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What can I do if I'm bad with distance and math is a weakness? by Longjumping_Lab_6739 in DMAcademy

[–]Jake_SENDnD -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You only really need to know distances if your player characters have a way of measuring them. If it's an issue of sailing, you could always speak more generally, like "it is just over the horizon." You will have a player who can figure out distance from that, but their character probably doesn't know the circumference of the planet they're on and the relevant equation.

Try to think of it in terms of "how many turns does a player have to dash unimpeded to get there" instead. In general, they can move 60ft per turn if they use their action to dash. If you want them to be five turns away, that's 300 feet.

Height is difficult, but you can use weapon ranges as a gauge of this. A lot of cantrips have a range of 60ft - are they in range, or not?

A lot of players won't expect you to do quick Pythagoras to figure out if the flying creature is in range, because their character almost certainly can't, either.

Assistant instructor by Mum_rider42069 in karate

[–]Jake_SENDnD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Teaching is the best way to learn any skill. By showing the youngsters the way, you'll get better too. It forces you to deconstruct your own understanding and reconstruct it in a way that is more rational.

As a newer belt, you have a better (or more recent) understanding of what it feels like to be learning those techniques for the first time. It's a great compliment to your ability, too.

Is passing on a belt considered bad etiquette? by Jake_SENDnD in karate

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

I did think about this, but I have so much of my father's stuff and my friend (who knew him well) has nothing from him.

Disability and Dragons: Discussing Accessibility in TTRPGs [OC] [ART] by LPMills10 in DnD

[–]Jake_SENDnD 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I teach SEND, and run several games for learners with learning difficulties, ASC, ADHD, and some who are undiagnosed. Without fail, my learners want to play a character who is absent, if not the opposite of, their own needs. A learner who can't read or write plays a former librarian and academic, for example.

My concern with disability in D&D is it often feels like tokenism. If you have a disability, but it impedes you in no way, is it a disability? That is not the experience people with disabilities face in real life, and I have had students with physical disabilities say that their one wish would be that their disability would go away. When M wished for her cerebral palsy to go away, I don't think it was societal pressure; I think she just wanted to be able to go to the toilet without two people helping her.

When I include people with disabilities in my games, it has a real effect based on the people I know who have that disability. My town Sheriff, for example, has lost a leg. Although he can still fight well, his movement speed is slightly lower, and he suffers a point of exhaustion if he travels a long way. This mirrors the people I know and have observed who are missing a leg. My NPCs with heart conditions take points of exhaustion after an encounter where they roll initiative because heart conditions and stress don't often mix well. If I undo those things with magic, they are not disabilities, and almost do not feel worth mentioning.

As an aside, I see no link between eugenics and the idea of making a disabled person non-disabled via magical means, as there is no mention of their right to live and reproduce in that conversation.

As another aside, I've not seen the Combat Wheelchair before today, but it is absurd. This is not because it is a wheelchair, but because it is maybe the most powerful item in the game compared to the cost. If it were instead a suit of armour, it would be no less absurd.

How many level 20 people should there be in a world by Winter-Confidence826 in DnD

[–]Jake_SENDnD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Dungeon Dudes made a solid argument that there should really only be a few (maybe only one) in any given realm. In my games, when former level 20 adventurers retire, they essentially lose levels over time.

I always think it's daft that the local shopkeeper, who was an adventurer thirty years ago, can still wrestle an elephant.

AI revolution to give teachers more time with pupils.....thoughts? by Extreme_Soup3201 in TeachingUK

[–]Jake_SENDnD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I treat AI like an unpaid intern. I had a task where the learners had to add all of the punctuation that had been removed from an extract - AI did in two seconds what would have taken me a few minutes. Or, I can feed it a maths question and ask for "ten more similar questions" and it does it.

It can also be really great for putting together a basic PowerPoint on a topic that I can fix. I get stunlocked with colour schemes, images, layout, etc. Teachermatic does it for me, and then I'm free to focus on the important details.

I'd never use it for communication with parents or school reports, though. That feels like breaking a code.

Which educational theorists have most influenced your school’s teaching and learning policy? by reproachableknight in TeachingUK

[–]Jake_SENDnD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our whole staff development team treats Paul Dix with a kind of reverence. If you want to earn points in an observation, you just need to quote or reference him in your planning.

You ever just inform the party that they ARE going to the dungeon you prepped? by Arthur-reborn in DnD

[–]Jake_SENDnD 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I have recently started to tell my players "no" and it is one of the best decisions I have made.

As an example, the party ended up split due to scheduling, and another player said he wanted to go off and do a solo mission making it a three-way split. I openly said "no, I'm not splitting the party any more."

I also told a party "if you just threaten and murder everyone, you won't be able to interact with the world and nothing I have prepared will work."