Hey folks > never can have too many clerics...especially in my games
Clerics of Silvanus (the Oak Father) or Mielikki (the Lady of the Forest) or even Chauntea are appropriate for this game.
Perhaps you want to be an elemental cleric > Akadi is the Queen of Air, Auril is the Frostmaiden, Eldath is the Goddess of Singing Waters, Grumbar is the Earth Lord, Istishia is the God King of Water Elementals, Kossuth is the Lord of Flames, Selune is the Moon Maiden, Talos the Storm Lord, and so on.
Lots of clerical options.
I like Mielikki because it's more like wilderness/woodland creature/forest goddess. Not so neutral/quiet like Silvanus and not a pacifist like Chauntea (which to me doesn't quite fit in an RPG where most people end up whacking everything they see anyways ).
So, yep, Mielikki is the one I'm taking.
If choosing such a deity makes the cleric be in any way different to the regular one, just let me know!
Folks, I've had a really fun time this week posting for you. It was a good spring break.
Unfortunately, it's back to reality in the morning.
Posting will likely return to 1-2 a week. There is a long break over the Easter holiday and we are out of school before Memorial Day. So...if I can hold on to my sanity for another 40+ school days...
I work in a school and I don't get the breaks off so I can relate to an extent.
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred "If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
The setting for this game (as the title states) will be in the Forgotten Realms, specifically the savage frontier of the North where all but one of my FR games has been since the boxed set was released.
Karaunios wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:47 am
Hedge, where was your other game set in?
I run a 5E game in Baldur's Gate.
too bad that it is 5e I'd play in Baldur's Gate if it wasn't in the new D&D format.
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred "If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
GreyWolfVT wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 2:30 pm
too bad that it is 5e I'd play in Baldur's Gate if it wasn't in the new D&D format.
Careful...
Hey now Dave. I've played in 5e and even have some of the books and tried to run a game in it myself. I'm just at the point where I have basically washed my hands of it at this point. Too many bells and whistles I'm just sticking with what I know again. I did the whole don't knock it until you've tried it bit.
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred "If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
GreyWolfVT wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:08 pm
Too many bells and whistles...
The full set of rules, as written, may not be to everyone's liking. Including mine.
But...
Based on the above quote, the problem you have with 5e is in all the features given to every class now. For example:
A fighter in 1e has the most hit dice, the most advantageous combat tables, the ability to use any weapon or armor, preferential weapon proficiencies, and the ability to make an extra attack every other round (at 7th-level). The next perk a 1e fighter receives is the ability to establish a freehold at 9th-level.
A 9th-level fighter in 5e, meanwhile, has a massive list of bonuses they get to employ.
I'll bet if you strip away all the extra features given to every class in 5e and just use the rules for running the actual game, 5e would be pretty awesome.
This (or something close to this) is actually something I have been experimenting with.
You'll have to tell me how that goes Dave. I have been thinking similar about 5e if you "take off all the shiny bits" how does it play.
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred "If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
If you take off all the "shiny bits" you may as well stick with 1st edition
In truth, I actually prefer 3.5 over 5e. I know 3.5 has a shit ton of options and builds and such, but once you figure out the Feats and Skills, limit characters to the PHB, it's a bunch of fun. I ran Red Hand of Doom in 3.5 and it was one of my favorite campaigns ever.
hedgeknight wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:26 pm
If you take off all the "shiny bits" you may as well stick with 1st edition
I see no problems here 1st & 2nd are still my "forte"
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred "If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
GreyWolfVT wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:04 pm
You'll have to tell me how that goes Dave. I have been thinking similar about 5e if you "take off all the shiny bits" how does it play.
I'm sure it won't be quite that simple, as a lot of other factors will need to also be considered. But it's a start.
GreyWolfVT wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:44 pm
[quote=hedgeknight post_id=604590 time=164971st & 2nd are still my "forte"
It's funny you mention 2e because it is also extremely guilty of introducing bloat into the game with all the splat books. Still a great edition, but claiming to like 2e on one hand, and dislike 5e for having "too many bells and whistles" on the other is a bit hypocritical. A bit.
hedgeknight wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:26 pm
If you take off all the "shiny bits" you may as well stick with 1st edition.
It's funny, I was thinking about just this while running an errand over lunch.
As much as I try to relearn 1e, it's a challenge. Multi-classing in 1e is ugh. The initiative system is confusing as shit. So are 'surprise segments' and all the different attack matrices. I mean, that it takes a TWENTY-page document (A.D.D.I.C.T.) to detail/explain the extent of the combat rules in 1e is startling, but not surprising.
The rules definitely possess a certain nostalgiac charm, and playing in a 1e game is an itch I perpetually feel the need to scratch, but the rules are really not for the faint of heart when other options exist. Even OSRIC, which was a big help, still struggles mightily in comparison to 5e.
Plus, 5e was introduced under the OGL, while 1e was not. Having all the core rules freely available online, with countless online tools built to support them, is another significant advantage in choosing 5e as the core ruleset.
hedgeknight wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:26 pm
In truth, I actually prefer 3.5 over 5e. I know 3.5 has a shit ton of options and builds and such, but once you figure out the Feats and Skills, limit characters to the PHB, it's a bunch of fun. I ran Red Hand of Doom in 3.5 and it was one of my favorite campaigns ever.
As I contemplate how I'd want my version of D&D to be played, I keep debating between rules-lite and rules-heavy.
At times, I like the simplicity of a rules-lite system (e.g. Basic D&D; OSE). At other times, I find myself preferring a more well-defined set of rules, like I imagine 3e is.
I've never played 3e or 4e (I skipped from 1e to 5e, then backtracked and played a bit of 2e), but I did invest heavily in Pathfinder PDFs. I tried to run a Pathfinder game on here at one point, but I honestly don't remember much about it, and don't think it ran too long.
Trying to find a comfortable balance is challenging.
You do realise that not all of us 1e and 2e DM's or players actually use all the "bloat" as well. Most of the Time I don't allow much other than the complete handbooks but in total honestly I'd personally like to stick to just the PHB which compared to straight PHB 5e is still significantly less "bells and whistles" and does not make characters feel like a video game or super heroes. At least to me.
But now look what I've done jumped and started a converstaion ages old.
“All men did have darkness. Some wore it in the form of horns. Some bore it invisibly as rot in their souls.”
― Paul S. Kemp, Shadowbred "If good people won’t do the hard things, evil people will always win, because evil people will do anything."
― Paul S. Kemp, Twilight Falling
Karaunios wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:54 pm
Same here. I like the chassis of 5e, so to speak. It's all the superpowers that put me off.
Same.
Honestly, I didn't really have a problem with 5e until I added a new player to an existing game and mistakenly approved their request to use options from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything which I (very) quickly tired of. Introducing that book is a decision I definitely regret.
I've been watching a lot of D&D/homebrew-related channels on YouTube lately:
Karaunios wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:54 pm
Same here. I like the chassis of 5e, so to speak. It's all the superpowers that put me off.
Same.
Honestly, I didn't really have a problem with 5e until I added a new player to an existing game and mistakenly approved their request to use options from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything which I (very) quickly tired of. Introducing that book is a decision I definitely regret.
I've been watching a lot of D&D/homebrew-related channels on YouTube lately:
GreyWolfVT wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:11 pm
You do realise that not all of us 1e and 2e DM's or players actually use all the "bloat" as well.
Oh, I absolutely understand. And agree.
That said, a game being run using the 5e rules can be really awesome (and Gary's game in Baldur's Gate absolutely is!) even if no customizations or limitations are made to the rules.
I guess my point is, as Karaunios so eloquently stated, the "chassis" of 5e is extremely solid. And 5e can be really awesome if care is taken by the DM to place limits on what's allowed, or customizes the rules to eliminate the "bloat" that is already built-in.
).
I'd play in Baldur's Gate if it wasn't in the new D&D format. 
