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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 6:01AM
#1
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2005
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Expert Dungeon Master Competition #9
Build a Nation! [indent] One aspect of being a Dungeon Master is creating a complex campaign world in which to adventure. Within those campaign worlds, nations govern their populaces. An Expert Dungeon Master can create a unique nation that draws players into the fantasy without breaking suspension of disbelief, all the while providing fodder for countless adventures. This competition asks you to create such a nation.[/indent] Welcome to the ninth Expert Dungeon Master Competition! The primary purpose of the Expert Dungeon Master Competitions is threefold: [list=1] To create a resource for new Dungeon Masters drawing on the vast talent pool of the experienced Dungeon Masters of this forum.
To create a fun and vibrant competition that is sportsmanlike and friendly.
To showcase the creativity and talent of Dungeon Masters like you.
In order to enter the competition, your entry must fulfill the following required elements:
[list=A]Name your nation.
Provide a one- or two-sentence encapsulation of the nation's most prominent characteristics.
Briefly describe the nation's geography, racial demographics, exports, system of government, and any influential non-governmental organizations.
Briefly describe the nation's recent history, and the DCs for History Skill checks at which they become available.
Provide a Background for player characters from the nation.
In addition, the entry must include at least three of the following optional elements:
[list=1]
A city-state, the nation governs no more than one urban center and its surrounding farmlands.
A plurality or more of the nation's populace believes the nation has an ethical or religious duty that extends beyond its borders.
For reasons described in the entry, one character class has a disproportionate presence in the nation.
One or more of the nation's leaders is of a race unavailable to player characters.
The entry offers ideas for one or more nation-specific encounters for each tier of play.
The nation contains a unique geographic feature, landmark, or monument that might be of interest to adventurers.
The nation has a chivalric order, described in the entry, that is unaffiliated with the government.
The nation has a unique tradition, custom, or observance that some player characters might find troubling.
The nation has unusual laws with respect to the use of magic or concerning religious observance.
The nation is in a fantastic location (cloud-city, on multiple planes of existence, underground, etc.)
The nation is in a state of declared or undeclared civil war, rebellion, or revolution with two or more rival factions (governmental or otherwise) vying for control or influence.
The nation lacks an essential resource (stone, wood, arable land, etc.) and must trade to make up the deficit.
The nation's defenses rely on a unique ritual that their ritualists alone possess, as detailed in the entry.
The nation's system of government is neither monarchic nor democratic.
- Code of Conduct. All entries must comply with the forum's Code of Conduct.
- Contest Duration. Contests usually run for two weeks, beginning with the post announcing the competition. The Coordinator may extend the duration of the contest at his discretion after consulting the other judges for that competition. However, such extensions should be done very rarely.
- Edits After 15 Minutes Prohibited. Applicants may not edit their entries more than 15 minutes after submission. This includes editing done by forum moderators, unless the moderator specifically states that the entry had not been edited prior to the moderator's action. If the entrant submits an entry before the contest closes and then edits the entry after the contest closes, but within fifteen minutes of submission, the edits will be considered valid. Entrants should use the forum’s “preview post” function or an off-line text editor to check the entry before posting. Once winners have been announced, entrants may edit their entries.
- Multiple Entries Prohibited. Each applicant may only submit one entry during the period in which entries may be submitted. Submitting multiple entries disqualifies all entries. Additional entries may be submitted after the competition closes, but they will not be judged.
- Multi-Post Entries Prohibited. Each entry must be contained within a single post. The judges must ignore any subsequent posts.
- Outside Links Prohibited. Entries may not include material hosted on a website other than the post on which the entry appears. Images hosted on, or links to, other websites will be ignored by the judges when scoring.
- Plagiarism and Previewing Prohibited. All entries must be the original, exclusive work of the applicant. Entries found to be copying the work of another, or that have been posted for review prior to the close of the competition, will be disqualified.
The contest will run from today through Friday, May 1, 2009. All entries must be submitted no later than 12:00 midnight on that day (Eastern Standard Time). The judges of this contest are Eldritch_Lord, Lord_Ventnor, Veok, and wrecan, and the coordinator of this contest is wrecan.
Good luck and have fun!!
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 6:02AM
#2
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2005
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Questions & Answers
(questions posed by potential entrants and the coordinator's response) Q. For purposes of Required Element E, what is a "Background"?
A. Backgrounds are detailed in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide and Players Handbook 2. It is a brief description of non-combat situations in which having this background could be a benefit, and some "associated skills" for which characters with this benefit often receive circumstantial bonuses. For those without these books, a sample background follows:[indent] Euphonian BackgroundEuphonians are taught song and music from an early age. Except those who are tone-deaf (unfortunate souls exiled to a life of musicless misery), every Euphonian must know how to play and tune at least one instrument and sing a full operatic aria. They are fully versed in music theory and history, and have a keen ear. Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Perception.[/indent] Q. For purposes of Optional Element 4, what races are "unavailable to player characters"?
A. If a race has rules for making player characters, then the race is available to player characters. I believe that list includes: Bladeling, Bugbear, Deva, Doppelganger, Dragonborn, Drow, Dwarf, Eladrin, Elf, Genasi, Githyanki, Githzerai, Gnome, Gnoll, Goblin, Goliath, Half-Elf, Halfling, Half-Orc, Hobgoblin, Human, Minotaur, Orc, Kobold, Shadar-kai, Shifter, Tiefling, and Warforged
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 6:02AM
#3
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2005
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 6:03AM
#4
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2005
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Medalists The Bronze Medal Is a Tie and Goes To...Jonathan_Vagabond with "Arx Ancillis"! and GregT_314 x with "Maelstrom"! ![](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?name=with "Maelstrom"!&type=card) The Silver Medal Goes To...ff6 x shadow with "Alaron"!! ![](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?name=shadow with "Alaron"!!&type=card) The Gold Medal Goes To...Tinwe with "Copseholme"!!! Congratulations to all of you! The gold medalist, Tinwe, is eligible for the custom title of "Heroic Dungeon Master" (if so desired) and is also now eligible to judge future competitions! If tinwe wins subsequent competitions, the custom title can be changed to "Paragon Dungeon Master" and then "Epic Dungeon Master"! Thanks also to my fellow judges, Eldritch_Lord, Lord_Ventnor, and Veok, who did a great job judging the competitions and were so speedy. This was one of the longest competitions (both in number of entries and in the size of each entry) and they did an amazing and thorough job! I am so very grateful to them for volunteering. Congratulations again to everyone for such wonderful entries and thanks for making the XDMCs a continuing success! Anybody who wishes to edit their entries are welcome to do so. Also, judges are welcome to post their comments. I'm afraid I won't have comments this time. Stay tuned for XDMC #9 to begin (hopefully) in a few weeks. In the meantime, enjoy the carefully tabulated scores below. Before scores are posted I need to say that we had an unusual number of people who got a zero in Themes for failing to include optional elements, particularly the Background. It's very important for people to make sure all the required elements have been included. Please don't be discouraged if you feel you scored low. Keep entering the contest and as you gain experience, I'm sure your score will improve. [b]CONSOLIDATED SCORES BY ENTRY[/b]
[b]Entry Creat'y Usab'y Theme Clar'y Bonus Total Author's Entry[/b]
1 8 1/2 9 0 4 1/4 21 3/4 Caladors' Imperious
2 10 1/4 12 7 6 35 1/4 S-Marrow's Holshorn
3 12 11 1/2 9 1/2 7 40 CorrinAvatan's R'norima
4 13 10 8 3/4 8 1/4 40 Witchslasher's Suminya
5 10 1/2 7 0 7 1/2 25 Falstyr's Imbelote
6 12 1/2 10 9 3/8 8 5/8 40 1/2 Jonathan_Vagabond's Arx Ancilis
7 7 11 1/2 0 7 1/4 25 3/4 JayJian's Islan
8 12 1/4 10 1/4 6 3/4 8 3/4 38 ClanBattlerage's Araddona
9 11 1/4 12 1/4 7 1/2 8 7/8 39 7/8 Koradzi's Soren Empire
10 13 1/2 8 1/2 8 8 38 shinobicow's Bakanoria
11 10 8 7 1/4 7 32 1/4 Zetesofos' Wakemist
12 14 10 7 3/4 8 3/4 40 1/2 GregT_314's Maelstrom
13 11 1/4 11 8 1/8 6 3/4 37 1/8 Sinjei's Dominion of Erathis
14 8 1/2 9 3/4 7 6 7/8 32 1/8 Drecon84's Ravellon
15 11 3/4 9 3/4 8 3/4 8 1/8 38 3/8 herald108's Surin Heights
16 8 3/4 6 3/4 0 7 1/2 23 TelinArtho's Grum-fells
17 13 10 1/4 9 8 3/4 41 Tinwe's Copseholme
18 9 1/2 9 1/4 7 7 7/8 33 5/8 CountessKathleen's Amalthean Republic
19 11 3/8 8 1/4 7 3/4 8 5/8 1 37 Exultation's Quellera Imperialis
20 11 1/2 12 1/4 8 1/4 8 7/8 40 7/8 ff6shadow's Alaron
21 9 3/4 10 3/4 8 8 1/4 1 37 3/4 JRGumby's Akkadia
22 14 1/4 8 3/8 8 1/2 8 1/2 39 5/8 Elil's Swallowed City
[b]CONSOLIDATED SCORES BY SCORE[/b]
[b]Entry Creat'y Usab'y Theme Clar'y Bonus Total Author's Entry[/b]
17 13 10 1/4 9 8 3/4 41 Tinwe's Copseholme
20 11 1/2 12 1/4 8 1/4 8 7/8 40 7/8 ff6shadow's Alaron
6 12 1/2 10 9 3/8 8 5/8 40 1/2 Jonathan_Vagabond's Arx Ancilis
12 14 10 7 3/4 8 3/4 40 1/2 GregT_314's Maelstrom
3 12 11 1/2 9 1/2 7 40 CorrinAvatan's R'norima
4 13 10 8 3/4 8 1/4 40 Witchslasher's Suminya
9 11 1/4 12 1/4 7 1/2 8 7/8 39 7/8 Koradzi's Soren Empire
22 14 1/4 8 3/8 8 1/2 8 1/2 39 5/8 Elil's Swallowed City
15 11 3/4 9 3/4 8 3/4 8 1/8 38 3/8 herald108's Surin Heights
8 12 1/4 10 1/4 6 3/4 8 3/4 38 ClanBattlerage's Araddona
10 13 1/2 8 1/2 8 8 38 shinobicow's Bakanoria
21 9 3/4 10 3/4 8 8 1/4 1 37 3/4 JRGumby's Akkadia
13 11 1/4 11 8 1/8 6 3/4 37 1/8 Sinjei's Dominion of Erathis
19 11 3/8 8 1/4 7 3/4 8 5/8 1 37 Exultation's Quellera Imperialis
2 10 1/4 12 7 6 35 1/4 S-Marrow's Holshorn
18 9 1/2 9 1/4 7 7 7/8 33 5/8 CountessKathleen's Amalthean Republic
11 10 8 7 1/4 7 32 1/4 Zetesofos' Wakemist
14 8 1/2 9 3/4 7 6 7/8 32 1/8 Drecon84's Ravellon
7 7 11 1/2 0 7 1/4 25 3/4 JayJian's Islan
5 10 1/2 7 0 7 1/2 25 Falstyr's Imbelote
16 8 3/4 6 3/4 0 7 1/2 23 TelinArtho's Grum-fells
1 8 1/2 9 0 4 1/4 21 3/4 Caladors' Imperious
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 6:22AM
#5
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Oh, this one will be fun. I can't wait to work on it.  One question for element E: What do you mean a background for player characters from that nation? Do you mean telling the history of the nation so player characters can write their own ticket... or, like, a sample history of someone who grew up in the nation that can inspire folks?
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 6:32AM
#6
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2005
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Backgrounds were introduced in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide and the Players Handbook 2. It is a small benefit a PC can get by concentrating on their background.
It is, essentially, a brief description of what roleplaying benefits a character might gain for having been raised in the nation, and a few Skills associated with characters from that nation.
For example:
Euphonian Background
People from Euphonia are trained at birth to sing on pitch and to have an ear for music and tone. Almost every Euphonian can tune an instrument, and -- except for those poor tone-deaf exiles -- perform at least one operatic aria.
Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Perception
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 6:41AM
#7
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Wow, this one is going to be interesting... I'm already taking notes. Hopefully i can actually put the advice i got in the last one of these things to practical use here.
Question:
Regarding optional element four, by what source are we to assume the races are unavailable to player characters? if its in the Character Builder its legal?
Thanks
I live and work in Japan, near Mt. Fuji, teaching English to High Schoolers. In my spare time I also happen to be a husband, a father, and an Otaku. I run a biweekly DnD game on Sundays and blog about it every other day of the week at http://thedumpstat.blogspot.com 
D&D Home Page - What Monster Are You? - D&D Compendium
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 6:44AM
#8
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2005
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Question:
Regarding optional element four, by what source are we to assume the races are unavailable to player characters? if its in the Character Builder its legal?
Any race for which rules exist for making PCs out of them is a race available to player characters. That includes every race in the character builder.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 7:52AM
#9
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- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
Date Joined:
Oct 19, 2004
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And so, the great Flumph Empire takes shape...
Sounds like a great competition, am looking forward to it. :D
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4 years ago ::
Apr 13, 2009 - 8:56AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Dec 15, 2007
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I have a question regarding required element B.
Are we supposed to give a one or two sentence description of the city, or note any interesting things, and give each of these a one or two sentence description?
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