D&D General The Boyz... murder hobo PCs and NPCs and even normal ones

[GMforPowergamers]

Batman is a rorschach test.

speaking of rorschach I think that guy got a bumb wrap...but I can't like him since there is a picture of my parents fighting on his mask... I don't know why they drew that

 

[Umbran]

and again, I can totally see Salvator could write a passage where mid battle (most likely with a hoard of goblins) Drizt makes one miss step giving random goblin an opening and it stabs him in the leg taking him to his knees... but D&D doesn't work that way it would be 1d4+1 damage to someone with like a bijillion hp... but fantasy stories do. It would haunt him for the rest of the book that 1 miss step and how that scar would remind him even a goblin...but what if it was (insert BBEG of Story).

With respect, this isn't what I'd consider a proper translation of narrative to mechanics.

There's a horde of goblins? Goblin A does a Help action, giving Goblin B advantage. Goblin B does a Shove action, intended to knock Drizzt prone. The shove is merely narrated as a stab to the leg. The effect of "bringing him to his knees" is the real point.

Being prone in the middle of a horde of goblins is dangerous. It probably means Goblin C tries to grapple him, reducing his speed to zero so he cannot rise from prone. And, until he manages to get out of this, every goblin around gets advantage on attacks.

It isn't a life threatening amount of damage in and of itself, but it is a dangerous situation for Drizzt.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

With respect, this isn't what I'd consider a proper translation of narrative to mechanics.

There's a horde of goblins? Goblin A does a Help action, giving Goblin B advantage. Goblin B does a Shove action, intended to knock Drizzt prone. The shove is merely narrated as a stab to the leg. The effect of "bringing him to his knees" is the real point.

Being prone in the middle of a horde of goblins is dangerous. It probably means Goblin C tries to grapple him, reducing his speed to zero so he cannot rise from prone. And, until he manages to get out of this, every goblin around gets advantage on attacks.

It isn't a life threatening amount of damage in and of itself, but it is a dangerous situation for Drizzt.

that is better... I just again am going with "the writer CAN write the goblin being able to be a threat if he wants" in your example drizzt could even be captured and that 1 goblin seen as a hero by his tribe...

 

[Stormonu]

Ghost Tower of Inverness starts with this, assuming that the characters being spoken about are the PCs:

Spoiler

A smile creeps across the Duke's face as he speaks to your small band. He seems strangely pleased with the turn of events. "I imagine you are wondering why you have been brought to appear before me today." His eyes sweep ap provingly over the five figures in your group; none of you be tray any apprehension about what is to come. "Most of you," he continues, "have been convicted of crimes for which you should spend the greater part of your lives in my dungeons." His gaze falls upon one of your party, a thin man with a short black beard. "Hodar," he begins, "you dared to defy a royal order and continued to dabble in sorceries which I had forbidden to all the people of my realm." Hodar's face remains calm as the Duke turns to the next of your group. "I should have thought that a warrior of your caliber, Lembu, would have known better than to slay a captain of the guard in a bar room fight." A broad grin is the huge warrior's only reply. "Never mind the eleven guards men you killed while resisting arrest." "Zinethar," says the Duke, shaking his head as he addresses the next in line, a distinguished-looking man with gray hair, "your wisdom must have left you when you decided to lead that ill-fated Temple Coalition revolt these three months past." "And you, Discinque, your rash daring and bravado is really to be marvelled at. One has to wonder where you would be now if not for that broken cornice which caused you to fall — with the Crown Jewels in hand — on top of sergeant Norlik and his men while they were out on patrol." The thief merely shrugs. The Duke then turns and slowly bows to the last of your group; the tall barefoot woman. "Of all you five," declares the Duke, "Li Hon is the only one here who should not spend the rest of her life in prison for some crime. I am deeply honored, Li Hon, that your monastery saw fit to offer your services to me as payment of this year's taxes." As the Duke finishes speaking the shadowed

The PCs as "spoiled brats" who need to learn a lesson in humilty by undertaking a suicide mission has been a part of D&D since the 70's. If you're wanting to do something like the Boyz, I'd probably use a system of Inspiration where they get bonuses for bad behavior, but it tends to make the situation worse as well.

Oh, and if you really want to have fun with this, do a D&D themed Fiasco game...

 

[Scott Christian]

There's a horde of goblins? Goblin A does a Help action, giving Goblin B advantage. Goblin B does a Shove action, intended to knock Drizzt prone. The shove is merely narrated as a stab to the leg. The effect of "bringing him to his knees" is the real point.

that is better... I just again am going with "the writer CAN write the goblin being able to be a threat if he wants" in your example drizzt could even be captured and that 1 goblin seen as a hero by his tribe...

Just to clarify, in the post I said goblin, as in one. One goblin is not a threat to Drizzt, just like Groot is not a threat to Thanos. Layers of power, that are mostly static in the world of superheroes and fantasy. And my statement was - fantasy often has stricter layers than superheroes.

 

[Umbran]

Just to clarify, in the post I said goblin, as in one. One goblin is not a threat to Drizzt...

One level 20 fighter goblin might well be a threat to Drizzt.

The world - in Salvatore's books, or in our games - is not limited to all goblins being MM stock CR 1/4 things.

 

[Scott Christian]

One level 20 fighter goblin might well be a threat to Drizzt.

The world - in Salvatore's books, or in our games - is not limited to all goblins being MM stock CR 1/4 things.

I agree. And, in the fiction or the MM (were it in there) there would be a write-up about said goblin, and its strength, and notoriety. Most likely, it would have a backstory. So when someone mentions "a goblin," most likely they are not naming a specific single goblin that has managed to achieve Lich like capabilities. Which again, reverts back to my power structure point.

If we always include the greatest exception to the rule in common language and examples, then we will never understand anyone's point.

 

[Umbran]

If we always include the greatest exception to the rule in common language and examples, then we will never understand anyone's point.

If I'd used some lesser case, there'd be the inevitable quibbling over whether the case I used would, in fact, be a threat. Going to the extreme establishes that somewhere along the line, goblins can be threats. Exactly where that point sits isn't the operative point.

As for the rest - one could say, "a generic goblin," adding a single word to differentiate it from being an absolute about goblins.

It seems to me that asserting that the audience should make assumptions about what is meant is apt to backfire, especially when what is actually written does leave a notable opening for the discussion.

 

[Scott Christian]

As for the rest - one could say, "a generic goblin," adding a single word to differentiate it from being an absolute about goblins.

Again, this is true. Or the reader could infer, which is what is supposed to happen during reading. They could take context, especially when saying a goblin is not a threat to Drizzt, and infer the writer means an ordinary goblin.

It seems to me that asserting that the audience should make assumptions about what is meant is apt to backfire, especially when what is actually written does leave a notable opening for the discussion.

Here, we will have to agree to disagree. People make assumptions every time they read a post. And, almost always, they get it correct. They may not agree. They may mostly agree except with one exception. They may agree with a great degree of variation. But almost always, they get if correct.
Out of all the exchanges on these forums (or any forum), only a small percentage ever say: "Oh, sorry. I completely misunderstood what you were saying."

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Just to clarify, in the post I said goblin, as in one. One goblin is not a threat to Drizzt, just like Groot is not a threat to Thanos. Layers of power, that are mostly static in the world of superheroes and fantasy. And my statement was - fantasy often has stricter layers than superheroes.

there are no 'levels' in a drizt story... anyone can stab drizt and 1 stabbing can kill him.

batman beats superman 90% of the tiem even though "common sense" and "Powere scaling" says they cant'...