The Gaming Den

Option 3 is problematic. Most players want to interface with the world - a world that is admittedly fantastic. Even for a player that chooses a fantasy race, they tend to understand that choice in terms of how it differs from a human. Not offering humans as a choice raises a barrier to play. If it's...

So, while the player announced he was completing an action that he, in fact, did not complete (my point by the way), it is correct to say the act of casting the spell triggered the AoO, thus technically they were happening at the same time. I'll grant that. Still, an announced action does not necess...

I think a good rule of thumb is that any time you take a spell and make a better version, you should increase the CL by a minimum of +2 (with rare exceptions).

This spell might be most appropriate at 3rd level.

Right, it resolves before the act of casting the spell. Difference. Casting the spell goes on the stack before the attack of opportunity. So to speak. Am I misunderstaning your argument? You're saying that if a player announces that he is casting a spell, an opponent hits the player's character, ki...

I'm getting the vibe that Feats like 'Improved Trip' still exist... Anyone can trip, with or without the Feat, but if you take it, you avoid the Attack of Opportunity.

Clearly Feats like Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization are out.

Lago is pretty much right - sometimes you attempt an action and you fail. Sometimes your action is interrupted to the point that you don't actually even perform your action. For example, if a player says 'I cast magic missile', and he happens to be in a threatened square, the attack of opportunity (...

Fighter should be a 5-level class because that's about the level the fighter concept starts to die out. After that, you can multiclass out into Dragon Knight or Warrior of Light or something. Make that 4-level class. At 5th level you get +1 BAB. No improvement to saves, no special abilities. It's t...

When I think of stealth, I always think of the scene in Star Wars where Ben Keobi needs to turn off the tractor beam. He needs to cross a bridge over an impossibly deep chasm with no cover, and two Storm Troopers keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Since they're humans, they're not 'eyes loc...

A mistake it appears many denizens of the Den make is dismissing a game outright because the rules are stupid or unfair. Even a BAD game can be a FUN game. I suppose it depends on who you play with and what expectations you come in with. But I have no doubt the OP could 'scratch that itch' without p...

Now that I think about it, I'm surprised Deadlands wasn't listed as a source of inspiration. The original version was an Origins Award winner, and I really did enjoy playing it. I haven't played the d20 version, but if you decided to run that, as you say, the heavy lifting is already done. Since I h...

If we're working on a western setting, there are certain things that characters are expected to do: Ride Horses Animal Husbandry Sneak Doctor Shoot Guns Make Zombies Make Steam Punk Devices Make Spell Engines Make Potions Make normal Stuff Hit People with Axes Steal and Cheat at Cards Intimidate an...

They're not? I keep hearing about 'sneaking up when the guard's back is turned'. If you make your stealth check and you're successful, the guard's head WAS turned. If you make your stealth check and you fail, the guard happened to look before you did more than peek around the corner. It's like an at...

A rose by any other name... Look, Fighter is the name they use in D&D, so for the purpose of this discussion, I think using that name makes sense. The fact is, the 'fighter', whatever you call it, gets stuck in a very narrow niche that doesn't make sense REGARDLESS of the name. 'Fighters' in lit...

I'm of the opinion that the Fighter (and others of that type) need more conceptual space without actually being 'magic'. For example, why can't a fighter 'cut through a spell with his sword'? Some people think that it requires magic to fight magic, but there's plenty of literature that supports a di...

Is D&D's point buy system trademarked or whatever? Like, if I use it for another system that uses a similar range of ability scores and shit, and get it published, am I breaking any laws? D&D's point buy system is NOT trademarked. Usually, if something has a trademark you'll see a TM next t...

So if Beowulf has a light load of 1023 pounds, he has a Strength of 103. Note that the maximum Strength of a Divine Being is 30. The world record bench press is 1100 pounds, which is presumably fully encumbered and corresponds to a Strength of 55. D&D strength scales are always stupid, but 5e's...

It seems Lago's criteria about a 'good president' and a 'bad president' is how many people in other countries died as a result of the president's decisions. Further, he seems to place more emphasis on deaths caused by military action, particularly 'imperialism'. From that point of view, I'm surprise...

It's probably fair to assume that you're not one-shot-killing opponents that have a CR equal or lower than your level. If you're a higher level, you may have a chance. Let's look at an 11th level fighter. He's using a +1 weapon that deals 1d10 base damage, 2-handed with a Strength bonus of +8 (+12)....

And I disagree. Jefferson, in his term, did quite a lot of good. The purchase of the Louisiana Territory was ballsy and worked out really well. Signing into law an act that prohibited the importation of slaves into the United States was similarly ballsy... Whether it worked out or not is a little ha...

Although Thomas Jefferson was in France serving as United States minister when the Federal Constitution was written in 1787, he was able to influence the development of the federal government through his correspondence. Later his actions as the first secretary of state, vice president, leader of th...

I took it to mean the 'smoother distribution curve' is 1d20 versus 2d6 or 3d6... Very few systems rely on a single d6.

This is true whether it is a simple 'roll x dice and add together' or 'roll x dice and count the number of successes'.

You live in University Heights, Iowa?

I used to live in Iowa City. Those cops are the worst.

Regarding Personal Attacks: Now then, the rules:[br][br]Do not talk about "inappropriate" subjects. "X"Rated subjects are certainly not allowed, and you're moving into uncertain territory at an "R" rating. ... Do not continually bash or personally attack (or counter att...

Yes.

Also personal attacks are specifically against the rules, so even if she had the opposite opinion (which it appears she does not) he'd still be acting like an ass.

and who exactly is she trying to fight, since her own pall Erik Mona was working there at TSR and can easily disputer her misinformation with facts...and i think he has debunked the "campaign setting causes TSR's downfall" rumor in the past. This warrants it's own response. Erik Mona may ...