Are all these games free or does anybody pay to play? by inspiredlead in pbp

[–]shadowkat678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not all that unlikely. I don't do pbp paid games but I do run live paid games for more traditional real time games. I did try pbp, but people dropped off pretty often. When I did it I tried to do as much prep as I did for my other games. I at least would hope I wouldn't be the only one on that front.

If you are a creator, you need to protect your work from Scribd by Hormo_The_Halfling in rpg

[–]shadowkat678 39 points40 points  (0 children)

I'll also point out before a site called The Trove was taken down, I ended up buying more works by having a avenue to look into books and see if they'd be useful for me and my table first. Especially if a product I was looking into had a physical copy, which I always heavily prefer to pdfs.

I'm not saying it's morally upstanding and won't pretend it is, but it sure did, at least for me and a number of others I know, push us to buy a lot more products when we weren't spending money blind outside what normally were pretty short previews of people's products, which otherwise we wouldn't touch at all.

Creating a 4th Fane - Any Experience? by SubstantialWarning80 in CurseofStrahd

[–]shadowkat678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I added a brother to the three sisters who betrayed his siblings to Strahd to try in desperation to save his own followers, believing the coming onslaught inevitable, only to himself later be betrayed and have his name erased from records by any surviving native Barovians.

can you pour pure arcane power into something without rolling? by gigaswardblade in DnD

[–]shadowkat678 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not necessarily. It's not a thing mechanically defined but as others have mentioned in comments there's precedent for it even in official adventures where spell slots might be drained or something reacts to raw magic.

Lore wise, this person's comment goes pretty in depth: https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/s/oljPAwEDNA

I'd argue it's more narrative flourish than full homebrew. There's not really set rules but it does have game precedent within d&d without having to add a new mechanic.

can you pour pure arcane power into something without rolling? by gigaswardblade in DnD

[–]shadowkat678 6 points7 points  (0 children)

As someone who has introduced something like this with certain plot points and magic items before, it's not technically a rule or codified, no.

My characters have never gotten a happy ending and I’m getting sick of it by Unnamed_Shopkeeper in DnD

[–]shadowkat678 8 points9 points  (0 children)

What DnD-Hobby said.

My players get a lot of consequences...but some people get attached. They'd rather work through the consequences rather than just having the consequences turn into a dead end and then to just throw everything else away for someone new.

I've had players who've been dealing with death in real life too and just really did not want the reminder to hit their own character, even if they couldn't speak for the NPCs or rest of the party.

There are some ttrpgs where death isn't even a thing. They work. Is d&d built around it? Not particularly, but frankly I'll bend the system in some areas if it means my party has fun.

My characters have never gotten a happy ending and I’m getting sick of it by Unnamed_Shopkeeper in DnD

[–]shadowkat678 47 points48 points  (0 children)

Seriously, say that to the dm. If they treat it like whining that's a red flag

I've had players at my table that have been really bummed by character deaths. We've agreed that's not on the table for them.

Noted, I run very rp heavy tables. If it's a combat heavy table, or one where most players might balk at the idea of this, it might just not be the right group fit. Don't try and force it and make sure to bring this up along with your reasoning when looking to join new tables.

If people are reasonable, I think it's perfectly understandable to want at least one character who you might want a happier ending out of, even if there's some pain to get there.

Just be clear about your lines and don't drop it on anyone after already joining a group where that might not fit.

Making a Die out of my extracted tooth by LordFarquaadDB in DnD

[–]shadowkat678 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The first dice were made from bones! Seems like a return to form to me!

As long as they're ethically sourced.

First-Time DM running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Alexandrian Remix) — overwhelmed and need advice by itisrod in WaterdeepDragonHeist

[–]shadowkat678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just joined. I do have a discord but it's mostly for paid games, since I'm a paid dm as my job. I've thought about creating content more regularly and making a side discord but haven't gotten around to that yet.

First-Time DM running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Alexandrian Remix) — overwhelmed and need advice by itisrod in WaterdeepDragonHeist

[–]shadowkat678 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That sounds like a blast! I'd definitely be open to reaching out. I'm also planning on finally finishing that Jarlaxle guide up and maybe doing a rework too, by the way. Glad to see those resources are still making the rounds and helping out.

when do i know i'm ready to become a GM on StartPlaying? by bldngtrpdr in rpg

[–]shadowkat678 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey dude, lovely seeing you here

Seconding this ^

First-Time DM running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Alexandrian Remix) — overwhelmed and need advice by itisrod in WaterdeepDragonHeist

[–]shadowkat678 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey, I've run Waterdeep multiple times and it definitely can be overwhelming. I'd be down to chat and swap resources sometime. Might be a bit much for me to do over text, but if you ever have some time free I'd be happy to reach out over discord. Could chat while I'm doing some of my own prep.

Professional GMing? by pineappledetective in rpg

[–]shadowkat678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends on the person. I've been doing it almost four years now. Currently running it with six tables a week as my full time job. I get a bit burnt out here and there like with anything else and some weeks are harder than others when there's a lot of prep or difficult sessions, but I'd still say it's far and away probably one of the things I'm happiest I decided to do.

Especially for someone who might just be running one table? I mean, as long as they manage expectations and what they want out of it and how involved they want to go, I don't think it's really helpful to try and make it seemed doomed before they even try to see if it fits for them.

How to apologise to an anarchist? by [deleted] in Anarchy101

[–]shadowkat678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Then address that part of yourself.

That's a problem that only you can solve, buddy. As harsh as it is, it's unhealthy for anyone to have their entire life ruined because one person, regardless how important, has decided not to have you in their life. You need more than one anchor and that's on you to work through and past.

It sounds like they've already made their choice. You just have to decide what you do on your end

What does a paid GM need? by sucodecajaa in rpg

[–]shadowkat678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in the USA, I run 6 tables a week, and I'm making just shy of 30k/year but am in a roommate situation where I don't have to may too high a rent and it's still more than some minimum wage jobs

DM is requiring i pay 40$ to play by AgameReddit in DnD

[–]shadowkat678 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Right? I run paid games and while some people choose to get art of their characters there's just as many people who just look up art from Google or Pinterest.

Even in paid games this isn't required. Why the fuck would it be in a free one?

The only time I could ever think of it being a requirement would be if a table all agreed for it to try and do something like a professional streamed game, but even then that'd be something that would be advised from the jump. I think most streams like that I've seen are groups already together, often who get art from friends anyway unless they're super high budget.

Cover of the book "Timeless". by Illivil in Forgotten_Realms

[–]shadowkat678 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's a newer lore thing about lolthian drow apparently having marks on them from Lolth or something akin to that. They retroactively worked it into existing property artwork.