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In the Gord the Rogue novels by Gary Gygax, pure Adamantine is sky blue. That's how I have always imagined it, since I read those books very early on.

It has always been the purview of the DM to be able to make any roll in secret and as a DM I have always done this to some extent. There are times when a player not knowing the result of a roll can enhance tension and excitement in a game. Those are precisely the conditions under which it...

I dunno, I very much enjoyed the planes in 1st edition, but never cared for Planescape in 2nd edition. To me Planescape became more about the city Sigil than about the planes themselves. Ironic considering it was originally intended as merely a homebase from which to launch planar exploration...

Just a little fun. How do you think the different editions of (A)D&D would be marketed if they were labelled like household products, e.g. dish soap, food, shampoo, etc. ? My ideas: 1st Edition: Original flavor! 2nd Edition: Devil free! 0% Demons! 3rd Edition: New formulas! Lasts longer...

"Your best suggestion for a spellcaster's feat?" Socks? They tend to smell...

Here's what I do: In game: If a player has a reasonably short question or clarification about a rule, then I will listen. However, I reserve the right to override any discussion and make a snap ruling. I don't abide arguing about rules during the game - it destroys the flow and fun for...

It's kind of hard to compare raw magical energy to anything since in reality there is nothing to compare it to... I like the idea that it is everything and anything, mutable and unknowable. Perhaps it is never the same twice, or perhaps each spell effect is unique. Perhaps a magic missile feels...

Yes it is weirdly worded. Now that I think about it, it does seem the number might be left up to the caster. No problem. :)

Pull what, exactly? Making a d10 roll for Goodberry? I assumed that's how it worked, since it clearly says "up to 10". Any player that flipped a table at my game would never be allowed back, and if it were my table, would probably be leaving in a squad car. Edit: personally I'm thinking...

Tehcnically it's not a full day, it's one meal. I suppose it is up to the DM as to whether that is the same thing or not. 2nd edition had essentially the same spell description as 1st (Unearthed Arcana). I pointed out the other significant limitations here...

Really? In 1st edition, a lot of the caps were quite low, e.g. below 10. I do know a lot of people who ignored the caps, but I do know why they were there too. They were meant to encourage players to play humans, because that is what the game was fundamentally based on. Playing elves, dwarves...

The initital check is a save. Later attempts to break free are not saves, they are ability checks and thus require the held creature's action to do so.

If they really weren't interested and resisted the idea of having to pick up after themseleves, I would reconsider. Likewise if the campaign style were different. I don't always run this style, but I like it. As I said, the players are OK with it, and it seems to help everyone consider...

It may depend on the type of campaign you run. Mine tend toward the gritty and realistic where thngs like food and shelter are regularly big issues. It can be difficult to get players to engage with that if you handwave a lot of stuff. Like I said, once players experience their characters...

Letting players retroactively say what they bought isn't the only or best way to save time. In my games, if nobody wants to play out a shop scene, The players can automatically buy any available standard equipment and track their own gold, etc. We keep printed equipment lists with standard...

If you want it to, sure.

Goodberry in 1st edition had several significant limitations compared to 5th: 1) It was a second level spell, not first. 2) It didn't create up to 10 berries, it only enchanted 2-8 freshly picked berries. 3) HP gains were limited to 8HP per character per day in a 24 hour period. 4) A berry...

Yes, exactly this. If players can't be bothered to track stuff they absolutely need (how hard is it to say you picked up that weapon you dropped?) when I as the DM have no problem tracking all of them, that says more about their interest in the game than anything. I've found enforcing it is...

I don't like doing that (I've tried), because it inevitably seems to lead to players auto-assuming more and more of their actions and getting annoyed when I finally start enforcing things. It starts with dropped items, but it spreads to equipment they 'would have bought', and searches they...

The entire idea of protection scrolls was to give a one-shot magical effect a non-spellcaster could use. Solution: Decide on a case by case basis whether any individual scroll characters find is usable by the appropriate type of spellcaster, or whether it was crafted in such a way as to allow...