Fluff Stuff

[Dalebert]

Would you allow it? Post desired fluff that's maybe not strictly RAW but doesn't break anything. Give feedback.

I'll start with an example that I just thought of. Pretty confident my DM will allow it.

Bard using a horn as a focus to cast spells. Spell requires V,S,M. Consider the fear spell. The bard pulls out his horn and blasts some discordant music at the enemies. He's allowed to use an instrument as a focus (M) and needs one hand devoted to casting which can be the hand that manipulates the focus (S). He can't do verbal components technically, at least not speech, but he needs his mouth free to play the horn. He still can't do it while gagged or within Silence. And it's fitting with how one imagines bards cast spells.

What do you think? What is your desired fluff?

[Naanomi]

Verbal componants don't need to be words, they just need to make noise, need a free mouth, and interact appropriately with silence type spell effects as applicable. Totally acceptable to me. Other instruments less so, if using the mouth gets bypassed (magic kazoo or mouth-harp ok... But better add some chanting to those drums)

[Rogue Shadows]

My "default" character is the daughter of an innkeeper and tavern owner. So one of the things I often ask for is advantage on saving throws against becoming intoxicated. Not all poison, just alcohol.

[Dalebert]

Verbal componants don't need to be words, they just need to make noise, need a free mouth, and interact appropriately with silence type spell effects as applicable. Totally acceptable to me. Other instruments less so, if using the mouth gets bypassed (magic kazoo or mouth-harp ok... But better add some chanting to those drums)

Totally agree, and a violin would require singing along assuming there were verbal components, for instance.


My "default" character is the daughter of an innkeeper and tavern owner. So one of the things I often ask for is advantage on saving throws against becoming intoxicated. Not all poison, just alcohol.

The drinking scene between Legolas and Gimli comes to mind. :)

[hymer]

My "default" character is the daughter of an innkeeper and tavern owner. So one of the things I often ask for is advantage on saving throws against becoming intoxicated. Not all poison, just alcohol.

I'm not in the habit of giving something for nothing DM-wise. Some of my players are the kind to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze, so there's no more give in my attitude these days. So I'd probably say okay, but on the condition that you have disadvantage against disease. Alcohol comes up any time you want but doesn't grant much of an advantage (unless you squeeze, at which point drinking games will turn out to be against similarly hardened drinkers all of a sudden). Disease rarely comes up, so it won't mean a big deal, and there's some verisimilitude that when you strain your liver that much, you're more vulnerable.

[Slipperychicken]

I'm not in the habit of giving something for nothing DM-wise. Some of my players are the kind to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze, so there's no more give in my attitude these days. So I'd probably say okay, but on the condition that you have disadvantage against disease. Alcohol comes up any time you want but doesn't grant much of an advantage (unless you squeeze, at which point drinking games will turn out to be against similarly hardened drinkers all of a sudden). Disease rarely comes up, so it won't mean a big deal, and there's some verisimilitude that when you strain your liver that much, you're more vulnerable.

What about disadvantage on saves vs. addiction? They can enjoy withdrawal symptoms like disadvantage on ability checks, and also wisdom saves to avoid or stop drinking (DC scales with addiction severity). You could even say the advantage on saves vs. alcohol is a symptom of alcohol dependency.

[Dalebert]

What about disadvantage on saves vs. addiction? They can enjoy withdrawal symptoms like disadvantage on ability checks, and also wisdom saves to avoid or stop drinking (DC scales with addiction severity). You could even say the advantage on saves vs. alcohol is a symptom of alcohol dependency.

Yeah, I understand not wanting to give something for free but it just seems like it's never ever going to affect the game in any mechanically meaningful way. If you make them pay for it, I'd just be careful to make it of commiserate value. Disease might be kind of rare, but that can actually have meaningful negative repercussions compared to being able to hold your alcohol which just seems like a fun role-playing thing with minimal to zero mechanical impact.