OOC 2 - Chat It Up!

[hedgeknight]

Or we could say light/heavy crossbows only reduce AC at short range, by 1/2 respectively.

[shaidar]

Either of those seem reasonable.

What if it was like this:
Medium range > light crossbow reduces AC by 1, heavy crossbow reduces AC by 2
Short range > light crossbow reduces AC by 2, heavy crossbow reduces AC by 3

We could hive this a try and if it seems too much go for your second (lesser) suggestion.

[hedgeknight]

So, let's do a temporary house rule for crossbows:

Damage:
Hand - d3/d2
Light - d6+1/d8+1
Heavy - d8+1/d10+1

Armor penetration adjustments:
Medium range > light crossbow reduces AC by 1, heavy crossbow reduces AC by 2
Short range > light crossbow reduces AC by 2, heavy crossbow reduces AC by 3

We'll see how it goes for awhile and then vote to either keep it, drop it, or change it. Sound good?

[GreyWolfVT]

no problems on my end.

Removed cantrips from Raz's sheet since that was 1e UA specific. 2e so far does not appear to offer that ability to gnomes.

[Edeldhur]

I am ok with it, but I do have a question - why houserule before trying the RAW?

[dmw71]

I am ok with it, but I do have a question - why houserule before trying the RAW?

The house rule, if I'm not mistaken, is a reaction to a comment you made when you stated they "suck so bad." You're not wrong.

Nor, in my opinion, is the decision early on in the game to implement a house rule to fix or make marginally useful what is otherwise a clearly "broken" weapon.


The trick will be balancing the correction:

Making the crossbow too powerful will leave them just as "broken" as they were RAW, just on the opposite end of the spectrum.

[Edeldhur]

I am ok with it, but I do have a question - why houserule before trying the RAW?

The house rule, if I'm not mistaken, is a reaction to a comment you made when you stated they "suck so bad." You're not wrong.

Nor, in my opinion, is the decision early on in the game to implement a house rule to fix or make marginally useful what is otherwise a clearly "broken" weapon.


The trick will be balancing the correction:

Making the crossbow too powerful will leave them just as "broken" as they were RAW, just on the opposite end of the spectrum.

I realize that.

My question was more toward ‘why not try to use the rules from C&T before modifying them’? How does one know it makes crossbows too powerful before trying them out?

[dmw71]

My question was more toward ‘why not try to use the rules from C&T before modifying them’? How does one know it makes crossbows too powerful before trying them out?

My bad. I’m just playing catch up and saw your post about RAW since it was the most recent response.

I assumed RAW in your post meant the rules as they appear in the PHB (which, I believe, are broken).

If you were talking about RAW from a different source, which seems to be the case, that’s completely different and I should have just kept my big mouth shut.

Apologies.

[hedgeknight]

Well, we don't have to use them at all

[GreyWolfVT]

use em just don't abuse em.

no problems on my end.

Removed cantrips from Raz's sheet since that was 1e UA specific. 2e so far does not appear to offer that ability to gnomes.

Correcting myself Player's Option: Spells & Magic has cantrips but it is not critical to game play just wanted to correct my statement.

[hedgeknight]

Sheen...Data.gif (1.27 MiB) Viewed 623 times

[GreyWolfVT]

I thought it was never argue with the DM..

[hedgeknight]

Nah, I don't mind.

Will give Rex the day to post actions...probably needs to wash the deer blood off his hands first.

[GreyWolfVT]

depends on how his hunting went but yeah possibly. We did have a few snow storms up here in Vermont this week. So hopefully he didn't get snowed in somewhere.

[Edeldhur]

Well, we don't have to use them at all

I DID agree with the houserule

The question was simple curiosity regarding the reasoning - wondering if you had a previous (bad) experience with C&T rules, or something along those lines.

[hedgeknight]

I DID agree with the houserule
The question was simple curiosity regarding the reasoning - wondering if you had a previous (bad) experience with C&T rules, or something along those lines.

Just yanking your chain, dude.

I agree with shaidar; knocking 5 off of AC is a bit much.

[hedgeknight]

Post is up!
Here's the background music for this post:
https://ursa666.bandcamp.com/album/abys ... -the-stars

[dmw71]

A third wyvern boldy lands atop one of the wagons, the wood creaking underneath the creature's weight! Clutching a lance in one hand, its armoroed rider surveys the two groups brazenly for several seconds, almost daring them to attack. Then, while the attacking wyvern tears off bloody chunks of horse flesh, and the other two wyverns circle overhead, the rider speaks.
"I have no quarrel with the lot of you. Nor do I wish to leave your carcasses for the vultures. One of you stole from the Host Tower of the Arcane in Luskan a few days back. I am here to retrieve the item. Return it to me now, and we will return to the City of Sails, and leave you to your business."
The rider speaks with a woman's voice, her face hidden behind her helm. "You have one minute."

Do our characters have any knowledge (or have they heard any rumors) of wyvern riders? Or is there anything distinctive about the armor they're wearing, or any banners they fly?

Namely:
- Who they may be, or who they're associated with? Can we tell if they're officially representatives of the Host Tower?
- If they are good or evil?

[Rex]

I am back, already posted. Did have about 8" of snow but no where near enough to snow me in.

All for beefing crossbows up, they are broken for sure. The biggest advantage the crossbow offered was ease of use and training. A conscript could master the crossbow in a week. To master a bow they started training as small boys and were not ready until they were in their 20's. No real way to house rule that in D&D. What we used to do was give crossbows +1 damage over an equivalent bow, same ranges, and if they are already loaded they automatically win initiative. The bow still has the advantage of a faster rate of fire so it is balances pretty even.

[hedgeknight]

Do our characters have any knowledge (or have they heard any rumors) of wyvern riders? Or is there anything distinctive about the armor they're wearing, or any banners they fly?
Namely:
- Who they may be, or who they're associated with? Can we tell if they're officially representatives of the Host Tower?
- If they are good or evil?

From my intro post:
Wyverns attacked a small caravan out of Neverwinter about two weeks ago, leaving the wagons in tatters and killing everything - livestock and people. Some hunters out of Thundertree hid in terror as the wyverns flew north clutching their cargo, which included several large barrels. The hunters reported seeing riders on two of the wyverns, whose flock numbered almost a dozen!

So, the group out of Neverwinter has definitely heard of wyverns and riders of wyverns. As for the group out of Luskan, I imagine they have too, perhaps even seen a few overhead near the city. They fly no banners or insignia. Good/Evil...you don't know.