Nope. We'll be starting session 1 this Saturday. None of the players ever tried a ttrpg so with me DMing it will be a new experience for us all.
I was thinking of milestone for my first time. What do you feel was off about it for you? Is XP shared?
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Tabletop RPG |OT| I cast a spell
- Thread starter Nairume
- Start date
Nope. We'll be starting session 1 this Saturday. None of the players ever tried a ttrpg so with me DMing it will be a new experience for us all.
I was thinking of milestone for my first time. What do you feel was off about it for you? Is XP shared?
XP is divided equally based on the combat encounter. LMOP does a pretty good job on listing any XP right after an encounter so you don't have to manually calculate it, so it eases some of the burden off you. I'm using milestone for my beginner game and it's been fine so far. It takes away the joy of end of session "rewards" and kind of makes it nebulous when you do level up, but it makes it way easier for me.
Had our first proper session using Discord instead of Hangouts and I have to say I'm not happy. Voice was getting cut off all the time and it really made for a bad experince. We had zero issues with sound quality before so I know the problem is on Discord's side.
I loved being able to transmit music through the Rythm bot so I'd really like for this to work.
Any ideas we could try?
I loved being able to transmit music through the Rythm bot so I'd really like for this to work.
Any ideas we could try?
What server are you on? Discord gets pretty dicey if you are on a free server with people from all across the world. If you're all in America or a specific region then I'd try and just pick the closest server, there's really nothing more you can do unfortunately.
We're all pretty close geographically, but yeah, I suspected free server was the issue.
If you're all around the same place it should really be no issue, check connectivity and packet loss I guess? I've played with people from Europe and the Americas (I'm in SEA) without issue, but it can get choppy with a bad connection or if you have someone from every timezone and you can't place a good balanced server.
IME Discord is really bad with voice activation. My group has largely gone full Push to Talk, because Discord drops voice activation way early, even on low target noise levels.
give it to a local game store or give it to a library. what kind of books? i mean if they are in good condition.
I have Pathfinder 1e Core and players handbook, DnD 2e PHB (x5) , DMGs (x2), ADnD Oriental Adventures (x2), MM, MMII (x2), Legends and Lore. Plus box sets for Forgotten Realms, Star Trek Start ship Tactical combat and the Role Playing Game.
All pretty good shape
All pretty good shape
I'd be willing to give a good home to the classic AD&D stuff. Don't really need multiple copies, but I have a big gaming basement with shelf space. Shoot me a PM.
FYI, if there are any Numenéra fans around, there's a Kickstarter currently running to finance new sourcebooks. Or even if you're not a fan yet, there's tier to get the starter kit, and you can add the core books as an add-on as well. Monte Cook Games' kickstarters always end up reaching a bunch of stretch goals that add additional books and goodies, so it can be really good value if you get a tier that includes all the unlockables.
B2G1 free is back. they have Eberron preorder up as well. think its part of the sale. sale ends 8/31
Oh man...very tempted.
I want to get Tomb of Annihilation. I have Descent into Avernus too since it counts.
any suggestions for the third book? Preferably at the same price $35.
Hi guys, quick question.
I'm trying to create a custom magic weapon for a friend of mine, he's going through a bit of a hard time and I want to make our next D&D session a little special for him.
He's a dual wielding bloodhunter and the party is currently level 4 (close to level 5).
The idea I had is this:
+1 magic sword that on a bonus action can split into two smaller swords. When combined into one, it can do some kind of special attack once per long rest. Also, since he's a bloodhunter, I'm thinking if he's dual wielding and powers up both swords, then combines the sword, both power ups are added to the single sword attacks.
Does this sound like too much? Otherwise, any suggestions on the special attack?
I'm trying to create a custom magic weapon for a friend of mine, he's going through a bit of a hard time and I want to make our next D&D session a little special for him.
He's a dual wielding bloodhunter and the party is currently level 4 (close to level 5).
The idea I had is this:
+1 magic sword that on a bonus action can split into two smaller swords. When combined into one, it can do some kind of special attack once per long rest. Also, since he's a bloodhunter, I'm thinking if he's dual wielding and powers up both swords, then combines the sword, both power ups are added to the single sword attacks.
Does this sound like too much? Otherwise, any suggestions on the special attack?
Not that my career is gospel but in my experience, the real emotional impact of a magical weapon is its significance. In combat terms, it needs to be a difference-maker.
Your idea isn't a waste, but it's hard for me to visualize because you haven't quantified the abilities. And there's the rub -- what it does is going to matter more than how it goes about it. Get the "some kind of special attack" bit sorted out and then check back with us? Otherwise, without the details on how it's going to erase a guy, the sword splitting/combining is just a gimmick.
D&D5's concept of weapon styles is rather simplistic and inflexible, so I anticipate the player will stick to one form, like dual wielding, and simply forget the other form exists. Making powers dependent on the less favored form to force the issue is likely to just make it annoying, the player preferring to fight one way and being forced to do something else. I don't have a clever solution here, sorry.
Last edited:
Without knowing the Special Ability, it's just a +1 sword that becomes two +1 (I'm presuming) swords, which is cool enough if he doesn't already have a magic weapon, since it's basically two for the price of one.
I'd recommend that the special ability not require combining it into a single weapon to use, since he's established as a dual-wielding character. Instead, I'd reinforce its usefulness in a roleplaying fashion. Perhaps the law in the next town/country they come to states that people can only carry a single weapon in public. This will allow him to sneakily carry around two weapons without getting the extra one confiscated.
As for the special ability itself, I think having it being able to cast a spell once per long rest is always a simple bonus that doesn't get too imbalanced. Thematically, Mirror Image fits the bill. Since he's a melee Blood Hunter, he probably also has a tendency to get beat up a lot, so the spell could really help him out.
Another thematic option would be to also allow him to gain the ability of a Cloak of Displacement, but that may be a bit too strong at level 4-5. If required a minute to reset the displacement after a hit instead of a turn, the balance is a bit better.
Thanks for the suggestions guys!
I was also concerned about forcing the single sword functionality if he is all dual wield, but I think I came up with an interesting concept despite that:
Since he is a blood hunter and needs to use health to power up, some sort of healing capability on the blade might be interesting. I was thinking the weapon could somehow build up stacks of d4's, by either landing a single hit in one blade mode, or by hitting with both weapons in a single turn in dual wield. He can build up to his WIS mod +1 stacks this way. Then he can unleash an attack once per long rest that allows him to use these extra d4's either as damage or as healing during the attack.
The question is, should I lock this attack behind 1 handed mode, or let him do it in either mode, and alternatively, is it too powerful?
Aside from that, I actually do like the Mirror Image concept.
I was also concerned about forcing the single sword functionality if he is all dual wield, but I think I came up with an interesting concept despite that:
Since he is a blood hunter and needs to use health to power up, some sort of healing capability on the blade might be interesting. I was thinking the weapon could somehow build up stacks of d4's, by either landing a single hit in one blade mode, or by hitting with both weapons in a single turn in dual wield. He can build up to his WIS mod +1 stacks this way. Then he can unleash an attack once per long rest that allows him to use these extra d4's either as damage or as healing during the attack.
The question is, should I lock this attack behind 1 handed mode, or let him do it in either mode, and alternatively, is it too powerful?
Aside from that, I actually do like the Mirror Image concept.
That's definitely very thematic for a Blood Hunter. When I personally design stuff like this I try to avoid too many technicalities to go with the book-keeping, so I wouldn't worry about the one-handed/landing two hits too much. The balancing mechanism here seems to be the charges + the once/day limitation on use, and that should be enough. Each d4 is going to average out to 2.5 damage, so you could also just have it store HP in it. 2HP or 3HP per charge is easy and will speed up the game when the charges get spent since he won't have to dig out a bunch of D4s that he never uses.
Also, when designing a "signature" item like this for a character, I also like to design it in such a way that it can grow with the character. Perhaps tying the charge maximum to the Character's level or proficiency bonus would allow it to do so better than WIS. I'm not sure how high level you're expecting this campaign to go, but if it gets over level 10, allowing him to do a quest to unlock further abilities in the weapon, or just role-playing out a scene where he truly becomes one with the weapon could allow it to stay competitive when other people in the party start getting +2 weapons and beyond.
Keep in mind though that when you give out a signature item like this, a lot of times the other players at the table will want one too. So once you finish this one and get it out there, be ready to start brainstorming on how to introduce the next one for another character.
I've been tasked with setting up a backup campaign in one of my groups for nights when people can't show up. I've run a few options by my group, and a Shadowrun Campaign concept was chosen. I've decided to use the Savage Worlds of Shadowrun fan mod, but I've never actually run Savage Worlds before (though I have read through the rules a few times.)
Are there any resources out there for enemy/monster types which are appropriate for this mod? I see quite a few sci-fi settings/guides out there, but I'm not sure which ones would have foes that translate well. If I had more experience in the system I'd be OK with totally just creating enemies wholesale, but since I've never run it before I'd like some setting-appropriate mooks.
And also, if anyone is interested, here is the campaign pitch I sent my players which won:
Are there any resources out there for enemy/monster types which are appropriate for this mod? I see quite a few sci-fi settings/guides out there, but I'm not sure which ones would have foes that translate well. If I had more experience in the system I'd be OK with totally just creating enemies wholesale, but since I've never run it before I'd like some setting-appropriate mooks.
And also, if anyone is interested, here is the campaign pitch I sent my players which won:
Again, this is the kind of check on game imbalance that the player is likely to find annoying -- dangle something cool, then make it conditional to avoid making it too powerful.
An alternative is to make the power situational, such as making the weapon's key abilities effective against only a certain type of enemy. Thing could be doing +10d10 damage per hit against, say, dragons, but that imbalance would be strictly limited to when Smaug's in town. As DM you control the situational nature of the weapon, and the situations, so you can make the weapon legit powerful and still easily keep it from getting out of control. Granted you wouldn't want to hand out such a power and then avoid dragons entirely, that's just trolling. The key is to make the situational nature largely out of the PC's control, so the player doesn't get preoccupied with finding ways to activate a frustratingly inconvenient godmode.
(Edit: Removed some examples that in hindsight were too much on the "conditional" side as opposed to "situational")
Last edited:
I like the idea of this weapon and Brashnir's take.
Something like the sword "stores" a flat 2 or 3hp per hit, with a cap of maybe half the characters full HP. When that cap is reached the sword is "charged" and has additional offensive capability. That could be something like an extra d__ damage die upon activation. Once per day like the heal, so it's a choice. Or maybe something passive like an extra +1 or 2 to hit the entire time it's charged, so it rewards when the player is doing well during combat while still having the heal option as a trade off if they get into a tough spot.
There's lots of cool possibilities with that weapon concept. Great idea Robotzombie!
Couple of questions for the people who like creating their worlds/cities such.
I'm currently running Lost Mines so I won't building a city but I'm very very interested in this kickstarter for City Builder: Platinum Edition. Any thoughts from people who've read it or own it?
And at the end, the PC's can get a cut of the profits and two of the players have thought about having a keep or stronghold or whatever out of character. Anyone ever used
Strongholds & Followers?
I'm currently running Lost Mines so I won't building a city but I'm very very interested in this kickstarter for City Builder: Platinum Edition. Any thoughts from people who've read it or own it?
And at the end, the PC's can get a cut of the profits and two of the players have thought about having a keep or stronghold or whatever out of character. Anyone ever used
Strongholds & Followers?
Last edited:
Anyone interested in the remainding of the stuff I am trying to get rid of?
Pathfinder 1e Core Rulebook (Mint)
DnD 3E PHB
DnD 2e 4 PHB (2 mint), DMG, Monsterous Compendium Kara-Tur (Mint)
ADnD Oriental Adventures
Forgotten Realms Campaign Box set (original)
Star Trek The Role Playing Game box set (2004)
Star Trek Tactical Combat Sim box set (2003)
Pathfinder 1e Core Rulebook (Mint)
DnD 3E PHB
DnD 2e 4 PHB (2 mint), DMG, Monsterous Compendium Kara-Tur (Mint)
ADnD Oriental Adventures
Forgotten Realms Campaign Box set (original)
Star Trek The Role Playing Game box set (2004)
Star Trek Tactical Combat Sim box set (2003)
Don't have any opinion on City Builder, but I do own a copy of Strongholds and Followers. It's rules for building and maintaining strongholds are interesting and definitely worth considering if that's a direction you want your campaign to go in. There are also some (mostly bad) magic items and some pretty cool monsters which you could include in any campaign.
I haven't tried out the mass combat rules contained within, but at a quick glance they look to be pretty solid.
The Henchmen/Retainers stuff is also cool, though people who don't have 2E and prior nostalgia may not get the same kick out of them that I do.
I ended up buying it. Reviews seem really positive and I love how retainer stats, health, and initiative is handled. Seems simple enough to me. I've read some of the PDF and I might steal this for Lost Mines even.
I've heard some mixed things about it, but I don't have any specifics to share sadly. The consensus seems to be that the concepts are solid but the wording or perhaps balance is a bit off. Speaking of Matt Colville, his latest video is really interesting and one of my favorites that he's done in the series:
I'm watching this video right now actually. My friends who I have been DMing for are definitely one dimensional. Well two are but the others aren't. I'm trying to be better about asking what their character is doing, thinking and such. They're new to roleplaying. I do really like his videos.
I'm liking the book and I have some ideas so far. For $40 after shipping, it's great. It's also pretty big.
Be happy they're one dimensional. at least two thirds of the people I've played with in my 25+ years of roleplaying play exclusively zero-dimensional "audience members," to use Matt's terms.
i'm not complaining about it but it's so much more fun seeing the other two that want to explore the world and have their characters feel like more than just some piece of paper.
We finally managed to have a session again and well...after thirty minutes of fiddling with Discord in order to get everyone to hear everyone I said screw this we're going back to Hangouts. Five minutes and we were playing.
Was a fun one, though. Lots of laughter for sure. Feels like our serious adventure of fighting dragon cultists is turning into Men in Tights level farce, but I don't mind. It's not like I'm forcing it on them.
The group is fighting a drake and the rogue is hidden in a bush nearby. The drake is in low health. The rogue declares "I will try to shoot the drake straight into the ass" and rolls a natural 20. You can all guess how that went...
In other news, my Carbon 2185 physical copy arrived. So cool!
Was a fun one, though. Lots of laughter for sure. Feels like our serious adventure of fighting dragon cultists is turning into Men in Tights level farce, but I don't mind. It's not like I'm forcing it on them.
The group is fighting a drake and the rogue is hidden in a bush nearby. The drake is in low health. The rogue declares "I will try to shoot the drake straight into the ass" and rolls a natural 20. You can all guess how that went...
In other news, my Carbon 2185 physical copy arrived. So cool!
Anyone play Numenera? I enjoy the video game enough and that's the only experience I have with the setting. I do see the kickstarter has 7 days left and I am tempted.
Playing in a Hunter: The Reckoning game with some co-workers. Successfully had the "hey, let's use some safety tools!" conversation with the GM, which I was super happy to get done. Was glad that was taken well, given the... reputation that World of Darkness games can have. We'll have an x-card on the table (which is something I do for any game I'm playing) and also had the "hey, let's not include this kind of stuff in the game at all" conversation. (Read more about that stuff here if unfamiliar: https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/tools-of-the-table.html, I'd highly recommend using them in your game!)
He's an more old school RPG player, so I'm interested to see how his style works with how I usually play stuff. A lot of his RPG stories are more of the "GM and player foiling each other" variety, than the "everyone working together to tell the best story" variety. The latter is how my games have gone typically, so it'll be interesting to see if those approaches can co-exist/if there's actually a difference there.
I do enjoy the character building in Hunter, and the powers you get to pick seem genuinely interesting from a mechanical/narrative impact perspective. Not sure how it'll all flow in game though, given that this is a much more old school style of narrative game than all the PBTA stuff I play/run.
He's an more old school RPG player, so I'm interested to see how his style works with how I usually play stuff. A lot of his RPG stories are more of the "GM and player foiling each other" variety, than the "everyone working together to tell the best story" variety. The latter is how my games have gone typically, so it'll be interesting to see if those approaches can co-exist/if there's actually a difference there.
I do enjoy the character building in Hunter, and the powers you get to pick seem genuinely interesting from a mechanical/narrative impact perspective. Not sure how it'll all flow in game though, given that this is a much more old school style of narrative game than all the PBTA stuff I play/run.
Polygon is loving Descent into Avernus. I'm excited to get my copy.
Dungeons & Dragons' next pen-and-paper adventure feels like Mad Max in hell
Players ride into battle on war machines fueled by the souls of the damned
Dungeons & Dragons' next pen-and-paper adventure feels like Mad Max in hell
Players ride into battle on war machines fueled by the souls of the damned
Me too! I was wondering where to take my beginner group after LMOP. While SKT is great and there's still a lot of new stuff to explore there, we have 3 Tieflings and a Dragonborn, so it would be remiss of me to not take them down and meet their creators! I know Tiamat didn't create the Dragonborn but yknow
I'll be running my friends from LMoP to STK. I so want to experience Descent with fresh characters.
This is a 1-13 adventure right?
I still wanna get the alternate cover version.
Last edited:
Yeah, but I think most WOTC adventures have some kind of break point near 5 for players transitioning from the Starter Set or other tier 1 modules. I'm assuming 1-5 will take place in Baldur's Gate as a lead up to going into Avernus itself for the rest of the adventure. SKT is a lot of fun, and work, but none of my party is really "built" for the adventure, since I had originally just planned this to be a LMOP-only campaign. You really want some hooks to the deeper parts of the Sword Coast and at least one or two that know giant.
I have some ideas. I haven't read enough of SKT but I like what I've read. There are some story hooks in both LMoP and SKT to connect the two but I'm sure I can think of something.
yeah it's a THICK book. I've had some anxiety about managing chapter 3 but I think I have a good handle of what to do now. It's also a great primer for general Sword Coast shenanigans, since I had 0 experience with Faerun/FR prior to this.
Pre-ordered the beautiful GaleForce 9 Baldur's Gate Avernus DMs screen. Only $10 at my local game shop as they also do a huge mail order sales so they basically offer Amazon like prices. Cool Stuff Games if you're interested.
Looks solid. I'm somewhat worried about the open/plain nature of Avernus but I guess they assume you're using Warmachines or teleport to get around and not literally just walking from place to place hoping for the best.
I'd say go for it, it's a great game. The rules are very easy and streamlined (that may or may not be your cup of tea, I guess) and the setting is fantastic.
Agreed. I had a blast with it, enough so that I bought the Cypher System Rulebook to adapt a homebrew setting to the mechanics. Was really easy compared to most systems. I'd say it's maybe not crunchy enough for people who love in-depth mechanics, but I found it super-easy and fun to run.
The cyphers can be anything, which I love. In my setting, they were food and drink, and secret recipes/ingredients were coveted by kings and commoners alike. Players all had to pick a culinary craft. Was good fun, and made camp/downtime a thing unto itself.
we'll forever remember angelina jolie with short white hair.Thankfully WoTC changed that ugly cover to this little gem.
