General Discussion

[Yygdrasil]

General discussion about just about everything. If things seem to end abruptly or have large gaps, it's because the original location of this thread was somewhere else... and I've chunked out large portions of it to make up the various threads you see here in this sub-forum. I appologize for the confusion. In any case, enjoy what follows.

It all began with 1 simple question: "Anyone wana play D&D?"

[cidbahamut]

Re: D&D

I'm tempted, but also a bit hesitant. As much time as I've spent reading through third edition manuals and supplements, my only actual experience with tabletop gaming was a few semesters in college with some friends in a few White Wolf games. Looking back, it's pretty clear that while we were all enjoying ourselves, I wasn't very good at the whole roleplaying thing. I haven't had the best of luck using online mediums for RPing in general over the years, but maybe that's because play-by-post is just so damn slow.
Other concerns: I don't really know anything about your campaign yet. It might be an awesome campaign, but if it's all a bunch of politicians in stuffy suits and I want to be riding Giant Space Hamsters with mounted laser cannons to fend off a cyborg dinosaur invasion, it might be best if I pass on your campaign.

All that said, I've been getting the RP itch again lately. Reading DM of the Rings and Darths & Droids is probably to blame for that. I've got an extremely vague character concept floating around and have been playing out a few scenarios in my head, but nothing serious since I don't have a group to play with these days.

*shrug*

I am indecisive. Feed me more info.

[Murphie]

Re: D&D

I attack the darkness!

[Firewind]

Re: D&D

Someone is organising a D&D campaign?

As a Roleplayer I'm always interested in D&D. 4th Edition is actually pretty easy to do it in a play by post format since the combat system plays out more like a turn based Stratagy RPG. 3rd Edition works fine for it though if the campaign is combat heavy, you do have to post a lot of "If X happens, do Y" stuff if you are posting actions with any RP stuff you add.

Quick note about Pathfinder. If you want a 6th century setting then it may be difficult since there's a lot of Early Modern to Industrial era weapons and classes to do with those. Also classes such as the Paladin won't make much sense if it's actually based on 6th Century Europe but that's just me being pedantic .

Are splatbooks being allowed or is it going to be strictly Core (PHB, PHB2 and whatever prestige classes are in the DMG)?

Also the classes I like to play are Rogues, Bards and Clerics :3

[Armando]

Re: D&D

Never played D&D (never took off at my school nearly as much as Pokemon, handheld games and Magic: The Gathering) but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have curiosity. It's no secret that I'm a dirty fucking minmaxing mathmonger so watch out for that. I've heard D&D can get a bit broken when certain classes are involved (Wizard.)

What's the time commitment per session and how often are you looking to do this?

[Yygdrasil]

Re: D&D

I'll do you one better. I'll tell you a story that pretty much sums up my DM style and the type of adventure that you can expect to have.

*god I love this story*

So back a few years ago, I was running a campaign with 3 friends of mine twice a month. That kind of downtime gave me plenty of room to create encounters that would be catered to the mannerisms of the PCs I was dealing with.

After about 5 months of this, I knew that my buddy Dave was playing his Barbarian Dwarf in a very stand-offish and "challenge anything that moves" kind of way. So I did what any good DM does... I set them up to enter a tavern. When they arrived, I gave a really bland description of their surroundings including the bar, weapons racks and stairways that appear to lead to a second story. A quick survey of the inhabitants of the tavern made them notice a rather rowdy bunch of men sitting at a table off to the side, ordering pitchers of ale in what seemed like a never-ending supply.

Dwarf, Beer, Barbarian, Rowdy? Arrogance, Testosterone... you get the picture. So Rook (Dave's Dwarf) marches up to them and commands their attention asking questions like "what's in the deep is so damn great over here?" and inevitably... "You think you can drink, eh? Why don't we have us a little wager? First one to pass out or wretch pays for the booze we drink here and now?".

One of the men at the table, a fit but otherwise underwhelming human with big brown eyes and a bandanna tied tightly across his forehead was the only one to take him up on his offer. And so it began.

What followed was about 10 minutes worth of booze, smack-talk, willpower and fortitude checks that ended in with him on the floor and the man with the bandanna lifting his coin purse from his belt to collect the winnings.

One of my other players (A Human Druid) made a few checks because he thought the situation was a little fishy. How could a human out-drink a dwarf... especially one who had already been drinking so much before the party had even entered the bar? He of course... brought this up aloud... like I had a feeling he would and the accusation caused a bit of a confrontation between the 2 groups.

In his inebriated state, Rook lashed out and made what I still consider one of the most impressive grapple checks I've ever seen (considering his penalties for double-vision and other things I stacked with it). He latched onto the bandanna'd man's ankle and slurredly accused him him with "theeting mi?!? dobody feets mi!!!" and yanked the man from his feet flat onto his back, bringing his head colliding with the edge of the table on the way down and ripping the bandanna clean off.

Without the bandanna, the circular patch of curved bone in the center of his forehead became instantly noticeable as it glistened with an otherworldly pattern of colors. Our Druid made another quick check that revealed him as a unicorn.*

*I should mention that I took a bit of creative license in the way I used certain monsters and mythical creatures. Building off of a Piers Anthony model of a Unicorn that can willingly take human form, I made the ultimate drinking opponent for my otherwise insufferable Dwarven buddy. After all... a Unicorn is a horse after all... and horses are unaffected by alcohol.

With his identity revealed, he hopped to his feet and fled for the second story. I allowed Rook to overlook the massive check he would have needed to make to allow him to climb to his feet and chase after the thing that just cheated him out of both his pride and his money. While the remaining party fended off the group downstairs, Rook had cornered the creature next to a large window on the second story. Blurred vision, semi-conscious and full of enough adrenaline to kill a bull elephant, Rook charged him full force. The sheer bulk and density of a Dwarf such as Rook coming at top speed is enough of a threat to worry anyone with half a brain.

Cornered, the Unicorn braced for impact. The 2 collided and blasted through the window into the night air. Glass reflected and refracted the moonlight until the street was alight with color.

Panicked, the unicorn shut his eyes tightly and he began to morph. Right in between Rooks arms, the man was turning to beast! Not sure if this was happening or if it was some drunken hallucination, he let go of the ever expanding horse-man and the gap between them increased.

With the transformation complete, the Unicorn whipped around to face the ground below it and threw back it's hind legs, connecting square with Rooks gut, launching them both in opposite directions. The Unicorn landed, taking critical damage, fracturing one leg on impact.

Rook recoiled from the hit and reached for his axe he had strapped to his back. Using it to balance his weight, he threw away all reason and allowed his Barbarian rage to take hold of him completely. As he started his nearly 2 story decent, he faced his body in a downward slant and gripped the axe with both hands. Tightening his grip, he put all his strength into one last swing.

The beast's head turned and those same brown and strangely human eyes looked on in horror as Rook let out a feral howl that would make a demon wince.

In an instant it was over. The axe lodged in the Unicorn's spine, nearly splitting it in 2. Rook hit the dirt shoulder first, breaking about a half dozen of his unreasonably resilient bones as he was thrown aside unconscious.

Following the encounter, after he regained consciousness. Rook hobbled his fractured body to the remains of his opponent and severed the horn from it's skull as a memento.

[Squiggs]

Re: D&D

Depending on time constraints and such, I could possibly be interested (though I've only played a couple of half-assed games before, and don't really know what I would be doing).

[Firewind]

Re: D&D

Okay that does sound hilariously awesome. You should have dubbed the Unicorn "Trollestia" even is she's technially an Alicorn =p

[Murphie]

Re: D&D

Honestly, I'd be interested if it weren't for the complete lack of reference material. I last played when 2nd Edition was at its height and I haven't so much as glanced at a book since. I'm not ready to buy a bunch of manuals at this point.

[Firewind]

Re: D&D

3.5 Edition Rules and Reference stuff: The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org

Pathfinder Rules and Reference stuff: Pathfinder_OGC

[Yygdrasil]

Re: D&D

My DMing style is to kind-of wing the rules a little if it makes the experience more enjoyable. For instance... Rook never would have succeeded in the 35 con check that he would have needed to make it to his feet to chase the unicorn. It just wouldn't have happened... and that sucks. He did impress me with his decision-making when he speared the thing through the window... and when he stole himself to tap into "Berserk" and clear his mind if only for a moment to bare down on the thing from mid air.

I love that shit.

---------- Post added at 01:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:41 PM ----------

3.5 Edition Rules and Reference stuff: The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org

Pathfinder Rules and Reference stuff: Pathfinder_OGC

Yep. I was going to post those links if Fire didn't get there first. All the books are documented online.

Also: To whoever it was that was concerned about play-by-post games. What I'm looking at on openrpg.com is a chat-room style program (free to download and use) that has plug-ins and add-ons that enhance the game. It also allows you to upload maps, use a community dice rolling tool that everyone can see and publicly view-able character sheets.

---------- Post added at 02:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:48 PM ----------

The way I'm thinking it will work best is if I use the openrpg program coupled with either Skype of Ventrillo for audio communication.

This way it's as if we're all sitting around the same table. It'll make the game run a lot more smoothly... not to mention quickly.

I implemented the point buy system for stat allocation in order to avoid the tedious rolling process that leaves everything to chance.

This way, you get to decide where your stats go and don't have to worry about potentially rolling something abysmal like a 6 or worse.

The world as I described is set in a 6th century format, Cid... yes. However, that really just operates as a foundation for the government system. There will be politics, but until the party progresses to a point where it becomes necessary to interact with dignitaries, that aspect of the world will be mostly a moot point.

Expect lots of wilderness, magic and danger. You'll encounter pirates, wizards, dungeons, secret towers, intricate illusions and mazes that will force you to keep well documented maps of your path.

Look forward to humor, intrigue, deception and trickery... as well as elaborate structures with secrets aplenty.

[cidbahamut]

Re: D&D

dice rolling tool

My d20 has a sad.

[Yygdrasil]

Re: D&D

I have a bag of dice that has a sad.

---------- Post added at 02:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:28 PM ----------

Also: I think Armando asked me about times.

2 sessions a month?
3-4 hour sessions?
Saturday afternoon and/or night?

[Armando]

Re: D&D

2 sessions a month sounds pretty doable.

[cidbahamut]

Re: D&D

Expect lots of wilderness, magic and danger. You'll encounter pirates, wizards, dungeons, secret towers, intricate illusions and mazes that will force you to keep well documented maps of your path.

Space Hamsters and laser cannons, got it.