Search results

No risk, no reward.

In games I run (which is not D&D 5e), this will be handled either immediately upon encountering the thing, like so... DM: "Behind it, is revealed the mighty Hucka Pucka Valve. Sammy the Sage recalls that this ancient device was invented by Hammforce, the Gnome Paladin during the Age of Things...

I have occasionally played in or run a game that does the opposite of this. To wit, players never touch dice. This works better in games where players do not have a lot of specifically delineated abilities (i.e. Holmes or Moldvay basic). It requires a lot of trust on the part of the players...

I do a thing like this in my own homebrew game system, which is derived from Star Wars Saga Edition. Initiative is a skill, so initiative checks can get quite high. There is a feat that allows you to, if your Initiative check result is above 20, take your turn, reduce your initiative check...

I use all of the first four options. To me, it seems like it is usually the most fun for the players if they don't have to ask for a skill check. They will tell me what they want to do or ask a question, and if necessary, I will call for a check (skill check, ability check, attack roll...

To me it seems like the goal for the action sequence presented in the OP was to find out what Ned knows, and the approach was the conversation presented in the OP. So in my game, it might have gone something like this... Suiza: "Good day, sir. We found a body in the alley out back, do you know...

I use Pathfinder 1 as mostly a supplemental source for running D&D 3 games. I buy most of the books, but not the adventures. I am currently playing in a Pathfinder 1 game. I gave D&D 5 a shot, playing through a couple of short campaigns, but never running it, but didn't find it much to my...

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to resolve that uncertainty with a check.

A shocking development!

Given enough time, people can be persuaded into almost anything. People in the real world have been persuaded to buy products that they don't need. They have been persuaded to reverse strongly held moral stances. They have been persuaded to commit suicide. Many of the instances described in...

I have one of those vinyl grid mats that sits on the table, but mostly I run theater of the mind. When we do use the grid, there is a mish-mash of minis, some from the old heroquest board game, some from other sources, meeples (the vaguely person-shaped tokens from Carcassone and similar games)...

I am quite enjoying it. I only watch about an hour of TV a day, so it'll take me a little bit to get through the eight (?) episodes. But I've got some thoughts so far. It boasts a very cynical worldview that sometimes strains credibility (i.e. showing only the negative aspects of various...

I am reminded of a comic I saw (probably in Dragon)... Player: I wish I was the most powerful being in the universe! DM: Wish granted. You're the DM now.

I am reminded of a comic I saw (probably in Dragon)... Player: I wish I was the most powerful being in the universe! DM: Wish granted. You're the DM now.

I had not heard of it before now. It looks pretty cool. I will have to check it out this weekend.

What is a GLOG?

it is pretty rare, though not vanishingly so, that a player controlled character will die when I am running a game. I always try to keep in mind a couple of things in regards to the death of a player controlled character while running... 1. Do the players know and accept that there is a chance...

The 5th edition of D&D was written by Frank Mentzer and published in 1983. The current edition of D&D is something like the 13th. Barbarians get their strength from the power of their feelings, but are typically represented as having a poor Charisma, which measures your force of personality.

I tend to use regional languages, so both elves and orcs from Austland will speak Austlandic, while those from Lutresh will speak Lutreshan. In order to facilitate ease of communication in play, I usually give all creatures at least a couple or regional languages for free. This allows players...

Helping each other as a Reaction / Immediate action. I think I originally saw this in the Bad Axe Games supplement for D&D 3.5, Trailblazer. Taking the Aid Another action and changing it from a Standard action to an action that you can do on someone else's turn. This allows one player to help...