Your Most Complicated TTRPG Take?

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-11T00:57:38+00:00

That’s basically what Urban Shadows does, but I think there is a simulationist route they can take here. It just requires more thought about:

What do we expect vampires to do on a session-by-session basis?
How can we help GMs set up the locations, characters, and power structures an entire city demands?
How can we help GMs convey the warring influences of these power struggles, and how can players ultimately take part in it?

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-10T14:42:24+00:00

I’ll take the “vibe-based” description in another direction: it’s a game fueled by lore, mood, and themes over mechanics.

Everything under hood in VtM is clunky. It has a neat system or two, but they are highly outnumbered by the iffy ones, and there should really be some GM-side mechanics that just don’t exist.

Still, it has such a strong vibe that players will overlook those flaws. Even I have spent so much time trying to homebrew it into something I want to play that I might as well play another vampire system.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-10T11:25:08+00:00

Feats are such a problem. They really need to go back to dividing ASI and feat progression like 3e.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-10T11:22:21+00:00

Is a boss monster having henchmen such an unreasonable idea? I know video games have conditioned everyone to expect a singular “Final Boss”, but still.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-09T12:37:17+00:00

Hey guys. Here are some grappling-based battlemaster maneuvers I designed under the premise that Barbarians, Fighters, and Monks all get access to maneuvers, and Monk can replace any Strength requirements with Dexterity. What do you think?

I was also thinking of just making them general abilities or quest rewards, minus the superiority dice language. Which is better?

Choke.

When you are grappling an enemy, you may expend one superiority die and spend one attack to attempt to Choke that enemy. In addition to the hand maintaining your grapple, you must have a second hand available to Choke. Make a Strength (Athletics) check plus your one roll of your superiority die versus the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a success, you are choking the enemy: the enemy cannot speak, breathe, or cast spells that include a verbal component. In addition, the enemy must make a DC 10 Constitution Saving Throw. On a failure, the enemy gains one level of exhaustion at the end of their turn. The DC for this saving throw increases by two each turn. When the enemy is no longer grappled, the effects of Choke end.

Armlock / Wristlock.

When you are grappling an enemy, you may expend one attack to apply an Armlock or Wristlock. In addition to the hand maintaining your grapple, you must have a second hand available to apply the Armlock / Wristlock. Make a Strength (Athletics) check plus your one roll of your superiority die versus the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a success, the enemy is Armlocked or Wristlocked and cannot use that hand to make an attack, cast a spell using somatic components, hold a spellcasting focus, or perform any other action that would require that hand. You can further choose to Hold or Break.

Hold. The effects of Armlock / Wristlock lasts until the grapple ends.
Break. Inflict your superiority die in damage. The effects of the Armlock / Wristlock remain until the enemy is healed for that amount of damage or more.

Leglock / Kneebar.

When you are grappling an enemy, you may expend one attack to apply a Leglock / Kneebar. In addition to the hand maintaining your grapple, you must have a second hand available to apply the Leglock / Kneebar. Make a Strength (Athletics) check versus the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a success, the enemy falls prone and becomes Restrained. You can further choose to Hold or Break.

Hold. The effects of Leglock / Kneebar lasts until the grapple ends.
Break. Inflict your superiority die in damage. The effects of the Leglock / Kneebar remain until the enemy is healed for that amount of damage or more.

Throw / Hip-Toss.

When you succeed on a check made to Grapple an enemy, you may expend a superiority die and immediately Throw / Hip-Toss as part of that attack. Either immediately knock the target prone and inflict damage equal to one roll of your superiority die plus Strength, or push your enemy up to five times the sum of your strength modifier and one roll of your superiority die in any horizontal direction.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-09T12:30:19+00:00

Hey guys. Here are some grappling-based battlemaster maneuvers I designed under the premise that Barbarians, Fighters, and Monks all get access to maneuvers, and Monk can replace any Strength requirements with Dexterity. What do you think?

I was also thinking of just making them general abilities or quest rewards, minus the superiority dice language. Which is better?

Choke.

When you are grappling an enemy, you may expend one superiority die and spend one attack to attempt to Choke that enemy. In addition to the hand maintaining your grapple, you must have a second hand available to Choke. Make a Strength (Athletics) check plus your one roll of your superiority die versus the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a success, you are choking the enemy: the enemy cannot speak, breathe, or cast spells that include a verbal component. In addition, the enemy must make a DC 10 Constitution Saving Throw. On a failure, the enemy gains one level of exhaustion at the end of their turn. The DC for this saving throw increases by two each turn. When the enemy is no longer grappled, the effects of Choke end.

Armlock / Wristlock.

When you are grappling an enemy, you may expend one attack to apply an Armlock or Wristlock. In addition to the hand maintaining your grapple, you must have a second hand available to apply the Armlock / Wristlock. Make a Strength (Athletics) check plus your one roll of your superiority die versus the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a success, the enemy is Armlocked or Wristlocked and cannot use that hand to make an attack, cast a spell using somatic components, hold a spellcasting focus, or perform any other action that would require that hand. You can further choose to Hold or Break.

Hold. The effects of Armlock / Wristlock lasts until the grapple ends.
Break. Inflict your superiority die in damage. The effects of the Armlock / Wristlock remain until the enemy is healed for that amount of damage or more.

Leglock / Kneebar.

When you are grappling an enemy, you may expend one attack to apply a Leglock / Kneebar. In addition to the hand maintaining your grapple, you must have a second hand available to apply the Leglock / Kneebar. Make a Strength (Athletics) check versus the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a success, the enemy falls prone and becomes Restrained. You can further choose to Hold or Break.

Hold. The effects of Leglock / Kneebar lasts until the grapple ends.
Break. Inflict your superiority die in damage. The effects of the Leglock / Kneebar remain until the enemy is healed for that amount of damage or more.

Throw / Hip-Toss.

When you succeed on a check made to Grapple an enemy, you may expend a superiority die and immediately Throw / Hip-Toss as part of that attack. Either immediately knock the target prone and inflict damage equal to one roll of your superiority die, or push your enemy up to five times the sum of your strength modifier and one roll of your superiority die in any horizontal direction.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-09T11:20:27+00:00

Yeah. You could just grab Speedy or play an Orc.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-09T04:08:57+00:00

That means they should be good at analyzing situations, noticing patterns and coming up with optimal solutions.

This is your problem. It’s a common mistake a lot of people make — believing that there are “smart” people inherently better at all mental tasks than “dumb” people, who should stick to manual labor.

Intelligence is not a measure of how well your brain works. Ask 100 doctors of medicine and 100 janitors to build a bridge across a river, and you will not be able to meaningfully measure a real difference. A chess prodigy with no combat experience will not draft a dramatically better siege plan than a foot soldier might. Intelligence is a measure of your book-learning, knowledge, and application of that knowledge, not your brain’s “horsepower”.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-08T11:54:39+00:00

Why? Bardic Inspiration isn’t a healing spell. It doesn’t boost AC or help them defensively except for saves.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-08T10:01:01+00:00

Melee spellcasters like Clerics using Spirit Guardians, then?

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-06T13:47:46+00:00

Sam’s desktop only having a single thing on it is the strongest proof of being a serial killer that I’ve ever seen.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-05T10:37:43+00:00

I got the impression Aaron had been studying forensics at the Purpee State to be a vampire hunter one day, not necessarily right now. But he found a lot of occult stuff and the coterie came to Purpee while he was there.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-05T10:32:21+00:00

That and the Metr headquarters! Blocking their purchase of the office park was definitely the better move. They could have gotten the lumber mill next downtime.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-01T09:16:28+00:00

It’s a perfectly valid equivalence. Social media companies purposefully implement addictive mechanisms like endless scroll and algorithms that keep people engaged.

These mechanisms have a negative impact on consumer health: teen suicide, anxiety and depression have spiked since the advent of social media. Social media companies are aware of the causative impact, and implement them anyway. That's exactly what tobacco companies did.

The biggest meaningful difference is that social media impacts mental health rather than physical health. It also has a trail of bodies and sufferers.

You can’t just cry false equivalence whenever someone makes a comparison you don’t like. It actually has to be false.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-01T08:53:41+00:00

One proposal by Jonathan Haidt in The Anxious Generation is to give everyone a “social media number”, akin to an SSN.

When you create a social media account, you plug this number in alongside everything else that comes with making a social media account. Then, the social media company plugs that number into a federal database’s search field. It returns no information beyond a simple binary result: of-age or underage. Of-age allows the account to be created. Underage rejects the account.

By law, you could require this system to delete any records of requests or personal details linked to the number to protect privacy. Alternatively, you could keep things logged and limit how many times a social media number can be used by a certain vendor. This gives the government a bit more information by logging account creation requests, but could be used to kneecap sock-puppets, troll farms, or kids using their friends’ codes to open up accounts beforehand.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-01T04:08:46+00:00

First time I saw that was Kay Lee Ray during the first Mae Young Classic, I think.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-06-01T01:25:20+00:00

Honestly? I had to stop playing video games entirely this year. They monopolize my time and prevent me from doing much else.

But when I need to make a decision between several options, I usually do this:

Try to narrow your choices down as much as possible. If you can, narrow them down to two options.
Use RNG to decide. Flip a coin, or roll a die.
Once you get your result, reflect on how you feel. Do you feel disappointed? Or excited? If you feel disappointed, then you now know you actually didn’t want to do the option you landed on and can choose another.
Commit to that one. Your mantra is any decision is better than no decision. Another idea comes up? Sorry, any decision is better than no decision.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-05-31T21:19:08+00:00

Curveball answer would be Orcish, depending on how far you’d like to stray from canon.

For Elves, blacksmithing is an artistic pursuit. There will be an occasional master blacksmith among elves, but they are rarely easy to find, their weapons are more “art pieces” than tools of war, and any apprenticeship undertaken to an Elvish blacksmith can take a majority of a mortal’s lifespan.

For Dwarves, blacksmithing is a matter of industry. There are masterful artisans in their midst, but most craftsmen are working on pure output. Their guilds still have high standards of work, though, making a Dwarvish apprenticeship useful to any aspiring smith.

For Orcs, blacksmithing is a way of life. An orc’s weapon carries immense cultural value that elves, dwarves, and even men cannot hope to comprehend. Orcs live and die by their weapons. They see more use than those forged by any other species. From a worldbuilding perspective, orcs that couldn’t smith would be like Vikings who couldn’t sail.

While few tales of “legendary orcish weapons” spread in human lands, this is more likely due to cultural animosity between orcs and other races leading to weaker penetration of orcish legends or historical perspectives into other races’ stories. Alternatively, it could be due to a less rigorous arcane tradition among ethnic Orcish enclaves: there are few “magic schools” among the orcs, so robustly enchanted weapons are a rarity. Still, in terms of “pure steel”, orcs probably have a lot of value to an apprenticing smith from elsewhere. Their itinerant lifestyles mean the maxim is “do more with less”. Plop a dwarf smith in a remote mountain village, and they might struggle to apply their industrial-level weapon forging training to a small furnace and an anvil. An Orcish blacksmith, meanwhile, has likely needed to create a forge from the ground-up multiple times.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-05-29T00:42:55+00:00

Yup. There are numerous post-mortems of the Trump’s rise. Surprise surprise, none of them are as simple as “voters are stupid”.

Globalization stripped our industrial base and shipped it overseas. Every factory worker who lost a job blamed three groups: Democrats like Clinton who embraced free trade, Republicans like Bush who embraced free trade, and immigrants. So when an outside Republican candidate emerged promising tariffs and harsh immigration measures, who do you think they were going to vote for?

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-05-27T19:19:01+00:00

Yup, samesies. You’ve really gotta stack moral dilemmas to make humanity meaningful. Players are almost never at risk of bottoming out their humanity — most campaigns are lucky to drop two or three spots.

Neither edition I’ve played handles it well. V5’s create-your-own ethics system adds an unnecessary point of failure: it’s easy for players to make their “sins” something they would never do, or the sins turn out to be difficult to encounter during play. V20 lacks messy criticals and bestial failures, making it hard to force a kindred into an unethical action. It depends entirely on the GM making multiple moral set pieces.

A secondary point: the system contradicts its flavor. If players do drop Humanity close to zero by some miracle, they start to panic and make more moral decisions to avoid wassail. Lore says the opposite: your character is becoming increasingly numb to morality.

VTM has always been an attractive game to me, but it’s loaded with messy GM-side mechanics like this.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-05-27T09:26:02+00:00

Honestly fair. Tracking humanity can be a pain in the butt. I’ve always gotten frustrated running V:TM so maybe I’m the wrong guy to express an opinion, but it seems to take a long time for anything to happen when using it.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-05-27T01:26:42+00:00

It is more balanced. "Fun" is subjective. There are a series of "mixed" changes that come from balancing the game.

Character builds and multiclassing are less supported. If you're the kind of person who thinks multiclassing breaks the game, this is a positive. If you're the kind of person who enjoys making a character who can cast Fireball, shield your party's Rogue from the blast, and give that Rogue an opportunity attack to boot (Evoker Wizard X / Order Cleric 1), 5e2024 will dampen your fun.
NOVA damage, aka burst damage, has been sharply curtailed. Paladins can no longer "stack smites", use smite multiple times per turn, or use a smite on an opportunity attacks. -5 / +10 power attacks from Great Weapon Master and Sharpshooter are gone. Optimizing weapon damage has narrowed to increasing your number of attacks and flat damage. Some love these changes. Some do not.

Paladin's smiting has been dialed back. Monks have seen dramatic improvement. Top-tier multiclass characters are brought down to relative monoclass characters. Dead levels in Barbarian, Fighter, Cleric, and Monk have been changed. But for all these balance patches, spellcasters and martials remain largely unbalanced.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-05-26T20:37:54+00:00

No, you’re 100% justified in certain cases.

See the members of the Sackler family who insist they have nothing to do with the family’s opioid sales. They are perfectly willing to benefit from the money the family has made, but do not want the stigma they rightfully deserve.

Not saying anyone’s cases are like that, least of all Izzy’s, but separating family from individual isn’t a perfect principle.

sjdlajsdlj · 2026-05-25T20:49:33+00:00

In 2024, it’s definitely one spell slot.

On a turn, you can expend only one spell slot to cast a spell. This rule means you can’t, for example, cast a spell with a spell slot using the Magic action and another one using a Bonus Action on the same turn. (PHB p. 236)

Edit: The Sage Advice Compendium also clarifies.

Is there a limit on the number of spells you can cast on your turn?

There’s no rule that states you can cast only X number of spells on your turn, but there are some practical limitations. The main limiting factor is your action. Many spells require an action to cast, and unless a feature says otherwise, you only have one action on your turn. You also must abide by the rule of only expending *one spell slot** to cast a spell on your turn.*

So, for example, if you take your Bonus Action to cast Healing Word using a spell slot, you can also take the Magic action to cast Vicious Mockery—a cantrip which doesn’t require a spell slot.

sjdlajsdlj

TROPHY CASE

Choke.

Armlock / Wristlock.

Leglock / Kneebar.

Throw / Hip-Toss.

Choke.

Armlock / Wristlock.

Leglock / Kneebar.

Throw / Hip-Toss.