Heh. I recently got a downvote and some interesting comments because I gave an answer that assumed "normal" campaigns weren't full of self-aggrandizing jerkfaces.
Homebrew balance questions are totally kosher provided they're presented in the framework of the site's "can be answered, doesn't invite debate" criteria.
There is a Changeling: the Lost supplement going by the title The Equinox Road. It deals in the Changeling endgame; that is, the Third Act when characters bask in the full flower of their potential and face down enemies and plot lines that are truly epic and catastrophic. That part is going to be precisely useless to you.
However, it has two sections that could be incredibly inspiring and/or useful. The first is their chapter on the True Fae - nigh-omnipotent beings which must paradoxically reduce their power in order to exist at all. True Fae require narrative conflict in order to survive and their entire political, social, and even ecological existence revolves around telling stories that manifest as hideous reality, devouring each other's souls with Legends.
I thought it was good because instead of saying, for example, "Don't use conditional bonuses," you made it clear why you thought they should be avoided.
The trick with stacking templates has always been to do so in the correct order, as they change the type of creature, and many of them don't apply to all types. That said, the dreaded pink dragons (red half-white dragons, immune to fire and cold damage) are indeed dreaded.
especially when it happens in a game that expected you to only win because you knew the weakness of what you were fighting for the first half or so of the game
Hah. At an Ars LARP Brian ran, and had the absence of mind to invite me to be an npc "jester", I assaulted some players with illusionary zombies. Players threw all sorts of magic at them, from fireballs to custom made dezomibifications, and it all failed to affect them in the slightest. Players concluded they were too powerful.
Well, normally people take a couple of swings at illusions and figure it out. Magi don't do that. They throw spells at them that target bodies, and spells fail, and OMG WAT IS HAPPENING.
@trogdor Properly built shadowcaster can emulate any evocation or summoning spells with his illusions (insane versatility), and they are 120% real when revealed to be illusions. "Go on, disbelieve it, punk, make my day."
If a shadow(mage?) prepares one 4th-level illusion spell, he can at the moment of casting choose any summoning or evocation spell of 3rd level or lower for it to mimic.
So that's the tradeoff from sorcerer then. Fewer spell slots (due to the spell level bump) but a much wider spell selection, which is where sorcerers are usually stumped.
Yeah.... actually a sorcerer who goes into shadowmage can be pretty powerful.
Since the limited spell selection stops being a problem.
However, because sorcerers get spells a level behind most other casters, and shadowmages are mimicking spells a level below the slots, his potential might be crippled anyway.
Of all the stupid 3ed builds, I most regret not playing a MMMage. He was almost legit, required a prestige class from Dragon Compendium and DM allowing Chain Missile (Spell Compendium) to be treated as a Magic Missile, which it was, just higher level. He'd take other prestige classes to do with force effects, and stock up on metamagic. All he'd ever cast would be MMs (with extra missiles and extra damage on each one), metamagiced to whatever level.
I estimated about 200 damage off high level slots, which don't require an attack roll, don't allow a save or SR, and pass through Shield. Plus he'd have all sorts of nifty force tricks, but that's incidental
Not the highest damage by far, but reliable. Plus I'd call all combinations of metamagic different names, and shout them as I cast them. Dragon Slap Missile! Inponderable Banana Missile!
I've a friend who did some work a few years ago for a mostly-reskinned Vegetable Monk variant, with remarkably silly fruit and veggie-based martial arts maneuvers.
the short version: take a conclusive ultrasound pick in a sealed envelope to your cake decorator, have them make a cake with pink or blue filling (depending on the picture). Invite all of your friends and relatives over and have a big moment where you cut the cake and all find out the sex of your child at once.
How should GMs deal with players who turtle or roach?
By turtle I am referring to players who obviously wanted to play because they joined the game, but when they're actually at the table they keep their heads in their shells. They're too intimidated or shy to actually role play. They just sit q...
I'm trying to figure out how to bring the line from Fate Core 31 into the issue without seeming like I endorse it as an excuse to abuse the poor guy.
> You must figure out why your character is going to keep getting involved in these more dangerous things. If you don’t, the GM is under no obligation to go out of her way to make the game work for you—she’ll be too busy with other players who made characters that have a reason to participate. (Fate Core 31)
The original shorts were quite astonishing in both good and bad ways, but generally are worth at least knowing about. Just watching a couple is more than enough, as they tend to be repetitious.
(Except the last season, which isn't really worth watching at all.)
Aeon Flux isn't supposed to have a plot or a satisfying conclusion. Of course, as a popular money-making film it must have both.
and just so you know. It's way way way easier for a mod to hit the "purge all comments" button than it is to try to pick their way through the field of bodies.
Esser-Z: Tulsa police say a woman came home to find her husband dead in the garage. Police said the man was found with his hands and feet bound and he had been decapitated. Police surrounded the home near 45th & Sheridan during the investigation. They told FOX23 they think the unusual death may have been a suicide.
@waxeagle I have found that dropping a "why I downvoted or didn't upvote" comment is often helpful, if I can be specific about it and I think the answer has merit otherwise.
Huh. I don't object to the tag changes on my Changeling question but I am confused by them. Why was the nWoD tag added when I'm only asking about Changeling? Why was the [Mechanics] tag removed?
For example, a couple hours ago I left a comment on one of Sard's answers that made him realize he had presented his opinion in a way that came across contrary to his intent.
yeah.
I know I get derailed in comments sometimes, but I try to be aware of it.
The one case where I think it's "okay" for comments to turn more discussiony is if one of the participants doesn't have the rep to chat yet.
@BESW yeah. that's a very hard case. Mods can grant chat permissions to low rep users if it's needed. If I'm around I'm willing to do that as long as it's in a side room.
