TRPG General Chat

Vorac

3:02 PM

Is there anyone who doesn't follow order of the stick giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html ?

Professor Captain Loki Caprion

@Vorac I do, but I'm about... two years behind.

Maybe a year and a half behind on all my webcomics.

Joshua Aslan Smith

@waxeagle TELL US

I tried to get into it a few years ago, even then the backlog was too much and the jokes were too D&D 3 and earlier for me, all the time, to be truly that funny

order of the stick is probably responsible for many of my GM headaches while running 4e

Professor Captain Loki Caprion

@JoshuaAslanSmith Oglaf is the biggest source of RPG jokes in our group. But we're all perverts.

Vorac

so what's better?

Professor Captain Loki Caprion

(By the way, Oglaf is hilarious, but VERY NSFW.)

Joshua Aslan Smith

3:04 PM

@vorac than order of the stick?

Vorac

yup

Joshua Aslan Smith

@ProfessorCaptainLokiCaprion I have looked at it before, though not anymore. It does have some very funny fantasy game/myth jokes going on

Vorac

Btw, if you are perverts, read up on Elftor

Joshua Aslan Smith

@vorac largely I dont look for RPG focused webcomics

wax eagle

@JoshuaAslanSmith The big thing is he keeps wanting Glowering Threat to work exactly the same way that a mark does

when it pretty clearly doesn't

Joshua Aslan Smith

3:06 PM

oh is he not letting them stack or what?

Professor Captain Loki Caprion

Also, I need to make a new Pathfinder character, and since this group is so light on RP, I've decided I want him to act like Sterling Archer. I can't think of a good Class/Archetype for that, though. Maybe Detective Bard or Pistolera Gunslinger?

Aaron

So I already googled it with little results. Is anyone aware of a psionic equivalent of a lich that I can see online?

Joshua Aslan Smith

@vorac though I do read darthsanddroids.net and have and always will love DM of the rings

wax eagle

@JoshuaAslanSmith wants to make an exception for multi-attacks/burst/blast things that target the fighter.

Joshua Aslan Smith

but I feel they work better because of the medium of the films they are working through

ah yeah

hes so wrong

wax eagle

3:07 PM

ie enforce the "attack that doesn't include" thing to glowering threat

Joshua Aslan Smith

SO WRONG

wax eagle

but I'm having trouble finding somewhere that lays it out explicitly.

Joshua Aslan Smith

does he have issues running RAW in general

wax eagle

@JoshuaAslanSmith yes

Joshua Aslan Smith

what glowering threat or how marks work?

just post the question

wax eagle

3:09 PM

@JoshuaAslanSmith glowering threat, he's cool with marks

On it.

Joshua Aslan Smith

even if you know the right answer

wax eagle

It's posted now

Aaron

3:31 PM

@waxeagle So your dm thinks it only effects a single creature?

wax eagle

@Aaron The DM thinks the penalty doesn't apply if the fighter is included in the attack

this is how marked works which leads to the confusion

Aaron

@waxeagle So if it is a AoA that includes the fighter he doesn't add the -5

wax eagle

@Aaron right, and I contend that it does, because seperate attack rolls

Aaron

@waxeagle I would agree with you.

wax eagle

Do my examples make sense?

Aaron

3:38 PM

@waxeagle It's a little hard to read but I understood it yes.

Joshua Aslan Smith

wax

My answer if I wrote one woul dbe

4e works RAW as in powers and features and feast do exactly what they say, nothing more nothing less

wax eagle

@JoshuaAslanSmith yeah

Joshua Aslan Smith

since glowering threat does not in anyway say the word mark or marked it does not tap into the marked rules

it is its own and seperate thing

which stacks with marked

but even if stacking does not in anyway interact with the marked condition

wax eagle

oh yeah, he respects that it stacks with marked, he's just trying to add the rider...

Joshua Aslan Smith

nope

wax eagle

3:46 PM

which doesn't exist

Joshua Aslan Smith

NOPE

yeah I can't ever find where it says what I just said about how 4e works

wax eagle

I seriously want to bring sir marksalot to the table want watch him tremble at -16 to hit...

Joshua Aslan Smith

I could read through dmg2

its not in the quickstart guide unfortunately

hahaha

wax eagle

fighter wiz, doesn't need to hit to inflict muderous penalties

Joshua Aslan Smith

the whole point of glowering threat is that everyone hat to attack you

*has

wax eagle

3:50 PM

yes.

I get it, I'm reading the power correctly :)

Joshua Aslan Smith

maybe come out it from an opportunity choice argument

tell him hes nerfing your character because glowering threat is meant to be that strong because you had to spend a utility power to get it

its not like your mark, class feature, which just happens all the time

Aaron

4:14 PM

is anyone aware off the top of their head of a psionic equivalent of the lich? I found a couple classes that do it but I want a template like the lich is.

DampeS8N

5:12 PM

@Aaron I'm confused as to what this would be. Like a Force Ghost?

@waxeagle Maybe you are. Can you give me an example where these two statements are not the same thing: "To attack rolls that do not include you" and "To all attack rolls except against you." Specifically. Can you think of any attack rolls that include multiple targets?

Reason I point this out is that the wording on the power, "to attack rolls against any creature other than you." certainly means what you think it means because there are no attack rolls against multiple targets. If you explain this to your DM, he should see the difference.

Joshua Aslan Smith

5:29 PM

Im wondering why the downvote on my answer

2

A: What does Assassinate mean by "surprised", and can it be used multiple times?

Surprised only happens once... In previous editions (3rd and 4th) surprised meant the party had succeeded in stealth enough to sneak up on enemies and ambush them. Mechanically this meant they got a "surprise round": a free round of happening prior to initiative. While surprised is not really de...

Normally referring to past editions would be bad, but its D&DNext so where there are vague rules or terms used without RAW explanations I feel its very appropriate to say this is what surprised probably is intended to mean based on past uses of it.

wax eagle

@DampeS8N I don't believe there are any. The wording difference is in Attack and attack roll

from marked: "The creature takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls for any attack that doesn’t include the marking creature as a target."

glowering threat: "each target takes a -5 penalty to attack rolls against any creature other than you."

DampeS8N

5:48 PM

Yeah. He's clearly reading into it the "for any attack" part. So you need to get him to see that the power isn't intending to include it.

Aaron

6:05 PM

@DampeS8N Um It would be exactly like the lich but gaining the power through psionic means. I am looking for a psionic version but if I don't find anything I will just say the lich template can be obtained with psionic abilities that mirror the magic version.

wax eagle

7:14 PM

hey! someone answered my question without the need for 10 edits

MadMAxJr

Gasp.

Zachiel

7:43 PM

Is this the "Broken players help" booth, 5cents?

wax eagle

@Zachiel sure, insert your nickle in the slot

Alex P

New BW question if any of you want to milk it for reputation (warning - actually requires system mastery):

0

Q: Fighting an opponent with higher Reflexes

Say you have a character with Reflexes B4 — pretty standard for many kinds of PCs and NPCs in Burning Wheel. That character is likely to eventually face someone with Reflexes B5 or B6, maybe even B7. The higher-Reflex character gains more actions in Fight — actions which they can execute without...

Zachiel

@waxeagle Ding. Why should my D&D character keep adventuring after gaining what he needs to satisfy his primary needs?

wax eagle

@Zachiel He must either find new needs, or retire.

one last mission is often a good trope for this kind of character

Zachiel

But I don't want to change character every level, so I guess I need to find new needs for my character.

Alex P

7:47 PM

@Zachiel Yup.

A trick that sometimes works pretty well: define one big giant kinda-crazy need and then make your immediate goal a subset of that.

wax eagle

@Zachiel I feel like a good character concept should have immediate needs and long term goals

if you're playing 4e your planned epic destiny/paragon path should play into that

Zachiel

My character's actual needs are pretty basic. More magical equipment, but the rate at which it's gained is not important to her. Food (she has access to a place where she can get it for free). Getting better at what she does, which doesn't involve adventuring at all.

3.5e

wax eagle

@Zachiel give her an externality, an enemy, a cause, something

Zachiel

I should have the "I want to try everything" mission in life (Sensate faction, Planescape) but I don't really manage to

Alex P

Well, what's the group's overall goal?

Zachiel

7:51 PM

no group.

or you mean the sensates?

wax eagle

@Zachiel any family to kidnap?

boyfriend to pursue?

family/love tend to be good motivators

Alex P

@Zachiel No, I just mean whoever you are "adventuring" with, if there is anybody.

Zachiel

Orphan, voluntarily left the circus she was raised in in a whim and never looked back. Doesn't want to link to people so she can avoid suffering for the loss.

@AlexP Not adventuring, usually

wax eagle

@Zachiel hmmm... life changing event that changes her mind?

Zachiel

dead three times.

wax eagle

7:57 PM

death wish

Zachiel

I just figured out one big reason she never changes her mind: she wants to never tell a lie, so whenever she says something about her she tries to have that stay true.

I't hard to be a sensate that doesn't want to feel pain, doesn't want to hurt anybody, doesn't want to lie, doesn't want to suffer losses, doesn't want to risk her life, doesn't want to get enemies

Alex P

@Zachiel Do you want to advance in your faction at all?

Zachiel

I... I'd like to be able to stay in it.

But it's not like anybody is questioning it. It's like written on my sheet and I get the benefits

Alex P

Sure, but that's just stasis. To actually attain political or spiritual advancement within your faction, you have to open yourself up to experiences you fear.

Zachiel

True is that the sensates have a lot of people in them who just think that being a Sensate is just about being a bon viveur

She bought those piercings on BoVD so that she is pleasured by pain and had someone perform a vivisection on herself. The guy had her Str to 0, opened her chest and then removed the piercings. She liked it but she wouldn't voluntarily do it again. (so, yeah, she likes the idea of doing new things but can't actually gather the courage to do things)

Alex P

8:05 PM

Really you need a "kicker." Which is more about you as a player and whoever you're playing with than the character per se.

Zachiel

I tought so.

I just can't... imagine why she should change, but I'm unsatisfied with her story

@waxeagle Also, the setting has a free source of food. Immediate needs? What are they?

(that was irony)

wax eagle

@Zachiel basic areas of human need are food, water and shelter. Secondary needs tend to be sex, meaning, etc

Zachiel

8:26 PM

So, she already has all that she could ever need. I should really ritire her because she has no need for adventuring - if I insist in keeping her just to roleplay her downtime I'm basically not parecipating to the game

wax eagle

@Zachiel I think so. If you can't conceive of a motivation for her to adventure then...she's no longer and adventurer

Zachiel

She's never been one to start with.

I have problems creating adventurers

My only aim seems to be partecipating to the game and knowing the heroes

wax eagle

totally sounds like you need to play a bard

Zachiel

No wonder the heroes usually have small interest in my character.

A friend of mine suggests I immedesimate too much with characters, giving them traits I'd like to have in real life (or traits I'd like to see in my significant other) and it's essentially things I don't really want to show people so my characters are only a ineffective vent for my frustrations.

BESW

8:48 PM

Easiest external motive for adventure: "My friend asked me to."

But yes, it's very difficult to create "ordinary" personalities, or people you'd actually want to hang out with, who would be adventurers in the D&D sense for any longer than they absolutely have to.

Professor Captain Loki Caprion

If I made a D&D character like myself, I'd just stay in one place all the time and interact with as few people as possible. Hell, I'd be somehow MORE reclusive, because there's freaking monsters out there.

2

MadMAxJr

If I made a D&d character like myself, i'd probably be some kind of goblinoid providing dungeon on-call (crystal ball) support. "Hey. Spike trap down on level 3 is stuck again, it's going off without being triggered and the force is really weak." "Have you tried turning the trap on and off again?"

7

BESW

Adventurers in the D&D sense almost have to be a little crazy. Otherwise they'd either quit or break down.

"Yeah, but it only lightly miamed Skitch. Does that count?"

Most PCs are basically self-employed mercenaries.

MadMAxJr

"So the hall of poison darts is just shooting these little soft sponges and isn't really keeping the golden idol safe." "Ah, you've got the system in test mode. Open the hidden rock cabinet, pull the wand from the 3rd slot and put it in the 4th."

"The gelatinous ooze down on six isn't distinguishing friend from foe, can we do anything about that?" "That's an HR issue, you'll need to talk to the dragon."

That should be added to my next dungeon. Players stumble across the administrative floor for the dungeon.

wax eagle

@MadMAxJr definitely

MadMAxJr

9:01 PM

Meeting room with PrestidigitationPoint slides magically on the wall.

Graph showing the number of hero raids of time against the projected financial returns from their loot drops.

BESW

"Workplace insensitivity" printouts by the unholy water cooler.

MadMAxJr

"Dealing with Dragons: A workplace guide"

Material Safety Data Sheets in printed binders put up near open lava pits and acid pools.

Actually this is sounding like a D20 Modern: Urban Arcana adventure.

"So why was this dungeon mostly abandoned and in ruins?" "They had a terrible 3rd quarter. Beholder bought the place out, liquidated most of the assets. I mean. Actual liquid."

Okay, I'm done.

BESW

9:24 PM

[pats computer gently] Hang on until Monday, and I'll get you overhauled.

Miss Havisham II is about six months overdue for a good deep physical drydocking.