TRPG General Chat

trogdor

00:00

he seems to take perverse enjoyment out of it and he doesn't seem to like creativity or cultural additions very well

BESW

Probably should take this to HTBD if we keep going, because more detailed discussion of this is definitely gonna get into discussion of manipulative tactics.

trogdor

mm

seems fair yeah

A. B.

Hello peoples.

Just been looking through some of the available games on Roll20. Don't know if I mean anything by it yet or not, just sizing up the possibilities at the moment.

Are the World of Darkness games as depressing as they look?

Hot RPG Questions

6

Q: How much damage should a Rogue lvl5/Monk lvl6 be able to do with unarmed strike in 5e?

One of the PC's in my campaign is playing a 5th lvl rogue/6th lvl monk. He uses unarmed strikes but has two magic items to boost his damage a bit: a set of bracers that add 1d6 slashing and a ring that adds 1d4 green fire damage. In last night's session, he did 84 pts of damage against an abomina...

BESW

They certainly tend toward the cynical, and depending on the edition that cynicism is tempered by either a lot of drugs (which can be fun in a "what mess is this" sort of way) or fascism (which is not fun) on the part of the developers.

MikeQ

00:13

WoD is generally meant for stories about gritty modern dark fantasy, so they may seem dark and bleak in general.

BESW

Someday Katanas & Trenchcoats will come out of development.

AncientSwordRage

@A.B. it entirely depends on how you play it

The one or two games I played haven't been because no one involved was invested in playing that sort of game.

Bardic Wizard

@RevenantBacon my phone agrees with you, for what it’s worth. They’re so different though, and I hate biscotti with a passion but love biscochitos beyond belief

AncientSwordRage

@BardicWizard I keep thinking bisci-cheetos

Bardic Wizard

@AncientSwordRage that’s not quite what they are

They’re anise cookies, often made with brandy (we do that unless we’re giving to people outside the family) and topped with cinnamon sugar.

AncientSwordRage

00:28

@BardicWizard everything but the brandy sounds amazing to me

Bardic Wizard

They’re amazing, and everyone in my family loves them (but strangely, I’m the only one who likes the anise and cinnamon in fudge. My parents say it’s cause anise makes chocolate gross but I disagree)

AncientSwordRage

I love Mexican food, and Google tells me they're from New Mexico?

Bardic Wizard

@AncientSwordRage The brandy bakes off — there’s about two tablespoons in 48 cookies so it’s barely noticeable

AncientSwordRage

@BardicWizard still more than I'd be happy with

Bardic Wizard

@AncientSwordRage yep! Family tradition dating back as long as anyone can remember, and always part of our Christmas baking

AncientSwordRage

00:30

Cool!

I'm guessing that means your family hails from that sort of area? Or at least part of it?

Bardic Wizard

@AncientSwordRage yeah, on my mom’s side we have a long history there

AncientSwordRage

Awesome

As far as I know my family has been English for centuries (booooooring)

AncientSwordRage

00:54

Are there any other family recipes you could impart on me, @BardicWizard? I've already gotten advice from BESW

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica I think the most daunting thing for me about Fate is having to boil a character down to a so few aspects/phrases

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

@AncientSwordRage It takes practice, it gets better with a thesaurus at the tips of one's pedipalps, and it gets even better if you use an Aspect as a shorthand and have 3-4 lists of bullet points expanding what it encompasses.

BESW

@AncientSwordRage DFRPG gave seven aspect slots per character, and I found that it was almost impossible to fill them without becoming repetitious.

(And that keeping track of all of them during play got tedious and distracting, especially for the GM.)

AncientSwordRage

01:22

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica I mean more like how to pick a single thing

@BESW seven is too many

The number they give is probably the right number for play

BESW

I also appreciate versions of Fate which give prompts for aspects.

Like how in Atomic Robo, you pick three broad areas of expertise like Action, Science and Banter, and then three of your aspects are describing how your character is specifically good in each of those areas.

AncientSwordRage

That's nice

BESW

Or how Masters of Umdaar tells you that one of your aspects should be why you've chosen such a dangerous profession and it should start "I must..."

War of Ashes gives you a Faction aspect, which describes which principle or attitude or priority of your character's faction is most embraced by your character.

So, I would strongly recommend identifying common themes that unify the party and making them aspect slots.

eg, War of Ashes takes place in a world where your faction is central to your identity and how you interact with other people, so it gets an aspect slot. Everyone has a faction and that's important.

Everyone in Masters of Umdaar is an archaeonaut and that's important, so everyone gets an aspect about that.

Bardic Wizard

01:45

@AncientSwordRage we really only have a handful of family recipes — tortillas, biscochitos, and a couple of others — and I really only know how to make tortillas, biscochitos, fudge, and mac and cheese from a box

My parents do the cooking mostly

BESW

Geshwin School for Witches by Kazumi Chin. A mystery TTRPG set in a magical boarding school. Guaranteed 100% no transphobes inspired this material.

2

AncientSwordRage

02:04

@BardicWizard I'll have to look up making tortillas one day

@BESW those all seem like excellent ways of customising how aspects work

BESW

I also find that if you're struggling to "narrow down" your character into aspects... not everything that's important must, or even should, BE an aspect.

Sometimes a custom skill or stress track or extra is a better way to express something about a character.

Aspects are, usually, for always-on truths which can be useful and also cause complexity or drama. If there's something about a character which is only ever useful, that's more likely to be a skill.

If there's something which builds up over time, that's probably a stress track.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW I'm trying to think of aspects for a character I started making as a d&d character, and I'm struggling to capture the essence of them without overlapping too much

Its like the adage about the blind men and the elephant

BESW

If you ever want some company to work that out, I'd be happy to sit with you and ask prompting questions.

How to Fight in a Dress (Gird Your Loins!) #Shorts

►

AncientSwordRage

02:19

@BESW I appreciate that

Bardic Wizard

@AncientSwordRage they’re easy! But also time consuming

I can look for the recipe if you want it — I rewrote and scanned it a while ago

AncientSwordRage

@BardicWizard that would be neat, thanks

Bardic Wizard

02:38

It’s a bit messy cause I did it months ago but it makes good tortillas

AncientSwordRage

@BardicWizard genuinely honoured you shared that with me, thank you

Only two questions, what's a Crisco, and what's a Comat?

user15026

Crisco is shortening. I don't know what is a comat either.

AncientSwordRage

Someone_Evil

A specific brand?

AncientSwordRage

I think it's the pan it's cooked in

Bardic Wizard

02:47

@AncientSwordRage it’s a cast iron pan

Comal (cookware)

A comal is a smooth, flat griddle typically used in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America to cook tortillas and arepas, toast spices and nuts, sear meat, and generally prepare food. Similar cookware is called a budare in South America. Some comals are concave and made of barro (clay). These are still made and used by the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America. Comals are similar to the American griddle or the Indian tava, and are often used and named interchangeably with these. Comals for home use are generally made from heavy cast iron, and sized to fit over either one...

It’s called a comal but I have dysgraphia and bad handwriting

AncientSwordRage

@BardicWizard your hand writing was legible to me, but I didn't know the term

I've taken notes for someone else that had to be ... 'translated'

My handwriting was once described as though a drinker one legged spider had crawled across the paper

I do have dyslexia however, so I think there's overlap with dysgraphia

Glazius

@BESW Something that's helped me classify things in the past is that aspects are dramatic and personal. If it's not personal it's probably a skill, if it's not dramatic it's probably a stunt.

Bardic Wizard

03:11

@AncientSwordRage it’s not a common term and my tendency towards extending the line of my lowercase a’s doesn’t help

We have my Bisa’s comal and it’s really good at this point

AncientSwordRage

@BardicWizard I have a bunch of similar handwriting habits

@BardicWizard that's awesome, I'm sure I can improvise some how

Bardic Wizard

@AncientSwordRage any griddle or cast iron pan works well enough

AncientSwordRage

That's the only cast iron thing I own

Which I don't think would work

1

Q: Can I use a crêpe pan instead of a comal?

I've recently been given a recipe for tortillas by a friend, but it calls for a Comal, and I only have a crêpe pan, or a non-stick frying pan. Are either acceptable replacements for a Comal?

frying-pan tortilla crepe

Bardic Wizard

04:25

@AncientSwordRage if you’ve made pancakes, I’ve used that kind of pan successfully for tortillas before though you have to cook a little longer

@BESW I didn’t see this before but that’s useful knowledge

I could add a few bits of advice to that video too, from experience, like “don’t wear a skirt you can’t run in” and “put pockets in your skirts before you need them”

AncientSwordRage

08:11

@BardicWizard sewing pockets into a dress midbattle seems inadvisable

@BardicWizard it's an incredibly thin crêpe pan... (For making thin pancakes).

The answerer seems to think thicker is better, so I might try both

Powerdork

11:34

What's good?

kviiri

11:47

cardamom :3

Thomas Markov

12:08

Delete vote pls rpg.stackexchange.com/q/178749/62294

kviiri

12:30

It is ded

AncientSwordRage

Dec 12 at 10:03, by AncientSwordRage

@Powerdork to roast your beans, to see it ground before you, and to hear the percolation of your coffee.

Nothings changed in a week

AncientSwordRage

13:14

@kviiri that's the hardest word to spell ever. Also cinnemom? Cinamon, ciminon? Cerulean?

kviiri

@AncientSwordRage "definitely" is one of the ones I commonly see spelled wrong and also took fairly long time to get correct myself x)

AncientSwordRage

13:31

@kviiri definitely

RevenantBacon

16:20

Slow weekend chat is slow. How did everyones baking adventures go?

Thomas Markov

16:37

@RevenantBacon ayyyy

Bardic Wizard

@RevenantBacon mine went well — we now have four dozen biscochitos, two pans of fudge, and two slabs of cranberry bark, which ought to last till Christmas at least

Akixkisu

17:19

@kviiri probably the best addition in coffee.

I started playing chess a few days ago, I'm terrible at it, but there seem to be a lot of people who are even worse.

RevenantBacon

@Akixkisu I'm definitely one of those people

Terrible at strategizing

Akixkisu

I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, but people leave pieces hanging all the time and then eventually my position turns out stronger.

RevenantBacon

Same, but I usually am the one on the other end lol

Also, now that I'm thinking about it, I don't think I've played chess in at least 10 years. oof

Akixkisu

I registered at chess.com and selected total beginner, which started at 400, now I'm sitting at 974. I feel like neither my opponents nor I understand what we are doing.

But playing is fun, would recommend it.

RevenantBacon

18:39

1 more hat and I get the towering stack of hats hat

Akixkisu

18:53

I'm not sure whether the snapchat hat or the vexolofy hat is better.

kviiri

19:12

I also play chess at times, although mainly Chess960 and mainly against the computer

Hot RPG Questions

20:01

1

Q: Can your Hexblade patron be your pact weapon even though it's sentient?

I'm asking RAW, not "talk with your DM." Thank you for your help beforehand. Pact of the Blade says "You can't affect an artifact or sentient weapon in this way" in regards to making a magic weapon your pact weapon. A Hexblade is a sentient magic weapon, as read in XGtE, "a force that manifests i...

dnd-5e warlock hexblade

Akixkisu

@kviiri Would you recommend it?

kviiri

@Akixkisu Probably depends on what you want out of your chess

Akixkisu

@kviiri entertainment, but I'm not quite sure yet where I derive it in chess.

I tried those puzzles once, but didn't enjoy them at all.

kviiri

Composed or tactical puzzles?

Anyway. Chess960 pretty much gets rid of opening study as a field of its own

Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you

Akixkisu

@kviiri puzzle rush? Not quite sure what is which.

kviiri

20:14

@Akixkisu I'm not familiar with the term, but composed chess problems are more like an art form of their own while tactical puzzles are usually situations lifted straight from actual games that are useful for learning patterns useful in actual games

AncientSwordRage

@kviiri Really Bad Chess is a good phone app for that

Akixkisu

@kviiri maybe the former sounds more interesting. It is, however, the latter in puzzle rush. You are supposed to fin the best move - which isn't fun i particular as I tend to have otherideas than the computer.

AncientSwordRage

What would Alan Parrish's high concept be, as a fate character

(Robin Williams' character from Jumanji)

AncientSwordRage

20:45

I am asking as I'm thinking how to make a Fate Core character that is similar

kviiri

@Akixkisu When it comes to chess, though... the computer is most likely right

AncientSwordRage

I'm thinking high concept: Fae trained warrior poet

Trouble aspect: Man out of time (this is where the similarity to Alan comes from)

Akixkisu

@kviiri yes, but in a game I beat people with suboptimal moves all the time.

kviiri

@Akixkisu Even grandmasters do, but that's hardly the point

as a side note, tactical puzzles often have one disparately good move (with alternatives often being downright bad)

Lichess puzzles sometimes have a "Good move! (But you can do better)" category

Akixkisu

@kviiri I like pushing my ideas, not the ones that a computer can do. When my move gets me ahead, but not as much as the computer would have went ahead with another move and then tells me that I lose (one try in the puzzle), then I don't enjoy that.

kviiri

21:15

@Akixkisu How do you know a move gets you ahead?

Akixkisu

@kviiri I don't. I look at what the computer says about my game after it is done. I have a plan that I want to execute, usually I don't even know whether it is a ood or bad plan.

kviiri

Well then I don't really understand what you're saying

Akixkisu

So getting ahead is what makes my plan work.

I don't like that kind of puzzle style :)

Where you find the best move.

RevenantBacon

@heyIcanchan Why the brackets around the V in [v]ulnerability?

kviiri

Well, yeah, that much I got

Akixkisu

21:19

Then you got everything, I suppose.

Someone_Evil

@RevenantBacon Usually to show that a modification has been to a quote, say changed to capital because it is now at the start of a sentence

RevenantBacon

Oh, that makes sense I guess

Someone_Evil

HICC isn't pingable in here, btw. If the username doesn't show up on autocomplete they aren't notified

kviiri

@Akixkisu Well, no. Basically my understanding is that you don't like when the computer says that a good move in a given situation is wrong

but also that you can't really tell whether a move is good or not

RevenantBacon

Ah, my understanding was that if the name doesn't autocomplete, you can still ping them if you type the @ tag out correctly. I feel like I've done it before with someone else, but maybe they were just one of the AFK in chat people.

Akixkisu

21:26

@kviiri no, I like playing my own plans, I don't like solving a best move puzzle. I don't know whether my plan is good or bad, but that is fine.

kviiri

@Akixkisu Ah, gotcha.

I do recommend playing them anyway, they're a good way to build up tactical skill

Akixkisu

@kviiri I'll have a gander at chess960 :)

kviiri

it's fun

Prepare to take a few games to get used to really aggressive starts

Someone_Evil

@RevenantBacon There are some users (including editors) who will be pingable in comments even if they don't appear on the autocomplete, but the same is not true for chat (AFAIK). Pinging users who are not in a room is a mod specific power

AncientSwordRage

21:41

@Someone_Evil aka the superping

RevenantBacon

22:53

So I'm like 90% certain that this is a dupe question

rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/178759/…

It's about not needing sleep, and levels of exhaustion, and long rests

Bardic Wizard

All I want for Christmas is for one of my rpg groups to actually have both players show up for a session, and it looks like I’m getting that wish!!!!!

Powerdork

@RevenantBacon What's it a duplicate of, so I can flag it appropriately?

NautArch

23:29

My hunch is that they are simply asking if there is a RAW issue with the language in Xanathar.

In that it seems to maybe say that creatures who don't need to sleep still suffer for not sleeping

Mostly a bad reading of it and seems like they think the above can/should happen in the rules

Someone_Evil

I would assume it's if I don't need to sleep, do I still suffer exhaustion from the XGtE rule (which Specific Beats General handles, as covered by the accepted answer)

NautArch

@Someone_Evil But asking that is also weird

Someone_Evil

Eh, someone's problem being resolved by something in the PHB introduction is fairly common

Transcript for