D&D 5E Rules for moral?

[Wik]

Once, I ran a post-apoc game using the 3e rule set. D20 Future, d20 Apocalypse, and all that. The schtick of the game was the PCs had a steel fishing boat that they had converted into a home, and went all over the Pacific Northwest exploring ruins, fighting bandits and mutants, and all that. It was a lot of fun.

A lot of times, I had quest goals that would let the PCs fix up their boat - a faster engine, or bullet proof windows, or a machine gun on the bow. Stuff like that. And the PCs pursued these goals, and had a lot of fun fixing their boat... and often repairing their boat (sometimes bandits shoot at you before you tie up at the marina!)

One adventure, I had the PCs look at multiple quests with different rewards. One offered food and machine gun ammunition. Another offered some reinforced steel for hte hull. And the third?

A big screen LCD TV and a full DVD library.

The PCs took the third quest, despite the fact that there were NO mechanical benefits.

Some players don't need that sort of thing to have fun.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

The basic premise that any living creature, be it an animal, or an intelligent humanoid, values survival is something that is too often overlooked when everything in the game world besides the PCs is seen only in terms of the challenge it provides. I really think the XP system, being heavily combat encounter based by default helps fuel the PC bloodlust.

So does the encounter building system, by using math that implies that a "fair fight" (Medium encounter) requires the enemy to fight to the death. Otherwise, the typical Medium encounter would end after a single round once the enemy has taken 20% or greater casualties in return for inflicting zero casualties on the PCs. Medium encounters typically have the PCs out numbering the enemies (e.g. 5 level 8 PCs vs. four CR 2-3 monsters), and after the first round of combat there's probably only two or three enemies still standing... why would the enemies continue fighting when it's obvious they've bitten off more than they can chew?

But some DMs build Medium encounters and then have monsters fight to the death, and then the players learn that everything fights to the death so you need to kill everything, and the vicious cycle continues.

 

[Wik]

So, um, re-read my last post. And it sounded kind of condescending. My bad, and I apologize.

What I meant was, simply, that your players might surprise you. Not everyone is out for a mechanical benefit. Some just want a fun story, or an excuse to "do what your character would do".

Lately, with a different group of players, we've had an adventure where they got to buy a keep, dirt cheap. And now they're using their ill-gotten gains to fix the place up. And we're talking things like "new staircases, a kitchen with an island, and well-framed doors", not things like "a new barracks, a ballista to keep out the orcs, and a great pot filled with pitch". I should mention that one player is reno-ing his house, four are renters who would like to own but cannot, and another has just moved to the area and is basically couch-surfing until he can find work in his field. So, there's a bit of playing out of personal fantasies here, that I'm more than happy to help indulge.

So, yeah. If you feel the need for mechanical benefits, go ahead. You know your players more than we do, of course. But I really do think you might be surprised.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

So, um, re-read my last post. And it sounded kind of condescending. My bad, and I apologize.

What I meant was, simply, that your players might surprise you. Not everyone is out for a mechanical benefit. Some just want a fun story, or an excuse to "do what your character would do".

FWIW, that is exactly what I got out of your anecdote in the original post. It didn't seem condescending to me.

In AngryDM's terms (http://theangrygm.com/gaming-for-fun-part-1-eight-kinds-of-fun/), it sounds like your players were enjoying #2 (Fantasy) or maybe #7 (Expression).

 

[Galendril]

You guys have a great concept for a new HGTV show: This Old Keep.

 

[erwtenpeller]

If you absolutely need there to be benefits, you could also have the garden grow herbs that are valuable potion ingredients (if you stronghold has something or someone that can grow potions) or fresh ingredients for food (if your stronghold has a kitchen or a cook). The herbs could result in cheaper or free potions, the fresh ingredients could be reflected in a low constitution bonus because your players are well fed!

 

[erwtenpeller]

I made this post accidentally, and can't figure out how to delete it. sorry! Forum newb here.

 

[77IM]

Grant inspiration?

That's my go-to answer for "soft" benefits from behaviors that don't give mechanical advantage, yet real-life people do frequently anyway.

In this case I am not sure who I would award the inspiration to, or when. Maybe during a pitched battle a PC commander can reflect upon a quality-of-life improvement (garden, feast-hall, festival, etc.) to gain inspiration for the troops.

 

[GX.Sigma]

I like a tight mechanical system, but I'd rather keep the specifics vague. I don't want to worry about the difference between a flower garden and an art gallery, for example. I want players to be able to come up with anything they want. How about this:

Whenever you take a long rest in the stronghold, you gain an amount of temporary hit points equal to your level, multiplied by a number based on how much you've invested in Amenities:

Multiplier   Cost (cumulative)
x1           1000 gp
x2           1000 gp
x3           2000 gp
x4           3000 gp
x5           5000 gp