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  1. Lanefan

    D&D General Stop Yapping, Start Playing: Trimming GM Descriptions

    Perhaps, on a successful passive perception roll. Doesn't do much for the guy firing slingstones at the windows, though. One thing many of these stylish descriptions, both long form and short, are sadly lacking in are useful practical specifics such as room dimensions and the number and...
  2. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    Same benefit as any other restriction in a game: it adds to the game's challenge. That a bishop in chess can only move on the diagonals is an intentionally annoying game mechanic that every chess player has to deal with. But would chess be a better game were that annoying restriction removed...
  3. Lanefan

    D&D General Stop Yapping, Start Playing: Trimming GM Descriptions

    My concern isn't players adding material, it's that if the players are left to fill in gaps in the description they will; and end up in their own minds filling in different details for a given element than each other and-or the DM. Which is fine until-unless they start acting on those filled-in...
  4. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    Perhaps it does, but it would IMO make for much duller game-play. I suspect the original designers in the 1970s thought the same way, as D&D missile weapons have never been as effective as they probably should be. I'm fine with it.
  5. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    This is a D&D-General thread; thus implying all editions are equally fair game for discussion.
  6. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    They're supposed to be annoying, in that both mechanics (weapon breakage and ammo tracking) place limits on what a character can do and-or how long it can keep doing it. Magic quivers that never run out of arrows were devloped for a reason. If ammo tracking is that onerous, go on a quest and...
  7. Lanefan

    Poll: VTT Users - Do you prefer self-hosted or cloud-based VTTs?

    Further, the more rules that get baked into the VTT the harder it becomes to add in houserules and-or kitbash the rules system and-or use the VTT for a non-standard system.
  8. Lanefan

    Poll: VTT Users - Do you prefer self-hosted or cloud-based VTTs?

    The less bandwidth required for all involved, the better. The lower the grade of tech required to use it, the better. Not everyone has fibre-optic connections and high-end tech, nor should they be expected to shell out for such just to play an RPG.
  9. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    They can all be made simple, though, by a player whose thought-box for melee tactics doesn't extend beyond "hit it till it falls down".
  10. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    Semantics, perhaps, but in my eyes there's a fairly big difference between retreat, where you're still parrying etc. while moving backwards hoping to get away from the melee, and flee, where you just turn tail and run. IMO only the latter should have a chance of provoking free attacks from your...
  11. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    I don't, and the unlimited casting piece is the benefit to counteract all the rather obvious drawbacks this comes with. Further, were it a 5e environment I'd also relax or even eliminate concentration mechanics for this class other than for maintaining complex illusions. What it means is that...
  12. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    In my system, on first thought I'd probably do it something like: --- what would normally be your daily slots per level become the number of daily random spells per level, thus if your slots would normally be 4 1st, 2 2nd and 1 3rd you'd instead draw four random 1st-level spells, two random...
  13. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    Now that's a true Wild Mage. Love it! I might have to find a way to swipe this and incorporate it into my game somehow.
  14. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    Meh, it's all D&D; much like all tissues are kleenex even if the box they came in says something different on it.
  15. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    Counterpoint: please do! There's loads of design space for lingering or permanent injuries, also something has to explain at the rules-and-mechanics level how the bartender got that permanent limp during his adventuring career. Once you add that explanation in any form beyond DM handwave then...
  16. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    You'd have to roll extremely poorly to lose them all. Pulling Talons from a Deck, though - yeah, can't help you with that. :) Different strokes, I guess; I prefer the more easy come easy go style. It's a fairly easy dial for a DM to tweak to achieve either preference, though, so probably not...
  17. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    Easily reflected by the creature taking damage when "weapon breaks" would otherwise be the case. If the game had specific-location damage rules then that damage would go to the paw or mouth etc. as appropriate; but those rules don't exist and so generic damage is all we're left with.
  18. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    Or just have it that if you're carrying all those magical backups they too are at risk every time you fail a save vs AoE damage. IME that tends to be something of an equalizer over time, if somewhat random. Also, part of the reason for having more than one magic weapon - assuming you can find...
  19. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    I'm using a homebrew initiative system, individual rather than side, and leaving melee only gives your direct foes a free attack at you and even that's not guaranteed*. Most of the lost spells are due to either enemy missile fire, an enemy spellcaster or similar, or friendly fire due to a...
  20. Lanefan

    D&D General Weapons should break left and right

    The obvious next line in that conversation: DM: OK, Bob, skip your turn. Cindy, you're up.
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