dnd-discussion

[rough basalt]

I think after Tashas they kinda just phased in and out of giving a crap about content they release.

[prime basin]

because space is nature, it just isn't what we typically consider "nature"

[rough basalt]

I know if they did a proper Spelljammer 2, the niche spelljammer playerbase would probably be overjoyed.

The spelljammer was just such a punch in the face to old fans and didn't even do much for the new people it supposedly wanted to bring in

All it says is just "don't fight on the spelljammers, go to forgotten realms"

[humble cairn]

I feel the new direction of basically legitimizing Third Party content lets them kind of have their cake and eat it, too. They can let third parties take risks while they stay safe and bland.

So I honestly don't expect any brave content to come out. I just hope that means they can concentrate on making it quality content at least. In terms of formatting and rules and such. If they can at least make a baseline that works while third parties branch out and do interesting stuff, I'd be okay.

[rough basalt]

I can see it.

I think Dark Sun and Book of Vile Darkness will probably be the "bravest" so they can earn a lot of old community points.

I'm personally fine with bland as long as it's good.
Problem with content before was it was bland and good if you're dm made it good

[humble cairn]

I personally don't care if they try to earn "old community" points or not. And if it means bringing back the bad old days of highly problematic content for the shock factor I don't want it.

[prime basin]

I mean I feel like the new subclasses in the Villianous UA are brave

[rough basalt]

I think that having a grimdark setting is fine as long as it's not TSRs way of doing it.

[humble cairn]

Villainous Paths are certainly an interesting idea.

And adaptable to any other kind of "path" as well.

[prime basin]

they have added a some brave subclasses to UA they just aren't really a lot of them

[rough basalt]

Like for Dark Sun 5e, I want it to be "this world sucks, but you guys can change it or die trying."

Kinda like how they did Dark Sun 4e

[humble cairn]

And then if someone else wants to delve deeper into Dark Sun with a third party book, kind of like Exploring Eberron, they can let them try some wackier mechanics.

Which generally gives DMs an excuse to allow or disallow stuff.

[rough basalt]

Which is smart from a business standpoint too

[humble cairn]

Right, I think the Exploring Eberron thing was a great idea.

[rough basalt]

Cause if someone makes something screwed up, it's not the companies fault.

As much as people online would wanna say so

Cause saying Dark Sun 5es existence would make that kind of bad stuff happen would be like saying video games cause violence.

[prime basin]

WoTC screws up anyway

[rough basalt]

Like nah. Bad DMs and players have inserted that stuff into games in every system to bother people since the dawn of tabletop

[humble cairn]

My critique of Dark Sun is more to do with writing that basically says "yeah this horrible thing is officially Neutral on the spectrum" which was pretty awful.

So as long as they don't do that again.

[rough basalt]

Kinda like the direction it was going with the 4e one

Where the one Sorcerer-King wanted to change and made his city a free city, and trying to gather allies to end his former comrades tyranny

[still plover]

That'll paint a target on a person.

[rough basalt]

Where it was not "oh this is normal here it's not bad" but "it was bad that it was normal here and even this evil a hole agreed and wants to change it"

He's kinda like Paarthunax from ES

[plain harbor]

Does anyone use dnd beyond

[rough basalt]

He's kinda got a little something going for him

One of the Sorcerer-Kings was cursed to sleep and dragged into the domains of dread so he's out

And a couple of the other sorcerer-kings mostly keep to themselves

[humble cairn]

I do, it's great! It's better as an assistant for people who know the rules, though. Using the character builder is not a good way to learn the rules.

[rough basalt]

Course they're like Darkseid to their subjects

"Yall are worms but my worms" type stuff

[plain harbor]

I just made my character on it and it helped a lot

[rough basalt]

Then the rest of the SK's are sadistically evil and should be who you target first

[humble cairn]

Oh good! I know they revamped the builder to assist more, I'm glad that's turning out well.

[plain harbor]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/163932831

[rough basalt]

One of the more "passive" ones only cares about keeping the last forest on Athas alive.

By any means necessary of course.

[humble cairn]

That character sheet is set on private, so I can't see it.

[plain harbor]

I'm playing as a rogue

[still plover]

Maybe change that (it's under Manage Character) and share it again in #character-discussion ?

[plain harbor]

Try now

[humble cairn]

In the setting magic actively kills life and the ecology, right?

[rough basalt]

Yep

It's why Athas looks like a nuke went off everywhere

[knotty vine]

you should get pircing resistance

[plain harbor]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/163932831

[knotty vine]

its the most common damage type

[plain harbor]

Ok thanks I am new to DnD

[rough basalt]

The Druids of Athas basically keep the forest in sort of a stasis iirc

[humble cairn]

You don't have to ping me twice about it. I'm looking now.

[plain harbor]

Ok

[rough basalt]

Magic kills some stuff, they regrow it

Arcane Magic is what kills the world btw

Druid magic and Psionics are fine.

[humble cairn]

I'll make comments over in #character-discussion

[prime basin]

my mind is fried looking at this character sheet

[rough basalt]

So if you see your bard casting faerie fire. Stop him, he's burning trees with that strum of his lute

[prime basin]

He's heating up the planet

[rough basalt]

Athas is pretty damn hot

Like 130 to 150 F during the day

[prime basin]

Still not as hot as a Drow

[rough basalt]

Athasians said "nah I'd adapt"

And can handle that heat

[wispy wing]

Death Knight Aspirant

Spellcasting. The aspirant casts one of the following spells, using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15):

At Will: Phantom Steed
1/Day Each: Destructive Wave (Necrotic), Dispel Magic

The Phantom steed still takes 1 minute to cast, right?

[rough basalt]

Yep

At-Will just means they can cast it as much as they want.

Like a Lich has at will 5th level fireball so if they wanted they could just use fireball every round at 5th level.

[wispy wing]

Gotcha. I'm still looking for a good monster for our team to fight. The beholder is a nono. This Knight thing seems more reasonable.

[rough basalt]

Death Knights are fun

And I like that the Aspirant was made for lower CR

[wispy wing]

Most of the guys are melee so we cant have a flying orange 120 ft up in the sky 😂

Knight cr 11 so 2 less than the BH

Du you have another suggetion too? We can choose whatever monster and will get better rewards for higher CR.

I think CR 11 is reasonable for a team of five lvl 8 players?

[rough basalt]

It's gonna get wrecked

[wispy wing]

That's fine. If I remember correctly CR 11-13 is one reward and CR 14-17 is a higher reward. Thatts why I'm aiming at 11.

[rough basalt]

Ah i didn't understand the context

[wispy wing]

We can do CR 8-10 too but that is probbly too easy

[rough basalt]

Oh yeah

[wispy wing]

np. I didnt spell it out properly before

[rough basalt]

To give an idea.
I'd throw an Aspirant with some minions at my level 6 party of 4 as a boss encounter

And they'd probably make it out fine.

[wispy wing]

How optimized is that party?

[rough basalt]

Not much. Fighter keeps forgetting he has magic weapons.

Bards had bad luck with enemies that have popped up being immune to a lot of his spells.

[wispy wing]

I see. I got nervous when we fought a CR 13 creature and it walked up to my chracter and bonked her down in one turn.

[rough basalt]

A lot of their power comes from me having given them too many good magic items due to them clearing out an old Wizard Tower.

But even with normal magic item allotage I'd still use that encounter.

[wispy wing]

Would you go all in and play the knight as hard as possible or be a little soft if they roll bad?

This fight is going to be full contact. That's why I'm a little nervous.

[limber trail]

Level 8s vs a CR 11, play to win.

[rough basalt]

I run enemies in character I guess

[wispy wing]

What does play to win mean? (english is my second language)

[rough basalt]

Like last weeks Monday session I Circle of Death'd a downed PC with a Necromancer cause she got tired of her underlings doing nothing to the party. It was also to hit the rogue.

[limber trail]

It just means, you play that enemy like it wants to tpk the party.

[humble cairn]

When my party was level 7 we fought a full on Death Knight. We had prep time and hirelings, but it was still definitely very rough. It was only partway through the fight when I noticed it saying something odd that I had the thought of trying to redeem the Death Knight instead of killing it.

[wispy wing]

gotcha

redeem?

[rough basalt]

Ye I threw a slightlh nerfed Blackguard (CR8) at my level 3 Wednesday party last week.

[limber trail]

I'm tossing up a fight for my own level 7s (4 of them) atm. I'm trying to decide if I want them to fight one gray render, or two. Really all I want is some rampaging monstrosities to loosely challenge them. Gray Renders just feel like the right CR for that.

[rough basalt]

She had a blood mages curse on her that made her attack Arcane casters indiscriminately

[humble cairn]

The DM intended that we run from that fight, but after fighting it to a standstill and getting a 32 on a Persuasion roll, haha yeah Bard, we turned it against itself and brought it back to its original god.

[rough basalt]

They managed to partially get through to her and find out so they knocked her out and blindfolded her and it seemed to prevent her from going berserk

I also technically threw a Purple Worm at them

These two games I'm pretty much just going hogwild

[wispy wing]

Thanks for the input. I will suggest the Death Knight Aspirant, and see what the team thinks about that 🙂

[jaunty grove]

Hi guys, im new to the server!

[jovial sleet]

welcome welcome

[jaunty grove]

I got a question

Have any of you guys ever heard of Dungeons and Dragons? its a table top roleplaying game, its super fun

[still plover]

-# ... "Sir, this is a Wendy's."

[paper portal]

hi new to the server

[jaunty grove]

nice one lmao

[silk hare]

Hi new to the server, I'm not nugget

[jaunty grove]

Hi not nugget, wsg

[silk hare]

opp of bad tbh

[prime basin]

not feeling bad huh?

too good for you then

[marble flint]

Dm offered me a paladin dip for my wizard (we are level 2). I was planning on taking rogue levels down the road for this bladesinger (I have this idea of a powerful archmage that also is a great thief).

I am struggling because power level wise this free paladin dip would arguably make the character significantly stronger. But it would go against what I wanted this character to be.

[still plover]

I'm guessing this paladin level would come with an oath. This is what we would call strings attached.

[marble flint]

Yes. One of the tenants is upholding the law. Which is kinda opposed to what I envisioned as I want him to be a petty thief who finds a reason to instead help people.

[sturdy tusk]

Go with your Heart

What would you Want?

What would fit your Character?

Now Think
Paladin fits better than Rogue ok, If Rogue's Better, Thats Fine as well

[still plover]

Sounds like a no to paladin, then.

[marble flint]

I am feeling like I should not take it (even if it would help the character be much stronger down the line with smites and healing). But that it may lead to him guilt tripping himself earlier into not being so cavalier.

[sturdy tusk]

Rogue fits Better to what im thinking

[sturdy tusk]

Hmmm

What would FIT your Character Lorewise?

[marble flint]

The rogue dip.

[sturdy tusk]

Then Take it

:)

[marble flint]

Well thief subclass dip around level 8

[sturdy tusk]

-# Stupid Slowmode
Anyways

[sturdy tusk]

Huh

[idle oar]

We also have #character-discussion and #optimization for discussing character builds

[sturdy tusk]

Thats Cool

Ok

Best Come to OPtimization

[inner silo]

Ngl i think it'd be pretty cool if necromancy wizards when upcasting animate dead could instead of making more undead minions make stronger undead minions

Like raising a weaker version of a big bad they took down at the cost of a higher level spell slot every day to maintain control over the undead

[flint ledge]

This is something I allow actually although the Initial animate also costs some extra materials

[humble cairn]

There is another spell that raises stronger undead. Create Undead.

[inner silo]

Sounds great tbh!

[inner silo]

Iirc it only lasts 1 hour though and costs concentration

[humble cairn]

You're thinking Summon Undead.

[inner silo]

Ah right

Let me look up create undead

[flint ledge]

Create undead works with flavor is free very much

[humble cairn]

What do you mean? How are you reflavoring it?

[inner silo]

Ok this is pretty sick. I'm personally not the biggest fan of ghouls but reflavouring exists ig. I'll definitely use this when i finally get to playing a neckromancer

[humble cairn]

And you get different undead if you upcast!

[inner silo]

Absolutely goated

[humble cairn]

So yeah, sometimes it pays ot check if it already exists before you start homebrewing a solution.

[inner silo]

Then my next campaign I'll either play this or the changeling duelist with battlemaster and sword bard

[humble cairn]

Course it's a 6th level spell, which means you get access at level 11.

If you monoclass Wizard.

[inner silo]

I still think that using like a 5th level spell slot to instead of raising like 5 or so skeletons to raise like 1 skeleton knight with good armour and a big sword could be cool, but this spell will definitely do it for higher levels

[humble cairn]

Well again you do get Summon Undead in the meantime. So have your weak horde of zombies and have them led by your 1hr long concentration beefy zombo.

[inner silo]

Yeah that'd probably do it, though having the undead be permanent would be nice

But that'd require a lot of work on balancing most likely

Thanks a lot for the help!

[sturdy tusk]

If I had a Nickel for Every Spellcaster in my Upcoming Campaign, I would have Six Nickels which isn't a Lot, but its weird that everyone is a Spellcaster...
-# Sorcerer[Me], Wizard, Druid, Two Artificiers and a Bard

-# Shadow Magic, School of Conjuration, Circle of Underdark[Homebrew], Alchemist, Artillerist and College of Glamour-

[still plover]

Not really. It's D&D.

[humble cairn]

Yeah my current party is Ranger (me), Artificer, Eldritch Knight, Celestial Warlock, Aberrant Sorcerer, Ancients Paladin so yeah all casters as well.

[sturdy tusk]

Damn

[sturdy tusk]

-# The Thing is, Collectively, we each fill in a Role
-# I worry for our DM

-# He wont know what's Coming

:)

We're not Evil
But we somehow made Evil

[humble cairn]

DMs have their ways.

[ancient dew]

Spellcasters tend to be the norm tbh, I usually get more surprised if someone ends up something like a barbarian or a fighter. Even then some subclasses can give you access to magic anyway ^^;

[sturdy tusk]

They do, I dont know what to expect from the Campaign
Suspicion is so terrifying

[sturdy tusk]

If my Sorcerer dies, Im just going Martial Lmao

-# Gunslinger Fighter Go Boom :)

[still plover]

A challenge!

Name six non-caster subclasses.

[humble cairn]

Thief, Mastermind, Mercy, Open Hand, Astral Self, Berserker?

[sturdy tusk]

Hmmm

[still plover]

You missed battlemaster and champion.

[humble cairn]

I stopped at six!

[still plover]

Right, hardcore mode. How many non-magical (including focus, so monk is just out) subs could you name?

[sturdy tusk]

Path of the Beast, Samurai Fighter, Long Death and Shadow Monk, Battlemaster Fighter, Path of the Giants, Scout, Theif, Mastermind, Assasin Rogues, I think Echo Knight? Path of the Berserker, Totem Warrior

[humble cairn]

Exciting! But also .. you don't know what the campaign is about at all? How does our DM expect you to build a character that will fit into their setting?

[sturdy tusk]

Beast, Samurai, Battlemaster, Echo Knight Maybe? Berserker, Totem Warrior, Giants, then Mastermind, Assasin

[sturdy tusk]

No Like we KNOW the Setting

Just gotta see what our DM has in prep for us

[sturdy tusk]

Then Thief, Scout Rogues

[humble cairn]

Inquisitive, Soulknife, Phantom, Samurai, Champion, Battle Master, Banneret, Berserker, Giant, Beast, World Tree

[sturdy tusk]

Add Swashbuckler, My Irl Friend is playing that

[sturdy tusk]

Does Echo Knight Count?

[humble cairn]

And I stopped, there are plenty.

[errant whale]

I am more in favor of martials over spellcasters but my favorites are gishes

[sturdy tusk]

Yeah

[sturdy tusk]

So Bladesingers, Pact of Blade Warlocks?

Honestly Valid, They're Cool

[errant whale]

Well my first character im playing right now is eldritch knight

[sturdy tusk]

Oh Cool!!!

[still plover]

Veto soulknife.

[sturdy tusk]

Beast, Samurai, Battlemaster, Echo Knight Maybe? Berserker, Totem Warrior, Giants, then Mastermind, Assasin

[sturdy tusk]

I'll be playing Shadow Sorcerer

-# I alr have the Character ready, Im waiting for Sat

[humble cairn]

Totem Warrior can actually cast spells.

[sturdy tusk]

...

Remove that-
-# Still I can name more

[still plover]

Ditto echo knight. We're looking for the mundane here, no magic, no supernatural powers.

[buoyant oar]

Battle Master Fighter blessed be the battlefield commander.

[sturdy tusk]

Inquisitive, Mastermind, Assasin, Cavalier, Samurai, Berserker, Beast, Giants, Battlemaster

[humble cairn]

I was saying ones that don't cast anything that would be affected by antimagic.

[errant whale]

Although I have only just gotten to lvl 3 but my plan is to juggle in as many different weapons attacks as I can in one battle because of war bond

[still plover]

Ahh.

[sturdy tusk]

Scout, Swashbuckler, Ancestral Guardian if it Counts

[humble cairn]

Soulknife isn't doing any magic, but you specifically want stuff that don't look supernatural at all?

[sturdy tusk]

^^

[sturdy tusk]

War Bond?

[still plover]

Can an Earth-man do what soulknife does?

[humble cairn]

Ancestral Guardian isn't doing magic, but they are doing supernatural stuff.

[sturdy tusk]

Ok so no Ancestral Guardian

Still

[humble cairn]

Depends on how you flavor it, sure, but yeah if you frame the question as no supernatural stuff by default then that's a slightly different question.

[errant whale]

Yeah, EK can bond to a weapon and summon it into their hands as a bonus action

[sturdy tusk]

Oh COOL!!!

[errant whale]

So I can essentially juggle between two-handed weapons

[sturdy tusk]

If THATS what you mean

Inquisitive, Mastermind, Assasin, Cavalier, Samurai, Berserker, Battlemaster

Basically EVERY Rogue and Fighter except Soulknife, Arcane Trickster, Echo and Eldritch Knight, Arcane Archer and Psi Warrior

Berserker Counts as its Rage, Beast and Giant maybe, but more with Berserker

[humble cairn]

D3 Rogue is out as well.

[sturdy tusk]

D3?

[humble cairn]

Dead 3, Scion of the Dead Three Rogue.

[sturdy tusk]

Oh Remove that As Well

-# I was saying 2014

A Normal Human can be Gunslinger Fighter as well lmao

[light minnow]

Yo uh

[still plover]

The point being it's a short list when you strike out anything magical, sorcerous, spiritually empowered, psychic, psionic or otherwise extra.

[light minnow]

What class allows me to binding vows or deal with the devil's type beat

[sturdy tusk]

Damn

[sturdy tusk]

Warlock

[light minnow]

I got inspired by Chaotic Good Barbarian

[sturdy tusk]

Thats the Whole Class

[still plover]

Like, how many subs are there, a hundred?

[sturdy tusk]

No...

[errant whale]

@sturdy tusk 10 DEX and 16 STR, also planning to go beast master

[sturdy tusk]

...

[humble cairn]

I'm playing a Beast Master, they're really fun!

[sturdy tusk]

Why dont you swap 10 and 16

Aren't Rangers proficient in them?

[humble cairn]

10 Dex means you cannot multiclass, just fyi.

[sturdy tusk]

-# Yeah

[humble cairn]

Proficient in what?

[sturdy tusk]

Dex and Wis

I believe

-# My Memory may not be THAT great idk

[humble cairn]

Are you talking about Saving Throws?

[sturdy tusk]

Uhh Yes

[humble cairn]

It's Str and Dex.

[sturdy tusk]

Oh

OH Ok

[light minnow]

Gotta ask

[flint ledge]

Oh wait I was also thinking of summon undead

[errant whale]

Well I want them to fight more up-close and melee weapons have better options if you are going strength

[sturdy tusk]

I am So stupid-

[light minnow]

For Warlock can I alter vows on vows themselves

[sturdy tusk]

Hmm, Valid ngl

[light minnow]

Like layer them

[sturdy tusk]

-# I was confused sorry

[humble cairn]

None of that negative self talk!

[errant whale]

It isnt an optimal build at all but they’re also a dwarf with tough feat and +1 CON

[sturdy tusk]

-# Damn

[sturdy tusk]

Oh Cool

[errant whale]

Didn’t plan to but I just learned that in #dnd-rules so its good to know for future reference

[sturdy tusk]

Hmm
-# Does your DM allow Rolling Stats?

[errant whale]

Nah, its point buy

[sturdy tusk]

Cuz my DM Did
I rolled Three Nines...
TWO Fourteens
and one 16

:)
My Character's a bit balanced ngl

[humble cairn]

What weapons are you planning on using? Also what's your Wisdom?

[sturdy tusk]

Atleast Warforged Increased FOurteen to 16[Con] and 9 to 10[Int]

[hot gate]

That's pretty much right on the mark for total stat points according to standard array, so that tracks 😄

[sturdy tusk]

Mind you I rolled them...

[errant whale]

17 WIS
I think flail because of sap

And also shield

[sturdy tusk]

The Dice Gods wanted a Balanced Character Lmao

[hot gate]

They really did

[sturdy tusk]

^^

-# Im pretty Sure that I wont be worshippin any Gods soon tho [I mean my Character]

[hot gate]

I don't usually find rolling for stats all that great for longer campaigns, because if you don't roll great and others do that may lead to some pretty long lasting bad vibes.

But for one-shots, roll away

[sturdy tusk]

Bud saw the Horrors of the Shadowfell and became Better

[sturdy tusk]

It isn't a Oneshot
But we all rolled some balanced Stats I would say

[hot gate]

That's good to hear!

[sturdy tusk]

^^

Wait, Imma just brb

[errant whale]

For the campaign my fighter is in I rolled for stats and dm had homebrew rule of rerolling 1s

My stats are 15 in both strength and int
17 in constitution
And 6 wisdom

I forget dex and charisma but they’re average

[sturdy tusk]

Damn Ok

Back

[paper portal]

6 wis 😭

[sturdy tusk]

Fighter Lmao

Actually thats a Cool Character

[paper portal]

yeah but still those saves are gonna hurt

[sturdy tusk]

-# Tho the Saves will hurt a LOT

[sturdy tusk]

Damn, Stole the Words from my Hands mate

When did you become a Rogue?

[pliant sapphire]

one wis save and its over

[paper portal]

see assuming i need to be a rogue to steal your stuff was your first mistake >:3

[sturdy tusk]

Damn

[sturdy tusk]

Agreed

-# Still 6 Wis or 9, Both will Hurt

[errant whale]

Sounds fun, I’ve yet to be put against a wis save so overall my character is doing great

Low wis and high int is also really fun to roleplay

[sturdy tusk]

Lmao

Honestly?
Make a Low Wis, High Dex, High Cha, and Avg Int Bard :)

-# Str Idc, Con yeah Sure

And Rp as him
-# Make him an Aetherborn as well Lmao

[errant whale]

What’s aetherborn?

[sturdy tusk]

Its a 2014 Species

Lemme Pull it up rq-

[paper portal]

third party i assume

[sturdy tusk]

From Plane Shift

Huh

It is Official I thin

Plane Shift Kaladesh is Third Party?

If yes, then do a Warforged

So Yeah Here

[paper portal]

ua iirc

[severe rampart]

Does anyone actually use initiative scores instead of rolling for initiative?

[sturdy tusk]

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
Age. Aetherborn come into being as adults and live no more than a few years.
Alignment. As a rule, aetherborn are driven by hedonism and self-interest, making them neutral at best and thoroughly evil at worst. Neutral aetherborn might devote much of their time (and wealth) to parties and social activity, while evil aetherborn are usually involved in the criminal underworld.
Size. Aetherborn are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. They are quite light—only about 100 pounds—and their weight diminishes as they age and more and more of their substance returns to the aethersphere. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Accustomed to the night, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Born of Aether. You have resistance to necrotic damage.
Menacing. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice.

[sturdy tusk]

Unearthed Arcana IIRC?

-# Whats IIRC?

[paper portal]

if i remember correctly

[sturdy tusk]

Aetherborn come into being spontaneously as part of the aether refinement process. Their bodies and minds are apparently formed out of some interaction between the volatile elements of aether that are removed during refinement and the psychic impressions created by the people involved in the process. But each aetherborn is a unique individual, not a mere copy of some other person’s mind and shape. This race is little understood, and few aetherborn are willing to waste any of their short lives allowing vedalken scholars to study their biological and psychological characteristics.

Aetherborn are a strange living by-product of the process of aether refinement, cast in humanoid form but lacking any of the biological qualities of other races.
They are actively Decaying I think, Very short lifespans as their bodies go back to Aether

[errant whale]

Oh wow few year lifespan is crazy

[sturdy tusk]

It is...

Still

They ARE Very Short Lifespanned because their Bodies slowly are dissolving and dissipating into Aether

[paper portal]

what's with these super nothing racial traits

[sturdy tusk]

?

Wdym?

[silk hare]

probably means: cool explanations, but what are the mechanical benefits?

[sturdy tusk]

For the Stats?
Paladin, Warlock, Sorcerer and Bards can Benefit from the +2 Increase in CHa

The Other 2 can be Con/Dex

Int or Wis even

[pliant sapphire]

Only Darkvision, a resistance and a proeficiency is a bit poor for a species

[sturdy tusk]

-# Actually yes...

-# It does sound cool, If Wizards of the Coast make Aetherborn into 2024, They gotta implement more stuff

Hmm

[errant whale]

Would be funny to give them insane racial traits and shorten their lifespan to a few months

[sturdy tusk]

Prob, But they have mostly 10 Years to 6 Months to Live

I love the idea of making a character who’s grappling with that short a lifespan- it could lead to a lot of fun hooks and Storylines

[errant whale]

Also do they need to sleep?

[sturdy tusk]

Uhh, Prob not-

Nah, They gotta Sleep, Eat and Drink?

Lemme Chck that rq-

[silk hare]

maybe sth like mediation time to keep their body together

[errant whale]

Honestly if they had such a short lifespan I would make them not need to sleep, eat, or drink

[sturdy tusk]

No Actually

[silk hare]

yeah but in the system of dnd, how would they benefit from a "long rest", its a bit weird having a cloud just standing around camp for 8 hours

[sturdy tusk]

They dont need to Eat, Sleep nor Drink

[silk hare]

ah, thats fun then

[sturdy tusk]

Its moreso a Statue

[silk hare]

fair

[sturdy tusk]

A Moving Statue slowly dissipating into Aether over the Course of 6 months to 10 years

They have VERY short Lifespans, so an Idea I made was and Aetherborn Oath of Devotion Paladin, who was the Psychic Impression of a General who died far from home. The Aetherborn remembers his memories, and wishes to devote the few years of its life to fulfill this General's Dying Wish. To give a book, His Diary to his Daughter. The Diary is the general's Life, the Problems he faced and how much he missed his Daughter, because she believed that her father was a Barbaric Warrior who only liked Killing :)

[timid pagoda]

@silk hare what should be a general rule of thumb for holding combat as a dm

[strong wave]

Why does that text look darker

[timid pagoda]

i am confused as heck for the first time

[timid pagoda]

-#

-# why not

[sturdy tusk]

I normally Type like that...

Sorry

[strong wave]

#cool

Hmm oh well

[sturdy tusk]

Then a Space

[timid pagoda]

cool!

[idle oar]

Please don’t misuse formatting folks

[sturdy tusk]

Ok Mate, Dw
-# I'll control myself

[idle oar]

It’s disruptive to chat and can be an accessibility problem for folks

[timid pagoda]

my eyes hurt now

[sturdy tusk]

Damn Ok
I'll be careful :)

[silk hare]

there is no textbook answer really

as long as everyone enjoys themselves, its all good

adhere to the rules (combat) and go off off there

[strong wave]

If you accidentally kill the party on the first combat just capture them instead

[lucid reef]

Don't TPK first round

[silk hare]

theres tons of narrative ways to "undo" a TPK

[sturdy tusk]

Or make a New Campaign where they are going through hell!
Like they all died, are now in hell and have to get back to defeat the Villain who was OP at Level 1, Balanced at Level 15 :)

[sturdy tusk]

Yeah

[lucid reef]

Oh i know im just saying

[timid pagoda]

bro i accidentally tpk'd my players because the idiots found a very secret quest line and decided to enrage a shapeshifting dragon

should i just get them the return by death ability at this point 😭

[severe rampart]

Should've made it clear to them that going there was dangerous

[silk hare]

also some lenience from said dragon, bc they cant even scratch it

dragon should make like a tree and leaf

[timid pagoda]

bruh the thing is they decided to roll either way and the monk is a self righteous catholic who wanted to evangelise the said dragon... pain in the back i tell you and he decided to throw a massive rock at him

[severe rampart]

I never heard anyone say that irl before, got an unexpected chuckle from me

[errant whale]

How did they manage to enrage a shapeshifting dragon

Besides if its shapeshifted wouldnt the point is it wants to keep its identity hidden

[humble cairn]

Any reason that the dragon might spare them from death and instead either toy with them or perhaps send them on a side quest?

[timid pagoda]

@errant whale

the dragon was in a very discreet mansion (fighting in its basement to be precise)

[timid pagoda]

actually now that i think about it, I'll do that. thanks!

[feral fulcrum]

A deserved death then.

[timid pagoda]

Bro the entire party is chaotic

[severe rampart]

What's a cool secondary effect for an uncommon magic weapon

[timid pagoda]

1 Satanist , 2 Catholics, A Mormon, A Buddhist and then an Athiest

[severe rampart]

Best not to mention real religions here

[timid pagoda]

they made their own spinoffs of it

[feral fulcrum]

Why are they a bunch of real religions in D&D? Sounds like a weird group

[errant whale]

irl or their characters

[timid pagoda]

characters

[sturdy tusk]

-# Their Characters

[severe rampart]

They-... they know there's other gods in DnD right?

[timid pagoda]

they do 😭

[sturdy tusk]

-# WDYM SATANIST IRL-

[sturdy tusk]

Lmao

[timid pagoda]

one was an ex satanist

[feral fulcrum]

And a bit of a murder-hobo-y one given they're attacking random people after insulting them.

[sturdy tusk]

...

[timid pagoda]

i love my friend group

[sturdy tusk]

Nope I quit

[silk hare]

yeah I love it and idk why but had to think of it soooo

[timid pagoda]

oh and to tell you they all are drug addicted

except the catholic because of course

[severe rampart]

It is quite fun to say silly things

[timid pagoda]

bro wanted to be Heisenberg

[sturdy tusk]

Oh Ok

[severe rampart]

Yeah, but we should tread lightly, and hopefully move on

[timid pagoda]

depends on the school, yes

[sturdy tusk]

Hear me out, Make one of them make a Nuke in DND

[feral fulcrum]

Sounds like a bad group.

[sturdy tusk]

Then Keep it on themselves and Sprint to the BBEG

:)

[severe rampart]

Anyway, re-asking it, What's a fun secondary effect for an uncommon magical weapon?

[timid pagoda]

1 asked for a bag of holding.... i wonder why

[silk hare]

yup yup indeed

[sturdy tusk]

Swaps Ability Scores

[severe rampart]

My favorite is to say "I thunk" and not "I thought"

[sturdy tusk]

It you hold it, 11 and Below are 11 to 20, 11 to 20 is 11 and below

[severe rampart]

Uncommon

[silk hare]

mhh I also like "I forgor" instead of "I forgot"

[timid pagoda]

oh i like that one

[sturdy tusk]

Ok, Adds Dmg

Like Non Elemental

[silk hare]

or just insert any vocal stim for certain trigger words

such as "crazy"

[errant whale]

Moves you and the target you attacked each 5ft in a random direction?

[limber trail]

I assume it's a +1 weapon already?

[timid pagoda]

what about everything it touches makes it sing or illuminate so if you're fighting someone in a darkened place, if you hit the target the place is illuminated and the target is well brighter

[limber trail]

Radiating light is a fun one. Maybe a charge which you can use for some small effect once a day? Players like that. A second wind of some kind perhaps?

[severe rampart]

for a Halberd stolen from a fallen skeleton general, I'm thinking clashing it against hard metal creates an irritating shriek that deal 2d6 damage or frightens creatures who fail a DC 15 Wisdom Save. but that might be a bit too much

[silk hare]

any lvl 1 spell ingrained, returning weapon (or other artificer infusions)

"stunning strike" but its a % chance that u get stunned instead

it glows when danger is near, but well, the edges are sharp soooo

[timid pagoda]

artificers are so hard to play

[limber trail]

Taking an action once a day to attempt to scare creatures in a radius... it's cool, maybe a touch strong for an uncommon which has a +1?

[silk hare]

not really, just require a lot of dm cooperation imo

[limber trail]

They are just a pretty complex class

[severe rampart]

for noises and such it's thunder damage correct?

[limber trail]

There's a lot of jank but setting that aside they're just pretty complex too

[limber trail]

generally yeah.

[feral fulcrum]

For extremely loud sound based damage, it is indeed thunder

[severe rampart]

Ya know, it doesn't have to make sense nvm, it's from a skeleton general, just make it necrotic

[limber trail]

Tarrasque's Roar for example

[timid pagoda]

also why do some people say 3e is better than 5e?

[silk hare]

depends how u define it, could also be "piercing" as in a high pitched noise "piercing" your eardrums

[severe rampart]

oh, thanks Echo

[silk hare]

cos people like different things

[viral kraken]

some people prefer the crunch of 3e

[limber trail]

there's not really a good basis for better or worse. some prefer 3e, some prefer 5e

[feral fulcrum]

If it's purely exploding eardrums, it's Thunder, if it's a magic shrieking wail of a ghost, it's Necrotic.

[silk hare]

preference is subjective

[timid pagoda]

can you elaborate?

[feral fulcrum]

Because some people enjoy the more complex and feature rich nature of 3E (Or rather 3.5) over the relatively shallow pool that is 5e.

[errant whale]

Nails on chalkboard would do psychic damage

[silk hare]

some stuff is jsut way stronger, lot of customizability iirc, a few things are a bit different such as druid and monk lvling iirc

[feral fulcrum]

And crafting and construction rules are just...a thousand times more engaging and detailed.

[silk hare]

also that

[severe rampart]

I'm still thinking about that time I rolled a 15 for fireball damage

[silk hare]

8D6 be like

[severe rampart]

That's how the dice are

[silk hare]

indeed haha

[silk hare]

I mean to be fair thats like 30% of max damage

so bit below average but yeah

[timid pagoda]

can i try playing 3.5e (customisation & monsters) but with 5e rules

[silk hare]

you certainly can

[timid pagoda]

also i heard in 6e, ranger will be assimilated into fighter?

[severe rampart]

The huh

[feral fulcrum]

If you have the books, yes. You don't exactly need strangers permission to try a system

[silk hare]

thats the great thing about dnd, if you are willing to put in the work you can customize a bunch of stuff

[timid pagoda]

my friend said

[severe rampart]

That sounds... wrong

[limber trail]

Nothing about 6e has been announced yet, there's not even confirmation it's being worked on (or ever will be)

[timid pagoda]

would it be recommended i meant

[viral kraken]

5e has a design principle called "bounded accuracy" that they sometimes actually adhere to, which basically makes numbers go from like 5-30 for the most part. 3e had tons of things that if it took an expert to perform them, they would be drastically far out of the reach of other people. in 5e typically your bonus to a skill check might be like +12 or something at level 20, in 3e it might be like +30

[silk hare]

I dont think sth like that was announced tbh

[limber trail]

some people would like that but there is absolutely no announcements out about a potential 6th edition

[still plover]

Not really, but it might be fun to give it a bash.

[severe rampart]

It'd be terrible if that happened

[silk hare]

yeah they should just bfuf ranger a bit imo instead of abandoning the concept and making them fighters ngl

[feral fulcrum]

They'd be incredibly stupid to announce a 6E litteraly barely two years after launching 5.5

[silk hare]

I mean not like it hasnt happened

[viral kraken]

also there were a lot more rules that made the game feel like a physics simulator to some folks

[feral fulcrum]

Any rumours about 6E are pure trolling

[limber trail]

3.5e works differently to 5e, you would need some hefty reworking to port some of the content over to 6e

[viral kraken]

oh can confirm, we're still on an iteration of 5e in 3030

[limber trail]

5.75e?

[errant whale]

5.5.5e

[limber trail]

heck.

[timid pagoda]

so what you're saying is that some monsters have like ac40?

[feral fulcrum]

5E will stick around until it's well and truly not making WOTC Money

[silk hare]

not necessarily, but theres e.g. I think CR30 creatures iirc

[timid pagoda]

i think my friend is gaslighting me then 😞

[feral fulcrum]

I vaguelly recall someone mentioning a Monster with like and ac of 80 once.

[limber trail]

yes. Or your friend has been gaslit

[errant whale]

Buffing ranger would reduce their profits /j

[timid pagoda]

i need to see some videos of it i think

[severe rampart]

80 AC? Saving Throws here I come

[limber trail]

in 5e? That would be someone's bad homebrew.

[feral fulcrum]

Or you friend just beleives whatever rumor they've heard from some random, untrustworthy idiot they came across online.

[viral kraken]

skill checks got way more out of hand than attack bonuses and AC, but ya basically

[silk hare]

tbh AC over 30 doesnt matter, its only crits atp anyways

[feral fulcrum]

No, in older Editions

Not sure if it was 3E or 2E TBH, it months ago when it came up

[limber trail]

An AC 30 at level 20, is still being hit often enough. Martials would usually have a +14 to hit, so a 16 or higher on the dice hits, not including things like bless and BIs and whatnot.

[feral fulcrum]

Think it was during some Tarresque discussion

[timid pagoda]

my players were asking to fight a God when they turned level 20 in the following months, let's make them play 3.5e instead

[viral kraken]

just a random example i remember, i had a splat book that told me what rules effect putting honey on paper and putting it on a window would have on my attempt to break it silently

[silk hare]

yeah fair, I usually think in a max of lvl 17

but yeah AC 40 at lvl 20

[timid pagoda]

what. the. heck

[limber trail]

AC 40 is far beyond the bounds of what 5e is designed for

[errant whale]

The gods have nothing against ranger’s 1d10 hunter’s mark

[timid pagoda]

what was 1e like then? 😭

[limber trail]

If you're using an enemy who has an AC of 40 it's on you as a DM

[silk hare]

true true, but AC 80 is also unheard of, + it wouldnt really matter after a certain point

[viral kraken]

3.5 had the epic level handbook, with progression past 20. includes DCs for balancing on the surface of a cloud, escaping through a silid wall or wall of force, and other wild checks

[limber trail]

oh for sure. I just think both are bad design

[silk hare]

agreed

[timid pagoda]

i think i should just give up on reading those handbooks then, sounds way too complicated but fun at the same time

[silk hare]

huh the WoF is the first time I heard about that lmao

nice spell ya got there, imma just roll a checkk

[severe rampart]

I think the only thing that can hit AC 40,barring saving throws and magic missile, is a level 20 monk with bardic inspiration

[limber trail]

with bardic inspiration most martials can

[errant whale]

Champion fighter could also hit slightly more consistently

[severe rampart]

Oh, yeah, never tried champion before though

[errant whale]

Especially if they have advantage

[limber trail]

19 on the dice, +12 from bardic, +14 to hit.

[severe rampart]

Ohh, the monk I have has a +16 to hit, but yeah, that works too

[silk hare]

wait is that calc with or without magic weapons?

nvm

[limber trail]

That’s with magic weapons

[silk hare]

yeah, just realised xD

[severe rampart]

With, yeah

[limber trail]

Love monks and their ridiculous to hit bonuses

[timid pagoda]

can divine intervention summon God

[limber trail]

I had a +10 at level 5

[severe rampart]

Which one

[silk hare]

dm discression

[limber trail]

In 2014 it’s up to the DM

[timid pagoda]

what about warlock trying the same.... is it still DM discretion

[limber trail]

Yes

[timid pagoda]

i had a silly scenario then

[limber trail]

Warlocks also don’t have much of a mechanical basis for it

[wicked mulch]

D&D Question of the Day (D&D Beyond: Playing the Game):

Which is the target number for an attack roll?
A) DC
B) AC
C) PB

[severe rampart]

Crying is a free action

[severe rampart]

B. Armor Class

[limber trail]

I would not expect anything for warlocks because there’s not even really an ability that does that

[silk hare]

B

but personally Id say AC/DC

[timid pagoda]

what if they both fight instead of the threat it was in front of them, how would that combat work

[limber trail]

AC

[feral fulcrum]

Unless It's Rules As Written, it's Entirely, Utterly, Solely up to your DM.

[severe rampart]

love these quizzes

[viral kraken]

G) ATTACA

[limber trail]

Ok quick everyone change your answer to PB to mess with them

[silk hare]

doxxed part of his genetic sequence huh

[wicked mulch]

Using it as means for me to get up to date on 5e myself.

[viral kraken]

oop

[timid pagoda]

lovely

[silk hare]

thats nice

[pearl jetty]

I just got here so hi I guess

What are we talking about?

[silk hare]

got a question for you: Can a barbarian use their "danger sense" on a breath weapon attack?

A: yes
B: No
C: Yes, but only if its in line of sight
D: Sometimes, but up to the dm

[timid pagoda]

So if cleric summons God and warlock summons Patron/God but said Gods fight each other, how would that combat work?

[pearl jetty]

Wait there’s a newcomers channel

[silk hare]

no rules ,up to the dm

[timid pagoda]

i am trying to do that ngl

set a scenario like that

[silk hare]

yeah, sadly if its not written in the rules, its not ironclad and cannot be answered

bc it goes case by case/ depending on the dm

[signal pond]

I still struggle knowing how to propperly balance using the CR system...is there a hard and fast calculation that makes sense? Like, if i have 7 players, all level 4, then I should have a combination of 12 between all CR encoutners? or, 1 player can fight 1 creature one half their own CR?

[severe rampart]

Ask your DM about that first

because if you're deliberately trying to get two godlike beings to fight, that could seriously derail the campaign/session

[timid pagoda]

i am the dm trying to do something stupid

[silk hare]

Imo CR doesnt work as well bc theres a lot of other factors

[silk hare]

alr then, go ahead with it

[severe rampart]

I mean, good luck then

[silk hare]

find a statblock u like for them, go by turn order and give your players control over them e.g.

theres a bunhc of "god"/ "avatar"/ "demigod" statblocks out there

customize as needed

[signal pond]

ok so i'm not crazy, it just really is an...'attempt' at a system (that falls a little flat) right?

[timid pagoda]

thank you guys

[silk hare]

yeah, its ok to guestimate, rule of thumb is CR X is for 5 players of lvl X

that doesnt really take into account stuff you gave your players, chances, stun effects etc etc

• XP budget is also a good way too look at those encounters

and balance more

• CR of a total encounter is also vastly different than a CR of a creature, bc dnd combat is highly dependent on action economy

[timid pagoda]

also guys do you guys got some good playlists for the sessions?

[viral kraken]

is it not per 4? for some reason i thought it was for 4?

[signal pond]

ah! interesting. It's good to have a rough rule of thumb that i can start FROM and move toward what feels better. ok i'll go with that. and thank you!
XP budget. ok i'll check that out too

[silk hare]

I mgiht be tripping too

[severe rampart]

but the PHB accounts for like... 5-7 encounter days no?

[silk hare]

yeah true that xD

[severe rampart]

I hate CR so much

[silk hare]

frfr

[signal pond]

i've never understood this. but maybe i've just set the wrong pacing in my games

[timid pagoda]

i like milestone levelling

[viral kraken]

i got a bunch of good music from humble bundle for tabletops, and i hoover up the free tracks from tabletop audio as well

[severe rampart]

No, no one does 5-7 encounters per day

[silk hare]

me when my lvl 1 players get bashed in by 3 needle blights (CR 1/4) (on hit 2D6 dmg) at lvl 1

[oblique egret]

does anyone know any good virtual tabletops i could use until im able to get foundry? im dm'ing my first campaign soon and i'm scrambling to figure out what to use

[wicked mulch]

C. Yes, but only in LOS...and not incapacitated for blinded. Correct?

[signal pond]

oh thank god lol. i was feeling like i screwed up somewhere

[viral kraken]

owlbear rodeo

[severe rampart]

Owlbear is very nice

[silk hare]

roll 20 is easy to use and free

[severe rampart]

I quite dislike the storage limit, and I am at my limits

[fair plinth]

They are fighting on incomprehensible past-3d dimensions so no one can sense or understand whats happening
But you could have it run any way you see fit tbh, like avatars brawling it out or smth

[oblique egret]

is there ways to upload player icons and stuff as well in those?

[viral kraken]

ya

[oblique egret]

okay perfect! i rlly wanna do this right cause ive always loved planescape and im introducing my friends to it

[silk hare]

I onyl use roll20, but yeah u can make tokens, upload player icons, use a compendium (free rules are free there too)

[silk hare]

correct!

[indigo sleet]

I just realized turning the pacts into invocations boosted Eldritch Adept from tasha's

[silk hare]

indeed it did

[halcyon bison]

Paladins would enjoy that pact of the blade…

[indigo sleet]

I was thinking the same

[silk hare]

tbh most pally builds (that are somehwat opimized) multiclass sooner or later, so they just get the invocations one way or another

[glass iron]

hey so im making a hombrew subclass as a story reward for one of my players and i was hoping i could get some feed back and suggestions on it

[silk hare]

#homebrew

[indigo sleet]

If you pick a legacy "full feat", do you still get a +1 stat increase, since half-feats are the new norm?

[glass iron]

oh thanks you

[silk hare]

unless the feat specifies it gives u a stat boost, then no, u dont get an increase

at least Id say so

[idle oar]

Also please don’t post the same question across multiple channels - it’s considered spam here. Try and find the best channel for a topic and use that channel - see #channel-guide to find the best channel for a topic. Thanks!

[lavish flame]

yeah, if the Feat didn't get updated, then it didnt get an update

[indigo sleet]

Ah, my apologies

[proper grove]

I'm playing a melee character in one of my DnD games and I recently obtained the Feywrought Armor. Which lets me use Compulsion on other creatures. Could I use the spell to force enemies to walk towards me and if not what else could I do with the spell?

[atomic kayak]

The compulsion spell is very specific about what it can do. If you mean "walk" towards you, its possible per the spell

[fathom gate]

I cast belly full of lead

[proper grove]

Yeah that's what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.

[late ridge]

Hi, I wanted to know if it's possible to advertise for a friend who draws and does commissions?

[viral kraken]

#dnd-advertisements

[late ridge]

Okay thanks

[robust raft]

Hello

Can I advertise my session? if so, where?

[idle oar]

#looking-for-players - read #find-a-game carefully as it explains how to use the bot to post there

(assuming you mean you’re advertising a game that needs players)

[dim wasp]

Anything interesting going on in chat

Or is it just redirection of players

[idle oar]

Some actual D&D topics happening

[dim wasp]

Ware

[idle oar]

Scroll up? Check other channels?

[dim wasp]

Ok cool ty

[still plover]

We're talking ludonarrative dissonance in #dm-discussion.

[umbral girder]

One idea I had poking around my head was What if Netheril was a Domain of Dread.

[still plover]

Previously or currently?

[umbral girder]

The idea is it’s their last week or two before the fall.

The Dark Powers trapping them in a loop

Admittedly the idea of running such a Super Magic city would be wild

[uncut zenith]

Would be interesting if Karsus was made a Dark Lord

[umbral girder]

The way to “escape” is the stop the ritual from happening. Problem is Karsus wasn’t the only one making it work, it was the entire empire.

[still plover]

Hah. And he's the only one who realises, and he spends his days in an alcoholic stupor, surrounded by the notes of all his failed attempts to break the loop.

[umbral girder]

Could also be a “ok so what did I do wrong last time?”

And he keeps editing the plan to make it successful.

Like a guy playing the same part of a video game. Groundhog Day style.

[still plover]

Exactly. Except he can't do it alone and nobody there can help. Until the party show up, he's stuck in a personal hell.

[umbral girder]

Then he becomes the threat of “given enough loops he is going to win” is my thought process

[still plover]

Ahh, the twist.

[umbral girder]

He is the Dark Lord so he is the primary antagonist

[past crest]

aw someone left my campaign day of the session

sadge :[

[umbral girder]

Plus a guy so smart would take advantage of repeating his failure experiment

[umbral girder]

It happens.

[past crest]

yeah aha damn

[severe rampart]

Sorry to hear that!

[past crest]

yeah :[ It's surprising because they went soooo far

[umbral girder]

Happened to me as well while go

[past crest]

they blocked me, left the server, left THIS server, left the discord server she found my campaign on and disabled friend requests from all accounts haha

[umbral girder]

Literally at the start of the session “I’ll be right back” then left and blocked everyone

[past crest]

oh yeah it's crazy

[umbral girder]

I think he just didn’t like I wasn’t making guns exclusive to his own character and no one else.

[past crest]

i wonder why people do that 😭

I don't know though there was just 0 indication but yeah it sucks

[ashen kelp]

Someone call the mods on #dnd-arts-and-crafts message

[severe rampart]

Poor communication skills

[viral kraken]

#moderator-support or use the integrations in the right click menu to report it

[past crest]

yeah I guess so

[severe rampart]

they can't just say "I'm sorry, this campaign isn't for me" and talk

[still plover]

I dunno, presenting him as an initially sympathetic figure feels like it has legs.

[severe rampart]

Good luck on your campaign though, hopefully you still have enough players

[viral kraken]

so you know i went and used the integrations to alert the mods

[severe rampart]

I also did that 😭

I wonder how many people do that

[viral kraken]

i only learned about that way of doing it yesterday

[umbral girder]

So most Dark Lords again

[past crest]

I want one more aha

[severe rampart]

could always post an LFG in this server

[past crest]

well it was a paid game so I think this server's much less receptive to that so I won't ^^

[umbral girder]

Could also ask your players if they have a friend that wants to join.

[severe rampart]

Ohh I see, well good luck!

[past crest]

yeah ahaha

gotta go and be shameless online again sigh

[feral fulcrum]

That's what #moderator-support is for, for future reference.

[split bramble]

Hi

[still plover]

#paid-looking-for-game is a thing. Take you a couple of minutes to write up the form.

[royal gorge]

Ya. There isn't anything wrong with a paid game. If cooks can be paid for making a meal at a privately owned restaurant for their cooking skills, a DM should be able to get payed for their DMing if he offers it as a paid game. There are people who get payed to clean. People should be able to get payed for DMing. You don't have to do something only for the love of it. If you put the time into it and hard work into it, you should be getting paid for it. 🙂

[marble lion]

Should?
Not in money but you can certainly!

I view paid games as a different experience and that is perfectly fine.

I DM because I want to spend time with friends in another world. Both parties get something out of it.

If my friends paid me, it would no longer feel like a reciprocative friend hangout and rather a service.
This does not include stuff like paying for the campaign book or snacks as pitching in.

[umbral girder]

Has anyone here played with Plot Points?

[royal gorge]

A DM should be paid to run D&D, if they offer it as a service, because they invest significant time and resources into preparation, storytelling, and creating an engaging experience for players. The costs can vary based on the DM's experience and the quality of the game, but players often find that paying ensures commitment and a higher quality of play. And let's be honest, buying content, and stuff for VTTs does get expenive after a while, and in some cases for DMing, years of training in collage to do so (Not in most cases, but ya, some professional DMs that do have collage experiance in acting/voice acting).

If it's for friends, and is offered for free, that's fine.

I had one professional DM, and everyone stayed commited to the game, because there was money involved. People stayed and we finished the campaign multiple times, in multiple systems. D&D 5e, and D&D 5.5e being two of them, as well as a couple of others. The professional DM was highly skilled at what he did, and only charged $10.00 per player per game, and even threw in a few free games or two. We got to do cool stuff too, like being a part of a Kickstarter project. 🙂

[umbral girder]

The one where a player can spend the point to replace the DM?

Woah wall of text moment

[royal gorge]

Nevr heard of it. 🙂

[umbral girder]

It’s in the 2014 DMG.

[silk hare]

U mean instead of xp?

[umbral girder]

No?

[silk hare]

Ah sry didn't see the second message

[umbral girder]

I said nothing about XP.

[royal gorge]

You mean Milestones?

[umbral girder]

No I said nothing involving level ups

[still plover]

Not in D&D, no.

[silk hare]

Yup sty, again didn't read the last message

[royal gorge]

I was refering to Neal.

[silk hare]

I mean since it was a message comprised of 3 words just being " has anyone ever used x", could have been

[silk hare]

Meant I didn't read that one

[royal gorge]

Okay. 🙂

[umbral girder]

If I wanted to say Milestone I would have said it.

I mean the Plot Points rules.

[silk hare]

Sure, but for a lot of folks English isn't their first language + milestones are part of "plot points"

Hence my confusion since I didn't read the DM replacement message, but alas

And no, never used it

[royal gorge]

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1466-9-optional-rules-you-missed-in-the-dungeon-masters

You mean this?

[still plover]

Well, that has the potential for some daftness. Definite Session Zero discussion if it's in play.

[silk hare]

Indeed

[still plover]

(So, Fate. You can spend a Fate Point from your stash to declare a detail. My guy says, does this place have a gun on the roof? I say, what, this convent turned hospice for wounded soldiers? It's 40k, of course there is - and because that makes so much sense, your FP pays for it to be operational without mucking about.)

[royal gorge]

Ya. Always do a session 0 when adding in an optional rule. Because well, they are optional.

[umbral girder]

I was asking if people had experience in it.

[silk hare]

I told my players that if they do some research on their own, and find a rule they feel would add to the campaign (like disarming strikes etc) we can still implement them from that point on if everyone agrees session 0, but yeah should definitely be talked about

[silk hare]

Seems like no one that is currently online

[still plover]

Reply hazy, ask again later.

[royal gorge]

Usually, the DM wants to control things sometimes. And most DMs will say "No." to certain things. Sometimes, new players or players that don't know any better will do stuff that's toxic for the game, and the DM will have to have to put their foot down. It's only good if you got a more experienced group. There is a simular mechanic to this in other tabletop RPGs, but in my experiance, it's a bit more fleshed out to prevent toxic behavior and puts out some guidlines to facilitate non-toxic behavior at the gaming table.

[umbral girder]

Not what I asked.

[royal gorge]

You asked what my experiance was with it. I gave you an answer.

[thorn wedge]

No experience with them, but the plot points thing seem like a way to either really stress your dm out or in the case of dm switch completely break your game

[umbral girder]

I asked about if people used it, not questioning the nature of using optional rules

[still plover]

The first one seems reasonable enough. A handy clue or item? Sure, keep the game moving.

[silk hare]

Cool, this is still a discussion channel, so people will be discussing

• it helps others that weren't present at the time still see your message and give their input later

[umbral girder]

Except it’s specifically replying my messages

[silk hare]

Rather than an abrupt topic change that drowns out your question

[silk hare]

Yes, because u brought up the topic of a system that a lot of people are unfamiliar with, thats how conversations work

[umbral girder]

It’s replying to a question without answering the question

[still plover]

Anyway, any particular reason behind the ask, or just curious?

[royal gorge]

Option 3: The Gods Must Be Crazy

This wild card of an option allows for swapping the Dungeon Master with another person. This will create sessions filled with unexpected results to the benefit or dismay of the group.

Your basically asking me this rule from the Plot Points optional rules. That's my experiance with it. I had a whole campaigns with it, just DMs switching out every couple of sessions. Thing is, every DM has what they want to happen and want control of how the campaign works. If you have multiple DMs doing what they want to do, the campaign usually falls apart.

[umbral girder]

It’s a niche rule that I wanted to hear how groups played around with it

[still plover]

Gotcha. Yeah, can't say I have or would want to.

[silk hare]

Its reacting to something you said and giving their thoughts on the matter, as you asked

[silk hare]

Agreed

Tbh i think the first 2 are fine, switching up the DM role seems a bit iffy tho

[dark basin]

"The Candyland is saved! Mr. Toffy has had his cane fields restored. The queen's guard welcome you with their sharpened candy sticks aimed down. Ready to give the reward, she presents-- oh... different DM time..."

"Wassail upon the onerous callous wen of courtship disguised willowy wool gathering worsted by wizened thyself remembrance. Opprobrium irascible memories feckless in consonance"

[thorn wedge]

Even with a very low prep table with a table full of people who want to be a dm I think it would be an issue.

[humble cairn]

Not in D&D no, but similar mechanics in other games, yes.

[fast venture]

Still can't find a campaign.....bleh

[royal gorge]

Option 1: What a Twist!

With this option, the player can summon a reasonable physical object or element that can assist the group in moving forward, such as a merchant selling the exact item the group needs or a distinct marking on a floor leading to a trap door.

Option 2: The Plot Thickens

This builds on our first option. When a player spends a plot point for an effect, the player to their right adds a complication. Perhaps you spend a plot point to have your bitter rival appear at the same tavern. The player to your right may determine that the rival is best friends with the tavern owner, and is therefore in a position of power.

These two are pretty fun. I will say that, be careful with Option 1: What a Twist! Sometimes, the players will get Magic Items that can unbalance the game for the party as a whole. If you group is okay with being unbalnced, or knows how to optimize (By that I mean making a character's persona and then giving that character mechanical benfits to roleplay that character mechanically, without powerplaying or munckining) it can be fun.

Fiasco does co-DMing (Co-GMing) rather well. I haven't played it personally, but I have heard a lot of good things from it. You could homebrew game mechanics based around Fiasco.

[umbral girder]

Considering a lot of optional rules in the 2014 dmg was rules from older editions I wonder if that rule was inspired by those systems.

[fast venture]

Holy hell what's with the text walls? What's going on?

[royal gorge]

Does it look like a wall of text on mobil?

[fast venture]

Yeah

[royal gorge]

Oh. XD

[fast venture]

It's a good chunk of the screen

[umbral girder]

Covers more than the entire screen usually

[royal gorge]

On my PC it doesn't. I'm a 24 inch gaming monitor. Haha!

My bad.

[fast venture]

Well good for you pouts in poor

Some of us lowly plebians have to use phones

[royal gorge]

How much is your phone? 😮

[severe rampart]

These days I just wait for my 5 campaign weekend to start, on the weekdays I plan oneshots, but never actually do them, and then I get out of my daze and it's the weekend again

[buoyant frost]

Anyone here willing to help me test something in owlbear rodeo, I need to make sure something is working for a one shot that I am running tomorrow

[fast venture]

Uhhh I think it was about 100? Something like....well no it was technically free as a trade up

[royal gorge]

Ah. 😛

[fast venture]

It's about 3 years old by now

[icy arrow]

Ok so I’m about to run a one shot or small campaign, it’s my first time dming and I was hoping for some advice

[fast venture]

Make sure you kill all your players

[severe rampart]

try to make it linear

[buoyant frost]

DM me! I will do what I can to help you out

[fast venture]

But yeah been struggling to find a campaign, all the ones that sound fun use a VTT which I can't do

[severe rampart]

What do you mean?

Most VTTs, if not all, are free

[thorn wedge]

100%. But go to #dm-discussion and you will get more help.

[fast venture]

Phone....

[severe rampart]

You could just theatre of the mind it

[royal gorge]

How to DM for your first time

• Relax. Your players are there to have fun with you.
• Sometimes you need to put your foot down. It's rare, but it does happen sometimes. Sometimes, some players won't work out.

Roll 20 works for free on phones.

[fast venture]

sigh

[royal gorge]

It's a part of Discord as an activity.

[fast venture]

I'm saying the campaigns list it as something they use

[severe rampart]

Roll20 works for free on phones, so does Owlbear

[severe rampart]

Then go to a PbP?

[fast venture]

Yeah but it's always foundry

[royal gorge]

Owlbear does too? Nice! 😄

[severe rampart]

iirc it does, yep

[fast venture]

Ew no

[royal gorge]

Foundry can be played for free on phones, if your a player.

[fast venture]

At that point just join a RP server lol

[severe rampart]

or go play DnD in person?

[thorn wedge]

Running a game on roll20 on a phone would be pretty painful id think. It’s aggravating even on a pc sometimes.

[severe rampart]

I hate Roll20, Owlbear the goat

[fast venture]

It 'technically' works but it's a pain

[severe rampart]

the only thing I dislike about Owlbear is the storage limit

[royal gorge]

Foundry VTT on phones is pretty good on mobil, if you got the moduels for it (modifictions).

[fast venture]

And often freezes my phone and stuff

[thorn wedge]

Recently been trying foundry and I really like it now that I have some necessary mods. I have heard a lot of good stuff about owlbear rodeo though.

[fast venture]

I've used foundry way back in the day when it was still new and it was sick

[royal gorge]

Foundry VTT is the goat. 🙂

[severe rampart]

I want Foundry, but I do live in a third world country, so, gotta decide very carefully

[fast venture]

Also as for in person, not easy to find open groups around here

[royal gorge]

Fair. Haha!

[fast venture]

And I'm uh...very uncomfortable having to RP around other people

Online removes the shyness I deal with

[severe rampart]

Oh how I wish my currency had more purchasing power, but alas

[fast venture]

Plus with the part of the country I live in ....

Yes ttrpg groups tend to be less bigoted but theres no certainty there

I mean even online I've found some really rancid groups

[royal gorge]

Down here, finding a tabletop RPG group is hard. I went to the library to find a group. I use to be reaaaaally shy, (Like I literally wouldn't talk at all). but luckily I found some cool friends that helped me get out of my shell.

[fast venture]

The library group is teens

So uh.....no.

[umbral girder]

D&D maps on Dndbeyond works decently as a mobile VTT

[royal gorge]

Ya. You can make your own group for adults, a private group. You post a flier, and people come in droves most of the time.

[fast venture]

Yeah but like....what DM is doing that

[umbral girder]

I've done it a few times

[craggy summit]

id imagine a good majority of online DM's do that, but i haven't played in an online game so I can't say for sure

[fast venture]

I mean if I was looking to dm, sure

[fast venture]

No most dm use owlbear, foundry, or roll20

[thorn wedge]

It’s not a popular choice for vtt, owlbear rodeo, foundry, and roll20 are the big ones

[fast venture]

And foundry is the most popular pick

[craggy summit]

Ahhh okay 😅

[royal gorge]

Fair enough. I think there are a few online web sites to find groups in real life too.

[viral kraken]

i'm shocked foundry is more popular than the free options

[mighty quartz]

foundry is amazing though

[fast venture]

Having seen and used it, I understand why

[viral kraken]

i don't mean because of quality, just because money is a barrier to entry

[craggy summit]

If it's leagues above the rest then it makes sense

[thorn wedge]

Tbh after using it I get it. It’s a lot of work to customize it and get it how you want, but once you get it there it’s just very good.

[viral kraken]

i have heard nothing but good things about it

[royal gorge]

It's because it's feature rich. I didn't like Roll20 compaired to Foundry. I found Roll20 to be more confusing for me to set up than Roll20. At least for me. Making tokens for everything for roll20 was a bit of a hassle for some tabletop RPG systems. Other tabletop RPG systems where easier to set up in roll20.

[severe rampart]

honestly it's
Foundry>Owlbear>Roll20

[thorn wedge]

The main pros I have for it is once it’s setup properly it majorly speeds up turns, and it has some deep functionalities that other vtt just don’t afaik.

[viral kraken]

ya big fan of owlbear rodeo here

[severe rampart]

I just dislike Owlbear Rodeo's storage limits

[royal gorge]

What's that one VTT that acts like a 32-Bit video game?

[thorn wedge]

Also another point for foundry

I remember one of the constant annoyances in roll20 was the inability to use the in platform sound due to the storage limits

[fast venture]

Isn't it for that one JRPG ttrpg system?

I've seen screenshots and it looks badass

[royal gorge]

No. It's for a bunch of 'em.

I think there is a YouTuber that compaired VTTs that has the video, but I'm not sure. Bald animated guy he is.

[fast venture]

But yeah it's weirdly hard to find a traditional fantasy adventure campaign

It's all politics or ultra grimdark or something that's not even related to fantasy

Where the hell did everyone's whimsy go

[severe rampart]

there are still whimsical campaigns

[humble cairn]

Politics and grimdark are not antithetical to fantasy.

[royal gorge]

Onemore Multiverse is the name of the pixleart VTT I was thinking of.

[humble cairn]

You can have fantasy that is either or both.

[fast venture]

No but the politics ones never let you go on whimsical adventures and dungeon crawls ;-;

[thorn wedge]

High fantasy isn’t the only kind of game around anymore, but tbh I think that’s good. There’s still a good amount classic high fantasy hero simulator campaigns I think.

[fast venture]

And grimdark is usually hyper objective focused on my experience

Also less flexible for character making

[fast venture]

Mind you I'm not saying I don't want any depth to the story and stuff

[royal gorge]

Ya. I like me some Grimdark. I do think AD&D, B/X D&D, and White Box D&D does it better game mechanics wise. D&D 5e and D&D 5e tend to be better for high fantasy, game mechanics wise. Grimdark tends to be low magic. In D&D 5e and D&D 5.5e, magic is almost everywhere.

[fast venture]

I just think the dark elements have more impact when interposed onto a lighter setting

When everything is terrible it's like "is this dude even really that bad?"

[woven flint]

I mean, I think thats kind of the point of darker toned settings

[thorn wedge]

I like grimdark to some degree, having that feeling of carrying the flame in a dark world is nice. I do think grimdark can easily become grimderp, or pointlessly edgy though.

[celest sail]

i like dark fantasy but seems like soulsborne inspired worlds and grimdark are in fashion at the moment and it can be done like really poorly or superficially, where depth is eschewed for just surface level edge

[thorn wedge]

It requires a fine touch to write well, like most fantasy.

[fast venture]

I think this is more the issue I have

And I say this with no malice, but the average DM isn't gonna stick the landing for grimdark I feel

[woven flint]

Soulsborne inspired worlds are a bit harder to pull off tbh

[fast venture]

I do enjoy the aspects of being defiant to the world's darkness by bringing joy even if it's only a facade to help others

[royal gorge]

In grimdark, heros fall into morally gray areas most of the time. It's the reason why I like it. The heros don't always win. I don't like winning all the time myself for tabletop RPG games. I had a DM and that's all we did was win, even in situations where we shouldn't. It was boring. In grimdark games I've been a part of, every choice has a consequence, good or bad. And there is a lot of morally ambiguous choices ya got'a make. I like conflict in my games. It drives the game forward, and makes things interesting for me as a player.

[woven flint]

I love abysmal hopelessness admittedly
Thats kinda why I like Menzoberranzan as a place in the forgotten relams

[fast venture]

But with high fantasy it going from casual RPG antics to the veil being pulled back and things suddenly taking a darker turn as the story really gets going

I love that rug pull

That moment of everyone realizing how deep into it they are

[woven flint]

I hate "ACKSHUALLY it was a facade all along!" rugpulls personally

I like blunt straightforwardness lol
"You're gonna die."

[fast venture]

No no not what I mean

[woven flint]

And no, I'm not trying to play contratian or anything

[fast venture]

I mean the turning point in the story where the stakes are upped and the realization of your burden

[celest sail]

I do love a good dark fantasy setting with consequences and grit but I like it when it comes from a place of reason, compassion and respect for the inhabitants of that world, which is honestly what I kind of expect from a good dark setting

[woven flint]

I genuinely enjoy when a world is straight up buisness, no sugarcoating needed

[fast venture]

The moment you go from being adventurers to realizing you have to be heros

Does that make sense?

It's not about sugar coating and more just the tonal shift as things start happening

[woven flint]

I mean.. most adventurers have aspirations of being great and doing great things for the most part anyway from the start

[royal gorge]

One thing I like about Grimdark is: when choices have severe repercussions, player agency feels weightier. Players invest more in long-term strategy, character development, and alliances.

The consequences make victories earned, not assumed in grimdark.

[fast venture]

And those dreams are great until you have the weight of the world on your shoulders

It's a impossible burden

[woven flint]

Nah, I'd win

[short brook]

I hate that feeling, me no like those games

[fast venture]

Also high fantasy can have these elements still, in fact it's weird to not be like this

[woven flint]

"Put the weight of the world on my shoulders, I'll hold it up just as if I were Atlas!"

[short brook]

At least trying to immerse myself into it, ingesting it through other ways is preferable for me

[thorn wedge]

I think people often forget when writing grimdark that people don’t just be evil for the fun of it, at least most people. People be evil when circumstances require it, or when it’s easier than the alternative.

I’ve seen some grimdark where everyone is just cartoonishly bad for no other reason than the world is dark.

[royal gorge]

Yes, but it's kind'a the point of grimdark.

[royal gorge]

I agree.

[short brook]

I like the things that are the step above grim dark worlds

[fast venture]

I don't enjoy mustache twirling IM EVIL!!! Type bad guys

It's so boring

[royal gorge]

Me either. That's not the point of grimdark. Grimdark characters are morally gray.

[celest sail]

Agreed, I like it when a world isn’t always fair but not always unreasonable either, and represents the many faces of human interactions, it’s just more interesting than grimderp

[royal gorge]

I don't like grimderp myself. I do love me some Berserk. That's a masterclass in grimdark (At least in later chapters).

[short brook]

Grimderp?

[thorn wedge]

Depends for me. I don’t mind morally clear villains here and there. Just as there are some people who naturally act as heroes, there are natural villains.

There’s some value in having someone that you have absolutely zero doubts it’s the right thing to stop sometimes.

[royal gorge]

Ya. Surron is considered a great villian now that I think about it.

[fast venture]

I like goblin slayer, the split between oh it's a fantasy world and oh my god the monsters are horrific and vile and the fights actually having a bit of real brutality to it

[short brook]

I don't think everything has to be morally grey, people can just be heroes or villains. I like the exception

[royal gorge]

Goblin Slayer is dark fantasy, which is a bit closer to grimdark. It's kind'a the inbetween, but it leans more into grimdark.

[fast venture]

A true villain like pure evil isn't the same as mustache twirling

Mustache twirling is when the bad guy is just doing stuff cause....idk le evil

[thorn wedge]

Yeah for sure. One of the strengths of darker worlds is that they feel more like ours where everything isn’t clear and is more grey. If you make everything just super evil, all you’ve done is turned the dial too far the other way. You’ve created false narrative clarity again, just an evil version of it this time.

[royal gorge]

Which is what Surron does from Lord of the Rings.

[thorn wedge]

Oh Sauron.

[fast venture]

But a villain can be absolutely a heartless monster, but there's a greater ambition to their actions

[royal gorge]

Ya. Him. 😛

[fast venture]

Not really, he has a goal

[woven flint]

D&D unfortunately has plenty of mustache twirling villains
Some are interesting, but a lot are just evil because they're ass-hats

[celest sail]

One thing that I always hold for myself is that just because I love dark fantasy and sometimes grimdark it doesn’t mean that they’re the only modes of compelling or complex storytelling, I think fantasy is a genre that is big enough to fit a multitude of tones

And stories ranging from colorful high fantasy to bleak darkness are all equally appealing in my eyes

[thorn wedge]

I think for your truly evil characters, the narrative pull comes from your character having the guts to risk themselves to stop them, or being the only one with the ability to.

Stopping a mustache twirler from robbing a bank is boring.

Stopping a mustache twirler who runs a massive criminal empire that intimidates or kills anyone who speaks out against them, who you get to see how their actions have effected the lives of people around them, that’s something. You’re a hero because you’re risking your life, and stopping someone truly bad.

[royal gorge]

Also, there is a character that Sauron follows that wanted to go against stuff because things where good. To fight against all that is good for the sake of going against all that is good. His name is Morgoth.

And Lord of the Rings is epic high fantasy.

[short brook]

For sure, an apt statement. Awesome how much variety you can get from one genre

[fast venture]

Has everyone here played borderlands 2?

[royal gorge]

You can have characters that are evil for evil's sake and it still be fun, as you can have chacters who are morally gray, or serve good for the cause of good, however no one's fun is right or wrong. As long as real people don't get hurt, emotionally or physically, it's all goody. 🙂

A little bit, but not much. I'm not to big into loot shooters.

[short brook]

one of my favorite games of all times

[fast venture]

Cause I wanna use handsome Jack as a example for what I mean between a morally grey and mustache twirling villain

He's objectively a absolutely vile wretched evil man who's deluded himself into thinking he's the hero

But everything he does has a meaning behind it

He's neither grey nor comically evil

[short brook]

I mean Handsome Jack is an absolutely high standard, memorable and multi-faceted even when he's being corny

[fast venture]

Oh absolutely

I'm just saying he's the best example that comes to mind for the middle ground

[short brook]

Yeah, no for sure that's true

The D&D DLC is still one of my favorite of all time

[royal gorge]

Anyone ever watch Die Hard? Hans Gruber is one of the most memoriable twirl his mustache villians in cinema history.

[blissful dragon]

i feel you can argue he was a charaacter thats started more a i do what i have to then more and more slided towards mustache twirling villain even if he himself cant see this decent

like the road to hell and motive decay and all that

[royal gorge]

Indeed. 😄

Overall, play D&D how you want too. If you like grimdark, that's fine. If you like high fantasy that's fine. If you like dark fantasy, that's fine. If you like high powered dark fantasy (Which leans more into the high fantasy sort of power scaling in terms of it's magic) that's fine too. 🙂

[fast venture]

A part of me feels bad for Jack even though he brought every bit of misfortune from his own actions

The pre sequel did a lot for his character

[short brook]

Yeah, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[fast venture]

I understand at each point why he does what he does even if I think he always chose the worst option

To him he's a evil of necessity for a greater good

Him killing the AI was the point of no return I think

That was genuinely evil

[short brook]

makes me want to replay the game again, to experience the goat. I think he broken the second his daughter was born

[fast venture]

Yeah that's when he went over the deep end and it was no longer about some vision of a greater future

[marble lion]

Killing the AI is the right thing to do.

[fast venture]

No????

[royal gorge]

Angelus from buffy the Vampire Slayer is a cerial killer and is considered the best villian in TV history in a fantasy setting oddly enough.

Nashira Sarga from The Bone Season is considered the best villian in fantasy books.

[civic bramble]

Eh, he’s been too brainwashed by Helldivers.

[blissful dragon]

i feel its more their was always darkness in jack but over time and a few betrayal later he stopped trying to supress or hide then just let it take the wheel and grow

[marble lion]

I have somehow heard of neither.

[marble lion]

I was actually referencing the anti AI sentiment pushed to the extreme in this server.

[civic bramble]

To clarify, nothing against you as an insult. I meant that prior comment as a joke.

I’ve played the game, I know you fight sentient AI robots

[fast venture]

Well for what was being talked about it was a fully thinking and feeling AI that Jack did the equivalent of lobotomizing to turn into a weapon

[marble lion]

I am also clarifying my joke, unless the Borderlands AI also was trained off copyrighted twitter artists without compensation.

[blissful dragon]

might be best to move borderland talk to off topic

[royal gorge]

True! 😄

[humble cairn]

Handsome Jack is an actual character from somewhere? Huh ... and here I thought my DM made him up as a memorable NPC.

[solar crow]

Tomorrow is the start of my BBEG fight that is going to take us 3 sessions

We're fighting an alien God

[umbral girder]

Yeah primary villain of a game called Borderlands 2.

[short brook]

He's peak

[umbral girder]

He yaps to the player the entire game. I can see why people would use him as inspiration.

[opaque kettle]

how does one get started?

[severe rampart]

Reading the basic rules

[fleet zodiac]

Hi I just joined

[umbral girder]

Welcome! On D&DBeyond there is a Basic rule set on how to work the mechanics and build a character (or campaign) called the Basic Rules!

[silk hare]

hello

[umbral girder]

If you want to join a game or have people join your own as a DM #find-a-game has instructions how!

[silk hare]

also #dnd-newcomers

[fleet zodiac]

Cool I love dnd so I am very excited to be here

[hoary basin]

Hello I’m a new dm does anyone have any advice?

[viral kraken]

#dnd-newcomers does