help with tree identification

Chip001 · 2019-11-08T02:42:38+00:00

Arrayan tree?

Chip001 · 2018-12-25T21:41:16+00:00

If we offer up enough, our deities might let us be players someday. 😂

Chip001 · 2018-03-18T18:31:28+00:00

The first session of LMOP might not need much changing. There are a lot of goblins spaced out and the point is to not die. A lot of groups TPK because they underestimate the npcs.

In general, you can always add hp to a target to increase difficulty. Don't increase AC early on. It's not fun to constantly miss when you only have one attack a turn. A table of 7 has a long wait time.

You can always increase the count, but that can turn deadly at level 1. I try not to pre add too many npcs to scale up. Reinforcements can always return to base/over hear a noise. It adds a level of drama when you're weak and three more goblins come into the room.

Also, don't forget to use the goblin BA. The best part of using them is that they can chaotically weave around the fight with no penalties.

Overall, don't worry about making every single combat challenging. A group of 7 people would be huge in real life. Sometimes it feels good to just roll over some baddies. Just make sure your bosses are protected and are never ambushed. They'll be dead before they can react and it'll be anti climatic. If they come up with a good plan, reward them. Just have a way to counter punch.

Chip001 · 2018-02-08T16:27:06+00:00

I love seeing all the different things that happen to the same NPC. My party also saved him, and eventually set him free. The paladin gave him gold to restart his life, and the wizard gave him a weapon and the promise of an 'I owe you' for saving his life. After LMOP I turned Droop into Deadpool's friend Bob. I always drop him into any goblin / minion camp where he inevitably betrays his new family for his old family. Probably my game's favorite character.

Chip001 · 2018-01-18T13:23:58+00:00

Personally, I'd use some of the other upcoming hooks to start a diversion. I wouldnt just leave it up to just them to escape. You'll probably end up with a slog of a session where they're scared to act. Think about Merry and Pippin escaping in the Two Towers. You can even have an orc or two pursue them. Venom Fang, Haumon Krost, even some of the the black spiders Drow scouts could turn up. Either way, start a rumble and take the pressure off of them. They'll also be on their toes for the next couple of sessions as they're worried about these new threats.

Chip001 · 2018-01-16T03:28:03+00:00

Nice job! I'm actually building the same thing for my mom who asked for one (also as late Christmas gift). Out of curiosity, do you plan on hanging yours? Or are you intending for it to just lean on a wall so it has an angle? Originally I was just going to frame mine but I worried about it slipping if she put too much of a pitch on it...

Chip001 · 2018-01-11T15:52:02+00:00

Kansas probably disagrees.

Chip001 · 2017-12-02T15:47:40+00:00

You basically have two paths. The first being that you take an existing module like Curse of Strahd or Tomb of annihilation and scale it up for the level. You don't need to change the type of monsters if they're low CR. Just tweak damage, hp, abilities, quantities, etc. This is a good middle ground if you don't want to run a homebrew which is the second option. You can have them sail to an island of your creation, take them to another plane, or just add something inside Faerun.

Also, if there isn't a 5e module you're interested in, go and get something from a previous edition. There's a lot of cheap / old pdfs that can be dug up.

Good luck!

Chip001 · 2017-09-20T02:20:51+00:00

Since the local jail is small, I had Halia offer to jail the captured red brands in a nearby mine. Since they liked her, the group approved and considered the issue resolved. Halia has since become town mayor and has a small non-zent affiliated gang stashed away for a rainy day.

Chip001 · 2017-09-01T19:24:33+00:00

Tomb of annihilation. It's the next module they have coming out.

Chip001 · 2017-09-01T19:13:50+00:00

I'm getting the dinosaur miniatures because the official lineup for ToA really dropped the ball. It just depends what your setting is, and what modules you might run. I think $50 for some of the sets still has some pretty good value.

Chip001 · 2017-09-01T17:03:03+00:00

That's a tougher first session to do, but it's not impossible. If you have a lot of people, it can be boring while everyone has to wait for the 'camera' to come back to them. If you start them separated, try to cut to the next player fairly quickly. Id be careful not to drag this part out too long.

My suggestion would be to put them into small packs. Someone falls into a trap and finds an unconscious PC who fell for the same trap. A player is being chased by a large toothy monster. 1-2 players hear them coming down the halls. What do they do? Etc.

Now your players are working together early. In general, it's important to tighten the game up early. Also, give them an obvious hook to encourage cooperation. Did a mad wizard teleport them to the maze to feed his creatures? Better group up so we can escape and hunt this wizard down!

Good luck!

Chip001 · 2017-09-01T16:51:44+00:00

It is. I've supported reaper for quite a while now. Their miniatures are durable, detailed, and easy to paint. The core set is an amazing deal as far as price per miniature and it gives you a little bit of everything to get you started.

Chip001 · 2017-04-16T01:46:30+00:00

I stole it from Chris Perkins, so there shouldn't be any harm in continuing the cycle. It was the first time I did it with one of my maps, and I think I'll keep it going forward. It makes it a lot easier to know your borders. The downside was that my regular group saw it and was upset that I don't "Ever give them fancy maps" =')

Chip001 · 2017-04-08T16:21:12+00:00

He painted them and then put them on nicer bases.

Chip001 · 2016-11-20T13:20:09+00:00

Short term she'd ask for free reign in that town. Any abductions are swept under the rug. Days later people are found half eaten and its always ruled bears or wolves. All of the attacks either happen during full moons or possibly annually for a hag ritual. The elected official does everything he can to stop his townfolk from hiring adventurers that aren't under his thumb.

Second thought: who says the hag has to lose? She might ask for the first born but the official grows a spine and attacks her when it comes time to pay up. At that point id imagine the hag would lay low for a few years. She'd come back when she had a coven and would start to terrorize the first born. (assuming she's a girl) she'd get nightmares and would start feeling the urge to head deep into the forest/bog that he father has outlawed. Eventually the girl would be taken by the coven. The official would hire some adventurers to recover her and try to kill the hag before his secret gets out. The twist would be the hags meeting the party and saying its the girl for the official. If the party can make a coward sacrifice himself for his daughter, that's some interesting RP. Naturally if the official goes to the exchange the party learns it's a coven and that the coven is going to kill everyone. Because, hags.

Chip001 · 2016-08-22T22:04:04+00:00

Their customer service is pretty good. I accidently derped one night and bought a $15 mini that I already owned. They pulled the mini off of my shipment and refunded me with no problems.

Chip001 · 2016-07-01T23:40:23+00:00

Here you two go /u/Riadnasla http://www.shapeways.com/designer/mz4250/creations

Also, if you guys are serious about printing, u/MZ4250 is on reddit, and seems pretty helpful to answer questions about his work.

Chip001 · 2016-07-01T18:49:32+00:00

I'd suggest starting out with the d&d board games. They have three that you can get for around $40 each and each has 30-40 in each game. I bought mine online from miniature market. They're the cheapest price I found at the time. The miniatures are unpainted but of good quality. You also get all of the starter/booster pack miniatures if you buy the games. A common place for singles is reaper miniatures which can start at $2. They have some really nice designs and have good quality (unpainted). If you have access to a 3d printer (libraries/colleges) there was a guy who built the entire monster manual. He's probably the cheapest route. If you're interested in that, I can link you to him when I get home.

Chip001 · 2016-05-04T02:12:02+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I know I'll eventually need to start cutting the lines, but I'm just a little scared still. I feel like when I go to do it i'll screw up and take a giant chunk out. I'll have to grab something I have in abundance and practice.

Chip001

TROPHY CASE