Ahdok @ ahdok @ttrpg.network

I make comics sometimes: https://linktr.ee/ahdok

---

Read more

Posts

125

Comments

816

Joined

2 yr. ago

You know you always get a bonus Konsi by now.

One thing we often do is we gate the ability to roll on a check through whether or not the skill is trained - for example in our games with lockpicking, you can only attempt to pick a lock if you have proficiency.

This prevents the situation where the character with years of training and practice in a specific niche skill beefs it, but someone with no idea what they're doing then tries and succeeds - we say some things are only possible to try if you know how.

Don't apply this house rule to everything, but it's worth considering, especially in games where your party can casually drop a +10 or a +15 onto any skill check through the right magic to force a success anyway.

When making ttrpg characters to play, it's very easy to just make your character "you" if you don't think about it or plan anything - you'll naturally revert to how you approach situations without conscious effort - however that means after a while your characters all start to feel the same.

If you want something that feels unique or different to your previous characters, the easiest way is to take some aspect of your personality and greatly over-exaggerate it, and build the character around that - This way you're still using some of your natural reactions and inclinations, so it's much easier of a role to inhabit than someone who's wholly different to you.

I really should add a couple of new T-shirt designs, it's been a while, maybe I'll make a Konsi shirt to celebrate comic 1000 :D

(Fanart by Sufferay https://x.com/sufferay )

I did once have a patreon, but it lapsed - literally nobody signed up for it in over a decade. These days, I'd feel a little bad having a regular payment, considering how little content I actually produce.

I don't need any financial support to keep doing this, I'm lucky enough to not need financial support, and I draw to relax. The absolute best way to "support the comic" is to introduce more people to it, especially on bluesky. https://linktr.ee/ahdok for the social media streams I use.

If you really really want to put financial support towards me, there is a paypal link on the comic site, and also a few t-shirts at the "shop" link at the top - but again, I want to stress that the comic is not dependent on donations in any way.

Bonus Konsi?

Konsi did have a necklace of fireballs for a while. She's used one of them, but eventually passed it off to Toron, since she has access to AOE magic anyway.

this is what the gauntlets of ogre power are for.

There's a lot of people here who are invested in the story now, I gotta keep them up to date!

I suppose you can have a bonus Konsi.

It's not particularly funny, other than as an extension of the current context. I needed to establish this as setup for the conversation I want the characters to have in the next strip.

Ongoing story be rough sometimes.

You still get a bonus Konsi though.

It's actually a mimic disguised as a trouser press.

yep!

I'm aware of ludonarrative and ludonarrative dissonance, and use these terms a lot when discussing games. I really like rules design where the rules themselves support the narrative of the game. If you want a really great example, I would recommend the board game Galaxy Trucker by Vlaada Chvatil. Guy's a master of this.

Another device that is commonly invoked in my group is something called "the abstraction layer." - Basically, while roleplaying, the details of an interaction either matter to your narrative and game or they don't. If something is consequential, it's "above the abstraction layer" and if it's not, it's "below the abstraction layer." Anything below the abstraction layer you just assume the characters accomplish in the abstract.

The abstraction layer moves as your characters progress and the scope of your story changes. Imagine you're a starting level 1 wizard on your first adventure and you want to cast Find Familiar. The spell claims it requires "10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier" as a component.

Per the rules, this is a costed component, so it's not in your reagent pouch, and you can't replace the requirement with a casting focus, so your character actually has to source these components, and use of a brass brazier, in order to cast the spell. As a level 1 wizard, there might be some interesting narrative the DM wishes to insert here, where you meet and talk with proprietors of various magic reagent stores, or you have to visit your school or academy to buy some from the stores, or any number of other options.

However, consider a level 15 wizard who's plane-hopping to race a cabal of Bane cultists to the pieces of an ancient artifact to activate a time-lost monoloth to wrest control over the heavens from the gods. Does your story still care about this 10gp of incense that you need to cast the spell? Or can you just assume that the wizard is capable enough to solve this problem off-camera? Do you even bother to mark down the 10gp cost on your character sheets when your party is rocking 150k of gold and art objects?

The important lesson is that the story you're telling should focus on the details that matter to your characters, and to the narrative itself. Players who take the time to think about the details, and insert flavour will often tell more immersive and interesting stories, and the rules provide opportunities to delve into narrative, but also consider whether the details you're bringing are pertinent and relative to the current narrative. It's good to focus on where the details you're adding provide context and support for your character and the narrative they're involved in.

I shall fix

Honestly, it's CR1. The guy has 18hp meaning you probably murk him in a round at any level. The most dangerous thing is the pit trap.

Bonus Konsi?

If you know what the Carabiner means, you know.

A classic.