GuardianLurker
Adventurer
Gaming poll = *swipe*
My House Rules, The Gaming Poll and Campaign Tale!
- Thread starter Aluvial
- Start date
Aluvial
Explorer
I have to admit that I also swipe bits and pieces from various locations and modified it for my tastes and campaign...
If anyone would like a Word copy just e-mail me at aluvial@nwngha.com and I will send one or the other, or both.
Aluvial
If anyone would like a Word copy just e-mail me at aluvial@nwngha.com and I will send one or the other, or both.
Aluvial
green slime
First Post
I must admit that I have tried a similar method of bonus XP for painted figures, backgrounds and the like, but I prefer Arcady's method of bonus discretionary points at character creation.
His method was 28 point buy, +1 for a figure, with a further +1 if it was painted, +1 for background, and a further +1 for other stuff (can't remember).
100 or 200 or 300 XP in the long term is nothing, and can easily be ignored as missing a session will cost that much, or more. But you can't catch up on those missing Stats...
His method was 28 point buy, +1 for a figure, with a further +1 if it was painted, +1 for background, and a further +1 for other stuff (can't remember).
100 or 200 or 300 XP in the long term is nothing, and can easily be ignored as missing a session will cost that much, or more. But you can't catch up on those missing Stats...
Aluvial
Explorer
That's a really good thought... I like it. In the beginning I was attempting to get the characters up to level two quickly.
We use an old modified role method for determining scores... I'm not sure if I described it, but simply it is 4d6 re-roll any one '1' once. Take the top three scores...
It can lead to some powerful characters but that's OK for my campaign. I want the characters to be and feel like they are the ultra-heros in the world.
Suprisingly they all brought painted figures and backgrounds and made second level a lot faster...
But Arcady's suggestions seems extremely reasonable to me.
Aluvial
We use an old modified role method for determining scores... I'm not sure if I described it, but simply it is 4d6 re-roll any one '1' once. Take the top three scores...
It can lead to some powerful characters but that's OK for my campaign. I want the characters to be and feel like they are the ultra-heros in the world.
Suprisingly they all brought painted figures and backgrounds and made second level a lot faster...
But Arcady's suggestions seems extremely reasonable to me.
Aluvial
incognito
First Post
Aluvial:
Fairly Airtight! Have you come into the porblem of all the wizards or sorcerers becomming Trolls yet, with the Polymorph self spell?
How do you adjucate player abandoment of character (to start a new character)?
How is Monte's ranger working out? IN fact - tell us what you current party consists of!
Fairly Airtight! Have you come into the porblem of all the wizards or sorcerers becomming Trolls yet, with the Polymorph self spell?
How do you adjucate player abandoment of character (to start a new character)?
How is Monte's ranger working out? IN fact - tell us what you current party consists of!
Aluvial
Explorer
incognito said:
Well, all of my players are now only 8th level. I have 7 of them and only one of them is a straight caster, a cleric.
In addition I have:
an elven Sorcerer 4/Wizard 1/Cleric 3
an elven Fighter 4/Wizard 4
a halfling Rogue 7/Shadowdancer 1
an half-elven Monte Cook Ranger 8
a dwarven Fighter 7--Stonelord 1
a human Psy War 4--Fighter 4 (dice-o-matic)
and the elven Cleric 8 I mentioned before...
When things get out of balance I just tell the players, "Hey, this isn't working for me and I'm changing it." They bitch and moan but what can they do, quit I suppose but no one has yet...
I haven't had any permanent deaths as of this date but I'm running the RttToEE campaign and they are about to get in big trouble...
As for Monte's Ranger, I like it better than the one in the Player's Handbook. It allows a Ranger to pick other feats as start ups... My guy picked the two-weapon and ambidexterity stuff anyway but he did it at different levels and the character works well.
I don't tend to quibble too much about the rules, except to get them right AFTER the session has passed. The players and I understand the misinterpretations happen (especially with this new set of books) and we won't go back to alter the past (under ANY circumstances). If I run into problems I will fix them as we play, at the end of each session the players vote for the MVP and then we pose questions that came up during play that need to be looked at. Then I come here and post and get some opinions and then I make a decision.
I have some campaign posts if anybody wants to see them, unfortunately they aren't completed....
Aluvial
Paradoxish
First Post
Aluvial, if you don't mind I'm going to steal some of that. 
Dayum, though, if I ever handed a house rules sheet that long to my players I think their heads might explode. Or they'd take the nearest hard object they could find and kill me with it...
Dayum, though, if I ever handed a house rules sheet that long to my players I think their heads might explode. Or they'd take the nearest hard object they could find and kill me with it...
Aluvial
Explorer
Paradoxish said:Aluvial, if you don't mind I'm going to steal some of that.
Dayum, though, if I ever handed a house rules sheet that long to my players I think their heads might explode. Or they'd take the nearest hard object they could find and kill me with it...
Of course I don't mind...
The players ASKED for this and I gave it to them... They needed a wake up call from the ambiguity of the 2nd edition rules and the years of uncatalogued rules decisions I had made. We used to argue over if you were able to do this or that, now we argue if the rule 'says' this or that...
I'm sure some of you could admit that the new rules (can't wait to see 3.5) have added as many new problems as they fixed!
Aluvial
Eye Tyrant
First Post
Paradoxish said:Aluvial, if you don't mind I'm going to steal some of that.
Yeah, me too.... though I have some minor changes in my game...
Aluvial
Explorer
Aluvial’s Journeymen OR These Guys I Call Friends
I've decided to include my own tale of heroics (and antics) of my group of players (and the stat monsters who they call their PC's). I will digress, but since no one is here to stop me from typing, it will do you no good. Just read on (and on) and hope for the best.
Feel free to comment on new strategies for me to use or add suggestions to the course my game that I should take as I wish to inflict as much pain and suffering on their collective dimwitted heads as I can. You may also feel free to move on at this point and save yourself from the tortures my group makes me suffer weekly (Wednesday Nights – 7 to 11) with all of their _______ ____!! (add your own two word expletives in the spaces provided)
I’ll discuss the players and their characters here and get to the story in the next post.
The Players (and these ARE my friends, I’ve just managed to find a new way to bust their balls in print, that’s all) and their PC’s are:
Opie, age 28: the rules lawyer (with icy lawyer blood in his veins. I’d add that he would have a lawyer heart, but we all know that is not possible. I believe his warped brain keeps his cold blood circulating). Anyway, I’ve already asked this bozo to tone down his arguing and the group has threatened a civil suit against him if he ever says “I’m just playing my character as a dick,” again.
He plays Admir “I Love to Argue” Synthek. Admir is a LN (CN) Elven, Male, Fighter 3rd – Wizard 1st. He as made a habit of taking all of the archery feats (Rapid Shot, Point Blank, etc.) that he can and has just finished crafting the beginning of a Masterwork Mighty Longbow +2 (he has the bow complete and is working on the masterwork component in his spare time). He wishes to follow the course of one of his family members and become an Arcane Archer some day. The reason for the second alignment is attributed to the fact that an alignment change occurred due to one nastily cursed helm. He is now LN but still treads all over the line of a chaotic character. Here is a little ditty I wrote for him if ever the need arises:
And then descended upon Admir's head a golden light, and those who tried to behold it looked away their eyes burning and their minds filled with the fertile light of Freya!
And from the void itself sprang a holy warrior glad in golden mail and riding a mighty lion and a voice rang from her as pure as the light itself.
She Proclaimed, "YOU HAVE OFFENDED THE NATURE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND RIGHT (not to mention my rules) AND YOU SHALL PERISH!"
And the light expanded to encompass all nearby and the swing of Freya's weapon whistled with the might of her Goddess, and the troublesome beast's head was shorn away.
A vicious roar was then heard and the minds' of his companions was filled with its' ringing and the Paladin and her fearsome stead were gone leaving the offender in the dirt and Freya's blessing (warning) amongst his former comrade's faces.
Here ends the tale of Admir.
You'll see why I wrote this later...
Doug, age 35: the combat junkie. He has been in my campaign for 10 years. He helped me push us into third edition with its faster combat and choices of action. I don’t count him as a hack-n’-slasher but it’s close. Overall a good role-player and the party treasure keeper. Smokes a lot.
He plays Eli Shadowspawn. Eli is a LN Halfling, Male, Thief 4th. He has taken the Dodge Feat and is very good at understanding flanking, tumbling and so on. Eli’s knack for battle has led him to create more damage than some of my fighter types have in an average battle! Eli likes to sneak about to scout out a situation but will gladly hang back if someone else steps on his toes to “(I) move ahead.” I’ve given him good opportunity to steal from the party, but he has not done so… yet. He is a bit of a joker and can take the small fry and half-man jokes pretty well. I believe he might be leaning towards the Shadowdancer PrC.
Carlos, age 37 (38?): a D&D fanatic. This guy has been crafting his own campaign for as long as I’ve known him but is never quite finished and ready to play it (we’ll see how he does DM-ing, ha, ha, ha). Carlos has a better game collection than anyone. I’ll bet the guys at WotC probably don’t have as complete of an archive. This guy has it ALL! (including RttToEE) I’m not kidding. This is the party’s (only) note keeper. He doesn’t have the best memory though and sometimes messes up the story. His interpretation of his own script is questionable, I’ll admit, but like I said, he’s all they’ve got. Carlos still has problems grasping all of the new rules (hell the old rules too) and has just figured out skill points. It’s not as if he’s mentally challenged (ha, ha), just gets a tad confused now and again. ;-)
He plays Randelar Fleetfoot: Randelar is a NG Elven, Male, (Monte Cook variant) Ranger 4th (Good job with that Monte! Oh, I like the adventure too). This character has a bad habit of separating himself from the rest of the group and going off “just a bit” to explore. This has almost cost him his life twice, but, as you will find out later, that will not deter him. Randelar is pretty brave and is a True Party Member, “Party comes first!” I like that about his character.
Scottie, age 39 (oh so very close to 40): the character man. Scottie develops his characters out to the fullest possibility. With a little electricity ***foreshadowing, ironic foreshadowing, foreshadowing…*** I swear that these guys could leap right off the page. They are very well thought out, interesting, fully developed characters. I have to give it to him for that. Now, the problem. His characters are SO well developed and SO thoughtful that he becomes VERY cautious with them. More on this with his current character later.
He plays Stoneheart Earthfather. Stoneheart is NG Dwarven, Male, Fighter 4th. He has taken a number of fighter related feats and is striving to become a Stonelord (PrC found in Dragon 278, also done by Monte). I’d fill you in on his character but it would be twice as long as this entire introduction. Needless to say, Stoneheart is gruff, just like a good dwarf should be. VERY cautious in a fight (as stated before). He has ties with Oerth already and will be perfect for the Stonelord prestige class. (I would have suggested a half-genasi for him but I was only allowing the PH races. I may have him “change” into one if he every gets his first level of PrC.)
Justin, age 22: the min-maxer. This guy takes advantage of every rule situation that is created (and some he just dreams up). With the advent of 3rd ed. he is able to work it to even greater gut-wrenching fruition. I’d lump him in with Opie as an arguer, but I only think that is because Opie sits next to him and whispers into his ear a lot. A couple of the guys think that he cheats. I will say that he is VERY, VERY, VERY, lucky. I keep my eye on him but haven’t caught him yet. Otherwise, he is an intelligent D&D player, role-plays well and gets into his characters and the story. He has the best memory for the events of the previous week’s sessions and tends to help Carlos get it straight.
He plays Talus Vanguard. Talus is a N Human, Male, Psi Fighter 3rd, Fighter 1st. Talus is geared towards combat and has taken all combat feats (Exotic Wpn, Weapon Focus, Quick Draw, etc.). Because of a house rule that allows characters to trade 4 skill points for a new exotic weapon after they have taken the Exotic Weapon Feat once, he has managed 3 Exotic Weapons so far. Along with psionic skills and feats that aid in combat (psi wpn) this guy is a powerhouse with a lot of HPs. A real nasty dude. (I will kill him!)
Almost finished…
Jeff, age 37: the non-conformist and Justin’s older half-brother. Jeff has a love of D&D and to developing characters that could hardly be duplicated without copying them. He has played an intriguing mix, and has always got something up his sleeve. Jeff’s a very good role-player and has a great imagination about the game, when you can keep him focused. He sometimes goes off on tangents with Opie and Scottie about what’s on TV or what new movie came out. This happens quite a bit, so it is hard to keep him reeled in. Likes conspiracy theories.
He plays Vexander Sangreal. Vex is a NG Elven, Male, Sorcerer 1st, Wizard 1st, Cleric (Correllon-magic, protection) 2nd. (I imagine that he’ll pick up some bard levels next, ha ha.) This character has a love (obsession) with magic. He is striving to be a master in the art of spellcasting. With an owl familiar, he makes up the bulk of the party’s magical ability. He picked up his knowledge and desire for cleric levels from Zane (see below) and is the back up healer. With his low leveled but vast selection of spells he tends to hang back in a fight and get casting. The party came together due to a previous quest (S&S’s Wizard’s Amulet) involving him and stuck by him since. He is not a leader though and has developed some animosity with Admir.
And last, but not least…
Scott, age 36: the... the… hell, I don’t know. Scott is probably the best overall player that I have and has played with me as long as Doug has. He has always tried a new type of character and has a very good sense for role-playing. He is very patient with the others in the group but is leaning towards quitting! The party’s in fighting always has bothered him and there is a new girlfriend in the picture. I just might lose him! We’ll see, I think I’ve got him hooked into the story this time around…
He plays Zane Duskwalker. Zane is a LN Elven, Male, Cleric (Correllon-war, good) 3rd. (Zane has lost a level due to an earlier death but was revived by a very grateful town and their cleric due to his efforts.) Zane is soft-spoken (unlike Scott) and is always weighing the situation out. He is on a personal mission to weed out evils on the Oerth and so far, so good. I believe that he will be the glue that keeps the party on track for their upcoming trials and tribulations. Zane reveres his god well and has taken Extra Turning as a way to proclaim his god’s might. If a cleric could have a favorite enemy type, Zane’s would be undead (Prestige Class here???).
Well that’s it for the cast of characters. I included the personal info on my players because I believe I DM a group that has trouble leaving the real world behind and becoming their “characters.” We’ve been together as a group for over 6 years and the guys really feed off each other when it comes to the game. I think that if you pay attention closely, you just might see their personalities in their character's actions and that might help you realize why they do screwed up things at times. Oh well, I’m used to it by now, but I don’t have to like it! Death to the JOURNEYMEN!!!!
Aluvial
I've decided to include my own tale of heroics (and antics) of my group of players (and the stat monsters who they call their PC's). I will digress, but since no one is here to stop me from typing, it will do you no good. Just read on (and on) and hope for the best.
Feel free to comment on new strategies for me to use or add suggestions to the course my game that I should take as I wish to inflict as much pain and suffering on their collective dimwitted heads as I can. You may also feel free to move on at this point and save yourself from the tortures my group makes me suffer weekly (Wednesday Nights – 7 to 11) with all of their _______ ____!! (add your own two word expletives in the spaces provided)
I’ll discuss the players and their characters here and get to the story in the next post.
The Players (and these ARE my friends, I’ve just managed to find a new way to bust their balls in print, that’s all) and their PC’s are:
Opie, age 28: the rules lawyer (with icy lawyer blood in his veins. I’d add that he would have a lawyer heart, but we all know that is not possible. I believe his warped brain keeps his cold blood circulating). Anyway, I’ve already asked this bozo to tone down his arguing and the group has threatened a civil suit against him if he ever says “I’m just playing my character as a dick,” again.
He plays Admir “I Love to Argue” Synthek. Admir is a LN (CN) Elven, Male, Fighter 3rd – Wizard 1st. He as made a habit of taking all of the archery feats (Rapid Shot, Point Blank, etc.) that he can and has just finished crafting the beginning of a Masterwork Mighty Longbow +2 (he has the bow complete and is working on the masterwork component in his spare time). He wishes to follow the course of one of his family members and become an Arcane Archer some day. The reason for the second alignment is attributed to the fact that an alignment change occurred due to one nastily cursed helm. He is now LN but still treads all over the line of a chaotic character. Here is a little ditty I wrote for him if ever the need arises:
And then descended upon Admir's head a golden light, and those who tried to behold it looked away their eyes burning and their minds filled with the fertile light of Freya!
And from the void itself sprang a holy warrior glad in golden mail and riding a mighty lion and a voice rang from her as pure as the light itself.
She Proclaimed, "YOU HAVE OFFENDED THE NATURE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND RIGHT (not to mention my rules) AND YOU SHALL PERISH!"
And the light expanded to encompass all nearby and the swing of Freya's weapon whistled with the might of her Goddess, and the troublesome beast's head was shorn away.
A vicious roar was then heard and the minds' of his companions was filled with its' ringing and the Paladin and her fearsome stead were gone leaving the offender in the dirt and Freya's blessing (warning) amongst his former comrade's faces.
Here ends the tale of Admir.
You'll see why I wrote this later...
Doug, age 35: the combat junkie. He has been in my campaign for 10 years. He helped me push us into third edition with its faster combat and choices of action. I don’t count him as a hack-n’-slasher but it’s close. Overall a good role-player and the party treasure keeper. Smokes a lot.
He plays Eli Shadowspawn. Eli is a LN Halfling, Male, Thief 4th. He has taken the Dodge Feat and is very good at understanding flanking, tumbling and so on. Eli’s knack for battle has led him to create more damage than some of my fighter types have in an average battle! Eli likes to sneak about to scout out a situation but will gladly hang back if someone else steps on his toes to “(I) move ahead.” I’ve given him good opportunity to steal from the party, but he has not done so… yet. He is a bit of a joker and can take the small fry and half-man jokes pretty well. I believe he might be leaning towards the Shadowdancer PrC.
Carlos, age 37 (38?): a D&D fanatic. This guy has been crafting his own campaign for as long as I’ve known him but is never quite finished and ready to play it (we’ll see how he does DM-ing, ha, ha, ha). Carlos has a better game collection than anyone. I’ll bet the guys at WotC probably don’t have as complete of an archive. This guy has it ALL! (including RttToEE) I’m not kidding. This is the party’s (only) note keeper. He doesn’t have the best memory though and sometimes messes up the story. His interpretation of his own script is questionable, I’ll admit, but like I said, he’s all they’ve got. Carlos still has problems grasping all of the new rules (hell the old rules too) and has just figured out skill points. It’s not as if he’s mentally challenged (ha, ha), just gets a tad confused now and again. ;-)
He plays Randelar Fleetfoot: Randelar is a NG Elven, Male, (Monte Cook variant) Ranger 4th (Good job with that Monte! Oh, I like the adventure too). This character has a bad habit of separating himself from the rest of the group and going off “just a bit” to explore. This has almost cost him his life twice, but, as you will find out later, that will not deter him. Randelar is pretty brave and is a True Party Member, “Party comes first!” I like that about his character.
Scottie, age 39 (oh so very close to 40): the character man. Scottie develops his characters out to the fullest possibility. With a little electricity ***foreshadowing, ironic foreshadowing, foreshadowing…*** I swear that these guys could leap right off the page. They are very well thought out, interesting, fully developed characters. I have to give it to him for that. Now, the problem. His characters are SO well developed and SO thoughtful that he becomes VERY cautious with them. More on this with his current character later.
He plays Stoneheart Earthfather. Stoneheart is NG Dwarven, Male, Fighter 4th. He has taken a number of fighter related feats and is striving to become a Stonelord (PrC found in Dragon 278, also done by Monte). I’d fill you in on his character but it would be twice as long as this entire introduction. Needless to say, Stoneheart is gruff, just like a good dwarf should be. VERY cautious in a fight (as stated before). He has ties with Oerth already and will be perfect for the Stonelord prestige class. (I would have suggested a half-genasi for him but I was only allowing the PH races. I may have him “change” into one if he every gets his first level of PrC.)
Justin, age 22: the min-maxer. This guy takes advantage of every rule situation that is created (and some he just dreams up). With the advent of 3rd ed. he is able to work it to even greater gut-wrenching fruition. I’d lump him in with Opie as an arguer, but I only think that is because Opie sits next to him and whispers into his ear a lot. A couple of the guys think that he cheats. I will say that he is VERY, VERY, VERY, lucky. I keep my eye on him but haven’t caught him yet. Otherwise, he is an intelligent D&D player, role-plays well and gets into his characters and the story. He has the best memory for the events of the previous week’s sessions and tends to help Carlos get it straight.
He plays Talus Vanguard. Talus is a N Human, Male, Psi Fighter 3rd, Fighter 1st. Talus is geared towards combat and has taken all combat feats (Exotic Wpn, Weapon Focus, Quick Draw, etc.). Because of a house rule that allows characters to trade 4 skill points for a new exotic weapon after they have taken the Exotic Weapon Feat once, he has managed 3 Exotic Weapons so far. Along with psionic skills and feats that aid in combat (psi wpn) this guy is a powerhouse with a lot of HPs. A real nasty dude. (I will kill him!)
Almost finished…
Jeff, age 37: the non-conformist and Justin’s older half-brother. Jeff has a love of D&D and to developing characters that could hardly be duplicated without copying them. He has played an intriguing mix, and has always got something up his sleeve. Jeff’s a very good role-player and has a great imagination about the game, when you can keep him focused. He sometimes goes off on tangents with Opie and Scottie about what’s on TV or what new movie came out. This happens quite a bit, so it is hard to keep him reeled in. Likes conspiracy theories.
He plays Vexander Sangreal. Vex is a NG Elven, Male, Sorcerer 1st, Wizard 1st, Cleric (Correllon-magic, protection) 2nd. (I imagine that he’ll pick up some bard levels next, ha ha.) This character has a love (obsession) with magic. He is striving to be a master in the art of spellcasting. With an owl familiar, he makes up the bulk of the party’s magical ability. He picked up his knowledge and desire for cleric levels from Zane (see below) and is the back up healer. With his low leveled but vast selection of spells he tends to hang back in a fight and get casting. The party came together due to a previous quest (S&S’s Wizard’s Amulet) involving him and stuck by him since. He is not a leader though and has developed some animosity with Admir.
And last, but not least…
Scott, age 36: the... the… hell, I don’t know. Scott is probably the best overall player that I have and has played with me as long as Doug has. He has always tried a new type of character and has a very good sense for role-playing. He is very patient with the others in the group but is leaning towards quitting! The party’s in fighting always has bothered him and there is a new girlfriend in the picture. I just might lose him! We’ll see, I think I’ve got him hooked into the story this time around…
He plays Zane Duskwalker. Zane is a LN Elven, Male, Cleric (Correllon-war, good) 3rd. (Zane has lost a level due to an earlier death but was revived by a very grateful town and their cleric due to his efforts.) Zane is soft-spoken (unlike Scott) and is always weighing the situation out. He is on a personal mission to weed out evils on the Oerth and so far, so good. I believe that he will be the glue that keeps the party on track for their upcoming trials and tribulations. Zane reveres his god well and has taken Extra Turning as a way to proclaim his god’s might. If a cleric could have a favorite enemy type, Zane’s would be undead (Prestige Class here???).
Well that’s it for the cast of characters. I included the personal info on my players because I believe I DM a group that has trouble leaving the real world behind and becoming their “characters.” We’ve been together as a group for over 6 years and the guys really feed off each other when it comes to the game. I think that if you pay attention closely, you just might see their personalities in their character's actions and that might help you realize why they do screwed up things at times. Oh well, I’m used to it by now, but I don’t have to like it! Death to the JOURNEYMEN!!!!
Aluvial
