--Lime--
2010-06-12, 05:17 AM
Big 16:
1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?
3.5 CORE ONLY! I'm sorry, I know there are a lot of good things out there that are indeed balanced, but I remember that when I was learning to play a lot of it came from working out why and how the other players did what they did.
No point in making it more difficult to create a character for newbs.
2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?
Basically, it's going off the PHB or SRD. If I request source, it had better be either of those two. The world is typical DnD but place names and local history are my own.
The core books are already hundreds of pages long. Splat can very easily become overwhelming. If all players know what the other players are doing, and why, they'll learn much better than a constant stream of "How come he can do that? Can I do that?" for splat that they might not have access to. Just realised I touched on this above >_<
3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?
This doesn't really apply here, so I'll use the space to say that we're designing for a 4-character party. The logic is, if it goes up to 6 then another 2 can be easily found, and a second game can be run. If it is at 5, then only one person loses out.
4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)?
Again, in our case, this doesn't really apply. We'll follow the process through on the forums, but I'd like chat sessions too if possible because with so much to discuss, it can work a lot faster.
5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?
You are level 1. Congratulations.
I said it before, I'll say it again because it's so important: no point in making things more complex than they have to be, and also it lets them see their character grow.
6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
500gp between the 4 of you. As you'll see for the classes and alignment, with this game, the party cohesion begins before the adventure starts! Share nicely now.
"Chasing the numbers" is an easy habit to fall into. Starting off without talking to each other and each wanting to be the leader/number one/hero in the group isn't a good way to start. It fits with the story, and breeds good habits, so I can't see why not to do this.
7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?
I really don't mind what class, but bear in mind that the game is already created - just because you end up as 3 rangers and a monk doesn't mean I'm changing anything. No psionics. Also, no druids :P
I personally love druids to bits, but animal companions complicate matters, and besides, I don't want horses being ridden in the dungeon. Besides, they don't really fit with the setting, since dwarves love being underground and druids love forests. All the other classes can be easily slotted into the setting. Aside from getting the PCs to talk to each other about character creation, and seeing how others create classes different to their own, it gives them responsibility. And responsibility is good. If they feel like the DM is leading them on the adventure, then they've got it all upside-down.
8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?
You're dwarves. I'm sorry that you were born with such a terrible affliction, but that's life.
"Feats!" cries the newb. "Skill points!" And within five seconds has chosen to be human. Dwarves make them adapt to something a bit different, and can be a lot of fun. For first-time players, they have an easy society and character to get hold of, namely beards, beer and brawls :P
9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?
Hmm... I'm a big fan of the 32 point buy, but if anyone wants to roll, it's 5d6 best 3 per stat, or 7 lots of 3d6 (so 1 per stat and one extra) discarding the lowest. Never roll in order in my presence. Yay choices!
I said that so that new players could experiment with different ways of getting ability scores. A DM might choose to restrict it to one of those, or something else. It really doesn't matter.
10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?
Alignment matters to me because it should matter to all new players. It's a great starting point for fleshing out your character too. I'll allow ANY ALIGNMENT EXCEPT CHAOTIC EVIL. If you're lawful evil, you should try not to let the group know what you're up to, but as DM I expect a PM with a nice detailed plan. I've never seen anyone play Neutral Evil but if you're sure you can make it work, go for it. Other than that, all Good and Neutral types welcome! Whatever you choose, don't come crying to me if you're a paladin and 4th person in chooses to be evil. Or the other way around. You're the party, sort it out amongst you - I don't mind you discussing character creation here!
I don't want CE because it can very easily degrade into the party turning on itself, or it becoming the Texas Chainsaw Massacre with PCs choosing to chop an NPC down at first glance and miss out on a whole chunk of story. As for mixing good and evil, it lets them see how alignments work: too often are they thought of as the be-all-and-end-all. Neutral characters may prefer to stay aloof, but they might also sometimes do good things and sometimes bad things and thus balance out as neutral. A good character might choose to work with an evil one for The Greater Good, or as a personal mission to reform their character, to give just two examples, and still manage to keep alignment intact. It's important that players realise this, and it adds to group discussion and responsibility, which can only be a good thing.
11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?
Go for it. Standard multi-class rules.
Of course, most newbs won't take this, but there's no point in not giving them the option.
12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?
Again, irrelevant to us. We'll discuss DCs openly, and discuss what passing or failing could mean for the group.
13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.
Let's see... as an advantage to story progression, I like synergies to stack like they did in 3e. But I also want this to be as standard a game as possible for the newbies... hmm... yeah newbies should get used to having house rules in play. Synergies will stack.
I usually do this. Other ones are that if you are of a race, you can use that race's weapons as martial. For example, the gnome-hooked-hammers or the orc double axe (even for half-orcs, but only if they grew up around orcs, not humans). It's just how I DM. Since we're all dwarves, only the synergy one matters, though.
14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?
Background required.
Goes back to the "numbers freak, not storyteller" comment from earlier. If newbs don't learn to think about their character's past now, when will they?
15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?
To create a nicely rounded starting game, I tried to round it out, but there is quite a lot of action going on. So more of the first, a fair amount of the second, but considerably less for the third if it ends up on chat. If it's pbp, I expect a decent amount of RP out of you too. The game setting is to help you tell a story about your character, not just to roll dice.
Hey look, I said it again. But it *is* important. In game terms, I want lots of different skill checks (no idea how I'll get Handle Animal in there though xD) and outside-the-box thinking. Not every fight has to be seen to the end, and nobody really seems to do puzzles here. Let's change that.
16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?
Once again, PHB or SRD. I don't like psionics, even though I'm aware monks can suck a bit without them.
Setting:
The story:
You live in Grunshelm, a town below a mountain. Atop the mountain is Castle Grunshelm. However, Darrak (the previous owner) did something odd: he left the castle and all the mines under it to a human named Gardel. Now, lots of suspicion flew around, but nobody could prove anything. Gardel has been hollowing out the mines to create a dungeon because he's power-crazy. The dwarves don't like this, but... they so respected Darrak that they don't disobey his final wishes. After all, there's no proof that Gardel is mining out sacred minerals, merely suspicion. Still, even this is enough to cause resentment and grumbling amongst the dwarves.
But then...human workers start to go missing as they extend the dungeon into the mines. Many don't return, and those that do sport horrific injuries, and tell tales of *something* down there. Within 2 weeks, his human workers refuse to go down. Excluded for 20 years, Gardel turns back to the dwarves. They choose and fund a party for 4 to go investigate and report back. Afer all, it's not just Gardel's motives in question here, but the birthright of the Dwarves to mine.
You are part of an expeditionary force, who will report what exactly Gardel is doing with the minerals to the town elders, who'll then take any action necessary against Gardel. But as far as Gardel asked for, you're 4 dwarves who are naturally good in dwarven mines, investigating for him what's down there.
Trader Dwarves:
Trader Dwarf Traits (Ex)
Trader Dwarves possess the following racial traits.
•+2 Constitution, -2 EITHER Strength or Dexterity (player choice).
•Medium size.
•A dwarf’s base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
•Darkvision out to to 60 feet.
•Lesser Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +1 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. Dwarves have a sixth sense about stonework, an innate ability that trader dwarves get less time to practise than their mining brothers.
•Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
•Stability: Dwarves are exceptionally stable on their feet. A dwarf has a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
•+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison. *Not reflected in the saving throw numbers given here.
•+2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects. *Not reflected in the saving throw numbers given here.
•+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs (including half-orcs) and goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears).
•+2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against creatures of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants).
•+4 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to metal items.
•+2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to metal.
•+1 racial bonus to EITHER Bluff OR Diplomacy OR Sense Motive OR Sleight of Hand (Slight of Hand ONLY if Strength was chosen as penalty attribute)
•Automatic Languages: Common, Dwarven. Bonus Languages: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, Undercommon.
Some traders are burly to protect their wares, and lug huge chests of goods around. Others are more underhand and enjoy shortchanging, requiring a fast hand - and fast feet, if caught! They're better spoken and more inclined to negotiation than normal dwarves due to their dealings with less-gruff folk from outside of dwarvenkind. Other than that, behind the beard, they're as proudly dwarf as the next squat humanoid. The other dwarves recognise them as equals in return, since they regularly get higher prices for mined goods than other dwarves, and they pass this profit - in part - on to their brothers. It's all well and good spending months down a mineshaft, but there isn't a dwarf alive who wouldn't like a few more silver for that extra flagon of ale.
Their specialisation in metal goods comes from the fact that other races just don't seem as interested in granite as dwarves think they should. It's the shiny things that sell, you see :smallwink:.
The story allows for evil characters, and also explains why the best warriors in town aren't being sent: if it's a suicide mission, no point in losing the top fighters. If you want to unnerve your PCs even more, you might add that the elders think it's a trap by Gardel to remove the town's first line of defence so that he can raid the town. Another way of justifying this, if people ask "Why doesn't the town send someone in between us? I want to be more powerful!" then the get-out is that it's a good way for the young'uns to earn their own honour and glory, which is important in dwarven society.
Any thoughts so far?
1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?
3.5 CORE ONLY! I'm sorry, I know there are a lot of good things out there that are indeed balanced, but I remember that when I was learning to play a lot of it came from working out why and how the other players did what they did.
No point in making it more difficult to create a character for newbs.
2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?
Basically, it's going off the PHB or SRD. If I request source, it had better be either of those two. The world is typical DnD but place names and local history are my own.
The core books are already hundreds of pages long. Splat can very easily become overwhelming. If all players know what the other players are doing, and why, they'll learn much better than a constant stream of "How come he can do that? Can I do that?" for splat that they might not have access to. Just realised I touched on this above >_<
3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?
This doesn't really apply here, so I'll use the space to say that we're designing for a 4-character party. The logic is, if it goes up to 6 then another 2 can be easily found, and a second game can be run. If it is at 5, then only one person loses out.
4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)?
Again, in our case, this doesn't really apply. We'll follow the process through on the forums, but I'd like chat sessions too if possible because with so much to discuss, it can work a lot faster.
5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?
You are level 1. Congratulations.
I said it before, I'll say it again because it's so important: no point in making things more complex than they have to be, and also it lets them see their character grow.
6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
500gp between the 4 of you. As you'll see for the classes and alignment, with this game, the party cohesion begins before the adventure starts! Share nicely now.
"Chasing the numbers" is an easy habit to fall into. Starting off without talking to each other and each wanting to be the leader/number one/hero in the group isn't a good way to start. It fits with the story, and breeds good habits, so I can't see why not to do this.
7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?
I really don't mind what class, but bear in mind that the game is already created - just because you end up as 3 rangers and a monk doesn't mean I'm changing anything. No psionics. Also, no druids :P
I personally love druids to bits, but animal companions complicate matters, and besides, I don't want horses being ridden in the dungeon. Besides, they don't really fit with the setting, since dwarves love being underground and druids love forests. All the other classes can be easily slotted into the setting. Aside from getting the PCs to talk to each other about character creation, and seeing how others create classes different to their own, it gives them responsibility. And responsibility is good. If they feel like the DM is leading them on the adventure, then they've got it all upside-down.
8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?
You're dwarves. I'm sorry that you were born with such a terrible affliction, but that's life.
"Feats!" cries the newb. "Skill points!" And within five seconds has chosen to be human. Dwarves make them adapt to something a bit different, and can be a lot of fun. For first-time players, they have an easy society and character to get hold of, namely beards, beer and brawls :P
9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?
Hmm... I'm a big fan of the 32 point buy, but if anyone wants to roll, it's 5d6 best 3 per stat, or 7 lots of 3d6 (so 1 per stat and one extra) discarding the lowest. Never roll in order in my presence. Yay choices!
I said that so that new players could experiment with different ways of getting ability scores. A DM might choose to restrict it to one of those, or something else. It really doesn't matter.
10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?
Alignment matters to me because it should matter to all new players. It's a great starting point for fleshing out your character too. I'll allow ANY ALIGNMENT EXCEPT CHAOTIC EVIL. If you're lawful evil, you should try not to let the group know what you're up to, but as DM I expect a PM with a nice detailed plan. I've never seen anyone play Neutral Evil but if you're sure you can make it work, go for it. Other than that, all Good and Neutral types welcome! Whatever you choose, don't come crying to me if you're a paladin and 4th person in chooses to be evil. Or the other way around. You're the party, sort it out amongst you - I don't mind you discussing character creation here!
I don't want CE because it can very easily degrade into the party turning on itself, or it becoming the Texas Chainsaw Massacre with PCs choosing to chop an NPC down at first glance and miss out on a whole chunk of story. As for mixing good and evil, it lets them see how alignments work: too often are they thought of as the be-all-and-end-all. Neutral characters may prefer to stay aloof, but they might also sometimes do good things and sometimes bad things and thus balance out as neutral. A good character might choose to work with an evil one for The Greater Good, or as a personal mission to reform their character, to give just two examples, and still manage to keep alignment intact. It's important that players realise this, and it adds to group discussion and responsibility, which can only be a good thing.
11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?
Go for it. Standard multi-class rules.
Of course, most newbs won't take this, but there's no point in not giving them the option.
12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?
Again, irrelevant to us. We'll discuss DCs openly, and discuss what passing or failing could mean for the group.
13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.
Let's see... as an advantage to story progression, I like synergies to stack like they did in 3e. But I also want this to be as standard a game as possible for the newbies... hmm... yeah newbies should get used to having house rules in play. Synergies will stack.
I usually do this. Other ones are that if you are of a race, you can use that race's weapons as martial. For example, the gnome-hooked-hammers or the orc double axe (even for half-orcs, but only if they grew up around orcs, not humans). It's just how I DM. Since we're all dwarves, only the synergy one matters, though.
14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?
Background required.
Goes back to the "numbers freak, not storyteller" comment from earlier. If newbs don't learn to think about their character's past now, when will they?
15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?
To create a nicely rounded starting game, I tried to round it out, but there is quite a lot of action going on. So more of the first, a fair amount of the second, but considerably less for the third if it ends up on chat. If it's pbp, I expect a decent amount of RP out of you too. The game setting is to help you tell a story about your character, not just to roll dice.
Hey look, I said it again. But it *is* important. In game terms, I want lots of different skill checks (no idea how I'll get Handle Animal in there though xD) and outside-the-box thinking. Not every fight has to be seen to the end, and nobody really seems to do puzzles here. Let's change that.
16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?
Once again, PHB or SRD. I don't like psionics, even though I'm aware monks can suck a bit without them.
Setting:
The story:
You live in Grunshelm, a town below a mountain. Atop the mountain is Castle Grunshelm. However, Darrak (the previous owner) did something odd: he left the castle and all the mines under it to a human named Gardel. Now, lots of suspicion flew around, but nobody could prove anything. Gardel has been hollowing out the mines to create a dungeon because he's power-crazy. The dwarves don't like this, but... they so respected Darrak that they don't disobey his final wishes. After all, there's no proof that Gardel is mining out sacred minerals, merely suspicion. Still, even this is enough to cause resentment and grumbling amongst the dwarves.
But then...human workers start to go missing as they extend the dungeon into the mines. Many don't return, and those that do sport horrific injuries, and tell tales of *something* down there. Within 2 weeks, his human workers refuse to go down. Excluded for 20 years, Gardel turns back to the dwarves. They choose and fund a party for 4 to go investigate and report back. Afer all, it's not just Gardel's motives in question here, but the birthright of the Dwarves to mine.
You are part of an expeditionary force, who will report what exactly Gardel is doing with the minerals to the town elders, who'll then take any action necessary against Gardel. But as far as Gardel asked for, you're 4 dwarves who are naturally good in dwarven mines, investigating for him what's down there.
Trader Dwarves:
Trader Dwarf Traits (Ex)
Trader Dwarves possess the following racial traits.
•+2 Constitution, -2 EITHER Strength or Dexterity (player choice).
•Medium size.
•A dwarf’s base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
•Darkvision out to to 60 feet.
•Lesser Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +1 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. Dwarves have a sixth sense about stonework, an innate ability that trader dwarves get less time to practise than their mining brothers.
•Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
•Stability: Dwarves are exceptionally stable on their feet. A dwarf has a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
•+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison. *Not reflected in the saving throw numbers given here.
•+2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects. *Not reflected in the saving throw numbers given here.
•+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs (including half-orcs) and goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears).
•+2 dodge bonus to Armor Class against creatures of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants).
•+4 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to metal items.
•+2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to metal.
•+1 racial bonus to EITHER Bluff OR Diplomacy OR Sense Motive OR Sleight of Hand (Slight of Hand ONLY if Strength was chosen as penalty attribute)
•Automatic Languages: Common, Dwarven. Bonus Languages: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, Undercommon.
Some traders are burly to protect their wares, and lug huge chests of goods around. Others are more underhand and enjoy shortchanging, requiring a fast hand - and fast feet, if caught! They're better spoken and more inclined to negotiation than normal dwarves due to their dealings with less-gruff folk from outside of dwarvenkind. Other than that, behind the beard, they're as proudly dwarf as the next squat humanoid. The other dwarves recognise them as equals in return, since they regularly get higher prices for mined goods than other dwarves, and they pass this profit - in part - on to their brothers. It's all well and good spending months down a mineshaft, but there isn't a dwarf alive who wouldn't like a few more silver for that extra flagon of ale.
Their specialisation in metal goods comes from the fact that other races just don't seem as interested in granite as dwarves think they should. It's the shiny things that sell, you see :smallwink:.
The story allows for evil characters, and also explains why the best warriors in town aren't being sent: if it's a suicide mission, no point in losing the top fighters. If you want to unnerve your PCs even more, you might add that the elders think it's a trap by Gardel to remove the town's first line of defence so that he can raid the town. Another way of justifying this, if people ask "Why doesn't the town send someone in between us? I want to be more powerful!" then the get-out is that it's a good way for the young'uns to earn their own honour and glory, which is important in dwarven society.
Any thoughts so far?