That's why the best component pouch is sewn into a codpiece.
"Corius, do you need a cleric? Why are you always scratching your nu..."
"FIREBALL!"
Moderators: The Preacher, $iljanus, Zaxxon
That's why the best component pouch is sewn into a codpiece.
I took it as a joke. You only need one tiny cloak, which you can use repeatedly (which, therefore, is assumed to be in your components pouch - you don't actually have to go into town and barter for 10 'Medieval Barbie' every session.)
Mechanically, the component pouch 'replaces' all non-consumed material components. For the fiction and theme, it simply contains them. Most are probably consumed (just like always), but you're also assumed to be constantly replenishing them, so mechanically, you always have enough. Maybe the tiny cloaks are expended, maybe they're not. If they are, you're just assumed to be, say, cutting scraps of cloth from dead enemies and cutting them to shape around the campfire. You're assumed to be grabbing pinches of bat guano when you're in a cave, grabbing pinches of dust when you pass by a graveyard, gathering herbs and stones, and so on, and the rest is part of your cost-of-living expenses (which again, all classes pay, and the price is based on the quality of lifestyle, not class.
Some love it, some hate it. Mechanically, I find it takes much of the suspense out of the game, and turns it into simply moving chits around.GreenGoo wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2023 12:11 pm Hey a question for any 5e players. Given the popularity of a more even handed character creation process here on OO, I was wondering if anyone plays D&D using the average dice rolls for everything.
It seems to me that anything that is listed as rolling xdy dice, is also listed as the average of those dice. Fighter levels up? 1d10 (or 6. Rounded up from 5.5). Damage is 2d6 (or 7).
Does anyone actually play using these averages? It would result in a much more even game, with less positive or negative spikes in random outcomes.
So I'm just curious. What are peoples' experiences here?
Despite my criticism, I do recognize that making magic item discovery exciting but challenging is itself a challenge. If there is no indication that an item is exceptional, why would the players keep it and research it? If it's obviously exceptional, that is just a giant flag announcing that it's a magic item. Sure there is detect magic and identify, but those used to take spell slots and in earlier versions of the game, not just spell slots but actual spells. For every detect magic spell you memorized, that was one less spell you could cast for other things.
If it's not important, you leave it up to them to figure it out. If you want to make sure your players find it (but it isn't vital), you drop hints that it's special. You put it on the orc boss. Or you mention that, while all of the other orc weapons are corroded, this one is without a blemish. Or you mention that when the orc pulled it out of the character's ribs, the blood beaded and rolled off. You can also improvise if necessary. If they miss that +1 dagger in the orc's lair, and you really want them to have it, then guess what - the bandits that ambush them later while they're traveling have a +1 dagger. And if that doesn't work, it's in the next chest they open.
Now it required a (fairly easy) skill roll and a spell, plus it took some serious study (an hour.) It was still going to be possible for a low-level caster to identify low level items almost every time (a DC 10 Arcana check is nothing.) But it made the Identify spell much more useful and worth knowing (a guaranteed success after ten minutes.)7. Identifying a magic item requires that a Detect Magic spell be cast and the item be studied for at least one hour, followed by making a successful Arcana roll against a DC based on the item's rarity. Potions can still be identified by tasting:
a. Common: 10
b. Uncommon: 15
c. Rare: 18
d. Very Rare: 20
e. Legendary 25+
I tend to use 'arguing' as synonymous with 'debating.' I should probably stop.
Not really, in my experience.However, the concept of a Monty Hall campaign seems to have become the design philosophy for the entire game.
One of the biggest advantages of 5e (and, to be fair, any D&D post-A) is consistency. It shows up best when it comes to teaching new players the rules. Like (in AD&D) which numbers you had to roll a d20 and get under, versus which numbers you had to roll a d20 and get over. Or the way AC worked, where a score of 2 was way, way more armor than 8. As experienced players, we forget how counterintuitive it was that the numbers that represented your abilities, level, and health went up as they got better, while the numbers that represented you armor, fighting skill, and resilience (saves) went down as they got better. Or THAC0 in its entirety.And I don't feel like I'm being overly critical. 5e is almost certainly more fun than AD&D ever was, and I've mentioned a number of aspects that I absolutely like/love in 5e. I just want to share my thoughts as I read more and more of the game rules.
The passives are great (and almost any skill can be passive - Passive Investigation can be handy.) The best part is it avoids the old trope:GreenGoo wrote: ↑Sun Aug 06, 2023 1:57 pm Another design decision I like is passive perception as well as how searching for secret doors etc are handled. A game session that is spent searching every inch of the dungeon for secret doors is not a fun session. But missing a secret door to exciting stuff is disappointing (for the DM at least) so some way to make it easier without making it too easy was necessary, imo.
I'm in denial!Smoove_B wrote: ↑Tue Aug 15, 2023 8:50 pm Oh man. I think I was around 9 when I read through the Red box rules. For me it was the art of that solo / intro adventure that stuck out so much - I don't really think I'd seen anything like it before. And then the way it all ended....I feel like that was a lot for a kid to process. Maybe you just blocked it out because it was so painful.
She does remind me of one of the DL illustrations. I'll take your word that it is Laurana and DL5.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Tue Aug 15, 2023 9:01 pm Ah, that's what it was from. When I first saw it, I thought I was looking at the Laurana illustration from module DL5. Same artist, same style, but the helmet was just a little off. Then GG's comment made me realize that it wasn't that. But I knew I'd seen it, I just couldn't remember where.
I'm not 100% that's what I was thinking of. It definitely reminds me of Laurana, and DL5 was the one that was full of extra character illustrations (it was a sort of character guide) - but the entire series had illustrations as well.GreenGoo wrote: ↑Wed Aug 16, 2023 1:59 pmShe does remind me of one of the DL illustrations. I'll take your word that it is Laurana and DL5.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Tue Aug 15, 2023 9:01 pm Ah, that's what it was from. When I first saw it, I thought I was looking at the Laurana illustration from module DL5. Same artist, same style, but the helmet was just a little off. Then GG's comment made me realize that it wasn't that. But I knew I'd seen it, I just couldn't remember where.
Honestly, those early Elmore/Easley illustrations were often very similar, and they frequently got reused. I also looked it up, and there's an illustration of a dwarf that I'm certain I saw reused somewhere, too.
I'm not sure of the spelling (it's been decades), but it was Kitiara.But I think Tanis had a warrior female friend in DL? The pic makes me think of her, but we're talking murky depths of memory to be delving in. So, likely not even close.
This quote notwithstanding, the article is less about the mechanics of D&D in prison, and more about how it builds connections and allows for a bit of escapism.Playing Dungeons & Dragons is more difficult in prison than almost anywhere else. Just as in the free world, each gaming session can last for hours and is part of a larger campaign that often stretches on for months or years. But in prison, players can’t just look up the game rules online. The hard-bound manuals that detail settings, characters and spells are expensive and can be difficult to get past mailroom censors. Some states ban books about the game altogether, while others prohibit anything with a hard cover. Books with maps are generally forbidden, and dice are often considered contraband, because they can be used for gambling. Prisoners frequently replace them with game spinners crafted out of paper and typewriter parts.
I've heard the same thing from people who served in both the Navy and the Air Force during that period.
I have dipped my toe into using FG/Roll20, but have never tried running a game via the platforms.
I've played on both Roll20 and Foundry. I've run games on Roll20 and MapTool, and I've set up games on Foundry that I've never played (due to group implosion.) My personal preference? Foundry. It's business model is much, much friendlier to everyone (it works like Tabletop Simulator, where all of the content is player created mods, vs the "buy everything again" approach that the others use), and I've found it's more powerful. The only downside is that it takes a little more work to learn/set up. It's like comparing Paint and Photoshop - Paint is easier to use, but Photoshop is more powerful.
One thing that I've done in the past in similar circumstances is set up my laptop as the 'GM', and set up a second PC running through my TV near the table as a 'player' (basically functioning as a player's POV.) The TV/player account is mostly passive, and is mostly just there so that everyone can see the map. It's a large TV, and sits right next to the table, so everyone can see it clearly.hentzau wrote: ↑Mon Sep 11, 2023 10:14 am I toyed with the idea of doing the whole thing via Fantasy Grounds or Roll20, but I don't think I want my folks around the table looking at screens the whole time. They're already looking at the screens a ton since we're using D&DB for characters. But maybe I'm mistaken. Maybe it would level the playing field for the other players to do everything online and put the maps, etc up on the big screen. Dunno.