The Wolves Den

Frei Campaign-Character Creation(revised)

2007-01-12T07:35:00.002-08:00

Ability Scores-Each player will 4d6, 6 times. Each time they will total up the 3 highest numbers and record this total in order of the roll on their character sheet next to the ability scores. (For example: The first roll will go next to Str, the second next to Dex, etc.) Then each player will roll percentile dice for each ability and record them next to their ability scores, also in order of the rolls.

Races-Each player may choose from one of the following 5 races;Dwarf, Human, Elf, Gnome, or Halfling. Each race will have its own Hit Point Value, in addition to special racial abilities. (to be posted later) As each character increases in level his points will increase according to his Hit Point Value. (For Example; A dwarf has a HVP of 10, at 0 level he has 10 HP, at 1st he will have 20, etc.)

Class-Each player will start out as a 0 level commoner. When they have gained 500 EXP, they may choose to be trained in any class they meet the requirements for. They can not gain any more EXP, until they meet receive training for a class.

OK that's it for now check back tomorrow for more details.

Just my two cents.

Gamers update.

2007-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

Ok finally the game room is done. As soon as i find out what my new schedule is I'll post when we'll start the campaign. I still need to know who is interested in playing, so I can prepare accordingly. I would like to have at least 4 but more players is ok. I only want you to play if you can be commited to playing once per month. Over the next couple of days, I'll be posting the ideas, and new rules for the campaign. Some of these I have posted before, some of them I have changed, and some of them are new. They are all open for discussion, so please feel free to leave your opinion of them.
If your a player who came to this site in search of ideas, feel free to use any of ideas you like. Also please visit my friend and Master Dungeon Masters site found here . He has a lot of great ideas, and many times my creations are modeled after his.
Thats it for now. I look forward to reading everyones comments.
(As a side note. for any of you who play WoW, my characters name on there is Wolfsbane, drop me a tell sometime.)

Just my two cents.

Gaming news.

2006-11-10T05:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, just make sure everyone is one the same page. We're playing WLD, Saturday night at Tobias's. Everyone can meet at Atlas at about 6pm. Next Saturday we'll play Nilihat, and then the Saturday after that we will finally begin the Frei campaign.
Orginally we had decided to play at Gerties diner. But after some thought, I have changed my mine, and have decided we will instead play at my house. If we the need the extra room, we can play in the living room. The reason for this decision, is the simple fact I have to many resources to transport them back and forth, between the diner. If any of you, decide you want run a campaign at the diner, I have no probelm playing there, I'm just not gonna DM there.
Between now and the 25th, I want everyone to be thinking about what characters their gonna play. I know we're not starting out with a certain class, but try to at least have one in mind. Of course, you can change your mind after playing the first the part, and have your PC go in a different direction, which is ok. But I feel if you at least a general idea of what your gonna play, the game will go smoother.
One quick note about the classes, I'm going to be changeing some of the rules for the classes. I don't think they will be major changes, and most of them will be to encourage play of the class. I will inform you of the changes at the time you pick the class, and give you the option of changing your class before walking down that path.
This campaign will be one of trial and error. Which means I will be trying out new rules based on your input. Some I will discard if they don't work for whatever reason, and some I will keep. If after we play you really like something or don't like something, let me know, so I can make the proper changes.
Thats it for now. If you have questions let me know. Thanks.

New Minis Challenge.

2006-10-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

Micheal was the winner in yesterdays challenge. So here is the new challenge, chosen by Micheal.
500 point. Regular rules apply. (8 fig. max., No fig. over 70%, all the same faction.) Must contain one Aspect. (Aspects of Bahumut, and Tiamat, are not allowed.) The goal is to kill/rout your opponents Aspect.

Rumors.

2006-10-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

From Forell to freeborn fighters of Hornsbud....
Our hidden post underground the village, is working out, although there is still the matter of the rat-men, who are constantly fighting for terrioritory. It may be worth contacting their leader, and see if we can come to an agreement. Something in their blood, makes them immune to the taint, which would make them great allies. If we can find a way to overcome their hatred of us.
Our "friends" in the forest of Danke, report the black death is spreading. They claim to have seen an orc wrapped in black furs worshipping the black oak form which the "death" is coming from. Of course due to their outlook on violence are unwilling to confront the orc. Perhaps it's in our best interest to send some of our people out to investigate. If this death over takes their home, we will be unable to receive new weapons from them.
The Horde have opened a new recruiting post on the Red Plains. They hope to increase their ranks with men from the Blood barbarian tribes. We need volunteers, to attack the post, and burn it to the ground. You will be provided with disguises, so as not to cast susicpions on our operations here.
Finally, there are rumors that the Druid has awaken and is in search of the one who will set us free. If anyone has confirmation on these, should report to the council immediately, so they can be validated.
Forell Thornshammer

Gaming Schedule.

2006-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Heres the gaming schedule for the next couple of months, so make sure you plan accordingly.
WLD-At Tobias's-11/4, 12/2
New Campaign-At Gerties Diner-11/18, 12/23

Gnomes

2006-10-20T06:33:00.001-07:00

Gnomes
+1 Fire, +1 Engineering, +2 to Con, -2 to Str, +1 size bonus to AC, Speed 20', +2 to saving throws vs. Illusions, +2 to Listen, +2 to Craft (Alchemy)
1st level-Burning Hands
3rd level-Produce Flame
5th level-Resist Energy
7th level-Wall of Fire
9th level-Fire Sheild
11th level-Fire Seeds
13th level-Fire Storm
15th level-Incendiary Cloud
17th level-Elemental Swarm

Humans

2006-10-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

Human
+1 BAB, +1 Intimidate, Speed 30', Extar feat at first level, 4 extra skill points +1 extra skill point per level,
1st level-Magic Weapon
3rd level-Spirtitual Weapon
5th level-Magic Vestment
7th level-Divine Power
9th level-Flame Strike
11th level-Blade Barrier
13th level-Power Word Blind
15th level-Power Word Stun
17th level-Power Word Kill

Elves

2006-10-20T06:32:00.001-07:00

Elves
+1 to Spellcraft, +1 to Knowledge (Arcana), +2 to Dex, -2 to Con, Speed 30', Immune to Magic Sleep, +2 racial bonus vs. enchantments, +2 to Listen, Search, Spot checks.
1st level-Magic Aura
3rd level-Identify
5th level-Dispel Magic
7th level-Imbue with Spell Ability
9th level-Spell Resistance
11th level-Antimagic Field
13th level-Spell Turning
15th level-Protection from Spells
17th level-Mage's Disjunction

Halflings

2006-10-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Halflings
+1 to Bluff, +1 to Hide, +2 to Dex, -2 to Str, +1 to size bonus to AC, Speed 20', +2 to Climb, Jump, and Move Silently Checks, +1 to saving throws, +1 to Thrown weapons, +2 to Listen checks.
1st level-Disguise Self
3rd level-Invisibilty
5th level-Nondetection
7th level-Confusion
9th-level-False Vision
11th level-Mislead
13th level-Screen
15th level-Polymorph Any Object
17th level-Time Stop

Dwarves.

2006-10-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

Dwarves
+1 to Knowledge(Stone), +1 to Tracking, +2 to Con, -2 to Cha, Speed 20', Stonecunning, Stability, +2 bonus to poison saves, +2 to save vs. spells and spell-like abilities, +2 bonus to appraise checks (stone and metal), +2 Craft Check (stone or metal)
1st level-Magic Stone
3rd level-Soften Earth and Stone
5th level-Stone Shape
7th level-Spike Stones
9th level-Wall of Stone
11th level-Stone Skin
13th level-Earthquake
15th level-Iron Body
17th level-Elemental Swarm

Racial Abilities.

2006-10-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not sure when we'll start the new campaign, it seems everyone has plans this weekend which is cool. The following are going to be the racial abilities for the new campaigns. In addition theres a list of powers each race gets as it advances in level. These abilities start at uses 1/day and increase every 4 levels. (for example 1/day at 1st, 2/day at 5th, etc.) The DC for these powers are 10+Cha Modifer+level of character. If you have any questions, let me know.
Just my two cents.

New campaign.

2006-10-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

Ok majority rules. We'll finish up part one of RHoD, 10/28, then roll new characters, and time permitting begin, the new campaign. Tomorrow if given the time, I'll post the racial features on here. So make sure you check it out, to help with your character creation.

Just my two cents.

Changes.

2006-10-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

Let’s talk about character death. Thus far, in RHoD, and other campaigns of the past, I have taken it easy on characters deaths. My reason for it is the process of having to make a new character. I have written about this before, in a post about the invincibility complex. So basically, (and I’ll go over this again, when we play Saturday, for those who don’t get a chance to read this) no more freebies. If you die, you die. If you can be resurrected, no problem, if you can’t, then its time to roll a new character.
The reason I’m going over this now, is because there’s times coming up, where retreat is going to be your best option. At Skull Gorge, retreat and regrouping may have been an easier solution. Now I don’t want you to run from every encounter. I want you to play your character true to form. Ask Tobias, my little Frost Dwarf Barbarian, runs into every battle, regardless of whether he could get killed or not. He has his own reasons for that, (mainly, after having died once, he no longer fears death) and I intend to keep playing him by character until something happens that changes that. (Although if wrestling with a Chain Devil doesn’t give him a new outlook, I don’t know what will.) My point is play your characters, which I think everyone does a good job of, but be aware, if you die you die.
Another topic, which I want you my players to decide on is spell points. This is a system Tobias uses, which I think would add a different flavor to spell casting, but you are the players, so the decision is up to you. Let’s break it down. With the current system, a spell caster has so many spells per spell level he is permitted to cast per day. For example: A 4th level Sorcerer can cast 6 0-level spells, 6 1st-level spells, and 3 2nd-level spells. (Now there is an option, sorcerers have that they sacrifice a higher level spell for a lower level, but I’m trying to keep it basic, anyone interested in playing a sorcerer, can look up this option in the PHB.) So after a sorcerer casts 3 2nd-level spells, that’s all he can cast, (of 2nd-level spells) until he rests. Now in the spell point system, a spell caster has spells points equal to the amount spells he can cast per day, multiplied by their spell level. HE can use these points to cast any spells of the levels he can cast. For example: A 4th level Sorcerer has 12 spell points; 6 for each 1st-level spell, he can cast, and 6 for the 2nd-level spells. (3-2nd level, 2nd level spells cost 2 points 3 x 2=6) (Also we’re putting 0-level spells aside for the moment.) If he so chooses, he can spend the 12 points to cast 6 2nd-level spells, provided he doesn’t cast any 1st-level spells. For 0-level spells, I think we’ll go with a limit, of 3/day per spell. (We may have to change this, if it appears to be powerful, or weak.) So let me know what you think. We’ll take a vote, and majority rules.
Also keep in mind the rule will go for your opponents as well, which ever way we decide to go.
Just my two cents.

The Reason Why You Should not Miss A Gaming Session.

2006-10-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this Dork Tower comic.
http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/

Change of Location

2006-10-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

I talked to Zack, and he has recieved permission for us to play at Gertie's Diner on Saturday nights.One stipulation. You have to clean up after yourselves. This seems like a great idea, it will give us room to spread out. Keep in mind, we will be playing Saturday 28th, unless, the baby comes first or some of the players are out of town, delivering cars.

Frei Campaign-Changes.

2006-10-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

After brewing it over, trying out a couple of ideas, and with some advice from Tobias, I have decided to make a couple of changes.

Abilities will not start at 12.xx. You will roll as usual (4d6, discard the lowest one, roll percentile, add it.) and in the order that you roll them, assign them to your ability scores. For those of you who don't already play in my campaigns, I only use the 6 main ability scores; Strength, Dexertity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.

Races will be limited to Elves, Halflings, Dwarves, Humans, and Gnomes. For reasons already stated. Of course the sub-races are still available, as was discussed, In addition, each race will be assigned a Domain, and will gain abilities in that domain as they progress. This is an idea, that Tobias has in his world, and I think it adds a touch of flavor to gameplay. (The gods know how much Frostbolt has come in handy for Orsen.)

Experience will be given out by the DM, and I intend to follow a system thats less difficult, than the one I previsouly outlined. Exp. will still be divided for multiclass characters. But the player can choose the percentage for each class.

Everybody will start out as level 0 commoners. At 500 exp., they may choose to level up as a character class of their choice, provided they find a trainer. However, additional experience cannot be gained until they level up.

Critical hits and misses. Here's another area where I agree with Tobias, and I have already tried it out in RHoD. If you roll a natural 20 or a natural 1, when attacking, you must roll again, if on your second roll you roll natural 20 or a natural 1, your weapon will be broken. Be sure to be prepared for this loss of weapons. Likewise if you are hit with a natural 20, by an opponent, you must roll and save for your armor, any rolls 5 or below will result in a crack or breakage. (And beofre any of you ask, yes your natural 20's can cause breakage on your opponents armor.)

I personally like how we did our battles this last time, and unless theres any complaints, we will continue on doing them that way.

Well thats it for now. Leave comments and tell me what you think.

Just my two cents.

Frei campaign, Gaming schdeules, etc.

2006-10-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, as we discussed last night, we are gonna change our gaming nights to Saturday nights, after I get off work. I think this will provide us with more time to play, also it allows me to spend time with my family. We will continue to play RHoD once a month, our next game will be 10/28. If anyone can't make it let me know ahead of time.

I had mentioned starting the Frei campaign soon, but I'm gonna retract that, due to the fact, I'm already playing two campaigns and running a third. I think running two will stretch my limits, and details in RHoD will suffer because of it.

Eric, Gribble, and any others who find their way here. Ya are more than welcome to come game with us at anytime. Tobias has my phone number. We're in the middle of a campiagn right now, but ya are more than welcome to join in. I have kids. So anybody that needs to bring theirs, it's fine with me.

I have talked to Zack, and he's suppose to find out about using Gerties Diner to play at. I have no probelm playing at my house, only it's a little cramp. I may see about playing in the living room since it would provide us with more space. Especially if we have more players, if any of you have any suggestions of other locations, let me know. Just in case Zack falls through.

After some thought and review. I'm making some changes to my earlier notes on the Frei campaign. I will repost them on here, when I have the time.

One last note. I introduced a different playstyle last night, based on my experience gaming with Tobias. Let me know what you thought. Let me know what ya liked and disliked.

Just my two cents.

From the journal of Shafirs Talon.

2006-10-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Day 2.
We have stopped for another day, or at least what we assume is another day. Down here there is no sun, no moon, no stars, time has no meaning. We stop when we are tired and in need of rest. For the sake of these entries, days will be based on the times of these reststops.
My vision is slowly returning, an attack by one the darkcloaks, had left me semi-blind, making me unable to even join in the search of secert doors and such. But I'm getting a head of myself.
The day started out with an attack by some flying insect creatures. They appeared to be a large form of M'skeeters. Tick-tick had entered a room, and was ambushed by them. his large form blocked the door, making it impossible for me to pass, due to my size, although the other smaller, more agile of our group were able to squeeze past and help kill the strange creatures.
We found a room with four pillars in it. at the base of these pillars, were pools of water, that turned out safe to drink. We filled our waterskins, but the whole time it felt as if we were being watched. It turned out we were, by an ogre, called Brachodor, who was also in the room, hiding and watching us. We negoiated terms as we did with the orcs earlier. Brachodor had interesting information. It seems besides the mutated M'skeeters, the darkcloaks, and the remains of the rat-mans army, there were a group of Trog's down here who made their home to the north, none of us had fought any Trog's before, but he have all heard rumors of their horrible smell. We agreed, avoiding the north was a good idea. he also told of us a a kobold druid, who may assist us in traversing the prison, and suggested we search him out.
In the next room we came across a fairy, who confirmed our suspicions, even by magical means we would not be able to escape the dungeon. After this, hell literally broke loose, we were beset upon by more large M'skeeters, attacked by darkcloaks, who attached theirselves to our heads, and during one of these attacks I fell unconscious when I came to my eyesight was dim. In one of the battle with the darkcloaks, I slung my Malakbar at one pinning it to the wall, but unfortunatley I was unable to retrieve my weapon. The loss of this weapon saddens me. It was one of the items I took with me when I left the monastrey. We were hounded by swarms of rats, and nearly crushed by collapsing ceilings. Several battles has left us hurt and unconscious. Our only hope is the druid has healing abilities and is willing to help us.
No sign of our masters. A fact that weighs heavy on us all.

Shafirs Talon

From the journal of Shafirs Talon.

2006-10-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Day 1.
As we stepped through the curtain of darkness, a strange tinkling course through our bodies. On the otherside Cora lit a torch to illuminate the dark room. It's walls were plain, and it was identical to the room we left behind, withon difference there was a door located on the north side of the room. Out of curiousity, we attempted to re-enter the curtain, and found our way blocked by a magical force. It was as we suspected, no way to return.
In the first hallway we encountered a trio of orcs, who were wounded badly and weak. Out of compassion we gave them some of our rations, and in return they gave us information. It turns out our teachers were not the only ones to enter the celestial prison. Something the orc's called a "rat-man" (A lycanthrope, maybe?) led an army of orcs and the like down here, in search of treasure. Instead they only found death, in the form of somekind of huge insects, and "dark cloaks".
We continued our search, room by room. We learned very quickly the quickly that some of the room are trapped. Some so will designed that they escape the notice of Shall, our rogue. The prison itself is well designed, I think I would like to meet the ones who made this place. After encountering fire, acid and rats, we have decided to call it quits for one day, and continue on tomorrow. There has been no sign of our lost mentors.

Shafirs Talon

The World's Largest Dungeon.

2006-10-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

Shafirs Talon stood with the others at the entrance to the tunnel. Despite his calm outward appearance, doubt and fears filled the young hobgoblin monk. Vaki's visions and the subsequent appearance of the runic tatoos upon thier faces left no doubt in his mind their mentors were dead. Would they be able to succed, where their masters had failed? Once they entered, would they be able to make it, back out? Who were these two strangers the visions spoke of?
He glanced at his companions, they too stood still, staring a the tunnel ahead of them. Vaki, the Monkey Shaman, Tick Tick, a Thri-kreen Soulknife, Cora a halfling Sorceror and her familar Arnold, And Shall, a fire elf rogue. All marked by the strange tatoos, all ready to die, so that others can live.
The tunnel opened up to a large rectangular room, the walls were made of smooth stone. The north side of the room lay in total darkness, a darkness so complete, even Talon's darkvision couldn't penatrate it. This was it the point of no return. Slowly, one by one, the heroes stepped into the darkness.

Frei Campaign-Trainers.

2006-10-12T09:33:00.001-07:00

Trainers: Scattered throughout the continent of Frei are Trainers. They are mostly found in villages, cities, and towns, but they are not limited to these places and in fact can be found all over the continent. (Dungeons, forests, caves, etc.) For a fee, these Trainers can teach your character, class, skills, feats, and profiencies. The fee is not always monetary in value, and may involve completeing a quest, before they train you.
Ok, those of you who play WoW should have an idea of what I'm talking about, for those who don't read on. Basically, anytime who want to teach your character a class, skill, etc. you can go to these trainers who will train you in the desired field. Their fee will vary deopending on what it is you want to be train in and some may require you to complete a small quest before they train you. As already discussed earlier, it is possible to learn skills and such on your own, but it is a long process. So I wanted to create a way for the characters to learn these abilities quickly, thus the trainers. I realized that if all the PC"s were going to be fighters, having trainers wasn't going to be nessecary. But there are certain classes you have to be formally trained in, such as wizardy, and theivery. So again we have the trainers. As you increase in level you have to find these trainers (don't worry I don't intend to make them hard to find) and have them train you for the next level. As you train in each class you will be given a set of skills and feats that are required for that class. Also your character will recieve a bonus point in the prime ability score for that class, at first level, to represent the focused training you would have recieved towards that ability. Ideally, these "training" sessions will take place at the end of the game session, things your PC's will be doing in between adventures. This way they won't take away from our precius game time.
Well, thats all I have so far for the campaign. Let me know what you think and feel free to come up with any suggestions you may have.
Those playing in the World's Largest Dungeon, we have changed the day to October 7th, this Saturday, at my house. Bring your own drinks and snacks this time, so you won't be bumming off of Tobias and Tammy.
Those playing in the Red Hand of Doom, it will be at my house on October 29th, any work you need to do on your PC, should be done before this date. Bring your own drinks and snacks for that game too, you bums.

Just my two cents.

Frei Campaign-Skills, Feats, Profiencies, and Languages.

2006-10-12T09:31:00.001-07:00

Ok finally the skills post. Also I will conclude with a poll about Languages, so players be sure to leave your vote.
Skills, Feats, and Profiencies. All 1st level commoners will start with a basic set of skills, feats, and profiencies. These will increase with use, granting bonus's to the die roll. As the character advances they will be allowed to gain more skills, etc. from Trainers, or self-teaching.
It is assumed each character would have been taught certain skills as they grew up, fishing, hunting, farming and such. So to reflect this, each of your characters will start with a basic knowledge of these skills plus a few more. Also it is assumed that they grew up using a Bow and possibly a Dagger, these will be the weapons they start profiecent in. Others skills can be taught by Trainers, or self-taught. For example: If a fighter decides he want's to fight two handed, a short sword in each hand. He can go to a trainer who will teach him, or just start using 2 shortswords. Now granted he will take penalties in the beginning if he uses the latter option, but over time this will decrease and eventually he could gain bonus's, provided he practices and uses them constantly. As a side note skills that we take for granted such as reading and writing were not as common as they are now, this being true, your characters will not start with these skills.
Ok, now for languages This was posted on Wizards.com. Now language hasn't been to much of a probelm in our games, and in fact in situations where I should have used an alternate language, I kept it in common just to simplify matters, and not take away from the focus of the game. So my question is this: Would you rather all creatures and races speak commmon? Or would you rather each race keep its own language? Either way is fine with me, I can work either into the history. Also if we go with the concept of one universal langauge, I like the idea of other languages used in the ancient past, that may need deciphering such as on treasure hunts and such.
Just my two cents.

Frei Campaign-A look into the history (part 2)

2006-10-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Excerpts from the Diary of the Druid Smoke…..

Sixmonth 25, 1356
Bloodhorn's silhouette looms over the camp. We have barely escape from the Demon's clutches. It is only their faith in me, and my visions that the others have followed me so far. It will be a real test of that same faith to convince them to follow me into the Bloodhorn. I can only hope my vision was true, and the paradise I saw lay beyond these forbidding peaks.

Sevenmonth 4, 1356
The rumors concerning Bloodhorn being a breeding ground for demons has proven to be false. There is evil here to be sure, but not so great as our powers cannot protect us.

Sevenmonth 27, 1356
We have arrived. The sight lying before me matched the one in my dreams, a paradise. A land bountiful enough to provide for them. A land where they can hide from the horde. A home to raise the saviors of our future.

Fourthmonth 14, 1356
This will be my final entry. I go now to sleep. My secret friend will watch over me and protect me. I would go and fight Eonlis myself, if I knew I could succeed. I must stay alive to ensure the magic guards I placed around Paradise endure. I will awaken when the Savior is born.

Adonius Elvenfire
Smoke

Frei Campaign-A look into the history.

2006-10-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

Secmonth 16, 1356 A.V.:
As predicted the Races have fallen in to total chaos and war. The Druids weakened by their own bitter infighting, have failed the races they swore to preserve and protect. The leaders of the Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Gnomes and Humans refuse to heed the warnings given to them by the Druid leader known as Smoke. In the North, trapped in the Rift, Eonlis, a great and powerful Demon Lord stirs. Empowered by the hatred and violence filling the land, Eonlis was able to escape from his prison. He brought with him out of the Rift, Orcs, Trolls, Goblionoids and all the other evil creatures locked away with him. Like a black cloud of death, this great horde of evil swept out of the north and invaded the whole continent of Frei. Smoke gathered what remained of the Druids and fled south. The Humans fearing death immediately surrendered to the evil army and quickly joined its ranks.
Fearing their own death, the Kings of the other races, formed a truce and chose to fight side by side against the Horde. Unfortunately, they were greatly outnumbered. Years of fighting against each other had decimated their armies. The war against Eonlis was over quickly. In order to avoid racial extinction, they surrendered. A Reign of Terror had begun.

The Hidden Historian.

Frei Campaign-Battle Rules

2006-10-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Ok I know I promised Skills and Feats. I'm working on it. There are still a couple of things I need to tweak.
Michael and I had a discussion last night, where he proposed a new battle system. There were some positive elements to it, and with some adjusting it may be playable. For right now, I'm going to set it aside til I have time to review, tweak it, and test it.
I did want to discuss our current battle system. I want your opinion. So I'm gonna post a poll, and ya select the one you like best.
1. Our current style. One player rolls initiative for the player side, and I roll for the the "monsters". No modifers are added. Highest number goes first. Order is determined by die roll for the player side, and monster act in order of my preference.
2. Each player rolls initiave for his/her character. I roll individually for the "monsters". Add initiave modifers. We play in order of highest to lowest. Each player must announce their action prior to the start of the round. Optional: We roll initative for each round, thus changing the fighting order each time.
3. Same as our current style, except the players get to choose what order they act in.
There are pros and cons for each one.
Let me know.
Just my two cents.

Frei Campaign-Character Basics (part 2)

2006-10-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Ok the first post was about Ability scores and Race selections. Make sure you go back and review it so their won't be any questions later. Also Micheal has brought up an idea for changing around the battle system. If you have any ideas that will make combat go smoother and more realistic, let me know.
Classes: Each character will start out as a Commoner. At 3rd level, they may go out and find a Trainer to teach them a class/profession. Any class is available (as long as we have the source book for it). In addition you may choose multiple classes. Any General Experience gained will be divided between all the classes.
Ok this rule I believe ya will have no probelm with. Many times we have started a campaign, and shortly after beginning it, I hear "man I should have picked this" or "Can I switch from a ______ to a ______" This rule will allow you to be any class you want, keep in mind General experience (to be discussed later) will be divided among each of the classes you gain, therefore you will level up slower, than say a character who is sticking to one class. Also there has been discussion among some of ya, who want to create thier own class. This is allowed, but all new classes must meet my approval and be subject to change as I see the need. If you need more information concerning creating a class, look in the DMG.
Experience: After each encounter each member of the party will recieve a General experience award. In addition class experience will awarded individually to each class. (For example: A fighter would gain extra Exp for each monster he killed, a mage for each spell he cast, etc.) In cases of mutliclassing, the experince for each class must be kept seperate. The experience needed for each level will stay the same as it is listed in the PHB. (For example: A 2nd level fighter/1st level rogue, needs 4000 exp to gain 3rd level for the fighter, and 1000 exp to gain 2nd level for the rogue.)
I know I said I was going to discuss skills yesterday, but the rules for them are the same as feats, and profiencies, so I will save that topic for one post. I realize the rules may sound confusing, but their really not. If any of you have played Fable, this should in fact be familiar. (Thats where I stole the concept.) Basically its a way to award players for good roleplaying. One thing that as DM that kills me more than anything else is when a player creates one type of character but plays it as another. This rule will insure mages get rewarded for casting spells, cleric for healing, etc.
Ok thats it for this one. Next one will be skills, feats and profienicies.
Just my two cents.

Frei Campaign-Character Basics

2006-10-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, the following are going to be some of the new guidelines and rule changes for the campaign. These of course are subject to change, as the need arises. In addition I will explain why I'm changing the current rules.
Abilities: Ability scores will start out at 12.xx.(xx being a random percentile number rolled at the time of creation.) Racial abilities will apply, and the scores will change accordingly. As your character levels these ability scores will increase.
I can hear the grumbles already. Keep in mind my basis for this new campaign, is that your characters won't start out Uber, but slowly progress into their roles. The percentile idea came from Tobias, and the theory behind it is simple. If you go from a simple life of living on the farm to one of adventuring, you're going to get stronger, faster, smarter, wiser, etc. The current rule is you gain 1 point at 4th level. Why shouldn't they slowly increase all along? Now your primary, once you choose a class, will increase faster than the others, but they will all still increase.

Races: You may choose any race available in the Players Handbook. All racial abilities will apply, with one difference, all humans will start with a bonus +1 to all ability scores. Any subraces will be acceptable given special circumstances. (For example; an aquatic elf in a sea campaign, a drow elf in an underground campaign.) Each player must have DM's approval before selecting a subrace.
Again with the grumbles. Lately we have been trying out several different races from the several books we own. It has been interesting, but by the same token, these abnormal races have become the norm. In the new campaign I'm trying to get back to the basics, hence the rule. Now in certain circumstances I would be willing to let one player try a different race, as long as they come up with a good backstory as to why their character is different from the others of its kind. In these cases only one player per group can utilize this option. This option will not be available for the first campaign, as it will be a testing rgound of sorts. Also some of you may think that its not fair for the humans to gain the +1 to their scores. Keep in mind humans don't get a lot of racial abilities, that the other races do. How many of you have played a human recently? So to make sure humans have a chance at adventuring in my new campaign I added the rule.
Ok thats it for the first part. Next I'll discuss Classes and Skills. Players, leave your opinions and let me know what you like and don't like.
I wanted to add, the game went great last night, in my opinion. Everyone played their characters perfectly. Zack, thanks for standing in for Josh, they may not have survived without the extra beef. Since we ended so quickly and the game ran so long, we didn't really finish up on details. There's a few more items to be found, and to save time, we'll say ya camped that night in the keep so can level, heal, and medidate.
Next game is October 29th. Next World's Largest Dungeon campaign (unless Tobias tells me different) is October 14th.
Just my two cents.

Frei Campaign-The Background.

2006-10-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, some of you already know, per our conversations, that I plan on (after RHoD) creating a new world, a new campaign, a new style of gaming. I'm going to post on here the new guidlines for play and character creation, etc. For my players: Feel free to leave your opinions and suggestions. I'll review them and make any necessary changes. For other DM's: Feel free to use any ideas you like for own campaigns. Also leave any comments or suggestions that have worked in your own style of gaming.
Why a new campaign?
I have been playing D and D for almost 18 years. I have played different styles. I started in 2nd edition, and now I play 3.5 edition. There has been rules I have liked and rules I didn't. The great thing about D and D is you can play it how you like.
One thing that I feel that has been missing from my games is the realism factor. My PC's start out as a fighter, a mage , a cleric. A lot of times with no background, no history. I wanted to run a campaign, where they don't start as hero's, but events happened along the way that guide their path, that allows them to have a background for their characters, and give them reasons for what they do.
Like most RPG'er's I love reading. I love books like The Wheel of Time series, The Shannara Series, Eragon, and The Lord of the Rings. The heros in these stories, start out as normal common folk, and only through adventuring do they find their role and place. That's what I want to run. I don't want PC's that are "fighters cuz' my da was a fighter" "rogues cuz' I was adbandoned as a baby" etc. I want to run a campaign where the PC's start out average, and they become druids because of decisions made in the game, or a paladin, or a mage, etc.
For this campaign I'm going to use a lot of outside sources. My friend Tobias, who I have mentioned before, runs great campaigns, so I'm going to use some of his ideas. I have started playing World of Warcraft recently, and there's sereval aspects of that game I'm going to incorpate in the my new world.
Well, thats the background. Check back reguraly for updates, leave comments, leave suggestions. Next time I'm going to discuss character creation.

Just my two cents.

One for my players.

2006-10-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, Red Hand of Doom, is going to take a while to get through, but already I'm trying to do some planning for after it. As some of you, already know I plan on the next campaign being a home brew one. Leave your comments on what you would like to face, or type of setting you would like it to take place in.
Also, I was planning on starting an alterante campaign. One we could switch between RHoD. So my question is do you want to stay playing RHoD, and the adventure afterwards, until its done, then do a new campaign? Or start a new campaign, and run both? In the new campaign, you will start as level 0 Commoners, only choosing your class later in the game. I am going to work out the details, but it's going to contain some new ideas given to me by Tobias, and some of my own. I'll go into detail later, once I work it all out and post it on here.
One final thought. If any of you are interested in running a campaign, I would be interested in playing. We could make on any Saturday or Sunday, we're not already running a game on. I have plenty of sources, and I can help out with details. Just let me know.

Just my two cents.

Fane of the Drow Part 2.

2006-02-21T13:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, so a few weeks past I posted about a D and D campaign I'm running. (if you missed it you'll just have to look in my archives) Well, they continued their adventure this weekend.

Previously:
Finally the heroes won but they had suffer serious wounds. Just when they tried to relax they were set upon by a swarms of spiders.

Faced with this new threat, the heroes tried unsuccessfully to rid themselves of the spiders. The spider's bite were poisonous, and made the heroes violently sick. Finally Hyguile came up with a solution, albeit a painful one. He cast Inflict wounds on himself, the magic freeing him from the spiders. Moving quickly he freed Valor and Morar the same way. The trio quickly searched the mine for any valuables. They didn't find any, although they find a hidden chest that contain scrolls that told a story of how a tribe of Drow elves had once occupied these mines and built a teleportation device that now lay broken and useless. They also discovered a mine shaft that led deeper into the mine. Bravely they adventured along.None too soon they came across an area where the rough walls of an unfinished mine ended. They had stumbled into an underground fortress before them lay a great iron door. Approaching cautisouly, they listened for any sign of movement beyond the door. Hearing none they tried to pick the lock. Morar becoming impatient, proceeded to beat on the door with his war axe. After a lot of noise, and time he finally beat his way through, on the other side waited 6 drow warriors. The drow immediately cast Darkness, blinding everyone but Morar and the drow. Hyguile began firing his bow blindly in the darkness, Valor swung wildly praying he would hit, and Morar using his dark vision charged the nearest drow. The drow released a trap from the ceiling covering Valor and Morar with a spiderweb like net. They quickly freed them selves and finished off the drow. With their vision restored they proceeded to explore the fortress. Opening a door to their left, they stumbled into a arcane laboratory just as the wizard Amoloncdul released a flaming sphere in their direction.
Check back later for more updates.

What die are you?

2006-02-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

The International Geek Song

2006-01-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

Check this out.
http://www.wantonline.com/blog/index.cfm/2006/1/10/International-Geek-Song
Watch at least 1 min 10 secs of it and pay attention to the lyrics.

Ability Scores

2006-01-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

For all you d and d players check this site out.
http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/terragf/back/xstattest.html
by scores are listed below
read prev post to decode them
Str: 10
Dex: 13
Con: 13
Int: 11
Wis: 11
Chr: 11

MY Sunday

2006-01-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

Well I was off yesterday, and it was great. I taught somebody how to play D and D miniatures. I played D and D. (it sucked Micheal couldn't make it, but oh well)
I thought I would write the adventure here, so ya could read about it.

(BTW I'm using the Fane of the Drow campaign so if any of my readers thinks this sounds familiar)
The three heros are Morar, a 4th level Dwarven fighter, Valor a 4th level Spirit Folk Ranger, and Hyguile the Dark a 3rd level elven cleric/rogue.
The adventure takes place in Legolas pass, in the world of Kalamar, in Stonehelms Fortress. Morar had returned home to visit his family and pay his respects to his fathers grave. He brought his traveling companions with him, Valor and Hyguile. A short time before their arrival, the Stonehelm Clan had discovered a mine rich with Mithiril. The only problem was a clan of Drow had already claimed the mine. To make matters worse a clan of Duergar dwarves had also discovered the mine. The Thane of the clan hired Morar and his companions to clear out the mine so the dwarves could claim the mine. The heroes agreed, and soon they were on their way. Soon after they entered the mine they were ambushed by a tribe of Bloodweb Goblins who worked for the Drow. The Goblins use a hit and run tactics luring the heroes to cave full of spiders. The Duergar overheard the battle and joined in attacking both the goblins and heroes. Finally the heroes won but they had suffer serious wounds. Just when they tried to relax they were set upon by a swarms of spiders.
Well, if you want to know what happened next you have to check back at a later date.