Alignment and Your Place in the D&D Multiverse

September 6, 2017Zoltar Leave a comment

Mike Merle’s about the importance of alignment so alignment is essentially a cosmic shorthand for which team you’re playing for but it stops short of being a cosmic force in the sense of you can cast spells like we don’t have a spell that’s like no alignment or we don’t have a rule it says well you change your alignment suddenly you know there’s an XP penalty or something like that we very specifically in 5th edition tried to position it more has a role-playing descriptor in a shorthand for in terms of the de cosmos there are these certain and you goes back to playing escape there are these certain like beliefs can shape things and so there’s this idea that a cosmic level there’s this there’s a tension between law and chaos and good and evil and teachers pick sides it’s no different than saying oh well then the idea is then you pick a side that reflects how you act and I think there’s a lot of ways you can approach it right as a DM you can decide is alignment like does it describe someone or does it define someone you can say I’m lawful good because I act lawful I’m good or you can say I’ve chosen to be lawful and good so now I’ve to act lawful and good and we actually don’t try to answer that in the game because I think it’s something to throw that to the players and Dungeon Master’s and I also think it’s something that cosmologically you know on one hand it’s very useful just to say orcs chaotic evil means you can beat them up and not feel guilty and I think in Danny’s history that worked but now that you have like Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings like you know on TV or movies a lot of our nuanced now coming into fantasy fantasy used to be all about those mythic archetypes you know Loki is the trickster that’s what he is he’ll always be the trickster if Loki stop being the trickster he’d stop being Loki he’d be a different character but now I think especially with Game of Thrones people now are more used to her more more science fiction or modern day story approach to people like that the people can change that evil was relative not absolutely relative but some it is about point of view and so the way I thought I see alignment in D&D is the further you get out to the cosmic the outer Plains the more alignment is almost this elemental force that amounts olestra is a realm of law and good but law and good isn’t necessarily the answer to every question that evil has a place in the cosmos being selfish has a place in the cosmos and evil might not be very good for a group in terms of its prosperity like you know it’s good for all and good would say everyone should prosper evil can say the individual should prosper but in that cosmos as vast as the cosmos from D&D there’s no like one right answer like you can amend the way I like to think it is this like you’d think ok so why don’t what if mounts less than just you know the forces of law and good just conquered the entire cosmos well there Laughlin good they’d expect everyone to be lawful and good so it’s like the katha good people would be the last ones put into the prison right and that’s how I think of it right like any alignment if it gets out of hand will start doing things that the opposing alignments would see as is awful but they’d fight against so you can imagine that world looks like now Aaron’s me lawful and good if you break the law this is where we send you to perform you the katak good person would obviously rebellions that like that’s not your place to tell me how to act and you would put that kit even though you’re both good you’ve now put them in position where they will probably have to fight you to stop you from imposing a viewpoint or an environment that you don’t want or find repellent it said you’d be the last in line to rebel but you would eventually rebel and so it’s about having these these point of views that are very strong and specific and then kind of define the complex and Dungeons & Dragons law and chaos good and evil and I think in most campaigns it’s very much pretty versus evil and the nice thing with law and chaos is it lets you have conflict within the party that’s why I think it’s useful it’s I think it’s a little bit harder if you don’t have alignment to get people used to the idea that it’s okay for your characters to disagree and to argue that it’s okay for someone to say you know the characters role into this town it’s being ruled by this lawful evil guy he’s kind of a jerk but he is the rightful ruler you can see well he’s kind of a jerk but he’s also like you know he’s he’s forcing people to serve in the militia and if they don’t serve he throws them in jail and if they’re unfit to serve like someone’s injured he taxes them or he forces them to work in the weapon shop well the lawful good guy might say yeah that’s not that’s not just but this town is being you know his facing orc attacks constantly so if they don’t enforce this iron discipline law the town risks destruction so the paladin wofully pallid I might say I don’t agree with the means but I agree with the end so like I’m not gonna just go out try to kill this guy I might go reason with him I might argue with him but I’m not gonna fight him or the cat a good person might say no we need to lead it an open rebellion like this is wrong right this guy needs to be thrown off throwing out its leader and so therefore right there you got your ketika ranger and your lawful good paladin they can have a deep important disagreement on how to do things without one being good one being evil I see I think the thing is it’s when you start thinking of the alignments as these elemental forces you start taking to the absurd extreme so I think that’s one of the things which we’ve also try to think about is alignments being a range so the kid most chaotic neutral thing in the cosmos which might be a slide is just like seemingly totally random and insane but like a human is chaotic neutral is more your wanderer your person doesn’t want to be who’s self-centered like hates about me I take care of myself first but not to the point of being evil where I hurt I don’t hurt other people to get what I want because I’m neutral I don’t seek out to harm people but if will but I do put myself first and I’m chaotic in the sense of like I just I don’t want to be I don’t want obey rules on to be left alone you know however that might think you know I don’t believe in hierarchies you know that’s like your classic like you know Conan you know or your thief right and I think what’s kind of happened is that those things got taken to extremes you know cuz I think in a lot of ways you had this language and it didn’t necessarily get it didn’t necessarily get translated into things that people could really understand a very concrete way and so you thought character okay I’m just I’m unpredictable I’m crazy the second player’s hand what kind of did that it had this example of play that one character of each of the nine alignments they’re they’re confront they have to fight a evil fighter with a Gorgon who is has a peasant captive or something that what does each character do and like the character characters like who what’d he do he ended up just charging at the gorgon cuz why not write him like that even as a kid when I read that I’m like that doesn’t that’s just crazy that’s not katak neutral right so but that’s always been something that’s been kind of interpreted at different times now that was also we had to remember to within the context 89 TS I was under a lot of fire for you know the sort of RPG scare so you can so not coincidentally in the description of the alignments oh the good alignments like clearly these are the three you play and you can kind of play lawful neutral – and true neutral if you really have to but chaotic neutral the three evil alignments straight out you don’t play those and I think today in 2017 with things like Game of Thrones you know you could one out you can put lawfully lawful evil character you know you can be the Hound right is he lawful evil he obeys orders and does maybe not maybe is I mean changed right things like that but I think people are much more open to that and much more kind of like because I’ve always favorite idea like evil and in terms of lineman says no I’m self-centered I put myself first neutral is I you know I put myself first to the detriment of others neutral being I put myself first I don’t want to harm anyone else and good is I put others before me you know law and chaos being you know law I believe in hierarchies and organization and groups and chaos being I believe in myself and I think other people should be free to do as they wish tree Nucci would just be someone who is it’s like the other the tepid water of the know of alignments right they don’t really have any pretty strong beliefs either way right they’re just basically I look after myself I don’t wish harm to others and I just go with the flow I always thought about neutral good being I just go I don’t really care how we do it I just want to best the most good for the most people so go back to early example you know the the tyrannical Baron let’s say who’s in force forcing people to join the militia the neutral good character could go either way he might say well on balance people are more miserable now under this you know rule than they would be if the orcs were attacking so I think we should get rid of this you know order or they might say no unbalance while people are miserable it’s better that they’re miserable and toiling away then having the orcs overrun the city and kill them all or enslave them all you know they think it’s not their view of good is just what’s the what what what path gets us to the most happiness from people I kind of think of like law and chaos as like the the the method how did what how do how do you do things and good and evil being what do you do

Tomb of Annihilation’s story

September 5, 2017Zoltar Leave a comment

D&D's Chris Perkins on Tomb of Annihilation's story, collaboration and dungeons https://t.co/WJ5BBC2sWK

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) September 5, 2017

Alignment and Your Place in the D&D Multiverse

September 2, 2017Zoltar Leave a comment

Alignment and Your Place in the D&D Multiverse https://t.co/DvF323CPuP

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) September 1, 2017

Shadowfell and Feywild Explained

September 1, 2017Zoltar Leave a comment

D&D's Shadowfell and Feywild Explained https://t.co/ELcLp5KdCe

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) August 31, 2017

Listen to me pontificate on the nature of the Shadowfell and the Feywild, courtesy of @DnDBeyond and @ToddKenreck https://t.co/S2a64RaoUm

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) August 31, 2017

After @DnDBeyond @ToddKenreck's latest video talking to @mikemearls on Fey creatures embodying of emotions, I made a sloth monster! pic.twitter.com/1ZO4VIfOsq

— Extra Legs (@Extra_Legs) August 31, 2017

Mike, my long standing group is transitioning from 2e to 5e. How would you incorporate the feywild into the older planar topography?I'd think of it as a transition layer between the Prime Material and Positive Energy Planes

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) September 1, 2017

@HollyConrad Joins PAX Prime Acquisitions Incorporated!

August 29, 2017Zoltar Leave a comment

New Strix teeth. I'm a hot mess. WHO AM I GONNA SEE AT PAX??!! pic.twitter.com/2g0X0BYlBR

— ✨Commander 🐦 Holly✨ (@HollyConrad) August 28, 2017

At PAX West 2017, #AcqInc will be joined by @HollyConrad from #wafflecrew as Strix! Check out her introduction here: https://t.co/XpUqJ0LwT3 pic.twitter.com/Ob5o3MJ2Fz

— Penny Arcade (@PA_Megacorp) August 16, 2017

We've got GREEN FLAME MAGIC!!! PAX is in ONE WEEK AGHH pic.twitter.com/Q3PhSPXMW9

— ✨Commander 🐦 Holly✨ (@HollyConrad) August 26, 2017

.@PatrickRothfuss gave Strix a new hat in the Acquisitions Inc. podcast, so I made her a new one equipped with tiny pockets inside! pic.twitter.com/pL6lc7g5cP

— ✨Commander 🐦 Holly✨ (@HollyConrad) August 26, 2017

@HollyConrad @ChrisPerkinsDnD @Wizards_DnD #trashwitch pic.twitter.com/NStRhT00rS

— Sagacious Dude (@Sagacious_Dude) August 16, 2017

I had an awesome time playing D&D with Holly even though Jim has some issues with another caster in the party. Can’t wait for the live game!Same!! Strix might be sassy but I am excited for more magic shenanigans at PAX!!! 🔥🕊

— ✨Commander 🐦 Holly✨ (@HollyConrad) August 16, 2017

How to approach D&D Monsters

August 28, 2017Zoltar Leave a comment

when you’re talking about D&D monsters
it’s important to realize that they’re
more than just their challenge rating
I talked to Adam Lee about some of his
favorite monsters about–we likes most
about how you have to approach them I
mean I love frog hema like Frankenmuth
is super awesome it’s just this total
freak and Terry being the ugliest
monster may be the ugliest monster I
love things from the Fein folio I mean
there’s the thought eater is just this
weird
bizarro creature and I like things that
are that that are kind of funny like
from the funny early days of D&D where
things were just bizarre and and strange
and I don’t know you wouldn’t even think
that there are actually monster like but
they are we put a lot of them into my
violation some of these you know
monsters that were you know you’d rather
rarely see I mean I love the the mythic
monsters as well you know the monsters
like a sphinx like a sphinx is a great
monster I you’ve got to deal with it in
a different kind of way that you would
another you know most people think Oh
monster I’m gonna go hit with my sword
and I like monsters that you’ve got to
deal with this thing a different way
you’ve got to use your your intelligence
to get through or you’ve got to use your
wisdom or you’ve got to use your ability
to invent some kind of a unique way to
bypass it you’ve got to roll play it
your way through it
dragons you know course dragons are
amazing and but I liked again I like to
use them in a different way they’re not
just these giant flying flamethrowers
you know they’re just destroy and wreak
crap
the dragons are intelligent and I mean
most of them and you know to be able to
actually find a way like okay you know
how do I deal with this thing of what
does a dragon want and what do dragons
represent and I like monsters that like
kind of like a norovirus thing it makes
you think about what this monster
represents in in sort of a you know in a
mythic sense I mean one of our story
meetings I was talking about the Fae
wild and that things in the fav realms
are actually sort of manifestations of
emotions like anger is is will manifest
as a monster in the fable
and so a monster will sort of embody
this anger or jealousy will it will
manifest as a monster so I like monsters
representing sort of ourselves you know
they’re they’re facets of who we are I
mean really when we were inventing
monsters is you know early you know
primates certainly whatever we did it we
were creating sort of these these facets
of ourselves and like embodiments of our
fears or embodiments of our doubts or
whatever and you know I love I love it
when a monster takes on that role
instead of just like I’m just gonna hit
up a hammer something that is is you
know out there and it’s freaky or makes
you think about something deeper than
you know just sort of solving it
physically
Another interview session with Master Kenreck. https://t.co/5JIKASd7PY

— Adam Lee (@adamofadventure) August 28, 2017

D&D Beyond Questions & Answers

July 20, 2017Zoltar 1 Comment

Excited to announce our full launch on August 15th!

For more details: https://t.co/1Kks53AqZV pic.twitter.com/39NgYs3r2E

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

Will the digital copies have an option for offline access? Having all the players online at once has been known to crash our wifi.We're working on an app as fast as we can!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

That’s disappointing. A lot of us want standalone PDFs that work offline on PC. The lack has been keenly felt and encouraged piracy.We're working on offline capabilities, never fear!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

Are you still going to find a way so that people who already own core books won’t have to pay again on @DnDBeyond? I’ll keep asking. #dnd Not sure how you got this impression – we are focused on making a digital toolset, not physical books. That's where the cost comes from!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 20, 2017

The eventual goal is for #DnD Beyond to completely replace the physical books.”
To be clear, we did not write this interview and that sentiment was never mentioned by us! Phys. books will continue to thrive with demand.

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

I would love to use your site. But I don’t want you snooping in my twitch account.. what to do? Can I make local account?Will content from Unearthed Arcana be featured in @DnDBeyond or will that need to be put in via homebrew content?We have plans to incorporate UA playtest content. We'll share details as we're able.

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

We are owned by Twitch, so a Twitch account is required for login. We won't go snoopin!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

Sub prices good, DLC not so much #critique
I recommend a group option to distribute costs, or have a sub tier that can access all content Just a suggestion: Maybe display that info somewhere on the page.. It’s a trusted label, why not use it? I would have trusted the login thenGood point! We'll add that to the suggestions list!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

A Master Tier subscription allows a group to share all their purchased content with up to 12 free accounts. Cost distribution achieved.

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

Will I be able to buy the Monster Manual in @DnDBeyond and use it there without paying a monthly fee?Yes – all digital content is a one-time purchase.

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

Sub prices good, DLC not so much #critique
I recommend a group option to distribute costs, or have a sub tier that can access all content A Master Tier subscription allows a group to share all their purchased content with up to 12 free accounts. Cost distribution achieved.

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

hey team! Super excited for DDB! When you refer to “full groups” for the DM-level, what’s the max? Mine is six+me.Master Tier subscription allows sharing with up to 12 free accounts – not counting any players that also have a subscription.

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 19, 2017

Will there be a character builder on here??There already is!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

I don’t have twitch. I don’t want to use twitch. How else can I use it?A Twitch account is required for log in!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

Is there a mobile version? It is completely mobile responsive, but we are also working on an app!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

Costing:

SRD = Free
PHB = $30
Player Sub (unlimited Chars etc) = $3 p/m
DM Sub (share paid content w/players for free) = $6 p/m

Worth? For those asking, digital copies of the books are not PDFs, but they include the entire content, not just the database. A sample: pic.twitter.com/plIinOmYoX

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

will i need to purchase volos to unlock firbolg, yuan-ti, etc in the character creator?You can purchase Volo's in its entirety, or you could unlock only firbolgs or yuan-ti for $2.99 each – there's flexibility.

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

Just sat doing admin for our new party member. Transferring from D&D @DnDBeyond to a printable character sheet & a magic list. Phew.

— Chris Bell (@Frakbuddy) July 18, 2017

We're working on a printable version, never fear!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

I don’t like the idea of charging more for the DM’s. I understand the additional value, but we’re the people who bring all the customers. Master Tier w/ sharing content with all players (in mult. groups) is intended to save a lot of $ for all. Pooling resources encouraged!

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

What feature will be in Modules that you purchase. Will it just be a database of the adventure? Will we have maps w/quick links?All the tooltipping/ crosslinking that is found throughout the site + all interior art + hi-res maps + all NPCs, monsters, items in listings

— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) July 18, 2017

D&D Beyond Global Search

June 8, 2017Zoltar Leave a comment

D&D Sage Advice

Questions on Dungeons & Dragons answered by game designers

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DnDBeyond

Alignment and Your Place in the D&D Multiverse

Tomb of Annihilation’s story

Alignment and Your Place in the D&D Multiverse

Shadowfell and Feywild Explained

@HollyConrad Joins PAX Prime Acquisitions Incorporated!

How to approach D&D Monsters

D&D Beyond Questions & Answers

D&D Beyond Global Search

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