How gonzo will you roll with?
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
Moderate-to-low zaniness, I’d say. I’m fine with improbable successes, but not absurdist breaches of the laws of physics/magic (i.e., a 25 on an acrobatics check while falling might enable you to grab onto something in the face of certain doom, but you won’t start flapping your arms and fly back up).
Now, when players start doing silly things “for the lulz,” that rubs me the wrong way. Humor is perfectly welcome at the table, but there’s a difference between that and a character doing something solely because the player thinks it’d be funny.
Edited to Add:
If we’re talking settings gonzo-ness (or gonzosity, if you prefer), for the longest time I went pretty bog-standard Tolkien. In recent years, I’ve really been trying to break out of that. I’ve become increasingly fond of high-magic settings, as they enable some neat ideas for me.
As far as Muppets go, yes, Gonzo was my favorite. And I dig Hunter S. Thompson’s writing, but not as obsessively as some.
Now, when players start doing silly things “for the lulz,” that rubs me the wrong way. Humor is perfectly welcome at the table, but there’s a difference between that and a character doing something solely because the player thinks it’d be funny.
Edited to Add:
If we’re talking settings gonzo-ness (or gonzosity, if you prefer), for the longest time I went pretty bog-standard Tolkien. In recent years, I’ve really been trying to break out of that. I’ve become increasingly fond of high-magic settings, as they enable some neat ideas for me.
As far as Muppets go, yes, Gonzo was my favorite. And I dig Hunter S. Thompson’s writing, but not as obsessively as some.
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L
lowkey13
Guest
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Not sure how this can be a multiple choice poll??!!
Just pick all you like. Maybe the more grounded options don't float your boat.
Oofta
Legend
I guess it depends on what you mean by zaniness. I had a giant pumpkin monster throwing exploding pumpkins at the group. Where does that fall?
It made sense in context - dreams and nightmares were coming to life because bad voodoo. In addition, there's some Eberron-like aspects to my game because advanced magic makes sense to me.
But the pumpkin king was awesome for my more-or-less-annual Halloween game.
It made sense in context - dreams and nightmares were coming to life because bad voodoo. In addition, there's some Eberron-like aspects to my game because advanced magic makes sense to me.
But the pumpkin king was awesome for my more-or-less-annual Halloween game.
Jester David
Hero
I like monster ecologies. I dislike having thousand year old dungeons with living creatures that need food. Or hostile alpha predators living in a dungeon a few rooms down from other creatures but somehow ignoring them.
But I’ll also take Eberron magic punk and monsters that defy nature. The former because it fits the rules of the world, and the later because they’re a trope.
Whenever I answer “beacause magic”, I want that to be a purposeful answer not an excuse.
“How is that that impossibly tall tower standing?” Magic. It’s in an area of planar bleed to the realm of air making gravity defying magic powerful and easy.
“How is that five story lizard able to fly? Or breathe fire.” Because dragons are cool and long established parts of the lore. As inherently magical beasts they are partially empowered by the ambient magic of nature.
“How is that river flowing uphill through a mountain range to a jungle at a horse lattitude?” Umm.... magic??
But I’ll also take Eberron magic punk and monsters that defy nature. The former because it fits the rules of the world, and the later because they’re a trope.
Whenever I answer “beacause magic”, I want that to be a purposeful answer not an excuse.
“How is that that impossibly tall tower standing?” Magic. It’s in an area of planar bleed to the realm of air making gravity defying magic powerful and easy.
“How is that five story lizard able to fly? Or breathe fire.” Because dragons are cool and long established parts of the lore. As inherently magical beasts they are partially empowered by the ambient magic of nature.
“How is that river flowing uphill through a mountain range to a jungle at a horse lattitude?” Umm.... magic??
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