Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

Any D&D/D20

Shadowrun

World of Darkness

Palladium

Other (feel free to post about it)

[sjm9876]

Why you promised to stop GMing, if you want to. Seems a little bizarre

[Neonivek]

Why you promised to stop GMing, if you want to. Seems a little bizarre

Because it always ends the same way and it isn't fair to the players.

[sjm9876]

Alright. I won't inquire further then.

But yeah, 5e = good. If you're concerned about customisation, what I do is just to introduce story based rewards in parallel. There's an (unofficial) epic level handbook available for free on the DM's Guild which gives good inspiration for rewards GMs can hand out, though obviously if you're playing you'd have to sweeten up the GM a bit first

As an example, one of the epic barbarian features expands the reckless attack so that all attacks you make are crits and all you take are crits (as an option). The party's fighter has nearly been one hit killed by crits on multiple occasions (I add exploding die to crits, just because I like the added tension it gives to them), and so I offered him that feature. He didn't end up[ taking it, instead opting for my made up feature of 'If a crit would take you through 0 HP, you are instead reduced to 1 HP. A second crit doesn't trigger this'. But still, features with drawbacks are good candidates for this, as they reward clever use of them, whilst offering no net benefit that ups the base power level of the character. Another example might be a character gaining resist fire but vulnerability to cold, which rewards them for picking their fights carefully, but on if they don't then it somewhat averages out.

[Neonivek]

It isn't tragic, I usually fall behind in prep or have a few bad games in a row and become depressed.

Last game ended due to something... really terrible.

[sjm9876]

Ah. My general tactic for not prepping is just to wing it anyway, but that probably only works due to being naturally that way inclined, and having a relaxed, face to face group. That and they tend to mess around enough at the start of the session that i can get a good half hour of emergency prep in there if need be

But yeah, I don't really have anything helpful to put in there, except that there's nothing wrong with calling off a session because you aren't prepared for it. It happens, and any player that can't accept that isn't one you really want to be DMing for.

[Jimmy]

There's plenty of ways around having no Rogue.

We'll take Pathfinder rules as an example. First, any skill that a Rogue can do, another class can do, likely even better than a Rogue. A spellcaster with Invisibility is going to own any situation that requires a Stealth check. A high charisma player will likely invest into social skills. And everyone takes Perception, without fail.

There's really only one skill that is lacking, and that's Disable Device. A Rogue gains Trapfinding, which enables them to use Disable Device to disarm magic traps. Note that this is disarm, not detect, the trap. Any character that meets the trap Perception DC roll can see the magic trap before it's set off.

There's plenty of alternative ways to avoid, bypass or disable a magical trap without a Rogue. Have your Bard cast Dispel Magic at it. Have your Druid cast Summon Nature's Ally and get an elemental to set it off. Have your Wizard simply teleport you to the other side. Parties don't need a Rogue to survive, and a good DM won't expect any party to possess a theoretically ideal mix of classes. Case in point, my current group consists of a Kineticist, two Magus, a Samurai and a Druid. I have no issue with this mix, and everyone's having a great time playing the class they want to play.

[Neonivek]

There's really only one skill that is lacking, and that's Disable Device. A Rogue gains Trapfinding, which enables them to use Disable Device to disarm magic traps. Note that this is disarm, not detect, the trap. Any character that meets the trap Perception DC roll can see the magic trap before it's set off.

Well no. Rogues get a bonus to Disable device AND Perception in Pathfinder. Which is better in Pathfinder then it was in 3.5 (where they outright state that you CANNOT see them if the DC gets large enough. I think it was DC 20 before only rogues could spot a trap).

These traps which could get pretty elaborate and petty (falling down a pit trap with tons of sword traps along the way down... ending with a pool of acid).

The only class in the Cores that can reasonably spot traps LIKE a rogue is the Druid.

Though Rogues that attempt to spot traps outshine everyone quite brightly as they are the only ones with auto-trap search.

"and a good DM won't expect any party to possess a theoretically ideal mix of classes"

A good DM usually balances a game to the current party.

[NullForceOmega]

No Neo, a good DM expects the players to solve the situation with intelligence, custom tailoring makes the game worse, because the party never has to think outside the box.

[Criptfeind]

I'm not sure how it's possible to solve something that you're literally not allowed to see with intelligence. There's a difference between "you need to get creative" vs "this is impossible for you because the character you thought would be fun to play is inappropriate for this". Challenges that actually need to be thought though are all well and good, but just throwing impossible shit at the party isn't fun for anyone. A good GM can tell the difference, and as Neonivek says, balance the game.

[Neonivek]

No Neo, a good DM expects the players to solve the situation with intelligence, custom tailoring makes the game worse, because the party never has to think outside the box.

I think you took my statement several times further then it was intended.

I only meant a good DM makes their game according to their players (and their own desires to admit).

[NullForceOmega]

I'm not sure how it's possible to solve something that you're literally not allowed to see with intelligence. There's a difference between "you need to get creative" vs "this is impossible for you because the character you thought would be fun to play is inappropriate for this". Challenges that actually need to be thought though are all well and good, but just throwing impossible shit at the party isn't fun for anyone. A good GM can tell the difference, and as Neonivek says, balance the game.

There is no such thing as impossible, if it was created by intelligence it can be solved by intelligence (or a ridiculous display of luck or brute force), keep in mind that while 3rd ed is my preferred system, I also run games such as RIFTS, this gives me a very different viewpoint on problem solving than a pure D&D background would.

Also, as DM I say how spot works, the book can take a hike if the rules are stupid.

Neo: generally that is correct, but if there aren't things the party wasn't prepared for, they get lazy and sloppy, then bad things happen and the game dies.

[Criptfeind]

There is no such thing as impossible, if it was created by intelligence it can be solved by intelligence (or a ridiculous display of luck or brute force)

This is... So ludicrous. I'm having a hard time addressing it. Like. Okay, to go with an old D&D standby, how about a character with no ranged capability vs a flying archer that's not willing to talk? How is he suppose to solve that?

[NullForceOmega]

Got some rocks around?  How about some cover?  Intelligence, rules only matter when they take intelligence into account, if you're just playing by the numbers then you aren't playing.  Running from an engagement you aren't ready for is a valid strategy, you don't have to fight everything you come across.

[Criptfeind]

Both of those are pretty much gm fiat if they work. So, please, go on. Tell me how the player can solve it without the gm balancing the encounter around them. Lets see the fighter run, sure, if the archer can't just kill him as he runs. Or if he doesn't need to win the fight for some important reason. Both of these mean the gms made the encounter so that running away ins't a total loss though.

[NullForceOmega]

How is the player deciding to avoid engaging an opponent they can't directly fight DM fiat?  How is using cover and improvised weapons fiat?  What are you on about?

I am saying that if a situation exists then a good DM makes it possible to solve through ingenuity, what exactly are you arguing for?  Because it sounds like you just aren't applying enough problem solving and logic from my perspective.