From: warren@Apple.COM (Chris Warren)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: REC.GAMES.FRP.DND - FAQ parts 3,4 - Read before posting
Summary: This file should be read by anyone who wishes to post to the
         rec.games.frp.dnd news group.  It contains the following:
            1   a list of frequently asked questions about
                D&D, AD&D, and all of their brethren
            2   Glossary of terms used by rec.games.frp.dnd
Keywords: questions,hints,faq,info
Date: 10 Nov 92 19:36:22 GMT
Reply-To: warren@apple.com
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.dnd
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA


Archive-name: dnd2-FAQ
Last-Modified: 1992/10/15

Posting Frequency: Once a week

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------- rec.games.frp.dnd ----------------------------
----------------------------- FAQ in 4 Parts -----------------------------
----------------------------- Parts 3 and 4 ------------------------------
--------------------------- Rev date 10/15/92 ----------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------- Part 3: Dungeon Master Questions-----------------------

1:  How do I become a Dungeon Master?

A:  First, seek therapy:)  Get cured of that latent masochism.
    Then, if you still want to become a GM, go for it!

    First of all, you should have some experience playing D&D-- At
    least to the point where you consider yourself fairly familier
    with the rules, spells, etc.
    
    In particular, you should have a strong sense of the overall
    mechanics of the game.  Details can always be looked up when needed.

    On the other hand, you should be prepared to do a fair amount of
    work *before* the session, making your plans as complete as possible
    and looking up the details you're likely to need, because nothing
    slows a game down like a DM who has to stop every other turn and
    look something up.
    
    If you haven't read the Player's Handbook, do so.
    
    The Dungeon Master's Guide provides lots of info about how
    the game system works.  You should read this.

    A good way to get experience DMing is to buy one of the 
    pre-generated modules.  They contain everything you need to run
    for several game sessions.  Many even include pre-generated
    characters.  It is a good idea to start with a low level module.
    Make sure you read the entire module and know  it pretty
    well before you try running it.  Get a group of friends
    together (4-6 is usually a good number).  If this works
    out, give out experience and get a new module that fits
    them.  And run them again.
    
    [Dan'l DanehyOaks interjectes]
    
    The one warning I'd put on this is:  if you plan on running a
    large-scale "world" rather than a set of disconnected adventures,
    you need to make sure that such a module fits in to the planned
    world.  One with pre-generated characters might be best in this
    situation, since you can discard them after the "practice sessions."
    
    [your editor writes]
    
    The other half of becoming of DM is that of creating a world.
    Background reading is helpful.  Read some read heroic fantasy books.
    Running modules can get boring if they are not connected into
    a larger plot.  Some modules come in series which can make things
    easier.  But you should still design some larger world that contains
    the modules you are running.  Over time you will populate
    that world with other modules and your own creations.

    Now if at any point, you have a great idea for an adventure and
    you feel ready to create your own dungeon feel free.

    [Coyt Watters writes]

    i)    READ READ READ

    ii) Take a stab at it with just yourself at first: for example -
    Go through character creation yourself, and decide how YOU
    want it done - dice, limits, are you going to give an 
    extensive background or just a "you left your home to find
    adventure"?

    Run through combat with several characters and monsters just
    to learn how the system works from the DM's side.

    iii) Ask a person who normally DMs to sit in - not as DM but to 
    assist in finding rules.  If a judgement call comes up in
    the adventure, make a decision and stand by it - don't let 
    the other DM try to run your game.

    iv) Place index cards (or index tabs if you prefer) into your
    DMG and PHB at the important tables.  If you suddenly need to
    check for item's saving throws, the game grinds to a halt if you
    have to look at the index and search for the table.

    (This was real bad in ADnD1, with 12+ books.

    Beginning DMs should start with a simple map of the immediate area they
    wish to use, throwing in enough elements to give quickstart
    adventuring.  Some beginners make the mistake of doing too much
    work and finding that they never use some of their best stuff.
    12 hours on a complete Mercador projection map of the whole world
    is not a beginner's task.  The map can be extended as needed.

2:  What should I know in designing a campaign?

A:  [???someone please add to this]
    The first stage is to design a world.  Begin with the very
    highest-level decisions:  is your world round?  Flat?  If it's flat,
    is it finite or infinite?

    From there, go to geology and geography.

    What is the political set-up of your world? Will you use the standard
    law=good vs chaos=evil system?  Remember, "law" and "good" are not
    synonymous.  Some very effective games have been run with law aligned
    with evil -- usually with the assumption that Law rules the land with
    an iron hand, something like Big Brother in NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR.

    What about the social set-up?  Are things "cosmopolitan," with
    peoples of many species/races living in amity in single communities?
    Or are there human cities, elf villages, dwarf hamlets, etc., etc.?
    Or even entirely separate nations?

    Some of the biggest decisions involved in designing your campaign
    involve deciding whether the campaign will be combat intensive or
    roleplaying intensive, deciding the magic richness of the campaign,
    deciding the power level (sometimes called entropy) of the
    campaign, and deciding the rate of development of characters.

    Each of these decisions are not absolute, rather they represent
    a range.  Some campaigns, for example, will be all combat.
    Others will have almost no combat-- where most of the campaign
    will invove political manuevering and intrigue.  Most
    campaigns lie somewhere in the middle with a healthy mix
    of roleplaying and combat.  There is no right answer except
    that which is right for you and your players.
    
    [Dan'l DannyOaks writes]
    
    To some extent, the players will decide this by the way they
    react to situations.  Some GMs try to give the players at 
    least two solutions to every situation, one of which will
    not involve combat. 
    
    [your editor writes]

    Magic richness is how common magic is in your world.  Do
    you want to have a world which is much like our world was
    in the middle ages with virtually no magic or do you want
    a world where magic is as common and as freely available as
    technology is in the late 20 century?  These two extremes
    present a very different feel to the players.  They can
    both be fun to play in.  It should be noted that as you
    move towards a more magic rich universe that high power
    items don't have to become commonplace.  In a magic rich
    universe you have a lot of everyday items that happen
    to operate because of magic.  For example, lanterns might
    operate off of magical "batteries" instead of oil.

    Examples:
        Magic-rich: Xanth, Oz, the world of Elric, Narnia.
        Magic-poor: Middle-earth, Arthur's Britain.


    [Dan'l DanehyOakes writes]

    Magic-rich games tend toward "munchkinism," though this is by
    no means a foregone conclusion.  Magic-poor games can certainly
    turn into munchkinland, but tend towards "character" gaming.

    One fun thing to do with a magic-rich world is to apply the
    reverse of Clarke's Law:  "Any sufficiently advanced technology
    will resemble magic."  In this case, any sufficiently advanced
    magic will resemble technology.  There are worlds  where magic
    provides hot-and-cold running water, flush toilets, quick-heat
    dinners, video telephony, and so on, right down through the
    lower middle class.

    On the other hand, in a magic-poor world, you can introduce
    relatively advanced levels of technology (e.g., gunpowder,
    seige machines) and have them compete effectively with magic-using
    artifacts.  That fireball that takes (mumble) seconds to cast isn't
    much good if someone pulls the trigger on his blunderbuss while
    you're still making passes!


    At the same time, you need to decide the power level of the
    campaign -- for example, how fast characters will advance.
    Obviously, this is tightly bound up with the magic-poor/magic-rich
    decision, for how much experience you award will determine how
    quickly characters advance, and magic-using characters that advance
    quickly will rapidly turn a magic-poor campaign into a magic-rich 
    campaign.

    There are games where characters gain a level after every gaming
    session, and games where it takes months or even years of weekly
    gaming to gain a level.  If advancement goes too slowly, this
    can cause frustration and a feeling of stagnation on the part of
    the players.  (This is less of a problem in a roleplaying-oriented
    campaign than a combat-oriented campaign.) If they develop too
    quickly, then some of the roleplaying and personal development on
    the part of the player is lost, and munchkinhood looms.

    The absolutely simon-pure AD&D rules assign experience only for
    killing things and collecting money; they suggest giving experience
    also for role play and clever actions, but don't give much
    information on how to do this.  Some Dungeon Masters give
    experience only for combat and treasure:  this tends to create
    a game with a heavy emphasis on "find monsters and kill them."
    If you prefer a game which encourages alternate solutions, reward
    them appropriately.  A basic law of economics is that what gets
    rewarded gets done.

    [your editor writes]

    Power level is where a lot of DMs get into trouble.  Power
    level is determined initially by the average stats of characters.
    So you need to be careful about how you have the characters
    roll up their stats.  A good way to estimate the power level
    of a character is to add up the character's six stats
    (max = 108, average using 3d6 = 63) and look at the following
    chart:

     Stat Sum   Power Rating    Heroism Rating  Roleup Method
     ---------------------------------------------------------------
     <70        Average         Normal          DMG Method I,III
     71-79      Above Average   Low Heroic      DMG Method II,IV,VI
     80-89      Exceptional     Heroic          DMG Method V
     90-99      Powerful        High Heroic
     100-104    Very Powerful   Super Heroic
     105-108    Mega Powerful   Super Heroic
    
    The last column relates somewhat to the Hero system terminolgy
    for rating the powerlevel of a campaign.
    
    It is fairly easy to keep an Average or Above Average character
    challenged without making the game too deadly.  However if you
    run Mega Powerful characters you will have to use higher
    level monsters to present a challenge to these characters.
    However, the higher level monsters can kill the characters
    more quickly, the Mega Powerful characters must actually
    live closer to death's door to be chalenged.
    
    So the DM must be adept at what they do to run a Mega
    Powerful game.  Campaigns that run at a power level much
    higher than 90 are at risk to devolve into a Munchkin type game.
    A DM should be aware that whenever characters' stats change,
    the power level of the game changes.  Personally I prefer
    to run at the Exceptional to the low end of Powerful
    depending on my players.

    As a campaign develops one of the other factors that affects
    power level is at what level certain magic items are obtained.
    If you give powerful magic items to first level characters,
    then you are raising the power level considerably.  On the other
    hand, if the characters have no magic items at 10th level
    then you have lowered the power level.  They will be at
    somewhat of a disadvantage with respect to the monsters that
    10th characters nominally face.
    
    [Dan'l DanehyOaks writes]

    A DM should be aware that whenever characters' stats or levels
    change, or magical items/significant treasures are gained,
    the power level of the game changes.  The world should be
    planned to offer increasing challenges as the characters
    build power and influence.

    This can be one of the hardest parts of planning campaigns.
    Increase the level of challenge too quickly, and you might as
    well run all the characters through a comminuter.  (Look it up.)
    Increase it too slowly, and the players will be bored because
    they aren't challenged.  

    One way of dealing with this is not to plan your campaign in
    too much detail, so that the "next" step can be adjusted to
    the characters' actual power level without causing too much
    havoc to your carefully-wrought plans.  Another is to do spot
    adjustments as the adventures are being run.  (They're killing the
    orcs too easily?  Throw in another hundred orcs hiding behind
    the hill in reserve.  They're all about to be killed?  Funny
    thing, that dart the hobbit threw just happened to be the EHP's
    last two hit points.)  But don't make it too obvious, and don't
    overdo it.  Let them have the occasional waltz through the
    monsters, and certainly let one or two of them get killed
    permanently now and then.

    After you've designed your world, and before you start playing,
    go through the PHB and the DMG one more time, _carefully_.  Decide
    in advance about any rules you want to change (set as "house rules"),
    and write 'em down.  Let the players know in advance, and
    be consistent!  Or at least let them know that you are running
    a varient game and there will be some surprises in store for
    them[ed].

    [sage adds]
    
Addendum:
    a campaign often has some prime movers and shakers,
    which the characters may initially not know, may know in
    time (or not if acting in secret), may want to emulate, or
    revile, and may eventually deal with, either to join, succeed,
    surplant or destroy.
    Keeping in mind these personalities can help develop your
    campaign and keep it from becoming a player tromp through
    a series of dungeons.
    For combat campaigns it can lead to major wars, and for
    role-playing oriented campaigns, it can lead to political
    manoeuvring and diplomacy.
    It provides the characters with a reason for adventuring that
    is more than just getting wealth and experience, and clever
    DMs can work out whole campaigns around a key figure or
    two, first acting through minions or by accident, and ending
    up with the characters meeting with the person(s) in
    question. Of course, you could always have it ending up that
    just when the players think that its all over, they discover that
    the person was only a front for someone else further behind
    the scenes, or further up the power scale (maybe even a god).

    [Rob Miracle writes]

    An alternate way to generate a world for a new DM is to
    KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid).  Keep a Earth Calendar, earth
    geology, Solor system constants (1 moon, 1 sun, etc.)  Start
    with a simple one page area map.  Put in a mountian range, a
    couple of rivers, a few small towns, a large city and a few
    ruins.  Let the party explore around during their low levels,
    while you work out details on society, military, etc.  As they
    need to explore a wider range, just add new map sections
    and more details.  
    
    It is difficult for a new DM to fully flush out a campaign
    setting (it is hard enough for an experienced DM).  So if you
    spend your early days not worrying a lot of background, and
    work on the rules and game flow, you can develop the
    background as you go along.

3:  I don't agree with a rule in the rulebook, what do I do?

A:  Feel free to change it.  Better yet, talk to the players about
    it and solicit input.  Then change it.  If you do run with house
    rules it is nice to tell players up front about it.  Obviously,
    this is not always possible.  So at least once you make a change
    do it in a consistent way and write the rule down!  Keep it handy!

4:  How do I fairly adjudicate a wish?

A:  [wayne wallace writes]
    The Complete Wizard's Handbook gives some good ideas, but basically,
    if a wish is used to save the party and not do anything to their
    opponents, let it work, especially if half the party is dead and
    the other half at 1 HP.  If it's used to duplicate any other single
    spell, let it work.  If it's used for personal gain, and wishes
    are rare, let it mostly work.  (No holy avengers unless the
    character knows one is locked in the chest in front of him and
    wants it teleported out.) If Wishes are common, the CWHB has
    good guidelines.
    
    If a wish is used for harm, find the single most deadly wizard
    spell that can accomplish the deed (or several lesser spells in
    any combination <=9, ie 3 lightning bolts simultaneously is ok)
    and have the wish cast that.  If joe fighter wishes Bob the mage
    to be dead, the wish will opt for power word kill.

    [???I would like to hear other people's opinions]

5:  How do you deal with a that damned stoneskin spell?

A:  [wayne wallace writes]
    Multiple impacts that cause damage will get rid of it soon enough.
    
    EX: the spell desc says one stoneskin is lost for every magic missile
    that hits it. Therefore since ice storm has infinite hailstones,
    the spell is nuked and damage is still taken because it is magical
    damage.
    
    The amount of diamond dust needed for the spell was never stated,
    so we set it at 1,000 GP. The new supplement "Aurora's Whole
    Realms Catalog" has a 1/8th carat diamond for 150 GP, so one might
    consider that to be the cost of the spell. If the party has too
    much money, then it won't matter. In that case, have bookshelves
    full of books fall on them, avalanches, etc

    DM: 20 orcs fire arrows at you.
    PC: Ok. I have stoneskin.
    DM: well, since you're 8th level, there go (8/2 + 1d4) arrows,
    now we'll roll the other 34.
    PC: Hey! Why don't you have to roll to hit with all of them, so that the
    actuals hits are the only ones that take off stoneskins?
    DM: Says right here that the stoneskin protection is reduced by however
    many attacks are made against you. Some variant DMs do what you're
    asking for, but I don't run a variant game. Now then, you're AC 8
    (mage, ring of prot +2, no dex bonus), and they're THAC0 20, so I
    need 12s. (roll, roll, roll) You are hit (.45 x 34 = avg 15.3, round
    down to 15) 15 times, for 1d8 each (sheaf arrows, although flight arrows
    are STILL 1d6) and you take (15 * 4.5 = 67.5. round down to 67)
    67 points of damage. Mage? Mage?
    PC: (X's on eyes, pincushion. Fervently wishes he had used protection
    from normal missiles instead of fireball)


6:  A player wants to bring in a character from another
    campaign.  What do I do?

A:  Feel free to refuse it or modify it in any way to match the power
    level, magic richness, and general quality of your campaign.
    It is generally a good idea to not to bend a rule because
    the player's old DM allowed them to bend that rule, unless you
    rule the same way as the old DM.  It is often a good idea to
    take all the magic items or rule that they do not work in 
    your world.  This may seem severe but the alternative of
    generating a new character is even more severe.


7:  How do I deal with a player who wants to have a stronger
    character than the characters in the party?

A:  [wayne wallace writes]
    In this case, ask him questions as to WHY he wants this. Tell him
    it's likely no one else will have fun if they don't get to show
    their talent off.  Tell him he can have the power if he accepts
    some disadvantages as a tradeoff, so that after the pluses and
    minuses are added up, he's the same as everyone else, but is more
    powerful as long as his weaknesses aren't exploited. If he has to
    be better than everyone else, tell him to be the gamemaster for a
    while, possibly indefinitely.

	[ST1OI@Jetson.UH.EDU writes]

	The comment on this and similiar topics that I got when I was
	asking an experienced DM for advice on starting DMing on my own--
	"The most important word for a DM to learn is `NO.'"
	
	In a campaign I've started, one of the players wants to dual
	class to cleric-mage (he's currently a cleric).  Knowing and
	listening to this person, I suspect he's just trying to get
	a big-tough-once-I-hit-high- level-I-can-blow-things-away-yea!
	character--not what I want in this campaign.  So I've told him
	"no" and have justified it by pointing out that he's the only
	cleric in the party, whereas we already have two mages.
	(And if after some time he keeps pushing it, then I'll let
	him do it, but he's going to regret it--in my world there's
	a fair amount of tension between clerics and mages, and if
	he becomes a mage, a number of folks in his order will
	react unpleasantly to his decision :-).....)
	
	Was there anything in the FAQ on how to deal with players
	who frequently argue about rulings?  Thinking about the
	above-mentioned player reminds me of this, since he's one
	of those types as well.  (I wonder, do those often go
	together?)  I've come up with a system that I haven't had to
	test yet, although I'm sure it'll happen soon.....
	
	1.  Can the argument be settled in a short time?  (i.e. less
	than 2 minutes.) If it's just a matter of look up a spell
	or a table, then that can be  settled quickly, and we all
	go on cheerfully.
	
	2.  If the matter is more subjective or wider ranging and
	cannot be settled in a couple minutes, then the DM is
	authorized to make a ruling which will be law for the
	remainder of that session.  Spending an hour arguing about
	some interpretation that most of the players don't even
	care about is a good way to ruin an evening of gaming.
	During a break or after the game, you can argue as long
	as you want.
	
	Example:  Suppose the recent rec.games.frp.dnd discussion
	on whether Call Lightning works against creatures with MR
	comes up in my campaign.  Since this is a subject that can
	be argued at great length, after a couple minutes discussion,
	I would make a ruling one way or the other and get on with
	the game.  Suppose that fifteen minutes later, someone argues
	about the duration of Sleep.  That's a quick look-up, so
	that can be settled immediately.
	
	Of course, there's the question of what if, during the
	post-game discussion, I decide that my ruling was
	inappropriate?  My personal answer to that is that what
	happened in the game happened and cannot be changed.  If a
	character or three were killed who wouldn't have been if
	I'd ruled the other way, then they're still dead.  But I'd
	also be nice about bringing them back to life.  That's just
	my own feeling; other DMs may decide differently.
	
	3. If after the DM says, "This is how it is", the player
	won't stop arguing, then they get one more warning.  If
	they still won't get on with the game, then it's time to
	cast the spell of DM Fury--dump out your dice box and add
	up for damage to arguer's character, save for half :-).
	[what's the material component? :) ed]
	
	This is of course the extreme action in the case of someone
	who will not shut up.  Most players that I've observed, even
	if they disagree strongly with the DM's ruling, will wait
	until after the game to discuss the matter further.

8:  How powerful should a dragon be?

A:  There is some question about Dragons, how powerfull they are, 
    if it's possible for a single player to slay them etc...

    This comes from the fact that Dragons are much more powerful in 2nd
    edition than in first edition.  There is some debate over whether this
    is a good idea or not.
    
    For some players Dragons are part of legends and should be almost
    impossible to kill some other players argue that our legends paint
    the dragons more like "big worms" than ADND like.
    

9:  How can I get more spells, magic items, traps, weapons... ?

    1) Listserv
    
    There is a file server called "listserv" that can send you by email
    stuff about ADND. To get something, send a mail to listserv@utarlvm1 (or 
    listserv@utarlvm1.uta.edu from internet) with NO subject and HELP or
    GET ADND-L FILELIST in the body of the mail.
    If in doubt mail to Brad Samek
    (c014bds@utarlvm1 or c014bds@utarlvm1.uta.edu)

    2) FTP
    
    See the above section on FTP sites for a list of sties for D&D stuff.


10: How often should a DM tell players "what to do"?

A:  The problem is that from time to time the DM gives players advice or 
    forbid them to do things as if the DM was the conscience of the player.
    It is not a problem when a DM explain a point on rules or his view on 
    how a spell or magic item works but it can be really annoying when the 
    DM says things like "No you can't do that it's opposite to your 
    alignment" (see question on alignments) or "You should use such spell" 
    etc...
    
    For the DM it may be very frustrating to see the players do what he 
    consider very stupid things and he might be willing to help or point to 
    the correct direction.  Almost everybody agrees that the DM should not 
    be the conscience of the players and here are some ideas on what the DM 
    could do :
    
    - It is ok to help more unexperienced players than experienced ones. 
    Unexperienced players often need advice on how to play magic ("What do 
    you mean 'everybody's burned, casting a fireball in a closed room is a 
    bad idea'??") or don't know that they can disbelieve illusions etc...
    But avoid giving such advice during the game. It is better if you can 
    make a note of the problem and explain it during a pause.
    
    - Sometimes players "forget" to do actions (such as search dead bodies, 
    or ask the correct questions) that are vital for the rest of the 
    adventure. Do not help them directly by telling them what they have to 
    do, let they face the consequence of their action. Sometimes you can 
    have a NPC asking them why they didnt do that action but dont have a NPC 
    which is the spokesman of the DM. And try to work out how they can 
    continue the adventure without getting that item or information.
    
    - Instead of having players asking question to you as DM let their 
    character ask questions to NPC and emphasis role playing.
    
    - Even for classes that rely on alignments (such as clerics and 
    paladins) do not always "punish" the character by removing the power 
    granted by the deity. If the character doesn't behave as his god is 
    expecting, make things go worse progressively. Character can start to 
    have nightmares, then loose power progressively or be warned by the 
    deity or been sent on a quest to purify himself etc... 
    The general idea is that those classes have taken some obligations and 
    their are punished not really because they change alignment but because 
    they dont fulfill those obligations any more.
    
    - If you want to use the rule "lost one level for changing alignment" 
    make it part of role playing (i.e a fighter loose concentration because 
    he wonder if his previous actions where good or not and fight like a 
    minor level, etc...). 


11: Why does the invisibility spell stop when I attack?

A:  A few points

    - This rule was invented mainly to maintain game balance : even a low
    level invisible opponent could be very hard to defeat.
    
    - The invisibility spell is a sort of illusion : when the magic user
    starts attacking he cannot maintain the same concentration so the
    spell breaks.  The spell does not make the person really disapear,
    instead it causes creatures to believe they do not see anything.
    When the character attacks, the attacked person realises somebody
    is here and the illusion is shattered.
    
    - Being "visible" is only relative. There are monsters for example
    who detects character by the vibration they produce in the ground
    not by seing them.
    
    - Not all invisibility spells breaks when entering combat : the DM
    can for example introduce invisibility ring that lets you attack
    while invisible.


12: How to take alcohol and sex in account in my games?

A:  Reid Bluebaugh (C2MXBLU@FRE.TOWSON.EDU until Fall '93) has created both
    THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ADND ALCOHOL and THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ADND SEX
    and he tells us :

    "The alcohol guide helps to answer questions: What kind of drink can I
    propose in my world?, How can I tell if my character is drunk?, What
    are the types of drinks?. A great feature of the guide is the random
    generator for creating drinks. There is also a library of special
    drinks to spruce up any campaign. 
    being improved through the summer of '92. Some sections of the guide
    include Effects Of Alcohol, Recovery From Intoxication, Alcohol and
    Races, Crazy Drunk, Getting To Know Your Booze, Popular Alcohols
    Amongst The Worlds, The Different Types Of Alcoholic Drinks, Glossary,
    Drinking Songs, and Other Related Reading Materials. This guide is
    currently 16 pages long.
    
    Much controversy has been raised over the sex guide. Although most feel
    that the guide has a vast amount of useful game applications, some feel
    that it is perverse to even consider it. The title is somewhat
    misleading because the guide contains much more than rules for sex.
    Some sections of the guide include The Wild-Thing Rules, Conception:
    What are the odds?, The Bitch Rule, Seduction: More Than Reaction
    Rolls, Non-Weapon Proficiencies, Sexualis Morbus (Sexual Diseases),
    Sexual Insanity ?, Spells With Zip, Magic Items Your Mom Wouldn't
    Approve Of, Cupid's Chaotic Arrows, Houri: Wizard Kit, Getting To Know
    A Prostitute (Random Generator), Filling The House Of Ill Repute, Case:
    The Blue Tavern (Entertainment And Pleasure), Encounter Non-Player
    Characters, A New Look At Old Monsters, Porno Periodicals Of Humanoids,
    Adventuring Ideas, and A Few Good Stories.  There is also a
    transcription of the BITNET Controversy Of The Guide for those that
    would like to see what other people's views are. This guide is roughly
    60 pages long."
 
    Both the guides are being continuously updated and improved, so if you
    want to receive a current copy or help contribute to either one drop
    him a E-MAIL message at the address stated.
     
    However the following remarks can be made :
    
    - The drinks you put in your world are totally up to you, they may be
    based on the classic (beer, wine, liquor...) or whatever you can imagine.
    
    - Alcohol resistance is mostly based on constitution. (a constitution
    check  modified by the number of alcohol drank and its strengh).
    
    - You may make racial adjustments. Some players sayed that Elves should
    have a low resistance since they are very light etc... other disagreed
    and sayed that elves should have a strong resistance since they
    are old and get used to drink. However everybody agree that Dwarves
    should have a strong resistance.
    
    - Some players thought that the sex discussion was sick (but there
    have been grosser subjects since ) and that including sex in a game
    wasn't a source of creative role-playing. To which it was replyed
    the classic "If you don't like it your not obliged to read it".

13: How well will armour resist against fire?

A:  A discussion began on ADND-L, "would a leather armor protect better
    than a full plate mail, since plate mail is mettalic and metal conducts
    heat" Actually there are several points to take in account :
    
    - A leather armor only covers part of the body 
    
    - A plate mail armor is consisted of several layers : The outer plate, 
    fixed to a chain mail and wool long-johns, the heat might take longer to 
    reach the body.
    
    - If the attack is instantaneous (i.e less than 2 or 3 seconds), like a 
    fireball, metal dont have too much time to heat and what's important to 
    calculate damage is the part of the body not covered or pieces taking 
    fire.
    
    - If the attack is longer than a few seconds or if the characters 
    evolve in a very hot place, wearers of a plate mail might take more 
    damage than for leather armor and they should have difficulties to 
    breathe too

14: Can an illusionary light allow you to see?

A:  The question was asked wether the illusion of light would illuminate an 
    area and what might/could be seen in this area.
    First let's say that it is up to the DM to decide if an illusion is a 
    sort of hollographic image that appear in front of us or a image that 
    our brain created. 
    The following answers have been given:
    
    - NO : It stands without illuminating anything as if it was very far or 
    very dim. It's like the "light" you create when your rub your eyes 
    strongly.
    
    - YES : But what you see is part of the illusion created by the 
    spell-caster (so 2 characters who are under the illusion might see the 
    same thing)
    
    - YES : But what you see is part of the illusion created by your brain 
    (so 2 characters who are under the illusion might see different things).
    
    - Casting an illusionary light might be easy to disbelieve.


15: Is "Animate dead" an evil act?

A:  There have been numerous messages to answer what looks like a simple 
    question, the majority would say yes for the following reasons :
    
    - According to our morale and our civilisation , everything linked with 
    dead (and buried) body is evil (getting corpse out of cemetary etc...)
    
    - In the rules : evil cleric can turn undeds to their service. Unded are 
    evil or directed by evil priests or at least animated dead serve evil.
    
    However there have been the following arguments against :
    
    - If "animate dead" is not binding the soul of the body you're 
    re-animating under your control, it may not be that evil after all.
    
    - The "morale" in ad&d is inherent to the world we play in. We can 
    imagine a world where animating dead is not evil or might be a common 
    ritual. It is the choice of the world creator and/or the DM to determine 
    the morale of his world.


16: What happens when someone teleports into solid rock?

A:  A discussion once started when someone asked "I have a mage who get 
    teleported into an area filled with poisonous gaz, what happened to the 
    air surrounding the mage before or after the teleportation?".
    Of course like all questions concerning magic the answer to that one is:
    "It depends how the DM rules teleportation".  Here are some examples
    of different rulings.
    
    - The object you are teleporting and the place you are teleporting it 
    just "exchange place". That is for the example of the mage going into an 
    area of poisonous gaz, the mage should dissapear and a quantity of 
    poisonous gaz equal to the volume of the mage should appear.
    The inconvenient of this explication is that it makes something appear 
    at the place the teleported object was.
    
    - A volume equal to the size of the teleported object from the area you 
    are teleporting it into "just disapears". In fact you can rule that it 
    goes in another dimension, another plane, into limbo etc..
    (like in Terminator2, a part of the truck and of the pavement that were 
    in the "sphere of teleportation" are missing).
    The point is there is no longer exchange and when the teleported object 
    departs there might be a "pop" sound and a rush of wind as the air 
    around is fillng the emptyness left. Actually that "pop" sound might be 
    more like a "bang" if the teleported matter disapears very quickly or is 
    rather big.
    
    - The object teleported "pushes" the matter around it. If the matter is 
    a gaz or something that can be compressed, no problem if not, you can 
    rule that either :
        - The matter explodes or shatters.
        (like a glass bottle of water when it freezes)
        - The matter is "bind" around the object (like Han Solo frozen in 
        Carbonite) and the physic of the matter is locally changed.
    It doesnt suppress the "pop" or "bang" effect. Actually it can even be 2 
    "bangs", one from the position of depart and one from the arrival.
    (This is the sound heard in "Back to the future" when the car travels 
    into time).
    
    - The object telported and the matter "merge". The teleported object 
    combines with whatever was here. Not very usefull and certainly not 
    suited for living creatures unless you rule that the 2 objects combine 
    into a third one (like in the movie "The Fly").
    
    It is interesting to note that the way the 2nd edition describes the 
    teleport spell is like the 3rd option here but with an unspoken "strength"
    It looks like the spell has the strengh to push aside the air the mage 
    is teleporting into but not the ground for then it's "instant death" 
    (the mage is crushed into a pulp).

    [editor writes]
    
    There was some question about if the intermingling of matter would
    result in a nuclear explosion.
    
    Consider that the ratio of an atomic nucleus to the volume occupied
    by the atom is 1/10^15.  Now suppose that we generously assume that
    any other nucleus that appears within 10x the radius of the nucleus
    will fuse.  Therefore the effective volume of fusion is 10^3 * 1/10^15
    or 1/10^12.  So on average 1 out of every 10^12 atoms will under go
    fusion.
    
    Now suppose a 70KG person, which we will model by 70 KG of carbon,
    teleports into a wall, which we will model by silicon.
    Since we are looking for an order of magnitude calculation,
    we will do the calculation based on the number of carbon
    atoms, assuming there are an equal number of silicon atoms.  In
    reality there will be fewer silicon atoms because of their greater
    atomic weight.  
    
    Since 1 out 10^12 atoms will fuse we can determine that the total number
    of carbon atoms involved in a nuclear reaction is
    
    70 KG * 1000 gm/kg 
    ------------------ * (1 atom/10^12) = 5.828 x 10^-9 mole of carbon
    12.011 gms/mole
    
    Carbon (atomic weight = 12.011) and Silicon (atomic weight = 28.086)
    will join together to form calcium (atomic weight = 40.08).  The
    mass change = .017gm/mole
    
    So the total mass change (ie to be converted into energy) is 
        .017gm/mole*5.828 * 10^-9 mole = 9.9076 * 10^-11 gm = 9.9076E-14 kg
    
    E = MC^2 = 9.9076E-14 * (3E8)^2 = 8917 joules 
                                    = 8917 joules/(4.184 joules/calorie)
                                    = 2131 calories
                                    = 2.131 KCals
 
    This will heat 2.131kg (or 2.131 Liters) of water 1 degree centegrade.
    
    If we assume the radius of nuclear interaction is 100x the nuclear radius
    instead of 10x this will increase this energy release to 2131 KCals
    which is enough energy to heat 213 Liters (about 50 gallons) of water
    10 degrees centegrade.

17:    How do I deal with pregnancy in my campaign?

A:   Either if you use the sex rules or not you might allow female character 
     to become pregnant in your adventures. The question is : how does it 
     modify the stats/abilities of the character.
     On a side note Reid Bluebaugh (C2MXBLU@FRE.TOWSON.EDU until Fall '93) 
     has added a large pregnancy section to THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ADND SEX. 
     Also note that the guide is being continuously updated and improved, 
     so if you want to receive a current copy or help contribute then please 
     drop him an E-MAIL message at the address stated.

     Most of the answers have been given for human characters but you can 
     adapt them to any race you allow in your world.
     So far the following remark have been made :
     
     - The dexterity should be lowered (1d2/month after the 4th month)
     - The constitution should be lowered as well after yhe 6th month
     - Not everybody agrees if the charisma should be lowered of upered.
     The fact is that : pregnant women are likely to change mood quickly and 
     to view themselves as "unatractive". However most people find pregnant 
     women attractive, are favorably disposed to help and in general 
     pregnant women tend to have a big magnetism. 
     - There should be also a percentage that the woman gets morning sickness
     and loose her breath or can be tired
     ( Vicki L.Domanski <useredu@ubcmtsg.bitnet> posted a summary of an 
     article that explains this subject).
     - It is mostly accepted that at the end of the pregnancy the woman does 
     not want to adventure (specially for a warrior) but this is not a 
     strict rule.
     - Continuing adventuring might hurt, kill or cause sickness on the 
     unborn child. (about 20% chance was proposed).
     - According to your world : the level of science and hygiene might make 
     the birth hazardous and kill either the mother or the child.
     
     Pregnancy and magic:
     If the woman is a spell caster, her magic can be affected by her 
     pregnancy.
     - First there should be an increasing probability of "wild magic". It 
     can goes from spell failure to multiply the strengh or the result of 
     the spell to casting a different spell.
     - The baby beginning to kick might increase the probability of spell 
     failure by loss of concentration.
     - Not everybody agrees on what should happend to the baby when the 
     mother cast spells or use psionic power.
     It is likely that the baby gain magical power and might be able to cast 
     spell early or even have inate magic power or resistance to certain 
     spells etc...
     However for game balance, there should also be a risk that the baby 
     dies or be disabled or develop a weakness against certain spells etc




Others?

-------------------------- Part 4: Glossary -------------------------------


AC        Armor Class
AD&D      Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
AD&D2     Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition
BTW       By The Way
DD        Deities and Demigods
DM        Dungeon Master
DMG       Dungeon Master's Guide
FAQ       Frequently Asked Questions
FF        Fiend Folio
FR        Forgotten Realms
FTP       File Transfer Protocol    -- Tool used to transfer files between
                                       two machines (usually UNIX machines)
FYI       For Your Information
GM        Game Master
HD        Hit Dice
HP        Hit Points
IMAO      In My Arrogant Opinion
IMHO      In My Humble (or Honest) Opinion
IMNSHO    In My Not So Humble/Honest Opinion
LL        Legends and Lore
MC        Monstrous Compendium
MM        Monster Manual
MMII      Monster Manual II
NPC       Non Player Character
OA        Oriental Adventures
PBM       Play By Mail              -- Game (often RPG) played by mail
PBEM,PBeM Play by EMail             -- Game (often PRG) played by EMail
PC        Player Character
PH        Player's Handbook
RL        Ravenloft
RTM       Read The Manual   
RTFM      Read The F_CKIN Manual
THAC0     To Hit Armor Class 0
TOM       Tome Of Magic
UA        Unearthed Arcana
WoG       World of Greyhawk
XP        eXperience Points

and everybodys faborites

(Str, Int, Dex, Wis, Con, Cha, Com) - Ability scores (Strength, -
 - Intelligence, Dexterity, Wisdom, Constitution,  Charisma, Comeliness)

[???Please post additions and corrections]



-------------------------------------------------------------------------

FTP Directions

1) From your system prompt, type "ftp <host-name>", where
<host-name> is the name of the host machine that you are trying to get to.
Example: "ftp cica.cica.indiana.edu".  Note: In some cases you may not be
able to use the name, you will have to use the IP address number.  This
number is 4 numbers separated by dots, i.e. "135.56.9.2".  If you have to
do it this way, you would type "ftp 135.56.9.2".  Presumably you can 
obtain the IP number from the same place you got the host-name.
Or use the /usr/etc/nslookup command to find the IP number from a machine
name.

2) When you connect to the host, you will have to enter a login
and probably a password.  Most sites support what is called "Anonymous FTP",
this means that you enter "anonymous" as your login and then enter your
real login as you password, i.e. "joe@comp.node.whatever".  Some sites
accept "ftp" as an anonymous login rather than "anonymous".  I have heard
that sysadmins rarely check what you entered for your password, but it is
courteous to be truthful.  NOTE: Most sites don't want you using anonymous
FTP during prime-time, which is usually 7am-6pm *local* time.

Note: Local time can often be hard to determine just from a site's name.
You can use the command "telnet <site> daytime" or, failing that, 
"telnet <site> 13", will give the system time at <site>.

3) After you have successfully logged on, you can use "cd" and
"ls", among other commands, to get where you want in the directory tree.

4) Once you are in the correct directory and know what files
you want, you can use "get" to copy single files, i.e. "get file1.c", 
or "mget" to copy multiple files, i.e. "mget *.zip".  NOTE: If the
files you are copying are not plain-text files, i.e. compressed files,
binary data files, etc. you will want to set the transfer mode to binary.
You can do this by entering "type binary".  "binary" or "tenex" may also
work.

5) If you get stuck, you can type "help" or "?" and get a list
of FTP commands that you can use.  "man ftp" from your system prompt
will also be helpful.

6) If any of the files you copied have a .Z, .shar, and/or
.tar extensions, you will have to play around with the files a bit
before you can use them.  Check out the man pages for the commands
"uncompress" (for .Z files), "shar" (for .shar files), and "tar"
(for .tar files).

7) Software obtained this way will probably not have viruses,
but you never know.  Be careful out there.  Note: I say that "it will
probably not have viruses" because there is simply more "clean"
software out there than there is "dirty" software, not because FTP
is somehow inherently safer.


Note: [thanks flee@guardian.cs.psu.edu]
About ftping, what "binary" means is that the remote system is
compatible with your system, and ftp will send an exact image of the
file (Type I stands for Image).  If, for example, both systems are
Unix systems, then you can always use binary mode, even for retrieving
text files.  Binary mode will be a little faster, because the systems
will not have to convert back and forth between local ascii and
network ascii.

Type tenex (L 8) is used to talk to DEC-10s and DEC-20s and other
machines with 9-bit bytes.  Machines with 8-bit bytes (which is nearly
everyone else) need to specify the "L 8" type to send binary files to
and from those machines.

Of the ftp sites you list, I think WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL is the only
host that needs type tenex.

Example FTP session with Anotations

> ftp wuarchive.wustl.edu

Connected to wuarchive.wustl.edu.
220 wuarchive.wustl.edu FTP server (Version 6.11 Fri Aug 16 07:53:21 CDT 1991)

Name (wuarchive.wustl.edu:myname): anonymous     [enter "anonymous" or "ftp" 
                                                  for sign-on name]

331 Guest login ok, send e-mail address as password.

Password:                    ["guest" usually works, otherwise put in your
                              real email address for the password]

230-Welcome, archive user!  This is an experimental FTP server.  If you
230-have any unusual problems, please report them via e-mail to
230-root@wuarchive.wustl.edu.  If you do have problems, please try using a
230-dash (-) as the first character of your password -- this will turn off
230-the continuation messages that may be confusing your ftp client.
230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.


ftp> cd /pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/demos   [change to the appropriate directory
                                    with the "cd" command, and make sure
                                    your directory dividers are "/" not "\"]

250 CWD command successful.

ftp> ls                        ["list" the contents of the directory;
                                for a full description use "dir" or "ls -l"]

200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list.
hover.zip
lemmings.zip
vectdemo.zip
swotl.unp.txt.Z
226 Transfer complete.
56 bytes received in 0.03 seconds (1.8 Kbytes/s)

ftp> binary                  [for any file OTHER than a text file, change
                              to binary transfer by entering "binary"; some
                              sites use the word(s) "tenex" or "type L 8"

                              instead of "binary"; to change back to make a 
                              text (ASCII) transfer enter the word "ascii"]

200 Type set to I.

ftp> get hover.zip           [enter "get (filename)" to transfer the file
                              to your site from the remote site]

200 PORT command successful.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for hover.zip (424060 bytes).
226 Transfer complete.
local: hover.zip remote: hover.zip
424060 bytes received in 38 seconds (11 Kbytes/s)

ftp> quit                    [enter "quit" or "bye" to leave the ftp session]

221 Goodbye.

>                            [you are returned to your system prompt]

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd