D&D 5th Edition Wednesday Evening Spokane Group
Posted by Hawkeat October 05. 2014
* If the number of players gets around 6 or more, then I implement rules to keep the game play flowing quickly, I use little egg-timers (mini-hour-glasses) ranging between 30 seconds to 90 seconds, that is the time each player, when it is their turn, has to declare and resolve their actions (of course that is more during combat and structured times, not so much during dialog/role-play situations). This works out fine because you can be preparing your actions while other players are taking their turns, and it keeps the game from bogging down with larger groups.
* I award more experience points for R-O-L-E-playing over R-O-L-L-playing. You will still get your standard XP for combat. Since 5th edition is so great at developing a rich starting background for characters, better than any previous version of D&D;, I expect you to play your characters in line with that background. The better you do so, the more fun everyone will have as an automatic reward, and you get the added XP bonuses for taking actions directly appropriate to ROLE-play over ROLL-play. For example, if your background includes avoiding combat and trying to find other solutions, you will not lose out on XP for properly playing your character in the right circumstances.
* I use a hit location and critical details modification to combat (still only the same single d20 roll and damage roll, but with specific details). This just requires me to do some quick, simple, math calculations and a chart cross-reference, but does not require any additional rolls. This has minimal impact on game play speed, but greatly enhances the detail, and also increases the riskiness of combat. This includes giving (and receiving) stuns, bleeding, detailed injuries, etc.
* I do NOT allow a full HP recovery from one Long Rest. Short rest recuperates as many HP as your level. Long rest recuperates as many HP as your level plus your CON. Specific injuries (broken bones, damaged cartilage, etc.) may have to be healed separately either by magic, herbs (I provide detailed lists of healing herbs available in the world), or longer (days) rest periods, to heal up such criticals.
* Cantrips are modified to be more inline with their original intent, I bring back the 1st edition cantrips, and for those classes that have unlimited casting you get to do so, but the 5th edition cantrips that should be 1st level spells, are moved back to where (I belive) they belong. In running several groups now, the current 5th edition cantrip use, rather than balancing out spell casters, actually makes unbalanced in the other direction. My approach (I believe) is better balanced, and allows more creative use of cantrips, which is what made them so great when they were first introduced long ago.
* Inclusion of the Comeliness (COM) attribute. Appearance and charisma are two very separate factors that impact how others react. I use the AD&D; 1st Edition Unearthed Arcana rules for COM included CHA factors and racial modifiers. For 3rd through 5th edition, I double the modifiers from +/- 1 to +/- to allow for those systems point inflation issues.
Posted by Hawkeat October 05. 2014
Character Sheets: We will create new characters at our first gathering (that usually takes up most of the session). All character sheets will remain with the DM between sessions. If you want a photocopy of your character to take home, you are welcome to do so (There is a copying machine on the premises). I will also provide scratch paper, pencils, and other documents.
Miniatures: Miniatures are used to help keep track of locations in combat situations, but are not stressed, remember I focus on ROLE-playing over ROLL-playing, but maps and minis help to reduce confusion about "who was where" when it matters. You are welcome to bring your own miniatures if you wish, however the DM does have more than a hundred of his own miniatures (mostly old-school 1980s lead-based) so you do not need to bring minis unless you wish to.
Player's Handbook (5th edition): It is preferred that you bring your own copy, but if you do not have one, it is not required, the DM has spare books that can be borrowed during the game sessions.
Drinks & Snacks You are welcomed and encouraged to bring food, drink, snacks, it is preferred that everyone helps contribute by bring food and snacks to share with the group, but it is not required. The office will provide water, tea, and coffee (the receptionist prepares this before the sessions).
Dice: You are encouraged to bring your own dice, but if you do not have dice of your own, the DM has plenty of spare sets he can loan to players during the sessions.
You will each have been sent, or arrived, at the location for individual reasons, with an over-arching common cause. You will be meeting initially in a typical cliche tavern setting, this will begin the actual role-play part.
After the characters and their backgrounds are created, we will start out the initial adventure in an a land that is a quasi-Aurthurian style setting (specific part of the world).
This particular area is very unfriendly to non-humans, so you will want to be sure to have at least a hooded cloak or disguise skill/kit/item/magic if you are a non-human race. You won't be strung or run out of town, but most human folk won't have anything to do with non-humans, and are especially fearful of the haughty Elves. However, any Drow and similar "Dark folk" will trigger physical hostility and likely bring the law in to try to capture.
Once you have all gathered bit by bit at the inn, the actual story will begin to unfold.
At the port city of Balcoth
An unseasonable heavy fog, and lack of winds has been worsening for days without breaking, all but stopping the shipping lines. Boats without oars (or other means of propulsion) have been rescued in recent days by other ships. The docks are packed full, with many ships wanting to leave, but waiting for the weather to improve.
Everyone is talking about threatening armada and forces building from Mordred across the seas. Recently a portion of the dread armada encircled the seas around the port, and have cut off all traffic in the past 2 days.
The players are meeting at the tavern. Numiens Inn & Tavern.
At points you will likely travel through lands that are quite the opposite of this human-dominant area. we will then rapidly transition through a variety of areas (and likely more friendly to elves but inversely unfriendly to humans). If all goes well, you will also end up in locations reminiscent of the ancient Middle-east, ancient Grecian and Roman cultures, and potentially fully Oriental/Eastern Asian areas. Those are all in more "local" areas. During your travels you will very likely cross into other planes and worlds, where the laws of the physical and magical behave in unexpected ways.
You will begin in a sea-port setting, then likely travel cross-country. Your party will likely rapidly experience many terrain types; plains, high mountains, vast deserts, dense jungles, underdeep, underwater, and many other environments. This means everyone will have opportunities to shine in different ways.
There are some specific issues depending on your backgrounds, so each of you may have come to the port for different reasons, while others may be there for similar reasons. I will meet with each of you privately for a few minutes to go over the more private aspects of your backgrounds. Remember, every character should have something in their background that they would almost rather die than have others find out about, and this issues likely drives the character in specific situations to react certain ways that the other characters may find surprising.
