Generic Table top gaming.

[mlooney 3,417]

9 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

So it was literally foaming at its mouth?

Yeah, with teeth and tongue showing

 

[ijuin 572]

It took me a while to realize that The Luggage from the Discworld novels was meant to be a parody of Mimics.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

5 hours ago, mlooney said:

Yeah, with teeth and tongue showing

Imagine, if you will, a mimic mimicking a foam mimic . . .

[mlooney 3,417]

7 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Imagine, if you will, a mimic mimicking a foam mimic . . .

Mimic don't mimic the supposed material they are mimicking, they have their own structure.  If a mimic mimicked this one it would just be a mimic in attack mode.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

3 hours ago, mlooney said:

Mimic don't mimic the supposed material they are mimicking, they have their own structure.  If a mimic mimicked this one it would just be a mimic in attack mode.

Be careful. You only think that because the more successful mimics haven't been caught yet . . . yes, they are still mimic creatures, but they have a surface morphing ability to help the disguise. The 'wood'' looks like wood, the 'metal' looks like metal, and so on. It must have limits, but I wouldn't want to be the one trying to find them.

[mlooney 3,417]

6 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Be careful. You only think that because the more successful mimics haven't been caught yet . . . yes, they are still mimic creatures, but they have a surface morphing ability to help the disguise. The 'wood'' looks like wood, the 'metal' looks like metal, and so on. It must have limits, but I wouldn't want to be the one trying to find them.

Yes, it looks like wood or metal, but it's in fact sticky flesh  To quote the Monster Manual on the subject:

Shapechanger. The mimic can use its action to polymorph into an object or back into its true, amorphous form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Grappler. The mimic has advantage on attack rolls against any creature grappled by it.
Adhesive (Object Form Only). The mimic adheres to anything that touches it. A Huge or smaller creature adhered to the mimic is also grappled by it (escape DC 13). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.
False Appearance (Object Form Only). While the mimic remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary object.


https://5e.tools/bestiary.html#mimic_mm

[Darth Fluffy 302]

6 minutes ago, mlooney said:

Adhesive (Object Form Only). The mimic adheres to anything that touches it.

This sounds like a feature that needs to be abused. Use it as a candle sconce. Shove it against a door with a non-physical push to seal the door. Toss logs on it and light them.

[ijuin 572]

On the other hand, it also implies that using blunt attacks against it would result in your weapon/shield/fist/whatever getting stuck to it.

[mlooney 3,417]

2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

This sounds like a feature that needs to be abused. Use it as a candle sconce. Shove it against a door with a non-physical push to seal the door. Toss logs on it and light them.

Yeah, it gets abused a bit.  I rule that the mimic can release anything it is holding more or less at will.

1 hour ago, ijuin said:

On the other hand, it also implies that using blunt attacks against it would result in your weapon/shield/fist/whatever getting stuck to it.

Not just blunt attacks.  Any physical attack gets stuck.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

Hit points explained

[mlooney 3,417]

I quiet reading OotS about the time they had the mix up with the paladin and her city.

[mlooney 3,417]

The 7th drop of "One D&D" has dropped. 

https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/ua/ph-playtest-7

More on how it differs when I have a chance.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

1 hour ago, mlooney said:

The 7th drop of "One D&D" has dropped. 

https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/ua/ph-playtest-7

More on how it differs when I have a chance.

I appreciate the effort you put in to keep us apprised of new directions in D&D. As a consumer of such material, I consider this a valuable review.

So, please don't take this wrong, but I remain skeptical. I view 'new version of D&D' in a similar vein to 'Windows update'. Are these changes necessary improvements, or are you (WotC) merely selling more books? (I concur, WotC, that is a good business model akin to selling snake oil or Amway membership, you've proved that with MtG for sure. That's not a reason for me to buy into it.)

I've perused the material that you grant me access to without signing up. Not much has really changed. I don't mean 'since <recent edition>. Not much has changed in decades. even since Chainmail and the thin blue book in the boxed set with the crappy dice. Sure, armor now goes logically up when it is better, rather than down. Whoopie! D&D is still fundamentally the same game.

As you point out, D&D is the most popular TTRPG. If that's true, and it's so great, why do I need the new version? How is it materially 'better'? What does it fix? Could you maybe have published an errata rather that gouging your fan base yet again? I don't feel that I need to invest $$$ and hours my time to learn the nuances of your slightly moving target when I am happy to play 3.5e. Tieflings are now a core race? They've been a player race since introduced, and are at best a house rule.

And where does it end? (Subtext, it doesn't; we're not retiring this cash cow.) One D&D, Two D&D, Three D&D, Four D&D, ah, ah, ah! <voice of The Count from Sesame Street>

There are compelling reasons to buy a new RPG, if it is significantly different. D&D is D&D.

I will remain receptive to your review, but do not see myself investing heavily in this product.

 

[mlooney 3,417]

They say that the 2024 version of D&D will be backwards compatible with WotC written adventures.  So far it's been fairly minor tweaks.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

12 hours ago, mlooney said:

They say that the 2024 version of D&D will be backwards compatible with WotC written adventures.  So far it's been fairly minor tweaks.

Could be contained in an errata? Justifies replacing all the books?

 

[mlooney 3,417]

2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Could be contained in ab errata? Justifies replacing all the books?

 

No, there are some changes in how you create characters and how weapons work, among other things that would make just doing an errata a bit tricky. 

[Darth Fluffy 302]

6 hours ago, mlooney said:

No, there are some changes in how you create characters and how weapons work, among other things that would make just doing an errata a bit tricky. 

I get that; mechanically, changes have been made. Does it affect overall game play? Not so much. Min-max munchkins will need to rethink their stats, yes, but for everyone else, it's the same old framework with slightly changed materials, marketed as 'better' because it is currently supported. And, to be honest, if I wanted a new 3.5 book, I'd have to look on eBay, my book stores (such as are left) and game stores won't have editions that old in stock. OTOH, I saved a bundle by skipping 4e & 5e, right?

 

[mlooney 3,417]

2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Does it affect overall game play? Not so much.

The new rules on weapons will effect martial characters tactics by more than a little bit.  Does this effect game play?  Depends, it could help change the "martial characters suck" aspect.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

44 minutes ago, mlooney said:

The new rules on weapons will effect martial characters tactics by more than a little bit.  Does this effect game play?  Depends, it could help change the "martial characters suck" aspect.

I may have a blind side to this. Martial characters are always popular, how do they suck?

[mlooney 3,417]

1 hour ago, Darth Fluffy said:

I may have a blind side to this. Martial characters are always popular, how do they suck?

Well, I don't think they suck, but people that are more into damage per round of combat aspects of D&D complain that casters often have a significantly higher damage output.

[mlooney 3,417]

NASA has made a TTRPG adventure
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/multimedia/online-activities/the-lost-universe/

[Darth Fluffy 302]

20 hours ago, mlooney said:

NASA has made a TTRPG adventure
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/multimedia/online-activities/the-lost-universe/

I don't have time at the moment to read this. Spill the frijoles, is there an actual space related point to this?

[Darth Fluffy 302]

If nothing else, the map looks adaptable.

[mlooney 3,417]

4 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

I don't have time at the moment to read this. Spill the frijoles, is there an actual space related point to this?

I haven't read it so I don't know but they said something about "learning science" so I assume so.

[mlooney 3,417]