New to D&D (starting group)

[Dark Psion]

Also, while you are getting those free adventures at the WotC site, don't overlook the Web Enhancements. Almost all books have one as a supliment, a teaser or just left over material that got cut from the book. These are very helpful in deciding if you want to buy a book or not.

Another poster mentioned this but don't overlook the SRD . These are the bare bones rules that other companies use to make their books. There is enought here for a player without a Players Handbook to get by with. Also, it is in rtf. format, so you can cut & paste the spells together for the spellcaster's in your group, make a list of magic item and a copy of any page you find yourself going back to often.

(Oh and if you are interested in Psionics, it's there too. )

Also, there are lots of gaming sites out there with material as well. And once you find one, you can just follow the links to many more. You can start with the EnWorld links section or in many poster's signatures.

 

[rich]

i have one more question, Im a christian and not too crazy bout all the dieties is it alright that i leave that part out?

you can do it, but you may have to be creative down the road... some of the basic character classes, the Cleric in particular, typically have abilities that vary according to which deity they worship, but the rules offer the option of allowing them to follow their "alignment" in general -- ie, good, evil, neutral, etc. Some spells also involve deities (as well as other semi-divine creatures), and of course you'll have to decide what you want to do with the "bad" creatures (ie, demons, devils, fiends, etc)
there are several Christian posters here, one of which has designed his own game based on some sort of monotheistic Middle Ages theme, but I think he probably put a lot of work in adapting the various rules, monsters, etc. Most of us are just content that its a game, set in a non-real environment, and don't worry much about it...
The DM's guide has a brief discussion (in the section on "planes") about including/not including deities, demons, etc.

 

[Tom]

i have one more question, Im a christian and not too crazy bout all the dieties is it alright that i leave that part out?

Won't hurt a thing to leave out deities. They were originally intended to add a layer of "unattainable" challenge (though I've seen them challenged by a few parties), add obstacles, and/or add help to a party.

Just keep in mind the "paper gods" aren't even as powerful on paper as the real one is in reality. They are nothing more than an NPC with extra good stats/abilities.

 

[Eternal Prosper]

well just bought the phb and getting really excited about playing the game if i get some extra money i may but a campain setting or a subscription to dungeon or both i bought an issue but didnt like it that much cause all of it was for maure castle but it mentioned somewhere that that wasnt the usual format

 

[Stormborn]

well i got lucky today. my b-day was 3 months ago and i just got a letter from my uncle giving 40 bucks! so i may buy some dice and the phb and maybe a copy of this months dungeon magazine. Thanks again for all of your help i have one more question, Im a christian and not too crazy bout all the dieties is it alright that i leave that part out?

Others have already commented on this but let me just add my 2 cents in. Not only am I a gamer I have writen articles for Dragon and other gaming magazines, and not only am I a Christian, but I am a Pastor. (Ok, don't know if that has come up before on these boards or not, guess I just outed myself.)
Its completly OK to be uncomfortable with the various gods and divine powers in DnD. At 14 I would have been too.
Are the people you plan on playing with also Christians? If not will they be sympathetic to your feelings? Don't want to get into that discussion, to keep within the rules, but you do need to consider that.

Now as for those classes that are tied to Divine powers, you have to make some decisions.

Remeber that Clerics and Paladins are more like knights than priests, and monks are more like martial artists than the monks of western culture. They are not really like modern,medieval, or ancient clergy.
I suggest for you a monotheistic system that you don't try and detail to extensively. Just say that most good people worship the One God and leave it at that. From there you have the Martial Orders of various sorts. The Paladins are the fighting knights, the clerics are the spell casting knights, the monks are the fighters who rely on only themselves and simple weapons. You just have to decide what they are and what domains are associated with them. For Example you could have an Order called the Guardians of the West, charged with defending your home kingdom. You could then allow cleircs to have access to two of the follwing domains: Good, Strenght, Protection, and War. Another might be Guardians of the Way, who defend and protect travelers. Clerics of that Order could have access to two of teh followign Domains: Animals, Good, Healing, and Travel.

Others would be easy to develop.

Druids could either represent a minority religion or could be a kind of Holy Hermit that lives in the woods and serves the One God away from the corruption of the city. Rangers can be an associated order, perhaps they are the ones who protect travelers and defend against the evil things that lurk in the woods.

You can have evil clerics worship whatever you want, and have access to any appropriate domains and spells.

Just remember, it is your world and you can do anything with it you want. Speciallizing a religion will give you extra work, and make adapting some premade adventures more difficult, but if you are enjoying yourself and take the time to do it, it can be a lot of fun.

Sorry that your first Dungeon was a disappointment. The next one whould be better. But, if I were you I would save my money, run one of the free adventures you already have, and then pick up Dungeon when you have a little more experiance, or pick up the Sunless Citadel. I bet you can still find it at Books a Million or a similar store.

As you can see, I think anyone here will be willing to help you make the most of this hobby. We all love it and wish you well.

PS There is a book called Testament that deals with roleplaying in Biblical and Ancient Near East culture. Its a good book, and you might want to look at it one day. For now stick with the three core books as has already been discussed.

 

[Eternal Prosper]

thanks, i saw the sunless citdel at hastings and was planning on buying it, and ill probly get enough money to buy a campain setting soon just dont know which one

 

[Zappo]

If you are that short on cash, you may opt not to take the Monster Manual at first, and rely on the SRD instead (dark psion linked to it). It contains the stats for all monsters; no descriptions, but it should have pictures. Get a good campaign setting with the money you save.

As for the deities - either way, it's not a problem. It's a game. Hundreds of actors play greek roles in movies, comedies and tragedies every day, but that has absolutely nothing to do with their actual real world faith. And, on the other hand, if you still want to play without deities, the game works fine all the same. You can have clerics of an alignment, or follow Stormborn's advice. You could even have a monotheistic world and replace deities with saints, patrons, or different aspects of the one God. D&D deities have little to do with real-world religions anyway, they are mostly just very powerful unique outsiders.

 

[Breakdaddy]

Good luck with your new game. The only thing Ill do here is repeat what someone already said but that bears repeating: If things dont go perfectly your first couple of games, dont sweat it! You will get the DM experience if you persevere, and things will get much much smoother as well!

 

[megamania]

Welcome to DnD and EN World.

All of the advice given above is good and sound. Just keep in mind its all about the fun.

Enjoy and have fun.

 

[Eternal Prosper]

If you are that short on cash, you may opt not to take the Monster Manual at first, and rely on the SRD instead (dark psion linked to it). It contains the stats for all monsters; no descriptions, but it should have pictures. Get a good campaign setting with the money you save.

As for the deities - either way, it's not a problem. It's a game. Hundreds of actors play greek roles in movies, comedies and tragedies every day, but that has absolutely nothing to do with their actual real world faith. And, on the other hand, if you still want to play without deities, the game works fine all the same. You can have clerics of an alignment, or follow Stormborn's advice. You could even have a monotheistic world and replace deities with saints, patrons, or different aspects of the one God. D&D deities have little to do with real-world religions anyway, they are mostly just very powerful unique outsiders.

i may leave the dieties in at first but who knows. i cant find the MM so im going to buy the sunless citdel adventure i was wondering. Should i buy Ebberon*