Annoying Game Questions You Want Answered

Almaz · Post by **Almaz** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:28 pm

I personally think it'd be fun to play in a game which used anachronistic natural philosophy, but if I were to do so, I would do it expressly as "modern natural science is correct, EXCEPT . . ." which is, you know, the foundation of most scifi settings, I'd just be projecting to a mythological backwards instead of to a theoretical forwards to find my anachronism.

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 8:34 pm

virgil wrote:A friend of mine has been Jonesing for a game lately, so he took up a friend's offer for an online game. This guy tld everyone to make PL 15 M&M (3rd edition) characters. After half a week, he apparently changed his mind because he was finding the rules too complicated.

New game: Marvel Super Heroes (the FASERIP version).

As I discover, apparently it wasn't just the DM, but at least two other players who felt M&M was notably more complex than FASERIP; to the point at least one player was going to quit entirely.

I can't find it in me to truly understand the mindset for that.

radthemad4 · Post by **radthemad4** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:33 am

Avoraciopoctules wrote:We play with monster characters a lot in my group's games, if you want suggestions for a particular level, I could probably look through my old notes.

That'd be great. What would you recommend for levels 1 to 5 ish?

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:49 pm

radthemad4 wrote:
Avoraciopoctules wrote:We play with monster characters a lot in my group's games, if you want suggestions for a particular level, I could probably look through my old notes.
That'd be great. What would you recommend for levels 1 to 5 ish?

At level 1, you can't play an interesting monster if you want to build it as a PC. But if you just use the monster entry itself as the character, Ghouls are an intelligent undead option with lots of flavor. Fairly powerful for their level, and the concept's got enough popular exposure that it won't be difficult for new players to grok.

Bugbears make pretty badass fighters if you want a fighty-type to be a little more rounded out. You have to actually build them as PCs, though.

Imps are versatile and fairly resilient, but don't have the raw power to overshadow the rest of the party in serious combat. A good guest choice.

Ogres are a classic, and people can have fun playing a straightforward bruiser like this for a session or two. Improves significantly when equipped with real gear, even if not built as a PC. Enlarge Person makes them Huge, after all, and a Huge greatsword hits for 4d6. Remind the player about the implications of their reach.

Araneas are totally cool, and scale up well. But early on when they have less gear, they have much more incentive to use their shapeshifting and special webslinging attacks.

Kuwa Oni make for excellent fighty-types with some fancy, yet not excessively complicated tricks. Excellent guest characters if you want something fun you don't have to explain in depth.

In the CR 5 range, Venedaemons are too much free power, with mechanical incentives to offend the rest of the party. Same thing with Green Hags, and elementals make knot-cutting really easy. Bearded Devils can make good guest characters thematically and mechanically, though. Brimoraks are cool, but might offend PCs who see they can area-blast AND hold the line. Plus the whole ruins-the-carpets thing.

Alu-Demons let you do most of the stuff a succubus could thematically, but without breaking the game using at-will mind control.

There's lots of fun PC stuff at CR 6, too. Lilin, Djinn, Bralani, Kyton, edge cases like Salamanders and Babau, the list is actually pretty substantial.

radthemad4 · Post by **radthemad4** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 4:32 am

Thanks, these will come in very handy.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 1:46 am

I'm writing up primordial dragon spirits for a game, and I'd like them to alliterate. So far we have Despair, Destruction, and Deception. Can anyone think of another spiritual portfolio that starts with D?

Voss · Post by **Voss** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 1:59 am

Death? Also Discipline if you're going with things like despair and deception

Blicero · Post by **Blicero** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 2:03 am

Neil Gaiman gives you Desire, Dream, and Delirium.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 2:09 am

You mean other than Death?

Damnation
Darkness
Decadence
Decay/Decomposition
Defiance
Defilement
Deformity
Degeneration
Delirium
Desire
Destiny
Dreams

Just for a few

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 2:20 am

Dread

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 2:40 am

Dolor (means 'pain')
Defenestration
Delineation
Defoliation
D'Nealian

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 4:58 am

Maxus wrote:Defenestration

"And you wouldn't want anything to happen to your fenestrates, would you?"

The world needs more primal dragons of defenestration.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 5:04 am

The Dragon God of Defenestration vs. the Indefenestrible III from Marlow Briggs. I'd play it.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 5:50 pm

Thanks, this should easily give me enough material for 5 gods. Maybe six if I want to introduce someone who constantly makes puns about seeing a window of opportunity in towns. If I get pedantic, one definition of defenestration is "the action of dismissing someone from a position of power or authority", and I could talk about how the ancient dragons wrecked the structures of mortal governments.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 6:01 pm

I guess throwing someone out a window would be an effective way to dismiss someone...

Could also be a sort of gatekeeper dragon. Keeps Cthulhu out of the universe and whatnot.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 9:44 pm

Well, there is the spell Defenestrating Sphere, too.

radthemad4 · Post by **radthemad4** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:06 pm

Maxus wrote:I guess throwing someone out a window would be an effective way to dismiss someone...

Could also be a sort of gatekeeper dragon. Keeps Cthulhu out of the universe and whatnot.

That is both hilarious and awesome.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 6:52 am

Ok, vaguely related question- is there any way to make a D&D 3.5 character that can throw opponents through at least one, preferably more, walls?

Edit: Ok, so I'd have to ask my dm about it anyway, but I'm curious what people think this idea.

So the dm has said we'll be doing gestalt. He's also said that we can worry less about LA because he's going to be taking a look at anything we want to play that has LA and deciding what he thinks it should be. This is better than using the printed LAs, but he still tends to be somewhat conservative about them. He's also open to using 3.0 material.

Anyway, what I'm considering for the goal of "throw enemies through one or more walls" is something like a Monk/Fighter gestalt, using the ftr bonus feats to get the feats that make monks a bit better. So I'm looking at voltroning together Ranged Sunder (not just for sundering with a bow, it also makes ranged attacks deal full damage to objects, albeit before hardness), Iaijutsu Focus (+1d6/~5 points above 9 on a skill roll) and the reasoning "can't I just use the opponent as an improvised weapon?" (4d6 with a creature between 101 and 200 lbs). I would also be taking the various feats like Eagle Claw Attack, Fists of Iron, Flying Kick, Roundabout Attack, etc to beef up my unarmed attacks, and getting the martial arts mastery stuff from Oriental Adventures, but that doesn't really help the stated goal unless I can get a "or monk weapons" variance on them and "thrown creatures" ruled as monk weapons.

Shiritai · Post by **Shiritai** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 2:39 pm

Walls seem to rarely be there when you need them, so I'd consider going Wizard/(Monk or Fighter) and making your own. Wizard buffs/polymorph will help hugely with the grabbing part too. As far as throwing... Hulking Hurler gets "Really Throw Anything", which isn't limited to weapons (works on anything that would be a light load).

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 5:40 pm

The floor's almost always there, though.

Nebuchadnezzar · Post by **Nebuchadnezzar** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 7:49 pm

The Drunken Master's Improvised Weapons ability lets one deal unarmed strike damage with throw people, but doesn't count them as monk weapons. I think one would need something silly like Shou Disciple 5 for flurrying. The Dungeoncrasher fighter ACF and Shock Trooper feats might also help, if one were to broaden the question to knocking people through walls instead of throwing. An unarmed Swordsage with a bunch of Setting Sun maneuvers might do ok as well.

TiaC · Post by **TiaC** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 8:57 pm

Ghost Dungeoncrasher Fighter/Master of the Unseen Hand should be able to do it. However, telekinesis is probably not what you're looking for.

Longes · Post by **Longes** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 4:57 pm

This is a question about Vampire: the Masquerade, Revised edition (not V20).

I'm making a Malkavian for a forum game. The character is going to be strongly focused on social and occult stuff. I'm currently thinking going for high Dementation and Auspex. With high enough level of Crafts, and Dementation 4/Auspex 2 mixed discipline I'll be able to produce madness inducing paintings.
The question is: is there any stuff that's absolutely vital for the character? Any highly useful obscure merits in the hundred VtM books?

I'm going with Megalomania for my disorder, because it has absolutely no downsides. You get an extra die to willpower rolls, and must resist doing diablerie when you can. No downside at all.

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 6:16 pm

Longes wrote:This is a question about Vampire: the Masquerade, Revised edition (not V20).

I'm making a Malkavian for a forum game. The character is going to be strongly focused on social and occult stuff. I'm currently thinking going for high Dementation and Auspex. With high enough level of Crafts, and Dementation 4/Auspex 2 mixed discipline I'll be able to produce madness inducing paintings.
The question is: is there any stuff that's absolutely vital for the character? Any highly useful obscure merits in the hundred VtM books?

I'm going with Megalomania for my disorder, because it has absolutely no downsides. You get an extra die to willpower rolls, and must resist doing diablerie when you can. No downside at all.

If you're trying to build a strictly powerful character, the best advice I can give you is to take as much Generation as you can. There's a knack to this: if you ask for too much then the GM will come down heavily on you and smack you down further than if you hadn't pushed your luck. It's a bit like blackjack, I suppose. I recommend going for a Generation of 4, because that's the point at which it gets good and they're unlikely to allow Generation 5.

If you suspect that the GM is going to be hammering at your Humanity during the game, then consider taking Code of Honour (from the base book.)

I've just spent a very pleasant half hour leafing through my shelf of green-marble-covered books looking at merits and flaws, for which thank you. It's been a trip down memory lane, even if I haven't uncovered an obscure merit somewhere.

Longes · Post by **Longes** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:00 pm

Laertes wrote:
Longes wrote:This is a question about Vampire: the Masquerade, Revised edition (not V20).

I'm making a Malkavian for a forum game. The character is going to be strongly focused on social and occult stuff. I'm currently thinking going for high Dementation and Auspex. With high enough level of Crafts, and Dementation 4/Auspex 2 mixed discipline I'll be able to produce madness inducing paintings.
The question is: is there any stuff that's absolutely vital for the character? Any highly useful obscure merits in the hundred VtM books?

I'm going with Megalomania for my disorder, because it has absolutely no downsides. You get an extra die to willpower rolls, and must resist doing diablerie when you can. No downside at all.
If you're trying to build a strictly powerful character, the best advice I can give you is to take as much Generation as you can. There's a knack to this: if you ask for too much then the GM will come down heavily on you and smack you down further than if you hadn't pushed your luck. It's a bit like blackjack, I suppose. I recommend going for a Generation of 4, because that's the point at which it gets good and they're unlikely to allow Generation 5.

If you suspect that the GM is going to be hammering at your Humanity during the game, then consider taking Code of Honour (from the base book.)

I've just spent a very pleasant half hour leafing through my shelf of green-marble-covered books looking at merits and flaws, for which thank you. It's been a trip down memory lane, even if I haven't uncovered an obscure merit somewhere.

Heh. The forum doesn't allow: Generation lower than 11th, Code of Honor, Willpower over 6, merits that protect you from domination or blood bonds, out of clan disciplines at chargen, disciplines over 3 at chargen, some other stuff.