HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: D&D and Christianity
Date: 6 Jan 93 21:22:38 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <1993Jan5.231641.82914@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu> f012@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu writes:

>>Phil Dutre (being a Roman Catholic, and thus a Christian myself)
>Oops....big mistake.  I also am a Roman Catholic, and the raving born-again
>fundamentalists that support that kind of thing hate us more than they could
>ever hate AD&D...heh.  We're the most pagan of all religions, for some reason,
>to them.  Never bothered to figure out why, of course, since I ignore all that
>crap anyway...but still...once they heard the word 'Catholic' from you, they
>will discount anything yuo say as utter heresy anyway.  :)

Heh, are you kidding?

All good Catholics (like myself) know that all the other so-called
"Christians" are the heretics who are going to burn burn burn!

[Boy, I've done it now!  *ducks*]

-- 
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: ABPD103@UCSVAX (John F. Donoghue)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Cursed Items - Why?
Date: 10 Jan 1993 00:38:18 GMT
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS - AMHERST
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: deimos.ucc.umass.edu
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24

In <C0Kn5n.1pr@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu> l2wang@mobius04.math.uwaterloo.ca writes:

> o  It's not likely that a failed magic item will become a cursed magic item,
>     for the same reason that a mistyped computer program will give purposedly
>     misleading results.  It's more likely that some intelligence was
>     involved to curse it.  i.e.  Some fun-loving god nearby.  I mean, what's
>     the chance that a cursed sword will always return to your hand, and that
>     it will fool you also, when it's simply designed to cut and swing better?
> 
> -- 
> l2wang@napier.UWaterloo.ca

Not all failed enchantments would necessarily become cursed items, but a
good number of them would come out partially or totally warped.  The main
thing with this kind of cursed item, is that the (anti)powers of the items
should be similar in kind and power to those of item that the mage was
trying to make.

So a failed +1 sword might still guide the attacks of the wielder, only
incorrectly, becoming a -1 sword.  But there is no reason to think that it
would suddenly gain the power to FORCE someone to wield it.  It might or
might not still have the +1 on damage.

A Wand of Magic Missiles might fire them off in random directions.

Or a Ring of Fire Resistance might only protect the hand that it is worn on.

The nasty thing about cursed items of this sort is that Identify spells
would not detect the "curse", because the item still does what it is
supposed to do, just not entirely the way you expect.  The item retains
some degree of usefulness, but could fool you into relying on it in
other ways.

h.dykstra
abpd103@deimos.ucc.umass.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: pigman@paronomasia.engin.umich.edu (R. Scott Pigman)
Subject: Gary Gygax
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 17:18:45 EST
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Originator: pigman@paronomasia.engin.umich.edu


Could someone fill me in on the hows and whys of the split between TSR and G. Gygax?  Just Curious.
					scott
From: siech6494@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: CALLING ALL PBeMs!!!!!!!
Date: 11 Jan 93 20:19:09 -0600
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING D&D!!!!!!!!!!!!

now that i got your attention, i would like to put my e-mail address up to
anyone that is planing ato start a PBeM campaign in either a gereric world,
Lahnkmar, or Darksun (AD&D2)

siech6494@iscsvax.uni.edu

I prefer roleplaying to rollplaying, and enjoy playing rangers and fighters in
the 3-8 lvl range.

i will welcom any and all reasonable offers for campaigns :)

STAY TOASTY!! ;)

OMNIPRESENT LIMBOMASTER SIECH
From: timk@meaddata.com (Tim Klein)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: D&D and Christianity
Date: 4 Jan 1993 22:46:52 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
NNTP-Posting-Host: quasar.meaddata.com


|> Here are a few occult connections in Dungeons and Dragons :
|> 
|> (b) descriptions of spells which are REAL
                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

|> (c) descriptions, spells from and worship of REAL pagan gods - which are
                                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

|> (d) accurate drawings and descriptions of "magic circles" which are
|>     used in REAL LIFE by practicing witches and warlocks to summon up
       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^
|>     demons and do sorcery, which is condemned in the Bible (Rev.22:15)
       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


The presence of these phrases is enough to convince me that the person
who wrote this is already confusing fantasy with reality -- he doesn't
need any help from D&D.  He's probably doing himself a favor by no longer
playing D&D, albeit for mistaken reasons.


===========================================================================
Timothy Klein                 "Mellow yellow" is slang for "really groovy".
timk@meaddata.com                                         -- Jimi Hendrix
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: malamb@eos.ncsu.edu (MARCUS ALAN LAMB)
Subject: Ioun Stones
Originator: malamb@c00026-118dan.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: malamb@eos.ncsu.edu (MARCUS ALAN LAMB)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 15:32:41 GMT


In the DM's guide, there is a table of ioun stones.  When you roll on
that table, however, the worst possible result you can get is a
burnt-out stone.  Fortunately, my DM was kind enough to make a list of
cursed stones.  He told me to post this for him. 
 
There is a 30% chance that a burnt-out stone will instead be cursed. 
Cursed stones can be dispelled with Remove Curse (or other such).

1. half-circumference stone that bounces from one ear to the other
2. stone that generates static electricity as it revolves and has a
	weird effect on the character's hair
3. stone that revolves vertically around character's body
4. stone with a 50 feet radius - crashes through buildings, etc.
5. ioun boulder - numerous side effects
6. ioun stone giant - the giant is still alive and usually in a panic as
	it revolves around a character's head

Sorry, I can't remember any more of them.  I might post them if I ever do.

Marc
malamb@eos.ncsu.edu

"Looking forward to having you around." - Sandra Stanford
From: scimitar@suction.acme.gen.nz (Robert Singers)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Walking Bandages
Date: Thu, 07 Jan 93 19:33:36 +1300
Organization: Barbed Wire Cat Productions

smann@smashland.nelsonville.oh.us (Stephen Mann) writes:

> If you don't want your clerics to be walking first aid kits, change the 
> cleric class. Make their healing magics less effective. Create an NPC/PC 
> class of healers (magical and non-magical medicine). Allow healing magic to 
> to be learned by the mages. Make non-cleric healing magic cheaper by 
> mass-production (the Temple of Whosis makes Healing Potions Lite by the vat, 
> and makes a ton of money from adventurers/soldiers/etc).

Yeah you can create a healer class, it's a good idea.  But I also don't 
allow PC clerics, because I've never seen one played properly.  They just 
get played as fighters with healing spells.

Robert Singers               | Nothing I say or do should be taken as
scimitar@suction.acme.gen.nz | a reflection of any form of reality or
                             | consensual hallucination.
** It's not my spelling (much) that's faulty.  It's this keyboard! **
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: kinsler@physics.uq.oz.au (Paul Kinsler)
Subject: Re: Walking Bandages
Organization: Physics Dept. The University of Queensland
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 23:13:28 GMT

The solution I favour is probably the simplest of all: tell the other PC's
that you are going to take some non-curative spells. Tell them it is 
unreasonable for them to handicap your options by making you take only
cure spells. Just as unreasonable as you, as party cleric, taking *no*
healing spells so that the party gets killed.

Currently I am in a party with no cleric. Not very safe. But I would 
not insist a cleric take *only* cure spells in any case. Well, maybe 
occaisionally, for a particularly dangerous encounter. But not always.
-- 
+soluble fish+
"You people, you do not see the grandeur in the wind and stone and stars,
 in the blood and fire and iron - but paint only the flowers."
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: Clayten_Hamacher@mindlink.bc.ca (Clayten Hamacher)
Subject: Hit Points
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 11:07:38 GMT

How do you calculate how many hitpoints someone's arm or leg or head have, if
you stick your arm through a hole to grab something and a red dragon burns it
off, you're not going to die (except from shock maybe) but you will lose the
number of HP associated with your arm.. Also, it would be possible to hit a
character in the head and do less than his total HP and kill him. (I am using
a system for targeting hits, now it's just for a chance of blinding someone
etc..)

I played a game of gurps once and they had a way of method for calculating HP
for body parts in it, can someone who has the Gurps books please post this.

P.S. I believe they also had hit tables to see what part of the body you hit
and also negatives for trying to hit that part.

Does AD&D have any rules similar to these? If so can you please post or mail
them.

--

Clayten_Hamacher@Mindlink.bc.ca                 Land of the rising snow.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.)
Subject: Re: DND: Satanism
Organization: Harris Corporation - ISD
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 14:11:34 GMT


>In article <1993Jan6.225033.2056@choate.edu> bane@spock.uucp (Cameron Huang) writes:

>OK. I'm tired of all this crap about DND being Satanic. I haven't been born
>again, Hell, I haven't died yet. I am an avid player of DND. And, guess what?
>This flame war shouldn't be happening. I mean, if DND players get so offended
>at these zealots crap, then there must be a ring of truth to the accusations.

If DNDers get upset because they get called something they find offensive,
that doesn't mean there must me a hint of truth to it.  Most DNDers are
are average people, with a lot of creativity.  DNDers are no different from
other misunderstood minority groups with respect to slander.

If you call your average citizen a gay, most likely they would get real upset
and defend themselves more than necessary.  Some might even say "hey he sure
is over-reacting, must be some hint of truth to it".  (This is no offense to
homosexuals, but it is they way most citizens would react.)

I don't particularly care what you call me so long as you keep talking to me.
I'm a fairly normal human being (as normal as an engineer can get that is ;) )
I like to consider myself a Christian too.

DND can not be understood through the examples of a few crazy individuals,
any more than Christians can be understood throught the examples of crooked
TV evagalists.  I've seen alot of Hypocrites out there, but that doesn't change
my attitude towards christianity and what it is supposed to be.  Nor does my
playing DND make me more succeptable to Satanism. 

>If DND players know that it's BS, then they wouldn't NEED to flame. Who cares!?
>That's what the dorks want! They want everyone to blow their tops so they can
>claim "DND caused their aggressiveness"
>

Your right there.  Don't blow your top, a well reasoned conversation will
calm down reactionists and avoid flame wars as well as avoid misunderstanding!


--
Joe Carl Jr.               "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a
jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com   fool, but what he does know that ain't so."
                                                           -- Josh Billings
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: bret@technix.mn.org (Bret Indrelee)
Subject: Re: Walking Bandages
Organization: Private System - Saint Paul, MN
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 04:47:12 GMT


In reply on how to prevent a cleric from becoming the 'battle medic',
talk to your player about how usefull some of the other spells are.

The player can refuse to take all cure spells.  There are other first
level spells that, when used correctly, can be more helpfull than
a cure spell.

Cause Fear (reverse of remove fear) allows the cleric to force a
creature to run away.  Clerics have enough hit points to be able
to get into melee combat to perform the touch attack required.

Command is a good pick, provided you are going against other
humanoids.

In a big battle, the additional hit points inflicted because of
a bless spell can cause a group to take less damage (the opponent
dies sooner)

Magical Stone and Shillelagh are both good spells.  If you think there
is a chance with a creature requiring magic to hit, I would suggest
taking one of these.

If they have access to either Faerie Fire or Entangle, both of those
spells are extremely usefull.


Get the player to start looking at the other spells available.  Talk
to him, playing the part of his church superiour, about the benefits
of some of these spells and how best to use them.


This worked in a number of games I have played in.  None of the players
I regularly play with would take all cure spells any more.  Taking more
than three of the same spell at any time is excessive.


-Bret
-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bret Indrelee               |         Nature Adores Chaos
email: bret@technix.mn.org  |   
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cwatters@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Coyt D Watters)
Subject: Re: TeX and PS...
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 14:19:14 GMT

In article <C0IL8v.I3I@news.cso.uiuc.edu> duff@cs.uiuc.edu writes:
>The reason I'm posting this question to this group is because all of the 
>things I need to convert happen to be D&D documents... 
>Because so many of the things posted to FTP sites are done in PS and TeX 
>formats, would anyone who knows please point me in the direction of one of
>the following:
> 1) PS or TeX editor/printer for MS-DOS machines.
> 2) PS or TeX converter to straight ASCII or some word-processor used on MS-DOS
>
>Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>

Go ahead and send me a copy too, and I'll stick it in the FAQ (which is 
as good a place as any for the information)

-Coyt

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: ramirez@spock.uucp (Andreas Orphanides)
Subject: Cursed Items...just a thought...
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 21:42:56 GMT

How about this... 

Wand of Misenchantment...
8 charges
Any successful attempts to identify this in one way or another will 
produce a " Wand of Enchantment" result.
Instead of granting an item with a "+" ability, it grants the item with
an equal "-" score.
Of course the wearer/wielder/user of the weapon won't know unless
someone attemts to identify the "enchanted" object itself.
heh.

ramirez@choate.edu
.sig? .sig! I don' need no steenking .sig!
There can be only one.
From: cvl@athena.mit.edu (Craig V Lewis)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Walking Bandages
Date: 6 Jan 93 22:40:59 GMT
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

All everybody is really saying here is ROLEPLAY!  If you are a cleric,
consider seriously what you need for the coming adventure.  If you expect
a high injury rate with repeated battles, take a lot of healing.  But the
DM should be able to mix up your game so that those other spells come in
handy too.  Maybe your party is mostly human and the opposition goes for
your light source early.  It would be good to have Light ready, as it also
serves as an offensive spell.  Any cleric interested in saving his skin 
should consider sanctuary, it make moving around and healing a whole lot 
easier.  Command is really good for shutting down those big nasties when 
you're in low level campaigns.  Speak With Animals may keep you clear of
needless combat or reveal information that can eliminate any need for the 
bloody combat in the first place.  Entangle, Purify Food and Drink (a 
starving or dehydrated party can expect to be ineffective), Detect Evil/
Magic, etc.  Intelligent planning may allow you to avoid many combats 
that would cause the damage you need to heal.

Granted the cleric is a walking bandage, but they're also living thinking
human beings with real lives.  It's in their best interests to heal wounded
fighters in hostile territory, those fighters are putting their bodies
between the cleric and his enemies.  Any cleric who tried to charge me
for a cure would find me running like hell in the next combat, "I'm sorry,
but sword swings cost 10 g.p.  I'll stab with my dagger for 3 though!"  
In a group working toward a common cause, there is no room for such crap.

If the cleric is on the campaign, the success of that campaign should
be of enough interest to their church that intelligently dispensed heal
spells to maintain party strength would be approved by the god.  If the 
success of the campaign is not of interest to the priesthood, then the 
cleric should not be engaged in it!

CVL
--
 Craig Lewis                            cvl@athena.mit.edu                   
 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution   (508)457-2000x4814                   
 Nobody but me has any idea what I'm doing; and I don't know either.
From: andy@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Andrew Hackard)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Walking Bandages
Date: 5 Jan 93 18:49:10 GMT
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

pkralik@ecst.csuchico.edu (Wintermute) writes:
>Greetings!

Bona dies!

[all his cleric PCs turn out to be walking, regenerating CLW scrolls]

>Sooooo...I was hoping that someone might have suggestions as to how this could
>be avoided.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.  

Well, there's one solution that's so pathetically simple I can't believe
I thought of it.  :-)

Don't play priests who have healing access.

Note that this solution is likely to be less than popular with your
fellow players (typical quote: "What do you MEAN you don't get healing?
What kind of cleric ARE you?"  Obvious response: "A priest of pain,
silly...") and may not be possible if your DM doesn't play with the
"priests of specific mythoi" rule.  OTOH, if he does and you take this
advice, you can always find some Lawful Stupid priesthood with healing
access and pay for some cure scrolls.

This approach at least has the advantage of making the PCs *much* more
cautious.

--
--Andrew Hackard                                 If I spoke for UT, this post
  andy@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu                        would make even less sense.
From: haha@vipunen.hut.fi (Harri Haanp{{)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Walking Bandages
Date: 6 Jan 93 13:09:10 GMT
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland

<Clerics: How to get around the problem of having to take all healing spells
 and not being to cast anything more interesting>

You might change the rules to that if the cleric can cast, say, 4 1st level
spells a day, he can select 4 different spells. He could then cast any of
these spells up to 4 times a day. CLW, Command, CLW, CLW or whatever.
This would make the clerics more flexible and somewhat more powerful,
if you don't want that don't use that.

Harri H.
From: timk@meaddata.com (Tim Klein)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: D&D and Christianity
Date: 8 Jan 1993 14:00:34 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
NNTP-Posting-Host: quasar.meaddata.com

In article <1993Jan7.125306.9876@camaro.uucp>, tfoley@camaro.uucp (Tim Foley) writes:
|>  
|>   Jeez, this reminds me of the days of MADD, I just recently went into a 
|> drugstore and some guy was handing out leaflets to support MADD, at first I 
|> was getting ready to slug this guy and stuff these leaflets down his throut, 
|> but after reading the leaflet, its on Drinking & driving, they stole the 
|> other name that the Mothers against D&D were using...gotta like it.

The anti-RPG group was called B.A.D.D. (Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons).
I'm pretty sure M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) existed first.

(And then there's D.A.M.M. (Drunks Against Mad Mothers), founded by 
columnist Joe Bob Briggs.)

===========================================================================
Timothy Klein                 "Mellow yellow" is slang for "really groovy".
timk@meaddata.com                                         -- Jimi Hendrix
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: stv@unislc.uucp (Steve Spencer)
Subject: Re: Unlucky mage
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 15:35:18 GMT

I just want throw my two cents worth in this thing, and publicly 
say that I back the DM 100%. And I too feel that the original poster
was WAY out of line. I felt this way even before hearing the DM's 
side of the story. But I didn't bother to post at that time because,
without all of the facts, I might just be jumping to a stupid
half-baked conclusion. Don't ypu wish that other people tried to
keep from throwing flames due to some stupid (I mean, READ the 
original post, it was obvious, even from the player's post, that 
there were reasons for this whole thing) conclusion.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| It's the sputter of a raindrop. It's the sunlight on my face |
| My mind's eye into other realms. It's my paradise escape.    |
| Steve Spencer	SLC, Utah 	stv@unislc.slc.unisys.com      |
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: ldusseau@centaur.UWaterloo.ca (Lisa Dusseault)
Subject: Re: Healing
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 00:06:50 GMT

In article <justinf-090192042845@macintosh19.cco.caltech.edu>  
justinf@cco.caltech.edu (Justin Fang) writes:
> Wouldn't a sliding scale in this case make more sense? [system deleted]
> This system also means that magical healing would cure your most serious
> wounds first, possibly allowing you to recover the rest at a higher 
> rate, which seems logical.
> 
> Justin Fang (justinf@cco.caltech.edu)

Completely apart from Justins, or anybody else's solutions (some of which  
I like) I'd like to add my thoughts to the discussion.  One system I like  
for making healing a bit more representive of ability is a scale that goes  
(something) like the following:

Every day spent resting/sleeping/healing, go to the next number in the  
list, starting from your present hp (approximately), and going until you  
reach your maximum hp (approximately).

1 2 4 6 8 11 14 18 22 27 32 38 44 51 58 66 74 82 91 100 110 120 130 etc... 

So a 100-point fighter getting 50 pts damage (imagine a warrior being  
half-incapacitated here, and don't expect him to recover in two days)  
would start around the '51' in my scale.  In a mere 6 days he would be  
totally recovered.  On the other hand, if he's almost dead at 3 hit  
points, he takes 18 days to come back to life.  If he gets a mere nick (to  
him, 10 hp loss is a nick) it only takes a day.  Then again, a mage of 10  
hp max reduced to 5 (half-incapacitated) would take three to four days to  
recover.

This may still seem a little quick or slow for some; put in whatever  
values you like!  It seems to work, and players are happy.

Lisa
ldusseau@zeus.uwaterloo.ca
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd