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I'm not all that familiar with the Into the Unknown yet but I like what I'm reading regardless.Though when I read this first part....

"The cleric is a monastic warrior who practices sorcery, sworn by dire oath"

I couldn't get these guys out of my head...

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A Google Image search tells me this is from The Chronicles of Riddick but I've never seen it. Can you give me a hot take? But yea I imagine a lot of these clerics having crazy outfits like that and ostentatious titles to match.
 
Add to that, you'd think for a Discord server that they would want to promote conversation instead of what feels like repeatedly shutting it down. I repeatedly see new folks come to the server looking for answers only to be stonewalled or given what feels like dismissive answers. That's no way to grow your game.
PR is a little-known skill sometimes. Even worse, some publishers try to promote their own playstyle instead of accepting that the street finds its own use for their rules and settings:tongue:!
Plus, at some point, doing the same thing again but bigger feels silly to me. So, there are these god level monsters that never appeared until now so we have to kill them and take their stuff? At what point does your character stop to think that they could get a slightly better magic weapon or trade theirs for a castle?
At 9th level, I'd suspect:grin:?
More reasonably...that's a question that's common to all versions of D&D, I'd suspect.

Sure. I'm just saying that complaining that a hammer isn't a wrench when you need to turn a bolt is kind of futile. I say go ahead and nick the rules from ACKS and you'll probably get to where you want to go (if you must have OSR-derived domain level rules)
...man, I've got the ACKS and I thought I've read it all. Can you help me with a page reference? Where exactly does it talk about your character becoming a supernatural figure that new PCs can seek help from, please:shade:?

Also, I'm not complaining about the wrench not being a hammer. I'm just contemplating how much lead I need to put into the wrench's handle to turn it into a decent substitute, and whether it's better to stick a wrench blade on the upper or bottom part of the hammer:thumbsup:.
And I don't find that a good comparison. A hammer never mentioned screws. DCC's corebook talks about those patrons you can choose from, and at least one of them seems like he started as a normal human. What PC worthy of an S&S game wouldn't make the connection:devil:?

IMO, taking a few pages from Godbound, or, more reasonably, a mix of Silent Legions and Red Tide (as they share the same OSR DNA, but don't assume god-level PCs, and deal with cults a lot) would be more appropriate. Or I could just say "at 7th level or above, but before 10th level, you can take a quest to find your own destiny".
 
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PR is a little-known skill sometimes. Even worse, some publishers try to promote their own playstyle instead of accepting that the street finds its own use for their rules and settings:tongue:!

At 9th level, I'd suspect:grin:?
More reasonably...that's a question that's common to all versions of D&D, I'd suspect.


...man, I've got the ACKS and I thought I've read it all. Can you help me with a page reference? Where exactly does it talk about your character becoming a supernatural figure that new PCs can seek help from, please:shade:?

IMO, taking a few pages from Godbound, or, more reasonably, a mix of Silent Legions and Red Tide (as they share the same OSR DNA, but don't assume god-level PCs, and deal with cults a lot) would be more appropriate. Or I could just say "at 7th level or above, but before 10th level, you can take a quest to find your own destiny".
Ah, you're right, no god-level rules in sight. I mean I guess you could always pillage the immortal rules from BECMI?
 
A Google Image search tells me this is from The Chronicles of Riddick but I've never seen it. Can you give me a hot take? But yea I imagine a lot of these clerics having crazy outfits like that and ostentatious titles to match.

I non-ironically love that movie, but I laugh out loud every time they say "Necromonger." (the name of the bad guys).

The movie has one of my favorite endings ever. After Riddick has defeated the Big Bad, he's exhausted (and probably inured? Don't remember for sure, it's been a while since I watched it), so he collapses into the chair behind him. The camera slowly pans out and you see that the "chair" he's sitting in is actually the throne.
 
I non-ironically love that movie, but I laugh out loud every time they say "Necromonger." (the name of the bad guys).

The movie has one of my favorite endings ever. After Riddick has defeated the Big Bad, he's exhausted (and probably inured? Don't remember for sure, it's been a while since I watched it), so he collapses into the chair behind him. The camera slowly pans out and you see that the "chair" he's sitting in is actually the throne.
Keep-What-You-Kill.gif
 
Looks like Cubicle 7 has picked up on the lack of exploration rules in 5E.
5e_UJ_0000_Cover-Mock-Up-Low-Res.jpg



Uncharted Journeys is from the team that brought you the award-winning Adventures in Middle-earth, which was praised for how it used the 5th edition rules to bring the world of Lord of the Rings to life and its in-depth yet simple approach to travelling across strange and dangerous lands. Uncharted Journeys gives players and GMs journey rules that make exploration and travel a key part of 5th edition rather than something to be hand-waved or skipped over. The book gives guidance on roles when travelling, people you’ll meet along the way, ways to create your own ancient ruins, and over 100 pages of strange and exciting encounters and events that can happen on your journeys, from encountering weary travellers to discovering a long lost lair of an ancient beast.
 
Looks like Cubicle 7 has picked up on the lack of exploration rules in 5E.
5e_UJ_0000_Cover-Mock-Up-Low-Res.jpg

I freaking LOVE this cover! Both, in terms of composition, art style and graphic design (with the logo and such), as well as the type of atmosphere it evokes. Makes me wanna hope in and explore that world.

Also love that elf's outfit.
 
I non-ironically love that movie, but I laugh out loud every time they say "Necromonger." (the name of the bad guys).

The movie has one of my favorite endings ever. After Riddick has defeated the Big Bad, he's exhausted (and probably inured? Don't remember for sure, it's been a while since I watched it), so he collapses into the chair behind him. The camera slowly pans out and you see that the "chair" he's sitting in is actually the throne.

Yes CoR is a lot of fun and one of the few sf films that really lives up to the term space opera.
 
Lost Mines of Phandelver is an excellent intro.
I’ll third Phandelver as a great starting adventure.

if you want to go a little smaller scale, I’ve posted two 1st-level adventures in my blog that are designed to provide enough xp to get to 2nd level.

Free starting adventure (link).
Mud caves (link).
 
Does anyone have any suggestions for an adventure for first level characters? I have the starter boxes but I’m interesting in seeing what else is out there and what opinions are about them.
I really like the adventures in Essentials kit. The modular, bite-sized modules that scale up the characters gradually... really great. I actually preferred them to Phandelver, to be honest.
 
Does anyone have any suggestions for an adventure for first level characters? I have the starter boxes but I’m interesting in seeing what else is out there and what opinions are about them.

A lot of people recommend Death House from Curse of Strahd or Sunless Citadel from Tales from the Yawning Portal. I've played both and enjoyed them, but not run them.

I'm a big fan of The Secret of Bone Hill as a starting adventure. Looks like there's a 5E conversion on DMs Guild:

This is a great old school introductory adventure by Matt Finch.

If you want something in the same vein as Keep on the Borderlands, I highly recommend this one from Troll Lord Games:
 
Does anyone have any suggestions for an adventure for first level characters? I have the starter boxes but I’m interesting in seeing what else is out there and what opinions are about them.
MCMLXXV. This is an OSR adventure ported into 5e. It's a sweet single session wilderness adventure with a small dungeon that has the PCs following a treasure map. I have run this adventure twice for groups of new players and found it a good introduction to old school-style play. It's deadlier than typical 5e adventures but not unfair by any means. Interestingly enough new players do not come to D&D with the expectation that every encounter is carefully curated for them to defeat in combat but a lot of older ones who should know better do

Edit: Bryce does a more thorough review of the adventure.
 
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Although I greatly prefer running and playing Mythras and WFRP, I've also had alot of milage out of the D&D 5E starter and essential sets; my sons are still stretching those scenarios and settings out. Lost Mine of Phandelver has been excellent.

BTW, has anyone read what WotC intentions are for future Forgotten Realms releases?
With D&D 5E I'm only collecting Forgotten Realms, I'm not overly interested in the revamped Spelljammer that is on it's way, or the multiple Magic The Gathering setting releases. Just seems like WotC are really slowling down on Forgotten Realms releases, which is a shame considering it is the default setting.
 
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Another starter set. These must sell well.


I wish they would release the adventure scenarios of the starter/essientials sets separately, so we can add slim hardcover books of this content to our pre-existing collections. However it probably makes good business sense just to release these box starter sets for newbies, as they know that experienced DMs will likely grab them anyway.

Having the D&D starter sets available in mainstream outlets like Target sure makes it accessible for new players to the hobby, which is great.
(However here we go again, with D&D engulfing the identity of the wider rpg community, although this is nothing new)
 
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Probably. I mean, the Essentials set had new rules for followers that actually looked kinda great in their playtest document.
The 5e sidekick rules are solid and I highly recommend them. Over a 2 year campaign we used them to represent trusted henchmen, apprentices, and squires without any issues. The profiles are simple enough that that they don't slow down play. At the time of writing I am finding a sidekick is very helpful when running a solo game for my wife.
 
I really like the adventures in Essentials kit. The modular, bite-sized modules that scale up the characters gradually... really great. I actually preferred them to Phandelver, to be honest.

I read a extensive OSR review of the Essentials set that had some good things to say but mostly thought it was too railroady and 'video gamey' (because of the rumours/job board) and then claimed the classic Red Box CYOA teaching section was the beginning of railroads and D&D's fall from grace.

And this is one of the better reviewers in the OSR. Why an OSR reviewer was bothering with a 5e set is whole other question, kinda like a member of Black Flag reviewing a Motley Crue record imo, a pointless and predictable exercise.

I haven't read the Essentials but I played a fair bit of it, we had a poor GM but even then it didn't feel railroady to me.
 
More about the 5e sidekick rules:

I am using the 5e sidekick rules as a template for classed NPCs without adding too much complexity.

For example, my my current project I needed leaders for terrifying wasteland raiders who pillage, torture and murder as casually as you or I go to the refrigerator for a snack. The thug is solid for champions but I needed something with more oomf for the top dogs. Unfortunately, the 5e bandit captain profile feels more like a European highwayman than a brutal veteran of wasteland combat so I took the thug profile and applied the Warrior template. Easy-peasy.
 
More about the 5e sidekick rules:

I am using the 5e sidekick rules as a template for classed NPCs without adding too much complexity.

For example, I needed leaders for the terrifying raiders who pillage, torture and, murder in the wastelands of Carcosa. The thug is solid for champions but I needed something with more oomf for the top dogs. Unfortunately, the 5e bandit captain profile feels more like a European highwayman than a brutal veteran of wasteland combat so I took the thug profile and applied the Warrior template. Easy-peasy.

I looked through the Essentials rulebook and liked how it covered so much in 65 pages. Need to check out the sidekick rules.
 
I'm a sucker for D&D starter boxes even though I'm not the target audience. I like to see the approach taken - is chargen possible, what's max level, etc.

I really like the sidekicks in Essentials, though I prefer those in Tasha's. I've been screwing around with solo play for 5e. Sidekicks add a lot to survivability and overall team competence without adding much memory load. Also a something to consider with with 1-3 players, especially if they're inexperienced.
 
I wish they would release the adventure scenarios of the starter sets separately, so we can add slim hardcover books of this content to our pre-existing collections.

However it probably makes good business sense just to release these box starter sets for newbies, as they know that experienced DMs will likely grab them anyway.

Having the D&D starter sets available in mainstream outlets like Target sure makes it accessible for new players to the hobby, which is great.

(However here we go again, with D&D engulfing the identity of the wider rpg community, although this is nothing new)

This made me think of a good stop-gap release for WotC: a hardcover collection of all the starter and essentials adventures. I'd grab that in a second.
 
I really like the sidekicks in Essentials, though I prefer those in Tasha's. I've been screwing around with solo play for 5e. Sidekicks add a lot to survivability and overall team competence without adding much memory load. Also a something to consider with with 1-3 players, especially if they're inexperienced.
For the record I use the sidekick rules in Tasha's. I was unaware of any difference between the rules in Essentials and Tasha's! I also deviate from the Starting Level and Levelling Up rules as well when it's a henchman discovered and cultivated through roleplay.
 
The 5e sidekick rules are solid and I highly recommend them. Over a 2 year campaign we used them to represent trusted henchmen, apprentices, and squires without any issues. The profiles are simple enough that that they don't slow down play. At the time of writing I am finding a sidekick is very helpful when running a solo game for my wife.
I just wish they'd put the books up on DTRPG. I don't really want that box set. it's incredibly unnecessary.
 
I'm several tens of pages behind but you all are a bunch of heretics! If you touch my sacred cows the way you keep implying I will call the police and show them in the doll where you're doing it!
 
And this is one of the better reviewers in the OSR. Why an OSR reviewer was bothering with a 5e set is whole other question, kinda like a member of Black Flag reviewing a Motley Crue record imo, a pointless and predictable exercise.
I am disappointed that there are few published products applying the OSR spirit to the 5e SRD. What's up with that? Do we really need to shoehorn 9 races, 12 classes and 106 subclasses into every setting?
 
Not wanting to start a new thread, this is D&D related, so just dropping this right here as it may interest those following this thread.
(Feel free to add this to the banter, or just ignore):

FATEFORGE

I crowd-funded Fateforge (by Studio Agate), and have been receiving a book every 6-12 months.
  • Fateforge is a self-contained ruleset that uses a version of D&D 5E.
  • Very good quality glossy pages full colour hardcover books, with artwork to die for.
  • Classic Fantasy setting - high fantasy with some sword & sorcery elements at times - lots of flavour, fills in what I expected WotC to be doing before they went too whimsical over the last year or so
  • Now publically available in a great slipcase box set that comes with four main books (core book, magic book, monsters book, setting book), DM screen, two large maps, and three adventures (one written by Ed Greenwood).
  • Highly recommended for D&D 5E fans who want a classic fantasy setting with a bit more depth and flavour
 
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Not wanting to start a new thread, this is D&D related, so just dropping this right here as it may interest those following this thread.
(Feel free to add this to the banter, or just ignore):

FATEFORGE

I crowd-funded Fateforge (by Studio Agate), and have been receiving a book every 6-12 months.
  • Fateforge is a self-contained ruleset that uses a version of D&D 5E.
  • Very good quality glossy pages full colour hardcover books, with artwork to die for.
  • Classic Fantasy setting - high fantasy with some sword & sorcery elements at times - lots of flavour, fills in what I expected WotC to be doing before they went too whimsical over the last year or so
  • Now publically available in a great slipcase box set that comes with four main books (core book, magic book, monsters book, setting book), DM screen, two large maps, and three adventures (one written by Ed Greenwood).
  • Highly recommended for D&D 5E fans who want a classic fantasy setting with a bit more depth and flavour
My curiosity is piqued.

How does their ruleset diverge from core D&D5?
 
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