|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 15, 2014 22:01:52 GMT
I will add some links and various useful info to this board section.
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 15, 2014 22:13:48 GMT
Here is the complete world map of Halruaa Attachments:
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 15, 2014 22:19:50 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 15, 2014 22:55:45 GMT
A Note on this GM's View of Alignment:
I do not hold the Superhero comics version of Good. That is, if it is clear someone has done great harm, and will continue to, and has a reasonable change they could escape justice, it is not a non-good act to kill them, regardless of the helpless or not state.
Ie, if Spiderman would have simply killed Doc Oc, there would be many fewer deaths in the world. If Batman would have offed the Joker how many more people would survive?
That being said, if someone would like for their character to play that version of good, please be constant with that, for all sentient beings. Ie, if by some miracle the group manages to render a red dragon helpless, it is just as deserving of mercy as a halfling.
For the evil alignments. Evil does not mean raving lunatic, or psyco killer. Evil is not randomly killing the barmaid because she did not smile at you. That is "crazy". Evil is about the things positive for the evil person out weighing other considerations, such as morality.
That also being said, both good and evil are ranges, good does not have to be saintly, evil does not have to be demonic.
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 16, 2014 22:21:13 GMT
On the rules of the game....
Here is the awesome thing about D&D the rules are not Steel Cages. There are rules I will change, or ignore to create the game I enjoy running. I do try to be consistent with the rules, and the changes are rarely made to “Nerf” the players or even screw them. There will be times I entirely ignore a rule which I would normally follow because it will make the story better, or increase the drama. Please take a moment to read some of these lines quoted from the 2E D&D DM’s Guide:
Choice is what the AD&D game is all about. We’ve tried to offer you what we think are the best choices for your AD&D campaign, but each of us has different likes and dislikes. The game that I enjoy may be quite different from your own campaign. But it is not for me to say what is right or wrong for your game.
….
So is there an “official” AD&D Game? Yes, but only when there needs to be.
…
Add, create, expand, extrapolate. Don’t just let the game sit there, and don’t become a rules lawyer worrying about each piddly little detail.
….
And whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap of believe these rules are complete. They are not.
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 16, 2014 22:21:42 GMT
Magic Items
According to TSR rules for 2E D&D, to create a permanent magic item the mage must cast the permanency spell, which according to the spell drops the caster’s constitution by one permanently. Consider this a moment, a mage with an average human constitution of 10, could make 10 magic items in his entire life before killing himself. Think of it as a player, if you have a 15 constitution and create a magic item, you permanently loose the bonus HP that the high constitution gave you.
According to TSR guidelines, even a wish can only gain at most 1 ability score point, and by the strict rules for any ability score over 15 it takes 10 wishes to raise one point. (Each wish ages you 1 year as well).
With all of this, who would try to make a living creating magic items? What mage would willingly spend a tenth of his life-force, permanently to sell you a +1 Sword for 1000 GP? As a player imagine what you would charge to create and sell magic items? I have asked this before of players with mages whom finally made that 16th level it takes to cast that spell (which in Halruaa would be less than a dozen people), and they have told me numbers in the 100,000 GP range at minimum, usually a quest and a trade for other items as well.
As such, magic items which require the permanecy spells are simply not purchasable in Halruaa. This does leave potions and scrolls available. However, even these require 8th or 9th level casters to create, so there are not a lot of vendors. With the demand for such things being low, most will have few such items on hand to simply pick up. Your best is to place an order with the dealer, and wait for the couple of days or weeks it will take to have the items made for your characters.
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 16, 2014 22:22:00 GMT
Magic and Casters
All Casters in this game function under similar rules, both Mage and Priest. The main difference in the caster types is where they get the power for their spells, and if there are any other ideals or requirements they need to meet to use their magic.
Memorization
There is no memorization needed in this game. If a player can cast 2) 1st Level and 1) 2nd Level spell each day, they can cast that many without a need for memorization. This means that they can cast any two first level spells from the list of spells they have learned and any one second level spell from the list of spells they have learned.
Spell Selection
All casters have to learn the incantations, gestures and components with their use in order to cast a spell. In standard D&D priests have instant and complete knowledge of all spells their Deity allows them access to. This does not make sense to me. So priests and mages alike must take the time to learn spells, a mage keeps the spells in spellbook or grimiore, while a priest keeps the spells they learned in a prayerbook. Each day the characters have to consult with their books, to continue to keep their memory of the words of the various spells they know fresh in mind.
Priests can learn a number of spells based on their wisdom. Use the intelligence chart, with the wisdom score to determine how many spells of each level a priest is allowed, as well as the chance of learning the spell. Divine magic requires a greater force of will than intellect to cast, so the phrasing and sheer memory needs are not as high as a mages magic, but the power of the magic requires a force of will much higher than that of a mage.
New Spells
Every time a character gains access to a new level of spells, the player is allowed to choose one spell out of that new level of spells to have spontaneously understood, with their increased skill and knowledge.
Typically all other spells must be learned by hunting down other casters and paying that caster to instruct them in its use. During this time the character copies notes and instructions into their book for future reference. Normally this process costs 100GP per spell level. In general in any fairly major city, most of the 1st to 3rd level spells can be somewhat easily found. However, higher level spells require higher level casters to exist. There are not a vast number of casters in the 8th level range to teach 4th level spells, and each level of spells after that become harder and harder to find casters which can teach such magics. For mages particularly this is an issue, there are less than a few hundred mages in the entire civilized world whom are above 12th level (for 6th Level and higher spells). After a while, casters may find they need to start questing for the secret labs and resting places of long dead casters, to raid their libraries.
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 16, 2014 22:24:31 GMT
Deities of the game world. Attached is a quick listing of the deities of Halruaa. Attachments:Deities of Halruaa.pdf (203.45 KB)
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 16, 2014 22:26:01 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 16, 2014 22:27:15 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Todd A. G. on Jul 17, 2014 21:31:59 GMT
This issue about buying spells came up before in some of my OLDER games that I played. The reason for playing a caster is to cast spells and by having access to as many as possible can REALLY make a difference in game play. I don't have a BIG issue with buying the spells (which is where the majority of all my gold went by the way) But making if difficult or costly for spell casters to obtain spells to add to their spell books can be difficult, costly, and a little unfair BECAUSE ALL of the other classes do not have to spend ANY amount of gold to obtain their training for advancement in their classes. So at higher levels are the NON-SPELL casters going to have to find someone to TRAIN them and will they have to pay out some gold for their individual training? Wizard spells (in my opinion) tend to be somewhat powerful and by requiring the purchase of them can help the DM limit as to which spells are available/used in the game. Priest spells (which are normally defensive and not as powerful as wizard spells), in my opinion, should be received from the deity. But as I mentioned before, it's your game and your rules. Just wanted to put my opinion out there. (BTW - I spent around 6,500 Gold Pieces for ALL of the spells that I currently have on my sheet.) Magic and Casters All Casters in this game function under similar rules, both Mage and Priest. The main difference in the caster types is where they get the power for their spells, and if there are any other ideals or requirements they need to meet to use their magic. Memorization There is no memorization needed in this game. If a player can cast 2) 1st Level and 1) 2nd Level spell each day, they can cast that many without a need for memorization. This means that they can cast any two first level spells from the list of spells they have learned and any one second level spell from the list of spells they have learned. Spell Selection All casters have to learn the incantations, gestures and components with their use in order to cast a spell. In standard D&D priests have instant and complete knowledge of all spells their Deity allows them access to. This does not make sense to me. So priests and mages alike must take the time to learn spells, a mage keeps the spells in spellbook or grimiore, while a priest keeps the spells they learned in a prayerbook. Each day the characters have to consult with their books, to continue to keep their memory of the words of the various spells they know fresh in mind. Priests can learn a number of spells based on their wisdom. Use the intelligence chart, with the wisdom score to determine how many spells of each level a priest is allowed, as well as the chance of learning the spell. Divine magic requires a greater force of will than intellect to cast, so the phrasing and sheer memory needs are not as high as a mages magic, but the power of the magic requires a force of will much higher than that of a mage. New Spells Every time a character gains access to a new level of spells, the player is allowed to choose one spell out of that new level of spells to have spontaneously understood, with their increased skill and knowledge. Typically all other spells must be learned by hunting down other casters and paying that caster to instruct them in its use. During this time the character copies notes and instructions into their book for future reference. Normally this process costs 100GP per spell level. In general in any fairly major city, most of the 1st to 3rd level spells can be somewhat easily found. However, higher level spells require higher level casters to exist. There are not a vast number of casters in the 8th level range to teach 4th level spells, and each level of spells after that become harder and harder to find casters which can teach such magics. For mages particularly this is an issue, there are less than a few hundred mages in the entire civilized world whom are above 12th level (for 6th Level and higher spells). After a while, casters may find they need to start questing for the secret labs and resting places of long dead casters, to raid their libraries. |
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 17, 2014 22:45:57 GMT
This issue about buying spells came up before in some of my OLDER games that I played. The reason for playing a caster is to cast spells and by having access to as many as possible can REALLY make a difference in game play. I don't have a BIG issue with buying the spells (which is where the majority of all my gold went by the way) But making if difficult or costly for spell casters to obtain spells to add to their spell books can be difficult, costly, and a little unfair BECAUSE ALL of the other classes do not have to spend ANY amount of gold to obtain their training for advancement in their classes. So at higher levels are the NON-SPELL casters going to have to find someone to TRAIN them and will they have to pay out some gold for their individual training? Wizard spells (in my opinion) tend to be somewhat powerful and by requiring the purchase of them can help the DM limit as to which spells are available/used in the game. Priest spells (which are normally defensive and not as powerful as wizard spells), in my opinion, should be received from the deity. But as I mentioned before, it's your game and your rules. Just wanted to put my opinion out there. (BTW - I spent around 6,500 Gold Pieces for ALL of the spells that I currently have on my sheet.) Magic and Casters All Casters in this game function under similar rules, both Mage and Priest. The main difference in the caster types is where they get the power for their spells, and if there are any other ideals or requirements they need to meet to use their magic. Memorization There is no memorization needed in this game. If a player can cast 2) 1st Level and 1) 2nd Level spell each day, they can cast that many without a need for memorization. This means that they can cast any two first level spells from the list of spells they have learned and any one second level spell from the list of spells they have learned. Spell Selection All casters have to learn the incantations, gestures and components with their use in order to cast a spell. In standard D&D priests have instant and complete knowledge of all spells their Deity allows them access to. This does not make sense to me. So priests and mages alike must take the time to learn spells, a mage keeps the spells in spellbook or grimiore, while a priest keeps the spells they learned in a prayerbook. Each day the characters have to consult with their books, to continue to keep their memory of the words of the various spells they know fresh in mind. Priests can learn a number of spells based on their wisdom. Use the intelligence chart, with the wisdom score to determine how many spells of each level a priest is allowed, as well as the chance of learning the spell. Divine magic requires a greater force of will than intellect to cast, so the phrasing and sheer memory needs are not as high as a mages magic, but the power of the magic requires a force of will much higher than that of a mage. New Spells Every time a character gains access to a new level of spells, the player is allowed to choose one spell out of that new level of spells to have spontaneously understood, with their increased skill and knowledge. Typically all other spells must be learned by hunting down other casters and paying that caster to instruct them in its use. During this time the character copies notes and instructions into their book for future reference. Normally this process costs 100GP per spell level. In general in any fairly major city, most of the 1st to 3rd level spells can be somewhat easily found. However, higher level spells require higher level casters to exist. There are not a vast number of casters in the 8th level range to teach 4th level spells, and each level of spells after that become harder and harder to find casters which can teach such magics. For mages particularly this is an issue, there are less than a few hundred mages in the entire civilized world whom are above 12th level (for 6th Level and higher spells). After a while, casters may find they need to start questing for the secret labs and resting places of long dead casters, to raid their libraries. Usually this has not been an issue. Most players find the spells on scrolls long before they are able to cast them, and a character can use a scroll of a spell to learn the spell. For example your group right now has Raise Dead and Heal, 5th and 6th level cleric spells already available, and that is at low level. It also encourages players to share spells. Plus in the end, to reach those sorts of high levels you will be traveling all over the world, and to some of the biggest cities where there will be people to get them from. Also, I do make other classes pay to increase there skills, for example, a fighter that wants to increase their skill with a weapon beyond specialization has to find someone to train them, and pay for it. Before I started having player pay for skills and advanced training, money as a reward meant nothing, 12th level characters with a million gold and nothing to spend it on. Even with this, it is only at low levels any one even blinks about the cost. Tougher creatures have vast amounts of treasure on them based on treasure types, a pack of giants could easily have 20,000, and that is not a full lair of them. Even the old weak kobolds would have a lair treasure worth as much as 10,000. Plus technically, since all casters have to have spellbooks or prayerbooks, killing enemy spellcasters also can net you a chunk of new spells. For example, the Mistress has a prayerbook somewhere on that battle field. |
|
|
|
Post by David Lester on Jul 18, 2014 22:36:44 GMT
Here is a short list of the rules alterations I use from the "standard" rules. This is not a complete list, just all those I can off hand remember. |
|
|
|
Post by clericofthor on Jul 19, 2014 0:45:43 GMT
For the record...I have no issue with spellcasters (mages or clerics) needing to pay to learn spells. I agree with David that the cost really shouldn't be an issue. As neither class (cleric or mage) need to pre-select their spells this system seems fair and equitable. If we all, as players, wish to enjoy the gaming world our DM has established to the max, the idea that the spellcasters in the group might need actually quest for higher level spells only adds to the depth of worldbuilding; ie, if he knows there are characters wgho need to hunt down certain spells, he'll run the game accordingly. Quests can take many forms, be it ridding a hamlet of giants OR the group setting out on a quest for an invaluable spell.
On a different note, David has already granted standard mages the ability to cast spells at will, ie, no memorization required. This makes sense to me. Whether it's a magic user or priest-based class, once the character has rolled successfully for knowing the spell, the need to pre-select their spelss makes little sense: it is a measurement of their level that they have either the Will (mages) or Faith (priests) to focus their talents as needed. ie, the MAgic User knows a given spell or doesn't; a cleric is of sufficient level (faith-will) to call upon their respective energetic resources as needed. Once the spellcaster has shown they can cast a respective spell the need to "memorize" it repeadtedly is just tedious, as they've already rolled for the chance to be able to cast it.
|
|
|
|
Post by clericofthor on Jul 24, 2014 18:21:58 GMT
David, since you're allowing me to rework my cleric using the point system, are you opposed to reworking him into a crusader? Seems it might fit better, partic considering what the Jason and my characters are working on separately.
|
|
