"New version", "backwards compatible"... Crawford mentions that the game "is always evolving" in the video, Winniger is talking about "new versions of the core rulebooks" with feedback on existing classes... etc.
I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's. I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.
- William Blake
Sunday, September 26, 2021
So D&D 5.5e is really coming out in 2024 (official)
"New version", "backwards compatible"... Crawford mentions that the game "is always evolving" in the video, Winniger is talking about "new versions of the core rulebooks" with feedback on existing classes... etc.
Saturday, September 25, 2021
"Race requirements" (B/X) might be the best mechanic for fantasy "races"
Thursday, September 23, 2021
The Curse of BloodStone Isle (5e dark fantasy Kickstarter by Mark Rein-Hagen)
Saturday, September 18, 2021
Should monsters "know what they're doing"?
When a corpse flower is seriously wounded (reduced to 50 hp or fewer), its self-preservation impulse kicks in to tell it that it’s not going to survive just by digesting its corpse collection. Lacking the Intelligence to Disengage, it Dashes away in whichever direction it senses the fewest enemies in.
(Bone knight)
Their Charisma is high enough that an encounter will probably involve some measure of parley, and maybe only parley—they understand, after all, that it’s better to get what you want without fighting if you can—but their social skill proficiencies are in Intimidation and Deception, so we’re not talking about good-faith negotiation here. Instead, this combination suggests to me that they’re about trying to get their opponents to capitulate, through a combination of outright bullying and more subtle manipulation. Any rhetorical maneuver an abuser might use is right up the bone knight’s alley: direct and indirect threats; negative reinforcement; false accusations; gaslighting; DARVO; demonstrations of explosive anger and sudden, unpredictable violence; dividing enemies by singling out individuals among them for particular blame; and so on.
Each monster has its own capacities, knowledge andgoals. Most monsters know nothing about the charactersand their powers, even if the GM does. Do not fall into thetrap of assuming the monster will always come to the rightconclusions. “The old guy with a staff is probably a sorcerer”should be an uncommon line of thought – instead, he ismost likely someone that needs a walking aid, at least untilhe casts a spell. A huge fighter with a sword, on the otherhand, is clearly someone you should watch.Once the player characters start fighting and using theirabilities, some things will become obvious, and monsterswill react accordingly. Still, most monsters will not be ableto see the whole picture at once. One easy way to dealingwith this is assuming most monsters will attack whoeverhurt them most (individually, not as a group) since their lastturn, unless they have an obvious reason to do otherwise.A good leader or tactician can change everything – hecan order the other monsters to work as a group, makingthe best choices for their side even if he needs to sacrificea soldier or two. A good plan will make monsters tentimes more dangerous, at least until it is derailed. A carefulstudy of the PCs tactics will give the monsters an edge(and vice-versa).
In short, play monsters not as pawns, but as individuals.Intelligent, experienced monsters will fight intelligently,bestial monsters will fight instinctively, and stupid monsterswill often make dumb mistakes.
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Krevborna is the deal of the day!
If you like Ravenloft. Bloodborne, or gothic horror and dark fantasy in general you must check this one out. If you follow this blog, this is right up your alley.
The author is Jack Shear, from Tales of Grotesque and Dungeonesque. He writes both OSR and 5e D&D stuff, and this book will work for any system.
I've played an AWESOME Krevborna campaign with him years ago, BEFORE the book, and he was kind enough to mention my name in page 2. Unfortunately, we lost touch after the demise of G+.
The blood moon rises above the haunted lands of Krevborna! Once a country of picturesque villages, deep forests, and sublime mountain ranges, Krevborna is now a land of Gothic ruins preyed upon by fiends, ravening beasts, and the unquiet dead. Shadows triumphantly lengthen across Krevborna; the great powers of darkness work to usher in the dread dominion of an everlasting empire of night.
Krevborna: A Gothic Blood Opera is a system-neutral campaign setting for Gothic Fantasy adventures inspired by Bloodborne, Castlevania, and Penny Dreadful. The book includes:
- Art by Becky Munich and Michael Gibbons. Setting map by Michael Gibbons.
- Details on nine locations in the setting: the corrupt city of Chancel, the Lovecraftian town of Creedhall, the witch-town of Hemlock, vampire haunted Lamashtu, the seaside horrors of Piskaro, the underworld of the Grail Tombs, the foreboding Nachtmahr Mountains, the eerie Silent Forest, and the forbidden town of Veil.
- Information on the people of Krevborna and their folklore.
- Ideas for genre-appropriate characters and the dark secrets that damn them.
- Thirty-four otherworldly entities to use as patrons for the faithful and the pact-bound.
- Eight factions and twelve NPCs to involve your players in intrigue.
- Advice and tools for running a fantasy RPG influenced by Gothic literature.
- Tools for use in game, such as copious adventure seeds, a bestiary of foes, random tables, and a comprehensive adventure generator that gives you the basis of a scenario with little prep.
- A full index and a separate index of the book's random tables.
- A design that prioritizes ease of use and speed of play. All "lore" entries are easy to scan, and make use of bullet points to draw your attention to the important bits so you can get on with your game.
*These are all Affiliate links - by using them, you're helping to support this blog!
5e quick fix: classes
If you want to take a look or comment on it, I'll often be talking about it here in the blog, but I've also started a thread in the GitP forum. Feel free to participate!
5e is a decent enough game. Probably my second-favorite version of D&D. I get the feeling that the "fixes" it needs are minimal. So, instead of writing a minimalist version of 5e, maybe I should just use 5e with house rules? Or, as I call them, "quick fixes"? We'll see. I'm currently playing Shadow of the Demon Lord and I like it. But D&D still has something enticing for me.
Anyway, here are some small fixes, for example, that I'd add to existing classes.