Related Information to Aericsteele’s D&D 5e Questions & Support

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e Questions & Support

The Maker says...

Questions regarding the setting, rules, or any other miscellaneous out of character chatter related to the game may be posted here. All in character posts should be made in the Main Thread and any questions or comments regarding character creation should be posted in the Character Creation Thread.

This thread will also include rule and policy information which may be updated periodically. Any home brew rules developed over the course of the game as well as any interpretations of the rules that have been established will be posted here as well.

RULE/POLICY

Posting Quality and Requirements
The site has a built in feature that will not allow players to make posts containing less than fifteen words. Please note that those involved in this game are held to a higher standard than this fifteen word minimum. Simple single sentence responses or posts are generally unacceptable. The Dungeon Master may ask the player to elaborate on their posts, may ignore such posts, or the Dungeon Master may elaborate on a player's post and will not guarantee that the player will be satisfied with the results of the elaboration made.

The Dungeon Master expects more detailed narrative than simply announcing the action a character is going to take. Each post should serve a purpose by describing a character's intended actions, thoughts, feelings, etc. In a manner that the reader (I.e. The Dungeon Master and the other players) are able to visualize/understand what is going on. Each post is an opportunity for the player to add another brush stroke to the overall painting of their character (Who they are, what they want, what they look like, etc)

Play-by-Post can be a slow and somewhat cumbersome medium for role playing games and it is important that players maintain consistent posting in order to ensure that the game moves forward. In this game, players are expected to post some form of response or indicate their characters intent in some way within approximately forty-eight hours of the Dungeon Master making a post. After forty eight hours of the Dungeon Master's last post, the Dungeon Master may move the story/game forward and may take control of the player's character or describe the actions of the player character as part of the next post without the consent of the player.

Out of Character/In Character
Remember to address Out of Character questions to the appropriate thread when possible. Questions or comments about character creation or generation need to go to the character creation thread; questions about the game mechanics or setting should go to the support thread; that would include any out of character discussions. In general, discussions about how the party is going to handle a situation, divide loot, etc. Should be handled in an in-character post as the characters interacting with each other, but any of this discussion that must be handled out-of-character may be done in the support thread.

Player vs. Dungeon Master Agency; Exceptions
Players are responsible for, and generally have exclusive control over and right to describe/narrate, the intended actions, thoughts, feelings, etc. Of their characters. The exception to this rule is when/if the character is subjected to some form of mind control, mind altering substance, or other in-game factors that require the Dungeon Master to dictate a player character’s actions, reactions, feelings, thoughts, etc. For example a villain using magic against the character, they fall victim to some form of mind altering drug or intoxicant, or when the Dungeon Master is describing a dream sequence.

Player characters may also fall under the control of the Dungeon Master or another player if the frequency of the player’s posts does not meet the requirements set forth in other sections of this policy, for example failing to post within forty-eight hours of the Dungeon Master’s narrative prompting a response from the players.

The Dungeon Master is exclusively responsible for the actions, thoughts, description, etc. Of all non-player characters in the game as well as for adjudicating and describing the results of all task resolution rolls made by NPCs and PCs (Based on the intent of the player character as described by the player).

The Dungeon Master is also solely responsible for determining and describing all aspects of a scene, location, object, NPC, etc. Though the Dungeon Master may occasionally delegate this responsibility to the players to allow for greater player input and collaboration in the development of these aspects of the game.

Players are free, and encouraged, to make suggestions to the Dungeon Master regarding the campaign, setting, scene, etc. But these suggestions need to be posted in the Support thread rather than in the Main thread.
A post made in the Main thread that violates this policy will be ignored.

Rolling Dice & Task Resolution
Players are responsible for inputting the data correctly and remembering to include appropriate dice modifiers in the embedded dice roller. If a player makes a mistake in the dice roller it is their responsibility to call this mistake to the attention of the Dungeon Master before the Dungeon Master posts a reply based on the incorrect roll. Posts regarding resolution of a task or event based on a roll that was done incorrectly will not be retconned!

I am an advocate of the "Let it Ride!" rule in other words I do not like rolling several times until there is a success and when the roll is made, the die is cast and there is no taking it back. I don't like to see a roll made to pick a lock, and if that roll fails the player says that they just try again and roll again until they get a success. The roll failed and that does not change unless a significant amount of time has passed or the situation has changed dramatically.

Keep in mind, however, that a failed roll does not always mean that the person just failed to do what they wanted, it may mean that there is a complication to it, and that it didn't go as the player intended. For example they may indeed pick the lock, even though they failed the roll, but standing on the other side of the door may be a guard or a big ugly orc that the characters now have to contend with. Or perhaps someone sees them and starts calling them out for it.

Related to the “Let it Ride Rule;” there are skills that should only be rolled once per situation. Rather than having you roll stealth five different times, I prefer to just do it once and let that result determine the general outcome. For example, your goal is for your character to sneak past some guards and pick the lock on a vault or something I’m not going to have you roll to get past the first set of guards, and then roll to get past another set of guards, and then roll a third time to sneak past a third set of guards.

You will roll once, modified by the difficulty, and if you succeed you manage to sneak past all of the guards then you will make an intrusion check at the door. This might change if the situation changes, for example the guards are alerted by something and alarms start going off, they are now actively looking so you may have to roll stealth again with different modifiers.

I don’t like it when everyone takes a turn at the same thing because the guy with the greatest skill failed so everyone simply tries until it’s successful. I.e., like when the 18 strength fighter cannot force a jammed door open because he rolled bad but the 8 strength rogue comes along and rolls lucky so he busts the door down. In general, if a person with a skill modifier of +5 can’t do it, the guy with a skill modifier of +0 shouldn’t reasonably be able to do it.

Players do not necessarily have to wait for the Dungeon Master to tell them when to roll. If a player makes a post that is obviously utilizing a skill or would reasonably require a task resolution check the players may make an appropriate roll. If the skill that the player used doesn't fit the Dungeon Master will use the result of the roll and apply it using the appropriate skill (Which may alter the result depending on the dice modifiers that apply).

When the Dungeon Master asks for a roll the difficulty class may or may not be declared up front, but if the player rolls without being prompted to do so by the Dungeon Master they will not be aware of what the difficulty class is, but they will have to Let it Ride!

Policy Regarding Character Death
Character death is a very real possibility in this game but nine times out of ten it will come as a result of the roll of the dice rather than at the whim of the Dungeon Master. The exception is when, for whatever reason, a player has left the game or has failed to post for a significant amount of time. In the event they have failed to post they will be given a warning regarding the impending doom of their character, but if they fail to reply expect that character to meet a grim demise.
The Dungeon Master does not ‘pull punches’ in combat; if the dice roll indicates that your character is hit for X amount of damage and this is enough to end your character and you fail your death saves, then your character dies. That being said, the players are advised that the Dungeon Master does not tailor encounters to the abilities of the characters. If the players take their characters into a fight against well-armed and armored troops or against a dragon while they are still at 1st level there is a good chance the character is not going to make it.
Players are free to do what they want with their characters, but their characters are not free from the consequences of their actions

Character Equipment and Character Sheet
When players make changes to the gear or equipment that their character is using, or currently has equipped, it should be noted in the appropriate post but also updated on the character sheet. The Dungeon Master will often reference a player's character sheet to determine what sort of equipment the character currently has available or is using. There is no guarantee that the Dungeon Master is going to remember that equipment changes were made several posts/pages prior to the current post, which is why making these changes on the character sheet is necessary. If you fail to update your character’s equipment on your character sheet and the Dungeon Master’s post is based on what you have listed on the sheet, there will be no retconning, so make sure to update your character sheets!

Support and Questions e Dragons and Dungeons Aericsteeles

Bards, Druids, Sorcerers, and Warlocks.

All under suspicion by the Imperial Church and the Inquisitors.

Just curious how these are handled.

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e Questions & Support Archive Pathfinder / D&D

The Maker says...

Casting a spell, in and of itself, is not necessarily going to draw the attention of authorities unless the spell was destructive or used in committing a crime of some sort. A small frontier village like Clear Creek would not have an inquisitor on hand, the closest would likely be ten miles away across the river in the city of Vollandar. Minor arcane offenses are generally handled by the civil authorities like the local lord or reeve. For major offenses, like using magic missile to assault someone in the village, the violator is generally arrested and held until an inquisitor can be brought in.

Bardic magic is not looked upon with suspicion (Again it depends on how its being used), but Sorcerers and Warlocks need to be cautious about revealing the source of their powers because it is assumed that their powers are derived from the Destroyer. They are viewed with the same kind of fear and unease that a suspected witch in medieval Europe was subjected to regardless of whether the magic they are casting is beneficial or harmful.

I hope that answers your question.

Support and Questions e Dragons and Dungeons Aericsteeles

One small amendment or addition to your character classes, The synopsis of Inquisitors or the last paragraph needs to include that they are ONLY females.

Support and Questions e Dragons and Dungeons Aericsteeles

I may be looking to joining this to give 5E a try to see how I like it. I will be looking at what type of character I wish to play. Are you concerned about what alignment we play?

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e Questions & Support

The Maker says...

You can take whatever alignment you want so long as you keep the following in mind:

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e Questions & Support

Alignments equal Bonds.

KNtoran feel free to ask any additional questions. Do you have access to the 5th Edition PHB for starters?

Aericsteele’s D&D 5e Questions & Support D&D / Pathfinder Archive

No I do not have access to the 5E players handbook yet. But I will see what I can do and go from there. I know I have a lot of books. None are 5E I have all the 3.5 E books.