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As you maybe aware, I am new to the 4th edition so I have been dabbling around the books today and learning how it's different from 3.5 edition in the process. I have some friends who will be coming sometime next week to try out D&D and none of them have ever played it. So... as I was learning the ropes of 4th edition I decided to create the characters for them and type up an information sheet to help them understand how to play.
The list doesn't include how the combat works but that is up to the DM to explain how the combat works. I'll type up a combat reference sheet at a later date.
I haven't filled in a character sheet for this Cleric character yet, but you can find printable character sheets here.
Below are some notes about the cleric that will help you fill in the character sheet for them.
Cleric
Elf
Deity – Bahamut – Lawful Good
16 – Str / +3
16 – Wis (+2 from race)/+3
13 – Con/+1
12 - Charisma/+1
13 – Dex (+2 from race)/+1
10 - Intelligence/+0
Skill (+2 nature, +2 perception)
Able to use Longbow and short bow
Considered a fey creature
Group awareness: +1 bonus to perception checks to allies within 5 squares of you
Wild step: Able to shift on difficult terrain without penalty
Skills (+5 bonus)
Religion (int) = 5
Heal (wis) = 8
Diplomacy (char) = 6
History (int) = 5
Nature (Wis) = 5
Perception (Wis) = 5
Feats: Weapon focus (mace), ritual casting
Equipment (100G)
Chainmail (40gp)
6AC, -1 speed
Mace d8 (5GP), remember weapon focus
Holy Symbol (10GP)
Ritual Book (50GP)
Ok, now onto the real thing, just copy and paste below into a word document and print it out! Make sure you have "Cleric" as the header and the page number and number of pages at the bottom. Make sure "Combat" and "Role playing" are on seperate pages. Sorry about the spaces, no idea why blogger does that when I copy something from Microsoft word. Just staple the character sheets and the text below and ask the to have a quick read through it.
I'll be writing up another character tomorrow, so keep up to date!
Combat
Look at this page whenever you have a combat encounter with enemies. There are 3 types of attacks, At-Will, Encounter and Daily. At-Will can be used whenever, Encounter powers can be used once or twice per encounter and the Daily power can be used once per rest.
At-Will
Lance of Faith
A brilliant ray of light sears you foe with golden radiance. Sparkles of light linger around the target, guiding your ally’s attack.
Standard Action: Ranged 5 (Target 1 creature within 5 squares of you)
Attack: Wisdom (d20 + 3) vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d8 + Wisdom modifier (3) damage and one ally you see gains a +2 attack bonus to his or her next attack roll against the target (you choose any one ally you see to increase their chance to hit against the same target you attacked).
Priest’s shield
You utter a minor defensive prayer as you attack with your weapon.
Standard Action: Melee (Target 1 creature adjacent to you)
Attack: Strength (d20 + 3) vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier (3) damage, you and one adjacent ally gain a +1 to AC until the end of your next turn (Yourself and an ally next to you gain +1 to AC, making you harder to hit. This effect is gone when it is your next turn).
Encounter
Channel Divinity – Use 1/encounter
Divine Fortune
In the face of peril, you hold true to your faith and receive a special boon.
Free action (Personal) – This can be used at any time during your turn.
Effect: You gain +1 bonus to your next attack roll or saving throw before the end of your turn.
Healing Word – Use 2/encounter
You whisper a brief prayer as divine light washes over your target, helping to mend it’s wounds.
Minor Action – You can use this, and perform a standard action as well.
Target: You or Ally within 5 squares of you
Effect: Target ally spends a healing surge and regain an addition 1d6 + 3 (wisdom modifier) of hit points.
Divine Glow – Use 1/encounter
Murmuring a prayer to your deity, you invoke a blast of white radiance from your holy symbol. Foes burn in it’s stern light, but your allies are heartened and guided by it.
Standard Action: Close blast 3 (choose a 3x3 square that is adjacent to you and use this skill, it will affect every creature caught in the blast, enemy and ally).
Attack: Wisdom (d20 + 3) vs. Reflex.
Hit: 1d8 + Wisdom modifier (3) damage vs. reflex
Effect: Allies in the blast gain +2 bonus to attack rolls until the end of your next turn (All the allies caught in the blast will gain +2 to attack rolls, increasing their chance of hitting a target. This effect is gone by the end of your next turn).
Elven accuracy: Encounter Power – Use 1/encounter
With an instant of focus, you take careful aim at your foe and strike with the legendary accuracy of the elves
Free action (Personal)
Effect: Reroll an attack roll. Use the second roll, even if it’s lower. (If you didn’t like an attack roll you got on the d20, you can reroll and use the new value).
Daily Attack
Use this skill wisely as you can only use it once before you have to rest to be able to use it again!
Avenging Flame
You slam your weapon into your foe, who bursts into flame. Divine fire avenges each attack your enemy dares to make.
Standard Action: Melee (Target 1 creature adjacent to you)
Attack: Strength (d20 + 3) vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier (3) damage, and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends). (If you hit with this attack then the creature takes damage, and then the creature will take 5 damage on the start of its next turn. If the creature attacks during that turn, then it takes 5 damage on it’s next turn. However, if the creature does not attack during its turn, at the end of the turn it will roll a d20 (a saving throw), if the result is 11 or more the effect disappears. If the result is 10 or lower the creature will take an additional 5 damage at the start of it’s next turn. This continues until either a successful saving throw is done, or death).
Role playing Encounter
Below is some information about your skills that can influence the outcome of role play encounters. Also a small bit of information about how your character should behave towards the other characters.
Your character
You are a Lawful Good Cleric, so you believe in everything that is true and you wish to smite evil wherever possible. The deity you follow teaches you to protect the weak and to defend what is true. You are a nice person who treats others (who are good) with respect. You are rarely scared by a challenge. The rules set by society are correct and true and every being must follow these rules. Those who do not follow shall be punished. In combat, your main role is to ensure the other members of your party are as healthy by healing their wounds with Healing Word. If you’re confident that they are ok, you smash enemies whilst at the same time providing boons for your allies by using skills such as Priest’s shield and Lance of faith.
Skills
Skills determine how competent you are in an area. The more points you have in a skill area the better you are at it. Your character has these skills with the assigned values. If you wish to use these skills, just ask Edd at any time:
Religion (int) = 5
Due to being a cleric you have knowledge about gods, religious traditions, ceremonies and divine effects. You are able to roll a check to reveal information about the strengths and weaknesses of the undead.
Heal (wis) = 8
You know how to help someone recover from wounds, poisons or diseases. You can stabilizes some one who is dying (who is below 0 HP) by rolling a skill check with a DC of 15. Upon success the character stabilizes and stops dying. You can also help treat a disease by rolling a heal check vs. the DC of the disease (Edd will know this). This can be used on yourself or another ally.
Diplomacy (char) = 6
You can influence others with your tact, subtlety, and social grace. Make a Diplomacy check to change opinions, to inspire good will, to haggle with a patron, to demonstrate proper etiquette and decorum, or to negotiate a deal in good faith.
History (int) = 5
You know past events about the area, such as wars, leaders, legends, laws, traditions and memorial events.
Nature (wis) = 5
Due to your elven heritage you have an connection with nature, you can make your way through the wilderness safely, have knowledge about natural beasts and recognising natural hazards.
Perception (wis) = 5
Due to your elven heritage you have a bonus in this skill. You have keen eyes and ears to spot for clues, detect secret doors, find traps and listen for sounds beyond a door. Just declare to Edd when you want to use this skill to look for traps, secrets or listen at the door.
Showing posts with label Player. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Player. Show all posts
Saturday, 29 May 2010
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
The Caves of the Dead - Opening Adventure
This could be slotted into any campaign or adventure.
You've travelled for a few days now and feel tired and weary. The wind and rain batters on your back, a storm is coming. The rain is so heavy it's making it hard to see, however squinting in the distance you notice a large cave. Holding your arms up to defend your face you slowly make towards the cave entrance. The wind is blasting against you, trying to force you back, or warn you, but you are determined to get to the entrance of the cave.
Finally, shelter. The interior of the cave is decorated with green mold patches covering the dripping walls. It's a dark sort of rock and the cave floor moderately declines deeper. The rain has caused the floor to be wet, so it feels quite slippery.
Easy DC acrobatic check to see if they walk into the cave safely, if not then a moderate DC reflex check, upon fail a character slips down into the darkness and disappears from the rest of the party. If all party members fail this roll, they slip down the slope in darkness. They hit the bottom and take easy damage).
Descending to the bottom of the cave you enter complete darkness. A void surrounds you and a coldness envelopes you. You shiver and feel uneasy about this place. Pure silence greets you as the sounds of the bellowing storm fades to nothing from the outside. The only company is the sound of the party's breathing and the sound of a small drip coming somewhere nearby. Looking around with a light source the cave has suddenly got smaller and there are no other passage ways. It could be a good place to rest for the night.
(Players can rest here for the night, a passive perception check of a hard DC notices a small lever on the east side of the cave on the floor. Players can actively search the room for this with a hard DC. Upon failing them both, the party can rest or wait. If the party want to return upwards and out of the cave, they can do a moderate acrobatic check to get out of the cave).
If Sleeping
(Sleeping players need to make an easy DC passive perception check, however ignore this is there is one character on guard or meditating. Upon failure, the zombies grab the nearest player and gang up on him or her. See zombie grab in the monster manual)
(Character being grabbed) You feel a cold but strong grip on your arm, followed by many other grabs on various parts of your body. Your eyes snap open and through the sleepy haze you see a gang of zombies trying to rip apart your flesh.
If Waiting
The sounds of moans slowly but surely echo around the cave. The grinding sound of a rock can be heard, as if it's being slid across. Suddenly, the sounds of moaning and shuffling feet fill the cave with noise.
If Pulling on the lever
Pulling on the lever causes a nearby rock to suddenly jump to motion. It slides across revealing a new room to encounter. Peering into darkness you see dark humanoid figures slowly travelling towards you. It seems a group of zombies are hungry for some flesh!
(Regardless of how the players behave, it's a moderate EL).
With the last zombie slain the now open rock beckons for adventure...where does it lead?
From here onwards you're welcome to do what you want with it. Maybe it's an undead infestation? Or the lair of a Lich? Or maybe a necromancer's home who conducts experiments on corpses and tries to find ways to reanimate them.
You've travelled for a few days now and feel tired and weary. The wind and rain batters on your back, a storm is coming. The rain is so heavy it's making it hard to see, however squinting in the distance you notice a large cave. Holding your arms up to defend your face you slowly make towards the cave entrance. The wind is blasting against you, trying to force you back, or warn you, but you are determined to get to the entrance of the cave.
Finally, shelter. The interior of the cave is decorated with green mold patches covering the dripping walls. It's a dark sort of rock and the cave floor moderately declines deeper. The rain has caused the floor to be wet, so it feels quite slippery.
Easy DC acrobatic check to see if they walk into the cave safely, if not then a moderate DC reflex check, upon fail a character slips down into the darkness and disappears from the rest of the party. If all party members fail this roll, they slip down the slope in darkness. They hit the bottom and take easy damage).
Descending to the bottom of the cave you enter complete darkness. A void surrounds you and a coldness envelopes you. You shiver and feel uneasy about this place. Pure silence greets you as the sounds of the bellowing storm fades to nothing from the outside. The only company is the sound of the party's breathing and the sound of a small drip coming somewhere nearby. Looking around with a light source the cave has suddenly got smaller and there are no other passage ways. It could be a good place to rest for the night.
(Players can rest here for the night, a passive perception check of a hard DC notices a small lever on the east side of the cave on the floor. Players can actively search the room for this with a hard DC. Upon failing them both, the party can rest or wait. If the party want to return upwards and out of the cave, they can do a moderate acrobatic check to get out of the cave).
If Sleeping
(Sleeping players need to make an easy DC passive perception check, however ignore this is there is one character on guard or meditating. Upon failure, the zombies grab the nearest player and gang up on him or her. See zombie grab in the monster manual)
(Character being grabbed) You feel a cold but strong grip on your arm, followed by many other grabs on various parts of your body. Your eyes snap open and through the sleepy haze you see a gang of zombies trying to rip apart your flesh.
If Waiting
The sounds of moans slowly but surely echo around the cave. The grinding sound of a rock can be heard, as if it's being slid across. Suddenly, the sounds of moaning and shuffling feet fill the cave with noise.
If Pulling on the lever
Pulling on the lever causes a nearby rock to suddenly jump to motion. It slides across revealing a new room to encounter. Peering into darkness you see dark humanoid figures slowly travelling towards you. It seems a group of zombies are hungry for some flesh!
(Regardless of how the players behave, it's a moderate EL).
With the last zombie slain the now open rock beckons for adventure...where does it lead?
From here onwards you're welcome to do what you want with it. Maybe it's an undead infestation? Or the lair of a Lich? Or maybe a necromancer's home who conducts experiments on corpses and tries to find ways to reanimate them.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
5 ways Dungeons and Dragons could help you survive a zombie outbreak!
Yup! I've thought of 8 ways D&D can help you with a zombie outbreak...Yes it could happen one day!
An epidemic has occurred! A virus has been leaked from a nearby science lab that kills humans! Problem is they come back to life being mindless flesh eating zombies!
You're in your house with your housemates and you learn of this outbreak on the news...what do you do?
Teamwork
Teamwork would be essential for the survival of a zombie outbreak. Playing D&D has helped you learn how to get along with other people. How to distribute resources (such as food, guns and ammo), sharing and the ability to resolve conflicts in the group. This includes clear communication between other members so you can warn others the presence of the undead shuffling nearby, or in case you're suddenly in trouble!
You know about zombies
You've done this before! Your characters have battled hundreds of zombies to keep them away from your flesh! You've learnt about the behaviour, the sounds they make and how they detect you. Best of all, you know how to defeat them, just cut the head off and the body will follow! This gives you an obvious advantage to those who know nothing about the undead.
Quick evaluation
As your characters frequently encounter novel situations, you're constantly having to think about what to do and what will happen if you do what you do. You're aware of the consequences afterwards without a personal cost (but an obvious cost to your character!). All these experiences will add to your wisdom, so the next time you encounter a situation with hundreds of zombies...you may know what to do.
This quick evaluation ability can be applied to evaluating yourself. You can quickly know your (and others) strengths and weaknesses so you can increase your chances of a successful outcome.
Combat
Maybe pushing a bit to a stretch but after watching numerous D&D films and Lord of the Rings you'll be indirectly learning how to use weapons. You may have role played some scenes which involved weapons, or performed actions with a wooden sword. In the UK a gun could be hard to come by so you'll most likely have to use a kitchen knife. You could even try and equip two if you play the role of a ranger! With the use of this knowledge you are able to combat one or two zombies. If you use miniatures in a D&D game you can quickly plan tactics with others by imagining the position of the miniatures on a board. You can draw on tactics that you used before in the games that were successful, thus saving time planning and increasing your chance of survival. This would be an obvious advantage.
Knowing where to look
With my group, I always ask the players where they are exactly looking in a room before doing a search roll to see if they find anything. Over time, they have learnt key areas to search in to find goodies. If your group does this, you would have learnt key areas to look for. This can be applied for real life, if you need to look for something you'll most likely know where to look. You'll save time and this means less chance of being attacked by a group of zombies!
What do you guys think? Any other qualities and abilities D&D players have that could help?
An epidemic has occurred! A virus has been leaked from a nearby science lab that kills humans! Problem is they come back to life being mindless flesh eating zombies!
You're in your house with your housemates and you learn of this outbreak on the news...what do you do?
Teamwork
Teamwork would be essential for the survival of a zombie outbreak. Playing D&D has helped you learn how to get along with other people. How to distribute resources (such as food, guns and ammo), sharing and the ability to resolve conflicts in the group. This includes clear communication between other members so you can warn others the presence of the undead shuffling nearby, or in case you're suddenly in trouble!
You know about zombies
You've done this before! Your characters have battled hundreds of zombies to keep them away from your flesh! You've learnt about the behaviour, the sounds they make and how they detect you. Best of all, you know how to defeat them, just cut the head off and the body will follow! This gives you an obvious advantage to those who know nothing about the undead.
Quick evaluation
As your characters frequently encounter novel situations, you're constantly having to think about what to do and what will happen if you do what you do. You're aware of the consequences afterwards without a personal cost (but an obvious cost to your character!). All these experiences will add to your wisdom, so the next time you encounter a situation with hundreds of zombies...you may know what to do.
This quick evaluation ability can be applied to evaluating yourself. You can quickly know your (and others) strengths and weaknesses so you can increase your chances of a successful outcome.
Combat
Maybe pushing a bit to a stretch but after watching numerous D&D films and Lord of the Rings you'll be indirectly learning how to use weapons. You may have role played some scenes which involved weapons, or performed actions with a wooden sword. In the UK a gun could be hard to come by so you'll most likely have to use a kitchen knife. You could even try and equip two if you play the role of a ranger! With the use of this knowledge you are able to combat one or two zombies. If you use miniatures in a D&D game you can quickly plan tactics with others by imagining the position of the miniatures on a board. You can draw on tactics that you used before in the games that were successful, thus saving time planning and increasing your chance of survival. This would be an obvious advantage.
Knowing where to look
With my group, I always ask the players where they are exactly looking in a room before doing a search roll to see if they find anything. Over time, they have learnt key areas to search in to find goodies. If your group does this, you would have learnt key areas to look for. This can be applied for real life, if you need to look for something you'll most likely know where to look. You'll save time and this means less chance of being attacked by a group of zombies!
What do you guys think? Any other qualities and abilities D&D players have that could help?
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Goodies and Gold Grabbers - When Players get greedy
This is something that happened to me quite recently. I'm designing adventures so that players each have a chance to get some gold and goodies and something special to hold on to. However, just recently I've had to change the way I distribute my treasure because of the behaviour of one player. I'm sure there are many other players out there like it.
The type I'm talking about are those players who grab all the treasure and gold they can. They are magnitised and their soul and body is drawn towards unopened treasure chests. They generally play the rogue so they are able to safely unlock and disarm traps. Room full of well armed goblins? Forget that, I'm going for the chest! It's even gone so far as the rogue finding something that another character would be able to use (such as a magial longsword) and selling it regardless of the players pleas and cries for the powerful weapon. It just got to stupid point and I needed to sort something out.
So I did something I never did before, incorporate the idea of a magic bad. This bag was unable to be tampered by the players and whenever a new piece of treasure was discovered, or gold, it would be magically transported to this bag at the end. The players were told what it was, then it was sent to the bag itself. At the end of the adventure or the session, I would then begin to distribute the contents of the bag evenly to all the players. Firstly, I would begin by declaring what were the useable contents of the bag (such as potions, weapons and scrolls). If a player argued over who should get it (aside from just wanting to sell it), they would have to roll for it. All the treasure that is left behind and unwanted is then sold. The gold is then distributed evenly to all players.
Yes it can abolish the idea of merit, about how players who do more should get rewarded more but I was desperate. The other 3 players were finding the game boring because they couldn't get their hands on anything. The rogue kicked up a fuss saying the lime light of the treasure finder was being taken away...however he was still finding the treasure but that treasure was being distributed evenly. He was still using his skills and abiities to find the treasure, I was just making sure they were working as a team.
Any DMs or players care to share their experiences? You think it was a good idea to introduce this magical treasure bag?
The type I'm talking about are those players who grab all the treasure and gold they can. They are magnitised and their soul and body is drawn towards unopened treasure chests. They generally play the rogue so they are able to safely unlock and disarm traps. Room full of well armed goblins? Forget that, I'm going for the chest! It's even gone so far as the rogue finding something that another character would be able to use (such as a magial longsword) and selling it regardless of the players pleas and cries for the powerful weapon. It just got to stupid point and I needed to sort something out.
So I did something I never did before, incorporate the idea of a magic bad. This bag was unable to be tampered by the players and whenever a new piece of treasure was discovered, or gold, it would be magically transported to this bag at the end. The players were told what it was, then it was sent to the bag itself. At the end of the adventure or the session, I would then begin to distribute the contents of the bag evenly to all the players. Firstly, I would begin by declaring what were the useable contents of the bag (such as potions, weapons and scrolls). If a player argued over who should get it (aside from just wanting to sell it), they would have to roll for it. All the treasure that is left behind and unwanted is then sold. The gold is then distributed evenly to all players.
Yes it can abolish the idea of merit, about how players who do more should get rewarded more but I was desperate. The other 3 players were finding the game boring because they couldn't get their hands on anything. The rogue kicked up a fuss saying the lime light of the treasure finder was being taken away...however he was still finding the treasure but that treasure was being distributed evenly. He was still using his skills and abiities to find the treasure, I was just making sure they were working as a team.
Any DMs or players care to share their experiences? You think it was a good idea to introduce this magical treasure bag?
Friday, 14 May 2010
Why do we play D&D? The psychology
As I'm finally finishing my three year degree in psychology, I decided to write a blog that integrate my two passions: psychology and dungeons & dragons. It feels strange to suddenly stop learning about psychology by my lectures or essays, so I should keep my psychological knowledge fresh by interpreting why people play D&D.
Have you ever thought about this question? Why do you play D&D? The most common answer would be "because I enjoy it". But lets stop and think for a minute (as psychologists do!) and imagine what Freud could say. Using psychosexual analysis he could suggest that we displace our hidden desires and wishes onto our characters. This could especially be true if you play your character as trying to hit/sleep with someone, as this is your primative instinct to mate and reproduce. He could also suggest that it's some form of escape, to get away from reality and enter a fantasy world because the mind becomes damaged.
Another area of psychology...behaviourism. Behaviourism suggests we have no mind, but we learn associations by the use of classical and operant conditioning. To put it simply, if we do something and get rewarded for doing it, we are more likely to do it again. For example, if you paint a picture for fun, and then get paid for it, you're more likely to paint another picture again in anticipation of getting rewarded. Applying this to D&D, behaviourists could suggest we find it rewarding. Whenever we perform actions in the game such as killing a monster, performing a quest or helping someone out we get rewarded for it, usually by experience points or money. We can use experience and money to develop our character, which becomes more powerful. These two areas (gaining money & experience and developing your character) is rewarding, and therefore you are more likely to do it again a.k.a. play the game again.
Humanistic psychologists may say that we play D&D so we can develop who we are. As we play different characters we can explore the different personalities that different people have. If we like certain aspects of the characters, we will apply it to the self (because the personality characteristic is believed to be benificial e.g. to be able to lie or bluff convincingly). As we apply more personality characteristics to ourself, we become a better person.
As a critical thinker, I like to put my spin on things and come up with my own theories! I think that the sorts of people who play the game are "powerless" and/or "vulnerable" and don't have a strong stand in society i.e. teenagers and maybe the unemployed. People do not like this feeling of being powerless and vulnerable so they create a character that slowly becomes powerful over time. They gain a sense of power as their character in game overcome obstacles such as defeating monsters and completing quests. If the character doesn't feel very strong or powerful, the player is likely to change their characters to something that they believe is more powerful. As the player enjoys this sensation of power and strength, they continue playing so they can keep gaining that sense of strength. I for one like to develop a character from the beginning and look forwards to unlocking the stronger spells, feats and abilities. Yes...my theory is quite controversial and there isn't any evidence, but it's all for the fun of psychology!
What do you guys think? Any thoughts about why you or other people play dungeons and dragons?
Have you ever thought about this question? Why do you play D&D? The most common answer would be "because I enjoy it". But lets stop and think for a minute (as psychologists do!) and imagine what Freud could say. Using psychosexual analysis he could suggest that we displace our hidden desires and wishes onto our characters. This could especially be true if you play your character as trying to hit/sleep with someone, as this is your primative instinct to mate and reproduce. He could also suggest that it's some form of escape, to get away from reality and enter a fantasy world because the mind becomes damaged.
Another area of psychology...behaviourism. Behaviourism suggests we have no mind, but we learn associations by the use of classical and operant conditioning. To put it simply, if we do something and get rewarded for doing it, we are more likely to do it again. For example, if you paint a picture for fun, and then get paid for it, you're more likely to paint another picture again in anticipation of getting rewarded. Applying this to D&D, behaviourists could suggest we find it rewarding. Whenever we perform actions in the game such as killing a monster, performing a quest or helping someone out we get rewarded for it, usually by experience points or money. We can use experience and money to develop our character, which becomes more powerful. These two areas (gaining money & experience and developing your character) is rewarding, and therefore you are more likely to do it again a.k.a. play the game again.
Humanistic psychologists may say that we play D&D so we can develop who we are. As we play different characters we can explore the different personalities that different people have. If we like certain aspects of the characters, we will apply it to the self (because the personality characteristic is believed to be benificial e.g. to be able to lie or bluff convincingly). As we apply more personality characteristics to ourself, we become a better person.
As a critical thinker, I like to put my spin on things and come up with my own theories! I think that the sorts of people who play the game are "powerless" and/or "vulnerable" and don't have a strong stand in society i.e. teenagers and maybe the unemployed. People do not like this feeling of being powerless and vulnerable so they create a character that slowly becomes powerful over time. They gain a sense of power as their character in game overcome obstacles such as defeating monsters and completing quests. If the character doesn't feel very strong or powerful, the player is likely to change their characters to something that they believe is more powerful. As the player enjoys this sensation of power and strength, they continue playing so they can keep gaining that sense of strength. I for one like to develop a character from the beginning and look forwards to unlocking the stronger spells, feats and abilities. Yes...my theory is quite controversial and there isn't any evidence, but it's all for the fun of psychology!
What do you guys think? Any thoughts about why you or other people play dungeons and dragons?
Thursday, 13 May 2010
5 steps to making a good role-playing character
You've just filled in your character sheet...and now possibly wandering how to make a good back ground for your character, never fear because I have 5 easy steps to make a great background for your character! So here it is:
Step one:
You may have already done this but you need to generate a name for your character. I can usually come up with fantasy names pretty quick however, if you lack a bit in the imagination department, try out Wizards of the Coast name generator, it provides a real name and some alternatives that your character could be known as by the commoners.
Step two:
You need to choose your alignment now. I would suggest being a similar alignment to your other characters in your parties so you can all get along. A chaotic good character would not get along with a lawful evil character in the same party! I wouldn't suggest choosing a random alignment either, as alignments influence how you role-play your character.
Step three:
Character physical traits. You need to think about how the character looks physically, firstly deal with height, weight, hair colour, eye colour, face shape, body shape (muscular/lean?) and then beards (if a male of course!). Now, add one or two physical attributes that will make your character even more unique, as a rule of thumb I have at least one unique trait on the face and maybe at least one unique body trait. Regards to the characters face, does he or she have a scar? A patch over one eye? Different coloured eyes? An ear missing? A tattoo on his face? A birth mark? Does he have a lisp when he talks? A high pitched voice? When thinking about the body, does the character have a missing limb? Does he walk in a funny way? Does he have a tattoo on his arm? A magical tattoo that glows? A missing finger? I'll let you decide that lot!
Step four:
Now you need to develop your character's personality. From your alignment that your character has, you can visit this page and choose traits that suit your character best. Once you've picked a few, if any at all, you need to think about other behavioural aspects of your character. Try to think about at least 2 to describe your character. For example, does your character have strange habits? Does he like/dislike particular creatures? Is he incredibly shy? Is he mute? Does he like to attempt to charm the ladies (halarious if you have low charisma!)? Is he fussy? Does he hate seeing blood? Is he focused on being clean all the time?
Step five:
The final step, and usually the biggest step. You need to write a background for your character. You can be as imaginative as possible but there are limits, such as it's not a good idea to say your human character was born on another planet...however you need to check with your DM to say if it's ok or not. The thing is, writing this part of your character won't be as bad as it seems, a good idea to start is to write a couple of sentences about how your character aquired their personal and physical attributes. Did you say your character was a ladies charmer? Maybe your father did it alot and you wanted to follow in his foot steps. Does your character have a fear of spiders? Maybe he had a giant spider try and attack him when he was younger.
You also need to think about your parents, they either are alive, or they died, or your character is unaware of their parents and were adopted. Regards to where your character grew up, the most popular choices would be either in a city or a country side, however you could have been brought up in a cave or in a tree.
I hope this helps to create some awesome characters out there! You think anything else needs to be added? Maybe you could add your own character stories here, or e-mail them to me and I'll choose the best one for next weeks blog!
begindnd@hotmail.co.uk
Step one:
You may have already done this but you need to generate a name for your character. I can usually come up with fantasy names pretty quick however, if you lack a bit in the imagination department, try out Wizards of the Coast name generator, it provides a real name and some alternatives that your character could be known as by the commoners.
Step two:
You need to choose your alignment now. I would suggest being a similar alignment to your other characters in your parties so you can all get along. A chaotic good character would not get along with a lawful evil character in the same party! I wouldn't suggest choosing a random alignment either, as alignments influence how you role-play your character.
Step three:
Character physical traits. You need to think about how the character looks physically, firstly deal with height, weight, hair colour, eye colour, face shape, body shape (muscular/lean?) and then beards (if a male of course!). Now, add one or two physical attributes that will make your character even more unique, as a rule of thumb I have at least one unique trait on the face and maybe at least one unique body trait. Regards to the characters face, does he or she have a scar? A patch over one eye? Different coloured eyes? An ear missing? A tattoo on his face? A birth mark? Does he have a lisp when he talks? A high pitched voice? When thinking about the body, does the character have a missing limb? Does he walk in a funny way? Does he have a tattoo on his arm? A magical tattoo that glows? A missing finger? I'll let you decide that lot!
Step four:
Now you need to develop your character's personality. From your alignment that your character has, you can visit this page and choose traits that suit your character best. Once you've picked a few, if any at all, you need to think about other behavioural aspects of your character. Try to think about at least 2 to describe your character. For example, does your character have strange habits? Does he like/dislike particular creatures? Is he incredibly shy? Is he mute? Does he like to attempt to charm the ladies (halarious if you have low charisma!)? Is he fussy? Does he hate seeing blood? Is he focused on being clean all the time?
Step five:
The final step, and usually the biggest step. You need to write a background for your character. You can be as imaginative as possible but there are limits, such as it's not a good idea to say your human character was born on another planet...however you need to check with your DM to say if it's ok or not. The thing is, writing this part of your character won't be as bad as it seems, a good idea to start is to write a couple of sentences about how your character aquired their personal and physical attributes. Did you say your character was a ladies charmer? Maybe your father did it alot and you wanted to follow in his foot steps. Does your character have a fear of spiders? Maybe he had a giant spider try and attack him when he was younger.
You also need to think about your parents, they either are alive, or they died, or your character is unaware of their parents and were adopted. Regards to where your character grew up, the most popular choices would be either in a city or a country side, however you could have been brought up in a cave or in a tree.
I hope this helps to create some awesome characters out there! You think anything else needs to be added? Maybe you could add your own character stories here, or e-mail them to me and I'll choose the best one for next weeks blog!
begindnd@hotmail.co.uk
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Playing with demons - How Dungeons and Dragons was seen as a sin
This was seen to be a big issue. Those geeks in the 1980s that were locked down in the basement with their 3 manuals battling goblins and finding treasure were seen as sinners. Why? Well before I explore that issue, I stumbled across a comic on the internet which I thought was first of all ment to be a comical one...it can be found here.
D&D was seen as evil and sinful because it was associated with witchcraft and occultism. They assume that players would attempt to cast real spells like they would with their character in the game. Or the player could join a cult in real life after being influenced by the game. The figurines and the stories apparently are associated with evil, they represent evil and the bible teaches to keep away from all evils. The manuals apparently contain "authentic magical rituals" which could be re-enacted in real life and associated with Satan (the devil). The game blurs the boundaries about what is right or wrong, as alot of a character's actions in D&D are usually justified somehow but not seen as right and wrong completely. Also, the fact that a character can choose to follow several deities at once shudders the foundations of Christianity -- They believe an individual most follow one God.
But what are the effects of playing such an evil game?
Individuals have apparently performed rituals or acted out fantasy moments in the game by sacrificing their own friends. The game enables demons to possess an individual and to do bad things. The demon tricks them and enters thoughts in their minds to do these things. The website mainly reports people who were in their teens who have performed such terrible deeds. The most interesting one to me that was reported was how an 18-year-old girl was murdered by two friends that she played D&D with frequently. The killers were also heavily into D & D. The victim was bound and gagged and died by strangulation. It sends shivers down my spine as it reminds me of the cruelty of human nature. The game desentises indiviuals which enables to perform such cruel deeds coldly without thought.
Maybe D&D is evil...I have to admit I've only played 3.5 and a bit of 4th and 3rd edition but were the first few issues of D&D very demonic and voilent? Did they involve alot of demons? Rituals? Killings? You think that maybe D&D has toned down alot over the issues published?
I can understand how people can be worried about the effects of D&D on their children and themselves, it does, at it's core (aside from role-playing) involve alot of combat and killing. The most creative DMs have the ability to creatively guide the players on very disturbing stories. Even if the Christian view (well...the hardcore Christians) that D&D is evil and you don't believe it, don't you think that's telling us something?
D&D was seen as evil and sinful because it was associated with witchcraft and occultism. They assume that players would attempt to cast real spells like they would with their character in the game. Or the player could join a cult in real life after being influenced by the game. The figurines and the stories apparently are associated with evil, they represent evil and the bible teaches to keep away from all evils. The manuals apparently contain "authentic magical rituals" which could be re-enacted in real life and associated with Satan (the devil). The game blurs the boundaries about what is right or wrong, as alot of a character's actions in D&D are usually justified somehow but not seen as right and wrong completely. Also, the fact that a character can choose to follow several deities at once shudders the foundations of Christianity -- They believe an individual most follow one God.
But what are the effects of playing such an evil game?
Individuals have apparently performed rituals or acted out fantasy moments in the game by sacrificing their own friends. The game enables demons to possess an individual and to do bad things. The demon tricks them and enters thoughts in their minds to do these things. The website mainly reports people who were in their teens who have performed such terrible deeds. The most interesting one to me that was reported was how an 18-year-old girl was murdered by two friends that she played D&D with frequently. The killers were also heavily into D & D. The victim was bound and gagged and died by strangulation. It sends shivers down my spine as it reminds me of the cruelty of human nature. The game desentises indiviuals which enables to perform such cruel deeds coldly without thought.
Maybe D&D is evil...I have to admit I've only played 3.5 and a bit of 4th and 3rd edition but were the first few issues of D&D very demonic and voilent? Did they involve alot of demons? Rituals? Killings? You think that maybe D&D has toned down alot over the issues published?
I can understand how people can be worried about the effects of D&D on their children and themselves, it does, at it's core (aside from role-playing) involve alot of combat and killing. The most creative DMs have the ability to creatively guide the players on very disturbing stories. Even if the Christian view (well...the hardcore Christians) that D&D is evil and you don't believe it, don't you think that's telling us something?
Friday, 7 May 2010
Microsoft Surface - Dungeons and Dragons
I just recently stumbled across this video.
How cool does this look! Imagine how interactive games would be...no need for boards, but apparently you still need the miniatures. It would probably take less time for the DM to prepare as he can drag elements into the game quickly and easily. It's like a giant iPhone with a stupidly big application. I like it, but I think I would probably spill my drink all over it to be honest...
It would probably bring the younger generation in but maybe scare away the older audiences to have such an intimidating piece of machinery, it looks huge and you can't really shift it a couple of inches like you can the TV when it has a massive sun glare on it.
However, it looks fun, poking a screen instead of poking a keyboard seems the way forward. Also, if you have a couple of thousands lying around, over £8,000, then you might as well give it a try. Are you suprised it's from Micro$oft? The money grabbers?
How cool does this look! Imagine how interactive games would be...no need for boards, but apparently you still need the miniatures. It would probably take less time for the DM to prepare as he can drag elements into the game quickly and easily. It's like a giant iPhone with a stupidly big application. I like it, but I think I would probably spill my drink all over it to be honest...
It would probably bring the younger generation in but maybe scare away the older audiences to have such an intimidating piece of machinery, it looks huge and you can't really shift it a couple of inches like you can the TV when it has a massive sun glare on it.
However, it looks fun, poking a screen instead of poking a keyboard seems the way forward. Also, if you have a couple of thousands lying around, over £8,000, then you might as well give it a try. Are you suprised it's from Micro$oft? The money grabbers?
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Miniatures, are they really worth it?
Ever considered this question? Are miniatures really worth it? What about the paper ones, can they pull off the same magical effect of telling a story? What about using the imagination?
Miniatures, you know, the plastic figurines that can be plonked on the board anywhere. The hero figure which looks like it's face has been sat on by an ogre, or that really cool red dragon that takes up an epic 2x2 tile space only to be taken by your younger sister to be involved in a carefree tea party, where teddy bears have ears missing. Speaking to my group they say it enhances their experience, they enjoy it more and provides clarity of what's happening. That's an almost indirect way of saying...yeah I have no imagination...sorry DM! They are nice to look at and they do add a nice touch to your Dungeons and Dragon's game but it does add the cost up a bit...lets say I've spent over £50 on figurines so far *bites tounge* eeep! There's also the annoying case that you want to get something to represent a hill giant...only to find that a small gnome figurine (well I think it was) does the trick!
Then there's the paper version...or cardboard...you just have cut outs of the characters and monsters and you can just whack them on the board. It's basically a 2d version of the 3d figurines explained above a.k.a. crappier (Well depending on your drawing skills, and it would be funny to have a Mona Lisa floating around the board). If you don't have the right one, you can easily quickly create one within minutes and add it to your collection. Obviously a cheaper option compared to above.
Finally...there are those hardcore players. Yeah, the lets-use-our-imagination group who use more brain power and get their creative juices following to keep up with the plot. Combat can be a bit complicated...From my experience the combat was random, the monsters kept changing targets every round and I wasn't allowed to flank (Well, suppose that's a good thing, considering I was playing a wizard). However, visualising what was going seemed more magical then just staring at some blobs of plastic on a board. This seems to be the cheapest and quickest method for setting a story.
So, what do you guys think? Are figurines worth it? Should people be more imaginative with their games? Are they fun to use? Leave a comment below!
Miniatures, you know, the plastic figurines that can be plonked on the board anywhere. The hero figure which looks like it's face has been sat on by an ogre, or that really cool red dragon that takes up an epic 2x2 tile space only to be taken by your younger sister to be involved in a carefree tea party, where teddy bears have ears missing. Speaking to my group they say it enhances their experience, they enjoy it more and provides clarity of what's happening. That's an almost indirect way of saying...yeah I have no imagination...sorry DM! They are nice to look at and they do add a nice touch to your Dungeons and Dragon's game but it does add the cost up a bit...lets say I've spent over £50 on figurines so far *bites tounge* eeep! There's also the annoying case that you want to get something to represent a hill giant...only to find that a small gnome figurine (well I think it was) does the trick!
Then there's the paper version...or cardboard...you just have cut outs of the characters and monsters and you can just whack them on the board. It's basically a 2d version of the 3d figurines explained above a.k.a. crappier (Well depending on your drawing skills, and it would be funny to have a Mona Lisa floating around the board). If you don't have the right one, you can easily quickly create one within minutes and add it to your collection. Obviously a cheaper option compared to above.
Finally...there are those hardcore players. Yeah, the lets-use-our-imagination group who use more brain power and get their creative juices following to keep up with the plot. Combat can be a bit complicated...From my experience the combat was random, the monsters kept changing targets every round and I wasn't allowed to flank (Well, suppose that's a good thing, considering I was playing a wizard). However, visualising what was going seemed more magical then just staring at some blobs of plastic on a board. This seems to be the cheapest and quickest method for setting a story.
So, what do you guys think? Are figurines worth it? Should people be more imaginative with their games? Are they fun to use? Leave a comment below!
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