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Ractorum
Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil, Tanar'ri)
Friday, July 15, 2011
Custom Monsters Folio One: Demons
Who doesn't love using demons in their campaign as a DM? Sneaky, evil, cunning, and very resourceful. The Abyss is chaos itself, twisting souls and emotion to create horrors from the very fabric of it's being. This is but another demon formed from the chaos of the Abyss itself. This, is the Ractorum!
Ractorum
Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil, Tanar'ri)
Ractorum
Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil, Tanar'ri)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Specifying What Your Game is Going to Be
A lot of times when your starting a game, players ask a lot of questions. What should I be? What kind of game is this going to be? How do you want me to roll stats? You want to answer all these questions and be clear what exactly will be going on but you don't want to jump all over the place, especially if your players are already experienced with the rules. They want to get down to making their character, they don't want to listen to you tell them about the game and what/how to do things while making their character for hours on end...
Here is an example I used in an online game for Myth-weavers, a play by post forum on which I currently run two games. Something like this that you make before and can print out for players will help save a lot of time, and answer any questions they have. Feel free to use the same format, or come up with your own. You should be specific, and think of what questions they are going to ask, but don't make it too long. I wouldn't make it any longer than a page. Anyways, here is the example..happy gaming!!!
Game Description
Staring into the dark liquid, her eyes flared with intensity as he continued to watch. The arcane script carved into the stone of the scrying pool began to glow slightly and the image of the outpost appeared as clearly as if he was standing there himself. He smirked to himself as he watched the protectors of the wood speak of there defenses and where they would be patrolling. He knew their numbers now, what weapons they had, and that the time to strike would be soon. Turning away from the scrying pool he headed through the cold obsidian door, down the green lit hallway and up a set of stairs. Two guards stood near it and he bowed slightly to them.
"I've new's for our Matron Verdaeth."
The guards moved to open the door then pushed them open, the large carving of a Javelin cracking with electricity on the door splitting open to reveal a lavish chamber lit with dull purple light. The male in the prescense of the Matron fell to the floor bowing low before her.
"I've the information you seek."
This will be a Forgotten Realms game which takes place in the 1480 DR (After the spell plague and after Lloth has returned from her period of silence. I want a party of all drow characters. The following books are allowed: (You'd put the books your allowing here)
*I reserve the right to either allow or disallow or change something in these books but most of the time it's either not going to be approved if it's a variant that changes around basic rules too much or if it doesn't make sense for a drow character or causes me more hassle then what I have to deal with.
Character Creation
Abilities: 4d6 drop the lowest, re roll 1's and 2's
Starting Level: Level 5 (Being a drow, this means your staring XP will be 21,000 at level 5 and you'll need 28,000 xp to level up to 6. This is because drow have a Level Adjustment of +2)
Starting Gold: 9,000 gp to purchase the equipment you currently have when play begins
Classes: Anything is good but remember the alignment restrictions. Psionics are allowed.
Flaws: You don't have to take one. However if you DO decide to take one, roll randomly in the dice rolling thread, you get one roll ONLY. (Roll a D12 to determine your flaw, then pick your bonus feat). If the flaw isn't to your liking, you don't have to take it, but you have to take the flaw you rolled if you decide to.
Hitpoints: Max at first level, roll for the other 4 levels
You will all be members of House Tormtor, currently the dominant noble household of Erelhei-Cinlu (if you need more information on this city which is in the Drow of the Underdark supplement, I'll let you know). You may or may not choose to know each other at the beginning of play but you will all be brought together soon.
OTHER STUFF:
*Choosing a prestige class from the drow of the under dark book and rping well could very well get you some RP bonus xp. I give xp for RP.
*This game will be half rp, half combat to the best of my ability.
*There may be random encounters so don't be surprised if you encounter a copper dragon flying over head who decides to investigate a group of drow on the surface of Toril. You will not have your hand held by me nor will you be meant to fight everything you encounter the first time. You may have to retreat if you want to live. Expect all monsters/NPC's to react accordingly. This will be a challenging game. I don't recommend you apply if you are not experienced with 3.0/3.5 rules.
Any other questions, please let me know.
Here is an example I used in an online game for Myth-weavers, a play by post forum on which I currently run two games. Something like this that you make before and can print out for players will help save a lot of time, and answer any questions they have. Feel free to use the same format, or come up with your own. You should be specific, and think of what questions they are going to ask, but don't make it too long. I wouldn't make it any longer than a page. Anyways, here is the example..happy gaming!!!
Game Description
Staring into the dark liquid, her eyes flared with intensity as he continued to watch. The arcane script carved into the stone of the scrying pool began to glow slightly and the image of the outpost appeared as clearly as if he was standing there himself. He smirked to himself as he watched the protectors of the wood speak of there defenses and where they would be patrolling. He knew their numbers now, what weapons they had, and that the time to strike would be soon. Turning away from the scrying pool he headed through the cold obsidian door, down the green lit hallway and up a set of stairs. Two guards stood near it and he bowed slightly to them.
"I've new's for our Matron Verdaeth."
The guards moved to open the door then pushed them open, the large carving of a Javelin cracking with electricity on the door splitting open to reveal a lavish chamber lit with dull purple light. The male in the prescense of the Matron fell to the floor bowing low before her.
"I've the information you seek."
This will be a Forgotten Realms game which takes place in the 1480 DR (After the spell plague and after Lloth has returned from her period of silence. I want a party of all drow characters. The following books are allowed: (You'd put the books your allowing here)
*I reserve the right to either allow or disallow or change something in these books but most of the time it's either not going to be approved if it's a variant that changes around basic rules too much or if it doesn't make sense for a drow character or causes me more hassle then what I have to deal with.
Character Creation
Abilities: 4d6 drop the lowest, re roll 1's and 2's
Starting Level: Level 5 (Being a drow, this means your staring XP will be 21,000 at level 5 and you'll need 28,000 xp to level up to 6. This is because drow have a Level Adjustment of +2)
Starting Gold: 9,000 gp to purchase the equipment you currently have when play begins
Classes: Anything is good but remember the alignment restrictions. Psionics are allowed.
Flaws: You don't have to take one. However if you DO decide to take one, roll randomly in the dice rolling thread, you get one roll ONLY. (Roll a D12 to determine your flaw, then pick your bonus feat). If the flaw isn't to your liking, you don't have to take it, but you have to take the flaw you rolled if you decide to.
Hitpoints: Max at first level, roll for the other 4 levels
You will all be members of House Tormtor, currently the dominant noble household of Erelhei-Cinlu (if you need more information on this city which is in the Drow of the Underdark supplement, I'll let you know). You may or may not choose to know each other at the beginning of play but you will all be brought together soon.
OTHER STUFF:
*Choosing a prestige class from the drow of the under dark book and rping well could very well get you some RP bonus xp. I give xp for RP.
*This game will be half rp, half combat to the best of my ability.
*There may be random encounters so don't be surprised if you encounter a copper dragon flying over head who decides to investigate a group of drow on the surface of Toril. You will not have your hand held by me nor will you be meant to fight everything you encounter the first time. You may have to retreat if you want to live. Expect all monsters/NPC's to react accordingly. This will be a challenging game. I don't recommend you apply if you are not experienced with 3.0/3.5 rules.
Any other questions, please let me know.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Adventures Galore!!!!
Looking for an adventure or side-quest for your group? Check this out! You can search by level, edition of D&D (Ad&D to 3.5 and a few others), setting, or search for the name of the adventure. These adventures are all from Dungeon Magazine, so if you have the right issue or a collection of the mags, you can search for something here!!!
Dungeon Mag Adventure Database and Search!
Dungeon Mag Adventure Database and Search!
Making Your Own Tokens by Newbiedm
This is a cool tutorial about how to make your own tokens for use in your game. It's inexpensive, highly customizable, and you can make multiple tokens out of just one sheet of paper. Thanks Newbiedm! Awesome little article. Check out the rest of the site while your at it.
Making Custom Tokens for D&D!!!
Making Custom Tokens for D&D!!!
Repsespers DM and mapping tips
This guy has literally changed my game. After I watched his videos, I used many of the tips he gives for making maps, using plastic templates, and ideas for making your game more enjoyable for the players. As a DM, these videos will definitely help you and your game for the better.
Here is the first of the DM tips videos, I'll put the second one right below it:
And the second part: This one deals more with gods and goddesses, which of course only the DM controls...
Here are his mapping and template tips...
Another mapping video where he shows off some of his maps he uses. He also shows some minis he's made, pretty cool.
If you want to see many more of his videos, check out his Youtube channel here!
Saving Time on NPCs
Whats up all. This next post will help all of you DM's out there save time on NPC's. Now let's be honest. How many of you DM's out there have denied your party the oppurtunity to hire a mercenary because you simply don't want to slow down the flow of the game to make an NPC? What about if the NPC's in the resources you do have simply isn't something the PC's want to hire. For example, in the DMG there is a list of NPCs but they only provide one example and then expand upon that example up to level twenty. Take the rogue for example...it's a goblin rogue. I seriously doubt a group of good aligned pcs would think about hiring a goblin rogue...now it'd be great if you need a rogue they are going after to use that example, but otherwise...meh...no thanks. My point is usually your stuck with pre-generated NPCs that to you do not make sense and your party hasn't asked for. You need a way to make NPC's quickly so you can get back to the game. If your players say, "I'd like to head to the local tavern and see if I can find a mercenary to higher, someone who serves Torm."
Good luck finding a suitable level NPC Torm Paladin for your group in a book....but with this generator you can.
Ed Friedlander's Javascript NPC/Character Generators
There is a 3.5 as well as a 4.0 generator on here. Now I have to admit, I haven't played with the 4.0 generator at all, but if the 3.5 is similar, it is VERY powerful tool. You can even generate EPIC level characters on here. Please check this out and enjoy! It'll make your life as a DM waaaaaaaaay easier.
Good luck finding a suitable level NPC Torm Paladin for your group in a book....but with this generator you can.
Ed Friedlander's Javascript NPC/Character Generators
There is a 3.5 as well as a 4.0 generator on here. Now I have to admit, I haven't played with the 4.0 generator at all, but if the 3.5 is similar, it is VERY powerful tool. You can even generate EPIC level characters on here. Please check this out and enjoy! It'll make your life as a DM waaaaaaaaay easier.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
An Epic Gold Dragon to use in your Epic Game for 3.5!
Whats up all. This post will be the first of several custom creation posts featuring a monster/npc created by yours truly using the official rules. The rules for 3.5 are vast and can be complicated but with all these rules come a great tool for making some awesome and memorable creatures. Please feel free to use any of these in your own games and share them. The more options we have as DM's, the greater the game!
(This art is by VampirePrincess007. Check out her deviantart gallery here!)
Riikano-Alinaris - The Radiant Star of Justice
Type: Gold Dragon Great Wyrm Ascendant
HD (HP): 53D12 +795 (1431 HP)
Abilities: Str 55, Dex 10 Con 41, Int 36, Wis 37, Cha 52
Initiative:+0
Speed: 60 feet, 60 feet swim, 250 feet fly (poor)
AC: 65, Touch 13, FF 65
Base Attack/Grapple: 53/87
Full Attack: +75 Bite (4d8+22), +70 Claws (4d6+11), +70 Wings (2d8+11), +70 Tailslap (4d6+33)
Space/Reach: 30/30 with bite, 20 feet with other attacks
BREATH WEAPON:
*70 foot cone, 32d10 fire damage, DC 51 Ref save for 1/2
*70 foot cone, 16 Strength damage, DC 51 Fort save for 1/2
SQ:Blind Sense 60ft, Darkvision 120ft, Low light vision, Water Breathing
Immunities: Body Altering attacks/magic, Mind Affecting magic, Fire, Cold, Sleep, Ability Drain, Energy Drain, Ability Damage
DR: 25/epic (weapon must be +6 to hit and damage)
SR: 41
Saves*: F: 41 R: 30 W: 43 (With protection from spells cast on self, gives +8 to saves)
Skills: Bluff 30, Concentrate 39, Diplomacy 61, Disguise 54, Escape 15, Intimidate 57, Jump 54, Listen 54, Sense Motive 54, Spot 54, Swim 51
FEATS: Power Attack, Cleave, Flyby Attack, Hgtn Spell, Hover, Improved Manueverability, Iron Will, Large and In Charge, Recover Breath, Quicken Breath, Quicken Spell, Improved Spell Capacity (Sorcerer), Improved Spell Capacity (Cleric), Spell Knowledge (Taken twice to know 2 more 9th level spells), Supress Weakness, Overcome Weakness
Spell Like Abilities: (27th CL) 3/Day: Bless
1/day: Geas/Quest, Sunburst, Foresight
Spells: Can cast cleric and sorcerer spells as 27th level
Possessions: Epic Cloak of Charisma +12 draped over his body
Keep in mind that the Ascendant is a dragon prestige class and they have to consume their entire hoard to become this class. If you use this dragon, I'd recommend checking out that book and having guardians protecting his stronghold.
Riikano-Alinaris - The Radiant Star of Justice
Type: Gold Dragon Great Wyrm Ascendant
HD (HP): 53D12 +795 (1431 HP)
Abilities: Str 55, Dex 10 Con 41, Int 36, Wis 37, Cha 52
Initiative:+0
Speed: 60 feet, 60 feet swim, 250 feet fly (poor)
AC: 65, Touch 13, FF 65
Base Attack/Grapple: 53/87
Full Attack: +75 Bite (4d8+22), +70 Claws (4d6+11), +70 Wings (2d8+11), +70 Tailslap (4d6+33)
Space/Reach: 30/30 with bite, 20 feet with other attacks
BREATH WEAPON:
*70 foot cone, 32d10 fire damage, DC 51 Ref save for 1/2
*70 foot cone, 16 Strength damage, DC 51 Fort save for 1/2
SQ:Blind Sense 60ft, Darkvision 120ft, Low light vision, Water Breathing
Immunities: Body Altering attacks/magic, Mind Affecting magic, Fire, Cold, Sleep, Ability Drain, Energy Drain, Ability Damage
DR: 25/epic (weapon must be +6 to hit and damage)
SR: 41
Saves*: F: 41 R: 30 W: 43 (With protection from spells cast on self, gives +8 to saves)
Skills: Bluff 30, Concentrate 39, Diplomacy 61, Disguise 54, Escape 15, Intimidate 57, Jump 54, Listen 54, Sense Motive 54, Spot 54, Swim 51
FEATS: Power Attack, Cleave, Flyby Attack, Hgtn Spell, Hover, Improved Manueverability, Iron Will, Large and In Charge, Recover Breath, Quicken Breath, Quicken Spell, Improved Spell Capacity (Sorcerer), Improved Spell Capacity (Cleric), Spell Knowledge (Taken twice to know 2 more 9th level spells), Supress Weakness, Overcome Weakness
Spell Like Abilities: (27th CL) 3/Day: Bless
1/day: Geas/Quest, Sunburst, Foresight
Spells: Can cast cleric and sorcerer spells as 27th level
Possessions: Epic Cloak of Charisma +12 draped over his body
Keep in mind that the Ascendant is a dragon prestige class and they have to consume their entire hoard to become this class. If you use this dragon, I'd recommend checking out that book and having guardians protecting his stronghold.
Welcome to the D&D Tome...
Hello all and welcome to the D&D Tome. This blog will be all about D&D, from tips to help players and DMs, to artwork that inspires, to links to useful resources, and everything in between. Please follow and share this with any and everyone who loves the game! For my first post, I'll start by linking to this guy I found on Youtube one day while I was browsing it for videos on D&D DM Tips. This is the first video in his series. You should DEFINATELY check out his channel. In my opinion, he offers some great tips on everything in the game from handouts to preparing to twists and turns that make your game unique and exciting.
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