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Post by umbralwalker on Mar 13, 2015 14:31:13 GMT
I've gotten some great questions on things we didn't cover in the first episode, so the DMs and I are putting together a Part 2. I'll list a few of the topics below. If you have any other questions, or want us to chime in about something specific, let us know.
Communication underwater How do other mammals communicate? SOFAR Channel Radio Telepathy
What is the mammalian dive reflex in humans and marine mammals?
Senses (other than smell, which we covered) Hearing Sight Electromagnetic Echolocation
Technology Magnetic Drives
Alien environments Laesar Effect
Freedom of Movement and similar spells Advantages/Limitations Why/how you’d want to limit their usefulness underwater?
Weapons Underwater Why limit surface weapon usefulness?
Where do you get minis, terrain, monsters, etc?
What about Superhero games? Champions Marvel DC Mutants & Masterminds
Sample NPCS Present my secret to compelling NPCs.
More Inspiration Novels Comics
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Post by DMC on Mar 13, 2015 15:29:44 GMT
Namor vs. Aquaman? No contest! Make mine Marvel! Glad to hear you're gonna be back, Rich! That was probably in my Top-3 episodes so far! Your reply to me about Freedom of Movement spells negating the frictional forces of water, thus making you fall through water like air, really had me thinking! Can't wait to hear you expand on this. Heh heh heh.
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Post by umbralwalker on Mar 13, 2015 16:54:53 GMT
Excellent.
There are a lot of reasons I'm not a fan of using too many spells or magic items to negate aquatic effects, and it's fairly easy to explain most of them. The random non-magic-related rule that bugs me is that if you have a swim speed, you negate disadvantage on attacks with weapons. Just because you're a merfolk doesn't mean your greatsword has less resistance underwater. I'll talk more about that on the show.
My take on Aquaman vs Namor is pretty simple: Aquaman is a hero, Namor is an NPC. There's a reason he so rarely has his own series. They have the same powers with the exception of Aquaman's ability to influence marine life and his trident vs Namor's ability to fly (and possibly the Time Gem, if you count that quite powerful weapon).
I love how they explain Namor's misogynistic, surface-hating violence as "mood swings" from being out of water.
Namor is very cool, and gets huge props for being the first hero in the Marvel stable, and one of the first aquatic characters. He walks a thin line between hero and villain, as do many of Marvel's best and most popular characters, so I will always side with the heroes.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2015 17:42:03 GMT
I'm happy to hear more underwater adventure stuff, but it's not an area most listeners will include or emphasize in their campaigns, even if the ideas are pretty sweet. My favorite episodes are those that apply to DMing more broadly, like making NPCs and world building.
Personally, I don't think underwater adventures are worth another full episode's attention, at least not in the immediate future. There's plenty of other material to cover first. If you do revisit the topic soon, I think it would be better suited in combination with exploring other topics you've already covered... Like, let's say you talk about sci-fi campaigns next episode. Then a month from now, spend 1/3 of the meat on underwater, 1/3 on survival-horror, 1/3 on sci-fi. Call it the Expansion Pack Episode. But then, from the list of topics, it sounds like you have enough material to fill an episode of underwater stuff already lined up.
Anyway, that's just my 2cp.
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Post by joatmoniac on Mar 13, 2015 19:35:19 GMT
I really like the underwater stuff, and would love to add more of it into my campaign. I am currently running a superdungeon, and there is certainly a level underwater. I think the most daunting aspect of the underwater campaigns are the purposed limitations on the player's abilities to do their typical actions (i.e. piercing weapons, spells, movement.) Limiting these down and allowing the 3D aspect of adventuring underwater seems like the best bet. I mean it's why Gial Ackbar was chosen as an Admiral because Mon Kalamari on Dac live their lives in water.
I think to make a truly compelling case for the addition of underwater elements into a campaign it needs to be a substantial arc so that the rules, and everything around it, does not seem burdensome for a one off adventure or session. I'm interested in hearing more especially if the superhero and/or space are involved.
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Post by umbralwalker on Mar 15, 2015 17:45:27 GMT
I really like the underwater stuff, and would love to add more of it into my campaign. I am currently running a superdungeon, and there is certainly a level underwater. Would that happen to be The Emerald Spire?
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Post by umbralwalker on Mar 15, 2015 17:46:55 GMT
I mean it's why Gial Ackbar was chosen as an Admiral because Mon Kalamari on Dac live their lives in water. Lol! Thanks for the correction. I was under the impression that the Mon Calamari world was called Calamar.
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Post by joatmoniac on Mar 15, 2015 19:39:06 GMT
It is indeed the Emerald Spire that my players are adventuring through, and I am very excited for them to get to the other levels because of how varied and awesome they are. Hard to argue against the names in the author section when the include people like Ed Greenwood and Frank Mentzer. Next session is next week! Admittedly I couldn't remember the Mon Calamari homeworld, so I looked it up, haha.
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Post by umbralwalker on Mar 16, 2015 17:54:47 GMT
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Post by umbralwalker on Mar 16, 2015 18:07:00 GMT
I'm happy to hear more underwater adventure stuff, but it's not an area most listeners will include or emphasize in their campaigns, even if the ideas are pretty sweet. My favorite episodes are those that apply to DMing more broadly, like making NPCs and world building. Personally, I don't think underwater adventures are worth another full episode's attention, at least not in the immediate future. There's plenty of other material to cover first. If you do revisit the topic soon, I think it would be better suited in combination with exploring other topics you've already covered... Like, let's say you talk about sci-fi campaigns next episode. Then a month from now, spend 1/3 of the meat on underwater, 1/3 on survival-horror, 1/3 on sci-fi. Call it the Expansion Pack Episode. But then, from the list of topics, it sounds like you have enough material to fill an episode of underwater stuff already lined up. Anyway, that's just my 2cp. Those are great ideas, and certainly a fair point. Getting players more interested in running aquatic campaigns is the goal. The more exposure to the incredible advantages of running marine games players have, the more likely they will be run them and add so much more adventure to their campaigns. There really isn't any reason not to, aside from familiarity. It's just an environment. A cool one at that. For those like yourself who aren't as into it, the guys do 4 1-2 hour pods a month, so you'll still have 3-6 hours of great other stuff for your games. Hopefully, though, these pods will inspire you with a range of ideas you can even use for surface-only games.
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Post by joatmoniac on Mar 16, 2015 19:02:37 GMT
This makes me both happy and sad! I love this, but I think I am too far in to switch over to 5th Edition for the adventure. I have other questions, but will be posting those on the tribality article!
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Post by umbralwalker on Mar 16, 2015 19:59:22 GMT
This makes me both happy and sad! I love this, but I think I am too far in to switch over to 5th Edition for the adventure. I have other questions, but will be posting those on the tribality article! Thanks for posting questions over there. If you have them, others will as well. I didn't convert the entire module, only the levels I thought I'd be using over long one-shot day of gaming. Levels 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 make a solid variety of games for 6 levels. The PCs in the first game only got to the start of level 3, but there were 6 players so that takes longer. The second game I'm running using the same dungeon only has 4 players so far so it may go much faster.
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Post by joatmoniac on Mar 16, 2015 20:19:48 GMT
True, but nice to see that it can be done easily enough. I know you have a decent number of people now frequenting Tribality from your connection here, but know that you have at least one more! Haha.
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Post by DMC on Mar 16, 2015 21:57:10 GMT
For those like yourself who aren't as into it, the guys do 4 1-2 hour pods a month, so you'll still have 3-6 hours of great other stuff for your games. Hopefully, though, these pods will inspire you with a range of ideas you can even use for surface-only games. That's how I see it. For instance, the Magic: The Gathering stuff with the cards (this past episode and priors), isn't my cup of tea. But I may gain some inspiration from it and use it in other ways. Not every pod will be for every listener. But they're still enjoyable nonetheless!
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Post by umbralwalker on May 14, 2015 23:05:12 GMT
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