OOC Chatter

Any non-game related chatter you'd like to have can happen in here!

As an aside, ae_dd is another player and friend of mine that is going to be observing our game as a "learning DM".

Sounds good, are you allowing any optional backgrounds? For example the knight option for the noble background?

Good question! Also, I tend to ask what people feel about feats and how to get them before the game starts

Yes, any background variants or options that are in official publications are allowed.

Same with feats. If you go with variant human, you get one feat to start. Otherwise, you can choose to take a feat instead of an ability score improvement at any class level you'd normally earn improvements.

Before choosing what I'll play, I like to ask who is gonna play what since I like to choose my character to fill in the roles in the party. So who wants to play what ? (I'll edit everyone's answer here for future reference...)

-triquetra0: half-orc paladin with knight background

-Squadfather44: human fighter with noble background

-CESN : elf bard

-Lwunder: wood elf rogue

-CavernTavern: hill dwarf fighter/sorcerer

-Deadpool_Qc:

As it stands
Lwunder, mentioned a Wood Elf Rogue
SquadfatCavernTavernher44 seems to be tending to some fighter type
triquetra0 is thinking half-orc paladin
CavernTavern suggested Fighter 1/Sorcerer 2 (Wild Magic Origin)) or Cleric (3 Cleric (Life Domain))
deadpool_qc is tending magic (wizard/druid) or eldrich knight.

Flirting with an fey themed PC that is eladrin (Mordenkainen's) elf with possible classes would include horizon walker (Xanathar's), college of Glamour (Xanathar's) or archfey warlord (PHB). However, there possibly being 2 melle, 1 ranged and 2 casters, I may give priority to the Glamour bard to cover the CHA basis. Maybe a eladrin elf with personality disorder (seasons) that is flirting the nymph or dryad who inspires/taught him.

I think one of us is thinking of ranger but idk if they will be shrug this is my first time using forums to try and play dnd so its a new experience for me :)

Dramasailor, want to make a discord channel for the game?

https://discord.gg/bt84gYk

Here ya go! For anyone that would like to join. :)

Thanks!

I’m feeling Hill Dwarf Fighter/ Sorcerer our of my two.

maybe sorc? I am pally and we have a possible fighter as well as ranger and rogue. so another full caster would be nice but a frontline or maybe midline fighter may be helpful. up to you honestly :)
EDIT: oh a multiclass

are you sure there is a ranger? that could have been me (turn bard for bosting party's CHA)

well I am paladin with focus on cha
EDIT: yeah I knew it was bard but I am just silly

maybe not the best type of cha though :P

ah yes! I forgot pals were cha :(

Have fun choosing whatever you want to play lol, I'll be filling the last slot with whatever the party needs.

What Deadpool said. The nice part about this being as open ended as it is. There's no real need to worry greatly about party comp. If you guys roll out with no real healing support then I will make sure there are alternatives.

if you end up as a druid, we may be able to tie-in as the knights did :)

well I havent heard from Squadfather yet...

I can always switch to may Half-Orc Cleric Thaddeus!

I am half-orc myself :P

Brothers??? I chose god, but god chose you?

I could have multiple links with different people. I mean if you really wanted we could be twins too. :P

So... by the way... I have to ask... (I never thought I'd live to see a player asking this but...) What's the weather like, you know... at the start of the game? (season)

Hahah, let's see what the dice say.

It is early spring, but a warm one, threatening to be a stifling summer if it holds. Recently the days have been overcast and gray, with the threat of rain but nothing has come of that threat.

Season
1 = Spring
2 = Summer
3 = Autumn
4 = Winter

Season Timing
1 = Start of season
2 = Middle of season
3 = End of season

Weather Patterns
1 = Typical weather for the season
2 = Abnormally warm
3 = Abnormally cold

Weather Conditions
1 = Clear
2 = Cloudy
3 = Precipitating
4 = Heavily precipitating

This is how I interpreted that post!

Essentially.......yes.

Could that fit any better with the nature out of balance stuff from the tale??? 🥵 Sound to me like divine guidance to me 🤔

So, illusion and transmutation it is! you guys can just relax because falling off cliff is now totally safe :D

So a fun "poll" as we get rolling (and no one has to participate, but I've found a great community here and making the world a smaller place is always happy).

Whereabouts in the world is everyone from?

A bit about me: I'm 33 years old and live in central North Carolina. I have twin daughters that are pushing 3 years old and a 9 year old son that keep me on my toes (and are one of the big reasons I do Play by Post games). I've lived in various places in the US (Michigan, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Illinois, and now North Carolina).

I’m 26. I’m from Boston. I do freelance art handler and artist. It’s pretty nice. DMing a game with some friends but wanted to play a character. So I’m here!

I'm 37, from Quebec in Canada (I'm a french Canadian), father of 3 kids (twin boys of 11 and a daughter of 13).

I am 23 and from British Columbia in Canada, I am going through school for business and otherwise not much :)

I'm 44, married with 2 kids. A 15 year old daughter and a 12 year old son. Traveled extensively around the world, mostly from my time in the military.

Hey guys! I'm 31 from all over Europe ;)
Portuguese, working as "statistician" in Scotland but living the Switzerland (where I should be picking up some french deadpool_qc *cough* *cough*). No kids yet. Not very experience in PbP. I've played a couple of sessions of 3.5e in my teens and recently tried 5e on roll20, finding that 4 hours per session is definitely too much :)

Because I'm part of the community;-p! I'm 29 years old, live in the Netherlands (to be exact in the south of Holland) and have a 6 year old son (and always plans to steal a certain twin girl now pushing 3 years old).

Also. I'm very excited to see how this game will go! Lots of exciting things waiting to be explored! Almost makes me want to step in from the sideline, but I'll behave and focus on learning how to DM;-)!

Nice to meet you all!

Someone mysterious who knows it all? mmm... where have I seen that before...
I suppose there is this type of minor character that would fit your peculiar situation...

Where did you get that old picture of me?! I haven't worn my beard like that in ages! Oh wait, you said PC;-p

Character submitted!

Looks good. The only adjustment is on your handaxes and daggers. Their thrown bonus should also be +5. In 5e, the bonus for attack is dependent on the type of weapon, not the type of attack. Since both are Melee weapons to start, they default to using your Strength as a mod instead of Dex (Dagger you can choose your Dex because of Finesse). When you throw it, it doesn't change to become a ranged weapon. :) Other than that, looks good!

...feels like were gonna start soon !...

Getting closer for sure. There are some things I need to clarify with LWunder about their character. Depending on that, I'll get our first game post up tonight or tomorrow. :) I'm excited!

I think I am ready. hmm I think I posted pretty much what people would know about me.

There are still some things that I need to clarify with Lwunder and some connections need to be set there. However, a lot of that we may be able to explore after we start, so I'll be getting the gameplay launched here soon.

do you know what subclass she choose for her rogue ? If she choose scout, we could have had the same teacher for survival and naturestuff.

That's part of the clarification!

Well... hopefully not assassin with him being an outcast trying to slaughter all the elves ...

If a troublesome rogue I could arrested them in the past.

Hey guys, don't forget to make those character sheet public if you want to share with the team !

This might be too much and if you're all not a fan I'll delete it. But my friend and I made up a board game concept about 3 years ago and he put in a lot of work and he's trying to get it kickstarted to get it published. If you're into it that's cool if you know someone else who might be in too it and want to share it that'd be cool too. Crumbs Boardgame

@Lwunder What subclass did you choose for your rogue ?

It's always a good sign when the PC town guard notices the PC thief before there first quest is even out 🤣

You know it! Glenk just wants to know everyone! He doesn’t see the thief ness yet.

I'm just a Wood Elf Rogue no subclass.

🤯🤯🤯

(very sneaky 😉)

You should have a subclass (whatever you picked at level 3). :)

Unless she's a rogue multiclassed....

Sorry about that I read it really quick it was early in the morning I'm an Arcane Trickster. Yes level 3 here.

By the way... given the mayors secret reaction, is Hadrigan's Swamp the only (trade) route available?

If you look closely at the map you'll see that the only road that's really shown is the fortified road coming into Bromwich from the southeast. That is the route used by most, if not all, traders. Perhaps some lone elves with small amounts of goods could venture through Mosstop, but yes, it basically is the only route available.

hey guys, just to let you know that I'll be off work until Tuesday. Because work means posting 😈 it will be a bit more difficult for me to post. If Nàdair stops moving, keep calm and trust in Mandrake's grand wisdom 😋

Mandrake happens to have a few poisons he wants to tests.... When am I in control again ?

🤣🤣🤣 ae_dd/dramasailor... I forgot to tell you Nàdair obviously has dwarven resilience

I suppose I'll have to find another volunteer then... lol

All is good! I'll have a busy weekend ahead myself... Painting eggs, searching eggs, eating eggs... Eating all the other food... Oh god all the food... And all the chocolate... And sunshine! And beer! And then a week of childfree vacation! But that won't stop me from posting;-)

Eggs !!! Mmmmmm

Childfree vacation !!! Mmmmm.....

Sounds like someone is having a busy week 🥳
All that chocolate and eating can’t be easy

Childfree is WAAAAAAY better than chocolate. I mean, dont get me wrong, I love my small people. But waking up on your schedule, doing everything on your schedule, not having to repeat the same instructions 3 billion times. That's amazing!

probably a good idea Nàdair is not in that "questioning room". Not sure the boy would make it out of there ;)

HAH. That's just a touch creepy. He is only like 11 or 12.

Not how I though it but she underage as well ;) just about a 100 🤣
I would be more worried about Fegstaf intentions...

For those of you with the traders, are you not wanting to ask any more questions of the boy? Like what his name is, how he made the normally 2-3 day travel from the swamp to the town in one piece at 11, or anything else?

I mean, I'm good if you are. >:-)

😱 he’s one of 👻 those smart undead that steal caravans ☠️

He could be

Mmm 🤔

sssshhhhh everyone! He's thinking!

Naaa didn’t last that long 😂

Any interesting thoughts you'd like to share? Or just chocolate?😏

there are many types of puppies, but none of chocolate 🙄

How do you know? Have you ever eaten a puppy?

😱 😱 puppy eater 😱 😱 what sort of ungodly abomination would do that?

I’m having trouble keeping track of what’s happening with the traders a lot (I play on my phone) due to the hunting hunters being a little more post prolific. I was wondering if we could split them? But I’m only one vote so I understand if not.

I got no problem with that if you need a second vote.

I do mobile on weekends and it is a nightmare compared to a computer :(
I’m fine with everything, including slowing down the hunters so you guys can catch up :)

I've made a new thread for the puppy hunters!

I agree it's a lot of backtracking and reading. I vote to split them to. Hard to kind of follow.

Hey everyone. I’m not going to be able to keep up with this or my other game I’m sorry. It seemed smart of me at the time but I’m just too busy.

oh man! who's gonna keep the town safe now? :(
Real life comes first though 👌 If you ever come back, let us know :)

Also interesting for Nàdair: Oma doesn't live nearby, she's traveling constantly, not staying long in the same place. She's been with the druids a few times for a week or so. Aetoris, the male elf she's with, makes sure their other elf friends get a visit too before they continue on their journey. He's actually older than she is, but she definitely doesn't see it that way.


CavernTavern, sad to see you go, but like CESN said, real life comes first!

From what it looks like, Triquetra/Matthew Strong dropped from the game as well, putting us down to four folks. Do you want me to try finding one or two new people to rope in, or do we want to go with just the team of 4 for right now?

I'm still here I have a few people from my D&D group I play with on Sundays but I'm not sure they want to try play by post? I'm okay with 4 but I know we're in separate areas now

I have no problem with adding 1 or 2 more people to the team. If you can't find anyone and would like the team to be bigger, I could always make a second character...(smiles with the innocent smile of an angel...)

Oh man oh man I wish they will be friendly puppies 🐶

I’m fine either way really. we can try to find new people :)
It is definitely worth checking out Lwunder’s group (will they form a secret group of elven assassins?)
That’s the advantage of having two GMs, right?

Lol I will let them know and I have somebody on playing with on here then to tell :)
Fyi says game is closed so I guess can't add anyone ??

Who is it, I can send them the invite.

questions about the robbery... mmm let me thing.... do you recognize Leviticus? :D

Is that "haaaaave you met Ted? - robbery style"?

🤣🤣 well... Nàdair just felt like Leviticus needed a friend 🤣🤣 to take property unlawfully from a person or place by force or threat of force (oh man that dictionary definition!)

Hi everyone, I think I am the person Lwunder is referring to above. Since everyone or almost everyone introduced themselves a few pages back, I live in MN, am 56 yrs old*, 3 kids ranging from 10-18 yrs old, made a push to get back into RPGs about 4 years ago and it seems to be working. When I was in my early 30s I played a few sessions with a DM who was probably in their 60s, thought it was a little weird at the time. I have a different perspective now, being that guy but feeling 25 at heart (or maybe 12, 40, 56, or 70 depending on the situation). Thanks for including me, pretty new to PbP, new to 5e, but familiar with vintage D&D and other RPGs.

* in case you are thinking, "gods, he does look old," that is a picture of Maurice Ravel that I used for a Call of Cthulhu character that I never got to play.

Welcome to the group !

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

~^(;,;)^~

Ok, time to check who is still in.
I'm still here, who else ?

me! me! (in case you didn't notice)

I submitted my character over the weekend, I hope to be meeting up with you soon in-game.

I added the link to your D&D Beyond sheet so I can get there quickly-ish. Other than that, approved!

ok. so assuming there's 3 of us... we are all casters right? Is it a problem not having metal men to throw at the baddies? Mandrake seems to be more into dreaming than being a bear as well, so definitely lacking a spongy PC :(

Deadpool mentioned before adding a second character per player to compensate. If it is a problem, I'd add to the suggestions going with some sidekicks. These should be easily turned back into NPCs when we get the players number up again :)

Thankfully we can tune the world a bit based on the party. Not saying we're just going to make everything easy, but perhaps you DO run into a sidekick that wants to jump up and punch things as a meatshield. Also, it may mean you need to approach situations differently than "BRAVEHEART CHHHHAAAARRRRRGE"

"BRAVEHEART SIIIIIIIINNGGGGG" ?

"BRAVEHEART DAAAAAAAAAAANCE!"

Just to let everyone know, I will be on vacation in Alaska from June 8 through 16, not taking my laptop and will have limited internet available. Going to try to unplug somewhat so feel free to carry on without me during that time if you want. At the beginning and end, I may be able to check in

Enjoy Alaska! Unplugging is a great plan. :)

:-) thanks for the heads up! And unplugging is a nice thing!

Just a few quick questions...:
1. Does Roddric have any food allergies or contact allergies that we should know about?
2. How's his motion sickness?
3. Has he been in a hospital in a foreign country in the last year?
4. Is he vaccinated?
5. How big do you think the chances of him having a spiritual moment when eating one of father Mikhael's muffins?
6. Is he suffering from a rare case of light sensitivity that would trigger a state of trance seeing the dancing colours on the floor?
7. Do you feel safe leaving him in our capable hands?

That's all...

🤣

Thanks!

Funny! I think the last time I played D&D was about 25 years ago, so safer with you than me.

Hmm, well I have kept a small human alive for over 6 years, so I think I can manage this😂😇

Alive and... well? 🙄

I think he's doing very well. Has many friends, does great in school, loves fruit more than candy, asks for and drinks water 9/10, likes being active all the time, oh god all the time, never calming down. But overall he's the bestestest kid in the goddamn universe! And I'm DEFINITELY not biased........

Nop, not biased no, definitely not, bestestestly no way, why would anyone think that? 🤔 Even though... I’m not sure if asking for water at 6 is healthy, sounds very suspicious to me🧐

I TRY to give him lemonade and chocolate milk, but he PREFERS water; a direct quote: "water makes my thirst go away, lemonade is just tasty."

I remind him about candy from time to time and then he sometimes wants it, but he prefers grapes, pears, mangos, apples, all the berries, etc etc..

He also likes playing outside, especially climbing trees. He rather plays tabletop games than video games. He actually behaves in stores and restaurants..... I might be raising an alien.

Clearly, he's been brainwashed....
I suspect he's in a cult !! Or maybe he's the cult leader...

Yes... I sense something is not quick right 🙄
A cult could explain it...

After being married for almost 15 years, my wife told me she no longer has feelings for me. In the coming months, I will have to make major changes in my life (relocating, splitting everything, selling the house, making sure the kids are not forgotten in all that, etc..). It's a sad time for us but at least we are not leaving each other with bad feelings. I don't know when I'll be back but once my life is back on track, I'm sure I'll come back to this great community. I'm sorry for the inconvenience I'll be causing to those with whom I'm gaming right now...

Take care of yourself first man. We will be here when you can make it back. Feel free to reach out if you need at all.

Oh man, that is really tough :(
No inconvenience at all, don't even think about it.
Just focus on getting yourself back on track (and on not forgetting those kids)

I'm sorry, it's an awful place to be. I've been in her position a few years back (after a much shorter relationship) and what helpend me go through the necessary steps most was always trying to find what's in the best interest for our kid (yet keeping it realistic). There have been fights, but in the end we both wanted to create a stable situation that's the best solution for our child:-). It gets easier, really.
Also, don't forget about yourself, your (mental) health matters and is of vital importance for the (mental) health of the kids, so take a break from it all if you have to, that too is VERY ok!

Take all the time you need and reach out whenever you want or need to talk to someone outside of the real world, like drama said. And you're always welcome back if and when you are ready:-)!

Sorry to hear that deadpool_qc. Wishing you and your family the best during this difficult transition.

How was Alaska!?

Also, I think we may be looking at trying to find another one or two people to fill us out with some of the drops we've had if people are good with that.

It was really cool! We were fortunate to see Denali several times, I guess that is not always the case due to cloud cover. Walking through the tundra was interesting, and we got to see a lot of wildlife including grizzlies, moose, and caribou. Glaciers, braided streams, all kinds of cool stuff. Glad to be back though, the travelling took a lot of time.

Looking for more people sounds good to me

Hello, thank you for having me! I look forward to the fun times!

Greetings,
I plan to fill the not so much healing roll of a druid. I hope i don't get in your way to much :D

Hey everyone! I'm so excited about the new people joining (and the old ones staying, obviously)! I've been thinking a bit about how we can introduce the new characters to the game in a way that makes sense. I definitely want to work with everyone to do this in a way that you're also comfortable with yourself, so feel free to tell us/me about your own vision. Also, if you would like a recap of what has happened so far I'll be happy to write it.

In the next few days I want to write a post where we say goodbye (for now) to Mandrake the Healer. He's going to immediately leave for the nearest druid outpost, not wanting to wait until tomorrow to try and reach out to Oma Salie (part of the werewolf solution). If he goes alone he can use animal shape and move faster, so he will definitely ask/tell Nàdair and Roddric to stay at the Wayward Saint. His choice to leave could be made easier if one or more of the new characters comes into play here. Don't worry, if we can't introduce anyone here we will move through the night quickly and without any deaths (hopefully:-p). I think Mandrake will have the intention to be back in town the next morning, but I will find a reason to make things work out differently. We will be hearing from Mandrake from time to time and if Deadpool is ever in a place where he wants to rejoin the game he obviously can.
My thought for the druid of CaveJohnson is that he is send to join the group by Mandrake, so for me it makes most sense if he enters the next morning during the meeting with the mayor. This is also a good moment for others to be introduced, since the mayor knows some of the original members of the group had to say goodbye so she might have contacted others to take their place.

I would say that anyone could enter the game right at this point in time; the party is at the Abbey of the Wayward Saint (found here) which is a normal place for travelers and townfolk to visit, if not for a religious reason then to get the latest information of what's happening in the area, since the people there usually are very well informed. So anyone coming past it to go into town could easily enter the story there. For example Maighan coming from Glitterhall to talk to the mayor about the problems back home, or Mönkhbat coming back home from a few days out in the wild, even CJ's druid could have been out to do a druid thing and going back to Mosstop via the Wayward Saint and Bromwich. Also, the room the players are in now is filled with all kinds of things and the perfect hiding spot for a sentient something feeling it's their time to "wake up and do something".

Please let me know what your thoughts on all of this are!

Let one of them be a dashing necromancer with a guitar?
(or maybe they are already there staying the night)

I tend to favor the simple explanation, so having Maighan show up at the Abbey on her mission to recruit help for the dwarves of Glitterhall makes perfect sense to me.

I could be a companion of Deadpools and he called gondor for aid? but then he didnt say much other then need help..

I'll include some notes on Mönkhbat's origin for reference. It's very easy for him to just wander into town at any time, given that he's looking for adventure.

If you're joining "tomorrow morning", maybe you can have some extra information on the werewolf situation from the druids?

Ok everyone, I have a bit of an idea about writing a long long post introducing everyone into the game, your characters will be steered A LOT by me for just this one post, I'll try to keep as true to their expected behaviour as I can judge at the moment. I'm doing this with the best intentions of moving us forward in a quick and easy fashion, not dragging us too long through introductions and reasons for people joining the gang. I might force a connection here or there, in the end those things won't matter too awfully much I think. You'll be as close as the sisterhood of the traveling pants soon enough:-p!
If in the end I made AWFULLY HUGE MISTAKES in how I described your characters behaviour, please don't be mad and feel free to tell everyone how and why I was super wrong. I'm also leaving a lot of blanks open for you to fill in, and a proper opportunity to do so.

Also, Keleth, don't worry about not having a character ready yet, I have a plan for that too...

... I have a feeling I’m about to meet my long lost twins. 🤔Who happen to be dwarves 🙄

You'll just have to wait patiently for the other side of the ocean to wake up so Kris can check what I wrote before you find out you actually have a monster living inside your head, making you think they're talking about hunting the undead in the graveyard when it's actually bunnies in a petting zoo...

Haha, that is in me for not pushing the accept button. Should be good to go now!

Spring Nàdair is real thanks to ae_dd!

nah just change your image as needed

As for the rolling of things in 5e, there are a few pieces. In general:

1d20 + relevant ability modifier + proficiency modifier (if applicable).

In the case of the character sheets here, the ability modifier + proficiency modifier is taken care of for you. So you would do 1d20 + whatever your skill modifier is.

I do see that you forgot to put your proficiency modifier in. If you change that to 2 instead of zero, then your skills should be accurate. Sorry i didn't catch that earlier!

You got it boss.

Hey everyone! I'll be leaving for a 13 day travel through Scotland tomorrow. I have no idea how much free time I'll have to write posts, but I will have internet access there. When I'm not distracted by beautiful nature and delicious whisky I'll check in and we have Drama to jump in when needed^^!

Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿? 😱

Yes, Scotland.... At trip by train and on foot (when possible). From Glasgow, to Loch Lomond, Oban, Skye, Inverness, the Highlands back down to Edinburgh and ending in Glasgow again. Who knows I can find some inspiration for the game:-p

full round trip for a week? :)
I heard there's a "heat wave" coming, so hopefully you won't see much rain 🤣

Longer than a week! Just had two days in Glasgow, today I took the train to Balloch and then up to Crianlarich. So far I've had 2 drops of rain, but that could also have been a sneeze from a flying Scotsman (no, not the train).
It is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful out here! I never want to leave! So much better than Switzerland:-p!

I'm doing my last week in Edinburgh and it is boiling and sunny now! you're visiting at the best time apparently, let's hope it lasts for more than usual 4 days ;)

What do you mean? Switzerland also has mountains, lakes and sun!!

I definitely hope the good weather in Edinburgh stays until August 4! It's possible, right? The weather in Oban is also very good, so that gives hope;-p... However, if I listen to the forecast now that hope almost completely vanishes....

And I was just teasing! Another similarity is that not one foreigner can understand the language spoken:-p...

Naaa, it’s already starting to rain 🌧 sorry ;)
Ahah, I was thinking the same: both speak weird languages 🤣 Worry not! English will be spoken more often as you move away from Glasgow

Ah, the only think I remember of Oban is boats and chocolate factory 🍫 🏭
Also, I think you may get the starting days of the FRINGE. Good timing, but be ready for chaos in Edinburgh 😱

In this setting, what language(s) do wizards use to cast spells?

interesting question! I never though about that :o

I was thinking of a post responding to your performance and that particular story, and wanted to include that detail.

ahah, being a bard I just use elven because it sound cooler to the untrained humans :D Never stoped to consider arcane incantations. Wait to see what that will be (probably just arcana)...

That that I'm thinking about it... I've got a seasonal language as well 🤔

Apparently there generally is no simple answer to what is the arcane language used for spellcasting, if there is one:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?475775-Arcane-Language

Had a little chat and Drama and I agree:

What language a wizard uses depends on where and how they learned their magic, and in some cases what magic they use. Over the ages all races have created their own documentation of magic, in their own language. Besides that you can imagine that the different schools of magic, different elements too maybe, use different base languages or even create a certain dialect.

I encourage you to get as creative as you want.

General 5e Combat

I know that not everyone is coming into the game with the same level of experience regarding combat interactions in 5e. I figured I would put together a quick primer along with some of the "quirks" that I tend to have (some of which ae_dd may adopt as well, some of which she will WHOLLY roll her eyes at me for and wave them off).

TL;DR
Rounds last 6 seconds, everyone gets a Turn (Action, Movement, Bonus Action) and a Reaction. Initiative controls the order of combat. Surprise isn't a Round, it's a Condition that stops someone from using the Action/Movement on their first turn. Play by Post means we do some funky things with story telling to account for the medium.

---

All the stuff:

1. General Terms
a. Round - A round encompasses a period of 6 seconds (10 rounds per minute). A single round is one pass through the initiative order. Every character has one turn and one reaction per round.

b. Turn - A turn is a single character's time to shine in the round. When every character (PC or NPC) has had their turn, combat moves to the next round. A characters turn consists of: an action, movement, and a bonus action.

c. Action - An action is the "main" thing that a character does on their turn. With your action you may do one of the following:
*** Attack - Swing a weapon at an opponent. Class features may grant additional swings when you use this action.
*** Cast a Spell - Bread and butter of spellslingers. Note that some spells have an alternative casting time (Such as Hex with a casting time of one Bonus Action or Ceremony with a casting time of one hour.
*** Dash - Immediately move up to your Movement speed.
*** Disengage - Carefully move out of combat. Typically prevents an opportunity attack.
*** Dodge - Move defensively, causes all attack rolls against you (spells or melee swings) to be made with Disadvantage.
*** Help - Harass an enemy in combat granting the next attack roll against them Advantage. The enemy must be within 5 feet of you in order to do this.
*** Hide - Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check to try hiding. If successful, you may gain some advantages in combat.
*** Ready - Prepare to take a certain action when a specific event occurs. For example "I ready an action to attack if a goblin comes close to me." This event consumes your reaction when the trigger occurs. If you prepare to cast a spell (which must have a casting time of 1 action) and the trigger doesn't occur, there is some debate. Originally, it was widely accepted that if your trigger doesn't occur, the spell is wasted. Apparently a 2018 errata seems to make it possible that you could indefinitely hold a spell. I'm not 100% settled on what I think on this.
*** Search - Use Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) to devote your attention to finding something.
*** Use an Object - Interacting with something in the environment such as drinking a potion, digging something out of your backpack, flipping levers, and pushing buttons.

d. Movement - On your turn, you can move up to your speed. This movement doesn't have to be taken all at once, meaning you could walk into a room, stab a goblin, and then walk out of the room.

e. Bonus Action - Certain actions can be done as a bonus action. For example, if you are holding light weapons in each hand, you can use your bonus action to take a swing with your second weapon. This doesn't scale up with Extra Attacks for fighters, barbarians, and the like.

f. Reaction - The only action you are allowed to take NOT on your turn. Reactions have specific triggers and you may take a single reaction in a round. One of the most common reactions is the opportunity attack. Triggered when someone leaves your reach using their movement, action, or reaction (so being thrown away from someone by a spell doesn't trigger). You can then make a single attack swing. The Warcaster feat allows you to take OAs with spells that take 1 action to cast and only target a single creature.

2. Initiative
Combat is kicked off by all parties rolling initiative in some fashion. This is typically a dexterity check, though some classes and items provide features that further modify this. Typically, at the table, everyone rolls and then the turns proceed from highest to lowest in order.

Typically in Play by Post, I will have the initiative broken into large groups (such as Enemies vs. Players) to help speed things up. I adjudicate this by rolling a single time for each group, using the average of the group's initiative bonuses. Character features that give advantage or bonuses to initiative ARE taken into account.

3. Surprise
Unlike previous editions, there isn't a "Surprise Round". Instead, the DM will determine who is Surprised at the start of combat. The first round then plays through. Anyone Surprised is unable to take Actions or use their Movement on their first turn, and cannot take their Reaction until AFTER their first Turn is over.

4. Order of Events
On your turn, you can take your Action, Bonus Action, and use your Movement as you'd like. There are certain Actions/Bonus Actions that can only be done at certain times. For example, the Bonus Action for Two Weapon Fighting requires you to take the Attack action first. Otherwise, it's your choice what to do when on your turn.

5. Play by Post Quirks
a. Because of the nature of play by post speed, sometimes we have to retcon (retroactive continuity for those unfamiliar with the term) the story to deal with players taking reactions and altering the flow of combat.

b. Using Inspiration for Advantage. Typically you make the decision to use this BEFORE taking the turn. Given how the forums work, I tend to let people use Inspiration retroactively. Once you see your roll, then you can make the decision to use it to try a second roll.

c. "Combat Stats". For those that have played with me, you're familiar with the Combat Stats that I post after my character's turns in combat. I do this to keep a running flow in the story of some vital pieces of information to make my life easier reading back through the story.

Example:
Movement to get next to Bob the Dying. Casting cure wounds as a first level spell.
22/22 HP | 18 AC | Lay Hands 10/10 | Divine Sense 2/2
1st 1/2
Currently Prepared ([$] indicates concentration):
1 - [Radiant damage if used to Smite - 2d8]: Cure Wounds, Bless[$]


d. Visualization. I tend to use a more Theater of the Mind approach to combat, with approximations of distance and not as much precision with spell placement and the like. However, if players prefer, I will usually try to do SOMETHING of a map to let players take more precision control.

---

I THINK that's it. Obviously, if I screwed something up in the stuff above, please let me know those in the know. ;-).

Dropping to 0 Hit Points
When you drop to 0 hit points, you either die outright or fall unconscious, as explained in the following sections.

Instant Death
Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum.

For example, a cleric with a maximum of 12 hit points currently has 6 hit points. If she takes 18 damage from an attack, she is reduced to 0 hit points, but 12 damage remains. Because the remaining damage equals her hit point maximum, the cleric dies.

Falling Unconscious
If damage reduces you to 0 hit points and fails to kill you, you fall unconscious. This unconsciousness ends if you regain any hit points.

Death Saving Throws
Whenever you start your turn with 0 hit points, you must make a special saving throw, called a death saving throw, to determine whether you creep closer to death or hang onto life. Unlike other saving throws, this one isn't tied to any ability score. You are in the hands of fate now, aided only by spells and features that improve your chances of succeeding on a saving throw.

Roll a d20. If the roll is 10 or higher, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. A success or failure has no effect by itself. On your third success, you become stable (see below). On your third failure, you die. The successes and failures don't need to be consecutive; keep track of both until you collect three of a kind. The number of both is reset to zero when you regain any hit points or become stable.

Rolling 1 or 20. When you make a death saving throw and roll a 1 on the d20, it counts as two failures. If you roll a 20 on the d20, you regain 1 hit point.

Damage at 0 Hit Points. If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure. If the damage is from a critical hit, you suffer two failures instead. If the damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum, you suffer instant death.

Stabilizing a Creature
The best way to save a creature with 0 hit points is to heal it. If healing is unavailable, the creature can at least be stabilized so that it isn't killed by a failed death saving throw.

You can use your action to administer first aid to an unconscious creature and attempt to stabilize it, which requires a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check.

A stable creature doesn't make death saving throws, even though it has 0 hit points, but it does remain unconscious. The creature stops being stable, and must start making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage. A stable creature that isn't healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.

D&D 5e doesn't use negative HP anymore, so Maighan is at 0 HP.

Good to know. First time I've actually gone unconscious in a 5E game, so it's all new to me.

It is for me :)

I will be on a family trip from 6 Oct through 11 Oct, and will have limited access. I should be able to check in at least once a day when back at the hotel, but my participation will be otherwise diminished.

Hello all, sorry for the short notice on this. However, due to some real world stress and busy-ness, I need to take a step back for a few weeks to focus on that. I miss and have much love for all of you, so I will be back. ;)


Absence Post Here: https://gamersplane.com/forums/thread/1260/?p=648966#p648966

Hope everything gets back to normal soon :)

Hi everyone,

I recently (September) changed roles at my job, which has resulted in significantly less time at my desk and therefore my computer. I should have expected the resulting effect on my ability to keep up with games, but for one reason or another, it has come as a surprise. The last couple of weeks have been especially crazy as I try and balance multiple responsibilities I had been able to set aside for the previous three years, and I've fallen behind on nearly all of my games -- both those I run and those I play in. In addition, I have a couple of games I've been developing that I very much want to run, and as a result, I need to make some hard choices as to my priorities on what I can continue to be involved with.

Unfortunately, this is a game that I'm going to have to drop. I'm not leaving GP entirely, and it has nothing to do with the game, the players, or the GM -- I have very much appreciated playing with all of you and I imagine I will see you in other games. Keep being the amazing, dedicated, creative forces you are. Hopefully some day I can go back to participating in double digits worth of games, but for the foreseeable future, I need to keep a tight rein on what I'm involved with. Best wishes to everyone!

Don't Do it 78! Work is a lie!!!

Also congrats, try to keep your peace of mind also! Don't over do it.