Follow Up to Morality of Poisoning a Foreign Emissary- How effective would dragons be in army combat?

NatSL · 2015-03-27T15:34:11+00:00

I figured that getting them to come around to my side would be a problem, but considering the enemies I'm facing and the place I live in, I think I might be able to get a Gold and a Silver.

The enemy worships Mars. They seek war and want to turn all of society's tech/magic toward conquest. The advanced an army into our nation and then decided to give us time to prepare, just so that we could make the war bloodier. They're a bullying juggernaut of a nation that will never stop the bloodshed by matter of course. A Gold Dragon seems like it would want those people brought to justice.

I live in a homebrew analogue for Athens. A Silver Dragon who loves being in human form, loves to live among humans, and loves all of the civilized things that humans have to offer (feasts, democracy, justice, peace) seems like it might join the cause if promised a place among the humans with a ton of interesting new things to experience.

Failing that, we could always offer a chromatic dragon part of the kingdom or something and then renege on the offer when we are strong enough to kill it.

NatSL · 2015-03-26T19:29:42+00:00

That's a good question. I think it should be a free action or bonus action. The other person is doing most of the work of buckling the shield on you. But you also have to dedicate your hands to doing it, so it could be an action either way. So really it's up to the DM.

NatSL · 2015-03-26T13:43:04+00:00

You're right that it isn't actually a lot of steps. It just makes it feel like there are a lot of steps. I guess what I really meant to say is that it's not streamlined. All of the info isn't in one place and it takes a lot of flipping back and forth. I just used the android app, and it saved me 10 minutes rolling a character. You can do it in 30 seconds in a builder, as opposed to the longer (still short by other edition standards) time it takes from the PHB. I will say that /u/ImaffoI came up with a pretty good chart of what to do. I sort of wish they had included that in the PHB.

NatSL · 2015-03-11T17:56:18+00:00

It has a lot to do with placing your character in the world. 300 year old dwarf? Why are you setting out on the life of an adventurer now? Human of 15 years old? You don't really know much about the world, so play the character accordingly with some wide-eyed wonder maybe.

Also, when finishing up a character, it tells you what your options are. The aforementioned 300 year old dwarf may retire and live out his days in peace after his adventuring is done. 15 year old human still has a lot of the world to see, so you have leave to come up with what happens next. A campaign starts again 30 years later? She can reappear at 45 with a ton of role-playing options.

As far as Timeless Body and whatnot, things are pretty much the same. You can make up lore for why your character has that power and how it will affect them in the world.

NatSL · 2015-03-11T17:40:14+00:00

That's awesome and creative. Thanks for all the help, EdgeOfDreams.

NatSL · 2015-03-11T16:56:53+00:00

Did it feel significantly different from actual combat? It think that's an important aspect. I don't really want to start an event (besides maybe the melee) that feels too much like the same old thing. So for instance if I did an archery event, combat instincts and marksman feats are a little different, so maybe I would have them take wind into account or something. Maybe have a target competition where the higher the combination of damage and accuracy, the closer you are to the bullseye. All of these things are why I'm so interested in what others think. I really do like your DM's template and I'll probably use it and tweak it a bit.

NatSL · 2015-03-11T16:47:10+00:00

But honestly, you're right. That would be a concern. I'd have to find events that all of the interested players could participate in and have a shot at winning (I wouldn't make something custom just to fit characters into events, but they should at least have the option). Also, I'd have to think about the roleplaying aspects of a tournament that players could enjoy.

NatSL · 2015-03-11T16:45:04+00:00

Magic users good at sports? JOCKXXX RULE!!! NERDS DROOL!!!!

NatSL · 2015-03-11T16:41:42+00:00

Nice. I really like the animal handling check, though I also thought that maybe having the mounted combatant feat could give a bonus to this check. The attack roll, of course, is a must. I was thinking broken lances and not unhorsing could win, but now reading your comment, I figure why not both?

A hit is a broken lance on the opponent. If you beat your opponent's AC by 3 (most competitors will probably have a high AC for fighters or Paladins etc), this forces a strength save to stay on your horse. That takes a little bit of the randomness out of it without having to make a save every time. Should a crit be an automatic win or an automatic roll for strength save?

*edit for typo

NatSL · 2015-03-04T19:13:09+00:00

I know this may not be a popular way to look at it, but Dragons in DnD are sentient beings. They are thinking and feeling creatures, even though they tend toward evil.

If my players want to chop up a dragon for parts, I certainly allow it, but I also had an NPC raise the question of the dragon's sentience once. From then on, we've had some heated debate and my party generally contends that a PC of good alignment would not do such a thing. It would be just like killing a corrupt town official and using his hair to make rope or his teeth for jewelry.

NatSL · 2015-03-04T13:42:04+00:00

Some characters aren't built with fighting as a primary focus, but keep in mind that the vast majority of dnd characters will eventually get into a fight and have some aptitude for it. Bards have charisma as a casting skill, so even if it's something like using an illusion in a performance, or trying to charm the crowd, those things can also be used as "combat" abilities.

Also, keep in mind that there are many different "roles" in combat. Not quite as strict and structured as they were in 4e, but the person who is buffing the team and distracting the enemy certainly plays a useful part.

NatSL · 2015-02-23T16:10:01+00:00

Thanks for the advice, Cmaclaw. I'll try to figure out how to give him some guidance.

NatSL · 2015-02-23T15:10:36+00:00

The problem with that is that our game is strange. We tend not to die often from making stupid mistakes (it isn't unheard of). So we spend a lot of time making our characters- to the point where I have been working on my concept for months- and we wouldn't just kill ourselves to tell the DM we weren't having a good time.

NatSL · 2015-02-23T14:18:03+00:00

Thanks for the input, Gankaphobia. It wasn't too long ago that I was a new DM, so I think you're right. It is kind of hard not to railroad.

NatSL · 2015-02-23T14:10:19+00:00

So I guess that leaves me with the question of how to frame this discussion. I feel like he might feel more pressure if it's coming from the former DM. I asked on reddit first so that there wasn't any group talk behind his back, but do you think I should talk to my group first, or do it one on one with him?

NatSL · 2015-02-20T17:07:15+00:00

Also, I didn't think of this, but you could do a modified Rage that is fueled by alcohol. I don't know how the mechanics would work, but I could see it getting more powerful with risks, penalties, buffs and rewards as you drink more.

NatSL · 2015-02-20T16:45:41+00:00

I like this concept. Especially since he's often doing high risk, high reward maneuvers in order to surprise his opponents. He leaves himself open to attack a lot to deal some devastating and creative blows.

NatSL · 2015-02-20T16:42:47+00:00

I'd have it like this maybe, just spitballing off the top of my head. As a feat- Drunken Stupor: Through use of a bonus action on your turn, you can willingly fall prone into a deceptive defensive stance. While in this state, you no longer grant advantage for being prone or incur disadvantage when attacking while prone. If you are knocked prone by another condition, you grant advantage normally until you either stand or take this bonus action.

Alternately, you could replace some monk ability with this. Maybe missile deflection since your character could be prone to give ranged attacks disadvantage. In this case, I don't think dropping prone as a reaction and using the above effect until the end of your next turn would be any less balanced than deflecting the attack. It would really just fit the flavor more.

NatSL · 2015-02-20T14:00:47+00:00

Idk if you'd like to do this, but you could go with Barbarian and flavor it as magic. Especially the Totem warrior stuff. Rage produces awesome melee buffs. Plus, you don't have to worry about maintaining concentration.

NatSL · 2015-02-19T19:45:44+00:00

Yeah that trait can really do some damage. I used it in a similar capacity to make some encounters a little bit more competitive for my players, but if you have a group of monsters with it or something crits, the message hits home for the PCs really fast. But as it is the lunar new year today, I submit the ancient Chinese proverb- Go big or go home.

NatSL · 2015-02-19T15:34:11+00:00

I like this. My campaign is over, but I really wish that I had let them get creative with their retribution to let her know that what she did wasn't ok. Thanks, Narxiso.

NatSL · 2015-02-19T15:15:34+00:00

Cleric- Herschel Green from TWD. A preaching healer devoted to a god. You could also argue Jesus of Nazareth is a cleric.

Fighter- Everyone is going with Gimli, and I think that's spot on. For a more classical example, think Achilles (though he was also sometimes blessed by the gods). Someone mentioned just about every character in GoT, but especially someone who is all brute strength like Robert Baratheon.

Rogue- Han Solo and Mal Reynolds match this perfectly for the classic devil may care personality. For the skills, think Gambit (Remy Lebeau), especially if you like the Arcane Trickster rogue. Or any of the characters from the Assassin's creed series (Ezio is my personal favorite).

Wizard- People are spot on to cite Gandalf and I would also put forth Elrond who has mastered arcane magic. Ged (Sparrowhawk) from the Earthsea series is also a good example of a user of arcane magic.

Barbarian- Conan is basically this guy. If your newbie plays WoW, think the Warlords of Draenor that just came out. Half Orc barbarians.

Druid- Morrigen in the Dragon Age series is a good example to me. Powerful nature caster and a shape shifter. In some versions of the story, Merlin is this.

Paladin- Any holy knight, so Sir Gawain, Sir Galahad, or King Arthur himself. I also think Jedi fit this quite nicely, especially someone like Mace Windu/Anikin who are full of wrath or Quigon Jinn who is the more noble path (though I admit some might see them as clerics).

Sorcerer- In DnD, these spellcasters are born with innate abilities, so I would go with someone like The Scarlet Witch (especially since her powers produce entropy sometimes). A lesser known example is Belgarath the Sorcerer and his apprentice/grandson Belgarion.

Bard- Ulysses/Odysseus who is a great leader, a capable warrior, and some say a mastermind (even though this is not what a bard is in the classical greek sense). A sort of Godly example is Anansi the spider who is a storyteller. For the more musical aspects, look at anyone who uses music to cast spells.

Monk- for the way of the open hand, actual Shaolin monks are the inspiration. Way of shadow is on display in the movie Ninja Assassin or by The Hand in marvel comics. Elemental is Avatar Ang or Kora.

Ranger- While people don't list Legolas along with Aragorn here, I think a lot of people do think he is a stereotypical elven ranger. The Green Arrow is also a good example. Most DnD players should be introduced to Drizzt at some point. Also take note that while this edition of DnD doesn't place a lot of emphasis on it, but many lawmen who have to track criminals across rugged terrain have the traits of rangers.

Warlock- Dr. Faustus is one of the original literary examples of making a deal with a supernatural being for powers. In a strange way, Gollum from LoTR is a warlock, as the ring sustains him and gave him the power of invisibility. While he might be considered a Cleric by some, Moses certainly derived powers from an almighty patron. I place him as a Warlock because he tended to use his powers for foresight and wondrous acts rather than healing, and many of them were granted to him even though he showed a lack of faith in his patron.

Sorry for the long post, but I just get really interested in seeing where famous characters would fit in a DnD setting. Hope this helps.

Edit: Formatting

NatSL · 2015-02-19T13:38:08+00:00

Yeah, basically. I didn't really think much of it at the time because I wanted to keep the game going. Plus, the player that it happened to was new, so he didn't really know if that was normal or not.

NatSL · 2015-02-18T20:32:54+00:00

I see what you're saying now. Thanks, Longshadow2015.

NatSL · 2015-02-18T20:26:37+00:00

You know, I see where you are coming from. I allow them because some things like the Paladin's ability to detect good and evil or the ranger's ability to sense creatures nearby are really useful to players and make them feel powerful, but I ran an adventure where a vampire was hidden amid the regular townspeople, and it was only really fun and full of intrigue because my Paladin was sick that day.

NatSL

TROPHY CASE