1.       From Stott Stewart

a.      Ok I’ve you talk about this several times. But what is the ten commandments of gaming?(sic)

i.      Lord Flagoon’s response. Grammar aside this is a great question. Because what are the Ten Commandments of gaming? Are they the manifestation of years of gaming and roll playing? Are they the collaborations between three gamers who have all seen one, if not all, of these guidelines of basic descent human interaction broken at their prospective game table? Are they rules cast in stone brought to me by the Lord of gaming to help establish my own religion? Too the first two questions the answer is “Yes.” The last one the answer is “Maybe” only if you are willing to see me as a prophet, because Lord Flagoon is not below getting free money from people wanting to believe that he will bring them to the promised land of gaming Nirvana. (When it comes to sacrilege I’m all in.)

But seriously the 10 commandments are nothing more than a list of behaviors that we believe will help assist you and your gaming group into doing what Joe asks of you every week, “Get more from your games,” because that is what gaming is about getting all the entertainment, social interaction, bragging rights, and the fun and entertaining story’s that help create long lasting friendships that will strive throughout the years.

But if all you are asking for is a listing of them look no further than the following link for all your curiosities will be quenched. 

http://www.dungeoncrawlersradio.com/ten-commandments.html

2.       From Dane Harrison

a.       Hey this is Dane from the Dallas gaming group. We use to email you a while back and we have ran into a small snag and are looking for advice.

We are running a Ravenloft game and my players are stuck in a church that is in the middle of a graveyard. Now one of the players took something they shouldn't have in a previous excursion. 

Now this magical item has created a problem for the players because it is an artifact of evil and has awoken all of the dead in the cemetery to attack the players to free it from their bonds. The rogue that stole it does not know that it is magical nor do the other players. The object is masking itself so that it will not be destroyed. 

So the players are stuck in this old run down church it night time and there are thousands of zombies marching in to kill them. How do I save them or at least make it so they don't forever hate me!

i.       So… Your rouge stole something that is biting everyone in the ass. Typical rouges. Other than giving them hints that this particular item is the cause of their grief, there isn’t much you can do.  As the Commandments say “Respect the Consequences of your actions.”

Like going into the Underdark without any night vision abilities; when you’re in Ravenloft taking any item has the chance of being of a maligned force (I would be more surprised to find a holy item in that cursed place). If you do choose to go this route, give them a fight to end all fights. Imation the end of Halo Reach, they are held up in a church with the horde at their doors, death is imminent, but they are brave warriors ready to die in victorious battle! Another epic fight comes to mind.

Like I said this is going to be a fight and they may not come out unharmed, if memory serves me rite someone very powerful didn’t survive Moria. You can give them a fighting chance if they are the clever bunch and you can leave them some make-shift traps that they can drop on the heads of the zombies.

Another idea comes to mind that the magical item starts communicating to the rouge and tried to take over his body. Or the artifact attracts the, more powerful, creature that’s controlling the undead mass.

If there is something I have said again and again is. “Make them earn it.” You can help, but only slightly, never have the Deus ex machine come down and make everything alright. The players will remember the fight you brought them and how they succeeded or failed. They won’t remember the king’s garrison riding up to the doors and say. “There you go. We took them all out for you. Now on to the next step in your quests you little scamps.” Then pat them on the bum send them on their marry way. That sort of hand holding I would only wish to see in a Modern Shooter. If you want to go the hand hold rout give the players a chance to break the hold and try to stand on their own. As the DM you are the story teller and the facilitator of the characters that your players are portraying.

Hope this helped. On to the next.

3)      Max Cranston

a)      Hey guys this is kind of a character creation question. I am wanting to know what is the best way to create a fun character that is flawed.

I have always played the tank in the group that is designed to soak up damage and I want to try something new and unique. 

Any ideas?

i)        So you want to up your gaming experience and play a fully flushed out character instead of a human meat shield? AWESOME!!! When it comes to creating a flawed character the sky is the limit. If you want to play a foppish warrior that is a bore to be around or is a complete @$ hole but everyone has to work with him because, like you said, is a damage sponge; go ahead.

If your scrapping for ideas try here’s a list of some characters I thought of while weighting this:

(1)    mute Warrior (You would have to be completely silent and have a good story for this)

(2)    Bard with a sex addition

(3)    Anything with an addiction (sometimes the vices will be a hindrance or a godsend who knows)

(4)    A mage who suffers from hallucinations

(5)    A character with severe agoraphobia

(6)    A odd obsession with cats, the color purple, and has a stalker ex girl/boyfriend

(7)    Kleptomania (but isn’t a rouge or kinder)

(8)    Monk

So these are but a few examples to try. Think of any sort of quark and figure how you would roll play it. The biggest rule is not to be afraid if it doesn’t work. Start our small and slowly start trying to break your comfort zones. Hope this helps.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name:
Roger Smithfield

Comment:
Hey guys can you help me out. I'm wanting to use the optional Armor as Damage Reduction rules, but there is nothing listed as how it interacts with rules based on AC such as touch attacks and the like. I know that touch attacks still go against touch AC but does this change "nerf" the characters that use touch attacks as a perk?


Gamer Forge Response:

It's either Nerf, or nothing. DCR says:

Nope, damage reduction doesn't raise, lower, or interact with armor class. It's being able to decrease damage is just the perk of having damage reduction. Mind you, it does make the player's job a deal harder by giving them even more math to figure out, rather than playing the game. That's the trade-off you make when incorporating alternate or optional rules to enhance gameplay.



*Bonus XP: Don't have a Bag of Holding and want to have your enemies driven before you? Take a look at some of the finishing moves of video games like Mortal Kombat. For a more realistic(?) look at finishing someone off, look no further than pro wrestling's most dangerous finishers. Watch these examples and you'll be hearing the lamentations of the women in no time!

Gamer forge Listener Email:

Name:
Marcus Ryno

Comment:
Is there a feat (or other way, I guess) to use Dex or Con instead of Str when making melee attacks? The only time I ever make a basic melee attack is an attack of opportunity, so I guess another way to fix this would be a way of using one of my attack powers instead of basic melee for an AoO.

As requested by commenters: I'm playing an unusual Monk build, and although I've not built for AoO-spamming, I do seem to end up with a lot of them, and as I've not got a high Str, that's left me missing most of those.

Gamer Forge Response:

When getting your sneak on, DCR says:

Yes, sort of. The feat Melee Training will allow your basic attacks to be keyed into a stat other than Strength. Being a "rogue", being able to use your Dexterity in it's place would be well worth the investment of a feat. Plan your levels accordingly.



*Bonus XP: Need more reasons to train your melee skills more? Try modelling your next characters after these tried and true heroes: Fezzik from The Princess Bride fought through sheer constitution, letting his size do the talking. Sherlock Holmes fought with a hefty dose of intelligence. Cain from Kung Fu used the inner light of wisdom to negotiate his trials. Finally, the penultimate badass, Snake Plissken from Escape from New York could conquer through sheer force of personality, aka "Charisma".

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name:
Travis Johnson

Comment:
Pathfinder seems to have a few varied ways of identifying magic items and their properties, though some are used only with specific types of items.

What is, if any, the default way of identifying such items? What are the specific cases ?

To make this as complete as possible, other methods giving partial information about magic items (knowing it's magic but nothing more) are also welcome.

I have attempte to answer this question myself with what I've found so far but I have no idea if I'm right or have covered everything. Please let me know your thoughts?


Gamer Forge Response:

You don't need to be a super-sleuth to figure out magical items! DCR says:

The "Identify" spell is used to figure out the specifics of magic, mysterious items. Each round spent observing or meditating on the item reveals more of its abilities. Sometimes a magic sword just has a simple glowing enchantment on it, and some things have abilities that our puny human brains can't comprehend. But each round reveals something new, if there's something new to learn. The "Detect Magic" spell merely reveals the presence of a magical aura. It's not as awesome and catch-all as it sounds.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name:
Malcom Haverstock

Comment:
How does water affect Mage Hand? I know there are rules regarding disorientation with ray spells, and use of fire under water. But if a person wanted to, for example, grab some keys from a well, would there be obstacles to overcome for using mage hand?


Gamer Forge Response:

Give the mage a hand. Ha Ha! Get it? DCR says:

Not really. A Mage Hand spell can reach the item, provided you can see it. The real problem is, once you have the item. The hand is incorporeal, but the item is not. If you're trying to pull it out of a thorn bush or between prison bars, it still MUST be able to fit through and not snag on something. We only bring this up so you can be a total dick at all the right times. We love you, too, Internet.


*Bonus XP: When you're short on ideas when describing magic items, look no further than Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. The television show has, bar-none, the most exciting and still practical descriptions of magic and how it relates to people. Plus, you can explore a time before vampires sparkled and werewolves weren't required to go shirtless.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name

Steven Cowan

Comment
When in Ravenloft, would the town in question know that the Dark Lord is indeed, say, a vampire? That he or she would be the real ruler of that Domain?

For example: Barovia. Strahd has been there for a long, long, very long time. How do the villagers see him? Simply an undying ruler (if a ruler at all)? For what he is, a powerful vampire? The real ruler of Barovia? His castle… simply a haunted castle that's been there since the beginning of Barovia? Or that the Castle Ravenloft is the home of the Vampire Dark Lord?

I guess it could vary from DM to DM, but I have always wondered how would you explain it. Are the people in each domain in denial, would they know by now, etc.?

Gamer Forge Response:

We have no witty segue into this one. DCR says:

1.  What's the alternative? Maybe the citizens put up with a vampire lord because the surrounding area is at least ten times worse than in the domain of the castle. You head into the surrounding countryside and you are threatened with death all day, every day. While the land around the castle is, at the very least, protected. Thus, the villagers put up with the occasional abduction/sacrifice.

2. Again, the alternative: maybe the villagers are totally okay with their undead ruler. Maybe the town sees the need to give up one of the town's virgins to ensure the safety of the rest of the population. Who knows? Maybe the vampire offers excellent health insurance and a 401k. So where does this leave the heroes? This idea might be best left for when you're ready to throw a curve ball at your players.

3. The easiest thing to take into account would be time frame. What point on the timeline will your heroes be making their appearance. If they are early in the canon, then maybe the villagers don't know for sure what rules Castle Ravenloft. Later on, you can easily justify the townsfolk knowing more about what goes on up there. Your heroes might not be the first heroes to show up...

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name
School Teacher

Email
PleaseRespond@School.edu

Comment
Dear Dungeon Crawlers Radio,

I work with students that have a lot of difficulty performing roles that benefit the group as a whole. Their mentality is that they all want to be the winner or at least play the most important part, and so they struggle with the fact that everyone is important and plays a role in success for the group. I am asking here because my knowledge of any kind of RPG where roles are assigned and must be performed is extremely limited. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have 10 year-olds, usually 8-10 of them. Fantasy is fine, but probably need to stay away from demons and black magic. My initial thought that started this was an economy type rpg.

What I'm really looking for is a game where the students are required to perform a role that differs from everyone else's, and if they don't perform it well (as in trying to do someone elses "job") they fail as a group.


Thank you,


Gamer Forge Response:

Hmmmmm....DCR says:

1. Try splitting the class into groups of no more than four, then give each group a choice of character to which the group decides actions. Then, the whole class becomes a controlling interest in the party, and every important decision is made by the class and success/failure rests on the students. Pre-generated characters will most likely serve you best, but at least consider letting the groups generate a character. That way they make more decisions regarding the outcome. No, seriously. Use the link above. It's free and saves you a bunch of time.

2. This isn't tee-ball! If you enter with the mentality that failure cannot happen, for whatever reason, then you are depriving your student of the most important life lessons. Namely, coping with failure. Ideally, the students will succeed and the adventure continues. We say, make a big deal about the big decisions, and if the "character" doesn't quite succeed, make it light hearted, move on quickly, and bring the focus back to the story, not on the failure. Trust us, the students will feel it, and internalize those feelings. But they must learn to cope with the failure, not just success.

3. Don't get too mundane. Its a good opportunity to incorporate lessons on economy and the barter system. Just remember not to let mundane events become the focal point of the game.




*Bonus XP:  If you need a more educational reference about antagonists and how they rule, remember that during the American Revolution (you know, the one that made the United States of America), good people still supported England, even though they colonists hated being taxed like they were. Not necessarily out of loyalty, but because England was still trying to take care of it's colonies. Sure, it wasn't exactly a bang-up job, but what do you expect from an Empire that was growing too large to manage.

Are you ready?

We said....

ARE YOU READY?
Good. It's time for the Gamer Forge.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name

Spork the King

Comment
You know maybe this one is just as simple as it sounds and I am just making it far to difficult then it really is.

So let me explain my problem, you've got, let's say, an air elemental you want to kill, and it's basically made of air. How do you kill it? Simply by hitting it with any weapon seems a little bit illogical to me - it's air and you can't kill it with a nonmagical spork... Or can you?

Gamer Forge Response:

We put the "mental" back into "elemental". DCR says:

1. Seek alternative solutions. What sorts of things can you do to air to neutralize it? Carry a bellows as part of your standard adventuring gear. Just suck that air elemental into the bellows and throw it wherever  you wish. Use Teleport Without Error to transport it directly into the freezing vacuum of space, where air doesn't exist. If you wanna go extra "meta", freeze the room to zero degrees Kelvin. Now you have the molecules frozen completely solid and the air elemental good and truly trapped.
2. Magic weapons are the more practical solution. As it is mostly incorporeal, magic weapons are needed to damage it reliably, circumventing (get it, venting? Air? Har, har!) it's damage reduction.
3. Beware shrapnel. Loose objects laying about the room become instant weapons for an air elemental, and nothing is more humiliating than getting your day ruined by a shrimp fork to the eye.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name
Harold Johnson

Comment
I’m unsure how poisons work in Pathfinder.

For example: black adder venom. From the frequency of the poison, am I required to make a saving throw per minute for every six minutes? Each time I fail a save, do I take 1d2 str damage? Or do I take all the strength loss once all failed rounds are finished/frequency is over? It just looks like quite a chore referencing each round for ability score drops and I am really unclear on the rules.

If I succeed at rolling a saving throw, do I no longer need to check? And to remove the poison effect (strength loss) I will need to be cured through the various tools offered?

Another type is this:

Sting—injury; save Fort DC 10; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect sickened for 1 round; cure 1 save.

I just really cannot seem to figure out how poison works. Does this sting/sickness stack each round I fail a save?

Gamer Forge Response:

When picking your poison, DCR says:

1. Yep. The poison runs its course through your blood for the length of time stated on the stat block. So each minute, you make a saving throw against it. Each time you fail, you take the strength damage indicated. If you lose all your strength, then you die. If the poison says it's cured by making even one saving throw, then that's when it ends. Your body is strong enough to fight of the effects.

2. Reality check: The venom of a Black adder is <expletive deleted> deadly! The only reason you get a chance to survive it is because your character is exceptionally tough. Heroically tough. Count your blessings for being heroic.

3. The great equalizer. The benefit (or gamble) of using poisons is twofold. Success means you've crippled a stronger opponent and made him/her flush for the kill. Failure leaves you vulnerable to counterattack. More so, venom can be a cost effective way for a cutthroat to do his job. Simple venoms and toxins can be crafted from plants and animals. Rattlesnake venom and mandrake root are great starting points.


*Bonus XP: To give your elementals an air of extra mystique, describe them without using the word elemental. An earth elemental could be called a "golem". An air elemental can be a "will-o-wisp". A water elemental should be depicted as King Triton in "The Little Mermaid". Make the effort to not use the clinical definition so your players can be a little more immersed into the world you've created. Besides, "elemental" as a description is lame. Lame with a capital "Twilight".

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name

Nevin Oswald

Comment
Hey guys I'm sitting here writing hoping you remember our little group. We are the group who'd DM wrote in about his group that went into the under-dark and made some choices and ended up stuck facing a Red Dragon and then we wrote back giving our side of things.

Well i'm writing in to give a report and then ask for your help.

So i'd like to say your help was great we were able to work things out and we did survive the encounter with the dragon but not in any amazing way and no dragons were hurt in the success of our escape. Basically our DM allowed our wizard to make a check and found a magical item that would allow us to transport our of the cave to one location of the wizards choosing. So the wizard cast some invisibility spells, a spell of heat resistance, and a masking spell to mask our location and sent form the dragon. We were able to rush across the distance and get to the item and teleport out moments before being found by the dragon.

So now here is the problem I am facing. My character is a cleric and some of the things we have seen and faced have changed him. Not only that but some of the things that have been going on have been changing the gods themselves because they are having to do things that they normally wouldn't do to save all life. So my cleric has found himself at odd with his owe feelings and those tenets of his priesthood which he feels his Good has betrayed. Which honestly is really awesome! But some of the other players are saying that my character would accept the changes and be willing to embrace the changes in his good. Which would allow me to work more at ease with the group then opposed to some of the more chaotic actions of some of the group. My cleric is a Lawful Good alignment and my god has become more of a Chaotic Good because of the wars with the other goods and forces of evil and events that have changed him.

My question is do I change with me God and accept what has happened or do I keep to my character, his tenets, and remain conflicted while searching for another God to follow?

Gamer Forge Response:

Maybe we should start having a word count limit on questions, seeing as we only have a set amount of time to answer them? But when it comes to a crisis of faith (or lack thereof), DCR says:

1. Remember that a set of tenets are adopted by the person in question. You have willingly accepted them to be the right way to go, and incorporate them into your identity. There is no law, no rule, no nothing, that says you have to change with your deity. Indeed, your character's choices are yours, and yours alone, so don't bend to the whims of anyone, not even your DM.

2. This crisis can be a truly great story to add to the mythos of your game. Now, it may mean that you lose favor with the deity, and will need to either select a new religion, or start down a new path. Don't see this as a failing of the game system or the DM, or even yourself. Make it a point to tell the story of how this cleric made a difficult choice and came out stronger for it. Maybe your fellow players will learn a lesson from your trials.

3. Show a little respect! Your friends around the table may want to have a bit of sympathy for your plight. There's no need to give him a hard time for it; that's just mean. Especially because if he decides to stay a "cleric", he will be responsible for healing you should you almost die.



*Bonus XP: To make sure you understand just how important and awesome it is to support your local adventuring cleric, watch The Exorcist here. It's his/her duty, nay, choice to throw themselves on some landmines in order to stem the tide of corruption and evil through the land. Your cleric works hard for her money, so you better treat her right!

Gamer Forger Listener Email:

Name

Maverick Johnsen

Comment
Right now, three of my party's members are afflicted with the paranoia insanity. One effect is that paranoid characters cannot willingly accept aid, including healing, without making a Will save against the insanity DC.

However, things don't play out as I expected, in-game:

1.the paranoid cleric will cast a cure spell on a paranoid PC.

2.The paranoid PC will attempt a will save to accept healing and fail, as per the insanity's effect.

3.the paranoid PC then argues that they should get a saving throw against it, because the cure spell is harmless. But by failing, the PC 'suffers' the effects of receive the cure spell.

My problem is that this approach seems to reward PCs who have low Will saves by having a failure on the spell's saving throw become a success for them. Is this just how it is, or are we handling this scenario wrong?

Gamer Forge Response:

The saving throw vs. a saving throw against another saving throw makes a saving throw? We spent more time figuring out the wording than we could find an answer. DCR says:

1. Too much dice rolling. Cut it down to one saving throw to keep things moving. This paranoia is making things much too complicated and stalling things out.

2. The easy way to answer this is to ask: "what are you saving against?" If you, the controlling player, wish to receive something like healing, then you must resist the influence of the mental state. This is one of those times where one must turn off the "meta-game".

3. Also, phrase your questions better, please. We have to be able to understand what it is you are asking so we can actually provide an effective answer. Otherwise, you are wasting your time, and ours. Thank you.

*Bonus XP: For a more in-depth look at what happens when politics become super convoluted and dramatic, take a look at any point in the television show, 24. Next, start moaning about the scene with the mountain lion. Then, play your game as the king of your evil kingdom, and worry about Jack Bauer coming for you, because that's what he does. Congratulations! You successfully became the villain of your own game!

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name

Henry Stevenson

Comment
Can demon lords read minds in D&D 4th edition?

If they cannot, would it be a stretch to say Graz'zt (a demon lord I'm depending on heavily in my campaign) can perform this feat?

Gamer Forge Response:

Demonic presence? You can totally handle it! When it comes to the leaders of the damned, DCR says:

Sure. There's no reason they can't. Do your players know enough to question your authority? That's a trick question. It doesn't matter. If you think your demon villain would be better with telepathy, then go for it.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name
Robert Cole

Comment
Does a weapon thrown with Giantkind Gloves gain weapon benefits?

Giantkind Gloves possess the following power:

Power (Standard Action)

Strength + 2 vs. AC; ranged 6/12; you throw an object 30 lb. or less; 2d6 + Strength modifier damage.
Level 14: Strength + 4 vs. AC; ranged 8/16; 50 lb. or less; 2d8 + Strength modifier damage.
Level 24: Strength + 6 vs. AC; ranged 10/20; 80 lb. or less; 2d12 + Strength modifier damage.

Since no standard weapon weighs over 30 lb., every weapon would be eligible for throwing using this power.

When throwing a weapon with this power, does this attack benefit from other bonuses?

Essentially, the questions that I think need to be answered are:

•Does throwing a weapon with this power count as making an attack with that weapon?
(e.g. weapon properties, magic weapon)
•Is this considered "throwing a weapon" for the sake of counting as a thrown weapon attack?
(e.g. class features, other passives)
References
The following examples are provided as a reference for what I am asking about.

Weapon Proficiency
This seems pretty straightforward but worth mentioning. Since the attack does not list the Weapon keyword, I do not believe it can benefit from weapon proficiency bonuses:

Proficiency Bonus: Gained from proficiency with a weapon, this bonus applies to attack rolls with that weapon. An adventurer gains the proficiency bonus only when wielding the weapon and using powers that have the weapon keyword.

Class Features
The Seeker's Spiritbond class feature grants two different bonuses to thrown weapon attacks:

You also gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with both light thrown and heavy thrown weapons, and when you make an attack by throwing a weapon with which you have proficiency, the weapon returns to your hand after the attack.

Magic Weapon Returning
Would throwing a magic weapon with these gauntlets benefit from the rule that states magic weapons return? The power says ranged 6/12, which I am guessing makes it a Ranged attack- otherwise one would argue it does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Any magic light thrown or heavy thrown weapon, from the lowly +1 Dagger to the +6 Dragonslayer Javelin automatically returns to the wielder's hand after a Ranged Attack with the weapon is resolved.

Magic Weapon Properties
For example, when throwing a Weapon of Long Range, which has the following properties:

This weapon’s long range increases by 10 squares.
You do not take the penalty to attack rolls for attacking at long range with this weapon.

It seems the power would not benefit from the first property, but might with the second.

Feats
•Power Throw allows you to deal extra damage for a -2 penalty to attack rolls when making a "ranged attack with a heavy thrown weapon".
•Arcing Throw: "When you use a spear as a thrown weapon, the target doesn’t gain cover from its allies."
•Brutal Bludgeon: "When you hit with a club or a mace ... Reroll any damage die result of 1 until the die shows 2 or higher."
Other Passives
What about other passives, such as the one found on Dwarven Throwers?

Gamer Forge Response:

We asked for more specific, and we got it. DCR says:

1. Revan and Flagoon say yes, because it's a thrown weapon, provided you are proficient with the weapon being thrown. However...

2. Guy Named Joe believes that he is always correct. His logic is flawless. He says, "no", because when using a magic item to make an attack, the bonus for the attack are generated from the glove, not the weapon. The item being thrown is a random, non-specific item, like a dumbbell or a kettle, and not the character's specific items. Your proof is right here.




*Bonus XP: For even more references to awesome demons and telepathy, check out the movie Scanners here and the movie Legend here. Both are old movies, but are totally in line with the sorts of themes involved in a fantasy epic. Yes, even Scanners, believe it or not. You gotta demonstrate just how awful a power like telepathy can be when in the hands of evil, right?

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name

Need Your Help

Comment
Dose the Back-stab Rogue Utility (from Heroes of the Fallen Lands) and Sneak Attack Rogue Class feature damage stack? If so, does Back-stab also get the die boost from the feat Back Stabber?

If so, then this combo for a 3rd Lv rogue with Back Stabber is possible.

Round 1: Preparatory Strike a target to gain CA next round.

Cha mod + Int mod in damage.

Round 2: Repeat Round 1 with additional Sneak Attack and Back-stab damage

Cha mod + Int mod + 2d8 SA + 2d8 BS in damage.

Round 3: Repeat Round 2 because in Heroes of the Fallen Land say Lv3 rogues get an addition use of Back-stab in the same encounter, but not in the same turn.

So technically by turn 3 a rogue could do 3x Cha mod + 3x Int mod + 4d8 SA + 4d8 BD damage.

Is this correct?

Gamer Forger Response:

Ahhhhh! So much math! DCR says:

Yes, but you're over-thinking it. The whole point of the "backstab" and "sneak attack" is that its a great equalizer. An effective sneak attack incapacitates an enemy in one blow so the fight is over quickly. Rogues, thieves, sneaks, etc. aren't meant to fight over long periods of time. Leave that to the tanks. You're over-thinking it by lumping all the math together. It's more accurate to create the equation as a turn-by-turn breakdown.



Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name

Kevin Jacobs

Comment
OK, I'm building a Changeling ranged DPS Rogue (Thief) for a standard 4e game starting us off at level five.

I have the following feat chain: Two-Fisted Shooter + Distant Advantage + Quick Draw

I want to be able to dart around the battlefield and be a mobile sniper. Do you guys have any suggestions to make this build deal heavy damage and still keep his mobility?

Gamer Forger Response:

John Woo! DCR says:

Sadly, crossbows don't get much love. Historically, the crossbow was made for ease of use, even amongst unskilled soldiers. Where the bow and arrow required actual training and a level of expertise just to be bad at it. There are only a few feats out there that can apply to crossbows, such as Weapon Specialization, Rapid Reload, and Dead-Eye. If you're absolutely hard-up to get more from a hand crossbow, invest in magic augmentation to boost your damage. Otherwise, you'd be better off focusing on accuracy and reliable damage, similar to a magic missile. On the darkness.

Bonus XP: If you're thinking about crafting a finer fencer, try catching any of the film versions of The Three Musketeers. Groan all you want, geek nation, but you won't be getting the combination of "tank" and "striker" without giving up something. Start with a "fighter" class to get the stronger start in martial prowess, then sprinkle in a few levels of "rogue" or "duelist" or "assassin" or "whatever" to get at least a few heavy strikes in. Once you see how futile it is to bend your game system into impossible shapes, you can stop watching the John Malkovich version.