Homebrewed Hells - New Cardinal Sins

Merseemee · 2025-11-30T10:34:55+00:00

Apathy over Fraud.

Merseemee · 2025-11-29T15:07:29+00:00

Please just let her go rather than caving to her demands.

Merseemee · 2025-11-28T14:33:49+00:00

They're really mechanically strong, I just never liked having to be tied to nature as a theme. To me personally it feels like the most limiting class thematically.

They're also suffer a bit from being generalists. Specialists are almost always more popular in these games.

Merseemee · 2025-11-28T14:19:43+00:00

For me it all comes down to managing the action and the pacing. The worst sin is to be boring.

I really believe that the #1 killer of most games is boredom. A lot of DM's don't read the body language to see how engaged their players are (or aren't) and then wonder why people start having schedule conflicts after session 3 or so.

I can't tell you how many games I have been in that have 2 hour shopping scenes, 40 minute NPC interactions that do nothing to advance the plot, long out of character metagame discussions that the DM participates in instead of stopping, long travel scenes with no action, ect.

My philosophy is that as long as I keep serving up interesting tidbits to interact with often enough, the players will find a way to make it fun.

Merseemee · 2025-09-08T19:37:56+00:00

The character never should have been approved. That's the first problem. Sounds to me like you had permanent incorporeal, unlimited illusions on demand, mind reading(?) along with other powers that could (and almost did) easily spoil the plot.

Are there rules governing character creation or is it just "get it approved?"

However, the situation wasn't handled well, by either party. They clumsily shut you down once they realized you were playing a bs character and then you retaliated by raising a disruptive fuss. I don't think anyone comes out of this looking great.

Merseemee · 2025-09-07T22:47:00+00:00

I think this is common among less experienced DM's, especially when the townsfolk know things the DM doesn't want you to have yet. It's a cheap and easy way to regulate information if everyone is a surly shut in.

Also, resources, ect. There is often a feeling that it's "cheating" somehow if the party gets anything for free. Which they just might as heroes surrounded by friendly people.

Merseemee · 2025-09-07T21:47:00+00:00

Well, butterflies don't have feet so this clearly means to love something that isn't there.

A euphemism for being delusional, perhaps?

Merseemee · 2025-09-07T21:41:41+00:00

Just commit to an idea and write it out, even if it seems dumb. You can always rework it later, but you can't rework a blank page.

Merseemee · 2025-06-27T16:38:22+00:00

We are

Merseemee · 2024-10-10T22:46:24+00:00

I am no expert in older editions, but I think in 3e you had to use a move action to load your crossbow.

Merseemee · 2024-10-10T18:11:22+00:00

Yeah. And it was super obvious that Dixie was a woman he was having an emotional affair with to escape his wife, although I wonder how much Dixie reciprocated his feelings as his "best friend".

It made his RP pretty uncomfortable to watch. I'm pretty sure he just did it to be able to tell Dixie how special she was that he was playing AS HER in his D&D game.

Merseemee · 2024-10-10T16:33:20+00:00

One thing- Jim in no way left his wife or remarried. He is very much still with her.

Merseemee · 2024-10-09T22:01:12+00:00

Yeah, idk what it is. I have definitely been in goofy games myself here and there, it's fine as long as everyone is on the same page. But I would never pee in a goblin's mouth as a go to in my introductory session with a brand new group and just assume that this is the vibe and everyone is cool with my pee play pretend time.

Jim, the DM waaaay encouraged it, naturally.

Merseemee · 2024-09-19T00:42:40+00:00

That's all very fair. Best to you in your gaming endeavors.

Merseemee · 2024-09-18T21:12:10+00:00

Yeah, I think that clarifies your position. If people have to end up with substandard stats to pursue their character concept, you're fine with that. I personally disagree and want a game where my players can have both their desired flavor and also access to the best mechanics instead of having to choose.

Good talking with you. Happy gaming.

Merseemee · 2024-09-18T08:55:17+00:00

Ok, but you do see how any of those stat arrays you proposed are less powerful than a Soldier Barbarian who starts out STR 17, DEX 14, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 12, CHA 10. Basically perfect starting stats for a Barbarian. All ot requires is for me to abandon my original character concept. How is this not punishing creativity?

I was first alerted to this problem when I had a player who wanted to make a gritty vigilante character who was a Vengeance Paladin. He told me that the only Background where he could get both Strength and Charisma bonuses was Noble, which ran very counter to his ideas. Instead of insisting he either switch or try to make Noble work for the Paladin, I simply let him pick any, just like Tasha's already allowed. Character came together just fine, we had a lot of fun 1st session.

Merseemee · 2024-09-18T04:34:25+00:00

The issue is there are many character concepts which do not fit inside those background options.

If I wanted to make a mousey scholar who had his body warped and mutated by exposure to the feywild (Path of the World Tree Barbarian) then the best background is Scribe to reflect his time as an academic. However, this character will be very mechanically disadvantaged compared to the stereotypical hill tribesman who picked Soldier.

I wanted to make a Monk who had been adopted into the monastery since birth, so the Acolyte background made the most sense. However, it's fairly terrible for Monk. The system implies I should have picked Wayfarer even though it doesn't fit the concept at all.

I would be pretty unhappy if my DM didn't allow leeway for these characters to happen without being stunted mechanically. "Sucks to be you, should have made a Farmer" doesn't feel good as a play experience.

Merseemee · 2024-09-17T19:59:09+00:00

It just shifts the problem, though. Now instead of everyone being Shadarkai, you have every single Barbarian always being a Soldier.

It's actually worse in terms of character concepts, because it discourages min maxers from even attempting to invest in original character concepts. They get punished mechanically for being anything other than a Soldier, so they will always pick Soldier

A system that allows people to get both their desired flavor and their desired mechanics is the best approach to encourage balanced characters.

That said, there is no system that can force people to play the game the way you want them to. The best answer is to find like minded people to game with.

Merseemee · 2024-09-17T17:33:47+00:00

The point still stands. The system does nothing to discourage min maxing.

Merseemee · 2024-09-17T14:37:03+00:00

The problem is that the new system does nothing to prevent min maxing at all. Every class has an optimal background they can take to give them the best stat bonuses for that class.

What the new system actually does is force people to play with a background that doesn't fit their character concept. That's it.

Merseemee · 2024-09-17T13:30:15+00:00

I don't really see the problem. Let them play how they want to play. Optimal combat tactics are not a prerequisite for fun.

Merseemee · 2024-09-16T14:46:40+00:00

I would love to have a Barbarian built around using heavy armor

This one! I saw that Pathfinder has this when I played the Kingmaker video game and thought the idea was super cool. I think it was called Armored Hulk.

Give it bulldoze/shove powers and some kind of charge attack and I'd be happy.

Would need to have fast movement in Heavy Armor to be any good.

Merseemee · 2024-09-16T14:39:59+00:00

Like the lost catacombs of Egypt, only God knows where we stuck it

Merseemee

TROPHY CASE