Shadowdark Shadowdark General Thread [+]

[Scribe]

I was very opposed to the mount being such a large part of the Paladin class for exactly this reason. I suppose it's still a pretty cool class if you just consider the other features, but it feels like you're getting shortchanged if you don't spend a lot of time on your mount.

Or maybe it's just that the text of the mount ability takes up so much space? Maybe if the ability was just a couple of lines it wouldn't feel so off.

I think if it had something like

Mount
See Page XX. Your mount has +4 STR.

It would for sure feel a lot less 'central' to the class. As it is, its not really that integral, it just has that perception due to page space.

 

[Velderan]

I think there probably is, for many groups, a brief period of lethality before everyone -- including the DM -- adjusts a bit. If you are fighting everything you see, you're both ignoring the reaction and morale rules, but you're also playing based on 5E assumptions.

Ok, so we'll be fine. The group I run games for didn't have a problem playing Call of Cthulhu and understanding not everything is to be fought and in fact if you do fight everything, we're going to spend a lot of time at the character select screen. They actually scouted out an encounter with a dragon's lair in PF2e and came up with the plan to have the rogue sneak in and steal some treasure while the group distracted the dragon before they all ran away. This was after over a year of playing PF2e using published APs where every fight has been winnable with the right tactics.

 

[Bill Zebub]

It would for sure feel a lot less 'central' to the class. As it is, its not really that integral, it just has that perception due to page space.

Maybe. Without the mount, the Paladin:

• Cancels undead immunity to Morale checks
• Reduces the risk of going to zero HP for allies
• Gets a free magic weapon

The third one is nice but might not, depending upon the campaign (and GM generosity), be functionally different from other classes. So in my mind the weapon adds flavor, but doesn't otherwise have a lot of impact. The Paladin's distinctive gameplay mostly comes down to those first two abilities. Is that enough?

I would have liked to have seen one additional ability that keyed off of Charisma, either combat or utility.

One thing I might house rule: 2x Cha bonus on reactions from Lawful NPCs, but minus Cha on reactions from Chaotic NPCs. (I suppose that nets out to not really being a benefit, but I still like it.)

 

[NN]

On second thoughts id like class appropriate alternatives to carousing and.a spellbook type variant for wizards

fyi I found what i want in

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/513490/gm-companion-for-shadowdark

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What does scouting look like in your campaign? My thief player said that since she's bringing a light around to see, she can't really sneak around so she threw away the idea of scouting.

We do both above and below ground adventuring (the sandbox is a region formerly ruled by warring wizards that's now covered in ruined wizard towers and dungeons).

Below ground, it's a lot of sneaking ahead without a torch to the edge of the light and seeing and hearing what they can from hiding before slipping back. But the group also asks a lot of questions about tracks, the state of doors and furniture, etc.

 

[Scribe]

Oh Devoured Labyrinth content is available already!

 

[Fenris-77]

We do both above and below ground adventuring (the sandbox is a region formerly ruled by warring wizards that's now covered in ruined wizard towers and dungeons).

Below ground, it's a lot of sneaking ahead without a torch to the edge of the light and seeing and hearing what they can from hiding before slipping back. But the group also asks a lot of questions about tracks, the state of doors and furniture, etc.

I try to make sure that the are occasionally dungeon arwas that are lit, for whatever reason. Not to many, but a few. Other than that, 'scouting the dungeon' in SD is neither easy nor safe. Aa a basic mode of adventuring it also takes a lot fo the fun out of the game, so there's that. I think your players are doing it right though.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I try to make sure that the are occasionally dungeon arwas that are lit, for whatever reason. Not to many, but a few. Other than that, 'scouting the dungeon' in SD is neither easy nor safe. Aa a basic mode of adventuring it also takes a lot fo the fun out of the game, so there's that. I think your players are doing it right though.

It's definitely in the category of "better than nothing."

If the thief comes back and says he heard and smelled something up ahead, that's better than just barging in blind.

 

[Scribe]

One thing I might house rule: 2x Cha bonus on reactions from Lawful NPCs, but minus Cha on reactions from Chaotic NPCs. (I suppose that nets out to not really being a benefit, but I still like it.)

Yeah I think you had mentioned that during the design session, I think its a cool idea as the Reaction is not design space used much so far from most I've seen.

 

[Fenris-77]

It's definitely in the category of "better than nothing."

If the thief comes back and says he heard and smelled something up ahead, that's better than just barging in blind.

PCs aren't helpless in the dark either, just really disadvantaged. A clever player can probably find ways to manage some scouting.