Some things you should know

As some of you know, this upcoming Tuesday night campaign will be run by me. We are going to be doing a prefab adventure of which I am not going to tell you the name. Due to my own extreme laziness, we are not going to use many of the "house rules" that we have come up with, because in order to preserve balance, I would have to change all of the NPC's and villians in the entire thing (there are at least 100).

Questions are allowed and encouraged. You can message me, email me, or just post your questions here. I am going to break up the information into several posts just to make them easier to read.

Here is a list of the house rules we will still be using: (this may be edited on occasion, so check back before you do things with your characters)

*Characters will receive max hit points at first level (you might need it)

*Made up kits and classes will be available for use

*Characters will be made by Tuesday night rules. 4d6 (top 3) 9 times (top 6)

*Characters may still wait until their initiative until declaring their intentions in combat instead of declaring at the beginning of the round and not being able to adjust for the moment

Here is a list of things we will not be doing that you might be used to by now

*Paladins and Rangers cannot specialize, but they are able to gain weapon expertise

*Multiclassing is according to the book unless you make up your own class (dm manual-subject to my approval)

*Arcane spellcasters gain no extra spells unless they are specialized.

*A round of combat is no longer 6 seconds, but 60

*Clerics must pray for specific spells instead of just picking them out during combat or whenever.

*Feats and skills derived from 3rd edition will not be allowed (unless you put them into your own kit or class)

*Disarms and critical hits that disable are not going to happen from just one die roll. According to Combat and Tactics, there is an opposed roll that can invalidate success. (this works both ways, be thankful)

Here is a list of old rules that we don't use much that will have attention paid to them.

*Charisma will have an effect on NPC's

*Morale will be used by enemies to determine if they flee

*Encumberance will be an issue. I don't want you carrying anything that you could not physically carry. (pack animals and squires and servants are allowed) There is an armor proficiency which halves the weight of a particular type of armor being worn, some low strength characters should make use of it.

*Opposed rolls will be used for special maneuvers in combat.

*Characters will gain experience for treasure found, items made, and spells researched.

*Training (possibly could use another section by itself). It is something we have never done to my knowledge, and is something I am still hesitant to do. It is STRONGLY encouraged by the makers of the adventure. So I am going to compromise a little on it. In order to gain a level, characters must rest from adventuring for a number of days equal to the new level they are going to attain. During this time, you may: gather information, practice new skills, do spell research, drink, pray, or travel back to civilization. For each time that you do so, you must roll a saving throw (type to be determined) which if you succeed, you will go up your next level. Finding and paying a trainer will give you a bonus to your save equal to the level of the trainer. There will be trainers available for most people (unless you make up your own class). This is a rule that we are going to try out, and if it turns out that it will not work, we will try something else. I apologize in advance for any frustration it will cause, but we are doing something a little different in this campaign, which I will try to explain in my next post.

This campaign will be different.

I really do not have any complaints about what we have been doing. It has been fun. But there are some things that I have always wanted to play with that we have been omitting, and some things we added that I have always wanted to try doing without. Regardless of my feelings, the adventure (which I did not write) is set up differently than what we are used to, so if we are to do it at all, things must change.

First of all, combat will be more challenging, and not just because I took away all the nice bonuses we are used to. There are tons of monsters and bad guys alike in this campaign, and you do not have to kill them to gain experience.

Leveling will be different. I will not be handing out hordes of experience, although you will gain experience from gold and other things, so that should be interesting. Add that to the new training rules, and the campaign will slow down a bit, to a certain degree specifically due to the design of the thing.

Time will be necessary to accomplish tasks. I will highly reward people who come up with great solutions to problems, who innovate their characters, who do spell research and create items, who use diplomacy, and people who do things their characters would do, regardless of what information the player has.

Since this campaign will take a long time (in game) you will be able to do more things like build a stronghold, gather and train followers, conduct business, develop relationships with NPC's and each other. You can and might need to get expert advice from far away. You will gain henchmen, squires, followers, and animal friends, you will need them.

The threat you face is unlike anything we have faced before. There are at least half a dozen new monsters we have never fought before on top of some old classics. It really will be a cool thing, I hope you will all enjoy it as much as I am already.

Eddick the Steady (XIV) wrote:
*Training (possibly could use another section by itself). It is something we have never done to my knowledge, and is something I am still hesitant to do. It is STRONGLY encouraged by the makers of the adventure. So I am going to compromise a little on it. In order to gain a level, characters must rest from adventuring for a number of days equal to the new level they are going to attain. During this time, you may: gather information, practice new skills, do spell research, drink, pray, or travel back to civilization. For each time that you do so, you must roll a saving throw (type to be determined) which if you succeed, you will go up your next level. Finding and paying a trainer will give you a bonus to your save equal to the level of the trainer. There will be trainers available for most people (unless you make up your own class). This is a rule that we are going to try out, and if it turns out that it will not work, we will try something else. I apologize in advance for any frustration it will cause, but we are doing something a little different in this campaign, which I will try to explain in my next post.

Well... In the Marvel game they have a specific section on 'training' that i always liked. You had TWO options for training purposes.

One: You can find a teacher, set up a training room and practice. Examples given X-men and Avengers have their own Danger Rooms to improve their skills

Two: You can go on Patrol. Example Given Spiderman. You don't have to practice much if you spend every night DOING the job.

I've always seen our D&D games as option two. If they actually FOUGHT some orcs and a goblins... then THAT'S why their Thac0 went down. Learn through Experience.

We've always had to train or practice to learn new Proficiencies so that woulnd't change. Only exception is Tuesday games when the character is off on his own for MONTHS between playings...

I could see Thieves and such who never needed their skills to need to find a trainer to improve things they never used... I remember Gulenor skipping levels while watching the Gathered Crusaders kill dragons. But what about the homemade kits and Classes? what about Priests? Will they need to track down a priest of the same god to level from 1 to 2?

I have NO memory of this game, but if its a roaming adventure (as assumed from starting with Caravan duty)... that could be problematic. I could see something like that in a Waterdeep City campaign. But something about 'trainers' throws a red flag up in my mind...

Will be interesting to see how it works out...

Yeah, If you read the actual rules about training in the dmg, you will find something about 10 times more cumbersome than what I put in there. It would be good for people to have days off, I know our characters in the last campaign just wanted some time to themselves without some crisis breathing down their necks. We take our weekends off from work, and if adventuring is what people do, they need their weekends too.

That's where that idea came from. Experience will continue to tally, but levels won't go up mid adventure. That is kind of the plan. If it doesn't work, like I said, we will ditch it, and simply wait until you get done with something for you to level up.

Will they need to track down a priest of the same god to level from 1 to 2?

In a word, no. Believe it or not, (pun intended) the gods in that world are similar enough to where certain techniques can be used by certain other, similarly aligned priests. There will be someone for your character specifically there. I am also doing the same for Annie's and Holly's if she goes with what I think she is doing. But not for Pat. Just can't come up with another one of what he is doing.

LOL

See Now I can't wait to see what Pat's doing... This is going to be fun

I know Gorm is all about Defending other Dwarves. I can come up with a reason why MY dwarf is outside the dwarven nations... but if we needed another one EVERYWHERE they go... that could have gotten weird

Okay, so here's MY question...are we needing to make up entierly new characters, or are you allowing characters whom have been involved in previous games for a short period of time and have been relegated to the dusty back corners or one's game folder? (character in this case is a LOW level 4 bard class) Or should I approach this with an entirely new character in mind? (Or just the same character I made the first time we ran this game, just with an overwhelming sense of deja vu?)

I'm also curious as to whether we are sticking with the same attack style in a round as we've always done, or going with the PHB on it, especially with combat rounds now lasting a minute instead of a few seconds.

Will we be splitting up multiple attacks throughout the round? (ie. taking one attack on the initiative rolled, cycling through, and then coming back around to finish up attacks for all who had multiple to do)

Mr. Awesome wrote:should I approach this with an entirely new character in mind? (Or just the same character I made the first time we ran this game, just with an overwhelming sense of deja vu?)

I would like new characters please. I know it can be tough if you liked an old one, but the plan is to start everyone off on level one and go from there.

Will we be splitting up multiple attacks throughout the round?

I'm thinking we will give it a shot. It makes gaining initiative good, but not the end all it did before. And with fewer options of being able to reduce initiative (although we still have a few) it might be fun. If we find it is too cumbersome, we can ditch it.

From the Tome of Magic:

"An elementalist may memorize one extra
spell per level, providing that at least one of the
memorized spells is from his element of specialty."

Does "level" refer to character level or spell level? I'm guessing it is spell level b/c that makes more sense with the following restriction.

Magyc wrote:From the Tome of Magic:

"An elementalist may memorize one extra
spell per level, providing that at least one of the
memorized spells is from his element of specialty."

Does "level" refer to character level or spell level? I'm guessing it is spell level b/c that makes more sense with the following restriction.

Yep! Specialists gain one additional spell per spell level, provided the additional spell is taken in the specialist's school. PLUS whenever you reach a new spell lvl, you'll automatically get a spell from your school to add to your spellbook!

Yes, sir. As my esteemed colleague has stated.

Specialty mages are the bomb!

And, congrats on your first post, Magyc! You are now, officially: "One of use! One of us! One of us!"

Out of curiosity, what rules are you using for stunning damage? For example if we want to knock someone out as opposed to outright kill them?

Do NPCs have the -10 rule and/or is there anyway to put them out of a fight before beating them down to -1 then bandaging them?

Still haven't figured out my dwarf's EXACT philosophy on Killing vs. Capturing... but I'm sure he has one, and it'd be nice to avoid... 'accidents'

I wasn't going to institute a -10 rule for bad guys, because of the sheer numbers you guys are going to have to deal with. If you want to do subdual damage, that is allowed, and so then I can keep track of the -10 thing. You are going to have to be specific with me, if that is what you are doing or I will just let them die.

Any subdual damage is done at a -2 penalty to hit, I think, but I will ammend this on Tuesday if my memory is faulty.

Well... I wouldn't think you need to establish -10 specifically.

I just wanted to know if the moment they hit the ground are they automatically dead every time... or if they MAY be able to help them if they check in a round or two...

I never would have imagined waiting around for ever npc to tick away -1 thru -9

That would be nuts

Which version of the monster manual do you use for the campaign? Not that I want to memorize it or anything, but I felt my character would be fairly knowledgeable about elementals, however I am not....

Magyc wrote:Which version of the monster manual do you use for the campaign? Not that I want to memorize it or anything, but I felt my character would be fairly knowledgeable about elementals, however I am not....

I'm pretty sure we're still using the 2nd Edition Monsterous Manual! We've added things over the years, but I think all the elementals and the like are in that book!

Is there anything about taking individual thief skills as non-weapon proficiencies? I was thinking it would be kinda silly as a stalker if a locked door or simple trap could thwart the whole effort. I was looking for a locksmithing proficency or maybe security.