Critical Role discussions (and other DnD pods/shows)

Discussion in 'TV Board' started by TheSkeeter, Feb 27, 2020.

  1. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    D&D DMing question

    What are thoughts on changing magic weapons in adventure modules?
    I'm running Lost Mine of Phandelver and one of the first magic weapons you come across is a +1 longsword. None of our characters use a longsword so I've already decided it will be a +1 scimitar because two characters use scimitars. That seemed like an easy solution.
    The other is more of a flavoring thing and contains a little about the adventure so I'll spoiler it...
    One of the weapons found in the mine is a +1 mace, made for a cleric of Lathander, the God of dawn. The weapon is named Lightbringer glows like a torch on command, doing an extra 1d6 radiant damage to undead while lit. Pretty cool weapon, and being that my dwarf is the only cleric it seems fitting it would go to him.
    My "issue" is that my dwarf has a Clan Crafter background and his warhammer is basically his masterpiece that he made to earn his place as a crafter. So I don't really want to use a different weapon with him.
    I'm wondering what are others thoughts on transferring magical properties from one weapon to another?

    What I'm thinking right now is that the mine contains something called the Forge of Spells. It's a brazier of green flame that was used long ago to craft magical items but has waned over the years to where it can no longer permanently enchant items. Any non magical weapon or armor placed in the flame for one minute or more becomes +1 for 1d12 hours.
    My cleric is a forge domain cleric and at 2nd level he gets the channel divinity "artisans blessing" which basically allows him to magically create any metal item.
    My thought is spending the hour of channel divinity with both weapons in the flame merging them into one new item.

    What do you think?
     
  2. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    its your game, do whatever it takes to make it fun.
     
  3. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    True. More just wondering how others have dealt with it.

    I like my idea of how to do it this time, but not every adventure is going to include the Forge of Spells lol
     
  4. LuPoor

    LuPoor Cuddle with the homies watching Stand By Me
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    Being precious about what's in prewritten modules is the biggest disservice you can do for your game. They weren't written with your players in mind. Change ANYTHING to make it fit your players better.
     
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  5. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    Give me a fucking release date
     
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  6. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    Episode 85 now. I think this is when Jester finally talks to The Gentleman again
     
  7. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    I don't know if it's spoilers (little C1ish spoilers and definitely C2 up until this week) to post what I think will happen this week but I'm feeling pretty confident that
    TravelerCon is going to be this campaign's Chroma Conclave arc. I think the Traveler either tries to do some chaotic shit like bring in a bunch of fey/astral sea creatures across the realm using the weird rifts at RumbleCusp or he uses a bunch of human sacrifices/power of the volcano to try to ascend (seems much less likely). I feel like he wants to bring a bunch of chaos into the world and will use this episode to do it. Rest of the campaign will be stopping it/killing Artagan/restoring balance and order.
     
  8. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    sword to scimitar seems like a no brainer.

    Second idea sounds fun too. +1 is fine, make sure you don't let it get OP, but +1 should be fine. Could then consider subquests to have him learn how to continually "upgrade" the Forge, again considering balance.

    Aside from +1, you could call it the "Chromatic Forge" and allow weapons to add 1d4 or 1d6 elemental damage (again considering balance issues). Or just name it something random like the "Black Skull Forge" and have it in the shape of a giant obsidian skull, or some other flavor.

    Tons of options, but I think your idea is great.
     
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  9. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    I think I may not have explained that properly. Everything about the Forge is already built into the pre-written adventure. I was just coming up with a way to transfer the abilities of the magical mace to my characters non-magical warhammer and seeing if you all thought it made sense.
    Those are some cool ideas for future use possibilities though.
     
  10. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Got it. That sounds like a good plan. You can take the mace's abilities and say it's a Blessed Leather Wrappings of "diety X" and by using it on his warhammer's handle will gain the extra benefits, unless he's a blacksmith, in which case I'm sure you can weave that story.
     
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  11. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    The first hour of episode 107 is everything that makes this show so special. After an hour of brainstorming, Beau reads out the plans they've come up with

    Make a stage
    Make dick drumsticks
    Have a dance off
    Beat the drums with the dick drumsticks
    Dick hunt
    Dick volcano trial
    Ultimate switcharoo - the Traveler is the Moonweaver
    Moon the moonweaver

    :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
     
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  12. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    This is pretty great if you've never heard it. Sam and Liam back in 2012 talking about getting together to play D&D for the first time
     
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  13. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    ive never heard this, this was amazing. I love listening to them invent scanlan on the spot. I wonder what happened to Talison’s character.
     
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  14. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    I'm guessing he just wanted to play something different since Orion was a dragonborn also.
    I wonder if Orion was fun to play with pre-stream and got douchey when they were streaming? Like maybe he was trying to be the "lead character" for fame or something?
     
  15. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    I figured

    His character died since Percy died 2 or 3 times (but was resurrected), Molly died, and Cadeuces died but was revivified)
     
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  16. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    that would make sense for why Vox Machina came across Percy later than everyone else
     
  17. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    Funny D&D note, my buddies 14 yr old daughter is a halfling druid and finally used her wild shape ability last time we played.
    a goat, and tried to ram a goblin lol it was pretty great
    Should be playing today again in a couple hours
    20200830_104613.jpg
     
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  18. Lucky24Seven

    Lucky24Seven Ain't nothing slick to a can of oil
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    So, my friend and his wife have some friends that live in the Netherlands that love D&D. We played a one shot and had a great time over Roll20. All of us chipped in for the Icewind Dale that came out today and our first session of that campaign is on the 26th. So pumped to get this started.
     
  19. LuPoor

    LuPoor Cuddle with the homies watching Stand By Me
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    My players are still struggling across the feywild. They fell in with this group of binge drinking, raucous music playing satyrs, who ended up leading them directly into the lair of an evil archfey that has been haunting the dreams of the paladin since they got to the feywild. Very effective trap if I say so myself
     
    #419 LuPoor, Sep 15, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2020
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  20. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    Did someone in here say they watched/listened to dimension 20?
     
  21. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    Starting C2E93. Seems like I've heard this is a big one
     
  22. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    All timer
     
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  23. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    Laura
    Fucking
    Bailey

    No further message
     
  24. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Whoever said campaign 2 should just be called Everybody Loves Jester nailed it.
     
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  25. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    it's funny because I had heard it had something to do with a cupcake and I kept thinking "How does she do something ridiculous with a friggin cupcake?"

    Apparently like that lol
     
  26. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    If I ever get the chance to play D&D again I'm probably going to play my first spell caster. Seems like it just multiples the potential fun.
     
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  27. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    allows a lot more strategy and ways to solve problems
     
  28. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    My newest character idea is a Loxodon fighter (probably go Battle Master) with an eventual level or three of barbarian wielding a halberd.
    His name is Rabab The Vast

    Vast for both his size and military knowledge and Rabab because it is Babar backwards lol
     
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  29. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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  30. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    Marisha takes amazing notes and the threads she was putting together in the dive bar in episode 110 was really interesting. Also Jester’s tarot card reading was fantastic

     
    #430 Illinihockey, Sep 24, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2020
  31. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    No spoilers end of episode 111 - Matthew Mercer is a goddamn brilliant DM.
     
  32. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    And apparently some "fans" were shitting all over her for taking such incredible notes and piecing together some threads from the beginning of the campaign? People suck
     
  33. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    really? Why would they do that?
     
  34. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    I think my last line above sums it up pretty well lol
     
  35. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    a lot of fans have a hate boner for Marisha still from C1. I'm assuming most are incel neck beard D&D gatekeepers who think the game has to be played a specific way by a specific group of people.
     
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  36. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    Had an amusing moment in our game yesterday. Found a room in the bad guy hideout with four baddies in it that had closed door entry points on opposite sides. Group decides to split three and three to each door, rush the room in 30 seconds. My son, a 7ft 300lb dragonborn barbarian (like any good 10 year old boy lol) decides to kick the door in. The book says DC 20 strength check for a locked door. It's not locked, but it is closed, so I lower it to DC 10. He rolls an 8 :laugh: THUMP! Door doesn't budge. 2'3" halfling druid wants a crack at it... natural 20 :roll:
    I narrated it as her running thru the dragonborn's legs and dropkicking the door open lol
     
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  37. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    after taking a month or so off i am now up to ep 81 of c1
     
  38. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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  39. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    Episode 111 spoilers

    Very interested to see what they do with Molly. Surely Matt isn't going to have him die twice in the same campaign. I really, really, really hope this isn't a way to get Molly back and phase out Cadeuces though. Talisen seemed very attached to Molly so I could definitely see this being the case.

    Also this is my love letter to Marisha. She had no idea how to play Keyleth but she is killing it as Beau. She gets the game mechanics of a monk, she's had funny moments, genuine emotional moments, her taking an insane amount of detailed notes playing a character whose job it is find and retain information has been phenomenal, just a great character and a great job by Marisha this season. Comeback player of the year
     
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  40. Odin

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    im a few eps behind on c2, i think at this point im going to finish c1 before catching up. currently 1 ep before tary enters.
     
  41. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    The Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign I'm running with my friend and our kids is about to hit level 4 next time we play, so I was looking at stat boosts or feats with my son for his character (dragonborn barbarian) and we realized something awesome with dragonborn barbarians. Unarmored barbarians AC is base 10+dex+con. My son has a 14 and 15 respectively in those categories. There is a dragonborn specific feat called Dragon Hide that makes their scales harden and boosts their base AC to 13. It also gives a +1 to either Str, Con, or Cha (also also gives claws that do 1d4 unarmed damage, but that's less important). We put that +1 into his Con and now his BASE unarmored AC is 13+2+3=18. With his magic shield it's 21!
    Crazy!
     
  42. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    Just beginning episode 100 (first one back from covid break)
    dragon turtle!
     
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  43. Odin

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    tary is such a fantastic character
     
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  44. Odin

    Odin social distancing since 1990
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    marisha being better at beau than keyleth is only because monk requires the lowest iq to play correctly
     
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  45. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    that’s part of it but I think marisha the person is a lot closer to beau the character than keyleth
     
  46. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    OH. MY. GOD.
    The ending of C2E102, Matthew Mercer is a fucking D&D God. I had been mildly spoilered and kind of knew what was coming but even still, watching the reveal and the casts reactions was pure insanity! So good!
     
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  47. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    Beau’s ongoing storyline with professor thadeus always makes me laugh
     
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  48. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    DMing question: one of my players' (a ranger) backstory involves his village being slaughtered by a band of baddies led by a cyclops. Backstory mentions a mother, father, and sister but the only specified death is a grandfather, which is nice because it leaves options for me as far as potential surviving family members.
    I'm already planning that the cyclops is going to have some sort of ring/circlet/necklace/whatever that boosts his intelligence and/or wisdom, since they are generally dumber than a box of rocks and loners, to explain how he's leading a band of marauders. Also thinking it will be wearing Bracers of Accuracy, both to make it a more difficult opponent and also as a reward for the ranger.

    My question is what monsters should be in his band? I'm thinking some Hill Giants as bodyguards or "lieutenant"/enforcers, maybe some Goliaths. Could maybe do some evil humans.
    Other ideas?

    Also what would be a good level range for a party of 5 to take this on?
     
    #448 DuckD, Oct 16, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2020
  49. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
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    gnolls
     
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  50. DuckD

    DuckD Well-Known Member
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    Also thinking part of the lead up to getting them looking for the cyclops' band will be random skirmishes or small towns being attacked by marauders wearing like an arm band or something with a single eye symbol. Maybe start out with some random encounters here and there, building to town attacks as the band gets braver and more powerful, until the group realizes it's something they need to deal with :idk: