#d20 tuc ii

[thisisnotthenerd]

d20 finale thoughts.

for being the ‘horror season’, the intrepid heroes really go all in on the comedy in neverafter. i was laughing through the finale, in between some high stakes roles, npc and pc deaths, and wave after wave of enemies.

now that i think about it, this finale just shows how much the intrepid heroes have really tightened up their strategy as players, to the point that they can pull really crazy bits in the midst of battle and still hit a victory at the end of the day. for every ih season, they’ve had to step up the final battle to make it something that’s conceivably a challenge to the players

like in fhfy, they had some quips in the final battle, and a clutch beardsley roll to kick off the final ep, but it’s all battle focus. more individual attacks, and just trying to keep everyone alive pre-aguefort intervention. they had a few smaller enemies to deal with, but the primary issue was kalvaxus.

with tuc, it’s a similar scenario, but they have more options in terms of calling allies and a more complex environment. the individual appeals from the american dream, as well as the continuation of their fight with robert moses make this a more involved combat than fhfy. they were more confident coming in.

with acoc, the balance between troop mechanics and individual combat was the new challenge--the gimmick of the battlefield being the one they had previously fled from, as well as the task of getting rid of the leaders as well as the general troops added a new dimension to the ih final combats. edit: the intra-party tension added to this battle in particular; saccharina & ruby really defined the end of the campaign.

once they hit fhsy, battles became longer and carried out over more than just the two finale episodes. with theater of the mind, brennan could give them a longer sequence of individual and group combat. it starts with the nightmare forest individual fear scenes, layers on the need to rescue their attacking/trapped allies, as well as the continuity of the lore going on throughout the battle. i would say this style of battle, with multiple waves to exhaust the intrepid heroes, set a precedent for future combats.

with tuc II, the longer battle sequence continued, but more condensed. tony simos @ gramercy took 1 and a half episodes to get through, and so did null at the dragon’s hoard. again, each battle had layered mechanics e.g. having to stop the umbral engine overload and then having to birth the dragon. this style of battle aligns with what we saw in previous final combats, and has just the funniest instance of a divine intervention that i’ve seen.

in starstruck, they have talespire. they also have a lot of enemies, with their guns, trained on you. there were a few layers to this combat. again, the extension from a previous battle episode, the split between minis and ship combat, and of course, who could forget margaret encino, turning their enemies away with the power of emails and girlbossing her way into a campaign office. literally overwhelming odds that they managed to pull through including a 2 on the die from gnosis.

and now with neverafter, they had waves of powerful enemies, going from a siege to a tower defense from one episode to the next, the baba yaga, the ally persuasion mechanics, and the objective of holding concentration on bottle of ink that has hand(s), while either convincing or killing everyone else. the actual battle was not the hard part--as evidenced by the shenanigans they pulled off by the skin of their teeth. it was just the singular goal, and more rp than previous final combats. they also just crit. so much. no need for a beardsley crit when you’ve got siobhan one-shotting fairies and zac killing god and rolling an 18 that makes a new universe.

in short, as d20 has grown, so to have the intrepid heroes (+brennan). i’m excited to see where they go from here.

[notesbynor]

i feel like there's not enough Unsleeping City art out there, do you think you could draw the two Voxes?

Ive been meaning to draw these two, so thank you for requesting them!! Their relationship is so hgbbfbdbxbxxgdbdbhsdbdbdgdbdbshjsbdbfbnsns

[thelesbianluthor]

Watching The unsleeping city II reminded me how much I have loved TUC and why I fell so hard in love with d20, these people and the characters they create. Especially how easy it was for me to adore Emily Axford.

TUC was my first d20 campaign and Sofia was my first favourite character. Seeing her face the Order with her head held high and taking responsibility of what she has done with grace. The way she stayed true to herself and her own beliefs and made a statement by being honest and respectful.

Fuck Tony Simos and I am glad that even if he got the position in the end his claim was not as strong because Sofia did not play into his hand when it comes to her reaction to the trial.

Also Kingston talking with Tony and being firm in his position was so good. That's HIS FAMILY! I cannot wait to see Tony getting his ass handed to him

[kermit-coded]

[kipperlillycopperkettle]

esther sinclair + pet names for ricky

for @writer-and-thrasher for @d20exchange!!

[companionsofusall]

Id: faux calendar artwork for the month of October, starring Cody Night Angel Walsh. He is perched like a gargoyle, both arms extended into rock’n’roll hand signs, as he’s perched on top of the Buster Sword from Final fantasy. His hands have knuckle tattoos that read “Mall Goth.” Below him are a number of fantasy weaponry - Andruil, the Master Sword, the Chaos blades, a Keyblade, a Gunblade, a Minecraft diamond sword, an Energy Sword, Sephiroth’s masamune, and Frostmourne. Other pieces of swords jut up behind him, into a sea of swords. Along his arms and far in the background blue flames burn. Cody is grinning toward the camera, curled goat horns hovering by his head. Perched in front of him is a camel’s skull, on the hilt of the Buster sword he is perched on. End id]

I love how this turned out. So dumb yet so beautiful

Edit: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October

[thevalleyisjolly]

On the one hand, Gorgug getting mad is exactly what Porter wants so stay chill (crab) king, you do you, but on the other hand, angry Zac PCs have given us such gems as "I need a fucking weapon" and "Is that feng shui!?!?" so if he does wind up telling Porter to knock it off, cut it out, you know it's going to be devastating.

[justletmeon12]

Couldn't Get Through TUC II, But Loved Dungeons and Drag Queens: Round 7 Time

Obligatory context: I watch them out of order based on what interests me. So far, I've completed (in order): Mentopolis, A Court of Fey and Flowers, A Crown of Candy, the Ravening War, Burrow's End, Misfits and Magic (including both specials), Neverafter, The Unsleeping City Chapter I, Mice & Murder, Escape from the Bloodkeep, and Dungeons and Drag Queens. I'm not equally interested in all that remain, but these are my top choices. Comments/advice are welcome.

[archersartcorner]

Had mentioned my interests kinda being all over the place, and currently I’ve been watching D20 and having a lotta fun with it. I have some doodles I want to post, but gonna post this one separately first cus I love Sofia Lee 🥺

[lesbianaelwen]

ngl i think of "you don't have time to date, you're falling out of a tower" EVERY TIME i pull the tower and when i do a reading in general lmao

[thisisnotthenerd]

the dream team's xp leveling

this is complex enough that i needed to create a second spreadsheet. i've doomed myself to an eternity of calculations. anyway:

the unsleeping city:

i did the calculations in the spreadsheet this time, so it's a little easier to follow and there's only one round of arithmetic to do. one key difference here is that contextual multipliers are more common. for the unsleeping city, i used contextual multipliers for the number of opponents as well as other complicating factors that will be listed with each encounter.

mutant santa melee: i separated this encounter into three categories: the mutant santas, the spawn point chrysalis, and the big santa.

mutant santas: based on their hp counts and damage outputs, i'd place the standard mutant santas at CR 1/4, so 50 XP each for 600, with a 2x contextual multiplier because of 1) the number of mutant santas and 2) the complicating factors both the captured santa and things like pete's wild magic surges. total of 1200 XP

the chrysalis: only CR 1/4 because sofia kicked it into the sky. 50 XP

big santa: CR 2, based on damage output and how much it took to kill it. 450 XP

total XP count: 1700 XP, or ~283 XP each

scramble in the sewers: this encounter was fairly standard, and would not be that difficult traditionally; i included the 1.5x multiplier to account for the water level mechanics and the fact that a bunch of the party was trying not to drown while killing the rat king.

rat swarms: CR 1/4. they chased after minor illusion cheese. 75 XP

the beefy boys: technically they are using crocodile stats, at CR 1/2 each. i know this because kug brings them back later on. total of 600 XP

rat king: i'd put him at around a CR 4; with the multiplier that becomes 1650 XP

total XP count: 2325 XP, or ~387 XP each

the war of bugs and rats: first fully standard encounter; varying CRs for each of the opponents, but other than that no major complications

becky the wasp-centaur: based on her level of spellcasting, i'd put her at around CR 5, or 1800 XP

beetle: less challenging than becky at a CR 3 (700 XP). he's gonna have to kill ya.

roaches: proportionally more of them, but they were easy to take care of. CR 1/2, total of 800 XP.

swarms of bugs: same deal as the roaches. CR 1/2, for a total of 200 XP.

bugsters: i went through and calculated DPR and their stats and settled on CR 1, for a total of 800 XP

total XP count: 4300 XP, or 716 each

subway skirmish: only a minor (1.25x) modifier this time, for alejandro summoning the train to nod and the fact that they were sacrificing spell slots to fuel it. this fight notably steps up from the previous fight; recall "i'm gonna kill that dog".

crooked cops: total of 12, but they only defeat 8. CR 4 (1100 XP) for a total of 11000 XP.

epona cirillo: i used her stats & the stats of her weapon to set her CR at 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 2250 XP

total XP count: 13250 XP, or 2208 each

panic at the art show: 1.5x modifier for the environmental hazards; namely the building being on fire adn the fact that they had to evacuate while in combat.

isabella infierno: succubi are CR 4, so i evaluated her stats, which landed her around a CR 8 (3900 XP) for a total of 5850 XP.

artsy devils: standard barbed devil stat block; CR 5 (1800 XP) for a total of 10800 XP

total XP count: 16650 XP, or 2775 each

broadway brawl: another modified (1.5x) fight, due to misty's ritual mechanics and the fact that they needed to fight and perform at the same time.

queen titania: compared a few fey spellcasters from the bestiary and landed on her being around CR 13 (10000 XP), based on her spell use and magic items. total of 15000 XP

seelie dancers: used their stats and dpr to set them at CR 3 (700 XP). total of 4200 XP

pixie mobsters: standard pixie statblocks, but they have guns and kidnapped stephen sondheim, so i upgraded them to CR 1/2 (100 XP). total of 450 XP

total XP count: 19650 XP, or 3275 each

showdown at the stock exchange: this fight was notably difficult; pete dying, the complication of the ritual, and eventually reducing moses to his phylactery.

kiosk vampires: they're blood-drinker vampires; CR 8 (3900 XP), for a total of 31200 XP.

robert moses: using standard lich stats, he's CR 21. i adjusted this with a modifier of .75, because they did reduce him to the phylactery, but the ritual still went off. he wasn't defeated.

total XP count: 55950 XP, or 9325 each

times squaremageddon: the final fight; harder than the kalvaxus fight, easier than the nightmare forest. the american dream is a modified version of robert moses' stats, and has a 1.5x modifier for the individual appeal mechanics and the storm mechanics.

fire maelstrom: not technically elementals, but using similar enough abilities that i'd rate it CR 5 (1800 XP) for a total of 3600

wind maelstrom: same deal as the fire maelstroms: CR 5 (1800 XP), total of 3600

robert moses' american dream: based on a solar (celestial, ac 21, etc.) i would give it a CR 21, but based on the combination with robert's phylactery and the fact that they were fighting on multiple fronts, i'd rate it a CR 23 (50000 XP), for a total of 75000.

total XP count: 82200 XP, or 13700 each.

the unsleeping city total: 196025, or 32670 each. using the overall method of xp leveling (cumulative benchmarks), this would put the dream team at around level 7, as opposed to the level 10 they achieved through milestone leveling.

the unsleeping city chapter ii:

same deal with the contextual modifiers; this season features multiple tower defense fights that require modifiers.

the mystery of the haunted subway: while this fight featured a wide variety of adversaries, many were easily defeated. no modifiers on this fight; it's very straightforward. uses mostly standard statblocks.

zombies: standard zombie statblock; CR 1/4 (50 XP), total of 250 XP

ghosts: standard ghost statblock including the aging ability; CR 4 (1100 XP), total of 4400 XP

skeletons: standard skeleton statblock; CR 1/4 (50 XP), total of 200 XP

werewolf: standard werewolf statblock; CR 3 (700 XP)

vampires: using the vampire spawn statblock puts them at CR 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 5400

spiders: using the giant spider statblock; CR 1 (200 XP), total of 600 XP.

witch: there isn't really a standard witch statblock that i'd consider for this one; based on her DPR, i'd rank her CR 7 (2900 XP)

frankenstein's monster: again, one without a standard statblock; the closest undead i could find was a greater zombie, which was CR 5 (1800 XP)

mad scientist: another one without a standard statblock; i'd place him around CR 6 (2300 XP)

total XP count: 18550 XP, or 3092 each

trouble at the tunnel: this fight gets modifiers because of 1) the number of devils coming to fight them and 2) the ritual mechanics for jj, much like the subway skirmish.

swarm devils: i used the spined devil statblock for these; CR 2 (450 XP), with a 1.5x modifier for the sheer number, even though the dream team could oneshot them very easily. total of 13500 XP

siege devils: couldn't find a standard statblock, but based on their dpr and abilities, i'd mark each of them at CR 10, with a 1.25 modifier for the number. total of 22125 XP

jersey devil: high level spellcaster with legendary actions; CR 14 (11500 XP). with modification, total of 14375 XP

total XP count: 50000 XP, or 8333 each. this happened organically.

parade of peril: i will admit, this had the potential to be a really difficult fight. brennan rolled so bad and the intrepid heroes rolled pretty well. i rewatched this to estimate stats and he really fails so much during this combat. still, i left modifiers for the difficulty of fighting on the balloons.

true clowns: what a truly goofy concept. based on dpr and the wild magic surge ability, i'd put them at CR 6 (2300 XP) for a total of 27600 XP

balloon dogs: cute but vicious; CR 3 (700 XP), for a total of 3150 when modified.

total XP count: 30750, or 5125 each

fight at the museum: pretty similar to the clown fight in difficulty--specific conditions that complicate a battle with mid-level opponents. brennan rolled way better, so even if the encounters were of similar difficulty, this one came across as more difficult.

animated armor: basically beefed up animated armor. instead of CR 1, i'd put these at CR 5 (1800 XP), with a 1.5x modifier for the historicity & exploration mechanics. total of 10800

plate & bardings: these are the knights that were originally surrounding the unicorn. CR 6 (2300 XP) each, with a 1.5x modifier, for a total of 13800.

total XP count: 24600 XP, or 4100 each

the battle of the hot dog cart: another tower defense; each enemy wasn't that difficult to deal with, but the fact that they had significant numbers and siege weaponry contributed to the difficulty of this fight. the other thing that contributed was cody's existential crisis.

ant legionnaires: based on their dpr and other stats, i'd put them at CR 2 (450 XP), with a 2x modifier for the sheer number of them. total of 41400 XP

ant centurions: CR 4 (1100 XP), with a 1.5 modifier to account for cody's no good very bad day. total of 9900 XP

ketchupults: based on dpr? CR 6, for a total of 4600 XP

mustard wagon: also CR 6 because it was a construct that kingston basically oneshotted with a lightning bolt. 2300 XP

total XP count: 58200 XP, or 9700 each

history checks & lost dex: this fight is tricky, because it's only the one opponent, but they had multiple critical objectives to get through during it, and most of the time weren't actively doing battle.

null: based on his abilities, he's a combination of a nightwalker and some variation of a mind flayer; i'd say some kind of spellcaster or psychic. based on the combination of abilities, as well as the stun vs ability conditions he was able to inflict, i'd put null at a CR 23 (50000 XP) with a modifier of 1.3333 to account for the objectives.

total XP count: 66665 XP, or 11111 each

treachery at gramercy: another fight with a bunch of opponents. this time, we have tony simos as the big opponent. given the objective of stopping the flow of raw umbra and the fact that sofie resurrected her husband amid pitched battle, i'm including a 1.5x modifier.

concrete fist monks: not powerful enough for evasion, so based on monk stats i'd place them at a CR 5 (1800 XP). total of 16200 XP

gramercy wizards: enough spell slots to do multiple dispel magics and counterspells, as well as banishment. 7th-8th level, so CR 8 (3900 XP) for a total of 23400 XP

tony simos: 20th level open hand monk with a couple of modifications; immunity to stun, mageslayer, mobile, legendary actions, and the ability to disrupt verbal and somatic components of spells. with all that in mind, i put him at a CR 21 (33000 XP), for a total of 49500 due to the fight complications.

total XP count: 89100 XP, or 14850 each

two sides of the same coin: the finale fight. another tower defense with hordes, plus the baby ritual. originally this fight would have had a 1.5x modifier or one that was even higher; i reduced that to 1.25x because of kingston's divine intervention granting advantage on everything, resistance to all damage, and disadvantage to null. brilliant narrative move; it just made the battle less difficult.

sparties: we finally found out their ac (19). i read somewhere that they were based on wights, but that didn't really matter to me because doing the calculations set them at CR 3 (700 XP) anyway. total of 35000 XP

corporate wraiths: standard wraiths; CR 5 (1800 XP), for a total of 11250 XP

null: as shown in the ellis island fight, i placed him at CR 23, this time with a 1.25 modifier, for a total of 62500 XP

total XP count: 108750 XP, or 18125 each.

the unsleeping city chapter ii total: 446615 XP, or 74435 each. using the overall leveling method, this would take them from the level 7 they technically would have earned in TUC to level 12, which is exactly where they ended in this chapter

overall total and final comments:

over the course of two seasons, the dream team earned 642640 XP, or 107106 XP individually, which was enough to get them to level 12.

there's some notable differences in the way that combats are structured between the unsleeping city and fantasy high:

the party composition is different; the bad kids are a mix of spellcasters and martial characters who eventually multiclass to get spells, while the dream team all have some magical element to what they do. the party is majority full casters, and everyone else is either a paladin or a multiclass, in both seasons.

for the dream team. combats are balanced to reflect the fact that they can do a ton of AOE crowd control as well as melee combat, but don't have a tank or ranged weaponry.

each of the full casters is specialized; pete is a glass cannon, kingston heals & buffs, misty/rowan buffs and charms while covering debuffs including counterspell, kugrash tends to work with summons and their buffs, and iga has a mix of damage and mobility/utility.

for the partials: sofia's spells generally go to personal buffs, while ricky does a lot of protection, and cody's spells go further towards damage.

in contrast, for the bad kids, combats are balanced to reflect the opposite; they have range, melee, a tank, and some spellcasting damage, but not a ton of AOE.

caster specialties: adaine's spell list leans towards utility & divination, with ranged spell attacks and concentration spells for her damage. fig, like misty, works with charm, fear, and buffs/debuffs, and a bunch of fire damage. kristen has a lot of buffs/debuffs and heals, as well as spells like spirit guardians.

for the partials: fabian's spells generally go to damage rolls and buffs, while gorgug has minor repair & healing, and riz's only known spell at the moment is silvery barbs.

the bad kids start at lower level, going from 1-8 in freshman year, 8-9 in sophomore year, and starting at 10 in junior year, while the dream team starts at level 3 and goes to 10 in chapter i, and then from 10-12 in chapter ii. thus the dream team starts with higher level opponents earlier.

the bad kids generally face fewer opponents than the dream team; their structure is generally 6-10 smaller opponents and 1-2 larger bosses, or multiple bosses that they have to deal with. they are generally facing their opponents in standard environments, so i don't assign them contextual modifiers unless they have a specific objective or mechanical disadvantage.

by contrast, the dream team is more likely to have mechanical objectives and obstacles that further complicate their combat scenarios. in chapter ii, half of their fights feature 20+ opponents, if not more. there are three separate tower defense combats. thus, they get more contextual modifiers.

setting wise, the bad kids have more humanoid opponents that they have specific conflicts with, starting with doreen and johnny spells, going all the way to penelope and dayne in the finale of freshman year.

the dream team has a couple of those, but they're generally facing a magically-induced threat, like the bugsters from chapter i, or the animated armor from chapter ii.

and that's it for this time.

[thelesbianluthor]

Done with The Unsleeping city II and what a beautiful season it was.

TUC was the first ever d20 campaign I have watched and I loved chapter II so much. I was honestly a bit nervous about the whole zoom thing but I am just so grateful that we got to see this story at all. And the art was really beautiful.

It was so touching to see Kingston and Sofia's journey especially.

The final big roll being a joint effort from Kingston and Pete for a divine intervention? That's poetry

I am so glad I finally got around to watch this season because it really is a wonderful sequel for an incredible beautiful story. It reminded me of how much I love and cherish the dream team and this universe.

Tuc will always have a special place in my heart.

[kermit-coded]

WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK

[la-principessa-nuova]

Must a pen for a True Clown.

Please do not let clown out of fence. 🤡😬

In todays episode of signs out of context 😅