tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post5921505310221363532..comments2024-03-28T15:32:19.036-04:00Comments on Dungeon Fantastic: DF Game Session 79, Felltower 52Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-50295241729980804422016-09-30T08:36:00.656-04:002016-09-30T08:36:00.656-04:00I ended up giving a more detailed description of w...I ended up giving a more detailed description of what the layout was. It did not stop one of the mages from chucking an explosive fireball into an enclosed space where two of the party members were crawling through smoke released by a prior fireball igniting a bandoleer of nagatepos and a tear gas bomb the party ninja had put there. Lot's of impulsive characters in my group...Gwythainthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05184355400691527355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-6992140760720767772016-09-14T19:14:04.811-04:002016-09-14T19:14:04.811-04:00Well, since I run DF, my thoughts and approaches o...Well, since I run DF, my thoughts and approaches of how I'll run this going forward are going to be DF-centric. DF14 does change up the usage of Occultism a bit, since DF2 implies it's for Elder Things, but that's fine - I don't use that many elder things, and I don't use much from DF14 except a few monsters. It's not really going to be game-relevant for Felltower.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-90133376928055366292016-09-14T18:11:54.715-04:002016-09-14T18:11:54.715-04:00I think I'm drawing my use of "Occultism ...I think I'm drawing my use of "Occultism is broader but shallower than Professional Skill is broader but shallower than Hidden Lore" comes from Monster Hunters.<br /><br />I don't run DF. And the rule on DF 9 for Occultism is contradicted by pg 15 of DF 14 Psis... so I'd probably just keep my set up if I ran DF.<br /><br />Besides, my Players are somewhat used to it.evileeyorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296632217198088455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-53389766157954844712016-09-14T17:11:23.021-04:002016-09-14T17:11:23.021-04:00I use them as written and split up in DF2, p. 9.I use them as written and split up in DF2, p. 9.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-17005138394497792362016-09-14T17:10:37.127-04:002016-09-14T17:10:37.127-04:00I allow Tactics to be useful, but not replace play...I allow Tactics to be useful, but not replace player decisions. The player and the character is my approach.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-20535156649767997392016-09-14T15:47:40.882-04:002016-09-14T15:47:40.882-04:00Again, inversely, I know people who suck at tactic...Again, inversely, I know people who suck at tactics but occasionally want to play characters that should be good or great at handling tactical situations.<br /><br />This goes back to my philosophy of, It Is The Character Not The Player.evileeyorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296632217198088455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-16249046206990393132016-09-14T15:37:54.192-04:002016-09-14T15:37:54.192-04:00The way I see it:
Occultism is for the characters...The way I see it:<br /><br />Occultism is for the characters who don't want to go to the effort to know the deep secrets, but would still like to know whether or not Silver is Good Against Werewolves and is it Steak or Stake that one takes to a Vampire Party.<br /><br />"Professional" Skills tend to be taken by people with a need for that skill, Clerics want Theology, Mages want Thaumatology, nature types might take Naturalist, etc. I 'weight' these skills a bit more than Occultism due to the narrower focus.<br /><br />Hidden Lore. These characters want to know /secrets/. As such they need to get full value for the extremely narrow focus of their skill.evileeyorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296632217198088455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-29337528843022259542016-09-14T13:53:03.607-04:002016-09-14T13:53:03.607-04:00I'd like to hear more of Denis's example.
...I'd like to hear more of Denis's example.<br /><br />Generally, though, I do not want your dice rolls against skills to mean I tell you what your characters should do. If you discern someone else's tactics ("What are they trying to do?"), fine. If you want to answer a specific question ("If we guard our flanks by throwing down flames in those hexes, what's the potential downside?"), probably okay. If it's rolling to have me tell you good tactics, no, I'm not looking to run that game.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-30057684061370881252016-09-14T13:32:43.344-04:002016-09-14T13:32:43.344-04:00That's an interesting way to do it. I'd be...That's an interesting way to do it. I'd be concerned that if I weighted the skill's value, it would encourage people to avoid those skills. I'd go with a larger penalty.<br /><br />I have a post going on this, if I have time after tonight's work I'll finish it and post it up tomorrow.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-89162469609951046662016-09-14T12:53:03.956-04:002016-09-14T12:53:03.956-04:00I deal with that by looking at their MoS. I tend ...I deal with that by looking at their MoS. I tend give as many answers as they got MoS and let them pick which questions get answered (sometimes I'll give more answers, if it's supposed to be fairly 'common knowledge'). Some answers require multiple answer slots (for example "What is Asmodeus' weakness?" might 2 or 3 'answer' slots, where "What are werewolves weak to" would on be one).<br /><br />Also I weight skills based on the 'skill type': Occultism is the lowest tier, Professional knowledge the next (Theology, Thaumatology, HazMat, Archaeology, etc), and Hidden Lore the top.evileeyorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296632217198088455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-28892152967007683642016-09-14T12:46:40.476-04:002016-09-14T12:46:40.476-04:00Inversely (specifically with Tactics) that's w...Inversely (specifically with Tactics) that's what I like about that skill. And the info Denis gave was pretty nebulous, along the lines of "The ninjas will probably move along the sides of the upper floor avoiding the poison cloud area to get ahead of you and use the other murder holes...".evileeyorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296632217198088455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-69050547848060359682016-09-14T05:54:21.174-04:002016-09-14T05:54:21.174-04:00That sounds like exactly the kind of result I don&...That sounds like exactly the kind of result I don't like about knowledge-type skills. It's one thing when they players want to know if their PCs know where a good place to stash rafter-top ambushers would be, but otherwise . . . ugh.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-17188950811330511642016-09-14T05:52:45.861-04:002016-09-14T05:52:45.861-04:00That's also a problem. Although the players us...That's also a problem. Although the players usually have very specific questions in mind - what are its vulnerable points, is it Homogenous, do they normally have No Brain, are they vulnerable to fire, what is it called. So they're not any more happy - I've had players roll a Hidden Lore skill by a lot, get a pile of information and say, "None of this is what I wanted to know." So if I'm not happy with picking out what to hand out, and they're not always getting the answer to they question they had in their heads, then it's probably not the right mechanic for us.<br /><br />I'm not really sure what solution to this I'll really like. After all, I do like the idea that PCs have knowledge and experience and that is available to (but also limits) the players. But I want most of the figuring things out to be player facings. Less "I rolled well, tell me what to do to win!" and more "I rolled well, so enhance what I know so I can figure out how to win on my own!"<br /><br />That's a hard balance.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-85244947886988033362016-09-13T23:17:59.091-04:002016-09-13T23:17:59.091-04:00I recently had to answer a "I roll tactics fo...I recently had to answer a "I roll tactics for a good plan" with some info about the position of ninjas in the rafters.Gwythainthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05184355400691527355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-64045567263597006652016-09-13T23:04:15.429-04:002016-09-13T23:04:15.429-04:00Like the great one* said, "The best d-fence i...Like the great one* said, "The best d-fence is a great o-fence".<br /><br /><br /><br />* Mell the cook on Alice.evileeyorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296632217198088455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-77747913108240782922016-09-13T22:18:42.568-04:002016-09-13T22:18:42.568-04:00The problem with "Do I know if they are X?&qu...The problem with "Do I know if they are X?" is that there's a world of X, and I don't want to play 20 questions with the player either. It's not fun to be put on the spot, but I think I'd waste less time by telling a creature's weakness and abilities after some thought than having the player tease it out, question by question.Mark Langsdorfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00301984145275679568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-54242529423057260502016-09-13T18:46:56.560-04:002016-09-13T18:46:56.560-04:00Heh. It really is Know or No, isn't it?Heh. It really is Know or No, isn't it?Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-91756211246865567052016-09-13T18:46:28.654-04:002016-09-13T18:46:28.654-04:00Thanks for the extra detail!
Kian slowed the down...Thanks for the extra detail!<br /><br />Kian slowed the down because he chose to kill her with his hands, not beat her to death with his mace. 4d+3 would have killed her outright, probably, especially since he would have had the same to hit roll for the throat and then the same defense roll by her, but instead of a bunch of CP it would have been 4d+3 crushing with a x1.5 injury multiplier.<br /><br />And that's a good point about the prone guys, I think. I want everyone concerned about getting much higher defenses to remember that moment - Blocking, while Prone (-3 to defenses), against a flail (-2 to Block), done as a Deceptive Attack 1 (-1 to defend), with no bonus for Retreat . . . you made those rolls with a -6 to defenses and no magical defensive buffs.<br /><br />You guys do need to invest in magical offense.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-68212974505285554452016-09-13T13:10:58.955-04:002016-09-13T13:10:58.955-04:00"The "Do I know if they are X?" is ..."The "Do I know if they are X?" is easier - it's yes or know, and a skill roll success tells me to answer."<br /><br />Interesting spellcheck error... or interesting way of looking at it if purposeful.evileeyorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08296632217198088455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-84377882961184003352016-09-13T11:51:06.178-04:002016-09-13T11:51:06.178-04:00It was a rough fight and Kian finally got in a fig...It was a rough fight and Kian finally got in a fight and died. The last time she lost an arm immediately to a razor fish and was out; I didn't have a chance to use her "Fire ST19 crossbow, then drop it and charge with cutlass swinging" ... I figured she could annoy the mummy so Hjallmarr could take it, but she didn't even slow him down as encumbrance when he lifted her by the throat.<br /><br />The fight got off to a bad start with two crippled legs on the damage sponge fighters. Mo was only at -3 HP which I think is a record. He managed to block flails while on his back and still get some hits in, thanks to Great Haste. Once the Fog rolled in, he made a self control roll to break his battle fury, suck down potions (I think Dryst also used a Major Healing spell stone on him) to heal his leg, and re-enter the fray.<br /><br />Hasdrubel took out Ike with intentional friendly fire, hoping to kill both Skull Spirit-like foes. Raggi was a result of a rare miss on an explosive lightning bolt. Mo's toughness DR kept him from taking enough damage to make the stun roll difficult.<br /><br />I think the only bad tactical move was protecting the fallen tanks from the flail golems instead of taking the mummy head-on. While I appreciate the backup, and Hjalmarr used sacrificial block to save Mo from a nasty blow, let us soak up the damage sometimes. Both Raggi and Mo have limped away at -88HP and -93HP respectively. It's obviously not ideal, but Mo carries 5 Major Healing potions for a reason (effective 10d6 x 2 HP healing, so average 70HP). He used 2 this time around. Might get a spell stone as well, faster if not cheaper. <br />Sadly the Mummy broke its magical mace. I'm saving to have Puissance +1 put on one of Mo's morningstars for my first big purchase (then shatterproof). We need magic weapons that our main fighters can use with their primary weapon skills, when Vryce isn't around.<br />Thomas Pluckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008022962076648740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-47539924293372507312016-09-13T10:11:44.412-04:002016-09-13T10:11:44.412-04:00No, she's not an Ally.No, she's not an Ally.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-78119160294208168732016-09-13T10:11:26.608-04:002016-09-13T10:11:26.608-04:00He passed out after Hasdrubel hit him and everyone...He passed out after Hasdrubel hit him and everyone around him, including the golem he was grappling, with "friendly fire" from an Explosive Lightning spell. He's fine.<br /><br />I'm glad that reference made someone else laugh.Peter Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-75761531521162365962016-09-12T22:54:17.303-04:002016-09-12T22:54:17.303-04:00Did Kian dieing cause Mo's value to drop?Did Kian dieing cause Mo's value to drop?Kalzazzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17177712062675414026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-3885872793146551052016-09-12T22:51:54.861-04:002016-09-12T22:51:54.861-04:00What was the fate of Raggi?
"Missile complex...What was the fate of Raggi?<br /><br />"Missile complex at Laputa" made me snigger, both because I've seen the movie and speak Spanish.Charles Saegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00368131505593336249noreply@blogger.com