I am good with Private Messaging.

When playing before i thought the pace could be slowed as long as it stayed steady regular post being three most important to progressing and participation. Private messages were avoided to accelerate posts but now i think slower regular posts are better and and private posts can add good flavor. This also is good with languages if you want to consider using group's for different languages. I think the rpol help has a section on how.

OK, here is the biggest change (I think) I am going to suggest.

Combat
Everyone states their intent at the beginning of the round.  When everyone has stated their intent the events resolve in initiative order.

I hope this speeds things up, and requires less posts from me.

If multiple players direct an attack on the same foe, there is a chance that foe dies before all the players turns resolve.  You can choose to either attack with advantage, or choose a secondary target.

I will apply this same rule to the opponents you face.

I'm not sure if this will work, but I'd like to try it.  If it doesn't work, we'll go back to RAW.

In reply to The World (msg # 39):

This is 2e. I'm ok with it because it is my preferred style.

I am fine with it up front turn, but I have some questions.


I don't understand this. Like, you would attack the original target that 'died' with advantage? What is the logic? If you are within melee range, then that makes sense, but if you are attacking with a ranged weapon, then the target being prone would incur disadvantage. Or is there some other mechanic in play?

Does everyone know what the other players' intentions are? Do we know what the initiative order is? If we do know, are we supposed to ignore it? Will we have an idea of how close someone is to dying?*

*

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Some relatively common ones describe 100%-76%, 75%-51%, 50%-26%, and 25%-1% as something like healthy, injured, bloodied, dying. Or just the below 1/2 hp as "bloodied'. Or some other combination.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
I do have reservations about this way of doing things.

One issue I have with this is that there are a lot of options and a lot of the game logic applies sequentially within a turn. For instance, you can move between attacks and other actions. So, let's say you were playing a monk that could attack twice with the attack action, and use a bonus action to attack twice more with Flurry of blows. That is 4 attacks that can be made over a 40' or 50' move to multiple targets and the second 2 attacks require you to make an attack action first. If you outline your entire turn, there will be a lot of guessing as to who is still active, where they are, and who you will be able to get to.

It is much more workable in 2e because you have less options.

I think there is something to be said for the idea that thigns happen simultenously and that by doing things ahead of time can lead to more unexpected outcomes, but it also means that it is less likely that you can do what you want to do on your turn, and turns are not fast. Even in real life, one turn can take a few minutes which makes a 'miss' disappointing (to your point about crit misses earlier).

If the intent is to just speed things up and make common sense adjustments on behalf of the players, I know from experience that this can be a huge burden. DM round posts are already pretty cumbersome. Resolving actions as they happen might seem like a lot to do, but it outsources consequences out rather than forcing one person to compute how everything rolls out.

I suspect that at least at the beginning our turns will probably be straightforward, though, so hopefully it works out.

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How do you want to handle disguises? In the intelligence section it has creating a disguise as a type of "other intelligence check". Under deception in charisma it lists "pass yourself off in a disguise". In Xanathar's Guide it mentions that if you have a disguise kit that your disguise gives you advantage on deception checks.

In this case, I am going to say this is my "second persona" as defined in the False Identity feature for the charlatan background, which says,

"You have created a second identity that includes documentation, established acquaintances, and disguises that allow you to assume that persona."

So, maybe we don't have to worry about this particular disguise for now. I will do some better research for further disguising.

Post not yet edited for format...

From Xanathar's Guide:

Tool Descriptions
The following sections go into detail about the tools presented in the Player’s Handbook, offering advice on how to use them in a campaign.

Components. The first paragraph in each description gives details on what a set of supplies or tools is made up of. A character who is proficient with a tool knows how to use all of its component parts.

Skills. Every tool potentially provides advantage on a check when used in conjunction with certain skills, provided a character is proficient with the tool and the skill. As DM, you can allow a character to make a check using the indicated skill with advantage. Paragraphs that begin with skill names discuss these possibilities. In each of these paragraphs, the benefits apply only to someone who has proficiency with the tool, not someone who simply owns it.

With respect to skills, the system is mildly abstract in terms of what a tool proficiency represents; essentially, it assumes that a character who has proficiency with a tool also has learned about facets of the trade or profession that are not necessarily associated with the use of the tool. In addition, you can consider giving a character extra information or an added benefit on a skill check. The text provides some examples and ideas when this opportunity is relevant.

Special Use. Proficiency with a tool usually brings with it a particular benefit in the form of a special use, as described in this paragraph.

Sample DCs. A table at the end of each section lists activities that a tool can be used to perform, and suggested DCs for the necessary ability checks.

Disguise Kit
The perfect tool for anyone who wants to engage in trickery, a disguise kit enables its owner to adopt a false identity.

Components. A disguise kit includes cosmetics, hair dye, small props, and a few pieces of clothing.

Deception. In certain cases, a disguise can improve your ability to weave convincing lies.

Intimidation. The right disguise can make you look more fearsome, whether you want to scare someone away by posing as a plague victim or intimidate a gang of thugs by taking the appearance of a bully.

Performance. A cunning disguise can enhance an audience’s enjoyment of a performance, provided the disguise is properly designed to evoke the desired reaction.

Persuasion. Folk tend to trust a person in uniform. If you disguise yourself as an authority figure, your efforts to persuade others are often more effective.

Create Disguise. As part of a long rest, you can create a disguise. It takes you 1 minute to don such a disguise once you have created it. You can carry only one such disguise on you at a time without drawing undue attention, unless you have a bag of holding or a similar method to keep them hidden. Each disguise weighs 1 pound.

At other times, it takes 10 minutes to craft a disguise that involves moderate changes to your appearance, and 30 minutes for one that requires more extensive changes.

Disguise Kit

This message was last edited by the player at 19:06, Mon 14 May 2018.

I suspect others my like this as well....

Seth, can you change my character to be my primary character so that I can us the default posting option instead of selecting my character each time?

In reply to Allan (msg # 44):

OK, I deleted all of the characters that were your name.  I then realized this also deleted your bios.  Sorry about that.  You'll have to redo that if you want it in there.

In reply to Ratt (msg # 42):

Here's what I'd like to do for Ratt's False Identity.  Let's treat seeing through the disguise as a DC.  To set the DC consider the proficiency in disguise kit, the disguise, and background feature as granting advantage, +5, and a +6 to Deception, so DC is 21.  Even if someone beats the DC, unless they have more information, they would just think something doesn't seem quite right, kind of a gut feeling.

I agree with all of that, except I believe the way it works is that unless someone has a reason to be suspicious, they would use their passive perception. We typically don't roll to see if every person we meet is in disguise (though maybe we should!).

That being said, from a very meta standpoint, I plan on revealing everything to the other players as soon as there is a level of mutual trust. I'm not doing this to play games against other players, I think it makes sense though to be careful when living on the surface (and in the underdark, for that matter). I basically gave up a background feature to be a typically untrusted* race.

*In Faerun, which is where we are, Drizzt is famous, and famously good. In one of the more recent books I read, there was at least one Drow (Jax) who owned a tavern in Luskan (iirc), which is south of where we are. In a world with half-orc, tiefling, and dragonborn PCs, I wouldn't think a half-drow would be a huge obstacle. Maybe Seth can fill us in on the cultural acceptance.

In reply to Ratt (msg # 47):

Yes, I agree that unless someone has a good reason to roll, they would use their passive perception.

But that brings me to another house rule I'd like to consider.  I'd like to made finer distinctions about what is passive.  More on that later.

I think I am probably least knowledgeable about Forgotten Realms.  I've read 2 or 3 books.  I think half-drow would be looked at as unfavorable/with prejudice but tolerated in most places, but I'm ready to be corrected on that.

The Ruby of the War Mage is a 'common' magical item listed in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. They added several common items in that book, mostly providing a little flavor and sometimes some decent utility. This one is one of the more powerful common items and thus has more restrictions (must be attuned by a spellcaster). It allows the user to affix it to a weapon which he can subsequently use as a spellcasting focus.

Although I do want to find this item, it is not something I will be forever hung up on if we can't work it in.

Maybe it would be fun if we all chose a minor item that we can quest for or be included in our first haul (assuming we find any treasure...).

I will try to find a list.

Shared XGtE, did everyone get a notice from Drive?

In reply to Ratt (msg # 52):

Yes, I got it.

Yup.

I am waiting for Adam and Dixon to chime in before posting more.

OK, so combat.  I think rather than delay this combat figuring things out we'll just go RAW.  My thinking was to try and make things feel more simultaneous, and avoid having to wait as much for people to post.  I'm persuaded that this may create more problems and may not be worth it.

How much does this idea appeal to everyone?  Allan says yes, Joe says no.  If giving this a try doesn't appeal to a majority of players let's just go RAW.  If a majority want to give it a try we'll work something out and see if it improves things or not.

Like pro-choice advocates, I think we should split the baby. I like the shotgun method of giving your intended turn, at the top of the turn, but that turn ends after the bad guys go, then the turn starts over. This lowers the possibility of your target running away before you turn lands. It would look something like this:

Morgrim
Worg 2
Worg 1
-end of turn-
Ratt
Zip
Rose

So, after worg 1 goes, we can reorient to:

Ratt
Zip
Rose
Morgrim
Worg 2
Worg 1
-end of turn-

Then, everyone updates, and Seth does the complete roundup and we start again after the baddies go.

If something gets mixed up, we make good faith effort to sort out a good alternative.

I agree with Joe, cut the baby in half! I call the dark meat...

In all seriousness Joe's is a quality suggestion and I favor it.

good golly, so much to keep track of...

Let me know if there is anything Matt can do to help.

JK, just tell him directly.

JK, let me know if I can help with map or whatever.

You could help me work on my yard