HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dagolden@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Alexandre Golden)
Subject: Re: spell/GM reasonableness (was Re: Funny spells)
Originator: news@nimaster
Keywords: Weird Stupid Funny Insane Spells regarding plants
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 18:34:20 GMT

[We all wrote stuff:]

>>Pray to whatever you hold sacred for a reasonable DM

>I really hope I didn't imply that I was disputing with my GM.. that isn't the
>case, I was mostly being silly, and trying to interject a little levity :)
>I'm satisfied that our GM is fair.  (I don't always like his decisions, but he
>makes them fairly)
>
>(Hmm, I guess my lack of smiley in the 'graph where I say that I didn't know
>why our GM didn't believe... would do it... I tend to forget that text doesn't
>carry sarcasm well :( )

No, I guessed that you were making a joke.  :)  It's a long standing habit
for players to try to convince the GM that things should work differently.
I once witnessed (was a participant in) a "discussion" about the shape of
the color spray spell.  Described (I believe) as a fan-shaped spray of 
x by x by x size.  The question was, what did those numbers mean?  Was it a
fan (i.e. a thin arc of a circle) or a wedge (i.e. a thick arc of a cylinder)?
The numbers didn't seem to help since how do you describe a wedge/fan in
cartesian coordinates?  (For the sake of confusion, I argued that it started
as a fan and grew to a wedge as the distance increased)

The point revolved around our mage wanting to shoot it over the heads of
our front line, while the front line all ducked.  The spell went off, then
the argument went off (mage thought fan, DM thought wedge).  DM finally 
ruled wedge, and our mage wound up nuking our front line.  Oh well...

>Jim, invisible to normal plants ;)

Yes, I find that the normal plants generally ignore me as well.

Dave



-- 
David A. Golden '95           (dagolden@phoenix.princeton.edu)
Princeton University
From: jdelacr@afterlife.ncsc.mil (Jorge DeLaCruz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Funny spells
Keywords: Weird Stupid Funny Insane Spells regarding plants
Date: 30 Dec 92 18:00:10 GMT
Organization: The Great Beyond

In article <C028qA.64M@acsu.buffalo.edu> richmond@acsu.buffalo.edu (James J. Richmond) writes:

  I don't know it you would call it funny, but we did...

	Fighting in a Hallway in a Dungeon, you are finishing with some 
   Goblinoids when you see their "friends" coming, simple Enlarge one of the
   Dead (or more if they are small) to cover the Passage.  

	Or if a Large Monster is Charging you, besides having the Guy with 
   Polearm brace himself, have a nice Grease Spell in Front of the Monster,
   Oops he fell (Failed Dex) and what is this Fire Finger Cantrip I now casted
   Hmmm....

	Yes Cantrips are Fun if you are Board, and you are a Bard Looking for
   some fun.  You friend is talking to a Barbarian for information.  You 
   friend "Winks" at the Barbarian, then the Barbarian feels a "Tweek" on his
   Butt....
	Or to that Snotty Companion who is Trying to impress a Noble or a 
   Lady (or Gent), his Bodily Functions are just going wild.


					More Fun or Sick Spell

					Jorge Delacruz
From: gellis@gellis.UUCP (Greg Ellis)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Looking for "Scout" class
Date: Sun, 03 Jan 93 01:18:36 EST
Organization: Greg Ellis (Personal News System)

jhereg@iastate.edu (Baron Alexandreivich Von Goepel-heimer) writes:

> Howdy everyone.  Some time ago someone mentioned to me that a "scout" class h
> appeared in Dragon Magazine.  I nearly forgot about it and suddenly I find th
> I want to use it in a campaign.  Could someone out there in net-land post the
> article, or at least tell me what issue it's in?  I don't have any back issue
> of Dragon, so I can't go thumbing through them; but I can get a specific issu

Dragon #161, September 1990, pages 71-74.
This is an AD&D, 1st ed class, very similar to the standard thief, but 
without the "thieving".  It adds a couple of "acrobat-type" skills, like 
the Unearthed Arcana Acrobat class, and takes away pick pockets, backstab 
bonus, set traps, and the "thieves cant".
It's very much the type of thing that was done to a much greater extent 
with the class handbooks.


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Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: malhavic@cwis.unomaha.edu (David E. McKnight)
Subject: Re: Spells on Computer anyone?
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 03:38:35 GMT

As a matter of fact I have.  I have some 1300 wizard spells with complete spell
descriptions.  All in DBase IV (IBM) format allowing you to create searches for
anything you want.  At present time I'm coding up a MS Windows 3.1 program to
take advantage of all the information I've created.

Any suggestions or questions drop me a note at: [malhavic@cwis.unomaha.edu]
From: richmond@acsu.buffalo.edu (James J. Richmond)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Funny spells
Summary: cleric
Keywords: Weird Stupid Funny Insane Spells regarding plants
Date: 30 Dec 92 06:58:57 GMT
Organization: State University of New York at Buffalo/Comp Sci

Well, the spells never really existed, but in a recent encounter my Priest (to
the elven goddes of contest/fairness) could have really used Invisibility to
Plants, or for that matter Plant Friendship (you had to be there, but it would
have been nice at the time.. as it was she got to sit on a gargoyle in a net
while a high-level monk got around the (not very well described as none of the
PC's actually saw them) animated plants ;) )

I was trying (well, not _really_ trying) to convince our GM that just like
Locate Animals or Plants which is in both the Plant and Animal spheres,
Invisibility To Animals had a counterpart spell Invisibility to Plants, and
likewise for Animal Friendship.

Somehow it didn't work..

I don't know why our GM wouldn't believe me that it would be such a usefull
spell that it must exist ;) (Hi Eric)

Jim
-- 
richmond@cs.buffalo.edu       Jim Richmond	rutgers!cs.buffalo.edu!richmond
``Your values are twisted,  --	Not One of Us
  let us help you unwind''	  Peter Gabriel
From: tfoley@camaro.uucp (Tim Foley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Any PBEM Games Open?
Date: 24 Dec 92 13:52:46 GMT
Organization: camaro

While on the topic of PBEM games are there AD&D PBEM campaigns open?

Also, do anyone run games in the net itself?  With personal interaction 
taking place in email?

							Tim

-- 
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    Note: Please, no ftpmail or mailing lists or the host gets annoyed :)
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From: wigs@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Aaron Wigley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Illusionists have all the fun
Date: 21 Dec 92 00:34:22 GMT
Organization: Monash University General Access Unix
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Ahh, the enjoyment of playing an Illusionist..

Yesterday afternoon, in the usual Dark Sun session we have, we have a
Cleric of Water, who loves to bless with his holy water sprinkler (ie.
his Family Jewels - makes for an interesting method turning undead..).

I'm playing a Female Illusionist/Thief, who gets a little tired of his
antics. I pass a note to the GM, saying that the next time the Cleric
uses his Holy Water sprinkler, it will be covered by an illusion as if
it wasn't there. Play then proceded for several hours, until the Cleric
decided he needed to relieve himself. At this point, we had just
disposed of a Bad Guy Thief/Psionisist (tm) who was simply Dominated, 
through a gate to a ruined city we encountered a few weeks ago full of 
undead, and the Gate was still open. The Cleric forms the idea the
Thief/Psionisist somehow stole his manhood, and was now getting away
with it, and was about give pursuit. 

The other players didn't know what the hell was going on, but I laughed
my head off, then let the others in on the Joke. 

So who says Illusionists are wimps who can't cast fireballs. Especially
Illusionists who have died from a Gaze Attack, and been ressurected, and
can now use that in their illusions :)

The Wigs of Oz,				"I Vampiric Touch them.."
Aaron Wigley				     ''They're Undead'' - DM
					"Oh."
Merry Christmas to all, and anyone got the stats for Santa ? :-)
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 23 Dec 92 02:37:31 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd2.cis.pitt.edu

In article <YfAvDDO00YUo8XlMBc@andrew.cmu.edu> jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph E. Beck) writes:
>that hampers (significantly) your ability to use it.  Why don't you
>use armor in the same manner?  Armor prevents magical energies from
>gathering, but once gathered they can be directed without penalty at
>armored opponents.  It just works on the opposite manner as armor with
>swords.  Any problems with this?

	Not as long as the world keeps your rationale above consistent. If
armor allows the USE of magic, and just inhibits the GATHERING of magic,
then I could, theoretically, conjure up the mystic power, then have
armor put on, and then use the spell without trouble, right?

	How MUCH armor interferes? If I'm wearing chickenwire, will
this prevent me from gathering the magical energies? If so, how about
if I have one strand of metal wire on my person?

	If chickenwire DOESN'T interfere, could I have armor of interlocked
metal bands? Hmm. Sounds like chain to me...

	Or I could have a powerful mage with a suit of armor that phased out
of existence just enough to allow the magic to gather, then phased back
in...


				Sea Wasp
From: reddrgon@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Red Dragon the True)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: 2nd Edition Handbooks
Date: 22 Dec 1992 14:39:32 -0600
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: matt.ksu.ksu.edu

jwolf@nyx.cs.du.edu (The WolF) writes:

>Personally, I >like< the handbooks, though I didn't like the Priest
>handbook at first.  Then, I decided to run a campaign with ONLY special-
>ized priests, none of this generic cleric garbage.

>Suddenly the Priest HB was useful!  :)

>Jon WolF - Ou est Canada?

Well, I just *have* to throw in my .02 worth on this specialty priest/cleric
discussion.  The way I run this is to allow the players to choose between
running a cleric or a specialty priest.  However, all Priest group characters
must have a specific deity that he/she worships.  I personally use the FR
setting and the deities listed therein, so my use of the Priest's Handbook
is limited, but it has been used some for a kit here or there. 

I don't really think that specialty priests need a kit, but they are kinda
nice for the regular clerics.  

Ray
-- 
*****************************************************************************
* reddrgon@matt.ksu.ksu.edu   * The mightiest of all creatures, the most    *
* reddrgon@cygnus.cis.ksu.edu *   awful, cruelest beast -- the red dragon.  *
*****************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: ag@ax.apc.org
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Waterdeep info wanted
Date: 21 Dec 92 22:03:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #R:1992Dec16.205731.10862@linus.mit:646611407:ax:51300007:000:1412
Nf-From: ax.UUCP!ag    Dec 21 14:03:00 1992


Well Met!

  Shadow's reply tells you my feelings also. FR1 is the most important source
on Waterdeep. The other module is FRE3 (not FR3) and is the third in the AVATAR
series. It has pratically no information on Waterdeep itself. Don't spend money
on this one unless you want to run all the series. Waterdeep novel, on the other
side is a good view of a part of the city, but a better novel for that (one of
the best FR novels around) is "Elfshadow" (2nd in the Harper novels).

  Other Waterdeep sources :
  - Dragon 128 -> Waterdeep Environs (by Ed. Greenwood. Good source about the
                  neighbourhood of the city).
  - Dragon 172 -> Skullport ! (by Ed. Greenwood. Very Good! I think this one
                  is best suited to your needs. It details the UNDERMOUNTAIN                      "town" below Waterdeep! Dangerous place...).

  - City System Boxed set : If you have the money, and will spend a long time
                 with your players in the city, this one is good, if only by
                 its maps (10 fully detailed colored maps depicting all the
                  city's wards).

  FR1 is the best overall source. It also has a map of Waterdeep's Sewers.

  Swords high, friends!

  Aguinaldo Rangel.        << ag@ax.ibase.br >>

  PS.: Questions like that are VERY welcomed in the FORGOTTEN REALMS MAILING
       LIST! See this conf's FAQ to register yourself in the list!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: casivils@lescsse.jsc.nasa.gov (craig sivils)
Subject: Re: Funny spells
Keywords: Weird Stupid Funny Insane Spells regarding plants
Organization: Lockheed Engineering and Sciences
Date: 31 Dec 92 15:58:11 GMT

Although incorrect in the spell description, in the back of my PH where it
lists the spells for each sphere, call woodland being is in the animal sphere.

				Craig
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 23 Dec 92 02:20:08 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd2.cis.pitt.edu

In article <BzIn6C.73J.2@cs.cmu.edu> ddj+@cs.cmu.edu (Doug DeJulio) writes:
>In article <970@blue.cis.pitt.edu> seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
>> The thing that makes a world really work is depth and consistency of
>> EVERYTHING -- characters, civilizations, and mechanics and the
>> rationale behind them.

>You're asking for something that's impossible.  You want to model an
>entire universe down to the explanations for the physics, and still
>have time to play?  That's an absurd notion.

	Not to the extent that every particle is plotted on a chart, no,
but to the extent that any principle which helps ROLEPLAY should be there.
See below for clarification.

>reason is, even if the *player* doesn't.  Earlier you gave the example
>that ruling that a helmet stops psionics without explaining why is not
>acceptable because for example your mage might want to research an
>anti-psionic spell based on the principle.  I don't see why that means
>the *player* must know the principle!  Just say that there is some
>mechanism of action, and with sufficient research the mage can figure
>it out, and can produce a spell that works.  Do you require that


	This isn't very good for roleplaying purposes. I have mage x, who
wants to research spell y. If the player doesn't have any idea of the
rules that magic follows, to research his spell the only thing he can
do is say "Mage X researches spell y" and then roll dice based on whatever
chance I give for his research to succeed.

	On the other hand, let's say that he knows that there are several
laws of magic that work in my world, and several principles of association
with other spells. By knowing this, he can TELL ME precisely what his mage
will be doing to create this brand-spanking new spell, and thus increase
(or decrease) his chances of success. I can then also have reasons to
allow, disallow, or analyze new spells and their place in the heirarchy.


					Sea Wasp
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: vernard@cc.gatech.edu (Vernard C. Martin)
Subject: Re: druid shapechange
Reply-To: vernard@cc.gatech.edu (Vernard C. Martin)
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 19:55:44 GMT

In article <1992Dec22.135700.26552@kub.nl> JBOSTERS@KUBVX1.KUB.NL (Jeroen Bosters) writes:
>Hi Netters,
>
>just a small question. Yesterday, while playing, we got a bit of a discussion
>about how often druids use their shapechange ability. This actually means the 
>player uses, of course. 
>So I thought of a small poll just to see how often it is used. My druid-
>character used it rather often it it's last campagne. 

Well in the campaign that I GM which is very small (4 players plus me), we have a
13th level Druid and she uses the shapechange ability quite often. Almost
guaranteed once an adventure. 

>It was set inside a pyramid which was full of cloakers, well it's great just
>to change into an elephant just to "undress" from a cloaker and afterwards
>use your 4 attack per round on the rest of the cloakers.

Not meaning to be picky but Druids have a weight limit and I would definitely put
an elephant in the "too big due to weight" category. I believe a bear would have
been more appropriate and even then kind of iffy about breaking out of the
cloaker. The key thing is to turn into something that has lots of claws so that
you can claw your way out. Some type of big cat comes to mind.

V
Vernard Martin (vernard@cc.gatech.edu) Georgia Tech College of Computing
From: scythe@stein.u.washington.edu (The Grim Reaper)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Possible PBEM
Date: 3 Jan 1993 04:59:23 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu

This is not a PBEM announcement.  This is an announcement so I can
decide if I should make a PBEM announcement =)
I'd like to run a (2nd edition) Al-Qadim campaign.  This is
a quick survey to see how many people are interested in participating
in an Al-Qadim campaign, and have at least the Al-Qadim Player's Book.
YOU MUST HAVE THE AL-QADIM PLAYER'S BOOK TO PLAY.  I really don't want
to take the time to explain the flavor of Al-Qadim to you, so I'm making 
this requirement.  Please email me if you're interested.  Don't send 
characters, just a "Yeah, I'm interested." will do.  If I get enough
responses, I'll make a formal announcement.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When he goes swimming does he get wet, | The Grim Reaper
Or does the water get him instead?     | scythe@u.washington.edu
-They Might Be Giants, "Particle Man"  |
---------------------------------------+------------------------------------
Villager: She turned me into a newt!   |Lister, If two people came to you 
Bedevere: A newt?                      |for a job, and one of them was dead,
Villager: I got better.....            |who would you choose? -Rimmer
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Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: davis@cs.weber.edu (mike davis)
Subject: Re: Class' power (was Re: how to imprison a psionicist)
Organization: University of Utah Computer Center
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 92 06:26:56 GMT

In article <1992Dec22.020236.22292@sfu.ca>, akostur@fraser.sfu.ca (Andre John Kostur) writes:
|> In article <C91PETNO.92Dec21194958@kol11.IDA.LiU.SE> c91petno@IDA.LiU.SE (t2) writes:
|> >
|> >something like 8 powers (including the dreaded Disintegrate) and 180+
|> >PSPs at level 1. And he was a psi/mage/water cleric (I use Heightened
|> >Psionic Talent as an advantage, and you have to take some hefty
|> >disadvantages to afford it. For this guy it was worth it.). The guy
|> 
|> What's this Heightened Psionic Talent thing?  I don't remember that being
|> in AD&D!
	Also what is this psi/mage/cleric plus a Wild talent?????
	How can a Psionicist DO NOT roll for wild talents!!!!
	And I would never allow a wild talent to start with that many powers
	I would give him one or two per level.  Just cause the rules allows
	it dosn't mean you have too.  Your job is to maintain play balence.
  
|> >rolled "roll three" and followed up with a good roll, a science
|> >(disintegrate, I think), and a "choose devotion". He picked one he
|> >thought looked nice, and it was indeed a good one. Between the
|> >prerequisites and the HPT rule he started with 250+ PSPs and had a lot
|> >of prerequisites covered. 
|> 

|>   2) Because of the ghastly amount of PSPs that a wild talent could get
|>      at 1st level, I only calculate them based upon the abilities he rolls
|>      and not the prerequisites.  A Wild Talent should not be able to easily
|>      kick butt on a true psionicist (psionically speaking of course, this
|>      gladiator could probably smear my psion all over the walls if it came
|>      down to a fight....)
	
	Hey sounds like he might win against my 7th level psi.  But not if
	I had time to prepare.  As for points , again I do not allow the
	rules to unbalance the game.  If My Dark Sun PC's start with too
	many powers I limet the points they have.  It forces them to be
	more conceritve on use of powers.  This guy sounds like he runs
	ramped.  250 psi points thats 60 disentgrates.
 
	Try reading page 10-11 in the DM's Guide.
From: young@spinifex.dg.oz (Philip Young)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: New Bard Kit "Troubadour"
Date: 22 Dec 92 03:07:29 GMT
Organization: Data General Australia

ed zeamba wrote:
                                                         "When a spell calls 
for a somatic component, they must play an instrument.  Likewise, they must 
sing when a spell requires a verbal component.  Unlike the Elven Minstrel, the 
troubadour must still use material components in the normal way."
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sorry ed, this is silly.  How are you going to muck around with
material components while you're playing your instrument?
Forget the bloody MCs.  Otherwise, the Troubador Bard seems quite
appealing.

-- 
Philip R. Young                   | Em-broiled in a nasty situation?
Data General Australia Pty. Ltd.  | Call Sir Lloyne!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: wcalderw@nmsu.EDU (CALDERWOOD)
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Organization: New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
	<BzCx8C.G0v@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu> <833@blue.cis.pitt.edu>
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 05:51:09 GMT


Helms and Psi's:

Hmm it seems to me that some of the attacks must use some kind of
line of sight rule in order to work? If this is true then (SOME)
Psi's could be detained with some chains and a paper bag.

Page 27 of the "Complete Psionics Handbook" states under OTHER 
Considerations:

Line of Sight: Unless the description states otherwise, psionicists
require a  line of sight to their target when using a psionic power.
Clairsentient powers are an obvious exception, as are many of the
telepathic powers which list power score modifiers for targets which
are outside the psionicist's field of vision.


Oh yea don't forget those nasty Cerebral Parasites to keep those Psi's
at their weakest.

William A. Calderwood,
wcalderw@nmsu.edu