TRPG General Chat

BESW

12:32 AM

The Caltrop Core (v 0.0 Early Access) by titanomachyRPG. An Introductory TTRPG Design SRD

BESW

1:25 AM

Ensemble Circulaire by Caro Asercion. A Dialect backdrop for avant-garde dramatists

AncientSwordRage

4:27 AM

We should only be using anydice on questions about anydice.com, right?

Not just arbitrary probability questions?

nitsua60

Example/context?

AncientSwordRage

7

Q: Modelling "rolling d6 >= charges left expends a charge" mechanics with anydice

You have X charges left. Rolling a d6 equal or over the number of charges left depletes a charge. How many uses do you get out of a starting X charges? e.g. 1 charge, 1 use left. 2 charges, rolling 2 or more depletes a charge.

BESW

4:46 AM

@AncientSwordRage The title specifically calls for Anydice-specific answers, and the querent confirms their interest in the comments:

Both, if possible, but primarily the anydice of it — Hypergardens 15 hours ago

nitsua60

Oh, that one. There's a bunch of weirdness around that question. From the start, the "how do you model X in anydice?" Q + "{code} is this right?" A was a strange formulation that I hadn't quite wrapped my head around by the time other answers started coming in.

Then we got the math-only answers....

In any case, I've got to head off for the night. I've pushed it under the noses of the other mods, too.

Thanks for the nudge, @AncientSwordRage.

BESW

I'm watching the reconstruction of the 1967 Doctor Who story "The Macra Terror" and it's got an excellent dramatic hook that I'm gonna add to my GMing toolkit: when they arrive at the new place for the story, the Doctor and his companions get a brief glimpse of a danger in the far future (in this case, a giant monster) which doesn't seem to exist in the present time they're visiting.

At first this makes them cautious because they think they might encounter the danger as soon as they start exploring, but then it makes them curious about how the current situation will change to allow the future danger.

It's a great way to introduce a character-driving question.

BESW

5:31 AM

Logan Timmins shared on twitter the front cover of the upcoming LOGAN: An Autobiographical Tabletop Game.

Hot RPG Questions

8:09 AM

5

Q: Dissonant whispers targeting a mounted combatant

When a mounted target of Dissonant Whispers fails its saving throw, can it use its reaction to move the mount and itself away from the caster, or does it use its reaction to move on its own, abandoning the mount? The relevant text from the spell is quoted below: The target must make a Wisdom sav...

dnd-5e spells mounted-combat forced-movement

AncientSwordRage

1:36 PM

> "must immediately use its reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from you."

movement and actions are separate aren't they?

how can you use your reaction to move?

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage It just means you are compelled to move and your reaction is expended.

"If you currently have your reaction available, you are compelled to move and your reaction is expended"

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov that's clearer, but definitely an interpretation (a necessary one even)

Thomas Markov

I dont see an alternative interpretation

Seems pretty straightforward to me.

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov sensibly there isn't one

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage Normally, the way you use your reaction to move is by using Ready.

Someone_Evil

1:42 PM

@AncientSwordRage Yes and no. On your turn you have N movement and some actions, but there are several features that let you use actions, bonus actions or reactions for movement

Thomas Markov

However, dissonant whispers provides another means.

AncientSwordRage

but to me it reads the same way as saying "Use your car, if available, to purchase the groceries" and you end up trading your car for the groceries

> Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to take a special action called a reaction. A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else's.

exactly

Thomas Markov

I've always house ruled dissonant whispers so that the target cannot move on their next turn.

Someone_Evil

Any particular reason why?

Thomas Markov

In my early days of D&D I read online somewhere that was how it was supposed to be.

And now, after having played a lot using it both ways, I think it's a good addition to the spell.

So I guess I haven't "always" house ruled it that way. I mean that I run it that way now, usually.

AncientSwordRage

1:51 PM

@ThomasMarkov I can see why you'd do that

these sentences are nigh-unparseable:

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage It makes the spell feel more useful.

AncientSwordRage

> Once during your move, you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount. Doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed.

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage Allow me to annotate that:

AncientSwordRage

one sec

go ahead now

Someone_Evil

@ThomasMarkov My experience was with a rogue and fighter in the party, so DW was pretty much the best spell in the bard's arsenal (at least early levels)

Thomas Markov

1:55 PM

> During your move, you may expend an amount movement equal to half of your speed to do one of the following: You can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you, or, you can dismount a creature you are mounted upon.

Maybe that's more clear?

instead of "do one of the following", change it to "do one and only one of the following"

nitsua60

2:24 PM

@AncientSwordRage Thing is, generally you cannot use your movement when not your turn, excepting a triggered Ready... which uses your reaction. I mean, anything you do out-of-turn is a reaction, right? So I've always read this as hewing to that standard. "It's not your turn, but move anyway. Oh, yeah, that uses up your reaction."

@AncientSwordRage This one is famously confusingly-worded, IIRC.

Someone_Evil

@nitsua60 There's very little that's out of turn without being your reaction (not counting lair or legendary actions obvs)

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov yeah that's better worded. I got what it said initially, but it felt like it was almost a garden path sentence, where I had to back track to repase the syntax tree

It took it as "that is (within 5 feet of you or dismount)" and had to re-read

AncientSwordRage

3:29 PM

@ThomasMarkov I have an absolutely bonkers loophole for that dissonant whispers question

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage let’s hear it.

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov I'm writing up an answer (that I expect to be downvoted), but as a teaser:

> One, possibly extremely generous, reading is that so long as the mount can move faster than you, you are compelled to dismount the steed, then remount it (using all your speed), allowing the steed to "move and act [...] on the turn that you mount it", and then you must direct it (which does not use an action or movement of your own) to move it's full movement away from the caster.

Someone_Evil

Pretty sure D&D isn't a poorly made platformer, you don't have to use your movement to stay on a mount

Also, the word move starting to lose its meaning reading that

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage I don’t get it lol

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov the full answer is clearer

@Someone_Evil oh I agree this is a gross reading of the text

Someone_Evil

3:39 PM

How much movement could a mounted mount move if a mounted mount moved movement?

2

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov 1) assume that the mount can move on the turn it's mounted, 2) you can dismount and remount the steed as part of the reaction granted by the spell, 3) directing the mount to move is allowed on turns other than yours.

Start with 30ft of movement -> dismount (15ft left) -> re-mount (0ft left) -> direct mount to move more than 30ft

> How much movement could a mounted mountie's mount move if a mounted mountie's mount moved its full movement?

Someone_Evil

IIRC there's a prone thing about being forced of mounts, but that probably isn't applicable here, is it?

AncientSwordRage

3:59 PM

@Someone_Evil I don't think so, as this isn't forced movement?

@ThomasMarkov is it clearer now?

illustro

4:21 PM

@AncientSwordRage I commented on the answer...but there is a problem with the loophole from what I can see. Can you dismount and mount while moving "away" from the caster? (ie if you dismount on the side the caster is on, then you are moving "towards" the caster, similarly for mounting)

The spell requires you to move away, and use all of your movement to do that

AncientSwordRage

@illustro You use all of your movement by mounting and dismounting. The fact that the mount being directed to move is irrelevant to the spell text by my loophole-abusing reading

illustro

@AncientSwordRage No, I'm talking about the actual mechanics of mounting and dismounting. When you are not mounted, you have to occupy a space that is not occupied by the mount

By either getting on or off the mount you are moving from (or to) that space

Put another way, the mount is not a zero width thing that you, as a rider can occupy the space of

AncientSwordRage

@illustro I think I address this in my comment reply

AncientSwordRage

4:43 PM

This is one case where the somewhat peculiar wording of the spell ends up helping. The odd wording "move as far as its speed allows" means that the target can do anything they need to that involves spending movement, such as dismounting or standing up from prone in order to run away. — Ryan C. Thompson 57 mins ago

Thomas Markov

4:58 PM

I feel like your question has been askedbefore @AncientSwordRage

12

Q: In this example, which path would a monster affected by the Dissonant Whispers spell take?

A bard casts Dissonant Whispers (PHB, p. 234) on a monster (diagram below). The monster has to choose between 2 paths. The left path is "safer" than the right path since his allies are that way but the right path led him a little farther from the bard. Can the monster (A drow in armor and mid m...

dnd-5e spells movement

Very related

@AncientSwordRage mind if I add a diagram to your question?

I did it.

AncientSwordRage

5:38 PM

@ThomasMarkov yes, but not quite as clear ?

That one makes the distinction between the two paths kind of vague?

Akixkisu

@AncientSwordRage @AncientSwordRage That is an entertaining answer.

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov that's great

Akixkisu

@AncientSwordRage Though it evokes the feeling that you are playing on a grid.

Thomas Markov

@Akixkisu Grid or not it works out the same though.

Akixkisu

@ThomasMarkov I'm thinking through that right now, and there might be a few cases where it matters in terms of just how much distance one has to make - though all of it seems rather tangential from the get-go.

Hot RPG Questions

6:08 PM

5

Q: How powerful are mass mind control spells?

I'm DMing a game where I want the BBEG to feel almost dreamlike: it can physically do little to nothing, but uses mind control and illusions. Until now, it mind-controlled the mayor of a small town, hid objects from the players, blinked around a couple times, made a "time freeze illusion": I have...

dnd-5e balance mind-control narrative-balance

AncientSwordRage

@Akixkisu thanks. It's dumb, but it's interesting to me

Akixkisu

6:29 PM

@AncientSwordRage It is much more pratical in some games than a lot of people would think.

AncientSwordRage

@Akixkisu the result is sure. You don't need to mount and dismount if you can just get the DM to make a ruling

Thomas Markov

I like the image of this scenario from Dale's answer: "The only exception would be if they were on a mount that was so big that they could use their full movement and still remain on the mount."

TIL you can complete a Late Answers review with "other action" just by upvoting a comment on the answer.

AncientSwordRage

7:10 PM

@ThomasMarkov same, it's fun

Thomas Markov

7:24 PM

Countdown to Winter Bash 2021

2

Found this comment in the page code: "Go home Firefox you are drunk"

Glazius

8:45 PM

...oh, that's interesting. In 4E when you push someone, you can't send them down a hall and then around the corner, because all the squares of the movement have to take them further away from you, and because of the diagonal movement rules taking a 90-degree turn doesn't move something away from you.

Thomas Markov

@Glazius So you cant turn?

Glazius

You can't turn more than 45 degrees (and since this is a square grid you have to turn in increments of 45.)

If you hacked to a hex grid, substitute "more than 60 degrees".

Hmm. You can technically turn 90 degrees if you're swinging the heading from -45 to 45 and serpentining something down a hallway, because all those moves are still moving it further away from you.

The sort of forced movement that lets you move things in any direction is called "slide", and I will be quite surprised if there is no wizard power that lets you grab something with magic and yank them down a hall and around the corner.

Glazius

9:07 PM

I am slightly surprised. There are a few wizard slides, but many more wizard teleports. I suppose that makes sense - if a wizard wants to put someone somewhere, why should a little thing like "intervening space" get in the way?

BESW

10:55 PM

@Glazius Yeah, I really like the distinction between push/pull/slide/teleport mechanics. It gives different powers significantly different flavor and utility.

And lets you get access to forced/assisted movement at lower levels, because push/pull is less powerful than slide.

@Glazius I'm a big fan of Swordmage's teleporting aegises: it's basically "what if wizard AND fighter?" so at character creation you choose that when a marked enemy hits one of your friends you can either teleport to the enemy and smack 'em, or teleport the enemy to you and make them give everybody combat advantage.

BESW

11:16 PM

(In practice I found it hard to make the builds work really well, because I prefer defenders with interrupting "when an enemy tries to attack" powers rather than reactive "after an enemy attacks" powers. But as a narrative concept to plant into other games --which is how I view a lot of 4e these days-- it's got legs.)

Gubat Banwa Early Access Devlog: "Early Access 2"

Wise Women by Aleksandra Brokman. A ttrpg about witches using plant magic to protect their community, while having to navigate its prejudices and taboos.

Pandatheist wrote on twitter a review of Wise Women by Aleksandra Brokman.

Nnedi Okorafor explained on twitter (again) that Africanfuturist science fiction definitionally blends the mystical with the mundane.

I really appreciate what she's putting down, because the push to segregate the mystical into a separate reality also gets in the way of my own attempts to share my reality.

AncientSwordRage

11:50 PM

rpg.stackexchange.com/posts/193378/revisions

I'm not seeing how this doesn't go against the post owners intent?

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