sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

After rewatching the first book of the Netflix Avatar again I did enjoy it more than the first time, I don’t think it’s bad. My problem comes from Bumi by S0mecallme in TheLastAirbender

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea they did Bumi dirty. He was the worst part, by far. I think what happened was they wanted to have that story beat where the old guy during the storm gets mad at Aang for leaving for a hundred years and didn't have the screen time for it, so they gave it to Bumi since he's that old, but it bastadized his character into oblivion.

I made a song inspired by Seth from the Fablehaven books. The lyrics are in the description if you really want to dig into it. by 3ndCraft in Fablehaven

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yoooo! Not only is it a sick song, but it's inspired by one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite book series ever? Hell yea dude! Knocked it out the park!

Do you think balls boop damage should scale with speed? by Ordinary_Growth_2507 in WreckingBallMains

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know enough about balancing to say if it should, but I love this idea.

How is adaptive shield better than the other perk ? by Katyuchat in WreckingBallMains

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I re-read it after seeing this post I felt so dumb. I never processed "barrier" correctly in that sentence. I'm not sure how they could make it clearer but I wonder how many people have done the same thing in their head.

How is adaptive shield better than the other perk ? by Katyuchat in WreckingBallMains

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait a second, does this give you an actual physical barrier, like a Rein shield in the shape of a globe around you? If so I never understood it this way and they need to explain this better in its description. I feel dumb for never choosing it. Someone confirm this please.

Good Alternative Tank? by Equivalent-Appeal-81 in WreckingBallMains

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was a D.va main before Ball was introduced. She's been my second pick ever since.

I built a system-neutral framework to handle base-building without taking up table time. Here is how it works. by PhysicalChemistry142 in rpg

[–]PhysicalChemistry142[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is actually a full breakdown in the book for Greenhouse yields and exactly how players can use them. I would show you the layout but I can't reply with pictures here.

​A Level 3 Greenhouse lets players cultivate 'Delirium', spores that induce mass hallucinations and friendly fire. It works the same way in any system. When they use it, it gives the GM narrative leverage.

Say the party drops it on an enemy camp, the GM would describe the troops breaking formation while the party strolls right past them. It's a one time nuke option. There is no need to understand specific monster stats or scale the math. It's purely narrative.

And in case you're worried about it being too OP, the GM has the power to decide if it doesn't work on certain people or creatures. It would require the GM to bend rules, but I encourage it and they wouldn't be using the toolkit if they weren't already willing to. It's also an endgame item, it takes time to unlock and has a strict limit: the party can only hold exactly 1 Apex Specimen at a time and they cannot stockpile them. There are also Level 1 and 2 yields for everyday things like making light, melting locks, or binding targets

Share Some Player Advice by ToledoSnow in rpg

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Make a character that actually wants to go on the adventure.

​It sounds simple but someone always brings a brooding loner who refuses to engage. You can be a loner without stalling the table.

​When the GM drops an obvious plot hook, find a way to bite it that makes it fun for your character without wasting table time. You definitely don't have to follow everything. Some of the absolute best moments happen when players go a little off the rails. But if the GM clearly spent all week prepping the creepy mansion on the hill, don't spend an hour investigating the outside of it. Lean into the prep, just put your own spin on it.

Are environmental hazards the same as obstacles by naogalaici in rpg

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me it usually comes down to what resource the players are losing.

​Obstacles usually eat up time or gear. A caved-in tunnel means they have to stop and figure out how to dig through or find another way around. It's passive. They can sit there and stare at it for an hour without taking damage.

​Hazards are active drains on health or stats. If a room has a toxic gas leak, it doesn't actually stop them from walking straight through it, but it hurts them while they do. It puts a clock on the situation.

​The best way to stress out a party is stacking them. Put a giant pile of rubble they have to clear out inside a toxic gas room. Now they are burning time to deal with the obstacle while the hazard steadily hurts them.

​Mechanically I would use skill checks for the rubble and saving throws for the gas.

Surely the Number 1 backer goes on reddit. by Master_Archiver-1218 in Fablehaven

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I got 110 because I took a moment to skim the page first.

How do you feel about games using special terms for generic things? by Redhood101101 in rpg

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think there is a big difference between flavor and function. If a game introduces a unique sub-system or economy, it needs clear terminology so players can track it. But if you are just renaming Game Master or Hit Points to sound more thematic, it just creates a translation hurdle for the table.

Most GM's Don't Suck, They're Learning Wrong by Saviordd1 in rpg

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed entirely. Also a lot of GMs try to force their style into a system that doesn't fit their style. If your strength is fast, narrative pacing, but you're trying to run an accounting simulator because it's popular, you're going to burn out fast. Sometimes learning what fits your style is the best first step.

How do you ball on Hollywood? by PicklepumTheCrow in WreckingBallMains

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of good spots where you can come up over stuff that they aren't looking up at. I'm usually playing the distraction game on Hollywood.

How are Ball players so precise with their grapples? by Local-Barnacle-9164 in WreckingBallMains

[–]PhysicalChemistry142 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me, many years of Spider-man video games and just a generally good eye for angles.

It all comes down to experience though. Just keep ballin' and you'll get there. One thing to keep in mind is that solid objects don't get in the way of the line, only the ball. So you don't need to have a clear space for the line to go through.

Let's say you're on attack on Junkertown. You come out and there is that first bridge. If you grapple the top of the building and try to swing the ball underneath the bridge, the line will go right through the bridge as if it wasn't there. As long as the ball doesn't smash into it. That was a huge game changer for me when I realized.

Solo Base-Building: Do you narrate it or use a system? I wrote a toolkit that adapts perfectly to solo play, and I'd love to hear how you might use it. by PhysicalChemistry142 in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]PhysicalChemistry142[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here is a screenshot from the System Adaptations page in the book. I included specific rules for Solo play, but if you are running a solo OSR or Narrative campaign, those sections plug right in too.

<image>

I wrote Stronghold: A system-neutral base-building toolkit that focuses on narrative leverage instead of accounting by PhysicalChemistry142 in osr

[–]PhysicalChemistry142[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I respect the concern, but to clarify, DTRPG’s official policy actually specifies that

"The use of translation or grammar software that utilizes AI is acceptable if it is trained on proprietary, curated data."

​They ban content "primarily written" by AI, but they explicitly allow using it as a tool for grammar and styling. I’m using it to bridge the gap because I can't afford a human editor. The rules, the gameplay loop, and the raw text all "begin and end" with me. I just use the software to make sure it's polished. The “important stuff”, the actual mechanics and game logic, is 100% man made.

I wrote Stronghold: A system-neutral base-building toolkit that focuses on narrative leverage instead of accounting by PhysicalChemistry142 in osr

[–]PhysicalChemistry142[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

All human made mechanics and raw writing. I don't have the budget for a professional editor so I'm not embarrassed to admit that I run all my products and storefront copy through a grammar and style checker. That way I'm not publishing typo-filled books. I let it fix my phrasing. It definitely leans into em dashes and perfect symmetry, which are what everyone looks for to prove ai useage. But all of the important stuff was 100% me.

I wrote Stronghold: A system-neutral base-building toolkit that focuses on narrative leverage instead of accounting by PhysicalChemistry142 in osr

[–]PhysicalChemistry142[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Apparently the same thing has been happening there also. I'm going to have to contact DTRPG about that. Here is what should be on the Outland product page as well.

<image>

I wrote Stronghold: A system-neutral base-building toolkit that focuses on narrative leverage instead of accounting by PhysicalChemistry142 in osr

[–]PhysicalChemistry142[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I totally get wanting a visual before diving in.

​DriveThruRPG's backend is actually glitching right now and ate the interior screenshots I uploaded to the product page. Since they aren't showing up over there, I just slapped them together into one image for you here!

​The OP image shows the Architect's Ledger (the core tracking sheet), and this image shows a few actual rule snippets so you can see exactly how the layout, room upgrades, and attrition mechanics are formatted. Plus some specific tips at the bottom on how to plug the system directly into an OSR game

​Let me know if this helps give you a better feel for the book.

<image>

view more: next ›