AvianAlchemist's page

I absolutely agree, even if I've only actually joined the forums recently. I used to browse pretty frequently when I was younger, but never got involved because I didn't feel like it was a good place for younger, casual players (and I tend to be super awkward online anyway). Life got hectic and I spotted playing for a while as well, around the same time second edition came out. So I stopped reading the forums too.

Recently I've finally gotten the chance to start playing again and ended up looking through the forums again. It was nice to see a quieter, calmer community, and I actually felt welcome to ask questions, even though I have a lot less experience and system mastery than most people here. It felt worthwhile to ask, and maybe contribute where I can.

Honestly I hope that the community continues to look like this and keeps first edition alive. I've now introduced a few sets of friends to the game, and I would much rather say that this is the kind of community available to them.

It sounds like I'm in the minority here, but I tend to prefer smaller groups of 3-5 players with a GM. It keeps the game running at a nice pace, there are enough players to have some fun party dynamics, and it's easier for us to meet and play regularly when we all have busy schedules.

I will also say that my first full game was actually a solo campaign; my GM adapted an adventure path to be played by one person. It was actually a really fun and low pressure way to get into the game, though my GM also seemed to be having fun fleshing out the world and playing many different characters. So I'd say there's a place for one person games too; you would just need a player and a GM who would enjoy that kind of experience.

Wow, I was not expecting this much of a response, thank you everyone! Right now everyone does seem to be having a good time, so hopefully that means they'll start growing more comfortable with the game as well. I really appreciate having so many tools to potentially use though! They should be really helpful in making sure that everyone continues having fun and doesn't get bogged down in anything.

Thankfully I don't think I'll need to worry about anyone optimizing too much; in both games I've seen a lot more interest in flavor than choosing the "best" option, and I don't think any of us have the level of skill to truly optimize anyway (save the GM of the game I play in, and it's pretty clear that he doesn't expect that from us). I should look into that strategy guide though. I honestly didn't know it existed, but it sounds like it might be a nice summary of some basics.

I also actually have a spreadsheet that I've personally been using, and I did offer it up to both parties as well. It's loosely based off a combination of the standard character sheet and a few others, with some of our standard house rules worked in. I designed it to work digitally or on paper though, so there are some weird space constraints on it to make everything fit nicely. I might try to adapt that into a digital only format which lays everything out instead of condensing some things into a formula in a single cell.

Thank you very much everyone, this is all fantastic!

For the game I'm GMing, I opted to let everyone build at first level because I had a mix of brand new people and people with experience in different versions of D&D, so I wanted to let them explore a bit. I decided to write the campaign from scratch as well, so I could adjust more easily depending on what parts of the game people were enjoying the most.

Based on everything you've said, I think I might just be approaching some of these questions in the wrong way. I have a few players in both games who took to the roleplaying really quickly and have a much harder time with the numbers (I was definitely the opposite when I started playing). I think I felt that I was just explaining poorly or missing something when trying to work through mechanics with them, but that may just not be their cup of tea.

I'm definitely going to see if there's a good way to adapt that reference cards idea for a digital format, something that makes it quick and less intimidating for my more numbers adverse players. It might be a good reminder for myself as well, so I don't accidentally skip over things that are second nature by now. And I'll also make it clear that I'm open to reasonable adjustments in the group I'm GMing for. We're only a few sessions in but had a few small things come up, mostly around skill points. I'm definitely open to changes as the game goes on too, and maybe that'll help reduce any stress about making "bad" mechanical choices early on while everyone is learning.

As the games progress I'll probably get a better idea of what different kinds of players are around the table and worry a bit less too. I'm probably holding myself to a bit of an unreasonable standard as I try to get everything off the ground.

Hey everyone, I'm currently playing in two games, one where I'm GMing for the first time and another where I'm the most experienced player with 2-3 new people. In both cases I've been providing a lot of guidance to the newer players, mostly with regards to character building. I don't consider myself an expert in any way, but I'm competent enough to walk people through the basics.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for helping new people learn the system and get more comfortable with the basics. Some people seem to pick up on the mechanics pretty quickly, and some are still getting a grasp of the basics. I don't mind helping at all, but I don't want anyone getting left behind either. And honestly, I find messing around with the mechanics and looking at weird character options to be one of the most fun parts of the game. So I'm hoping to make the game feel more accessible for brand new people.

Any thoughts are appreciated! I'm not looking for a quick fix really, just wondering if there's something more I can be doing, beyond just walking them through things and answering questions. Let me know if there's any useful information I can add too; I know it's a pretty broad question.

I confirmed with the GM, he's just allowing ABP to apply to natural attacks as if I had the amulet, so nothing to worry about there.

Thanks for all of the help! I think I know how I'm going to finish up to our starting level, and I was able to plan ahead a bit as well.

Thank again everyone; I really appreciate it!

Thank you everyone, this is all wonderful!

Regarding ABP, when I had spoken to my GM, it sounded like he was going to allow it to function like an equivalent to the Amulet of Mighty Fists. After looking it over again I'm going to double check though, because that does seem like a pretty major benefit over a standard +1 weapon. Worst case scenario is that I'll apply the ABP bonuses to a regular ranged and melee weapon for when I'm not raging and likely buy an amulet separately.

I'm considering picking up Power Attack for my first bloodline feat, or I'll likely pick it up as one at a later level. So I might end up doubling that up with Arcane Strike.

I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to take a handful of the rage feats like Raging Vitality, Extra Rage, etc because Dragon Disciple doesn't give me the normal rage progression. Would that be worthwhile, or should I just make sure to continue taking Bloodrager levels in between?

Regarding saves, should I worry about Reflex as well as Will? Neither is particularly high, though Dragon Disciple gives me a little extra Will save progression.

Also going straight to the Bestiary was a great idea; I realized that I use that to help inform my spell choices too.

Thanks again, and sorry for the long response! This build ended up being more complicated than I expected, but I'm really excited to try it out!

Hi everyone, I'm currently working on a new character and hoping to get some advice on the details, primarily feats and equipment.

Just a little bit of context, I've just started playing again after a few years, so I'm pretty much starting from the ground up. This is also the first time I'm really using the forums, so sorry if I do anything really silly.

I'm currently working on a Kobold Bloodrager (Draconic bloodline)/Dragon Disciple for a Darklands game. My basic concept is that she takes intense pride in her close connection to true dragons and is constantly seeking more draconic power, both out of admiration and worship of the true dragons as well as a way to fight her sense of inferiority.

Mechanically, we're starting at 8th level, 20 point buy (1 to 1). The GM rebalanced a lot of races for this game, so kobolds are more in line with a standard race power-wise. We're using ABP, so we're starting with half of the usual wealth by level but don't need to worry about most of the basic magic items.

I'd like to do a natural weapons build (bite, two claws, and probably tail as well from Tail Terror). I'm primarily focusing on melee, with a bit of casting to add some fun and thematic variety.

I've worked through most of the basics, but I was wondering if anyone might have suggestions for interesting/useful feats or magic items. This is a game with mostly new players, so it doesn't need to be a highly optimized build. I'm mostly trying to keep it thematic and fun to play.

Let me know if there's any other information that would be helpful, and thanks in advance for any advice!