Quote from IamSposta >>

Quote from Amnon_Balderk >>

Quote from IamSposta >>

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Oh, don't get me wrong, the name Chill Touch makes sense. It's just, it doesn't make more sense than assuming the spell does cold damage at a range of touch.

Like, you could rename the signature Barbarian feature that they get at level 1 "Blazing Fury," or "White Hot Anger," and it would make sense to call it that, but people would assume it had something to do with fire damage, and the disconnect would be your fault as a rules writer.

 
I thought the naming of the spell was rather clever, and I appreciated the metaphor. The fact that other people are too literal to appreciate shouldn’t matter. Not everything should cater to the lowest common denominator.

 I mostly pointed it out as a joke, but I will note that I do prefer the spell being touch just because I like the idea of setting your hand on someone and sending the shivers of death through them.

 
But after EB, it’s the best ranged spell attack cantrip in the game.

 Not anymore, lol.

Quote from AEDorsay >>

Quote from IamSposta >>

Quote from Amnon_Balderk >>

Quote from IamSposta >>

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Oh, don't get me wrong, the name Chill Touch makes sense. It's just, it doesn't make more sense than assuming the spell does cold damage at a range of touch.

Like, you could rename the signature Barbarian feature that they get at level 1 "Blazing Fury," or "White Hot Anger," and it would make sense to call it that, but people would assume it had something to do with fire damage, and the disconnect would be your fault as a rules writer.

 
I thought the naming of the spell was rather clever, and I appreciated the metaphor. The fact that other people are too literal to appreciate shouldn’t matter. Not everything should cater to the lowest common denominator.

 I mostly pointed it out as a joke, but I will note that I do prefer the spell being touch just because I like the idea of setting your hand on someone and sending the shivers of death through them.

 
But after EB, it’s the best ranged spell attack cantrip in the game.

 Not anymore, lol.

 
The way 1DD seems to be going they’ll just walk it back next UA.

Question: What Does everyone think of this—

Quote from IamSposta >>

In my opinion, the melee weapons should break down more or less as foillows:

Simple Melee Weapons

Weapon Name	Damage	Properties
Club	1d4 bludgeoning	Light
Dagger	1d4 piercing	Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60)
Flail	1d8 bludgeoning	Versatile (1d10)
Greatclub	1d8 1d10 bludgeoning	Two-handed
Handaxe	1d6 slashing	Light, thrown (range 20/60)
Javelin	1d6 1d8 piercing	Thrown (range 30/120)
Knuckle Dusters	1d2 bludgeoning	Light, special (added to Unarmed Strikes)
Light hammer	1d4 1d6 bludgeoning	Light, thrown (range 20/60)
Mace	1d6 bludgeoning	-
Quarterstaff	1d6 bludgeoning	Finesse, versatile (1d8)
Shortsword	1d6 piercing	Finesse, light
Sickle	1d4 slashing	Finesse, light
Spear	1d6 1d8 piercing	Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8 1d10)

Martial Melee Weapons

Weapon Name	Damage	Properties
Arming Sword	1d10 slashing	-
Battleaxe	1d8 1d10 slashing	Versatile (1d10 1d12)
Glaive	1d10 1d12 slashing	Heavy, reach, two-handed
Greataxe	1d12 2d8 slashing	Heavy, two-handed
Greatsword	2d6 4d4 slashing	Heavy, two-handed
Halberd	1d10 1d12 slashing	Heavy, reach, two-handed
Lance	1d12 2d6 slashing	Reach, special
Longsword	1d8 2d4 slashing	Versatile (1d10 2d6)
Maul	2d6 2d8 bludgeoning	Heavy, two-handed
Morningstar	1d8 1d10 piercing	-
Pike	1d10 1d12 piercing	Heavy, reach, two-handed
Rapier	1d8 piercing	Finesse
Scimitar	1d6 slashing	Finesse, light
Trident	1d6 1d8 piercing	Heavy, thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8 1d10)
War pick	1d8 1d10 piercing	Versatile (1d12)
Warhammer	1d8 1d10 bludgeoning	Versatile (1d10 1d12)
Whip	1d4 slashing	Finesse, reach

 The only thing I would really change with ranged weapons is to make the heavy crossbow a d12 weapon, and add a heavy longbow/warbow to the list.

As I said previously, I believe that would partially address the imbalance between martial classes and casters, and the imbalance between Str builds and Dex builds among martials.

Quote from IamSposta >>

Question: What Does everyone think of this—

Quote from IamSposta >>

In my opinion, the melee weapons should break down more or less as foillows:

Simple Melee Weapons

Weapon Name	Damage	Properties
Club	1d4 bludgeoning	Light
Dagger	1d4 piercing	Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60)
Flail	1d8 bludgeoning	Versatile (1d10)
Greatclub	1d8 1d10 bludgeoning	Two-handed
Handaxe	1d6 slashing	Light, thrown (range 20/60)
Javelin	1d6 1d8 piercing	Thrown (range 30/120)
Knuckle Dusters	1d2 bludgeoning	Light, Special (added to Unarmed Strikes)
Light hammer	1d4 1d6 bludgeoning	Light, thrown (range 20/60)
Mace	1d6 bludgeoning	-
Quarterstaff	1d6 bludgeoning	Finesse, Versatile (1d8)
Shortsword	1d6 piercing	Finesse, light
Sickle	1d4 slashing	Finesse, Light
Spear	1d6 1d8 piercing	Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8 1d10)

Martial Melee Weapons

no

Weapon Name	Damage	Properties
Arming Sword	1d10 slashing	-
Battleaxe	1d8 1d10 slashing	Versatile (1d10 1d12)
Glaive	1d10 1d12 slashing	Heavy, reach, two-handed
Greataxe	1d12 2d8 slashing	Heavy, two-handed
Greatsword	2d6 4d4 slashing	Heavy, two-handed
Halberd	1d10 1d12 slashing	Heavy, reach, two-handed
Lance	1d12 2d6 slashing	Reach, special
Longsword	1d8 2d4 slashing	Versatile (1d10 2d6)
Maul	2d6 2d8 bludgeoning	Heavy, two-handed
Morningstar	1d8 1d10 piercing	-
Pike	1d10 1d12 piercing	Heavy, reach, two-handed
Rapier	1d8 piercing	Finesse
Scimitar	1d6 slashing	Finesse, light
Trident	1d6 1d8 piercing	Heavy, thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8 1d10)
War pick	1d8 1d10 piercing	Versatile (1d12)
Warhammer	1d8 1d10 bludgeoning	Versatile (1d10 1d12)
Whip	1d4 slashing	Finesse, reach

 The only thing I would really change with ranged weapons is to make the heavy crossbow a d12 weapon, and add a heavy longbow/warbow to the list.

As I said previously, I believe that would partially address the imbalance between martial classes and casters, and the imbalance between Str builds and Dex builds among martials.

 

 
As I noted, it is very close to what I did. I have five kinds of crossbow (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 -- wrist, hand, light, medium, heavy), several kinds of bows (which I freely admit I stole the idea for from Horizon Forbidden West), in relation to your ranged comment. 

I also have Sap and Knuckles as "unarmed combat" weapons in the simple category, and I am supposed to develop out guidelines for stuff brawlers would use. Oh, and farm implements.

In general, I used my guidelines that I explained in that thread. I am unlikely to use the damage reductions stuff I also included there, lol, but that's because it adds a bit more math to everything. 

Any spell can be pushed to become the second strongest. That's super easy.

Quote from IamSposta >>

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Like, you could rename the signature Barbarian feature that they get at level 1 "Blazing Fury," or "White Hot Anger," and it would make sense to call it that, but people would assume it had something to do with fire damage, and the disconnect would be your fault as a rules writer.

 
The fact that other people are too literal to appreciate shouldn’t matter. Not everything should cater to the lowest common denominator.

 I really dislike your positioning here, that metaphor is better than literalism and the only reason someone would choose the latter over the former is some kind of intellectual limitation. The whole entire concept is rotten from the foundation up to the roof.

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Any spell can be pushed to become the second strongest. That's super easy.

 

Quote from IamSposta >>

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Like, you could rename the signature Barbarian feature that they get at level 1 "Blazing Fury," or "White Hot Anger," and it would make sense to call it that, but people would assume it had something to do with fire damage, and the disconnect would be your fault as a rules writer.

 
The fact that other people are too literal to appreciate shouldn’t matter. Not everything should cater to the lowest common denominator.

 I really dislike your positioning here, that metaphor is better than literalism and the only reason someone would choose the latter over the former is some kind of intellectual limitation. The whole entire concept is rotten from the foundation up to the roof.

 
I never said that metaphors is “better” than literalism. I also never said that the only reason one would choose the latter over the former is some kind of “intellectual limitation.” What I in fact said was (and it would be clearer if you hadn’t edited my post when you quoted it), that I appreciated the metaphor, the fact that some people don’t appreciate the metaphor shouldn’t preclude them from using it, and that not everything has to be literal. There’s room for both literalism and metaphor. Some stuff can be one way and other stuff the other way.

It’s as if I had said that I like poetry and if other people don’t that doesn’t mean that all poetry should be banned in favor of a 100% prose approach to language, and you’re saying that you don’t like my opinion that poetry is equally as acceptable as prose. WTF?!?

• Idiom
• Aphorism
• Metaphor
• Simile
• Euphemism
• Kennings
• Hyperbole
• Personification

Without these things, language is heartless, devoid of beauty, lacking in grace, in spirit, in power to move and to shape. Without them, words lose their magic, and there are reasons that the effects of magic are called spells, that the act of magic is conjuring and invoking and evoking, that magic across cultures is always linked to writing and speaking, and that storytelling is fundamental part of it all.

Here endeth the lesson.

full disclosure: I am stunningly literal minded, even though I use figurative speech like a cow in a pasture uses fertilizer to grow next year's good eats.

I blame the southern influence in my childhood.

Edit

I just realized no one is going to get the jokes in this post and my previous.

I apologize to everyone for inflicting this on you.

Sposta, respectfully, what does the phrase "lowest common denominator" mean in contexts such as this?

Anyway.

Question: Have any of your D&D characters carried umbrellas? We got some pretty serious rain here the other day and I, a pedestrian whose 30 minute trek was filled with the dread of having to work 6 hours in wet shoes and clothes, was not having a great time. I think perhaps the main mechanical effect of weather on D&D travel, if there's going to be one, might best be conceived as one of morale.

(I was able to secure dry shoes. So I probably dodged some more critical health concerns. But something something cantrips.)

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Sposta, respectfully, what does the phrase "lowest common denominator" mean in contexts such as this?

Anyway.

Question: Have any of your D&D characters carried umbrellas? We got some pretty serious rain here the other day and I, a pedestrian whose 30 minute trek was filled with the dread of having to work 6 hours in wet shoes and clothes, was not having a great time. I think perhaps the main mechanical effect of weather on D&D travel, if there's going to be one, might best be conceived as one of morale.

(I was able to secure dry shoes. So I probably dodged some more critical health concerns. But something something cantrips.)

 
so, um, yeah, I have umbrellas that can be bought, lol. They are not in the "starting equipment" list, though -- they have to be bought at some store that happens to have them.

I also have rainstorms, lol. hailstorms. Blizzards. Strong winds. and rules for the effect they have on movement, travel, and so forth. I also have an "umbrella" cantrip. It creates a domed column one foot over the caster's head that is 3' in diameter (5' if you are using a 5' or 10' grid) and repels water and mud for one hour.

I mean, it is essential, imo, if you are ever going to start a session with "It was a dark and stormy night..." Also, it allows me to do the whole build up to tiny hut, lol.

Being soaking wet reduces Speed by 5, increases DC of disease contraction by +1, and adds disadvantage when cold (under 30 degrees F).

(Disease is a DC affected by several factors that a successful CON roll can overcome). 

Being sweat drenched increases DC of Disease by +1, and if hot increases risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion.

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Sposta, respectfully, what does the phrase "lowest common denominator" mean in contexts such as this?

 

There are two sets of two denominators in this scenario:

1. The number of people who get the metaphor
2. The number of people who would get the literal interpretation

&

1. The number of people who appreciate the metaphor
2. The number of people who would appreciate the literal interpretation

• Clearly only “some” people get the metaphor
• Hopefully “all” the people would get the literal translation

&

• Clearly only “some” people appreciate the metaphor
• Likely  “most” people could appreciate the literal translation

So in this scenario the “lowest common denominator” would be the people who would get the literal interpretation and could appreciate it. If you need me to break it down for you any further then I think we have hit an impasse as I cannot.

As I said, not everything has to have the greatest mass appeal, some stuff can be niche for those of us who appreciate it.

Ah, we've hit upon a delightful (if *slightly* a stretch) mirror situation. Because yes, that explanation *makes sense* (you'll have to excuse my lack of italics this time, it's obnoxious to get them on mobile), but there's a much more common usage of the phrase, which I'll let Cambridge dictionary explain: "used to refer in a disapproving way to the sort of people in society who are least intelligent and who will accept low-quality products and entertainment[.]"

Given the relatively minimal role algebra plays in my day-to-day life, that's the version I hear the most often. Maybe your experience is different.

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Ah, we've hit upon a delightful (if *slightly* a stretch) mirror situation. Because yes, that explanation *makes sense* (you'll have to excuse my lack of italics this time, it's obnoxious to get them on mobile), but there's a much more common usage of the phrase, which I'll let Cambridge dictionary explain: "used to refer in a disapproving way to the sort of people in society who are least intelligent and who will accept low-quality products and entertainment[.]"

Given the relatively minimal role algebra plays in my day-to-day life, that's the version I hear the most often. Maybe your experience is different.

 
Ahh. Yeah, I maths a lot. This was one instance where I was being literal and not using a metaphor.

Is it just me or did the date for getting phandelvers change from the 6th to the 10th back to the 6th? 

it did switch to 10th, and is now back to 6th.

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

 

Question: Have any of your D&D characters carried umbrellas? We got some pretty serious rain here the other day and I, a pedestrian whose 30 minute trek was filled with the dread of having to work 6 hours in wet shoes and clothes, was not having a great time. I think perhaps the main mechanical effect of weather on D&D travel, if there's going to be one, might best be conceived as one of morale.

(I was able to secure dry shoes. So I probably dodged some more critical health concerns. But something something cantrips.)

 
Funny, as a side note - on a forum I admin - the whole debacle of umbrella recently came up for a user there who posted their frustration in a thread called "Need a neck to wring? Grab 'em while they're hot!" - and was complaining that it was pouring but when they stepped in the store a security guard said the umbrella must be kept outside because they will otherwise get water on the floor (potentially making them slick and causing a fall). They complained that outside they'd probably get taken. And there was nowhere inside to store their umbrella.

Anyway, for my game, I've not made use of umbrellas. I do make use of "Winter Clothing" if they go into frozen areas. I also don't allow for a full long rest if they are out in the wild and do not have bedrolls (in regards to their health - they can, however, expend hit dice) - they get the other benefits of a long rest (like spell slots back) - but I make it so if they don't have a bedroll out in the wild, they're not sleeping comfortably and essentially just getting a longer version of a short rest (for their health).

You'd think they'd have bedrolls always - but there's been times they've hastily abandon their camps for whatever reasons - leaving tents and bedrolls behind.

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Ah, we've hit upon a delightful (if *slightly* a stretch) mirror situation. Because yes, that explanation *makes sense* (you'll have to excuse my lack of italics this time, it's obnoxious to get them on mobile), but there's a much more common usage of the phrase, which I'll let Cambridge dictionary explain: "used to refer in a disapproving way to the sort of people in society who are least intelligent and who will accept low-quality products and entertainment[.]"

Given the relatively minimal role algebra plays in my day-to-day life, that's the version I hear the most often. Maybe your experience is different.

 Don't worry, I read it the same way.

Down side of a forum is context is easily lost.

And I, also despise math. Ironic I know, having grown up on 2nd Edition D&D.

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

Sposta, respectfully, what does the phrase "lowest common denominator" mean in contexts such as this?

Anyway.

Question: Have any of your D&D characters carried umbrellas? We got some pretty serious rain here the other day and I, a pedestrian whose 30 minute trek was filled with the dread of having to work 6 hours in wet shoes and clothes, was not having a great time. I think perhaps the main mechanical effect of weather on D&D travel, if there's going to be one, might best be conceived as one of morale.

(I was able to secure dry shoes. So I probably dodged some more critical health concerns. But something something cantrips.)

 I have never had a character use one but now I want to add one as a random side trinket in a game.

Falling with an open umbrella effectively casts featherfall on yourself. 

Question: I know this is a hot topic, but when do you think it is okay to start playing Christmas music?

Quote from The_Summoning_Dark >>

Question: I know this is a hot topic, but when do you think it is okay to start playing Christmas music?

New Year's, and not a day earlier.

Quote from The_Summoning_Dark >>

Question: I know this is a hot topic, but when do you think it is okay to start playing Christmas music?

 
Christmas shouldn’t be legal until the day after Thanksgiving.