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I found this was much less of a problem in the old days. I've played two 4e PCs (to be clear, I've been DMing for the past 3 years), but I frequently had 6 AD&D PCs on a single sheet paper - because they died in droves. I personally played close to a hundred 1e PCs. So the game picking my PCs...

Earthsea. PS

I think if you want magic to have faded out, you should use some kind of metaphysical reason. Perhaps the detailed maps of the Empire are a form of magic. Mapping the land drives the other magic out of it. "Here be dragons" is a tangible force. As the boundaries of the maps extend, the monsters...

You could require an INT score (13+ seems standard), and then give out puzzles like tangrams to the player with the smart PC. Each tangram he solves at the table during game time gives a bonus to reading the language. PS

Wouldn't there still be mystery if the magic items were in the PHB? :) PS

"Things to Kill & Stuff to Take Manual" is a terrible title. I propose "XP and Loot" :D PS

I see them utilizing a skill challenge to gather info on their raid, which involves some murder and kidnapping in addition to stealing the treasury (they are totally heroes in this bunch . . . ). That means they are likely to know they'll need the key and a palm print to open the vault. The...

Didn't Tolkien have huge swaths of his world worshiping a dark god tho? I've never been a big Cyric fan, but if I were I'd have him put temples to other gods everywhere. So you think you're praying to Lathander, but you're in a false Cyric temple. PS

Hi all, I've got an upcoming encounter I think might be a solo, and thought I could get some ideas from yall. The PCs will be looking for the treasury of an Eberron prince. Naturally, it should be stored in a Kunderak vault. I'm thinking that if they trigger the vault's defenses it should...

I think it's a staple of old school gaming for players to pull in all sorts of OC knowledge to solve problems. This kind of inventing just to keep from rolling up displacer beasts on the wandering monster table is right in that line. :D PS

Because the good and neutral gods have rejected you? They give you zero powers, because they've looked into your heart? EVERYONE worships Cyric. Everyone lies. It's just his priests admit it. Because they're better than everyone else. And she's got a crazy racist xenophobic cult. They're...

I did this in my dungeon crawl mentioned above. I made sure there were a variety of paths for encounters to flow thru. PS

The one time I did something similar, I gave the PCs a lot of intel based on how they researched the dungeon. They had about 2/3 of the complex mapped out before we started. I drew the whole complex out on a couple of easel pad pages of 1" square graph paper, so the dungeon took up the whole...

I picked Rules Compendium only. I don't foresee a lot of either playing or running in the immediate future, so a single book with all the rules would be enough. I'd be able to see what they did with the final version without throwing too much money away. :D PS

I stole an idea from an Eberron module, where the Radiant Idol (essentially a fallen angel) had been turned to stone. I had it on the verge of coming to life. So it used the gargoyle stat block, and shifted from statue/altar/idol to attacking with Wave of Torment from the Angel of Torment stat...

So what happened?! PS

We used to take the sheets into the drive way and light them on fire. After looting them, of course. PS

I don't think you should put a lot of effort into increasing survivability. Bob the Fourth was a staple of OD&D for a reason. You should come up with a plausible reason for injecting new PC after new PC, and make the players roll up several to start, and perhaps encourage them to roll new PCs...

I think Thane and Mayor are the only real titles, tho Frodo, Merry, and Pippin were all from the same upper class. Sam was the odd man out - a commoner. I liked how the burglar could land you in jail. Seems like it ought to have the possibility of an extra Gold Coin or two tho. The PC I rolled...

Singularity Sky by Stross (inventor of the Githyanki!) is basically a story about what happens when scarcity is suddenly removed from a backwards culture. The group that arrives on the planet will give you anything you want in exchange for a story - they'll even give you the ability to make...