HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: LRPR000 <LRPR@UNB.CA>
Subject: RE: Some questions about elves, swashbucklers and sword speciali
Organization: The University of New Brunswick
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 16:55:33 GMT

In article <1992Nov13.095059.1791@ugle.unit.no> brunborg@alkymi.unit.no (]dne Brunborg) writes:
>A character in my group, an elven swashbuckler specialised in rapier and sabre,
>wants to get the +1 to-hit bonus other elves get with their long swords on his
>rapier and sabre. He claims that the +1 bonus is because of the love elves have
>for swordplay (fencing, etc.). This is partially what the PH states.
>He says that a rapier is a far more elegant weapon that the long sword, and he's
>right. So, he screams for a +1 bonus to-hit with at least one of the weapons.
>Any opinions?
   If he started very early in life, and the campaign is set in an era
when these are common weapons, then a bonus for 1 of them is probably OK
>Furthermore, when he fights two-weapon-style, he wants to attck 3/2 with both
>weapons (for a total of 3 attacs per round). Any opinions on this?
  The Left hand NEVER gets more than 1 attack per round (unless hasted)
PERIOD.  So says the PHB2, and it's never contradicted in the "complete"
books.
>Third, he wants to get a +2 saving throw bonus for dodgeable attacs, ie. breath,
>Rod/Staff/Wand, fireballs etc., when wearing light or no armor. The CFHB says he
>gets a -2 on AC (bonus) when wearing light or no armor. Any opinions?
   Nope - that's dex/magic armor only. Give the DM a break - these
super AC and hit point fighters need something to stop them!
                  JubbaBones.

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: littlefield@binah.cc.brandeis.edu
Subject: Re: New D&D Alignment ...
Reply-To: littlefield@binah.cc.brandeis.edu
Organization: Brandeis University
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 18:36:40 GMT

In article <raa.056x@guild.socal.com>, raa@guild.socal.com (Raa Lopez) writes:
>One of My friends created an alignment for D&D ... and I think I should share it with everyone.
>
>It's called "Ammoral".
>
>Now ... you have your good people that just do good things, and your neutral people who keep the balance, and your evil people who just do evil things.
>
>Then you have the Ammoral ... who does what he damn well pleases. He can do both good things ... nuetral things ... and evil things ...
>
>Ammoral is like neutral with a weird twist ... 
>
>Well ... whaddya think?
>
>--- Via UCI v1.15 (C-Net Amiga)
>
>
>     __ ___ ____________ __ __ __ __ __ __
>     \//___\\__  ______//_//_//_//_//_//_/ ... UUCP: raa@guild.socal.com
> _____//__//  / / DigiT.W.I.T. Ink. UnLtd. '92!
>/_________/o /_/o Pffffttt!!!...Pop!!!...Bang!!!.....Etc.!!!?


	Sounds like Chaotic Good.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: brunborg@alkymi.unit.no (]dne Brunborg)
Subject: Re: Magic Shops
Keywords: Shops
Organization: Norwegian Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 92 13:00:33 GMT

	[to the qestion about exact determination of pluses]

If you use a luck stune in combination with Identify, you can determine the exact
number of pluses.
Just my 2 cents.



So long!

		Aadne Brunborg
		Norwegian Institute of Thechnology
		University of Trondheim
		NORWAY

	"If ye can't see it, it's right behind ye..."


Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: zuniga@loligo.cc.fsu.edu (Ralph Zuniga (FREAC/CAR))
Subject: Re: Most powerful PC ever
Organization: Florida State University Computing Center
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 92 03:02:02 GMT

In article <1992Nov3.225226.8958@ncsu.edu> dcgonyie@eos.ncsu.edu (Dwaine Gonyier) writes:
>
>Everyone seems to be listing hi-level power-characters.  Here's a low level
>one..
>
>Character by the name of Conan (really original, I know).
>
>Anyway, here is how his stats went
>
>STR 18/99
>CON 17 (or 16, or 18, I can't remember) 
>DEX 16
>
>lvl 3 (read below)
>
>hp 45 (He rolled a damn 10 each time) 
>
>Doesn't seem like much until you add weapons specialization with bastard
>swords.  To summarize, this character had a +7 TD.  Therefore when he 
>hit anything that was 1 HD or less, I didn't even bother to ask for a damage
>roll.
>
>  To all you power-gamers, this doesn't seem too impressive, but to the
>other low level players, this character dominated everything.  He defeated
>almost all monsters on his own and got most of the experience.  The player
>was too selfish and arrogant to realize that his character was unbalancing
>the game.  In order to challenge this lone character, I would have to had
>made things more difficult, but this would have easily wiped out the other
>"normal" low level characters playing.  His response was merely, "So what?"
>
>  After several gaming sessions where he consistently enlarged his ego while
>defeating everything that stood in his way, we casually forgot to call him
>up to tell him when we were getting together next...After about a month or
>so (I kept hearing that this idiot still thought we were going to let him
>play) he has the gall to call me up and ask me if I still had my copy of his 
>character sheet.  After responding in the negative, I promptly hung up and 
>took his character record out of my notebook and wadded it up and tossed it
>into the trash.
>
>  Before I moved on-campus, I heard that he was remaking his
>character according to the Unearthed Arcana barbarian rules...I still laugh
>when I hear his (the player's) name.
>
>
>THEME: don't allow weapon specialization to characters with exceptional
>strength.
>(and don't let a**h***s play, for that matter... 8^)  )
>
>-- 
>    ___  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> / /__   + Dwaine Gonyier         + "Intelligence is just an  +
>/____/   + dcgonyie@eos.ncsu.edu  +  excuse for human error." +
>         ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

How the hell did this character end up with 18/99 for strength?? Did he roll it??
(Honestly) And what race was he??
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: lum@cs.tu-berlin.de (Lutz Hofmann)
Subject: Re: I have xxx A WHOLE BUNCH of words to say about munchkins.....
Organization: Technical University of Berlin, Germany
Distribution: rec.games.frp.dnd
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 14:18:14 GMT

In article <1992Nov8.165001.18386@spock.UUCP> friar@spock.uucp (Tom Walcott) writes:
>In article <1992Nov8.164754.18326@spock.UUCP> bane@spock.uucp (Cameron Huang) writes:
>>In article <1992Nov6.145148.22811@walter.cray.com> goldman@orac.cray.com (Matthew D. Goldman) writes:
>>}In article <jjonsson.234@alexandria.lib.utah.edu> jjonsson@alexandria.lib.utah.edu writes:
>>}}In article <1992Nov4.205001.7639@spock.UUCP> bane@spock.uucp (Cameron Huang) writes:
>>}}}In article <6163@sersun1.essex.ac.uk> sandman%sx.ac.uk@essex.ac.uk (sandman) writes:
>>}}}} Power word: stun.
>>}}} Meteor Swarm!!
>>}} Delayed Blast Fireball.!!
>>}Nuke them from orbit, it is the only way to be sure!
>>Blow up my warehouse full of staves of the magi!!!!
>Hey, why not Ottos Irresistable Dance, in combination with permanancy?
Color Spray and rob them blind

lum@cs.tu-berlin.de  Lutz Hofmann
-- 
Ob. Disc: Dies ist kein Flame.   ---   This is no flame.
From: dutech@reseau.Berkeley.EDU (Groupe ELEVES)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Dual Class Characters
Date: 13 Nov 92 10:46:47 GMT
Reply-To: dutech@reseau.Berkeley.EDU (Groupe ELEVES)
Distribution: world


 [... Chris Anderson argues that contortions prevent spellcasting while
wearing armor...]

  Ah, but my view of somatic components is MUCH different. For one, I
use 10-seconds rounds instead of 1-minute. This prevents most of the
"mad dance" somatic components you speak of. Somatic components, in my
point of view, are mainly hand gestures, perhaps arm flailing, except
for special ritual spellcasting. So such moves are NOT prevented by
armor if the mage knows how to use one, at least as long as the lighter
types are concerned...

  I find the "no somatic-component spells allowed to be cast while in
armor" still too restrictive. I believe (especially for multi-classed,
since I know NO dual-class characters) that armor-wearing does not,
except for specific spells (rituals) or specific mages (dance-magic),
prevent spell casting.

  BTW, If you state that armor hinders somatic components, how do you
think clerics can cast spells while wearing plate mail ( the heaviest,
most encumbering armor commonly worn ) ?

  Just a thought, and IMHO, as usual...

							Redwing.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: vputz@nyx.cs.du.edu (Victor Putz)
Subject: Spicing up combat?
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 16:30:09 GMT



A thread was brought up in the "Tips needed on Dungeon Construction"
thread concerning the mertis (or lack of same) of combat in the fantasy
game.  Specifically, the quote "Let's face it, combat is plain dull"
(paraphrased) stuck with me.  I mentioned that while combat should nt be
the focus of the RPG, it certainly should not be dull!  A big hairball of
a combat (sixteen participants, which is plenty big to me) that I GMed
yesterday took well over an hour and kept all six players rivited for the
duration.  They're still talking about it.

So, to try and improve the quality of RPG combat in all our campaigns, I'd
like to restart a doubtless-recurring thread (and if it isn't it should
be):  What tricks do all of you use to make combat more than just
collections of random dice rolls?

Here's mine.  First, miniatures!  Nothing spices up a good tactical combat
than being able to see it.  Players, imaginative though they can be, just
can't map out the varieties of a multiperson combat in their heads.  Have
each of them jaunt down to their gaming store and buy and appropriate mini
for their use.  If they'll paint 'em, great (makes them easier to
identify).  No need to load up on monster leads (you'll have too much
variety)-- use dice (everyone's got plenty, and the numbers on the top
face can be used for ID00 although "the gray d20 swings wildly" does lack
a bit of punch).

Second, get a big scrap of vinyl from some place.  Your local so-fro (or
other fabric store) will have a remnants rack; often you can get good
deals from there.  Why spend $20 on a battlemat when you can get a 5'x4'
scrap of stone-colored vinyl for $3.25??  That and a set of watercolor
markers will give you an easy tactical map in seconds.  It also doubles as
a swell tablecloth to protect against dropped pizza (chuckle).

Third: if your players think they have only one option ("Ah hack him agayn
with mah plus two soard"), that's all they'll do.  Give them options!  Let
them throw their enemy over that low wall and into the river!  If Delric
the ranger wants to swing down the Imperial chandelier and land plop in
the middle of King Teran's lap, sword a-swinging, let them try! 
Naturally, the GM has to be creative as well.

Four:  This is a biggie, and I'm not sure how to do it under D&D rules. 
In the beginning of a character's life, mages and clerics are virtually
useless in a combat and will quickly assume the roles of "human target" or
"fly on the wall".  Getting them involved is tricky.  Anyone have ideas?

Hope some of this helps-->Vputz

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: raistlin@wixer.cactus.org (Eli Boaz)
Subject: Re: Whatever happened to Gary Gygax?
Organization: Real/Time Communications
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 92 12:54:54 GMT

In article <1dcdhgINNjqa@master.cs.rose-hulman.edu> trottibw@nextwork.rose-hulman.edu writes:
>In article <1992Nov5.212519.13607@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> vputz@nyx.cs.du.edu  
>(Victor Putz) writes:
>> 
>> ...I'm sure sall the "real" gamers out there that have been following D&D
>> for years know this, but I've just come back to playing after oh...12
>> years or soo (last game was in 7th grade!)... what happened to good old
>> Gygax?  None of the "new" stuff seems to be by him at all!
>
>He just finished a computer game.  I can't remember the name off hand, but it  
>was in a computer gaming mag (I can't remember which one of these either :( )  
>this month.
>
>This is the first I have heard of him in a long time.

Well, last I heard of him, he had either:
  a) told TSR to go screw itself (ie. quit), or ...
  b) was tossed out by power hungry idiots (like Steve Jobs @ Apple)

All I know is that he's no longer with TSR, and is trying to start up
a new role playing game [no, I don't know what the name of it is going
to be yet.]

-- 
ttyl,     | "My friends, no matter how rough the road maybe, we can and we  |
Eli Boaz  +---------------\ will, never, never surrender to what is right." |
raistlin@wixer.cactus.org  \ -- Former VP Dan Quayle to Christian Coalition |
wixer!raistlin@cs.utexas.edu\-----------------------------------------------+
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology-Office of Information Technology
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 15:13:32 EST
From: Paul Goodwin <CC100PG@GITVM1.GATECH.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Athas is FR?

I have heard (via someone on ADND-L, who heard via someone who allegedly has
connections in TSR...so take with a grain of salt) that Athas may be the
Forgotten Realms many thousands of years in the future.

One thing that could explain: what happens to Anarauch, the great desert,
as it continues to grow for no apparent reason.

However, if it is indeed the case, what happened to all the metal?

Paul
From: wsbusr1@rwb.urc.tue.nl (Boudewijn Wayers)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Spells wanted for the Great Net Prayerbook!
Keywords: Spells, Prayers, New, Wanted
Date: 5 Nov 92 18:27:00 GMT
Organization: Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands

Hi all,

Next Xmas, I will be publishing the next edition of the Great Net
Prayerbook and the Great Net Spellbook.

To this end, I obviously want as many spells as possible. So, if your
cleric or mage has done some spell research, why not let the Net share
the result? In other words: if you have any spells - either clerical
or mage spells - left somewhere that have not been published before in
copyrighted form, and would like to share them, send them to:

wsbusr1@urc.tue.nl

Prayers are even more welcome than spells (don't clerics do any spell
research?).

This is also the address to contact if you cannot ftp and would like
to obtain the current version (4) of the Net Spellbook and Prayerbook.
Even if you CAN ftp, don't hesitate to contact me. Allo one week for
delivery :-)

Boudewijn Wayers, wsbusr1@urc.tue.nl,
Keeper of the Great Net Spellbook and Prayerbook.
-- 


Boudewijn Wayers, wsbusr1@urc.tue.nl,
Keeper of the Great Net Spellbook and Prayerbook.
From: zweldron@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Matthew Charlap)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Athas is FR?
Date: 13 Nov 92 03:00:53 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

003695s@ace.acadiau.ca (STEPHANE ANDRE SAVOIE) writes:
>>I have heard (via someone on ADND-L, who heard via someone who allegedly has
>>connections in TSR...so take with a grain of salt) that Athas may be the
>>Forgotten Realms many thousands of years in the future.
>	Actually, pretty much any realm could have become Athas.  It 
[much discussion removed]
I believe that in one of the books in the Dark-Sun set it says that Athas is
in a separate Crystal Sphere [cf. Spelljammer] from the other AD&D worlds,
and that the only way to get there that is even hinted at (I think this is in
an issue of Dragon- a friend told me this) is to go through Ravenloft. Since
by SPelljamming, you can easily get to/from Krynn,Toril,Oerth, etc. without
going through Ravenloft, I would assume that Athas neither is nor was any of
the already established worlds, IMHO, of course.
--Matthew
-- 
This is a test of the .signature 
If this were a real .sig file, something else would be here.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: dlicciar@cs.ulowell.edu (Derek Licciardi)
Subject: Dark Sun characters and the Dark Sun System
Organization: University of Massachusetts at Lowell Computer Science
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 20:23:29 GMT

My thoughts on the Dark Sun world.

	Psionic wild talents
		Wild talents are just that.  They are not supposed to give 
	you super human abilities.  they can sometimes be beneficial and
	sometimes they can be totally useless.  Such is the life on Athas.
	If you look at the power gained in the 'is it powerful' mind set 
	you quickly reduce your whole character to just a set of numbers.
	The better way to look at the power is how does it fit in to my 
	character and why is the score so low(Just because of good stats
	doesn't mean that everyone will have a power score of 16+)  The 
	Dark Sun world is IMHO the most supportive world when it comes to the
	use of the Psionic Handbook.  

		High stats are essential to survival on Athas.  The comment
	made in on of the previous posts about taking metal weapons amd 
	rolling D6's for stats is way off base.  The character would die
	within a few games.  The environment is probably the worst enemy
	in the world and the PC's can do little to fight it. You character 
	would have on the average a 13 or a 14 constitution.  If you
	get stranded in the desert for more than three or four days you
	are dead.(Characters in the desert without the proper amount of food
	and water lose a D8 of con per day of deprivation.  When con reaches
	0 the character dies.)  High stats are necessary to combat the 
	monsters in the monstrous compendium Terrors of the Desert.

		As for the system and TSR's motivations, I think that the
	Dark Sun world is one of the most inventive and interesting ideas that
	TSR has come up with in a while.  Dark Sun has it's own flare that
	is in no way related to other worlds.  The classes   the races  the
	ecology  the economy  and especially the politics of the game make the
	game interesting.  Dark Sun is the first NON GOOD ALIGNED realm that
	TSR has put out.  If you think about the alignments of the people
	, the monsters, and the cities of Dark Sun you will notice that they
	are quite chaotic and neutral.  Some places are tending toward evil.

		Why it works:  Characters don't have a -5 ac by 5th level
	spell casting is illegal making characters think before the 'toss'
	a spell off.  The worsened AC makes characters think about what they
	are doing in combat.  Psionics works well in the system since it was
	there from the start.  Magic items keep their intended value.  Have
	you thought about what a gold ring means to someone nevermind an 
	enchanted gold ring.  The changes to the races and the classes add
	depth and give the world a feel of its own.(ass opposed to the elves
	live forever and dwarves live in the mountains senario.)

		I have DMed a Dark Sun Campaign for two semesters now and none
	of my player have any complaints about the world.

						Derek Licciardi
						a.k.a. Kazgoroth
From: sh30443@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Shiva the Destoyer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: How do UNDEAD see?
Date: 12 Nov 92 07:42:28 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

was28667@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (palamino) writes:


>Seems like I'm always posting to this group asking about undead...

>Anyway, how do y'all handle just what undead can see?
I've always ruled that lower undead can sense unliving objects in general,
and sense living creatures by the lifeforce that they give off.  Therefore
invisibility (mage spell) is not effective against undead.  The clerical
invisibility from undead masks life force and thus keep undead from seeing
them.  
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jng53092@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jon Gad)
Subject: Great Moments in Gaming
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 10:57:04 GMT



All this "How to kill a Black Dragon" talk reminded me of a GMiG....

The carnage was awful.  The mighty band of adventurers had defeated the 
Ancient Black Dragon, but only barely.  The Cleric of Tempus still stood, as
did the Elven Fighter.  The Elven Fighter/Thief was a shredded corpse, and the
Paladin had been bitten clean in two.  Don't even ask about the Mage.  (Two
words:  Breath Weapon)  All in all, a bloody, acidic mess.  The Dragon's 
horde was immense, but three Ressurections would cost....

Cleric: Well, it was a difficult battle, but Tempus thrives on difficult 
	battles.  We have removed a great Evil from Toril, and have mightily
	pleased The Lord of Battles.

DM (me): So THAT'S why you didn't use that potion of Black Dragon Control
	 you've been carrying since 3rd level....

Cleric: Potion of Black Dragon Control?  Oh, yeah, the Potion of Black Dragon
	Control!  Oops!

Fighter/Thief, Paladin, and Mage: WHAT POTION OF BLACK DRAGON CONTROL?

DM: Oh come on, you  didn't FORGET did you?  I clearly remember you all 
    complaining that you'd never get any use out of the thing and that it was
    a lame item to give to a low level party.  Well, you're not a low level
    party anymore.

Party: ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

The moral?  Beware DM's with long memories.....
(And lest any of you accuse me of being needlessly cruel, I must point out that
 besides having a potion designed to defeat the very foe they were facing, the
 Dragon even gave them a chance to negotiate before hostilities commenced. But
 the Paladin being a Paladin charged straight into the fray, so the Dragon 
 defended herself...)

-- 
*******************************************************************************
Jon Gad                              *      "Wrath of God.  Ha.  Its the 
jng53092@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu            *       Wrath of GAD that you should
				     *       worry about..."   Me
From: s903040@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au (Christopher Francis Anderson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Spellcasting in Armor (was Re: Dual Class Characters)
Date: 11 Nov 92 04:01:11 GMT
Organization: RMIT Computer Centre
NNTP-Posting-Host: minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au

n9046319@henson.cc.wwu.edu (Jeremy Corley) writes:
>I don't think shields would
>be appropriate because they wouldn't know how to use one.

Sure they do! Hold it up in front of them, and duck that longsword!


-- 
ThunderKat (a.k.a. Chris Anderson)    s903040@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au

"Sam pressed the button. A few lights flashed on the CPU. And another human
life ended. Somehow, it's always sad, no matter what."
From: reza@magellan.ae.utexas.edu (Alireza Vali)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Most powerful PC ever
Date: 8 Nov 92 01:32:44 GMT

In article <silk.720816763@mcl> silk@mcl.ucsb.edu (ken mencher) writes:
>Pardon me while I find a corner to be sick in.....
>
>I'm sorry, but I've never seen PC's like some of these...The most magic
>items I've ever seen on one character is 6.  (Daikyu +2, Katana +1, Quiver
>of Ehlonna, Boots of Elvenkind, Cloak of Elvenkind, and a potion of
>healing.)  I've since lost the boots, the katana and the potion.  My stats
>average out to be 12 (a bit high for me, but I'll take them) and I have 76
>hp for a 12/13 ninja/bushi.  I just cannot stand when the powergamers start
>playing...There is usually little role-playing, and they claim they're
>having "fun".  They might, but I don't think so...

I have to agree with Ken here.  Having too many magic items takes some
of the fun out of the game.  Players will revert to their mighty magical
weapons/staffs/wands/potions/whatever to get out of a jam versus using
some finesse to get out of it.  One of our players gets his rump out of
a jam 3/4 of the time by talking/sneaking his way out of it.  Our DM
is very stingy with magical items, and we whine, nag, and bitch about it,
but I must say most all adventures are a blast.  To give you an idea of
how low we are on magical items, I have a 12th level Ranger whom I've 
played for over two years.  The only items he's got are:

Girdle of Stone Giant Strength (Reward from a Golden Dragon after a quest)
Studdeded Leather Armor +3 (Paid more than 20,000 gp for it)
Long Sword +3 (Hey! I earned this one!)
Long Sword +1

That's it!  I think our Wild Mage is the only one who has maybe 6 magical
items.  Bottom line:  Too many magical items tend to take incentive out
of roleplaying.

-- 
Ali R. Vali - reza@magellan.ae.utexas.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: calvinj@ecs.comm.mot.com (Calvin Jestice)
Subject: Re: Artifact designing
Organization: control_centers
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 20:08:59 GMT

Cameron,

    My email to you keeps bouncing.
    I would like a copy of your magic item compilation, please.

Thanks,

Cal Jestice
calvinj@ecs.comm.mot.com
-- 




Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd