Tag: Dungeon’s Master

Categories
DM Resources Player Resources

Make Magical Item Identification Harder

In its attempt to simplify things and keep the game and the players focused on the important details, identifying magical items in 4e is something any PC can do during a short rest. I think it’s time for this to change. This is something that they had right in previous editions of D&D.

In this week’s Legends & Lore column Magic and Mystery, Monte Cook talked about the wonder of magical items. He focused mainly on the idea of magic being too commonplace in most campaigns, but he also brushed on the idea that some magical items should have hidden properties that are only revealed when certain conditions are met. This really got me thinking about the whole mechanic of magic item identification.

Based on the current rules all a PC has to do to identity an item is spend time handling and examine it during a short rest. After the five minutes are up they know that the sword is a +2 Frost Weapon or that the boots are Goblin Stompers. They know the exact nature and properties of the item. I realize that this makes things simpler but it also makes things boring.

Continue reading “Make Magical Item Identification Harder”
Categories
D&D Encounters

D&D Encounters: Lost Crown of Neverwinter (Week 9)

The party rested briefly after their battle with the crocodile and the rats from last week. They spotted foot prints and realized that the Dead Rats hideout must be close. The foot prints led deeper into the sewer, and as they rounded the next bend they saw light. As they crept up to the next turn they saw a lowered portcullis and header the sound of voices. They’d found the Dead Rats hideout.

We had a good turn out this week, 12 people in total. That gave us enough for two solid tables. The party at my table consisted of a Human Wizard, Eladrin Cleric (Valenae pre-gen), and three Tieflings, a Bard, Battlemind and Warlock.

Taking a few steps back from the portcullis the party quietly decided on how to proceed. The Battlemind noticed that the portcullis, although rusted and old, had a brand new lock securing it. Any attempt to open the gate would be a lot more difficult if the lock wasn’t dealt with first. And even if the lock was bypassed opening the gate would surely create a lot of noise.

With some not so subtle hints, I reminded the party why they were here in the first place: they sought information. Killing everything would make it harder to question them about the Lost Heir or the Sons of Alagondar. Realizing that diplomacy might be their best approach, the Bard and Warlock decided to approach the gate and see if the Dead Rats were willing to talk.

Continue reading “D&D Encounters: Lost Crown of Neverwinter (Week 9)”
Categories
Editorial

From Looking to Looting in Legends & Lore

In this week’s Legends & Lore I was pleased to see something that I could praise. One must understand, Monte Cook’s writing is difficult to praise, and difficult to critique. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to criticize. So today I’m going to take this opportunity to praise what is deserving of praise as I analyze this week’s Legends & Lore column.

If you haven’t read Magic and Mystery by Monte Cook, take time now to read it. Pay special attention to the poll results at the end of the article. As you might have guessed if you read my article, Tip of the Iceberg here on Dungeon’s Master last week, I didn’t like Cook’s proposed new skill mechanic and I fell into the 12%.

Continue reading “From Looking to Looting in Legends & Lore”
Categories
Technology

Interview With D&D: Heroes of Neverwinter Developer Ed Del Castillo

D&D Heroes of Neverwinter was released to the general public earlier this week. The game is a great way to get 4e Dungeons & Dragons fun in a short amount of time. Dungeon’s Master was fortunate enough to get 100 Beta Codes to give to our readers early in September. We are following-up on our coverage of Heroes of Neverwinter with an interview with the game’s developer, Ed Del Castillo. Ed took the time to answer some questions about the game and his background with all things D&D.

Continue reading “Interview With D&D: Heroes of Neverwinter Developer Ed Del Castillo”
Categories
Adventure Hooks DM Resources

7 Adventure Hooks for Making the Loot Part of the Plot: RPG Blog Carnival

This month’s RPG Blog Carnival hosted by Campaign Mastery is “Making the Loot Part of the Plot.” As they describe in their overview article, this topic can be applied broadly to a lot of games in a lot of ways.

It’s been my experience that most D&D games revolve around items and loot. They may not always be at the heart of the adventure, but they are usually a significant part of the plot. If you’re looking for a way to kick-start your next campaign may we suggest you use one of the adventure hooks provided below. All of them involve making the loot part of the plot in one way or anther.

Continue reading “7 Adventure Hooks for Making the Loot Part of the Plot: RPG Blog Carnival”
Categories
Month in Review

Month in Review: September 2011

September was a great months at Dungeon’s Master. We started the month by hitting the very significant milestone of 1,000,000 Page Views. During September we welcomed two new contributors, we brought you weekly write-ups of D&D Encounters and shared our first attempt at Lair Assault: Forge of the Dawn Titan, and we also shared 100 Beta codes to the new Facebook game Heroes of Neverwinter. The month in review is your chance to get caught up if you missed any of the articles we ran in September.

We want to thank all the readers who visit Dungeon’s Master day after day and month after month. It’s because of your continued support and your comments that our website continues to flourish. As always, we welcome your feedback and comments so keep them coming. You can always email Wimwick or me if you have one-off questions or ideas for articles.

Continue reading “Month in Review: September 2011”
Categories
Technology

Heroes of Neverwinter Review

I felt like I was playing Pools of Radiance. This was my impression 30 seconds into playing Heroes of Neverwinter. Why is this significant? Pools of Radiance was my gateway into the greater world of Dungeons & Dragons. It was like getting a shot of nostalgia right in the arm. I was hooked and there was nothing I could do about it.

Early in September we offered Beta codes for Heroes of Neverwinter to 100 readers. Now that the game has been officially released I’d like to share my thoughts on the game and hope to solicit yours. Also, be sure to stay tuned to Dungeon’s Master in October as we will have an interview with the Heroes of Neverwinter developer, Ed Del Castillo.

Continue reading “Heroes of Neverwinter Review”
Categories
Editorial

Lair Assault – The New Gold Standard for D&D Adventures

During the past week I had the pleasure of experiencing Lair Assault: Forge of the Dawn Titan as both a player and DM. Not only did this adventure live up to the incredibly high expectations I created in my mind, but it exceeded them completely. In my opinion this is one of the best, most entertaining D&D adventures I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing or running. This is the standard by which I’m going to compare all future adventures from Wizards of the Coast. They’ve almost done themselves a disservice by setting the bar so incredibly high. Topping this is going to be tough.

Before continuing I want to assure those of you who haven’t yet played Lair Assault that there won’t be any spoilers herein. I don’t think the details and observations I present will shock anyone or ruin their experience the first time thorough. My intent is not to provide a play-by-play of what happened. If you’re interested in that, check out the actual play podcast below. (Warning, this podcast reveals a lot of Lair Assault’s secrets). Today I’m going to share my overall thoughts on the adventure now that I’ve actually had a chance to play it.

Continue reading “Lair Assault – The New Gold Standard for D&D Adventures”
Categories
D&D Encounters

D&D Encounters – Only On Wednesday

I was contacted by Wizards and asked to clarify and correct some details I recently posted in my D&D Encounters articles and the follow-up comments; specifically details about playing on nights other than Wednesday. I was asked to post a correction and clear up any confusion my comments might have caused.

During the D&D Public Play seminar held at GenCon this summer there was some discussion about playing D&D Encounters on nights other than Wednesdays. I wrote in my articles that although D&D Encounters happen in most locations on Wednesday, Wizards understand that this will not always be the case for every store. Where I was mistaken was in saying that Wizards was ok if your FLGS runs D&D Encounters on a different night. Apparently I misunderstood the intent of what was said.

Continue reading “D&D Encounters – Only On Wednesday”
Categories
D&D Encounters

D&D Encounters: Lost Crown of Neverwinter (Week 8.)

We began this week’s encounter after the party completed their short rest in the boathouse. The PCs easily found the trapdoor under a dirty old rug in the centre of the room. When the party was fully recovered from the previous encounter they ventured down into the sewer pipe.

When I read this chapter I realized that the encounters for weeks 7 and 8 were both very straight forward and wouldn’t take very long to complete. Forearmed with this knowledge we ran back-to-back encounter last week which certainly provided added continuity.

I was unable to play in my Monday night game so we’re back to following the exploits of the Wednesday night group at Dueling Grounds in Toronto. The party was made up of a Deva Wizard (Necromancer), Halfling Bard, Halfling Rogue, Eladrin Ranger (archer), and Genasi (Watersoul) Swordmage. Some players had extensive D&D experiences while others were fairly new to the game. This kind of mixed experience level always makes for interesting encounters.

Continue reading “D&D Encounters: Lost Crown of Neverwinter (Week 8.)”