TRPG General Chat

BESW

00:00

It's the kind of thing he'd love to mess around with: very British, just obscure enough that most of his readers have never heard of it before, but not so obscure that they can't look it up and feel smart, and a lot of opportunity for pathos.

Bardic Wizard

00:12

Hey, @BESW, can you link your game about the grim? I recently found myself with a forced 10-minutes-per day time to sit still (have to soak an infection) and could use something to fill that time

BESW

Only if you'll give feedback, it's a draft that needs testing. Walkies with Grim

Folklore Jam 2020 hosted by W.H. Arthur is an analogue game jam on folklore, myths, urban legends, and the people in them. Submissions during the month of August.

Bardic Wizard

@BESW will do!

BESW

I hope to submit Walkies to the Folklore Jam, it meets the criteria.

Bardic Wizard

02:00

I just got asked by my neighbor why I was wearing a “Star Trek Halloween costume” in July and had to explain cosplay and comic-cons. The things I do for my fandom.

GcL

Missed opportunity. "The waves of stupid are interfering with the transporter and they won't send a shuttle down to this planet"

Bardic Wizard

@GcL she’s the aunt of one of my rpg players

I don’t really want to insult her rn

But next time...

GcL

You went to a con?

Bardic Wizard

Not really. This weekend is SDCC, and I’ve never been able to afford it before, but it’s free online this year so I’m making the most of it

Including cosplay

GcL

02:15

That seems like a good plan.

BESW

The con I run a games table at got cancelled this year, unfortunately.

...I haven't done full cosplay for fifteen years.

Hot RPG Questions

14

Q: How to make crime meaningful for rich players?

For the D&D 5e campaign I'm DMing, the party has been caught for a murder of a government official and put on trial. Out of character, a player pointed out that his character can just pay for a Resurrection to be cast, absolving them of the crime. I pointed out that the trauma would still be crim...

BESW

02:32

@HotRPGQuestions Easy, play a setting and system that's designed around social stakes rather than purely physical stakes.

3

D&D just isn't designed for that kind of scenario, you've voided the warranty.

Bardic Wizard

I sewed it myself. It’s not the best costume, but it was cheap and easyish (except for disassembling the sewing machine twice)

@BESW what was the last cosplay you did?

BESW

Faustus from the webcomic Fallen by Kaido Rakaen AKA Yuko Ota.

Bardic Wizard

Cool! This is just a (slightly inaccurate) 2374 engineering track Starfleet uniform that is close enough

Joel Harmon

@BESW Bah! That can't be right. I just checked, and "Social interaction" is listed in the 5e PHB as one of the three pillars of adventure, along with "Exploration" and "Combat". Therefore, you must be wrong. QED. /troll

Bardic Wizard

Is there a stack exchange that deals with cosplay? Would that just be arts and crafts?

Joel Harmon

02:40

@BardicWizard Probably, but I think there are more than 100 different stacks, so I couldn't say for sure.

BESW

That'd probably be spread across several different stacks; scifi.se or movies.se for accuracy and references, crafts.se for some of the assembly, etc.

But there are definitely better communities online for cosplay; the Stack Q&A structure just doesn't lend itself to the kind of conversation, mentoring, and accompaniment a passion like that really thrives on.

KorvinStarmast

@BESW seconding this. Stack and cosplay don't seem to fit well.

Bardic Wizard

@BESW True, true. But for technical issues like the actual making of costumes, I think it might be crafts.se based on a quick search

user15026

I've never been brave enough to cosplay and I have rarely gone to any sort of con thing. But iut sounds fun

BESW

@Ash Honestly unless you get caught up in "SPEND ALL THE MONEY" for hyperaccurate representation, it's very accessible from a material and creative standpoint; one of the biggest challenges is often just... putting yourself out there.

Bardic Wizard

02:47

@BESW and that is why I wore mine for Halloween and inside the house, not out

Joel Harmon

I was once trying to explain to a friend why D&D didn't support social nearly as well as combat. He argued that it was well supported, because the DM could just improvise, and maybe ask for a skill check or something, possibly with (dis)advantage. Only later did I realize the right counter there was to rework the combat system to mirror the social instead, and tell him to "just improvise it".
You'd get four skills for physical and magical offense and defence, and maybe another for support.
You'd then take out HP (including temporary HP and hit die), saves, death saving throws, weapons, armo…

AncientSwordRage

@BESW I think we have a tag on sci-fi for costume?

BESW

One of the reasons I chose Faustus (aside from the social significance of cosplaying as a character from a comic that I knew several of the people I would meet with at the con enjoyed) was that his outfit was close to my everyday outfit comfort zone--long hair, swishy coat, etc.

If you can identify a character whose outfit makes you comfortable, that goes a long way to bridging the "putting yourself out there" gap.

@JoelHarmon "The GM improvises it" is actually a really solid argument that the system doesn't offer any support.

KorvinStarmast

@BESW knowing how to use flash paper and a Tarot deck doesn't hurt

BESW

It's the old "If I can fix it, that means it's broken" rebuttal.

GcL

02:54

@JoelHarmon The amount of text given to guidance and outcomes of combat related activities is considerably greater than the non-combat. XGtE did a bit more service with the downtime revisited, but the non-combat stuff in the core books is not nearly as clear cut.

Joel Harmon

Yeah, I just had a gut feeling that it was the case, without having sat down to think it all through and articulate a position on it. I only later came up with the "strip down combat to compare" idea.

KorvinStarmast

@JoelHarmon there are simpler combat systems than D&D

GcL

On the other hand, the official and 3rd party modules spend an disproportionate amount of text on describing the scenes, characters, and social interactions. Very little text about combat in the modules aside from combat might happen here... use the map.

Joel Harmon

@KorvinStarmast Oh sure, but it's blatantly false that D&D handles combat equally well compared to exploration or social.

BESW

Heh. Your "four or five skills for combat" system is dramatically more complicated than a lot of the games I've been playing recently.

KorvinStarmast

02:56

The problem the Forgites ran into was assuming that "the rules define the game" concept applied to RPGs. This would be called "missing the point" in most cases

GcL

So the modules offload a bunch of the combat details to the core rules... which is mostly what the core rules deal with.

KorvinStarmast

@JoelHarmon who makes that assertion?

BESW

Complexity isn't the issue, it's focus.

Joel Harmon

Contrast with Fate (Core?) which is the first system I encountered that could trivially implement Chess Boxing

GcL

Which is fine. It leaves a lot of text to elaborate on the social interactions in the campaign, adventure, story content.

Joel Harmon

02:57

@KorvinStarmast A friend of mine in meatspace.

KorvinStarmast

@BESW Angry DM had a neat point about how complexity is a kind of currency that tries to buy something ... and sometimes, it doesn't. But I don't visit his site anymore

GURPS, when it came out, let you grab as much complexity as you wanted to handle ..

BESW

D&D is a game where killing people is a normal way to solve problems. Taking the PCs to court for killing people has changed what the game is about at a very fundamental level.

Joel Harmon

@BESW It matches up with typical D&D social skill counts for persuasion, deception, insight, and intimidation

KorvinStarmast

@BESW that depends on the campaign; in old school D&D, some DM's didn't care, go and dungeon crawl and kill to your heart's delight, others would lay consequences on you.

The rules are not as important as the table.

3

Joel Harmon

I should be responsible and head out. Later, all!

BESW

03:02

ttfn

KorvinStarmast

@JoelHarmon I don't think it was ever intended to model 'normal behavior' and it still does not.

If you wanted to do that, you would play "Lawyers and Libel" not "Dungeons and Dragons"

On the other hand, I was in a meeting last week where all I wanted to do was cast fireball. And I could not. :p

5

Bardic Wizard

Somebody needs to make some of these d&d parodies. I can see Spellcasters & Schools being popular....

KorvinStarmast

So I used my persuasion skill, and simply said: "If you want to fail, do that. Call me when you want me to help you get out of that mess." And left.

@BardicWizard There was a game called "Accountants and Actuaries" but nobody would risk buying it ...

2

Bardic Wizard

I need Siblings and Social Distancing right now...

KorvinStarmast

@BardicWizard The game I can't find is "In-Laws and Incineration" - but it's sold out. 😣

Bardic Wizard

03:11

I don’t need that quite yet, thank tymora

KorvinStarmast

@BardicWizard When you need it, it will come. 8^D

Rubiksmoose

@nitsua60 oh hey we could do that for the 10th anniversary of the site!

KorvinStarmast

@Rubiksmoose let's not and say we did. It's far too wrong to have a hope of being of any value ever. (Sorry, my sarcasm Jones is acting up again, nite nite)

AncientSwordRage

@KorvinStarmast offices and bosses?

nitsua60

@Rubiksmoose Does the timing line up?

Rubiksmoose

03:23

It should be very close. Let me check...

nitsua60

We could broaden it a little bit. Have a meta post for "your ten favorite..." and let people link in questions, answers, comments, chat messages?
You mods can handle it =)

Doesn't even need to be "favorite." Just... stellar.

Bardic Wizard

@nitsua60 like favorites ever? What’s the timeframe? I’m new, so if it has to be since the submitter joined I’d be at a disadvantage

linksassin

Is anyone else seriously concerned about the game in this question? They say they have tried playing with smaller groups but then say "the inactive players start wanting to play because they actually showed up on time ready to play". Sounds like they are inviting a big group to play then only letting some of them play.

Bardic Wizard

@linksassin I’d be worried. I actually run a game with many players. You can do it and share focus just fine, as long as everyone understands the constraints

nitsua60

@BardicWizard I dunno? Starmas (from which this is evolving) was a couple-year tradition we had in chat of throwing out there our favorite chat-lines from the previous year.

But if it's turning into an early-August celebration of RPGSE turning 10, then it could be a whole different thing.

Rubiksmoose

03:30

@nitsua60 August 19 is our private beta launch, 26th was public.

Medix2

@linksassin I read through it and was also confused

Rubiksmoose

@nitsua60 anyways, it was just a thought since I knew that date was upcoming and we were looking for a reason to celebrate. No need to take the suggestion.

linksassin

@BardicWizard Same. I mentioned I've run a one-shot for 24 players with a co-dm before. Worked fine.

But I've also been in a game where we decided to split the group to make it more manageable. But we split it... we didn't keep inviting the whole group but only letting half of them play.

Medix2

@linksassin They potentially are using "inactive players" to mean "4/5 show up and we wait for the 5th during which time the inactive 4 are upset"? but that doesn't really fit what's described...

linksassin

@Medix2 It doesn't read that way to me but that would be best case.

nitsua60

03:35

@Rubiksmoose I may just observe Maria Mitchell Day here in chat, and also participate in anything you-all think would be fun for the decaversary.

Medix2

I'm most interested in the "I've tried a few approaches to help mitigate this" and what those actually were/are

Bardic Wizard

@linksassin can I add this to an answer I’m writing for that question?

Rubiksmoose

@nitsua60 To be clear, I think Maria Mitchell Day is a very worth cause.

Bardic Wizard

@Medix2 I’m working on an answer to do that, should I mark it a frame challenge?

nitsua60

@Medix2 Ooooooh, it's online.

Medix2

03:37

Unrelated: I love when I think a question is super obvious and then it has two opposing answers both with numerous upvotes and I go "Oh... oh no"

@BardicWizard I feel like more information in the question itself would be helpful; at least for me there are things I'd want to know though I'm not sure if they are needed to make a meaningful/helpful answer...

nitsua60

I was trying to wrap my head around the whole "these five are playing, one doesn't show, so I try to tap in someone who wasn't going to play, and then all the non-players want to be in" thing happening IRL. Online makes much more sense.

linksassin

@Medix2 I'm considering closing the question until they clarify. Because my answer will be very different depending on their response to those questions.

Medix2

@nitsua60 Yeah maybe it's a scramble to fill a spot or something (much easier done online than in-person)

Bardic Wizard

@linksassin can I use your idea about splitting the group (with attribution)

linksassin

@BardicWizard No need for attribution. Splitting the group properly is the logical solution to me.

Bardic Wizard

03:46

Thanks

Medix2

Well now I get to spend a while wondering if anything in 5e-dnd knocks you unconscious without reducing your hit points...

linksassin

@Medix2 I'm pretty sure there are some monsters that can do that. Can't think what they are off the top of my head and might be homebrew/dm forgot to mention also reduced hitpoints to 0

Medix2

@linksassin Yeah the ones I'm finding all have time limits on them; such as by including "for 10 minutes"

V2Blast

@BardicWizard relevant meta. You don't need to say "this is a frame challenge" to challenge some aspect of OP's approach to the situation. Also worth reading the answer to the linked meta on "What is a frame challenge?"

@Medix2 I mean, the sleep spell, of course :P

Medix2

@V2Blast Well yeah... but that has a time-limit and explicit ways to end it

V2Blast

03:52

Well, you didn't mention that parameter when you asked :P

linksassin

@Medix2 Ah yes. Unconscious without a time limit. Don't think there is anything that does that. What are you specifically looking for?

Medix2

True true, was more about that new question which reminded me of that "Does Hunger of Hadar cause permanent blindness" or whatever

V2Blast

ah, the relevant Q&A just appeared in the top-left chat feed

lol

0

Q: Does hp fall to 0 if a creature is knocked unconscious from failing a save, and if not, how does the unconscious condition end?

I was looking at the Prismatic Beetle Swarm, and it says that "In bright light, a creature within 30 feet that looks at the prismatic beetle swarm must make a successful DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target is a...

dnd-5e conditions unconscious

Medix2

Yeah, that's why I'm asking ^

Well all the monsters I've found that impose unconsciousness have time-limits somehow tacked on... makes sense since conditions only end when they say they end

This is a legal site, right?

V2Blast

on a note unrelated to that: does anyone know if there's a Q&A here on what content is in the current (and seemingly final) version of WGtE that's not in E:RftLW?

@Medix2 Yes. That's why I linked it :P

Medix2

03:58

@V2Blast Link it? Where? I found this which I can't find anywhere else...

V2Blast

lol

I just realized I was in the middle of posting said comment but hadn't yet submitted it

the disclaimer/notice on p. 3 of the Tome of Beasts book says:

> Kobold Press, Midgard, and their associated logos are trademarks of Open Design. The 5E logo is used by kind permission of Sasquatch Game Studio.

Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, place names, new deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, story elements, locations, characters, artwork, graphics, sidebars, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content are not i…

Medix2

Why isn't this prismatic beetle thing on D&D Beyond...

V2Blast

because Tome of Beasts is not official

it's third-party content

it's a book by Kobold Press

Medix2

I've never even heard of that, weird....

BESW

Kobold Press had some really good 4e material.

Their ideas about minions gave my encounter design a much-needed creative and tactical boost.

V2Blast

04:16

@Medix2 I'm surprised you haven't! It's probably the 3rd-party monster book I see recommended most often for 5e

Medix2

@V2Blast I mostly spend time adapting Elder Evils and tweaking existing monsters . But I'll definitely look into that

BESW

A lot of people ignore third-party material entirely, assuming (despite all evidence to the contrary) that the license-holding devs are reliable creators of quality content.

V2Blast

@Medix2 True, I just figured you'd have seen someone mention it, even if not looking for it yourself :P

The main criticism I've seen is that the CRs listed for some of the monsters aren't very accurate

Medix2

@V2Blast Monsters are ~~probably~~ definitely the things I know the least about in 5e-dnd, so I'm not incredibly surprised

linksassin

@BESW It's not that I assume the 1st party is good. But often that the 3rd party will be rubbish. And there is a lot of rubbish 3rd party content out there.

Medix2

04:19

~~strikethrough~~?

BESW

/---strikethrough---

Only three dashes.

Medix2

@BESW :(

BESW

FAQ#formatting

V2Blast

on a different note, do we have a Q&A about what content appears in WGtE (in its current, seemingly final version) that does not appear in E:RftLW? I know there's the Aereni/Valenar wood and high elves, and the clawfoot raptor monster statblock, but I'm not sure if there's anything else

Medix2

@V2Blast I've been looking since you posted earlier, haven't found one yet

V2Blast

04:22

oh, did I remember to ask that here? I thought that was another thing I started to type and forgot about

xD

yep, I see I asked above before talking about Tome of Beasts

Medix2

I'm probably gonna get some rest, but I guess I get to stare at those books tomorrow XD

V2Blast

good night!

Hot RPG Questions

06:13

11

Q: Is Bard level 20 utterly worthless, mechanically?

Bard's level 20 "capstone" ability: Superior Inspiration At 20th level, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Inspiration left, you regain one use. It seems quite possible this will never come into play in many games, even. Then they get a second 7th level spell slot, but any mult...

dnd-5e optimization multi-classing bard character-levels

kviiri

@KorvinStarmast Sounds like that one Monty Python short film

Crimson Permanent Assurance, I find after googling.

BESW

06:36

Hey, @kviiri, have you had an opportunity to try Walkies with Grim?

kviiri

@BESW Almost yes, but I threw myself off that track by a boardgame night that actually lasted well past next lunchtime x__x

BESW

Hah, okay.

kviiri

The afternoon tea was a delight, though

I'll actually have a prime opportunity today or tomorrow, I'm going to go water my parents' plants and am contemplating taking a scenic route

We live on the opposite sides of a bay, with two almost equally short routes there: one north around the coastline, the other south over island-connected bridges

BESW

I'm glad you had a nice tea!

kviiri

06:52

^__^

BESW

Trans Strength Jam hosted by ThatAceGal. Written by trans people, this TTRPG jam is about the trans community. Our strengths. Our power. The fact that we keep moving forward everyday despite what we take and get hit with. It can be about our trials and tribulations. But it’s by US.

kviiri

Hmm. I have some very good tea at home too. Maybe I should take a thermos jug on the walk with myself and Grim

Hot RPG Questions

08:17

8

Q: Ring of the Ram: what kind of attack does it make?

The Ring of the Ram (DMG p. 193) states the following: While wearing the ring, you can use an action to expend 1 to 3 of its charges to attack one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The ring produces a spectral ram's head and makes its attack roll with a +7 bonus. What kind of attack r...

dnd-5e magic-items attack attack-roll

AncientSwordRage

09:50

@BESW I can only take one dash a turn

AncientSwordRage

10:43

@KorvinStarmast Do you think there was more or less than 5d8 hp worth of managers in that meeting?

Hot RPG Questions

2

Q: How do I DM for this group when we can't handle a large group properly, but also can't count on any smaller group all attending?

I just concluded an online game with my players. (We played 5E, but I want to move to Dungeon World.) I started with four players, and that has since grown to around ten people wanting to play, which is a problem as even with only six players I've started getting comments about there being too li...

gm-techniques system-agnostic group-dynamics absent-players attendance

AncientSwordRage

10:55

@HotRPGQuestions ahh these tags are new to me

Someone_Evil

@AncientSwordRage Most of them contain some whopper questions

All of them probably do, but [system-agnostic] doesn't neatly contain a topic

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