The Gaming Den

What? RPS design is regularly spouted on about by Frank and co as a means of creating a balanced game. Which it isn't because its Role Playing we are talking about here and players can manipulate encounter and action types. Being strong against Rock but weak against Scissors is exactly like taking ...

RPS game design is fundamentally stupid in table RPGs for the exact same reasons that disadvantage abilities that you trade for real power are generally pretty damn bad in RPGs. What? You can have characters that are strong against some enemies and weak against others and still be on the same level...

The fighter is both an impossibly broad (street fighter, soldier, weaponmaster, swashbuckler, samurai, knight, yer mum, martial jack of all trades) and horribly narrow (guy who hits the thing with the other thing) design space to occupy and nail down, thus leading to the "insert crazy literatur...

The RPS analogy is a solid one uber, and has everything to do with telling a story when it's the foundation of a roleplaying game mechanics . However, it seems to be a different type of power than what you are assigning to level. It's situational power vs. absolute power. For instance: Rock, Paper, ...

At that point in the conversation we were discussing how I was reserving the flavor of spells for Wizard's magic powers. Then I was accused of setting up a system where spells had to be better because I was reserving them for Wizards despite the fact that I had explicitly said other people would ha...

"Hmph, it'll take a lot more than you to defeat Thunder Ryu!" Ryu slashes at the hobgoblin's eyes with his bastard sword, walking backwards up the tree behind him. He then whips the kusari-gama at the hobgoblin's legs, attempting to trip and rend. "Squirrel Clambers for Low-hanging Nu...

God_of_Awesome wrote:So I'm talkin' at a wall aren't I? If my idea is bad, can somebody tell me so I'll stop wasting our precious time?

You're bringing up that is not germain(sp?) to the conversation anymore. And Baleful Polymorph at level 6 seems a bit much.

{I thought O15 was still alive and got my numbers shifted on P. Make my 5ft step a tumble then: 1d20+10 = 16}

{I can pseudo-Entangle people with my Tie-Up ability) Ryu moves with the charging slice, getting a rending cut on his side. "Ow, that hurt. Anyone who hurts a friend of justice MUST BE ERADICATED!" With a fire in his eyes, Ryu whips around in a circle, kusari-gama lashing out like a wild s...

Can I say I'm at Q13? If so: 5 foot step to P13 and use standard action to shank P15 and P13.

Kusari-gama: 1d20 +15 = 29 to P15
B-Sword(off hand): 1d20 + 16 = 21 to P13

Damage (if applicable):
1d6 +18 = 23 to P15
1d10 +18 = 25 to P13

EDIT: Yeah, totally forgot about Surprise!

Init: 1d20 + 6 = 12

Eh.

THUNDER RYU [/size] Chaotic Neutral Tiefling Ninja 3/Swashbuckler 2 ( Royalty of a Fallen Nation Black Sheep Noble) Size/Type: Medium Outsider [Human][Native] Hit Dice: 3d6+2d8+10 (32 HP) Initiative: +6 (+5 Speed of Thought +1 Dex) Saves: Fort 3 (1+2), Ref 7 (6+1), Will 3 (0+3) Speed: 45'/Climb Spe...

Wait, Expertise is anti-Power Attack. I meant Reflexes. The one that gives you more AoOs.

Oh yeah, Karmic Strike, Robilar's Gambit, Short Haft.

The aim of the Tactical Feats Combat Expertise Stunning Fist Perfect TWF Reserve Feats Arcane Disciple Also, for the cookie: Warden/Druid Encounter Power Monk L20, Monk L14?, Animal Empathy Celerity, Hellfire Warlock, any "Suck now for Awesome Later PrC" Wish, Gate, Artificer Spelldancing,...

Yeah, K, that's the Chakra setup without purchases involved. What you're talking about is going to be used in Black Forest and was used in the 4uccess project. It makes powers purely mechanical and adds the fluff based on whatever the player wants it to be. The only difference here is that you want...

In response to a criticism that the summoner might have economy of action problems (and then force everyone to wait an hour during his turn): Part of his schtick is that the summoner can do adventures solo because he CAN conjure an army. As in, "my GM is going to run a solo campaign for me, I'...

Yeah, K, that's the Chakra setup without purchases involved. What you're talking about is going to be used in Black Forest and was used in the 4uccess project. It makes powers purely mechanical and adds the fluff based on whatever the player wants it to be. The only difference here is that you want ...

I enjoyed the hell out of the Fifth Elephant. I recently finished two books: Fool by Christopher Moore, and The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie. Both pretty solid: Fool is a humorous retelling of King Lear from the Fool's point of view, while The Blade Itself is a vaguely gritty modern sword and sor...

Some ideas for missing strikes: Demoralizing Strike: Level 5 The Soldier makes entire enemy team into babies. Make a standard attack, if it hits the target must make a Will save or be Cowered. All enemies within 30' must also make a Will save or be Panicked/Frightened. Planar Rebuke: Level 7 The Sol...

Wait, wouldn't the simplest way to wean people off of the Martial power source be to just make them match up with the other sources? As in, just making it a tag, like [Fire] or [Awesome]? If it involves swording people in some way, it's martial. If you're just stabbing a dude, it's [Martial]. If you...

And Tombstone Piledrives people. Don't forget that. Honestly, asking for Fighters to be like the kayfabe Undertaker is reasonable enough. If it really bothers you that much, say it's the sword/axe/yer mum/whatever that is imbued with the magical jizz of Horny McWhackWhack, the Whizzard which is the ...

This is le awesome. Human Stance: May use any weapon without a nonproficiency penalty, as the Jester? Dorf: The character is affected by Trip/Bullrush/Overrun attempts as if he were one size larger? Kobold: If a creature is dealt damage to by a Soldier, that creature is put under the effects of a ta...

Honestly, where did you get that idea that "Magic should always be stronger?" Swing your axe and create water out of thin air. Swing your axe and summon a creature. Swing your axe and call down lightning, or conjure up a massive ball of fire. Gee....I wonder... :roll: Hey Shad, how 'bout ...

Spot 15 Listen 2 Initiative 21 Hood stifles a yawn, not used to the sudden shift from laziness to action. He smacks his lips together and looks at the forest behind him. I say we torch the place mate, not like there are gonna be people around to enjoy the trees once those skeles get around to their ...

Both of those systems are Rocket Launcher Tag systems, but if you want kick in the door and fvcking waste everybody games, Shadowrun is your hookup. There's planning and intrigue and legwork to be had before a run, but when (there is no if) the run turns to shit, then people start getting mowed down...