GM WhtKnt's Into the Borderlands, Table 1 (Inactive)

Game Master WhtKnt

Hi guys.

It's been a fun year playing with all of you. I'm going to bow out, now that all of our characters are in a safe location.

Life is getting busier. I've got four kids now, and I'm working on a promotion at work, so I'm aiming to reduce my game load by letting go of my 5e games.

Thank you, GM, for the wonderful game. And thank you fellow players for the fantastic role-playing.

Thank you for joining us, Neil. Anytime you want to come back, just let me know.

Hi guys.

It's been a fun year playing with all of you. I'm going to bow out, now that all of our characters are in a safe location.

Life is getting busier. I've got four kids now, and I'm working on a promotion at work, so I'm aiming to reduce my game load by letting go of my 5e games.

Thank you, GM, for the wonderful game. And thank you fellow players for the fantastic role-playing.

Best of luck in all of your endeavors. Thanks for playing with us!

Good luck to you. Hope to be on the same table in the future.

Cheers, Neil. Good playing with you. Best of luck!

knock knock

So I'm not the only one thinking things are quieter than usual. Good to know.

Did we maybe hit an early Holiday lul?

I haven't seen a post from Attero since the end of Sept. I hope we didn't lose two Holy Crusaders in one go. That'd suck.

You still around, cloth brother?

I'm doing the great Path of Disaster: a job change. =p

Should be completed transfer in 2 weeks. Will know more then.

I stand ready to move on; just let me know where you are headed.

Let's head to the new mission! If aterro needs to bail, he seems the type who can easily disappear into the night?

So that leaves us with who left? A wizard, a monk, a cleric/wizard and who, if Aterro leaves?

I stand ready to move on; just let me know where you are headed.

If Atrero isn't going to be active for a while, I'll just go with the flow. Looks like both Ore and Ya'Bo are set on the new quest.

I have no objections.

So that leaves us with who left? A wizard, a monk, a cleric/wizard and who, if Aterro leaves?

For sure..

Ore - Monk
Theo - Wiz/Cleric
Ya'Bo - Wiz
Dirk - Druid (Fluffy's character. will join once we get moving again)

Up in the air..
Morgan - Pali (hasn't been around in months)

I have some random noob questions while we have some downtime. They need a little context so, please, bear with me.

I've been giving some thought to my next level; trying to figure out which of Theo's classes will optimize fun and team-play. To this end, I went back through my class info and the more nuanced details of multi-class leveling. I even started watching some 5e rule videos.

While reading through the Cleric's abilities, specifically Knowledge of the Ages, it occurred to me that 5e doesn't penalize a lack of proficiency. This was quite the bummer. Negating this non-existing penalty was, like, 60% of what drew me to the Knowledge domain. The idea being that a Knowledge Cleric could pick up an instrument he's never seen and then strum, blow, or beat out a basic tune. Which, yeah, they can do that. But, as the rules are written, so can anybody else. With only a +2 bonus, being proficient with a tool seems to mean nothing.

Sure, even a +1 can mean making or not making a DC of 21 or under. And it's beyond considering that our wonderfully handsome and devilishly clever GM doesn't take things like a PC's background into account when setting our own DCs - should they be relevant. It's just a little weird that, on paper, a level 3 Bard with a family tradition of being musicians is only 2 points better at playing the flute than some rando off the street.

To the point: With the overall value (and fun) of the Knowledge Domain knocked down a peg, I'm having trouble justifying another level in Cleric right now. Knowledge domain spells are pretty bland and Turn Undead is...something, I guess. On the other hand, the Divination and Enchantment schools are very much in-line with the generic Big Brain archetype Theo falls into. And, more importantly, either would offer immediate value to the party as a whole.

That said, I don't want to lean into Wizard if I'm missing something valuable to the party in the Cleric's kit. For one, team comp was certainly considered when GM picked the parties. Throwing that even more off-balance in the midst of all these player swaps would be less than awesome.

So, the questions:

1. Am I missing something in regards to the value of skill proficiencies? They seem pretty useless in the early game.

2. What does the party most need from Theo, right now?

For where we go I am not concerned. The spell book would be nice to gain some extra spells but I am fine in clearing the caves, killing monsters and taking their stuff as well.

For you questions:
1. Most DC's are pretty low like 15ish, unlike D&D 3/3.5 or Pathfinder if I recall.
2. We need Theo to be who Theo wants to be. Just have fun Healing potions are common, normally. Plus dying is just something that happens. So play what you want.
Just my $.02

Yup. Do what you feel like. 5e isn't very punishing compared to other editions with regard to how much healing you have.

RE: proficiency
Remember it scales, so you get better over time. Plus a lot of GMs (myself included) limit who can attempt certain skill challenges based on proficiency.

Last point: spellcaster classes tend to get better based on access to spell levels/lists. So whatever you pick, especially as a newer player, is probably recommended to stay in that class so you can get to the shiny new spell levels faster. YMMV.

Happy Thanksgiving, guys!

Or, you know, just a pleasant Thursday if you don't worship the birb. (that's what TGs about, right? Gobbler Supreme, Godking of Turkeys.)

----------------------------------------

Thanks for the input. If 5e is as forgiving as it seems to be, I'm more than happy to vibe my way through.

That said, please, do not hesitate to make any suggestions along the way. This goes doubly for you, Ya'bo, my wee Wizard friend. Feel free to speak up, if the overlap in our skills and/or spells is becoming detrimental to team-play or if Theo starts hogging the Wizard spotlight. Tell that sanctimonious nerd to chill-out and go read a book. ;-)

I don't have fun if it's detracting from other's experiences. Sadly, I'm also prone to bouts of manic-narcissism. It can be absurdly helpful to have teammates unafraid to check that self-absorption when it shows up. It's no one's job, but mine, to keep my play team-oriented. But, a helping hand is always appreciated. :-)

I am a general wizard so look at my spell book and see if any spells you might want (re-create) for your spell book.

Going away to Disneyworld until the 5th. If I am in your game, feel free to bot me. If you are in my game, we will pick up at that time.

GM: Were you planning on introducing Dirk along the way, or did you just want him to jump in like he's been here the whole time? Fluffy is the reserved sort, he's not gonna do anything until he is formally invited.

Let's just say that you picked him up to replace Neil at the Stretching Goat. It's easiest that way. Fluffy, welcome aboard!

Sorry for the delays, folks. Had a very nice and very busy holiday season, and then got some nasty food poisoning on the trip home. But I'm back now! Welcome, New Player.

@GM -- Just curious, is there any reason Dirk isn't getting his DEX mod for the initiative check? He should have +3 as a Giant Spider. I wouldn't be as concerned, but that +3 would put him over the creature's initiative.

Mostly because he doesn't have a sheet on his profile and I wasn't sure what his Dex was, but in this case, yes, he should go before the creature.

Mostly because he doesn't have a sheet on his profile and I wasn't sure what his Dex was, but in this case, yes, he should go before the creature.

It's on his primary profile, Fluffy025. This is his first time on a forum and he got confused. I think I linked it to you in a PM.

Anyway, thanks for the clarification. I'll help him move his sheet over to the Dirk alias asap.

No problem. I was going to bring it up to him but got sidetracked.

@GM -- May I roll a knowledge check on this creature before my turn comes up? I'd have suggested the druid do it, but he is currently mute. At least that's what I'm gonna tell myself, because the vocalizations of a giant spider are probably the stuff of nightmares.

Oh, speaking of Dirk's muteness. Would you allow him and Ya'Bo to communicate via Speak with Small Beast, when appropriate? You know, like, whenever he's a small creature. Maybe even when he's in a form VERY similar to a specific small creature. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* I mean, would hitting a cat with an Enlarge spell stop Ya'bo from talking to it?

I'm asking all my folks to forgive me for a few days. I had a friend commit suicide this morning and I need some time to process this. I will be back in a day or three. In the meantime, if you or someone you know needs to talk, PLEASE call someone! Send me a private message if nothing else. I am always willing to listen and I promise that it will remain confidential!!

I am so sorry to hear that. Take what time you need.

I made a bare-bones map in MS-paint. Should be to scale.

My illiterate, mathematically inept self somehow read "30-ft diameter" as "30^2ft room". I then made the same mistake when thinking about creature size. So, I've been working under the impression that Dirk is taking up 1/3 of our space.

To think, someone let me leave 4th grade. :(

@GM - Did you skip Dirk's initiative roll for a reason?

Damnit! No, I didn't. I haven't added him to the autorollers yet.

I need to apologize to my GMs and players. I have less than two weeks to a local convention on which I serve as the Game Operations Director, overseeing the entire gaming room (which is the largest gaming floor in my area). I also have to make a trip to Dallas this weekend that cannot be avoided and I have possible jury duty starting on Monday next week. Anyway, I will update when I can. I haven't forgotten you, just been very busy.

I need to apologize to my GMs and players. I have less than two weeks to a local convention on which I serve as the Game Operations Director, overseeing the entire gaming room (which is the largest gaming floor in my area). I also have to make a trip to Dallas this weekend that cannot be avoided and I have possible jury duty starting on Monday next week. Anyway, I will update when I can. I haven't forgotten you, just been very busy.

Your IRL GM needs to stop rolling for Random Encounters all ready, geez.

Not even time for a short rest RIP.

Take what time you need. Little monsters aren't going anywhere. ;o)

Did that attack consider my Dodge? Should be at disadvantage.

Also, was the creature close enough for me to attack, or was it only when it came in that my attack went off?

Finally: I think I was full. We rested, and only had one round of combat with the "were-chicken", that I don't think did me any damage.

Take all the time you need to reply, and have fun at the Con!

Oops, no it did not consider Dodge. I will correct that now. It was when it closed that the attack went off. And you are probably right on the rest. I just forgot to reset everyone's hit points on the tracker.

GM - How much, if any, of the Kobold stat block would you consider common knowledge? Are there any facts obscure enough that we'd need to roll a nature check for them? I don't have anything specific planned, I just don't want to risk meta-gaming super hard.

Oh. Nature check. That reminds me. I never did get your ruling on the screw-up I found at the end of last year.

Insight isn't one of the skills eligible for the Blessing of Knowledge buff.

@GM How do you want me to handle this?

I could swap one of my BoK-eligible background perks with Insight. Background stats seem the most malleable.

Or, to ensure this error has the least overall impact on other aspects of my build, I could just live with one BoK skill.

I've been rolling Nature checks with base proficiency, but I would give it Blessing of Knowledge if allowed.

Okay, I'm back. The con was great, but very tiring! We had about 1500 unique visitors, which is pretty good for a convention our size. Guests included Morgan Berry (voice actress), Jay Little (gaming guest), Brendan LaSalle (from Goodman Games), and fantasy artist/gamer Melissa Gay. I found time to run two original Savage Worlds adventures (a fantasy jaunt titled "The Banshee's Tower" and a Weird War II adventure called "The Dogs of War"). Jay Little signed my copies of Age of Rebellion and Edge of the Empire and Brendan signed my copy of How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck. All in all, a good weekend! I'll be getting back into the swing tomorrow.

Sounds like you had a fabulous time. Take whatever time you need to get rest, I know there was very little there. Since Ya'Bo is ready to bring the hurt on those flying lizards....;o)

Go ahead with BoK, Theo.

Hello, I am a player on another game that is trying to use roll20 for it's maps. But we , as players, are not able to move our tokens around. So the GM is trying to figure out what he did wrong. And since we are using the same thing here, I was hoping you could give some insight.
The Gm is at Helaman

On the EDIT page of the character sheet, the CAN BE EDITED & CONTROLLED BY setting needs to set to the individual player or to all players. That should allow the players to move their characters. The easy method is to allow all players to control all characters. In a PbP game, it isn't as vital that each control only their own character unless he is using dynamic lighting settings.

Thank you very much for the info

@GM -- A random question while we wait for Ore, if you'll permit me.

I'm wondering how you handle creature jump height. It's something I've been thinking about for a while, but it wasn't immediately relevant. That has changed with Dirk in the party.

Applying PC jump rules [2 + STR Mod or half that for standing jumps] to a cat would give it a vertical leap of -0.5ft and a running jump of -1ft. On the other end of the spectrum, it would give an elephant -- a creature that literally can't jump IRL -- a vertical leap of 4 ft and a running a high-jump of 8ft.

I did a quick Google search and nobody seems to have noticed this inconsistency. So I'm very interested in any house rules you might have implemented. If you don't have any rules in place, and if you and the rest of the table is open to it, I definitely wouldn't be against hammering some out for this game.

Sorry, life's been, perhaps unsurprisingly, completely crazy. Will get mine in tonight.

On considering the conundrum, I think that I am going to rule that jump uses Dexterity instead of Strength. This would make a little more sense, I think. I could work out a formula using both stats, but the easy way out is to simply say that Dex is the primary stat. That gives our proverbial cat a standing high jump of 2.5 feet, a running high jump of 5 ft., a standing long jump of 7.5 ft., and a running long jump of 15 ft. There is still the problem that the elephant can clear 9 feet in a running long jump, but we can overlook that little issue. I am inclined to permit an Athletics check to add the Str modifier to distance (DC 12).

On considering the conundrum, I think that I am going to rule that jump uses Dexterity instead of Strength. This would make a little more sense, I think. I could work out a formula using both stats, but the easy way out is to simply say that Dex is the primary stat. That gives our proverbial cat a standing high jump of 2.5 feet, a running high jump of 5 ft., a standing long jump of 7.5 ft., and a running long jump of 15 ft. There is still the problem that the elephant can clear 9 feet in a running long jump, but we can overlook that little issue. I am inclined to permit an Athletics check to add the Str modifier to distance (DC 12).

Sounds good. Lighter animals are still getting the short-end here [a pampered housecat can standing high jump 6+ft]. But it's better than clipping into the floor. I still find this the weirdest oversight on WotC's part.

If you are interested in working on a more nuanced formula, like you mentioned, I did a bit of leg work on one last night. I think the missing piece to the puzzle is size category. Heavy things should have a harder time getting off the ground than lighter things. The formula...

Size Bonus + DEX mod

~Size Bonus~
Gargantuan +0
Huge +0
Large +2
Medium +4
Small +6
Tiny +8

This isn't perfect either. But I worked this out with one IRL Beast from each category and you don't get anything too absurd. Standing High Jumps: Mammoth -0.5, Elephant -0.5, Horse 1, Wolf 3, Baboon 4, Cat 5

Large creatures (Lions, Horses, etc) get the short end here. Being a little heavier than they are dexterous. But your Athletics check would let them make up that gap easily. A Draft Horse would only need to roll an 8 to go from 1ft to 3ft. Well over 50/50 odds to triple its standing high jump.

More to the here-and-now. Dirk and Ore's HPs seem to be off.

Healing Word restored Ore for 7 and Dirk should have started with 26 HP because of his spider form.

I'm at 13, iirc

You're probably right. I haven't been keeping very good track. I will update my totals.

You're probably right. I haven't been keeping very good track. I will update my totals.

If you want to get everything straight up there, Dirk should be at 17/15 (he took 9 damage). And my AC should only be 14. Theo lost his shield early on.