First, 2 Realizations:1) SP is also used for currency, but to heck with it, I’ll keep using it for the time being. This whole thing is going to need a big language cleanup by the time it’s done.2) Rather than 1d6/1d8/1d0 damage progression, it probably makes more sense to use the light, medium and heavy […]
D&D 4e
Fighting the Situation
What are hit points? Historically, they were a measure of health and toughness, but over time (much like armor class) that got more and more abstracted until you’re left with some incongruous trappings (like tying them to constitution) and a simple reality: They’re a pacing mechanism. They measure how long something stays fighting, which in […]
Situation – The Problem
This all began with @sarahdarkmagic raising an innocuous question on twitter: how to run breaking into a castle in 4e. Specifically, the issue was that doing it as a skill challenge did not provide the right feel, which was more fast and skirmishy, taking out guards and such. Now, I could argue that a skill […]
Skill Challenge Preview
So, the preview for the Skill Challenge chapter of the DMG II is up here and careful readers may note a reason I’m particularly curious to see it. The skill challenge they present is, by the by, also a decent illustration of how to do a seamless skill challenge. While the DM can absolutely explicitly […]
OK, it’s on
D&D, my place, noon on saturday, running til 5 at the latest. 7th level characters, usual treasure rules (1 7th, 1 8th, 1 6th or 3 7th level items, plus cash equivalent to a level 7 item). Classes are limited to those in need of showcasing: choose from Artificer, Barbarian, Druid and Shaman. If we […]
The Subtle Hand of Awesome
I’m a big fan of the Birthright setting that TSR put out back in the day. It hit a lot of notes I really liked – the world felt populated, politics had a powerful role, monsters felt mythic – it just rocked. But one subtle note always impressed me. In one of the nations of […]