Annoying Game Questions You Want Answered
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Yeah, the Draconomicon has the dragonnel, 6HD, CR4, should have just given it a cold breath weapon and called it a silver dragon. That may be what I do for the knight who wants a gold dragon mount (I'm going to have him turn his horse into a dragon, so actually fits decently). So far, the dragon is, yes, a combat monster, with it's high strength, it's large size, and +5 BAB, it grapples pretty damned well. We'll see if that becomes a problem, and if so, I'll start throwing grapple monsters at the party to tie it up. Next adventure has them going into the wasteland that used to be the elven forest a century ago or more, and so is going to feature a bunch of corrupted natural monsters, like necromentals and undead petrified treants and such. After that, they head underground to find the dwarven tech and fight constructs and shit that will mostly all be custom made, so I can again give fights that don't end in "dragon grapples, flies up fifty feat, drops enemy"
The knight isn't getting his horse turned into a dragon until after the "revitalize the elven forest" adventure, at which point he'll be roughly Level 8 or so... so yeah, half dragon warhorse+HD or something.
The knight isn't getting his horse turned into a dragon until after the "revitalize the elven forest" adventure, at which point he'll be roughly Level 8 or so... so yeah, half dragon warhorse+HD or something.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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?
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- deaddmwalking
- Prince
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D&D's point buy system is NOT trademarked.Meikle641 wrote: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?
Usually, if something has a trademark you'll see a TM next to it, or possibly a R in a circle. The protections for trademarks and registered trademarks are extensive, and you don't want to deal with even the appearance of impinging on a trademark. Most trademarks are product names or well known slogans associated with the brand.
Copyright law is a whole different beast and much, much, murkier. The first thing you have to understand is that anyone can pretty much sue you at antyime for anything. For example, I could sue you for the death of my goldfish. Now, since I don't have a goldfish, and you couldn't POSSIBLY have had anything to do with its death, this is going to be thrown out by the courts pretty much immediately. But basically, if I can make an argument that you should be responsible in SOME way for the death of my goldfish, I can probably get it to court.
In this case, that means that if it looks like you MIGHT have infringed on a copyright, I can probably take you to court. Even if you end up winning, it's a major pain in the ass and you don't want to go there.
You can't copyright the 'point-buy system' because it's an idea. If you could, you wouldn't see it in other RPGs (and you do). Since other systems use point buy you're probably fine using it in your system, even if you publish it. But you have to make sure that the method you choose is not expressed in the same manner as the one in D&D.US Copyright Office wrote: What does copyright protect?
Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed.
For example, in D&D each stat starts with an 8, and you spend points to increase it. In Pathfinder it starts with a 10 and you spend points to increase it or get points back to decrease it... Functionally, they work the same way, but by starting at different values, the description is 'expressed differently', so it should be free from copyright infringement concerns. In your system, you might start with a different value (maybe 1 or 2) thus ensuring that you 'express' the point buy system differently than in a published or unpublished work by another party.
What constitutes an "idea" and so what is or is not copyrightable is extremely unclear. That has been true since 1981, and the supreme court has done a terribad job of clarifying it.
Vebyast wrote:Here's a fun target for Major Creation: hydrazine. One casting every six seconds at CL9 gives you a bit more than 40 liters per second, which is comparable to the flow rates of some small, but serious, rocket engines. Six items running at full blast through a well-engineered engine will put you, and something like 50 tons of cargo, into space. Alternatively, if you thrust sideways, you will briefly be a fireball screaming across the sky at mach 14 before you melt from atmospheric friction.
Is there already a comparative analysis of 3.x action economy somewhere?
Vebyast wrote:Here's a fun target for Major Creation: hydrazine. One casting every six seconds at CL9 gives you a bit more than 40 liters per second, which is comparable to the flow rates of some small, but serious, rocket engines. Six items running at full blast through a well-engineered engine will put you, and something like 50 tons of cargo, into space. Alternatively, if you thrust sideways, you will briefly be a fireball screaming across the sky at mach 14 before you melt from atmospheric friction.
Two questions, one semi-rhetorical, the other practical:
1)What the hell kind of mindset led to D&D material writers thinking that things that had spells as main caster classes had a cr lower than their HD/what level they cast at? For example, I was typing a monster from an old book into my game wiki for easier use while running last night, and this creature with 10 HD cast as "a druid of level equal to it's HD and a sorcerer of level equal to half it's HD" and was CR 7. What the fuck?
2)How does one outline or structure a wilderness adventure so that it's not just "You guys travel x miles, *rollroll* and encounter a troglodyte"?
1)What the hell kind of mindset led to D&D material writers thinking that things that had spells as main caster classes had a cr lower than their HD/what level they cast at? For example, I was typing a monster from an old book into my game wiki for easier use while running last night, and this creature with 10 HD cast as "a druid of level equal to it's HD and a sorcerer of level equal to half it's HD" and was CR 7. What the fuck?
2)How does one outline or structure a wilderness adventure so that it's not just "You guys travel x miles, *rollroll* and encounter a troglodyte"?
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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- Duke
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Sounds like Complete Psionic.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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- Duke
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Oh really?Prak_Anima wrote:Sounds like Complete Psionic.
Last edited by ...You Lost Me on Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
DSMatticus wrote:Again, look at this fucking map you moron. Take your finger and trace each country's coast, then trace its claim line. Even you - and I say that as someone who could not think less of your intelligence - should be able to tell that one of these things is not like the other.
Kaelik wrote:I invented saying mean things about Tussock.
Look at post times, that was in response to Koumei, it just hit at the same time as Captain T's
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
Have a good description of the general terrain, and then have more interesting encounters than just straight-up combats. D&D doesn't handle non-combat encounters...Like, at all, though, so you'll probably have to house rule how to actually resolve things like "the bridge is out, you'll have to swim/find another way" (or whatever else would actually be appropriate for your level if your party is level 4+).Prak_Anima wrote:
2)How does one outline or structure a wilderness adventure so that it's not just "You guys travel x miles, *rollroll* and encounter a troglodyte"?
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- Duke
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Oh, I see it, my bad.Prak_Anima wrote:Look at post times, that was in response to Koumei, it just hit at the same time as Captain T's
Can I keep the comment there? I thought it was pretty witty...
DSMatticus wrote:Again, look at this fucking map you moron. Take your finger and trace each country's coast, then trace its claim line. Even you - and I say that as someone who could not think less of your intelligence - should be able to tell that one of these things is not like the other.
Kaelik wrote:I invented saying mean things about Tussock.
- RobbyPants
- King
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In addition, these kind of things can be fun if they involve a choice: try to swim the dangerous river, or take time to look for another bridge. Cut through the swamp or go around.Chamomile wrote:Have a good description of the general terrain, and then have more interesting encounters than just straight-up combats. D&D doesn't handle non-combat encounters...Like, at all, though, so you'll probably have to house rule how to actually resolve things like "the bridge is out, you'll have to swim/find another way" (or whatever else would actually be appropriate for your level if your party is level 4+).Prak_Anima wrote:
2)How does one outline or structure a wilderness adventure so that it's not just "You guys travel x miles, *rollroll* and encounter a troglodyte"?
Of course, most of these types of things really only matter for low level groups. A lot of spells turn this sort of thing into flavor text at best.
Yeah, they're level 7 traipsing through magic tainted skull island to find the wasteland that the elven forest became after the elven goddess was killed, so environmental stuff isn't going to be holding them back much. Hell, the fact that one is a Tome Warmage alone means that a lot of assumptions about sailing change, since they don't have to worry about carrying rations or potable water.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.
You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
- deaddmwalking
- Prince
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The best 'road encounters' are actually side-treks. You can have a 'small adventure' - or even a well-developed encouter - that enlivens the journey. Rather, it 'interrupts' the journey. At least, assuming they deal with it.
On 'skull island', as they're walking around, you could have a 'Predator-type' monster that attacks at night, before being driven off (or killing someone). This would be especially effective if they have hirelings, since he can actually drag people off into the wilderness without removing your players from the game.
Or finding signs of recent camp sites might catch their attention, especially if it's a 'real dangerous place'. The thing that is surviving on the island can be a good thing (Newt from Aliens) or a bad thing (a deranged axe-murderer). Maybe the players don't investigate, but it might help foreshadow the next adventure... Depending on how they got on that island...
On 'skull island', as they're walking around, you could have a 'Predator-type' monster that attacks at night, before being driven off (or killing someone). This would be especially effective if they have hirelings, since he can actually drag people off into the wilderness without removing your players from the game.
Or finding signs of recent camp sites might catch their attention, especially if it's a 'real dangerous place'. The thing that is surviving on the island can be a good thing (Newt from Aliens) or a bad thing (a deranged axe-murderer). Maybe the players don't investigate, but it might help foreshadow the next adventure... Depending on how they got on that island...
In the Underwater Combat section of the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/wilderness.htm) there's a column on the chart for "Tail". What the hell is that even talking about? Is that a separate column for if you have a tail or not?
While we're on the subject of DnD3e/3.5/Tome questions: Is it generally permissible to make a Move Silently check while casting a spell with a Verbal component to do so quietly?
"must speak in a firm voice" doesn't really mean that you have to be yelling, just that you have to be able to potentially be yelling. So maybe a check at -10 or -20 or something like with Sniping for Hide?To cast a spell with a verbal (V) component, your character must speak in a firm voice. If you're gagged or in the area of a Silence spell, you can't cast such a spell. A spellcaster who has been deafened has a 20% chance to spoil any spell he tries to cast if that spell has a verbal component.
Sometimes people just really want to cheat, so they make up whatever dumb excuse they can think of.erik wrote:Hearing someone talking is DC zero listen check +1 per 10 ft away... I dunno how MS gets you out of that.
The U.S. isn't a democracy and if you think it is, you are a rube.DSMatticus wrote:Kaelik gonna kaelik. Whatcha gonna do?
That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want police protection from their slaves.