dnd-discussion

[twilit sail]

write fanfiction

i guess you're the dm so it's just fiction

[hot marlin]

That is not true. Plenty of people run Pathfinder 1e and 2e. I myself used to run 1st edition Pathfinder for years before I transitioned to 5e

Again. Arguing about which game is better or more fun to play or run is an inherently worthless discussion

[crimson gulch]

compared to dnd their community is about 10% the size, i honestly think we get more folks talking about pathfinder here than actualy geting togeather to play pathfinder in their discord

thats still a lot, but not much compared to dnd

[hot marlin]

Well yeah. Every TTRPG is a lot smaller than D&D.

[crimson gulch]

and Daggerheart has ate their lunch, it bumped pathfinder off of the number 2 slot on Start playing Games for paid games

[errant crag]

I would rather play Pathfinder than Daggerheart

[tame estuary]

envy is a poison, people come from all over, and they also have things they lack where you can fill in

[errant crag]

But anybody who knows those two systems and who knows the types of games I prefer could probably have guessed that

[tame estuary]

the other day I was streaming blender to my group and made a building into wireframes, and just rotate it around in blender for the briefing of a heist, very funny

you don't have to be good at it, you just have to want to do something idk

[crimson gulch]

my first Adnd 1e game is coming up, im excited for that

[hot marlin]

At the end of the day, Pathfinder and Daggerheart and Draw Steel and D&D are the same type of game. It's the equivalent of coca cola and pepsi. People will pick one or the other because they are fundamentally kind of the same thing. Few people drink both. But they still drink other drinks.

[normal junco]

the d20/5e offshoots are all just different flavours of the same thing. they each have their little nuances.

[late kernel]

I choose D&D because it's the one I know and I'm not learning a totally new game system unless it has something totally new to offer.

[tame estuary]

they do tho...

[empty thicket]

A Dnd? what is that?

[fossil hollow]

ADnD stands for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons

[hot marlin]

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Back in the eighties things were different

[fossil hollow]

its the titles during the TSR era

[tame estuary]

what did you roll for this btw? oh I misinterpreted it, my bad

[normal junco]

back then there was D&D 1e, AD&D 1e, D&D 2e, and AD&D 2e.

with THAC0. i used to know that from Baldur's Gate 1 and 2. its long gone in my brain.

[tame estuary]

should they bring back the distinction again?

advanced rules for advanced formats

[lean wigeon]

there were two lines of D&D back then
there was Advanced and Basic

Advanced had AD&D 1e and 2e
Basic had BX and BECMI and another one that i forgot

[twilit sail]

i would like that

[crimson gulch]

Advanced Dungeons and dragons from 1979

[empty thicket]

and that would be what? hunger and stuff like that added?

[lean wigeon]

the distinction got removed starting from 3e

[normal junco]

best somewhat modern equivalent would be like saying the 5e Essentials Kit was the "Basic", and the 5e PHB/MM/DMG was the "Advanced"

[hot marlin]

First off hunger has always been in D&D. Even nowadays we have exhaustion rules. But basically it's advanced compared to Basic D&D. Basic was more of a simplified ruleset

[tame estuary]

imagine if they reimagine dnd and advanced dnd with the actual game form, casual dnd doesn't use grids and initiative uses d6s or something

[compact cove]

Write in beyond what you guys think of ai art

What you guys think of ai art

[normal junco]

although WotC did release a "Basic Rules v1.0" pdf for 5e.

[crimson gulch]

its bad, genuinely having no art would be better

[twilit sail]

not a fan personally

its basically stealing the art of artists and repurposing it to try to put them out of the job

[late kernel]

I think calling it art is wrong, to start.

[compact cove]

Most section are paid section right how much is the range

[jolly canyon]

bot

[compact cove]

I’m teaching a noob player

[jolly canyon]

i think?

[tame estuary]

range for what?

[twilit sail]

maybe his english is just bad

[tame estuary]

oh, oh it is a bot

[compact cove]

Per section honestly I seen paid curse of thread at 25

[jolly canyon]

ye bot

[twilit sail]

@proven sequoia

[compact cove]

Not a bot

I’m human

My native language is Spanish and I’m autistic ok

[normal junco]

teaching a noob? charge them a total fee of $0.00

[compact cove]

Not that

[tame estuary]

you're going to charge someone to teach them and also asking about ai art at the same time?

[compact cove]

I’m teaching him that ai art is bad and that is rare to see free section

Most are paid

[twilit sail]

😐

your pfp is ai

[normal junco]

free ai art or not, generally ai art is frowned upon.

[tame estuary]

that's not why it's bad

[compact cove]

Because we both joined a free campaign but he keep going about giving the dm money but most of us are broke and I’m showing him that most section are paid and that we donate when we can and that’s all

[tame estuary]

what's this gotta do with the ai art stuff

[crimson gulch]

a paid campaign has to be upfront about that

[compact cove]

I get mine from Pinterest

[normal junco]

if the DM is asking you to pay to have art made, that is a common scam and they will steal your money.

[crimson gulch]

a professional charges per session and there is no ambiguity, a scammer gets you in and then tries to charge you for art and stuff

its actualy a huge scam right now

[tame estuary]

are you asking 2 different questions at the same time?

are they not related at all?

[minor cargo]

Maybe start again? I think folks might be confused by the situation. I definitely am not fully clear.

[compact cove]

Ok, trying to explain that most campaigns don’t accept ai art , and a lot of campaigns charge per section

Our dm didn’t ask for anything

[minor cargo]

Can you maybe clarify what charge per section means? Do you maybe mean per session? Like charge for each time you play?

[compact cove]

He’s reading the chat but not typing

[compact cove]

Yes

My English not good

[jolly canyon]

This individual stated they arent native English so they may mean a different word than section.

[minor cargo]

It’s all good! I just want to make sure I understood. ✌️

[compact cove]

Hablo español

E italiano

[tame estuary]

english only sorry, if we respond that way we'll get in trouble

[empty thicket]

me too, italian not so much

[minor cargo]

Mi dispiace.

[compact cove]

Come stai tutte

[fossil hollow]

English server remember

[compact cove]

I know

[tame estuary]

so someone thinks that the game they're playing in is a paid game, even though it's not? and also you want to tell them that using ai art is not allowed too?

[compact cove]

Im American but from puerto Rico so first language is Spanish

[compact cove]

Yep

[empty thicket]

Yeah, understand you but ngl, help to improve the english and more if you are in constant interaction with people who spoke it naturally

[minor cargo]

So to echo what Urizt said, although paid games (pay per session) are common, DMs should be clear about it. If they aren’t clear, it definitely feels like a scam.

In terms of AI art, I think many groups like it, many are okay with it, and many don’t allow it or frown on it. There’s a lot of different feelings on it in the D&D community.

[tame estuary]

is the DM using ai art?

seen this grift before once

[compact cove]

Yup

[tame estuary]

yeah leave

[jolly canyon]

Apologies for the bot calling. Bots are extremely common now. Coming in with AI Pfp immediately asking about paid ai stuff was a bit suspicious but you've cleared yourself well i believe. Welcome!

[minor cargo]

If I can? The common scam goes like this:

• the DM invites you to the game
• says it’s free
• then before the game starts, says you have to pay for art
  • the art is AI generated, so you’re not really paying for custom art.

[tame estuary]

this person you're telling us about is probably in it with the DM trying to guilt you into also paying for sessions

[jolly canyon]

afaik exactly that Steve

[compact cove]

He is an og from fist edition , he even has mini first time running one online since them

[tame estuary]

I can say anything online

[compact cove]

Nope it was the noob player

[late kernel]

I remember fist edition, the only class was Monk...

[minor cargo]

Possibly it’s okay!

But just trying to make sure you aren’t in a scam.

Did that help you? Or did you have more questions we can help with?

[compact cove]

Really noob , been playing for a year and a half

[sleek cloud]

Oh yeah? What am I thinking right now

[empty thicket]

oh yeah, i know about those
Every time that someone from this server send me friend i accept and say:
"We are going to be good if you dont try to sell me something or get me into a campaign. Thanks"
After that they stop talking most of the time.

[tame estuary]

:/

[compact cove]

This is the guys first campaign

[tame estuary]

?

[empty thicket]

Its sad that had to use such long advice thing, but it is what it is

scammers are everywhere

[empty thicket]

oh boy, that sound like some clay that one can work on

[hot marlin]

Dead internet theory has never been so true. Nowadays we are drowning under scams, bots and scamming bots

[tame estuary]

look mr george, part of me wants to say whatever this other noob player wants to do, it's not your problem, if he wants to pay the DM he can and if that makes you uncomfortable, leave the game

[hot marlin]

Uh... Idea: A D&D campaign where the world is basically crawling with poorly instructed constructs who look like people, are very stupid, and are just after money but don't really know what money is for

[tame estuary]

mimic city

[late kernel]

Gestrals

[empty thicket]

A machine build for a war that they dont know why they are fighting for

They only know they must fight.

[jolly canyon]

Ngl pretty fun concept

[hot marlin]

Also I do have to ask: Why choose the name of George Pompidou, former french president, as your nickname as someone from Puerto Rico?

[sleek cloud]

Make an insight check

[jolly canyon]

Maybe better as a one shot as I'm sure a bunch of npcs constantly trying to get gold from the party would get old but for that one session would be hilarious

[late kernel]

Better yet a settlement along the way for a party.

[tame estuary]

you always ask these things

[hot marlin]

Curiosity motivates me

It is in fact my primary drive

[fossil hollow]

you should have seen him in Candlekeep

[surreal osprey]

So I just kinda came into this late because of work but. People are actually asking to be paid to do normal DMing?

[fossil hollow]

I should run more Candlekeep oneshots

[late kernel]

Good thing you're not a cat.

[tame estuary]

oh can I do that? messing around, love you friend

[fossil hollow]

Paid DMing is a thing yes

[surreal osprey]

I just started DMing myself and I feel like that’s gross

[hot marlin]

Once I have all the knowledge in the universe, I will destroy it to make way for a new universe with new knowledge

[fossil hollow]

Pale Night oneshot time

[tame estuary]

I wish I can join

[late kernel]

I'd definitely pay for the services of a skilled DM, it's no different from paying for something like a subscription service for any other form of entertainment.

[fossil hollow]

i dunno when ill be able to run it honestly

[late kernel]

A lot of work goes into running a full campaign.

[fossil hollow]

but if i do, ill check with ya
-# (no horizon this time)

[tame estuary]

but alas, I can only have a handful of days on the mic

[odd valley]

you sure you can handle allat?

[hot marlin]

"If you're good at something, never do it for free."
From a perfectly sane and reasonable fictional individual who is not in any way the main antagonist of the movie

[surreal osprey]

Can’t argue with that lol

[minor cargo]

I actually can empathize with being grossed out by paid DMing. Money can change our we engage with each other socially.

Like for example, if you invited me over for dinner and then at the end I was like “Thanks. Here’s a 20,” that would be weird. It was supposed to be a gift, and bringing money into it (trying to balance us out) feels wrong in this situation.

So if D&D is like cooking for your friends, it makes sense that paid DMing would feel weird.

But if D&D is more like a service, it might be a little different and not carrying that same baggage.

[hot marlin]

Truth is, DMing is an investment in preparation time and in books. If you can consistently deliver quality entertainment, why not seek some profit for all that time?

[vernal owl]

How dare people make a living off things they're good at

[surreal osprey]

I guess because I’m doing it with my friends so payment wasn’t in my mind

[lean wigeon]

i have no qualms against those who want to make some money off of the hobby but i cannot deny that it makes the hobby less of "something you do for fun" and more of a "contractual obligation" or a transaction

[tame estuary]

the gross aspect for me is expectations, I can never see myself deserving of pay for something I have fun in

[odd valley]

yeah i’m not bumming money off my friends just cause i dm for them, but if it’s a random person i don’t know? then i think i could ask for monetary compensation

[lean wigeon]

which is not a bad thing inherently, but it is different

[hot marlin]

The average session lasts 3 hours. Longer than most movies. And it delivers interactive entertainment.

[odd valley]

(granted this is with the fact that i’m good enough to ask for said compensation)

[surreal osprey]

Didn’t mean to make anybody upset. I just never thought about paying or being paid to DM

[tame estuary]

they say do what you love and you never have to work a day in your life, but I feel like any kind of obligation sucks the fun out of whatever I'm doing

I'd gladly take snacks as payment tho

god I miss in person sessions

[minor cargo]

I use the cooking analogy a lot because it often maps well.

Like… I can cook better than a lot of restaurant chefs. But that alone isn’t a reason to charge for my games.

But at the same time, it doesn’t mean I should disparage these “pro” chefs. It’s just different and that’s fine.

[late kernel]

At the end of the day there's always a shortage of DMs compared to players, so if a little bit of money gets a group of players a competent DM and both sides are happy with that arrangement then let em live.

[odd valley]

yes!

[surreal osprey]

Ah, ok

[vernal owl]

Dms spend so long world building and honing their skills, i dont see how opening a paid game is gross especially if it helps out with paying their bills

[woven flint]

Raccoon

[surreal osprey]

Thanks people for explaining instead of drop kicking me lol. Still new to TTRPG and just DMing

[crimson gulch]

i dont worldbuild, i just run great games in published worlds

[tame estuary]

are you using module fot the adnd game?

[vernal owl]

Ooo like a module?

[woven flint]

I'm coming in from the top rope to dropkick you as we speak. /joking

[crimson gulch]

yeah i have run a lot of modules and ran a lot of custom games in the forgotten realms and exandria

every 5e module in fact

[late kernel]

I got the worst of both worlds, I set my campaign in Eberron but after a major apocalyptic event so I've got to abide by D&D world building while doing my own.

[surreal osprey]

That got a laugh outta me thanks lol

[odd valley]

have you ever done any in greyhawk, eberron, or the other assorted settings?

[crimson gulch]

its great, its my full time job

[crimson gulch]

yes

[jolly canyon]

It's worth it imo. I'm going onto session 8 in my eberron world. Love this setting. KB cooked

[late kernel]

I genuinely don't know how many sessions deep I am into my game.

But they finally freed the Silver Flame, which is cool.

[feral fulcrum]

This is why you have a list of sessions saved, with numbers

[hot marlin]

This is why you recruit one obsessive-compulsive note taker player

[jolly canyon]

My Obsidian notes have Notes Planned then recap notes after session ends.

[odd valley]

i used to be that person

[jolly canyon]

Then I ask my group if they want me to recap the session then they say no

[late kernel]

I'll have to ask mine how many sessions deep we are...

[fossil hollow]

deep... water... waterdeep?

[late kernel]

Sadly not, no mad mages here.

Well, a few.

[fossil hollow]

theres dragon hesit still

[feral fulcrum]

There are no Liches in Ba Sing S- I mean Waterdeep

[late kernel]

Throw Xanathar at it until it stops, surefire method of sorting any situation.

[cobalt escarp]

w refrence

[late kernel]

Coffee gone cold? Throw a Xanathar at it. Adventurers raiding your totally legal offshore treasure dungeon? Throw Xanathar at it. Price of Ale being inflated by pesky travellers spending gold at taverns? You guessed it, Xanathar.

[hot marlin]

Fun fact: Did you know that early Forgotten Realms book raised the possibility that Elminster was a level 8 illusionist con artist who told tales about heroic accomplishments to get free booze?

[empty thicket]

totally understandable ngl

[vapid star]

Hey does anyone know what favored enemy give you?

[severe rampart]

I did not, I thought Elminster was a level 20 wizard chosen by Mystra

[crimson gulch]

there are novels that cover his whole life span, he started as a rogue boy

[empty thicket]

I would slay a red dragon who is threatening a town (even if the town call itself "dragons end") for getting free beer and meals

[hot marlin]

Actually he used to be a few levels above 20 when he was statted for... Just about every edition but 5e

[severe rampart]

He had access to spells above 9th level?

[fossil hollow]

he is now

but elminster went through a lot. Including a transition to a woman

[feral fulcrum]

Reading the Feature explains the feature.

[late kernel]

Giving my NPCs 10th level spells from old editions if the party decides to get cocky.

[severe rampart]

Oh, good for them

[cobalt escarp]

it has similar effects to hunters mark but its for whole spieces and no extra damage

[vapid star]

Ok

[empty thicket]

Make them understand that some people is a retired adventurer who wanted to just lay down and have a pacific life

[late kernel]

Is this a bad time to say that I don't like the retired level 20 adventurer trope for NPCs.

[hot marlin]

Normally no.

[empty thicket]

never said lvl 20, but lvl 8 or 10 is good

[hot marlin]

Remember that one of the singularities of the Forgotten Realms is that spells above 9th level are simply impossible

[severe rampart]

How do you convey to your players using the action: Study that what they're seeing is a level 18 spellcaster without outright stating it?

[severe rampart]

Ah, understood

[hot marlin]

What's the class?

[late kernel]

I don't know, I just think making NPCs outright stronger than the party to dissuade them from attacking shopkeeps is kind of a bandaid fix for something else that went wrong earlier in the campaign, yknow.

[severe rampart]

||One is a Draconic Sorcerer, The Other is a Lore Bard||

[feral fulcrum]

Yep, Mystra reworked the Weave to the point of ye olde 10th level/epic level spells being impossible now. After Karsus basically tore the setting in half by trying to become a god.

[empty thicket]

i mean, shopkeepers will pay someone strong to protect them. Or a group of them will pay some mercenaries who are really strong to protect them

[late kernel]

Karsus my beloved.

[hot marlin]

For the first it's easy. Describe them as draconic, describe a feeling of a fountain of arcane power from that person, something almost oppressive that causes a primal terror

[feral fulcrum]

And like two different Mystra's later, about half the setting dead, and numerous places deleted, she decided "Yeah lets not do that ever again."

[hot marlin]

Shopkeepers only pay mercenary groups if they sell luxury goods. Normally shopkeepers are part of a guild that takes care of such things without needing for such a solution

That's part of the point of a guild

[empty thicket]

yeah, that that

(i hate how i cant make a reference to El chavo del 8 saying "eso eso")

[cerulean monolith]

The best way to convey information is to verbalize obvious inferences. In practice, that means that you describe features that lead to an obvious inference, then state the inference aloud. BG3’s narration does this well.

For the draconic sorcerer you described, I might do something like: “The man has multicolored scales stretching from his forearms to his cheeks, and with every exhale there’s a small release of elementalisms: tiny licks of flame, fluttering snowflakes, particulates of acid. As he walks, you can see a faint shimmer around the frayed robes he wears, a clear sign of a powerful enchantment. Whoever this man is, he has clearly spent years honing his talent.”

[peak pecan]

For the bard, “You recognize the pattern and sequence of phrases as being some sort of spell, that much is clear. But these words are so much older, much sonorous than anything you’re familiar with casting. Words of Power, one of which takes a lifetime to learn, strung together by this man, this master of the harmony of the world. And, with a flourish, his chant crescendoed, and this spell’s primal power is loosed upon the world once more.”

[severe rampart]

Hm, thanks, helpful references ||adds to the stab that these are their dead party members back to life||

[cerulean monolith]

In that case, I would introduce them by having them use spells the players frequently used. That’s the kind of thing players might not pick up on immediately, but will recall at a reveal and heighten dramatism

[severe rampart]

Oh yeah, I certainly have something in mind

[hot marlin]

Though I do have to say: The whole "The bartender is a high level retired adventurer" is a stupid idea that needs to die

[errant crag]

Normalize telling your players not to be murderhobos

Normalize putting your foot down and saying "hey stop"

[thorn osprey]

So, if you Magic Stone on a pebble then toss it with catapult, how much damage would that result in?

[errant crag]

The amount of damage that magic stone does

[fossil hollow]

Catapult's damage

[errant crag]

Oh?

[fossil hollow]

Magic stone does its damage on an attack roll

Catapult overrides it and ignores it

[late kernel]

Yeah, you get it.

[errant crag]

I think it's fine to do for certain NPCs and certain types of shops but it's odd if it's overdone

[late kernel]

If your players won't stop killing NPCs either lean into it if you're okay with taking the campaign in that direction or just speak to them like a mature adult.

[thorn osprey]

Odd, why wouldn't it stack?

[cerulean monolith]

It works as a theme but as a surprise reveal or worse a “trap” it’s stupid

[hot marlin]

Or just end the campaign with the sentence "Your characters are now wanted criminals with a large bounty on their heads that cannot continue the adventure. It is a matter of months before they are found, imprisoned, tried, tortured until they confess, and executed"

[fossil hollow]

catapult says the damage it does. Magic Stone works if you make an attack roll with it

[cerulean monolith]

He explained already. Magic Stone does its damage on an attack roll. Catapult does its damage alongside the specific mechanics outlined in its description.

[thorn osprey]

I see, that's a shame

[late kernel]

Now that's a power move.

A lot of things that people implement these overdone in-game 'solutions' for could have been solved by a session zero talk.

[empty thicket]

Yeah... fortunately my dm showed us that such actions have consequences.
One of my teammate tried to pick up a fight with one shopkeeper and we end up in jail ( i was off for like 5 minutes and they managed to put us all in jail, wild)

[cerulean monolith]

But don’t you know? The DM has to go along with anything the players want. The players just say “I do XXX” and then they do that thing, no matter what. What, do you want DMs to railroad? What about player agency?

[errant crag]

I misinterpreted What they were asking, I thought they meant launching the magic stone with a catapult as in the siege weapon, not the catapult spell

[late kernel]

Railroading is a much dirtier word than it should be.

[errant crag]

I think people just need to work on recognizing actual railroading

[cerulean monolith]

It is a bad thing, if only people knew what it meant

[fossil hollow]

The druid turned into a whale. ON dry land

and its beating a Stone Golem

[hot marlin]

How does that beat anything?

[cerulean monolith]

Now it’s big.

[fossil hollow]

the golem has not taken a turn yet and the whale has dealt 50~ damage

[hot marlin]

Whales suffocate on dry land. They need the buoyancy to handle their own weight. Beached whales that miraculously survive never survive very long

[cerulean monolith]

Good thing it can transform back and this is also an abstracted game

[hot marlin]

True

[late kernel]

Yeah, what people consider railroading and actual railroading are very different.

[errant crag]

Whales breathe oxygen they're whales

Not fish

The threat is dehydration

[fossil hollow]

oh and the whale also has a CLIMB SPEED

[late kernel]

You can almost always tell when you're actually being railroaded.

[frail wasp]

people underestimate how much coal it takes to get moving on a railroad

[late kernel]

That too.

[hot marlin]

I'm referring to the collapse under their own weight. It can end up crushing the lungs

[viral kraken]

their immense weight prevents them from breathing while they are on land

[errant crag]

The S. Whale may not be able to move almost at all on land but they still have 26 strength with multi attack and can hold their breath for 90 minutes

D&D isn't a physics simulator

[empty thicket]

Nobody expect the whale climbing the mountain

[errant crag]

That whale can't go anywhere but it can still kick some butt if you get close enough

[empty thicket]

Or the whale at the top of the hills

[hot marlin]

What I don't get is why the golem isn't just moving away from the whale

[fossil hollow]

monk behind it

[errant crag]

Maybe it was ordered to attack the whale

Monk works too

Is it a killer whale or the other one

[fossil hollow]

Killer whale

but they are bigger rn, so im using a sperm whale

[empty thicket]

the golem and the whale recreating moby dick

a golem who got sentient and is hunting a whale who ate his owner

[severe rampart]

How can you make a martial boss be just as destructive as spellcaster bosses?

[errant crag]

By homebrewing it

[frail wasp]

make them a whale apparently

[severe rampart]

I already got advice from Knome to make them lift a building and throw it at NPCs

[empty thicket]

Depend, what you want?

[errant crag]

Extra Attack/Multi Attack, an awesome weapon with additional damage dice or ribbon effects, more than one reaction, legendary actions and lair actions, legendary resist

[late kernel]

Give em tricks.

[hot marlin]

Considering that Ahab died strangled and drowned by Moby Dick and this is dry land and golems might not need to breathe I doubt it will end the same way as the book

[fossil hollow]

The golem is pullint out an arcane harpoon as we speak

[errant crag]

Incubus is so mean to whales

[late kernel]

Magical items, custom abilities, multi-attack, steal some stuff from battlemaster fighter if you're feeling brave.

[errant crag]

Incubus is a whale doubter

[empty thicket]

A big heavy guy who use a magic hammer and smash the ground making waves and if he picks up someone he can throw it 30feets back and his attacks are AOE in a cone in front of him
Or
A duelist who isolate the players and fight against them going for their weakness and let the rest of the party fight his minions

[severe rampart]

for them to display power

[hot marlin]

In Moby Dick, the harpoon line wraps around Ahab's neck, he's yanked away from the ship and dragged to the depths. Probably a quick death. Then the whale smashes the ship and swims away unharmed.

[fossil hollow]

the druid just described to me what the whale's climbing speed looks like.

CENTIPEDE LEGS

[errant crag]

I wanna make a short adventure set in a domain of dread based on Moby Dick and the players are led to believe that the captain is the darklord but it's actually the whale the whole time

[late kernel]

Not an image anyone needed.

[empty thicket]

Give them resistances to stuff, pushs, advantage in str//dext
Make them fight hand at hand with some strong npcs and kill him fast with ease and low effort
Fight a group of guards and kill all of them easily
Pick up a log and throw it like a giant javelin
Smash walls going towards the party chasing them

[severe rampart]

I feel like it'd be more like millipede's and not centipedes

[hot marlin]

That does remind me of a certain work of Junji Ito

[severe rampart]

already done... already done... planning to do that... yeah pretty much ticked all the boxes

[hot marlin]

What could a whale even do to be considered evil enough?

[empty thicket]

Show how other people are scared of it, sometimes the mere presence of it or its fame would make the party understand the danger it is

[hot marlin]

Did it eat too many krills?

[errant crag]

An animal could be evil if I wanted them to be I'm the DM

[twilit sail]

arent dolphins technically whales

[empty thicket]

Stories about them, legends, more stuff like that who feed a constant image of a danger

[scenic zinc]

I did in fact say millipede

[fossil hollow]

theyre in the same family

[severe rampart]

they were a spoiled daughter to a crab

[late kernel]

I understood that reference.

[twilit sail]

im not continuing this line of thought

[hot marlin]

No. Whale is an informal term that excludes dolphins. In actual taxonomy, both are cetaceans.

[severe rampart]

I hate dolphins

[fossil hollow]

dolphins are the real evil, not sharks

[past blaze]

Does this argument need a "cetacean needed" disclaimer

[fossil hollow]

Auditor. Roll me 3d6

[empty thicket]

same, i even reached a point where i have an art of me fighting one

its a bit we made in a group of friends i have, its epic.

im sad i cant post such masterpiece

[severe rampart]

You can, in #dnd-arts-and-crafts

[hot marlin]

While I do agree that media has spent years selling dolphins as pure and wise creatures and that was stupid, why not avoid the other extreme?

[empty thicket]

OH!!?? okey im straight doing it

[hot marlin]

Animals are animals. They are beyond morality

[fossil hollow]

we're also animals...

[hot marlin]

Yes. And I don't know about you but I am also beyond morality

[severe rampart]

Wasn't there a test with rats where if they were given a button that released endorphins into their brain they'd press it until they died?

[hot marlin]

Which is proof that I am not a fiend

[tame estuary]

mood

[empty thicket]

check now in that channel

i just posted it

[fossil hollow]

No, its part of your entire being. Mr free tuition

[paper portal]

Is there any context for this or are we just saying shit for fun

[fossil hollow]

running gag

[tame estuary]

he's just like that

[late kernel]

Are we allowed to swear in here???

[severe rampart]

no

[paper portal]

Depends on the word

[tame estuary]

don't test every word

[twilit sail]

wizards of the coast

[empty thicket]

nope. Dont test

[hot marlin]

The word shit is not on the banned list. The banned list includes a lot of other words. Some of which may surprise you.

[paper portal]

That's true lol

[severe rampart]

It's not to be used against people

[fossil hollow]

whats Umberlee's true name

[empty thicket]

ookey, lets test only one
PIZZA WITH PINNEAPLE

[twilit sail]

pathfinder

[late kernel]

Huh, well shit. Seems I have a lot to learn.

[hot marlin]

And indeed I have been surprised many times about the banned list and its mysteries

[empty thicket]

Sad, i wanted it to be banned

[hot marlin]

I will have my revenge for that

[twilit sail]

twilight cleric

[paper portal]

what do you have against twi 😭

[late kernel]

Gloomstalker Ranger

[severe rampart]

let's not spam

[paper portal]

We should instead discuss the viability of genie warlocks :]

[hot marlin]

And indeed, we can say sperm whale. I should hope so considering that it's a D&D stat block.

[paper portal]

sperm whales are fish

[late kernel]

Speaking of Spam, I mentioned offhandedly a few times about Spam being eaten in my campaign. I have not yet been called by my players to explain the existence of Spam though I fear the time draws near.

[fossil hollow]

everything is a fish

[paper portal]

Not in D&D

irl though yeah everything is a fish

[fossil hollow]

A polar bear is a fish

[severe rampart]

takes off human disguise So... you knew all along.

[paper portal]

Bears are fish!

[twilit sail]

so are you like
atlantean?

[errant crag]

I can have animals be as evil as I want for whatever reasons I want to

[fossil hollow]

I am just a fish

[errant crag]

I could make a whale be evil

[severe rampart]

Inside of us there are two fish

[fossil hollow]

I am just a fish

[paper portal]

The deer is evil for being weak /ref

[hot marlin]

I'm just wondering what the whale could have ever done to be considered evil

[errant crag]

Evil Whale

[severe rampart]

Hunting other animals for sport?

[errant crag]

That's honestly a funny concept for a BBEG

[severe rampart]

Killing without necessity?

[scenic zinc]

Lunara has done much worse

[fossil hollow]

orca thing

[severe rampart]

Politics?

Wait a minute... these are all human things

[errant crag]

Humans are the only animals that aren't allowed to kill other animals for sport

[scenic zinc]

she also ate an adult black dragon

[late kernel]

Imagine trying to have a political debate with a whale and it just tailslaps you into the stratosphere.

[paper portal]

well when orcas hunt there is always a porpoise to it

[twilit sail]

theres a roguelite where you play as monsters running in elections

[fossil hollow]

^ druid in question btw

[errant crag]

Tyrannical Whale

[severe rampart]

It's legal, with permits.

[errant crag]

Oppressive Whale

[scenic zinc]

Though she did so as a Kraken, basically

[hot marlin]

I've killed plenty of mosquitoes without necessity, as I am sure plenty of animals have.

[severe rampart]

No, mosquitos are evil

[paper portal]

they were annoying it was necessary

[severe rampart]

It was necessary

[late kernel]

Every mosquito killed is another potential malaria case prevented.

[severe rampart]

For one, they carry diseases.

[late kernel]

Slaughter away, fellow humans.

[paper portal]

Personally I think anything annoying should be killed (chat im gonna be next)

[errant crag]

Tyrannical Whale is a great online username tbh

[hot marlin]

I've got a neighbour with a hunting permit and a rifle that would disagree with that assessment.

[paper portal]

eh it's a little weird imo

[severe rampart]

Probably don't want to use that there...

[hot marlin]

Oh now I remember. In the Planegea setting there's a wonderful statblock for a CR30 whale goddess

[errant crag]

Well I don't know if the F word for an oppressive regime is allowed here so I went with Tyrannical

[fossil hollow]

what CR are Kindori?

[rough basalt]

I think for my 1st session of my horror campaign I should blast a level 1 pc with a Blunderbuss (2d8)

[paper portal]

Fauthoritarian whale?

[rough basalt]

To set an example.

[errant crag]

Nah you know the one

[paper portal]

I do but I'm too silly :3

[hot marlin]

Considering the social life of whale it is difficult to imagine them forming any form of tyrannical government

[empty thicket]

that is a good one

[hot marlin]

It is difficult to exert any form of authority, just or unjust, towards someone who can just swim away and find food elsewhere

[severe rampart]

Is this what you do in your free time? 😭

[empty thicket]

or almost kill one iwth a trap

[rough basalt]

True. Especially if I crit.

[empty thicket]

that you will never use again in a future

[fossil hollow]

i cant belive the whale convo i started is still going

[severe rampart]

I mean, if they have a massive supply of food they can use that as leverage I suppose.

[rough basalt]

A 4d8 damage roll on a level 1 PC mmm mmm good

[empty thicket]

Lisa the painful did me that and i hated//loved it

[severe rampart]

Why go someplace else if you can go follow this one whale and get food easy?

[hot marlin]

The point of being a whale is that food is always kind of easy to get

[errant crag]

What if it's an Enchanter Whale

[fossil hollow]

how about someone runs a subnautica campaign

[errant crag]

Psionic Whale

[rough basalt]

I still have yet to kill a level 1 5.x PC.

[empty thicket]

Put a trap in a spot and NEVER again used it, just was one time and made me scared of any further body in a steak

[hot marlin]

That would work

[severe rampart]

Subnautica is I'm assuming a... fish game?... hm... I'm assuming something similar to Raft?

[fossil hollow]

so. Are you saying Enchantment is teh most evil

[fossil hollow]

Underwater survival horror

[errant crag]

No he's saying an Enchantment Whale would work

[severe rampart]

So it's Raft, but in water

[fossil hollow]

raft is in water

[severe rampart]

Rafts are on water

[empty thicket]

depend, if you have talasophobia, its the most horrible experience you will ever have in your life

[hot marlin]

No. Schools of magic do not have an alignment. I am saying that specializing in enchantment magic would indeed allow a whale to become something akin to a tyrant

[fossil hollow]

not when the waves and shark are done with it

[fossil hollow]

oh ic.

Wait, Awaken exists

[errant crag]

Tyrannical Whale

[severe rampart]

Awaken^

[empty thicket]

If not, a survival game in an aquatic planet.
Pretty chill if you like for times or a terror experience from other times

[hot reef]

Close enough

[severe rampart]

I was thinking of running a third campaign... hm... maybe...

[errant crag]

What is the Tyrannical Whale's endgame though

What does the Tyrannical Whale want

[severe rampart]

Sea Shells, she sells, by the sea shore.

[hot marlin]

Subnautica is also a lovely, poetic game about experiencing an environment, finding one's place within it, and learning to leave it.

[fossil hollow]

no more harpoons

[hot marlin]

Krill?

[errant crag]

I want the Tyrannical Whale to be as unsympathetic as possible

I want the whale to be a hateable villain

[empty thicket]

Yep, it have a really good environment and stuff

[fossil hollow]

it hates land. And has beef with a dinosaur that represents the land

[paper portal]

wow i see how it is :c

[fossil hollow]

also, theres a flying dragon that beats its arse from time to time alongside the dinosaur

[errant crag]

How does this make the whale unsympathetic though

[fossil hollow]

it. its a pokemon joke

[empty thicket]

and its a game where you rarely will have giga tense times, like "multiple hostile lifeforms detected"

[errant crag]

I don't know Pokemon

[hot marlin]

Then what the whale wants is to have a monopoly on reproduction. It wants to exterminate all the competition among its own sex, and make sure the entire species is nothing but its own descendants.

[fossil hollow]

Kyogre and Groundon...

[humble cairn]

Orca Titan?

[deft citrus]

It's not my fault my sperm whale is this cute!

[hot marlin]

Maestro-style.

[fossil hollow]

Dont tempt me

[humble cairn]

Lol

[fossil hollow]

I already have too many water monsters

[empty thicket]

another survival game i know nad i love is, The long Dark.
That one i would clasify it like Walking simulator//survival//Horror.

[hot marlin]

(Maestro being a marvel villain, a future version of the Hulk that acts as... Craster from A Song of Ice and Fire)

[hot reef]

It eats ships nearly whole. It first uses its advanced psionics to predict the precise amount of wreckage it can leave behind to give the few survivors a slow, painful death

[errant crag]

But why do the players care about this?.

[empty thicket]

Because damn, being in the middle of a storm, cant see nothing, cant hear nothing and you are freezing up and disoriented....

[errant crag]

That's pretty good

The whale is a psionic genius

[fossil hollow]

psychotic whale is a good one

psychotic, psionic whale

[umbral girder]

Or, how about a horse?

[paper portal]

works especially well as a villain if you have lesbians at your table

[errant crag]

Nah it has to be a whale at this point

We're like half an hour into Tyrannical Whale as a concept

I think it would be great if the whale somehow manipulated the players into thinking it's a sympathetic figure, like making the players think that it's just afraid and is defensive of sailors and the like encroaching on its natural habitat; only for the Tyrannical Whale to double cross them and it turns out that no the whale is super evil

[empty thicket]

i dont get it.....

[paper portal]

awesome lesbian couple vs evil and intimidating horse

[errant crag]

I don't get it

[jolly fog]

I learned all of the forgotten realms lore

Ask me anything

[empty thicket]

nope.... notyet, spit it out brosky because im more lost than adam in the mothers day

[paper portal]

no thats the joke youre gonna have to google it

[errant crag]

Do Sea Elves lay eggs

[jolly fog]

Yes I’ve seen first hand

[errant crag]

They don't

Don't ask this guy anything

[paper portal]

do you lay eggs

[jolly fog]

Yes

[paper portal]

relatable

[jolly fog]

🤫

[turbid vessel]

You know how they say "method in the madness?" With absurd humor? Some absurd humor is "the madness is the method." Tyrannical whale is referencing a meme of this format that went viral like 2 years ago

It has no meaning and that's the meaning

[cursive mountain]

horse isnt evil and intimidating its just broken 💔

[paper portal]

well yes they tend to do that

[humble cairn]

Nah, too twisty for a tyrant and a whale, I think. You can make it sympathetic, but I would skip on the duplicity, imo.

[errant crag]

I don't want it to be sympathetic though

I want the tyrant whale to be an unsympathetic villain

[humble cairn]

Okay full on orca then, with some dolphin thrown in.

[woven flint]

I potentially fight Acererak tomorrow

:]]]

[twilit sail]

so like the aboleth from that one dungeon

[errant crag]

No, like a whale that is evil

[humble cairn]

Do you like the psionic angle? If you want someone worthy of hate, you can have them lie to the PCs by reading their minds and just saying the most sympathetic thing, but then later go back on it entirely and when confronted just outright say "yeah, I lied to you and you believed it because you're inferior creatures and I don't owe you any sort of honesty."

Tyrants don't lie to those they are oppressing because they fear repercussion, they lie because they don't view them as people, but rather as easily manipulated things.

[errant crag]

That's a pretty good angle for the Tyrannical Whale

[vast saddle]

Man....being the only neurodivergent in the party sucks

[twilit sail]

every dnd party ive ever been part of has been like 90% autistic

[vast saddle]

I cannot read wall of texts but they still ask me to do so for roleplay anyway

[hot gate]

Are you doing play by post?

[vast saddle]

DC thread

[hot gate]

I don't know what that means sorry

[twilit sail]

i need a party

god give me your strongest dms

i have went through nine through attempts

maybe i should just host my own game atp

[severe rampart]

That's what I did

[twilit sail]

im not at all experienced w this game sadly

so i feel like that would be a poor decision

[severe rampart]

I play four games, two I host, one is a regular campaign, the other is in this whole server where XP is used and you can get a game any time

[severe rampart]

We all start DMing with 0 experience, practice makes perfect

[twilit sail]

tru

how do i start

[severe rampart]

By making mistakes

[humble cairn]

But a serious psionic whale tyrant would probably use outright mind control as a first resort.

[hot gate]

I'd go with something simple, like a prewritten one-shot

[severe rampart]

Oh god were still on the tyrranical whale?

[twilit sail]

sounds good id probably do pbp

[humble cairn]

I only just got started?

[severe rampart]

No, no, I meant for general as a whole😭

[errant crag]

Yeah it probably would

[twilit sail]

id probbly have to learn vtt too

[severe rampart]

Owlbear is simple and customizable.

[humble cairn]

Whale Song as a weapon of mass destruction ... just park outside a port city and start singing, make all the people just walk into the ocean and drown.

[errant crag]

Easy eatin'

[twilit sail]

oh yeah thats easy ive done smthn like that before

i wish i knew this existed before

[humble cairn]

Whent he PCs prove resilient to outright mind control, have the Tyrant make a treaty with them ... just to turn around and just ignore the treaty and kill another city.

[errant crag]

Maybe the Tyrant Whale has mind controlled individuals infiltrating coastal cities and harbor towns who it uses to try and get the party to accomplish tasks it needs completed on land but can't effectively orchestrate with its own mind controlled thralls

[humble cairn]

Yep, this sound like I would use the Aboleth statblock.

[hybrid tartan]

So im making a character sheet and iv come to a bump in the road. Whats a proficiency? 😆 the example it gives is like item-dagger type-weapon

[glass granite]

Basically, it’s a bonus that grows with your level and you can add it to things you’re proficient at.
It’s a way of showing your character is good at using it.

[tame estuary]

on level 1? it's 2

[humble cairn]

Here's the rules on proficiency bonus in general: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024/playing-the-game#Proficiency
And here's the rules on weapon proficiencies: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024/playing-the-game#EquipmentProficiencies

[glass granite]

For example, the modifier for a weapon attack roll (roll to hit) is your stat modifier + your proficiency bonus if you’re proficient in the weapon

[lavish flame]

Proficiency represents training with a given weapon/skill/tool/armor. Your Proficiency Bonus is a number you add to d20 rolls invilving stuff you're Proficient with, like Daggers or Athletics. You get to add your Proficiency Bonus as well as your Ability Modifier to those rolls, making you more likely to succeed at stuff you're Proficient with.

[hybrid tartan]

okay so I have a yuan-ti monk and a centaur barbarian who im gonna make a glaive welder. If I gave my centaur proficiency with pole arms that would increase the likelihood of a successful attack roll. Correct?

[humble cairn]

The Barbarian class gives proficiency with martial weapons, which includes glaives, so you don't need to specifically add it.

[hybrid tartan]

@humble cairn oh! So I just need to put in my class specific proficiency. Okay that makes that so much easier thanks

[humble cairn]

Check out the information over in #dnd-newcomers, it might be helpful!

[glass granite]

Yeah your class would be proficient in a selection of skills, 2 saving throws and different levels of armor and weaponry by default

[hybrid tartan]

Okay ill look it up and put it in.

[carmine tusk]

Learning 5/5.5e was arleady hard, but now 6e Just came out

[ornate copper]

That’s actually a really cool idea

[humble cairn]

Since when?

[carmine tusk]

Wait waif

It was and April fools video

Since i saw It Just now i didn't even think of that

[humble cairn]

I do not like April Fools.

[errant crag]

Thanks I haven't worked very hard on it

[carmine tusk]

Me neither

[empty thicket]

some sort of abismal terror?

[paper portal]

nah it was a real video 6.5e releases in a week

[errant crag]

A most wretched and unforgivable evil

The Tyrant Whale

Honestly this is great for my Return to Vacation City adventure I was gonna make

The Tyrant Whale is the perfect threat for the residents of the ever unfortunate Vacation City to be subjected to

[humble cairn]

Visually what are we thinking? The stereotypical barnacle covered baleen whale look? Personally I was thinking something Orca inspired, Orca are terrifying.

Black of the night sky, constellations of cosmic light slowly migrating across their body.

[errant crag]

I was imagining like a Sperm Whale with a colossal purplish pinkish gem at its big round snout/forehead part

Though Orcas are generally more evil feeling

Though I kinda like the Moby Dick aesthetic of a white sperm whale

This whole concept is inspired by Moby Dick very loosely

[humble cairn]

Hmm what if it can also emit such powerful sub sonic rumbles that it can cause earthquakes?

[errant crag]

It certainly should be a very powerful whale

[humble cairn]

Just full on natural distaster.

[errant crag]

Maybe the residents of Vacation City have been sacrificing citizens to the Tyrant Whale seeing it as a sort of malevolent god, and the Tyrant Whale's enthralled agents are working to instill this cultural notion

Or maybe cities along the coast have mysteriously had the majority of their populations vanish and the players are at Vacation City to investigate or try and prevent the same from happening

[humble cairn]

I think I like this one.

[errant crag]

And its been caused by the Tyrant Whale going down the coast and using its mass suggesting psionics to force their populations to walk out into the sea so it can devour them

[humble cairn]

Krakatoa like

Wait .. maybe I'm thinking Roanoke.

[errant crag]

That could be a cool concept, like the players investigate these seemingly completely abandoned cities/towns and they maybe find a prisoner or two still locked in their cells, left to starve as the guardsmen and the rest of the residents walked out to sea

[humble cairn]

I like it!! Very mysterious!

Ranting and raving about "the song of the sea"

[errant crag]

Or maybe an NPC who is left horrified by what happened, completely unaffected as they were wearing a family heirloom ring which happened to be a Ring of Mind Shielding unbeknownst to them

[humble cairn]

This should be the second town. The first one should be absolutely empty, with homes just open, dinners left uneaten mid-meal.

[errant crag]

Yeah stuff like that

[flint ledge]

Good Timezone everyone

[odd valley]

very eldritch horror-esque

[rough basalt]

Reading a book GMing and kinda makes me wanna test out what it's talking about.

[odd valley]

don’t make it obvious that it’s a whale

[errant crag]

Right I won't

It being a literal whale has to be a twist

And then the whale being evil and knowing what it's doing is the second twist

[rough basalt]

But idk if it's possible. Since it relies on a technique that many 5e players cannot possess.

[gusty charm]

What is it?

[rough basalt]

The "proactive" approach.

Basically you get invested, remember things, and use the agency the dm allows you to drive the story rather than wait for the stuff to be brought to you and the dm remembers stuff for you and provides the story.

[humble cairn]

"Cannot?"

[errant crag]

This feels like an angry rant

Most players do that

[rough basalt]

Its a setting dependent feat that grants the technique.

[ornate copper]

Ohhh

[errant crag]

Yeah just comes across like vitriol and spite

Very bad faith

[humble cairn]

But being proactive is someting any player can do, even if not mechanically supported with something like a Feat.

[rough basalt]

True, it's more a refusal to rather than inability in most cases.

[humble cairn]

Ehh .. It doesn't feel that way to me?

[ornate copper]

It works way better when players actively engage with the world instead of treating it like a quest board

[errant crag]

Saying that players are incapable of being invested and pursuing plot hooks and remembering anything about the game without the DM giving it to them?

[rough basalt]

I run into it alot.

[errant crag]

Then vet your players better

You just said the other day that you never ask your new players questions

[humble cairn]

This is something I would bring up in Session 0. The basic standard D&D game doesn't super encourage it, but I think it could easily be a thing if the group brings it up and decides to do it, consciuosly.

[rough basalt]

I think I've only had one game where a player took notes that I knew of.

[errant crag]

That you don't interview them before letting them join the game

[gusty charm]

Understandable. Definitely depends on the player’s personality and experience

[humble cairn]

Yeah no, it doesn't sound like spite or vitriol the way Sora put it. It sounds disappointed and maybe unintentionally insulting, but not deliberately spiteful.

[errant crag]

The insistence that all players refuse to engage in good faith with campaigns feels spiteful to me

[rough basalt]

I said some not all

[humble cairn]

Inability and intentional refusal are different things.

[rough basalt]

Or rather many.

And I did correct myself by saying refusal.

[errant crag]

You know, you're right, you said many not all

[humble cairn]

"Players don't seem to be able to X" is different from "players refuse to do X."

[errant crag]

But I think assuming this is a standard amongst players is definitely bad faith

[rough basalt]

I feel like I have to cause if I don't then I end up in a ToA game I have to end cause the players won't do anything and keep complaining about anything I throw at them so they do something.

[errant crag]

You gotta vet your players to make sure they're a good fit for the type of game you wanna run

[humble cairn]

Bad faith would be saying something you know is wrong on purpose to skew some sort of argument, this just sounds like Sora has had bad experiences and is venting about it, not the same.

[rough basalt]

I'm just angry atm.

[humble cairn]

Right, venting.

[errant crag]

Like I said it sounds like an angry rant

[humble cairn]

Not bad faith.

[humble cairn]

Angry is not quite spiteful is also not quite bad faith, try not to make things worse.

[rough basalt]

But I need to really start interviewing people.

[errant crag]

You always should have been

[odd valley]

anger does not always equal bad faith

[humble cairn]

Angry and venting is alright to do, people have emotions and can express them.

[odd valley]

bad faith can be done without the need for anger

[errant crag]

Yeah it's fine but sitting there and insisting that many players refuse to engage with content presented to them is maligning players in a state of anger

Which also shouldn't be done

[humble cairn]

Maybe try not to think of things as accusations unless they really are, it will be less stressful for you.

[ornate copper]

I get what you mean but even if it comes from experience it can still come across as bad faith if it’s being used to generalize the whole situation or steer the argument in a certain direction

[errant crag]

If my players absolutely dumpster a boss and I came in here all like "Grr! So many players are power hungry optimizers with no respect for the effort DMs put into their boss fights!!!" That would still be wrong of me to do

[rough basalt]

There's also plenty of people out there who don't care about anything other than rolling dice.

[errant crag]

And that's completely valid

[odd valley]

i mean sora technically isn’t wrong, if you have the entire player pool and you don’t filter through via a vetting process, it does end up seeming like most players are bottom of the barrel

[errant crag]

You're not vetting your players so you end up with a mixed bag

[rough basalt]

Yeah I need to accept you should do recruiting like a couple months out

[errant crag]

If you don't want those players, then you have to vet your players

[rough basalt]

That way you can keep making posts to filter through all the ones you don't want till you get enough of one's you do.

[errant crag]

It doesn't need to be a couple months out

[ornate copper]

That’s true too. Some players really are just there for the mechanics and don’t engage much with the story stuff

[humble cairn]

See, this is helpful. Immediately going to "bad faith" is a conversation ender while this is helpful and productive.

[errant crag]

Person is interested in my game

I ask them a series of questions

I determine over the course of one conversation if they're the right fit for the type of game I'm running

[rough basalt]

Cause 1/4 at least of my usual applicants clearly didn't read the post so I ignore them on principle. Then I get people who make me think they read the post then turns out they didn't.

That goes for every DM here tho

[errant crag]

Oh my god I'm sorry I said bad faith when I meant something else

[humble cairn]

That sounds frustrating.

[errant crag]

I used the wrong term please stop crucifying me over it

[humble cairn]

Not crucifying, trying to be helpful and encourage productive conversation.

[rough basalt]

Like ima have to probably redo recruitment for my horror game and honestly? Probably not a bad idea.

[errant crag]

Okay well mission accomplished now proceed to have the productive conversation

[odd valley]

just an observation, you really didn’t need to respond there.

[reef tundra]

Sometimes wiping the chessboard clean is the best thing to do

[rough basalt]

Cause the players for it aren't really talking about it or workshopping anything even with me like I requested.

Aside from 1 dude.

Coincidentally the only one I did an interview with

[ornate copper]

Nothing worse than applicants clearly skipping the post or skimming it and missing the basics

[reef tundra]

My previous online group before my current one was terrible, I ended the campaign early and just straight up started a new server

[odd valley]

see, this is why i like invested players

[paper portal]

damn 😭

[rough basalt]

It's very common.

[reef tundra]

I like putting a secret password in my ads and requiring it for them to apply

[humble cairn]

So you don't require them to answer some sort of questions before allowing them into the campaign?

[rough basalt]

You ain't gonna make a LFG post anywhere without a few who didn't read it applying.

[odd valley]

that’s a really good way of doing it lmao

[paper portal]

for me the biggest turn off is ai tbh

[errant crag]

It's easy to get invested players if you interview your players before letting them join your game

[ornate copper]

Really?

[reef tundra]

Right there with ya

[rough basalt]

I usually ask a question in the post to prove they read it and reading the post is my low bar for entry.

[rough basalt]

Yep. I get a lot of people who don't read the posts on every post I make.

[reef tundra]

One was horrific, one was an idiot, one was a megalomaniac, and all three we self-centred

[errant crag]

Yeah that's too low of a bar

You need to interview prospective players

[rough basalt]

Whether it's reddit, LFG here or other servers.

[ornate copper]

That’s a pretty solid filter for people who actually read the post

[paper portal]

im all four!

[odd valley]

this unironically works super well for getting investment from players, sort of a sunk cost type thing

[rough basalt]

Like I'll specifically say "we'll make characters in s0" and sometimes I'll get a DnD beyond link sent to me with their backstory which doesn't fit the adventure at all.

[paper portal]

classic

[reef tundra]

Some people say that having players do a survey to join campaigns is “impersonal” but I think it’s efficient

[reef tundra]

there’s always at least one 😭

[odd valley]

idk abt surveys, if they’re uber long i might not be able to do it

[paper portal]

that and the level 1 character that fought god and won

[hot gate]

Well, I suppose that's why people put in a secret phrase or thing that is immediately disqualifying if not included in the application. Though doing this also just sounds disqualifying by itself.

[ornate copper]

Probably just how it goes most people skim and only a few actually read everything properly

[humble cairn]

And then do you drop them?

[reef tundra]

I tell them no and if they keep pushing and trying it that’s when I drop them

[paper portal]

why would you keep trying 😭

[errant crag]

I am so confused

[reef tundra]

To break them

[odd valley]

lowkey really want a dragonlance or eberron campaign

[paper portal]

No I mean why would they keep trying to push the character lol

[dim flicker]

this cracked me up

[rough basalt]

Like I partially wanna cut my extra campaign prospects

[reef tundra]

Because it’s their super mega OC they’ve had for years

[dim flicker]

ah yes the level 1 godkiller

[errant crag]

Just ask your new players questions

[paper portal]

We've (mostly) all been there tbf I definitely was when I started out lol

[errant crag]

Like treat that as a requirement

It is not a suggestion, it's the answer to your problem

[rough basalt]

Tho I don't wanna cut my PF one even tho that one PF guy treated me like shit on friday cause the players are invested.

[paper portal]

now all of my characters are john tortured with exactly 3/7ths of my trauma

[rough basalt]

I feel like I rarely have one shots where I'm respected.

[reef tundra]

I think the worst backstory I was ever given was an artificer who wanted to make an atomic bomb

Okay, yeah, that artificer trope, whatever. But then he continued talking.

The artificer wants to make an atomic bomb… to sell it… To get enough money… for a divorce lawyer to divorce his wife… who’s an adult black dragon

[rough basalt]

I should just stop with the easy bar of entry.

[paper portal]

now thats calvinball

[reef tundra]

You deserve better, Sora :(

[rough basalt]

Basically make my games have 3 locked doors and a bouncer.

[errant crag]

Literally all you have to do is ask your new players questions

It's that simple

[reef tundra]

Oh btw this was for a serious campaign surrounding the political drama of hell and the tensions between the archdevils

[rough basalt]

To get past the bouncer, gotta read.
Get past the first door. Gotta respect me.
Get past the 2nd door. Respect the game
Get past the 3rd door.
Be invested.

[errant crag]

Where in that process is you interviewing the player

[paper portal]

i should make a character called the grungler who says "check it out guys im the grungler"

[rough basalt]

Somewhere

Probably the keys

I think my issue with interviews is I usually assume people will lie in them.

[errant crag]

So you just don't even ask?

[odd valley]

i don’t

[errant crag]

Instead of getting an answer at all you just let them in without them even needing to lie

[rough basalt]

Where as my usual tabletop memory stuff, I get stuff that feels real. Tho sometimes I get AI generated stories so those I block not just ignore.

[odd valley]

i’ll lie on a survey but as soon as i hear a voice i fold

largely due to a recognition that maybe i don’t wish to screw the other person over for my own personal benefit

[paper portal]

why are you lying on the survey 😭

[rough basalt]

The time and effort for an interview just for them to make Craps-in-Litterbox in a Strahd game just makes me think it's better to just wing it.

[errant crag]

It is explicitly not

Like it is definitively better to not just wing it

[odd valley]

eh, i’m just saying, most of the time it’s (mostly) the truth

[errant crag]

Do you want a solution to your problem or do you want to keep having the problem

Because that is the sole decision you're making here

Take the easy solution: or keep having the problem.

[odd valley]

it also lets you get a feel for the player and the players a feel for how you interact with each other

[rough basalt]

I wanna enjoy dming.

[errant crag]

Then interview your players

If you just let any random bozo hop into your game, it's gonna be a bad game

[lavish flame]

ye u gotta screen them. put some kind of filter onto your game

[rough basalt]

I guess eventually I'll get a sense for the liars?

[errant crag]

Refusing to do so because of the possibility of them lying is downright ridiculous because you're preventing the need for them to lie

They don't need to lie you're letting them in regardless

[rough basalt]

I do hyperfocus on details in interactions and remember.

[odd valley]

even better

[humble cairn]

Do you not want to interview them, for some reason?

[errant crag]

He's worried that they'll lie

But his solution to that is letting them join without ever interviewing them anyways

[rough basalt]

I feel like once I speak to them it'll be harder to remove them cause imo they're likely lying.

[errant crag]

He talked about it a few days ago

[humble cairn]

So this is the reason you don't interview or screen?

How about a screening questionairre?

[rough basalt]

Ye it's easier to kick people when they shock me and anger me out of nowhere.

[errant crag]

It's easier to kick them without having been shocked or angered

[humble cairn]

Uhh ... so you're ... setting yourself up to get shocked and angered.

When you could just have a "you must do this or else you can't join" and screen them.

[rough basalt]

Idk how to make a screening questionaire.

[reef tundra]

I can show you mine that I have people sign up with

[rough basalt]

Tho I see the value of it. The most laziest at the bottom of the barrel won't click and fill out the questionaire.

[humble cairn]

I'm sure you could ask a bunch of people over in #dm-discussion and probably get a bunch of template examples.

[odd valley]

this is the fun part, you try to find another dm who does google forms, and look at the questions

[errant crag]

Then you don't let those people join

[odd valley]

this also works too

[reef tundra]

Just so you can see what questions I ask

[rough basalt]

Sure

[reef tundra]

Here I’ll just DM the link to you. Don’t fill the form out though ofc

[errant crag]

I don't have a questionnaire that they fill out, I message them in a back and forth exchange/interview

I have a conversation with them

[rough basalt]

You fell for the oldest trick in the book. Now time for my application of my level 1 God isekai OC.

[humble cairn]

Is the idea of investing time and emotional effort to interview people daunting? Is that a lot of effort for you?

[reef tundra]

Gasp

[rough basalt]

Depends on whether I'm in a fixation mode or shut down like atm.

[reef tundra]

I do both. I interview the people after the form

[paper portal]

im gonna apply using my self insert character (also a level 1 god isekai i just have a god complex)

[humble cairn]

Ok so maybe lok over a few people's questionairre and see if you agree with them and then try that, that's less social effort. And enforce it. Disallow people who don't fill it out. Or who answeri n a way that makes it clear they don't fit with your style.

[rough basalt]

Yeah I should. I need to stop being lazy in the parts of dming that make tabletop games work rather than a hobby.

[reef tundra]

My WiFi is terrible rn I can’t get the form for now

[errant crag]

As a DM you have complete and absolute control over who gets to play in your game

Don't let bad players ruin your DMing experience

[rough basalt]

I'm just hoping it's not too far gone.

[errant crag]

You need to vet your players, it's not a suggestion, it's pretty much a requirement.

[rough basalt]

I've spent so much time and a damn lot of money into tabletop games. I don't wanna have to quit cause of the human element.

My Monday game was a hobby saver.

[errant crag]

You don't have to quit you just need to ask new players questions

[rough basalt]

Even tho it had it's bad section where I had to do the hallowed art of talk to players and remove them cordially.

[odd valley]

solution: let me play at your table /silly

[errant crag]

If I keep burning my hand on my stove's red hot burner, the answer is not to get rid of my stove
It's to stop putting my hand on the red hot burner

[paper portal]

me too

[rough basalt]

Huh.

[odd valley]

oh great googly moogly

[paper portal]

i think it would be funny to see a bunch of optimizers at a completely unoptimized table all trying their best to not be too strong

[odd valley]

EXACTLY

“hmmm, what isn’t absolutely broken”

[paper portal]

ive been doing this for too long its now harder for me to make a bad character than a good one 😭

[rough basalt]

I think maybe I should call my horror game for now.

Then try something new, with actual vetted players.

Something that's less work.

[odd valley]

i’d love to see you wizard sil and nacho at a table and trying not to break the game lmao

[paper portal]

sil is a lost cause i fear

[rough basalt]

Make the players do a lot of the work. /hj

[reef tundra]

If I ever played at a game with meow and wizard, I’d pick fighter or barbarian and just sit there smiling to myself

[paper portal]

id cry

actually i wouldnt cus id be happy to be at a table with you even if your build is bad

[rough basalt]

Nah but this proactive role-playing book has some nice ideas I'd like to try out.

[empty thicket]

i could go warlock?

[reef tundra]

Put all your spell slots to healing my ahh >:)

[paper portal]

warlocks are too viable youre not allowed that

[reef tundra]

Awww Ty.

[paper portal]

who says i have healing spells

[empty thicket]

oooh... then what i can go? artificer who dont use tech?

[reef tundra]

I’m cooked

[rough basalt]

Basically says to have players involved in the game making progress.

[paper portal]

yeah the campaign im playing rn is a bunch of new ish players and then my twilight cleric making sure nobody dies

we have had a couple deus ex machinas from the dm too cus of very stupid decisionmaking lol

[reef tundra]

Babysitting

[rough basalt]

Instead of writing out a story. Say "hey I wanna run a sandbox based on player goals, we'll decide the setting, themes ect together."

[reef tundra]

With my irl friends, I often end up as the only healer so I know the feeling

My pally literally keeping everyone alive

[odd valley]

yes! i need that!

[rough basalt]

It's called the Gamemasters Book of Proactive Role-playing and it's like 10-15 bucks and it's really good.

[paper portal]

yeah its great cus i barely deal damage so they still get to feel strong while im an unkillable brick wall with twilight sanctuary

one of my party members accidentally hit me with a lightning bolt the other day and it dealt a whopping 4 damage

[reef tundra]

Amen twilight cleric

[rough basalt]

Like if I had a group of properly vetted players come together and decide "alright let's play Exandria" for example. Then I guess I'm grabbing my Tal'Dorei and Wildemount books off the shelf. And to that, it sounds fun to me.

[paper portal]

war wizard + twilight cleric is genuinely unkillable

my dm loves it cus he can throw stupid stuff at us

[knotty vine]

Ice wizard so you have risen again

The main thing about twlight cleric is that the ablity scales with cleric level so itll always be good

[rough basalt]

I have a hard time being creative when I'm not hyperfixated and my games sometimes end cause of these "drops" after a hyperfixated period.

But proactive players give me so much to work with even when I'm in a drop.

[paper portal]

yeah combining it with the big 3 defensive spells and arcane deflection means theres not much point trying to damage you

[humble cairn]

Oh yeah, I love doing this. It's my preferred way of running a game.

[rough basalt]

Yeah. I kinda just want my settings to take a bit of a backburner for awhile.

Run something I don't have to build myself lol

[ornate copper]

That’s actually a fun support playstyle letting everyone feel powerful while you just refuse to die

[empty thicket]

backburner? what it mean?

[paper portal]

yeah if you wanna take it to the next level you play a mark of passage human so you can cast pass without trace for big stealth and have enough movement speed to wear heavy armor without the str for it

[reef tundra]

Still being worked on but not quickly nor the main focus

[rough basalt]

Basically I wanna relax regarding my work on my settings.

[ornate copper]

At that point you’re basically just telling enemies you can try, but it’s not going to matter

[empty thicket]

oh yeah, know the feeling, a dm i had went throught that

[paper portal]

i love aura farming

[rough basalt]

Like my Monday game is all the homebrew and worldbuilding and stuff i wanna do lol.

[empty thicket]

okey okey, so build up a world that cna work for some time and only expand it when needed?

[ornate copper]

Yeah that’s a pretty broken setup honestly

[paper portal]

it's arguably the tankiest "normal" build (read: not built for tankiness and nothing else)

[empty thicket]

okey, i can kinda get it more

[ornate copper]

Yeahh

[empty thicket]

like, effort less and enjoy more

[paper portal]

abjuration wizards are also very hard to take down

[empty thicket]

Feeling less that you are getting tired or burned out for putting effort on it

[rough basalt]

Like as it stands I have two setting guides in the works.

My main setting which is around 60 pages currently.

And my domain of dread which is only 3 or 4 but it used to just be an anthology I wrote last year.

[ornate copper]

That’s fair it’s basically accidentally unkillable rather than a fully dedicated tank build

[rough basalt]

Both use a good amount of homebrew, mostly my own.

[dusky harbor]

Abjuration wizard mentioned lets goo!!

[paper portal]

personally i dont find abjurer quite as tanky as war/twi but i get the reasoning behind it

[rough basalt]

I'll give it till next Monday and if I'm still in this state then, I'll probably pull the plug on my horror game.

[gleaming gale]

after what feels like 3 to 4 years of going from novice DM to someone with 4 years under his belt, i can proudly say baby's first campaign died 🥳

[dusky harbor]

Yeah but I like putting up a magic shield

[paper portal]

real

[gleaming gale]

I haven't been up to date with dnd stuff since 2024, I hope nothing too major has happened

[rough basalt]

Stuffs been good

[paper portal]

i have bad news

[reef tundra]

Ah…. About that… /hj

[gleaming gale]

Oh no

[paper portal]

there's a new edition lol

[rough basalt]

Stuffs been too good actually its scary

[gleaming gale]

can I still buy the classes and weapons individually

[reef tundra]

Well it’s a half edition

[paper portal]

yeah close enough :3

[reef tundra]

No :(
They removed that from dnd beyond

[gleaming gale]

oh my god bro

[reef tundra]

I’ve jumped ship from dnd beyond, I find it better to have my books in person

[pliant sapphire]

You can buy classes again

[reef tundra]

Oh sweet

[rough basalt]

Some outrage dndtubers and grifters have quit or lost their luster which is nice for dndtube.

[reef tundra]

My b I was wrong

[paper portal]

i have tasha's cus it's the GOAT book

[reef tundra]

Amen

[gleaming gale]

well that's nice

[reef tundra]

Surprisingly smooth with their new team. Which I hope they’re treating better

[pliant sapphire]

https://marketplace.dndbeyond.com/BB-2026-StarterPacks-Apr

[gleaming gale]

it's a weird feeling, to be bummed out and feeling liberated after a 4 year campaign is gone

I don't even know if that makes me a pro dm or go from novice to amateur

[reef tundra]

Forgotten realms books, new ravenloft soon, Eberron, it’s been smooth. Ish

[rough basalt]

I think its been pretty bad still.

[paper portal]

i have an awesome dm rn ngl

[reef tundra]

I’ve DMed for about 5 and I consider myself quite experienced, I say you’re in the same boat

[rough basalt]

But now they have structure, and not as much people calling for their heads so that'll probably make it better as time goes on.

[reef tundra]

Well, in a way, you are free. Free to make whatever new campaign you want

[gleaming gale]

i mean dnds always been in a controversial spot of bad and good

that's never really changed

[reef tundra]

I just think the minority dislikes it and is just very vocal on it

[paper portal]

i agree

[reef tundra]

The majority of people likely just enjoy the game with their friends and don’t go online

[rough basalt]

5.5e and it's products so far have been mostly great. The only bad ones were just cut content and canceled stuff released as bonuses

[paper portal]

although i dont like the new books but when i talk about that its mostly being unserious

[reef tundra]

I used to be like that (not online), then I got into online dnd when I couldn’t find an irl group

[gleaming gale]

I think its just a case of dnd does try to fix some shortcomings like dragons = evil, until fizban, but I think the vocal minority is more complaining about like the one-offs that are about representation

[paper portal]

fizbans was an awesome book

[rough basalt]

I've bought the two ultimate bundles for the two settings so far (FR and Ravenloft coming out soon)

[gleaming gale]

"omigawd wheelchairs in my fantasy?! " god, i hate anyone who thinks prosthetics wouldn't be cool as hell in dnd. Imagine using magehand to hold a sword, or shape water to hold several

[ornate copper]

Yeah but online games are also amazing

[rough basalt]

I'm iffy on it.

[gleaming gale]

they're hit or miss, for me, personally

[rough basalt]

I like when they go all in with it like Daggerheart does

And not just have it for the sake of having it.

Like Daggerheart has upgradable combat wheelchairs

[reef tundra]

Agreed

And I suppose it’s been nice meeting other dnd players outside my friend group

[paper portal]

online dnd is awesome cus you can join a discord server and meet me /silly

[reef tundra]

Y’all are pretty cool

[gleaming gale]

could even make them into spiderlegs

there's just so many ways to make prosthetics interesting in a fantasy setting

[reef tundra]

Forgotten Realms has prosthetic limb lore. In calimshan, they’re free to anyone who needs one

[rough basalt]

Yep. I like it when there's thought put into it. Not a modern metal wheelchair straight out of a hospital, but like a magitek apparatus or something, or something made from magical wood to handle the dangers and rough terrain of the world.

[ornate copper]

Yes

[gleaming gale]

but yeah feels weird to be back, i think i'm done with save the world type of plots, or at least I learned enough not to repeat my mistake of having the BBEG appear very early

[ornate copper]

That's nice

[errant crag]

If I'm gonna have a wheelchair in D&D it better be a sick as heck decked out battle wheelchair

Or I wanna have like a floating throne and a giga brain

[gleaming gale]

cantrips to assist as a prosthetic implement is always fire

[rough basalt]

A flying carpet, but only for you, and it's "carrying capacity" is yours.

Basically flavor rather than the actual flying carpet magic item.

[reef tundra]

Same here, I find smaller stakes can feel bigger most of the time

[rough basalt]

I really wanna make a campaign with players.

I don't wanna pick a setting by rolling a dice.

[gleaming gale]

i'm always using the same setting of

medieval, but sci fi ruins

[reef tundra]

Like if the entire world is at threat, it’s such a big thing that it’s hard to properly grasp it. But if a campaign is specifically about a city the players care about, the stakes can feel equally high

[rough basalt]

Like I wanna say
Here's the list of settings
FR, Dark Sun, Exandria, ect. Let's pick one and go from there.

[gleaming gale]

its not even that, i accidentally got into a world ending plothook by introducing an opponent who had backings of a kingdom, had a cult, and was planning to start the ice age because he did not like how reliant people were on eachother

[paper portal]

I was about to say a horizon zero dawn campaign would be awesome and then I remembered someone in this server has already homebrewed that lol

[reef tundra]

Man one day I gotta play in Exandria, I love it sm

[gleaming gale]

my major idea for a new campaign is basically bronze age nonsense

but i need people to poke holes in it, because it's very much based on vibes rn

[rough basalt]

I've been wanting to run an Exandria for a long time.

I think, if I scrap my horror game, I'm gonna try that. Properly vet some players then build a game with them.

Just heavily sell Exandria hoping they pick it.

[gleaming gale]

that's natt nercers work, right?

[rough basalt]

Natt nercer

Yes

[fervent kayak]

My ex friend thought it was weird how like in dnd nobody even gose to the bathroom … so he decided to make a charter that whenever there’s like combat or a speech of something he’s like hold up I need to go to the bathroom can we pause for a sec

[gleaming gale]

the first half of it had me so worried

[humble cairn]

That's kinda weird.

[reef tundra]

Most people don’t want to roleplay going to the bathroom

[gleaming gale]

i mean it could be funny the first time

maybe the second, but three is when it gets stale, and we dont know the context of if they do it everytime or just did it once

[reef tundra]

Classic gimmick character

[fervent kayak]

Yeah dm gave him a choice make a new charter or leave

[rough basalt]

I'm starting to get very attached to the idea of this building a game with players.

Dangerously attached even.

[fervent kayak]

He ended up leaving

[ornate copper]

Accidentally got into a world ending plothook is such a DM sentence

[gleaming gale]

it's a rite of passage

[reef tundra]

Every DM has accidentally knocked the plot in a horrifyingly worse different path of their campaign at least once

Or the players have…

[gleaming gale]

it all started because a player left and i needed to give a reason on why they were killed, to segway into a small 30 minute story

it was not 30 minutes.

[paper portal]

:3

[hot gate]

Oh, the players definitely have

[gleaming gale]

it's just like that time I made a one shot and it became a campaign accidentally