DMing with Charisma

The B-Team in Song

Posted on 27 December, 2018 by MssngrDeath

Last post, I briefly mentioned Leaf’s session write-ups. For the A-Team, one player did all of our session recaps as MS Paint scribbles, and they’re delightful. For the B-Team, that player bowed out and session write-up responsibilities rotated among everyone else. Leaf had a journal where he documented his failures, Litli made a panel comic with cut-and-paste art and speech bubbles, and Steingeirr wrote a perfectly valid digest considering he only knew thirty words. They were all as formal and excellent as the party warranted, which is to say not at all.

But Eyvindr has a special place in my heart because I played him, and because I am a bard his write-ups were songs. Each time my turn came up, I picked a popular song without a chorus and made new lyrics for it that described what the party had done that week. So while I’m on holiday, in lieu of content please enjoy this rousing tale of the first adventure of the B-Team. Continue reading →

Posted in Campaigns | Tagged D&D 3.5E, Let Me Tell You About | Comments Off

The B-Team

Posted on 23 December, 2018 by MssngrDeath

Some characters just aren’t as good as others. Whether due to rules that don’t work out as intended, abilities that clash with each other, underpowered choices, or simple dumb luck, these characters have to acknowledge that they’re just not keeping up with the rest of their party or the expectations of the game. Sometimes they retire and make way for somebody more useful. Sometimes they reorient themselves, via retraining or changes to their build, so they can excel in a new area. Sometimes they stick around for their narrow competencies or their table entertainment value. Rarely do they double down on their failures just because they can. And even more rarely does a character appear who is so inviable, mechanically or otherwise, that their very presence changes the tone of the game.

And if an entire party is made of characters like this? Oh boy. Oooooh, boy.

Let me tell you about the B-Team. Continue reading →

Posted in Campaigns | Tagged D&D 3.5E, Let Me Tell You About | Comments Off

House Rule: Mitigated Save-or-Dies

Posted on 19 December, 2018 by MssngrDeath

For November I had a series of short posts about weird mechanics I’ve used or played in games. Before I posted anything I asked my players about any mechanics they thought would a good fit for one of those posts, and I did get some good ideas. But I also got some ideas that didn’t really fit what I wanted. I was looking for mechanics contradictory to the game’s stated intentions, ones that subvert or ignore core assumptions about how the rules should function and as such should only exist for set pieces. Several of the ideas my players proposed were, instead, just house rules we use in our games. They’re good house rules, but they weren’t part of the stated topic.

Now that there is no stated topic, it’s a good time to talk about those house rules. These don’t break the game wide open—again, they’re nothing on the level of “abolish classes”—but they do change it to something we think is more fun than the rules as written.

Concept: Mitigated save-or-die spells
Tested in: The Worldwound campaign
Continue reading →

Posted in DMing, House Rules | Tagged Pathfinder | Comments Off

Talent vs. Effort

Posted on 15 December, 2018 by MssngrDeath

This comment came in recently on the article In Defense of D&D Stats in Simple Language: The Definition of Charisma:

I think the use of the word “empathy” was the one mistake in your article. Psychopaths by definition don’t have empathy, but are often incredibly charismatic because of (as you do say here) their *understanding* of other people. They know what people expect and what they’ll find charming.

I don’t think this is true. I think psychopathy generally correlates with a decreased ability to feel empathy, but it’s not the definition of psychopathy because there is no common definition. But I am not an expert in psychiatry, and I could have it all wrong. I know enough about it to know I don’t know enough to meaningfully debate it.

Instead I want to take this in another direction. There’s an assumption here that I’ve seen in several books, sources of online commentary, and even blog comments, an assumption so understood that I think many of the people making it don’t even know they are. The assumption is that a person with high Charisma is good at influencing others because they have high Charisma, or more generally that a character’s ability score is the most important factor in their skill and the ability score is indicative of who the character is more than the character’s actions. This isn’t true in 3E or 4E, it’s only true in certain parts of 5E, and I think it violates one of D&D’s core concepts so subtly we don’t even realize we’re buying into it. Continue reading →

Posted in DMing, Game Design | Tagged D&D 5E | Comments Off

Faith: A Love Letter to Automatic Bonus Progression

Posted on 11 December, 2018 by MssngrDeath

I love D&D’s vast array of magical items. When I started gaming, this was the section of the Dungeon Master’s Guide in which I spent the most time, using different items to come up with character or adventure ideas. I designed items for several campaigns based on the rules in Weapons of Legacy. I’ve gotten more ideas for monster abilities out of the Adventurer’s Vaults than perhaps anywhere else. I unironically own the Arms and Equipment Guide. This is one of the reasons I have some problems with 5E’s focus on making magic items not just special, but special, because it means they have fewer opportunities to affect gameplay. If I know I’m going to go through an entire campaign and see only a few items, it doesn’t make me more excited about what those items might be in particular. It makes me less excited about the concept of items as a whole.

I realize this change was a reaction to issues with previous editions. 3E and Pathfinder have a real problem with the number of items it takes to make a character viable. Pathfinder especially expects that characters will use items to increase their AC, attack bonus, hit points, saving throws, damage, spell DCs, skill checks, and every other stat. A given item probably only increases one or two of those stats until you get to a reasonably high level, which means characters are loaded down with items that do nothing but increase numbers. That’s not fun, and it needed a solution. Returning to the days in which wars were fought over a +2 longsword isn’t the solution I would have picked, though I appreciate the attempt. I’m much happier with a different system, one that increases the opportunity for entertaining items instead of decreasing the opportunity for items as a whole. Continue reading →

Posted in DMing, Gaming Systems | Tagged Faith, Pathfinder | Comments Off

Faith: Signature Spells

Posted on 7 December, 2018 by MssngrDeath

No, I’m not done talking about Faith just because it’s on break.

My explicit goal going into Faith was to make it feel like an anime. This means arcs needed a certain pacing, enemies needed a certain charisma, battles needed certain stakes, and so on. I haven’t quite nailed it yet, but it’s a work in progress. Where Pathfinder conflicts with the rules of anime, we’re generally giving deference to the latter, and we’re probably doing that ever more as the campaign goes on. Usually this means just means making a rule tweak here or getting an unexpected success there, but sometimes we have to invent rules wholesale. Signature items were an example of this. Signature spells are another.

I’m hard-pressed to come up with a fighting anime that doesn’t have characters who charge up their attacks. Even if “charging up” is just “yelling a signature phrase that only sort of makes sense in English”, dramatic attacks almost always come with some sort of lag period. Pathfinder, and D&D in general, doesn’t do that. Most actions take one action. To create attacks that get stronger as characters put more time and energy into them, we had to go a bit outside what the game expects. Specifically, we had to go to a previous edition of the game and crib a mechanic everybody forgot about.

These use the rules for channeled spells, which I laid out the last time I talked about them. Each character has one custom spell, and boy were some of them a pain to write. Liam’s healing spell? Simple. Sarai’s touch-range-maybe blast? That had to work within the ridiculously, unnecessarily complicated mechanics for the magus and also within Sarai’s atypical build for it, but not be so specific that it wasn’t useful for any other character in any other situation. Sildroag’s spell also went through several revisions before we came up with something worthwhile, acceptable as a swift action but also worth giving up two rounds of attacks for the full-power version. I’m still not completely sold on all of them, but that’s why we have play testing.

CHANNELED MERCIFUL REMEDY

School conjuration [healing]; Level bard 2
Casting Time See text
Components V
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets One or more creatures; see text
Duration Instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance Yes
You soothe your allies’ ills, cleansing them of minor problems. When you cast this spell, you channel energy into it. You can choose how long to spend casting this spell.
     If you cast this spell as a swift action, select one of the following conditions: dazed, fatigued, shaken, sickened. One ally within range can ignore the condition you choose for 1d4 rounds.
     If you cast this spell as a standard action, you end the chosen condition for one ally.
     If you cast this spell as a full-round action, you may either end one chosen condition on two allies or end two chosen conditions on one ally within range.
     If you spend 2 full rounds casting this spell, you may either end one chosen condition on three allies, end two chosen conditions on two allies, or end all conditions from the above list on a single ally.
     You do not need to declare ahead of time how long you want to spend casting the spell. When you begin casting this spell, you decide that you are finished casting after the appropriate time has passed.

CHANNELED MIGHTY STRIKE

School transmutation; Level bloodrager 1
Casting Time See text
Components V, S
Range Personal
Target you
Duration see text
Magic coalesces in your fist, enhancing your next attack. When you cast this spell, you channel energy into it. You can choose how long to spend casting this spell.
     If you cast this spell as a swift action, your next attack (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +5 bonus to the attack roll.
     If you cast this spell as a standard action, you gain a +5 bonus to weapon attack rolls until the end of your next turn, and any attacks you make with this bonus ignore damage reduction.
     If you cast this spell as a full-round action, you gain a +10 bonus to weapon attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
     If you spend 2 full rounds casting this spell, you gain a +10 bonus to weapon attack rolls and a reach of 30 feet, and any attacks you make ignore damage reduction. You may make one additional attack of opportunity per round, plus one additional attack for every five caster levels above 4th. All benefits last until the end of your next turn.
     You do not need to declare ahead of time how long you want to spend casting the spell. When you begin casting this spell, you decide that you are finished casting after the appropriate time has passed.

CHANNELED MYSTIC BLAST

School evocation; Level magus 2
Casting Time See text
Components V, S
Effect force energy around your hand
Range Touch or close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Duration 1 round / 2 caster levels
Saving Throw None or Fortitude partial; see text; Spell Resistance Yes
You concentrate your aura into a powerful burst of force. When you cast this spell, you channel energy into it. You can choose how long to spend casting this spell.
     If you cast this spell as a swift action, once during the duration of the spell you may make an attack that deals 2d4 points of force damage.
     If you cast this spell as a standard action, you may make one attack that deals 4d4 points of force damage. The attack also knocks the touched creature prone unless it makes a successful Fortitude saving throw.
     If you cast this spell as a full-round action, you may make two attacks that each deal 4d4 points of force damage and may knock the target prone.
     If you spend 2 full rounds casting this spell, you may make three attacks that each deal 6d4 points of force damage and may knock the target prone.
     You may deliver each attack as a melee touch attack or a ray. If multiple attacks hit the same target in the same round, the target only makes one saving throw, but the Difficulty Class of the spell increases by 2 for each attack that hits the target beyond the first. You do not need to declare ahead of time how long you want to spend casting the spell. When you begin casting this spell, you decide that you are finished casting after the appropriate time has passed.

CHANNELED SHINING BEACON

School evocation [light]; Level sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time See text
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area See text
Duration See text
Saving Throw None; Spell Resistance Yes
Your conjure a beacon of light that damages nearby creatures. When you cast this spell, you channel energy into it. You can choose how long to spend casting this spell.
     If you cast this spell as a swift action, you select a 5-foot radius within range. Any creature who starts its turn within the area takes 2d4 radiant damage. The beacon persists for 1d4 rounds.
     If you cast this spell as a standard action, the beacon deals 2d6 radiant damage and the duration increases to one round per caster level.
     If you cast this spell as a full-round action, the beacon deals 3d6 radiant damage and the area increases to a 10-foot radius. The duration remains one round per caster level.
     If you spend 2 full rounds casting this spell, the beacon either deals 4d6 radiant damage or deals 2d6 radiant damage but does not affect your allies (your choice). The area remains a 10-ft. radius and the duration remains one round per caster level.
     In all cases, the beacon is 30 feet tall and sheds light as a torch. You do not need to declare ahead of time how long you want to spend casting the spell. When you begin casting this spell, you decide that you are finished casting after the appropriate time has passed.

CHANNELED TYRANNICAL INSPIRATION

School enchantment [compulsion]; Level oracle 2
Casting Time See text
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets One creature/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration See text
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance Yes
You push your allies to great heights at the expense of their well-being. When you cast this spell, you channel energy into it. You can choose how long to spend casting this spell.
     If you cast this spell as a swift action, each target loses 1 hit point per 2 caster levels and gains a +2 morale bonus to one ability score for one round. You select the ability score with you finish casting the spell, and you must select the same ability score for all targets. A successful Will saving throw negates both the damage and the bonus.
     If you cast this spell as a standard action, the bonus increases to +4.
     If you cast this spell as a full-round action, each target may gain a +2 bonus to two ability scores, and the target may choose to extend the duration of their bonuses for an additional round by taking the damage again on your turn. The target may repeat this indefinitely.
     If you spend 2 full rounds casting this spell, each target may gain a +4 bonus to two ability scores, and the target may choose to extend the duration as above.
     You may decide whether or not to target yourself with this spell. You do not need to declare ahead of time how long you want to spend casting the spell. When you begin casting this spell, you decide that you are finished casting after the appropriate time has passed.

My pie-in-the-sky goal is to give the players further signature spells as they level. Following through is mostly a matter of forgetting how hard it was to do this set.

Posted in DMing, House Rules | Tagged Faith, Pathfinder | Comments Off

Under the Stars

Posted on 2 December, 2018 by MssngrDeath

While Faith is on its season break, now is a good time to talk about the other campaign I’m running. Under the Stars is, as I’ve said before, roughly “Breath of the Wild meets Ni No Kuni 2.” Unlike Faith, I’m not challenging DMing or system norms or violating any core narrative principles in this campaign, or not any more than I normally do. This is a fairly straightforward D&D 5E campaign in which the players are supporting an outpost in untamed wilderness, defending it from some locals and forging allies with others, trying to turn this poorly-supported, nearly-empty camp into a meaningful settlement. It’s D&D without tavern fights and sewer crawls, but it’s still bog-standard D&D.

Oh, I guess we’re using hexes instead of squares. That’s something. Continue reading →

Posted in Campaigns, DMing | Tagged D&D 5E, Under the Stars | 1 Comment

Guest Characters

Posted on 28 November, 2018 by MssngrDeath

Concept: Guest characters
Tested in: The One Piece campaign, The Eight Arms and the Contract of Barl, the Worldwound campaign

What it is: In D&D, players build characters and control them through adventures. That’s the elevator pitch and core concept of the entire game. There are rare circumstances where players don’t build and control their own characters, like convention one-shots where the characters are built beforehand, but that usually doesn’t happen in ongoing campaigns. DMs rarely create characters, hand them to players in the middle of an ongoing story, and say “this is who you are today”. It kind of defeats the point. But sometimes it makes sense to temporarily look at the story from another standpoint, and players don’t always have the time, knowledge, or inclination to design separate characters for what is essentially an in-continuity one-shot.

We’ve had several instances where players had characters largely handed to them by the DM for short bursts of play. In the One Piece campaign, the DM had us play the arc villains for a session so we could understand more about them and develop their personalities, live at the table. In the Worldwound campaign, the DM let us capture monsters and control them for an extended combat against enemies too powerful for us to risk fighting ourselves. And I’ve previously talked about building characters to supplement the PCs as they split up. In each case we did it for a different reason, using different methods, but in all cases the players drove NPCs for a session while the characters they intended to play sat on the sidelines. Continue reading →

Posted in DMing, Events, House Rules | Tagged D&D 4E, Pathfinder | Comments Off

Lucid Dreaming

Posted on 23 November, 2018 by MssngrDeath

Concept: Lucid dreaming
Tested in: The Great Tower of Oldechi

What it is: D&D likes working via cause and effect. Orcs don’t lose hit points at random, they lose hit points when they get hit by hammers. Wounds don’t heal except when treated by magic, medicine, or time, no matter how much a player might prefer that their character had taken no damage. Spontaneous, unexplained occurrences live solely in the realm of flavor, and even then they sometimes have rational explanations, like a thick fog covering the besieged village because a druid is keeping it there. And while a DM can get away with the occasional illogical act, players don’t have the same leeway. Their actions should always make some sort of sense.

But Floor 27 of the Great Tower ran entirely on random occurrences. It was so random, I don’t even have notes for it, except at some point I think the party fought Tiamat. Everything was generated live at the table, and the players eventually learned that it was because the entire floor was mutable. Once they figured that out, they wanted to take advantage of it.

Using a technique I adapted from the Dresden Files RPG, I let them affect the floor by rolling three simultaneous checks. Basically, they could declare anything they wanted and it would happen. But their Intelligence check would determine the result of their declaration, their Wisdom check would determine its severity, and a Charisma check would determine its form. For example, a player might say “a wave of lava surges over the people chasing us and buries them”. Good results on all their rolls would cause exactly that, no further justification needed. A bad Intelligence check would have a bad result (the lava does not bury the enemies, but instead lights them on fire so they deal extra damage), a bad Wisdom check would have the opposite severity (the lava doesn’t “surge” as much as “trickle”, creating maybe one square of difficult terrain), and a bad Charisma check would have a different form (the wave is actually a crowd of people doing the wave, holding back the enemies with a mass of bodies; not functionally different, but weirder, and it might lead to other applications later). Continue reading →

Posted in DMing, Events, House Rules | Tagged D&D 4E | Comments Off

Multi-Character Characters

Posted on 18 November, 2018 by MssngrDeath

Concept: Multi-character characters
Tested in: The One Piece campaign

What it is: As a shounen fighting manga, One Piece has a lot of battles. We did a pretty good job of simulating it in the One Piece campaign, with recurring enemies and climactic boss fights and whatnot. But fighting manga tends to resolve things one-on-one, while D&D is a party-based game. When it came time to end the campaign with a series of destined battles, we didn’t want to violate the setting by shoehorning the enemies into balanced groups so we could fight them on even footing, but we also didn’t want to violate the game by having fights where one player acted while everybody else sat down and watched. We needed a third option.

To solve this we leveraged a trope from the genre: heroes who tap into unknown stores of power to fight enemies who push them to their limits. To represent that in D&D, we decided that each character, for the purposes of their destined battle and only that battle, would actually be represented by multiple “characters”. For each fight, the relevant player designed three simple one-shot characters to back up their main character as a balanced party. For example, the cleric with tentacle powers created a defender, a controller, and a striker and reskinned them as masses of tentacles. By the rules, we were all different characters, but narratively, we were all controlling different parts of the same PC. The other players controlled these one-shot characters over four or five sessions made entirely of battles and shounen-style banter. Continue reading →