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ok ive come up wih the leader of the guild of theives his name is kantaros sarnos
he is a 15 level rogue who killed all his companions in their sleep and took all of their items treasures armor and weapons then he set up a theives guild in the capitol city of modcas and later he expanded it to quirm. ill post his stats in the next two days

oh i was wondering should i lie about the rolls? lets say a PC has 8 hp left and an ogre comes and scores a crit on him should i say that the ogre missed or should i let the dice decide what happens?

also how do i know if i put too powerful of a magical item in the game?

The dice decide, my friend. Dead is dead. PLayers too headstrong to retreat when they ought to will learn their lesson soon enough. Tell 'em to write up a new character in line with the rest of the party's progress if you're feeling generous, though.

ok I just dmed last night and a new guy came to our club and claimed that he has a pet dragon should I let him have the dragon or not?

gamefreak wrote:ok I just dmed last night and a new guy came to our club and claimed that he has a pet dragon should I let him have the dragon or not?

Depends. At some levels you can acquire cohorts (followers) and if you are high enough level and meet the perquisites, yes, you can have one.

Just remember that dragons are generally smarter than people, and being a "pet" isn't exactly a position they would enjoy. They also do not enjoy being living shields and combat monkeys.

Agreed. Let him have a pet dragon if YOU can control it.

Actually, scratch that. Make them conform to YOUR starting equipment rules. Who do these players think they are?

Otherwise require the Leadership feat... you're still playing 3.5 right?

REgarding the death of characters, one nice trick is involving a priest in mission dispatches. He asks the party for a deposit (say 1000 to 5000gp * average party level, depending on how gold-ful your campaign is), which is for 'Raise Insurance'. If no one dies, they get half back - the rest is considered a donation to the temple. If someone dies, but the party brings back a limb, the character will be raised. This works out cheaper than paying a temple, because the mission should be in the interests of the faction involved.

well not really a pet its an animal companion
ok Ive got the first adventure mostly finished after I have it finished I'll post it there and I'll let you guys use it if you want.

R. Talsorian (of Cyberpunk fame) said it best:
"If your players are getting out of line, go ahead and waste them!"

As to your specific questions:
To kill the players? YES, roll da bones and call 'em as they fall.
Powerful Magic Items? See how it plays out - if it does seem unbalanced, let them know about a hidden ability of it. (e.g after 10 uses, or 6 months, or whenever you realise it is bad, it shuts down, or starts draining HP/XP/STR/etc per use. Or draws the wrath of the Demon who originally forged it. Don't take it off them, make it not worth using.
Pet dragon? New players to YOUR game must fit to your rules. If it's not gonna fit, tell em so. "Sorry, pal, not in this game - the dragon has gone to hibernate for a decade/off finding a mate/never existed in this reality"

ok i've gotten grounded for 2 weeks so i wont be able to work on the adventure until after that so i have to skip next weekends meeting too. So... i'll have 2 weeks of brainstorming with no writing it down. well... ill be able to post here for a while because i'm at school. ill post some background of the world that Narisvadador is in tomorrow.

What? You so grounded that you can't write?

I only ever got banned from using my computer, and that only gave me more time to waste.

yes all i do basicly is read write play video games and go to school.

ok.. later when i get sometimelater ill post the background of the world.

I mean, you can still write on paper, though? Right?

i can and i can't see i've got homework to do and that is fine for me to be writing, on the other hand i write a bunch of background on my dungeons and dragon pcs that i have played, i keep an entire log of each of their quests so far i have about 300 pages on my currend character, a dwarf fighter named Ulic Evage (OO lick E vaj). that is what they are banning me from writing.

ok my worlds back ground:
this might take a couple of posts to finis because i have very limited times i can get on the computer.

my world is called kanturnos (CAN tur noss), it was created by the god Dalyah (doll yah). kanturnos is a flat disc, both sides are neutral and are exactly the same in all ways but one: if one person on one side flips a coin and it lands heads, the same person on the other side tosses an identical coin and it comes up tails. this being the case both sides are extremely different. on kanturnos dolyah has hidden 6 artifacts; blood song which can alter a persons form so drasticly no one would be able to reconize him, forest song which protects the forests and punishes all that harm them, sand fire which gives the deserts their heat, water heart which replenishes kanturnos's water, the everknowing book which seems to always hide from man no matter how hard he looks, love which she hid inside of all being's hearts, and the moons' face, this artifact lies in the center of kantaros and will until the end of days.
dalyah has witnessed the rise and fall of hundreds of thousands of empires and kingdoms, many of which had power hungry rulers that would stop at nothing to get their hands on the moons' face to make all others fall under their sway.
there have been many millenia since the last ruler tried this, and so the moon's face has fell into legends and myths.

now Dalyah had no intention of letting the people on both sides of the world to unite and try to uncover the other artifacts so they can finally find the moons' face but she has been losing power ever since the magicians found the the plane on which she had resided. then she had to flee and create another plane that would take another hundred years to find, with this in mind she has decided to reach into the minds of many adventurers to convince them to seek out the moons' face and destroy it so that no more evil can ever attempt the feat that the civilizations are now trying


ok ive got to go hope you guys like it but now im late and im gonna be in trouble if i dont hurry and get home, see yah

Good to see you know how to throw a pen down! Is this an original concept or an appropriation? Sounds as though it would make a nice background either way.

I've always been fond of 'disc' worlds. A campaign I have in the pipeline has one side as mostly a desert wasteland, where most natural life was magically stripped away to power massive contained hive-towers. The creators of the hives are long past, but many of their systems and defenses are still active, and they're inhabited by people who usually have very little idea of how most of the machines work. The majority of the hives are uninhabited mechanical deathtraps, and each is powered by a large crystal at the deepest level, which taps the energy of the other side of the world.

The other side of the world is a lush, verdant paradise of life... to the point where Darwinism rules, and massive carnivorous beasts roam the endless jungles. Rather than undead, there are 'lifesteeped' creatures, bizarre, all-consuming mutations of positive enrgy raging out of control. All manner of fell beasts exist, and there is little, if any, intelligent society. Since the PCs are born on the other side, and may never even see this place, I haven't developed it nearly as much.

i kinda got the idea for the coinflip thing from a futurama episode i watched and i took the artifacts blood song and forest song from that game called barbarian that i bought and no one here knew what it was. but besides that i came up with every thing else on my own. i dont have much time so i wont be able to post any more of the back ground for a little while but i'm glad you like it.

ive got a new language that i came up with too.
its called skorlod, basicly it is the common language of every sentient being on kanturnos
I'll see what i can do about loading up the paper i have it drawn on so you guys can see what you think.
you wont be able to read it unless i have the key which it may take a litle while for me to load both of them up but once i do you chould be able to read and write in it.

how should i go about making paper, books and the like look old?

i want to have a couple of scolls to pass around too but im not sure on how i would do this.

If you've got good handwriting and access to inkpens, then you're set. I've got a large collection of interesting nibs, most of which I'll probably never use.. hence the 'collection'. Carry the written article in your pocket for a couple of days, then fold it letter style... then refold slightly incorrectly. Kick it around your backyard, get some dirt on it... blood, sweat, excrement... This helps give an impression of wear. Articles that become obscured are no less genuine, especially maps.

For a parchment/aged sort of look, many people use strong tea or a light wash/dip of watered down brown paint, but it helps to have good quality paper in that case. This will often make the ink run, so do it first.

ok thanks again.

alright does any one have any suggestions for what i should include in my background or in the campaign?

all of my friends charaters died last campaign while they were fighting an anceint white dragon and being really stupid at the same time

the penalty for stupidity when you are really fighting dragons is actually death. Combat isn't funny its serious. Kinda. =p

for the first part i have the pc traveling from below the empire's map heading towards a port called Condoga
before they arrive they they are ambushed by a full warband of level 1 goblins when half of the goblins are dead they will attempt to retreat, if more than half are killed they surrender, they then answer any questions asked about any more ambushes

can the goblins speak common // can the players speak goblin ?
once they arrive at the inn the watchman will not let them leave.

the town is attacked by a warband and a gang of goblins early in the morning, the inn keeper wakes them up and asks them to help the town if they do he will give them three days of free lodging and meals. if the dont he throws them out of the inn(cannot be avoided)

if they are thrown out they are attacked by a gang of goblins three minutes after.

if they agree the inn keeper shows them which way the battle is at is.

after the battle given the towns folk win the town holds a meeting to discuss what to do with the goblins. if the heros dont volunteer a watchman that was at the battle will recommend them. the adventurers are offerd each a horse, provisions for one week and their choice of a suit of armor or a weapon. if they refuse they are then offered the same as above except it is both a suit of armor and a weapon. if they still refuse the towns folk throw them out of town and the heros are attacked by 10 goblins.

if they accept the towns folk show the heros the general direction to the caves that the goblins are living in.
the heros are attacked outside of the cave bey 10 goblins the goblins retreat if half are killed and surrender if more than half are killed. the heros can ask them questions about why they are attacking the town. the goblins explain that their are orcs that are making them do it and they kill any one that refuses. the goblins offer "many shiny things" if they kill the orcs
the cave has 5 chambers the first is completely empty except for goblin corpses
the second has 8 goblins in it they fight to the death

where does the goblin fight take place ? how far outside town, are the 10 goblins marching in a line, are 2 scouting ahead, is 1 the leader with a level of rogue and better armour?

the third has 2 orcs in it with three dire wolves
the fourth has 4 goblins with one worg mount and a orc with two dire wolves
the fifth has a level 4 orc with a dire wolf three level 2 orcs and two level 2 goblins with worg mounts

that's a bit of a power creep from bunches of goblins. What level are you're PCs ? 3-5 ?

i dont have the NPC's stats yet but what do you think?

- do you have the monstrous manual ?

do you think the rewards arent enough or do you think it should be less?
is the adventure as a whole a good story line so far?

it depends on the pcs level, the risk versus reward. a lvl 20 vs an imp is no reward, a lvl 2 vs an imp should be a bigger reward than a lvl 5 versus an imp for example.

oh i was wondering should i lie about the rolls? lets say a PC has 8 hp left and an ogre comes and scores a crit on him should i say that the ogre missed or should i let the dice decide what happens?

put him at -8 hp and next round roll the dice for the stability check behind your screen (infact roll most checks behind the screen - like spot checks so that they dont know to 'keep looking') and say that he's stabilisd at -9hp. If the pc's think that they cannot die 'we're the heroes - we can't die!!' syndrome then let them die.
Alternativey if he dies the others might have to go on a sub quest to find a cleric or druid to ressurect him.

also how do i know if i put too powerful of a magical item in the game?

ok I just dmed last night and a new guy came to our club and claimed that he has a pet dragon should I let him have the dragon or not?

how did he get the dragon ? what level is he ? Maybe its a pseudo dragon or a fairy dragon which are familiars not actual dragons.

If they are low levels masterworked weapons made from adamantine (bypasses hardness +1 magic damage) or darksteel (+1 electricity damage) or mithri (40% of original weight)l are fine. The players should only have what they need. If facing a bunch of werewolves and they have no silver they should have a chance to escape.

I'm not asking questions to undermine you, just to help you think a bit more in detail. also 3.5 edition is fine, just use the 3 core books and some common sense. If you want to play 4th edition - dont, just buy a WoW subscription

I've played with some dummies in the past, advice earlier is spot on - players will do the oposite of what you want! kill the wron people, escape when they shouldn't, die fighting the easy stuff, either solve a puzzle too quick or just not get it.

Best advice to give - don't plan in detail - player will ruin it. Have a rough plot line and blag your way through it.

Have spare npc names to hand!

always give them a way (or 5!) out of everything.

props (cruppled maps on brown paper, half a jewl, a key etc are great for adding a bit of realism

give them pictures etc - the more they feel in the game the more senible (and preticatble!) their descisions will be.

if somthing goes wrong - your the DM how can it!!! so what they kill the bad guy - do what the movies do, he/she come back, biggfer badder and a bit more ugly and definatly more pissed!

Want them to do something? tell them not to. You give them two doors, one labbeled no entry they're gonna go that way. Really really not want them to? well then there's plenty of deadly unescapable traps, teach them the hard way! It could always be a dreamnt preminition.

also - skip the boring slow rules - if they play a 'kick the doors in and kill stuff' game then don't worry about anything that slows the game down like swim checks etc. If they do kill stuff rather than question then the answers could always be on a piece of paper in the dead things pocket. As Eistein said every action has a reaction. You give the reaction as DM, that way whatever they do, it's still want you want!

Also don't let on you have a 'God' complex - they just get bored as soon as they realise their fates are already decided

i'm going to come up with some random phrases that are considered extremely vulgar or insulting just for fun?

waddya guys think?

Is this related to the OT or just out of the blue?

yes sorry i was in a hurry and i wasnt really paying attention on how the post would sound.

does any one know a good program for putting a grid ont a map that i didnt do on grid paper?

does any one have any unique magic items that that would let me use them in my campaign? if so please post them.

thank you

gamefreak wrote:
i was wondering should i lie about the rolls? lets say a PC has 8 hp left and an ogre comes and scores a crit on him should i say that the ogre missed or should i let the dice decide what happens?

Now this all depends. A lot of people say yes, go ahead and kill him. I usually won't outright kill a PC. Give his party memebers every opportunity to save him, if they can't..... kill him, or you can 'hand wave' a solution later.

This being said the REAL question is, how attached to this character is the player?

Has the player written out the PC's background?

A well thought out and written background helps both of you figure out plot that involves the PC, give the player 'proper' motivation for roleplaying, and helps you predict his reactions to a given situation.

Does the PC have a very distinct personality?
This should go hand in hand with a background. A PC with a personality will help drive the group as a whole, letting you play off the PCs and guide the party through roleplaying instead of handwaving.

Does the player come to you between games with ideas about what he wants to do with the character in the future?
Sometimes the very best plotlines come from the players themselves. Often future plotlines are inextricably tied to one or more of the character's backgrounds.

If you answered yes to at least two (preferably 3) of these questions you shouldn't let the character die because of a random die roll. Adjust the results to something that isn't lethal, or let him 'die' only to be helped by a far greater power in exchange for a favor, or something else equally 'believable'. This character (and more importantly the player behind it) is going to be among your top 3 tools for running your campaign. It's rare to find one such player in any given RPG group; feel truly blessed if you have more.

Generally even when a player meets all of these criteria, a character that dies within the first 5 level usually won't upset them that much. All of this can be done again relativey easily. It's when the player has invested a LOT of time and effort into a character (7+ levels or so) that killing them can REALLY upset someone.

gamefreak wrote:does any one have any unique magic items that that would let me use them in my campaign? if so please post them.

thank you

HOW powerful?

well my campaign is going to take the pcs all the way from the first level to the thirtieth level so it doesnt matter how powerful they are it will just determine at what point i include them.

Ok then, here's a nice weapon for a rogue in your party, ESPECIALLY if they go with the Master Thrower prestige class from the Complete Fighter book. I have provided some 'fluff' to go with; This weapon is actually one I designed for my rogue, and let the DM approve. Feel free to change any parts you want (it IS your campaign after all).

THE DISKS OF RIZA

These are a set of 12 razor sharp disks held in a pair of 'docker's clutches' under the arms. They magically reappear in the Clutches when one of three conditions are met: 1. When a Disk is thrown at a target and misses, it automatically returns to the clutch. 2. When all the Disks have been thrown at a target and have all hit their respective target(s), they will all automatically return to the clutches. Once a day, when the command word 'Commalla' is spoken, all unrecovered Disks will immediately return to the clutches. The return of the Disks is instantaneous, and they do not travel through space. In all three circumstances distance, physical, and magical barriers pose no hinderance to the return of the Disks. However this ability will not function if the Clutch(es) and the Disk(s) in question are on separate planes. A null magic zone around either the Disk(s) or the Clutches will negate this and all other abilities held by the Disks, but will not otherwise harm them. The Disks are magically crafted to be more accurate and damaging than they would normally be (+2 to hit and damage).

Nonmagical disks have a damage range of 2-5 (1d4+1) plus strength bonus, if any.
Range increment: 25 ft
Weight: 4 = 1 lb.
Type: Slashing

Riza's Docker's Clutch

This is actually a pair of compartmented bags, or clutches, that hold the Disks. The Clutches hang suspended from the shoulders by a pair of straps which connect in an 'x' between the shoulderblades, and are looped to the wearer's belt by two hanging straps. They are magically enchanted with the Disks, and the Disks will not function without the Clutches, nor can the Disks be 'holstered' in any other type of receptacle while magically active (see above). If a Disk is removed from a Clutch and placed on or in anything besides the Clutch it was removed from, it is treated as a 'miss' and the Disk teleports back to it's compartment. The Disks will never fall out of a Clutch, and can not be removed except by the person who wears Riza's Gloves, making them impossible to steal or lose, unless under the effects of a null magic zone (as above), or the whole Clutch is stolen or misplaced. The Disks will never cut or tear the Clutch, and in fact, the Clutch is highly resistant to all forms of damage (insert appropriate saves here). The Clutches were constructed so they can be easily hidden under a cloak or long jacket, or even incoporated into a custom tailored article of clothing, although they can not be stitched due to their resilliency. Each Clutch holds 6 of the Disks, and the Disks are each attuned to one of the Clutches; They can not be 'swapped'.

Riza's Gloves

These Gloves were constructed and enchanted along with the Disks and the Clutches. It is said that Riza's hands were totally impervious to all blades and points; He never cut himself. Whether this is true (or attributable to the Gloves) is unknown; The Gloves ARE totally impervious to the Disks, and anyone wearing them will never cut themself while throwing the Disks. The gloves do not impair tactile sensation, and the wearer recieves no skill penalties while wearing them, however they also do not provide any thermal protection whatsoever, and the wearer's hands will be vulnerable to extreme heat and cold as normal. Only the wearer of the Gloves can remove a Disk from a Clutch; Anyone else who tries will find themselves empty handed, and the Disk instantly back in it's place. Only one person may wear the gloves at a time (no sharing.)

The Disks of Riza have been unused since Arthur of Eld confronted The Dark One, and their magic has waned a little; The set has these abilities while 'dormant'. With use the magic will once again wax untill they regain their full abilities; Treat as a protean weapon.



There you go. 'Protean items' are magical items that 'grow' with their owner; As the character levels the item will gain new abilities. In our game you could choose a new ability from a list for every 3 levels starting at 3rd. This Item was meant for a 6th level character and improved from there. Unfortunately I don't have the list of abilites (My GM moved to Baltimore to work for GW), but the traits I had added were these:

-Distance: X2 range
-Heart Skewer: +2d6 Sneak attack damage
-Speed: +1 attack/round


Just remember, that although these Items were meant to work as a set, you can always split them up, and make the character quest for the pieces, giving the set more and more of it's power as each piece is found.

The problem with 'Protean' weapons is that they're very advantageous to one player, in an almost relic-like fashion.
I've run a few campaigns where ALL of the characters are bonded to their increasingly powerful weapons, but I really think you ought to split them up, or involve some sort of curse, if you're going to make them accessible in one set in your campaign. It sounds too much like finding a 'Tome Of Kensai Prestige Class Advantages'.

SIKKIKALN:

'Sikkikaln' are a pair of rather over-sized looking bracers that attach to the back of the forearm, providing protection as a light shield. Towards the end of the hand, however, they extend into a pair of sharp claws. A length of chain connects the sikkikaln, making it effective for disarming and occasionally tripping opponents.

A character with proficiency in shields may use them as shields, but they require a specific Exotic Weapon Proficiency to use them effectively as weapons, either singly or paired (1d6, slashing, 19-20/x2 crit). To retain the AC bonus when attacking with them, the Improved Shield Bash feat is required as nomal.

A character with proficiency in the weapon itself (and using a pair) may attempt to disarm or trip an opponent who fails his 'To Hit' roll by 10 or more. Let the player know that the opponent is off-balance, and if they choose to make the maneuvre, immediately resolve the trip or disarm attempt against the original attacker. Failed attempts can be reversed, as usual.

Finally, Sikkikaln arm firmly secured to the character's arm, so treat as though the character is using Locked Gauntlets for the purposes of hostile disarm attempts. When worn they impose a -penalty to Climb, Swim, etc. just as wielding a pair of light shields would. They take approximately 5 minutes to properly secure to the arms, but only a single minute to remove.

Grab their nipples, twist and squeeze as hard as you can. Laugh when they cry. Except do this emotionally rather than physically.

Arctik_Firangi wrote:The problem with 'Protean' weapons is that they're very advantageous to one player, in an almost relic-like fashion.
I've run a few campaigns where ALL of the characters are bonded to their increasingly powerful weapons, but I really think you ought to split them up, or involve some sort of curse, if you're going to make them accessible in one set in your campaign. It sounds too much like finding a 'Tome Of Kensai Prestige Class Advantages'.

This is a valid point, and in the campaign my weapon was designed for, it was actually the LEAST of the protean weapons in the party; I still think that it's a good weapon to include, and you should definitely give other PCs items of equivalent power. Just try to make each item unique and interesting.

Also bear in mind that Items aren't the only way to maintain balance; custom designed abilities are always fun. Having a PC or two who 'has the King's ear' goes a long way towards balancing the power of items as well. The hardest part is to make sure that there is as little 'overlap' as possible: The Tank should be king of Damage mitigation, The Rogue should be best at traps and doors and recon, so on and so forth. A bit of redundancy isn't a bad thing, but when a player has a specific role in mind for their character, try not to buff other members up in that area to the point where the character isn't needed, or feels useless in comparison.

If you keep the 'role' of the characters in mind when handing out rewards, then having one person with a truly awesome weapon doesn't sting so bad for the players without. When that '30d6 greatsword of blasting' doesn't help disarm that DC45 acid trap, the rogue with the 'super automatic pickgun +20' will forget about never being able to match the fighter for damage output.