I’m writing a kind of overview of some role playing situations that your characters are likely to encounter based on your race, alignment, and class.
So...Earthmoon.
First off, the dnosaur is probably not going to be accpeted except in the most "anything goes" parts of large cities (places where they might sell animals like dinosaurs). Everywhere else in a city, the animal is likely to be confiscated by the authorities. The dinosaur's recption in rural areas is likely to be more violent. Farmers will probably not appreciate the presence of a large carnivorous and poisonous lizard near their livestock. Needless to say, walking around with such a lizard marks you for suspicion.
On the other hand, you are exalted, you golow with goodness. You are a holy paragon of righteousness whose mere presence makes evil uncomfortable and whose touch causes a physical reaction to evil. Some people will turn to you as a prophet of divinity beyond a priest or church. They may seek your absolution. Celestials, devas, and archons will think of you as an ally. You are marked with goodness beyond the simple confines of virtue but manifest it, instead, as a quintessential force. Most evil people will avoid you, or deal with you through intermediaries. Your presence anywhere near agencies that they control will cause them to become either cautious or downright aggressive. Earthly authority will see the authority that you wield as a threat.
Friday, December 28, 2007
common role playing situations- Gringulia
I’m writing a kind of overview of some role playing situations that your characters are likely to encounter based on your race, alignment, and class.
Gringulia will be persecuted in human society at the drop of a hat. Human civilization watches half-orcs waiting for them to do something that will justify rounding them up and killing them. That's always a danger for half orcs in Aversill. Larger cities are better but even there, in most large cities, there's a lawless ghetto where half orcs are expected to stay, and areas of the city where half orcs are refused admittance.
Gringulia, on her own, will be ostracized or even attacked. Her presence will sour reactions from humans against her friends and allies. Even the less civilized regions of human civilization will treat the half orc differently than they treat all other civilized races.
As a citizen, Gringulia can expect a certain elevation in respect especially in urban environments. She can own property. She is protected under Stumgort imperial law from aggressions by non-citizens, and is allowed to sue for imperial prosecution against those who break the law against her. How well such cases fair is another story of course, but at least, at that point, there's a possability of getting some kind of grudging justice.
Outside large urban areas, imperial citizenship carries less weight. In such cases, if the villagers are rounding up torches and pitch forks, it's time to move on.
Gringulia will be persecuted in human society at the drop of a hat. Human civilization watches half-orcs waiting for them to do something that will justify rounding them up and killing them. That's always a danger for half orcs in Aversill. Larger cities are better but even there, in most large cities, there's a lawless ghetto where half orcs are expected to stay, and areas of the city where half orcs are refused admittance.
Gringulia, on her own, will be ostracized or even attacked. Her presence will sour reactions from humans against her friends and allies. Even the less civilized regions of human civilization will treat the half orc differently than they treat all other civilized races.
As a citizen, Gringulia can expect a certain elevation in respect especially in urban environments. She can own property. She is protected under Stumgort imperial law from aggressions by non-citizens, and is allowed to sue for imperial prosecution against those who break the law against her. How well such cases fair is another story of course, but at least, at that point, there's a possability of getting some kind of grudging justice.
Outside large urban areas, imperial citizenship carries less weight. In such cases, if the villagers are rounding up torches and pitch forks, it's time to move on.
common role playing situations- Emord
I’m writing a kind of overview of some role playing situations that your characters are likely to encounter based on your race, alignment, and class.
Interestingly, the reace most like humans are dwarves. They’re obsessed with craftsmanship and gold. They believe in war and suffer from xenophobia…just like humans! Unfortunately, the xenophobia they share is also a force that drives them apart from other races. The dwarves see humans as a bumbling race content to leave on their leavings up at the surface. A human in a dwarf city is seen as a friendly diplomat from a country that could easily become an enemy. Dwarves living among humans often see human problems as trivial. They deign to deal with the surface dwellers only as needs be. Humans covet dwarves for their riches, for their secrets, and of course, for their military presence (the size of which is always an unknown factor for human governments). Human government desires military and trade pacts with dwarves. On occasion, such pacts are made, but never in perpetuity. Dwarves are shrewd.
On the other hand, the average human sees the average dwarf in the same way they’d see anyone else. They may expect more structural knowledge from a dwarf, but other than that, there isn’t a strong predetermined reaction. Humans have little problem accommodating dwarves living in their settlements. The reverse is not true except in extraordinarily rare circumstances, and even then there are stipulations.
For Nicki, the real role playing challenge will not be playing a dwarf but playing a lawful good cleric of Moradin. Moradin is the dwarven god of justice and war. He is devoted to finding the dark monstrosities of the world and ringing them out into the light where they can be dealt with. This is also the goal of his followers. That means that when Emord sees things amiss he MUST do something. That’s his religion. Plus, he’s lawful good which means that Emord must avoid deception and criminality as he attempt to help those around him/save the world.
This is not a “hey Emord, why don’t you leave the room for a second,” kind of situation. That’s just bad role playing. People who want to do sneaky stuff are going to have to be sneaky about it. Basically within the party, Emord’s going to have to be worked around lest the characters become adversarial towards each other. I repeat, if characters do stuff that is in opposition to Lawful Good, they should expect to have to deal with Emord. If he knows about what the characters are going to do before hand, he is likely to forbid them doing so. Asking Emord to give up his staunch ethics should be akin to asking Earthmoon to torture small animals for fun.
Emord may elicit a number of reactions from N.P.C.s. On one hand, he’s the cleric of a god of justice and war. On the other hand, it’s a dwarf god. Some humans will treat Emord as a roaming fighter of evil and professional do-gooder. For others, the prospect of a dwarf telling everybody what to do and claiming divine authority is intolerable. Keep in mind, humans worship Moradin as the father of the gods and as the god of craftsman. Humans have Kord for war, Pelor for Justice, and Heironeous for valor. They don’t understand Moradin as a god of these things and may not feel comfortable conceding to Emord on issues of orthodoxy (though some may…it depends heavily on the strength of the craft guilds and the proximity to dwarf kingdoms).
One advantage Emord has, as a dwarf and a cleric of Moradin, is that human authority will recognize Emord as an ambassador. He will, at the very least, be tolerated by human authority. They may be reticent to arrest or harass him (though his companions will probably not share this immunity).
Interestingly, the reace most like humans are dwarves. They’re obsessed with craftsmanship and gold. They believe in war and suffer from xenophobia…just like humans! Unfortunately, the xenophobia they share is also a force that drives them apart from other races. The dwarves see humans as a bumbling race content to leave on their leavings up at the surface. A human in a dwarf city is seen as a friendly diplomat from a country that could easily become an enemy. Dwarves living among humans often see human problems as trivial. They deign to deal with the surface dwellers only as needs be. Humans covet dwarves for their riches, for their secrets, and of course, for their military presence (the size of which is always an unknown factor for human governments). Human government desires military and trade pacts with dwarves. On occasion, such pacts are made, but never in perpetuity. Dwarves are shrewd.
On the other hand, the average human sees the average dwarf in the same way they’d see anyone else. They may expect more structural knowledge from a dwarf, but other than that, there isn’t a strong predetermined reaction. Humans have little problem accommodating dwarves living in their settlements. The reverse is not true except in extraordinarily rare circumstances, and even then there are stipulations.
For Nicki, the real role playing challenge will not be playing a dwarf but playing a lawful good cleric of Moradin. Moradin is the dwarven god of justice and war. He is devoted to finding the dark monstrosities of the world and ringing them out into the light where they can be dealt with. This is also the goal of his followers. That means that when Emord sees things amiss he MUST do something. That’s his religion. Plus, he’s lawful good which means that Emord must avoid deception and criminality as he attempt to help those around him/save the world.
This is not a “hey Emord, why don’t you leave the room for a second,” kind of situation. That’s just bad role playing. People who want to do sneaky stuff are going to have to be sneaky about it. Basically within the party, Emord’s going to have to be worked around lest the characters become adversarial towards each other. I repeat, if characters do stuff that is in opposition to Lawful Good, they should expect to have to deal with Emord. If he knows about what the characters are going to do before hand, he is likely to forbid them doing so. Asking Emord to give up his staunch ethics should be akin to asking Earthmoon to torture small animals for fun.
Emord may elicit a number of reactions from N.P.C.s. On one hand, he’s the cleric of a god of justice and war. On the other hand, it’s a dwarf god. Some humans will treat Emord as a roaming fighter of evil and professional do-gooder. For others, the prospect of a dwarf telling everybody what to do and claiming divine authority is intolerable. Keep in mind, humans worship Moradin as the father of the gods and as the god of craftsman. Humans have Kord for war, Pelor for Justice, and Heironeous for valor. They don’t understand Moradin as a god of these things and may not feel comfortable conceding to Emord on issues of orthodoxy (though some may…it depends heavily on the strength of the craft guilds and the proximity to dwarf kingdoms).
One advantage Emord has, as a dwarf and a cleric of Moradin, is that human authority will recognize Emord as an ambassador. He will, at the very least, be tolerated by human authority. They may be reticent to arrest or harass him (though his companions will probably not share this immunity).
common role playing situations- Neri and Feldon
I’m writing a kind of overview of some role playing situations that your characters are likely to encounter based on your race, alignment and class.
Elves are pretty much considered friendly by humans in Aversill—mainly by human authority who’ve had their bacon saved many a time by nice elf armies who’ve shown up with powerful magic and well trained archers. Essentially tha’s when humans like elves best…when they show up to help and then, afterwards, leave. When they stay behind and move in, human reactions towards elves changes a bit.
First of all, elves are stand-offish and foreign. They worship different gods, they don’t sleep, and most of them can do magic. What elves reside in human society never really feel welcome or at home. The reaction isn’t the prejudice that half-orcs face, it’s more like suspicion and superstition. Most humans believe that elves are naturally wizards and that the presence of elves alone can cause arcane problems that the elves, themselves, cannot help but attract. Storms, draughts, strange occurrences—all will be blamed on elves by some portion of the human population. But this same portion is likely to commit any real acts against the elves—they’re afraid of retaliation by cosmic forces to which they see elves belonging (or at least attracting).
Human government sees elves as indicative of problems or concerns that they know nothing about. This ignorance puts them at risk of not knowing how to solve the problems that arise—thus making them look like they are not in control. No Baron wants to consult the elvish community to find out what’s going on.
So, Neri, you all by yourself will probably be treated by humans with awe and respect, but also fear and suspicion. Civil authority may question elves for their opinion on some difficulties and then think them secretive for not saying all that they know (or all that the human authorities assume they should know). People think elves know secrets about nature, magic, the universe, etc., especially elves that actually are wizards. They may ask. They may be afraid to ask.
As far as lawless elves go, there is nothing scarier to humans. If elves represent arcane power that humans cannot comprehend and against which only elves can protect, then a lawless invites danger from unknown sources and offers no guarantee of protection when that danger manifests. Whatever stories humans have heard about “dark elves” they associate with chaotic and evil elves they’ve met. A chaotic elf can expect to be under some kind of surveillance there entire stay within a lawful human society (and afforded a great deal of respect in the more lawless areas of human society).
Elves are pretty much considered friendly by humans in Aversill—mainly by human authority who’ve had their bacon saved many a time by nice elf armies who’ve shown up with powerful magic and well trained archers. Essentially tha’s when humans like elves best…when they show up to help and then, afterwards, leave. When they stay behind and move in, human reactions towards elves changes a bit.
First of all, elves are stand-offish and foreign. They worship different gods, they don’t sleep, and most of them can do magic. What elves reside in human society never really feel welcome or at home. The reaction isn’t the prejudice that half-orcs face, it’s more like suspicion and superstition. Most humans believe that elves are naturally wizards and that the presence of elves alone can cause arcane problems that the elves, themselves, cannot help but attract. Storms, draughts, strange occurrences—all will be blamed on elves by some portion of the human population. But this same portion is likely to commit any real acts against the elves—they’re afraid of retaliation by cosmic forces to which they see elves belonging (or at least attracting).
Human government sees elves as indicative of problems or concerns that they know nothing about. This ignorance puts them at risk of not knowing how to solve the problems that arise—thus making them look like they are not in control. No Baron wants to consult the elvish community to find out what’s going on.
So, Neri, you all by yourself will probably be treated by humans with awe and respect, but also fear and suspicion. Civil authority may question elves for their opinion on some difficulties and then think them secretive for not saying all that they know (or all that the human authorities assume they should know). People think elves know secrets about nature, magic, the universe, etc., especially elves that actually are wizards. They may ask. They may be afraid to ask.
As far as lawless elves go, there is nothing scarier to humans. If elves represent arcane power that humans cannot comprehend and against which only elves can protect, then a lawless invites danger from unknown sources and offers no guarantee of protection when that danger manifests. Whatever stories humans have heard about “dark elves” they associate with chaotic and evil elves they’ve met. A chaotic elf can expect to be under some kind of surveillance there entire stay within a lawful human society (and afforded a great deal of respect in the more lawless areas of human society).
Thursday, December 27, 2007
A Quick Note
A quick note.
Most of the entries that are on this blog are either Game Play, Or Game World. At the end of the post are labels (there's also game mechanics, but that's far less frequent) that will tell you which category the post fits into.
Game Play posts are me telling you all how role playing games are played, how to get the most enjoyment out of your play, etc.. These posts are good to read if you feel like you're trying to figure out what you can do as a player of a role playing game.
Game World entries are descriptions of some thing in Aversill. I write these from time to time. Sometimes, they're more for me than for you, but as they are stuff that your character would probably know, I put them up there. If you feel like you really could care less or if you just want the cliff notes version of these, just ask me. I will be happy to explain "The Fade" or "The Eternal Library" in the ten cent reader's digest version of the blog post. If you want to know more, feel free to read.
Most of the entries that are on this blog are either Game Play, Or Game World. At the end of the post are labels (there's also game mechanics, but that's far less frequent) that will tell you which category the post fits into.
Game Play posts are me telling you all how role playing games are played, how to get the most enjoyment out of your play, etc.. These posts are good to read if you feel like you're trying to figure out what you can do as a player of a role playing game.
Game World entries are descriptions of some thing in Aversill. I write these from time to time. Sometimes, they're more for me than for you, but as they are stuff that your character would probably know, I put them up there. If you feel like you really could care less or if you just want the cliff notes version of these, just ask me. I will be happy to explain "The Fade" or "The Eternal Library" in the ten cent reader's digest version of the blog post. If you want to know more, feel free to read.
20 Questions
Okay, here’s the difficulty: you are not your character. You don’t exist in the same world, you don’t have the same skills, understanding of ethics, etc.. For instance, you know, right now, how far away the nearest big city is. You would know to react to a guy walking down the street with an ax. You know what sorts of things you can reasonably expect to find in someone’s house when you go for a visit. You know where you are, who you are, how to act, how to react, what’s weird, what’s not, and in some senses you know what to do on a day to day basis.
On the other hand, you have no idea the etiquette behind the use of invisibility in city limits, you don’t know how to judge between Claymores in terms of quality, you don’t know how to make friends with the forest creatures, you don’t know whether it’s a toga or a robe that’s proper attire for a night at the theater in Starfell. In essence, you don’t really know much at all. At any point during our game play, you’d be at a loss to know how long your characters even been awake that day. See what I mean?
What’s worse is that this is fantasy which means that there really isn’t a frame of reference at all. Is the world like Camelot or Conan, Middle Earth or Xena, Warrior Princess. At least in a game set in ancient Egypt, there are books you can look up. There’s a wikipedia entry. In the Dungeons and Dragons world, there is no such wikipedia, nor any other reference material.
So, what do you do?
The solution to this problem is a kind of re-imagining of the game as to what it is you’re trying to do as a player. In some ways, your character sheet and the rules of the game give you a basic guideline of what you can do at any moment in time as far as game mechanics go. But keep in mind, the mechanics are just there to support a role-playing environment; they’re the game part of the role playing game. What I’m talking about is getting you to concentrate on the role playing part of the role playing game.
To do this, I want you to think of Dungeons and Dragons as a kind of grand esoteric version of twenty questions. I’m serious. The people who have the most fun playing Dungeons and Dragons are the people who ask the most questions. In the same way, the longer a person has played, the more questions they ask. Really, aside from trying to figure out what your character will do (and deeply related to that), asking questions is the quintessential part of playing a role playing game.
The best part is you can ask about anything. You can ask about customs (is that guy’s hat normal?), physical space, race relations, the normal attitude your character might have about something, backstory, history. I’m serious. You as a player can ask about anything. It’s the D.M.’s job to sort of immerse you in the game world, but the job is complimentary: you have to ask the questions for this to work.
Now, it never hurts to give the D.M. a bit of a background as to why you think you would know the answer to the things you’re asking. Some stuff is common knowledge, but if you’re asking something like, “does that guy’s hat have anything to do with the Thieves guilds of this city?” it’s always nice to remind the D.M. that your character’s been working with the city watch for ten years.
Sometimes the D.M. will relate your question to one of your character’s skills, and so, it’s always good to remind the D.M. if the question you’re asking is related to a high skill (say +5 or more). So, if you want to know what kinds of relics are likely to be found in the area, it’s good to mention that your asking as a person with a +6 in appraise, local knowledge, profession: historian, or profession: merchant, just so the D.M. knows where you’re coming from and how much you would know.
On the other hand, you have no idea the etiquette behind the use of invisibility in city limits, you don’t know how to judge between Claymores in terms of quality, you don’t know how to make friends with the forest creatures, you don’t know whether it’s a toga or a robe that’s proper attire for a night at the theater in Starfell. In essence, you don’t really know much at all. At any point during our game play, you’d be at a loss to know how long your characters even been awake that day. See what I mean?
What’s worse is that this is fantasy which means that there really isn’t a frame of reference at all. Is the world like Camelot or Conan, Middle Earth or Xena, Warrior Princess. At least in a game set in ancient Egypt, there are books you can look up. There’s a wikipedia entry. In the Dungeons and Dragons world, there is no such wikipedia, nor any other reference material.
So, what do you do?
The solution to this problem is a kind of re-imagining of the game as to what it is you’re trying to do as a player. In some ways, your character sheet and the rules of the game give you a basic guideline of what you can do at any moment in time as far as game mechanics go. But keep in mind, the mechanics are just there to support a role-playing environment; they’re the game part of the role playing game. What I’m talking about is getting you to concentrate on the role playing part of the role playing game.
To do this, I want you to think of Dungeons and Dragons as a kind of grand esoteric version of twenty questions. I’m serious. The people who have the most fun playing Dungeons and Dragons are the people who ask the most questions. In the same way, the longer a person has played, the more questions they ask. Really, aside from trying to figure out what your character will do (and deeply related to that), asking questions is the quintessential part of playing a role playing game.
The best part is you can ask about anything. You can ask about customs (is that guy’s hat normal?), physical space, race relations, the normal attitude your character might have about something, backstory, history. I’m serious. You as a player can ask about anything. It’s the D.M.’s job to sort of immerse you in the game world, but the job is complimentary: you have to ask the questions for this to work.
Now, it never hurts to give the D.M. a bit of a background as to why you think you would know the answer to the things you’re asking. Some stuff is common knowledge, but if you’re asking something like, “does that guy’s hat have anything to do with the Thieves guilds of this city?” it’s always nice to remind the D.M. that your character’s been working with the city watch for ten years.
Sometimes the D.M. will relate your question to one of your character’s skills, and so, it’s always good to remind the D.M. if the question you’re asking is related to a high skill (say +5 or more). So, if you want to know what kinds of relics are likely to be found in the area, it’s good to mention that your asking as a person with a +6 in appraise, local knowledge, profession: historian, or profession: merchant, just so the D.M. knows where you’re coming from and how much you would know.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Gods-alphabetically
Here is a list of gods present (in one way or another) in the Aversill campaign
Alobel Lorfiril (Chaotic Good)- Elvish demigod of hedonism, mirth, magic, and revelry
Altua (Lawful Good)- human goddess of honor and nobility
Avoreen (Lawful Good)- Halfling god of defence, war, vigilance, Halfling warriors, duty
Blibdoolpoolp (chaotic evil)- chief god of Kua Toa
Boccob (Neutral)- Human god of magic
Brandobaris (Neutral) Halfling god of stealth, thievery, adventuring, Halfling rogues
Callarduran Smoothhands (Neutral)- Gnome god of Svirfneblin, Secrecy
Carl Glittergood (Neutral Good)- Gnome god of gnomes, humor, wit, illusion, gemcutting, jewelry making. Carl Glittergood is the quintessential Gnome god.
Corellon Larethian (Chaotic Good)- Elvish god of elves, magic, music and arts
Cyrollalee (Lawful Good) Halfling goddess of friendship, trust, the hearth, hospitality, crafts.
Deep Sashelas (Chaotic Good)- Elvish god of oceans, aquatic elves, creation, and knowledge
Eadro (Neutral good)- chief god of Locathah and merfolk
Ehlonna (Neutral Good)- human goddess of nature
Elbrin Liothiel (Chaotic Good)- Elvish god of orchards, nature, gardens, and harvest
Erythnal (chaotic eivl)- Gnoll god of slaughter
Erythnul (chaotic evil)- human god of slaughter
Fharlanghn (neutral)- human god of roads and travel
Gelf Darkhearth (Chaotic Neutral)- Gnome god of entropy and revenge
Gruumsh (chaotic evil)- chief god of the orcs
Halmyr (Lawful neutral) human god of strategy and skill
Hanali Celanil (Chaotic Good)- Elvish god of love, romance, beauty, enchantments, magic item artistry, fine arts, and artists
Hanseath (Chaotic Neutral)- Dwarven god of war, carousing, and alcohol.
Heironeous (Lawful good)- human god of valor
Hextor (Lawful evil)- human god of tyranny, war, conflict, and destruction
Hinggek (Chaotic evil)- Bugbear chief god
Konkresh (chaotic neutral) human god of brute force
Kord (Chaotic Good)- human god of glorious combat
Kurtulmak (Lawful Evil)- Kobold god of kobolds, trapmaking, mining, and war
Laduguer (Lawful Evil)- Dwarven god (Duergar) of magic weapons, artisans, magic, duergar
Lolth (Chaotic evil)- Elvish goddess of Drow, spiders, darkness
Lyris (neutral)- human goddess of victory and fate
Merrshaulk (Lawful evil)- chief god of the Yuan Ti
Moglubiyet (neutral evil)- chief god of goblins and golinoids
Moradin (Lawful Good)- Dwarven god of creation, smithing, engineering, and war. Moradin is the dwarf all purpose God and is sometimes worshipped by humans.
Mya (Neutral Good)- Dwarven goddess of clan, family, and wisdom
Nadirech (chaotic evil)- human god of cowardice and trickery
Nerull (Neutral Evil)- human god of death
Obad Hai (neutral)- human god of nature
Olidammara (chaotic netural)- human god of thieves, beggars, and wine
Pelor (neutral good)- human god of the sun, good, and justice
Rill Cleverthrush (Lawful Neutral)- Gnome god invention, creation, and the sky.
Rocknar (Neutral Evil)- Dwarven god of greed, intrigue, lies and earth
Sehanine Moonbow (Chaotic Good)- Elvish goddess of mysticism, dreams, death, journeys, transcendence, the moon, the stars, the heavens
Sekolah (chaotic evil) chief shark god of the Sanhuagin
Shella Peryroyl (Neutral)- Halfling goddess of nature, agriculture, weather, song, dance, beauty, romantic love
Sheyanna Flaxenstrand (Chaotic Good)- Gnome goddess of love, beauty and passion
Skerrit (Chaotic good)- Centaur chief god
Smemwanya (Neutral)- chief god (goddess?) of lizardfolk
St. Cuthbert (Lawful Neutral)- human god of revenge and just punishment
Sulerain (neutral evil)- human goddess of slaughter
Syreth (Neutral Good)- human god of protection and community
Tharmekhul (Neutral)- Dwarf demi-god who tends the forge for Moradin
Thautum (Netural)- Dwarf god of magic and darkness
The Glutton (Chaotic Evil)- Gnome god of disaster and greed.
Typhos (Lawful Evil) human god of Tyranny
Urbanos (Neutral Good)- God of cities
Urogalan (Lawful Neutral)- Halfling god of the Earth, death, and protection of the dead
Valkar (Chaotic Good)- human god of courage
Valkauna (Lawful Neutral)- Dwarf god of oaths, death, and birth
Vandria Gilmadrith (Lawful Neutral)- Elvish god of war, guardianship, justice, grief, vigilience, and decision
Vecna (neutral evil)- human god of secrets, magic, undead
Wee Jas (Lawful Neutral)- human goddess of magic and death
Yondolla (Lawful Good)- Halfling goddess of Halflings and explorers
Zarus (Lawful Evil)- God of human superiority
Friday, December 21, 2007
What Would Neri Do?
The real question here is what constitutes success in a role playing game. Is it killing a monster? Finding a trap? Making your Search roll? In some senses, yes. But that’s all quite mechanical.
I want you all to think in terms of a different kind of success: a success that is based around playing your character the way that character aught to be played, reacting to situations in a manner that you feel is appropriate for your character, and in general playing your character rather than playing the game. What does that mean?
Well, the truth of the matter is when you play your character, you may actually be doing things which are not solving the crisis. You may, in fact, be causing the crisis. By playing your character correctly, you may be making things complicated, you may be getting in the way, you may be doing things that you’re not supposed to do, or which, in the grand scheme of things, people don’t want you to do. When you’re playing the game, you’re every consideration about your character’s actions revolves around the health and success of the party, the ending of the adventure, and the gaining of treasure. In essence, you put who the character is on the backburner so as to consider these other factors. But this is a role playing game. Playing the character correctly in order to make him or her come alive is not only a hell of a lot more important, it’s also a lot more fun.
So, how is it done? Well, it's actually a lot less complicated than its made out to be. It involves asking the question that titles this bit of writing: what would your character do? Of every situation the character is in, ask yourself that: what would your character do? You’ve met a group of humanoid monsters that want to lay down the sword and join the human empire, what would your character do? How would your character feel about such a prospect? You’ve met up with a group of Halflings traveling through a war-torn land with children. What would your character do? The Halflings believe in casually thievery and taking people in confidence schemes. How does your character react to this? You find a town completely abandoned or you see people by the side of a battlefield looting fallen soldiers. These are not simply moments for you to listen to the story. This is not scenery. These are moments for you to add to the story line by playing your character.
In the end, Dungeons and Dragons isn’t really a story told by the D.M. to his or her players. There is a story, but when it is good, it is as much created by the players as it is by the Dungeon Master.
And that means you need to be prepared for your character to disagree with the other characters. That means that you need to be prepared to make your character do things that aren’t in the story line or to do hold on to information that they don’t think everyone in the party needs to know (or that they know will cause some members of the party to do the wrong thing). This goes for good characters and not so good characters. If it’s something that the cleric would do, then the cleric should spend the rest of the week attending to the sick, and if the Barbarian wants to move on, well, that’s just too bad. Same thing in reverse. Everybody wants to go to bed, but the thief wants to go robbing houses.
Now, I am not saying that you need to create nonstop tension in your party. Characters may be convinced to do something besides what it is there first inclination to do. The cleric might, for instance, be convinced that there are pressing matters at hand, but then that too is a place for you to play your character. What sorts of arguments will convince the cleric. What sorts of things has the cleric heard before.
Ultimately, you’re not playing the game to find the simplest path to some undisclosed finale. You’re playing the game to play your character.
Now, brass tacks. A lot of what you can use to determine what your character does revolves around your alignment, your class, and your character conception. Gringulia is a mercenary. She’s based her character on Jane from Firefly. Okay, good. Now, whenever she gets in a situation, she need only picture what it is that Jane would do and do that. She isn’t likely to stop to help people unless there’s a monetary reward. She isn’t likely to do things out of the kindness of her heart—that’s not her character conception.
As far as alignment goes, if you’re chaotic, then you don’t like rules that dictate yours or anyone else’s behavior. You don’t work well with people telling you what to do. This goes doubly for big structures. The chaotic neutral character isn’t necessarily an outlaw, but they don’t see the law as something that inherently should be allowed to rule people’s lives.
Lawful characters like order. They hold people to codes of behavior and decency and they don’t like it when things are amiss or out of the ordinary.
Neutral characters could care less really. They understand why there are laws but they also see why there are situations where people break them.
As for good and evil. Good people want the greatest good for the greatest number of people. They believe in the power of safety and what everyone to be healthy. Good characters are natural helpers.
Evil characters want power. So, good thinks of others. Evil thinks only of themselves, and neutral characters are willing to think of both.
The lawful good character wants to see the strongest parts of society rise up against tyranny and chaos to create peace and harmony. The neutral good character wants peace and harmony as well, but isn’t necessarily sure that it needs to be achieved by honoring arbitrary rules (though it might). A chaotic good character wants peace and harmony but feels that this can only be achieved if everyone is given their own ability to choose.
Which brings me finally, to class. If you’re a thief, you look at the world from a thief’s eyes. You want to steal stuff. You want to sneak around. You don’t want to be at the center of attention. If you’re a cleric of Moradin, then you pray to the god that sets the world to order. It stands to reason that you also must feel the need to bring order to the world. This isn’t a passive opinion that you share with others as you walk by scenes of human suffering and chaos; this is reason for you to get everyone else to stop. The Druid must be attuned to the balance of nature. If the Sentinel Plain has been swept by fey creatures from the positive material plain that have caused entire caravans to disappear, this is a good reason for an investigation by someone who seeks to maintain some kind of balance.
Lastly, the question has to come up: “Well, if we start playing our characters, wouldn’t we realistically just start heading off in random directions? Why would we even hang out together?” Good questions, but not yours to worry about. I will produce enough reasons to keep you working together as a team so as to keep you together even if you don’t always agree on the right course of action. But if it helps, let me forward this: you’re characters are returning from war to a world that is inherently alien (it’s human and you aren’t) and due to recent events quite corrupt. Your characters probably won’t know who to turn to except for each other. The way that the campaign is designed is that you will have to face off against disaster and, as you can’t trust others to do this for you, you will be forced to rely on one another to this purpose. This is something that you know as players, not something your characters necessarily know as of yet, but you will see it soon.
I want you all to think in terms of a different kind of success: a success that is based around playing your character the way that character aught to be played, reacting to situations in a manner that you feel is appropriate for your character, and in general playing your character rather than playing the game. What does that mean?
Well, the truth of the matter is when you play your character, you may actually be doing things which are not solving the crisis. You may, in fact, be causing the crisis. By playing your character correctly, you may be making things complicated, you may be getting in the way, you may be doing things that you’re not supposed to do, or which, in the grand scheme of things, people don’t want you to do. When you’re playing the game, you’re every consideration about your character’s actions revolves around the health and success of the party, the ending of the adventure, and the gaining of treasure. In essence, you put who the character is on the backburner so as to consider these other factors. But this is a role playing game. Playing the character correctly in order to make him or her come alive is not only a hell of a lot more important, it’s also a lot more fun.
So, how is it done? Well, it's actually a lot less complicated than its made out to be. It involves asking the question that titles this bit of writing: what would your character do? Of every situation the character is in, ask yourself that: what would your character do? You’ve met a group of humanoid monsters that want to lay down the sword and join the human empire, what would your character do? How would your character feel about such a prospect? You’ve met up with a group of Halflings traveling through a war-torn land with children. What would your character do? The Halflings believe in casually thievery and taking people in confidence schemes. How does your character react to this? You find a town completely abandoned or you see people by the side of a battlefield looting fallen soldiers. These are not simply moments for you to listen to the story. This is not scenery. These are moments for you to add to the story line by playing your character.
In the end, Dungeons and Dragons isn’t really a story told by the D.M. to his or her players. There is a story, but when it is good, it is as much created by the players as it is by the Dungeon Master.
And that means you need to be prepared for your character to disagree with the other characters. That means that you need to be prepared to make your character do things that aren’t in the story line or to do hold on to information that they don’t think everyone in the party needs to know (or that they know will cause some members of the party to do the wrong thing). This goes for good characters and not so good characters. If it’s something that the cleric would do, then the cleric should spend the rest of the week attending to the sick, and if the Barbarian wants to move on, well, that’s just too bad. Same thing in reverse. Everybody wants to go to bed, but the thief wants to go robbing houses.
Now, I am not saying that you need to create nonstop tension in your party. Characters may be convinced to do something besides what it is there first inclination to do. The cleric might, for instance, be convinced that there are pressing matters at hand, but then that too is a place for you to play your character. What sorts of arguments will convince the cleric. What sorts of things has the cleric heard before.
Ultimately, you’re not playing the game to find the simplest path to some undisclosed finale. You’re playing the game to play your character.
Now, brass tacks. A lot of what you can use to determine what your character does revolves around your alignment, your class, and your character conception. Gringulia is a mercenary. She’s based her character on Jane from Firefly. Okay, good. Now, whenever she gets in a situation, she need only picture what it is that Jane would do and do that. She isn’t likely to stop to help people unless there’s a monetary reward. She isn’t likely to do things out of the kindness of her heart—that’s not her character conception.
As far as alignment goes, if you’re chaotic, then you don’t like rules that dictate yours or anyone else’s behavior. You don’t work well with people telling you what to do. This goes doubly for big structures. The chaotic neutral character isn’t necessarily an outlaw, but they don’t see the law as something that inherently should be allowed to rule people’s lives.
Lawful characters like order. They hold people to codes of behavior and decency and they don’t like it when things are amiss or out of the ordinary.
Neutral characters could care less really. They understand why there are laws but they also see why there are situations where people break them.
As for good and evil. Good people want the greatest good for the greatest number of people. They believe in the power of safety and what everyone to be healthy. Good characters are natural helpers.
Evil characters want power. So, good thinks of others. Evil thinks only of themselves, and neutral characters are willing to think of both.
The lawful good character wants to see the strongest parts of society rise up against tyranny and chaos to create peace and harmony. The neutral good character wants peace and harmony as well, but isn’t necessarily sure that it needs to be achieved by honoring arbitrary rules (though it might). A chaotic good character wants peace and harmony but feels that this can only be achieved if everyone is given their own ability to choose.
Which brings me finally, to class. If you’re a thief, you look at the world from a thief’s eyes. You want to steal stuff. You want to sneak around. You don’t want to be at the center of attention. If you’re a cleric of Moradin, then you pray to the god that sets the world to order. It stands to reason that you also must feel the need to bring order to the world. This isn’t a passive opinion that you share with others as you walk by scenes of human suffering and chaos; this is reason for you to get everyone else to stop. The Druid must be attuned to the balance of nature. If the Sentinel Plain has been swept by fey creatures from the positive material plain that have caused entire caravans to disappear, this is a good reason for an investigation by someone who seeks to maintain some kind of balance.
Lastly, the question has to come up: “Well, if we start playing our characters, wouldn’t we realistically just start heading off in random directions? Why would we even hang out together?” Good questions, but not yours to worry about. I will produce enough reasons to keep you working together as a team so as to keep you together even if you don’t always agree on the right course of action. But if it helps, let me forward this: you’re characters are returning from war to a world that is inherently alien (it’s human and you aren’t) and due to recent events quite corrupt. Your characters probably won’t know who to turn to except for each other. The way that the campaign is designed is that you will have to face off against disaster and, as you can’t trust others to do this for you, you will be forced to rely on one another to this purpose. This is something that you know as players, not something your characters necessarily know as of yet, but you will see it soon.
The Fade: an Introduction
Though Aversill is the name of the current human colony on the continent of Phemerhon, it is clear that something once called this place their home as well. Throughout the entire colony and especially on the Sentinel Plain are scattered hints and remnants of a vast and powerful civilization that was, during one catastrophe or another, ground nearly to dust. That race, whatever they might have been, seems to have been swallowed from the face of the Earth. Now all that remains of their physical likeness are the statuary that occasionally survives whatever disaster that destroyed the race.
Antiquarians refer to these beings as Phemerhonians, but most other refers to these creatures as the faded ancestors or simply the fade. In appearance, they seem to be human in their build but in all statuary appear emaciated and often bent into positions which would be otherwise unnatural for humans. All figures in face statuary are lacking in hair. Because of the devastation of Fade civilization, it is impossible to tell the scale of the race. Fade architecture often seems gargantuan by human standards (for instance, the Denzibal Temple in Streckhorn or the Asternil Gate in Starfell) but other examples of the style suggest human proportions. Experts debate the proportions in relation to the Fade as some antiquarians suggest that the Fade may have had slave races—especially the Dwarves, Orcs, and Goblins who call Phemerhon their ancestral home. Thus the human sized architecture pertains to these races. Others disagree, seeing the Fade as ancestral to one (in not all three) of these races.
Unfortunately, so far at least, divination acts offer no help in discovering the true nature of the Fade. The last catastrophe seems to mark a stopping point beyond which no mortal eye can look. If the gods know the true nature of the Fade, they are silent on the subject. One source that is rumored to have achieved some success is the use of remnant magic. However, as such magic is dangerous, and opens one up to powers beyond the scope of sanity, few are willing to risk their lives or minds to pursue information on this subject. As such information is branded heretical and those who do return with secrets are often reticent to share. One of the rumors circulated throughout the Sentinal Plain (and believed as gospel truth in Streckhorn) is that Codphetomus, the Fade God represented by the Codphetumus Statue in Streckhorn can still be contacted through rituals known to only a select few.
Of all areas of human settlement, nowhere have Fade ruins been so well preserved as in Streckhorn. Indeed the great unnamed Fade city has for the most part simply been repopulated by the citizens of Aversill in order to found Streckhorn. Structures have been built only where old structures have completely decayed. Thus, the great tier and tower system is a remnant of the Fade as is the great statue of Codphetomus and the six gargantuan statues of unnamed Fade Gods that flank the central colossus. Streckhorn itself accounts for roughly a third of the above ground ancient city and none of its tunnel system which the Streckhorn government closes off, as a rule, through engineered collapses.
In addition to the tiers and statues, Streckhorn is also surrounded by what remains of a great wall radiating five miles out from the city center. Near its extremities, the wall still exists some 200 feet high where it is anchored to the mountain face. Most of the wall has been reduced to ruin or covered over with time. Streckhorn scholars believe that the “hill country” particular to the Streckhorn region of the Sentinel Plain is made up of stone from this gargantuan construction.
Antiquarians refer to these beings as Phemerhonians, but most other refers to these creatures as the faded ancestors or simply the fade. In appearance, they seem to be human in their build but in all statuary appear emaciated and often bent into positions which would be otherwise unnatural for humans. All figures in face statuary are lacking in hair. Because of the devastation of Fade civilization, it is impossible to tell the scale of the race. Fade architecture often seems gargantuan by human standards (for instance, the Denzibal Temple in Streckhorn or the Asternil Gate in Starfell) but other examples of the style suggest human proportions. Experts debate the proportions in relation to the Fade as some antiquarians suggest that the Fade may have had slave races—especially the Dwarves, Orcs, and Goblins who call Phemerhon their ancestral home. Thus the human sized architecture pertains to these races. Others disagree, seeing the Fade as ancestral to one (in not all three) of these races.
Unfortunately, so far at least, divination acts offer no help in discovering the true nature of the Fade. The last catastrophe seems to mark a stopping point beyond which no mortal eye can look. If the gods know the true nature of the Fade, they are silent on the subject. One source that is rumored to have achieved some success is the use of remnant magic. However, as such magic is dangerous, and opens one up to powers beyond the scope of sanity, few are willing to risk their lives or minds to pursue information on this subject. As such information is branded heretical and those who do return with secrets are often reticent to share. One of the rumors circulated throughout the Sentinal Plain (and believed as gospel truth in Streckhorn) is that Codphetomus, the Fade God represented by the Codphetumus Statue in Streckhorn can still be contacted through rituals known to only a select few.
Of all areas of human settlement, nowhere have Fade ruins been so well preserved as in Streckhorn. Indeed the great unnamed Fade city has for the most part simply been repopulated by the citizens of Aversill in order to found Streckhorn. Structures have been built only where old structures have completely decayed. Thus, the great tier and tower system is a remnant of the Fade as is the great statue of Codphetomus and the six gargantuan statues of unnamed Fade Gods that flank the central colossus. Streckhorn itself accounts for roughly a third of the above ground ancient city and none of its tunnel system which the Streckhorn government closes off, as a rule, through engineered collapses.
In addition to the tiers and statues, Streckhorn is also surrounded by what remains of a great wall radiating five miles out from the city center. Near its extremities, the wall still exists some 200 feet high where it is anchored to the mountain face. Most of the wall has been reduced to ruin or covered over with time. Streckhorn scholars believe that the “hill country” particular to the Streckhorn region of the Sentinel Plain is made up of stone from this gargantuan construction.
The Fade and Streckhorn
Because of the strong tie to the ancient past, Streckhorn is considered by most of the frontier cities to be the spiritual center of Aversill—a reputation that is nearly unaniomously supported by its own citizenry. Tales abound of “hidden staircases” that lead to tiers that appear only on full moons and the like. There are numerous rumors of doorways that appear to the blessed (or cursed) and countless tales of people who’ve gone up the wrong staircase never to be heard from again. In fact, the most popular work of literature from all of Aversill, “The Market of Archeon” concerns a traveler who stumbles upon a phantom tier where devils and demons are holding a market for human souls. The man finds his wife’s soul there and wonders at how the devil (Necrabon—a local legend) has gained possession of her spirit. Numerous possibilities are given, but there is no closure in this haunting tale. Gilfan (the poem’s hero) trades his soul for his beloved’s (Annatruce) and is imprisoned in her stead for all eternity. Less popular outside of Aversill, but more popular on the Sentinel Plains are the works of Allistair Stark (Tales of the Unknown Stair, Words of Wisdom, and the non-fiction work The Tiers of the Gods). Stark works generally in shorter poetic form putting local legends and superstitions into verse structure. The Tiers of the Gods is considered to be the premier guide to understanding the architectural complexities of Streckhorn.
Numerous works of art have their origins in Streckhorn (both due to its architecture and mystique). The fresco adorning the colony capital building in Seacourt, “Denzibal at Dawn” is considered the greatest work of Aversill’s most gifted painter, Halu Pehmions. All of the most famous studies of the Sentinel Plain were taken from the tiers of Streckhorn, and of course, the artists Jean Kandelbrot and Strinton Sheetcooper both hail from Streckhorn (Sheetcooper considers his art non-fade).
The strongest work of art to originate from Streckhorn is the very play that superstition prevents being produced in the city: The Geas of Codphetumos. Rumor has it aht if the play is performed in Streckhorn, all who watch it will suffer from the Geas. Sources vary as to what this will actually mean. According to legend, the play was delivered to its anonymous playwright the year Streckhorn was founded by Octavious Streck. It was produced later that year causing a citywide disaster.
The play has been produced several times in other cities without ill effect, but Streckhorn civil law expressly forbids production of the Geas of Codphetumos within fifty miles of the statue.
Numerous works of art have their origins in Streckhorn (both due to its architecture and mystique). The fresco adorning the colony capital building in Seacourt, “Denzibal at Dawn” is considered the greatest work of Aversill’s most gifted painter, Halu Pehmions. All of the most famous studies of the Sentinel Plain were taken from the tiers of Streckhorn, and of course, the artists Jean Kandelbrot and Strinton Sheetcooper both hail from Streckhorn (Sheetcooper considers his art non-fade).
The strongest work of art to originate from Streckhorn is the very play that superstition prevents being produced in the city: The Geas of Codphetumos. Rumor has it aht if the play is performed in Streckhorn, all who watch it will suffer from the Geas. Sources vary as to what this will actually mean. According to legend, the play was delivered to its anonymous playwright the year Streckhorn was founded by Octavious Streck. It was produced later that year causing a citywide disaster.
The play has been produced several times in other cities without ill effect, but Streckhorn civil law expressly forbids production of the Geas of Codphetumos within fifty miles of the statue.
Streckhorn and Sprituality
Streckhorn is a city of superstition and for good reason. The magical ties that exist behind closed doors in other cities are plain for all to see in Streckhorn In battles against past enemies, the city has received aid from numerous sources without need of summons. A flight of Griffons, calling the wild Tiers above the city their home, routinely comes to the city in times of crisis as have, at different points in the city’s history, a flight of silver dragons, a Shedhu, and numerous other creatures both Earthly and other worldly. Tehr are routine sightings of glowing figures walking the streets of Streckhorn (not to mention the occasional report of a Fade sighting). Explorers of both Ysgard and Acheron have told tales of persistent portals that lead directly to Streckhonr.
Whenever possible, the leadership of Steckhorn has attempted to discover the nature of the responsibilities that these creatures feel towards keeping the city safte. Their success or failure in this endeavor is a secret to the public. The rumor about these pacts are that they originate with the fade and that humans were not meant to keep them. Some feel that these alliances represent a sign of corruption within the arcane and divine community of Streckhorn. Many whisper of dire consequences. Others make it their purpose to seek out the divine creatures and forces that occasionally materialize in Streckhorn.
Actual superstitions vary from person to person and Tier to Tier, many of which concern phantom passages and similar features. A phantom passage is a doorway that is only open at certain times or under certain conditions. These passages are said to open onto parts of the city that only exist in the world of spirits. Some say that phantom passages lead to different time. The commonality between all such legends is that those who make it into a phantom passage are almost never heard from again.
Similar to phantom passages, Streckhorn superstition includes “Haint Halls” which are buildings that are not always there. Strictly speaking, a Haint Hall is the ghost of a Fade building that has suffered ruin. Priscients, ghosts of the Fade, represent a similar kind of local legend. Often buildings will be abandoned due to rumor of prescient activity. There is little verification, however, of these phantom’s actual existence.
Some of the legends and superstitions common in Streckhorn are:
Never climb a spire alone: After all, you never know whether the passage you are in is real or phantom. Many legends concerning phantom passages hold that you cannot be spirited away unless you are alone. Others claim that the passages only show themselves to lone travelers.
Whistle a song as you climb a spire: This is a variation on the standard legend that if others can hear your song then you can’t be spirited away. Other versions of this superstition hold that if you hear someone whistling the same song, it’s you coming from the other direction and you must head back or meet yourself coming (a disaster in all cases). The simplest version of this superstition holds that whistling lets everyone know that someone else is in the spire.
The double jointed and contortionists are possessed by Priscients: Circus contortionists and all manner of tumblers and acrobats are frowned upon in Streckhorn.
Diseases that twist the bodies are considered curses of the Fade.
Anyone who enters a house left foot first is a Prescient. There are a wide variety of these kinds of superstitions. This is simply the most common. There are literally hundreds of ways to spot a Fade
Touching the statue of Codphetumos insures fertility.
One must conduct business with a bare head. This legend probably revolves around the number of tales where a Streckhorn citizen finds himself inside a bazaar of devils.
Codphetumos hears prayers for justice in Streckhorn. Though no one openly admits to worshipping the Fade gods and goddesses, there’s a lot of crossover in the pantheons of Streckhorn. The large statue of St. Cuthbert in front of his temple, for instance, has him posed in such a fashion as to hint at contortion. Art critics see in the statue a strong Fade influence. Stronger critics see the statue as a suggestion of heresy. In any case, quite a few words have crept into common parlance as far as oaths are concerned that are clearly drawn from the Fade. “Codsys,” for instance, is untranslatable, generally is used like “Wow,” and obviously sounds a lot like Cod sees (as in Codphetumos seees). The temple of St. Cuthbert is in a building that was clearly some kind of Fade temple before the catastrophe.
Cod’s Tribute: On the great lifts of the Tevermine Gate (the four giant lifts that run from the base of the mountain up to the Middle tier of Streckhonr), one is supposed to drop a coin to Codphetumos as an offer that the lift will not break.
“The gods are worshipped on one Tier; they live on another.” Less a superstition than a saying. Nonetheless, this phrase is indicative of Streckhorn religion. Worshippers are praying to and honoring beings that they feel are physically close and which may be met through phantom gates and such, during the lifetime of the faithful.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
feat index
Here is the complete index to feats. It's a bit daunting but I figure it's worth having a look.
Neri- as I understand it you still have a feat open. If so, may I suggest Alacritious Cogitation from The Complete Mage. It allows you to simply leave a spell slot open and fill it, at any time, with a spell of that level. So, basically, you don't have to prepare a spell in advance. The drawback is that the spell then takes a full round to cast, but for a lot of non-combat spells, that's not that big a deal. A round is 6 seconds long, by the way.
Neri- as I understand it you still have a feat open. If so, may I suggest Alacritious Cogitation from The Complete Mage. It allows you to simply leave a spell slot open and fill it, at any time, with a spell of that level. So, basically, you don't have to prepare a spell in advance. The drawback is that the spell then takes a full round to cast, but for a lot of non-combat spells, that's not that big a deal. A round is 6 seconds long, by the way.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Fey
Fairies and nature spirits abound in the world of dungeons and dragons, but for the most part they are either go unnoticed, or are ignored. To get some idea of why the society of the characters is so reticent to accept fey in the way that they might accept a halfling or even an orc, one must realize that though the fey are not stupid, they are also not sane--not by human standards anyway. A conversation with a fey involves references to events and features of the world that simply do not exist to humans, humanoids, demi-humans, etc.. The fey, some argue, are more aware of the battles conducted in nature than are humans and elves. A human sees a tree, a fey sees an ancient citadel that has stood for centuries as a bulwark against the evil forces of some army of whose existence only the fey seem to know. At the same time, the events of the large world of human affairs often have little or no reference to the fey. What use is it to talk about the next town over to a Dryad that has never been more than fifty feet from her tree. At the same time, a human is unlikely to realize the drama that takes place in that area, and much less likely to see it in terms of political, social, and moral struggle. To the fey, plants, animals, the weather, and the elements are characters just as much as a merchant or a dragon is to a human being...or so they claim.
Investigations into the fey's "stories" are likely to turn up little in the way of corroboration. Perhaps the toad over there is, in fact, working for the dire tyrant tree the next glade over, but for all intents and purposes to humans, it's a toad: it acts like a toad and it never does anything peculiar to suggest allegiance to anything greater than its normal animal instincts.
What makes matters worse is that the fey seem to feel the same way about human affairs. Situated in the middle of a city, they are uncompelled to see the setting as a site of human drama. They may see it the way other people would see a tree. It's a tree, maybe it's nice to look out, but how long can you look at the same tree before it gets boring. For the fey, the question might be: how long can you look at the fight between the high ranking paladin and the evil power mad sorcerer before it gets dull.
Within the realm of normal society then, humans and humankind are likely to see fairies as no better than talking dragonflies prone to a world of intense make believe who may become hostile for reasons unknown but who normally ignore the presence of humans entirely.
There are a few points of contact that make this just a bit more complicated. Druids and fey share a similar world view, and as such, Druids tend to understand the fey way of looking at things a bit more than others. Even in these extreme circumstances, however, the druid understands only an inkling of the fey world. They are able to glimpse into its motivations and phenomena occasionally, normally through spells, and such, but they are always anchored in their comprehension of the normal world and also by their inability to fully immerse in the fey's. A druid probably wouldn't think that the fey are insane, but he or she wouldn't really understand what they're talking about, and probably knows that no amount of explaining is going to help.
Through interaction with the fey and the world of nature, druids commenly know that the fey divide the kingdom of the world up between the courts of the seelie and unseelie fairies. Where the seelie are insane and somewhat playful, the unseelie are insane and mischievous, if not downright psychotic. In the fairies stories, it is always the seelie court that plays the hero and the unseelie court that plays the villain. However, if this denotes a true battle between good and evil or whether this is just the way the fey play their games is inconclusive.
Investigations into the fey's "stories" are likely to turn up little in the way of corroboration. Perhaps the toad over there is, in fact, working for the dire tyrant tree the next glade over, but for all intents and purposes to humans, it's a toad: it acts like a toad and it never does anything peculiar to suggest allegiance to anything greater than its normal animal instincts.
What makes matters worse is that the fey seem to feel the same way about human affairs. Situated in the middle of a city, they are uncompelled to see the setting as a site of human drama. They may see it the way other people would see a tree. It's a tree, maybe it's nice to look out, but how long can you look at the same tree before it gets boring. For the fey, the question might be: how long can you look at the fight between the high ranking paladin and the evil power mad sorcerer before it gets dull.
Within the realm of normal society then, humans and humankind are likely to see fairies as no better than talking dragonflies prone to a world of intense make believe who may become hostile for reasons unknown but who normally ignore the presence of humans entirely.
There are a few points of contact that make this just a bit more complicated. Druids and fey share a similar world view, and as such, Druids tend to understand the fey way of looking at things a bit more than others. Even in these extreme circumstances, however, the druid understands only an inkling of the fey world. They are able to glimpse into its motivations and phenomena occasionally, normally through spells, and such, but they are always anchored in their comprehension of the normal world and also by their inability to fully immerse in the fey's. A druid probably wouldn't think that the fey are insane, but he or she wouldn't really understand what they're talking about, and probably knows that no amount of explaining is going to help.
Through interaction with the fey and the world of nature, druids commenly know that the fey divide the kingdom of the world up between the courts of the seelie and unseelie fairies. Where the seelie are insane and somewhat playful, the unseelie are insane and mischievous, if not downright psychotic. In the fairies stories, it is always the seelie court that plays the hero and the unseelie court that plays the villain. However, if this denotes a true battle between good and evil or whether this is just the way the fey play their games is inconclusive.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
elven lands
I'd like to know where in Aversill are the Elven lands/territories.
Also, I changed to full elf. So now Emily and I are both thief/wizard Elves. Emily, I'm interested in pursuing my thief streak more than the wizard, how 'bout you?
Anira
Also, I changed to full elf. So now Emily and I are both thief/wizard Elves. Emily, I'm interested in pursuing my thief streak more than the wizard, how 'bout you?
Anira
sharing skills/spells
Hi,
I didn't know if I should list my skills/spells so that Emily and I won't overlap too much -- or is that necessary?
Anira
I didn't know if I should list my skills/spells so that Emily and I won't overlap too much -- or is that necessary?
Anira
Monday, September 24, 2007
Getting a character conception
First off, you should know that you don't need a character conception-- a character conception flourishes over time. Through adventure and off hand comments, what begins as a catch phrase will turn into a full fledged alternate personality within the game world. If you'll indulge me for a minute, think of the characters on "Friends." After many seasons on TV, they have become memorable characters complete with personalities, prejudices, attitudes, histories, and personal places within an incredibly complex group dynamic, but what did the writers know about these characters when the show began? Chandler's funny, Phoebe streetwise, and Monica can cook. As the show progressed, these characters gained life. The same is true for you and your character. This then is less about making a full fledged conception and more about getting a beginning.
All of these methods work, to one degree or another, on playing with stereotypes. This is not to pigeon hole you. By seeing a type as something that can be played with, you can use these easy steps to imagine an original character.
Method 1, Art: There's a lot out there to just plain look at. Pictures of fantasy characters are great because they give you a visual presentation of the the kind of character you want to play. Well, why not simply go the whole nine and base your of your character on a picture you've seen. This will give you not only some idea of what you look like, but also what kind of circumstances you hope to find yourself in.
Method 2, Cool thing in the Game: A lot of conception start this way. A players says, "I want to be a total expert at potions," or "I want to play someone who trains war dogs." In other words, the character is an expert at some uncommon skill or has some interesting characteristic and they are conceptualized around this. This is a great way to begin feeling your character out because it generally involves a history of interest and also a guiding principal for the numbers on your character sheet.
Method 3, based on another character: Ever wonder what Angela Lansbury's character in "Murder She Wrote" would be like if she were an elf in a fantasy setting. Well, base your character on her. Take what you like, leave the rest. This is an especially useful tactic in picking the character's personality. You needn't by the way pick Bruce Willis's character from Die Hard. There's all kinds of quirky characters walking around the Dungeons and Dragons world. With this kind of conception, you get a pretty good idea of how your character generally acts.
Method 4, fandom: Some people like to totally recreate another character in a fantasy setting. You needn't pick a fantasy character for this necessarily. Instead, just try to think of fantasy analogs to whatever elements already exist in that characters world. You like the idea of Buck Rogers? Okay, instead of being a guy from the past thrown into the future to fight Ming the merciless, how about you're from another dimension and you're trying to stop an evil tyrannical wizard.
Method 5, get a gimmick: The Thing from The Fantastic Four began as a guy made of rock who said, "it's clobbering time." It really doesn't take much to make your character memorable and to begin the process of gaining definition. Consider the power of phrases like, "I'm not allowed in a lot of towns anymore," or, "that dragon circling overhead may be looking for me," or even, "who's up for a drinking contest?" One you know the situations your character is likely to get in, or what kinds of things set your character apart from the rest, a conception will begin to reveal itself. You can't hunt a man with six fingers for long before someone asks why.
Method 6, Start answering questions: Still working it out? Try these...
All of these methods work, to one degree or another, on playing with stereotypes. This is not to pigeon hole you. By seeing a type as something that can be played with, you can use these easy steps to imagine an original character.
Method 1, Art: There's a lot out there to just plain look at. Pictures of fantasy characters are great because they give you a visual presentation of the the kind of character you want to play. Well, why not simply go the whole nine and base your of your character on a picture you've seen. This will give you not only some idea of what you look like, but also what kind of circumstances you hope to find yourself in.
Method 2, Cool thing in the Game: A lot of conception start this way. A players says, "I want to be a total expert at potions," or "I want to play someone who trains war dogs." In other words, the character is an expert at some uncommon skill or has some interesting characteristic and they are conceptualized around this. This is a great way to begin feeling your character out because it generally involves a history of interest and also a guiding principal for the numbers on your character sheet.
Method 3, based on another character: Ever wonder what Angela Lansbury's character in "Murder She Wrote" would be like if she were an elf in a fantasy setting. Well, base your character on her. Take what you like, leave the rest. This is an especially useful tactic in picking the character's personality. You needn't by the way pick Bruce Willis's character from Die Hard. There's all kinds of quirky characters walking around the Dungeons and Dragons world. With this kind of conception, you get a pretty good idea of how your character generally acts.
Method 4, fandom: Some people like to totally recreate another character in a fantasy setting. You needn't pick a fantasy character for this necessarily. Instead, just try to think of fantasy analogs to whatever elements already exist in that characters world. You like the idea of Buck Rogers? Okay, instead of being a guy from the past thrown into the future to fight Ming the merciless, how about you're from another dimension and you're trying to stop an evil tyrannical wizard.
Method 5, get a gimmick: The Thing from The Fantastic Four began as a guy made of rock who said, "it's clobbering time." It really doesn't take much to make your character memorable and to begin the process of gaining definition. Consider the power of phrases like, "I'm not allowed in a lot of towns anymore," or, "that dragon circling overhead may be looking for me," or even, "who's up for a drinking contest?" One you know the situations your character is likely to get in, or what kinds of things set your character apart from the rest, a conception will begin to reveal itself. You can't hunt a man with six fingers for long before someone asks why.
Method 6, Start answering questions: Still working it out? Try these...
Where are you from?
What makes you a good character for a fantasy novel?
Why is it that you willingly explore tombs of of monsters whose names are
unpronounceable?
Fight dragons or ride them?
Ever seen a demon?
Do you have a home?
What do people outside your adventuring buddies think of you?
If your in the capital city for a few days R and R, how do you spend the
fortune you've just liberated from the goblin king?
Is anybody likely to be hunting you?
Is there something out there that might come to your defense in case of
really bad trouble?
Any "strange" relatives?
Are you on a quest?"
Which of the characters do you fell closest to? Who furthest?
Ancient and forgotten temple of Elder god: "wonder what's in there"
or "wonder how we're going to kill it?"
Likely travelling companion: Elvin archer, Iron Golem, or Githyankian
Alienist from the infinite dooms of Limbo?
Excalibur, Tolkien, Conan, The Never Ending Story, Labyrinth, or M.C. Escher (or H.R. Geiger for that matter)?
Saturday, September 15, 2007
How to post
First of all, you can either post anonymously and just sign it or you can sign with your Google account if you have one. To get one go to https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount. It's free, and then you can have a cool name like Monstro!
Alright, after you do that, simply press on the "comment" link under the post and it will take you to a screen that asks for your user name and password. There should be a box where you can enter your comment and a string of characters for you to re-enter (this is so that automated programs can't comment on the blog).
That's it. After you do this, your comment should appear. This allows for a kind of discussion between readers of the blog.
Alright, after you do that, simply press on the "comment" link under the post and it will take you to a screen that asks for your user name and password. There should be a box where you can enter your comment and a string of characters for you to re-enter (this is so that automated programs can't comment on the blog).
That's it. After you do this, your comment should appear. This allows for a kind of discussion between readers of the blog.
Fumble-aya
So, I've given this some thought. I think Slash was right that a fumble that ends up with you on the ground is pretty bad. So, here's what I've come up with. If you roll a fumble in melee combat, you have to make a balance roll to stay up on your feet. If you end up not on your feet, you can make a tumble roll to get up without provoking an attack of opportunity. This gives you two dexterity checks to avoid getting clobbered when you fumble.
If you fumble while using a ranged attack, you have to make a hit roll against a friendly unit in your arc of fire. If firing into hand to hand, the friendly combatent is automatically the target. In other words, if you fumble while using a ranged weapon and one of your friends is in front of you, there's a chance that you'll hit them.
Fumbes on skill checks are just automatic failures and carry no other ill effect.
If you fumble while using a ranged attack, you have to make a hit roll against a friendly unit in your arc of fire. If firing into hand to hand, the friendly combatent is automatically the target. In other words, if you fumble while using a ranged weapon and one of your friends is in front of you, there's a chance that you'll hit them.
Fumbes on skill checks are just automatic failures and carry no other ill effect.
Macabre Boccob
Here's what you guys would all basically know about Boccob and his church, The Eternal Library.
Among the Pantheon, Boccob serves as the god of magic, but his nature seems to place him outside the realm of the other deities. Where Moradin or St. Cuthbert are active in the lives and affairs of mortals, Boccob's main selling point is that he simply doesn't care. He seems to be above the struggles of the world, and thus magic is a force that is a cast off of his own power. This has a number of effects in the legends of Stumgort and Aversill. As the argument goes, if Boccob was more responsible with magic then human power wouldn't continually have to be reigned in by the gods. If this is, in fact, the case, it wouldn't matter much. Boccob seems to care very little about who gets power or who doesn't. He is worshipped less as an attempt to gain favor and more as an exercise in the discipline that his followers see as necessary to use the powers that they uncover. As the myths go, if Boccob does actually notice you, his power is so great as to wipe you out of existence.
From a political standpoint, there are a number of organizations that deal with arcane secrets and lore, as well as numerous groups dedicated to the policing of magic use. The Eternal Library (church of Boccob) is generally at the forefront of the politics of magic in any civilized human area (Elves prefer Corellen Larethion). Wizard advisers to political authority are almost always appointed by The Eternal Library, and organizations for monitoring or policing magic use either begin as offshoots of the Eternal Library or are given authority by that group.
For this reason, figuring prominently in each major city is an Eternal Library. It's appearance depends on the city (Seacourt's is garish and polished; in Streckhorn it is a dark place uninviting and Gothic), but its general upkeep is pretty much the same. Most of the Library is off limits to non-church members (and even these areas are divided by one's status in the church), but it provides services such as the sale of magic items, instruction in magical skill and spells, numerous commercial casting services, professional services such as sages and scribes(though not Wayfairers), incarceration for magical beings, as well as the bureaucratic upkeep of magical licensing (it's as RMVish as it sounds).
Outside the city, the Eternal Library often operates temples for the collection of arcane secrets from the wilds and from prelapsarian ruins. In like manner, most of the Libraries less metropolitan plans are carried out in rural temples, such as magical laboratories, observatories, and academies.
Other major organizations that perform similar services to the Eternal Library are The Wayfairers Guild, The Pragnastic Assembly, The Hall of Secrets, and The Order. There are any number of smaller guilds, colleges, and schools for wizards, but none have the kind of political power wielded by the organizations listed above.
Among the Pantheon, Boccob serves as the god of magic, but his nature seems to place him outside the realm of the other deities. Where Moradin or St. Cuthbert are active in the lives and affairs of mortals, Boccob's main selling point is that he simply doesn't care. He seems to be above the struggles of the world, and thus magic is a force that is a cast off of his own power. This has a number of effects in the legends of Stumgort and Aversill. As the argument goes, if Boccob was more responsible with magic then human power wouldn't continually have to be reigned in by the gods. If this is, in fact, the case, it wouldn't matter much. Boccob seems to care very little about who gets power or who doesn't. He is worshipped less as an attempt to gain favor and more as an exercise in the discipline that his followers see as necessary to use the powers that they uncover. As the myths go, if Boccob does actually notice you, his power is so great as to wipe you out of existence.
From a political standpoint, there are a number of organizations that deal with arcane secrets and lore, as well as numerous groups dedicated to the policing of magic use. The Eternal Library (church of Boccob) is generally at the forefront of the politics of magic in any civilized human area (Elves prefer Corellen Larethion). Wizard advisers to political authority are almost always appointed by The Eternal Library, and organizations for monitoring or policing magic use either begin as offshoots of the Eternal Library or are given authority by that group.
For this reason, figuring prominently in each major city is an Eternal Library. It's appearance depends on the city (Seacourt's is garish and polished; in Streckhorn it is a dark place uninviting and Gothic), but its general upkeep is pretty much the same. Most of the Library is off limits to non-church members (and even these areas are divided by one's status in the church), but it provides services such as the sale of magic items, instruction in magical skill and spells, numerous commercial casting services, professional services such as sages and scribes(though not Wayfairers), incarceration for magical beings, as well as the bureaucratic upkeep of magical licensing (it's as RMVish as it sounds).
Outside the city, the Eternal Library often operates temples for the collection of arcane secrets from the wilds and from prelapsarian ruins. In like manner, most of the Libraries less metropolitan plans are carried out in rural temples, such as magical laboratories, observatories, and academies.
Other major organizations that perform similar services to the Eternal Library are The Wayfairers Guild, The Pragnastic Assembly, The Hall of Secrets, and The Order. There are any number of smaller guilds, colleges, and schools for wizards, but none have the kind of political power wielded by the organizations listed above.
Slash's character, combat, etc.
Hi all-
This post is about combat in general but it's really in answer to Slash's question on the Q and A post from last week.
To sum up,
So...ahem, on point 4...YES. Two spell casters in the group is fine in that they have different spells and thus present a bit of variation of play. Not to mention that one of the wizards is doing double duty as a thief, but two 1/2 orc fighters armed almost exactly the same and with nearly the same feats is going to be redundant
But first let me say a few thing. First of all, combat in Dungeons and Dragons, even before dice are thrown, is an incredibly complex organism full of multiple variables. It is seemingly the most difficult part of dungeons and dragons to get a hold of and also elicits the greatest celebration when someone "gets it" (actual roleplaying is, I think harder, but also more rewarding). The problem is that their are different levels of getting it; combat in D and D is incredibly tactically complex. Take whatever you can imagine about simple swordplay (fencing is an Olympic sport after all), add to that all other martial weapons, and then just because it is isn't complex enough just yet, add in other variables, like magical attacks, magical augmentation, magical healing, and all other varieties of magical nastiness to boot. Oh yeah, and then stage the combat in strange locales like cramped dungeons, cliffsides, on the back of a Pegasus.
To reduce combat, then, to a "hit roll" and an "amount of damage," again even before dice are thrown, is extremely oversimplified. Problems are likely to come up, some already have. In thinking in terms of going toe to toe with the monster, you immediately put a strain on the cleric who has to use up the greater portion of their powers for healing. Giving up Monster Summoning for healing is a sign that something has gone wrong. Not horribly wrong, but wrong nonetheless. With this mentality in place, the wizard's list of spells becomes bottle necked. Why get anything that doesn't do direct damage? And continuing on in that thought process, why not just be a fighter? Who needs magic missile when you have a two handed sword?
But in this way of thinking, consider immediately your adversary. A group of fifth level characters can expect to meet 3 ogres. Last night, one such ogre nearly killed the barbarian. Bad rolls? Not particularly. If that ogre zombie had managed to survive one more round of fighting the entire party, you would have needed a raise dead spell. Imagine what would have happened if the two fighters, in attempting to chop down the ogre, had left two more ogres to go toe to toe with the two wizards and the cleric. Ogres hit for about 16 pts. of damage around...average.
And that was me playing the zombie ogre stupid (which it is). Imagine such a creature if it knows how to cleave, disarm, flank, or take advantage of attacks of opportunity.
Though every combat is, in essence, some variation of the "chop the monster down" tactic, relying solely on such a tactic is likely to become a bloodbath fairly quick--and for both sides. I think that's what happens when you make both "warrior characters" barbarians, or when you base all of your combat tactics on who can hit the hardest.
What do I recommend instead? Well, first of all, the wizards aught to notice that more than half of their spell list has combat applicability. By keeping a variety of spells, the wizard produces tactical situations for the party that might otherwise go overlooked (including avoiding combat altogether). At any given point from now on, the major battles will be won or lost by the wizards. If the wizards aim is to simply annoy while the fighters do their job, then you miss out on some of the truly heroic powers of magic. Personally, I like "web" with "fireball" at your level, but "monster summoning" plus "haste" is also nice." Play around a bit; I'm sure you'll find some nasty combination I haven't seen as of yet.
Second, though I think any "warrior character" aught to be able to hold their own in combat, I think that there are a number of ways to do this. You could be the hardest character to hit (using a variety of tactics to produce this affect such as super dodginess or big armor). You could have access to the greatest finesse; if you look at the combat section of the players handbook under Special Attacks, you'll see a variety of combat options of which a fighter, with their additional feats, is sort of designed to take advantage. You could master a kind of combat that forces your enemies to rethink their simple tactics by using an extremely long weapons, or by mastering ranged weapons. Lastly, you could work towards or take a prestige class to make your fighter more specialized and threatening. If the barbarian can rage, how about a character who can disarm or who can make enemies easier to hit when the barbarian rages. There's only so many bull's strength spells to go around.
And of course, I always recommend taking advantage of a good thief. A good thief can draw monsters into ambushes (yes, you can ambush the monsters too); a good thief can set traps to screw the monsters up; hell, thief...thieves steal things like weapons and magic items before the battle even begins.
Lastly, clerics are good because no matter what goes down, they can aid, and if their aid isn't needed, so much the better: monster summoning, arms and armor, cause light and moderate wounds. Plus, in the right circumstances, the cleric alone can stop the undead horde.
Here's what I'm saying in a nutshell. It's good to begin the game with an eye towards figuring out how to hit the monster and do damage, but you will eventually have to move into more complex ways of thinking about combat or the monsters who are better at this simple tactic will run you into the ground. I think a good way to prohibit yourself from this kind of thinking is to choose the simple route of big weapons that do big damage or obvious spells that always do damage (and which do nothing else).
And, of course, I'll say what I'm always going to say in this circumstance: what kind of character do you want to play? When the intrigue part of the game happens, where do you want to find yourself in it? What kind of character do you envision, because in the end, it isn't about combat at all but about having fun, and the more you like your character, the more fun you'll have.
This post is about combat in general but it's really in answer to Slash's question on the Q and A post from last week.
To sum up,
- Slash has determined that fighting with a weapon in each hand is not good.
- Big weapons do a lot more damage, but even a long sword would be better.
- The best way to go with this would be a half orc 1st level barbarian, 4th level fighter.
- He's worried that the character would be too much like Lynn's.
- He's hoping to hear all of your thoughts on the subject of what the party needs.
So...ahem, on point 4...YES. Two spell casters in the group is fine in that they have different spells and thus present a bit of variation of play. Not to mention that one of the wizards is doing double duty as a thief, but two 1/2 orc fighters armed almost exactly the same and with nearly the same feats is going to be redundant
But first let me say a few thing. First of all, combat in Dungeons and Dragons, even before dice are thrown, is an incredibly complex organism full of multiple variables. It is seemingly the most difficult part of dungeons and dragons to get a hold of and also elicits the greatest celebration when someone "gets it" (actual roleplaying is, I think harder, but also more rewarding). The problem is that their are different levels of getting it; combat in D and D is incredibly tactically complex. Take whatever you can imagine about simple swordplay (fencing is an Olympic sport after all), add to that all other martial weapons, and then just because it is isn't complex enough just yet, add in other variables, like magical attacks, magical augmentation, magical healing, and all other varieties of magical nastiness to boot. Oh yeah, and then stage the combat in strange locales like cramped dungeons, cliffsides, on the back of a Pegasus.
To reduce combat, then, to a "hit roll" and an "amount of damage," again even before dice are thrown, is extremely oversimplified. Problems are likely to come up, some already have. In thinking in terms of going toe to toe with the monster, you immediately put a strain on the cleric who has to use up the greater portion of their powers for healing. Giving up Monster Summoning for healing is a sign that something has gone wrong. Not horribly wrong, but wrong nonetheless. With this mentality in place, the wizard's list of spells becomes bottle necked. Why get anything that doesn't do direct damage? And continuing on in that thought process, why not just be a fighter? Who needs magic missile when you have a two handed sword?
But in this way of thinking, consider immediately your adversary. A group of fifth level characters can expect to meet 3 ogres. Last night, one such ogre nearly killed the barbarian. Bad rolls? Not particularly. If that ogre zombie had managed to survive one more round of fighting the entire party, you would have needed a raise dead spell. Imagine what would have happened if the two fighters, in attempting to chop down the ogre, had left two more ogres to go toe to toe with the two wizards and the cleric. Ogres hit for about 16 pts. of damage around...average.
And that was me playing the zombie ogre stupid (which it is). Imagine such a creature if it knows how to cleave, disarm, flank, or take advantage of attacks of opportunity.
Though every combat is, in essence, some variation of the "chop the monster down" tactic, relying solely on such a tactic is likely to become a bloodbath fairly quick--and for both sides. I think that's what happens when you make both "warrior characters" barbarians, or when you base all of your combat tactics on who can hit the hardest.
What do I recommend instead? Well, first of all, the wizards aught to notice that more than half of their spell list has combat applicability. By keeping a variety of spells, the wizard produces tactical situations for the party that might otherwise go overlooked (including avoiding combat altogether). At any given point from now on, the major battles will be won or lost by the wizards. If the wizards aim is to simply annoy while the fighters do their job, then you miss out on some of the truly heroic powers of magic. Personally, I like "web" with "fireball" at your level, but "monster summoning" plus "haste" is also nice." Play around a bit; I'm sure you'll find some nasty combination I haven't seen as of yet.
Second, though I think any "warrior character" aught to be able to hold their own in combat, I think that there are a number of ways to do this. You could be the hardest character to hit (using a variety of tactics to produce this affect such as super dodginess or big armor). You could have access to the greatest finesse; if you look at the combat section of the players handbook under Special Attacks, you'll see a variety of combat options of which a fighter, with their additional feats, is sort of designed to take advantage. You could master a kind of combat that forces your enemies to rethink their simple tactics by using an extremely long weapons, or by mastering ranged weapons. Lastly, you could work towards or take a prestige class to make your fighter more specialized and threatening. If the barbarian can rage, how about a character who can disarm or who can make enemies easier to hit when the barbarian rages. There's only so many bull's strength spells to go around.
And of course, I always recommend taking advantage of a good thief. A good thief can draw monsters into ambushes (yes, you can ambush the monsters too); a good thief can set traps to screw the monsters up; hell, thief...thieves steal things like weapons and magic items before the battle even begins.
Lastly, clerics are good because no matter what goes down, they can aid, and if their aid isn't needed, so much the better: monster summoning, arms and armor, cause light and moderate wounds. Plus, in the right circumstances, the cleric alone can stop the undead horde.
Here's what I'm saying in a nutshell. It's good to begin the game with an eye towards figuring out how to hit the monster and do damage, but you will eventually have to move into more complex ways of thinking about combat or the monsters who are better at this simple tactic will run you into the ground. I think a good way to prohibit yourself from this kind of thinking is to choose the simple route of big weapons that do big damage or obvious spells that always do damage (and which do nothing else).
And, of course, I'll say what I'm always going to say in this circumstance: what kind of character do you want to play? When the intrigue part of the game happens, where do you want to find yourself in it? What kind of character do you envision, because in the end, it isn't about combat at all but about having fun, and the more you like your character, the more fun you'll have.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Character Conception
Your characters right now are made, but they are never really set in stone. I think it's good to tinker with the character as you get a better feel for who they are, what they do, their background, and their attitudes. As you get some idea of what you want, I encourage tinkering. Don't worry about the continuity of the story. We'll just assume that the character was like that all along.
Game Term Glossary
- Character Conception- This is the idea behind the character: your guiding principal about what the character is like, their place in the world, etc.. Strider’s character conception (from Lord of the Rings) might be: reluctant king who is shirking his responsibility and off wandering the planet. Conan’s might be: big guy who’d rather get drunk and kill then have a conversation. A character conception need not be totally formed (or formed at all) at the beginning of the game. Through the magic of revision, when you get one that you like, we simply rewrite what has come before a bit so that it seems like you’ve had your character conception in mind all along.
- Crit: Short for Critical hit. A critical hit is scored, in general, by rolling a natural twenty on the twenty sided die to hit. Some weapons crit more often. When you roll a crit, all damage done by you on that blow is doubled. As a rule for this game, monsters cannot crit against players unless the monster has a class level (a fourth level Ogre barbarian can crit, for instance; a regular Ogre can not) or the encounter is at the same CR as the characters. “Crit”ing a skill or ability check means automatic success regardless of penalties or difficulties.
- Fumble: A fumble is the result of rolling a natural 1. Fumbling is failure no matter what modifiers. Also, a fumble in combat may result in your falling down. It requires a Balance skill roll to stay on your feet.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Glossary of Place Names
This is a list and brief description of places in the game world.
- Ashforge- City underneath the Kriegroost mountains. Ashforge is the largest Dwarven city accessible to non-dwarves.
- Aversill- continent discovered by humans 600 years ago and colonized by the kingdom of Sturmgort. Much of Aversill is still wild with large tracts of inhospitable, hostile, and treacherous areas. There is evidence that before its discovery, Aversill once had a thriving human population. What, however, became of those people is lost to time.
- Asternil Gate- The gate in the center of Starfell where a meteor supposedly punched a hole through the world. It is a site of trade between the surface and the underworld.
- Azriahulathein- Legendary island home of the elves. Incredibly insular. Non-elves are not welcome. Azriahulathein is at the very least three weeks sail from Aversill.
- Bobbinford- Halfling city about three days ride back from the frontier and located down the Starfell River.
- Codphetumos- The statue of the Fade god of the same name at the center of Streckhorn.
- Daisgog- When Tyrgrim was first opened it was to flank the hobgoblin kingdom of Daisgog. Now, it is uncertain whether Tyrgrim isn’t the capital of this warlike goblinoid land.
- Denzibal Temple- The great temple to the various gods of the human pantheon that crowns the statue of Codphetumos in Streckhorn.
- Eastern Ocean- Ocean on the Western coast of Aversill (the ocean is East of Sturmgort and they’re the ones who named it).
- Ergog- When left to fight amongst themselves the Ork kingdom of Ergog is one of the most powerful zones of the March. Historically, they have gathered their power from crusades into the Vasts. A common political saying is: “you have vasts in your scryers glass” which basically means imminent trouble from unknown sources.
- Far Reef- The southern most human city on Aversill is actually located on an island off the coast of Grosh Gelios. Whereas, many of Aversill’s most notable cities are frontier town, few display the lawlessness of Far Reef. Were it not for the money the city brings back from its forays into the Grosh Gelios, its politics would not be tolerated by the Colonial Council in Seacourt.
- Frontier, The- The frontier is the limit of habitable land occupied by human forces on Aversill. From the reaches of the Frontier to the Eastern Ocean is about a 10 day ride (assuming one uses a road and is moving at a fairly good pace on horseback). Human habitation of Aversill covers half of its western and southern coasts. Most frontier towns are considered somewhat backwards and lawless. In some cases, the reputation is well deserved.
- Glanverry- A mountain city famous for its technological marvels, most of which are the work of the nearby gnomes of Krimfolet.
- Kilbrae- Small coastal outpost at the Southwest corner of the continent where the Mauler river meets the East ocean.
- Krickenheim- Name of a mountain chain beginning due south of Starfell. Also the name of the elusive Dwarven kingdom (or possibly kingdoms) for which the Krickenheim mountains are named.
- Kriegroost Mountains- Volcanic mountain chain in Northern Aversill. Legend proports that the Kriegroost Mountains were the cradle of the tyrannical god Hextor.
- Krimfolet- The great Gnome university of Krimfolet sits just west of the Krickenheim mountains and just north of the human city of Glanverry
- Lands of the March- Less a political entity and more an expansive uncivilized region from which warlords sometimes arise. The March is the home of various humanoid races that ceaselessly fight one another until something bands them together against the invading human forces of Sturmgort. There have been four major Marches which have kept human power in Aversill well in check.
- Lavenshoal- Elven encampment of long standing (Elves don’t really refer to something less than a millennia old as a city). The elves of Lavenshoal are the children and grandchildren of the elves that came over with the humans from Sturmgort.
- March- Generally used to describe any area that is uncivilized.
- Mauler river- One of three rivers fed by the Starfell river, It meats the East Ocean at the city of Kilbrae.
- Mottentodd- The unguessably large metropolis capital of the Nimberfein kingdom. Here, and under normal circumstances, only here do the Nimberfein dwarves deal with humans, elves, and halflings. Part of the city is above ground. The upper city, as it is called, is partly controlled by Sturmgort forces in an advisory capacity.
- Nimberfein- A kingdom underneath the Stormcrown mountains and the center of worship for Moradin. Nimberfein is less xenophobic than the kingdom of Krickenheim, but still fairly intolerant except at its capital city Motentodd.
- Noeethia- The city of Noeethia is the most northern city of any reasonable size in the Aversill colony. It is located on the northern peninsula of the Bay of Swords at the edge of the Colthorn Forest. It’s wintry atmosphere, make it a place of hard living, whereas its position in the forest make its inhabitants a bit xenophobic about those who come to the city overland.
- Phemerhon- Occasionally scholars will differentiate between the colony and the continent. In such cases, the continent is known as Phemerhon and Aversill is the colony that is founded upon it.
- Seacourt- The city of Seacourt is on the landing spot of the original party from Sturmgort. It is the most influential city on the continent. Powerful in both intelligence and affluence, it seeks to present a cosmopolitan air to the colony of Aversill.
- Starfell- Main city of the campaign. Starfell is the largest and most affluent of the cities on the frontier of “civilized” (human) Aversill. Starfell is located at the bottom of a crater caused by a meteor strike.
- Starfell River- River starting from the pumping stations of Starfell and feeding out into the Eastern Ocean.
- Stormcrown Mountains- Legendary home of the god Heironious. The Stormcrown mountains are the home of another dwarven kingdom of Nimberfein.
- Streckhorn- City on the Frontier located within the peaks of the Krickinheim mountain chain.
- Sturmgort- Human empire responsible for the discovery and colonization of Aversill. All Aversill human land owners are considered citizens of Sturmgort. Sturmgort is, at best, four weeks sail from Aversill.
- Tevermine Gate- Entrance to Streckhorn through the lifts is through the Tevermine Gate.
- The Bay of Swords- North up the coast from Seacourt bay, the Bay of Swords is divided in half on its coast by the Coldthorn forest. It is from the Bay of Swords that Aversill claims its hardiest sailors.
- The Coldthorn Forest- At the northern edge of the kingdom and serving as a border between the Sturmgort colonies and Ulf Kontali is the Coldthorn Forest. The area is a subarctic forest stretching far to the north. Those who have made it past the forest speak of a frozen plain that is without life and seas awash with ice bergs.
- The Gauvis River- The river between the Kriegroost and Stormcrown mountain ranges. The Gauvis River feeds into and joins up with the Starfell river.
- The Glass Wastes- To the west of Sturmgort is a continent which has been known throughout the lores of both Sturmgort and Pyrhince as The lands of Geistschon. To most people, however, it is better known as the Glass Wastes. The continent is a formed out of a miles thick sheet of glass, beneath which can sometimes be made out shapes. Recently, some of the more affluent (and less superstitious) kingdoms have sent in expeditions to determine if there is anything of value on (or in) the Glass Wastes. Most people, however, stay clear; legend has it that this is the site of the First Catastrophe.
- The Grosh Gelios- Dwarvish name for the southern jungle expanse located past the area known as the March. The Grosh Gelios has otherwise proven impervious to any serious exploration attempts and the coast of the Grosh Gelios is a threat to even the most veteran of sailors.
- The Isigong Battlefield- Supposedly the site of the Second Catastophe (the battle between Corellan Larethian and Lolth), the Isigong Battlefield lies in the center of Azriahulathein and is separated from the rest of the world by the Hannoof Als Hoon (aka Seerwall).
- Thulenglenn- Capital city of Aziahulathein. Thulenglenn is considered the mythical birthplace of the elf race, and is considered holy by elves, both above and below.
Tyrgrim- Kingdom to the East of the Kriegroost Mountains. Originally founded by members of Sturmgort during the first March to gain tactical advantage, it has since fallen away from its parent empire and operates as an independent city state within the wilds of the land of the March. - Ulf Kontali- Ulf Kontali is the elvish outpost on Aversill northeast of the lands claimed by Sturmgort. It owes its allegiance to the island kingdom of Azriahulathein and has been established on Aversill for far longer than Sturmgort. Despite its reputation as forbidden land, it is fairly underpopulated. Because of the great number of ancient ruined cities within Ulf Kontali, most people think the area is cursed by the gods and many wonder at the elves presence there.
- Vasts, The- Beyond the limits of the March to the far east lie the Vasts. It is here that human exploration has ended, though those who have made it that far tell stories of giant ruins, floating cities, and incredible (and unspeakable horrors). Those who venture into the Grosh Gelios do not return, but those who venture into the Vasts do not remain.
- Vazermell- At one time, the farthest Eastern province on the frontier. As the site of a great many battles in the battles against the March and Tyrgrim, Vazermell has been since plundered and razed. It is now nothing more than ruins acting as a reminder of the forces that also are loose on the continent.
- Vebeltodd- The great gnomish city of Vebeltodd is in the foothills of the Stromcrown mountains. It is friendly to outsiders and considers itself an ally to the Sturmgort empire, all three dwarven kingdoms, and the Elvish lands of Ulf Kontali.
Why The Wiki?
Quick answer: Because a few of you have never played Dungeons and Dragons.
Quick answer, part 2: Because there is no book to read that will describe the world in which your characters live.
Quick answer, part 3: Because I'm making this up as I'm going along and so I'd kind of like to have some record of it. Call it a history of the world, or a guidebook to how things work in the game, I see an Aversill Wiki as an integral journal to what has made it so far into the game world.
What I think this Wiki will essentially cover are the geographical, political, racial, physical, and all other details of the game world. I want to have brief descriptions of what your characters would probably know by virtue of simply having lived lives in Aversill--information which you yourself most likely will not know.
Lastly, I want to make this a kind of record of what you all have accomplished. This is a world that is being built around five players as we play. The world is interesting, sure, but I think we would be remiss if we didn't offer the position of prominence to the character quests and actions that spring that world into existence.
Quick answer, part 2: Because there is no book to read that will describe the world in which your characters live.
Quick answer, part 3: Because I'm making this up as I'm going along and so I'd kind of like to have some record of it. Call it a history of the world, or a guidebook to how things work in the game, I see an Aversill Wiki as an integral journal to what has made it so far into the game world.
What I think this Wiki will essentially cover are the geographical, political, racial, physical, and all other details of the game world. I want to have brief descriptions of what your characters would probably know by virtue of simply having lived lives in Aversill--information which you yourself most likely will not know.
Lastly, I want to make this a kind of record of what you all have accomplished. This is a world that is being built around five players as we play. The world is interesting, sure, but I think we would be remiss if we didn't offer the position of prominence to the character quests and actions that spring that world into existence.
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