Glossary of Terms: Difference between revisions
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: A 'minute' in the Real World is easily defined, you just check your watch, or phone. | : A 'minute' in the Real World is easily defined, you just check your watch, or phone. | ||
: A 'minute' in the game? Not nearly so | : A 'minute' in the game? Not nearly so clear cut! [[Time]] in the game is almost impossible to keep track of. A combat usually lasts less than a minute in-game, but might take three hours to dice out from start to finish in real life. Sleeping for a Full Night's Rest usually takes ten hours in-game, but is frequently resolved in a few minutes in Real Life. A month might pass with a few sentences from the GM, but a single fight might take a whole day to dice out. | ||
: So, when the game refers to 'a minute', or 'five minutes' or 'an hour', what it means is that the event is resolved as quickly or as slowly as is required, but it does not affect the duration of spell effects or some magic item effects at all. If a spell effect lasts 'until you take a full night's rest', then that spell effect stays up until you declare a full nights rest, no matter how many hours or days or weeks may go by in the Real World. | : So, when the game refers to 'a minute', or 'five minutes' or 'an hour', what it means is that the event is resolved as quickly or as slowly as is required, but it does not affect the duration of spell effects or some magic item effects at all. If a spell effect lasts 'until you take a full night's rest', then that spell effect stays up until you declare a full nights rest, no matter how many hours or days or weeks may go by in the Real World. | ||
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:* '''AKA:''' NPC, Constituent Monster | :* '''AKA:''' NPC, Constituent Monster | ||
: A Non-Player Character (or NPC) is any non-[[Monster]] interactive being 'in-game'. The classic NPC is the surly blacksmith, smarmy shop-keep, winsome barmaid, or smiling | : A Non-Player Character (or NPC) is any non-[[Monster]] interactive being 'in-game'. The classic NPC is the surly blacksmith, smarmy shop-keep, winsome barmaid, or smiling tavern keeper. IE, other 'people' in the game-universe who need to exist for the story to move forward, but whom the players do not control. | ||
: By fiat, ALL NPC's are the province of and are fully under the control of the GM. Most NPC's exist only as story-telling elements, and are completely under the control of the GM, and may be fleshed out with as much (or as little) background detail as the GM wishes. | : By fiat, ALL NPC's are the province of and are fully under the control of the GM. Most NPC's exist only as story-telling elements, and are completely under the control of the GM, and may be fleshed out with as much (or as little) background detail as the GM wishes. | ||
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: Proficiency and non-proficiency are related to the martial habits of wearing armor, wielding shields, and wielding weapons. | : Proficiency and non-proficiency are related to the martial habits of wearing armor, wielding shields, and wielding weapons. | ||
: In brief, wearing a suit of armor, or properly using a shield, or a weapon, is more complicated than it looks. Sure, anybody can pick up and swing a Flamberge, and anybody can strap on a suit of | : In brief, wearing a suit of armor, or properly using a shield, or a weapon, is more complicated than it looks. Sure, anybody can pick up and swing a Flamberge, and anybody can strap on a suit of plate mail, but how WELL you do that depends on training. | ||
: Many classes grant proficiency in some or many categories of armor, shields, and weapons 'for free'. On top of that, characters can take feats to learn proficiency with any armor, shield, or weapon, if they wish. But why would characters spend those precious feats? | : Many classes grant proficiency in some or many categories of armor, shields, and weapons 'for free'. On top of that, characters can take feats to learn proficiency with any armor, shield, or weapon, if they wish. But why would characters spend those precious feats? | ||
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: If you attempt to wear or use armor, shield, or weapons you do not know how to properly, proficiently, wear or use, you suffer a -4 (or larger!) penalty to many, many D20 rolls, such as to-hit rolls and/or skill rolls. This is a large, painful penalty. | : If you attempt to wear or use armor, shield, or weapons you do not know how to properly, proficiently, wear or use, you suffer a -4 (or larger!) penalty to many, many D20 rolls, such as to-hit rolls and/or skill rolls. This is a large, painful penalty. | ||
: These non-proficiency penalties are why Fighters like | : These non-proficiency penalties are why Fighters like plate mail so much, and why Rogues do not. | ||
=== Ongoing Damage === | === Ongoing Damage === | ||
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=== [[Damage_and_Resistance#Physical_Damage | Physical Damage]] === | === [[Damage_and_Resistance#Physical_Damage | Physical Damage]] === | ||
: Physical damage is Hit Point damage inflicted by a tangible, physical thing. There can be common, uncommon, or rare sorts of this damage, depending upon exactly how weird and bad the source is. Getting hit with a plain old rock is usually bludgeoning damage. Getting hit with a razor-sharp flake of shattered obsidian might be hacking, gnashing, or ripping damage, even though Obsidian is just a fancy rock. Getting hit with a colossal block of | : Physical damage is Hit Point damage inflicted by a tangible, physical thing. There can be common, uncommon, or rare sorts of this damage, depending upon exactly how weird and bad the source is. Getting hit with a plain old rock is usually bludgeoning damage. Getting hit with a razor-sharp flake of shattered obsidian might be hacking, gnashing, or ripping damage, even though Obsidian is just a fancy rock. Getting hit with a colossal block of siege stone driven at nigh-invisible speed by a Thundergonne might inflict Fracturing, Mutiliation, or Obliteration damage, because, well, yeah, it's still a rock, but DANG. | ||
=== [[Precision Damage]] === | === [[Precision Damage]] === | ||
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=== Round === | === Round === | ||
:During [[Combat]] (the most tightly defined type of an encounter), all participants in that combat have a unique turn in the initiative order. Combat proceeds | :During [[Combat]] (the most tightly defined type of an encounter), all participants in that combat have a unique turn in the initiative order. Combat proceeds step-wise, each person taking their turn. Each time the initiative makes a full cycle through all participants, that is called a 'round', as you have gone a round of combat. | ||
:Confusingly, a round can also mean everything that a player character or monster can do while it is their time to act during a round. English is rife with such words that have more than one meaning, alas. This use of 'round' is synonymous with a [[Turn]] (see below). Players get access to a Standard action, a Move action, a Swift action, and an Immediate action every time their initiative is reached during a combat, and those actions can be combined, degraded, and used in a myriad of ways. See combat (linked above) for details of all this fun stuff. | :Confusingly, a round can also mean everything that a player character or monster can do while it is their time to act during a round. English is rife with such words that have more than one meaning, alas. This use of 'round' is synonymous with a [[Turn]] (see below). Players get access to a Standard action, a Move action, a Swift action, and an Immediate action every time their initiative is reached during a combat, and those actions can be combined, degraded, and used in a myriad of ways. See combat (linked above) for details of all this fun stuff. | ||
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:Epic Path has a HUGE number of [[Languages]], of every type and variety. But among those languages, a note must be made of the Secret Languages. | :Epic Path has a HUGE number of [[Languages]], of every type and variety. But among those languages, a note must be made of the Secret Languages. | ||
: A Secret Language is not simply an obscure or rare language, or even a difficult language to learn. Secret Languages can be actual encoded cyphers, like Corhiwar, the battle language of the Dark Elves, which literally changes every time it is spoken or | : A Secret Language is not simply an obscure or rare language, or even a difficult language to learn. Secret Languages can be actual encoded cyphers, like Corhiwar, the battle language of the Dark Elves, which literally changes every time it is spoken or signaled. A Secret Language can be a highly slippery and fluid system of slang and innuendo, so situationally dependent that no word spoken ever means the same thing twice, such as Thieves Cant. | ||
: Some Secret Languages are inherently magical, like Druidic. If you do not have a connection to the Green, either through worship or...other means...you literally cannot gain meaning from this language, the sounds devoid of information without the magical connection to enrich them. Therien, the Language Of Lies, is another such 'magical' language, although much more dangerous than even Druidic. | : Some Secret Languages are inherently magical, like Druidic. If you do not have a connection to the Green, either through worship or...other means...you literally cannot gain meaning from this language, the sounds devoid of information without the magical connection to enrich them. Therien, the Language Of Lies, is another such 'magical' language, although much more dangerous than even Druidic. | ||
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:* '''AKA:''' Doesn't matter | :* '''AKA:''' Doesn't matter | ||
: Epic Path is designed to be played on a square grid. This can be sheets of graph paper, large vinyl playing mats, or elaborate custom-made dioramas that are modular and allow many different scenarios to be laid out. We recommend vinyl mats and erasable dry-markers as the minimum | : Epic Path is designed to be played on a square grid. This can be sheets of graph paper, large vinyl playing mats, or elaborate custom-made dioramas that are modular and allow many different scenarios to be laid out. We recommend vinyl mats and erasable dry-markers as the minimum play mat setup, and if you have the means and ambition, playing on a diorama is ridiculous fun. | ||
: Now, it is possible to run Epic Path without a table setup, in ' | : Now, it is possible to run Epic Path without a table setup, in 'theater of the mind' style, but we find that having at least a sheet of graph paper helps keep everybody on the same sheet of paper. | ||
: If you are playing on a vinyl map or diorama, or even in an electronic gaming map, or just plain old graph paper, how big is everything? | : If you are playing on a vinyl map or diorama, or even in an electronic gaming map, or just plain old graph paper, how big is everything? | ||