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  1. J

    NPC names

    A lot of Tolkien names are rooted in (or outright are) historical Anglo-Saxon names. In LotR, Theodred was heir to Rohan. In Anglo-Saxon England, Theodred was Bishop of London. There are fifteen other listings for Theodred in the Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England Database. In my Greyhawk...
  2. J

    NPC names

    This may be true for your players, but is certainly not true of mine. In fact, if a DM/Player ever introduced an NPC/PC named "Lustful Curds" or "Kappa Jo" that person would be mocked and ridiculed until the name was changed to something more fitting. Not everybody "relaxes and has fun" with...
  3. J

    NPC names

    In my Magical Medieval Society: Greyhawk campaign, I make use of real-world naming conventions. Oeridians = Anglo-Saxon (from the PASE database); Baklunish = Turkish and Persian; Rhennee = Hungarian; and so on. Baby name books and online guides are quite useful. Using real names sounds right to...
  4. J

    Treasure Division Calculator?

    Open Google Docs (or Excel) In cell A1 type Players In cell A3 type Platinum In cell A4 type Gold In cell A5 type Electrum In cell A6 type Silver In cell A7 type Copper In cell A10 type Share In cell B9 type Platinum In cell C9 type Gold In cell D9 type Electrum In cell E9 type Silver In cell F9...
  5. J

    Museum of Dungeons & Dragons Poll

    I don't believe that a physical museum devoted exclusively to D&D is sustainable. I said as much in my comments to the survey. I firmly believe that they would be better off associating with an established museum (the museums at Balboa Park, San Diego come to mind). Or, working out an...
  6. J

    D&D 5E (2014) Legend Lore says 'story not rules' (3/4)

    We don't know that. It could mean: the core rules themselves will be modular (e.g. the core rules may contain X number of options for healing, pick one). Or, it could mean: the modularity promised is being delivered in the previously announced basic/standard/advanced format. Or, it could mean...
  7. J

    What is a D&D campaign to you?

    I'd just like to point out that the many of us who do play in these 20-30 year plus campaigns also make use of a character stable approach (we each adventure multiple characters). This was a necessary requirement to our early gaming years as we were unable to ever have a consistent group of...
  8. J

    Multiple Campaign Factions - Proactivity, Please! How have you used NPC factions in your campaigns?

    Yeah, A Game of Thrones is definitely part of the Appendix N for my campaigns. I take a lot of inspiration from history itself as well, in particular, the Hundred Year's War and the War of the Roses, but I also look to modern day political, economic and international relations theory and...
  9. J

    Multiple Campaign Factions - Proactivity, Please! How have you used NPC factions in your campaigns?

    Amongst the forces of weal during the Great Northern Crusade and the War of Reclamation were the loyalists of Katarina of Walworth; namely, the Knights of Holy Shielding. The knights, however, were not one unified faction. Instead, they were divided along religious and political lines. The...
  10. J

    Improbable dice rolls

    Yeah, I once was playing a cleric of Rudd (Greyhawk goddess of Chance, Good Luck, and Skill) in a D&D 3.x campaign. With a high Wisdom modifier and by virtue of being a cleric, I had a very good Will save. I also had the Luck domain granted power and another ability that allowed me to reroll a...
  11. J

    D&D 3.x 3.5 Best classes.

    Simple, other classes are just as fun. Be it for role-playing reasons or simply because I enjoy the challenge of playing "weaker" classes. I have probably played as many, if not more, bards and paladins over the years as I have clerics and wizards. Why? Because I enjoy playing my D&D as a...
  12. J

    D&D 3.x Which D&D 3.5 Core Base Class is the Most Powerful?

    There is also The Gaming Den... if you can handle the language they use when addressing each other.
  13. J

    D&D 3.x Which D&D 3.5 Core Base Class is the Most Powerful?

    For me, the "best class" is the one that has the greatest level of flexibility in terms of the types of encounters they it can face, and the ease in which the class can adapt to new threats. This generally means the three full casters: cleric, druid, and wizard. While a druid may be inherently...
  14. J

    backdrop: diamond lake/dungeon magazine #124

    You're probably best off just repurchasing the PDF from Paizo. It's $4.95 for the download.
  15. J

    D&D 5E (2014) Status Check: Still playtesting?

    Sure. I don't begrudge people their opinions. For me, I just feel that at this point I can't make any sort of informed decision on the product as a whole. Now, there are certainly mechanics that I have come to like/dislike in the abstract (and in some cases in practice). But without knowing...
  16. J

    You're doing what? Surprising the DM

    I am unfamiliar with that particular spell, but, assuming your description of it is correct, I'd be fine with what you did. You, however, may not be fine with the outcome. Exactly what would occur would depend on the contents of the keep, and my notes on the morale of the inhabitants modified by...
  17. J

    D&D 5E (2014) Status Check: Still playtesting?

    My position is largely unchanged since January 2012: that is, I am following the development but withholding judgement until the game is released. Quite frankly, I just don't think there is enough information to make any sort of informed decision.
  18. J

    You're doing what? Surprising the DM

    My DMing philosophy is to present my players with challenges and then be indifferent as to how easy or difficult it is to overcome them. So, when my players find a creative way to make an otherwise difficult encounter easy, then I applaud their efforts. They found an easy way to solve the...
  19. J

    Opinions on anItem - Lyre of Building

    IIRC, an acre is defined as the amount of land one man can plow behind an ox in one day. So, yes. They can plow a field quite easily. IMHO, yes. I would assume mundane tools of whatever technology level you have established for your campaign. That's probably a good rule of thumb. I think...
  20. J

    What's a Caster Without Spells To Do?

    Amber Amulet of Vermin Boots of Swift Passage Gloves of Object Reading Healing Belt Bag of Boulders Bag of Endless Caltrops Eternal Wand Hammersphere Rod of Sliding Rod of Transposition Survival Pouch Tanglepatch
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