Dustin Ashe's page

Maybe you guys would like FR more if you hadn't read the novels?

Unearthed Arcana gives us two new wizard options this week:

Theurgy and War Magic

I think the problem with using other D&D settings besides Forgotten Realms is that many of them are too niche. Dark Sun is a desert world. Eberron is pulpy. Spelljammer is just bat crazy. Forgotten Realms is classic fantasy. And though that might strike many people as bland, it's their most neutral setting and I think that's why it won the day.

I do think they'll make forays into other settings from time to time (e.g. Curse of Strahd), but I don't begrudge their embrace of FR. It was a smart business move.

Either that or create an entirely new traditional fantasy setting, but why bother?

Have fun! To date, I've taught 10+ people how to play tabletop RPGs and I have to admit, I prefer inexperienced players to experienced ones.

They come to the game with new eyes and, as a result, are more imaginative and innovative than experienced players who have a tendency to focus on the game mechanics they know so well.

You also don't have to deal with experienced players' bad habits.

New players or not, I would play to your strengths as a GM. Let the theater buffs be theatrical. If that's not you, try it out and you might be pleasantly surprised. But don't force it too much. You be you. They be they.

And, oh gosh, combat got a whole lot easier and faster with 5e.

Pathfinder is much better about having a good release schedule.

That's a feature of 5e, not a bug. I can certainly see why some people don't like their slower release schedule, but I love it.

Hard to compare. Pathfinder has been out much longer and has way more content. It might be better to compare Pathfinder back when it was just the CRB, MM, and maybe the APG to today's D&D.

This is one of those rules that should serve the DM or should be ignored.

In one of my campaigns, I almost never use passive Perception. In mt other campaign, I use it almost exclusively. Different campaigns have different needs.

Alphabetical class order is correct, Cleric Domains: Forge, Grave, Protection this week.

I really like the flavor of the Grave and Protection domains. But the Forge? That's incredibly niche. Why not a Woodworking domain too?

I found this to be an informative and entertaining podcast on the upcoming Volo's Guide to Monsters.

Huh. Forgotten Realms seems to fantasy-generic that I could almost reskin any of it and put it into any campaign. (In fact, I do. My campaign is a mix of Forgotten Realms, Golarion, and homebrew.) I guess I don't understand the hate.

As far as Volo and Elminster in this book. I think they'll just make it fun to read, maybe. A narrator with personality instead of a stat block and description. It's been a very long time since I read a Volo guide so I can't say for certain.

Paul Weber has done an amazing job making these cards. It's all the equipment from the PHB, plus spell slot cards, treasure cards, condition cards, initiative cards, and more.

He's even got magic item cards in the works right now. I can't wait to see them.

Best of all, it's completely free. You can support him on Patreon (I'm supporting him), but he doesn't even push that. He really is just doing it for the love of the game.

Even though I know it runs counter to the spirit of the edition, I still wish we had NPC classes in 5e. Every time I stat up an NPC for my game...

5e is a guide to make up your own rules.

This is actually what I love about 5e. It's so freeing.

I really liked that Perkins explained his design philosophy for feats and showed good and bad examples, with explanations for each. Helpful for those homebrewing their own.

All of them?

I've heard theories about this - that basically Hasbro thinks that they can make more $ as D&D as a brand than from D&D itself. Therefore they have limited reason to increase their pace of release, instead doing just enough to keep the brand pretty solid.

Basically - it's primarily to keep D&D relevant for video games etc. Any $ they make on D&D itself is nice, but it's largely secondary to keeping the brand around and healthy.

On the other hand - for Paizo - books are at the core of their business, so the way to up their profits is to print more books.

That doesn't explain why they're focusing on adventure campaigns (not all of which have a video game analogue) and not crunch. It seems to me, rather, that they're trying to forgo the very problems that past editions had, and the one Paizo's Pathfinder is currently experiencing. Bloat.

But I can't actually get into Hasbro's or Paizo's headspace any more than anyone else.

Dustin Ashe wrote:

Aren't people worried about bloat and power creep?

HA! No! IMO, they have put out so little I am far more worried about implosion due to not enough options. I would have expected a second monster book, a sizable book of player options (the FR book does not count), and ... more by now.

And I'm so glad they're taking their time. I'd much rather they throttle back than move too quickly. But that's just my opinion.

And then there's this doozy.

That they're selling the license to someone willing to produce material for D&D, and support it.

Sadly, it likely just means they're vaguely talking about a book that will recycle mechanics they've previously posted to website.

I actually like the pace of 5e materials. I can actually learn all the player options, even with a busy schedule, before the next release.

And I'd prefer to see Unearthed Arcana as an interest gauge and playtesting materials. I think it's a smart idea.

But that's just me.

So I'm just going to drop these Pathfinder->5e conversions here:

Stolen Lands
The Dragon's Demand
Haunting of Harrowstone
Hollow's Last Hope

Grab them if you want them, modify them for you as you see fit.

I think it's actually a really good idea that WotC has chosen a campaign setting and is sticking with it exclusively. Haven't publishers found that making multiple campaign settings splits their fan base?

Isn't that why Pathfinder created Golarion and stayed away from creating any other settings? With the exception of the Dragon Empires Gazeteer and upcoming Distant Shores, they haven't even really touched on anything outside of the Inner Sea.

I can't see us blaming WotC for doing the same thing. It may not satisfy all the fans, but it sounds like, from everything I've read, it's smart business.

Expert with 2 ranks in Linguistics and at least one rank in each of these: Profession (teacher), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (planes), and Knowledge (religion).

(i.e, Comparative Literature PhD student)

I have several friends that play 5e...but I don't think they actually went to the forums there.

That would mean the forums don't represent much in regards to your typical 5e player, and hence focusing spending money in other areas could benefit the majority of players more than spending it on forums?

Agreed. There was just something about the Wizards forums that wasn't intuitive. For me, it felt hard to navigate and search.

he had right there sentences like "He things anyone less intelligent then he is, isn't worth talking to." or a quotation, "There are many choices, but the one I make are right." So at the get go, I was sat down as an antagonist to the parties enjoyment.

Those might work well in a home group where people can separate you from your character, but I can see how role playing that way among strangers might paint an inaccurate picture of you. Not to mention bring the party down.

Could you not have chosen a different pregen? Or did they only have one available?

I think Pathfinder is better off with D&D around (and possibly vice versa as well). Think about it, if I've never played a role playing game before, I'm probably going to start with D&D. It's got a movie coming out and popular computer games. I probably have heard of D&D, less likely to have heard of Pathfinder.

But then I, newcomer, might start trying alternate roleplaying games and might look into Pathfinder. Or I might find PF organized play at my game store. I might convert over or play both.

D&D might take some of the customers from Pathfinder, but I think it brings more people to the hobby in general.

I'm hoping that there are more woman than that one token ally or villain who largely serves as eye candy for men.

While we're at it, let's represent different human races as well. Make sure the whole world knows that D&D isn't just for white men.

Can you tell us the tale of Ostog the Unslain?

I quite like playing at 1st level. The world feels like a very dangerous place and even small threats feel very raw and menacing.

And, honestly, when a few PCs die now and again without the easy raise dead option (because: we're poor), each encounter is thrilling to me.

If you wrote an AP I was interested in running and it started at level 5, for example, I might still run it but I'd be tempted to write my own 1-4 chapter.

And I really don't like 15-20 level play. The mechanics drag it down. The weight of each character's magic items, spells, iterative attacks, etc. Combat becomes unwieldy and only the most outlandish monsters are a threat.

I'm just one customer though. Just thought I'd voice my opinion even if it proves to be a minority one.

I'm currently switching to 5e after playing Pathfinder for three years for the same reason you chose PF over 5e. Options.

There are just too many of them for my tastes.

One of my players put it this way: "I always hated picking feats. I would spend a long time poring over the options and then just give up in frustration and choose one on whim."

For players who want to get to the game as quickly as possible, 5e is clearly superior. For those who want to be highly rewarded for system mastery and who want mechanics that reflect flavor choices, Pathfinder is the way to go.

No way is wrong but they reflect different play styles.

More and more, I like to just get to the roleplaying. Choosing among 40 classes and hundreds of feats, not to mention waiting for my players to calculate what exactly their attack rolls are and how much damage they dealt started to wear me down. I prefer a simpler game now, though I'll continue to use Pathfinder rules until my Jade Regent campaign wraps and then I'll probably continue to buy Paizo flip-mats and pawns, and also run converted PF APs afterwards.

I'm starting a new campaign at first level soon. I want to start it in a homebrew town and at first level. Basically, I want to seed it with as many story ideas as possible and then see what my players latch on to.

I know there's Rise of the Runelords, Jade Regent, Murders Mark, The Dragon's Demand. What else?

On second thought, as soon as my Jade Regent campaign wraps, I'm switching to 5e rules but staying with Pathfinder APs. I'll start Rise of the Runelords next.

Why not have the best of both worlds?

Funny thread, this one.

I, for one, am really hoping that humans, elves, and dwarves get the most love of all.

Now I want an Advanced Strategy Guide for the classes in the Advanced Player's Guide and the Advanced Class Guide.

Perhaps this thread would interest you.

It's fun to blame Tolkien for everything, but it's not really true.

Not blaming, just pointing out the precedent.

If anything, Tolkein's "angels" sound like a pantheon of at least lesser deities to me. Perhaps he saw them as his analog for Roman Catholic archangels though. Either way, there seems like a lot of sources of divine power in Tolkein's setting whether or not The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings makes much use of them.

I haven't read any Conan....

One particular Christian revived the mint-your-own-deities trend: Tolkien.

What about flavor bloat and creep? I mean, with Pathfinder I can play almost any fantasy character imaginable? It's unconscionable! It's irresponsible! :)

Hopes: A second strategy guide that covers the APG, ACG, and OA. it can be called... 'the advanced strategy guide'.

Perhaps this thread would interest you....

A new Core Rulebook. Since releasing the Beginner Box and especially now with the new Strategy Guide, I've been hoping that Paizo will improve the layout of the CRB. The current layout is for those already familiar with roleplaying games and just confuses everyone else. While Paizo is at it, they can incorporate any rules tweaks, class updates (Pathfinder Unchained), new artwork, etc. That would all be a plus.

Moratorium on new classes. I also hope that after Occult Adventures is released that they hold off on making any new 20-level classes for a few years. More prestige classes and archetypes are fine. But the base classes have been coming pretty rapidly of late what with the Advanced Class Guide and Occult Adventures and I, for one, need some time to digest the recently large offerings. There aren't many character concepts I can think of that fit in a fantasy setting that I can't make now.

1) What is your favorite Golarion deity and why?

2) Any advice for a new GM or how to train a new GM? Someone in our group is about to take the reins. She's super creative and smart but has only been playing RPGs for 6 months.

"Now where did I leave that broom?"

I suppose it's possible to say the Arcadians today are a mix of two cultures: the original Arcadian natives and old Azlanti colonists. Would that work?

What did you draw on in designing Alahazra's headdress? Is Shardra's headdress the dwarven version of it?

And again; what´s diferent with ARG?

Paizo is selling the same things over and over again?

This is less like the ARG and more like a compendium of Bastards of Golarion, Elves of Golarion, Dwarves of Golarion, Gnomes of Golarion, Goblins of Golarion, Halflings of Golarion, Humans of Golarion, Kobolds of Golarion, and Orcs of Golarion (and probably much, much more) updated, converted from 3.5, expanded and added to. In that way it's more like Inner Sea Gods, which took the various AP articles on deities and put them all in one hardcover and then added some new feats, spells and other crunchy bits.

So, in a sense you're right, we are being sold the same thing again. But it's not the ARG. Instead, we're getting at least $117 worth of product for $40. Not too shabby.

I, for one, am very excited about this product. It's the one I'm most looking forward to in 2015.

Any chance of throwing in the summon nature's ally pawns too?

And in no particular order, here is the next class guide:

the Link redacted.

More free time that I can waste on internet posts.

Well, if I see a bunch more thejeff posts for the next few weeks I guess we'll know why. :)

So this is the 4th hardcover huh...lame. Was hoping for Bestiary 5...

To each his own. This is the book I've been waiting for!

I'm kind of curious what kind of effects you'd expect though.

Heightened emotions. Deeper, more satisfying intimate relationships. More free time?

I don't know. Let me know how it goes for everyone. They say new habits can form in just 21 days.