Emkrah

Jody Johnson's page

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The main situations I see a 'Vital Strike' option as being advantageous are in ranged attacks with the Loading descriptor and with Thrown weapons where ammunition is a concern, or when you have Advantage on a single attack and want to maximize it's effectiveness.

It meshes with my house rules because I want to buff Thrown weapons slightly and remove the Crossbow Expert feat. I also remove the -5/+10 part of SS and GWM which brings this more into a viable option for all attacks.


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Jiggy wrote:
Jody Johnson wrote:

The basis of the skill system is --

1) State your action
2) The DM determines how to resolve it (in 3.x/PF or 4e the skill rules determine how to resolve it):
2a) If the result is not in doubt then it auto-fails or auto-succeeds.
2b) If the result is in doubt then make a roll - with 3 types: normal, advantage, and disadvantage.
3) Resolved
4) Drink

.....

Basically any situation where the dice may give a result against "common sense" the arbiter just skips the dice. By RAW.

I don't remember reading this. For reasons not limited to this discussion, could you point me to what part of the 5E rules you got this from? I'm very interested in re-reading it.

In addition to the 'How to Play' section the clearest statement is DMG p236-37 under "The Role of the Dice".

The options being: 1) The dice decide - 'Rolling with It' (3.x/4e), 2) The DM decides - 'Ignoring the Dice' (probably most like OD&D and AD&D), and 3) Mixing the Two - 'The Middle Ground'.

My above methodology most closely matches the third option. Not to say that the 'Roll for it' method can't work, but if you don't like how it works then you have other options within 'The Rules'.

Drink.


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I'd just leave followers and cohorts as a roleplay thing under DM guidance.

Feats feel like player entitlements.

I'm pro followers, mounts, familiars, animals companions, and henchmen but I measure it against the number of players and the scope of the campaign. Small group allows more room for extra party members.

Basically 1e/2e style plus scaling mechanisms from the more recent editions.


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Lorathorn wrote:
I just wondered if anyone had further insight into the issue.

Legend & Lore June 2013

Mike Mearls Legend & Lore from June 2013 talks about Hit Points and Healing as indicators of genre (or playstyle preference).

If there's an area where they expect different tables to 'house rule' to match their playstyle it is HP and their recovery.


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P.H. Dungeon wrote:
One change that I'm hoping for in the DMG is an alternate xp system that moves away from xp for killing monsters. D&D is one of the only systems that awards xp nearly entirely for killing things.

Unless the encounter is with non-negotiables (skeletons, beasts, high morale warriors) the XP rewards are usually spelled out as defeated rather than slain.

XP is granted for detecting or surviving traps, at least one encounter doubles XP for a capture.
Some give less XP for a peaceful solution but in those cases a few deaths in the party are likely (or a TPK) if they opt for deathmatches.

Some of the encounters are RP only, and fighting is not possible.

Given the general threat level especially early in the game, diplomacy, trickery, and intimidation are excellent low cost alternatives.

The knockout rules make capturing enemies an easy option for melee types.


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I bought it Thursday and ran it at the store Saturday. I read the first 2 chapters.

4 players; 2 were playtesters, and 2 3.x/PF players.

We completed the first chapter in 3.5 hours with roughly 6 encounters and 3 traps. One short rest and then took a long rest after the small dungeon was completed.

That was sufficient to reach Level 2 which is the default progression.

Everyone had character built from the Basic rules instead of pre-gens.
The only rules mix-up I noticed was the rogue had rapier-dagger instead of short sword-dagger (two weapon fighting with 2 light weapons is free).

And one character died to a double crit against Disadvantage in the last room. We had some weird die rolls.


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Plasticrypt Gallery

Pictures as they become available get collected in the Plasticrypt gallery.

Most of those are from GAMA Trade show and the WizKids demos of Attack Wing.


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Back in my day, we've trudge and slosh through miles of sewers to dig through a 10' tall pile of otyugh dung for a 50gp gem and a ring worth 100gp.

And we liked it.

We're all getting soft.


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Campaigns Avenger: "By Grapthar's Hammer you shall be avenge .... ered!"