HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bdianton@cs.ulowell.edu (Brian Diantonio)
Subject: *** HELP!?! ***
Originator: bdianton@cs.ulowell.edu
Organization: University of Massachusetts at Lowell Computer Science
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 16:34:51 GMT


Please nominate this in news.groups

The group I am suggesting would have (and not limited to)
(a) Monster Beastiary
This would be a section posted weekly.  It would consist of new monsters's
decriptions, info (THAC0, AC, etc.), and ways to fit these into your
campaign.  Anyone could add thier own ideas and they would be added
to this list.  DM's and players  could both use this.
(b) New Spells list
This would be like the Beastiary in the way that it would be posted weekly.
Anyone could send thier own spells, be it priest or wizard, to this.
Feel free to NAME your spell EXAMPLE: Higler's Happy Shoes.  Spell
Throwers from almost anywhere could use more spells to cast and
baffle thier friends.  Every week the "Spells Books" would be judged
and the top spell would be listed (vote via e-mail).
(c) New Equipment
How many people look through thier equipment list and think
same old stuff.  Brighten your horizens with new equipment and armors.
They could be magical or non-magical.  Weapons, armor, misc.
just post like WEAP:Double Mace, ARM: Spike Shield, etc.  They 
would be compiled into one large collection weekly.
(d) Adds
Anyone that is looking for players or DMs in thier area could advertise.
Contact each other through e-mail and maybe be playing soon.

Anyones ideas on names for the sections (Grepkor's Shoppe, etc.), 
HELP running one of the sections (Name it yourself), or suggestions
on either the group in general, or new sections of the group would
be accepted openly.  Any discussions of problems can be ironed out
with me.

Mark DiAntonio
bdianton@cs.ulowell.edu

Keywords:
From: wtr@mitre.org (Bill Ralston)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: More Stupid Player Tricks
Date: 23 Jul 92 22:29:43 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The MITRE Corporation

on the subject of stupic player tricks, tagg@hg.uleth.ca (Nathaniel Tagg) 
writes...
>And of course, the number one party death reason:
>
>     "Hey, let's split up!"

File my story under stupid DM tricks - I let a party split up. I guess I 
wasn't thinking clearly, since we'd already been playing for about 4 or 5 
hours.  It was an outdoor adventure, and I continued play with both 
sub-parties by passing notes and maps back and forth. Some really good 
stuff starting happening; major encounters and the groups cracking major pieces of mystery/puzzle that was the centerpiece of the adventure, so nobody (included myself) wanted to quit. Plus, I knew there would be inappropriate communication between the two halves of the group if we broke up the seesion. Unfortunately, the two parties, having separated, could not manage to get back together, so we continued play like this for about 15 hours before *finally* one group managed to figure out how to get a messa



ge to the other group (magically, of course).  We all took a break then to get breakfast during which the two groups swapped knowledge.  Of course, the PC's were all super psyched to get back to the adventure and reap their rewards, so we continued playing, and did not quit until 25 hours after the start of the original adventure.  Thanks god it was between semesters!  Since that fun, but grueling, experience, I have always gone to extreme lengths to keep parties from separating!!!!

Happing gaming - Bill
---------------
wtr@mitre.org
** Opinions are mine only, and not my employer's **
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: l2wang@napier.waterloo.edu (  Lei Wang  )
Subject: Re: Number of Dice
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 05:18:00 GMT

  I have about three or four sets of d4-d20s, and two d30s.  It's quite
enough for personal use.

  There are generally two reasons why people would want more than just
one set:

  1.  They are addicted to dice.  The more the better, like the people
who buy everything and anything that TSR publishes.  If they have a lot
they might show them off to others.  There are minor and major instances
of this.

  2.  Many times, there are several players (new ones perhaps) who didn't
bring any dice or doesn't own any.  At these times, the one with more sets
would loan a set or two for use to the newbies.  This is the most use
that I have gotten out of my own sets.

-- 
l2wang@napier.UWaterloo.ca
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ME:  Univ. of Waterloo  YOU:  Huh?   o=> ME:  in Canada,  YOU:  Huh?
ME:  in Ontario,        YOU:  Huh?  /o/  ME:  up north!   YOU:  Aaaaaahhh...
ME:  near Toronto,      YOU:  Huh? ==o                                    Huh??
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: timk@meaddata.com (Tim Klein)
Subject: Re: 10% XP bonus
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 17:42:54 GMT

In article <4202@astroatc.UUCP>, weeks@astroatc.UUCP (Pat Weeks) writes:
|> 
|> 	Characters with 16+ or better in their prime requisite get a 10% XP
|> bonus right??  WHY!!  I would think that a fighter with a 14 STR would gain
|> more experience from a battle than a 18/95 fighter.



I think the only way to get the 10% bonus should be through high
intelligence...and you should get it regardless of profession.


===========================================================================
Timothy Klein                 I wish I had a kryptonite cross.  Then I
timk@meaddata.com             could keep both Dracula AND Superman away.
...!uunet!meaddata!timk                               -- Jack Handey
From: educ@unixg.ubc.ca (Vicki Domansky)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: New uses of dices...
Summary: nerf dice
Date: 22 Jul 92 21:32:34 GMT
Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada


Has anyone seen the new sponge dice that are out?  Our local gaming
shop only had one set (that sold out immediately :-(, but they looked
like great fun.  Each die was about 4" high and was made out of a
highly bouncable sponge.  Great for throwing at players who are too
busy quoting Monty Python to get on with things...

A bit pricy though.  They were about $20 Canadian as I recall.
-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Vicki Domansky <Morgaine>                               educ@unixg.ubc.ca
Education Computing Services                       v_domansky@mtsg.ubc.ca
U of B.C. Vancouver Canada                        usereduc@ubcmtsg.bitnet
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: gregs@meaddata.com (Greg Smith)
Subject: Re: Polymorph self and unlimited healing
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 16:53:49 GMT
Distribution: usa

In article <1992Jul19.033315.18081@solace.hsh.se>, hasse@solace.hsh.se (Hans Holmberg) writes:
|> >Contrary to what several people have stated about the Polymorph self spell,
|> >it does not end if you transform back into yourself.  This IS clearly stated
|> >in the 1st Ed PH (I don't use 2nd ed, thus I haven't read its version.).
|> > 
|> >As far as how much healing is actually allow, I will still probably stick with
|> >"infinite" healing even though I have heard some excellent arguements to the
|> >contrary.
|> > 
|> >Mike Kwiatkowski
|> 

Now don't take this personally, but ....

|> That's a way of unbalance the game.. But the spelldescription  clearly says
|> that the spellcaster only get D12 hp when he _ends_ the spell. If it wasn't
|> like this, why should there be clerics in the game (sole for religous
|> guidement)? That's just a way of twisting something into something it isn't.

As opposed to "only to heal wounded fighters, mages, and thieves?"  I think that
far too many clerics are EXPECTED to heal the party, believers or infidel.  I've
always had a problem with healing party members who are not believers and aren't
even grateful for the service.  Just an observation of the way many seem to 
percieve the role of the cleric.

|> 
|> I think that any clerics wouldn't like the idea of wizards competing with them.
|> 
|> If you want unlimited healing go ahead, but IMHO in ruins the game.
|> 
|> /Hasse
|> -- 
|> /        email: hasse@solace.hsh.se, irc: Knightman, flames: /dev/null        \
|> \      snail-mail: Hans Holmberg, Sommarvagen 5, 854 67 Sundsvall, Sweden     /
|> /                  phone: +46 60 569169, fax: +46 60 569266                   \
|> \          "In a crazy world a sane person would appear to be crazy."         /

-- 
Greg Smith

DISCLAIMER:  My ideas are entirely my own unless MDC decides to patent them.
I am not empowered to speak for Mead Data Central or Mead Corporation.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: keary@apollo.HP.COM (Matt Keary)
Subject: Re: How many dice?
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 19:41:05 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Chelmsford, MA
Keywords: dice

In article <brwj2i.1fu@wang.com>, smayo@wang.com (Scott Mayo) writes:
|> keary@apollo.HP.COM (Matt Keary) writes:
|> 
|> >if you flip as many dice as the number you are trying to get, and
|> >add all the heads you get : 1...1...1...1...1...0...1...1!  I rolled 7! 

|> You are proposing using 7d2-7 to simulate 1d7. There is a slight problem.
|> 1d7 has a flat distribution; 3 should be as likely as 7. 7d2-7 doesn't
|> come close to being flat: you will get 3,4,5 much, much too often. Try
|> it. 

Oops.  Got me.  You're right.  "Think before you post, Teo"  "OK, I will"

- Mateo
From: moursund@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM (David_Moursund)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Help with THAC0
Date: 21 Jul 92 18:39:27 GMT
Article-I.D.: hpcvnb.68760006
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, Oregon

>/ hpcvnb:rec.games.frp.dnd / spzkny@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov (JAMES ZAKANY) / 11:18 am  Jul 20, 1992 /
>
>Or, better yet, roll a d20 and subtract your THAC0.  The result is the best 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>AC that you've "hit".  Tell this number to the DM and he'll let you know 
>whether you've hit or not.

Others may point this out, but in case they don't...

This should probably read "subtract the roll of a d20 from your THAC0

>
>                                                  James S. Zakany

dm
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: cs106b16@umbc5.umbc.edu (cs106b16)
Subject: Scribing from a Spell Book
Organization: University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, Academic Computing Services
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 04:20:06 GMT

I am well aware that scribing a scroll destroys it, but have always believed
that scribing from another mage's spell book was perfectly safe and both copies
of the spell (original and copy) are intact. In a campaign I played in at a
convention our party killed a mage and he had a travelling spell book with him.
A few of his lower level spells all of us were able to use and everyone wanted
to scribe it. The DM said we either had to take turns studing the book or
only one person could scribe the spell into his book because it would be
destroyed. I said it's a book, not a scroll so we all should be able to scribe
it. The DM refused to look it up and I only had my PH with me. I can't seem to
find anything on it in the books, but would swear I read it somewhere.
Anyone more knowledgeable on this than I am please enlighten me!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: jaa@philabs.philips.com (Joseph M. Amato)
Subject: Re: Secrets
Originator: jaa@frank
Keywords: secret communication
Reply-To: jaa@philabs.philips.com (Joseph M. Amato)
Organization: Philips Laboratories, Briarcliff, NY 10510
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 12:13:36 GMT


Some players also get paranoid when I (as DM) pass a note
to a player.  They tend to look at said player and have their 
character as his/her character a question.  Like:

I:(pass note to intelligent MU about what he knows on the situation.)

Other Character: What do you think, wizard?

So I got in the habit of passing note to the other players at the same time.

Note 1:  You realize it is written in an ancient tongue.  It says
something about nob number three.

Note 2-4: This note is to make you wonder who got the real note:-)

note 5: you think the thief cleric and fighter are eying you strangely.

-Joe Amato
-- 
 jaa@philabs.philips.com | Some go up,  Some go down. | First things First --
                         | Some go thirsty,           |  but not neccessarily
    My company's views   | Some just drown.           |  in that order.
        may differ       |                 -Marillion |            -"Dr. Who"
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: proct_hately@hg.uleth.ca (Kintair of Hawkehaven MKA Bill Hately)
Subject: Re: Computer mapping aids (was: Re: Net Adventures?)
Reply-To: proct_hately@hg.uleth.ca
Organization: University of Lethbridge
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 16:02:36 GMT

In article <geRSMbu00Uh_Q73mYx@andrew.cmu.edu>, jg4o+@andrew.cmu.edu 
(James T Graves) writes:
>Here's a related question.  Has anyone found a good system for
>generating adventure maps on the computer?  Full-fledged CADs like
>Autocad are pretty much overkill (and gawd-awful expensive), but most
>drawing programs I've seen are too basic.  I've seen a couple of
>packages in stores which claim to be "arrange your furniture" type
>programs, but I haven't wanted to plop down the bucks just to find out
>how they work for D&D maps.
>
>Note to anyone writing DM's helper software: a mapping aid would be real
>neat (but then, if you have that kind of time, why not write a program
>you could make money from?)
>
>As an aside, I have been using Word Perfect to do almost all of the text
>for any adventures I've written.  Makes things easier and prettier.  I
>also used Fractint to generate some coastlines once.
>
>Jim
Try finding someone with DrawPerfect then, once you get the hang of it you can
do almost anything - once you get the hang of working with vectors instead of
bit maps you can modify you straight corridors and square rooms into
interesting shapes etc. a lot faster then playing with the "paint" options in a
lot of other packages
Bill
Kintair of Hawkehaven          | Bill Hately   | Talk (403) 381-1741
Shire of Windwyrm              | Lethbridge AB | proct_hately@hg.uleth.ca
Crown Principality of Avacal   | Canada        | Smile Dammit
An Tir (I wouldn't dream of subjecting any corp. or Educational Institution to
        these opinions, so they certainly aren't the opinions of the UofL)
  (And I'm not an officer of the SCA so I can't have an official opinion There
              - even if I wanted to )
Life is a Sexually Transmitted Terminal Condition
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: fraser@munta.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Fraser Wilson)
Subject: Paladin
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 10:05:26 GMT

torban@csuvax1.csu.murdoch.edu.au (Torban Bennett) writes:
>PS: Getting back to an old thread.  How do you pronounce Paladin?
>      Pal-laddn or Palla-din?

Palaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadin.

So there.

Fraser.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: smayo@wang.com (Scott Mayo)
Subject: Re: Number of Dice
Organization: Wang Labs, Lowell MA, USA
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 20:19:42 GMT

adray@Condor.mcs.kent.edu (Adam Dray) writes:

>In article <brr5dk.9ve@wang.com>, smayo@wang.com (Scott Mayo) writes:
>|> There's hope. Many people have sucessfully overcome this foul addiction;
>|> you can too. Simply send me 50 dice and $50, and I can help you, slowly,
>|> to reclaim pocket space, release your compulsive need to spend money on
>|> little plastic things, and find a life less filled with randomness.
>|> 
>|> Take your addiction seriously. It doesn't stop at dice. Soon you'll be
>|> buying *any* small plastic object. You know where *that* leads? Smurf
>|> collecting! Send me that cash *today*, before it is too late. Just follow
>|> the Mayo d12 step process... or is that the d8-fold path?

>Hey, I'll help at zero cost.  Just send your nasty dice to me, and
>I'll take care of them for you.

Don't fall for it. He isn't accredited or registered. It's a scam: he'll
just keep telling you to send him more and more dice, and you'll have to
buy more and more to keep him satisfied. He secretly works for the
dice manufacturers, that's what it is. I'm your only real hope.
--
"I forsee that you will meet a king, the father of the beautiful Princess
 Plote DeVice; and he will insist that you rescue her from the keep of the
 infamous Duke, Cared Bored Vilan."   "Can we kill the DM now?"   "No."
smayo@wang.com
From: ccoprmd@prism.gatech.EDU (Matthew DeLuca)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: New uses of dices...
Date: 23 Jul 92 14:27:33 GMT
Organization: The Dorsai Grey Captains

In article <1992Jul23.140249.27724@cs.tu-berlin.de> lum@cs.tu-berlin.de (Lutz Hofmann) writes:

>We remove the miniature from the table to simulate the invisible state
>of the character. The GM knows where the PC is, because the player
>send a small note.

Speaking of notes...

Is the campaign I am currently playing in unique, or do most games frequently
have flurries of notes flying back and forth among the players and DM?  There
are times when the DM can get almost nothing done due to the mass of paper
flying about.

What is particularly funny is when the person playing the thief sends a note to
the DM; within 30 seconds, there's a whole pile of notes behind the DM's 
screen, mostly variants on 'I check for theft'. :-)

Do other groups have better ways to handle private communications?

-- 
Matthew DeLuca                      "I'd hire the Dorsai, if I knew their 
Georgia Institute of Technology      P.O. box."
Office of Information Technology                - Zebediah Carter, 
Internet: ccoprmd@prism.gatech.edu              _The Number of the Beast_
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: donm@cs.UAlberta.CA (Don Murray)
Subject: Re: More Stupid Player Tricks
Organization: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 19:34:49 GMT


>Plans to avoid at all costs:
>#3  "Let's send a chicken in first to set off any traps."

I love this!  That's a great original trick and players (novice players)
who think of stuff like this should be well rewarded for creativity!!
It reminds me of a novice player in an adventure I was running, who,
after kill a group of lizard-men, decided everyone in the group should
cut off a lizardman head, put it on a stick, and attach it to their
backpack, so that if seen from afar while in underbrush, they would
look like a group of lizardmen.  Totally ridiculous, totally unlikely
to work, but a novice who is thinking!  I like it!!

The same guy firmly believed in terrifying the monsters in the region by
staking out their kills to rot in the sun...  there's an idea!  Rather
than having the heinous orcs terrorizing an innocent village, let the village
terrorize the orcs.

>And of course, the number one party death reason:

>     "Hey, let's split up!"

Every time I play with a group of novices, this ALWAYS happens.  And I always
let them.  You gotta learn sometime!  And it makes the smaller groups really
think for ways to get outta the trouble they always land into.

Let's hear it for 'dumb' player moves!  If it wasn't for 'em, I wouldn't play.

Don
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: spzkny@lims01.lerc.nasa.gov (JAMES ZAKANY)
Subject: Re: Help with THAC0
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Date: 22 Jul 1992 08:11 EST  

In article <68760006@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM>, moursund@hpcvnb.CV.HP.COM (David_Moursund) writes...

>>Or, better yet, roll a d20 and subtract your THAC0.  The result is the best 
>This should probably read "subtract the roll of a d20 from your THAC0

Oh, okay. <looking sheepish>  My mind was running through nasty situations 
to put my group through last night...

                                                   James S. Zakany
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: douglash@meaddata.com (Douglas Holzworth)
Subject: Re: More Stupid Player Tricks
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 19:27:47 GMT
Distribution: na

In article <1992Jul22.161245.26534@honte.uleth.ca>, tagg@hg.uleth.ca (Nathaniel Tagg) writes:
|>        When the subject of stupid player tricks comes up, I can't help but
|> think of a small group of first-time players going through the same list of
|> mistakes we all did.
|>        This one particular excursion to a large gnoll layer resulted in the
|> learning of three cardinal don'ts in our group.
|> 
|> Plans to avoid at all costs:
|> #3  "Let's send a chicken in first to set off any traps."
|> 
|> #2  "I fall back behind the party and throw darts."  "Ouch!"
|> 
|> And of course, the number one party death reason:
|> 
|>      "Hey, let's split up!"
|> 
|> Can we add to the list of dumb mistakes.  Perhaps we can let further
|> generations free themselves from this stupidity.
|> 
|> --------- Nat

I've always liked the following:

   * It's a monster, let's attack!
   * Look at all that gold!  Uh ... who brought the sacks to carry it?  NO ONE?!
   * Light's dim?  We add oil to the lantern (or light another torch).  NO
     OIL/TORCHES?!?
   * My fighter, in several hundred pounds of gear, will tie a rope to an
     arrow (!) and shoot it across the pit (oooo-kay).  Then he'll climb
     across (I don't think so, Tim).
   * "I kick in the door and leap forcefully into the room!"
   * "My comrades are in melee; I'll retreat and shoot missile weapons into
     the crowd!"
   * "Boy am I beat!  Let's all go to sleep here until we're back to full HPs!"
   * <<Usually said by the one person who does NOT have several hard-earned
     potions...>> "What's does this horn/gong/etc do when it is sounded?"



And who can forget those famous last words, usually shouted during a confront-
ation in a 30x30 foot room (or smaller):

                        "FIREBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


-- Doug the DM

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
From: tagg@hg.uleth.ca (Nathaniel Tagg)
Subject: Re: Scribing from a Spell Book
Reply-To: tagg@hg.uleth.ca
Organization: University of Lethbridge
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 22:03:11 GMT

In article <1992Jul27.160441.14798@latcs1.lat.oz.au>, wright@latcs2.lat.oz.au (Michael G. Wright) writes:
>
>I think that there's someting very important that nobody's considering here.
>If mage's couldn't scribe from any spell book, then how do they get new spells?
>A mage can't create new spells until 9th level and if you can't copy a spell,
>then there's no possible way to learn spells without creating them.
>	Think about it.....
>So a mage _has_ to be able to copy from a spellbook without destroying it.
>Any arguments?

   What's this about being 9th level to be able to create spells?  I want a
page number and quote.  You DO have to be 9th level to create scrolls, potions
and, in liberal campaigns, similar limited-use items, but you can make spells
anytime you have sufficient level to cast the spell, the lab, the library, and
the cash for materials.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Nathaniel Tagg               The U of Hell,  Lethbridge, AB
    "It's just a matter of putting one point seven one five three seven two
and two point two oh four six two eight together."     --The Doctor 
___The opinions expressed by the author of the preceding message are not 
nessesarily representative of the opinions of the author of the
preceding message.____
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd