TRPG General Chat

bobble

02:12

Is there an acceptable way to un-code-block-ify the code block in this question? rpg.stackexchange.com/q/178183

Someone_Evil

@bobble Yes :)

bobble

I see you have used your magical editing powers

Someone_Evil

*Casts protection against code blocks*

Hmm... apparently if you try to make a joke about formatting, markdown strikes back

bobble

*Casts *{protection against code blocks}**

nooo it worked for a second

Someone_Evil

I know, insidious, right

bobble

02:24

darn

was trying to be cool with zero-width spaces

trying to adapt this effect

Casts *protection against code blocks*

I WIN

*Casts \*protection against code blocks**

Someone_Evil

Except I can make it look like I got it right right away. Now noone will be able to tell!

bobble

grumble grumble abuse of mod powers

48

Q: "noone", "no one" or "no-one"?

What is the correct form? Does context play a role? Are there noticeable trends towards the awkward "noone" or is it just a by-product of careless orthography on the Internet?

orthography

Someone_Evil

Right, english and its refusal to acknowledge how compound nouns are supposed to work

BESW

02:44

Clearly, the proper form is "noanyone."

Adeptus

02:56

@BESW ~~one~~

BESW

nope-rson

Medix2

Am I allowed to ask why people are suspended? I feel like the answer is no, but just checking

@BESW Nonebody

BESW

21

A: Is it possible to find out reason of suspension for another user?

There's an intentionally vague suspension reason at the top of the user's profile while the account is suspended. The moderator is bound by the moderator agreement not to give out info like that; the suspension reason is private, though the user is free to admit why they were suspended (though I...

Medix2

@BESW Much appreciated

A. B.

03:20

@BESW Does it have anyhting to say about whether evil settings are bad game design?

Not really serious question, just WoD is getting me down.

bobble

Define "evil setting"?

A. B.

04:05

Have you ever read any of the World of Darkness rulebooks? That's Vampire: the Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, et cetera.

Shalvenay

grimdark IOW? (I'm thinking Ravenloft, in the D&D context -- nothing you ever do matters, the world will grind you and everyone you love into a greasy pink pancake at the end of the day anyway?)

bobble

@A.B. no, unfortunately. Got any literary and/or cheesy YA references?

A. B.

Shalvenay: Kind of like that.

I'm trying to make a character, for an ongoing game in Discord, but the rulebook is being no help. Spends so much time not only telling you what there is in its setting, but how the characters feel, and how you're supposed to feel about that.

Well, * blows raspberry *.

BESW

That sounds about right, that's the kind of game it's designed for.

Lots of exploring your character's interior life and how they interact with other people because of the social structures they're all forced into.

What kind of game were you hoping it'd be?

bobble

@A.B. Use *\*text** to get asterisks around italics (*text*)

A. B.

04:23

But it's such a completely unintelligible interior life.

BESW

You get some college dudes massively stoned and give them the collected works of Anne Rice, you're not gonna get a coherent philosophical treatise. A lot of the appeal, so far as I can tell, comes from creating your own sense out of the mush of ideas. Kinda like alignment in D&D.

A. B.

Ha, there's something in that. I feel better now.

Not sure how much you can "create your own sense" when it's dependent on whether it squares with the GM's idea of sense, though.

BESW

Mhm. There's... schools of thought, on that.

bobble

Why does "There's schools of thought" feel idiomatic even though it should properly be "There are schools of thought"?

BESW

Because I'm implying "schools of thought" as a collective noun.

I'm just gonna drop this here and walk away from the explosion.

88

A: What is the "whiskey flask" problem with Paradox?

As with the vampire-to-lawn-chair problem, it involved Matter magick in Mage 1e. One of the examples listed of "coincidental magick" for Matter was "transmuting bullets into air" with the coincidence of "the gun was never loaded." Now, earlier examples in the book of coincidental magick in the bo...

A. B.

04:41

Does the tree continue to be, or doesn't it? Yes.

I don't mean "game manual" by "GM", though, I mean "game master".

BESW

Right. HAP\HOP\HYP|RBD/PBD is an example of the tools that evolved around the need for negotiations between player and GM, in the absence of any formal structures provided by the game.

I'm saying, the negotiation is built into the game from the beginning. It's not in the book, because what's not in the book is just as influential as what is.

A big part of many "old school" games involves this open-world sandbox approach to the table, with the explicit text leaving a lot of empty space for the group to fill in according to whatever means they settle on.

Except instead of an open-world sandbox for the setting, it's an open-world sandbox for the rules.

A. B.

I feel like in some things it's not open enough.

It's big on feelings and reactions, right, but I feel like I'm being railroaded on the feelings and reactions.

BESW

Oh, aye. I'm not saying it works perfectly. Again, we're talking about a relatively old game that was originally made by extremely drugged-out people who'd never made a game before.

But squaring things with your GM or risking the consequences, that part is absolutely working as intended.

A. B.

Short on "facts", long on directly spelling out the feelings characters are supposed to have about them and the atmosphere this is supposed to create. And they're such incomprehensible feelings.

(I am neither currently high nor an Anne Rice fan.)

I suppose all the GM can reasonably expect me to square with them is the actual "facts", not the tone I'm supposed to be taking with them, right? I mean, beyond not actually trolling, I wouldn't do that.

BESW

05:00

Check with your GM/group. I'd hope that they want to calibrate tone and theme so that the game has some consistency. If one player is thinking of it as a farce, another is trying to explore some philosophical ideas, and the GM wants to do a grim political thriller, communication is the only thing that will keep it from exploding.

A. B.

I'll try. It's a living world server, so there's a limit to how much they can keep the tone going - it's less all one story, more a lot of things that happen to be going on in the same city - but there's some.

This comment just posted in the out-of-character channel gives me hope, anyway. Or not so much the comment as the fact that everyone laughed and was OK with that.

> Vampires: drama
Amy and Damien: Nerding out about movies for a few hours

(Amy and Damien being a ghoul and a very junior vampire, respectively.)

Bardic Wizard

05:26

Hiya! How’s it going?

Anyone got any bad puns about household objects?

Let’s not ask why just yet though...

I need to fill 3 pads of sticky notes with bad puns in the next 2 hours, which is the problem

A. B.

05:50

'Fraid not.

Bardic Wizard

@A.B. Darn it

Anyone? Anyone? Please? You’d be saving an April fools prank of the highest caliber

Adeptus

06:28

I'd love to contribute to this most worthy cause, but I can't think of any & have to go now. Sorry!

A. B.

I remember one about "the tap is running - all around the room".

Glazius

@BardicWizard Google Books isn't coughing up any kids' joke books? Those things are lousy with puns.

Mithical

07:11

@BardicWizard How many do you have sofa-r?

BESW

08:34

"Gaming Intentionally: A Literature Review of the Viability of Role-Playing Games as Drama-Therapy-Informed Interventions" by Jonathan Mendoza of Lesley University. Provides a brief overview of basic RPG terminology, styles, and similarities to psychodrama and theater. It also demonstrates a basic analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of four TTRPGs and LARPs as therapeutic tools through the lens of drama therapy.

SmokeDetector

10:15

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword in answer, blacklisted website in answer, potentially bad keyword in answer (181): What is the best way for a low-level, non-magical NPC to contact a player-character? by Mel on rpg.SE (@Rubiksmoose)

Hot RPG Questions

10:37

2

Q: What happens if a vial of acid falls from the sky?

There are various methods that a vial of acid could fall from the sky. Perhaps a familiar is carrying it. Perhaps it is carried by Mage Hand. Perhaps an animal has been trained to pick things up. Then, the Mage Hand travels more than 30 feet away from you and disappears. The vial falls 30 feet in...

dnd-5e equipment falling

NautArch

13:43

o/

BaconyRevanant

o7

NautArch

@BaconyRevanant dabbing?

BaconyRevanant

not quite

more like salute

NautArch

ah

At ease

BaconyRevanant

Have you ever played Elite Dangerous?

It's a common greeting there, since everyone is a captain

Thomas Markov

13:51

7o

Someone_Evil

@NautArch ø/

NautArch

@Someone_Evil null response

Thomas Markov

@Someone_Evil yall suspend Odo to make sure all those bounties were legit?

BaconyRevanant

Φﾉ

Someone_Evil

@ThomasMarkov Suspensions is not something we discuss with other users

BaconyRevanant

13:54

@ThomasMarkov Did I miss something?

Was there some sort of bounty spam going on?

Someone_Evil

In a part-of-the-mod-agreement way

NautArch

Am I being too rough on this answer?

Thomas Markov

@Someone_Evil Understood.

@BaconyRevanant Odo offered 3000 rep worth of bounties this week. Temporary suspension seems consistent with the info given in the "penalty box" stack article.

BaconyRevanant

@NautArch I don' think so

NautArch

@BaconyRevanant Coffee still sinking in and I'm still hungry, so brain not at 100.

BaconyRevanant

13:57

@ThomasMarkov Yikes, 3K rep in a week? that does seem suspicious

Thomas Markov

@BaconyRevanant It was like 25% of their total rep, so yeah, seems a bit odd.

NautArch

Maybe keeping their rep below a point?

BaconyRevanant

Well, I trust that @Someone_Evil and/or others on the mod team are looking into it. I dunno if they have the capability to view IP login data, but that's the first thing I would check

Thomas Markov

@NautArch Yeah, seems off to me.

NautArch

I'm not quite sure how to respond to "already spent too much time on this answer", so I won't.

But not wanting to put in the time to put in a good answer seems weird.

Thomas Markov

14:01

"Replacement tendril can not attack on the same turn it is produced, because the description does not say it can." This in particular is sketchy reasoning to me.

NautArch

It's just as sketchy as the flip-side :)

BaconyRevanant

I think the rules generally tend to be more of a "we'll tell you if you can't rather than if you can", so I would be compelled by an argument in the other direction

I think I'm going to write up an answer

Thomas Markov

@BaconyRevanant Same.

At least for stuff like this.

NautArch

Yeah, I agree - just remember to back it up :)

BaconyRevanant

I'll grant that there are definitely instances of "can't unless something says you can" like flight or casting spells, but in this case, I think it's the other way around

NautArch

14:04

Or ill call GcL for a downvote.

Debating about an answer and I"ve used Ropers.

I'll likely put one up as well.

BaconyRevanant

14:30

Hey, anyone who's played AD&D, what AC does a THAC0 of 0 convert to for 5e?

NautArch

@BaconyRevanant I don't think it does. BUt i'll let others like @KorvinStarmast chime in.

I just don't remember enough.

Thomas Markov

so I havent spent a lot of time reading about THAC0, but I have a Master's in math and havent been able to get it the few times Ive tried.

Glazius

@BaconyRevanant Thac0 converts to attack bonus. 0 Thac0 is +20. Armor Class 0 is +10.

BaconyRevanant

For reference, in AD&D, a ropers tendrils had AC 0 with 6HP, and in 5e, they have AC 20 with 10 HP, and I want to compare difficulty of breaking said tendrils between editions as part of my analysis of how many they should be able to replace on a turn

@Glazius Ah, thanks

Glazius

So AC 20 is a reasonable conversion.

BaconyRevanant

14:43

Ah, so about the same, but slightly more HP now than then

But then, it also cut strength by half, so that would have had an effect on how long it took to break a tendril

neat

KorvinStarmast

@trogdor And we like you. (We appreciate, however, the moratorium on burninating ... 😁 )

@kviiri Cackled, I did

@BaconyRevanant 20, since it takes a roll of 20 (with mods included) to hit it.

Thomas Markov

16:32

@TellerYT howdy

Hot RPG Questions

16:56

2

Q: How to surpass Construct's Hardness with no heavy-hitter at low level?

In Pathfinder 2E there are enemies like the Animated Armor, constructs with the defensive ability "Construct Armor" which reduces all incoming damage by an amount equal to the listed Hardness value. Is a party with no heavy-hitter (fighters, barbarians) just supposed to hope for a critical hit or...

pathfinder-2e tactics constructs

Thomas Markov

19:35

This looks like a dupe: rpg.stackexchange.com/q/183553/62294

After writing an answer, I realized it was the same answer I wrote on the dupe target.

Also JC is straight up wrong here: sageadvice.eu/2018/04/13/…

> Alchemist fire delays its damage roll; it doesn't happen at the moment of impact. The damage roll is at the start of each of the target's turns.

Medix2

@ThomasMarkov Looking at your answers, you may want to answer this question as your stance is different from the one in its answer

Thomas Markov

Yeah, I'll do that.

Bookmarking for now.

trogdor

20:06

@KorvinStarmast lol

BaconyRevanant

20:18

@ThomasMarkov Actually, if you read the description of Alchemists Fire, you'll find that he's technically correct.

> On a hit, the target takes 1d4 fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

Thomas Markov

Yes, that is the effect on a hit, but does not create an exception to the other things that happen when you hit with an improvised weapon.

BaconyRevanant

It notably does not say "when you hit and"

Thomas Markov

When I hit with an improvised weapon, the rules say I deal 1d4+dex damage. The Alchemist's Fire description does not create an exception to that.

It describes an additional effect that an empty glass bottle would not have.

But a glass bottle, full or empty, deals 1d4+dex damage if it hits someone you throw it at.

BaconyRevanant

It specifically creates an exception about the timing of that damage

Thomas Markov

No it doesn't.

It has an additional affect because it's full of chemicals.

Exceptions are specific - they name the rule they are excepting.

BaconyRevanant

20:24

No, I'm pretty sure that as written, it replaces the normal effect of a hit with an improvised weapon.

On a hit with any thrown improvised weapon, the target takes 1d4+dex damage

on a hit with alchemists fire, the target takes 1d4 fire damage at the start of each of its turns

Thomas Markov

@BaconyRevanant This doesnt create an exception to the previous sentence.

AncientSwordRage

Animon Story describes itself as a "game about kids and their monster friends evolving to overcome adversity". (Dicebreaker link)

BaconyRevanant

Which is pretty specific

Thomas Markov

We have different rules that assign two different effects to the same action, and neither states that the other does not happen.

No exceptions are created. Both effects happen because nothing says they dont both happen.

And the rules say they both happen.

AncientSwordRage

The rules don't specify, unlike in MTG which has replacement effects, I guess you get to decide at your table

Thomas Markov

20:28

@AncientSwordRage You always get to decide at your table. But the rules dont have to specify. Effects are allowed to stack.

BaconyRevanant

@ThomasMarkov One of the big changes from older editions, where effects were not allowed to stack.

I suppose it would be reasonable to say that it also deals damage on impact, but it just doesn't read like that to me

Medix2

@BaconyRevanant FWIW I read it as making an exception as well

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov allowed to, but don't have too

Thomas Markov

It also doesnt make any narrative sense.

AncientSwordRage

FWIW It makes sense to be that it does. Unless it's a special easy-smash container that's too fragile to do damage

See sugar glass for a real world example

Flavour is more flexible than balance and mechanics

Thomas Markov

20:38

I dont think balance is a concern.

At no point in a fight has alchemist's fire been the optimal choice. Ever.

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov no, but my point is flavour shouldn't drive balance. It's easier to reflavour than rebalance (in general)

"Break away glass" is what I was thinking of. It probably does 0 damage.

Thomas Markov

I have given Alchemist's Fire to every group I have ever DMd for at some point.

Every group has sold them at the first opprtunity.

I would have to design an encounter around using Alchemist Fire and then telegraph it hard to get my players to not sell it.

BaconyRevanant

Alchemists Fire is, and mostly always has been, the emergency back-up option for when you can't hurt something with your sword for whatever reason. It was previously also required for dealing with swarms, since you couldn't damage them with weapons, and could only kill them with AOE damage.

I certainly agree that having it deal damage on impact isn't exceptionally powerful in any way either

@ThomasMarkov That's a very strange attitude to have to me, as I'm used to always keeping at least 2 alchemists fire and 2 acid flasks on hand at all times. Although that's really just conditioning from 3.5e that I never bothered to work myself out of

AncientSwordRage

3.xE has a lot to answer for in general...

BaconyRevanant

SWAAAARRRMMMSSSSSSSS

You either had a dozen flasks of alchemists fire, or you were dead

Theoretically, you could also deal a single point of damage by hitting the swarm with a lit torch, but nobody ever had those because everyone and their brother had darkvision or the Light cantrip (or both)

Which reminds me, that's one other thing you would always have: flasks of oil

Good for extra fire damage when you've already lit someone with alchemists fire, but also for greasing squeaky door hinges

Thomas Markov

20:54

I played a bard that was Italian. I always had oil.

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov the good stuff?

One of the Drawfee crew suggested an Italian American bard from the college of lore, whose lore was all from knowing someone. "Eyyyy I knew a guy who read that book, wouldn't shuddap about it. Said it's in candlekeep!"

Artists Draw Urban Fantasy D&D Characters (ft. Brennan Lee Mulligan)

►

bobble

21:16

@AncientSwordRage s/board/bard, s/who's/whose

AncientSwordRage

21:26

@bobble thank you kindly

bobble

:D

BESW

23:10

Topograph by Caro Asercion. a business card game of small worlds

This is so good, I love it.

Basic TCG Jam : START! Hosted by Viditya Voleti. With very simple base rules and an emphasis on filling in the blanks of rulings during play, Basic TCG has a lot of potentials and is very open-ended for just about anyone interested in TCGs to get into, regardless of skill level!

NautArch

23:25

@ThomasMarkov lies. No bard is extra virgin

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