TRPG General Chat

TheDragonOfFlame

00:27

0

Q: Does anyone know where this weird blue and green laughing chess set is from?

I found this really weird chess set at a thrift store. Does anyone know where it’s from? (I bought it because, obviously).

This has got to be my favourite purchase ever

Ben

Morning all

illustro

web.archive.org/web/20130308092629/http://community.wizards.com/…

web.archive.org/web/20130607011156/http://wizards.com/dnd/…

Apparently it was first published in the Draconomicon (from 4e)

community.wizards.com was a site that WoTC once hosted, but is no longer generally available

Ben

00:44

So I have an update to my 5e PC situation; the theme is Gothic/Lovecraftian style, somewhat similar to the Hugh Jackman Helsing. Magic exists, but those that don't have/can't use it, use tools and other gadgets instead

BESW

4e's Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons re-prints the Draconic word list from the Third Edition Draconomicon (which was itself drawn from an article in Dragon Magazine from a couple years earlier; the 4e version does not include the additions or changes made to the 3.5e Races of the Dragon word list), and is the first appearance of "Iokharic" rather than "Draconic" for any part of the language.

Hot RPG Questions

9

Q: When is the Saving Throw rolled for an Infernal Wound?

This came up in a game I was running yesterday. Two devils (Bearded and Horned) in 5e have weapons that deliver "infernal wounds", which are basically bleed effects. The creatures can be found in the Monster Manual, pgs. 70 and 74, respectively, or here and here. For convenience, here's the full ...

dnd-5e monsters conditions

RevenantBacon

@illustro I'm like 20% certain that it was in the 3.5e Draconomicon as well

Unfortunately, I lost mine long ago so I can't double-check

@BESW Ha, I should have scrolled down like 3 more lines lol

BESW

And yeah, the Iokharic script seems to have first appeared in the 4e Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons, alongside the reproduced word lists from the previous edition.

(ie, I can't remember or find any use of the custom typeface prior to D:CD, whether under the name Iokharic, Draconic, or otherwise.)

If I recall correctly, 4e was the first edition to provide full sets of non-setting-specific scripts for fictional D&D languages (I say non-setting-specific because Forgotten Realms exists and the detail of that setting is ridonkulous; I know it was providing typeface sets in 3.x, if not earlier).

(3.x's contribution to conlang was mostly word-equivalency lists and compound name generators.)

Thomas Markov

01:16

Would a question about the canonicity of published material be off topic as a “designer intent” question?

BESW

You'd have to define "canon" strictly in the question, I think. It's a term that has a lot of different colloquial meanings which usually get assumed rather than stated.

(Source: going anywhere near the Doctor Who fandom.)

illustro

@ThomasMarkov re the Candlekeep question, I've addressed the canonicity of that specific module in relation to the Forgotten Realms more directly in the answer

BESW

I've found that the most coherent but probably least useful definition of canon is based on explicit statements by the entity controlling the property. eg, Disney ruling on "legacy" content in Star Wars.

2

illustro

For the Forgotten Realms in particular, canon is detemined by Ed Greenwood, unless contradicted directly by Wizards of the Coast (iirc Ed Greenwood has directly stated this as being part of his agreement with WoTC when they came to an agreement about the setting)

2

twitter.com/theedverse/status/1260974930814029830

@RevenantBacon I've had a look in the 3.5e Draconomicon I have, and it doesn't have a script for Draconic listed, but instead has a list of "Basic Draconic Vocabulary" written in English

nitsua60

03:38

@ThomasMarkov What's up? (Sorry for the delay--crazy couple of days, and I hadn't even touched my computer from before the weekend until now.)

Joshua

04:17

Has anybody played warlock and picked off their patron yet?

Hot RPG Questions

06:01

4

Q: Does the bane magic weapon property work like greater magic weapon or weapon enhancement for DR

The weapon property bane is a wonderful boost to a weapon on the occasions where its the right bane. One effect is that the weapon enhancement is +2 than what the weapon states, so a +1 bane (human) sword is actually a a +3 weapon against humans. But when dealing with creatures that have DR, the ...

pathfinder-1e magic-items weapons

BESW

"Indie Tabletop RPGs About Community And Togetherness," by Coleman Gailloret. A look at innovative tabletop RPGs with rules and settings that de-emphasize violence in favor of community-building, diplomacy, and solidarity.

Kickstarter: Babes in the Wood RPG (2nd Edition) by Adam Vass. A tabletop roleplaying game of kids & critters lost in an endless wood on Halloween night. Powered by the Apocalypse.

BESW

10:12

Oh, re: canonicity, enjoy the delightfully and necessarily arbitrary rationale for this list.

I Made a List of Every Canonical Doctor Who Story, Fight Me

►

(The Beeb is famously uninterested in declarations of canonicity; in the nearly sixty years of the franchise you can count such declarations on one hand, and none of them will include a clear statement that the show itself is canon.)

AncientSwordRage

12:04

@Joshua no, but we may have a question about interacting with them

I always assumed that the patron was some unknowable entity

Adeptus

12:20

@AncientSwordRage nope, they're a specific creature, that you have made a pact with. eg, Archfey patron: Your patron is a lord or lady of the fey, ... Beings of this sort include the Prince of Frost; the Queen of Air and Darkness, ruler of the Gloaming Court; Titania of the Summer Court; her consort Oberon, the Green Lord; Hyrsam, the Prince of Fools; and ancient hags.

AncientSwordRage

@Adeptus but do they have stats?

Like Ao from Faerun, they aren't pinned down to a specific statblock

Adeptus

Not sure about those specifically, but Fiends, yes: Fiends powerful enough to forge a pact include demon lords such as Demogorgon, Orcus, Fraz’Urb-luu, and Baphomet; archdevils such as Asmodeus, Dispater, Mephistopheles, and Belial; pit fiends and balors that are especially mighty; and ultroloths and other lords of the yugoloths.

AncientSwordRage

@Adeptus those are good points

Maybe it's just because I lean heavily towards the great old one patrons?

Adeptus

Yeah, they're usually a bit less... defined

AncientSwordRage

Also you reminded me I once wrote a stat block for a redwood dryad that okay have to recreate

And seeing if anybody else had written one lead me to this: dmingdad.com/dryad-needs-a-home

Which looked like a fun adventure

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

12:29

@AncientSwordRage As my GM once wrote, 'Oh wait I forgot there are any other patrons'.

AncientSwordRage

GOO: Entities of this type include Ghaunadar, called That Which Lurks; Tharizdun, the Chained God; Dendar, the Night Serpent; Zargon, the Returner; Great Cthulhu; and other unfathomable beings.

A bunch of those do exist

I'd love someone's patron to be Zalgo, but specifically the ones from this SCP article

rummages around on the internet

scpwiki.com/eldritch-application

> "Look," he began, riffling through a sheet of papers, "this is your fifth time attempting to apply for SCP status. I don't know how many times I've said this to you, so listen up. This is the final time. We do not have any interest in taking you in. You just don't work."

> "Zalgo," stated the director flatly. "You find web comics, and you corrupt them."

Your patron mission could even be to make your eldritch abomination more well known

KorvinStarmast

13:34

@BESW @illulstro Ah, thank you both, I have neither of those resources.

@nitsua60 Hey there, glad to see you break lurk. I think a few of the Candlekeep Mysteries are going to look real familiar :)

Thomas Markov

@nitsua60 Ayyy, sorry I missed you. On our canonical "official rules for D&D 5e" post, you state that the SRD is an official rules source, but would probably be more appropriate in the "often mistaken for official" section.

Medix2

@ThomasMarkov My question certainly has more downvotes than I thought it would XD

Thomas Markov

Wildly broken homebrew tends to do that :P

Gonna be too busy today to give you a thorough analysis as an answer, but it comes off as super broken to me.

KorvinStarmast

@AncientSwordRage Mine's an Empyrean who serves the deity of beer. (Yes, my brother has a deity of beer in our campaign, and the name of this Empyraen is Lagerael). I get occasional cryptic messages from him - quite possibly driven by my preference for rum over beer, it's a sailor thing - but mostly he's too busy being a chaotic titan/empyrean to bother with little old me, Celestial Warlock ...

Thomas Markov

Ive played a Bard extensively, and in my experience, your limiting of roundel to "you have one round to use it" is rarely actually a limitation in practice.

90% of the time I give out BI it is used immediately.

KorvinStarmast

13:44

@AncientSwordRage We both consulted the little table in Xanathar's and came up with "almost never talks to PC" as the relationship

Medix2

It also requires an action

Ah interesting, I at least used it quite a lot outside of combat

KorvinStarmast

@ThomasMarkov In our current group, I have to remind people that they have it. During one session, I just used them all for cutting words (to reduce incoming damage) and that seemed to please them also.

Thomas Markov

I play a swords bard and so I use most of them for blade flourishes, but I usually give out at least one per combat.

KorvinStarmast

@Medix2 yep, in our usual group where my brother DMs, we use BI as often out of combat as in.

Medix2

Maybe I should make it just cost more uses then, easy fix

illustro

13:47

@Medix2 Question, is this line in your question "The road you walk’s less travelled, but you walk it nonetheless;" a reference to this poem internal.org/Robert_Frost/The_Road_Not_Taken ?

Medix2

Yup

I have the entire poem memorized

KorvinStarmast

@Medix2 was "Eloquence" not well enough defined, and so you made poetry bard college?

"... and I... I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. My jeep is down there in a bog and I can't get it out ..."

illustro

@Medix2 It sounded too close not to be (That poem is one of a few I keep finding myself coming back to)

KorvinStarmast

*I must go down to the sea again*, is one of my favorites , but I don't think it's Frost
*And all I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by*

Medix2

Ya know... Maybe I should add my specific worries about each feature. But now there's already an answer and I would feel bad...

Thomas Markov

13:51

THE NEW D&D ADVENTURE BOOK IS BASICALLY A SOFIA THE FIRST CAMPAIGN

illustro

@KorvinStarmast yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=654

or a slightly easier page to read for the same poem: poetryfoundation.org/poems/54932/sea-fever-56d235e0d871e

KorvinStarmast

@Medix2 I will suggest that for roundel, each person in your party who gets a BI eats one of your allocation. You are other wise majorly overpowering BI

So if you BI three party members, that's three of your 4 or 5 for that rest.

Thomas Markov

Increasing the cost from bonus action to action is hardly an exchange when it can multiply your BI by 6

KorvinStarmast

I'd also let it last as many rounds as your bardic proficiency bonus, but that's me being me and you need not want it to go beyond a round. Leave it as a bonus action, though, just m ake it possible to 'burst' inspiration.

illustro

@Medix2 On the Tounge Twister feature, if someone fails the saving throw, they take damage and their speed is reduced to zero for a minute (with no other end condition). If they succeed on a subsequent saving throw (either by damage or the end of their turn), as written, their speed remains 0 until the original minute is up.

Medix2

13:59

Yeah that certainly sounds better XD

Thomas Markov

They also take damage every time they fail the save, is that intended?

Medix2

@illustro @Arms of Hadar...

illustro

In addition, is the intention, that each time they fail the saving throw (eg at the end of their turn), they take damage again

Thomas Markov

is arms of hadar the one that never ends?

Medix2

Probably an easy rewording

illustro

14:00

and does this subsequent damage trigger trigger another saving throw?

(potentially triggering yet more damage, and more triggers for saving throws)

Thomas Markov

Also, failing the save extends the time.

illustro

Giving the possibility of one-shotting an enemy by using the feature and then just waiting until the end of their turn

Thomas Markov

On a failed save...for the next minute.

So the feature is theoretically never ending.

Medix2

Hopefully fixed all of that

Thomas Markov

Okay, so they only take 2d12 once?

Medix2

14:03

Yes

illustro

@Medix2 Arms of Hadar is instantaneous. It happens and then fades away. It does not create an ongoing, 10ft shroud of dark energy continually erupting from you.

Medix2

The question is whether the blinded condition lasts infinitely

It was probably hunger of Hadar actually...

Thomas Markov

Looks like failing the save still resets the 1 minute timer.

Medix2

this

Thomas Markov

If a target fails the save, they take 2d12 psychic damage, and, for the next minute, their speed is reduced to 0, they cannot benefit from any bonuses to their speed, and they are frightened of you.

Medix2

14:06

Yes but all the effects end after one minute

Thomas Markov

Ah, gotcha

Medix2

I swear there's probably an actual feature with that same "problem"

Thomas Markov

Probably so.

illustro

@Medix2 Hunger of Hadar states "No light, magical or otherwise, can illuminate the area and creatures fully within the area are blinded". In order for a creature to have the blinded condition from the spell they have to be fully within the area. The area no longer exists after 1 minute, and as such, after 1 minute no creature can satisfy the condition to be blinded (as no creatures can possibly be "fully within the area")

Medix2

Just read the question I posted XD

Thomas Markov

14:09

The language of cause fear might be a good model for a reword:

> The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the spell ends. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Medix2

Clearly at least several people think it is poorly worded

illustro

I did, and the conclusion they have somehow come to by ignoring the rest of the sentence is nonsensical because they haven't included the rest of the sentence

Medix2

@ThomasMarkov Back to the drawing board I wasn't planning on using XD

illustro

The blinding is a consequence of the fact that no light (magical or otherwise) can illuminate the area. Thats what the first part of the sentence is for, providing context

Medix2

Found one

"The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success"

illustro

14:11

What is that from?

Medix2

Death Tyrant

Thomas Markov

Gross. Mop it up.

Medix2

You gonna ask whether failing extents the duration?

Thomas Markov

No.

Medix2

There's probably a spell with similar wording somewhere...

Thomas Markov

14:12

I think we should leave that one alone until someone actually has that problem.

Medix2

@ThomasMarkov Just realized that relies on spells having an entire duration section, something I don't have

Thomas Markov

True.

Medix2

@ThomasMarkov Arguably I have that problem in my homebrew feature

Thomas Markov

XY problem - you would be asking if your homebrew means this when the real solution would be rewording your homebrew to be clear.

Medix2

Agreed

Which yeah, while using the phrasing and terminology that 5e uses is helpful for 5e homebrew. When you're going into new territory, don't be afraid to just spell it all out in regular words

Thomas Markov

14:17

Basically, you can be better. Dont Coast through your homebrew.

Medix2

I say... While intending to have a feature consisting of nothing but flowery language that requires time to decipher the true meaning. Which, gosh I am SO happy with how much people correctly figured those features out

AncientSwordRage

@KorvinStarmast xanathar's has a table for that?

Medix2

I think Xanathar's even has a table for tables

KorvinStarmast

@AncientSwordRage yes, for each of the classes they have some "roll d6" tables to help people flesh out "So you are a sorcerer, why?"

The feature for my Shadow SOrcerer came up "You blinked. Once"

:)

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov care to explain? Is that a Sofia the first reference?

@KorvinStarmast cool

KorvinStarmast

14:19

I never need stuff like that, but for folks just starting out it is not a bad way to spur a little more depth to their back story and background.

Medix2

I just want D&D 6e so I can stop having to update 52 documents with every new book WotC releases XD

KorvinStarmast

For example, we decided that for my Warlock, one of her eyes is hazel, and the other is colored the amber color of ale, so it almost looks golden ...

illustro

@Medix2 Personally, I was able to figure out the first two, without needing to refer to the rules text (though as discussed without precise rules text the Tounge Twister feature is prone to abuse), but the Magnum Opus was completely indeciperable without the rules text.

Thomas Markov

Yeah, so in one of the later seasons of Sofia, the episode model is Sofia travelling to this magic library, the library gives her a book, and she has to go on an adventure to finish the story of the book.

KorvinStarmast

@Medix2 Please no, I have bought enough books for a while.

Thomas Markov

14:21

Which is exactly what the new adventure is described as:

> Each adventure begins with the discovery of a book, and each book is the key to a door behind which danger and glory await.

Medix2

@illustro Yeah, that applies to you and 5/50 people I polled XD

@ThomasMarkov Oh gosh it really is 0_0

Thomas Markov

Which means I will definitely be running a Sofia the First campaign with my daughter when she's ready.

illustro

14:35

@Medix2 A 10% error rate is pretty big if you are planning to publish this, and will end up with people just not choosing the class, wildly misinterpreting the class feature or demanding a refund or support. As someone who works in statistics, I'd encourage, if you are planning to publish, to do a larger set of sampling, and from as diverse a set of people as you can (including non-native speakers).

With a sample size of 50, for any appreciable population of purchasers, your error on that sample is +- 14 - 18% (depending on desired confidence level), meaning the true rate could be as high as 28%.

RevenantBacon

14:48

@Medix2 WoTC has only released like, 10 books for 5e (not counting adventures). Be glad that they don't have a release rate like they did for 3.5e, with dozens of books plus Dungeon and Dragon magazine, which both had issues somewhere in the 300+ range.

NautArch

argh! I apparently have no local store to buy model hobby glue other than walmart.

RevenantBacon

@NautArch RIP

RevenantBacon

15:13

Can a moderator assist me with some comment cleanup on my answer here

Someone_Evil

In my best Eddie Izzard impression: do you have a flag?

RevenantBacon

Ya

I falgged all the ones that are irrelevant

as "No longer needed"

It's mostly a discussion about the correct phonetic spelling of a word, which is irrelevant to the question or the point my answer is demonstrating

Thanks

Medix2

15:27

@illustro Oh yeah I'm aware, it wouldn't be a published thing; more of a "The homebrew content I allow" in a list for campaigns and people could, of course, ask for clarifications

Thomas Markov

@RevenantBacon Here, have an enlightened badge

kviiri

15:46

It's somewhat amazing, English being English, that phonetic spelling has a reasonable chance at working

Medix2

@kviiri Define phonetic spelling? IPA?

kviiri

@Medix2 I think in this context, describing pronunciations using English fragments (not IPA) was intended

Medix2

Oh that question, it was about IPA

As the comments were about /stənd/ vs /stʌnd/

GcL

@kviiri English being English, the times the phonetic spelling work are the bait for a trap.

kviiri

@Medix2 Oh, gotcha. The comments were deleted by the time I saw it

RevenantBacon

15:56

@kviiri I would hazard a guess that @Someone_Evil took care of it, since they responded within a few seconds of me asking for mod attention. It was chatter more suited to EnglishSE than here.

@ThomasMarkov Neat. That'll make my 7th

Thomas Markov

Ayyy I just got my 7th today

Matt Thrower

@caleth Hi, sorry to move this to chat but the discussion under the answer was getting a bit long. I'm a little confused by your responses and I'm concerned I've missed something else in the rules. Our Ranger favours the longbow but in a party of 3, he inevitably ends up in melee a lot. That's why he's also wanting to take stats/bonuses etc that help him in melee. It's not just a "backup weapon"?

Thomas Markov

@MattThrower This ocnerns this question I assume?

Matt Thrower

@ThomasMarkov Yep, thanks also for your contribution

KorvinStarmast

@MattThrower when my ranger was in the party and we only had 3, he had to sword and board quite a bit. Medium armor master was the feat I'd taken with vHuman, and that ended up being a fine choice. (Plust I stayed sneaky). I used a rapier.

Thomas Markov

15:59

@MattThrower Ive flagged one of the comments, a mod will move the comments to their own chatroom shortly

Matt Thrower

@ThomasMarkov thanks

Thomas Markov

Its good to keep the discussion there so that it can easily be found from the answer

Medix2

There should be a prompt to continue the conversation in chat, there might not be one though...

Matt Thrower

@ThomasMarkov Yeah, I just wasn't sure how best to do it - I can't move it myself and the discussion was already way out of hand

@Medix2 there wasn't

doppelgreener

A prompt shows up after two people ABAB for a few comments in a row

Thomas Markov

16:01

@MattThrower Mods are happy to do it, so you can just flag one of the comments with a custom note requesting a chat

@doppelgreener Wabbit season!

Medix2

@doppelgreener Oh there's actually an explanation of exactly when it happens?

doppelgreener

@Medix2 observed, but there's probably an exact specification somewhere on meta.se

Matt Thrower

@KorvinStarmast Exactly. Hence I can't quite get the gist of this last comment "I can understand having a back-up weapon. I less understand taking a fighting style for that, after ignoring options that are essentially free for a better improvement. "

GcL

They're tied to having a "longsword" but want the attributes of a rapier? Suggest calling it something different so you don't get confused later. E.g. "warsword"

Have you asked the player of the ranger what they're going for? If it's the Aragorn style ranger of AD&D, that's long gone. My recollection was even 2nd edition nerfed the ranger.

Matt Thrower

16:20

@GcL No, I haven't asked. Remember this guy hasn't played D&D in like 20 years or more so he won't remember exactly how Rangers worked in 2e (and neither do I). I didn't want to take the longsword = rapier option partly to avoid him and the bard squabbling over magic swords.

@GcL It's the fact he won't take a shield that really confuses me tho. Because that's what a ranger would have done in 2e and it'd "fix" this at a stroke - allowing his duelling bonus and giving him a higher AC

GcL

The mechanics aren't really an issue if everyone at the table is roughly approaching them the same. A few points of dmg here and there... scale the encouters to match if you have to. If you do have a player that enjoys pushing the mechanics to limits and optimizing for ... whatever, then that can be a problem with overshadowing the other characters.

RevenantBacon

Best option IMO: explain that you messed up on the rules, and let the ranger decide if he wants to continue to use a longsword, or swap for a rapier, and let him change fighting styles if he wants. Don't try to force the bard to "not be a tank" because whether or not the ranger is tanking isn't your call, it's the players call.

Use the dueling style as written

GcL

Do they currently squabble over magic swords? You don't have to award magic swords. 5e plays pretty well without magic swords.

RevenantBacon

and let them sort themselves out

GcL

Also, two +1 swords in a horde isn't terribly unbalancing.

RevenantBacon

16:25

@MattThrower Also, what Caleth is saying is that taking a fighting style to support your backup weapon (longsword) instead of your primary weapon (bow) is strange.

GcL

They might not need a tank. Leave yourself and the game open to alternative endings to encounters. E.g. if still combat, identifying and taking down the enemy tank first then offering surrender... or clever environmental or ambush ways to beat combat obstacles.

Someone_Evil

@MattThrower Yup, a custom flag asking for a comment thread to be moved to chat is a-okay! (if flagging a comment make sure that flag autodeletes the comment, because custom flags can do that too)

GcL

This is a fun idea... I'm going to see if I can prompt my players to name their mundane equipment they've had since the beginning of the campaign. Kind of explore the emotional attachment to the tools they've been using. Then see if they're still as keen on seeking out magical alternatives.

KorvinStarmast

@MattThrower That's what I did too: I went shield and rapier when we were indoors. Carry shield on back out of doors and default to bow ...

Matt Thrower

@RevenantBacon He can't use the longbow as a primary weapon tho, that's the point.

RevenantBacon

16:32

Why not?

Thomas Markov

What do you mean by primary weapon?

RevenantBacon

He's a ranger, so he has proficiency

@ThomasMarkov Primary weapon usually refers to "my first choice for combat"

KorvinStarmast

@MattThrower ??? I am confused. Ranger in D&D 5e, long bow comes as standard issue. ??

RevenantBacon

Unless he's somehow being prevented from purchasing the bow or ammunition, there shouldn't be anything stopping him

Matt Thrower

He has to use the longsword more than the bow. There are three people in the party. So whenever they get into a fight with more than 1 or two enemies, he can't stay out of melee and use the bow

GcL

16:34

Hire some shield-y mercenaries

KorvinStarmast

@MattThrower OK, sword and board it is.

GcL

Hirelings were the way in AD&D and 2nd edition.

KorvinStarmast

@MattThrower what level is the party?

RevenantBacon

The longbow has a range of 150/600. How are enemies closing that gap every combat?

Matt Thrower

They're all 2nd level. So far most of the encounters have been indoors, or in forests.

Thomas Markov

16:35

@MattThrower Why cant he stay out of melee?

KorvinStarmast

@ThomasMarkov Three person party; you can't stay out of melee, he's the martial. The other two are bard and warlock, level 2.

GcL

@RevenantBacon Maybe they don't know if they're enemies. A group I currently run tries to negotiate with just about everything. Sometimes it works out... especially when they have a language they both speak. Sometimes that language is the love of piles of meat, but whatever.

Thomas Markov

Also we have a chat for this now - chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/118410/…

RevenantBacon

@KorvinStarmast From my understanding of the ituation, the bard is built for hitting things with a sword, having a higher STR than the ranger

GcL

Isn't that just for smashing their axe on the stage after the set is done?

Matt Thrower

16:37

What Korvin said. If they meet, say, 4 orcs, the Bard can hold one of them up, the others are going to peel round and get to the Ranger and Warlock. The latter needs some protection with his relatively weedy hitpoints, so the Ranger has to intervene

RevenantBacon

@GcL Sure, that works for one or two combats, but every time?

Thomas Markov

Check review queue on meta if you want some meta reviews for badges.

I just flagged something

Wait does meta not have LQ reviews?

Apparently not. Delete dis

GcL

@RevenantBacon Usually works with anything sufficiently intelligent. Most creatures in Eberron want to live, and avoiding unnecessary fights with armed opponents is a decent way of doing that.

Matt Thrower

So both Bard and Ranger went for dex as highest stat. They're both Elves, so it's 17 for a +3 bonus. The Bard picked a rapier so gets +3 bonus to attack and damage. The Ranger - who played in 2e - picked a longsword by default but his Strength is only +1

Thomas Markov

@MattThrower Cant he just get a rapier?

Matt Thrower

16:40

@ThomasMarkov He's wedded to the idea of a longsword. Even when I explained the situation, he wanted to keep it. His image of his character is stronger than the desire to optimize it, which I can get behind

KorvinStarmast

Two weapon fighting with two short swords, since he does not want to wear a shield ... ??

Thomas Markov

@MattThrower Then just give his longsword rapier stats.

Matt Thrower

@KorvinStarmast He's absolutely adamant on sticking with the longsword

KorvinStarmast

Has he considered re speccing stats?

Matt Thrower

@ThomasMarkov Well I toyed with that idea, but I figured it might get sticky down the line when it came to magic items

Thomas Markov

16:41

"Cool you have a longsword that uses dex".

RevenantBacon

I think one of the things that's an issue here is that these are low-level characters who just don't have the options that a higher level character would have. Like the ability to pick up a feat that could, say, allow them to fire a bow while in melee

Matt Thrower

@KorvinStarmast That's not something we discussed when I laid out the options to him, but I'll be sure to mention it for the next session

GcL

@MattThrower See if he's interested in a messer of some sort. Those were technically "knives" in the legal determination of their time, but they came in a lot of shapes and sizes. Grosse messer could be thematically like a long sword and functionally like a rapier.

KorvinStarmast

Run the Ranger wth a 14 Str and 16 Dex. That's gonna get some of the problems sorted out ...

RevenantBacon

@ThomasMarkov I disagree with this. If the situation has been explained, and the player still wants the sub-optimal choice, then they don't need any hand-holding

KorvinStarmast

16:43

heck why not go with a greatsword? 😁

GcL

Also, then it could be a unique thing to the character, and they might not even want to part with it when presented with the opportunity for a magic replacement.

@KorvinStarmast we're they really that great? gotta lug them around and they're heavy and you bump stuff with them.... just all work and apologies.

Matt Thrower

What I'm going to do before the next session is explain I got the damage bonus wrong, then explain in black and white that his choices make him a worse fighter than the bard. I didn't do that before, I only laid out the numbers. Then I'm going to suggest he swaps some stats around or takes a shield. And if he still doesn't do it, well, that's up to him.

GcL

Probably don't present the kinds of adventures that don't lend themselves to the talents of this group. Got a bunch of thieves? Heists should be on the menu. Got an acrobatic lot, I would expect quests|jobs|adventures with a finesse theme and opportunities to avoid a toe to toe barbarian brawl are in order.

Matt Thrower

and/or takes a shield

why not both, after all :D

GcL

I mean, a few "water encounters for a fire group" every once in a while, to illustrate, but having crap that's not in your wheelhouse most of the time is not very fun.

Hot RPG Questions

16:50

3

Q: How does Channel Smite work?

At level 4, Berric the cleric takes Channel Smite. He then attacks someone, expending a Harm spell. From the text: Make a melee Strike and add the spell’s damage to the Strike’s damage. Does this mean that the basic Fortitude save mentioned in the text for Harm simply isn't used? If Berric used...

pathfinder-2e

GcL

@HotRPGQuestions Similar to HBO Max. You get to the end and are very disappointed.

Thomas Markov

@Medix2 beat you by about a minute

45 seconds, to be exact

Hot RPG Questions

17:15

1

Q: Are my accidental weapon damage house rules balanced?

TLDR: In my game, finesse and ranged weapons don't get a stat damage bonus and Dueling gives the damage bonus to 1- and 2- handed weapons. Is this balanced? Starting running a game for the first time in several years. Two of the players are new to D&D (a Warlock and a Bard). The other hasn't play...

dnd-5e balance damage house-rules

KorvinStarmast

@MattThrower good idea.

Hot RPG Questions

18:33

4

Q: Is succubus in savage species underpowered?

One of my friends mentioned wanting to play a succubus in a pathfinder game and wants to use the savage species succubus class for it though at a glance the succubus class in savage species seems underwhelming to say the least with low combat ability and low utility. (At least compared to a caste...

dnd-3e

Thomas Markov

@HotRPGQuestions This Q needs more tags but I dont know 3e.

Thomas Markov

18:51

Also, since when is reacting to a problem preferred to preventing the problem altogether?

MikeQ

19:12

Greetings my fellow woodland critters, how are we doing lately

Axoren

If you're a Bugbear, and you grapple someone through a wall of fire, should you take Fire damage every turn you hold them there?

This is an opinion question, not a main site thing as a result. 5e.

Like, mechanically, your character is not in the Fire's square. Realistically, your hand is in the Fire's square.

But does having your hand in the fire warrant full damage?

This question hits our table a lot, but we've never actually had a Bugbear try.

We've even had a Bugbear player and a Wall of Fire in the same combat, but there was just better stuff to do at the time.

So, we've never really made a ruling on it.

@RevenantBacon Mechanically, the Bugbear doesn't take damage. This is clear.

But it seems like cheese.

RevenantBacon

@Axoren Put it up. The worst they can do is like downvote it a few times, but I'd bet that you'll get some positive responses

Axoren

@RevenantBacon That's a fate worse than death, though.

RevenantBacon

oh nooo, you lost a whole 8 points

Or do you mean asking a question that gets a positive score?

:p

Thomas Markov

19:30

@MarkWells My point is that an answer that concerns a particular game system on a question that does not specify a game system is usually "not an answer" and should be deleted.

Axoren

@RevenantBacon Please go downvote this: rpg.stackexchange.com/q/179552/14873

Protect me from the positive score.

RevenantBacon

Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Axoren

You monster.

Thomas Markov

Almost the same question:

11

Q: When you grapple an enemy, where are they?

There you are, in melee combat. You're 5 feet away from your opponent. The swords go snicker-snack. You decide to grapple. You succeed! Are you still 5 feet away? I had always assumed the grappler and grapplee were in the same space. Tête–à–tête, as it were. However, this question made me...

dnd-5e

Except your question is, "When you grapple an enemy, where are you?"

Axoren

In this case, it's even weirder because of reach.

On the battle mat, there is now some invisible connection between your minis/tokens.

Thomas Markov

19:41

I wont answer cuz @RevenantBacon wont like it

Axoren

That sounds like an abusive relationship.

Thomas Markov

also imma close it as a dupe

22

A: Does grappling an enemy into an AOE also subject the grappler to the AOE?

Excellent question. What we are looking at here is: How do areas of effect work, and How moving someone in a grapple works. Area of Effect The general rules for area of effects are detailed on p. 204 of the PHB. Now an area of effect is defined very precisely. What is not stated of how much ...

Axoren

That didn't show up in search.

Thomas Markov

I dont think reach actually makes a difference here.

Someone_Evil

Yeah, our search is not perfect. That's why dupes are good

Thomas Markov

19:43

I searched "grapple area of effect"

Axoren

I used the search that shows up while asking a question

It showed me a lot of unrelated stuff, probably because of reach.

Someone_Evil

Does the bugbear's arms having to go through the wall make a difference between the questions?

Thomas Markov

Isnt that exactly the question about moon beam?

Do my arms have to sit under the moon beam?

Axoren

In the Moonbeam question, the players hands do not need to reside in the AoE to hold the enemy there

In the Wall of Fire question, the Bugbears arms are definitely crossing into the AoE

Because there is a square between the characters

And the arms have to be in that square to reach the enemy in the far square

Thomas Markov

Oh, I see. The square are not adjacent.

Axoren

19:53

Right

Thomas Markov

You should make that more clear.

You said "one of the Bugbear's hands is supposedly in a square that is", when really it's his whole 10 foot long arm.

Axoren

At least 5 ft. of it.

Thomas Markov

Ive reopened, but you should clarify that the bugbear is reaching completely through one square of the AOE and into a second square of the AOE.

Maybe even draw a diagram

I can draw a diagram if you like

RevenantBacon

@ThomasMarkov Is it because you'd be wrong?

Because you've done that before

Thomas Markov

No cuz I would say "ask your dm

RevenantBacon

19:57

:p

Thomas Markov

@RevenantBacon I've been wrong before? Surely not.

RevenantBacon

@ThomasMarkov Ah, one of those

Thomas Markov

@Axoren can I add a diagram to your question?

Axoren

@ThomasMarkov How's this?

Thomas Markov

Axoren

20:01

Didn't draw 10 ft. worth of heat lines, but we usually just draw direction of wall and measure

Either or is fine.

RevenantBacon

Both are good

Axoren

Mine doesn't have a legend, they'll never understand what's happening in that one

It always annoys me that "You can't vote for your own post"

Sometimes you just wanna downvote your own stuff, why won't they let you?

And sometimes, you can get really proud of something you've posted, and want to be like "Yeah, even I think it's great."

It feels like my voice about my voice isn't being heard.

illustro

20:19

hears your voice about your voice

Thomas Markov

21:17

rip

A SE chat app would be pretty neat.

RevenantBacon

21:37

Also, for reference, it appears that a back and forth between two people of about 6 messages in length is the trigger for a "Move to chat" option

Thomas Markov

@RevenantBacon I've gotten it with my first comment before.

RevenantBacon

@ThomasMarkov weird

Wait, like first comment and no others?

Or like, two other people were already having a back and forth and then you dropped in?

Anyways, the algorithm remains ever-mysterious

Thomas Markov

Yeah, a couple people had been back and to a bunch and I commented and it asked me if I wanted to move to chat.

RevenantBacon

Hmmmmm

mysterious

TheDragonOfFlame

23:31

Help need quick ruling

can an elements monk use shape the flowing river to freeze underwater targets solid?

Carcer

@TheDragonOfFlame no, "You can’t shape the ice to trap or damage a creature in the area."

TheDragonOfFlame

Phew thank you

Ben

Mooooorning

Adeptus

@Ben (checks clock) I agree

Ben

How's it going

Adeptus

23:45

slowly... is it lunchtime yet?

Ben

Almost

GcL

So the bottom bun is on the top of your burgers?

Ben

@GcL no.

The top bun is on the bottom.

GcL

I wouldn't last a day there.

Ben

Technically, left is also right

Well on a different topic, my Warforged Forge Cleric PC was approved for my new Gothic-Steampunk game.

GcL

23:48

Clever work around for the British driving system.

Eberron setting? or homebrew?

Ben

Pretty sure it's homebrew. Set in 5e

All clockwork and steam and gunpowder

GcL

Neat. What makes warforged in that world?

Ben

My PC is like a reverse techpriest... he wants to integrate his own mechanics with the "fleshwalker" mechanics. Recovering damage without repairs or maintenance... automatic upgrades and replacement parts

Adeptus

neat

Ben

Not entirely sure... But the "Cult" I belong to worship the mechanical/machine "heart" of the city

The "Heart of Terronmourne"

So now I need to make a Warforged. Wanna halp?

Got my base stats, class and race (Just need the "official" 5e Warforged Class)

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