HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mage@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Stephen Anthony Vincent)
Subject: Pandemonium
Followup-To: vincent@cn.ecn.purdue.edu
Summary: Testing Mailer System
Keywords: Pandemonium, Mage
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 16:26:53 GMT

Please check to see if you recieved a test mailer from me today, if you did
not please rewrite me and I will check your address.  PLEASE write to my
account at vincent@cn.ecn.purdue.edu.  Thanks Tony aka mage
-- 
******************************************************************************* 
* Stephen Anthony Vincent     *    'There are no problems, only solutions'    *
* aka         The Mage        *                            --- John Lennon    * 
*      mage@en.ecn.purdue.edu *                                               *
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cmcarthu@esk.compserv.utas.edu.au (Christopher Gary McArthur)
Subject: Re: Question about raising stats
Organization: University of Tasmania at Launceston
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 92 05:36:34 GMT

In article <23593@galaxy.ucr.edu>, jimv@ucrmath.ucr.edu (jim vassilakos) writes:
>
>
>Well, last session my players got to bitching about their stats (and
>more specifically, why they can't increase them). Damn good point,
>I thought. Why couldn't somebody just start pumping gold (hey, it's
>more plentiful that iron, right? :-), doing lots of studying (for
>INT), meditating with lots of purple shrooms (WIS), practicing with
>the ol' tightrope (for DEX, better learn real quick!), or doing
>lots of jogging in platemail (for CON)? So one my players came up
>with the following rule:
>
>> in order to raise a stat, you must be of a level
>> equal to one half of the initial score.  When the character is then ready
>> to advance to the next level, he may drop down to the minimum XP necessary
>> to maintain his current level, and increase the stat by one point...

stuff deleted.....

>           \`o_O'          Jim Vassilakos
>             ( )     <---  jimv@ucrmath.ucr.edu
>              U            ucsd!ucrmath!jimv (uucp)
>           Aachk!
>

	I have thought about this too, and the concept is a good idea.  However
instead why not let the Players devote non - weapon profiencies to Stats?  For 
every profiency slot devoted, the relative stat will be increased by one.  The
way this happens is that the player instead of devoting spare time to learning
a new skill does some physical training, or studies or practices or whatever.
The maximum they can increase to is their racial maximum.

Chris McArthur
cmcarthu@esk.compserv.utas.edu.au
.
From: n9046319@fozzie.cc.wwu.edu (Jeremy Corley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Spellcasting in Armor (was Re: Dual Class Characters)
Date: 10 Nov 92 18:37:27 GMT
Organization: Western Washington University

dutech@reseau.Berkeley.EDU (Groupe ELEVES) writes:


>  [... Michael Wright has ruled that spells can be cast in armor if there
>is no somatic component. J Corley answers that he doesn't, because he
>ruled that armor disrupts magic ...]

>  As long as armor hindrance is concerned, only some types of armor can
>be considered a real hindrance (rigid types, mostly gauntlets). A chain
>mail, for example, cannot be considered a hindrance for movement ( we are
>NOT talking about the Middle Ages Chain Hauberk : it was fairy cumbersome
>and heavy, but protected well. the AD&D Chain mail armor is more akin to
>light chain. ). The leather types are even better. Only the heavier armor
>types can really be considered spellcasting-preventing, and this is not
>always true if the caster removes his gauntlets...

>  About the metal disrupting magic, that's okay for me, because it's a
>world rule - as opposed to a game rule. But what about the leather and
>padded armors ? what about a metal armor with specially-enchanted metal ?
>Some alchemist ( dwarves especially ) is bound to think about it one day.

> About the little bit concerning class-conscious mages, this is a good
>objection. Another world rule, and therefore not subject to argument. One
>of the best objections ever : "we mages have not studied for so many
>years to rely on mundane protection anymore !" That's a mage attitude !

>							Redwing.

Big Fighter: "Here ya go! put this on... you'll need it..." [snicker] [snicker]

	[thows down a pile of chain mail] [WHAM!!!]

Newbie Magic-User: "Wha...What's this for?!?"

Big Fighter: "OOh. Nothin' really... Just a percaution..." [snicker] [snicker]

	[NMG rubbs dried blood off of chain mail]

NMU: "What is this stuff all over it?!?"

BF: [stiffling a snorting laugh] "You just ignore that son!! You'll do fine!
	This chain mail served our last Magic guy well!  Remember, equal work,
	equal share....." [snicker] [snicker]

NMU: [starting to fumble with armour to put it on.] "Boy this stuff is heavy!"

BF: "Don't worry you'll get used to it!  We all do!" [snicker]

--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Senator Kennedy, What are you going to do about the abortion bill?"
"Pay it, I guess."
				J. Corley
			n9046319@henson.cc.wwu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: vengeanc@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu ()
Subject: Re: Help! Tips Needed on Dungeon Construction
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 05:11:04 GMT

Mike Molloy <mmaq+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:

>> Also, should standard passages be 5 feet wide or 10 feet wide?  How
>> many people can fight abreast in a 5-foot passage, anyway?


>It must depend on the size of the character. For example, you could 
>probabally(sp?) have 5 or 6 elves fighting abreastin a 5-foot passage,
>but no more than 2 orcs.

>- Mordorwrath

5 or 6 elves in a 5 foot corridor?  NOT.  I don't know what size elves
are in your campaign world, but something's real fishy there.  

I'm also stunned by this emphasis on 'making dungeons'.  Dungeons are
almost completely dead in D&D.  I can't imagine anything more boring than
fighting another lurker above, getting out of another impossible trap,
killing the two millionth orc.  You get the point.

A post earlier asked if anyone did anything in their campaigns except
fight.  All I can say is that in our campaigns, we rarely fight.  The
majority of our time is spent avoiding fights, solving dilemnas, outsmarting
the 'bad' guys (or good guys), and role-playing.  Fighting is usually the
last resort.  Also, let's be blunt, it sure is boring.

I would have to guess in a typical 5 hour session we fight three times at
the most.  The rest of the time we are having fun.

Me


Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: timk@meaddata.com (Tim Klein)
Subject: Re: Index of Dragon Magazine
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 17:03:38 GMT

In article <73432@hydra.gatech.EDU>, tmiller@prism.gatech.EDU (Thomas Miller) writes:
|> 
|> *  In a back issue of Dragon (#117 I think) they last had their index
|>    for the magazine.

Actually, it was #112 (August 1986).  They didn't index reviews, humor,
or fiction.

===========================================================================
Timothy Klein                 I wish I had a kryptonite cross.  Then I
timk@meaddata.com             could keep both Dracula AND Superman away.
...!uunet!meaddata!timk                               -- Jack Handey
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: tsmuelle@cip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Thomas Mueller)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: AD&D E-mail Magazine
Date: 5 Nov 92 10:05:20 GMT
Organization: CSD., University of Erlangen

friar@spock.uucp (Tom Walcott) writes:

>>If somebody knows the address for the AD&D E-mail Magazine could you mail it
>>to me?  lost my copy of the address.

>Yeah, me too!!

>Friar  (friar@choate.edu)

Same for me!!

Thomas (tsmuelle@cip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: was28667@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (palamino)
Subject: How do UNDEAD see?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 23:49:58 GMT


Seems like I'm always posting to this group asking about undead...

Anyway, how do y'all handle just what undead can see?  A skeleton doesn't
have eyes, so I assume that it's a magical vision.  And since undead are
usually wandering around in the dark, I also assume that light isn't 
required for them to see by.  So do they have some sort of magical 
infravision?  If that were true, they couldn't see each other - leading
to an awfully clumsy troop of skeletons for example.  So it must be some
sort of radar, I guess.  In which case, they can see invisible objects/
people, right?  Hmmm.  Am I just missing some obvious answer?


-palamino
-- 

					 my .sig is in the shop for repairs. 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: friar@spock.uucp (Tom Walcott)
Subject: Re: To Kill a Black Dragon
Keywords: Dragon
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 12:45:10 GMT

In article <1992Nov12.234225.8762@samba.oit.unc.edu> Jesse.Taylor@launchpad.unc.edu (Jesse Taylor) writes:
>In article <GSPIEGEL.57.0@bsa1.kent.edu> GSPIEGEL@bsa1.kent.edu (Greg Spiegelberg) writes:
>>A virgin, female cleric who just so happens to be engaged (kinda) to someone 
>>in my party has been supposedly kidnapped by a very large black dragon.
>>(BTW, we're in Forgotten Realms)
>	Oh that's just great, now you get to work with the 'fear radius'
>or whatever, too. :)
>
>>Anyways, half of us want to press on, the other half is suicidal and wants 
>>to get the cleric back.  SO!  How should we go about killing/subduing this 
>>black dragon?
>	Do you have any idea how big it is? If it's bigger than
>medium-sized, your chances of survival decrease exponentially...
>>Background Group Info:
>>   Group Contains- 1 Swashbuckler of Tempus (level 5 human)
>>		   1 Pirate (level 5 human)
>>		   1 Priest of Tempus (level 5 half-elf) <--- That's me!
>>		   1 Wild Mage (level 4 human)
>>		   1 Gypsy Thief (halfling)
>smashing the other players... Or pick up some loot. If your group begins
>to lose, run away while the dragon's still busy scarfing your pals...
   Hrmmm..  What alignment is a cleric of Tempus?
>>Honsetly, we haven't a clue how to fight this thing and we've tried 
>>recruting help.  Basically, I'm just trying to find a way to save my 
>>character.
>	If you've tried getting NPC's to help, and they won't, no matter
>what the price you offer, alarm bells should be going off somewhere in
>even the denses fighter's brain... :)
>
>>Suggestions???
>Run away very fast, then run some more.
Try to get the mage to cast globe of darkness on the dragon's head.  Go
in with the thief first by about five minutes.  Sneaking.  I would
tend to think that you will all die quickly and painfully.  Especially
in the Forgotten Realms.  I wouldn't run away.  Try _SPRINTING_.

Friar
-- 
    "Silence isn't golden if I'm holdin' it inside."
                           --- W. Axl Rose

friar@choate.edu
From: hachiman@stein.u.washington.edu (matt)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: New D&D Alignment ...
Date: 10 Nov 92 05:21:33 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Nov10.052133.10161
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <raa.056x@guild.socal.com> raa@guild.socal.com (Raa Lopez) writes:
>One of My friends created an alignment for D&D ... and I think I should share
>it with everyone.

How thoughtful of you :)

>It's called "Ammoral".
>
>Now ... you have your good people that just do good things, and your neutral
>people who keep the balance, and your evil people who just do evil things.
>
>Then you have the Ammoral ... who does what he damn well pleases. He can do 
>both good things ... nuetral things ... and evil things ...
>
>Ammoral is like neutral with a weird twist ... 
>
>Well ... whaddya think?

In the ADnD (yes, I realize it's different than DnD) campaigns I play in (one
of which I run) we've done a similiar thing: we divided "(true) nuetral" into
two different alignments: True Nuetral (balance), the people who believe in a 
cosmic balance between good and evil, law and chaos; and Nuetral (selfish), the
90% of humanity (and other sentient races) who just don't give a $#!+ about
the weighty matters of abstract philosophy or codes of conduct.  They're just
out to survive, and hopefully avoid danger and other uncomfortable things.
They aren't above doing little deeds of good or evil as situations demand, but
doing great deeds of good (too dangerous!!) or evil (too dastardly!!) are 
usually beyond them, as well as being threatening to their nice boring, 
comfortable existence.  Needless to say, but these nuetral/uncaring people are 
much different than their more abstract and philisophical True Nuetral (balance)
counterparts.

 _______________________________
|  Matthew B. Downer       	|
|  hachiman@u.washington.edu	|
|  				|
|  Ore no denwa bango wa 911 da.|
|_______________________________|
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jwolf@nyx.cs.du.edu (The WolF)
Subject: Re: Rary the Traitor question.....
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 19:38:13 GMT

IO11330@MAINE.MAINE.EDU wrote:
> I am missing a number of maps in my module is this a related incident,
> should I bring it back, what do I do?????

Actually, that's the way T$R shipped the thing.  It IS missing THREE maps.
As to what to do, call 1-800-DRAGONS, ask for mail order, then complain -
LOUDLY.  They know about the problem, we just need to inspire them to a
RAPID resolution.  Rary the Traitor was not exactly cheap ...

Even if it was, they should be ready to fix the problem.

Jon WolF

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Thanatos)
Subject: Re: To Kill a Black Dragon
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 09:02:09 GMT
Keywords: Dragon

In article <GSPIEGEL.57.0@bsa1.kent.edu> GSPIEGEL@bsa1.kent.edu (Greg Spiegelberg) writes:
>A virgin, female cleric who just so happens to be engaged (kinda) to someone 
>in my party has been supposedly kidnapped by a very large black dragon.
>(BTW, we're in Forgotten Realms)
>
>Anyways, half of us want to press on, the other half is suicidal and wants 
>to get the cleric back.  SO!  How should we go about killing/subduing this 
>black dragon?
>
Well, first off, you're dealing with no mere dragon...you have one of those 
with the dreaded ability to Detect Virgins!  (Really, how the HELL did the 
dragon figure out this?  Ask?  CHECK?!?)

Second, you've got to talk to the damn thing.  If the cleric isn't et (sic)
by now, there's a reason she's still alive.  Dragons don't collect virgins,
they eat them.  Perhaps he can be reasoned with?  (Yeah, reason with a 
reptilian redneck oozing toxic Redman...it's gonna happen).  In any event,
do this long distance, as that fear aura is a bitch...


-- 
I don't mind being the smartest	    / Thanatos, DeathUrge, Master of Unknown
man in the world...I just wish it   \ Time and Space tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu 
wasn't this one...	       	    / It's a Zen thing... 
	-Ozymandias 		    \	 you wouldn't understand...  
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters)
Subject: Re: Contingency (was Re: Most powerful PC ever)
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 17:41:21 GMT

In article <05NOV92.13521045.0187@UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA> LRPR000 <LRPR@UNB.CA> writes:
>>My idea of contingency is it goes off when it can.  It wouldn't go off in
>>anti-magic (shell or otherwise), but once the character leaves anti-magic, if
>>the conditions of the contingency still apply, the contingency would work.
>>
>>So, anti-magic would stop upon the characters death, and then the contingency
>>would go off.
>   I play contingency that if the condition is satisfied, the spell is
>cast from the wizard's mind. Thus, if the wizard is dead or knocked out,
>his spells are gone and contingency doesn't work. Note it still allows
>for 2 spells in a round (1 cast and 1 from the contingency) and for
>a spell to be cast if the wizard is otherwise incapacitated - held,
>silenced, etc. This seems plenty powerful for a 6th level spell.
>>ie.  I don't think contingency is negated by anti-magic, just delayed.


Well, what I do is charge the Mage for TWO spells from memory.  The contingency
spell and the "target" spell.  The contingency spell contains the *COMPLETE*
casting of the target spell, but until the contigency is satisfied, or the
spell dispelled, the mage loses a memory "slot" for both spells.  Thus, 
a mage casting a contingecy spell which uses TELEPORT, would cast the
TELEPORT spell as part of the contingecy.  Both spells are put "ON HOLD"
until the conditions are met, and not completely removed from memory, although
they can not be cast from the "partially memorized" form.  Once the contigency
is met, and the spells complete operation, the mage now has those two spell
slots available for use.

In my case, I consider the contingecy spell to be "semisentient," able to 
determine when the conditions set forth are met.  It's like a failsafe
mechanism which, once armed by a person, requires no further intervention 
for activation once the conditions are met.

-Coyt



Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: anton@cv.ruu.nl (Anton H.J. Koning)
Subject: Re: Rary the Traitor question.....
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 10:06:10 GMT
Organization: University of Utrecht, 3D Computer Vision Research Group

In <92315.194930IO11330@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> IO11330@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (the DM) writes:

>Hello out there can anyone who owns this module answers my question?
>I am missing a number of maps in my module is this a related incident,
>should I bring it back, what do I do?????    The text read like there
>should be about four more maps of the upper levels of the tower, but
>no text seems to be missing and all the pages are included.   HELP??!!
>
>             Pat Ellis
>                 THE DM

Apperently somebody at T$R goofed. My copy is exactly the same. I guess
you'll have to wait for a second printing or make up the maps yourself.

                                           +{| SIRE |}+
From: adray@mcs.kent.edu (Adam Dray)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Testing for Biased Dice
Date: 12 Nov 92 23:10:19 GMT
Reply-To: adray@mcs.kent.edu
Organization: Kent State University CS

In article <1992Nov12.194015.1602@Princeton.EDU>, dagolden@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Alexandre Golden) writes:
> 
> I once did something along those lines to test whether my DM's die was
> fair.  (It would roll 20's a lot.  Often on command.)
> 
> To test the die, I made a histogram (I believe is the term for it) like this:
[etc]


No, no, no.  I, too, was once accused of using a bad d20, so I did a
chi square test on it.  The details of the process have long been
erased from my memory, but it goes something like this:

1.  Roll your die a lot of times.
2.  Tally the number of times each possibility occurs.
3.  Do a lot of messy, but otherwise simple, arithmetic on the numbers
    in order to produce a standard deviation.
4.  As long as that number falls within certain bounds, your die is
    "fair."

In other words, a histogram shows very little.  Random doesn't mean
necessarily that you'll get an even distribution.  It just mean the
probability that you won't get an even distribution is proportional to
the number of sides on the die, and the number of times you roll it.

Notes about the fairness of dice:

Sharp-edged dice are better than smooth-edged dice.  They're also more
expensive, however.  Rounded dice are often inked by coating the
entire die with ink, then tossing the die in a "tumbler" (similar to
tumblers for smoothing rocks) until all the die on the outside is
gone.  Thus, the ink is left in the crevices where the numbers are.

Theoretically, the grooves for the numbers can make one side a more
likely outcome.  Official casino dice don't have inset pips.

The standards for polyhedral dice are very low.  In one GameScience
ad, several stacks of 10d20 (all of the same brand) don't stack up to
the same height.  That means that the dice aren't necessarily of the
same uniform size, and even suggests that the dice aren't "true"
regular polyhedrons.  GameScience claims their dice are "true."

GameScience did tests on other manufacturers' dice.  They found
certain numbers to be more likely.  I've heard that the real 100-sided
die tends to roll certain numbers more often.

Filing corners off your dice can make certain outcomes more probable. 
Natural wear can do the same thing.

For most people, none of this matters one damn bit.  =)


                                                  Adam.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: raistlin@wixer.cactus.org (Eli Boaz)
Subject: Re: a new "monster":  the Fundy
Organization: Real/Time Communications
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 92 12:44:06 GMT

In article <MGATES.92Nov5122344@entiat.boeing.com> mgates@entiat.boeing.com (Michael Gates) writes:
>>>>>> "Beth" == Beth Schwindt <bets@festus.ksu.ksu.edu> writes:
>
>Beth> Fundamentalist
>
>
>Beth> Climate/Terrain:        Found only in towns
>Beth> Frequency:              Common
>Beth> Activity Cycle:         Normal Human
>Beth> Diet:                   Normal Human
>Beth> Intelligence:           Above Average; *VERY* low Wisdom.
>Beth> Treasure:               Varies
>Beth> Alignment:              Neutral or Chaotic Good.  Believe they are 
>Beth>                           Lawful Good.    
>
>Nah, definitely Lawful Neutral

Nope, definitely Chaotic Neutral, but suffer from the delusion that
they are Lawful Good.  [read up on CN if you don't get it]

-- 
ttyl,     | "My friends, no matter how rough the road maybe, we can and we  |
Eli Boaz  +---------------\ will, never, never surrender to what is right." |
raistlin@wixer.cactus.org  \ -- Former VP Dan Quayle to Christian Coalition |
wixer!raistlin@cs.utexas.edu\-----------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: stv@unislc.uucp (Steve Spencer)
Subject: Re: Suicide
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:06:15 GMT

Tom Walcott (friar@spock.uucp) wrote:
: I don't know if this has come up before, but how is suicide defined
: in regards to good or evil?  I mean, wouldn't an evil character commiting
: suicide, therefor ridding the world of his evil, be a GOOD act?
: And wouldn't a good character killing oneself be an EVIL act?
: This could lead to interesting scenarios, such as a evil person
: going to the seven heavens due to committing suicide when all was lost.
: The only person whom this would not affect would be the Neutral type.
: Just curious.  Lemme know if this has already come up or anything.
: 
: 
: Friar
I think that the basic question here isn't the OUTCOME of their suicide 
(ie. ridding the world of an evil character), but the REASONING for their 
suicicde. For instance, if an evil character killed him/her self because
he/she was so guilt ridden about all of the atrocities he/she had committed,
then I would call it a good act (which would truely have to mean that the
character ACTUALLY changed to a good alignment when they first began to feel
the guilt for those acts, and not when the committed suicide). However, if
an evil character commits suicide for selfish, greedy, proud reasons, such
as killing themself because odds were stacked horribly against them, and 
they'd sooner take their own life than give their enemies the satisfaction,
then I'd call it an evil act.

       _____  _____  _____         _____
      (_____    |    |____  \   /  |____           |\__/\    | | |
      ______)   |    |____   \_/   |____        <___/@ ) \    \|/
						 !!!!!\  /     X
				           ________|  | |______|_
			 	          (\_____!!!!!// ______\_) 
                                                 \____/  /     |
						 __|_|  |      |
					       ((_______|      |