General Discussion Thread

[Juniper]

I actually kind of like 5th edition, it forces you to make a backstory which was very refreshing for my unimaginative friends. The only thing I strongly don't like is how shields work now. No matter what kind it is, it only gives you +2 armor class. Buckler? +2. Tower shield? +2. We just use whatever 3.5 rules we like more than the 5th edition ones to be honest.

Ugh that is weird, what's even the point of different shields then ? I think I remember, and I could be wrong, someone said something that you don't get to decide where to put your skill points, that it's just pre-decides based on your class and race ? If that's the case I really don't like that either, idk it just feels like it's part of building who the character is to distribute the skill points based on their back story or what's going on with the campaign.

But I do LOVE the art for the 5th edition rulebook ! Not only is the art itself really gorgeous and well done, but there's also the fact that they had diversity in body types and skin tones and they didn't weirdly over-sexualize all of the female characters.

[Kelpie]

Yesss the art is amazing and beautiful. I'm not really sure what you're talking about for the skill points? Because that was the other thing I forgot to mention, all the skills got seriously consolidated. There's only maybe 20 or so now, and skill points don't really exist anymore. It's the modifier from whatever main attribute it has and then you can choose which skills to be proficient in which adds a bonus that builds up as you level. I have a love/hate relationship with this because yes it makes leveling up not take a full session, but min maxing (and other time honored/hated things) are much harder to accomplish now. You can also get proficiencies from backgrounds, which you can either take one of the stock ones or make your own. The only other way I can think of to get proficiencies is feats, I think, which you now get every four levels (or some other option I don't remember).

[Jethan]

I've played and DMed a couple sessions of 5th edition D&D, but I'm pretty much a novice, so I can't compare it to older versions very well.  It's fun flipping through the books just for the art.  Making backgrounds for your character is really fun too, especially if you randomize a character, it can get pretty silly.

[Superdark33]

I played DnD for 13 years now, mostly on internety Play by Post boards as irl people are hard to find.

Its not hard to implement a dice roller on boards....

Mayyybeeee......

[Uinuvien]

I just started playing D&D about a months ago, and we have a third session tomorrow! I just love it! This campaign was made for novices like me, so it's made bit easier (we started with level 3 characters). While we made characters, I doodled my character (half-elf druid called Thyme), and the faces of the rest of the group + DM were priceless when I just flipped my sketchbook when we introduced our character and said "My character is Thyme and she looks like this". Apparently no one did notice me drawing anything

Also I have had mad dice luck with her. Not only she has the best HP of the whole group, she got out of our first battle without a scratch (while our monk was few HPs away from death. He glared at me when he noticed). We also had to hide from mountain troll, and with dice luck and added +4 stealth points from magical amulet, there was "See Thyme. See Thy- Where did she go?!" situation. According to DM, monk watched baffled as Thyme just vanished from beside him.

I have a lot to do today, but I try to paint a picture of Thyme for tomorrow to show them (I admit, I enjoy it immensely when people who don't do art praise me, even though my art skills are not that special  )

[Noodles]

I played a little Pathfinder with the chat people, and then just recently my friends and I started a group irl. (actually though if somebody makes a board i'm so in)

[JoB]

Table salt is Sodium Chloride (NaCl), NOT SODIUM!!  If you were to eat sodium, you would literally burn. Sodium releases a massive amount of energy (fire!) when put in water.

Nonetheless, as soon as NaCl dissolves in water, which will happen as it enters your body at the latest, you have separate Na+ and Cl- ions ...

(There's a reason why good mineral waters specify their content separately for both, rather than going "that much salt".)

"THAT'S PHYSICS YOU UNEDUCATED WALNUT"
I don't know why I thought it was appropriate to call my teacher a walnut

You were preparing to undergo a nutclear meltdown, for demonstration purposes?

Ahhh but at least in the US, foods labeled as "fat-free" can actually have small amounts of fat in them, as long as it's within a specified limit.

"Alcohol free" beer can actually have a couple tenths of a percent - enough that it's unsafe for ex-alcoholics to drink.

The only ways to know that you're buying from a local knitter is to [...] check the labels for the text "hand-knitted in Iceland" or [...]

Technically, that would allow for some cheap workforce to get flown to Iceland for (say) two-week bouts in some well-hidden sweatshop ...

("Hand-knitted in Iceland by free-ranging tourists"? )

Speaking of fruit and hunger, does anyone else like to occasionally eat whole raw lemons like an apple ?

Not whole ones, but then again, I'm not having a kitchen of my own in the first place. Slices or wedges used as decoration on something, however, get swiftly repurposed as dessert!

[Juniper]

Yesss the art is amazing and beautiful. I'm not really sure what you're talking about for the skill points? Because that was the other thing I forgot to mention, all the skills got seriously consolidated. There's only maybe 20 or so now, and skill points don't really exist anymore. It's the modifier from whatever main attribute it has and then you can choose which skills to be proficient in which adds a bonus that builds up as you level. I have a love/hate relationship with this because yes it makes leveling up not take a full session, but min maxing (and other time honored/hated things) are much harder to accomplish now. You can also get proficiencies from backgrounds, which you can either take one of the stock ones or make your own. The only other way I can think of to get proficiencies is feats, I think, which you now get every four levels (or some other option I don't remember).

Ah yeah that makes more sense, the way a friend described it to me made it sounds like you absolutely cannot modify your skills at all and I was like "well, that sounds weird ?" but then again I think he was just looking for reasons to be salty with 5th edition. I'm pretty glad too that they stream lined the process a little bit because of course you always level up at the most exciting parts of the campaign and wanna get on with it but can't when you have all of the leveling up business to do 

While we made characters, I doodled my character (half-elf druid called Thyme), and the faces of the rest of the group + DM were priceless when I just flipped my sketchbook when we introduced our character and said "My character is Thyme and she looks like this". Apparently no one did notice me drawing anything

Hehe, a lot of people in one of my D&D groups liked to draw their characters, especially the two who were art majors. I have little to no skill in that so I had to beg or bribe them to draw my characters for me.

And ah yeah I love playing as druids ! I'm always either a druid or a cleric. I think the only exception was my first campaign when I was a ranger because I had no idea what the different classes were so I just picked one that I thought sounded neat. I know a lot of people who don't like druids because of something along the lines of "they're too weak and useless at the lower levels before they can get any good spells then at the upper levels they're too over powered with the spells they get" which, meh, I just like druids for the neat nature spells and it works with the characters I like to make with their back stories and personalities. I like to make my druids ranged weapons characters and give them a bunch of feats for their ranged weapon so they can deal damage without taking damage until they get their higher level spells. That or make them a centaur. Centaurs are pretty over powered because of their race bonuses, every DM I've had makes centaurs play a level or two lower than the rest of the party to even things out. I just like playing as centaurs though because I think they're neat and fun characters to get into. That or I like to play as raptorin, but that's another thing I've had DM's who won't DM a flying character because they won't want to deal with a 3D playing field. But raptorins are fun characters to get into too, when I have a DM who will let me play my raptorin character . .

[urbicande]

Wow, this brings back memories of when i used to game.  We gamed a LOT back them.

 AD&D (this would be the original AD&D, not 2nd edition), Tunnels & Trolls, Fringeworthy, Space Opera, Chivalry & Sorcery (1st edition), Runequest (I want to say 2nd edition), Traveller, Paranoia (the Computer is your Friend!), Villains & Vigilantes, Aftermath...umm..I'm missing a few others in there.  (Plus a lot of the early Microgames -- OGRE, GEV, Car Wars).

I almost miss those days, but I like having a life!

[Kelpie]

I've only ever used Roll20 for online RPGs, and I don't think I'd have actual time to participate if you guys started a board (please do I would be so happy), but I would totally be available for help depending on what system you go with. I would also stalk the board and read aaallll about your merry misadventures.

Wow, this brings back memories of when i used to game.  We gamed a LOT back them.

 AD&D (this would be the original AD&D, not 2nd edition), Tunnels & Trolls, Fringeworthy, Space Opera, Chivalry & Sorcery (1st edition), Runequest (I want to say 2nd edition), Traveller, Paranoia (the Computer is your Friend!), Villains & Vigilantes, Aftermath...umm..I'm missing a few others in there.  (Plus a lot of the early Microgames -- OGRE, GEV, Car Wars).

I almost miss those days, but I like having a life!

I am almost certain nigh everything on that list is rotting in my house somewhere. I've heard many, many stories about paranoia in particular. I know for a fact we have tons of AD&D stuff because I've used some of the modules with other systems.

[Purple Wyrm]

Ah, RPGs! I've played a fair bit of D&D over the years and run campaigns of MERP, GURPS and Call of Cthulhu. I'm currently organising a one off game of a cobbled together system to run for my friends in Switzerland when I'm over there.

[Jethan]

A D&D board would be nice, but I'm not sure yet if I would play or lurk for a few rounds first.

[Kelpie]

So if such a board did exist, who would be willing to run it? (not me, nope nope nope too much stuff)

[Superdark33]

Running one might be fun!

[Mélusine]

Haaaaaaa, no more hot water and I failed to fix that. Cold shower, I hadn't missed you.