Shortcut Powers and Why They Suck

[DISCLAIMER!!! I THINK RPGS SHOULD FOCUS MORE ON ROLEPLAYING THAN CHARACTER SHEETS. IF YOU DISAGREE THIS POST IS NONSENSE. INFER ABOUT ME WHAT YOU WISH.]

Knock, Remove Curse, Water Walk, Mind Link, Mending. These are abilities I hate as a GM. These are character abilities which skip fun game elements for too little cost. I call them shortcut powers—abilities that characters 1) attain easily and 2) which bypass challenges without creative effort. 

I have restricted these and a few other minor powers from the setting I am currently fleshing out for my players. It's not because I hate my players or want things to be "realistic" or "difficult" or any other cursed rpg topics. Its because they are only useful to skip challenges that the GM thought would be interesting. Nobody is using Knock to open the simple lock on the wooden door, they are using it to skip a puzzle or open a vault. This is not the players' faults. They should be solving problems in the simplest and most effective manner.

Sometimes, the shortcut is so powerful, that GMs create a somewhat arbitrary reason the power doesn't even work. I've done it before. This is lame. 

In my current long running 5e game, there was one extended plot-line revolving around a princess with a wasting disease. It was super sucky that the one time the paladin encounters a character with a disease, his Lay on Hands feature just didn't work. Sure, I explain that this is a powerful magic disease afflicting her, but then when they attempt the Remove Curse spell, that is not effective either. I'm in a hard spot, either the party can spend some low level, infinity renewable resources like spell slots to resolve a major plot-line immediately or I can overrule their character sheets to preserve the challenge of the story. I can give a dozen examples of how various shortcut powers create this problem. 

None of this is an issue so long as you make these abilities are either not easily attainable—such as not being gained automatically through reaching level 3—or if using the ability presents a challenge or decision of its own.

Resource expenditure ≠ Fun

One argument against my position is that so long as they are expending resources it is okay. 

UMMMM, NO??? 

I see it all the time. 5e games especially, create this feeling because it the system is balanced around an adventuring day where characters are expected to have 101 encounters before they reach a big final battle in the evening. In 5e, a 10th level cleric and 10th level wizard have 30+ daily spell slots between them. A level 2 Water Walk spell to cross the underdark's ice-cold Lake of Shadows is essentially free. 

In my extremely humble and non-dogmatic opinion, this puts WAY too much responsibility on the GM to create challenges that are solved through player skill rather than character sheets. I personally believe that 60% of the "high level D&D is broken" and "casters outstrip martials" arguments are due to these simple shortcut powers completely skipping the challenges which martial characters would normally excel at.

When to use shortcut powers

Use them when they make the game more fun. Its that easy. If you don't intend to worry about how many rations the party has on hand, don't ban Create Food and Water. If you are running a witch-hunting game, probably ban or modify low level powers which would unilaterally remove curses. 

How to make shortcut powers interesting

Remember my definition for shortcut powers are powers that 1) characters attain easily and 2) which bypass challenges without creative effort. There are tons of ways to remove the shortcut aspect of these powers.

Make them limited use, or give them a drawback. Incorporate into the power a decision point. 

Is this stone door really worth one of two uses of the Knocking magic item? Or should they give the rogue time to work on it while they defend against the few crumby wolves.

Is it worth using Remove Curse if the failing the spell's casting check would make the curse much worse? 

I get when people are hesitant to ban or restrict powers from the agreed upon system. But ultimately, the goal of playing ttrpgs is to have fun. If your group likes resource management, restrict shortcut powers which nullify that aspect of the game. If you as the GM want getting to and from the island to be party of the environmental challenge, consider restricting Water Walking powers. 

I know when I was a new GM, I felt a lot of pressure not to restrict anything that appeared in the system's 1 million pages of content, but I think that first campaign could have been more interesting if I had removed just a few of the shortcut powers I've listed here.

Yell at me in the comments. (I've yet to receive a comment on my fresh, hip blog and I can see from the analytics 85% of my views are bot crawlers lol.)

Deep Country: The Avian Mountain Jungle and Rowley Manor

Ten good words: barking, snatch, howl, bare, dodge, shout, grip, melee, echo, skitter.

I’d never played Electric Bastionland before and prepped this region for a weekend game, however, I am on a trip for work at the moment and ended up running this for some colleagues. I had five players; none had any experience whatsoever with TTRPGs… and it went GREAT. I loved that the rules were so simple for them to understand without previous familiarity with typical explanations of dice or saves or skills or attacks. I think this region specifically lent itself well to new players as a more traditional jungle is more approachable than the more absurd feeling of Bastion-proper. All in all it was a resounding success and I am excited to run more things in the future.

The Region

The Avian Mountain Jungle is a portion of forest connected (distantly) to Bastion by the 100 Rail (technically it is connected to the Graybow rail, connected to the Fish rail, which has a station in Bastion.)

The eruption of a volcano of roiling underground lakes has led to the sudden introduction of a steaming river—which separated the southern majority of the Avian Mountain Jungle from the rail.

Rowley Manor

Rowley Manor was constructed only about a decade ago by the Rowley family as a retreat from Bastion. It is built on the jungle cliffs above the raucous nests of a thousand paradise birds. 

By time its construction was completed, the Rowleys had lost interest. (The Rowleys are extremely wealthy avian cybernetics insurers) The jungle claimed it quickly. No member of the family has ever even seen the manor. . . but rumor has it they did have it stocked with niceties to be enjoyed for their forsaken vacations.

Many of the rooms have windows, and even the second floor windows are relatively easy access via the wide roof, but you should make a random encounter check per each window examined from the outside.

1. Foyer. Vines and hole in wall near ceiling.
2. Bird Hall. All cages are empty, many smashed. A few cybernetics-enhanced birds remain in the hall, on elevated vines. Balcony (9) above is visibly covered with sleeping baboons. The remaining birds could wake the baboons if antagonized.
3. Dry Conservatory. Yucca and cacti. Cold metal atmosphere. Mummy rehydrator (he will come back to life in about another 200 years, once his soul is rehydrated. This could be sped up dramatically through submersion, but it will get all ugly.)
4. Kitchen/Laboratory. Destroyed. Hidden dumbwaiter to Alcohol Room (12). 
5. Wet (flooded) Conservatory. Treasure. Giant shed snake skin. 50% chance the giant snake is here.
6. Sketch Library. "x-ray" sketches of mountains with giant crab monsters in them. Vines in here will reactively entangle creatures which touch them.
7. Fermentation Collection. There are two colonies of mundane ants at war over the valuable resources in this room. They will ineffectively attack characters who disturb the fermented items here. Some fermenting jars might be useful as poisons, as nasty remedies, or for pranks.
8. Courtyard. Covered walkway. Turtle ponds. Bucket of water and turtle egg-shells. No baby turtles.
9. Balcony. Covered in sleeping baboons. If waked, they will be violent unless shouted down.
10. Bedroom. Baboons have barricaded the door from the outside. Inside is a skeleton parrot animated solely by its cybernetics.
11. Alcohol room. Two drunk baboons. Obvious dumbwaiter to Kitchen/Laboratory.
12. The bee room. Previously a study. The honey causes mild allergic reactions.
13. Phonograph room. Lots of chairs for an audience. Shattered glass dome; large curved shards of rose-colored glass covers the floor. The phonograph is extremely valuable, but weighs 600 lbs. The 8 giant records are each worth 10% of the phonograph's value, but are 8' across.
14. The baboon matriarch uses this room to nurse all the baby baboons (she has taken over motherhood for the other females.)

D6 Wandering Encounters

1. A cute infant baboon will want to be picked up and carried. Its mother, in the next room, will be irate if the party enters carrying her son.
2. A young baboon distracts the party while his sister tries to steal something from them. If successful it disappears our the window to the other floor.
3. The rotting wooden floor below gives way, dropping a character onto the floor below or underneath the manor.
4. The rotting wooden floor above gives way, dropping two angry baboons onto the party's heads. The baboons are just as angry with each other as with the party, and choose targets randomly.
5. Three baboons try to intimidate the party. They each fight until injured unless the party leaves the room the way they came.
6. Giant snake swallowing a sleeping or unconscious baboon. Can regurgitate the ape with crazy power to launch it like a projectile.

PSA: Ogres aren't Big Orcs

Ten good ogre words: flattered, loping, brooding, grubby, proud, swollen, demanding, intent, inviting, expect.

Ogres aren't big orcs. Ogres aren't stupid. Ogres shouldn't even be green. 

This will be a shorter one, since not much needs to be said. Some of my thoughts on ogres have historical backing (so long as you agree to my arbitrary cut-off dates for the development of ogre myth). Some of my thoughts are cherry-picked ogre concepts to make them feel cool and unique.

I'm going to use the word ogre, but ogress is the correct term for a female ogre.

Ogres aren't stupid.

Ogres are gullible. There is a big difference. We all know someone who is perfectly intelligent but will believe anything you say. Ogres are like that, trusting. It could be because they don't think you are a threat, or because they think they are extra smart when they are actually regular smart. They take you seriously, so long as you don't show fear. Any fool pleading for their life is as good as eaten.

They also don't like the idea of missing out. You can stay alive for quite a long time in an ogre's power simply by talking as if you know something that they don't.

Ogres aren't green.

Ogres looks more like giants or half-giants. Big, brutish men with extra hair. They don't run around naked. They don't look like orcs, like, at all. I feel it is important to visually distinguish them because I don't want my players to feel like ogres are a "run up and bash them" sort of enemy.

I like the wikipedia image for them. 

Ogres are villains

Please don't throw an ogre in as a random goon barring a door. They have a lot of story interest, and once your characters have experienced the two club swings of a boring rpg ogre the whole species will be thematically ruined.

Ogres are great big bads for low level parties. They like having minions. They like talking. They like eating people.

They live in wood mansions that are too large in scale for humans, but not so large that humans can't effectively navigate it. 

They dwell just outside town. Close enough to be a nuisance, and far enough to feel "other."

Ogres are greedy. They have to be near civilization because the people they bother or eat ultimately have something the ogre wants. Human meat, flattery, fear, and gold are all very appropriate ogre motivations.

Ogres are shapechangers.

I am summoning the authority of Charles Perrault—the guy who wrote Puss in Boots (1697) and the first to use the word "ogre" in its current form—when I say that ogres can change shapes. They can turn into any animal they wish, but if they die in animal form then that's that. None of this 5e wildshape nonsense.

I'd probably limit my ogres to shapechanging into animals their size or smaller, and animals that are regionally appropriate.

In the original Puss in Boots story (and in Spiderwick), the way the ogre dies is by being tricked into transforming into a mouse or bird, then being eaten, hence why gullibility is key.

Some game stuff to properly reimburse you for your attention

D6 Ogre Villains

1. Cormoran is a skilled chef. He is always seeking new and interesting ingredients. His specialty is Maple-braised man.
2. Brulgut eats only pigs, and likes to dine in bear form. She claims other foods upset her stomach. She is cruel, and forces nearby farmers to bring her pigs to eat in ever more humiliating manners—threatening to harm their families if they don't.
3. Mud King's bull slaves pull great trowels in ever expanding spirals. The lake where he resides is being expanded into a grand expanse of mud. The nearby town is not happy about it.
4. Grandpa has taken over a small village. The people know its bad that he is the mayor now, but don't know what to do about it. Grandpa sends bands of reluctant raidersd to abduct people from homesteads to be eaten. The ogre knows better than to eat his servants.
5. Beardo is constructing an enormous woodland manor. His minions kidnap carpenters, masons, engineers, and architects to be forced into labor.
6. Jura lives in the criminal dark of a mid-sized city. The ogress spends the majority of her time in the form of pigeons, crows, rats, mice, and other inconspicuous creatures. She spies on the rich and powerful, selling information and blackmailing politicians to afford her luxurious lifestyle and exotic dietary preferences.

Ogre stats for SWADE

Ogre

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d12

Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, Focus d10, Intimidation d12, Notice d6

Pace: 8, Parry: 7, Toughness: 11, Size: 3

Hinderances: Greedy, Curious

Edges: Iron Jaw, Menacing, 

Powers: Animal Shape