gerusz

joined 2 years ago
[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 1 points 2 years ago

Exactly. The duration is one round, the distance is "any distance", and the target can reply immediately. If it had lightspeed delay then the distance would be limited to 3 lightseconds.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

Sending already allows FTL communication.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

If you want to set up a proper telegram system with D&D tech, Magic Mouth is a better choice. Let's say you set them up onto poles that are spaced 30 feet apart, 4 magic mouths per pole. Say, the line is going east-west:

  • Mouth 1: If it hears a "one" coming from the east, it says "one".
  • Mouth 2: If it hears a "zero" coming from the east, it says "zero".
  • Mouth 3 and 4: same but from the west.

Each pole costs 40 GP to set up, so this telegram is rather expensive, costing 7040 gp per mile... but once it's set up, it doesn't sleep, doesn't need payment, doesn't need maintenance, just two people on each end with a binary code table. You could say that these are skilled hirelings, working in 3 shifts that means that the upkeep of both ends of a line is 12 gp per day.

Peasants shouting the message... well, to make it absolutely sure that the message is heard, you need to put a messaging post every 100 feet. (Loud noises are audible at 2d6×50 feet per the DM screen.) If they are working in 3 shifts, that's 6 sp per day per post, making the upkeep of the line ~32 gp per mile. Thus the magic mouth setup would become cheaper after only 220 days.

Monodrones are probably much more reliable for that. Or you can straight-up use monodrones to set up a proper Clacks system.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 10 points 2 years ago

If we're about to simulate physics, the wooden stick would turn into an expanding cloud of plasma about halfway through the "railgun" anyway.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 23 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Evil DM: the bookcase is also a mimic.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

A recurring villain was introduced on the first session. She was a human pirate captain with very pale skin. One of my players immediately thought that she was a vampire.

...

So she is a dhamphir now. (Couldn't make her a full vampire, they met her in daylight.) Not like it gave her much of a boost except for a climbing speed and spider climb anyway.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 3 points 2 years ago

Greek is also Indo-European though.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 1 points 2 years ago

If 1-2 players are missing then their characters receive the Talisman of Protection from DM Stupidity and I take them over in combat.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Clone. Doesn't work post-mortem, but if they can last for ~120 days... and if they can't, there's always Imprisonment or True Polymorph to keep them alive until the clone body matures.

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 7 points 2 years ago

Plan 1: Raulothim's Psychic Lance. By the time I get to take that spell, I must have had at least one ASI so I'll just take metamagic adept for subtle spell. I just have to know the name of the target and be within 120 feet of them (240 if the second metamagic option I take is distant spell), and it's pretty close to a guaranteed kill vs. a commoner, no murder weapon, and nothing showing that I was there.

Plan 2: Clone. Claim that it's some revolutionary stem cell rejuvenation therapy and sell it to the super-rich. (Though I might make it fail accidentally if it's someone like Murdoch or Kissinger. Payment in advance, no guarantees, and I'll do it on international waters.)

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

This was my motivation behind allowing more players in the first place. My previous group basically fell apart because I had 3 players and when one of them canceled last minute - which was basically all sessions - there weren't enough players for a session. When one of those players dropped out permanently, I went online to look for more players, and I figured: "Hey, if I have 6 players with the same flake ratio then I'll have a 4-person party most of the time. Let's do this!"

But then the fuckers started showing up consistently for every session!

And even though I'm a noob (well, not so much since I've been DMing for a year now, 7 months of this for this large weekly group... but I still have no idea what I'm doing) I still have to make some new applicants take a number. Which just underlines how much of a DM/player imbalance there is.

(I'm planning to split the group based on player experience level into two biweekly campaigns of 5 players, that way I might be able to allow a couple of newer players to join and still preserve what was left of my sanity.)

[–] gerusz@ttrpg.network 2 points 2 years ago

Just put your foot down and refuse to add more than 5 players until you're experienced enough. (*sigh* I wish I had followed my own advice.) Sure, CR started with 7 regular players and sometimes they have even bigger parties with guest players... but that's Matt Mercer, he knows what he's doing, and the players are also good enough to avoid making it a nightmare for him and each other. You as a noob DM will have your hands full with herding 4-5 overly excitable cats and managing the rest of the game.

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