But why would a DM use such as tactic in the first place?  Well, it definitely helps with trying to get players to follow a particular path.  However, there are players who aren’t particularly fond of railroading.  So while your story may progress the way you want it to, some players are going to feel like they’re just there for the ride, rather than taking a more active role in your adventure.

When using impossible to beat creatures, spells, or other challenges, you’re completely undermining a player’s sense of accomplishment.  A player may have made his or her character in such a way as to be able to resist certain affects.  However, if a player rolls a natural 20 and adds a very high modifier to it and still fails to resist the effect, it really puts a damper on the player’s mood and sense of fun.

I have actually experienced this myself recently, playing in a small campaign with my first ever dwarf character (D&D 3.5).  With a high constitution, high base fortitude modifier, and the dwarf’s natural resistance to magic, he’d be able to shrug off even difficult spells that would effect a character’s fortitude.  However, the Dungeon Master didn’t want anyone to be able to resist a particular spell that she made up, and as such it kinda ticked me off a bit.  Thankfully, the dwarf was able to start resisting it like he should on a high roll, and in my opinion the adventure got a bit more interesting.

However, there’s still that matter of that poison…

I Need a Job
I apologize for my silence since my last post.  I’ve been struggling to find a job, with very little success.  Along with that, I’ve been busy with things related to TeamBöNK as well, which includes a very challenging match tonight at 8:00pm against The Experiment.

Needless to say, I’ve been very stressed and frustrated.  And I’m sorry for not having written anything in a while.

Overall, his opinions on it aren’t all that great, and they reflect the opinions of a lot of D&D veterans.  And admittedly, from what I’ve read thus far with my copy of the core books, I have to agree with Desslock.

I’m not going to go into too much detail on Desslock’s opinion on D&D 4th Edition, since I don’t want to run into any potential copyright issues.  So go over to your favorite bookstore or newsstand and pick up the latest PC Gamer (it has Fallout 3 pasted on the front cover )!

However, given what I have read so far, I do have a few thoughts concerning 4th Edition.

1. There’s not much to customizing your character’s class.  Once you choose your class, you’re pretty much stuck with a set amount of things you can do.  The biggest problem I’ve noticed is with the fighter.  About every single fighter power depends on a melee weapon.  What ever happened to creating a ranged fighter?
2. Is it feasible anymore to make a dexterity-based ranger that uses two weapons with weapon finesse?  I’ll admit that I haven’t read the feats chapter yet, but given that the powers for rangers who specialize in 2 weapon fighting are dependent on strength, it seems that dexterity melee fighters aren’t all that feasible.
3. Whatever happened to being able to change up your spell list for the in game day?  Not only were wizards able to do this in previous editions, but also clerics, druids, rangers, and paladins.  The only ones who really couldn’t (of the core classes at least) were the sorcerers.  In 4th edition, every spell casting class is limited by the number of powers known, instead of classes like sorcerer.  Furthermore, all spell casting classes are limited to using more powerful spells once per encounter, or even once per day.  Whatever happened to memorizing fireball for multiple uses?!  (However, I have yet to reach rituals, so I don’t know how those go exactly yet.)

Those are so far my thoughts I’ve collected from my own reading of the new ruleset.  I’ve gotten some thoughts and opinions from you guys in comments on previous posts on 4th Edition.  Has anything new come up for you all since then?

[By the way, yes, I'm a day late for this post.  I've been particularly busy lately, from looking for jobs to managing some clan related things for TeamBöNK.  Sorry. ]

Also, for the Dungeon Master, while keeping all the characters in a single group may be a bit easier to manage, it can eventually get a little stale, especially if they’ve been trudging through one dungeon for a very long time.

One tactic I’ve been seeing used very well has been to allow players start their characters off in different places in your campaign world.  By doing this, you allow those characters to have a bit more realistic of a start.  Not only that, but now you essentially have to juggle between different adventures, since characters are now running around without being together.

While this may initially be a bit difficult to manage, it may actually make things easier for you, as the Dungeon Master, to handle.  The one Dungeon Master I’ve been playing with recently has actually told me that it’s easier on him because it brings up a fresh plate for him every time he switches to the next adventuring group.  It’s probably this freshness that helps him come up with new ideas on the fly, since I seem to have this habit of walking or running away from his adventure hooks.

However, multi-party adventuring isn’t just for the DM.  Even though players may be adventuring in different parts of the campaign world, they can still listen to the stories of the other other characters when the turn passes to the other players.

To give you all an example, my character in the most recent campaign I’m playing in started off in the city of Sharn in the Eberron setting.  Meanwhile, another character started in Flamekeep in Thrane, and yet another in Karrlakton in Karnath.

While my character was going around in Sharn stealing stuff, and then fleeing the city to get away from the guard, the character in Thrane was getting conscripted into the army and being sent to invade Karnath.  While all that was happening, the third character was in the middle of the city that was being demolished by an airship battle overhead.

I’ll leave you all to use your imaginations to see how well this can go.  But I hope you can see how awesome doing this can be!

Maybe it’s time for you to get outside then!

Even better, get on a plane and go somewhere new!

Checking Out the Cities
If you’re playing in a classic medieval-style setting, you’re going to want to know how the cities are likely to be built.  They’re definitely not going to be like newer cities, such as Los Angeles or Las Vegas.  Likely, you’re going to find something more appropriate in a city like Boston.  But that’s just in the United States.

If you want to get a more authentic feel of a medieval city, you’ll probably want to try travelling to Europe.  I’m sure London would give you a very good idea of how cities of old were laid out.  Same thing with Rome.  And if there’s a certain medieval style you’re looking for, check out other cities in Europe.  I’m sure Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, and various other cities (even ones that are not capitols) will give you the best ideas you can work with for your D&D campaign.

Of course, D&D is more than just the big cities.  Your players’ characters are bound to end up on smaller towns, and even villages.  So while you’re out travelling, it’ll probably be worth your time to check out those smaller, out of the way areas.

Checking Out Nature
Just as D&D isn’t all about the big cities, it isn’t all about civilization too.  Player characters are bound to be traveling through forests, deserts, and mountains all over the place.  So you can go camping, hiking, or driving around in those same places.  Check out northern California and/or Oregon.  Or you can go to New England, which is loaded with vibrant green forests.

On the other hand, you can drive through areas like Death Valley to get a good feel for what a desert is like.  And if you’re daring, fly over to Africa and check out the Sahara.  Or hang out in one of the middle eastern nations, though I wouldn’t recommend it with the mess over there right now.

As for the mountains, I’d say pick your favorite moutain range and go hiking.  Though, depending on the kind of mountain region you want to do, it could be a different experience.  The White Mountains in New Hampshire are bound to be a different experience compared to mountains that are found in Arizona.

Broaden Your Horizons
While most of my examples are limited to the United States, I am fully aware that there are many other places throughout the world that would be great places to travel to for inspiration for your D&D campaign.  If you’re able to, or if you live outside the U.S., I highly recommend traveling to the various cities, towns, forests, deserts, and mountains on this Earth.  Or even go sailing across the oceans, if you’re planning on having considerable sea-bound adventures for your players.

Though, just the Dungeon Master going on such trips is one thing.  The Dungeon Master bringing all the players along as well can go to great lengths to enhancing immersion for everyone!

Of course, this may depend on your budget, as well as the budget of your players.  But if you do have a chance to travel around, then it’s very well worth it!

I’ve disabled WordPress.com Stats on this site for the time being, but I’ll be leaving Google Analytics up.  If you’re using Firefox 3, make sure to get the NoScript plugin.  Then just make sure that you don’t allow Google Analytics to run Javascript.

If you’re already using NoScript and have allowed Google Analytics to run Javascript (as I have done myself), you’ll need to remove it from your list of allowed sites.  You can do this easily by going to Options for NoScript, and finding google-analytics.com.  Once you’ve removed it, you’ll hopefully crash a bit less.

Unfortunately, since the use of Javascript is pretty wide-spread, particularly the use of Javascript used by certain companies, there’s no guarantee that this will stop all the Firefox 3 crashes.  It’s really up to the developers to fix this problems.

Now, with that out of the way, you may be wondering where I was Monday…

Traveling – It Can Be Inspiring
I’ve actually been in New England visiting my family.  And though I had in mind to write a post while I was there, I was simply too busy, as we were going to all sorts of places.  However, my time spent in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts did get my mind boiling with some interesting ideas that can help out Dungeon Masters.  New ideas always helps, and new ways to get ideas can help even more.

So expect a post soon, on Monday, about getting some ideas from the world!

Sorry for the delay in today’s post everyone.

Anyhow, I have had the chance to pick up the core books of 4th Edition last week. I’ll admit, the cover art is pretty. I guess that’s something Wizards of the Coast will generally get right.

As for the actual game system…
Wow, it’s really different. When creating a character, you basically get NO penalties to anything unless you rolled a low ability score. So no penalties on ability scores or anything because of a race or class you choose. While it may make it easier to bring new people into the fold, I think it may make things a bit more unbalanced.

But then, as far as balancing goes, it seems that every single race is over-powered. Everyone gets a +2 bonus to two ability scores except for humans, who get to choose one ability score that gets the +2 bonus.

So far, it seems like 4th Edition may be a power-gamer’s paradise. And I’m not fond of power-gamers at all. So it appears that it may be more difficult to create encounters that are actually challenging, aside from just throwing more monsters and etc. at the players.

Some of you may have noticed a conversation I’ve been having with LokyCat in the comments of the List of Reviews for 4th Edition. It seems like he’s been trying to get into and even like 4th Edition, but it’s just too foreign compared to what 3rd Edition was. Feel free to click the link to head over to the post, and scroll down to the comments to read his full thoughts on the matter.

Anyways, I’m sorry again for not getting a post up sooner today. I guess with so much happening at once time just kind of flew right on by.

Admittedly, I haven’t been out to grab the core rulebooks yet myself. When I finally do, I’ll be sure to read them and run a quick game so I can give you all my own opinions about it. But until then, I figure I’ll share some opinions I’ve found around the net.

First off, there’s the general information about 4th Edition to be found on EN World. If you’re just looking for more generic information, I think you can find what you need there.

But of course, I’m sure you want actual reviews! There seems to be a mix of positive and negative reviews, which is interesting. So here are a few to tickle your curiosity:

• AICN World Exclusive: Massawyrm Has Played Dungeons And Dragons 4th Edition!!
• New D&D Rolls a 20 for Playability
• D&D 4th Edition Experience
• 4th edition D&D – a review
• 4E Test Drive (And some comments on Paizo’s forums!)
• Review: D&D 4th Edition

From the looks of it, beginners love 4th Edition because of how much easier it is. However, veterans seem to have a dislike for it, though they can see how it can be good because of how easy it can be to learn.

However, I think the buck may stop at the newly launched Gnome Stew, headed by Martin Ralya of Treasure Tables fame!

• A GM’s First Impressions of D&D 4e: Looks Like Fun
• D&D 4e: Answers to Gnome Stew Readers’ Questions

With the kind of authority that I would consider Martin Ralya to have, I would put some heavy weight on his opinion. Perhaps 4th Edition isn’t quite like the D&D of old, but if it’s a lot of fun for everyone involved and it encourages more roleplaying than fiddling with rules, then I’m all for it.

Though 4th Edition is brand-spanking new, I still think that 3.5 is still going to be relevant for quite some time. I’ve noticed in one of the reviews that Paizo is still creating material for 3.5, and even expanding on it (I’ve found one comment calling it more like 3.75 Edition).

Overall, it seems like a manner of taste. if you’re a glutton for rules, I’d say stick with 3.5. But if you prefer ease of play, and being able to get newcomers into it quickly, easily, and have fun, 4th Edition may be the better way to go.

Interestingly enough, the original release schedule that Wizard’s had planned to do involved releasing the Player’s Handbook in May, the Monster Manual in June (this month), and the Dungeon Master’s Guide in July. However, it seems that somewhere along the line Wizards of the Coast changed their mind, and are now releasing all three books tomorrow! (This is at least according to Amazon.com)

There are a slew of supplements already planned for release though, such as the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide which is slated for a September release. And for you collectors, deluxe editions of 4th edition books will be available in late October.

So tomorrow, go out and get your 4th Edition books and get reading! Then if there’s a Game Day location nearby, go give them a visit and have fun!

If you haven’t read them yet, you should read Beginner’s Guide Part 1 and Beginner’s Guide Part 2. Also, you’ll only need to read part 3 if you’ve created a character that uses magic. If you’re a fighter, barbarian, monk, or rogue then you can probably safely ignore this article. However, even if your character doesn’t inherently use magic, this part of the guide can still be of some help to you.

Kinds of Magic
First of all, you’ll need to know that there are two different kinds of magic in D&D. First, there’s Divine Magic, which is usually derived from some sort of spiritual source. The other is Arcane Magic, which is derived from the caster or general ether.

One of the greatest benefits to Divine Magic is that there’s no penalty to casting it if you’re wearing any kind of armor. Since it’s being provided by some external source, there’s no need to go through precise motions to make it work. However, you may be a bit limited in what you can cast as a Divine Spell caster.

Arcane Magic offers a wide variety of spells that your character can use. However, these spells are going to require very precise motions or incantations to work. Because of this, if your arcane caster happens to be wearing any kind of armor, spells will have a chance to fizzle out. This is because armor will interfere with the spell-casting process.

How Much Is Enough?
Second, each spell-casting class can only cast so many spells each day. You can find Spells Per Day as part of the table that shows the stats for each level of your chosen class. You’ll notice that Spells Per Day is separated out by spell level. So at a given class level, your character will be able to cast spells of a certain level so many times per day.

However, in addition to the numbers given, you may be able to cast a few extra spells, depending on how high you spell casting ability score is. You can find out what ability score determines you casting ability by looking in the Abilities section of Game Rule Information for your class. Once you know which score it is, refer to Table 1-1 on page 8 of your Player’s Handbook. You’ll notice that the table includes Bonus Spells by Spell Level. Just match up the appropriate ability score on the left, and then follow along the row for each spell level.

However, you only get those bonus spells of a given level if the entry in Spells Per Day is at least zero. If it’s just a dash (-), then you can’t get those bonus spells yet.

Limited Knowledge
While every spell-casting class has a limit on how many spells they can cast in a day, some classes are also limited to the number of spells they can know! The bard and sorcerer classes are the two you’ll find in the Player’s Handbook that have this kind of limitation. In the class description, you’ll find a table titled Spells Known for your particular class. This can put a significant limit on your flexibility with casting, depending on the kind of character you’re trying to create.

Though while most spell-casting classes don’t have the limit that bards and sorcerers have, they too may also be limited. In Chapter 11 of the Player’s Handbook, you’ll find lists of spells for each spell-casting class. Those spells that are listed are the only ones available to be learned by your character as long as s/he is of that class. However, these lists coincide with the kind of magic that you would expect to be cast by a character of that class.

A unique limit I’d like to bring some attention to is with the Cleric. All clerics have a single domain spell slot available at each spell level. As mentioned in the Player’s Handbook, a Cleric can choose 2 domains. In chapter 11, you’ll find lists of spells for each domain that’s available based on the deities provided. However, each level on the list has only 1 spell.

The domain spell slot on a cleric can only be used to hold a spell that’s on one of your character’s two domain lists, and only of the specified level (or lower).

Simpler Spells Come Easily
Finally, you should know that you do not have to place a spell of a certain level into a matching level spell slot. You can actually fill in that higher level spell slot with a spell that’s lower level, if you wish. Basically, the level of a spell slot you have is really the maximum level of a spell you can put in there for the day.

So say you have 3 level 1 spell slots, and 2 level 2 spell slots. If you don’t like any of the level 2 spells you have so far, or just have only use for casting a single level 2 spell once, you can use the level 2 slots(s) to store your favorite level 1 spells instead. At least in this way, you can have much more flexibility with your spells. However, being able to cast lower level spells more often means sacrificing on casting more powerful spells. But sometimes this can be more of a blessing than a curse.

The Magic Is Done!
This pretty much concludes how to create a D&D character, even one that uses magic. I hope this 3-part series helped you or a friend create a D&D character! Now it’s time to head out and do some adventuring!

However, if anything was left unclear for you, please feel free to ask any questions. You can ask them in a comment in this post, or you can contact me via the Contact link at the top.