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Post by Zejety on Dec 4, 2017 16:02:30 GMT 1
Yeah, plus if one team hears the noise of battle then the other is likely to come running. On the plus side, I now have the Animate Objects spell and I'm really looking forward to giving it a whirl (I also have counterspell for the obvious fireball to shut the objects down). I just need to find a hall full of armour / statues / busts / weapons to make it look good A bunch of coins can also do it in a pickle.
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Post by flagrantangles on Dec 4, 2017 16:28:01 GMT 1
I prefer to use a use a bunch of daggers since they're relatively easy to come by.
That said, using suits of armor and statues and the like is really reminiscent of Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
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Post by Plum on Dec 4, 2017 17:55:45 GMT 1
My sorcerer sadly does not carry a bunch of daggers, but she probably has ten coins at least. I did think about giving her a necklace of stone beads that she can throw and then control, but I figure they might be a pain to pick up and rethread if they get dispelled or fireballed Although I am now thinking of a telekinetic sorcerer, using subtle metamagic. So I've gone for every spell (up to level 5) that I can think of that could be construed as telekinetic. Wind, water and earth control would all be manageable, as would flight, shield and holding people in place. Your only low level damage spell is Catapult, but it's pretty solid. Cloud of daggers is a maybe, as you could easily retheme the spell to be picking up a cloud of stones, leaves or other small things that whip around. Destructive Wave feels like it should be an awesome mind spell buuut the thunder damage might rule it out - maybe if you switched it to force. Control Flames C Gust C Mage Hand (though I'd want the invisible arcane trickster version) C Mold Earth C Shape Water 1 Catapult 1 Earth Tremor 1 Feather Fall 1 Jump 1 Shield 1 Unseen Servant 1 Zephyr Strike 2 Cloud of Daggers 2 Dust Devil 2 Hold Person 2 Levitate 2 Warding Wind 3 Erupting Earth 3 Fly 3 Slow 3 Wind Wall 4 Control Water 5 Animate Objects 5 Control Winds 5 Destructive Wave 5 Hold Monster 5 Telekinesis 5 Wall of Force
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Post by Southpaw Hare on Dec 5, 2017 0:49:03 GMT 1
That moment when you go into a store and buy dozens of tiny plastic horses, because you're legitimately concerned that you don't have enough for your needs.
Pretty cool that the art supply store sells them in bulk, though. I can literally just fill a bin full of these things. Now I need to see if they're paintable.
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Post by Zejety on Dec 5, 2017 10:46:07 GMT 1
I feel silly for not being able to even come up with a "favorite creature" for that #DnDecember prompt. Dark creepers kind of already existing in 5e threw mo completely off. Should be easy to name a favorite creature but I just can't come up with anything that would inspire homebrew. I'm a big Monster Hunter fan but there's already an extensive and well-known homebrew MH supplement out there... :/
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Post by Plum on Dec 5, 2017 15:05:43 GMT 1
Snorlax Gruffalo Prinnies Anyone from Monsters Inc.
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Post by flagrantangles on Dec 5, 2017 15:22:19 GMT 1
I love the Cthaeh from Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.
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Post by Zejety on Dec 5, 2017 16:06:48 GMT 1
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Post by Southpaw Hare on Dec 6, 2017 19:53:44 GMT 1
So, everyone finished creating their Ponyfinder characters, and I also had everyone do an activity where they helped create the town that the game will initially start in, including 10 important NPCs. The results were gloriously wonderful. Welcome to the town of Bingeburgh: Main Import: Cats Main Export: Exotic Butters Greatest Annual Celebration: "The Purge" Character highlights include: - Bumbles Berenstein, the homeless beekeeper bear who loves to gossip and has mild dementia.
- Andre the Minotaur Blacksmith, who is ancient but "swole".
- Whiskers the Griffon Mayor, who is "A Complete Asshole" but "hides it really well".
I get to have all sorts of fun interpreting all this amazing nonsense.
I'm pretty sure that this town is trading with the Dwarves from Dwarf Fortress, who regularly export cats and import cheese. Really answers a lot of questions about that finally.
My plan is that there is a legit culture of ponies and purrsians training regular housecats to be war-housecats, due to the town once being attacked by moon rats (rats who are intelligent and tool-using during the full moon, though not any bigger or more physically powerful). So now I just need to write up some stats for war-housecats. I imagine them wearing little tiny chain shirts and helmets that look like the ones in Star Fox. ...and now that I think of Star Fox, of course, they have to have adorable little neck-handkerchiefs too.
And yes, the butters are made from cat milk. Of course it is, that's just too obvious to not go for. They have an entire cat milk industry for milk, butter, and cheese.
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Post by Zejety on Dec 6, 2017 22:27:42 GMT 1
Sorry for meme-ing, but this tweet is too great to not share:
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Post by Plum on Dec 7, 2017 10:29:27 GMT 1
Sorry for meme-ing, but this tweet is too great to not share Oh my god I thought the exact same thing when I saw that picture - holy sh*t that's Gaston! My other half is picking up Legacy of Dragonholt today (hopefully). Aiming to be an DM-free RPG, it'll be interesting to see how well this manages to feel open or whether it's simply a multiplayer Choose Your Own Adventure book. Has anyone else been following it?
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Post by Zejety on Dec 8, 2017 18:48:03 GMT 1
#DnDecember is well under way and I've pretty much burned through the stuff I pre-designed. So now I have to actually design stuff within a day and am starting to sweat when out of ideas. For exmaple, Tomorrow's prompt is draconic and I'm not yet sure what to design for it. Obvious answers would be monsters (clockwerk dragon? Chinese dragon?) or Dragonborn stuff (feats, backgrounds, varient features?). I've also considered updating and polishing an old encounter from my home campaign (including a custom monster) but that doesn't feel quite in spirit of my challenge to design new stuff... Anyway, here is what I've published so far: - Favourite Race: Magic Items for Tieflings
- Favourite Class: Circle of Civilization
- Favourite NPC: Father's Lament
- Favourite Villain: Chosen of Shar
- A Moment of Triumph: Glimpses of Triumph and Doubt
- A Moment of Despair: Moment of Despair
- Your Player Character: Water Spells
- Favourite Creature: Konchu
- Draconic: Empowered Breath Weapon
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Post by Plum on Dec 9, 2017 2:16:10 GMT 1
I would very much like a feathered dragon please acceptable options are meso American dragons, or Falkor. Your Konchu is the most adorable monster and when we finally meet Strahd in battle if he doesn't have a Konchu on his shoulder then I can't even!
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Jude
Member
<custom title here>
Posts: 111
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Post by Jude on Dec 9, 2017 20:09:18 GMT 1
Looking forward to hearing about Legacy of Dragonholt. I have a lot of interest in DM-less RPGs and how they go about doing things.
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Post by Plum on Dec 10, 2017 16:25:51 GMT 1
We went through the introductory scenario last night (travelling to Dragonholt) and multiplayer Choose Your Own Adventure is right on the money. Read a paragraph, then choose from the available options, some of which are only available under certain conditions (you have skill x, y time has passed, you've ticked story event z...). It's more complex than those older CYOA books though and many decisions, especially interactions, will have impact further in the story ("you asked Snorlax about its family, mark story event C3". Then later, "If you marked story event C3, you recognise Snorlax's brother! Turn to page 1234").
So it depends what you enjoy in an RPG. This does have character creation and my bf and I spent a good thirty minutes figuring out our characters and what skills they would have depending on their backstories. We also got very into the characters - there's an activation token system to stop one person making all of the decisions, and we took great delight in choosing the paths that best suited our character and least suited the other player's. On the flip side, there's nothing in the way of combat or tactics (at least that we've seen yet) - if you have the right skills you'll probably win a fight, otherwise you'll probably lose some health escaping.
We enjoyed the prologue, and it's a nice game for a couple to play since it really doesn't take up any space and you can curl up on the sofa and alternate reading. It kind of fits in the same niche as Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, a really nice snug rainy day game
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Post by scymrian on Dec 14, 2017 20:34:33 GMT 1
I've started looking through old Campaign Setting books, mostly to steal their organizational style so that I can eventually present some of my homebrew setting stuff that I'm still working on on-off-mostly-off. I've been asking for recommendations on well laid out Campaign Setting books - they don't need to be old!
So far I've been recommended the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from 3e, the Eberron Campaign Setting from 3.5e, the Blades in the Dark core book (apparently has very well laid out setting information), and, humerously, Dungeonology (a recent pop-up book about Forgotten Realms aimed at children!)
Any of you have any reccs in this area?
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Post by Southpaw Hare on Dec 14, 2017 22:57:53 GMT 1
I've started looking through old Campaign Setting books, mostly to steal their organizational style so that I can eventually present some of my homebrew setting stuff that I'm still working on on-off-mostly-off. I've been asking for recommendations on well laid out Campaign Setting books - they don't need to be old! So far I've been recommended the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from 3e, the Eberron Campaign Setting from 3.5e, the Blades in the Dark core book (apparently has very well laid out setting information), and, humerously, Dungeonology (a recent pop-up book about Forgotten Realms aimed at children!) Any of you have any reccs in this area? I recommend all the ones you've already mentioned. ...that's not very helpful, is it?
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Post by scymrian on Dec 15, 2017 13:41:17 GMT 1
If enough people cosign this petition, I might actually read a damn book!
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Post by Zejety on Dec 15, 2017 23:10:48 GMT 1
I'm out of ideas for the next couple #DnDecember prompts. They are "Underdark" and "Swordcoast". I haven't really played in D&D settings for long so I'm not particularly invested into either area. Anyone got an idea or request? Maybe some cool old Underdark monster that isn't in 5e yet?
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Post by Southpaw Hare on Dec 16, 2017 2:51:33 GMT 1
I'm out of ideas for the next couple #DnDecember prompts. They are "Underdark" and "Swordcoast". I haven't really played in D&D settings for long so I'm not particularly invested into either area. Anyone got an idea or request? Maybe some cool old Underdark monster that isn't in 5e yet? I'm surprised. These are like the most popular setting locations due to the video games. I've honestly seen so much of them that I think they're way overused.
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Post by Zejety on Dec 16, 2017 9:15:22 GMT 1
I'm surprised. These are like the most popular setting locations due to the video games. I've honestly seen so much of them that I think they're way overused. I think that's the source of my problem. As someone who hasn't played the video games, everyone still talks about the Sword Coast as if it was assumed I knew what's going on there. Mind you, I'm nt saying WotC doesn't put out books. One of the first printed adventures was an Underdsrk campaign and the only setting book is for the Sword Coast. I even own it but didn't read much of the fluff. Also, I'm not looking to understand them narratively, I'm trying to come up with cool mechanical stuff that fits their themes!
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Post by Southpaw Hare on Dec 16, 2017 19:22:30 GMT 1
I'm surprised. These are like the most popular setting locations due to the video games. I've honestly seen so much of them that I think they're way overused. I think that's the source of my problem. As someone who hasn't played the video games, everyone still talks about the Sword Coast as if it was assumed I knew what's going on there. Mind you, I'm nt saying WotC doesn't put out books. One of the first printed adventures was an Underdsrk campaign and the only setting book is for the Sword Coast. I even own it but didn't read much of the fluff. Also, I'm not looking to understand them narratively, I'm trying to come up with cool mechanical stuff that fits their themes! Okay, well, there are some sub-locations that are interesting you can work with: Candlekeep - Obsessed with books and knowledge. Run by Monks of Oghma, God of Knowledge, and only welcome visitors that contribute rare tomes. Luskan - Combining the idea of cold Norsemen and pirates, resulting in a bunch of angry, fur-wearing, sailing dickheads who are always going to war with people for no reason. Waterdeep - So big that literally everything that exists in the world goes on there. Also has a passage to the Underdark underneath an inconspicuous tavern. Neverwinter - They had a "Hero School" there at one point. Didn't work out so great probably, depending on your actions in Neverwinter Nights.
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Post by Zejety on Dec 16, 2017 22:01:56 GMT 1
Okay, well, there are some sub-locations that are interesting you can work with: Candlekeep - Obsessed with books and knowledge. Run by Monks of Oghma, God of Knowledge, and only welcome visitors that contribute rare tomes. Luskan - Combining the idea of cold Norsemen and pirates, resulting in a bunch of angry, fur-wearing, sailing dickheads who are always going to war with people for no reason. Waterdeep - So big that literally everything that exists in the world goes on there. Also has a passage to the Underdark underneath an inconspicuous tavern. Neverwinter - They had a "Hero School" there at one point. Didn't work out so great probably, depending on your actions in Neverwinter Nights. Thanks, that helps a bit! For the Underdark prompt, I'm trying to design some fungus-themed spells. For Myconids and general thematic use. ;-)
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Post by Zejety on Dec 29, 2017 16:46:19 GMT 1
Phew, D&December is over and I managed to post daily (though an hour late a few times)! I'm now planning to compile everything into a single file and maybe make some overhauls based on (not much^^) feedback. Here's the WIP: homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HJZOmyz77G
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Post by Plum on Dec 29, 2017 17:29:00 GMT 1
Phew, D&December is over and I managed to post daily (though an hour late a few times)! I'm now planning to compile everything into a single file and maybe make some overhauls based on (not much^^) feedback. Here's the WIP: homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HJZOmyz77GI missed your Sorc stuff. Infused seems really good for a Draconic sorcerer, letting them score their draconic bonus damage easily or turn a Fireball (the gold standard for damage, but in a commonly resisted type) into an Acidball/Iceball etc. Although I guess there's an opportunity cost, in that you're not taking Quickened, Twinned etc and they are also super great. So actually maybe it is on par with the other metamagics. I might have booped it up to 2 sorc points, just so that you can only use it for level/2 spells per day, saving it for special occasions. I'm not sure though, I might be overreacting.
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Post by Zejety on Dec 29, 2017 17:47:56 GMT 1
II might be overreacting. Nah, those are reasonable considerations. As a matter of fact, the first draft had a cost of 2. But it seemed a little high in retrospect. 1.5 or a scaling would probably be perfect, but I think the opportunity cost is fine. To quote someone from the SG discord: "I would feel bad spending 2 SP on it" and I think I agree.
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Post by Zejety on Jan 6, 2018 23:36:59 GMT 1
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Post by Zejety on Jan 10, 2018 20:44:30 GMT 1
One of the campaigns I'm playing in is about to be rebooted and I'm pretty happy about that! The group has shrunk to a size I wasn't very comfortable with (but the plot and level made it hard to recruit new players) and I wasn't excited about the latest plot development either. I felt like we might as well have ended the campaign there and I guess my DM agreed. ^^
Finally, the character I was playing was my first 5e character and while I still like his original concept, his personality was pretty boring a.k.a. more of an avatar than a character. I look forward to playing something new and trying to avoid that pitfall this time!
I'll likely be playing a fighter (insecure half-orc with a big heart). I usually play casters so I'm a little afraid that I'll be missing the fun of making tactical decisions in combat. Probably have to run Battlemaster to compensate, even though the new Samurai or Cavalier might be more thematically appropriate. Also thinking about Magic Initiate with some non-flashy spells like Spare the Dying or Command. Not gonna have to make that decision until later levels though... Anyone here have experience with fighters? Is there a risk of them becoming boring to play in combat?
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Post by Plum on Jan 11, 2018 10:49:40 GMT 1
Oof our Strahd campaign is wearing a bit thin. After the deaths of two of our characters, rerolling new characters and then failing to get the two groups to meet up, we assumed that we would be able to all reunite before storming the castle. That failed for roleplay reasons, but then we assumed we'd be able to reunite during storming the castle. That also failed as while we flew to an upper entrance, the other party decided to simply walk in the front door. Ok fine, we'll probably meet up inside eventually. Nope - we started at the top and worked out way down while they started at the bottom and worked their way up A DIFFERENT STAIRCASE. Uuugh ok, we'll probably hear when a battle kicks off and get a chance to meet up then. ((Room specific spoiler below)) Except that we then found the portal room. At the time we were looking for Irena and one of the portal options was 'The Bride'. We did consider that this could lead to the Abbey but then realised that of all of the women that 'Bride' could be applied to in the campaign, the flesh golem is the only one that was explicitly rejected by Strahd. So if he set up a portal room in his own castle that let him teleport to The Bride, the Abbey would be the least likely place it would lead. Of course we stepped through and it led us to the Abbey. At which point we are now a couple of days away from the final battle and our characters are effectively out of the campaign (again). Our DM does a brilliant job usually but I feel like he's mishandled a bunch of stuff recently, playing it absolutely by the campaign book and as a result I think we're pretty much fed up with Barovia. We'll go into the final battle (with two of us controlling NPCs) and either go for victory or a TPK - either would be fine at this point! On the plus side, the DM has homebrewed the next campaign that we've diving into, so he'll be less obliged to follow the book and freer to change things on the fly. I'm shaking out a one-shot character I used earlier in the summer - a tarot card reading artefact hunter
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Post by Zejety on Jan 11, 2018 10:59:47 GMT 1
Oh, btw. my D&December homebrew collection is now content complete. Just gotta add some images and editing: homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HJZOmyz77G
I've changed the two "Glimpse of X" spells to bonus actions for now because in hindsight I agree that a reaction keying off a meta construct feels a little wrong. Maybe I could return to reactions if I find a more interesting trigger ("a creature is about to make an attack roll or wisdom saving throw"?)
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