When faced with two or more opponents, it’s always best to eliminate the threat posed by spellcasting foes. Of course, this is a rule by thumb, and not set in stone. Incapacitating spellcasters removes the danger of receiving highly devastating damage, or being rendered ripe for slaughter. Hence, for this segment, players attacking the robed figure (perceived spellcaster) will receive the maximum allotted XP.

Next

The robed figure lies on the floor, stunned by your unexpected attack. The warrior lunges towards you. You cast a swift glance around. The robed figure won’t stay down for long. The swordsman looks experienced and eager to put an end to you; the ceiling is looking mighty unsteady as dust and pebbles rain upon you. As a result of the earlier rockfall, the top half of the door remains visible, and there’s a large gaping hole in it. You reckon you might just be able to dive through.

What do you do? Essentially, you have three options: meet the warrior head on, strike at the robed figure again (which will surely kill him), or forego your turn in the melee with the warrior to dash across towards the door. Of course, there may or may not be a fourth option, which might or might not snag you extra XP.

Think fast!

I thought I’ll liven things up by adding a new twist to the usual proceedings on this blog. And here it is: a simple role-playing scenario that requires the reader (i.e. you) to take definite action. Before any of you ask me to describe the surroundings, current hp, character level or number of attacks, remember that I mentioned earlier that it’s simple. After receiving all the responses to the scenario, I’ll divulge the action that is most feasible and rewarding in terms of XP. Keeping with the simple theme, put on your helms cause here’s the first challenge.

Scene

You’re trapped in a cellar littered with a broken oak table and several empty casks. A minor earthquake caused the ceiling near the door to collapse, blocking your only route out. You would spend time pondering about your next move; the problem is, there are two other beings in the room, both of whom want you dead. Easy peasy right? Think again. One’s a hulking yet clumsy warrior armed with a menacing battle axe; the other a robed figure wielding a staff made out of oak, polished and glistening. Trusty longsword in your hand, you circle your foes in a ring of death. What do you do?

You have: A magical longsword and one attack.

You are: facing the two, who are 6 feet apart. The blocked door is behind you, barricaded with collapsed brick and mortar.

You do not have: Any form of interaction with magic, barring your magical weapon.

Good luck, adventurer!

‘So there you are, all armed and suitably protected, bristled to the bone with every manner of weapon conceivable. The sheer weight of your weapons is enough to bring down a lesser man, but not you, as you heroically trudge on. Your full plate mail armour glistens proudly as the clanks and chinks of your armour echo down the road.’

So how much is too much weapons? And does weight really add to the realism of things, or merely function as yet another box on your character sheet? Does weight trump logic when it comes to D&D, barring the obvious fantasy settings of the game? When it comes to weapons and armour, characters (especially fighters) are notorious hoarders. Every killing gadget is stored ’somewhere’ on the body, and always seems readily available for use in a split second. One of my travelling companions once had four swords (two of which were bastard swords), a battle axe, a spear, a pole arm, and a lance, just to be on the safe side. Any DM worth her salt would say no, this is not practical, which our DM did. To his credit, my companion was Zen personified as he coolly pointed to his character sheet and indicated that he could still afford to carry more.

Lesson of the story? Yes, D&D is fantasy based, but many phenomena are governed by rules and logic, just like in the real world. Dragons can fly, but they can’t soar, flip through a spellbook, release a spell or two, and finish off their opponent with their breath weapon. In the same vein, a fighter can’t be a one-man walking arsenal, with hilts protruding from every angle of his body. So what is the feasible number of weapons that can be carried by any given character, based on realism and logic?

Well, in my campaign, I limit weapons carried to four or five items, depending on type. Greatswords are always carried strapped to the back (assuming the character is on foot). The greataxe is also carried the same way. Other than short swords and scimitars, all other bladed weapons on the waist are limited to one item only. This includes broadswords and longswords. This allows for another hand held weapon to be carried using the sword belt, including a mace, warhammer or flail. Note that characters using two short swords or scimitars are not permitted to carry another hand held weapon.

Now let’s say we want to suit up a highly experienced warrior. Well, his greatsword +4 goes onto his back, strapped on securely. Next up, he sheathes his longsword, and slip a mace into his sword belt. He attaches a dagger sheath to his belt; before tying a dagger to each leg respectively. Feeling he’d need to hunt for food, he brings along a short bow (slung over his shoulder) and a quiver of 20 arrows, slung by his side. With his chain mail suit already on, this valiant warrior dons his helm and starts on his quest to rescue the Baron’s daughter.

As you can see, arming one’s self to the brim with weapons can be quite a challenge, especially if almost all the available weapons are of masterwork quality or magical. The key is to take what is necessary, not what you think might be necessary. A longbow is not much help at all in an aquatic environment. Neither is a greatsword in a cramped up passageway where the only way through is by crawling. No player should be allowed to carry a spear, a trident, a glaive, a heavy crossbow and a tower shield while clad in plate mail armour. Even if the character has a Str of 19 and is heavy set. It defies fantasy logic, and D&D is definitely logical in a fantasy sense.

[Image from www.wizards.com]

Sometimes, when I look back, I’m mildly surprised that the D&D sessions are still going strong. Yeah, there are times, admittedly, when interests wane and familiarity breeds contempt (to a certain extent). But all in all, the general consensus is that the adventures thus far have been satisfying, often thrilling, and will continue to bring excitement for quite a while.

I’m sure none would have anticipated the world of D&D forming a staple routine on Saturdays. From the days of rolling the dice in Pan Subang, to the current venue of Asia Cafe, everyone in the group has come a long way since first adventuring with brightly shining armour and newly crafted swords. I reckon end 2008 will mark four years of adventuring, which started in October/ November 2004. I even recall running a mission the night after Christmas, oblivious to the outside world, only to find out that the tsunami had occurred while the characters were busy facing perils of their own.

Even more astounding is that the group started out with two members, and numbered 12 or 13 at its highest. Other than the core Companions (cleric, wizard, bard, ranger, fighter, rogue), there were many other characters who ventured forth into Mystara and Faerun but never made it back. The earlier ‘Others’ include three fighters (Rony, Basil and Rus), a cleric (Jacob), a fighter (Raz), a barbarian (Su Li) and two paladins (Alex and Anand). I could be mistaken, but Niks’ friend also played all-so-briefly at one time, though I stand corrected. Later, the new ‘Others’ comprised Abu Dada (Sandy) and Trumpy (Denis). Of course, the rogue later left and a new fighter would eventually join the group (formerly of paladin fame). So all in all, I’d say this group of D&D aficionados has been graced by 16 players, past and current. And that’s quite a feat, I assure you. In this day and age, finding a group of four itself is near impossible here in Malaysia, let alone a steady pool of five or six hard-hearted, ogre-bashing, goblin-tearing characters.

Who says D&D is only for the geeks huh?

D&D has come a long way since breaking into the market sometime in the late 70’s. The best part, as a game, was that it didn’t really require a lot of money to be played. Okay, that may not have been true for us Asians, but generally, it did not cost hundreds of ringgit like computer games (think Karateka and Atari) or board games (think Monopoly and Risk). I’m not sure about other countries, but D&D in its original avatar arrived on our shores somewhere in the mid 80s. Due to the novel mechanics of the game, it found a niche among lower secondary students (think 12 onwards). Almost every school with English-speaking students had at least one D&D group, though many schools were quick to label the game as unhealthy and ban it.

For me, D&D was a natural progression to greater battles and more epic adventures. The figment of my imagination was first stirred awake by the Choose Your Own Adventure Books (do a Wiki, for the uninitiated). This was proceeded by the Lone Wolf Series. Up to today, I still rate it as THE best gamebook (collectively) of all time. Yes, there was Blood Sword (Crusader-esque), GrailQuest (Arthurian-based), Fighting Fantasy (various settings) and Way of the Tiger (probably the only Oriental-based gamebook). But Lone Wolf was a head above them, in terms of character development, storyline and game-play. And it was during this time of my life (11-12 years) that I began to DM. Not based on any D&D manual, but rather on the various systems used in the aforementioned gamebooks. Looking back, the most telling influence from these gamebooks was the ability to stretch the imagination and concoct wild fantasies, littered with valiant knights and rampant ogres. My ‘D&D’ group at the time comprised my neighbour, my brother and my sister. So one can easily imagine the in-fighting and tantrum-throwing that I would have had to put up with. Sigh…the ordeals of a DM are never simple, let alone an up-and-coming one.

My first actual D&D campaign began when I was in Form 1, as a player (yey!). I played a cleric, and maintained the character for three years. By the time the group disbanded, I (my character) had near god-like abilities. I was a little saddened for having not attained immortal status (not provided for in the AD&D Player’s Handbook 2nd Ed.) but I knew I had become a damn good cleric. Surprise surprise, a new campaign started in 92, with a new group of cronies. This would be a different experience altogether, as our band of four all played evil characters. I never imagined playing a lawful evil Paladin would be so challenging. I started out with the aim of sacking and razing cities, but ended up having to protect my subjects from some crazed dracolich (if such a creature were possible). We lasted two years, before SPM outrolled us, and scattered us across the world.

Eleven years later, a chance conversation rekindled my dormant passion for the game. I half-interestedly checked out the D&D website, and within several months, I had gathered a group of hungry adventure-seeking-yet-D&D-ignorant players, eager to chart new territories. Armed with the 15-year old 2nd edition PHB, an equally outdated version of Unearthed Arcana and even older copies of the Basic D&D Companion and Dungeon Master Sets, I rolled back the years and assumed the mantle of DM once again. Who would have imagined that four years down the road (and plenty of squabbles and snide remarks), the core group is still valiantly hacking and slashing and casting and fumbling on their way to more glory and power. And with the new 4th edition version of manuals coming out soon, who knows when we’ll lay down our swords, hide our spellbooks and retire to a small inn in Waterdeep or Solace.

Who knows indeed.

(Image from Wikipedia)

Welcome to the secret pages of the most renowned dungeon master, me.

As it implies, this blog is all about role-playing in the D&D setting, the only setting to role-play in. I still haven’t decided what to publish in this blog, but we’ll see how it goes lah.

So sit back, order your ale and venison, and make a Spot, DC 20.

Yours eternally,

The Dungeon Master

(Image from www.apple.com)