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

[Syaoran Li]

What are some roleplaying systems that you have been wanting to try out, but haven't gotten the chance to do so? For me, that would be Nechronica.

Mage: The Ascension
Changeling: The Dreaming
Hunter: The Reckoning
Twilight 2000
RECON
Call of Cthulhu
Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play

 

[Lackadaisy]

What are some roleplaying systems that you have been wanting to try out, but haven't gotten the chance to do so? For me, that would be Nechronica.

World of Darkness stuff
Unknown Armies
Eclipse Phase
Amber Diceless

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

What are some roleplaying systems that you have been wanting to try out, but haven't gotten the chance to do so? For me, that would be Nechronica.

Traveller, Cyberpunk 2020 (There's something endearing to read the rulebooks and stumbling over a "portable phone" that costs a small fortune and the premium version can store telephone numbers and receive -but afaik not send- text messages)
And, Degenesis. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a hiccup with our DnD sessions, so my one-shot got postponed.

 

[Adamska]

What are some roleplaying systems that you have been wanting to try out, but haven't gotten the chance to do so? For me, that would be Nechronica.

Shadowrun and Deadlands mostly. The former because for some reason I cannot seem to get into a group running it since they all flake and then we just do this shit with DnD for no reason instead.

Latter just because I'd love to make something weird like a bank teller from New York who is obsessed with the mystic.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

Deadlands is fun, but I wouldn't say it's character creation is, but that could just be me being biased because I get fucked over more in that than in Traveler.

 

[REGENDarySumanai]

I've heard stories about the locate city bomb, a "quirk" that allows you to nuke entire areas using nothing but magic. Some fucker managed to do it.

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

Is it just me or does Fantasy-Stuff mix really poorly with anything more modern than a medieval setting?
Whenever I played Shadowrun, I felt like the presence of magic and fantasy-races felt really distracting and disruptive. I felt the same about Iron Kingdoms, too, which is roughly WW1 era with trolls.
Whenever I play such a game, I think to myself that the setting is interesting, but it would do far better without dwarves and trolls strolling about.

I've heard stories about the locate city bomb, a "quirk" that allows you to nuke entire areas using nothing but magic. Some fucker managed to do it.

There's something similar in the german RPG system "The Dark Eye" version 4.0, where a druid can be skilled at level 1 in such a way, that he can obliterate a great area at the cost of his own life.
Basically, there's a special feat called "Druid's Revenge" that allows a Druid to increase his spell-casting abilities and his astral power at the cost of his life.
If he blows it on the right spell with the right modifications, he can create a zone of fire, with the flames being as hot as dragon-fire (hot enough to melt stone) in an area that stretches from horizon to horizon... and this zone will be active for 24 hours.
If heat isn't your thing, you can also create a zone of ice, which will be like being doused with liquid oxygen.
Or a Storm with supersonic windspeeds.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

I've heard stories about the locate city bomb, a "quirk" that allows you to nuke entire areas using nothing but magic. Some fucker managed to do it.

There's been threads on this on various sites, it doesn't quite work the way people think.

Check into the Fell Drain version instead, it at least works without any issues. Edit: Never mind, with errata that also doesn't work.

 

[Adamska]

Yeah, I can tell that both of those "destroy at level one" iterations scream like Pun-Pun; a thought exercise that at best uses RAW (rules as written) as maliciously as possible and something that will not make an appearance in a game because the DM can just go "no" or actually use RAI (rules as intended) to say that it doesn't work that way.

 

[REGENDarySumanai]

Yeah, I can tell that both of those "destroy at level one" iterations scream like Pun-Pun; a thought exercise that at best uses RAW (rules as written) as maliciously as possible and something that will not make an appearance in a game because the DM can just go "no" or actually use RAI (rules as intended) to say that it doesn't work that way.

I wouldn't use either of them seriously, but I do want to make a rather dickish gnome illusionist by using the High Illusionist variant, along with geometer (Complete Arcane) and shadowcraft mage (Races of Stone).

 

[Adamska]

I wouldn't use either of them seriously, but I do want to make a rather dickish gnome illusionist by using the High Illusionist variant, along with geomancer (Complete Arcane) and shadowcraft mage (Races of Stone).

You mean Geometer? It's not a bad PrC at all, especially for Abjurers. Geomancers need a second magic school and hail from Complete Divine.

 

[REGENDarySumanai]

You mean Geometer? It's not a bad PrC at all, especially for Abjurers. Geomancers need a second magic school and hail from Complete Divine.

Yes, that's what I mean. How I managed to bungle both of them up is beyond me.

 

[Syaoran Li]

So, my uncle and I were going to do a one-shot of D&D 5E this week with some IRL friends but due to scheduling issues, it didn't pan out.

Instead, I will be running a one-on-one game of Boot Hill 2E with him tonight. If you guys want, I can let y'all know how it goes.

 

[Next Task]

Shadowrun and Deadlands mostly. The former because for some reason I cannot seem to get into a group running it since they all flake and then we just do this shit with DnD for no reason instead.

Latter just because I'd love to make something weird like a bank teller from New York who is obsessed with the mystic.

Big fan of Deadlands - the original version at least. When I played it with my old group and we used a chip, we'd flip it into a cowboy hat. It was just a little thing, but it was one of a few small details we had that really helped the feel of the game. Sadly I lost the original books I had in a move.

Don't know how the game measures up in terms of system quality. I just responded well to the setting, the cards and the chips.

 

[Hummingbird]

Big fan of Deadlands - the original version at least. When I played it with my old group and we used a chip, we'd flip it into a cowboy hat. It was just a little thing, but it was one of a few small details we had that really helped the feel of the game. Sadly I lost the original books I had in a move.

Don't know how the game measures up in terms of system quality. I just responded well to the setting, the cards and the chips.

It's a shame they got rid of the chips and cards in Reloaded.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

Yeah, I can tell that both of those "destroy at level one" iterations scream like Pun-Pun; a thought exercise that at best uses RAW (rules as written) as maliciously as possible and something that will not make an appearance in a game because the DM can just go "no" or actually use RAI (rules as intended) to say that it doesn't work that way.

it's mostly to do with the fact that Explosive Spell needs a spell that has a reflex save and can only be put on a spell that is an area effect of a cone, cylinder, line or burst. Locate City has an circle area effect centered on the caster.

 

[Adamska]

it's mostly to do with the fact that Explosive Spell needs a spell that has a reflex save and can only be put on a spell that is an area effect of a cone, cylinder, line or burst. Locate City has an circle area effect centered on the caster.

Ah, so Pun-Pun style misreading then.

Spoiler: Shilling

And in other news, the bad book we were reading broke us...

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

Ah, so Pun-Pun style misreading then.

Spoiler: Shilling

And in other news, the bad book we were reading broke us...
https://youtube.com/watch?v=aH3JFzH58Kk

Using Snowcasting on Locate City still works, making it a cold spell which then allows you to use Flash Frost Spell on it, allowing you to add 2 cold damage to it. Since that's only 2 cold damage per level of the spell (so since it's level 1, you'll only do 2 damage), you'll need to use heighten spell on it to do any real damage. You can then add either Empower Spell to it to help deal extra damage, or Wounding Spell to make that damage also bleeding damage.

Flash Frost Spells take one spell slot, Heighten Spell uses none, Empower uses two spell slots and Wounding uses two spell slots.
It really all depends on what you want to do, kill the citizens of a country outright, or deal some good damage then let them bleed out.

I would go with casting Locate City as a level 3 spell so that Flash Frost Spell would have it deal 6 damage, however it will turn it into a level 4 spell, then add Wounding Spell to it, making it a level six spell. You wont be able to use it until level 11, but when you use it the majority of the population is dead. Once you get to level 17 you can add Fell Animate so that it becomes a level 9 spell but also animates anyone killed by the spell into a zombie under your control.

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

Yeah, I can tell that both of those "destroy at level one" iterations scream like Pun-Pun; a thought exercise that at best uses RAW (rules as written) as maliciously as possible and something that will not make an appearance in a game because the DM can just go "no" or actually use RAI (rules as intended) to say that it doesn't work that way.

In case of the Druid's Revenge that I described, the very idea behind that feat is to buff the casters abilities to dish out way more magic than would usually be possible, which is why it comes at the expense of the character dying (he literally crumbles into ashes after his astral power is expanded or 1h has passed).
You can stack that with other, completely normal, benefits for casters (one of which allows you to increase a spell's range up to the horizon) and these synergies are, what makes this so ridiculously powerful.

You can tailor-make a character to use all this at level 1 legally, however said character wouldn't be good at anything else, which is powergaming to be sure, but nothing prevents you from reaching this goal naturally through regular level-progression eventually with a standard Druid of the same class.
It's not abusing "rules as written, but not intended", it just uses very strong synergies between different benefits and abilities, that stack exceptionally well.
Ironically, this whole hubbub isn't held back by the rules (or "rules as intended) so much as by the lore, since a druid would never make light use of such an ability, precisely cause it would create such a massive effect. That is to say, to even just consider using such a tactic, there would have to be some really apocalyptic things going on.

 

[Adamska]

Using Snowcasting on Locate City still works, making it a cold spell which then allows you to use Flash Frost Spell on it, allowing you to add 2 cold damage to it. Since that's only 2 cold damage per level of the spell (so since it's level 1, you'll only do 2 damage), you'll need to use heighten spell on it to do any real damage. You can then add either Empower Spell to it to help deal extra damage, or Wounding Spell to make that damage also bleeding damage.

Flash Frost Spells take one spell slot, Heighten Spell uses none, Empower uses two spell slots and Wounding uses two spell slots.
It really all depends on what you want to do, kill the citizens of a country outright, or deal some good damage then let them bleed out.

I would go with casting Locate City as a level 3 spell so that Flash Frost Spell would have it deal 6 damage, however it will turn it into a level 4 spell, then add Wounding Spell to it, making it a level six spell. You wont be able to use it until level 11, but when you use it the majority of the population is dead. Once you get to level 17 you can add Fell Animate so that it becomes a level 9 spell but also animates anyone killed by the spell into a zombie under your control.

In case of the Druid's Revenge that I described, the very idea behind that feat is to buff the casters abilities to dish out way more magic than would usually be possible, which is why it comes at the expense of the character dying (he literally crumbles into ashes after his astral power is expanded or 1h has passed).
You can stack that with other, completely normal, benefits for casters (one of which allows you to increase a spell's range up to the horizon) and these synergies are, what makes this so ridiculously powerful.

You can tailor-make a character to use all this at level 1 legally, however said character wouldn't be good at anything else, which is powergaming to be sure, but nothing prevents you from reaching this goal naturally through regular level-progression eventually with a standard Druid of the same class.
It's not abusing "rules as written, but not intended", it just uses very strong synergies between different benefits and abilities, that stack exceptionally well.
Ironically, this whole hubbub isn't held back by the rules (or "rules as intended) so much as by the lore, since a druid would never make light use of such an ability, precisely cause it would create such a massive effect. That is to say, to even just consider using such a tactic, there would have to be some really apocalyptic things going on.

So it's Pun-Pun level intentional misreading then. You're defending Pun-Pun level misreading.