Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Overuse of monsters and magic.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 3780408" data-attributes="member: 467"><p>On +1 swords: it is only "just another +1 sword" if you let it be. Every edition of the game has, in supplements and Dragon and the like, offered, somewhere, lists of ways to make those +1 swords unique (and not necessarily by adding powers, either). there's a reason for this. A "+1 sword" is dull and uninspiring. Gregor's Blade, used by the legendary troll-hunter to cut the arm from the Darkling Prince at the foot of the Chaos Gate, is interesting, and quite frankly, the number of "plusses" on it doesn't matter one whit. When the player character who found it swings it in desperation at the spectral <em>thing</em> trying to devour his essence, and the <em>thing</em> actually screeches and flees, that character is going to recognize the power of that weapon and isn't likely to kick it to the curb when the "+2 sword" pops up in Unnamed Dungeon #5. Want to make +1 swords interesting? Get rid of plusses entirely.</p><p></p><p>On spells and magic: The list of spells in the PHB is the list of spells common and available to player character casters. It does not represent the whole of spell knowledge in the world, or represent spells that non adventuring spellcaster types even have access to. Local wise men and women will have their own spell lists, designed to ease birth and help crops grow and read the flights of birds. The vizier's of decadent emperors will have their own spell lists, designed to inspire fear and awe in the populace, provide pleasure and health to their masters, and allow themselves to gain more and more power behind the throne. Necromancers, demonologists and fleshweavers should all have like lists: unique spells geared toward what they use magic for. Don't have time to create lists of new spells? thankfully, there's tons and tons of spells out there in supplements, 3rd party products and magazines to choose from. Just don't let the PC casters have access to them (unless, of course, they want to delve into those <em>other</em> arts, for which there will be a price to pay...).</p><p></p><p>On monsters: Why have ten manticore when you can have just one, The Manticore. As with spells, there are literally tens of thousands of monsters to choose from out there. Making The Medusa, The Minotaur or The Dragonne a unique creature will not make the DM want for creatures. Or, simply change the description -- or presentation of the description -- of the monster. You may know that those creatures with skin of stone and great crushing boulders for hands are trolls, but your players don't have to. Or do the flip side: an ogre isn't an ogre when it is a creature with the lower body of a bull and the upper body of a minotaur.</p><p></p><p>The point is that with players familiar with the tropes of D&D, the key to getting their attention and bringing the mystery and magic back is to break, twist or alter their expectations. In addition, as DM you have the right and responsibility to just make crap up that will entertain your players and make for a better game. Pulling the same old stuff out of the monster manual, going by the letter of the rules all the time, and just plain doing things by the book is simplistic, bottom floor DMing.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Reynard, post: 3780408, member: 467"] On +1 swords: it is only "just another +1 sword" if you let it be. Every edition of the game has, in supplements and Dragon and the like, offered, somewhere, lists of ways to make those +1 swords unique (and not necessarily by adding powers, either). there's a reason for this. A "+1 sword" is dull and uninspiring. Gregor's Blade, used by the legendary troll-hunter to cut the arm from the Darkling Prince at the foot of the Chaos Gate, is interesting, and quite frankly, the number of "plusses" on it doesn't matter one whit. When the player character who found it swings it in desperation at the spectral [i]thing[/i] trying to devour his essence, and the [i]thing[/i] actually screeches and flees, that character is going to recognize the power of that weapon and isn't likely to kick it to the curb when the "+2 sword" pops up in Unnamed Dungeon #5. Want to make +1 swords interesting? Get rid of plusses entirely. On spells and magic: The list of spells in the PHB is the list of spells common and available to player character casters. It does not represent the whole of spell knowledge in the world, or represent spells that non adventuring spellcaster types even have access to. Local wise men and women will have their own spell lists, designed to ease birth and help crops grow and read the flights of birds. The vizier's of decadent emperors will have their own spell lists, designed to inspire fear and awe in the populace, provide pleasure and health to their masters, and allow themselves to gain more and more power behind the throne. Necromancers, demonologists and fleshweavers should all have like lists: unique spells geared toward what they use magic for. Don't have time to create lists of new spells? thankfully, there's tons and tons of spells out there in supplements, 3rd party products and magazines to choose from. Just don't let the PC casters have access to them (unless, of course, they want to delve into those [i]other[/i] arts, for which there will be a price to pay...). On monsters: Why have ten manticore when you can have just one, The Manticore. As with spells, there are literally tens of thousands of monsters to choose from out there. Making The Medusa, The Minotaur or The Dragonne a unique creature will not make the DM want for creatures. Or, simply change the description -- or presentation of the description -- of the monster. You may know that those creatures with skin of stone and great crushing boulders for hands are trolls, but your players don't have to. Or do the flip side: an ogre isn't an ogre when it is a creature with the lower body of a bull and the upper body of a minotaur. The point is that with players familiar with the tropes of D&D, the key to getting their attention and bringing the mystery and magic back is to break, twist or alter their expectations. In addition, as DM you have the right and responsibility to just make crap up that will entertain your players and make for a better game. Pulling the same old stuff out of the monster manual, going by the letter of the rules all the time, and just plain doing things by the book is simplistic, bottom floor DMing. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Overuse of monsters and magic.
Top