tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34259611264790749712024-03-14T03:33:10.426-07:00Notes From Under the KyakDaen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-20164949423818571792021-12-03T11:55:00.005-08:002021-12-03T11:55:56.218-08:00Starstone Handout - Bertram's Manuscript<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIOhlEaPnSYD3N4GqncFrwem6jH8ziPValMOyVZAAWGFBf-l0i7VKV0GYV9FVl61d68RkcpKohPet7uzK6g-_2IZDtiI9To-P9kmlpzuGz8GJbfd0WXiCipkpaJfx7usFHFfzhn0lWn0/s1100/Bertrams+Manuscript+Handout+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="853" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIOhlEaPnSYD3N4GqncFrwem6jH8ziPValMOyVZAAWGFBf-l0i7VKV0GYV9FVl61d68RkcpKohPet7uzK6g-_2IZDtiI9To-P9kmlpzuGz8GJbfd0WXiCipkpaJfx7usFHFfzhn0lWn0/s320/Bertrams+Manuscript+Handout+web.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>I've been working my way through Starstone, trying to grasp all the nuances (I'm retyping the module just so that I can force myself to read every word and figure out what's going on - and then I can do a layout of the module that I can actually use :) ). </div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, in the process I typed up Bertram's Manuscript and then made a handout for players, with the italicized words legible and the rest of the manuscript faded (as per the module). And I figured if I could use it with my players, maybe someone else would want it as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a link to hi-res versions:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gu0H9HAEIF2Iznam9Nu8skK0UlEjkvPF?usp=sharing</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-75246787805002027852021-10-06T09:02:00.004-07:002021-10-06T09:12:34.837-07:00Hit Points and Character Death<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsQD88-Pq_9a_1kM46cUU84KFd0ib7Y2KY9SACqiLnxun-FO0zpN9SU7tmFod95obda3DKIr4SyNmz6ytXAE03JbV8tCdhPBOfQqTHUdUOj26n1WBP4rRgL7JQVZprADFwGk9z8z16Yc/s2048/Crowded_dark_streets_full_of_dead_and_dying_people%252C_bodies_a_Wellcome_V0017054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1270" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsQD88-Pq_9a_1kM46cUU84KFd0ib7Y2KY9SACqiLnxun-FO0zpN9SU7tmFod95obda3DKIr4SyNmz6ytXAE03JbV8tCdhPBOfQqTHUdUOj26n1WBP4rRgL7JQVZprADFwGk9z8z16Yc/w248-h400/Crowded_dark_streets_full_of_dead_and_dying_people%252C_bodies_a_Wellcome_V0017054.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br />I'm reading a lot of posts asking, "What do hit points really measure?" or something similar. Where hit points seem to jump the shark for people is when a high level character falls 100 feet, gets up, dusts himself off and walks away - or the giant fights with one hit point as effectively as he did with fifty.<p></p><p>D&D seems to me to be about resource management - and hit points are just another resource to manage. Do I have enough to get through another encounter? If not, am I in a safe place to rest? If not... how do I manage my resources? </p><p>So here's my proposal for hit points (almost certainly not original of course - but I haven't seen it exactly like this anywhere). </p><p>NOTE that this is, of course, an untested work in progress :)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Health, Hit Points, Damage and Recovery</b></p><p>Health Points at 0 Level - all characters roll 1d8 for Life Points, Creatures have their Hit Dice in Life Points</p><p>Hit Points are rolled at each successive level according to class and added to the Hit Point Total, as normal. Hit Points represent exhaustion, tenacity, skill, survival instinct, and the blessing (or not!) of the fates and are easily lost and fairly quickly recovered. </p><p>Damage in combat and adventuring (with some few exceptions, see below) reduces Hit Points until they are exhausted, then Life Points are reduced accordingly. Additionally, once Hit Points are exhausted, Life Points are drained normally (that is, a 0 level human, or a levelled character who has 0 Hit Points remaining, who is hit for 5 points loses those 5 Life Points) and each point is a wound or scar (see below). </p><p>Each time a character takes 10 or more hit points in damage in a single round, regardless of how many total Hit Points the character has, his or her Life Points are reduced, one Life Point per 10 Hit Points of damage, rounded down (1 Life Point for 10-19 Hit Points, 2 Life for 20-29 Hit Points, etc.) with a subsequent Wound or Scar (see below).</p><p>Hit Points are recovered with Rest, while Life Points with Recuperation.</p><p>Rest: for every 10 minutes of rest, recover one Hit Dice of Hit Points.</p><p>Recuperation: for every 2 hours of recuperation, recover all Hit Points and 1 Life Point.</p><p><b>On Death, Dying and Dismemberment</b></p><p>Characters reduced to 0 Life Points are Dying. Dying Characters make a death save every round. A Death Save is a d20 rolled against the PC’s Constitution score, adjusted by his or her Constitution bonus. Two successive failed Death saves and the Character is dead. If a Dying Character is tended to by another Character (or NPC), the Death Save is rolled at Advantage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wounds and Scars: When a Life Point is lost, the Character receives a wound or scar appropriate to the situation. Roll on the general wounds and scars table below, adjusted by the number of Health Points lost in a single round and the Character’s Constitution Bonus (adding the Life Points lost, subtracting the Constitution Bonus).</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2c8f395b-7fff-1794-08f4-28c54a6ed095"></span></p><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="127"></col><col width="229"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Roll 1d12</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Effect</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1 or less</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">a surge of adrenaline returns 1d4 hit points per every other level (1d4 at 1st and 2nd, 2d4 at 3rd and 4th, etc.) At the end of the combat, the adrenaline drains away, hit points are reduced to zero, and the PC faints for 2d6 rounds.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">2</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">No Effect</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">3-4</span></span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Minor Scar. It’s just a flesh wound, really. A little blood, a little pain but no lasting effect except a little scar (as determined by player and DM)</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">5-6</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Major Scar. Out of action for remainder of combat and heal at half rate for 24 hours. Permanent scar (as determined by player and DM)</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">7</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">knocked down, disadvantage on rolls next round</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />8<p></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">knocked out for 2d6 rounds, unless wearing a helm. With helm, only stunned for 1 round. Disadvantage for 1d12 subsequent hours</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">9</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">broken bone (DM's choice), 2d4+9 weeks to heal.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">10</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">severed limb (DM's choice or roll randomly) will die in 3d6 rounds unless tourniquet applied, wound cauterized with fire, or Cure Serious Wounds cast (CSW used for this will not restore lost hp).</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">11</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">fatal wound (gutted, stabbed through lung, broken back, etc.) die in 1d6 turns.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">12+</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">instant death (decapitated or other grievous wound).</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>NOTE: While death is generally final, there are some rituals of the Church of the Holy Saints that can potentially resurrect a dead Character. In addition, the clerics of the old gods (Druids) can employ spells like Reincarnation to keep a Character’s Soul from traveling to the great beyond and magic users are able to trap souls in the Mortal Realm (in decaying bodies or as disembodied spirits). </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 15pt;"><br /></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-60453128509159218092021-09-24T07:21:00.005-07:002021-09-24T07:21:56.778-07:00Cragrapid Keep<p>Back in the day... I bought ever issue of Dungeon Magazine I could get my hands on - starting with issue #9. I poured over those issues, reading and rereading the adventures. </p><p>One of the early adventures that has stuck in memory for all these decades is from issue #11 - Wards of the Witching Ways.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQQlGh38jwW6WpbO3CWTvbx03hBJHPfrsQTA-Zp1txZW9nOfMoa22AWVYNUhj8kmik2scyx7sYA22ivXkN6YEj1klJPp1w5Y3QJ0vtX4Yszofe94-GPFjCMFjupvsBynTbqW101b92c4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="1196" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQQlGh38jwW6WpbO3CWTvbx03hBJHPfrsQTA-Zp1txZW9nOfMoa22AWVYNUhj8kmik2scyx7sYA22ivXkN6YEj1klJPp1w5Y3QJ0vtX4Yszofe94-GPFjCMFjupvsBynTbqW101b92c4/" width="182" /></a></div>Actually, it's not the plot of the adventure that has stayed with me - oh, I remember it - two mages betting on the survival of random shipwrecked strangers - plotting and cheating against each other. <p></p><p>It's a tournament adventure - and as such, it's an okay plot...</p><p>But what I kept coming back to was the maps - the layout of the castle: Cragrapid Keep. It has four levels, multiple entrances and many interesting connections.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmp7gyMImdhErX-xsV0twv2eyODZP7oXo9nAy48pUMoDd1AOww9H33LNXgOFexee4IqmHglBnihfxcjZgOmTPEQYo_honLvTlp-4VUia8KviPBuZR7ypuuZkjBBmmDeH753TY41GTdUIE/s2048/Cragrapid+Keep+Four+Maps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1813" data-original-width="2048" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmp7gyMImdhErX-xsV0twv2eyODZP7oXo9nAy48pUMoDd1AOww9H33LNXgOFexee4IqmHglBnihfxcjZgOmTPEQYo_honLvTlp-4VUia8KviPBuZR7ypuuZkjBBmmDeH753TY41GTdUIE/s320/Cragrapid+Keep+Four+Maps.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The other day I was thinking again about this keep and I decided to sketch a perspective image of the keep - not great (I'm no artist) but it helps me keep things in perspective...<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzViLf7F24pV6TKgoTYlreE2vjUpEjNogJ6U1g67mgI3pCW9Mp0ke1qY0c6O-V-g1ubMeNqeC8FoWwp9qqQp7kh-XMKirR6L4Cd4kt7p5YGkoft6zRX_i9w7ygLJ_1f-Qb45ga85kxp_Q/s2589/Cragrapid+Keep+Perspective.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="2589" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzViLf7F24pV6TKgoTYlreE2vjUpEjNogJ6U1g67mgI3pCW9Mp0ke1qY0c6O-V-g1ubMeNqeC8FoWwp9qqQp7kh-XMKirR6L4Cd4kt7p5YGkoft6zRX_i9w7ygLJ_1f-Qb45ga85kxp_Q/w640-h301/Cragrapid+Keep+Perspective.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p></div>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-25334802327106165412021-09-10T10:11:00.003-07:002021-09-10T10:15:51.446-07:00Fiend Factory Cover Mockup<p> I was reading <a href="https://grognardia.blogspot.com/2021/09/random-roll-ff-p-3.html">Grognardia's random roll on the Fiend Folio</a> this morning and I remembered that someone had put together a PDF of all the Fiend Factory monsters from White Dwarf. I found a copy of it a long time ago. It's just image scanned copies of the pages - meaning the layout is... um... variable as is the quality at times. I thought about trying to do some layout work and minor editing... but that's a deeper dive time-wise than I wanted to undertake. </p><p>But I thought a cover would be nice :)</p><p>So I grabbed an image of a White Dwarf cover I liked (#26) and did some quick edits to make it a Fiend Factory Cover. Why? Because I could...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOkvM5YqCnQewHs8j9Kb5Z-peSqtjzAUdcN5GQ0P5g2btEOgWSiAlZaSv1JVwD6pOtgHjoX5Va6Stk7ew7IutqA4WZw17lcINiTBsINGnIUa2HFWnshGJJr10xjgwa7Han3GMq7-EITU/s2048/white-dwarf-26+cover+as+Fiend+Factory+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1430" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOkvM5YqCnQewHs8j9Kb5Z-peSqtjzAUdcN5GQ0P5g2btEOgWSiAlZaSv1JVwD6pOtgHjoX5Va6Stk7ew7IutqA4WZw17lcINiTBsINGnIUa2HFWnshGJJr10xjgwa7Han3GMq7-EITU/w446-h640/white-dwarf-26+cover+as+Fiend+Factory+Cover.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-82495215162337050152021-02-19T07:26:00.013-08:002021-02-19T07:26:05.008-08:00Free Map Friday<p>I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_X35zREXi_JlP7qtR6FLTUVu9XHupmjRR0k-9P81SJkXCkPh0lg92EpWZsPeomlcRIHq4DRWGGWpXkTb95M3PfMBoKX6O4aR2cyuzkv9bfW8YtpiVp9a-CI1lx0qPFwPm1iK9IA2woE/s2048/Caves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="2048" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_X35zREXi_JlP7qtR6FLTUVu9XHupmjRR0k-9P81SJkXCkPh0lg92EpWZsPeomlcRIHq4DRWGGWpXkTb95M3PfMBoKX6O4aR2cyuzkv9bfW8YtpiVp9a-CI1lx0qPFwPm1iK9IA2woE/w640-h534/Caves.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-22706553524016046262021-02-12T06:11:00.000-08:002021-02-12T06:11:00.312-08:00Free Map Friday<p> I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p><br /></p><p>Part three of at least three. This is the right section.</p><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwd77xKV2HSn678bDQL0NAg7nJcz6DhC9fx8cSbYPnPtDH8FgUZ7UNjC6uH5HLvYbOkm8MiSsjzahUzmECY_bZOLQWccLCr9pu6tpPhb65ZkIVeb5iQUrS9lV8ZYhg6y_KLqCcgY4u8M/s2048/Large+Dungeon+Level+1C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1538" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwd77xKV2HSn678bDQL0NAg7nJcz6DhC9fx8cSbYPnPtDH8FgUZ7UNjC6uH5HLvYbOkm8MiSsjzahUzmECY_bZOLQWccLCr9pu6tpPhb65ZkIVeb5iQUrS9lV8ZYhg6y_KLqCcgY4u8M/w480-h640/Large+Dungeon+Level+1C.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here's how they all fit together.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb17BF0hhrG3okE-fcCY2HyJS0PNV3XWBpfsxp-ukth2YWoWWaLeYFO4LEFl_EA-3xhFFxuDtvhZC_1C_yKl7tanlBraXGw6FkYH75CdZ5RAwK-YGaRvfi3yD2ZgTpcNj9cvWkYC89Ts/s1600/Large+Dungeon+Level+1A-C+Comp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb17BF0hhrG3okE-fcCY2HyJS0PNV3XWBpfsxp-ukth2YWoWWaLeYFO4LEFl_EA-3xhFFxuDtvhZC_1C_yKl7tanlBraXGw6FkYH75CdZ5RAwK-YGaRvfi3yD2ZgTpcNj9cvWkYC89Ts/s320/Large+Dungeon+Level+1A-C+Comp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p></p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-6826206266284120682021-02-08T04:42:00.001-08:002021-02-08T04:43:19.001-08:00When Art Works<p> Art in adventures is useful for any number of reasons. I use art as reference: both visually ("oh, THAT'S what a Murrful Monster looks like!") and as a kind of shorthand bookmark in the adventure ("I know the Trash Beast encounter is after the four-armed Minotaur - that image is on page...17..."). Sometimes art really helps fill out the layout of the page. A good header or page border can make an adventure stand out in my mind - I'm thinking particularly of some of the old D&D adventures written in the UK - UK 5-7, B10, O2. </p><p>Mostly what I want from art is that it be evocative. I was leafing through <i>The Gates of Firestorm Peak</i> this morning. I've never played it - I didn't buy it back in the day. By the time it was published I was starting to get overwhelmed by the number of products TSR was putting out and I had discovered <i>Magic: The Gathering</i> (or, as my friend Jim used to call it, "Magic the Moneypit"). We weren't playing much D&D anymore anyway.</p><p>But I was looking through it today and several things about the art struck me:</p><p><b>First, the negative. </b>I HATE watermark art on the page. There was a time when I thought it was kind of cool - but now I just find it distracting. It makes the pages just a bit harder to read - and heaven forbid you put italics over a watermark - my old eyes just aren't up to the struggle...</p><p></p><b>Second, the meh.</b> Headers. I had forgotten how en vogue it became in second edition to use headers and page borders. The thing is, they aren't effective AT ALL. What the UK modules of the past did was a different header for each section (again, kind of a bookmark for where you are in the adventure) and had style. These are just the same two images repeated ad nauseum... I wouldn't mind if it wasn't just kind of page filler - add six more lines of text to each column, please...<p></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCIDxH68Jc6LmanoWTxgVTXUSVyabzOVzUFCwUwZVLvLSdSCVFAxJCXivzIWvgqh1YIk6J7703Ghyphenhyphenn7DbkxYFZA3_-mQvCL7WHQhuZ7QmghgQKGZWExDhthEsB8IuC5ffwZ5521_y1Fs/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="1408" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCIDxH68Jc6LmanoWTxgVTXUSVyabzOVzUFCwUwZVLvLSdSCVFAxJCXivzIWvgqh1YIk6J7703Ghyphenhyphenn7DbkxYFZA3_-mQvCL7WHQhuZ7QmghgQKGZWExDhthEsB8IuC5ffwZ5521_y1Fs/w115-h320/image.png" title="Where is this?" width="115" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where is this?</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Third, the confusing?</b> There's a great image of a guy standing on a narrow ledge in front of a door with runes carved into it. Thing is... I can't figure out where in the adventure this door exists... I probably missed it somehow? <br /></p><p><b>Finally, the evocative!</b> I like a lot of the art in this adventure - it really helps set the mood for me. "Giants" staring over a gate, huge skeletons, weird tentacled things and mutated trolls. Good stuff. In the "really helping me get it" mode, there's a creepy fountain and a crystal room with a bizarre hanging quicksilver pool (which I totally didn't understand until I saw the pic) - heck even the myconid image is evocative (huddled in a group but, to me, still defiant and aloof...).</p><p>Here's a couple images (full pagers) that help sell the scenes for me - where a picture really does say a thousand words:</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9C8-G5ipsyoLcry49MlbPU3xGoIv_Hjf8DhaVr5LjmDACjUBx1Ksw10JODbrxdzyFoRFctvDIPoPsb_yhz-0swjeFk7h0ul_ggOzDi2osEkK3ezZ7pnH2QvTrobdlaALmv-bL1VIPqVk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1394" data-original-width="1048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9C8-G5ipsyoLcry49MlbPU3xGoIv_Hjf8DhaVr5LjmDACjUBx1Ksw10JODbrxdzyFoRFctvDIPoPsb_yhz-0swjeFk7h0ul_ggOzDi2osEkK3ezZ7pnH2QvTrobdlaALmv-bL1VIPqVk/w300-h400/image.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There's this weird bazaar in a great hall - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">with spider-riding duergar patrolling the upper level.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNc2EJPjypC6HXQFteSWV409I1q28-ZD_VvICIALzI3KhFPY7D_AuOAhbIbZycCoqxh4GvD5EF8xmGt_FlJL8YGtpLeJJYRzhk_R-uVNKlyPN-dVV_6Xp1-0IHGzhAywgJboQdxOIHmnU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="1046" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNc2EJPjypC6HXQFteSWV409I1q28-ZD_VvICIALzI3KhFPY7D_AuOAhbIbZycCoqxh4GvD5EF8xmGt_FlJL8YGtpLeJJYRzhk_R-uVNKlyPN-dVV_6Xp1-0IHGzhAywgJboQdxOIHmnU/w303-h400/image.png" width="303" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The battle against the BBEG. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Art does much more for me than just fill in white space. I really appreciate artwork that helps to build the world for me. Dragonlance did this well for me - I got a real feel for the world of Krynn by the consistency of the artwork. Say what you will about late First Edition and Second Edition adventures (oh the many WORDS...), many of them had fantastic art. </div><p></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-85484219160562830142021-02-05T06:09:00.001-08:002021-02-05T06:09:00.405-08:00Free Map Friday<p>I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p><br /></p><p>Part two of at least three. This is the left section.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgkrKWZ7H2-x7oxrmEBYzoVVodVQmp4ZYwB9a42wEXwBYwc969VdmaLJrb7ou1IkvZJbJZtdnWdfX_83eQTWSNlJ08onGulwGfjZvJepjtM1bcNergAYVxWBYxIUwHb6pw9reNHFp7ZE/s2048/Large+Dungeon+Level+1B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1522" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgkrKWZ7H2-x7oxrmEBYzoVVodVQmp4ZYwB9a42wEXwBYwc969VdmaLJrb7ou1IkvZJbJZtdnWdfX_83eQTWSNlJ08onGulwGfjZvJepjtM1bcNergAYVxWBYxIUwHb6pw9reNHFp7ZE/w474-h640/Large+Dungeon+Level+1B.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-59840256730384256332021-01-29T06:06:00.001-08:002021-01-29T06:06:01.142-08:00Free Map Friday<p><br /></p><p>I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p><br /></p><p>Part one of at least three. This is the center section.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80HDxVkiSB3It0s7A7pJ88awZPPANbPMh8B8ED5ZzWvRcrPdyFplw6dk4XF75vsRCup9AtrVgATv9LmSXzx6RsQ44gtDzipb8uVkslfERDNOxrNRZnWwQuLjTvBli7sHqefv4KIlv2c8/s2048/Large+Dungeon+Level+1A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1503" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80HDxVkiSB3It0s7A7pJ88awZPPANbPMh8B8ED5ZzWvRcrPdyFplw6dk4XF75vsRCup9AtrVgATv9LmSXzx6RsQ44gtDzipb8uVkslfERDNOxrNRZnWwQuLjTvBli7sHqefv4KIlv2c8/w470-h640/Large+Dungeon+Level+1A.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p></p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-27118486690566654512021-01-22T05:56:00.002-08:002021-01-26T00:49:57.132-08:00Free Map Friday<p> I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p><br /></p><p>EDIT: I forgot to mention - this one was directly inspired by another three level dungeon I saw online somewhere - and of course I can't find the source...sigh...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03na-5fYISOUty6-dQlTRR3N2XcJkyROKCwR-OtOr0sIcl5msvQy8ISFNNFqpk1WwoQuYbpZ_SSdjs4R_lfeWhh2vmcMhZWqoKGKJICTewptvGLj0KczSQC3HULSYOVasZOHddIrrd5w/s2048/Three+Level+Dungeon+Comp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1053" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03na-5fYISOUty6-dQlTRR3N2XcJkyROKCwR-OtOr0sIcl5msvQy8ISFNNFqpk1WwoQuYbpZ_SSdjs4R_lfeWhh2vmcMhZWqoKGKJICTewptvGLj0KczSQC3HULSYOVasZOHddIrrd5w/w330-h640/Three+Level+Dungeon+Comp.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-64243110530430475622021-01-18T06:13:00.000-08:002021-01-18T06:13:03.009-08:00Monday Magazine Classics<p><b>A Bar-Room
Brawl – D&D Style</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7fWQntcGRSDFewYRFfwfvMs-M6lgrVh311SZfspTH4jB9ZTVfcW98u9rHL2MrZq_7QSN5ZkrUe1u0HjtIhp3AxTemeDcHDqjSiXEytIR2meMOGsYh9SVfih5WlQLdpjk-VdtyMZ-XFI/s645/WD11+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7fWQntcGRSDFewYRFfwfvMs-M6lgrVh311SZfspTH4jB9ZTVfcW98u9rHL2MrZq_7QSN5ZkrUe1u0HjtIhp3AxTemeDcHDqjSiXEytIR2meMOGsYh9SVfih5WlQLdpjk-VdtyMZ-XFI/s320/WD11+Cover.jpg" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis Pulsipher<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">White Dwarf 11<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">February/March
1979</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“For those of
you who would like to stage your own D&D bar-room brawl.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I like
mini-games. I like the game within the game of things like this “adventure,”
whether it’s a quick gambling mini-game or some kind of simple “climb the sheer
cliff without dying” kind of mini-game. What I enjoy is the break from combat
or exploration – from the “normal” rules of D&D and similar games.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">What’s presented
here is a bit overcomplicated by the inclusion of what we would now call a
battlemat and tokens (he calls it a board and tokens so...) on which Pulsipher
indicates exactly where the tokens should be placed. Okay.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">It’s a one-page
outline for how to run that bar fight. I haven’t used this in practice, but it
LOOKS like it should work out just fine. The rules, such as they are, are
pretty scant. Two paragraphs, really, and most of it is just abstract advice
along the lines of “standard D&D rules and common sense are used. If an
unusual event like a falling chandelier or thrown chair occurs, the result
should be figured as seems logical in the circumstances.” Um... thanks?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This really
isn’t a scenario or mini-adventure – it’s little more than permission to run a
good Old West Saloon brawl in D&D with some stories of how it went down in
playtesting.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">My whining
aside, there are 23 NPCs that can be used for a fun little bar brawl and the board
and tokens are a neat addition.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Other reviews:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Not a lot out there:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/white-dwarf-the-first-100-issues-a-read-through-and-review.325009/">https://www.enworld.org/threads/white-dwarf-the-first-100-issues-a-read-through-and-review.325009/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-58962527146900502792021-01-11T06:22:00.000-08:002021-01-11T06:22:01.358-08:00Monday Magazine Classics<p> <b>The Hall of
Mystery</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVLhqXxXYMBzd76DMJgHczHKJ6VD3Obb9-SrvwH9TFhpejh7VJGb8qLf3wRGBt2FnzM_YbABS9xo4ddUHK4RaGtTZn6WTOUbL22JDZUy2i7hyphenhyphenIpP0CIF6b7nbu-HkQIM9Y3d7tdmYzUw/s573/Dragon+21+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="446" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVLhqXxXYMBzd76DMJgHczHKJ6VD3Obb9-SrvwH9TFhpejh7VJGb8qLf3wRGBt2FnzM_YbABS9xo4ddUHK4RaGtTZn6WTOUbL22JDZUy2i7hyphenhyphenIpP0CIF6b7nbu-HkQIM9Y3d7tdmYzUw/s320/Dragon+21+Cover.jpg" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Don Turnbull<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Dragon #21<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">December 1978</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“A section deep
in the Greenlands Dungeon.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Don Turnbull brings
another section of his Greyhawk/Blackmoor-esque Greenlands Dungeon to light. Unlike
Turnbull’s previous entry on this blog (The Lair of the Demon Queen), he keeps
most of the writing direct and to the point, only occasionally straying into commentary
like, “Normally the main hall is guarded; in Greenlands the Guardians were two
Umber Hulks.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The monsters
here are tough (Succubus, Night Hag, Mind Flayer, Flesh Golem, 4 Trappers,
etc.) and the mechanism to “beat the room” will have players puzzling for some
time. There’s teleporting to other rooms in this weird monster zoo – and even
that mechanism is a trick of sorts... Treasure is frustratingly abstracted
(again!). He suggests a monster called a Magic Absorber (From Alarums and
Excursions 12...) as another “mess with the players” kind of monster... ugh...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This is another
example of early dungeon design. It’s clear that this was played as a game –
not as amateur theater or storytelling with dice or as roleplaying a character
arc or whatever we do these days. Here’s an environment. Here are the
obstacles. Your characters and your brains are the tools you use to overcome
them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">So I would
compare this to a less developed Tomb of Horrors or a more focused (but still
less developed) White Plume Mountain. It’s clearly an artifact of its era –
bringing with it all that that implies.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I don’t think
I’d use The Hall of Mystery per se. Maybe drop it into something like the above
mentioned adventures (because, you know, they aren’t gonzo and deadly enough by
themselves...heh) or it could be a fun one shot – maybe at a convention or
something.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Other reviews:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Not a lot out
there:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://landofnod.blog/2012/11/10/dragon-by-dragon-december-1978/">https://landofnod.blog/2012/11/10/dragon-by-dragon-december-1978/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-89535901434306582812021-01-09T08:17:00.003-08:002021-01-09T08:17:51.643-08:00Free Map Friday - Redraw Saturday...<p>I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p>This is a re-draw of yesterday's map. Maybe a better style... Funny because it's a throwback to how I used to draw digital maps 15 years ago... just playing around with ideas...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLEbDMNNxKp8MllecUVU98rsvMEs7nZIZuWUfwbBA5IPYp8CiCqPF3v5BlpGnNEhZ1wFfEnHFkygChGmyU5a23ySmRa8k1AS8vNNt66H38AAlIdjL68nBpU1IOc-6CzP7Vezvt0Iv6FI/s1563/Deep+Temple+Ruins+Redraw.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1563" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLEbDMNNxKp8MllecUVU98rsvMEs7nZIZuWUfwbBA5IPYp8CiCqPF3v5BlpGnNEhZ1wFfEnHFkygChGmyU5a23ySmRa8k1AS8vNNt66H38AAlIdjL68nBpU1IOc-6CzP7Vezvt0Iv6FI/w400-h248/Deep+Temple+Ruins+Redraw.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-33340222315621823412021-01-08T05:54:00.001-08:002021-01-08T05:54:09.159-08:00Free Map Friday<p> I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4xAwmfg5aKtSAHUgQUJjQo0zKCaiQo6FDNWLf_Iuw-NBT3h5PjGQJ8668vqYYFwCYWE-l2_58tJdJ4MjhzbdBl9mxboba-6-OC_21ugpwlIZNpST8wMbJGlAFx-EBCvgzaMMxnAq3Jw/s2048/Deep+Temple+Ruins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="2048" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4xAwmfg5aKtSAHUgQUJjQo0zKCaiQo6FDNWLf_Iuw-NBT3h5PjGQJ8668vqYYFwCYWE-l2_58tJdJ4MjhzbdBl9mxboba-6-OC_21ugpwlIZNpST8wMbJGlAFx-EBCvgzaMMxnAq3Jw/w640-h464/Deep+Temple+Ruins.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-9981570571678210382021-01-04T05:25:00.002-08:002021-01-04T05:25:00.264-08:00Monday Magazine Classics<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZO0J5a99ikv7VRSJyOVnsvzcpIGpUAiHwbxERPbV98SVk1hFj-1lSCltmUL4bObNCkYxynPqwTB2mEmwqh6fK56N3dXULzolxcaqhmCS2Q3fg4FRKK04dS_ocCRA_1Y8gG3Dj5WyuZg/s644/WD9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZO0J5a99ikv7VRSJyOVnsvzcpIGpUAiHwbxERPbV98SVk1hFj-1lSCltmUL4bObNCkYxynPqwTB2mEmwqh6fK56N3dXULzolxcaqhmCS2Q3fg4FRKK04dS_ocCRA_1Y8gG3Dj5WyuZg/w223-h320/WD9.jpg" width="223" /></a></div> <b>The Lichway</b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Albie Fiore<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">White Dwarf #9<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">October/November
1978<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>“A mini-dungeon
for a part of 6-8 1<sup>st</sup> level adventurers.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>One of the
early full-fledged adventures, and still highly regarded in the circles in
which I move.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Fiore gives us
just a brief paragraph of background, a few notes on running the adventure and
four “Rumours gathered by the party in a village tavern.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Right away the
map inspires me. It’s a conceit of mine that an interesting map elevates a
boring adventure. In fact, a good map (and that’s a moving target for me – at
least it should look <i>interesting </i>with its connections and features) raises
the bar a little on my estimation of an adventure. That is, if I buy into the
map, I’m predisposed to enjoy the adventure. Art can do the same thing
sometimes for me.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>So, the map gives
us a main entrance but several other ways into the heart of the Lichway – and a
variety of interconnections as well. Water is used to good effect in the
dungeon. The secret doors and the tricks and traps are suitably old-school.
They make sense within the context of the dungeon. Notably, there are rival
NPCs already here, doing their own exploring, who can become allies, adversaries
or just another obstacle to overcome.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>The main
monster here is a Susurrus, a strange Fiend Folio monster whose “song” (the
sound of wind blowing through its exoskeleton) causes undead to “sleep the
sleep of the dead.” One of the first books I bought for AD&D was the Fiend
Folio. I thought the Susurrus was a... strange monster (no flumph or flailsnail
perhaps, but odd nonetheless). I didn’t see a use for such a creature as this.
But the Lichway gave it some purpose. It’s still an oddly specific creature...</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Tiny print and
lack of whitespace make this hard to use, but the information is presented
clearly enough that I’ve been able to run this with just a read-through.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Gripes: most of
the treasure in the adventure is pretty specific until the “big treasure” which
is simply “gold candelabras, gems, jewelry, silver flasks everyday objects,
tools, weapons (none magical), etc. (The total value of the hoard is left at
the DM'S discretion.)” Dangit! You told me in one room that a “Loose stone in
N. wall conceals 88 g.p. and 89 c.p.” but the big treasure is just “You figure
it out DM.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Like many
adventures, I think you’d want a highlighter – or at least a quick summary page
of NPCs (there are 14 individuals named if I counted correctly) along with a
handful of monsters and undead (well, there’s a lot of “sleeping” undead...).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Other reviews:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/white-dwarf-the-first-100-issues-a-read-through-and-review.325009/">https://www.enworld.org/threads/white-dwarf-the-first-100-issues-a-read-through-and-review.325009/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/in-which-i-read-white-dwarf-from-issue-1.405199/page-6">https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/in-which-i-read-white-dwarf-from-issue-1.405199/page-6</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=22832&p=1208631&hilit=Lichway#p1208631">https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=22832&p=1208631&hilit=Lichway#p1208631</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://princeofnothingblogs.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/review-white-dwarf-9-lichway-due-diligence/#:~:text=A%20mere%204%20pages%2C%20Lichway,the%20mind%20of%20the%20GM.">https://princeofnothingblogs.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/review-white-dwarf-9-lichway-due-diligence/#:~:text=A%20mere%204%20pages%2C%20Lichway,the%20mind%20of%20the%20GM.</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://rolesrules.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-lichway-white-dwarf-9-review.html">http://rolesrules.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-lichway-white-dwarf-9-review.html</a><o:p></o:p></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-2068690855588499382021-01-01T05:50:00.001-08:002021-01-01T05:50:01.121-08:00Free Map Friday<p> I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7TZbERcRtwH8Hm7JYTRNE20G0sGHkoS5A_hyphenhyphensd0EpQpC-FWsGhQ1RrITvY9PbNTQEnlh1Sp7rfPdGHmxdAyZunY2bRnyxwRCWCWlD2TF3xSSx2wPqxKjoEa8cSUqVW5_e4Dnou5raDo/s2048/Deep+Caves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="2048" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7TZbERcRtwH8Hm7JYTRNE20G0sGHkoS5A_hyphenhyphensd0EpQpC-FWsGhQ1RrITvY9PbNTQEnlh1Sp7rfPdGHmxdAyZunY2bRnyxwRCWCWlD2TF3xSSx2wPqxKjoEa8cSUqVW5_e4Dnou5raDo/w640-h464/Deep+Caves.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-57870633085750097032020-12-29T05:43:00.003-08:002020-12-29T06:37:03.263-08:00Attribute (Statistic) Idea: I hate dump stats<p>Over on <a href="https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=85681">dragonsfoot.org</a> someone suggested an alternative to the traditional 6 attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma) to 4 attributes, each split in two (Strength/Endurance, Dexterity/Agility, Intelligence/Perception, Will/Charisma). </p><p>Interesting notion. Somebody pointed the discussion to MEGS (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayfair_Exponential_Game_System">Mayfair Exponential Game System</a>)** which is cool: each attribute increase DOUBLES - hence the name - the ability so if a Strength 1 can lift 50 pounds, Strength 2 can lift 100 pounds, Strength 3 can lift 200 pounds, Strength 4 can lift 400 pounds, then 800, 1600, 3200, etc...</p><p>Neat idea and works for superheroes rather elegantly.</p><p>I'm more interested in their breakdown of abilities, however:</p><p><b>Dexterity, Strength, Body</b></p><p><b>Intelligence, Will, Mind</b></p><p><b>Influence, Aura, Spirit</b></p><p>What I like is the kind of holistic approach to body mind and spirit. </p><p>Here's a half-baked, untested, early morning attribute idea to consider:</p><p><b>Body</b>: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution (or Strength, Agility, Health)</p><p><b>Mind: </b>Intelligence, Wisdom or Perception, Sanity</p><p><b>Spirit: </b>Influence or Leadership, Piety, Luck (Not completely sold on piety or luck, tbh)</p><p><b>Rolling Attributes:</b> for each CATEGORY (Body, Mind, Spirit) roll 10d6 and arrange to taste (yes, you will have one bonus die to figure out what to do with). All must fall between 3 and 18.</p><p>OR </p><p>roll 3d6 for each attribute and roll one bonus die for each category, adding the whole die to one attribute. All must fall between 3 and 18. </p><p>OR</p><p>roll 3d6 (or 4d6 drop lowest) for each attribute in order or arrange to taste.</p><p>OR</p><p>maybe you roll differently for different archetypes with one (or maybe even TWO) bonus die in a single category: Mages might roll 3d6 straight for Body and Spirit but 3d6 plus one bonus die for mind. Clerics might get their bonus die in Spirit, Fighters in Body, Thieves could choose which one category they get a bonus die in (before they roll).</p><p>I'd use a universal bonus/penalty chart for the attributes because it's easier for me to remember, and I like patterns (again, easier to remember) so I'd use:</p><p>3<span> </span><span> -3</span></p><p>4-5<span> -2</span></p><p>6-8<span> -1</span></p><p>9-12<span> +/-0</span></p><p>13-15<span> +1</span></p><p>16-17<span> +2</span></p><p>18<span> </span><span> +3</span></p><p>(19-20 [+4]; 21-23 [+5]; 24-27 [+6]; 28-30 [+7]; etc. - not that I expect anyone to get that high, just more mental exercise)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WHY?</b></p><p>Now... there's no real reason to do this, I recognize that... unless mechanics are built out from here: you have broad categories and some granularity. </p><p>This could be useful for skills or ability checks or maybe saving throws. </p><p>Skills: a check against any of the sub-categories would be useful for general skill checks. Want to jump on the back of an untamed horse (or an elk or a rhino)? Give me a Dexterity check. So that's nothing new. </p><p>Saving Throws: The Category (Body, Mind, Spirit) checks would be against the AVERAGE of the scores in the category, round DOWN (say St 17, Dex 15, Con16 - BODY would be 16, whereas St 17, Dex 13, Con 10 BODY would be 13) or the bonus/penalty for Saves could be determined by the category (in the second example the person's strength would somewhat mitigate their lack of constitution and give them a BETTER bonus toward something like poison or paralysis, perhaps). System shock (jumping into freezing water, for example) would be a CATEGORY (Body) check, for good or ill...</p><p>But, again, there's no NEED for this. It's just a idea that I'm toying with. </p><p>I like the idea of all attributes being important in a game (I HATE the idea of a "dump stat") and the meaningful choices that come from making those decisions at the beginning of the game and then living with them (sometimes regretfully...). So I like systems where attributes/stats matter. Anyone can wear any armor they STRONG enough to wear (something like plate being reserved for ST 18, perhaps, while even leather armor might require a ST of at least 9). So the granularity comes into play in details like this. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">** Yeah, crummy Wikipedia entry - but you get the gist of the system. One cool thing in the DC Heroes rules is that the rules are summarized in what they call "Eight Ideas": <i>There are eight simple ideas behind the rules for the DC </i><i>HEROES Role-Playing Game. In order to play the game, Players </i><i>must be completely familiar with these eight ideas. </i>(DC Heroes Third Edition page 82). I like the ability to summarize the system in X ideas or steps or whatever. </span></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-48120497347437319792020-12-28T05:21:00.001-08:002020-12-28T05:21:02.435-08:00Monday Magazine Classics<p> <b>Lair of the
Demon Queen</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAREOxnUlZ-IWIKVIK1U0LrEeeBLt_zopDjHEMHKDKoFhaZuoAxojqzac74T3kDpdwnfZQmBz_X986_zhyp9SXmujN5WBAJgKH2K1-B5bkB88SHa1iLzliiILTOrGqu-7LLiI4LB9sOQ/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAREOxnUlZ-IWIKVIK1U0LrEeeBLt_zopDjHEMHKDKoFhaZuoAxojqzac74T3kDpdwnfZQmBz_X986_zhyp9SXmujN5WBAJgKH2K1-B5bkB88SHa1iLzliiILTOrGqu-7LLiI4LB9sOQ/w223-h320/image.png" width="223" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Don Turnbull<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">White Dwarf #7<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">June/July 1978<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“A difficult
but rewarding section of the <b>Greenlands Dungeon</b>.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This is what we
might call a “drop in” encounter area today. Maybe. I don’t know. Maybe it’s
just Don Turnbull teasing us with what his clearly-inspired-by Greyhawk and Blackmoor
dungeon was all about.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Sprinkled in
with the requisite room and creature information are tidbits of design advice
and Turnbull uses a conversational tone that makes this a little hard to use.
You’ll need a highlighter at the very least to use this. I think I’d do a quick
one-page summary.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>“These rooms
may be inhabited by guardians of the Queen’s lair – say evil elves which fire
arrows at an intruding party. My choice of occupant, however, was the
Disenchanter (one in each room). This is one of Roger Musson’s creations...”
Summary: <i>Disenchanter (each room) replaced after killed</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>So much of the
prose here is of the commentary variety “So, to return to the poem...” “As an
added incentive, of course, some treasure can be put in...” “Let’s hope they
realise the meaning of...”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>There is a long
poem (spoken by a magic mouth, of course!) that the PLAYERS have to work out
the meaning of to be able to “beat” this room. This whole set piece feels very look
how clever the DM can be to me. That’s how we used to play, so I don’t have a
problem with it. The content is interesting enough – a little “funhouse
dungeon” for me, but it seems to be pretty true to the source material (I hate
hate hate disenchanters – they are just magic killers and really would have
little place in any true ecology... like rust monsters and luck eaters and...
but I digress – Source Material being Castle Greyhawk and Castle Blackmoor).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>As a player
this would be fun and memorable. As a DM this would be a nightmare to run as
is. I get accused of using too many words when I write adventures – but there’s
just <b>so much </b>commentary that it really gets in the way of trying to work
out the details.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>And then
there’s the dearth of details... “The tombs, marked D, can be designed to suit the
taste of the DM. Each will contain a member of the Undead class and some
treasure. In my case the Undead were pretty powerful but the treasure in the
tombs was excellent and contained a number of useful magical items. In
particular, I left a few scrolls around with Cure Serious Wounds spells - the
least I could do in the circumstances.” Wait... what? This thing is just over
two pages long, with only five areas detailed... and this is the “detail” for
one of those five areas...</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>The titular
Demon Queen does get a full three paragraph treatment, most of which is good
role-playable detail. Until we get to treasure... which is rather abstracted, “The
treasure (in a box under the bed) was of course very rich. In my room there
were coins, gems and jewellery worth a total of 8,300 GP and two very powerful
magical items – a Ring of Three Wishes (full, untarnished wishes, of course)
and a Rod of Rulership. When added to the treasure elsewhere in this area, the
total GP value was 13,700 and there were three scrolls, a Potion of Heroism, a
good book and a dozen other pretty good magical items (plus a crocked sword
just to add spice).”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>As a glimpse
into the history of adventure design and the early days of the big dungeons,
this is invaluable. Turnbull give us lots of commentary on what and why – all
to the detriment of usability... As an encounter area, it’s okay. Like I said
above, I’d make a one-page summary and maybe a handout with the poem (I know
the players are supposed to listen carefully and take notes and whatever...
yeah, not how I roll.)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Other reviews:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m sure there
are more, but all I could dig up was this brief comment:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/white-dwarf-the-first-100-issues-a-read-through-and-review.325009/">https://www.enworld.org/threads/white-dwarf-the-first-100-issues-a-read-through-and-review.325009/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And this:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/in-which-i-read-white-dwarf-from-issue-1.405199/page-4">https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/in-which-i-read-white-dwarf-from-issue-1.405199/page-4</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-1734411633317682982020-12-25T05:49:00.001-08:002020-12-25T05:49:03.768-08:00Free Map Friday <p> I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXm8aHmvWKF9D0MgNnYclyyt8q64w1bULo6fw8pkeGqsg4VqaT2D38sCh9Q_PIBTCACb9kFs0rRQqlu3gDHTXov_jHyFIJ-qUDxTymMphXvUnyZdJFejxYzlq7vlionKdPHICmdIKh1-Y/s2048/Water+Caves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1666" data-original-width="2048" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXm8aHmvWKF9D0MgNnYclyyt8q64w1bULo6fw8pkeGqsg4VqaT2D38sCh9Q_PIBTCACb9kFs0rRQqlu3gDHTXov_jHyFIJ-qUDxTymMphXvUnyZdJFejxYzlq7vlionKdPHICmdIKh1-Y/w640-h520/Water+Caves.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-63628263444678196632020-12-21T05:18:00.006-08:002020-12-21T05:18:00.139-08:00Monday Magazine Classics<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHcWl0dl5R0ZfVoIAeEHGyebZYe7qKGO1waiSrA4s2TSibOBkXzUobkkwnirsdsxZvknJxNEkaER4rkL3DIncbVFwWdXNSk6jny_Bd8la7eCUvN6VUJx8_K1l9NBSBDryktlOrU4lzQs/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHcWl0dl5R0ZfVoIAeEHGyebZYe7qKGO1waiSrA4s2TSibOBkXzUobkkwnirsdsxZvknJxNEkaER4rkL3DIncbVFwWdXNSk6jny_Bd8la7eCUvN6VUJx8_K1l9NBSBDryktlOrU4lzQs/w223-h320/image.png" width="223" /></a></div><b>A Place in
the Wilderness</b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Lewis Pulsipher<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">White Dwarf #6<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">April/May 1978<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Pulsipher names
this one-page description based on Jack Vance’s <i>The Dragon Masters</i> a
“set-up” which “may be incorporated into your wilderness.” That’s a pretty apt
description. I’m not sure it qualifies as an adventure (or “scenario” as WD was
likely to call them), but it’s got the elements: setting, conflict, hook... <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>This very much
reminds me of <i>The Wilderlands of High Fantasy</i> from Judges Guild, those
paragraph long hex descriptions. Take one of those paragraphs and expand the
information to maybe 2/3rds of a page and you get this “set-up.” Bare-bones
stats are given for Tracker, Heavy Trooper, Weaponer and Giant, none of whom
appear in the previous paragraphs... (I assume “Weaponer” is the “50 rabble at
arms,” but that’s just my guess).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>So, we’ve got a
human settlement which breeds and trains dragons. There’s maybe a little north
of 300 people here: “50 rabble at arms, 10 various specialists..., 8 heavy
armoured horsemen..., one sixth level fighter chieftain, 80 women, and 160
children and old people.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Treasure is
abstracted: “The primary treasure is dragon females... There is also a cache of
precious metal and stones as the referee thinks appropriate.” Sigh...</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>A paragraph is
given to the Dragons, clearly the focus of this “set-up,” with bare-bones stats
appearing for each type of new dragon (HD 1+1 to HD 5) with one glaring
omission.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Spider:
substitute for a horse</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Termagants:
smaller than men, intelligent<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Blue Horrors:
larger, quick, intelligent<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Murderers: not
intelligent, heavy and low to the ground<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Fiends: strong
and low to the ground (“low enough to run underneath”)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Juggers: “ponderous
and huge” [no stats given, though one assumes bigger than Fiends, so maybe HD 6
or 7?]<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Typical of the era,
this is a page of inspiration, not a “complete adventure” as we’ve come to know
and accept the idea (and, maybe, abuse the idea). That’s not to say it’s bad or
incomplete. It is clearly a product of its time and it is adequate for what it
sets out to do. This is certainly something that I could riff off of at the
table in a hexcrawl, for example, or throw out as a rumor to the party and
develop it further if it was something they wanted to pursue.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Other reviews:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m sure there
are more, but all I could dig up was this brief comment:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/white-dwarf-the-first-100-issues-a-read-through-and-review.325009/">https://www.enworld.org/threads/white-dwarf-the-first-100-issues-a-read-through-and-review.325009/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">And this:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/in-which-i-read-white-dwarf-from-issue-1.405199/page-4">https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/in-which-i-read-white-dwarf-from-issue-1.405199/page-4</a><o:p></o:p></p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-43575911096501992962020-12-18T05:38:00.004-08:002020-12-18T05:49:18.030-08:00Free Map Friday<p> I'm always looking for new maps so I started drawing some. They're pretty rough - but they're free!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWqo2L2EOzCl9Q1nAyV6GleQJIyjAFc3LK7X1AktYNyToNau_qHRNBVmjPzCiPEoZ9yiLGVXE2JNj8QK1KK52kg23nLsEJjNSGd3hf7zSQ0f5CvEhjsjkakyF_jdcpOVSjKbqMqlF7fM/s2048/Mountain+Fortress+Entry+Level.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2024" data-original-width="2048" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWqo2L2EOzCl9Q1nAyV6GleQJIyjAFc3LK7X1AktYNyToNau_qHRNBVmjPzCiPEoZ9yiLGVXE2JNj8QK1KK52kg23nLsEJjNSGd3hf7zSQ0f5CvEhjsjkakyF_jdcpOVSjKbqMqlF7fM/w640-h632/Mountain+Fortress+Entry+Level.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Available for use in any way, including commercially, with attribution:</p><p>Map by WR Beatty</p><p>If you want a larger image or a different format or just to tell me you used the map:</p><p>daenralworld AT gmail</p>Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-53864671133778052612020-01-24T09:30:00.000-08:002020-01-24T09:30:22.506-08:00SkillsEvery time we game - and we've drifted through mashups of all kinds of D&Desque rules sets - from Black Hack and S&W, D&D B/X and AD&D 1st and 2nd ed, we've dabbled in fifth ed - as well as dropping in all kinds of house rules and other games' rules - critical hit/failure, DCC's magic system, the STUNT tables from Fantasy Age (using 3d6 for combat rolls no less...) and a million others.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For so many reasons, I want to go back to a fairly flexible, mostly rules-light system. I usually default to S&W with a bunch of house rules and that's okay. Most of what I been <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/11655/Rosethrone-Publishin?affiliate_id=261412g" target="_blank">writing for publication</a> has been in a houseruled S&W campaign world. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So here's an idea for skills that keeps the idea of "rulings not rules" without getting too bogged down...maybe</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On the character sheet are four columns with headings:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Very good at Good at Bad at Very bad at</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe at the beginning of character creation could add one or two actions/skills in the good and the bad columns. Like Good at swimming, running, bad at horseback riding, being quiet.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Good at skills come out at the player's discretion, bad at skills come out at the DM's discretion. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When a roll is a critical success (Nat 20), the skill moves one column to the left, when a roll is a critical failure (Nat 1), it moves one column to the right. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Being good or bad at something might make a +/-1 adjustment to the roll. Being VERY good or bad at something could use the advantage/disadvantage system. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The DM might have a list of appropriate skills mapped out ahead of time or they could simply be the skills that come up during play. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Say a character attempts to leap over a low wall and fails a dexterity check. No big deal, that's what we use the check for. BUT, suppose the player rolled a 1 on the check... then Bad at acrobatics or something could be added to the list (the player/DM would agree on the "skill" in question). Undaunted, the player tries the skill several more times (with a -1 penalty) and succeeds and fails a few times but eventually rolls a 20. He moves the skill over to "Good at". If he rolls another 20 he can become very good at the skill which gives him advantage and won't ever be reduced unless a double failure happens (two 1s) which move his skill back to the right (good at), etc. If you are very bad at something and you roll 2 20s, you shift it to the left, bad at...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Probably too complicated for a system that I want to be simple... </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But it'll be fun to playtest.</div>
Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-6461594209390840932019-07-12T06:51:00.003-07:002019-07-12T06:51:46.800-07:00New Campaign... and so it begins again...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixThe41YT8p5G8OIkPeGQCtA5Kv9yPecPBrmgJbh-ZFnMDr1YT4d-VdLMIzMNpo57AQ3y7awnfnGeVvdTbA5D0NjWlq8yjT6H6w5dNnyT2LpbzzWb-ddi1kcYHqa6e94wbhkRemRx47Xc/s1600/Secret+of+Saltmarsh+Cover+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="500" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixThe41YT8p5G8OIkPeGQCtA5Kv9yPecPBrmgJbh-ZFnMDr1YT4d-VdLMIzMNpo57AQ3y7awnfnGeVvdTbA5D0NjWlq8yjT6H6w5dNnyT2LpbzzWb-ddi1kcYHqa6e94wbhkRemRx47Xc/s400/Secret+of+Saltmarsh+Cover+Image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I've always had a soft spot for <i>The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh</i> - I bought it back in the day when it first came out and ran a couple parties through it over the years - though only one got through both parts. I have several times planted the adventure as part of a sandbox introducing new characters to a new campaign - sometimes they take the hook, often they don't.<br />
<br />
So - my daughter has asked me to DM again - she just led some of her friends, brand new to RPGs, through a couple adventures for the Black Hack: <a href="https://jasonowenblack.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/bloat-cave-of-the-man-flies.pdf" target="_blank">Bloat Cave of the Man Flies</a> and <a href="https://gelatinousdome.tumblr.com/post/143663389566/prisonersofthegelatinousdome" target="_blank">Prisoners of the Gelatinous Dome!</a> They had a blast, but she said she missed playing (and felt a little overwhelmed running the game, even with the scaled down Black Hack rules).<br />
<br />
So we're going to go through the U series as a sandbox. Yes, I bought <i>The Ghosts of Saltmarsh</i> - I'll be using it primarily for the village and some of the "other" adventures that I don't already own - but I'll use the originals for the "main" adventures. Though even that's a bit of a misnomer, since it's mostly a sandbox that'll have tons of rumors and clues - there's about a dozen adventure opportunities (a certain reptile cult seems to be forming in Orlan... I mean Burle and there's been weird weather lately... like the very elements themselves are being stirred up... along with the regular humanoid incursion threats and the Lizard men and the Sea Devils and shipwrecks and, well, you get it).<br />
<br />
So - here's the introduction for my daughter's party. We're going to start very prescriptive to give her group a strong hook to get them to the Saltmarsh area, but not so much that they will go right to the House on the cliff...<br />
<br />
They will be approached by a man in a coach escorted by two of the Kingsguard.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">Well, finally we meet. You have been long away from home, it seems.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">Do you recognize the name Alvaro D’Alboran?
You may not, indeed, as he died perhaps before you were born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But rest assured, you would do well to
remember the name, for he was your father’s, father’s brother, and, while you
may indeed not know who he was, he has nevertheless provided an incredible
opportunity for you.<br /> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">I hold here a writ, to the heirs
of [your father], for a house and property near a little fishing town called
Saltmarsh along the coast of the South Sea.<br /> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">As I understand it, your
great-uncle died about 20 years ago. Alvaro was an alchemist of some renown,
though not affiliated with the Alchemy Guild. The house on the coast is yours
free and clear. But know this, it has stood empty for all these many years and
it is certainly in need of repairs. Your great-uncle seems to have taken this
into account as he has also left some money for you at the Chapel of St. Procan
in the village of Saltmarsh. The exact amount is not given here, but I expect
you will be able to care for the estate, should you choose to claim it.<br /> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">One other thing to note that you
may not know. The law of the land is this: you must lay claim to your property
within 60 days of receiving official notice of ownership. This is your notice.
You have two months.<br /> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">Do you have any questions? </span></i></b></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">He knows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">Saltmarsh
– where it is and how to get there; ruled by a town council elected from the prominent
families; has a reputation of being friendly with the Sea Princes (pirates); is
primarily a fishing village and a trader layover port<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">Uncle
– disappeared about 20 years ago (actually 17 years ago) presumed dead; he was
an alchemist, was very successful and was considered an enemy of the Alchemist Guild<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">He suspects:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">Uncle
may have been murdered (no evidence) – probably by the Alchemist Guild<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">House
may have squatters or worse (monsters?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">He does not know:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">Anyone
in Saltmarsh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">Where
the house is located<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">What
they have to do to claim the property (beyond showing the writ to the local
authorities)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">How
much money is at the Chapel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">He is willing to accompany the deed
holder (for a significant fee) to verify the seal on the document if desired,
though he is likely to be a liability on a journey: he is accustomed to certain
amenities (a coach, sleeping at inns and wayhouses, warm meals) and he is a
non-combatant (in fact, he is likely to faint or flee if combat occurs) with
one exception – he will defend the weak or the helpless (not very effectively,
but still…). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif", serif;">He is both a monk (of the order of St.
Ashar) and a government official and he takes both of those roles very
seriously so he will always tell the truth as he knows it and will always seek
to uphold the law as he understands it. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-54174553654284405662019-07-08T06:01:00.000-07:002019-07-08T06:01:23.896-07:00The Black HackSo my daughter is having a game day with some kids from school today - mostly Playstation 'cause they're like 15 - but she asked me this morning (thanks for the notice!!) to print up some "D&D stuff" because the guys coming over want to try it out and she wants to try running a game.<br />
<br />
She's played a dozen or so times with me under various cobbled together rule sets so I think she's ready to try... but not ready to digest a hundred pages of rules.<br />
<br />
Enter the Black Hack. Nicely streamlined with some new edition kind of features (advantage/disadvantage being the most obvious) and some neat quirks (I love the usage die idea and have adapted it in a couple of ways for my own use), the Black Hack has enough rules to get them started but is slim enough to digest and get ready on the drive (my daughter's school is 45 minutes away - so we'll be getting the guys - they will have that drive to digest the, what, like 8 or 10 pages of character stuff... and my daughter can take the whole hour and a half to get the rules and adventure ready...).<br />
<br />
So I found her a couple of interesting but fairly simple introductory adventures and printed off some pregens (though I suggested she should have them roll characters - it should only take about 10 minutes...).<br />
<br />
I'm going to have to fight my nature (to meddle) and let the adventure fly. I'll drop in and out of the game day (lots of meetings for me today) but I'm going to try to make sure I listen in a bit on the "D&D stuff."<br />
<br />
Thanks David Black!Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3425961126479074971.post-17559218779652814282019-02-16T07:42:00.001-08:002019-02-16T07:42:36.284-08:00Chaos TheoryCaves of Chaos, that is.<br />
<br />
I started in the Caves. I'm pretty sure my first character died in the Kobold Caves (oh, the indignity!!). I KNOW that I've been through the Caves four or five times (and we sacked the Keep at least twice...). Murder hobos indeed.<br />
<br />
I was reading a post on <a href="http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2019/01/on-gygax-design-iv.html" target="_blank">the Hack and Slash Blog</a> about the design of the Caves. Good post. You should check it out. I know that B2 is often lifted up as a highpoint of adventure design. And it IS the highpoint of a certain type of adventure design. One many of us really enjoy. It's not how *I* write an adventure, but I do think it is a very useful (important factor - easy to use at the table) adventure.<br />
<br />
And even though from an adventure standpoint it's pretty pedestrian - it WASN'T when it was published.<br />
<br />
Still - not my point in this post.<br />
<br />
I remember finally sinking my teeth into the Moldvay Basic and Cook/Marsh Expert sets and reading up on the monster descriptions (we all were both players and DMs back in the day - besides, they sold the box with both books so you read them both, right?) and thinking... <i>I know these are the Caves of CHAOS but I don't think all these monsters would live together like this...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And I know over the ensuing decades this has been bandied back and forth a million times. My turn to throw an idea out there (that has certainly been done before).<br />
<br />
So there's this evil temple. That's the key, right? I mean it's clearly the climax of the adventure - it IS the most interesting section with more words spilled on description than most of the other areas - it has arguably the most powerful opponents - maybe a single Minotaur or medusa would be more powerful than any one of the inhabitants of the Chapel - but taken together, this has always been the most serious challenge for parties in my experience.<br />
<br />
The Chaos Chapel or whatever you want to call it is establishing a foothold in the region near the keep. So what if none of these monsters has ever WANTED to live so close to one another - but are compelled to live under a vague and barely kept truce by the presence of the Temple. What if the caves were originally home to two rival orc clans - two families (heck, the chieftains could have been cousins or brothers or whatever) who pledged allegiance to these powerful dark priests who wanted to use their caves as a base of operations... then the deal kept getting worse and worse as the priests moved in goblins and hobgoblins and gnolls and bugbears and kobolds. And the orcs don't like it -and occasionally take shots at the others (especially the really weak goblins and kobolods). And all they really want is their caves back so they can go back to pillaging and plundering and doing their average orc stuff... No more of this "petitioning the dark forces of chaos" stuff...<br />
<br />
So there could be a little more opportunity for interaction with an invading party - more dynamics.<br />
<br />
None of that is expressly suggested in Gygax's design. Which is what makes his design choices perfect for a certain type of play and a certain type of GM. Namely, the improvisational style. Anything can come out of emergent play - the party suggests something and GM runs with it, the GM adlibs a conversation and it becomes a thread for adventure, the GM misreads a description or mis-remembers a rule and off we go. And that's fun. But not for everyone.<br />
<br />
I guess I've always kind of lived in between the extremes of prescriptive vs. emergent:<br />
<br />
Prescriptive: everything is written out/encounters are planned/generally, actions are anticipated, the setting is limited ("there's some caves up north with monsters in them who shouldn't normally live together - I'll pay you for information or bounty on monster heads or..." something) - NOT railroading, just "this is the hook for tonight because this is what I've prepared'<br />
<br />
Emergent: a generally setting is established, some possibilities are anticipated, ideas are sprinkled about and several/many hooks are dangled ("you overhear three conversations near you in the tavern - one about some crazy hermit in the woods and his cat, one about the monsters in the caves up north [said in an incredulous/doubting voice], and one about something happening down at the capital city, about the duke being abducted or threatened or something...") or however hooks get dangled in your games (the bulletin board with notices posted?).<br />
<br />
Obviously, those are <b>my definitions</b> - and how I view the two ends of the spectrum on which I try slide in my gaming - and I'm somewhere in the middle. I am well aware that there are many definitions of play styles. <br />
<br />
This is MY continuum.<br />
<br />
I've seen the paralysis of "here's a great big world, what do you want to do?" and the frustration with "here's a haunted house to explore... oh, you're not interested... um..." So I have always been somewhere in between. I prepare the beginnings of an adventure - here's where you start and here are a bunch of options and if you want to do something different/unexpected, that's cool - just give me a minute (shuffle, shuffle - roll, roll). Okay - here we go. I've got SO MANY resources at my disposal that I think there isn't much that would derail an evening of gaming. It's still limited to what I'm prepared (mentally/experiential-ly/genre-ly...is that a word?) to run/play. <br />
<br />
So... I guess this has wandered a bit... sigh, the nature of a blog...<br />
<br />
(NOTE - I had this in my draft folder from a couple weeks ago and just finished in this morning...)Daen Ral Worldbuilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08466580672856608560noreply@blogger.com0