Just One of the Boys

After deciding that indeed my character, Sir Throserl Baird the Gnome Historian, was going to be a male I began thinking about what this actually means for the way I am going to play.  

I am concerned that I won’t have a clue how to play a male character.  After all I am a woman so what would I know about playing a man?  But then I thought men play female characters all the time… it’s worth a try.  Right?

I don’t want to be a faux pas.  Just as much as it’s hard for the other players to have fun and participate when a man plays the alluring, seductive or overly done woman; I don’t want to play an overly chauvinistic or super tough character.

I want to play a character with depth, fantastic personality, charisma and so on.

I am looking for some advice.  How can I play this character to the fullest potential?  How should I deal with any comments from other players if they don’t like how I’m doing it?  Are there any things I should be sure to incorporate into my character or even more important things I should NEVER do?

I would appreciate suggestions… Thanks in advance!

Bolt: The RPG

So, Bridget and I recently took little Gabe to see “Bolt”. It was an entertaining kids movie, and I realized that Bolt is the perfect character for a Mutants and Masterminds game. So, without further ado, here’s Bolt.

Bolt: Power Level 7

• STR: 8/15 (-1/+2)
• DEX: 15/22 (+2/+6)
• CON: 10 (+0)
• INT: 8 (-2)
• WIS: (-2)
• CHA: 17 (+3)

Toughness: +0
Fortitude: +0
Reflex: +8
Will: -2

Skills
Acrobatics: +10, Climb: +6, Intimidate: +7, Stealth +10

Feats
Elusive Target, Fearless, Track

Powers
Blast 7, Enhanced Ability (STR) 7, Enhanced Ability (DEX) 7, Leaping 2 (48 feet), Speed 3 (50 mph), Strike 7, Stun 6 (Extra: Area Burst 30 ft.),  Super-Strength 6

 

And I think that’s it. I’m a bit shaky on the full rules of Mutants and Masterminds Character Creation, so you’ll have to forgive me if I screwed up a little bit.

Recipes of the Forgotten Realms: Christmas!

Here are a couple favorite Christmas recipes…. ENJOY! and Merry Christmas!

Spellstitched Sugar Cookies

 

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

 

 

Reason Stealer Rocky Road Fudge

 

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

Combine butter, evaporated milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a hard boil for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth. Fold in the almonds and marshmallows. Pour into an 8 by 8-inch square baking pan. Chill until firm, about 2 to 4 hours. Cut into 12 squares.

New Feats: Meta…power?

Metamagic feats.

Disparagingly absent from 4th Edition, metamagic feats could take those wimpy low-level spells and make them worth using again.

Let’s cut right to the chase. I’ve outlined a few ideas for bringing back metamagic, only we’re now going to make it metaPOWER. Let me know what you think.

All feats are Heroic Tier feats.

Empower Power (Metapower): Once per day as a free action, spend a healing surge, but do not heal hp. Increase all variable, numeric effects of a power by one half. An empowered power deals half again as much damage as normal, cures half again as many hit points as normal, etc. Roll the numeric effects as normal, then multiply the result by 1-1/2.

Enlarge Power (Metapower): Once per day as a free action, spend a healing surge, but do not heal hp. Increase the range of a ranged power by one half, rounded down. For example, A ranged 10 power would become ranged 15. Resepectively, a power that has multiple effects, one of which being range, may also be modified. For example, a burst 3 within 20 squares power would become a burst 3 within 30 squares power.

Maximize Power (Metapower): Once per day as a free action, spend a healing surge, but do not heal hp. Maximize all variable, numerical effects of a power. If a player hits with a maximized power, he/she is considered to have scored a critical hit for all purposes.

Quicken Power (Metapower): Once per day, as a free action, spend a healing surge, but do not heal hp. Make the action required to activate a power one action faster. For example, a power that normally requires a standard action would require only a move action. A power that normally requires a move action would only require a minor action, and so forth. Powers that only require a free action cannot be modified by this feat.

Widen Power (Metapower): Once per day, as a free action, spend a healing surge, but do not heal hp. Increase the affected area of a burst or blast power by one half, rounded down. For example, a close burst 3 power would become a close burst 4 power. A close blast 5 power would become a close blast 7 power. Resepectively, a power that has multiple effects, one of which being burst or blast, may also be modified. For example, a burst 3 within 20 squares power would become a burst 4 within 20 squares power.

Happy Holidays From the Jerk

Hey Boys and Girls,

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas, Happy Chaunakah, Happy Kwanzaa and so forth and so on!
Enjoy it!

Me and the Rest of the Squad.

From Concept to Character Sheet; Part 5: Equipment

In our last entry, we talked about selecting the Powers for Alric, who is now looking pretty fleshed out.

This time, we’ll look at giving him some equipment.

Okay, the way the campaign is working for our Forgotten Realms game is that each player is starting at first level, but is starting with one magic item of 2nd level or lower, one magic item of 1st level or lower, and 200 gold. This is going to allow for the heroes to begin a little beefier than an ordinary first level.

For his magic items, he’ll be forgoing both in favor of taking a Warhorse (which costs the equivalent of a 3rd level item). I know that mathematically it doesn’t add up (I’ll be losing money on this) but I figured it was only fair.

So, he’s got his horse to go with his Mounted Combat feat, and 200 gold.

First off, he wants a lance. But there is no lance! Fear not. We’ll simply purchase him a spear, which can be used one handed, and he’ll only use it when he’s mounted.

Secondly, he’ll be getting a longsword, as it will allow him to carry his shield as well. He’ll take a heavy shield and plate armor, naturally.

I want to give him a longbow. Not because he’ll typically be the one using it in combat, but because knights back in the day were usually skilled archers, especially if they were nobility. He’ll take a quiver of arrows as well.

We’ll give him the Standard Adventurer’s Kit, a climber’s kit, some fine clothing and finally, a tent (you wouldn’t expect the rich kid to sleep out in the cold, would you?).

That leaves him with a whopping 37 gold left to his name. He’ll hold on to that for room and board,  I think. 

I think that’s it.

 

Next time, we’ll be talking about putting it all together, and also selecting an appropriate god and backstory for your character.

Keep rolling 20’s!

From Concept to Character Sheet; Part 4: Powers

Previously, we’ve talked about coming up with a character concept, choosing ability scores, and deciding on skills and feats. This time, we’re covering Powers, one of my favorite new changes to D&D.

So, we already know that Alric will be wearing plate armor and plans on being very “knightly”, so I want his powers to reflect that. Also, I want him to be in the front lines, helping out his fellow party members to best take down the enemy.

As a human he gets three at-will powers, which is a nice start.

First off, as a fighter, I’m going for the one-handed Fighter Weapon Talent (that should be mentioned).

I’ll be starting out with Cleave, since I want him to be able to leap into combat right away, hacking into the enemy before moving on to the next.

Secondly, I’ll be taking Tide of Iron, since my character will be wielding a shield, and I want him to have a lot of battlefield control by pushing the enemy around.

Third, cracking open the Martial Power sourcebook, I’ll be selecting Footwork Lure. For those without the Martial Power book, Footwork Lure allows me to make an attack, then shift one square, and slide the target into the square I previously occupied. This is for more battlefield control on my part.

As an Encounter power, I’ll select the Martial Power Shield Bash. It allows me to make a 1d10 hit, push the target back AND knock him prone. A very nice combo, and I think I’m going to enjoy using my shield a lot.

As a Daily power, I’ll go with the MP Tempest Dance. My character can make a standard attack, shift one square, and repeat the attack against another target. Then he gets to do the same one more time. I  imagine Alric charging through the midst of an army, slashing at anyone who gets close.

That’s about all for now. Check next time, where we’ll hammer out equipment and a few last minute details with the character.

How true… How true…

Click to enlarge the picture.

The guys at Penny Arcade are entirely too accurate. We were supposed to be flying out today, back to Spokane, but with our flight canceled, we’re here in Virginia another day. My bag looks exactly like Gabe’s here.

Christmas and what it has in store

So, its almost Christmas. I think you can expect as Christmas comes and goes, an increase in posts will occur. You see, I am in retail. Having just moved to the Rainy City (Not as bad as people make it out to be thus far.) and working two jobs in order to put money in the bank, and newly married, I have had little time for any computering. But this will change! I will be switching to just one job, as that one is likely to offer me some much deserved promotions. The other one would like to keep me, but when you tie the “politics” of a large department store, and shove them into a store the size of a small one room apartment, it tends to get to you. 

Well, this year I lucked out. Who knows how? I’m the new guy over here. But I’m getting the 24th, the 25th and the 26th off from my morning, and likely, both the 24th and 25h off form the other. Nice, eh? This is also the first Christmas my wife and I have actually spent together. The first Christmas, two years ago, we had only just started dating, she went home to spent time with Family. 

The next year I had to work, so while she went home again, I stayed at home and worked. Now we finally get to sped the holiday together. 

What does this have to do with you? Well, my wife has to work the day before and after. This time alone, will be partially spent writing stuff for you to read on your time off!

So, while I have run out of time today, you’ll get some good, honest to goodness game writing in the very near future.

The Christmas Holiday

Spokane, WA

You can expect to hear a lot less from all of us over the next couple of weeks. It’s christmastime and, as of tomorrow, I’ll be heading back to Spokane, WA, and as the admin of Dice Monkey, it’s going to be a little difficult to post, as we’ll be spending a lot of time with family and friends.

Thanks for your continued support and readership. We really do appreciate all our readers and the interesting opinions they bring to the table. Thanks, and Merry Christmas.