dnd-discussion

[snow agate]

one of the best things is to include a singular mimic or a floor trap and then watch the movement pace of the party decrease by like 50%

[shy stirrup]

So, how do you scare players then?

[limber trail]

Typically int saves are used on illusory magic where it’s your ability to rationalize what’s happening to you.

[uncut zenith]

Play a system designed to scare the players

[shy stirrup]

And by inference, 5e is not that system?

[snow agate]

hot take, dont

[uncut zenith]

Systems that don’t make the characters powerful heroes, like Call of Cthulhu. Where you’re playing relatively normal mortal people who could just run out of luck with a bad roll.

[lavish flame]

usually you're making a Wisdom save against being Frightened or Charmed and an Intelligence save against losing your intellect and decisionmaking and a Charisma save or have your body get possessed. Its rough for the mental saves. The ohysicals ones are usually just "damage"

[shy stirrup]

No? Why?

[silk hare]

Question: "When is a door not a door?"

A1: when its ajar?
A2: when its just a portal?

Nah, when its a mimic :))

[snow agate]

you're brave adventurers. other people are supposed to be scared, not you

[hollow stone]

yea, in 5e a lot of the futility that causes fear is actually just futility that causes frustration

[lavish flame]

Walk up behind them, jostle their shoulders and shout. Usually a player gets scared by that.

Don't do that though

[silk hare]

use things like music and lighting if its in person

[snow agate]

the more real answer if you want to instill a sense of caution and fear is to have the environment punish mistakes severely. like a trapped dungeon.

[uncut zenith]

Some ways to make a campaign “spookier” for the players is to set the ambience if you’re playing in person. Play some creepy music, dim the lights, light some creepy candles, etc.

But that’s often a lot of work, and doesn’t translate as well for online play

[hollow stone]

you can also unsettle them by moving your hand extremely slowly, but closer and closer to their face, and then when they're in grabbing distance stop, and then jump your hand at them. i do this to my friends

[umbral girder]

All in the storytelling

[lavish flame]

Part of it is also having mechanical consequences for a Character experiencing the horror. If a Character has a deathly fear of fire, then something distinct should happen to them in the event that they're in a burning building or something.

[uncut zenith]

But like I said, D&D is inherently a game of heroic fantasy, so unless the players buy into the horror genre of a campaign, it won’t feel like a horror campaign

[silk hare]

or you could, yk, roll dice

[hollow stone]

or just keep decreasing the distance between your hand and their face until they ask you to stop, and then resume whatever you were doing like you didn't just do that

[shy stirrup]

And heroes never lose....right?

[silk hare]

just bc you roll them, not bc theres anything happening, just inquire about their actions in a weird way and roll dice

[snow agate]

the thing is if its outside of their control, it isnt scary, its fate. its just the dm dropping a monster in the room. its not up to them.
so you cant just drop a monster on them or a trap on them or tell them to be spooked. it needs to be their fault. they need to be able to prevent it if they make the right decisions. the fear of failure or the fear of destruction is your best choice. @shy stirrup

[uncut zenith]

They can, but we all know it’s difficult for PCs to lose in a D&D campaign

[valid geyser]

It’s hard for them to fairly lose I’d say

[shy stirrup]

Is it though? 🙂

[hollow stone]

no no, it's difficult to lose in a fun way

[silk hare]

the non newtonian gelatinous cube on both sides of a tunnel begs to differ

[silk hare]

this is more like it xD

[hollow stone]

it's easy to lose if you just deploy 44 billion tarasques

[shy stirrup]

So, how does one lose in a fun way?

[snow agate]

falling upon ones own sword

[silk hare]

if its a close fight, if theres partial satisfaction e.g. you stopped X evil, but died in the process I guess

[shy stirrup]

If by that you mean heroic sacrifice, for sure

[snow agate]

no

[silk hare]

also drowning a PC in a puddle bc they are drunk, is objectively just funny

altought Funny and Fun are also different

[uncut zenith]

Subjectively*

[snow agate]

dying to a serious mistake or a character flaw or weakness is a fair and entertaining death

[gray mortar]

Do keep in mind, normally when your goal is to "win" or kill the PCs as a DM... That tends to end badly

[snow agate]

hence ones own sword

[valid geyser]

I liked to say in a fair way because there’s very few fights that are won/lost by just a hair

[silk hare]

I mean the thought of someone missing 5+ rolls very badly and ending up in a puddle as a lvl 10+ character and dying that way is just funny

[hollow stone]

that's funny, fun is "My directives are to keep you alive. My directives are not to keep me alive. I will keep them back. You will get to the portal."

[lavish flame]

You know in The Fellowship of the Ring, how Boromir goes out swinging? That looked like a fun way to lose. I heard a story one time of a Monk sacrificing himself by holding back an army on a wooden bridge and letting his party detonate the bridge with him on it. Losing can be fun.

[hollow stone]

this is also fun

[valid geyser]

I’ve only ever felt that way in fights in like, older editions because the toughness is low. It’s an adrenaline rush when you’re winning but a streak of bad luck can be your end

[snow agate]

to have situations like these requires the dm to have the courage to not balance encounters and the players to have the wisdom to not bite off more than they can chew

[uncut zenith]

The other issue is that a “fun” character death is also entirely subjective

[shy stirrup]

So, find the courage 🙂
And for players, find the wisdom

[hollow stone]

losing needs to be meaningful and (emotionally) impactful

[lavish flame]

Yeah, some people won't like dying at all, regardless of the circumstances

[uncut zenith]

That’s why I appreciate that the new DMG even has guidance on alternative ways to handle a PC “death”.

[snow agate]

i already dont balance my settings, the world just exists and its up to the players to not be stupid with what they pick a fight with

[hollow stone]

i've been toying with the idea of running a campaign but balancing would be the problem for me, because my concept is that they're counter-terror, so the problems find them rather than they fabricating them

[shy stirrup]

Yes, death in quotation marks; alternate ways that aren't death, merely a temporary inconvenience

[lavish flame]

I do prefer it that way. I like seeding rumors around about places to avoid. "Avoid the mountain pass, thats Stone Giant territory." and stuff like that is always fun. I like making my party the forefront of the story, but not necessarily the world. They have to earn being the forefront of the world.

[noble mirage]

Guys can I tell you bout my campaign?

[silk hare]

#dm-discussion

[noble mirage]

Okay

[silk hare]

#tales-from-the-table

[snow agate]

so as an idea, counter-terror works terrifically in a system like cyberpunk 2020; it not only fits the setting, but the balancing of lethality and character progression means that its easier to have that kind of thing work, since it doesnt hinge on hp increases and a standard leveling system

[silk hare]

depending on what you want to tell people about

[shy stirrup]

"How do you scare your players" has, in my mind, an easy answer:
Put the characters (and NPCs) they love under threat, and make those threats not be empty ones

[lavish flame]

i think every single "stop the bad guy from destroying the world!!1!1" plot qualifies as counter-terrorism

[silk hare]

yup, just doesnt work if there isnt a lot of immersion from the side of the players

[lavish flame]

I don't think this makes fear, I think this makes worry

[snow agate]

i mean due to the difference of not needing to balance reactionary encounters (counter terror) for CR or level. cyberpunk 2020 doesnt have that, you just have skills, a couple features, money, and gear

[shy stirrup]

There's a fine line between worry and fear that can be easily crossed

[minor cargo]

I also don't think that makes the player scared. Like if my pretend paladin's pretend father is in pretend danger, that's not a source of fear, yeah?

I think what people were trying to drive at is that it's maybe more helpful to focus on how to make the pretend paladin believably be afraid? Yeah?

[lavish flame]

Again, you are not supposed to scare your friends at the D&D table. You are doing board game night together. People aren't supposed to be legimitely afraid of anything after playing a game with their friends.

[uncut zenith]

Agreed. There’s a difference between being scared and being stressed/anxious

[still plover]

They've got to care about the place and people they're trying to save. A village where they know folk is one thing, a world is kinda abstract.

[gray mortar]

Honestly, as a player who went though that, I was silently hoping it'd happen just so I can go back to focusing on the adventure. It's just.. "wow, these people I spent some time writing, but I really wanna focus on the world made."

[snow agate]

its also much more believable

if somethings threatening the world, why do we have to deal with it? somebody else can do it. if somebody's threatening the village? maybe we are the only ones ready and willing

[gray mortar]

Oh neat, this world had a custom potion mechanic... Oh yah, I can't do that because I have to go save Bob

[lavish flame]

Yeah, you can practically smell the grass in Phandalin by the end of Lost Mine of Phandelver. You can't really feel out any specific areas by the end of Tyranny of Dragons.

[snow agate]

lmop does a good job at getting you involved with the locality

[hollow stone]

yea this is kinda why i wanna do a counter-terror campaign, it isn't that nobody else CAN do this, it's that you are the somebody that does the this, it's that you ARE the help

[snow agate]

if you want to stick with dnd i think something like being monster hunting rangers, or knights of the realm, or maybe even go extraplanar and being holy forces could be cool for your campaign theming

[hollow stone]

do you think i could get away with a more Ready Or Not type of adventure, where they ARE the town guard, and a lot of people aren't fans of the fact that the town exists?

i also need to contemplate how to do this without it being too rail-roady

[snow agate]

yah tho that sounds more like a oneshot or very short campaign type of thing

[hollow stone]

yea i think doing a short or oneshot is probably best, i haven't DMed before, i just think thoughts

[limber trail]

For a one shot especially with a new group, a bit of railroading is expected to be honest

[hollow stone]

i mean naturally they can't have full freedom of choice, but i do need to invent more choices

[limber trail]

Maybe the choices are how to handle tasks

What’s the fantasy of being a town guard?

[still plover]

Well, there's a conspiracy at work, right? So you have these half-dozen episodic adventures where they do the town guard stuff in situations that keep escalating, picking up evidence of a greater threat behind the scenes.

What they do with that evidence is up to them.

[shy stirrup]

Being able to unironically say, "Stop right there, criminal scum!"

[hollow stone]

generally preventing malicious people from destroying the town that you've invested so many resources in learning to protect

[still plover]

Solving crimes, keeping order, getting the job done without a body count.

[limber trail]

Cool. I'd try pay some attention to that last part. make ppl care about the town and invest some resources in it

[still plover]

Sir Pratchett's City Watch arc.

[hollow stone]

they've been trained, armed, and are being paid to prevent these gradually escalating problems and that's what they should do, or they'll be "killed" (their character banished from the campaign bc they got fired for refusing to do their job)

[hollow stone]

this is also a thing, yea, getting themselves emotionally invested in the townspeople and wanting to see to their wellbeing

[still plover]

"Gods damnit Knome, you're a loose sphere of annihilation and there's no place for that in my squad! Badge and sword, now!"

[hollow stone]

yea, that too! if they choose to kill civilians or commit warcrimes that i'm going to telegraph that they really really should not be doing, they get in trouble at work and their lives get hard and they might get fired

[still plover]

Yeah, it's not your traditional setup. Set clear expectations in Session Zero or regret it later. I failed at that in a Star Trek game I ran once.

[hollow stone]

yea i gotta work on how to phrase my expectations in S0 so that they understand the expectations but don't feel super scared to do anything at all

it'll be hard to make a mistake, but when they do there'll be bug consequences

[burnt valley]

Is this like for a beginner's campaign?

[hollow stone]

i mean i'd be a beginner DM

i just wanna run something relatively simple and a bit short and kinda easy and then wallow in shame when i feel like i did a bad job

(this will happen regardless of if i do a good job)

[limber trail]

Oh Sarge, that’s a load of Dragon’s Breath! You know as well as I do that he was on Xanathar’s Electrum. And if you aren’t gonna help bring him in, then I’ll do it alone

[orchid root]

Im back from getting timed out for a hour

Lol i wanted to ask if you guys could tell me all about the games similar to dnd but without magic so I can study and put em in a list

[limber trail]

I’ve recently wrapped up a game of Stormwreck Isle. It’s a pretty fun adventure module that takes 3-5ish sessions to complete and is pretty modular

[orchid root]

Awesome

Erm guys i found a game of DND made by the creators that doesnt have magic

[idle oar]

Folks can do all sorts of homebrew including removing magic but… that’s a pretty big change to how D&D was designed.

But hey if that’s what that group wants to do and they think it will be fun, then good for them.

[atomic kayak]

Yea in a system level DnD very inherently has magic be a part of it

[valid geyser]

You mean chainmail? That’s more a war game

[limber trail]

Agreed - It’s pretty thoroughly ingrained, playing without magic really reduces you to fighters, rogues, monks, and barbarians, and most of those lose at least a few subclasses.

[valid geyser]

If you’re asking for historical combat RPGs. I can’t think of that many besides like general/universal systems

[karmic pendant]

the idea of dnd without magic is odd to me because almost all of the classes use it in some shape or form it

[nova trellis]

I do a magi-tech system where you find items that have their own magic list and some with even a basic spell progression. Similar to Final Fantasy 6.

[atomic kayak]

Not even, definitely not barb and monk. And only arguably fighter and rogue (who are still supernatural and superhuman even on a base level)

[knotty basin]

Why not barb?

Oh, wait, yeah

[valid geyser]

Barbarians have kind of a supernatural aspect to them

[karmic pendant]

i think barbarian rage is somewhat magic

[atomic kayak]

The system of dnd inherently assumes magic

If you are just calling all ttrpgs dnd then, while that is wrong, sure.

But dnd itself as a system 100% assumes magic. And not even low magic! Its a pretty moderate amount of magic even at minimum.

Its why "low magic" brews of dnd also require tons of alterations to the system

[valid geyser]

Yeah I think baseline it’s more middle of the road. Like magic is uncommon enough where you don’t expect to just buy magic items from a magic item store but that is kinda changing

[atomic kayak]

Thats more a matter of narrow vs wide

But yes it is shifting towards a slightly wider assumption of magic than previously, even though the levels of magic are staying pretty consistent

[orchid root]

Ik but the creators did it

[valid geyser]

True, they’re similar but not the same

[atomic kayak]

What are you referring to?

That space game that dropped with 0 fanfare a few months ago?

Because thats not dnd

[orchid root]

NO i looked it up and said there was a version of dnd w out magic

[atomic kayak]

There isnt

[orchid root]

If im not mistaken

[valid geyser]

Youre gonna need to be clearer on what that is

[orchid root]

Im talking about D20

[hollow stone]

that was me talking about how you can fabricate a DND without magic if you know enough words to unmagic

[orchid root]

No im talking about modern D20

I js saw ir

Using a specific D&D version or supplement
D20 Modern: This was a 3rd edition D&D version designed for a modern setting with no magic or supernatural requirements.
Everyday Heroes: A modern version of D&D for 5th edition with similar core mechanics, but a more grounded setting.
Adventures in Middle Earth: A 5th edition supplement from Cubicle7 that is built on a low-magic world inspired by Tolkien's work.
Iron Heroes: A 3rd party campaign setting that focuses on martial classes and a world where magic is absent.

[hollow stone]

Color Spray can be reduced to a can of mace, Fireball can be reduced to an impact grenade, Delayed Fireball can be reduced to a piece of C4 with self-retconning blast power

[orchid root]

I cant send a pic so here was it as a copy past

[valid geyser]

D20 modern is technically just its own thing semi compatible

Also not compatible with fifth edition for the record

[orchid root]

Wym semi compatible?

[limber trail]

This is kind of true for those spells but doing this for every spell and class feature will get tiresome quickly

[hollow stone]

yes, and i am willing to do that because i have chosen to do so

[valid geyser]

It’s built from the same framework of 3.5 but needs just rigging

[orchid root]

Ah okay so i can play d20 without magic?

Awsome

[limber trail]

I’ll also say, spells like wall of force, wish, teleport, etc begin to require a level of technology not every setting will have

[orchid root]

Does d20 have the campaign?

[orchid root]

Oh. Okay

[valid geyser]

Could you elaborate?

[hollow stone]

also true, we're gonna go from Battlefield 2042 to Black Ops 7 pretty fast lol

[orchid root]

Im saying if D20 modern has the campaign?

[valid geyser]

I still don’t get what you’re asking. Are you asking if pre written modules exist or if there’s an established setting or if there are games for it being played

[orchid root]

Nvm

[hollow stone]

this is a question, yes

[knotty pasture]

Tbh I can't believe we're still on this topic though, did we pivot back into dnd after establishing Starfinder as a great alternative for magic-less ttrpgs?

[hollow stone]

yea, for a time lol

[orchid root]

Can you guys tell me about games taht are very similar to dnd without magic so i can write it down

[knotty pasture]

Starfinder

[orchid root]

No i js saw a dnd thats no magic which is D20

[orchid root]

Peak

[knotty pasture]

Did starfinder not interest you

[orchid root]

It does im js saying

[uncut zenith]

Starfinder has magic disguised as psionics and advanced tech. It functions similarly to magic but without explicitly calling it magic.

[orchid root]

Anyways you guys can forget abt it i just need a list of games which are ttrpg without magic

[knotty pasture]

I swear we're going in circles

[knotty basin]

As a swashbuckler rogue, what can I do to reduce enemy’s speed? It’s kind of immersion breaking to be running 30 feet, stabbing someone, and running back

So I want to stay closer to them

[orchid root]

Bros breaking knees

[knotty pasture]

Does knockback count? Cuz you can stab > shove

Due to Rogue's low strength its basically sticking to them anyways

[knotty basin]

How would I get both on one turn?

[knotty pasture]

Wait nvm shove isn't a bonus action

[orchid root]

Imagine if guns were in dnd

[knotty pasture]

It is

[hollow stone]

deploy Ball Bearings

[valid geyser]

Starfinder has so much magic

[knotty pasture]

Not the ak47s you're thinking of but muskets do exist

Starfinder magic could be more easily disguised right? The whole dilemma started with this person's parents banning magic talk

[valid geyser]

Starfinder has spellcaster classes. It’s not hard sci it’s more in literally an alternate future for the pathfinder setting with space travel

[uncut zenith]

Yeah it’s still science fantasy

[hollow stone]

oh wait, Cyberpunk: Red lmao

[valid geyser]

Also I think asking for games with no magic is weird. The better question is probably asking for games that aren’t fantasy genre

[orchid root]

Cyberpunk is like?

[orchid root]

Maybe

[knotty basin]

Maybe I’ll take charger next level. Combined with slasher, I’ll have enemies effectively 20 feet away from me each hit

Then I can just move 15 feet back

[hollow stone]

it is literally Cyberpunk: 2077 as a TTRPG

[uncut zenith]

Also worth remembering that “magic” in TTRPGs is just an umbrella term for things that can happen even if they don’t logically make sense. Almost every TTRPG out there has some form of “magic” even if they don’t explicitly use that term.

[hollow stone]

made by the same people

[orchid root]

Welp/

[knotty basin]

Not sure if you‘ve read the convo so far, the issue is the term magic itself

[orchid root]

What about sci-fi?

[valid geyser]

Science fiction games like traveller have psychic powers. I guess that’s up to you if you feel like that’s magic or not

[hollow stone]

Cyberpunk: Red

[orchid root]

Bro im gonna j-

Istg

This is getting insanity for me i just wanna play some ttrpg games😭

[hollow stone]

you are choosing not to read whay i am saying

[valid geyser]

And supernatural stuff is a deal breaker?

[orchid root]

Mb

[knotty pasture]

Wait isn't superman related content basically magic in its own way

[knotty basin]

Holy, charger feat is going to be so strong on this character

[orchid root]

Nah

[knotty pasture]

Like there's characters in hero comics having psionic powers

[knotty basin]

My whole thing is running back and forth picking off enemies. It’s like a permanent +5 to all my damage rolls

[valid geyser]

and I have to mention that a lot of those systems that are non fantasy genre will have the more out there supernatural stuff on the side. D20 modern has a lot of rules for urban fantasy and magic stuff but it’s optional

[knotty pasture]

Surely that counts as magic right? I feel like standards kept shifting

[orchid root]

I think its better if we just leave it here

Il just search up dnd similar games without magic

I dont waannna get timed out again

And welp I killed chat

[uncut zenith]

You didn’t kill chat. People come and go as they can/please

[orchid root]

Ok

[knotty pasture]

Sorry I was busy doing zoo strats as Spores Druid

[orchid root]

Np

Rip fart buckle

[hollow stone]

Magic is science without an explanation
science is Magic with an explanation

[raw ocean]

Everything is fun until you get a player that uses “physics” to justify them doing 200 damage

Launching a sword using magic missile does NOT make it a bullet

[hollow stone]

i remember seeing some PBP game say that metals have an HP by surface area calculation

[valid geyser]

I guess at least I’m a pbp you’d have the time to figure that out

[raw ocean]

If my players bring any “calculations” to me, im instantly asking “Does your character have a PHD in mathematics?”

[knotty pasture]

Oh nah I know that's how we define it but Echo was going back and forth earlier with how magic was defined

Arcane and holy magic counts as magic, but psionics from shows like hero comics don't count

[hollow stone]

me fr if they wanna try to launch their sword using magic missile they'll have 2 consequences, which is that they roll to hit with Disadvantage and that they roll damage twice and take the lowest roll

if they get a kill with that i'll give them a trinket for it

[raw ocean]

Tell that to my party wizard that justified falling speed with weight = 700 force damage, guaranteed to hit

[knotty basin]

Magic missile doesn’t do that

[knotty basin]

Also not how falling damage works, nor what force damage is

[raw ocean]

But by “physics” and reason it does, leading me to hate those players

[prime fern]

Can someone help me im completely new and idk how to join a game

[knotty basin]

Just say no

[knotty basin]

and no, it doesn’t

[orchid root]

Back

I wanna add MISSLES NUKE MISSLES I would have to roll a 20 to do the max crit damage no?

[dark pewter]

To quote Chapter 1 of the DMG:

Rules Aren’t Physics. The rules of the game are meant to provide a fun game experience, not to describe the laws of physics in the worlds of D&D, let alone the real world.

[valid geyser]

Missiles aren’t a thing in the rules but you’re assuming a missile is an attack roll which it probably isn’t

[knotty basin]

I mean, nuclear missiles are homebrew so it’s up to you

[dark pewter]

Hey there! I'd recommend checking out #learn-to-play for some resources to learn, and #dnd-newcomers can help you get started with the basics!

[orchid root]

True but its a homebrewing

[orchid root]

Hi zeke

[valid geyser]

Why are you asking us how your own homebrew works

[orchid root]

I shall add AK 47s and it shall be a war theme

I shall choose what classes there should be

No mystical worlds just a battle ground you have to survive in

[knotty basin]

This will surely be balanced and not cause any issues at all

[dark pewter]

This sounds like it's getting into #homebrew territory, and I'm sure the folks over there would be happy to help balance and give feedback

[orchid root]

Thanks im making my own board of it

What was that i only said i wanted to base my board off ww2 no magical worlds and i choose what classes their is

Like if there is a enemy or a world class enemy and you have to do a assasination you have to roll a 10 or higher for it to work

If you roll a 20 or higher basically where there is multiple enemy’s or world class hits its basically game over for them and you get to choose what country you wanna control or make

Like i could make a random country outta nowhere and it could be the top 10 w advanced tech and healthy management basically anything could happen and its based off our real world it will start it ww2 and go on progressing on to whatever year you would like basically and you could make it a peaceful haven or make a whole war or a clickers from tlou

Welp thats all im gonna say i will probably release more as time go on

[humble cairn]

Sooo ... someone linked you the #homebrew channel because what you're doing is major homebrew and thus is off topic for this channel.

[orchid root]

Welp.

Mb il send it to homebrew later

[humble cairn]

But honestly it sounds to me like this isn't D&D at all.

[orchid root]

Well it will have some dnd elements in it

Like different enemy’s and building science like you could build a demogorgan from ST

[humble cairn]

But anyway, still off topic, so let's change the subject.

[orchid root]

Aight

[humble cairn]

I'm in a campaign that's been going for awhile, some players have come and gone, and we're just recently getting some returning players, playing their old characters who have gone through some drastic changes and are remade as new classes. It's honestly very interesting to see the changes.

[orchid root]

Roll20 or irl?

[humble cairn]

Neither. We're using DNDBeyond for character sheets and maps and Discord for voice chat.

[orchid root]

WHats dnd beyond?

[humble cairn]

Roll20 is only one Virtual Tabletop.

[orchid root]

Is dnd beyond like for irl?

[humble cairn]

The official D&D website, which also hosts a program that let's you make virtual character sheets: https://www.dndbeyond.com/

[orchid root]

Bet

So then how do you guys play?

[humble cairn]

I like Beyond for the character sheet builder, although it's not a good way to learn how to make characters. It's very very useful once you know at least the basics of the rules, because it keeps track of a lot of things automated.

[humble cairn]

Beyond has a virtual map program where we can see tokens on a map and move them around ourselves, which also links with our virtual character sheets and virtual dice roller. Then we use a private Discord server to voice chat with each other.

[orchid root]

So you guys play dnd by beyond basically

[humble cairn]

The generic term for an online service used to play is a Virtual Table Top (VTT). Roll20 is one such VTT, Beyond is another, Fantasy Grounds is a third.

[humble cairn]

Yes we play on Beyond.

[orchid root]

Ok nice

Anyways i gotta game so il dip cya

[prime fern]

I have made a dnd character on beyond, I added a few weapons I want, when I join a campaign eill I have the weapons?

[humble cairn]

On your sheet? Sure, but there's no guarantee the DM will allow them. You should be prepared to generate your ability scores again and re-do your inventory.

[prime fern]

I haven’t edited my stats at all though, is there a pre edited way, or do I have to do them myself?

[humble cairn]

In the Rules As Written (RAW) there are three ways to generate your ability scores. You know what, let me just link it: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024/creating-a-character#GenerateYourScores

[prime fern]

Thanks

[humble cairn]

Which way each specific game chooses is up to that specific group and DM, so since you don't have a group yet I would just use Standard Array for now, just as a placeholder, and be ready to do it differently.

[wicked dagger]

idk if this sounds stupid but can someone proof read my character sheet 😭

[knotty basin]

Sure, send a link

[wicked dagger]

would just the D&D beyond link work?

[knotty basin]

If you made your character public, yes

[wicked dagger]

dont think i did hopefully this works
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sheet-pdfs/raw_rice_156646691.pdf

[marble lion]

I think most campaigns dont want you joining with a completely premade sheet

[prime fern]

Ok so I will edit my stats

[knotty basin]

Only issue I can think of is DMs might want you to roll your stats in front of them

[wicked dagger]

that being the only issue is such a surprise for me because i thought i was doing really bad...

[marble lion]

Find a campaign, after that you talk to the dm about any rules for char creation, then you make your sheet

Sheets you make while not being in a campaign are just messing around and practice

Especially if you add things to it that dont follow the official starting conditions at level 1

[wicked dagger]

so make a sheet before a campaign you know you're going to play in considering the rules of the campaign?

[crimson gulch]

Yeah so in general having the broad strokes done is fine, say you know you want to be a halfling rogue with the sage backround. The stats, starting equipment and other things are easily and often changed the the dm so you may not get to play with a sheet you made before the game

[hollow stone]

tbh i haven't had to roll my stats for a character i've made like, ever, i've only ever done Standard Array

[humble cairn]

I'm a fan of Standard Array.

[stoic obsidian]

I find it odd how flavorful characters and mechanically sound don’t always go hand in hand

Like an improv weapon bladesinger wizard

Or flame blade sorcerer

[humble cairn]

That's because this isn't a flavor, this is a mechanicl build.

[stoic obsidian]

Nvm I think I miss something

[humble cairn]

Flavor is basically how you would describe the character while not using any mechanical game terms.

[stoic obsidian]

Okay

[humble cairn]

There isn't always a mechanically sound way to make all flavors, but flavor and mechanics are separate.

[bronze wave]

I love paladins

[humble cairn]

Flame Blade Sorcerer is not a flavor, "Duelist with a flaming blade" is.

[bronze wave]

It’s ok but I feel random rolls makes it more fun

[orchid root]

Back

[humble cairn]

And "Duelist with a flaming blade" can be made in a mechanically sound way. It might not use Sorcerer at all, though.

[stoic obsidian]

Any method is fun

[orchid root]

Hallo

[bronze wave]

Point buy has me sleep

[humble cairn]

Not for me it doesn't.

[orchid root]

Eat pizza

[knotty basin]

I only use point buy

[stoic obsidian]

Guess I couldn’t type out the right words

Okay here what I meant, I find making a character as flavorful as possible is fine, but I notice people sometimes do it in a way that it ignores the mechanical functionality of the character in combat/out of combat

[prime fern]

Ok thanks

[spring light]

roll for stats? Okay here's what we do.

4d6 x 7
drop the lowest, reroll 1s and 2s.

[stoic obsidian]

You mean reroll rolled 1s in the 4d6? Like you got 3,3,3, 1 reroll the 1

[spring light]

i mean reroll 1s and 2s

[spring light]

yes

[humble cairn]

Yes, because they often mistake mechanics for flavor.

[spring light]

7 sets, to really help bump up that potential.

obvisouly, drop the lowest set

[stoic obsidian]

Yeah, and honestly speaking it like making charismatic barbarian at expense of dex

You can make a charismatic barbarian, just not in the sense of using persuasion

Or deception

But you can be draw people to you by your magnetizing attitude and gun hoe attitude

[spring light]

I mean... You can build a cha heavy barb

[stoic obsidian]

You could, but in exchange of what stat

I was thinking in the way of standard array and point buy

[spring light]

Be a goober and drop str.

Or realistically dip from wis and int

[stoic obsidian]

That the practical answer

Maybe I am overthinking something

[knotty basin]

Should I take 7 levels in rogue and then do 13 fighter? 2014

Is this a bad idea?

[tropic eagle]

Good morning

[crimson gulch]

Planning out to level 20 at the start is a bad idea in my experience

Live and play in the moment and let the journy shape your charicter

[spring light]

I feel like I went through a time warp

[stoic obsidian]

Because you don’t what your party might be missing and you might not want to do what you had when you get to the moment

[stoic obsidian]

This is also another reason

[crimson gulch]

Time keeps on slipping slipping slipping into the future

[spring light]

Do do dodo

[fossil summit]

Casts time stop

[stoic obsidian]

For others but not for you

Imagine casting time stop but you can’t unstop it

Until you die

[inner silo]

Yo guys! Do you think stuff like heroforge is a good way to showcase how your character looks if you cant find a good art similar to them on the internet?

[crimson gulch]

Yes

[stoic obsidian]

I say so

[karmic pendant]

yeah i'd say so

[crimson gulch]

Heroforge is great, I have been 3d printing custom miniatures for players for years with it

[inner silo]

Alrighty, thanks!

[stoic obsidian]

You can just use for designing the look of your character for games that don’t use minis but tokens

[inner silo]

btw is it expensive to print them if you already have access to a printer?

[inner silo]

alrighty

[crimson gulch]

I'm paying the subscription, like 50 bucks every 3 months or so and I get to make loads

[minor cargo]

I think an individual STL is like... $10? Let me double check this.

[crimson gulch]

It works out to less with the subscription

[minor cargo]

https://heroforge.com/content/product-information/about-products/stl/

[inner silo]

is it usable without the subscription?

[crimson gulch]

Yeah, most of the features work without paying, you pay if you want the stl files or them to make the mini or if you want kit bashing

[inner silo]

stl is the file you need to print the mini correct?

[crimson gulch]

Yes

[inner silo]

alrighty

[dense nacelle]

This new book and its contents are really interesting

[inner silo]

what do you think of the new artificer and changeling?

[dense nacelle]

New artificer looks great, the new subclass is interesting, and 6 attunement slots is absolutely nuts

[inner silo]

good to hear

[dense nacelle]

Advantage on all charisma checks while shape changed is rather intriguing, as well

Shifter is pretty cool, too

[inner silo]

Great

[kind bramble]

definitely hate coin weight xD especially now that our party found over 30k platinum and 40k gold and my rogue can only carry 4k out of her 6k platinum share

[inner silo]

get yourself a couple of tensers floating disks, or wagons or servants to carry it

[kind bramble]

if only we knew it when we got to this dwarven vault 3-4 days away from town that we didn't know was a vault until we reached the big vault doors xD

[inner silo]

i would say send half the party to the town and keep the other half here

but this is very dm dependant

[delicate orbit]

hai

[dense nacelle]

With that amount of money just buy infinite bags of holding

[rotund thunder]

Warforged officially being constructs now is really neat

I'm a little mad that warforged have a hard mechanic for not needing to breathe by avoiding exhaustion from suffocation, which is the actual benefit of that feature

So no idea why dhampir didn't get the whole "not needing to breathe" thing

I specifically mean it's annoying they made a mechanic for warforged to do that but not dhampir when updating species

[knotty basin]

They do?

[willow fossil]

Typically speaking, the DM sets the price of any magic items that may or may not be available to purchase in your campaign, but the recommended price based on the DMG guidelines is about 400 gold per bag of holding

[knotty basin]

Unless they lost it in 2024

[rotund thunder]

Dhampir lost it in 2024, but warforged don't have to breathe. Feels weird they didn't bother to let dhampir keep that feature if they already had a book coming out with a feature that worked similarly

It's not like suffocation comes up all that often with the exception of underwater and space travel campaigns

[hollow stone]

i think it's because it's really silly to choose to think that vampires can't suffocate

we do really need a suffocation rework tho

[humble cairn]

Because they are not undead?

[rotund thunder]

Also, hilariously, vampires themselves and most constructs don't have any features that indicate they don't need to breathe or eat or drink in 2024 like they did before, so now it's left up to DM discretion to remember that most monsters don't need to eat/drink/breathe

[hollow stone]

like primarily with non-lethal, tactical suffocation, to get an enemy out of the way without causing a ruckus by stabbing them 28 times

[rotund thunder]

in 2014 vampires didn't need to breathe

[knotty basin]

I think you mean 37 times. Specifically in the chest.

[rotund thunder]

Right, but they explicitly had a feature that said they didn't need to breathe in van richten's

[hollow stone]

i mean i suppose we can make do with a homebrew magic item of "Cloth Of Magical Sleep" that's very obviously just chloroform

[rotund thunder]

it's a minor flavor thing for most, but every dhampir player I talked to said it was a major flavorful aspect of their character

[dense nacelle]

Wrong channel twin

[hollow stone]

wrong channel

[rotund thunder]

LIke, it's enchanted, but it's also just regular chloroform

[hollow stone]

#find-a-game

[hollow stone]

not even enchanted, just a "magical ritual" that their poor medieval science can't explain, but is literally just chloroform lmao

[rotund thunder]

Ok that's funnier than I thought

[dense nacelle]

Wouldn’t chloroform fall under alchemy?

[humble cairn]

Oh wait, there's a poison that causes unconsciousness.

So probably no need to homebrew.

[hollow stone]

that reminds me of another funny thing i thought of for a character bit, where they're praising this "extremely sophisticated and articulate" weapon that is traditional to their people, and it's literally just a light hammer with a spike on the back

it's just a mallet but one end is a spike

[humble cairn]

Essence of Ether is an inhaled poison that causes unconsciousness.

[hollow stone]

oh that's useful actually, thank you!!!

[umbral girder]

Time to spend it/invest in a bank

[hollow stone]

oh also yes, that is in fact where that would fall under ancient sciences

whoever works at the plant where they grow penicillium and refine penicillin is an alchemist

[valid geyser]

now im imagining someone trying to pawn this off as oil of etherealness

[umbral girder]

It's that Potion of Sleep from Baldur's Gate 3

[valid geyser]

or some magical trickster talking about the plane of ether instead of the ethereal plane. Tricking people to go to the quasi elemental plane of sleepy gas

[hollow stone]

fae trickster offers you a Raspberry Crown, and upon accepting under the assumption they mean the pastry, you quickly realize they were talking about the wasp

[umbral girder]

"If you burn this and inhale it's smoke you will be able to see into the Far realm!"

[crimson gulch]

Poison? That's marketable as a sleep aid

[valid geyser]

i mean ether is just an irl group of chemicals used as anaesthetics

[woven flint]

I eat it anyway to assert dominance

[valid geyser]

im sure its etymology is somewhat related to the ancient concept of aether

[prime fern]

Hello, im a new player, is there anything I should learn after my character js fully created?

[harsh hinge]

If you don't already know the rules, you should give them a look! https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024

[buoyant oar]

Bad bot

[sleek cloud]

Indeed

But also, what even is a phantom wallet

[proven mountain]

Guessing something to do with crypto currency

[inner silo]

how do explain creating a character personality\identity to new players?

[harsh hinge]

"What types of fictional characters do you like/admire in terms of personality? The cold rationalist, the sensitive aesthete, the tough guy, etc. Which one would you like to be?"

[inner silo]

so suggest them to create someone similar to their favourite fictional character?

[proven mountain]

Could ask them who their favourite character in media is and then ask what they would create that could give them the same type of connection

[harsh hinge]

In terms of personality, sure. It's a baseline, if they can't come up with something on their own.

It's also fine to play themselves but "with elf ears" (or what have you)!

[inner silo]

alrighty thanks

[humble cairn]

This is fairly good guideline:
Personality - The default emotional “stance” of your character or their standing animation at the character select screen, if you will. This is how your character generally behaves when nothing else is going on.
**Bonds **- The people, places, and things that are important to your character, either good or bad. These are the connection points between your character and the game world, very important for integrating the character and the plot.
**Ideals **- These are your character’s ethics. This is where you state how your character believes people should behave.
Flaws - These are your character’s blind spots or things that plague your character in a way that drives the story forward and makes the plot more interesting, a built-in conflict generator. Usually they will be a kind of weakness in your mindset, but it can be anything else that consistently obstructs your character’s life.

One sentence each is good to start and it can be rewritten with more complexity as the game goes on.

[stone swift]

eh

Hola? 🥺

[proven mountain]

I find I often have a vision of a character's personality and beliefs but as we play, it will change overtime, especially if I want the character to grow over the course of the game

[harsh hinge]

Welcome to the server!

[humble cairn]

Yep! It's good to revisit the things you've written and see if they would change in response to events in game.

[stone swift]

Oh yea si
ehh speak español? 🥺

[harsh hinge]

Only English in the server, I'm afraid.

[stone swift]

oh no i am imigrant in the serv? D:

[harsh hinge]

From the #rules:

7 • Please send all messages in English.

[stone swift]

Well, I'm new to this D&D thing and I wanted to learn : v
I guess I'd have to use a translator here to be able to participate in something, right?

[harsh hinge]

You might be able to find folks who host games in Spanish by reading through #looking-for-players. We don't host any games here on the server. I'm not sure the most updated rules have been translated to other languages yet.

[stone swift]

Oh, well, thanks for the info, buddy 😄

Muak

[stray atlas]

Random question, what causes Ao to get involved in a situation?

[knotty basin]

Hot take: static characters can be really fun

[knotty basin]

Especially in more lighthearted campaigns

[old sluice]

Only when gods drastically screw up. And I mean drastically

[buoyant oar]

Lord Ao is about maintaining the Balance. Severely upset the balance and he might get involved.

[stray atlas]

hmm

[glass granite]

If Ao shows up, somethings gone horribly wrong

[stray atlas]

been wondering why he doesn't get involved in bg3's plot

[buoyant oar]

Because the Dead three are the definition of Small Time

[stray atlas]

since 3 gods and a suped up elder brain are literally planning to take over a planet

[old sluice]

Translation: He hides his laziness behind the nebulous ill-defined concept of the balance and everyone pretends they know what balance is, because they fear it would be embarrassing if they admitted they don't

[old sluice]

Because there is nothing in BG3 worth his time.

[stray atlas]

that seems like something vaguely worth his time considering most gods would be out of worshippers

[buoyant oar]

The dead three are three quasi deities these are being that Mystra could swipe away if she chose to.

[reef tundra]

Why doesn’t she?

[buoyant oar]

She does. Meet Gale Dekarios

[reef tundra]

You have a point

[old sluice]

No? The plot only threatens the Sword Coast. Worst case scenario it leads to the Sword Coast destroyed, some other regions destabilised, and the Dead Three resurrecting. This is perfectly acceptable

[stray atlas]

I'm still wondering about the specifics regarding the whole orb thing

[old sluice]

Might even be desirable from Ao's point of view!

[buoyant oar]

The gods have been restricted in walking around and doing things. So they can't intervene directly or risk upsetting Ao's Balance.

[scenic zinc]

Bold claim about a deity who's died more times than the dead three

[stray atlas]

if I'm understanding it right, he wanted to return part of the weave back to Mystra?

[old sluice]

? Mystra died once.

[buoyant oar]

Each Mystra is a wholly unique entity.

[stray atlas]

what the hell happened to make it turn into an orb

[buoyant oar]

There is Mystryl
There is Mystra
There is Mystra (Midnight)
There is Mystra (Currently one)

The current Mystra is an amalgamation of all previous versions of her that survived as weave echoes.

[scenic zinc]

1 and 2 are the same being, and 3 and 4 are the same being

[buoyant oar]

Mystra, the first one was a peasant girl from Netheril.

[old sluice]

No. Mystra is not Mystryl. Mystryl is dead. Mystra is made from Mystryl, yes. But calling them the same being would be like saying that the worm that will eventually hatch from within my corpse is the same as me

[scenic zinc]

It was mystryl's soul that inhabited that body.

[stray atlas]

dear god the deities in dnd are confusing and messed up

[scenic zinc]

The 'canon' lore also isn't written by the same individuals or actually collaborated on, so that's part of the issue.

[stray atlas]

and how did it get stuck in his chest?

[old sluice]

It does not matter. I don't think there's a single piece of material that will say Mystra and Mystryl are the same being

As for Mystra 2 and Mystra 3, ther are some ambiguities

[buoyant oar]

Mystra the first even had a different alignment than Mystryl.

[scenic zinc]

Pretty sure the way Shar acts, she does.

[buoyant oar]

Shar just wants the Weave

[old sluice]

What about Shar?

Actually, if you are saying what I think you're saying (and I have my doubts on that), Shar actually confirms Mystryl and Mystra to be two different beings. I distinctly remember material saying Shar is a lot worse than when Mystryl was around and antagonises Mystra more than she ever did Mystryl.

[buoyant oar]

The great wizard Karsus attempted to take control of all magic by becoming a god. His plan was really stupid. And it nearly tore the Weave apart. Mystryl the goddess of magic at the time sacrificed herself to stop him. Parts of his malformed Weave survived. As for the orb. It's an invention for the game as a manifestation of that corrupted Weave.

[stray atlas]

I knew the former part

[slow egret]

hi looking for a group

[buoyant oar]

As for how it got stuck with Gale. He tried to fix it I believe to give Mystra a gift after she told him to stop doing that. And well he didn't listen.

[stray atlas]

I said that

[slow egret]

some body wanna play with me?

[cosmic roost]

Ready to play Dungeons & Dragons?

Visit #find-a-game for everything you need to start your search, including:

• Instructions for finding a game here on the server (including how to post in our #looking-for channels).
• Suggestions for finding a game outside of this server.
• Basic advice to help you in your hunt.

[buoyant oar]

I was answering this question

[old sluice]

Moral of the story: Don't mess with magic you don't understand

[shy stirrup]

DM: This is magic you do not understand.
Player: I mess with it anyway!

[buoyant oar]

But all in all the Events of BG3 are like the events of most 5e modules there is a threat of wide scale devastation. But at the moment of the adventure the threat is hyper localized. Most 5e content is about keeping the lid on the box than actually dealing with the aftermath.

[stray atlas]

speaking of elder brains and what not

I still find it crazy that obsidian dragons are as smart as them

and even have some of their psionics

[buoyant oar]

Brainstealer Dragons are some of my favorite. Imo much cooler than Elder Brain Dragons.

[orchid root]

hi

[stray atlas]

funnily enough

[orchid root]

Sounds awesome

[stray atlas]

I think brainstealer dragons are worse than obsidians unless I didn't read something

?

[orchid root]

Nvm lmao

Im honestly so bored rn

[buoyant oar]

Brainstealer Dragon do reach the Supra genius level as great wyrms. Obsidian are just the top of the Gem Dragons.

[stray atlas]

since obsidians have both psionics and fire breath

[orchid root]

I wonder if I should make my own dnd realm/world

[buoyant oar]

After all Brainstealers are just Mind Flayer Dragons.

[stray atlas]

obsidians get supra genius too

[orchid root]

[stray atlas]

as well as having the ability to freely go between the material and inner planes

[orchid root]

I hear the legend of ze mindflayer

He slaughtered all of us

jk just my imagination

[loud tendon]

Please dont just post emojis/reactions/stickers. It is disruptive to screenreaders,the flow of chat and can be considered spam

[orchid root]

Okay but why add emojis tho?

Im Js asking

[knotty basin]

We can’t post reactions?

Why are they on, then?

[loud tendon]

In line with a post, of course. But just by themselves we ask folks not to.

[orchid root]

but why add emojis if it will affect screen readers?

[glass granite]

Because smt like this ain’t as disruptive

[orchid root]

Emojis are used to express and etc

[loud tendon]

Any questions about our discord rules belongs in #moderator-support - i dont want to take this channel off topix.

You can also see this in #rules

[orchid root]

Maybe I guess

Imagine if they add Metallica to dnd

[buoyant oar]

A band to DND?

[woven flint]

They'd be a bunch of bards

[orchid root]

Yeah like let’s say ur class picks up music and they discover denalitica

[woven flint]

As would most musicians, probably lol

[orchid root]

how?

[orchid root]

Bruh wym

[buoyant oar]

Bards are people of the arts which includes music

[karmic mason]

wait this means I could make a painter bard?

[buoyant oar]

Bards have never been historically music only.

[orchid root]

Ah okay but like imagine like that one demobats scene in ST and you use your guitar to remove enemy’s

[karmic mason]

i wonder if throwing paint in someone's eyes would blind them

[glass granite]

Hmmmm

[orchid root]

im scared what your about to do

[karmic mason]

Frontline supporter bard

[orchid root]

Nah but the Metallica idea would be sick

[buoyant oar]

Bards are just storytellers

[glass granite]

Mix a bit of purple worm poison into the paint and it’ll certainly do something

[buoyant oar]

Shakespeare was a Bard

[orchid root]

I shall roll a 20 to allow Metallica into the game

[karmic mason]

Also

My DND club is today.

[orchid root]

Awesome I wish I could play dnd w you guys

[karmic mason]

If nothing changed, I'm just gonna call my grandma to bring me home

[karmic mason]

Session 0 was a disaster including a problem player.

...the bard problem player in specific.

[orchid root]

Whdakn

[buoyant oar]

Session 0 was a disaster?

[shy stirrup]

insert Bard stereotype here

[orchid root]

Damn

[karmic mason]

Anyways, still gotta finish my character sheet (WHICH I'VE HAD TO MANAGE ON MY OWN)

[glass granite]

Was the problem player kicked, and was this addressed?

[karmic mason]

DM didn't show up.

[buoyant oar]

That's not a session 0 then lol

[glass granite]

Oh wow yeah that’s…

[lethal raft]

I am happy but confused I thought the eberron forge of the artificer came out next week but my book just got here today

[orchid root]

Welp guys I will make my world soon so after I shower im gonna go do taht since im actually hella bored

[buoyant oar]

Sessions can't happen with out a DM usually

[orchid root]

Unless someone picks up the dm handle if im not mistaken

[karmic mason]

Not sure if she was kicked, but I talked to the club sponsor (who is a teacher) and she said to make our characters written pg-13

[buoyant oar]

Then there is no lack of a DM

[orchid root]

Why would she get kicked for not showing up once?

[karmic mason]

The problem player isn't the DM

[glass granite]

They’re referring to the bard problem

[karmic mason]

The problem player is the stereotype bard.

[orchid root]

I know DMs are important but it was once if it was multiple then I would understand

[orchid root]

Wym

[karmic mason]

The player is the kind of bard who wants seduction on everything

[buoyant oar]

Here is how you handle that.

"hey there. I understand you wish to play your character a certain way. However the manner in which you have done so makes several of us uncomfortable. We ask that you do not do that."

[glass granite]

There is a players, a bard, who is acting inappropriately and disruptively. They are the person that is referencing being kicked.

[knotty basin]

Too polite

[buoyant oar]

You start polite always. Never assume malice that can be explained with ignorance.

[orchid root]

ew, was it a girl?

[karmic mason]

Funny enough
I told her I wouldn't be comfortable with it, and she ignored
So I told the DM, and he just said that's how bards are
.

I took the nuclear approach and told the club sponsor.

[knotty basin]

I don’t think this can be explained by ignorance

[old sluice]

Politeness is an excellent protection, don't underestimate it.

[buoyant oar]

New players absolutely can be explained through ignorance.

[knotty basin]

Seeee?

[old sluice]

It is much more devastating to be insulted politely than with vulgarity

[lavish flame]

There's a stereotype about the Bard class. They are commonly associated with a kind of anti-social behavior where they introduce uncomfortable and unwanted romance and sex into the game.

Romance and sex have their place in D&D, personally I think D&D is incomplete without that stuff. The stereotype is that the bard basically forces themself onto enemies, its really gross.

[karmic mason]

Diplomacy only works if they care for it.
Otherwise, the solution is war

[sleek cloud]

“That’s just how bards are” nope

[buoyant oar]

That is the natural escalation you did the right thing.

[knotty basin]

It depends. If you’re always polite, it’s very jarring to suddenly be vulgar

[karmic mason]

OH THIS ONE TAKES THAT LAST SENTENCE TO AN EXTREME

[buoyant oar]

You were polite.
You escalated to the DM.
You then Escalated to the appropriate party

[karmic mason]

...Players

they gave it wanting to be players aswell

[buoyant oar]

Please do not attempt to get past the language filter here.

[woven flint]

Bards are supposed to be somewhat sophisticated individuals for the most part.
Not lustful sex hounds.

[orchid root]

You said the bard forces them self onto enemy’s so im saying wouldn’t that count as SA?

[orchid root]

Im not I just don’t wanna trigger people

[karmic mason]

Exactly why I wanna make a painter bard who focuses on making enemies debuffed or helping out the frontlines

[orchid root]

Im only asking a question ig

[knotty basin]

And an asterisk is going to prevent that?

[snow agate]

similar with enchantment magic in general because charm person and dominate person and suggestion are actually extremely useful in ways that arent skeevy or abusive

[orchid root]

That’s what I see most people do not to trigger people so idk

[old sluice]

Nothing wrong with playing a lustful character. But most people don't really have the skills to play Barney Stinson, who is already more of a gross and pathetic character than what the writers tried to portray

[karmic mason]

In other words
A painter bard in search for the perfect canvas to paint.

This canvas would be a world without the threat of destruction by BBEG's

This would be cool as a character honestly

I kinda wanna make that if my elf wizard dies this campaign

[buoyant oar]

Correct there is nothing wrong with doing anything in your game. When it comes to adult themes the only thing required is that all parties are adults and all parties agree.

[woven flint]

I don't like playing bards unless it's a high level campaign, because I think they can get boring in low levels in combat 😔

[karmic mason]

It gets worse when you realize this is a high school club.

[shy stirrup]

Certain types of problematic players are attracted to certain kinds of characters 🤷‍♂️

[snow agate]

pretty much the entire reason i would prefer valor bard

[karmic mason]

I expected to get the basic nerds in my campaign
Not actual creeps.

[snow agate]

it turns out some nerds are creeps

[buoyant oar]

Ohohohoh. DND is the birth place of the nerd creep

[karmic mason]

This girl who joined never played DND or even attended the board game day we had at the start of the club

[lavish flame]

Yeah, but people will be awful players regardless of their build. If someone wants to rob the party, they've got a number of ways to do it. If someone wants to fight the party, any class can do that. Anti-social behavior goes beyond the game.

[karmic mason]

I should have seen the red flags when she showed us the source of the character

[minor cargo]

Hmm.

I don't know if we should also start trying to label a high schooler a "creep". Yeah, they made a pretty big social faux pas - but it kind got handled by a teacher. That sounds like the end of that.

[knotty basin]

High schoolers can most certainly be creeps

[buoyant oar]

But you did the right thing in asking them to stop and then escalating when it failed. When you don't have a Group Teacher. That is when you leave the Table.

[karmic mason]

She included that she'd try to get handsy with our warlocks summoned skeletons.

[snow agate]

i would agree with that, its very similar behavior regardless of the specific method

[woven flint]

Some people don't deserve to have imaginations.

[karmic mason]

Truer words unspoken.

[woven flint]

"Thats a dead person, friend!"

[buoyant oar]

High schoolers can be creeps. Though most of that is the fact their brains are 10 years still cooking.

[shy stirrup]

Level 20 in D&D
Level 6 IRL

[karmic mason]

Funniest part
How would she even get handsy with a skeleton

IT'S LITERAL BONES.

[buoyant oar]

That's the joke

[karmic mason]

Exactly.

She can't.

[sleek cloud]

Lore bard that is an indebted show runner that joins a party in a desperate attempt to come up with a story (basically the story of the campaign or module with embellishments as it goes) that they can turn into a show to profit on and pay off their debt

Glamour bard from the Feywild specializing in illusions and charms that was unjustly banished from their home realm and has to adjust to the realities of their new realm.

Valor bard that started off just as a regular mercenary and would hit taverns in their spare time and try to earn some extra gold by performing, and it turned out they were pretty good at it so now they pull double time between bladework and stagework

[buoyant oar]

Probably the joke she was poorly attempting to make. Eh eh. Bones.

[sleek cloud]

There’s plenty of non creepy ways to play a bard

[lavish flame]

Well yeah, much like how there's plenty of non creepy ways to be a Fighter or Sorcerer

[old sluice]

You can even play your bard as being a usual seducer without the creep factor.

[karmic mason]

My example from earlier:painter bard in search of the perfect canvas, which is at risk of destruction by the BBEG

[old sluice]

It does require skill though.

[buoyant oar]

It does not help that Critical Role launched into the stratosphere with stereotype bard.

[sleek cloud]

Painter bard idea is nice

[orchid root]

what did I miss

[woven flint]

I hate that dumb little halfling.

[knotty basin]

I despise critical roll so much

[uncut zenith]

That’s why they’re “charismatic”. One can be charming without being “seductive”.

[buoyant oar]

Scanlan Imo should have been cut from the TV show.

[snow agate]

i think i have seen a party member that is like every member of the CR cast atp

[uncut zenith]

Can’t blame CR for a stereotype that existed long before they even showed up

[knotty basin]

We can blame them for popularizing it

[snow agate]

ngl i like witnessing the cheesy flowery knight archetype because it does the romantic angle but in an amusing way

[old sluice]

Scanlan was... Complicated. On one side, extremely juvenile humour that I cannot believe makes anyone laugh. On the other, pretty good drama moments

[buoyant oar]

I don't blame them. But the problem was certainly expanded because of its popularity. A very unfortunate side effect. One that Sam even recognized when the character changed.

[sleek cloud]

One thing I liked about scanlan was the on the fly bardic inspiration song bits

[orchid root]

Idk if I can I can’t play dnd because my parents dislike magic so unless the game is magic less 😬sorry

[stiff jewel]

A little disappointed in the dragonmark stuff. I was hoping the Healer Dragonmark would be able to give the Mercy Monk a little more healing versatility. But sadly not, needs spellcasting...

[orchid root]

good luck tho

[glass granite]

Heh.
Like there are magicless classes, but no magic whatsoever?

[snow agate]

tell them computers are runic magic so they should throw away their phones before it speaks to them without speaking

[orchid root]

yeah no magic whatsoever

[orchid root]

no it’s my parents I wouldn’t do that.

[buoyant oar]

You need a different system until you have full autonomy of your own choices

[lavish flame]

I've wanted to play a Bard who was a hack playwright with a long ass name that he claims to have written under, but his plays (and his name) have never seen the light of a stage. No seduction needed.

[orchid root]

I AINT tryna get throwned out the window Lmao

[orchid root]

Yeah Ik im looking for different ones

[old sluice]

Seriously, the jokes were "Hey wouldn't it be funny if I was constantly looking for women", "hey isn't it funny that people need to defecate", "hey, isn't it funny if that bard from a medieval world sings Britney Spears". Where's the joke?

[snow agate]

metal gear solid as a franchise will include very similar things to all these jokes and its considered a gaming masterpiece

[orchid root]

@tame egret sorry

[glass granite]

Hm?

[old sluice]

I think Metal Gear might be a masterpiece in spite of those jokes not because of them

[orchid root]

Peak gaming

honestly

[old sluice]

Most fiction that involves this juvenile pathetic attempts at being comedic would be enhanced by their absence

[orchid root]

But tlou is better i CANT say much because we are in dnd discussion

[buoyant oar]

Yeah. MGS is good in spite of Kojima being way too strange for his own good. Like really? Quiet breathes through the skin.

Really?

[uncut zenith]

Yeah, Scanlan was at least a complicated and layered character, even if outwardly he looked like a stereotypical bard

[buoyant oar]

He was complicated but those complications took time to see. Which is fine. But people are going to attach to what they see first and not 200 hours deep into a Livestream game.

[uncut zenith]

Yeah, it’s called character growth and progression

[buoyant oar]

I am aware of how that works yes.

[old sluice]

It can be done well. The character presenting as a sex fiend actually being a self-loathing mess with a fear of intimacy is a classic. Like the party guy actually being an alcoholic, you know?

It rewards attention

[uncut zenith]

Sure. I’m just saying I wouldn’t call him a “stereotypical bard”.

[snow agate]

i think theres an interesting phenomena with writing, where simultaneously the best stories and worst stories are heavily tainted by the author's character and interests in ways that clearly show a pattern outside the bounds of believability

[buoyant oar]

CR wasn't asked to become a staple of DnD to the wider world. So I don't blame them. Like the "Matt Mercer effect" these are just unfortunate side effects.

[uncut zenith]

He may be childish and very inappropriate, but it’s not like his biggest MO was “seducing the dragon”.

[orchid root]

because I can’t play dnd w magic sorry

[snow agate]

would rather deal with scanlan than percival at least

[orchid root]

iii am so bored

[buoyant oar]

Tbh. A lot of Campaign 1's characters were stereotypes. All the more reason to enjoy the Mighty Nein more.

[orchid root]

Im gonna go shower and be there for two hours.

[old sluice]

Now that is quite a take. I would be interested to see you elaborate

[shy stirrup]

So has the "Matt Mercer Effect" worn off by now, do you think? Has reality intruded enough by now?

[orchid root]

Cuz I’m so bored

[uncut zenith]

The “Matt Mercer Effect” never existed

[old sluice]

This is not an airport, there is no need to announce your departure

[shy stirrup]

I put it in quotations for a reason

[lavish flame]

I really wish we as a community dropped the term "Matt Mercer Effect" in favor of something like "The Critical Role Effect". He's great, don't get me wrong, but his table also consists of 7 other professional actors who are decades into their careers. They're all being paid a king's ransom to play D&D professionally and to make it entertaining for an audience.

[knotty basin]

Do you think critical roll is scripted?

[old sluice]

No.

[knotty basin]

Why so?

[lavish flame]

No more than my own games are "scripted"

[shy stirrup]

No more than any other sesssion of D&D is scripted - by the DM, with some degrees of input from the players

[old sluice]

Too much messing up, too many off-script moments.

Sure they started playing for the audience by about halfway through campaign 1

[lavish flame]

we often block out rough ideas for scenes in advance. If two characters are about to argue, they usually text each other beforehand to see each PC's stance and what issues they have.

[snow agate]

self-important and often considering himself the best decision-maker in the room, whilst simultaneously being self-deprecating, obsessive, and aggressive. pick a lane

[knotty basin]

Hey wait that’s me

[uncut zenith]

People are quick to say CR is “scripted” without remembering that they’re a table consisting of professional actors and storytellers who have been doing their job and playing the game for decades

[knotty basin]

Well, minus the aggressive part

[orchid root]

lol

Thanks for understanding

[lavish flame]

The production schedule of a sitcom with 22 episode seasons with 22 minute long episodes that come out weekly is nothing short of miraculous. There are multiple miracles happening behind the scenes on the production of something like Friends or The Big Bang Theory.

Trying to script 4 hours of watchable television every week for several years straight is not possible. Thats two movies written weekly, that just doesn't happen.

[buoyant oar]

And here is my take. On scripting.

"Who actually gives a crap?"

[knotty basin]

I do

[buoyant oar]

It's a DnD Game with actors streamed on the internet.

[knotty basin]

But all very good points

[buoyant oar]

There are billions of far more pressing matters in the world.

[knotty basin]

This is a bad argument, because I have no control over 90% of those

[uncut zenith]

Regardless of whether it’s scripted or not, CR is entertainment. Either enjoy it or don’t 🤷‍♂️

[buoyant oar]

Do you have control over Critical Role being scripted?

[knotty basin]

I have control over not watching it if it was

[uncut zenith]

Then don’t watch it

[buoyant oar]

Problem solved.

[glass granite]

Yippee

[knotty basin]

I said IF it was

[buoyant oar]

I don't watch critical role. Because Matt's DM style is not mine. And neither is Brennan Lee Mulligan

And also I don't have 4 hours a week to do so.

[snow agate]

you're not getting that many people to memorize a several hour script every week tbh

[proven mountain]

Likely no more scripted than a regular game. If I tell my DM that I want to go and speak with a specific NPC before we play, is that scripted? It's likely they talk and some up with ideas between games and some gets brought in and some doesn't. And even if it is, doesn't really matter. The content is entertaining which is what matters.

[buoyant oar]

What I am saying. If CR was scripted. The effect it would have upon the world would be very negligible. It's most certainly not something to get invested in.

[halcyon forum]

CR isnt scripted. They go pretty in depth with backstory and character moment stuff behind the scenes I guess, but not more than some home games do too

[buoyant oar]

If you already hate a thing why are you invested of it being scripted or not?

To hate it more?

[knotty basin]

Yep :)

[buoyant oar]

Literally gross

[knotty basin]

Makes sense

[turbid vessel]

i don't think taking the solipsistic approach is gonna hold up well. at the end of the day why care about anything if i don't have direct control over it? community is built off of people who care about things.

[buoyant oar]

Just go with the flow mate.

[knotty basin]

What does this mean in this context

[lavish flame]

I legit think its impossible for them to make a 4 hour script every week, like thats a naive belief to me. Thats just not a feasible production schedule.

I'm sure they have beats they want to hit over the course of a session, but thats... everyone's game of D&D.

[civic blade]

I respect that

[knotty basin]

Agreed

[uncut zenith]

4-6hr, mind you. Cuz they’ve had some long sessions

[buoyant oar]

It's not "Why care about anything!" It's

"This is not worth the effort to get tizzy about."

[lavish flame]

That campaign 3 finale...

[knotty basin]

Maybe not to you

[lavish flame]

8 or 9 hours or something. It was 2 D&D games slammed together

[turbid vessel]

and what's the metric for deciding what's worth putting energy into? is that a universal thing or a thing you're deciding for this convo?

[buoyant oar]

Especially from someone who already dislikes a thing.

[snow agate]

are you really asking him to define the standards of other people

its true that spending time hating is generally pointless

[knotty basin]

Well, he did it first

[turbid vessel]

i'm highlighting a point that they shouldn't project their own standards onto other people

[snow agate]

hes saying it in the other persons interest

[knotty basin]

I mean, it’s not really taking up any time to have opinions, now is it

[snow agate]

whatever

[proven mountain]

If you don't like it, that's fine but considering you hate critical roll it feels like you're trying to find additional reasons to dislike it and/or bring up arguments intended to get people to agree with you.

[buoyant oar]

And that is never worth it.

[karmic mason]

I have no idea if the problem player has stopped

[lavish flame]

yeah but harboring hatred is corrosive to the soul, its much easier to drop things and to live and let live

[karmic mason]

...nevermind.

[buoyant oar]

Again

Literally gross

[proven mountain]

Okay and?

[karmic mason]

they just said "I'll distract them" as a bard.

[knotty basin]

So if I’m having fun in my free time, how is that a waste

[karmic mason]

I hope she's joking.

[lyric idol]

Thats a problem?

[jagged vigil]

Session night! Whoop whoop!

[karmic mason]

She made this character specifically to terrorize.

[halcyon forum]

that is a really bad habbit unless people know you do before getting into an argument

[lavish flame]

That about checks out, causing a distraction as a charisma character. When else do you get to flex your Performance skill?

[turbid vessel]

okay nvm i was on your side thatpoker but i was under the impression that you were engaging in good faith

[lyric idol]

Terrorize npxs or terrorize the party?

[karmic mason]

She's running it as the seduction only bard.

[halcyon forum]

you are basically just wasting everyone's time and mental energy for your own entertainment. Thats messed up

[jagged vigil]

Dang, and this isn't even the old server where you get rewarded for that

[lyric idol]

If she rolls high enough to do it just do a fade to black screen. If she pushes it after that then its officially a problem.

[knotty basin]

You are free to not engage with the conversation (wrong ping, meant to reply to omegon)

[proven mountain]

Persuasion isn't mind control. No one is obligated to romance or fade to black.

[lavish flame]

you talking about the old level system? I miss that lowkey

[minor cargo]

This particular server is an interesting space. A lot of times it can feel like a town square kind of thing? Where people just come and go and chat.

But also, this is a space specifically about our hobby. And for me myself (not speaking for others), something I put a big emphasis on is making the hobby feel welcoming. That doesn't mean it always has to be rainbows and sunshine (especially given what D&D is), but if we just decide to "pick fights", that can absolutely have an impact on someone (like a lurker) who is new to the hobby.

[lavish flame]

I was #6 on the leaderboard when I got silenced 😔

[karmic mason]

She said she's going to be handsy.

keep in mind my character is going to be on a quest to resurrect his wife from a mysterious illness

[old sluice]

Not gonna lie, what you're describing just sounds like a perfectly well-rounded character

[proven mountain]

No is a complete sentence. You can always say no.

[karmic mason]

you know

my character is the exact opposite of what she wants NPCs to be:faithful

[snow agate]

it is a perfectly well rounded and realistic character. i just dont like him

[jagged vigil]

Level 20 alum babyyyyy

[buoyant oar]

I figured they were a troll the moment they flipped from I despise this, to well it matters to me.

[karmic mason]

If she says anything else, I'm calling my grandma and leaving

[knotty basin]

I’m not sure I’d consider myself a troll, I don’t voice opinions I don’t have

[lyric idol]

What Lunarith said. Say no.

[turbid vessel]

where you there when i got level 20 and got kicked from the server in the same hour
(auto-mod wrongly caught a bad word from my sentence)

[buoyant oar]

Many people have Auto mod set waaay too harshly.

[valid geyser]

i do feel like i was definitely a little guilty in the past of just kinda starting stuff, but I think I kinda realized that it's a losing battle to try and convince people on the internet things, and I think more often than not I'm the one who kinda gets my opinion changed/developed by talking it out

[lyric idol]

Wait youre leaving without setting the boundary with the player in question? Theyre just playing the stereotypical bard.

[karmic mason]

... she can't say proficiency

[proven mountain]

Heck yea! Boundaries are not unreasonable and you can always leave if you feel uncomfortable. Put yourself first 🙂

[karmic mason]

HANDSY WITH PLAYERS CHARACTERS.

And I tried when she first said this.

[buoyant oar]

All caps aren't needed

[karmic mason]

She just said she'd keep going.

[karmic mason]

Sorry.

[buoyant oar]

Yep. I would remove yourself from the table. Set a line and stick to it.

[lyric idol]

In that case yeah. Shes being problematic.

[lavish flame]

I got the banhammer for telling the mods to get rid of overtly racist and transphobic messages. My messages were deleted much sooner than the inflammatory ones.

I am glad this place has visible mods, MS_Boros can croak.

[karmic mason]

If anything else is said about seduction, I'm leaving.

[jagged vigil]

I miss MS_Shifter

[karmic mason]

An automod muted me for a month over saying the book Moby Dick

[valid geyser]

the only major moderation thing on the old server i remember getting a warning about was saying i disliked pack tactics not knowing they were a user of the server, and it was kinda just a warning from the mod saying "yeah i dont think you were actually trying to harass them but try and clarify first"

[lyric idol]

Saying it again after that is wild work. I wouldnt risk it lmao.

[karmic mason]

It was a server for a game made by mods who refused that they were wrong.

This servers mods I trust.

[buoyant oar]

I got removed from the old DnD server because my dyslexia misspelled Shelia.

[turbid vessel]

corporate mods vs community mods, the difference is STAGGERING

[atomic kayak]

yeesh. reminds me of when they came onto this server (idr if it was before or after the merger) and started arguing that the rules worked a way that they definitely didn't (shocker I know) and the most common response was "we know you just want to make a clickbait youtube short about this. That doesn't mean you are right"

[loud tendon]

Let's keep discussions to d&d and not the moderation standards of other places.

[karmic mason]

Alright

Anyways, nothing has been said

[turbid vessel]

new enemy dnd faction to put in your game: arcane moderators

[sleek cloud]

Your local wizard academy instructors would like a word with you

[snow agate]

oh thank goodness! finally someone i can ask to help with the evil demon lord

[full fern]

painfully difficult to find a good campaign…

[karmic mason]

OK I'M DONE.

[umbral girder]

Alright

[lyric idol]

Question. Are you uncomfortable with her flirting in general or your character specifically?

[umbral girder]

Generally you want to search for short campaigns that go around 6 sessions.

Just to see how well you vibe with a group instead of making a very long dedication.

[karmic mason]

Her saying how her character will act.

I am kidding you not.

She said "I'm wanting to get teleportation to enter people's quarters"

...Excuse me back what is wrong with her.

[knotty basin]

Huh, I should of considered that when I was finding a campaign. I got lucky and won the DM lottery, though

[karmic mason]

And that is the straw that broke the elven wizards back.

[loud tendon]

You do not have to spend your precious time in a space that makes you uncomfortable.
As the saying goes "no d&d is better than bad d&d"

However, it did sound like the teacher sponsor was on board to stop such behaviors. Have they just not had a chance to?
If there hasn't even been a session 0 or a game.

[old sluice]

Okay nope nope nope.

There is not enough skin on my fingers to type "nope" enough times

I would be stripped to the bone.

[loud tendon]

Sounds like a maturity thing where someone thinks they are being edgy/funny but its just inappropriate and gross.

[karmic mason]

Exactly.

[karmic mason]

She said she would stop that, but she hadn't.

[knotty canyon]

I am so sorry for you

[knotty basin]

Tell the teacher that they keep doing it

[karmic mason]

I have wanted to play DnD just once 3 times now

First time: couldn't find anyone. Second time: scheduling issues
Third time:Creeps ruin this

I quit.

[minor cargo]

It sounds like it was the best. Sorry that happened.

[stoic obsidian]

What the funniest/not so bright moment you seen a player have?

[karmic mason]

None here.

[idle oar]

The arcane trickster rogue in the party had a spell that pantsed the target on a saving throw failure, knocking the target prone (I think it was some third-party spell, don't remember the exact details). They pantsed the lich BBEG in mid fight. That was pretty funny.

[karmic mason]

To anyone who was in here 2 weeks ago and heard my first rant, I'm sorry. I may not ever play DnD

Telling the club sponsor wasn't enough.

[lavish flame]

I was a Rogue with 8 STR that tried to grapple a troll and force them into a hole. We both fell in.

[stoic obsidian]

Tactical, and funny

[violet basin]

high level player didnt want to pay 15 gold to enter the Automaton/Clockwork Zoo Bazaar thing...
So they transformed into a flying dino that starts with a q, and .... got their butt beat by a bunch of robots....

15 gold...

they had tens of thousands.....

[umbral girder]

Interesting thing I just thought about. I don’t think any of my Liches wear pants

They are just skeletons in robes

[violet basin]

most wizards are birthday suits in robes

[inner silo]

Once one of our warlocks managed to get to the island in the middle of a lake where the evil necromancer was standing. The necromancer was preparing to cast some spell and the dm described it as "he turns to you and starts waving his hands around" so the warlock says "i start mimicking his actions and also waving my hands", then the dm had him roll for intimidation and after a 18 said "the necromancer seems less sure in himself and his hand waving has become less pronounced"

[umbral girder]

Closest I can think of is Vlaakith the one time I ran her

But Gith armor doesn’t really look like pants, more of a skirt with leg armor tied to it

[old sluice]

Wait what happens if you cast that spell at someone not wearing pants?

[umbral girder]

It gets very awkward

[old sluice]

I mean like a centaur or an animal or someone in a dress or skirt.

[stoic obsidian]

I seen a player ask for information on routes to avoid a certain npc, and drop our kobold warlock name to a bunch of the npc followers and they had to book it and get out of their

That how the party got their plaster all over the place

[umbral girder]

Or a dragon (not in humanoid form)

[inner silo]

The wild magic sorcerer gets to roll a lot of dice

[umbral girder]

Actually I like the idea of fashionable clothes for dragons

Like beast boy’s collar that makes new clothes when he shapechanges, but for dragons

[stable solar]

One of my characters has the ability to blind themselves for 6 hours

[inner silo]

Like in a suit and with a hat and a monocle ?

[umbral girder]

Sure!

dragon in a very big fancy dress

[old sluice]

All my dragons use magic items but I tend to stick to the practical ones. A thing that makes clothes when you shapeshift is not something I had considered

But it could be useful. Even for PCs.

[stoic obsidian]

Did they do it because they can’t close their eyes to sleep

[umbral girder]

I mainly remember that in the Drizzt novels where a dragon had to be careful with their clothes when they shifted between human and dragon form

[inner silo]

Ngl this would actually make so much sense now that you brought it up, considering how self centered dragons are, i think they'd like a fiery clothing to be even more unique and noticeable

[umbral girder]

Yeah they can show off their wealth even more

[stable solar]

No, they just have a spell that makes their eyes glow

[jovial badger]

omg only time im not seeing nugget online

[stoic obsidian]

Guess they are bright in a way

[inner silo]

"Ho ho ho, behold my fabulous garments, lowly peasants"
"Please don't eat us"

[umbral girder]

The greatest drip ever to be seen

Dragon kills a king but does so very carefully to keep their cool outfit

“I can’t use my fire breath, that shield looks way to cool to melt” etc

[inner silo]

"I would use my fire breath on you but i don't want to burn my new coat"

[stoic obsidian]

You want it, you can have it

[inner silo]

Please make this the bbeg of a campaign

[stoic obsidian]

Hand the dragon the shield

[inner silo]

So what, he incinerates you?

[umbral girder]

It’s why I like to fight red dragons in their own hoard. Because in my games they wouldn’t dare use their own breath attack against their own hoard.

[umbral girder]

The one reason he isn’t using his breath attack?

[stoic obsidian]

Their a reason

[inner silo]

Perhaps that one would be polite enough to not take you out afterwards but the odds are slim

[umbral girder]

Maybe if it’s a metallic dragon

[inner silo]

Are metallic dragons like fair?

[umbral girder]

They are usually good aligned yes

[inner silo]

Oo, nice!

[umbral girder]

Gem dragons are some kind of neutral

[clear lark]

It doesn' t mean they won't eat you

[umbral girder]

Neutral good, evil, chaotic, lawful, etc

[raw ocean]

Every dragon is future materials

[inner silo]

They'll do it kindly though

[umbral girder]

Depending on the dragon they could just use knock out gas

[inner silo]

Well that doesn't sound too bad either, neutral is the chill guy alignment

[umbral girder]

They got that weakening breath attack, well some of them

[old sluice]

Neutral evil is also a neutral alignment

[inner silo]

Chill evil

[old sluice]

Fair enough

[jovial badger]

lawful evil 🙂

[inner silo]

Idk why but i imagine lawful evil as someone who's just like readings through the law or the rules and looking for loopholes to justify their crimes

[cobalt owl]

Is there an official ruling on how loud verbal components have to be?

[clear lark]

Pretty much. Or just twist the laws and rules to their own ends

[umbral girder]

Speaking level last I checked.

[jovial badger]

i imagine it as those evil advisers from disney movies

[inner silo]

Like just some guy going *Aha! Right here it says living being, but since they were a construct me punching them was legal!"

[umbral girder]

The words must be uttered in a normal speaking voice

[cobalt owl]

Thanks

[inner silo]

That also makes much sense

[umbral girder]

The DMG says normal speaking voice can be heard at like 2d6x10ft away

I’ll check that too, it’s somewhere in exploration I think

[inner silo]

This is why minor illusion is the best

[tranquil temple]

What do you guys think makes a creature interesting to fight?

[jovial badger]

real

[umbral girder]

Varies

But generally they have numerous abilities that the players can counter in someway

[inner silo]

A consistent theme is pretty important

imo

[tranquil temple]

What do you mean?

[old sluice]

Even a chaotic character can do that to prepare a defense in case they're caught.

[inner silo]

Like the general idea around their abilities, role in the story, the place they're from and where the fight is taking place

[old sluice]

Somebody once told me that their metric on whether or not a character is lawful is a simple question "Is that person willing to sacrifice an advantage or compromise a deeply-held belief in the name of respecting a law or tradition even when they have nothing to gain?"

[lavish flame]

usually a cool ability or combination of abilities

[inner silo]

My chaotic characters would never. Though maybe it's my int stat speaking

[inner silo]

Recently we fought a ghost lady and she had the cool ability of crying in my face, instantly taking me to 0 hit points and giving me a level of exhaustion

[old sluice]

That's just them being dumb

You can be chaotic and intelligent, calculating, cold and refined.

[jovial badger]

blood hunter core

[old sluice]

Your alignment says nothing about your personality

[meager fractal]

Littlefinger from GOT

[inner silo]

Makes sense. Though they are technically actively running away from one of the most powerful politicians

[inner silo]

Tbh that sounds pretty cool

[hidden spindle]

There is however, a personality tied to alignment

[old sluice]

Elaborate please

[hidden spindle]

Its in the "Create your Character". A d4 table

[umbral girder]

For alignment? I thought that was just for ability scores, I need to check again

[old sluice]

To me a lawful character is someone who believes in the laws and traditions and codes. If their best friend is to be executed after the trial, even if they believe them innocent, they will still tie the rope.

[tranquil temple]

Do you guys think it’s more fun to fight a bunch of weaker enemies or 1-2 stronger enemies?

[umbral girder]

Ah I see it!

There is personality traits for Alignment

[inner silo]

Do you think giving a wild magic sorcerer a wild magic spell casting focus with it's own surge table be too many dice rolls?

[clear lark]

It depends on how strong

[old sluice]

Oh yeah that's what you were referring to. Sure

[umbral girder]

It can be unless the player you know is fast about it

[hidden spindle]

Maybe... give'm a Feywild Shard

[inner silo]

I see, alrighty. Back to the drawing board

[inner silo]

What's that?

[umbral girder]

You get a wild magic surge when you use Meta magic with it

[hidden spindle]

Uncommon Magic Item from Tasha's.

Essentially, Wild Magic Surges.

[umbral girder]

Sorcerers only can use it

[inner silo]

Oo

[umbral girder]

You might to also look into a Wand of Web.

[inner silo]

Sounds great! Is it like a shard that can be implanted into your foci?

[lavish flame]

IDK about fun, but I think a larger group of enemies is usually better for a fight than 1 or 2 enemies. The team with more turns usually wins the fight, so balancing out the turns makes fights more challenging

[inner silo]

It sounds fun but not very thematic

[hidden spindle]

I think it itself is a crystal that can be a Spellcasting Focus

[umbral girder]

I’m stupid I meant to say Wand of Wonder

[tranquil temple]

Interesting. I hadn’t thought about it like that

[inner silo]

Ah i see

[umbral girder]

It has a d100 table of effects

[inner silo]

Oo, please tell me about it

[hidden spindle]

You could probably mix it in with the mechanics of Ruby of fhe War Mage I suppose

[inner silo]

Nice! Let me look it up then

[umbral girder]

Not the place to put this. #find-a-game is where you go

[old sluice]

For the last time, take it to #find-a-game This is not the channel for that

[lavish flame]

we sum up that concept with the phrase "action economy". really its just "whichever team does more turns has a higher likelihood of winning"

So like 20 enemies is usually gonna overpower the party by actions alone

[hidden spindle]

The good ol' 1 million lions vs "character"

[lavish flame]

yeah in D&D that goes very poorly for the smaller group. Pokemon would still slam tho

[old sluice]

If it's lions, the level 20 PCs win