Tag: Player Resources

Categories
Player Resources

Improve Your Defenses With Energy Resistance (Paragon)

There are going to be times when no matter how high your defenses are you’re still going to take a few hits. Whether you’re the nimble striker who opts for mobility over heavy armor or the defender who marks opponents to intentionally draw attacks away from others, all PCs eventually get hit hard. Luckily there is a relatively easy way to reduce the damage from some of the hardest hits that deal the most damage – energy resistance.

A disproportionate number of powerful monsters deal more than just straight-up, every day, normal damage. Many deal energy specific damage. So when you’ve done everything you can to raise your defenses and you still find yourself getting hit and taking an obscene amount of damage, it’s time to find magic that provides energy resistance.

Continue reading “Improve Your Defenses With Energy Resistance (Paragon)”
Categories
Player Resources

Make Your Character More Than Just Numbers

Some players are happy to play characters who are just numbers. Characters defined by their exceptional ability scores, high defenses, big weapons and awesome damage potential. I’ll admit I’ve played a few of these characters myself. This type of PC is alright in the short-term, but for long-term campaigns you’re likely to want more. Put some thought into who your character is, beyond just the numbers.

This extra level of detail is certainly not mandatory, but does pay dividends over time. The enjoyment you get out of playing any character is directly related to the amount of work you put into creating and defining him. If you’re not interested in doing any more than the minimum requirements necessary to get your PC created and into the game, then that’s your call. But if you are interested in really trying to make your PC a unique individual, then we’ve got some resources to help you flesh out your PC.

Continue reading “Make Your Character More Than Just Numbers”
Categories
Player Resources

The Party That Prepares Survives

It is said that no plan survives contact with the enemy and that might be true. However, without a plan your party won’t likely survive contact with the enemy. The party that plans ahead, very often comes out ahead.

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is a great place to find pearls of wisdom regarding warfare. His wisdom has been used by both military and business leaders. Let’s take a look at a few of his quotes and see how they can apply in a gaming context to allow your party to not only survive, but thrive during combat.

Continue reading “The Party That Prepares Survives”
Categories
Player Resources

Improve Your Defenses With Energy Resistance (Heroic)

More often than not, the PC who poses the greatest threat on the battlefield isn’t the heavily armored Fighter swinging a greatsword but the dagger-wielding Rogue in leather armor. Strikers are designed to inflict a lot of damage. The trade off is that these classes sacrifice high defenses. In general, strikers are soft. This becomes painfully apparent when the guy with the lowest defenses is singled out and starts taking attacks from everyone not marked by a defender (and even a few of them too).

Continue reading “Improve Your Defenses With Energy Resistance (Heroic)”
Categories
Player Resources

The Goliath, A Giant Waste

Me Smash! You go crush! Me smash, you crush!

I’ll admit these were my initial thoughts on the Goliath and things haven’t changed much. Perhaps my stereotypes aren’t fair or justified, but that’s ok because they’re mine. I don’t like the Goliath for a number of reasons, however I wanted to give this giant of a race a fair shot. So here is my take on them, my perceptions of their strengths and weaknesses. You may also want to see my thoughts on Dwarves (the best race) and Tieflings.

Continue reading “The Goliath, A Giant Waste”
Categories
Player Resources

Celebrating The Teiflings Infernal Heritage

The descendants of ancient bargains with infernal powers, Teiflings are often misunderstood. It is assumed that they are dangerous, cunning and untrustworthy people. While this is true for some, Teiflings make valuable allies. Their innate Charisma assists them in putting their opponents off guard and their Intelligence allows them to tactically size up a situation before they act.

Last week we covered Dwarves, the best race, today let’s take a look at this infernal race. You may also want to check out Mark’s write-up on why he thinks Humans are the best race over at Dice Monkey.

Continue reading “Celebrating The Teiflings Infernal Heritage”
Categories
Player Resources Top 10

6 D&D Convention Tips for Players

D&D is a complicated game. There are the general game rules, the specific rules that apply to player characters and then there’s your character himself. It can be tough just to keep all of that straight, especially if you’re just getting into D&D. After participating in the Spellstorm gaming convention this past weekend in Toronto, I’ve put together a list of things to keep in mind when you’re playing D&D. These tips are applicable to any D&D game, but even more so at a convention where you’re less likely to know all the people at your table.

Continue reading “6 D&D Convention Tips for Players”
Categories
Player Resources

Dwarves Are The Best Race

Surly, gruff, uncouth and belligerent. Nothing could be further from the truth when speaking about Dwarves. Insightful, tough, resilient and reliable are better words to describe Dwarven kin. In looking at the characteristics of this noble folk you realize that not only would you enjoy an evening of pints with a Dwarf, but you also want them watching your back. Of course we shouldn’t neglect to mention those beards. Phenomenal stuff! Let’s take a deeper look at the toughest of races.

Continue reading “Dwarves Are The Best Race”
Categories
Editorial

Spellstorm 2010 Update

Attention Toronto gamers, Spellstorm is less than two weeks away. The event list is up and registration is underway. For those interested in Living Forgotten Realms (LFR) adventures, there are plenty of options for new and experienced players. If you’re new to LFR play or you’re interested in starting a new PC at level 1, the MINI story-arc is a great place to begin. The entire MINI six-game story-arc is offered during the convention. If you’re more interested in a regular LFR experience, the SPEC 2-1 adventures provide opportunities for you to try your hand at level 1-4, 4-7, 7-10, or 11-14.  The Special adventures are available only during convention play, so these are games you’ ve never played before and are not likely to have the opportunity to play again for some time.

Continue reading “Spellstorm 2010 Update”
Categories
DM Resources Player Resources

LFR Magic Item Treasure Bundle List (Part 2)

A few months ago we provided you with a Living Forgotten Realms (LFR) magic item treasure bundle list. The original list included a complete inventory of magic items available from 78 different LFR adventures. As promised, we’ve updated the list and added loot from 23 more LFR adventures. This includes 8 paragon adventures for PCs level 11-14 and the first paragon adventure for PCs level 14-17.

Continue reading “LFR Magic Item Treasure Bundle List (Part 2)”