Ok, so, even though I'm already doing way too many PBP games, I can't stop myself, so I'm asking feedback on this PBP campaign idea:
So, you start at level 4, and are already heroes of some renown. Through shenanigans before the game starts, you are whisked away to a place. This place, is the Heroes Crossroads, a magical demiplane whose entrance can be found in Sigil. Inside, groups of adventurers make deals with extra-planar entities, their sponsors. Depending on what sponsor you get, your group gain a cool benefit. In addition, when you get a sponsor, you are bound to the Crossroads, which means any time you die, your are resurrected back at the crossroads. Now, what the Crossroads really is, is two things: The first, a gambling hall. Instead of playing poker though, the gamblers bet on the outcome of success for adventurers, and in this case, the gamblers are patrons. The second thing, is an adventurers guild. You accept quests from across the planes (Each quest once completed gives you a level. There is one quest for each outer plane 916 quests total). Once you do all the quests, you are level 20 and can face the final trial) and go out on adventures. If you succeed, you get to cash a credit and gain a magic item, and can accept your next quest. If you die, you lose and end up back in the Crossroads. Depending on your sponsor, they might be mad at you, or they might be sad, since every time you lose a quest by dying, they lose Credits, which are a very valuable currency in the Crossroads.
The idea behind it is you get to travel the planes, with a set up similar to planescape, while also gambling and making cool deals with patrons
Oh yeah, one more thing: Anyone who submitted a character would get in, and once I have all the applicants I need, I'd divide them up into groups using random dice rollers.
Any thoughts? Suggestions? An unexpected return from AEDorsay where she casts wall of text and talks about plot structure and the hero's journey?
Here’s a chill question: What are you reading right now?
I am almost always reading multiple books at once. Right now I am reading the classic To Kill a Mockingbird and Concrete which is about a man stuck in a giant stone alien body pursuing different career choices. In this volume he is in the film industry. I also have a few other books I'm reading but I won't include them here because they would be hard to use in this question.
Here’s a thinking question: How could it influence your next D&D game or character?
For To Kill a Mockingbird, I am writing a Dnd adventure/setting based on a fantasy version of the Mississippi river and the Southern states. This book is giving me tons of inspiration to include in the world. I love backwoods country stories.
For Concrete, there is a lot of Existentialism in the comic I could try to use. It also could be cool to make a warforged character that was once an intelligent human but is now stuck in the body of a robot barbarian.
Here’s a fun question: What’s a very silly direction you could take your last answer in?
The last book I read was The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin, a new D&D novel. It’s really well written. It gave me tons of new plot and character ideas for my next D&D campaign. Not really sure I have a fun/silly answer.
Ok, so, I meant for my thousandth post to be here, to celebrate because it feels like a milestone to me, even though there are people with many times that. But, I didn't check my post count, and now I'm 16 over. Whoops. Well, happy thousandth post to me.
Question Of The Day: What's the reasoning behind your location on your profile?
I don't think this one has been done before, which is a rare occurence nowadays. Mine is a vaguely defined location in my homebrew world that I thought sounded cool, followed by the time zone I am in.
'Cause I'm not in the right or center bits.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Wow, this thread blew up! It warms my little heart, even though I didn't join this thread till page 50. Can I be considered part of the OG OGL group? Or no. Hmmm...
Summoning, never knew that! it made me want to do another of the "What folklore do you want to bring to DND?" question, though thats been done a few times, I think. then again, we have a lot of new people, so who knows.
Nothic, I really like your world idea. I have fallen in love with cosmic horror, though I will admit I'm stilla 5e player at heart and prefer Pulp Call of Cthulhu, rather than normal. It's power gamer part of me that festers in my soul.
And Arch, quick question, since I forget: what is Luz's and Amity's ship name? Lumity? Amiluz?. And I think Hexside is a cooler school than Hogwarts, IMO. I mean, demons and different schools of magic, especially considering their is a bard coven! (their magic is the coolest IMO, though I think being an illusionist would be helpful). as a geek, I am a sucker for putting things in categories, especially fantasy things.
Can't believe this question got so many answers. Remember friends, find joy in the small things.
Their ship name is Lumity, and I would either be in Abomination or Plant coven.
Their ship name is Lumity, and I would either be in Abomination or Plant coven.
I would probably take the multi-track thing Luz made and do beastkeeping, plants, and illusion. Closest I can get to Druid.
Would druids be illusion? I feel like healing coven would suit them better. Wizards, of course, are emperors coven, considering that they can do most everything.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hi, I'm Raccoon_Master, a young genderfluid actor, writer, explorer, and bass vocalist. Pronouns They/Them/Theirs
My Characters:Brorminthe Devout Crusher; Ellorathe Romantic Rookie
Their ship name is Lumity, and I would either be in Abomination or Plant coven.
I would probably take the multi-track thing Luz made and do beastkeeping, plants, and illusion. Closest I can get to Druid.
Would druids be illusion? I feel like healing coven would suit them better. Wizards, of course, are emperors coven, considering that they can do most everything.
I was considering that, but then I thought Illusion could be like wildshape without the full benefits.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hi, I’m DrakenBrine, here’s my Sig and characters
Here’s a chill question: What are you reading right now? Here’s a thinking question: How could it influence your next D&D game or character? Here’s a fun question: What’s a very silly direction you could take your last answer in?
Currently reading Dragonlance Lost History: Gully Dwarves.
Began reading it because I am running a Dragonlance campaign of my own creation, that takes place as the same time as the first Chronicles book.
And one of the main characters I introduce is a gully dwarf of pretty great importance to the party.
I am running a group of fairly new players (4 people brand new to D&D, 2 more who are in my regular weekly game, so a total of 6 people).
All of them (except one of my normal players) is familiar with Dragonlance Chronicles. So it was a perfect setting to use for D&D.
As for how I'd use it silly - well, if you know Gully Dwarves...
I come with a question for experienced GMs and 3PP lovers. I’ve (somewhat) recently become obsessed with nautical adventures and underwater worldbuilding, and my creativity has been stretched to its limit in that regard. For this reason I’ve become increasingly interested in books and related media from which I can draw inspiration, such as the PotC movies and Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
In my search for ideas, I’ve encountered a few DMsGuild supplements on the subject that greatly interest me, namely Underwater Campaigns and Call from the Deep. These two books are available in both PDF form and Print-on-Demand. I prefer to avoid digital formats in my reading, in part because I’m easily distractible and the online world only exacerbates the issue. And so my question is:
Can anyone vouch for the reliability and quality of PoD books from the DMsGuild and DTRPG?
I’ve heard good things, but I’ve also read many horror stories about books falling apart after only a few weeks of use. Are these isolated incidents, or would I be wise to avoid PoD entirely?
If anyone could share their experiences with these sites, it’d be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Brief bump in case anyone missed the initial post. I may end up simply making a thread on this topic General Discussion, but I’d prefer to avoid doing so if possible.
QOTD: If you've played other RPGs, what single mechanic was your favorite, and how would you port it into D&D?
The mechanics I like from other games are well....for other games. I mean you can't really port in the damage success vs body success from Shadowrun. You can't really port in the to-hit and damage reduction from Champions/Fantasy HERO. The mechanics are what they are and the whole pie is built around them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
QOTD: If you've played other RPGs, what single mechanic was your favorite, and how would you port it into D&D?
In fairness, mechanics that I liked from other games sorta preclude them being ported into D&D, lol.
I liked the old Battletech way of creating mechs.
I liked the original Car Wars way of handling vehicles and vehicle design.
I loved the Universal Table from MSHAS.
Porting any of them over would have some seriously impacts on the existing systems in the game, and while I am pretty brave and all when doing that, they might be a bridge too far. Also, I am so not going to make a bunch of sheets for vehicles, lol. I have way too many of them.
But I probably *could* if I really wanted to combine the CW and BT stuff...
Anyway, yeah, um, Hi, I am around for more than just checking on listings, lol, and um, well, *waves*
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
QOTD: If you've played other RPGs, what single mechanic was your favorite, and how would you port it into D&D?
In fairness, mechanics that I liked from other games sorta preclude them being ported into D&D, lol.
I liked the old Battletech way of creating mechs.
I liked the original Car Wars way of handling vehicles and vehicle design.
OMG....I thought you were awesome before...
Holy smokes. Wow.
You can blame the interest in BT on Car Wars and that anime, actually -- we just kept making crazier and crazier cars and then I walked into a game store one day and saw "Blueprints for a mech" posters. Bought the set of four, and still have them. Then got the game, and we basically ran with it the way we run with any game.
I joke a lot about Paranoia, but it is among my favorite games because it is just so damned silly, lol.
WHen I hit Uni, some of the stuff from RoleMaster's Campaign Law booklet actually helped me in some of my early sociology and natural earth courses.
I have played probably a good couple hundred games -- and my first spin at creating my own was in '85 (it was bad) but I just kept learning and met some good folks.
But in terms of mechanics, getting decent vehicle mechanics into D&D has always been a big deal to me. I'm not even super fond of what I have now -- so this made me think maybe I should just take the plunge and see what's still in storage and give it a go.
Also, I am not that awesome. But if what I make is, that's a Win!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
QOTD: If you've played other RPGs, what single mechanic was your favorite, and how would you port it into D&D?
The mechanics I like from other games are well....for other games. I mean you can't really port in the damage success vs body success from Shadowrun. You can't really port in the to-hit and damage reduction from Champions/Fantasy HERO. The mechanics are what they are and the whole pie is built around them.
So much this.
one thing I noticed about 5e that was very different to me was how they sorta "blocked" out certain systems -- the norm has usually been high levels of interdependency. Not that you can easily separate combat rom class and stuff, but you can definitely play around with combat a lot more in 5e, from a systems perspective.
All of those completely re-think the HP/AC/To HIt system that is all interlinked in D&D. It is a completely different way of seeing combat (arguably better in the cases of those particular uses).
I really like the "hit or miss roll" style, myself, with damage modified by the "resist or not" type of thing. Easier to conceive in a lot of ways, fewer folks trying to make armor work "better", lol. Also allows for a faster turn, in some ways.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
QOTD: If you've played other RPGs, what single mechanic was your favorite, and how would you port it into D&D?
I haven't played any other RPGs except a little bit of Pathfinder. I thought the Prestige classes were cool there, and I also like how the to hit modifier for ranged attacks is tied to the Wisdom modifier. It makes more sense that you can hit better by having better sight than by being fast and agile in my mind. It might be cool to let an Archer-themed subclass add their Wisdom modifier to their attack rolls.
Ok, so, even though I'm already doing way too many PBP games, I can't stop myself, so I'm asking feedback on this PBP campaign idea:
So, you start at level 4, and are already heroes of some renown. Through shenanigans before the game starts, you are whisked away to a place. This place, is the Heroes Crossroads, a magical demiplane whose entrance can be found in Sigil. Inside, groups of adventurers make deals with extra-planar entities, their sponsors. Depending on what sponsor you get, your group gain a cool benefit. In addition, when you get a sponsor, you are bound to the Crossroads, which means any time you die, your are resurrected back at the crossroads. Now, what the Crossroads really is, is two things: The first, a gambling hall. Instead of playing poker though, the gamblers bet on the outcome of success for adventurers, and in this case, the gamblers are patrons. The second thing, is an adventurers guild. You accept quests from across the planes (Each quest once completed gives you a level. There is one quest for each outer plane 916 quests total). Once you do all the quests, you are level 20 and can face the final trial) and go out on adventures. If you succeed, you get to cash a credit and gain a magic item, and can accept your next quest. If you die, you lose and end up back in the Crossroads. Depending on your sponsor, they might be mad at you, or they might be sad, since every time you lose a quest by dying, they lose Credits, which are a very valuable currency in the Crossroads.
The idea behind it is you get to travel the planes, with a set up similar to planescape, while also gambling and making cool deals with patrons
Oh yeah, one more thing: Anyone who submitted a character would get in, and once I have all the applicants I need, I'd divide them up into groups using random dice rollers.
Any thoughts? Suggestions? An unexpected return from AEDorsay where she casts wall of text and talks about plot structure and the hero's journey?
Hi, I'm Raccoon_Master, a young genderfluid actor, writer, explorer, and bass vocalist. Pronouns They/Them/Theirs
My Characters: Brormin the Devout Crusher; Ellora the Romantic Rookie
Check out my EXTENDED SIGNATUR (hasn't been updated in forever, fyi) and don’t forget to join the Anything but the OGL 2.0 Thread!
"I don't make sense to you, and I don't make sense to myself. Maybe the only one I make sense to is God" ~ Me, trying to sound smart
I am almost always reading multiple books at once. Right now I am reading the classic To Kill a Mockingbird and Concrete which is about a man stuck in a giant stone alien body pursuing different career choices. In this volume he is in the film industry. I also have a few other books I'm reading but I won't include them here because they would be hard to use in this question.
For To Kill a Mockingbird, I am writing a Dnd adventure/setting based on a fantasy version of the Mississippi river and the Southern states. This book is giving me tons of inspiration to include in the world. I love backwoods country stories.
For Concrete, there is a lot of Existentialism in the comic I could try to use. It also could be cool to make a warforged character that was once an intelligent human but is now stuck in the body of a robot barbarian.
Hmm... maybe use the film industry aspect?
The last book I read was The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin, a new D&D novel. It’s really well written. It gave me tons of new plot and character ideas for my next D&D campaign. Not really sure I have a fun/silly answer.
I really like D&D, especially Ravenloft, Exandria and the Upside Down from Stranger Things. My pronouns are she/they (genderfae).
'Cause I'm not in the right or center bits.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Their ship name is Lumity, and I would either be in Abomination or Plant coven.
I would probably take the multi-track thing Luz made and do beastkeeping, plants, and illusion. Closest I can get to Druid.
Hi, I’m DrakenBrine, here’s my Sig and characters
I am The Grand Envisioner!
Would druids be illusion? I feel like healing coven would suit them better. Wizards, of course, are emperors coven, considering that they can do most everything.
Hi, I'm Raccoon_Master, a young genderfluid actor, writer, explorer, and bass vocalist. Pronouns They/Them/Theirs
My Characters: Brormin the Devout Crusher; Ellora the Romantic Rookie
Check out my EXTENDED SIGNATUR (hasn't been updated in forever, fyi) and don’t forget to join the Anything but the OGL 2.0 Thread!
"I don't make sense to you, and I don't make sense to myself. Maybe the only one I make sense to is God" ~ Me, trying to sound smart
I was considering that, but then I thought Illusion could be like wildshape without the full benefits.
Hi, I’m DrakenBrine, here’s my Sig and characters
I am The Grand Envisioner!
Oh mine means...
<checks>
There's nothing there.
So I guess it represents my brain?
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Currently reading Dragonlance Lost History: Gully Dwarves.
Began reading it because I am running a Dragonlance campaign of my own creation, that takes place as the same time as the first Chronicles book.
And one of the main characters I introduce is a gully dwarf of pretty great importance to the party.
I am running a group of fairly new players (4 people brand new to D&D, 2 more who are in my regular weekly game, so a total of 6 people).
All of them (except one of my normal players) is familiar with Dragonlance Chronicles. So it was a perfect setting to use for D&D.
As for how I'd use it silly - well, if you know Gully Dwarves...
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
QOTD: If you've played other RPGs, what single mechanic was your favorite, and how would you port it into D&D?
Brief bump in case anyone missed the initial post. I may end up simply making a thread on this topic General Discussion, but I’d prefer to avoid doing so if possible.
Terra Lubridia archive:
The Bloody Barnacle | The Gut | The Athene Crusader | The Jewel of Atlantis
I'd help, but I have no experience with PoD books.
The mechanics I like from other games are well....for other games. I mean you can't really port in the damage success vs body success from Shadowrun. You can't really port in the to-hit and damage reduction from Champions/Fantasy HERO. The mechanics are what they are and the whole pie is built around them.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I'd answer this, but I haven't played another RPG besides DND before, so...
Hello! I am a perfectly sane gibberer. Hi! :D
Locations are dead, the Temple of Potassium has fallen but its ideals live on
A mysterious link of chain... (Extended signature). PRAISE JEFF THE EVIL ROOMBA! REALLY cool video.
One of the Warlock Patrons on the forums. Low, low price of your soul, your firstborn child and your liver!
Titles: The Echoing Story Spewer from Drummer, the Endless Maws from Isis, the Mad Murderer from PJ
In fairness, mechanics that I liked from other games sorta preclude them being ported into D&D, lol.
Porting any of them over would have some seriously impacts on the existing systems in the game, and while I am pretty brave and all when doing that, they might be a bridge too far. Also, I am so not going to make a bunch of sheets for vehicles, lol. I have way too many of them.
But I probably *could* if I really wanted to combine the CW and BT stuff...
Anyway, yeah, um, Hi, I am around for more than just checking on listings, lol, and um, well, *waves*
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
OMG....I thought you were awesome before...
Holy smokes. Wow.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
You can blame the interest in BT on Car Wars and that anime, actually -- we just kept making crazier and crazier cars and then I walked into a game store one day and saw "Blueprints for a mech" posters. Bought the set of four, and still have them. Then got the game, and we basically ran with it the way we run with any game.
I joke a lot about Paranoia, but it is among my favorite games because it is just so damned silly, lol.
WHen I hit Uni, some of the stuff from RoleMaster's Campaign Law booklet actually helped me in some of my early sociology and natural earth courses.
I have played probably a good couple hundred games -- and my first spin at creating my own was in '85 (it was bad) but I just kept learning and met some good folks.
But in terms of mechanics, getting decent vehicle mechanics into D&D has always been a big deal to me. I'm not even super fond of what I have now -- so this made me think maybe I should just take the plunge and see what's still in storage and give it a go.
Also, I am not that awesome. But if what I make is, that's a Win!
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
So much this.
one thing I noticed about 5e that was very different to me was how they sorta "blocked" out certain systems -- the norm has usually been high levels of interdependency. Not that you can easily separate combat rom class and stuff, but you can definitely play around with combat a lot more in 5e, from a systems perspective.
All of those completely re-think the HP/AC/To HIt system that is all interlinked in D&D. It is a completely different way of seeing combat (arguably better in the cases of those particular uses).
I really like the "hit or miss roll" style, myself, with damage modified by the "resist or not" type of thing. Easier to conceive in a lot of ways, fewer folks trying to make armor work "better", lol. Also allows for a faster turn, in some ways.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
I haven't played any other RPGs except a little bit of Pathfinder. I thought the Prestige classes were cool there, and I also like how the to hit modifier for ranged attacks is tied to the Wisdom modifier. It makes more sense that you can hit better by having better sight than by being fast and agile in my mind. It might be cool to let an Archer-themed subclass add their Wisdom modifier to their attack rolls.