open
"Lucky is not much of a wilderness adventurer, but she does have survival and Nature knowledge proficiencies. I'll roll a d20 and you can apply the appropriate ability mod and proficiency/expertise die to round out the roll if there is anything to notice. I'm generally okay with the narrator making rolls for my character when there is something to notice or some knowledge that might come to her mind. Those rolls are sometimes best made behind a spoiler so the player doesn't get meta-knowledge of something about which the character may be unaware..
General Roll: 1d20 ⇒ 6
Lucky's mind tends to wander when plodding along with nothing much to see."
So you want me to put a "Spoiler -- check for Shasta (don't look)" if I make a check for you, but you don't notice/achieve anything?
Is the terrain such that it’s impassable/impractical for mounts? Would Jiminy have left his mount behind in town or in a safe place?
That's up to you. If you think a player knowing a roll was made would be a tip off that might affect decisions, spoiler it. I usually have two spoilers for the mechanical aspects of the narrator/DM duties. One I label "On the Table" for rolls that would normally be made by the narrator at a gaming table in full view, so players know what the result was. I encourage players to look at the spoiler if they are curious about the rolls. For rolls meant to be in secret, I label a spoiler "Behind the Screen" and ask players to not look at those rolls until after the encounter is over.
It keeps the gameplay posts focused on the events and keeps the mechanics off screen unless someone wants to look at the rolls. Just a suggestion. You can see how I use it at my Wrath of the Righteous game.
For those not familiar with the Paizo boards, any text you type in the Gender, Race, and Class boxes at the top of your profile form will be placed under the PC's posting alias as a header. I've put some stats that include hit points, AC, and all of the limited use abilities with an indication of how many uses out of how many total are available, along with an abbreviated indication of whether the resource refreshes after a short or long rest. If a PC acquires a condition that affects play, that can be added. Some people even put these stats in a spoiler.
If there are any other stats the narrator wants to be able to see in the header for quick reference, let us know. We could include things like some passive checks for things like perception and stealth, initiative information, etc.
Good afternoon all, this is TheLastGhost posting with my avatar, Keeper Brin (Underhill).
Apologies for my delayed tag in, my wife stole me away Monday night after work to the beach for a surprise mini-vacation. It was most enjoyable and much appreciated, but was basically a tech black-out. All the crunch is posted in the character, I will copy over and format the fluff later tonight.
Good afternoon all, this is TheLastGhost posting with my avatar, Keeper Brin (Underhill).
Apologies for my delayed tag in, my wife stole me away Monday night after work to the beach for a surprise mini-vacation. It was most enjoyable and much appreciated, but was basically a tech black-out. All the crunch is posted in the character, I will copy over and format the fluff later tonight.
glad you're still with us, no worries!
Hayato Ken -- where is your check modifier coming from? Int + 4 proficiency bonus +3, where is the extra +1 from? Also, I think the narrator determines in this game what ability applies to a given check, such as nature -- am I right BodaciousGaming?
Hayato Ken -- where is your check modifier coming from? Int + 4 proficiency bonus +3, where is the extra +1 from? Also, I think the narrator determines in this game what ability applies to a given check, such as nature -- am I right BodaciousGaming?
Yes generally the narrator is the ultimate arbiter of what ability is used for an ability check. In this instance Int is the predominantly used skill for Nature depending on what the PC is looking to learn. I realize I kind of assumed in my check that Wisdom was the skill for Survival checks, but that was after a bit of side discussion beforehand with you regarding what my typically used skills would be and what ability scores would be applicable for streamlining posting. In this instance Int would be the correct score depending on what they wanted to learn. I’m showing Aelini’s Int as 20 so +5 and +3 proficiency.
The Nature skill measures a character’s knowledge of natural terrains, beasts, plants, and hazards. It can also be used to sense whether a creature is the product of this world or of another plane of existence. Unlike Survival, the Nature skill doesn’t necessarily imply practical experience with a phenomenon. The most commonly used ability score is Intelligence. A character might use Wisdom to recognize a hazard or Charisma to bring calm to an errant elemental presence disrupting an abandoned druid’s grove (or other place of great natural power).
Specialties: astronomy, beast lore, farming, fey, plant lore, weather.
So it’s come up enough and I feel like it’s a significant enough departure from Pathfinder to warrant a bit of a rules exposition.
In A5E (and largely in 5e for those that care to track such things), there are three common types of rolls that a Narrator might ask a player to make. Attack rolls and saving throws are pretty cut and dry. Attack with a melee weapon that lacks the finesse property, and you use strength as the modifier (excluding class features that are more specific exemptions). If you’re proficient in the weapon you add the proficiency bonus. Need to make a Con saving throw to avoid a poison effect, the modifier is in the name and your class determines if you’re proficient in that save.
The section “Elements of Play” near the beginning of the book has this to say about the core interaction between players and Narrators:
“The basic structure of play in Level Up is fairly simple and typically involves a cycle of three main activities:
-The Narrator describes the current scenario.
-The players describe what they want to do.
-The Narrator determines if any rolls are needed
and describes (or has the players describe) the outcomes, which takes us back to the beginning of the cycle.”
This kind of reinforces the understanding that attack rolls and saving throws are pretty easily understood. Skills are much more nuanced. In fact there’s no such thing as a “skill check” in A5E. The third type of D20 roll the narrator may ask for is an ability check. The rules state the following as the order of operations for these checks:
For every ability check, the Narrator decides which of the six abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty of the task, represented by a Difficulty Class or DC. The more difficult the task, the higher its DC (Table: Typical Difficulty Classes defines a range of DCs).
To make an ability check, roll a d20 and add the relevant ability modifier. Apply any other bonuses and penalties, and then compare the total to the DC. If the total equals or exceeds the DC, the ability check is a success and the challenge is overcome! Otherwise, it’s a failure.”
Just a little further down, we get to skills:
While abilities provide broad descriptions of a character’s capabilities, a skill represents their training in a particular task such as Acrobatics or Deception. A character who has training in a skill is said to be proficient in it. Most skill proficiencies are acquired by adventurers during character creation from their choice of culture, background, and class.
Using Skills
When a character attempts an ability check, the Narrator may decide that a specific skill is relevant to the check. If a character is proficient in that skill, they may add their proficiency bonus to their ability check. For instance, if a character is attempting to fool a palace guard, the Narrator might call for a Charisma check using the Deception skill. For this ability check, a character proficient in the Deception skill may add their proficiency bonus to their ability check. A character not proficient in Deception simply makes a Charisma check.
Any skill can be used with any ability check, although some pairings are more common than others. For instance, the Deception skill is commonly used with Charisma ability checks, although a character who is attempting to encode a written message might instead make an Intelligence check using the Deception skill.
Sometimes the Narrator will ask for an ability check using a certain skill: for instance, “Make a Charisma (Deception) check.” Other times, a Narrator may ask for an ability check, and a player might ask whether one of their skills applies to the check. The Narrator is the sole arbiter of which skill, if any, applies to an ability check. The rules sometimes refer to a check with a skill but no ability specified—for example, “Your character has advantage on Deception checks.” This refers to all ability checks using the Deception skill regardless of which ability score is used.
Here is where the Elements of Play comes in handy with regards to adjudicating the intentions of players and the arbitration of the Narrator. It’s intended to be an ongoing conversation where the Narrator sets the scene, players state intention, Narrator decides whether a roll is needed and what ability it might be. Skills add your proficiency bonus if they apply to the roll. The same logic is extended to tools. A check with a tool is nothing more or less than an ability check which allows the player to add their proficiency bonus to the roll if they have it on their person and possess the requisite proficiency.
Tangential to the discussion is the distinction between the three rolls. It’s common to mistake a spell or feature as doing something that it doesn’t. The spell Enhance Ability affects ability checks, not attacks or saves. This is different than in Pathfinder where it gave you a numerical bonus that affected everything.
All that works well at a table where that interaction can happen quickly. In PBP that can take a day or two to resolve. My personal inclination is that the Narrator should look over a characters skill proficiencies and reaffirm what ability scores the typical check looks like and let that be the status quo. Once the die is cast, it’s easy enough to reverse engineer the new total if the Narrator feels strongly enough about modifying the roll. This is one of those realms where a little trust and agency goes a long way to streamlining the game.
I'm waiting for our last player to introduce themselves in game before I update again.
Upon further consideration, I agree with Jimminiy that in the context of PbP the RAW approach to skills isn't going to work well -- telling the narrator what you want to do, they respond with the appropriate attribute and what applies, and then back to the player to roll. That's three posts there if there's no miscommunication.
I think to keep things moving you can just go ahead and make checks, applying what attribute you think should go there, and any modifiers, and I'll just tell you if I'm modifying that when I reply with the result. I imagine in 99% of cases I'll agree with your initial assumption, so there's no reason to drag it out in this format.
("Your check fails (i.e., it's only 14 -- I think it's dex, not Int, and your speciality isn't close enough to apply in this case," or whatever)
Is that amenable to everyone?
That definitely makes a lot of sense and will prevent ability/skill checks from unnecessarily slowing down gameplay.
How do you handle stealth versus perception. The hide action states that a creature is hidden if it’s stealth roll exceeds the passive perception of creatures able to observe it. Given Jiminy has made an active check, I’m assuming that roll is going towards his awareness of unseen enemies or attackers?
How do you handle stealth versus perception. The hide action states that a creature is hidden if it’s stealth roll exceeds the passive perception of creatures able to observe it. Given Jiminy has made an active check, I’m assuming that roll is going towards his awareness of unseen enemies or attackers?
It can also be to just notice stuff in the area too, though, right?
How do you handle stealth versus perception. The hide action states that a creature is hidden if it’s stealth roll exceeds the passive perception of creatures able to observe it. Given Jiminy has made an active check, I’m assuming that roll is going towards his awareness of unseen enemies or attackers?It can also be to just notice stuff in the area too, though, right?
Yeah Jiminy’s Passive has a few different static modifiers based on environment. It’s ordinarily 17, but 22 versus invisible or hidden creatures. It goes up an additional 2 when in wilderness environments and engaged in tracking or other journey activities. The 22 is only against hidden/invisible creatures within 30’.
How do you handle stealth versus perception. The hide action states that a creature is hidden if it’s stealth roll exceeds the passive perception of creatures able to observe it. Given Jiminy has made an active check, I’m assuming that roll is going towards his awareness of unseen enemies or attackers?It can also be to just notice stuff in the area too, though, right?Yeah Jiminy’s Passive has a few different static modifiers based on environment. It’s ordinarily 17, but 22 versus invisible or hidden creatures. It goes up an additional 2 when in wilderness environments and engaged in tracking or other journey activities. The 22 is only against hidden/invisible creatures within 30’.
There aren't currently any hidden or invisible creatures to detect -- is that your question?
There aren't currently any hidden or invisible creatures to detect -- is that your question?How do you handle stealth versus perception. The hide action states that a creature is hidden if it’s stealth roll exceeds the passive perception of creatures able to observe it. Given Jiminy has made an active check, I’m assuming that roll is going towards his awareness of unseen enemies or attackers?It can also be to just notice stuff in the area too, though, right?Yeah Jiminy’s Passive has a few different static modifiers based on environment. It’s ordinarily 17, but 22 versus invisible or hidden creatures. It goes up an additional 2 when in wilderness environments and engaged in tracking or other journey activities. The 22 is only against hidden/invisible creatures within 30’.
More just getting calibrated on what to expect out of passive scores. It’s ordinarily a very Fiat-ey thing whether the Narrator uses an active versus passive score.
|
Hayato Ken -- where is your check modifier coming from? Int + 4 proficiency bonus +3, where is the extra +1 from? Also, I think the narrator determines in this game what ability applies to a given check, such as nature -- am I right BodaciousGaming?
Sorry only saw this now since i didn't get updates on the discussion channel.
Modifier is +3 proficiency and +5 INT, hence i wrote you should fill in whatever if you want to.
I'm waiting until at least tomorrow evening to reply again to give the other players a chance to weigh in.
Whoa. Lots of posts while I've been busy with weekend projects. I'll get caught up soon.
Is there a 5th player/PC we are expecting?
As for passive rolls, if there are any numbers the narrator would like us to keep in our headers for quick reference, let us know. I've put a few things as well as a list of all of Lucky's limited use counts as well as the usual hp.
Reminder: everyone who was present when the group formed in the town and heard Lucky's inspirational story has 10 temporary hp.
Sorry I did not see all the posting that went on Friday. I was grading and then Saturday got away from me working on projects. I should be on track to keep posting every day.
Whoa. Lots of posts while I've been busy with weekend projects. I'll get caught up soon.
That's why I called a stop after discussing it with Jimminy on discord -- it's a fine line between trying to kick stuff off strong and making it impossible for everyone to participate -- you have to 'push' as the default to keep PbP going, but I'm not trying to outpace anyone either.
We're also going to stick with 4 as long as everyone keeps posting -- I think we have all the major roles we need.
I also wanted to have something 'happen' right away to get the story moving -- here the bugbear encounter. I've seen a lot of pbp die when no one is really sure what to do, and nothing happens for a few weeks during the 'introductions'. I'm trying to head off that potential roadblock.
I posted Friday morning. I may have checked Saturday morning at which point there were a few unread posts. I should have posted then, but I had some other things to attend to.
What really put me behind, however, were all the posts that were made between around noon and 6 PM (EDT) on Saturday. The GM and 2 players were firing off a few posts an hour. So even if I had checked Saturday evening, I would be in the same situation.
It's great when people can post back and forth, but it's important to remember that if you're expecting minimum 1 post a day, it's best not to let things run on so players who happen not to be able to be posting at the same time don't find themselves missing out on the discussion and events.
It takes a little time to establish a rhythm and learn when people tend to post. This month, I'm working mostly from about noon to late night, M-Th. When I'm working nights, I generally try to do my posts in the morning.
I sometimes get behind on posting during the week if I have a lot of grading to do; this term I've got double the number of students as usual, so I'll be slammed a few days a week, at least. But I can usually fire off something just to keep things from bogging down.
I usually get caught up Friday morning and as time allows all weekend.
|
|
That was just the kick off and a quiet saturday evening for me.
Being in europe i have a bit different posting times, since i mostly post in the afternoon or evening here (GMT+1).
Of course giving everyone the chance to participate is naturally best!
So far i felt this was more getting things started and into character^^
Looking forward to play with you all!
Sorry I missed all the fun last night! Saturdays are pretty busy for me for work, I had to cover for one of my team members today. Catching up now, will tag in shortly.
I missed the scout activity was perception versus survival. The expertise die shouldn’t be counted, even though it doesn’t seem to have mattered anyway. The final result should have been 16 instead of 18.
20 is hard, 15 is medium per the rules -- that's the scale I was working with
This might be a biased opinion, but the journey activities and exploration pillar support is what I’m most excited about for A5E.
I have no preference for how telepathic communication is notated. I combined bold (speech) and italics (thought) as telepathy is basically "mindspeech". And spoilering made sense given that it was only to one player. Just my 2 cp. I am honestly up for whatever is decided.
Regarding losing a post. As an experienced player, I've learned two very important practices to avoid losing posts. You may know about these already, but for anyone new to the boards, here are my tips.
First, always highlight everything in your post and copy the text to a clipboard (Ctrl+a, Ctrl+c). This is particularly important when updating the PC profile. Even if an edit only took two minutes, you sometimes get the response saying you backtracked too far and reached some 30 minute limit. In those cases, you can hit the browser back button and then replace the previous text body with the text on your clipboard and then submit again.
When posting, you have to wait and make sure the post shows up at the bottom of the thread. If it doesn't, the browser reload button will usually bring it up, although it many times takes up to ten tries.
These don't happen every time, but it happens often enough to build some habits to avoid lose of creative effort.
Dog gone dice just aren’t with Jiminy tonight lol.
I also didn’t roll a check for the nature of the snake creatures. I’m don’t want to meta game the nature of them so if it’s all the same to you I’d like to roll a blanket intelligence check and let you apply whatever proficiency or lack thereof might be appropriate.
Keeping in mind I swapped Jiminy’s Int and Cha scores because they fit his survivalist loner archetype better. I haven’t updated his profile from my computer yet, so those changes won’t be representative in the profile yet.
I remember "seeing it posted", so I am guessing I previewed it, then never hit submit after. Silly mistake.
Sometimes, even when I do submit, the post does not show up until I refresh. The post is still in the system, somehow, but it doesn't make it past some glitch until a refresh finally does the trick. It's a very annoying glitch that would seem to be straightforward for a programmer to fix. Maybe it's an artifact of a particular browser or even a particular browser version.
Am I the only one that’s a bit mixed up on who’s where and what we’ve got going on? We met and allied with the bugbear, and what I’m under the impression of is that Jiminy went scouting ahead, found some evidence of the snake people, and began making his way back to the group.
Is that right? Aelini’s last post kind of led me to think he was with the party the whole time.
|
|
Well Aeleni clearly said she would keep an eye on the bugbear, that does mean staying at least in the vicinity.
I purposefully wrote it so that you would be a bit further on in the distance, like a hundred meters or so ahead, but with your 10 stealth check still visible.
Apologies if i assumed something wrong, but i also wanted to further the game.
If you want to go scouting far ahead in the future, ok then.
You said you wanted to do mounted combat, are you actually riding your drake?
Well Aeleni clearly said she would keep an eye on the bugbear, that does mean staying at least in the vicinity.
I purposefully wrote it so that you would be a bit further on in the distance, like a hundred meters or so ahead, but with your 10 stealth check still visible.Apologies if i assumed something wrong, but i also wanted to further the game.
If you want to go scouting far ahead in the future, ok then.
You said you wanted to do mounted combat, are you actually riding your drake?
My imagining when he was scouting ahead was that he was a half hour or so ahead of the party, getting a lay of the general region while the bugbear led the party along the tracked trail.
No the drake is a small companion at the moment. At level 7 she becomes medium, which I'd have to check to see if that suits for a mount for a medium humanoid. I did have the intent to do mounted combat, but assumed that the choked forest was too congested for one to realistically bring a horse. So as of now he's on foot.
That’s a good point. I wasn’t really intending on it being a long solo scene. More of a narration of the check. I figured the distance from the party made sense in my head but it definitely doesn’t make sense in a party situation. At this point it’ll be on Seb to determine how far from the party the encounter happens and if he dies he dies lol. I’ve never been scared to roll up another character after doing something foolish.
Depending on the density of the forest, you could only be a couple hundred yards off, but be utterly out of sight. This would put enough distance between us to give you advance notice of potential obstacles, but close enough that we could make an attempt to come to your aid if in trouble.
Yeah I guess I was working with the description of the journey activity Scout. It says “ An adventurer roams at a distance from the party, making a Perception check seeking vantage points to look ahead.” It’s not really clear what the design intent was, and whether it is an invitation to be caught by oneself. Given it’s a journey activity, it’s probably not balanced around minute by minute encounters, and rather just a narrative tool to fill out party roles while traveling and exploring. At this point it’s a bit up to Narrator interpretation.
I'm looking at the posts again, and the bugbear only mentioned snake monsters -- not necessarily humanoids, that I can see. I don't think your mind should immediately go to yuan-ti or salamanders or anything like that.
I'm looking at the posts again, and the bugbear only mentioned snake monsters -- not necessarily humanoids, that I can see. I don't think your mind should immediately go to yuan-ti or salamanders or anything like that.
I read everything over a little more closely and edited the post lightly to reflect them being just large snakes. I also denoted an action to try and keep things moving and get the action back to the party.
I can see how it might be ambiguous, I'm just clarifying what I was thinking when I wrote that.
I’m on a short vacation. I’ll be back Sunday evening. ‘Bot me as needed.