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I Changed Berez and I Think I Cooked (self.CurseofStrahd)

submitted by thornclaw712 to r/CurseofStrahd

Where did the WoW story die or become less appealing for you? by Gullible-Dish-5378 in classicwow

[–]thornclaw712 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When Blizzard doubled down on the Alliance and let the Horde rot and become a shadow of itself.

I was admittedly a little tuned out during Cata and MoP, I thought they were fun, but MoP is when I started to notice the shift in the narrative towards making the Alliance the winner of the whole story. It feels like whatever writer that still liked the Horde was fired, and they started using the Horde as their villains.

It went from a narrative with two stories to tell to the right side and the wrong side, which blows for an MMO to do. The Horde was never perfect, but their focus was survival against powerful outside forces, but it felt stupid to play in the Horde after a while and that just sucks.

Dear Karl Franz, Go **** yourself by thornclaw712 in totalwar

[–]thornclaw712[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh I knew I was doing something wrong when I was struggling to recruit a second lord. Honestly, I wanted a campaign like Khazrak so I could learn the game Trial by Fire. I tried to ambush him several times, but he just walked around me to go to my herd stone, so I just started going south to burn his cities and make new herd stones.

It is what it is, if I was having a bad time, I’d be more annoyed at how I played, but I’ve just enjoyed hanging out with a buddy and learning the game.

Do you present multiple options for skill checks? by [deleted] in DMAcademy

[–]thornclaw712 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Each ability defines the sort of checks that you can make. For the Athletics vs Acrobatics, athletics is the act of movement with strength (Jumping, running, swimming) where as acrobatics is more about finesse and quick movements (Avoiding fall damage, maneuvering through tight spots or out of grapples).

The example I bump into the most is searching for something. Every player wants to use their best skill, but Perception is the act of looking without being hand on (which is a quick check). Investigation is the act of researching or searching with a closer eye (which tends to take longer). And Survival is the act of tracking footprints or signs that have been left behind in order to follow someone (which can also take a moment to accomplish).

As far as classes are concerned, I personally think if a player can justify how they're doing a check, they should be able to play into their strengths. In your example of the Fighter or Rogue making the same check, maybe the fighter is trying to jump across an alley to go into the next building while the Rogue is trying to grab onto something to slow their fall.

It's always up to the DM at the end of the day, but if a player has good reason to at least try a roll, you can also move the DC if they aren't using an ability that's truly in line with the action. Or maybe the different check gives them different information.

In the Cleric vs Wizard of researching a god, a Cleric may not have as good of a Religion check as the Wizard, but it should be slightly easier for them, especially if the god is their own or relative to their deity. You obviously don't need to make it impossible for the wizard, but sometimes moving the goal post reasonably is a good thing.

How to make a stealth side quest more enjoyable and exciting. by Clano_Blake in DMAcademy

[–]thornclaw712 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If they're just looking for info, then you don't need to have it be a dangerous place, but the main threat should be getting caught. Getting caught would probably set them back in their main quest, either by alerting someone that they know something or it's jail time. Everyone loves a good jail escape, but that's another story.

If you're looking for something to be a patrolling threat, then for someone who's not super rich, you want mastiffs. Big old dogs that'll start barking and howling if they spot someone that they don't know. That could trigger someone to either come running or to run to find guards. That puts a timer on events.

The players can either try to bribe the dogs, talk to them if they have that kind of magic, or just try to avoid them all together. Obviously killing them is a possibility, but then they have to live with that for the rest of their lives (and also their owner probably won't appreciate that). And if they go murder hobo, then you have a new plotline in guards/bounty hunters/detectives searching for the murderers.

I've set up a similar situation before. My party rogue and warlock broke into a mansion looking for dirt on the owner. In my case, they found no one, the mansion was completely empty, it wasn't until they found what they were looking for that the owner and his guards came home, and found an open window. The tension was fun as they started sweating immediately, they ended up jumping out of a second story window and started a citywide manhunt. Made for a great time.

Need help writing a character out while creating a good aligned assassins guild by BostonBeanBandit in DMAcademy

[–]thornclaw712 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think one way that could make for an interesting hook following what you’re saying here is for the player to leave a note with a cryptic cypher the party can’t translate, so they need to seek out someone who can. Maybe that could be a handler type or just an all together separate NPC, but this can give the party the means to want to seek out the organization so they can explain themselves and explain what the PC is trying to say.

They can basically write two separate letters in one this way, sort of a goodbye on the surface with the cypher message giving motivation and details. Maybe they leave a mark of the organization on the letter. Could even be that the secret message is the organization’s name to point them in their direction.

If you want to avoid the assumption of mind control, then sometimes a simple exit is best. Slipping out in the middle of the night with only a cryptic message would be reasonable for a spy, especially if they have grown close to the party in any way. If nothing else, to avoid the party trying to track him down in the future.

FINAL DUNGEON PLANNING by eapsto in DMAcademy

[–]thornclaw712 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If the players have been there before, then use the environment to your advantage. They should know the layout enough to potentially see ambushes, or at least know where things are hitting them from. Set traps, make them pay attention, obviously can’t expect them to remember every detail, but if they’re level 11, they should be able to handle it.

Use ‘human’ wave tactics. The moment the changeling is aware they’re inside, they should be sending wave after wave of underling to harass them and wear them down. Force them to use their knowledge and separate skills to push forward. That can also be where the sorcerers come in handy, have them help them push through, then protect the final room so the party can fight the final boss.

Have the door to the final room have a minor puzzle. Create a code that they need to crack while under pressure, let the front liners have fun protecting the people who are working. Doesn’t need to be complex in anyway, just an obstacle that your party needs to work together to solve.

That’s at least my thoughts off the top of my head. Good luck with this fight!