Aeon (updated 10/9/14)

[TheBrassDuke]

Is there anyone out there willing to help recreate the Web of Motes mechanically, and for 5e? I’m stumped.

 

[Siuis]

It's taken a few years but I've finally recovered my old email account so I can verify myself (and promptly changed to a non-burner email!)

Is there anyone out there willing to help recreate the Web of Motes mechanically, and for 5e? I’m stumped.

I think the major trouble you'll run into is that 5e just doesn't approach divination the same way? In 3e you could, for example, get a hundred diviners into a room with a gridded map, and as long as you had the power to actually search an area, you could first establish that each grid area would be searched in half an hour; that you were looking for something; and ask "Do I find tnhe thing in section c8, weal or woe?". You could then work this into an algorithm whereby knowing you have the capacity to search a given section, and asssigning each diviner a section, ask if sequence A (asking every odd numbered diviner would find the thing within ten replies) or sequence B (asking if every odd numbered diviner would find it within 11-20 replies) or sequence C (asking if... etc) and eventually develop a binary computer system whereby having a spreadsheet, too much time on your hands, and one hundred diviners with a level 1 spell sitting on your payroll, you could discover a very precise geolocation of any object or creature that was not directly obfuscated from divination, with a single casting of Augury.

In 5e, you can't do that. You cannot really push things in the same way because the rules are much less interested in creating a simulation of reality.

Best thing you could do is decide what you want the web of motes to represent knowledge of, and then assign ridiculous DCs to that, but allow preparation using divinations, enhancements, and special conditions to lower the DC.

Maybe it's a DC 50 Arcana check to get a good faith effect of any divination spell, and you reduce that DC by 4 each time someone provides a different Enhance Ability effect for charisma, intelligence or wisdom; Reduce by 4 if the user is a diviner; reduce by 4 if the user can secure themselves a place of power such as a ley line nexus or a wizard tower to do the work in. That right there gives you, a master wizard with some apprentices and real estate, a much more reasonable (50 - (4 x 3 = )12 =) 38 DC check, before the additional reductions being a diviner and having a place of power to work in, dropping it to DC 30, with advantage, A user with an appropriate attribute of 20 and proficiency can hit that, barely, starting at level 6 provided someone is around to drop some Guidance on them!

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

It's taken a few years but I've finally recovered my old email account so I can verify myself (and promptly changed to a non-burner email!)



I think the major trouble you'll run into is that 5e just doesn't approach divination the same way? In 3e you could, for example, get a hundred diviners into a room with a gridded map, and as long as you had the power to actually search an area, you could first establish that each grid area would be searched in half an hour; that you were looking for something; and ask "Do I find tnhe thing in section c8, weal or woe?". You could then work this into an algorithm whereby knowing you have the capacity to search a given section, and asssigning each diviner a section, ask if sequence A (asking every odd numbered diviner would find the thing within ten replies) or sequence B (asking if every odd numbered diviner would find it within 11-20 replies) or sequence C (asking if... etc) and eventually develop a binary computer system whereby having a spreadsheet, too much time on your hands, and one hundred diviners with a level 1 spell sitting on your payroll, you could discover a very precise geolocation of any object or creature that was not directly obfuscated from divination, with a single casting of Augury.

In 5e, you can't do that. You cannot really push things in the same way because the rules are much less interested in creating a simulation of reality.

Best thing you could do is decide what you want the web of motes to represent knowledge of, and then assign ridiculous DCs to that, but allow preparation using divinations, enhancements, and special conditions to lower the DC.

Maybe it's a DC 50 Arcana check to get a good faith effect of any divination spell, and you reduce that DC by 4 each time someone provides a different Enhance Ability effect for charisma, intelligence or wisdom; Reduce by 4 if the user is a diviner; reduce by 4 if the user can secure themselves a place of power such as a ley line nexus or a wizard tower to do the work in. That right there gives you, a master wizard with some apprentices and real estate, a much more reasonable (50 - (4 x 3 = )12 =) 38 DC check, before the additional reductions being a diviner and having a place of power to work in, dropping it to DC 30, with advantage, A user with an appropriate attribute of 20 and proficiency can hit that, barely, starting at level 6 provided someone is around to drop some Guidance on them!

Contact Other Plane essentially answers 5 Yes/No questions. In game, I’ve done exactly what you described by putting coordinates on a map and used the spell to ask if the mcguffin is in a specific coordinate on the map.

Maybe the Mote could act as some kind of advanced Contact Other Plane. It is kind of sentient, after all. The trick is your map isn’t 2D but multi-dimensional and this is where the skill check comes in?

 

[Joshua Randall]

Sep never explained the mechanics of the Web of Motes - he was even asked directly about it in the Eadric et al. thread, but whether he ignored the query or simply didn't see it, we can't know.

Edit: here's the specific question: Eadric et. al. (The Paladin and his Friends).

So it can do pretty much whatever it needs to do within your game. I would venture to say that's how Sep would've DM'd it, anyway!

 

[grodog]

Sep never explained the mechanics of the Web of Motes - he was even asked directly about it in the Eadric et al. thread, but whether he ignored the query or simply didn't see it, we can't know.

So it can do pretty much whatever it needs to do within your game. I would venture to say that's how Sep would've DM'd it, anyway!

Well, I've certainly given some thought to statting it out in 1e terms, but not 3e or more-recent editions

Edit: here's the specific question: Eadric et. al. (The Paladin and his Friends).didn't see it, we can't know.

That got me thinking: did we ever see the original 1e versions of the PCs? I don't recall ever seeing that....

Allan.

PS: @Sepulchrave II : one of our dev teams is in Portland, so I'll likely be able to visit sometime in the next 6-ish months. Would love to catch up while in town

 

[Joshua Randall]

I don't recall ever seeing any versions of the PCs other than the one posted in the Eadric et al. thread. I guess we know Eadric specifically is the player's prized character since the 1e days, but does the same apply to Nym, Ortwin, Mostin? (I always got the sense that Mostin in particular was created 'recently' to the 'paladin & succubus' situation that kicked off the story hour.)

 

[grodog]

I don't recall ever seeing any versions of the PCs other than the one posted in the Eadric et al. thread. I guess we know Eadric specifically is the player's prized character since the 1e days, but does the same apply to Nym, Ortwin, Mostin? (I always got the sense that Mostin in particular was created 'recently' to the 'paladin & succubus' situation that kicked off the story hour.)

I think that's right. My (vague!) recollection is

• that Eadric and Ortwin specifically were 1e carry-overs, and I think Nwm too
• that the monk PC was killed or retired, and replaced by Mostin

I assume that many of the rest of the characters were likely created natively in 3.x for the events of the campaign.

Allan.

 

[Joshua Randall]

A monk named Skaddius in fact.

 

[TheBrassDuke]

So I’ve been running an Eladrin Chronurgist in 5e for a while now, his name is Artellio; we just hit 10th level and I took my single dip in Cleric (Peace Domain). There’s an ability called Emboldening Bond that tethers people together in a fashion.

From Cleric of Peace:
“Starting at 1st level, you can forge an empowering bond among people who are at peace with one another. As an action, you choose a number of willing creatures within 30 feet of you (this can include yourself) equal to your proficiency bonus. You create a magical bond among them for 10 minutes or until you use this feature again. While any bonded creature is within 30 feet of another, the creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw it makes. Each creature can add the d4 no more than once per turn. …”

With this, Bless, and an assortment of other neat abilities: (spells, rest-casting said spells, rituals, items, etc.), my party is unstoppable*.

But I’m now looking to create a Web of Motes…link up with every mote out there. Become it? Idk. Just random rambling, ignore me.

Sep, come back plz and tell us about the Web?

*DM gave me the Tome of the Stilled Tongue…I think maybe to give me choices down the road. But she knows I’m throwing down my most powerful spells that take too long to cast. Instant Tiny Hut? Yus!

[Images: Created by me on HeroForge!]

 

[TheBrassDuke]

Try here: Eadric et. al. (The Paladin and his Friends).

I've also been toying with recreating some of Sep's items for my 1e Greyhawk campaigns, in particular the Web of Motes (the Looking Glass is a classic Mirror of Mental Prowess) and some other artifacts.

Allan.

Did you end up doing it?