<![CDATA[EN World D&D / RPG News]]> http://www.enworld.org/forum en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:33:09 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[EN World D&D / RPG News]]> http://www.enworld.org/forum Characters So How Do You Recognize those High Level NPCs anyway? http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268272-so-how-do-you-recognize-those-high-level-npcs-anyway.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:13:08 GMT Another question I had about the use of NPC's, is how do the players recognize high level NPCs in your experience?

In my own campaign, I've had NPCs that looked like they could take out a demi-god with one hand tied behind their back that were nothing more than well described in terms of how grim/scarred/used their equipment looked. I've also had NPC's deliberately bluff characters to their true power level.

So what are the 'tale tell signs' of a high powered NPC? ]]> General RPG Discussion JoeGKushner http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268272-so-how-do-you-recognize-those-high-level-npcs-anyway.html Positive Depictions of Fandom http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge/268271-positive-depictions-fandom.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:05:56 GMT I've heard that Trekkies isn't. I've seen Second Skin and it certainly isn't.

So what documentaries about fans and fandom are there that are accurate and positive?

Or has fiction been the forerunner with this, via Galaxy Quest and The Guild?

Any suggestions would be most appreciated... ]]> Media Lounge roguerouge http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge/268271-positive-depictions-fandom.html Tiny armor http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-3rd-edition-rules/268270-tiny-armor.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:03:49 GMT According to the chart in the SRD, armor for tiny or smaller creatures only offers half the AC of the same armor in larger sizes. Is this true for shields, as well? What AC bonus would Padded armor confer to a Tiny creature? Would it be +0? What about a Tiny Light Shield? Edit: Said chart is... According to the chart in the SRD, armor for tiny or smaller creatures only offers half the AC of the same armor in larger sizes. Is this true for shields, as well? What AC bonus would Padded armor confer to a Tiny creature? Would it be +0? What about a Tiny Light Shield?

Edit:

Said chart is located here: SRD

The Tiny or smaller line has a superscript 1 with a footnote on the chart that says, "Divide armor bonus by 2." ]]> shai-hulud http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-3rd-edition-rules/268270-tiny-armor.html ENWorld group on WotC community site http://www.enworld.org/forum/meta/268269-enworld-group-wizards-coast-community-site.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:39 GMT Should there be one? Is there and I just have not found it yet? Should there be one? Is there and I just have not found it yet? ]]> Meta darjr http://www.enworld.org/forum/meta/268269-enworld-group-wizards-coast-community-site.html Pathfinder RPG GM Screen http://www.enworld.org/forum/pathfinder-rpg-discussion/268268-pathfinder-rpg-gm-screen.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:57:57 GMT I popped over to Paizo to check to see if my copy of the new OotS book had shipped yet, and was pleasantly surprised to find the pdf of the GM screen ready for download! Now, to keep an eye on the mailbox... The content is pretty straightforward. Two of the four panels enumerate skill modifiers.... I popped over to Paizo to check to see if my copy of the new OotS book had shipped yet, and was pleasantly surprised to find the pdf of the GM screen ready for download! Now, to keep an eye on the mailbox...

The content is pretty straightforward. Two of the four panels enumerate skill modifiers. The third has the conditional modifiers right at hand (to quickly let me know the mechanical differences between nauseated and sickened, for instance. :)) as well as AC and attack roll mods. The fourth panel lists hardness values for objects, armor and weapons as well as the XP award chart and expected treasure values per encounter.

I can't wait to have the hardcover-grade physical product in my hands to check the heft for myself. ]]> Pathfinder RPG Discussion Eridanis http://www.enworld.org/forum/pathfinder-rpg-discussion/268268-pathfinder-rpg-gm-screen.html What does your Pathfinder game and game world look and feel like? http://www.enworld.org/forum/pathfinder-rpg-discussion/268267-what-does-your-pathfinder-game-game-world-look-feel-like.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:56:26 GMT Just curious about how people are running their Pathfinder games. As an oldschooler I do believe that their is a Batman/Spiderman analogy that works well with describing how a game plays out. Batman being the older style of play where life is a lot dicier for a player and Spiderman as an example of... Just curious about how people are running their Pathfinder games. As an oldschooler I do believe that their is a Batman/Spiderman analogy that works well with describing how a game plays out. Batman being the older style of play where life is a lot dicier for a player and Spiderman as an example of more modern play in which a character has a few more buffers between themselves and a screaming death. Sometimes, you want to be Spiderman and there is not a thing wrong with that.

My game is very much inspired by Clark Ashton Smith, Lord Dunsany and J.R.R. Tolkien. The world is in its Second Age and is still a time of wonder and magic. I don't believe in having just one evil dark lord, so I plot out several at a time, their messengers, heralds and harbingers sometimes cross paths and agendas to make life a bit more challenging for the players.

Currently an ogre magi and his small army of goblins have taken up residence in an old wizard's tower in the north of the region where the characters are. Basically he is looking for ways to become a summoner and call up creatures and entities from the lower planes. His goblins are spies and scavengers, keeping an eye on the comings and goings of nearby settlements and trying to look inconspicuous. As the ogre magi develops, I am giving the players time to figure out what is going on. This is complicated by an elven king driven insane by contact with a Lovecraftian god-thing and a bardic deity that is not quite all there himself and whose musical magic sometimes creates webs that are tough to break free of.

I have an elven ranger, a dwarf ranger, a human rogue and a dwarf sorcerer of the aberrant bloodline. My daily oldschool blog makes an appearance with Pathfinder-ized versions of some of the entries. Our group of mainly oldschoolers is having fun with Pathfinder. ]]> Pathfinder RPG Discussion ancientvaults http://www.enworld.org/forum/pathfinder-rpg-discussion/268267-what-does-your-pathfinder-game-game-world-look-feel-like.html <![CDATA[Non-humanoids with < 1 Racial HD]]> http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-3rd-edition-rules/268266-non-humanoids-1-racial-hd.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:45:14 GMT According to the 3.0 ruling, any creature with 1 racial HD drops that HD when gaining class levels. 3.5, though, has a new ruling: Quote: Originally Posted by Rules of the Game According to the 3.0 ruling, any creature with 1 racial HD drops that HD when gaining class levels. 3.5, though, has a new ruling:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rules of the Game
When a creature of the humanoid type with one racial Hit Die or fewer gains its first class level, the racial Hit Die is dropped in favor of the class Hit Die. Creatures of other types simply add the class Hit Die to their existing Hit Dice, even if they have only one racial Hit Die. (The text dealing with monsters as races in the Dungeon Master's Guide doesn't make this clear, but the text in the Monster Manual does; see page 290). If the creature has levels from other classes, the Hit Die from the new class is added to the creature's total Hit Dice.
So, with the 3.5 ruling, a Pixie Sorcerer 1 would be a minimum 6th level character (1 HD Pixie, 1 HD Sorcerer, +4 level adjustment). But what about a Jermlaine? They only have ½ HD. (They are from Monster Manual II). Under their advancement options, they can be 1-2 HD, although the base one is not. If one were to keep the ½ HD, they would only be a ½ level character. If they add one class level ON TOP of that, then they are 1.5 level. Does that round up? Can you not be a Jermlaine with no class level? Do you start with 1 HD Jermlaine? Is the Jermlaine an exception to that Rules of the Game ruling (they drop the ½ HD)? ]]> shai-hulud http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-3rd-edition-rules/268266-non-humanoids-1-racial-hd.html Fiddly Bits, Power Cards, and Imagination http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268265-fiddly-bits-power-cards-imagination.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:42:37 GMT DISCLAIMER: I'm going to do my best to keep this edition neutral and I urge everyone else to do the same.

Does anyone else find systems with highly defined powers and options to limit creativity? It could be that it's just the people I game with, but that's why I'm here to ask if anyone else sees the same thing.

When I play 4e, my fellow gamers make good (often brilliant) use of their powers and make excellent tactical decisions. But it never even occurs to them to do anything else. When I wanted to temporarily blind a creature with my cloak -- the classic "throw a cloak over it's head to distract it for a few seconds" -- my fellow gamers looked at me as if I had sprouted a new head!

It's *not* the system's fault -- The DMG even has notes on players trying things not covered by their powers, advising DMs on how to handle these actions and making suggestions as to how to adjudicate them. After all, no system will EVER cover every single thing a player can come up with.

But simply by strictly defining their powers, it seems like the game put blinders on (at least some) gamers -- they don't think beyond that list. If they don't have a card for it, the action simply doesn't occur to them.

---------------------------------------------

It's by no means limited to 4e -- it's just a recent example -- but it seems like the more a system defines options, the less players try to think of anything ELSE.

A player might try to use the environment against a foe, but typically only if the DM highlights an area (pit traps, environmental hazards, that kind of thing). When's the last time a player threw sand in someone's eyes? Or carried flour in case of invisible foes? Used chalk to mark a maze? Researched a unique spell for a specific circumstance? (Just to name a few classics.)

I've slowly moved more and more towards "freeform" and "rules lite" systems. (In quotes because no two gamers ever completely agree on those terms... :)) I was doing this long before 4e was even announced, so it's not a new phenomenon for me.

Is this a factor of the group / gamers I play with? Or does anyone else find that the better-defined a character's powers, the less the players are willing to experiment outside of those boundaries? ]]> General RPG Discussion wolff96 http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268265-fiddly-bits-power-cards-imagination.html Humor Real Life Adventure Hooks http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268264-real-life-adventure-hooks.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:33:42 GMT I came across this wile digging through photos with my family this week past. Anyone else come across a real life adventure hook lately? -------- Vernicus I came across this wile digging through photos with my family this week past.

Anyone else come across a real life adventure hook lately?

--------

Vernicus ]]> General RPG Discussion vernicus http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268264-real-life-adventure-hooks.html SANCTUARY #7:Veritas/Season 3/2009 http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge/268263-sanctuary-7-veritas-season-3-2009-a.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:17:13 GMT Veritas Will tries to defend Magnus from the heads of the Sanctuary Network when they accuse her of committing a shocking murder. Veritas
Will tries to defend Magnus from the heads of the Sanctuary Network when they accuse her of committing a shocking murder.
]]> Media Lounge Truth Seeker http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge/268263-sanctuary-7-veritas-season-3-2009-a.html STARGATE UNIVERSE # 9:Life/Season 1/2009 http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge/268262-stargate-universe-9-life-season-1-2009-a.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:14:40 GMT Life Some of the crew use the Ancient Long Range Communications Device to reassure their loved ones that they are okay. Life
Some of the crew use the Ancient Long Range Communications Device to reassure their loved ones that they are okay.
]]> Media Lounge Truth Seeker http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge/268262-stargate-universe-9-life-season-1-2009-a.html SMALLVILLE #9:Pandora/Season 9/2009 http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge/268261-smallville-9-pandora-season-9-2009-a.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:11:56 GMT Pandora Tess takes steps to learn what Lois saw in the future: a powerless Clark subservient to Zod, and Chloe and Oliver leading a resistance group against the Kandorians. Pandora
Tess takes steps to learn what Lois saw in the future: a powerless Clark subservient to Zod, and Chloe and Oliver leading a resistance group against the Kandorians.
]]> Media Lounge Truth Seeker http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge/268261-smallville-9-pandora-season-9-2009-a.html Dragon Magazine Dragon 381 - Class Acts: Invoker, Adherents of Kalandurren http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268260-dragon-381-class-acts-invoker-adherents-kalandurren.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:56:17 GMT Today's Dragon article is about invokers who channel the power of the deceased god of justice, Amoth, Lord of Kalandurren. The article contains a new channel divinity feat, four new invoker powers (two attack and two utility), and a new invoker PP. Its a cool idea and given some of the paragraphs in the introduction, I hope its an idea that WotC pursues with the other dead gods:

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Class Acts: Invoker) ]]> General RPG Discussion Shroomy http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/268260-dragon-381-class-acts-invoker-adherents-kalandurren.html Fringeworthy Podcast is live http://www.enworld.org/forum/publishers-press-releases/268259-fringeworthy-podcast-live.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:26:33 GMT Fringeworthy So far the only podcast of interdimensional exploration and adventure. Each week three of the designers of the lastest edition of Fringeworthy (d20 Modern 2009) get together and show you how to add the awesome to your Fringeworthy or exploration game. Episodes 1-4.5 are... Fringeworthy

So far the only podcast of interdimensional exploration and adventure. Each week three of the designers of the lastest edition of Fringeworthy (d20 Modern 2009) get together and show you how to add the awesome to your Fringeworthy or exploration game.

Episodes 1-4.5 are currently available plus and introductory episode of you haven't a clue as to what Fringeworthy is.

Fringeworthy is a SF game of exploration of alternate earths, alien worlds and weird spaces through a network of portals and pathways floating in interdimensional space. There was an apocalypse, but it wasn't ours. Be one in 100,000 people who have to ability to use the alien portal in the antarctic. ]]> brucesheffer http://www.enworld.org/forum/publishers-press-releases/268259-fringeworthy-podcast-live.html <![CDATA[Untitled Leesburg D&D]]> http://www.enworld.org/forum/talking-talk/268258-untitled-leesburg-d-d.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:31:10 GMT Discussion thread for the new game in Leesburg. --- DM, anyone? Place to play? Twice monthly? Every three weeks? Discussion thread for the new game in Leesburg.

---

DM, anyone?

Place to play?

Twice monthly? Every three weeks?

Play on weeknights, or Saturdays?

Setting?

Maybe get together for a few beers and char-gen? ]]> Talking the Talk Felix http://www.enworld.org/forum/talking-talk/268258-untitled-leesburg-d-d.html