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new category of magic item: magical map

Monday, April 16th, 2012

At the foot of the little rise there was a map of the world, carte du monde, mappamondo, karte der welt, with the countries marked on it in brilliant colors. I knew that if I wanted to go anywhere, from Angola to Paphlagonia, all I had to do was put my foot on the spot.

This quote from Sign of the Labrys got me thinking about how few magical maps there are in D&D. (Between proofing my Random Dungeon poster and working on my stretch-goal board game rules, I’m in a mappy place right now anyway.)

Maps are very important to the play of OD&D. Graph-paper maps are the primary archaeological product of an old-school D&D game, along with empty Mountain Dew bottles. Furthermore, in-game maps (treasure maps) are a big part of OD&D treasure. Nevertheless, there are virtually no magical maps. There might be one or two in splatbooks, but I don’t think any core Dungeon Master’s Guide has ever featured a magical map. (The 1e DMG, on the other hand, has four different magical periapts.)

Contrast this with computer games. A magical map is one of the ubiquitous items in computer RPGS: so common that it’s part of the user interface. Nearly every game comes with an auto-map. I’m splitting hairs here a little: I know that, within the fiction of the game, most auto-maps represent the cartographic efforts of the main character. Still, if you’ve played old games like The Bard’s Tale where you did your own mapping on graph paper, auto-maps feel pretty darn magical.

Here are some magical maps for D&D. They join a proud tradition of D&D’s brilliant “you now have permission to ignore the rules” magic items. They don’t really give the players new powers: they enable a free-and-easy play style that some prefer. Don’t like encumbrance? Have a Bag of Holding! Don’t like tracking light sources? Everburning torch!

Along with each magic map are notes about what play style it might support.

AUTOMAP PAPER

Automap paper looks like ordinary paper until a drop of ink is applied to it. The ink will crawl of its own accord, drawing a small overhead map view of the PC’s current location. If the PCs are inside a structure, the picture will be scaled so that the entire floor of the building could be drawn on one sheet of paper. If the PCs are outside, it will be scaled so that the entire island or continent can be drawn. Detail level will be appropriate to the scale.

Once the map has been started, it will automatically update itself whenever it’s in a new location. It can’t map while it’s inside a container: it needs to be held in a hand or otherwise out in the open.

Players can draw annotations on the map if they like.

Using automap paper in a game: Start a campaign for a new-school D&D group (3e or 4e) and make them map the dungeons. If they haven’t done so before, every group should map a few dungeons. However, not every campaign is dungeon-crawl focused, and so, once the players have run the gauntlet a few times, let them find a sheaf of, say, 50 sheets of automap paper. From then on, let the players peek at your DM map if they ever get lost. This strategy goes with the general progression of level-based games: start with lots of restrictions, and slowly lift them.

This item also works well in games where the DM draws out the important locations on a battlemat.

Because every magical item should have a leveled version, here are some improved versions of Automap Paper:

Architect’s Map: This superior version of automap paper is blue, and requires white chalk to activate it instead of ink. It draws a whole dungeon level at once, without requiring you to visit each part, and automatically shows hidden and concealed doors, as well as any trap that was built as part of a building’s original construction.

Using the Architect’s Map in a game: Give the PCs a copy of the DM map. It’s up to them to track their journey and to notice your notations for traps and secret doors. While automap paper can be given freely to PCs, an Architect’s Map might be a limited resource: players might find 1d4 sheets at a time. An architect’s map is especially good when you don’t mind letting the players making informed decisions about where to go.

Living Map: This is the Harry Potter version of the automap. It uses moving dots of ink to represent all living things on the map. A cluster of 10 hobgoblins might look like one large dot, and be indistinguishable from five hobgoblins, or from a dragon.

Using the Living Map in a game: Like the Architect’s Map, this should be an expendable resource. It’s handy in an ordinary dungeon: it’s nice to be able to check the map to see if there’s an ambush behind the door. It’s even more useful for heist, stealth, or chase adventures. It’s a nice magic item for groups that like to outthink obstacles instead of killing everyone in their way: in other words, give it to your Shadowrun group when they’re playing D&D for a change. Keep in mind that a single piece of map paper only graphs one floor. If a creature goes upstairs, it’s off the map.

Travel Map: If a character touches a point on this automap, he or she will instantly travel to that location. Keep in mind that the automap only charts visited places, so a character cannot use it to travel somewhere new. Also, a travel map can only teleport a single player: since the map travels with the player, it can’t be used for party travel.

This map’s special properties are only available if its owner is in the mapped area: in other words, a player can’t use a travel map of a dungeon to teleport into the dungeon. He or she may only teleport from one point in the dungeon to another.

This map is especially useful as an outdoor map: travel between cities is usually more time-consuming and difficult than travel between different rooms in a dungeon.

Using a travel map in a game: A single piece of travel map paper, used as a continental map, can expedite the kind of fast-travel used in most computer RPGs. The first time you go somewhere, you have to go there the hard way. Once you’ve been there, you can hand-wave any future travel to or from that location. A single travel map allows a single character to take intra-continental jaunts, allowing for lots of communication and resupply options; more useful fast travel requires enough maps for the whole party. A pack of travel-map paper is a pretty good find for a high-level party which is outgrowing wilderness adventures.

A fun trick: Don’t let the players know that their map is of the “travel map” variety. Watch the players during the game. When someone touches a spot on the map to make a point, tell everyone that that player’s character has disappeared.

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Posted in 4e D&D, advice/tools, game design, legacy D&D, RPG Hub | 15 Comments »

Kickstarter: Random Dungeon Generator as a Dungeon Map

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

I’m making a giant poster that will encapsulate the original Dungeon Master’s Guide dungeon-creation rules on a playable dungeon map. I’ll be funding it as a kickstarter.

GO HERE AND PLEDGE!

The above is just a little piece of the poster, which is currently ten square feet of half-inked, insanely detailed dungeon map, filled with hundreds of corridors, rooms, traps, monsters, stairs, treasures, and other dungeon features, as detailed by the DMG’s Appendix A.

Here’s how you can use it: This project is an experiment in information presentation. It’s based on a couple of facts: a) the information in the DMG’s random dungeon charts can be rendered as a flow chart; b) any flow chart can be rendered as a dungeon; c) therefore, the procedure to make dungeons can itself be drawn as a dungeon. There are a couple of ways to use the poster.

a) You could use the poster to generate traditional dungeons: As a DM or as a solo player, you could trace your way through the dungeon, rolling dice at decision points and mapping on graph paper as you go, just as you would using Appendix A from the DMG. You’ll end up with a unique dungeon map.

b) You could skip the mapping and wander through random dungeons: There’s no need to map: if you follow the arrows through the dungeon, you’ll be presented with a succession of passages, doors, and wandering monsters. You can use minis or counters to track your place in the dungeon and your current dungeon level. You’ll meet different challenges every time you play.

c) You could ignore the dungeon-generation rules and use it as a literal dungeon: go through this door and find some stairs; go through this passage and find some treasure. If you do it this way, it will be the same dungeon every time.

d) You could hang it on the wall: OK, I drew it, so I’m not impartial, but I think this poster is pretty nice looking. It’s got a central portrait of the recurring page-border adventuring party from the 1e DMG, and along the edges there are lots of details to stare at.

Sounds good, right? You should

GO HERE AND PLEDGE!

Edition: The poster is pretty edition neutral. It can be used as is for D&D, 1e, and 2e as it is. For 3e, for specific tricks/traps you need to convert the occasional “save vs. magic” to “Will save” or whatever. For 4e, you’ll use “will defense” and probably double all trap damage. I play in OD&D and 4e games, and I plan to use it for both campaigns.

Here’s what it looks like: The poster is not fully inked and cleaned up yet, but I can show you a couple of pieces. Here’s a section called “Stairs”, and here’s the DMG chart upon which it’s based.

Here’s what the kickstarter is setting out to do: First, I’m raising money to print the poster. Second, I also want to reprint my OD&D Wandering Monsters poster, which is now sold out.

I’d like to get the posters delivered to pledgers by April 17, when Wizards reprints their first edition core books. My Dungeon Map generator gives you some dungeoncrawling fun to indulge in while you wait for Wizards to reprint some adventures.

If we raise extra money, I have a bunch of bonus goals in mind.

If we raise $1000 more than my goal, everyone who pledged at least $23 gets a free poster, either this poster or the OD&D wandering monster poster, their choice.

If we raise more than that, I have some other donation plans: I’d like to be able to donate 50 or 100 posters for the Gygax Memorial Fund to sell at Gen Con. I think the posters might be able to raise a couple thousand dollars.

I’m pretty sure I must have sold you by now so

GO HERE AND PLEDGE!

Posted in 4e D&D, advice/tools, legacy D&D, news, RPG Hub | 3 Comments »

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

Posted in 4e D&D, advice/tools, fluff/inspiration, RPG Hub | 4 Comments »

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