Comments | the_gneech: Keep On the Borderlands: 40 Years and Still Kicking

the_gneech

Keep On the Borderlands: 40 Years and Still Kicking

Sep 03, 2016 15:56

The quickie teach-newbies-D&D game I was planning to start this weekend got bumped to next weekend, which actually helps because there’s a bit more work in converting The Keep on the Borderlands to (what I consider) a playable 5E adventure than you might think. Just going through and giving the NPCs names rather than THE CASTELLAN and THE CURATE is ( Read more... )

rpgs, fantasy, d&d, dungeons and dragons, keep on the borderlands

Comments 4

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the_gneech September 3 2016, 19:10:43 UTC

Well of course the not-so-secret secret is that the DM can just throw whatever they want at you- five orcs not a problem? Here's fifteen! So it's not really possible for the entire party to be "overpowered." It is possible for a single character to be overpowered compared to the rest of the team, but if they pooled their resources to get that blade, they clearly thought it was worth it. XD

-TG

jamesbarrett September 4 2016, 01:42:04 UTC

I've always been the kind of DM that liked to discover what cool magic item the players wanted and find a way to put it into play somewhere, so they could find it. I always tailored the first magic items the party found to go with what they already had. The paladin is using a longsword. then the +1 weapon they find will be a longsword, so he can go "Upgrade!" when he finds it.

sirfox September 4 2016, 18:35:58 UTC

the "upgrade" notion is a common thread that bumps its head against both the gold and the magic issue, and kind of has for 40+ years. It's a given that anybody playing a starting character is going to likely be wearing and using some different gear a few levels later. An extra point or two of AC or damage can make the difference, after all, probably magnified at lower levels, when there aren't many HP, too. In leather armor? Studded leather is probably high on your "to get soon" list ( ... )

the_gneech September 4 2016, 20:30:47 UTC

Bounded accuracy factors in the "upgrade" thing for 5E. In a system based on math from 1-6, +3 is pretty huge... but there are so many advantages to the 1-6 range (not just in simplified math, but also creature sustainability- I recently read a session report where CR 4 banshees were a holy terror against an 11th level party) that the tradeoff makes sense ( ... )