Here is the teaser I'm using for my next online Campaign.

The last Age ended as the world burned in a storm of corrupt magic, other-worldly invasion and human pride.

The last Age ended with the fall of the Thousand Cities, the Empire of Man, the Empire of Folly.

The last Age ended as dweomercrafted battlebarges fell from the sky and abominations called forth by cults of horrific gods ravaged the cities of the Old Kingdoms. A few, unfortunate humans escaped the cataclysm and found sanctuary in the young, Imperial colonies across the Sunset Sea.

The last Age ended as the Eladrin withdrew to their sanctuaries beyond the Veil and the dwarves shut their gates, laying runes of warding and hallways full of traps, and hid in their underground fortresses.

You are the descendants of the survivors of the Final War of the Empire of Man.

In the dying days of the last Age, Lady Helja, matriarch of the Bronzesinger clan, offered sanctuary to any and all who would dwell in peace within Deepwell holdfast. For hundreds of years, Dwarf, Human, Halfling, Elf and Eladrin lived together under the rule of the Dwarf Jarls. Born and raised in Deepwell, you are eager to make a name for yourself in this new Age.

The Jarl, Nilgar Ebergun, ruling lord of the Bronzesinger clan, calls upon the intrepid and the enterprising folk of the holdfast to:
* clear the route to the upper gates, unravel the seals of protection, explore the surface world, establish trade routes for Deepwell's ore and goods and learn of the changes since the last Age
* reclaim the abandoned mines and dwarf halls to provide ore for the forges and living space for the rapidly growing population
* explore forgotten passageways or sail beyond the dim horizon of the underground lake and re-establish contact with the other dwarven holdfasts and underworld settlements

Gold and Glory await!

Northern Guard

This is me sort of "thinking out loud."

I think if the class/power thing was done differently I would really like 4E. I would have preferred talent trees or gain use(s) of abilities at certain levels. It really annoys me that I can only use an encounter power like Hammer and Anvil (my favorite warlord power) once an encounter (hence it being an encounter power). I know it's supposed to represent finding that opening once an encounter but why can't it be more than that. Another example of the top of my head is why can the ranger only do double shot once a day. The powers system feels arbitrary. I still feel Marking is lame.

Not a fan of what I consider to be the arbitrary limitation on magic item powers. If I have 2 items with daily powers why can I only use one of them a day if I'm under 10th level. I know you can get around this via milestones, but what really determines those. Plus, it's something else to track.

The sales model is another turnoff. Before the announcement of 4E, I was planning on taking my campaign back to core (core being the PHB, DMG, MM and Player's Guide to the Realms). Tired of carrying all the books around; checking so I wouldn't introduce 'broken' aspects into the game. Now, core is multiple books. Things are purposely being left out so I have to buy another book if I want druids and barbarians. I may have to pay X dollars a month to get those Faerunian epic destinies I wanted. I know I don't have to buy the books, but it's a lot easier than trying to design druids and barbarians myself.

It seems like it's all about the math instead of making things fun and interesting.


There's a lot of good in 4E. I love the monster/encounter design of 4E. I'd want some minor tweaks (such as casting time) to the ritual system (plus add a whole lot more). I wouldn't mind seeing some spells that are lines or cones. I expect to steal the action type breakdown, critical hits and death and dying rules for which ever system I use.


This is why I think I'm leaning toward Pathfinder. They seem to be making tweaks that move 3.5 more toward some of the better 4E ideas while keeping the classes/powers (abilities) in a system I prefer.

Elodan

A summary of our fourth session of our Return to Khazad-dum campaign.

In attendance:

Kevin - dm
me - male dwarven warlord (Durin)
Dave - male elven ranger (Loric)
Ed - male human fighter (Grimbold)
Murph - male eladrin warlock (Allorian)

It's been two weeks since our last session and it takes quite a while for the table chatter to die down and the session to start.


The party makes it to the town of Ninglorien well after sunset. Since we're on the wrong side of the Anduin, we have to wait for the ferry to take us into town. We get an inn recommendation from the ferryman, go there and get a good night's rest.

In the morning the group is talking with the inn owner who mentions that trolls have been threatening the area. In fact, the local baron's son had recently led an expedition to stop the creatures. Unfortunately, the expedition ended badly. The man's head was tossed over the town's walls and only one man survived. As it happens, the survivor is having breakfast a few tables over. There is some debate amongst the party if we should help the town with its troll problems or continue on our quest to retrieve the item of power. In the end, we decide it would be best to help; otherwise, the town may be destroyed by the time we complete our overall quest.

We ask the innkeeper for an introduction to the survivor which he refused to do. Strange. Especially since it seemed that he was telling us these tales because he wanted our help. Anyway, we introduce ourselves to the man and ask him to tell us what happened as we want to help. The survivor, Bax, tells us what happened. As we make plans to enter the fens, Bax makes a condescending comment and provides us with a rough map of the warrens where his expedition went. I think that this is another instance where Kevin expects us to do or act a certain way but doesn't give us any clues as to what he's looking for. A lot of times it seems that all his NPCs are jerks (I'm not much better, people in glass houses, etc.). It can be a pretty frustrating experience, especially when Murph's attention is wandering and he keeps babbling on (causing us to miss some important details Kevin may give out).

Anyhow, Loric feels he can use the map to get us to the warrens. We're making out way through the fens, when we spot 3 lantern-like lights ahead. Before we know it, Loric is dazed and being dragged toward the lights. A battle ensues.

We end up fighting what I believe are 3 will o' wisps and 3 (possibly 4) large creatures. I forget exactly what these creatures were. Kevin used frog minis for them. I get my ass handed to me and end up using my second wind and dwarven armor's daily power to keep myself up. I feel this is important to do, as I'm the only healing the party has . Again, I find myself treating my powers like spells. I blow through all my encounters in no time. Ed is soon in the same place. I find myself reluctant to use my dailies as this is our first encounter for the day (plus a lot of my dailies are utility powers and not relevant in this battle). This is where the power system really is starting to annoy me. Dailies seem like they need to be rationed carefully. At wills do such a small amount of damage compared to the monster's hit points that the battle becomes a slugfest. Despite our having two strikers, this is what happened here. It's almost like "going through the motions." You know you're going to win but the monsters still have enough HPs to do some damage to the party (I know you can have the monsters run away or such, but it always feels cheap to me).


After the battle we call it a night.

At this point, I'm still not feeling the love for 4E. I think it's the way the classes have been done that really turns me off. Not a fan of the power system.

Sorry for the abruptness and general negativity of this post but I'm kinda tired of wavering between 3E and 4E. With Kevin and Ed loving 4E on one side and Dave loving 3E on the other, it's tough. I want to run something everybody will enjoy.

I wonder if I'm trying to force myself to love 4E and if that's my problem. With 3E, I loved the game from the start and found it very difficult to go back to AD&D. I'm not feeling that with 4E. More and more I find myself leaning toward giving the Pathfinder RPG beta rules a spin.

Of course, I may be putting too much thought into this.

Elodan

The Barrow of the Ogre King from FRCG was the primary basis for tonight's adventure. I was plesantly surprised to figure out that the dungeon tiles I owned, but had never used, matched perfectly with the maps in the FRCG for this adventure. That was fun!

Most of the encounters worked out well. Of note, the two fighter party works very well in "tight quarters". We got to experience cleric's turning for the first time, which everyone was impressed by. It is powerful, but not overwhelming, and as an encounter power, not a lock down for the entire encounter. The players got a nice bump by having two encounter powers now at 3rd level, not overwhelming, but noticeably cooler. In addition to the turning, the ranger's Disruptive Strike was used extremely effectively in the combat.

So once the party gets through the encounters at the top of the Barrow, the party is to descend through the ancient dwarven ruins to find the High Shaman. I thought this would be an excellent place to add a "combat/damage" oriented skill challenge. I made it a complexity 4, level 4 skill challenge. This worked out really well, and the party told a very funny story, and we had a good laugh, in addition to it being a very tough encounter. The mistake that I made was I went with the DMG listed DC's, having thought that we were going a little easily through past skill challenges. We agreed after, to stick with the errata difficulty classes. In this way, the PC's didn't want to feel like they would be "gaming" the system to get as many "aid another" situations as they could dream up.

ashockney

The old man looked up over his book long enough to see that his six-year-old son was not getting into any trouble. “Hankel! My boy!”

“Yes Papa?”

“Crawl up here on your old man’s lap.” Bard put the book down and beckoned the way an old man might ask for another drink across the bar, “Have I ever told you a story about the great Arkus Lightning Hammer?”


“No papa. Who is he?”


Bard shot his eyebrows up pretending to be surprised, “Who is Arkus Lightning Hammer!? Why he’s the greatest dwarf ever to dig the earth! ”


Long ago, in a time that has forgotten many deeds, and even more names, there lived a dwarf whose name was Arkus. He was king of a great fortress on an island right here in the middle of Avenroc. He had discovered a magic that could cut the rock open as well as defeat the largest of foes in battle with lightning and thunder. He wielded the power justly, ruling over the island in both mountain and forest.

He had two sons: Hemrec and Bardir –“

“That’s your name, Papa.”

“Oh. So it is. Maybe I’m mistaken about his name.” He winked, “Anyway, wealth flowed from the forges underneath Arkus’ keep in the form of steel the like of which no country, here or abroad, had ever seen, but it was not to last. A great blue dragon came from over the sea, breathing storms and hearing of the magic that splits the rocks apart. He descended on Arkus’ mountain keep and claimed it for his own – “

“Bradon tells me that there’s no such thing as dragons.”

“What!? No such thing as dragons!? Why there most certainly are dragons in this world. You may go through your entire life and never see a dragon (and I hope that you never do), but I assure you that they do exist, and you would be wise to remember that.

Now where was I? Ah yes. The dragon descended on Arkus’ mountain keep, and drove the dwarves before him. Arkus himself fell in the battle. The lightning magic was of no use. You see, blue dragons can’t be hurt by lightning. It flows in their blood. It’s what they are made of. Arkus didn’t know this, and it was his undoing. Even Hemrec fell in the battle. Eight hundred forty-three dead in all. Only five of them survived by hiding in a small prison keep that was too deep for the wyrm to find.”

“What about Bardir?”

“Well, Bardir wasn’t there. He was off delivering a shipment of steel to the mainland, far away. When he returned, he found that the keep had been taken. He took his men, and tried to get it back, but he died in the attempt.”

“That’s a sad story.”

“You expect all stories to have a happy ending?”

“Sure. Why shouldn’t I?”

“It’s not always that way my son.”

“Papa?”

“Yes?”

“Is the dragon still there?”

Bard’s face momentarily lost expression but quickly composed itself, “It’s time for you to get to bed, Hankel. Onyxia! This boy looks tired doesn’t he?”

“Well I’m sure he’ll sleep well after a story like that.” A stout, but charming dwarf lady of elder years dusted her hands as she strode into the room from the kitchen, swept Hankel up into her arms, and kissed him on the cheek, “Come child. To bed with you. Don’t let Papa’s stories keep you from a good night’s rest.” He’s got to work in town early tomorrow, and, if you want, you can help around the forge.” Onyxia rounded on Bard, “For heaven’s sake Bard. Don’t scare the boy!”

Bard looked back with an expression of mock innocence that hid a serious desperation, “He must know one way or the other my wife.”

H.M.Gimlord

Cross-posted with more material on The Good Gaming Blog:

But you don't get to go. Sweet computer friends... you must remain behind. Here, I give you things to read:

A Divine Wind: If you're not reading it, you should.

Tomb and Tome Lame name, starting out, but good stuff.

Chatty DM: Classic work and good times.

World in a Handful of Dice: Nitessine's blog, good stuff.

Just a few to tide you over til daddy gets home.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

'oy there.

Freelancer (AKA Red Mage) comin' down the pipe at you.

Here. I've also made him an attachment on this post.

That's the total package. He's changed a little bit even after I posted Tristam's stats earlier, but the changes are mostly minor. This thing goes at a pretty good speed.

I'm beginning the stages of widespread playtesting. My idea right now is to host a few online games, using software like MapTool to get the basics down. I'll expose the general public to a lot of FFZ's ideas as players, and those who are players in these playtests I'll see about recruiting to become DM's for broader playtesting. Spread it through the grassroots, so to speak.

Kamikaze Midget

Cross-posted on The Good Gaming Blog

Lazy DMing: To Create a Minion Part 1: Faux Pas.

Too often DMs become trapped in storyline and pacing. While these elements are essential to DMing, they serve a purpose if and only if players can become immersed through the use of interesting characters. Trust, interesting characters are what drive the story, but the next flaw which many DMs fall into regarding these ‘interesting characters’ is the idea that the ‘interest’ should apply mostly to the Big Bad Evil of your specific story arc. Yes, while in many cases a Big Bad will be the story’s driver, it is important to make flavorful minions that the PCs will remember for the rest of the campaign.

Now, this has absolutely nothing to do (necessarily) with 4e; minion, in this case, applies as a general term for any creature which serves a higher-ranking creature (the Big Bad in this case). These entries will cover a good ‘how to’ guide to what a good, memorable series of minions should be. These observations have been taken from games I have run or played in, along with discussions from others who have run or played memorable minion types.

First, we’ll cover the main flaws which players seem to have about the necessity of minions:

1.) Mooks need not be flavored. This one I have never understood until a few days ago when I was watching a long series of movies… one may know these movies, because, like D&D, there are a lot of glowing swords, monsters, and evil-doers dressed in black armor. Got where I’m coming from? Excellent. Now, the mooks which are presented as sort of the ‘endless shooting gallery’ of this epic are usually pretty flavorless; they dress in white armor, have pretty blasé weaponry, and generally don’t go into much interaction.

Don’t fall for this trap. Uniforms are great if you’re dealing with a military outfit, but even the most common minions in D&D will have a wide variety of things they do, and with that variety probably comes many different tactics. Let the minions have something different about them, something not necessarily unique but memorable . . . otherwise, you just have a bunch of guys marked with the scarlet M wandering about your setting.

2.) Mooks with a lot going on. We all want our minions to have a large variety of things to do; maybe each type of minion focuses on something different, or has a suite of abilities ready to fend off the heroes at every turn. While this is fine in theory, it becomes downright irksome in practice. Think of minions as hardware; would I rather have a device which does a hundred things poorly at an expensive price tag, or a sleek device which does a handful of things I need it to do well for half the price? Villains are spendthrifts after all; all of those hero slaying parties take up a lot of time and money on the schedule.

3.) Mooks go the distance. Yes, some minions may make it out with their hides . . . and if they see a chance they should retreat if they have a couple of brain cells to rub together. However, it is better to let players get the upper hand on the minions than let all of the minions run away and leave the players feeling screwed over. After all, the Big Bad hired these guys/girls/creatures ‘at will’, and usually that means they are expendable.

4.) Every mook is a Leader. No no no. Sometimes minions go down . . . loyal retainers aren’t really minions so much as they are cohorts (which will be discussed at a later period).

5.) The Exotic Russian Nesting Mook. Minions should be different than the Big Bad; cohorts and sidekicks can have similar powers, but a minion helps to fulfill a role which the Big Bad may not be able to do himself. For example, vampires and their spawn have certain weaknesses (light of day, stakes, getting their heads cut off) and they may need someone to protect or supplement their ranks with ways to overcome them. Renfields will probably still go down to a stake in the heart and their heads being chopped off, but at least they maneuver well in sunny Acapulco.

These are the five biggest thinking errors I see with minion builds; the next entry will cover ways to get around these issues, and hopefully present you some ideas to give those minions something to power themselves up with.

Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Not so long ago, it seemed like the OGL was a green, wide open pasture. After the initial glut of d20 and OGL products, it looked like a healthy crop of third party publishers was left standing, with the field still welcoming to a small publisher with an idea. To be sure, sales were leveling off, but there still existed a definable segment of the market to which good products could be marketed.

Then came Dungeons & Dragons 4e, and with it, the end of Wizards of the Coast's involvement in open gaming. After a certain amount of foot shuffling, they finally produced the GSL, the next best thing to offering to set your business on fire and write a postcard of apology should Wizards find you in breach of contract. While 4e produced something of a split between 3e players and 4e players, the reactions of publishers were decidedly more complex. Many wanted a piece of the pie, others were upset their 3e lines had been undercut, and just about everyone wanted to know what was coming next. Did it mean the end of Open Gaming as a mainstream pursuit, or the true beginning?

So what can you do with the OGL now that 3e is yesterday's breakfast?

Third Edition, the Way It Was Always Meant To Be

Several publishers have had the notion that the open gaming community has effectively inherited support for 3e, and as a result, there has been a scramble to support that edition. So far, no one has pledged to simply act as if 4e never happened. Paizo has decided to turn their Pathfinder trademark into a new version of 3.5, using basically compatible stats while incorporating a lot of 4e-inspired concepts and a number of innovations suggested late in the game by Wizards products and other publishers, such as Mongoose. More powers, more options, more juice, but maybe a little refined and simplified. If you thought your game plan was to produce a 3.5 based game, but with at-will powers and other 4e notions, that ship has sailed. There is probably not a good way to compete with Paizo for that segment of the market. They were first, they are bigger than a basement publisher, so they win.

So, then, the option remains to make a 3.5 game that does the opposite. There is still plenty of room for a 3.5 variant that is basically recognizable, but trims out some 3e concepts that were perhaps less popular with AD&D players or players familiar with non-D&D games. You could make something fairly AD&D retro in style, or even look back to the Rules Encyclopedia for flavor and philosophical inspiration. Another approach might be to use variant material; leave 3.5 largely intact, but throw in options from Unearthed Arcana or any OGL book you fancy.

Finally, there is perhaps a market for a repackaged SRD with some minor errata and fixes, with a very low price point. In theory, there might be a market for a $1 PDF that amounts to D&D 3.51. I would at least be curious.

Embrace a Variant

Castles & Crusades, True20, and the Conan game all have their adherents. Runequest is a very different, non-d20 OGL option. But tapping into an existing customer base has its advantages. You wouldn't have to do all the heavy lifting yourself. In many cases, publishers would be extremely eager to have anyone else continuing to push their brand. Make sure your chosen publisher isn't prepared to drink the purple Look-Aid and that you will continue to have access to important Open Gaming Content should someone fold or sign a new contract with Wizards.

The disadvantage of this approach is that these games are losing a lot of their base over time as people convert to newer games. It would fall on you to a great extent to keep things fresh.

Get Creative

A final option is to simply create a new game, using whatever OGL you desire and making it work the way you think it should. You have the advantage that someone has already written a lot of the OGC for you to use, and a lot of the terminology will be familiar to new players, but let's be honest. You are essentially designing a game with its own fan base, which you have yet to create. It is, in the end, not much different than doing your own homebrew. The only reason you would do something like this would be if you have a specific design in mind that happens to use the OGL that you think will work. The OGL is a resource, not a reason for being, for a game that is not clearly compatible with other games. Mutants & Masterminds created its own niche, as did Castles & Crusades, but there is no guarantee you will do the same. And the market today is very different. Your audience will be sophisticated hobbyists who have probably purchased PDFs before. Most likely, you will publish electronically, with low production costs, and yet to be successful, you will have to demonstrate your commitment to high production values.

Be a Fan

The OGL leaves behind an unprecedented opportunity for fans of D&D 3e to continue producing new material in a "safe harbor." Many older games, including versions of D&D, still have a thriving fan community. With the OGL, 3e has a chance at more robust support, more publisher interest, and less legal troubles than other out of print games. Just because it does not provide a supplemental paycheck does not mean it is not worth doing.

There is nothing "unprofessional" about producing fan work or free work or work for insignificant pay. Sometimes, it is necessary to separate what we do because we can versus what we do because it pays. Before publishing a line of OGL products hoping to catch the remaining market, consider whether it might not be cheaper in the long run to release much of the material at very low cost and pinning your intended profits on something that makes sense now. Loss leaders can make a lot of sense in an industry where people often buy because they see a name they like. Further, there is something to be said for "business losses" incurred in producing real art, provided those losses are reasonable. I daresay that throughout this whole interesting adventure, more money has been lost trying to make money than was lost simply trying to write a damned good book.


In Summary

The timing of the 4e and the GSL was a demoralizing blow to people excited by 3e and the Open Gaming concept, but it is by no means the end of the road. Ultimately, it is about your games, your campaigns, and your chance to exercise your creativity. If you want to write or publish, your success depends on what you produce, not some nebulous, hype-driven industry you have no control over. If what you can produce now would have sold in the heyday of the d20 explosion, but you don't think there would be a market for it now, was it really that valuable a book? The key is to produce really good work, think about the audience you want to reach and what they value, and, for commercial endeavors, setting the price low enough for people to purchase a book on impulse or out of curiosity. Before publishing in paper, realize that the market has changed and the market is weak. Something new will have to truly stand on its own. There are already shelves and shelves of worthy OGL material still out there, unread and unpurchased.

Keep the eye on the bottom line. Your bottom line. What makes it worth it to you?

pawsplay

The setting sun sent scintillating wisps of blue and indigo though Firebyrne’s scales as he stepped from the weather-worn gangplank onto the wharf. The evening breeze subsided long enough, allowing the taste of salty air to stir his memories. His time at sea had cleared his mind and strengthened his body as if to prepare him for the life he was to begin. The wharf was packed with seamen, nets, rigging, block-and-tackle, luggage, and the noise of business. Every face was pail, hairy, and smooth. What a strange place. The people here are all the same – human. No one dared to make eye-contact with him, and it dawned on him that his first lesson in this strange town would be one of social humility.
“D-d-does this belong to you?” The stammering voice belonged to a dock hand who was pointing to an enormous oak chest that had just been lowered onto the wharf.
“Ixenvalignat! That’s me,” thundered Firebyrne, not that he expected the dock hand to recognize his name, scratched on the front of the chest in large Draconic script. Nor did he expect the boy to be pleasantly surprised to see its owner.
The dock hand’s jaw gaped and quivered a little, “A-a-are you going to need help with it?”
“No. I’ve got it.” Firebyrne hoisted the trunk to his shoulder with one clawed talon, pressed a copper into the hand of the boy with the other. The boy was already running away in terror when Firebyrne looked around to get his bearings. An inn stood just opposite the wharf as if to say, “Here’s the most expensive place to stay, if you’re lost or new to Rioc Alair.” But what was he going to do, walk forever until he found a better place?
He ducked his head to clear the door frame as he stepped slowly into the smoky, bustling common room which quickly bustled less and less. Songs and tales stopped mid-verse. Mugs lighted softly onto tables. Eye’s widened and quickly turned back to their ales to avoid his gaze, pretending to be thinking about something else. An aura of discomfort five strides wide seemed to encircle Firebyrne as he moved toward the bar. People cleared the way to make room or made for the door, suddenly remembering their families and homes. Firebyrne would have thought it comical if he didn’t know that this suspicion could quickly lead to violence if he made a wrong move, so he let the thought be replaced by head-held-high draconic confidence. Only the innkeeper seemed bold enough to ask him what he wanted.
“Needn’ a room futha night?” He queried, pouring him a tall mug of ale without waiting for an order. This guy’s so outa place he’s gotta have money.
“You’re good at what you do!” Why are innkeepers always fat? “A room, and a table in the corner where I won’t scare away your customers.” He swept his eyes across the room, smiling at the patrons who quickly avoided his gaze.
“Fair’nuff. One silva every night, and two coppa’s a mug.”
Firebyrne left the drink money on the table, “I’ll settle my lodgings when I leave.”
“Beggin ya pahdon, but I’ll be needn’ the pay now, and to know how long ya intend ta stay.” I’m not gonna let this guy fly-by-night on me.
“Have it your way. One night.” And with that, Firebyrne placed his silver piece on the table and took his place in the darkest corner he could find.

H.M.Gimlord

Good Gaming Goes Groucho,

Cross-posted on The Good Gaming Blog

I am really starting to understand the classic Marx quote (stolen from another source, so this will be fourth-rate thievery) of “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member”. After looking at months upon months of arguments in the D&D community about Fourth Edition, I’ll go with what I’ve been thinking in this blog as concisely as possible. I know, wackiness and ‘up-to-date’ are not up to my repertoire; however, I wanted to really form a cohesive idea on what 4e does and doesn’t do ‘right’ in my eyes.

4e hit some great notes . . . the whole issue is that a lot of these things weren’t exactly new. Creature-based XP, minions, ‘bigger, better’ solo and ‘elite’ monsters, a collapsing of the rococo skill system . . . well, this has been done. House rules on these things have existed for a good period of time, and I think that they’re great house rules. Hell, they’re great concepts! They belong in D&D no matter what the stripe because they help to take some solid ideas from house rules and early iterations of D&D and place them into the limelight again.

4e also did some really bad turns. Destruction of the cosmology by major shifts, the so-called ‘spell plague’, and the direct establishment of the four roles (defender, striker, etc.) . . . it feels wrong. The problem I have with these flaws is their introduction into the main; yes, a lot of people say ‘well, you can take it or leave it’, and I agree wholeheartedly that in most situations you could do this. In the core system, however, creating all sorts of strange armors, changing the armor choices, and introducing a setting which is antithetical to the settings presented before which were well-received . . . well, it just doesn’t ring well with me.

I really hope that 4e gets nice third-party support, and that WotC gets up off of its behind to develop some good materials from older settings and maybe even a ‘non-fantasy’ version of 4e. 4e feels to me like a great interpretation in combat of wargaming, and in all honesty I think that that style has some great purposes. Hell, the setting itself could do some really good things for people . . .

But it ain’t my bag. And there should be nothing wrong with that. Whenever I bring up these points in conversation with 4e diehards I get the same thing; well, it’s only a bug to you, that really you should do this instead . . . and I get irritated. 3e and 4e have their places in the community; and as long as the OGL keeps producing good solid 3rd party materials which I can adapt to my settings 3e will be my choice. However, in specific ways (as an introduction game, as a game to emulate a world similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, etc.) I could see myself using 4e.

But I don’t want to be part of the 3e or the 4e community. I don’t want to be a grognard, or a fatbeard wannabe, or a deep fanboy for any edition. I want to be a Gamer, and bring you Good Gaming. This is why I will try to keep things very setting unspecific, so as to allow you conversion. When material was done in 3e it will be presented as such with the least amount of frills.

But don’t call me a grogger… I’m a gamer. And gaming shouldn't require a membership.

Good Gaming,

-Loonook.

Loonook

Good Lord, has it really been three months since I posted that?

It certainly takes time to correct proofs and add indexes and contents pages and form-fillable character sheets and other bells and whistles.

Anyway, here we are: OSRIC v2.00 release.

OSRIC

PapersAndPaychecks

At this point, I should hope you have already figured out that this is a campaign blog about a published adventure. As such, it contains spoilers about the adventure. You have been warned.

When we last left our intrepid heroes, they had rescued Ricard Damaris, famed swordsman and proprietor of the Green Dragon Inn, a locale haunt in the City of Greyhawk for all manner of folk, especially the adventuring kind. Ricard had been ambushed while traveling with a trade caravan from Dyvers by orcs who were led by a fearsome half-orc who was "almost as good a swordsmen" as he. Ricard claimed he would have bested the half-orc had his wyvern-riding lieutenant not swooped in, stinging him with the tail of the wyvern. Wyvern poison coursing through his veins, he collapsed.

Our heroes had come upon this grim scene by Zagig's Bridge shortly after these unfortunate events had occured. A few orcs remained behind to pillage the homesteads built up around the bridge. The illustrious adventurers knew injustice when they saw it, and they strode forth hastily to aid the commoners being accosted by orcs. The half-orc lieutenant had remained behind to oversee the pillaging and began to cast defensive spells on himself and his wyvern. In the end, the heroes saved the day. The orcs were slain one by one and the lieutenant brought down by a fireball spell from the warmage Sephanie over the Selintan River. Though they never recovered his corspe, it seemed clear there was no way he could have survived the plummet. As the adventurers surveyed the wreckage, the elf known as Jan noted that it was unusual that these orcs appeared to be not from the nearby Pomarj, but of the Jebli tribe, which would mean they would have to have traveled from far to the north through a number of civilized lands, a proposition that made little sense at all.

Ricard was found amid some wreckage of a wagon belonging to the Able Carter Coaching Company, a trading firm based in Greyhawk. He was slowly dying from the wyvern wound, but the Rhenee priest of the Wanderer, Timogen, staunched the flow of blood and removed enough of the poison that he the wound would no longer be fatal. After rescuing Ricard and hearing his story, they spoke with another survivor, a priest of Boccob, the Archmage of the Gods, a man named Abner. Like Ricard, Abner had been traveling to Greyhawk, but for a different reason. Abner was a pilgrim coming to Greyhawk to celebrate a hero of the faith, Patriarch Riggby, renowned for his opposition to the evil demigod Iuz. Many years past, Riggby and others had attempted to destroy the Old One after releasing him from the archmage Zagig's god-trap. They were unsuccessful, however, and the Old One swore vengeance upon those who sought to obliterate him. That Riggby had escaped his revenge through a natural death from old age was seen as a cause for celebration, not only within the Boccobite faith, but also among those who followed the way of the Cudgel and St. Cuthbert.

The heroes escorted Ricard and Abner to the Free City where Ricard was generous enough to offer the party of adventurers a free place to stay for the next month in exchange for saving his life. It was at the Lord's Table (as Ricard called it) the next night that Ricard told the heroes the story of the ruins of Castle Greyhawk. Once the abode of mad archmage and former mayor of Greyhawk, Zagig, the castle sported three towers, one to house Zagig's army, another to house his apprentices, and a third for his own private arcane experiments. It was said that all kinds of wondrous things were to be found in all three towers, but a couple centuries ago, Zagig simply disappeared with no sign. The occassional edict still surfaced from the Tower of Zagig regarding the governance of Greyhawk, but eventually, the city moved on and elected a new Lord Mayor. Zagig was not heard from again. It was not long before the castle began to fall into disrepair and many began to wonder what had happened to the mad archmage and what sort of things might lie beneath the towers in the numerous dungeon levels that were rumored to exist. There was only one way to find out.

A few explorers began to delve below the ruins to seek their fortunes. Many never returned, but those who did often came back with unfathomable wealth and incredible magic. Such successes spurred a generation of expeditions, the most famous of which were done by the archmage Mordenkainen and the Citadel of Eight. The Citadel was an adventuring company Mordenkainen had organized, including such famous personas as Bigby the archmage, Robilar the fighter, and his orcish cohort Quij, and their exploits in the dungeons of Greyhawk were still talked of today with much enthusiasm in the Green Dragon, Ricard explained. Beneath the ruins they discovered portals to demiplanes, artifacts of immense magical power, and magic the likes of which does not exist anywhere else on Oerth.

Ricard spoke of perhaps their most famous adventure, in which they attempted to kill a demigod. Several members of the Citadel of the Eight are said to have breached the lowest levels beneath the Tower of Zagig and discovered a magical artifact crafted by the archmage Zagig known as the god-trap, a strange device Zagig used to imprison nine demigods that he might ascend to godhood himself. Within the god-trap they discovered Iuz the Old, and, seeking glory, released him that they might defeat him in battle permanently. However, they underestimated the demigod's power. Even having been trapped for so long and in a weakened state, he managed to escape their grasp. Soon, the Lord of Pain made to rebuild his evil empire in the north and the Citadel quickly regretted their decision. Still, the deed was done and there was no going back. The Citadel disbanded soon after, but many of the former members remained influential to this day, Ricard stated.

To make matters more interesting, Ricard noted that he had done a little poking around and learned that the orcs who attacked him and the caravan he had traveled with had been seen coming from north of Zagig's Bridge. The interesting part about that information was that the road north of Zagig's Bridge was a dead end that led only one place: the ruins of Castle Greyhawk.

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So I'm starting to make some rough notes for the next session.

As I do so, I have come to a couple conclusions

1) I actually like my players

They are a good group of people, no one is a big pain in the rear (we all, including myself) have our moments, but they are just moments and not status quo. They do have an interesting dynamic because there is more than one dominant personalty at the table, but over all they work stuff out.

2) I actually hate my players

Just kidding

3) I've ended up templating my session notes

Once I realized I'm maintaining the same groupings of topics in each of my pre-game notes, I just thought templating it would make life simpler... and you know what? It does. Sure, it would be a simple matter of retyping if I didn't, but somehow these seems a lot easier.

While I have the meta-plot in mind, I have the campaign open-ended at the whim of the direction the PCs want to go, so I never really know which compass direction they'll travel and which time-triggered or location-triggered events they will stumble across, so working off a template adds some conformity to the layout allowing me to glance down and skim a lot easier on game day.

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Cross-posted at The Good Gaming Blog:

As discussed in the previous entry I really wanted to give the Ostari some ‘special’ style. Their magic would still follow many of the paradigm set by classic D&D, but be presented in a unique way. Thus, I wanted to come up with specific and different paths to solutions which I saw were not present in your average D&D game. Spellcasters, overall, get a lot of nifty little tweaks and talents because of their ability to cast spells . . . however, it is the rare setting where magic isn’t seen as something which is not above the average, a power which shouldn’t be trifled with. Even in this setup it is a rarity when magic ‘rises up’ above what is presented by your average crunch and fluff configuration. A lot of people want Merlins walking around their setting . . . I usually prefer more of a scientific approach. To me, magicians of all types (divine, arcane, what have you) are utilizing energy in a way which gives power through clever efficiency. In his series The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher asks which is more impressive (and I paraphrase): a large truck which steams and throws exhaust to move a load, or a small car which does the same with only a couple of AA batteries?

I think that creative and effective use of magic relies on getting the most ‘bang for your buck’, and understanding that because magic is an energy there will always be some sort of buffer, a resistance which can be fought against (and waste energy) or given into and went with to produce smaller but effective results.

It is through this reasoning that the Grey Ways, Councilor Birds, and magebanes became integral parts of the campaign setting in which the Ostari Imperial State is derived.
I’ve enjoyed the concept of each type of magic being different. I think that psi and arcane/divine spells should be treated as two separate entities, and that resistance should not necessarily apply retroactively to each other except for at a base level. Basic Spell Resistance applies to Psychic Resistance at half-rate; a psychic can penetrate a mage’s defenses and vice versa unless each takes measures to prevent the other from gaining the upper hand. On the other side, mages would split their resources and thus require outside assistance to boost their abilities to defend against their own kind. A clever ornithologist (a talented awakener) began working on a creature which could do just this. That creature is known as a councilor bird.

Councilors look like large Kingfishers (around the size of an owl or similar) with bright blue or purple plumage. Mages take on councilors as familiars and cohorts; though unable to speak in human tongues councilors have the ability to communicate in a piercing shrill and, as mages and others who obtain them as familiars will denote, they have a very intelligent and observant way of thinking and can understand common tongues. A councilor bird’s greatest talent, however, is its sweet song. In effect, councilor birds can perform countersong as a bard of half of their master’s level. Some councilors, who are usually known as Imperial councilors, gain rudimentary spellcasting abilities. These birds usually are trained as adepts, and serve as fine henchmen to mages or others who may need a boost up against those who would attempt to charm or cajole them through the use of sonic magic.

Councilors live as long as Grey parrots, but only Imperial councilors may gain class levels, and there are a handful of these birds who actually become talented mages or bards (though do to their size they rarely use material components unless they have an aid who can present them with the materials to use).

The Grey Ways is more difficult, and derives from good ol’ fashioned spell resistance. Remember the types of spell resistance when even good effects were stopped? Yeah . . . good times. The Grey Ways and their practitioners have culled these abilities in new and frightening ways. The first skill that Grey Walkers master is the ability to protect their charges; like shield guardians (or d20 Modern Bodyguards) Grey Walkers can absorb some of the damage that their superiors would normally take (we kept with the Shield Other level of half damage). The greater talent lies in the Grey Walkers ability to manipulate its spell resistance.

Grey Walkers are required to have some form of spell resistance. Most take it through a basic route (they are treated as Hagborn) but they can impart their resistance towards a target. At first they learn to shield their master; then they learn to channel that resistance through their weapons, actually reducing a rival’s spell resistance. Next, they learn to ‘disrupt’ spells (similar to the mage slayer feat against magical concealment and AC) with focused dispelling abilities. Their greatest ability, however, is suppression of the magic items which are carried by their enemies. In all, Grey Walkers are an excellent NPC Class for the guardian of a mage, which by level 13-15 should be able to cause major problems for someone who enjoys using their Staff of Power and Robes of Awesomeness.

At some point I will present the effects presented by different Grey Walkers, and give a Level appropriate ‘replacement’ slot for the ability. Grey Walkers are never mages; rather, they serve as warriors (or, in the very rare case of a failed Sucuran initiate, psychic warriors or Book of Nine Swords styled warriors).

These are just here as concepts . . . mix and match as you will. I’m going to step away from the Ostari in the next few posts, and focus on more advice blogs and shorter posts. If you have any comments please leave those . . . I always enjoy hearing good feedback .

Good Gaming,

Slainte,

-Loonook.

Loonook