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Friday Favourites Player Resources

Friday Favourite: Characters with Secret Identities

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From November 14, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Characters with Secret Identities.

dread-pirate-robertsNormally D&D characters are glory hounds. They’re always looking to make a name for themselves. When they accomplish something noteworthy they usually go to great lengths to ensure that everyone knows it. The proudly wear their magical armor and make no attempt to hide the magical weapon hanging at their hip or strung over their back. For most characters, level advancement is synonymous with fame. The greater your reputation the more likely you are to take on better paying assignments with more danger and even greater chances for glory.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with this approach. After all this is what almost all adventurers do, but there is something to be said for keeping a low profile. Certainly most adventuring parties have learned this over time and have likely even had an adventure or two where they needed to conceal their true identity. But what if this was the way your party operated all the time. Think about it. There are considerable advantages to anonymity. Think of what you can do if there is no chance that anyone can tie the deeds to your PCs?

I’m not suggesting that your character don a mask and go on a killing spree; quite the opposite in fact. I’m thinking of all the potential good that can be accomplished by keeping your identity secret, not to mention the fantastic role-playing opportunities that arise from having a dual identity.

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Friday Favourites Player Resources

Friday Favourite: Casting Raise Dead

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From March 29, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Casting Raise Dead.

What happens when you cast the raise dead ritual?

While Raise Dead is only a level 8 ritual, I would argue that it is one of the most powerful rituals in 4e Dungeons & Dragons. The ability to return a soul to its body is awesome and is a power beyond the understanding of most people.

This month (March 2011) the RPG Blog Carnival is hosted by Campaign Mastery and the focus is on Life and Death in RPGs. At Dungeon’s Master our contribution to this discussion will focus on the implications of casting the Raise Dead ritual.

All societies have grappled with the question of what happens beyond life. In a society where the ability to raise the dead exists, the question becomes what does it take to bring a soul back and restore the body to life? What toll is imposed on the caster of such a spell? What is involved in casting such a ritual?

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Class Discussions D&D Next Player Resources

New Bard Subclass for D&D Next: College of Faust

bard-1One thing we decided when long ago was that we wouldn’t post new classes, feats, powers, or that kind of thing here at Dungeon’s Master. Since most players use Character Builder to create their characters it seemed like a waste of time to post any home brew material since we knew there was little chance of anyone actually using it in their game. However, as we transition to D&D Next we return to a system that a) doesn’t have character builder, and b) encourages players to be wildly imaginative when they’re creating characters.

This doesn’t mean that we’re planning to post a whole bunch of home brew material like new classes, items, or spells, but we are going to be more open to the possibility of such articles.

Last week as I was browsing the D&D sub-Reddit I stumbled upon a really creative take on the Bard class for D&D Next. I reached out to the author (/u/MightyWarWren) and asked him if we could post his version of the Bard here at Dungeon’s Master in order to give it more exposure. He agreed.

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Friday Favourites Player Resources

Friday Favourite: Addressing Your Weaknesses

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From January 5 & 15, 2010, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Addressing Your Weaknesses (Part 1 | Part 2).

When we make characters we often focus on their best ability score. We do whatever we can to get our key ability as high as possible right out of the gate. When we hit level 4 and level 8 we use that opportunity to push our best score even higher. But what about the scores on the other end of the scale? If you started with a 20 Strength it probably means that you’ve got an 8 in something else. How does that 8 affect your PC?

In previous editions of D&D the starting attributes were determined by dice and that meant the possibility for really low scores. Even less random methods of character creation like point-buy weren’t foolproof. Racial penalties to starting attributes still meant a chance of having a couple of really low starting ability scores. The revised point-buy system in 4e and the elimination of racial penalties means that you’re less likely to have any abilities lower than an 8, but even 8 is still just on the low side of average.

So what impact does a starting ability score of 8 have on your PC and how you play him? That may depend on how you explain your lowest score.

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Friday Favourites Player Resources

Friday Favourite: The Honor System

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From September 4, 2011, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: The Honor System.

What do mafia hit men, Wild West gunslingers, Japanese samurai and the Knights of the Round Table have in common? They all work under a code of honor. Despite the danger, brutality and violent nature of their jobs, each of these examples has a strict code that helps them define what actions they are willing (and not willing) to do to get the job done.

Aside from alignment, most PCs don’t have any strict code that dictates their actions; although in previous editions of D&D the Paladin did have this restriction. Now it comes down to the player running the character. The only honor your character has is that which you instil in him. Honor, however, is certainly subjective. Two players who play their PC with an honor code are likely to have some differing opinions on what is allowed and what is not.

A common aspect in the code of honor is that women, children and innocent bystanders are usually exempt from any part of an ongoing conflict. If you’ve got a beef with a local merchant you won’t kidnap or harm his family as leverage. His business might be fair game, but his son or grandfather is not to be harmed. Assassins generally have a similar code; remember Leon’s motto in the movie the Professional: “No women, no kids.”

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Player Resources

Greatest Hits 2013: Your Character’s Psychological Profile

While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2013. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

Some would argue that personality is not something you can stat out on a character sheet; each character’s personality derives from the player running that character. I’d agree, but I’d also add that if you can quantify certain elements of a character personality that may help some players develop a unique personality for each character they play.

In D&D the only real measuring stick for personality seems to be alignment. Yet so few players and DM care about playing to a PCs alignment that it becomes an irrelevant statistic and is often left blank (in my experience).

In the article I talk about how most of my characters end up having a personality that’s an awful lot like mine. It’s easy to make new characters, but it’s a lot more difficult to create new personalities with each. If you participate in public play you might have a whole stable of character by the end of just one year. When 4e first came out I had at last a dozen LFR character and three or four PCs for my various home campaigns. Mechanically each was a different race and class, but as I played them the majority of these PCs behaved, acted and spoke just like me.

Creating a psychological profile for a character can give players that quantifiable measure they need to “get into character.” Knowing how cruel or loyal or selfish your PC is compared to other PCs can really help you develop a frame of reference by which to play your character.

From February 6, 2013, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Your Character’s Psychological Profile.

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Editorial Player Resources

Greatest Hits 2013: Stereotypical Gamers – Debunking the Myths

While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2013. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

Not too long ago I read the fantastic book Of Dice and Men by David M. Ewalt. It’s the story of Dungeons & Dragons and the people who play it. Ewalt explores D&D from the game’s origins through its rise to cultural prominence, and its ripple effect on popular culture today. This book is great for gamers and non-gamers who are curious about D&D and RPGs.

Originally I was going to dedicate an entire post to reviewing this book, but I realized that singing its praises in the new intro to the Stereotypes article was a better way to go. In the book Ewalt gets back into gaming after a lengthy hiatus. He has a lot of preconceptions about the gaming community and holds many of the stereotypes we discus in the article below to be true. The book does a great job of providing a fair look at gamers and role-playing games as a whole and by the end Ewalt has debunked many of the myths.

As a hardcore gamer I found this book especially enlightening. I had no idea of how D&D came into being nor did I realize how influential it was in the creation of just about every other RPG that followed it. I easily identified with Ewalt as he explored D&D through the ages, seeing myself in many of his experiences. If you haven’t read Of Dice and Men, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy. No serious gamers should be without their own copy. In my opinion this book is as vital to your RPG shelf as the PHB and DMG.

Order Of Dice and Men on Amazon.com.

From April 22, 2013, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Stereotypical Gamers – Debunking the Myths.

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Player Resources

Greatest Hits 2013: 6 Ws of Character Creation

While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2013. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

It was a welcome treat to have Wimwick contribute a few articles in April when we were doing the A to Z Blogging Challenge. This article for the letter “W” really came at the right time. As more and more people participated in the D&D Next play testing we saw a lot of new characters during public play. If we were lucky, players took 2 or 3 of the Ws into account when making characters. But it was rare that they ever took all 6 into account.

Regardless of what edition you’re playing or even what RPG you’re playing, this article provides players with great points for developing a really interesting a well rounded character. By defining your PC as more than a race & class you’re bound to have even more fun playing him.

Wimwick’s suggestion to add the extra W for weapon was an especially good point. A Lot of players pick the weapon that does the most damage and don’t take “coolness” into account. They forget that the kind of weapon you wield says as much about your character as the other 5 Ws.

After you answer the 6 Ws, be sure to incorporate those details into the game as you play. These are the things that make your character unique so be sure to share those details. Make the character memorable for the entire table and not just for you. Encourage other players to put the same kind of thought into their own PCs, and if they need help getting started you can point them back to this article.

From April 26, 2013, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: 6 Ws of Character Creation.

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DM Resources Editorial

Greatest Hits 2013: 9 Ways to Improve 4e D&D

While the Dungeon’s Master team enjoys some well-deserved vacation time, we’re breaking out the greatest hits and shining a spotlight on a few of our favourite articles from 2013. We’ve searched for hidden gems that our newer readers might have missed and our long-time readers will enjoy reading again. Enjoy a second look at these greatest hits from Dungeon’s Master.

D&D is in a strange place right now. As we move towards the official release of D&D Next there is less and less support for 4e. This isn’t a surprise; in fact it was an inevitable reality. That’s just the way things work when the game transitions to a new edition. But until D&D Next officially becomes the edition some people are still playing 4e, including me and my home group.

I think that a lot of players want to get behind D&D Next but are waiting for the rules to go beyond the play testing stage. Until the official rules are released what’s a gamer to do? If you’re planning to stick with 4e then the tips we preset in this article might be just what you need.

About a year ago my home group decided to take a break from 4e. At first we tried D&D Next. Some liked it; some did not so we moved on. For the next few months we tried a few other RPGs before finally returning to 4e. It was nice to return to something familiar. However, if didn’t take long before we remembered why we’d stopped playing a year earlier. That’s when we decided to tweak things a little bit.

By making a few adjustments to the rules, we breathed new life and new excitement into our game. It was still 4e at heart, but we had a lot of fun trying new things. Our experience playing other RPGs actually helped a lot in this regard. Sometimes distance provides perspective and we found that to be the case this past year with our RPGs.

We didn’t end up using too many of the “improvements” for very long (except #2, #8, and #9), but just having the courage to try them in game said a lot about our desire to stick with 4e for a little bit longer. My advice to gamers stuck between 4e & D&D Next is to keep playing 4e and try tweaking the rules to keep your experiences fresh. And if you find something that really works be sure to share it.

From January 8, 2013, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: 9 Ways to Improve 4e D&D.

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DM Resources Friday Favourites

Friday Favourite: What’s In Your Backpack? A Healthy Dose of Reality

On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From August 27, 2012, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: What’s In Your Backpack? A Healthy Dose of Reality.

When it comes to fantasy role-playing there are a lot of things you have to just accept in order for the game to function. Magic exists. Dragons exist. Elves exist. I have no problems with any of these things. They may be fantastic but they’re familiar and acceptable. But when it comes to the amount of gear a typical adventurer can carry in his backpack many players believe that anything goes. This is not a fantasy that I’m willing to accept. There needs to be some common sense applied some of the time to D&D and for me the buck stops with your backpack.

The way I see it there are two real issues when it comes to the reality of your backpack: 1) How much can it hold, and 2) How easily you can grab something out of that backpack in the heat of combat. I have had way too many players push the boundaries of what is actually possible in both cases that I’ve had to introduce a house rule when it comes to equipment the first thing that goes into any character’s backpack is a healthy does of reality.

This month Game Knight Reviews wants to know “What’s in *your* backpack?” as part of the August RPG Blog Carnival. I expect we’ll see a lot of posts where people list off their favourite must-have items. Here at Dungeon’s Master we’ve decided to approach the discussion from a slightly different angle.

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