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Messages - dither

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1
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: All Your Dice
« on: September 25, 2014, 05:08:49 PM »
Initiative
Dorf Helmet 1d20+2 : 8 + 2, total 10

Dorf Adept 1d20+2 : 16 + 2, total 18


Dorf Stooge 1d20+2 : 19 + 2, total 21

Dorf Flunky 1d20+2 : 1 + 2, total 3

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[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / All Your Dice
« on: September 25, 2014, 04:54:57 PM »
Your Dice, Your Dice.
All Your Dice.
Are Belong To Us.

Rolled 1d100 : 77, total 77

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[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 25, 2014, 04:53:33 PM »
Or we could make a thread devoted to just dice rolls, and link back to our posts there in the main thread.

At this point, that makes a lot of sense. Everyone would know exactly where to look for them.


--Dither

4
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 25, 2014, 02:10:59 PM »
I just gotta say, the players at my table can act hella entitled and it bugs the crap out of me.

Maybe not all of them and not all at the same time, but none of them are immune.

I ranted and raved at them a couple weeks back -- and I probably confused them with what I explained as wanting from a game.

It really didn't help that the GM was a newb and a couple players were taking advantage of his inexperience.

But it's like... "No, guys. Just no. Just play the game. Play the game in front of you. Don't play me, play the effing game."

It's like everyone grew up playing Risk and Monopoly and got used to screwing each other over.

And a cooperative game like D&D comes along and everyone just loses their minds.

"What do you mean this game isn't about amassing every possible advantage and using it to annihilate everyone else at the table? I thought you said this was a fun game."

And I just... stand there, shuddering, with my face in my hands. And I weep. ...In my head, of course. :/


--Dither

5
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 25, 2014, 02:03:46 PM »
May I jump into the Goldburn game? If we move quickly we can just pretend I was standing quietly with the hirelings. It's also entirely possible I just failed that save against the sleep. (I actually have a will penalty at the moment.  :lol)

By all means.


--Dither

6
Handbook Discussion / Re: Handbook of Official D&D Content Discussion
« on: September 25, 2014, 01:43:25 PM »
well, i guess people in general tend towards elitism in various ways, gamers are certainly not immune.

The topic comes up at my game table from time to time, and it's something of an ongoing issue. There's this weird sense of entitlement or superiority than can build up if nerds-performing-solitary-activities go too long without contact of others within their fandom. And the Internet most certainly doesn't count. I think it's probably related to the whole social-animal thing, but it's undoubtedly a complex issue.

Suffice to say, when a person spends too much time alone, their social skills suffer. And reading (rulebooks or otherwise) is largely a solitary activity. :p

myself, i've gamed every version of d&d except original, 4th, and 5th, though i do own a boxed set of the original books, and i was in the beta of 5th.

Right after I got started on 3e, I played in BESM and Vampire: the Masquerade games. Maybe a year later I joined a Star Wars d20 game, and in the following years I tried a whole bunch of different systems. I've played every version of D&D to some extent, and a variety of retro-clones just 'cause. :)

I prefer d20 system games in general because they're more structured and game-able, and overall tend to rely less on GM fiat. My experience with more freeform games is that they tend to be dominated by the strongest personalities in a group.

D&D doesn't do everything well, and some games do some stuff better. I have yet to see a game that does everything well -- even on a "jack of all trades" level.

Most games have really crappy skill systems. I mean the same skill system. No, I really just mean crappy skill systems. They're mostly all just variants on, "try to explain to me what you're doing and then roll some arbitrary number of dice."

That might sound like all roleplaying, but really... 3e/4e have pretty explicit aims with their combat system. An attack roll is an attack roll. A saving throw is a saving throw.

A skill check by comparison, is an interpretive dance.

--Dither

7
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 25, 2014, 01:20:37 PM »
Phew. Last night sucked.

Work finally has the network running. Somehow the cable leading to my PC got switched into a bad/degraded port, so even after the entire rest of the company was back up and running, my system was sluggish for days.

The fix turned out to be as simple as moving the cable to a fresh port. *sigh*

Seriously, IT guys are great but what were they thinking moving stuff around? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. *shakes head*


--Dither

8
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: [Game] 2.01 - Goldburn Mine
« on: September 25, 2014, 01:15:42 PM »
((For initiative, please roll once for your whole group. If you have a bonus that modifies only your initiative -- as is the case with limited-use single-target spell effects like nerveskitter -- then you'll have two initiative marks. Yours with the bonus, and the rest of your group with the same roll minus the bonus.))

((Do please roll separate attack rolls and saving throws however, initiative just doesn't matter quite as much and it's easier if characters under your control/acting under your command all act together.))

((Your hirelings and companions are assumed to be acting as efficiently as possible under whatever the last orders you gave them were. Commands must be fairly straightforward, at least until you've had sufficient time to train them for special circumstances. Hirelings will know not to be afraid of your spells but they won't necessarily know about anyone else's magic.))

((Generally speaking, your hirelings will have better sense than you. If you order them to attack something way over their CR, they'll throw your money back at you as they run ahead of you to get away. Now aside from that, they're loyal to the next paycheck and will follow most of your orders without question. 3e doesn't use morale checks after all.))

9
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 25, 2014, 12:59:41 PM »
Dragonborn can be any non-evil alignment and need not worship Bahamut.  A LN or CN Dragonborn Crusader/Hexblade is fine.

That aside, the stated purpose of the dragonborn is to protect the world against the spawn of Tiamat.

...
And now for something completely different!

(Trigger warning! Had a lousy night at the game table.)

<soapbox>
(click to show/hide)
</soapbox>

--Dither

10
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 25, 2014, 11:59:38 AM »
A question for Dither, though: How do you feel about refluffling and fluff-based mechanics? I am intending to move into Dragonborn, but I don't know if Bahamut is a thing here, or if the alignment requirements are strict (can I fall, the way DBs usually can? What if he's a Tiamat-powered Dragonborn - do those even exist?). I've got to walk a tightrope with this guy, as he can't fall to evil or rise to good without losing powers.

If you have to ask, assume it works as-written. That includes. Every. Single. Lame-ass. Rule. From multi-classing penalties to alignment restrictions. For the simple reason that you should assume that everything works the way it's written until ruled otherwise. And I don't like making rulings.

Seriously, if the rules work as-written then everyone knows exactly what to expect. Build your characters around the rules, rather than around the exceptions or loopholes. Honestly, the only surprises should be the results of the dice rolls.

The more badass and broken you make your characters, the more badass and broken I have to make the encounters. And that is an arms race the players will always lose to the GM.

You have no idea how much time I spent re-reading bloody spell-trigger items. Do not test me.

*grumble* I might as well change my title to "grumpy GM."

edit: Regarding Bahamut and the alignment thing, it seems to me that "Bahamut redeems" and offers creatures the opportunity to be reborn as dragons. Considering Tiamat is evil and has legions of spawn, I don't think she's really interested in re-birthing creatures the same way. She's just as soon have Warlocks or Sorcerers or evil Favored Souls. Or you know, feed you to her pets.

Why would you want to worship Tiamat anyway? Seriously.

--Dither

11
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: [Game] 2.01 - Goldburn Mine
« on: September 25, 2014, 11:49:03 AM »
The helmeted dwarf looks at Seymour and nods to the dwarf carrying the paper.

"You're the leader?"

The dwarf carrying the paper begins casting a spell, targeting the largest concentration of the party (probably the dwarves) with a 10-foot burst.

Will save, DC 11
(click to show/hide)

To Seymour, "Tell them to stand down or they will be put down."

((Roll initiative, unless you intend to surrender or flee.))

12
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 17, 2014, 11:15:17 AM »
My work has finally decided to address the network issues we've been having the last couple months, so my connectivity is severely limited.

*sigh* Nothing like trying to fix a problem to utterly break things.


--Dither

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[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 16, 2014, 10:21:28 AM »
Oh man, I thought I was waiting on you. I didn't realize I'd missed an update.

I'll get right on that. :blush


--Dither

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[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: [Game] 2.01 - Goldburn Mine
« on: September 12, 2014, 10:46:33 AM »
The dwarves -- ten of them all together -- approach the party slowly to within 100 feet, and sheathe/stow their picks.

Two of them stay a half-step ahead of the company -- one wearing a helmet who seems to be giving orders, and another carrying a case and sheet of paper in front of him.

"Who is your leader?" bellows the helmeted dwarf.

15
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: [Game] 1.01 - Hunt's Brook
« on: September 10, 2014, 03:42:17 PM »
((Will Charles be heading off in search of the Wolf goblins? Does Azire intend to go with them? Who are the druids going with?))

((Are you ready for a new/travel thread? If so, I can go ahead an launch one.))

16
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 10, 2014, 03:39:35 PM »
Dither: Or you're doing it very right because you can persuade doors to open for you just by being in their presence.

Someone is going to be pissed off at whoever opened the door. :eh

Some people want the doors to stay closed. :shakefist

And if not people, then monsters. And if not monsters, then deities.

There is a veritable menagerie of things just looking to be pissed off. :sparta


--Dither

17
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 10, 2014, 02:40:03 PM »
All of that said, you also have to be willing to accept the consequences for staying in one place for so long.

If you've made enemies who want you dead really bad, and you decide to squat in the open teaching a hundred dogs how to do tricks ... your enemies will probably find you pretty quickly.

But that... is what makes this game fun. So if you have a problem with that... you signed up for the wrong game.

If you don't make some enemies, you're doing it wrong.


--Dither

18
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 10, 2014, 02:36:03 PM »
Completely forgot to ask, psicrystals and feats, how are we treating that in this game?

Let's say for the time being that the psicrystal begins play with Alertness (as described in its monster entry), but that after creation it can be retrained for something else. Now, the psicrystal class feature/advancement notes that its owner gains the Alertness feat and this won't change -- just the psicrystal wouldn't benefit from it anymore.

Choosing feats for a psicrystal as it advances though...

...Let's go ahead and extend this to all NPC companions, animals, and so on -- the current generation will be grandfathered in without changes, so this affects future familiars, companions, summons, and so forth -- my preference is for PHB feats, or monster (MM) feats to take priority. Followed by that, feats from the source the creature or companion is derived from (Incarnum for soul-things, XPH for psi-things, etc.).

This will use the same basic rules and guidelines as retraining -- one kind of change at a time (change skills OR feats OR class features), and typically during level advancement. So for the case of the psicrystal, the most obvious time for this to happen would be when your PC levels up.

...But getting back to choosing feats as the familiar/companion advances...

The best rule I can think to apply in this case is based on Handle Animal. If you wish to forgo the immediate acquisition of a feat for your companion -- say you hit 3rd level and you want to give you psicrystal a feat that doesn't suck, or that appears in a source that's above and beyond the PHB/MM/XPH/CPsi -- you can take a week to teach it... I don't know, something bizarre out of Tome of Battle. (If it qualifies, right?)

Does all of this make sense?

Now one of the things that I really, really need to point out is that outside of the immediate dungeon setting -- I don't really care about the passage of time. You guys can totally be in control of that. Hyper time dilation or whatever.

All I want to see is someone say, "I'm going to take a week to train my psicrystal how to lead a charge, White Raven-style! Who's with me?"

And then, barring any bizarre action necessary to do so -- you can then go right ahead with it.

I'm not necessarily trying to reconcile everyone's personal time-line or anything. You just have to be willing to break down the actions into their component parts and describe to me what's going on. You can get all timey-wimey if you have to. This is the Internet. Anything is possible.


--Dither

19
[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: [Game] 2.01 - Goldburn Mine
« on: September 10, 2014, 12:50:45 PM »
The company of dwarves halts about 300 feet away from your party.

One dwarf steps forward (about 10 feet ahead of the company) and bellows, "Who are you, and what are your intentions?"

You can see him gesturing frantically to one of his fellows, "Our company has purchased the rights to this mine and its contents."

Listen (DC 30 due to distance):
(click to show/hide)

Spot (DC 30 due to distance):
(click to show/hide)

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[D&D 3.5] Everything Trying to Kill You / Re: OOC and discussion
« on: September 09, 2014, 07:30:07 PM »
I'm actually not sure if everyone intends to go to Goldburn, or if some are going after the goblins while the rest raid the mine.

I'm open to either possibility (or others...?).


--Dither

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