HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge A. Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 16 Dec 92 09:56:29 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <1992Dec15.181755.11653@u.washington.edu> scythe@stein.u.washington.edu (The Grim Reaper) writes:

>The reason helms keep psis from using their power is because the weight
>of the helmet keeps the psi from concentrating.  Sure, go ahead
>and levitate the helmet.  But you can't use any other powers while
>you're levitating it.

But how can you levitate it if your psionics won't work?


-- 
Jorge Diaz                       | "I want you to remember, Clark... in all
Georgia Institute of Technology  |  the years to come, in your most private
Office of Information Technology |  moments...my hand at your throat.  I want
ccoprdj@prism.gatech.edu         |  you to remember the one man who beat you."
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: rsm58307@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ron)
Subject: Re: PC vs. Player INT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 00:44:17 GMT

>>> What can be done (if anything) 
>>> to account for these PC vs. real life differences in abilities
>>> -- (whether they are INT, WIS, CHR, or anything else you've
>>> experienced)?  Can the game be made more playable somehow?
>>> Thanks for any input.
>>	Well one way i have found that sometimes works ,albeit with a little
>>more work from the GM , is to give the Puzzle from the point of view of a
>>low intelligence character , ie give very little clues to the problem.
>>	Then hand out preprpared notes to the characters of intelligence
>>9-12 giving some information , then another note to characters of
>>13-15 intelligence , and finally a note to characters of intelligence 16-18.

Give less experience to those with lower IQ's for solving problems?  It would
give high IQ types a strong incentive to play high IQ types.
From: ddj+@cs.cmu.edu (Doug DeJulio)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 15 Dec 92 22:53:24 GMT
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

In article <cf=J3EC00Vp0Q57Xhh@andrew.cmu.edu> "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>The question still remains for the "then what?".  His PSP will come
>back unless you have so neato magic method of preventing it.  Then
>he's gone again.  

Not if you have him in a helmet that locks on to his head like
manacles.  Probably standard issue anyplace where psionics are known
about by the authorities.  Makes a psionicist/thief sound more useful.
-- 
Doug DeJulio
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: scythe@stein.u.washington.edu (The Grim Reaper)
Subject: Re: A question on aging.
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 17:23:56 GMT

In article <2532@cix.cict.fr> maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet) writes:
>In article <78203@hydra.gatech.EDU>, ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz) writes:
>|> In article <2521@cix.cict.fr> maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet) writes:
>|> 
>|> >  I'd say that I've encountered both T$R-like ( rather small, and long-lived )
>|> >and Tolkien-like ( rather tall, and immortal ) elves side by side in the same
>|> >AD&D adventures. They were different, but they were still elves. They never
>|> >discussed such strange topics as old age and death. That didn't affect their
>|> >present state. So, once again, who cares ?
>|> 
>|> Well, sorry, but I couldn't disagree more.  When you have things like age
>|> affecting ability scores, whether or not they die of old age does matter.
>|> Why would an elf lose points of Dex, Str, and Con if his body isn't "dying"?
>
>  What's the problem ? Over such a time span, the human PCs will have retired,
>and a new campaign will start. And IMHO, an elf SHOULDN'T lose points in physi-

Yes, but what if the party runs into a ghost or something, and the party
gets aged 50 years each?  The elves are laughing, and the humans are losing
points from all their stats!
>-cal stats.
>  BTW, in AD&D 1stEd, elves had such long lifespans that stat considerations
>became a point of rhetoric. And no one ever complained. So why complain now ?
See how bad 1st edition was? =)

>|> 
>|> Not to mention the fact that wishes suddenly become no problem.  "Oh, I
>|> age five years every time I cast one?  So what?  Didn't you know?  I'm
>|> IMMORTAL."
>
>  Explain me how Elven Mages can cast wishes ( level limitations, you know ). And
>I feel I must explain : having played AD&D for 10 years, I've NEVER seen a PC
>able to cast wish. The highest PC I've ever seen is 15-16 level Mage. He is the
>only one above 13th level that I've ever seen.
Someone mentioned the addition levels for high ability scores.  That would do
it.  And who uses level limits anyway?  They are the *stupidest* means of
maintaining game balance.  I like the burned-by-iron elves myself.

>
>|> 
>|> Age limits *are* important.
>
>  No, they aren't. According to how I see elves, they are ridiculous. And both
>LoTR ( for 'noble' elves ) and Elfquest ( for 'sneaky' elves ) agree with me.
>BTW, Rolemaster elves ARE immortal. And it doesn't upset game balance or any-
>-thing.
>
>								Redwing.

Key words they being "According to how ****I**** see elves".  That's how you
see them.  And you're wrong =)  No, seriously, those sources you
mentioned are all not AD&D (some people might argue that LoTR is pretty
close, but that's another arguement), so what's your point?  Those are
different situations.  In AD&D, age is important.  Ghosts, other undead,
spells that age you, all stuff like that makes age important.
From: cmeadows@nyx.cs.du.edu (Chris Meadows)
Subject: Re: invisibility
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 03:09:07 GMT


All this controversy over invisibility reminds me once more 
why I prefer plain old D&D to AD&D.  Fewer complications.  If
you're invisible, you just ARE.  If you make a wish, you just
do it and don't worry about your age.  You don't have to worry
about material ingredients, or whatever they're called.  So,
there's less rules lawyering and more fun.

There's also the fact that you don't feel obligated to buy 
umpteen dozen "handbooks" just to play it...

--
Chris Meadows  | Editor of Robotech: The Misfold; author of other               
CHM173S@SMSVMA | Robotech/Rifts stories; DEFENDER of PALLADIUM BOOKS!!!         
CHM173S@VMA.SMSU.EDU   | NOTE: I will be on vacation 12/17 to 1/10; if          
CMEADOWS@NYX.CS.DU.EDU | important, please email; posts tend to expire.
From: maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: A question on aging.
Date: 15 Dec 92 07:55:56 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: CERT, CS Dpt. Toulouse, France

In article <1992Dec14.172356.25880@u.washington.edu>, scythe@stein.u.washington.edu (The Grim Reaper) writes:
|> 
|> Key words they being "According to how ****I**** see elves".  That's how you
|> see them.  And you're wrong =)  No, seriously, those sources you
|> mentioned are all not AD&D (some people might argue that LoTR is pretty
|> close, but that's another arguement), so what's your point?  Those are
|> different situations.  In AD&D, age is important.  Ghosts, other undead,
|> spells that age you, all stuff like that makes age important.

  Not for me. The World is important. If elves are immortal in my world, I don't
care about such trivial thing as game-balancing effects as spell that ages the
caster ( such a ridiculous notion ), and such... BTW, elves don't come back as
ghosts. The only undead spirits ( meaning non-corporal undead, such as vampires )
I know are Banshees. SO I believe that elves are indeed naturally immune to a
ghost's aging touch.
  And if you consider the roleplaying aspect of the game, it is far better to let
the character decide when he wants to 'depart from the lands of men' on his own
accord than to impose him a IMHO stupid 'age limit'. Sorry, age has nothing to do
with it, I believe. Sorrow and grief have, yes. But age ? Never.

								Redwing.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: mbecke69@ursa.calvin.edu (Mark Becker)
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Keywords: ectoplasmic form
Organization: Calvin College
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 16:08:26 GMT

mdrijsma@cs.ruu.nl (Michael Rijsman) writes:

>Howdy, I'm DMing a Dark Sun world and recently I tried to imprison the
>party, but to keep the psionicist captured I used a sort of necklace of
>psionic interference. Well, I might try to imprison them again in the future,
>and I don't want every NPC that tries to imprison the party to have a
>necklace of psionic interference. And I want to give the psionicist at least
>a small oportunity to escape, so I don't want him to be unconsious all the
>time. This psionicist is 6th lv and has(among others) the powers : Ectoplasmic
>Form, Dimensional Door. Last time, when the party was attacked by Jozhal, I
>let one of the Jozhal imprison the psionicist with the power Banishment, but
>you can't keep that up to long.
>So how do you(as DM) imprison your psionicists ?
>(sorry but I'm Duch, so my english might not be that great)
>(and Mike(psionicist player), relax, you won't be imprisoned right away)

I haven't actually DMed anything with Psionicists in it, but you might try
Cerebral Parisites (you know, those things that make it more expensive to use
Psi powers!)  Just have the captors keep a jar of those things around, and
douse the Psionicist when they catch  him, and hopefully he'll get so many,
he won't be able to use any powers within an hour's time!

Just an idea.

>Michael,

>Magic : The One Power,
>	that comes from the True Force,
>	which is the driving force of Creation,
>	and the force that turns the Wheel of Time.
>		      - Robert Jordan, "Eye of the World" -
--
******************************************************************************
*   Mark "Kickback" Becker   *  Uhura:  You're BOTH lunatics!                *
*     mbecke69@calvin.edu    *  Scotty: Aye, but I'm the COMMANDING lunatic! *
******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: David.Kelman@launchpad.unc.edu (David Kelman)
Subject: Re: need some quick help
Organization: University of North Carolina Extended Bulletin Board Service
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 20:38:42 GMT

In article <1992Dec15.174804.27534@news.weeg.uiowa.edu> tlund@news.weeg.uiowa.edu (Thomas Lund) writes:
>	Hi.  I'm trying to get some characters set up for a party tomorrow
>and I need to know a few things which I can't look up at the moment.
>
>	1: the campaign in Fluffy Quest (a Fluffy Wonderland from Pentahedron)
>One of the printed statistics for monsters is ML (such as SD:none, ML:14).
>What does it stand for?
>
>	2: What are the special attacks/defenses and such for were-rats?
>

ML = Morale level.  If the monster is in a situation that they might run
away, they will do so on this number or more on a d20.

Wererats require +1 or better weapons to hit, though I think silver
weapons will hit as well.  Like all lycanthropes, their bite can infect
someone with the curse.  I believe that they are able to call giant rats
to their aid as well (I don't have myu books in front of me).

Hope that helps.

David Kelman


--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
From: ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Magic Jar and Victims
Date: 13 Dec 92 03:04:20 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <ByzyHr.Lyp@acsu.buffalo.edu> v131p9t3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Ninstar Cybermage: Black Phoenix Rising) writes:

>Okay, the way I'm doing it is:
>If jar is destroyed, mage's body dies along with any spirit in the Jar.
>Mage is now in the other person's body and won't be forced out by that spirit
>at least.
>An exorcism would probably force him out, and since his body and Jar are gone,
>he'd die.

Oooh...   How about this:

If the jar is destroyed, the mage's body dies, and the victim's "soul" is
put back in his own body.  The mage's "soul" remains in the body.  You
now have two "souls" battling for control of the same body. :-)

That would certainly make for some interesting role-playing. :-)

-- 
Jorge Diaz                       | "I want you to remember, Clark... in all
Georgia Institute of Technology  |  the years to come, in your most private
Office of Information Technology |  moments...my hand at your throat.  I want
ccoprdj@prism.gatech.edu         |  you to remember the one man who beat you."
From: jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph E. Beck)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 14 Dec 92 00:54:59 GMT
	<Bz7rHM.FDv@jabba.ess.harris.com>
Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


>>My psionicist would think you were very funny.  You simply can't
>>threaten to kill a 6th level psionicist.  If the situation looks
>>unpleasant (poof!), he's gone.  It's not a spell so you can't
>
>I thought the idea was that he had been captured and the question was
>how do you hold him.
I don't understand.  You state that he's been captured but you can't
hold him (?).  Exactly how does this occur?  If you can't hold him,
how the hell did you capture him?  If he's conscious (and he has to be
to read the sigil) he should just teleport away.  

>Heres another idea.  A magicial creates a magic item that is a Psionic
>drain source.  Cerebral parasites would be attracted to the item.  Have this
>running in the prison cell the psionicist inhabits.  If you have enough
>cerebral parisites then the psion will never get to use his abilities.
Yeah, now just get him to the jail...
This is a good idea though.  Forgot about cerebral parasites.


	joe
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.)
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Organization: Harris Corporation - ISD
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 19:58:33 GMT

In <Mf_sCIm00YUoQ4HMUb@andrew.cmu.edu> "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:


>jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.) writes:
>> In <1992Dec11.222022.2965@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> kjenks@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov wri\
>> tes:
>> 
>> >In article <1992Dec11.140432.5090@cs.ruu.nl> mdrijsma@cs.ruu.nl (Michael Rijs\
>> man) writes:
>> >>[...]  So how do you(as DM) imprison your psionicists ?
>> 
>> The Spell Sepia Snake Sigil is great for keeping prisoners.
>> 
>> Force them to read something with the spell cast on it.  Tell them if they
>> don't submit to the spell then they will be killed. 
>My psionicist would think you were very funny.  You simply can't
>threaten to kill a 6th level psionicist.  If the situation looks
>unpleasant (poof!), he's gone.  It's not a spell so you can't

I thought the idea was that he had been captured and the question was
how do you hold him.
Once he's been captured Sepia Snake Sigil works just fine.
The Psion is out of points and stays that way.

Heres another idea.  A magicial creates a magic item that is a Psionic
drain source.  Cerebral parasites would be attracted to the item.  Have this
running in the prison cell the psionicist inhabits.  If you have enough
cerebral parisites then the psion will never get to use his abilities.

The cerebral parisites get to drain first and his powers fail!

Now if the discussion has turned to how to capture a Psion alive?
That I don't have an answer for if you stick with an uniteraptable
Psion power.

Which I don't play with anyways.  Psionic powers like magic spell can be
interrupted!

Joe Carl
--
Joe Carl Jr.               "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a
jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com   fool, but what he does know that ain't so."
                                                           -- Josh Billings
Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
From: c188-cr@po.berkeley.edu (Chua Hak Lien)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: To create a net.realms.handbook
Date: 14 Dec 1992 23:16:38 GMT
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: po.berkeley.edu


I think someone tried this already, but it didn't work out.
Check the FAQ to see if the guy is still around.

Chua
+==+
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 16 Dec 92 16:49:40 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd3.cis.pitt.edu

In article <BzCx8C.G0v@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu> cbnorman@cayley.uwaterloo.ca (Bruce Norman) writes:
>Re Helmets and Psi:
>
>  I would personally interpret this rule as meaning that metal in close
>proximity to the brain tend to disrupt the use of psychic energy (so if you

	Why metal? This isn't electricity or x-rays we're talking about.

	If metal close up interferes, can you stop psi at a distance by
surrounding yourself with metal? If you wear a metal helm, can you block
telepathy? Can a psi escape from a metal room? Will an aluminum foil
coating inside a hat do? How thick does the metal have to be? What KIND
of metal? Will gold work? Lead? Titanium? Mithril? Iron?


					Sea Wasp
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.)
Subject: Re: 2nd Edition Handbooks
Organization: Harris Corporation - ISD
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 15:58:16 GMT

In <1992Dec17.141417.26079@bnr.ca> dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton) writes:


>  I'm interested in getting some of the 2nd Edition Handbooks (Warrior/Priest/Rouge/
>Psionics) so I thought I would query for information from the net.  Some of the
>people I know who play with them say that they make the characters way too powerful
>(especially the Warrior one).  Is this true?  Any information would be nice (i.e.
>I don't want to stand in the game store for 2 hours reading them and then walk
>out having not bought them).  Thanks.

In my opinion

The Fighters handbook did a lot to balance their skills against
the Wizards power.  It also gave great style proficiencys that any class
can take.  The kits are great too.

The Thiefs handbook is excellent too.  Great to non-weapons proficeincies that
augment a rogues skill.  The kits there are great too.

The priests handbook is a waste of money!

The Wizards handbook is so-so.  Some of the kits are good, others are stupid.
The misc. material about spell design, labs and stuff are good.

The bards handbook is pretty cool.  I don't play them much but I could see
if you did then the bards handbook would be great

The Psionic handbook is great fun for reading and powergamers.  But if
the DM doesn't balance its powers out with the other class, the Psionicist
starts to dominate that game.  It better to do with out Psionicist if you
want game balance!

The Dwarfs handbook is great too.  The only kit I would get rid of or
modify would be the Champion (Fighter/Cleric).  He shouldn't get a specilized
weapon.  Only true fighters should ( I include Paladins and Rangers here).

If you play with the Forgotten realms accessory (FR? Dwarven Deep)
(it has a picture of a dwarf with a hammer on top of a fallen stone giant)
Then the spell allowed Dwarven clerics are ridiculus.  Rockburst is crazy
to give to a cleric!

Don't know how the Elves handbook is, cause I don't have it yet.

Joe Carl
--
Joe Carl Jr.               "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a
jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com   fool, but what he does know that ain't so."
                                                           -- Josh Billings
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: david@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu (David Bump)
Subject: Re: Stone Shape
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 20:16:15 GMT
Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

kurgan@spock.uucp (Andrew Twyman) writes:

>	I think that it's fine to let them drill through a wall with the spell,
>as long as the volume ov the core of stone removed is no more than the
>maximum allowable volume for the spell.  Such uses of the spell can be very
>interesting.  I once played a cleric who managed to kill a Red Great Wyrm with
>it.  Our mage had turned it to stone with eyes of petrification (barely
>managing to overcome his magic resistance), but the DM ruled that the effect
>was only temporary (due to the dragon's great power).  While the Dragon was
>stone, Ren (my cleric) simply reshaped the stone, removing a core straight to
>the dragon's heart, so that it died instantly upon returning to flesh form.
>I think that it is such innovative uses which make spells worth while.

I've always allowed drilling with it, because in most cases they had
to use more than one to get out of places, anyway.  Besides, I think
it would rarely be useful if you could just change the shape of
one chunk of stone no bigger than the AOE.

>BTW:	I believe that the spel is called Shape Stone.  Stone Shape is a
>	Wizard spell that turns the caster into a rock or part of a rock (for
>	the purpose of concealment.

The wizard spell which turns him into a rock, etc, (at least the
only one I can think of now) is statue.  The clerical spell meld
into stone is also similar.  But, both the priest and wizard
version of this spell is called stone shape.


David Bump
david@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: alongley@cape.UWaterloo.ca (Allan Longley)
Subject: Re: Silver Piece Standard
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 18:04:28 GMT

In article (Ted Zuvich) writes:
>   One of the gripes I've always had with the normal AD&D rules is that
>at a ratio of 10 coins per pound, each coin weighs about 1.6 oz, which
>is about $640 @ $400 per ounce.  Assuming that a circulating coin is
>alloyed for toughness and hence is about 80% pure, the "old" gp would
>still be worth about $512.  This seems to be a bit much for a
>circulating coin in common use.

The present price of gold is artifically inflated -- a lot!.  As a commerical
commodity gold is by no-means worth $400/oz.  Back in ancient times gold had
far less value. A price tag of about $40/oz is not unbelievable.  This would
place a gold coin of about %50 gold at around a $25 value.  This value for a
gold coin makes the equipment charts believable (but they do have BIG
problems).

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e-mail: alongley@cape.uwaterloo.ca
voice: (519) 885-1211			What!!  $250,000 for training!!
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