D&D General Styles of Roleplaying and Characters

[hawkeyefan]

Dice.

Want to elaborate a bit? I mean, I’m al for dice being used to determine something, but I expect it’s not the sole method you and your group use.

 

[overgeeked]

Want to elaborate a bit? I mean, I’m al for dice being used to determine something, but I expect it’s not the sole method you and your group use.

At a guess. If it's something your character would know, it's automatic that they know it. If it's something your character wouldn't know, it's automatic that they don't know it. If there's a question of whether they'd know it or not, you roll. Lanefan uses a modified version of AD&D, so likely a roll-under INT check.

 

[Lanefan]

At a guess. If it's something your character would know, it's automatic that they know it. If it's something your character wouldn't know, it's automatic that they don't know it. If there's a question of whether they'd know it or not, you roll. Lanefan uses a modified version of AD&D, so likely a roll-under INT check.

Yes, with the roll often modified - sometimes significantly - by the relative obscurity (or not) of the knowledge in question.

And sometimes even seemingly-obvious knowledge isn't always right there on the tip of the brain. For example, I've walked up and down Fort St (a main road that runs from my home to the harbour downtown, about a mile away) hundreds if not thousands of times in my life, yet if you out of the blue asked me what business is on the northwest corner of Fort and Blanshard (a major intersecting street downtown) odds are very high that I wouldn't have a clue.

Flip side is that very obscure knowledge isn't impossible for someone to randomly have. What this means it that my "window" for getting people to roll is probably much wider than some.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Okay, gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.

So a DM determining what you may or may not know, or using dice to determine it is acceptable. Understood.

So what’s the significant difference if the DM or mechanics determine how your character feels or reacts to a situation?

I accept that there is a difference; I’m not challenging anyone’s preference. I myself don’t really like when I play D&D and the DM moves into that space.

But what is it that makes one area acceptable, and the other not?

 

[overgeeked]

And sometimes even seemingly-obvious knowledge isn't always right there on the tip of the brain. For example, I've walked up and down Fort St (a main road that runs from my home to the harbour downtown, about a mile away) hundreds if not thousands of times in my life, yet if you out of the blue asked me what business is on the northwest corner of Fort and Blanshard (a major intersecting street downtown) odds are very high that I wouldn't have a clue.

Do you like ramen? If you do you should try Menbow, a ramen place by the Empress Hotel downtown. If it's still there. Fantastic ramen. The wife and I went in 2018. The miniature museum was pretty cool, too.

 

[Xetheral]

Okay, gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.

So a DM determining what you may or may not know, or using dice to determine it is acceptable. Understood.

So what’s the significant difference if the DM or mechanics determine how your character feels or reacts to a situation?

I accept that there is a difference; I’m not challenging anyone’s preference. I myself don’t really like when I play D&D and the DM moves into that space.

But what is it that makes one area acceptable, and the other not?

Jumping back in here because I think the answer to this question was discussed earlier in this thread but has since gotten lost.

Put succinctly, in my opinion, how a character feels or reacts to outside stimuli defines who that character is as a (fictional) person. By contrast, whether or not a character has been in a situation where they learned a particular factoid about the campaign setting (and/or whether or not they remember that factoid) does not define who that character is as a (fictional) person.

So a mechanic that tells you how your character feels or reacts I see as redefining a character in a way that a mechanic that tells you if your character knows a particular bit of lore does not.

 

[Oofta]

So as a player, you may offer some input about a given bit of knowledge, but ultimately it’s up to the DM if you know it, don’t know it, or need to roll to determine if you know it?

Yes. Just as the rules explain.

 

[Oofta]

Okay, gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.

So a DM determining what you may or may not know, or using dice to determine it is acceptable. Understood.

So what’s the significant difference if the DM or mechanics determine how your character feels or reacts to a situation?

I accept that there is a difference; I’m not challenging anyone’s preference. I myself don’t really like when I play D&D and the DM moves into that space.

But what is it that makes one area acceptable, and the other not?

How many times does it need to be repeated? There's a difference between knowing something and your emotional reaction and though process in relationship to that knowledge. If you truly can't understand or accept that other people do see a clear distinction, I don't see any reason to discuss it further.

 

[Hussar]

As far as "leadership" it's not in my book.

Apologies - Inspiring Leader.

Same argument applies though.

I see that people have said that since it "only" grants temporary HP, it's not telling you what you feel. That's not what the feat states though. My inspiring words make you feel so good that you are now stronger than you were before.

Note, that the Battlemaster "Rally" ability works the same way.

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But, like @hawkeyefan said above, what is the difference between them? @Oofta, you keep stating that they are totally different but actually give no reasons why they are totally different. They are both mental processes. Why is it acceptable that one mental process - knowing something, being inspired by something - is determined by the mechanics, but, another mental process - being afraid of something say, is not?

Both are determining something about your character. Both are establishing truth about your character. Both are clearly changing your character in some way - do you know X or not? Heck, you're even allowing the dice to determine the history of your character - did he study X? But, it's completely different to have mechanics that reflect prior established emotional states of the character?

Note, mental mechanics are never created out of thin air. You would never just be afraid of something. You would be afraid of something (to continue the example) because it was CHOSEN BY THE PLAYER that you are afraid of that thing. How is "Afraid of spiders" any different than "studied at Dave's Super Smart Wizard School"?

 

[hawkeyefan]

How many times does it need to be repeated? There's a difference between knowing something and your emotional reaction and though process in relationship to that knowledge. If you truly can't understand or accept that other people do see a clear distinction, I don't see any reason to discuss it further.

Oofta, I’m just asking you what the difference is. I believe there is a difference. I’m not gonna tell you what you say is wrong. If the distinction is clear to you, then I expect you can explain it.

If you can’t, that’s also fine, but then just say that. Don’t act like there’s some failing on my part.