Questions For the DM

[Alethan]

I guess that is my point as well.
A Thief with 18 dex and studded leather would have a 7-4=3 AC, same a fighter/cavalier with 18 dex in full plate. I definitely understand that someone without armor would be more agile, but I think this rule negates the usefullness of armor. i.e. the plate should absorb the sword or claw more than leather, which is why it has a lower base AC. If you have plate and 18 dex, you should be able to avoid your exposed neck, face, armpit, etc. more so than someone in plate with a 10 dex.

But that's not the same AC, at least not all the time.

It's the same AC if the thief is fighting with one or two opponents, right in front of him, on open ground where he is free to maneuver and take advantage of his high dexterity. But that same thief, when being attacked from behind, or by more than 3 opponents (guestimate here), would just have an AC of 7 [EDIT FOR CLARITY: would have an AC of 7 vs. any of the opponents aside from the initial 3). The cavalier would still have an AC of 3, even if he had eight opponents surrounding him.

(And that is, of course, assuming your DM lets your thief wear studded leather armour... hehe)

[dmw71]

A Thief with 18 dex and studded leather would have a 7-4=3 AC, same a fighter/cavalier with 18 dex in full plate. I definitely understand that someone without armor would be more agile, but I think this rule negates the usefullness of armor. i.e. the plate should absorb the sword or claw more than leather, which is why it has a lower base AC. If you have plate and 18 dex, you should be able to avoid your exposed neck, face, armpit, etc. more so than someone in plate with a 10 dex.

Understood. While it's not a huge difference, one advantage the heavily armored character has is that their armor, if worn, will always offer protection.

The Thief from your example, if caught by surprise, loses his Dexterity benefit (AC of 7) while the Fighter in plate mail, also surprised, will still be at an AC of 3.

I accept that the system we're using isn't perfect, but it doesn't change the fact that I believe characters donning heavy armor would negate any benefits they might have from a high Dexterity.

[dmw71]

But that's not the same AC, at least not all the time.

It's the same AC if the thief is fighting with one or two opponents, right in front of him, on open ground where he is free to maneuver and take advantage of his high dexterity. But that same thief, when being attacked from behind, or by more than 3 opponents (guestimate here), would just have an AC of 7. The cavalier would still have an AC of 3, even if he had eight opponents surrounding him.

(And that is, of course, assuming your DM lets your thief wear studded leather armour... hehe)

This mirrors my thinking exactly. Ethan, you really need to stop reading my mind!

[Alethan]

But that's not the same AC, at least not all the time.

It's the same AC if the thief is fighting with one or two opponents, right in front of him, on open ground where he is free to maneuver and take advantage of his high dexterity. But that same thief, when being attacked from behind, or by more than 3 opponents (guestimate here), would just have an AC of 7. The cavalier would still have an AC of 3, even if he had eight opponents surrounding him.

(And that is, of course, assuming your DM lets your thief wear studded leather armour... hehe)

This mirrors my thinking exactly. Ethan, you really need to stop reading my mind!

Sorry. Sorry. I'll stop.

[dmw71]

If you have plate and 18 dex, you should be able to avoid your exposed neck, face, armpit, etc. more so than someone in plate with a 10 dex.

This can officially be found as Announcement: '09. Dexterity and Armor Class,' but I will mention it here as well, just in case anyone wishes to discuss the change. It's minor, but it does offer some perks for having a high Dexterity while wearing medium or heavy armor.

[Nuke66]

Can I get a ruling on the material components I posted, which ones are common vs not?

My equipment purchases kinda depend on it.

Also, should I note 'additional material components" on Druid spells? or is that too detailed.

[dmw71]

Can I get a ruling on the material components I posted, which ones are common vs not?

Spells Known/component
Armor
1a) piece of finely cured leather (common, but must be acquired in town)
1b) blessed by a cleric (also must be done in town, but at low-to-no cost depending on location)

Hold Portal
- none (this one's easy)

Identify
1) pearl (of at least 100 g.p. value) (consider it "rare" in the sense that it's expensive, but should be fairly common in terms of availability in most towns)
2) owl feather steeped in wine (common, but must be acquired in town)
3) live miniature carp swallowed whole (this is just stupid. consider it a "broken" component and just ignore it)

Magic Missile
- none (this one's easy)

Sleep
1) pinch of fine sand
2) rose petals
3) live cricket
(Note: All three are considered common items. The "or" simply means that at least one of these items will be available for you almost wherever you find yourself.)

Also, should I note 'additional material components" on Druid spells? or is that too detailed.

Feel free to be as detailed as you'd like. If you're asking me, the more detail the better.

[dmw71]

Is it possible to add a category level to the section so all 20+ threads arent showing in a line? i.e. player intros ,waiting list, retired and desceased characters could be lumped into a category; missed treasure, opportunities, npcs, could be in a reference , etc to shorten the visible list? It is more a concern when using phone with a small screen. I know that is the reason for the table of contents, but thought this might help as well.

I tired. I even went so far as to plan out how I wanted all my topics organized:

Update: I wasn't able to get everything organized exactly as I planned, but I did try to consolidate the topics into like categories.

***

The 'Table of Contents' was completely re-worked last night illustrating the new categories:

Recruitment Post (Note: This can be eliminated if screen real estate is still a concern).
---
Announcements (Note: This thread could be moved eventually, but not as currently constructed).
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Character Sheets (Note: Any topic where the players respond needs to be its own thread).
---
House Rules (Note: I will be grouping all my gameplay-related rules here).
- 01. Encumbrance
- 02.
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New Character Creation (Note: The 'New Character Creation' thread will remain likely remain as-is).
- 01. Ability Scores
- 02. Races
- 03. Classes
- 04. Alignment
- 05. Hit Points
- 06. Languages
- 07. Money
- 08. Equipment
- 09. Spells
- 10. Advancement
- 11. Character Details
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Questions For the DM (Note: Another player-response thread and needs to be left as a stand-alone topic).
---
Encounter Summaries (Note: Due to its importance, it, likely, will remain as-is).
---
Action Threads (Note: These threads, as they will require player responses, will need to be stand-alone threads).
- Prologue
- Chapter I:
- Chapter II:
- Etc...
---
Campaign Information (Note: A bunch of loose threads were grouped and placed here).
- 01. Campaign Background
- 02. Adventure Opportunities
- 03. NPCs
- 04. Places of Note
- 05. Deceased Characters
- 06. Retired Characters
- 07. Waiting List
- 08.
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Character Information (Note: Another grouping).
- 01. Experience Points
- 02. Treasure
- 03. Treasure Missed
- 04.
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General Game Information (Note: Another grouping).
- 01. Campaign ID
- 02. Commonly Used Abbreviations
- 03. Die Roller
- 04. Formatting Posts
- 05. Posting Frequency
- 06. Default Actions
- 07.
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(Almost) Anything Goes (Note: Another player-response thread and needs to be left as a stand-alone topic).
---
Known Absenses (Note: Another player-response thread and needs to be left as a stand-alone topic).


***


So, the 'Table of Contents' has expanded, but the main page has been reduced to almost half its size. It's not perfect, but it is an improvement and will have to do for now.

[Alethan]

I think it looks really good, Dave. Much easier to navigate through it all and figure out where to find information and where to update whatever it is we're updating.

Al

[Nuke66]

Can I get a ruling on the material components I posted, which ones are common vs not?

Spells Known/component
Armor
1a) piece of finely cured leather (common, but must be acquired in town)
1b) blessed by a cleric (also must be done in town, but at low-to-no cost depending on location)

Hold Portal
- none (this one's easy)

Identify
1) pearl (of at least 100 g.p. value) (consider it "rare" in the sense that it's expensive, but should be fairly common in terms of availability in most towns)
2) owl feather steeped in wine (common, but must be acquired in town)
3) live miniature carp swallowed whole (this is just stupid. consider it a "broken" component and just ignore it)

Magic Missile
- none (this one's easy)

Sleep
1) pinch of fine sand
2) rose petals
3) live cricket
(Note: All three are considered common items. The "or" simply means that at least one of these items will be available for you almost wherever you find yourself.)

Also, should I note 'additional material components" on Druid spells? or is that too detailed.

Feel free to be as detailed as you'd like. If you're asking me, the more detail the better.

So, I rolled 46 common and 10 uncommon, do I just pick what they are?

[Stonjuz]

I'm abandoning the hope of ever riding the dog. Not because I didnt like the idea,but the encumburance won over.
I'm replacing the unlearned Mount spell with Featherfall (still unlearned)

I have 44 common, 16 rares
powdered iron (34) and feathers (10) are common, I assume.

what to do with the 16 rare components? (now that mini carp are off the table)
I would request you pick them, or remove them, or....?
They were probably from his brother's belongings anyway.

[dmw71]

So, I rolled 46 common and 10 uncommon, do I just pick what they are?

Yes. You will need to list how many of each component you have, but you're free to allocate your available components however you choose.

[onlyme]

A couple of questions: (sorry if they have been asked and/or answered previously...)

Age modifiers. Are we adjusting ability scores per the 1e dmg page 13 (or if other editions do it as well)?

• Young adult:Subtract 1 point of wisdom, add 1 point of constitution.
  Mature:Add 1 point of strength, add back the 1 point of wisdom

.

I dont think anyone would start older than those.

Where is the template you want us using for the character sheets? I see reference to it, but dont see the post it was linked in.

thanks

[Alethan]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that we weren't using age modifiers. But I can't track the comment down at the moment...

Template's were discussed but have not yet been provided. I'm going to throw mine in this morning, using just the basic Character Sheet format and will adjust it to fit the Fighter/Ranger template if/when one is provided.

[dmw71]

Age modifiers. Are we adjusting ability scores per the 1e dmg page 13 (or if other editions do it as well)?

I just added a '10. Starting Age' entry in the House Rules section. I will populate it with the answer shortly.

Where is the template you want us using for the character sheets? I see reference to it, but dont see the post it was linked in.

No full text character sheet is required so keep going about creating your character as you have been. That said, there are certain pieces of information about each character that I want to keep readily at hand so I will create a simple, generic text template for all players. Don't worry, it'll be painless. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, I should have that template ready and posted sometime this afternoon.

***

We're getting closer! There are a couple of combat-related subjects I want to formally iron out and a few more 'House Rules' I need to address, but expect an announcement soon regarding the readiness of the game.

Speaking of the 'House Rules' topic, I decided over the weekend that, instead of me trying to obsessively share my thoughts on every conceivable subject in advance, I will simply address some of the more common issues before the game starts, then allow for it to be used as an open, ongoing repository for discussing ambiguous subjects, and for clarifying any questions or situations that crop up during the actual game itself.


Expect more details later today.

[Nuke66]

I am getting close as well, but I have a few questions.

What weight do I assign to my traveling spell book? Or, how much does 30gp weigh?

Do I really see that each sling bullet is 1/2 lb? or 8 ounces?

Does our initial stash of material component have to be for spells we know?

Are we using 2E NWPs?

Also, take a look at my sheet and see if I am missing anything you would like to see.

[Stonjuz]

What weight do I assign to my traveling spell book? Or, how much does 30gp weigh?

Do I really see that each sling bullet is 1/2 lb? or 8 ounces?

Does our initial stash of material component have to be for spells we know?

Are we using 2E NWPs?

Also, take a look at my sheet and see if I am missing anything you would like to see.

these answers may help or hinder, dunno
Spellbook -I wrote down 6lbs for mine
material components- i had a similar question about my 'extras' earlier, yet to be answered
2E nwp - dont think dmw is using them, but I like em.
12 bullets = 4 lbs (OSRIC)

[dmw71]

What weight do I assign to my traveling spell book? Or, how much does 30gp weigh?

Your travelling spell book will count as 6 pounds against your encumbrance.

The weight of such a book is approximately 30 gold pieces, and encumbrance roughly 60 gp. Five such books will fit within a backpack, twice that number in a large sack.

I changed the weight of the coin in this game from 10:1 to 50:1, but using the 1E 10:1 coin-to-pound ratio, if an item has an "encumbrance roughly 60 gp," its affect on encumbrance would be 6 pounds.
---

Do I really see that each sling bullet is 1/2 lb? or 8 ounces?

That is the listed weight, yes. Now that you point it out, though, I'm not sure I agree with it. I am tempted to change it to match the weight of an arrow (10 arrows = 1 pound). I will decide later today and let you know (and update the '08. Equipment' list) if a chance is made.

---

Does our initial stash of material component have to be for spells we know?

I never really considered this, but I suppose not. The only thing I would enforce would be the limit on common and rare components.

---

Are we using 2E NWPs?

No, we're not using non-weapon proficiencies. I don't actually dislike them, but I don't necessarily agree with their inclusion either. I didn't definitively say one way or the other when I discussed them before (here), but they will not be used in this game for the same reasons posted in the previous post.

---

Also, take a look at my sheet and see if I am missing anything you would like to see.

I will take a look at your sheet today and let you know.

[dmw71]

these answers may help or hinder, dunno
Spellbook -I wrote down 6lbs for mine

This is correct. Six pounds for a travelling spellbook in terms of encumbrance.

---

material components- i had a similar question about my 'extras' earlier, yet to be answered

Where was your question? I might have missed it.

My response to Nuke66 will apply to every spell caster ('The only thing I would enforce would be the limit on common and rare components.'). If you want to spend a current 'common' spell component on a 'common' spell component for a spell you don't know... be my guest.

---

2E nwp - dont think dmw is using them, but I like em.

You're correct, we will not be using them in this game.

---

12 bullets = 4 lbs (OSRIC)

This might work, too. I will consider this weight issue later today and will post my response here and make any necessary corrections to the equipment list.

[onlyme]

Unless I am blind... I dont see any food related items in the equipment list. Is that on purpose? i.e. do you have a house rule coming for that?
Or should we just use the phb rations list?

thanks