Tabletop Roleplaying Games (D&D, Pathfinder, CoC, ETC.)

[Ghostse]

So hypothetically it wouldn't be an asshole move to make upcoming encounters tougher if the party is just going to try and rest-scum to stay in perfect health?

It is not.
Actually its your duty as a GM to make sure rest-scum isn't possible.

Wandering monsters stop by 4 minutes and thirty seconds into their second short rest. Ceiling supports give way costing them a few more hp when they linger around trying to perception-scum for hidden doors.

If they take a long rest, the party gets to watch as reinforcements arrive. Reinforcements who see the carnage trail the party left and are on their guard and then send messengers to get more powerful reinforcements.

If the party starts a fight at full HP, you are cheating them and yourself.

 

[Corn Flakes]

So hypothetically it wouldn't be an asshole move to make upcoming encounters tougher if the party is just going to try and rest-scum to stay in perfect health?

Not in my book. As far as I'm concerned the GM's job is to present a fair and enjoyable challenge to the party. The party steamrolling through all encounters with fresh resources would just get bored. So either find a way to prevent rest-scumming or up the challenge.

 

[Depths of Homolust]

Imagine having LARPERs fucking everywhere because The Mercer Effect.

I would welcome a return to widespread LARPing. VtM LARPs are the best way of getting laid ever designed and it's a goddamn shame that the quality of girl that attends them has only been going down every year for nearly two decades.

 

[Ghostse]

VtM LARPs are the best way of getting laid ever designed

You are not wrong ,but waiting outside the psych ward on thursday with a bottle of pills and an already paid up hotel room a block away is cheaper, less time consuming, and will land you a more mentally stable girl than fishing at a VtM LARP event.

 

[Hikaru86]

I would welcome a return to widespread LARPing. VtM LARPs are the best way of getting laid ever designed and it's a goddamn shame that the quality of girl that attends them has only been going down every year for nearly two decades.

I don't know, man. Fucking a Goth in a cemitery in middle of night after a really bad LARP session, played in said cemitery, don't look like a good idea. Its too much cringe, daddy issues and illegal for my taste.

 

[Corn Flakes]

Plus these days odds are at least 50% of the "girls" in a Vampire LARP got a five o'clock shadow on their cheeks and a dick between their legs.

 

[Abella]

I built an aasimar warlock to play in a friend’s campaign with cha 20 because I got an 18 doing the 6 4d6 rolls and adding the +2 cha bonus. I feel like the DM letting me have it because he watched me roll the dice may be fair but is it too much to roll up another character just in case this one is too cheesed?

 

[Depths of Homolust]

I don't know, man. Fucking a Goth in a cemitery in middle of night after a really bad LARP session, played in said cemitery, don't look like a good idea. Its too much cringe, daddy issues and illegal for my taste.

Sometimes you just have to stop caring if something is cringe and illegal. You'll always get older, but you don't have to get old.

 

[Pig Boss]

I don't know, man. Fucking a Goth in a cemitery in middle of night after a really bad LARP session, played in said cemitery, don't look like a good idea. Its too much cringe, daddy issues and illegal for my taste.

Don't knock it until you try it.

 

[Brain Problems]

I built an aasimar warlock to play in a friend’s campaign with cha 20 because I got an 18 doing the 6 4d6 rolls and adding the +2 cha bonus. I feel like the DM letting me have it because he watched me roll the dice may be fair but is it too much to roll up another character just in case this one is too cheesed?

The better question is whether he would have made you stick with the bad rolls if it had gone the other way. Also, if the rest of the party balances out just roll with it unless you're finding that you and other people aren't having fun thanks to a goddamn level 1 character with 20 in charisma. I felt bad taking 19 with a cleric a while ago through similar good rolls.

 

[Adamska]

I once ran a character whose worst stat was a twelve on rolling. I got two 18s, a 16, and the rest in the early teens, changed with his race so the fucker was starting at an 18 and 20 in STR and DEX as a martial class. I never felt bad about rolling that stacked horseshit in front of my GM and the players gave no fucks that I did. It was due to said horseshit I played my longest running monk character, who took cleric levels to do a divine stacked monk build in 3.5.

I've never seen people get angry if you manage to pull a single 18 out of your ass during a rolled character generation. I've seen people get mad when the dice keep shitting out dudes with 11s to 9s as a character, hence why we had the "Scrap score set" variant rule at table if we DID roll.

Basically, if you didn't add your score modifiers together and get at least a +2, and did not have a stat better than 14, fuck that shit, reroll the set.

 

[A Useless Fish]

When I run things, I want my players to have fun. They're supposed to be heroic badasses, hence why they're expected to save the world eventually. I typically give away a free 18 and a 10, and then have them roll for the rest of their stats. I let them re-roll 1s, too. Nobody likes being a burden on the rest of the party.

 

[EnemyStand]

When I run things, I want my players to have fun. They're supposed to be heroic badasses, hence why they're expected to save the world eventually. I typically give away a free 18 and a 10, and then have them roll for the rest of their stats. I let them re-roll 1s, too. Nobody likes being a burden on the rest of the party.

I prefer point build. Eventually you add so many addendums to the rolling rules it's just simpler to buy the stats.

 

[Abella]

The better question is whether he would have made you stick with the bad rolls if it had gone the other way. Also, if the rest of the part balances out just roll with it unless you're finding that you and other people aren't having fun thanks to a goddamn level 1 character with 20 in charisma. I felt bad taking 19 with a cleric a while ago through similar good rolls.

That’s my thinking too, especially with the other stats being mid. I hate taking characters out the gate with anything above 16 in one of the 6 stats. I’d hate to be the one ruining the fun for everyone else.

 

[Ghostse]

When I run things, I want my players to have fun. They're supposed to be heroic badasses, hence why they're expected to save the world eventually. I typically give away a free 18 and a 10, and then have them roll for the rest of their stats. I let them re-roll 1s, too. Nobody likes being a burden on the rest of the party.

Depends on the system and lethality.
If I'm expecting them to roll a new character in a few sessions, they can live with the dictates of the dice.

If they are in a long character life system like D&D after 3e, then its sort a dick move to have them stuck with a gimped character, so I usually just tell players to use point-buy.

 

[A Useless Fish]

Depends on the system and lethality.
If I'm expecting them to roll a new character in a few sessions, they can live with the dictates of the dice.

If they are in a long character life system like D&D after 3e, then its sort a dick move to have them stuck with a gimped character, so I usually just tell players to use point-buy.

Sorry, should have clarified. I typically run long term campaigns in 5e, these days. The system's simple, and the endless subclasses let players make nearly anything they want.

Oh, speaking of endless subclasses, anybody here look at a book that was recently Kickstarted called Valda's Spire of Secrets? It's being used in the next campaign I'm playing in, and me and my best buddy have been going through the whole content of it over the last couple of weeks. There's some really cool stuff for older classes, plus a pile of new ones like Gunslingers, Captains (that are kinda like 4e Warlords), and some others like Necromancer (End Goal: Become a flavor of Lich), Witch, and a class called Martyr. A lot of the stuff's really cool. There's even a subclass of Ranger called Trophy Hunter that makes the choice appealing.

 

[Adamska]

I prefer point build. Eventually you add so many addendums to the rolling rules it's just simpler to buy the stats.

This is how we usually game. Point buy, traditionally 32 points. Works out just fine.

 

[Corn Flakes]

Since we're talking about lethality, anyone here ever run a high-lethality 5e game? I know the system really doesn't want you to do it, but one of the guys in my group has been toying with the idea.

So, how would you do it? Also, when someone inevitably bites the bullet, how do you get them back into the game? Take over a follower? Start with a 1-level below character? My GM likes doing the latter and it works fine for us. The way XP requirements scale, someone below the curve will catch up pretty quickly.

 

[SheerHeartAttack]

Since we're talking about lethality, anyone here ever run a high-lethality 5e game? I know the system really doesn't want you to do it, but one of the guys in my group has been toying with the idea.

So, how would you do it? Also, when someone inevitably bites the bullet, how do you get them back into the game? Take over a follower? Start with a 1-level below character? My GM likes doing the latter and it works fine for us. The way XP requirements scale, someone below the curve will catch up pretty quickly.

I guess I'd do the follower thing, since older editions of DnD would presume you'd hire followers to serve as cannon fodder and pack mules. Granted they wouldn't kamikaze themselves for you, but they'd do enough. Plus since older editions were more lethal you could just pick from a follower and pick right up, it'd also be a diegetic means of ensuring characters are only a little less leveled than your characters. Since more gold can bring more powerful followers.

Also with older editions of DnD, the amount of health everything has is drastically lower, so slashing the amount of HP you start with and get with each level is also a good move assuming your friend didn't already do that.

 

[Airbrushed Van Art]

For greater lethality definitely use the longer rest times outlined in the DMG. For example, a long rest takes a week, a short rest takes a whole night.

Also the critical injury rules can increase lethality.

Lastly, if you really want a grittier experience, reduce sources of magical healing. Make a setting where there isn’t a way to pay Clerics to resurrect your party, for example.