The 4th edition Players Handbook outlines various party roles, defender, controller, striker, and leader but this article has nothing to do with those roles.  What I want to address today is the oft controversial role of party leader – the guy who does most of the talking to NPC’s and who makes most of the major decisions, i.e. which way to go next.

I need to make it absolutely clear to anyone new to the game that any character of any race or class can be party leader, and in fact the responsibility can (and probably will) shift from player to player throughout the campaign.

There are two common misconceptions about being party leader.  First that it is fun.  Second that it is not fun.

Some people feel completely left out.  They feel like the person in the leadership position is stealing their thunder or pushing them to the side.  While this can happen, usually it is not the case.  Usually they aren’t even trying to be leaders.  They just like playing and don’t take time to notice that the other players have something to add.

This brings us to the first responsibility of leadership within the D&D game.  If you are party leader, then your primary job is to make sure that everyone is included and that all party resources are being utilized.  All too often someone who assumes (or is given) the job of party leader feels like they need to solve problems by themselves.  Most times problems can be more easily solved by pooling resources than by tackling them solo.

This can make being party leader sound very unfun.  After all if the other players blame you for leaving them out and making their game unfun that can be a big negative.  So what do you do?  Have fun first.  Learn to balance your needs with the needs of the other players.

Welcome back to Dungeons and Dragons Corner.

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There are a lot of different board games available, from Monopoly to Risk, and most of us have played many of them.

These games can be a valuable resource when creating props for your table top role playing sessions.  Everything from tokens to money to dice can be found in different board games.

Game boards themselves can be used as backing for maps and battle grids.  The usefulness of board games as sources of props is limited only by your imagination.

I know at my house that we have several games that are no longer played.  A few moments of time has turned up a variety of objects that have proved useful.  If you don’t have any lying around then check your local second hand store.  Many times these games can be picked up for about a dollar – often because they are missing some element such as the rules or one or two game tokens.  These can quickly and inexpensively be turned into props for your game.

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If you have a magnetic game field then you have a couple of options for doing walls for your dungeons.

The easiest is simply to use a dry-erase marker and draw in the features that you need for each area of the dungeon.  This is fairly efficient and not a bad way to go at all.  But if you are in the mood for something that adds a bit of dimension to the game without getting too complicated, then you can try walls.

The easiest way to do it is to get some 1” by ¼” wooden strips.  You can find wood used for trim at any hardware store.  They come in nice thin strips of long lengths that can be easily cut down to any size you need.

Next, glue some thin magnetic tape to one edge of the wood.  That’s it.  Really simple, and really effective.  You can build rooms as quickly or even more quickly than you can draw them.

As always, have fun!

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Metagaming – everything that happens outside of the game – is going to happen.  There is nothing you can do as a player or DM to stop it.  Whether it is simply the players discussing what roles they want their characters to play in the upcoming campaign (in order to build a well-rounded party), or running out and buying every pre-made module in order to know the DM’s next move – metagaming will happen.

So what do you do about it?

There are a lot of options, and a lot of opinions.  Some say embrace it.  Most say fight it and put a stop to it.

My recommendation is to direct it, as comfortably as possible in a direction that fits your interests and tastes.  What I am talking about here is being as open and honest with your gaming group about what you feel is an appropriate level and type of metagaming.

If, at the table you prefer that everything be said in character, then let people know.  Perhaps propose that a session or a portion of a session is run according to your style.  By opening the discussion you are enabling the other players to bring out their opinion and increasing the likelihood that they will support your opinion.

If you fight it – especially in a confrontational manner I can pretty much guarantee that you will get nowhere.  Most likely you will frustrate and alienate other players.  At best you will get them to abide by your rules just long enough for them to find another game.

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This is a problem for a number of players.  They believe that their DM is simply out to get them.

Real or imagined, this can be a huge problem for enjoying the game.  So what do you do?

Realistically, no matter the actual cause of the problem there is only one answer.  Talk about it.  Don’t be confrontational or a jerk.  Just bring up the problem and ask what is going on.

It is entirely probable that whatever the true source of the problem is has nothing to do with anything that you have considered to this point.  It is also highly probably that the problem can be easily resolved.

A lot of people make the mistake of whining about the problem instead of dealing with it and drag the baggage around for months or even years before quitting and finding a different game.  This is unnecessary.  Either the problem is easily resolved or it isn’t, but it will never be resolved until it is confronted.

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There is a certain prejudice among some gamers against using pre-made adventures.  They are so cookie cutter that it begins to feel more like playing Monopoly than dungeons and dragons (not that Monopoly is a bad game).

As a Dungeon Master, however, pre-made campaigns and adventures can be huge time savers.  But to keep my players guessing here area a few tricks that I have use in the past.

·    Change the names of the NPC’s.  You would be surprised how effective this is.  Give the barkeep a name that fits your style and personality and the players will respond accordingly.
·    Use towns from your campaign world.  Scrap the whole starting village and put in one that comes from your world.  Put the useful clues where they would fit organically in your town and run with it.
·    Get rid of the adventure elements that don’t fit.  Just cut them out and move on with your life.  If you don’t need it don’t use it.
·    Use only the encounter information, i.e. stat blocks and get rid of the maps/set up information.  This is particularly useful for the outdoors encounters stuff.  The stuff that happens almost in town or between town and the dungeon.  A lot of times there is a ton of useless background information that has nothing to do with your campaign and your world, but the stats and combat info are good and can be quickly dropped into your personalized setting.
·    Add your own NPC’s.  This is very useful.  If, for example you have been facing the dread druid queen who seeks to enslave the world in a animal/hybrid paradise then introduce some of her minions into the premade.  Swap out an encounter or two.  Change the big bad bosses name.

Keep the elements that make sense – in particular maps, monster statistics, names that you like etc. Any unique magic items or encounters made just for that adventure are often very useful because they tend to add a ton of flavor.

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One of the basics of survival in any combat oriented rpg is to kill the bad guys.  In Dungeons and Dragons there are nearly limitless ways of accomplishing this task, and the less work that your character has to put into it the better.

Online D&D forums are full of all kinds of hints and tips about how to maximize your ability to dish out the damage, but there is far less information about how to eliminate the painful necessity of doing damage at all.

If you are clinging to 3rd edition, you have a few more options here, but 4th edition also has plenty of room for strategy.  In some ways even more.

The first key to keep in mind is that unlike many computer games the bad guys to in fact damage each other.  One of the greater fears about spell casters and their ilk are area attacks that can take out the entire party at once.  Often these types are paired with minions or partners whose job it is to bunch the party together.

Your strategy in these situation should be to always make sure that as many enemies as possible are within all possible areas of effect.  In other words if the caster wants to hit any two party members they should also be forced to hit at least one of their own allies.  This is most easily accomplished by keeping an enemy between the party members.

Next, look for opportunities to force the monsters to use hazardous terrain or to provoke opportunity attacks.  If you have a decent rogue type along then few traps should surprise the party.  Knowing which squares to avoid makes combat not only less dangerous but can be used to your advantage.  Skills such as intimidate and bluff can be used to good effect.  Also, using ranged attacks and blocking the good squares with skillful fighters can force enemies to either risk hazerdous terrain or opportunity attacks or be picked apart mercilessly at a distance.

Finally, never forget about compulsion effects.  3rd edition (and earlier) had many ways of taking control of an encounter.  These can be very powerful effects, starting at first level with charm person.  If you do manage to take control of the enemy, abuse the power mercilessly.  Lesser effects such as suggestion and charm person won’t allow you to cause an enemy to attack an ally or damage himself, but can be used to maneuver them into more vulnerable positions or to trigger traps of which they are not aware.

Always keep in mind that just like a real combat, D&D encounters are more than dice and numbers and the outcome can be swayed very quickly by using strategy and good jugment.

And be sure to have fun!

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As a DM I’m generally opposed to metagaming – that is all of the game stuff that goes on outside of the game.  As a player the same generally holds true.  However there is one specific instance when I think it is not only okay, but can be very valuable.

When metagaming prevents the game from coming to a complete and total standstill.

When a designer sits down and builds a dungeon they generally have a concept in their head of how the dungeon is going to play out.  For less experienced designers, such as new DM’s, this can lead to some very severe problems such as unsolvable puzzles or overwhelming (or underwhelming) monsters.

In particular this can lead to the problem of where the dungeon itself causes the game to come to a halt.  The party lacks a critical resource to solve some aspect or the dungeon.

In these cases metagaming – i.e. using clues about the designer of the dungeon to figure out the dungeon can be helpful – not only because it generally will lead to loot and experience but because it can take a gaming session from frustrating and boring to interesting and exciting.

One example from my own play experience would be a rather long and uninteresting maze-like dungeon with roughly 2 encounters in it.  Rather than slog our way through it, continuing a session that was going from boring to more boring, my compadres and I decided that the DM in all likelihood based on her personal tastes had very little in the way of serious campaign related material hidden in the dungeon.  We therefore decided to stop searching every little nook and cranny and just looked for the way out which it turns out wasn’t that hard to find.  A short time later we were back down the path of interactive fun.

It took some metagaming and us stepping outside of what we as players and what our characters would normally do, but if we hadn’t we would literally have spent hours doing activities that no one at the table would have enjoyed.

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Have you played a dwarf lately?  If you have then you may need a name for that dwarf.  His is a dwarven name generator that I find handy sometimes.  It is also useful for making up a list of dwarven names for NPCs which is especially useful if you know the party is going to be heading into a dwarf city or other area populated by dwarves.

Over at Seventh Sanctum there are generators for lots of different things and I like to use them from time to time.

Here is a dwarven name generator that only does one name at a time, but it also gives a bit of information about the name and how it could be used.  This is probably more useful for Players than for DM’s, but both are excellent tools if you need a name quickly or if you just don’t know where to come up with cool names on your own.

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Picking a good Dungeons and Dragons name for your character, whether a PC or an NPC can be a challenge.  For run of the mill NPC’s there are name generators available that can help with the task, but if you are making the boss that will appear over and over again throughout then finding the right name can make a world of difference to the players.  Likewise if you have spent time creating a character then the name is something you will have to live with for a very long time.

Here are some basic traits that a good name has:

1. It is memorable.  If you have to refer back to your notes two and three times then it is probably not memorable enough.  Memorable names can be short or long.
2. Short.  A short name is easy to remember and comes essentially as its own build in nickname.
3. Nicknames.  Does the name lend itself to more memorable nick names.  We all enjoy making fun of the bad guys.  The Count of All Evilness isn’t as scary as Lord Heartripper, no does it lend itself to mocking nicknames such as Heartripper the Stripper - soon to become just Lord Stripper and perhaps even Strip.
4. Meaning.  Does the name convey meaning that is relevant to the personality of the character?  A good Dungeons and Dragons name should give a hint about the purpose of that that character.  Often this can be accomplished using a compound name with a noun and a verb.  Swordwrencher could be a fine surname for a fighter who specializes in disarm tactics.

A Dungeons and Dragons name is not the same as choosing a name for a character in a short story or a novel.  Names for stories do not generally convey the same overt level of meaning because the author doesn’t want to give away too much.  In a game clues are much more necessary and often they need to be given a bit louder.  The DM needs to know how to treat your charcter in a social situation and the name can be a big help with that. Likewise players would generally rather face off against the goblin king Rancid Ashenforce than Bob the goblin.

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In the d20 system it is impossible to run a game entirely without dice.  Dice are, afterall, iconic to the game.  To think of sitting down at the gaming table without them is unnatural.  However it is entirely possible to run a game with a grand total of 1 die.

Why would anyone want to do such a thing?  The answer is that players deserve the DM’s attention.

Rolling dice takes time and is a distraction.  Being able to provide players with immediate feedback to their actions and immediate information about the actions of the NPC’s means that players know that they are the entire focus of the DM’s efforts.  That is an excellent feeling.  Everyone wants attention (people even go so far as to say they don’t want attention in order to get attention).  At the gaming table a player wants to feel like the DM cares what they say and what they do.

Let’s cover the situations that a typical DM needs dice - and then we’ll see which of those can be easily and safely eliminated.

1. Attack rolls
2. Damage rolls
3. Skill checks for NPC’s
4. Skill checks for Players
5. Random encounters
6. Recharge abilities (4th edition)
7. Random outcomes of drastically wild events

Ok, so lets start with attack rolls.  I haven’t figured out how to get rid of these - I don’t think they should go.  So keep your d20 around for making those.

Damage rolls - yep, you can get rid of them.  How?  Use fixed damage.  On average it works out anyway and the players, in my experience using this rule, prefer it.  Just take the average roll that the beast would get and use that as its static damage.  Crits are still max damage, but otherwise a dagger does 2 damage - period.  If you think of it in terms of the number of hits to kill a PC, then given that your average PC has 22 HP at first level, it will take a creature that does 3-7 points of damage an average of 5 hits to kill that PC.  Statistially speaking that number of 5 hits will change roughly only 15% of the time or so which means that even at level 1 (DnD 4th here), nothing about the outcome of the fight has changed - except that it goes about twice as quickly.  I also noticed that players liked knowing exactly how many hits they could take - they didn’t seem to charge in so recklessly as often.

Skill checks for NPC’s - ok, there are 2 ways of getting rid of these rolls.  The first is to have them take 10 on everything.  Again the law of averages says this is the result you’re going to get anyway - so that is what I do most of the time.  The second way is to cheat.  Pure and simple decide if they succeed or fail.  Be careful with this one, but if you know your group and how they will react, then go for it.

Skill checks for Players - Same answer as for skill checks with NPC’s.  Though to be honest I cheat a lot more for the players.  If they try something ridiculous like using stealth to sneak past a couple of guards while wearing full plate and carrying a lantern, I may roll the die behind the screen but you can guarantee that it is going to come up a 1.

Random Encounters - If you’ve read this site at all then you know I don’t use those tables.  I make up balanced encounters ahead of time.  The order in which those encounters appear is drive 100% by the actions of the players, but you won’t find me rolling dice to figure out what happens next.

Recharge abilities - Roll a d6 to see if it recharges.  Or decide does it recharge or not.  More often than not the recharge ability gets used at the first opportunity - usually somewhere around round 3.  If the monster is still standing somewhere around round 6 then sure it recharges.  On average the ability will recharge only once during the combat so I like to give it 2 rounds of rest then use it again if the situation makes sense.  If the PC’s forgot to bring donuts, it may well recharge on round 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 and automatically go off again when they deal the killing blow (just kidding).  Recharge abilities come up so rarely that I forget to roll for them anyway - a design flaw if you ask me about 4th ed. (but I understand why they did it).

Other Random Outcomes - this is a favorite trick of DM’s everywhere.  PC says I do amazingly stupid thing to try to save party from ultimate death or suffering which is clearly not covered by any rule anywhere.  DM rolls a die behind the screen while trying to figure out what might possibly happen.  Usually some weight is applied and a random result is calculated, giving the appearance of sagacity on the part of the DM for knowing the obscure rule which covers said action.  Not a bad ploy and I won’t condemn anyone for using it.  For my group, however, since we are all experienced gamers I like to say - roll a d20, putting it squarely back in the players lap.  1=fails miserably in a very funny way 2 -10 = fails in a moderately funny way, 11-19 = succeeds, 20 = succeeds gloriously in a very funny way.

Truthfully my nice ruby dice my wife bought me have done little but collect dust, but at least they still look pretty.

Until  next time have fun!

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Have you ever had a hard time “getting into charcter?”  You’ve thumbed through the Player’s Handbook for a couple of hours already and have nothing to show for it?  Or worse, you have a character build and optimized, but you just don’t “feel it” when you play that character.

First let’s back away for just a moment.  Remember that role-playing is about making a fantasy, even if it isn’at a medieval fantasy setting.  As a kid did you ever pretend to be superman.  Of course you did (ok, pick the heroe of your choice).  That is probably why you got into RPG’s in the first place, and its probably why you’ve stayed with it.

So start with the fantasy.  Put the rule book away and grab a notebook and a pencil.  Yes, I said pencil.  You’ll want to erase things and make changes as you go.  Now start.  You can start with a name, like Firzna the Belligerant, or a race, or maybe even just a concept like “warrior princess.”

Then brainstorm ideas about the character.  Is it a he or a she?  Tall?  Thin?  Fat?  Blonde? Grey eyes?  Just throw out random thoughts until you get some that you like.  Then think about what motivates the character?  Does she hate troglodytes?  Why?  Was her village rampaged by them or did his father tell him stories about the old days when the trogs used to steal children?

Move onto why the character is adventuring.  Is she out to avenge wrongs or just looking for a good time?  The motives will guide you into more specifics about how he goes about it.  A sneaky thief, for example probably won’t stroll around in full plate, but an experience veteran in the local town militia certainly will try to get the best armor possible.

By now you should have a pretty good idea of what your character is all about.

If you don’t, then try and draw a sketch of your character.  Don’t worry, you’re not going to be sharing it with anyone, just start drawing and see what you come up with.  Notice what you include and what you don’t.  The gear you choose will tell you a lot about what you are going to play.  If you really don’t like to draw, then get online and start looking at some fantasy artwork.  Find a piece of art that matches your concept, or at least gets close and an idea will form in your head.  Then go and get your notebook and start writing.

Now that you know exactly what you want to play, and how, go back to the rule book and find the race/class that matches your concept.  Yes it is possible that you won’t have a completely optimized character, but you will find something that works.  Don’t get caught up in the notion that a class name like wizard means that you have to be a stuffy old bookworm.  “Wizard” really only means a character that has access to the class abilities, skills, and powers of that class.  If your character concept is one of a warlock that uses wizard style spells, then call yourself a warlock (just write wizard) on your character sheet.

Find the powers that best suit your character concept.  Ask your DM if you can rename some of them.  You don’t have to change anything else about them, just call them something else.  Your Magic Missile can become a “Doom Bolt” or similar.  Do the same with skills and feats.  Pick the ones that let the flavor you have already picked shine through.

If you are in the unfortunate place of already having a character, then I suggest you do the same things already outlined, only you may not have all the customization options open anymore.  If this is the case, then either ask your DM what you can retool, or else focus on the aspects of your character you do enjoy.  I find that getting an image of the character is very helpful here.  Most of us have played computer RPG’s where we couldn’t customize things just the way we wanted, but having the graphic in front of me helped a lot to get into the game.  You can use the same trick with a tabletop with either a picture or a mini.

Hope these ideas help, and enjoy your character!

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Upsetting the DM is a pretty common fear. After all the Dungeon Master can pretty well screw you over anytime she wants to.  If you want to survive to level five, or higher, making her life easier is just a good idea. Here are seven things you can do as a player to make her life much simpler, and every aggravation off her shoulders is one less excuse to give you grief.

1. Do all your character preparation work ahead of game time. Some dungeon masters require character creation and leveling up to happen at the table, many don’t. Even if your DM wants to see you do the work, you can still make all your leveling and creation decisions off-line. Just bring a short list of all your choices and let your DM look them over. If your DM is okay with it you can even e-mail your character sheet ahead of time.
2. Stay focused during the game. If the DM catches your attention wandering, don’t be surprised if she reels you in by sending a few extra attacks your direction. There will be distractions at many game tables, but if you show up with a laptop or are constantly looking at your blackberry or answering the cell phone, the DM may take some action.
3. Don’t roll your dice if you don’t have to. Anytime dice roll at the table, heads will naturally turn to follow the sound. Even worse, when you’re just playing with the dice the odds that they will roll onto the floor increase. If you’re picking your dice up off the floor I guarantee the DM (and probably the other players) will be a least a little annoyed.
4. Pay attention to actions of other players. It is easy to get distracted when it isn’t your turn, but very often the actions that other players take will have a direct effect on what you will do. If you have to spend a full minute every time your initiative comes up reviewing the table, you can bet the DM will notice, and not in a good way.
5. Bring snacks. At the very least, chip in your full share if you agree to go in on pizza. Thank your DM for her hard work and you’ll may catch a few breaks when you need them.
6. Don’t argue the rules. Even when you’re right, if you argue with the DM during the game you’re wasting your breath. Even worse, you’re wasting the valuable time of the other players. Drop the DM an email after the game. Cite the rules correction, and be polite about it.
7. Learn the house rules and follow them. If your DM has special rules, pay attention to them. If you have a particular objection to any of them, then discuss them away from the game and find out why. Understand that most Dungeon Masters aren’t terribly flexible with a rule if they’ve taken the time to write it down. And if a group has been together for a long time things don’t change very quickly.

Remember that the Dungeon Master has probably put more time into the campaign than you have. Odds are good that they deal with the game both before and after the session, and a lot of that prep time is fairly repetitive and uninteresting. Reward that time with a little respect and preparation of your own and you will find the game runs smoother all around.

Of course the most important thing is having fun. You are there to have fun and so is everyone else in the group, including the DM. The more everyone can do to increase the fun, the better off everyone will be.

Enjoy your Dungeons and Dragons session!

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Ok, here’s a tough one for more experienced players. So many times you get set to start a new campaign, and it turns out to be the most boring session ever.

DM: Your all in a tavern in a village in the hills, and you hear a rumor about a treasure in a dungeon.

It’s the cliché of all clichés. And as a player, I got bored of it pretty quick. One of the first things I learned to do (as a player) was to ignore whatever background glop the DM tried to feed me and proceed with my own antics in the inn and/or village, thence forcing the DM to come up with all sorts of nonsense on the fly. Now would be a good time to mention that many DM’s don’t like me as a player.

The point is I got bored. Bored players are dangerous players. They are dangerous to themselves, each other, and the DM, and they can wreck a session fast. Worse, they can wreck an entire campaign.

So, start things off with something original.

I generally run a weekly game, and when starting with a new party, or even with just a new character, I give my players a deadline, usually a few days before their first session to provide me a bit of background for the character they will play.

Guess what, 99% of the time they do absolutely nothing.

Which is why I proceed to give them a background. This is usually only a paragraph or two of information, and I try to keep the character specific stuff to a minimum.

Now, if you happen to have oodles of time, you can do a little pre-role-playing with your players. This is generally done individually, and is something I like to handle through instant messenger or email. It allows the player to ask some generic questions about the opening setting, and gets rid of much of that boring opening monologue.

Now, when you actually start the session, remember it is ok to start the party separately. If one character is in the town guard and some of them are just passing adventurers, then one or the other won’t have much to do for the first bit, that’s ok. Tell them to sit tight and you’ll get to them. A word of caution. DO NOT do this with a new player (either new to the game or new to you). Get them involved immediately. But if your group has played together before, you know who you can put on hold and who you can’t ignore.

Here are some alternatives to starting at the inn and overloading with monologue.

• Start them in the dungeon. (Was the party captured? Are they in the king’s fortress that is being assaulted?) There is nothing like a captive audience.
• Start them out in combat. No, they don’t necessarily have to be on the same team. Keep on the Shadowfell calls for an opening kobold ambush. What happens if that ambush is the start of the game, and the party is approaching the ambush from different sides and the players don’t know each other to begin with? Nothing grabs your players’ attention faster than opening the first session with the two simple words “roll initiative.” Then place their minis for them and off you go.
• If you don’t want to be so forceful, you can try grouping the party together in a way that makes sense. Two of them are town guards, one of them is the village priestess, another runs an apothecary, and the last was just attacked by orcs on the way to town. Together they join up to help this poor soul out.

The point is to be as imaginative as possible. Do your best to avoid that slow time during the first session where nobody really has anything to do.

And as always, have fun!

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The genasi in 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons have been completely overhauled.  Whereas in 3rd edition the genasi were all different races depending on the element they were descended from, in 4th edition the genasi are all planetouched from the “elemental chaos.”

This means that they all get the same base ability bonuses.  But you get to choose from one of five elemental manifestations to start with.

Earthsoul
Firesoul
Stormsoul
Watersoul
Windsoul

Each manifestation has a different power associated with it and as you progress in levels you can take feats to get access to more manifestations or to boost your elemental powers.

Personally I like the windsoul manifestation the best.  The ability to fly is hard to come by, and being able to fly as an encounter power gives a lot of flexibility.  Because of the mechanical change of putting them all as one race, the flavor of the genasi has shifted a little bit from their original roots, but I can understand why WOTC would want to make this move.  It does make the game a bit simpler.  I would favor having each genasi being their own race myself, but as a DM I do like this implementation.

Which genasi do you like?

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