Spyke

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D&D: High Level Combat + Spells (Help)

The biggest challenge during Tier 4 is still resource attrition. Let them use their big spells, but don't let them rest. The best challenge you can give them at this point is to make a multi-session-spanning dungeon-like structure.

An example from my previous campaign: heroes needed to get to the lowest level of Hell, but they needed to transit through every one of them in process. Enemies were everywhere, and places for rest were virtually nonexisting. I think they had like 1 long rest in four months of play during T4, and it actually was hard for them.

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(Chonurgy) wizard shenanigans

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As a DM, I cringed at this. Alright, you broke the game, overshadowed your martials and blew past the encounter your DM spent so much time carefully crafting. And your game session ended two hours earlier. Thanks everyone, see you next week I guess.

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How to handle running Blades in setting with different species/ancestries/races

I would go the Scum and Villainy way. If you play a 'monster' race, replace your starting ability with a 'Xeno' one. Player and GM should work on it together. Quote from the rules:

If you want to play a xeno with unique abilities, replace your starting ability with the following: “Xeno: You may spend stress (0-2) to perform an inhuman feat only members of your species can do.”

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First time GMing advice, is my prep good?

Where is this jail cell? What’s the city name, vibe, etc?

That's a bad question, because it draws blanks, not leaves them. Better questions would be:

  • «Fighter, how big is the city? Is it more like a village, or something closer to a big, prosperous metropolis?»
  • «Rogue, which known criminal is doing his time in some other part of this jail?»
  • «Barbarian, you've been there quite a lot for your drunken fights, did you? Name one guard who's here now, you know each other a little too well!»
  • «Wizard, for what breakthrough the local magical academy is known?»
  • «Cleric, which religion do they preach here?», and, optionally, «Which part of it you would never agree with?»

Don't just ask «what's the city vibe», get them something to build from!

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Narrating Travel

Describe the place they are leaving. Ask them how do they feel about that. Then do a montage of their journeys (just a couple scenes) and ask someone to pitch in, like «Ranger, what's totally unexpected grows here?», or «You see a small pillar of smoke, seems like there is a small village off the beaten path; Cleric, who do they praise here?». And after that you can tell them «...so, you're here».

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What are your RPG plans for 2024 season ?

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Odyssey is pretty lackluster after a certain point (authors really overdid selling their names on the cover, while the actual adventure is... well, a little better than WotC ones). But at least it has a brilliant active community around it on Discord, so should you run it, you'll have tons of support from fellow DMs.

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What are your RPG plans for 2024 season ?

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Girl by Moonlight's space mecha setting isn't much about mecha fighting, it's more about politics in an enclosed space (I was a playtester and have run a pretty number of games between all the playsets there was).

Beam Saber is more about mecha fighting, and it uses the same engine

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Narrating Travel

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Involving your players in worldbuilding, even in games like D&D, is a fantastic way to engage them. Places they describe might not be relevant at all, but it lets them stay engaged in the game nevertheless. And also you can feature some of their creations later! AND you get to listen to them and not to do this work yourself! It's a win-win situation.