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12:02 AM
It may be one contributing factor to my allergy to "immersion" as a gameplay goal.
 
@BESW My wife tells me that there's a genre of card games that are entirely based on refusing to explain the rules. This is one of the only subjects I've asked her not to talk to me about, absent a compelling reason.
 
:-D
 
Mornington Crescent.
What comic's that from?
 
12:18 AM
 
11
Q: What does the spell Compelled Duel actually do?

Thomas MarkovAfter reading through the description of the spell compelled duel, it seems as though the spell does not actually say what it does with respect to restricting the movement of the target creature. Let's review the description bit by bit: You attempt to compel a creature into a duel. One creature ...

 
I try not to go overboard with the reaction images here, but 90% of the ones I use are from Garrity comics or MedievalPOC.
 
@MarkWells On a similar topic, have you played a cooperative cardgame called "The Mind"?
Basically, the players get a hand of cards, numbered. The players can not speak or communicate in any way (bodily or whatsoever). The goal is to put all the cards on the table in an increasing order.
One of my friends had a literal anxiety attack while playing it due to the mind breaking silence. We decided to not play it any more.
 
Wow. That's. woof.
 
I have not played that. We have played Star Trek: Five Year Mission, which is also cooperative and has a card that can briefly prohibit players from speaking until they do (action in the game) to resolve it. We're mostly okay with that
I think both because it's cooperative, and because we can usually clear it out in a minute or two
 
12:33 AM
Note to self: continue to not include that as a mechanic in my own games.
 
Yeah, I think the problem in the one I mentioned is that it builds up the anxiety. Say the table has the card numbered 60, your card is like 95... and the card in your friend's hand is 96. You will both stare at each other for minutes, agonizing over the fact that it seems like the other one should have a smaller numbered card.
 
The Mind is really interesting, but I can totally see it not working for some folks
 
On the other hand, a certain scenario in Betrayal at House on the Hill got the entire game banned from our group for six months, and only allowed back under the condition that there's a neutral person present who can arbitrate anything that goes wrong
 
@MarkWells I bought Betrayal and never played it. I bought it when it was released.
ME FEELS SAD
 
Betrayal has some cool ideas and some problems
 
12:37 AM
Same thing for Eldritch Horror. Then I learned that my groups of friends get hyped over boardgames but will not find 6 hours or more to play one and so I gave up trying those haha
 
Oof yeah. Even with the custom fan-made haunts, it's still not a game I like to play very often.
 
@HellSaint It's kinda fun as long as everyone accepts the swinginess of it. It's not rare to start the haunt and have one side discover they're just screwed by the board layout
 
@MarkWells yeah my problem with it was just that it was very hard to actually get people to sit down for the time such games require them to :P
 
@HellSaint Now that one, I can recommend with almost no reservations. But yes, it does take a chunk of time
 
Anybody know of good horror board games that draw on material NOT related to L*vecraft?
 
12:41 AM
@BESW why the *? haha
 
There's an asymmetric board game about chasing Dracula around Europe
 
@MikeQ Fury of Dracula. Yeah, that one is good.
 
There are a few that are zombie-apocalypse-themed
 
To indicate my disgust at how his name has become a synecdoche for dread-based horror and sucks the air out of the room for other kinds of dread.
 
Not sure you would call them horror though?
 
12:43 AM
Pandemic Legacy? Maybe too real, these days
 
May 23 '19 at 4:43, by BESW
Personally I've come to the conclusion that we need to just strangle the "horror = Lovecraft" synecdoche by refusing it entirely, before any element of his legacy can be conscientiously rehabilitated, if any indeed merit that treatment at all. And to deprive that synecdoche of oxygen, we need to flood the market with games and stories which scratch the same itch but use none of the Lovecraft brand at all.
 
@MarkWells That's horror nowadays, yes, but maybe too scary
 
Games like Lovecraftesque can't even present alternatives except as opposition.
 
Mysterium and Obscurio have a spooky occult vibe, although I'm not sure if they're horror
 
But yeah I was thinking on Dead of Winter. But usually the zombie games are more about resource management than the actual horror thing
 
12:46 AM
@HellSaint I think it was always horror, even in its mechanics. The way that people increasingly cringe before drawing infection cards in the late game shows that it's working
 
Oh yeah, resource management is usually a big turn-off for me.
 
@MarkWells yeah I tend to disassociate "gore" and "horror"
Horror makes me scared, gore makes me feel disgusted. I don't mind horror, but I hate gore haha
But idk
 
I like to use the dread/gore/terror triangle to analyze horror.
 
Also, horror and "tension", I guess
 
Otherwise the genre label is just so broad it becomes meaningless.
 
12:49 AM
not sure how to name it
 
Oct 29 '16 at 1:49, by BESW
eg, Dread (creeping fear of an unknown quantity), Terror (adrenaline-pumping moments), Gore (being forced to endure something horrific for a period of time without looking away).
Gore doesn't have to be body horror; a lot of "think about the implications of this terrible idea" stories would fall under gore.
 
@BESW I see. This clarifies my definition. I like dread horror. haha
 
Almost all horror stories contain all three, but the ratios define the kind of horror it is.
I also tend to prefer dread, usually punctuated with terror and not always capped by gore.
 
On a completely random change of subject: am I the only one who feels a little upset that "new answers" are completely buried due to the vote system in SE? :P
 
@HellSaint What, has the Active sort button's function been changed?
 
12:55 AM
@BESW No, but it gets considerably less attention - it won't go back to the Hot Network (or whatever that is called), and many people will click on the question on the Active sorting, read the first answer (which is the more upvoted one), upvote that and leave, I feel haha
 
 
2 hours later…
2:27 AM
@HellSaint It's a well known issue with the SE model and is heavily related to the fastest gun in west problem. Its frustrating when you answer and have the best one but feel it isn't getting the attention it deserves. If you see it happen to someone else you can always bounty their answer to both reward them and draw attention to it.
 
@linksassin Yeah I know it has been discussed a few years ago haha
But I wondered if the general feeling changed
Or we just learned to accept it
It was just a general feeling of... upset, really. Especially for questions that have like 6+ answers. The feeling came from this question: rpg.stackexchange.com/q/170891/43856 - there are a few bottom answers that I doubt will ever get more than 5 votes, but are actually quite decent.
 
2:49 AM
@BESW The Queen Games game Dark Darker Darkest primarily draws from Resident Evil, down to the nonsensical inventory puzzles.
 
 
3 hours later…
@SmokeDetector I'm pretty sure that's not spam. might need a bit of editorial help, though
should we mark DNDBeyond as #notspam or #whitelisted with Smokey, btw?
 
5:53 AM
@Shalvenay It's not spam, but starting the question with a link is also quite... awkward. I'm not sure it actually matters
 
3
Q: What happens when greater restoration is cast on a creature cursed by an item into being undead?

Admiral KunkkaA little backstory: My group is campaigning into a village that has been usurped by a peasant wielding a jar that "collects" souls to power a Lich's phylactery and it is almost full. The item is cursed and the wielder of the jar becomes corrupt carrying out the Lich's plan, to be resurrected from...

 
 
1 hour later…
7:15 AM
@BESW This is my jam :P
@HellSaint That wording doesn't match any version of the PHB. I'm guessing it's copied from that former Wikia/Fandom wiki that rehosted non-SRD material (e.g. spells) but tried to reword stuff in a futile attempt to avoid it getting taken down.
 
@V2Blast Yeah Someone_Evil got to that same conclusion.
 
7:42 AM
@HellSaint That seems like a common board/tabletop game issue in general :P
 
8:13 AM
@V2Blast It's about to get crowded... cos that's my jam too
 
 
2 hours later…
10:19 AM
@HellSaint It was much too late for me to be doing math.
 
10:51 AM
@ThomasMarkov did someone say maths?
 
@AncientSwordRage Yeah, I tried to answer a question late last night and mucked up the math entirely, after doing similar math all day at work.
 
@ThomasMarkov I tried to track back but I couldn't see the question in chat
d'you have a link?
 
11:10 AM
6
Q: What is the rarity of my homebrew Glass Sword?

CireoI was writing up some magical weapons and had a fond remembrance of the "Glass Sword" from Ultima VII (apparently V/VI/IX as well). While I didn't want to preserve the "save or die" aspect, I wanted to preserve a similar feel of "unusual, fragile, and deadly", and came up with this: Glass Sword...

I deleted my answer already. It was just wrong lol.
 
@ThomasMarkov fair, but at least maths is fun
 
My boss was on vacation this week so I had to handle all his stuff and all my stuff. It was a long week.
 
@ThomasMarkov ouch
 
11:35 AM
@ThomasMarkov @HellSaint is it worth defining what p(i) is in your answer
 
If Not Us, Then Who? by Riley Hopkins is a game where you literally create your own Power Rangers/magical girls/etc TV show and plot out episodes with your friends.
Robo's Summer Sale 2020 A sale hosted by robohaven. Do you like Affection Game and its aesthetic? Consider getting this sale pack.
 
@BESW sounds hella fun
 
house by Marn S. is a horror storytelling game based on House of Leaves.
 
12:20 PM
8
Q: What is the rarity of my homebrew Glass Sword?

CireoI was writing up some magical weapons and had a fond remembrance of the "Glass Sword" from Ultima VII (apparently V/VI/IX as well). While I didn't want to preserve the "save or die" aspect, I wanted to preserve a similar feel of "unusual, fragile, and deadly", and came up with this: Glass Sword...

 
 
1 hour later…
1:33 PM
3
Q: Where do D&D Orcs come from?

NicboboI've always assumed that with all modern fantasy, D&D included, their racial archetypes for their inhabitants always had their roots from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. And in part, I do believe there is enough healthy evidence to indicate that many of D&D's Orc characteristics are indeed inspired ...

 
@HotRPGQuestions Presumably from D&D Orc daddies and D&D Orc mommies loving each-other very much...
 
1:51 PM
(Because we can't give feedback on comment flags) @NautArch I don't think comments on design aspects answer the question. I'm not entirely sure it would even fit well into an answer because design at that stage is way too much about opinion. I'd be happy to hear other opinions on this though.
 
@Someone_Evil It's literally "What about doing X, which will provide you with Y". That sure seems like a potential answer.
Or at least a partial one.
And if it's not, then it's asking to make some big changes to the question itself. Which would then cause an issue for the existing answer.
THose aren't clarifications, those are suggested changes.
Which seems to be more like an answer, or at least part of an answer.
 
Hmm.. I guess I might be reading is slightly differently to you. It seems more like "Why did you use d20's instead of the more normal add more (smaller) dice?" which seems like a good clarification to get. (And the response should probably be edited into the q in some form)
 
@Someone_Evil even if it is, going into the explanation and making a suggestion seems to move it from requesting a clarification to providing a partial answer.
But again, with answers in, the changes being requested/suggested may alter how someone would have responded.
@Someone_Evil and how is that different from picking out anything else that doesn't make sense and suggesting a change. We usually call those answers :)
 
2:09 PM
@NautArch Asking for minor clarifications of the content is perfectly normal on homebrew review comments. I'm not seeing those comments as asking for the material to be changed, only clarified
Adding some special versatile property would probably change it though
 
And changing the damage dice might as well.
For me, the line between a comment asking for clarification and an answer is when someone explains what doing something different would be.
It' snot asking'Hey, did you forget about X?"
It's asking "Hey, it looks like you didn't include X. If you did X, then Y would occur" And once you've gone that far, it's no longer a clarification, but an answer.
It's making a recommendation, not asking for a clarification.
 
hm, rereading the last comment (for like the 5th time) most of it wouldn't be applicable as a good answer either (as far as I can see). (Do this different thing that isn't really aligned with the thing you're trying to do.) I'll do some cleanup, thanks for pointing it out and working with me
 
@Someone_Evil I'm not saying they are good answers. I'm saying they are partial answers because they just aren't asking for a clarification.
No worries. If we're taking a more lenient comment stance, that's fine. But because these go beyond the clarification request with recommendations/suggestions, those cross the line for me.
If you want to ask a clarification, ask. If you want to suggest doing something, write an answer.
 
I feel like it's homebrew review that's muddling it up. The activity isn't really well suited to our format, so get a certain amount of 'neither is well applicable'
 
2:24 PM
@Someone_Evil It may be, but I don't think it is for me.
It's when the comment went from asking for a clarification to explaining why to go one way or the other.
but i'm simplifying in a way that you don't seem to be.
I guess if you just left it as "You are saying this is a longsword, is it also versatile like other longswords" WOuld be fine. But the extra stuff they included is not.
 
Yeah, that aspect I did come around to once I groked that comment fully. I need food...
 
Hey, no worries - and thank you for being patient with me, too :)
My brain is stilla little groggy after a 5 day migraine.
I'm also really unsure how to approach this question even after they state which game.
 
There's a 5e question on Eldritch blast spamming isn't there? I'm sorta inclined to call it a dupe
 
@Someone_Evil that doesn't seem to be the question, though. I think they believe that because warlocks have only a couple of spell slots that they aren't as 'good'.
 
Or actually, it should be fairly doable (depending on system) to show whether many enemies have "resistance to spells below a certain level"
 
2:36 PM
And very few monsters have force resistance.
although i'm not sure what 'resistance to spells' even means.
 
3:05 PM
That'll be things like the Rakshasa, right? "Limited Magic Immunity: The Rakshasa can't be affected or detected by Spells of 6th level or lower unless it wishes to be. "
 
That's what sprung to my mind too, but that isn't resistance and I don't know what that might mean with edition baggage
 
I"m nearly 100% sure this is an edition baggage question.
It's really close to a read the book to me, only because I have a feeling they haven't yet reviewed this edition's rules.
 
Players aren't usually expected to familiarise themselves with high level monster abilities though, are they?
 
no, but I don't think they've familiarized themselves with 5e. It seems like they read something about warlocks (and i'm unclear what their concern actually is) and are applying previous edition question/issues to that.
BUt it's not clear what the actual problem/question is to me.
Is it that they think warlocks only have 1st level spells at high levels?
Is it that they think higher level(CR?) monsters are all like the rakshasa?
Do they not understand pact magic?
DO they not understand the short rest/long rest classes and mechanics and the adventuring day?
etc etc
 
To be fair, I've seen quite a few people not understand Pact Magic
 
3:22 PM
Yeah, it's weird. But i'm not sure that's actually their question.
 
3:46 PM
It looks to me as if they're saying that they've heard that the best strategy for a Warlock is just to spam Eldritch Blast, but that they've heard a lot of high-level monsters are immune to 1st-level spells so they're wondering how a Warlock would be viable there. I haven't read the D&D rules for a long time myself, mind you. Do you think that could be it?
 
@A.B. That could be it, which is a mix of "I don't understand how 5e warlocks work" "I only know how previous edition warlocks work" and "I've heard things about some monsters in 5e".
It's taking several assumptions over things they've heard and potentially combined it with not having looked into at all themselves.
 
Hang on, just looked up Eldritch Blast and it's a cantrip, not a 1st-level spell, but same thing applies.
 
Exactly. So very little self research has been done here. It's borderline downvote for me...but new user.
 
@NautArch (with 100k+ rep on SO)
 
Well, "I've heard things about some monsters in 5e" I understand. I take it you're saying that things like the Rakshasa are uncommon?
Why "5e warlocks don't work like that"? You saying that the rumour that "Eldritch Blast is all warlocks are good for" is something that was true of a previous edition but not now?
 
3:52 PM
@A.B. I can't think of another mosnter off the top of my head that works like the rakshasa (other than legendary resistance, but that's something different.)
@A.B. I"m saying that OP has heard 'some stuff' and done nothing to actually read about them and is just dropping those things here for us to answer. It's fairly broad as it stands.
ANd no, EB is still the optimal option for a blasting warlock.
 
4:12 PM
@AncientSwordRage Done
@NautArch my comment on the glass sword was to ask clarification. If the person asking had the understanding of the consequences of the d20 damage dice and it was a design choice, then my answer would not contain the part about it. If he did not have the understanding, then a full explanation on the consequences is worth its space in the answer. Right now my answer kinda assumes he didn't understand that, but maybe he did and he is okay with that.
The reason I briefly explained the difference is that they can have a grasp on what I am actually asking. If I just ask "Are you sure you want to use a d20?" then they may not understand why I am even asking that.
But sure while the asker doesn't clarify that, it is present in my answer as an if(intended) then okay else consider changing X toY
 
@HellSaint And I think questioning/clarifying/providing info on why it's important is really good for an answer.
 
@A.B. so uncommon that I did not know it existed.
and I play this edition for some good years now
 
4:37 PM
I've left a message for the OP, we'll see what answer we get when he/she gets back.
 
@A.B. The problem to me is that that comment is an answer
 
Well, assuming that that was the question.
Is that against the rules on a closed question, is that what you're getting at?
If so, no prob, I can take out the bit about the Rakshasa and just leave the "Is that what you're saying?".
 
@A.B. yeah, i agree. That's the beginning of an answer.
 
Well it's got a (imo) good answer now so we'll see what happens
 
You should delete it :/
@Medix2 if that is, in fact, their question.
 
4:42 PM
@NautArch There's a reason I close-voted
 
hehe
 
@NautArch I think I found a neat little piece of synergy with Hound of Ill Omen ... but I may have overlooked something.
 
@KorvinStarmast No I think that's correct, just the GM determines tied initiative IIRC
 
@Medix2 I thought of that, but they are still taking their turn at the same initiative count. The hound being within 5' seems to me to be the crucial point.... (or are they?) That's where I guess I need to see what people come up with as answers...
Plus, it's not going to happen that often ...
 
@KorvinStarmast Hopefully 5% of the time
 
4:48 PM
:) or more! gogo goblin dice!
 
Though you could have low Dex and roll low, hmmm
 
Did you put up the order as intended? You seem to suggest the hound attacks on 2 while on 3 you cast hold person and then later the hound has automatic critical on its attack which would require hold person to already be in effect, would it not?
 
@Someone_Evil I would not cast HP Until the initiative showed same as mine
 
Perhaps change "The Hound can attack on its turn" to "The Hound rolls the same initiative as me"?
 
will do
 
4:57 PM
Oh, nevermind, it changed XD
 
thanks guys, that helped me clarify the question
 
5:14 PM
That question actually brings something very interesting to the table, actually
If your own initiative is in the mid of the initiative order, summoning a creature with a very high initiative modifier is as harmful as summoning one with a very low initiative modifier, because if it rolls too high, then it needs to wait for everyone else to do their stuff before they can move
Or an even edger case, if you are the first to move, if the creature has a very high initiative roll (higher than yours), it gets punished becoming effectively the last to move.
That sounds... dumb. I would rule that if the summoned creature has a higher initiative than you, it can move after you (for this turn) haha
 
5:39 PM
summoned creatures should just go on the initiative immediately after whenever they were summoned, saves any faff
 
As an aside to the Safety Tools discussion I saw here yesterday, The "Be good to each other" section of Quest has a lot of the explicit guidance that I want to see in the Player's Handbook someday.
 
@Carcer yeah, that's the regular wording. The only case where the summoned creature seems to roll initiative is the one in Korvin's question.
 
Not sure if Quest has been discussed here before, but I've just discovered it and am really liking everything about how these rules are presented.
 
@RedRiderX I don't care about anything I read there other than "Since the Guide is bringing lots of work to the table, it’s a nice gesture for the players to take turns providing things like snacks and drinks for the group." - I totally agree. Feed me.
(obviously a joke)
(I loved the link by the way)
 
@HellSaint Hah that's some specific guidance I've seen in a few other books as well.
I like that line in a non-jokey sense as well: it helps to make explicit the culture that surrounds most D&D style sessions.
Which is very much what Quest is trying to evoke
 
5:47 PM
the joke part was that I didn't care about the other stuff
The remaining is very serious. FEED ME
 
(I gotcha don't worry)
 
"It is against the rules for player characters to attack other party members, steal from them, restrain them, or force them to do anything against their wishes." - that's... interesting.
I usually ask in Session 0 if they are okay with PvP scenarios arising
 
Yeah to me that's a very intentional choice towards make the game more accessible and safer for new players.
This is very much a specific slice of the D&D aesthetic, whittled down to something you actually teach in one session.
Well, maybe other people can teach 5e in one session, but I can't
@RedRiderX And I guess when I say players I should include the Guide (DM) as well.
I'm sure there's been a game where a PC starts up some PvP and it's as much of a surprise to the novice GM as it is the novice Player.
 
@RedRiderX Probably. I'm not the best to say because my players are usually strongly against PvP
 
6:08 PM
Same with the groups I've been in, but because D&D ends up being all things to all people, people end up looking for all sorts of different things out of the same game.
Though that happens with any game I guess.
 
7:08 PM
@user-63873687 I'm not sure this works for pinging, but when you can, take a look in the comments in this question. The "bounty question" is considerably different from the original question (although I guess it fits under the same question) IMO, so some clarification would be nice.
 
 
2 hours later…
9:12 PM
@RedRiderX By my experience, considerably less, but there are also external factors at play
 
9:59 PM
4
Q: How are warlocks viable at higher levels?

hvgotcodesThis is in D&D 5e, specifically the starter adventure they sell. Im just getting started and am interested in the warlock class. From reading a bunch on this class it seems like the easiest way to play one is as an Eldritch Blast spammer. I understand the damage output can be quite high. However...

 
@HotRPGQuestions I thought that said "visible" and was like... feylocks aren't especially visible even at level one.
 
 
1 hour later…
11:26 PM
 
@HotRPGQuestions Another simple question, answered greatly
 

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