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Occupied Equestria - OOC
Anonymous
12e5d56
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No.179654
Parallel containment thread for out of character discussions related to the roleplay thread.
400 replies and 48 files omitted.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181535
181537 181539 181542
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
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181537
181540 181542
>>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.
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181538
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?
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181539
181543
>>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,
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181540
>>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
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181541
Just saying, emoting kissing the tiara,... it was in character too, cant unsee
Anonymous
3705283
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No.181542
181544 181548
>>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!
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181543
>>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.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181544
181545 181548 181549
>>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
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181545
>>181544
Re: Duration, subcategory: Concentration
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181546
181547 181548
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.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181547
>>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
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181548
181550 181567
>>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.
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181549
181551
>>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.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
?
No.181550
181554
>>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.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181551
>>181549
Yes they are. Read it
Anonymous
b1706d6
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No.181552
181567
1594690340089.png
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
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.181553
181554
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.
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181554
181555 181556
>>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.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181555
181557 181559
>>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)
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.181556
>>181554
A little bit, I suppose. It sounds like a cool idea to me.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181557
181558
>>181555
I dont mean the specific spell, I mean the general breakdown of duration and concentration as a concept
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181558
181561
>>181557
Okay fine, I'll spoonfeed. Spells without specofic qualifiers in their description, that have a duration REQUIRE CONCENTRATION.

Even SPELL.LIKE ABILITIES
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181559
181560
Screenshot_20241126-224342.png
>>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.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181560
>>181559
You know what, I guess they really did write it that way. Forgrt I said anything.
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181561
181562
>>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
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181562
181564 181565
>>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.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181563
181566
Your intepretation of the rules disgusts me, let me qualify
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181564
>>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.
Anonymous
6d34ebb
?
No.181565
>>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.
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181566
>>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?
Anonymous
3705283
?
No.181567
181570
>>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.
Anonymous
6d34ebb
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No.181568
181571
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.
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.181569
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww...
Anonymous
b1706d6
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No.181570
181571
>>181567
It's got 'em. Check the last link
Anonymous
3705283
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No.181571
181572
MyBait.jpg
>>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!
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.181572
>>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
Anonymous
bd0fe75
?
No.181573
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.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
?
No.181574
Oh, 'Telekinesis requires concentration'. Nevermind, I guess they thought of everything.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
?
No.181575
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
Anonymous
bd0fe75
?
No.181576
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.
Anonymous
771920c
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No.181577
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.