Archive for the ‘advice/tools’ Category

feyswords

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Through the press he saw feyswords glittering, glimpsed auburn hair and sparks of pale viridian. Then he was pushed back, until the gate receded from view and thought.
Greg Keyes – The Briar King

As we know from this infographic, planes have levels. For instance, the feywild is approximately level 7 through 20.

Since the PCs and monsters from the feywild have an average level of 13, common feywild weapons can be given an appropriate bonus for a level 13 character or monster. Just as +1 swords are the generic magic weapon of the natural world, +2 feyswords (plus or minus one) are the standard among the feywild eladrin.

Feysword: A +2 mithral blade that glitters in the faintest light. When the eladrin armies march to battle, they do so bearing feyswords.
Advantages: 1) A feysword can be treated as a longsword or rapier, whichever is more advantageous. 2) As a free action, a feysword’s user can cause it to glow like a torch. 3) Feyswords do +5 damage to creatures with the Shadow keyword.
Drawbacks: 1) When a feysword is drawn, it confers a -2 penalty to Stealth checks involving hiding in the shadows. 2) If a feysword is exposed to the sunlight of the natural world for three consecutive days, it becomes Sunrusted.

Sunrusted Feysword: A feysword that spends much time in the natural world is likely to develop a patina of gold flecks along its silver blade: sunrust. It acts like a +1 sword, but has all of the other advantages and drawbacks of a feysword.

Lordly Feysword: Its pommel studded with jewels and its blade an interlocked pattern of mithral ivy leaves, this feysword has an enhancement bonus of +3 (or higher) and is frequently used by fey lords.
Advantages: 1) It is immune to sunrust. 2) It does +10 damage to creatures with the Shadow keyword.

Other planes can have their own common weapons: the typical weapon of the astral plane is a +3 angelsteel greatsword.

dimensional shackles, leveled

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
This entry is part 10 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Dimensional Shackles of Oppression: Once a day, the holder of the key of the Shackles of Possession may give the shackles a simple order (such as “attack anyone who enters this room” or “follow and protect me”). The shackles will force their prisoner to follow the order. While actively following orders, the subject is Dominated and is not immobilized or restrained. Whenever action is not necessary to follow the order, the subject is not Dominated and is again immobilized and restrained.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

A second order in the same day will have no effect.

If the subject is bloodied or forced to do something against his nature, he gets a saving throw. If he is successful, he cannot be Dominated for the rest of the day.

Devils often use Shackles of Oppression to force their captives to defend their lairs. Many devils are protected by shackled and despairing unicorns, heroes, and even good angels.

Dimensional Shackles Forged in Life: If someone is wearing these shackles while they die, their ghost cannot leave the world until someone removes the shackles from the body. The ghost cannot stray far from its body, and, with the right ritual, may be questioned. It’s easier to resurrect someone whose spirit is trapped by the Shackles Forged in Life.

Dimensional Shackle Jewelry: The shackle looks like normal ring or necklace: its wearer is unaware of it and cannot remove it (though others can). When the captor puts it on, they can give the victim a one-sentence restriction: for instance “don’t tell anyone about the murder”, “don’t pick up any weapons”, “don’t wear that ugly hat”. The victim will follow the restriction. Victims with a Wisdom less than 13 will not be aware of the restriction: those with a high wisdom will be aware that something is modifying their behavior, but they will not know what it is.

fools rush in (and lose a leg to a bear trap)

Monday, February 6th, 2012

For me, dungeon traps are an unsolved problem in 4e. I’d like something between a full-fledged 4e skill-challenge trap and the old-school spanking for not tapping every flagstone with a ten-foot pole. I’ve made attempts to solve the problem, but I haven’t been happy with any of them. (My favorite so far is the Mazes and Monsters rule: the Maze Controller cannot spring a trap unless he has announced that it “could be a trap”.)

The above panels from “Red Nails” in the 1970’s Savage Sword of Conan comic gave me an idea. Conan would TOTALLY have spotted that bear trap if he hadn’t been raging – and running.

How about this rule: Under normal circumstances, all PCs spot all adjacent traps – no Perception check required.

PCs only fail to notice traps when they’re running or charging (and maybe also a handful of other distracting conditions: dazed, stunned, or blinded).

With this rule, traps are most dangerous in combat, and in very specific circumstances like chases: in other words, they add danger to already dangerous scenes, instead of slowing down routine situations. It’s the DM’s job, as the roleplayer of the ancient dungeon architect and the kobold snaremaster, to put traps in places where PCs will be tempted to rush heedlessly.

rolling for hit points in 4e

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

As you can tell, one of the things I miss in 4e is rolling your attributes. However, I have never missed rolling for hit points.

Rolling your attributes helps throw some randomness into your character concept, and randomness is usually an aid to creativity.

Rolling for hit points doesn’t spark creativity. It has the potential to sabotage a character you like, and it’s such an important roll that, for me at least, it encourages cheating as little else in D&D does. It just doesn’t seem fair that my cool paladin leveled up and rolled 1 hit point.

Here’s a suggestion for those who would like to roll HP in 4e:

1) Start with your normal 4e HP – or a little less.

2) Roll a HP die at the beginning of every level. This is a special pool of bonus Wound Points. If you have any Wound Points left from last level, they’re gone – they don’t stack.

Wound Points can be used instead of HP at any time: typically on an attack where you would go below 0 HP. (But you always have a choice to save your Wound Points, if you don’t mind falling unconscious.)

Wound points cannot be healed in any way. You only get them when you level.

This rule lets you “roll hit points” every level. It also solves a common 4e objection that an extended rest cures all injuries. There are some wounds that only time can cure.

You can also use it to model semi-permanent injuries. If you are ever at 0 Wound Points, you can be considered to have some nagging injury. I’d play this entirely as a flavor thing, but other DMs could hang some random penalty on it if they wanted.

Feather boat, leveled

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
This entry is part 9 of 13 in the series wondrous items, leveled

Raven Feather Boat: if a dead person is put at the helm and the boat is sent adrift down a river, it will, after several hours, take all inhabitants to the shadowfell.

This feather boat’s power is discovered only when the PCs find the one black feather on the swan boat’s body.

My old houserules for leveling magic items mean that every piece of magical treasure has the potential to gain power in ways that the players can’t predict. Furthermore, WOTC recently invented the concept of the “rare magic item,” but we don’t yet have lots of examples.

While some items may get mechanically better (for instance, a +1 sword becomes a +2 sword), it’s more challenging to improve items that don’t have numeric bonuses. I thought I’d go through the Wondrous Items in the 4e Player’s Handbook and give examples of how each could gain powers that reflect their history.

Feather Boat of the Northern Mists: While the feather boat is in motion, the boat’s steersman may use a minor action to render the boat and all its passengers invisible. If the boat stops, or any of the boat’s occupants make an attack, it becomes visible for the next five minutes.

The northern barbarians know the secret test which must be performed to unlock this special power.

Swanmay boat: Besides a feather token and a boat, the token can also take on its true form once a day for up to an hour: a swanmay, a fey woman with swan wings. The swanmay can fly, has defenses of 26, and, if hit, returns to token form. In swanmay form, the token is under no obligation to follow orders, but may help the PCs if she trusts them. In swanmay or boat form, this token can speak elven and common.

The boat’s swanmay form is discovered only when the swanmay first chooses to show herself.

rituals and alchemy as daily powers

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Using money to restrict the use of rituals and alchemical items doesn’t work particularly well: the D&D designers have admitted this and aren’t exploring the ritual/alchemy design space much these days.

Here’s how I intend to fix the issues in my game:

1) Rituals and alchemical recipes are daily powers. You get one free use of each ritual/alchemical recipe you know. You automatically prepare the ritual, potion, or whatever during each extended rest.

During the extended rest, you can decide to prepare more than one use of the ritual or item: each extra use will cost you the item’s normal cost.

2) Rituals and alchemical recipes are given as treasures. Just as most magic items aren’t sold in magic shops, most rituals and recipes are long-lost prizes awaiting brave adventurers. Low-level parties will have access to only a few, while high-level parties, with access to lots of rituals and consumable items, will have a lot of versatility.

Rituals and alchemical recipes will be sharable among anyone who meets the requirement for using them. Knowing a recipe lets you create any version of that item of your level and lower: for instance, if a level 7 character knows the recipe for alchemist’s fire, he or she can create level 1 or level 6 alchemist’s fire.

3) There will be some common rituals and recipes. Just as characters can buy Common magic items like +1 swords, they will be able to buy well-known rituals and alchemical compounds.

Common rituals:
-All level 1 rituals
-Enchant Magic Item
-Brew Potion
-Linked Portal
-Raise Dead

Common alchemical items:
-All level 1 items
-tanglefoot bag
-alchemical silver

And for fun, here’s a new alchemical item:

Glowgas: Glowgas is stored in a vial, and thrown at enemies the same way holy water is. It has the same cost, range, and attack bonuses as holy water. It can also be applied to objects.

On a hit, the target takes no damage, but is surrounded by a swirling golden light. The target casts dim illumination within two squares, and has a -2 penalty to Stealth checks and all defenses. A creature or object in a glowgas cloud can be seen even inside a zone of darkness.

Once a turn, the target may spend a minor action to try to dissipate the gas: this allows a saving throw. Otherwise, the gas does not disperse until the next rest.

The glowgas recipe is used by dwarven drow hunters, and is only shared with those who prove themselves enemies of the drow.

how to sail

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

The 4e removal of the 3e “Craft” and “Profession” skills didn’t really make much of a difference to me, for the most part. As the 4e people say, “If you want to be a baker, just write ‘baker’ on your character sheet.” Baking doesn’t come up much in my campaign, more’s the pity. Sailing, might, and I kind of miss having a skill for it.

How do you handle sailing checks? Do you use balance checks for running the rigging? Nature checks for spotting storms? I couldn’t even decide what attribute is the key one for sailing a ship. You could make an argument for several: Dexterity for climbing the rigging, Intelligence for doing navigational calculations, etc.

Thinking about that, it seems logical to make sailing be a whole-party skill challenge. However, since there aren’t really enough appropriate skills, maybe they should just be ability checks.

Here’s how you might handle a storm at sea:

“A sail breaks loose. Someone strong needs to haul on the rope before a mast breaks.” The fighter makes a Strength check to haul on the rope.

“A wave hits the ship’s quarter, sending the wheel spinning and breaking the helmsman’s arm. Someone with a high Constitution needs to grab the wheel and hold it straight, no matter how much abuse they take from the wind, rain, and bucking of the wheel. Not the fighter, he is still hauling on the rope.” The sorcerer, who has a decent constitution, grabs the wheel.

“Someone with a good Wisdom should climb up in the crow’s nest and watch the wind direction.” Cleric climbs into the crow’s nest. Etc.

If the party succeeds on half or more of their checks, they succeed at the challenge.

What should be the DC of these checks? Straight ability checks have much less variation than skill checks; and the few abilities and items that boost ability checks are often suboptimal choices and might as well be rewarded anyway. You can expect that if all the players are heroic level, using their best or second-best ability, they will have +3, +4, or +5 bonuses, plus half level. If the DC is 15 plus half level, allowing players to succeed on a d20 roll of 11 or better, a party of 3 or 5 characters would have about a 50% chance of success, and a party of 4 characters a 70% chance of success. If the DC is 10, an odd number of PCs have a 90% chance of success, and an even number has 95%. We’ll say, therefore, that DC 10+1/2 level is easy and DC 15+1/2 level is hard.

At epic levels, player abilities are higher: top ability bonuses average +7 instead of +4. Therefore, you can safely pitch more DC 15+1/2 level challenges at players, or, on the other hand, just let the PCs succeed more. One of the benefits of being high level is that you are good at everything, and that might translate into more sailing successes.

How is the re-usability of this skill challenge? If the PCs have a ship, they may face sailing challenges often. When a sailing check is needed, each PC can have an accustomed role. Everyone makes their check and the successes are tallied. There’s one or two roles per ability:

STR oarsman (or rope hauler, if needed)
CON helmsman (or pumper, if the skip is sinking)
DEX topman (rigging) (or weaponmaster, in ship-to-ship combat)
INT navigator (or sailmaster, to get maximum speed)
WIS lookout (or pilot, in dangerous waters)
CHA captain or mate (or leader of the boarding party, in shipboard combat)

When to use Sunder in 4e

Friday, November 11th, 2011

Cal-den struck him then backward against the dais, catching his blade in a black claw, shattering it, and he raised his other arm to smite him. Dilvish did then stab upward with what remained of the sword, nine inches of jagged length.

Dilvish came scrambling backward, until his hand came upon a thing in the rubble that drew the blood from it. A blade. He snatched at the hilt and brought it up off the floor with a side-armed cut that struck Cal-den…
Roger Zelazny, Dilvish the Damned

Illustration from Paizo's Mother of Flies.

D&D 4e doesn’t have abilities like Sunder that break weapons, because a) they asymetrically punish melee weapon users and b) they destroy potential treasure. Also, players generally get a magic weapon by around level 2, and in 4e, breaking a player’s magic weapon is pretty much against the rules.

But rules, like swords, are made to be broken.

Here’s one dramatic occasion for the villain to sunder your paladin’s +4 sword: when there happens to be a +5 Holy Avenger lying on the floor. It’d be pretty dramatic to have the paladin cast away his broken weapon and seize some ancient two-handed sword from among the treasure strewn on the floor, only to have it flare in his hands with radiant power. Probably more exciting than giving him the Holy Avenger after the battle and letting him peddle his old blade for 1/5 of its sale price.

4e: spell scrolls for non-wizards

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Monday I talked about re-introducing copyable spell scrolls into 4e D&D, so that PC wizards can drool over the possibility of raiding a rival wizard’s library and finally learning Acid Arrow. This is fine, but it’s sad for non-arcane classes, who don’t learn their attacks from scrolls. It would be cool if the other power sources had ways to learn improved versions of their attacks, in ways that supported their flavor. Here are my ideas.

Expanded spellbook and rare spells for divine classes

Wizards and their friends aren’t the only seekers after lost knowledge. Divine classes, like clerics and paladins, should be able to earn alternate prayers, but it doesn’t make as much sense for them to find them in the library.

I see divine classes gaining powerful versions of at-will prayers by completing holy pilgrimages: visiting the cathedrals of the campaign world and praying at the relics of saints. Each large city might contain a cathedral to each of the major gods, each of which contains its own relic. Each relic might grant a boosted form of a specific at-will spell: for instance, in Greyhawk’s Cathedral of Kord, the hammer of St. Nimbus might grant a +1-per-tier damage bonus to the Storm Hammer power.

While the pilgrimages required to boost at-wills are well known, those required for encounter and daily powers are secreted in hidden shrines in dungeons and in the wilderness. These shrines can be discovered randomly, as a form of treasure analagous to the scrolls of the arcane classes.

Martial classes

Fighters, rogues, rangers, warlords, and other martial classes usually learn new and improved powers from trainers. A great duelist might teach an improved version of Sly Flourish : it does +1 damage if the attacker has high ground.

Some ancient martial moves can be learned from manuals. Each manual teaches one move, and is no longer than 80 pages, because martial types can’t usually finish a book that’s longer than that.

Finally, if your fighter doesn’t want to constantly consult gurus and books, improved powers can be taught by opponents. Elite monsters who use the same power as a fighter might be using an improved version. By seeing it in action, the fighter might learn the improved technique. (This makes martial classes into a sort of Final Fantasy blue-magic specialist.)

Other power sources

Primal classes probably gain new abilities through rites of passage. The barbarian, for instance, has a laundry list of tasks he needs to accomplish in order to unlock new daily powers: killing a dragon, for instance, or winning a wrestling match against a tree spirit. After the task is accomplished, the character needs to have a druidic rite performed (typically involving tattooing or branding) to unlock the new ability.

I don’t really understand the shadow source very well, but it seems to involve death. Shadow characters might have to find the lingering spirits of ancient emperors and cursed wizards and convince them to give up their secrets. This might involve pilgrimages to ancient ruined palaces, haunted houses, or cities in the shadowfell. Or, hey, just go to Hogwarts! There’s like 50 ghosts in there.

Psionic training probably involves traveling to Dagobah and finding a Jedi master.

My simple XP rules: 1 XP per encounter

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

I know I’ll never fully embrace OD&D because I hate using charts. I prefer simple, easily internalized rules, like 3e’s Base Attack Bonus, rather than 1e’s Attack Matrix charts. 4e’s XP system still has a big ol’ level-advancement chart at the center of it, along with XP entries for every creature in the Monster Manual (which I often don’t use).

The 4e XP system has been formalized and math-checked, which means one of D&D’s central problems is more obvious than it has ever been: it suffers from “inflating-numbers-that-don’t-do-a-goddamn-thing-itis.” At level 1, you fight 10 battles in order to collect 1,000 XP. At level 10, you fight 10 battles to collect 20,500 XP. The specific amount of XP per battle changes, but the number of battles doesn’t.

There’s a historical reason for that. In old D&D, your XP was tied to your income. Since high-level characters won richer and richer treasures, XP totals per level had to rise. Now that characters don’t get 1 XP per GP earned, however, there’s no reason that XP needs to stick to that inflationary model.

Besides, calculating XP is kind of a pain: it involves flipping around in various books to add XP from monsters and traps, and dividing by the number of PCs.

I can’t be bothered to calculate XP, but I’m not ready to totally dump the idea of leveling up. Having the DM bestow levels arbitrarily takes away some of the treadmill charm of D&D. So here’s the super-simple XP system I use nowadays.

Every level costs 10 XP.

Most battles provide 1 XP. Boss battles provide 2 XP.

Same with quests and skill challenges: 1 XP, or 2 XP for major quests/challenges.

There are some minor variations here from the standard XP system:

  • XP differences between hard and easy battles are not so granular. Personally, I think this is fine, especially since the difficulty of a battle often has as much to do with circumstances and terrain as with the XP budget.
  • Quest XP is vastly higher in my system. In standard 4e, a minor quest gives about 1/5 the XP of one encounter, and a major quest as much XP as one encounter. This is probably a tiny fraction of the XP gathered from battles along the course of the quest. Video game RPGs, on the other hand, often give huge quest XP bonuses. This is great, because it’s weird when saving the world grants much less of a reward than fighting a random encounter.
  • It’s impossible to forget. You can give XP on the fly without consulting any charts. In fact, the players can track the 1 XP for each battle: all you have to do is grant the extra XP for quests and boss battles.