We began the next session where we had left off. The party was convalescing in the care of Sister Linora in the Temple of Avandra at Winterhaven. When they felt well enough to get up, the clergy urged them to be on their way (seeing as they were now broke - the kobolds fleeced them for all the remaining coins in their pockets and one item from each of their gear). The party set about exploring the town and we spent about an hour or so interacting with the NPCs at the inn, Lord Padraig, the shopkeep, and some lesser citizens and guards. They thanked the guards who found them in their hour of need and then set out on the road with a bounty for the kobold leaders from the Lord of the Manor.
I thought things were turning around. The party was hale and hearty again and ready to pick up where they left off, a little poorer but definitely wiser. In my innocence I neglected to alter the next encounter, thinking that the reduced numbers would produce a different outcome. Oh how wrong I was...
The second encounter occurs as the characters are leaving Winterhaven on their way to either the kobold lair at the waterfall or the dragon burial site. In either case they leave along the eastern road (and the map used is the same as for the first encounter). The perceptive elven ranger was not surprised again, but his companions WERE surprised! The kobold ambush began in earnest. This time they faced 3 kobold dragonshields, 1 kobold skirmisher, and a kobold wyrmpriest! No minions, but still outnumbered by the kobolds by almost 2:1. Keep this in mind because it is important to note.
The combat started off poorly, since the skirmisher was able to move up to the party and engage immediately. The ranger was first struck by his spear. The ranger struck well and was able to injure the kobold, but the amount of hit points possessed by these kobolds took the party by surprise. I had to explain that ALL creatures began with increased hit points now, not just the party, and that the only pushovers were minions. In hindsight, I should have removed 2 dragonshields and replaced them with 2 minions...
Then the dragonshields moved into position by charging and struck blows on the warlord and the ranger. Things were already looking grim. When the wyrmpriest emerged and cast his acid orb at the wizard, everyone groaned. Luckily he missed on this first attack! Once surprise was over, the party kicked it into high gear, attempting to take out the kobolds as quickly as possible. However, for each strike they landed, the kobolds were able to land 2 (since they were outnumbered). It took many rounds to finish off the skirmisher, but the dragonshields were proving almost impossible for the party to hit. Their armor was just too good. Then the wymrpriest used his divine favor to bolster the kobolds with 5 temporary hp and things went downhill. The wizard learned that her scorching burst had no effect because the dragonshields had resist fire 5, something that the ranger player thought overpowering for 1st level creatures (and I would agree).
The party used good tactics and they were blowing through daily and encounter powers but they just were not able to defeat those dragonshields. They began to retreat, with the eladrin wizard using her fey step to hide behind a large boulder. This allowed her to effectively leave danger and remain undetected for a little while to gain her Second Wind. The others were less successful in disengaging from the 3 dragonshields who pressed the attack and dropped the ranger. The warlord hung in there another few rounds and managed to drop one dragonshield with his daily power, but the damage was already done and he too fell shortly thereafter. The wyrmpriest pursued the wizard until she conjured a flaming sphere on his scaly ass and made it pursue him as he fled. She then managed to use First Aid on one of her fallen comrades as the other dragonshields also fled to assist their wyrmpriest. The wyrmpriest was killed but the dragonshields remained and the wizard knew she could not hold out against them....
The players pulled the plug! They basically said they were done with this edition. I don't blame them. It was an exercise in futility. The amount of time and effort that went into the play and preparation of their characters was not worth the beat down they received each and every encounter. Although they were a party of fewer than the recommended average of 5 characters, the scenario just seemed brutal to initiate characters, especially played by people new to the system! The advantages held by the kobolds (especially mob attack and the dragonshields' fire resist) far outweigh any advantages of the character races. Kobolds should not be able to take out a well-rounded party of any size as easily as these kobolds did!
Our assessment of the 4th edition D&D system is that it's not worth playing. Perhaps in a larger group of more experienced players the situations would have gone differently. It's interesting to note that, despite changing out my dice from last week, I was still able to hit almost every single time while the players were unable to do the same. Had I modified the encounter numbers I doubt that the outcome would have been any different. I even decided to grant them the XP from the 5 minions that they managed to defeat last week, and this was insufficient to get them a level. I assumed that less of an XP split would mean faster advancement - this was a bad assumption on my part. I also assumed that the second encounter would be slightly easier due to the lower numbers of opponents, but these kobolds were jacked up! In other editions, such creatures would have been defeated after maybe 3-4 rounds maximum, but each encounter with kobolds in 4th edition took almost the entire game session! There's no way they would have survived an attack on the lair given the number of kobolds involved in that encounter. And the encounter at the dragon burial site would have done little more than add their bones to the pile.
Therefore, this edition is done and we're moving on. I gave the players a choice; either we move on to 5th edition D&D or the alternative to 4th Edition D&D known as Pathfinder. They opted for Pathfinder, so I've been reading up on the changes made to that system from D&D 3.5. Interestingly, the changes are not that drastic, but they are subtle enough to make a difference in the way the game is played. The options are immense - we're gonna stick to the Core Rules for this experiment. I'm going to give them several options in creating characters. They can either re-create beloved characters of the past in this system, or create all-new characters for use. I'm hoping that their experience with D&D 3.5 will allow the character creation to go faster. Not sure that I want to use Golarion for the campaign setting. I have only the Rise of the Runelords adventure arc and the basic box adventure to use. I'm leaning towards using the basic box, but not sure I want to use the basic characters. It seems like a waste of time to just jump in and explore only the mechanics of the basic classes and races when there are so many options open to them. Their usual characters in my AD&D campaign are a druid, wizard, and ranger with a fighter NPC henchman. This would be the optimal mix for Pathfinder, since 4 characters is the recommended quantity. I'm just not sure I want to run an NPC for the group, although I could let the wizard player run him since it is HER henchman after all. guess we'll find out next weekend!
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Dungeons & Dragons Through the Versions - Part 14
Well, we finally took the plunge into that version of D&D that made me jump off the treadmill screaming..... 4th edition!
I was reticent to even buy these books. I opted for only the hard copies of the core rules (PHB, DMG, MM) and then went to the digital sources for adventures (H1: Keep on the Shadowfell). My first read-through left me thoroughly confused. Everyone has powers? Spells are powers? Magic Missile can be cast AT WILL?!?!? There are no druids? What the hell is a warlord? Dragonborn?!? What have I gotten myself into???
In the spirit of showing the players what they are missing (or not missing as the case may be) we sat down to generate characters. The first question that came out of their mouths, "What do you mean we won't need dice to generate characters??" Yep, that's right, using the character ability score array from the book, the players set about placing their ability scores. The order of the scores changed to reflect their use as "defenses." They chose their races (thankfully no dragonborn) and proceeded to select their classes. I ended up with the following:
It took HOURS to go over the choices they had, explaining how it all worked, and getting through option choices based on other choices they made. In the end, the warlord became a Tactician, the wizard a War Wizard, and the ranger a Two-Blade style ranger. The first session ended with only a bare framework of a character. I assigned "homework" for the players to read up on their character choices so that they understood them, and make a list of questions to ask the DM for the next session. Notably, no one rolled a single die the whole night!
The following week we tackled feats, skills, finalizing powers and choices, then buying equipment. They pointed out the lack of lantern oil and sacks in the rulebook. I did some investigation and found these items in later errata and sourcebooks online. I then had to explain how implements worked for the wizard and then go over all the errata for the powers they had selected. The second week left me feeling rather insecure about trying to run this since the amount of options open to the party was immense! I told them to read up on these new choices.
The week after that we sat down for our first actual playing session. The players had made their own combat power cards for their relevant abilities, listing all the info from the books. I was so proud! They also proved to have read the combat chapter, so I was not gonna tackle this alone.
We spent about 1-1/2 hours going over the details and fine points before beginning the first encounter. In the module, the first encounter is a kobold ambush along the road to Winterhaven. The ranger has a passive Perception of 19 so the kobolds never really had much of a chance to surprise anyone (especially since the module breaks the chance of surprise by having the minions scamper among the rocks). I had spent about 4 hours before the session drawing the maps of the first few encounter areas and the town of Winterhaven on Game Table. The players were duly impressed with the scene before them, and somewhat disheartened by the number of opponents they faced. Things got even worse when I rolled initiative for the kobolds and they beat everyone else. The minions moved in first (as described in the tactics) and engaged the group. The ranger, thinking himself smugly competent, used his Dire Wolverine Strike and managed to miss all 3 kobold minions surrounding him! Regrettably, the kobolds did NOT miss him! The slinger was abusing the wizard from the get go, and she returned the complement with a few magic missiles. The warlord tried very hard to get into the battle but kept thinking that all his powers only allowed OTHERS to do stuff, and that he couldn't use them and still attack (spent about 20 minutes trying to explain that was not the case with ALL of the powers). When the kobold dragonshields finally emerged from hiding, the party let out a collective groan, especially when I hit with them every single roll and the party missed on almost every single roll. The sligers managed to hit the ranger with his fire pot, then glued the wizard in place with a glue pot. This kept her from later using her Scorching Burst for fear of catching herself or her allies in the burst as well.
The party ended up using all their action points, encounter powers, daily powers, and racial powers and still the kobolds dropped them all. After a long night of explaining rules and how the system worked, it all came down to the fact that my dice were hot and no one else could hit the high AC of the dragonshields. We ended early for Daylight Savings, but the mood in the party was grim. We had spent 2 sessions making these god-awful complicated characters and they were felled in their first encounter by a group of 8 kobolds. Oh how the bards would laugh at them!
Things we learned:
The general consensus was to reboot and try again. I opted to say that some scouts from Winterhaven heard the battle and drove off the wounded kobolds remaining, rescuing the party with First Aid (Heal) checks before they died. This way I progress them to Winterhaven where they will awaken in the care of Sister Linora. From here they can interact with the townsfolk and learn more about the fate of Douven Stahl (leading them to the dragon's graveyard and the second kobold ambush). No XP was gained by the characters since they failed in their first encounter. This may hurt them down the road.
I was reticent to even buy these books. I opted for only the hard copies of the core rules (PHB, DMG, MM) and then went to the digital sources for adventures (H1: Keep on the Shadowfell). My first read-through left me thoroughly confused. Everyone has powers? Spells are powers? Magic Missile can be cast AT WILL?!?!? There are no druids? What the hell is a warlord? Dragonborn?!? What have I gotten myself into???
In the spirit of showing the players what they are missing (or not missing as the case may be) we sat down to generate characters. The first question that came out of their mouths, "What do you mean we won't need dice to generate characters??" Yep, that's right, using the character ability score array from the book, the players set about placing their ability scores. The order of the scores changed to reflect their use as "defenses." They chose their races (thankfully no dragonborn) and proceeded to select their classes. I ended up with the following:
- Elianna, female eladrin wizard
- Lukus Ironwill, male human warlord
- Katar Silvercloud, male elf ranger
It took HOURS to go over the choices they had, explaining how it all worked, and getting through option choices based on other choices they made. In the end, the warlord became a Tactician, the wizard a War Wizard, and the ranger a Two-Blade style ranger. The first session ended with only a bare framework of a character. I assigned "homework" for the players to read up on their character choices so that they understood them, and make a list of questions to ask the DM for the next session. Notably, no one rolled a single die the whole night!
The following week we tackled feats, skills, finalizing powers and choices, then buying equipment. They pointed out the lack of lantern oil and sacks in the rulebook. I did some investigation and found these items in later errata and sourcebooks online. I then had to explain how implements worked for the wizard and then go over all the errata for the powers they had selected. The second week left me feeling rather insecure about trying to run this since the amount of options open to the party was immense! I told them to read up on these new choices.
The week after that we sat down for our first actual playing session. The players had made their own combat power cards for their relevant abilities, listing all the info from the books. I was so proud! They also proved to have read the combat chapter, so I was not gonna tackle this alone.
We spent about 1-1/2 hours going over the details and fine points before beginning the first encounter. In the module, the first encounter is a kobold ambush along the road to Winterhaven. The ranger has a passive Perception of 19 so the kobolds never really had much of a chance to surprise anyone (especially since the module breaks the chance of surprise by having the minions scamper among the rocks). I had spent about 4 hours before the session drawing the maps of the first few encounter areas and the town of Winterhaven on Game Table. The players were duly impressed with the scene before them, and somewhat disheartened by the number of opponents they faced. Things got even worse when I rolled initiative for the kobolds and they beat everyone else. The minions moved in first (as described in the tactics) and engaged the group. The ranger, thinking himself smugly competent, used his Dire Wolverine Strike and managed to miss all 3 kobold minions surrounding him! Regrettably, the kobolds did NOT miss him! The slinger was abusing the wizard from the get go, and she returned the complement with a few magic missiles. The warlord tried very hard to get into the battle but kept thinking that all his powers only allowed OTHERS to do stuff, and that he couldn't use them and still attack (spent about 20 minutes trying to explain that was not the case with ALL of the powers). When the kobold dragonshields finally emerged from hiding, the party let out a collective groan, especially when I hit with them every single roll and the party missed on almost every single roll. The sligers managed to hit the ranger with his fire pot, then glued the wizard in place with a glue pot. This kept her from later using her Scorching Burst for fear of catching herself or her allies in the burst as well.
The party ended up using all their action points, encounter powers, daily powers, and racial powers and still the kobolds dropped them all. After a long night of explaining rules and how the system worked, it all came down to the fact that my dice were hot and no one else could hit the high AC of the dragonshields. We ended early for Daylight Savings, but the mood in the party was grim. We had spent 2 sessions making these god-awful complicated characters and they were felled in their first encounter by a group of 8 kobolds. Oh how the bards would laugh at them!
Things we learned:
- Monsters are no joke in this edition. Even the lowly kobold has a plethora of abilities to use tactically on the play map.
- When a party is outnumbered more than 2:1, retreat should be foremost in your mind, especially if they win the initiative.
- Trying to escape from Shifty opponents is very difficult.
- Wizards who marvel at being able to cast Magic Missile every round should instead be using area-of-effect powers like Scorching Burst to remove minions from the battle early.
- Even though minions have but 1 hp, they still hit like a full hp tank when the DM's dice are hot!
- High Reflex defense is essential against spellcasters.
- Warlords are great in a large party - they are a poor tanking substitute in a small party.
- The recommended party size is 5 players, we had only 3, so NPCs or encounter adjustments are probably required.
The general consensus was to reboot and try again. I opted to say that some scouts from Winterhaven heard the battle and drove off the wounded kobolds remaining, rescuing the party with First Aid (Heal) checks before they died. This way I progress them to Winterhaven where they will awaken in the care of Sister Linora. From here they can interact with the townsfolk and learn more about the fate of Douven Stahl (leading them to the dragon's graveyard and the second kobold ambush). No XP was gained by the characters since they failed in their first encounter. This may hurt them down the road.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Dungeons & Dragons Through the Versions: Part 13
Well, that's ominous - the 13th posting on this topic.... As I mentioned in my previous posts, the 2nd edition playtest went very poorly and we opted to bail shortly after play began. I don't know if it was a failing of the system so much as an unwillingness to play in the Forgotten Realms or an Ed Greenwood module. In any case it bombed and we moved on after 2 sessions.
On to D&D 3.5! The players were semi-experienced in this system. Two of them had played it before for a few weeks before life cancelled that project. The other was introduced via the Basic Game Boxed Set one evening. None of them had played it very long and only had an inkling of what to expect. We spent 2 whole sessions making characters. The first was the basics and number crunching; the second was checking their numbers and finalizing choices as well as introducing them to the campaign setting, my own campaign world of Talasia.
The group formed well from the get go. We had a half-orc barbarian named Orsha whose 19 Strength was ridiculously high. The elven cleric Elania naturally had an 18 in Wisdom and some other nice stats. Lastly, the half-elven sorcerer Axel Pine maxed out his Dexterity and Charisma as best he could and opted for leather armor despite not having any proficiency with it. I explained the part about spell failure while wearing armor and he was OK with the 10%.
I started them in an alternate reality version of my campaign set about 5 years after the events in my campaign (which was based in 2nd then 3rd edition, ending sometime in 2008). The heroes were based in the town of Korbal, last bastion of hope in the beleaguered northeastern Sturmgard Forest. They would be accompanied by a 1st level human ranger named Morten, originally a forester whose family was slain by marauding orcs. He convinced the others to join him in seeking vengeance against the orcs and slaying those that remained in his former home. The party equipped itself then headed east.
I tested the waters with a few example combats including a couple of wolves, a goblin ambush, and the site of a recent battle where skeletons had been animated by a roaming hobgoblin necromancer. They found only little treasure but I was able to explain how skills are used, the idea behind attacks of opportunity, the concept of stacking bonuses, and how spells work in this edition for non-Vancian spell casters. The players had a good time and marvelled at the number of hit points they had to start. Even so, once the party made it to the ruined house in the woods, I was able to take the barbarian to zero hit points rather quickly and the archer ranger was also severely wounded. The sorcerer and cleric held their own and saved the other two before they wisely retreated to an old barn several hundred yards away. They spent the night in the old barn, sharing the space with a barn owl (who would have made a cool familiar, but the sorcerer was broke and could not afford the components). They defeated a small monstrous spider in the barn during the night (which failed to surprise the sorcerer on watch duty). In the morning they spent all their time healing before heading back to the town.
On their way back I rolled a random encounter with the hobgoblin necromancer and his 2 badly beaten zombie servants! They took the necromancer apart! He barely had a chance to cast some defensive spells before being overwhelmed. The zombies went down relatively easy as well. When they made it back to town I calculated XP and they ALL made 2nd level! That little confidence boost was what they needed to return to the home in the woods and slay the remaining 6 orcs hiding in the root cellar (with one guard up top during daylight hours). They easily defeated the orcs and took what they could back to town to sell. They made some good coin, had a fun time playing the game, and really were amazed at the complexity (yet simplicity) of the system. It helped that I know how to run this edition since I ran several 3.5 campaigns before giving it up and reverting back to 1st edition (my first love).
The only snag they found in the system was with the Heal skill which seemed rather useless for a cleric to take (and I agree). In order to use the long-term care feature, one must have a healer's kit which has only a limited number of uses and costs 50 gp! They assumed that it would be able to get them hit points back immediately instead of increasing their natural healing only slightly. I decided to end this test on a high note (especially since the last two edition runs went poorly at the end). All told we played 3.5 a total of 5 sessions (2 to make the characters, one to get the basics of combat down, one to get beaten by the orcs and bed down in the barn, and one to encounter the necromancer and return to slay the orcs).
I tried to explain how the higher levels worked and the addition of feats and skill points. I also gave them a long explanation of how multi-classing worked before they chose their 2nd level. No one opted to multi-class thankfully, which helped them out tremendously! Since most of the terms were the same as previous editions they were able to assimilate the new information much easier. I tried to explain how XP awards were based on the encounter now, not so much the individual monsters, although that did play into it, and that treasure counted for no XP. They questioned why they would even bother collecting treasure, so I had to let them know that magic items could be created by the characters now (whereas that was frowned upon in previous editions, but not totally out of the question).
All in all, D&D 3.5 went well and we may revisit this in the future. I would LOVE to run one of the adventure arcs for them so that they can get an idea of how the system holds up through level 20. We also were unable to get into character as much as in previous versions since their attention was focused more on the digital map, counter positions, and all their abilities they had to remember.
On to D&D 3.5! The players were semi-experienced in this system. Two of them had played it before for a few weeks before life cancelled that project. The other was introduced via the Basic Game Boxed Set one evening. None of them had played it very long and only had an inkling of what to expect. We spent 2 whole sessions making characters. The first was the basics and number crunching; the second was checking their numbers and finalizing choices as well as introducing them to the campaign setting, my own campaign world of Talasia.
The group formed well from the get go. We had a half-orc barbarian named Orsha whose 19 Strength was ridiculously high. The elven cleric Elania naturally had an 18 in Wisdom and some other nice stats. Lastly, the half-elven sorcerer Axel Pine maxed out his Dexterity and Charisma as best he could and opted for leather armor despite not having any proficiency with it. I explained the part about spell failure while wearing armor and he was OK with the 10%.
I started them in an alternate reality version of my campaign set about 5 years after the events in my campaign (which was based in 2nd then 3rd edition, ending sometime in 2008). The heroes were based in the town of Korbal, last bastion of hope in the beleaguered northeastern Sturmgard Forest. They would be accompanied by a 1st level human ranger named Morten, originally a forester whose family was slain by marauding orcs. He convinced the others to join him in seeking vengeance against the orcs and slaying those that remained in his former home. The party equipped itself then headed east.
I tested the waters with a few example combats including a couple of wolves, a goblin ambush, and the site of a recent battle where skeletons had been animated by a roaming hobgoblin necromancer. They found only little treasure but I was able to explain how skills are used, the idea behind attacks of opportunity, the concept of stacking bonuses, and how spells work in this edition for non-Vancian spell casters. The players had a good time and marvelled at the number of hit points they had to start. Even so, once the party made it to the ruined house in the woods, I was able to take the barbarian to zero hit points rather quickly and the archer ranger was also severely wounded. The sorcerer and cleric held their own and saved the other two before they wisely retreated to an old barn several hundred yards away. They spent the night in the old barn, sharing the space with a barn owl (who would have made a cool familiar, but the sorcerer was broke and could not afford the components). They defeated a small monstrous spider in the barn during the night (which failed to surprise the sorcerer on watch duty). In the morning they spent all their time healing before heading back to the town.
On their way back I rolled a random encounter with the hobgoblin necromancer and his 2 badly beaten zombie servants! They took the necromancer apart! He barely had a chance to cast some defensive spells before being overwhelmed. The zombies went down relatively easy as well. When they made it back to town I calculated XP and they ALL made 2nd level! That little confidence boost was what they needed to return to the home in the woods and slay the remaining 6 orcs hiding in the root cellar (with one guard up top during daylight hours). They easily defeated the orcs and took what they could back to town to sell. They made some good coin, had a fun time playing the game, and really were amazed at the complexity (yet simplicity) of the system. It helped that I know how to run this edition since I ran several 3.5 campaigns before giving it up and reverting back to 1st edition (my first love).
The only snag they found in the system was with the Heal skill which seemed rather useless for a cleric to take (and I agree). In order to use the long-term care feature, one must have a healer's kit which has only a limited number of uses and costs 50 gp! They assumed that it would be able to get them hit points back immediately instead of increasing their natural healing only slightly. I decided to end this test on a high note (especially since the last two edition runs went poorly at the end). All told we played 3.5 a total of 5 sessions (2 to make the characters, one to get the basics of combat down, one to get beaten by the orcs and bed down in the barn, and one to encounter the necromancer and return to slay the orcs).
I tried to explain how the higher levels worked and the addition of feats and skill points. I also gave them a long explanation of how multi-classing worked before they chose their 2nd level. No one opted to multi-class thankfully, which helped them out tremendously! Since most of the terms were the same as previous editions they were able to assimilate the new information much easier. I tried to explain how XP awards were based on the encounter now, not so much the individual monsters, although that did play into it, and that treasure counted for no XP. They questioned why they would even bother collecting treasure, so I had to let them know that magic items could be created by the characters now (whereas that was frowned upon in previous editions, but not totally out of the question).
All in all, D&D 3.5 went well and we may revisit this in the future. I would LOVE to run one of the adventure arcs for them so that they can get an idea of how the system holds up through level 20. We also were unable to get into character as much as in previous versions since their attention was focused more on the digital map, counter positions, and all their abilities they had to remember.
Monday, January 9, 2017
Posting Popularity
I've been monitoring the views to each post I've made the past few years and learned a few things. First off, it seems that people are most confused with Initiative and Surprise in AD&D. This makes sense, since it was a poorly explained concept in the DMG. The other posts that got the most interest were in the rules that were omitted from the game, or those that saw little use due to how complicated they were. In this case, I'm referring to recharging magic items and unarmed combat, respectively. The final most popular categories were regarding D&D (Moldvay specifically) with regards to the Companion Rules that were never published and how alignment/cosmology in D&D is viewed with only 3 alignments.
I hope to keep providing my readers with more of what they need in the future. Since the initiative and surprise postings were so popular I might try some more examples using the characters from the convention modules, perhaps with some illustrations as well.
My research into older forms of the D&D game has given me new insights on how the current rules came about, and brought up more questions about why some rules were inserted. For instance, the DUNGEON Boardgame is just a simplified version of the original D&D "to hit" mechanic. Two dice (2d6) were rolled and compared to a chart of numbers based on what a particular HERO, SUPERHERO, or WIZARD required to hit a certain monster. These charts are almost directly from the CHAINMAIL rulebook which preceded the d20 mechanic. The ELF, having bonuses against certain creature types, was kept separate since the chart was slightly different. Having never looked at CHAINMAIL before reading the OD&D booklets, I still managed to grasp the concept since DUNGEON was my intro into the world of D&D. Surprise and Complete Surprise, two concepts that baffled me after reading through the DMG, were found in Eldritch Wizardry, a later supplement to the OD&D game. Without do this research, all these rules may still have confused me!
I want to teach as many other players the glory of Old School D&D as I can before leaving this earth. I've only been able to instruct a few of the younger generation, but the older generations I play with have embraced these rules easily! Few people my age still play D&D Old School, preferring to advance with the more complicated modern rules; few of those people have ever DMed a game themselves and don't realize the effort required to prepare a good adventure.
So I will end this posting with this: if you have a portion of the rules that you're struggling to understand and want me to elucidate or give examples, please leave a comment and I will try my best to get to it as soon as possible.
I hope to keep providing my readers with more of what they need in the future. Since the initiative and surprise postings were so popular I might try some more examples using the characters from the convention modules, perhaps with some illustrations as well.
My research into older forms of the D&D game has given me new insights on how the current rules came about, and brought up more questions about why some rules were inserted. For instance, the DUNGEON Boardgame is just a simplified version of the original D&D "to hit" mechanic. Two dice (2d6) were rolled and compared to a chart of numbers based on what a particular HERO, SUPERHERO, or WIZARD required to hit a certain monster. These charts are almost directly from the CHAINMAIL rulebook which preceded the d20 mechanic. The ELF, having bonuses against certain creature types, was kept separate since the chart was slightly different. Having never looked at CHAINMAIL before reading the OD&D booklets, I still managed to grasp the concept since DUNGEON was my intro into the world of D&D. Surprise and Complete Surprise, two concepts that baffled me after reading through the DMG, were found in Eldritch Wizardry, a later supplement to the OD&D game. Without do this research, all these rules may still have confused me!
I want to teach as many other players the glory of Old School D&D as I can before leaving this earth. I've only been able to instruct a few of the younger generation, but the older generations I play with have embraced these rules easily! Few people my age still play D&D Old School, preferring to advance with the more complicated modern rules; few of those people have ever DMed a game themselves and don't realize the effort required to prepare a good adventure.
So I will end this posting with this: if you have a portion of the rules that you're struggling to understand and want me to elucidate or give examples, please leave a comment and I will try my best to get to it as soon as possible.
D&D Musings: The Druid
HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's been a few months since I've posted...sorry about that. Truth be told, we haven't played much in that time and I've been looking over the reams of material sitting on my shelves.
THE DRUID
With its beginnings as nothing more than a cleric/magic-user monster in the pages of GREYHAWK Supplement I, the class has evolved into a myriad of forms - almost as many as the animal forms a druid can assume! However, the basics of the class have it as a nature priest. Also, I want to adapt that version to the Moldvay D&D Rules as a Companion-style addition. I've read the Mentzer version and I think it lacks vision based on what the class was when designed. It took away all the priestly powers and left the class under-powered and restricted.
The version I want to create is less of an AD&D druid and more of a Neutral Cleric with powers and restrictions based on faith. In that vein, I would restrict the druid to leather armor only, use of shields (assumed to be wooden in any case), and wooden/stone weapons, plus a dagger! All of the materials used in the creation of these weapons will necessarily be primitive (flint axes, obsidian blades, etc.) and likely cause a bit less damage as a result (maybe -1 damage). Obviously, blades of metal would NOT be used by the druid, so the iconic scimitar is no longer an option. The druid is a Cleric, first and foremost, and thus should not be an "offensive" character, but should play a more defensive and supportive role. In classical times, druids were the lorekeepers, judges, and priests/shamans of their tribes, supporting the chieftains and helping to keep order and balance. A druid is, in fact, more of a shaman in that they were the go-between for the people when dealing with the natural world.
The spells of the Druid would be more akin to those dealing with nature and the elements. Should they have their own list? I'm not so sure. Some of the Cleric spells should be kept, and many of these already deal with animals and plants. However, there are some that make no sense for a Neutral cleric of nature to be able to cast. Some subtle differences can make more of a role-playing effect than a game mechanic change. For instance, perhaps the Light spell illuminates an area in bright moonlight, while a Continual Light spell creates the effect of a bright sunbeam. Darkness can be represented by an eclipse of a light source, or as the fall of night (complete with stars if under under a moonless sky). The effects are the same - just the description is different. The loss of Turning means that a Druid is less effective than a Cleric of the same level. However, replacing this with some minor detection abilities seems not enough. Perhaps giving the druid the ability to affect animal reactions (a modified Charm Monster that only affects natural animals) at the 1st level is the way to make this work. The charm would only remain in effect so long as the druid is present, and the animal will respond only to the druid based on a Reaction Roll - otherwise it reacts as a normal animal of its kind. Instead of allowing the shapechange ability, the spell Polymorph Self should be on the druid's list of spells, with the restriction that only animal forms may be taken. This ability seems more in line with what was originally construed as a Cleric/Magic-User.
Now, I am in favor of adding in some of the iconic druid spells from OD&D such as entangle, faerie fire, produce flame, conjure fire elemental, etc. Why don't Clerics have access to these spells? Because they were developed by Druids and are only written in Druidic! The secret language of the Druids thus has a use - it is used to write their spells on scrolls and to teach the faithful! Other languages learned by Druids would include Elvish, Centaur, Satyr, Dryad, Sprite, Pixie, Treant, Green Dragon, and Hill Giant - all those languages spoken by inhabitants of the deep forests and/or friends of Man.
The other details of the class would be as Cleric: no spells until 2nd level, using the spell chart for Clerics, the XP, prime requisites, and HD of the cleric, and attack and saving throw matrices as well. I think that Druids should receive a +2 save bonus against nature-oriented spells (including those cast by other Druids) and natural charms (as by faerie folk). A druid must remain Neutral in alignment - any change, intentional or not, means a loss of all spells and other abilities until atonement is made (usually in the form of a Quest placed upon them by Nature or whatever deity of nature they worship, during which time they have no abilities other than that of a basic cleric minus Turning).
I think this version of the Druid is playable, certainly from 1st level, and may even make more sense than those in later versions. I would have to playtest it to see how it plays out. Sub-classes should be more a role-playing decision than an actual new class, in my opinion. I might also argue that each religion should have its own restrictions and requirements - a god of knowledge or magic, for example, should have clerics who wear no armor, are not trained in weapons, but have access to some magic-user spells in addition to cleric spells. A god of peace would not allow its clerics to wield weapons in combat, and may not allow them the use of armor either. Such clerics should be compensated in some way with a special ability. For instance, perhaps anyone who strikes a cleric of a peaceful god is cursed, or they must make a saving throw vs. spells in order to attack them (like a continual Sanctuary effect from AD&D). Perhaps such priests can cast Protection from Evil with double the normal effect, strength, or duration. It all depends on how detailed a DM wants to get with his world. The Druid is a good example of how to make Neutral clerics different from Lawful clerics and Chaotic Anti-clerics.
THE DRUID
With its beginnings as nothing more than a cleric/magic-user monster in the pages of GREYHAWK Supplement I, the class has evolved into a myriad of forms - almost as many as the animal forms a druid can assume! However, the basics of the class have it as a nature priest. Also, I want to adapt that version to the Moldvay D&D Rules as a Companion-style addition. I've read the Mentzer version and I think it lacks vision based on what the class was when designed. It took away all the priestly powers and left the class under-powered and restricted.
The version I want to create is less of an AD&D druid and more of a Neutral Cleric with powers and restrictions based on faith. In that vein, I would restrict the druid to leather armor only, use of shields (assumed to be wooden in any case), and wooden/stone weapons, plus a dagger! All of the materials used in the creation of these weapons will necessarily be primitive (flint axes, obsidian blades, etc.) and likely cause a bit less damage as a result (maybe -1 damage). Obviously, blades of metal would NOT be used by the druid, so the iconic scimitar is no longer an option. The druid is a Cleric, first and foremost, and thus should not be an "offensive" character, but should play a more defensive and supportive role. In classical times, druids were the lorekeepers, judges, and priests/shamans of their tribes, supporting the chieftains and helping to keep order and balance. A druid is, in fact, more of a shaman in that they were the go-between for the people when dealing with the natural world.
The spells of the Druid would be more akin to those dealing with nature and the elements. Should they have their own list? I'm not so sure. Some of the Cleric spells should be kept, and many of these already deal with animals and plants. However, there are some that make no sense for a Neutral cleric of nature to be able to cast. Some subtle differences can make more of a role-playing effect than a game mechanic change. For instance, perhaps the Light spell illuminates an area in bright moonlight, while a Continual Light spell creates the effect of a bright sunbeam. Darkness can be represented by an eclipse of a light source, or as the fall of night (complete with stars if under under a moonless sky). The effects are the same - just the description is different. The loss of Turning means that a Druid is less effective than a Cleric of the same level. However, replacing this with some minor detection abilities seems not enough. Perhaps giving the druid the ability to affect animal reactions (a modified Charm Monster that only affects natural animals) at the 1st level is the way to make this work. The charm would only remain in effect so long as the druid is present, and the animal will respond only to the druid based on a Reaction Roll - otherwise it reacts as a normal animal of its kind. Instead of allowing the shapechange ability, the spell Polymorph Self should be on the druid's list of spells, with the restriction that only animal forms may be taken. This ability seems more in line with what was originally construed as a Cleric/Magic-User.
Now, I am in favor of adding in some of the iconic druid spells from OD&D such as entangle, faerie fire, produce flame, conjure fire elemental, etc. Why don't Clerics have access to these spells? Because they were developed by Druids and are only written in Druidic! The secret language of the Druids thus has a use - it is used to write their spells on scrolls and to teach the faithful! Other languages learned by Druids would include Elvish, Centaur, Satyr, Dryad, Sprite, Pixie, Treant, Green Dragon, and Hill Giant - all those languages spoken by inhabitants of the deep forests and/or friends of Man.
The other details of the class would be as Cleric: no spells until 2nd level, using the spell chart for Clerics, the XP, prime requisites, and HD of the cleric, and attack and saving throw matrices as well. I think that Druids should receive a +2 save bonus against nature-oriented spells (including those cast by other Druids) and natural charms (as by faerie folk). A druid must remain Neutral in alignment - any change, intentional or not, means a loss of all spells and other abilities until atonement is made (usually in the form of a Quest placed upon them by Nature or whatever deity of nature they worship, during which time they have no abilities other than that of a basic cleric minus Turning).
I think this version of the Druid is playable, certainly from 1st level, and may even make more sense than those in later versions. I would have to playtest it to see how it plays out. Sub-classes should be more a role-playing decision than an actual new class, in my opinion. I might also argue that each religion should have its own restrictions and requirements - a god of knowledge or magic, for example, should have clerics who wear no armor, are not trained in weapons, but have access to some magic-user spells in addition to cleric spells. A god of peace would not allow its clerics to wield weapons in combat, and may not allow them the use of armor either. Such clerics should be compensated in some way with a special ability. For instance, perhaps anyone who strikes a cleric of a peaceful god is cursed, or they must make a saving throw vs. spells in order to attack them (like a continual Sanctuary effect from AD&D). Perhaps such priests can cast Protection from Evil with double the normal effect, strength, or duration. It all depends on how detailed a DM wants to get with his world. The Druid is a good example of how to make Neutral clerics different from Lawful clerics and Chaotic Anti-clerics.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Dungeon & Dragons Through the Versions: Part 12
Recap: The party spent some time in Hommlet healing and Gort made a level in Fighter! They badgered the villagers for financial aid, but found that they were barking up the wrong tree. They settled for some clerical assistance instead, as well as a discount on holy water. They quickly returned to the moathouse for some more mayhem but spent most of their time just getting back to where they had left off - the lower dungeons!
WARNING: This adventure was run on a hot July night, with all participants being particularly ornery. It did not end well....
Once the party got down the stairs they headed back to the gnoll chamber and the charred door (which they had burned with the oil pool). The dead gnolls had been gnawed upon (likely by the ghouls) and were dragged into the northeast corner of the chamber. The party decided to look behind the other doors on the south wall - they had trouble opening them. They discovered the southwestern door led to another 10' x 10' cubicle (empty) and did not want to set off the portcullis trap so they avoided the central door (assuming correctly that it was just like the bugbear chamber).
The party headed down the corridor to the southeast. There were some sooty footprints at the northwest end of the passage, but not much else. At the end of the passage they found a closed door. Trixalix listened at the door but heard nothing. The party opened the door to reveal a dark tunnel heading due east and another door immediately to the north. Trixalix listened at this door also, but heard nothing. The party strong guys (Elmo and Gort) attempted to open the door (both failed), but it was Elana who finally got the door open! The party was not surprised by the guards waiting on the other side (the guards were well aware of the intruders and had time to alert their companions down the hall).
So began the longest combat I think I have ever run in AD&D (taking about 4 hours real time). It was definitely the most exasperating combat I ever ran. Without surprise we moved right on to initiative. I feel the need to reveal exactly what happened in a round-by-round breakdown, to give you readers the sense of what transpired. Each round description lists the initiative rolled, with the party's die before the slash and the monsters' after the slash. The initial encounter is with the 6 guards (armed with crossbow, sword, and dagger) and 1 sergeant (armed with shield, morningstar, hammer, and dagger). A like force resided in the adjoining chamber, along with the Master's Lieutenant (a 4th level fighter). All guards began in their starting positions except the three in the north chamber which moved into the hall to see what the commotion was about at the door.
AD&D played by-the-book is no joke! A party has to be very careful how it proceeds, use the utmost caution when getting into a battle, and keep track of lots of little details (like making sure the exit is clear in case of a hasty retreat). Trix suffered from very low hit points, and it was only a matter of time before my dice ended his life. He was the first to fall in battle, and almost died had it not been for the party cleric. I found this party to be well balanced (except for the gnome illusionist/thief). Lack of magic items in the module, and ridiculously large amounts of opponents in the lower dungeons, ended the career of this intrepid bunch. Keep in mind that this was a party of roughly level 2-4 instead of the 1st level characters recommended. As I've stated in past posts, this module is a "meatgrinder," unsuitable for novice level characters (unless the DM is trying to show that the game is merciless and wants new players to get the hang of rolling new characters every session).
Dogma AD&D is even more brutal than I anticipated. It also short-changes characters on Experience Points, thus slowing advancement and keeping them weak. Maybe this is the reason it was so fun to play! Danger lurks around every corner! Those who make it to 3rd level become beloved characters! I thoroughly enjoyed this run, even if it ended rather gloomily. I think the players also enjoyed this version - we're still talking about the characters and the situations they found themselves in.
What I've learned is that the modules are too deadly as written. Gygax was great at killing off characters apparently. If I were to do this experiment with dogma AD&D again, I would likely use pre-made characters on a tournament module like C2: Ghost Tower of Inverness or G3: Hall of the Fire Giant King (Level 1) to get a better feel for how it all plays at higher levels.
WARNING: This adventure was run on a hot July night, with all participants being particularly ornery. It did not end well....
Once the party got down the stairs they headed back to the gnoll chamber and the charred door (which they had burned with the oil pool). The dead gnolls had been gnawed upon (likely by the ghouls) and were dragged into the northeast corner of the chamber. The party decided to look behind the other doors on the south wall - they had trouble opening them. They discovered the southwestern door led to another 10' x 10' cubicle (empty) and did not want to set off the portcullis trap so they avoided the central door (assuming correctly that it was just like the bugbear chamber).
The party headed down the corridor to the southeast. There were some sooty footprints at the northwest end of the passage, but not much else. At the end of the passage they found a closed door. Trixalix listened at the door but heard nothing. The party opened the door to reveal a dark tunnel heading due east and another door immediately to the north. Trixalix listened at this door also, but heard nothing. The party strong guys (Elmo and Gort) attempted to open the door (both failed), but it was Elana who finally got the door open! The party was not surprised by the guards waiting on the other side (the guards were well aware of the intruders and had time to alert their companions down the hall).
So began the longest combat I think I have ever run in AD&D (taking about 4 hours real time). It was definitely the most exasperating combat I ever ran. Without surprise we moved right on to initiative. I feel the need to reveal exactly what happened in a round-by-round breakdown, to give you readers the sense of what transpired. Each round description lists the initiative rolled, with the party's die before the slash and the monsters' after the slash. The initial encounter is with the 6 guards (armed with crossbow, sword, and dagger) and 1 sergeant (armed with shield, morningstar, hammer, and dagger). A like force resided in the adjoining chamber, along with the Master's Lieutenant (a 4th level fighter). All guards began in their starting positions except the three in the north chamber which moved into the hall to see what the commotion was about at the door.
- ROUND 1: 3/3 Guard moves out and swings sword, misses Elana; Elmo hits and wounds the guard then Gort finishes him off; a crossbow shot misses Gort.
- ROUND 2: 5/1 Gort stumbled over the body while trying to charge; Elana moved into position for spellcasting; Elmo crossed to the next guard; Trix moved over to drag the fallen body out of the doorway; one crossbowman switched to his sword, the other missed firing at Gort.
- ROUND 3: 1/2 Crosbowman misses Gort yet again; Elmo slays guard in corridor; Elana casts hold person on crossbowman who fails save (7 rounds duration).
- ROUND 4: 1/1 Gort slays the held guard; everyone else moves into position.
- ROUND 5: 5/1 three crossbow shots miss the party; party moves up.
- ROUND 6: 6/2 Gort and Elmo miss; front rank guards switch to swords.
- ROUND 7: 4/5 Gort is struck for 4 hp damage; Elana casts hold person (7 rounds) and holds the rear crossbowman and sergeant.
- ROUND 8: 4/4 Both guards miss; Elmo slays one guard.
- ROUND 9: 4/6 Last standing guard fails morale and surrenders.
- ROUND 10: Guard is told to run away; he runs into Spugnoir in the outer hallway who stabs him!
- ROUND 11: Other guards are coming into north room and Elmo warns the others.
- ROUND 12: 1/1 everyone moves into position to take on the new guards.
- ROUND 13: 1/6 crossbows all miss their shots; Gort hits one guard for 5 points, wounding him.
- ROUND 14: 6/3 Spugnoir casts sleep and catches 4 guards (2 guards, 2 sgts.); Gort slays one guard, Elmo misses; crossbowmen miss Elmo; guard in front .
- ROUND 15: 6/5 Guard #7 killed by Mort; Guard #12 heads back to warn the others.
- ROUND 16: 4/6 Guard hits Gort for 1 hp; Gort kills Guard #9
- ROUND 17: 1/3 Guards withdraw to the room and summon help; Party moves in to attack and Trix and Spugnoir start killing sleeping guards.
- ROUND 18: 3/6 Guard strikes Mort for 7 points of damage; Elmo and Mort kill the guard; guard #12 summons the others; Trix and Spugnoir kill the sleeping guards.
- ROUND 19: 5/6 Guards move into the room and party takes positions for a grand melee.
- ROUND 20: 4/3 Elmo kills one guard and Gort kills one as well, Trix and Elana miss; Guard strikes down Trixalix with one blow! (5 points).
- ROUND 21: 4/5 Spugnoir casts sleep and affects 2 guards, 1 sgt, and lieutenant; Elana withdrew to get to Trix; Guard hits Gort for 1 hp; Gort slays the guard who hit Trix; Trix bleeds for one point.
- ROUND 22: 5/6 Elana heals Trix for 5 hp (back to 2 hp); Gort and Elmo miss.
- ROUND 23: 6/4 Gort hit one guard; everyone else missed; Lareth comes out to play (after casting protective spells on himself); Trix crawls to Kevin.
- ROUND 24: 6/4 Gort slays guard # 16; Elana wounds guard #13; Lareth wakes up the lieutenant with a kick.
- ROUND 25: 1/3 Gort kills sleeping guard #18; Elmo slays guard #13
- ROUND 26: 3/3 party withdraws a bit and the last sleeping guards are kicked awake; Gort quickly casts cure light wounds on himself for 8 hp.
- ROUND 27: 4/1 Party and commanders cross to engage each other.
- ROUND 28: 6/2 Everyone misses each other.
- ROUND 29: 6/5 No one hits.
- ROUND 30: 2/1 No one hits.
- ROUND 31: 5/1 Everyone misses again. Sounds of rattling can be heard in the distance (can you believe I rolled a random encounter?).
- ROUND 32: 1/3 Everyone misses again. Spugnoir dumps oil in the southern corridor.
- ROUND 33: 6/1 Party misses; bad guys miss; Spugnoir lights the oil.
- ROUND 34: 2/2 Elana is hit by the staff of striking for 9 hp damage; party misses.
- ROUND 35: 4/4 Everyone misses each other.
- ROUND 36: 4/4 Party withdraws as Lareth calls for their surrender.
- ROUND 37: 2/2 Lareth casts command on Elana but fails to affect her; party continues to withdraw.
- ROUND 38: 5/5 Party starts to escape but they are pursued.
- ROUND 39: 1/6 Gort is hit for 6 hp; withdraw continues
- ROUND 40: 1/5 Lareth succeeds at hold person on Gort and Elana; Elmo succeeds in his save.
AD&D played by-the-book is no joke! A party has to be very careful how it proceeds, use the utmost caution when getting into a battle, and keep track of lots of little details (like making sure the exit is clear in case of a hasty retreat). Trix suffered from very low hit points, and it was only a matter of time before my dice ended his life. He was the first to fall in battle, and almost died had it not been for the party cleric. I found this party to be well balanced (except for the gnome illusionist/thief). Lack of magic items in the module, and ridiculously large amounts of opponents in the lower dungeons, ended the career of this intrepid bunch. Keep in mind that this was a party of roughly level 2-4 instead of the 1st level characters recommended. As I've stated in past posts, this module is a "meatgrinder," unsuitable for novice level characters (unless the DM is trying to show that the game is merciless and wants new players to get the hang of rolling new characters every session).
Dogma AD&D is even more brutal than I anticipated. It also short-changes characters on Experience Points, thus slowing advancement and keeping them weak. Maybe this is the reason it was so fun to play! Danger lurks around every corner! Those who make it to 3rd level become beloved characters! I thoroughly enjoyed this run, even if it ended rather gloomily. I think the players also enjoyed this version - we're still talking about the characters and the situations they found themselves in.
What I've learned is that the modules are too deadly as written. Gygax was great at killing off characters apparently. If I were to do this experiment with dogma AD&D again, I would likely use pre-made characters on a tournament module like C2: Ghost Tower of Inverness or G3: Hall of the Fire Giant King (Level 1) to get a better feel for how it all plays at higher levels.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Apologies
I apologize for not blogging the past few months. I've had a health scare - luckily all tests came back negative (a good thing) but I still feel like crap and now I'm broke. Hopefully the cooler autumn weather will reinvigorate me!
We actually finished the 1st edition dogma run (and it ended poorly), then started the 2nd edition run in the Haunted Halls of Eveningstar (an aborted adventure by player vote). Last weekend we rolled up D&D 3.5 characters so that's up next. We're abandoning pre-made modules in favor of DM-created material. I'm also shortening the adventure to make it more of a test run and not a campaign thing. D&D 3.5 is a drastic change from all things D&D.
The players rolled up 4 characters each and took the best stats from those rolled. We did this because our dice hate us and it was the only way to avoid really BAD characters. One player still managed to roll a 4 and ended up keeping that character because it was the best of the four he rolled! We ended up with an elven cleric, a half-elven sorcerer, and a half-orc barbarian. I'm considering a rogue or bard to accompany them.
I hope to get the last few session reports posted soon.....if I can pry myself away from the new World of Warcraft expansion long enough to do that.
We actually finished the 1st edition dogma run (and it ended poorly), then started the 2nd edition run in the Haunted Halls of Eveningstar (an aborted adventure by player vote). Last weekend we rolled up D&D 3.5 characters so that's up next. We're abandoning pre-made modules in favor of DM-created material. I'm also shortening the adventure to make it more of a test run and not a campaign thing. D&D 3.5 is a drastic change from all things D&D.
The players rolled up 4 characters each and took the best stats from those rolled. We did this because our dice hate us and it was the only way to avoid really BAD characters. One player still managed to roll a 4 and ended up keeping that character because it was the best of the four he rolled! We ended up with an elven cleric, a half-elven sorcerer, and a half-orc barbarian. I'm considering a rogue or bard to accompany them.
I hope to get the last few session reports posted soon.....if I can pry myself away from the new World of Warcraft expansion long enough to do that.
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