18
votes
14answers
1k views
Fast-paced and brutal rpg system
First, the question: Does anyone in here know a system that is both fast-paced, brutal and suited for fantasy roleplaying?
Now, the explanation: by brutal, I mean dangerous. Most RPG's have a ...
4
votes
2answers
29 views
Race Creation/Modification in D&D 3.5
I'm trying to create a set of races, based largely on the classic fantasy races of Man, Elf, Dwarf (and Gnome, but I don't consider that to be a 'classic' fantasy race). I'm using 3.5 rules, and the ...
4
votes
0answers
23 views
Is this fix to the Autumn Mantle roughly equivalent to the other Seasonal mantles?
My group and I firmly consider the Autumn Court's Mantle (see Changeling: the Lost) to be both sub-par and insulting in its mechanical implementation, especially considering that Autumn, as the Court ...
3
votes
2answers
60 views
What books should I start D&D 4e with? [duplicate]
I am starting to play D&D and have bought the Players Handbook, the Monsters Manual and the DM guide!
Now, with what did you started playing? Where do you find all of the pertinent information to ...
5
votes
1answer
62 views
Who should be addressed in an RPG rule text?
When reading RPG rules text, I have noticed that the text sometimes rather inconsistently switches between assuming that the player is doing the reading and that the character is doing the reading.
...
2
votes
1answer
39 views
How to prepare a campaign for an upcoming new edition?
I'm currently in possession of the 4th edition of Shadowrun and I have many of the released books at hand if I want to prepare a campaign. I don't have a campaign running right now but I'd like to ...
20
votes
10answers
635 views
Dealing with skill rerolls by several players
I could use some advice as a GM on how to handle rolls which get repeated by several players one after the other.
Example 1
The PCs stand in front of a locked door and try to force it open. The ...
6
votes
2answers
142 views
Attack of Opportunity & spell casting
I'm a little stumped with this.
Example, casting a spell, 1 standard action provokes attack of opportunity. The enemy is allowed a single melee attack.
So, each time the wizard casts a spell, ...
5
votes
2answers
91 views
What is a good way to handle a merchant / snake oil salesman PC?
I recently started running a 4e game where a character is playing an unaligned merchant bard who is also a bit of a snake oil salesman.
What is a good way to play up the merchant / snake oil salesman ...
2
votes
1answer
58 views
Is the Dark Light ritual an invisibility cloak?
You create a source of dim light that allows you and those around you
to see without your being seen because of your light source.
Does the "without your being seen" part mean that the players ...
0
votes
2answers
53 views
Which ability modifiers apply to which Defenses?
I'm creating a level 1 character. When I got to the 'filling out the character sheet' part I really didn't understand what modifiers there were for Defenses or how they were applied. I am new to ...
83
votes
44answers
6k views
What tools are useful to organize a GM's campaign notes?
There are plenty of tools available to organize campaign notes. I've tried 4x6 cards, files on my computer, notebooks, and more. I have thought of trying mind mapping software such as FreeMind, note ...
16
votes
5answers
554 views
How to make a game enjoyable for a monk?
One of the players in my campaign decided to play monk. We are all pretty new, so I couldn't have alerted him to this, but from what I understand now, monks are weak. Very weak.
This player in ...
10
votes
4answers
153 views
Murder mystery and high fantasy magic - how to make it work?
I am intending to have a murder mystery for my next game, set in a high fantasy setting in 13th Age. The setting we are playing in is very close to Eberron in tone, where magic is prevalent and powers ...
3
votes
2answers
97 views
What benefits or powers does a cleric gain from choosing a deity?
Is there any benefit from choosing a god? What are they? Do they change per level? Is it available to use at all times? Do they involve rituals? What are the prerequisites?
0
votes
1answer
134 views
D&D 3.5 Paladin Strange Behavior [closed]
The Paladin in our part has been acting strangely...
Example: Our paladin has been sleeping outside the city gate, for the purpose of saving money, while we stay in the city inn. The rent is not ...
1
vote
2answers
51 views
Can a human wizard use Versatility to get an extra spell matrix?
The Versatility talent allows a human character to learn a talent from Disciplines other than their own.
As part of the limitations of it it states: (p120 ED 2nd printing)
Characters with ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Can a human spellcaster using Versatility learn any spell of their circle?
The Versatility talent allows a human character to learn a talent from Disciplines other than their own.
The only limitations to casting spells are: (ED r2, p152)
Your character must have learnt ...
2
votes
1answer
76 views
How many Encounter Powers can I use during an Encounter?
So, I have a lvl. 1 cleric! I have 1 Encounter power + the power of my deity + Healing Word.
But how do encounter powers work?
Either you can only use ONE power from the whole 'encounter' category ...
3
votes
2answers
73 views
Declaring an interrupt during a multitarget attack
Suppose I have an immediate interrupt power that triggers when I am hit, and the effect is to push the creature out of range, invalidating the attack.
Example:
A monster attacks with a close burst ...
11
votes
8answers
450 views
Any free and private wiki-like services for campaign tracking?
In one of our long running (3+ years) campaigns we've wound up with a wealth of information the DM and players can't keep track of.
All of us agree on introducing a wiki to track our information (a ...
7
votes
1answer
85 views
What are the best uses of a Factotum's Cunning Brilliance (Ex)?
At 19th level, you become the ultimate jack of all trades. Your sharp mind and keen sense of your surroundings allow you to duplicate almost any ability you witness. At the start of each day, ...
6
votes
1answer
88 views
What stats should I give a shield made out of the door of an armoured Humvee?
I am running a dark, reasonably realistic zombie apocalypse game using Savage Worlds, and one of the characters has scavenged the door of a Heavy Armoured Humvee. He intends to convert parts of it ...
5
votes
1answer
47 views
What are the critical differences between WEG's Star Wars 2nd Ed. and Star Wars 2nd Ed. Revised and Expanded?
What are the major differences between West End Games' d6-based Star Wars TRPG 2nd Edition. and Star Wars TRPG 2nd Edition, Revised and Expanded?
Is the latter seriously better? If so, why? Are the ...
0
votes
0answers
152 views
How to deal with a DM who is biased against a player? [closed]
Okay, so me and my friends are playing a game. (It's a game we made up, but is kinda based on things like D&D and such). My character ended up becoming king of all the humans, and thus is a rather ...
7
votes
3answers
117 views
How to develop arcs for player characters
If you've got a vague idea for an overall plot arc, how do you go about developing individual plot arcs for player characters (if that's something you do)?
I'm running two Savage Worlds campaigns, ...
7
votes
2answers
110 views
Effects of Horror Corruption
So I've been reading through Earthdawn again thanks to people talking to me about Horrors, and it occurred to me that I don't know very much about how they mechanically work-
I know for a fact that ...
4
votes
1answer
78 views
Is It Okay To Use “Commune” To Ask About Alignment?
In the campaign I am running, next session my players have decided to use the 'Commune' spell to ask a god various questions. Among these are four questions that ask: "Is this character good?" "Is ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views
Are there the equivalent of Attacks of Opportunity in the Mythus Game
Can anyone tell me whether there is an equivalent of Attacks of Opportunity in the Dangerous Journeys Mythus RPG? I thought there was but have searched through the rulebook and can't find any.
16
votes
6answers
1k views
How to introduce a pen-and-paper RPG to family?
My brother and I have dabbled in D&D when we were younger. Also, at the last place where I worked, we had a weekly Pathfinder game session, which was fun.
Usually at our family get-togethers my ...
6
votes
2answers
90 views
How do Racial Paragon Classes stack up against actual classes?
Racial Paragon Classes are detailed in Unearthed Arcana. These extremely short classes offer a way to expand your racial abilities and make your character feel more "elf-like" or more "dwarf-like". I ...
18
votes
8answers
520 views
Is there a good way to have a party of adventurers with only one player?
My sister expressed interest in playing D&D, and I'm interested in DMing, so I decided to try and run The Caves of Chaos from the D&D Next playtest packet. Reading through the materials, I ...
14
votes
2answers
512 views
Does making an opportunity attack with a ranged weapon provoke an opportunity attack?
If I make an opportunity attack with a ranged weapon (e.g., a crossbow) against an adjacent enemy, does it provoke an opportunity attack as well?
3
votes
3answers
149 views
Can the GM pass an NPC's tag to a PC?
Mike (a PC) takes the mild consequence Jittery from a ghost's mental attack, granting the ghost a tag on that aspect. Soon after, Andy (another PC) rolls Intimidate (as a social attack) to tease Mike ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
collections of free online pregenerated wilderness maps?
Am looking for (out of curiosity, to begin with) collections of premade, at least medium quality wilderness maps available legally for free (published under gpl, gnu, creative commons, or a similar ...
9
votes
4answers
226 views
How do FATE Core and FAE differ in purpose?
I understand the mechanical differences between the two games (notably, approaches instead of skills and a consolidated stress track), but is FATE Accelerated Edition simply meant to be "FATE Core ...
3
votes
1answer
59 views
Ingesting contact or injury poisons
If someone ingests a contact or injury poison, do they suffer the affects of the poison?
Ingestion poisons usually have an onset and longer frequencies, if yes on the first question does the ...
5
votes
3answers
117 views
Creating undead as a good cleric in Dark Sun
Suppose that in the Dark Sun setting, I have a good-aligned cleric who follows the ideals of one of the elements (fire, water, earth, air) and has chosen to channel positive energy.
My question can ...
3
votes
2answers
132 views
Is the Rapier a Superior or Military weapon?
I keep seeing the Gritty Sergeant and Noble Bred for War backgrounds mentioned as ways to gain proficiency with rapier. However rapier is listed in PHB as a superior weapon, and GS/NBfW grant ...
28
votes
13answers
1k views
What ebook readers work well with roleplaying PDF?
Given the advent of various tablets, netbooks, and ebook readers which works best for viewing AND using roleplaying PDFs. Unreleased products should be mentioned as well as the field is constantly ...
4
votes
1answer
83 views
Telepathy for Humans
So, I want to give my good-aligned human Telepath Psion a Mindsight, for which I need to give him a Telepathy special quality first, but the Mind's Eye (and every other non-printed-rules-source) was ...
3
votes
0answers
76 views
How does a shrunken item work when unshrunk? [closed]
When you put a shrunken item in a confined space and the unshrink it, what happens?
Does it work like "Enlarge Person"?
If insufficient room is available for the desired growth, the creature ...
3
votes
1answer
245 views
Do Backstab and Sneak Attack stack?
Dose the Back-stab Rogue Utility (from Heroes of the Fallen Lands) and Sneak Attack Rogue Class feature damage stack? If so, does Back-stab also get the die boost from the feat Back Stabber?
If so, ...
6
votes
1answer
97 views
What feat should I get for 7th level Rogue Fence/Rich Hoodlum
My Pathfinder rogue has gained 7th level and I really went random on advancement (no research), but I can have a badass sneak attack. My character name is Calico Abacus and he has race traits of ...
14
votes
8answers
875 views
Mapping software for 2D universe maps
I'm looking for a utility that I can use to generate 2D maps for hyperspace links between star systems for my Star Wars game, I've had a look at some 3D ones but for the sake of ease of explanation ...
6
votes
1answer
139 views
How can I arrange for the long-term containment of magical animals?
One of my players is building a Hermetic Menagerie.
There was some discussion during the game about how to enchant the Menagerie to securely contain the animals stored inside.
The requirements are ...
2
votes
2answers
55 views
Do items that trigger off of “x basic attack” work with powers “used as” basic attacks?
For instance, I'm building a Level 4 Seeker (Ranged Arcane Archer-esque class) who has an At Will attack (Biting Swarm) that can be used "as a" ranged basic attack. I also have a couple of items that ...
13
votes
7answers
940 views
D&D: How to find out if someone is a spellcaster?
I know that one can use the spell "Detect magic" to find out whether any spells are being cast or active. But is it also possible, using some spell, feat or whatever, to find out whether a person is ...
4
votes
2answers
327 views
What use is Skill Beyond Your Years?
In low-level D&D variant E6, you max out at level 6 and only gain feats every 5,000XP thereafter. There is a feat as follows:
Skill Beyond Your Years
Prerequisite: Level 6
Pick a skill. ...
8
votes
1answer
95 views
What rules are there for an opponent detecting me shadowing them while flying and invisible?
Are there any rules about Move Silently checks while flying?
Or how much noise flying actually makes?
I'm playing a Dragonfire Adept that can both fly and turn invisible, and I want to know if there ...
