I don’t understand this video style where I have to watch a video with words appearing on the screen and a cartoon character talking. Why is this not a blog post so I can just read it?
I think he is working on putting posts like that to accompany the videos (or vice versa). At least he recently created a homepage. I mean, it's just some guy sharing thoughts on his hobby for free in a way he enjoys doing it?
You really don't have to watch the video (or any video).
But you can bet that there's people who prefer videos. I do, for example.
And I’m genuinely confused about this style of video being so common, but since it is common, I have to assume that it works for some people. I’m glad it works for you.
If he posts a blog post for that, I'll link it. The gist of the video is that he suggests to turn the items and equipment the players already have into magic items over time. In addition to other ways of acquiring them of course. Additionally he says it's sensible to tell the players what the items do as they get them and allow their character to play out how they discover it and then give the party some options to use the items as well as maybe add some NPCs coming for these items, because they heard about them.
This addresses several issues like players not getting the items that were intended for them, players getting overwhelmed with the amount of things they need to keep track of and a lack of emotional connection with the items.
If you got ads, I do apologize. My channel isn’t even capable of monetization as far as YouTube is concerned. I make no money off of my videos at all on any platform at the moment (or the past three years).
I’m having fun fiddling with concepts of how to convey my thoughts on my hobby in a format that I find enjoyable. Given the age of my channel and the amount of subscribers or viewers, I am well aware that what I enjoy doing/watching just isn’t for everyone, or even a lot of people.
As for the blog posts, I am actually working on that, but it’ll take some more time since this isn’t my job. It still takes time, money and effort to do. Some of which I cannot expand on this particular bit of my hobby at all times.
Hi! Sorry if this came across as a specific complaint about you. It’s a trend I’ve seen on YouTube that I don’t understand, is all. By all means, express yourself however you want! But of course, don’t be surprised if old fogies like me don’t engage with that style of content.
And thanks for the blog post! I’m a DM trying to find the best way to distribute fun magic items to my party. I have one character who wants to craft a stronger shield but lacks the necessary skills. This could be a good approach to get him the effect he wants without losing the shield he’s been spending time and effort on.
Hey! Thanks for saying that. One thing about my stuff so far is that I barely get any feedback from beyond my friend and extended friend circles. And that tends to be positive, so it’s good to hear different perspectives. I already had the blog posts and all planned, but procrastinated on them. Your comment gave me the push to sit down with it again and get it going.
I’ll keep on iterating over how I present my ideas. And you’re absolutely right, especially in this hobby, there’s plenty of people who would rather read than watch yet another video (especially in the chosen style - I had hoped the CRPG style of quest dialogue might be a good enough bridge there). Honestly, I am pretty psyched about anyone who engages with what I make. I find it utterly mind blowing that people care enough to do so.
I think the system could work! Maybe even in conjunction with a little crafting thing I put together a few months ago for my own campaigns, if your player absolutely wants to go the route of crafting the item. You can see that over here mastodon.social/ - just off your description you could join both systems. Let them gather the materials and go through the crafting process and then throw in some extra positive results tied into the story with maybe some god of Smithing seeing their sincere wish to create the shield but blundering through the process. So for their persistence and dedication to their craft, the god imbues the shield with yet another effect on top of what they might get out of the crafting process.
Wanted to play DnD for years but never really had the opportunity as I didn’t have enough friends who also wanted to play so we could get a campaign going.
We’ve got a group together last year and now manage to play about once per month.
I think I’d have still been interested in BG3 even if I didn’t have a DnD group, but I’m definitely more interested in BG3 now than I would have been because of my DnD group.
Being DM is a big responsibility, and being able to do it well is a real talent, but it’s one of those things that you can absolutely improve on with practice.
Players have to take some responsibility too, by getting a grip on the core rules and mechanics, dedicating time to fleshing out their characters, and committing to the role itself. They can’t rely on the DM for absolutely everything.
There are some one-shot campaigns out there which I hear are designed for beginners which would be a good place to start. In fact I’m pretty sure if you make a DnD Beyond account, you get the basic rules and a beginner campaign for free, so that would be a good resource for you.
Also, if you haven’t seen it, go check out Critical Role, starting with campaign 1. Matt Mercer is an outstanding DM and will give you a great demonstration of how to run a campaign.
I’m in the same boat. A bunch of friends are interested, too but none of us trust themselves to be DM or has the necessary time to prep campaigns. Hence BG3 is our only option.
It’s a one-shot campaign, pretty much ready to go, to the point that I think it’s even got pre-rolled characters included.
Very little set-up required beyond the DM familiarising themself with the campaign itself, and the players reviewing their chosen character and brushing up on the core rules of the game so that they know how to actually play.
Beyond that, pretty much everything else is already taken care of, so far as I know (I’ve never played it, but I know it’s a firm favourite for beginners for these very reasons).
And as for DM experience, someone who is willing to put in the work kinda just has to bite the bullet and go for it. It’s a skill like anything else, and you only get better through practice. Start with pre-written campaigns to help keep the amount of prep required and wildly unexpected events that require lots of improv on the DM’s part to a minimum. Branch out from there into more homebrew stuff when you’re feeling ready.
Above all though, just give it a shot and see what happens. There will always be reasons not to play, but if you’ve got a group who are willing to give it a go then you’ve already overcome the biggest hurdle by far.
Gluttony might be an interesting idea. It’s not necessarily necromantic, but the idea of using magic to force a person to eat until they cannot continue and literally rupture.
Or, and this probably sounds stupid, but you could have a modified form of the grease spell that’s just wet noodles. I don’t know if you’ve ever stepped/slipped on wet noodles, but it’s disgusting and traumatic.
Maybe a cannelloni cannon? Cause/cure [light/moderate/greater] gastrointestinal distress? Maybe flavor a spell that’s just called Cheese? Lots of fire magic I imagine.
You could call fireball “lighter fluid mishap” or something I dunno.
As someone who played Runescape and designed a Necromancer Cook specifically because of that, I am prepared!
The Culinaromancer’s tools of trade are the tools of the magic, a component pouch of ingredients that are specially crafted over years of hard work and diligence to the craft of magic.
Animate Dead using the skeleton of a freshly finished meal, imbuing into it the seasoned anger at how the nobles dared to salt it! Send that chicken after them for revenge! (While I am aware that animate dead specifically says humanoid, I had asked and my DM had permitted it, and also you are writing a story like you said so it works). Your master chef uses one of those old styled seasoning wands, a little cannister on a handle that you dust the special bone dust and seasoning that your magical craft is fueled by, forming the entity.
If you want to purely have it be D&D related, the Abyssal Chicken familiar would be perfect as the familiar of choice, tasting like a chicken but having the truly delectable presence of the Hellish realms behind it’s beak. Truly a master chef’s ultimate familiar signifying the willingness to dive to the harshest worlds for the best ingredients.
For some fun flavoring of spells, Toll the Dead as a cantrip, but it is the dinner bell being heard that echoes into the soul, reminding them that they are the meal tonight. The trusty cleaver brought out and cooked with the burning green fire to cook the meat as it carves it from the bone, a beautiful flavor! False Life is powered by alcohol, the seasoning that you spritz over the meal that empowers you with the strength to go further on. A dried pepper is brought out and added to the delectable meal as you breathe Dragon’s Breath, applying a dragon’s touch to the meal. Want to ask the dead how they want to be cooked? Sprinkle some of your graveyard dirt and basil blend before igniting it, letting the lovely aroma that only the dead can bring flavor the corpse as they can speak what they want to be cooked as for your people. Perhaps you want to make a creature be dead before preparing the feast, so that in the middle it returns to life before dying once more, letting the fear of sudden death add that delicious final seasoning, a truly delectable final meal! And of course, if worst comes to worst, feel free to grab your trusty chicken’s heart you keep on hand for adding that bit of flavor of dinosaur blood, and bring a nightmarish fear of being cooked poorly to these wretched souls who dare get in the way of your meal.
Roll over and check to see what time it is on my phone. If it’s within 20 minutes of when I get up, I’ll probably go ahead and shower and make breakfast. If it’s more than an hour before my alarm I’d definitely try to go back to sleep.
You’ve got four friends over. They don’t play D&D, or any TTRPGs. They spot your cabinet full of awesome D&D minis, and your cool poly dice, and say ‘hey could we play now?’ What do you do?
Curses like eternal hunger and eternal thirst would ruin people’s lives, same for everything tasting like one thing (disgusting or otherwise). Undead food would be quite gruesome if it were to wake up after being eaten. Even right before, or during.
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