TRPG General Chat

Journeyman Geek

00:27

28

Q: A Yaakov Ellis-inspired Meta.SE poetry contest: Write poems, win rep!

Update July 9, 2020 Submissions are now closed. Thanks everyone who participated; the bounties will be awarded soon! Yaakov Ellis Posting answers as haikus Poetry contest I'm sure that at least some of you have seen Yaakov Ellis's recent haiku answers. If not, here are some examples: (1), (...

BESW

THE BIRDS – Three NOVA Sparks by Justin Joyce. Three custom NOVA Sparks based on birds.

BESW

01:22

I gotta guess that a lot of those "class stereotypes" come from APs and players taking inspiration from them.

They're certainly almost entirely unlike the stereotypes I encountered in my D&D days before APs became a big thing.

Adeptus

Adding to my (rudimentary) decolonised vocabulary - SWANA - South West Asian/North African. As an alternative to Middle East/Near East/Arab World.

BESW

01:48

Good term! I'm guessing the context you learned it in was CR's latest oopsie?

EvilCleverDog (a professional set/costume/prop designer) wrote a twitter thread "on Critical Role, colonialist visuals and the importance of costume design."

Adeptus

@BESW yes, EvilCleverDog's twitter thread

BESW

"Fashion & Fantasy: The Language of Clothing | Asians Represent Podcast #42" Isa (@EvilCleverDog), KP, and Safia joined Daniel for a conversation about the depiction of SWANA clothing in film, JRPGs, and TTRPGs like D&D!

(That's the panel she mentions in the thread)

Journeyman Geek

>_>

(mild pet peeve. Asians is not a monolithic thing :D )

Adeptus

02:05

@JourneymanGeek Asians Represent podcast aren't claiming it is... they have hosts from various Asian countries, and in the bits I've read about (I don't generally watch/listen to podcasts), they critique the (sometimes monolithic) portrayal of Asians in RPG products.

BESW

Yeah, Asians Represent is very much about being a space for sharing the great variety and individuality of the experience typically lumped into the "Asian" moniker.

eg, notice that the episode linked above is talking about SWANA clothing and doesn't try to talk about, say, SEA clothing as well.

makapatag wrote a twitter thread about how "Gubat Banwa is wuxia fiction by way of classical Filipino folklore, leavened with a heavy dash of Fire Emblem."

Hollow Knight: Masks of Fate by DeltaFlashback. Venture to lands unknown, wield the powers of great heroes and face new foes in this TTRPG tribute to Hollow Knight! (free beta)

Journeyman Geek

@BESW Heh, I was thinking of a very odd conversation my mom and my aunt had about 9 yard saris...

BESW

02:26

@JourneymanGeek I'm not familiar with saris and their various forms, but I'm aware that they have at least as much variation as the ie lavalava/sarong/malong/pāreu/manou/lap-lap from my part of the world.

Journeyman Geek

@BESW 9 yard saris are... very formal wear

And the variation my folks use is apparently 'unique' by language group (Tamil), possibly caste (Bramin) and what sect you are (Vaishnava vs Saiva) ....

So my mom was telling my aunt "How come you're wearing it Iyangar Style (Vaishnava)" - turns out she learnt it from a neighbour :D

So uh... infinate variation :D

BESW

Hah, yes.

Journeyman Geek

Likewise

To me "chinese" is "Chinese" and "Dozens of dialect groups, none of which sound quite like the other... and then there's the mainland chinese who speak Mandarin I think BUT IT SOUNDS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT PEOPLE SPEAK HERE BY DEFAULT"

BESW

I worked on a project here which was overseen by a director from Boston, and it took him a long time to understand at all that an archipelago with less than 250,000 people has dramatic linguistic and cultural divides between islands and even between villages.

Journeyman Geek

@BESW I mean, my island would fit into a medium sized american city... :D

BESW

02:39

Same same.

"Yes, you consulted someone from Yigo about chenchule', but it works differently in Humåtak and up in Saipan there's a whole extra class-based angle to it."

Journeyman Geek

and as the old joke goes, what I don't know about the other cultures here would fill an entire encyclopedia

BESW

"I showed our translations to people on Rota and they laughed at it."
"Well yeah, some people on Rota think that our island's obsession with prescriptive orthography is really funny."

This is the sort of lived experience that makes D&D-like writeups of cultures so unreal to me.

Journeyman Geek

Sounds about right

Or specifically you'd need something bigger than the average sourcebook to do it right :D

as opposed to a page per culture as you often find

BESW

Or just leave spaces for difference and ambiguity.

But to make that more standard in the industry would probably require a major revision of the way the industry works. Cents-per-word contracts encourage a certain kind of content.

Journeyman Geek

More or less

or write something so alien that no one thinks "oh wait, they got my folks wrong"

BESW

02:50

Eh, even that doesn't really work for me because it's not always "you misrepresented real people," it's "you misrepresented how people work at all."

2

Journeyman Geek

lol

nitsua60

@JourneymanGeek Good to see you 'round these parts =)

BESW

I ripped apart the 5e text on Goliaths for ASR a few days ago, it was bad.

Journeyman Geek

Ugh, my brain is kinda muddled but there was this book that was essentially an indian matriachy in spaaaaace

and it was terrible

BESW

But my go-to example is Ursula Vernon's problems with paladins: it's not that they misrepresent any particular faith, it's that the very notion of paladins --and particularly how and why they fall-- shows an unfamiliarity with how faith itself functions in society.

Journeyman Geek

02:54

@BESW heh, I love those books

I mean, she's literally written a series with "Crapsack Jedi With Guilt Issues"

Well barely contained berserkers with dead gods

BESW

They're awesome, and fueled by spite.

Journeyman Geek

lol

And the temple of the white rat IIRC.... Basically lawful "we're nice unless you mess with us... and we have lawyers"

(also I suspect a fallen Paladin would drink a lot, and tell deities to put their heads between their legs and... themselves a lot, rather than go evil)

trogdor

03:09

are you talking about the Clockwork Boys one?

BESW

That universe yeah, but more specifically the fallen paladin romance novels set in the same world.

trogdor

oooh

I get those confused

for basically that reason I guess

Adeptus

04:10

@JourneymanGeek meanwhile in Australia...

AncientSwordRage

04:22

@JourneymanGeek that's very formal. I've never seen my in-laws go the whole nine yards

I can't even get my brothers-in-law to wear anything traditional though... And I've still not worn the longhi (lungi?) I was given all that time ago...

@BESW the ripping was insightful though

BESW

05:03

@JourneymanGeek I recommend de Bodard's "Xuya" series for good Asians In Space stories; it's space opera set in the far future of an alternate universe where Vietnam and its neighbors were the first to colonize the Americas, written by a French-Vietnamese author who puts a lot of care into imagining how that future would be shaped by non-Western cultural influences.

BESW

06:55

Tiny Tome single-page RPG jam Hosted by Long Tail Games. Tiny Tome is a book of single-page RPGs going to print with Long Tail Games in 2022. It is the spiritual successor of Tiny Library and will be run in a very similar way. This is a jam to collect submissions. If you've made (or want to make) a single-page RPG, this is the place for you!

Hot RPG Questions

07:37

2

Q: Does a changeling gain the abilities of the race it shapeshifts into?

If a changeling in D&D 5e shapechanges into a merfolk, would it get the abilities of the race, for example, the ability to breathe underwater? I have been wondering about this for ages, and haven't gotten a straight answer, because the race profile for the changeling doesn't talk about this sort ...

dnd-5e racial-traits eberron shapeshifter changeling

Journeyman Geek

08:55

@AncientSwordRage Lungi is informal wear I think

I wear a dhothi/Veshti (bachelor style so informal) if I go temple over shorts :D

There's a male equivilent called the panjakatcham which is literally one piece of cloth

AncientSwordRage

09:18

@JourneymanGeek yeah it is, my father in law wears it quite often

@JourneymanGeek That looks familiar, but I think it's got a different name in Sylheti Bangla

Journeyman Geek

@AncientSwordRage I think that's sanskrit

the normal way to wear it day to day is just a wrap, with various levels of cheating :D

@AncientSwordRage ah, that was the point I was trying to make :D

Cultures arn't monolithic

BESW

One of the things I really like about P. Djèlí Clark's "Dead Djinn" stories is how well his Cairo captures the chaotic beauty of a vibrant multitude of culture jostling together in unexpected ways.

Same with Aaronovitch's London in the PC Grant novels.

...And Lani Wendt Young's Samoa in the Telesa novels...

AncientSwordRage

09:44

@JourneymanGeek a point will made then

Journeyman Geek

@BESW I suspect 90% based off his experiences :D

AncientSwordRage

10:51

Yuan-Ti answer updated with errata info

BESW

11:04

Speaking of errata, Storm King's Thunder errata looks to have made a hilariously unforced error of the sort that seems tragically inevitable when we neuroatypical people get anywhere sanist source material.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW 👀

BESW

I'll put it in Here There Be Dragons

BESW

11:31

Timeskip by A. A. Voigt. Timeskip: A collaborative character development tool for established tabletop campaign

AncientSwordRage

11:45

This is such an awesome answer. I love the thoroughness of it. This sort of post is what makes rpg.se the unique Internet jewel it is. Thank you. — Jack 35 secs ago

😳

BESW

Nice!

AncientSwordRage

12:24

I have a soft spot for Yuan-Ti for reasons I'm not too clear on, so happy to answer and update these... I wouldn't mind reading the books referenced either

BESW

12:50

Oh well in that case...

13

Q: The evasive shulassakar: origin and resources

The shulassakar crop up in Eberron materials for both 3.5 and 4e, and they have a brief uncited mention in the Wikipedia article on yuan-ti. However, the rainbow serpent folk never seem to get much attention: that Dragonshards article I link above has the most information in one place that I've e...

dungeons-and-dragons eberron races

I'd love to have the accepted answer proven wrong.

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage And this is why Im dropping five hundos on it.

Truly top shelf answer that is.

AncientSwordRage

13:11

@ThomasMarkov I noticed, and I'm currently hunting through your questions to find an equally good answer to bounty...

@BESW I'll look if/when I'm free

Akixkisu

Winterbash is like: Write 10 good answers in one day

Thomas Markov

@Akixkisu I could have done that the day the Tasha's errata was released.

Akixkisu

@ThomasMarkov You can probably still do that based on the errata.

Thomas Markov

@Akixkisu Which ones did I miss?

I thought I got all the ones we had questions for.

Akixkisu

@ThomasMarkov General questions about alignment.

So less specific ones.

I think you got all of the mechanics driven ones.

Thomas Markov

13:20

I have a ten foot pole just to have one to not touch alignment questions with.

Akixkisu

rpg.stackexchange.com/a/193604/44723 Idk how I feel about this answer, it feels odd.

Thomas Markov

@Akixkisu Im really surprised my answer broke 40

Akixkisu

@ThomasMarkov Most of that before it hit hnq.

Which iseven more remarkable.

Thomas Markov

@Akixkisu It hit hnq only 3 hours after I answered it

It was only at +9 before hnq

Akixkisu

@ThomasMarkov I stand corrected.

I hate how se dates things.

Thomas Markov

13:33

Just earned the thought bubble hat

Akixkisu

same

Maybe your ping?

And mine in chat.

doppelgreener

@Akixkisu I edited and left a note in the edit summary

Akixkisu

@doppelgreener Neat, I couldn't quite point to what felt off, but that resolves it :)

doppelgreener

This is in the vicinity of what we call "mic drop" answers: generally showing visible disdain for the question for being asked at all. Often we've seen them be quite short.

Akixkisu

Yeah "ranty" was the feeling.

On top of not adding much to the already existant answer.

doppelgreener

13:38

Yeah. It's taking out frustration on the querent and those interested by making them feel lesser for asking. Even if it's the hundredth time we've seen a line of inquiry, we should aspire to answer each time with the same energy we'd bring to answering it the first time.

Thomas Markov

@doppelgreener If it's the hundredth time we've seen a line of inquiry we should consider closing as a dupe :P

doppelgreener

We'll always have new "D&D as a physics simulator" questions though.

Thomas Markov

13:58

Hmmmm I wonder if I can get the rep cap hat today

nitsua60

@doppelgreener You've just described my career perfectly =D

(I think I can date the turn in my career from "beginning teacher" to "mid-career teacher" to the mentor who helped me realize that if it's the content that's primarily interesting me I'll only ever grow more and more disillusioned through the years, but that if it's the individual person in front of me that's primarily interesting me I'll only ever grow more and more delighted.)

Akixkisu

14:15

@ThomasMarkov rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/193598/… hat reeling? :)

Thomas Markov

@Akixkisu yes lol

It didnt seem to work.

I was top-10 network wide last year

nitsua60

room owners: any interest in Starmas this year?

Thomas Markov

@nitsua60 what is that

nitsua60

summoned: BESW, NautArch, kviiri, Miniman

Thomas Markov

@nitsua60 3 out of 4 of them are MIA

May be time to appoint a couple more

nitsua60

14:21

@ThomasMarkov I think it starts hereish?

And then searching "starmas" will get you some other year's instances.

doppelgreener

@nitsua60 that's a wonderful mindset

nitsua60

That first year a few people's were saved as conversations, so CTRL+F on the conversation page for "starmas" will find a few others. And also led me back to my favorite conversation in this room of all time: morse (en)code.

Thomas Markov

The title of this year's photo album is going to be so dumb.

doppelgreener

Good

Perfect

I approve in advance

nitsua60

14:42

Hmm... site doesn't load, sends you to @stackstatus on twitter, which links to a post on meta.SE, which... won't load.

Looks like I just have to do real work, instead =\

The Oracle

0

Q: Ambiguous Seasonal Theming: Winter Bash 2021 Photo Album

It is that time of year again, Winter Bash is now in full swing. In past years, we have had some interesting Winter Bash themes, from the Large Hatron Collider Woolly Hatastrophe to the a happy unicorn running and jumping. This year the theme is...um...an explanation of how seasons work in the no...

discussion winterbash

Thomas Markov

Told you it would be dumb.

Thomas Markov

15:27

winterbash2021.stackexchange.com/hat-dash

Thomas Markov

15:42

Got the guitar hat

nitsua60

16:29

Might need to break out the ol' EVH avatar!

Yuuki

16:44

wew, i get to try out my plasmoid soulknife/warlock for the first time tonight

Kinda interested to see how it goes since the plan is to forgo any physical possessions/equipment.

Joel Harmon

17:05

@AncientSwordRage This is the kind of sweet revenge I can get behind.

AncientSwordRage

@JoelHarmon the issue is that TM is so prolific I can hardly pick one

Joel Harmon

@AncientSwordRage More effort, certainly, but maybe start by looking through low scoring answers, to show some love to a neglected gem.

AncientSwordRage

@JoelHarmon I searched low and high

Joel Harmon

Go indirect: ask Thomas to pick a question/answer for you to bounty instead?

Thomas Markov

@JoelHarmon lol I know which answer I would bounty if I were not-Thomas looking for Thomas answers to bounty.

AncientSwordRage

17:18

@ThomasMarkov clue me in?

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage My Wish answer.

AncientSwordRage

oh that gem

I'll think on it

Thomas Markov

But if youre looking for underrated answers, that isnt one of them.

It's the highest scoring answer in the wish tag by like 30 points.

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov neither was Yuan-Ti-Palooza

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage I stated a few weeks ago I was goin to bounty that one anyway

AncientSwordRage

17:23

@ThomasMarkov you said, and I believe I quote "Get in line"

Thomas Markov

Doppel had dibs but she took too long

Ive been trying to find a good candidate for "draw attention".

doppelgreener

oh yeah i forgot about that

AncientSwordRage

17:56

Wait, familiars can cast Shillelagh?

It's range is touch.

Joel Harmon

@ThomasMarkov I didn't necessarily mean for you to pick one of your own answers, though. Should have made that more clear.

I know you need your own precious points for... checks notes literally nothing but bragging rights, so...

AncientSwordRage

7

Q: Can I cast Shillelagh through my sprite familiar?

My human Pact of the Chain warlock will have a sprite as a familiar at level 3. I'd like to snag the Magic Initiate feat so I can grab the shillelagh cantrip, and have my sprite deliver it. Can the sprite do this and use the weapon? If so, how would the attack and damage be calculated?

dnd-5e spells class-feature warlock familiars

Yuuki

18:13

Delivering the spell may be possible, but the familiar definitely won't be able to wield the weapon.

If I recall the mechanics for familiar spell delivery correctly, the spell behaves as if you were the one who cast the spell, so shillelagh would use your spellcasting ability.

Can Pact of Chain familiars use the Attack action?

I think familiars can't, but I don't know if Chain familiars are special.

goodguy5

18:33

How's it been in here?

I've been spending my time elsewhere

I wish I could remember what my question for Xirema was - something mathy.....

Thomas Markov

@Yuuki ive got an answer outlining how to use chain familiars, one sec

@Yuuki "As a bonus action, you can command the familiar to take the Attack action."

You have to take the investment of the chain master invocation, then you can use your bonus action to have the familiar take the attack action.

Yuuki

I wish there was an "extra invocation(s)" feat in 5e like 3.5e had various "extra (class features)" feats.

Joel Harmon

@Yuuki There is. I believe.

Eldritch Adept, from Tasha's, page 79

Yuuki

Ooo

Joel Harmon

Needs either Spellcasting or Pact Magic already, and any level requirements must be met with warlock levels, but hey.

Thomas Markov

18:43

You cant take an invocation with a prerequisite unless you are a warlock who meets the prerequisite.

> If the invocation has a prerequisite of any kind, you can choose that invocation only if you’re a warlock who meets the prerequisite.

Yuuki

I currently have Armor of Shadows and Mask of Many Faces for my plasmoid soulknife/warlock, wonder if I should grab a third invocation and which one...

Thomas Markov

So if you are a pact of the chain warlock, you cant take invesmtent of the chain master with Eldritch Adept.

Joel Harmon

That's what I get for summarizing poorly, and forgetting non-level-based reqs on invocations; thanks!

Thomas Markov

I've written a few answers about Eldritch Adept lol

Yuuki

Mmm... Debating whether I want to go with Fighting Initiate to get dueling fighting style or Mobile to become Barry Allen, the fastest slime alive.

Dueling works really well with the soulknife's psychic blades since you can create them as part of the attack, so you always have that +2 to damage even when you use bonus action to attack twice.

But Mobile allowing Dash actions to ignore difficult terrain works well with a Rogue's Cunning Action.

Thomas Markov

19:02

I have reached my bounty limit for the day.

Theres a suggested edit in queue if anyone wants to maybe get a hat for it

Dont know what the review hats are yet

Mike Weisser

Hey everyone

Someone_Evil

'elu!

Thomas Markov

howdy howdy

Yuuki

19:22

"The real reason why it's called the Forgotten Realms is because WotC has forgotten everything about the setting except the Sword Coast."

2

doppelgreener

19:41

new setting: the Remembered Realms

KorvinStarmast

19:55

@Yuuki Yeah. They did make passing mention of Cormyr in SCAG in the Purple Dragon Knight sub class, and that's about it.

@ThomasMarkov I updooted the comment

Thomas Markov

20:13

@AncientSwordRage

Duplicate maybe:

15

A: Does Magic Stone require an action or a bonus action for attacking with it?

An action is required to hurl a magic stone The magic stone spell description states: You touch one to three pebbles and imbue them with magic. You or someone else can make a ranged spell attack with one of the pebbles by throwing it or hurling it with a sling [...] So the question is what does...

Started thinking about it and realized my answer would be basically the same thing Medic wrote there.

The crux of your question is "But does this spell "require" an attack?" which seems to be exactly what is dealt with there.

hmmmmmm now imthinking it may not be a dupe.

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov yeah does it 'give' the ability to attack? Or should we read it as "the next time you may attack, instead you can..."

Thomas Markov

20:36

@AncientSwordRage I cited a different example that I think drives the point home in my answer.

AncientSwordRage

> This is a general rule in the sense that it is not written with any exceptions in mind.

I'm not sure if I follow

All familiars vs.. The specific one that had cast that spell feels more like how I've always viewed Specific vs. General

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage Changed it to "This is a general rule in the sense that it isn't creating any exceptions other than "this rock is more special than other rocks".

And changed header to: "Magic stone changes the properties of a rock, not the properties of a creature."

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov much clearer

Although, I'm still thinking... Even for a non-familiar how is it that they can now make spell attacks when they couldn't before? Either everybody can always make them, given the opportunity (with magic stone provides) or the special rock 'gives' it's wielder the attack?

AncientSwordRage

21:06

@ThomasMarkov the example with "Nature's Mantle" is good

Thomas Markov

21:18

Now we wait to see if they have the rainbow puke hat this year.

If any of my last four answers get accepted it meets the usual requirement for rainbow puke.

AncientSwordRage

21:33

@ThomasMarkov I'm holding out on my latest

AncientSwordRage

21:49

@ThomasMarkov I'm looking at dndbeyond.com/spells/produce-flame and trying to figure out if that wording supports your reasoning (it's been a long day)

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage Does it matter sense a familiar cant cast produce flame?

AncientSwordRage

@ThomasMarkov it's a spell that grants a ranged spell attack on a later round

Because my argument is that if "this rock is more special than other rocks" then it's the rock that means the wielder "can make a ranged spell attack"

Now compare with the produce flames spell:

> When you cast this spell, or as an action on a later turn, you can hurl the flame at a creature within 30 feet of you. Make a ranged spell attack.

It calls out the need to make the ranged spell attack

Someone_Evil

22:06

@AncientSwordRage It's can make a ranged spell attack assuming you can already make attacks, no?

AncientSwordRage

@Someone_Evil it's permission Vs ability

Can Vs May

Actually probably not that relevant

It's the fact that magic stone doesn't say "... by throwing it. Make a ranged spell attack".

I dunno, my brain is a little frazzled

I'm interested in the wording choice now more than what actually makes sense

Also I need to get out of the magic the gathering iron clad rules mindset

Someone_Evil

> can make a ranged spell attack with one of the pebbles by throwing it

Seems to me to be pretty much the same

@AncientSwordRage Yeah, that will mess you up some times

AncientSwordRage

22:24

@Someone_Evil compare "Produce Burrito" Vs "Magic Burrito"

> When you spend £30 or more, or in a shopping trip later than day, you can claim a free burrito for a creature within 30 feet of you. Make a credit card transaction. On a successful credit card transaction, that creature gets a burrito with 1d8 toppings.

> You touch one to three burritos and imbue them with magic. You or someone else can make a credit card transaction with one of the burritos by throwing it or hurling it with a sling.

Someone_Evil

Now I'm just hungry

AncientSwordRage

That analogy fell apart worse than a real Burrito....

@Someone_Evil that was secretly my plan all along

AncientSwordRage

22:41

Reading more closely one says "you can attack with..." Vs. "you can make an attack with"

KorvinStarmast

23:29

I have chosen to keep the guitar hat on for the rest of this Christmas Season as a nod to Dusty Hill, bass player for ZZ Top, who passed away this year. @ThomasMarkov

AncientSwordRage

23:47

12

A: Paladin Smite Spells and the Steed: Can either or both trigger the damage?

Case 1 only: The smite spells have additional targets, so only the paladin benefits from them According to Jeremy Crawford, by RAW, the smite spells don't target only the caster, so their steed doesn't also gain the benefits of the spells: Some disagreement here with Blinding Smite and Find Stee...

In theory you could hit yourself with banishing smite to hide out, and it would also affect your mount?

I got a secret hat

BESW

@BardicWizard Part Two of #LHSRescue Trunks In The Attic edition.

"The People Using Role-Play to Prepare for the Future" article by Kathryn Hymes for The Atlantic. In theater groups around the country, physical performance is revealing better ways to handle life's unknowns. Includes teatro do oprimido and Jonaya Kemper!

Transcript for