Volume 3 Issue 111 – Treasure Hunt

This week the guys sit down with special guest host Jason Castle as they dive into the Email Bag of Holding to answer all those questions. After tackling those questions, they jump into a detailed review about the Module N4 – Treasure hunt, which is a module about Zero Level Characters for beginners.

Intro – 0:00.000

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DM Vince’s Blog http://www.theevilgm.com/

Blackstone’s Vault Anthology – snd.sc/YPDciL

Sage Advice – 24:12.447
Seeking Sage Advice? Contact RFI via our call in line 570-865-4210 or
Via E-mail RFIStaff@gmail.com
I have a question regarding “roleplaying”. How do you handle situations where a player is running a high charisma character and he is trying to influence someone using it? Now before you answer that think about, say… a person playing an elf, with high dexterity that is wanting to perform some elaborate manuaver.

When a player tries to use his charisma to influence someone I tend to ask them to “roleplay” it. On the flip side I certainly do not expect them to roleplay some move that requires high dexterity.

Is that fair? Me personally,when I DM, have in the past tried to get people to RP the charisma actions… though thinking about it I am am not sure it is fair. I know for a fact I am not highly charismatic so asking me to RP it (I am a terrible rper but I love to play) is like asking me to tight rope walk while spinning 6 plates … it is going to be a mess.

I think it might be best to not penalize players for being unable to RP out a charisma situation but if they do give them a bonus to the roll/check (should I even feel the need make one) if they do.

PS: Vincent, during our Denton game…if that room with the ice floor trap and hourglass was made up on the spot as I suspect it might have been… you are really great on your feet.

— Mike aka Celestian from the forums

Message body:
Hi,

I’m new to ad&d 1e and so new to this podcast. I wanted to start around the beginning. I found the show on the beholder and clicked the ‘listen in your browser’ button and it gave me the message saying to follow a new link. I did so and I didn’t find any old shows there.

Are your older shows available? Thanks much,

Rob

Hey guys Crit Taco here,

I recently listened to episode 108, fantastic job. As a player I like to have a custom made character I get tired of the mundane weapons and armor. How do you as GMs handle players who wish to create custom made weapons and inventions?

Geo-Jeff

Greetings RFI gurus!

I was fortunate enough to recently acquire a copy of the Deities and Demigods book with the Cthulu mythos in it for a reasonable price. As I sat down to enjoy the book, I was quite shocked to find something in the beginning of the book that I totally missed all these years. On page 9 under the heading “Clerics and Deities” it states that 1st and 2nd level spells are gained through the cleric’s faith alone. This rule I knew and used. However, it goes on to say that 3rd, 4th and 5th level spells are granted by the minions of the cleric’s deity, or the deity themselves if it is a demigod. Therefore, a demigod cannot grant spells above 5th level, so the cleric of a demigod may not use 6th or 7th level spells. In addition, only greater gods can grant 7th level spells. Meaning if the cleric worships a lesser god, they only get spells up to 6th level.

This explains why the book divided deities into demigod, lesser and greater gods in the book. This is an interesting rule that I just never used because I never knew about it. I suspect that when I read this book in the 80’s, my power gamer tendencies were distracted by the tables of ability scores over 18 on page 7, and I never read the next few pages!

So my question to you is whether or not you enforce this rule when your players are using a cleric, or do you hand-wave it and let them have whatever spells their level entitles them to?

Thanks, and keep up the great work!

DM Cojo

Hey, guys! Longtime listener, first time corespondent. I Recently found a PDF of an early incarnation of M.A.R. Barker’s “Empire of the Petal Throne” game. While I’ve never been particularly interested in Barker’s associated novels, I have been wanting to use Tekumel as a campaign setting for AD&D for a while now. Although EPT’s rules bear a strong family resemblance to those of OD&D and AD&D, some things (e.g. the weird magic system) make conversion seem a more daunting task than I’d initially envisioned.
Do you know if anyone has produced an EPT-to-AD&D1E conversion? If not, what monsters, magic items, and other AD&D elements could easily be reskinned to fit the setting? It’s a shame that after the demise of EPT as a separate game its only legacy in AD&D was that stupid “Comliness” stat.

James Q

AD&D Conversion for Empire of the Petal Throne -http://www.tekumel.com/gaming_unofficialrules.html

Table Manners – N4 Treasure Hunt 59:25.513

“Working your Way Up to First Level” – Dragon Magazine Issue 51 pg 22
archive.org/details/DragonMagazine051
Creature Feature Theatre – Orcs 1:48:34.301
Monster Manual pg 76
Half +Half Isn’t Always Full Dragon Magazine Issue 44 pg 20
archive.org/details/DragonMagazine044

Half-orcs in a variety of Styles Dragon Magazine Issue 44 pg 17
archive.org/details/DragonMagazine044
The Gods of the Orcs Dragon Magazine 62 pg 29
archive.org/details/DragonMagazine062
Orc Shamans PDF – docs.google.com/file/d/0Bxg7pBv2xD2tYjNqSlNxTVNrWUU/edit?usp=sharing

Treasure Chest – Scroll of Hold Person 2:03:05.067
“Hold That Person!” Dragon Magazine Issue 90 pg 16
archive.org/details/DragonMagazine090

Outro – 2:10:14.984

1 comment on “Volume 3 Issue 111 – Treasure Hunt”

  1. @RA_Whipple

    To Answer Mike,

    It is important for a player to describe their elaborate maneuver, especially a high Dexterity character who would perform a tremendous stunt, so that everyone at the table can share in the same picture of the maneuver’s success or failure. How does the Elf land? Which direction is the Elf facing? And what is YOUR narrative back to the table? When you narrate the response, you can add detail. Was this an elaborate dexterity move to cross a pit? How far did the Elf go? Other players are listening with lower dexterity and making a judgment about that maneuver and whether they should follow the Elf rather than just mathematically looking at the dice for a probability of success or failure (eg. Roll-playing). Did his move affect any of the environment to add flavour texts? Dirt or dust gets kicked up, adding smell into the air? Did he affect any of the environment to support “probability” of success for others by knocking free vines that hang over a pit or by landing FAR away from the edge of the pit (beyond the Elf’s expectations)? This is just a pit maneuver I have in my mind; not chandelier swinging, or riding down banners like Douglas Fairbanks outside a castle wall. I am sure there are other opportunities for a high dexterity character to execute a maneuver. Not all of them would be described, but I should think executing such moves in a deadly situation would be described and I would sprinkle in a few descriptions of mundane maneuvers just to favour the high dexterity character.

    I mean, why wouldn’t you? Am I advocating the minutia in your players’ descriptions? NO. (This is not about role-playing training or shopping excursions.) NO. But unless you are roll-playing and theatre of the mind means nothing to you, how else is the shared fantasy of the game supposed to be shared? A battlemat? How are you to manage the assumption clashes that happen when people have different pictures in their head? Does the Elf get chosen to execute the maneuver for the party because he has a high dexterity ability statistic (meta game) or because he is narrated as a nimble and agile Person?

    I am rather surprised at the question, Mike. Do you not throw out a one-liner about character’s achievements in the combat round either?

    I hope this answers your confusion about players role-playing at the table. From my perspective they should And my opinion that extends to social situations.

    Free advice for what it’s worth.

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