/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

On a personal note, I have an unresolved issue with 'Gamer' culture in D&D (surely its been noticed).
Theres a time and place for characters like Rosie - expounding the envelope- and this can well be one of them. But lets not pretend its really east to balance a bunch of reasonably squishies alingside a (cuz regen and DR) 4x more health (aline) undead powerhouse.

I was exceedingly proud of what I accomplished with the unadulterated rolls I made with Brie (>point buy, <low sperm [Xp]), and knowing that I got the budget build "in good faith" kinda sucks.
I dont claim to fully grasp the spellstichjeedd necromicon in undead half vampire form with dread the fuck ever rituals and unholy nipply and clit piercings, but *aside from some oversight wrt spellstitched SLAs* actually seems not as - if justified (read combat) - can work really well for everyone

>>181535
>*aside from some oversight wrt spellstitched SLAs*
The spellstitched SLAs are all utility spells: Posey uses them for unseen servant, floating disk, and otherwise really only really uses them to lift and carry things. Today was the first time she used it to buff her allies.
I was going to give her Sleet Storm, Fireball, Shivering Touch, etc, but I didn't because I didn't want them to eclipse my actual spellcasting, and because I do in fact have some self-restraint with optimization.
But yes, the spellstitching was excessive: it gives spell resistance, a bonus to saving throws, damage reduction (redundant for Posey), and more. I wasn't sure if it was appropriate for Posey to get it basically for free, but it's also the only part of my character that GM hasn't complained about, so I didn't mention that until now. I'll cut it away right now if GM wants.
>I have an unresolved issue with 'Gamer' culture in D&D
This is 3.5e. Look at every forum, blog, thread, and server that talks about it for the past 25 years: it's all "gamer culture". 3.5e is the nerdy, crunch-driven version of d&d; that's what people like about it.

All I want is to make a character that is effective for the story we're trying to tell, and nobody complains about. I want to make a character with interesting abilities that make sense for her background, and also not get nerfed mid-combat when I use them for the first or second time.

What can I do? How can I do that?

>>181535
More to the point on gamer culture is the proliferation of guides and build templates. Yes, I get wanting to main-character 'be THE BEST (Or observably trending toward.

The problem (as GM has illustrated and I hope Im not beating a dead horse,... kinda maybe preaching to the choir by now) is that when an observable but undeniable minority all flock to the "extra most bestest" class build, and most OTHERS are playing more or less mundane/minimally maximized if at all,....

It undermines the quality of playing not kitted/maxxed characters, or having to be okay with doing less than others are doing in a balnced risk-assessment/reward sense, neither of which is happy making,

>>181537
Most of the hactardedness of 3.5e is ppl overlooking rules or ignoring them.

Most bonuses DONT stack, if of similar type. You can ONLY concentrate on one duration spell (unless specified in description: Hallow) at a time, and so on.

3.5e is actually really decent AND balanced *if pne learn all the rules and what they mean*
Rosey isnt balanced, but Im okay with that (fwiw) if she's gonna be the Golu who everyone rallies around to kill things. Im saying, do your evil when we've parted ways

Just saying, emoting kissing the tiara,... it was in character too, cant unsee

>>181527
>Was your intention for her to die in that fight?
I can't speak for GM Pone, but he had probably gotten irritated that Posey was both so strong and so reckless, and wanted to throw something at her that would make her pause and behave different. Unfortunately that's not in character for her, she's like a stereotypical Viking berserker. You can call it railroading, you can call it a "write a book already!" GM, but in a serious setting Posey acts unserious and there is no way for him to change that without outright killing her.
>Posey, an ECL 3-5 character, was fighting a monster that would have been a hard fight for an entire party of her level.
Yeah, she's very strong.
>I'm not trying to be adversarial, but how do you want encounters to go in your game? What's the lethality level that you are interested in?
>As far as I can tell, none of the characters have died, everyone has ended their hardest encounters with around a quarter of their health. It didn't seem like high lethality was the intended atmosphere to me.
When I first started playing Amber I would insist to GM Pone, "don't pull any punches and if she dies I'll roll a new character." Since then Amber has grown on me more, and although I still like that hardcore attitude I would be peeved if she died. Amber's a very imperfect OC but she has become my permanent fixture in this campaign. The other players likely feel the same way, though there is less risk of a game-over when their characters don't immediately disintegrate at 0 HP. You probably feel the same way and don't want Posey to die, nor does anypony else.

>I came into the game believing that there would be wizards with machines guns and changeling firing squads, but that Posey was supposed to win.
Well, there are and will be, but the power creep hasn't reached that level except in some dream sequences. We're barely past the "fight gangsters with knives and smuggled hoofguns" level.

>>181530
I do want to see her in serious combat alongside the rest of the party, but statwise she looks broken. Balance could be mitigated by having her take center stage with the rest of the party supporting her, but that doesn't match her roleplay characteristics. In previous quests it was Iron (earth pony fighter) and Silver filling that role, but they are extremely tough stallions. Posey is a lithe, bookish unicorn mare who is powerful because of her undead status, but is trying to hide that status (especially from the party members who lean good-aligned). It's paradoxical.

>>181533
I don't doubt your good faith in wanting Posey to be balanced. No one can reasonably pin blame on you except in regards to eagerly crafting an interesting character and initially misjudging the nature of the campaign. I legitimately don't know what you could do differently that doesn't involve changing Posey's behavior.
>Has her high HP, immunities, or DR ever been an actual issue before?
I don't think it actually has, mainly because Posey hasn't been in multiplayer fights yet. We're wringing our hooves over "what-ifs" regarding balance and I think you have a point in that we should just step back and let it play out. I'm just not convinced those issues won't bear out.

>>181535
This too. I never intended for Amber to be very powerful of a character, and Cavaliere is OK at what he does, but I won't conceal that I was a little disappointed that Silver got extra ability points for free (first by not having age modifiers, second by having his intelligence raised with nothing else adjusted). I like Silver and Silver's player, and those free points don't affect me or my characters at all, but just knowing about it changes how one views the game. If this can happen because of Silver who's been here from the very start, then Posey would of course affect our perceptions too. It's not malicious or particularly envious, it's just how we compare things.

>>181537
I like the spellstitched stuff personally. A floating disk following her everywhere is an odd visualization but a decently capable unicorn could do the same thing with a physical disk. The buffs for other players are nice too. Spell resistance has never come into play and saving throws aren't a concern unless if we're doing PvP (which we're not). I was only ever really shocked by Posey's incredible stats and skills which make her checks way more powerful than anypony else's.
>This is 3.5e. Look at every forum, blog, thread, and server that talks about it for the past 25 years: it's all "gamer culture". 3.5e is the nerdy, crunch-driven version of d&d; that's what people like about it.
It could be worse: it could be AD&D!

>>181539
Every handbook screamed that half-vampire isn't worth the +2 LA. The golden rule for caster optimization is "THOU SHALL NOT LOSE CASTER LEVELS!"
But look what I did: I started two level lower than the party and gimped my spellcasting. I also have no Metamagic feats

Why did I choose the suboptimal half-vampire race? Because it was sexier. I wanted to justify not being a rotten corpse, because I was part vampire. My reward for that was DR/5, and a Charming Gaze that only works when the GM wants it to, at the cost of two whole caster levels.
>Most of the hactardedness of 3.5e is ppl overlooking rules or ignoring them.
Try that in a 3.5e discord server: the users will pick you apart. Ignoring the RAW for optimization is not tolerated.
That will instantly disqualify you from any Iron Chef challenge.
>Most bonuses DONT stack, if of similar type. You can ONLY concentrate on one duration spell (unless specified in description: Hallow) at a time, and so on.
I know this.
>3.5e is actually... balanced
No it isn't, lol.
Monk exists in the same book as Cleric.

>>181542
I dont mond spellstitched, its basically glorofoed daily use scrolls.

The problem with spellstitched is the perception that because it is a spell like ability, it doesnt require or bypasses concentration.

It very much does not.

It does bupass verbal, somatic, material, and focus components.
But for example, Rpsey CAN NOT have an u seen servant, tensers floating dosk, and part ac buffs (excliding Brie e_e) at the same time

>>181544
Re: Duration, subcategory: Concentration

This gets back to gamer mentality.

Everything I have askef GM for in my character is based upon a personality type I wanted to play before I knew what the mechanics, benefits, consequences, or possible layouts were (within reason, not.my first rodeo).

Rosey SEEMS to be a cut and paste of (no offense, but short of Pun pun) among the most broken of builds.

>>181546
I had a lengthy sales pitch, and knew why I SOULD be able to without breaking the indended balance ang guidelines of the game.
Rosey doesnt come across that way. I am willing to see her mainfest as that kind of character, and I apologize if I go overboard in wxpressi g skepticism/criticism

>>181542
>wanted to throw something at her that would make her pause and behave different
Earlier in the story, Posey expresses having always wanted to fight a hydra. That was her wish being granted.
>she's like a stereotypical Viking berserker
That's close to the vibe I was going for.
>Posey acts unserious and there is no way for him to change that without outright killing her
Is her acting unserious the problem? Am I not playing her as serious enough?
I made her intentionally aloof and arrogant to make her cuter...
>You probably feel the same way and don't want Posey to die, nor does anypony else.
I don't mind it when my characters die... Well, unless my death is the result of my RAW abilities being nerfed mid-combat, then I get kind of ticked off.
I don't mind character death so long as it feels like I could play my best game.
>the power creep hasn't reached that level except in some dream sequences
No, it has, I back read. There was a changeling wizard who cast mage armor, shield, protection from arrows, and then blasted the party with a machine gun that had three dozen shots per round.
>Posey is a lithe, bookish unicorn mare who is powerful because of her undead status, but is trying to hide that status (especially from the party members who lean good-aligned). It's paradoxical.
To me, that is internal conflict and roleplay restrictions that i willfully took on when making her.
>I legitimately don't know what you could do differently that doesn't involve changing Posey's behavior.
Except... I like her behavior. I like her throwing herself into melee and taking grievous wounds because she worships pain and is confident in her powers, like a vampire. It's been the main appeal to me. It's like playing a Barbarian.
>I don't think it actually has, mainly because Posey hasn't been in multiplayer fights yet. We're wringing our hooves over "what-ifs" regarding balance and I think you have a point in that we should just step back and let it play out.
See, this is my biggest issue here. It's all hypothetical. It feels low-key unfair, because idk what I could do.
>it's just how we compare things.
Well... If you want, I could help you build a better sheet, so that you won't feel jealous...
>>181546
>Rosey SEEMS to be a cut and paste of (no offense, but short of Pun pun) among the most broken of builds.
No. I reject this. You are wrong.
Show me one Dread Necromancer build that took on +2 LA from half vampire, and has no metamagic.
Nobody else has play a strength-based, half-vampire, sword-wielding Dread Necromancer like me. Everyone else focuses on the spellcasting.
>>181544
>But for example, Rpsey CAN NOT have an u seen servant, tensers floating dosk, and part ac buffs (excliding Brie e_e) at the same time
Why do you even care about unseen servant and floating disk? They are not combat spells. They're only good for carrying things. Is that a problem?
I'll cut them, but why that of all things?
You a talisman of the disk is only 500 gp, right? At-will floating disk.

>>181544
>But for example, Rpsey CAN NOT have an u seen servant, tensers floating dosk, and part ac buffs (excliding Brie e_e) at the same
None of those are concentration spells, btw.

>>181548
>cast mage armor, shield, protection from arrows
Another example that shouldnt happen
>reee, you havent seen my final form!
Dude, Im trying to be okay with how unfathomably broken Rosie is,... youre not helping
>why do you care
[I]Its one of the most basic functions of the game. Duration spells require concentration. U wanna not concentrate? Use a scroll. You want a scroll that regenerates every day cuz some asshole decoded he wanted to for his game and then told someone else and they eventually decided to sell their broken ideas to a pu lisher who said "fuck it why not',....
Oppsed.
Concentration is a thing, and its not just a saving throw when taking damage.

>>181549
Yes they are. Read it

Oh no, I've spilled my spaghetti, oops!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vHzWLmdeNMdwpV1ZZm7_odK8Se-M19KiiB6iZdOX0mg/pub
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_QNvNjIMKGivuMWayMOsOaXd-w9nCsnvnfyxEb4dbno/pub#h.mp7gnwz1yhkj
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CXF9Q2XUoq0Lzh0H8Zzk8gCq4GMkzB-pYTRxIfQGXH8/pub
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cPmFbL75JMGQ4im7iH9ySCJYh7tGP3g8eo1xIW5R8KA/pub
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h0SlmLGUjL6TgOGxxe8ww7yJPiZhfx5864v_6jwlYeg/pub

On a different topic, I've imagine if Silver was ever somehow corrupted by dark magic into being evil, his name would change from "Silver Sword" to "Sundered Sword", and the sword in his cutie mark would change to appear broken in half.

>>181550
>Another example that shouldnt happen
Why?
>Duration spells require concentration
No. You're confusing it with 5e again.
Only spells with the Duration of Concentration require Concentration to maintain.
>U wanna not concentrate? Use a scroll.
.... Scrolls take Concentration to use just like any other spell.
>Concentration is a thing, and its not just a saving throw when taking damage.
I know how concentration works. You are mistaking it for 5e.
Posey only has one spell with a Duration of Concentration, and that's Summon Swarm.
>>181553
Sundered Sword sounds like a blackguard name.

>>181554
No, no, NO. Go. Read your pdfs, PHB. Look up under spells, Duration: read until the end of subset Concentration. Have fun, Rosey isnt nearly as powerful as you were convinced (still super powerful, ngl)

>>181554
A little bit, I suppose. It sounds like a cool idea to me.

>>181555
I dont mean the specific spell, I mean the general breakdown of duration and concentration as a concept

>>181557
Okay fine, I'll spoonfeed. Spells without specofic qualifiers in their description, that have a duration REQUIRE CONCENTRATION.

Even SPELL.LIKE ABILITIES

>>181555
I'm looking at it right now. Timed durations are not the same as concentration duration spells. You are wrong.
I know this by heart, because I am in two other PBP games. Look things up before you talk out your ass.
>Rosey isnt nearly as powerful as you were convinced
It's not even relevant to that Discussion, because Rosey has never even tried tried to use duration spells at once: she had no buff spells, duration isn't an issue for her. The longest she maintained a spell was when she summoned her amoebic crawlers in the hydra fight.

>>181559
You know what, I guess they really did write it that way. Forgrt I said anything.

>>181558
You're wrong. That's not how concentration works in 3.5e.
You're thinking of 5e, where every ongoing spell costs concentration.
You are wrong. You have fundamentally misunderstood how 3.5e spellcasting works.
3.5e doesn't have 5e's silly concentration restriction. 3.5e spellcasting works like THIS:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nqjz5R8LrU

>>181561
Ive never met anyone who actually played 3.5e in any contemporaneous sense who interpreted the rules that way. Maybe they were intended that way, maybe youre right. You disgust me, and this convo is over.

Your intepretation of the rules disgusts me, let me qualify

>>181562
>Ive never met anyone who actually played 3.5e in any contemporaneous sense who interpreted the rules that way.
There's literally NPCs in modules who do this: a Cleric in Age Of Worms casts Bulls Strength and Bless before combat. Monsters with tactics: a Nightwalker casts invisibility and haste before combat.

>>181562
>Maybe they were intended that way, maybe youre right. You disgust me, and this convo is over.
How is playing the game as intended disgusting?

And Posey hasn't done any of this at all. She has no buff spells. She has touch attacks, fear-based debuffs, and a handful of summons.

>>181563
My interpretation is the intended reading. It is a very clear reading. It is clearly published in the SRD.
I have never encountered someone who said that unseen servant and floating disk are concentration and you can't have them at the same time.

Even in 5e, neither of those spells are concentration. You are talking out your ass.

Are you drunk?

>>181548
>Berserker, intentionally aloof and arrogant
>internal conflict and roleplay restrictions
>but also throwing herself into melee and taking grievous wounds because she worships pain and is confident in her powers, like a vampire.
That's part of the paradox. Don't get me wrong, she's a fun character, but she breaks the vibe of major quests. If you've noticed GM Pone's tendencies when making quests, and what he's explicitly said, he loves interjecting both mundane consequences (like in a crime thriller) and Lovecraftian horror. Neither has much room for snarky remarks and suicidal ideation. Posey at times feels like the main character in a video game with wacky armor (a suit of armor made of bones) and the ability to act completely different from everypony else.
That's besides the in-universe conflict between trying to appear like a science student or femme fatale and acting completely like a bloodthirsty maniac. As players we're rolling our collective eyes because it's so easy to see through Posey's disguise yet we have to pretend otherwise. A good spy would play the part of a pretty but weak mare and only in the face of an immediate threat would try to easily fold the enemy. Mind-controlled griffons or not, she wouldn't initiate fights. It's like that plane scene where she vomited an ungodly amount of blood, but we're taking a supposedly living mare into a combat zone because OOC we can't leave you out. It breaks our suspension of disbelief which is frustrating.
>Except... I like her behavior. I like her throwing herself into melee and taking grievous wounds because she worships pain and is confident in her powers, like a vampire. It's been the main appeal to me. It's like playing a Barbarian.
She has her appeal, but that disconnect is jarring. More and more I truly believe that the issue isn't with Posey's physical stats, but with her behavior. I don't know what it would take to have character development significant enough to fix that.
>Well, unless my death is the result of my RAW abilities being nerfed mid-combat, then I get kind of ticked off.
>I don't mind character death so long as it feels like I could play my best game.
I agree completely.
>Well... If you want, I could help you build a better sheet, so that you won't feel jealous...
I appreciate it. Amber and Cavaliere are still level 5 so I have to figure out what to do when each of them levels up. 6 is an important level. Also, you still have my thanks for pressuring GM Pone enough to start leveling us up.
>Nobody else has play a strength-based, half-vampire, sword-wielding Dread Necromancer like me. Everyone else focuses on the spellcasting.
I know you are arguing about metas outside the game but no one cares about the meta in this game. The only real spellcaster we've had in the game was Spark and he didn't look to powergame.
>I'll cut them, but why that of all things?
I disagree with Brie on this. There's nothing wrong with these spells. Unseen servant is especially good because no player wants his character to have to dig through a latrine for some garbage clue. It's not worth arguing with him over unseen servant or floating disk.

>>181552
This is really cool! I forgot that goats are technically sapient in FiM. I'd swap them out in favor of kirins. It's also missing bat ponies.

Idk how this was even an argument.
I asked for ways that I could voluntarily change/nerf my own character sheet to be more in line with the GM's intentions and fit in with the party, and it sonehow turned into a BS argument about Concentration spells because Brie's player can't fucking read.

Why does shit like this happen every fucking week? This is not fun.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

>>181567
It's got 'em. Check the last link

>>181568
I know there's a temptation to reply to every single post directed at you but sometimes it's best to not take the bait. Brie's player is not a bad person to my knowledge but he is extremely autistic and autistic people will hyperfocus on minor details sometimes. Just acknowledge the post exists and move on.

I still don't know what Test is.

>>181570
Ooh!

>>181571
It turned/s into an argument cuz I read the character sheet, and MOST of the bullshit minmax sites he derived it from. (Im still behind on a few of his bullshit bonus feats cuz reasons).
That he insist its 'perfectly fine' ("Im jus tryin to play a lil ol villain, uwu") is exactly the sort of harktardedness Im trying to indicate as making the game more difficult for everyone.
Lets be clear. With the ability to daily-cast several spells with (primarily) no consequence raises a character CR far beyond "what the designers decided it does".
The WHOLE PARTY would LIKELY LOSE if facing Rosey.
But yes, I took the bait again. I know

With Posey's interpretation of spell duration, spells like Force cage, Gate, and a variety of other very demanding spells "dont require concentration". Im not on about ritual casts, theres an argument to be made there. Im talking about involved spells with very lasting/exacting effects that apparently you can just "set it and forget it".
Thats just one issue, and one that very significantly affects party balance.
Maybe I should have more faith in GM, theres a case to be made there.

Oh, 'Telekinesis requires concentration'. Nevermind, I guess they thought of everything.

Control Undead, 7th lvl sorceror/wis spell allowing control of multiple HD of undead for a number of rounds determined by caster level. Not a concentration spell.

Detect animals or plants
Concentration spell

Shall I go into Time Stop? Or shall I stop, with an admission that theres a glaring insufficiency in the concentration rules as written - if Posey's interpretation is correct - or that there is room for reevaluation of stacked spell effects, as I am asserting.

In conclusion, GM had expressed an interest that this game be "more /mlp/ and less D&D, excluding neither" (paraphrased). But also that 3.5e was a convenient/familiar system with lots and lots of optional add on material for consideration and integration with/without modification. 3.5e broke either because of liberal interpretation of the rules, or liberal implementation of rules. And, some players like breaking the game by CL and balance; ive seen players run full 18s for all stats, triple-classed from level 1.

>Oh gawd, he's at it again.

The thing about DnD is, its designed so that every class has their own specific role to play that they specifically excel at, beyond others. Naturally if you have EVERY class in the party, there will be overlap, but still; a role for every class and every class in their role. But that assumes that the roles are effectivrly balanced against eachother.

Then we have 3.5e which is JUST THIS SIDE of a PERFECT engine but ONLY if the PLAYERS have the presence of mind to pccasionally say "Whoa, this doesnt make sense" or "they couldnt have meant that, thats absurd when compared to this", and so on.

Theres a concept in Law called "The Letter of the Law" and "The Spirit of the Law". The idea is predicated on the idea that the letter of the law can be to exacting, demanding, or harsh in particular circumstances or context; more generally it refers to how laws are intended to protect society and it's people, and that rigid and unwavering appeals to the letter of the law can be injurious to the society who structured those laws.

In a comparative sense, 3.5e D&D has lots of rules. So many rules that they tried to fix it with more rules, and when that failed and it was worse they said "well hey, they bought all these new rules, lets just sell them more rules."

The spirit of the Rule - like the spirit of the Law - assumes that the rules can, should be and already are broken. Because even before modules and supplements 3.5e was exploitable and breakable if the interpretation of the rules is not with a mindfulness toward all class types and fair play/balance.

>>181580
Bro, can you stop?
I was trying to have a productive conversation with GM about how to alter my character sheet, and now he can't even see my posts about it if he clicks "last 50 posts".

>>181581
All you had to do was ask

>>181581
I was going to reply to your earlier post, but it doesn’t show in “last 50 posts”

At first I was going to go on a lengthy diatribe about the /5 damage reduction specifically, why I’ve never approved it, and using math to show why Posey is OP

However, you asked “why does it matter that Posey is OP?” and I like that way of framing the issue much better, so instead I will respond to that I have a lot to say.

It’ll take some time before I am able to write it all out, but first I would very much appreciate it if you read this post >>181567 as I whole heartedly agree with everything in it minus the “thanks for forcing GM to level us up. And when you’re done, read it again. When you’re done, read >>181542. It’s not quite as good, but it has many good points, especially in that first paragraph. The line “In a serious setting, Posey is an unserious character” is golden, if a bit harsh.

>>181583
>you asked “why does it matter that Posey is OP?”
What I asked was what the problems I caused were, and how I could amend them. I asked how you expected combat to go in the game, and how my character sheet could reflect that.
I already offered to cut abilities and HP from her sheet.
>I was going to reply to your earlier post
Please do...
>“In a serious setting, Posey is an unserious character"
Tbh, I originally meant for Posey to be to this game what the Dread League is to EaW: out of place and archaic, but also fun. She behaves the way she does because the country she hails from is a strange place.
Posey is a D&D character in a d20 Modern game, and I did that by design thinking it would be fun and well recieved. I guess I was wrong...

Okay, so I’m going to start my “why Posey being OP is in fact a bad thing” series. I have three, or sort of four, different points. Please take these criticisms seriously. No, I am not claiming that every one of these criticisms applies to Posey all the time. I am not claiming that they apply to Posey even most of the time. In fact, I think it’s pretty obvious that Posey has been mostly fine, most of the time, and the situations where in there are actually problems are kind of rare.

Please don’t dismiss these concerns with just “oh, well that doesn’t happen very often” because I am aware of that.

First,

Because you want the game on hard mode.

When you mentioned liking instances of combat that have occurred this far, you mentioned two. The fight against Luminous, and the fight against the Hydra. You did not mention the first encounter with the gangsters. You did not mention the fight against the dire wolves, or the fight inside of the cavern, or any part of the combat against August. You did not mention the fight against the diamond dogs, or against the panther. You did not mention the first small encounter here against the intruder nor the last fight against the griffins. Why? You know exactly why. Because in those two fights. Posey’s health was reduced to a single hp (or something close to that, anyways) and that is an essential component of any ideal combat encounter to you.

>>181527
> Isn't ending a fight with 10 HP fine?
For you, I don't think it is. I don’t care, but I do not believe that you would actually have been as positive about that encounter if Posey’s HP did not go that low.

You are a power gamer. And what do power gamers want? Do they want to dominate over all of their foes? No. Do they want to win? I don’t think they do. Power gamers want to lose. Or more accurately, to almost lose; to just barely pull out a victory.

This game (was) level 5. The threats in the world are more or less designed to match that. When it was just your level-7 equivalent character I could try to adjust the encounters to meet your character's power and desired level of difficulty. The problem is that now Posey is within a party of other players who made characters that are balanced for level 6 except Garv apparently, who wants to protest the move to level 6. And those players don't necessarily prefer the same level of difficulty as you. I can try to accommodate this by increasing difficulty and having enemies target Posey more often than most characters, but we know this won't be enough. Either you'll have to suffer an easier game, or Posey must be nerfed. Pick one.

When I wrote that 1400 word "Why Posey Putting on the Crown Pissed Me Off" essay, one of the points was that the incident looked like you expressing boredom with the previous encounter (where Posey was supposed to take like 10 damage, but because you claimed 5 damage reduction took almost nothing), and deciding to toss an apple of discord into the room because it was more fun to you. It's hard for me to imagine this is not going to be an issue.

>>181530
>Posey has only had between four and six serious encounters in this entire campaign: the equivalent to a single adventuring day.
Okay, I just knew there was an issue.

You asked before how I feel about Diplomancers. There's a serious problem with resolving encounters by means of diplomacy, and that is that I know that every single time an encounter that is intended to be resolved by means of combat is resolved by means other than combat, it gets held against me. If I design a neat situation and have a set up for combat that makes sense in context (rather than just some ass pull "hey there's an outsider here") and then that situation gets resolved by diplomacy, then all of that time spent on that gets held against me, just "Hey GM why do you have so few combat encounters?"

You mentioned hating going three weeks going through a swamp with "no encounters." I very strongly suspect you're talking about when Posey encountered the ghosts. The ghosts were supposed to become hostile and attack Posey. Posey instead decided to befriend them and damn near pull a Silver. Then after that, Posey was supposed to walk along the road to circle around back to the destroyed bridge and get on a raft to go across. Along the way she was supposed to encounter giant bees, which I even foreshadowed with sound. But no, Posey wanted to just go the long way and backtrack. And was the conclusion of that section of the mission "hey, I'm glad I befriended these ghosts and Posey avoided more dangers on the road." No, it was "Why did GM waste my time for three weeks?"

Similar with the gnolls the first time that Posey went into the ghetto. This area was designed to be a high difficulty encounter area where significant, life-threatening combat could take place without doing too much to disturb the status quo of the factions in the region. I had this whole plan for an abandoned elementary school that had been turned into a strange kind of religious school for the Crocutta, and a larger battle inspired by the "Hornets Nest" mission of Modern Warfare 2 with little references to it, and ultimately drawing in the Anarchists and Occupier forces as well in a battle. But no, Posey did an admittedly pretty clever Ghostbusters shtick and felt sorry for the widow, so she never provoked anything, and ultimately decided she wanted to apparently try to befriend the gnolls. I'm sure that this is also counting against me, because I didn't force them to go hostile. Am I supposed to nerf the power of friendship in a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction? I'm trying, but setting up encounters that are actually sensible in the world is not easy.

>>181585
>She behaves the way she does because the country she hails from is a strange place.
Bro come on, you know what he and I are talking about. No one is complaining that the character is silly. The problem is she doesn't respect the world around her.

>>181572
>The WHOLE PARTY would LIKELY LOSE if facing Rosey.
Dust solos her, give me backup and the fight maybe lasts 3 turns. Maybe.

>>181588
Shush, we'll get into that later

>>181587
>“why Posey being OP is in fact a bad thing”
I didn't really ask that.
The only reason I need for that was that it upsets you.
What I asked were what issues I caused, and how I could fix them.
>When you mentioned liking instances of combat that have occurred this far, you mentioned two. The fight against Luminous, and the fight against the Hydra.
I called out these two because they were my favorites, not because they were the only ones I liked. I liked all of these encounters.
>Luminous
The assassination of Luminous was the first fight that directly contributed to the cause of Posey's faction, and it actually felt like Posey had a sense of direction as an emissary of the league. It was also the first time that Posey had killed a Paladin, after the truce with August.
>Hydra
Posey mentioned that she always wanted to fight a hydra. Meeting one when she was underleveled came as a surprise, but also a challenge that she wasn't going to back down from because it was part of her equestrian dream, even though she couldn't actually make a zombie out of it.
It was also one of the few actual d&d monsters Posey has fought.
>gangsters
I had fun with that too. It was a power fantasy moment, making them run away in fear, and being a monster that could be stabbed in the heart and ask for more was part of that fantasy.
>You did not mention the fight against the dire wolves
That was fun, but it only lasted like one round.
It was actually more of a roleplay challenge to me, as Posey accidentally revealed her immortal nature to Luminous as a consequence for her DR and healing factor in that fight.
>fight inside of the cavern
I fumbled that encounter... I didn't understand the situation and ended up ignoring key parts of it, even though they should have been interesting to Posey.
>part of the combat against August
I've mentioned that before, haven't I? That was the setup for a recurring antagonist.
>the fight against the diamond dogs
This wasn't my proudest encounter because I felt like I made Posey break character there, entering a home* uninvited, in broad daylight, over a river... But I did enjoy making them flee in fear; it felt very villainous.
However, sicking the ghasts on them as revenge for getting in Posey's way was really fun, even though Posey did not participate in that fight.
>against the panther
The panther fight was Posey embarrassingly losing grapple checks for three rounds against a cat before finally scaring it off. I do appreciate a good random encounter, but it wasn't exactly special.
>the last fight against the griffins
We just had it. We all experienced it. I didn't think it needed to be mrntioned
It was fun, and it involved teamwork. Posey tanked 20 points of damage and disarmed the enemy. Silver took care of the dog after being informed by Posey's check that silver worked on it. Kira grappled rec so Posey could snatch the tiara.
>Because in those two fights. Posey’s health was reduced to a single hp (or something close to that, anyways) and that is an essential component of any ideal combat encounter to you.
Not really. I like fights that are memorable and give me a chance to use my abilities. I also like encounters that advance the story.
Posey's main method of attack is Fear. Most of her spells are fear based. I like making weaklings flee in fear.
And I know I didn't mention the less-intense fights, but in my defense they were a year ago.
>I don't think it is
It is though. That sums up the majority of my encounter experience in 3.5e. That's what the DMG recommends.
>I don’t care
Are you sure, because you sound like you care.
I just offered to cut 16 of Posey's HP. Do you persony want that? I wonder do it if you don't actually care.

>I do not believe that you would actually have been as positive about that encounter if Posey’s HP did not go that low.
No, that's not true. I liked those encounters because they were glorious, not because Posey almost died. I like slaying powerful foes, whether or not they go to low HP.
>Do they want to dominate over all of their foes?
Posey is a dominatrix: she is supposed to be dreadful and feared. I based her on the shite horse of Conquest. Dominating over all of Posey's foes is exactly what I want. I'm still waiting to enact changeling genocide.
>Do they want to win?
Losing is dying. I don't mind character death, but I do like winning, leaving up, and getting cool treasure.
>Power gamers want to lose. Or more accurately, to almost lose; to just barely pull out a victory.
I've met a lot of power gamers, and this isn't necessarily the best way to put it.
Powergamers like to have their power vindicated, to crush enemies well above their weight because they played so well, but that doesn't mean they don't like regular encounters. Power gaming is about power fantasy: I know many gamers who get frustrated when the GM flubs monster stats to make them more challenging, because it gets in the way of their power fantasy (I'm not one of those powergamers, but I also don't really consider myself that high on the power gaming scale when it comes to the 3.5e community).
>level-7 equivalent character
A lvl 7 equivalent spellcaster would be able to cast animate dead...
>The problem is that now Posey is within a party of other players who made characters that are balanced for level 6 except Garv apparently, who wants to protest the move to level 6. And those players don't necessarily prefer the same level of difficulty as you.
This is a sentiment I understand and appreciate. This is why I offered to nerf her sheet and asked for specifics for what kind of combat you want.
>Either you'll have to suffer an easier game
I am actually fine with this. I thought it was you who wanted her to be nerfed.
I'll take back the immunities and the DR too, if it wasn't your concern. My enjoyment isn't really an issue here. I made Posey with intent for her to take over the world: winning isn't an issue for me.
>or Posey must be nerfed
I only offered to further nerf her because you expressed discontent with her character. I was doing it to appease you, not because the game isn't hard enough.
I don't even like the nerfs that already happened: I liked my undead traits. I liked my immunity to crits. I liked my immunity to mind-affecting. I liked my DR5 Silver or Magic. Playing the unkillable zombie was part of my fantasy; I have a foot in the grave irl, I like roleplaying the pseudo-vampire who doesn't fear death. The only reason why I offered to make more changes was because you sounded like you wanted me to.
>Pick one.
I'll gladly pick the former. I asked what it was that you wanted.
>I know that every single time an encounter that is intended to be resolved by means of combat is resolved by means other than combat, it gets held against me
That's not really how I meant it at all, I don't mean to hold it against you. There's lots of way to resolve encounters (all of which should give XP, but we're not using XP...)
>Hey GM why do you have so few combat encounters?
Well, I did think this was going to be a war game when I entered...
>You mentioned hating going three weeks going through a swamp with "no encounters."
You misunderstand. At the time, I was expressing frustration at the irl wait between the encounters. There were five encounters in that adventuring day, which is more then enough, but the irl wait between them kind of killed the hype.
Tbh, it's not actually that big of an issue. I was just really frustrated at the time.
>ghosts
I'll be real with you: Posey is going to try to make every undead creature she encounters her friend. She befriended Baka, she befriended the ghosts, she'll try to befriend the ghouls. All dead ponies are frens. That's her thing.
>hey, I'm glad I befriended these ghosts and Posey avoided more dangers on the road
Actually, I am glad to have ghostly frens.
>Gnolls
Yeah, I'm sorry I skipped that... Gnolls are dog-like though, and Posey likes dogs, so Gnolls are frens.
Also, I believed that Agire and the witch were allies of the Dread League, so their frens are my frens
>I'm trying, but setting up encounters that are actually sensible in the world is not easy.
Yeah, sorry.
There's some urban random encounter tables for you to roll, if you're interested.
>The problem is she doesn't respect the world around her.
Posey also fucking hates the world around her and considers herself to be above it and that she is destined to destroy it all. I thought I made that clear when I made her.
I could change her though.

And all of this aside, I still have unanswered questions for what I can do to fix her.

Let me interrupt with the D20 Past rule book. Carry on.

>>181592
Okay, a small portion of my rant

You said you "feel like your character is not being taken seriously" because several of Posey's powers that you've sprung on me are things I had no idea her character was supposed to have.

Well I went through and reread her character sheet, and it is not easy to understand. I see that there is 2/ damage reduction. I see the stats. I don't see "immune to mind altering abilities" and "damage reduction 5."

I was fully aware of your character's HP, dark vision, charm, damage reduction 2, natural armor, and several other things, because these were talked about in thread, or were clearly readable on the character sheet. I am not bullshitting you when I say that when you mentioned damage reduction 5 for the very first time in one of the big fights - I think it was the fight against Luminous - I very seriously thought that it was you pulling something out of your ass in an attempt to reduce the difficulty of a very hard fight. Please remember that my immediate response was "Not just no, but Hell no." For this entire year and a half I have assumed the damage reduction was 2. When you claimed on Saturday, after the fight against the griffins had concluded, that she in fact has DR 5, this was my first time to learn about it in a year and a half.

I suppose what I'm supposed to do is to take every trait or feature, put it into bing, and hope that the articles that come up are relevant to what you're claiming? Are you aware that every time I type in keywords for whatever obscure thing you are talking about, I usually get three similar things that are not the same thing, and I just have to guess what you are talking about? This is not an issue I have with anyone else's character.

Like with your Nightstalker character. You said you wanted a "Night Stalker." What the fuck is a Night Stalker? So I searched it, and immediately I found an article with the exact class you were talking about. But I didn't just find that. I also found an article talking about Night Stalker as a type of vampire. And you didn't clarify that when you said "Night Stalker" that you were referring to a class and not a race. You didn't say it was a ghoul until later, so I did not know. I was very much not at all enthusiastic about the suggestion of any kind of literal vampire because 1. serial killing is a No for me, and 2. Blood drainage is a hard no for me because of my vasovagal reaction where literally just talking about it will literally reduce the blood flow to my limbs and probably eventually cause me to faint. So you mentioned a "nightstalker" character, and for some time I'm just left sitting and wondering if you were intentionally going to ignore a hard line I set in the game.

Part 2 of “why does it matter if Posey is OP?”
In order for the GM to create a problem for the player to solve, the Player Character must perceive and react as if there were a problem

So something you must have noticed is the absence of traditional puzzles. I don’t think that Uncharted style puzzles are very realistic. And the amount of effort it would take for me to think of them is greater than the reward. So then, how do I make puzzles for the player characters to solve? Simple: Combat must itself be a puzzle, as well as non-combat encounters and elements that rely on potential danger to the player.

My best ever execution of this was with Silver in a flashback dream sequence: the battle of Vale. In that, Silver Sword had to destroy multiple fortified machine gun emplacements guarded by teams of changeling rifleman. So, how do you do that? Do you charge right into MG42 fire? Well, no. obviously not. You don’t charge right into machine gun fire in real life, and you don’t even do it in fiction. No, a machine gun emplacement is a problem. You have to get creative with the solution. In context this meant creatively going around to flank and surprise from another building, attempting to find grenades and get close, and using a mortar.

Basically, I create an obstacle, and the players must get around it. Think of walls in a labyrinth to direct the person using it. To do that, something must be impassable or otherwise stop proceeding. A locked door, a military check point or what have you. And especially in combat situations, this means some kind of threat that cannot be directly attacked without an unacceptable degree of danger to the character. The easiest way to communicate “try to find a different way” is for there to be a threat posed to the character. This entire process is as essential to the game as combat or roleplay, and basically forms a third core of the game.

So when Posey does not have any kind of sense of danger… It kind of makes playing the game impossible. When a character is both so resilient that not much threatens her it’s hard to make obstacles. And when a character is suicidal, she does not even perceive an intended obstacle as an obstacle. Like literally what am I as a GM supposed to do? How am I supposed to handle a character that does not perceive a problem that is intended to be solved as a problem? Like if I had an MG42 nest against Posey, she’d just attack it head on. She’d either destroy it or die trying. What she would not do is engage with the puzzle I have created for her. Posey would not acknowledge there was even a problem to be solved. She would think, first of all “Oh I’m invincible” and not acknowledge the threat. She would then think “Well why does dying matter anyways?” and not acknowledge the downside of losing. And if she won but almost lost, she would think “Well pain is good” and just not alter her behavior.

This is a trio of overlapping traits of Posey’s character that make her not really work with many types of puzzles. Arrogance makes her not acknowledge risk. Suicidal Ideation makes her not acknowledge downsides, which is a part of risk, and masochism means that she will not learn from mistakes. Imagine a mouse in a laboratory in in a maze, incentivized by electrical shocks. Imagine that mouse did not learn anything at all from the shocks, and barely perceived them. You might kill that mouse by slow electrocution. The mouse might just sit at the starting point. What is not going to happen is that mouse successfully completing the maze. Just as people who cannot feel pain are at serious risk of biting their tongues off or losing limbs to injuries, Posey might miss puzzles altogether.

This admittedly is not a character sheet problem. If Posey were impervious to the concept of danger, this would be a problem even if she were as weak as Brie, she’d just get herself killed. If Posey were as cowardly as Kira, even if she were as powerful as… you evidently intended her to be, this would be a complete non-issue. She’d just not die.

It’s not that Posey being cocky and fond of combat is necessarily a bad thing. I just want her to act like she thinks that there are some things in the world that she doesn’t particularly need to fuck with. And you can definitely play cocky and bloodthirsty well. Let me quote my original rant:

“The thing is, there are actually ways of playing your character’s traits that are not disruptive and actually rather compelling. Take the end of the briefing sequence. Posey is telling Shoal Water confidently that there won’t be any kind of issue, she can accomplish the mission. This is the product of her cockiness, and it works really well here. Brie, meanwhile, confronts Shoal Water about there being something he isn’t telling them, and then tells the other characters that there is some hidden danger. This is the product of Brie’s paranoia and cynicism, and it works beautifully. Both of you can play your characters basically in the way you envisioned them, without interrupting the whole flow of the game for everyone else”

My other point here is going to need to be a separate post.

>>181596
No comment, hust saying halfway through I heard it in Critical Drinker. Not a criticism.

>>181595
>You said you "feel like your character is not being taken seriously"
GM, when I said that, it was an emotional response when I expressed exasperation about you seeming surprised about the immunities that appeared in the SRD: the crit immunity and the kind affecting immunity. I was exasperated at the time because you seemed surprised, when those immunities are listed under "undead traits" in the monster manual, and at the time I was frustrated because I was questioning if you knew what Undead Traits are in the core game. That emotion did not extend to anything else on Posey's sheet.
I would never expect you to keep track of everything on Posey's sheet: that's my job. I only expected basic knowledge of PHB/MM materials, like the undead traits, not anything else. I wouldn't blame you for retroactively nerfing something from an obscure splatbook that you didn't know about, but at the time I was frustrated when you seemed surprised at the mind affecting immunity.
I would understand your frustration when Posey uses splat abilities, but also you haven't really complained about any of the splatbooks abilities I have used. You did complain about the undead traits and the HP, which are a combination of core materials and my class. That was why I was frustrated at the time I wrote that.
>>181596
So I see the issue is that Posey's play style makes it difficult for you to write challenges.
I offered to cut abilities off of Posey and cut down her HP, but what you seem to express here is the product of who she is as a character: her gung-ho, brute force, archaic berserker warlord mindset. I could rewrite her as a character, if you wish.
Posey is goal-oriented, she's all about conquest and domination. She'll do anything to meet her goals, but she's flawed because her mindset is an archaic, medieval one where brute force and magical power solves everything: that was supposed to be a flaw in her character that makes her not a mary sue.
> Just as people who cannot feel pain are at serious risk of biting their tongues off or losing limbs to injuries, Posey might miss puzzles altogether.
Posey is always looking for the big cheese. Her existence is inherently horrible, but she dreams of a higher destiny, one where she conquers Equestria. To Posey, she's desperate to meet that end, because her "life" is hardly worth living without it, which is why she's willing to risk total destruction to meet her goals.
She does have her Gloomy to come home to, which is her one motivation to not throw her life away, although in reality Gloomy might be better off without the evil sorceress controlling his life...
>So, how do you do that? Do you charge right into MG42 fire? Well, no. obviously not. You don’t charge right into machine gun fire in real life, and you don’t even do it in fiction. No, a machine gun emplacement is a problem. You have to get creative with the solution. In context this meant creatively going around to flank and surprise from another building, attempting to find grenades and get close, and using a mortar.
This is how I handled it after the fight with luminous, after I realized that running through it wasn't an option. The only reason I even considered running through it was because I wasn't aware of the underground tunnel.

But all this aside, can I do to my character sheet for you to be satisfied? I offered to remove 16 HP and some abilities, but from the way you say it idk if that would fix anything. Posey with 16 less HP would still be Posey. I like Posey as she is, but I am open to change her. What do I do to her?

>This admittedly is not a character sheet problem. If Posey were impervious to the concept of danger, this would be a problem even if she were as weak as Brie, she’d just get herself killed. If Posey were as cowardly as Kira, even if she were as powerful as… you evidently intended her to be, this would be a complete non-issue. She’d just not die.
So you're saying it's how I play her? What should I do differently? Make her act more afraid?

I'm really tired. I have a lot of cooking to do tomorrow. I have to sleep. I can't actually respond seriously because I have had almost no sleep for the past week, but I'm trying.

>>181598
First of all, you should sleep and take care of yourself now. I think that every player has had moments of anxiety regarding this game and what to do next. Don't let it wear you out.

>I offered to cut abilities off of Posey and cut down her HP, but what you seem to express here is the product of who she is as a character: her gung-ho, brute force, archaic berserker warlord mindset. I could rewrite her as a character, if you wish.
>Posey is goal-oriented, she's all about conquest and domination. She'll do anything to meet her goals, but she's flawed because her mindset is an archaic, medieval one where brute force and magical power solves everything: that was supposed to be a flaw in her character that makes her not a mary sue.
>Posey is always looking for the big cheese. Her existence is inherently horrible, but she dreams of a higher destiny, one where she conquers Equestria. To Posey, she's desperate to meet that end, because her "life" is hardly worth living without it, which is why she's willing to risk total destruction to meet her goals.
>She does have her Gloomy to come home to, which is her one motivation to not throw her life away, although in reality Gloomy might be better off without the evil sorceress controlling his life...
An easy solution would be to introduce character development to change some part of that. Character development, however, doesn't come out of the ether. What circumstances could arise in the game that would have her change her behavior enough that this issue isn't a problem? As of right now Gloomy's existence isn't enough to prevent her from throwing her life away, or at least it seems so.

Mechanically I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with Posey except that charming NPCs should be met with sense motive checks, or whatever check is relevant. Narrowing down this conflict to roleplay style makes it much easier to remedy and represents a good amount of progress. It's probably been stressful for you and felt like being on trial, but it'll get better from here.

Sleep well, little poner.

>>181598
I could and likely ultimately will write another 1000+ words in what I perceive as a problem, but really, I only want one thing. Just one single thing.

I want you and your character to take certain, very specific, very high level threats seriously, and not treat them as jokes, because it’s extremely disheartening when you treat them as jokes.

A fortified machine gun emplacement one level up, 100 feat away, and with eight riflemen all with readied actions for a surprise round. The literal Swamp Fever from the show that spawned the entire “Infection UA” thing. A hand grenade exploding right in your face when this situation is easily avoidable and isn’t necessary. A curse of unknown and certainly ancient origins. I’d kind of like to add any kind of spell that has a small risk of exposing Posey’s secret to the Paladin and undead-hunting cleric in the room. That’s it. That’s all I want. I want these things to not be treated as jokes or not seriously. I want just a couple things in my world - just a few very specific things - to be considered seriously as something your character shouldn’t dance around with as “lol I don’t need to give a shot about anything because I’m invincible! Look at how irreverent I am towards the GM’s world building and scenarios! Isn’t that funny? Everyone laugh, it’s funny.” I just want these literally not even a half dozen things to be taken seriously. When they are treated as jokes, it’s extremely disrespectful, it’s extremely disheartening, and it’s extremely angering.

If the one and only way I can make you and your character ask themselves the question “do I need try to tank a hand grenade?” is by forcing you to play Posey with Brie’s level of defenses, then that’s what I will do. If I could get you and posey to just take my game seriously and not these specific things and things like them without any kind of nerfing, then I might be persuaded to not nerf, so long as you also stopped flexing on the other, weaker player characters out of character.

>>181599
>character development
Asshole bat here, this is what Ive been working on, fwiw. When I set out to revamp Brie I was all "this is how he is, isnt it funny?"
It wasnt funny apparently,.... and since then Ive been looking to trim off uneven/jagged edges. Unfortunately, the jagged edges that are more pressing seem to come from the player. Fpr Brie, it's not about ammending stats pr anything, it's about changing my idea of his personality so that hes NOT such an asshole, but IS still himself.

You wanna know how I would nerf Posey? Well here's the following

First, taking away the temp stats (the specific ones you mentioned) is a damn good first step. The HP specifically doesn't bother me all that much per se, but combined with damage reduction and an absurdly high AC, it is way too high

Second, I could write an essay on why 5 damage reduction is absurd, but if you want to cut to the chase, I think that 5 damage reduction is absurd. I have approved 2 damage reduction in the past and I stand by that

I think that Posey's AC is absurdly high. +2 Natural AC is overpowered and you know it. You know that natural AC is by far and away the best, as it stacks and has no penalty. I think the best way to nerf this is to say that Posey cannot wear a dastana, and cannot be said to be making use of any kind of shield that is never mentioned in roleplay and exists only when you're trying to claim that an attack does not land against Posey. I'm sure there's a good argument to be made for Dastanas to be allowed for Tenebrous or Brie or whomever, but they don't have +2 Natural AC. This reduces Posey's AC but allows her to keep her +2 Natural AC. Posey is only allowed to have the AC she gets from dexterity, the natural AC, her armor, and from spells, feats, and shields that are actually mentioned.

The spell resistance... you know that no one else has spell resistance, right? No other character has ever claimed spell resistance. Not Dark Star, not Brie, not Silver Sword, not Amber, not Virgin Flame, not Spark, not Garv, not Onyx, not Tenebrous, not Kira. Not even retired characters like Ash, Iron, Fantasy Play, or Midnight Lily. Are you really going to try to make me, every time a spell is used in combat, stop the game, go back to the wiki, try and figure out spell casting level, come back, roll for that, and then proceed to actually play combat? Combat is horrifically slow on PBP as it is, and it's bad enough that you have already overloaded your character with Initiative hax to basically ensure that you go first and everyone else has to wait; it's unfair to the other players to make them wait for this as well. I know the solution is that I should try to figure out all of that stuff before hand and have it ready, but that's a hell of a lot of prep to cater to a very specific hax you want. I have a job, I have some of my family still alive, I have IRL friends, I like to travel. I'd rather spend my prep time on this game doing something else that benefits the other players as well and is actually fun for me.

Critical hits - after thinking about it, I think the best way to handle this is to say that Posey is on notice that enemies that have training on the Undead - Paladins, specific kinds of clerics (like Defiant Dust), and pages and auxiliaries of Chruch Militant Orders - can crit Posey. No one else can.

Immunity to Mind Altering Enchantments - you know that Undead were intended to be enemies, right? They were intended to reduce the number of ways that Players could respond to them to force players to be creative. They were not intended to nerf GMs and other players engaging in PVP. I don't like this one at all. At. All. It goes.

Immunity to sneak attack - I'm going to say that Brie can sneak attack Posey just because it pisses me off that you are flexing on other player characters with "lol my character is entirely immune to literally the only decent attack feature your class has." Fuck you, don't mock my decision to let you play the character you wanted by mocking other player characters for following the handbook. I'm also ruling that rogues and assassins can sneak attack Posey if they know that she's undead and they have training from a Church Militant organization on how to handle undead. That's an extremely specific and rare circumstance, but I am uncomfortable with saying that it can't happen.

Posey's absurd bluff bonus - I'm nerfing this by saying that other party members get a +2 circumstance bonus to Posey's bullshit, because they have been around her for a while now and they see how much of a weirdo she is. This does not apply to NPCs (besides Mala).

That's pretty much it

>>181602
>sneak attacks
While I appreciate the consideration, theres no reason I would want Brie to sneak/regular attack Rosey. I dont communicate well. Seemingly all this started when I reacted poorly to Posey trying to charm Brie early on, and Ive had a chip on my shoulder. Ive thought of a half dpzen ways I could have handled it better and hopefully I will have a comparable resolve if my jimmies get rustled in the future.
I never wanted or want any actual actual pvp (though I do like the occasional RP scrap in character :3)

Okay but I don't think we're answering the biggest question about Posey.
Is banging her necrophilia?

>>181601
applauds
I like Brie much better now.
>>181602
>spell resistance
I'm fine with her keeping spell resistance. There are ways to make it go by faster, such as printing out the attributes of this spell resistance to have it on hoof, or keeping those tabs open. A core mechanic shouldn't be axed just because only one character is using it for now. Other characters might get items that provide spell resistance. Spells aren't even used in combat all that much.
>I know the solution is that I should try to figure out all of that stuff before hand and have it ready, but that's a hell of a lot of prep to cater to a very specific hax you want. I have a job, I have some of my family still alive, I have IRL friends, I like to travel. I'd rather spend my prep time on this game doing something else that benefits the other players as well and is actually fun for me.
Maybe Posey's player could send you a document giving you all the information needed? This is what should have been done when Posey was first conceived, and it's recommended in the Dungeon Master's Guide. I will be brutally honest and say that you dropped the ball when it comes to "A good DM will always know the following facts about the characters in his or her game." This ignorance stemmed from ignorance of source material and Posey's player should have just given you all the information. The guide also has good advice regarding balancing PCs, and resolving all this out-of-character should have been done a while back.
>other nerfs
They look reasonable to me, but let's wait on what Posey's player says. Behavior towards serious danger is the one crucial thing that must change.
>>181605
Only if you know her secret.

>>181606
>Only if you know her secret
To that end
>>181588
The only way EVERYPONE doesnt die in 3 rounds ish, is if they know her secret and have the right spells. And thats without the crown on, where everyone more or less dies almost if not instantly.
I kinda figured out what the crown does, thats why I deep dove into Rosie's character sheet. What I do know combined with what Rosie has listed is a party wipe. Thats why GM was so upset when Rosie went "Should I or shouldn't I, too late I did"
I hail from the same school, Im not criticizing.
Iut, thats also why I went ham on the letter of rules vs spirit, etc.
There was something GM said in the previous that gave me an orgasm hearing it said nicely but effectively. I would have pointed it out but didnt want to interrupt. I cant find it now, likely for the best; suffice it to say GM has effectively addressed my last prevailing concern.
I dont mind Posey getting nerfed, I dont mind them NOT. I'm cool with Posey using le ebil crown to become uberest of bliches later on in her own time, and coming back for a later mission hovering on a shimmering field of magical energy.
All of my concerns (real or imagined) could have been solved by Posey partnering with GM on their personal shenanigens, so that GM can
1. Write it non disruptivrly to the ongoing story
2. Advise player about how to effectively do the thing, and if they can't, why
3. Veto anything that for whatever reason is unacceptable
4. Explain to me/others what is happening, why, and how we are expected to gp with it. As a basic example, being demanded to make a saving throw and being condescended is not a good way to start some tomfoolery, and not having GM already aware of what is happening so that he can indicate that in spite of appearances player ISNT just being a dick,....

The impression I get is that nerfing Posey would be functional in making things easier on GM, which Im in favor of. Otherwise, I would advocate for keeping things as is.

>>181608
>right spells
Dust's whole build is undead killing. Spells, feats, etc. He's very efficient with it. Zeeb with just Kira I think could take her down pretty effectively. He might need Silver instead? Idk.
But the real real question. Is she cold or is she using some funky magic to keep it warm inside?

The thing about Brie and the transitional intent behind this mission:
When I first came back, I was proposing a scenario to GM where Brie was facilitating the Changeling boys going on a serial killing spree on the aristocratic pedos in government/politics, that the other players could murder mystery through. I assume thats why he later declared that serial killing was a hard hard:3 no.
His response at the time was a paraphrased: "Uhm, how about this mission Im about to send them on...."
Brie's asshole personality is a function of his upbringing, where being an asshole and getting under skin was essential for survival; but it isnt anymore, and its becoming more of a liability than an amusement/strategy. I'm actively seeding GM with ideas that he may be interested in introducing that may circumstantially assist, but as I learn/see the story develop I am increasingly impressed that I should just shut up and let it happen.

>>181609
When she seduced August Wreath she had to take a hot shower to raise her body temperature, so she is naturally cold to the touch.

>>181610
Serial killing probably would have been approved if it was directed at random ponies and lowlifes. When it starts affecting the whole region's government is when the chance for derailment is high. Don't get me wrong, I would love some Dishonored gameplay in here, but I can see why he decided against it.

>>181611
Yeah, but if he cant about blood, obvious no go

>>181612
His limit is explicitly exsanguination. The scene at the sealers' camp has a shack with blood covering the floor. Regular portrayals of blood are fine, so are dead bodies. Vampire stuff is just a no-go.

>>181613
Well, I have several plans - beyond even the serial killing changelings idea - that involve Dexter-like scenes, but I'm gonna assume thats not gonna fly
And when I say "plans", what I mean is "story elements, themes, and probable events based on temperment and likelyhood of circumstance". The only LEGIT plan is Brie getting his CM

>>181605
It makes you a necrophile, but it's only necrophilia as a condition if you know and are into it. Having fapped to skelenore with a fleshlight,... (I dont have the img anymore, though its somewhere in mixed nuts)
>>181611
So its warm when she likes you (or wants something)

>>181605
...
BOI

You go in time out!

>>181606
Posey's spell resistance is known. It's 17. What varies is the specific caster level of every individual enemy. That must be calculated for ever enemy that uses magic, and then a spell caster roll must be made for the application of said magic against Posey with DC 17.

>I will be brutally honest and say that you dropped the ball when it comes to "A good DM will always know the following facts about the characters in his or her game."
no u

>>181610
>I assume thats why he later declared that serial killing was a hard hard:3 no.
That's not what I mean by serial killing. I basically mean murder hoboing or otherwise killing with murder itself being the goal and not as a means to an end.

>>181611
>Serial killing probably would have been approved if it was directed at random ponies and lowlifes.
Actually it's pretty much the exact opposite.

I don't know why and I don't know how to explain it, but going into video games and killing random NPCs for the lulz has always pissed me off. A large number of adult cartoons think that killing people is intrinsically funny and I have no idea why; it's a mood killer for me. Death is not funny.

Having an "Assassin's Creed" style plot to kill off very specific members of the aristocracy who, may it be known, are all child rapists, is much more understandable.

>When it starts affecting the whole region's government is when the chance for derailment is high.
Technically it's sort of a follow up to a plot line that was implied after the Comte and Blackwood Pier missions where the Blackhooves was looking to replace the SDP as the government of Baltimare. However, that plot point has since been on hold and things have remained mostly the same so far.

>>181613
>>181612
The primary trigger of my, or most people's, blood-injury phobia is hypodermic needles. I cannot stand IVs, I avoid needles as much as possible, and blood draws especially are a trigger. I' not a super fan of cuts or bleeding more generally, it is true. To use an example from the game that stood out, Posey bit her lip in order to draw blood Pony and human teeth aren't even very sharp, that's a lot of crushing. Gah under the theory it would be sexy to the Goat priest she was trying to seduce. It's not a trigger, but I can certainly say that however sexy it was to him (not enough apparently, she didn't make the DC 15 I set) it certainly wasn't for me.

>>181618
>>u dropped the ball
>no u
Not to glaze, but this. Theres more at play, and its not as simple as it seems. Suffice it to say, depending on how a character is presented to a GM, theres lots of room for NOT-bad-faith lack of oversight.
>no unwanton murder esp of the less fortunate
My man

For the audience, the Kerr and Wesley serial-killing would be specific to pedophile politicians in league with Comte (y'all remember, or will get the tl;dr). The purpose was to begin the process of replacing significant politicians with Changelings, but eventually something would go awry and there would be an unintended/reported crime scene

The potential for a/the party would be to weed through one or more "replaced changeling" politicians, leading inexorably back to Brie and the Boys. Ostensibly, Brie would sacrifice his freedom (through incarceration) to enable the lings to escape. Obvs this wont happen with Bries intended change of perspective, but its what I was gonna work toward when I FIRST came back

How are you people saying that Posey would TPK this party? You all have magic weapons: you can bypass her DR.
All of her spells are debuffs or touch range melee attacks.
Would, a lvl 5-6 party, not being able to handle a single Vampire Spawn?
>>181600
So it's a roleplay thing then.
I can roleplay differently.
>so long as you also stopped flexing on the other, weaker player characters out of character
I really only did that to discourage Brie's player from attacking me after he threatened to.
I only mentioned that feat grenades are low damage to settle the argument over who got how many.
>If I could get you and posey to just take my game seriously and not these specific things and things like them without any kind of nerfing, then I might be persuaded to not nerf
More of this is a product of Posey's personality and detachment from the world than it is her build, tbh.
I can fix that.
>First, taking away the temp stats (the specific ones you mentioned) is a damn good first step.
I'll gladly do that, because it's a product of her mentors meddling, although I would like to reapply them when Posey gets to level 8 so she can do it to herself.
>>181602
>The HP specifically doesn't bother me all that much per se, but combined with damage reduction and an absurdly high AC, it is way too high
I'm willing to cut off the 16 bonus HP Posey got from her mentor.
I would really rather keep the Half Vampire DR, because it's something that I paid levels for, and it has been referenced in her roleplay quite a bit, such as with her aversion to silver and her wounds closing quickly.
To put it in perspective, the majority of encounters that are legitimate threats are going to have attacks that bypass DR/magic. Posey's protects her from being stabbed by low level thugs without magic weapons.
It's not serious, but consider the level cost I paid for it. Posey would be lvl 6 if not for her half vampire thing.
>I think that Posey's AC is absurdly high. +2 Natural AC is overpowered and you know it.
At the cost of 2 character levels, I really don't think so, tbh... Look at other races with high natural armor.
Wouldn't removing the Dex bonus be enough? That would be -2 AC
>You know that natural AC is by far and away the best, as it stacks and has no penalty.
I would actually say that deflection, insight, dodge and luck bonuses are better, but that's just my opinion.
>dastana
Posey's dastana are made of the slave shackles that she wore as a filly, so I would be sad to remove them...
>cannot be said to be making use of any kind of shield
Posey is not proficient in shields, and cannot reliably cast spells when holding them.
>The spell resistance...
Yeah, I'll cut that. It has never been relevant, but I'll cut it.
I'll cut everything she got from spellstitching, because tbh I would rather Posey pay the costs to spellstich herself at a later level. Losing unseen servant and floating disk would be sad, but maybe she could just do more tricks with her horn magic?
>try and figure out spell casting level
Ngl, that's something you should know even without SR involved.
I'll still remove it along with the rest of spellstitching though.
>Critical hits - after thinking about it, I think the best way to handle this is to say that Posey is on notice that enemies that have training on the Undead - Paladins, specific kinds of clerics (like Defiant Dust), and pages and auxiliaries of Chruch Militant Orders - can crit Posey. No one else can.
Reasonable. Paladins and Clerics have a lot of feats, features and spells that let them crit undead anyway.
>Immunity to Mind Altering Enchantments
I'm actually more than willing to cut this, as it was one of the weaknesses I was considering adding to Posey to offset her LA. Also, it makes a Ghostly Visage familiar redundant.
>Brie can sneak attack
We could also just buy him some Deathstrike bracers, for when he has to fight over kinds of undead.
I only "bragged" about it because I didn't want him to attack me and wanted to discourage such antics.
>Posey's absurd bluff bonus - I'm nerfing this by saying that other party members get a +2 circumstance bonus to Posey's bullshit, because they have been around her for a while now and they see how much of a weirdo she is. This does not apply to NPCs (besides Mala).
This is what we call a circumstance bonus.
Tbh, I was sort of aiming for Posey's secret to gradually become a bit more apparent as the party grew to know her.
Posey's whole stick is that she hates the world because she has never been loved or appreciated in her entire torturous existence. How would she change if she were accepted for who she is?
>That's pretty much it
I think I'm still going to cut the spellstitching, because now that I scrutinize it a bit more, I think I misunderstood the WBL requirements.
Posey should have to buy it and apply it to herself.
I'll also gladly cut the 16 bonus HP, but I would like for you to reconsider the Natural armor and DR which I paid very real level costs for.

>>181619
We should return to the Comte/Pier questline sometime

>>181629
If Posey faces off against the whole party, final fantasy style, yes its debatable.

If Posey puts on a crown that grants mind-control to plebians, bodied instantly.

>>181633
Yeah, its not just mind control.
Its mind control, and spells, and spell levels, and other things specific to your characters things theyre good at.

Posey is good at alot of things.

Alot alot of things.

Now you have an ish perspective of why no no no to the no no

>>181629
Cavaliere doesn't have magic weapons (yet), neither does Brie. I don't know if any of Silver's weapons are magic, and I don't think Kira's bow is. Excluding Dust and Tenebrous, the party would probably win but it would be close if you didn't pull any punches.

It's terrific that we're close to an agreement.

>>181632
yes

Ill even go a step further to suggest to Posey (the player) that Posey's interest in it might be a cursed compulsion
One that Rosey as a necrologist would detect and be mindful of

>>181603
Thank you and sorry.
>>181605
Yes.
But you've seen vampire romance stuff, right? Vampires are an inherently sexual trope.
>>181606
>I'm fine with her keeping spell resistance
I'll cut the spell resistance anyway, and everything from spellstitching. I want to spellstich myself at lvl 8.
>Maybe Posey's player could send you a document giving you all the information needed?
I can do something like this.
>The only way EVERYPONE doesnt die in 3 rounds ish, is if they know her secret and have the right spells
Silver could cut her on half in that many rounds. He has a magic weapon, and all of Posey's damaging spells are melee range. And that's assuming that Dust doesn't disintegrate her with a Turn on the first round.
The only thing about her that could seriously threaten the party is Kelgore's Grave most, but just because it would debuff them for long enough to have to long-rest after living her.
Could you not handle a vampire spawn? A regular vampire? You are a lvl 6 party. There's very little that Posey can do that similar CR monsters couldn't do.
>All of my concerns (real or imagined) could have been solved by Posey partnering with GM on their personal shenanigens, so that GM can
>1. Write it non disruptivrly to the ongoing story
>2. Advise player about how to effectively do the thing, and if they can't, why
>3. Veto anything that for whatever reason is unacceptable
>4. Explain to me/others what is happening, why, and how we are expected to gp with it. As a basic example, being demanded to make a saving throw and being condescended is not a good way to start some tomfoolery, and not having GM already aware of what is happening so that he can indicate that in spite of appearances player ISNT just being a dick,....
I am okay with this.
>>181609
>But the real real question. Is she cold or is she using some funky magic to keep it warm inside?
Depends how much blood she has had recently.
Worth noting that how lifelike a katane or vampire appears is proportional to their charisma score, and Posey has a lot of charisma.
That's actually the reason why I chose to play a half vampire, before becoming undead.
>>181611
>Serial killing
Idk what the point of this would even be.
I love random encounters, but killing lvl 1 commoners for no reason isn't fun. I want encounters with treasure and purpose and level-ups.
Posey likes killing, but she didn't come to Equestria just to kill random noponies until she was eventually discovered and destroyed: she came for glory and conquest.
>>181619
>Having an "Assassin's Creed" style plot to kill off very specific members of the aristocracy who, may it be known, are all child rapists, is much more understandable
This is why I liked the Luminous quest so much: it's killing with purpose.
Too bad there was no treasure.
>blood-injury phobia
Maybe I haven't been respectful of your triggers with this blood-obsessed character who likes to get stabbed in the chest. I didn't understand the severity of your condition.
>>181620
>theres lots of room for NOT-bad-faith lack of oversight.
The only thing that stood out to me was the SRD immunities that I expected DM to already know about undead, but were then mentioned as unacceptable mid-combat.
>>181633
The griffon didn't mind control us. Why would Posey have been significantly more dangerous?
>>181634
Posey is a fixed list caster. There are no surprises:
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/magic/spells/classSpellLists/dreadNecromancerSpells.html
90% of her spells do some variation of the same three tricks (inflict wounds, fear debuff, summon monster).
Even her cerebrosis spells do that.
>Cavaliere doesn't have magic weapons (yet)
What did you spend your 5k WBL on?
>Brie
Brie has so many magic weapons that he gave away a +2 shortsword to an NPC.
>Silver's weapons are magic
Silver's sword is magic.
Heck, if you want a magic weapon, you can borrow one of Posey's. She has two magic weapons.
>the party would probably win but it would be close if you didn't pull any punches
It's really only Brie that's vulnerable with his low Fortitude and Will saves.

>>181639
>the griffon didnt mind control us
There
A rube gained mind control
And infernal(?) Powers
He and his associates seem PANICKED at the idea that anyone would put on the crown

As a necrologist, by background (and Im building up cuz I know part of GM wants to go ha )

Posey simply wouldnt. She wouldn't.

>It's not serious, but consider the level cost I paid for it. Posey would be lvl 6 if not for her half vampire thing.
>I would really rather keep the Half Vampire DR, because it's something that I paid levels for
Maybe I do need to post the math. Does she need to be 50% more resilient than the fighter? Is it not okay for her to be equal to the fighter?

>To put it in perspective, the majority of encounters that are legitimate threats are going to have attacks that bypass DR/magic. Posey's protects her from being stabbed by low level thugs without magic weapons.
But that's what I want. That's exactly what I want. I want legitimate threats to be legitimate threats and minor threats to be minor threats. You're using a template that was designed to be used by Dungeon Masters as enemies against the party, not as player characters in relatively low level campaigns. These immunities and the DR make something like half of possible threats something she is immune to. That's not great for encounter design, especially in a party. It destroys diversity of encounters and the chance for encounters and enemies to arise diegeticly from the environment.

>At the cost of 2 character levels, I really don't think so, tbh... Look at other races with high natural armor.
Wouldn't removing the Dex bonus be enough? That would be -2 AC
Did you read what I said? I said she should keep the +2 Natural Armor

>I would actually say that deflection, insight, dodge and luck bonuses are better
Why are you like this? Insight, Deflection, Dodge, and Luck are not relevant to this conversation or to my analysis. No one here has that. I'm not here to argue "ACsHaUlY this specific thing in this book, page 409." I'm not in a goddamn competition with you over who knows more about D&D. I'm comparing the sources of AC the characters actually have, which is Dexterity, Armor, and here, Natural Armor. Specifically in contrast to Equipped Armor, which is relevant, Natural Armor is better.

>Posey's dastana are made of the slave shackles that she wore as a filly
I don't remember this being mentioned

>Ngl, that's something you should know even without SR involved
Fuck off

>This is what we call a circumstance bonus.
Yeah. Reread my words that you just quoted. I called it a circumstance bonus. Why do you have to sound like a redditor know it all who gets their corrections wrong?

>>181633
>>181629
You're missing the point.

By the time someone has put off the crown, the quest has gone off the rails and in a very unfun way. In a single player game, this is the point where I would reload a save. I never play these out to figure out what happens, I just know this is not the timeline I want to play on.

Posey, as a "professional" would be like "this is extrme shit, I know things they dont know, this is bad on many levels"

>>181641
>by the time crown
No, my emphasis point. No

>>181641
GM, by your response, I realize that I misfired these past two posts. I really shouldn't be going this while I'm cooking.

I changed Vir's ability scores as I'm making a proper character sheet for her. Here's the one that I have decided upon right now.

I think this is the final one.

>>181644
It do be. But yeah, you also gotta admit when you fuck up. Good pone

>>181645
What class did you decide on?

>>181647
Right now, I'm thinking monk 5 levels and the last one in barbarian. I kinda like the rage aspect. I have decided exactly, how yet tho.

But I'm pretty certain about those scores. Strength is her main strength. ^^ And, con and dex rounds her out well. Wis because she I don't like her to be appalling so neutral cha makes sense. Int could be an eight instead just for the sake of roleplay. But I'm still thinking about this and this: https://gameoutonline.com/difference-between-wisdom-and-intelligence-dnd/
I just find it hard not to say things while roleplaying that are a bit too smart for my character. I guess, I could have her stumble on her words but have great insight, and I might do that. So might drop her int from 9 to 8. We'll see.

>>181648
>I have decided exactly, how yet tho.
*haven't*

>>181648
Dexterity based, or strength based barbarian?

>>181648
>Wis because she I don't like her to be appalling so neutral cha makes sense.
Sorry, I can't into writing it seems.

Wis cause I like the idea that she's a bit dumb but has great insight because she keeps her focus on what's important in life.

Maybe I'll minmax somewhat so her wis modifier gets to +2 by lowering her int to eight and something to 12. We'll see.

>>181650
I think strength based but she's more monk than barbarian.

>>181648
Consider Rage Monk
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/classes/baseCore/monk.html#raging-monk

But even moreso, you might be more satisfied using the Sublime Way

>>181648
For alignment, I'm thinking chaotic good if that matters.

>>181648
>>181651
>>181645
Okay, sounds good

You mean move one score to 14?

>>181653
There's a Chaos Monk too:
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/classes/baseCore/monk.html#chaos-monk
Which could technically work with Rage Monk, replacing the equivalent features.
Could also go City Brawler Barbarian
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/classes/baseCore/barbarian.html#city-brawler
Barbarian recommended for urban adventures. It gives unarmed combat in exchange for armor and martial weapons.
It's a good entry into Fist Of The Forest

>>181639
>What did you spend your 5k WBL on?
The boat ride to Baltimare, a masterwork revolver which I plan on getting enchanted one day, nice clothes and an expensive hotel. Anyway the amount of starting money a character gets is down to what kind of character you play and what GM Pone approves of. Amber started with basically nothing except for the clothes on her back, but that's because I wanted her to start from the bottom.

>>181645
I don't think it's a strict requirement, but you're not going to roll for stats? That's part of the fun.
>>181648
I know this game plays fast and loose with experience, but exp penalties are to prevent players from playing fast and loose with multiclassing. It's up to GM Pone to decide on this. I can just say that with Cavaliere I intend on following the SRD with his multiclass (3 ranger 2 monk right now, and I will probably level up monk next).

Also happy Thanksgiving everypony!