General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
Hehe, I have noticed in my games, that while PCs will often say they have stuff in pack of some sort. For purposes of movement(like say through a narrow area or where their packs might not be allowed for whatever reason) they tend to be able to pull out items easily. I do not mind this, and honestly, I would not care if they did not even have a pack, as it really serves no purpose anyway in our games.
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Yeah this is something I view as, "ease of gaming is more important". So my PCs tend to use hammerspace. Though I do sometimes reference items, their pack, clothes and what not for flavour for certain things. Like with squeezing through a space it could be less the space that is the issue but that their gear keeps getting caught on things.
Packs and gear do come up, but only when it serves a good purpose. So, a player may say they drop a belt to the ground where whatever was contained, etc.
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Free action to drop stuff explains a lot of it. ("I drop my pack" becomes an assumed thing and thus unvoiced.) How I get my pack back when I need antitoxin or a silver dagger after I've moved across the room is probably better left uncontemplated.
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Someone posted a webcomic strip on this very topic in another thread not so long ago, very funny and spot on. I can't remember the name of it, but it used stills from the LotR movies.
Gah, wish I could remember.
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Someone posted a webcomic strip on this very topic in another thread not so long ago, very funny and spot on. I can't remember the name of it, but it used stills from the LotR movies.
Someone posted a webcomic strip on this very topic in another thread not so long ago, very funny and spot on. I can't remember the name of it, but it used stills from the LotR movies.
I despise Hammerspace in RPGs. In our D&D game, I play a cleric with shield and hammer. I make sure I know how to "juggle" shield, hammer, and free hand for spell casting. I even took the Still Spell metamagic feat because of this.
A Player getting away with his PC carrying a bunch of stuff without regard to at least a nod towards encumbrance of some type is as annoying as a Player being allowed to use his own charisma and social skills in place of a PC who hasn't the points in them.
Go get PCGen. It works wonders for gear management. It handles handy haversacks, bags of holding, gloves of storing, keeping gear on your horse, the whole shebang.
Well, I assume it works for 4e. I've played a handful of 4e pickup games but no campaigns. I guess for gear it really doesn't matter what edition it is.
I depends,
unless the item is bulky and or heavy, or if the PC's load is important (for tumbling) we only roughly calculate. We are more wary of where items are for retrieval purposes though.
And we do try to ensure that a casters with shields, weapons and the like in their hands appropriately deal with the problem.
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Scrag: I saved his life.
Leanna: How so?
Scrag: I stopped hitting him.
Scrag, ˝-orc barbarian from Great Worm Tribe, the High Forrest
I despise Hammerspace in RPGs. In our D&D game, I play a cleric with shield and hammer. I make sure I know how to "juggle" shield, hammer, and free hand for spell casting. I even took the Still Spell metamagic feat because of this.
I suggest switching to 4E, where you are not required to hold your holy symbol on hand to cast and many of your prayers would be channeled through your hammer instead.
But I understand what you mean, when a character pulls out a 10 ft pole from their backpack, or when a halfling is carrying 1,500 gold pieces in their purse, it can certainly strain suspension of disbelief!
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I despise Hammerspace in RPGs. In our D&D game, I play a cleric with shield and hammer. I make sure I know how to "juggle" shield, hammer, and free hand for spell casting. I even took the Still Spell metamagic feat because of this.
A Player getting away with his PC carrying a bunch of stuff without regard to at least a nod towards encumbrance of some type is as annoying as a Player being allowed to use his own charisma and social skills in place of a PC who hasn't the points in them.
Bullgrit
As a DM I'm a lot more lenient on this than I used to be years ago. Probably has to do with the limited amount of free time nowadays compared to high school/college but these days I don't even have characters keep track of arrows or bolts. Obviously if the encumbrance is too egregious (like a 10 STR halfling trying to lug a 300 lb statue up a flight of stairs) I'll say no but for the most part the days of me caring how much someone's gear weighs are over. There's too many dragons and demons to slay to sweat the small stuff
My character in a Buffy game had a magic leather trenchcoat out of which he could pull any number of weapons. It was called the Coat of Arms.
Ever watch the TV show, Parker Lewis Can't Lose? (Damn funny!) The 2nd main supporting character, Jerry Steiner, had such a trenchcoat. Besides producing mundane things such as pens and telescopes from its inner recesses, it also disgorged such items as large fish for tossing to Kubiak, a computer printer (printing), guard dogs (barking at would be coat-thief), and a full-sized submarine periscope.
Quote:
Wikipedia
Jerry Steiner (played by Troy Slaten) - Archetypal nerd. In the first two seasons, he wears a trench coat (said to be made by NASA) from which he produces almost any object imaginable, apparently fixed inside with velcro.
As for "hammerspace" in general- I frown upon it unless your PC actually have a means of employing it- a Bag of Holding, a Quiver of Ehlonna, a TARDIS, whatever.
when my brother DM'd back in 80's we learned to keep track of things on our character sheet.
We had to have items recorded, paid for, and have a location for it ... and if there wasn't enough room to swing that two-handed sword (like in a 4ft wide tunnel you'd better have a dagger or shortsword).
Getting the bag of Holding was almost a holy grail to us ...
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I generally keep track of gear, weight and storage space in my campaigns. At the moment none of the players have bags of holding.
The one thing that boggles my mind are polearms. I simply can't conceive of someone carrying a polearm all day, walking down a bustling city street, into taverns, squeezing down a dungeon corridor, etc. A pike is loooong. And how does one sheathe or stow a polearm when not in use exactly? I can't conceive of a holster, harness or assortment of ropes that could make strapping it to one's backside feasible. When PCs with polearms walk into taverns I always imagine NPCs comically getting impaled, sliced or whacked by the polearm in the background as the piker moves around the taproom unawares.
I am always trying to get a Heward's Handy Haversack as soon as possible. On top of its bag of holding-like properties, the item I want is always at the top of the pack. Awesome!
Coins have a special coin purse that can contain all of their thousands of gold pieces almost completely weightless. But I also use Trade Bars in 100/1000/5000/10000 amounts to help with major purchases and storage.
Really the only time it is an issue is when weight is a major issue, i.e. swimming / that flimsy bridge over the large ravine / carrying another person.
Generally its a handwave, and my group (former currently without due to move) didn't abuse it either except in case of gold.
Once when first starting 3E, my group at the time had a brand new player straight from WOW and other PC gaming. She played an Elven archer, not a big deal till she was firing arrows left and right and when we finally made it to town, she wasn't making arrows or buying any. We asked why not, she said I still have plenty. Questioning look from us, her sheet had written down 40 quivers of arrows with the the ones used marked off.
Needless to say we all had a great laugh of it once we explained the impossiblity of it and still have the ability to move. We ended up chipping in and gettering her the Quiver of Ehlonna. Its still funny to this day.
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