Piratecat ruined my D&D game
- Thread starter Quasqueton
- Start date
One bit of advice that I would give other DM's about story line is to NEVER make the story structure too rigid. All of the games I DM have a story line that can be compared to the making of a thick piece of thread. At one end you have the PC's binding the individual smaller threads together to form a single thread or the current story. As you move away from the PC's the story becomes less and less formed, the PC's are always moving in a forward direction through the story however the DM may not know exactly how the PC's are going to accomplish this progression. SOmetimes the small threads become frayed and break a connection in the story or the PC's may not realize there is one but all in all most of the storyline will still be present. I allow my PC's to do almost anything as long as it fit's their character.
If you feel like your stories are not important enough to the PC's then consider forming a story around the PC's or having the players form their characters around the story idea. The two should essentially be formed together. Think of a campaign idea then talk to your players about it. If they seem excited they will be more prone to making characters that fit the storyline. DO NOT let your PC's bring in anything they want. This can create a character that has little interest in the story (which is fine if say you have a casual player who is playing a mercenary) however this can be a problem if more and more of the characters have this disposition.
I always talk a campaign idea over with my players. Once the players decide on an idea that I present they begin making characters and I take some of their ideas and start forming a rough story outline. From here I create the beginning of my thread, the original plot hook. After I present the issues at hand and the beginning of the story I let the character's progress the story. IF the characters do not progress the story then there is a conflict issue between the players and the campaign idea, go back and rework it. DO not be afraid to scrap a campaign in favor of one that will work. Not every campaign will be a success.
If you find that you are killing your PC's off too much or find out that the players cannot figure out how to progress in the story then start planning your campaign more carefully. Maybe the party lacks anyone with knowledges or any social skills, take this into account. Maybe the party does not excell in combat or lacks arcance abilities, take this into account. Knowing your group's capabilities AND your own DMing abilities will help you create a better campaign. Just sit down someday and make a list of the party's strengths/weakness and your strengths/weakness as a DM. I used to have to do this but now I DM rather ad hoc. I have my story outline and some ideas but I know mylimits and the limits of my party members. Some things will be a greater challenge than others so I take this into account. I do not; however, dock them XP for defeating a challenge rather easily if their characters were designed for such an encounter (Such as having high diplomacy during a face situation) and I do not give more xp for defeating a more difficult encounter (such as having low diplomacy in a face situation).
I know this was long but I hope it helps someone! If anyone ever wants to discuss anything about being a DM just pm me.
If you feel like your stories are not important enough to the PC's then consider forming a story around the PC's or having the players form their characters around the story idea. The two should essentially be formed together. Think of a campaign idea then talk to your players about it. If they seem excited they will be more prone to making characters that fit the storyline. DO NOT let your PC's bring in anything they want. This can create a character that has little interest in the story (which is fine if say you have a casual player who is playing a mercenary) however this can be a problem if more and more of the characters have this disposition.
I always talk a campaign idea over with my players. Once the players decide on an idea that I present they begin making characters and I take some of their ideas and start forming a rough story outline. From here I create the beginning of my thread, the original plot hook. After I present the issues at hand and the beginning of the story I let the character's progress the story. IF the characters do not progress the story then there is a conflict issue between the players and the campaign idea, go back and rework it. DO not be afraid to scrap a campaign in favor of one that will work. Not every campaign will be a success.
If you find that you are killing your PC's off too much or find out that the players cannot figure out how to progress in the story then start planning your campaign more carefully. Maybe the party lacks anyone with knowledges or any social skills, take this into account. Maybe the party does not excell in combat or lacks arcance abilities, take this into account. Knowing your group's capabilities AND your own DMing abilities will help you create a better campaign. Just sit down someday and make a list of the party's strengths/weakness and your strengths/weakness as a DM. I used to have to do this but now I DM rather ad hoc. I have my story outline and some ideas but I know mylimits and the limits of my party members. Some things will be a greater challenge than others so I take this into account. I do not; however, dock them XP for defeating a challenge rather easily if their characters were designed for such an encounter (Such as having high diplomacy during a face situation) and I do not give more xp for defeating a more difficult encounter (such as having low diplomacy in a face situation).
I know this was long but I hope it helps someone! If anyone ever wants to discuss anything about being a DM just pm me.
Desdichado
Hero
By luck or design, it seemed that there was seldom more than one PC that needed to be replaced at a time, so by the time another one died, the new ones were pretty integrated into the campaign.Piratecat said:
It was also the Delta Green setting---the secret government conspiracy to fight Cthulhu, etc. idea? So when a new character needed to come along, he was either assigned by his branch of the government to investigate something that PCs were already working on, or something like that, and once he "saw something big" he kinda was indoctrinated into the conspiracy and couldn't go back. The players were all good and patient about taking some time to let him roleplay his way into the group rather than simply jump in feet first and be expected to know what was going on. Having a patron (in this case the government) who assigns you to join the party and briefs you, etc. makes integrating new characters easier. I like the concept of a long term patron/employer in fantasy too, until the PCs get big enough to operate as free agents of a sort.
One of the funnest concepts to bring in a new character was the one who was an accountant for a Senate Oversight Committee investigating a budgetary anomaly---which of course was a case of the PC's covering up their tracks. During the inquest, they had a run in with some mi-go, IIRC, and then he brought his talents to bear in covering up for them better than they had been before.
Skyscraper
Adventurer
Really, this is a great thread. Thanks for all the input.
Sky
Sky
I agree that if there are good plot lines and character deaths are fairly infrequent then the remainder of the party can keep it going nicely while the new character gets integrated.
I also believe that level progression in 3.5 is much too fast for a long lasting campaign with depth. I am a bit old school on this one as I remember AD&D and having to get something like 350,000 xp for each level beyond 9th!
One fact that you will notice though is some players are much more prone to character death than others. Some players have their reckless moments while others are more careful. Some players take character death a lot better than others. Variety is the spice of RPGs. Whether as DM you make more allowances for the reckless player than for the careful one is your choice.
I also believe that level progression in 3.5 is much too fast for a long lasting campaign with depth. I am a bit old school on this one as I remember AD&D and having to get something like 350,000 xp for each level beyond 9th!
One fact that you will notice though is some players are much more prone to character death than others. Some players have their reckless moments while others are more careful. Some players take character death a lot better than others. Variety is the spice of RPGs. Whether as DM you make more allowances for the reckless player than for the careful one is your choice.
Dracorat
First Post
Death and dying in my campaigns, taken directly from my houserules:
http://keithratliff.com/CSKR/forums/14/ShowForum.aspx
XP:
The entire party uses a shared XP pool. Thus, the entire party levels together.
Resting:
You may rest at any time. Once you have fought half your highest party member's level in battles (round up), to a maximum of five, without resting, each additional battle is worth an additional 10% 'heroic' bonus.
Each time you successfully complete a battle, you gain an Action Point as long as at the completion of battle you are not dead. You may use this point in a future battle, however, you lose ALL action points when you rest. You do not gain any Action Points at level up (contrary to the typical method the rule works by).
On Death and Dying
Once your character level surpasses level ten, their negative HP limit is the negative value of their character level.
If the entire party dies, they will be restored at the last place they rested successfully and the party XP pool will take an exp hit of (100 * level), with no other penalties. I may respawn battles at my descretion when you are restored in this manner. If the exp hit brings you to less than the floor of your level, you do not lose a level, but instead, "gain" a negative level that cannot be removed except by way of recovering enough XP to get your level back up.
Instant Death Effects
Instant death brings you to -1 HP and bleeding instead of outright killing you (or enemies).
Resurrection
The Resurrection spells are changed as follows:
Reincarnate not available. Replaced instead with a Dru4 entry on the Raise Dead spell itself.
Raise Dead
Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Clr 5, Dru4
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target: Dead creature touched
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
You restore life to a deceased creature to aid you for a very limited duration. You can raise a creature that has been dead for no longer than one day per caster level. In addition, the subject’s soul must be free and willing to return. If the subject’s soul is not willing to return, the spell does not work; therefore, a subject that wants to return receives no saving throw.
A druid who casts Raise Dead can only raise creatures that are resting in a bed of natural vegetation. The vegetation must be alive and have not been disturbed by heavy activity (such as transplanting, uprooting, or any combat taking place directly upon) within the last twenty-four hours. A successful casting of the spell does not harm the plant life in any manner, however, the affected plant life will be considered afterward to have sustained heavy activity as the life energy was borrowed to reanimate the dead creature.
A raised creature suffers no stat losses.
A raised creature has a number of hit points equal to its current Hit Dice. Any ability scores damaged to 0 are raised to 1. Normal poison and normal disease are cured in the process of raising the subject, but magical diseases and curses are not undone. While the spell closes mortal wounds and repairs lethal damage of most kinds, the body of the creature to be raised must be whole. Otherwise, missing parts are still missing when the creature is brought back to life. None of the dead creature’s equipment or possessions are affected in any way by this spell.
A creature who has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect can’t be raised by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can’t be raised. The spell cannot bring back a creature that has died of old age.
----
Resurrection
Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Clr 7
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: Special (See Text). Dismissable (D)
This spell functions like raise dead, except that you are able to restore life and complete strength to any deceased creature.
The condition of the remains is not a factor. So long as some small portion of the creature’s body still exists, it can be resurrected, but the portion receiving the spell must have been part of the creature’s body at the time of death. (The remains of a creature hit by a disintegrate spell count as a small portion of its body.) The creature can have been dead no longer than 10 years per caster level.
Upon completion of the spell, the creature is immediately restored to full hit points, vigor, and health, with no loss of prepared spells.
You can resurrect someone killed by a death effect or someone who has been turned into an undead creature and then destroyed. You cannot resurrect someone who has died of old age. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can’t be resurrected.
The resurrected creature will remain alive until the cleric's normal prayer time next arrives, regardless of whether the cleric chooses to or not to pray at that time. At that time, the resurrected creature falls lifeless once again.
A resurrected creature knows that their life is borrowed for the duration of the spell and indeed how long remains until they will once again depart their body. Their disposition toward the situation is not magically altered by the spell. Some characters would be noble in their opportunity to assist their comrades. Some characters would fear their lingering re-death. Other emotions are also normal, depending on the character's outlook and value on life.
---
True Resurrection
Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Clr 9
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: Instant
This spell functions like raise dead, except that you can resurrect a creature that has been dead for as long as 10 years per caster level. This spell can even bring back creatures whose bodies have been destroyed, provided that you unambiguously identify the deceased in some fashion (reciting the deceased’s time and place of birth or death is the most common method).
Upon completion of the spell, the creature is immediately restored to full hit points, vigor, and health, with no loss of level (or Constitution points) or prepared spells.
You can revive someone killed by a death effect or someone who has been turned into an undead creature and then destroyed. This spell can also resurrect elementals or outsiders, but it can’t resurrect constructs or undead creatures.
Even true resurrection can’t restore to life a creature who has died of old age.
Material Component: An offering unto the cleric's god worth 1,000 gp per character level of the raised creature. At a resurrection shrine, such an offering is not required if the resurrected creature elects instead to take an experience cut of 10% of their earned experience toward the next level. A resurrection that happens by resurrection shrine can happen if the deceased's body is returned to within ten feet of the shrine or after twenty four hours since death occurred if the deceased wishes to be raised in this manner. A deceased creature has only forty eight hours to will themselves to life once they become eligible. After that time, it requires a casting of this spell by a cleric to receive the benefit of True Resurrection.
http://keithratliff.com/CSKR/forums/14/ShowForum.aspx
XP:
The entire party uses a shared XP pool. Thus, the entire party levels together.
Resting:
You may rest at any time. Once you have fought half your highest party member's level in battles (round up), to a maximum of five, without resting, each additional battle is worth an additional 10% 'heroic' bonus.
Each time you successfully complete a battle, you gain an Action Point as long as at the completion of battle you are not dead. You may use this point in a future battle, however, you lose ALL action points when you rest. You do not gain any Action Points at level up (contrary to the typical method the rule works by).
On Death and Dying
Once your character level surpasses level ten, their negative HP limit is the negative value of their character level.
If the entire party dies, they will be restored at the last place they rested successfully and the party XP pool will take an exp hit of (100 * level), with no other penalties. I may respawn battles at my descretion when you are restored in this manner. If the exp hit brings you to less than the floor of your level, you do not lose a level, but instead, "gain" a negative level that cannot be removed except by way of recovering enough XP to get your level back up.
Instant Death Effects
Instant death brings you to -1 HP and bleeding instead of outright killing you (or enemies).
Resurrection
The Resurrection spells are changed as follows:
Reincarnate not available. Replaced instead with a Dru4 entry on the Raise Dead spell itself.
Raise Dead
Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Clr 5, Dru4
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target: Dead creature touched
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
You restore life to a deceased creature to aid you for a very limited duration. You can raise a creature that has been dead for no longer than one day per caster level. In addition, the subject’s soul must be free and willing to return. If the subject’s soul is not willing to return, the spell does not work; therefore, a subject that wants to return receives no saving throw.
A druid who casts Raise Dead can only raise creatures that are resting in a bed of natural vegetation. The vegetation must be alive and have not been disturbed by heavy activity (such as transplanting, uprooting, or any combat taking place directly upon) within the last twenty-four hours. A successful casting of the spell does not harm the plant life in any manner, however, the affected plant life will be considered afterward to have sustained heavy activity as the life energy was borrowed to reanimate the dead creature.
A raised creature suffers no stat losses.
A raised creature has a number of hit points equal to its current Hit Dice. Any ability scores damaged to 0 are raised to 1. Normal poison and normal disease are cured in the process of raising the subject, but magical diseases and curses are not undone. While the spell closes mortal wounds and repairs lethal damage of most kinds, the body of the creature to be raised must be whole. Otherwise, missing parts are still missing when the creature is brought back to life. None of the dead creature’s equipment or possessions are affected in any way by this spell.
A creature who has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect can’t be raised by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can’t be raised. The spell cannot bring back a creature that has died of old age.
----
Resurrection
Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Clr 7
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: Special (See Text). Dismissable (D)
This spell functions like raise dead, except that you are able to restore life and complete strength to any deceased creature.
The condition of the remains is not a factor. So long as some small portion of the creature’s body still exists, it can be resurrected, but the portion receiving the spell must have been part of the creature’s body at the time of death. (The remains of a creature hit by a disintegrate spell count as a small portion of its body.) The creature can have been dead no longer than 10 years per caster level.
Upon completion of the spell, the creature is immediately restored to full hit points, vigor, and health, with no loss of prepared spells.
You can resurrect someone killed by a death effect or someone who has been turned into an undead creature and then destroyed. You cannot resurrect someone who has died of old age. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can’t be resurrected.
The resurrected creature will remain alive until the cleric's normal prayer time next arrives, regardless of whether the cleric chooses to or not to pray at that time. At that time, the resurrected creature falls lifeless once again.
A resurrected creature knows that their life is borrowed for the duration of the spell and indeed how long remains until they will once again depart their body. Their disposition toward the situation is not magically altered by the spell. Some characters would be noble in their opportunity to assist their comrades. Some characters would fear their lingering re-death. Other emotions are also normal, depending on the character's outlook and value on life.
---
True Resurrection
Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Clr 9
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: Instant
This spell functions like raise dead, except that you can resurrect a creature that has been dead for as long as 10 years per caster level. This spell can even bring back creatures whose bodies have been destroyed, provided that you unambiguously identify the deceased in some fashion (reciting the deceased’s time and place of birth or death is the most common method).
Upon completion of the spell, the creature is immediately restored to full hit points, vigor, and health, with no loss of level (or Constitution points) or prepared spells.
You can revive someone killed by a death effect or someone who has been turned into an undead creature and then destroyed. This spell can also resurrect elementals or outsiders, but it can’t resurrect constructs or undead creatures.
Even true resurrection can’t restore to life a creature who has died of old age.
Material Component: An offering unto the cleric's god worth 1,000 gp per character level of the raised creature. At a resurrection shrine, such an offering is not required if the resurrected creature elects instead to take an experience cut of 10% of their earned experience toward the next level. A resurrection that happens by resurrection shrine can happen if the deceased's body is returned to within ten feet of the shrine or after twenty four hours since death occurred if the deceased wishes to be raised in this manner. A deceased creature has only forty eight hours to will themselves to life once they become eligible. After that time, it requires a casting of this spell by a cleric to receive the benefit of True Resurrection.
Ashy
First Post
mhensley said:
I never liked those rules to begin with, so I did away with them altogether. Generally, it either costs more to make magic items (i.e. How much? "Man, I gotta go raid sixteen more Bag Guy (TM) caravans before I can make that wand of blinking!"), or the components/pieces are much rarer and harder to find (i.e. "That wand of blinking needs how many blink dog nads to make?!?"), or they take a fair amount longer to craft (i.e. "No, I can't go raid the Temple of Elemental Darkness yet, I'm still waiting for these blasted blink dog nads to boil down and distill into a powder!")
It's all about the role-play, baby...
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