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I've got a Starfinder technomancer who flavored her magic missiles as purple glowing rebar. Weirdly, I find that it's easier to rejigger magic than other game elements.

For those of you who haven’t stumbled across the term before, I’m using “reflavoring” to denote the re-fluffing of game mechanics. Instead of rage my barbarian gets possessed by ancestor spirits. Instead of a sword my fighter uses a macuahuitl. Instead of a bow that shoots enchanted arrows my...

A couple of different sources have shaped my thinking on this point. The first is "gygaxian naturalism." http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2008/09/gygaxian-naturalism.html The other comes from the Alexandrian's take on the CR system. I'm looking at the CR 10 roper example specifically...

If you've dwelt long in the gaming forums strewn across the web, you've no doubt heard phrases like these: “There’s no wrong way to game,” or, “If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.” That can get a bit reductive, but I do think it's a generally useful reminder. Every group is unique, and...

It's certainly an interesting rule. And kind of preferable to the "Lies of Locke Lamora" style solutions. I feel like any idiot in a fantasy world who captured a mage would know to go for the full Lavinia, but your maimed PC's player would be (rightly) upset about that. That in turn means you've...

I started thinking about this question on account of my Pathfinder 1e Occulitst. If you’re not familiar, the class is all about attuning to “implements,” items that allow you to focus your power and produce psychic effects. I enjoyed the adaptability of the class, but I get all manner of...

At least it's more consequential than rolling off for an in-game slice of pizza.

I guess the tail would make a plausible "belt." Sort of Goku style....

But that's the thing: The Dual Identity Ability specifically calls this mess out. "The change is as much a state of mind as of body, so items such as a hat of disguise and similar spells and effects that change the user’s appearance do not reduce the time required to change identities." I'm...

I don't know how many blue tieflings there are running around Korvosa. All I know is that one of them is in my game, and the dude is a vigilante. Seems to me that a vibrant azure hue is a pretty strong hint towards the ol' secret identity. How do you justify this mess? Is it really just...

Heh. I guess a single copper piece would be the most financially unimportant roll.

A single d20 only has so many natural 20s in it. You might have a powerful die or a weak one, but any seasoned adventurer will tell you that there’s a limited supply of luck inside each and every icosahedron. According to widely-accepted theory, if you waste those rolls persuading beggars or...

I quite like this take. I've seen the "I'll let it work" mindset applied to oddball rulings and over the top stunts. It seems to work equally well here. The first zone of truth solves the problem, and so the player feels like their spells are valuable. The second may provide a minor clue. SPAM...

Tell me if you've ever run into this one. You're in a murder mystery game, and you've got a corpse on your hands. And happily, since you're the luckiest mage in Golarion, you've got speak with dead prepped and ready to go. That's when your GM starts to get sweaty and nervous-looking. "The jaw...

Is there any weapon in D&D history that rolls 3d4? I guess you could find something like the "shock truncheon" over in Starfinder... https://www.starjammersrd.com/equipment/weapons/ ...But that game goes a bit nuts with leveling up your gear.

Philosophy the first: Look, it’s a straightforward optimization question. In 5e D&D a greatsword swings with 2d6 for an average of 7 damage. A greataxe has that impressive 1d12 damage die, but that’s only 6.5 average damage. Over the life of a campaign, you’re just straight up dealing more...

Huh. Funky that we've got "skilled play" on the one hand and "this is a problem with new players" elsewhere in the thread. I wonder if it's a generational thing?

When you ask your GM leading questions, you’re probably not going to get the answer you want. That’s due to the simple fact that GMs aren’t psychic. Sometimes we don’t know what you’re getting at, and so we inadvertently shut down your plans before they can get off the ground. In other words...

Not familiar with the example. I don't mind spoilers, so please do tell: how exactly does this relate to the idea of "partially true rumors?"

I love me some rabdom rumor tables. And even though the “true” and “false” quest hooks can be interesting in their own right, I have a special soft spot for those oh-so-interesting “partly true” rumors. They’re some of my favorites for RP purposes. I’m talking about those in-game urban legends...