Recently one of my beloved players suggested that there should be an XP reward for good role-playing. This, he said, will encourage players to role-play. So, What is the formula for figuring XP for role-playing? What does that table look like?
Bribed the guard with a great lie.....250 XP
Told a sad tale to get a free room....300 XP
Gave an impassioned speech............500 XP
Made everyone at the table laugh......750 XP
No. Talking your way out of, or into, a situation does not make you more skilled with the blade. Further, I would suggest that players of a role-playing game shouldn't need encouragement to role-play. We are not playing Monopoly or Risk. We role-play.
I understand about newbies needing time to get a feel for Role-playing. Getting into a character in our favorite game is unique. Takes time to develop Role-playing. Certainly did for me. Newbies should be encouraged by the example of the other players (in a table of newbies, I guarantee that someone will step up and Role-play.) It really is not the DM's job, but the other players taking responsibility for each other. So, no XP.
The new write-up of Session 3 is up here.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
My New Campaign Is About To Start
Selangod
Selangod is the capitol city in the Kingdom of Selangod. There are 20,000 souls in the large city, a mix of races: 40% human, 20% Dwarf, 15% Elf, 12% Gnome, 8% Halfling, 3% Half-Orc and 2% Half-Gnoll. Trade comes and goes at a fervent pace inside the city. As the Government collects no taxes, merchants proliferate. Competition causes the best merchants to succeed but the power remains in the government – there is no business lobby. People get several chances to succeed and are never disadvantaged by any hegemony, so long as they obey the laws. King Lecrose is fair. It is common knowledge that the Royal Family has a fortune in diamonds and with his own wise investments, the King covers the cost involved in maintaining the City, the services and the armed forces. He knows what a Gold Piece is worth.
Like many of the valleys and lowlands throughout Mu, Selangod enjoys a jungle climate. It is usually hot enough to cause one to sweat, and is always humid. There are two seasons, Rainy and Sunny with the former occurring only during the last three months of the twelve-month year. It is normal for there to be a short rain every day, soon after sunrise. The kingdom has two lakes and two main rivers. The white tips of tall mountains can be seen far to the north on a clear day.
The nearest kingdom of civilized people is three hundred miles to the northwest, whose capital is called Davout. There are occasional trade caravans sent along empty roads, back and forth between this kingdom and Selangod. Davout is at war with the mighty Ogre Kingdom. There are other settlements of peoples here and there, some nearby, but most of these are small, temporary and unmapped. The majority of the jungle is thick and wild. Very, very far to the north of Selangod is a great sea, surrounded on all sides by other great kingdoms. Over three hundred miles to the south is The Endless Expanse, water with no far edge.
The Kingdom of Selangod is currently also at war with the Ogre Kingdom. King Lecrose has raised a large army of Gnolls to fight this war, although some townsfolk have also joined the war effort. The Gnolls live in the northern mountains between these two kingdoms. They have an ancient alliance with Selangod, and seem willing to maintain it. The war has long periods of coldness where only small skirmishes occur.
The religion of the Sun God, Atura, is the main religion throughout Selangod. The traditions and laws of the church are closely tied to the governmental laws. Justice is fair but swift. The God has no symbol except the sun in the sky. Priests are very often involved in government and they see to the needs of people. It is in everyone’s best interest to keep their neighbors from struggling.
King Lecrose is known for his fairness and justice but also his generosity. During his reign he has ended the burden of taxation and built a network of care-houses that do more than shelter the disadvantaged, but strive to teach and rehabilitate them. He has also wiped out the Withering Death plague. Additionally, the old and infirm are allowed to leave the world in comfort and honor on the King’s own estate, with final support given to their families. The King has no Queen, nor any known children. It is expected that he will appoint a successor at the time of his retirement, likely an important person from the official church.
The police force throughout the kingdom is fair but strict. In Selangod, it is managed by a Master and a team of Bashers. Strangers get extra attention in town from law enforcement. Those looking the part of Adventurers get harassed as adventuring is frowned upon. Weapons and armor are rarely worn by citizens. The police themselves are lightly armed. There are no “adventurer’s” shops but there is a public black market that trades in everything. It’s not illegal to shop the black market, it’s just illegal for common folks to bare arms. Licenses to carry arms and armor can be purchased with donations made to the church.
The only official duty required of the populace is the Blood Offering. Every month, on a day of the supplicant’s choosing, adult citizens are bound by religious and secular law to provide a small share of their own blood. There are many centers throughout the Kingdom where this offering can quickly and almost painlessly, be made. There has never been an incident or accident regarding this ancient and holy tradition.
Generally speaking, the people of Selangod are happy and helpful. Those that do gripe and complain are most often focused on problems outside the Kingdom: toward Ogres, strangers, and the inefficiencies in foreign kingdoms. There is a lot of opportunity for those that embrace fair business, with those seeking to take advantage of people being run out of town. Selangod insists on being a safe Kingdom.
Selangod is the capitol city in the Kingdom of Selangod. There are 20,000 souls in the large city, a mix of races: 40% human, 20% Dwarf, 15% Elf, 12% Gnome, 8% Halfling, 3% Half-Orc and 2% Half-Gnoll. Trade comes and goes at a fervent pace inside the city. As the Government collects no taxes, merchants proliferate. Competition causes the best merchants to succeed but the power remains in the government – there is no business lobby. People get several chances to succeed and are never disadvantaged by any hegemony, so long as they obey the laws. King Lecrose is fair. It is common knowledge that the Royal Family has a fortune in diamonds and with his own wise investments, the King covers the cost involved in maintaining the City, the services and the armed forces. He knows what a Gold Piece is worth.
Like many of the valleys and lowlands throughout Mu, Selangod enjoys a jungle climate. It is usually hot enough to cause one to sweat, and is always humid. There are two seasons, Rainy and Sunny with the former occurring only during the last three months of the twelve-month year. It is normal for there to be a short rain every day, soon after sunrise. The kingdom has two lakes and two main rivers. The white tips of tall mountains can be seen far to the north on a clear day.
The nearest kingdom of civilized people is three hundred miles to the northwest, whose capital is called Davout. There are occasional trade caravans sent along empty roads, back and forth between this kingdom and Selangod. Davout is at war with the mighty Ogre Kingdom. There are other settlements of peoples here and there, some nearby, but most of these are small, temporary and unmapped. The majority of the jungle is thick and wild. Very, very far to the north of Selangod is a great sea, surrounded on all sides by other great kingdoms. Over three hundred miles to the south is The Endless Expanse, water with no far edge.
The Kingdom of Selangod is currently also at war with the Ogre Kingdom. King Lecrose has raised a large army of Gnolls to fight this war, although some townsfolk have also joined the war effort. The Gnolls live in the northern mountains between these two kingdoms. They have an ancient alliance with Selangod, and seem willing to maintain it. The war has long periods of coldness where only small skirmishes occur.
The religion of the Sun God, Atura, is the main religion throughout Selangod. The traditions and laws of the church are closely tied to the governmental laws. Justice is fair but swift. The God has no symbol except the sun in the sky. Priests are very often involved in government and they see to the needs of people. It is in everyone’s best interest to keep their neighbors from struggling.
King Lecrose is known for his fairness and justice but also his generosity. During his reign he has ended the burden of taxation and built a network of care-houses that do more than shelter the disadvantaged, but strive to teach and rehabilitate them. He has also wiped out the Withering Death plague. Additionally, the old and infirm are allowed to leave the world in comfort and honor on the King’s own estate, with final support given to their families. The King has no Queen, nor any known children. It is expected that he will appoint a successor at the time of his retirement, likely an important person from the official church.
The police force throughout the kingdom is fair but strict. In Selangod, it is managed by a Master and a team of Bashers. Strangers get extra attention in town from law enforcement. Those looking the part of Adventurers get harassed as adventuring is frowned upon. Weapons and armor are rarely worn by citizens. The police themselves are lightly armed. There are no “adventurer’s” shops but there is a public black market that trades in everything. It’s not illegal to shop the black market, it’s just illegal for common folks to bare arms. Licenses to carry arms and armor can be purchased with donations made to the church.
The only official duty required of the populace is the Blood Offering. Every month, on a day of the supplicant’s choosing, adult citizens are bound by religious and secular law to provide a small share of their own blood. There are many centers throughout the Kingdom where this offering can quickly and almost painlessly, be made. There has never been an incident or accident regarding this ancient and holy tradition.
Generally speaking, the people of Selangod are happy and helpful. Those that do gripe and complain are most often focused on problems outside the Kingdom: toward Ogres, strangers, and the inefficiencies in foreign kingdoms. There is a lot of opportunity for those that embrace fair business, with those seeking to take advantage of people being run out of town. Selangod insists on being a safe Kingdom.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
My New Novel
I have released my novel, "Conversion," and it has a very strong D&D feel to it. It is certainly inspired by role-playing and swords and sorcery. It is available now through Lulu:
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
The Party Rests in Armor
I received a heavy set of steel chainmail for Christmas. I wear it around town, under my huge sweatshirt, three sizes too big. It's about thirty pounds of extra weight so maybe I will burn off some of the Holiday Cheer. In any case, I slept in my armor last night to no ill effect. So I suggest that if you require your Player Characters to sleep outside of their armor when they rest, perhaps you should make an exception for chainmail. It is not uncomfortable, and I'm a light sleeper.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Complete Tarot Deck of Many Things
This is a complete Deck of Many Things, and is attributed to the wonderful Thoth Tarot Deck:
Saturday, December 6, 2014
More House Rules II
Here are some more house rules dealing with the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide.
Pg. 25 – Player Character Expenses: 100 GP a month per level? Really? Not including taxes or room and board? That can safely be ignored. The DM will occasionally ding the total treasure brought into town to cover minor costs of living, but not 7200 GP a year + expenses for a party of 6.
Pg. 58 – Outdoor Movement: It is hot and muggy in most areas in Mu. This chart assumes as much and gives movement in miles per day. Easier areas are per the old chart on pg. 58:
Terrain
Burden.. Normal..Rugged..Very Rugged
Light.. 20.. 15.. 10
Medium.. 15.. 10.. 5
Heavy.. 10.. 5.. 2
Mounted movement miles/day
Terrain
Mount.. Normal.. Rugged.. Very Rugged
Light.. 50.. 20.. 5
Medium.. 35.. 15.. 5
Heavy.. 25.. 10.. 5
Cart*.. 20.. 10
Wagon*.. 20.. 5
* With some kind of road or flatland.
Pg. 64 – Grenade Like Missiles: Misses: When a grenade like missile misses its target, roll 1d3 and 1d8. The d3 represents the squares away from the target that the missile will land. The d8 gives the direction, clockwise from the target’s square with the front square being “1”.
Pg 72 - Grappling: Grappling is a Strength vs. Strength battle. If a character wishes to grapple another, then he or she must first roll to hit as normal. After hitting, the struggle begins. The procedure is to take the strength of the attacker and compare it to that of the defender. For every point of strength that is different, a plus or minus 5% is given. For example: a person with 16 Strength grapples someone with 12 Strength. 16 – 12 = 4. 4 X 5% = +20%. Therefore the attacker would have a base 50% chance of holding his or her target prone, plus 20% due to being stronger. The attacker would have a 70% chance of successfully Grappling the defender each round, holding the defender prone and unable to act. Of course, the defender must be able to be grappled (i.e. not a slime, or a spirit, etc.)
Pg –192 Harlots: We really don’t need to roll on a chart to determine what kind of harlot you are hiring.
Extra: Suffocation: Suffocation: A breathing, humanoid creature that is roughly human sized, will suffocate to death if they are held without air for their Constitution score in rounds or more. For example: a fighter with a Con of 12 will drown to death if submerged in water for 12 rounds (2 min, 24 sec.)
A similar person held without air for half of their Constitution score (rounding down) in rounds will require additional rounds to recover. For example: if the same fighter with Con of 12 is held for 10 rounds without air. For each round in excess of 6 (half Con), the fighter will require 1 round to recover, or 4 rounds in this case. During those rounds the character will be treated as prone.
Pg. 25 – Player Character Expenses: 100 GP a month per level? Really? Not including taxes or room and board? That can safely be ignored. The DM will occasionally ding the total treasure brought into town to cover minor costs of living, but not 7200 GP a year + expenses for a party of 6.
Pg. 58 – Outdoor Movement: It is hot and muggy in most areas in Mu. This chart assumes as much and gives movement in miles per day. Easier areas are per the old chart on pg. 58:
Terrain
Burden.. Normal..Rugged..Very Rugged
Light.. 20.. 15.. 10
Medium.. 15.. 10.. 5
Heavy.. 10.. 5.. 2
Mounted movement miles/day
Terrain
Mount.. Normal.. Rugged.. Very Rugged
Light.. 50.. 20.. 5
Medium.. 35.. 15.. 5
Heavy.. 25.. 10.. 5
Cart*.. 20.. 10
Wagon*.. 20.. 5
* With some kind of road or flatland.
Pg. 64 – Grenade Like Missiles: Misses: When a grenade like missile misses its target, roll 1d3 and 1d8. The d3 represents the squares away from the target that the missile will land. The d8 gives the direction, clockwise from the target’s square with the front square being “1”.
Pg 72 - Grappling: Grappling is a Strength vs. Strength battle. If a character wishes to grapple another, then he or she must first roll to hit as normal. After hitting, the struggle begins. The procedure is to take the strength of the attacker and compare it to that of the defender. For every point of strength that is different, a plus or minus 5% is given. For example: a person with 16 Strength grapples someone with 12 Strength. 16 – 12 = 4. 4 X 5% = +20%. Therefore the attacker would have a base 50% chance of holding his or her target prone, plus 20% due to being stronger. The attacker would have a 70% chance of successfully Grappling the defender each round, holding the defender prone and unable to act. Of course, the defender must be able to be grappled (i.e. not a slime, or a spirit, etc.)
Pg –192 Harlots: We really don’t need to roll on a chart to determine what kind of harlot you are hiring.
Extra: Suffocation: Suffocation: A breathing, humanoid creature that is roughly human sized, will suffocate to death if they are held without air for their Constitution score in rounds or more. For example: a fighter with a Con of 12 will drown to death if submerged in water for 12 rounds (2 min, 24 sec.)
A similar person held without air for half of their Constitution score (rounding down) in rounds will require additional rounds to recover. For example: if the same fighter with Con of 12 is held for 10 rounds without air. For each round in excess of 6 (half Con), the fighter will require 1 round to recover, or 4 rounds in this case. During those rounds the character will be treated as prone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)