D&D 5E Discussion

[Bara]

The campaign is all about vikings getting progressively over into their heads with world politics. The party's current quest is to visit the realms of the gods and personally ask for their help. This particular dungeon is home to two gods - a neutral Thor rip-off, and an evil Hera rip-off, the favor of both of which, ideally, must be sought.

Just throwing stuff at a wall here but maybe make it so that Thor rip-off and Hera rip-off engaged in their own political squabbles that resemble whats happening in the mortal realm? With the cause being extremely petty.

That way the party could decide try to broker a peace, pick a side, or say screw it if the gods can't settle their own disputes what use will they be to us in that regard. And have the scenes you imagine happening framed around being missions set by one god or another to get a one up on the other or some neutral third party to end the cause of the disputes?

The Green Knight could be an the opposing gods side or if the party tries to broker peace trying to incite more conflict between the two to steal relics and artifacts of power in the god realm while they're distracted and use back in the mortal world.

Maybe have a not-Odin/Thor be a that third party or have someone be a speaker for the Fae creatures.

 

[Stella Brando]

I don't have a lot of (non-computer game) RPG experience, but I played some D&D 5E during last year's quarantine. My character was a ready-to-retire Barbarian with 3 ex-wives and a drinking problem. He would go into a Barbarian rage by thinking about his ex-wives.

All the other characters were basically talking animals and fantastic beasts. I got no positive feedback from the DM, but she did excitedly tell us that another player with "a really great character" was going to join us. His character: a talking cat detective.




The game by nikolokolus on the Codex was great. Kind of early edition D&D in a low-fantasy/pseudo-historical setting. You can read it like a book.

 

[aleph]

Once you tried to run a megadungeon campaign in something like The Dark Eye 4.1 RAW...

Why would anyone wanna do that? the strength of TDE is the detailed setting which is empowered by the complex rules adapted to that setting, using TDE for a just a megadungeon sounds almost painfully pointless.

 

[Snorkack]

Once you tried to run a megadungeon campaign in something like The Dark Eye 4.1 RAW...

Why would anyone wanna do that? the strength of TDE is the detailed setting which is empowered by the complex rules adapted to that setting, using TDE for a just a megadungeon sounds almost painfully pointless.

Yes there are a million reasons why it's a dumb idea. But well, it's a sandboxy campaign and the players fancied some proper dungeoneering, so I tried my best to deliver.

 

[J1M]

If you have make-believe writer's block start by writing down a dumb parody of what you want and then do an editing pass later.

Or poach ideas from White Wolf to get started. In this case Changeling.

 

[Rean]

All the other characters were basically talking animals and fantastic beasts. I got no positive feedback from the DM, but she did excitedly tell us that another player with "a really great character" was going to join us. His character: a talking cat detective.

The GM being a 'she' is your problem here.

 

[Crispy]

 

[Rean]

 

[Morblot]

The GM being a 'she' is your problem here.

I'm guessing the GM still has only one X chromosome.

 

[Stella Brando]

The GM being a 'she' is your problem here.

I'm guessing the GM still has only one X chromosome.

She doesn't, that may have improved things.

 

[Bara]

It's third party and no idea if good but someone released a source book for Zakhara of Forgotten Realms on dmsguild.

It's not the sword coast and the art seems nice enough so probably check it out later.

Though it comes with one of these warnings.

What that actually means without seeing the book can't say but if brokering the topic of obviously bad things is now in itself a bad thing does not fill me with confidence.

 

[Mortmal]

It's third party and no idea if good but someone released a source book for Zakhara of Forgotten Realms on dmsguild.

It's not the sword coast and the art seems nice enough so probably check it out later.

Though it comes with one of these warnings.

What that actually means without seeing the book can't say but if brokering the topic of obviously bad things is now in itself a bad thing does not fill me with confidence.

Kinda sick of that politically correct stuff , you get a disclaimer on drivethruRPG on every single old modules, next it will be eat healthy, dont abuse of alcohol :

"We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end."

 

[Cryomancer]

"We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end."

And people wanting Dark Sun on 5e.... How? Dark Sun metaplot starts with ethnic cleasing and the setting has slavery, racism, tyranny, corruption, forced breeding, zealot templars worshiping the sorcerer king(...)

 

[Bara]

And people wanting Dark Sun on 5e.... How?

If it ever does happen its going to be so watered down.

 

[Snorkack]

Didn't Dark Sun already get fubar'd in 4th edition?

 

[Cryomancer]

Didn't Dark Sun already get fubar'd in 4th edition?

Yep. But :
4e Dark Sun sucks due balance cultism.
5e Dark Sun would sucks due diversity cultism.

 

[Bara]

That's wlhat I've been told too but I was out of 4th long before that book came out.

 

[Mortmal]

yes it was fubar in 4e due to the bad gameplay mechanism , now if they port it to 5e it will be good in gameplay but drained from its soul. Some can desgign decent things still Dark Sun Player's Guide 5th Edition D&D | GM Binder

 

[Reinhardt]

how many groups will have the lasting power for a full fledged campaign from 1 to 20

Good luck trying to explain to S0rcererV1ct0r why he must start from lvl1.

 

[Cryomancer]

why he must start from lvl1.

Nope. You start in the level that the DM says to start. If the DM says to start at lv 36 doing a quest to ascend into a Mystara's immortal, is up to the DM. And I an entering in a "running" campaign because other player leaved. Force the entire group to start again only to experience the worst part of the game(in our opinion) doesn't seem interesting, being lv 1 while there are lv 5 players in our group too... Note that most 5e campaigns end up far below lv 10. Hell, even otherworldly campaings, like Descend into Arvenus ends at lv 13. Levels are "smaller" on 5e.

On a dark sun oneshot, I started as a 12th level transmuter preserver and we played for about 4 and half hours that day. Din't leveled. If we decided to continue dark sun, we would have maintained the characters ie - starting on early "teen" levels.

 

[Reinhardt]

See?

 

[Morblot]

...we played for about 4 and half hours that day. Din't leveled.

You poor thing, you must be traumatized

 

[Mortmal]

how many groups will have the lasting power for a full fledged campaign from 1 to 20

Good luck trying to explain to S0rcererV1ct0r why he must start from lvl1.

It's ok to start later , but if you want to feel the real old school experience you had to start at 1. The philosophy on those retroclones is to suffer at low level, avoid any fair fight , or even any fight, be clever and take a few rests outside, resupply in town . 5e you do everything in the dungeon in a row , 2 short rest and thats all.

 

[Cryomancer]

You poor thing, you must be traumatized

LOL. No. But I really wanted to continue playing Dark Sun. We only played it cuz half of the group could't play that day. I tried to convince then to play Dark Sun but they din't wanted, so we stuck with the normal game that if I remember correctly was in underdark. We left Dark Sun to the next year, but the group disbanded...

to suffer at low level, avoid any fair fight , or even any fight, be clever and take a few rests outside,

And ... I wanna avoid suffering.

 

[Mortmal]

You poor thing, you must be traumatized

LOL. No. But I really wanted to continue playing Dark Sun. We only played it cuz half of the group could't play that day. I tried to convince then to play Dark Sun but they din't wanted, so we stuck with the normal game that if I remember correctly was in underdark. We left Dark Sun to the next year, but the group disbanded...

to suffer at low level, avoid any fair fight , or even any fight, be clever and take a few rests outside,

And ... I wanna avoid suffering.

HERETIC! HERETIC ! You joined an OSR group but you are not worthy ! You want instant gratification and easy you want 5e sword coast , not mystara.