HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: spzkny@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov (JAMES ZAKANY)
Subject: Re: Bastard DM From Hell Pt 2
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Date: 17 Aug 1992 09:29 EST  

In article <66180@hydra.gatech.EDU>, ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU
 (Jorge Diaz) writes...

>>As it was never pointed out, I suppose that I will say.  It is bound in a
>>wooden jacket that is about 1/2" thick and has a very large and ornate metal
>>lock on it.  Before flaming anyone, go find a piece of dense wood that is
>>about the size of the book and pick it up.

>All realism aside, let's compare it to the world that this game is being
>played in.  In the standard D&D world, an entire suit of plate mail
>weighs 50 pounds.  I cannot believe that you expect anyone to believe that
>this book weighs 10 pounds more than a suit of plate mail, unless its pages
>are made of stone.

Remember that we're talking encumberance here folks!  Lugging around a book 
the size of an IBM PC is pretty equivalent to walking around in plate mail. 
By the way, if the book had the density of asbestos sheet (the closest I 
could come to paper from a handy text), it would weigh 90 pounds.

                                                  James S. Zakany
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cb317@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Stephanie J. Kessler)
Subject: Re: A really neat character!
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 20:10:59 GMT


I find that character quirks like phobias and likes/dislikes are
very fun to play.  Also, having the characters collecting things
can be entertaining, especially if they just HAVE to get something
(if they don't have the money, they try to get the thief to take
it for them).

In a campaign I'm starting, a half-orc fighter/thief is afraid of
the dark because  he  spent a great deal of time in a  dungeon
cell.  I'm still trying to decide if he would take a penalty when
fighting in total  darkness.  It happened long enough ago that
he should not be too badly affected, but he'd "freeze" for a
few moments until he recovered...

-- 
The United States is a nation of laws:  badly written and
randomly enforced.     Frank Zappa

cb317 @ cleveland.Freenet.Edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: wilsonm@vaxb.acs.unt.edu
Subject: Re: illusion of armour
Organization: University of North Texas
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 15:15:25 GMT

In article <1992Aug11.164333.1@economics.adelaide.edu.au>, ecrjbruce@economics.adelaide.edu.au writes:
> Hmm another thought provoking question from the man who brought you the bastard
> DM from hell thread.
> 
> What would happen if a mage used a somewhat permanent illusion of armour on
> himself?  Would he effectively gain ac2 (for plate) if his opponents failed to
> disbelieve?  Would he gain a halfway bonus due to the fact that his opponents
> attack him in a different fashion then if he appeared to be wearing no armour?

Interesting thought.  Isn't that the same thing as the Armor spell?  Or close
to it I would guess.  Seems if he can cast a perminate illision he would 
re-search a improved Armor spell...

Is a good thought.  Let me know what happens with this!


Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cassie@worf.nas.nasa.gov (Cassandra L. Baldassano)
Subject: Re: Gender in D&D
Organization: Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Facility NASA
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 18:33:20 GMT
Reply-To: cassie@worf.nas.nasa.gov (Cassandra L. Baldassano)

In the group I game with we have almost 50/50 male to female players.
Our DM likes us to have us play our own gender. It gets quite interesting
when our female players use the female sexuality to get information
out of the NPC's. We have had a couple characters come up pregnant :)

Cassandra Baldassano

(I personally prefer a Female Cleric to play)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: The illogic of draining levels
From: jwwalden@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (P'relan)
Date: 18 Aug 92 18:11:29 -0500
Organization: Dept. of Physics

Has anyone else ever thought that the ability of undead (and certain other
creatures) to drain experience levels just didn't make any sense?  I could see
perhaps some creature with the special ability to drain your memory and skills,
but I don't see undead as doing that, especially when the ability is called
energy draining.  So I modified the rules that energy draining attacks drained
1-8 hit points, 1 strength point, and 1 constitution point per level of
draining.  These hit points could only be regained by magical healing and then
only at 1/4th normal effectiveness with ability points being regained once the
damage taken with them had be regained.  Characters whose ability scores were
drained to zero were dead and could come back as undead if care were not taken
to prevent that from happening.

I found from two years of campaign play with these rules that they worked very
well - undead remained very fearsome opponents (I also modified how undead take
damage to take their unliving nature into better account) and were actually
more effective in combat than before, but characters no longer had to go
through the illogical agony of losing experience levels.  Restoration can be
used as a means of regaining levels, but clerics powerful enough to cast such
a spell are very rare in my campaign and due to the aging effects of the spell
both PC and NPC clerics are usually unwilling to cast it and thus the spell
usually cost far too much for PC's to afford.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 P'relan (and Birith)      	   ``Time stand still -
 jwwalden@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu      I'm not looking back -
  or jwwalden@miavx1.bitnet	     But I want to look around me now.'' - RUSH
From: rparker@wpi.WPI.EDU (Richard E Parker)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: psionics
Date: 17 Aug 92 18:20:53 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute


	This is a letter for Phil Hatch.  You recently sent me email
requesting help with the Complete Psionics Handbook.  Unfortunately,
my Mailer seems to have barfed on your address.  If anyone still is
interested in this information, I'm willing to post what I have on the
net.


						Paladin
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 19:41:53 -0400 
From: Alex Feely <af2e+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: finding a game

hello, 

     I'm interested in finding an AD&D 2 game this year. would someone
please take me on thier campaign! call me at 362-1420, or try
af2e+@andrew.cmu.edu.
                                                                        
      Alex Feely
Organization: The American University - University Computing Center
Date: Thursday, 13 Aug 1992 12:25:45 EDT
From: <TKUSTER@auvm.american.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Psionic-problem

In article <1992Aug13.102612.27049@ifi.uio.no>, kjetilgr@ifi.uio.no (Kjetil
Granlien) says:
>What would you do if a psionist used (oh sh.. I forgot the name of the
>power. let me describe it: you become almost like ethernalness.
>That is a fog.. or cloud and you are able to pass through material as
>if it didn't exist. You can take with you some pounds of equipment
>in the change as well. You know what I mean!?)
>to kill people. The way he does it is he goes into his cloudlike state
>and takes his sword with him. Then he sneaks(glides, floats) up on the
>monster(or npc or pc) and he puts his sword through the enemy's body(or head)
>and then he goes back to normal form. The sword which is now solid is
>potruding from it's victims head or body.. Death follows quite naturally.

It was pointed out earlier but I think I'll strengthen the claim that as a
cloud you have no specific appendages much less any specific items.  So they
may not be specifically put into anyone.  Another important question is if
they are a cloud how do they get inside your body clouds are usually left
outside of the body unless they enter through the mouth.  And if they try
to do that I would kill the PC and the NPC.  (having pieces of your body
ripped off to put oxygen into someones blood is not perticullarly healthy
who said they were made of oxygen.

>What may hurt this cloud??
>
Anything that can hurt a normal cloud.  Gusts of wind are bad.

>When I'm writing about this.. What can stop a psionist in this state from
>passing through a wall or door??
>
anything airtight would stop them.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Tarresque - Anyone killed one?
From: jwwalden@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (P'relan)
Date: 22 Aug 92 20:07:01 -0500
Organization: Dept. of Physics

In article <4981@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>, seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
> 	Anyway, one group of my players managed to kill one. After a 
> tremendously savage battle (tarrasque: "Dice, slice, puree, chop, and
> I even make coleslaw!"  PCs: "AAARGH!"  "Bite of SHARPNESS?? What the 
> hell IS this thing?!" "RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY, AAAAAAA!")

This is the best description of an encounter that I've seen in a long time!
I laughed so incredibly hard after reading this one! (-:

Anyway, I have encountered a Tarrasque in a published module (I won't say which
one for sake of surprise for those of you foolish enough to be in such a
situation).  Our party (15th level avg) stepped in the room (it was a BIG room)
and there IT was!  The DM described it as something like a tyrranosaur with a
tortoise shell on it's back.  The thief and I understood what it was pretty
much immediately (unfortunate side effect of being a DM), but were sure that it
just *couldn't* be a Tarrasque.  After looking back and forth a few times we
decided that whatever it was, it was nasty enough to avoid so I (a 16th level
mage) cast a maze spell on it before it could get to the party and we got the
hell out of there.  We probably could have done the basic kill without the
wish but we probably would have lost a few party members to the "dice, slice,
puree, chop, and even make coleslaw!"

Anyway, a few adventures later we were totally annhilated by a rather
unfortunate encounter with a wizard's release bestiary including a beholder,
two rather nasty red dragons, some manticores, and a basilisk or two.  We were
walking around the corner in a rather wide corridor and then we saw them and
decided that we'd better throw everything we had at them.  Apparently they
decided the same thing and unleashed 10 nasty eye rays, two breath weapons,
gaze weapons, and tail spikes.  Of course, we threw all of our mass damage
spells and missile attacks too.  So out of a huge cloud of destruction
emerged only the thief from our party, every other monster and character having
died in the one round conflict.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 P'relan (and Birith)      	   ``Time stand still -
 jwwalden@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu      I'm not looking back -
  or jwwalden@miavx1.bitnet	     But I want to look around me now.'' - RUSH
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jc@optimla.aimla.com (John VanHoozer)
Subject: Re: A really neat character!
Reply-To: jc@optimla.aimla.com (John VanHoozer)
Organization: OptImage Interactive Services Co., L.P.
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 92 19:39:49 GMT



My favorites were:

Brock and Drock Deeperdelver: Dwarven fighters (twins). Each had an
	intelligence score of 15 but intentionally played extra stupid!  They
	would open doors with their helmeted heads (taking damage) and when
	we started out bought only a minumum of equipment,  pooled their money
	(had some help here from our first pre-game encounter) and bought
	a wagon,  2 clydsdales, and a hogshead of beer to haul around.

Birch Gildenstien: worlds first druid from a jewish family.
and
Birch Wallflower:  worlds first evangellical druid.  Brother Wallflower
	talks alot like Ernest Aingsley wehn he starts preaching about the
	earth mother.

-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
John C. VanHoozer			     |
OptImage Interactive Services Company, L.P.  |  uunet!{optimage,aimla}!jc
11040 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite #300	     |  Fax:  (310)445-5720
Los Angeles, Ca. 90025			     |  Phone:(310) 445-5721
___________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer:
   Opinions,  yew doone neeed my steenkeeng Opinions.

Carpe Diem:  A carp a day, that's all we ask.
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Paladins
Date: 22 Aug 92 16:59:55 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@pmax1.cis.pitt.edu

In article <66525@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz) writes:
>In article <5003@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
>god wants, he might let it go.  I know that *I've* never communicated
>with my god before.  Gods don't necessarily play a very active part in
>the world.

	Well, in most of the FRP games I've been in, the gods pay attention
to what their clerics are doing (even if they rarely talk to them or pay
attention to anything else), and if the cleric does anything that isn't
pretty close to the way the god sees it the Cleric finds his/her spell
power decreasing rapidly...

>>	3) What *IS* "LG" alignment?
>
>I take it to mean "do what is right".  It means that you always do what
>is good, and do it within the law whenever possible.  Obey the law whenever
>possible.  But never, ever, do something evil.  Even if that's what the

	I knew it was time to start the Good versus Evil regularly-scheduled
flamewar again.

	Okay, let me state that in this post I'm sort of playing devil's
advocate; I *DO* believe in absolute Good and Evil...

	But to the discussion at hand: why would killing the theif be,
necessarily, not-good? What if the beliefs of your deity are: 
	1) Amoung others, the right to property is an inalienable right and
must not be infringed

	2) Those who choose to violate inalienable rights are, BY THEIR
OWN VOLUNTARY CHOICE, giving up ALL of their own rights, because they
show no respect for others and thus deserve no respect from those others

	3) Society must be protected against all those who do not show
the basic respect for these rights.

	If that's the deity's position, then the theif automatically gave up
ALL his rights, including that to live, when he chose to steal. In that
case, it is Lawful and GOOD WITHIN THAT GOD'S EYES for the Paladin to
decide the theif's fate, anywhere from a slap on the wrist to death.


                                 Sea Wasp
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
From: a_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Bastard DM From Hell Pt 2
Date: 15 Aug 92 13:30:29 CST
Organization: Stephen F. Austin State University

In article <4799@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>, seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
> In article <1992Aug15.214337.1@economics.adelaide.edu.au> ecrjbruce@economics.adelaide.edu.au writes:
>>Well he's at it again!!  This time it affects our Ranger, not me
>>
>>The latest ruling from the BDMFH is that if a Ranger wears armour heavier than
>>studded leather then he is not acting as a ranger but as  a fighter, and so
>>does not gain any experience.
> 
> 	If the Ranger is NOT specifically prohibited from wearing armor of
> any type, the only thing I'd have studded leather do is affect his ability
> to sneak around and move very quickly. Of COURSE he's still going to gain
> experience. This GM is becoming more twitlike the more I hear of him.

	The DM must be running a VERY  variant AD&D -- the only things a ranger
loses (and only in 2nd Edition) by wearing armor heavier than  studded leather
is Move Silently and Hide in Bushes/Trees (or whatever) and the freedom to use
two weapons at the same time with no penalty. Yeah, the DM seems to be getting
twit-like.

> 
>>Another ruling that got me - my spell book wieghs more than a suit of plate
>>mail!  We just captured this book which is about 2' *1'6" * 6" and it weighs at
>>least 60lbs!
> 
> 	Two feet by one and a half and a half and it weighs SIXTY POUNDS?
> My GOG, what in all the seven hells of space is it MADE of, IRON? Or is
> it like one of the books in B.C. -- carved in stone?

	I've got a calculus book that's a little smaller than the one above. If
expanded to the above size, it *might* come in at 20 lbs. Does the cover have
lead inserts, or what?

Brandon Cope
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology-Office of Information Technology
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 12:25:57 EDT
From: Paul Goodwin <CC100PG@GITVM1.GATECH.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Multi-Class Hit Points
Distribution: na

The other thing to remember about multi-class hps is that although the most
he can get by going up 1 level in every class is 7 hp, the LEAST he can get
is 3!  That tends to even it out a bit...

Paul
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Axly)
Subject: Re: Rangers and studded leather armors (was Re: Bastard DM From Hell Pt 2)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 15:58:22 GMT

marc@cfmu.eurocontrol.be (Marc Philips) writes:


>As a ranger wearing studded leather you can attack twice per round
>(say, once with your dagger and once with your long sword) with no
>inconvenience even if your DEX is as low as 13.  Quite an asset
>when you're one of the front fighters.

>Give it a try, being able to kill an opponent fast can save your
>life more surely than a set of Plate Mail +2.

*Rolling on ground laughing* Yeah, right. I'm sorry, but if something 
can be killed by that extra 1-4 points of damage your dagger does..
is it really going to be a threat to someone who wearing Plate Mail
+2? That's AC 1/0 as base numbers. Yes, the two weapon stuff is effective,
but it is also something a ranger can do in heavy armor if he takes
the required proficiencies. 

Rangers, in my opinion, aren't front line fighters. Give the man a bow
and he's more effective since the light armor class won't be a negative
factor in that instance.

Axly
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology-Office of Information Technology
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 14:37:17 EDT
From: Paul Goodwin <CC100PG@GITVM1.GATECH.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: finding a game
 <1992Aug19.030653.6286@aio.jsc.nasa.gov>

Let me know if you find a good way to dis-invite people without hard
feelings...I'm not sure it's possible, but if so, it's the kind of thing
that may be useful in future.

Paul
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Bastard DM From Hell Pt 2
Date: 15 Aug 92 16:01:59 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@pmax1.cis.pitt.edu

In article <1992Aug15.214337.1@economics.adelaide.edu.au> ecrjbruce@economics.adelaide.edu.au writes:
>Well he's at it again!!  This time it affects our Ranger, not me
>
>The latest ruling from the BDMFH is that if a Ranger wears armour heavier than
>studded leather then he is not acting as a ranger but as  a fighter, and so
>does not gain any experience.

	If the Ranger is NOT specifically prohibited from wearing armor of
any type, the only thing I'd have studded leather do is affect his ability
to sneak around and move very quickly. Of COURSE he's still going to gain
experience. This GM is becoming more twitlike the more I hear of him.

>Another ruling that got me - my spell book wieghs more than a suit of plate
>mail!  We just captured this book which is about 2' *1'6" * 6" and it weighs at
>least 60lbs!

	Two feet by one and a half and a half and it weighs SIXTY POUNDS?
My GOG, what in all the seven hells of space is it MADE of, IRON? Or is
it like one of the books in B.C. -- carved in stone?

	This is just playin outright ridiculous unless he has people make
their spellbooks out of sheet metal! (In which case, you don't need to worry
about fire or water wrecking them...)

>Just as a general question how do you guys rule on recharging things like wands
>etc.  I can't seem to find it anywhere - all the books seem to give is airy
>fairy well-it-can-be-done-but-we-aren't-going-to-tell-you-how sort of rulings. 

	I do it several ways.

	1) create a special recharge spell which is fairly commonly known;
probably a third level spell to cast, plus whatever you're recharging the
wand with. (this is the hardass ruling).

	2) The easy ruling. The mage has to learn a particular concentration
technique; once learned, he can channel levels of spells into the item. For
each charge he has to put in a number of levels of spellpower equal to
that required by the highest-level effect that one charge can produce.

	3) Recharge by casting the spell into it that it's supposed to get
out (a wand of magic missiles gets MM put into it).

	4) The wand needs to have some particular component replaced (usually
a gem in the end) every so often. The needed spell energy is then channeled
into the wand through this component.

	There are other ways, but there are some off the top. Of course, some
wands (notably the Wand of Force in the UA) have specific methods of recharge
mentioned in the text.


                                 Sea Wasp
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
From: ba446@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Todd M. Hanson)
Subject: Movement Rates
Reply-To: ba446@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Todd M. Hanson)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 09:03:48 GMT



Ive got a question Im hoping all you DMs (and/or players) out there can
help me with.

How many miles per day (normal travel) would the following be able to 
achieve?
 
a walking man
riding/war horse
wagon
different sizes of ships

I vaguely remember reading in one of the books (but damned if I can find it
now) that for a man/horse/monster, that their movement rate is the number
of miles per day that the creature can travel. (so a riding horse can
travel 24 miles/day)  Anyone know if this is correct?

Just trying to figure up some semi-realistic travel times for my PC's. (the
one that Im most in need of is travel time by ship)

Thanks.. Todd

-- 
* Todd Hanson                              ba446@cleveland.freenet.edu  *
*                                                                       *
*     "No woman's worth a bullet between the eyes.. "                   *
*          "Depends on who's eyes.. and which woman."    'Bugsy'        *
From: a_copeab@ccsvax.sfasu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Multi-Class Hit Points
Date: 14 Aug 92 17:07:48 CST
Distribution: na
Organization: Stephen F. Austin State University

In article <BszoAM.4ID@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Axly) writes:
> 
> It's actually explained quite well in the PHB. You split the con bonus
> up among your class. Thus if Pug the f/t gets a con bonus, he gets
> half when he goes up a fighter level,and half when going up a thief
> level. If triple classed, split it in thirds. 
> 

	In the 1st Editon, the con bonus wasn't split (at least as far as I can
remember). I don't see any reason why it should eb split, so I add it in after
averaging the class dice.

Brandon Cope
From: rworkman@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Ryan Workman)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Anti-paladins
Summary: That's why you run an EVIL campaign!  There are no good guys around to
	 pissoff!
Date: 21 Aug 92 01:53:32 GMT
Organization: Purdue University

In article <1992Aug20.214004.7276@wam.umd.edu>, spanky@wam.umd.edu (Mephistopheles (The Devil)) writes:
> 
> You wanna piss off all the Paladins in your campaign, go for it.  Me, I need
> a little more reason to add such an unbalanced class.
> --JLW
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jhawk@panix.com (John Hawkinson)
Subject: Re: Date for Gencon?
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 11:11:55 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In <26GB02r71e9g01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> scm50@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Shaun C Montgomery) writes:

>Just to be more precise, there is an RPGA dinner of some sort on August
>18th, the Wednesday before.  There are events scheduled for the 19th as
>well as the 20-23rd.

NONONONONONONO!!

The RPGA dinner is on WEDNESDAY the 19th! (At 6:30pm in the Hyatt I beleive).
The Con starts @8 in the morning on the 20th [NOT on the 19th] and finishes
on the 23rd. There are NO events on the 19th.
--
John Hawkinson
jhawk@panix.com