[Information] Ask A DM

[Dirty Magic]

<snip>

Edited: too-long character stuff snipped. More focused questions below.

[secretID]

Um...did you mean this as an application? If so, please see the Read First post. (FYI, the game advertisement post, in contrast, isn't necessarily complete or entirely accurate; we're trying to figure out how to change that now.)

If you have a question about WM rules, etc., feel free to ask.

[Dirty Magic]

Originally Posted by secretID

Um...did you mean this as an application? If so, please see the Read First post. (FYI, the game advertisement post, in contrast, isn't necessarily complete or entirely accurate; we're trying to figure out how to change that now.)

If you have a question about WM rules, etc., feel free to ask.

Sorry for the long post, I was trying to provide an overall summary of where I was going with her to make sure it was all cool. Let me rephrase some more generic questions:

1) If we have an idea in which the characters' country of origin shapes their motivations, can we use a setting of our own creation or should we crowbar it into an existing section of the Forgotten Realms?
2) Do you guys generally have any objections to re-flavoring existing weapons? Basically keeping stats and such the same and changing the name and narration?
3) Do you have any objections to the Noble Knight "Retainers" features, essentially introducing 3 NPCs in the company of the character?

I figured I'd bounce the background off you here so I'm not creating a character with an unworkable premise. I'll post her in the application thread once I have her stats and sheet worked out.

[purplerook]

Originally Posted by Dirty Magic

Sorry for the long post, I was trying to provide an overall summary of where I was going with her to make sure it was all cool. Let me rephrase some more generic questions:

1) If we have an idea in which the characters' country of origin shapes their motivations, can we use a setting of our own creation or should we crowbar it into an existing section of the Forgotten Realms?
2) Do you guys generally have any objections to re-flavoring existing weapons? Basically keeping stats and such the same and changing the name and narration?
3) Do you have any objections to the Noble Knight "Retainers" features, essentially introducing 3 NPCs in the company of the character?

I figured I'd bounce the background off you here so I'm not creating a character with an unworkable premise. I'll post her in the application thread once I have her stats and sheet worked out.

I'm not SecretID, but I think I can answer your questions based on some characters that I have created, and others I have seen come through West Marches.

• We have a bunch of races that are not native (seen ?) in Faerun. So, I would say just lay out the political details you want.
• It is called re-skinning, and so long as none of the mechanics of the weapon change, you are Good to Go. For example, a steel chain (re-skinning a whip) is acceptable, but if you change things like damage or damage type, it is generally a no go.
• Noble Knight Retainers is a yes, but. I happen to have a character Kosev who took this feature. However, his retainers stay in town and are pure for story purposes. Allowing Retainers on adventure messes with the party's action economy. You might be able to bring them along as part of an abstracted larger party (e.g., I ran an adventure where there were a bunch of NPCs soldiers whose actions were abstracted). I would generally say no to bringing retainers on an adventure. However, a GM might allow it for a specific adventure.

[Dirty Magic]

Originally Posted by purplerook

I'm not SecretID, but I think I can answer your questions based on some characters that I have created, and others I have seen come through West Marches.

• We have a bunch of races that are not native (seen ?) in Faerun. So, I would say just lay out the political details you want.
• It is called re-skinning, and so long as none of the mechanics of the weapon change, you are Good to Go. For example, a steel chain (re-skinning a whip) is acceptable, but if you change things like damage or damage type, it is generally a no go.
• Noble Knight Retainers is a yes, but. I happen to have a character Kosev who took this feature. However, his retainers stay in town and are pure for story purposes. Allowing Retainers on adventure messes with the party's action economy. You might be able to bring them along as part of an abstracted larger party (e.g., I ran an adventure where there were a bunch of NPCs soldiers whose actions were abstracted). I would generally say no to bringing retainers on an adventure. However, a GM might allow it for a specific adventure.

Thanks, Purplerook.
The political stuff... I just like complicated characters. I don't need to beat it over the head in-game but it gives me things to think about when I'm writing. It's half the fun for me.

The re-skinned weapons... I guessed the answer but it's good to ask. I don't want to assume stuff that's going to step on any DM toes.

Likewise, both points with the retainers. Some DMs hate player NPCs because they can be a wiggly way to start leveraging for advantages. To me, they're just fun. At the very most, someone to watch the horses and burn dinner during a long rest.

I'm just trying to cover my bases up front. Thanks for the advice.

In fact... if you're bored and its not a conflict of interest... I actually rolled good stats. I'm not used to good stats!! What kind of fun ideas would you have for: 17/17/14/16/10/12 ?

[secretID]

Re retainers, the feature is certainly allowed. As PR said, you may encounter slightly different interpretations by different DMs here. A few thoughts (which are NOT binding on anyone) re the text of the feature:
1) "Your retainers are commoners who can perform mundane tasks for you, but they do not fight for you" - This negates any real concerns about abuse, IMO.
2) "will not follow you into obviously dangerous areas (such as dungeons)" - This seals the deal for me. If you end up in an unexpected fight, I assume they immediately retreat to safety. It basically looks like a permanent Unseen Servant with a longer range and some limitations re setting. Re PR's note, the original idea of the West Marches was that everything outside the Westhaven walls was deadly, therefore a "dangerous area" IMO. That has been softened some over time, so I think an individual DM could reasonably allow them to join an expedition. I probably wouldn't, as I stick to the idea of the outsides being wilds - it certainly seems like almost every expedition ends up in a fight!

[Dirty Magic]

Originally Posted by secretID

Re retainers, the feature is certainly allowed. As PR said, you may encounter slightly different interpretations by different DMs here. A few thoughts (which are NOT binding on anyone) re the text of the feature:
1) "Your retainers are commoners who can perform mundane tasks for you, but they do not fight for you" - This negates any real concerns about abuse, IMO.

Thanks. That's about where I am with them, not interested in getting them eaten or anything. I mostly just love the RP aspect.

Purplerook has been very helpful, by the way. Give that guy a raise!

[Chaos Havik]

1) How is necromancy treated

2) Can I play evil?

[secretID]

Originally Posted by Chaos Havik

1) How is necromancy treated

Could you elaborate? What kinds of issues do you imagine?

Originally Posted by Chaos Havik

2) Can I play evil?

The DMs haven't discussed it that I recall, but I'll give you some (non-binding) thoughts on the implied sub questions:
1) Victimizing PCs. There are no provisions for PVP. If one PCs victimizes another by theft or fraud, it will open a big can of worms that I doubt we'll want to...whatever one metaphorically does with an opened can of worms. Corral?
2) Victimizing NPCs. Nothing much occurs except on adventures, so the individual adventure's DM would then decide possible consequences, including possible law enforcement, and that's entirely the DM's call. There's no more guarantee of getting away with murder than there is of stealing a dragon's treasure.

If the evil action is obvious to other PCs, that might bring us back to the PVP question, but at a minimum I would think that an openly evil character would have trouble finding companions for adventures. A PC secretly victimizing NPCs could probably work, at least for a while. I don't actually consider it evil, but on a recent adventure two PCs conspired to secretly murder a hobgoblin prisoner against other PCs' wishes. No one caught them, so things just moved on.


Again, non-binding, but were problems to arise my personal choice would be to resolve them against the player of the evil character, as that's the primary cause of the mess.

[Chaos Havik]

Ahh nah I use evil as more of flavoring rather then go around screwing the party or DM lol He's LE anyways so defintly not going to mass murder anyone.

As for Question 1 is there like a huge ban on it in Westhaven, if I use animate dead or other things is it going to have like an inquisition of NPCs after me ect. Since the books claim making undead is always evil and what not.

[Chaos Havik]

New question, can I just spend 10 gold at the start and have my familiar? If you guys want me to go though it in Role play sure just tends to save time.

[TomBombadil]

Originally Posted by Chaos Havik

Ahh nah I use evil as more of flavoring rather then go around screwing the party or DM lol He's LE anyways so defintly not going to mass murder anyone.

As for Question 1 is there like a huge ban on it in Westhaven, if I use animate dead or other things is it going to have like an inquisition of NPCs after me ect. Since the books claim making undead is always evil and what not.

I'm actually playing a Neutral Evil character right now.

It can work. The key is the character has to have a reason to play nice with others.

My character has really high Charisma, so he comes across as Neutral Good in his actions and interactions. However, it's his true motives, which are evil. He sees the other adventurers as a means to the end. The end of him securing enough power and wealth to impress his Warlock Undying patron to reveal the secrets to everlasting life. He won't screw the party over because then no one will want to adventure with him and that would make it difficult for him to achieve his goals.

As for the animate dead, if you do it in the middle of the town in front of people? That probably wouldn't be wise. Outside of West Haven on adventures though? You're outside of the jurisdiction of the town at that point so you can pretty much do what you want.

[secretID]

Yeah, we've never discussed the laws of Westhaven. I could see an individual DM doing a subplot related to the open necromancy, but I wouldn't worry about it instantly branding the character a pariah or anything.

Yeah, the PC with evil motives should have no problem at all. I guess that's something of a philosophy/semantics (same thing?) question. Personally, I don't consider, say, the title character from Dexter to be evil in D&D terms.

[Hal Hammerhand]

I need a DM's opinion on how I should RP of certain options that I am debating on. While none of them are wrong, I would like to play a character that isn't too disruptive but also feels legitimate.

If you have perused my application yet:
-My monk was born with a birth defect where his muscles won't/can't develop properly and this is my personal idea for how a 4 strength would manifest and while I can be comfortable with this, I am debating on how to RP this disability.
1. With a strength of 4, he would have a -15 to -45 carry capacity, and if the DM cares about encumberance, then it would give him 20 ft movement just lifting his own body as well as the issue that every time he lays down to sleep, it's like sleeping in 45 lbs of armor. I'm good with rolling con saves every morning to see if he got rest or not but that's up to the DM
2. Your strength score is the measure of strength you can exert outward and doesn't include carrying the weight of your own body, therefore, he would only be slightly encumbered normally with the few items that he carries but he wouldn't be able to carry much more.

Which would be more appropriate and less disruptive?

[purplerook]

Originally Posted by Hal Hammerhand

I need a DM's opinion on how I should RP of certain options that I am debating on. While none of them are wrong, I would like to play a character that isn't too disruptive but also feels legitimate.

If you have perused my application yet:
-My monk was born with a birth defect where his muscles won't/can't develop properly and this is my personal idea for how a 4 strength would manifest and while I can be comfortable with this, I am debating on how to RP this disability.
1. With a strength of 4, he would have a -15 to -45 carry capacity, and if the DM cares about encumberance, then it would give him 20 ft movement just lifting his own body as well as the issue that every time he lays down to sleep, it's like sleeping in 45 lbs of armor. I'm good with rolling con saves every morning to see if he got rest or not but that's up to the DM
2. Your strength score is the measure of strength you can exert outward and doesn't include carrying the weight of your own body, therefore, he would only be slightly encumbered normally with the few items that he carries but he wouldn't be able to carry much more.

Which would be more appropriate and less disruptive?

Hal,

I happen to be running a gnome with a six strength. My perspective is that There are two aspects to the Str score - the mechanics and the RP. In terms of mechanics, a characters bodywieght is not really counted. So, the character is limited to 15 pounds * 4 strength = 60 pounds of gear and weapons. This would actually allow the character to wear most types of light or medium armor. The real issue is going to be the adventurer’s pack. However, the character could find a strong companion and or have a donkey.

In terms of RP, there are several things you could do for background/descripton - thin and gaunt, a smaller character (which technically have no carry weight modifiers), a birth defect, or malnutrition. In RPing, you can talk about clever ways the character makes up for their lack of strength - from using leverage, to having strong friends, to avoiding things that require much strength.