D&D 5E 5e CB's Stonefast OOC -- COMPLETE

[CanadienneBacon]

"Hmm. The tunnel follows the corridor, it seems,"

I should take a quick moment to point out a clarification. The corridor heads north-south. The hallway heads west-east.

The tunnel in the ceiling heads due east, which may or may not be interesting given that the west-east hallway ends in the square containing the ceiling panel.

 

[tuxgeo]

In the IC thread, I'm going to let the keeper of the Bag of Holding stow the new treasure from the room with the giant spider; and I would expect that some PC who has training in Arcana (i.e. not Guran) would inspect the coiled 100-foot length of rope for unusual properties.

Regarding other questions:
1. Unless I miss my guess, the 27-point-buy arrangement that is built into 5E is scaled to fit the other numbers in the 5E system. I'm happy with that. Further to the same point: when 4E came out, I studied the 22-point-buy of that system (which adds to a base of 10-10-10-10-10-8); then when I went to look at the "Living 4E" section of EN World, I saw that they were using 25-point-buy instead. That kept me from participating, as I had already started designing characters in my mind using 22-point-buy, so 25-point-buy felt sort of like cheating to me.
However, I could adjust to a higher point level for a new campaign: I have become better informed about typical practices in the gaming community, and have learned that changes to point-buy levels are no big deal, so I'm fine with that. (IIRC, one of the 5E playtests had us using 30-point-buy.)

(With that said, however: Looking forward to possibly participating in a followup game underground, I'm already a week and a half into designing "Gilroy LaTortoise, Gnome Warlock, son of Toulouse LaTortoise" using 27-point-buy. Gnomes don't get any bonus to CHA, so he's going to have to start with 14 in his casting stat. However, if we had more points to play with -- it would take me a couple of additional weeks to readjust, because I build slowly.)

Questions 2 and 6 are inter-linked: if we use group initiative, then there's no need to update the map of the situation between one PC's action and the next's, because they all happen at effectively the same time. Personally, I enjoy individual initiative, partly because it lets different PCs shine more in different fights: one time the wizard will go long before the baddies while the rogue goes after the baddies; and another time the rogue will go first and the wizard won't get a turn until later. That mixes things up and makes it feel chancier. (Admittedly, though, it makes more work for the DM.)

Questions 3 and 7 are both about the maps: The maps were not a distraction; they were very informative. With that said, however, I don't think we needed them quite as often as they appeared. I can usually follow the action through a few IC posts without losing my frame of reference. Plain background is good. The grid numbers are good.

4. Combat posts: announcement of a new round is a good thing, and the title is a good place to put it.
I can find Initiative order wherever it's put; but putting it at the bottom makes more of a goad to action and less of a reference to refer back to. Have you considered cycling through the combatants by listing the "next-to-go" on top? (I have seen it done that way.)
I mean, at the start of the first round you could have:
Giant spider 23
Colden ??
Roscoe ??
Fulgrim ??
Kobold ??
Guran 9
Spec 8
Orc ??

. . . but if you post a combat post after the Kobolds go, it could look like:
Guran 9
Spec 8
Orc ??
Giant spider 23
Colden ??
Roscoe ??
Fulgrim ??
Kobold ??

(I don't in any way guarantee that this would be an improvement, though.)

5. I love knowing the monsters' HP levels. Are you sure we should know that for free? Maybe we should have to make an INT (Nature) check, or an INT (Arcana) check, or something to know that stuff. But I agree, having the info for free is easier and quite fun.

8. Else on my mind: Stonefast ain't your father's Rogue-like game: the first level isn't the top, with more difficult challenges at lower levels. Thar's Kobolds in the ceiling!

 

[Kobold Stew]

When the webs are disposed of, the party will find a coiled 100' length of rope that seems to have magic imbued in its weave that will require your time and attention to study during a short rest, 20 gp, 5 sp, and two desiccated fire beetle carcasses.

I'll start updating. I've not been doing a good job of that.

As I get back into DMing full-time and prepare to run a new long-term campaign, I'm seeking your feedback on these things:
1. Was the point buy sufficient at character generation? Would you have preferred more points to play with so you had a better build? Something different entirely?

I agree that 27 is fine -- I like the pressure, and having to make difficult choices. More cheapens things for me.

2. How did the most recent combat go? Did you like updates after each character's turn? Or do you prefer the old system, where everyone posts actions at will which are then synthesized into one longer adjudication?

It was great for me, though my priority would be not to be a burden on the DM -- if the time investment for you is comparable, this is preferable. But I think there's a trade off, and DM happiness is key to a longterm game.

3. Was the map updated frequently enough during the most recent combat? Too frequently (were the maps a visual distraction)?

It was updated a lot, but it was great and not a distraction.

4. How's the formatting for the combat posts? Do you like the title that annotates the start of a new round? Should the initiative order be included in each combat post? Do you like the initiative order to go at the top or the bottom of the post?

It saves us as players scrolling up looking for things (good) but takes more time from you (bad).

5. Do you like knowing the monsters' hp?

I see it as incredibly useful as a player, but there will be times when *not* know is better (particularly against major foes, where keeping these things secret will change our tactics). It does feel like an advantage, but it may facilitate pbp.

6. Do you like individual or group initiative?

As above, I like it, but only if it's not more trouble for you than it's worth.

7. How's the format of the combat maps? Anything distracting on there? And, specifically, does a combat map need a background, or is plain white ok? Were the alphanumeric grid squares a help?
8. Other. Let me know if something's on your mind.

All else is good. I continue to be happy with Father Spec bumbling around.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

As it turned out on my end, it was super easy to do a map update after every character turn. I spent about three or four hours familiarizing myself with Excel, but that turned out to be an excellent investment of my time. Since I didn't have to synthesize five player actions into one one-round combat post, the new method totally de-tangled and simplified things on my end, resulting in far fewer (I thought) DM errors. The worry I had was that dialing you up one at a time and doing a map update after every character turn would slow down combat and that players would grow disinterested. I am pleased that in the comments returned so far, no one feels that combat went unduly slowly.

It was also convenient for me to include an initiative tracker and gm tag in each post because all I do is quote myself, then supplant old stated actions with updates. Rolling initiative, however, is probably adding a layer of complexity that I should avoid. I tend to want to post on the fly while I'm at work, and historically my posting on the fly results in errors. Error attrition is a priority for me, so I don't think I'll be implementing rolling initiative.

Ya'll's comments re: a 27 point buy surprise but please me. I personally love a crazy uber point buy (I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when Creamsteak said in another game to use this array: 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13). But, then again, I totally get wanting to have to make hard choices...and a 27 point buy accomplishes that. I'll keep that in mind when I call for characters for Out of the Abyss.

The suggestion to hide the hp for major foes is a good one that I'll adopt. It was convenient for me to be able to readily track hp for monsters in a gm tag, but I get that there are times when not knowing a creature's hp adds to the suspense. Overtly tracking lower-level foes but hiding BBEG hp is a nice compromise.

 

[Skarsgard]

Thanks for the level-up CB!

1. Was the point buy sufficient at character generation? Would you have preferred more points to play with so you had a better build? Something different entirely?
27 is fine by me, like the others have stated it makes for some tougher choices

2. How did the most recent combat go? Did you like updates after each character's turn? Or do you prefer the old system, where everyone posts actions at will which are then synthesized into one longer adjudication?
I have enjoyed it but honestly, whatever works for you best is fine by me.

3. Was the map updated frequently enough during the most recent combat? Too frequently (were the maps a visual distraction)?
Maps are great, it saves a lot of time in trying to work out where people can/cannot go

4. How's the formatting for the combat posts? Do you like the title that annotates the start of a new round? Should the initiative order be included in each combat post? Do you like the initiative order to go at the top or the bottom of the post?
I like the init at the bottom, simply because the map gives me an overview of the situation first.

5. Do you like knowing the monsters' hp?
Yes!!!!!!!

6. Do you like individual or group initiative?
I have played in games that do group and it sets up a certain flow to it, I don't mind either or indeed if the DM simply rolls for the lot.

7. How's the format of the combat maps? Anything distracting on there? And, specifically, does a combat map need a background, or is plain white ok? Were the alphanumeric grid squares a help?
Like the map

Thanks for your efforts, truly appreciated.

 

[Forged Fury]

Given the Level-Up and the hiatus, I think we should probably find somewhere to take a Long Rest, either in one of the rooms or outside Stonefast. At least for me, the Long Rest would allow me to prepare spells, including new ones I may have learned this level. We have two spell scrolls (Web and Rope Trick), which I wouldn't mind copying into my spellbook, but the requisite materials would have to be hand-waved (we could deduct the cost from the treasure we've found so far). Otherwise, they're just scrolls.

Is the Elemental Evil player's guide allowed? I was thinking about possibly learning spells from there...

 

[Forged Fury]

Fulgrim is basically updated. I need to pick new spells and figure out which 2 new spells I am preparing as well. I increased STR and INT by 1 each, getting him +1s to modifiers in both abilities.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Is the Elemental Evil player's guide allowed? I was thinking about possibly learning spells from there...

What spells do you want from there?

 

[Forged Fury]

I was looking at Absorb Elements as a solid abjuration spell and Maxmilliar's Earthen Grasp for fun. I also get a cantrip, but I'm not sure which direction I want to go with that...

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Frostbite?

I'll look tomorrow morning at the spells you mention and get back to you. I didn't see much for abjuration spells earlier when I looked at the spell list in the EEPG (other than absorb elements), but I wasn't focusing hardcore when I looked. Is that a consideration for Fulgrim, since he's an Abjurer?