Gamer Forge Listener Email:
Name: Pamela Wilson Comments: In a game that I'm in, the DM has decided to go with a lycan vs. vampire concept, and this has created a few conundrums. Can you give your input as to these conundrums? One of the characters in our group is a dragon disciple, and another character is a barbarian. Both of them decided to take the vampire route, but no one is sure what happens with their constitution-increasing abilities. For example, when the barbarian rages, would that increase his charisma, instead of his constitution? So far as I can find, whenever a creature doesn't have an ability score (such as a construct or an undead or an incorporeal) generally they use another ability score for all purposes the other would cover. For example, undead use their charisma modifier to determine health and fortitude bonuses, as they don't have a constitution score. QUESTION: When a creature doesn't have an ability score, and that ability score receives an increase from an ability/spell, how does that effect the creature? Gamer Forge Response: Bad mojo! When playing as an undead template, DCR says: Short answer: Nope. Undead and (most) constructs don't get a Constitution score at all. And as you have no score to increase, you gain no bonus from a barbarian's rage or a dragon disciple's increased Constitution score. Official ruling says you're hosed. Sorry. Maybe as a house rule, you can find a way to grant a bonus of some kind, like substituting the Charisma score for the Constitution score. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Jason Comments: Can you help explain something for me? On page 74 of the DMG (Step 5: Consequences), it says that if you fail a skill challenge, it can become more difficult, such as detouring you in a different direction. Could you attempt the same challenge again at a higher difficulty? So, could you try 'talking to the ogre again,' but since it already knows what you want, it makes it more complex and you need to work harder for the answer? Gamer Forge Response: You've got skills, but do they pay the bills? When getting a second chance is your first priority, DCR says: Yes and no. Depends on the skill. You can get a second chance to talk a dwarf out of his lunch, but you can't fall to your death twice. It's called consequence of failure. If failing your attempt leads to something permanent or in any way irreversible, then you shouldn't get a second try. Otherwise, give 'em another try, provided the player decides to try again. Some examples of skill checks that do not get a second chance: Decipher Script Survival Appraise Forgery Knowledge (any) Listen Spot Note that these examples have something in common. Either you succeed at them, or you don't. You either forage enough food for the day, or you resort to eating your rations. You are able to hear what's coming, or you don't. Most other skills allow for a second try on the following round. Just remember the risk of the check involved and the consequences of not succeeding. *Bonus XP: Even though you don't have a Constitution score for being a vampire, you do still gain all the other benefits of your class/race. Yes, it stinks that you don't gain bonus hit points and increased CON, but you gain a totally sweet damage reduction, immunities, and then there's the whole immortality thing. So before we hear you moaning about not getting something, count your blessings. Even awesomeness has a price.
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Don't fear! Paladins are some of the best people around, and you can be, too! When it comes to walking the straight and narrow, DCR says: 1. What were you before you became a paladin? You had to have had a personality before you entered service to your god. Get a grasp of the person before you apply the "class" to it. Were you gregarious? Were you rebellious? Were you calm? Were you cowardly? Just like what we talked about last week, your alignment is only a partial factor in decision making, not the final justification for the decision. 2. The hard part: What you want, and what you get are rarely the same thing. If you, when creating your character, are dead set on being a paladin all the way up to the end of the game, must deal with the consequences and pressures of that choice. You will be confronted with tough moral choices and situations where you will have to go against your nature. But that's the price of being a paladin. You are held to a higher accountability than other characters. You are the compass that will guide others to righteousness. The GM's responsibility will be telling the story, not making sure you stay a paladin. Now, the really hard part: maybe you just aren't paladin material. Telling the story of how your character comes to this conclusion could be very compelling for yourself and others. Now that's what we at DCR would call a "win-win". 3. To paraphrase an old Jedi lesson, the world would get along just fine if certain indiscretions remain overlooked. It's not a paladin's responsibility to smash every little bit of evil they encounter. A paladin is usually motivated by a specific quest, not a need to control the environment around them. That's the difference between desire and OCD. Part of what turns people off about the paladin is often a misinterpretation. You don't have to drop everything to stop a pickpocket, especially when that pickpocket would stop you from having completing your quest. Keep this in mind to truly be and remain a paladin. Bonus XP: For a more material look at the misconceptions of a paladin, watch the film Robocop. Remember that this movie is a satire. The only way Robocop can uphold the law at all times is he is a robot! He has no room for discretion or judgement calls. Your paladin may have to align with unsavory folks from time to time to complete your quest. For a more realistic look at a paladin, Niteowl II from the Watchmen graphic novels and film. He has to resort to some less-than-reputable tactics to solve his case, he maintains a high moral code, and still manages to keep his vision clear as far as goals. Did he complete his quest? Only maybe. Does he exemplify a good guy? You bet. As does a paladin. 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. This week, DCR smashes down several questions regarding rulings on commonly encountered problems. Guaranteed fresh! Listener Email: Name: Sarah Comments: What are the most beginner friendly table top role playing games out there? Gamer Forger Response: When you're looking for "beginner-friendly", DCR says: Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition is easy to transition to if your only familiarity with RPG's is MMOs. Everything is organized into macros and character creation is pre-sorted, so all you've got to do is decide what type of role in the party you wish to play. Just about anything involving Unisystem is a winner. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is definitely geared towards a simple mechanic and character creation is a breeze. It also favors action and plot advancement above the statistical advantages players have over enemies. Marvel Superheroes from Margaret Weiss productions is great due to its simplicity of advancement. It features a slightly higher learning curve than the other two, but the advantage is that once your character is generated, any further statistical growth is already built in to the character. Listener Email: Name: TJ Comments: Does the main target of the ghoul touch spell get a saving throw? Gamer Forger Response: When stinking up the place with "Ghoul Touch", DCR says: You can't target a person, as a single object doesn't constitute and area. You will be targeting the area the person is standing on. You can target a floor or wall or ceiling, but you can't cast it on a table or a horse. Whomever is at the center of the area is granted a saving throw, as normal. If your player argues with you, give a sucker punch and tell 'em, "Guy Named Joe sent ya!" Listener Email: Name: Midvale Gaming Group Comments: Is the animating force of a golem always from the Elemental Plane of Earth? Gamer Forger Response: When making your Golems, DCR says: The primary animating force of a Golem is usually from the Elemental Plane of Earth. But not always. The animating force can be defined as just about anything ethereal, such as the souls of dead orphans or the woe of a million angels. Give your golem that extra special something by defining this power source with an offbeat description. Listener Email: Name: Calvin Smith Comments: Can you help me out here. Is it possible to creating weapons and armor from giant crab remains? Gamer Forger Response: You too, can have a set of crab armor! DCR says: Totally! We say that it most likely will be a description of hide or scale armor, depending on the game system you are using. Dark Sun is all about using hides and shells as armor. Listener Email: Name: Fort Worth Gaming Group Comments: We ran into your show by accident and have loved what we have heard so far. We have a question that has been buzzing around the table. Would you be able to weigh in on this one? Does making an opportunity attack with a ranged weapon provoke an opportunity attack? Gamer Forger Response: Opportunities abound! When making an opportunity attack, DCR says: Yes and no. Just because you are entitled to make an opportunity attack, doesn't mean you should get it. Take into account line of sight, cover, and relevant abilities or feats. If you have a ranged attack prepared (such as a crossbow or spell) then you can make the attack, provided you are within range. However, countering that opportunity attack is also possible, provided that another opponent has an attack prepared. As always, think of how the character would behave, not what you would do. *Bonus XP: Keep in mind what would make your character awesome in the context of an action sequence in a movie, not what your stats read and what your bonuses are. Taking a gamble on a friend can reap huge rewards for all parties involved. Think beyond the squares and tiles and the keyboard; get active in telling your own character's tale! Gamer Forge Listener Email:
Name: Axel the Mouth Comments: Gentlemen, I want to try my hand at playing an evil character in the game I am playing in. How can I play such a character in a group that is mainly good & Neutral character without being killed by the group. Axel Gamer Forge Response: It's sometimes soooo good to be bad! When you're the only one playing the opposite side of the coin, DCR says: 1. Bribery is the easiest way. It's not much of a stretch to imagine that most characters can be bought off to ignore your smaller indiscretions. Send a little coin to your less-than-reputable allies, or give them some of the magic loot in return for looking the other way. While this isn't a foolproof solution, it is one to keep in mind at all times. Bribery can get you out of the small jams when you're about to be discovered. That being said, don't rely on it as your sole method of subtlety. Evil in the midst of good has to work in baby steps as to not draw attention. But more on that, later. 2. Use 'em! Convince others to do your bidding, and everything should be your bidding. This is where the evil character needs to start weighing the decision "Intent vs. action". What's more important, the spreading of your evil, or that you are the one doing the spreading? Some players are more hands-on, and that's totally okay. But this will be a constant struggle. Also, just because you're evil, doesn't mean you're a maniac. Not every action you take has to be something horrible or treacherous. Subtlety can be established by making your evil look like a freak, one-time event. Which leads us to... 3. Always, always, always have a good reason. "The Operative" in the movie Serenity believed that it was absolutely okay to kill children to achieve a better life for everyone. Believed. He believed it was necessary for something that he couldn't even partake in. But he could absolutely justify any atrocity with his belief. It's a bit radical for some players to take a hard line like this, but you are the one who wanted to be evil, thus, this is the consequence of being evil. Going back to the choice of "intent vs. action", remember you won't be getting much evil done if everybody who knows you believes you're evil. The trick isn't to convince the good people that you're not bad. The trick is to convince the good people that whatever you do is right, and they should be okay with letting you do it. *Bonus XP: This one should be a gimme, but for a great, entertaining example of warping good intentions with evil actions, watch the television show Dexter. A fine example of justification. A villain who just does evil things for no reason gets boring pretty quick. It's funny to make a character do something treacherous to add some spice to the story, but remember that actions carry consequences. One act of evil can snowball into something completely unintended for your character. One evil begets another evil, and so on... Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Aaron Comments: To my favorite radio show, I am trying to create a character for my new group and I am wanting to know what is the best way to create a character? Should I focus on his skills or feat? How should I place my ability scores? What equipment should I start with? And then what are good classes to play? Aaron Gamer Forge Response: Seeing as the details were scarce, DCR had to come up with an answer that everyone can live by. No pressure! When a player is stumped on what character to make, DCR says: 1. Well, what do YOU like to do? Start with something you already know you like to do. Do you like archery? Spell-tossing? Dueling? Raging? Kung-fu? Singing? It's all good. This is a question that only the player can answer, and must answer honestly. Best case scenario, the player will be this character for a long time, and should be comfortable with the idea before moving forward. On that note... 2. Use generators. The internet is full of character generators and templates that players post just for "lulz". Scan around on Google and see what others have done before you and gather some ideas. Chances are in your favor that something will jump out at you. There's a good reason why Flagoon is always proclaiming our love for the internet. Check player forums on the company websites to work out the kinks and clarify the what's-what. Character generators often compile all the game's options into one database and sorted for easy browsing. Try using the "random" feature and see what pops up. The answers may be something unexpected. 3. If all else fails, try "Fighter". This generic descriptor can be tailored to match most fighting styles and archetypes to fit your liking. While not as specialized as some other archetypes, a common bond between game mechanics is "fighter" is the simplest to begin a character in. It often has the fewest nuances and subtleties of all classes and is still flexible enough to allow for a wide array of ideas to fit in. Bonus XP: The question, "What kind of character do you think I should make?" is a moot one. The answer will always be subjective to the people that are asked. Nobody can tell you what sort of things you like. If you are still stumped, try attending a hosted game night at your local gaming or hobby stores. (i.e. Epic Puzzles and Games, located in West Valley City and Lehi, Utah) This will give you a chance to try a sample of different combinations and "test drive" the game before you commit to one character idea. Game nights are usually free of charge and take only 1-3 hours, so risk to the player is minimal. This week, DCR takes a look at playing with large, powerful, and oversized weapons. When it comes to pulling out the "big guns", DCR says:
1. If your game's setting allows for ridiculous sizes, then don't fight it. If your game has anime, action movie, or comic book inspired themes, let your players have those large weapons without fuss. These settings have large weapons all over in their episodes and issues, and it doesn't make any sense to deny players access to them, especially when it heightens enjoyment of the game. As always, players should at least have a reason why their knight has an oversized great sword, or their power armor should have a giant cannon mounted on it's back. It's just extra flavor and builds connection to the character they play. 2. Speed it up! If your game DOES have huge cannons and massive damages, don't slog your game by rolling more dice. Roll less whenever possible. Figure out a system of multipliers when more than three dice are involved. (example: 3d6x10, or 1d8x4). Yes, its funny to think that your character's laser sword does 60d10 damage with each successful hit. But when it comes to keeping the pace of your game exciting, that's a sure fire way to kill the mood. To establish the devastating power of the weapon, try NOT rolling dice. Have that giant gun just vaporize its target (with good description, of course) if you feel it does that kind of damage anyway. This will build a sense of just what the character has in his/her hands, and create some great dramatic moments for your story. 3. It works both ways. If the characters get big guns, then so do your enemies. Surprise the player characters by having them face an opponent with equal firepower. If the players have a warship equipped with ballistas, then have them face another ship with some ballistas. This establishes the scale within which they work. It's not about keeping them low on the food chain, it's about keeping the food chain moving so they don't become complacent at the top. This also helps prevent the game from becoming unbalanced on one side because the players shouldn't need to feel overwhelmed or underwhelmed by their opposition. If the players want a big scale battle, then facilitate that. Bonus XP: Macross, Voltron, and Invader ZIM are fine examples of television shows that feature oversized weapons. Final Fantasy VII, Wild Arms, and Front Mission are great video games to explore themes featuring large guns and large-scale warfare. The Iron Man, Hellboy, and any title featuring the character Lobo are excellent comics for researching giant weapons and big explosions. Since we didn't have a listener e-mail this week, DCR took it upon itself to revisit one of our favorite podcasts and give it some fresh perspective. We put forth our thoughts on the subject of playing characters of different genders. So when it comes to putting the shoe (or heel, or sandal, or whatever) on the other foot, DCR says:
1. Pay attention! Other players can't do this for you, so it is up to YOU to remember your character's gender. Failure to do so can lead to some pretty wild and, quite realistically, uncomfortable assumptions being made about the character you play. To avoid perhaps one of the most divisive subjects from ruining your game, just always bear the appearance and gender of your character as you play. Our own gender will tend to creep through just as a matter of course. Males tend to behave like males. Females tend to behave like females. Neither is bad by any means. Which brings us to... 2. Purely cosmetic. When it comes to the mechanics of a role-playing game system, gender doesn't really alter the statistics. BUT, it has a strong (and often hilarious) tendency to alter how each player moves forward. This is good. The personality and mannerisms of your character are where distinctions are truly made. There isn't (nor should be) a game mechanic that rewards or penalizes characters for being one gender or the other, or both, or neither. At this point, there is no reason to not try playing as a different gender if you think it would be fun. But... 3. Research. Ask other players if they are uncomfortable with certain subjects of the opposite gender. Don't derail your game by offending another player over something you should have just asked about beforehand. "My new character is female. Are there things about females that are not okay to talk about? Are there things that are acceptable? When is it okay to joke about this?" These are all good questions to ask. However, this is just a game. No need to take it further than this. If another player is getting creeped out or offended, do everyone a favor and just drop it. If another player is visibly upset at what you said, apologize, acknowledge your mistake, then move gracefully forward. Bonus XP: Playing as a different gender for the first time can be a nerve-racking experience. It doesn't have to be. To take some of the edge off, some good films dealing with this include: Mrs. Doubtfire, Victor/Victoria, and Tootsie. Also, investigate the Eclipse Phase line of RPG products. The setting and mechanics make gender almost completely irrelevant. |
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