Comments/suggestions on Jester's rules (5e)

[The Pickled Punk]

Has anyone given any thought to Backgrounds? I can easily see some new Backgrounds, like Cold One or Medium, while modifying some of the existing ones, like the Hermit, to create Dervishes for Pharazia, or Entertainer, to create Gypsies.

Any thoughts?

[The Pickled Punk]

Count me in the group against creating a "Gargoyle" PC race as an analogue for the Dragonborn. It's much simpler to simply say "Dragonborn are never native to the Lands of the Mists", with a few guidelines for how Dragonborn might end up in Ravenloft (such as a Draconian being drawn into Sithicus).

EDIT:

Jester, the "Dark Shadows" look interesting, but in terms of game balance, I'd have them replace a Background feature, rather than be in addition to it. For example, a character with the Criminal background and the Addict Dark Shadow, would still get the skill and tool proficiencies from criminal, but would replace the feature "Criminal Contact" with the benefit of Addict.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

Has anyone given any thought to Backgrounds? I can easily see some new Backgrounds, like Cold One or Medium, while modifying some of the existing ones, like the Hermit, to create Dervishes for Pharazia, or Entertainer, to create Gypsies.

Any thoughts?

I created five right here:

http://mhobservatory.blogspot.com/2014/ ... igins.html

[The Pickled Punk]

Has anyone given any thought to Backgrounds? I can easily see some new Backgrounds, like Cold One or Medium, while modifying some of the existing ones, like the Hermit, to create Dervishes for Pharazia, or Entertainer, to create Gypsies.

Any thoughts?

I created five right here:

http://mhobservatory.blogspot.com/2014/ ... igins.html

Well done! Those are very good choices and each one is well thought out!

[Jester of the FoS]

Count me in the group against creating a "Gargoyle" PC race as an analogue for the Dragonborn. It's much simpler to simply say "Dragonborn are never native to the Lands of the Mists", with a few guidelines for how Dragonborn might end up in Ravenloft (such as a Draconian being drawn into Sithicus).

"No dragonborn" is certainly the path of least respstance. But so would have been saying "no half-orcs", which would have denied us the caliban.
For those uninterested, the content doesn't hurt the final product (as I'm not on a time limit, so the hours I spend working on the gargoyle is not time taken away from other elements).
It's about providing people with as many options as possible so a DM can say "well, you can be a unique dragonborn brought into the world OR a gargoyle native to the land."

the "Dark Shadows" look interesting, but in terms of game balance, I'd have them replace a Background feature, rather than be in addition to it. For example, a character with the Criminal background and the Addict Dark Shadow, would still get the skill and tool proficiencies from criminal, but would replace the feature "Criminal Contact" with the benefit of Addict.

I like the additive nature so they can be added and removed without affecting the rest of the character.
For example, so the character can become addicted to alcohol during the course of the campaign (as they turn to spirits to dull the horror or silence the nightmares). It's awkward to lose one's background as the result of story, or be unable to add elements reflecting changes.

Has anyone given any thought to Backgrounds? I can easily see some new Backgrounds, like Cold One or Medium, while modifying some of the existing ones, like the Hermit, to create Dervishes for Pharazia, or Entertainer, to create Gypsies.

Backgrounds on my list. I've already made one, but it's a bit winking.

Currently, I'm finishing dark shadows and writing Ravenloft flavour for the existing Backgrounds along with variants. Like the Stage Magician variant of the Entertainer.

I'm planning on writing the changeling, town guard, inquisitor, and sole survivor backgrounds. But I'm keeping an eye open for any good ideas I can steal.

So many Backgrounds are pretty flexible. A "gypsy" background with the Criminal and Entertainer already around. That's just renaming elements.
Variants are only really important when the options you want are not available; for example, the Sage doesn't provide training in the healing or herbalist kits, meaning a variant for "Doctor" might be nice for those wanting to emulate Rudolph van Richten.

[alhoon]

Dread dicepool... Could you expand on what you mean?

From what I gather, you roll every once a while and bad things may happen.
I guess that could be... a curse of a place or the Dark Powers working against you, or the Darklord being angry with you.

What are possible effects?

Personally I like the idea (but mostly for "small" doses and not harsh effects) but I kinda don't like the name. I don't have a better alternative but "Dread pool" doesn't seem to convey the right feel.

[Jester of the FoS]

Dread dicepool... Could you expand on what you mean?

From what I gather, you roll every once a while and bad things may happen.
I guess that could be... a curse of a place or the Dark Powers working against you, or the Darklord being angry with you.

What are possible effects?

Personally I like the idea (but mostly for "small" doses and not harsh effects) but I kinda don't like the name. I don't have a better alternative but "Dread pool" doesn't seem to convey the right feel.

It's inspired by the game Dread, which uses a Jenga tower as the success mechanic for the game. It provides a lovely sense of building doom as the odds of failure continually increase.

The intent is similar. You have a pool of dice in the middle of the table or someplace visible and every so often the PCs just have to roll. Any time they're not doing things with a chance of failure. And over time you add more and more dice so the pile grows larger and larger increasing the chance of something horrible happening.

[alhoon]

That sounds too much WoD and like tables, doesn't seem to be in the spirit of the game.

I believe an increasing chance "1 in 1d20" then "1-2 in 1d20" etc would have the same effect, but easier and more effectively.
Do you have any effects in mind?

[Jester of the FoS]

That sounds too much WoD and like tables, doesn't seem to be in the spirit of the game.

It'll be presented as an option.
Just a little something to try or employ if it fits the mood or adventure.

I believe an increasing chance "1 in 1d20" then "1-2 in 1d20" etc would have the same effect, but easier and more effectively.
Do you have any effects in mind?

There's a psychological element. It's one thing to know that the odds are increasing, it's another to see the number of dice grow and grow.

The effects could be any of the standard horror shocks or reversals. The idea is that instead of the DM planning events for certain times, the events are triggered by dice rolls. This is a little like having random encounters, but instead of a static percentage rolled again and again, the odds steadily increase.
But there's the added chance of dramatic failure at a seemingly mundane task, which adds continual tension. Situations where die rolls for success or failure of skills are inappropriate, such as simple tasks that heroes should not personally fail to accomplish, or adventures with a heavy element of role-playing.

For example, the party sneaked into a masquerade ball in Misericordia held by Ivana Boristi. First they're socializing, then dancing, then having dinner. Most of the time there should be few skill checks, save a few for Deception or Persuade. Maybe some stealth as the stealthy PC slips off to search the manor.
Which means there's little tension: the party's Face should have no problems lying (as it feels like a dodge if the DM targets PCs with low social skills as it's circumventing the person who focused their character on that task). There's low chances of failure as the specialized PCs are attempting the tasks.

But instead, the Dread Pool grows over time. The little pool of dice builds and builds, and the players can see it and know that their chances of complications are steadily increasing. They might have troubles not out of bad skill checks or personal failure, but because fate conspired against them. And whom it occurs to is random and the chance of an incident increases over time at a somewhat steady rate.
The DM can just improvise events, or they can have certain planned events sent to trigger at the roll of a "1". Something that will trigger a series of other skill checks and complications. Or it could just be a terrifying moment that sets the mood and reminds people that it's a horror game.

In the above example, the PCs might meet someone who knows the noble a party member is impersonating. A costume might be damaged, such as a mask being knocked off by a servant. An enemy of the PCs might show up.
Or a noble who is out of favour might "choke" on his food and die, while Ivana coolly says "Oh my. What a horrific tragedy. But let it not ruin our evenings and instead be a reminder to be cautious with our mouths."

The Doom Pool could also be used in other ways. I'm still brainstorming that, as the whole idea is very much in beta.
For example, the DM could use the Pool as a source of villainous inspiration: taking a dice out of the pool to give an enemy advantage.

[Sorti]

Cool! What if the players had some control over the pool... for instance, a player can spend the inspiration to remove a die from the pool, or a player can have some bonus at the cost of adding a die to the pool (so they'll feel guilty later...)

[Jester of the FoS]

Cool! What if the players had some control over the pool... for instance, a player can spend the inspiration to remove a die from the pool, or a player can have some bonus at the cost of adding a die to the pool (so they'll feel guilty later...)

That's certainly an idea.

(It's a good example of why I'm getting feedback in the first place.)

[Leliel]

I'm toying with an alternate sort of path for the Dragonborn. I would call them simply "Spawn". Rather than be strictly the children of Dragons, I would have their origin be a sinister mystery save that they come from something dark and unfathomable. I would take this all in a Shadow Over Innsmouth route as well. At first they appear wholly human. But certain...traits and habits begin to creep in. As time goes by, they begin to feel "other" impulses and emotions. They manifest certain sinister abilities, like the breath weapon. The more they use their abilities, the faster the descent from human into....their true nature becomes. Sooner or later, they will lose the veneer of humanity entirely, and then they will be ready for their true purpose.

Possible "Draconic" canidates that spring to mind are Cthonic horrors beneath the sea, the Darklord of the Wild Lands, experiments in the bowels of Bleutspur, curses levelled by particularly vile loah in Souragne...you get the idea.

As a huge Cthulhu fan, I would say...nah. Not as playable races, and besides, I really am not a fan of the real-world context of Deep One Hybrids. Not without a twist.

Like this one, for instance (it's a short story about a displaced Innsmouth native in the wake of their sea-born neighbors being nuked...from her perspective, ie as a victim of xenophobia, viewed only as a potential resource for wannabe government wizards).

If we're going with that idea, a Spawn should be more like her than anything; alien, and painfully aware of that fact.

[Jester of the FoS]

I'm toying with an alternate sort of path for the Dragonborn. I would call them simply "Spawn". Rather than be strictly the children of Dragons, I would have their origin be a sinister mystery save that they come from something dark and unfathomable. I would take this all in a Shadow Over Innsmouth route as well. At first they appear wholly human. But certain...traits and habits begin to creep in. As time goes by, they begin to feel "other" impulses and emotions. They manifest certain sinister abilities, like the breath weapon. The more they use their abilities, the faster the descent from human into....their true nature becomes. Sooner or later, they will lose the veneer of humanity entirely, and then they will be ready for their true purpose.

Possible "Draconic" canidates that spring to mind are Cthonic horrors beneath the sea, the Darklord of the Wild Lands, experiments in the bowels of Bleutspur, curses levelled by particularly vile loah in Souragne...you get the idea.

As a huge Cthulhu fan, I would say...nah. Not as playable races, and besides, I really am not a fan of the real-world context of Deep One Hybrids. Not without a twist.

Like this one, for instance (it's a short story about a displaced Innsmouth native in the wake of their sea-born neighbors being nuked...from her perspective, ie as a victim of xenophobia, viewed only as a potential resource for wannabe government wizards).

If we're going with that idea, a Spawn should be more like her than anything; alien, and painfully aware of that fact.

Dagonborn?

[alhoon]

Well, as far as the increasing dicepool goes, each to each own I guess.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Is it me, or is the benefit for the "bitten" dark shadow not a benefit?