I like the proximity hooks--that is, bits of information about Cormyr (as Cormyr is north and east of Harpwood) that DMs can use to build adventures around. For example: suppose the Greatgaunts have summoned Maranthae Greatgaunt, but she refuses to return to Cormyr. Call up adventurers to bring her back.
View full commentI like the proximity hooks--that is, bits of information about Cormyr (as Cormyr is north and east of Harpwood) that DMs can use to build adventures around.
For example: suppose the Greatgaunts have summoned Maranthae Greatgaunt, but she refuses to return to Cormyr. Call up adventurers to bring her back.
I've been thinking about how to offer constructive thoughts on this article. Here's my best shot: 1) It hits me as a large wall of text/speech. I agree with EvilDM's suggestion that it would be better broken up. I'd much rather have players uncover these details as their characters interact with each location than try to hold their attention for a long monologue. If one must go with a tour guide, make it a tour guide. How about a street urchin who offers to guide the players around...
View full commentI've been thinking about how to offer constructive thoughts on this article. Here's my best shot:
1) It hits me as a large wall of text/speech. I agree with EvilDM's suggestion that it would be better broken up. I'd much rather have players uncover these details as their characters interact with each location than try to hold their attention for a long monologue. If one must go with a tour guide, make it a tour guide. How about a street urchin who offers to guide the players around town for a couple coppers? This would at least let the players interact a bit with the different areas as they were introduced....
2) It also seems to suggest the DM should put together (or makeup on the spot?) a vast amount of information. Sadly I don't have the time as a DM to write up this amount of detail and would have a hard time keeping track of it all if I made it up on the spot.
3) If I was listening to this as a player I'd be thoroughly lost by the end. How am I supposed to keep track of all those details and names? Nothing is sign posted in a way that would lead me to latch onto it as a good lead.
I've had too many bad experiences with gnomes. They always get played as really horrible NPCs that you want to punch in the face and leave on a roadside while your're being followed by a band of orcs.
This does not square with my experience of female gamers. The most common complaint I get from women at the table is that they're bored by number-crunching and cautious exploration, and want to fast-forward to the part where they get to strew monster guts all over the dungeon (preferably described by the DM in graphic detail). As far as relationships go, it's mostly seducing bad guys to gain the advantage over them, or casual sex with no consequences. The only players I've ever seen looking for...
View full commentThis does not square with my experience of female gamers. The most common complaint I get from women at the table is that they're bored by number-crunching and cautious exploration, and want to fast-forward to the part where they get to strew monster guts all over the dungeon (preferably described by the DM in graphic detail). As far as relationships go, it's mostly seducing bad guys to gain the advantage over them, or casual sex with no consequences. The only players I've ever seen looking for in-game love and romance have been male.
I think their are factors that make romance in campaigns more likely. A DM can increase their chances of romance or other high roleplay options by just creating a more interactive world. Players should feel a part of the world rather than a game peice being railroaded from one dungeon to the next. Npcs should be given flavor so that players remember them and want to spend more time with them. Players need to take the attitude that the world and its cast of characters are not just numbers to be...
View full commentI think their are factors that make romance in campaigns more likely. A DM can increase their chances of romance or other high roleplay options by just creating a more interactive world. Players should feel a part of the world rather than a game peice being railroaded from one dungeon to the next. Npcs should be given flavor so that players remember them and want to spend more time with them. Players need to take the attitude that the world and its cast of characters are not just numbers to be added or subtracted. I have found that in campaigns where the DM encourages a backstory are more likely to have romances. When romance does happen in a campaign I find the player is more emotionally engaged, especially if the gm uses it in the plot. I think it also depends on the people involved, male or female, if romance is something they want from a story it will happen.
Expertise dice... Great idea but...the first iterations of the playtest were more ‘old school’. Looks like we are moving back to extreme damage die rolls again… Things like the Fighter surge.. shudder! 12d6 suddenly? Very naff! A more interesting expertise progression might be… A simple d6, d8, d10, d12, 2d6, d6d8, d610, d6d12, d8d12, d10d12 2d12. This is more than sufficient expertise dice for all classes and ensures players think when and how to spend their dice. I also...
View full commentExpertise dice...
Great idea but...the first iterations of the playtest were more ‘old school’. Looks like we are moving back to extreme damage die rolls again… Things like the Fighter surge.. shudder! 12d6 suddenly? Very naff!
A more interesting expertise progression might be…
A simple d6, d8, d10, d12, 2d6, d6d8, d610, d6d12, d8d12, d10d12 2d12. This is more than sufficient expertise dice for all classes and ensures players think when and how to spend their dice.
I also noticed the Barbar has automatic damage per hit like the fighter, rogue and cleric. Sorry guys –awful idea – just too extreme – automatic lumps of damage and in mega serviings too ! It’s a way of disguising yet another group of d6 damage lumps.
There simply no need for this extra damage at all. An extra to hit roll for the character would be more interesting and allow for a miss as well.
I like the overall thrust… but tone down the damage again. Remember the original thrust etc.
Its OK not to do 60 points per swing, in fact its better not too. Because when players can do extreme damage, so can monsters.. which means inevitably characters get hit in a fashion that roleplaying and quick thinking can’t influence – there no time.
But with less damage a smart party can turn a situation around – they’ve got time to live past that first initial damage train.
I liked your example #2 with the wagon crashing through a wall very much but then I very well could imagine that Mr. Greenwood had handled the situation exactly the same way. Just that Quelzard was the reason for the wagon to crash through the wall. Nowhere did Ed say that you had to hand the players the rescue on a silver platter (and on a regular basis). He just suggested a reasoning for the rescuing event. Someone has to set the wagon in motion. The thing is that the players won't...
View full commentI liked your example #2 with the wagon crashing through a wall very much but then I very well could imagine that Mr. Greenwood had handled the situation exactly the same way. Just that Quelzard was the reason for the wagon to crash through the wall. Nowhere did Ed say that you had to hand the players the rescue on a silver platter (and on a regular basis). He just suggested a reasoning for the rescuing event. Someone has to set the wagon in motion. The thing is that the players won't necessarily want to know who this someone is, especially if there are more pressing matters at hand. But Ed also didn't say that this has to stay a secret which the players may never learn about. So I guess that if they had bitten the hook, the potential you see would have unfolded. It's just that they didn't bite, probably because there were other things they were more interested in.
If this hurts their suspension of disbelief is a matter of trust. As a player you don't need to analyze everything as long as you can trust in your DM's ability to explain the happenings in his world. Which is a given if the DM's name is Ed Greenwood who probably never used 90% of all the things he invented for his campaign.
Meaning that Quelzard in fact enriches the game by - if asked for - explaining some of the events happening in the PCs' surroundings. But if the players don't ask the necessary questions, it's not the DM's duty to answer them anyway. Well, and if they, out of mistrust against the DM, don't ask questions "lurking around in their minds", then the group has other problems to solve.
Well, to offer up a different point of view, the cave troll in this case is actually playing the part of Quelzard. Quelzard, in my understanding, is not actually a person, or even a group of people. It's a concept. It's the idea that you can improvise and help your adventurers out, but that there should be a plausible explanation. It's the safety net that can give your adventurers a chance against what would otherwise be certain death, while still forcing them to work for it.
View full commentWell, to offer up a different point of view, the cave troll in this case is actually playing the part of Quelzard.
Quelzard, in my understanding, is not actually a person, or even a group of people. It's a concept. It's the idea that you can improvise and help your adventurers out, but that there should be a plausible explanation. It's the safety net that can give your adventurers a chance against what would otherwise be certain death, while still forcing them to work for it.
I'm running a campaign at the moment with a good amount of politics... my players have decided the city is evil and they will adventure elsewhere. Sad, but the real fun is finding ways to make them go back to the city they hate, bwahahah
Some time in the next 12 months, I'll be running a more political campaign in Eberron where Erandis Vol through her various agents will become a stablising influence in a particular region... For her own purposes, of course!
Because the trope its generally trying to cater to is not a generic 'Protection' effect. Protection from Good/Evil/Neutrality was actually more of a Protection from the Supernatural effect. It generally didn't and never would affect non-magical beings, no matter what their alignment even in the 1e D&D game. Extraplanar creatures were effected, and they were classified by their alignments generally, because in 1e, among other things, there were distinct alignment planes of existence that...
View full commentBecause the trope its generally trying to cater to is not a generic 'Protection' effect. Protection from Good/Evil/Neutrality was actually more of a Protection from the Supernatural effect. It generally didn't and never would affect non-magical beings, no matter what their alignment even in the 1e D&D game. Extraplanar creatures were effected, and they were classified by their alignments generally, because in 1e, among other things, there were distinct alignment planes of existence that represented the various power sources of these extra planar creatures.
A generic 'Protection' spell could work, I guess, if you just said it protected you from 'Summoned and other worldly creatures and the Undead' and then you'd probably call it 'Circle of Protection' like many other games do. If your being chased by Good NPCs or Evil ones, the Protection spell shouldn't be the way to go anyway...based on what the spell really generally conceptually meant. Its like throwing down a circle of salt...any person can break that circle, but a Zombie can't cross!
One of the things I loved about previous editions was the ability to use Items to complement my daily spells. - I always carried a variety of wands for "standards" (magic missle, fireball, lightningbolt). - I'd carry scrolls for "utility" spells (remove curse, stone to flesh) - and finally potions for "one-offs" (Water breathing). The rest of my daily spells would be a mixture of standards for a little extra "umph" and spells tailored for what we *thought* we'd need for...
View full commentOne of the things I loved about previous editions was the ability to use Items to complement my daily spells.
- I always carried a variety of wands for "standards" (magic missle, fireball, lightningbolt).
- I'd carry scrolls for "utility" spells (remove curse, stone to flesh)
- and finally potions for "one-offs" (Water breathing).
The rest of my daily spells would be a mixture of standards for a little extra "umph" and spells tailored for what we *thought* we'd need for the adventure. What was great is that I could make these items myself and not have to worry about finding them at "Ye Ol Magic Shoppe"
Unfortunately there is nothing quite like this in 4e =o(
Pathfinder's not going anywhere if you favor that kind of high-powered adventure, most game stores host a couple of people who at least have the books. I resented having to stock up on every piece of crap allowable to my character class to be effective in Third Ed. I'm sure Fifth will have an Artificer eventually, so keep an eye out even if it's not your game of choice, although wands and staves might end up being a bit more work. Wands don't seem to be quite the (relatively) cheap disposable...
View full commentPathfinder's not going anywhere if you favor that kind of high-powered adventure, most game stores host a couple of people who at least have the books. I resented having to stock up on every piece of crap allowable to my character class to be effective in Third Ed. I'm sure Fifth will have an Artificer eventually, so keep an eye out even if it's not your game of choice, although wands and staves might end up being a bit more work. Wands don't seem to be quite the (relatively) cheap disposable items they were in AD&D and 3E, and staves look to me to be taking more of an AD&D route.
Love this column, Ed! I have a tiefling trader named Nalfeus Crowe in my homebrew, the Realm of Quindia, who my players have learned to love and hate with equal measure. He always knows whats going on in the region and is willing to share his knowledge for a price, though they have learned he may leave out important details... 'Didn't I mention the ettin? Oh dear, but you've made it safe and sound all the same! Well done!' He sometimes offers payment for 'the smallest of tasks' that...
I have a tiefling trader named Nalfeus Crowe in my homebrew, the Realm of Quindia, who my players have learned to love and hate with equal measure. He always knows whats going on in the region and is willing to share his knowledge for a price, though they have learned he may leave out important details... 'Didn't I mention the ettin? Oh dear, but you've made it safe and sound all the same! Well done!' He sometimes offers payment for 'the smallest of tasks' that normally turn out to be anything but. Part of the reward bestowed on the party once was a jeweled dagger and (unknown to the group) a message concealed in the hilt that half of the factions of the Kingdom of Bronet were seeking. He pick pocketed the item during a later meeting after the heroes 'smuggled' it to a border town where he unloaded the message for a healthy profit. When confronted later, he bought off the characters with a pouch of jewels stolen earlier from a traveling witch hunter...
I love NPC's like this and Ed - I'm going to steal Rhauligan...
On top of all the other reasons to love these articles, they're awesome because I almost always learn a new word or two. I had no idea, for example, that "must" is the juice of freshly pressed grapes, plus the pulp, skins, stems and so on, prior to fermentation into wine. Great stuff WotC. Please consider asking Ed to expand on each of these articles and turn it into a print book. I'd purchase it at the same price point as Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms.
View full commentOn top of all the other reasons to love these articles, they're awesome because I almost always learn a new word or two. I had no idea, for example, that "must" is the juice of freshly pressed grapes, plus the pulp, skins, stems and so on, prior to fermentation into wine.
Great stuff WotC. Please consider asking Ed to expand on each of these articles and turn it into a print book.
I'd purchase it at the same price point as Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms.
I love it when I'm running an organized play adventure and they ask in disbelief "geez, who wrote this?!!!!" and I get to say it was me. Usually they react by laughing and pounding the table, because they are seeing a type of challenge they haven't seen before but are still having a good time. I like pushing PCs to the brink of failure but not over that line, because ultimately I'm a sucker for heroes.
I am not sure I will go through with it; I was just brainstorming. I was going for a noirish type of set up. I like demons as primal spirits, because there is a surplus of bad guy elemental types (giants, efrets, archons), not enough primal spirit bad guys, and Balors aside, they don't look very elemental. Besides, the notion that nature is out of whack has some storytelling potential.
View full commentI am not sure I will go through with it; I was just brainstorming. I was going for a noirish type of set up.
I like demons as primal spirits, because there is a surplus of bad guy elemental types (giants, efrets, archons), not enough primal spirit bad guys, and Balors aside, they don't look very elemental. Besides, the notion that nature is out of whack has some storytelling potential.
Sudden Death was Awesome. I've spent the last 4-5 days (since last Wednesday) looking up the Article Archives for the next instalment of the DM Experience. Hope to see it soon, your stories and tips are just awesome. If not for being inspired by your Column, I would never have taken the step to become a DM.
View full commentSudden Death was Awesome. I've spent the last 4-5 days (since last Wednesday) looking up the Article Archives for the next instalment of the DM Experience. Hope to see it soon, your stories and tips are just awesome.
If not for being inspired by your Column, I would never have taken the step to become a DM.
For example: suppose the Greatgaunts have summoned Maranthae Greatgaunt, but she refuses to return to Cormyr. Call up adventurers to bring her back.
View full comment
1) It hits me as a large wall of text/speech. I agree with EvilDM's suggestion that it would be better broken up. I'd much rather have players uncover these details as their characters interact with each location than try to hold their attention for a long monologue. If one must go with a tour guide, make it a tour guide. How about a street urchin who offers to guide the players around...
View full comment