D&D 5E No One Plays High Level?

[nevin]

Using a VTT for mass combat could potentially make it less expensive.

The question is it going to make it more popular. Because if not there's not really enough money there.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The question is it going to make it more popular. Because if not there's not really enough money there.

Again, how do you, personally, know what would be popular?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Of course, I want to know, why would I be baiting you and how would I bait you anyway? Call you rude names when you tell me? What does my opinion of you matter? What an extraordinary thing to say.

Sorry, this board makes me paranoid.

Once you have dealt with anything needed to be able to do to build a stronghold where you want (such as acquiring/clearing the land, getting permission from a local lord, etc.), you decide what kind of stronghold you want from a list of 14 (with at least one more available through added content). You decide how big it will be and that determines its base cost. If the stronghold is primarily rural as opposed to urban, that will affect the base size via a column on a table. Unusual strongholds (such as those built underground, underwater, on an earthmote, etc.) carry a corresponding cost multiplier. Next you decide on the level of furnishings, which can affect the total cost of course. You can combine multiple strongholds and gain the effects of all of them for the combined cost of all, but any strongholds beyond the first can only be half the size of the main stronghold.

Stronghold effects:
1. You get a prestige bonus associated with the total cost of your stronghold (prestige being a factor with its own rules in Level Up), that is the highest available from all strongholds to which you have access.

2. Each type of stronghold grants a stronghold feat, and allows the use of free followers (based on the staff of the stronghold, which is based on its size).

3. At a certain grade of stronghold, you gain a +1 ASI, determined by the stronghold type, and an additional +1 at a certain higher grade of stronghold. You can only gain this bonus from the first stronghold you control.

Most effects from a stronghold can only be used by the owner (that's the stronghold feat at work), but some can be used by anyone who has access to it. That's in addition to any effects that the stronghold would provide anyone merely based on what kind of building it is (a tavern is a tavern, a castle is a castle).

18 example strongholds are provided, and the rules for followers and what they do for you are in the same book. It's not my ideal (I prefer more granular domain rules like BECMI or other OSR-style games), but for 5e I think it does an excellent job, like everything else in Level Up.

 

[James Gasik]

See this is what I was saying in that Bastion thread- you have to give players a reason to want to build a stronghold, and Level Up achieves that by giving you a free feat and an ASI (possibly also minions, though for all I know, they're best left at the stronghold)!

If you just say "hey you can spend a ton of money on a base that doesn't do you any real good", few players are going to want to deal with the hassle, which is pretty much why we lost these features after 2e.

 

[Micah Sweet]

See this is what I was saying in that Bastion thread- you have to give players a reason to want to build a stronghold, and Level Up achieves that by giving you a free feat and an ASI (possibly also minions, though for all I know, they're best left at the stronghold)!

If you just say "hey you can spend a ton of money on a base that doesn't do you any real good", few players are going to want to deal with the hassle, which is pretty much why we lost these features after 2e.

A stronghold by itself needs a reason it gives value to those who pay for it. A stronghold as the capital of your own kingdom gives a different kind of value.

 

[the Jester]

I think a lot of people are getting the entire idea twisted.

The official D&D version of a mass combat system, a domain management system, a home base system, an evil organization system, an apocalyptic event system, a planehoping system, templates and and variants for monsters, high high traps, or high level monsters... don't have to be books.

You can sit them in setting books. Mass combat in Dragonlance. Domains in Birthright. Apocalyptic events in Mentor Vale.

You can stick them in options books. TCOE and XTCE was filled with stuff.

"People won't buy that."

People bought supernatural weather and hazards .It was in Tashas

There wasn't any demand for that broken mess of a Twilight cleric, but we still got it.

The problem with that is that I want mass combat rules, but I have no interest in a DragonLance book. (For instance.) Certain things would be great to have in the actual core books.

 

[nevin]

Again, how do you, personally, know what would be popular?

If i knew then it wouldnt be the question would it?

 

[nevin]

See this is what I was saying in that Bastion thread- you have to give players a reason to want to build a stronghold, and Level Up achieves that by giving you a free feat and an ASI (possibly also minions, though for all I know, they're best left at the stronghold)!

If you just say "hey you can spend a ton of money on a base that doesn't do you any real good", few players are going to want to deal with the hassle, which is pretty much why we lost these features after 2e.

In my experience it was more DMs not wanting to deal it. Usually because thier ego's didnt like player putting important things to the plot i to the game. Or just not wanting to deal with follower's, income, etc

 

[Micah Sweet]

If i knew then it wouldnt be the question would it?

Sure, but your comments seem to assume you know what would be popular and what wouldn't be.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Sorry, this board makes me paranoid.

Once you have dealt with anything needed to be able to do to build a stronghold where you want (such as acquiring/clearing the land, getting permission from a local lord, etc.), you decide what kind of stronghold you want from a list of 14 (with at least one more available through added content). You decide how big it will be and that determines its base cost. If the stronghold is primarily rural as opposed to urban, that will affect the base size via a column on a table. Unusual strongholds (such as those built underground, underwater, on an earthmote, etc.) carry a corresponding cost multiplier. Next you decide on the level of furnishings, which can affect the total cost of course. You can combine multiple strongholds and gain the effects of all of them for the combined cost of all, but any strongholds beyond the first can only be half the size of the main stronghold.

Stronghold effects:
1. You get a prestige bonus associated with the total cost of your stronghold (prestige being a factor with its own rules in Level Up), that is the highest available from all strongholds to which you have access.

2. Each type of stronghold grants a stronghold feat, and allows the use of free followers (based on the staff of the stronghold, which is based on its size).

3. At a certain grade of stronghold, you gain a +1 ASI, determined by the stronghold type, and an additional +1 at a certain higher grade of stronghold. You can only gain this bonus from the first stronghold you control.

Most effects from a stronghold can only be used by the owner (that's the stronghold feat at work), but some can be used by anyone who has access to it. That's in addition to any effects that the stronghold would provide anyone merely based on what kind of building it is (a tavern is a tavern, a castle is a castle).

18 example strongholds are provided, and the rules for followers and what they do for you are in the same book. It's not my ideal (I prefer more granular domain rules like BECMI or other OSR-style games), but for 5e I think it does an excellent job, like everything else in Level Up.

Thanks for that. What kind of stuff does the stronghold feat do? Does it grant a power to the character or allow some action in the domain? Is it an active power (one that the player activates) or a passive power? And do followers do anything beyond staff the stronghold. Is there a whole subsystem for followers?