Gamer Forge Listener Email:


Name: Steven

Comments: I recently started DMing after playing 4th edition D&D around 10-15 times. While going over player and DM books I started to wonder if regeneration works while a PC is dying.
For example, a level 2 fighter by the name of Korgul is down to -2 hit points. In the previous round he used Boundless Endurance. Since his modifier for the skill gives +2, that is a regeneration of +4. This would mean that he would get to 2 hit points at the start of his round and become conscious? Or does the regeneration stop?
Well this turned into to 2 questions actually. First one is about regeneration and dying in general. Does dying count as bloodied in relation to Boundless Endurance.
To me, as a DM, if regeneration worked while dying it would seem overpowered.

Gamer Forge Response:

DCR says:

Regeneration does take effect after you fall below zero hit points. Most of the regeneration powers require you to spend an action of some kind to activate, so you must be conscious to use it. If the regeneration is in effect before the character falls, then it stays active while they are down. No need to deny what is rightfully won. BUT, keep in mind that death saving throws must still be taken when a character falls below zero hit points, as usual. In short, regeneration is fair game.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name: Richard Besley

Comments: When I first started playing with a group of completely new players, one of the first things I did was to explain the alignments as best I could at the time. When describing Chaotic Neutral, my exact words were, "A chaotic neutral character will do whatever he wants to do, so long as there is a reason that is justifiable to at least him behind doing so."
Well, recently, I'm beginning to think that that explanation is not exactly accurate, or at least not perfectly clear.
To explain, through every game I have played with this group, I have regretted each and every time I allowed a player to play a chaotic neutral character. The exact same thing will happen, no matter how many times I explain why it shouldn't. Said character will, for no reason I can fathom other than because his player (and by extension the character itself) wants to. Anything from using a squirrel to test out a new spell, to burning down the local pub to stop the flow of polluted beer, to openly mocking authority figures until nothing short of character death is put on the table, and even then only because I made the desire for self-preservation a required character trait. This is not to say that they do this because they prefer to, or that it's simply a style of play that they find more fun. We've played campaigns where I banned chaotic-neutral alignment, and everyone enjoyed themselves without this being an issue. It's simply that, whenever this issue comes up, I'll point it out to them and they'll reply with some variant of, 'I'm a chaotic character, and I'm being chaotic. Why is that wrong?" I don't have an answer to that.
So, what's a better way to describe a chaotic neutral character? How do I explain to this group that, even if the alignment is 'chaotic,' that doesn't mean they have to play either chaotic-stupid, or insane?


Gamer Forge Response:

DCR says:

Your alignment isn't like the alignment on your car! These things can change and shift like the winds. When it comes to not making your character "Chaotic Stupid", DCR says:

1. What defines chaos and neutrality, and what happens when you combine the two? "Chaotic Neutral", as defined by Dungeons and Dragons, states that chaos must balance the scale between good and evil, without preference to either one. This is much easier than it sounds. Being unpredictable is only small part of the big picture. The end result should be something along the lines of everything balancing out, and neither side is ahead. That's the real problem. "Chaotic Neutral" involves nobody truly getting ahead in anything.

2. Motivation! Alignment is a motivation, not a justification. It's about the start of the action, not the end. Your character's alignment is never a reason to commit a good or evil act. If the character is already bent on burning down an orphanage, he/she is gonna do it. But this also means that the character is already evil. We say that an alignment can change as soon as your GM decides that your motivations are clear. If you are hell-bent on being "Chaotic Neutral", be aware that that can change just as easily as your actions do.

3. You are an outsider! As "Chaotic Neutral", you will be extremely hard to deal with, professionally and personally. Your shifting attitudes and actions will make you hard to pin down and even harder to rely on. That's just it: you will ultimately be unreliable! Nobody will want to count on you. So what's the point of even playing? You may as well be playing a computer game. Sadly, this is where being this alignment hits a dead end. We say that  it's best to just steer clear of "Chaotic Neutral". Alternately, just do away with alignments all together.

Bonus XP: Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski. That's the only real exemplar of "Chaotic Neutral" we can think of. Which absolutely proves the point that this alignment is unreliable. Funny? Yes. Adventure? Not at all. At best, he is motivated by laziness and keeping Walter off his back. Remember this the next time you decide to pop that movie into your DVD or Blu-Ray player.

Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name: Regan

Comments: This question about Charm Person got me musing about a problem with the spell. Obviously, you can't cast Charm Person in the middle of a forum to sway an interlocutor to your side without the other 20 persons noticing the foul play. And yet, I'd find it incredibly cool if it was somehow pulled off in a game.

My question is thus : Is there any mean to covertly cast a spell in d&d3.5 / Pathfinder ?

I've thought about Quicken Spell but nothing in the feat description indicates that you're not noticeable in doing this (as the spell still "takes an action", be it a swift one).

Gamer Forge Response:

This was a hard one. No joke, it was difficult. But when getting the most of a charm, DCR says:

1. You're gonna need a distraction. It's called a Tennessee Shuffle. When everybody is looking left, you move right. Have one of your companions run interference by causing a commotion. Fake a seizure or something. Uncontrolled outburst from the gallery. Something. This will give the player the moment he/she needs to begin casting the charm. It's not very sophisticated, but when being sneaky, its all about subtlety.

2. Just how subtle can you be? You've got several dozen, if not a hundred people actually watching you as you do this. No pressure, right? The key to winning this will be hiding the charm in your argument. We were reminded of an old "Pinky and the Brain" episode where a scheme involved hiding a subliminal message in a paragraph. This phase of the plan will involve all of your wits and charisma, as one slip of the tongue and you are BUSTED! To tip the scales in your favor, construct your argument to include certain phrases and the final sentence will have a sort of "trigger word" to have it take effect. But none of that will matter unless...

3. Do your homework. Find out who will be attending the gathering and make sure that no one will be actively looking for magical influence. This will be the easiest step, and the most crucial to the plan. None of this will work if you have the extra scrutiny centered on you. In general, when making and executing a dastardly plan like this, just take precautions. Oh, and have and escape plan!


Gamer Forge Listener Email:

Name: Jacob Stevens

Comments: Gentlemen,

My name is Jacob and I live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I have been listening to your show over the years. I started way back when it was just Revan and Malak. Those shows were interesting to say the least but over the years the show has really matured and grown into a really solid show.

Even with the ups and downs you have experience over the years.

So down to my question.

When running a campaign, especially one with newer players mixed with optimizers, is it a fair call to limit the variety of books available for play? For feats, classes, prestige classes, magic items and spells? (or whatever other variants exist in whatever other system and it's expanded rulebooks)

It seems that this would be quite unfair to the optimizer, but not doing so comes across as unfair to the beginner. Barring the idea to just separate these two breeds into different play sessions, is limiting the variety of books a sign of fair DMing, bad DMing or neither?

Gamer Forge Response:

Yay! We got to do two topics this week! When laying down the ground rules, DCR says:

1. If you're not sure, just start simple. Especially when introducing players who are new to the RPG experience, it's best to have finite options. It can cause a great deal of frustration for a new player to have to pour over a mountain of books to find something, when a core class will do just fine. Besides, it's counter-productive to have more information than you need. Just ask a librarian. Start your game by allowing only the core rulebook for the players. More experienced players may scoff and give you some sass for this, but this is your game, and you run it as you please.

2. Grow with the players. As the players grow, and characters live and pass (as they tend to do in a good adventure), slowly grow the source materials in which they are allowed to draw. We feel that this cultivates a true "win-win" situation for both new and experienced players. Compromise is best when resolving issues between players.

3. It's best to understand. Rather than force your will on others (which we are almost always against), clearly and concisely explain what the decisions are and stick with it. However, don't thumb your nose at logic and reason. These are your friends and deserve your respect and consideration. If someone comes up with a good reason to play as something out of a different book, take a closer look and make a decision after getting the facts. Starting a new game should be neither tedious nor heart-breaking.

*Bonus XP: Always be on the lookout for players' ingenuity! If a player has access to a phone app that has a full spell listing for your game, then more power to them! Let them use that. If they use their tablet computer to store their books on .pdf files, then that makes the GM's job all that much easier. These are some great "win-win" scenarios that can make a new player feel more efficient and adapt to a new game with ease.