Recent content by Fanaelialae

Yeah, it's strange, but I believe there's a psychological component to it, at least in my experience. Even though a +1 or +2 modifier isn't dramatically significant, to a player it seems to feel like there is a dramatic difference between a stat that's a 14 vs an 18. To give an example, in the...

It's an interesting question. Even with elves' slower reproductive rates, by the time they pass on they could have numerous generations of descendents. It probably wouldn't be all that uncommon. Let's assume that the average elf has an average of 2 children by age 200, and stops procreating...

To the best of my knowledge, Tolkien never actually wrote Brandobras' story. It's simply a myth that is briefly mentioned in LotR. We don't know if some supernatural being/item endowed him with super-strength in that moment, or (as is the case with many myths that have a basis in reality) it was...

I think some of this comes down to RPGs doing a lot of abstraction for ease of play. Some people interpret those abstractions as absolute, while others see them as relative. If you're an absolutist in your interpretation, then having a halfling with 20 strength (the same as the half giant in...

I agree that it could be more explicit, but if you know FR lore (which the MM is based on, since it references Gruumsh) it's pretty clearly implied that the MM does not apply to all orcs. FR has had multiple societies of non-evil orcs. Ondonti Thesk Many Arrows Kingdom So, clearly, unless the...

Cool! I wasn't suggesting that 10% as a rule of thumb. It was just meant as an example of how the vast majority of orcs could completely defy what is written in the MM, but that stereotype might be all that most people see. I have had at least one campaign where the majority of orcs were...

I assure you that I do understand what you are saying, and I agree with you that a better write-up would be better. I wasn't trying to dismiss your viewpoint with my response. Rather, I was simply explaining how I approach the material.

I can see what you mean. However, like I said, I read those as descriptive, not prescriptive. Maybe that's a typical orc, or even just the human stereotype regarding orcs. But IMO it certainly is not all orcs, and probably not even a majority of orcs. Let's assume that 10% of orcs are vicious...

I think that has more to do with orcs typically being portrayed in campaigns as "shoot first, ask questions later" types than anything else. If your hypothetical philosopher species was established as being aggressively belligerent, I think PCs would slaughter them with little to no...

I put quotes around it to try and indicate that wasn't the term I was looking for, just the closest I could come up with at the moment. What I intended was "creating opportunities for nuanced storytelling with complex antagonists, while still allowing for the enjoyment of scenarios with simply...

I tend to approach species description as descriptive, rather than prescriptive. The typical wood elf might love forests, but there's nothing to say that there couldn't be wood elf industrialists out there who want to raze the forests to make room for factories. With regard to mechanics, as...

Monsterpunk is a fantastic game inspired by 4e. Monsterpunk, via @Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ggwp/monsterpunk?ref=android_project_share

They're not notes per se, but one of the things I put a significant focus on during prep are my session handouts. These begin with a short summary of the previous adventure(s), and a list of potential adventures they're aware of. There's a list of rumors they've overheard, which are potential...

I just do a quick outline in Obsidian Portal, with links to any pertinent pages. I find that my players often go "off script", so over-prep is typically wasted. Example: Rhythmic Evergreen (gate connects to Blitzheim) Trees have clockwork interiors and circuit-like metal tracing on the...