so I've been a DM for a bit now but there is one mechanic I've always ignored and, for better or worse, have not even come to fully understand. That is the game mechanic of Time. For as long as I can remember I have always ignored time and, instead, let the game flow naturally. I let time passing be up to my discretion and I feel that most of my campaigns ran smoothly even while doing this. however, I now feel it is time for me to at least hear out and consider this mechanics usefulness. Can someone detail how they use Time in their own campaign? Also, can you tell me why Time is an important mechanic? Perhaps even give me an alternative use for Time.
Might be useful to mention that the next campaign I am building will be in 5e
>>44124401
Time is a resource, arguably the most valuable one.
Give benefits for spending it, but keep in mind that they have in fact spent it.
and if you have any questions about how I am able to run campaigns while forsaking the mechanic of Time I'm more than willing to answer.
I should definitely specify that I did use some sort of Time mechanic, but certainly much different and much less focused on than the actual mechanic.
>>44124419
See I've always been just.... annoyed at the concept of set times. For instance (I'm just throwing this out there as an example, I'm aware it is not the actual number), let's say that the books claim all encounters should take roughly five minutes, or that all actions of whatever type take three seconds. Why? In the real world none of that is uniform, you could do the same thing twice and one time could take an hour while the next takes two.
Maybe this is me being nitpicky, but the way I've played out time is sort of based on this: number of actions + difficulty of action = amount of time. But I can't find a proper way to express this in dice and paper and so, while it works well in my head, it probably comes off as random when i attempt to express it
Ok think of your favorite Warhammer fantasy raceGot it?seriously have it.goodYou are now a bloodbowl player of that race, what postion and how do your peers/fans like you?
D'awww kitty
>>44124030
Greenskins.
I am a gobbo loony, everyone loves motherfucking goblins with chainsaws
Dark Elves
Part of me wants to be an assasin, but I know I'll be useless, but on the other hand I could reduce a low armor team like Amazons to ribbons
I guess blitzer.
Does out coach take us out for pizza even if we lose? Are the teams witches nice?
Is there a name for this genre? One where people live in the skies, the ground is full of dangerous mist and horrible bugs, and flying machines are everywhere?
I'd like to run a game in a setting like this, but the only examples I can find ANYWHERE are nausica, hammerfight, and crystal chronicles. Any help, /tg/?
Dune was probably the biggest influence on Nausicaa.
You got your wasteland world, competing byzantine power structures, giant worm creatures, lots of flying machines, medieval social structures, and both settings even have a blue-themed worm jesus that fights with a blade.
There's no dangerous mists in dune, but there is a global storm that makes a route across the planet.
No one lives in the sky in Dune, but no one did in Nausicaa either.
In terms of genre you might want to check out Planetary Romance for swordsmen on hostile alien worlds with medieval power structures. Or the doomed earth genre for "after the end" stuff where technology and magic work side by side.
I hope that helps a little OP.
>>44124054
How did Dune manage to inspire so much greatness while being a terrible pile of shit?
>>44123818
Stormhawks might be another example that springs to mind, although the horrible bugs are replaced by volcanic dinosaurs.
I'm not sure if it has a specific genre though. Skypunk?
In the Milky War roughly 6000 years ago, Elven civilization was destroyed by a wish to drive the Egg-Hatchers out from elven history by a woman now only known in legend as Itzli.
"...In a single day and night of misfortune, the island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea."
In that same way, Elven civilization melted away, as their spaceships turned into sand through force of that wish, fragmenting over ten thousand worlds, killing all those worlds that used terraforming. Only a few worlds survived and even then, technology crumbled away, dragging Elven civilization back in the Stone Age.
In myths, it is said, that enchanted by legendary beings called Puella Magi, some fragments of Elven civilization remain, preserved, untouched by the curse of Itzli.
Others would say the stage of history your world is in is:
[] Stone Age
[] Ancient
[] Medieval
[] Early Modern
[] Industrial Era
>>44123675
>industrial
>>44123675
>faggotry
>>44123675
>[] Early Modern
Exactly as the title says. I'm looking for interesting ideas for aliens. They can be your own or ripped from other works of fiction.
Didn't /tg/ make an alien a while back?
A race that naturally has the power to travel from planet to planet they barely have any technology, and are more like passive, friendly observers to other races.
You could be working at a port on an ocean planet and just see one descend from the sky and right next to you, and nobody bats an eye because they don't really hurt anything.
a sentient shade of the colour blue.
>all magic comes out of your skin
>more specifically, your sensory nerves
>It's formed in your brain, and channeled out through them
>You can even develop arcane reflexes if you practice enough
>The truly skilled can cast a spell before they even realize they have to
>It's all a matter of sensory input
>Control of course correlates to the inner homunculus
>That's why most use their hands and their lips (voice) to cast their spells
>But if you want to really go big or go home...
>You have to get naked
>>44123387
>Women statistically have more nerve endings than men
I support this system
>>44123469
>erogenous zones are filled with nerve endings
>High tier spell casting involves whipping tits and cocks out
>>44123469
>>44123539
Explains why sorceresses prefer to wear very little clothing
So what exactly is a good thing about d20/D&D 3.x/PF? What does it uniquely have that no other game or system can replicate?
>>44122371
Nothing, there are better systems. The only up-side was the OGL
>>44122371
Its ubiquity (i.e. easy to get a group), and the OGL.
Almost every single thing about the system is broken or cumbersome in some way. Even the core mechanic, its one saving grace perhaps, is inherently flawed and consequently there's been a recent shift away from that model into bounded probability subsystems.
The only good thing about it is the sheer stupid amount of content available for it, and that sorta falls flat due to most of that content being overpowered, underpowered, broken or utterly non-functional. Then again, the precedent was set in the PHB, so what can you expect?
It seems like we have a thread that asks "Which system does guns/oper8ing the best?" every other day, so how about we mix it up a bit?
If you had to make a campaign based around operators operating, aka a small military infiltration team landing, completing an objective, and exfiltrating:
>Which system would you use?
>How would you prevent it from becoming too rail-roady?
>How would you create drama in a setting where very little interaction between players and NPCs exists?
>What kind of elements would you introduce to ensure missions are more complex than 'go here, blow up this'?
I'll dump some operator pics for some inspiration
Become The Vampire Quest 14
You run upstairs, dreading what you might discover. You can already hear shouting and growling before you reach the second floor, and when you reach the third you hear a sharp cry of pain, followed by a series of strained whimpers in time with dull, repetitive thuds. You hurry to the doorway, looking in while pulling out your phone. The sight before you freeze. You knew what you were expecting, but knowing didn't prepare you for it.
Jennifer is on the floor, robe in tatters, with a fully shifted Patrick over her. He's holding her down, with his jaws gripping the side of her neck and his claws digging into her hips as he yanks her against each brutal thrust. Jennifer thrashes weakly under him, trying to kick at him, pulling at his wrists, but Patrick doesnt let up at all, even as she shifts and her retaliation grows more violent. You step into the room slowly, taking cautious, quiet steps.
"Patrick? Hey there. Sorry to intrude, I heard some yelling, and I can't help noticing Jennifer seems pretty reluctant."
Patrick stops suddenly, releasing his hold on Jennifer and looking at you. Jennifer breaks away from him, crawling away and snarling. He seems to ignore her, his expression changing. You recognize the look though. It's the look Mark had before he attacked you in the shed, full of feral rage and lost control.
Jennifer glances at you and leaps at him, making an attempt to hold him back. She slams into him from behind, arms around his neck, but he barely reacts at first. He gives her a brief stare before howling. He grabs her by the neck and flips her off his back, swinging her up and slamming her against the floor. Jennifer stops moving, you can't even tell if she's breathing, and Patrick advances slowly. You take a slow step backwards.
"Hey, uh... I can see this is a bad time. I'll go. You look like you're upset. How about I leave you be?"
I claim this first post for Jennifer.
>>44122250
That's the second post.
>>44122265
It's the first reply
>I'm playing a chaotic evil character who enjoys killing people
>I'm shitposting on 4chan
>>44122061
You guys might not believe me, but I actually saw this done well. But of course, he wasn't lolrandumb, and he didn't oppose the party for no reason, and when he did, he tried to swing us around to his way of doing things, not just stupidly attacking the lot of us.
>>44122061
>I'm playing a lawful good character who enjoys killing people
Joined a high seas pirate RP, and it's near time to get a ship. Among various possible details and modification options, is a "custom" option where you are allowed to come up with whatever you want to add to the ship, within reason. Something like a nuclear missile isn't allowed, but a ram or armored plates/hull is probably allowed.
What are some neat things I can throw on this boat that could come in handy or could make it stand out, or just something useful or normally overlooked? The setting is One Piece, so overall technology is around 1600s-1700s but things can be pretty anachronistic because of how wacky the setting is, like if you want to and for a lot of money, you can get a submarine of the Jules Verne flavor for your ship in this RP.
>Pic tangentially related, a type of ship I am not familiar with and don't know the name of
>>44121907
Put a cool, menacing figurehead on the front!
>>44121907
>mfw "that DM" won't let me install a nuclear missile on my ship using my character's vast knowledge of modern day physics.
This is just like the time my DM wouldn't let me start a thermite assembly line/corporate empire.
>>44121921
Well that's obviously a given and comes with the boat! At least I hope so, certain ship sizes only have a certain number of "slots" which they are limited by. Medium ships, which is within my price range, are 3 slots, so a figurehead while important, might not be possible if it takes up a slot.
I just can't think of what kind of figurehead to make. Stuff like that, sails, figurehead, color of the ship, etc... I'm looking for ideas. As well as the obvious, of actual modifications.
MAP DUMP to celebrate the Kobold Press (Tyranny of Dragon Devs) encounter design contest and to encourage voting (koboldpress.com/archives/20595).
>Dracula and his castle shows up in Japan.
What happens?
>>44121774
GET OFF MY LAWN!
>>44121800
exactly this
>>44121774
That game finally gets a sequel!!!
More co-op castlevania is needed on this planet!
>uses a bastard sword
Actually knows who his father is
>uses a straight blade
Is OP.
>>44121707
The sword is a bastard, not the wielder.
>>44121707
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA
HOLY SHIT
FUNNIEST FUCKING THING POSTED ALL NIGHT!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAno, it wasn't :(
>GM asks for believable characters
>Decide to play a realistic female barbarian
>She's bulky, with lots of muscle and fat
>Wears a chainmail shirt and leggings, since anything else would be too constricting when she swings her giant ax
>GM tells me to take my fetish shit and gtfo
Another guy was playing a loli cleric. But I'm the freak.
>>44120762
Well he clearly likes lolis. Just make a loli barbarian and call it a day.
>>44120762
One of these days I'm going to play a blatantly fetishistic character, and when someone calls me out on it I will completely own up to the fact that it gives me a big stupid boner and that's the sole reason I'm playing the character.
But more on topic, cool story OP. I'm sure that's a totally real thing that happened.
>>44120907
>One of these days I'm going to play a blatantly fetishistic character, and when someone calls me out on it I will completely own up to the fact that it gives me a big stupid boner and that's the sole reason I'm playing the character.
I would do this, but it would ruin my credibility as a GM.
One day.