Out-of-Character Chat

[Cointhief]

@Ziminar

Hey, just putting this out there, take it or leave it. I'm not criticizing at all. :)

You are running nightly random encounters exactly how I would do it in tabletop if the party set up watches. 

I like doing it a different way in pbp though. I ask the party to establish a watch order that I assume is always the case (similar to a march order). Next I keep a list of party 'name:1d20+perception mod' in a google spreadsheet column. For example, my character's might look like 'Chipluck:1d20+5'. This is handy because you can just copy paste the entire list right into the roller in a few clicks, and roll them all at once. Then, if I roll an encounter or decide there is one, I roll or decide which watch it happens on and roll stealth for my monsters. 

This way I can just either craft a 'surprise attack' post and jump right into the encounter or a 'next morning' post without a lot of back and forth.

[ArtamenaV]

@Ziminar how many "watches" are there in a given evening?

[Kamishiro_Rin]

12 hours ago, ArtamenaV said:

@Ziminar how many "watches" are there in a given evening?

   In general, there are 4 two-hour watches per night, as implied by:

PHB, p. 186

   A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity—at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity—the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it.

   Emphasis, mine.

@Ziminar, one of Trisae’s lineage features is her ability to Trance, which says:

Trance.

   Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

   This is why Trisae always takes third watch and keeps the 4th-watch company: she’s done with her long rest in 4 hours. Technically speaking, precisely because we have Trisae in the party, we only need 3 watches: 1st, 2nd, and Trisae can take 3rd and 4th watches by herself, but she would appreciate the company during 4th watch.

17 hours ago, Cointhief said:

@Ziminar

Hey, just putting this out there, take it or leave it. I'm not criticizing at all. :)

You are running nightly random encounters exactly how I would do it in tabletop if the party set up watches. 

I like doing it a different way in pbp though. I ask the party to establish a watch order that I assume is always the case (similar to a march order). Next I keep a list of party 'name:1d20+perception mod' in a google spreadsheet column. For example, my character's might look like 'Chipluck:1d20+5'. This is handy because you can just copy paste the entire list right into the roller in a few clicks, and roll them all at once. Then, if I roll an encounter or decide there is one, I roll or decide which watch it happens on and roll stealth for my monsters. 

This way I can just either craft a 'surprise attack' post and jump right into the encounter or a 'next morning' post without a lot of back and forth.

   I agree with this 100%.

• First, decide if an encounter will even happen in the first place.
• Second, decide when it will happen (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th watch).
• Third, roll the perception check for that player. Fifth, write how the watches where nothing happens have nothing happen, and that during Xth watch, the encounter beings. I would also advise that if there’s no way to avoid the encounter, then just roll initiatives for us, as well, rather than asking for initiatives.

   That said, @Cointhief, the DM might have already done the above, but doesn’t know who first watch is, and is waiting for whoever that person is going to be to roll their perception check.

   Technically, because Trisae is “semiconscious”, she can roll a perception check during first and second watches with disadvantage.

[Ziminar]

8 hours ago, Kamishiro_Rin said:

I agree with this 100%.

• First, decide if an encounter will even happen in the first place.
• Second, decide when it will happen (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th watch).
• Third, roll the perception check for that player. Fifth, write how the watches where nothing happens have nothing happen, and that during Xth watch, the encounter beings. I would also advise that if there’s no way to avoid the encounter, then just roll initiatives for us, as well, rather than asking for initiatives.

@ArtamenaV @Cointhief @Green Ice Cream @Drifter Dwarf @The_Dark_Star @Kamishiro_Rin @Wowbagger

Cool! Thanks for the tips and info. I had indeed read somewhere that in pbp the DM rolls for the players quite often but I didn't know for what specific rolls it should be done. I was also a bit worried that some players might think that I would take too much control away from them by making those rolls.
So for the watch we will have a standard order.

For combat I will be going with block initiative, where I will also roll for the players and let every player post their actions when its the groups turn and then describe what the monsters are doing as a group.

Edited April 21 by Ziminar (see edit history)

[Kamishiro_Rin]

4 hours ago, Ziminar said:

Cool! Thanks for the tips and info. I had indeed read somewhere that in pbp the DM rolls for the players quite often but I didn't know for what specific rolls it should be done. I was also a bit worried that some players might think that I would take too much control away from them by making those rolls.
So for the watch we will have a standard order.

For combat I will be going with block initiative, where I will also roll for the players and let every player post their actions when its the groups turn and then describe what the monsters are doing as a group.

Sounds good!

Yeah, PbP and Tabletop are two different beasts, so there's a lot of give-and-take in terms of "agency" for the sake of keeping the game running smoothly.

Ironically, whereas you would probably doing a lot of out-of-combat rolling for us and the like, DURING combat, a good way to smooth along play is to let the players do much of the rolling and book-keeping that is traditionally the purview of the DM in Tabletop. In my games, for example, I provide the stats, abilities and Current HP for my monsters so that the players can roll their saves for them and keep track of their HP for me. All I have to do in my DM post is describe the outcomes, and then their attacks.

Anyway, who's on first and second watch?

[Cointhief]

4 hours ago, Ziminar said:

I was also a bit worried that some players might think that I would take too much control away from them by making those rolls.

I can totally empathize with that statement. I appreciate you having that in mind, as a player. I love rolling d20s. :D

I mean its for sure your judgement call at the end of the day. I don't like rolling saves for players, for instance, even though it would obviously speed things up. Trapfinding procedures and dealing with locks is another thing you will probably need to consider. I also personally don't like revealing AC and hp for enemies until there's been at least one hit and one kill, respectively. It's just a personal stylistic choice, imo...not a right and wrong.

Then passives. 5e has tried to make some standard things like this easier. A lot of times you can just use those if no one is specifically searching or such (like outside watch conditions). You can impose -5 for disadvantage to a passive, and +5 for advantage by RAW. Surprise is actually determined most of the time vs passives, instead of a contested roll.

[Kamishiro_Rin]

38 minutes ago, Cointhief said:

Then passives. 5e has tried to make some standard things like this easier. A lot of times you can just use those if no one is specifically searching or such (like outside watch conditions). You can impose -5 for disadvantage to a passive, and +5 for advantage by RAW. Surprise is actually determined most of the time vs passives, instead of a contested roll.

Yes, the passives are something that more DMs should use more often.

Personally, I think that if someone is actively keeping watch, a perception check is preferable IMO, but others who aren't actively keeping watch get nothing but their passives.

[The_Dark_Star]

Good advice!

[Cointhief]

I just read back through the in game banter and it looks like watches break down like this, according to what characters in game said:

1 Victor/Kresh (both volunteered in game)
2 Ultonius/Aelysune (no preference)
3 Trisae/Durin (Durin sounded like he didn't want 1st watch lol)
4 Trisae/Chip (both volunteered)

Really it doesn't matter so much, not something to get hung up on.

[Kamishiro_Rin]

17 minutes ago, Cointhief said:

I just read back through the in game banter and it looks like watches break down like this, according to what characters in game said:

1 Victor/Kresh (both volunteered in game)
2 Ultonius/Aelysune (no preference)
3 Trisae/Durin (Durin sounded like he didn't want 1st watch lol)
4 Trisae/Chip (both volunteered)

Really it doesn't matter so much, not something to get hung up on.

Cool! Thanks! I'll add her third and 4th watch perception checks.

Edited April 22 by Kamishiro_Rin (see edit history)

[ArtamenaV]

21 minutes ago, Kamishiro_Rin said:

Cool! Thanks! I'll add her third and 4th watch perception checks.

I'll go ahead and take second watch then

[Kamishiro_Rin]

16 minutes ago, ArtamenaV said:

I'll go ahead and take second watch then

I hope Durin can make up for Trisae's deficiencies. Got a 5 for third watch without disadvantage. :'(

[ArtamenaV]

3 hours ago, Kamishiro_Rin said:

I hope Durin can make up for Trisae's deficiencies. Got a 5 for third watch without disadvantage. :'(

We will certainly see! XD I've been a teeny bit absent, but I got finals, I'll try to dish out an entry this evening after my assignments are done

[Kamishiro_Rin]

1 hour ago, Green Ice Cream said:

Roll (1d20 + 0 = 1)

OOC: Ha! Figures my first roll is a one. Anyway, can someone tell me if I did this correctly? I added my wisdom modifier to the roll, and I don't believe my class features an applicable bonus. Thanks.

Yes, you did all that correctly.

[Green Ice Cream]

@Kamishiro_Rin Thanks for the speedy reply. 🙂 I'm really trying to get the hang of this. The help and kindness offered by other members has truly made it a pleasure!