I'm getting ready to start running RotRL in the next few weeks, and was wondering what optional rules other people were using/allowing.
My first thought is that I want to use crafting points, reputation, and maybe contacts out of Unearthed Arcana. Anyone have any experience with these rule sets, or thoughts about their application to RotRL?
Second, I'm intending to restrict access to the various Complete books, Races of Books and Compendiums. Right now I'm thinking permission on a spell-by-spell and feat-by-feat basis. I've just seen things go so far over the top in the past, and I'd like to avoid reworking each individual encounter to challenge the PCs.
Any other suggestions are welcome.
|
Well, if I ever get my game started my players were invited to create characters using the Forgotten Realms rules. In addition, stat generation was 3d6 assigned in order rolled. However, characters are free to suggest any potential class feature exchanges to fit their character.
Also using the FRPG level adjustment variant to create 0th level characters.
Yup, it's going to be a hard game. But mostly about roleplaying.
.
Yup, it's going to be a hard game. But mostly about roleplaying.
I dont think the Hook Mountain Ogres are much about talking to the PCs just trying to eat them
I dont think the Hook Mountain Ogres are much about talking to the PCs just trying to eat them
Eat? Yes.... eventually.
|
|
I dont think the Hook Mountain Ogres are much about talking to the PCs just trying to eat them.
Yup, it's going to be a hard game. But mostly about roleplaying.
Think of it like this, the biggest point of the game will be not "How will you kill the Ogres?" but "Why will you kill the Ogres?"
I'm putting large blocks of down-time between chapters/adventures.
Why will you kill the Ogres?"
Truth. Why you kill ogres? Me not bad. You ... not bad-tasting.
We are using crafting points (slightly modified) for the campaign. My standing rule has always been that non-core material is okay, as long as the player asks me before hand about the material and I okay it.
In general, spells aren't allowed in because by default, players know the core spells and can choose their known spells from them. If they run into a scroll with a new spell on it, they can add that as a potential spell as well, for example.
I also use the same guidelines as the Magic Item Compendium had for finding a magic item when it comes to finding a practitioner of a given spell if the PCs want to learn about it, in this case, the Gather Information (or diplomacy, since this is a Pathfinder Beta game), is 15 + the CL for the minimum level of the spell to find someone that can cast the spell, if the city in question would have someone of the appropriate level, and then they would still have to convince the spellcaster to work with them.
I use the taint rules from Heroes of Horror because I noticed that its a nice way to model PCs using evil spells, i.e. they don't become evil right away, but taint does start to set in and has to be dealt with eventually.
I have used reputation and contacts before, but I gave up on both of them because reputation became hard to track and required a lot of judgement calls on my part, and because both of them tended to step on the toes of some of the other skills and feats already in the game (i.e. maybe part of your diplomacy or knowledge local, or for non Beta games, gather information comes from who you happen to know as well as just asking around a lot and having a strong personality).
|
|
I am allow my players to play anything from the WotC book but encouraging them to make a character to fit to the players guide. Surprisingly alot of my players want to play half elfs... go figure. ;)
Most went the standard option but one player wanted to run an archivist from the heroes of horror. I think this is a great character idea as it fits in well with the back story.
Craft points will work out fine - it's a (mostly) good system that means the PCs don't need much down time to make stuff. Good in RotRl because there are only a few places where "down time" comes naturally.
RE: Other stuff: Don't be too shy about the PCs powering up, this path is rock solid. And unlike some of the adventures in CotCT, it's a lot easier to add extra 'minions' and second waves to the combats on the fly.
Good luck and enjoy the adventures!
tfad
I am allow my players to play anything from the WotC book but encouraging them to make a character to fit to the players guide. Surprisingly alot of my players want to play half elfs... go figure. ;)
Are they from Sandpoint? We know that there was a philandering elf around a couple decades ago.
|
|
I am allow my players to play anything from the WotC book but encouraging them to make a character to fit to the players guide. Surprisingly alot of my players want to play half elfs... go figure. ;)Are they from Sandpoint? We know that there was a philandering elf around a couple decades ago.
Yeap.
Since I have had a few more discussions with the players they had changed their mind and want to all play shoanti barbarians. :)I talked them down and it looks like:
1/2 elf rogue (escaped to sandpoint)
vairisan archivist (a local)
shoanti barbarian (not sure as to sandpoint connection)
human fighter (academe trained)
human spirit sharman
shoanti barbarian (not sure as to sandpoint connection)
He decided to raid the town, kill the warriors, rape the women, and enslave the children. Then, he saw how big it was. He couldn't ever imagine so many people at one place. An impossible task.
He figured it would take him weeks to kill all those man, rape all those women (especially since their husbands looked like wimps and he figured many would ask for seconds) and enslave all those children. By then, it would be winter and he coudln't go back home, as is the tradition.
Our group worked with me for their backgrounds.
A elf rogue returning from a Magnimar prison for taking the rap for the Sandpoint crime lord.
A half elf beguiler who picked up his father's role helping the town government with trade and negotiations.
A Fiendish Sorcerer who is hiding out from his Korvosian family.
A Shonti favored soul who was raised by the church but spurned it's ceremonies.
And a local farmer (ranger) who's family somewhat feels detached from him after he came back mysteriously forty years younger.
All of these have played background roles in the adventure so far.
|
|
I am not sure of the rape and burning part. :)
It is a complete newbie that is playing the barbarian... so tall and silent type.. and probably link to the spirit sharman as he will have some ties to the shoanti (1/2 varisian 1/2 shoanti).
I will keep you post next week as we start then... and I will spend sometime working on the backgrounds for the characters.
I am not sure of the rape and burning part. :)
Oh, that's easy: First do the raping, then the burning. Other way around is... less than ideal.
|
We been using the 'alternate turning rules' in the "Rules Compendium". It makes it SOOOOOOO much easier giving the undead a -4 to all that than it is to make them flee and cower... Although if the cleric rolls a check that would destroy the undead it still applies and the undead creature is destroyed.