Typically I don’t bother with the myriad of online stores out there selling everything from panake syrup to re-usable diapers, but Shopwiki caught my attention.  Not only because they don’t necessarily sell everything that you can find on their site or even make money when you buy it but because when I did a search for Dungeons and Dragons I found very quickly links to some good vintage D&D books, books that I couldn’t find on Amazon or after a lot of searching elsewhere.  So I’m passing it along to the rest of you.

Shopwiki is basically a wiki for shoppers so of course they have stuff for video games, consoles, and all that other jazz, but they don’t just cram the crap down your throat either.  They have some pretty useful information with regards to what you are buying hence the wiki part of it.

They have buying guides for just about everything as well from games to controllers.  Like everything else online you have to be a bit careful and do some poking around to verify.

What caught my eye was the fact that it was so easy to find links to vintage D&D stuff that I really had a hard time finding elsewhere.  Without that I don’t know that I would have bothered to write anything at all.

Welcome back to Dungeons and Dragons Corner.

You can find Character Sheets Here.

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One lesson I’ve learned the hard way is to be careful what I say as a Dungeon Master.  Believe it or not the players listen.

Sometimes when describing a scene I will add a sentence or two of flavor just to make the scene stick a little bit.  The players take this added flavor text to heart and before long they are so focused on the color of the princess’ dress that they are completely overlooking the half burned letter from the evil overlord that she was attempting to destroy when they walked in.  Suddenly the color green is an omen for death at every step and they want to go out confiscating every bundle of green cloth in the country.

Okay, maybe a bit of exaggeration, but not a whole lot.  Usually it is something more like the quality of a chair or the sturdiness of a table or the location of a fur rug.  The players expect that there is something special about it.  Why?  Because I’m the DM and I wouldn’t be saying anything if it weren’t important.

The lesson is that I should keep my mouth shut unless I want the players to interact with it.  If it isn’t something that I as a DM really want to deal with then I should probably skip it.  Players will ask all sorts of questions and try all sorts of things without being handed a bag full of dead ends.

On the reverse side you can always add your own false leads here by putting a different inflection on your voice and adding emphasis perhaps where you shouldn’t.  But I recommend that you do this only sparingly because frankly it can lead to frustrated (or worse, bored) players.

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Okay, so you have an idea for a nifty new campaign that you want to run but you really don’t have the time to put it all together.  What do you do?

This can be a huge problem for a lot of dungeon masters, particularly those with a creative bent who aren’t thrilled with using someone else’s work.  All too often these folks turn into the guy (or gal) who is constantly “working on it” but who never actually ends up running a game because they never actually finish.

Here are some ideas:

1 – Create only what needs to be created for the campaign.  Don’t flesh out an entire world rolling up dozens of NPC’s if they will never be used.  Leave that kind of nonsense to the professionals they get paid to make up fluff you don’t.
2 – Set a deadline.  Write down the date that you will have it finished.  Mark it on your calendar and tell someone else.  That way they can chew you out if you don’t finish.
3 – Set aside a specific time of day when you will work on it.  Hint: the earlier in the day the more likely you will actually do it.  Stick to your time just as if you were attending an important class or going to work.
4 – Use random name generators.  There are tons of free ones on the web.  Save yourself time where you can.
5 – Make pre-made home-made.  Borrow from whatever sources you can, particularly maps.  Drawing out awesome maps is very, very time consuming and many of the maps in a campaign (particularly outdoor maps) end up being tossed aside very quickly.  Spend time only on the maps that the players really need.

I hope these tips help and enjoy your game!

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Okay, for those of you who don’t allow videos to play automatically or who have them blocked entirely, the youtube link is below.  The creator of this video sent me the link and I thought I would pass it on to all of you.  It is a kooky little video that captures the flavor of going out and finding the myriad of monsters available in the game.

Anyone willing to put this much effort must really share the passion for the game.  Props to Dan Meth and company.

Monster Manual Music Video

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4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons has made a fairly strong move away from randomness at the gaming table.  From the point buy system becoming the character creation standard to a leveling system which defies random encounters the dice have become a less necessary tool.

For those who really do enjoy rolling the dice more than necessary, are there ways of injecting randomness into the game without breaking it?  Of course there are.

Here are some ideas.

•  Roll random characters.  Roll a die to determine your race.  Roll a die to determine your class.  Roll dice to determine your ability scores.  Roll dice to determine your powers, skills, background and even equipment.  This can lead to some extremely wacky combinations that can turn out to be very fun.
•  Make up a random encounter deck per the instructions in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.  Or just make up a list of monsters of the appropriate level and then roll dice instead of drawing cards.
•  Roll random NPC reactions.  Not just favorable or unfavorable, but a nifty chart like:

Friendly Reactions
1-3 Tells a knock-knock joke
4-5 Invites PC’s to dinner
6-8 Offers healing
9-10 Offers most valuable possession
11-12 Shares childhood secret

•  Roll a d8 instead of choosing the direction your character moves during combat.  Not the best strategically but definitely fun for chaotic minded types.
•  Roll to determine which power to use.

Naturally there are many other ways of injecting some random fun into your game, but these are some ideas to get you started!

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Creating a world from scratch is a daunting task.  Personally I don’t recommend it unless you know that you are going to be playing a long campaign and that everyone is behind the idea.

However, sooner or later most of us decide to at least make a drawing of the fantasy world we have imagined.  Here are some tips to make the job a bit easier and to get a more coherent end result.

1 – Start with a  coast-line.  Draw out the continents first.  The major land masses will help define cultures as well as other major geographic features.

2 – Decide where the mountains go.  Mountains, if your world follows real-world plate tectonics will be somewhere near the coastal regions where continents collide.  This is not strictly necessary because a fantasy world is a fantasy world, but players will find it familiar.  Mountains also define where water is and which way it will flow.  Rivers flow downhill (assuming gravity is the same on your world as in ours).  This means that rivers will not cross mountains or flow up into them.  Rather they will flow down from the mountains towards the coastal regions.

3 – Decide on the major civilizations as well as major volcanoes and deserts.  These features further help define the world and the interactions between the intelligent races.  Most races will naturally avoid wastelands, volcanoes and deserts.  These features naturally tend to destroy major cities and civilizations.  Likewise they make trade difficult.  Civilizations will tend to start near sources of resources as well as easy means of transporting them i.e. rivers.

4 – Finally add other geographic features like forests, plains, small swamps and other geography that will not have a major (i.e. global) impact on the civilizations.  These kinds of features will dominate life locally but do not generally define where or how civilizations are built.  Also many of these features will naturally define themselves, such as swamps forming around river deltas as they empty in the sea.

Until next time have fun drawing your worlds.

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Finding and abusing game exploits is an important ability for pretty much anyone who plans to play a game for the long term.  I’m going to talk about some skills that can be applied in generic terms to just about any game out there, including Dungeons and Dragons.

Look for the infinite combo.  In other words, anything that adds a bonus but which doesn’t cost a resource, or which costs a resource which can be replenished.  In D&D the primary combat resource is actions.  There are only so many things that a character can do on his turn.  Once those actions are gone he has to end his turn.  Anything that allows more of the most crucial resource, or which bypasses that crucial resource can probably be abused.

Which brings us to the next point.  Identify the critical resource.  If you ask a newbie to D&D what the most important number on the character sheet is, a lot of them will look at one of two things, either hit points or damage.  The truth is that neither of these is really the critical resource when it comes to combat.  There are ways for each class to deal massive amounts of damage, and hit points only matter if you get hit.  How you play the game will overshadow both of these.  What then is the critical resource?  There are several, but the most important in my opinion would be the number actions a character can take and the character’s base ability scores.  Anything that modifies these resources is asking for trouble.

Now look for ways to modify the critical resource. Anything that adds to or takes away from the critical resource is powerful.  Potentially these things can be abused and badly.  In 3rd edition, for example, there were ways to raise base ability scores far beyond their intended levels.  This meant that characters could do ridiculous things far before they reached epic levels and after that it just got stupid.

Look for the rule-breakers and special circumstances.  A lot of D&D is about combat.  This means that taking a look at the areas of the game that “don’t have to do with combat” can often be the most devastating ways of breaking combat. One example from basic D&D would be the spell Phantasmal Force.  A basic second level spell that could quite literally end any encounter against any level of opponent in one round.  But a lot of people I played with didn’t figure it out until they saw me play a magic user, at which point the DM would ban the spell.  A lot of people would read the spell and see that it “never causes any real damage” and simply gloss it over, thinking it could only be used in marginal situations or for role-playing purposes.  Not realizing that if you put an army of orcs to sleep for 1d4 turns that you had won the fight.

Hope these tips help, and have fun breaking your game!

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There are power gamers and then there are really, really annoying power gamers.  You know who you are (or at least the people who play with you know who you are).  You are the kind of person who has to squeeze every last advantage out of every single die roll. The person who has figured out the exact best strategy for each and every situation and then berates the rest of the party into doing it your way.

So how can you make power gaming fun?  Is it possible to create a powerful character that doesn’t give the DM a headache?  Can you maximize your efforts without overshadowing the rest of the party and making the game generally un-fun for everyone?

The key to being a fun power gamer is to understand two concepts: limits and differences.

The limits I am talking about are primarily limits that apply to things outside of the rule books.  The rules are the rules.  Yes there is some room for discussion on certain points, but by and large the rules are defined.  However there are limits that are not written and often also unspoken.  For example as new splat books are published you may be tempted to run out and get all of the latest books in hopes of finding obscure feats that enhance your play style so that your planned character can maximize some combat action such as doing massive amounts of damage.  While the rules allow you to do this, your DM or playgroup may frown upon it.

Is it unfair for the DM to restrict your game?  Maybe yes, maybe no.  Fairness is more than just doing what is written in the book.  Fairness is also making sure that everyone at the table has fun.  If the DM does not have time, energy or money to get all the latest books and review all of the information then it can become un-fun for him or her and they may simply apply a restriction in order to save themselves time.  If you have used obscure rules in the past to gain an unexpected advantage, don’t be surprised when the DM decides on this course of action.

What about limits with the other players?  Combat strategy is one way in which a power gamer can get a true advantage over the other players.  It is possible to go through an entire combat without taking any damage.  It is possible to go through an entire campaign without taking any damage.  In fact it is possible for the entire party to escape completely unscathed from combats that appear on paper to be overwhelming.  Not every player understands this.  Most players aren’t even interested in figuring out how to do it.  Most of them are happy to wade in and slug it out knowing (or hoping) that the encounter is balanced and they will survive.

The power gamer (and different kinds of power gamers) will find himself at conflict at this point.  Yes the combat may go better if the stupid Halfling would get into flanking position and just wait for one stupid turn so they can get in that extra damage.  On the other hand if you tell Joe one more time what to do with his character he may just punch you in the nose.  There are no rules (except house rules) governing these types of situations.  Learning the limits, especially the unspoken limits that other players expect from you will help everyone have more fun.  More than once I have watched players purposely undermine the power gamer’s efforts just because he pushed his min/maxing so far that it detracted from their role-playing experience.

Now differences.

There are many ways to play the game, and power can be defined in many terms.  Is power defined by combat ability?  Is it the ability to overcome encounters (no, not the same thing)?  Is it defined by treasure?  Ability to deal damage without magic items?  Being able to do maximum healing?

When a pair (or more) of players put a definition of power on their character and then play to maximize that power at the expense of everything else they will inevitable come into conflict.  Understanding that these differences exist and that they are irrelevant until they start affecting the level of fun is crucial to avoiding the kinds of conflict that can lead to players actively undermining each other.  Differences in character builds, combat strategies, gear choices, negotiating styles and many other areas can all be equally powerful in terms of having a successful game experience.  If the goal is to have an enjoyable game session there are many ways to achieve this goal and each are as different as the people who play the game.

Until next time, have fun!

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When GM’ing a Dungeons and Dragons or RPG Game session nothing can bog down a campaign or the evening more than when a player who knows the rules to the letter better than the DM keeps trying to force the system and point out any errors the DM may make. One of the best things about a D20 system is its flexibility and a DM should vary from the rules to keep the game interesting and entertaining as long as the decisions made are fair and can be reproduced by everyone (players and DM alike).

When a DM varies from a rule in the player’s handbook or other guide, they DM should ask the player’s not to interrupt the campaign and argue about it, but all issues or concerns can be shelved for after the game. The DM can choose to permanently use the new rule or option that he introduced or if he agrees with the player, maybe some experience can be awarded for being so actively interested in keeping alignment with the structure of the rules.

When I used to DM I had a rules lawyer constantly challenge my variations early on, I made it clear that although my gaming was based on Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition at the time, that I had taken the liberty of adapting some custom rules for my campaign. I had a clear published list of the various rules, and differences in my campaign, such as how I handled the healing and herbalism skills were very different than the core rulebook handles them.

I also did not hesitate to fudge a few die rolls for the effect of a story line, mostly these were in a players favor, I didn’t want a player killed by the enemy rolling a critical hit on the first round of combat, or I told a player that a saving throw was successful when the player really would have been a toasted marshmallow from the enemy wizards fireball.

All of this is to keep the game entertaining, interesting and keep your players coming back for more. In the end, the rules aren’t as important as keeping players and the game master happy and entertained for the few hours per week that they meet to game.

This guest post brought to you by Dragon Blogger.

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There are a lot of risks here as a DM.  What happens if they go where you haven’t planned?  What happens if they start a fight with someone you haven’t fleshed out?

Be warned, you are leaving things wide, wide open for the players.  This means that they will go and do things you are not prepared for.  What do you do?  You get prepared.

Prepare a few encounters.  The most likely that they will face.  Get some monster cards for some human guards.  Or if you are in elf land, some elves.  Make up a goblin encounter for when the party decides to sleep in the woods.  And then treat any “special” NPC’s just as you would any normal character in terms of game mechanics.  Just change the flavor a bit.

Finally, practice negotiating with the PC’s.  Just because they start a fight doesn’t mean you have to end it.  Sue for mercy.  Surrender.  Offer a compromise.  There is no need to flesh out combat stats for something that just lays down its weapons and sues for peace.  Either the characters will slaughter it outright or they will role-play, and trust me it isn’t very fun to just slaughter stuff, especially when the possibility of becoming discovered as murderers is real.

The big question on the backs of some (if not all) of your minds is what about XP and treasure?  Aren’t these fundamental to the system?

Of course they are.  So get together your little treasure packets.  Just like you would if you were having a normal combat game.  Hand out the treasures after the characters do something interesting.  They spend their time gambling, or working hard to win a chess tournament – very good.  Hand them out a couple of treasure packets and XP for beating a hard encounter.  If they fail, hand out less XP and less treasure.

If they find out where the Duke’s daughter is being held, let the Duke award them with a treasure packet.  Give them XP for their level.  If they get her back then give them another packet and more XP.  That nifty chart in the DMG that outlines the target XP awards for an encounter by level is ideal for this.

No go and play nice!

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Okay, there are characters and then there are characters that we remember (for good or ill) for years and years, long after they have been retired.  These are the characters that are talked about by the gaming group or to anyone who will listen even when the conversation has nothing to do with Dungeons and Dragons.

One way to make a character memorable is to give that character a trait - a player playable trait - that sparks an emotional, physical, or mental reaction of some sort in the other players.  In many ways this can require a bit of meta-gaming, but in other ways it is just really thinking through who the character is and what he or she is about.

An easy trick to developing this kind of trait is using a tick.  Something that happens at regular intervals.  Some examples would be a catch phrase such as a barbarian’s battle cry, which is used at the start of every combat, or the character always referring to himself in third person.

Often during the character creation process we think in visual terms, i.e. the style of armor or the color of the character’s hair.  Unfortunately these things are relatively intangible.  The picture of that character is different in the head of each individual sitting at the table.  The shade of red in your heroine’s hair is going to be different for everyone.  The things that you as a player do, however, are going to be witnessed by all and will bring a much more tangible expression of your character that everyone can relate to.

I cannot over-emphasize that these need to be verbal or physical actions.  The other players need to hear or see what you do.

Now, be cautious in that you do not choose something that is very difficult to maintain.  A goofy accent, for example, works pretty good for about half an hour or so but then tends to become forgotten.  By the second session you don’t even bother trying.  Likewise complex or time consuming rituals will simply be annoying.

Which brings us to the final point of the day which is that these kinds of ticks will probably annoy someone?  You can overdo it, and you probably should – just once.  Overdoing it once will implant it into the memories of everyone at the table.  Overdoing it twice and you will most likely be asked to stop.  Throwing in the occasional reminder will play to the character without driving everyone nuts.  The whole idea is to make the character come alive with those little details that make all of us real.

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I knew this kid back in junior high who kept to himself all the time. We all thought he was a little strange, maybe just sniffing too much glue on the weekends or something. We ignored him, but maybe we shouldn’t have. It turns out the truth was much, much more sinister.

Come to find out he would play Dungeons and Dragons. What is Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D as the cult like to call it? Well, I would just explain it as crack for geeks. It took this otherwise nice kid and turned him into a devil worshiping, dice totin’ maniac.

Before we knew it he was mumbling things under his breath during class. Once, during algebra the teacher asked about the Pythagorean theorem and he responded ten die six. I knew it was an evil incantation. I got a glimpse of his Trapper Keeper, and it was filled with complex formulas and notes about zombies and demons.

Everyday at lunch, he and his friends would gather in a corner somewhere and roll their dice. Whenever anyone came near they would give us annoyed looks and turn back to their sorcerous works. Needless to say I learned quickly to simply avoid them.

Later on I found out that D&D is essentially a forming school for wiccans, druids, and other horrible things. Not only that it is horribly addictive. Players can spend their entire salaries and all of their time dedicated to it.

My message to everyone today is: AVOID DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS AT ALL COSTS. Do not play this game. Do not let anyone you know play this game. It will ruin their lives. It will ruin any chance they have of happiness. It will turn them into horrible servants of unknown powers. It will make them crave salty snacks. D&D is evil!!!!!!!!

P.S. April Fools

(for those of you who don’t know, April 1^st in the United States (and other parts of the world) is a holiday where jokes are played, and this post is meant as a joke).

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Well, I got to taking a look around and guess what I discovered?  Today is my 100th post here.  Now I’m sure that the vast majority of you are going to skip on through an off topic post, and frankly I don’t blame you a bit.  However, I did want to pass on a couple of links which are important to me, if not important to the rest of you.

First:

A link to the first chapter of my novel The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep.  For those of you who don’t know, in addition to playing copious amounts of Dungeons and Dragons and preparing adventures for said game I also write stories, poetry and novels.  The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep is my first novel published entirely online and as the title of this post declares this is a shameless promotion of that work.

For those of you out there looking for something to read, well I have to say that I enjoyed writing it as much as I have enjoyed reading just about any other work of fantasy out there. What you’ll find on the site is are the various chapters, each published weekly (though I suspect some of the links are a bit broken as I don’t maintain that site as much as this one).

Second:

If you want to get the entire book in one easy to read .pdf file, well you’ll have to pay for that.  $5 will get you the e-book version, which is much more convenient that trying to navigate the links (did I mention that the entire novel isn’t up yet?).  There are, of course links on the site or you can follow the direct link here.  You’ll need to enter a name (doesn’t have to be your real name) and a valid email address.  You need a valid email address because that is where the download link will be sent.

In any event I do hope you drop on by and check out a chapter or two or three or twenty.

Finally I would like to send out a huge thanks to all those of you who have made reaching 100 posts an enjoyable experience.  There have been a number of comments on several topics, many of which are quite frankly of very different opinion than my own.  I think this is wonderful.  Some of you have very much inspired me to try different things and to think in new ways, which is always refreshing.  Others have simply made me wonder at your upbringing.  To each of you I express public gratitude.

As always, have fun with your game!

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I’m not talking about the old backstabbing mechanic from yesteryear (don’t even get me started on the different iterations from various versions of the game) I’m talking about when one character in the party decides to grab the loot and/or slit throats on his way out of town, leaving a wake of destruction and a really pissed off party behind.

Going against the party has a lot of ramifications.  First, it is likely to cause some out of game friction.  If, for example, you play in a game with your wife/girlfriend, then slitting her character’s throat in her sleep may cause you to sleep on the couch in real life.  In other words it really does piss of the players, not just the characters.  If you make enough people mad (or just one mad enough) you may find that you as a player are no longer welcome in your group.

Next, understand that in all likelihood this is a suicidal path.  There are times when the evil-doer gets away with it.  Usually this is because there is generous support from a willing DM.  In most cases, however, the resources that the other members of the party can garner are simply overwhelming for one lone character.  So if you decide to undertake this option, beware that it will most likely ultimately result in some sort of permanent retirement.

Now, for role-playing purposes, I highly recommend that you play a character that is evil from the start.  This can and will make for some interesting interactions from the start of the adventure.  If you play a good paladin for sixteen levels and then wake up one day and slaughter your companions there just isn’t a good way to explain it.  Many people have tried in many different ways, but the truth is it always feels unsatisfactory.  Plus it usually carries more out of game consequences.  When the evil warlock who the party recruited because they needed his support starts poisoning the water, nobody is surprised.

I recommend this sort of option only for more experienced players.  In general once this happens the main adventure gets forgotten entirely.  For this reason it could really piss of a DM, and if you do it to a new DM they may really do some horrible things to your character by way of retaliation.  A group that has been playing for a while, will know how to handle the situation better and there is a greater chance that everyone at the table will find a way to enjoy it.

Now, if you are going to do this and get away with it, here are my suggestions.  First, play an evil character.  Second, make yourself as valuable to the party as possible.  Third, gain a measure of control over at least one other party member.  Fourth, blame it on someone else.  Finally, get your DM’s permission first.

In case your wondering these experiences are also almost always the most memorable.  People will talk about it for years to come.  You will be regaled in D&D history.  And you will never be trusted again.

As always, have fun!

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So it doesn’t happen all the time, but it does happen.  You get tired of playing the character that you are playing.  This could be a result of some mistake you made during your build that you didn’t anticipate, or a bad fit for the party or a maybe you just fell out of love with dwarves.

Whatever the reason, you may find that your enjoyment of the game is significantly diminished.  My first rule of playing any game is to have fun, and especially when I sit down for D&D, so if this is causing your game to be un-fun then it needs fixing right away.

You have several options here.  First, though you may want to really think about what is causing you to wish to play something else.  Odds are good that when you know the reason you can find the solution easier.  Now, talk with the DM.  This may sound a bit difficult to some players, but the truth is you just have to do it.  The DM will most likely be able to help you find a solution that won’t hurt the group.

They may suggest quietly retiring the character.  The character may just buy a tavern and settle down or may get married and start popping out kids.  Retirement is a good option because it allows the character to come back later in a new adventure if things change.

The DM may allow you to simply rework your character into what you want.  If the changes are relatively minor this can be the best option.  If all you want to do is swap out a feat (and you don’t want to wait a level for retraining) then your DM might just allow you to do it.  It doesn’t hurt to ask.  However don’t make a habit of this.  I know that I cut some slack to newbies, but if you’ve been through more than a session or two with me I expect that you understand the rules and the consequences of your decisions.  A lot of DM’s are like this.  They don’t want to have to spend time memorizing everything on your character sheet and doling out character building advice to all the players when they could be spending that time preparing new encounters.

Finally, you may be asked to play the character out.  Now, if you are a subversive sort of person this may be your opportunity to go really wild, taking total risks and behaving in a totally suicidal manner.  Open every door.  Charge into every battle.  Take on every trap.  Eschew aid from the party cleric.  In short, do what it takes to get killed.  The change of pace alone may renew your love for your character

Whatever you do, have fun with it!

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