Quote from: fearsomepirate;998790I think you can get PTSD from Twitter now. It's science.

No it's not.  But whatever.  The X-Card is stupid idea in general.  It creates an atmosphere of distrust.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;998799No it's not.  But whatever.

Oh, YOU.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;998799No it's not.  But whatever.  The X-Card is stupid idea in general.  It creates an atmosphere of distrust.

Or, at the very least, an atmosphere of WTF?  I play to have a rollicking adventure, like Errol Flynn in Robin Hood, William Shatner in the original Star Trek, or the first Star Wars movie.

Somebody handing me an "X Card" would be my first hint it's time to give up my seat at the table and go let somebody buy me a beer.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;998784I have to admit that the X card feels very Portland to me. If people get use out of it, more power to them. But I can't see it being something we'd adopt at my table (we definitely hear peoples' concerns if they have them, I just can't imagine a technique like this gaining traction with my players).

Spot on, someone please rescue me.

Seems to me that the mere idea of a X Card being used at someone else's table has triggered a load of snowflakes on this forum.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;998784I have to admit that the X card feels very Portland to me. If people get use out of it, more power to them. But I can't see it being something we'd adopt at my table (we definitely hear peoples' concerns if they have them, I just can't imagine a technique like this gaining traction with my players).

Sure but I haven't seen anyone here say they run games with really extreme horror content that gets into dark, even sexually violent places.

I wouldn't run that kind of game myself but if some people do, who am I to challenge how they decide to handle it at their table?

Quote from: Voros;998937Sure but I haven't seen anyone here say they run games with really extreme horror content that gets into dark, even sexually violent places.

I wouldn't run that kind of game myself but if some people do, who am I to challenge how they decide to handle it at their table?

Most of my stuff tends to have horror of some kind in it. I'm not too sure if it's extreme but it depends on a person's definition of what extreme is I suppose. I wouldn't use an X Card per se, because I make it very clear that the game may have upsetting material in it. Of course, that's only for playing with people I don't really know (which is rare). All my mates know the score so it would'nt be nessassary. I think that there is responsility, on the players part as well, to make sure that they are comfortable with playing a mature game. It's all about consenting adults...

But if the X Card works for some, then that's cool - it's just not for me.

You are surprised by an Excardasaurus.  It attacks.  Roll reaction time.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;999069You are surprised by an Excardasaurus.  It attacks.  Roll reaction time.

Fails, flees.

People who turn every thread about wrong practices in RPGs into a thread about RPGs and sex.

I'm returning here after a call from Real Life, so I'll clarify my example about Tracking (and players not knowing the rules).

There is a reason as why the Player's Handbook is called the Player's Handbook. I think.

Let's say that you decide to play a ranger. A group of orcs kidnaps the local whatever and your ranger tries to track them.

Track, in D&D 3.5, is a feat, and how it works is clearly explained in the Player's Handbook (and, online, in the SDR).

Personally, I think that there is NO REASON AT ALL for a player to say "I track the orcs!" and then look at the DM with glassy eyes. True, some info are realm of the DM (like how big the orc party is, and thus which is the appropriate modifier). However, it is my firm opinion that the player should know at the very least things like the base DC according to the ground type, on which skill to roll (Survival), that you have a -5 penalty if you move at normal speed instead of half and -20 if you move from normal up to double, and after how much time you can try another check if you fail (1 hour outdoor, 10 minutes indoor).

I'm actually ready to provide this info to the DM if he/she can't recall it on the fly - mostly because I run a character, the DM runs a world. Her job is to determine the level of the difficulty check based on the number of creature tracked, their size, weather/time considerations etc., not to remember the whole fucking rule - a rule I should have at the very least skimmed when I decided to play a ranger "because rangers are cool!"

After DMing a group of clueless players ("What's BAB again?") I decided to leave the DM reins to another guy and play a cleric. The funny thing is how I'm, now, basically a "powerplayer" simply because I remember what I can do and when with my 3rd level cleric - things that the dude who played a 10th level one never even knew that they existed (like the aforementioned adding your Charisma Bonus to the Turn Undead roll).

This, just to be clear, should never become a form of punishment for players who meet problems with the rules. As I said, we are all there to help. But if you are a Wizard and you haven't the faintest clue about what the "Spellcraft" skill is about, then you are probably playing the wrong class - or directly the wrong game.

I've played D&D for decades, have read all of OD&D, BECMI, B/X, 1e, 2e and 5e and have no idea what the Spellcraft skill is.

You make 3.5 D&D sounds as annoying as many claim. Glad I skipped that whole era.

Quote from: Voros;998937Sure but I haven't seen anyone here say they run games with really extreme horror content that gets into dark, even sexually violent places.

I wouldn't run that kind of game myself but if some people do, who am I to challenge how they decide to handle it at their table?

I don't have sexual violence in my games, but we do have horror, gore and characters have had plenty of romantic attachments and offspring. I guess for me, even if we did have more extreme content, X Card is probably not how we'd handle things. Again, not saying sensitivities wouldn't be respected, just that such a method would feel odd to us. And if X Card works for others that is great. I just think people sometimes don't realize how different the local gaming cultures can be and this is something that strikes me as extremely west coast.

Quote from: Voros;999136I've played D&D for decades, have read all of OD&D, BECMI, B/X, 1e, 2e and 5e and have no idea what the Spellcraft skill is.

You make 3.5 D&D sounds as annoying as many claim. Glad I skipped that whole era.

In A nut shell.
It's used to properly identify spell that are being used and in craft checks for making new spells.
From the d20 srd.

QuoteSpellcraft (Int; Trained Only)

Use this skill to identify spells as they are cast or spells already in place.
Check

You can identify spells and magic effects. The DCs for Spellcraft checks relating to various tasks are summarized on the table below.
Spellcraft DC    Task
13    When using read magic, identify a glyph of warding. No action required.
15 + spell level    Identify a spell being cast. (You must see or hear the spell's verbal or somatic components.) No action required. No retry.
15 + spell level    Learn a spell from a spellbook or scroll (wizard only). No retry for that spell until you gain at least 1 rank in Spellcraft (even if you find another source to try to learn the spell from). Requires 8 hours.
15 + spell level    Prepare a spell from a borrowed spellbook (wizard only). One try per day. No extra time required.
15 + spell level    When casting detect magic, determine the school of magic involved in the aura of a single item or creature you can see. (If the aura is not a spell effect, the DC is 15 + one-half caster level.) No action required.
19    When using read magic, identify a symbol. No action required.
20 + spell level    Identify a spell that's already in place and in effect. You must be able to see or detect the effects of the spell. No action required. No retry.
20 + spell level    Identify materials created or shaped by magic, such as noting that an iron wall is the result of a wall of iron spell. No action required. No retry.
20 + spell level    Decipher a written spell (such as a scroll) without using read magic. One try per day. Requires a full-round action.
25 + spell level    After rolling a saving throw against a spell targeted on you, determine what that spell was. No action required. No retry.
25    Identify a potion. Requires 1 minute. No retry.
20    Draw a diagram to allow dimensional anchor to be cast on a magic circle spell. Requires 10 minutes. No retry. This check is made secretly so you do not know the result.
30 or higher    Understand a strange or unique magical effect, such as the effects of a magic stream. Time required varies. No retry.

See also: epic usages of Spellcraft.
Action

Varies, as noted above.
Try Again

See above.
Special

If you are a specialist wizard, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks when dealing with a spell or effect from your specialty school. You take a -5 penalty when dealing with a spell or effect from a prohibited school (and some tasks, such as learning a prohibited spell, are just impossible).

If you have the Magical Aptitude feat, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.
Synergy

    If you have 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (arcana), you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks.
    If you have 5 or more ranks in Use Magic Device, you get a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks to decipher spells on scrolls.
    If you have 5 or more ranks in Spellcraft, you get a +2 bonus on Use Magic Device checks related to scrolls.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;999166I don't have sexual violence in my games, but we do have horror, gore and characters have had plenty of romantic attachments and offspring. I guess for me, even if we did have more extreme content, X Card is probably not how we'd handle things. Again, not saying sensitivities wouldn't be respected, just that such a method would feel odd to us. And if X Card works for others that is great. I just think people sometimes don't realize how different the local gaming cultures can be and this is something that strikes me as extremely west coast.

You should come visit the West Coast sometime and shatter all your illusions.