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Ah, 4th Edition.
I love what 4th Edition has done with the place. New system, new rules, new joys, and new frustrations. However, there is such a thing as fixing what is not broken. And as many would suggest, something you shouldn’t do. Starting wealth in 3.5 was very simple. Read the chart (p. 135 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide 3.5, most players have this memorized), jot down the amount of gold you’ve got, and start shopping!
4th Edition has complicated things by giving the player a magic item of his/her level, a magic item of his/her level minus 1, a magic item of his/her level plus 1, and gold pieces equivalent to his/her level minus 1. I do not understand why this change was made.
Yes, I understand that, prices in general have changed since 3.5. Yes, I understand that magic items of a specific level all cost the same. Yes, I understand that we’re trying to simplify things. However, not only does this complicate things in my opinion, it is a barrier that keeps a player from achieving his/her ideal character. For example, if I create an 11th level character, I’m entitled to a 10th, 11th, and 12th level magic item, as well as gold equal to a 10th level magic item. But what I really like a 13th level magic item and I’m willing to lower the other magic item levels in order or afford it. Another scenario might be that I want my character decked out in a slew of 6th and 7th level magic items. Should I not be able to do so?
I propose the following: Keep the rules for 4th Edition; however, instead of giving the magic items outright add it to the gold piece value to create a pot with which to purchase your magic items. For example, my 11th level character would get gold pieces equivalent to two 10th level, one 11th level, and one 12th level magic item. This would be a perfect middle ground between the set-in-stone gold piece starting wealth of 3.5, and the magic item/gold piece rations of 4th Edition.
With me and Bridget heading off for 10 days in Florida for a family reunion and some time in Disney World, it led me to think about how my group has recently taken a little break as well (and will continue to do so until I get back).
It’s been kind of nice, not having to stress about everyone having a good time at the game. Instead, I’ve had some of the players over for dinner and board games (especially Carcassone!). I really look forward to getting back to playing our game once I’m back, but taking a little break every once in a while can really get everyone’s batteries charged back up.
So, we’re out of here. We’ll be back in a week or so. Keep rollin’ 20’s!
I’d like to give a new idea I had a try, and I’d like all of your feedback. I call it “Hook, Line and Sinker”. It goes like this:
Come up with a setting, and each one must feature three things: a hook, a line, and a sinker. The hook is what makes this setting different than every other setting out there, the line is the single sentence you can give to explain your setting which will get other people interested in your game, and the sinker is the dramatic conflict that should drive your players to action.
Here’s an example:
Hook: One hundred years ago, the dark gods stole the sun from the sky, leaving the world in darkness. All plant-life died, leaving the world a bitter wasteland. Still the worshipers of the Sun god still cry out pleading prayers, hoping one day, the sun will return.
Line: “In a world shrouded in darkness, the shadows grow deeper…”
Sinker: The forces of Darkness are about to make a bold final push to wipe out the forces of Good forever. A huge army is amassing in the north and will soon descend on the first of the remaining civilized cities.
So now here’s what I want: Give me your own Hook, Line, and Sinker. We can work on a big compilation for anyone out there who is stumped on what to do for their next campaign. It doesn’t have to be fantasy, it can be sci-fi, superheroes, etc. Let me know what you think!
After having a conversation about what I might do if one day I were to find that elves had cleaned my house in the night, I told my husband I would be thrilled. But then he held up a finger in a ‘wait just one minute’ gesture. ”What if you had to appease the elves but didn’t know how?” AND “Because you didn’t appease them they started to destroy things?”
All good questions, which lead me to wonder… Wouldn’t that just make a TERRIBLE RPG adventure? You get all of your friends to come over. You’ve got all the food set up. They are excited because you have a ‘new adventure’…. Then you tell them they have to solve the mystery of the house cleaning elves…. bwah hahahahaha!!!!
So, this morning I have been thinking about other things that would make terrible adventures. Here is my top 5 list:
1. Adventure Name: Fat Ass
Winnie the Pooh can’t find his honey… But comments that he has put on 5 pounds. Where did the honey go?
2. Adventure Name: Serious Shopper
You are shopping at the mall and are on the hunt for a pair of green polka dot shoes. Where do you go? WHAT?
3. Adventure Name: Professional Driver
You drive a really fast car in circles. You cannot stop until a certain number is reached. What do you do? Wait… Isn’t that NASCAR?
4. Adventure Name: Over the Limit
The phone keeps ringing. People want money. Do you change your number or get a second job? I think this is called a recession.
5. Adventure Name: Dangers in your Own Land
You follow a toddler around. It seems hellbent on causing harm to itself or property. How do you stop it? This one is called Parenting!
See how terrible these games would be…hahah. What about you? Any crazy ideas of what would make a horrendous game?
Here it is: the latest Critical Failure webcomic. I don’t know about you, but this happens in my group all the time.
Comments, of course, are always welcome.
You may notice that on the top of my sidebar is a little picture that looks like this: 
. When you click on it, it will take you to a page allowing you to subscribe to my blog as an audio file. I saw HeroPress use this for their blog, and gave this a try. It’s awesome. When you subscribe to my odiogo feed, it will allow you to listen to every one of the Dice Monkey Podcasts in audio form. They’ve used an excellent computerized voice which sounds almost like an actual voice.
think this would be great for any of the other RPG Bloggers out there. I know that a lot of times, I don’t have time to read all my favorite blogs. If I could listen to them on the way to work, that would be fantastic. (ChattyDM, I’m looking at you. I absolutely love reading your blogs, but they’re lengthy, and I don’t always have a half hour to devote to reading about your latest exploits 
I thought in honor of yesterday being Valentine’s and the intrinsic association with chocolate; that today I would provide the recipe for a super easy and super wonderful cake! Enjoy!
Dread Blossom Swarm Double Layer Chocolate Cake
Directions:
Bake cake as directed on the back of the box. Cool on wire racks completely. Once cakes are cooled level the tops using a long serrated knife. Such as a long bread knife, it works the best. Make the instant pudding and allow to set for at least a half hour in the refrigerator. Once pudding is completely set you can begin assembly. Place the bottom cake layer on a cake plate of your choice. Put enough pudding on the layer that it’s about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick but does not reach all the way to the edges. Place the top layer on the cake upside down (so the bottom of the cake is the top). Dust off any crumbs. Pile the entire amount of the frosting jar into the center of the top of the cake. Using a long smoothing spatula gently move the frosting out from the center and down the sides of the cake. Frosting will harden but shouldn’t dry out. You can sprinkle with powder sugar if you like or even use little squirts of whipping cream on the edges in a nice pattern right before serving.
Okay, so I know this is a little off the usual I tend to write about, but this is a shareable experience.
During my last deployment, Dicemonkey, EmptyThreat and a group of friends played Star Wars. Depending on your role, and if your DM was feeling frisky, you could get an instant kill.
My character had an instant when he accomplished such. I was a Yuzzum with a life debt to one of the other players. (Can anyone say Han Solo and Chewbacca?)
Anyway, it was a situation where the DM intended us to flee, due to overwhelming odds. I told my party to run, and I’d catch up.
My character carried an E-Web Blaster. If you know the Star Wars universe well enough, you’ll know that an e-web blaster is an Imperial weapon intended for two people to use. It requires a energy generator to use as well. The GM allowed it, on the premise that I was required a certain strength to carry and I had to justify carrying the power generator. I told him the way I could pull it off is by having straps added to the generator and put it on my back. So anywhere I went, I had to carry this generator.
So to give a little more information, our party was at an Imperial outpost, and were trying to escape after completing a task. We were escaping under the sounds of alarms blaring when we traveled past a large hangar, the doors opened up, revealing an AT-ST.
So here we are. I told the party to escape and I’d hold it off. I won the initiative roll, and rolled… Natural 20. I had to confirm the natural 20 and rolled again. Another Natural 20. So the DM looked at me with wide eyes. One more time… I rolled again. Yet one more natural 20. Instant kill. With a almost half smile on his face, the DM allowed the destruction of the AT-ST, with one well placed automatic burst. He then looked at me and said, “I had intended on you running, but now I have to change my plans completely…”
Just goes to show you that some times, even the dice themselves can screw up a DM’s plan.
So hopefully you all enjoyed. I would certainly enjoy hearing some of your Epic role stories.
Thanks for reading!
Penny Arcade, a webcomic about video games, occasionally discusses Dungeons & Dragons now that the comic’s illustrator is now a big fan. I know that nearly every geek out there knows all about Penny Arcade, and most likely reads all their strips, but a couple of months ago they had a series that I thought should be shared. So here it is:
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these “Off the Shelf Reviews“, so let’s explain: I take a random book off my shelf and give you a synopsis and tell you whether or not it’s worth picking up.
This morning, my wife reached onto the shelf, and withdrew “Call of Cthulhu Horror Adventures: Adventures in Arkham Country“. I must note, off the bat, that I haven’t ever used this book in game, though I have thumbed through it.
The book is hailed on the cover as “Five classic adventures set in Lovecraft country, including visits to Arkham, Dunwich & Kingsport”. It is designed for players playing in the 1920’s, but it can easily be adapted to the modern age.
Each adventure begins with a prologue of the backstory for the GM (or Keeper, as CoC refers to it) followed by an Investigator Introduction, which is mainly for the Keeper to read to the Investigators. Following that is some Keeper’s Information, which is information that only the Keeper should be privy to. There are a few handouts throughout, but some should probably be retyped to make them look more realistic (in the first adventure, ‘A Happy Family’, there is what’s supposed to be a note from Jonathan Whitelock, but it takes up only half the page, and would look much better if the players were handed a handmade letter.
There are useful maps throughout of each location, as well as creepy and inspiring artwork.
There’s some great background information that could be used for any CoC game, including a great map of Arkham, a map and description of Dunwich Country,and even a map and description of Arkham Sanitarium (a useful location for any Keeper of CoC).
One of the adventures (the longest one in the book), “With Malice Afterthought”, includes some phenomenal rules for simulating an entire court case, and has a whole table for adding up the defense and prosecution’s cases.
I think for anyone running a Chaosium Call of Cthulhu game, it’s definitely worth getting, whether you’re playing in the 1920s or in the modern day. You don’t even have to run the adventures presented here; there’s enough material for use outside of these adventures. For anyone else, I suppose if you’re running D20 CoC, the adventures are all usable, you just need to adapt the rules over. But the book is really no use to anyone running another game.
