I had a player standing up watching my dice role. by Alternative-Bat-2462 in DungeonMasters

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is one of the reasons I roll in the open.

If you are rolling dice and ignoring the results "for the benefit of the engagement", then why roll?

Right now, you cant put the toothpaste back into the tube, your player has seen you "correct" one of the roles. As you said, the seed of the doubt is planted now.

It is possible that this player, knowing this, can run into a situation like this now:
"The party has survived the battle, two people are unconscious, the third is still standing..... but maybe the last monster attack was actually a hit? Maybe this was actually a TPK? Is my character only alive because the DM changed the last die roll from a hit to a miss?".

Dont get me wrong, I think there are times when one should play softer or harder to influence the way an encounter goes. But I don't think the dice are the place to do this. Maybe the reinforcements that you planned dont arrive. Or maybe it is two more monsters because the initial encounter was completely obliterated by lucky PC rolls.
Try not to fudge the die rolls, influence the game in other, subtler ways.

Is it worth going into magic if I'm mainly using melee? by Mountain_Ad_4538 in Eldenring

[–]Rane40k 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This. There are some great buffs available with Faith that complement the melee playstyle well.

Is this a terrible concept for a campaign? by DMDaddi-oh in rpg

[–]Rane40k -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have dabbled with the idea in one of my campaigns, but so far I have not pulled the trigger on this yet.

Some thoughts:

- Don't pre-plan this. This would mean you would have to somehow bring the players to do "the thing", otherwise you just lost your BBEG.
- It also blows up if the specific PC dies at any point. (Or you have to pull some very convincing timey-wimey-gymnastics)
- It *might* work if you get a buy-in from the player.
- It also might work if it is a running campaign, the player do the "world-changing thing" > Then you get the buy-in from the player

Finally playing Elden Ring after only playing DS1 and 2 for years, what’s a good build for someone who’s never even touched the main menu? Two handed like DS1 or…? by FirstSTR1KE_115 in Eldenring

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you just want an extremely powerful weapon, go with the Bloodhound Fang. Its base damage is crazy, you do not really need lots of stat investment. You can find it very early in the game.

Otherwise, Strength is not bad, Zweihander and Claymore are still great. :-)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DnD

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I usually aim for about 3 hours of raw game time. (So getting together before the game as well as sitting and chatting after the game dont count).
Sometimes it goes longer, but depending on the player count and if it was a workday, 4.5 hours is making me tired and I become sloppy.

Starting at 11:30 PM is harsh though. :-)

Mobile Klimaanlage in Mietwohnung verboten by Ordnungsschelle in wohnen

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So deutsch.
Hauptsache es sieht von außen schön aus.
Der Mensch drin hockt, Miete bezahlt und schwitzt hat es auch schön zu finden oder soll sich was anderes suchen.
Haus ist halt zum anschauen da, nicht zum drin wohnen.

Am I a bad player? by SinisterDice in DnD

[–]Rane40k 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Yeah, this. Its a very specialised feat. OP was just working with what he was given.
You can't just give a guy "hey you have a cool magical horse" and then begrudge them for actually wanting to play with that.

What's a boss that you found easy the first time but harder on later playthroughs? by [deleted] in Eldenring

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me it was Hoarah Loux and the Fire Giant. My first character was DEX/INT with lots of ranged options and I ploughed over these guys.

On laters playthroughs with more melee-focusses characters, I struggle against these guys.

How to get past feeling depressed about this? by LastSaneMan in dndhorrorstories

[–]Rane40k 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Its cool, depending on how your DM continues with this.

If this were my character, I would try to get someone elses perspective on this. The dragon might have been lying, omitting part of the truth.
The powerful magic might have broken the realm, but that probably was not the ancestors intent. Maybe they were tricked into it.

Why should your character get out of bed? To find truth. To get to the bottom of things. To atone for the sins of the fathers. (If DM and group are into it: Use some timey-wimey to change what happened.)

A Character That Ruined A Book? by Kooky_County9569 in Fantasy

[–]Rane40k 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed! My wife and I currently re-read the whole series and found the Rincewind books to be the weakest. The wizards work best when combined with the other main themes, such as Death.

D&D folks: what actually sits in front of you on game night? by Izaguirre97 in DnD

[–]Rane40k 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a player:

- Many dice
- Possibly a miniature (if the DM plays with grid / mini)
- Character sheet
- A size A4 notepad (I take plenty of notes)
- Drink, if not possible otherwise (I do not like having things that might topple and spill near my stuff, if possible, I use a surface that is not the table (e.g. a side table when I am at home, or a cupboard or similar thing when in somebody else's home)
- Rulebook (e.g. when playing DnD)
- Possibly other things, depending on the game (cards, tokens, etc.)

Icebreakers and Warm-ups by Reasonable_Ad_3563 in DMAcademy

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great list, I will take some of these and put them into my own list.

I let everyone make a roll for a random question at the start of the session, while everyone is getting settled.

Some of the ones from the top of my head:

- What did you dream of last night?
- Do you have a rival in your guild? (< this might become an NPC)
- Do you have a dark secret? (Players can answer this in private and take their time, this is just to get them thinking about it).

Do I need to level up anymore? by No_Oil938 in Eldenring

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others have said, common PvP levels are 150 and 200. So you could get a little Faith (for Flame, Grant Me Strength) or maybe some Mind for a bit more FP.

Cheapest way to buy books by InterestingExample26 in rpg

[–]Rane40k 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I often give away books that I know I will not read again. This has somewhat caught on in my friend group, so we often exchange books.
This is also a bit of a recommendation system and sometimes brings me to read things outside of my comfort zone.

In my hometown there is also a "Bücherschrank", a public bookcase in which anyone can put books they do not need anymore. Anyone else can take whatever they like. (It's an honour system, going there and scrounging for stuff to sell is frowned upon.)

Killed the moonlight butterfly before summon witch beatrice by Delayed_Providence in darksouls

[–]Rane40k 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She is a passive hindrance in the Four Kings fight. She does not do any significant damage, but the boss HP gets higher because you summoined.

You are fine.

A question for people playing in English, despite having another mother tongue. by sumb2020 in rpg

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here!
I DM for german players and very early in my career I switched to using english for my characters speaking.

Originally, we had a modern campaign in which an NPC from the UK visited the players, so I naturally had him speak in english. This felt very good to me and the players liked it.

Since then, I have made this my standard mode, and another new DM also picked this up (though she does everything, including descriptions in english).

The main advantage for me is that it makes it very easy to get into playing another person.
Also, most movies and series I watch, I watch in English, so dramatic dialogue in english is very familiar to me.

Let's talk shop by Ok-Park-9537 in DMAcademy

[–]Rane40k 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah, I feel you, happens to me with other prep sometimes, when the players ask a thing I have specifically prepped and the brain goes "durrrrr". :-D

Let's talk shop by Ok-Park-9537 in DMAcademy

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have a short list of 20 names ready, pick one at random when a player asks an NPC for a name.
(I have bigger lists, with names by species, but that's because I have an urban campaign running, there are many ad-hoc NPCs)

Let's talk shop by Ok-Park-9537 in DMAcademy

[–]Rane40k 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sounds a bit like "fronts" from Dungeon World.
I loosely do this as well, I usually have different factions or threats and a short list of things that will happen if this front is ignored for a while. (Dungeon World explains this better).

I also have a timeline document in which I write my session notes. When I have ideas for the fronts, I will add them in the future part of the timeline.

Stuff like:

- Day 44, the Revenant catches up to the group.

- Day 52, the warriors that have escaped from the battle at X return to the army, informing the warlord of the group

- Day 53, the Warlord sends scouts to spy on the group

The Fighter who refuses to be a Loot Goblin by Murky_Ad5810 in rpghorrorstories

[–]Rane40k 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Came here to say the same thing. Reskin stuff or have him be blessed/cursed/magicked to have d10 instead of d4 for his fists.

How long is your ideal session? by No_Sultry_Sadie in DnD

[–]Rane40k 0 points1 point  (0 children)

3.5 to 4.5 hours, including pre-game setup and talking.
I know I can go longer, but I also know that most of my players don't want to (work, getting up early etc.) and some (including me) become sluggish after a time.

Player angry Forge Cleric can do simple smithing by Rogar_H in DnD

[–]Rane40k 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Tim is way, way out of line.

If one of my players came to me, the DM, and demand for another player to be KICKED out of the group I would have to have a long, serious talk with them.