TRPG General Chat - 2021-01-10

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Hot RPG Questions

1:00 AM

2

Q: Is "a special melee attack" an actual game term?

PHB page 195 mentions "special melee attack" when talking about Grapple and Shove: you can make a special melee attack to shove a creature you can use the Attack action to make a special melee attack, a grapple It uses words "make a special melee attack" like it is a thing in 5e, however, nowhe...

1:15 AM

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2 hours later…

Hot RPG Questions

3:30 AM

5

Q: How does the Order of Scribes feature Awakened Spellbook work with multiple damage types?

Awakened Spellbook, a level 3 Order of Scribes feature, says the following: When you cast a wizard spell with a spell slot, you can temporarily replace its damage type with a type that appears in another spell in your spellbook, which magically alters the spell's formula for this casting only. T...

dnd-5e spells wizard

8 hours later…

AncientSwordRage

11:23 AM

@HotRPGQuestions missread that at first

11:47 AM

@AncientSwordRage Awkward Spellbook?

AncientSwordRage

12:01 PM

@BESW it talking about replacing a spells damage type with another, but the issue is if the cast spell have multiple types instead of the copied spell

12:33 PM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Blacklisted website in answer (93): Is there any difference between Studded Leather and Breastplate if my AC is the same with both? by MST.FAZILA KHATUN on rpg.SE (@Rubiksmoose)

I accidentially approved this suggested edit via missclick rpg.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/71034 would be neat if somebody else rejects it.

AncientSwordRage

12:51 PM

@BESW I mean an awkward spell book would be interesting from a roleplaying point of view

It'd make a fun trouble aspect in Fate.

AncientSwordRage

1:12 PM

@BESW exactly what I was thinking

I was also wondering for a while about different skills for different magic systems in fate

Oh? There's a lot of different ways I've seen.

AncientSwordRage

I'm still super used to Vancean/Pseudo-Vancean systems which makes how fate handles it a little intimidating to me

All depends on the nature of magic in the game.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW provoke based magic seemed like an interesting idea

> Magically annoying. Because I'm supernaturally punchable, I don't need to have leverage on someone to justify targeting them with Provoke.

> Anger is in the air. Because I'm overflowing with rage I can use Provoke to create advantages by making people lash out irrationally, without interacting with the target(s) directly.

@AncientSwordRage A more "traditional" approach might be DFRPG, where magic consists of two dedicated skills: one for gathering power and one for controlling the power. On-the-fly magic's power is limited to however much you can roll with a single action, while ritual power can gather power over multiple rolls.

Once you've got the power, a successful control check lets you use the power to create a supernatural effect--usually something you could have done with a regular skill check if you had ranks in that, but faster/stronger/at a distance/without tools/etc.

A failed control check means the power either burns you (take stress/consequences) or is expressed as an uncontrolled attack on the environment (the GM gets to blow stuff up). Your choice.

Or DFA, where you use magic by taking a stunt that specifies an approach (Force, Guile, Intellect, etc) and an element (Fire, Blood, Ghost, etc) and now you can use that approach to achieve magical effects with that element.

AncientSwordRage

1:29 PM

@BESW I was thinking more provoking magic itself into spells

@AncientSwordRage Oh, I'm a big fan of magic that's not a passive resource!

AncientSwordRage

@BESW or even ... What's the larceny skill in Fate? Stealing magic

I'll have to look into DFRPG and DFA

I once messed around with an idea of a "magician" whose actual magical ability was just being able to talk with the animating spirits of objects. The magical effects he produced were the result of cajoling, bargaining, provoking those spirits to do things they wouldn't normally

Like talking the spirit of a fire into not burning him up... or into spreading into a conflagration.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW sounds cool

Or hot should I say

I'm very interested in the skill used to control magic not limiting what you can do with said magic though

Spirits are easier to convince to do things that are in their nature. Doors like to let people through them, so it's easier to talk a locked door into opening than to talk a door into locking behind you.

AncientSwordRage

1:33 PM

Like the lore examples on the srd, isn't limited to being supernaturally good at lore

@BESW now I'm imagining a lock and a door arguing at cross purposes

"I'm meant to stay locked!" "Yeah, but what's the point of a door if it never opens!"

[grin]

So, actually, using Provoke on magic itself... Heh. I'd mash together Shadowcraft magic with War of Ashes deific attention for that one.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW those are definitely words

Take a stunt that lets you use Provoke to prod a particular spirit/pantheon/elemental parliament/whatever into doing things for you. The stunt also gives you a new set of consequences that represent the power's ire.

You always succeed at the magic you attempt, but if you fail the roll then you must soak the difference in stress by filling in your Ire consequences to represent how ticked-off the powers are at you.

....Hmm.

AncientSwordRage

@BESW sounds rad

Might have fun with a kind of dual forces warlocky magic.

You've got a patron with an agenda and you have to use Provoke to convince them to let you use your power if it doesn't seem to go along with that agenda.

And you clear your Upset Patron consequences by going out of your way to support their agenda.

AncientSwordRage

1:45 PM

I'm really big on warlocks as character concepts, becuase they come with built in conflict

"Yes, technically as the Queen of the Dead I can let you raise zombies but really we're more about putting souls to REST..."

"WHY are you putting out that forest fire that is NOT why I gave you the Power of Flame young man."

"You're helping... a librarian... recover lost books... to make available to the public. It's like I don't know you anymore, what happened to the woman who signed a pact with the GOD OF SECRETS."

@AncientSwordRage Yea! This is also one of the reasons why I was so awed by Apocalypse World, most of the playbooks (class-equivalents) come with some in-built source of problems that is usually largely customizable by the player.

AncientSwordRage

So, to pivot, another idea I had was playing a duelist who was freed from jail for winning duels for a disgraced noble man (something Shad discussed once on his YouTube channel).

You wanted to be freed from jail, so you did the duels, but now you're also associated with the disgraced nobleman

Medieval Misconceptions: TRIAL BY COMBAT, the Judicial Duel

That's another way I thought of building in conflict

I had a D&D game where a culture that worshipped Kord did trial by combat. Your lawyers fought each other on your behalf in a sanctified non-lethal ceremony that really was (usually, if the priest-judge wasn't bribed) guided by Kord.

(Kord was a hold-my-beer-and-watch-this kind of god, impressed by feats of daring and skill.)

I find, though, that the best kinds of conflict are ones which manifest even when nobody's around. Disgraced by association has more bite if your character is driven by that shame even when nobody around knows or cares.

AncientSwordRage

2:33 PM

@BESW good points

> hold-my-beer-and-watch-this kind of god

That's epic

4 hours later…

TheDragonOfFlame

6:04 PM

I like how my most popular answer (rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/169193/…) is my simplest answer

Whereas what I would consider one of my best answers (rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/176103/…) has only 4 upvotes

6:31 PM

@TheDragonOfFlame You think that's bad, my most upvoted answer is about salt

TheDragonOfFlame

@RevenantBacon XD

I mean it's a good answer

AncientSwordRage

6:51 PM

@kviiri does that tie I to the world/mechanics in any way?

My most upvoted answer is my favourite

44

A: How do I stop my PCs from acting like insomniac monkeys on crack?

It looks like they're being irrational more than anything: "Yeah we are up at 3AM, so...?" so as you said hand waiving won't do anything. They want in-game results, with out of game expectations. Here are some ideas to bring them back to reality in-game. Curfew: Because of the disturbances they...

7:14 PM

@AncientSwordRage Yep, although the extent and precise way depends on the particular playbook

AncientSwordRage

7:25 PM

@kviiri so it's tied to the playbook then...?

7:52 PM

Me and @NautArch operating on the same wavelength

With no communication, Naut closed a question as a duplicate at the same time I bountied the target for updated answers. Go team.

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

What skin tones can firbolgs have?

I finished the mechanical part of my character and now I need to do the backstory

but the DM is probably busy

The name generator gave me Morris, which I found hilarious because it's a valid human name

8:09 PM

I can’t find a reference.

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

OK thanks for trying

The image in Volo’s is grey.

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

I went with forest green eyes since I'm playing a druid

Is Volo's in color?

Yes

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

I'm a total noob and don't know what Volo's is

8:10 PM

Volos guide to monsters

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

They're playable though

Book that first printed the firbolg race

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

I'm playing a firbolg druid

Yeah, Volos includes several playable races

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

Trying to think of what a forest-dwelling race would look like

8:11 PM

Caduceus Clay from critical role is light greenish

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

I went with green for the eyes though

I just used a name generator for my character

I ended up with Morris

which made me laugh

becaue that's a valid human name

but it was in the firbolg name generator

I could go green skin green eyes

The more green, the more at one with the forest you are

just ask any sloth

what's a good shade of green for this idea?

MOss green

IS there a word for the shade of brown a platypus is?

because that's what I want the hair to be

just brown apparently

thanks @TheDragonOfFlame

@ThomasMarkov

sorry Dragon

Didn't mean to ping you

Hmmm

@AncientSwordRage Yep! Eg. If your character is a Hocus, they'll run a cult (or similar). The player gets to choose stuff at chargen about it, which influences possible problems with it.

Then, every session, they roll to see if the cult is doing well, or having problems, or both.

@BESW This reminds of the way magic works in the Eldritch Horror boardgame: casting a spell always succeeds, but you make a Lore check to see what consequences you suffer (which may include discarding the spell after casting it).

By default, the Hocus'll have desertions in want: that's a cue for the GM to throw in opportunities for the Hocus to retain their shaky membership when things go bad.

But the player can choose other outcomes too, eg. the followers might consider the Hocus responsible for them and aggressively demand help (or else...!) of there is trouble

The playbooks are free so you can check out what kind of stuff there is for free

Feb 1 '19 at 14:53, by kviiri

@Rob Check out the playbooks Hardholder, Hocus and Maestro'd in particular from this PDF

1 hour later…

TheDragonOfFlame

9:57 PM

@ThePuzzlingPlatypus You are so utterly graciously welcome. I would do it again in a heartbeat, over and over, no care for the consequences- oh

AncientSwordRage

10:37 PM

@kviiri sounds a lot like upkeep to me, but I'll look at those playbooks at some point

I wonder if any RPG systems use material spell components as a resource, like you can cast X spells before you need to forage for more ingredients.

@AncientSwordRage I'll guess GURPS might, as there's a lot of simulationism / crunch that can be had in that tool kit: since I barely got to play it at all when it came out that's only a guess. I think we have a few GURPS experts floating about, they might be able to cofirm or deny.

Hot RPG Questions

3

Q: When aiming to roll for a 50/50, does the die size matter?

I noticed how D&D 5e's Hexblade Warlock subclass feature Armor of Hexes imposes a chance to miss regardless of the attacker's roll. That chance is based on a d6: if it's a 4 or higher it misses, and anything else it hits if the attack should have hit. To my understanding, this is simply a 50/50 r...

statistics dice

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

@KorvinStarmast There's over a dozen magic systems in GURPS, I don't remember which of them focus on material components as a resource.

Checking Thaumatology is probably the best bet for finding one that does though.

10:52 PM

@AncientSwordRage There's a pretty simple resource track concept I've seen a lot of variations on. The Fate iteration would be that one of the "costs" you can take if you want to succeed at cost, is to mark a box on a stress track that only clears when you take action to renew that resource.

AncientSwordRage

@KorvinStarmast @BESW that's interesting

If you want to be more aggressive about it, just have a single "out of components" condition that you can check to succeed after a failed roll.

AncientSwordRage

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica I'll look

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

@AncientSwordRage Thaumatology is more of a collection of ideas and raw framework with the expectation of GMs fine-tuning them. Here's one example on page 35:

> Examples: Another way to discourage Missile spells is to require complex alchemical ingredients that push the cash cost far above that of standard missile weapons. The GM could limit Healing spells similarly, ruling that repairing something as intricate as living flesh requires the expenditure of permanent resources; e.g., $200 worth of alchemical potions per HP restored, or a unit of “congealed magic” per casting.

Or just have the condition and don't tie it to any mechanics at all, like how Lady Blackbird handles "need fuel" and "need supplies."

@AncientSwordRage Alternately, instead of having material components be a thing that you gather and use for every spell and then run out of, DFRPG has them be a rare thing that you customize beforehand for a specific spell in order to give that spell a particular effect you'd struggle to accomplish without it.

11:07 PM

Morning all

AncientSwordRage

@Ben morning to you!

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica @BESW all these are good ideas

Like anything else, look to the story you're telling and the way you want the table to experience it.

vicky_molokh- unsilence Monica

@AncientSwordRage Are you looking for a specific worldbuilding feature, like how the economy and spellcasters influence each other in day to day activities?

You get a much different effect from a slow grind of running out a resource track, than a sudden "oops all gone" mechanic. If it's relatively easy to replenish the track, then make sure that replenishing is fun or fast at the table because replenishing actions will happen a lot more than actually running out does.

BTW, the Fir Bolg are the descendants of the Muintir Nemid, the followers of Neimheadh, the third group to settle Ireland. According to legend they spent two hundred years as slaves in Greece before escaping and returning to rule Ireland until the Tuath Dé (exiled at the same time) also returned and overthrew them. So... human skin tones?

How was /is everyone's weekend going?

11:20 PM

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11:35 PM

@Ben rainy and wet. 2.5 to 3 inches today since 4 AM. Dogs trying to track mud into the house. Otherwise, homemade cornbread and home made chili - great cold day food.

@KorvinStarmast I'll swap you. 37 degree c here today. Hottest day for nearly a year.

@linksassin we have enough of those each summer that I'll pass on your kind offer. 😎 I like the brief interlude we have with chili weather (spelling intentional)

hey there @linksassin -- haven't seen you about for a while, how've things been?

@Shalvenay Not too bad. I've been a bit absent from the chat rooms over christmas break. I was trying to have a minimum of screen time while I wasn't working.

@linksassin fair enough

11:43 PM

@Shalvenay How about you?

@linksassin doing OK I suppose, still need to figure out what utility power to give the cleric I'm making for the 4e game TDOF and co are organizing

@Shalvenay What level?

@Shalvenay Can't help you there. I've never played or seen 4e.

@BESW L3

and the problem is "pick one" :P

So a level 2 utility.

11:54 PM

aye, indeed

Shield of Faith is one of the best non-build-specific options, especially after the DR 399 errata which makes it a minor action.

AncientSwordRage

@vicky_molokh-unsilenceMonica no, just curious about RPG systems

@BESW I'll keep that in mind!

@linksassin be thankful you don't have our humidity XD

Bless is good if you don't have a lot of other power bonuses that won't stack with it.

Sudden Inspiration is a nicely versatile supporting-other-people option.

Otherwise, barring build-specific synergy, you might find something in racial or skill utilities?

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Jan '2110

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