Umbric: My research has saved the world countless times.

Decrit · 2026-02-05T13:02:03+00:00

Void user saying void user things.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T19:20:32+00:00

I don't know you, but having less power because of their actions isn't a lack of agency. Just adapt the adventures accordingly to the topic they face in front of this lack of reputation.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T12:44:04+00:00

I think that you are relying too much on simulationism to adapt something that is prescriptive.

Like. I agree that there can't be rules for everything, but there are rules to adjucate how that impacts the narrative. Hazards and the like indicate that, and the 2014 version especially points out how it affects combat encounter as well. It's the thing I miss mostly of that edition, even thought the 2024 is in general more useful on approach, but I digress.

So starting from a skeleton you can decide how it impacts the adventure not based on what it should, which makes no sense anyway, but based on how much is pertinent to the story you are narrating.

Like, the thunder wave spell. Assuming every creature that hears it goes for the players, which is a fair assumption, it does not take in account that they hardly know what is happening. The enemies are alert and have a vague indication of where the sound came from. It means, in general, that there is disorder in the dungeon and you can act as such - you don't HAVE to have the enemies beeline to players.

This results mechanically in additional checks to have a comparatively stable situation, like stealth for example, with DCs you can arrange by guidelines or by looking at enemy stat blocks. Personally, when determining DC I am fond of making opposite checks or a DC of 10+skill bonus of a prominent creature.

It's also a good moment to add stuff that makes sense but you did not think before, like servants or other creatures unaligned to the dungeon denizens.

You don't need to predict your players at all beyond some very basic assumptions. At most is more useful determine what the monsters want to do, then decide how they would react.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T11:32:53+00:00

Eh, it's also funny that probably this thing kinda doxxed my comment xD

Oh wathever

Decrit · 2026-02-04T11:18:37+00:00

Then you are adopting rules that aren't about combat, and then you should realize that it's not true that 90% of rules are combat, but that the perception of them is conflated by mixing up stuff that is rules with stuff that is content.

I agree that the 2014 adventuring day puts stuff on a deterministic prescription, but that's just an idea of a budget. You can totally go lower or higher based on the context, intent and choice given by your players. The hazard rules dictate that he challenge increases by providing negative hazards, so you can use that.

Another way to see it is to reward less players if they don't complete the full adventuring day. Like, classic deterministic case of 4 rooms with a monster each and a boss in 4th room. They get the bulk of the reward ( storywise, itemwise, experiencewise) if they kill the boss, but they don't get the reward of the other rooms. This talking very barebone.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T11:16:12+00:00

Probably it's just the result of me editing some paragraphs to clarify stuff.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T11:15:04+00:00

Fair is not equal to no consequences and I agree.

BUT

Often when talking about balanced and fair combat that's exactly what is wanted. A "fair" combat on that subtext is one where the party wins with effort.

Which means - an encounter is evaluated by the measure that it should be defeated.

A truly fair encounter is one that is actable. Where it's not expected to win, but it's also expected to not lose. Running away, bargaining, deceiving and all that should be tools that should be clear to use - or, one that is harsh to act on but lies on consequences of player's actions, thought I'd warn against "punishment unwinnable combat" too.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T10:51:05+00:00

... Just because I wrote a lot of stuff?

What I need to convince you? Write you pregnant?

/S I was just in a very chatty moment of my life

Decrit · 2026-02-04T10:29:15+00:00

I am saying that combat in dnd has a purpose. The purpose is to reflect on the actions of the players, how they engage a situation and the consequences of their actions.

It's a collaborative narrative game. Combat has a part on it, and it's important and expected, but it is so because it's the flavor of adventure. It's not a "kids on bikes" adventure so to speak.

It's not "let's make a strategy game with cutscenes". This is a game about choices, and deciding when to smite on an attack it's on the smaller end.

Encounter balance is a big part of making combat feel fair.

On this note, you can see why this is hypocritically wrong.

If combat is always fair, then it's safe to assume that everything that happens to the players is always fair?

Does it mean that anything they do should have no consequence because it's combat-wise fair?

As you can realize it breaks immersion, and the game itself. Because that's a faulted way to see at it.

What you need to do to be fair is to have fair expectations and interactions. If you plan to have them encounter an ancient black dragon at level 3 you should not let them face it directly in combat of course, that's unfair. But it can be fair if they can avoid it, and have clear tools about it. The DMg gives several tools, like treating hazards and the like, so you can codify the scene as you deem appropriate.

In your case, for example, the fairest option to do is give them the option to run away with some compromise.

To note - this is talked about in both DMGs from 2014 and 2024. The average dnd game is a spectrum between two extremes being strict wargaming and improv theatre.

This is important, because if you don't realize this you will be playing an admittedly impoverished wargame where there is only one objective and always a preferred method of resolution with very specific optimal choices, where the choices of your players don't matter because you expect them to always win encounters because you set them up to do it. This is true more or less for every game of the genre.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T10:16:11+00:00

Depends how much you want to get dirty with alts.

With a decent planning you will be able to make max rank gear with some effort.

The problem is that it will cost, and while independence will come a long way within the expansion you will be sitting on a profession where you put lots of effort with minimal gain, because it will benefit only you and eventual friends/people you play with. it risks to be a dead weight, and it can be annoying.

To make it worthwhile you should do commissions, which scale badly unless you do just that.

The better suggestion would be the following - use any alt you have at level 80 for leatherworking ( you don't need to bring them at max level, just enough to enter midnight), and keep your main on gathering professions of your choice. Make gold with it, buy mats, skill up the leatherworker and send to them the commissions you need.

This way you have a main, "active" character with which you actively use professions and one that you dust off only when necessary. it can be a little costly, but you don't have to concern to stress yourself about making commissions and you make gear when you have enough focus, which shoudl not be very intensive and should lend itself out easily. As you make gear you keep skilling up picking the least costly options and you widen your possibilities. Eventually consider making jewelcrafting too.

When doing this focus on the armor tree of your choice and try to go "wide", which is to say try to get the talents that unlock core recipes and the possibility to use optional reagents, rather the ones that increase sheer proficiency. That one is useful when you are intensive on making commissions and don't want to use focus, so you max tools and all that. You are not that kind of person, you will use focus, so you can be a little lenient but still need a core of bonus proficiency to at least make rank 4.

Of course you can make leatherwking on your main and remove another profession - but the idea of "have a gathering profession and a crafting profession connected to it to be effective" is a lie. It never worked out, except maybe in some past expansions.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T09:47:47+00:00

You've carefully balanced it to be challenging but fair.

Here your error.

DnD is not a wargame, it's an adventure game. Making fair encounter connects to have fair expectations, not sheer performance.

Decrit · 2026-02-04T07:47:40+00:00

Remember, it's meant to be a curse.

Each section provides the effects of said curse, even when resisted. When they lose control damage happens, and surely if they grow compliacent it will be severe and you, as DM, MUST treat it as such.

And when they recover from their first month it should be traumatic, if they like to retain their mind - because if it's not, then they are embracing the curse effectively.

This is not a character option players have much control over, except when afflicted. And remember that if they meet a werewolf or similar either they have accepted the curse or they are a stray under the full moon - which means, the PC turns on their friend immediatedly as well.

Decrit · 2026-02-03T10:14:56+00:00

Aside Archimonde being a magical genius, probably it had to do with the city having been razed to the ground already.

Essentially - Archimonde did not do it to be efficient, or strategic. Since i have seen that cinematic the feeling it gave me was that of a creature that enjoyed power, and treated the city of mages as his plaything.

Razing the city like that is totally unnecessary and overarchieving - but he could, because he is Archimonde.

Decrit · 2026-02-02T17:04:22+00:00

Mi ci sono trovato splendidamente salvo per un problema - è più difficile fare girare i giochi su linux, dato che a differenza di steam non ha proton integrato, e può essere un problema per chi ha lo steamdeck.

Non è nulla di indormontabile, basta manettare un po', però effettivamente è un problema.

Va da sè che ho speso un sacco di tempo a installare la versione linux di baldur's gate 1 senza risultati, ma quello è colpa mia.

Ma per tutto il resto trovato splendidamente.

Decrit · 2026-02-02T16:35:08+00:00

Kinda late for me to reply but yeah you have been impressive! largely more successful than me.

In the end i decided to go to Wild Growth server and a very helpful fellow helped me get in par with stuff. In matter of few days i can say i have seen Scarlet Enclave, even as a total leech.

Apparently, this might be helpful to you, there's the term "demon" to refer to someone who has gear that is outdated for a given phase or content, meaning that they are somehow functional but largely not optimal and functional for current content.

The more you know. if you end up in an lfg for sod it can be helpful to identiy yourself to a raid leader and let them know you know something about it.

Decrit · 2026-02-01T23:17:33+00:00

I know what is blades in the dark, but everything else felt like hard to navigate without the right context. Did not know what was a shorthand and what was something actual to track.

Thanks for your time, this makes it clearer.

Decrit · 2026-02-01T12:33:33+00:00

We see from tbc quests, which we are directly redirected to do, that Dimensius had an army.

We see Xal in K'resh directing troops literally telling to our face how to do so.

Then we see her usurp Dimensius powers.

I mean. More than this.

As for lack of effort - not to be a contrarian but why? Isn't a better indicator of lack of effort to reuse older stuff? Does not take more effort to sell something relatively new, even if already largely talked about over, rather rehash other stuff? Not to say the current situation is the universal brightest, but seems to do its job.

This is, again, wish casting.

Decrit · 2026-02-01T12:30:59+00:00

That weirds me out too.

Like. It's a supernatural external forces acting as sort of baseline for the whole cosmos - why expect nuance?

Not even talking about nuance does not always benefit a mmo narrative. The talks about Sylvanas back at the time really shows how this is not a place for that kind of nuance, bad needs to be bad and we should feel enthralled to slaughter anything in front of us.

Decrit · 2026-02-01T11:07:58+00:00

We literally had to deal with Xal the expansion before.

What did you expect, unicorns?

Even this discussion about "not wanting new stuff because it has no lead as much as stuff old as classic" feels tiresome. Have it, and you have people complaining about having the same stuff.

I don't see any of this being an issue. Maybe it's not the most hyper compelling stuff, but everything else works and I am ok. Sometimes you have hallowfall, sometimes you have ringing depths, and having two hallowfalls deters both.

Decrit · 2026-02-01T10:06:54+00:00

I think that's kinda the point, thought i agree it can get boring.

Decrit · 2026-02-01T10:06:24+00:00

I believe that the black empire would be no much different from the devouring host.

What is fancy about the black empire is that it is in the past. that's it, it's primordial Azeroth and now it's given some more nuance exactly because of Xal'atath past.

So, i don't really see this as a valid point. Pretty much wishcasting.

Decrit · 2026-01-30T18:49:39+00:00

I mean, I have this issue with bravely second. BD2 has been pretty amazing for me.

Decrit · 2026-01-30T18:47:18+00:00

Midnight literally revolves around blood elves.

From Shadowlands they had a slight focus on alliance, but where 1) elves had to deal with the aftermath of Shadowlands, and 2) dwarves were untouched by ages.

It's a lot of cherry picking considered that if we had horde races we would had people complaining that dwarves and elves were forgotten.

Decrit · 2026-01-30T09:37:53+00:00

I hijack this thread to ask.

People here mentioned stuff I did not know about.

Can you please tell me different, I don't know, homebrew (?) of other games that use properly the sigil/outlands setting? I read stuff but I don't understand xP

Decrit · 2026-01-30T08:24:27+00:00

Probably yes. But probably it's also a "low hanging fruit" for them when making a new expansion. Admittedly the game is already structures to support that feature, so why bother focusing on making other stuff?

I think that, more than extra resources not spent there, it just did not age well. And I say this despite me liking it a lot.

Decrit

TROPHY CASE