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Corpses and Coteries: The Tabletop Games Thread Rises

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Posts

  • ShadowenShadowen Snores in the morning LoserdomRegistered User regular
    edited November 2019
    A friend got me Rise of the Separatists and Collapse of the Republic for my birthday (they came in early). So that's my (next few) day(s) made.

    For those annoyed that the Parry and Reflect ranked talents from Force and Destiny don't seem powerful enough until you get unreasonably high ranks in them to properly imitate what Jedi get up to in the actual stories, you should be happy with the Guardian of the Republic talent in the Knight tree, wherein two or more characters who each have the talent can render each other all but invincible. I only don't call it a broken talent because it requires two or more characters to take a very specific path for a significant chunk of their career to get it.

    Shadowen on
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    There's a lot of cool stuff in those books, and my only regret is that it's all so tailored to running a game set during the Clone Wars that I'll never get to utilize 99% of the stuff as a gamemaster... much less get to use them as a player.

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    edited November 2019
    captaink wrote: »
    -A lot of stuff to the Ranger:
    -A domain-style spell list (replaces Primeval Awareness)
    -Bonus casts of Hunter's Mark without using spells or concentration (replaces Favored Enemy)
    -A set of 3 abilities that replaces Natural Explorer. Choose one at 1st, 6th, and 10th level. (one give two skill proficiencies, one gives 5 feet of speed and climb/swim speed, one gives you a source of temporary HP)

    I Like the change to favoured enemy (but I do miss the tracking stats you can get) but dunno how I feel about this natural explorer. it seems to lack some theme and consistency for exploring.

    Blake T on
  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    edited November 2019
    The temp HP plus short rest to remove exhaustion is fuckin wild you can 1 dip ranger to get that. Fuck you could 1 dip ranger, grab this and the new favored enemy and you've got Wis mod uses of hunters mark a shit load of extra hit points, and exhaustion goes from one of the worst stacking debuffs in the game to a trivially removed problem

    I wanna multi class this with fighter so I can have both the temp hp and second wind at my disposal.

    Sleep on
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    Blake T wrote: »
    captaink wrote: »
    -A lot of stuff to the Ranger:
    -A domain-style spell list (replaces Primeval Awareness)
    -Bonus casts of Hunter's Mark without using spells or concentration (replaces Favored Enemy)
    -A set of 3 abilities that replaces Natural Explorer. Choose one at 1st, 6th, and 10th level. (one give two skill proficiencies, one gives 5 feet of speed and climb/swim speed, one gives you a source of temporary HP)

    I Like the change to favoured enemy (but I do miss the tracking stats you can get) but dunno how I feel about this natural explorer. it seems to lack some theme and consistency for exploring.

    If you read the actual text for the abilities, it represents your worldly travels (more skill proficiencies and additional languages), your years of traveling paying off by being able to move more efficiently, and the last one is about having built up tons of stamina over the years of traveling (and it allows you to recover a level of exhaustion from a short rest).

  • captainkcaptaink TexasRegistered User regular
    The unarmed fighting style is really going to make a lot of people happy. You can basically be Bas Rutten now.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT3g51f25qo

    Kick to the groin, knee to the face, bang, bang

  • BucketmanBucketman Call me SkraggRegistered User regular
    A friend is running a Vampire game. Asked my wife and I to join.

    And this is story of how my wife is going from dipping her toe gently into D&D into the full 16 foot wave pool that is WoD

  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    Shit there's almost too much good stuff in here to cover it all. This generates a bunch of new build possibilities and really gives some existing ones some much needed support. I really like what they did with pact of the chain for instance.

  • BucketmanBucketman Call me SkraggRegistered User regular
    I like that Unarmed fighting style with the UA Brute from awhile ago. Just a big old punchy dude

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    Sleep wrote: »
    Shit there's almost too much good stuff in here to cover it all. This generates a bunch of new build possibilities and really gives some existing ones some much needed support. I really like what they did with pact of the chain for instance.

    I want to play a Pact of the Blade Warlock now with fucking plate mail.

  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Sleep wrote: »
    Shit there's almost too much good stuff in here to cover it all. This generates a bunch of new build possibilities and really gives some existing ones some much needed support. I really like what they did with pact of the chain for instance.

    I want to play a Pact of the Blade Warlock now with fucking plate mail.

    I finally want to play anything other than pact of the blade. Give me an imp that can attack twice a round that has a scaling DC to apply its 3d6 of poison damage. Like the second you take that invocation the DC on imp poison hopefully climbs to a DC 14 con save, and all the other special familiars for warlock have the poison debuff with a potential for immediate knock out on every attack.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    I haven't played Warlock at all before but it was like "Guess I'll roll Hexblade if I ever do" so big improvements all around

  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    edited November 2019
    A Fey pact warlock with a Sprite familiar that's just knocking folks unconscious with its little bow and arrow setup sounds amazing. The talisman pact seems super cool too.

    Sleep on
  • Zombie HeroZombie Hero Registered User regular
    Question for GMs: I am putting together a side quest where my players go into a lair to seek some rumored treasure. Too bad I haven't thought of what this thing could possibly be. When handing out such treasures, do you prefer to give a good item to a single player or a bunch of smaller improvement items to the entire party, or have it be some sort of storyline item that only helps move the plot along?

    I currently like option 1 and 3 the best, but 2 has merits

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  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    captaink wrote: »
    -Every caster class can change their cantrips on a long rest

    I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I like cantrips better as something you've committed to with the character, a medium- to long-term choice about play style. I don't quite get how this works in-universe either - you go to sleep with one bunch of well-rehearsed abilities and wake up with a completely different bunch? I mean, maybe for warlocks you could say their patron is downloading stuff into their brain overnight, but I don't see how it would work for wizards or sorcerers.

    That said, I would be in favour of being able to swap out one cantrip every time you level up. This would better reflect the gradual evolution of your playstyle, and your character's use and disuse of their own capabilities. And it would also mean that as, say, a level 20 wizard, you wouldn't still be stuck with the same three cantrips you picked at level 1.

  • SleepSleep Registered User regular
    Question for GMs: I am putting together a side quest where my players go into a lair to seek some rumored treasure. Too bad I haven't thought of what this thing could possibly be. When handing out such treasures, do you prefer to give a good item to a single player or a bunch of smaller improvement items to the entire party, or have it be some sort of storyline item that only helps move the plot along?

    I currently like option 1 and 3 the best, but 2 has merits

    Honestly, this is what I use the encyclopedia magica for and I let the dice decide. I mean I overrule when the dice hand me crazy shit. Like the time it handed me me a tardis (there's definitely a tardis in the encyclopedia magica). However this is totally a time to roll some dice to figure out how important or comprehensive or powerful the stash is and what you want to do for theming of the dungeon environment it's contained in.

  • WearingglassesWearingglasses Of the friendly neighborhood variety Registered User regular
    edited November 2019
    Butler wrote: »
    captaink wrote: »
    -Every caster class can change their cantrips on a long rest

    I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I like cantrips better as something you've committed to with the character, a medium- to long-term choice about play style. I don't quite get how this works in-universe either - you go to sleep with one bunch of well-rehearsed abilities and wake up with a completely different bunch? I mean, maybe for warlocks you could say their patron is downloading stuff into their brain overnight, but I don't see how it would work for wizards or sorcerers.

    That said, I would be in favour of being able to swap out one cantrip every time you level up. This would better reflect the gradual evolution of your playstyle, and your character's use and disuse of their own capabilities. And it would also mean that as, say, a level 20 wizard, you wouldn't still be stuck with the same three cantrips you picked at level 1.

    Point of order:

    Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Rangers can swap one spell on a long rest, as long as they're on a similar level.
    Wizards, Clerics and Druids can swap one cantrip per level up; they don't have long rest swap abilities. My bad.

    Wearingglasses on
  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    Butler wrote: »
    captaink wrote: »
    -Every caster class can change their cantrips on a long rest

    I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I like cantrips better as something you've committed to with the character, a medium- to long-term choice about play style. I don't quite get how this works in-universe either - you go to sleep with one bunch of well-rehearsed abilities and wake up with a completely different bunch? I mean, maybe for warlocks you could say their patron is downloading stuff into their brain overnight, but I don't see how it would work for wizards or sorcerers.

    That said, I would be in favour of being able to swap out one cantrip every time you level up. This would better reflect the gradual evolution of your playstyle, and your character's use and disuse of their own capabilities. And it would also mean that as, say, a level 20 wizard, you wouldn't still be stuck with the same three cantrips you picked at level 1.

    Point of order:

    Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Rangers can swap one spell on a long rest, as long as they're on a similar level.
    Wizards, Clerics and Druids can swap one cantrip per level up; they don't have long rest swap abilities.

    The "point of order" bit is confusing me, are you saying they should work like this or that they already can?

  • ElddrikElddrik Registered User regular
    Butler wrote: »
    captaink wrote: »
    -Every caster class can change their cantrips on a long rest

    I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I like cantrips better as something you've committed to with the character, a medium- to long-term choice about play style. I don't quite get how this works in-universe either - you go to sleep with one bunch of well-rehearsed abilities and wake up with a completely different bunch? I mean, maybe for warlocks you could say their patron is downloading stuff into their brain overnight, but I don't see how it would work for wizards or sorcerers.

    That said, I would be in favour of being able to swap out one cantrip every time you level up. This would better reflect the gradual evolution of your playstyle, and your character's use and disuse of their own capabilities. And it would also mean that as, say, a level 20 wizard, you wouldn't still be stuck with the same three cantrips you picked at level 1.

    Point of order:

    Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks and Rangers can swap one spell on a long rest, as long as they're on a similar level.
    Wizards, Clerics and Druids can swap one cantrip per level up; they don't have long rest swap abilities.

    Wizards, Clerics, and Druids can already swap every leveled spell on a long rest, because they're prepared spellcasters.

    The UA "enhanced" option for spontaneous casters allows them to swap one leveled spell on each long rest and blurs the line between prepared and spontaneous casters.

    (I don't like the new UA. I think all the "enhanced" options are unnecessary power creep that will invalidate the PHB if allowed to go forth, because why would you ever choose a non-enhanced version of the feature? The enhanced version is strictly better, the non-enhanced would be a trap. Though I don't have a problem in theory with many of the abilities, they should be errata, not presented as options.)

  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    edited November 2019
    If anything, I think wizards need more restrictions, and I say this as someone currently playing one. The magic schools as they stand are too wishy-washy, for the most part your choice of school doesn't have a huge impact on how your character plays compared to the spells you choose to learn, and there's no real incentive to choose spells from your particular school when you level up.

    When I rolled my necromancer Zemog I gave him the flaw of "unnatural devotion" - at each level he has to learn all available necromancy spells before taking spells from any other school. This has made for a build that's... well, I'm going to call it an acquired taste, but in all honesty I think if it were mandatory to take at least one spell from your chosen school at each level (when possible) that would make choosing a school a lot more meaningful. And maybe as a trade off for the loss of flexibility, you could have a permanent +1 to attack and spell save DCs for all spells from that school, upgraded to a +2 at level 10.

    Butler on
  • AnzekayAnzekay Registered User regular
    edited November 2019
    I mean I think generic wizards should be super versatile still

    but I think the school-focused wizards should get way way cooler powers in exchange for being less versatile overall.

    I really need to finish my current homebrew changes to each class (and my Warlord) and the campaign-specific subclasses so I can actually share them here for some hot takes and serious critique, haha

    Anzekay on
  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    Anzekay wrote: »
    I mean I think generic wizards should be super versatile still

    but I think the school-focused wizards should get way way cooler powers in exchange for being less versatile overall.

    I really need to finish my current homebrew changes to each class (and my Warlord) and the campaign-specific subclasses so I can actually share them here for some hot takes and serious critique, haha

    Oh yeah that would be cool too, in addition to the eight specialisations have a ninth school called I Do What I Want You're Not My Dad, where you can learn whatever with no buffs and no restrictions.

  • BahamutZEROBahamutZERO Registered User regular
    I get the impression the UA enhanced features are meant to replace the basic ones completely if you opt to use them at all, not be an alternate option

    BahamutZERO.gif
  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Blake T wrote: »
    captaink wrote: »
    -A lot of stuff to the Ranger:
    -A domain-style spell list (replaces Primeval Awareness)
    -Bonus casts of Hunter's Mark without using spells or concentration (replaces Favored Enemy)
    -A set of 3 abilities that replaces Natural Explorer. Choose one at 1st, 6th, and 10th level. (one give two skill proficiencies, one gives 5 feet of speed and climb/swim speed, one gives you a source of temporary HP)

    I Like the change to favoured enemy (but I do miss the tracking stats you can get) but dunno how I feel about this natural explorer. it seems to lack some theme and consistency for exploring.

    If you read the actual text for the abilities, it represents your worldly travels (more skill proficiencies and additional languages), your years of traveling paying off by being able to move more efficiently, and the last one is about having built up tons of stamina over the years of traveling (and it allows you to recover a level of exhaustion from a short rest).

    Yeah, I know I read it, to me though, the flavour reads as someone who travels on roads all the time and hangs out with people, not people who explore the Forrest and stuff. The temp hit points is dope, but an extra proficiency and some more languages don’t feel super rangery to me.

  • GrobianGrobian What's on sale? Pliers!Registered User regular
    Question for GMs: I am putting together a side quest where my players go into a lair to seek some rumored treasure. Too bad I haven't thought of what this thing could possibly be. When handing out such treasures, do you prefer to give a good item to a single player or a bunch of smaller improvement items to the entire party, or have it be some sort of storyline item that only helps move the plot along?

    I currently like option 1 and 3 the best, but 2 has merits

    I personally like 1 best and would do 3 as needed. If the campaign needs a mcguffin, then sure, stick it in there.

    But the clear best option is to steal from the adventure "Madness of the Rat King":
    There are rumors of an armor of invulnerability in the lair. But in the end it turns out to be an Armoire of Invulnerability which is a completely indestructible wardrobe. You probably do need some sort of backup plan if the PCs decide to lug that thing around, though.

  • GrogGrog My sword is only steel in a useful shape.Registered User regular
    edited November 2019
    Grobian wrote: »
    Question for GMs: I am putting together a side quest where my players go into a lair to seek some rumored treasure. Too bad I haven't thought of what this thing could possibly be. When handing out such treasures, do you prefer to give a good item to a single player or a bunch of smaller improvement items to the entire party, or have it be some sort of storyline item that only helps move the plot along?

    I currently like option 1 and 3 the best, but 2 has merits

    I personally like 1 best and would do 3 as needed. If the campaign needs a mcguffin, then sure, stick it in there.

    But the clear best option is to steal from the adventure "Madness of the Rat King":
    There are rumors of an armor of invulnerability in the lair. But in the end it turns out to be an Armoire of Invulnerability which is a completely indestructible wardrobe. You probably do need some sort of backup plan if the PCs decide to lug that thing around, though.

    Fun fact
    the same magic item was featured in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

    Grog on
  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    Butler wrote: »
    Anzekay wrote: »
    I mean I think generic wizards should be super versatile still

    but I think the school-focused wizards should get way way cooler powers in exchange for being less versatile overall.

    I really need to finish my current homebrew changes to each class (and my Warlord) and the campaign-specific subclasses so I can actually share them here for some hot takes and serious critique, haha

    Oh yeah that would be cool too, in addition to the eight specialisations have a ninth school called I Do What I Want You're Not My Dad, where you can learn whatever with no buffs and no restrictions.

    Honestly I'd probably just remove the generalist as a solution there.

    You want to play a wizard that tells organized academies of learning and their strict curriculum, "Fuck off, I'll teach myself magic?" Sounds like a sorcerer to me.

  • SolarSolar Registered User regular
    Nah a Sorcerer inherits it

    A Wizard can be totally self-taught

  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Blake T wrote: »
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Blake T wrote: »
    captaink wrote: »
    -A lot of stuff to the Ranger:
    -A domain-style spell list (replaces Primeval Awareness)
    -Bonus casts of Hunter's Mark without using spells or concentration (replaces Favored Enemy)
    -A set of 3 abilities that replaces Natural Explorer. Choose one at 1st, 6th, and 10th level. (one give two skill proficiencies, one gives 5 feet of speed and climb/swim speed, one gives you a source of temporary HP)

    I Like the change to favoured enemy (but I do miss the tracking stats you can get) but dunno how I feel about this natural explorer. it seems to lack some theme and consistency for exploring.

    If you read the actual text for the abilities, it represents your worldly travels (more skill proficiencies and additional languages), your years of traveling paying off by being able to move more efficiently, and the last one is about having built up tons of stamina over the years of traveling (and it allows you to recover a level of exhaustion from a short rest).

    Yeah, I know I read it, to me though, the flavour reads as someone who travels on roads all the time and hangs out with people, not people who explore the Forrest and stuff. The temp hit points is dope, but an extra proficiency and some more languages don’t feel super rangery to me.

    I would totally allow a ranger to learn bird, mammal, fish or lizard as a language if they were pure nature focused. The caveat being the same as the speak with animals spell, in that animals think differently than people do, so you still might not get what you want out of it, and if you travel youll have an accent. :P

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  • gavindelgavindel The reason all your software is brokenRegistered User regular
    You can talk to birds, but your teacher was a no nonsense New York pigeon.

    Book - Royal road - Free! Seraphim === TTRPG - Wuxia - Free! Seln Alora
  • BahamutZEROBahamutZERO Registered User regular
    EY, I'M FLYIN' HERE!

    BahamutZERO.gif
  • DepressperadoDepressperado I just wanted to see you laughing in the pizza rainRegistered User regular
    okay so the Party have to infiltrate a Wizarding College to investigate a possible Familiar Fights ring.

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    I hope someone tries to disguise themselves as a familiar and enter the fights.

  • BroloBrolo Broseidon Lord of the BroceanRegistered User regular
    edited November 2019
    so my wife has been following this creator on instagram who has been making fancy dice:

    izMuMzV.jpg

    and they just started their kickstarter today:

    gGKRpbX.jpg

    she was a little worried since she wasn't sure if they would meet their goal and that the set she was interested in was waaay at the bottom of the stretch goals

    uFdLjzH.png

    but apparently... that was not a problem:


    eNYDVhQ.png
    GvHLvrN.jpg

    Brolo on
  • BahamutZEROBahamutZERO Registered User regular
    those are pretty! a bit hard to read but very pretty

    BahamutZERO.gif
  • TallahasseerielTallahasseeriel Registered User regular
    I love fancy designer dice.

    I saw some one time that were like matte black and dark blue that looked amazing but I looked them up and they were like 90 bucks and I could never justify that.

  • A Dabble Of TheloniusA Dabble Of Thelonius It has been a doozy of a dayRegistered User regular
    I was eagerly awaiting that kickstarter as well. Gorgeous stuff.

    vm8gvf5p7gqi.jpg
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  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    yea I'm keeping an eye on it too. There are some amazing sets. I wish they were doing just d20 buys, but I can see why they are selling whole sets only. It's going to be crazy enough trying to produce these dice quickly. Apparently they will be all hand polished and touched up. It's nuts.

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  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    webguy20 wrote: »
    yea I'm keeping an eye on it too. There are some amazing sets. I wish they were doing just d20 buys, but I can see why they are selling whole sets only. It's going to be crazy enough trying to produce these dice quickly. Apparently they will be all hand polished and touched up. It's nuts.

    "hand polished" can actually mean "loaded into and removed from a polishing machine by hand", to be fair. They do look VERY pretty, though!

  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    webguy20 wrote: »
    yea I'm keeping an eye on it too. There are some amazing sets. I wish they were doing just d20 buys, but I can see why they are selling whole sets only. It's going to be crazy enough trying to produce these dice quickly. Apparently they will be all hand polished and touched up. It's nuts.

    "hand polished" can actually mean "loaded into and removed from a polishing machine by hand", to be fair. They do look VERY pretty, though!

    In the FAQ they specifically say no machines.

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