TRPG General Chat

5:00 PM

@NautArch Misty Step would make sense, though that opens up annoying conservation-of-momentum issues.

Does misty step stop momentum? Which plane of reference can you cast AoE spells in? Find out these and more when the next "applying IRL physics to fantasy RPGs" makes its way to Stack!

NautArch

Ours tend to last about 4ish rounds for most fights. As we got higher level, they typically lasted longer as we had longer battles.

@MarkWells I think we've generally hand waved those. You want to teleport, you can do so safely. You're using a resource so we'll make it work.

Victor B

hmm the ones I was in felt a lot longer...

NautArch

Felt longer and actually being longer are different things :)

Mark Wells

@VictorB Were you playing with someone who has too many spells and can't remember what they do? That always makes it feel longer.

Yuuki

5:02 PM

@VictorB Zero since D&D takes place in a pre-gunpowder setting.

NautArch

Those 3-4 rounds with a group of 4 people can take foreverever.

MikeQ

I've been in combats that ended before 1 round. I've been in combats that lasted 30+ rounds and several sessions. It varies.

David Coffron

@VictorB It really depends on the table and GM, and how your characters fight. If they are doing non-damaging things they can take longer. Also, combat encounters can feel longer with larger groups (or with newer players who don't act as quickly)

Victor B

@Yuuki funny

Medix2

@MikeQ I really hope that 30+ round combat involved either a gauntlet of foes or a chase

Victor B

5:03 PM

I will admit that one fight was a bad roll as we had two rogues who rolled a lot of misses, but still, it averaged out about 8-10 if I recall

David Coffron

@NautArch I read that second "ever" as an echo in a vacant canyon that the group of 4 people are trapped in "forever...ever...ever" xD

NautArch

I think the longest combat we had was about 13-14 rounds. Took a couple of sessions.

Mark Wells

@NautArch That actually seems fair, up to a point. If you fall off a second-story roof and Misty Step to the ground, zero damage. Now if you fall out of an airship 5000 feet up, maybe not.

NautArch

I just remember because my one minute concentration spell ran out of time.

David Coffron

I recently had a combat that went 15 rounds, but that was because it was a naval combat, so most of the stuff happening involved vessel maneuvering

MikeQ

5:05 PM

@Medix2 I've told the story here

Victor B

@DavidCoffron I guess that would suck even more if you had a Tabaxi afraid to move adn get wet

David Coffron

@VictorB We did.... Well the tabaxi was an NPC slave of a yuanti PC

Victor B

Ouch

Aren't Yuantis evil?

David Coffron

@VictorB nods usually, and in this case; three of the five party members were evil-aligned for this campaign

Victor B

I was always told "you can't play an evil character"

MikeQ

5:08 PM

The rulebooks don't prevent evil characters. The DM and players can, however.

David Coffron

@VictorB You can, it just takes experience, table-agreement, and strong attention to party cohesion (I usually do that by prioritizing shared motivations, in the case of that campaign.: the mission) to do it well.

Yuuki

It's more like you shouldn't because evil characters remove certain safeguards that non-evil characters should (but don't always) have.

NautArch

@VictorB It's an Adventurers league rule, but also a common table rule unless you're playing an evil campaign and everyone is okay with that type of character.

Yuuki

Because people tend to get certain ideas when they're playing an evil character and those ideas tend to end campaigns quickly.

NautArch

And the tabaxi quirk of minor fear of water/getting wet is only one of many. And it's minor.

Victor B

5:09 PM

ah, I see.

Yuuki

9

David Coffron

@Yuuki That campaign ended up dissolving for just that reason. I made it clear that I'm fine with the slavery aspect of the character (since it is relevant to the lore of yuanti), as long as it was handled maturely and took a largely backseat to the rest of the plot (this was agreed upon by the rest of the cast). The player running that character did not adhere to this and threw a fit when I made him tone back the slavery part of the character

Mark Wells

Not enough coffee yet for puns, sorry

NautArch

@Yuuki hahahahaha

David Coffron

@Yuuki That's really good xD

Rubiksmoose

5:11 PM

@Yuuki This is golden

NautArch

using kinetic sand as part of battlemap

Yuuki

@DavidCoffron ... he tried to enslave every creature he came across, huh

MikeQ

@Yuuki Gotta catch em all

Yuuki

including party members

Victor B

@Yuuki nicely done. Kind of made me think of getting items made, magical or mundane and having the guy say "That there'll cost ya'arn arm an' a leg" (of the beast you want armor made of)

David Coffron

5:14 PM

@Yuuki yep

@Yuuki and yep, or at least threatened to when they wouldn't do things he wanted

MikeQ

Allowing evil characters and asking them not to violate the table's social contract is like putting a jar of cookies in front of a kid. Maybe they're not tempted, and their evil character won't ruin everything, but the only thing stopping them is that you've asked them not to.

Yuuki

Evil characters tend to be played as id incarnate. And given that the average D&D player already puts a lot of id into their non-evil characters...

David Coffron

@MikeQ Well, I've had good experience with evil characters as well in the past. When the player is interested in telling a compelling story, they tend to avoid the anti-party-cohesion acts (and like I said before, shared goals helps a lot with this)

Victor B

I guess it might work if you put consequences to their actions... like your evil diety forced you to help these people so a celestial would release their spawn... Thus every action against the party would be an act of treason their demonic lord would punish them for.

but that's just a thought

NautArch

We've also had some issues with 'neutral' characters, too.

Victor B

5:19 PM

@NautArch Oh? how so?

NautArch

Well, often times not being 'good' an allow you to make decisions that would be 'evil'.

MikeQ

And I've had players with "good" aligned characters do this stuff. The larger issue is the social contract and in/compatible playstyles.

David Coffron

@VictorB That's one way to go about it, but you'll still get the player who doesn't take actions against the party directly, but still causes problems for them through other actions. I find it better to link them to the party through the goals of the campaign. If everyone in the party is trying to pay of their debt to the city, then they have a joint interest in getting out of the tomb with the treasure alive.

NautArch

Like opting to not help those in need.

"it's not my problem"

Yup, it's usually an issue with the player, rarely the alignment

@VictorB Having deities force player actions (taking away agency) is usually a really really bad DM decision

Victor B

@DavidCoffron from what I remember about Summon Demon spell, they are the masters of twisting words, so they would have it stipulated not to indirectly harm the party either.

@NautArch I was thinking more of using it as "reasons my pc won't screw you guys over... yet." than a DM control

Helwar

5:23 PM

@Yuuki teehehehehe

David Coffron

@VictorB devil's are the word-smiths, but why would the evil deity care about indirectly harming (like by getting them banished from a town after the evil character stole from the temple) if their only goal is to have their follower help the party complete the quest so that the celestial adheres to some other bargain

NautArch

@VictorB oh! Yeah. But then the fluff on why doesn't really matter. Just don't :)

David Coffron

@VictorB Would you want to work with someone who's only helping you because their deity will punish them if they don't?

MikeQ

Without social contract and a table consensus of what alignments mean, the risk is having "evil" characters quickly decide to antagonize each other. "Good" characters can also antagonize each other, but there's latency while they come up with their rationalization.

Yuuki

as far as tables and alignments go, i just want to say that i hate css

Victor B

5:27 PM

@DavidCoffron: One reason would be that you need this person's expertise to solve the end puzzle in some way (might even be used as a human sacrifice which no one knows). In either case, if a Celestial was holding a Devil's spawn captive and used their foresight and wisdom to stipulate that this person must help this group out and not directly or indirectly bother them, the Devil would know how much they have invested in that spawn and send the PC with the restrictions not to even steal from the temple or stuff like that.

NautArch

@VictorB what does this have to do with the Summon lesser/greater demon spells?

Victor B

@NautArch I agree.

MikeQ

Simpler idea: Cruel and greedy mercenary who's been promised a large sum if they keep the party alive. Could work, but again, it would need to be discussed with the DM and other players.

Victor B

@NautArch I mentioned that just to state about twisting words. To one who uses that art of twisting words is normally one who makes sure others can't use it against them

Helwar

I tend not to pay attention to alignments lately... Like, I played once this half-orc ranger that was very involved in keeping innocent creatures safe, so animals and children for example were safe. But litter the forest or mistreat a horse? He'll have your head! So either he could be neutral good, or evil as heck... But it was a single sane person...

Alignments are very flawed

Victor B

5:33 PM

I noticed there are many ways to render your character more and more evil, such as Curse of Lycanthrope, or a Hag tormenting you in your sleep, but not much about forcing a good allignment on someone...

Helwar

well, you can train them like a dog. Behave poorly? Spray with water! (legal punishment maybe?), behave as a good person? Handsome rewards!

Victor B

I think it might be interesting if you had a Cleric "blessing" evil creatures to a better state, as an evil one could curse them into an eviler state

MikeQ

Now I'm confused what system we're talking about

Helwar

also, Curse of Lycanthrope for werebears, turns the affected Legal Good

MikeQ

Jul 15 '19 at 15:29, by goodguy5

@NautArch it might be here somewhere, but there's a post about "Is spreading Werebear lycanthropy a good act?"

Victor B

5:36 PM

I was confused about werebears, as the main block about the curse of lycantrope says "it renders its victims evil"

Helwar

@MikeQ haha, I knew I'd read this here somewhere, thanks

Victor B

Interesting thought about lycantrope: A canine shifter cursed as a weretiger

kviiri

Yeah, I kinda dislike how lycantropy is presented in 5e. Bad mesh of lore and mechanics IMO.

MikeQ

What about a wolf who is bitten by a were-human

Helwar

@VictorB My skyrim character was a Khajiit and I got the curse of Lycanthropy...

Mark Wells

5:39 PM

@VictorB That's one of the inherent asymmetries that makes the system not completely boring. Being stripped of your humanity (by lycanthropy, etc.) is far more likely to make you evil than good.

Victor B

@MarkWells I was thinking of the humanity left in the lycantrope seeking to better himself... too late for a wish to help him, (I think there's a time limit or I could be wrong) but wanting to take a potion or a spell to keep the evil at bay and use his curse for good

NautArch

And making PCs lycans.

Woof. Never works out well

Victor B

(or her. tend to use "his" generically since I'm french)

lol DM ruling on a PC woofing?

Helwar

@NautArch Man I would love that it could be possible. BUt we would need a fully fledged class or something for that

Victor B

@NautArch sorry, I know you meant Wolf, but the mental image made me laugh

NautArch

5:44 PM

Nope, meant woof :)

MikeQ

@Helwar It was implemented in older D&D editions. Not a class, since that would mean advancing as a lycanthrope instead of advancing in your other class. Probably would be a flat set of adjustments and effects.

Helwar

@MikeQ Yeah I had a lycanthrope rogue at some point in 3.5

Yuuki

> Evil Overlord: "Hmm... 'teenage rebellion'..." flicks through parenting book "'Teenage rebellion is the act of seeking an identity and rebelling against the expectations of parents and authority figures'. Tell me, Minion, can I crush this rebellion like all the others?"

@MikeQ Everyone talks about were-human but no one asks "how human?".

Victor B

I think lycantrope would be more of a race change, like Simic Hybrid changes an elf, rather than a class upgrade.

Yuuki

:(

Helwar

5:45 PM

but it was kinda meh, I wanted to be a lycan through and through, and at first levels transforming was ok-ish, then quickly underwhelming. Damage resistance was good until everyone and their mother had magic weapons

MikeQ

@Yuuki Reminds me of Why-wolves from Adventure Time

Victor B

Are were-humans a thing? I haven't read about them

Yuuki

@Helwar Werewolf For President: Yes, Lycan.

Helwar

@VictorB The only one I know about is Tony Tony Chopper

Mark Wells

@kviiri The most unbelievable part of it is that, to become a werewolf, you have to get bitten and then survive. How does anyone do that?

Victor B

5:48 PM

@Helwar from One Piece?

Helwar

@VictorB yup :)

MikeQ

@MarkWells There are simple ways, but this is a family friendly chatroom and I cannot mention them here

Hot RPG Questions

4

Q: Can a Tiefling be turned into an undead creature?

Can a Tiefling (or any other race with the Outsider Native subtype) be turned into an undead creature? I've heard rumors from friends and done some research on other sites before, but am still unclear as to whether or not a Tiefling may become one of the undead.

Mark Wells

You can't fight them (weapon immunity, game over). You can't outrun them (wolf form is straight faster than you). You can't hide once you've been bitten (they smell you). You can't reason with them (that's the whole point of werewolves).

Yuuki

You blow one of those high-frequency dogwhistles.

Helwar

5:49 PM

@MarkWells they are quite the pushovers for adventurers. Can easily beat them but still have them get a lucky bite or two meanwhile

@Yuuki made me chuckle xD

Mark Wells

@Helwar So if adventurers just stayed away from them they'd go extinct like smallpox?

Helwar

@MarkWells There's still natural werewolves, and psycophants that let themselves be bitten and whatever

basically you'd have to fight anti-vaxxing culture

Mark Wells

Interesting idea, but the werewolves are just going to eat those people, yeah?

If you're a 4hp commoner, that claw attack is an instant kill.

Helwar

mechanicks don't support narrative

i'm in a Tomb of Annihilation campaign.... the premise says every resurrected person loses 1 max HP per day. Also says it takes you weeks to reach the place where the adventure starts

Victor B

@MarkWells That is assuming they are not trying to raise kin. They can hold back

Mark Wells

5:54 PM

@Helwar Yeah, that was kviiri's point and I'm agreeing with it :)

@VictorB "Holding back" seems like a betrayal of the whole werewolf work ethic

Helwar

oh, fair enough. It went over my head. wooooshh!!!

Victor B

@MarkWells is it though? The books say that a werewolf will live in a town unbeknownst to anyone as they kill off the villagers one by one. Given one who needs to build an army to fight, say a vampire, they might actually hold off simply to gain that army

MikeQ

When a human first morphs into a werewolf and starts howling, do you think other wolves can understand it?

And when a wolf morphs into a were-human, can they speak fluently?

Helwar

Animals don't talk, silly

xD

Victor B

@Helwar Winter Wolves. They talk and are animals

@MikeQ I would assume a werewolf would answer that something like "Do you understand when a baby cries?"

Helwar

5:59 PM

Magical animals don't count! (arbitrary rule time!)

David Coffron

@VictorB Winter wold is a monstrosity, not an animal

MikeQ

I am now imagining were-humans going on a true neutral rampage, rapidly wearing clothes and shouting random words

David Coffron

@Helwar But giant owls, giant elk, and giant eagles are animals that speak

Helwar

but they are magical animals! I just said animals, no adjectives :P

David Coffron

@Helwar What do you mean by "magical"?

Helwar

6:00 PM

Huh, not real world animals, I guess

David Coffron

In the D&D world, they are no more magical than any other animal; but yeah, in our world they certainly would be'

Helwar

(I hope everyone realizes I'm goofing :P)

MikeQ

Magical animals can count if you teach them numbers

Victor B

Here's a scary thought: Were-sharks. Since Lycanthrope can hit sharks, it can hit any animal. so you can have your beginning adventure with your party facing off rats.. a simple "exterminate the vermins" and THE RATS TURN INTO MINI WOLVES!!!!

MikeQ

Were-sharks exist in 3.5/PF. So do were-rats, were-bats, were-boars, and were-crocodiles. I had a were-beaver in my last campaign.

Helwar

6:02 PM

@VictorB been there, done that. It was a surprise when the rat infestation became a were tiger army

David Coffron

@VictorB What's your source that lycanthropy can hit sharks?

Mark Wells

@MikeQ I'd start with bats, for obvious reasons. ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR BATS AH HAHAHAHA!

kviiri

@MarkWells Tetanus vaccine

Helwar

Can a wereshark stay put? Or will it die if it stops?

David Coffron

@Helwar Is it in hybrid form or shark form?

Helwar

6:05 PM

hybrid, we know shark form is just a shark so has to play by the rules

goodguy5

landshark

Victor B

@David Coffron I forget. I was searching for elvish lore when I saw it, but it could have been from a 3.5e source.

tried finding it again, but couldn't off of DndBeyond

KorvinStarmast

@VictorB Adventurer's League has that rule, mostly, and most DM's have learned that having evil players is disruptive if most of the party is neutral/good. The rare exceptions can make for some really fun game play, and pure evil parties can be a hoot

David Coffron

6:06 PM

@VictorB I'm not saying there can't be weresharks, but no official source confirms or denies it in 5e

@Helwar Above water, probably fine. Below water, presumably same type of gills so has to keep moving

MikeQ

In PF, aquatic movement and water dependence were not inherited via lycanthropy, so a wereshark was a land-dwelling creature, and were just as bad swimmers as anyone else

Helwar

@DavidCoffron makes too much sense. Was expecting a silly answer :)

David Coffron

@MikeQ Well.. Wouldn't get a swimming speed, they could still swim using the other swim rules

Victor B

@DavidCoffron as I said, I forget where I saw it, but it made me think...

@goodguy5 I can't see that video (banned in my country) but your video did make me think of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBALsWwxPf0

David Coffron

@Helwar In that case, they can only stay put. Weresharks are the inverse to the primal-inducing states of lycanthropes. They enter a sort of infinite-zen where their mind collapses if they so much as move, so as to not disturb the peace of the universe

goodguy5

6:11 PM

@VictorB it's an old SNL bit. Landshark

David Coffron

@VictorB Canada?

Victor B

@goodguy5 I'll look it up. though SNL apperantly hates Canada

goodguy5

or does Canada hate SNL?

Victor B

@DavidCoffron Maple Pride.

@goodguy5 nah we love it... but it's SNL's channel that blocked us from seeing it.

goodguy5

ah

David Coffron

6:14 PM

@goodguy5 @VictorB looks like its because there is a Canadian SNL that SNL as a whole gives exclusive access to those people, or something: SNL Québec

Same may be true for a bunch of other countries (I had just only heard about Canada):

Victor B

@DavidCoffron that would be a SNL translated to french, so shouldn't affect the rest of canada

David Coffron

@VictorB True, also that was cancelled in 2015, so idk

JohnP

@VictorB I thought the Canadian version of SNL was SCTV?

KorvinStarmast

@VictorB It is a skit from Saturday Night Live about the land shark. Fun Fact: the Bulette was originally also called a landshark in the AD&D MM.

JohnP

Second City?

goodguy5

6:16 PM

@JohnP Chicago?

Victor B

wow... I just wasted a couple of minutes watching the Miami Dolphins ripping off the Saterday Night Live sketch (I assume, cannot find the original)

KorvinStarmast

The bulette (or landshark) was thought to be extinct until recently when this horror reappeared. It was the result of a mad wizard's experimental cross breeding of a snapping turtle and armadillo with infusions of demons' ichor .

1977, MM.

As I recall, the SNL skit predated the publication date of the MM.

goodguy5

@KorvinStarmast 1975

Victor B

@JohnP SCTV ended in 1984, 4 years before I was born. We do have Royal Canadian Air Farce, but that's more of a skit show like Monty Python.

@KorvinStarmast I tried to find it, but sadly no luck

JohnP

@goodguy5 No, Second City comedy troupe, formed SC Television or SCTV. Ran mid 70's to mid 80's, was the starting place for a lot of Canadian comics.

KorvinStarmast

6:19 PM

@goodguy5 yeah, since Chevy Chase was still on the cast ...

JohnP

John Candy, Eugene Levis, Harold Ramis among others.

Victor B

so SCTV is Monty Python

KorvinStarmast

Kids in the Hall

Victor B

Canadian Monty Python

brb

KorvinStarmast

"Boot to the head!"

goodguy5

6:20 PM

@JohnP ah. Second City is also a comedy club in Chicago. I assume named for the thing you just described

JohnP

Oh, and Moranis and the other guy, the McKenzie brothers.

KorvinStarmast

Strange Brew

Hosehead, the flying dog. Elsinor Beer ... aah, a fine film.

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast If you overlook the fact they drank and entire brew vat of urine tainted beer... :p

KorvinStarmast

@JohnP Still a fine film

goodguy5

Has anyone had Strohs beer?

If you're a beer drinker, what are your thoughts?

My mom was telling me about it from when she used to drink and I'd never heard of it. Apparently, PBR bought it?

Victor B

6:32 PM

How many Canadians in the house?

back

mprogrammer

This is a random question, but in my last D&D adventure I was DM'ing, I needed to improvise something quickly and gave one of my players a magical locket, which he was unable to open. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to open the locket, or what might be found in it? Sorry if this is off topuc

Someone_Evil

Aug 7 '18 at 20:02, by doppelgreener

At least for this chat, going by its history, the most off-topic thing anyone's probably asked in here was a tabletop RPG question.

JohnP

@KorvinStarmast Agreed.

Someone_Evil

Which is to say you are fine

@mprogrammer Where did the locket come from/why was it given to the character?

mprogrammer

Uhhh... good question

Wait, I remember

Victor B

6:35 PM

@mprogrammer to add to @Someone_Evil's question, what does it look like? (could there be a ruin stone key?

goodguy5

My standby for that sort of thing is a bauble shop owner "recognizing" it and asking to investigate it.

I have a chain of such shops in my game worlds, called Bella's Baubles.

Bella always is found at the first one the players find and then the other one's are franchised and "oh, you've met Bella?"

MikeQ

@mprogrammer What's magical about it? If a PC casts identify on it, what do they learn?

mprogrammer

They found it in the ruins of an exotic bazaarr, with merchants from unusual and distant lands. The bazaar got leveled by a masssive explosion, and the locket was all that survived.

JohnP

What hooks in the characters back story might be elaborated on by the locket? Any odd/missing relatives, mysterious teachers, etc?

mprogrammer

My idea was: it's cursed, so once you put it on you can't take it off, and it opens when the person wearing it dies. Still not sure what could be in it though

Victor B

6:37 PM

Just a thought, but maybe the locket's an ancient key? or needs a special ruin stone to open?

mprogrammer

@VictorB I really like that idea

JohnP

@VictorB I think you mean rune stone.

MikeQ

Could be a ruin stone. Stone from a ruin. Stone that ruins things.

Victor B

@JohnP yes. I screw up that homonym at times. sorry

mprogrammer

Like it could be an artifact, a la Sauron's Ring, that guides it's wearer to a certain ruin in order to serve some ancient deity

goodguy5

6:38 PM

But it really matters what you think the player would like and if there's a place you'd like to nudge the story to.

JohnP

@VictorB I mix up homonyms all the time, no worries. :) and as @MikeQ points out, it could very well be a ruin stone.

MikeQ

Yes, if you need to ad lib (make stuff up randomly), then at least ad lib in a way that the players seem to ask for

mprogrammer

Well, currently there's already a different quest hook that they're about to pursue. So I can't really tie the amulet into that, because they got the amulet from a random place so I think it would seem contrived. But I cans save it to be the hook for a later adventure

MikeQ

That would still be contrived. "Oh we need another mcguffin? Good thing we found it randomly at that bazaar a while back."

goodguy5

Want the players to go to a particular place? the locket bears the mark of MacGuffin Jewelry Co.

Want the players to talk to a certain high level NPC? The Locket is one of a set that they've been looking for.

etc.

I mostly do that with player trinkets. (remember, players all have trinkets)

MikeQ

6:40 PM

Maybe it's just... valuable and magical? And not tied to any particular quest?

mprogrammer

@MikeQ Well, you aren't wrong, but I don't personally mind using MacGuffins

goodguy5

Also valid.

Want the players to have more power/money? make the locket have power or be worth money

Victor B

@mprogrammer rather than guides someone, why not give it sentience? "as you sleep with it on, you have dreams of a face in a far off land. The more you wear it, the more you feel an urge to go west, almost as if the amulet is wanting to be returned to its master..." Makes it an optional quest and only able to be opened when you return it to the soldier's wife, who grants you a reward

mprogrammer

@Victor B I really like that concept

JohnP

There's a locket in my pocket and a jackal in my satchel

Victor B

6:42 PM

@mprogrammer just a thought.

mprogrammer

I was kind of thinking of having the trigger to activate it be something obscure, so the players mostly forget it, until suddenly they trigger it.

Victor B

@JohnP that made me laugh so hard I couldn't type

mprogrammer

If anyone has read the series of children's books known as Septimus Heap, this was my inspiraiton. The main character has a dragon egg that he is trying to hatch, but he doesn't know what it is, until suddenly it hatches and he realizes he fulfilled all the requirements for it to hatch (putting it in fire, keeping it warm, etc)

MikeQ

Well, maybe you can have it tied into some other plot point, but we don't know what story you have planned. It sounds like you intended the locket as some sort of clue. Could the locket's previous owner have any connection to the rest of the story?

Victor B

@mprogrammer in that case, why not have the party take it to a diviner? The locket can be given an obscure forturne "it shall only be opened when the sneeze of a ginger is heard under the moon of the bogwood." and your redheaded player sneezes later on in a swamp at night making it open.

mprogrammer

6:45 PM

To be honest, I don't know what story I have planned. I mostly plan things out one session at a time

@MikeQ I do like the idea about the locket's previous owner. However, I may have written myself into the corner, considering the entire market stall and the people selling the locket got incinerated

MikeQ

If you're just going to ad lib stuff randomly, then be prepared for things to unravel and not make sense.

Rubiksmoose

Whoa, did the style for stars just change for anybody else?

Or am I tripping?

MikeQ

Thou hast trippeth

mprogrammer

@MikeQ Wise words about ad libbing and planning.

Rubiksmoose

I swear they look bigger and bolder and the yellow stars are striped...

JohnP

6:47 PM

@mprogrammer AHA! The locket is cursed! Selling it causes untold misfortune until you solve the mystery!

goodguy5

@Rubiksmoose just you

MikeQ

@mprogrammer It's not meant as an insult. I say this because I've done that in previous campaigns, just sorta make things up because they seem cool at the time, and later realize that I've broken some other story element.

Victor B

@mprogrammer remember that D&D has people that can see into the past and future. the market might be gone now, but someone COULD witness its history

goodguy5

I try to plan one session and very loosely outline my plans for the next session.

mprogrammer

@MikeQ Don't worry, I didn't take offense.

goodguy5

6:48 PM

@mprogrammer and not all items that wind up at a market were rightfully obtained

Someone_Evil

@Rubiksmoose Are you using (one or more) user script?

mprogrammer

@VictorB Ooh, that's a really good idea

Rubiksmoose

Victor B

It's an old "damn, how do I give info to my main character" trope... the fortune teller who's compelled to cast divination on a random trinket

ACuriousMind

@Rubiksmoose I fail to see any stripes on the yellow one there

goodguy5

6:50 PM

^

ACuriousMind

So I can only conclude you're tripping. Stay safe :)

mprogrammer

@MikeQ And I try to hit the sweet spot, where i plan just enough to keep things from going completely off the rails, but don't plan too much because I'm lazy and don't like doing work. It's worked mostly well in the past, except for a few cases in which I went into a session with zero planning and things went downhill. Usually, though, I keep things somewhat coherent

Victor B

@ACuriousMind inconclusive. One must try a new monitor first

MikeQ

Personally I'd have the item just provide some power or utility, and let the players decide what to do with it.

When these sorta items turn out to be quest-vital macguffins later, it feels very contrived. When they instantly resolve things simply because they were in a PC's pocket, it doesn't feel like a victory. So you *can* go this route, just be aware of the downsides.

JohnP

@mprogrammer Much as a battle plan never survives contact with the enemy, a session plan never survives contact with the PC's.

ACuriousMind

6:52 PM

Easy way out - the market was incinerated, the locket survived because it grants fire resistance, that's it :P

mprogrammer

Yeah, makes sense. I don't necessarily need a macguffin right now, because I already have a few quests lined up

Rubiksmoose

Still?

mprogrammer

@ACuriousMind You sir, are a genius

JohnP

"Now that we have finally arrived at the mysterious hole in the ground, I think we need to go back to the deserted castle"
"...wait...what?"

Victor B

@ACuriousMind survived or WAS THE CAUSE?!?!

goodguy5

6:53 PM

@Rubiksmoose just a yellow star

MikeQ

@Rubiksmoose Looks normal to me. Could be an issue with your browser or graphics drivers, perhaps.

goodguy5

I'm very curious as to if I screenshot it back to you

mprogrammer

@JohnP Is that a joke that I don't understand?

ACuriousMind

@Rubiksmoose I'm zooming in as far as I can, but no stripes anywhere

Rubiksmoose

@MikeQ as long as it's not my brain ;)

goodguy5

6:54 PM

mprogrammer

@ACuriousMind And I think I could still work in a dramatic reveal. The player wearing the amulet doesn't know what it does, until someone tries to set him on fire and it has no effect

Rubiksmoose

@goodguy5 on my screen that image still looks like it has vague stripes 😂

ACuriousMind

Sure, if they can't cast identify nor pay anyone to do so that will still be a reveal

goodguy5

@Rubiksmoose weird. no stripes but I'll zoom in on the image I took just to be sure

which direction are the stripes?

Rubiksmoose

@goodguy5 Vertical

goodguy5

6:56 PM

Also, too many stars1

@Rubiksmoose have you tried turning your device on and off again

@Rubiksmoose confirmed no stripes at the pixel level

mprogrammer

I am also not seeing any stripes

Someone_Evil

I know we haven't got a policy on what to (and not to) star, but there's been a lot of starred messages within the last few minutes, and most of them fall short of the "interesting or useful to the transcript" description, at least to my bar

Victor B

@mprogrammer or it could be something silly like "Locket of Rat Speach" and the guy goes crazy til he realizes the voices in his head are the nearby rats he can hear speak because of the locket.

goodguy5

^

RevenantBacon

I'd like to note that it doesn't need to be a MacGuffin to be interesting. It could simply be a named item with an implied history

Rubiksmoose

6:58 PM

@goodguy5 Well going on the assumption that it is my brain, I think that means you are telling me to sleep. Which I will do as soon as can when I get home.

goodguy5

Bacon makes an excellent point that not all interesting things have to be "important" from a mechanical standpoint

KorvinStarmast

@Rubiksmoose If you have kids at home, that may not work out so well .

goodguy5

@Rubiksmoose well, what are you viewing on?

hey, don't unstar my stars

If it's your phone, try switching to desktop mode in browser.

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