I'm not a big fan of the "edge case" spells in the D&D games.
Jump is the perfect example - sure, it's awfully handy to get a +20 bonus to your Jump skill (the fact that it's a skill is also something I'll talk about at some point...), but exactly how often is it going to be a big deal? I have to spend a spell slot on this, when I could take Feather Fall, Tenser's Floating Disk, or Disguise Self? Never mind the more broken 1st-level spells (Sleep, Colour Spray, and Ray of Enfeeblement, I'm looking at you). Gods, with Animate Rope, I could most likely get wherever it was I was wanting to get by Jumping, and still have more control and utility!
Another one I remembered off the top of my head was Fist of Stone (?) from the Spell Compendium. Your hand turns to stone. You gain a slam attack (pretty meh for a non-physical Wizard) and a bonus to breaking objects. How often is that going to be a big issue? Either blow the object apart with a Magic Missile/Fireball etc, or get the Fighter to do it. Kinda rubbish.
There's a bit of me that wants to rub these spells out, and replace them with a more "generic" spell, that gives a bonus to physical skill checks (say +10), which you can fluff any way you want. Means it will be more valuable, more flexible, and way cooler if the player gets to describe how the spell helps him to what he wants to do. Grants him a boost of momentum for Jumping, maybe a burst of eldritch speed for an Athletics test, etc.
It also compounds one of the problems with Wizards in 3.5 - what can the Fighter do? He needs to break something down, but isn't strong enough? Tough shit. Unless there's a handy Wizard about...
Fighters are self-made men. They don't need fancy magic to get shit done. Or they shouldn't, at any rate.
Mind you, there's a bit of me that wants to scrub the Wizard spell list and take a bash at making my own...
Maybe when I have time!
Monday, 7 May 2012
Sunday, 6 May 2012
I is for Intelligence
... and why I think you shouldn't play a character with a higher Intelligence score than you might have.
Many systems have ways of representing a character's intelligence - normally wrapping up things like spatial reasoning, "IQ", and capacity to learn as well. Some systems split these up a bit (like the dreaded GURPS), but for the most part, you can instantly see how "smart" someone is by the number on their sheet.
It's an abstraction we have all come to terms with - even if it doesn't ring true. Look at babies - their ability to learn is ridiculous, picking up things like languages in a few short years that might take an adult a decade. But are they smart? No. Babies are pretty dumb. They have low Intelligence scores, despite their ability to learn at a phenomenal rate.
By the same token, I know people with a massive amount of retention - they can list off obscure facts and figures about their preferred subject, or do gaming-related maths at speeds that make my head hurt. But they have far less in the way of capability to learn and general IQ than such feats would suggest.
Playing a character with superhuman intelligence is hard - as you as a player will make mistakes that they simply wouldn't. Connections that seem obscure and byzantine to you would be a mild strain to such a character - puzzles are simply not, as their brains can piece together the parts in no time at all.
In fiction, it's a mixed bag - I've seen the World's Greatest Minds make amateur mistakes, and fall into a villain's trap with little effort;
"Well, I can calculate Pi to 80,000 places, and recite it in eighteen languages. What's that, supervillain? You have a surprise for me? Boy, I love surprises! What do you mean it's not a puppy? Oh, it's a cage made of my only weakness - now where's my puppy!?"
...yeah.
It's like super-speedsters who use their superspeed to disassemble, fix, and reassemble a car in seconds - but still punch at the same speed as a regular guy (and not at near-light speed). Well, I guess that one's because few superheroes want to vaporise every villain before they've had a chance to get a good monologue off, but you know what I mean.
By the same token, every time I see someone playing (for example) a Wizard, their Intelligence is at or near the 18 mark - baseline human maximum. As in, the smartest 5% of the population fall here. Of course, this is barring edge cases like Stephen Hawking (the man has a Headband of Vast Intellect stashed somewhere in that chair...), but really - gamers are, on average, more intelligent that the average man, but that much more intelligent? I'm not sure.
It just kinda annoys me. Especially when players use the dreaded argument - "But my character wouldn't fall or that, he has such a high Intelligence score!" For me, it breaks the illusion somewhat - but at the same time, it's a game. I really should stop taking myself so damn seriously...
Many systems have ways of representing a character's intelligence - normally wrapping up things like spatial reasoning, "IQ", and capacity to learn as well. Some systems split these up a bit (like the dreaded GURPS), but for the most part, you can instantly see how "smart" someone is by the number on their sheet.
It's an abstraction we have all come to terms with - even if it doesn't ring true. Look at babies - their ability to learn is ridiculous, picking up things like languages in a few short years that might take an adult a decade. But are they smart? No. Babies are pretty dumb. They have low Intelligence scores, despite their ability to learn at a phenomenal rate.
By the same token, I know people with a massive amount of retention - they can list off obscure facts and figures about their preferred subject, or do gaming-related maths at speeds that make my head hurt. But they have far less in the way of capability to learn and general IQ than such feats would suggest.
Playing a character with superhuman intelligence is hard - as you as a player will make mistakes that they simply wouldn't. Connections that seem obscure and byzantine to you would be a mild strain to such a character - puzzles are simply not, as their brains can piece together the parts in no time at all.
In fiction, it's a mixed bag - I've seen the World's Greatest Minds make amateur mistakes, and fall into a villain's trap with little effort;
"Well, I can calculate Pi to 80,000 places, and recite it in eighteen languages. What's that, supervillain? You have a surprise for me? Boy, I love surprises! What do you mean it's not a puppy? Oh, it's a cage made of my only weakness - now where's my puppy!?"
...yeah.
It's like super-speedsters who use their superspeed to disassemble, fix, and reassemble a car in seconds - but still punch at the same speed as a regular guy (and not at near-light speed). Well, I guess that one's because few superheroes want to vaporise every villain before they've had a chance to get a good monologue off, but you know what I mean.
By the same token, every time I see someone playing (for example) a Wizard, their Intelligence is at or near the 18 mark - baseline human maximum. As in, the smartest 5% of the population fall here. Of course, this is barring edge cases like Stephen Hawking (the man has a Headband of Vast Intellect stashed somewhere in that chair...), but really - gamers are, on average, more intelligent that the average man, but that much more intelligent? I'm not sure.
It just kinda annoys me. Especially when players use the dreaded argument - "But my character wouldn't fall or that, he has such a high Intelligence score!" For me, it breaks the illusion somewhat - but at the same time, it's a game. I really should stop taking myself so damn seriously...
Thursday, 3 May 2012
H is for Hardcore
As in, the classic "Meat Grinder" style of D&D - Tomb of Horrors being the ur-example. Your characters are expected to die, horribly, frequently, and entertainingly.
I find it makes it hard to actually care about your character - after all, they will die, maybe not in the fights with Kobolds and Goblins, but certainly when the touch a doorknob only to find out it's a miniaturised Sphere of Annihilation, or when they fight the Tarrasque at 5th-level. You'll have a backup folio of characters to choose from (though, in true Gygaxian style, you should roll to see which you'll play next!), none of whom are too fleshed out (after all, if Hollywood taught us anyhting, it's always the guy who's three days from retirement who gets shot first).
It's certainly an entertaining concept - surviving purely by wits, luck, and out-of-character knowledge - but it strikes me as a little bit too gamey for my tastes. Like, it's not a test of your character - it's a test of your system-fu, and how well you remember the previous traps you fell to. It's less a story, and far more like a boardgame - which is fine, in its place.
In fact, I have a feeling that I could have a lot fo fun puzzling my way through a Hardcore Dungeon Crawl, should I get myself into the mindset before it. But it's not something I would want to run - not right now, at least.
Maybe when the irst o the Delraith players get to a Dragon's Lair, however...
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
G is for Gnomes
A much maligned race, Gnomes have a somewhat checkered history throughout the history of gaming.
Mythologically speaking, Gnomes are meant to be small, mischevious creatures - redcaps, brownies, sprites, that kind of thing. Little trickster spirits (or fairies) who lurked in the woods and either lured unsuspecting travellers to their doom, or otherwise hinder people unless placated with gifts and offerings.
"Classic" D&D made them similar to Dwarves - sturdy little buggers, who were miners by trade (most likely a nod to the original Kobolds - spirits of mines and caves). They were naturally talented with magic - again, a nod to their Fae origins. Due to their interations with other minings monsters (like Kobolds), they also gain a bonus when fighting them - leading to a great rivalry between Gnomes and Kobolds (apparently kick-started when the Gnomish God was a total prick to the Kobold God).
One of the defining representations of Gnomes was in the Dragonlance setting, with its Tinker Gnomes - obsessed with mechanical contraptions, a little bit crazy, and fairly annoying. This led to a surge in the amount of "crazy" Gnomes seen in games - annoying little pests, who played tricks on other party members and generally caused trouble with their "loveable" antics. Strangely, while a much-hated representation, it's pretty close to the myth!
I find that their amin problem is that they step on the toes of three of the Big Races - Dwarves, Halflings and Elves. Dwarves, because they live in/on/under mountains, and are fans of mining and smithing; Elves, due to their love of the arts and finer things, and their natural aptitude for magic; and Halflings, because of their fun-loving personality and general "sneakiness" that comes with being Small. They just don't have the deoth to really step out of the shadow of the Big Three of D&D.
For Delraith, I might take a leaf out of 4th Editions book - they're not really a player race. They are essentially servitors to the Elves, Fae creatures either created or charmed into their service. They are naturally talented with magic (as are the Elves), though more with minor trickery and practical things - not the powerful, almost technological magic of other Races. They may act as spies, go-betweens with other races, servants, jesters, or any other function their Lord may desire. They are rarely spotted outside of Elf-held territories, and are considered legendary (or just dishevelled-looking Halflings).
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
F is for Faith
Pardon the delay there, had a well-needed lazy weekend...
Religion is always a sensitive subject in real life. It has caused arguments, wars, and all manner of other bullshit.
In fantasy gaming, however, it's normally fairly simple. You pick a God, one of many, and you worship them. If you worship them really hard, they give you magical powers. Sometimes they're Good, sometimes they're Evil (and Lawful, and Chaotic, or Neutral) but it's generally similar packages, with maybe a little bit of flavour (followers of this God are kind, followers of this Goddess seek justice at all costs, followers of this God eat nothing but babies, etc).
Weirdly, despite the fact that Gods are known to exist (and much proof of this can be found), people stick to worshipping one God - there are no Priests of entire Pantheons, and there are temples dedicated to each God, but not a lot of polytheism in an ostensibly polytheistic world.
Weirder still are those (specifically in D&D, though it crops up elsewhere) who worship certain ideas - like Justice, or Law, or Fire. These self-made Clerics fuel their abilities to channel the Divine with their own belief, casting a lot of strange questions onto the Gods and aspersions onto their nature as divine beings.
I always find creating a pantheon of Gods for a new setting to be one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things one can do. There are a few standard Gods that most settings include (such as racial Gods for the many non-human sentients, though rarely a God of Humans; gods of Death, War, occasionally the Elements, etc) and a few stranger ones (Vecna being a favourite of mine - Magic and Secrets, what a combo!). Many take inspiration, or are directly lifted, from real-world religious beliefs (like D&D co-opting the Norse Pantheon for many settings), and still some are their own creation (literally, in the case of Vecna - he achieved Godhood through a very convoluted scheme, published as Die, Vecna, Die! - the last official 2e adventure, and is the semi-official reason for the change from 2nd Edition AD&D to 3rd Edition. He won godhood so hard he broke the universe).
Planescape, with its overarching theme that belief shapes reality, poses that all Gods exist, even as the slightest changes on belief spawning new Powers from old ones, or changing the face of a Power right under his nose. Gods may have made people, but people shape Gods - whether they want them to or not.
For Delraith, the setting I am currently working on, the Gods are a little bit less "out and about" - regular lay priests are the norm, while those granted Clerical ability are seen as Saints and venerated as such. Even the lowest Cleric can expect to find himself the object of much affection (or scorn, depending on the God that empowered them). Many Gods will have a variety of Aspects, with some overlap (so, the old Human Gods and the Halfling Gods are similar, as they have lived together for many generations, while the Dwarven Gods will be very different), and the possibility that they may be the same entities - so, the Human God of the Earth might be the Dwarven God of Nature, and the Elven Lesser God of Stone, etc. While most of these Gods are the creation of belief, there is one race created by their God - the Dwarves. They wield Divine energies like other races breathe - it's truly second nature to them, due to having such a strong link to their deity. No-one is quite sure why that should be, but they know that Dwarves are inherently magical - and as such, shouldn't be tussled with lightly.
Religion is always a sensitive subject in real life. It has caused arguments, wars, and all manner of other bullshit.
In fantasy gaming, however, it's normally fairly simple. You pick a God, one of many, and you worship them. If you worship them really hard, they give you magical powers. Sometimes they're Good, sometimes they're Evil (and Lawful, and Chaotic, or Neutral) but it's generally similar packages, with maybe a little bit of flavour (followers of this God are kind, followers of this Goddess seek justice at all costs, followers of this God eat nothing but babies, etc).
Weirdly, despite the fact that Gods are known to exist (and much proof of this can be found), people stick to worshipping one God - there are no Priests of entire Pantheons, and there are temples dedicated to each God, but not a lot of polytheism in an ostensibly polytheistic world.
Weirder still are those (specifically in D&D, though it crops up elsewhere) who worship certain ideas - like Justice, or Law, or Fire. These self-made Clerics fuel their abilities to channel the Divine with their own belief, casting a lot of strange questions onto the Gods and aspersions onto their nature as divine beings.
I always find creating a pantheon of Gods for a new setting to be one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things one can do. There are a few standard Gods that most settings include (such as racial Gods for the many non-human sentients, though rarely a God of Humans; gods of Death, War, occasionally the Elements, etc) and a few stranger ones (Vecna being a favourite of mine - Magic and Secrets, what a combo!). Many take inspiration, or are directly lifted, from real-world religious beliefs (like D&D co-opting the Norse Pantheon for many settings), and still some are their own creation (literally, in the case of Vecna - he achieved Godhood through a very convoluted scheme, published as Die, Vecna, Die! - the last official 2e adventure, and is the semi-official reason for the change from 2nd Edition AD&D to 3rd Edition. He won godhood so hard he broke the universe).
Planescape, with its overarching theme that belief shapes reality, poses that all Gods exist, even as the slightest changes on belief spawning new Powers from old ones, or changing the face of a Power right under his nose. Gods may have made people, but people shape Gods - whether they want them to or not.
For Delraith, the setting I am currently working on, the Gods are a little bit less "out and about" - regular lay priests are the norm, while those granted Clerical ability are seen as Saints and venerated as such. Even the lowest Cleric can expect to find himself the object of much affection (or scorn, depending on the God that empowered them). Many Gods will have a variety of Aspects, with some overlap (so, the old Human Gods and the Halfling Gods are similar, as they have lived together for many generations, while the Dwarven Gods will be very different), and the possibility that they may be the same entities - so, the Human God of the Earth might be the Dwarven God of Nature, and the Elven Lesser God of Stone, etc. While most of these Gods are the creation of belief, there is one race created by their God - the Dwarves. They wield Divine energies like other races breathe - it's truly second nature to them, due to having such a strong link to their deity. No-one is quite sure why that should be, but they know that Dwarves are inherently magical - and as such, shouldn't be tussled with lightly.
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