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.
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Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name: Karen Workman Comment: What happens to the items in a bag of holding if you slice it open? We had an instance where a player character placed a bag of holding over an enemies head and sliced it open. Gamer Forge Response: Inside this issue of The Gamer Forge... It's our bag, baby! DCR says: 1. There's two ways this can go. Either the dimensional space is negated and everything inside the bag is simply expelled, or the space is destroyed and everything in the bag is winked from existence. But which one is your GM's call, not ours. 2. However, we have to ask: why would you do that to someone? That's just mean, man! Suppose you had 50,000 gold pieces in there; that poor fool had better be Scrooge McDuck, or he's getting a very expensive Texas funeral. On the flip side of the coin (get it?), the person's head suddenly ceases to exist, leaving the body flopping around like a chicken. Grisly! 3. As always, be prepared to explain why it happens. Nothing kills your credibility more than resorting to telling your players, "It's just magic, go with it." Lame! 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: Devon Smart Comment: Can Cure Light Wounds be used inside an Anti-magic field? Gamer Forge Response: Hello, Devon! DCR says: No. No supernatural ability or spell (or spell-like abilities) can be used within an Antimagic Field. The Field only supresses, or delays, magic. Items like Rings of Protection are temporarily rendered useless until the person wearing or using the items leaves the area. Before you ask, this is only temporary, so the items are not destroyed. Also, before you think about trying to beat the system, two Fields do NOT cancel each other out. You can't "meta" this one. But for a nominal finder's fee, Lord Flagoon would be willing to look the other way when trying to cheat. 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: Henry Bronson Comment: I'm confused about Rogues and Use Magic Device. I've searched the core book and the Internet for the past 4 hours and can't find the answer to my simple question. Since a Rogue doesn't have any spells, a spell list or caster level, do you have to emulate a class feature in addition to all other necessary checks to use items like scrolls and wands? Gamer Forge Response: This one doesn't need a witty intro, or a long, drawn out answer! Hooray for simplicity! When faking it until you're making it, DCR says: Wands (unless otherwise specified) don't need any skill, feat, or ability to use it. That's the whole point for wands: anyone can use them. The "Use Magic Device" skill, however, IS a class feature. The "Rogue" is one of the very few classes that can use it. The skill requires nothing more than succeeding on a check against the caster level of whomever created it. In making the check, you effectively fool the item into believing that you meet the prerequisites for using it. Handy for use on scrolls, weapons, and anyone who decides to be a douche to you. This skill opens up a whole new level of prankery. 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 Calvin Garcia Comment In the D&D group I play with one of the players insists that when you reach a new level you have to zero your experience. However when I checked the PHB1 there is no reference to this. PHB1 uses the term Total Experience when talking about leveling up. Which is correct? Gamer Forge Response: Say, whaaaat? DCR says: No. no, & no. Your friend is either severely misinformed, or feeding you a line. Experience points (XP), is a progressive jackpot. It would take forever to gain levels if your XP total reset each time you "ding". Hence the term, "grinding". 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 protected] 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. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name Sam Workman Comment Is it possible to hit an incorporeal creature with a spell that requires a melee touch attack without the use of any magical ability that allows one to make contact with incorporeal beings? Put another way, does using a melee touch attack spell grant the innate ability to hit incorporeal beings with it? The most typical example would be the use of a Cure Spell, or potentially the Lay on Hands supernatural ability, as used on incorporeal undead such as Shadows or Banshees (Undead and Incorporeal tend to go together more than any other monster type, and all undead, physical or otherwise are harmed by healing magic). Would attempting to cast a healing spell on such a creature using only your bare hands be possible? I see three possible interpretation, with two possible answers: 1) Yes, because a magic spell is being used, and all magic grants the innate ability to bypass incorporeal creatures as per its definition. 2) No, because in order deliver a spell as a melee touch attack, one must first make the touch attack, which is impossible on such a creature. The magical nature of the attack does not come into play until after the mundane contact is made. 3) Yes, because even though #2 is true, one can release the spell simply in the general vicinity of the creature (such as sticking one's hand through them and releasing it inside them) without having to strictly feel the target. The only reason this comes up is because I am concerned that the second one is correct - that such an attack is impossible because delivering such a touch attack does not count as magical until after it hits, which it never will. Gamer Forge Response: Intangibility, or tangibility? That is the question. But DCR says the answers are: 1. Incorporeal creatures are a nasty little cheat to beat magic and spells. Almost on a Turbo Tunnel level to make a creature impossible to beat. Our argument for saying that incorporeal creatures can NOT be magic-ed up would be along the lines of "you can't touch it on the shoulder, you can't deliver a touch attack." Your hands pass through the being, so touch attacks are impossible. 2. However, the flip side of the coin would be more "meta". If the being is to be considered on the material plane (or whatever plane of existence you might be on), it must have a tiny bit of tangibility, and have at least some small chance of touching it. Otherwise, how does it interact with anything? You can quantify this by giving the creature in question the bonuses to defense similar to being blind or fighting in the dark, or complete cover. The odds are very against the heroes, but the chance is still there. 3. The cool part: this opens the door to make heroes question their reality and sanity. Use this scenario sparingly. If all the enemies they face are incorporeal, then it becomes mundane and/or impossible to deal with, and you lose their interest. But once in a great while, pull out the see-thru stuff to mess with their mind. 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? With a little help from our friends at SLC Nerd, DCR took on three great questions from real gamers. That's YOU! THE GAMER FORGE EPISODE 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name Devin Carlson Comment I remember reading once about gauntlets that had an effect that somewhat worked like Monkey Grip (Complete Warrior feat). The thing was that the wording was off just a bit. How I read it, and my DM agreed, was that you could use this with the Monkey Grip feat, and your player would be able to wield a weapon as though it was two sizes larger. I think it was in the Magic Item Compendium. What are the gauntlets called? I loved them, but now I cannot find them. Can you guys help? Gamer Forge Response: When you actually want to have a monkey on your back, or more accurately, in your hand, DCR says: 1. First, why would you want to do that? Are you trying to mimic a specific character, or are you trying to break the system? 2. The items you are looking for are called Strong Arm Bracers. We like the name Bracers of Dr. Zaius better. You should call them that. 3. The bracers allow you to wield a weapon a size larger than you without penalty. They stack with the feat Monkey Grip, allowing you to wield a weapon two sizes larger. For instance, you can literally use a giant's club as if you were a giant. Or using the Bracers of Dr. Zaius, you can create a fighter along the lines of a popular anime or video game franchise. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name Seattle Gaming Group Comment Gentlemen, It has been some time since our little gaming group up here in Seattle have had to write you regarding any issues. We love the Gamer Forge and the show itself is just amazing. Keep up the good work! Now for my question. I was recently asked what are the benefits of role playing and I was at a complete loss for words or a reasonable answer, I didn't have anything solid that was based off of any facts. I know that there are benefits to roleplaying but at the time I couldn't come up with anything solid. My question is this What are the overall benefits to RPGs and playing them? Your faithful listeners, The Seattle Gaming Group Gamer Forge Response: What are the bennies to the RPG experience? DCR says: 1. Three words: essential life skills. Inventory and financial management, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, applied mathematics, compromise, and diplomacy are just a few of life's great lessons that are learned from the Role Playing Game. More importantly, these lessons are reinforced. The best adventures are won and retold by a group that learns and understands these. 2. You are a legend. In comparison to say, an MMO, you can actually do something that no one else has done and have a story that only you can retell. An MMO, while worthy in it's own rights, cannot give you that achievement. When you slay a dragon in an MMO, you are, at best, the first one to do that today. In the pen and paper RPG, you are in almost every respect the only person to have done that, period. 3. No limit, baby. Sure, the video game looks cool and may help spark you imagination. We aren't necessarily trying to knock the video game, but one flaw we must point out is that they still have limits. There is only so much they can show you. The only limit to an RPG is how much imagination you're willing to apply and how much you're willing to talk about it. Just start talking about the small nuances of your new character's kilt collection, and listen to the discussions that come from that. If you need more convincing, consider this: The characters on The Big Bang Theory play RPG's, and they are some smooth operators. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name Noobie Complete Comment I was directed to your website by some friends and I was looking over your gamer forge posts. but didn't see anything that could help me so I thought I'd write in. We're a completely new group of people and none of us have any experience. We drew straws and I ended up assigned as the DM, which I think is a good idea, and could be fun. But we don't know where to start, or what to buy to get started on our noobish adventure. What should we buy, what should we do our first few times? Any tips? thanks :) Gamer Forge Response: This is one of the few questions that gets the easy answers, but there can be so many. When you are starting a new game or picking up your first RPG book, DCR says: 1. Lord Flagoon recommends to just roll with it. Throw a few things into your pack and go. Part of learning is making mistakes, and everything about playing a game is having fun. There isn't a wrong way to play, but you won't know what works for you, until you find out what doesn't work for you. It's more important to get the game moving. Don't over think it. 2. Revan says it's best to start simple. Just grab the initial player's handbook for whatever game you choose, disregard all the supplements for now, and start from the starting line. You can always add supplemental material later. 3. Guy Named Joe decrees that you don't gain anything by trying to tackle it by yourself. Don't worry about your pride as a geek by not being able to recite all the rules from memory. If you don't know, ask a friendly employee at Epic Puzzles and Games in West Valley City or Lehi, Utah...or whatever your closest game store may be. There really isn't a perfect kit that can be put together for an adventurer, because every adventure is different, and every adventurer approaches it differently. *Bonus XP: There may be no perfect kit for everybody, but there are items that any good kit should have. Author Jaleeta Clegg recommends that every good kit include plenty of clean underwear. You just never know. The McManus brothers say you should have rope. John Rambo would (probably) tell you to bring a survival knife. Tallahassee (probably) recommends a heavy, blunt object and a sweet jacket. Don't try to be prepared for Gamer Forger Listener Email: Name: Sam Hutchinson Comment: I've got a character who needs more melee weapon damage. What kind of things can you do to increase the damage? Gamer Forge Response: When it comes to putting that extra force behind your swings, DCR says: 1. A nasty combination of getting a ridiculously high melee damage output would be combining the feats Improved Initiative, Death Blow, and Improved Trip, along with a weapon called a Ghost Head Broadsword, can raise your muscle to its upper limits. Improved Trip states that a successful trip attempt results in the character NOT having used the attack action for the trip attempt. Death Blow states you can make a coup de grace as an attack action, not a full-round action. The GHBS features a 1d10 damage with a times 3 critical multiplier and an 18-20 critical threat range. So, quick math reveals (1d10+STR+magic+feats) x 3 x (z) = OMG! Where z=number of attacks per round. A coup de grace is considered an automatic critical hit. Who says junior high math doesn't pay off? Another option requires a significant purchase or, alternatively, a great deal of looting. The epic items, Gauntlets of Relentless Might, and Headband of Perfect Excellence should get you licking your chops. The Gauntlets give you a boost of +6 to STR and CON, while the Headband give you a whopping +6 to STR, CON, and WIS. Great for monks! Because, twinking your characters, that's why. ....and players wonder why some of this stuff didn't transfer from one edition to the next. Gamer Forger Listener Email: Name: Louis Christie Comment: The Player's Handbook states that you can get "bonus spells" for certain ability scores, but does that mean more spell slots/spells per day, more spells known, or both? Gamer Forge Response: Can you spell slots? Get it? Spell? Slots? Yeah, us neither. DCR says: 1. Bonus spells gained through a high attribute do NOT grant additional spells known. Only spells per day. A "wizard" can know any number of spells that they have in their spell book, but only that many. They can't spontaneously know more. Conversely, a sorcerer has innate knowledge of spells, but cast via force of personality, not knowledge. Making a sorcerer smarter won't change anything. Also, bonus spells also doesn't grant you access to spells of levels you don't know yet. Example: a first level wizard who has bonus spells up to third level, doesn't start off knowing third level spells. Once they can cast a third level spell (at level 5, if memory serves), then they can utilize the bonus spells (per day) for their high intelligence score, thus casting more spells per day than the standard wizard. ...again, none of this grandfathered in to the fourth edition. Gamer Forger Listener Email: Name: George Stevenson Comment: A lot of the time I find that my players are using their knowledge about the game to there characters advantage even when the character would have no way of knowing certain information. Here is an example. Trolls do not regenerate when struck by acid or fire damage. A lot of times I find that my characters always carry around a vial of acid or a fire spell just in case they meet a troll. When they have never faced a troll ever in the life of their character. Another example would be when the characters find a portal that is blood red, a player will say, "That portal will take us to the Abyss!!" and BAM the surprise is gone. There's more but I'm not going to make a huge list of examples. I mean I'm really glad that my players take the time to read up on this stuff but sometimes it ruins the suspense and belief of the game, I mean how would a half Orc barbarian know that a certain marking on a wand means its a Wand of Burning Hands? My question is this: How do you get players to use character knowledge instead of player knowledge? Gamer Forge Response: The ultimate thin red line between playing and cheating: metagaming. DCR says: 1. Describe monsters as if you don't know what it is. A very common (and very easy) pitfall of gaming is players like to spend time immersing themselves in the lore of the world in which they play. It isn't good or bad, it's just something everyone does. Counterbalance this by no longer assigning the common name for the enemy the first few times they encounter it. Don't call a "gnoll" a "gnoll". Getting the players in the spirit of the world starts with the Dungeon Master getting in the spirit of the world. However, once the characters have been around for a while and survived a good deal, it's cool to let them know aspects of creatures, especially commonly encountered creatures. 2. If you feel that the metagaming crosses the line into cheating, the next step is to not let the players assume the have the advantage. Remember the old adage about "assume"? It makes an "ass" out of "u" and "me". The moment someone makes the assumption they have the advantage, they will behave as if they do. Another easy pitfall. At the early stages of the game, players assume they know exactly how to entice the goblin king out of its cave? Put the kibosh on that by saying, "Roll me a (insert relevant lore check here), please." If they succeed reasonably at the check, then they can know some of the information on the goblin. Otherwise, they don't know, and can respond with something like, "Find another option, please." Certain aspects of logic are enforceable! 3. You will never fully be able to curb it. You can't make players forget what they learned about the game unless that player is Homer Simpson, or you have a fondness for causing head trauma. But we don't judge, either way. *Bonus XP: Still feel like you're not doing enough melee damage? Try this little tidbit: the D&D 1st edition rules on an assassin sub-class allow for a special attack that can kill an enemy outright, regardless of how many hit points they have. The player has a percentage chance, based on level, of successfully using the attack. Even better, if the attack fails, he/she still deals normal sneak attack/backstab damage. A little house rule can transfer this into a more current rule system. The assassin starts with a small percent chance of killing the target, say 25 percent. Then every other level thereafter, that percentage goes up. So, around 10th level, they may have a 50 percent chance of assassinating the enemy. Now, if that doesn't whet your appetite for destruction, then maybe you start seeing a shrink. Just saying. Gamer Forger Listener Email: Name Dixon Michaels Comment Hello Dungeon Crawlers Radio! What can I say, but I think I royally screwed up my game. Let me kind of explain what’s happened. So my group has been playing for over a year now and they are roughly about level 11. So they are well established characters that have the means or taking care of themselves in almost any situation. The party is a group of five, including a rogue, mage, cleric, and two fighters that can really dish out the damage. They work together really well. So they have accepted a quest to retrieve the fabled item of Rovak and during the quest was able to piece together the clue to bring them to the cave of a long dead Dragon, Golfinix. The enter the cave and clear it out with ease, but when they arrived in the chamber where the item was rumored to be they found a half eaten and bloated body of a Drow upon the floor. Now the Drow have not been seen in this year for several decades so this was a great surprise to the characters and so they wanted to investigate further but the Cleric reminded them of their responsibility to warn the surrounding villages and send a warning to the King. After this was done they searched out a fellow by the name of Cor’Valtis to learn of any possible Underdark passages that could possible come close to or connect with the dead Dragon’s lair. When indeed Cor’Valtis identifies such one passage they party takes off after the foul elves. Now this is where things basically go wrong. The players find the small cave begin their progress down into the Underdark. Now because only one of them is a Dwarf and the rest are Humans they are basically blind unless they use their items the produce light, sun rods, torches, or magical devices. The players didn’t think anything of this…But of course down in the Underdark they are a giant beacon of come get some! After several fights with some really nasty creatures the players barely make it near to the Dragon’s cave to find that the Drow had magically created a tunnel that connected to the passage and the cave. At that point they decided to follow the tunnel to a smallish cavern that housed a adamantine tower of some sort. Of course it was a trap because why? The Drow scouts had seen their light source and went to investigate. The group crossed the cavern with ease and no threats came at them, because the Drow were closing off any escape routes. The rogue easily picked the lock on the tower door and in went the group with weapons in hand. They had a small skirmish with a iron golem inside the entryway which was vastly much bigger on the inside than the tower would allow one to think. The battle was tough but they dispatched the golem. Once that was done they went to open the large doors that allowed them to move forward it was here that the rogue rolled a 1 and failed on disarming the trap, thus setting off an alarm and having his hand puncture by a misfiring spring. With the alarms going off the two fighter’s broke down the doors and proceeded to barrel into whatever was on the other side of the doors. 8 Drow with nasty swords and other weapons in hands. During the battle the rogue started to feel ill and faint and failed both saving throws and succumbed to the poison that was coursing through his veils that was on the spring. So she drops down to the floor unconscious, the Drow then focus their attacks on taking out the mage and the cleric. Which of course brought up some annoyance and heated words from my players saying the NPCs would not go after them since they are in the back. I again reminded them that these were thinking NPCs and not feral beasts or dumb goblinoids. With a few crossbow bolts coated with sleep poison and failed save throws the mage and cleric dropped to the floor out cold. The two warriors nearly dead were able to pull off a save and defeat the remaining Drow. The alarm is still ringing and they have only gone two rooms into the tower. One of the warriors when to take a peak outside and nearly got his head chopped off by a Drider before slamming the door shut and throwing down the locking bar. Now the PC’s are stuck, two asleep, and one dying of poison and the only person that could save him is asleep. I don’t want to bail them out because they have walked into this ill prepared and are level 11 characters. One of them may die as they have to move on. So really the question here is two part first I would like you to help put the argument to rest that the Drow would have tactically gone after the spellcasters in the group and not the stronger fighters first. Then secondly when should I do in regards to my players? Should I throw them a bone and a safe way out? If I do should there be some consequence to their actions? Because honestly I don’t think the Drow would just let this pass? Let alone what should the consequence be for failing to retrieve the item as promised? Can you help me out here! Dixon Gamer Forge Response: Drider? We hardly knew her! Har har! DCR says: 1. The easy one: Of course, the drow would target a cleric. The drow matriarchal society reveres clerics. Some surface-dwelling fools bringing their heretical beliefs to offend Lolth? Yeah. Provided your cleric is taking great pains to hide his cleric-ness(?), then the drow foes would know to target their efforts there, thus gaining a tactical advantage. 2. If, for some zany reason, your heroes escape this situation, don't go easy on them. The worst thing one can do for their players right now, would be to hand-wave or in any way gloss over the escape. At level 11, these characters have earned the privilege of getting the full details of their adventures. Now, the players have a few options. First, it's not out of the question to attempt to parlay. With circumstances being so dire, the two fighters may have to resort to this. Second, attempt to fall back and try again. Get some hirelings or mercenaries for some extra muscle. Lastly, you may have to surrender and negotiate the terms of your release. This may include having to do a favor for a matriarch. It will most likely be something that will kill you or compromise you. But, at least you will be out of this frying pan. 3. This part we can't stress enough: don't hammer down on them. These heroes have learned some of the valuable life lessons of adventuring, so there's no need to keep crushing their spirits by heaping on punishment after punishment. Sometimes, having failed at a quest is punishment enough. One or more of them may die trying to get out of this predicament. Telling the story of how they do it, and giving the details of the losses necessary to make it happen will be the true reward for your players. Just make sure you keep things moving. Don't let this little tragedy slow down the pacing of your game. *Bonus XP: You think things are pretty dire? Try reading Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers. That's a pretty hopeless situation. Sure, soldiers get to ride around in robots, but a never ending mass of faceless, nameless killer spider/beetle things? The whole story is a satire, not unlike the movie Robocop. Coincidentally, both film versions were directed by the same guy, Paul Verhoeven. Weird, huh? But that says something about how players/viewers can handle the direness of the scene. No matter what the final outcome is, maybe it's best to look back with a smile and laugh at it. This scene has the makings of a great war story to tell the young ones when you become old geezers and tell them about what gaming was like when you only had a piece of paper and a pencil and a twenty-sided die, uphill...both ways! Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name Calvin MacDonald Comment Gentlemen and the lovely Firebird. I first want to say thank you for putting on such a great show. I've been listening t for the last year and I have to say you have had an amazing line up of guests! I'll be honest I don't get to see to many of the guest you've have on the show over here in Perth, Scotland. So with that said greetings from across the pond! And I'd like to know where Lord Flagoon has a plot oh land and when he plans to come across the pond and have a pint with us! And now for my gaming question. One of my players wants to play an unarmed fighter. What I need to know is; do spiked gauntlets count as weapons or as armor for the purposes of enchanting? I hope you can help me out and Lord Flagoon we'll always have a pint wait'n for yah! Gamer Forger Response: This one was easy. When you gotta have spikes on them fisteses, DCR says: Spiked gauntlets make you armed even when you aren't holding a weapon. When enchanting spiked gauntlets, they count as weapons, not armor. Enchant accordingly. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name Jack Reynolds Comment My question is quick and simple. Could an undead in 3.5e D&D such as a skeleton benefit from wearing magic items like rings of protection? Gamer Forge Response: We don't always give our skeletons magic items, but when we do: Sure. Rings of Protection count as a deflection bonus, thus can stack with different bonuses that a skeleton or other undead may have. The only similar bonuses that stack are "dodge" bonuses. So a deflection bonus stacks with a natural armor bonus, which stacks with a luck bonus, etc., to calculate an Armor Class. Stay armored, my friends. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name Steven Rostenberg Comment Can a Rogue (D&D 3.5) use sneak attack on both the first and second attack? I know this seems like a question you can simply Google but the answers vary and my clan is under the impression that I can only use it on my first attack (once per round) and not on my second attack. From Googling, I've understood that as long as the monster / enemy is flat-footed, flanked or caught off-guard, I can apply sneak attack on both my first and second attack in a round. Is this correct? Is it normal if the clan simply decides that that gives me an unfair advantage in combat and gives me only one sneak attack per round? Gamer Forger Response: Sneaky, sneaky! When getting your sneak on, DCR says: 1. If for some reason you get multiple attacks, you get to apply the sneak attack bonus damage to each successful hit. Here's the justification: sneaky types (typically) aren't gonna be wielding the large weapons and (usually) don't have access to powers and special abilities that enhance their normal damage output. They're just not built that way. But they have to get an edge somehow. With that being said... 2. Full-round actions. Multiple attacks can only be taken as part of a full-round action, meaning if you move or do anything else during your turn, then you only get the one attack. A lot of what a sneaky type does, is move and juke and jive around the battlefield, so getting multiple attacks in a round is usually out of the question. If for some reason, your sneaky type manages to stay still and have an enemy back up into him/her, well, then that means you don't have to move, and can take multiple attacks, dealing full sneak attack damage on each successful hit. It sounds like a lot of work, but that's part of getting the most out of your sneaky type. 3. Know your role. "Rogues" aren't really known for carrying the giant swords and battle axes. It's just not their bag, baby. Besides, "rogues" should be focusing their efforts into filling in the gaps that might be missing within the party. Every adventuring group needs a resident pimp. Just saying. Gamer Forge Listener Email: Name Raz Dragon Comment Okay so I really need you help because my last game session didn't end up so well and I am just not sure what to do here? Let me explain what happened. My player which I will call Steven rolls to attack during a big encounter that progresses the story and he, rolls a 1. Next round, rolls a 1. Round after that, rolls a 1. Fourth round, rolls a 2. I'm serious this really happened all night his rolls were never higher than a 6 or 5 and he was going back and forth between two different dice too. It just so happened that this whole encounter had outrageously unlikely rolls and all the players seeing more low single digits than they had any right to, while I ended up rolling four d20s all at once for an area attack and getting four 20s. At some point or another, all the role-playing in the world doesn't save you when the dice are just not in your favour. What is a DM to do in such situations where players are getting frustrated at the dice and, as a result, are getting upset with the game? Gamer Forge Response: Lastly, when things are looking grim for the group, DCR says: 1. It's just a game, and a game can be put on pause. It's cool to take a break, get a breather, grab a drink, make a corner-store run, something. Everybody, and I do mean everybody, has a bad night of dice rolling. That's what happens when you play with probability. Law of Averages says you will encounter times like this. Oh, well. No matter how awesome you have yourself set up to be, you will fail every once in a while. The only piece of advice regarding this would be : "cope with it". You will not be awesome 100% of the time. 2. Beware of escalation. It may be tempting to offset a bad night of rolling by permanently enhancing the characters with magic or other means. Don't do it! There is no substitute for probability. Part of playing the game is rolling the die and risking not winning that night. To cheat probability like that is to miss the point of playing a game, period. 3. So everyone ended up dying? Is that really the end of the world? DM's take a lot of time to come up with cool stuff to happen each week, and it stinks when it gets shelved due to a TPK (total party kill). There's no reason bits of what you had planned can't just be transplanted into a new story. Don't let a bad night of rolling wreck your whole experience of Dungeon Mastering, or playing an RPG in general. *Bonus XP: To get a good grasp of what it means to be part of a team, try watching episodes of Leverage. Each member of the team has a distinct, specialized role and each one of them is specialized to the point that they are the only ones who can do it. Sure, what they do is usually illegal. Okay, almost all the time it's illegal. Point being, a "rogue" should be able to fill roles within a group that aren't being covered, and do it well enough that they won't be replaced anytime soon. That's one of many things that make a good team. Each member contributes in a unique way, and goals are achieved due in no small part to that unique help. |
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