IMPORTANT NOTES FOR MY CAMPAIGN -- *PLEASE READ!* (looong post)
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR MY FORGOTTEN REALMS CAMPAIGN
(UPDATE: If you are unfamiliar with the Forgotten Realms but are comfortable with other TSR/WOTC game worlds, I have worked out a solution to mask a character's lack of geographical knowledge. Such characters will be presumed to come from fishing or farming villages in the hinterlands of the area in which the campaign is set. If you can play a 1st level character seeing a big city for the first time in his life, you should be able to handle this campaign. The "Silver Palm" feat is not available to such characters, and "Cosmopolitan" will indicate that you come from a village which prides itself on getting the best of "city slickers." An "Educated" rural character was probably tutored by a 2nd or 3rd level retired adventurer who can't teach the PC much more than 1st level beginner info. If you would like to start as a Commoner, Expert, or Warrior, that will be just fine. Get those skill points while you can!)
Parking is almost non-existent here on weeknights; if you're driving you would have to arrive before dinnertime when the neighbors come home. Bus travel is a snap, though -- I'm close to a major MTA junction. Bikes can be left downstairs with fair degree of safety. Unfortunately, there is no wheelchair access.
Smoking is NOT permitted indoors. For people who bring food, there is a fridge and a conventional gas stove, but no household atomics. There is a pretty good pizzeria right around the corner.
I've got characters of my own I'm dying to run, even as NPCs, and around mid-June or early July I'll be logistically prepared to run here. If people bribe me sufficiently, I'll even turn on the central air conditioning during the day.
I can't guarantee that there will be chairs or a table, though. I spent many years sitting on the floor of someone's bachelor apartment to play, and I figure people can do the same at my place (which is larger than a bachelor apartment). (UPDATE FOR JUNE: I have brought in a futon-sofa-thingy, so there is comfy seating for the butt, if not the legs, for two or three folks on that. There is also an old office swivel chair and a dubious collapsible canvas chair. I'm sorry I can't offer better seating, but I'll be adding furniture in the coming months. This place is a mess. People who are sticklers for white carpets and sparkling mirrors should opt out -- Bree Van DeCamp does
not live here.)
Character roll-up will take place under my supervision. Die rolls may be rearranged or otherwise jiggered if necessary to allow a player to run a character with a good concept. There are no "hopeless" characters as long as at least a few stats are 9 or higher. D&D 3E allows one stat to be raised by 1 point every four levels, and even a feeble character who is played right can start looking good after a while -- it's just a matter of playing within the character's limitations.
What I am looking at running now is something for low-level characters in the Forgotten Realms which would build up to Epic dimensions. I don't mean just reach Epic levels by default, I mean that I have the *intention* of going from 0 - 20+. I value role-playing, and the xp awards will be based largely on that; many encounters will be just talking, but if the talking fails, the other person may turn out to be much bigger and badder than the PCs would have guessed, and they will have to fight for their lives -- and maybe more. Anyone who gets to high levels in my games will be proud of their character's accomplishments, and will weep sad tears if the character dies. (Yes, I *have* killed off people's "favorite characters" before, but I always *tried* to leave them some means of getting the character back, not that everyone exercised the opportunity -- some characters wind up in their version of Heaven and want to stay; others are much less lucky).
This campaign begins in Alturiak (February) 1360 of the Dale Reckoning (DR), shortly after the end of the "Avatar" trilogy and "Shadow of the Avatar" trilogy, just after the novels
Horselords and
Dragonwall, and before the Cleric Quintet, the Maztica trilogy, the
Return of the Archwizards trilogy,
Prince of Lies, Crucible, and the recent "Spider Queen" books. Only the historical parts of the
Ruins of Zhentil Keep boxed set are relevant -- none of the other stuff has occurred; Cyric is in charge there, Bane being dead. It is not necessary to have read any of those if you have read the god descriptions in "Faiths and Avatars" or in the 2nd edition god books, but remember that there ARE differences between my campaign and the books. Cyric is the greater Power of murder, the dead, and death; Kelemvor is a mortal, human fugitive somewhere, and he may not be where the novels say he is. Mask and Lolth are still both powerful. I strongly discourage players from reading any Forgotten Realms adventure modules and basing their character's action on what is in them; I will be using some of the modules and sourcebooks, but changing when and where events occur and who is involved; acting on "player knowledge" of the adventure modules may get your character killed.
(UPDATE: I do not have the
Return of the Archwizards trilogy, nor
Feathered Serpent. I would appreciate the loan of them, if anyone has them, even if I don't loan out my own books. See the section on bribing the DM at the end of this document. You, too, may earn XP and other valuable prizes!)
For what I intend to run, a Wizard would be the absolute best choice to fit in with the NPCs: any of them who aren't wizards themselves *know* some of the most famous wizards in the Realms; they wouldn't bat an eyelash at some weird wizardly occurrence. (I don't know what people have against Sorcerers -- in my own game world -- not the Forgotten Realms campaign -- *everyone* has innate magical abilities, the only difference is that some people can regenerate their magic and others can't; potentially any person on the street could zap you with a Magic Missile. A single pedestrian may have only that one spell and no other, but twenty pedestrians may be able to use it at once against a single target -- as happened once to a very, very stupid PC. In the Forgotten Realms, though Sorcery is much rarer than Wizardry, for reasons I do not know, and frankly don't care about.) NOTE: remember that this campaign begins in 1360 DR -- dead magic zones and wild magic still occur on Toril. (JUNE UPDATE: There will be one wizard in the party; those who fret about "party balance" may want to take that into consideration.)
At the location from which I could begin my campaign a Druid would very likely be able to not only step in, but might also have a much better understanding of what sets the campaign in motion than any of my own PC/NPCs. Later on, though, the action will shift to a city and a Druid will be out of place. If someone wants to start a druid character and then lay it aside for another character in the city, that's okay. Once I am confident in people's role-playing abilities I will allow multiple characters, but I'd prefer that a player not run two characters at the same time.
I am a GREAT stickler for priests behaving like priests, so if you want to run a cleric, please read
Faiths and Pantheons -- in my campaign, if you are cleric you had better know your religion inside and out because the time frame is one year after the death of several gods and the elevation to divinity of two mortals (Midnight -- now Mystra -- and Cyric). Lawful Good priests would want nothing at all to do with the NPCs whom the PCs will be regularly interacting with, and the NPCs would not tolerate ANY Chaotic Evil person's company.
(SEE BELOW FOR WHO'S DEAD, AND WHO'S NOT YET ASCENDED AMONG THE GODS.)
As a wizard you would be able to apprentice under either of two locally well-known wizards of at least 10th level, one of them primarily known as a genteel visitor to the Princely court and an associate of world-famous wizards, the other a youngster who is rumored to be a necromancer (he's a surgeon -- you didn't need a university degree to become a surgeon in the Middle Ages, nor do you in Waterdeep), but he is said to be in very "tight" not only with the Prince and famous wizards, but with several gods as well. Their associates include two Sorcerers, one of whom is currently a popular local hero, well-known as a tavern-owner and associate with many famous wizards, all of the most powerful local priests, and the Prince himself; the other is a strange mute who is said to be almost as good an armorer or weapon-smith as a dwarf, and some of the most famous local celebrities buy his arrows almost as fast as he can make them. Because the armorer is mute, very little is known about him, but he is rumored to be an excellent archer and vain about his skill with a bow.
If you decide to play a Fighter for a change of pace, one with the Lawful alignment would be able to find fast work as a mercenary, even as a 0-level Warrior. A slightly well-known (but not famous) soldier is right at hand, and he is hiring people of all classes for his new mercenary company.
If you want to play a Rogue, almost all of the NPCs would at least tolerate you (they've known worse than you, I can assure you!) -- and some might even encourage or train you -- as long as you didn't steal from them or any of their friends. These people have almost all just reached "name" level and they could have you imprisoned just on their testimony alone, ... or something very bad might "accidentally" happen to you if you crossed one of them. The tavern-owner Sorcerer and surgeon-Wizard seem to be in very "tight" with the management of the most exclusive gambling casino in the region, if you get my drift, and it's generally not a good idea to mess with the friends of casino owners. Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge. Say no more!
The standard I use as a setting is the
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, with the
Forgotten Realms Player's Handbook a very distant second choice. Familiarity with the "Sword Coast North" and areas just inland and south from there is what is needed for my campaign. If you look at a map of the Forgotten Realms, that would be the area from Luskan northeast to Silverymoon, sharply southwest along the road to Yartar, skirting the High Forest, then along the Trade Way to Daggerford and the area just southeast of that to Dragonspear Castle. Waterdeep is the largest city in this area, and it is where almost all of my PC/NPCs live.
I expect a player to know *at least* the geography and history of the area immediately surrounding his own hometown (wherever in the Realms that might be!), and to have at least heard of Waterdeep and some of its most famous residents (notably, Elminster of Shadowdale, who isn't technically a resident, but who spends a lot of time in the City). I am not an absolute expert on the Realms and I don't expect my players to be, either -- all I ask is that you know about where your own character came from; the rest you can learn, which is how real adventurers do it. In other words, if you are from Triboar, at least be able to find it on a map and know the names of the most important local people, and that Luskan and Neverwinter lie to the Northwest, Silverymoon to the Northeast, and Waterdeep roughly south -- that's more geography than most real-world people had during the Middle Ages.
(As a rough real-world parallel to my example, if you are from Santa Barbara, know who the mayor is, who the governor is, who Father Serra was; know that San Francisco is roughly northwest, Sacramento roughly northeast and Los Angeles roughly south, that Jim Hahn is mayor of L.A. and Antonio Villaraigosa Mayor-Elect, and who Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson, O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake, Jay Leno, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are, since we have movie and TV celebrities instead of wizards and sorcerers. For that matter, someone from Santa Barbara should know roughly where Skywalker Ranch and Neverland are. I wouldn't expect someone from Triboar to be able to locate Thaymount on a map or know who the Zulkir of Illusion is, any more than I would expect the average person from Santa Barbara to be able to instantly locate Ashgabat on a map and instantly know who is Turkmenbashi. Just being able to know those two real world facts is the mark of someone with a sophisticated knowledge of geopolitics, so knowing everything presented in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting would be the mark of a sage -- or a pedant. That *I* can locate Ashgabat on a map and *do* know who is Turkmenbashi should serve as a warning to potential players! Heheheheheh....)
I like my magic like coffee -- strong -- so I almost invariably use 3rd edition rules and 3rd edition spell descriptions. However -- and this is important to remember -- I *ALWAYS* reserve the right to change my mind about something at any time. A spell which has a certain range or duration in 2nd or 3rd edition might work exactly as described and then one day fizzle into its 3.$ version. On the other hand, there is a vast range of magic spells in my campaign, and one of my characters is constantly researching new spells; he almost never uses them, but they are in in his spellbooks if he needs them.
FEATS & SKILLS: Apropos of 3.$ changes, I *do not* regard Alchemy as a "Craft" -- it is a separate skill, Intelligence-based, a class skill for Bards, Sorcerers, and Wizards, cross-class for everyone else, and not usable untrained. I have the book
Ultimate Feats from Mongoose. I will consider requests to use feats from there which don't appear in Wizards of the Coast books, but since we don't know each other yet, please stick to feats from the Wizards books at first level. If a feat or skill comes from a non-Wizards book, I will not allow it unless you provide me with a photocopy of it from its sourcebook *and* its context. I have the
Experts sourcebook from Skirmisher and will allow almost any of the Craft or Profession skills from it. If you take a Craft or Profession skill, be prepared to explain how your character came to have it, and be prepared to roleplay it. (One of my own characters is a barber, and another was a plumber!)
MONKS: I have
never liked the D&D "Monk" concept, and I do not buy into the "Oriental Adventures" concept of monks as characters who fight each other to prove the superiority of their brand of martial art. HOWEVER, 1360 happens to be a great year for characters from Shou Lung, Wa, etc. to appear in Faerun because of the Horde invasion. That should not be construed as an encouragement to play Monk characters, though. The Realms have some monastic and monk-like orders (described in the "FR Campaign Sourcebook") and with a good explanation as to why a character belongs to that order, I may allow it. Playing a character who is a fugitive from monastic orders is *not* recommended -- some of the NPCs are on good terms with several orders and may just turn in a renegade; membership in one of those orders may turn out to be a good idea for a player's alternate character -- you'll gradually learn which orders are likely to be good schools for a PC.
BARBARIANS: not recommended at this point in the campaign. The campaign begins in Alturiak (February) 1360 in the midst of a terrible winter. Barbarian characters will be too busy just staying alive in their homelands to go adventuring. Tuigan characters are a VERY bad idea in 1360!
PALADINS: not recommended at this point in the campaign.
ALTERNATE CORE CLASSES: I am open to considering alternate core classes, especially if I have the source book from which they come. If I don't, I will want ALL of the pages relevant to such a character submitted to me as photocopies for my consideration. "Scarred Lands" character classes are not allowed at this point in the campaign, but I generally approve of material published by Sword & Sorcery/White Wolf, by Green Ronin, by Atlas Games, by Mongoose, by AEG and a few other companies. Generally speaking, if an alternate character class comes from a book published by a big company there is a good chance I'll accept it, provided that it is not specific to a different world (such as "Scarred Lands"). I discourage "planar" characters at this point in the campaign, but there may be an opportunity to play them in the future. Authors whose work is usually acceptable in my games include (but are not limited to) Gary Gygax (of course!), Ed Greenwood (also of course!), Monte Cook, Sean K. Reynolds, "Zeb" Cook, Alejandro Melchor and other
Encyclopedia Arcane authors, Eric L. Boyd, Wil Upchurch, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams, and other game designers of their prominence; I will always take their opinions under advisement, but I
always reserve the right not to follow the rules which they lay down if doing so would get in the way of presenting a good story for my players.. (Ain't I thoughtful?
)
K.I.S.S. -- "Keep it simple, Silly!" In my own campaign world I allow all sorts of weird character races and classes, but I discourage players from having weird characters in the Forgotten Realms. Even half-orcs and half-elves are a bit "out there" for this campaign as it begins. Humans are almost *always* a safe bet for a character species.
PATRON GODS, CLERICS, RELIGION: Being loyal to Mystra might give you some problems and close doors which would otherwise be open to you. Azuth, Savras, Oghma, or Thoth would be a better choice, and Deneir, too. I'm not saying, "No," but remember that Mystra was the human adventurer Midnight until eighteen months ago, and as Midnight she did have enemies; as a new god she is also changing some magical policies which are alienating some magic users.
Worshipping Azuth will make it very easy to integrate the character into the game, and Oghma will be a helpful patron to have in some adventures. Graduating to become a clerical spellcaster will actually work out well for your character -- you will be able to follow the very long coat tails of at least one NPC, and another one may be helpful to you. To worship Thoth you must be Mulhorandi, Chessentan, Untheric, a Spelljammer character, or from a different prime material plane, and you will be a curiosity to people in Faerun, but not shunned or despised.
In the Realms, worshiping one god as your patron does NOT preclude worshipping other gods, with the exception of some of the jealous (usually evil) gods like Cyric and Lolth. Thus, worshipping another god of magic or spellcasters (except for Shar) would NOT put you on the outs with Mystra, but worshipping her would provoke suspicion among certain other spellcasters. Openly worshipping Shar and being discovered as a Shadow Weave user will get you into trouble sooner rather than later.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR DRUIDS & RANGERS: something very weird happened to the Realms this week; you don't know what it was, but there was a huge flux in the magic of Nature.
SPECIALTY WIZARDS: You do NOT need to specialize as a wizard, but if you do, use the 3.0 list of prohibited schools -- it's easier on the players. (It's not "balanced," which means that the wizards aren't hobbled so that fighters can be more powerful than they already are.) If you don't have a 3.0 PHB and want to specialize, I'll give you your options for prohibited schools.
CHARACTER ALIGNMENT: Alignment is not a significant issue at low levels, but will become important as the campaign progresses. Chaotic Evil is the one alignment to avoid if you want to stay alive to see 2nd level -- some of the NPCs *will* kill you, even if they are just suspicious of you. A Lawful Good character may also have problems dealing with some of the NPCs. (They won't mind YOU, but *you* may object to THEM!) By and large, most of the NPCs your characters will deal with at first are a very tolerant bunch, so don't expect to be scanned for "alignment" before someone shakes your hand -- they will judge the PCs by their actions, not their thoughts.
SANITY AND WEIRDNESS: I think that I will use the Sanity rules, substantially as detailed in 3E "Unearthed Arcana." By and large, *don't worry about it.* I'll take care of that bookkeeping and tell you what you need to know about it. Strange, strange, *strange* things are happening in the Realms (as if the Time of Troubles and the Godwars weren't strange enough!), and there may be some big surprises for the characters in the future.
FR REGIONAL FEATS, LANGUAGES, RACES: I've attached a list of suggested Faerunian home regions (for humans). There are other feats and languages available for the same regions for non-human characters, but it's safest to go with human. With a new gaming group, the fewer the differences the fewer the potential misunderstandings. Faerun's humanoid races are also *not* the same as they are in Dragonlance or Eberron, so if you're not familiar with their Faerunian versions, human is safest. Humans are humans, almost anywhere in the Multiverse.
"CITY OF SPLENDORS" -- I will not have the 2005 novel or sourcebook for quite a while, so I will *not* be basing *my* Waterdeep upon those books. Much of the information in them will also not be relevant to a "historical" campaign which begins in 1360.
If there is something in them which you are anxious to play, photocopy the relevant page(s) and give them to me for consideration; I will probably allow it.
================================================
DEAD GODS & GODS NOT YET MADE -- 1360 DR
It is possible to worship a dead god, but you may not get benefits, and your character may be TOTALLY screwed after death if a living god doesn't send someone to claim you. Note that this is DIFFERENT from the published "Forgotten Realms Campaign" chronology -- my game, my rules, and Ed Greenwood, Monte Cook, and Sean K. Reynolds agree with me on that. Some beings who "officially" become gods have not yet ascended, and may not, in my campaign, depending upon how things unfold. Note that Mask is still a lesser god, not a demipower. None of the events in the recent "Spider Queen" novels has happened yet -- Lolth is still "a big bad."
BANE -- killed by Torm
BHAAL -- killed by Cyric
MYRKUL -- killed by Midnight
IYACHTU XVIM the Baneson -- almost completely unknown to mortals
KELEMVOR -- human, not a god, missing
GILGEAM -- killed by Tiamat
GRUUMSH -- alive, greatly weakened by something in 1358
LEIRA -- she's alive, but is shaking up the clergy of her church
MYSTRA #1 -- dead, but replaced by Mystra #2 (Midnight) in 1358
QUEEN OF CHAOS / the Dragon Queen / the Dark Lady -- killed by Gilgeam
RAMMAN -- killed by Hoar
TIAMAT -- killed by a party of mortal adventurers
TCHAZZAR, "The Invincible Warrior," "The Father of Chessenta" -- alive
VELSHAROON -- human, not a god, wandering alive in the Realms
WAUKEEN -- was missing, but reappeared recently -- if that IS her
==========================================================
RECOMMENDED HOME REGIONS FOR CHARACTERS
(These are strongly suggested, but not mandatory. If you, as a player, know a lot about some other part of the Realms and can play a character from there well, that's acceptable, too. If you are unfamiliar with the Realms or don't have a burning desire to play a character from elsewhere, these regions will allow for the fastest and easiest integration of your character into my campaign. They are listed in order of ease of adaptation to
my game.)
The following information applies to human characters (always recommended!).
Only one regional feat is allowed a 1st level character. Any character may opt for 100 gold pieces instead of bonus equipment. These feats and the bonus equipment (or money) may only be taken when the character is created. Anyone choosing a non-human bonus language must provide an explanation of why the character knows the language.
UPDATE: If you do not have a book which explains these feats, I can send you a jpeg copied directly from the
Player's Guide to Faerun which gives a one line summary. It's a 500+ kb file, so I will only send that if you ask for it. You can read the detailed description here, or I can send you a copy of a particular feat description if the one-liner interests you but you're uncertain whether or not you want to take it.
Please decide on a home region and what feat you would like to start with before we do character roll-up. That will save us all time and give me a good idea of how to get the party together as naturally as possible.
1. Waterdeep: Sub-race: Chondathan, Illuskan, Tethyiran. Language: Chondathan. Bonus languages: Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Halfling, Illuskan, Orc. Typical patron deity: Any from Faerûnian pantheon. Regional feats: Artist, Cosmopolitan, Mercantile Background, Silver Palm, Smooth Talk, Twin Sword Style. Bonus Equipment: (A) masterwork longsword or masterwork shortsword or masterwork rapier,
or (B) any two 2nd level spell scrolls (limited to spells from Player's Handbook or an appropriate Realms sourcebook).
2. The Western Heartlands: Sub-race: Chondathan or Calishite. Language: Chondathan, Tethyrian. Bonus languages: Elven, Giant, Illuskan, Midani, Orc, Turmic. Typical patron deity: Deneir, Helm, Lathander, Oghma, Tempus. Regional feats: Artist, Bullheaded, Caravanner, Saddleback, Shadow Shield, Snake Blood, Spire Walking. (Characters from Daggerford may take Militia as their regional feat.) Bonus Equipment: (A) masterwork bastard sword or masterwork greatsword,
or (B) one Potion of Lesser Restoration.
3. The North: Sub-race: Illuskan. Language: Illuskan. Bonus languages: Chondathan, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Orc. Typical patron deity: Auril, Deneir, Eldath, Lurue, Mielikki, Milil, Mystra, Oghma, Selûne, Shiallia, Silvanus, Talos*, Tempus. Regional feats: Arctic Adaptation, Axethrower, Foe Hunter (orc), Saddleback. Bonus Equipment: (A) masterwork battleaxe or masterwork heavy mace or masterwork longsword,
or (B) masterwork studded leather armor and 20 arrows.
4. Silver Marches: Sub-race: Chondathan or Illuskan. Language: Chondathan. Bonus languages: Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Illuskan, Orc, Sylvan. Typical patron deity: Deneir, Lurue, Mielikki, Milil, Mystra, Oghma, Silvanus. Regional feats: Blooded, Education, Smooth Talk, Twin Sword Style. Bonus Equipment: (A) masterwork longsword or masterwork rapier or masterwork longbow,
or (B) masterwork studded leather armor and any one 2nd level arcane or divine spell scroll (limited to spells from Player's Handbook or an appropriate Realms sourcebook).
5. Calimshan: Sub-race: Calishite or Tethyiran. Language: Alzhedo. Bonus languages: Auran, Chondathan, Chultan, Draconic, Ignan, Shaaran, Tashalan. Typical patron deity: Azuth, Ilmater, Shar*, Sharesss, Siamporphe, Talos *, Tyr*. Regional feats: Bloodline of Fire, Genie Lore, Harem Trained, Mind Over Body, Street Smart, Spellwise. Bonus Equipment: (A) Wand of Magic Missiles (caster level 1st, 20 charges),
or (B) masterwork chain shirt and one Potion of Cure Light Wounds.
6. Amn: Sub-race: Calishite or Tethyiran. Language: Chondathan. Bonus languages: Alzhedo, Elven, Goblin, Nexalan, Shaaran. Typical patron deity: Bane (dead), Chauntea, Cyric, Selûne, Shar*, Sune, Waukeen. Regional feats: Cosmopolitan, Mercantile Background, Silver Palm, Street Smart. Bonus equipment: (A) Thieves's tools, hand crossbow, and ten bolts,
or (B) masterwork longsword or masterwork shortsword.
7. Tethyr: Sub-race: Calishite or Tethyiran. Language: Chondathan. Bonus languages: Alzhedo, Elven, Lantanese, Goblin, Orc. Typical patron deity: Helm, Ilmater, Siamporphe, Torm, Tyr*. Regional feats: Blooded, Furious Charge, Luck of Heroes. Bonus equipment: (A) one potion of cure moderate wounds,
or (B) chainmail.
8. Mulhorand: Sub-race: Durpari or Mulani (Mulani race strongly recommended). Language: Mulhorandi. Bonus languages: Aglarondan, Chessentan, Draconic, Durpari, Goblin, Tuigan*, Untheric. Typical patron deity: Mulhorandi pantheon, Mask, Mystra, Red Knight. Regional feats: Arcane Schooling, Mind Over Body, Theocrat. Bonus Equipment: masterwork sickle or masterwork falchion or khopesh,
or (B) any two 2nd level divine spell scrolls (limited to spells from Player's Handbook or an appropriate Realms sourcebook).
* Not recommended!
====================================================
Bribing the DM with free pizza, RC Cola, gaming books & magazines, household "expendables" like paper towels and such like things is *always* encouraged (never *required*), but your characters will *still* die if they do something they shouldn't. Heheheheheh....
If you will be late or can't attend, PLEASE (!!!!) telephone me or e-mail me at least a couple of hours before the scheduled start time. This is not only a courtesy to me, it will also allow me a chance to contact other players if too few will be attending. I have a very good record of running my games at their scheduled start times, so I appreciate players appearing on time and ready to play (and give XP accordingly). If you decide that my campaign is not your style, or you think that I am an utterly repulsive human being, who gives you the heebie-jeebies, please tell me privately instead of engaging in passive-aggressive tactics which are annoying and non-productive. Not everyone likes me. Not everyone likes the way I run. I *do* get over it, if people bow out gracefully, but waffling about it is a bother to me and everyone else.
====================================================
REMEMBER:
"IF YOU SAY IT, YOUR CHARACTER DOES IT!"
Please don't EVER begin a sentence during the game with the phrase, "My character...." *You* are your character while the game is in progress. That's why it's called "role playing."
REMEMBER:
"NON-FIGHTERS SHOULD NOT FIGHT!"
It's entirely possible for a party to consist entirely of spellslingers even at low levels and succeed beautifully, but I do *NOT* like the idea of spellcasters wading into battle with feats like Great Cleave and such unless they have a very, very, VERY good reason to have such feats and combat skills. There is a reason why most NPCs are 0-level: it takes many years to learn the skills which even 1st level characters have, and multi-classing should take years of "game time" for characters.
I utterly detest the concept of "play balance" if it interferes with "character concept." Fighters should be fighters, not magic users, and NON-FIGHTERS SHOULD NOT FIGHT. Running away is a viable option for characters in many situations, and sometimes running away will be the *only* option which will keep a character alive. If telling the story requires the party to cut its way through a horde of enemies, it's up to me to provide you with a suitable "combat monster," it's not up to you to worry about "play balance" I utterly detest the concept of "play balance" if it interferes with "character concept." Fighters should be fighters, not magic users, and NON-FIGHTERS SHOULD NOT FIGHT. Running away is a viable option for characters in many situations, and sometimes running away will be the *only* option which will keep a character alive. If telling the story requires the party to cut its way through a horde of enemies, it's up to me to provide you with a suitable "combat monster" NPC to help you get through the encounter alive. It's not up to you to worry about "play balance" -- that's my dilemma as a DM, not yours as a player. It's a safe bet that PCs
will die in the course of this campaign, but I am not one of those DMs who sets out to kill as many characters as possible. It's more fun for me if a party can stay together, and it's more fun players, too.
-- that's my dilemma, not yours.
(Of course, sometimes a non-fighter may *have* to fight, so don't send your character out into the world without at least a knife or a sharp stick or a large rock to be used in case of emergency. In any sort of pre-modern campaign world a character would have a knife or a pointy stick as an eating utensil at the very least, so don't be shy about your character having at least ONE simple weapon.)
====================================================
REMEMBER: THE DM IS ALWAYS RIGHT, AND *I* AM THE DM.
====================================================
If that hasn't frightened you off completely and you are interested in joing the game, please e-mail
jamallokreen@yahoo.com .
.
