NationStates Jolt Archive

What would you think is the best fantasy character? Please give details as well as what gameing system you use.


In true AD&D I would go with a human multiclass, Ranger/Fighter. That way you get the muliple weapon ability and then top it off with weapon specialization to get some massive number of attacks, as well as a good to hit chance for your preferred enemy. That and tracking is always nice to have.


I don't have much knowledge of other gaming systems except for the new craptastic DnD, that in my opinion has ruined DnD and WoTC should be shot for doing it. I don't have a ideal char class in DnD, though I tend to play human fighters for the number of feats and skill points.

Rogue/Ranger - Aloof, good dexterity, bow&arrow skilz, no morals, unity with nature.

Rogue/Ranger - Aloof, good dexterity, bow&arrow skilz, no morals, unity with nature.

not bad either, I've considered that one too. Can I ask what Gaming system you are using?

I would be using the World of Warcraft or the Everquest system since those are all I know. I don't even know them that well but I know them atleast.

It seems to me, many people usually choose the good guys or the human guys as their character when they play almost any RPG or MMORPG..

i use a ranger in one game, and a kineticist (psionics) in another, i think combining them would be pretty awesome.. maybe i oughta try it. then throw shadowdancer in there..

I would be using the World of Warcraft or the Everquest system since those are all I know. I don't even know them that well but I know them atleast.

I've not gotten much into those ones. I stick mainly to old school AD&D as well as not so old school AD&D, lol. I try to keep away from the D20 system, cause I find it boring and unimaginitive. Good gamers will add their imagination into the game, but the game itself has little.

I always like playing bards. Like me, they know a little about a lot. Breadth of Knowledge without depth.

bah, min/maxing irritates me.

bards can't kill. no fun

Dwarven suicide bomber.

bards can't kill. no fun
why can't a bard kill? Did I miss something in one of the gaming worlds?

bah, min/maxing irritates me.


What is min/maxing? is that where you minimise the weak points, but max the stregths? Cause in good gaming, there is no such thing as a character that has only positive by no negitive.

though in D20 I've seen it used to make the generic character that is best for generic adventures, in those cases the DM just needs to toss the fighters into a world of magic, or the magic users into a world of fighters. Or a cleric into the world of Ravenloft.

pffft Dwarven suicide bomber, my Roanger (Rouge-Ranger) could take you out .. i hope..

What is min/maxing? is that where you minimise the weak points, but max the stregths? Cause in good gaming, there is no such thing as a character that has only positive by no negitive.

though in D20 I've seen it used to make the generic character that is best for generic adventures, in those cases the DM just needs to toss the fighters into a world of magic, or the magic users into a world of fighters. Or a cleric into the world of Ravenloft.

d20 is notorious for promoting min/maxing, which is exactly what you described it as. It seems that when WoTC was designing 3.0, the ideal party they had in mind was 4 paladins riding across the countryside vanquishing evil. As a DM, I do my best to add creativity to the game, but 3.0 and 3.5 give you very little in the way of actual roleplaying. As a combat system, it's superb, but it offers nothing for actual storytelling.

What is min/maxing? is that where you minimise the weak points, but max the stregths? Cause in good gaming, there is no such thing as a character that has only positive by no negitive.

though in D20 I've seen it used to make the generic character that is best for generic adventures, in those cases the DM just needs to toss the fighters into a world of magic, or the magic users into a world of fighters. Or a cleric into the world of Ravenloft.

Yes, that's what I meant by min/maxing. And yes, good gaming has characters with negatives as well as positives.

But BAD gaming, which is far more rampant, has characters with negatives that hardly even apply anymore.

Most times that I see people mutliclassing, it's because they want to min/max, not because it makes for a good story. While I certainly admit that being able to completely own some poor group of orcs or what have you can be fun, it's the story that is important to me.


Edit: By the way, I like clerics. Just realized I should probably say what class I like.

@Slinao
No such thing as no positive, no negative? You clearly haven't been introduced to my main man Tianik (made using 36 point point buy in 3.5e D&D; some spells, feats and his character class are from the supplement The Complete Divine). The Cloak of Resistance he wears was received upon completing the trials to join a mercenary clan).

Tianik
Description: A 23 year old male human, Tianik is 6'2, 160 lbs, blonde and blue eyed with light skin. Short-haired, handsome and muscular without being bulky, he carries himself like someone who knows there are few with his talents. His alignment is Neutral Good, slightly chaotic as far as following protocol goes, but lawful in the way he treats his friends and allies. He is a devout worshipper of Pelor, and has always felt a deep personal connection to Pelor, even without going through the intense prayers of the clergy.

He wears a steel breastplate with a golden sun drawn in the centre, representing his religious beliefs. He always carries two heavy maces; one peace tied at his side, and one in his backpack as a backup. As a holy symbol, he wears a wooden Sun Disk of Pelor on a steel chain around his neck at all times. His heavy steel shield, also, is marked with the symbol of Pelor.

Background: Tianik has spent his entire life in Tir Velar. He has attended the Sun Temple almost every day since he was old enough to walk, but his intuitive approach to worship has somewhat alienated him from the clergy who see him as more of a loner, not realising to what extent Tianik truly has a connection to Pelor. His father was killed on a hunting trip in Tinulad by a wolf when he was only 10 years old, and he has had a fear of the forest ever since. His mother, also, is dead, and, as an only child, he now no longer has any family ties to speak of.

Role in Party: Always seeking to lead others to greatness, Tianik specializes in healing and light spells. He is never afraid to defend his allies in hand to hand combat with his heavy mace, but generally prefers to serve as a backup, casting healing and offensive spells. Tianik is a jack of all trades; he takes pride in being better than everyone in at least something, and uses all his abilities in concert.

Core statistics:
Human Favoured Soul of Pelor, level 2. NG
Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14
AC 19 (+5 armour (breastplate), +2 shield (heavy steel), +2 dex) -- Touch 12, Flat-Footed 17
HP 18 (2d8+4)
Speed: 20 ft
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6 Note: once a day +3 to any save, from True Believer
Base Attack Bonus +1 (+3 grapple)
Feats: True Believer, Augment Healing
Attacks:
Heavy Mace +3 melee (d8+2)
Heavy Crossbow +3 ranged (d10/x3) 100 foot range (48 bolts)
Skill ranks:
Concentration 5, Diplomacy 5, Heal 5, Jump 2, Knowledge (Arcana) 2, Sense Motive 5
Armour check penalty: -6 (-4 breastplate, -2 heavy shield)
Languages: Common, celestial, Orc
Spells:
Per day: 6 lvl 0, 5 lvl 1 (spontaneous casting)
Spells known:
lvl 0: Detect magic, light, mending, detect poison, cure minor wounds
lvl 1: cure light wounds, nimbus of light, resurgence
Note: Augment Healing makes healing spells do an extra +2 per spell level

Equipment:
On person:
Cloak of LORN (Cloak of Resistance +1) (1 lb)
Backpack (2 lb)
Heavy mace (8 lb)
Breastplate (30 lb)
Sun Disk of Pelor (wooden) on chain (0.5 lb)
Shield, heavy steel (15 lb)
Waterskin (4 lb)
Money pouch
Total weight: 57.5 lbs (light load)

On mule in a sack::
Rope, hempen (50 ft) (10 lb)
4 meals (meat, cheese, bread, ale) (3 lb)
Sun Disk of Pelor
Heavy crossbow + 48 bolts (8 lb)
Heavy mace (8 lbs)
Shovel (8 lb)
Total weight: 62 lbs

Carrying capacity:
Light load: 58 or less. Medium: 59-116. Heavy: 117-175

Money: 92 gp, 2 pp, 4 sp, 5 cp

Owed 100 gp by party member Nomenlos, the dual-dagger weilding rogue who got all his gear stolen and needed a loan.

At level three (which will be reached... sometime this week... whenever the guys are available for a session) he gains an extra 1 Base Attack Bonus, his third level feat, new spells and deity's weapon focus... meaning he gets an extra +2 to attack with his mace, new spells and new saves, plus a new feat to spend on something. That level up will kick ass.

d20 is notorious for promoting min/maxing, which is exactly what you described it as. It seems that when WoTC was designing 3.0, the ideal party they had in mind was 4 paladins riding across the countryside vanquishing evil. As a DM, I do my best to add creativity to the game, but 3.0 and 3.5 give you very little in the way of actual roleplaying. As a combat system, it's superb, but it offers nothing for actual storytelling.


I agree with you so much there. I enjoy the AD&D 2nd Ed system myself. Though I do like the way that 3rd uses skills and such. I've been considering combineing the two and working them together, it wouldn't be that hard to either.

I also think that 3rd ruined some of the chars like the ranger, who's bonus to hated creature is kinda weak. What good is +4 vs elves when you are lvl 20 and get +20 from that alone.


Edit: thIs is my 666th post, spooky, Wonder if ANti-chrisT nutS Are going To ANalize it and tell me about the hidden meSsage tHe SAtan has giveN hiDden in my wordS

I agree with you so much there. I enjoy the AD&D 2nd Ed system myself. Though I do like the way that 3rd uses skills and such. I've been considering combineing the two and working them together, it wouldn't be that hard to either.

I also think that 3rd ruined some of the chars like the ranger, who's bonus to hated creature is kinda weak. What good is +4 vs elves when you are lvl 20 and get +20 from that alone.

3rd is an excellent system for beginners, and the combat system is much less obtuse than it was in 2nd, but it comes at a complete lack of roleplaying opportunities. Before you completely discount 3rd, though, check out the Unearthed Arcana book. It's a compilation of variant rules. I personally love it, and have implemented a great deal of it into my campaigns. It gives you so many much more to sculpt an actual character with, such as character traits and flaws, honor, reputation, sanity, etc. etc. I was about ready to give up on 3rd edition campaigns before I picked it up (thinking it was a book for mages, actually).

I hate min/maxing! When I GM I go very heavy on story telling and role playing. Players who don't develop characters really irritate me. I tend to do nasty things to them.

Hey! This is my spawn idea growing already! I'm so proud...

Yeah....

Anyways, I don't go for any of those DTewioWtoi blah blah game types. Personally, I just create a character, attribute a humanistic personality to them, and roleplay them, often giving personal struggles in the mind, and the likes.

Some of y'all might've seen me around on the Nationstates forum. I prefer to stick around there for the RPing, for I find character RPs to be fun and quite a good reason to procrastinate on some things in my life lol...school...

...I like World of Warcraft and Ever..quest... :gundge:

I hate min/maxing! When I GM I go very heavy on story telling and role playing. Players who don't develop characters really irritate me. I tend to do nasty things to them.

Sounds similar to what I do.

Honestly, if we get through a session without dice (including diceless combat, just storytelling), that's perfect for me. Most of my sessions would run with only one or two dice rolls at the most.

3rd is an excellent system for beginners, and the combat system is much less obtuse than it was in 2nd, but it comes at a complete lack of roleplaying opportunities. Before you completely discount 3rd, though, check out the Unearthed Arcana book. It's a compilation of variant rules. I personally love it, and have implemented a great deal of it into my campaigns. It gives you so many much more to sculpt an actual character with, such as character traits and flaws, honor, reputation, sanity, etc. etc. I was about ready to give up on 3rd edition campaigns before I picked it up (thinking it was a book for mages, actually).


They have all sorts of those things for 2nd Ed too. I've played a lot of 3rd, and gotten bored with it. I have something like 20 characters made for it. Even attended some RPGA adventures. I just enjoy 2nd much more. I have most of the books on PDF too, though the same is true for 3rd. It can be fun, but I prefer old school better. Though it was fun taking my 2nd Ed char and converting him over to 2rd, and kicking ass with him, fighter with a 20+ str is fun.

Some of y'all might've seen me around on the Nationstates forum. I prefer to stick around there for the RPing, for I find character RPs to be fun and quite a good reason to procrastinate on some things in my life lol...school...

I tried NS RP. Couldn't stand it. Guess I'm just not one for forum/message board/PBeM types of roleplay - I prefer the chat system I'm on.

@Sdaeriji
No opportunity to roleplay??? What are you talking about?? Have you ever seen any of the other supplements? Check out the Complete Divine and the Book of Vile Darkness... they're chock full of stuff that's ideal for encouraging RPing.

When it comes down to it, rules are rules, and roleplaying is roleplaying. The roleplaying is completely up to the DM to encourage and fashion; it isn't the responsibility of the rules to strongarm you into it. Reading the RP-heavy supplements definitely gives you ideas, though... evil ideas... :D

Hey! This is my spawn idea growing already! I'm so proud...

Yeah....

Anyways, I don't go for any of those DTewioWtoi blah blah game types. Personally, I just create a character, attribute a humanistic personality to them, and roleplay them, often giving personal struggles in the mind, and the likes.

Some of y'all might've seen me around on the Nationstates forum. I prefer to stick around there for the RPing, for I find character RPs to be fun and quite a good reason to procrastinate on some things in my life lol...school...

I thought you would like it. mwuhahaha

@Sdaeriji
No opportunity to roleplay??? What are you talking about?? Have you ever seen any of the other supplements? Check out the Complete Divine and the Book of Vile Darkness... they're chock full of stuff that's ideal for encouraging RPing.

When it comes down to it, rules are rules, and roleplaying is roleplaying. The roleplaying is completely up to the DM to encourage and fashion; it isn't the responsibility of the rules to strongarm you into it. Reading the RP-heavy supplements definitely gives you ideas, though... evil ideas... :D

I have both, actually. They don't offer much in the way of making characters, though. Sure, they show you how to make your character more evil or more pious, but they don't give you any ideas on how to give your characters quirks or phobias things like that.

@Sdaeriji
No opportunity to roleplay??? What are you talking about?? Have you ever seen any of the other supplements? Check out the Complete Divine and the Book of Vile Darkness... they're chock full of stuff that's ideal for encouraging RPing.

When it comes down to it, rules are rules, and roleplaying is roleplaying. The roleplaying is completely up to the DM to encourage and fashion; it isn't the responsibility of the rules to strongarm you into it. Reading the RP-heavy supplements definitely gives you ideas, though... evil ideas... :D

I think the rules should complement the RP and the storyline myself. You can find everything that the d20 system is putting out for the 2nd Ed AD&D world. Its where everything is coming from for the new system. If you have great supplements, good DM, and good rules, you have a great game. If you have a good DM, good supplements and not so good rules, then its good, but not as good as it could be. I've found that D20 makes the lazy player.

Here's a link to my factbook for my main RPing nation/identity on Nationstates. It'll link directly to my post detailing a good number of my RP characters that I use.

The Tarlachian Archives (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=7603670&postcount=2)

Here's a few threads I'm in that I really have been enjoying being a part of:

Roses Amongst Weeds (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=7987889&posted=1#post7987889)

The Moment of Silence... (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=375470&page=1&pp=15)

pffft Dwarven suicide bomber, my Roanger (Rouge-Ranger) could take you out .. i hope..
Maybe, but he always travels with an agnostic trollish cleric, who can raise him from the dead every time he dies, which is a lot.

@Sdaeriji
I was mainly speaking as the DM, not as a player. The supplements give me ideas of plots which are heavy on roleplaying. For example, after reading Book of Vile Darkness, I added random quirks to NPCs, such as having a couple of the bandits the PCs fought be addicted to drugs; devilweed and sannish, to be exact. Made for an interesting roleplay encounter, as the PCs offered the addict her sannish in exchange for information.
I think the rules should complement the RP and the storyline myself. You can find everything that the d20 system is putting out for the 2nd Ed AD&D world. Its where everything is coming from for the new system. If you have great supplements, good DM, and good rules, you have a great game. If you have a good DM, good supplements and not so good rules, then its good, but not as good as it could be. I've found that D20 makes the lazy player.Granted, d20 does tend to produce lazy players, but once you overcome it, I find it to be just a flat out better system -- especially in that it's more flexible. I always hated the arbitrary restrictions in 2nd; weapon proficiencies and arcane spell failures are infinitely superior to just banning anything bigger than a dagger if you're a wizard, etc. The fact that Gandalf would be impossible to make in 2nd is just BS; 3.5 has no such limitations of any kind.

Here's a link to my factbook for my main RPing nation/identity on Nationstates. It'll link directly to my post detailing a good number of my RP characters that I use.

The Tarlachian Archives (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=7603670&postcount=2)


Looks pretty kewl, scanned through them. Lots of good creative energies there, keep it up. Its good to promote the imagination.

Sounds similar to what I do.

Honestly, if we get through a session without dice (including diceless combat, just storytelling), that's perfect for me. Most of my sessions would run with only one or two dice rolls at the most.

Me too.
I find when I'm gaming with a primarily female group, they don't mind. With guys, if you wind up a session without a couple of battles, they don't count it as a gaming session.
I require my players have a fairly detailed history and list of reactions to certain situations before entering a new character in play.
What was their childhood like?
Any abuse in their history?
Substance abuse?
How and from whom did they learn their skills?
How seriously do they take their religion?
Nobody is going to bring in a character and just descibe him as:
First level paladin
Str-16
Dex-12
Con-15
Int -11
Wis-14
Chr-17

What? That's all you know about him?!

@Bitchkitten
I couldn't agree more. Battles are fun and all, but it's the plot that's important, and the RP that's the most enjoyable. As a DM, I always throw in regular combat, but never without substantial amounts of RPing before and after. Perhaps the fact that I play over the internet (with friends I know IRL) helps it... easy to be descriptive when you're typing things up and posting to a forum. My forum is here (http://s7.invisionfree.com/Redeemer_Gaming_Club/index.php?act=idx) if anyone's curious.

Me too.
I find when I'm gaming with a primarily female group, they don't mind. With guys, if you wind up a session without a couple of battles, they don't count it as a gaming session.
I require my players have a fairly detailed history and list of reactions to certain situations before entering a new character in play.
What was their childhood like?
Any abuse in their history?
Substance abuse?
How and from whom did they learn their skills?
How seriously do they take their religion?
Nobody is going to bring in a character and just descibe him as:
First level paladin
Str-16
Dex-12
Con-15
Int -11
Wis-14
Chr-17

What? That's all you know about him?!

*L* Sounds about right. I strongly dislike the fact that all of my players are like "Dude look at the stat I rolled for my swashbuckler!" and when I ask them the character's name, they don't know. To me, making the person is a bit more important - you can always adjust things to make more sense with the stats later on, I say, like adding a childhood experience involving a mishap with daddy's sword or something to explain that missing finger and slightly below average Dexterity score. It shouldn't be the numbers that form the basis of a character - the numbers should just shape them a bit later on.

I actually have never played with female gamers. Never had any in my area. Guess I just got lucky with the guys and their acceptance of sessions without combat, heh.


Strangely, despite my hatred for numbers in D&D games, the chat room I staff for has almost as many numbers to its system. -_-

.....
Granted, d20 does tend to produce lazy players, but once you overcome it, I find it to be just a flat out better system -- especially in that it's more flexible. I always hated the arbitrary restrictions in 2nd; weapon proficiencies and arcane spell failures are infinitely superior to just banning anything bigger than a dagger if you're a wizard, etc. The fact that Gandalf would be impossible to make in 2nd is just BS; 3.5 has no such limitations of any kind.

Gandalf would have been easy to do in the 2nd, considering his racial abilities would be a huge bonus. Also, there are battle mages, the only thing that hinders them is the armor that they wear, which is found in 3rd as well.

Proficiencies are also a part of 2nd ed, though they come into play in tourniments mainly, though I've used them in my adventures, they are just listed under the optional rules section.

One of my biggest beefs with 3rd is the whole experiance thing. the experiance being the same for every class is a bit odd. Its much easier to swing a sword then say learn latin to read spells. But not in 3rd, all classes are equal. Also, the higher up in levels you get the less creatures are worth in XP points, which I can understand, but at the same time, its harder to lvl up. So at lower levels you learn things fast, but as you get smarter, it takes more knowledge. Wouldn't it be the other way around, as you got higher levels, you would be able to pay attention more.

@Sdaeriji
I was mainly speaking as the DM, not as a player. The supplements give me ideas of plots which are heavy on roleplaying. For example, after reading Book of Vile Darkness, I added random quirks to NPCs, such as having a couple of the bandits the PCs fought be addicted to drugs; devilweed and sannish, to be exact. Made for an interesting roleplay encounter, as the PCs offered the addict her sannish in exchange for information.


I will admit that the rules for drug addiction in the Book of Vile Dorkiness were pretty impressive, but I find as a DM I'm never at a loss for good roleplaying ideas. I was speaking more against the d20 system's complete lack of character customization. As a player, I find that my characters aren't characters, but stat sheets. The classes are so rigidly defined that there isn't much room for personalization, and I find I rarely identify with my characters as characters, if that makes sense.

One of my biggest beefs with 3rd is the whole experiance thing. the experiance being the same for every class is a bit odd. Its much easier to swing a sword then say learn latin to read spells. But not in 3rd, all classes are equal. Also, the higher up in levels you get the less creatures are worth in XP points, which I can understand, but at the same time, its harder to lvl up. So at lower levels you learn things fast, but as you get smarter, it takes more knowledge. Wouldn't it be the other way around, as you got higher levels, you would be able to pay attention more.

Well this I disagree with. I think when you're lower level, there's more about your class that you don't know how to do, so it's easier to get better at it. But as you get more powerful, there's less and less that you could possibly do in order to advance and get better, so it takes longer to "level up". At least that's how I see it.

Gandalf would have been easy to do in the 2nd, considering his racial abilities would be a huge bonus. Also, there are battle mages, the only thing that hinders them is the armor that they wear, which is found in 3rd as well.

Proficiencies are also a part of 2nd ed, though they come into play in tourniments mainly, though I've used them in my adventures, they are just listed under the optional rules section.

One of my biggest beefs with 3rd is the whole experiance thing. the experiance being the same for every class is a bit odd. Its much easier to swing a sword then say learn latin to read spells. But not in 3rd, all classes are equal. Also, the higher up in levels you get the less creatures are worth in XP points, which I can understand, but at the same time, its harder to lvl up. So at lower levels you learn things fast, but as you get smarter, it takes more knowledge. Wouldn't it be the other way around, as you got higher levels, you would be able to pay attention more.

I use a weird mixture of 2nd and 3rd edition rules. I've got all the 2nd edition stuff memorized but a lot of 3rd edition makes more sense and allows for more individuality in the characters.

Well this I disagree with. I think when you're lower level, there's more about your class that you don't know how to do, so it's easier to get better at it. But as you get more powerful, there's less and less that you could possibly do in order to advance and get better, so it takes longer to "level up". At least that's how I see it.


I understand the part about taking more to level up, but not the whole, double hardness, both the creatures are worth less XP and the next level requires more xp points. A trained archer learns more from watching his arrow fly when he is trained, then a person who is just starting out.

Another thing... thac0 is unneccessarily complicated... attack rolls and AC are just a lot easier to learn, especially since it's identical to all the other rolls in d20. Roll d20, add some modifiers, equal or exceed the target value (DC for a skill check or save, AC for an attack, etc). One rule, covers pretty much everything. Once you know 2nd, it's fine, but there's just a lot more to learn.

I use a weird mixture of 2nd and 3rd edition rules. I've got all the 2nd edition stuff memorized but a lot of 3rd edition makes more sense and allows for more individuality in the characters.


I've found that there can be plenty of individuality in both 2nd and 3rd. Since almost everything that 3rd uses is from 2nd, it only make sence that they have the options, but the format of play seems to make it, from my experiances, more generic when it comes to 3rd. I've seen more unique characters from 2nd then I have from 3rd. Most of the players I've seen have used almost the same char, with just a few differences. Kill Fests are also a way a lot of DMs have gone too, even getting rewards in the RPGA now.

Though I've also seen gross misreading of feats too, like Great Cleave meaning you can kill everything in the room.

Another thing... thac0 is unneccessarily complicated... attack rolls and AC are just a lot easier to learn, especially since it's identical to all the other rolls in d20. Roll d20, add some modifiers, equal or exceed the target value (DC for a skill check or save, AC for an attack, etc). One rule, covers pretty much everything. Once you know 2nd, it's fine, but there's just a lot more to learn.

Yeah, the combat system is much less obtuse in 3rd, I'll give it that.

I understand the part about taking more to level up, but not the whole, double hardness, both the creatures are worth less XP and the next level requires more xp points. A trained archer learns more from watching his arrow fly when he is trained, then a person who is just starting out.

Perhaps, but a 1st level archer gains more insight in killing an orc than a 13th level archer.

I miss playing an archer, now. Thanks.

I miss playing an archer, now. Thanks.

Heh. Right now I'm playing Swordy McGiantsword. I sort of evilly manipulated the rules to get myself an enlarged fullblade. Nothing quite like a 9'6" sword.

Heh. Right now I'm playing Swordy McGiantsword. I sort of evilly manipulated the rules to get myself an enlarged fullblade. Nothing quite like a 9'6" sword.

That's just ridiculous. *L*

That's just ridiculous. *L*

Indeed, and a sinister powergaming maneuver. It's a first time DM; baptism by fire, baby. Or 9'6" sword.

add first ed. all the way, although, perhaps that is because that is what I started with, the psi roll is rarely worth even attempting, but if you make it, the real fun begins, for the DM as well,
(FYI, never psi attack an illithid, you'll just piss it off.)

Perhaps, but a 1st level archer gains more insight in killing an orc than a 13th level archer.


But the first level archer doesn't understand it as much, they know they pulled it back and fired, but not much more then that, where the 13th level character understands the shot and its mechanics and concentrates on bettering it.

Though I think to fit more realiistic, it should be easiest for the middle levels, but harder in the beginning and end.

When you know little, its hard to get going, but once you know it all, its hard to find new.

Indeed, and a sinister powergaming maneuver. It's a first time DM; baptism by fire, baby. Or 9'6" sword.
Heh.

"My character just gained two levels last night."
"What? What the hell did you kill?"
"The DM."

add first ed. all the way, although, perhaps that is because that is what I started with, the psi roll is rarely worth even attempting, but if you make it, the real fun begins, for the DM as well,
(FYI, never psi attack an illithid, you'll just piss it off.)

my cousin was sooooo obsessed with psi attacks, he got them down pretty good, and it was fun watching him screw up, lol. Getting stuck in walls, running into people as he levitated, hitting himself with a rock, fun times.

and then the time he nailed the dwarf 4 times in the back of the head with various objects due to failures, the dwarf ended up dying half way into the battle because of it.

Edit: Gelfland, that reminds me of the Gelfs from Red Dwarf, and my other cousin's quickly renamed elf goblins, after I reminded him of the Gelfs from Red Dwarf.

But the first level archer doesn't understand it as much, they know they pulled it back and fired, but not much more then that, where the 13th level character understands the shot and its mechanics and concentrates on bettering it.

Though I think to fit more realiistic, it should be easiest for the middle levels, but harder in the beginning and end.

When you know little, its hard to get going, but once you know it all, its hard to find new.

Well, the first level archer doesn't need to figure much out to improve upon his shot. If he notices that a slight raising of his shot makes him more accurate, he's imrpoved upon his shot tremendously. But a 13th level archer has to do a lot more in order to improve his shot perceptibly, since he's figured out so much already.

Indeed, and a sinister powergaming maneuver. It's a first time DM; baptism by fire, baby. Or 9'6" sword.

Your ass would never get away with that with me. Anytime somebody does that shit and says " well, if you follow the rules it's possible" I point to the part in the rules that says "these are just guidelines, the DM has the last word". Don't like my last word, don't play in my game.

Heh.

"My character just gained two levels last night."
"What? What the hell did you kill?"
"The DM."

I'm a big fan of the DM attack. Whenever a player starts to bug me for whatever reason, I just grab a handful of dice, roll them, and say, "Hey, look, you took 33843 damage from a random lightning bolt from the sky." I especially like rolling percentile dice and counting them fully. Muwahahaha.

Your ass would never get away with that with me. Anytime somebody does that shit and says " well, if you follow the rules it's possible" I point to the part in the rules that says "these are just guidelines, the DM has the last word". Don't like my last word, don't play in my game.

Well, duh, that's why I did it to a virgin DM. I would never allow it either.

Well, the first level archer doesn't need to figure much out to improve upon his shot. If he notices that a slight raising of his shot makes him more accurate, he's imrpoved upon his shot tremendously. But a 13th level archer has to do a lot more in order to improve his shot perceptibly, since he's figured out so much already.


And by raising the shot up, he finds that he has a greater chance of slipping his grip, or paying more attention to the angle, misses the grip and fluid motions of release. I've shot arrows for awhile, and found that I learned more after I had been instructed a bit, I did good off the start but didn't advance very good without instruction or 3rd party observation.

I guess its all up to points of view on it. Perhaps starting out fast, but slowing it down for awhile, and then speeding up as you get the hang of it, but then upon hitting the point of nothing too much knew, just refining, then you slow down agian.

I'm a big fan of the DM attack. Whenever a player starts to bug me for whatever reason, I just grab a handful of dice, roll them, and say, "Hey, look, you took 33843 damage from a random lightning bolt from the sky." I especially like rolling percentile dice and counting them fully. Muwahahaha.

that just reminded me of my first adventure with this guy. I was the DM, and we were using the ruined tower quick play adventure. I added somethings to it, and upon finding a spot where damage wasn't mentioned in the first one, he aruged with me, saying he knew the module and that wasn't in it. So I had a rock fall on him and rolled damage. He marked it and said that it wasn't in there either and that I was cheating. Another rock, he marked it and continued, another rock. This kept happening until he was almost dead, and had to have the cleric heal him up. After that, it never happened again.

And by raising the shot up, he finds that he has a greater chance of slipping his grip, or paying more attention to the angle, misses the grip and fluid motions of release. I've shot arrows for awhile, and found that I learned more after I had been instructed a bit, I did good off the start but didn't advance very good without instruction or 3rd party observation.

I guess its all up to points of view on it. Perhaps starting out fast, but slowing it down for awhile, and then speeding up as you get the hang of it, but then upon hitting the point of nothing too much knew, just refining, then you slow down agian.

Well that initial stage is probably the training a character recieved in order to become a 1st level archer. At least that's how I see it. All that initial training before you become level one.

that just reminded me of my first adventure with this guy. I was the DM, and we were using the ruined tower quick play adventure. I added somethings to it, and upon finding a spot where damage wasn't mentioned in the first one, he aruged with me, saying he knew the module and that wasn't in it. So I had a rock fall on him and rolled damage. He marked it and said that it wasn't in there either and that I was cheating. Another rock, he marked it and continued, another rock. This kept happening until he was almost dead, and had to have the cleric heal him up. After that, it never happened again.

I have a player like that now, that accuses me of cheating. I continually have to remind him that I'm the DM and I can't cheat. I'm more god than the gods are. I even have my special DM d20; the one that always rolls 1 more than I need it to in order to make any save or attack against my players if I want to.:D

Well that initial stage is probably the training a character recieved in order to become a 1st level archer. At least that's how I see it. All that initial training before you become level one.


Thats true, the 0-level zone would be the first part of training. It works out I suppose to a point, though first levels being easy, and then the later levels slowing down, then speed up a bit, then high xp again. Though that would make for a headache. I dunno, just some thoughts. I once tried making my own system, but didn't have enough people to run it for the tests, and now lost my notebook full of notes.

I have a player like that now, that accuses me of cheating. I continually have to remind him that I'm the DM and I can't cheat. I'm more god than the gods are. I even have my special DM d20; the one that always rolls 1 more than I need it to in order to make any save or attack against my players if I want to.:D

I've always liked the part in 2nd Ed where it says, the DM can't cheat.

3rd uses the lines something like the DM uses the rules as guidelines, and can over ride them as seen fit. not sure, haven't read it as much, lol.

Thats true, the 0-level zone would be the first part of training. It works out I suppose to a point, though first levels being easy, and then the later levels slowing down, then speed up a bit, then high xp again. Though that would make for a headache. I dunno, just some thoughts. I once tried making my own system, but didn't have enough people to run it for the tests, and now lost my notebook full of notes.

My current campaign is epic, and the players are around 30th level. You'd be amazing at how fast you level up that high up.

My current campaign is epic, and the players are around 30th level. You'd be amazing at how fast you level up that high up.

I have an epic level on my neverwinternights, he is fun to mess around with.

hey, is Thor still the god with the highest strength? In 2nd he had the max of 25 but had a belt or something that put his str above it, though no stats were given for it, lol.

I'm a big fan of the DM attack. Whenever a player starts to bug me for whatever reason, I just grab a handful of dice, roll them, and say, "Hey, look, you took 33843 damage from a random lightning bolt from the sky." I especially like rolling percentile dice and counting them fully. Muwahahaha.

My brother does that a lot. He also says "What? the DM's out of cigarettes and nobody wants to run to the store? Too bad an ancient red dragon flew by and incinerated the whole party."

My brother does that a lot. He also says "What? the DM's out of cigarettes and nobody wants to run to the store? Too bad an ancient red dragon flew by and incinerated the whole party."


Thats funny. Though players that are smokers get annoying for me. I am used to smoke, but quit years ago, now I have small children, one with a really bad smoke allergy, so no smoking in my home. Right in the middle of an adventure I hear the words, hey can we stop for right now, I need a smoke. Normally its sure, you can go have a smoke, and their char has to catch up afterwards, the same is true for the players that keep their cell phones on and just can't miss a call.

though the most annoying was when my cousin was playing and his girlfriend called, and he had to stop playing and go talk with her, and was gone for like an hour, came back and asked where his char was he was ready to continue, then got pissed cause his char had left the adventure.

I have an epic level on my neverwinternights, he is fun to mess around with.

hey, is Thor still the god with the highest strength? In 2nd he had the max of 25 but had a belt or something that put his str above it, though no stats were given for it, lol.

Yeah, in 3rd his strength is a 90-something, and the second strongest god, Kord, is in the 50s I think.

I have a player like that now, that accuses me of cheating. I continually have to remind him that I'm the DM and I can't cheat. I'm more god than the gods are. I even have my special DM d20; the one that always rolls 1 more than I need it to in order to make any save or attack against my players if I want to.:D

Yes, when I DM, I am god. If I "cheat" it's to further the story. I cheat in the players favor far more than against them. I rarely kill off characters, though I torture them a lot. You have to really do something stupid or have phenomenally bad luck to lose a character in my campaigns. I prefer my players be attached to their characters and develope them in detail.

My brother tends to think characters are disposable. Most players roll up 3 or 4 characters before one survives past 2nd level. We would sometimes only be playing an hour or so and everybody would be on their 2nd or 3rd character.
Erghh! No one bothered with any character depth.

Why has nobody mentioned the all-powerful evil moderator/tyrant character yet?

Yes, when I DM, I am god. If I "cheat" it's to further the story. I cheat in the players favor far more than against them. I rarely kill off characters, though I torture them a lot. You have to really do something stupid or have phenomenally bad luck to lose a character in my campaigns. I prefer my players be attached to their characters and develope them in detail.

My brother tends to think characters are disposable. Most players roll up 3 or 4 characters before one survives past 2nd level. We would sometimes only be playing an hour or so and everybody would be on their 2nd or 3rd character.
Erghh! No one bothered with any character depth.

Heh. One of my players made the unfortunate mistake of saying his character was invincible. That was an amusing session.

Yes, when I DM, I am god. If I "cheat" it's to further the story. I cheat in the players favor far more than against them. I rarely kill off characters, though I torture them a lot. You have to really do something stupid or have phenomenally bad luck to lose a character in my campaigns. I prefer my players be attached to their characters and develope them in detail.

heh, if you enjoy tourture, you should try the reverse gravity trap pits. pain in the ass, but endlessly amusing.

grimtooth's book of traps comes to mind.

Killer shag carpet, yeah, that kicked ass. Had someone light it on fire with the whole part inside it, oh that didn't go over well.

Then there is the whole "the dwarf looks around the corner and sees the room full of ogres. Passes the check to make sure they didn't see him, just to be shoved into the room by the strong fighter that doesn't like dwarves. Classic adventures, oh the fun, lol

Why has nobody mentioned the all-powerful evil moderator/tyrant character yet?

We have, that's the DM ^_^

Bitchkitten, you sound like you DM exactly as I do. Awesome.

We have, that's the DM ^_^

Bitchkitten, you sound like you DM exactly as I do. Awesome.

Heh!

has anyone tried to run adventures online, like in a chat room. I tried once, but the problem I had was people would go inactive or it was hard to get them all online at the same time, and stupid stuff like that.

It could be fun, though I think a lot of the personal touches people give would be lost, but eh.

Used to do it on AIM/AOL chats.

Then there is the whole "the dwarf looks around the corner and sees the room full of ogres. Passes the check to make sure they didn't see him, just to be shoved into the room by the strong fighter that doesn't like dwarves. Classic adventures, oh the fun, lol

I once ran a small game, just a thief and a sorcerer on an adventure in some rundown old mansion that was rumored to have some underground vault of treasures.

They came across a bookshelf with a few books, one of which had a bit of magic on it. The sorcerer tossed a coin at the book, to see if there was some sort of touch-activated trap on it. The coin bounced off and hit the floor, unharmed.

The thief, of course, picked up the coin and refused to return it.

The two characters bitched at each other for a good twenty minutes. I was laughing too hard at the argument to intervene.

has anyone tried to run adventures online, like in a chat room. I tried once, but the problem I had was people would go inactive or it was hard to get them all online at the same time, and stupid stuff like that.

It could be fun, though I think a lot of the personal touches people give would be lost, but eh.

Used to do it on AIM/AOL chats.

I roleplay on Illusionary Minds Chat, an online chat system for roleplaying.

I've done a D&D campaign on there. It too fell into inactivity ... but that was because the DM let nine or ten people sign up, and refused to break it into smaller groups to have meet up. Blah.

I once ran a small game, just a thief and a sorcerer on an adventure in some rundown old mansion that was rumored to have some underground vault of treasures.

They came across a bookshelf with a few books, one of which had a bit of magic on it. The sorcerer tossed a coin at the book, to see if there was some sort of touch-activated trap on it. The coin bounced off and hit the floor, unharmed.

The thief, of course, picked up the coin and refused to return it.

The two characters bitched at each other for a good twenty minutes. I was laughing too hard at the argument to intervene.

little things like that are funny too, lol. I once had a halfling/hobbit that was a barbarian, that adventured with 4 half orc barbarians and a dwarf named cookie. The halfling was called onion, and upon coming to a group of foes, he would go into his barbarian rage, and the half-orcs would toss him into the middle of the battle. They would give him all the magical items that he could use to keep him from dying, lol. He was also the spokes person of the group, and was a loud mouth at the bars.

I roleplay on Illusionary Minds Chat, an online chat system for roleplaying.

I've done a D&D campaign on there. It too fell into inactivity ... but that was because the DM let nine or ten people sign up, and refused to break it into smaller groups to have meet up. Blah.


I've never heard of that one, I'll have to look into it. I just used AIM/AOL for the dice roller they have built into the chat program. That and AIM was a messenger they all used, lol

Yeah, too many players can really mess with an adventure.

little things like that are funny too, lol. I once had a halfling/hobbit that was a barbarian, that adventured with 4 half orc barbarians and a dwarf named cookie. The halfling was called onion, and upon coming to a group of foes, he would go into his barbarian rage, and the half-orcs would toss him into the middle of the battle. They would give him all the magical items that he could use to keep him from dying, lol. He was also the spokes person of the group, and was a loud mouth at the bars.

I had a barbarian named Thargg, and he had a propensity for throwing his sword at the most inopportune times. I acquired a greatsword of frost fairly early on, and I would huck it around all the time on accident, until finally my character got the bright idea to chain the hilt to his wrist, so at least if he dropped it it didn't end up 50 feet away. The very first battle I got into with my new sword chain, the sword was sundered and shattered. Thargg, not particularly intelligent, reasoned that the sword must have been intelligent, and hated him, because the sword was constantly trying to escape him, and once he chained it down, it killed itself. :)

We have, that's the DM ^_^

Bitchkitten, you sound like you DM exactly as I do. Awesome.

Too bad we probably live clear across the continent from each other.

I like gaming face to face. Partly because you can see the players faces and expressions. Partly because I type so slow nothing would ever get done online.

I've never heard of that one, I'll have to look into it. I just used AIM/AOL for the dice roller they have built into the chat program. That and AIM was a messenger they all used, lol

Yeah, too many players can really mess with an adventure.

It's at im-chat.com
It has a dice roller, as well. The room I staff in doesn't use dice for much, but it's there for someone trying to run a D&D game.

Feel free to telegram me or something if you'd like more information about IMC, or if you sign up and want to find someone you (kind of) know to show you the ropes.

Too bad we probably live clear across the continent from each other.

I like gaming face to face. Partly because you can see the players faces and expressions. Partly because I type so slow nothing would ever get done online.

Heh, just about. I'm in Los Angeles.

I like gaming face to face as well, but there aren't enough people around my apartment that game. I'd look into gaming groups on campus, but I've had bad experiences with that sort of group, and prefer to stick to either online stuff or my friends from my hometown that I used to game with.

It's at im-chat.com
It has a dice roller, as well. The room I staff in doesn't use dice for much, but it's there for someone trying to run a D&D game.

Feel free to telegram me or something if you'd like more information about IMC, or if you sign up and want to find someone you (kind of) know to show you the ropes.

thats pretty cool place, I'll have to look into a bit more. I might TG you to give you my messenger info if I do join up with it, though not sure right now. Don't have as much time as I used to. the only reason that I am online as much here as I am is that NS gets addicting, that and I love to get involved in discussions and such that allow me to use my mind more then just sitting somewhere that people just preach on and on about stuff.

That and I'm pretty much a stay at home dad currently, so my 2year old and 1 year old keep me from devoteing too much solid time to something, lol.

thats pretty cool place, I'll have to look into a bit more. I might TG you to give you my messenger info if I do join up with it, though not sure right now. Don't have as much time as I used to. the only reason that I am online as much here as I am is that NS gets addicting, that and I love to get involved in discussions and such that allow me to use my mind more then just sitting somewhere that people just preach on and on about stuff.

That and I'm pretty much a stay at home dad currently, so my 2year old and 1 year old keep me from devoteing too much solid time to something, lol.

*laughs* I understand. Well, not really, seeing as I'm 19 and childless, but you know what I mean, heh.

But yeah, feel free to TG me about it. That goes for anyone who looks into it, too.

this thread went pretty cool, no stupid arguements and no flaming. I never realized how many gamers were on this thing, though I should have known with all the RPing thats done with NS and such.

If someone is looking for gaming supplies, TG me with an email address and I'll try to send some pdfs your way, or maybe I'll host some of the files on a website for ya.

Somebody was mentioning some odd characters and it made remember a couple of guys that I gamed with back in my early days. It was OA and two guys had characters named Mi and Yu. Somehow the characters ended up in the same body so it was called MI And YU. When they got killed and raised it was MI And Yu II.