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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 12, 2015 7:28:35 GMT -6
My group is really doing good with this I have one player that has a fighter with a str 6 and dex of 18. Everyone rolled 3d6!
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 11, 2015 12:40:13 GMT -6
The original box set has no deck plans for the game. How do you feel about even using deck plans and ship designs for CT? Do you design your own? Was there a resource or supplement you feel adds to the game?
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 10, 2015 18:58:07 GMT -6
Haha nice! I like how unconcerned Bombadil was about his own castle getting sacked!
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 5, 2015 19:01:20 GMT -6
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 5, 2015 18:57:24 GMT -6
I think that one "D&D-ism" that I like a lot is the whole "start the adventure in a tavern" thing. It's been done to death, but it's still a great way to kick off a campaign. Yeah it can be. I always joke with my players that all taverns in my world are round and well lit. No mysterious strangers in dark corners!
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 5, 2015 18:34:23 GMT -6
That helps a lot. Thank you so much, bestialwarlust! Thanks glad I could be of help. As long as I didn't muddy the waters.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 5, 2015 11:59:57 GMT -6
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 5, 2015 8:02:59 GMT -6
Has anyone made a GM screen for CT? I believe there was one made by Judges Guild. But has anyone here made their own reference screen?
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 5, 2015 7:56:55 GMT -6
Ok here's my attempt if anyone has any corrections please feel free to add. So following the checklist provided in book 3
1. Determine UPP and terrain types appearing on world in question. 2. For each terrain type, generate an encounter table. A. Determine type DM and size DM for terrain from terrain type table. B. Select encounter column format or generate a different one. C. Determine animal type and quantity using animal type table. D. Determine special attributes (if any) for each animal type. E. Determine specific details of animal. 1) Note weight and hits. 2) Note weapon used and wounding as altered by wound alteration. 3) Note animal armor. F. Determine specific animal characteristics for this entry. 3. Apply common sense as required.
1. Determine UPP and terrain types appearing on world in question.
So for a bear type animal on an earth like planet
A867A79-B - earth
As a reminder the stats represent:
Starport -1st digit Size -2nd digit Atmosphere -3rd digit Hydrographics -4th digit Population -5th digit Government -6th digit Law level -7th digit Tech level -8th digit
2. For each terrain type, generate an encounter table.
Now we need to move to step 2. The point to remember here is animals are abstract they represent just a type of animal not a species
A. Determine type DM and size DM for terrain from terrain type table.
For now we'll just do forest Terrain This gives us Type --forest, Terrain -- woods,Type DM -4, Size DM -4
B. Select encounter column format or generate a different one.
Under creating encounter tables "The referee should determine if the encounter table will use one die or two; two dice tables are more complex, and should be selected for terrain or worlds that will be frequently used, while one die tables are for worldsor terrain typeswhich do not merit detailed representation"
I'll use a 1d6 encounter table
C. Determine animal type and quantity using animal type table.
This is where you'll get a bear -- one of them would be omnivore and we'l go with eater
D. Determine special attributes (if any) for each animal type.
We'll go with no special attributes from the special attributes table
E. Determine specific details of animal. 1) Note weight and hits. 2) Note weapon used and wounding as altered by wound alteration. 3) Note animal armor. F. Determine specific animal characteristics for this entry.
So here's where we can specify more detail on the bear from the Animal Sizes and Weaponry table. Normally we roll randomly on this table but since we want to create a specific animal let's pick. A good size Alaskan bear can weigh up to 680 kilo's so we'll go with that, but the table only lists 400 or 800 so let's just go with 400. For hits Since our bear is a little small let's go with 5D/2D (we'll roll this up once we put the entry on the table), next is wounds Claws do 1D and teeth 2D, looking at the wounds column let's select +1D for now. We already chose weapons as Teeth and Claw. For armor I'll go with Mesh.
Then animal characteristics To Attack; To Flee; To Speed I'll roll this. Checking omnivore eater we get
A4 (roll of 4 on d6) F4 (Roll of 3 with a +1 mod) S2 (Roll of 3 with a -1 mod)
So putting it all together this one looks like:
Die Animal Weight Hits Armor Wounds and Weapons 1 1 Eater 400 19/8 mesh claws and teeth
This would be our first entry and if we're crafting an encounter table we'd roll up 5 more that way. Now we've made a generic entry for an animal by keeping it this way you can use the same stats but apply it to a totally different animal on another planet. Say you go to a planet with albino ape omnivores why reinvent the wheel. You just use the same table. This way you can alter the appearance on different but similar type of planets.
And the most important rule when creating anything
3. Apply common sense as required.
Does this help at all? I'm not sure if I answered your question.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 4, 2015 19:20:09 GMT -6
I'm no expert but I'll see if I can help let me review the information in the book to make sure I remember it correctly.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 4, 2015 13:17:12 GMT -6
What do you find confusing?
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 4, 2015 13:16:10 GMT -6
I use Spica Publishing's Outer Veil www.drivethrurpg.com/product/96124/Outer-Veil?manufacturers_id=2474It's set in 2159 and human centric. There are no aliens and space travel is still new. I find when I do ref sci fi I prefer something closer to hard sci fi. Very little to no aliens, same with sci powers. Here's a little bit from the intro It's 2159 and the frontier needs you!
The Federated Nations of Humanity (FNH) government and the corporations, as mighty as they are at the Core Worlds, cannot act directly on the Frontier, which is a month or more away even for the brand-new Jump 2 couriers. To exert their power to these distant stars, they need you to go there on their behalf and act as their eyes, ears, and hands away from home. The FNH government needs reliable administrators who can think on their feet, loyal military officers to project its force, and determined Justice Commission agents to uphold the law where the colonial authorities cannot.
The setting hints a possible aliens though alien ruins found on new discovered worlds, but it doesn't get into specifics it gives the GM a lot of room to work with.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 4, 2015 8:07:36 GMT -6
Yes I'm here to admit I like the trite d&d'ism that is color coded dragons. I like that it adds to the d&d fantasy tropes. It's fun and I love it! So two questions
1. What d&d'isms do you just like no matter how much bashing it gets? what's your d&d monster guilty pleasure
2. Does anyone know what sparked the idea of the different colored dragons? Was it something Gary just came up with one day because he *made sh** up he thought would be fun? or was there a factor that inspiried it?
**made shi** up he thought would be fun" - is a copyright of gronanofsymerria,Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. please be sure to stay off his lawn and send him beer.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 2, 2015 13:08:33 GMT -6
One thing that I have to say I may be too sensitive to is the whole "dark-skinned/black" thing. I know it's not any real-world ethnicity, but still. I liked that Tolkien's Dark Elves are just elves that haven't seen the light (in multiple senses). I did a thing where Elves predated humanity and created the sun to help the earth become fertile; a group opposed this idea and became the Dark Elves. The skin color never bothered me much but i prefer the Morsindar of Harn. And the dark elves of krynn where they are just normal elves that have been cast out from their brethren. My thought is to use the dark stalker's as false dark elves. Much like real life legends change and distort over time When players hear of dark skinned humanoids or "elves"they will assume drow. Most who have encountered them will label them as dark elves although they have nothing to do with elves. Later if the group gets curious enough they may probe deeper to find out a darker truth. That at one time all the elves were "evil" enslaving lesser races. It was only a small minority that "saw the light" and left the ways of the forefathers.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 2, 2015 11:18:59 GMT -6
Some interesting suggestions. I'm thinking of somehow mixing a melinbonean, with the elf/ghoul pact above and sprinkling in the dark stalker/creeper. Basically just dropping "drow" and using some sort of dark elf concept that made a pact with some sort of true ghoul race. Then putting these dark elves or whatever I'll finalize on them, in charge of/in league with the dark stalker/creepers. Most people blame these "dark skinned" elves for crimes when in fact it's just agents of these elven "masters"
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Post by bestialwarlust on Sept 1, 2015 18:02:23 GMT -6
I have typically replaced drow with dark creepers and dark stalkers, also from the Fiend Folio. ~Scott "-enkainen" Casper That's a good one I always forget about them.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Aug 30, 2015 7:30:18 GMT -6
I would tend to agree with the GM on this. I wouldn't allow spells the ability to "backstab". As I understood it's the same as a prison shanking. Getting up close and personal and striking at a vital spot. Spells normally don't have that pinpoint accuracy,
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Post by bestialwarlust on Aug 30, 2015 7:23:01 GMT -6
Moorcock's Melnibonian race seems an obvious choice, but you could also consider dusting off the githyanki and githzerai as ancient races battling for suprimacy. I once ran a campaign where the main movers-and-shakers of the world were a council of immortals and I used the three races above along with a couple of variants of elves (I think I used Tolkien's Noldor and Sindar) along with the drow. I think I threw in the two warring races from Moorcock's Corum books as well. That gave me eight or so factions to work with. My intent was to build in intrigue and elves-against-elves in an eternal struggle. Thanks for the suggestions and idea's. I'm think I might go toward the melnibonean as my ancient "elven" ancestors.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Aug 29, 2015 20:20:55 GMT -6
And I second the thumbs-up for DCO. Also check out Fire on the Velvet Horizon--it's the most astounding monster manual ever made... Actually, there are creatures in that book that'd be great thematic replacements for both g-standard drow... I love FotVH's Paladins of the Fall... a great answer to the question of "Just where do all these dungeons come from?". I strongly suspect the drow were inspired by the evil elves of Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions (Like drow they hate the sun, but instead of dwelling underground the lands Chaos conquers get trapped in eternal twilight). I think that novel is sorta the Rosetta Stone of OD&D and find it really inspirational. Gygax added the spider connection and the jet black skin, however. It's been a while since I've read Three Hearts and Three Lions I'll have to re read the book again as I don't remember the elves.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Aug 29, 2015 11:50:35 GMT -6
From my own campaign: By the way, the recent OSR module Deep Carbon Observatory has a great new take on the TSR Drow/Underdark mythos that I can't recommend enough. It really succeeds in making the Underdark feel like not just a bigger dungeon but like an utterly alien realm hostile to surface life on a basic level. Seriously, it's gold. I recently picked that up . I'll take a look there.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Aug 29, 2015 8:39:46 GMT -6
So besides using the Melnibonean as a race of ancient cast outs to use in a setting has anyone done anything with the works of Lovecraft or Clark Asthon Smith to use as a drow like race? Do you even use drow at all in your od&d games?
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Post by bestialwarlust on Aug 20, 2015 12:32:32 GMT -6
Going with only the 3LBB's how do you handle recharging items with charges? Do you allow it? Or can only NPC's recharge an item? If you do allow it do you just let the player MU cast the spell into the staff? or do you require lab down time?
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Post by bestialwarlust on Aug 13, 2015 13:51:11 GMT -6
I long ago gave up the dragon inflation game. Isn't it more fun to meet a dragon you have a chance of beating than some invincible dragon you don't have a chance against? ~Scott "-enkainen" Casper Agreed. This is one of the challenges I like about the white box OD&D dragons. They are strong opponents, but combined that with smart play and good tactics makes them even more dangerous. Plus if the pc's defeat a dragon that is played smarter rather than just beating a number inflation game should give them a better feeling of accomplishment.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Aug 13, 2015 10:30:20 GMT -6
You could steal an idea from 5E where dragons are "legendary," which means they get to cheat and break the rules. They get extra attacks following a PC's turn, extra moves, that kind of thing. If you assume that dragons get to live a long time, they aren't going to be a pushover. Ah, I see exception-based design is still the watchword ... When you say make OD&D dragons dangerous, are you talking white box ones, or even Greyhawk ones? Just white box dragons.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Jul 31, 2015 21:23:06 GMT -6
Unfortunately I only have pdf of the compendium for issues 1-6, I don't have that one.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Jul 30, 2015 14:51:12 GMT -6
So do you play your dragons to make them dangerous? Given the lower damage/hp/ac levels of od&d how do you set up your dragon's homes? Maybe a black has pools of acid that it's crafted over time to knock would be treasure hunters in? or a white that has his hoard in the center of the cavern, but the area around contains a drop to icy spikes below-- the pitfall itself is covered in a thin sheen of ice that would send a party tumbling down.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Jul 27, 2015 18:58:11 GMT -6
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Post by bestialwarlust on Jul 27, 2015 18:57:13 GMT -6
No problem
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Post by bestialwarlust on Jul 25, 2015 16:27:32 GMT -6
A while ago Kent posted a cleared up version of night of the walking wet. In that adventure it references three others from The Dungeoneer. I cleaned up on for personal and use and thought I would share it here. If it causes any trouble I'll have the mod's pull it. F'Chelrak's TombThere are two other adventures I need to do if people like this one and I get a chance I'll do the others and post them here also.
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Post by bestialwarlust on Jul 23, 2015 13:55:18 GMT -6
Okay, that makes a lot of sense! I know that in the AD&D DMG its listed the different jobs of what hirelings can do, but is there something equivalent in OD&D, or did I somehow miss that list? No in the OD&D books there's no list you get some info in M&M vol 1 page 12 under Non player characters you have Only the lowest level of character types can be hired. The player wishing to hire a non-player character “advertises” by posting notices at inns and taverns, frequents public places seeking the desired hireling, or sends messengers to what- ever place the desired character type would be found (elf-land, dwarf-land, etc)...........In U&W page Vol 3 page 22 you have some more. Specifically: Assassin: The role of this hireling is self-evident.....You can use the DMG as a supplement, but generally I just make up what I need.
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