“The Dogs of War” – Out of The Box D&D Encounters # 29
Introduction: This game is filled with assumptions. Perhaps that’s because our life is filled with the same. We assume when we see how a person is dressed that they have a level of intelligence or wealth. We assume that someone may have a specific level...
D&Dize – Dr. Strange Sorcerer Supreme
MONK: Way of the Four Elements
I chose monk because of the martial training that he’d need to use to understand how to unlock his chakra’s and the like. Also, some of the abilities that that he has are magic’s that come from within him, hence the use of “ki”. Remember in the Marvel Superheroes RPG where magic was divided into:
- (P) Personal = magic that is without incantation, somatic, or material components, but taxes that user. Ki works well for this.
- (U) Universal = Power that comes from using the residual magic’s around the area. They require free use of hands and speech and possibly a component. I like Wizard for this.
- (D) Dimensional = These abilities require the entreating of a cosmic entity who is “composed” of magic, who can use “all” magic as personal magic because, unlike us, they are inherently composed of magic. Anytime Dr. Strange would call on the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth or the Flames of the Faltine, or the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, and so on, these would be Dimensional spells and they take just a little longer to cast but they are tremendously powerful and they require a full incantation AND the use of somatic gesture AND good-standing with the entity being called upon. I like Warlock for this.
Level 18 as a monk is insane, I know, especially for a guy who doesn’t often engage in hand-to-hand. I rectified this by making his strength and dex low so that, no matter how much damage he can do with his hands, he has a low chance of hitting. Even if he does hit and do all that damage, fine, it’s magical damage anyway at that level of monk, so it can be passed off as a “contact spell”.
I like 18 for his Monk level because all the benefits that you get from Monk at 18th level, he actually has. In the comics, he battled Mistress Death and is immune to all earthly disease and poisons and he is now extremely long-lived. Just as his mentor, the Ancient One (who lived for 500 years), Strange can be killed, but he will age at a very retarded rate and cannot be affected by aging spells. He can dispel magic’s, magically speak any known language, and the Deflect Missiles ability can be explained by one of his eldritch shields. Lastly, for Monk, is the level 18 ability to attain the astral form without spell components. Yeah, that’s him.
WIZARD: Abjuration
I really like Wizard for his Universal spells because they fit perfectly. It’s based on his intelligence and if it’s a high or low magical realm then his spells will be affected accordingly. More than this, Dr. Strange is quite powerful, but whether he outclasses his opponent or is outclassed, like his earlier battles with Baron Mordo or with entities like Dormammu, he usually wins by out-thinking his opponent. He is always able to give himself the time to defeat an opponent by holding them of with his defensive spells until he finds the perfect spell to take out his opponent non-lethally. This is why I chose Abjuration for
“Council of Three”- Out of The Box D&D Encounters # 28
Introduction:
SONY DSC
In defense of Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons and its streamlined approach
Several Dungeons & Dragons miniature figures. The grid mat underneath uses one-inch squares. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Considering for decades Dungeons & Dragons has been the most recognizable name of all tabletop role-playing games, and considering the popularity of Fifth Edition D&D, it might seem the game itself needs no defending. However, from time to time I have noticed online forums with various concerns or complaints raised against the game.
The most common complaint I’ve read is that in Fifth Edition a player cannot make the type of character he or she wants, that more rules are needed in order for there to be more character diversity, that currently only similar, cookie-cutter characters can be created because of the limited number of classes and rules.
I understand. I disagree, but I understand.
“Jailbreak” – Out of the Box #27 D&D Encounters
The Formaggio di Fernando Caper- D&D 5e, SRD Compatible Adventure
The Formaggio di Fernando Caper
D&D 5e, SRD compatible adventure.
Written with thanks to Scott Garibay for his Five Page Tabletop RPG Adventure Design
Launch:
Two large towns have been in hot competition with each other for commerce and farmland. Either could overshadow the other in the next couple years and become full cities. Rumors run wild and it is great time to be a merchant or caravan leader with roads in good repair and banditry near nonexistent as the towns outdo each other to attract business. While journeying from one town to another, and they are about one more day from their destination, the adventuring party makes camp. They are awakened in the morning by a cavalry group that outnumbers them two to one. Unfortunately for the adventurers they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The cavalry members are all paladins or clerics and are under orders to search the countryside for a spy. They do not have a clear description but do know he is with a group. If any character in the group has a strong background story like a Folk Hero or Noble or a solid alibi, the cavalry members will relax, but insist on following orders and will “escort” them to their superiors for questioning. They will be “guests” until the spy has been determined, which depending on behavior could mean anything from a jail cell to an expensive suite with personal guards. It should be clear the characters are implicated and assumed to be the spy and cohorts.
Locations:
- The Campsite (Where the adventurers bedded down to rest before finishing the last day of their journey)
- The Outpost (Where the cavalry have set up a base camp with a commander’s tent)
- The Commander’s Tent (The Adventurers will be brought here first to be searched and questioned about the spy)
- The High Lord’s Estate (A training grounds and place where the Adventurers will be detained)
- The Club and The Flask (A disreputable tavern and known hangout for less law abiding folk and out of work mercenaries)
- The Red Lance (A fancy brothel where the spy lost his cover)
- Black Stone Pastures (Dairy farm blackmailed into being cover for the spy)
Blast from the Past: Dungeons & Dragons Tomb of Horrors
[caption id="attachment_13611" align="alignright" width="340"] 1978's Tomb of Horrors[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13613" align="alignright" width="336"] 1981's Tomb of Horrors[/caption] Few words raise the ire of long-time Dungeons & Dragons aficionados more than “Tomb of Horrors.” The words “Fourth edition” come to mind, but that’s fairly recent and probably somewhat unfair...
“Ribbet, Ribbet, WHOOSH” – Out of the Box #26 D&D Encounters
It’s All Right for Your RPG Characters to Change
Recently I’ve run across two situations as a Game Master I believe are worth sharing with a wider audience. First, one of my players came to me concerned he had not played his character’s personality correctly during a recent fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons session. Second, a player in a different campaign (one in which I play and am not GM) came to me worried his character had done something out of character.
“Procession” – Out of the Box #25 D&D Encounters
the first highways of the ancient world, and are still major thoroughfares to this day. The same should be true in a fantasy setting. Rivers should be a constant resource for encounters of all kinds, be it lizardmen, pirates, goblins in rickety steamships, or orcs in war canoes. In this instance, however, I will draw from ancient history and base this encounter around a funeral procession.&#%!@?: D&Dizing Al Swearengen
[caption id="attachment_13352" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) stands dead center among many of the characters from the HBO television show Deadwood.[/caption] If you’re not familiar with the Al Swearengen character, then you must not have watched much, if any, of the HBO western drama Deadwood...
“The Balance” – Out of the Box # 24 D&D Encounters
Furthermore, different characters will always have different motivations, so those choices can be rooted in the very basis of the character. The right encounter might flush those motivations to the surface. This can often lead to heated discussions, but can also serve to really clear the air on where characters stand with each other. That can only lead to character development.
“The Balance” – Out of the Box # 24 D&D Encounters
“Watchdog” – Out of The Box #23 D&D Encounters
Out of the Box Encounters Using Daern’s Instant Fortress Introduction:
Another popular cliche or trope that seems to endlessly occur in every D&D game is this: Defeat monster, check it’s pockets, take it’s stuff. Here’s a way to rethink that. What if the magic item is part of the encounter. What if that magic item defined the encounter such that it makes it very difficult to acquire without damaging it. What if that self-same magic item was also highly desirable?
Now, let’s add something to that concept. Let’s apply a template to that encounter that takes a common everyday monster (zombie) and applies it to a monster less common…say, one that makes it harder to just take the magic item?
“The Passenger” – Out of the Box #22 D&D Encounters
movies, Horror follows this the most. Good horror has a bait and switch, or a surprise hook, that takes the viewer by surprise. There are many foes within the Monster Manual capable of this with the right delivery. What should follow is the generation of tension, and perhaps a little player paranoia, to add depth to the next few encounters. The right moment or delivery of this “bait and switch” can set the tone and give your players pause.
Blast from the Past: Dungeons & Dragons Animated Series
The first 9 episodes only cost me 99 cents. May you be so lucky, if you choose.
1983 was a big year for me. Over the summer I turned 14, and in the fall I would begin ninth grade, kicking off my high school years as a freshman. But more importantly, it was a big year for my role-playing habits.
TSR’s sci-fi game Star Frontiers had been out for a year and was coming out with new products left and right. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was riding high with a ton of new modules, including the original Ravenloft module (the maps!), and even the D&D Basic Set was getting a slight reworking with a new boxed set. Then towards the end of the year there hints of something major coming from TSR in 1984, and eventually that would be known as Dragonlance.
So, 1983 had a lot happening in the worlds of D&D. But perhaps the most noticeable, at least for the 13-soon-14-year-old me was the Dungeons & Dragons animated TV series.
Our heroes. Yep, that’s Bobby the Barbarian at center.
Saturday morning cartoons were a huge deal then, and TSR big shot Gary Gygax had pulled off the unthinkable when he traveled to Hollywood and got Marvel Productions (yes, of the comic book Marvel company) and Teoi Animation of Japan involved with this new animated show.
