D&D 5E Out of the Abyss OOC

[GlassEye]

Another version of No Diggity; Chet Faker that you can do a slow West Coast Swing or Blues dance to. One of my favorite songs, regardless of version.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Yavathol]

Regarding [MENTION=11146]CanadienneBacon[/MENTION]'s journal on alignment, I agree that the main thing is not to disrupt the group, and lawful evil is likely to be more suitable than neutral or chaotic evil. Some strongly lawful good paladins can also be disruptive!

I quite liked the 4e(?) guide that most creatures are neutral with only extra-planar creatures and some clerics and paladins being so extreme as to be aligned; Kamael falls into this category - even the adversity of his upbringing has not eroded his strong moral code due to his race.

Wergil, on the other hand, probably is really neutral, just with leanings to law and evil…

Finally, I still feel the echoes of 1e where changing alignment was a punishment imposed by the dm if he didn't think your PC was behaving appropriately. I'd like to see more encouragement for players to change and evolve their characters alignment as the campaign progresses.

 

[GlassEye]

Tangentially to that, I like how alignment sometimes works into Personality, Ideals, Bonds, Flaws. They are great for having as a roleplaying guideline for your character but I like the way Dungeon World manages them (just called Bonds in that game). There, bonds are linked to the other characters (but it would be easy to have an alignment bond) and when that relationship changes, the bond is marked resolved, the player marks experience for their character, and a new bond is created. [DW Bonds; half-way down that page.]

 

[Kobold Stew]

The post on alignment is interesting -- thanks, CB. I am not interested in playing evil characters, partly because of external dynamics (I want the group to work together, and not to be splitting off or tearing each other down; I can get that in real life, and so it's not fun for me). Alignment is a legacy thing, and it's easy to see problems with it (particularly in how it removes the need for hesitation or moral reckoning), but it does allow for some cool opportunities. As we know, reality is never so black and white.

I once tried to play an alcoholic paladin -- someone who was good, but struggled and failed and tried. The DM instantly started thinking in terms of stripping powers (glad that mechanic is gone in 5e), which was not of interest to me; I was trying to shape an rp experience, not hobble the party.

I also like playing monster races if given the opportunity, and making them work with a group. Kago's a huge success for this sort of thing, and it's fun watching that emerge (so, that's an unfettered compliment for IG) -- can one worship Gruumsh and be good (as a cleric; or just generally?) I wish there were more thinking in this space.

I'm enjoying this game, folks.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

There's a lot to respond to today, both here and in the IC. And so here I sit in my kitchen, ensconced with a late but decadent lunch of an avocado and sharp cheddar cheese sandwich on sourdough, merrily mulling over answers.

Another version of No Diggity; Chet Faker that you can do a slow West Coast Swing or Blues dance to. One of my favorite songs, regardless of version.

Wow, so that song is sex incarnate. Those dudes are, uh, serious about their music, and it shows not only in guitar licks but the way the singer's face strains and becomes red, the way the bassist curls his fingers over the strings. In the bobbing of heads and sway of hips. Did my liking blues come up in previous discussion? I don't recall. I like blues. It's probably my favorite music genre. Thanks for sharing this.

Keggers for justice?
Tequila shots from the bench?
"Judges on Spring Break" sounds like a very good movie, or a very bad movie. Or both.

Judges Gone Wild?

I don't envy your living in Florida. It's hot. Muggy. There are alligators. And hurricanes. Granted, there are also women in string bikinis (or less?), but then again you have to put up with being descended upon each March and April by drunk crazy people who, I'm sure, do a lot of property damage. And that's just the snow birds. The college students are worse, I'm told.

Seriously, I'm certain Florida has much to recommend it in terms of awe-inspiring natural beauty. The teal of water. The finely grained sand beaches. The lilt of citrus trees. The quiet pink of dusk on the reaches of the mangroves. Have I mentioned it's hot? And muggy?

I'd like to see more encouragement for players to change and evolve their characters alignment as the campaign progresses.

This is a thing that interests me, too. I never said anything overt to this effect, because it just seemed so patently obvious to me, but of course you're all free to roleplay shifts in alignment. And I'm happy to provide the in-game prompts that allow characters to interact with their environment and evolve.

The DM instantly started thinking in terms of stripping powers (glad that mechanic is gone in 5e), which was not of interest to me; I was trying to shape an rp experience, not hobble the party.

This is not a thing I did when I ran 3.x, nor is it a thing I would do here (and, yes, I'm glad too that 5e removes that mechanic). The world is shades of gray. I want players to be free to explore characterizations that interest them, even the morally ambiguous shades of gray. One of the reasons I'm choosy about who I play with is that I want just the right mix of people who trust one another to loosen the reins on the traditionally acceptable bounds of roleplay while simultaneously being protective of getting along and being good gameplay colleagues to one another. This group does that smashingly well.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

A'ight. Shuushar will do the talking if you guys really want him to. Or he could stand by the side of one of the group while they do the talking, perhaps lending credibility to (or discrediting???) a Persuasion roll one of you make. You'll have to decide who's gonna do the talking and let me know.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Solace is willing to speak (+7 persuasion), but may not have the needed language skills (Disadvantage)? Doing so would alert the guard to her presence but not necessarily anyone else's.

 

[Yavathol]

Kamael can go talk to the guard (+6), using Shushaar to translate, which would allow Solace to stay hidden, in case things go Pete Tong.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

You guys have seen Shuushar speaking Undercommon with Jimjar and Turvey. He seems fluent.

You could also ask him what language kuo-toa speak.