discussion and house keeping page

please post any questions, thoughts or discussions here

here is the pdf link for the new race book

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10nq6lYRK7uCFXDbo71LHI5oVF8PMqkRX/view

Alan - I see a race of Rabbit folk with your name on it

Heh… what’s up doc?

Josh said 7th level, Do we start with normal equipment?

What you thinking?
I am floating a few ideas from Ranger to Sorc to Barb

any normal equipment is allowed. Magic Items will be discussed later as I flesh out the world (which should be this weekend)

One thing... Any "Fey" races are playable but they would be very rare outside of their normal realm. The major kingdom that you'll be starting in is mostly Human, Half-Elf and Halfling. The other races are in the other kingdoms or elsewhere (this will make more sense when I've finished the world). This in no way means that you can't play one... just know that you'll be an object of fascination at first.

The 'tech' oriented classes: Artificer and Artificer- Armorer are very much an urban based class, at least at first. Again, no restrictions on classes or races

I either want to play a wizard or a bone crusher. If there’s just two of us we can splash in a little stealth, mechanics, and healing for flare. Like a wizard with one cleric level or a paladin with a great sword.

I agree with stealth for a small party, for sure!
What other options....
2 full characters each
1 character each and 1 sidekick (lvl 5 w minimal personality, like a healbot in full plate)
DM would really have to scale down encounters for 1/2 size party and allow more short rests
Extra free feat at 1st level - could take healer or chef
Make sure we have a wand of cure light wounds at all times!

I can make two characters, one of which is more vocal than the other. I can make a wizard and a Paladin. Chris can make his outdoorsman and/or sorcerer. Heh. I might make a warforged paladin who wants to be a real boy. . Maybe the bunny race for the wizard.

Did I read that right in the races book that I apply racial ability bonuses how ever I choose?

This thing on..?

What’s up fellas? I’ll jump in on this one. Looking at a halfling ranger or rogue. Sneaky sneaky stealthy stealthy

Mike!
Hooray, I was hoping you and/or Joe would join too.

Alan - yes, per the race book and Tasha's, you have 2 NEW options for racial packages

1) you get the racial package but you can assign a +2 and a +1 anywhere you want
2) custom lineage - you can assign a +2 anywhere, 1 feat, 1 skill or darkvision, 30ft speed, small or medium

2 allows you to basically look like anything and use vHuman type rules, whereas 1 gives you the quirks of a race like swim speed or whatever but without the stereotyped stat block (a smart dwarf, tough elf, etc)

Mike - you can probably cover both! Ranger plus criminal or rogue + scout or outlander
Definitely check out revised ranger rules in Tasha's book, they fix a lot of previous issues

With 3 and the above notes, I will make an Aberrant Sorc

Omg, I just got it, lol. A bunny wizard that pulls humans out of his hat!

as this is based on England before the Norman Conquest (very, very loosely).... Alan, your rabbit might be the target of a holy hand-grenade.

whit10 wrote:as this is based on England before the Norman Conquest (very, very loosely).... Alan, your rabbit might be the target of a holy hand-grenade.

That thought did occur to me…

Tasha’s? Do you have a link?

Here, let me google that for you....

https://online.anyflip.com/brrnw/vxkx/mobile/index.html

Heh. I found that right after I asked.

I will explore some combination of Druid and barbarian then.

A bare bearian?

Still trying to make the ultimate barebearian

Something I would like to add....

You are more than welcome to play a previous character from one of our former campaigns. Several of them didn't last that long and, if you choose, you are welcome to do that.

One thing to note; you will be starting in Merciana as members of the King's Retainers; I will post more about this but all you need to do is figure out how you came to be in the King's service.

My character page is up with a brief backstory. I left it vague, so feel free to fill in details as we go or leave it alone, whatever is fine.
I tried to incorporate some ties to your map and explain how I ended up in Merciana. Let me know if you need more.

He really isn't crazy, his mind just got all messed up for a while by the Ceremorphosis that failed or got interrupted or whatever happened. He has some mixed memories of both the illithid and his human life. The failed Ceremorphosis is really just a vehicle to explain the Aberrant Sorcerer bloodline, which was one of the suggestions from the book, I just elaborated a bit.

What's left is a psionic with an odd affect. Think Bill Nighy or Jeff Goldbloom.

7, 18, 15, 11, 14, 13

Probably not going to be very charismatic…

navyik wrote:7, 18, 15, 11, 14, 13

Probably not going to be very charismatic…

of course you rolled

don't worry, I got CHA covered

No worries Chris.

Damn Alan... are you ok with your stats for what you need in the character? You can still do a point buy if you want instead

just to throw this out for discussion before we actually start to play....

There was a lot of good discussion after Pirates, mostly involving Alan, Matt and I, about ways to speed up play-by-post (PbP) gaming.  The suggestions were for ways to improve the experience without asking folks to log in more than 1-2 times per day.  In theory, that should be to post their character's turn, which would enable a full round of combat to pass each day or so.  What happens in reality is a lot of waiting around for saving throws, skill checks, etc.

A few suggestions that were made:

on your turn, post 1 roll of a d20 with no attribute attached.  that way, if the DM needs a saving throw or an ability check (vs grapple for example), the DM can just add the appropriate + modifier and resolve that action without everyone waiting a day

just let the GM roll all saving throws\ability checks for the PCs during a monster's turn.  less posting per player, but more work for the DM

simplified initiative - all PCs go at once and all mobs go at once. DM only has to update map 2x per day, once for each side

obvious issues with those:

simplified initiative, the DM has to track simultaneous movement and one side can get overwhelmed more easily

pre-rolled saves and DM saves - players have Reactions that can alter rolls, which might make for a few more retcons, but this happens already for attack rolls, it would just also happen for saves now

DM saves - feels like a loss of control over your PC for some people


how it might work:

add the save roll to the character template each turn

Name:
Conditions: (slowed, exhaustion, blessed +d4, etc)
AC:
HP max/current HP:
Passive Perception:  (so GM can use for stealth mobs, etc)
Save if Required:  *roll each turn post d20 without modifiers*

what I would like to see personally:

I would be fine with the DM making all rolls for my character during a mob's turn.  I will trust the DM to be fair but reserve the right to use Reactions later

I would also be fine with making 1 extra d20 roll as a "save if needed" (or ability check)


any other thoughts or suggestions??

I’m currently torn between a moon circle Druid / monk naturalist who accidentally ended up being owned by the king for being in animal form in the king’s forest, a narcissistic fool who thinks he’s a knight, or a reworking of Tynmann (warforged stealth fighter). I have a place for my 7 in any of those.

I’m fine with DM rolls. It isn’t much work really. Better than back-and-forth posting.

All of those ideas are fine Alan. Tynman would work just fine as would the Druid/animal thing.

I should have posted this sooner... you are all basically "knights" only the term won't be used in the historical context (since that's just not really a thing in this world).

In old English, the best term would Thegn. It's basically a pre-cursor to the medieval knight.

As for the rules change. If it's ok with the party, I would like to stick to the way we usually do it. My main objection to that idea is that things can change mid-fight depending on magical effects or some other device that might affect the character. Reactions can be very useful (Hellish Rebuke, AoO, etc)

But that's my take on it

whit10 wrote:
As for the rules change.  If it's ok with the party, I would like to stick to the way we usually do it.  My main objection to that idea is that things can change mid-fight depending on magical effects or some other device that might affect the character.  Reactions can be very useful (Hellish Rebuke, AoO, etc)

I acknowledged that and things like AoO and Hellish Rebuke still take longer even using the old slow way.  I think maybe you are not thinking this out in as much detail as we did when we talked about it last year.  Let me give you an example and hopefully it makes more sense.

Again, keep in mind the expectation of checking in to the forum at most twice per day, once in the am and once at night.

slow method

Sunday night:
Alan and Mike take their actions, Chris is up next, DM's big ugly on deck
DM updates Alan and Mike's actions

Monday morning:  Chris takes his action
Monday morning:  DM takes mob action - casts a spell that targets the whole party.  DM calls for Saves

Monday night:  Alan, Mike and Chris roll saves

Tue morning:  DM resolves saves, finishes mob turn, asks for any Reactions or to take next turn

Tue night:  Alan and Mike use abilities to get out of the effect, need final DM ruling on results

Wed morning:  DM makes final ruling and then calls for next actions by Alan and Mike

Wed night:  Alan and Mike get to act again  

***3 days later, so 3 days to complete 1 combat round.  Notice how the slow down happens regarding waiting for and resolving saving throws from Monday am to Wed am is just dealing with this and everyone being bored while waiting****

Now look at things, at the same speed, with the DM rolling the Saves himself!

Sunday night:
Alan and Mike take their actions, Chris is up next, DM's big ugly on deck
DM updates Alan and Mike's actions

Monday morning:  Chris takes his action
Monday morning:  DM takes mob action - casts a spell that targets the whole party.  DM ROLLS Saves and resolves the mob action, DM asks for any Reactions or to take next turn

Monday night:  Alan and Mike use Reactions to alter the effects but need a final ruling

Tue morning:  DM rules on Reaction outcomes, calls for next actions by Alan and Mike

Tue night:  Alan and Mike get to act again


**** its the same sequence of actions, but instead of 3 full days, it is down to 2 days because we saved an entire day not waiting for save rolls and then for the DM to update based on the saves***


and those examples assume there are Reactions to use, watch what happens if there are no Reactions to use:

slow method

Sunday night:
Alan and Mike take their actions, Chris is up next, DM's big ugly on deck
DM updates Alan and Mike's actions

Monday morning:  Chris takes his action
Monday morning:  DM takes mob action - casts a spell that targets the whole party.  DM calls for Saves

Monday night:  Alan, Mike and Chris roll saves

Tue morning:  DM resolves saves, finishes mob turn, asks for any Reactions or to take next turn

Tue night:  Alan and Mike take next turns


DM save roll method:  

Sunday night:
Alan and Mike take their actions, Chris is up next, DM's big ugly on deck
DM updates Alan and Mike's actions

Monday morning:  Chris takes his action
Monday morning:  DM takes mob action - casts a spell that targets the whole party.  DM ROLLS Saves and resolves the mob action, DM asks for any Reactions or to take next turn

Monday night:  Alan and Mike get to take next turns


*** again, an entire day is saved by not waiting for the players to make saving throw rolls.  If there are Reactions to be used, that still ends up taking a day either way.  But it goes from 3 days to 2 days or from 2 days to 1 day.***  

And that's the main point and the main time killer - waiting for players to make rolls during the enemy's turns.

or we can just have the PC that needs to make a save, etc. do it when they take their turn, prior to making any attacks/actions.

I guess I'm just not seeing that the other method will really save all that much time?

...that being said, if the three of you want to do it this way, so be it and I don't feel like arguing about it.

it was just a suggestion since we had spent a fair of time discussing it previously. ultimately its your game, so your rules

@Alan - I might switch to a pure fighter, just FYI
Josh and I were talking about them yesterday and it got me thinking about fighters in general and that I have never played one in 5e

Chris wrote:@Alan - I might switch to a pure fighter, just FYI
Josh and I were talking about them yesterday and it got me thinking about fighters in general and that I have never played one in 5e

Well then you must try one. I will develop an alternative as well. I will wait to see what bases Mike covers with his character and then fill in.

navyik wrote:
Well then you must try one. I will develop an alternative as well. I will wait to see what bases Mike covers with his character and then fill in.

Gor'zax Odred (battlemaster) is done, complete with brief backstory and map token

I no longer have any Face skills, but I got frontline meatshield covered

Which land are we in?

You will be starting in Merciana as members of the King's Retainers; I will post more about this but all you need to do is figure out how you came to be in the King's service.

I have a character page posted in progress. I’m still on the fence about Druid circle.

navyik wrote:I have a character page posted in progress. I’m still on the fence about Druid circle.

oh ye children of the '80s, sing along....

Teenage Mutant Druid Turtle
Healer in a half shell
Tortle power





he even has an artist's name

Sticking with Ranger/Rogue combo. Started a character page and will work on filling that up over the next couple days.

I’m open to whatever process for settling turns the group decides on. I like the generic daily d20 roll idea

Chris wrote:

navyik wrote:I have a character page posted in progress. I’m still on the fence about Druid circle.

oh ye children of the '80s, sing along....

Teenage Mutant Druid Turtle
Healer in a half shell
Tortle power





he even has an artist's name

I knew it would be appreciated.

Whitey wrote:Sticking with Ranger/Rogue combo. Started a character page and will work on filling that up over the next couple days.

I’m open to whatever process for settling turns the group decides on. I like the generic daily d20 roll idea

Love the name.

@GM

magic items?
+1 weapon
+1 armor
1 minor magic item

I think that is about what we did at the start of Pirates

I'll have the MI bit updated this weekend

just a friendly reminder about HeroForge.com
its a customizable miniature creator site - so for example, I made a custom tortle monk but used a dragonborn head, gator tail, cyborg arms, etc and then added color

we obviously aren't using real minis but you could prtscr capture it, save it to paint\powerpoint, crop it down and use it for a token.

Chris wrote:@GM

magic items?
+1 weapon
+1 armor
1 minor magic item

I think that is about what we did at the start of Pirates

I might need a little flexibility to deviate since I don’t wear armor or carry any identifiable weapons. I do have a shield…

navyik wrote:
I might need a little flexibility to deviate since I don’t wear armor or carry any identifiable weapons. I do have a shield…

lots of cool stuff for monks and druids


ring\cloak of protection gives +1 AC and saves

***armor + item maybe****



Insignia of claws
Appearing in Hoard of the Dragon Queen, insignia of claws buffs druids who fight while in Wild Shape. It grants a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls with natural weapons. The attacks are also considered to be magical, something Circle of the Moon druids get at 6th level.



Bracers of defense
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)

Bracers of defense are a classic monk item in D&D fifth edition and for good reason. The monk's Unarmored Defense and Martial Arts class features don't allow you to don armor or use a shield. This limits your ability to improve your AC outside of Ability Score Improvements. Bracers of defense are one way to get around these restrictions. They offer +2 AC.

**could make it just +1 AC to keep in line***



Eldritch claw tattoo
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)

The third and final tattoo on our list is an effective option for monks at the uncommon rarity. With an eldritch claw tattoo, your unarmed strikes are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nonmagical attacks, and you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with unarmed strikes.

You also get a cool ranged attack option. Once per day, you can empower the tattoo for one minute, granting your unarmed strikes and melee weapon attacks a range of 15 feet and an extra 1d6 of force damage.

***could drop the second half for just the +1*****



Sentinel Shield is also amazing. It is just a shield or could be a +1 shield, but it also gives advantage to Initiative and Perception checks

while we are throwing stuff at the GM wall....

I would love something like this, but a Maul not a sword.  Who makes a door-bashing\shield-splitting sword?  duh


Shatterspike
Source: Tales from the Yawning Portal

Weapon Maul (longsword), uncommon (requires attunement)

You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls you make with this magic weapon. If it hits an object, the hit is automatically a critical hit, and it can deal bludgeoning or slashing damage to the object (your choice). Further, damage from nonmagical sources can't harm the weapon.

an interesting item Chris. I tell you what, as that is much more than a +1 weapon:

If you want that to be your only magic item (+ one other item to be determined in the next few days, very minor item at that) then you can take it.

For now, if you use weapons and armor you can choose the following:

+1 weapon and shield
+1 weapon and armor
+1 weapon or armor and shield

if you don't use weapons very much

+1 armor/shield and one Minor Item - Uncommon on the MI table (GM's guide or Xanathar's guide)

otherwise I am going to start you with a few very minor items to help out at first. There will be ample opportunity for loot and such

Cool! I will take that deal

Marvin’s complete (I think). Ready to go!