The Agile Gamemaster: The Stat/Initiative/Combat Tool

Welcome to the Agile Gamemaster series. In this series, I will talk about some tools and concepts that gamemasters can use at the gaming table to respond quickly to whatever comes along.

As a gamemaster, you are the single most important element at the gaming table. You are responsible for a large part of the creative energy that happens during each session. You must be ready with plots, adventures and information about the world in which the characters exist. Being an agile gamemaster, then, means that you are prepared, quick with information and able to adjust to whatever is happening at the gaming table. You should not be a hindrance to what is happening, but rather be a driving force at all times. Being agile also means that you are not content with where you are as a gamemaster but are constantly trying to improve your gamemastering skills and the tools you use.

When you sit down in the gamemaster’s chair you assume a number of gaming responsibilities that are easily identified, things like designing in-game locations and events, portraying non-player characters and running combat. There are also a number of things that are not immediately obvious that are just as important and in a few cases more so.

One of those hidden items is in the area of combat management, specifically the tracking of combatant stats, initiative and effects. Without a solid, manageable way to control this area of the game, you will quickly find yourself spending too much time juggling notes and scrambling for room on the table. You will miss some of the things that are the very reason you game in the first place: the action that is happening right in front of you. What you need is a tool that can give you quick access to character and NPC stats; easily display initiative; track the effects that are applied to each combatant as they happen; and not take up a lot of extra space at the gaming table.

As a weathered gamemaster, I have tried over a dozen tools with mixed results. Sticky notes, 3x5 cards, custom-made tracking sheets, notebook paper and even digital devices. Each has great points but is lacking in others or has major drawbacks. Some give volumes of information but take up too much room. Others are small and compact but lack flexibility. The digital tools distract me with their multiple layers of functionality and too often take my eyes and attention away from the table. Some of the things I tried were just plain bad ideas.

Recently I hit on a tool that has minimal drawbacks and outstanding results. Have you ever noticed those little sales displays that sit on your table at restaurants? The ones that stand tall and in the way while you eat so that you will notice the desert selections and maybe spend extra money on your meal. What if, instead of deserts, they held all those important stats about your characters and NPCs right where you could see them easily? I call it the Stat-Initiative-Combat Tool or SInC for short (pronounced sync). SInC has high visibility but allows me to keep my eyes and attention on the game. It is easy to use, stays in place and takes up very little surface area on the table. I can quickly adjust the amount of information displayed. Effects and status markers can easily be added or removed. And they allow the initiative order to be displayed to everyone at a glance.

 

[caption id="attachment_1695" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Stat-Initiative-Combat (SInC) Tool"][/caption]

In this single tool, I have finally found something that is game system neutral and has a permanent place in my gamemastering tool box.  This close up of the tool in action is from one of my groups gaming sessions.

What follows is a set of instructions that will help you to create your own version of the SInC tool.

To make your own, you will need the following items:

• Table top menu stands. The shorter ones work well because they have a heavier and more stable base. You will need to get these from a restaurant supply store, which you can find online by searching for “tabletop menu card holders.” They range from $.50 to $2.00 each. Get as many as you think you will need. I used the 2¼” clip-type stand with 3” base.


• Large craft sticks, tongue depressors or long Popsicle sticks. One for each base you are going to make. Available at any craft store in packs of 50 for about $3.00.


• Miniature clothes pins. Also available at craft stores. A bag of 50 for about $5.00.


• Rubber bands. You will need one for each stand.


• Black magic marker or black model paint.

Steps to create your SInC tools:

1. Paint or color your craft sticks black. This will help them to visually disappear when you use them.


2. When they are dry, slide them into the holder portion of the stand in an upright position.


3. Wrap a rubber band around the base of the clip. This will firmly hold the sticks upright and add a little more weight to each base. You can also disassemble them easily for storage and transport.


4. Now take printouts of your preferred method of displaying character and NPCs stats and clip them to the stand. I used Wizards of the Coast DDI monster tool to print out creature stats and a custom Excel worksheet that formats all of the character information for the party and mounted them as you see in the pictures below.


5. I painted one of the miniature clothes pins green to indicate which combatant is currently active in initiative.

You are now ready to game, and hopefully you are a just a little more agile.

Here are a few shots of the SInC tool in action.

[caption id="attachment_1696" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="SInC tool gamemaster view"][/caption]

You can see in the picture above the green clothes pin indicating the character whose turn it is and a small stack of monster and trap print outs waiting for their encounter. You can very easily create your own stat sheets or use what is available from whatever game system you group uses.

[caption id="attachment_1697" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Throne Room battle "][/caption]

This was the battle of the throne room. There were 5 characters and 6 different types of monsters in this encounter. It was easy for me to manage the almost 60 combatants shown with no confusion or missed information. You can see many of the different game aids from Wizards of the Coast and Dark Platypus that we use here.

Happy New Year from Wastex Games!

We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year from all of us here at Wastex Games. There is a lot of new stuff coming up in the new year with new products, product reviews, contests, and post series! Stay tuned for a big contest announcement later this week!

Product Review: Dungeon Tiles Master Set

So there I was, standing in my friendly local game store (FLGS)...on pay day, no less. Funny how that always seems to happen. I my eyes panned across the bookshelf, my eyes were caught by the glimmer of light off a shrink-wrapped box off to the side. Yes! Today, the Dungeon Tiles Master Set - The Dungeon: An Essential Dungeons & Dragons Accessory (4th Edition D&D) would be mine!





I love dungeon tiles, grid maps, gaming paper, printed maps, purchasable 3d terrain, and even homemade 3d terrain. No matter what it is, I feel the tiles and terrain can always help increase the fun factor of the game. Now, just because I enjoy those things doesn't mean I'm willing to just throw money away on lots of low quality gaming aids. I became excited as I read the promotional material plastered around the Dungeon Tiles Master Set box: "This accessory contains 10 double-sided sheets of illustrated, die-cut terrain tiles printed on heavy cardstock, allowing you to create dungeon rooms, corridors, and outdoor locales. The product box is designed for tile storage and can be used as a terrain element in the game!" Sounds like a match made in heaven!

Overall Product

PROs Price $19.99 at FLGS $13.59 at Amazon.com The Box It is nice to have an actual container for the dungeon tiles for a change. The box is made in such a way that it can be used as terrain as well.

CONs The Box The box is big but only comes with 10 sheets of tiles and a cardboard insert that takes up half the box. Of course, this could be a PRO since it is bigger than the tiles and other tiles can be stored in the box as well.

The Tiles

PROs There is a nice selection of different sizes. Most tiles are reprints of older set that are not available anymore. The tiles are made of thick, durable material and not just thin sheets of paper.

CONs No real CONs here.

The Art

PROs The art is nicely illustrated, as expected from WoTC when it comes to tiles. Several varying pieces including rough terrain, doors, stairs, and prison bars. All large pieces and most smaller pieces have just empty, stone floor squares on the back.

CONs All large pieces and most smaller pieces have just empty, stone floor squares on the back. Yes, I listed this as a PRO, but it seems like the easy way out of providing more detailed pieces. A handful of tiles are just blank on the back, even more empty, stone floor squares are better than nothing. 2 of 14 2x4s are just black on one side 3 of 12 2x2s are just black on one side 1 of 10 2x1s is just black on one side 2 of 8 single square tiles are just black on one side

Dr. Planlove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Improv

I had a major epiphany during my last gaming session. Starting my first two weeks of teaching high school left me strapped for time and motivation. I was able to cobble together my Star Wars: Saga Edition group for a quick game in my classroom on Friday night, and the results were amazing! I’m getting ahead of myself, though, and some background information would show the magnitude of my epiphany.

I’m a planner. When my 4e group was at level 3 I had adventures planned out all the way to level 12. I start with the 5x5 overview of the adventures, then I flesh out the grid with specific creatures and maps. It takes a little time, but it made me feel better about being ready for my players. It seemed that the players enjoyed the games enough, but I always felt that they were less-than-stellar in their roleplaying experiences. The players that are in my SWSE game are also in the 4e game, and that attitude carried over. I didn’t figure out why until our game on Friday.

I had started planning my SWSE game the same way as my 4e game, but with my time constraints I only had enough time to come up with “Sith compound, trapped in cells, one has to make a choice between light side and dark.” I scanned Scum and Villainy (SWSE’s Monster Manual) and was ready for the worst game ever.

The game started with a simple statement: You wake up shackled to a cavern wall. There is a bird-cage style prison around you. To your left is your colleague, who is in a traditional cage-style prison with a 10-foot gap between the cavern ceiling and the top of the bars. What do you do? I then had parallel storylines going between the two players that lasted about 3 minutes each, enough time for some RP and a roll, but not enough to make the other player zone out.

The plan in my head was that one player would try to talk the other one out of falling to the dark side though RP discussion in their respective cells. Instead, the players took it in a different direction (as players are want to do). They began a Great Escape narrative, which made me completely shoot from the hip.

We played for an hour and a half before we had our one battle of the night (something that would have been impossible in my 4e game) and both of the players said it was the best session they’ve ever had. I couldn’t figure out what it was that made them enjoy the session so much. It had only one battle that lasted 3 turns, and one of the players during that battle said she fainted and just listened to the rest of the battle. In 4e the players always want to get to the battles early and often. The only thing that was really different on my side was the amount of planning I did for the game.

That’s when it hit me. The planning I had been doing, even though it was setting up the campaign to be a sandbox-style, still made me tilt the characters towards the way I wanted the adventure to go. My players are path-of-least-resistance kind of people, and my guidance during my super-planned adventures made the players go down that path, and feel stale.

The lesson I had learned from the game on Friday was that what I thought was helping my players was actually hurting them. If you notice things are getting stale at your table, think about what you’re doing in your game that you could easily change. It could be that once you change that thing your game and your players would have a much more enjoyable experience. Even if it doesn’t help your game, limiting yourself or changing how you manage your game will be a growth experience for you as a GM. Who knows, maybe you’ll stop worrying and learn to love your bom

I'm Bored With My Treasure Parcels...

After the first few sessions of my current D&D campaign, I was unhappy with how the loot was turning out. I was following the information in the Dungeon Master's Guide on setting up the parcels, but it felt too generic and was easy on the players. On my next visit to my Friendly Local Game Store, I came across something that changed all that: GameMastery Cards.



These cards are great! I still give out the parcels but do not include all the gold or artworks that are expected. I replace those items by dealing out one treasure card per PC. Once the party starts checking out the goods and rolling Arcana checks, I roll a d20 to see if the item in question has magical properties (DC 15). Sometimes, depending on the actual item, I may "take a 20" if I come up with a good idea for it, but most of the time the magical properties are determined on the fly.



The party loves these cards and have even worked some of them into their back stories. Our Ranger has been looking for his father who had went away to war but never returned. One of the item cards was a military medal and upon seeing it, the player exclaimed "Hey! That's my dad's medal!"



Even though I have given these treasure card items values worth what should have been in the parcels, the players were not just happy to sell the loot and move on. The campaign is based around the merchant town of Everlund and like all good adventurers, the party wants the maximum payout for the stuff they bring back to town. So, instead of selling the loot, they've setup a shop in the market square and left the Dragonborn behind to run the shop (read: the player of the Dragonborn PC's work schedule changed and can't play but we didn't want to kill off the character). They check-in on the shop periodically to restock it with strange things found while adventuring, pickup their cut of what has sold since the last visit, and gather any new information the Dragonborn may have procured in their absence.



If you're ever in Everlund, be sure to stop by Thunderheart's Oddities and Antiquities in the market square. There's always something interesting to find and the old Dragonborn Paladin has some great stories to tell anyone willing to listen.

• Are you content with the way the treasure parcels are setup in 4E?


• What have you done to spice up your treasure parcels?


• Have you used other decks or cards for anything in your games?

Let me know in the comments!

You got Role-Play in my Hack and Slash!

My players consist exclusively of theatre majors. It's strange, though, that it is incredibly difficult to get them to role play. Any time I try to get them in a situation where they don't need to use their powers or skills they scratch their heads and wonder why they aren't killing anything. There are three techniques that can be used to engage those players that can't quite get into the role play portion of a role-playing game.

1. "Is this what your character would do?"
I ask this question when the player is using too much metagame thinking. Sure, Patrick knows that there's an enemy around the corner, but does Rune, his warforged warden? This also comes in handy when players are doing morally dubious things.

"The shopkeeper isn't being receptive to your haggling; you'll pay full price"
"Then I kill the shopkeeper"
"Really? Is your character so morally corrupt and socially inept to kill someone for such a trivial reason?"
"I pay full price..."

Situations like this happen when players think too much along the lines of "this is a game" and less about the role their character plays in a larger world.

2. "What does that look like?"
Another easy way to get your players thinking as their characters is by asking them to describe their actions. This is a great way to get players started in roleplaying. Model the behavior by describing enemy actions, then tell the player to elaborate their action. "I use Magic Missile" doesn't sound as good as "Green jets of energy shoot from Thuul's wand. They arc through the air as they seek Thuul's target. When they strike, a light green plume leaves the Wraith's body." Small steps like this, and during skill checks and skill challenges, creates an environment where you can continue to push their role-playing.

3. Mouseguard up the place a little bit.
I just started a SWSE game with a couple of people from my DnD4e group. As we did our cooperative character creation (ala DM Samuel), I asked my role-play light players what their character's instinct and belief were. Then, right before their mission, I had them create a goal. I rewarded the players with role-play xp. These Mouseguard-esque elements really show players that their characters are not super-versions of themselves; they are different people with different thoughts, beliefs, and skills than their players.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these three ways have really upped the amount of role play in my sessions. If you have any other suggestions, or plain 'ol questions or comments, feel free to drop them off in the comments section!

How to Make a Pair beat a Full House

It happens all the time: you spent 2 hours setting up a game, meticulously matched schedules as if you were tracking a conspiracy theory, and what happens? You only have two or three players show up. What do you do in this situation? This week we focus on what to do with those three hours that aren’t as full as you’d want them to be.

1. Run some filler!

This option is done very frequently in Anime. The plot vets extremely interesting, then BAM two months of meaningless side story. With an incomplete party you have the opportunity to have a role-playing intensive session, where everyone learns a little more about their characters. Stuck in the desert and want to use some ice creatures? This is a great time to put some in front of the few that showed up. You could also do a flashback adventure, where players relive a moment in the past that was just fluff. This is especially fun for players because they get to act out a moment of story where they know the ending (it also makes DMing easier since the players railroad themselves).

2. Try a swap

As I mentioned in last week’s article, I mentioned that having fewer players makes a great time to have another person DM a game. If it’s their first time, it gives them a chance to try being on the other side of the screen without as many judging eyes. It also gives the game a fresh face, keeping players from thinking that the game is going to be a watered-down version of their normal game because there are fewer players. A DM swap can also introduce a one-shot or even a new campaign. This is done best when you frequently have fewer players than you would ideally. This way, when there are fewer players, there isn’t a nervous “Are we going to cancel” feeling, it’s just “Oh, we’ll do Campaign B now.”

Fewer players also should flag as a chance to play that Mouseguard game you’ve been hiding away for four months. Most players come to a game to play that game, but with fewer players, it shifts their thinking to where they’d be much more available to play a different game. It also gives you as a DM a chance to take a deep breath and step back from the current campaign, even if it’s only for one session.

3. Chillax

Our lives are hectic mishmashes of deadlines and responsibilities. Having a three hour space in time to game is a huge luxury that we don’t normally afford ourselves. Having fewer players can make us feel angry and frustrated because this is the only time they have in their week to slow down and play. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Having three hours to spend relaxing with your friends, even in a non-gaming situation, is an incredible thing that we take for granted when we aren’t able to play. Honestly, odds are there is more than one player who are at that table that aren’t really feeling gaming that night, and would really just like a couple of hours to decompress. Having fewer players makes a great chance for you to reconnect with your players beyond what their new ideas for retraining are. Sometimes we forget that the people we stare at for three hours and try to kill are our friends, and we don’t have to be rolling dice to have a good time. Watch a crappy movie, a crappy reality show, or just sit back and enjoy each other’s company. You’d be amazed at how awesome your next game will be after sharing a relaxing evening with your friends.

The last thing you want to do after a busy week of preparing and scheduling to have fewer people than you’d like. Fortunately, there are plenty of things to do when you’re a little short. The most important thing to do is to have fun with the people you have. People may want to leave because there aren’t enough to run that game, but remind them they’d be spending that time here anyway, and there’s still fun to be had.

From the Bookshelf - Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene

There are many different Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings out there created by other companies besides Wizards of the Coast. Some of these settings are more popular than others and one that gained quite a bit of a following with D&D 3.5 was from Kenzer & Company, the makers of HackMaster, called Kingdoms of Kalamar. What does this have to do with D&D 4E? As my current campaign revolves around a pending war with a huge Orc army, I turned to a book from ages past (2008) titled Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene.

The books...

Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene
Number of Pages		120
Number of Chapters		11
Number of Appendices		3
Text Layout		2 columns per page
Font Size		Smaller than the 4E manuals
Artwork		High quality black and white drawings
Easily to Readable		8/10
Comprehensible and Well Written		9/10
Use of Images, Headers, and Sidebars		7/10
Overall Rating		8/10

 

The author...

Paul "Wiggy" Wade-Williams is currently listed as the Creative Director of Triple Ace Games and has previously written under many different companies. His biography information from the Triple Ace Games websites says the following:
 

Wiggy is the Creative Director of Triple Ace Games and brings with him over 25 years of roleplaying experience. He's been a published author since 1998 and has written for Atlas Games, Eden Studios, Britannia Games Design, Kenzer & Co., Pinnacle Entertainment Group, and Green Ronin. When Wiggy isn't working he's usually plotting something he can write up later. He's married and lives in the wild north of the UKUK, in the land of little ponies and constant wind.

There is also a more personal interview of him over at Tales from the Savage Troll, dated April 24th, 2010, providing an interesting look into the author's gaming habits, personal life, and other parts of his life.
 

The material...

Fury in the Wastelands: The Orcs of Tellene starts off giving the legend of how Orcs came to be, created by the gods of darkness so long ago "that even the elves and dwarves have no true memory of their creation." It goes on to present a translation of the Codex of Doom detailing a fierce battle between Light and Darkness, ending in a truce between the equally matched foes. "The Gods,those lesser power of Darkness and Light" then began creating and shaping the world of Tellene. The Creator of Strife took characteristics of each of the three Races of Light (Elves, Dwarves, and Humans) to create the most horrid race: Orcs.

Chapter 2 goes on to described the 5 sub-races of Orcs, including their physical and psychological similarities and differences, including each subraces' name in the Orc's own guttural language. This section has become a great aid to me as I prepare my campaign story. I do not want my Orcs to be bland, but want a greater amount of variety much like there is in real-life humankind.



Chapters 3 and 4 cover the social structure and culture of the Orcs. These chapters have been great tomes of knowledge to me as well. The Orc leaders, warriors, casters, workers, servants, and breeders are all described in great detail, allowing for parallel inter-structural hierarchies. Tattoos, medicine, recreation, habitat, and the diet of the Orcs are worked through in detail, which has allowed me to create many different skill challenges, dice checks, and side quests based on the intricacies the Orcish culture.

Chapter 5 is all about warfare. Warfare is the center of my campaign and this chapter gives extremely valuable information about not only the Orc's weapons and armor, but their military organization, tactics, and strategies. A battle lead by an Orc commander is brutal and the attacks are very pointed, contrary to many beliefs. Orcish commanders will have casters and archers targeted first, cavalry is to be fought against from favorable ground, and ground troops are to be swarmed, flanked, weakened at key locations. My favorite section of this chapter goes into details about how the Orcs would setup and execute an ambush with ranged troops above on the rocks and concealed warriors on the ground. These are not your typical beasts only fighting to survive.


Chapter 6 covers the Orc Religion. I read through the chapter and enjoyed the insight but will not be consuming any of the information there for my campaign.

Chapter 7 takes a look at several misconceptions that exist. These were a short, but interesting list of great rumors I plan to spread, sprinkled with truth, to my party through the local townsfolk. My favorite misconception has to do with sunlight:

Everyone claims to know that orcs fear sunlight and are weakened by it, for as a subterranean race they are unused to its glare, similar to drow elves and deep gnomes. Common myth also states that so long as the sun is shining, you will be safe from orcs. Sadly, both statements are, for the most part, incorrect.

Chapter 8 describes the major Orc tribes of Tellene. This chapter details out extremely useful information on not only tribal symbols and land area controlled by each tribe, but includes information on tribal resources, religious biases, their latest raiding targets, and recent events that happened within the tribe. With 14 different tribes represented, the shear amount of information and detail is overly abundant.

Chapter 9 presents 10 sample Orc personalities, what tribes they belong to, their background, appearance, personality, and 3.5 stat block. Many of these are notable and make fine templates for creating unforgettable Orcish friends, foes, and everything in between.



Chapters 10 and 11 include how to create Orc PCs and several interesting adventure hooks. These chapters, although very good reads, did not pertain to my situation as I am not allowing Orc PCs in my game at this time (even then, the powers would need to be adjusted for 4E) and my campaign specifics are already mapped out.

The best and most fun parts of this book to read, from just a reader's standpoint, are the quotes from various adventurers though the book. Each chapter and sub-section starts off with a quote pertaining to the section. My favorite, by far, is in Chapter 2's Brown Orc sub-section:

"In the desert, the line between man and beast is impossible to distinguish. That is what makes the brown orcs so dangerous." - Saryf, Dejy ranger of Thygasha

In conclusion...

This book has proven to be very helpful in my search for Orcish lore, habits, sub-races, and other details not available in the Monster Manuals. As with all things D&D, regardless of the edition being played, any information from any source can make its way into your campaign and ongoing setting. My campaign just happens to be based in The Forgotten Realms, but that does not make the information from the Kingdoms of Kalamar books any more or less relevant. D&D is all about having fun and enjoying time spent with friends while trying to do your worst, as a DM, to those friends' characters.

I've enjoyed reading through the book and will continue to go to it as I'm creating the story and encounters for my current campaign. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a good source book on Orc lore and more detailed information than is available in the Monster Manuals. If you would like more information, I suggest picking up the book from Amazon or Lulu.

 
What other sources have you used or would you suggest for aiding in story and campaign building ouside of the ofical D& D4E manuals?

Me? DM? Surely you Jest!

Planning and running a Dungeons and Dragons game is hard. We all know that. We scour the interwebs for ideas on how to make it an easier process. We look at the wizards site, friendly gaming blogs, and even mass RSS feeds. There is a simpler solution, though. Simpler than any of the above options: You pawn it off on someone else. That’s right; today I’m going to talk about ways you can convince another person to run a game. That way, when the stress of the world hits you, you can just tell someone else to run the game this week.

1. Plant the Seed

The first thing you have to do is find a sorry sap to put the yoke of DMing on. Discussing game building with your party off-handedly at the end of a session lets you thin the herd. If they seem interested in what you were doing with the session, they probably have a desire to run a game. Keep this idea in the back of your mind when you start a session or are planning a session and you have only a couple of players. This is a great time to throw out, “hey, why don’t we switch hats today, John, do you want to take a shot at running an adventure tonight?”

2. Stoke the Fire

It takes a leap of faith to run an adventure in front of your friends. There is a lot of pressure when you are showing your creative powers, and you really want everyone to have a fun time. Add on the fact that the main DM is playing, too, and there is an incredible amount stress on this new player. It is your job as a seasoned DM to give guidance (not rules-lawyering) and to give lots of praise and encouragement. The goal is to give them enough confidence to run another game later, giving you the chance to take a breather.

3. Pull the Bandage

It’s difficult to do, but if you really want your future DM to want to continue DMing, you’re going to have to force the issue. You can do this one of two ways: skip and have another player convince the prospective DM to run a game, or set up a splinter game and have the new DM run it. You have to move them into a position where the pressure to DM is there and a true test of whether or not they want to do this long-term. If they make it through this step they’re ready for anything.

There it is, the three-step process to pinning some other poor sap with the horrible burden of being a Dungeon Master. Soon enough, your victim will be talking about the use of fantastic terrain, the advantages and disadvantages of lowering HP and increasing damage, and whether to railroad or sandbox. And we, the happy few who do the same, will never be more proud. Feel free to leave me a note in the comments, and stay tuned for some more changes.

Monday's Monster Mash #4 - The Enemy of My Enemy

Monday’s Monster Mash is a weekly series where monsters are selected from the three Monster Manuals and put together as an encounter group. A situation is discussed where these monsters would have been together and how their powers or status effects work together against the players.

The story...

Magdiana has seen many lifetimes. It has been ages since she followed her sister Breemita to this mortal realm, where she became stuck in this retched mortal form. Breemita had said they could bring light to this realm, but what is a single wick in the deep, black fathoms of the Underdark? The Underdark is not all darkness though. There are several caverns of piping hot magma. It is from these areas Magdiana was first introduced to the Hell Hounds. They resisted her will at first, but just like all other creatures, submitted in time. Now, with her army of Hell Hounds, she has set her sights on the Kuo-Toa settlement between her and her ultimate goal: Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders.

Berrol, the Kuo-Toa Lash, had sent scouting parties when he heard the Hell Hounds' lair had been conquered. His Kuo-Toa Cutters returned with stories of a great, evil angel controlling the Hell Hounds and heading towards the Kuo-Toa settlement. He instructed his Kuo-Toa Mad Ones to take defensive positions. As Berrol began preparing the rest of his people to defend their home, he was brought a rumor of a group of adventurers nearby causing trouble. Today was not going to be a good one...

The monsters...

Monster Manual	Monster Manual 2	Monster Manual 3
Hell Hound Page 160	Deva Fallen Star Page 62	Kuo-Toa Mad One, Lash, and Cutter Pages 124 - 125

The powers...

First off, let's take a look at the Deva Fallen Star. This creature does everything in its power to stop the players from dealing damage to it. Fateful Transposition (immediate interrupt, encounter) allows the creature to swap places with a target and split the damage of the trigger attack between itself and the newly transpositioned creature. If that is not frightening enough, the Deva Fallen Star also has Fate Manipulation (free, recharges when first bloodied) allowing it to add or subtract 1d8 from any attack roll, ability check, or saving throw made by any creature within 10 squares or itself.

Next, we have the Hell Hounds. These beasts have a Fire Shield (aura 1) that deals 1d6 fire damage to any creature that enters or begins its turn in the aura. And a nasty Fiery Breath (standard, recharge 4 5 6, close blast 3) dealing a massive 2d6+3 amount of fire damage to the entire party.


 
 
Finally, we have the Kuo-Toa. All Kuo-Toa have the Aquatic trait, allowing them to breathe underwater and gain an additional +2 to attacks against nonaquatic creatures. The Kuo-Toa Mad One have an Eldritch Scream (at will, close blast 3) dealing psychic damage to a group of foes. The Kuo-Toa Lash has multiple lightning attacks, the worst being Forked Lightning (standard, area burst 2, recharge when bloodies an enemy or reduces an enemy's HP to 0 or less) which not only deals 2d6+6 lightning damage but blinds the target until the start of the Lash's next turn. The Kuo-Toa Cutter has a triggered action called Swift Strike (at will) which triggers when an enemy misses it with a melee attack and allows the cutter to shift 4 squares and attack with its Barbed Dagger (at will, melee) attack.

The encounter...

The party had been adventuring in the Underdark for a few days now and had been successful in their ventures. As they rounded the next bend in the maze-like tunnels, they saw a small Kuo-Toa village under siege by an army of Hell Hounds. Always in need of allies, especially in a place as treacherous as the Underdark, the party decided to move forward and help the Kuo-Toa fend off the attack. As they approached, the Kuo-Toa leader and Deva Fallen Star struck up a quick bargain to work together against this band of top-siders before the intruders could take advantage of their warring situation.

As the party rushed in on the Hell Hounds, taking damage from their fire sheilds, the Kuo-Toa Mad Ones rushed the party, Clawing and (Eldritch) Screaming as they worked the party's defenses down. The Kuo-Toa Cutters darted in swiftly and landed multiple Crippling Strikes, dealing extra attacks with their Barbed Daggers as they dodged the party's attacks. The Deva Fallen Star moved in to attack with its Rebuking Rod, but noticed the Kuo-Toa Lash beginning to target her. The Deva quickly drew the attention of the party's casters and used her Fateful Transposition to switch places with the Kuo-Toa Lash. The Lash took the brunt of the party's attack, but not before launching several volleys of Forked Lightning.

It was a close battle, but the smoke cleared with the one who had been victorious on the battlefield. The Deva Fallen Star laughed to herself as she surveyed the damage and wondered if fate would have a common foe appear near Menzoberranzan when it came time to attack. Perhaps she would find this common foe herself and infiltrate the Drow stronghold as a friend, coming to warn of the attack. Yes, these plans would work out nicely.

The discussion...

• What other monsters do you think could add an interesting flair to this group and how would you work them into the story?


• What other strategies could this group of monsters use against the party?


• What are some possible defensive tactics the party could use against these monsters, Kuo-Toa Cutters being so "shifty"?


• How could different party make-ups be better or worse against these monsters?

The Master's Lackeys

There are several amazing Dungeons & Dragons blogs out there, but one of my favorites has recently run two articles written by one of my favorite authors, Chris Sims (an editor and game designer known for work on Wizards of the Coast’s Duel Masters, Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering) about one of my favorite components in 4E: MINIONS!

 

Minions Are Everywhere!

No matter the story, whether set in a fantasy, science fiction, comedy, or drama, the main bad guy always has lackeys. Darth Vader had the Storm Troopers, Dr. Evil had several nameless thugs and Mini Me, Sauron had the first 1/3 of the Orc army that was attacking Helm's Deep (seriously, they dropped like flies when the arrows started flying).

 

Minions: By The Book

A few game sessions ago, I decided I did not like using the minions in the same old fashion I had been. They were great as zombies in my campaign's Whispering Willow Cemetery session, wonderful as cheaply hired mercenaries to guard a slave camp in The Slave Pit session, and really interesting as village fishermen the party had to protect as the slavers retaliated in the final encounter of the Gates of Dyadasti session, but I decided to mix things up a bit. I used 2-hit minions in the Longtooth's Labyrinth session but when one of the players landed a high damage roll, he felt cheated that the enemy wasn't killed. I quickly converted my 2-hit minions back to regular minions to keep the level of fun at a maximum for the evening, but decided I wouldn't give up hope on the 2-hit minion.


 

My Minions Have HP?

For the next session, I had created 2 new flavors of minions. The 2/20 and the 3/30 minions. The 2/20 minion is dead after 2 hits or 20 damage, whichever comes first. Likewise, the 3/30 minion is dead after 3 hits or 30 damage. This may sound fruitless and you may be asking "why not just have the monster with 30 HP??" Well, for our group, this worked very well. Our Ranger misses quite a bit (he obviously hasn't read my article on how dice are made and refuses to switch d20s mid-session), so when he does land a shot, it really counts against these 2/20 and 3/30 minions. On top of this, when the "cheated" player landed a heavy blow on a 3/30 minion with 2 hits left, it was destroyed. Everyone had lots of fun and I was still able to swarm the party with a nice mix of regular minions, 2/20s and 3/30s!


 

For discussion...

Chris' articles really got me thinking again about other things I can change to keep the players on their toes. I'm going to look for specific creatures with interesting auras and burst that make sense for the setting when creating my minions. The 2/20 and 3/30 minions worked in the one session I used them, but I'm not convinced they're here to stay, time will tell.

• Have you modified how you use minions?


• Are there certain powers or considerations you give to them in your games?


• Do you think my modification was effective or just a waste of time?

Let me know in the comments!

D&D Macaroons: The Three-Act Skill Challenge

Skill Challenges are a widely-written about topic. The nebulous nature of the challenge, paired with its newness to the system, all create difficulties when approaching. Reading about, listening to, and running skill challenges has led me to put in my two cents regarding how I run skill challenges. The best skill challenges are like great macaroons: crunchy on the outside but fluffy on the inside. First, I'll explain how I use the three act structure to create a challenge, then I'll explain how they are run.

Three Act Skill Challenge
Before I ever read about the three act structure to adventure making, I was applying a three-scene structure to my skill challenges.

 

The first act is exposition and preparation. The problem is presented in the first act: a ritual must be prepared, the city is on fire, the ancient tome is being stolen. The players are then asked to prep for their plan to fix the problem: gather components, rally the fire brigade, sound the alarms and give chase. The players get prep time equal to their success. I take the number of successes, divide by 2 and subtract one. When they reach that number or their first failure they initiate act two.

The second act of the skill challenge is incitement and climax: the ritual is cast, the fire is fought, and the thief is chased. Successes in the first act will dictate the difficulty of the second act's checks; if they made it through all the successes, drop the difficulty one tier (hard to moderate, moderate to easy) if they failed early, increase the DCs by two (12 DC becomes 14). This goes on until they reach the number of successes (total needed divided by 2) or the second failure.

The third act is all resolution and dénouement. The consequences for the challenge thus far are given. The ritual is either a success (it does what it was supposed to) or a failure (incorrect result, it blows up, it summons demons!) the city is either extinguished or the fire still rages. You've captured the thief or backed him near a dead end. If the PCs haven't made the cut yet (they should have one success needed) this will be the most difficult part. If they have over 4 checks to make, increase the DCs a tier. If they have 4, 3, or 2 checks left, decrease the DCs a tier, and if there was only one check left when they started the act, make the DC an easy one.

At the end of the challenge, the PCs reap the consequences of their rolls. If they did well the challenge goes well (the ritual goes off without a hitch, the fire only causes minimal damage, the thief is caught), but if the challenge went south the players have to deal with some difficulties (the ritual summons demons and the PCs have to fight, the fire nearly wipes out the town and the PCs are blamed, The thief gets away, but leaves his orders about where to take the item). This punishes the PCs for failing but keeps the game going. The absolute last thing you want is a dead-end situation where the PCs have to either backtrack or wonder what they are to do next.

Running the 3-act Skill Challenge
The three act skill challenge runs a lot like a 3-scene play. I present the act's challenge, and start taking rolls around the table. I do make everyone take a turn, but they can choose whatever skill they want as long as they describe it. There is a small caveat to that. No player can use the same skill twice in a row, and no character can use the skill the last player used. If it fits in perfectly with the scene (Arcana to draw the ritual circle, Diplomacy to rally the brigade, Athletics to chase down the thief) then I make it an easy DC. If it fits in a little bit but not really in the spirit of the act (Streetwise to search for components, Nature to find the nearest water source, Intimidate to scare the thief into stopping) I make it a moderate DC. If it has nothing to do with the spirit of the scene (Acrobatics to jump from rooftop to rooftop to deliver components in the fastest fashion, Perception to see where the fire is strongest, Insight to see why the thief stole the item) I set the skill to a hard DC. I keep taking tallies until they hit the successes or their failure.

After the rolls, I narrate the scene. I tell the PCs how the scene played out based on their skills, and transition them to the next act. Then they roll, go until their failure, and narration begins again. Same for the final act.

By the end of the challenge, they won't know whether they won the challenge or not, because it's not about winning or losing, it's about the story. That's really what skill challenges are about: crunch then fluff. Just like a great macaroon they start off hard and crunchy but end with incredible fluff that leaves everyone satisfied.

Skill Challenges are one of the most written about facets of 4e. I'm not bold or stupid enough to think this will end the writing on Skill Challenges, but hopefully it will be an aid to others. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them!

And if you want to make the macaroons pictured in this article, be sure to visit http://www.namthip.com/2009/06/i-heart-u-french-macaroon.html, that’s where I stole the pics. I made them yesterday and they are delicious!

Monday's Monster Mash #3 - A Fallen Leader's Tomb

Monday’s Monster Mash is a weekly series where monsters are selected from the three Monster Manuals and put together as an encounter group. A situation is discussed where these monsters would have been together and how their powers or status effects work together against the players.

The story...

Arcaniss, the Poisonscale Magus, had been charged with overseeing the construction and protection of the tomb for their recently deceased leader, Maekrix. With the majority of the construction complete, Arcaniss roamed the tomb deciding where various traps and constructs would be put in. As she silently moved from corridor to corridor, she felt as though she was being watched. Out of the darkness, a Su Sentinel came barreling towards her. She turned and caught him in a great hug. "Where have you been, Ir? You know you shouldn't be down here while I'm preparing the traps."

Ir was Arcaniss' personal guard. Several years ago, when venturing through the swamps, she came upon him caught in a snare laid by Yuan-ti. Arcaniss hid in the foliage until the Yuan-ti came. She watched as they taunted and teased the trapped Su Monster. Feeling a moment of compassion, she leapt upon the Yuan-ti and slaughtered the lot of them. As she freed Ir from his bonds, she tended to his wounds and spoke in soft, soothing tones to keep the Su Monster calm. In return, Ir followed Arcaniss out of the swamp and returned to the land of the Lizardfolk as her personal guard.

As Arcaniss began the rare and powerful ritual to bind an angelic spirit to the newly carved Sphinx statue, Ir's sat by waiting and watching for any signs of trouble or intruders. As she completed the ritual, Ir's senses alerted him to a nearby presence. Quickly, he pulled Arcaniss into the side chamber and quietly leapt into the rafters of the tomb...

The monsters...

Monster Manual	Monster Manual 2	Monster Manual 3
Sphinx Page 245	Lizardfolk, Poisonscale Magus Page 156	Su Monster Page 188

The powers...

First off, let's take a look at the Sphinx. These things are usually setup to guard a sacred or magical location, come in pairs usually, and like riddles. They have a power called Sphinx's Challenge, where they actually pose a question to the party. If the party answers correctly (or recites the required holy verse) the Sphinx lets them pass, but keeps a close eye on their activities. If they start to tear things up, the Sphinx immediately attacks with its Frightful Roar (close burst 10), with all targets taking a -2 penalty to their attack rolls.

Next, we have the Su Monster, Su Sentinel to be specific. Next to clowns, I find nothing more frightening than a monkey/fey panther hybrid with psonic powers (aka NIGHTMARE FUEL). These beasts move silently through trees, attacking from above with some very wicked moves. Psionic Boost (triggered action, recharged when takes psychic damage) is trigger when it lands a Claw (at will, melee) or Flashing Talons (at will, melee) attack and deals 2d6 additional psychic damage. The Su Sentinel also has a special Skirmish trait allowing its attacks to deal another 5 additional damage if it moves at least 4 squares from its starting square.

Lastly, we have the Poisonscale Magus. This is a poison dealing turret, essentially. Poison Blood (standard, at will, ranged): 1d6+3 poison damage with an ongoing 5 poison damage. If that's not bad enough, Corrupt Poison (minor, at will, ranged) slides the target 3 squares and slows them until they roll a save. Then, there's Poison Barrage (standard, encounter, area burst 3) which hits for 1d6+3 poison damage and the target takes a -5 vulnerability to poison until they roll a save. But, if Poison Barrage misses, it still deals half damage and the -5 vulnerability lasts until the end of the targets next turn.

The encounter...

The party enters the tomb of a Lizardfolk king and are greeted by a Sphinx. After not being able to recite the king's motto in Draconic, the Sphinx attacks with its Frightful Roar as the Su Monster swoops in from the rafters with its Claw and Psionic Boost attacks. The Poisonscale Magus pokes her head out around the corner and beings launching volleys Posion Blood and Posion Barrage, draining the party of their precious life-force. With all the commotion in the tomb, the nearby Lizardfolk guards come to the aid of the Magus, only to find the broken bodies of the party members never made it past the entrance.

The discussion...

• What other monsters do you think could add an interesting flair to this group and how would you work them into the story?


• What other strategies could this group of monsters use against the party?


• What are some possible defensive tactics the party could use against these monsters, especially with all the poison damage being dealt?


• How could different party make-ups be better or worse against these monsters?

The Loot Scootin Boogie

It's the elephant in the room. It can be a welcome addition or a jealousy-inducing roadblock. It can help you out or turn you into a snide douche. I'm not talking about bringing a girlfriend to game night, I'm talking about loot. As a DM, I think that giving loot is more difficult to plan than an encounter, skill challenge, or even a campaign story. I've run the gamut: wish lists, planned rewards, straight gold-buy, and random table. These strategies all hold pros and cons, and I’m going to give some helpful tips on using each.

Wish List

Wish lists are great for players getting exactly what they want when they want it. The only thing the DM has to do is drop the items in a chest in the cavern. The characters have to do all the footwork, because they have to figure out what items at what level they want, and just wait with hands held out waiting for their items. The main problem that this type runs into is verisimilitude. What are the odds that this particular Goblin party just happens to be holding the exact sword, out of hundreds of swords, is the one you wanted? It’s a little bit of a stretch, but of course who cares about verisimilitude when there’s an anthropomorphic dragon breathing fire right next to you? The way that I work the Wish List into the game is making it a literal wish list. Your characters aren’t lore-masters on every magic item in the universe (at least not until Epic). The only way your characters know about the items is by hearing about them. You want a legendary warhammer? Of course you do! The hobgoblin chieftains have been passing that item down for generations, and it even killed your little cousin when you were younger. What better way to get revenge than getting that item and killing hobgobs with it? This segways into my other use for loot: there is little to no chance that magical items are hoarded by most creatures. Even if you are battling goblin cutters, if they have a magical greataxe that sets things on fire they will use it. Edit a creature to be wielding the magical item. If it’s an item that they aren’t used to using (archer using a longsword) give it a -2 to attacks using it. If it’s an item that makes no sense being used by that creature (goblin cutter using a greataxe) give it a -5. This will give some flavor to the items, and can lead to characters running off without checking bodies for that item. This takes a lot of planning by the DM, which brings up the next list. PRO: players get what they want, and do all the work. CON: makes the game (more) unrealistic.

Planned Rewards

Planning a campaign is tough and time-consuming. It takes a lot of work to weave a story of intrigue and adventure with the struggles of life upon you. Adding treasure seems like the last thing to think of. “I’ll just throw in a magic item of plus two level and move on.” This leads to the worst of contrived adventuring, and eventually leads to the wish list approach. Using a planned rewards type of loot placement requires time and thought. To make it work, you have to think “why is the item there, is it being used, and if it isn’t, what will drive it’s hoarders to use it?” This type of planning could be your greatest asset, though, creating loot that is highly connected with your characters and story. Some encounters can be built around the treasure first, and the monsters and traps second. Kobold warriors have been worshiping a Dragonborn-styled Flame Sword. They have built traps to emulate the flames that lick off of the sword, and they have adapted their breath weapons to match its fiery nature. They would never use the item unless it were directly threatened to be used by infidels, and then only by the Kobold highpriest. A pack of bulette’s could hoard healing potions, but may have no idea that they heal injuries. They look like the shiny red baubles that they tried to eat once and broke a tooth, and collect the items to illuminate their caves. Using planned rewards can create more deep storytelling, but require a fair amount of (you guessed it) planning to work well. PRO: can aid in encounter and story creation. CON: takes additional DM work to make the items fit into the story instead of looking like a band-aid.

Gold-Buy System

Money makes the world go ‘round. There’s bound to be tons of it around the world, and tons of it hoarded away by evil hands. The gold-buy system takes all the itemizing out of the hands of the DM and the players, and allows PCs to go on a huge shopping-spree the next time they get to town. This is great for a DM, because all they need to do is look at the average gold cost of an item, plug it into a treasure chest or on the body of a raider, and you’re done. Lather, rinse, repeat. This can be problematic for PCs. 20 pounds of gold is great, but I’m in the middle of a delve. I can’t drink molten gold to regain 10HP, and I definitely can’t use my gold to add three to my AC once a day. When I get back to town I’m great, but I’d really like to live until I get to town. Another thing this can cause is PC hoarding. They keep their cut for the first two or three levels, then takes their entire hoard of gold and buy one super-powerful item. This can create an unbalanced player and an eventual unfun experience. The way to make this type of system work is in parcel management. Instead of giving out four magic items a level, give only one or two and convert the rest into gold. Give more healing potions (to make up for the lack of magical support) and give non-magical baubles (like art and jewels) that can be melted down and used for magical items when in town. This, I feel, is the most realistic form of loot distribution. There’s sure to be tons of gold in the world, but probably few magical items. When you get back to town, you drop a large bag of gold onto the blacksmith’s lap and commission a magical item. The item then has personal value to the PC. It’s not just A +1 sword, it’s YOUR +1 sword. Never underestimate the power of sentimental value, even with a min/maxing player. PRO: most realistic, and least-thought taxing for PCs and DMs. CON: can put PCs in a bind in the middle of an adventure, and may cause PC hoarding and un-balancing.

Random Loot System

Variety is the spice of life. What DM doesn’t want the pressure of loot distribution off of their shoulders? The random loot system takes all the pressure off of the DM. “It’s not your fault you didn’t get a shield this time around, it was the loot table. I rolled right in front of you; you see the chart, that’s how it worked out.” This system, more than any other, will require DM adjustment to make the game enjoyable for everyone. I find that this system is the best for a non-magical item campaign. I create a 100 item list in Excel of mundane items, gold, healing potions, and divine boons. I then randomly scramble the list and save it. Then, I have written down in my notes how many items I need to roll for, then roll a d100. This type of system takes the most forward work, but after you have it built you can use it indefinitely (or if you don’t allow repeats it will last the number of parcels you use). This also limits the stress of creating parcels. You just write down the number of rolls you do and refer to your table. Sometimes you get really lucky PCs, which is where the best laid random loot system sometimes goes awry. Overpowered and underpowered PCs are most likely in this system, and lucky PCs can get the upper hand in the random system. The final disadvantage to this system is that it sucks all the verisimilitude out of a game. Rolling loot after an encounter will make it look like there was no planning at all in putting treasure in a delve. The items have no logical place to be in there, and the specialness of getting a magic item is diminished when it just magically ‘poofs’ in there. The way to make this work is to combine this strategy with the planned loot system. Roll your prizes beforehand and let that be a guide to creating the reasons why the loot was there. PRO: least amount of preparation after the creation of the chart; completely random to reduce player ire. CON: over and under-powered PCs can occur very quickly; realism becomes almost zero.

How do I give PCs Loot Then?

Personal preference is always the way to go when considering how you will give PCs loot. Most will mix and match different ways of doing this. Hopefully many DMs will look through and decide which is best for them. Things to consider when making loot distribution is thinking about how much time you have to plan, how much realism you want your game to have, and how much you want your PCs to be involved in the loot creation process. Hopefully this guide would help you in deciding how to distribute items. So the next time you are sitting at the table, and the PCs finish an encounter, take a look at the elephant in the room square in the eyes, and ask her if she could pitch-in on the pizza. Then tell the PCs what they’ve earned from their encounter, because you had no problem trying to hand out loot to your players.