[QUOTE=elowin;46454493]If that's what he meant he's wrong.
Pretty sure it isn't what he meant, though.[/QUOTE]
Well, power source being a physical source, like fire, water, or something more abstract, like aether. Where you use tools, or your own body to channel the energy.
Power from knowledge is something like words of power, where it doesn't take any particular effort, and doesn't use outside sources for "fuel". It's just the fact that you know it. Usually in systems like this the knowledge is just hard to wrap your head around, which makes it rare.
Power from mind being sheer force of will. Psionics would be an example of this.
I would really like you to think of a magic that lies outside of this.
[QUOTE=Funktastic Dog;46456782]Well, power source being a physical source, like fire, water, or something more abstract, like aether. Where you use tools, or your own body to channel the energy.
Power from knowledge is something like words of power, where it doesn't take any particular effort, and doesn't use outside sources for "fuel". It's just the fact that you know it. Usually in systems like this the knowledge is just hard to wrap your head around, which makes it rare.
Power from mind being sheer force of will. Psionics would be an example of this.
I would really like you to think of a magic that lies outside of this.[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://1d4chan.org/images/e/e4/Muscle_wizard.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE=Funktastic Dog;46456782]Well, power source being a physical source, like fire, water, or something more abstract, like aether. Where you use tools, or your own body to channel the energy.
Power from knowledge is something like words of power, where it doesn't take any particular effort, and doesn't use outside sources for "fuel". It's just the fact that you know it. Usually in systems like this the knowledge is just hard to wrap your head around, which makes it rare.
Power from mind being sheer force of will. Psionics would be an example of this.
I would really like you to think of a magic that lies outside of this.[/QUOTE]
That's pretty easy actually.
Magic from bullshit.
This is a very special type of magic where the writer didn't give a fuck, and just decided that it was magic, and he ain't gotta explain shit.
[QUOTE=elowin;46456872]That's pretty easy actually.
Magic from bullshit.
This is a very special type of magic where the writer didn't give a fuck, and just decided that it was magic, and he ain't gotta explain shit.[/QUOTE]
Like J.K. Rowling
Seriously for a story about wizards, she didn't explain ANYTHING about magic.
[QUOTE=gman003-main;46456893]Like J.K. Rowling
Seriously for a story about wizards, she didn't explain ANYTHING about magic.[/QUOTE]
bruh. it's magic
ain't gotta 'splain shit
it was also written for kids, not adults with a penchant for ocd
[QUOTE=gman003-main;46456893]Like J.K. Rowling
Seriously for a story about wizards, she didn't explain ANYTHING about magic.[/QUOTE]
It's better this way: If she explained what was magic and all, the reader could find plot hole and giving an explanation would break the "magic" of it, since it's "science".
Magic exist, and that the first thing the reader need to understand to dive into the universe.
[QUOTE=gman003-main;46456893]Like J.K. Rowling
Seriously for a story about wizards, she didn't explain ANYTHING about magic.[/QUOTE]
Just keep saying words that sound a bit latiny until something happens
[QUOTE=FreaXx;46457589]It's better this way: If she explained what was magic and all, the reader could find plot hole and giving an explanation would break the "magic" of it, since it's "science".
Magic exist, and that the first thing the reader need to understand to dive into the universe.[/QUOTE]
oh trust me there's plenty of plot holes anyway
literally the whole setting is a plot hole
[editline]11th November 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=lintz;46456980]bruh. it's magic
ain't gotta 'splain shit
it was also written for kids, not adults with a penchant for ocd[/QUOTE]
The first couple of books maybe.
4th and onwards were definitely not kids books. Unless by kids books you mean teens.
[QUOTE=elowin;46461861]
The first couple of books maybe.
4th and onwards were definitely not kids books. Unless by kids books you mean teens.[/QUOTE]
And the final book was written for avid outdoorsmen.
I forget if I've asked here before, but looking at Jrose's map reminded me that I have huge issues dealing with travel between locations. Does anyone have ways of dealing with that that they could recommend? Usually I use random encounter tables mixed with flavor text and occasionally a semi-planned encounter, but it's hard to deal with huge chunks of time passing because I feel like it breaks immersion.
[QUOTE=Alxnotorious;46462331]And the final book was written for avid outdoorsmen.
I forget if I've asked here before, but looking at Jrose's map reminded me that I have huge issues dealing with travel between locations. Does anyone have ways of dealing with that that they could recommend? Usually I use random encounter tables mixed with flavor text and occasionally a semi-planned encounter, but it's hard to deal with huge chunks of time passing because I feel like it breaks immersion.[/QUOTE]
Give them a faster way of travelling or stuff to do on the way? Not much else you can do if you don't want to declare a time skip.
Time skips are probably the best way to do it if you don't want to do the AD&D style of having a risk of random encounters, multiple a day. All THAT does is bog down the game with pointless combat though. Having some non-combat encounters, like having to cross a deep chasm with clever thinking or magic otherwise extending the trip by a couple days. That kind of thing.
[QUOTE=Chronische;46462440]Time skips are probably the best way to do it if you don't want to do the AD&D style of having a risk of random encounters, multiple a day. All THAT does is bog down the game with pointless combat though. Having some non-combat encounters, like having to cross a deep chasm with clever thinking or magic otherwise extending the trip by a couple days. That kind of thing.[/QUOTE]
Problem is, with that the players can just hop around the map willy nilly without consequence. Medieval travel was long, exhausting, and dangerous.
Highwaymen were a massive problem. It's why you travelled with a big group.
If youre in some kind of system with instantaneous or stress free travel, than sure.
[QUOTE=Funktastic Dog;46463439]Problem is, with that the players can just hop around the map willy nilly without consequence. Medieval travel was long, exhausting, and dangerous.
Highwaymen were a massive problem. It's why you travelled with a big group.
If youre in some kind of system with instantaneous or stress free travel, than sure.[/QUOTE]
That's what I mean. It [I]should[/I] feel dangerous or exhausting. But not in a way that's frustrating. It's hard to balance flow without going towards vanilla encounters every so often that just impede their progress.
[QUOTE=Alxnotorious;46463595]That's what I mean. It [I]should[/I] feel dangerous or exhausting. But not in a way that's frustrating. It's hard to balance flow without going towards vanilla encounters every so often that just impede their progress.[/QUOTE]
I'd say it depends on GM's discretion. You can have a GM which decides exclusively on random encounters, and a GM which can create a lot of interesting encounters depending on their journeys. It'd be a lot more of a risk, too, if things such as food rotting was implemented and if there'd be no ass-pull Jesus-magic which would make such things as resources trivial.
[QUOTE=Alxnotorious;46463595]That's what I mean. It [I]should[/I] feel dangerous or exhausting. But not in a way that's frustrating. It's hard to balance flow without going towards vanilla encounters every so often that just impede their progress.[/QUOTE]
Well sometimes the more tame the random encounters are, the better. A group of normal, human highwaymen are far more engaging than some swarm of mythical locusts. A horse getting one of its hooves caught by a bear trap is more fitting and interesting than a werewolf pack.
It doesn't have to be some super engaging thing. Sometimes being grounded is far better than being fantastical.
[QUOTE=Funktastic Dog;46463868]Well sometimes the more tame the random encounters are, the better. A group of normal, human highwaymen are far more engaging than some swarm of mythical locusts. A horse getting one of its hooves caught by a bear trap is more fitting and interesting than a werewolf pack.
It doesn't have to be some super engaging thing. Sometimes being grounded is far better than being fantastical.[/QUOTE]
This works at low levels, but even at low-mid levels, shit like this is going to be a joke to your average party.
Horse hurt by a bear trap? Whatever, cure light wounds
Food rotting? I can conjure up feasts with minimal effort.
Highwaymen? The fighter can kill half a dozen people in a single round, thanks to our lord and savior Great Cleave. No sweat.
[QUOTE=elowin;46463938]This works at low levels, but even at low-mid levels, shit like this is going to be a joke to your average party.
Horse hurt by a bear trap? Whatever, cure light wounds
Food rotting? I can conjure up feasts with minimal effort.
Highwaymen? The fighter can kill half a dozen people in a single round, thanks to our lord and savior Great Cleave. No sweat.[/QUOTE]
I always have to remind myself that magic is bullshit and solves everything.
[QUOTE=Funktastic Dog;46463868]Well sometimes the more tame the random encounters are, the better. A group of normal, human highwaymen are far more engaging than some swarm of mythical locusts. A horse getting one of its hooves caught by a bear trap is more fitting and interesting than a werewolf pack.
It doesn't have to be some super engaging thing. Sometimes being grounded is far better than being fantastical.[/QUOTE]
That's true, but a fantastical one can be a draw to some local phenomenon. Like, say, some elementals attack you in the mountains. There may be a local portal to their home plane somewhere that would be worth closing or taking over, or a summoner who lost control nearby who needs help. Random encounters shouldn't just be boring filler, imo. They should lead to something interesting.
[QUOTE=elowin;46463938]This works at low levels, but even at low-mid levels, shit like this is going to be a joke to your average party.
Horse hurt by a bear trap? Whatever, cure light wounds
Food rotting? I can conjure up feasts with minimal effort.
Highwaymen? The fighter can kill half a dozen people in a single round, thanks to our lord and savior Great Cleave. No sweat.[/QUOTE]
It's not even that it's meant to be challenging though, just something to make it feel like the players have travelled. And you should keep it thematic. If you go to a mystical forrest, you can snoop on some BIG-game hunters killing Owlbears. Or in a place fraught with crime, you get a huge gang of well experienced highwaymen.
I find the best way to get the sense of scale and time is a nice, big map.
Put distances on there, and even if you don't bog down with actual obstacles or challenges, being able to describe the areas you pass through helps fill out the game world without wasting time on arbitrary combat encounters
Or put waystations along the way, with their own difficulties, again not necessarily combat. Roleplaying challenges are much better for establishing a sense of time than mechanical ones. Like, in our L5R game, we've spent the better part of a month on the road, but in that time we've visited four towns/castles, met a bunch of people, solved a murder mystery, and generally roleplayed, all of it mostly inconsequential to our main mission but certainly helping that few-hundred mile trip to feel like the trek it is
[QUOTE=elowin;46463938]This works at low levels, but even at low-mid levels, shit like this is going to be a joke to your average party.
Horse hurt by a bear trap? Whatever, cure light wounds
Food rotting? I can conjure up feasts with minimal effort.
Highwaymen? The fighter can kill half a dozen people in a single round, thanks to our lord and savior Great Cleave. No sweat.[/QUOTE]
But that's absolutely no fun whatsoever. If the Horse treads in a beartrap and the players response is "I'll just use this heal spell" then they're just trying to rush it along, if there's a Druid or <ANIMAL MAN> about he'd have to calm the Horse, even if its leg is magically cured it'd still be reluctant to walk. While he's calming the horse, the Trappers that placed the bear trap would show up, apologising profusely. They're hunting (a Dire bear or something, I dunno) in the local area. The party look more than capable, but they ought to watch themselves at any rate.
Maybe on the way back the Trappers are still there, or the PCs come across them later as they catch up with their quarry? Just because it's filler in a narrative sense, doesn't mean it has to have "filler" plastered over it.
[QUOTE=cyclocius;46464494]But that's absolutely no fun whatsoever. If the Horse treads in a beartrap and the players response is "I'll just use this heal spell" then they're just trying to rush it along, if there's a Druid or <ANIMAL MAN> about he'd have to calm the Horse, even if its leg is magically cured it'd still be reluctant to walk. While he's calming the horse, the Trappers that placed the bear trap would show up, apologising profusely. They're hunting (a Dire bear or something, I dunno) in the local area. The party look more than capable, but they ought to watch themselves at any rate.
Maybe on the way back the Trappers are still there, or the PCs come across them later as they catch up with their quarry? Just because it's filler in a narrative sense, doesn't mean it has to have "filler" plastered over it.[/QUOTE]
Damn, I like the way you think. That's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.
GM'd first ever session of Dungeon World with friends. It was an experience, looking forward to the next session
I love how the book is "draw maps, leave blanks"
Trying to work on fronts now, but I just got "done" with the map. Spent this evening making a tile set for roll20.
[t]http://i.imgur.com/2mamsPf.png[/t]
Let me know if anyone wants the source for it (I'm quite proud of my shitty artwork - heavily inspired by a google of "dnd hex tiles").
[QUOTE=Alxnotorious;46467140]Damn, I like the way you think. That's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.[/QUOTE]
Cheers dude. The trick is to not seem like you're too invested, players can pick up on how much effort you've put into an encounter or an NPC and it's a repellent to them.
"Uh right. Yeah, you turn to see three Trappers, one carrying a uh...a sack of dead rabbits. They look like they've been out in the wilderness for longer than seems advisable." Mild hesitation means the players think they're making you improvise, when really you borrowed the idea from some guy on facepunch! GENIUS!
Completely unrelated, I picked up the players handbook for DnD 5th edition and it's totally rad. Are there any games going on or thrashing about in their infancy that are willing to let a forever GM try his hand at playing?
EDIT: Bah, may as well post some other random encounters I thought up.
Players encounter a bunch of deserters from a nearby war. One of them is badly wounded and being carried by two other soldiers, their weapons and armour are missing, they're in shredded tabards stained with mud and blood. Bandits robbed them of their valuables and left them for dead. The players may see this as the just reward for Deserters, or they may track down the small group of bandits who robbed a cripple and his buddies.
-
A Gryphon flies overhead, loosely following the players before heading for the mountains. Some days later a Wizard rushes past the players on a Chariot pulled by gleaming white horses, he slows down and asks if the players have seen a Gryphon. It belongs to the King, who allowed his son to take it out into the wilderness to hunt under the Wizards supervision. The Gryphon flew off, if the Wizard can't retrieve it he will surely lose his head. The Gryphon isn't too far away, but it's sheltered upbringing may have lead it afoul of local wildlife.
-
A ship Mast blocks the road, the nearest coastline is Kilometres away. While the players ponder this dilema, a parrot squawks and a brigade of Pirates emerge from hidey-holes up in the trees. Nets and Ropes connect them to oneanother, keen-eared individuals will hear a cannon-fuse be lit as the Captain yells that his men prepare to board this horse and cart. What the hell is going on?
Alright guys, I got the bulk of the content related to my super awesome custom D&D 5e Unfuckening setting done for the time being, the land and sea outline defined, as well as important routes and cities. However, I'm wondering how should I work on terrain, as I got no idea how to draw forests and mountains in bulk with a picture styled like this.
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19459374/Drakesmouth_map.png[/t]
Which version of Mutants & Masterminds does everyone prefer? I'm curious what you lot think.
i just drew a hobgoblin.
[img]http://puu.sh/cS5HY/fb69a01502.jpg[/img]
also here's a tribal-ish orc i drew earlier this week:
[t]https://31.media.tumblr.com/dcdbe504e11f6b8c17eef8d5b6771dd7/tumblr_neu8uahdOl1snm6fco1_1280.png[/t]
also guys i'm re-illustrating the AD&D's (2.0) monstrous manual with other artists here on FP, you can check out the project here:
[url]http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1407428[/url]
it's just been revived. if any of you guys feel like participating you can check the thread out for instructions :)
[QUOTE=LobsterPastry;46497615]Which version of Mutants & Masterminds does everyone prefer? I'm curious what you lot think.[/QUOTE]
Only ever played one game of M&M and that was using the SRD so whatever version that uses.
[QUOTE=DiscoInferno;46498142]Only ever played one game of M&M and that was using the SRD so whatever version that uses.[/QUOTE]That would be 3rd edition.
I really need to get mobility for my ninja in PF goddamn
I've literally taken more damage than the dedicated tank at this point because despite an AC of 20 with 5 dexmod at level 5 enemies ALWAYS seem to get AoO's off on me (even after I negate almost half of them because of acrobatics movement) since I keep having to move to get in sneak attack positions
not that I'm complaining too much, we've only really had two major fights but I felt like a fucking badass during both of them, being able to dance around the battlefield stabbing backs and dropping grenades, and in both of them I end up ninja-jumping over the big boss at the end, screwing up my acrobatics roll, tanking a huge hit, then landing and sneak attacking for the kill
it's actually something of a miracle I haven't been knocked out so far, though I've been reduced to 2hp exactly in literally every single fight
but yea, this is probably the most fun I've ever had with a PF character (save my insanely broken OP archer that one time but that was more satisfaction at having cracked the game's balance wide open) because seriously, this is great. Two-weapon ninja may not be even remotely optimal but damn it feels good to play even so
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