HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Spell Points in DND
From: Geoffrey@yvax.byu.edu
Date: 13 Oct 92 09:52:16 -0700
Reply-To: Geoffrey@yvax.byu.edu
Distribution: world
Organization: Brigham Young University

	There are limiting factors in the spell point system as I described it in the
first article.  The first, jwrjared (me...I used a friends computer to post it)
mentioned in one of the replies: Components.  Some people don't like to play
with components, so I understand why that might not seem like a limiting
factor.
	
	The second is time.  It takes time to cast each of those spells.  The average
first level spell takes a round to cast.  The opponent therefore would have a
round that they would be doing things also.  A 20th level fighter gets 3
attacks a round by the twentieth level...if he's fighting with two weapons,
that six attacks a round.  By this time he's probably aqcuired quite a bit of
strength (at least an 18/00 (that's +6d))...he would also probably have a good
weapon (at least +3)..he would also have had the time to get double
proficiencies in each weapon he uses (That's +3h +3d).  All toll that 72 pts.
of extra damage not including the actual damage he rolls for his weapon.  If
he's even just using shortswords, that's an average of at least another 21 pts.
of damage.  That's a total of 93 pts.  I can also only assume that by twentieth
level, the fighter's managed to get some magic items...at least enough to fly
and to go invisible.  The average 20th level mage has 71 hp.  If I were the
mage, I'd be scared too.  If the fighter gets initiative, the mage is
dead-providing the mage hasn't used contingency.  There would still be ways for
the fighter to get around this.

    ANY character, if played as intelligently as possible is something to be
scared of at high levels.  I like the point seawasp made.  They should be
tough.  They deserve it.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cs202144@umbc8.umbc.edu (cs202144)
Subject: Re: Kobolds (Re: Intelligent opponents)
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 10:40:08 GMT

> Kobold dungeon...
>
>   They nearly wiped out my 10th level party.
>
>   How?  Simple.  They knew the turf, and they took advantage of it.

Exactly! You have a hard time winning when fighting on the other guy's
territory!

> I love it... still, if there was over 50 kobolds, you should have gave the
> players a chance to hear them. I mean, you have maybe 0.1% chance of
> squeaking of sneezing or something, thus telling the other party you're
> there. There were *50* kobolds. I think the chapter on surprise has a thing
> like that... of course, if the roll was truly a 1, then no matter how many
> kobolds there were the PCs got surprised...

If you were in a Kobold lair you would be more busy not banging your head and
scraping your sides than listening to them, but even if you do hear them what 
can you do! You are cramped into a space less then 5 feet high and probably
2-3 feet wide. These guys have the advantage since their size is designed for
this!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: lum@cs.tu-berlin.de (Lutz Hofmann)
Subject: Re: Input wanted on a combat scenario
Organization: Technical University of Berlin, Germany
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 13:38:05 GMT

In article <memo.683750@cix.compulink.co.uk> thiggins@cix.compulink.co.uk writes:

>Me, now I pull out 2 daggers (one in either 
>hand) and stab this mr macho muscle to death, So what if he's immune 
>to poison then my poison has no effect, but if he ain't, then he's 
>been lucky so far.
>Oh and I remind the DM that I get +4 to hit and damage vs people using 
>these sort of attacks on me, and I get to go first as well.  PHB2, 
>page 98 "Making matters worse an armed defender is automatically 
>allowed to strike with his weapon before the unarmed attack is made , 
>regardless of the initiative dice roll.  Furthermore since his 
>opponent must get very close the defender gets a +4 bonus to his 
>attack and damage rolls."
This rule is for starting the unarmed combat. Since Mr B already
wrestles the elf it no longer applies.

Rather the elf can only employ small weapons (as daggers, short swords etc.)
and these are at -4. If the elf wrestle his unarmed attack has no such mod.

With one succesful weapon attack is the hold broken as well as
when a third party joins the fray or the elf scores a gouge or throw
with his wrestling attack.

Yours Sincerely   Lutz Hofmann
                  lum@cs.tu-berlin.de
-- 
Ob. Disc: Dies ist kein Flame.   ---   This is no flame.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Intelligent opponents:Dragon
From: jamie@kauri.vuw.ac.nz (Jamieson Norrish)
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 10:06:59 GMT
 ><1992Oct5.120254.13349@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu><1992Oct7.004210.15057@usage.csd
 .unsw.OZ.AU><1992Oct7.015837.43652@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu><1992Oct8.031237.15843@eng.ufl.edu><1992Oct8.144022.29006@Princeton.EDU>
Organization: /u/student/jamie/.organization

With all this talk of how undefeatable dragons are, I'd just like to
ask a couple of questions. Like, why aren't they usually the dominant
race in any game world? And what do they do in their spare time?

I realise that the second question is always going to be
campaign-specific, and that the first does link into this to some
extent. However, I'm sure someone has some good answers to the above,
and I for one would like to hear them.

Jamie
From: parkerma@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (Mark A. Parker)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Intelligent Opponents (A summary of some email)
Date: 14 Oct 1992 21:20:03 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department at Rose-Hulman
Reply-To: parkerma@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu (Mark A. Parker)
NNTP-Posting-Host: g222-07.nextwork.rose-hulman.edu

In article <1992Oct14.073234.3023@usage.csd.unsw.OZ.AU>  
barnett@agsm.unsw.oz.au (Glen Barnett) writes:
> From: Knut Torstein Skomedal <skomedal@solan.unit.no>
> By the Way: If your players use that nasty Stoneskin spell, try this on
>  for size:
> Stoneskin protects from magical weapon attacks, but isn't powerful  
enough to 
> stop +5, +6 and Vorpal weapons(House Rule picked up at a convention  
duel)
>  Thus your Stoneskinned PC's are equal to monsters that you need +5 or  
better
> weapons to hit for the spell duration. 
	If you take it the spell name as literal (i.e. the caster now has  
skin as hard as rock), wouldn't regular vorpal and sharpness weapons still  
cut them? These weapons still decapitate/dismember stone beings on high  
rolls, so would they still work on the mage?
	Just an honest question.
					Mark Parker
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: tao@potato.princeton.edu (Terry Tao)
Subject: Re: Spell Points in DND
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 14:53:51 GMT

The one big problem with hp loss for spells is that clerical spells can
cure hp easily, and high level characters will surely have picked up such
handy items as rings of regeneration etc.  Also, they way you have
structured it to cast a cure light wounds spell hurts the cleric half as
much as the guy is cured! unless this system only works for wizards.

And yes, 20th level mages should be tough, but NOT INVINCIBLE, for gods
sake! I mean, a permanently invisible flying 20th level with some sort of
magic shield casting 400 missiles at a, say, 24th level fighter will kill
the fighter with no real chance of counterattack.  Or put an entire army to
sleep with 400 sleep spells.  Or clog up an entire county with web spells.
Surely NOBODY can handle extreme amounts of magic like this? the mage would
get the thaumaturgical equivalent of RSI.

Terry
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jgostlin@malloco.ing.puc.cl (Javier Gostling)
Subject: Re: Dark Sun
Organization: Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 17:21:50 GMT

I haven't played Dark Sun for very long, but I got the feeling of it. I played
and DM'ed so I know both aspects of the world. Athas is a very deadly place. If
you become easily frustrated by death, be forewarned that death is a common
aspect of life in Athas. Athas is full of powerful psionics. Every PC and many
NPC's have at least one wild talent. If you don't have the Psionics Handbook,
don't buy Dark Sun, unless you are willing to buy the Psc.Hb. If you plan to 
run a campaign in Dark Sun, you are absolutely limited to the 20th level until
you buy the Dragon Kings appendix, which has rules for Characters over 20th
level. (Dragons are Mage/psionicists of 20th lev who have undergone a special
process of transformation. Then, they are cosidered as 21st-30th level
characters. There are no easy monsters such as orcs, goblins, etc. Even social
interaction between the players and the NPC's can be deadly. Nevertheless,
I highly recomend Dark Sun to D&Drs who like a tough challenge for their
characters. And if you're a munchkin, this is the game for you. Note, however,
that the DM gets to be as much of a munchkin as the PC's can become.

Hope this helps you
-Javier Gostling D.
From: aaron@juliet.caltech.edu (Packman, Aaron I.)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Intelligent opponents (was Re: Lich & Demi-Lich...)
Date: 9 Oct 1992 23:09 PST
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: juliet.caltech.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <14868@chalmers.se>, d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se (Bertil Jonell) writes...
>In article <BvqE10.K0@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>, slip@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Doolie) writes:
>> Does a Lich have to LOOK like a lich?  I mean, couldnt they simply put a 
>>permanent change self on themselves to look alive?.
> 
>  This will of course lead to the pc's suspecting every strangely longlived
>wizard to be a lich:)
> 
>DM: The bearded person says:'Some people call me Elminster'
>Players: "Yikes! Turn him! Break out the holy water! Turn him!"


What's the difference anyway?  I always thought the idea behind a lich
was somewhat silly.  Any decent arch-mage should be able to keep him/herself
alive indefinitely without resorting to lich-hood.  Being undead is probably
safer, but it's surely less fun.  And then there're always all those paladins
and other do-gooders out gunnin' for ya'.

Aaron
aaron@caltech.edu
From: tsmuelle@cip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Thomas Mueller)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: DARK SUN: half-giant problem
Keywords: dark sun
Date: 7 Oct 92 13:51:41 GMT
Organization: CSD., University of Erlangen


I have bought the Dark Sun boxed set and I like it very much.
However I have a problem with the half-giant race. One of my players
has a half-giant gladiator and he wants to use normal weapons when
the special weapons for half-giants are not available.The rules book
states that a half-giant has to buy special weaponry wich costs double
the price and (if I remember it right) weight is also doubled.
Now I am searching for a good rule for using standard weaponry as a
half-giant because it does not seem right that he his forbidden to use
them.I thought about limiting the strenght bonus or to raise the 
chance of the weapon breaking.
Any Ideas and comments would be greatly apreciated.Please reply by
e-mail because I might miss it otherwise.

***********************************************************************
*If there is anything more importand than my ego around here I want it*
*caught and shot NOW  -Z.Beeblebrox,President                         *
***********************************************************************
*         tsmuelle@cip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de                     *
***********************************************************************
Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Date: Thu,  8 Oct 1992 22:09:21 -0400 
From: "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: A modest proposal concerning HEALING
	<1992Oct7.210529.6730@unlv.edu>




>Another point is that you need the mightiest of healing to restore
>damage a peasant with 4 hp took falling a wagon.  If he took 3hp of
>damage, you need a 7th level spell!  The system just seems to have a
>few bugs.
Perhaps a minimum of 1 point of healing for any spell?  

>Other than that, it's good idea.  I like the increased rate of healing
>for a hero, but the system with spells is a bit much.  If it did 20
>points of damage, no matter who you are, cure "light" isn't going to
>do it.
Really?  20 points of damage to a 100 hp fighter should be roughly
equivalent to 1 point to a 5 hp man at arms (they're both nicked and
bruised).  Why shouldn't cure light wounds work?  It only heals nicks
and bruises on the weak?

	joe
From: d9bertil@dtek.chalmers.se (Bertil Jonell)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Kobolds (Re: Intelligent opponents)
Date: 15 Oct 92 06:43:56 GMT
Organization: Chalmers Tekniska Lekskola, G|teborg, G|taland

In article <Bw3C2p.Fz9@news.cso.uiuc.edu> rsm58307@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ron) writes:
>>NOTE CLOUDKILL DOESN'T RISE; THUS A U-BEND (LIKE THE ONE IN A SINK)
>>WILL PREVENT IT FROM GOING FURTHER (THE VIETCONG USED SIMILAR TRAPS
>>FOR TEAR-GAS AGENTS IN VIETNAM)
>
>Yeah sure. Who's the kobold genius who figured this shit out? "Hmm. Human
>wizard have cloud kill. I stop him by making U-bend not unlike that used
>by Vietcong."

  All that is needed is that a gang of kobolds survive some magic gas attack
because they by chance have a u-bend in their lair and one of them is smart
enough to make the connection. And in most campaign worlds they have had
several hundred years of persecution to hone their defences.

  There is also the possibility that they have copied it from human designs:
Human underground fortifications will definately have u-bends if it stops
magic gas attacks, since without them the fortification would be much more
easy to hurt.

>	- Ron

-bertil-
--
"It can be shown that for any nutty theory, beyond-the-fringe political view or
 strange religion there exists a proponent on the Net. The proof is left as an
 exercise for your kill-file."
From: cri@acsu.buffalo.edu (Mr. PlEaSanT)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Kobolds (Re: Intelligent opponents)
Date: 13 Oct 92 17:54:26 GMT
Article-I.D.: acsu.Bw2n2r.7CG
Organization: We here at the Asylum don't think about that.
 School Groups: Treasurer A.R.S.A.
  Affiliations: None. I don't like anyone.
 Project: Twisting the minds of America's youth
 Where: Wish I could tell you...

thg@cam-orl.co.uk (Tim Glauert) writes:

>A horde of Kobolds might be able to set up some very fatal traps for a 10th
>level party, but the creatures themselves should not really cause any
>problems. Missile fire is the only real danger but Invisibility or Protection
>from normal missiles can help! Any Kobold which shows itself for long enough
>to get a missile off is not going to get a second chance. A 10th level party
>should be able to kill at least 20 Kobolds in the first melee round of combat,
>which should lead to a morale check or two!

	Do the following words mean anything to you - 
	Trap Doors
	Murder Holes
	Arrow Slits
	Back Stabbing
	Overbearing Attacks...

	I ran basically the same dungeon several years ago (admittedly, in a 
fairly low-magic campaign), with the same result - kobolds, played 
intelligently, in their own well-prepared home ground, and expecting the 
players, killed off (albeit slowly) a high level party.
	It's really not that hard...
	Pissed the HELL out of my players though... :)

Mr. PlEaSanT
(criss)

"Lie down on the floor and stay calm."
		-J.Dillinger
cri@acsu.buffalo.edu
From: Jason_Croutch@mindlink.bc.ca (Jason Croutch)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Hit Points and increasing levels
Date: 11 Oct 92 03:02:59 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Distribution: world


>   Why not?  If the magic missiles somehow drains the hp of your life, with
> experience (and being battered enough by those missiles), you can learn
what
> the best way is to 'toughen' your frame of mind and body to resist them
> better.
   A magic missile is an automatic hit... no dodging, no zigging, no zagging.
A person who gets hit by one has no opportunity to reduce damage, and yet the
same system of HP is applied. I think toughening your 'frame of mind' should
be left to intelligence and wisdom scores, not battle experience, except when
it pertains directly to battle.

>   That's how I've ruled it.  As you adventure and gain experience, your
body
> becomes used to those odd potions and fluid and magic pools and poisons,
> therefore they have less of an effect (relative effect anyway).
   Again, that falls into another ability score; constitution. I can see a
person who makes increases in health standing a better chance against poison,
but most adventurers make little gain in constitution. Maybe if they're
exposed to the same disease or poison more than once, they could be given a
bonus, but what about poisons to which they have not been exposed?

>    In a way it is, in relative terms anyway, just kinda opposite of the way
> you think.  The absolute damage is the same, a dagger is a dagger.  But the
> relative damage it does is different, as the more experienced person knows
> how to twist, turn, dodge, parry, duck, pray, 'luck', whatever out of the
> way, while the unexperienced person zigs when he/she should have zagged...
   It still doesn't make sense on attacks and damage are inflicted without a
person being given the chance to make any defence. Aside from your theories
of growing 'magic resistance' and artificial constitution with experience,
this shoud apply to magical and biological attacks as well.

                                                        ...later
From: mlee@ocf.berkeley.edu (Michael Lee)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: The TSR Trap
Date: 13 Oct 1992 23:55:48 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: avalanche.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Oct11.080116.8813@leland.Stanford.EDU> loren@leland.Stanford.EDU (Elina Aulikki Compton) writes:
>
>How many think that TSR has gone too far with its products?

I think so, it sells 8 different books with only one difference in each.

>Do we lose creativity when we use these products?

Nah, some people just do not have the time.
>Does TSR really stand for Tolkien's Stealing Review?

Read FAQ.

>Why do they call Hobbits, Halflings?

A rose by any other name...

>What is up with all of those Dragonlance Authors?  Didn't Weis & Hickman
>create the series?!

They still write in it, it's just the demand for it has become too much for
them alone.
>What is the deal with Dungeon Magazine?  Do we all really need such 
>help?  Where did our imagination, creativity, impulsiveness go?

It went to time.  We all need time to think up stuff, but when others share
their adventures with us, it's helpful.

>TSR should constantly acknowledge Tolkien ( as well as all fantasy 
>authors ) for his works of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, as
>well as others such as the Simarilion.   Without the role-playing
>public, TSR would be nothing.  

Nah, the idea that role-playing came from Tolkien alone is just a fad.  We've
always had fantasy, and we always will.  

>thinking for you, just sit down and read Tolkien.  I'm sure many

	I have, I think Tolkien is too dramatic for me, the idea of facing
a total of three encounters in the whole adventure where the last is a
dragon that a first level hobbit kills, is too much for my imagination.
Also, I do not like how they center too much on the dwarves, what about
humans?

>fact, do what I have done six times now: Invent your own RPG to
>satify your needs.  Play-test it with friends and get their input!
>It will be your own project that would have taken just a little 
>longer than a 3-month campaign.  

I have, it's called my PBeM, I think that everybody agrees that they are
using some imagination when they DM, because they make up house rules, etc.
That way the DM is happy with his new product.  I think that TSR did a good
job of leaving things blank (That's the only thing they did a lot of) and
let us use our imagination to fill it in.

>gained a huge amount of publicity!  I'm still an old 1st Eddition
>fan of AD&D, and did not put them down then because they were

I am too, but the first edition was plagued with mistakes left and right.
2nd edition has done a half decent job of making it clearer and more
consistent.  And the new books coming left and right in first edition seemed
to change the rules, not add to them like 2nd edition new books do.

>
>			Scott @ Stanford
			Mike  @ Berkeley
From: ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Magic Resistance
Date: 14 Oct 92 18:02:46 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <1020@dgaust.dg.oz> young@wattle.dg.oz (Philip Young) writes:

>What exactly is "standard" magic resistance?  Does this really mean "none"? 

Yes.  It means you have the same magic resistance as most other creatures:
you get a saving throw.


-- 
Jorge Diaz                       | "I want you to remember, Clark... in all
Georgia Institute of Technology  |  the years to come, in your most private
Office of Information Technology |  moments...my hand at your throat.  I want
ccoprdj@prism.gatech.edu         |  you to remember the one man who beat you."
From: MSIMMON@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU (MIKE SIMMONS)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Any Kender Stats???
Date: 8 Oct 92 22:50:13 GMT
Article-I.D.: VM1.1687A108E7.MSIMMON
Organization: The University of Akron

In article <29711@ursa.bear.com>
millman@indigo.bear.com (Phillip Millman) writes:
 
>
>One of the players in my new game wants to play a KENDER (out of the DRAGONLANCE
> Series).  I don't have any real objections but I haven't spent a lot of time
>thinking about it either.  Instead of re-inventing the wheel (and reading
>Dragonlance Chronicles before Sunday) I'd like any information that you may
>have.
>
>Currently I'm thinking of a halfling Fighter with some modifiers.  Let me
>know.
>
 Personally, I'd think them to be closer to a halfling Thief with modifiers.
 That's how I'd model one after Tas anyway (the kender in the DLance series)
From: bohm@acsu.buffalo.edu (Eric "Gothmog" Bohm)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: "human-level" evil
Keywords: alignments in AD&D, detect evil.
Date: 7 Oct 92 20:00:41 GMT
Organization: State University of New York at Buffalo/Comp Sci

In article <2323@cix.cict.fr> dutech@reseau.Berkeley.EDU (Groupe ELEVES) writes:
>
>  Another post concerning alignments...
>
>  Well, I'm not here to discuss the validity of alignments, but to ask
>an opinion about the "intensity" alignments for humans (or demi-humans,
>for that matter).
>
>  I mean, when a priest casts a "detect evil" spell, will he detect ALL
>evil-aligned beings in the area of effect (including the small-time
>thief, the ambitious and somwhat ruthless officer, the ninja waiting
>in disguise nearby, the illusion-cloaked vampire, etc...) or will he
>only points to REAL unnatural evil, the sort of which is achieved only
>by supernatural beings and truly infamous human beings?

Read the spell description. You need to be VERY evil to show on a detect
evil. For characters I think you need to be at least 8th level. For
creatures its usually either very high hit dice, enchanted, or
extra-planar.  Allowing det evil to detect even the faintly evil, makes it
much better than the second level spell know alignment.


I use a different alignment system, so my experience with det evil is
largely irrelevant. However, in lower power campaigns, you might lower the
standards for very evil to something like 5th.

In short, under the standard rules, if your first level priest casts detect
evil and gets a positive result, he should run away before it eats his
soul.  
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd