tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post2535437748095833996..comments2024-03-26T02:31:48.024-05:00Comments on Trollsmyth: Why I Can't Play the Newest Branches of the D&D Treetrollsmythhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-57269935001189719952008-05-29T14:29:00.000-05:002008-05-29T14:29:00.000-05:00Yeah. As much as I find all the mechanical details...Yeah. As much as I find all the mechanical details in 3e overkill, I can ignore them and fly by the seat-of-my-pants just as much as with any other system.<BR/><BR/>It isn’t the investment to create NPCs or monsters that bothers me as much as the investment to build PCs. Because <I>that</I> is what—when I ran 3e—tended to make me want to not gloss over the rules too much and risk invalidating the investment the players put into building their PCs.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-74850551606511675962008-05-27T09:46:00.000-05:002008-05-27T09:46:00.000-05:00Well, to be fair, there's a couple of things to co...Well, to be fair, there's a couple of things to consider...<BR/><BR/>1. If all you're making is axe-fodder for your PCs to hack up, you can largely ignore all the skills and any non-combat feats. If you're making an NPC that you're not intending to have fighting (like an NPC scholar or entertainer), then all that really matters is the skill levels and maybe one or two non-combat feats. <BR/><BR/>Those rules seem to mostly just be covering their bases since they aren't presuming what it is you want the NPC for, so it lets you generate them for anything.<BR/><BR/>2. Yes, the monster stats are complex, but I don't think it's the statline that is so complex as it is "visible" in 3.X. In older versions, while the stats weren't so complex, there was a lot more to your average monster than what was given, it was just more "under the hood". You'd say "Saves: F5" Rather than writing out the saving throws for Poison, Spell, etc., but the information was still there. Likewise for stats - most monsters and NPCs were just assumed to have baseline-average stats, so you're not figuring in mods for St, Dex, etc..<BR/><BR/>I don't know if that makes sense, but in short, it's not THAT much trouble to trim the fat from a 3.X stat block if you know what the NPC/Monster is for, and older writeups could be shorter because there's a lot of pre-figured data left out of the description.<BR/><BR/>And 3...I think D&D spoils us a little with it's short "stat blocks". A GURPS NPC that's just there for cannon fodder CAN be written up fairly succinctly, but most GURPS NPCs are fairly complex and well detailed. Likewise with Rolemaster, Harnmaster, and other "simulationist" systems, for lack of a better broad-brushstrokes category. In published material, if the NPC/Monster's "use" in the game is in question (axe-target or potential long-running NPC), the publisher is leaning on the side of caution and giving you all the information because they aren't sure what part of it you need.<BR/><BR/>Anyhow, that's just my take on it.Jack Badelairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10932441028544500024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-83101786576372875492008-05-26T21:17:00.000-05:002008-05-26T21:17:00.000-05:00I have yet to see the point of such complex stats ...I have yet to see the point of such complex stats as 3.x uses for throw-away monsters and NPCs. Sure, I used to fully work up major NPC villains with as if they were PCs (even in OD&D), but for most opponents, AC, weapons/damage, hit points, special abilities/magic items, and perhaps a couple of personality quirks were more than enough info to run with.Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13879930955049101533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-73865307196840039692008-05-26T20:52:00.000-05:002008-05-26T20:52:00.000-05:00Yeah. "Orcs (hp 3, 5, 5, 6)" is even better.Yeah. "Orcs (hp 3, 5, 5, 6)" is even better.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.com