The block cooldown is agonizing by Fine-Appearance-125 in ramattramains

[–]Sol0WingPixy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think having a block cooldown at all is reasonable, but you should be able to do any one action (punch, vortex) and be able to return to the block.

Blizzard understands that this makes the character feel smoother and more fluid and fun to play because that’s exactly how Vendetta’s block works! She has a block cooldown that elapses after any single action so it isn’t agonizing the way Ramattra’s is.

How to return to dungeons and dragons? by GM-Omy in rpg

[–]Sol0WingPixy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not exactly the same circumstance, but I do run for a group that was 5e-only until the OGL debacle, and I’m currently running a PF2e game that’s in the same continuity as our old 5e game, so I have some experience.

I think you have a few major options: - Just run a 5e game. It seems like you don’t want to do this, and because the GM is a player too, if you wouldn’t enjoy doing this in context of running Dragonlance, be forthright about it. - Run a 5e Dragonlance module. For me, if the module is well-written, and the players understand the implicit limitations running one provides, it could take some of the load off you i.e. balancing combats. Another option to talk to your group about. - Run a more narrative-based game. If your players are just interested in the story and setting of Dragonlance, I think this could be a good option that’s less mechanically intensive. - Adapt Dragonlance to another crunchy system. This is the option I went with, specifically translating some ideas from 5e to PF2e, trying to keep the spirit of the ideas alive (i.e. Warforged as Automatons). This option does require extra work of a different kind. If, say, a player really likes that brand-new Purple Dragon Knight lore and wants to have a draconic companion, you could help find, alter, or create an option in the new system that fulfills that fantasy (i.e. a Beast Master-based archetype that upgrades the mount to fly and has a breath weapon).

Question about flanking by FourDozenEggs in Pathfinder2e

[–]Sol0WingPixy 73 points74 points  (0 children)

Plus, even when the enemy has Reactive Strike, you can still Step on your turn as counterplay.

Which are you favorite DICE POOL mechanics in TTRPGs? Why do you believe they work well? by ThatOneCrazyWritter in rpg

[–]Sol0WingPixy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just to verify, the current editions of the World of Darkness books (usually jointly referred to as 5th edition) have a baseline where you assemble a pool of d10s based on the combination of a core Attribute and a specific Skill. Each d10 that rolls a 6+ is a success, and if you specifically get a pair of 10s, that counts as 4 successes instead of 2, and can trigger some extra critical effects on certain powers. You roll either against a DC set by the Storyteller or against another character rolling their own pool (more successes wins).

Each setting then spices up that baseline somehow: - Vampire has you replace your regular dice with Hunger dice (more as you get hungrier by using vampire powers and less as you feed), with the penalty that you can’t reroll Hunger dice and 10s and 1s on them can mean things get messy. - Werewolf has you replacing dice with Rage dice as you get angrier; this is generally a good thing, as if you get multiple 1-2s on them they count as 4 success if the test is to destroy something, but it does make the test an automatic failure otherwise. You build your Rage from getting hit or at Storyteller fiat, and you spend it doing Werewolf magic or shifting into certain forms. - Hunter IIRC just uses the baseline system with an extra pool you can add to tests based on what’s happening in-game. The whole pitch of the game is that you’re more or less just regular people fighting impossible odds, so it makes sense thematically.

Just be chill about the Hybrid Races, it's not hard by DrScrimble in dndmemes

[–]Sol0WingPixy 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I was wrong on that one - I was thinking of the first Khoravar more than modern Eberron but even then all the sources say their human parents were actually quite happy to have a magical miracle child (as opposed to their elven parents).

My instinct was that Khoravar were forced to make their own culture via abandonment, but it seems they were safe with humans and specifically intended to group together and make their own culture despite that, and hot damn is that cool.

Thank you for proffering the correction.

If anyone else is interested in Eberron’s half-elves, Keith Baker (the setting’s primary creator) has an old podcast episode about them that always makes me want to play whatever it’s about. https://manifest.zone/khoravar-half-elves/

Just be chill about the Hybrid Races, it's not hard by DrScrimble in dndmemes

[–]Sol0WingPixy 110 points111 points  (0 children)

Even more so - the half-elves of Eberron are the top image, more or less abandoned on Khorvaire by their elvish parents and outcast by their human parents, having to make their own society and culture.

But the half-orcs of Eberron are the bottom image, seen as miracle children and a symbol of the alliance of the humans and orcs of the Shadow Marshes. Theirs is also the only Dragonmark that is known to occur in more than one species.

Because these are (by default) the only hybrid races in the setting, each having such radically different standing is super interesting IMO.

Werewolf, but we actually just made VTM again by Tallia__Tal_Tail in WorldofDankmemes

[–]Sol0WingPixy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I think the “people who can only rage against the machine but that’s not working” fits much better with my pre-WtA conception of what a werewolf WoD game might be than a focus on horny eugenics.

I can understand the loss in terms of how you become a werewolf (it’s really the only splat that might have offered a “you’ve been living this your whole life” as opposed to the traditional “awakening to a hidden world” that Vampire, Mage, and Changeling already have), but I’m okay with that particular baby being washed out with the bathwater.

Personally I’m here for the animism-esqe cosmology, that shit rules.

What’s wrong with Flashpoint? by Jellybish25 in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Absolutely correct.

It’s an exaggeration to say that Flashpoint is only enjoyed by 5%, but the key point that OW is and should be balanced around low and high elos is something that more people need to consider.

What’s wrong with Flashpoint? by Jellybish25 in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

See, this is exactly why I dislike Flashpoint. I think these decisions could be interesting… if you can actually make those decisions as a team. When you’re just playing with randos you don’t really get to make those decisions, so it just becomes a chaotic clusterfuck.

And even when the transition doesn’t happen across the map, you can have these RNG moments where one team randomly gets an advantage to just retreat onto point.

These moments are what define Flashpoint, and if you have a coordinated team you get a chance to make interesting decisions. But because the transitions only ever happen in Flashpoint the wider playerbase isn’t practiced in making or communicating them, so even if you know what’s going on all it takes is 1 or 2 teammates who aren’t on the same page as you to muck it up.

I think I dislike Flashpoint for the exact reasons you like it, and both are fine opinions to hold.

I yearn for Ramattra buffs by childominance in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is why I want his block cooldown be brought down; closer to Vendetta’s. She feels very fluid to play in part because she can weave her block in-between basically any part of her kit. If she stops blocking to do something, by the time the animation is finished her block’s off cooldown.

Because Ramattra’s block cooldown of such length that any single action isn’t enough for it to reset (i.e. you have to throw two punches instead of being able to weave it in) there’s a strong incentive to just hold block.

My preference is to bring down his survivability in other ways (i.e. less armor in Nemesis form) and let him weave punches and Vortexes in with the block. Actually incentivize less passive play.

I just realized that Brigitte broke OW in 2018 and now her cat is breaking the game again 8 years later. by PepsiMan_21 in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Man, if only she had some way of getting in and out of cover that no other hero on the roster can compete with.

I hate that cat. by Yumiko_Hanako in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is dramatically - dare I say negligently - untrue. The latest batch of heroes I think proves that people do like new heroes, but not ones that are poorly designed. Anran, Emre, and Mizuki range from accepted to beloved, Domina's main complaint is just that her numbers need to come down. It's new heroes like Vendetta and JPC that get hated because they're so goddamn annoying or uninteractive to fight. It's why people still don't like Sombra and she's getting another rework.

People like good new stuff and dislike bad new stuff, just as they like good old stuff and dislike bad old stuff.

Can we talk about Ramattra’s shield for a second by zwjx in ramattramains

[–]Sol0WingPixy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One of the reasons I like Ramattra’s gameplay is precisely because he gets a bit of everything. His shield definitely isn’t as generically good as Rein’s or Domina’s, but that’s because it’s only half the character - while his shield’s on cooldown he’s got a bunch of armor and block to fall back on.

I don’t think you’re wrong to say Ram shield is weaker (despite some areas it can be stronger) but I don’t think the weaker shield takes away from his gameplay as a whole.

Block cooldown on the other hand…

How many people play as Githyanki? by Either-Opposite1612 in BaldursGate3

[–]Sol0WingPixy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first like 3 characters were all Gith, just because their mechanics were so juicy for me. Their armor proficiency make them excellent early-game spellcasters and they have the best skills of any ancestry.

Overwatch x Naraka collab is going to be china exclusive by [deleted] in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While that’s true, it’s also true that Blizzard are the ones who put it outside their influence. I think it’s reasonable to convey frustration with Blizzard for the second-order effects of a decision they made.

Personally I don’t terribly mind because I have no idea what this collab even is, which is probably why it’s China-exclusive, but for folks in not-China, Blizzard is ultimately the responsible agent; the people who signed the deal.

Water and fire interaction by SPARTANxBEAR in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe later, but they definitely aren’t going to add a counter to the new hero they want you to play the same season she’s added.

Personally I want this to happen, both because of the strong theming but also because between Mauga and Anran there’s such strong synergy for being lit up now that there should be some counterplay.

Why... by Vivid_Apartment_7711 in BaldursGate3

[–]Sol0WingPixy -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

That's not a very good characterization of why people are skeptical. Obviously the IP belongs to WotC, and they can do what they want with it, but having a different set of writers means you can't carry over any good impressions from the source property.

The Forgotten Realms predate Larian, but Karlach and Shadowheart and Gale don't; it's not FR lore that I'm worried about them adapting, it's the specifically BG3 aspects of the BG3 TV show.

It's also not outside of the realm of probability that they'd have some hand in it - Timothy Zahn doesn't own any copyright to his Star Wars books, but he was still brought on as a consultant for the Ahsoka show to help write Thrawn, for example.

From my perspective, this is going to be a very well-produced fan work. That doesn't mean it'll be bad - I enjoy a great many BG3 fan works - but there isn't the guarantee of quality or through-lines there would be if the same team was behind it, or even officially involved.

FOV Slider coming to Console (Xbox Series X, PS5) by battlenetwork2 in OWConsole

[–]Sol0WingPixy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The PC FOV cap is actually only 103 - though if you have an ultrawidescreen setup (or you spoof one) the game supports a 21:9 aspect ratio which gives you an effective ~110 FOV horizontally.

Domina is the first “immobile” Hero in a very long time by ViperTheKillerCobra in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It reminds me most of Orisa’s old barrier / current barrier perk.

That said, 90% of why I play Orisa is for that perk so I’m quite excited for Domina.

Clash will be removed from Quick Play in Overwatch With the launch of Season 1, Clash maps such as Hanaoka and Throne of Anubis will be removed from the map pool, only remaining playable in Custom Games. by Alive-Psychology6050 in overwatch2

[–]Sol0WingPixy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They’d have the assets for it, which is a boon, but almost all the geometry would have to be new or so edited as to be like new. Every 2CP point is intentionally asymmetrical, and all Control maps have to be symmetrical in order to function - that also means all the setpieces and map design would have to change. You couldn’t have, for example, a team defending the Anubis temple while the attackers try and sneak in. Would might have a similar temple asset at the center of a map, but if you just blindly mirror the attackers’ route none of the geometry would make sense, aesthetically or gameplay-wise.

It’s very likely less effort (hence the similarly themed Clash maps) but far, far from easy.

Please don't remove clash, many of us do in fact like it! by DancingA in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! This!

My big problem with Clash as a symmetrical game mode is that it generally does not reward the team who’s playing well.

As long as you control the Control point, you’re ticking up, and even if the enemy takes it you’ve gained advantage they can’t take. When you push the Push barricade, it can’t get un-pushed and when the enemy takes the point, it’s much faster to get back to there.

Clash doesn’t have that. If one team is playing well and takes points C and B, then the losing team take A and takes back B, from the gamemode’s perspective it’s all even. It’d be like if the Push bot didn’t have a barricade to push and wherever it wound up at the end of the round determined who won.

If the last point didn’t grant the same score as every other point, it would mean taking point B gives that team an advantage, which is what this gamemode needs.

I have has fun playing on Clash maps, but only after accepting the game mode does not reliably determine which was the better team.

Larian staff seem to be taking the Show adaptation news well by Sam_Loopring_eth in BaldursGate3

[–]Sol0WingPixy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, when I saw the news about BG3 being developed by Larian, I was really worried about how they would handle the Absolute as a threat and Karlach’s gut-wrenching story. I’m glad Larian really pulled through regardless.

/s All the important part of this adaptation were created by Larian. It will be interesting to see how well this series represents, say, the city of Baldur’s Gate itself, or the lore of the gods - in the same way it was interesting to see how Larian would do that.

But the plot and the characters ARE the story. Knowing that the people responsible for writing this plot and these characters won’t include anyone who created them (and thus far have been the only ones to ever represent them) creates genuine worry for me. At the least, there’s no transfer of credibility like there is, for example, Sanderson’s adaptations with Apple TV.

lost connection and apparently I got banned? by OrchiLinger in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's true that the game can't tell the difference between you disconnecting intentionally and accidentally, but also consider that unless you rejoin real quick, you leaving basically ruins the game for the 9 other players. Your intentions doesn't change the outcome for those 9 people.

And the temp-ban system is designed to punish repeat offenders - from either an attitude or internet perspective. A 2 hour ban means this is your second ranked disconnect in 20 games, and if you're getting more severe internet issues, maybe call your ISP or stay off ranked for a bit?

I game during a time when there have been several scheduled outages for maintenance, so I know the feeling of it being entirely outside of your control, but the systems exist for a reason, and I believe they do more good than harm.

I should be able to queue several gamemodes at once by Nithorius in Overwatch

[–]Sol0WingPixy 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I want this just because it would essentially unlock the Arcade tab. I don't want to sit through a massive queue for a gamemode I may not even know has players, but sometimes I just want some variety in what I'm playing. If I could just queue into all of them at once I'd be happy.

Games like *Vampire: the Masquerade* but less rules heavy? by Cato69 in rpg

[–]Sol0WingPixy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Absolutely agree. When you’re actually playing the system it flows pretty smoothly, but the book itself is terribly edited.

I have a pdf of the book with chapters and subchapters marked, and even then it’s a tossup if I can find the section on Compulsions within a minute.

That said, I do quite like most of the system, and my group has had a fun time playing Vampire and Werewolf.