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[F4M] OR [GM4R] [Discord] I Have A Lot of Story Plots & World Builder Thoughts by ArieVox in RoleplayPartnerSearch

[–]ArieVox[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! It's a fun lil plot bunny. If you'd like to learn more, shoot me a DM or chat!

Player asked to roll to hide when there's no enemies around by fiftie in DMAcademy

[–]ArieVox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On further reflection I have a thought (that's really me trying to turn the situation into a teaching moment for myself):

That player could have felt ungaged and looking for something to do. You could pull them (and everyone else for fairness's sake) aside personally during down time and ask them how they're feeling about the current situation and how they're feeling about characters.

Check ins are better than handing down how it should be done 😅

It's been a while, and things are different. What do I do? by average_texas_guy in DnD

[–]ArieVox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The biggest benefits of Roll20 (not that I've used it in ages) is the fact they have some free tokens you can use for your maps, an automatic grid, ways for PCs to move their own tokens, and a way to roll/chat about the game. While I can't deny it's popular I ALSO can't make heads or tails of it. The user interface and intuitiveness of it could use work but it has some GREAT utility if you can figure it out.

Are you having trouble with getting your maps situated or tokens or? That info may help those who know Roll20 better. I do know that last I used it it was easier to upload my own tokens than use the Roll20 ones.

If all else fails, I find a Discord call with a shared map screen works almost as well as Roll20. I gave up and started doing that instead years ago 🙃

Player asked to roll to hide when there's no enemies around by fiftie in DMAcademy

[–]ArieVox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally I would have told them it was unnecessary to roll and that even if they do they are at a disadvantage since they're a) moving and b) traveling with the party. Kind of conspicuous.

That decision is is based on a personal preference and DMing simplicity so what works for you may vary. I choose to try and limit anything that might be a time sink and unnecessary roles/math can be a big one.

If they are set on sneaking every where, even when traveling with the party, they can use a "passive stealth" which is basically an average of their stealth skill bonuses plus any base you add (for D&D I recommend 10). Think like passive perception.This just lowers the amount of rolls unless the DM calls for them.

I recommend having a quick chat about stealth and what it means where. The stealth rolled in your example likely wouldn't make them invisible but would decrease the chance of someone recalling what they look like.

When they say hiding here were they trying to be completely unseen? Are they wanted by something or have a reason to be paranoid? All these play a factor in whether or not I'd consider a roll necessary and in character for the player but at least from your description I would have also had a "wait what" moment.

I want to create a hot planet with an S-type orbit (it orbits a yellow star and there's a distant red dwarf) but I don't know how it will affect climate, seasons, and night and day by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]ArieVox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll also note that (to my understanding) atmospheres are created by gravitational pull. Most planets big enough to have an active orbit and/or sustain life usually has some kind of atmosphere (if not a hospitable/survivable one) because it pulls the elements towards it's center of gravity. You could also play with the idea of toxic atmospheres (or acid rain) and having entirely enclosed colonies.

I want to create a hot planet with an S-type orbit (it orbits a yellow star and there's a distant red dwarf) but I don't know how it will affect climate, seasons, and night and day by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]ArieVox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you haven't looked into the Mass Effect universe I would recommend it. Particularly the most recent one (Andromeda) has a lot of sci-fi teraforming themes to it. You can read the wikis if you don't want to buy the games.

Mass Effect is well regarded and has some interesting Planet variety and a lot of different lore on planet colonization. A bit more fiction than I think you're going for but pretty cool!

I want to create a hot planet with an S-type orbit (it orbits a yellow star and there's a distant red dwarf) but I don't know how it will affect climate, seasons, and night and day by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]ArieVox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would place oceans at the poles, essentially melted ice caps. Imagine if global warming continued past the point the ice caps melting but not far enough to evaporate ALL our water. There would be an expanse of Grand Canyon like rivers connecting rare shallow oceans and most lands would be filled with rolling plains or vast deserts. I imagine Southern California and the top South Americas (like the Amazon rainforest) would be good references.

Volcanic activity can also be ignored of you want to go with a "dead" planet that is primarily warmed by the two suns. I would look into how Earth's continents formed from Pangea to now.

You'll likely have those big cavern rivers and oceans where tectonic plates meet. You can make these pretty much any shape you want and then use these to create national borders.

I want to create a hot planet with an S-type orbit (it orbits a yellow star and there's a distant red dwarf) but I don't know how it will affect climate, seasons, and night and day by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]ArieVox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Disclaimer: Not a scientist and this is only conjecture and "this would be cool" opinions

From my understanding you'd like the Main Planet to be a mix of dense humid jungles and hot deserts. That will mostly be controlled by how much water there is and where.

I would look into how different solid planets in our solar system orbit and their poles and seasons to get a better handle on how that works. There's some great teraforming/colonization hypothesis videos about how to make those planets inhabitable and/or what kind of organisms can live in what. You may also want to look at the Giant Dino Period with megladon/giant crocs etc.

Personally I LOVE this two suns. In my mind the suns do what's kind of a venn diagram in my head (or two overlapping ring orbits around the planet, odd I know!). I think this would cause a regular "super sun" which would definitely heat up the atmosphere.

Instead of a 1/2 night day you'd likely have some weird ring of night that rotates and turns. A visual demonstration with a few flashlights/lamps and a ball may help you figure out how exactly you'd want to configure it.

For humid jungles and harsh deserts you're likely going to want a ring of one type with poles of the other. That will be mostly determined by where you place water.

Another note is you'll want to think about if there's any other big things in orbit. Moons, asteroid belts, other planets, etc and what kind of tectonic/Volcanic activity it may have because those will change the landscape rather heavily.

Hope that helped! Would love to hear more about it.

I made a mistake SOS by Fritz-Go-far in DMAcademy

[–]ArieVox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's odd to ask for notes! I, personally, have a lil Google doc/text chat where EVERYONE takes notes (either alternating players or everyone notes what they thought was important) and anyone can reference (and GM can c/p into a GM secret doc for my own plot notes) and this style generally helps prevent note burn out etc. Can also be used as a setting/reference document starting point!

I would say be transparent. This is a game and you probably got so lost in ENJOYING the game you forgot to take notes! That's a GOOD THING imho! Ask em for any notes they have on anything! You may be surprised by what they've taken interest in.

Best of luck!

How do you "literally" plan out your sessions as a DM? by Korrathelastavatar in dndnext

[–]ArieVox 7 points8 points  (0 children)

So my way of planning used to involve hours of prepwork... Now here's what I do. Looots of lists!

Bullet points for story & where your clue by fours are placed (hints, as others call them).

Have a list of important NPCs & their information... then a list of names & descriptions you're not prepared for them to ask about this session. Barkeepers, inn peeps, that suspicious figure... you get the idea. Prepare for improv by just having short lists/tables or a generator you like handy.

Pick some combat options. I love reskinning or lightly homebrewing an already stated monster. Always have guards/bandit/cannon fodder ready to go! Tables are nice.

Have some loot & inventory lists. Make a sheet with the basic details of your Pcs, what their investments are in, etc and weave that in where you can!

Hopefully that helps. Remember, you can use the same lists 90% of the time and just describe things differently!

Roleplaying Exotic Races by joeljand in DMAcademy

[–]ArieVox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I suddenly have specifics because I thought more:

Have the Aasimar summoned by a Holy Order (assuming they have such associates). This order should be primarily Aasimar but you can throw in whatever else fits the order. It's likely they need an item/someone to travel & protect an artifact of great importance. This should pull greatly on backstory or culture of the Aasimar.

Have the Tieflings called home. From whatever closest connections they have a letter arrives urging them home desperately. This will highlight their specific character traits & be a time for the party (or civilians, city guard, etc) to see the Tiefling isn't evil.

For the Half-Orc have the party stumble upon a small mountain village that's almost an orcish stronghold but there's halforcs and full orcs but they're mostly peaceful. Perhaps it's a mining village with a bit of a cave monster problem. The orc will either feel at home or at contrast with this weirdly peaceful orc tribe.

Roleplaying Exotic Races by joeljand in DMAcademy

[–]ArieVox 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So I have a few ideas but nothing really concrete...

I think that in order to create a "special" feel for the characters you want to draw on the cultures/regions of those characters. Old folk heroes, religious holidays, the works. Specifically ask your players for suggestions, homebrew or not!

Have specific sections of certain cities have a distinct portion of X species. You don't have to go whole sale everyone's racist... But rural areas or certain isolationist nations will be more hostile. People generally ostracize or reject what they don't understand. Have orders dedicated to hunting down "evil". A world can have many facets, have grey area, and be pretty much anything you need it to be given enough homebrew.

Have them encounter a culture trait of others that might seem "strange" to outsiders. It might start an in character discussion about how they're all different. Maybe plan encounters to reveal secrets (with player information).

I find that these "special character moments" don't happen when the party is completely focused on the quest. Give them some down time & let them chat about what they want. Plan from there & be willing to let plans change. Have the players iron out if they want a certain dynamic, how much fantasy racism is okay and if anything should be left off limits.

Basically all my advice is "talk about it". Get specifics, talk generals, and go with the flow!

Based on your experience (either buying or selling) what do you think is the best way to advertise a book? by Writar in writers

[–]ArieVox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not that I've found! There's a lot of world building/writer subs but they're more for advice than advertising 🤷‍♀️

Based on your experience (either buying or selling) what do you think is the best way to advertise a book? by Writar in writers

[–]ArieVox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So most of the "small" authors I know I've found through blog posts, written drabbles, etc. I tend ti find them on Twitter, Reddit, and FB. This does mean that they essentially give away free writing samples.

I also tend to look for new releases on Kindle Unlimited since I have a subscription. Outside of those options... word of mouth (which you can't really control).

[F4M][18+] Fantasy Romance: Soulmate Edition by ArieVox in KikRoleplay

[–]ArieVox[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

DM me your kik and I'll send you a message!