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Book Reviews Editorial

Is Deities and Demigods a 4e Necessity?

Deities and Demigods was one of the very first AD&D supplements TSR ever produced. It’s been an integral part of D&D since 1980. But do we really need a 4e version? The myths haven’t changed since 3e so why put out a new book?

I’ve always been interested in mythology. The classic myths lend themselves so nicely to RPGs, especially Dungeons & Dragons. Who doesn’t like stories about larger-than-life characters with extraordinary powers doing the impossible? If you’re into D&D then a tale of a hero with magic powers and mythical weapons fighting monsters should be right up your alley. Realizing this, TSR published Deities and Demigods back in the days of D&D’s infancy. They provided us with statistics for the heroes of myth. Pure genius.

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Class Discussions

Role vs Roll: Why I Play A Rogue

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend during my last few gaming sessions. The Fighter consistently deals more damage than my Rogue. We’re 9th level, almost at paragon, and I’m struggling to deal more damage than the Fighter. Fundamentally, something seems wrong when the defender can dish out more damage than the striker. My numbers should be consistently higher on a round for round basis, instead my jaw drops as I hear how much damage he’s dealing.

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Player Resources

Character Motivation

Why do PCs do what they do? When you’re creating a new character, do you even give this any thought? Fame and fortune are probably the most common motives for 1st level adventurers, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but is that your PC’s only motivation?

In many cases the DM creates a long-term campaign with a huge story arc designed around a single motivation. It might be something as noble as recovering a stolen artifact or as simple as seeking revenge against the assassin who killed your mentor. These are both excellent examples of broad motivations that bring strangers together and keep the party working towards a common goal. But what of each PC’s individual goals?

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DM Resources Player Resources

Screw Morals, Just Keep the Game Moving

Sometimes PCs need to do what’s best for the game even though it may not be what’s best for the character. The PC’s personal politics, morals and ethics need to be set aside in order for the campaign to proceed.

An example of this scenario happened to our party in a recent game. Although we chose to do what was best for the game, it seemed really out of character for at least a couple of the PCs in the party. We’ve played these characters for almost a year and during that time we’ve worked to make them feel like unique individuals. They have distinct personalities and mannerisms. So what happens to all that character building when the adventure dictates that the role-playing be shelved during certain circumstances in order to keep the larger story arc moving?

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Skill Challenges

Skill Challenge Week – Roundup

Seven new skill challenges and one Eberron-specific skill aide later, skill challenge week wraps up at Dungeon’s Master. We now offer 24 unique skill challenges and 13 skill aides in our library.

The Eberron Player’s Guide was released during our skill challenge week so we made a point of releasing two skill challenges that are Eberron specific:

When we create skill challenges, our goal is to keep them generic enough to fit into any campaign setting (including Eberron). However, if you’re looking for more skill challenges with that Eberron feel, Border Crossing was designed specifically with Eberron in mind

Our focus on skill challenges and skill aides will continue, but I think it will be a couple of weeks before we revisit them again

We welcome your comments and input about any of our skill challenges. If you’ve had opportunity to use them in your game we’d really like to hear how things worked out. And if you have any specific topics you’d like to see covered in a future skill challenge post a comment or send us an email.

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DM Resources Eberron Player Resources Skill Challenges

Skill Aide: Dragonmarks

dragonmark-sivisYour character has just manifested a Dragonmark. In Eberron this is a big deal. Dragonmarks have a huge impact on NPC reactions. Here are some tips on how to get a little extra from your Dragonmark during your next skill challenge.

There are going to be circumstances where having a Dragonmark or being affiliated with a particular Dragonmarked House may provide advantages during a skill challenge. The forthcoming Eberron Campaign Guide will likely cover this to some extent, but until its release here are a few guidelines that you can use.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Skill Challenge: The Dungeon Crawl

Moving from room to room in a dungeon has historically been handled by drawing the map and the DM asking the party how they advance. Do they turn right or left at the t-junction. In 4e, the amount of crawling through a dungeon has been reduced with more focus given to large rooms and the encounters they contain within. Indeed, even traps are now incorporated into combat encounters. An adventuring group in 4e is more likely to find a pit trap in a combat encounter than randomly placed within a dungeon corridor.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Skill Challenge: Prison Break

From time to time the PCs may find themselves incarcerated. There are plenty of reason why this might be the case, but I think it’s fair to say most PCs will try to escape if the alternative is life imprisonment or execution. How the PCs ended up in prison and what happens to them when they get out is entirely up to the DM. This skill challenge just focuses on scenarios the PCs may find themselves in while incarcerated. This can be run as one large skill challenge or a series of smaller ones.

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DM Resources Skill Challenges

Skill Challenge: Stormy Waters

Pirates and adventure on the high seas haven’t always been the typical D&D adventure setting. However, almost all PCs are required to travel by ship at some point in their adventuring career. The skill challenge below tackles the issue of surviving during a raging storm at sea.

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DM Resources Eberron Skill Challenges

Skill Challenge: Fixing The Lightning Rail

Today is all about Eberron. The Eberron Player’s Guide is finally in wide release and earlier today we posted the skill challenge Maintaining the Karrnathi Army. As an added bonus, here is another Eberron-specific skill challenge.

The lightning rail is a key component of transportation and daily life in Eberron, so when service is disrupted the commerce of the Five Nations is effected. This skill challenge provides the DM with a quick encounter for the PCs that could lead to further adventure and intrigue.

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