Tabletops and Tyrants, Session 1 (The Pilot)
"Long ago, in a realm called the Midwestern United States—specifically the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin—a group of friends gathered together to forever alter the history of- blablabla, we'll cut the crap," Issei said, scribbling on a sheet. "I'm so glad you could join me today. Welcome to Tabletops and Tyrants, name not final. Here we'll be going over the basics, such as races, features, stats, etc.. As our first guest... Ophis," Issei said, looking at a small black-haired girl whose face showed no expression.
"Hello."
"And today, we're going over the basics of basics: the dice."
"Why are seven needed? I think we should reduce it to 5," the seemingly young entity asked.
"If I may, let's go over the first of the bunch: the d4. This is known as a four-sided die, with values ranging from 1 to 4," he said, showing her a die that looked like a pyramid, this die being an obsidian black contrasted by white text.
"The tetrahedron looks like a caltrop, a poorly-made one."
"Hahaha, I know. I call it the dagger die. Unlike the other die, it has multiple numbers on one side, so there will be a corner that is on top, and with it..." he drifted off, rolling the die and watching it go on.
"It fell on a corner surrounded by 3s."
"Then the result is a 3, Ophis. Would you like to elaborate on our next one?"
"Of course. Our next one is the 6-sided die, values going from 1-6, either numerical or dots," she said, holding a standard die of 6 sides and showing it.
"Deemed as the caster's die, this one is used for the health of Wizards and Sorcerers, it's also used for a few weapons or even a few iconic spells such as Hex, Guiding Bolt, Fireball..."
"I see them as Cleric's dice. I play Cleric, I roll several, everyone is dead, fire is common."
"And commonly resisted, but you could mend that with a feat," he countered, sliding a tray of cookies her way. Slowly digging into the cookies, she stopped before speaking and tossing a die that looked like two pyramids fused together.
"The 8-sided die, the one that perhaps gains the highest amount of traction... the definitive die for the majority of the classes, their roles varying in support, part-casters, casters that have lesser skills than Wizards but can endure..."
"And also the main weapons, such as the rapier, the go-to Dexterity weapon!"
"Indeed, may you cover the next set? They are quite lengthy, and I must dig into this treat," Ophis said, looking at her host. Earning a nod in response, she began to eat the cookies, taking her time savoring them.
"Now, we have a troublesome bunch: the d10s..." he said, sighing before raising his hand and showing two die that were similar to the d8, but each side reminiscent of a kite's shape. He paused, before continuing.
"The thing about these, is that in a set, one will have sides ranging from 0-9, while the other is the same case, but in tens. Tens to nineties, ending in double zeroes. The lowest value will be 01, the highest 00, as a sign of 'one hundred'. I know, it's somewhat tedious, but not Wild Magic tedious. A d10 will be used for a few weapons, but is also the hp die for Fighters, Rangers and Paladins. Rangers are a joke of sorts, Fighters are good starters that can cover a few roles, and Paladins are tanks that were taught the basics and using the holy smite. Ophis, if you may," the brunette said, holding a die which had sides similar to a pentagon.
"Ah yes, the Barbarian's die... the d12. With sides ranging from 1-12, this die is rarely used, either for the Barbarian's hit points, the greataxe or lance's damage, or that one spell that exists," Ophis said, using a napkin to wipe any stray crumbs off her face.
"Hehehe, yeah. Ophis, would you like to wrap it up, or should I deal with it?"
"If I may..." she said, being handed a peculiar die: numbers ranging from 1-20 on each side, each side that of a triangle.
"Finally, we have the main die: the d20. This is used to determine check success or failure. The 1," she said, turning the die to show the side with a '1' on it, "will mainly mean a critical fail, no margin for error. There are races that can help bypass that, or even feats, but as there is a critical fail..." she continued, before turning the die over to a side with a '20' on it, "there will be a critical success. From there on out, the result may vary based on your stats, the so-called DC, but that is for another time. Issei?"
"Thank you Ophis, that wraps up today's lesson. I thank you for coming to my home."
"And I thank you for your hospitality, revenant."
"I have no idea of what you're talking about, but okay! Did you enjoy the cookies?"
"Very much so. If this fails, you could always be a baker."
"I'll take it as a compliment. Anyways, thank you for watching, and I'll see you all later!"