HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rothwell@brahms.udel.edu (James C. Rothwell)
Subject: house rules 2
Summary: ability score charts
Organization: University of Delaware
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 20:58:39 GMT

In response to the amount of E-mail I recieved about my modified strength
table, I am posting our groups modified ability score tables for the use
of any who so desire.  Feel free too change any numbers you disagree with.

The tables were created to give some uniformity to ability progression,
and some symmetry between high and low scores.  Note that I had to break
my chart into two because of space, but the Ws save adj is the same as the
first column above.  We play with second edition AD&D, but the tables
could be modified without too much trouble for other systems. 

NOTE 1:  In our house rules we play that 18 is the maximum ability score for
any race (racial modifiers can only raise to 18), save by the grace of the
gods.  19 scores are included for those exceptional times, or exceptional
races (eg: dragons, Titans, etc.)

NOTE 2:  We also play that all characters start knowing ONLY their racial
language.  Any other languages (including TradeSpeak - a pidgin of all)
cost one non-weapon profficiency to learn.  Read/Write also takes one slot
for EACH language you want to be able to read.  This makes thieves read
languages ability useful much more often, and introduces some fun with
common town signs, etc.  For this reason we have increased the number of
non-weapon proficiencies recieved for intelligence.

NOTE 3:  The spell adjustments for wizards and priests remain unchanged,
except we have evened out the number of fourth vs fifth level bonus spells
that HIGH wisdom priests get (really only applys for dragons, etc).








***************************************************************************

St	Melee	Damage	Weight	Press	Doors	Bars
Dx	Missile	AC	
Co	HP						Sys S	Res S

3	-3	-4	5	10	3	1%	35%	40%
4	-2	-3	10	15	3	3%	40%	45%
5	-2	-2	10	25	3	7%	45%	50%
6	-1	-2	20	40	4	10%	50%	55%
7	-1	-1	20	55	5	15%	55%	60%
8	0	-1	35	70	6	20%	60%	65%
9	0	0	35	90	7	25%	65%	70%
10	0	0	40	100	8	30%	70%	75%
11	0	0	40	115	9	35%	75%	80%
12	0	0	45	125	10	40%	80%	85%
13	0	+1	50	140	11	45%	85%	90%
14	+1	+1	55	155	12	50%	90%	92%
15	+1	+2	65	170	13	55%	93%	94%
16	+2	+2	75	195	14	60%	96%	96%
17	+2	+3	90	220	15	65%	97%	97%
18	+3	+4	110	275	17	70%	98%	98%
19	+4	+5	125	275	17	75%	99%	99%

***************************************************************************

In	NonWeapon proff	
Ws			MentalSaves	
Ch					Henchmn	Loyalty	Reaction

3	3		-3		1	-6	-5
4	4		-2		1	-5	-4
5	5		-2		2	-4	-3
6	6		-1		2	-3	-2
7	6		-1		3	-2	-1
8	7		0		3	-1	0
9	7		0		4	0	0
10	7		0		4	0	0
11	8		0		4	0	0
12	8		0		5	0	0
13	9		0		5	0	+1
14	9		+1		6	+1	+2
15	10		+1		7	+3	+3
16	10		+2		8	+4	+5
17	11		+2		10	+6	+6
18	11		+3		15	+8	+7
19	12		+4		20	+9	+8

*************************************************************************
-- 
_________________________________________________________________________
James Rothwell             |   There are three types of mathematicians:
rothwell@brahms.udel.edu   |   Those who can count, and those who can't.
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: A modest proposal concerning HEALING
Date: 8 Oct 92 15:22:41 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd1.cis.pitt.edu

In article <0eowcnm00YV7Q9_l4q@andrew.cmu.edu> jw67+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jordan M. Wolbrum) writes:
>Changing the healing spells unbalances the cleric, and changes the
>meaning of a light wound, serious wound, etc.

	Yep, sure does. It makes the definition CONSISTENT. If you
define light, serious, critical, etc, in the right way.

	The change we made was simple:

	I believe this was from the Arduin Grimoires: 
	Cure Light: up to 25% of the recipients maximum HP
	Cure Medium: up to 50%
	Cure Serious: up to 75%
	Cure Critical: up to 100%

	This makes each spell proportionately as useful to adventurers
and characters of ALL levels -- that is, no matter who you are, a 
Cure Critical will restore you back to full health.

	We define the wounds as being proportions of your maximum. If you
have 300 hit points and take 10, that's a light wound. If you have 12 
points and take 10, that's CRITICAL!

	(And it makes it useful for the high level cleric to use his
Cure Light wounds spell; if you have hundred+hp characters and you don't
change the CLW rules, the things become more of an annoyance than anything
else ("I'm down 75 points, anyone got 40 Cure Lights?")


                                 Sea Wasp
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: warren@apple.com (Chris Warren)
Subject: Re: Hit Points and increasing levels
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.dnd
Organization: Taligent.com
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 00:04:31 GMT

If I were to try to make HP more realistic, I would do so in a style
similar to Champions.  I would define two stats: Stun and Body
Stun would be rolled as per standard HPs and it represents the
amount of dammage one can take before being knocked unconcious.
Stun would be recovered at a rate of 1 point per hour of recovery.
Body represents the capability of the body to withstand dammage.
Body heals 1 point per day with continual rest.
At first level body starts out equal to Stun.  Both Body and
Stun receive normal con bonuses.  At reaching a higher
level a hit die is rolled and added to stun.  If the base value
of Body is less than Con then it will go up as follows:
if a 1 is rolled on the hit die, then body goes up by 0.
if the maximum value is rolled, then body goes up by 2.
Otherwise, body goes up by 1.
If Body is equal to or greater than con, then it will go up by
1 if the maximum value is rolled in the hit die.

As for taking dammage.  Whenever a dammage die is rolled, if
a 1 is rolled then 0 body is taken.  If the maximum value is rolled
then 2 points of body dammage are taken.  Otherwise 1 point of body
is taken.  This applies to spells as well as physical attacks.
If damage is specified by a flat number of HPs only, then
the body dammage is that number divided by 5.  If dammage exceeds
the maximum Stun, then that extra dammage is subtracted from body.

Healing spells will follow the same rules as for dammage except
that once all of Stun is healed, then all additional healing 
goes to body.

This system as the advantage that weak characters can recover more
quickly from combat with weak attackers (like kobolds) yet stronger
characters are not invulnerable, since most attacks will eat away
at body even though Thumper the 20th level paladin with
a 16 con has 120 Stun and only a 17 Body.  Compare this
with a first level Paladin with 8 Stun and 8 Body.

Note: all this is off the top of my head so I'm sure some balancing
needs to be done to make it fair.  However, I do think this does
a good job of modeling what a highlevel character gains with
experience, namely the ability to withstand somewhat more punisment
from an attacker.

--Chris
From: hall@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Robert J. Hall)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: A modest proposal concerning HEALING
Date: 9 Oct 92 19:39:29 GMT
Organization: Boeing Computer Services, Seattle


<seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)> writes:
 >         Yep, sure does. It makes the definition CONSISTENT. If you
 > define light, serious, critical, etc, in the right way.
 >
 >         I believe this was from the Arduin Grimoires:
 >         Cure Light: up to 25% of the recipients maximum HP
 >         Cure Medium: up to 50%
 >         Cure Serious: up to 75%
 >         Cure Critical: up to 100%

Another possibility is to add some number of HPs per level of the caster. Thus,
a cure light wounds would heal 1d8 + 1/level. Medium would add 2/level; 
Serious would add 3/level; and Critical adds 4/level.

Usually the level of the cleric is roughly proportional to the number of hit
dice of the other characters, so it should work out okay.
-- 
 Bob Hall,                 | "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
 Workstation Peripheral    | Then give up. No use being a damn fool about it."
 Boeing Computer Services  |                                     -Groucho Marx
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: torban@csuvax1.csu.murdoch.edu.au (Torban Bennett)
Subject: Re: Lich / Holy Swords
Organization: Murdoch University
Date: 13 Oct 92 09:40:55 GMT

brunborg@solan.unit.no (]dne Brunborg) writes:

>In article <1992Oct8.094007.3142@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>, abistak@nyx.cs.du.edu (Andrew Bistak) writes:
> > 
> > Heres another question though : When (What level) or should a Paladin get
> > a Holy Sword?
> > 
> > regards, Andrew

>That depends on the DM. If you let the dice-rolls decide the treasure, you have
>no control. I prefer a mix between dice-rolling and DM-deciding. I would never

Certainly, I'm in favour of dice-rolling, but never let a roll have any
major imbalancing effect on a game (unless you as DM feel it might be OK
afterall)

>wouldn't hesitate to wait some more levels. Depending on the campaign, I would 
>give him one at 9th-14th level. (Maby he would find one in the lich's treasure?

I aggree.  The perfect place.  In the current campaing I'm Dming the Paladin
got hold of a wish (arrghh, at low level 5th-7th or something.  My excuse is
that I'm using 100% TSR modules, linked together taking them from 1st to
15th.  I just wanted to see what would happen if I played all pre-done
modules.  Gahhg never again.)
Anyway, luckely I was able to keep the holy sword wished for, out of the
players hands.  This was achieved by the preisthood, which he was working
very closely with,( who are also quite a major part of the society) taking
it off him, as he was not worthy enough to weild the weapon in the name of
his god.  Perhaps when he get's to later levels prob 10th I'll let him get
it back off them, although its a bit anti-climctic.  I guess I'll have to
whip up some link between adventures, where it gets stolen or something.
(Perhaps something less cliche'd than that ;-)
Ho,  hum.  A DM's work is never done.

>		Aadne Brunborg
>		Norwegian Institute of Thechnology
>		University of Trondheim
>		NORWAY
>	"If ye can't see it, it's right behind ye..."
--
Torban Bennett         torban@murdoch.edu.au
Murdoch University,
Western Australia.

 "Come on, what are you, a man or a munchkin?"            - Lister

 "I'm off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz." - Rimmer
                                                          "Red Dwarf"
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Swords doing the boogie on their own, my version...
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:08:26 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd2.cis.pitt.edu


	I'm amazed there's been all this discussion on this. The description
of such weapons, as far as I'm aware, has always been very clear: the
weapon fights as its wielder. 

	That means level, proficiency, specialization, magic, strength,
blessings of the gods, and so on all apply.

	Someone said "strength won't apply -- physics".

	Uh-HUH. A magical intelligent flying sword, and he wants to talk
physics. That's like Scooby-Doo: always a rational explanation for the 
spook, but no one wonders how Scooby can talk...

	Besides, most of the damage done by a sword does not come from
anything but the speed at which the sword moves and the mass of the blade.
If the sword can move itself, it can move fast enough to simulate any
strength it desires.

	By the magical "law" of similarity and association, it then gains
the equivalent strength to that of its wielder. With each new wielder, this
associative power changes.


                                 Sea Wasp
                                   /^\
                                   ;;;
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: Rannou@info.polymtl.ca (Patrick Rannou)
Subject: Re: Kobolds (Re: Intelligent opponents)
Organization: Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Canada
	<RANNOU.92Oct8230236@watson.info.polymtl.ca>
	<1992Oct13.104008.9205@umbc3.umbc.edu>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 12:13:13 GMT

In article <1992Oct13.104008.9205@umbc3.umbc.edu> cs202144@umbc8.umbc.edu (cs202144) writes:



   > 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!


Exactly. The first poster described a *BIG* room with a balustrade all
around it, like one the second floor. Not at all like a kobold's lair...

--
/---------------------------\
| Patrick "Paradak" Rannou. |
| Rannou@info.polymtl.ca    |
\---------------------------/
From: marek@nmsu.edu (Marek)
Subject: Psionicists and non-psi.
Organization: Computing Research Lab
Distribution: rec.games.frp.dnd
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 21:13:47 GMT

Hiya
 I have a little problem with the Psionicist rules; no doubt this has been
discussed but I missed it (if it actually was posted). But anyway... I dont 
like the fact that in a normal AD&D world (NOT darksun), psionicist is a 
very weak class (IMHO). If you can only attack non-psionicists with one
actual mental attack (mind blast) then what good are you in a fight? True, 
a psionicist has lots of things to do outside of combat, but gaining only 
two devotions and one science per level.. it hardly compares to the billions
of spells you can get as a mage.. plus, the mage's spells work on most normal
creatures! What the hell can a psionicist do when creatures charge at him? 
I am playing a psionicist in a campaign, and I have to admit, it does get 
kind of stupid when combat rolls around. I only wish I could affect creatures
with my psionic powers. Has anyone thought up a way to make psionicists a 
little more psionic when it comes to combat? Being a psionicist and using
a blade is kinda generic... but I guess there is not much you can do at
2nd level. :)

Marek

send flames to /dev/nul
I would appreciate some discussion as to the power of psionics....
thanks 

______________________________
     __ _   __  ______
    / |/ | |  \ |_  _|     Marek R. Telgarsky
   /     | |  /   ||       marek@freedom.nmsu.edu
  /_/\/|_| ||\\   ||       mrtelga@ceratiidae.cs.sandia.gov

                   CASCA LIVES!!!!!!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: tao@fine.princeton.edu (Terry Tao)
Subject: Re: A modest proposal concerning HEALING
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 03:28:51 GMT

The previous post suggested that healing takes a proportion of hp rather
than a fixed amount,  In that case, you might as well give everybody fixed
hp, and say that higher levels and HD reduce damage, e.g. everybody has
20 hp, but to the man at arms a sword does 2d12 (very
dangerous), but to the high level fighter it does a mere 1d4.  Healing
rates are as before, though.  This carries some problems too, but it stops
the problem of horribly inflated hit points: even the DMG gave one example
of this problem: 100 hp people walking off cliffs, knowing they wont die!

actually, I think a lot more than 20 hp is needed.  But while weapon damage
can be proportionally reduced per level, other damage perhaps is not so
easy to shake off..hmm you can actually drum up quite a complex system
really.. 
 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: slgmj@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Viable spell point system (add.)
Date: 13 Oct 92 09:28:56 MDT
Organization: Utah State University


   Oops... Thanks for the reminder Burnborg...  

	By that spell point system, a mage can only cast those spells in
his/her spell book, and so are still limited to a maximum number of spells
by his/her INT.  This makes sense... after all, you can only cast something
if you have studied it and committed it to memory. And there are only so
many things you can store in your head at once. (18 spells /level adds up
/real/ quick)

     Thanks again Brunborg!
						- Rick Mowery
						  SLGMJ@CC.USU.EDU
From: covin@tartarus.uchicago.edu (David Covin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Intelligent opponents (Birth of Dracolich)
Date: 16 Oct 92 19:09:27 GMT
Article-I.D.: despair.COVIN.92Oct16130927
Organization: University of Chicago Computer Science

In article <1992Oct16.160620.3486@cs.tu-berlin.de> lum@cs.tu-berlin.de (Lutz Hofmann) writes:

   Demi-lich : Tomb of Horrors  S1
   Draco-lich: White Plume Mountain S2

   Yours  Sincerely   Lutz Hofmann
		      lum@cs.tu-berlin.de

Yup.

To add to that concise answer: The module S1, Tomb of Horrors,
centers around the demi-lich Acerak.  The way Acerak is described
and the fact that S1 was one of the very first AD&D modules published
convince me that it was probably the origin of the demi-lich as
a monster.

There is a map in module S2, White Plume Mountain, which has in one
corner an annotation, "Here lies the horrid Dracolich" (reminiscent
of "Here there be monsteres" on old maps of the world).  Above the
annotation is a drawing of a skeletal dragon-creature.  No further
mention of the creature is given in the module, whose adventure does
not involve that area of the map.

--
David Covin                           covin@despair.uchicago.edu
From: ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Input wanted on a combat scenario
Date: 14 Oct 92 18:15:59 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <71235@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge Diaz) writes:
>In article <68760012@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM> moursund@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM (David_Moursund) writes:
>
>[Description of fight and events leading up to it deleted.]
>
>>Questions:  Put yourself in the elf's place; what can you do to escape
>>  this situation?
>
>Very little.  The elf is screwed.

Yes, following up to my own article.  There's one thing that I meant to
mention in my original, and forgot all about.

The elf can play dead.  This is a *very* useful tactic if you know
you are losing.  Mr. Brawny would probably skin him and use his skull for
a pencil holder, but the elf only needs a few seconds to cast a spell.

Hell, if Mr. Brawny takes him for dead and slings the elf over his shoulder,
the elf could cast a spell right there....

It's probably the best chance he has.

-- 
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: rogue@ucrengr.ucr.edu (ed zeamba)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Sowrds of Sharpness and Incredible Constitution
Keywords: AD&D
Date: 16 Oct 92 08:12:34 GMT
Article-I.D.: galaxy.23042
Organization: University of California, Riverside

In article <BvGAE7.3En@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca> alongley@cape.UWaterloo.ca (Allan Longley) writes:
>In article <1992Sep27.233456.10325@beaver.cs.washington.edu>, guido@cs.washington.edu (Guido Hunt) writes:
>
>> sever roll 1-4 to see which limb is severed (head not possible),
>
>I've always played that a Sword of Sharpness could also sever the head, ie.,
>

Actually I've learned from the TRS staff that the "neck but not head"
part is a misprint.  "Sharpness" sharpness was not designed as an
instant death weapon (thats what vorpal is for...)  Neck was listed
for creatures such as hydra where a neck could be severed but the
creature would still live.  Shaprness basically removes non-vital
extermities (I dunno how...magic)  arms, legs, tails..

hope this clarifies it.  Course the chance of head-loss can still be
used but yer just up-powering the weapon.  (I made this easy mistake too)


-- 
     /                                                                \
@###I===============> "Know me as GORD of GREYHAWK..." <===============I###@ 
     \		                                                      /
rogue@ucrmath.ucr.edu		UC Riverside -- home of the Guildsman
From: jwrjared@yvax.byu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Spell Points in DND
Date: 12 Oct 92 00:24:56 GMT
Reply-To: Geoffrey@yvax.byu.edu
Organization: BYU


 As far as limiting factors for the spell point system as I described it go: 
Components seem to be all I use.  Accessibility to those components and how
many of those components you have on you seem to limit it well.  (gee, where
exactly did I put those octopus eyes anyway...whoops I'm one short...oh well). 
There's a spell in Unearthed Arcana that allows a coat to have many small
pockets that each function similarly to a minor bag of holding.  This spell can
also be permanentized.  I'm sure this helps, but it doesn't make the wizard
invincible, especially when he's on the road and runs out of Gold Dragon blood
or something as inaccessible as that.

I like limiting my wizards by the spells that they have learned, but I don't
like the idea of making them focus particularly on a specific number of spells
and having them forget the rest until they can come around to relearning them. 
I play guitar...not exceptionally well, but I can more or less play everything
I've ever learned at any given time.  The only songs I can't play at any given
time are the songs that I haven't practiced for quite a while.  So, I guess a
way of limiting them in this way is to have a "practice times needed" value
recorded for each spell and to have the wizard tell you which spells they are
practicing each night (15 minutes per level?), (Budgeting time will be needed).
 Eventually patterns will evolve and as some of they're spells are neglected
for prolonged periods of time...have them forget them.  They won't know that
they've forgotten them until they are in battle and actually try using them. 
They've forgotten to practice them for so long, that they more or less just
don't think about them anymore.  It may dawn on them while they're going
through their notes or something...like me and my sheet music, usually it's not
until I go through my notes that I accidentally stumble on the page and realize
that "Hey, that's right...I do know this one.".

The amount of time before forgetting the spell happens...2-3 weeks maybe.  For
longer spells maybe less time due to their length, conversly, it might take a
very long time to forget 1st and 2nd level spells due to their lack of length.

Another interesting possibility:  If they're getting close to losing the
spell..have their casting times be lengthened due to their pauses and
occasional semi-mumbles.

Before I forget, 8 hours of sleep gives you all your spell points back in my
system.

Thanks for the input.
Geoffrey Eastbrook
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.marketplace
Subject: CLEARANCE!! AD&D 1edt. CLEARANCE!!!!!!!!!!
From: rbickley@mischief.ksc.nasa.gov (Robert Bickley)
Date: 13 Oct 92 12:35:10 EST
Distribution: world
Organization: NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL

Keywords: 

1st. Edition AD&D stuff for sale


P H B
D M G
MM I      all < $5 ea.

14 Modules (to include G1-3)
  
          all < $4 ea.

14 DRAGON mag.  (between 42 and 78?)
 
          all < $3 ea.

BATTLESYSTEM with H1 module (never used  parts still unpreforated)

          less than $20 together



please respond and I will give you more information
on the stuff your interested in.

this is not a blind bid situation, first reasonable offer gets it.

I'm notivated, want to sell it all if possible, larger purchase better price.

SELL!!  SELL!!  SELL!!  I want too  SELL!!