Issue in that case I rather see as why is it allowed to enter into legally binding agreements when you aren’t sober. Why there isn’t a (forced) period to review the papers.

Marriage is a legally binding agreement. Let’s treat it as such.

As long as the Russian bear is around to scare the west and occupy our mibds the Chinese dragon is at much more liberty to do whatever they want.

Don’t forget about their “Designing the Game” playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTsnSjGlraRNXpks2YP-_aOqIoSMT0m8T

Apocalypse World. It is my go to recommendation to GMs but would be pretty much as useful to players as well. Take the GM principle (rule) of Ask questions and Use the answers. Equally important to players. It has its special tone that can be off putting but do give it a shot.

Tagging onto @sbv - why. Why is this kingdom being besieged? Is a local temple an actual focus for ley energies from creation itself? Is the local well off upstanding citizen actually harbouring deep grudges and just want it all to burn?

Depending on the why the who will fall into place.

So what you saying is for fantasy stuff just get BG3 for the character editor? If so I totally agree.

My number one to three goto is image searches. Wild searches and then follow similar images around. Believe it or not but pinterest is really good for this. Forth is that I have managed to scoop up some character art creation skills. But it is very simple art. Essentially I found a guide (linked below) on how to make art similar to that from the webcomic Order of the Stick. So essentially fancy stick figures. They are vector art so it is easy to customize and fine tune the character to you liking.

http://www.trazoi.net/tutorials/inkscape/oots/

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?333488-OOTS-Style-Tutorial

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?8742-Guide-to-Making-Avatars-with-Adobe-Illustrator

Lastly before I forget. Collages are awesome for character mood but having one default image is very useful, especially if something is needed for token art. Also if you find someone’s art make sure to bring their watermark along. May look out of place but do give credit where credit is due. In Roll20 and similar I use the first line of character’s bio to link to the artist (if I’ve found them).

I’m with you here. Compatability with adventures (monsters, loot) I find good. Classes and player facing rules not so. I mean what if you take a 5e character that uses a 5e rule for something to a One table where the rule that the 5e build depends is altered. Or just a class feature? Imagine the confusion if a feature that does the same thematic thing have the same name in both? What about mixing features from both editions?

CHAOS! (and not in a good way)

Larger and/or gamey games 1€/h. Here I put games such as the Tomb Raiders, cRPGs etc.

Narrative experiences 5€/h. Stray Gods and other high quality intense experiences. Often short and with limited replayability. Like seeing a movie a second time.

Think of all the new beachfront properties!

/s

Because it hasn’t been posted yet…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk

So you are saying that isn’t already the case?

Considering it’s the norm when you aren’t doing something genre typical to take two ir more genres and just smoish the names together. This way you get things like blackened death metal (black plus death) or epic gothic power metal (take a guess). Now smoosh those teo examples together and you get something like blackened gothic melodic death metal. See that there, now we get into the transformative properties of metal subgenres. Death metal with a bit more melody and structure, which power metal has in spades, becomes melodic death metal.

Fun isn’t it? Also I may have bullshitted together half of the above. But it is a real thing

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j6WYhOHRmDs

Funeral Doom Metal is too occupied walloping in a blacked pit of despair to join the chat

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kht7EH3PjGw

Why shouldn’t they be allowed to secede? Let the inhabitants of each state vote under international supervision to make sure the vote goes by according to western standards. I see no reason why any community should be barred from seeking independence and self rule.

how would you characterise dominate person cast with indefinite duration?

As “your character is now mine until the spell is broken, here is a new sheet for you”. Reread the spell and if I would be the recipient of it I would be very uncomfortable. Agreeing with jjjalljs that when it is used on a PC is really sucks.

upcasting dominate […] difference in power between […] heightened metamagic plus […]

Mechanical stuff. Permanent Dominate Person feels like the realm of a Wish spell so saying it is the equivalent of a ninth level spell sounds appropriate. Unless it was cast in combat, in front of the players and their characters I wouldn’t really bother with exact rolling mechanics. Things happening behind the scenes I just let happen. But if it was in front of them, with the saving throw called for it was in front them, I’d say it would and should be fair to ask the DM what powers were behind the roll. Especially since it is practically a save-or-die (-for-a-while) spell.

Rant about enchantment spells
I personally really don’t like many enchantment spells, particularly those about mind control and domination. They make me uncomfortable. When DM-ing I wouldn’t use any unless I would have gotten explicit permission from the player that it would be OK for them and general permission from the table at large. They can be triggering and I always have “Mind Control/Alteration” as a topic on my Lines&Veils document I ask my players to fill in. Play safe, take care of eachother and push boundaries only with consent in safe spaces.
End rant.

What you are saying sure does highlight an impalance in the system, one that is probably hard to solve without removing what is “core dnd”. Decoupling skills from attributes is one step. Maneuvers for all another. I don’t know what else to do without starting to make it not dnd. And honestly I don’t really need to do anything. There is apparently something out there called Advanced 5e for those that want “dnd but more”. For me there are a thousand and one systems out there for me to like.

The problem is that the only way a fighter can interact with the world is by murdering people

Pretty much the only mechanical way to reliably interact with the world. Since the results from skill checks aren’t defined the point that comes across is that they matter less. Why can’t the Fighter “suggest” to the ruffians to drop their weapons through their skill in Intimidation? They can of course but nowhere it is written as clearly as having the spell Suggestion.

To help non-spellcaster have reliable ways to interact and change the world there needs to be more details regarding skill check outcomes.

Starting up the first D&D game is the hardest game to start, especially if one isn’t used to nomenclature in the hobby. How obvious is it that a “one-shot” is a scenario made to be played and completed within a single session? This time and age though there are so many resources out there that is easy to get that foot in the door.

That said D&D is a hard system to get started with. You mention it yourself - maps, foes, encounters etc. It can easily become overwhelming. And the system doesn’t do any favours in this department as it between the lines urges towards perfection. If you have the time I can recommend you to read (the GM chapter of) Apocalypse World. It has its special tone but it is so good. Really help me to get out of “prep hell” and to embrace Play to Find Out.

Two GM toolkits I also would love to recommend you, and both are free, are Kevin Crawford’s “Worlds Without Numbers” and Shawn Tomkin’s “Ironsworn”. While they are full, playable and great systems they contain so many tables for inspiration and use. Especially love Crawford’s One-Roll tables.

As I see it cross-post away and with glee. I just wish there was some way to follow a cross-post to the original post or the cross posts directing you to that. Because with plenty of cross-posts the comments are being sooooo split. So it is a balance act - ten posts with one comment each or one post with eight?

(numbers taken out of arse)