5e (Lack of) Core Character Build Mechanics

There isn't going to be much discussion here, I was going to to try to analyze the basic build mechanics that WotC used in creating its races and classes. But it was proved pretty early on in my analysis that they don't have any sort of benchmark value applied to any of their abilities.

5e Half-Elf Storyteller

This is based on my current playing character, a half-drow, half-Rashemen bard by the name of Shui Baenre. For kicks I'm imagining this as an alternate universe where Liriel and Fyodor from Elain Cunningham's novels had a kid. Mostly because I wanted to play a bard and was being lazy on creating a background.  The stat array she has appears to be a little higher than what the standard is or even what I've been using on these builds. I'm suspecting we rolled for stats. I'll just go with the array I have been using. Part of the inspiration for this is the Storyteller from the Jim Henson's show a couple of decades back performed by John Hurt, I believe. In game, she was seeking to revive the lost goddess Eilistraee.

5e Kitsune Cleric

This is going to be a theoretical build based on an old character of mine from D&D 3.0 semi-reproduced on my Shadows of Undrentide game using some cosmetic changes to the avatar and using a base human model in the same way I created the satyri. There isn't a hengeyokai race, so I'll be using the Wildhunt Shifter instead. Her class was a cleric of the sun and she also had a tendency to summon celestial insects, but that's something only druids could do in 5e.

5e Satyri Monk

This character is based on my current Neverwinter Nights OC character, my satyri monk, Mili Swift. Satyri are another of DPRagan's creations. The one I used for Mili was the sort that were created by cursed soap. Their demonic appearance is purely cosmetic. Other than that they just normal humans. In this case, however, we're going with a tiefling, which is more like those of DPRagan's satyri which were created by a demon sucking away their humanity.

EDIT: Sword Coast Legends Adventurer's Guide Tiefling Variant using Winged instead of Infernal Legacy. Of course, the NWN couldn't do flight, but oh well. It fits.

5e White Dragon Descended Sailor

This theoretical build is based on a character currently being played by DPRagan.(warning: his gallery contains quite a bit of NSFW content) A human who was changed into a sorceress when she was forced to be a canary, triggering traps ahead of them, for a group of evil adventurers. One of the traps she triggered imbued her with the essence of the copper dragon whose lair the adventurers were invading and made her a sorceress.

Divine Blood using Urban Shadows

Since I did a bit dealing with reskinning Monster of the Week to be used to run an action/investigation centric campaign set in the Divine Blood universe, I thought I'd start looking at doing one for Urban Shadows as well. I may consider looking at Monsterhearts, but the focus, and mechanical enforcement of, dysfunctional relationships in that game is something of a turn off for me. Anyway, back to Urban Shadows.

Reskinning Monster of the Week for Divine Blood

Monster of the Week is a Powered by the Apocalypse game geared toward reproducing action horror and urban fantasy style stories such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, The Dresden Files, Anita Blake and several other such things besides. On the surface that feels like it should work perfectly for my Divine Blood setting.

At the very least, it should do well to represent campaigns that focus on both the dangerous parts of the world and the supernatural. Right?

Well, sort of.

5e Mechanical Differentiation

To start with, and I will repeat this later, mechanical differentiation isn't important except to the people for whom it is important. Since the sources of enjoyment in the hobby are subjective, that means what is important is subjective as well. But, that said, on with the little analysis I spent time on when I could have been moaning about my current bout with writer's block.

Kuro One-Shot Part 3

This is part 3 of the Kuro One-Shot session:

Kuro One-Shot Part 2

This is part two of the Kuro One-Shot session:

RPG Stuff: Final Numenera Review

In the wake of Knights of the Night finishing their one-shot adventure, I have come to following conclusions about Numenera.

What D&D 3.5 Needed

What Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 needed.  A lot of this is stuff 4e did correctly.

Open Letter to Bethesda Games and White Wolf

Something I'd like to see for a CRPG sandbox game in the vein of Skyrim or Fallout 3 is a game along the lines of the White Wolf Scion game.  For those that aren't familiar with the game, scion is a game where you play the children of the old gods in a modern time battling the servants of the titans (and occasionally the other gods).  Very recently, some time after World War II, the Titans escaped their prisons (at least partially) and are now once again trying to return the World to a state of primal chaos that existed prior to the development of humanity and the subsequent birth of the gods.

Numenera Review

The illustrations are beautiful. The setting is evocative and lean toward genres I heavily enjoy. The character creation is intriguing and very much geared toward building a unique character rather than a simple collection of stats. The adventure links and PC connections are very useful for creating a coherent party from the get go.

Fate Core and Strands of Fate

A comparison between Fate Core by Evil Hat Productions and Strands of Fate by Void Star Studios

Evil Hat Productions: www.facebook.com/EvilHatProduc…

Void Star Studios: www.facebook.com/VoidStarGames

I'm comparing to Strands of Fate core rules Hero Level.  I prefer Strands of Power's alternate advancement and usually aim at a higher level, but I'm sticking to the core book for this.

Faith Manages: Dawn of a New Campaign

Hopefully the first of several screencap comic pages based on Babylon 5...but I suck at this and have only REALLY basic software.