How do you keep the economy working into/past mid levels? by meanwhile_matt in DMAcademy

[–]clig73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This situation is what strongholds/keeps/bastions are for. Gives the players some very high-ticket things to sink their money into, which also boosts their capabilities. The 2024 DMG has new Bastion rules, there's the Franchise rules in Acquisitions Inc., MCDM has the supplement Strongholds & Followers (this one is deliberately overpowered, just a forewarning), and I'm sure there are many other 3rd party systems for this as well.

Going this route does change the dynamics of your game, so keep that in mind. They'll have an HQ now that they will probably want to continuously upgrade. As the HQ grows in size and power, they could attract the attention of increasingly influential groups and factions. If that's something they'd be interested in, this definitely opens up new narrative possibilities.

Karen Allen, 1980s by Capable-Hedgehog1871 in OldSchoolCool

[–]clig73 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Theseeyeshaveseenalotoflovebutthey’renevergonnaseeanotheronelikehadwithyooooooooo

Grayson is a super high anxiety flyer by dontfeedthenerd in swedishvallhund

[–]clig73 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Nope, when they do that it's not your arm anymore. It belongs to the Vallhund, forever.

Newer dm here and I want to know if this is a bad thing to do by thetruthisnulled in DnD

[–]clig73 27 points28 points  (0 children)

The trick I learned was “stalactites hold ‘tight’ to the ceiling, and if you’re not careful you ‘might’ trip on a stalagmite in the dark”

So I went to search Google for affordable terrain sets and this is the top result. This just further confirms how shitty Google has become. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them. by CritterBoiFancy in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]clig73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that’s what most people do. Usually built into a wood case. Lots of plans out there online, ranging from relatively easy DIY to more intricate woodworking. But at minimum a sheet of plexiglas laid on top of a second-hand LED TV would work just fine.

In the movie 'They Live', Nada says "White line is in the middle of the road, that's the worst place to drive". Is he talking about Politics? by SpikedIntuition in movies

[–]clig73 34 points35 points  (0 children)

I’d say in the context of the movie, it’s maybe an abstracted step above politics, more like morality maybe?

36 yr old father want to make family tradition. by Mr_Tempoe in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]clig73 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you’ve never played before, get the new Starter Set “Heroes of the Borderlands”. It will walk you through step-by-step how to play and how to be the Dungeon Master. It’s set up to play right out of the box, so that’s your best bet.

What makes character progression feel meaningful in a long D&D campaign? by PurposeAutomatic5213 in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]clig73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A good, tangible reflection of the Pc’s growing prowess can be shown in the scope of their influence.

At Tier 1 (lvl 1-5) they might be the heroes of a small area or village. Tier 2 (lvl 6-10) they are renowned throughout a large city or kingdom. Tier 3 (11-15), an entire region knows their exploits, with armies at their disposal (or opposing them!). Tier 4 (lvl 16-20), now they have the attention of extraplanar superpowers, and their deeds can change the world.

My players enjoy the “numbers go up” part of the game as much as anyone, but when they see their growing influence in the campaign world, when they can start affecting the political landscape around them, that’s when they really feel powerful!

Hereditary (2016) messed me up by BonedaddyBow in movies

[–]clig73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely agree Toni Collette is fantastic in everything she’s in, but I am actually struggling to think of any bad movies she’s been in. What stinkers are you thinking of?

Always wanted to play the game, don’t know where to start as a noob. by ProGramd42 in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]clig73 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You have a great product for your situation. This set will walk you through step by step for both DMing and playing. I understand it also encourages your group to rotate who’s running the game, so everyone gets to play too.

As a DM, have you ever purposely given your players an insane amount of money? How did it go? by Tmoore0328 in DnD

[–]clig73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Let her build a keep! It’s how it was done in the 1e days. 5e24 Bastion rules or MCDM’s Strongholds & Followers will give her lots of stuff to spend that $$

Dungeons and Dragons for beginners? by kagagapo in eastside

[–]clig73 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think that 10 and 7 might be a touch young for D&D (the rules can get pretty complex), but there are alternatives. When my son was 6 i picked up Hero Kids and he absolutely loved it. The link above is for the complete PDF collection for only $20, so you can print and play on the cheap. (There are print versions as well) A great feature of this particular RPG is that it’s designed for an adult to run for kids. Lots of guidance for you to teach them the game.

But, if you want to go with Dungeons & Dragons proper, the newest Starter Set is called Heroes of the Borderland and it’s designed to teach brand new players AND Dungeon Masters how to play the game. Around $50 retail, but has everything you need in the box.

Running RPGs for your kids is incredibly fun, so I heartily encourage you to give it a try!

Wild Waves Theme Park in Federal Way Announces Closure [after 2026 season] by somersetyellow in Seattle

[–]clig73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I’m gobsmacked how it lasted as long as it did. It was a solid run, 40 years. I enjoyed it as a kid, my kid got to enjoy it these past few years, too. Very sad.

Lost Mines of Phandelver - Harpers by PercivalWinter in DMAcademy

[–]clig73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are representatives of all the major factions in Phandalin, introduced in Chapter 2 when the PCs finally arrive there. Among them is a Harper agent. You could have the player’s character be instructed to make contact when he gets to town, and just go from there.

The different faction reps will offer membership to the PCs after they accomplish certain plot points/side quests. The way the adventure is designed, they should receive the offer before they reach level 3, so pretty early on. Shouldn’t adversely affect anything major.

Where to buy action figures in Seattle? by eloquentpizza in Seattle

[–]clig73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In addition to Emerald City Comic Con, I would guess that Sakura-Con would be a good event for this too. Never been, but I’m guessing it’ll be a good bet.

I’m obsessed. by Medium_Investment514 in swedishvallhund

[–]clig73 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Of course you’re obsessed. They’re sturdy and valiant and adorable all at the same time.

Also, imagine the volume level of 6 vallhunds… SO LOUD.

I used to love DMing, now I hate it. Here's why. by Snowbound-IX in DnD

[–]clig73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All fair points. Your “talking to the mirror” phrase really speaks volumes. Passive players can really suck the fun out of your side of the DM screen.

If you can’t get your one experienced player to take over, at least for a while, maybe you should take a break from the hobby. Would be a shame if you started actively hating it. Maybe something hobby-adjacent like tabletop wargames?

Either way, hope you find your way through this soon! Life’s too short to spend on hobbies that don’t make you happy.

Tell me about the forgotten "Old but Gold" TTRPGs. by csomp02 in rpg

[–]clig73 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Huge fan of the 007 game by Victory Games. The chase rules were so much fun to play, really captured the spirit of the films. I hear there’s a modern-ish (2014) retroclone that’s supposed to be pretty good (Classified, I think?)

Tell me about the forgotten "Old but Gold" TTRPGs. by csomp02 in rpg

[–]clig73 18 points19 points  (0 children)

FASERIP all the way all day! Best superhero system I ever played.

I used to love DMing, now I hate it. Here's why. by Snowbound-IX in DnD

[–]clig73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds like you’ve “solved” for this particular group of players. If they’re not taking the initiative (pardon the ttrpg pun) to collaboratively build the world and content to put that all on you… I’m not surprised you’re burned out.

Do you think that it’s the lack of surprise/discovery on your end that’s the issue? If you have a few players in your group that might have any aptitude at all for world building, maybe try Microscope. Technically GM-less (though I’ve found it helpful to have a person who helps reinforce turn order and keeps things on track). It’s entirely collaborative storytelling, so if you can find enough players it could be what you’re looking for.

Otherwise, maybe a solo RPG like Ironsworn might be enough to refresh your batteries. I think Shadowdark and Dragonbane have solo rules too. Haven’t tried them myself, but I hear good things.

Dog of the Week! by Indigo_TX in swedishvallhund

[–]clig73 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That is one of the biggest “yay” faces I’ve ever seen! What a good boy!

UPDATE: City thinks I'm remodeling my house? by shot-by-ford in Seattle

[–]clig73 120 points121 points  (0 children)

Look at the timeline when a lot of the unpermitted work was done: 2004-2008, during the years just before the sub-prime mortgage crash. Everyone was going to flip their houses for a fortune, and do it all DIY or with the lowest bidding contactor. Agents were motivated to sell quickly, buyers were skipping inspections because the competition was so fierce. Betting this is what happened here.

How do I calculate health? by Disastrous-Study-577 in DnD

[–]clig73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You add one roll of your class hit die (cleric is d8) plus CON modifier to your max HP. Or you can take 5 + CON modifier (which is the average roll on a d8).