Squark
2014-09-10, 03:37 PM
So, I'm coordinating the 3.5 games at my Local university; or at least, the formation of the new groups. While it looks like I won't be DMing, I'm still in charge of writing up an e-mail to explain the fundamentals of the game to the newbies. I've already covered the basics of roleplaying itself, but I'm struggling with some aspects of explaining the mechanics. I was thinking I'd cover Dice notation, Core Mechanic, the Core Classes and Races, and Vanacian Magic.
I'm pretty happy with what I've got for the core mechanic, and dice notation, but if anyone spots anything I've missed, that'd be helpful.
Dice Notation
While this is relatively standard across RPGs, for those of you who’ve never played one, it’s important to understand how dice are abbreviated. Dice are abbreviated as d(x), where (x) is the number of sides on the dice. So, a regular six-sided dice would be a d6, while the commonly used twenty-sided die is a d20, and the seldom used twelve sided dice is a d12. If a situation calls for more than one dice to be rolled, the number of dice is listed before the dice type; So, if a spell does 3d4 damage, that means you roll 3 four-sided dice to determine damage.
The Core Mechanic: How D&D determines success and failure.
At its heart, D&D’s mechanical side revolves around a relatively simple mechanic which is used to determine if you or an NPC succeeds in their endeavors. After announcing you will attempt an action, you roll a d20, add or subtract certain modifiers, and compare this to either a static number or another dice roll in the case of opposed tests. Roll equal or higher to the number, and you succeed. Roll lower, and you fail. Static numbers are used for relatively unchanging things, like climbing the face of a cliff, creating a weapon, or overcoming a poison, as well as attacking an enemy. Opposed rolls on the other hand, would deal with things like trying to convince a merchant that the dirty cup you’re trying to sell him really has mystical powers of healing, Trying to sneak past a guard unheard, or even something like an arm wrestling match. Sometimes there are degrees of success or failure; a meager success will only yield meager results, while a number much higher than the target might yield fantastic results. Likewise, failing by only a tiny bit might mean nothing happens at all, while a spectacular failure could spell disaster.
Example: Dale the Fighter is trying to attack an Orc. He rolls a d20 and adds his Attack bonus and finds the result is an 18. This is compared to the Orc’s “armor class” (A number representing how easy it is to hit the orc), which is 13. Since Dale has rolled higher or equal to the target number, he succeeds, and hits the foul orc, slaying it.
Example: Elvera the Bard is trying to convince a guard to let her friend off the hook for drunkeness. She rolls a d20 and adds her diplomacy skill bonus to the check, unfortunately getting an 8. This fails to shift the guard’s attitude, as the “Difficulty Class” (or “DC,” a number used to represent the difficulty of resisting effects or using skills). to raise the guard’s attitude was 15. However, if she had rolled less than a 5, she would actually have lowered the guard’s attitude, potentially meaning he would try to arrest Elvera as well!
Example: Lorro the Rogue is trying to sell a merchant a worthless wooden cup, claiming it to be a powerful item that turns fine wine into potions of healing. He rolls a d20 and adds his bluff skill modifier, while the DM rolls another d20 and adds the merchant’s sense motive skill modifier, as well as a circumstantial modifier since Lorro’s lie is very hard to believe. The result favors the merchant; he won’t be buying the cup from Lorro any time soon.
I'm stumbling, though with writing up the Character Class section. I won't to provide examples of characters from fiction or mythology who fit each class, but I'm running into writer's block for a number of them. Here's what I've got so far.
Barbarian: Norse Berserkers, Celtic Woad Raiders
Bard:
Cleric:
Druid:
Fighter: Legolas, Gimli
Monk:
Paladin: Sir Gahwain, knights of Charlemagne
Ranger: Aragorn
Rogue: Bilbo Baggins
Sorceror:
Wizard:
Character Class
Character Class is one of the major ways your Character’s abilities are defined. You’ll start as a level 1 character with one class, but as you gain experience you’ll level up and can choose to mix and match classes if you like, at the cost of focus. The “Core” classes found in the player’s handbook are listed below, to help you get a feel for what they do in preparation for character creation. I’m going to divide characters into three basic categories; The warrior classes, the Magic-using classes, and the Skillful classes.
Warrior Classes
Barbarian: Barbarians are berserkers. Hard to kill with a lot of hit points and decent resistances, Barbarians are equipped to deal damage and take it. Iconic barbarians include the original Norse Berserkers and the Celtic Woad Warriors.
Fighters: Fighters are focused on mastery of battle. They don’t do much besides fight, but they have earlier and better access to improvements to combat maneuvers, and are best suited to master unusual fighting styles. Iconic Fighters include Gimli, Legolas
Paladin: Paladins are holy warriors, sworn to uphold justice and protect the innocent. They may not have as many tricks as some of the other warrior classes, but they gain some supernatural protections and attacks to balance it out. NOTE: Paladins have to obey a fairly strict code of conduct that requires them to behave honorably. Talk to your DM about how they enforce the Paladin’s code if you think you might want to play one. Iconic Paladins include Sir Galahad, the knights of Charlemagne, and the ideal of the Samuri.
Ranger: Rangers are hunters; they train to hunt specific types of foes, and can master archery or fighting with two weapons with ease. They are also at home in the wild and eventually learn a few nature-oriented spells, and are more capable of stealth and scouting than the other warrior classes. Iconic Rangers include Aragorn,
The Skillful Classes
Bard: Bards are a versatile class. Their skills are naturally suited for negotiations or even confidence games, while they also possess a fair amount of magic that can allow them to deceive enemies or help their allies.
Monk: Monks focus on mastery of the self. An unarmed and unarmored monk is at no disadvantage, and their skills give them a variety of other unique abilities.
Rogue: Rogues can be Thieves, Thugs, Burglars, Con Artists, Spies, Scouts, or any number of things. They fight dirty, and have a wide variety of non-combat skills.
The Magic-using Classes
Cleric: Clerics are priests, but don’t be fooled- They can wear heavy armor and carry potent if simple weapons. Their true power, though, comes from the spells they gain from their gods, which can bolster allies, smite enemies, heal wounds, or accomplish many other tasks, depending on what sort of God or Belief the cleric holds. All clerics hold power over the undead; Good clerics can drive them away or even destroy them outright, while clerics of evil forces can cause undead to cower before them or even control them with enough power.
Druid: Guardians of nature, Druids have powers similar to clerics, but with their own unique powers. They can attract a powerful animal companion, summon fearsome beasts, and even learn to shapeshift. NOTE: Druids can be a rather taxing class, as controlling four bears in addition to turning into a bear yourself requires a lot of paperwork to keep track of the stats for all the creatures; especially since next time you may want snakes or sharks instead of bears.
Sorcerer: Sorcerers have magic in their blood. They can use magic more often than any other class, and more freely. This power comes at the cost of versatility, though; A sorcerer knows only a handful of spells compared to other spellcasting classes.
Wizard: Wizards master magic through study. They can learn many spells, and on any given day a wizard could make his party invisibile, turn his warrior friend into a giant, throw a fireball, summon an Angel, create an illusionary army, or use a charm to turn an enemy into an ally.
The race section should be pretty straightforward, but I haven't gotten to Vanacian magic yet. Any suggestions?
I'm pretty happy with what I've got for the core mechanic, and dice notation, but if anyone spots anything I've missed, that'd be helpful.
Dice Notation
While this is relatively standard across RPGs, for those of you who’ve never played one, it’s important to understand how dice are abbreviated. Dice are abbreviated as d(x), where (x) is the number of sides on the dice. So, a regular six-sided dice would be a d6, while the commonly used twenty-sided die is a d20, and the seldom used twelve sided dice is a d12. If a situation calls for more than one dice to be rolled, the number of dice is listed before the dice type; So, if a spell does 3d4 damage, that means you roll 3 four-sided dice to determine damage.
The Core Mechanic: How D&D determines success and failure.
At its heart, D&D’s mechanical side revolves around a relatively simple mechanic which is used to determine if you or an NPC succeeds in their endeavors. After announcing you will attempt an action, you roll a d20, add or subtract certain modifiers, and compare this to either a static number or another dice roll in the case of opposed tests. Roll equal or higher to the number, and you succeed. Roll lower, and you fail. Static numbers are used for relatively unchanging things, like climbing the face of a cliff, creating a weapon, or overcoming a poison, as well as attacking an enemy. Opposed rolls on the other hand, would deal with things like trying to convince a merchant that the dirty cup you’re trying to sell him really has mystical powers of healing, Trying to sneak past a guard unheard, or even something like an arm wrestling match. Sometimes there are degrees of success or failure; a meager success will only yield meager results, while a number much higher than the target might yield fantastic results. Likewise, failing by only a tiny bit might mean nothing happens at all, while a spectacular failure could spell disaster.
Example: Dale the Fighter is trying to attack an Orc. He rolls a d20 and adds his Attack bonus and finds the result is an 18. This is compared to the Orc’s “armor class” (A number representing how easy it is to hit the orc), which is 13. Since Dale has rolled higher or equal to the target number, he succeeds, and hits the foul orc, slaying it.
Example: Elvera the Bard is trying to convince a guard to let her friend off the hook for drunkeness. She rolls a d20 and adds her diplomacy skill bonus to the check, unfortunately getting an 8. This fails to shift the guard’s attitude, as the “Difficulty Class” (or “DC,” a number used to represent the difficulty of resisting effects or using skills). to raise the guard’s attitude was 15. However, if she had rolled less than a 5, she would actually have lowered the guard’s attitude, potentially meaning he would try to arrest Elvera as well!
Example: Lorro the Rogue is trying to sell a merchant a worthless wooden cup, claiming it to be a powerful item that turns fine wine into potions of healing. He rolls a d20 and adds his bluff skill modifier, while the DM rolls another d20 and adds the merchant’s sense motive skill modifier, as well as a circumstantial modifier since Lorro’s lie is very hard to believe. The result favors the merchant; he won’t be buying the cup from Lorro any time soon.
I'm stumbling, though with writing up the Character Class section. I won't to provide examples of characters from fiction or mythology who fit each class, but I'm running into writer's block for a number of them. Here's what I've got so far.
Barbarian: Norse Berserkers, Celtic Woad Raiders
Bard:
Cleric:
Druid:
Fighter: Legolas, Gimli
Monk:
Paladin: Sir Gahwain, knights of Charlemagne
Ranger: Aragorn
Rogue: Bilbo Baggins
Sorceror:
Wizard:
Character Class
Character Class is one of the major ways your Character’s abilities are defined. You’ll start as a level 1 character with one class, but as you gain experience you’ll level up and can choose to mix and match classes if you like, at the cost of focus. The “Core” classes found in the player’s handbook are listed below, to help you get a feel for what they do in preparation for character creation. I’m going to divide characters into three basic categories; The warrior classes, the Magic-using classes, and the Skillful classes.
Warrior Classes
Barbarian: Barbarians are berserkers. Hard to kill with a lot of hit points and decent resistances, Barbarians are equipped to deal damage and take it. Iconic barbarians include the original Norse Berserkers and the Celtic Woad Warriors.
Fighters: Fighters are focused on mastery of battle. They don’t do much besides fight, but they have earlier and better access to improvements to combat maneuvers, and are best suited to master unusual fighting styles. Iconic Fighters include Gimli, Legolas
Paladin: Paladins are holy warriors, sworn to uphold justice and protect the innocent. They may not have as many tricks as some of the other warrior classes, but they gain some supernatural protections and attacks to balance it out. NOTE: Paladins have to obey a fairly strict code of conduct that requires them to behave honorably. Talk to your DM about how they enforce the Paladin’s code if you think you might want to play one. Iconic Paladins include Sir Galahad, the knights of Charlemagne, and the ideal of the Samuri.
Ranger: Rangers are hunters; they train to hunt specific types of foes, and can master archery or fighting with two weapons with ease. They are also at home in the wild and eventually learn a few nature-oriented spells, and are more capable of stealth and scouting than the other warrior classes. Iconic Rangers include Aragorn,
The Skillful Classes
Bard: Bards are a versatile class. Their skills are naturally suited for negotiations or even confidence games, while they also possess a fair amount of magic that can allow them to deceive enemies or help their allies.
Monk: Monks focus on mastery of the self. An unarmed and unarmored monk is at no disadvantage, and their skills give them a variety of other unique abilities.
Rogue: Rogues can be Thieves, Thugs, Burglars, Con Artists, Spies, Scouts, or any number of things. They fight dirty, and have a wide variety of non-combat skills.
The Magic-using Classes
Cleric: Clerics are priests, but don’t be fooled- They can wear heavy armor and carry potent if simple weapons. Their true power, though, comes from the spells they gain from their gods, which can bolster allies, smite enemies, heal wounds, or accomplish many other tasks, depending on what sort of God or Belief the cleric holds. All clerics hold power over the undead; Good clerics can drive them away or even destroy them outright, while clerics of evil forces can cause undead to cower before them or even control them with enough power.
Druid: Guardians of nature, Druids have powers similar to clerics, but with their own unique powers. They can attract a powerful animal companion, summon fearsome beasts, and even learn to shapeshift. NOTE: Druids can be a rather taxing class, as controlling four bears in addition to turning into a bear yourself requires a lot of paperwork to keep track of the stats for all the creatures; especially since next time you may want snakes or sharks instead of bears.
Sorcerer: Sorcerers have magic in their blood. They can use magic more often than any other class, and more freely. This power comes at the cost of versatility, though; A sorcerer knows only a handful of spells compared to other spellcasting classes.
Wizard: Wizards master magic through study. They can learn many spells, and on any given day a wizard could make his party invisibile, turn his warrior friend into a giant, throw a fireball, summon an Angel, create an illusionary army, or use a charm to turn an enemy into an ally.
The race section should be pretty straightforward, but I haven't gotten to Vanacian magic yet. Any suggestions?