Sunday, July 30, 2006

The RPGA

When I was just getting back into the game after a few years of neglect, I found it difficult to acquire a new gaming group. I tried playing a few adventures with my then girlfriend (we're married now) and brother, but it was rocky since we were all still learning the 3.5 rules. So, I looked up the RPGA, an organization that gives players and DMs a place to game under a universal set of house rules. I found a local game store than runs a weekly game session and signed myself and my girlfriend up for a beginner adventure. In preparation for the event, we rolled up characters using the creation rules posted on the website. I made a healing-type cleric, my girlfriend made a greatsword-type fighter, a group in itself.

So we arrived, after a little introductory confusion we settled to our gaming table with a friendly DM and two other players. The other two players didn't have level 1 players standing by so they had to roll new ones. They both rolled up drow warmages (hmmm...) . The adventure was pretty fun, short but fun, and the other players were very nice. However, when we were in the middle of our little adventure, a heated argument broke out at one of the other game tables (they were playing a much higher level adventure). Something about riding a horse in a dungeon. Anyway, the DM (I think) lost it (and we were told he usually does). The game store was filled with the booming voice of a 30+ year-old man who was so insulted that anyone would argue a rule with him that he could not calm himself. He stormed back and forth through the store demanding the opinion of the store owner, tearing through texts, and berating the transgressor for his hurtful lack of D&D knowledge. It was quite a show. He eventually settled back at his table (though still far from calm), and we finished our game without further incident. We haven't been back since.

Now, I know this doesn't happen every event (I would hope) and also that not every game store puts up with this kind of thing, but that seriously turned us off to playing in such a setting. I have much more fun playing with a group of friends that have put together a party with extended backstories and a DM who puts effort into personalizing a campaign rather than a group of people I don't know (though most were friendly) and a pregenerated adventure. Don't get me wrong, I still use pregenerated adventures, but I also tweak them to my PCs. But, it did help me get a handle on some of the basic 3.5 rules so that I can run my own campaigns more smoothly.

So, if you're interested in the RPGA you can find them here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=rpga/welcome

I hope you have better luck than we did.

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Saturday, July 29, 2006

Awwwwwww

Was just browsing threads and came across the cutest D&D-related picture I've ever seen.


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The NEXT campaign.

Ok, so your group has successfully defeated the evil god of slaughter, torture, death, meanness, and jury duty, you've rescued all 256 princesses from their respective demonic captors, and you finally brought peace to the warring countries of Byhg and Whüp. It's about time to retire these characters and start over. But what happens to your beloved heroes and heroines? Are they ok? Are they still do-gooding? Are they nothing but legends now that their moment in the spotlight is over?

When a new campaign starts in the same world that the old one took place in, I like nothing more than to have the new characters cross paths with their old alter-egos. I find this makes the players feel special seeing the characters they put so much time and effort into still doing important things and being treated like those incredibly powerful NPC mentors and quest-givers you kept throwing at them. So, I'm going to offer up some ideas for how to integrate these legends into your adventures.

  1. The King- This character, after giving up his adventuring ways, has decided (or elected) to rule over the kingdom he spent so much time saving. The king is of course far too busy running a country now to worry about the simple adventures and quests he used to take care of himself. So what he needs now is a young group of adventurers to take up fight and settle these mundane issues. Of course, the group will be adequately compensated for their efforts. After all, he IS the king, and he still remembers what it was like being a starving 1st level adventurer just begging for that first +1 longsword.

  2. The Traveler- This character never did like settling down. He still roams the countryside looking for people to save or new things to see. Not much is a challenge to him anymore (though he doesn't have the rest of his group now), but it still feels just as good to save that caravan from raiders as it did back when it gave XP. He might even help a budding group of adventurers out of a tight spot once in a while, he knows he would have certainly appreciated the help back then.

  3. The Sage- By the time the first campaign's over, the spellcasters have probably attained god-like powers with their spells. What do they need a group of lowly new adventurers for? They can take care of anything and everything themselves. Besides, mortal problems rarely concern them anymore, they have more important things to deal with. The balance of the cosmos must be kept, and they're a key player in that now. But, that lowly group may just need the help of some all-knowing, all-seeing, master of the arcane (or divine). They just may need to grab his attention somehow.

  4. The Villain- What? But they were the good guys! (Note: Only do this with the player's consent. You should never deviate from the player's concept of their own character.) Sure he helped save the world a few dozen times. But now that it's safe, he wants a part of it, and he'll get it by any means necessary. What happened? Did the final epic battle with the forces of evil finally drive him mad? Did he always have an evil streak that just couldn't come out properly while surrounded by the other forces of righteousness that he travelled with? Whatever the answer, watch out!
So there you go. I hope you have lots of fun reintroducing these characters to their own players. And if you have other ideas I'd love to hear them. Actually, I'd love to hear anything. Seriously, it's tough coming up with things to write on a daily basis. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share. I'll even take "what's your opinion" questions. Ok, enough begging, I'm out.

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Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Dee

Tonight, I'm going to be helping a friend playtest a campaign idea. Since this is only a test, I decided to expand my normal character choices. So, let me introduce Dee: my halfling monk.

I rarely play small races, I don't know why, but I thought this would be a fun character to try it with. As I started making Dee, I was a little disappointed with some aspects. Low damage (1d4 for unarmed strikes and a strength penalty), 20 ft. speed (starting at level 1 so no bonus speed yet), and a -4 penalty on grapple checks.

But! It's not all bad. My saves are +6 each, AC of 17 with no armor, +1 attack bonus for size, lots of skill bonuses, and I took Improved Grapple to cancel out that -4 penalty (still not as good as a medium or large character with Improved Grapple, but eh... I can just picture the little guy leaping onto his opponent's faces and taking them down).

We probably won't be getting too far in levels (might just be a one-shot adventure), but if it does turn into a moderate-level campaign, I plan to take the Drunken Master prestige class (Complete Warrior). Hehe, can't you just see a permanently drunk halfling, looking like a beggar, pummeling an ogre to the ground. Can't wait!

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Monday, July 24, 2006

Fantasy Grounds

Lately, I've been getting my D&D fix through a digital table top program called Fantasy Grounds. I'm enjoying the campaign so far, and I thought I'd make a list of the pros and cons of going with a digital rather than actual tabletop.

Pros:
  1. Role-playing, I feel, comes easier across the anonymity that comes with playing over the internet.
  2. No cheating on rolls (except for the DM of course). Any player rolls are reported to everyone over the chat box.
  3. The /whisper command. This neat little function lets players send private messages to the DM, and lets the DM send private messages to anyone. The effect it has on priveledged information is priceless (spot rolls that only one person succeeds on for example, you're all making witty conversation when one of the PCs suddenly draws sword and jumps into the brush, comes out a minute later with an orc head, "now where were we?")
  4. The whole SRD at your fingertips. The program has nifty little book buttons that pull up just about any information you'd need, and if it doesn't see #5.
  5. Flexibility. Much of the xml is able to be edited. Any house rules or splatbook material can be inserted into the databases.
Cons:
  1. Crashes. Yeah, it happens for one reason or another. Most of the time it's a minor inconvenience, but sometimes the fates are just against you and the session can drag.
  2. Program malfunctions. Aside from crashes, there are little glitches that can get annoying like maps not loading properly, not being able to see text, etc. Like crashes, this doesn't happen too often most of the time.
  3. Less usually happens in any one particular session. Gameplay slows down a bit because of unfamiliarity with the interface, typing speed, etc.
If you'd like to know more about Fantasy Grounds visit http://fantasygrounds.com

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Sunday, July 23, 2006

Why I don't do evil PCs.

Ok, you might like running evil campaigns, that's fine. I don't care for them and here's why.

  1. If you allow some players to make evil characters, someone's going to want to play a paladin. It's bound to happen. This will end in one of the players being bitter because they didn't get to play the character they really wanted.
  2. Now that all your players decided to play evil or neutral characters to end the paladin debate, someone's going to be killed. Evil characters in a party is a double-cross waiting to happen. Yes, it is completely possible to have an evil party that cooperates, supports each other, shares loot, etc. But one player will get it into his head that "Hey, Gungadin the Scourge wouldn't think twice about gutting a comrade for that magic sword they found in the church, not to mention the experience for killing an equal level character single-handedly!
  3. I'm just not an evil person. See the previous blog. I can stand making evil NPCs for regular campaigns because I know the PCs are going to come in and rain fiery justice on their heads for hours (if all goes well).
So there you go. Don't try to make an evil PC in one of my campaigns, I'll rain fiery justice on your head for hours.

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I tend to think of my self as Lawful, maybe Neutral Good, hmmm....

I Am A: Chaotic Good Elf Ranger Paladin


Alignment:
Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups.


Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.


Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.


Secondary Class:
Paladins are the Holy Warriors. They have been chosen by a God/dess to be their representative on Earth, and must follow the code of that deity, or risk severe penalties. They tend towards being righteous, but not generally to excess.


Deity:
Solonor Thelandria is the Chaotic Good elven god of archery and the hunt. He is also known as the Keen Eye, the Great Archer, and the Forest Hunter. His followers respect nature, and only hunt when needed, but are quick to defend the forest from intruders. Their favorite weapon is the bow, and they tend to be extremely talented with it. Solonor Thelandria's symbol is an arrow with green fletchings.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy of NeppyMan (e-mail)

Edit: Took the quiz again and got: Lawful Good Human Paladin Ranger... go figure.

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Saturday, July 22, 2006

The Rod of Life

Disclaimer: I don't suggest actually putting this in game unless you know what you're doing.

I was bored the other day, so I decided to come up with one of the most powerful magic items I could think of. This is, the Rod of Life.

The Rod of Life is an unlimited use rod that casts true resurrection on command. Caster level 17th.

Ok, first question, why a rod? To that I respond why not? Actually, I chose a rod because they rarely duplicate spells. Normally, they have magical effects that are similar to spells, but significantly different. So, for an item that will never see the light of day anyway, let's make it a rod.

Now, every cleric wants one of these now right? So what does it take to make one? (because you aint gonna be buying one let me tell you....)

First you need the spell true resurrection, everyone got their holy symbols? Good! Now open your texts to page 1. Anyway, the base price to make one of these babies is not that bad, only about 275,400 gold. So that means that to create one, you need to spend 137,700 gold on materials, and sacrifice 11,016 experience points. Got it? Wait! We're not done yet! True resurrection also has a costly material component. Specifically, 25,000 gold in diamonds, and for unlimited uses, we need this component 100 times over! Woo! So the final cost for creation comes to a whopping 2,637,700 gold (which is almost the total wealth of a party of 4 level 20s according to the wealth-by-level charts). In addition, the rod would take 276 days to complete.

So there you go. Craft yourself a Rod of Life, find the nearest 170 year old (or younger) epic battlefield, and start raising all the good guys!


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Friday, July 21, 2006

Half-Dragon Templates

No, I'm not going to wonder about the difference in power between a half-dragon and a true dragon. That works for me. No children, I come to you today with startling news.

I received my first question! WOOT!

Ok, so what was the question you ask? That's another question I respond.

Anyway, the first question comes to me from Amp and it concerns ways of granting the half-dragon template to a character that was not born with it , details are left out to protect the players (they'll need all the protection they can get), and they're irrelevant anyway. The details, not the players. Amp had considered using some form of a wish spell (which would have done the job), but thought that was a little overkill. So, I broke out my books and set to work.

The first thing that came to mind was the Dragon Disciple prestige class from the DMG (pg. 184). Gain 10 levels and you become a half-dragon, sweet. But, since Amp was considering a single spell for the job, I thought perhaps there wasn't enough time for all that. So, on I looked.

The next thing I came across was the spell Polymorph Any Object from the PHB (pg. 263). This spell, can be permanent if the change is not too drastic from the original form (there are tables to help with all that), and I would rule that polymorphing from a base race to a half-dragon/half-base race would qualify as permanent.

Now, I know some people have problems with the polymorph line of spells, so I decided to come up with a third option. Since Amp was already considering using powers of massive proportions, why not make an artifact? Artifacts are fun because they can do anything. They don't have to follow the normal rules, they don't have to work for everyone or in any kind of consistent manner at all if you don't want them too. Sure there are those that do, but an artifact with even a hint of intelligence can refuse to work if it doesn't want to. So, how about an Altar of Draconic Lineage, or a Statue of Draconic Perfection (or semi-perfection as the case may be) that grants the half-dragon template to those it deems worthy (or something). Here you can be as creative as you like.

So, I hope that was informative and not too confusing. You now have at least three different ways of granting the half-dragon template (by class, by spell, and by item).

So who's next?


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Thursday, July 20, 2006

Outsider Templates

Me again!

Ok, here we go. Since I haven't received any questions as of yet, let me present my own. I'm fully open to any explanation you can give on this subject. I was looking through the Monster Manual comparing templates and such when I noticed something odd.

On the one hand, you have the Celestial Creature template which adds a few special abilities including smite evil (a lesser form than the paladin's ability of the same name), a little energy resistance, possibly damage reduction (depending on hit dice), spell resistance, and darkvision great!

Then I noticed the Half-Celestial template. Who get loads of other abilities in addition to everything mentioned above (and better versions of a lot of the celestial's abilities). I checked out the Fiendish Creature and Half-Fiend templates and they show the same difference. So, what is it about a creature mating with a lesser creature that creates a third creature far more powerful than either of the parents?

I now open the floor for discussion. Btw, by responding to this with a suggestion you are giving me permission to post said suggestion. I won't use your name if you don't want me to. And... GO!


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Tuesday, July 18, 2006

The Unwavering Path

Ok, this is my first post. WOOT! Before I get started, I'd better tell you a bit about what I plan to do here. First, this was not my idea. My wife talked me into starting this blog because she's sick of hearing me rant about D&D stuff to her every day. So instead, I'll rant to the internet void and see if anyone cares to listen. Now, what I want to do with this thing is to take questions from readers regarding Dungeons and Dragons RPG rules and such and try to answer them as best I can.

So a little about me so you know who you're asking: I'm a 23 year old psychologist-in-training (I believe that's my official title) who greatly enjoys the D&D game and has for some time. I started playing in middle school in 2nd edition. There was a lengthy hiatus where life prevented me from playing. However, I have now picked up the 3.5 edition rulebooks and rekindled my love of the game. Personally, I think that 3rd edition is an incredible improvement over 2nd, and you are free to disagree with me, but you're wrong ;). So if you have a problem in a game that you want a third party to cast a deciding vote on, advice on character building (note: I most likely will not hand you a build that makes you practically invincible, I just look for good combinations of abilities, unique combinations, or easier ways of achieving a stated goal in order to speed up gameplay and make it more rewarding), or interpretations for vague rules send me a letter to "majorheadaches at gmail dot com".

Now down to business. The first thing I want to mention (and it's first just because it's recent) is the new Unwavering Path quest that was posted as a web enhancement at www.wizards.com.

Basically, this quest allows monks and paladins to freely multiclass without incurring the normal restriction that they can no longer progress as monks or paladins respectively. Personally, I've never liked that rule anyway. Especially when a character takes a prestige class in a very monk- or paladin-like class. It really penalizes the character in a way that's not really balancing, just annoying. For instance, let's say you have a monk character. By level 6 your monk could easily meet the requirements for the Initiate of Pistis Sophia (Book of Exalted Deeds: I love it!) prestige class. Now, this prestige class seems to be designed specifically for monks, levels in it even stack with monk levels for some abilities.
  • Ok, so you're a level 6 monk, and want this PrC (prestige class), so you take it making you a monk 6/Initiate 1. Great! But, now you can't gain any more levels in monk. Oh well, you've still got this monk-like class to level in.
  • So you go all the way up to level 16 as monk 6/Initiate 10. Now there's a problem. You can't advance a PrC farther than 10 until you're a level 20 character (provided the PrC has 10 levels of progression already listed). So what do you do?
  • Take 4 levels of something else... it's doable, but that may force some monk purists into making choices they didn't want.
  • This situation can, of course, be prevented by taking 10 levels of monk before taking the PrC, but some players can get very impatient with this especially if they see the PrC as defining what their character "truly is".
  • Or you could choose a race with 4 HD... that can run into many other problems.
So, back to the original problem, why should a monk who never really stopped being a monk, just changed fighting styles at most, be prevented from still progressing as a monk? Ok, if your DM thinks the same way I do, you can just throw the rule out. That's fine. But, if your DM thinks it's an important rule to keep, which is fine too, you can point him/her to the Unwavering Path.

What I like about this, aside from allowing a character to overcome a rule I have problems with, is that it's scalable. It's a quest, so if your DM wants to hold onto the rule, but doesn't think it's all that important, it could be a rather simple, yet meaningful quest. But, if your DM thinks that the rule is integral to the nature of these classes, s/he could make the quest quite lengthy and difficult. So that, by the time you complete it, you will have earned the right to ignore the rule. Plus, it allows for some nifty role-playing aspects to enter your game, and that's always good... maybe....


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