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submitted 2 months ago by Aegeus@ttrpg.network to c/3d6@ttrpg.network

Hello everyone,

I thought it would be nice to have a dice mechanic for 5e’s character creation with an output more similar to the point buy system, since the default dice mechanic leads to overall higher stats. This could be a system with the same output range as point buy as well as one that still offers the possibility of rolling very high numbers (16-18) but with a higher probability to roll very low than 4d6 drop lowest.

Do you already know of such a dice mechanic? Or could you maybe provide a source for the probabilities of a stat having a certain number in the point buy system, so as to make it comparable to 4d6 drop lowest? The latter would give a starting point to play around with dice.run in order to create a system as desired.

Thank you all very much in advance!

1
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by Aegeus@ttrpg.network to c/askgamemasters@ttrpg.network

I'm curious about your opinions on this topic.

All scenarios I've run so far have had a minimum of discrimination. (Religious/racist prejudice only against those that were actually fanatic/inherently evil. 'Race' as in 'species', not colour of skin or whatevs.) But I've been wondering what can be done with it as a feature of a RPG world or factions within it. In which cases does discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion etc. make for 'good' story elements, so 'good' that it's worth to actually implement despite it being a horrible thing by design? Granted that all players agree beforehand.

The other thing are (especially historical) terror methods. Again the question: What would justify to use such elaborate cruelty in a fictional setting? This came up when I thought about using aspects of the 'Zersetzung' ('disruption'/'decomposition') in a game as part of the BBEG's tactics. ('Zersetzung' was a catalogue of terror methods applied on people that were deemed oppositional in the German Democratic Republic.) I dropped the idea when I spoke to my players about it and one of them expressed discomfort about potentially having this done to their PC.

Both questions could also be differentiated between entirely fictional settings and those that explicitly try to recreate the life in a stage of real-world history.

Thanks in advance for your input, please be respectful.

Edit: Another distinction that could be made: If used, should discrimination/terror always serve to emphasize someone's evil nature, or could it sometimes be 'rightfully' presented as morally ambiguous as well?

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 2 points 5 months ago

Thanks for the feedback!

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 2 points 5 months ago

Has anyone read the Unearthed Arcana for bastions? Is it good?

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 7 points 5 months ago

Make this a level 15 ability for fighters and then emigrate so that the caster inquisition won‘t crucify you for doing it

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Rules option for DnD 5E, specifically for legendary and mythical monsters that tend to be the ones with the most HP:

'Attacks from legendary or mythical monsters hit automatically if they require an attack roll and the effects of the attack would not give the target a condition. Legendary resistances of monsters can only be used against effects that can be assigned to the spell schools abjuration, illusion, transformation or enchantment. Otherwise, monsters can still use their Legendary Resistance to pass saving throws against any effect that would give the monster one or more conditions. In case of doubt, the DM decides. After a monster has used Legendary Resistance, its movement rate is halved until the end of its next turn. The damage caused by the monster's attacks that require attack rolls is also halved until the end of the monster's next turn after using Legendary Resistance.

(These rules can ensure that battles are both shorter and more exciting due to the higher damage dealt by both sides. The battles also become more dangerous, making PCs think twice about taking the risk. Creativity is encouraged when considering alternative strategies for conflict resolution. Both ensure that there will be fewer battles overall, which remain the most time-consuming scenes in the game. The increased risk also makes combat itself more creative when searching for ways to damage the enemy or use the environment for a tactical advantage. It also encourages the player characters to improve their supply of healing options, e.g. through the help of NPCs that can cast healing spells.)'

Scribbled together based on this post and its comments as well as some additional ideas I've had.

EDIT: Fixed something that got lost in automatic translation.

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 2 points 7 months ago

We will dive into that style of play as well, yes. But there are perils left in the game world that can't be taken care of by lower-level NPC adventurers. Thanks for your feedback!

15
submitted 7 months ago by Aegeus@ttrpg.network to c/rpg@ttrpg.network

Hope I'm right here with this, sorry if the question is too specific for this community.

Our long-term D&D campaign has reached PC level 17. Now's the time for implementing mechanics that fasten up combat (we all don't like how long it takes), as well as addressing spells that the GM (me) fears to be game-breaking (mostly 9th level spells, full list below).

Sooo... I'd be thankful for any helpful suggestions. My current ideas for the combat aspect include shock damage, Instinct and Morale checks from Worlds Without Number, but those probably don't suffice yet. And I'm having trouble conveying to the spellcasters that toning down some spells is necessary in order to maintain a functional game that doesn't tear apart hours of preparation every session. Feel free to point out any potential counter-arguments to my view on that as well.

I'm really determined to keep this game running. Thank you all so much in advance!

List of spells that require revision or more exact definition (in my opinion): Wish, Meteor Swarm, Invulnerability, Gate, True Polymorph, Leomund's Tiny Hut, Rope Trick

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 7 points 8 months ago

Similar development with my group. I've come to enjoy RPing a lot more than combat, which actually takes us much more time to calculate with all the higher-level abilities than improvising NPCs on the spot. But I know fighting will still be inevitable in the future, so we're blending in some rules from Worlds Without Number and home-brew to speed it up in the future.

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 21 points 1 year ago

Commands triggered by Code Red

  • Faelys: go get the prettiest red dress you can find
  • Mystery: spill some red fire ants in the head waiter's bed and take their place for the best service during the date
  • Sand: indefinitely borrow a golden engagement ring with a set ruby for if the date should go especially well
  • Toron: set up an escape horse with red dyed fur at the backdoor for if the date should get the tiniest bit uncomfortable (red fur for safety in town traffic)
[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 6 points 1 year ago

Depends. (Dunno if your DM plans to use them in your campaign, so spoilers?)

SpoilerIf the succubus was polymorphed by someone else using the polymorph spell or did so herself (not one of her default abilities), then yes. However, as far as I‘m aware, dispel magic doesn‘t affect a succubus‘ innate shapechanging trait.

Enough of boring rules-talk; Konsi‘s a smart (wise) goblin. She‘ll know that she just has to hug Maybe-Razira hard enough. If it‘s a shapechanger, they‘ll pop back into their true form under the force of the mighty squeeze.

Excited for the next part! Really looking forward to seeing your posts everyday. 😊

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 13 points 1 year ago

The polymorphed succubus: (o_O;)

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 10 points 1 year ago

"If I had just one WISH, I'd WISH that all gold and weapons I could WISH for would ~~vanish~~ vanWISH from shops nearby and appear before my feet to fulfill my dreams and WISHES. WISH that would work."

WISHWISHWISH

My players are about to hit level 17 sometime soon, send help

[-] Aegeus@ttrpg.network 4 points 1 year ago

Had the idea to do something similar with my group, then rejected the idea because I feared that this would become annoying for them over time. Did the chicken work out long-term at your table without causing annoyance?

1

Hello everyone!

The BBEG of our ongoing campaign is not carved in stone yet, so I'm looking for some inspiration. As far as I've encountered them, the overwhelming majority of evil masterminds in pop culture and fiction are male. I'd like to have anything different than that, but at the moment, I can't think of many examples to draw inspiration from.

I don't have a lot of specifications for what I'm looking for. Apart from not being male, they should just be examples of true spite, not someone who can be bargained with. And they shouldn't be the right hand of another greater villain, but stand on their own feet in terms of scheming and orchestrating bad stuff. (So no Darth Vader, but an Emperor. An Empress, actually, or really anything but a dude.) They can come from any genre, media and setting. Favorable if they can pack a punch or two or more, though not mandatory.

D&D has Tiamat and Lolth, Star Trek TNG has the Borg Queen. But other than that, my mind's completely blank right now. I'd really appreciate any suggestions for more baddies to take a look at, characters that help me to get into other evil mindsets than those I'm most familiar with.

Thank you very much!

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Aegeus

joined 1 year ago