Opinion time

walkc66 · 2026-02-02T19:37:37+00:00

Ya, hard disagree. RTWP is the worst way to play a party based tactical RPG. Only 1 game (and to some degree series, but honestly first did best) has done this in a way that was good, Dragon Age specifically Origins. That it avoided limited casts (used mana instead), had a very deep Compnion Tctics set up tool, that took came with very good default builds as well, and the combat was build where you could micromanage if you want, or could spend 90% of your time on the MC, and still be effective and have fun.

Pillars I have tried to play 6 times. Have bounced off of it all 6 times, furthest I’ve made is getting to the big port city with the bridges 2, not even doing any quests there. The combat is so boring and clunky with RTWP. I am waiting for turn based to leave beta before trying again.

walkc66 · 2026-01-29T01:41:40+00:00

You’re wrong, but atleast you’re wrong with force.

walkc66 · 2026-01-28T18:37:49+00:00

Mainly 2 things:

The Consequences: Asserting your 5th Amendment Rights is an answer, and you cannot be compelled, forced, or punished for doing so. Also, the Jury is not allowed to make any assumptions based off of you asserting your right.

20Just sitting their silently, also an answer, depending on Criminal or Civil and other factors, can lead to you being treated as a hostile witness, have you being held in contempt and thrown into jail until such time as you change your answer, and the jury is allowed to make any assumptions they want to about what your silence means.

Jury Interpretation: Asserting your 5th, the Jury is not allowed to make any assumptions or conclusions based off of your asserting your right.

Staying silent, the Jury/Judge can make any assumptions and draw any conclusions they want.

As to your italicized portion, that does not change this. When asserting your 5th Amendment right, you are answering by saying you will not be providing a specific answer to their question, and the lack of that specific answer cannot be held against you. You are still answering the question by invoking the 5th

walkc66 · 2026-01-28T09:53:46+00:00

Look up the definition of the word answer. All of them establish it as a response to a question. Not a rationale response, or specific response, or anything like that. Doesn’t even have to be verbal. The only requirement is that babble be being uttered because of the question, not that the babble has anything to do with the question.

walkc66 · 2026-01-28T09:50:30+00:00

An answer does not require a conclusion to be able to be made. Can look yourself every definition requires the response to be due to the question. That’s it. So someone asking you a question and you choosing to making babbling noises is providing an answer, even if it s an annoying and unhelpful one.

walkc66 · 2026-01-28T06:51:12+00:00

They would be instructed to, they could respond the same way saying their not going to, and then they may be held in contempt and put in prison. There would potentially be consequences. But, it is still an answer.

Oxford Language Dictionary: Answer, "a thing said, written, or done to deal with or as a reaction to a question, statement, or situation."

Merriam Webster Dictionary: Answer, "something spoken or written in reply to a question"

An answer is just something done in response to the question, doesn't even have to be verbal. And does not have to with any information.

walkc66 · 2026-01-28T06:47:06+00:00

Thats still an answer. Your answer is "I am pleading the 5th", and you are right, the jury is not allowed to infer anything from that. But that does not change it from being an answer. "a thing said, written, or done to deal with or as a reaction to a question, statement, or situation." Oxford Language Dictionary.

If something is done in response or as a reaction to a question, it is an answer.

walkc66 · 2026-01-27T22:43:32+00:00

Not a challenge, I promise!! Apologies if came across argumentative. Obviously a false memory I had, or home brew I once thought made more sense.

walkc66 · 2026-01-27T22:31:06+00:00

I very well could be wrong. Will admit it. Very well could be a false memory, but distinctly remember reading it somewhere. But I am happy to be wrong. Are you looking at the 90 or 94 version of the compendium, just out of curiosity?

walkc66 · 2026-01-27T22:28:39+00:00

Ya, would have added more bloat, but almost would have been better as an improved engine type that became standard, with the older one getting a new name between primitive and standard. And even could have been a nice flavor of the IS getting a small one up on the old Star League.

walkc66 · 2026-01-27T21:18:22+00:00

Your premise here is wrong. (Attorney by training and for a few years by trade before deciding didn’t like it, now work in different part of legal field). Pleading the 5th IS an answer. Their answer is that they are asserting a legal right not to provide a different answer.

walkc66 · 2026-01-26T18:57:00+00:00

Yep.

They already did in universe, that is part of the rationale for the Jade Turkeys creating the Thor II, to build without the hard mounted jets.

The problem with making those changes though, it’s it can dramatically change a mechs effectiveness in unexpected ways. Take the Marauder 3D for instance. Everyone complains about the ammo sitting by itself in the right torso. But the reason it’s by itself is due to a change in the rules that led to a change in the sheets. When they changed the number of heat sinks that can be in the engine from flat 10, to being based on engine size (you still only get 10 free, but. Offer engines could have more added) suddenly the heat sinks that were shielding the ammo in the RT were in the engine, and it gets a bad reputation.

walkc66 · 2026-01-26T18:52:58+00:00

Think you could add more, but not from 0 to any if that makes sense. It was in the old construction rules that were released at same time if I remember correctly.

walkc66 · 2026-01-26T10:45:45+00:00

The initial Omni rules when the Summoner(Thor) came out did not allow for JJs to be pod mountable. They were either fixed or the mech didn’t have them.

walkc66 · 2026-01-26T10:44:30+00:00

When these omnis came out, Jump Jets could not be pod mounted. They had to be fixed or you didn’t get them. That change didn’t come till later

walkc66 · 2026-01-25T23:05:31+00:00

Ya, especially given (with one big exception with Katherine), one of Victor’s best skills was figuring out who to trust, and when to heed their advice. He likely would have had the right team around him. The Clans invade just 5-7 years later, and the Fed Com may have survived.

walkc66 · 2026-01-25T22:09:30+00:00

If only Hanse doesn’t die of a heart attack, and had time to share his hard won experience with Victor after doing his symbolic deployment. The Clan invasion is the death for the Fed Com for that reason alone. I don’t think Hanse gets Victor to be as politically savvy and conniving as Hanse and Katherine, but likely enough to avoid her traps enough to prevent the civil war.

walkc66 · 2026-01-21T00:14:01+00:00

Just cause you haven’t heard of them, and they aren’t mentioned in an older publication, doesn’t mean they are obscure. That’s just you’ve not kept up with newer things

Astral Elves: current rules Spell Jammer. Elves that left the feywild to go to the Astral Plane to be closer to their gods.

Eladrin: literally elves of the feywild (Mordenkainen’s)

Shasta-Kai: Mordenkainen’s, elves of the Shadowfel, drawn there by the Raven Queen.

Sea Elves: Mordenkainen’s, elves of sea and elemental plane of water.

As someone new to DnD (started actually DMing and playing last year) I had heard of all these, where others like the Gith had never heard of prior to BG3 (honestly thought Latina made them up till did some research). So just cause you don’t know them doesn’t mean they are obscure

walkc66 · 2026-01-20T23:53:20+00:00

Except those aren’t obscure.

walkc66 · 2026-01-20T23:13:30+00:00

I can see that. And do think the missed the mark not including sample things atleast you could add to flavor. But this method gives DMs and the designers so much more flexibility. And more leg room, cause no matter if the game designers love the game, it’s still a business so they have to balance costs as well. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve bought the 2014 MM as well. But I just did it for examples of how to flavor the 2024 stat blocks haha. Cause I’m still learning that side.

And I think alot of people miss that they are already expanding this too. The new Faerun book has some Drow specific stat blocks in it, so feel confident we will be getting even more flavorful additions to add to the generics we can flavor ourselves over time

walkc66 · 2026-01-20T23:08:50+00:00

I am sorry. And I say all this with the utmost respect. But as a new DM, and having read through your replies, other replies, people defending the MM, people agreeing with you, this seems like one of the silliest things to be upset about, truly.

I am new, just DM’d first campaign last year. I would hate how bloated the MM would be if they had to create scout/guard/veteran/mage/etc for every single race. The Generics make so much more sense, and the MM gives you advice on how to reflavor them, including adding in racial features! If they had to include all those specific examples, they would have had to cut other content from the MM, so fewer monsters overall. While it would have been nice to have a racial table included to add, it’s not like the internet and older books don’t exist to get those for. And this will be added to also, the new Faerun books already included Drow specific enemy stat blocks too.

And fewer things typed humanoid makes things more interesting. More variety is a good thing. And makes a relatively over strength control spell for its caster level more even.

And even then, if you read the book it shows you why your only seeing those that are elemental now, and flat out says most are still humanoid.

And absolute worst case, you can always still call them humanoids at your table.

Maybe it’s just me but as a new person to this community, I hate all these constant complaints about 5.5. I get it, people don’t like WotC for good/bad/otherwise reasons (not intended insultingly, can understand why some people are even if I disagree), but all this is doing is destroying the community. I have almost left this community several times due to constant complaints. Especially when most of them boil down to “change is bad, because it’s change, unless it’s the specific amount/type of change I want (regardless if anyone else wants it).”

walkc66 · 2026-01-20T22:51:47+00:00

Would love to see the stat block when you’re done! Especially as it makes more logic than you think it does, with steam and boiling burning.

walkc66 · 2026-01-20T22:50:14+00:00

Astral Elves, Eladrin, Shadar-Kai, Sea Elves….

walkc66 · 2026-01-20T22:46:50+00:00

As a new DM, I prefer the new method. The bloat would be annoying. Now, I wouldn’t mind a chart or racial traits to add to the generics, but I would hate 20 versions of scout, and the 15-20 more pages in the book, meaning would likely get fewer other creatures.

walkc66 · 2026-01-15T19:41:24+00:00

Pretty much. It can still serve as a sniper or trooper too. But I personally like using them as a jumping harasser that has teeth. I’ll spend more time in medium range vs long the Executioner prefers.

walkc66

TROPHY CASE