TRPG General Chat

6:00 PM

@JuneShores I think I mixed two types of fried potatoes there. I meant a pizza with french fries topping.

Large creatures double what they can carry before being encumbered.

Basic Rules page 60 *For each size category above Medium, double the creature’s
carrying capacity and the amount it can push, drag, or lift. For a Tiny creature, halve these weights*

NautArch

@KorvinStarmast @Yuuki Or use the Goliath as a template. Powerful Build gives you that. You've replaced Natural Athlete with Full Gallop. Equine Agility is Stone's Endurance (give it 1/rest mechanic), and Mounted Combat is a it like Mountain born - although I do think it needs a negative if someone rides it. Charisma reduction?

GreySage

Disadvantage on Dexterity checks/saving throws?

NautArch

Or Charisma?

it's a mental issue so maybe charisma or wisdom?

but dex makes sense, too. YOu're not as agile because you have to worry about osmeone on your ack.

Karelzarath

Easiest might be to just consider them encumbered regardless of weight carried.

Yuuki

6:11 PM

@Karelzarath Hmm... that might work. They'd go back to 30 ft. base movement which is still average.

NautArch

@Karelzarath That's...a really good idea.

MadMAxJr

A movement buff is a key part of being a horse though.

NautArch

@Yuuki It'd go to 20' - and have dis on ability checks, attacks, and saving throws that use str, dex, or con.

Karelzarath

Which is why it hurts when you take it away.

doppelgreener

The artist of Worldbuilding.SE just finished a new ad for our site:

It's now live. I love it, personally.

The old one, for comparison:

Yuuki

6:12 PM

@NautArch If they're at 40 ft, encumbrance would bring them to 30 ft, right?

Karelzarath

@doppelgreener They're both pretty great, but the new one makes me chuckle.

Ryan

need a Cleric cantrip. Already got Guidance and Sacred Flame

MadMAxJr

"So that monster that just ate Clarksdale. You ever wonder what it's ecology is? It's sociology?" "Good questions, but wait till after we escape the fang and fire filled void where Clarksdale used to be."

SmokeDetector

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad keyword in title: Watch? Guardian Of The Galaxy Vol 2 Online Full Free by akira01 on rpg.SE

GreySage

@SmokeDetector auto burnination?

MadMAxJr

6:16 PM

Do we have to change the batteries in the smoke detector?

diego

@Ryan Thaumaturgy

NautArch

That's great: they get a big set of benefits if they don't carry someone, and if the party wants to use them 'inappropriately for a centaur" there's a penalty.

doppelgreener

smokey did good

ShadowKras

@doppelgreener those are pretty good

NautArch

@Ryan Guidance!

Karelzarath

6:19 PM

@Ryan detect magic?

Yuuki

Okay, so I bumped the Strength increase to move into 2/1 territory like most races. I added a rest limit on Equine Agility and the movement speed reduction to Mounted Combat.

Ryan

have it @NautArch and thanks @diego I was leaning towards that so sure it'll work.

Yuuki

Should I remove the Fey subtype?

ShadowKras

Totally.

Let the horses be charmed

NautArch

oh sorry @Ryan. Can you do Unearthed Arcana? Toll the Dead is pretty awesome.

@Yuuki Yes, although you could give it advantage on charms

Ryan

6:21 PM

@NautArch not sure I'd have to ask the DM on that one

next question is should I do Charm Person, Sleep and Command as level 1 spell options? Otherwise I'm thinking I could do Inflict Wounds, Hex, and Sleep (Warlock and Cleric)

Yuuki

@NautArch Well, the fey typing was more to evoke that "oh, they're not humans" feel rather any sort of mechanical advantage. Would advantage on charms be too strong given everything else?

MadMAxJr

@Yuuki They can only be Fey if they are restricted to pastel colors and have to pick from either a unicorn horn or pegasus wings.

Ryan

feel like Command and Charm Person are a bit too similar

NautArch

@Yuuki I don't think so.

MadMAxJr

Command is a single word. Charm is having influence over that person.

NautArch

6:23 PM

@Ryan Command is a single-word powerful combat spell. Charm helps you in RP situations. (generally)

Yuuki

Should I limit the advantage to saving throws against charm effects or should I toss other mind-altering affects in there?

NautArch

@Yuuki keep it to charm. They've got a number of big boons with regard to mobility and a skill.

doppelgreener

@Yuuki Fey Centaurs does sound pretty cool and flavorsome.

Yuuki

@doppelgreener The problem is whether it conveys too much mechanical advantage.

I could just call the trait "Fey Blood" and keep the flavor.

NautArch

@Yuuki Love it - and it has a mechanical advantage - just not an immense one.

Ryan

6:26 PM

hmm okay. So should I keep Sleep as well? The options are Sleep, Faerie Fire, or Hex for right now

I found Faerie Fire and Sleep to be really good against crowds on my bard character

NautArch

@Ryan What level are you? Sleep is great at lower levels, but tails off quickly.

Faerie Fire is always great.

Ryan

level 1 cleric / level 1 warlock

Yuuki

Sleep is like 5e's Color Spray.

diego

@Yuuki If you do that I would just ~~steal~~ borrow Fey Ancestry from the Elf so you don't have 2 things that do almost the same thing, but are slightly different.

Yuuki

It's a gamechanger at low levels, to the point where you can singlehandedly break combat encounters, but it falls off drastically.

NautArch

6:28 PM

@Ryan do you have dissonant whispers?

diego

@Ryan What domain/pact?

Also what role are you wanting to play in the party?

Ryan

@NautArch that's The Great Old One, I was torn between that and Fey but was going to go Fey. It made the most sense as a Forest Gnome

NautArch

@Ryan perfect, just making sure you did get it - what lvl are you?

Ryan

@NautArch I did not get it. I can't.

@diego Knowledge Cleric / Fey Warlock with Pact of the Tome

NautArch

@Ryan oh, I'm confused. I thought you were Bard?

Ryan

6:42 PM

@NautArch oh I have a Bard I play on Saturdays. A Cleric/Warlock I'm building for Mondays.

NautArch

ah!

Ryan

I don't have Dissonant Whispers on the Bard either

My Bard spells so far are Bane, Faerie Fire, Sleep, Thunderwave, and Cure Wounds

and Suggestion in level 2

NautArch

@Ryan are there other melee characters in your party? I'd say around level 3 I'd drop sleep and pick up something else (maybe heat metal?). I'm also not a huge fan of Bane. It's cool, but for the most part, you get more bang out of buffing with Bless than debuffing with Bane. If you're the only healer, CW is required, but if not, Healing Word is better.

Ryan

@NautArch we have a War Cleric. Though to be honest I travel a lot for work and missed that group last week and will be missing it again this week and may just drop it. I enjoy the DM on Mondays a lot more

GreySage

Anyone have a link to an old webpage, with medieval population density information? It was shared a while ago, but I lost it.

diego

6:56 PM

@GreySage This one?

GreySage

@diego Yup, awesome

Adam

@NautArch Cure Wounds largely becomes unnecessary after a level or two. Healing word and short rests is the all around better alternative to casting CW in most circumstances

NautArch

@Adam unless you have no healers :) My bard is currently the only PC with any healing capabilities so I grabbed it for emergencies. But in general, HW/Short rests and my song are all we need.

Adam

@NautArch I disagree. I find that you don't really ever need cure wounds. Regardless of the number of healers you have or don't have

MadMAxJr

You don't need cure wounds as long as you can ensure nobody else has more than you.

Yuuki

7:01 PM

Killing enemies is the best healing spell in the game.

It's a corollary to "Death is the best crowd control effect".

Adam

At level 1 when cure wounds can be a full heal for somebody, it's arguably worth the investment, and even at level 2 and 3 you can maybe get away with it. After that though, it just isn't good enough to warrant using your action. Especially since creatures will start hurting enough to down the player in 1 extra hit again anyway

NautArch

@Adam hmm. maybe i'll swap it out. We lost our cleric so I picked it up when I levelled. but if i don't use it by next level i'll probably take something else.

ShadowKras

Pfft cure wounds, let them short rest.

Ryan

@Adam why would Healing Word be better than Cure Wounds? Its giving up power for range

ShadowKras

You can either cure 1d8 hit points or cause 3d6 hit points, its up to you.

Adam

7:03 PM

@Ryan Healing word is a bonus action, and that makes all the difference

NautArch

@Ryan HW can get someone back up as a bonus action.

Ryan

ahh I missed that its bonus action. Nice!

I'm switching that out immediately

Adam

In effect, you bring up a fallen friend, and get to attack or use a cantrip. Versus CW where you just bring them back and are generally stuck after that.

ShadowKras

Its not that great for a bard if you are using your inspirations though, but its a good backup.

Adam

Yes CW gives the person potentially more HP, but depending on the creatures that you are fighting, the difference may not be enough to stop them from being one shot back to zero again anyway, so it's usually better to keep your action

ShadowKras

7:06 PM

IMO, i prefer to use my action to cause a disvantage or directly hurt their hp than to heal 1d6/1d8 unless the person being healed is a cleric or paladin that just got to 0 hp.

Adam

I'm not so sure about Mass Cure Wounds though. I've never played a character that could cast greater than 3rd level spells

Yuuki

So I did a fun thing and on one attack, used all of my two spell slots to Wrathful Smite + Divine Smite an enemy.

I ended up with 27 damage on one hit plus frightened.

NautArch

@Yuuki Wraithful is the only smite I"ve kept prepared. My best hit has been 127 HP (3rd level divine smite, undead, GWM)

and a crit

Yuuki

I might need to talk to my DM about grappling though. He had our rogue roll Strength checks to free himself rather than an Acrobatics check.

NautArch

@Yuuki yeah, should be the choice of the rogue's acro/athletics vs the grapplers athletics.

Yuuki

7:14 PM

I just worry about getting anything close to rules lawyer-y.

NautArch

Does he give the choice of acrobatics on the first attempt by the grappler?

Yuuki

He didn't mention Acrobatics at all so he might've just forgotten.

I tried to bring it up, but I think I might not have been heard.

NautArch

@Yuuki Hrmm...Maybe just ask in an "I'm trying to understand grappling, can we talk about it?"

and then you can have the book open as everyone tries to understand...slyly pointing out the "acrobatics" option...

ShadowKras

a good idea is to have a cheat-sheet at the table, one copy to the GM and another to the players.

NautArch

@ShadowKras Except the DM has already stated "athletics, not acrobatics"

Yuuki

7:23 PM

Not even Athletics, it was just a Strength check. I think it might have just been unfamiliarity with the rules.

Karelzarath

@Yuuki Starting to sound like it.

Yuuki

I'll just try harder to get his attention next time it comes up.

Nobody died so it's not like anything too bad happened as a result.

NautArch

@Yuuki Oof yeah. I think it's an easy conversation to start. Grappling is weird, so understanding how it works and what it really does is a good conversation to have with everyone.

ShadowKras

@NautArch the GM can change his ruling given new evidence based on the rules.

NautArch

@ShadowKras that's the plan :)

but if it's presented as "how does this work, I'd like to understand it", it may go over better than "I think you were wrong..."

ShadowKras

7:26 PM

Which is why its a good idea to have a cheat-sheet, so you can look up rules like these quickly without having to open the book.

NautArch

but that only works if the DM hasn't made a conscious decision to houserule a change. A cheatsheet of rules could look like rules lawyering.

it's an approach of "it works like this" vs "how does it work? Let's check!"

ShadowKras

If you dont want to rules laywer, then accept whatever he tells you.

Because going against it, even if subtle, is rules lawyering.

Oh but i don't want to be a rules laywer, too late.

NautArch

unless it's an honest mistake. and this presents a way to discover it. gives the DM a chance to admit to learning something new without having first been accused of doing it wrong.

ShadowKras

If it's a mistake, then so be it. No need to bring up again, he will eventually read the players handbook and figure his mistake.

MadMAxJr

Take it to rules court.

ShadowKras

7:33 PM

This one time we played shadows of the demon lord and the GM had literally just read the character creation rules. We hand-weaved nearly everything and simply rolled dice all night.

we knew that everything that was a drawback added a negative D6 (black d6), and everything that would help the character was a positive D6 (white d6), so we went with that.

The rules themselves are, obviously, more complex than that. With flanking, disengage, full defense, etc.

Adam

@ShadowKras Or not. If they feel secure that everything they ruled was in line with the book, they are never going to look back at the book at that section again, since they feel they have it pinned down. It's alright if they think that Dex to escape a grapple is dumb and they dont want to do it, but the rest of the table should be aware that such a houserule is what will be enforced.

If the whole table is okay flying by the seat of their pants, there's nothing wrong with that. But if anybody came to the table expecting a certain set of rules, they have the right to go to the GM and air their concerns and then decide whether or not they still want to play in that kind of game if it turns out that the others have different expectations

ShadowKras

@Adam yeah but rule 0 is that the GM is right and can change the rules. If he decided that an opposed str-check is better than whatever grappling rules wizards came up with, then he is right.

Adam

@ShadowKras Yes, he is. Be he isn't right to decide that and not tell anyone that it's his rule.

NautArch

7:49 PM

@ShadowKras I don't think you're understanding the tactic I suggested. We don't know if the GM made a conscious rule decision or not. My suggestion allows for discovery of that while still giving the GM a chance to make their call for the table. Assuming one thing doesn't help anyone (the GM who may or may not have made an error or the players who have to live with it)

KorvinStarmast

8:08 PM

Heh, I just read through one of the IJRP articles on thedarkwanderer's question/answer. Sentences like this are commonplace. Thus, the discourse of “actual play” at the Forge amounts to a kind of phenomenological dialogue, requiring a skilled discursive performance in order to engage in a theoretically informed metacommunicative practice

The bergstrom article in IJRP is pretty interesting.

Yuuki

8:27 PM

4

Ryan

Hit Points are 8+Con Modifier but at higher levels 1d8 (or 5) + Con Modifier at higher levels. So at level 1 I'm guaranteed 11 (8+3 con) while at level 2 I could get anywhere between 11 and 8? Am I understanding this correctly?

Yuuki

@Ryan Technically, between 4 and 11 since you could roll a 1 on your hit die.

Adam

@Ryan The 1d8 (or 5) part means that you can roll for hit points, or take the average, rounded up. So you make the choice to roll 1d8, or you choose to take a flat 5

Yuuki

You can either choose to roll your d8 (in which case you could swing between 4 and 11) or choose to take average + 1 (which is 8). All numbers including CON modifier.

Ryan

yeah but the point is why would HP go down when you level up from 1 to 2

Adam

8:33 PM

@Ryan It wouldn't. These are the additional points that you gain by progressing level one and two. You add these new points from leveling up to your old hp

Yuuki

@Ryan Because some people probably don't understand the rules and think a negative CON modifier could result in lowered HP.

I think if you have -2 CON mod and roll a 1 on your hit die, you just don't add points to your max HP, you don't subtract 1.

BESW

@Lord_Gareth Have you read Nightmares of Mine?

Ryan

@Adam im so lost on this. Any chance you have your PHB handy and could tell me where this is located? I'm on Page 11 but don't see a good explanation

nitsua60

@ACuriousMind so, actually, I was speaking imprecisely here, in colloquial chat. In class it was exactly the concept of "always" vs. "almost always" that we discussed.

@diego thanks--I'll poke at it tonight.

Ryan

I know my Hit Dice are 2d8 but have no idea on my Hit Point Max

Adam

8:36 PM

@Ryan media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/PlayerBasicRulesV03.pdf I have page 10 of the basic rules handy :p

Each time you gain a level, you gain 1 additional Hit
Die. Roll that Hit Die, add your Constitution modifier
to the roll, and add the total to your hit point maximum.
Alternatively, you can use the fixed value shown in your
class entry, which is the average result of the die roll
(rounded up).

diego

@Ryan Anywhere from 15-22 depending on what you roll on the d8 at level 2 (or 19 if you take the average)

Ryan

hmm my DM had it as 23. When I switched my Cleric (2) to Cleric (1)/Warlock (1) my Con went down by 1 so I guess I could just make it 22

I guess I rolled a 19 but that makes no sense. 2d8 can't roll more than 16 :\ I have no idea where this 23 came from

Yuuki

@Ryan Why would your CON go down?

diego

@Ryan If your Con mod went down by 1 then your HP would go down by 1/level, so in this case you would lose 2HP

Adam

I think this is starting to get toward information overload

We need to step back and one of us needs to list out the rules for hp instead of bombarding him with "your HP should be this, why isnt it" comments

@Ryan You are a Cleric 1/ Warlock 1 with a +3 con modifier, correct?

Ryan

8:41 PM

@Yuuki I was Rock Gnome. Instead I'm doing Forest Gnome because it fits the Archfey theme better

Rock Gnome gave +1 Con. Instead I have +1 Dex

GreySage

@Ryan What is your total Con score, after all pluses, right now?

Ryan

@GreySage 17

GreySage

OK, so your con modifier is +3

Ryan

yeah. it was 18 (+4) as a Rock Gnome

GreySage

How HP works is: Every level, you roll your new hit die (d8 for you), add your modifier, and you gain that many more max hp. You can also choose to take the average roll instead of rolling (5 for you).

The exception is 1st level, when you gain the maximum possible HP

So, level 1: you have 8 (the max for your die) +3 = 11 hp

level 2: you have 11 + either roll a d8, or 5 + 3 hp

Ryan

8:47 PM

okay that makes sense. Still not really seeing where it says that you add it to your current HP each time instead of replacing it but it sure makes more sense doing it that way

GreySage

So you can have either 19 (if you take the average) or anywhere from 15 to 22 (if you roll)

diego

11 mins ago, by Adam

Each time you gain a level, you gain 1 additional Hit
Die. Roll that Hit Die, add your Constitution modifier
to the roll, and add the total to your hit point maximum.
Alternatively, you can use the fixed value shown in your
class entry, which is the average result of the die roll
(rounded up).

Yuuki

(pg. 10)

Adam

That's under the "Beyond 1st Level" part of character creation. Not sure of the PHB page, but it's pg 10 of the basic rules

GreySage

@Adam pg 15 in PHB

diego

8:49 PM

That is from page 10 of the basic rules, here in the SRD, or the Character Advancment section of the PHB (not sure what page)

Ryan

yep just found it once you said Beyond 1st Level. Its on pg 15 as GreySage said

You'd think they'd put it under "Hit Points" which is what I looked for in the index

GreySage

Note that if you increase your con modifer, through level up or some other means, you also change your max hp. If you go from +3 to +4, you gain 1 hp per level you have

Adam

Consequently, going from +4 to +3 means that you would lose 1 hp per level you have as well

Yuuki

And if you have 13 INT, it doesn't really have an effect on your HP.

diego

@Ryan I know in my experience the index in most D&D books tends to be less than useful

Ryan

8:51 PM

i just made it 19. Now to figure out my Spellcasting and Spell Save hopefully in the next 10 minutes so I can get to the game ready to rumble

GreySage

Huzzah!

Adam

@Ryan We're here if you need us!

@Yuuki I don't know why, but that gave me a good laugh.

NautArch

@GreySage wait...if i use my ASI at level 12 for CON, I get another 24 HP right off the bat?

sorry, 12 HP?

Ryan

okay think im set just one question. Think something I had was supposed to double some of my skill checks but dont remember what that was to refer to it again now that everything else is setup

diego

@Ryan Expertise from Knowledge Cleric I think

SevenSidedDie

8:57 PM

@NautArch Yup.

Which is not much, at level 12, but not nothing either.

Ryan

@diego yep that was it but only double the proficiency bonus part

BESW

Here's a look at the top prize in our Dresden Files giveaway. How can you enter? Well, it's simple:… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/861616868972404736

Tweeted by EvilHatOfficial on May 8, 2017 at 4:20 PM

diego

@Ryan That is all you should be getting, I don't think there is anyway to double the ability modifier to ability checks

doppelgreener

@BESW I changed my avatar.

It's... it's wordplay

BESW

@doppelgreener ♫ What's the use of feeling... green?

And to think I thought the fork was a medieval invention. Should have known better... http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/collections/greeceandrome/70534 ht… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/861622518037319681

Tweeted by Pseudo_Isidore on May 8, 2017 at 4:43 PM

doppelgreener

9:07 PM

:D

BESW

Near-reality alternate universe setting?

#ThamesBarrier opened on this day in 1984. The @EnvAgency has shown that without it, recent tide surges would have… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/861639624346750978

Tweeted by MrTimDunn on May 8, 2017 at 5:51 PM

trogdor

@doppelgreener lol

Lord_Gareth

9:24 PM

This shift I swear. I've got a stress migraine that could part a mountain

BESW

Ibuprofen, sugar, and caffeine, can help a speed a migraine toward its conclusion.

Lord_Gareth

I have access to two of those

trogdor

caffeine and sugar help that?

BESW

I assume the ibuprofen is the missing ingredient? The idea is to thin the blood a bit to reduce the pressure.

Lord_Gareth

You assume correctly

trogdor

9:27 PM

why not lots of water?

BESW

The caffeine is about restricting blood flow by narrowing blood vessels.

And while sugar can trigger migraine in some people, I find that I usually benefit from elevated blood sugar during a migraine.

Of course, everybody's migraines are different.

Sugar and caffeine don't make my migraine hurt less, they just make it progress faster so it's over sooner.

The only thing that can make my migraine actually go away before its time is lying in the dark listening to acoustic Bob Dylan.

Lord_Gareth

I have a crippling caffeine addiction which I refuse to solve

I'm usually drinking coffee regardless of time, context, or health

BESW

I... sometimes reach the point where I can't sleep without caffeine. That's not good.

But lately I've gotten better about it, partly because it's harder to binge coffee now that I'm making it using the plunged cold brew method.

Ryan

When Multiclassing do you get the Starting Equipment from the new class as well?

BESW

(It's a lot smoother and easier on my stomach that way.)

Adam

9:33 PM

@Ryan No. You only get starting equipment for the class you take at first level

SevenSidedDie

11

Q: Do you get the equipment of your new class when you multi-class?

When multi-classing, do you take the equipment from your new class and add it to the equipment you got from your main class?

Lord_Gareth

Been thinking lately about modeling my Quest characters in Fate. A reader pointed out partway through the story that between their thematic descriptions and each one having a theme that prevades during their PoV, they're half-done already

BESW

Does "prevade" have something to do with Anakin Skywalker?

Lord_Gareth

... I haven't had enough coffee

Have mercy upon me

Yuuki

Take it easy on your heart?

Lord_Gareth

9:38 PM

@Yuuki If I die, I die

Adam

Ivan Drago - If he dies, he dies

►

Lord_Gareth

@BESW But no, like. When the readers chose their main character it was presented as "Brianna la Croix, Journeyman Necromancer (No Good Deed Goes Unpunished)"

SPavel

Back from work! Definitely didn't miss having to get up early in the morning, ehehe

But the sweet sweet money dollars soothe that ache

Yuuki

But journeymen still need to be supervised, you have to be a master to run your own necromancy business.

This is in violation of guild rules!

SPavel

>*journey*man

>needs to be supervised

How can you supervise him if he is journeying

Yuuki

9:47 PM

She has to submit a necromantic masterwork before she can be admitted as a master.

doppelgreener

Has anyone else noticed how Wales looks like a man in a hat pointing accusingly at Waterford? https://t.co/VhdWfZW9kt

Tweeted by A_Leahy on May 6, 2017 at 8:03 PM

Yuuki

> The word journeyman comes from the French word journée, which means a day's work or a day's travel; journée in turn comes from Vulgar Latin, diurnum meaning day. The title refers to the journeyman's right to charge a fee for each day's work.

Lord_Gareth

@Yuuki Journeyman is the rank at which you can practice on your own. Masters train apprentices and set guild policy

Yuuki

Basically, the right to be a paid employee.

@Lord_Gareth Journeyman is the rank at which you can be paid for your work, not necessarily practice on your own. Master is the rank at which you can practice on your own.

SPavel

Forget your silly rules and sources

Let's go start a guild where you can practice by yourself at journeyman level

Yuuki

9:51 PM

Honestly, I just want to know what a necromantic masterwork would be.

Becoming a lich?

SPavel

Nah, any dork with 120k gp and a chip on his shoulder can become a lich

A true master of necromancy would be able to wow you even with the simplest of zombies

Basically, think of Jiro Dreams of Sushi but with corpses

Yuuki

I shudder to see such delicately crafted ghouls and the elegant skinwork on the wights.

BESW

@Lord_Gareth I will write an answer to your horror-in-Fate question, but it will take a long time. There's the horror paradox and Achtung! Cthulhu and No Exit... and there's at least two more Evil Hat horror-in-Fate products coming out some time later this year.

One of them is a Cthulhu thing, and one is a Horror Toolkit.

SPavel

I imagine that a true expert of necromancy could craft such a zombie that it would seem more animate and lifelike than it was in life

Like how Positite Energy Plane creatures seem super-alive or whatever it is that they have

BESW

Trogdor once played a necromancer who dumped all the resources he possibly could into making his undead awesome.

Lord_Gareth

9:55 PM

@BESW I mean, none of my examples were horror and quite purposefully so

BESW

@Lord_Gareth Yes, but that's where the material for answrs is likely to be found.

Outside of that, though, yeah. There's Atomic Robo and Kaiju Incorporated and Dresden Files and Dresden Files Accelerated...

BTW, @Lord_Gareth, are you aware that there's now a Literature Stack?

Shalvenay

hey there @Yuuki

Yuuki

Hello.

Sorry, I didn't reply to you on Sunday, I had to make an emergency trip to the movie theatre.

Shalvenay

o.O

do you think we can work something in this evening?

Yuuki

I think so.

Shalvenay

10:06 PM

@Yuuki (btw, what was the reason you weren't around Sat. evening for that matter?)

Yuuki

@Shalvenay I had watched GotG 2 with friends and sister on Saturday but made the critical mistake of not actually taking my sister.

So I had to make up for it Sunday night.

Shalvenay

@Yuuki oh, lol

Lord_Gareth

@BESW good point

doppelgreener

What was the name of that Pathfinder/D&D Orc race that was peaceful and wise and shamanistic and taller and skinnier and so on?

BESW

@Lord_Gareth Also I was thinking about your points about how hard it is for pre-made adventures to get horror right.

doppelgreener

10:10 PM

I remember there is one and it is an example of the problematic monocultures D&D embeds in its setting paradigms

BESW

Sharakim

doppelgreener

Thank you, that is them.

BESW

We talked about them here.

Yuuki

Yeah, racial proficiencies are definitely a weird thing. But then again, the setting has magic. It could be some sort of magical genetic memory thing.

BESW

I'd be wary of "Thermian arguments"; an objection to a fiction reinforcing a real-world problem can't be reasonably dismissed by claiming the fiction is internally consistent, because the objection is about how the fiction relates to the real world rather than how it relates to itself.

Lord_Gareth

10:18 PM

@BESW Aye?

BESW

@Lord_Gareth The Fate community is actively trying to figure that out, with existing works like Achtung! Cthulhu and upcoming works like the Horror Toolkit.

Un-Fate-ly, I recommend the 1999 GM advice book Nightmares of Mine for theory and analysis of horror in RPGs.

And for games, Lovecraftesque is a recent and I think successful attempt to produce Lovecraftian horror praxis.

gotta dash, ttfn

doppelgreener

ttfn!

Shalvenay

@Yuuki this is beyond "proficiencies" though

Yuuki

@BESW Well, I was more speaking to the "dwarven or elven kids born knowing how to use an urgosh or longbow" joke rather than the unfortunate implication of personalities being tied to race identity and genetics and physical traits.

Shalvenay

@Yuuki I'd more see it as "longbow is a mandatory subject in elven schooling" re: proficiencies

Yuuki

10:22 PM

@Shalvenay Yeah but the way D&D races are described makes it somewhat weird to have a changeling background without some sort of DM fiat/houserule.

An elven/elfish/whatever child raised by humans still has proficiencies with certain elvish weapons despite not having elven schooling.

Shalvenay

@Yuuki yeah, that part is awkward, I agree

it's why I had to do a bit of finesse with the background of the half-elf I did for PF

Yuuki

I don't like that WotC feels it necessary to include a Personality loreblock for every race either. It makes it so that players end up doing one of two things: either they conform to the prescribed personality (with their own quirks of course) or they define their personality in opposition to the prescribed personality.

Shalvenay

what time tonight would you want to start the dungeon btw?

@Yuuki yeah -- I don't like that all that much either.

Yuuki

@Shalvenay Hmm... I'll be heading home soon. Maybe... one hour?

Shalvenay

@Yuuki sure thing

Lord_Gareth

10:37 PM

@BESW The idea I was complaining about earlier was actually villain campaigns

Hence the reference to Black Crusade

SPavel

10:50 PM

Villain campaigns are the best, because there are lots of villainous causes worth fighting for...but sometimes you just want to gank that arrogant gnome for his +5 dagger

Shalvenay

11:09 PM

hey @Ben

Ben

o/

Shalvenay

how're things going?

Ben

So, after all that careful planning, and coming up with ideas about how to deal with the Margr horde...

Everybody died.

Shalvenay

TPK?

they just ran you over?

Ben

Haha no. The PCs survived (barely), but we had a party of 6 in total. All of which were horribly murdered

Shalvenay

11:13 PM

@Ben ah, the friendly NPCs couldn't hold up

Ben

Unfortunately. It was sad too, cos we had several adventures with them. They were becoming our friends...

Shalvenay

I take it the Margrs were able to defeat the trap the party had set for them, or?

Ben

Well, we didn't really have time to set anything elaborate, best we could do was "throw rocks at them"

Shalvenay

@Ben ah, not even drop rocks on their head?

Yuuki

@Shalvenay Oh, do I need to make a character real quick or do you have something pre-genned?

Or is it not that kind of thing?

Shalvenay

11:19 PM

@Yuuki I don't keep pregen chars around so you'll have to make one

1st level is fine btw

BESW

An Irish beach that disappeared more than 30 years ago has returned to an island off the County Mayo coast.

I smell a plot hook.

SPavel

Ireland has beaches?

Don't you need, like, sun?

BESW

It does now!

SPavel

And warmth?

Also, why are you italics

Shalvenay

@Yuuki shall we hop over to The Back Room?

BESW

11:29 PM

@SPavel Italics means I'm a room owner. You can see all of a room's owners on the room's access info tab.

Yuuki

@Shalvenay Sure.

SPavel

Really, general chat room-owners and mods aren't the same people?

BESW

All elected moderators have room owner privileges in all chat rooms as well as special diamond mod privileges.

But any user who can chat in a room can also be appointed as room owner.

Every room gets an active owner; if it goes too long without any room owners being active in the chat, it'll appoint the most active chatter as a new room owner.

That way somebody who's familiar with the room and regularly present in it has the tools to maintain the room.

Ben

@Shalvenay that was all we could do with the time we were given

Shalvenay

@Ben ah

Ben

11:33 PM

And against 10 mobs of Margr, we were pretty well outmatched.

Until the whimpy little science guy that spent the fight huddling under the caravan turned out to be a cyborg from The Valley of the Dolls, and exploded in a nuclear blast.

Shalvenay

...how'd the PCs survive?

nitsua60

@Yuuki DMG talks about that: that the PHB presents one "default" setting where race determines those sorts of things, but that regional/national/cultural divides might be more-sensible ways to dole out such things.