xero-sided dice

...some time later

2010-09-12T13:34:00.003-04:00

Hello, world. I haven't posted to this blog in over a year. Here's why:

When last I posted, I was working on a joint blog project with two friends of mine. We all had ideas and we were in the early stages of the hashing-out process. Shortly after I posted, things fell apart in a big way.

To be honest, things were already falling apart well before my last post. In March of 2009, around the time the PHB2 came out, my gaming group was quickly fizzling out. We had one player that nobody really wanted around anymore (though we were all too non-confrontational to say as much or do anything about it). We had a second (and much younger) player who was growing out of her "D&D is cool" phase as she found herself becoming more interested in regular teenage girly things. We had a third player who wanted far more RP, character development, and immersion from our gaming sessions than any of us (or the system itself) were reasonably able to give her. And the rest of us were just tired of fixing one obstacle to fun gaming after another.

Which isn't to say these problems were specifically anybody's fault. All of our differing desires and perspectives were reasonable and understandable, just... mostly incompatible with each other. By early April, our ongoing campaign had died. Our group followed shortly after.

We tried to get back together. We shed the first two players I described above, and decided the rest of us were too close-knit to invite strangers into our group to fill it out. So we decided to continue on with just two players and a DM. But working those numbers out is difficult, and we couldn't agree on what we wanted to do next. Nothing happened. While we were hashing out the details of our next campaign, the three of us were also forming the nucleus of the group blog project I mentioned above. All three of us liked DMing as well as playing, and we had different enough ideas that we figured we'd be able to bounce them off of each other to form a well-rounded blogging community, and we'd incorporate all our bright new ideas into our (theoretical) gaming sessions.

While this was going on, I was also dedicating a lot of my attention to the Open Design project Halls of the Mountain King, where I contributed ideas (and a few pieces of actual content!) to the 4th Edition version. This got me excited about world-building and monster creation, though I ultimately found the "design by committee" model fell fall short of my expectations, and my pipe dream of one day becoming a professional game writer was shot down by my growing disillusionment with the entire industry.

Then the Eberron setting came out for 4th Edition, and I fell in love with it. And since our group had been stuck in planning stalemate for a few months already, I used my (theoretical) DM fiat power and decided that we would run a campaign there. I studied up on the setting, bought a bunch of the 3.5 Eberron source books for fluff, and nearly became an expert on the setting. But somewhere in the group there was lingering doubt and reluctance, and the campaign never took off. Eventually I stopped trying. I became a lapsed gamer. Needless to say, the plans for a joint blog fell apart in a major way.

Over time, my interest in reading about gaming from the awesome RPG blogging community I had wanted to be a part of waned, as discussion of DM tips, encounter tracking suggestions, and product reviews stopped being relevant to me. I stopped commenting on other peoples' posts as often. I stopped checking my Twitter account regularly, and when I did check I didn't find myself motivated to reply to other peoples' tweets. I just stopped caring, and understandably so.

Fast forward to now: I haven't played D&D in over a year and a half. I still want to game, but I've been resigned to the possibility that it wouldn't be happening any time soon. I'm still DYING to play in (or run) a 4E Eberron campaign.

I've been hanging out with another group of friends who are currently in the middle of a D&D 3.5 campaign. They invited me into their game, but I declined because I've forgotten that ruleset and have very little interest in revisiting it. But somehow, through describing why I liked 4E so much, I've managed to talk them into giving 4E a try, at least for a one-shot, and possibly for more.

In addition, the other two remaining members of my old group have been reading Steven Brust, whose Vlad Taltos series they say reminds them a lot of Eberron, which has finally gotten them both interested in the setting's potential. We have resumed talks of a new campaign.

These events have brought back a bit of my old passion for the game, and I'm excited once again about being able to play. The changes that 4E has undergone since my lapse is intimidating though. I'm afraid there's going to be a lot of work involved trying to piece together the current rules what with all the new books, all the errata, etc.

But still, I'm thinking about gaming once again; I'm not yet ready to resume blogging, but at least I've got my mind on the game. I just went and reread my White Bertha article, and I'm still very proud of what I did there. I think I might have some small amount of talent as a 4E monster designer at the very least, with potential for more, given enough experience. Who knows? If either of these two new gaming prospects take off, I may find myself with things to say once again, and this is probably the place where I'll say them.

In the meantime, I just wanted to project to the RPG community that I'm still here. I'm no longer relevant (if I ever was in the first place), but I still exist. Hopefully I'm still on SOMEBODY's RSS feed, and I'm checking Twitter more often too. So once again: Hello, world.

state of the blog

2009-08-27T23:39:00.005-04:00

I know I haven't posted recently, and there's a very good reason.

I started this blog here as a way of keeping track of interesting or useful RPG blog posts and sites that I came across on my e-travels. The intention was that they would be here for my reference any time I wanted, and my good friend and gaming partner would be able to check them out at his leisure too. For those purposes, a simple Blogspot-hosted blog was more than adequate.

It was only when I resolved to reapply myself to writing that the site started to evolve into something else, an outlet for my own creative energies. After posting a little of my own stuff, I began to find Blogger less adequate. This dissatisfaction grew until it culminated with my last post before this one, which made woefully obvious all the reasons Blogger just wasn't cutting it anymore. I began looking for another solution.

What I wanted and what was available to me were two different things, and short of purchasing a domain and paying for hosting, I was short on acceptable options.

I've dabbled in web design in the past, and I owned and operated a couple of dot coms before my interest in that stuff waned and I let them fizzle out into the good night. I'm still less than tickled by the prospect of designing and maintaining a full website, so I didn't want anything that required too much upkeep on my part, lest I tweak it into oblivion chasing the perfect design. No, I mostly just wanted to write and post, while having a say in the design and maintenance but not taking a hand in it myself.

When I went to the aforementioned friend for advice, we were reminded that we both had a lot to say about gaming, and we started looking for a joint solution. Sharing the workload would make maintenance less of a chore, and design could be done by committee. A partner also meant a built-in editor; a second voice to tell you that this idea is stupid and that that idea is brilliant.

A third player came into the mix in the form of our other gaming partner, whose voice (we felt) would be a unique and interesting addition to the already crowded RPG blogging community. Between us, we began to brainstorm about a group blog. A lofty, idealized thing, one that would win over the masses and allow us to collectively take over the world...

And that's where we are now. Since we started developing this joint blog, I've been sticking the articles I would post here into a folder on my hard drive, ready for publication when this thing finally takes off.

But development of a new website is a rocky road, especially with three perfectionists who are big on ideas but short on time to implement all of them. We won't launch this new blog until it's good and ready, and it won't be good or ready for a while to come.

This will probably be my last post here, except to tell you when the new site is up and running. In the meantime, be well, and good gaming.

-Reg

New 4E Side Trek & Monster: White Bertha

2009-05-25T12:22:00.020-04:00

Dusk in the deep forest. A seasoned hunting party is drawn to the soft mewling of a child. They find her huddled in a clearing, her white dress dirty and torn. She wipes her eyes with one hand while with the other she clutches a small rag doll to her heart.

The woodsmen drop their game and approach her. Their inquiries are met by babbling broken only by brief fits of sobbing. The men console her, and with some effort are able to piece together her story. Her name is Amaryllis, and she was playing with friends near the forest's edge when they were abducted by goblins. The men know what they must do. Without hesitation, they set off to the rescue, their new ward in tow.

Night falls, and a thin, low fog creeps in, obscuring all signs of their quarry's passage. The woodsmen find their resolve waning as they weary from the long day's hunt. Still they continue, searching the ground desperately for tracks in the dim moonlight.

Near midnight, they are set upon by a pack of wolves. The hunters know they should be more than a match for their attackers, yet one of their number is dragged off screaming into the darkness.

Demoralized but still determined, the woodsmen do not break to recover their fallen comrade. They press on instead, their only encouragement throughout the night an occasional scrap of gingham on a low hanging branch or a fleeting glimpse of tracks through the mist. Brave Amaryllis follows ever along without a hint of protest.

As the sun prepares to rise, they come to the edge of an encampment, quiet in the predawn stillness. On the far end of this camp, past several huts and a clearing, they spot a small wooden cage. Success!

They creep stealthily past the dwellings. As they cross the clearing, they trigger the ambush. Their enemy numbers few, but the hunters are weary, their strength sapped by the long night of searching... and by something else. Without a word among them, they all recognize some intangible force hampers their fighting. One by one they succumb.

As the last hunter dodges a high blow, he spots Amaryllis in the midst of the fracas, sitting unmolested in the clearing, smiling. The goblins give her a wide berth. Bewildered, he looks to the cage and, for the first time, notices it is empty. With final clarity, he understands.

Many cultures the world over have their own spin on the white bertha legend, though the tale differs slightly from one land to the next.

In the cold Northlands, elders warn foolhardy lads to beware the white ladies. These white-clad spirits of ancient witches guard their secret burial sites and lure those who wander close by to their doom. They appear as beautiful young women near ravines and bridges, where they charm their victims into joining them in a dance — right off the edge.

The people of the civilized West have their own version of the tale. Moldy tomes tell of Berchta the White, a long-forgotten fey goddess of wilderness and savagery. Local legend holds that Berchta, angry with the world of man for abandoning her worship and building cities and walls to keep her influence away, hungers for vengeance. She is said to lure travelers away from roads and paths and into the wilderness, where they lose their way and are set upon by her wild beasts.

Caravan drivers returning from the Far East bring back similar stories. According to these wise and well-traveled merchants, the people of the East fear Onryou, the crazed ghosts of murdered or forsaken women. These restless spirits don't focus their anger on their transgressors; instead they roam the region of their deaths and visit their retribution upon all who cross their paths, regardless of their innocence.

These stories all recount a similar phenomenon: malevolent fey spirits that take the form of young girls and women to prey on innocent passersby in the wilderness. A white bertha appeals to her victim's sympathy and compassion. She appears harmless and trusting, and convinces them to lower their guard for her. And in return, she lures them into dire, often fatal, situations.

White Bertha

A white bertha is an undead fey deceiver that uses a facade of helplessness to earn its victims' trust. It weakens them as it feeds on their life essence, and then lures them through lies and illusion into deadly traps and ambushes. A white bertha will often continue the charade long after it has drained its victims of most of their energy, simply because it derives a perverse pleasure from maintaining the ruse.

While in its true form, a white bertha resembles the emaciated ghost of an eladrin child. Dark circles ring white, pupil-less eyes on a gaunt, too-pale face locked in a permanent sneer. Long, dark hair and a ragged, flowing white dress billow as if moved by some unseen, spectral wind. It hovers inches off the ground as it fights.

In its illusory form, it appears as a human or elf child in clothing typical of local custom. The name it gives is invariably floral in origin.

(see first comment for the text of this stat block)

The Guardian Dolls

Every white bertha has a guardian it can summon for protection if confronted. Each guardian is different, and takes the form of a small doll when not summoned.

Mister Bear

Mister Bear is a big, stuffed bear. It appears his make-up consists of burlap, buttons, and stuffing, but his claws are long and sharp, and he packs a mean wallop when hard pressed.

(see second comment for the text of this stat block)

The Scarlet Knight

Though the scarlet knight is dashing and cavalier in his full plate, on closer inspection it seems his armor is made entirely of red felt. Regardless, he is a staunch bodyguard, capable of defending his charge fiercely.

(see third comment for the text of this stat block)

Wailing Molly

The walking rag doll called Wailing Molly weeps for her master, and her cries are potent enough to drive all but the strongest-willed away.

(see fourth comment for the text of this stat block)

White Bertha Lore

A character knows the following information about White Bertha with a successful Arcana check

DC 15: White bertha are undead fey deceivers of legend that reportedly use illusion and lies to earn their victims' trust. Very few accounts exist of encounters with a white bertha; survivors are rare.

DC 20: A white bertha appears to its victims as a helpless, lost child, and appeals to their sympathies to convince them let her join them. It weakens them as it feeds on their life essence, and then lures them through into deadly traps and ambushes. With a white bertha in tow, the way becomes unclear and even an experienced traveler's senses cannot be trusted.

DC 25: White bertha are cruel and petty. They are known to continue their charade long after they have finished feeding on their victims, simply because they derive a perverse pleasure from maintaining the ruse. Aside from typical undead immunities and vulnerabilities, it is said they are also resistant to the kinds of attacks they employ themselves.

Tactics

A white bertha's feign helplessness power is active when it first encounters its victims, and it sustains that power as long as possible. It stays close to its victims, to include all of them in its sap vitality burst. If one strays from the burst radius, it cries out in feigned protest.

The white bertha uses a ready action to delay its attacks until another monster's turn, to disguise the fact that it is working against her victims. It uses sap vitality as often as possible, and life siphon when the former is not ready.

When the players finally confront the white bertha, it uses telepathy to call the next encounter. Reinforcements arrive within 5 rounds of the first attack made against the white bertha. When bloodied, it summons its guardian doll to protect it.

Outside of combat, white bertha uses its distracting priorities aura to lead her victims. A failed skill check gives them false information: an illusory set of tracks heading off in a different direction, a path obscured and diverted, a bad compass bearing.

Encounters and Guidelines

When incorporating white bertha into your game, you should keep in mind that her presence can make every encounter the players participate in much harder. Though she'll survive most of these encounters unhurt, she should nonetheless be factored into their difficulty and reward. Generally, plan out encounters one level lower than normal, and then add her XP value into the reward at the end.

Certain monster and encounter types will work better with white bertha than others. Because her effectiveness as a story element depends on a disparity between who players consider an enemy and who actually is one, monsters with area effects should be avoided, as should all undead. Players will notice if white bertha is not hurt by monster attacks that should target her, and having her get caught up in a cleric's turn undead power would end the charade instantly.

On the other hand, brutes and monsters with bonuses on combat advantage become much deadlier with white bertha around, thanks to her sap vitality power.

The following sample encounters are designed to work well with white bertha. The XP value in parentheses is adjusted for white bertha's presence.

Level 5 Encounter ♦ XP 1000 (1300)

1 blackscale bruiser (level 6 brute) [MM1 179]

2 poisonscale myrmidons (level 3 soldier) [MM2 157]

2 poisonscale collectors (level 3 lurker) [MM2 156]

Level 5 Encounter ♦ XP 1000 (1300)

1 ettercap fang guard (level 4 soldier) [MM1 107]

1 dire stirge (level 7 lurker) [MM1 248]

3 deathjump spiders (level 4 skirmisher) [MM1 246]

Level 6 Encounter ♦ XP 1200 (1500)

1 hobgoblin commander (level 5 soldier) [MM1 140]

2 barghest savagers (level 4 brute) [MM2 20]

1 bugbear strangler (level 6 lurker) [MM1 136]

2 dire wolves (level 5 skirmisher) [MM1 264]

Level 6 Encounter ♦ XP 1200 (1500)

1 Fang of Yeenoghu (level 7 skirmisher) [MM2 126]

2 deathpledged gnolls (level 5 brute) [MM2 126]

2 gnoll claw fighters (level 6 skirmisher) [MM1 132]

Level 7 Encounter ♦ XP 1500 (1800)

2 longtooth hunters (level 6 soldier) [MM1 233]

5 dire wolves (level 5 skirmisher) [MM1 264]

Level 7 Encounter ♦ XP 1600 (1900)

1 goblin underboss (level 4 controller) [MM1 138]

3 goblin skullcleavers (level 3 brute) [MM1 137]

1 worg (level 9 brute) [MM1 265]

2 dire wolves (level 5 skirmisher) [MM1 264]

Level 8 Encounter ♦ XP 1752 (2052)

1 eladrin fey knight (level 7 soldier) [MM1 102]

1 gnome wolverine (level 9 skirmisher) [MM2 129]

1 gnome mistwalker (level 5 lurker) [MM2 128]

4 hobgoblin warriors (lvl 8 minion) [MM1 138]

1 will-o'-wisp (level 10 lurker) [MM2 209]

Level 8 Encounter ♦ XP 1802 (2102)

1 dryads (level 9 skirmisher) [MM1 96]

4 hobgoblin warriors (level 8 minion) [MM1 138]

1 satyr rake (level 8 controllerL) [MM1 228]

1 shambling mounds (level 9 brute) [MM1 232]

1 greenvise vine (level 7 soldier) [MM2 205]

The trick to using white bertha effectively is in convincing the players to let her tag along for a few encounters. She appears to them as a small child, and that small child needs to have a decent reason for being out in the woods, and a compelling reason for the party to help her. Your players are adventurers, so this probably won't be too tough. The hard part is keeping up the charade; ideally your players should not suspect something is wrong before the first encounter, but as they go through one tougher-than-usual encounter to the next, their suspicion should gradually build until by the third or fourth encounter they're fairly certain there's something seriously wrong with the little girl they picked up a few hours ago in the woods.

You should have fun keeping this charade up. Use distracting priorities to get the player's characters seriously lost. Throw out hints that something is wrong, but don't overdo it.

If the players aren't catching on to the ruse fast enough, play up white bertha's powers by using life siphon occasionally outside of combat. The players won't know what hit them, but they'll be more alert and suspicious. When sap vitality is used, feel free to describe the sudden, inexplicable weakness the players are feeling.

On the other hand, if the players are catching on too quickly, tone down white bertha's attacks. Make liberal use of ready actions to make it seem as though the attacks are happening on other monsters' turns, and make it a point to describe how white bertha cowers and acts like a typical scared child in the midst of the dangerous combat.

Remember that it is assumed the players know who their enemies are. If the players don't consider white bertha an enemy, she can't be targeted automatically by burst or blast powers that specifically target enemies. On the other hand, since she considers the player characters her enemies, her powers can and will target them with impunity. For the purposes of most encounters, other monsters will be considered her allies; she can use her telepathy to communicate with most of them before the combat begins. Knowing what she is, most monsters would not want to cross her.

Design Notes and Advanced DM Tips

From the start, I wanted White Bertha to be more than a monster. I saw in her potential for roleplaying, narrative tension, moral dilemma, and a challenge to players' perceptions and assumptions about the game world. No, she's not just a monster, she's a walking side trek.

Before revealing herself to the players, she assumes several other roles first. If she is run successfully, players will get to see her first through the filter of the damsel in distress trope, then later as a typical NPC quest giver, and finally, when the players suspect her but aren't quite sure, they will be faced with the prospect of confronting an enemy that looks and acts like a helpless child.

Understandably, that last part is going to leave a bad taste in some players' and DMs' mouths. The ethical challenges that White Bertha presents aren't meant to be comfortable ones, and I know they'll fall far afoul of what some people are willing to accept from a roleplaying game. To work around that potential snafu, I designed White Bertha with a lot of flexibility so that running her doesn't necessarily have to push any group past their limit, if they don't want to go there. That was my biggest challenge with White Bertha, but I'm confident I succeeded.

For those wanting to run White Bertha to her most insidious and unnerving potential, my advice is to play up the innocence and helplessness as much as possible. Your players should place her far above suspicion initially, and when they begin to wonder about her they should feel guilty for suspecting her. And ultimately - when they have concluded that she is working against them - it should be as uncomfortable as possible for them to confront her. She drops her illusion only when she becomes bloodied, and until then she acts as a small child would in her situation. This will leave each of your players with a nasty pit in their stomach; every blow they level against her until she drops the charade will make them wonder if they're doing the right thing. When this is over they shouldn't want to cheer at their triumph. Instead the mood should be somber and grim. And the next time they encounter a damsel in distress or an NPC quest giver deep in the woods, they won't be nearly as quick to trust.

For those Dungeon Masters looking for an experience without the unpleasant ethical challenge, they are free to have White Bertha drop her illusion whenever they feel it appropriate; I recommend doing so when she is first confronted with the players' suspicions. In addition, more obvious clues should be dropped throughout the entire experience, so that the players will begin to wonder about her far earlier than they would otherwise. Players might overhear a shrill, malevolent chuckle when another monster makes a particularly brutal attack. White Bertha might encourage the players as they fight off attackers, and her encouragements can become more and more bloodthirsty with each encounter. Her cries of protests when a player leaves the radius of her sap vitality power can sound less like "why are you abandoning me?" and more like "you're supposed to stay close!" It's a finer line to walk, because the DM has to play the same 'is she or isn't she' game, but when the players reach their conclusion it has to be more certain.

However you choose to use White Bertha in your game, I'm confident it will provide your players with a deeper, more challenging experience than a typical dungeon crawl or fetch quest. Good luck!

Icosahedrophila's Reverse Engineered 4E Style Guide

2009-05-24T23:42:00.004-04:00

I'm a stickler for formatting, so I was very pleased the other day to discover that Icosahedrophilia (bet you can't say that one three times fast) has released a reverse-engineered 4E style guide for third-party developers, bloggers, and DMs.

This is great; it gives people who aren't Wizards of the Coast the information they need to format their 4E-compatible material in the same professional style the official books use. Of course, you still have to supply your own grammatical errors if you want it to look fully official.

I'll definitely be referencing this style guide often when I write.

DDI Review

2009-05-23T08:13:00.003-04:00

Jonathan Drain has a breakdown and pseudo-review of the Dungeons & Dragons Insider content up on his website, D20 source. I posted a reply there, but I thought it bore repeating here as well.

It should be noted that the Character Builder is not without its major, potentially game-breaking flaws. I have a friend with a copy, and we've both played around extensively with it at his house. The Character Builder usually works well, and admittedly it's far better than anything else out there with a similar function, but not infrequently it's prone to glitches and bugs.

One time I made up a character and the program decided it had 120 lb of encumbrance BEFORE equipment was assigned.

Often, the character sheet viewer will double up on power/item cards randomly, and completely skip others entirely. A character I rolled got two cards for each of his at-wills, but certain racial features were completely omitted.

Certain house rules can theoretically be added in easily, but others are altogether impossible. For instance, it is impossible to customize the language aspect of the game in any way. If you want to assign an extra starting language to your character, or add a new language entirely to your game, you're out of luck.

The tool is certainly very useful, but in terms of quality and total user experience, it seems like a beta to me. I like it and would want to have access to it, but I'm not sure I'd recommend swearing by it; it's too unreliable to trump good old-fashioned numbers checking.

On top of this, I'm not convinced the quality of the magazines is enough to justify the monthly fee. I read them regularly when they were free, but now that there's a value attached to them, I find myself largely uninterested.

I wasn't sure the price was worth a DDI subscription before, and with the prices set to increase soon, making that leap is even harder.

Hex Mapping!

2009-05-20T19:21:00.004-04:00

I've been looking for something like this for a while: Inkwell Ideas has a hex-mapping tool! This is a must have for preliminary world-building cartography. It beats the pants off of hand-drawing those first rough sketches that you'll inevitably scrap and do over.

Making the List

2009-05-16T19:56:00.003-04:00

Apparently my twitter account has made UncleBear's list of "101 RPG geeks you should follow on Twitter". With that might come some actual readers to this blog, and I haven't even had a chance to tidy up the place.

I've been working on a neat new 4E monster that I plan on posting here when it's done. It needs a bit more polish and hopefully some playtesting, and I've been rather busy lately doing other things, so I'm not sure when it'll actually get done. In the meantime, I'll keep trying to post links.

More Tokens

2009-05-16T18:16:00.005-04:00

The always crafty NewbieDM has added to his prior token ideas by creating +1 bonus tokens as a reward for fast/creative player decisions. Toss these out and your players may start getting their act together!

It's a great idea, I think. I'm going to try it out soon.

Speeding up your game

2009-05-10T16:12:00.002-04:00

Found some neat tips for speeding up D&D combat.

Crag Drake

2009-05-04T19:23:00.004-04:00

Today's Monday Monster over at Kobold Quarterly is co-written by yours truly. Check it out!

Memorable NPCs

2009-05-02T12:48:00.004-04:00

The always informative Johnn Four posted a link via Twitter with a really great way to help players keep track of NPC contacts.

Dawn of Worlds

2009-05-01T17:57:00.004-04:00

Gnome Stew linked to a really interesting collaborative world-building exercise that might be a good way to build a game world. I know at least one of my players would LOVE to try this out.

layout trouble

2009-04-27T22:21:00.002-04:00

I've been using Asmor's wonderful Monster Maker utility to make 4E monsters lately. I want to share some with this site, but I'm having a hard time getting the HTML to express correctly on the page. Short of posting an image of the stat block, does anybody have any good ideas for getting 4E stat blocks to show up right on Blogger?

Twitter

2009-04-25T09:54:00.002-04:00

I've finally broken down and done it. I experimented very briefly with Twitter last year, but I didn't care for it when I was only following one account, so I gave up.

Well last night I gave it a second shot. I went and subscribed to a ton of feeds, and now I intend to use it regularly. Follow me if you like.

Deck of Many Things

2009-04-12T11:49:00.001-04:00

At Will has a cool write-up transferring the Deck of Many Things to 4E. You know, for when you want a little wacky wildness in your game.

(Thanks to The Core Mechanic for the link)

Master Plan: campaign planner

2009-04-11T12:55:00.003-04:00

Found a neat little campaign planner today. Looks pretty awesome; I can't wait to check it out!

(thanks to NewbieDM for the link)

Back at the Beginning

2009-03-20T12:52:00.006-04:00

There's been talk in my gaming group of exploring pre-heroic game play in 4E. While we like starting off at level 1 without having to worry about being killed by a single lucky roll, occasionally we get the urge to go back to that squishy level of play that 4E has done away with.

In my head, it made sense that if level one could progress forward, that the power scale should be able to progress backwards too. I went online and found a handful of rules for 0-level play, but none of them felt exactly right to me, even though some of them came close.

What follows is my own reverse-engineered house rules for pre-heroic 4E game play. They take into account some of the suggestions from other bloggers' versions of the same rules, but they are ultimately my own. These rules are written for PHB classes only. I may (at some later date) devise similar rules for other classes as well. In the meantime, I don't think coming up with your own rules for other classes should be too hard if you can't wait.

level -1 is essentially your ability scores and your racial features with very little else. There's nothing here to differentiate the classes from each other. In fact, it's assumed at this point your character hasn't chosen a class yet, or at least hasn't recieved any training in his or her class. Your characters aren't meant to be heroic at this level. The only thing that differentiates them from Johnny Q. Peasant is their above average ability scores and their (as yet unrealized) destiny.

0-level is your characters as apprentices in their chosen class. They've got some of the basic flavor of their class, but they've still got a lot to learn and they're definitely not fitting into anyone's definition of heroic. The power level here should be something similar to 3rd Edition's level 1 classes, give or take. Almost all attacks are going to be basic attacks, as they haven't discovered their powers yet. The only exception to this is those classes that are able to use one of their powers as a basic attack. These classes are allowed that one at-will as a basic attack, but otherwise function just as normal.

Players starting at a pre-heroic level do not have any gold or equipment to start with. Treasures and rewards should be spread out throughout the pre-heroic adventuring so that each character reaches level one with their standard 100g (or equivalent value in equipment). However, it is highly recommended that the DM hand out some equipment before first combat (as part of the story), so that the players don't have to fight naked and unarmed.

-1 level (-750 XP)
Armor Proficiency: cloth
Weapon Proficiency: none (except where granted by racial features)

Ability Scores: -1 to all (to represent your less-than-heroic status)

Hit Points: CON score
Trained Skills: none (except where granted by racial features)
Class Features: none
Racial Features: all
Healing Surges Per Day: CON modifier
Powers: none (except where granted by racial features)
Action Points: none

0 level (-500 XP)
Racial Features: all
Ability Scores: remove penalty
Powers: one at-will (used as an encounter power)
Action Points: as level 1, except starts at zero daily instead of one.

Cleric
Armor: cloth, leather
Weapon: none (except where granted by racial features)
HP: 5 + CON score
Skills: Religion
Class Features: Healing Word (once per encounter), Ritual Casting

Fighter
Armor: cloth, leather, hide; light shield
Weapon: simple melee, simple ranged (and any granted by racial features)
HP: 6 + CON score
Skills: none
Class Features: Combat Challenge (once per encounter), Fighter Weapon Talent

Paladin
Armor: cloth, leather, hide, chainmail; light shield
Weapon: simple melee (and any granted by racial features)
HP: 6 + CON score
Skills: Religion
Class Features: Divine Challenge (once per encounter), Lay on Hands (once daily)

Ranger
Armor: cloth, leather
Weapon: simple melee, simple ranged (and any granted by racial features)
HP: 5 + CON score
Skills: Dungeoneering or Nature
Class Features: Hunter's Quarry (damage applies twice per encounter)

Rogue
Armor: cloth, leather
Weapon: as level 1
HP: 5 + CON score
Skills: Stealth + 1 Class Skill (not Thievery)
Class Features: Sneak Attack (damage applies once per encounter)

Warlock
Armor: cloth, leather
Weapon: none (except any granted by racial features)
HP: 5 + CON score
Skills: 1 Class Skill (not Thievery)
Class Features: Warlock's Curse (damage applies twice per encounter), Eldritch Pact (determines the level 1 at-will power you can use as a 0-level encounter power)
Special: A 0-level warlock has begun his pact initiation, but has not progressed far enough into the rites to gain his Pact Boon class feature.

Warlord
Armor: as level 1
Weapon: simple melee (and any granted by racial features)
HP: 5 + CON score
Skills: 1 Class Skill
Class Features: Combat Leader, Commanding Presence

Wizard
Armor: as level 1
Weapon: none (except any granted by racial features)
HP: 4 + CON score
Skills: Arcana
Class Features: Cantrips, Ritual Casting, Spellbook (contains whatever rituals that wizard would normally get at 1st level)

Ye Olde Map Maker

2009-03-03T18:10:00.001-05:00

Cameron over at Dragon Avenue posted a link to a new map-making resource today. Looks like it could be useful, though I haven't tried it out yet.

4E Monk Project

2009-02-19T17:35:00.002-05:00

A Butterfly Dreaming is developing a custom 4E Monk player class. It's still in beta, but it seems pretty usable already. I'm looking forward to trying it out, as the Monk is the class I miss most from 3E.

Thanks to The Core Mechanic for the link.

Black Powder Weapons in 4E

2009-02-18T17:59:00.001-05:00

Polyhedral, a relatively new D&D blog, has a series of articles out on incorporating black powder weapons into 4th Edition. The whole thing is done with game balance in mind, so as far as I can tell it's usable as is.

RPG Playlists

2009-01-27T17:21:00.002-05:00

Martin Ralya over at ~~(Treasure Tables)~~ Gnome Stew has an informative article up about how to stock your RPG music playlists.

Tokens

2009-01-25T18:39:00.004-05:00

NewbieDM has a tutorial on making PC, NPC, and minion tokens for use with tabletop games.

The more I play (especially as a DM), the more I feel that tokens are a cheaper, easier solution than minis. I'm back in the DM chair again for my group's current adventure, so I may be switching to tokens pretty soon.

A Joke

2009-01-02T02:28:00.003-05:00

Alexis over at the Tao of D&D has a hilarious idea for a prank that a DM can play on his/her players.

I think I want to throw something like that in one day just for laughs. My players would probably get a kick out of it, once they got the punchline.

Taverns!

2009-01-01T11:43:00.004-05:00

Storyteller, while guest blogging over at ChattyDM's place back in August, suggested a bunch of tips and advice for a memorable tavern experience.

Those were all well and good if you're looking for advice with taverns, but linked to a pretty useful all-purpose tool that's right up this blog's alley: the random phrase generator. Sure, you can use it for making tavern names, but you can do so much more with it, too!

(thanks to The Core Mechanic for a link to Storyteller's post)

Bring on the Riverdance!

2008-12-24T01:30:00.002-05:00

Just in time for Christmas...

My buddy Matt sent me a link to the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. If you're looking for soundtrack music for your D&D game, you could do much, much worse.

Points of Light

2008-12-14T10:51:00.003-05:00

Goodman Games has a systems-neutral supplement for four possible campaigns using the "Points of Light" principle that supposedly guides 4e. At 48 pages it seems more like a bunch of inspirational guidance than a true source book, but still, it DOES seem like it could be useful...

D&D Character Builder

2008-12-13T09:03:00.001-05:00

The D&D Character Builder is now in open beta. You can try it out and create characters up to level 3. Is it better than the free alternatives available elsewhere? I'm not sure yet.

DM tools and D&D resources by DungeonMastering

2008-12-09T17:22:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite D&D blogs, DungeonMastering, has compiled a list of useful stuff for D&D players and DMs. There's nothing there that's unique, but it's useful nonetheless.

inspiration: ant farms

2008-12-04T22:44:00.002-05:00

Greywulf posted a YouTube video as inspiration for you next dungeon, and I've got to agree: this giant ant colony is sick.

(thanks to Gnome Stew for the link)

To Arms!

2008-12-04T22:10:00.005-05:00

Scott Martin over at Gnome Stew just posted a link to a really neat Coat of Arms generator. I don't even need to tell you how neat and useful that is.

Also, my condolences to Dave Noonan, Jonathan Tweet, and all the other people recently laid off from Wizards of the Coast. I hope you all get back on your feet as soon as possible.

Speeding up DMing

2008-11-28T19:06:00.001-05:00

D&D Corner has a neat article on speeding up a DM's job by eliminating many of the dice rolls that a DM has to make. I've been thinking about most of these ideas already, and I think I'm going to use most of these in my next go-round as a DM.

(thanks to Jonathan Drain's D20 Source for the link)

Encounter Manager by Anubisware v. 1.0

2008-11-27T21:25:00.000-05:00

Geek's Dream Girl has posted version 1.0 of her buddy Anubis' Encounter Manager. I really liked the beta versions, though they didn't work on my Linux-based eeePC, so I'm really hoping this new, full version has better Linux support. Crossing my fingers!

Precision Dice

2008-11-26T21:56:00.007-05:00

This man claims to be the original producer of polyhedral dice in the US, and he has a lot to say about why his dice are better than most others. Frankly, he makes a pretty convincing argument.

I'm looking into getting a set of these for myself.

Update (12/09/08): I've got my dice! They're very pretty, but I'm not convinced the sharp edges are going to affect my rolls in any perceptible way. Still, they're very pretty.

Jeff Rients has a follow-up on the (now popular) videos and the dice, where he contacts several other big dice-making companies for comment. The general consensus is that Colonel Zocchi's claims aren't entirely unfounded, but possibly exaggerated a bit in the interests of drumming up sales. Regardless, nobody doesn't like more dice, so the more the merrier.

(thanks to Jonathan Drain's D20 Source for the link)

What was that goblin's name?

2008-11-25T22:01:00.001-05:00

I found a neat little goblin name generator for DM prep time and all-around hilarity. Sweet!

(thanks to Dungeon Mastering for the link)

Andomray Exttay

2008-11-24T21:06:00.004-05:00

For when you need to put stuff on a magic scroll: lorem ipsum. Yes.

(thanks to Dungeon Mastering for the link)

Generators

2008-11-17T18:26:00.000-05:00

Since the official release of D&D 4E back in May, this guy Asmor has been busy programming a metric ass-ton of web-based data generators for the new game. In just a few short months, he's managed to create a lot of useful tools for the busy DM.

He's got one for generating ability scores, a handful for designing combat encounters, a few treasure pickers, and even a (discontinued) power tracker. And there's even more generators for other systems.

Very useful.

Pirates!

2008-11-16T00:37:00.005-05:00

I've been interesting in running a D&D campaign based around pirates and buccaneers for a while, and lately I've been running into supplements designed specifically for that:

Freeport is a campaign setting that revolves around a giant city of the same name, and it promises pirates, classic fantasy elements, and even darker Lovecraftian themes. Oooh. Originally this was a series of d20 adventures (as far as I can tell, but that's changed: Pirate's Guide to Freeport is a system-neutral campaign setting that should allow me to bring the setting to my 4E group if I decide that I want to. That has me intrigued.

Razor Coast is an adventure (not a setting) that centers around a coastal region that features lots of piratey-type stuff mixed in with traditional role-playing themes. Among other things, there appear to be shark people featured as major villains. That's pretty cool. The product isn't out yet, and the website doesn't make it clear whether it'll support 4E without major changes.

Now if only I could find something to scratch my Wild West RPG jones.

The West Marches

2008-11-12T17:24:00.005-05:00

I found a write-up on a sandbox-type campaign setting by one Mr. Ben Robbins. The setting was called "The West Marches" and the idea seemed novel to me. The way he ran the game really encouraged the players to participate and seemed to get them coming back for more on a consistent basis. It looks like a lot of work on the DM's part, though.