DnD - gender inclusion since 1978

Borrowed a DnD 1e Players Handbook from a grognard. 

Gary Gygax was using "he or she" in fucking *1978* - WTF is this still a goddamn issue 40 years later??

Model unknown.  Title "Sheridan's Art Fox and Lion"
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcXIlD6BixN/
Model - @fox.and.lionheart
Armor - @mytholon_store
Cloak - @costureroreal
Photography - Sheridan's Art

Fiction Friday - A Singing Paladin

Mariëlle Sylvia Altink - A Singing Paladin

Background & Origin: She was a minstrel, with a natural talent for remembering songs and music, before her conversion of faith.

She was working as a minstrel at a popular carnival town. A high-level adventuring party came through. They had just lost a companion, and were drowning their sorrows in drink. An angel appeared at the table, and called the company by name - “the company that numbers eight shall go forth and do this quest!”  By random dumb luck, she was sitting and chatting with them, and suddenly found herself part of the legendary group, and magically enthralled into a quest!

The adventuring group knew they were stuck with her, and she was stuck with them, so they made the best of it and trained her up right away into her new career. She has a lot of energy and was a fast study.

Combat Tactics:  The crossbow is for sniping when there is time to prepare.  Otherwise, she carries javelins for either a quick thrust, or a quick throw.  Once the target is close enough, she hits people with her greataxe.

Her core powers make her a bit of a rallying point for her allies. She stays to the front, with the mainline damage dealers, as frontline tank and healer.

She treats her primary role as frontline support, and her favorite combat spell is bless, since her and her allies get a huge boost for relatively minor resource consumption (allies within 10 feet of her, and under a bless effect, gain +4+1d4 bonus on every saving throw).

Personality Traits: At heart, she is a philosopher and entertainer, but she got caught up in something bigger than herself, and has embraced it.  If nothing else, it let’s her collect new songs and music she would never have encountered before.

Appearance: 5’ 5” and a muscular build. Her hair is auburn-red.

Powers:  She is a half-elf paladin with a natural talent for learning and remembering songs and music.  

Powers: Extensive martial training and spell casting.

Notes:  Model unknown.  Character by I.A. Riley November, 2016.

(model unknown)

Mariëlle Sylvia Altink - D&D 5e

Neutral Good Half-Elf Paladin 7

Strength     16 (+3)

Dexterity     10

Constitution     14 (+2)

Intelligence     8 (-1)

Wisdom     12 (+1)

Charisma     18 (+4)

Hit Points    60

Armor Class     18

Speed         30 ft

Proficiency Bonus: +3

Saving Throw Totals:  Strength (+7), Dexterity (+4), Constitution (+5), Intelligence (+3), Wisdom (+8), Charisma (+11) (italics means proficient save)(modifiers already include her Aura of Protection) 

Racial Features: Immune to magical sleep effects; Darkvision 60 ft; advantage on saving throws against being charmed; bonus skills

Background:  Entertainer

Background Features: By Popular Demand (she can always play for room and board)

Combat Proficiencies:  Simple Weapons; Martial Weapons; All Armor; Shields;

Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics (+3), History (+2), Insight (+4), Medicine (+4),  Performance (+7), Religion (+2)

Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit, Musical Instrument (lyre)

Languages: Common, Elvish, Halfling

Class Features:  

• Aura of Devotion (her and friendly creatures within 10 feet of her can't be charmed while she is conscious);
• Aura of Protection (when conscious, she and any friendly creatures within 10 feet gain +4 to all saving throws)
• Channel Divinity (1 use, short or long rest to recover);
• Sacred Weapon (for one minute, held weapon is treated as magical, gains +4 attack bonus, sheds light to 20/40-foot radius);
• Turn the Unholy (any fiend or undead must DC 15 Wisdom save or flee from her presence for one minute);
• Divine Health (immune to disease);
• Divine Sense (sense celestials, fiends and undead, 60 ft radius, 5 uses, recharge with long rest);
• Divine Smite (expend paladin spell slots to add radiant damage to melee attacks, chosen after hitting the creature; 1st level slot adds +2d8, 2nd level slot adds +3d8, add +1d8 more if target is undead or a fiend);
• Extra Attack (she gets two attacks with the Attack action);
• Spellcasting (DC 15; Spell slots 4/3; typical spells prepared 1st- bless, cure wounds, divine favor, protection from evil and good, sanctuary, shield of faith, 2nd- aid, lesser restoration, magic weapon; spell slots recharge with long rest);
• Lay on Hands (35 hit points; can be used to treat other conditions; recharge with long rest);
• Sacred Oath (Oath of Devotion) (Honesty, Courage, Compassion, Honor, Duty).

Equipment: Splint mail armor (AC 17); greataxe (attack +6, 1d12+3 damage, reroll a 1 or 2); five (5) javelins (attack +6, 1d6+3 damage, range 30/120); heavy crossbow (attack +3, damage 1d10, range 100/400); twenty (20) quarrels; Musical instrument (6-string lyre); the favor of an admirer (a love letter); a costume; an explorer's pack; 250 gp

Source - https://www.pinterest.com/sk37chyz/axe-wielders/  - Mariette Jacobs - www.artstation.com

Document Copyright (C) 2016 by I.A. Riley. All rights reserved.  Portions Copyright others; no attempt is made to infringe upon their rights.

Random backstory generator - http://www.pbegames.com/lifepath/ .

Random name generator - http://www.behindthename.com/random/ .

Random job  generator - http://writingexercises.co.uk/random-job-generator.php .

Random personality trait generator - http://writingexercises.co.uk/random-character-traits-generator.php

Fictional Friday: Power Word Pointless

Why are the spells Power Word Stun and Power Word Kill Enchantment spells?

Why are Enchantment spells linked to hit points?

Does anyone even use the spells any more?  I mean, seriously, starting with 3e, and continuing into 4e and even worse with 5e, what CR20 monster has less than 100 hit points? And if your party has managed to smash it down to under 100 hit points anyway, why waste a 9th-level spell on it? And how are you supposed to know when it's under 100 hit points, anyway?

I mean the CR 21 dragon has 267 hit points, the CR 20 pit fiend has 300, the CR 15 purple worm has 167 and the frickin' CR 5 hill giant has 101.

"Hey, you know, now that the fighter has hit the stock, classless, non-advanced, henchman hill giant with the javalin, I'll pop off my 9th-level instant death spell, because now I know it won't be wasted."

Bleah.

And Power Word Heal is just a really tightly focused, and super-convenient, video game-inspired wish.

Has anyone ever really used the Power Word spells, or do these just keep getting dragged forward as one of those legacy things that just has to be there, or purists will bitch up a storm?

Fictional Friday: 5e Shield Spell - don't fall for the trap!

Maybe I'm still a bit old school (3e being old, right?), but this thing with the shield spell lasting only until the start of my next turn is total crap. 

I really loathed that change in 4e, where at least by burning my daily powers and magic objects, I could drag the duration out to a massive 3 turns. Wheeee.

In 5e, it's the same crap, only now it teases me by letting me burn my limited spell slots, so instead of knowing I've got only one use, so I use it carefully and wait for the right moment, now I'm seduced into burning my precious resources thinking "Oh, this one time is surely important, and I've got plenty of spell slots." Uh-huh. And suddenly my high level spellcaster has blown 1/4 of her spell slots in only a few rounds on a not-actually-guaranteed-to-matter last-ditch defense.

I mean, seriously. Spell slots are the lifeblood of spellcasters, so I'd at least like that stupid shield to have a duration of "one minute (concentration)." Then I'd feel like I got some payoff, instead of a "Hey, here's hoping my three-second force field will work!"

Fairs-fair, in 5e, that +5 AC is HUGE, where a 20th-level Fighter might muster a +16 attack bonus, if really smart about tactics and manages to acquire a legendary +3 weapon. Still, burning a spell slot feels like a high price for the one-shot "saving throw against swords."

Am I overthinking this? Is the "until start of your next turn" a reasonable exchange for a 1st-level spell slot?

Fictional Friday: More D&D5 Random Thoughts

I miss Ability score damage. I thought it was an absolutely brilliant mechanic in 3e. It expanded so many options for dealing and suffering damage, and it just made so much sense in a flavor context.

For example, poisons that damaged the brain or nervous system caused loss of Dexterity, Intelligence or Wisdom. That just makes so much sense.

Now, we're back to poisons causing hit point damage. Boring and illogical.

I do like how Petrification is handled. Those "instant death" effects suck, and there are so many of them. For Petrification, the new mechanics have that cinematic feel of "slowly being turned, does our hero resist [Y/N]??"

The flip side to "watering down" the "instant death" effects is that some of them just feel lame (even if less "suck"). For example, Paralysis seems to last one minute, unless you save first, and you can try every round. So much for the drama of rescuing the prince after him being dragged off by ghouls to be eaten later. I mean, either he'll escape by himself, or they'll just kill him early to stop him escaping. I admit, when my PC is taken out of the fight by paralysis, I am glad for the chance to recover every round, because I hate twiddling my thumbs until the cleric gets around to burning a scroll of remove paralysis (reason #7 she took the Scribe Scroll feat), but there just isn't a lot of cinematic drama in "Oh, quit whining, you'll save it off in a round or two!"

Disintegration and "Death Ray" effects cause hit point damage? That doesn't even feel right, let alone have cinematic impact. Yes, the damage types are well matched (Force and Necrotic, respectively), and now I can resist them, because they have damage types, but was that a "Death Ray" or "cause wounds"? Yeah, I can't tell either.

I like 5e. It does a lot of things well, and like 4e, everything is built around the "play faster, adventure more" model. It just isn't the cumbersome do-everything-right(ish) that 3e was :-)

Clerics in D&D 5e - musings about magic

I was thinking about D&D 5e clerics, and spells.

I think the 5e magic system is internally consistent, and I like the ability to use higher level spell slots for greater effects with spells.

But the whole "your cleric gets one domain" is kinda lame. I guess I'm somewhat colored by having cut my teeth on 3e, where you get two domains, and each extends the spell list, making the cleric of one diety more distinctive than clerics of a different diety.

I also miss the custom spell lists, where different classes can cast a spell at different levels, e.g. flame strike was 4th-level for druids, and 5th-level for clerics. This made different spellcasting classes feel radically different from each other.

In 5e, the only difference, really, between the classes is at what level your character gets the spell slots.

I've read some 2e books, and the whole clerical spheres thing looked super awesome, in terms of custom spell lists by diety. That did really set a cleric of Ehlonna apart from a cleric of Thor, from a cleric of Thoth.  Spheres were cool in that way, even if they didn't come with domain powers (3e), or bonus feats (5e).

With 5e, the different domain powers are pretty similar, and most of them offer Heavy Armor Proficiency, even when it seems dubious (really, Life domain equals plate mail?).

I like that the community is doing extensions, and Mark Craddock has craploads of diety-specific feats on his blog, although I've also decided I wish he'd note which domain he thinks that diety should have, just because I think that would help define the flavor of said diety. While I'm probably over-thinkinking that last point, you should check out his blog.

D&D 5e - Summon Monster [not] in 5e

I am unashamed to say that I liked playing summoner-types in  D&D 3.x, especially with some of the really abusive combinations possible with 3rd-party materials.

In my defense, I always brought my monster cards, and own minis, so I was prepared. I always prepared my action list in advance, and was usually one of the fastest turns at the table, despite sometimes having as many as eight critters and sixteen attacks. Heh. Yeah, I love me them minions.

Which is probably why Summon Monster has disappeared from the 5e PHB. After all, 5e is intended to streamline play, and be a less-complicated experience.

But, whatever. I'm not alone in feeling the gap, and this looks like a pretty fun and creative way to fill the void.

So, break out your buckets of mini-monsters, and let's get summoning!

D&D 5e v 3e: Xanaphia Naile, Noble-born Rockstar

Xanaphia Naile, Bard

This is my favorite bard character from D&D Pathfinder (originally 3e, later upgraded).  I'm reading the 5e PHB and wanted to see what a conversion might look like.

It's obvious that 5e is a very different game than the earlier editions, but it looks like a really fun game to play.  (Unlike 4e, which I never liked, but did play when I couldn't find something better.)

One of the core mechanics of 3.x was that, at some point, the character graduated from "die roll + modifiers" to "modifiers + die roll."

For example, the iconic level 20 Fighter has a BAB of +20. Realistically, she probably has another +10 to +15 or more in mods between Feats, Enhanced Strength, magic weapons, and situational modifiers.  Egro, 35+1d20 for her attack roll typically means "Don't roll a 1."

Trending with 4e and galvanized in 5e is a massive reduction in modifiers and re-empowerment of the dice. Seriously, that 5e level 20 Fighter probably musters a total of +12 on the attack roll, thus making the d20 god of her fate.

I mean, it works for 5e, and the whole dis/advantage mechanic is cool.  I'm just saying the random factor has been reintroduced, and this really changes the flavor of the game.

(I have no idea who the model is, but I loved her "chain shirt")

Highlights of Pathfinder Version

Chaotic Good Half-Elf Bard 7

Charisma 18

Feats: Skill Focus (Perform), Improved Skill Focus (Perform), Natural Performer, Beautiful Voice

Skills:  Perform (sing) +24 [10 ranks]

When she performs, it's her teammates that are her backup band, and they give her a +2 Synergy bonus on checks.  With this, she can Take 10 on a Perform check, get a result of 36, which according to the Epic Level Handbook can flip a Hostile audience to Friendly.  In other words, the Legions of Hell would throw a riot unless the fallen angel noble holding her hostage sent her - and her companions - home with laurels and wreaths.  This is why those kelpies have no chance.

Uses optional material from Patric L. Rogers' Adventuring Sage Sourcebook

Highlights of 5e

Chaotic Good Half-Elf Bard 7
Charisma 18
Skills: Performance +10 (Proficiency +3)

I know, right?  Yeah, 5e is a totally different animal.  The 5e character doesn't sing as well - I mean, she's not likely to get an audience with the Celestial Throne, but she is a much better fighter.

So.  Yeah.

Fictional Friday - D&D 5e - respect the artists

One of the few things I liked about the D&D 4e books was that every piece of artwork was labeled with the artist's name.

I felt this showed a lot of respect for the artist. I also found it really useful when I wanted to see more art like that, because the artist's name was right there.

5e has a lot going for it, but this lack of artist recognition is a bit of a black spot by my tally.

As aside about bards in D&D

Fern Kali wrote:

I've never played a Bard but always wanted to: I'm always talked out of it by the other players who have never yet actually explained why I can't play a Bard, just been pains about it ("oh, a Bard's really a fifth character and there's only four of us" "I think a Bard would draw too much attention/isn't hard-hitting enough/some other stupid reason that turns out to be wrong because we actually need someone who can talk and has knowledge").

Part of what appeals to me is that I'm not much good at fast-talking, am not especially eloquent and can freeze up in a lot of the circumstances where Bards excel, so it's wish-fulfillment for me. And practice/training.
Read more

Icarus Anne Riley replied:

+Fern Kali​ - I've found most players like action and specialization. Specialization allows some really spectacular stunts, and also prevents overlap between roles. By that, I mean if I'm playing the healer, and no one else can do healing, then no one else will steal my thunder or dramatic moments of healing.

Bards are such a mashup of so many things, they can easily blur into the territory of other players, ruffling feathers.


The specialization of bards is non-combat related, and so they can be mediocre in fights, which can leave the specialists feeling (right or wrong) like they have to protect the bard and compensate for the bard.

I've found bards work best to "buff" the other characters - use the morale boosting class features, use the attribute boosting spells, be the secondary healer, have a bunch of skills and use Aid Another, etc. It can be hard on the ego to lack specialization, but can also be very funny when your character isn't around helping make everyone look good, and people start to realize they've become dependent on said aid :)

Basically, bards, as with any character - figure out the character you want to play, and strike the balance of that against any holes or weak spots in the party lineup. 

As far as diplomacy and epic singing - that really only works if you have a GM and other players who can enjoy that kind of side-story stuff.

It's amazing how distracting a musical event in the park can be, forcing the city watch to muster around the mob, instead of maintaining their normal patrols thru the business district :)



#DnD

D&D 5e First Impressions

Picked up the D&D 5e PHB yesterday. So far I'm liking it. Shows real signs of evolution from the previous versions. I can see a lot of elements from other game systems borrowed and blended, which makes sense, since game play - and games - are constantly evolving and influencing each other.

I cut my teeth on 3e back in college, and played a lot of that. I played a bit of 3.5, 4e and Pathfinder. 4e still feels like a video game adapted to tabletop play, and in that context, can be a lot of fun. 5e seems to have borrowed heavily from +Monte Cook 's Arcana Unearthed, in subtle design and flavor elements, but that may just be my perception.

I like that a lot of the historical characters from the D&D novels and adventures show up all over the place in the text. It makes it feel like all those hours I spent reading and playing are coming full circle to old friends.