mortal realms in search of the shards of Barrinoth, the Titan of Justice, in hopes of returning him to his full power.

Ben

5:08 AM

@KorvinStarmast scontent-otp1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/…

Three attempts to edit that is enough haha

kviiri

6:28 AM

Morning

Ben

Afternoon.

kviiri

First day after the cold, I feel so alive

Ben

The hibernation has ended haha

kviiri

Oh, good health! You are like Lithuania, for your value shall be known only to they who lost you.

Hot RPG Questions

6:53 AM

3

Q: How to prevent discontent among the players when one player murders the others' characters?

I've recently had an idea for a oneshot game where I collaborate with a player to make things more interesting. My plan is to make it look like an old-fashioned dungeon run. The party, who is supposed to be made up of already well known heroes, is hired by a local noble, meets up in a tavern and ...

gm-techniques character-death player-vs-player

Derpy

9:15 AM

@HotRPGQuestions no one yet mentioned the "nice" added effect of complete removal of agency for the lucky player that will get the minion treatment?

kviiri

10:15 AM

@Derpy At least they get told so beforehand, in private, so they have an opportunity to protest it if they don't want to play it.

Pierre Cathé

Morning fellas

kviiri

Hi!

Pierre Cathé

How's it going around the RPG world ?

Carcer

@HotRPGQuestions that seems to be massively unpopular but honestly I've been in plenty of groups who would go into it blind and have a great time

it's just a one-shot

nobody is meant to get that attached to their characters in a one-shot

kviiri

I probably wouldn't enjoy that in a one-shot, either, but YMMV.

It's not the losing one's character aspect, it's the gotcha aspect that bugs me somehow

Derpy

10:25 AM

> I plan to give the wizard an item he can use to revive a killed party member as his minion. I hope that this creates a setup where while the party does a regular dungeon run, the wizard has to balance out weakening and supporting party and cult while he plots to murder one party member to gain an ally. This ally would learn what's really going on, thus becoming my second collaborator.

kviiri

@Derpy Oooh right, I had forgotten about that part. I thought you were talking of the evil PC as being figuratively the GM's minion :D

Derpy

Doesn't read out (at least imho) as if the OP planned to make the "target" aware before the session start

kviiri

Yeah, I thought you were talking about the wizard.

Derpy

Nope, I was talking about the character that would be killed.

kviiri

Yes, I understood that

(now)

Derpy

10:28 AM

Basically they would:

a) get killed, which alone can be bad

b) get killed by a team member when they probably didn't expect PVP

c) get their character played out by someone else

kviiri

@Carcer But anyway, I still want to run a game, some day, where the players play agents of some evil terror conspiracy, but each PC is actually a double agent who is leaking information to a different Good Cop/Spy agency, who characteristically don't communicate well with other security agencies, even on their own side.

Derpy

In the best case, they become a "slave" with minimal agency (like saving roll to try to resist some orders), in the worst they now are a puppet and get to look as someone else plays the game for them.

kviiri

Each player'd start with the instructions that "you're a double agent, ostensibly a member of [EVIL ORG] while covertly trying to help [GOOD ORG] stop them. Absolutely under no circumstances are you to blow your cover, but do your best to foil any of their schemes until we are ready to strike. Good luck."

Even better with the addition: "We also have received an anonymous tip that another member of your team is a hidden agent of [ANOTHER GOOD ORG]. We haven't managed to identify the other sleeper agent yet, but you must do your best to help them avoid discovery for the good of the international benevolent intelligence community."

So all players have a motive to 1) pretend they're really evil, 2) screw up their own (and others') evil plots, 3) defend others who display suspicious ineptitude

All while yakety sax plays

Carcer

10:54 AM

@Derpy I know a lot of people for whom this would be entirely fine and would take to the instruction "by the way, you're evil now" with enthusiasm

Derpy

@Carcer oh, yep, that is an option too obviously.

The point is that they should be the ones making the choice, not someone else for them.

If you ask beforehand and they are fine... great.

Carcer

no

Derpy

If you force them into your choice latter when they didn't expect that...

they could get angry about it.

Could.

Carcer

I know plenty of people who would not need to be asked first and would be totally fine with it

but I wouldn't run this kind of thing with people who I did not know would be fine

Derpy

@Carcer Yep, we kinda agree in a way, basically you are simply replacing asking with already knowing.

My point was just for cases when you don't ask or know beforehand

kviiri

11:00 AM

Yeah, it's better to be sure IMO

Carcer

yeah, and the fact that the OP has to ask the question in the first place suggests that they don't know how their players would react (or that they do know and know they wouldn't normally be up for it, which is worse)

kviiri

12:47 PM

I want to play games

Not the "be at work and fix things" game tho

goodguy5

1:18 PM

^

Though, our holiday party is today, so...

Hot RPG Questions

6

Q: How were Dungeons and Dragons tournaments judged?

While reading another question I was introduced to the notion of a D&D tournament. According to the wikipedia article on the D&D Championship Series, the basic idea of these tournaments is that there are multiple tables of players and GMs. The players can choose a pregenerated character and eac...

dungeons-and-dragons history-of-gaming organized-play competitive-play

kviiri

1:36 PM

I'm taking out my parents and my SO to dinner today

KorvinStarmast

We have another question that is dying for a link to Burlew's article on making the tough decisions - but I am hoping for a little more clarity from querent before offering an answer.

2

Q: How can I encourage a fellow player to develop a character a bit more?

I would like to encourage another player to add a little nuance to his dark and cringey character. The player in question is young and quite enthusiastic, didn't derail anything in-game, and I don't want to impose anything on him. How can a player motivate another player to develop their charac...

system-agnostic roleplaying character

NautArch

1:55 PM

@KorvinStarmast So i'm definitely wondering if I need (or want) to ask if our citation guidelines are just for D&D or for all. But that answer kinda seems obvious...

@KorvinStarmast That character's/player's path is very concerning.

David Coffron

@kviiri Haha. I read SO as Stack Overflow, and got confused. Too much stacking for me...

kviiri

@DavidCoffron x)

NautArch

So my 5e table is very much into minis and battlemaps. But looking athte Rick and Morty adventure, it seems like it'll run better with theatre of the mind.

I guess i'll talk to the players?

goodguy5

@DavidCoffron I assume we've all done that.

NautArch

@goodguy5 Better than having an argument with your SO and say "you know what? I'm taking this to Meta!"

goodguy5

2:01 PM

XD

NautArch

"who's Meta? Where'd you meet them?"

Carcer

meta-significant-other is your in-laws

goodguy5

Better than taking this to interpersonal.so

David Coffron

@NautArch Hm. I'll have to look at that module.

It's one of those re-releases of the starter set with a different module, right?

NautArch

@DavidCoffron It's fairly simple rooms in a basically linear path.

@DavidCoffron I haven't read the starter set, but i'm guess that's a yes but with a different module and commentary by Rick and Morty.

But given our comfort with battlemaps, i may just use it.

David Coffron

2:09 PM

Appendix B is a much more succinct version of the "rules are secondary to fun" system xD (/s on the succinct)

@NautArch I think it would work fine with battlemaps, but it might be tough to get the aesthetic right. Is it an online or in-person game?

NautArch

@DavidCoffron in person

BUt yeah, the 'feel' of the descriptions and using those in-battle seems better suited for imagination

David Coffron

@NautArch Agreed. Maybe you could use a basic drawing of like the room layout covered up by tiles that you can reveal, and just describe the encounters in each room with ToTM (so that they still have some visual queues, but you can play on the imagination for the descriptions)

kviiri

@Carcer As a native English-speaker, is there some handy non-clunky term I could use for the people who would be my in-laws if we were properly married instead of just cohabiting?

NautArch

@DavidCoffron Yeah, I was thinking going with descriptin first, then roll initiative and reveal the room and monsters. Let them fight with grid and then switch back to descriptions outside of battle.

David Coffron

@NautArch That is probably a good compromise

The book even says "Focus on getting the shape and dimensions correct, and leave the rest to the players’ imaginations."

@NautArch I like how the only secret door on the map isn't described in any way.

NautArch

2:28 PM

@DavidCoffron I'm not sure i've gotten there yet in my reading/prep. I was mostly reading up to Room 10 (which I doubt we'll get to in the first session.) But that's the room I'm designating as "level up after this room".

goodguy5

2:46 PM

ugh, I know the answer to that points-extras Fate question, but I don't have my rules handy.

NautArch

@goodguy5 you know nothing @goodguy5.

<snark>or just put it up without the rules citations</snark>

goodguy5

oh right! The rules are online!

Carcer

3:05 PM

@kviiri I'm not aware of a concise term

in your position I'd probably refer to my "partner's family"

NautArch

I could have sworn GaelL had once written a question about being the fastest character build, but can't find it.

Pierre Cathé

@kviiri "prospective/potential in-laws" is the best I can come up with

goodguy5

I think "partner's family" is the smoothest term.

Carcer

@PierreCathé sort of implies you intend to get married which may not be accurate

BESW

Some people say "outlaws," to be cute/funny/insufferable.

goodguy5

3:09 PM

Though, I always just said "girlfriend's family"

Pierre Cathé

@Carcer fair enough

JohnP

3:23 PM

@NautArch - Is it just me, or is the simplest answer to the "flip the bird" question to be set up a few mirrors to get infinite images?

NautArch

@JohnP HA! yes.

Just a single mage hand/minor illusion and a mirrors to create the effect.

JohnP

I mean, the effect is greater (and still includes the necrotic damage) if you have a bunch of hands mirrored rather than a couple, but still. :p

NautArch

@JohnP necrotic damage?

JohnP

> In the following turn, I cast Chill Touch, which leaves a hand on my mother-in-law (and some necrotic damage, but she deserves it).

NautArch

@JohnP ah, gotcha.

this seems it's either a duplicate (but can't find a previous) or potentially off-topic?

but that question seems super familiar

found it

goodguy5

3:40 PM

I'm pretty sure that sword (fate question) is half way between an aspect and a stunt; like a combat side-kick. tbh, it doesn't fit super well into the fate model.

At least, I don't think it fits, given my interpretation of the description.

NautArch

3:56 PM

@Jadasc Thanks for putting up the answer. I do think it ended up creating more questions than resolving this so far, though.

nitsua60

4:11 PM

@kviiri common-law in-laws?

NautArch

@nitsua60 common in-laws?

goodguy5

in-common-laws?

NautArch

@goodguy5 debatable

Jadasc

@NautArch That's possible, but it does at least set me on the right track. If the problem is "Mage answers don't look like D&D answers," that's something I'm fundamentally okay with. If the problem is "I'm seeing too many bad answers getting accepted," that's a different matter.

@NautArch I do, where possible, try to cite a page reference where I have one. On the other hand, part of what Stack Exchange offers is the wisdom of experts, and that wisdom includes being able to look at a game from a broader view when answering questions.

NautArch

@Jadasc I'm honestly not sure, which was why I asked. I didn't think our rules for objective citation were just for D&D. my experience is pretty much solely D&D, but I'm having a hard time with the idea that only D&D objective answers require meeting our citation requirements.

@Jadasc Absolutely! But if the answer relies upon use of the rules (like use sphere X and discpline Y), then it seems like there should be a citation and/or quote that supports said usage.

D&D questions may have more consistency with those citation requirements because of the volume we get and that we have a lot more eyes looking at them and requesting that citation.

if it's missing.

Black Spike

4:26 PM

The best "Merlin" ever! I do a cosplay of him :)
https://thecrystalwizard.co.uk/blog/blog/2017/06/24/fancy-dress-party-comic-con-leicester/

NautArch

@BlackSpike this one just isn't as interesting? :P

David Coffron

@NautArch Such a promising show from the pilot; then it wasn't what I wanted it to be...

goodguy5

@fate players.

Is there a good description of what sidekicks actually do somewhere?

NautArch

@DavidCoffron I still very much enjoyed it.

@goodguy5 get kicked to the side?

goodguy5

>_>

David Coffron

4:39 PM

@NautArch I only got through half of the first season. shrug I'm not that much of a show-watcher anyway. (I easily may have enjoyed it if I had watched more)

NautArch

@DavidCoffron I mean, it was a cheesy syfy show, but it was enjoyable.

and john hurt voiced the dragon, so that's a win

goodguy5

Fate Aficionados, if you could look over this answer and make sure I didn't misstate anything.
https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/161199/extras-advancement-where-do-the-points-come-from/161217#161217

Black Spike

@NautArch I watched all of that. was ok ... not brilliant ... and he didn't have a good enough hat! :)

NautArch

@BlackSpike yeah, his hat-game was awful.

but he's young!

Black Spike

@goodguy5 As a tangent: When i ran some Fate, one player played a Magic Sword, and took a Human (wielder) as a sidekick!

goodguy5

4:55 PM

that's real funny

Black Spike

It was lots of fun! He was an Ancient Sword, and he knew the Emperor ... "Emperor? Pfft! When I knew him, he was just a loutish kid with bad hair! Fool still owes me 10gp!"

Had spent many years on display above a noble's fireplace.

goodguy5

5:12 PM

I know in my hear that Fate can be a good system, but I've yet to run or play a game that really spoke to me, unless you count the 1-2 sessions of Dresden Files RPG that a friend ran in college.

I've been chasing that dragon for like 10 years

*in my heart

Hot RPG Questions

5:33 PM

1

Q: Kensei using Deflect Missile through Sentinel

I've got a blindsense defensive Kensei monk who specializes in thrown weapons, and he has deflect missiles and the Sentinel feat. If someone is firing a ranged weapon at his teammates, can he strike said projectiles out of the air with his own throwing blades? And/or what additional abilities wo...

dnd-5e monk ranged-attack

ACuriousMind

5:44 PM

@goodguy5 I'm very much in the same boat - I've played in plenty of Fate attempts, but it never really clicked for me

NautArch

Thanks @Medix2. I hit the dupe button before i confirmed system.

Medix2

@NautArch In the recent question how did you not close it when marking it as a duplicate? Oh! The gold badge didn't trigger because it didn't have the system tag?

NautArch

@Medix2 I closed as dupe before the tag.

Black Spike

Our group didn't get on with Fate. We enjoyed the game we played, but wouldn't go back to it

Rubiksmoose

5:59 PM

@ACuriousMind I've actually heard that quite a bit from people which is disappointing, I've always wanted to try Fate because I love what I hear about the concepts of the game.

NautArch

@Rubiksmoose that meta question i posted seems to have opened up an interesting concern (and I updated my title for it accordingly)

Black Spike

@Rubiksmoose I think Fate fits a certain type of play. It seems that it does not fit our group's style of play. There always seem to be a lot of other people saying how much they enjoy it

Rubiksmoose

@NautArch I saw! I'm interested to see where it goes.

NautArch

@Rubiksmoose Yeah, my (our) lack of familiarity with the system is a hindrance, but i'm having a hard time thinking that the requirements don't apply.

ACuriousMind

@Rubiksmoose I like the concepts, too. But I feel the genericity of the system - the total lack of any specific genre flavour to the mechanics - places a large burden on all players to evoke the desired flair and tropes, beginning but not ending with picking aspects that not only describe your character but can meaningfully interact with the world in the way you want.

NautArch

6:06 PM

@Rubiksmoose If there are rules that can support it, they should be cited. And if you're mentioning those rules, then you should be showing that they exist, where they are, and prove that the language matches.

The line about " Better to cite the book and let the querent work it out." really kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

Rubiksmoose

@ACuriousMind That's a very good point. Seems like a lot of overhead and room to get the "feel" wrong for you game.

ACuriousMind

And this very difficult for players that are not professional - or at least amateur - storytellers. People who know how to write a story usually get what to focus on with the aspects. But those who aren't more often than not end up picking stuff that sounds cool but never comes up.

Rubiksmoose

That...makes a ton of sense.

ACuriousMind

The complete lack of mechanics that would enforce an aspect to be evoked also requires a very pro-active playstyle, which doesn't work well with more reactive kinds of players.

Rubiksmoose

It also plays an interesting contrast to my favorite game, Masks, which uses PbtA and themes it to laser focus it on the things that matter. And I loved that.

Black Spike

6:10 PM

@ACuriousMind For longer Games, it is possible to change your Aspects. Some of our players did, retiring either out-dated or rarely-used ones, and bringing in new/better/more-relevant ones

Yuuki

@ACuriousMind I feel this campaign that I'm listening in on might have problems with this. Based on the discussions that I have with the DM, I worry that they're spending a lot of time on things that won't really appear.

But things seem to be going fine so I'm probably just being a busybody.

Black Spike

But we also had a lot of times when players wanted to crow-bar their Aspect in, when a less-generous view might think it was not relevant ... leaving players dissapointed that they had Fate Points, but could not use them, or that it didn't really matter what Aspect they had, as they could use anything ...

ACuriousMind

@Rubiksmoose Yes, I've played several PtbA games that just immediately clicked - because the moves usually drip with flavour, and have very clear conditions under which they are evoked. Of course, this constrains the playing field much more, but it requires a less specific type of player, and it ensures that the characteristics of your character are relevant both narratively and mechanically. PtbA is not for all games, but compared to Fate, I feel it's extremely easy to pick up as a player.

@BlackSpike In the few instances where we played more than a few sessions, we did that too. But it was still hard actually coming up with relevant aspects that both represented what the players wanted their characters to be and were relevant.

When it works, I imagine it's amazing. But in my experience it's hard to get to work.

Black Spike

@ACuriousMind We spent ages coming up with Aspects ... we always put a lot of work into Character gen. Lots of discussion over how to phrase things, what they could be used for, how they could be compelled ...

We still didn't get things 'perfect' ...

ACuriousMind

@Yuuki Well, I play in a Fate campaign where we still enjoy the game despite feeling we're not using the system to its potential. But we're also all saying that after we've concluded the story arc, we're going to play a different system. It's not that it's abysmally bad, it's just...disappointing.

Black Spike

6:16 PM

We tended to start with "write a paragraph about your character. Just some prose saying who they are. Now, take each sentence, and that is an Aspect (might want to tweak it)".

goodguy5

6:41 PM

@ACuriousMind One day, my fate knight will come, I know it.

The more I play and try fate, the more I feel like you need a professional DM to run it.

ACuriousMind

@goodguy5 The thing about storytellers I said above applies doubly to the DM. In particular, it doesn't seem well-suited for "worldbuilder DMs" that refrain from enforcing a specific story arc.

NautArch

@Rubiksmoose Well, it looks like my concern about subjective answers not actually needing support has bled into objective answers, too. I'm not going to crusade this any longer and leave it to mods and the rest of the community if they want a site with supported answers or not or if we just want peole to put up what they want and let others vote on whether or not they like the answer.

I honestly really liked this stack because of the requirements to support and provide where it came from so that folks could learn. But it feels like we're moving into just a forum that votes.

Rubiksmoose

6:59 PM

@NautArch You say "moving into" but it seems like at least several areas of this site may have been that way for a long while. And I'm not sure I agree that just because someone doesn't cite book and page means that we're just a forum either.

NautArch

@Rubiksmoose SUbjective style questions, yes. But objective? That seems much clearer. But I guess not. If we don't have a back it up that we actually want people to do, then why have it at all?

If folks can just say whatever they like without showing their work, and it's voted on because people just like it, then i'm not seeing how that's much different from a forum except for the voting. Maybe the voting is enough, but I thought we aspired for more here.

Rubiksmoose

@NautArch Perhaps that is fair. I definitely think answers that cite/quote books are much much higher quality on the whole than those that don't (for objective).

KorvinStarmast

7:40 PM

@NautArch yeah, but I wonder how many people at the table are bothered by it.

Rubiksmoose

@NautArch FWIW, I wasn't saying that support requirements aren't a thing here. I was saying that support requirements are not the only difference we have from forums.

KorvinStarmast

8:06 PM

@DavidCoffron My wife liked the first two seasons ...

Glazius

8:38 PM

@goodguy5 Minions and Companions were both things in Spirit of the Century era Fate, but Fate Core takes a much dimmer view of playing more than one actor.

KorvinStarmast

8:53 PM

@NautArch I thnk you are slightly overstating the case; our ability to hold, edit, and get improvement are all things forums do not do, just for starters. Beyond what, what Rubik said. I think I share a concern with you in re Signal to Noise ratio, and how that is dealt with up front. On the SEs that are not RPGSE, like Aviation and SF&F and History, for example, and MTA SE as an egregious offender, comment streams are an immense pile of noise that clutters up signal.

Your point in the meta strikes me as being about SNR

BESW

@goodguy5 Related:

6

Q: How do I handle allies for a single player Fate Accelerated game?

I currently have one player and he wanted to have some allies. He liked that from Savage Worlds, but for our current campaign, Fate is DEFINITELY the system of choice. Yesterday he was facing the enemy and I told him his allies were fighting alongside him, so all the damage he dished out would b...

fate-accelerated

Black Spike

In our Fate game (Magic sword, with 'wielder' sidekick) we modelled the 'sidekick' as part of the main Character. I went with "spend your points where you like. You can do what that says you can do. Narrate it as 'Sword', or 'sidekick', or both".
He had Aspects such as "Forged by Master Craftsman Imabl Acksmith, to fight for Justice" and "Farm-hand, curious for Adventure"

Eternallord66

Just a quick question for the moderators. Is it good to post questions even if they are deemed as duplicate for the sake of others being able to search something? For example i recently posted something that i could not find while searching and it was marked as duplicate. The question it was linked to wouldn't/didn't show up when i was searching my question. I'm not arguing my question being a duplicate but i am asking if it is good to do what i did for the sake of searching?

ACuriousMind

@BESW The points in that answer exemplify most of the things I dislike about actually playing Fate as opposed to its platonic ideal. "Certain things are just true", "Attacks *can be narrated", the consequences that are cool but that you *made up on the spot -

all these things require a lot of spontaneity and creativity from the table. And not just creativity - for this to work well, it requires an intimate understanding of how the system works, what things are fine being "just true" as opposed to requiring fate point buy-in, and an exceptional ability to invent plausible-sounding consequences on the spot that are both narratively plausible and mechanically appropriate.

BESW

Yeah, those can be problems.

Some Fate drifts make it easier, like using conditions instead of consequences (they're basically pre-made consequences chosen to push the game's tone and themes).

But the greatest power of Fate is also its biggest disadvantage: it's really good at letting the group play the game they've decided to play, without pushing things in a different direction... but if the group isn't self-directed, Fate doesn't offer any guidance.

On the other hand, Fate's role as more of a toolbox than a system, means that it's really resilient to being used "wrong." It doesn't have formal play loops or even much formal balance, so using the system "wrong" doesn't break anything... it just maybe makes things less satisfying.

@Eternallord66 Wow, I've never seen that come up and I'm surprised I haven't. It's a very good question!

Medix2

9:12 PM

@Eternallord66 I'm at least glad you asked it since it's a great question and I currently disagree with the only answer to the duplicate

Eternallord66

@BESW Yeah I think that is why we have so many duplicates. People search online for things then come here and post it

BESW

I'm not a moderator, but I think it's fine so long as it doesn't turn into rep-fishing.

Eternallord66

@Medix2 Yes i disagree with the answer on that post myself

I just think that this place is one of the best places to get information and when you search online if what you are searching isn't in the question you can't find it.

Medix2

I'm unsure if opening the question "Does moving an area of effect have you target the new location" is a bad idea...

Eternallord66

I think there should be a way to search the questions on here.

Medix2

9:15 PM

You can search rather well using tags and the like (when they are actually used, that is). Additionally, keywords and searching only for non-closed questions shortens the list considerably. The automated list of possible duplicates when posting a question are usually quite good as well

Eternallord66

@Medix2 But not for specific things. There is no way to search for "flaming sphere" besides chancing the thousands of d&d 5e tags or spell tags etc.

If there is a way to do it then i don't know how

ACuriousMind

@BESW I think at the end my main problem with Fate is that the rules text makes all of it seem easy - and when you actually play it, it's really hard, and there's little guidance as to how to get good at it, because it seems to expect you to already be good at cooperative storytelling.

It's...deceptively simple

Medix2

@Eternallord66 You can, using something like this search

Hot RPG Questions

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Q: How can I encourage a fellow player to develop a character a bit more?

As a player myself, I would like to encourage another player to add a little nuance to his dark and cringey character. The player in question is young and quite enthusiastic, didn't derail anything in-game, and I don't want to impose anything on him. How can a player motivate another player to ...

system-agnostic roleplaying character

BESW

@ACuriousMind I've had it be both really easy and really hard, and I've seen a lot of responses all over the map. Which is super fascinating to me.

Eternallord66

9:21 PM

@Medix2 I don't know how to do a search like that

Medix2

@Eternallord66 The following is quite helpful rpg.stackexchange.com/help/searching

BESW

@Medix2 And there's a quick-reference for that hidden behind the "advanced search options" hyperlink on every search results page... which is a bit late, in my opinion.

Eternallord66

If i don't know how to do it then how could new users know how to? Without you telling me about the ways to do it I wouldn't have figured it out

Medix2

I searched the following: [dnd-5e] [spells] is:question body:flaming-sphere
So questions (not answers) tagged with both [dnd-5e] and [spells] that, in the body of the question, contain the text "flaming sphere". I could've have added "closed:no" to sort out any closed questions as well

Rubiksmoose

@Medix2 Well if it's 5e and about spells and targeting then it's going to be a bad time lol

BESW

9:24 PM

@Eternallord66 Yeah, the Stack Exchange's documentation is pretty awful.

Eternallord66

Wow i feel dumb. This whole time and i never noticed the search bar...

KorvinStarmast

@Eternallord66 yeah, I had to learn by stumbling over stuff, but I did know where the search bar was; what I wasn't clear on was how to refine a search

Medix2

@Eternallord66 That's certainly fair with regard to new users. Duplicates aren't bad. think I just got better at searching through use of the site (though believe me, I still miss duplicates aplenty)

KorvinStarmast

@Medix2 as do I

Eternallord66

I also think some new users get put off by their questions being closed as duplicate as fast as it does. Though i understand the need to close it fast.

Medix2

9:29 PM

Yeah that's always something I worry about, it's good to put some sort of comment explaining that duplicates are not bad, in fact, they're quite helpful.

Also yeah, stack itself may not have the best search so just chugging something into your favorite search engine is usually a good idea as well

Xirema

Yeah, lately if I mark a question as duplicate, I always make sure to provide a comment to the effect of "hey, duplicates are good, they help with SEO, so no need to feel bad, just try to do a more rigorous search next time". Because trying to ask a question and getting it closed without an answer is always going to feel inherently unwelcoming, even if its closure was justified.

Medix2

Does the following sound like a good bounty message (still not really sure what to put for these things): "I am currently unconvinced by the current answer; that moving an area of effect requires you to choose a new target for its point of origin and thus requires an unobstructed path. Some evidence for/against this claim would be appreciated."

Eternallord66

@Medix2 That sounds good

Black Spike

9:45 PM

@Medix2 while I'm not yet persuaded either way, I would worry about 'accuracy' when moving a spell/effect that you cannot see (or otherwise perceive).

Medix2

@BlackSpike You don't need to be unable to see it, for example, if looking through glass

Black Spike

@Medix2 Agreed.

(An "Authentic" pseudo-medieval Fantasy world would not have much glass! :P )

Medix2

@BlackSpike A portcullis then, that probably pseudo-medieval

Rubiksmoose

@BlackSpike Yeah, everyone knows they mainly used transparisteel

Black Spike

But if you want to move your Sphere the other side of a brick wall, how are you 'targeting' it?

@Rubiksmoose not Transparent Aluminium(TM) ?

Rubiksmoose

9:51 PM

@BlackSpike of course not! all that is being used for iPhones.

BESW

@Rubiksmoose TIL that Apple is using time-travel to cull history for resources they're running out of in the present.

Black Spike

@BESW that is why we're running out of them! Apple has already used the stockpiles we thought we had!

Akira_Kurusu

@Medix2 I added my two cents to the question

Rubiksmoose

@BESW It's only a matter of time before we get Steve Jobs back from Earth-313's time stream

@BESW [sketches this idea down for a campaign or soemthing]

@Medix2 ooo big money on that bounty. Very nice.

Black Spike

So, Apple had 20kg of iPhonium ore, turned it into 10kg of refined iPhonium, and then built 5kg of iPhones. They then go back in time, snag the 10kg of iPhonium, make another 5kg of iPhones, and then nip back and grab the 20kg of ore ...

KorvinStarmast

9:59 PM

@Rubiksmoose Let us leave the dead to rest peacefully in their graves, eh? ;-)

Rubiksmoose

@KorvinStarmast Capitalism: [laughs madly]

Black Spike

And even if that means that Paradox causes the original iPhones to fade from history, Apple already got paid, and have a brand new line of nu-iPhones to sell!

Medix2

@Rubiksmoose I care quite a lot about the answer to the question, hence the bounty

KorvinStarmast

We are the iPhones who say Ni !

> Nu!

Black Spike

haha

Rubiksmoose

10:02 PM

@Medix2 oh sure! I thought it was nice to see. I hope it gets the attention it deserves!

Eternallord66

Is moving a spell actually considered "targeting"?

Someone_Evil

@Eternallord66 We don't really know what is considered targeting in 5e

Akira_Kurusu

Well, according to the research I did in the Spellcasting section of the PHB, the point of origin of a spell is the target, like how "a creature or object within range" is the target of Fire Bolt. If you place the point of origin in a place you cannot see, which I believe means by moving it or attempting to cast it there, the point of origin comes into being on the near side of that obstruction.

Black Spike

10:58 PM

Well, I'm still banging my head against "how to do data-structure" for my Java/Android apps ... :( another brick-wall/analysis-paralysis.

Trying to build the D&D 5 equipment lists, with filters. And then make some random Shops

I could easily fudge it all together, but trying to do Best Practice ... struggling to find what Best practice is ...

Hot RPG Questions

11:24 PM

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Q: Can a Tabaxi's Feline Agility be used with the Haste spells doubled speed?

A friend of mine played a one-shot and they were all told to make 20th level characters. He made an 18th level monk tabaxi with 2 levels in Rogue. He tried to make his character as fast as possible. My biggest concern was Feline Agility being paired with Haste (Cast by his gfs sorcerer). Let's s...

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