In Memoriam: Gary Gygax

One year ago Gary Gygax passed away.

I have been playing D&D for thirty years now.  In 1979 I was just a child, and I had no conception that D&D would become such a big part of my life.  Few other interests I had as a child have stayed constant throughout the years.  At the same time I was playing D&D I was building space ships out of Legos, sword fighting with fake lightsabers, and creating hideously complex soap opera style storylines for my Star Wars action figures.

Nowadays I have a long commute, spend most of my day working, and if I am lucky, manage to spend some quiet time with my wife.

But I still play D&D.  I think I enjoy it more than ever.  Not because of I enjoy memorizing obscure rules or rolling dice.  No, I enjoy it because it is quintessentially a social experience.  It's different from getting together to watch a movie or go out for some beers.  It is collaborative story telling, and when it is done well there is nothing like it.

So thank you once again Gary!  The game that you and Dave Arneson created all those years ago continues to entertain countless people.  You have left behind an amazing legacy.

My Top Ten Monster List

As always, I seem to be late to the party. So here is my (belated) top ten monster list.

Drow

Dark Elves got a lot of bad press on the top ten lists, mostly because of backlash against Drizzt and the overexposure they get by Wizards of the Coast as a result.  Regardless, I will admit I have a soft spot for them though, mostly because of my fondness for the G1, G2, G3, D1, D2, D3, and Q1 modules. Back then, the drow were a shocking reveal. After all, the players had read the Elf entry in the Monster Manual, and it said that dark elves were “only a legend”. As long as they are used in moderation, I feel they can still be a dangerous and intelligent foe for your group.

Mind Flayers

Another major player in the D1, D2, and D3 modules, I grew to love them despite the confusing psionic rules and complete rip-off of Lovecraft. I have been told I have a flair for horror in D&D. I also enjoy intelligent monsters who try to outwit rather than outfight the party. So obviously Mind Flayers are a good fit for me.

Vampires

I6: Ravenloft was my hands-down favorite 1E module. As a beginning DM, the tips provided on turning Strahd into a credible threat for the party were a real eye-opener. Plus, you can take almost everything I said about drow and mind flayers above and wrap them into these adaptable undead.

Shades

Shades in the original Monster Manual 2 were an early example of what we would now know as a “template” monster. This adaptability suited me well, and a Shade Assassin became a major reoccurring bad guy in one of my long-running campaigns. Ever since then I have had a soft spot for them.

Dragons

I can’t leave these guys off the list, since they are actually in the name of the game. Dragons were designed to give the players a big fight and boy could they deliver.

Pixies

Players in my game learned to fear pixies. Seriously, they started leaving pre-emptive offerings for them when they entered the forest.

Halflings

Despite having read The Hobbit, I always had difficulty reconciling the Lawful Good alignment of Halflings in the Monster Manual with their amazing talent for thievery. So in my games, Halflings had a carefully maintained veneer of respectability, which was a cover for horrific mafia-like activities. If you knew what was good for you, you did not enter the Halfling parts of town after dark.

Succubi

These temptress demons were a pretty potent weapon when aimed at a group of geeky high school kids. Plus they possessed the dreaded Energy Drain ability. So I used them a lot.

Rakshasa

Intelligent, cool looking, and capable of creating potent illusions on a whim! I had a lot of fun pitting these against the party.

Orcus

If the party has to fight a demon prince, it might as well be Orcus. Well-stocked with powerful undead and demon minions, a battle with Orcus was a great way to finish off any campaign.

And honorable mention goes to…

Humans

Many of my most memorable “monsters” were of the human variety.

Better does not necessarily mean good: The D&D Compendium

Well, the Lords of Tyr game was last night, and I have finally had an opportunity to use the reworked D&D Compendium under actual game conditions.  I had read some reviews about how much better it is since the recent update, so I figured I would give it another chance.

I was horribly disappointed.  Our party's warlord used Wolf Pack Tactics and wanted to give the free shift to a character who was prone.  So obviously, the question came up whether or not you could shift while prone.  I figured this would be a good  opportunity to use the D&D Compendium to find the answer! 

So I brought up the compendium and typed in "Prone".  I hit clicked search and looked down at the results.  The first answer was "Elephant".

Obviously this was not looking good so far.

Looking up at the categories I realized that the D&D Compendium had defaulted to the "Creatures" category since it had 329 results.  Well, easy enough to fix.  I looked for a "Rules" category, or a "Conditions" category, or something else appropriate. 

Well, apparently there are categories for Races, Classes, Items, Creatures, Epic Destinies, Paragon Paths, Rituals, Feats, Powers, and Skills.  Well, those are nice categories, but none of them were helpful right now. 

No problem.  Obviously I just need to run a search without applying one of the categories.  That should be simple enough, right?  Apparently not.  After looking all over the interface I realized that there was no way to search the database without choosing one of the categories. 

This was frustrating.  It's not like I was making a search for an obscure term or corner case scenario.  Conditions like "Prone", actions like "Shift", or attacks like "Grab" seem like obvious things a DM or player should be able to look up during a game with the D&D Compendium.  In reality, it is impossible to look up any of these.

This wouldn't be so frustrating if I hadn't already seen free resources like The Hypertext d20 SRD implemented so well for 3E D&D.  You would think that with the resources available to them, that Wizards of the Coast could implement a database that worked half as well for their paying customers.

Who needs powers anyway? Using improvised damage.

One of my favorite rules in 3rd Edition is the “DM’s Best Friend”.  The basic guideline is that that when faced with a situation that gives either an advantage or disadvantage to the PCs, assign a +2/-2 circumstance modifier to the action.  This rule may seem obvious, but it codified something many Dungeon Masters had been doing for years.  Having the rule in place encouraged players to try something inventive in order to get that bonus (or something desperate in order to get a roll, even if attempted with a penalty).

The “DM’s Best Friend” still exists in 4th Edition, but it is now joined by the improvised damage rules.  This little gem is found on page 42 of the Dungeon Masters Guide (although you probably want to take a look at the DMG Rules Update, since the Difficulty Class values have changed significantly).

Improvised damage is used when the player tries something outside the scope of the normal rules.  The DM basically determines what skill or ability check would govern the attack.  The DM then determines if the task should be Easy (5), Moderate (10) or Hard (15), then adds ½ the character’s level (give or take a few).  If they make the roll, the DM then picks a level appropriate damage value from either the Normal (can be repeated) or Limited (one time/extreme) chart.  Viola, instant pseudo-power!

I love this rule because, like circumstance modifiers, it encourages players to be inventive and think outside the box.  The example given on page 42 describes a rogue swinging on a chandelier to push an ogre into a brazier of burning coals.  I am including some additional examples below to show the wide variety of situations improvised damage can handle.

The party is fighting a group of orcs when more start to come up a the stairway.  A 6th level fighter decides to buy them some time.  The DM had described two statues on either side of the stairs, so the fighter decides to kick one off its pedestal and down the stairs.  The DM decides it is a Moderate (DC: 12) Strength check to knock it off its pedestal.  The statue makes a Dex vs Reflex attack (using the fighter's Dex) against each orc on the way down.  Since it is affecting multiple targets and there is a chance for a second attack, the DM decides it will do 1d6+4 (Low Normal) damage.  The DM also decides that any orc hit must make a save or be knocked prone.

A 15th level warlock wishes to sabotage a permanent teleportation circle.  Since he is trained in Arcana and knows the Linked Portal ritual, so the DM decides it’s possible.  The DM decides the warlock needs to spend ten minutes, 100 GP of alchemical reagents, and make a Hard (DC: 23) Arcana check to alter it.  The warlock is successful so the next person (or persons) to use the portal will take 3d10+6 (Low Limited) damage and the circle will be rendered inoperable until repaired.

The party is traveling through a mountain pass which the DM has stated is prone to avalanches (in fact, the party already encountered one).  The party is attacked by a pair of trolls.  The 9th level halfling rogue decides it might be worth trying to bring down some heavy rocks on one of the trolls.  The rogue makes an Easy (DC:8) Nature check to find a precariously balanced group of rocks.  He then makes a Moderate (DC:14) roll to hit them with his sling.  Success will bring them down on the troll for 2d6+5 (Medium Normal) damage.

Obviously, this is just a handful of scenarios, but they showcase the usefulness and flexibility of the improvised damage system.  They encourage creative thinking in players without unbalancing the game.  So go ahead and give improvised damage a try.  I think you will enjoy the results.

Why Dollhouse disturbs me

Okay, I will admit it.  It’s only two weeks in to Dollhouse, and I am a little disturbed by the weekly rapes.  This is despite of, or more accurately because of, the way the rapes have been glossed over during the first ten minutes or so of the show.  In addition, it is made very clear that despite the action/adventure tenor of the episodes so far, that the primary role that all of the actives will find themselves in is that of a living sex doll.  With so many potential military and espionage uses for actives (programmable humans), the fact that they are mostly used as playthings for the rich is obviously a deliberate choice on the part of the writers.

Some people will probably cry foul at my characterization.  They may note that any sex that Echo has with her clients is consensual, or at least that the personality imprinted on her at the time consented.  This argument doesn’t hold much water though, as it is obvious that Echo is incapable of granting consent.  Her default personality is child like and seems incapable of doing anything except smiling and wandering around in a dazed state.  Meanwhile, her programmed personalities are tailor made to please her client, which means choice is really not part of the equation.

It might be possible to argue she signed away all rights when she signed on with the shadowy organization that runs the Dollhouse.  While I am not a lawyer, the contract she signed is obviously an illegal one.  First, she obviously signed it under duress, as she was in enough trouble that she felt she had no option except to join up.  More importantly, I don’t believe it is possible to sign away basic human rights, like the right not to be raped.  Of course, even if the contract is somehow “legal”, it still makes the actions of the Dollhouse morally reprehensible.

Still, I have a lot of faith in Joss Whedon.  The show is not attempting to present what the Dollhouse is doing as a moral, so it is probably a good thing that I am discomforted by their actions.  Also, Eliza Dushku has stated that Joss Whedon has a five year plan for the show.  This has me hopeful.  

One worry I had after the first episode was that the show could fall into a comfortable groove.  Sort of like Quantum Leap in a mini-skirt.  If that turns out to be the case, then using Echo’s programmed liaisons to “sex things up” is reprehensible.  However, if this is just an opening gambit in a five year arc, then I am a bit more willing to withhold judgment until I see where the arc is going.

So I am going keep watching and trust that there is a plan.  Don’t let me down Joss!

Random Reviews: The Guild Season II

The first season of The Guild ended on a note of triumph.  Despite their differences, the Knights of Good banded together to "defeat" Zaboo's mother.  The Knights of Good had entered Cheezybeards as a guild turmoil, but left it united.

The second season undercuts this sense of triumph in the opening sequence.  Codex reveals that Zaboo's mother was a real estate agent who managed to get Codex evicted from her apartment.  Even worse, she still has Zaboo living with her, and is still fending off his unwanted advances.

As the season continues, the cohesiveness of the of the Knights of Good continues to erode.   Almost all of the knights fall into cycles of self-destructive behavior.  This is primarily driven by the selfishness of its members.

Clara is probably the worst offender off the group.  When she fails to get the Orb of Nurr, she begins hunting an killing Vork repeatedly in the game.  She takes advantage of her husbands good nature, lying to get out of attending her sisters wedding.  She takes advantage of Codex's meekness by planning a big party to relive her Sorority glory days.  She is even spends some time swapping spit with someone other than her husband.  I have to admit, by the end of season two I have lost all sympathy for Clara.

Tink and Bladezz are equally selfish.  Tink uses Bladezz to satisfy her materialistic desires by leading Bladezz to believe that she will satisfy his carnal desires.  They circle each other with self-destructive behavior and ultimately both suffer the consequences of their actions.

Codex is a bit more sympathetic but, as she eventually realizes, she should have simply been honest with Zaboo about her feelings from the beginning.  On the other hand, Zaboo seems trapped in a cycle of falling too hard for women he barely knows.  

By the end, Vork has declared that the "Knights of Good" have become nothing more than the "Knaves of Hooliganism".  The dream is over and the guild lies in ruins.

So, what did I think? I loved it!  If you haven't checked out The Guild, I definitely recommend giving it a shot.  After all, at less than 10 minutes an episode, it's not like it will take up a lot of time!

New Feats (And One Power) With Familiar Names

Here is my take on updating a couple of old feats to the new edition.

Weapon Finesse (Heroic Tier Feat)

Prerequisite: Dex 13

Benefit: When making a Melee Basic Attack with a light blade, you make the attack using Dex vs AC.  Damage is still determined normally.

Improved Weapon Finesse (Paragon Tier Feat)

Prerequisite: Dex 15, Weapon Finesse

Benefit:  When making a Melee Basic Attack with a light blade, your Dex modifier is used instead of your Str modifier when determining damage.

Deft Opportunist (Rogue Utility 10)

Encounter✦Martial

Immediate Interrupt     Personal

Trigger: An adjacent enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from you.

Effect: If you choose to make an opportunity attack against this opponent, you can use an at-will attack with the weapon keyword instead of a melee basic attack.