HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rugi@cie.uoregon.edu (Russ Gilman)
Subject: Re: Cube of Force usage question
Organization: University of Oregon Campus Information Exchange
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 15:27:23 GMT

In article <1992Sep9.112026.12705@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu> crchakford@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu writes:
>In article <1992Sep8.215417.15358@aa.cad.slb.com>,
> jackson@ess43.Berkeley.EDU (Jeff Jackson) writes:
>>     In our adventure last weekend, our priest took out his Cube of Force
>>     and invoked it to keep out "all non-living matter".  We then had a
>>     discussion about whether or not people inside the cube:
>>     Our DM of the day ruled that:
>>         1) air wasn't affected by the cube and so they could keep breathing;
>>         2) You couldn't poke people inside the cube with a polearm, but you
>>            could enter the cube area, draw your sword, and then hack.
>>     I disagree.  I think that:
>>         1) If air could pass through, then so could a cloudkill, which
>>            sort of defeats the purpose of that function of the cube:
>>         2) You'd have to be naked to get into the cube.
>> 
>> 
>>     What do y'all think?
>> 
>
>        I think you were right.  No question.  I also think any DM who
>gives his players a cube of force is a moron.  It's just to d*mn
>powerful.
>        DM: "The great wyrm red dragon attacks!"
>        PC: "I turn on my cube of force, face 6, stops EVERYTHING!
>             *evil grin*"
>        DM: "@$%^&%&$*%*&(@!!!!!!"
>        PC: "The magic user teleports us outta here! *chuckle*"
>        DM: "....."
>
>                        Later,
>
>                           Craig.

Oh, I gave my players a cube of force.  I was tired of the Bard's whining
and wimpering "I need a cube-o-force".  So I gave him one.  Now he can
push a side of the cube and get surrounded by a wall of force.  Sometimes
it gets stuck and he can't take it down.  By the time 2 months rolls
around, he'll find that the cube when pressed on 2 sides will give him
four ogres with poles to carry around his cube-o-force.  y'see, it`s
all an illusion, with a little bit of flight and other illusions.

btw- how does a PC know which side of the cube he's pressing?
-- 

Cthulu in '92!  Why Settle for the Lesser of Two Evils!

rugi@cie-uoregon.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: rsm58307@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ron)
Subject: RULES ON SPELL RESEARCH?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 07:39:13 GMT
Keywords: SPELLS MAGES RESEARCH


I am currently in a newly running campaign (running a wizard type of my
own invention).  What rules do you use, or have you seen used, with respect
to researching new spells or finding the more common ones?

Are the rules listed in the DMG complete? What about the Wizard's handbook?

	- thx, Ron
From: perez@mgr.hjf.org (Charles Perez)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Missiles into Melee Combat
Date: 10 Sep 92 15:16:12 GMT
Organization: HJF AIDS Research Project, Washington DC

In article <18h6e9INNs16@uniwa.uwa.edu.au> gupw@uniwa.uwa.edu.au (Paul Wagland) writes:
>An Answer regarding fire into melee combat:
>
>OK. The way I handle this as GM is rather lenient, but if you like feel
>free to use it.
>
>I use the same weightings as the second ed. times two. ie small creatuer
>1, man sized -2, etc.
>You take the figure you want to fire at, and add his weighting. You then
>subtract the weighting of all the creatures involved in melee with it.
>This gives you anumber, which you add to your need to hit roll. if you
>getr less than this, then you have hit a random person in the melee,
>determined by the weigtings given above.
>
>Confused yet? (No, then drop me a line ... :)
>
>OK here's an example to help demonstrate:
>You have four people in battle, a halfling, and two humans (all on one
>side) and an ogre on the other, so you have
>Person	size	weight
>Halfing	S	1
>Human	M	2
>Human 2	M	2
>Ogre	L	-4
>------------------
>Total		1
>
>Now lets assume the elven archer standing on the side needs a 15 to hit
>the ogre. If the elven archer rolls less than a 16 then he could of hit
>any person in melee, except the ogre. you then roll to see who it
>hit. Then you roll a d20 again to see if you actually 'hit' them.
>
>
>So what do you think?

I think that, along with the sizes of all of the intended targets, the
missiler should add his own size (doesn't mean he may hit himself, tho).
The bigger you are, the less a given size difference means to you.

>
>You can't understand my mad ramblings?
>
>hmm.

I understood. Don't worry. It's ok.


-- 
==========================================================================
That which is necessary is never evil. If an evil seems necessary, look
to your context; that's where its root lies.  - Charles Perez
==========================================================================
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: crchakford@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Cube of Force usage question
Date: 9 Sep 92 16:20:26 GMT
Organization: Miami University Academic Computer Service"

In article <1992Sep8.215417.15358@aa.cad.slb.com>,
 jackson@ess43.Berkeley.EDU (Jeff Jackson) writes:
>     In our adventure last weekend, our priest took out his Cube of Force
>     and invoked it to keep out "all non-living matter".  We then had a
>     discussion about whether or not people inside the cube:
>     Our DM of the day ruled that:
>         1) air wasn't affected by the cube and so they could keep breathing;
>         2) You couldn't poke people inside the cube with a polearm, but you
>            could enter the cube area, draw your sword, and then hack.
>     I disagree.  I think that:
>         1) If air could pass through, then so could a cloudkill, which
>            sort of defeats the purpose of that function of the cube:
>         2) You'd have to be naked to get into the cube.
> 
> 
>     What do y'all think?
> 

        I think you were right.  No question.  I also think any DM who
gives his players a cube of force is a moron.  It's just to d*mn
powerful.
        DM: "The great wyrm red dragon attacks!"
        PC: "I turn on my cube of force, face 6, stops EVERYTHING!
             *evil grin*"
        DM: "@$%^&%&$*%*&(@!!!!!!"
        PC: "The magic user teleports us outta here! *chuckle*"
        DM: "....."

                        Later,

                           Craig.
From: unixwiz@mcl.ucsb.edu (Silk)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Clerics: Deities Granting Spells
Date: 10 Sep 92 02:17:53 GMT
Distribution: na

In <1992Sep9.194008.21780@zip.eecs.umich.edu> boyd@colonial.eecs.umich.edu (Eric Boyd) writes:

>One problem is that some of the spells are either in the wrong sphere or
>should be in several spheres. Druids no longer get "Commune with Nature",
>which was the v1. equivelent (for them) of the "Commune" spell.

>I answer
>--------

>This particular bug has been fixed. The players handbook errata sheet
>someone compiled from TSR is floating around in my directories and
>on the net elsewhere.

Maybe you could post the errata sheet, as I've never seen it, or at least
post where I could get a hold of it?  (considering the money I've spent,
the least they could do is sell correct books.)

>Alternatively, if you check out the 2nd printing of the AD&D2 PH, many
>such bugs were fixed. I believe you can identify it by the gold TSR logo
>on the spine.

I'm afraid not.  It's still listed solely under Divination, and as a 5th
lvl spl, and since Druids only have minor access to Divination, they don't
get "commune with nature."
 
(And yes, it's the second printing...the gold seal is on the spine, and
some of the artwork has been moved.)

Silk
unixwiz@mcl.ucsb.edu

>-- 
>      o o o o o o o . . .   ________________________________ _____=======_T___
>    o      _____           ||Eric L. Boyd                  | |               |
>  .][__n_n_|DD[  ====_____  |boyd@colonial.eecs.umich.edu  | |(313) 936-2917 |
> >(________|__|_[_________]_|University of Michigan________|_|_______________|_
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Deus Imperator)
Subject: Re: Cube of Force usage question
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 01:23:35 GMT

In article <1992Sep9.112026.12705@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu> crchakford@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu writes:
>In article <1992Sep8.215417.15358@aa.cad.slb.com>,
> jackson@ess43.Berkeley.EDU (Jeff Jackson) writes:
>>     In our adventure last weekend, our priest took out his Cube of Force
>>     and invoked it to keep out "all non-living matter".  We then had a
>>     discussion about whether or not people inside the cube:
>>     Our DM of the day ruled that:
>>         1) air wasn't affected by the cube and so they could keep breathing;
>>         2) You couldn't poke people inside the cube with a polearm, but you
>>            could enter the cube area, draw your sword, and then hack.
>>     I disagree.  I think that:
>>         1) If air could pass through, then so could a cloudkill, which
>>            sort of defeats the purpose of that function of the cube:
>>         2) You'd have to be naked to get into the cube.
>> 
>> 
>>     What do y'all think?
>> 
>
>        I think you were right.  No question.  I also think any DM who
>gives his players a cube of force is a moron.  It's just to d*mn
>powerful.
>        DM: "The great wyrm red dragon attacks!"
>        PC: "I turn on my cube of force, face 6, stops EVERYTHING!
>             *evil grin*"
>        DM: "@$%^&%&$*%*&(@!!!!!!"
>        PC: "The magic user teleports us outta here! *chuckle*"
>        DM: "....."
>
NONONONONO...you silly person.  More like this...
	DM:  The great Wyrm Red Dragon attacks!"
	PC:  I turn on my cube of force, face 6, stops EVERYTHING!
		*Evil grin*
	DM:  Well, the red dragon breathes on the ceiling, burying 
		you and the cube under 100 tons of rocks.
	PC:  Fine!  We teleport out...
	DM:  Now what kind of cube would allow people to teleport
		through it?  I mean, if you could teleport _through_ it,
		the dragon woulda teleported one of those 10 ton boulders
		in there too.  Nope.  No teleport for you.
	PC: "...."

I once had a group so potent that before they retired, I allowed them to 
visit the Soulforge, and create a weapon of Reknown (something that would 
make them legendary...).
	One of the characters had a cube.  She asked if it could be 
incorporated into the +5 bow of speed she was fashioning.  The bowyer looked
at her kind of funny.  "You _sure?_"  "Yup."
	One of her descendants "accidentally" found it (she wasn't a very 
good roleplayer).  Against ten orcs, she activated it.
	The cube expanded _within_ the bow.  Boom.  No more bow.  She wept. 

-- 
Thanatos, DeathUrge, Master of Everything But Love tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
"Oh God, does this mean we have to fight?"
			-Selina Kyle, _Batman_
From: boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: A word on Mages
Date: 10 Sep 92 17:31:00 GMT
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <1992Sep4.162630.1@vx24.cc.monash.edu.au>
   edb892rsft@vx24.cc.monash.edu.au writes:
>The time to memorize a spell in the first edition was 1 hour
>per spell level but in the 2nd ed I was told it was 10 mins per spell
>level! This means that a low level party in a ruins can effectively cast
>many spells in a day. 

   To memorize, probably, but you need the rest before hand.

   The way I use it is fairly simple (at least I think it is).  Total time for
resting and memorizing is combined into this formula:

   Base Time + ( 15m x Total of all spell levels to be restored )

   Base time is computed based on the highest spell level needed back:

   Level 1-2     Base time 4 hours
   Level 3-4               5
   Level 5-6               6
   Level 7-8               7
   Level 9                 8

   This has worked well for me.  I also rule that you can't just rest for this
time, cast spells, then just sit down and rest again, you are too restless.  I
rule that at least 8 hours of 'awakeness' must pass before another rest can be
performed.  So at low levels, it would be possible to get almost two castings
worth in a 24 hours period.

                                        John "Nightwind" Boelter

--
*******************************************************************************
* John Boelter        a.k.a. Nightwind            boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu *
* Organizational Manager and contact person for everything and then some.     *
*******************************************************************************
* The individual who said we only use 10%  * The first 90% of a task takes    *
* of our brain's mental capacity, was      * 90% of the time, and the last    *
* probably 90% incorrect.                  * 10% takes the other 90%.         *
*            -Unknown comic on A&E-        *   -99 rule of Project Schedules- *
*******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: gupw@uniwa.uwa.edu.au (Paul Wagland)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Missiles into Melee Combat
Date: 8 Sep 1992 11:24:57 +0800
Organization: The University of Westrn Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: uniwa.uwa.edu.au

An Answer regarding fire into melee combat:

OK. The way I handle this as GM is rather lenient, but if you like feel
free to use it.

I use the same weightings as the second ed. times two. ie small creatuer
1, man sized -2, etc.
You take the figure you want to fire at, and add his weighting. You then
subtract the weighting of all the creatures involved in melee with it.
This gives you anumber, which you add to your need to hit roll. if you
getr less than this, then you have hit a random person in the melee,
determined by the weigtings given above.

Confused yet? (No, then drop me a line ... :)

OK here's an example to help demonstrate:
You have four people in battle, a halfling, and two humans (all on one
side) and an ogre on the other, so you have
Person	size	weight
Halfing	S	1
Human	M	2
Human 2	M	2
Ogre	L	-4
------------------
Total		1

Now lets assume the elven archer standing on the side needs a 15 to hit
the ogre. If the elven archer rolls less than a 16 then he could of hit
any person in melee, except the ogre. you then roll to see who it
hit. Then you roll a d20 again to see if you actually 'hit' them.


So what do you think?

You can't understand my mad ramblings?

hmm.

Paul
-- 
Paul Wagland            | These opinions are mine and no-one elses
gupw@uniwa.uwa.edu.au   | Bingy Bingy Bingy Frogs Go round and round
------------------------+     -- Another silly quote from me  :-)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cb317@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Stephanie J. Kessler)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: AD&D2 prof.  Natural Lang.
Date: 15 Sep 92 16:50:55 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


My DM rules that a half-elf's native tongue is determined by
which culture he/she grew up in (aka if the character was raised
among elves, he/she has
Elven as a  native tongue and Common if raised among humans).
-- 
The United States is a nation of laws:  badly written and
randomly enforced.     Frank Zappa

cb317 @ cleveland.Freenet.Edu
From: z_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Scrolls and spells
Date: 11 Sep 92 02:18:30 CST
Organization: Stephen F. Austin State University

In article <1992Sep9.065525.20586@latcs1.lat.oz.au>, barton@latcs1.lat.OZ.AU (Douglas P Barton) writes:
> In article <1992Sep8.214743.15260@aa.cad.slb.com>, jackson@ess43.Berkeley.EDU (Jeff Jackson) writes:
> |> |> 
> |> |> 	I have to agree with this. Scroll spells are specifically made for 
> |> |> casting, not learning. The scroll spell is basically a 'compiled' version of 
> |> |> the spell, ready to run and with a fixed effect. 
> |> |> 
> |> |> Brandon Cope
> |> 
> 
> Then surely *ANYBODY* should be able to use/ignite/operate/run/execute them...
> And how then is it possible to compile a priest spell?
> 

	Nope. IBM WP5.1 won't run on a Mac, and Mac MS-Word 5.0 won't do
anything on an IBM (well, not without some special hardware :-)). The spells
are 'compiled' to be 'run' (ie, cast) on different 'machines'.

	The whole concept of priest scrolls has been a bit fuzzy to me for most
of the 9+ years I've been DMing, and I'm considering only allowing mage
scrolls.

Brandon Cope
a generous and sadistic DM
From: phil@adam.adelaide.edu.au (Phil Kernick)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Munchikinism/Min-Maxing (Require Def'n)
Date: 11 Sep 92 02:56:08 GMT
Organization: University of Adelaide, South Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: adam.adelaide.edu.au

mkelly@chopin.udel.edu (Michael Joseph Kelly) writes:

> I'm pretty new to the whole thing of D&D, however would a form of
> min-maxing be rolling a 6 sided die four times, taking the best three rolls,
> and then making that result the ability score of your choice?  I was talking
> to a friend of mine yesterday who was a DM in a game using AD&D 2nd Ed.
> rules who was complaining about that because it was creating ultra
> characters.  Statisitically, it makes getting an 18 a lot easier.

This is a question that I have asked myself before, so to stop any arguments
or pseudo-statistics, I worked out all the probabilities, and they are:


Rolling 3d6 straight.

 3 -  0.46% (   1 )   |*
 4 -  1.39% (   3 )   |*****
 5 -  2.78% (   6 )   |***********
 6 -  4.63% (  10 )   |******************
 7 -  6.94% (  15 )   |***************************
 8 -  9.72% (  21 )   |**************************************
 9 - 11.57% (  25 )   |**********************************************
10 - 12.50% (  27 )   |*************************************************
11 - 12.50% (  27 )   |*************************************************
12 - 11.57% (  25 )   |**********************************************
13 -  9.72% (  21 )   |**************************************
14 -  6.94% (  15 )   |***************************
15 -  4.63% (  10 )   |******************
16 -  2.78% (   6 )   |***********
17 -  1.39% (   3 )   |*****
18 -  0.46% (   1 )   |*


Rolling 4d6 and keeping the top 3.

 3 -  0.08% (   1 )   |
 4 -  0.31% (   4 )   |*
 5 -  0.77% (  10 )   |***
 6 -  1.62% (  21 )   |******
 7 -  2.93% (  38 )   |***********
 8 -  4.78% (  62 )   |*******************
 9 -  7.02% (  91 )   |****************************
10 -  9.41% ( 122 )   |*************************************
11 - 11.42% ( 148 )   |*********************************************
12 - 12.89% ( 167 )   |***************************************************
13 - 13.27% ( 172 )   |*****************************************************
14 - 12.35% ( 160 )   |*************************************************
15 - 10.11% ( 131 )   |****************************************
16 -  7.25% (  94 )   |*****************************
17 -  4.17% (  54 )   |****************
18 -  1.62% (  21 )   |******


So you can see that the chance of getting an 18 has increased by exactly 3.5
times, and that the average stat has increased from 10.5 to 12.2.

Yes the characters get better stats, and this *does* tend to push people to
min-max, but it also makes the characters more heroic - which is what the
game is supposed to be all about.



Phil.


-- 
   _-_|\    Phil Kernick                        "Sleep all day,
  /     \   University of Adelaide               Party all night,
  \_.-*_/   E-Mail: phil@adam.adelaide.edu.au    It's fun to be a
       v    Phone:  +61 8 228 5914               Vampire!"
From: bilbo@bisco.kodak.com (Charles Tryon)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: STORY: The Towers, part14
Keywords: STORY GreyEagle Towers
Date: 9 Sep 92 13:08:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: pixel.1992Sep9.130820.15928
Organization: Eastman Kodak Company; Rochester, NY

In article <1992Sep8.205811.12436@pixel.kodak.com> bilbo@bisco.kodak.com (Charles Tryon) writes:
>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>            T H E   T O W E R S
>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

  OOPS!  Sorry folks.  This was supposed to go to the archives group, and
  somehow I posted twice here.  Looks like the Baggins was in too much of a
  hurry...


--
Chuck Tryon
    work: bilbo@bisco.kodak.com                          B. Baggins
    home: bilbo@Bah.Rochester.NY.US                      At Your Service
 ______________________________________________________________________
   Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: Devon_Sheppard@mindlink.bc.ca (Devon Sheppard)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Learning without profficiencies
Date: 10 Sep 92 17:42:21 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Distribution: world

I agree whole-heartedly, so I've been giving a lot of thought to using
'zero-level' skills in my game. That would enable a character to have some
skill in something, say Musical Instrument, but not be all that good at it. To
succeed at a task with a 0-level skill, the character would have to make a
check using half the regular check (what it would be if he had level 1 in the
skill). I'm still trying to decide whether or not this is too easy or too hard
a check to make. I'm also trying to decide how many of these 'extra' skills a
character has - one per level is my best idea... that way, it can lead to good
roll playing, and it allows for some logic in obtaining proficiencies (ie, you
practice with your flute, then get skilled, you don't just <BAMF> have the
ability to play a flute like a master).

  D

--
             -------------
     Devon_Sheppard@mindlink.bc.ca

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: perseant@milton.u.washington.edu (Dis Pater (Konrad Schroder))
Subject: Re: Cube of Force usage question
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 21:27:53 GMT

gajensen@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu writes:

>In article <1992Sep8.215417.15358@aa.cad.slb.com>, jackson@ess43.Berkeley.EDU (Jeff Jackson) writes:

>>         1) If air could pass through, then so could a cloudkill, which
>>            sort of defeats the purpose of that function of the cube:

>Probably simply molecules could pass through, but not complex ones like those
>involved in gas attacks. I suppose it depends on how lenient your DM is. I
>would rule that simple molecules, like Oxygen and Nitrogen could pass through,
>but other more complex ones could not.

It also depends on how much chemistry the DM's had.  The description of a
cloudkill (greenish gas cloud) sounds a lot like Chlorine to me--just
as elemental as Oxygen or Nitrogen.

>>         2) You'd have to be naked to get into the cube.

And you might have to shave and scrape your skin a bit, if your DM's
feeling lawyer-like.  And let's not forget the fingernails....
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: braca2@cspyr1.cs.adfa.oz.au (BRAY CHRISTOPHER)
Subject: Re: Son of the Munchkin Guide
Organization: Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, Australia
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 09:12:07 GMT

FAVE DARK FUTURE ROLES:

      *Real Men* like solos, judges
	*Real Roleplayers* like medias, rockers
	* Loonies* like Fatties
	*Munchkins* like whatever gives them the most bonuses
From: phil@adam.adelaide.edu.au (Phil Kernick)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: AD&D 1st edition modules
Date: 8 Sep 92 07:25:56 GMT
Organization: University of Adelaide, South Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: adam.adelaide.edu.au

Does anyone have a definative list of what 1st edition AD&D modules TSR
published?  This should include, for example, the fact that S2 (White Plume
Mountain) has been published twice in different covers, and is also in S1-4
(Realms of Horror).


Thanks,
Phil.


-- 
   _-_|\    Phil Kernick                        "Sleep all day,
  /     \   University of Adelaide               Party all night,
  \_.-*_/   E-Mail: phil@adam.adelaide.edu.au    It's fun to be a
       v    Phone:  +61 8 228 5914               Vampire!"
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd