• Hyggyldy
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    4011 months ago

    I’d make the PC take at least some damage from the gravel munch, even if successful.

    • SinkingLotus OP
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      3011 months ago

      Then later when they hit camp or eat a meal. Have them roll for constitution. Failure leads to spitting out a broken tooth and a future visit to the blacksmith to get it pulled.

      • akai
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        11 months ago

        I misread that as ‘roll for constipation’

        • SinkingLotus OP
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          611 months ago

          I mean… He never said he spat out the gravel. Brings a whole new meaning to pebble dashing the toilet.

        • SinkingLotus OP
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          211 months ago

          For healing, absolutely. I just like the idea of having him require a visit to the local blacksmith where he has to explain how he broke his tooth. Purely for the sake of embarrassing him when they eventually ask why he thought it was a good idea.

      • SinkingLotus OP
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        311 months ago

        Dude be like “They call it a rest room but I’m fighting for my fucking life in here!”

    • @MimicJar@lemmy.world
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      1111 months ago

      Naw, unless they abuse it you’re just punishing creativity. The Constitution roll at camp mentioned elsewhere is a good idea.

      • @samus12345@lemmy.world
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        311 months ago

        I don’t think so, it’s possible to be creative without doing something you know is harmful to yourself. It’s punishing doing something stupid (although it might have the benefit of intimidating the opponent since you’re clearly insane.)

        • @MimicJar@lemmy.world
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          111 months ago

          Yes, logically you’re right and if you have 10+ hours to think about it you can come up with a better, less harmful answer.

          However in the moment, as long as it isn’t abused, you give it to them.

          It they keep eating gravel, maybe they get sick, or maybe they become “PC Gravel Eater”, or maybe they accidentally eat some poison, etc

          But in the moment, you let them have it. One of the best parts of D&D (or any similar RPG) is that the rules are not written in stone. Rules are a general framework, but are open to interpretation. You want to encourage new, unwritten, discussion.

          But gravel? That’s rocks. Ostriches “eat” rocks. Why can’t a Dragonborn or Aarokocra? Or any battle hardened Barbarian or Fighter?

          You want your player, generally speaking, to try some weird shit.

          There was a conversation I read somewhere that said that the optional Flanking rules were terrible, because it basically forced everyone to just try and get Flanking. Flanking is advantage and that’s almost always the optimal move.

          It prevents players from trying to jump across a table and swing on the chandelier, landing on their opponents head. Why risk an acrobatics roll when I could just move 10 ft, maybe 15 ft if you include climbing a table.

          No one remembers “getting advantage on that one attack”, everyone remembers, “a backflip and cutting the BBEGs eye”.