Search results

While it is inherently a bit skeezy regardless, on the rare occasion that I've made a gross miscalculation of encounter strength and feel an imperative need to rebalance mid fight, there are better methods of increasing or decreasing enemy power than by fudging rolls or changing stats post hoc...

I roll in the open as DM. I feel like it engenders a little more trust with the players. And takes the sting out of enemies repeatedly making saves a little bit if the PCs can see the rolls. I don't really care that much when I'm just a player.

It gets monotonous to only ever kill things during an adventure. Good-aligned monsters work great for non-combat encounters - particularly if there are communication problems, inscrutable or eccentric motivations, comical behaviors, and/or reasons to be wary of something unknown and potentially...

Same here, even as DM. I prefer NOT to invest countless hours into a game where one player wins at another's expense due to some bad die rolls or not being sufficiently backstabbing. PvP is fine for a two-hour long sports game or board game or video game; or maybe even a quick and...

If you want to cut out or reduce entire categories of game challenge (particularly those described as fundamental pillars of the game), you shouldn't be complaining that classes, skills, and spells focused on that sort of challenge are weak....

The faction stronghold is hidden underground in a barren, difficult-to-reach, monster-filled wilderness region. There is little reason for the overwhelming majority of sentient species to go there. The PCs themselves were only there because I placed some plot hooks in the region. (In this case...

Hmm. If I were to design a magicless wilderness military scout, I think I might try making a stealth and survival based Fighter or Barbarian subclass. Seems less involved than swapping out and balancing the entirety of ranger magic.

Neither "Knave" nor "Malefactor" should EVER be used for a class description. They are existing words that that have distinct and generalized meanings - divorced from any archetypal description. "Illrigger" at least will never cause ambiguity for example when an NPC complains about or curses...

If anyone cares: I ultimately decided against using the amnesia (/drugging) sequence. Instead, I placed an outpost of the stronghold (essentially a satellite garrison set to guard the path to the main faction stronghold) inside a cave system that the PCs were exploring. They were able to...

Hmm. I would say that Intimidate is probably the least used skill in my games. Part of that being because I mostly don't bother thinking about it. And another part being because pushing people around far more often elicits hostile reactions than Persuasion or Deception. Probably would help...

Well...the faction is sneaky and cunning and technologically advanced (albeit to no more than base steampunk levels) but unfortunately not super strong in magic. They are entirely capable of constructing something that -looks- innocuous or unpleasant; or maybe drugging someone so they're...

I want the party to know about the stronghold and the faction. It's more that I'd prefer a slow reveal in a perfect world and I was thinking that maybe the amnesia sequence might be one way to trickle the information in slowly and alert them to possible danger. The faction doesn't want the...

Yeah, fair enough. I suppose in spite of what I may have previously stated or implied, it's not really my intent to drive the PCs away from the area or faction if that's really what they want to pursue. So much as keep them from being blindsided by a force that is vastly stronger than they are...

I'm concerned that the PCs will not accept a mere shooing, due to the nature of what they're looking for. And while I can certainly telegraph the faction's strength, the party has more than sufficient power relative to the faction to get themselves into actual trouble. Prolly still ways to...

I did in fact read the entirety of your sentence. Trying to respond as best I can? Perhaps with some overly slow editing to fully articulate my thoughts.... Put another way: The faction is there for longer term story and plot reasons. The PCs are kind of just... blundering into them while...

Because not everyone and everything in the game world is expected to be defeated in combat? This is more of a case where the PCs could potentially win a skirmish against a few members of this faction; but not a full assault...or accidental full alert of those guarding an entire stronghold. The...

Anyway: You can have bears average any size you want in your own game, really. Brown bears IRL can likely reach size large. Plenty of already built game options that would work as far as stats: Ranger with beast companion, paladin with called mount, even just plain fighter (cavalier or...

It's not exactly clear as to what sort of input you are seeking. How to stat them up? Random bear-riding ideas?

I expect that my games regularly feature a bit of soap-opera level melodrama. I try my best, but....

So in an upcoming session in the campaign I'm presently running, the PCs are approaching the hidden stronghold of a heretofore unknown faction. This group is generally hostile and unfriendly to outsiders, but not to the point of being murderous or attack-on-sight. First and foremost they wish...