Ackattack's page

1. Roll 4d6, drop lowest, 3 sets.

2. Yes, this is generally how we do it for a D20 game.

3. First experience was probably...1998.

4. Star Wars d6

Progression: Star Wars d6, D&D 2, D&D 3.0, D&D 3.5, Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Dark Ages, BESM d20, GURPS Traveller, Star Wars d20, Psion.

I've also briefly messed around with Monte Cook's World of Darkness, Mage: The Ascension, Vampire: The Requiem, Call of Cthulhu, and All Flesh Must Be Eaten. I own the player's guide to D&D 4.0, but have never actually tried it.

I must admit that I have done a couple of these on occasion. I have gotten mad at my dice before, to the point I hurled a D20 across the room (I'd spent the last five hours rolling 4s or lower, so the other guys were more understanding than they probably should have been). I've also built an Inquisitor based off something I found on these forums, though I did get the DM's permission. He regretted it later and started sending NPCs to deal with me specifically.

We had one guy that used to play with us in a Psion campaign though...oh man, he had built a god of engineering spent hours pouring over his books, rereading the same rules over and over again. Then, when he found out he wasn't allowed to do something, he'd get into heated arguments with the DM which would literally last several more hours. The first couple of times it happened, the rest of us sat there in shocked silence and just watched back and forth. My girlfriend quit the game because of it.

I was once in a six-player game in which five of us decided it would be fun to roll up gnomes. We became the McGosh clan, a fearless(and usually drunken) clan of gnomes from the Gnomish Highlands (meaning the flatlands). We all wore kilts, except for sister Daisy.

Nameless McGosh (Barbarian)
Gurnosh McGosh (Monk)
Conrad McGosh (Rogue)
Keeb McGosh (Sorcerer)
Daisy McGosh (Druid)

The only guy who didn't play a drunken gnome decided he wanted to be an elven bard instead. I don't remember his character, but the whole family called him "Pooftah".

We even got out of a combat situation in a bar that our DM had set up by declaring the opponent our cousin. Hence Cousin DM McGosh was born.

Ackattack wrote:

...
As for the new one...well, I don't like heavy use of CG. I'd rather watch him slay an enormous snake puppet than CG sand men. In truth Conan is a relatively low fantasy world: magic is feared and seldom used save by often power-hungry sorcerers. Monsters exist, but they're hidden away within places seldom seen by mortal men. In truth some of them even terrify Conan. But half the time Conan's greatest enemies are other barbarians like himself.

...

love Magic? Say what? Almost every REH story had him fighting a wizard. They were popping out of the woodwork. Demon Apes, elephant people from the starz, giant spiders. Sure the everyday populace has very limited magic. But wizards are spitting it out.

In high magic worlds, the everyday populace uses it too, for whatever they need it for. Nobody really fears it much because everyone is familiar with it. Not so in Conan's world. Sure, stuff pops up to attack Conan, but that's because he has a habit of going out of his way to find things in the middle of nowhere. Most of the people he's with are terrified because they have little to no experience with such things, even brave and worldly fellow warriors. Sure, there's a wizard or two in every city he goes to...but that's 1 out of thousands of people who have no access to it.

So guys, with the new Ultimate Combat book out, there are some nifty new firearms to use. The Advanced Firearms take the game to the late 1800s, perfect for a Wild West setting. But only the Gunslinger comes with the ability to wield these weapons. So how would you guys homebrew the other classes to being able to use guns?

Can sorcerers and wizards use pistols or rifles? What about druids or monks? Fighter's should easily be able to wield a variety of guns, but what about bards? What do you think? After all, by that point guns are pretty widespread.

When comparing viscous stomp with greater trip there seems to be a bit of an issue. If someone was to have both of these feats you could essentially trip a guy and get two attacks for free. Limited by AoO's you have however this seems a bit overkill. Perhaps trip is not the same as falling prone?

Actually we had a couple of recent discussions about this, such as in this thread I created.

Basically you can look at it two ways: Either you only get one because going prone is the result of getting tripped, or you get get an AoO for the act of successfully tripping and then a second for going prone. I see it as two, as do several of my friends, especially when combined with a feat like Ki Throw. If you throw in Ki Throw, then it becomes Trip, AoO, Ki Throw, AoO on prone target.

That's quite a few feats, so it makes sense to me that you'll get some advantage out of it.

I've had Netflix for about three years now, and I absolutely love it. But then I really enjoy watching lots of older films and foreign films that aren't very easy to track down in the United States. I favor the 2 physical DVD plan, as more of what I want is only available that way.

That said, I have been seeing more films that I've been interested in become streaming-only. That's not to say that Netflix has pulled the DVD; I know there are many times where they've become damaged and been unable to obtain a new copy of an obscure movie. But the streaming has allowed a new method for watching a film they can't obtain a DVD of, such as Vincent Price's Witchfinder General. My girlfriend has a streaming plan for her PS3, so if there's something we want to watch that way, we have a different means to do it.

Oh, a quick note. I've heard that the main reason Netflix has started this new pricing scheme actually has to do with more studios and production houses charging them a greater rate for the right to stream movies. Apparently they made a deal with Paramount a couple of years ago in which Paramount thought it got screwed, or something to that affect, so now between that and its success...well, yeah, price increases for us. So don't hate on Netflix too much for it.

Feral wrote:

Honestly, I think the Dungeon Siege movie was better than the new Conan.

Now now, NOTHING is as bad as Dungeonsiege.

You obviously haven't seen his House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark movies.

That said, I've avoided this one. First of all, I dislike 3D movies. I already wear glasses, so wearing a second pair is uncomfortable and gives me a wicked headache(my head hurt for two days after seeing Transformers 3 in 3D).

As for Jason Mamoa's acting, I don't have cable, so I can't say anything as I haven't seen his work. He does physically resemble some of the art I've seen of Conan, as well as Kull, which isn't a bad thing. One of the things I enjoyed about the Arnold Conan movie was that it combined important elements of both the Conan stories as well as the Kull stories, amongst other things from Robert E. Howard...it felt more like an homage to all of Howard's writings, backed by a wonderful soundtrack and a desolate land. Arnie's few lines and general unexpressiveness didn't bother me either, as it could be drawn up in the lines, "He is Conan, Cimmerian. He does not cry." Instead of showing emotion, Conan appeared more introspective, expressing himself through combat and bloodshed. I enjoyed that as it made him seem stronger and more mythical.

As for the new one...well, I don't like heavy use of CG. I'd rather watch him slay an enormous snake puppet than CG sand men. In truth Conan is a relatively low fantasy world: magic is feared and seldom used save by often power-hungry sorcerers. Monsters exist, but they're hidden away within places seldom seen by mortal men. In truth some of them even terrify Conan. But half the time Conan's greatest enemies are other barbarians like himself.

Maybe it's worth watching the new one, but I figure it would probably be better to wait for a home release. I just want a Conan movie that allows for introspection, where he's out for himself. I don't want him to be a hero that people call on in times of need, because that wasn't him.

GameStop under fire for removing free coupons from Deus Ex: Human Revolution

I hope they are informing their customers, otherwise I'd take them to small claims court.

Admittedly though, this is actually rather typical of them. Don't ever buy a new game from them and expect it to be unopened. Heck, because of their employee rental property, it's possible that the game has already been played too.

Great idea, thanks.

Hey, I'm wondering, how do you guys feel that Neverwinter Nights and Temple of Elemental Evil stack up against the likes of Icewind Dale and Plainscape: Torment? I've never gotten the opportunity to play either, as most of my PC RPG time has been spent between Baldur's Gate, the Elder Scrolls series, and more action-oriented RPGs like Dungeon Siege or Titan Quest. But I've heard that both Icewind Dale and Plainscape: Torment are incredible and well worth tracking down. Do the PC RPG aficionados here agree with these statements?

Whatever you do, don't try the 3.0 Pool of Radiance.

Sadly I have already learned this lesson the hard way. I got it for free, and I still felt ripped off. My girlfriend also fell victim to the Pool of Radiance debacle...sad day.

I have spent a little time with NWN, and while I did enjoy the NPC interaction, I don't think I want to go through that first chapter again just yet. So I'll give Temple of Elemental Evil a shot. Thanks guys!

Yes, yes, I realize that it's a PC game from nearly a decade ago. I like old games. And besides, I just found it in a thrift store for $0.50.

My question is, should I install it and play it right now, or should I actually play through Neverwinter Nights first? Because at the time of their release, I was busy playing console games and not considering fixing my busted PC.

So sell me on one of them...or I may just go back to playing Titan Quest.

But is the new Conan movie any good, and does it live up to Conan? Is it Robert E. Howard Conan or something along the lines of Robert Jordan Conan? And if I spend my time talking about how Arnold Schwarzenegger makes the best Conan, should I even bother with the new movie?

Thanks for the answers fellas. I'm a little bummed that it doesn't form a nasty combo with Pinpoint Targeting, but I suppose I'll get over that. I've considered picking this up in the past, but its definitely dropped in terms of interest from all the stuff I can't do with it.

Still, if it works with Flyby Attack and Lunge, I suppose the flying Eagle Shaman with a spear can still use it.

Isnt there a feat that allows Barbarians to Do max damage one a vital strike by dropping rage...whats 48d6 again? like 288 damage..and thats assuming it isn tdeadly aimed has an enhancement bonus or if he croits..OMG a crit with a double hackbut!

That would be the Furious Finish feat. And it does work for range weapons, as its any time you do a Vital Strike, regardless of whether its melee or not. You then become fatigued, but oh well. Take the Roused Anger rage power, and you can then immediately reload as a standard action using Rapid Reload and rage for a second volley(and you can add Powerful Blow to it both times you fire, since you raged two different times). That's 576 damage, + Powerful Blow, plus anything else you might have on top of that, such as Point Blank Shot, in three rounds.

My question now is: "Could I mount a colossal double hackbut on its carriage in the back of a reinforced cart pulled by a pair of dire elephants so that I don't need to set it up each time?" Because if so, I now have a new use for the Druid.

I think I'm going to refer to this idea as the Fingerflick of God from now on.

Does the Groundbreaker rage power create debris of the ground and if so could it be used as an improvised weapon?

I would say yes, as you're busting up floor tile, stonework, tree roots, or whatever else you're standing on. To then reach down and scoop up rocks to start chucking with Throw Anything...makes sense to me.

Several friends and I have been highly impressed with this feat, as it would have fit in very well with our last Pathfinder campaign. I was playing a Two-Handed Fighter with a falchion, being backed up by a raging barbarian and a paladin. Every fight began with the three of us (with a further fourth in our Druid's animal companion. Pounce is nasty)charging into battle against whatever foe we faced, often times doing so at pincer angles to then flank whatever it was we were after. We all took Teamwork Feats to boost our flanking abilities, with some sickening results.

Eventually the Druid learned to Wild Shape into a dinosaur and began joining us on the front line.

A feat like this would have made the first round even worse, as a raging barbarian with a bane mace, a two-handed power attacking fighter with a crit range of 15-20, a smiting paladin, a pouncing velociraptor, and a large wild shaped druid would all be on top of whatever had just confronted us, and four of them would then get a chance to full attack on their next turn...if it was still alive.

Ackattack wrote:

I have a further stupid question, namely if I take a level in a different class with different weapon and armor proficiencies, do I suddenly gain those proficiencies? For instance, if I'm a level 1 cleric, and I take a level of fighter, do I then gain heavy armor proficiency even if I then go straight cleric for the next 18 levels?

Yes, you get it all.

Awesome, thank you very much for the clarification!

So having read through a couple of these Vital Strike threads, I still have questions. Here's what I think I understand, based on what I've read:

Vital Strike does NOT work with Attacks of Opportunity.
Vital Strike is NOT compatible with Charging.
Vital Strike is NOT compatible with Cleaving.
Vital Strike IS compatible with Power Attack.
Vital Strike IS compatible with Spring Attack.
Vital Strike damage is NOT multiplied on crit, it's added after the original damage role is multiplied.

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on these. Anyway, I have a couple of other questions for it:

First, does Vital Strike work with Flyby Attack?
Second, does Vital Strike work with Lunge?
Third, does Vital Strike work with Shot on the Run?
Fourth, does Vital Strike work with Parting Shot?
Fifth, does Vital Strike work with Pinpoint Targeting?

I'm asking because, having become only more confused by reading through a few of these, I'm attempting to find something tangible to hold on to. I don't want Vital Strike to be useless, but I have to see examples of it being useful now.

I have a further stupid question, namely if I take a level in a different class with different weapon and armor proficiencies, do I suddenly gain those proficiencies? For instance, if I'm a level 1 cleric, and I take a level of fighter, do I then gain heavy armor proficiency even if I then go straight cleric for the next 18 levels?

I figure Whip Mastery will affect at least the whip and the Scorpion Whip, as the Scorpion Whip's description says you can use it as a whip if you are proficient with whips. In fact, that description makes me believe that Weapon Focus (Whip) would work for it just as well as it works for plain whips.

The Nine Section Whip on the other hand doesn't have that sort of description, nor does it have the reach or the other abilities in its description(which I'm assuming the Scorpion Whip does, since it is listed as a whip). I suppose the Whip Mastery feats would apply towards it, but I don't know how well it would work to take them.

I've asked a couple of questions about Monk rules lately, but now I'm interested in something I read under the new alternate Barbarian classes, specifically True Primitives. The Trophy Fetish ability lets me attach fetishes from kills to armor and specific primitive weapons the barbarian wields for extra damage or higher saves.

Based on the reading, I've come up with a few conclusions: I can't attach fetishes to shields for any bonuses, and I can't use them in conjunction with unarmed strikes or natural weapons in any way. I'm a little surprised at the list of selectable weapons though, mainly because none of the new Stone Age weapons made the cut.

I am also wondering how fetishes work with piecemeal hide armor. It says specifically "suit of hide armor," so if I'm wearing bone armor(which true primitives are also proficient with) I guess I can't use them, but what if I'm going the piecemeal route and have a combination of bone and hide armor?

Here is another thread with the same question. I agree with Allia Thren. Greater Trip and Vicious Stomp have separate triggers and, as such, are not capitalizing on the same opportunity.

Thanks, that thread was very enlightening(sorry for basically double-posting, I should become more confident with the search feature). That thread does present a new development to the argument, particularly if I have the Ki Throw feat in addition to all of these other feats.

Basically if I trip and have Ki Throw, do I get my AoO before I move my target with Ki Throw? If so, then I could definitely see getting an AoO for Greater Trip, moving with Ki Throw, and then getting a new AoO for Vicious Stomp.

BARD, I should have said, I guess. I'm looking at the 3.5 SRD and Rogue is unlimited on that one as well. Only Bard is 'any nonlawful'.

You got me on that one. Again, I'd have to see a solid player justification. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I would definitely find that one much harder to pull off.

I was going to argue about only divine classes having restrictions, and went to go find an 'any Neutral' class as an example - but they're gone. Rogues and Bards are now alignment 'any'.

So, that seals it. It's metagaming. LG rogues? Seriously? Talk about a dodge...

I don't have an issue with it, if the player can give a solid enough reason. Why not have a former criminal-turned-cop who uses his skills to support the law of the land, or a professional trapmaker whose work is entirely legal? Depends on the build and the player.

Hey guys, I had a question earlier about the use of Vicious Stomp, but this brought up a further inquiry.

I'm currently looking into playing a monk using some of the new feats from Ultimate Combat, and I noticed that Vicious Stomp allows me to get an attack of opportunity against anyone who goes prone adjacent to me. I was wondering how this might work with people I trip using Greater Trip, like if I had done so in the middle of a Flurry of Blows.

Basically, if I trip during a Flurry of Blows and possess both Greater Trip and Vicious Stomp, will I receive one or two attacks of opportunity? Greater Trip says that the trip attack is what allows me to have the attack of opportunity. Vicious Stomp instead goes off whenever an adjacent foe goes prone. So if I trip someone with these two feats, do I get an attack of opportunity for a successful trip and then get a second for my foe going prone, or do I just get one? If so, which feat am I getting it from?

I should probably note that Vicious Stomp requires Combat Reflexes.

Thanks for the input fellas.

Just like if you had tripped them with Greater Trip, the attack of opportunity would interrupt your flurry of blows. You'd take the attack of opportunity (at full BAB), and then continue flurrying.

Awesome. Now to build on top of that, if I happen to be high enough level and have also taken Boar Style and Combat Style Master, could I use a free action at the start of that attack of opportunity to then change styles and add in bleed damage to everything else I'm doing?

So having read a bit on the new combat styles in the Ultimate Combat, I'm really interested in how Janni Tempest, Flurry of Blows, and Vicious Stomp would all work together.

If I'm in Janni Style and I hit with the first hit in Flurry of Blows, I then get the bonus to trip and bull rush for the rest of the attack. Since FoB allows me to substitute in trip attacks for unarmed strikes, I'm assuming this would work seamlessly as my second attack. But when would the attack of opportunity for Vicious Stomp go off? Would I get it in the middle of the FoB, or would it not count until the very end?

I have a few more questions that will likely spawn off of this, depending on how it gets answered. Thanks for any insights that are provided fellas.