TRPG General Chat

9:02 PM

@Axoren The players or the characters? I found secrets between players to be more detrimental that was ever fun. Also, I find it entertaining when the player knows something but has to play a character that doesn't.

Thomas Markov

@AncientSwordRage thanks for the check

AncientSwordRage

Don't forget about the elemental plane of maths

@ThomasMarkov no probolob

Himitsu_no_Yami

Ah, yes, it may not hurt to move there

Thomas Markov

Why is your name different here?

AncientSwordRage

→ 1 message moved to Elemental Plane of Math

I can't select multiple messages for moving on mobile 😬

Himitsu_no_Yami

9:14 PM

I'd move my own messages if I could

Someone_Evil

@AncientSwordRage Do you want me to do it?

AncientSwordRage

I'm on it

Axoren

It's an ARPG: ARithmetic comPuting Game

Himitsu_no_Yami

I would if I could but I can't so I shan't

(I always wanted to say that where someone else could see/hear it)

AncientSwordRage

→ 7 messages moved to Elemental Plane of Math

@Someone_Evil think I got them

Did we ever formulate a spell sniper question?

HellSaint

9:18 PM

okay so

quick question

anyone around has the Rules Cyclopedia for D&D? :P

Himitsu_no_Yami

@HellSaint not-so-quick answer

Someone_Evil

@AncientSwordRage What kind of spellsniper question?

AncientSwordRage

@Someone_Evil can you use in in things like sphere of storms or magic stone? Or even spiritual weapon?

I forget how we shortlisted the interesting spells

Axoren

Spell Sniper + Booming Blade + Whip

AncientSwordRage

@Axoren that's a known quantity

Axoren

9:21 PM

What about Spell Sniper + Booming Blade + Halberd?

Blow your mind this time?

AncientSwordRage

If I cast magic stone (range 60ft) and pass it to someone while I have the spell sniper feat, is the range 120ft? It's still my ranged spell attack

Axoren

The range is set when you cast the spell

So things like Crown of Stars would have a range of 240 ft. on each star

Unless the range only affect CASTING targets and not subsequent EFFECT targets

AncientSwordRage

@Axoren I quoted the range to show it's not a touch spell

Axoren

Magic Stone has a casting range of Touch

And doesn't require an attack roll

AncientSwordRage

I'm an idiot

Ok, sphere of storms

Axoren

9:25 PM

At my tables, though, we allow EFFECT targets to count

So things like Spell Sniper + Green-Flame Blade work

Storm Sphere 300 ft casting target, 20-ft radius.

AncientSwordRage

But it doesn't make an attack when you cast it

But it does use an attack roll

Axoren

Oh weird. I thought you always needed an attack roll.

Nope, it doesn't get extra range.

HellSaint

@KorvinStarmast Would you happen to have the Rules cyclopedia around...?

KorvinStarmast

@HellSaint From which edition?

HellSaint

OD&D

KorvinStarmast

9:28 PM

No such thing

Axoren

That's a neat little tidbit like Wall of Fire not granting a saving throw unless you cast it on top of the person.

KorvinStarmast

Rules Cyclopedia is a BECMI thing

HellSaint

@KorvinStarmast I'm confused haha

AncientSwordRage

@Axoren but that hinges on a particular reading of "requires"

HellSaint

The 1991 one. For which edition is that?

KorvinStarmast

9:29 PM

@HellSaint Original D&D published in 1974. B/X and BECMI began in 1981 ish and Rule Cyclopedia if 1991 is for that. Mentzer's edition. Lemme check.

Wall of fire, you say?

HellSaint

I thought it was "let us write OD&D rules in an organized way" - I might be misunderstanding it.

Someone_Evil

45

Q: How many editions of Dungeons & Dragons are there?

How many editions of Dungeons & Dragons are there?

dungeons-and-dragons

Axoren

@AncientSwordRage Requires = Necessary condition. If you can cast the spell without making an attack roll (you can), then it is not a necessary condition for that spell.

KorvinStarmast

@HellSaint Nope

I am digging, gimme a few

HellSaint

@KorvinStarmast Basically, it seems there was an optional rule about "keeping the characters alive" which was an early version of 4e Death Saving Throws

You would die when you failed once, though.

KorvinStarmast

9:31 PM

@HellSaint Yeah, I mentioned that in my answer, lemme go and find the page.

Someone_Evil

@AncientSwordRage Imma suggest you use that spell as an example in the question in main. It's better suited to this stuff than main a lot of the time

HellSaint

@KorvinStarmast Oh found it, 266

KorvinStarmast

@HellSaint Yep, just as I had it cited in the answer. :)

WHich I liked to in a comment under your answer ... :)

HellSaint

@KorvinStarmast Yeah I was reading that, but was reading the wrong place (since I thought it was for OD&D and not for BECMI :P)

Axoren

@AncientSwordRage

Ranged Spell Attack spells which qualify:
- Chill Touch
- Eldritch Baha Blast
- Fire Bolt
- Ray of Frost
- Chaos Bolt
- Chromatic Orb
- Guiding Bolt
- Ice Knife
- Ray of Down with the Sickness
- Witch Bolt
- Melf's Icky Arrow
- Ray of Enfeeblement
- Scorching Ray

KorvinStarmast

9:33 PM

For instance, when a character is reduced to 0
hit points or below in combat (or from death
spells), he's not yet dead. He's unconscious and
mortally wounded; if left untended, he will die.
He must make a saving throw vs. death ray
every turn. He makes the first roll on the round
he drops to 0 hit point; he makes another every
round he takes additional damage, and every 10
minutes (one turn) in addition. If he ever fails a
roll, he's dead.
If he keeps making his rolls until reached by a
healing cleric, someone with the Healing general

him, he can be saved. If the healers can heal him
up to 1 hit point or more, or the Healing skill
roll is made at a penalty of —5 (regardless of
whether it heals him up to positive hit point or
not), then the character is alive. He's critically
wounded—but he'll survive.

Also under the category of "variant rule" ...

AncientSwordRage

@Someone_Evil yup I'm going to, I just know earlier in today, @linksassin and @ThomasMarkov started digging through for spells to use as examples and looking at past questions to check for dupes.

Axoren

@AncientSwordRage As for an interesting one, Steel Wind Strike goes from being 30 ft. to 60 ft.

AncientSwordRage

I could have sword one of them said they were going to post a question about going from touch to range with metamagic, but I didn't see any other questions

Someone_Evil

One was posted on SS and Distant spell, but I think that was it

AncientSwordRage

@Someone_Evil thanks for double checking

Axoren

9:36 PM

Honestly, any Distant Spell should qualify for Spell Sniper if it requires an attack roll.

AncientSwordRage

@Axoren yup, that one isn't ambiguous though

Axoren

That'll only add Contagion, Inflict Wounds, Plane Shift, and Shocking Grasp, though

BESW

9:52 PM

Eli Kurtz wants to know (twitter link) if you prefer your worldbuilding material in paragraphs or bullet points?

Someone_Evil

So, @Sos, fun things to do with a tooth shaped trinket? Curses being on the table?

MikeQ

I recall a very similar question being asked before, but I couldn't find it

Sos

Hi @Someone_Evil, thanks! I understand the point of having to close, it is pretty opinion based. Everything is on the table actually!

For any others, this was my question

0

Q: Ominous and cursed trinkets?

On my group's first session, at the end of the boss, they found a trinket. It is tooth-shaped. And I have no idea of what it should do, but I thought it would be interesting to give them something to think about. However, I'm not really sure of what to do with it. I can keep delaying it and give ...

dnd-5e magic-items intelligent-magic-items dragon-of-icespire-peak

Axoren

@BESW Bullet Points are winning by a long margin.

Seems like like most people are "cut the fluff, give me your universe"

Bardic Wizard

@Sos muahaha this is my kind of planning...

Sos

9:57 PM

@BardicWizard my idea was "let's give them something, and worry about what it exactly is later" ahahah. (it was not a planned thing I must confess)

BESW

Dee Pennyway wrote a twitter thread about how they price their games, and then wrote a game about it!

The Price Others Pay by Dee Pennyway is a short ritual for figuring out how (or whether) to charge money for your creation.

MikeQ

The trap with that approach is that the DM will eventually worry about it later too

Bardic Wizard

@Sos I do that all the time

BESW

@Sos I'm not a D&D person anymore, so my first thought isn't "how is this tooth magical?" but "whose tooth is this?" and "how do they feel about it?"

Someone_Evil

"Do they want it back?"

2

Sos

10:00 PM

@BESW that's actually quite a nice idea. In this setting (dragon of icespire) it could come from the dragon itself for instance! But that is perhaps a bit too obvious, and I bet they will start wondering about that as soon as they see the dragon

BESW

And I'll often drop something into a campaign that I don't know anything about and ask the players to tell me what it is.

Axoren

@Someone_Evil "Does someone else want it? And are they willing to pay for it?"

MikeQ

Perhaps a tooth fairy will offer to pay for it

BESW

Obvious can be good! If you don't want to make it a mystery, if your session/campaign doesn't have room for a mystery or that's not the kind of game you're playing, don't feel pressured to make everything hard to figure out.

It also makes the players feel good, to have figured something out.

Bardic Wizard

What I’d do as a nice GM: make it be useable as a dagger or something, say it’s worth something, have someone offer a reward for it

Sos

10:02 PM

that's true! :)

Axoren

The thieves guild has taken over the Tooth Fairy's operation. Tooth sales are now down 15%. Dentistry is now a booming industry as commoners struggle to maintain good dental hygene.

The plot twist? The Dentist's Union is a front for the Thieves' Guild.

Bardic Wizard

As a mean GM: people are willing to kill for it, it’s a curse that provides bad dental hygiene, it’s the dragon’s — but the dragon wants it back

MikeQ

Or the assassin's guild has taken over the Tooth Fairy's operation, in order to kill the Hogfather

Someone_Evil

I was waiting for this to turn Discworld

Axoren

It's actually a cultural thing. Sending someone a blank letter with a tooth in the envelope is a declaration of beef. Symbolically it represents a replacement for the teeth you're gonna lose when you get your butt whooped.

Sos

10:05 PM

oh wow ahah

do you guys see this as something that could be a double-edged sword? something that could buff and curse the party at the same time?

meh... perhaps I'm complicating things

Axoren

Nobles tend to have a dedicated Tooth Cattle, an indentured servant whose role is to provide teeth for their frequent twitter beefs.

MikeQ

So there are generally 3 approaches to this sort of situation:
1. Look up a list of random curses and pick one that seems reasonable
2. Design something on your own in secret
3. Design it based on what the players think it is
From experience, options #1 and #3 tend to work best.

Someone_Evil

@Axoren Is "indentured" an intentional pun?

Axoren

@Someone_Evil :F

BESW

@Sos Easiest way to make something complicated is to complicate who wants/needs it.

ACuriousMind

10:08 PM

@Sos What did the players say when they found this tooth?

Sos

they were surprised, and asked if any of them could have an idea of what it could be (they dont). but they didn't ask many more questions yet, they were busier with other things (combat wise)

ACuriousMind

Even in systems where players don't formally have authorship over the world, I like to listen to the speculations players have about something and if I like them I just go with it

BESW

@Sos More mechanically, I like how Atomic Robo's item mechanics ask for a phrase that describes how the thing is useful, and a phrase that describes a drawback. Like a gun might have Infinite ammo but be Ridiculously loud or jet boots might be Rockets on your feet but also Rockets on your feet!

MikeQ

@ACuriousMind Yep, agreed. It's generally a good GM habit to listen to player feedback continuously, and make adjustments over time.

Sos

@ACuriousMind that's a good idea. @BESW suggested that a bit above, I hadn't considered that at all

doppelgreener

10:11 PM

@BESW jet boots: bringing both the "ooooo!" and the "aaaaAAAAHHH!!" to the party

Axoren

@Sos When casting Identify, they discover that it has an enchantment that "ignores defenses." However, it seems absolutely impractical as a weapon. It's actually a key. If they try to use it as a weapon, they take the damage it would have dealt (as an improvised weapon).

The key is to get past a security spell on the lock it goes to

Sos

@Axoren I like this very much!

Axoren

This leaves them with a mystery that gets weirder as they investigate, but eventually leads them to a solution that satisfies them

doppelgreener

yeah, picking something reasonably obvious is nice and fine, as is picking something they were already speculating about.

given it's a dragon tooth i'd be inclined to make it an item of power they can actually make fun use of, but like BESW says, complicate it with flaws and drawbacks and/or the complication of someone else wanting or needing it

Axoren

I was thinking of using this exactly "mystery" with a Key Blade. Given that a lot of players know of Kingdom Hearts, I wanted to sort of put a twist on the item.

As a player tries to attune to it as a weapon, the more they feel like using it as one would either break it or hurt themselves, but they would know the enchantment does what it says it does.

The Key Blade would actually be needed to break through a barrier placed on a Clockwork to revive them (SotLD not D&D).

Rubiksmoose

10:16 PM

@BESW Note that the difference between Rockets on your feet and Rockets on your feet! is crucial.

Sos

so then the challenge is what should it open, or who was it from? The dragon would be OK, he could be enraged when he saw it. I'm not very keen on having people after them as they have it already.

@Rubiksmoose ahah yes, I noticed that too!

BESW

@Rubiksmoose It's a stunt I used for a character a few years ago:

Thomas Markov

I like that rapunzel question.

BESW

> ROCKET BOOTS (hardware Megastunt)
Function: Rockets on my feet
Flaw: Rockets on my feet!
AERIAL ACROBATICS You get +2 to create advantages with Vehicles while airborne.
AIR SUPERIORITY You get +2 to attack with Combat while airborne.
LIKE A LEAF IN THE WIND You can use Vehicles instead of Athletics to defend while airborne and you get +1 to do so.

Rubiksmoose

@BESW I love it!

Axoren

10:19 PM

Given the Dragon Tooth angle, it could be used as a source of Draconic power while not used for the source. It would open or activate something that needs Draconic Energy. Could be a Dracolich tooth, which has enough potential to literally drive the Dracolich to chase the party.

Draconic Power from an evil dragon could corrupt and influence the party in small amounts, or those closest to the party.

Suddenly, dragon cultist appear everywhere the party is

MikeQ

D&D = Dungeons & Dentists

The heroes must go on an epic quest to collect all the magic teeth, and combine them into a perfect smile

Sos

gotta catch'em all

Axoren

@MikeQ The smile is of a Dracolich and this is the ritual to destroy his phylactery.

BESW

@Sos Oh that reminds me to back Monster Care Squad.

Sos

wow this is pretty!

@Axoren, the dragon tooth angle sounds great given my setting, I think I will go with it. I have 1 week until the session, so I'll give it some thought.

The only drawback is that it will be finished at the end of this campaign (they will be level 6ish I believe, when they must face the dragon), so I need to find some continuation for the campaigns after. But that is a while away, so it's a future me problem.

Axoren

10:24 PM

they find another tooth

Sos

ahahahaha

Axoren

it's bigger

Rubiksmoose

Jaw Strength
Charismatic Smile
Wisdom Teeth
Int Toothpaste
CONtrived teeth puns

BESW

@Sos I'm a fan of letting campaigns stop when they reach a natural conclusion, and starting a new game. It takes a lot of the pressure off the whole group to keep doing the one thing forever.

Sos

@BESW true! I need to learn how these things go, this is the first campaign I'm DMing. I'm following a pre-writen story (Dragon of Icespire Peak), and read that there are a few continuation stories available too

BESW

10:26 PM

You can use a new system tell different kinds of stories with the same characters, or make new characters in the same setting, or try something else entirely. There's so many TRPGs out there I can't imagine just staying with one for more than a couple of months anymore.

Sos

Sadly, we don't play so frequently. it will be 3 weeks between 1st and 2nd session

Someone_Evil

@Rubiksmoose Could you not get your teeth into a Dexterity pun?

Sos

so it will take ages unless they are willing to make it more frequent

Rubiksmoose

@Someone_Evil I couldn't and then I hit enter accidentally lol

Fate decided that the Dex pun wasn't happening.

BESW

Oh wow, that kind of discontinuity is a really great opportunity to do one-shots in lots of different systems instead of trying to force the group to fit a system like D&D which sort of assumes weekly refreshers of all its bits.

Axoren

10:28 PM

@Sos I recommend only following through with WotC's recommended continuations only if the players are enjoying the kind of story that's coming of it. Never be afraid to go from one module in one campaign to another module of another campaign.

Rubiksmoose

Really I just wanted to make a Wisdom tooth pun....

Sos

@BESW @Axoren thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate it!

Axoren

You'd be amazed how literally any low-level campaign can seamlessly shift into Curse of Strahd.

2

Sos

Thanks a lot everyone for all the tips! I wrote it all down, will come back to it in the coming days with a clearer head :) thanks so much!

Thomas Markov

@Axoren wouldn’t it be cool to start descent into Avernus and then when you go to Avernus be like “nah fam this is Barovia haha gitrekt”

BESW

10:34 PM

Happy to help! And we'd love to hear how it's working out for you!

Thomas Markov

You could do it every campaign.

Axoren

You're like halfway through hell and you end up in Strahd's personal hell.

Mines of Phandelver? You break through into Barovia.

Thomas Markov

Salt marsh: your ship wrecks you wash up on...a gravel road in Barovia.

Axoren

Homebrew campaign? You mean Neo Barovia?

Thomas Markov

Barovia is also perfect for a DnD adaptation of inception.

Half way through CoS you wake up...on a gravel road in Barovia, you just escape Barovia to get back to Barovia to back to Faerun.

MikeQ

10:39 PM

And once they challenge Strahd, the only way to defeat him is for the PCs to play through his tabletop campaign

Axoren

@MikeQ And he allowed ALL HOMEBREW

Strahd hands you a laptop currently loaded up and on dandwiki

"The only thing I won't allow is the Jedi Master Prestige Class."

Man, I just realized how emotionally wrong it would be to make a villain who could only be killed once he experiences true friendship.

MikeQ

The real villain is the... wait, uh...

Apr 1 '19 at 18:37, by Yuuki

The real tarrasque was the friends we made along the way.

Axoren

I mean, could you blame us? Giant motherf***ing turtle!

BESW

Axoren

Wait, I read that as "The real friends were the tarrasque we made along the way."

BESW

10:47 PM

@Axoren I have notes toward that game.

It's based on an episode of TMNT 2012.

Axoren

Yuuki's quote, not BESW's comic post.

@BESW Really? I'm kind of curious how that worked

Was it Shredder?

Not familiar with TMNT 2012

MikeQ

Is that when the tarrasque swam across an ocean to get the empire's magic mineral medicine?

Axoren

Tarrasque just wanted to lay eggs on the coast.

You know, next to the village.

BESW

@Axoren Hah, no, it's Tokka. The later seasons of TMNT 2012 dig into the wildest parts of TMNT lore.

doppelgreener

@BESW or were the real friends the monsters we made along the way?

Axoren

10:51 PM

@BESW Mind you, my distinction was villain killed not villain defeated

Villains being defeated by true friendship is absolutely warm and snuggly

BESW

@Axoren I was responding to "The real friends were the tarrasque we made along the way."

Axoren

OH

That makes so much more sense.

I couldn't imagine anyone dying in TMNT

BESW

Oh, TMNT 2012 would blow your mind.

Axoren

Is it up anywhere for legal streaming?

BESW

I dunno, I haven't watched it in years.

It's a Nick show, so start there?

Axoren

10:55 PM

Oh no! It's in Barovia.

Kidding, it's available on Hulu

BESW

The first season is a bit slow to start, they take a while to find their feet.

I feel like it really grew the beard at the end of season two, and from there it just took off gonzo.

Himitsu_no_Yami

Just went through the true ending of paperclips

dismantled everything

Axoren

That's why it felt to me like you didn't finish the game

Himitsu_no_Yami

but by dismantling everything, I managed to make another 100 paperclips

Axoren

Maximize the utility function

max-100 is not max

Hot RPG Questions

11:15 PM

9

Q: Can a sorcerer with Spell Sniper use Distant Spell to cast a touch-range spell requiring a melee attack roll from a range of 60 feet?

Our use case spell will be inflict wounds (available to evil divine soul sorcerer): Make a melee spell attack against a creature you can reach. On a hit, the target takes 3d10 necrotic damage. The sorcerer's metamagic distant spell says: When you cast a spell that has a range of touch, you can...

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BESW

The Enbies Awards 2020 hosted by Zargo Games. If you're nonbinary and you make tabletop rpgs or tabletop rpg content, submit your games to the Enbies! Categories aren't decided yet so submit your category ideas with your games!

2

AncientSwordRage

@BESW except season six :(

also I voted on the WB twitter poll

BESW

Indie dev spaces are talking about pricing games.

Rob Donoghue wrote a twitter thread about why the excess of games is a reason for you to raise the price of your game, not lower it.

Quinn Murphy wrote a twitter thread about why cheap/free should be considerations, not the ground floor.

Himitsu_no_Yami

Now that I'm done with paperclips, I'm playing a new game. It's called A Dark Room

BESW

Remiel Garreau wrote a Google document breaking down the elements of Blades in the Dark’s playbook design into simple, explicit designs, in order to make building your own easier!

Amr Ammourazz wrote thoughts (twitter link) about the threshold for considering oneself a game designer.

user15026

11:39 PM

@BESW Can I just say that I adore this exists?

BESW

@Ash It's so good.

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