HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: williams@unccsun.uncc.edu (Dewey Williams)
Subject: Re: Multiple Attacks
Organization: University of NC at Charlotte
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 00:07:36 GMT

	In the past, my group tried a number of various ways to 'split up' the 
melee round for multiple attacks.  We finally ssettled on a system that was
useful not only for characters but monsters with multiple attacks.

	The system depended on the number of attacks or the type of attack you
were using.  
	Any missle or magical attack rolled a D4 for initiative.  That roll 
determined when you began your spell or fired the first arrow.  Since you get
 two shots with a bow, the next one went on segment 2+ the first initiative
 roll.  The rest of the round you spent getting arrows, dodging enemies or
 moving for a better shot.

	If a melee weapon was used (sword, mace, etc.) the initiative roll was
 determined by the number of attacks per round.  3/2 used a D8 on the 2 attack
round and D10 on the 1 attack.  2/rd used a D6, 3/rd used D4.  As you can see,
 it was possible to lose one attack in a round this way, so we said that any
 unused attacks were performed on segment ten, the last of the round.
	The use of different dice was a bit confusing to some at first, but with
 a little practice and use it was found to be a very good system.  

	It can easily be used for monsters as well.  If they get 3 attacks per
round, the monsters initiative was rolled with a D4.

	Oh, after the first roll, all other attacks followed 2 segments after
the first initiative.

d.williams


-----------------------------------
williams@unccsun.uncc.edu
-----------------------------------
From: IO11330@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (the DM)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Old Vs. New i.e. T1-4 vs. FRE1-3 (shadowdale, tantras, waterdeep)
Date: 27 Jan 93 15:41:59 GMT
Organization: University of Maine System

Well There seems to be alot of talk on the net about T1-4 and I've been
wondering about some thing.  What does everyone on net land think of the
new adventers that TSR is publishing, Personally for the most Part I think
that they stink, There too much campaign info in most of them so that
it's difficult to pick up the module and use it for your own campaign.
TSR wants you to run there campaign using there campaign oriented
products.  This didn't seem to be the case with the older modules.
I still use most of them, as they are easily adaptable to any situation.

For example I run a campaign in Greyhawk with the party's headquarters
just south of Dulstrand (an area  I all the Free Coast).  They have had
numerous runins with the Scarlet brotherhood.  I used A2 secret of the
slavers stockade as an outpost of the Brotherhood, and Now I'm using
A3 aerie of the slavelord as there headquarters in The Pomarj during the
war.  They are easily adaptable with only minor changes required to make
them work into my campaign, there isn't so much background info.

What is everyone elses opinion about this??  My only thought was that
this is what TSR wanted to produce to try and expand there game worlds
and are perhaps delegating the other type of adventers to DUNGEON magazine
(I don't know as I don't get it) any comments..????

           Pat Ellis
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: kduling@scf.nmsu.edu (Kevin J. Duling)
Subject: 1st Ed. AD&D Character Generator
Organization: New Mexico State University
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 18:53:50 GMT

I know what you're thinking... "Oh God, not another one."  But I'm
writing one.  I have been for a number of years.  The beast is now
around 11,000 lines of C code and is beginning to look like it might
have a decent user interface.

The question I have is:  Will anyone be interested in using it when
it's finally finished?

Some interesting points about it are:

	* 1st edition rules only.  I haven't bothered to learn 2nd Ed.
          yet, except for a few things.  And 1st has been hard enough
          to code.  When this one is done, I will probably think about
          2nd ed. 

	* IBM DOS only.  This could change.  I might port it to other
          machines if a) there's an interest in it and b) I can get
          access to those machines.  A UNIX version would be the first
          port. 

	* At this point, it uses PC generation rules from the DMG, PH,
          UA, and the corrections/errata sheet for UA published in
          Dragon Magazine in Nov. 1989 (?).  This means it calculates
          everything -- race modifiers, aging modifiers, initial
          cantrips/spells, and so forth.

	* It is designed to create 1st level characters ONLY.

	* A configuration routine to set campaign variables...such as
	  'Are Bards allowed?', 'Are Psionics allowed?', and options
	  on the spell aquisition tables.

Things it desperately needs:

	* A print routine to neatly generate the Player Character
	  Record Sheet.  Right now, I do screen prints.  I figured
	  beauty and grace could come after mistakes were corrected.

	* A finished user interface.  I have the beginnings of one,
	  but I've reached the "wonderful" 64K data/text barrier of
	  the small memory model for intel chips.  Time to re-design.

	* On-line help.  Context sensitive help windows have been
	  started in the "new and improved (damn you, intel)" version.
	  But none exist in the working version that runs now.

If anyone's interested in seeing it, send me some mail.  It isn't
pretty, but it's quick and it's fair.  It's also free.

-- 
#include <std/disclaimer.h>
/*=================================================================*/
/* Kevin J. Duling              //   "My two best qualities are    */
/* Just a B.O.F.H wannabe...   //     my modesty and my honesty."  */
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: david@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu (David Bump)
Subject: Re: How do you unzip a file on Unix?
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 04:55:58 GMT
Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

carbon@bnrmtl.bnr.ca (Peter Carbon) writes:

>After having obtained one of the character generators which appeared
>in this newsgroup I find myself at a loss to extract the executable.
>The generator is uuencoded and then zipped (?). I know how to uncode
>the thing on Unix, the executable is for Unix by the way, but I have
>no idea how to unzip it. I did not know this was possible except for
>on PCs. Can anyone help me, do I need some special program not usually
>available on Unix? Thanks in advance ...

I don't know if it comes with the standard unix or the system
I have just happens to use it, but I can just type 
"unzip filename" and it will unzip it.  Pretty simple.

David Bump
david@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu


Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: akostur@fraser.sfu.ca (Andre John Kostur)
Subject: Re: Dragon Psionics Class
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 18:46:26 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.030208.10265@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu> smt0@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (STEFAN M. THIEME) writes:
>In article <20JAN199312363535@udel.edu>, jdelisle@udel.edu (J. G. Delisle) write
>s:
>
>Despite the fact that this very same arguement raged through here only a
>couple months ago, I feel it necessary to throw my own 2 cents in.
>>
>>       Yeah, godlike... but mid-level psi's can only do disintegrate once or
>>twice per day. A mage of the same level can cut loose with 2-3 fireballs,
>>snowball swarms, (name your favorite area effect and/or heavy damage spell),
>>etc. It only affects one target, uses up a lot of PSP's, and is fairly failure
>>prone (after all, any monster over about 10 hit dice has a 50-50 chance of
>>surviving, without any other bonuses).
>>
>
>Listen to what you said. "mid level psi's can only do disintergrate once or
>twice per day." Which means, your mid-level psi (8th level, let's say) can on a
>lucky day kill TWO DRAGONS in one day. He won't be mid-level for long, then,
>will he? All the dragon has to do is fail one saving throw.
> On the otherhand, look at the wizard. First he needs to have the proper spells
>memorized. He needs to have the reagents. (he also needs concentration, but so
>does the psion, so I leave it out). He casts a spell against a dragon he firsts
>has to get around the MR, and then the saving throw. Plus, a mid level wizard
>probably will not be able to kill the dragon with one spell.
>

Let's look again at the psion vs mage:
  Mage            Psion
Needs spell       Needs devotion
Needs reagents    Needs sufficient PSPs
Needs Concentr.   ditto
Overcome MR       Needs Power Check
Dragon gets save  ditto
Unable to kill    ditto (but more proabable... see below)
  with one spell
  
However, if the mage's spell fails for some reason... he just loses the spell,
if the psion fails, most of the time he just loses some PSP, if he fails by
rolling a 20, he needs to make a save vs. disinto (at +5... true) or the 
psion just disintoed himself!

And regarding a mage being unable to kill a dragon with a disinto spell...
the mage's spell disintoes a 10' cubical area.  If this doesn't kill the dragon
why would a 2' cubical (the area affected by a psion disinto) area kill the
dragon any easier? (The mage affects 125 times the area that the psion does!)

And as a question... which dragons have magic resistance?

      ^ 
     ' ` 
  **'   `**         Andre Kostur
 ***  _  ***
  *''***``*         akostur@sfu.ca 
   `     ' 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: kali@cc.gatech.edu (Khaled S. Ali)
Subject: Temple of Elemental Evil
Organization: Georgia Tech College of Computing
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 20:27:12 GMT

About how powerful a group is needed to attempt the module set T1-T4 "The Temple of 
Elemental Evil".  Such as, how many characters,  what average level?  My players do 
not have super scores, and I rarely give magic items.  So, keep this in mind when
determining the power level of the group.
Thanks.
-- 
					
					-Khaled S. Ali (kali@cc.gatech.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: gitzlaff@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jim Gitzlaff )
Subject: Re: Psionics Sans Magic
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 19:48:22 GMT

In article <1993Jan23.171621.18239@choate.edu> kurgan@spock.uucp (Andrew Twyman) writes:
>In article <C13zC3.M4E@bcstec.ca.boeing.com> tjz6090@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Ted Zuvich) writes:

>>world where magic does not work at all, but psionics do?  I'm trying to
>
>	It would be like Earth.  As far as we know, magic is nonexistant, but
>there are lots of peoplw with psionics (probably wild talents).  I suppose it's
>possible that magic does exist, but has been forgotten due to a lack of magical
>wild talents, but that's beside the point.  I don't think that it would work,
>because magic is one of the basic ideas of any AD&D world.  However, it would
>be a worthy experiment, if your players are willing.  Perhaps if you're willing

Making up a campaign with no magic might be very fun.  You could draw on all
sorts of plots and characters from fables and literature like Dumas, Spencer,
T.H. White, and Scott using no magic (or at most a rare few faeires or
demons on the periphery of the world).  T$R's "Mighty Fortress" is a good
source for this kind of thing.

But removing magic from an AD&D campaign, only to replace it with psionics,
sounds a little like replacing the 486dx motherboard in your PC with a 286
just to see if it would work.  It might, but not well.  AD&D psionics are
just not up to par with AD&D magic, at least not yet.

Jim Gitzlaff / gitzlaff@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
From: kurgan@spock.uucp (Andrew Twyman)
Subject: Re: Dragon Psionics Class
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 17:15:23 GMT

>No, I think the system works, but it should have been integrated with ADnD 2nd
>ed. from the beginning. Right now, the psi's seem to be little more than
>supra-magi.

	I have already replied to this discussion as a whole in another post,
but I'd like to reply specificallt to this statement.  Psionicists would be
much like mages (although I don't think that they would be too much more
powerful) if it wasn't for one thing, POWER CHECKS.  Any mage using a memorized
spell, no matter how low his Int. score (as long as it's 9 or more) will always
succeed.  Psionicist's with low stats have a good chance at failing the use of
a power.  This balances out their greater abilities.  You have to remember
checks when reading through a list of Psionic powers, and not simply treat them
like spells.
	I played a Psionicist in Forgotten Realms recently.  His first Science
was Animal Affinity, which allowed him to bite his opponents like a shark.  The
Adventure only lasted for three gaming sessions, for other reasons, but during
that time my Psionicist tried to use this skill five times, AND FAILED.  I
never got to see him succeed.  And no, he didn't have low stats either, his
Constitution (which the Power Score for Anim. Affinity is based on) was a 16.
Furthermore, because he was first level, the half-price cost for failing the
power was so muce, that he didn't even have enough PSPs to try to use the power
again.  He usually ended up fighting with his scimitar, and using Adrennaline
Control to increase his strength a bit if he was lucky enough to have a few
PSPs left.  This really pissed me off.  Anyone who still wants to tell me that
Psionicists are too powerful is going to meet deaf ears.
-- 
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
|  -"I have something to say.  It's better to burn out, than to fade away!"-  |
|                          -* THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE *-                        |
*kurgan@choate.edu*-----------------------------------------------------------*
From: magewin@sam.ksu.ksu.edu (Eric D Purvis)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Character Generators for Unix????
Date: 28 Jan 1993 10:20:32 -0600
Organization: Kansas State University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: sam.ksu.ksu.edu
Keywords: character, generators


Hi, I was just wondering if there were any character generators out there for use
on Unix?  All the ones I've run across so far have been for pc's.  If there are
any out there could someone please tell me where I can get them from?

Thanks,
Magewind
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 07:07:23 EST
From: <MGL4@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: RE: Two-Weapon Combo
 <21JAN93.20833842.0177@UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA>

In article <21JAN93.20833842.0177@UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA>, LRPR <LRPR@UNB.CA> says:
>
>In article <1993Jan21.132420.13678@syma.sussex.ac.uk> bapg3@syma.sussex.ac.uk
>(Eain Cathcart) writes:
>
>We have alternatively discussed halving strength and specialization
>bonuses for the left hand attack.

I may be in error, but I do believe that somewhere the rules state that the
strength bonuses for melee combat are attributed only to the primary weapon.
I'm not sure about specialization for the secondary weapon, but considering
that the specialization would have to be something like a dagger under your
system - this is not a large advantage (+1 to hit, doing 1d4+2 damage) when
you consider the penalties associated with off-hand weapon use. (yes I know
these penalties can be over come by high dexterity AND the two-weapon style
proficiency .. oh, yeah and the "learned" ambidextrious (sp?) clause in the
rules (sigh).

> I would like to see a system of parrying with the left hand while
>fighting with the right (the florentine style of rapier and main-gauche)
>                                 JubbaBones
>

I know the parrying rules for 2nd ed. is not the best, but if the secondary
weapon attack was a "called shot"/parry, done with an appropriate initiative
roll, you could simulate the florentine style (although badly) this way.

Humbly submitted for your ripping,
--------------------------------------->  Mike L.
mgl4@psuvm.psu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: tel002@dunix.drake.edu (Tim "Spock" Larson)
Subject: pbem closing soon...get chars in
Organization: Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 20:47:50 GMT

Hello again.  The PBeM I announced Friday will be closed to new applications
after this coming Wednesday (the 27th).  Get your characters to me
before then.
For info on the game, send mail to me at TEL002@acad.drake.edu.  I don't
use this unix account for anything but access to this net.

Tim
a.k.a. Febbitz Nebbin
a.k.a. Taran Shadowwalker
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: CONSOLIDATE:  A single character generator
From: mikew@ug.eds.com (Mike 'the Bard' Whitaker)
Date: 27 Jan 93 04:05:13 PDT
Organization: Shape Data - a Division of EDS/Scicon 

In article <1993Jan25.234528.3941@sol.ctr.columbia.edu> 
gtd543a@sol.crt.columbia.edu (death) writes:
>I like playing AD&D, and I know others do.  I would like to set up
>a mailing list for developers who would like to create a single set
>of tools for the AD&D player.  

Count me in...

>Optimally, these tools would be
>compiled under gcc and be portable to other environments.  However,
>this is not a requirement.  My development environment is emx+gcc
>under OS/2 and DOS.  There has been some interest in making tools
>available under UNIX also.

Yes please B-)

>Please e-mail me if you are interested.  I am looking primarily
>for developers willing to contribute code to this project, but
>anybody is welcome because I also value opinions highly.

One of the things that occurred to me as being important in a project like
this, and in fact generally, is a set of STANDARD data file formats for things
like spells, character/monster details, etc, that can read in by one or more
different programs... ISTR someone else had this idea also - anyone plead 
guilty? How far did it get?
-- 
Mike Whitaker +44-223 | mikew@ug.eds.com (preferred) \ Me: Bards just
Shape Data/EDS 316673 | mwhitaker@cix.compulink.co.uk \ KNOW things...

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: adray@mcs.kent.edu (Adam Dray)
Subject: Re: WANTED: munchkin generator
Reply-To: adray@mcs.kent.edu
Organization: Kent State University CS
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 22:12:38 GMT

In article <1993Jan27.004038.1903@ncsu.edu>, dcgonyie@eos.ncsu.edu (Lord Stingray) writes:
> 
> 	I was wondering if anyone has come up with a 2nd Ed. munchkin
> generator yet.

Sure.


  #include <sdtio.h>
  #define ACCEPTABLE_STAT 18

  main (void)
  { int i; 

    for (i=0; i<5; i++) printf("%d\n", ACCEPTABLE_STAT);
  }

Granted, it's not much, but it works.  =)

						Adam.


-- 
adray@mcs.kent.edu            The word is my oyster,
                              and meaning is
                              a tiny grain of sand.
From: silber@cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Damage S and M vs L
Date: 26 Jan 93 21:22:26 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Computer Sci - University of Illinois


>Does anyone have a good reason why weapons do different amounts of damage
>depending on the size of the creature?

>For example: 2-H Sword does 1d10 vs small or medium, 3d6 vs large creatures.

>Yet another incongruency...

	Longswords, of course, do more against large creatures because
they are practiacally defined to be the best weapon. The rational for
others is that some weapons, spears, most swords, etc. are still effective
at causing deep damage to large creatures, but maces and other weapons
that result in shallow cuts or bruising/crushing damage are lessened
in effects.
 

.
-- 
ami silberman - janitor of lunacy
	silber@cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Dragon Psionics Class
From: <MVS104@psuvm.psu.edu>
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 00:23:10 EST
Organization: Penn State University

In article <1993Jan20.163422.10475@ifi.uio.no>, kjetilgr@ifi.uio.no (Kjetil
Granlien) says:
>
>Here are some of my problems I am having in the campaign I am running..
>
>first - There are not enough monster out there who could do anything about a
>        psionist.. It requires more work for the DM.

Don't want to work, don't allow psionics. Most interesting threat for
a psi-guy is...guess what...another psi-guy. Much better than monsters
the player can look up and memorize. NPC psionicists are dangerous
because they're an unknown to the PC. I mean, if they all want psionics,
give it to yourself, too.

>second - Some of the powers are godlike invulnerability... Ectoplastic form

this is where psionic combatants are necessary. Keep him busy with
basic psi-combat, and there ain't much time to use everything else...
also, try to balance those powers just a little. Ecto and disintegrate
is not pleasant.
Oh, and about that poor dragon...hell, give him psionics too! Who says
you have to be a complete stickler. Give your monsters a chance.

>third - It seems to lack a lot of testing and stuff. . its unbalanced.
>        At least in comparison to the rest of the AD&D system..

So it would seem. If you don't like it...well you know what to do.
Nobody said psionics of any persuasion were *necessary*...

>fourth - This does not bother me.. but some power really are ridicolous..
>         Like 'See Sound' and 'Hear light'.. I don't see the point..

Being intentionally frivolous, perhaps?

Martin Schulte
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Two-Weapon Combo
From: alanb@sdl.ug.eds.com (Alan Braggins)
Date: 22 Jan 93 10:37:24 GMT
Organization: Shape Data (Division of EDS), Cambridge UK
In-reply-to: LRPR's message of Thu, 21 Jan 1993 23:17:26 GMT

>>>>> On Thu, 21 Jan 1993 23:17:26 GMT, LRPR <LRPR@UNB.CA> said:

> In article <1993Jan21.132420.13678@syma.sussex.ac.uk> bapg3@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Eain Cathcart) writes:
>> In the campaign that I'm currently helping to run we are about to
>>introduce rules for parrying and for fighting with two weapons. I would
>>be interested in any ideas or suggestions that you might have.

>    In my campaign we use the rules for 2 weapon style from the Complete
> fighter's handbook.  I found as DM that it was a little too powerful,
> as presented - the ability to use 2 longswords makes fighters into
> mowing machines, especially if they are allowed all their strength and
> specialization bonuses.

Another possibility is to force left hand specialization and right hand
specialization to be taken as different skills.

I currently run a character mostly using two rapiers - she has 16 dex, 
proficencies spent on both two weapon style and ambidextrous (either
of which combined with the dex would reduce off hand penalty to 0), and
spent two proficiency slots for specialisation. She's the only single
classed fighter in the party, but by no means a mincing machine.
The other fighter(/mage) uses longsword and dagger.

Two longswords (or even bastard sword used one handed) might be allowable
for characters with 18 strength, but, I think, shouldn't have full effect
with each.

> We have alternatively discussed halving strength and specialization
> bonuses for the left hand attack.
That makes sense. Strength bonus hasn't really mattered to my character 
until now (15 strength), but the mage now has a strength spell.

>  I would like to see a system of parrying with the left hand while
> fighting with the right (the florentine style of rapier and main-gauche)

The fighters handbook has rules for parrying. The one we use is you
can give up one attack and use it as a parry - make a to hit roll as
normal, and if you would have hit your opponent, you parry one attack.

Main-gauche and basket hilted rapier both have +1 to parry compared
with other weapons. You might want to give short weapons less penalty
for off hand use to encourage that style. Jack sometimes wears rapier
and main-gauche for social occasions where both rapiers would look
excessive [even on a swashbuckler].

--
     Alan Braggins, alanb@sdl.ug.eds.com, abraggins@cix.compulink.co.uk
Shape Data - A division of EDS-Scicon Limited.   Cambridge, UK +44-223-316673
   "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."
 "My employer does not necessarily share my views - but I'm working on it."
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd