TRPG General Chat

12:06 AM

The easiest way to do that, of course, is that when somebody wants to cast their sixth fireball of the day, you say "for some reason, you don't want to do that".

BESW

12:28 AM

@Glazius Sudden flashbacks to Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, where any action you attempted which didn't have a scripted outcome, instead had Indy say "I don't think that will work."

trogdor

12:58 AM

Lol

That's not on fire

Hot RPG Questions

1

Q: Can I add an Artificers infusion to my pact blade?

In the Artificer section that talks about Artificer infusions it says "you gain the ability to imbue mundane items with certain magical infusions". So if I was to use an Artificer infusion on a normal weapon (Greatsword in my case) and then can I use the pact blade ability on that weapon, would i...

trogdor

@HotRPGQuestions that sounds unhealthy, maybe consider eating them separately

XD

AncientSwordRage

1:24 AM

@BESW not the same, but it made me remember a 90s or older point and click Discworld game, where clicking the main character (Rincewind) too much ended up annoying him an making the cursor vanish

Hot RPG Questions

2

Q: Can a character that has multiclassed as a War Domain Cleric and Blade Pact Warlock attack 3 times in a round?

In DnD 5e a 1st level a War Domain cleric gets "bolts of inspiration" that allow an extra attack as a bonus action. This ability can only be used a limited number of times per long rest. At 5th level a Blade Pact warlock can get the Thirsting Blade Eldritch invocation which allows the warlock to...

dnd-5e warlock multi-classing cleric eldritch-invocations

BESW

> USE - WAX CAT [with] - SURVEYOR'S TRANSIT
> "I don't think that will work."

I'm tempted to replay that game just to get screenshots for a pamphlet on wax cats.

But game devs probably have some other term for it that references a more popular game, I suspect.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW what if the wax cat wants to survey!?

BESW

About a quarter of the way into Fate of Atlantis, there's a puzzle with a randomized solution. One of the solutions is to pick up a wax cat and melt it to reveal an object inside. If that solution is not the correct one for a given run-through, you can still pick up the cat and melt it, but nothing will be inside.

However... if you pick up the cat and don't melt it, it'll stay in your inventory.

Even when you hit major milestones that usually clear your inventory, the wax cat will stay until just before the very last part of the game. But it's completely useless. You'll never get an opportunity to melt it again and the game has no "drop" function so it'll sit there in your inventory for at least half the game.

And this is a game where everything winds up being needed for a specific puzzle solution, so this wax cat is an obvious anomaly. You can use it on anything and everything in the game but Indy will just say "I don't think that'll work" and it goes back into your inventory. Taunting you.

AncientSwordRage

Sounds like the basis for a arqade question

BESW

1:34 AM

If you get the wax cat stuck in your inventory before you do a run where you know what it's supposed to be for, it feels like a cruel joke. Thankfully the inventory doesn't have a capacity limit so there's no mechanical downside to the wax cat. It's really just a bug that it doesn't clear from your inventory at the end of that particular puzzle.

But the effect on the gameplay is rather large, because the game has set up expectations which the wax cat entirely defies.

AncientSwordRage

Probably marked as a quest item regardless of the run

BESW

I'm guessing they never tested not melting the cat.

AncientSwordRage

Could be? Or only tested runs where it needed to be melted?

BESW

There are other items that get used up in the same puzzle (one solution is to throw a lump of coal to knock the goal object off a ledge), and all of them leave your inventory if they're unused when you move to the next scene.

Just... that ding-dang wax cat.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW wow

BESW

1:41 AM

It's otherwise a very tightly designed game. Aside from the clunkiness of the FISTS path (which feels like the devs didn't care about it, but it works just fine) the wax cat is the only obvious problem in an otherwise nigh-perfect game.

AncientSwordRage

Mind if I ask that question on Arqade?

I'm keen to know if there's a real reason

BESW

What's the question?

I mean, sure, go ahead, it's not like I have a monopoly on wax cat angst or any intention of posting in arqade ever again.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW that's reasonable of you

BESW

Is anybody else finding YouTube weirdly slow today?

Glazius

It hasn't been weird for me.

AncientSwordRage

2:01 AM

@BESW not here for me

BESW

I restarted my computer and that seems to help.

Weird, 'cause it had only been on a few hours.

@AncientSwordRage Link me if you ask it.

The game already has a tag.

[amused] I dipped into my arqade questions (all two of them!) and one has a useless "how to search do basic computer things" answer-in-a-comment and a SAQ, while the other has two answers: one is "I looked up the documentation but didn't verify" and the other is "the documentation is inconsistent and wrong so I did in-game tests and here are my results."

AncientSwordRage

2:20 AM

@BESW of course

hmmm
According to Arqade my life has been split into a Minecraft era, and a Pokemon Go era.

BESW

All two of my questions are about Wizardry 8, so.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW looks so familiar

BESW

It's a very influential franchise, so even if you've never seen a Wizardry game you'll likely recognize it.

I've only played 8, which is both a capstone to the series plot and also a decent stand-alone game. A friend got me into it in high school.

(It's also a miracle that 8 exists at all, since it was racing against the studio shutting down.)

AncientSwordRage

I mean I've seen the cover before I think

BESW

2:39 AM

Ah, fair enough.

Might even have been in this chat, Mini and Troggy and I sometimes talk about it.

AncientSwordRage

My dad used to sell old computer bits at 'Computer Fairs' (indoor carboot sort of things), and someone was probably selling it there

I also picked up a second hand copy of RuneScape? Ultima? But the registration code was used so the copy was worthless

BESW

Aw.

If you like the kind of game Wiz8 is, I recommend it highly and it's very cheap on GOG.

AncientSwordRage

I'll have a look if I ever get back into pc gaming

I'll be honest I have a literal backlog of games in steam to try let alone play properly

BESW

That's fair. I'm like that with TRPGs and books.

MikeQ

It has Morrowind / Arx Fatalis vibes. Thanks for the recommendation, I probably wouldn't have known about it otherwise.

BESW

2:46 AM

One thing about Wiz8, it highly rewards learning the math details behind the character choices. There are forums dedicated to figuring them out because it gets weird sometimes.

It's also one of those games where, while playing it through for the story is fun and rewarding, there's a whole "second" game of character/team/item/route optimization. If you liked fiddling in the weeds of 3.5 character creation, Wiz8 may be a very good fit for you.

trogdor

yeah

I played through almost all of Wiz 8 but only actually beat it once

I kept re-rolling my party

sometimes fairly far into the game even

AncientSwordRage

@trogdor I know the temptations.... Playing Baldur's Gate and re-rolling stats... Then trying to figure out the party...

It's how I cut my teeth on D&D

I should go to bed before I need to be up

Ciao for niao

BESW

I just kept trying to make my party faster and faster. Characters that don't need hand-holding on choosing and aiming attacks every round; all women so I can give them the stamina trinkets that let me run all the time; ranged characters so combat can start faster and we don't have to waste time running enemies down at the end....

Every character needs to learn air magic so I can have MAXIMUM PORTALS.

trogdor

lol

portals are a big deal yes

I had mostly casters and hybrids

I think 5 out of 6 of my multibear heads eventually had a portal they could drop

BESW

[Heart] hybrids. They aren't as powerful as pure casters but they can cast portal AND I can leave them on auto-attack.

trogdor

2:54 AM

hybrids are my favorite honestly

I like Bishop too because at least I'm not wasting a caster slot on someone who can't cast literally every spell XD

but too many bishops is too hard to get off the ground

I have only ever had one

BESW

Bishop is like "I heard you like hybrids so I put a hybrid in your hybrid in your hybrid in your hybrid so you can earn XP slower than molasses in January."

trogdor

well it's not really the same as a hybrid

bishops have the same drawback as hybrid but a completely different strength

hybrids usually get to do something cool other than casting, bishop's cool thing is casting

BESW

yeah, I'm thinking of hybrids as "I fill two class roles in one character but level up more slowly."

Valkyrie/Lord are "Fighter and Priest," Ninja is "Rogue and Alchemist," etc. Bishop is "be ALL the casters!"

trogdor

yeah

BESW

Just all the other hybrids are one caster and one non-caster mashed into a single class.

trogdor

3:06 AM

samurai is kinda like, fighter except fancier and wizard

much less brute force and more finesse and fast attacks,.. and insta kill hits for some reason

valkyrie also has that self revive chance

BESW

Yeah, hybrids get a unique fancy bit that's different from the main classes' unique fancy bits and I appreciate that.

trogdor

yeah

BESW

Like Alchemist's "oops I accidentally a new potion!"

trogdor

I like that there is a distinct reason to pick a hybrid class rather than say

going half fighter half wizard

or half figher half cleric

I love that they just kinda make potions for you

randomly

A. B.

6:22 AM

Hello

trogdor

Salutations

A. B.

o/

Is there anything to talk about?

trogdor

There are plenty of things that could be talked about

A. B.

I've just got banned from my one remaining other chatroom for grumbling at a moderator and I'm lonely.

trogdor

But I don't have too many particular topics to offer at this time

A. B.

6:31 AM

mm

A. B.

8:13 AM

Thread title from GURPS forum: "Walking murder trees? Help!"

Ben

Evening all.

Anyone a member of the Workplace SE?

trogdor

Heck no

XD

I have barely even stepped out of RPG SE

Ben

[Side question: if I spell it "memeber", is that pronounced "meember" or "meh-meh-ber"?]

@trogdor Lol.

Asking cos I've posted a Q about my business development. Got issues with my business partner and not sure if that's the place

trogdor

Hmm

Ben

Going to sound rude, but the relationship I have with him sometimes makes me feel like I should ask on Parenting.SE instead.

:(

trogdor

8:22 AM

I would not want to weigh in on that one seeing as I have no idea

Ben

Ah, I see you are a wise one

XD

trogdor

Just about the worst business relationship type for sure

But yeah if I can unilaterally praise myself on one point it's that I have learned not to weigh in when I just don't know what the hell I'm talking about

At least most of the time XD

I find it's better to ask questions usually in those cases

Unless that's just literally unhelpful

Ben

what is it? You don't know that you don't know, you think you know, you know that you don't know, then you know that you can find out. :P

BESW

8:40 AM

Anybody familiar with Keynote or Google Slides? I'm trying to find out if either of them support intelligent objects or stacking/nesting masters.

Hot RPG Questions

2

Q: Ways to benefit from Warshaper without losing my base form

I am looking at building a character with monstrous hit die and at least one level adjustment. This character focuses heavily on natural weapon attacks and I would like to include the Warshaper class (from Complete Warrior, page 89) in the build. However, in the description for the class it state...

dnd-3.5e class-feature character-templates

A. B.

8:54 AM

@BESW Can't comment, don't even know what those are.

@Ben Good quote.

Hot RPG Questions

9:09 AM

6

Q: Can I disintegrate my enemy's weapons?

Our party is planning to fight a powerful demon with dual-wielded vorpal weapons (I only have limited knowledge of its stat block, so no spoilers please). Those weapons terrify me. We're planning ways to get through this fight with a minimal risk of decapitation. This enemy, as a powerful demon, ...

spells pathfinder-1e weapons

BESW

@HotRPGQuestions I ran a game in 3.5 where the opponent used command to force the fighter to hand over his weapon, so she could disintegrate it without letting him make a save.

@HotRPGQuestions I can't remember all the different PrCs and feats I stacked to make it work, but I wrecked shapechanging by using a doppelganger and a poorly-worded PrC that let me treat its at-will shapechange ability as if it were the druid wild shape ability for all purposes.

BESW

9:43 AM

"The Sad Trad Parade", mini-reviews by Sophie Lagacé of "systems that have a direct lineage to the early days of role-playing and still foster the same kind of experience."

Nevyn Holmes wrote a twitter thread about "the tone and personality of a text in relation to the more mechanical bits."

Forget Protagonists: Writing NPCs with Agency for 80 Days and Beyond

►

Worldbuilding Bundle hosted by kumada1 with content from 25 creators. This bundle contains almost thirty games and tools to help you bash together a new setting, or to play a universe to life.

BESW

10:38 AM

Beta: RIPE by David Schirduan. During your 70th year a Harvester will descend from the skies to hunt you down and take you away. Even if you manage to vanquish it, your Harvester will return sometime during your 71st year. It will continue to hunt you, year after year, until it either succeeds in its grim task or you perish in some other fashion. You can’t do this alone!

"Violent Encounters" essay by Sean McCoy.

"RPG Design Podcast Episode 285: English as our Vehicular Language" with Kalum, Pamela Punzalan, Diogo Nogueira, and Allan Cudicio. In this panel, we'll explore the experience of non-native English-speaking RPG luminaries.

SmokeDetector

11:04 AM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword in answer, potentially bad keyword in answer (88): Is there any spell to bring back a disintegrated character? by Barbara on rpg.SE (@Rubiksmoose)

A. B.

Ooh, that's an unusual set of mechanics.

Ha ha, the smoke detector is perfectly right.

You only have to mention the word "spell" for those particular bots to jump into the wrong place with both feet, apparently!

Akixkisu

rpg.stackexchange.com/q/184896/44723 this question brought me much joy because on the site of the wiki that does the copyright infringement leading to the term that the querent uses, the "Warlock" section is a copied wikipedia style entry about Nuclear fusion.

Medix2

12:05 PM

@Akixkisu I'm mostly just annoyed at Dale M's comment more than anything else. It added nothing and was completely irrelevant and stated something that, if even true, never actually matters, at all

Akixkisu

@Medix2 ah makes sense.

Medix2

We even have a question explaining why it isn't true

Akixkisu

I think both of your answers are correct, but not distinct except for the language used in the argument.

I think your answer is smoother.

So I gave you an upvote, but I prfer using my votes to incentivise people with lower rep who are providing useful answers.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW I'm no help I'm afraid

Medix2

Like, when a feature says "you must use your action to Dash" this does not mean you can use Cunning Action to Dash and free up your action. Similarly, if something says "For your action, you can only Dash" this does not limit your options when using Cunning Action

Hot RPG Questions

12:09 PM

4

Q: Does shoving a creature end the effect of the Hypnotic Pattern spell on them?

The Telekinetic Feat (TCoE, p81) says that: As a bonus action, you can try to telekinetically shove one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. When you do so, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability modifier of the score increased by t...

dnd-5e spells feats conditions

Akixkisu

@Medix2 yup.

AncientSwordRage

1:15 PM

@HotRPGQuestions that's an interesting one

bobble

1:38 PM

@BESW if you define those in more detail, I might know for Slides

BESW

I think Google calls masters "layouts"? They're the templates for how a slide looks. I'm wondering if you can apply multiple templates to a single slide, or apply a template to another template. Alternately, if there's a feature for making an object that you can place on multiple slides, and if you edit the object the changes synchronize across all the slides.

I have this thing that I want to do with my presentations, where there's a sidebar that's the same on every slide regardless of the layout of that slide. But I need to be able to edit the sidebar when I update the presentation, and it'll be very tedious if I have to change it on every slide --or even every slide template-- manually.

Currently I'm using Affinity Publisher, which does this one thing well but is a bit over-engineered in most other respects.

bobble

Hmm, pretty sure synchronizing across slides isn't a thing

Each side can have one template and one theme that interacts with that template (as far as I know), but both are a limited selection

BESW

See how the sidebar shows the full program, and I can just shift the little horizontal bars over the top of it on each slide to show where we're at in the program.

But when I make a new one for the next week, I don't want to have to change the sidebar text on every slide.