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In earlier editions the phrase was "line of effect", but the meaning is the same as "Clear path". And when I read such text as "stops all spells", I tend to take it at face value. In 3.5, which I'm more familiar with, some spells specifically said that they went through effects like Wall of...

If you know me at all you know I end up telling stories, so... I was running an adventure at a convention, and the lead up was that there was an Autumn festival and the party was there. There were "games" (archery, horse races, javelin etc.) and a gathering of craftsmen. One of the players...

As a tangent on the 3e skill discussion, have you ever discussed the crafting rules? I'm not talking about making magic items, just making things. In 3e you determine the DC to make the item, then roll your crafting skill. If you beat the DC then multioly your roll times the DC. The result...

Just because it applies... http://ffn.nodwick.com/?p=2042

Shutting down Diplomacy is so easy using the existing 3e system that it becomes a purely optional skill. DM's option. By RAW, it takes a full minute before the dice ever hit the table. If the opponent doesn't give the character that minute, which they may not if they see other PCs casting...

I'm taking my turn as DM, and by chance the overcontrolling DM was out not feeling well. Each DM in our way of running things gets to design, define and run their part of the world. The overcontroller tried to do that for everyone else, so I made it a point to reach outside his world view. The...

While this is labeled as 3.5, I thing just about anyone can chime in on this. Every skill in the game has an ability score it's tied to. That's standard through every edition since 3.0, and it works. Sort of. The fact is that sometimes it seems like it's hard tied to the wrong ability score...

Yeah, I guess "immersion" is a thing for me. I've had times in games, particularly new systems, where I'll spend 90% of the character creation time coming up with the "person". Numbers and rules are a detail. For example, we played Alternity, a SCI-Fi game. In that system you're critically...

Small confession: I suffer from recurring depression. That makes me think that playing an extremely bitter and unhappy character is a really bad idea. I mean, I play for the RP, the excapeism of being someone else. If that "someone else" is as screwed up as I am... So I'm thinking I have to...

The funny thing is that we've been playing shared campaigns for literally decades. This is the first time it's gone off the rails. Normally we talk about setting beforehand, and come to some agreement on house rules, which books are in use, campaign goals and so forth. This time, nothing...

I've talked with the DM. He nods and smiles but he doesn't stop. Question: Would you continue playing a character that's no fun because the DM keeps screwing with them? Question: Would you consider leaving a game if the DMing was really bad? As for a history of problems: No, that's what...

We're playing D&D 3.5, though the system is actually irrelevant for this discussion We play in a style where the DM duties rotate amongst the group, all in the same game world and continuity. To do this everyone (including the first DM) is supposed to create their character, and define/prepare...

Not sure I agree with the "get 18 in your prime stat easily", but I'll let it go. I'm also not sure you can stack multiple Synergy bonuses to a skill. Even so, if someone is willing to spend 20+ skill points by 2nd level to get one thing, then that's probably the only thing they'll be very...

I've had that discussion with people on these boards before: Skill resolution via RP and discussion with the DM. I have players in my group with nothing resembling a silver tongue. Do should we penalize them, forever, because they aren't a glib as someone else? I had a player who tried to...

Failure in play? Unless you're including character creation in "play" and excluding unexpected turns in the campaign, then you're not looking at the same example I wrote. Adaptability over time isn't a flaw by any reasonable standard. One of the primary features of RPGs in general is that...

I played in a game where we were searching for a lost adventurere/person of interest. The overland map we were given had the start city, a line marking the road through the mountains on the way to the next city, and at an intermediate point there was a rock formation marked. We didn't need to...

I'll agree that 5e's skill system is different in pretty much every way. "Improvement" is a matter of opinion. I prefer the 3.* system because of the ability to focus training in particular areas as the character's level advances. That's slightly distinct from the "granularity" aspect, in...

I must have missed the "No evil PCs" rule change. Our group has avoided them, but they aren't forbidden. The big change from Thief to Rogue was the change from the Thief abilities table (percentage chance of success based on level) to the skill-based model. That made it possible to have a...

Well, 4e had a two tier skill base: Trained or Untrained. 5e did the same when I first looked at it. Is that good or bad? It's a matter of preference and focus. Some players enjoy the simplicity of the trained/untrained approach. Others are willing to deal with the complexity of it in...

I think I see where our trains of thought part ways. The 4e model presumes that everyone gets a bonus to attack, AC and skills every two levels. It also presumes that it gets progressively harder to do anything, every two levels. That's what you're talking about when you reference "level...