#I also have the Pathfinder core rule book in there

[mantis-lizbian]

this is very much just a tangent springing off of your first paragraph - absolutely no disagreement with the actual points you're making here - but i gotta step in to give my obligatory defense of "3e D&D actually did monsters the best out of any TTRPG ever (30% joking)" because while yes it does drop things like reactions and morale that results in making it easier for the GM and players to view monsters as mere challenges to overcome for loot and XP, at the same time, it is one of the only (at least crunchy) systems i have ever come across that builds monsters with the exact same underlying rules as PCs.

while i'm not discounting that critical discussions of the treatment of "savage races" are pretty much as old as the hobby itself (if not older, when one digs into its origins in pulp fantasy novels), i do certainly get the impression that these discussions started to get mainstream during 3e, and i can't help but think that a contributing factor might have been the fact that the way the rules handle and interact with monsters (including hit dice, ability scores, skills and feats, and even class levels) are absolutely indistinguishable from how those things interact with PCs to the extent that, setting aside relative power level, a player is - as far as the mechanics, if not strictly speaking the rules, are concerned - just as capable of making a human character as they are an orc, ettercap, stone giant, dragon, or literal bear.

the fact that it is, again, 3e's focus on encounter balance that is the only meaningful thing that stands in the way of this at least makes it so that the players are more able to see NPCs and (at least intelligent) monsters as not being fundamentally different from their own characters. and by extension, it's possible that this made it easier to relate to those characters within the fiction, as well.

if i were to let myself get too absorbed in this theory, i'd also think this could be related to why, after going back to handling monsters fundamentally differently from PCs and doubling down on treating them as loot piñatas, 5e continued to treat gnolls and the like as demonic monsters, while Pathfinder was simply an extension of 3e and after putting out a variety of books over the course of its first edition that expanded on the cultures, ecology, and other mechanic-independent elements of various monsters and "savage races", its next edition wound up putting goblins among the core playable races, and they've worked diligently since release to double-down on fleshing out those races as actual inhabitants of the world with their own cultures and customs just as real and vibrant as those of elves and dwarves.

So there is a pretty clear shift in playstyle between TSR D&D and WotC D&D: for better and for worse, D&D 3e introduced the idea of encounter balance, de-emphasized mechanics that had previously encouraged the GM to think of the monsters as real living creatures (reaction rolls, morale, etc.), and it had the effect of making D&D a much more combat-focused game. D&D has always been a game that's opinionated about combat, it's basically the most expressive and detailed form of play regardless of edition, but combat in the TSR editions was not exactly zoomed in and tactical. The WotC editions purposefully made combat zoomed in, granular, and tactical.

And this has had an effect on playstyle: since combat is now the main form of player expression what players actually want is for their characters to get into combat. Because combat is the most fun part of the game. But the game has also changed from the largely amoral dungeon-crawling game into a game of fantasy heroics (even though a lot of the trappings of the amoral dungeon-crawling still remain, which contributes to the dissonance), so you can't just have the player characters going into combat for the sake of it. That would frame the player characters as kind of Fucked Up, and we can't have that in our supposedly heroic fantasy.

What you end up with is a variety of contrivances like "they're bandits," "they're cultists," or, my all-time favorite, "they attacked first" to make the action seem morally justifiable, even though gameplay is still motivated by a desire to fight. The monsters fight to the death and, importantly, can often not be reasoned and negotiated with, partly because combat is supposed to be the fun, engaging part everyone is here to do, but also because if they actually acted like reasonable people it could cause dissonance with the whole "the player characters are the goodest heroes."

As my friend @tenleaguesbeneath once called it: what is actually going on is that the player characters are hunting people and monsters who have been programmed to fight to the death and never negotiate for sport, while justifying it as self-defence.

It's a simple power fantasy, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Sometimes you want to play a morally uncomplicated game about killing guys with cool magic swords. But I think it's also fun to think about what the specific types of monsters players end up fighting reveals about Society the invisible, unexamined ideology lying under the surface that the designers of even modern D&D have failed to examine. And to me it often reads like a frontier justice fantasy. None of that is to detract from anyone's joy of the game, and for me it's just fun to think about and post about this stuff while Still Enjoying the Game, but if someone expressing that opinion makes you feel uncomfortable, why? That's pretty silly imo.

[championoftheravenqueen]

I pirated most of the D&D books I have so I’ve done my part already lol

[pathfuckery]

Pathfinder 2e New Player Resource Masterpost

Hey there! Looking to get into PF2e? You’re making a great decision, but you may not know where to start! I’ve put together a handy list of resources you can consult while getting into the game. As always, if you ever have questions about PF2e, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I love this system, and I love helping new players!

Official Resources

The Archives of Nethys are the official host for the PFSRD. You can find ALL of the rules of the game for free there. Literally everything that is not Golarian specific is on the Archives, and all of it is laid out incredibly well. It may not look quite as flashy as beyond, but its search functions and layout are superior. 

If you buy one product from Paizo as you get started, I HAVE to recommend to BEGINNER BOX. This thing is fantastic. It simplifies the rules, gives you GORGEOUS character sheets that highlight all of your abilities, and have a fun little adventure that dovetails nicely into either their Troubles in Otari or Abomination Vaults modules. (As someone who has run both of those now, they’re both fantastic as well and I highly recommend them.) 

Beyond the Beginner Box, I would also suggest picking up a Core Rulebook. It is true that all of the rules information is already laid out in the Archives, but having a CRB on handd is nice for the art, plus the book is laid out incredibly well. If you can’t afford a CRB at this time, though, you’ll still be good! You might also watch for Humble Bundles, as they often have great Pathfinder packs on there, and sometimes it includes Physical CRBs, in addition to a load of other great PDFs. 

When looking to GM, I recommend the following pages in the CRB first. I’ve also linked the corresponding Archive pages: 

Introduction, Pages 7-31. This will give you the rundown on key terms, how characters are created, the base flow of the game, and the action system (the best part of pf2e!)

Playing the Game, Pages 443-481. This is the longest section of the rulebook to read, but there’s a lot of great stuff in here. This will give you the rules for checks, combat, conditions, resolving actions, and the differences between encounter, exploration, and downtime mode. The most important is encounter and exploration mode, so you can feel free to only skim the downtime mode section of this part. 

The Gamemastering section has a lot of great stuff, but for a GM, your two most important sections will be the following:

Encounter Building, pages 488 and 489. The rules for building encounters work in this system, and they work WELL. Obviously, environment, terrain, and how a specific groups strengths and weaknesses compare to a monster affect things, but if you budget a moderate encounter, it can be expected to be moderate. Just be sure you recognize that Moderate encounters are still meant to be challenging in this system, and Severe encounters are potentially deadly. Extreme encounters should be used incredibly sparingly. Maybe 1 or 2 times per campaign.

DC Charts and Adjusting DCs. Pages 503 and 504.  If you ever need a quick DC, these charts are your friend. You don’t need to memorize them, but you’ll want to have them in an easy-to-reference spot.

Youtubers

There are a lot of great youtubers for PF2e. I’ll only be highlighting a few of my favorites here!

How It’s Played  is probably the best resource for a new player, and helped me a ton with all of the rules when I started GMing. They do close looks at different subsystems, and clearly break down how the rules apply. You don’t need to watch all of their content before you jump in and play, but if you watch a few of their main series on PF2e between each session, you’ll be a rules master in no time! 

I also really enjoy The Rules Lawyer. He always has well-reasoned takes on things going on in the hobby, and and has an enjoyable calm/measured tone. I highly recommend his “Combat Tactics” videos, as he highlights some of the major differences with 5e and what things are now expected to survive. A lot of common 5e tactics are a way to a quick death in PF2e, but you do have the tools to survive!

The final Youtuber I’ll be highlighting is Nonat1s. He’s puts out quite a variety of videos, including skits and other fun things, but is also a wonderful ambassador for the game and gives great character advice as well. I want to highlight his “Welcome to Pathfinder Second Edition” video, which is just perfect!

Other Resources

I can’t create a list of resources without calling out Pathbuilder! It is hands down the best character builder, and its available on desktop and mobile. It’s mostly free, with a small donation being required to unlock premium features. At this time, there is no crossover between the web app and desktop besides being able to save and access characters from google drive.

The Pathfinder 2e Subreddit  is a wonderful community of people, and it’s a great place for discussion. There’s weekly question megathreads, discussions about releases, people highlighting great builds and fun things in the system, and it’s probably the quickest place to keep track of announcements. There’s also a lot of love for 3pp there!

Speaking of 3pps, I LOVE the Battlezoo line! One of my players is OBSESSED with dragons, and they have a whole book that was tailor-made for him, and it’s incredibly balanced and fun. They’ve also got a whole bunch of other cool stuff that’s been kickstarted and will be releasing soon. 

What VTT should you use if you’re playing online? My hat is thrown into the ring for Foundry VTT. It’s my VTT of choice. It’s wildly powerful with the Pathfinder 2e system, and a wonderful community of devs have gotten the system almost entirely automated so you can focus on RP! It’s a breeze as a GM as well, and the only difficulty is in self-hosting, but even that isn’t too bad. Their site has a great set of guides, starting HERE with the ways you can host. If you choose to self-host, you only need to make a 1-time payment of 50 dollars for the software, and only one person needs to actually do the hosting. Split between a group? That’s incredibly affordable, especially considering there is no subscription!

I’m gonna shout MYSELF out here. I put together a List of Actions you can take in combat that isn’t just moving or attacking. Coming from 5e, it can be easy to get stuck in the loop of move and attack, but there are so many more options, and those options are very crucial. This isn’t comprehensive, but covers the basics characters can have access to with only minor skill investment.

[prokopetz]

Thank you for the explanation! ❤️ now I’m intrigued, though: Where can I find information on why 4E was published under a more restrictive license?

(With reference to this post here.)

Before we can talk about that, it's necessary to understand what an incredible shitshow 4E's commercial launch was in general. I go over that in some depth here.

Understanding the sequence of events outlined there is important because it dispels one of the most widely accepted wrong answers to your question: that Hasbro and WotC cooked up the 4E Game System License (GSL) because they didn't want a repeat of Pathfinder.

In truth, the 4E GSL is what caused Pathfinder; Paizo was one of a handful of third-party publishers who'd taken advantage of the D&D System Trademark License (STL) to produce officially branded D&D products, and they'd likely have been perfectly happy to continue doing so if WotC hadn't come to them and said "hey, if you want to remain STL-compliant, you need to throw away all of your 3E material and re-develop it for 4E, under a more restrictive license, with zero notice – that's cool, right?"

(It was not, in fact, cool.)

As for why the 4E GSL really happened, there are a variety of opinions on that – a lot of it ultimately comes down to internal office politics, so there may never be a clear answer. As far as I've been able to gather, however, the problem is that the OGL had always served two masters. By all accounts, several of the OGL's principal architects genuinely believed in establishing a creative commons for D&D – but that's not how they sold the idea to the suits at the head office.

Internally, the pitch in favour of the OGL was that it would allow WotC to delegate the creation of D&D supplements and adventures to third parties, allowing WotC itself to focus on core book sales. (i.e., the PHB/DMG/MM trio and the main setting hardbacks.) Core books were always the more lucrative side of the coin, with supplements and adventures serving less as a profit-making enterprise in themselves, and more as long-tail support to drive further core book sales. The prospect of being able to get that long-tail support for free was very tempting, and is likely the main reason that corporate agreed to publish the Third Edition under the OGL in the first place.

The OGL accomplished that, to a degree, but it also resulted in a lot of publishers lifting D&D's rules text wholesale – remember, the OGL allows verbatim copying-and-pasting of rules text, which was its main draw from the perspective of third-party publishers – and stuffing it into their own standalone games. This sort of thing was fairly small-time prior to the Pathfinder debacle, but there was enough of it going on for WotC's new owner, Hasbro, to see it as a thorn in their side.

TL;DR version: in all likelihood, 4E's GSL was an effort by Hasbro to rein in the OGL and return it to the purpose for which it had initially been sold to WotC corporate: an instrument for outsourcing D&D's long-tail support to unpaid third parties while reaping the benefits of that support in core book sales.

(Of course, as outlined in the linked post, what was actually accomplished was to shrink D&D's third-party support practically to nothing while simultaneously creating its own largest competitor; it's a fair question how much of this was due to the GSL itself, and how much of it was due to all the other corporate incompetence and general fuckery attendant to 4E's rollout, but either way, the result was WotC and Hasbro pulling the plug on 4E early, and reverting to the OGL for 5E. It was a learning experience all around – though the present business with the OGL 1.1 leads one to suspect that they didn't learn the right lessons!)

[dailycharacteroption]

Book Review: Adventurer’s Armory

And now to look at a book that’s primarily  mechanical stuff, with the lore side being only incidental to demonstrating how said mechanics fit into the world, and we’re arguably on the right track with a  book that exists primarily to add to the potential equipment list that heroes have available to them.

There’s not much I can offer here in terms of the book’s backstory beyond “one of the earliest attempts by Paizo to expand the mundane item options beyond the core rules”, and a lot of this stuff got reprinted or expanded upon later, but it’s fun to look at.

This book starts off with a nice selection of new items, particularly weapons either drawn from the real world or from Pathfinder’s own lore, all of which to simulate all the weird specializations in weaponry that this world has to offer. Everything from meteor hammers, hunga-mungas, swordbreakers, and so on are on display here. While not as comprehensive as later books, I’ve no doubt it made some medieval weapons enthusiasts happy.

From there we get a variety of mundane equipment, including a lot with special tricks to them such as items with hidden compartments, though some of it is items that arguably should have been in a core book but were somehow overlooked, such as shovels and soap.

There also came some fun new alchemical items, some of which got reprinted pretty handily later on, including liquid ice, alchemical grease, various forms of fireworks, and various alchemical remedies.

Plenty of mundane things from tools to clothing to various forms of alcohol can be found as well, including prices of buying or training animals for various tasks.

However, the book isn’t just new items, but also new uses for old items! This is namely achieved by the Equipment Trick feat! Which I had no idea was this old! This feat would later get expanded to be used with all sorts of mundane and alchemical equipment, but it started out here with weapons and armor.

From there, we see some fairly mundane but just divine enough to be wondrous without being strong enough to be magic items in the form of channel foci, which all work off a cleric or paladins channeled energies.

And then there’s alchemical power components, which use alchemical items, mostly those that deal damage, as additional components for various spells to boost their power, which can be fun if you like adding an expense to magic for bonus effects or just want a way to make those leftover items useful at later levels.

Finaly, the book concludes with some new equipment-themed traits and feats to round things off.

Sadly while there is some serviceable art for the new items in the book, it’s mostly devoid of new art aside from the portrait of Arayam Bismut, an NPC featured in the book. Meanwhile, on the lore side is pretty minimal as well since most just mentions where certain items are from.

This is a fun book overall, a first attempt at bringing new weapons, armor, and equipment into the game, and a respectable one at that. It even introduced the concept of equipment tricks, which would be expanded upon later and even gain a companion in the form of spell tricks later on. So a lot of good bones here.

On the other hand, the equipment in this book pretty much all got reprinted or revised in later books, making it pretty superfluous by today’s standards. Additionally, while the equipment tricks are a neat idea, one could argue this is another case of locking potential creative problem solving and things that characters might otherwise just try doing on their own behind feats, which has been a common complaint about feats from their inception. You can get around this somewhat by arguing the feats let you do so consistently, but the complaint is still there.

That will do for today, but tomorrow we’ll be finishing up with a look at the divine!

[zybilna]

Another list of recommended non D&D TTRPGs

Mostly just a list of stuff that I personally have been having fun with!

5. Pathfinder: Look if you wanna replace dnd, this is probably the easiest way to do it. It is slightly more complex, but pf2e is WAY more beginner friendly than most people expect it to be. The main source of complication is also the system's greatest strength, in that the more in depth character customization lets you fill out your character's abilities in a more compelling way. Have you ever been frustrated because none of d&d's classes fit your character idea that well? Have you ever gotten a major class feature and not used it much because it doesn't fit your idea for your character? Pathfinder may be the system for you!

It does have a few minor issues in the form of design relics from the old edition d&d it was based on, but aside from the spell prep system most of those can be table ruled out or avoided with minor build tweaks.

4. Monster of the Week: This system is great for anyone who feels more intimidated by rules-dense systems. Being a Powered By The Apocalypse game means that if you learn one of these, you learn a bunch of other systems. Monster of the week is also very inexpensive to get into (Basically everything is free aside from the GM rulebook) and has good community support!

The genre is primarily modern Urban Fantasy with a focus on solving mysteries, but the publisher's most recent book, Codex of Worlds, expands the options so you can take those same supernatural horror mysteries into settings based on The Victorian Era, The Renaissance, The Dark Ages and even The Stone Age!

3. Thirsty Sword Lesbians: Look, this is an incredibly flexible system that has a shitload of uses so its hard to describe quickly but at its core this is another PBTA game that has more of a focus on mind games and emotional drama than the actual swordfighting mechanics. Swordfighting is just a backdrop for drama, and magic largely exists as a metaphor for the characters' personality traits, this makes the system incredibly easy to reflavor or tweak. I've seen a game run with a completely mundane fencing club, a homebrew setting based on a theater department and an official module based on a chess tournament. Anywhere people are competing and communicating can be the backdrop for this game. I should also note that despite the name and most of the art, the game is designed to work well with LGBT storytelling in general.

The core mechanics are essentially a rules-lite drama simulator, with the only truly consistent elements being romance and melodrama. The flavor is flexible and the rules have a ton of caveats that say "If you don't think this fits your character, ignore it!" Its primarily a game for people who like to really get into character to make choices and who are willing to shoot themselves in the foot for the sake of being true to that character.

2. Lancer: If rules-lite systems aren't as much your thing and you wanna take a very different approach to your new campaign setting, Lancer may be the game for you! This is a crunchy mecha combat game with a really in depth customization system that lets you make some wild shit. There are a ton of different customization options on top of an iconic series of mech frames that each have unique and iconic abilities!

It's also not as intimidating to get into as most crunchy systems, as its actually pretty hard to make a "bad" build in the game, the devs have been super cool about providing good digital resources like the Comp/Con app and the community is known for being pretty helpful!

Court of Blades: So this one is a bit more of a niche, but it's basically a system reskin of the critically acclaimed Blades in The Dark with some interesting new twists. Players take on the role of a group of nobles and courtiers in a low-magic fantasy setting inspired by Renaissance Italy's feuding noble houses as they attempt to bring their house to the top.

The real appeal of this system to me is how effectively it lets players play a group of scheming rich bastards, with mechanics around currying favor and having people to do things for you. If you've ever tried to run a noble in a different system only to be frustrated at how little the game lets you use your character's wealth and influence, you might like this game! It's a narrative driven game with a very different approach to structuring plots and missions compared to most ttrpgs that creates a much more engaging narrative flow. The player character playbooks can feel a bit linear and restrictive, but if more people play this one that means more homebrew options!

[universe-2-0]

What Skills Do I Need for Game Development?

Introduction

If you have a question like “What Skills Do I Need for Game Development?” then this article is for you. Game development is a fascinating field that combines creativity and technology to create interactive experiences for players around the world. As the gaming industry continues to grow rapidly, learning game development skills has become increasingly valuable. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide on the stages of game development, helping aspiring developers understand the core skills and strategies needed to succeed in this exciting industry.

The Core Skills for Game Development

Programming In game development, programming is like the language that brings games to life. Writing code allows developers to create game mechanics, control character movements, and implement various features. Popular programming languages such as C++, Java, and Python are commonly used in game development. Writing clean and efficient code is crucial for optimizing performance and ensuring a smooth gaming experience. Game Design and Game Art Game design involves crafting the rules, mechanics, and overall experience of a game. Understanding player psychology and game balance is essential for creating engaging gameplay that keeps players coming back for more. Game art encompasses everything visual in a game, from character designs to environmental landscapes. Good art skills are vital for creating immersive and visually stunning gaming experiences. 3D Modeling and Animation In modern game development, 3D modeling and animation play a significant role in creating lifelike characters and environments. Software tools like Blender, Maya, and 3ds Max are commonly used for 3D modeling and animation. Mastering these tools allows developers to create realistic visual assets that enhance the overall quality of the game. Artificial Intelligence (AI) AI technology is used to create intelligent behavior for non-player characters (NPCs) in games. Developing AI algorithms that mimic human-like behavior adds depth and realism to gameplay. AI also powers various game features such as enemy behavior, pathfinding, and decision-making. Audio Engineering Audio is a crucial aspect of the gaming experience, contributing to immersion and atmosphere. Audio engineers create sound effects, music, and voiceovers that enhance the overall gameplay experience. Advanced audio technology, such as spatial audio and dynamic soundtracks, adds depth and realism to games. Project Management Effective project management is essential for keeping game development projects on track and within budget. Methodologies like Agile and Scrum help streamline workflows and improve team collaboration. Good project management ensures that deadlines are met and that the final product meets quality standards. Understanding of Game Engines Game engines are software frameworks that provide developers with tools and features for building games. Popular game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine offer powerful capabilities for creating games across various platforms. Proficiency in using game engines is essential for game development success. Troubleshooting and Debugging Bugs and technical issues are inevitable in game development, but effective troubleshooting skills can help resolve them quickly. Debugging involves identifying and fixing errors in the code to ensure a smooth gaming experience for players. Developing strong troubleshooting skills is crucial for maintaining the quality and integrity of the game.

Developing Your Game Development Skills

Take Online Courses and Tutorials Online courses and tutorials offer a convenient and accessible way to learn game development skills. Platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and YouTube offer a wide range of courses covering various aspects of game development, from programming to art and design. Read Books and Articles Books and articles provide in-depth knowledge and insights into specific areas of game development. Reading literature written by industry experts can help deepen your understanding of game design, programming techniques, and best practices. Contribute to Open-Source Projects Contributing to open-source game development projects is a great way to gain hands-on experience and collaborate with other developers. Open-source initiatives allow you to work on real-world projects, build your portfolio, and learn from experienced developers in the community.

Conclusion

In conclusion, learning game development requires a combination of technical skills, creativity, and dedication. By mastering core skills such as programming, game design, and art, aspiring developers can create immersive and engaging gaming experiences. Taking advantage of online resources, reading books and articles, and contributing to open-source projects are effective strategies for developing your game development skills. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, the journey of learning game development is both rewarding and fulfilling.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What programming language is best for game development? While there is no one "best" programming language for game development, popular choices include C++, C#, and Java, depending on the game's requirements and the developer's preferences. Do I need to be good at art to become a game developer? While artistic skills can be beneficial in game development, they are not strictly necessary. Many game development roles focus on programming, design, or other technical aspects, and there are often opportunities to collaborate with artists and designers. How long does it take to learn game development? The time it takes to learn game development varies depending on factors such as prior experience, the complexity of the game being developed, and the resources available for learning. Some people may learn the basics in a few months, while others may take years to master advanced skills. What are some common challenges in game development? Common challenges in game development include managing project scope, meeting deadlines, optimizing performance, and maintaining team morale. Additionally, navigating the ever-changing technology landscape and keeping up with industry trends can be challenging for developers. Is game development a good career choice? Game development can be a rewarding career for those passionate about gaming and technology. However, it requires dedication, hard work, and continuous learning to succeed in the competitive industry. Aspiring game developers should be prepared to face challenges and constantly strive to improve their skills.

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Have questions, suggestions, or feedback? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us through our contact page. At Universe 2.0, we provide information, tutorials, guides, etc., to grow the game industry. Visit us at: universe-2.com Read the full article

[variasus]

Hello, I’m making a game (Devlog n.1)

Ok, guess before I start talking more in depth about my mechanics and the background/thematic elements, a bit of a rundown of where I’m coming from with my ttrpg project would be useful for y’all. Mainly what motivates me to do this is that for now I haven’t really found the fantasy ttrpg that I really like and would want to use for some chill stories with my friends. DnD/Pathfinder are too complex and way too combat centric; Soulbound/BREAK!!! are really nice in their straightforwardness but maybe too attached to some traditional designs; and PbtA fantasy ttrpg that I’ve read just don’t go in the direction that stimulates me; to cite a few examples. So, what would I want then ? Mainly, an easy to grasp system that works toward a larger panel of resolutions and interactions than killing, with a focus on or tools for character growth, and making an impact in the world. Too often are fantasy adventures just combat encounters dotted across a story where the consequences of the player actions are only marginal, and rewarded the same whatever the course of actions they’ve chosen. for that part it’ll obviously be a work more of pre-written adventures and GM advices than part of the core rules, but still, providing the tools for PCs to change the places they live in is an important goal to me. When it comes to my inspirations there’s some of the games I’ve cited, Soulbound, BREAK!!!, OSRs and PbtAs and many more indie stuff are pretty good at what they do and some elements of them definitively have an influence on what I find to be cool efficient designs, and thus what I’ll put in this project. Themes wise, some of my recent readings are definitively having a big influence on the setting I’m building and what kind of stories I’ll tell in it. Amongst others, Earthsea, Elric, Nausicaa, CODA are all pretty different but share ideals around the use of violence, human relationships, and other aspects I don’t have the energy to write about at length today. I’ll also cite the excellent Book of Travels, a really chill and beautiful video game that really allows one to progress through it at their own pace and through their chosens interactions, the fact you could never fight once in your playtime and still get to the highest level through other sources of XP definitively helped me realise how much combat centric rpgs usually are. I’ll finish this here, but don’t worry this is certainly not the last time I speak about my goals and thought process. See you around

[undefeatednils]

So I may have bought a Pathfinder 2e book...

Namely the first monster manual. In German. Because I already had the three core books (and the Lost Omens World Guide) from IIRC a Humble Bundle. And Ulisses Spiele, the publisher of the German translations of Pathfinder, is currently giving away the PDF of the Core Rulebook away for Pay What You Want on DriveThruRPG (which they use as their online store; they don't have a dedicated one, which is kinda charming?). And most folks say you don't need the Gamemastery Guide for running published adventures, so I'm skipping that for now.

Also though if you wanna get Pathfinder 2e stuff in English... Paizo is currently giving away the Lost Omens World Guide on their own online shop (if you use the code OPENGAMING at checkout) and they have sales on the Core Rulebook and the Beginner Box, with them all being 25 percent off for the print versions... Plus you can just get the PDFs for about 20 bucks per pop on the reg, with sales happening occasionally (plus, again, Humble Bundle is a serious thing to look at occasionally, they have a Pathfinder-themed bundle each year).

And there's a free and Paizo-endorsed English language rules wiki, Archive of Nethys, that can honestly replace all the rulebooks, so if you just wanna homebrew stuff or be fine with idk the Beginner Box/Core Rulebook and an Adventure Path (their published campaigns), then that is an excellent way to get more thorough rules and more player and DM options.

[cafephilewrites]

4e was the first version of D&D I ever played. And the above points are true: There were some really cool mechanics that have since been used in other rulesets. But as someone who started with 4e and later played 3.5, 5e, original Pathfinder, and a number of other systems, was 4e actually good?

No, not really.

For me at least, everything from the mechanics to the way they were presented in the rule books seemed designed to be played online, or maybe even as a card game, and was frustrating to play as a ttrpg. Perhaps because the mechanical changes were so different from 3.5, the rule books contained minimal amounts of flavor in the class and race descriptions and didn't really encourage unique character building the way earlier editions or the later 5e would. Maybe the creators thought these things didn't need to be explained, but due to the disastrous rollout, pretty much the only folks playing 4e were people like me who were new to the whole D&D and ttrpg phenomenon.

For better or worse, 4e started with comparatively minimal multiclassing (you could "multiclass" via feats) and eventually introduced a hybrid class mechanic. This is probably one of the reasons why 4e also introduced a bunch of new classes that might have just been subclasses or common multiclass builds in past additions. Mechanics-wise, I don't know if this was a great change. Even some of the base classes were pretty poorly balanced in the new system, and there was a lot of almost-overlap regarding class abilities and spells where two similar classes would have a very similar ability, but it worked slightly differently for both of them, which was confusing as a player and I'm sure was worse as a DM. (And that's not even getting into how basic melee or ranged attacks were different for every class, and any given class might have two or three of them to keep track of!) Flavor-wise, it went a long way towards ameliorating the general lack of world building and character options presented in the core rulebooks. Want a nature-themed character like a druid who's basically a paladin? There's a class for that. How about a cleric who's a holy assassin? Separate class for that too!

One of the things I remember really liking was the introduction of primal power as a magic source distinct from arcane and divine. 4e not only introduced more nature-based classes, aside from just the druid, but it was a good flavor choice for tables or campaign settings where the gods were largely absent or just not of interest. This is obviously a change that you could just make at your own table without need for an official ruling, but as somebody who started playing D&D where druids, rangers, and other nature-based classes gained their powers directly from the natural world, I was honestly a bit peeved to be dragged back into a cosmos where druids are all basically just priests of the nature god.

A popular example of 4e being "like a video game" was the categorization of classes into specific roles: striker (DPS), tank, controller, healer. (Don't quote me on those labels.) While this had the effect of somewhat limiting creativity with different class builds, I think it was really useful for new players. This is the type of thing that people usually mean when they talk about "party composition", but if your whole table are learning to play D&D together for the first time, having this explicitly laid out so that players and DM can think about building a workable party is really helpful.

If the original rollout hadn't been such a disaster, I think we could have gotten a 4.5 or 5e D&D that built a lot more heavily on the good features of 4e and dropped some of the bad. I really would have liked to see that!

People rallied against 4e for being well designed? I always heard it was because it was too much like WoW.

D&D 4e being too much like WoW is one of those things that's true in places (it actually had design informed by WoW among other things but a lot of said design was actually remodeled to actually work in the context of tabletop game instead of trying to lazily transplant mechanics from a video game directly into a tabletop game), but ultimately is just a lazy shorthand for "it's like bideo gane therefore bad." On a deeper level D&D 4e wasn't rejected "just" because it was too much like videos game but because its designers actually took a look at all the things taken as default in D&D and actually considered how conducive they were to the experience people were seemingly looking for from D&D (D&D 4e being built to be a fun skirmish game didn't come out of nowhere: it was a response to people basically playing D&D 3e like that and finding the game too unbalanced to serve that experience).

Funnily enough, in being willing to reconsider what people actually wanted out of D&D, 4e is actually the edition of Hasbro D&D most aligned with what people seem to actually want out of D&D these days. A lot of the common design issues people bring up with 5e are issues that D&D 4e already rectified once and 5e actually walked back on because they wanted to get back the purists who had rejected 4e for not being D&D-shaped enough.

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

DL Fantasy RPG Classes Headcanons

So I actually have many DL fantasy AUs, the vast majority of which are an excuse for me to self-ship with Shin but in the process of coming up with one of them I ended up sorting all of the boys into RPG classes and I thought I might as well share it. 

Quick note, this is mainly based on Pathfinder classes because that’s the fantasy system I’m most familiar with and I tried to assign every character a different class just because I think that makes things more interesting.

Shu - Summoner

Okay so I really struggled when it came to picking out a class for Shu because we know he can be good in a fight when he actually puts the effort in but getting him to put that effort in is another matter. I couldn’t really picture him as being any of the core classes for one reason or another (either because I didn’t think they suited his skillset or his personality) and after a bit of digging through more obscure classes, I eventually settled on summoner. This is because summoner’s are capable of taking down enemies, but they do so by summoning a creature they have a close bond (known as an Eidolon) which then does most of the job for them which I personally think works a lot better for Shu rather than a class with a more direct fighting style. 

As a side note, Eidolon’s take on the form of some sort of fantastical creature, I personally imagine Shu’s looking like a water horse or a kelpie in it’s horse-like form

Reiji - Alchemist

So unlike with Shu, this one was super easy for me. Reiji canonically like tinkering with chemicals, in a fantasy setting that automatically makes him an alchemist. If we want to get super specific, then as you’d expect he ends up focusing on poisons, but he’s skilled in other areas of alchemy too. As a general rule however, he dislikes using mutagens (potions that let an alchemist transform into a more beast like form, upgrading their physical stats at the expense of their mental ones), and has spent years trying to find a way to make them so he can get the physical bonus without suffering any of the negative effects.

Ayato - Fighter

I went with the fighter class for Ayato because I don’t see him as being some sort of complex spellcaster who keeps their distance from a fight or any sort of support class. In a fight, Ayato’s the sort to charge in and get stuff done, which is exactly what a good fighter does, he doesn’t need anything more complicated or finickity. 

Kanato - Sorcerer

I definitely didn’t want to give Kanato a strength-based class, because I while I certainly wouldn’t pick a fight with him, he’s not really in the same league as someone like Subaru. I also don’t see him as a support class and I think making him a spellcaster works well with what we see of his abilities in canon. I definitely don’t think Kanato has the temperament I would associate with a wizard so I went with the sorcerer class. For anyone who isn’t aware of the difference, wizards are ordinary people who learn magic from books while sorcerers have an innate gift with magic thanks to magical ancestry. Admittedly I was a little tempted to make Kanato a necromantic wizard because of the doll room stuff, but actually I think making him a sorcerer with the undead bloodline works just as well if not better.

Laito - Rogue who makes everyone believe he’s a bard

So for a while I was really tempted to make Laito a dual-class because I feel like he fits with some of the RPG bard stereotypes and I do like the idea of him being able to cast magical illusions (like he does in HDB if memory serves) but his cunning and manipulative abilities also made me want to make him a rogue. At the end of the day however I can’t really picture Laito taking on the role of a bard in a combat situation (or rather I can’t picture him being helpful to the party in the way a bard is usually meant to be). I can however, very much picture him being a sneaky rogue who greatly surprises all of the people he’d fooled into thinking he was a run of the mill bard when he then stabs them in kidneys and pushes them off of the nearest high object.

Subaru - Barbarian

A strength-based class with rage abilities? Say no more. But yeah, this was another easy one for me and honestly there isn’t much more I can say to justify it because I mean *gestures at the start of this paragraph*

Ruki - Investigator

I was a bit torn with Ruki because part of me wanted to make him a warlock with Karl as his patron because I love that it would mirror some of his backstory in canon but at the end of the day, I just don’t think the warlock class really suits Ruki beyond the thematics. The investigator class, on the other hand, fits him much better. It’s an intelligence-based class with a focus on deduction and strategy and I don’t think anything else could fit Ruki better than that.

Kou - An actual bard

No, I didn’t go with bard for Kou just because of the idol thing (although admittedly it might have been a factor). I mainly went with the bard class because I wanted to give Kou a class that was charisma-based (as Kou is a high charisma character if ever I’ve seen one) and also not solely focused on fighting. While Kou might have gone head to head with Subaru in More Blood, as a general rule, I don’t see him as as much of a melee fighter as some of the other characters, and I actually think he’s one of the few who works well as a support class. 

Yuma - Druid

I was kind of tempted to make Yuma a barbarian and in a way I still am because he’s definitely a physical combatant but without the style of an actual fighter. However I do really like the idea of making him a class that’s connected to nature so in the end I went with druid. While druids are spellcasters, I picture him as mainly using wild shape to transform into a bear and engage in melee combat and honestly I think that fits quite well. I’m also pretty sure there is some scene somewhere that involves him manipulating plants (although I would have to go searching for it) so... druid it is.

Azusa - Monk

Okay, hear me out for a minute with this one. I had a bit of a hard time picking out a class for Azusa, as I don’t really feel like a spellcaster class quite fits him but I had a hard time picturing him as one of the more physical combat-based classes because I feel like his main skill is his pain tolerance. I settled on the monk class, however, because it lets him act as a defender without being particularly skilled with a weapon and monks get really good saving throws right off the bat (these are things that let you negate or minimise effects/damage) which I think fits Azusa’s strong points best.

Carla - Wizard

With the amount Carla uses magic in the games, even if he is also skilled with a sword, he had to be some kind of spellcaster. I ended up going with wizard because I definitely think Carla fits with the whole studious stuck-up stereotype and it gives him access to some of the best spells. Additionally it’s an intelligence-based class and I actually think the relatively low-HP works pretty well as it fits with him having a poorer constitution thanks to Endzeit.

Shin - Ranger with a wolf companion

I was initially a bit stuck for Shin because I wanted to make him a class that was centred on physical combat, because we know in canon he usually likes to fight with a sword, but I also wanted to incorporate some magical abilities in there because he does periodically use them. I briefly thought about making him a druid because it would let him keep the ability to transform into a wolf but I don’t feel like he has a strong connection with nature so that didn’t sit right with me. Then I remembered that rangers are a thing and they can have animal companions and I was instantly sold on the idea.

Rangers are martial characters and can engage in melee combat but unlike fighters they do have some spellcasting ability without any of the moral implications that might come from being a paladin and honestly I think the class fits Shin perfectly.

Kino - Warlock (technically this is the Witch class in Pathfinder but I just think Warlock sounds cooler ;-;)

I was very tempted to make Kino a sorcerer but I want to stick to my one class per boy rule to keep things interesting and after thinking about it for a while, I do really like the idea of Kino as a warlock with some sort of crow-themed patron. For one it fits with his powers coming in late in canon (i.e. as a warlock, he’d only get magic after forming a pact with his patron) and it would let him have a crow familiar, which also ties in with canon. Ultimately I just like the idea of Kino as a tricky spellcaster and I think warlock works best with that image.

Bonus:

Yui - Cleric

A character that acts mainly as a healer/support thanks to powers from the divine? Can you think of anything more suited to her? Yui is another character where I knew exactly which class I’d match her with without having to think about it too much. For me cleric Yui just works (and if you’d rather think of her taking on a combatant role, then just picture her using channel smite to literally smite down her enemies with divine power).

[screamydreamy]

It's a hard thing to understand if you only play 5e but the huge homebrew community surrounding it is sort of based around a major design flaw. 5e has an embarrassing lack of options and it appears to only take a little bit of playing to decide you want to make your own subclass for next time. Eventually, you have a big creative community aiming to improve a game that people play because it's name brand and everyone else plays it.

I also think it's a crutch for the designers, with only a single class being released in the what, six years of 5e? Its easy to make supplements that are a whole load of nothing when you have a community willing to put all the effort in themselves.

I've been playing pathfinder 2e way longer than I have 5e now and it blows my mind that still I've literally never been left unsatisfied by the options presented to me for each class, even from just the core rule book. The closest I got for searching for homebrew was wanting a warforged style ancestry (now offical since the release of guns & gears).

Uhh what else... ranger sucks and it sucks bc the game is designed to not support the playstyle it's aiming for and so really shouldn't be in the game at all, play a rogue with proficiency in survival

[dailycharacteroption]

Roleplay Ramblings: Switching Systems part 2

 Converting to a New Edition

 Going into greater detail from yesterday’s discussion, it is an inevitable fact of life that if a RPG system is successful, it will likely get a new edition sometime in the future.

With these new editions come wonderful new ideas, like a fancy new 20-sided dice, or taking races that were considered monstrous in previous editions and exploring the nuanced truth behind them. Either way, the hope is always there that the annoying parts of the system which were more bothersome than fun are redone or cut out.

On the other end of the spectrum, new editions are often so drastically different from the previous one that they can feel very different not only in terms of feel, but also in terms of assumptions made about the system’s universe and metaphysics.

Hell, some systems outright kill off their old lore and replace it with a similar but new set when the next edition comes out (See Classic World of Darkness vs Chronicles of Darkness, or previous D&D lore vs 4th edition), much to the chagrin of fans of the old lore.

Honestly, I would be remiss not to rant for a bit about how much I wish that the progression of changes between editions of games was more gradual than it usually ends up being. The gradient between D&D 3.0 to 3.5, and then to Pathfinder 1st edition suits me fine, as it would make moving from one edition to another so much easier if I was inclined to move at all, but instead each new edition of most games likes to try and reinvent the wheel and change up the assumptions of the system, which I suppose gives us greater innovation, but is a pain in my behind.

 As mentioned yesterday, one of the biggest challenges of updating to a new edition, should you decide to do so, is that new editions of the same game, by virtue of their youth, have not had the time to develop the depth of content of their predecessor. As such, fans of the previous edition with their characters drawn from splatbooks and supplementary options found in the back of adventure books and the like might not see those options appear again in some form until much later, if at all if they proved not very popular. Meanwhile, some options from supplementary materials might make a return in the core rulebook, and might even work much the same way as before, or entirely different. As such, unless you’re willing to wait and gamble on the decisions of the system’s developers, you may have to make compromises in the concept and mechanics of your character in order to convert them over to the new set of rules.

Perhaps that doesn’t bother you, though. Maybe the idea that your character’s abilities subtly or drastically changing in nature between sessions isn’t as important as the fun of portraying them, and that’s perfectly fine. I personally cannot relate, but I can respect it.

 So, through an amount of effort that may vary between miniscule and titanic depending on the editions of whatever system you are switching between, you’ve converted your character to the next edition. May you have a wonderful time exploring the possibilities that the future has brought, and perhaps those who had less-compatible characters might find egress in the future of the new system.

For now, that does it for today, but tomorrow we’ll dive into conversions between completely different systems entirely!

[keshetchai]

I didn't get to it last night bc I was packing two other boxes of books for a local used bookstore exchange HOWEVER I AM HOPING TO GET TO IT THIS WEEKEND. I will probably prefold some of the book shopping boxes I have as well, just to get a sense of how much I can actually ship in a given box vs reinforced envelope.

I'm also going to be destashing some more random stuff as well, probably posting to like, Facebook in groups/marketplace (especially the ADHD hobby groups lol) but I might also list some stuff here.

Like examples of other books/items:

if you like collecting old film cameras for decor or to learn to repair or want to take one in for repair, I have a handful of cameras

I have some Pathfinder 2nd edition adventure paths(!) Which I can get rid of bc I also have the PDF due to my subscription, and the core rulebook (there's a slight update that was just released I also own, but ALSO all the rules themselves are free online so either way I don't need two. Feel free to ask me more about PF2e as an amazing alternative to d&d if you like hero fantasy ttrpg. Even if you don't want the book because again everything rules is free online.)

So many Disney tsumtsums even after I gave a lot to my little buddy at synagogue who had a tsumtsums special interest.

Indie oil based perfume samples (I'l only ask for shipping for a ton of samples at random because I dont have time to check each one to determine if the oil in any samples has gone bad/smells rancid. This would truly just be a fun surprise of smells game and a chance to smell a lot of different stuff for almost nothing. many/most of them will probably still smell good, and theyre quite tiny and idk. Perfume is weirdly fun.)

also unused indie bath soap bars. Got a handful of those.

Possibly some comic arcs of various comics in single issues. Probably the full arcs if I offer.

Potentially some art supplies or storage for art supplies

Possibly also yarn!

The Jewish books are going to be a wide range of books: everything from history books, to fiction anthologies and fiction books, to vintage siddurim, to books on Jewish lifecycle/holiday/practice. I just have...soooo many and they deserve other loving homes now. I might also part with some of my haggadot and cookbooks.

I will say this: unfortunately for Jewish books, I do need to prioritize at least recouping cost to buy the shipping supplies and cost of shipping itself.

However, if you're trying to reconnect to your Judaism and don't have any books, or are a conversion student unable to afford even that and still really want some books, please please feel free to message me about it. I will try to work something out — either by waiting to ship until I can use some of my other proceeds from reselling stuff to offset the shipping cost, or maybe see if i can have some folks "sponsor" the media mail shipping cost I estimate for you by sending me a ko-fi. You can remain anonymous, I'll just use my scale to determine an estimated shipping weight for the books.

The cost should still be fairly low since I intend to ship media mail, but if even that cost would be a barrier, I would still rather give Jewish books to someone directly than resell the books to a used bookstore.

For everything else I use PayPal goods and services typically, especially since I can purchase the shipping label/cost from them directly when I do that. I'm not totally unwilling to ship to say, Canada or something but frankly I've usually found that international shipping costs are so high that it's usually not worth it. Sorry.

Hey I'm going to start listing/selling a ton of Jewish books for cheap or just the cost of shipping supplies in the US bc I'm gonna move soon. I'll probably list here first and then like on FB groups.

[brightload6]

Dmg Pdf Dnd 5e Map

Dnd 5e Monster Manual Pdf

Dnd 5e Players Handbook Pdf

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Resources & Links Page. The 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide was released in 2014 as the last of three core rulebooks for the new edition. On the staggered release schedule, Jeremy Crawford wrote 'our small team couldn’t finish the books at the same time and also ensure their high quality. We could either stagger their releases, or we could sit on the books until all three were finished'. The D&D Fifth Edition Dungeon Master's Guide on p14 suggests using three map scales: Province - 1 mile per hex, 5 miles per inch; Kingdom - 6 miles per hex, 30 miles per inch; Continent - 60 miles per hex, 600 miles per inch; The DMG suggests that these scales are useful in that a full page map.

Once download this dungeons and dragons character sheet 3.5 pdf. You can also print this sheet. D&D 5e(5th Edition) Character sheet Fillable Form PDF. This sheet can be used for filling your 5th edition character sheet. In this, you can able to fill the character name, strength, and other options.

A cone in 5e is defined such that. A cone's width at a given point along its length is equal to that point's distance from the point of origin. That is a 53-degree cone, not a 90-degree cone as 3.5e used. Thus the diagrams given from the Pathfinder SRD are not applicable. If you don't want to just eyeball it you have 2 choices.

I'm looking for printable maps of dungeons and combat locations for published D&D adventures that are sized for minis. More specifically I'm looking for the Lost Mine of Phandelver, and Princes of the Apocalypse. I find that pausing a game to draw out an area is both time consuming, and creates an awkward pause in the game flow. Being able to bust out some printed maps would really help. I don't mind paying a few bucks for good maps. Does anyone out there know of a website that might offer a product like that? Any personal experiences out there? Thanks!

With a little elbow grease, a pen, and some white sticker paper I doctored up a D&D character sheet that incorporated my house rules as well as some of the optional rules from the DMG. You can download a PDF of this here (if you would care to). https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5q-SrbFhJetT1l6QmZPT29NSWc/view?usp=sharing I talked about most of the optional and house rules that I'm going to use here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaFWNggKkVE 'O5R' is a combination of some of the ideas from the old school renaissance (OSR) and 5th Edition D&D. See below for more information and for some links. http://samwise7rpg.blogspot.com/2015/05/o5r-dungeons-dragons-5e-optional-house.html Character Creation: Step 1. Determine Ability Scores via 4D6 drop the lowest straight down the line. Start at the first stat, roll, and then record the total for that stat. Page 13, and 173 in the PHB). Step 2. Choose a Race. Page 11, and 17 in the PHB. Step 3. Describe your character. Choose your character's Background and Personality details. Page 13, and 121 in the PHB. A character's starting equipment will be given out based on the details in their Background and Class. Step 4. Choose a Class. Page 11, and 45 in the PHB. The Classes will be limited to the Cleric, the Fighter, the Ranger, the Rogue, and the Wizard (the 'Big Four' plus the Ranger in other words). The Cleric and Rogue will be modified to show the rules changes found below. Step 5. Come together. Page 15 in the PHB. Optional/House Rules: 1. Remove Charisma and all of the associated skills that go along with it. Players will engage in role-playing without any social mechanics. Those skills that are listed in Classes and Backgrounds will be replaced with other skills. Spell descriptions that call for a Charisma saving throw will instead be a Sanity saving throw (see below). 2. Add a Sanity stat, with one skill under it called Mental Stability. This new skill will be one of the ones that replace some of the social skills that I removed in the class descriptions. Seem DMG page 258 and 264 for details on Sanity and Madness.

3. Instead of a static Proficiency Bonus I am going to use the more random Proficiency Dice optional rule found on page 263 of the DMG. 4. I won't be using any of the feats. 5. Inspiration can also be spent like Plot/Story Points which is an optional rule found in the DMG on page 268. I am going to use Option 1 and Option 2. Option 3 is more for GMless games. 6. The XP character advancement chart will be modified to stretch out levels 1-6 a bit, as those earlier levels are my favorite in D&D games. 1st lvl 0, 2nd lvl 1200, 3rd level 2400, 4th level 4800, 5th level 9600, 6th level 16300, and 7th level and above are the same as those found in the PHB. 7. Success at a Cost, found on page 242 of the DMG. 8. Side Initiative, which is also in earlier versions of D&D. DMG page 270. 9. Slow Natural Healing which is on page 267 of the DMG. 10. Lingering Injuries which is in the DMG on page 272. 11. Massive Damage found on page 273 of the DMG. 12. No Opportunity Attacks. They are listed in the PHB on page 190, and 195. Reactions to spells and class features still happen as normal. 13. Instant Death happens at negative constitution instead of a negative maximum total of hit points. PHB 197. Make one single Death Saving Throw with Con modifier as a bonus. 14. Traps don't always go off, and they will fail a certain percentage of the time. I still need to figure out how often they should fail. 15. Spellcasters will need to announce BEFORE initiative is rolled if they will be casting a spell or not (remember that I will be using Side Initiative). This is to show how obvious it is with they waving their hands all over the place and muttering dark words that a spell is close to being cast so that they can be targeted by the enemy. If a spellcaster takes one hit point of damage before it is cast (before their initiative) the spell fizzles and it will not be cast that turn. They do not lose any spell slots however. 16. Shields can block successful attacks a percentage of the time. This will be a roll of the dice, but I'm not sure which die to use for this yet however. If the roll is successful then the attack is blocked entirely. This makes shields more important and I just like the way it feels in play. This rule is from the game Dragon Warriors.

Dnd 5e Monster Manual Pdf

O5R Google+ Community: https://plus.google.com/communities/109886975214721228437

Dnd 5e Players Handbook Pdf

[prokopetz]

My significant other has an issue with TTRPGs. They often get all the way through character creation and backstory setup just to get bored and not want to play the actual game. I understand where their limit for attention span is and that it just happens to be roughly normal set up time. Is there a ttrpg that might initially overcome this issue such that I might be able to invite them into the wonders of the genre? Honestly I don't think the trimmings will matter just the TTRGP element.

That’s a tough one to answer for two reasons:

1. I could list any number of games with light or no character creation phases, but you haven’t mentioned what sorts of games you’ve already tried, so I don’t know what our starting point is. If your baseline is, say, Pathfinder, “tabletop RPGs with lighter character creation than Pathfinder” is practically all of them!

2. The bigger issue, however, is that you’ve gotta consider that it may not be an attention span issue. Most tabletop RPGs consist of collections of discrete minigames, of which character creation is frequently one of the most well-developed; it’s my experience that when people are keen on creating characters, only to “get bored” just as the time comes to actually play those characters, it’s often less that their attention span is coincidentally exactly as long as character creation takes in your game of choice, and more that the character creation minigame is the only part that interests them.

I’ll defer to your judgment on point #2, but it’s something that’s worth opening lines of communication on, because if it is the case that your SO is only into the character creation minigame, games with no character creation phase are the exact opposite of what’s going to interest them; you may be better served to look into games that dial the gamification of character creation all the way up, like Ars Magica or Traveller. Games of this sort employ narrative “lifepaths” whereby the process of character creation produces a character’s full life history, and often feature random and rules-mediated elements that call for collaboration between the player and the GM, making it a sort of one-on-one storytelling exercise. Indeed, in Traveller it’s even possible to die during character creation if you flub a few rolls badly enough!

All that said – and again, bearing in mind that I have no idea what sorts of games you’ve already tried, so some of these may not be any lighter on the character creation end than your current options – here are a few personal favourites that feature light or no character creation phases.

Dungeon World - If tactical fantasy dungeon crawls are your thing, Dungeon World is on the lighter end in terms of character creation; it uses a streamlined playbook-based approach where you basically just pick a class, tick off a couple of boxes, and you’re ready to go. It’s one of those new-school games where dice rolls are more about narrative agency than deciding whether you succeed at stuff, though; if you’d prefer a more traditional roll-the-dice-to-do-the-thing experience, Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures pairs a similar playbook-based approach with a simple lifepath system – though party creation is specifically a group activity in this one, so it’s not suitable for players who prefer to come up with characters on their own.

Fate Accelerated Edition - Fate is a funny little system in terms of character creation. The lighter variants can be very light indeed, while the heavier variants have some of the most baroque chargen options I’ve ever seen. (Hey, Mindjammer!) In spite of the name, Fate Accelerated Edition isn’t the absolute lightest iteration of the system I’ve encountered, but it’s pretty close, and includes the option to defer certain portions of character creation and retroactively fill them in during play. Note that the core book doesn’t include any baked-in setting, so if you need one for character inspiration you’ll also need to grab a setting book or three – just make sure to check the fine print and confirm that it supports FAE specifically. Personally, I really enjoy Eagle Eyes.

Risus - One of the earliest really successful games that can reasonably be described as rules-light, Risus breaks characters down to their bare essentials. Each character consists of 3--5 numerically ranked traits called “clichés”, each of which boils a whole facet of your character down to a single pithy phrase -- for example, “Kleptomaniac Dwarven Battle-Poet“ or “Romance-Obsessed Minotaur Accountant“. As you’ve no doubt gathered from those examples, it’s positioned as a comedy game, though I’ve occasionally seen it used for more serious games, to admittedly mixed success. If all that sounds a little too light, the Risus Companion offers some slightly (but only slightly) more complex chargen options.

I’m trying to keep things as broadly flexible as possible here, since I don’t have any guidance on what sort of content you’re looking for. Most games with very light character creation also tend to have extremely specific premises!

(Obligatory cost breakdown: of the linked games, Fate Accelerated Edition is pay-what-you-want, as are most of its supplements, and Risus is free, though the Risus Companion is not.)