Comments on: Mining Tropes for RPG nuggets: Glowing Fluff Elemental http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/ The Journal of Gamer Culture Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:43:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ChattyDM http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46605 ChattyDM Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:27:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46605 Noah: I agr.....Wha? <br /><br />I think you just pulled the rug from under me... You sneaky Method Actor you! <br /><br />:) Noah: I agr…..Wha?

I think you just pulled the rug from under me… You sneaky Method Actor you!

:)

]]> By: Noah http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46604 Noah Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:22:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46604 "A DM's visual descriptions will never match a movie or a TV show."<br /><br />True - TV and movies have a lot of catching up to do. “A DM’s visual descriptions will never match a movie or a TV show.”

True – TV and movies have a lot of catching up to do.

]]> By: ChattyDM http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46603 ChattyDM Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:21:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46603 Thing is Greywulf, In one of the rare occasions I played a character in D&D 3.x, I got the impression that a fight in pure darkness is like having all your teeth extracted with rusted pliers.<br /><br />I agree that some out of fight darkness is pure cool badness. But that 'I miss 50% of the time' of darkness brings a fight to a complete drag.<br /><br />But having the darkness spell do the exact same thing a all the fog spell.... boooring...<br /><br />I need to think about that some more... Thing is Greywulf, In one of the rare occasions I played a character in D&D 3.x, I got the impression that a fight in pure darkness is like having all your teeth extracted with rusted pliers.

I agree that some out of fight darkness is pure cool badness. But that ‘I miss 50% of the time’ of darkness brings a fight to a complete drag.

But having the darkness spell do the exact same thing a all the fog spell…. boooring…

I need to think about that some more…

]]> By: Yan http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46602 Yan Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:21:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46602 My favorite... "Explody things that emit a glow first are bigger, louder and/or do more damage."<br /><br />This so instinctively true and tap in one of nature most impressive display... Lightning storm!<br /><br />Everybody has seen lightning; the bigger the distance, the bigger the delay between light and sounds.<br /><br />So when you see a big light and keep waiting for the shock wave you know this was something huge...<br /><br />Now, it's not easy to tap in this feeling, especially in a RPG, but it can be achieved.<br /><br />DM: You see a big flash...<br /><br />< dramatic pause ><br /><br />DM: You feel the rumbling of the earth as the shock wave approaches; Windows explodes; you barely have the time to covers your hears as it hits you...<br /><br />Roll damage.<br /><br />If your players have not wet themselves by then, you definitely have their attention as you roll the dices... ;-)<br /><br />As an extra you can add a few more off color dices just to add to the general sentiment of doom...<br /><br />< evil grin > My favorite… “Explody things that emit a glow first are bigger, louder and/or do more damage.”

This so instinctively true and tap in one of nature most impressive display… Lightning storm!

Everybody has seen lightning; the bigger the distance, the bigger the delay between light and sounds.

So when you see a big light and keep waiting for the shock wave you know this was something huge…

Now, it’s not easy to tap in this feeling, especially in a RPG, but it can be achieved.

DM: You see a big flash…

< dramatic pause >

DM: You feel the rumbling of the earth as the shock wave approaches; Windows explodes; you barely have the time to covers your hears as it hits you…

Roll damage.

If your players have not wet themselves by then, you definitely have their attention as you roll the dices… ;-)

As an extra you can add a few more off color dices just to add to the general sentiment of doom…

< evil grin >

]]> By: greywulf http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46601 greywulf Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:16:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46601 I agree. "Shadowy light" is just dumber than a dumb thing from dumbland.<br /><br />IMC, "Darkness" makes it dark, like the light has been turned off. End of.<br /><br />Any kind of dark is A Bad Thing for the players. It ramps up the tension like nothing else, especially when their sunrods, etc, suddenly go out. Yipe! It's fun if you do this once or twice and *nothing happens*, then all of a sudden........<br /><br />When it comes to glowing things, I find it all depends on the colour. Blue good, purple bad. Kinda like wires on a bomb. Or something.<br /><br />It's fun to play with expectations though, and have a bright white portal radiating evil, or a red glowing sword contain the soul of a gold dragon. That's cool.<br /><br />And cool as we all know, is cool. I agree. “Shadowy light” is just dumber than a dumb thing from dumbland.

IMC, “Darkness” makes it dark, like the light has been turned off. End of.

Any kind of dark is A Bad Thing for the players. It ramps up the tension like nothing else, especially when their sunrods, etc, suddenly go out. Yipe! It’s fun if you do this once or twice and *nothing happens*, then all of a sudden……..

When it comes to glowing things, I find it all depends on the colour. Blue good, purple bad. Kinda like wires on a bomb. Or something.

It’s fun to play with expectations though, and have a bright white portal radiating evil, or a red glowing sword contain the soul of a gold dragon. That’s cool.

And cool as we all know, is cool.

]]> By: Viriatha http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46600 Viriatha Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:54:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46600 Glowing is cool :) Glowing is cool :)

]]> By: Ronin http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46599 Ronin Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:14:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46599 "Of course a friend of mine went one better and got tattoos that did the same thing - every time he tried to intimidate someone he got a massive bonus for just staring at them in a baddass fashion while he glowed red."<br />That is awesome. I am so gonna rip that off for my barbarian character. If my DM will let me.:-) “Of course a friend of mine went one better and got tattoos that did the same thing – every time he tried to intimidate someone he got a massive bonus for just staring at them in a baddass fashion while he glowed red.”
That is awesome. I am so gonna rip that off for my barbarian character. If my DM will let me.:-)

]]> By: ChattyDM http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46598 ChattyDM Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:31:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46598 That's what I'm talking about! :)<br /><br />Thanks for the comments! That’s what I’m talking about! :)

Thanks for the comments!

]]> By: Seth http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46597 Seth Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:49:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46597 I had a priest some time ago who used a ring as his holy symbol. I went out of my way to have it enchanted so that it glowed whenever i prepared a spell - i used to use it in bluff checks <i>against</i> NPC's as a way to scare them.<br /><br />Of course a friend of mine went one better and got tattoos that did the same thing - every time he tried to intimidate someone he got a massive bonus for just staring at them in a baddass fashion while he glowed red. I had a priest some time ago who used a ring as his holy symbol. I went out of my way to have it enchanted so that it glowed whenever i prepared a spell – i used to use it in bluff checks against NPC’s as a way to scare them.

Of course a friend of mine went one better and got tattoos that did the same thing – every time he tried to intimidate someone he got a massive bonus for just staring at them in a baddass fashion while he glowed red.

]]> By: Vanir http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46596 Vanir Fri, 05 Oct 2007 05:50:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46596 shiny......<br /><br />ooohhh.... shiny……

ooohhh….

]]> By: ve4grm http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46595 ve4grm Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:16:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46595 Yeah, I try to use this as often as possible. It works well. Yeah, I try to use this as often as possible. It works well.

]]> By: Yax http://critical-hits.com/2007/10/04/mining-tropes-for-rpg-nuggets-glowing-fluff-elemental/#comment-46594 Yax Fri, 05 Oct 2007 03:50:00 +0000 http://chattydm.net/?p=81#comment-46594 "Glowing sword vs. boring sword? Glowing sword wins, every time."<br /><br />So true. Weapons and armors with spikes also rock harder than normal equipment.<br /><br />And I don't need to tell you about glowing spikes. “Glowing sword vs. boring sword? Glowing sword wins, every time.”

So true. Weapons and armors with spikes also rock harder than normal equipment.

And I don’t need to tell you about glowing spikes.

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