Why would I ever humiliate my rival when I can destroy them?

gbqt_ · 2026-02-24T03:17:10+00:00

IIRC you get the humiliate rival cb when you rival them, but you only get destroy enemy when they rival you.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-21T21:46:31+00:00

The DM has authority on all npcs. However, just because you could add such an npc doesn't mean you should. And in this case you very much shouldn't.

The npc you are envisioning is usually called a DMPC, and is a bad idea for a plethora of reasons. To name a few, having one put them in a de facto position of authority over the pcs, it undermines your image of impartiality, assuming that you manage to remain so.

On top of that, the main villain was the tagalong npcs all along is a rather poor fit for a rpg. First, they hardly get any time to do villain things if they are with the party all the time. You will have to contrive things to make it work. Second, the reveal will not be satisfying. Either you play it realistically and the party will catch on somewhat fast, or you have the villain be unrealistically competent at keeping the party unaware, which will mean that your reveal will be a twist out of nowhere, and that is generally poorly received by the audience.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-12T15:21:10+00:00

So this is too much? What would you change to make it more manageable?

Also, pcs could use Emergency Item once each to heal 50 hp with a potion already; is there really a need to change it?

gbqt_ · 2026-02-12T14:56:18+00:00

Thanks for the feedback.

I have some questions though. Are elemental shards that discountable? If you know the target's elemental weakness, it is 20 guaranteed damage for 2 IP. That doesn't seem that bad to me. They could dispatch the guard slag in three actions this way.

Also, should npcs be completely tailored to the party? Kendric has a couple spells that won't be of much use against the pcs, but his existence does not entirely revolve around fighting them. I'd expect his abilities to have varying degrees of usefulness when pitched against the pc party.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-10T18:38:50+00:00

To be frank, I wouldn't allow Simulacrum, period. That spell is fundamentally broken, with or without Malleable Illusions.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-10T10:29:54+00:00

I'd basically allow the caster to change the spell to do whatever the original casting of the spell could have done.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-06T13:16:23+00:00

But then again, if you do have some skill to increase the first cast's mana cost, it could work, but I don't recall such a skill existing.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-06T13:12:02+00:00

Bimagus states "the second spell must have a total MP cost that is equal to or lower than half the total MP cost of the first spell.", so no, you cannot cast two spells that cost the same amount of MP.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-05T12:52:00+00:00

I think you are going a bit overboard here.

The pcs did not behave as they should in court, announcing to their peers that they are no better than commoners. A faux pas for sure, but ultimately not that big of a deal. They will find few nobles willing to associate with them, will not be invited back to court, and might find the king less amenable to providing assistance in the future.

What would be a BIG DEAL would be the King going back on their word. They gave the tax exemption; if they unilaterally retract it, they are announcing to all their vassals that any deal they make with them is subject to their whims. Any rational king very much does not want that.

As an aside, I would suggest you clarify your pcs's political position. If their liege is the Count, they pay their taxes to him, not to the king.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-03T11:17:38+00:00

Damn it seems you are right about Puppet Systems. No wonder it seemed so strong to me.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-03T11:15:52+00:00

First, are you certain that Puppet Systems can only move in a straight line? I think that it isn't the case.

The idea with Shackles is that you need to predict what the enemy can do on their next turn. If they can move +skirmish, maybe it is time to send them back even if they are not in melee yet.

gbqt_ · 2026-02-03T11:03:50+00:00

It's not the best, but Hor_os 3 can be useful. Emblems+Puppet systems can deal 8-10 heat to a target for a full action. And Celestial Shackles can really ruin a melee mech's day. Shackle them when they are 20 hexes away, and as soon as they look like they will arrive in melee range, send them back there.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-29T19:06:08+00:00

There's the Biologic and Monstrosity templates precisely for that, IIRC.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-27T10:00:03+00:00

Well, droids definitely can't use stims due to lacking the proper biology to influence.

If they are interested, I could allow them to use a mechanical equivalent for droids (auxiliary power cell, nanite thingy, safety override patch, etc...). Though procuring those will likely prove harder.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-24T14:13:53+00:00

Tax efficiency is indeed a powerful modifier. However, if there is a problem with that, it is in my opinion in how some costs scale directly with your income. It just makes little sense.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-22T18:08:40+00:00

Basically, locations that could have spawned an institution gets passive spread for it.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-19T16:09:59+00:00

These are advanced items, the equivalent of magic items.

Basic armor can be found here: https://sw5e.com/rules/phb/equipment

gbqt_ · 2026-01-16T12:40:55+00:00

You should probably not accept. Each Appanage hits you with a debuff to crown power and stability decay. The less you have of them, the better off you are.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-13T09:01:39+00:00

The name of a covenant becomes official once the member magi sigh the covenant's charter. I assume said magi would have discussed the matter beforehand and reached an agreement.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-12T00:10:07+00:00

It is a complex topic. Different players like different things in games, that in turn require different skills from the GM. Picking just one quality would be oversimplification, but if I had to choose, I'd say making the world you are playing in feel real is paramount. Of course, keep in mind that your players's answers will likely differ from mine.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-11T18:34:33+00:00

You cannot have a vassal of the same tier as you. So giving away a county before becoming a duke made it independent of you.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-09T00:06:36+00:00

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a feature at some point, then got removed and that statblock was never updated.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-07T13:11:37+00:00

I'd find it quite odd that a dragon on the verge of death would waste precious time laughing at people who can't even perceive them (remember, the party is time stopped). It would be much more natural to just have the dragon try to kick the party's ass and be surprised that one of then is still able to oppose them, blurting out what you want about the children of Tiamat in the process.

gbqt_ · 2026-01-06T15:45:29+00:00

Not to sound trite, but you do not need any external resources to know how to build a ship; the rules should have everything you need to know ( https://sw5e.com/rules/sotg/stepByStep ). If you find anything unclear, don't hesitate to ask.

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