HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wright@latcs1.lat.oz.au (Michael G. Wright)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Solution to Psionics problem! (Sorta long)
Summary: Simple solution to the problem of overpowerful Psionicists.
Keywords: Psionics
Date: 16 Aug 92 10:00:28 GMT
Organization: Comp Sci, La Trobe Uni, Australia
Originator: wright@latcs2.lat.oz.au

I've been reading the thread about the Psionicist being too powerful with 
some interest, since I think it's one of the best games supplements that TSR
have come up with since 2nd Ed. came out. Most of the people who fear the new
class seem to be wizards who think that they'll no longer be the most 
powerful people in the world. Well, I'll protect you all with this simple, 
yet convincing solution :-)

	Now the Complete Psionics Handbook, p16 states :

"...A psionicist can use his powers while wearing a helmet that is psionically
active, or one featuring magical enhancements that affect or simulate psionic
powers. BUT {emphasis mine} if the psionicist is wearing a normal helmet of 
any sort, he cannot use his powers."

	The Psi. Handbook then goes on to state that Psionicists may wear 
metal armor, but with an across the board reduction in power scores.

	What does this mean? To me it means that donning a metal helmet or
being so close to so much metal tampers with the way in which a psionicist
may interact and alter the world. Obviously psionic powers cannot pass through
a normal metal helmet. SO....

	One conclusion to this is that telepatic sciences and devotions 
cannot be used against an opponent who is wearing a metal helmet, because his
mind is surrounded with the same metal that stops the psionicist from wearing
a metal helmet himself! So simple you say? Must be a  catch you say? Well,
a psionicist can still use all of his other powers that do not require mind
contact to full extent. He's still pretty powerful. Also psionicists that are
wearing psionically active helmets are still subject to the effects of powers
coming from the other side of the helmet.

	During the discussion on psionicists in this newsgroup, it has 
surprised me that nobody else thought of this solution.

	Now, before you DM's all go off and arm every single NPC and monster
with a metal helmet, think about if the person/thing would normally wear such
a helmet (Come on readers, how many of us have bought metal helmets for our
characters before?) Obviously discretion must be used. For the players whose
DM's do seem to be handing out an  awful lot of helmets all of a sudden,
don't forget that you've got party members such as thieves that may be able
to sneak up from behind to steal the helmet, or priests that can cast heat
metal on those nasty things! :-)

	Now that you've removed the Players major fear of psionics (mind 
control) you can implement the psionicist with ease!

	Well, I'll have to say it, I've even amazed myself. Wow.

 
-- 
Michael Wright            _-_|\     Peg- "Al, can I have a thousand bucks?" 
LaTrobe University,      /     \     Al- "Why sure honey, have you got change
Melbourne, Australia.    \_.-_*/          for a million?"
wright@latcs1.lat.oz.au       v                Married with children. :-)
From: spzkny@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov (JAMES ZAKANY)
Subject: Re: Multi-Class Hit Points
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Why split?
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Distribution: na
Date: 17 Aug 1992 15:19 EST  

In article <1992Aug17.152152.17547@watson.ibm.com>,
 royle@highland.manassas.ibm.com (Matthew Royle x4553 highland) writes...

>  Hmm..  My question is, why split the hit points at all?  The way I
>do multi class characters is to give them the full range of hit points
>that they deserve, so a fighter/thief for instance, will get a d10 when
>the fighter goes up, and a d6 when the thief goes up.  So, at lower levels
>they have an extraordinary amount of hit points...

The major beef with your method is simply that!  Not only do your multi-
classed characters get a plethora of abilities, but they also have a 
decided advantage in hit points.  I sure others will show, with ample 
verbosity, that your method is "unbalancing".  You may, of course, use any 
house rule you wish (and I'm glad this works out for you).  I simply urge 
other, less experienced DMs to be careful with employing this modification.

                                                  James S. Zakany
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: dv52151@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Axly)
Subject: Re: Paladins
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 20:22:53 GMT

ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz) writes:

>In article <2A8F5222.28205@ics.uci.edu> kgieselm@ics.uci.edu (Kenneth Gregory Gieselman) writes:

>>Evil acts, characters, thoughts, etc., are not tolerated within the party.
>>More than one thief has gone with a broken nose, arm, etc., to study the path
>>to "the Light".

>Man, you would HATE our party.  Considering some of the guys I play with,
>your paladin would wake up one morning with his throat slit.
>:-)

And that's why paladins don't adventure with evil people.

Axly
From: scm50@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Shaun C Montgomery)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Date for Gencon?
Date: 18 Aug 92 18:04:43 GMT
Reply-To: scm50@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Shaun C Montgomery)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

In article <1992Aug17.111155.1715@panix.com> jhawk@panix.com (John Hawkinson) writes:
>In <26GB02r71e9g01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> scm50@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Shaun C Montgomery) writes:
>
>>Just to be more precise, there is an RPGA dinner of some sort on August
>>18th, the Wednesday before.  There are events scheduled for the 19th as
>>well as the 20-23rd.
>
>NONONONONONONO!!
>
>The RPGA dinner is on WEDNESDAY the 19th! (At 6:30pm in the Hyatt I beleive).
>The Con starts @8 in the morning on the 20th [NOT on the 19th] and finishes
>on the 23rd. There are NO events on the 19th.
>--
>John Hawkinson
>jhawk@panix.com

My apologies, you are absolutely correct.  Not sure where I got the
dates, might have been looking at the wrong calendar.

Shaun
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cb317@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Stephanie J. Kessler)
Subject: Re: Bastard DM From Hell Pt 2
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 17:21:23 GMT


Rangers can wear any type of armor they wish, however some of
their abilities cannot be used when wearing armor heavier than
studded leather.  I am running a ranger, and if I have a chance,
I'm going to TRY and get her some heavy armor (maybe chain), and
keep the studded leather handy in case we get a hint that a
situation may arise where my skills would be needed.  I believe
the  only skills affected are the thieving skills, and I don't
Move Silently or Hide in Shadows very often as one of the front
fighters of the party.
-- 
The United States is a nation of laws:  badly written and
randomly enforced.     Frank Zappa

cb317 @ cleveland.Freenet.Edu
From: chrysop@csd.uch.gr (Chrysopoulos Marios 484)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Berserkers and hit points
Summary: Berserkers
Date: 14 Aug 92 13:53:02 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department, University of Crete HELLAS

In the fighter's handbook are described a lot of warrior kits, amongst which
is the Berserker kit. Now, i'm DMing a low level party and have a fighter who
wants to be a Berserker. I've read about all the bonuses and disadvantages
that a Berserker has and i agree that it's ok for him to become one. But we
have a problem involving the number of hit points below zero the character
should sustain before dropping dead. I must note that the system i use is
that when a character reaches 0 hp falls unconsious and if noone takes care
of his wounds he loses 1 hp/rnd until -10 where he dies.

My first thought was that because a Berserker doesn't feel pain, he can't
fall unconsious so he will still be fighting until he reaches -10 where he
dies as all other characters. But my player says that this is not right and
that he should be able to sustain more wounds before dying, something like
10 hp/lvl. This means that while in the first level he will die when reaching
-10 hp, he will be fighting until -50 hp just in 5th level!!! I think that this
makes him way too strong, a lot stronger than the rest of the party and i don't
like that. I would like some suggestions or alternatives i could use instead of
this, so that neither he becomes too strong nor he becomes sad and doesn't enjoy
the game.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton)
Subject: Re: 15th Level 
Reply-To: dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 13:24:10 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.192738.34499@watson.ibm.com>, bergerp@highland.manassas.ibm.com (Patrick Berger x2526 highland) writes:
|> to get interesting... That is when all the powerful spells start to come
|> in for the mages, and when the fighter types really start to get sharp
|> with their swords.... All forms of spell casters would never achieve true
|> power if they were limited to level 15.   I, for one, do not retire a
|> character until he hits level 45+, it would be pointless.  And contrary to
|> some statements I have seen, a character that high is not all powerful.
|>  Granted, he would kick some hemo-butt on any monster in the monster
|> manuals, but only lame DM's and wastoid no brains that use the monster
|> manuals completely cant think up new monsters to use.  And level is always
|> relative to the world around them.  I had a level 40 Cleric that got his
|> face beat in by a Fire Elemental of large proportions...  I currently also
|> have a level 18 Magic User/8th level Cleric  that gets his teeth kicked in
|> on a regular basis...
|> 
|>   You might say that at that point the monsters get grotesquely huge, well
|> again that depends on your point of view.  We fought a dragon once that
|> had 1900+ hit points, but when you got to powerful spell casters on your
|> side, he lasts as long as any normal dragon would to a "normal" party, and
|> does about as much damage.... Granted, the DM has to have a little control
|> and be nice to the characters by preventing the dragon from breathing on the
|> first round, but usually the characters are experienced enough to know that
|> they better have some dragon breath protection handy...  Anyway, you are
|> missing out on a lot of fun in the game if you never play a character past
|> 15th level.... (IMHO)  So, if you get a chance, throw together some tougher
|> monsters and get a good DM, and play your heart out....

This is true to an extent.  My fondest memories of D&D after 14 years of playing
involve that of a party with a 22nd level Magic User, an 18th level Paladin, and
a 17/11 Level Illusionist/Thief, and there attempt to take over the 8th plane of
Hell (which they succeeded in doing for a while).  This was fun, but I can't see
going much higher than 25th level, what's the point and where is the challenge?
Your THACO is 5 and your saving through is 4.  Most of the characters have +5 this
or that and massive items of destruction (including Artifacts and Relics).  They
all have spells like "Power Word Kill" and "Meteor Swarm" and the Clerics are
walking around with "Healx4" so it's almost impossible to put them in a stressful
situation; you either let them walk through it with a challenge or kill them.
The whole point of D&D is to challenge people and make them think.

But I do agree, if you limit the game to 15th level you are missing out on a lot
of fun.

Don
My brain, my thoughts, my words.
Let's pretend that protestants and catholics are friends.
   Northern Pikes
From: dgc@cs.purdue.EDU (Doug Crabill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: 2nd Ed. Players Handbook errata?
Date: 14 Aug 92 21:40:34 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Purdue University

In article <1992Aug14.185720.27291@bnr.ca> dclayton@bnr.ca (Don Clayton) writes:
   In article <19262@ector.cs.purdue.edu>, dgc@cs.purdue.EDU (Doug Crabill) writes:
>    I would like this also.  Could some one tell me the sight and file, or
>    post it, or email it to me.

Someone was kind enough to mail it to me.  I have placed it in
greyhawk.stanford.edu:D_D/incoming/phb.errata for those who are
interested.

Doug
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Anecdotes... Death... How come?
Date: 13 Aug 92 01:59:43 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@pmax1.cis.pitt.edu

In article <Bsw9z1.IIn@acsu.buffalo.edu> swann@acsu.buffalo.edu (Stephen Swann) writes:
>In article <4210@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
>>	The lowest level character death was first. The highest level character
>>death of mine was 67th.

>Funny, you never before really struck me as being a munchkin.  Was
>that a one-off, Monty Haul (or Monty Python) campaign, or do you 
>have wagonloads of way-better-than-godlike characters?

	That's not better than godlike. Maybe godlike, though. The Arduin
level charts don't even STOP until they hit 100...

	Anyway, that particular one was from what we called a "GM's Game" --
a game in which you play those NPCs (or former, boosted PCs) which no
one runs games for. In this instance, the character died heroically
saving the universe from an extradimensional being that wanted to
EAT the entirety of creation.

	Wagonloads... well, having been playing for 16 years now, I
do have tons of characters of every possible (and some almost IMpossible)
power levels. I have lots and lots of much weaker characters, and some
which would make that one 67th leveler look like a first level hairdresser.

	
                                 Sea Wasp
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: spzkny@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov (JAMES ZAKANY)
Subject: Re: Multi-Class Hit Points
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Distribution: na
Date: 14 Aug 1992 08:32 EST  

In article <1992Aug13.214806.12344@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>,
 wbennett@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (William F Bennett) writes...

(problem with multi-classes PCs having low hit points and levels)

>     I have tried to come up with a better way of giving HP's but have had 
>difficulty. If I give a regular dce throw not divided then the HP's go up too 
>fast.
> 
>          Any Comments

Yeah.  Leave the system alone.  Poor hit points (due to rounding down) and 
slower progression are the penalties for being multi-classed.  No one 
FORCES any player to choose a multi-classed character!  If such a character 
is freely chosen with a full understanding of the penalties, so be it.

Just because an elf CAN be multi-classed doesn't mean it SHOULD be!

                                                  James S. Zakany
From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Perception in AD&D
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 17:28:58 BST
Distribution: world
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.

CHBRIN5@nyx.uni-konstanz.de (Kai Hortmann) writes:
> How do you handle perception in AD&D, that is, how do you determine if
> somebody notices something or not. The PHB only gives rules for looking
> for secret doors. We included perception in our list of non-weapon-
> proficiencies, but now all but one player have learned it, as it is used
> very often, e.g. for noticing an ambush, seeing someone hidden in a forest,
> noticing a tripwire. The one player who didn't learn it complains that his
> character is becoming "blind", as the DM answers every player who says
> "I look for ..." with "make a perception roll".

Well, I use much the same method for any RPG system...

If a player says specifically what he's looking for -- for example, "I look
for small scratch marks on the skirting board near the door" -- then I just
tell him.

If the player is less specific -- for example, "I look in the corner of the
room for anything suspicious" -- then it's time to roll dice.  Key words to
listen for in the player's question are "something", "anything", "like" and
so on.  The skill isn't "being able to see something", it's (a) recognizing
what is unusual and (b) spotting marks, objects and so on against whatever
the background is.

Rolling dice, I make it an attribute check against something vaguely
relevant, so for AD&D that'd be intelligence or wisdom.  I'm not especially
bothered which; one can know what to look for from reading books, or because
one is naturally quick-witted.  I've even been known to let the player
choose.

If the character has some relevant skill or particular familiarity with
either the thing being looked for or the place being examined, I give a
bonus.  So a mage looking for signs of forgery on a certificate would have
more chance than a fighter, int and wis being equal, because mages spend a
lot of time looking at books and scrolls.

Finally, things which are exceptionally easy or hard to spot can result in
further modifiers.  Make up precise modifiers as you see fit; the range of
plusses and minuses will depend on the game system.  Since the DM should be
the one rolling the dice [we can all agree on that, I hope?], the exact
numbers shouldn't concern the players too much.


mathew
-- 
"Even the most bizarre of the unions (probably that between a cat's gall
 stone and a single note 'G' from CNN's ident theme) managed to convey a
 sense of rampant impropriety."  -- 'Fortran Five', Simon G. Lawrence Leonard

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: bergerp@highland.manassas.ibm.com (Patrick Berger x2526 highland)
Subject: 15th Level 
 Ok, this is in response to the person that said he retires his characters
 at level 15... I mean, what is the point?  That is when the game starts
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 19:27:38 GMT
Organization: IBM T. J. Watson Research

to get interesting... That is when all the powerful spells start to come
in for the mages, and when the fighter types really start to get sharp
with their swords.... All forms of spell casters would never achieve true
power if they were limited to level 15.   I, for one, do not retire a
character until he hits level 45+, it would be pointless.  And contrary to
some statements I have seen, a character that high is not all powerful.
 Granted, he would kick some hemo-butt on any monster in the monster
manuals, but only lame DM's and wastoid no brains that use the monster
manuals completely cant think up new monsters to use.  And level is always
relative to the world around them.  I had a level 40 Cleric that got his
face beat in by a Fire Elemental of large proportions...  I currently also
have a level 18 Magic User/8th level Cleric  that gets his teeth kicked in
on a regular basis...

  You might say that at that point the monsters get grotesquely huge, well
again that depends on your point of view.  We fought a dragon once that
had 1900+ hit points, but when you got to powerful spell casters on your
side, he lasts as long as any normal dragon would to a "normal" party, and
does about as much damage.... Granted, the DM has to have a little control
and be nice to the characters by preventing the dragon from breathing on the
first round, but usually the characters are experienced enough to know that
they better have some dragon breath protection handy...  Anyway, you are
missing out on a lot of fun in the game if you never play a character past
15th level.... (IMHO)  So, if you get a chance, throw together some tougher
monsters and get a good DM, and play your heart out....

  - Rastafan Ballista Durskaen, Legion of the Storm, 44th Ranger Battalion

     -Matthew Royle
      royle@manvmd1.vnet.ibm.com
From: Loball@cup.portal.com (Bill - Vitro)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Optional Specialization Ruling
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 92 22:44:13 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <1992Aug13.090449.301@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>

In some article, somewhere on usenet someone said:
>In article <1992Aug12.194527.4610@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>, 
cb317@cleveland.Freenet
>.Edu (Stephanie J. Kessler) writes:
>>
>> I cannot remember which book this is from, but somewhere it says
>> that you cannot use a weapon in your off-hand that is the same
>> size or larger than the main hand weapon without a special
>> proficiency (can't remember what it is... ambedexterity???).
>> Otherwise, it must be smaller, like a dagger or short sword...
>
>Actually, in the Fighters' Handbook under Two Weapon Style it
>specifically states  that you can use two same-sized weapons. They give
>an example of two longswords.

>Andrew Earl
>--- TECO Madness. A moment of convenience, a lifetime of regret. ---

For G.O.D. only knows what reason, I have been looking at these very
rules lately.  <Putting on my white wig and black robe> p64 of _The
Complete Fighter's Handbook_ says: "...Unless the character has
Style Specialization in this style [Two-Weapon Style], the second
(off hand) weapon must be shorter than the primary weapon."
   Ambidexterity, on the other hand (so to speak O:> ), when
fighting with two weapons, eliminates the off-hand penalty.
Which means that rangers fight at no penalty on each weapon,
(which is standard, since that's one of the Ranger bonuses)
and all others (warriors and rogues, again according to TCFH), fight
at -2 on each weapon, modified by Reaction/Attacking Adjustment based
on DEX.  In neither case can the R/A Adj give the character a bonus
to hit.  Ambidexterity requires 1 _weapon_ proficiency slot.
   In defense of TWSS/Ambidex, this gives you the same benefits
a Ranger gets, while taking 2 weapon proficiency slots.  i.e. if you
think TWSS is unbalancing, try minimaxing a Ranger sometime.

You know, it always amazes how well that wig fits..... ;(

                         Billy T.
  "To make the laws better, we must first understand them."
From: kermits@pasifae.cc.uch.gr (Aggelos Keromyths)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Tarrasque
Date: 20 Aug 92 16:46:29 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department, University of Crete HELLAS
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

I think that's the way it's written.Anyway, i read an article mentioning
 some ways of killing a Tarrasque (or THE Tarrasque).I think that although
 they give a temporary solution,it is not a good one.Just remember that a
 Tarrasque needs a Wish after it drops under -30hp so as to never assemble
 again (it reformats).So,even if it dies or gets drown,it will reappear.And
 i don't know if it can swim...(devious dm: the Tarrasque is higher than the
 lake you dropped it in...:-}  )
And what are these Maunty Haul Campaigns ? (I am new to ADnD and i am a PLAYER
 not a Dm,so i feel excused for the question...)
 Aggelos
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: tremblay@leland.Stanford.EDU (Marc Tremblay)
Subject: Re: Anecdotes... Death... How come?
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 01:37:03 GMT

In article <Bsy52x.py@acsu.buffalo.edu> swann@acsu.buffalo.edu (Stephen Swann) writes:

snip, snip...

>Part of the reason they've advanced so slowly is that an awful lot 
>of their time is spent pursuing "sub-plots" in my campaign.  This
>involves lots of roleplaying, but doesn't earn them any adventuring
>experience points - although it does gain them valuable information,
>and generally make their lives more interesting and varied.

That's why in my previous campaign I'd give experience for good
information gathering, good ideas, etc... Although knowing how to gain
good information, etc... doesn't make one a better fighter, for
example, it does make one a better adventurer. Also, it encourages
players to become smart players and not just hackers and slashers out
to kill anything that moves just to gain xp. If my players find a
clever way of outtricking a monster and stealing all it's treasure
without ever having to fight it, they gain as much (or almost as much)
than if they had killed it. 
 

========================================================
| Marc Tremblay                  |  There's no time    |
| tremblay@sunrise.stanford.edu  |  like the pleasant  |
========================================================