I read through the first ~hour of this room and there is so much I don't understand. So I think I'll need to read the rulebook linked there (which anyway it's usually a good idea before starting a game, I've found). I can't just at the moment, though.
Like, just for example, you said, to explain how dice work, "in 5th you roll a d20 and then add modifiers". I know what a d20 is, but what's a modifier?
A "modifier" is a word for the bonuses (and maybe negatives) that you add to the d20 after you roll it. So for example, attack rolls have special attack modifiers that you calculate with character stats :)
Okay - we've covered modifiers, so now I will explain the Premise of D&D. The premise is that there is a Dungeon Master (DM) and some players (PCs), and the DM makes a world and the players make player characters that go on adventures in the world. It's a game of cooperative storytelling and the goal is to have fun.
So each player makes their own character, and each character has their own race, class, stats, attributes, etc. that you make during character creation.
So after you pick Race, you move on to Class, which is exactly what you'd expect - Fighter, Cleric, Bard, etc. This determines your spells, powers, weapons, etc.
I don't know what a paladin is (perhaps I should look it up). Not the difference between a sorcerer and a warlock, or a cleric and a monk. And anyway I'm afraid I've got to run. Be back a bit later
I have to have an "unfamiliar (to people from here) ritual" so, I was thinking of studying the patterns in my rather chaotic Book of Shadows - which may sometimes include whatever weird request Nathair has today.
I think I met a nice priest (?) of Pan (they gave me the bracelet) and one day they went into town and didn't come back. And so I look for them. Does that count?
Personality Traits: Shy, but always up for a ramble about stonework. Loves friends fiercely. Optimistic due to faith. Ideals: Help those who need it, even if it's hard Bonds: I look for the priest who gave me my bracelet Flaws: Too trusting of religious leaders
i got one of each for the last three
thinking that Flaw might work nicely with my Bond :D
We should probably go to bed soon, but if you're around tomorrow we can discuss more Character Stuff and i can start doing some worldbuilding/Plot Planning stuff :)
Usually, most PCs rely solely on their Dexterity ability score modifier for their initiative; however, there are ways to get bonuses to initiative. How high can this bonus get?
For example, there's the Alert feat (PHB, pg. 165):
Always on the lookout for danger, you gain the following benefits:
...
@Sciborg thanks for the list of classes. Bard sounds good. Is there anything else I should read from when I was last in here? There's been a lot of chat. :-)
No worries - you were just going through the steps of building a character (pg 8 of the PDF).
Step 1 was the race - and you chose human :)
Step 2 is class - and you chose Bard... which is cool because that class has the feature of being able to use their musical talent to make other people inspired to do better!
Kithri Tealeaf. Lawful Good. 19 years old, lightfooted halfling. Two and a half feet tall. Brown hair worn shoulder length, with hazel eyes. Two small circular scars on her right elbow, and a long jagged scar down her right leg.
Spent every minute possible in the outdoors, teaching herself everything - staying out for months at a time. Naturally curious and loves to explore. Her parents live in a town with other races.
Open and talkative to other people, but if asked about a SO she immediately clams up.
Most of mine is up there in very spread out chunks ^^:
"Ink" (real name Moon Sight Forest Walker, but doesn't use that any more), a Chaotic Good 18 year old tabaxi (cat-person). Very tall and wiry (6'4") with fur that used to be snow leopard colouring but 2/3 of which is now inverted (black with white rosettes) and one eye is now purple instead of silver.
2
Also has strange habits (from far distant lands), and even though overly curious (to a Flaw) tends to be quite reserved and awkward around new people (who they think have a problem with "evil eye", though it may just be a talking cat person!). Holds that friends are more important than rules or laws or even possessions. Mostly just keeps their moonstone pendant as a moment of home and as an arcane focus, and their weirdly alive Book of Shadows... nothing else is that important.
@Graylocke Actually, I do have a question. I see the word "cantrip" being thrown about here and there in this chatroom. I'm sure I can Google it, and feel free to tell me to do so, but what's a cantrip?
Oh, sorry, I thought your description ended with "silver". Didn't mean to interrupt it.
@msh210 Sure :) A cantrip is a spell that is specifically level 0. Not only that you can cast it as many times a day as you like. It tends to be a minor magical effect.
It was done after that paragraph (stupid shift+enter) :)
Oh right - so as your character gains experience points for overcoming various challenges... (with the rest of us in the group!) ... you gain levels which get you better skills and abilities, etc.
Spells are also tied to levels, so you need to achieve certain character levels before you can get certain spell levels.
Hm - well Ink has some :) One is called "Mage Hand" - it creates a ghostly floating hand that can't move very far away and can't lift really heavy things, but it can pick up small objects or push buttons or pull levers, etc at a distance
Okay. I'd obviously want to know what they do before I pick two. You've already explained Mage Hand. (Again, feel free to tell me to Google. Or maybe it's in the rulebook, which I just downloaded and holy mother of Gargantua, it's 293 pages long
So Blade Ward is a defensive spell, Dancing Lights makes little will-o-wisp type lights (I have that one!), Friends charms someone into liking you (until the spell wears off!), Light lights up an area, Mage Hand I explained, Mending lets you fix simple things that are broken without tools,
Message sends a whispered phrase to someone you can see, Minor Illusion is a simple illusionary trick, Prestidigitation is the multi-purpose cantrip, True Strike lets you amp up your next hit to be more likely to hit, Vicious Mockery I think is a psychic attack spell
(pants)
That's the quick and dirty summary from off the top of my head >.>;
And the rulebook is huge, yes... but you don't need to understand all of it to play :) Only Mick need worry about that ;p
Sorry, what's prestidigitation? (And I searched for "mage hand" in the book, and it doesn't explain it. It lists it among spells, and it explains what happens to it at higher levels, but it doesn't explain what it does from the outset. Unless I missed it.)
Right Prestidigitation is kind of like the swiss army knife of cantrips. It does one of any number of very tiny magical effects. Mostly anything that you would expect a conjurer to do?
Cool. I assume you have a limited number of "action"s, or a limited number per turn, or something? (Since it says you can do something "as an action".)
So to handle how everything is happening "at once"... time gets divided up and everyone has to say what they do each turn, and you only get a certain number of actions (of certain types) each turn. I will let Mick explain that in context when it happens ;p
Most spells take up the primary action in your turn, is the main thrust
So "1 action" is the standard.
So comparing to Mage Hand:
It's also a single action, it has fewer range requirements, but it doesn't last as long and has a more specific effect.
A more interesting question - what instrument do you play? :P
