Evil Deity's page

Hey wondering any advice GM's who have run this can suggest. The group I'm running completely ignored Hosilla (and thus Radiance) in the Mongrelman lair--choosing to block the tunnel to her room instead of adventuring down. They are currently in Kenabres and have zero intention on going back down into the tunnels. Did this happen with anyone else and if so what did you do? I have some ideas but would like to hear on what worked or what did not. I'm inclined to have the sword corrupted and used against them at another point but that may be too extreme. Thoughts?

Well I've been playing D&D since the late 70's and all of its incarnations since and I find that the best way to roll is the way the players want to roll--if everyone wants powerful characters go for the 3d6+6(sans lowest) for a start, if they want gritty realism go for the straight 3d6, if everyone wants balanced characters do the point buy.

As this sounds like your idea, my suggestion is to explain to your players WHY you want to do this...is it for an experiment? Something new? A revist of old gaming days? Communicate your desires to your players and see if this fits with what they want to do: I can say that there is nothing worse than running a game where the players are all pissed off because their characters are not fun for them to play.

I just started a d20 modern game where I had the players roll 2 sets of 3d6 and had them pick the best set--this really helps remove the rare occassion where you have someone roll a 6/9/11/4/5/9. Then I had the guys put the stats where they want and then the option to move 1 point from one stat to the next--this gives the player a little leeway in shaping their character. Going straight rolls to stats is rarely a good idea because no one wants to be forced into playing a PC with a 4 Str. and a 5 Dex. with a 16 Con. and an 15 Chr. (although maybe I would).

Normally I'm a 4d6/toss the lowest die; again with 2 sets to create a sense of randomness but keeping the characters powerful. I understand some GMs worry at having one character with 3 18s and the next guy with the highest stat being a 14--but in all the games I've run I find the jealousy wears off quickly and the players accept the character they've made and do what they can to make him/her/it better.

I've done plenty of one-off games using a speedy system where character creation is 1 set of 3d6 and players get 15 minutes to crank out a guy with me handing them a pre-determined list of equipment. In a couple of occasions those have turned into 10-12 session games because the players really loved the characters. My fave PC being a fighter named Joe Average who had a 12 Str. an 11 Con. and the other four stats being 10s.

As my avatar name suggests, I have been a hardassed bastard of a GM but in the end it really is about the players so don't make the mistake of alienating them!

Cheers & Good Luck--would love to hear how it turns out!

ED

Names: Traster, Hung Wong and Tiberius
Races: Half-Elf, Human and Human
Classes/levels: 6th Ftr., 6th Monk and 6th Inquisitor
Adventure: River Runs Red
Location: Hargulka's Cave
Catalyst: Poor decision making, bad tactics, even worse rolls and fireballs...
The Gory Details: In the final chamber, an overconfident group of 5 PC's fights Hargulka and the last 4 trolls in a massive melee. The group did not scout ahead, as they did in the earlier chambers--to their defense they thought the Two Headed Troll was the leader. The trolls surprised them, scored multiple critical hits and their tactic to hold the trolls in the room with a Tree Feather Token only enraged Hargulka to the point where he annihilated them with his Necklace of Fireballs. The Dwarven Fighter Haggis and the kingdom's leader Baron Keys both were left for dead (always save 1 hero point!) after the lone victor, Hargulka, ate his fill on their 3 companions before returning to his masters side.

He did wipe my party last week and it came down to some poor rolls, notably the Dwarven Fighter failing his saves on the 3 fireballs Hargulka dropped on the group. Luckily for hero points and being left for dead or the whole adventure path would've been kaput.

To be honest, if the group had scouted ahead and not lost initiative it probably would've been an easy fight. It also compounded their problem that they did not have a wizard in the group. On a scale of 1 to 10 I see him only as a 6.