[EDITED on 9/22/2015 to reflect re-reading of character creation rules in the DMG. Edits are in bold italics]
The following abbreviations apply to this document:
- PHB = Players Handbook
- DMG = Dungeon Masters Guide
- MM = Monster Manual
- DM = Dungeon Master
- NPC = Non-Player Character
- XP = Experience Points
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dogma Rules
Each character will be rolled up using Method I in the DMG (4d6 drop the lowest, arrange to taste). A character MUST be used unless it cannot qualify for ANY class. All racial minimums must be met in order to be of the race selected, otherwise the character is human by default. All minimum stat restrictions must be followed as per the PHB Ability Score Tables. Character age categories will be applied up to the starting age of the character (cannot drop below minimums or increase above maximums). Hit points will be rolled using the appropriate Hit Die type – all rolls are final (even rolls of 1). Starting money will be rolled randomly for each character who is then responsible for equipping the character BEFORE the game begins. Only those items listed in the PHB are allowed to be purchased and no haggling or bargaining will be done with vendors at this stage of the game. Pets purchased will be the sole responsibility of the owner and will be considered to be trained ONLY if the character is willing to spend additional money (confer with the DM for cost). Do not worry about backstory or history or even why the characters are there....all that can be expanded upon once they achieve 3rd level. It is recommended that a quick, short nickname be used for the character until they reach 3rd level since the mortality rate is extremely high. Party balance is also not too much of an issue if the party consists of enough players. One player character per person; henchmen limited by Charisma. Only Player Characters are able to gain full XP.
Any and all powers and abilities of race and class are to be noted on the character sheet. All weapon proficiencies and languages are to be noted as well. Only those races and classes in the PHB are viable, using all supplemental information found in the MM for halflings (AC bonus vs. giants, +3 to hit with slings and bows). Multi-classing is permitted as per the rules provided in the PHB. All level limits will be strictly enforced as per the PHB rules.
Hirelings and henchmen can be hired on before play commences; the DM will inform characters of wages and require rolls be made before play begins, assuming the community is large enough to support such activities. NPCs can be added to the party as full members only if all players agree. All alignments of NPCs are strictly confidential (magic may be used to determine compatibility, but reactions may be modified accordingly as a result).
Characters will begin in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and should select a patron deity from the list of Greyhawk Deities and Demigods (clerics are REQUIRED to do so). No substitutions permitted. Party member alignments should be similar or within a reasonably restricted portion of the alignment graph. Party members of diametric alignments should have a good reason to exist in the same party. Obviously, a party cannot be composed of a paladin and an assassin. Likewise, party members should not worship deities that actively oppose each other (Hieroneous & Hextor, St. Cuthbert & Iuz, etc.). All characters are assumed to be linked in some manner; interparty squabbling and in-character drama should be reserved for a normal campaign, not dogma. Survival requires cooperation!
Play will be conducted by the DM in an educational manner – all rulings will be explained per the rules as they occur. The party is expected to have one mapper, one caller, and one note-keeper; these responsibilities should be performed by different players. Responsibilities are listed below:
CALLER: shall make group decisions known to the DM but should NOT force his or her own agenda on the party; rolls initiative and surprise for the party; keeps track of the marching orders and makes changes as necessary; keeps track of weapons in hand and light sources for the party. This should be (but is not required to be) the character with the highest Charisma (de facto party leader).
MAPPER: shall keep track of the party’s progress through a dungeon/ wilderness using graph/hex paper going only by the DM’s description (note that the DM will NOT correct the map except for grossly inaccurate or obviously wrong interpretations). This should be a character with a high Wisdom.
NOTE-KEEPER: shall keep track of all party resources and treasures found, track encumbrance for mules, note movement rates for all party members/mounts/pack animals, and generally keep the information gathered by the party in the course of their adventure. Magical treasures located must be indicated as to who is using/holding said items, whether or not they have been identified, and any resulting effects of their usage. This should be a character with a high Intelligence.
Magic-users will have all spellbooks detailed before play begins. Each magic-user must list spells in the spellbook, other spells known due to intelligence, and spells that cannot be learned due to a failed roll. Each spell level uses a single tome; spellbooks are assumed to be left in a safe location while the party adventures; if the magic-user wants to take the book(s) with them, they must account for their safety, encumbrance, etc. All spells will function EXACTLY as listed in the PHB with supplemental notes provided in the DMG. Contradictory explanations will be ruled by the DM, with an eye towards consistency.
The DM will remain absolutely Neutral during the campaign. No benefits, boons, or fudging will be done for either side in a conflict. All rulings will be made fairly and with an eye towards “reality” within the ruleset provided in the DMG. Players may challenge a ruling only once; a ruling, once made, is final. The DM reserves the right to rule differently in different circumstances.
Players will have the choice of selecting one of 4 pre-made modules to begin play:
• T1 The Village of Hommlet (located in the southern portion of the Viscounty of Verbobonc)
• N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God (located in the southern portion of Sterich)
• U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (located on southern shores of Keoland)
• DM78 Citadel by the Sea (located on the Wild Coast near the Pomarj)
Each module leads into a larger campaign which will be revealed as the module concludes. Experience points will be given out when the characters return to a safe location with their treasure and only after treasure has been divided and play assessed by the DM. Performance ratings will also be noted with XP totals and it should be known that superior play will receive the higher XP totals. If a player knows the module in question and uses the knowledge to their benefit, they will politely be asked to leave the session. If the player has played the module already and can act as if they have not, they may receive an experience bonus or upgrade in their XP performance rating as a reward.
Players who lose their characters in the course of play will be asked to roll up a new character given the same rules. All replacement characters must start at 1st level (see below). They will be introduced to the party as soon as possible, given whatever circumstances the party happens to find themselves in. Any party members killed lose all rights to their former possessions – the items become party property to be dispersed among the members as they see fit (does not count for XP). If the average party level is ever 3 or more levels higher than 1st level, then the new character will be increased in experience points until they are at the minimum XP to be one level below the average party level. Such characters will not have any magic items and enter play with double the standard starting money -- no exceptions. Deceased characters of 1st to 3rd level will NEVER be raised/resurrected/reincarnated.
It is assumed that play will continue until the characters withdraw from the dungeon. Each adventure is considered to consist of a single day of play. It may be several days before the party concludes the module. Therefore it is incumbent on the players to return to a safe place before the end of the session. This may or may not be applicable or possible in all situations, but should be followed as a general guideline for awarding experience points. Should a player be unable to attend a session, that player’s character will NOT be able to join the party. Should a player be unable to attend a session which continues from a previous session, that player should understand that the character will only receive XP as a henchman (1/2 normal share) and performance will be averaged with a Poor rating for any missed sessions in which their character is involved. Should any player miss more sessions than they have played in, their performance will be evaluated by the group. Those players who are unfortunately unable to make a regular commitment may be asked to leave the group until they can make the time to participate. If a player misses the previous session and is in attendance after the fact, the DM may allow the character to enter the dungeon by himself to “catch up” to the others, or allow them to play a henchman until the party returns to the safe location (and thus earning FULL XP for the henchman during this period). Performance ratings are averaged over the number of sessions played, regardless of how much experience was earned in each session. Performance ratings are used to calculate the number of weeks required to train for gaining levels.
Cheating will NOT be tolerated. Cheating is defined as purposely altering numbers, stats, lists, etc. for personal or party benefit, fudging dice rolls, and/or using the rules to gain an unfair advantage over others in the game. Abusive behavior will likewise NOT be tolerated. No player has the right to tell another player how to play their character. However, breaches in alignment and erratic behavior will be warned against before any action is taken by the DM. Helpful suggestions, even if innocently provided, can become irritating if constantly done. Temper tantrums will NOT be tolerated at the table. Deaths occur frequently in dogma rules and should not be taken as a failure by the player or maliciousness on the part of the DM. The dice will dictate most circumstances and random rolls are just that – RANDOM. Nothing in AD&D is guaranteed so long as the outcome is dependent on a random dice roll. Players who have a problem with this will be directed to find their fun elsewhere.
Dramatic role-playing is requested but not obligatory; some players have trouble getting into character. Regardless, all actions, once stated, will be considered to have begun. All statements should be made using a 1st-person voice. Stating “We should do this” is much different from “I do this.” The latter is the correct form to take during play unless the players are discussing among themselves their best course of action. The caller should always speak in “active voice” for both his own PC and all other characters. Do not get hung up on details – allow the game to progress naturally and fluidly. Taking too long to come to a course of action will cause an actual delay in the game, as the characters are assumed to be arguing among themselves just as the players are. Such delays will result in more random Wandering Monster checks, or may cause nearby monsters to investigate the cause of all the noise! Descriptions assume that the party has a light source – it also assumes that all the characters are viewing the same thing. If this is not the case, your character cannot act on knowledge they could not possibly have (i.e., a human reacting to what a demi-human is seeing with infravision, or a character in the back rank around the corner preparing to face off against a monster at the front rank, etc.).
The game is filled with hidden things (invisible items, traps, secret doors, subtle slopes, etc.). Some characters have better than normal detection abilities. However, it slows the game down if these abilities are used every turn. It also leads to prolonged adventure downtime, which leads to boredom. A dungeon need not be scoured for each and every copper piece, and some hidden things will likely be missed by the party. Do not feel that you have to search every 10’ square of the map to be successful. Experience is not based on these actions, but rather overcoming obstacles and gaining treasure. These should be the foremost goals of any adventuring party.
DICE ROLLS – All dice will be rolled openly and only when requested. Do not assume that a roll made prior to being asked will be accepted…. Any die that rolls off the table will not be counted. Any die that lands crookedly off a book or in a crack will have to be rolled again until a valid number is achieved. Hiding rolls will not be tolerated. All dice used should be clearly marked and easy to read across the table by anyone. If dice used by a player do not conform to this standard, they will be asked to use dice provided by the DM. All rolls are final, regardless of the outcome, unless a situation exists in which the number rolled is invalid. The DM has the right to invalidate any roll made at the table (within reason) and only if the situation merits.
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