Monte Cook’s latest Legends & Lore article hit with some thoughts on Epic Tier Play. It was short, had some polls, and seemed almost like he was just checking in with people or thinking out loud. Pretty common for one of those articles. The Internet loves to pick these articles apart then roll around in a boil of hatred. I usually don’t have the same reaction. Today, one part in particular got a strong reaction from me.

“As a fan of high-level play across the editions, I’ve never agreed fully with the idea that the game breaks down. I think, however, there’s some validity to it, but only if you look at it a certain way. What people are recognizing is that, at a certain level, play changes. As I see it, there are three such break points in the game—low level, mid level, and high level. Fourth Edition does a nice job of recognizing these changes, I think, and the changes don’t focus on how the characters become more powerful and how the challenges they face grow more difficult. Instead, the very game changes.“

To get the entire context you can read the whole article in just a couple of minutes. I don’t think I’m misjudging things when I say that this makes it look like Monte Cook doesn’t understand the problem with Epic Tier play in 4e. It’s not that the game changes, and we fail to either like or understand that. It’s that the balance of the game changes so significantly that the DM needs to change the way they run the game and the core books don’t properly address that.

Now I am assuming that Monte Cook was either talking about a specific portion of people, or just didn’t phrase himself in a way that I interpreted properly. I have reason to believe Monte Cook is a very intelligent individual who really understands the game, likely more than I do. However, I want to address some of what I see as the real problems with Epic Tier play so its absolutely clear that people who don’t like Epic Tier play, don’t just hate change.

Most of the Material Planes Threats are Laughable

The Tarrasque is a level 20 Solo. A level 15 party has a decent chance of taking it down. After that the question becomes ‘where is the next threat?’ and ‘how come it wasn’t here before?’ The books do offer some advice on this, but it wasn’t presented in a way that made it very clear to people. People still question why all those Epic Level minions aren’t just marching through the Material Plane all the time.

There are plenty of ways around this. The ancient dragon was sleeping in a hidden chamber. The threat is coming from another plane and was otherwise occupied in a great war. Immortals of high levels of power plan in the very long-term, and the Material Plane just wasn’t on their list until now. These may seem like convenient answers, but it pays to be able plan them ahead of time.

Pacing

If you take a look at the DMG, starting on page 16, it talks about how to prep for and run your game. It talks about encounters, style and how to handle down-time. It doesn’t mention the tiers. In a sense, this isn’t a big deal. A lot of the advise was general and applied to all the tiers. However, by treating all the same way in this text, it made it seem like you could treat it all the same way as the DM.

Epic Tier heroes often are rulers of religions or kingdoms. They may be the guardians of a plane or even a god. They have a lot of long-term things to do that aren’t measured in rounds, but in weeks and years. Threats that are powerful enough to threaten them probably don’t come around every other day unless its part of your storyline (see previous point), so this down-time is needed so that the way the universe works isn’t suddenly turned on its head.

Encounters Need to Be Built Differently

By Epic Tier, every player (no matter their role) has a host of status effects at their disposal. A solo several levels above the party will get locked down, and have the snot beat out of it. This happens even to newer solo monsters that specifically have powers to help end status effects. You cannot run solos alone. They are no longer individual encounters, but just really powerful foes.

That’s the most obvious example of how encounters have to be built differently in the Epic Tier, there are others. The DMG does address some concerns about use of Rituals and how PCs can be hard to kill, however it really seemed like a passing idea. It probably would have been better suited as a giant road sign with blinking lights and a siren.

To be fair, there is some pretty good advice about how to run your game into the Epic Tier in some of the books. It’s not where people are likely to look and it’s not in the books people will have read when starting their campaigns. Books like the Demonomicon offer great insight in how all tiers of play can be connected but different. The DMG2 probably has some of the best official advice, but it’s buried in the Campaign Arcs.

I just don’t think it’s enough. People need to be able to plan for Epic from Day 1, and they need to know just how to treat it differently once they get there. It’s not enough to know that the plot and locales change, but how you DM changes as well. There is a nice chart of how many encounters, of what level of difficulty, make up a decent level of challenges. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had something similar at Epic?

When creating your own adventures, some people tend to take it too far, trying to think of every detail, trying to predict every players’ actions, trying to look at the adventure from every different angle. If you have played and RPG long enough you should know that you cannot predict everything that you player characters are going to do.  Here are some stress-free tips on preparing your adventures.

Character Backgrounds

One of the most important things you should do before beginning an adventure is to let your players help you plan the adventure.  You can do this by asking them all for a character background. The character background will give you ideas and allow your creative juices to flow.  Characters will give you an idea of their motivations, reasons for adventuring, NPCs that may influence the plot as you go up in levels.    A players’ family member may be afflicted by lycanthropy, or some baron has unlawfully imprisoned your family.  Perhaps a player character owes some gambling debts and the person they owe sends henchmen to collect what is owed.  The possibilities are limitless.

The character background will also give you settings to place your characters in.  Maybe you are situated in Eberron and the character is a refugee family from Cyre, living in New Cyre and the Blades are planning an attack on the town.  Again, it gives you direction for adventures.

Loosely Plan Encounters

You don’t know what choices the party is going to make, and to railroad the players is not something I myself enjoy when a DM does this to me.  Give yourself a general plan on how you think things will run and choose a few appropriate adversaries to suit your need for the coming encounters.  This way if the characters decide to go left, when you planned to go right, you will be able to quickly plan something and adapt to the decisions of the players around your table.

Print off traps and hazards to pop into encounters.  This takes away some of the pressure of having to take the extra time to choose appropriate monsters on the fly.  Add some puzzles and contests to your repertoire.  If you are like me, your players like the odd challenge and puzzle.  It takes away from the monotony of battle after battle and provides a chance for your players to work cooperatively to solve encounters – not with muscles, but with brains.  Go online, search for puzzles and riddles you can use as encounters.  I once had a DM who set up a room where the party  faced off against the top 5 chess pieces in a room.  It was amazing.

Visual Representation

I think most players like to see what they were fighting.  Grab some minis to represent the people the players are fighting.  It gives a little more reality to the situation.  You can also use tiles, or even a battle mat to plan the rooms.  This way you can draw whatever sized rooms you need for all the encounters.

NPCs

Returning to the character backgrounds, use their backgrounds to give life to some of the influential persons in their lives.  Your players will be incredibly surprised with their appearance in your gaming sessions – not only as a cameo, but a fleshed out power toting version of the people in their lives.

Apart from the character backgrounds, create a few NPCs for future use.  Some of the NPCs should be those of disposable nature, ones that you can throw in for the adventure itself.  Basic stats and a general appearance is all you would need for disposable NPCs.

Taken from the Player's Strategy Guide 4e

There are a few things good NPCs should have to make them interesting. Write a character background for each of them.  Do this either in great detail or point form; it doesn’t matter.  Invent the NPC’s motivation, the reason for antagonizing your player; it will lead to the attitude you will attribute to the character during game play. Is the player surly, aggravating, invincible, arrogant etc.  Give details to where they are from: location, career, position in enterprise.  The characters will become that much more believable. Sketch out a general plan for the character’s future and see if it ties in with the party’s ambitions.

Next you should flesh them out.  There are a couple of ways to achieve this.  The easiest way is to take a monster or a character from the monster builder and modify it to suit your needs.  Change the names of the powers and maybe add some of your own.  The other way you could do this is to create them manually.  Don’t forget to give them their strengths and weaknesses.  They cannot all be perfect, no one is.

Lastly give your NPCs an appearance and a voice.  What do they look like?  Are they big, small, thin, muscular? How do they sound? Are they loud and boisterous, shy and mousy?

No matter what or how you decide to organize your adventure and encounters, don’t forget to have fun.  Sometimes your player will throw a wrench into you plans – your counter is to not be so rigid.  Be flexible in your planning and roll with the punches, you will see that not only you, but your players will get great enjoyment out of your improvisation.

If you can think of anything else (tips or tricks) to add to the list drop us a comment.

One of the most neglected player races is the gnoll. Released early in 4e’s history via DDI, the gnoll was the first fully supported monster race. We say fully supported because it had more than one racial ability and some feats. When other races got options tied to classes, articles themes (not the mechanic), or updates due to Essentials changes, the gnolls were largely ignored.

I happen to like the gnoll though. It’s wild, it has claws and its even a little demonic. It comes jam packed with easy roleplaying opportunities for that player who loves not thinking about roleplaying and just wants to hit stuff with its great axe.

So with out further adieu, gnoll racial powers.

Demonic Resistance It’s no secret that gnoll blood sports a demonic lineage. Many scholars will claim this as the cause for their bloodlust and edge toward chaos. You’ve discovered a greater link, in the ability to mimic their variable resistance.

Demonic Resistance * Gnoll Racial Utility 2
As the pain washes over you, your blood turns and your abyssal heritage strengthens you against further blows.
Daily * Varies
Immediate Reaction * Personal
Trigger: You take acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage
Effect: You gain resist 5 to the triggering damage type until the end of the encounter. The resistance increases to 10 at 11th level and 15 at 21st level.

Predator’s Judgement Gnolls are natural hunters and you are no exception. Closer interaction with other humanoids have allowed your skills to evolve for more situations. There are many obvious signs when dealing with liars, if only you’re sharp enough to notice them.

Predator’s Judgement * Gnoll Racial Utility 6
Your questions to this man put him on edge. The smell of his sweat, shake of his hand and sound of his racing heart, gives you the worth of his tale.
Encounter
Free Action * Personal
Effect: You roll Perception when you would normally roll Insight to discern motive or determine the truth of a person’s words.

Savage Bound Through woods, plains and battlefields, life with your tribe taught you to adapt your footing to the fight at hand. When in need, you can always find a path to charge.

Savage Bound * Gnoll Racial Utility 10
You push yourself forward leaping quickly from one foot-hold to another.
Encounter
Move Action * Personal
Effect: You move up to your speed, ignoring difficult terrain. You can use this movement as part of a charge.

Pack Domination The pack is strong because the pack works as one. You and your allies have learned each others skills and tactics. When you knock someone down, everyone works together so they do not get up.

Pack Domination * Gnoll Racial Utility 16
You work with your allies to take the foe off balance. A mighty blow knocks him to the ground, and you swarm to keep him down.
Encounter
Free Action * Personal
Trigger: You hit with a melee attack against a target that has one or more of your allies adjacent.
Effect: The target is prone (save ends).

Yeenoghu’s Blessing The demon lord Yeenoghu is a mad and bloodthirsty master. Even those gnolls who do not worship him feel his taint in their blood. His blessings extend to any who revel in the slaughter.

Yeenoghu’s Blessing * Gnoll Racial Utility 22
Your sacrifice to your demonic lord does not go unnoticed. Bathed in blood, you begin to slaughter your opponents outright.
Daily
Free Action * Personal
Trigger: You reduce a non-minion enemy to 0 hit points.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you deal an extra 2d8 damage when you hit with an attack against a bloodied enemy.

Player: “This must be the odd group of adventurers the Mayor was talking about!  By the way, what is the name of this bar…”

DM: “Ummmm… The d20 Inn”

Player: “Really? That’s a stupid name…”

I was really lucky growing up.  I had a great DM with a great imagination, and he was never at a loss for a tavern name when he was put on the spot.  Albeit, some of them were so far out in left field, that when we heard them we would become hysterical with laughter. It didn’t matter; we were in high school and we were young.  Sigh!

Now that most of us are all grown up now and no longer dim-witted and silly (yeah, right), some of still come up with the most horrible names for anything pertaining to our game.  Be a little creative; use that schooling to make names that are interesting and punny!  Have fun with them!

Taverns, in my opinion, happen to be one of the most memorable parts of my gaming.  You get good names, and you get bad ones.  You get funny ones and offensive ones.  Most times though, the tavern is memorable for a few reasons: either the name of the tavern, the NPC associated with the establishment, or the memorable role-playing moment in these joints.

Regardless of how we remember them, in the course of the two parts of this article, I will be giving you a description of twenty-three 23 possible tavern names that can be integrated and used for your current or future campaigns.  This first part will include eleven (11) tavern names.

Each name will have three parts to it: the name of the tavern, an explanation of how the tavern got its name and a possible NPC associated with these taverns.(click on tavern sign to see larger image)

The Bloated Beholder

The establishment gets its name for the medium sized stuffed beholder.  The owner did not kill this creature himself (though he would never say it in front of his patrons), he actually found this creature freshly killed on one of his patrols of the sewers and claimed it as his own kill.

This tavern upon entering is decorated with swords hung high on the wall, some suits of armour lay about in different stance in the tavern.  The most prominent feature of the tavern is the stuffed beholder over the fireplace mantelpiece in the center of the room.

Otivan Daleborn is or can be a retired guard from whatever militia or form of military control is present in your campaign setting.

The Dirty Bird

This tavern is more of an eatery, famous for its fried chicken and wings. People come from around the continent to eat this delicious concoction. This tavern could possibly be the first prototype of the modern day KFC.  It is a small eatery with a take out window.

A gnome artificer named Stosaadi, came up with the idea of the deep fryer when she heard someone talk about how the orcs from (insert name here) boiled humanoids in oil.  She thought if oil could cook flesh, then chicken is well within the means.

The Whispering Willow

This establishment comes very highly recommended, highly decorated, with the prices to match.  Fine dining, comfortable rooms and live entertainment in the evenings.  This tavern is usually a place where people of importance would stay when they are visiting.  This place would offer a variety of suites and services; a classy place indeed.

Wandaatris, a female half-orc bard owns the establishment.  She was raised by Halflings and learned the mannerisms to become an adventuring bard of some renown.  She then settled and decided to start her own brand new adventure of hostess, with great success.

The Cock-a-Maimy

This establishment does not exist.  It is a diversion.  When your characters are on a path to someone who may have information, and they want to misdirect the adventurers, the informant would give them the name of this tavern with directions and all (false directions and all).  You may want your NPC to roll a check to see if they can “pull one over” the eyes of the PCs

The Watering Hole

Just your run of the mill tavern.  It name comes from the fountain in front of the establishment.  It is an older place, a place where the town guard may hang out after their shifts are done. If the PCs are smart enough to know how to get it, this place could become a great spot for information.

The tavern is owned by Tiev Rustring, an older gentleman; just a local, born and raised in this town.  In actuality, Tiev is no longer with the living.  The owner actually died in his sleep one night which gave “Dareth the dish-boy”, the opportunity to literally jump into the shoes of his employer.  In actuality, Tiev was replaced by a changeling named Hordak.  This down on his luck changeling is now the owner of the bar.  He has worked for Tiev long enough to have picked up his routines and mingled with his friends that no one suspects he is not Tiev.

The Magician’s Wife

If you want great home-style cooking, this is the place to be…only if you do not cast magic.  This tavern boasts the best lamb stew in the whole region, if not the whole world.  At night, the place is usually alive with local talent, ranging from comedians to actors, from acrobats to bards.

A natural singer and bard by trade, Wandalove Waveharp settled here when she fell in love with a powerful Mage.  They commenced a passionate romance that lasted for many years.  The romance eventually faded for the mage and he left Wandalove in the middle of one night to pursue his magic.  She has not seen him since.  She is a bitter woman and despises magic to this day. She is so bitter that she no longer has to heart to sing anymore.  She will not allow anyone of any magical talent to enter her establishment.  She has even hired two half-orc enforcers, who are extremely loyal to her.

This tavern can be used as a point for a skill challenge on why the magical characters of the party should be let into the tavern.

The XP Tree

This tavern can be a central location, where the PCs could come and get a drink, listen to some rumours, and look for some work.  Upon entering the tavern, there is a wall with parchment hung all over the place announcing jobs for those adventurers who want to work.

Owned and operated by either one of the current leaders’ (of the town you are in) offspring, or at least a relative of the immediate family, PCs can find all sorts of work listed on the walls.  PCs can find anything from mercenary work to full expeditions.

The Fallen Priest

For any type of religious information you would like to convey to your party, you can send them to the Fallen Priest, where upon entering the tavern you would be greeted by a plethora of religious items from a specific deity (you choose the appropriate deity for you adventurers)

Panrry the faithless (can be of any race), has lost his way.  Once a man of the cloth, and now is a man of the bar towel.  He spent 20 year of his life as a scholar and a devoted servant of his deity.  After years of hearing his colleague’s tales of divine interventions, Panrry’s faith wavered as he wondered why his God would not grant him such an audience.

This tavern could be used as a starting point for a side trek to bring Panrry back to his faithful ways by your PCs.  Some miracle happens and Panrry goes back to his faith.  Otherwise, he is a good source of religious information specific to you adventure.

The Lame Unicorn

The Lame Unicorn sports a hanging sign outside with a picture of a donkey on it, lying on the ground, without a horn.  Hold that though, because if you mention the “lameness” of the joke, you are likely to get something broken.

This tavern boasts itself as the melting pot of the town, where people of all races and classes come together for drinks.  Sometimes, the bar can be a rough-and-tumble place (due to the disagreements between races), but a nice place to hang out nonetheless. Order in the establishment is kept by the Minotaur and goliath enforcers here every night.

The bar is owned by a none-too-witty Minotaur nicknamed “Greataxe”.  This barbarian came into some money while adventuring and decided to open up his own place, where everyone could feel at ease.  Quick to anger, Greataxe is quick to confront anyone if they mention the obvious “lameness” of his sign.  He thinks it is quite clever (good place for a PC bar brawl).

 The Tiny Portal

This tavern boasts a very unique entertainment experience.  The doorway is set in an alleyway and is scaled to the size of a small child.  It is actually a tavern that is particularly frequented by Halflings.  Everything is small in this place.  Even the ceilings are only 6ft high.  People of all races are welcome and they even have seats in the back that are sized for the larger humanoid races.  Entertainment is the driving force behind the success of this place.  Set into the back of the room, is a large entertainment area, a small amphitheatre where class acts from around the world come and play.

Owned and operated by a Halfling named Hurley Tallfellow, he manages somehow to bring in the best entertainment from around the world.

This setting could be used to bring a little (no pun intended) flavour into the tavern scene.

The Rebel House

As you walk into this tavern, you know you are in someplace that is very different.  In the courtyard sits a platform for hanging people (which is actually the main bar), cells line the walls on two separate levels.  Tables and chairs occupy the courtyard.  Each cell has been converted to be able to sit 4 persons.  The interesting part about this establishment is that everything in here is original.

Ex prison guard Mikael Yoursty opened the tavern when he lost guard job due to closing of the prison.  Having meticulously saved over his many years, Mikael was able to purchase his old workplace and turn it into a fascinating place to spend an evening.

What’s Next?

Take these names!  Use them, abuse them, modify them, enjoy them, because twelve more will be coming your way soon!  Tell me what you think of them, I would like to know.

Here’s Rob:

“The Free RPG Blog champions free roleplaying game materials by reviewing free games, running competitions and offering advice in the form of practical how-to guides. It began because its author, Rob Lang, felt that the world of free RPGs needed a voice and their authors needed support and a pat on the back. The most active free RPG community is 1000 Monkeys, 1000 Typewriters (1KM1KT) where Rob is an Admin (the curator is the mysterious “GLORIOUS BENEFACTOR” Keeton Harrington). The atmosphere of 1KM1KT is friendly and no idea is too stupid.

The blog has just finished a series of How to write a free RPG, which covers everything from inspiration to getting it out there. 2012 will see a backlog of game reviews published and probably another 24 hour RPG competition with Amazon vouchers as a prize. If your game is unfinished, then the best place to go is 1KM1KT. If your game is finished and is online for free, let Rob know – he’d love to have a look.”

Thanks Rob.  Let me dust off my old Nighthaven and completely revamp it all over again!

The Free RPG Blog – check it out!

We all love winning, but one of the best parts of Dungeons & Dragons is that failure can be just as fun! There is nothing dull about being eaten by a dragon, thrown into a volcano or sliced through the heart in a deadly duel. But what happens when you just miss? It has to happen sometimes. Hitting each time would lessen that feeling of victory, but does it really have to be such a disappointment?

…not on a critical failure. When you roll a natural 1 on your attack die, you miss automatically, no math needed. With these new rules, a natural 1 isn’t just another miss, it’s a critical failure, as important and exciting as rolling a natural twenty. These failures represent turning points in battle – moments when the fighter didn’t just swing high, but the enemy quickly counters or the heroes lose their footing. In the rarest moments, the rituals that are binding magic into your implement or weapon fails, and its arcane energies escape in strange and unusual ways, turning failure from mundane to spectacular entertainment!

Down this PDF to take the following two tables to your game!

The Critical Failure Table 

When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, roll an additional d20. If that roll is also a natural 1, your character has achieved a Critical Failure. Roll a d6 on the following chart to determine the results.

1. You lose your footing and fall prone.
2. You suddenly lose your grip, dropping your weapon to the ground.
3. You find your grip lacking and your thrust too great. Your weapon flies from your hand. Roll 1d8 to determine which direction your weapon is thrown. It falls in a space 2d4 squares away.
4. Your enemy reacts unexpectedly when you attack, forcing you to adjust quickly, but it all goes horribly wrong. Reroll the attack with yourself as the target.
5. Something has gone horribly wrong with the magic bound to your implement or weapon. Roll on the Magical Mishap Table to determine the results.
6. It all seemed bleak for a moment, but you recover at the last second. Your attack misses and you appear significantly less skilled, but no harm done this time.

Adjusting the Rules

As you progress through the game, your characters gain more power in more spectacular ways. While these characters have more control over their abilities, they also begin to encounter stranger and more exotic mishaps. At Paragon Tier, replace results 1 and 2 of the Critical Failure table with a Magical Mishap (result 5). At Epic Tier, results 1-5 will all produce a Magical Mishap.

If you wish to increase the chances of a magical mishap occurring, remove the need to confirm the critical failure so that after the first natural 1, you immediately roll on the critical failure chart. This is an excellent option in campaigns where magic is rare or not well understood, for one shot adventures or even if your players just want to experience more of the results.

The Magical Mishap Table

The Magical Mishap Table follows some very basic rules. Effects are instantaneous, unless specific otherwise. Results marked with (Encounter) end at the end of the Encounter and results marked with (Affliction) can be cured by the Remove Affliction ritual. While “weapon” is the term used in the results, the same effects can apply to an implement if used in the triggering attack.

1. Your weapon saps your life like an arcane leech, feeding your health into your target. Roll damage for the attack as normal. You take half damage and the target gains hit points equal to half damage.
2. Bad luck seems to hang in the air around you. You gain Aura 2. Any ally in the aura takes -2 to attack rolls. (Encounter)
3. Your body absorbs a blast of magic energy, keeping other effects from treating your wounds. You cannot regain hit points (save ends).
4. Your attack sends out the force of a thunderclap, knocking your target and yourself back. You are both pushed 3 squares, and fall prone.
5. Your weapon lashes out, temporarily seeking vengeance against your friends. You make an at-will attack against your closest ally.
6. You feel an icy frost crawl over you. You are slowed (save ends).
7. You find your legs suddenly encased in ice. You are immobilized (save ends).
8. A great shifts occurs throughout your body. Your clothes now feel tight in all the wrong places. You change genders. (Affliction)
9. You feel the itch of dwarven pride. You grow a beard, or if already bearded, become clean-shaven.
10. Your mental being fades slightly. You forget the last five minutes of your life. (Affliction)
11. You suddenly wonder how you got here. You forget the last 24 hours. (Affliction)
12. You suddenly are surrounded by the strangest of people. You forget the last year of your life. (Affliction)
13. Your body emits the foulest of odors. All allies within 5 at the start of their turn must make a saving throw or be pushed 3 squares. (Encounter)
14. Your voicebox tunes out, leaving you mute. (Affliction)
15. Your armor is weakened by a magical backlash, leaving you exposed in several places. You take a -2 penalty to AC. (Encounter)
16. Your attack triggers the magic of local fey lines. Everyone in a close burst 5 is teleported 5 squares away, as if pushed. If that square is occupied, choose the next available adjacent square farther away from the origin square. You are teleported upward 5 squares.
17. The battlefield is instantly rearranged to your target’s will. The DM swaps any creature in a close burst 5 around the target, to his liking.
18. Magical energies flow from the attack back into your weapon, giving it life! Your weapon becomes intelligent or loses intelligence it had before.
19. Suddenly, the earth around you does not hold you to it. You create a zone of weightlessness in a close burst 5. All creatures in the zone gain a fly speed equal to their speed and hover. Exiting the zone causes the creature to fall. (Encounter)
20. Your weapon whirls in a burst of arcane might. Reroll the attack as a close burst 3, targeting all creatures including yourself. You have Combat Advantage against yourself for the purpose of this attack.
21. You feel your own blood boil within your veins. You gain ongoing 5 (per tier) fire and poison damage (save ends).
22. Your appearance shifts slightly so that others distrust you. NPCs treat you one step less favorably than they normally would. (Affliction)
23. Your weight shifts, making your body heavy as stone. You fall prone and cannot stand (save ends).
24. You seem light as a feather. When affected by forced movement you move an additional square. (Encounter)
25. You become very self conscious about the threat you pose in battle. At the beginning of your turn, if no one has attacked you since the end of your last next turn, you take a -5 penalty to your next attack roll. (Encounter)
26. The strangest feeling comes over you that you might taste good with ketchup. The closest dragon learns your current location and receives a vision that you mean to do him harm.
27. How could you ever dream of harming your true love? You are dominated (save ends). While dominated, you confess your love each turn as a free action.
28. Your failure releases a blast of the mysterious energies. The closest mount reduces in size by one category.
29. Your develop strong feelings of love for your nearest ally. Whenever that ally is adjacent and takes damage, that damage is reduced by half and you take half damage. (Affliction)
30. Arcane streams seem to invigorate your target and enhance its form. Your target increases in size by one category. (Encounter)
31. A massive gout of steam escapes from your body. You fly 10 squares up and then fall.
32. Your attack rips open a portal to the Heavens. An angel appears in an unoccupied square within 5 and attacks the next person to deal damage. It continues to fight until battle ceases.
33. Your attack rips open a portal to Hell. A devil appears in an unoccupied square within 5 and offers its services to the highest bidder.
34. Your attack rips open a portal to the Abyss. A demon appears in an unoccupied square within 5. It attacks the creature that appears to be the most powerful each turn.
35. You suddenly regret eating those old trail rations. You use the wizard power fireball. Instead of an area attack, it is a close blast 3, placed opposite the target of your last attack.
36. Magical backlash turns you into a newt. You gain a climb speed equal to your speed and cannot use any of your powers or items (save ends).
37. You find yourself suddenly under water, creating a zone in close burst 10. Every square in the zone is filled with water. The zone extends 3 squares up. (Encounter)
38. You phase out of existence momentarily. You are removed from play until the end of your next turn. You appear in the same space as you left, or the closest unoccupied square.
39. Brown hair sprouts all over your body, and your tongue and jaw shift. You have become part chipmunk. You gain a climb speed equal to your speed, and can no longer speak any language. (Affliction)
40. A Celestial Dwarf and an Infernal Barmaid appear in separate adjacent squares. Each round, at the top of initiative, the celestial dwarf accepts a glass of dire ale from the infernal barmaid, and drinks it. Each round, as a minor action, you must do the same. You may spend more than one minor action, to drink more than one ale. If you do, the celestial dwarf must match your number of drinks on its next turn. Every time one of you drinks you must make a save. Each failed save reduces your AC, Reflex, Insight and Perception by 1. The first creature to fail 4 saves falls unconscious (save ends). This causes the Celestial Dwarf and Infernal Barmaid to fade from existence. The effects of the ale last until the end of the Encounter.
41. You can sense that your magic failed somehow, but notice no effects. In another reality, your other self is compelled into service. Check the beverage levels at your game table. Refill or renew the beverage of anyone who desires.
42. You gain an impatient stride (save ends). Your speed increases by 2, but you must move at least 4 squares each turn or take damage equal to twice your level.
43. A psychic energy pierces the air, making your mind jump. You switch personalities with your nearest ally. (Affliction)
44. Why are these peasants attacking you? You suddenly are convinced you are an heir to the nearest kingdom. (Affliction)
45. Your failed attack triggers a boon from a lost Fey Lord. Your target can Teleport a number of squares equal to their speed as a move action. (Encounter)
46. A piece of your soul is torn away and flung across the cosmos. A duplicate, with all of your abilities, appears somewhere else in the world. This twisted doppelganger can feel that it is but a shadow of you, and seeks to destroy you.
47. You suffer the backlash of others vane perceptions. All your clothing and equipment turns pink and your hair becomes blond.
48. An amazing sight appears before you, that no one else can perceive. You are dazed (save ends).
49. The area around you sprouts into low tangler bushes. 2d8 squares within a close burst 6 become difficult terrain. Any creature ending its turn in one of these squares becomes immobilized (save ends).
50. Your weapon strikes out at the core of your life force. You save or die.

Down this PDF to take the above two tables to your game!

The images referenced above were grabbed straight from the pages of tvtropes to help break up the text. StufferShack doesn’t own them, nor did we ask for permission. Come on though, you know they’re from Penny Arcade. 

I remember the first time that happened with Dungeons & Dragons 4E.  I built “The Shrine” quite hastily (pictured right) just before our weekly game, and the players had to fight their way up the three open levels to get to the boss at the top.  It had stairs, beams, ledges, and tons of undead.  It was great!  The rules for 4E made it quite clear who could move from here to there, who could see who, and which player characters could be targeted by zombie-slinging-guts from the upper levels.  It was awesome.  No more arguing over the rules, or that pesky player vs. GM perception.

The pinnacle apex of that gaming “Yay!” moment came when a player wanted to knock an undead over the top ledge.  The rules were right there in the book about knocking someone over the ledge, and the player actually tipping the undead miniature over the ledge was pure gold.  That’s when I realized how much fun I was having with D&D 4e, and was finally thankful for the the hard work of its devolopers.

I’m reminded of this gaming session after having read a post over at Blood, Sweat, and Dice.  It reminded me of one of the reasons that I play role-playing games.  Sure, I play because I get to be entertained by a story, I get to be the hero (or the bad guy), I get to smash crap with my hammer, I get to immerse myself in a fantasy world, I get to unleash creative energy, and I get to hang out with great friends, but really, I game for the simple joy of gaming.  It’s those little “ah-ha!” moments, those “yay!” times when it all makes sense, and I don’t care what game it is or time of night (morning?).

I don’t have anything more to say here… not my usual wisened advice, correct opinions, or professional lessons – just this: thanks to all those “yay!” moments when it all came together, thanks to all those writers and developers for creating the games through which to experience those “yay!” moments, and thanks to D&D 4E in particular.  I don’t know if I’ll ever play you again, but you’ll always be (at the least) a fond memory.

Side note: (1) The “Shrine” encounter was stolen from John Lewis (who, I’m sure, ran it better than I did), and (2) I was not being sarcastic in the last paragraph about having “wisened advice, correct opinions, or professional lessons.”  Nope.  Not at all.

For more images and articles on 3D Terrain, click here!

Alright, with that out of the way, let’s get down to business. I’m Anthony, and it’s been a while since my last post here. Nothing personal, but life is life. Anyhow, I wanted to get back into the swing of things here, and I figured what better way to do that than to talk about where you can find advice. Crazy, I know, right? See, lots of places give advice (hint, the Shack gives awesome advice) but do you know where to find more? Very few places really do that, and there are mediums out there that many of us have yet to actually try. So, let’s talk about that today, shall we?

The Shack, and Sites Like It
First off, you’ve already found a great resource. The Stuffer Shack is an awesome example of a site with a lot of different blog authors coming at you with different bits of advice. There are other sites like this too, but the key point here is the variety of authors. Why? Because everyone games differently, and everyone has a different view point on gaming itself. Something that I might think is impossible is very likely something that Tourq does every other game with the greatest of ease. How? I dunno, you’d have to ask him. However, the inverse is also true, which means that I have some words of wisdom to help do things I can pull off that some others can’t. You don’t get that at a blog with only one author, because they can’t teach you how to do what they don’t know.

So, first and foremost, find some sites you like that are like the Shack here. They have lots of good stuff for you.

Other Blogs
After the sites with lots of authors, you have the dedicated author. Some blogs, like Reality Refracted (disclosure: this is my gaming blog) are more focused on the theory behind how you do things, and looking a bit deeper into mechanics. Others, like “Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer” will delve a bit more into system specifics, examples of play, and other topics. Yes, everyone will cover more than one type of thing over time, but having a variety in primary topics will help to keep you well-grounded. It can also be fun to find the blogs of a few of your favorite designers. Often they’ll give you tips and insight into how things should work (vs how they do work) that can blow your mind.

Podcasts
Podcasts are a growing medium, and one that has gotten big enough that you’ll likely be seeing several podcast sites in the Shack’s Site Of The Year contest (SOTY!). These are kind of like blogs, only you listen to them and they often are a bit more focused in each episode. Bonus points here because you can hear a conversation, sometimes they have guest speakers, and you’ll get multiple sides of an argument in a quick and easily understood chunk. Podcasts are one of the areas I’m hoping to find more on, and start listening to. The ones I have heard have been amazing, and are often very insightful into the topics at hand.

Gaming Books
That’s right, the books you use for playing your game can teach you a whole lot about how to run a game. Look at the system and ask yourself why things are presented the way they are. The game wants to be played a certain way, and the mechanics are set up to encourage that method of play. Find that, and you can find out a lot about how the designer and project leads feel about gaming and what works or doesn’t work. D&D can teach you a lot about going with a tactical RPG, while a game like Burning Wheel can teach a lot about making a spanning epic master piece. The advice is there in the books, you just have to find it.

The Point?
The point of all this is to keep you interested in learning. Odds are if you’re reading this website, you are interested in improving as a GM and/or a player. Never stop doing that. There is always something more you can learn, more you can do, and you won’t find out how – or what – if you don’t go looking for it. Keep those eyes open, and find advice where you can take it. It just might be easier to start in the places I’ve listed here.

What do Indiana Jones, Tintin, and a wizard all have in common?

Saliston “Stonie” Andronus.  That’s what.

Salistone “Stonie” Andronus is not your typical wizard.  In fact, if it weren’t for his trusty wand, you wouldn’t know that he was a spellcaster at all.  Perhaps it’s his leather armor, his short sword, or his unavoidable knack for getting into trouble that pegs him as a wild and aloof adventurer.  Whatever it is, being a wizard is only part of the package.

Growing up, Stonie had a severe case of A.D.D. – he simply couldn’t sit still.  His curious mind just wandered all over.  He’s no elf, but if it weren’t for the magical gift passed down from his elven great-great-great-great-great grandfather, he never would have been accepted into Emberspire’s School of Wizardry.  Of course, his family donating the funds to build the school’s northwest wing didn’t hurt, either.  Unfortunately (fortunately?) for the school, Stonie left after only his first year, as he simply lost interest in his studies.   There was always something else that seemed more fascinating, more exciting – and that draw finally won him over.

Leaving the school was a breath of fresh air, as it freed him to pursue all the things that he found interesting (not to mention that he wasn’t ready to face his family).  He spent the next few years traveling and working, going wherever and doing whatever interested him.  He took all kinds of odd jobs and went all kinds of weird places.  Really, whatever seemed new and exotic, he was all over it.  It wasn’t until  his great uncle went missing that he returned home.

Havlock, his great uncle, had been obsessed with something called “The Well of Night.”  When Stonie returned home and started flipping through his great uncle’s journal, he instantly found his calling without even realizing it.  Stonie took the journal and went looking for his great uncle – his first great adventure.

For the past five years, Stonie has followed many leads and gone on several adventures.  His great uncle has since been presumed dead, but that hasn’t stopped Stonie from trying to figure out this mystery.  Searching for Havlock has put him through many adventures, putting to use all of Stonie’s skills.  This has resulted in him making a name for himself as an investigator, adventurer,  historian, and archaeologist.  Because of that, he’s taken a position on the Assembly of Advisers, not because he wished to be a “hero” (as most others do), but because it opens up doors and resources that can help him solve the mystery of his great uncle, as well as all of the other mysteries he is destined to take on.

As an adventurer, he often gets into all kinds of trouble, though he rarely fights his way out.  Instead, he relies on his skills, his smarts, and his luck to save his butt.  He knows some spells, but he really only considers those to be  tools to help him as an investigating tomb-raider.  He’s curious, loyal, selfless, heroic, and perhaps a little overconfident – really, though, an all-around, fun and thrill-seeking guy.  The glass is always half full, never half empty.  He’s not in it for the money or the treasure, and doesn’t consider himself to be an “adventurer,” but he certainly does live for it.

Artwork from Greywulf, by special request.