Tabletop Roleplaying Games (D&D, Pathfinder, CoC, ETC.)

  • 🔧 Issue with uploading attachments resolved.
  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
So here's a thought of mine on some monster traits since we're bringing them up:

I'm of the belief that things like Fast Heal and Regeneration are still a wee bit too minimal to really be played as it is. It will not remotely keep up with even a standard party in my experience and will just result in them getting chumped at about the same speed. A troll in DnD literally gains like 5 HP back, when it almost certainly got smacked for like 14 or more easily... woo.

A more bastard method that my other group members have done before is to have the number represent the number of heal dice based on it gets per round. It's actually somewhat similar to why trolls are fucking scary in WHFRP; they just won't stop unless you have their weakness.
 
So here's a thought of mine on some monster traits since we're bringing them up:

I'm of the belief that things like Fast Heal and Regeneration are still a wee bit too minimal to really be played as it is. It will not remotely keep up with even a standard party in my experience and will just result in them getting chumped at about the same speed. A troll in DnD literally gains like 5 HP back, when it almost certainly got smacked for like 14 or more easily... woo.

A more bastard method that my other group members have done before is to have the number represent the number of heal dice based on it gets per round. It's actually somewhat similar to why trolls are fucking scary in WHFRP; they just won't stop unless you have their weakness.
If you're going for something that just keeps going and going and going you might as well refluff the Zombie's Undead Fortitude. Something like this:

Regeneration. If damage reduces the troll to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to the damage taken, unless the damage is fire or from a critical hit. On a success, the troll drops to 1 hit point instead. Unless killed by fire or set on fire, the troll regains consciousness if unconscious and returns to full HP after one minute out of combat.​

Less bookkeeping from turn to turn, and it gives you a good "holy shit, why won't this thing just die?!" reaction from people. Unless the attackers are using fire or get lucky with a crit, nothing below 6 damage can kill a troll like this, and even a 15-damage hit only has a 50-50 chance of actually bringing it down.
 
If you're going for something that just keeps going and going and going you might as well refluff the Zombie's Undead Fortitude. Something like this:

Regeneration. If damage reduces the troll to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to the damage taken, unless the damage is fire or from a critical hit. On a success, the troll drops to 1 hit point instead. Unless killed by fire or set on fire, the troll regains consciousness if unconscious and returns to full HP after one minute out of combat.​

Less bookkeeping from turn to turn, and it gives you a good "holy shit, why won't this thing just die?!" reaction from people. Unless the attackers are using fire or get lucky with a crit, nothing below 6 damage can kill a troll like this, and even a 15-damage hit only has a 50-50 chance of actually bringing it down.

trollregen.JPG


Posted for comparison (this is a screencap from the 5E MM).

Although honestly, I've never had trouble keeping up with this (but then, I'm an autistic fuck who runs an Excel spreadsheet to track players and monsters).
 
The Baltimore Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that we can avoid sin by distracting ourselves with work or play. My sect has no prohibition against my hobbies and isn't trying to revive the Satanic Panic, so I suppose I will follow your advice.
Well they actually sounds sensible, so good on ye.
Who gives a shit what the same faggots who screamed I could raise demons are saying now.
Unfortunately, quite a few people do.
 
View attachment 3553287

Posted for comparison (this is a screencap from the 5E MM).

Although honestly, I've never had trouble keeping up with this (but then, I'm an autistic fuck who runs an Excel spreadsheet to track players and monsters).
This is personal preference, of course. Our group handles effects better when they're all lumped into a single action. It works better for us because we can do a bunch of rolls quickly and move on to the next guy's turn and keep combat pretty snappy.
 
I think Dungeons and Dragons 6th edition is coming out. The new monster manual is a bunch of reprinted material that they fiddled with the math. It is not anywhere near to the extent of 4th edition to essentials, but just enough to be annoying and suspicious. I figure it'll be 2024 or 2025..

t really makes me laugh how 4e was bashed as the padded sumo, wet noodle fight, long, boring combat slog and you had to be a munchkin and go to CharOps boards to do anything edition and that is exactly what 5e became. At least WOTC gave out official errata to earlier monster manuals and tried to overtly rectify the situation with Monster Vault within 3 years.

I think they are going to announce D&D 6e/announce playtesting the 5e version of D&D beyond at the 50th anniversary in 2024. I don't think they're going to release it because 5e is making to much money and has too much market penetration. While WotC is a bunch of fucktards, I seriously doubt anyone is going to let them fuck the golden goose to death - but I could be wrong, they released a 'woke' book of racist stereotype caricatures, so who knows.

The new Woke monster manual + rewrites of tasha & Xanothar is pretty 5.5e in all but official release numbering. Looking at the life times of 3.5e and 4e Essentials, playtesting 6e in 2024 would just about line up. 8-10 years is about how long an edition lasts.

So what do we do, folks?

I will once again tell one of my favorite modern parables:

Once there was a preacher who was so filled with the Lord's spirit, he could convert anyone with a few words. He would visit a town of unbelievers, stand up in the center of town, that evening the church would be packed with new souls begging to be saved and those who had already accepted Christ filled a-new with the white hot fire of the gospel.

This preacher was traveling to the next town he intended to preach at, and along the trail came up an owlbear bear. The bear was hungry and chased the preacher who fled through the woods. The preacher fell and twisted his ankle, and realizing he would die, the Preacher decided with nothing left to try, he would attempt to minister to the bear. He held out his bible toward the charging beast, and said

"Bear! By the power given to me by the Holy Spirit and by the blood the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I command you from this day forth to follow the teachings of Christ and be a good Christian!"

As the Preacher projected those words with all his conviction, the bear damn near skidded to a halt. It looked around, confused and blinking. It padded over and fell to its knees before the Pastor, clasped its front paws, and began to earnestly pray:
"Oh Heavenly Father, I thank you for this meal which I am about to receive...."

In other words, what we do is we laugh at the cuck for being triggered by retarded LARPers.
 
The absolute balls of these guys to issue errata for books that are not even 5 years old in a "Rules Expansion Gift Set" that costs more than DMG, PHB and Monster Manual when these are not 1 for 1 replacements of the Big 3 but a bunch of cocktail napkin scribblings and web articles stapled together and fluffed out to about 300 pages amazes me. That's basically 5.5/Essentials, yeah. WOTC loves to get people to pay to "playtest" and then ignore all the feedback.

Apparently they want 6th to be even easier to "onboard" new players. There's so little content in this game compared to 3rd edition after 8 years it is unreal so I'm having a hard time imagining an even more dumbed down version of this.
 
Apparently they want 6th to be even easier to "onboard" new players. There's so little content in this game compared to 3rd edition after 8 years it is unreal so I'm having a hard time imagining an even more dumbed down version of this.

I made a parody of the 6e announcement, but one thing I honestly believe we're going to see out of 6e is some sort of "cinematic" rules for streams/public play.
 
I made a parody of the 6e announcement, but one thing I honestly believe we're going to see out of 6e is some sort of "cinematic" rules for streams/public play.
I was going to joke about Wizards announcing the next edition of D&D would be Powered by the Apocalypse, but considering how things have been going I fear that would cause the monkey paw to curl.
 
playtesting 6e in 2024 would just about line up. 8-10 years is about how long an edition lasts.
There's so little content in this game compared to 3rd edition after 8 years it is unreal so I'm having a hard time imagining an even more dumbed down version of this.
Something I've wondered about 2e is the high amount of settings and expansions it had. Along with fan favourites like Dark Sun, Planescape, and Ravenloft. You also have lots of smaller books and adventures for each of the settings and the core game.

Were whoever owned DnD back then was just spamming books like crazy?

Edit: Fixed typo.
 
Last edited:
Were whoever owned DnD back then was just spamming books like crazy?
Yep, TSR played very fast and loose with its product lines and released a ton of settings and adventure books without much regard for market research. They damn near went bankrupt and Wizards of the Coast snapped them up. By comparison, even with the Magic the Gathering crossover settings Wizards is extremely conservative with its releases. It took them 3+ years to release Forgotten Realms for 3e, and that was by a long shot the most popular setting in AD&D.
 
Were whoever owned DnD back then was just spamming books like crazy?

TSR. Yes. I miss those days. The QC was whack when it comes to balancing at times as well as the quality of the products, but there were so much variety and flavors to choose from. Planescape, Mystara, Spelljammer - those days were awesome and not homogenized high fantasy like things tend to be these days. Oh, and no proms and bartending.

As a horror fan, I especially have a soft spot for Ravenloft, despite the concept having some fundamental issues.

There was that crazy broad that went on a Christian-bent purge of heathen elements (which is why demons are renamed tanar'ri, among other things), but the damage she did was nowhere as bad as what the Wizards of the Woke-Scolds are doing now.
 
WotC had made the same mistake as TSR during 4e. Between 2008 and 2012 they put out a book almost every 5 weeks like clockwork. And then were surprised when only the "core" of PHB 1-3, DMG 1+2 and MM 1-3 were selling decently while all the setting, world building, power source and adventure books were selling like garbage.

Then again only like 2 or 3 of the 4e adventures were any good so I can't blame someone for not buying those.

When 5e rolled around they had majorly slimmed down the dev team so they didn't have the manpower to keep that pace even if they wanted. The new release schedule of like 1-4 books a year really helps cut down on the burn out and makes sure more people actually buy their product.

Though I will say 4e's D&D Insider was infinitely better than 5e's D&D Beyond.
 
I think they'll do a sixth edition after the business psych consultants and overpaid MBA types crunch the numbers and graph out the sweet spot to keep the Stranger Things/CR inspired resurgence going just as people start getting bored. You know things are going well for Hasbro/Wizards when I can look at my wife's circle of friends and see a half dozen people doing regular 5E sessions who six months before didn't know wtf a D20 was.

I think two years, maybe a bit longer. Depends on how well the movie does and if Matt Mercer is cancelled for something between now and then.
 
I think two years, maybe a bit longer. Depends on how well the movie does and if Matt Mercer is cancelled for something between now and then.

I agree, That's why I'm saying the announcement/play testing will be made in 2024, and I think we'll see 6e released around 2026.

If Paizo is smart, they'll have PF3e ready to go by then to woo over the disaffected 5e players.


Something I've wondered about 2e is the high amount of settings and expansions it had. Along with fan favourites like Dark Sun, Planescape, and Ravenloft. You also have lots of smaller books and adventures for each of the settings and the core game.

Were whoever owned DnD back then was just spamming books like crazy?

As @Corn Flakes said, yes. Gygax had also gotten TSR into a bit of trouble with some of his outsized ideas, needed to be bailed out, and the bailout came with a frothing Fundie Christian Karen atttached, as @BlankSpaceBaby pointed out.
Its a bit hard to unpacked because everyone with first-hand knowledge of what went down during the period hated everyone on the other side, but either she was trying to expand the market and regain control of the D&D IP (i.e. you can't copyright Devils or Demons) or she was purposely trying to tank the company to sell it off.
 
I don't think the Paizo guys will be able to do PF3 as 5.5/5.75 like they did with Pathfinder 1. It'd be somebody who is already big in 5E and can step in if 6E is too big of a divergence and people don't like it. Paizo had the credibility to do Pathfinder 1 from Dragon and Dungeon material for 3rd and 3.5 so it'd have to be people and groups considered to put out good stuff for 5E doing that.
 
Back
Top Bottom