HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Friday, 11 Dec 1992 14:40:23 EST
From: The illustrius Pat Ellis (the DM) <IO11330@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Gaming Worlds (was: New Greyhawk--Help!!!)
 <Bz08Hn.ABJ@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca> <92344.174110IO11330@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
 <1gagm9INNoam@life.ai.mit.edu>

I e-mailed some info to the orignal poster as he requested.  As For
the Wars boxed set, If you want it as a war game, DON'T BY IT. the
rules a very simplistic, and is overall a real waste, as far as
a war game goes.  As a rool to reshape the world as you want it to
look like it works well, it almost could be said it was designed to let
you change the world as you want to.

as for the FROM THE ASHES BOXED SET, let me just say, I like it.  It
contains most of the information that was present in the orignal and
even has some info that was found in teh Greyhawk adventers book.  It
pretty much is a second edition version (and a convient way to eliminate
the last product they were printing that said GARY GYGAX on it.) but
there are many slight chaneges and small editions that actually make it
a good set.  However, if you already own the orignal set and you are
not a complete GREYHAWK fanatic you probably won't be satisfied
because there is less new material than one would believe.  If you are
interested in Greyhawk this is a great set.  IMO

               Pat Ellis
                    THE DM

 p.s.  Unfortunately I bought the set about a month ago but I haven;t
looked at it since because of school work, so I can't remember everything
that was in the box, but it did look good.....
From: tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Thanatos)
Subject: Re: Invisibility/Magic and physics
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 22:37:23 GMT

>In article <1992Dec9.160508.15119@email.tuwien.ac.at>, alex@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Alexander Forst) writes:
>A few years ago I started a campaign with a group of students (physics,
>astronomy, mathematics). They were very interested in the way how magic
>"really" works. So we tried to explain certain spell effects with the help
>of quantum mechanics and so on.
>
>The way magic works (at least in my campaign):
>
>As you all know, :), there is the positive and negative material plane.
>Of course there is an energy flow between them. When a magic-user casts
>a spell he is channeling and transforming this energy flow. The actual
>casting of the spell triggers a certain amount of this energy which can
>then be used for the effect. If you use a material component, then you
>are adding more energy to the spell.
>Because there is so much energy there (remember E = mc^2) nearly every
>spell effect is possible.

Well, this is all well and good, but IMO, the BEST explaination of the 
nature of magick is in the Ars Magica game, and the background is 
easily adaptable.  Put simply, reality is directly influenced by human
perceptions.  Thus, quantum mechanics weren't installed until someone 
thought of them as a more efficient system.  The Ars Magica universe
runs on Aristotelian physics, and out Physics major winces every time one 
of us Liberal Arts types think of a way to weasel out of physics.  A LOT of 
fun.

"Shouldn't you be falling?"
"Nope.  I never learned the Law of Gravity."
			- Bugs Bunny 

-- 
I don't mind being the smartest	    / Thanatos, DeathUrge, Master of Unknown
man in the world...I just wish it   \ Time and Space tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu 
wasn't this one...	       	    / It's a Zen thing... 
	-Ozymandias 		    \	 you wouldn't understand...
From: jona@whservd.att.com (Jon M. Allingham)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 13 Dec 92 19:37:03 GMT
	<Bz5n1A.F4r@jabba.ess.harris.com> <Bz633G.36M@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

... Lots of discussion on how to imprison a psionicist ...

Teleport Trigger can really make it tough to even catch a psionicist,
although it isn't quite clear whether it works if you get drugged or
go unconcious, etc. Off-hand I'd say it probably does since the book
describes it as a reflex.

I don't know about other worlds, but in DarkSun on Athas there are
anti-psi medallions that stop psionics from working in an area. Ought
to make it easy to imprison a psionicist.

Regarding imbalance, personally I think psionics can easily be much too
powerful, take dimensional door for example. Incredibly cheap PSP
wise, can handle multiple characters at minimal extra cost (c.f.
Telport where you double the PSPs just to take one additional body).
Makes climbing ability almost a waste. HOWEVER, the best way to
counter psionics is with more psionics. It sounds as though most of
those GMs with problem psionicists haven't been hitting the players
with enough psionic encounters.

I can recall being very disappointed when my first GM didn't let me
take fireball until he gave me his reason: if I didn't have it he
wouldn't give it to our opponents, but if I did, so would they. Moral:
if your players are munchkins they need to be fighting munchkins,
perferrably sometimes munchkins that can (and WILL) kick their butts.
You can certainly kick a party's butt without killing them (and I'll
say as a player, getting your butt kicked once and a while is good for
you AS LONG AS IT ISN'T ALWAYS FATAL. If you just go killing off a
party because they were too strong or abusing powers you are lowering
yourself to their level.) On the other hand, massive stupidity should
probably be suitably rewarded...

Role-playing is a creative activity so be creative. If there can be
anti-magic shells, etc, there is no reason why not anti-psi shells,
amulets, etc. An enounter with a Gaj (see DarkSun monster manual) can
be exciting, particularly if you psionicist isn't telepathic.
--
Jon M. Allingham	(201)386-3637	AT&T Bell Laboratories (Whippany,NJ)
gummo!jona OR jona@gummo.att.com	WH 1F-224

"To those of us with real understanding, dancing is the only pure art form" - Snoopy
From: pueschgj@cnsvax.uwec.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: thief kits
Date: 13 Dec 92 01:01:51 -0600
Organization: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

New thief kit I tried out in my Warhammer caompiangn was something called
a BackRider, the character delivers packages between cities. Somwtimes through
rough country and usually by themselfs. Career span is 3 months usaully, 
effect of being alone, and the high threat of monsters and bandits when your
by your self is usually high.  But the money would be good, plus tips from
the person who gets the package
Bonus prof: would probably be alertness, weather sense, and Heraldry
disadvantages would be gambling or drinking or severe introverted charater
 there you go.....
...............................Gordy"Locks":)
From: dmccart@gomez.intel.com (D. J. McCarthy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Specialty Priests and Paladins
Date: 11 Dec 92 22:59:20 GMT
Organization: Intel ASTG, Santa Clara, CA
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Anthony Foglia (tony@phsbbs.princeton.nj.us) wrote:

>      After reading the thread on specialty priests versus clerics and 
> beginning work on my own pantheon, I have a question.  If their are no 
> clerics in a campaign (all specialty priests) what about paladins.  Do 
> they have to choose a god?  If so, are their spells limited to the 
> relevant spheres?  Do the paladins worship all the gods?

	My campaign also has no generic clerics, and only three (of the
twelve) gods are able to support paladins.  Each paladin worships one
and only one god.  In most cases, however, it's not so much a matter of
"a paladin choosing a god" but rather "a god choosing them."  The
paladins have slightly different abilities than the associated priests,
but they all share the same spheres.

	An interesting thing that's developed is a healthy but intense
rivalry between the three factions of paladins, who (not unintentionally)
all have their main training centers in the same city.  No one gets
hurt, but a lot of people get framed for things they didn't do.

--
D. J. McCarthy (dmccart@gomez.intel.com)
"Shoot me now."
                                       --Kent Paul Dolan, talk.bizarre, 8/20/92
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: foxx@foxxjac.b17a.ingr.com ("AJ")
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Reply-To: foxx@foxxjac.b17a.ingr.com
Organization: "Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville AL"
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 22:00:03 GMT

The basic way to imprison a psionicist is to remove his powers.  
This need not be a deus ex machina like a psi-proof room.  Other 
options include:

1) a mind numbing potion (doesn't even need to be magical) or 
other drug,

2) means of imprisoning such as manacles that affect the mind of 
the captive, interferring with psionic powers (perhaps reducing 
the powers to 1/10th of normal effectiveness)

3) means of imprisoning that react to the use of psionic powers 
(perhaps chains formed of a psi-sensitive metal that when forged 
correctly will make any use of a psi-power rebound back on the 
user's mind, basically the user attacks himself mentally)

4) magic spells that affect the perceptions (would you want to 
teleport if you weren't sure if you still knew up from down?)

5) displace prisoners to places where the powers may be useless 
(a prison cell in a extra-planar room)

6) create spells that are triggered by psi usage (let the party 
know that anyone who used a power will set off a massive damage 
spell in the room)

7) create spells that are traps for specific abilities (a 
teleport trap for psychoportive powers, a maze spell to trap 
telepathic/clairvoyant users,...)
  --AJ
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: griffin@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Zack Thompson)
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Keywords: ectoplasmic form
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 22:53:33 GMT

In article <1992Dec14.195419.23643@ncsu.edu> cobra@garfield.catt.ncsu.edu (Brian Dunphy) writes:
>In article <1gia2fINNco0@life.ai.mit.edu> adair@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Jonathan Edward Adair) writes:
>>The point is, what can a psionicist pass himself/herself off as,
>>other than a mage?  A (wink-wink) armorless fighter?  At best,
>
>But the psi-guy still was terrible).  What can
>a psi-guy hide as?  Why is he hdiing, anyway?
>
>briand.


Howdy-

ZT here.

I dunno why he's trying to hide.  Beat-nik never did.  Of course,
  it's pretty hard to hide the fact that you're special when your
  short sword (+2, I got lucky) leaps out of your hand and goes
  hunting down the bad guys.  Telekinesis is great.  And since it
  only weighed 3 pounds, there was only a -1 modifier to hit cause
  of weight, and it only cost 1 PSP per turn to use.

Just for my Record.

                        The Crystal Griffin
From: dant@cs.utexas.edu (Dan Alexander Thompson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: How does PBEM work?/Snail-mail?
Date: 14 Dec 1992 15:17:15 -0600
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
NNTP-Posting-Host: latexo.cs.utexas.edu
Summary: How to throw my campaign into snail mode
Keywords: Can you PBEM by snail mail?

My party (the players, that is), is splitting up, moving away to different
cities.  Sadly, not everyone will have email access.  I'd like to keep my
campaign running if at all possible, but I need some advice on how to do it.

I've never played a PBEM, or seen one in action, so I'm unsure about several
things:  1) How do you handle combat, when players might change their mind
about what to do next every round based on what happened the previous round?  I
assume you do more than one round per mailing cycle, or else a single battle
could take months to resolve.  2) What about conversations/interrogations, etc,
where the questions the players might or might not want to ask could change
second-to-second depending on the answers I give them?  Same problem as combat,
in a way.  3)  What other caveats await me in switching over an existing game?

Also, since some of my players will lack internet access )-; this would have
to be a PBSM (play by snail mail).  I think we could enfore a 1 week move
deadline, so it wouldn't necessarily be too much slower than PBEM to play,
but it'll be harder to ask the players to copy me on all their inter-player
conversations.  Has anybody had any experience with this?

*sigh*  What a mess this has caused.  I guess I could always just unleash that
lich that's been playing with them for the past few months, and end the game
that way. . . . 8=> EVIL GRIN FADING TO GUFFAWS OF HEDONISTIC CACKLING LAUGHTER

Any ideas anybody?  I need HELP!

Thanks in advance,
-- 
dant@cs.utexas.edu  |  The opinions expressed are yours so get used to them.
     Big Dan        |  "Do you ever get the feeling that the story's too
  The Stingy DM     |  damn real and in the present tense?"  --Jethro Tull
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: rsm58307@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ron)
Subject: Instant Kill
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 05:09:00 GMT
Keywords: thief kill instant

Has anyone ever tried playing with an instant kill backstab for thief
characters?  I'm suggesting either an automatic or near automatic (ie
high percentage) chance of instantly killing someone if you sneak up
succesfully and they are not wearing heavy armor (or spell protections).

Just thought it would be a neat idea, and hell, theives could use the
power.

	- Ron
From: maillet@tls-cs.cert.fr (Luc Maillet)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: how to imprison a psionicist ?
Date: 18 Dec 92 08:09:58 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: CERT, CS Dpt. Toulouse, France

In article <886@blue.cis.pitt.edu>, seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp) writes:
|> In article <78493@hydra.gatech.EDU> ccoprdj@prism.gatech.EDU (Jorge A. Diaz) writes:
|> >your players have no reason to complain.  There's nothing worse than a
|> >DM who rules something one way today, and then another way next week, though.
|> >Actually, there's one thing worse:  A DM who rules *against* you on a specific
|> >call, and then a week later, changes his ruling on that same thing:  for
|> >*another* player. :-)
|> 
|> 	I agree completely.  Or, and this is my pet peeve, a GM who makes a
|> ruling, and then refuses to recognize the ramifications of the ruling.
|> For example, ruling that mages can't wear metal armor because metal 
|> interferes with magic, and then refusing to acknowledge the defensive
|> advantage that my armored fighter must enjoy against mystic attack...

  There could be a reason for it, when physical-effects spells are concerned :
the why of metal disruption is that the mage "opens a gate" to bring in arcane
energy and then mold it. Metal prevents him from opening this gate. But, when the
spell takes effect, this effect is physical and thus bypass armor normally.

  Don't get me wrong : it's just a suggestion. If you want more detailed effects
of armor vs magic, try Rolemaster : in 2 charts ( RR excluded ), you understand
why essence mages don't wear any armor, and why they are uneasy against metal-
armored opponents...

|> 
|> 
|> 					Sea Wasp

								Redwing.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jjas@acs.nntp-read.bu.edu (Jason Stephenson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: FAQ ALERT: Character Generators?
Date: 19 Dec 92 00:00:02 GMT
Organization: Boston University Information Technology Boston, MA USA
In-reply-to: BJP108@psuvm.psu.edu's message of 12 Dec 92 17:35:26 GMT

BJP108@psuvm.psu.edu (Brian Panulla, MooCow):
Hi! I'm in the market for a good Character generator for an MS-DOS machine.
I've looked at ROLLER.ZIP, but I wasn't really satisfied. Are there any good
DOS-Windowing programs out there?

Me:
The best program I ever saw for generating characters was written in
(gasp) BASIC.  (Yes, BASIC.)  It never got a name, but would generate
character stat for various ADnD classes of any level up to tenth
including hit points, experience, etc.  The program was written by one
of my buddies in Junior High School, must have been eight years ago.
I could try to find a copy of that, but you probably wouldn't want it.

--Jason
jjas@acs.bu.edu
From: vernard@cc.gatech.edu (Vernard C. Martin)
Subject: Re: Ideas for gaming
Reply-To: vernard@cc.gatech.edu (Vernard C. Martin)
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 20:24:26 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.050221.12694@eng.umd.edu> gerry@eng.umd.edu (Gerald Emil Shukert) writes:
>
>Does anyone have any good answers for coming up with fun and
>challenging adventures for DND?  I know alot were talking about high
>level DMing, but I am more interested in lower level games.

I have found that the DUNGEON magazine is an incredible source for modules and ideas. 
Even if the module isn't designed for your gaming system, it can usually be 
used as background for your own adventures.

V
Vernard Martin (vernard@cc.gatech.edu) Georgia Tech College of Computing 
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: David.Kelman@launchpad.unc.edu (David Kelman)
Subject: Re: Question about Detect Magic
Organization: University of North Carolina Extended Bulletin Board Service
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 21:06:38 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.114803.14215@kub.nl> JBOSTERS@KUBVX1.KUB.NL (Jeroen Bosters) writes:
>
>Howdy Players,
>
>recently I wondered about the following. When a cleric casts a detect magic 
>spell he has a chance of learning the sphere of magic. But in that case a 
>problem arises, how do you handle the situation that a cleric uses detects 
>magic on wizard magic. Can he in that case determine the sphere or would you 
>rule this impossible because it's not priest magic so he couldn't know?
>
>Folllowing this, if you rule he couldn't know would it be possible to learn?
>(for example, if in a party a mage and a priest decide to teach eachother by 
>showing the magic. I mean: the mage cast a spell and tells the priest the sphere
>afterwhich the priest uses detect magic to learn how the magic "looks"?)
>Would this be reasonable, I'd say yes.
>

	I would say that the mage and the priest version sof the spell
'see' the magical auras in very different manners, in such a way that to a 
priest, all mage magic looks the same, and to the mage, all priestly magic
looks the same.  It is only magic of their area that they can distinguish
between schools and spheres, as apropriate.

David Kelman

--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: mpg92118@dit.upm.es (ANDRES CANCER ABREU)
Subject: Mutation in ADnD Chars was Re
Organization: UUES, Asociacion de Usuarios de UNIX, Spain
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 14:57:08 GMT

I have a problem with a player (elven, magic user-Fighter) who behaved as a
dwarf, in fact he was tiresome. He has a got an AC 8 bracers of Dwarven Poli-
morf, he has lost height and magic but he has gained all the racial adjustments
due to a Dwarf. The idea is that playing a dwarf now if he tries to behave as 
an elf he will be able to regain his old race again after some time fighting 
against the magic in the bracers. After a year of fighting it he would recover
his old race or became something between the two races. He looses part or all
of the +5 of the saving throws and he regains some or all of the spell level
as he behaves of course inconstant behaving can lead to insanity :)

Yours 
		Im the devoted priest to Buiva.

--
____________________________________________________________________________
\ Andres Cancer Abreu.             $  When I think back in all the crap    / 
\ E.T.S.I. Telecomunicaciones      $  I learn by highschool. It's a wonder /
\ Madrid                           $  how I can think at all.              /
\ e-mail mpg92118@oasis.dit.upm.es $  'Kodachrome' Simon & Garfunkel.      /
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jdelisle@udel.edu (J. G. Delisle)
Subject: Re: Class' power (was Re: how to imprison a psionicist)
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: Boyz from the Dwarf
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 04:40:00 GMT

In article <cfAbxWG00Vox9oxNRs@andrew.cmu.edu>, jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph E. Beck) writes...
> 
> 
>>        Not. It's all in how they're used. Here's how a mage can take somebody
>>out... (assume a 6th level mage):
>(long, boring list of methods deleted)
> 
> 
>Do you really want me to list the number of ways a psionicist could
>counter this?  If the psionicist thinks he'll lose teleport/prob
>travel out.  If he's a mindmaster type, he can spend 3 rounds taking
>you over (while you levitate up and cast your spells).  Etc.  

	Since when were we talking about mages versus psi's (or monks, or
Tiamat)?  The discussion was about how a psi is so powerful can take out
_anything_.
	Psi's may rock, but levitate does more damage if the target fails
it's save (20d6 if you have 200+ feet of clearance).

	Joe Delisle

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| From the terminal of Joe Delisle      |                                    |
| jdelisle@loyola.edu  (preferred)      |    "Home is where the hell is."    |
| jdelisle@cs.loyola.edu                |                                    |
|              "I was up above it, but now I'm down in it"                   |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: bret@technix.mn.org (Bret Indrelee)
Subject: Re: Druid Shapechange
Organization: Private System - Saint Paul, MN
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 04:54:38 GMT

In article <BzDFxw.31C@ibeam.intel.com> hutch@ibeam.intel.com (Steve Hutchison) writes:
>bret@technix.mn.org (Bret Indrelee) writes:
>
>>In article <1992Dec14.231807.1@wharton.upenn.edu> 
>>Loren Miller (millerl@wharton.upenn.edu) writes:
>
>>>On another question about druid shapechangers, [druid makes cash by
>>>becoming venomous snake and selling venom]
>
>>I would allow it.  It would be most unfortunate for the player however,
>>since milking the venom of a snake is bad for them.  It shortens their
>>lifespan, and I would do the same to the character.
>
>Where do you get this silly idea?  The only "bad" thing for the snake
>is the sometimes stress of being handled.  There are snakes (generally
>kept in zoos or in special medical facilities) which have been giving
>venom for many many years.  None of the descriptions I've read of these
>operations say anything about them having to replace the snakes because
>their lives are shortened - if anything, they tend to gloat about how
>much nicer it is for the snake to have regular meals and medical care
>and a nice environment to live in.

I got the 'silly idea' from listening to some snake handlers down
in Florida.  I forgot the exact location, might have been the reptile
gardens in Crystal River.

They talked about how they used to milk the snakes for every show, but
have stopped doing that.  The reason is that it was bad for their health,
and shortened their lifespan.

Sorry, no medical reports to quote.  No exact reference.  I don't even
know where I would ask, although I suppose a zoo or a vet college might
be a good place to look for verification.

-Bret

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bret Indrelee               |         Nature Adores Chaos
email: bret@technix.mn.org  |