Character Creation

[Inferno]

Zoinks! With Stirling playing a Ranger, I'm going to use my rolls to build a dual class Magic User-Druid.

I hereby relinquish magic item pack 5 and will take magic item pack 1.

Sorry for the back and forth.

Thanks,
Inferno.

[Alethan]

Sorry, but if Ron is going to hard-core stick to the rules, I would like to see all of the manual rolls for Chargen, as per his request.

If I'm going to put my faith in the dice, I gotta see everyone do it.

Not that I don't trust anyone... I "trust but verify" everyone.

[Alethan]

Sorry, but if Ron is going to hard-core stick to the rules, I would like to see all of the manual rolls for Chargen, as per his request.

If I'm going to put my faith in the dice, I gotta see everyone do it.

Not that I don't trust anyone... I "trust but verify" everyone.

Ah, never mind. He didn't specify manual rolls, just one roll on the dice roller. Tsk tsk Ron.

[Alethan]

Mine will be manual rolls, anyway...

[4d6c1] = 14 [4d6c1] = 8 [4d6c1] = 11 [4d6c1] = 16 [4d6c1] = 13 [4d6c1] = 9

Give me a bit to ponder these tonight. I'll work up something based on the magic packs left, I suppose, unless the group is lacking something thus far. I'll look at that, as well.

EDIT:
I'll go dwarven fighter.

OSR Layout:
Race: Dwarf
Class: Fighter
Level: 9

Str: 14 (+200 weight limit)
Int: 8
Wis: 11
Dex: 13
Con: 17 (+3 HP/HD)
Cha: 8

hit points [9d10+27] = 42+27 = 69

[Alethan]

I'll take magic pack 7, if it isn't already called for.

[Inferno]

Alethan, would you trade your Elven Boots for my Ring of Protection +1 and a Healing Potion?

[Alethan]

Alethan, would you trade your Elven Boots for my Ring of Protection +1 and a Healing Potion?

Pack #7 comes with the boots of striding and springing, not the elven boots. In any case, I think Arnar will probably keep them. He gets a +1 AC bonus from the boots and gets to travel as fast as humans and can leap into a fight, attack, and spring back out in the same round if he so choses (er... and makes his 17% chance to fail that). Or jump 15' high to ledges where he can hid invisibly until he throws his dwarven hammer 6" at an unwitting foe.

(Edited)

[Inferno]

My mistake.

[Alethan]

My mistake.

No biggie. They are on there a few times; easily confused.

[Alethan]

Ron, are we going completely BTB? So even greater level limits on Demi fighters with low STR?

[Nuke66]

Stats: STR:15, INT:17, WIS:15, DEX:10, CON:9, CHR:14

Here we go, I didn't rearrange the rolls into each stat, not sure what to do yet, gonna ponder it.

[Alethan]

I love the idea of the dwarven fighter with the dwarven hammer that returns when you throw it.

No offense, GG, but 2-5/1-4 damage for a hammer just blows. You'd think something as spectacular as a dwarven throwing hammer that returns to the thrower and does triple damage to giant classes when thrown would do more than 3d4+3 (6-15) damage.

It is always the thing that keeps me from trying to play such a character. I'm willing to give it a try here, but don't be surprised if he tries to pick up another magical weapon at some point - either from loot or from a fallen comrade.

[max_vale]

Frankly, I don't understand a lot of the damage specs.....many of the weapons really seem to serve little purpose, even for non-Min/Maxers (who don't even understand numbers/math very well) like me.

Has ANYONE ever selected the Horseman's versions of weapons? Why is there even a different damage range for large creatures? Doesn't the idea of abstract Hit Points; more for large creatures; pretty much serve the dame purpose? But okay, whatever....I'll roll with it.....why does a Two-Handed Sword do WAY more against really big creatures? Why does a Longsword do more damage and Broadsword less? Why is a Quarterstaff EXACTLY the same? ARGH! My head hurts already....sorry for bringing this up!

Still; for all the little nitpicks; one thing I love about the older versions of D&D is the "sometimes you want to roll high; sometimes you want to roll.....sometimes, you roll Percentage; sometimes you roll a 20; etc., etc". I know if drives some people nuts; but I find it more fun than more logical systems.....yep....I suffer from a bit of Old-School-itis!

[Alethan]

Frankly, I don't understand a lot of the damage specs.....many of the weapons really seem to serve little purpose, even for non-Min/Maxers (who don't even understand numbers/math very well) like me.

Has ANYONE ever selected the Horseman's versions of weapons? Why is there even a different damage range for large creatures? Doesn't the idea of abstract Hit Points; more for large creatures; pretty much serve the dame purpose? But okay, whatever....I'll roll with it.....why does a Two-Handed Sword do WAY more against really big creatures? Why does a Longsword do more damage and Broadsword less? Why is a Quarterstaff EXACTLY the same? ARGH! My head hurts already....sorry for bringing this up!

Agreed. You have to think that at some point GG and the gang sat down and said, "OK, we have to come up with a list of weapons and the damage they can do and such. Let's put some real thought into this..."

But I can't figure out what their thought line was for a lot of it.

[rredmond]

Sorry, but if Ron is going to hard-core stick to the rules, I would like to see all of the manual rolls for Chargen, as per his request.

If I'm going to put my faith in the dice, I gotta see everyone do it.

Not that I don't trust anyone... I "trust but verify" everyone.

Ah, never mind. He didn't specify manual rolls, just one roll on the dice roller. Tsk tsk Ron.

I did ask for folks to do roll one time. If people took advantage, ah well, less fun for them.
My favorite characters were my 14 CON (highest Stat) fighter and my 1HP cleric (in an OD&D) game. The fighter survived as the only PC left in an almost TPK, and Holy Schmidt, my cleric, made it to 2nd level (the only one to do so in the game) finally getting that 1 spell before a wandering gnoll killed him. In OD&D clerics don't get spells at first level.
Good times!

[rredmond]

Ron, are we going completely BTB? So even greater level limits on Demi fighters with low STR?

Correct.

[Alethan]

I did ask for folks to do roll one time. If people took advantage, ah well, less fun for them.

In general, I agree with this; games are MORE fun, not less, when you don't have the uber-amazing stats.

Not the time or place for further discussion of my views on the subject.

My favorite characters were my 14 CON (highest Stat) fighter and my 1HP cleric (in an OD&D) game. The fighter survived as the only PC left in an almost TPK, and Holy Schmidt, my cleric, made it to 2nd level (the only one to do so in the game) finally getting that 1 spell before a wandering gnoll killed him. In OD&D clerics don't get spells at first level.
Good times!

I'm a big believer in letting the dice tell me what to create based on the rolls, so I kind of like doing rolls in order and then trying to make the best character I can with those rolls.

My first PbP game was Strict Old School Rules - 3d6 in order, no adjustments. I played a dwarf fighter with I think one 12 (STR or CON, can't remember) and the rest were 9 or lower; I do remember he had a 6 DEX, mostly because I played him like he was really frustrated with his throwing skills and so I tried to start every combat with him throwing his axe, To Hit penalties and all. I think we managed to play that game for most of two years and he got to 3rd level, mostly through lots of strategic planning and a huge dose of luck.

[max_vale]

My two favorite, personal memories from playing D&D around a table (which is rare for me; I'm almost always the DM) are from when I was about 10 and I played the two 'choose your own adventure' style adventures as the Fighter in the Mentzer Basic D&D box set I bought from Kay Bee toys (DAMN YOU FOR KILLING THE CLERIC BARGLE!)

.....and the years long Temple of Elemental Evil Campaign I played with my older sister and cousins where I was the Cleric that rose from 3rd to 7th level (we started out at 3rd as there were only 3 of us as PCs)....and man, that campaign still stands out as my personal "mecca" experience of D&D....probably mostly due to the fact that I was at that perfect age of 12-17 or so; and my cousin Jason is still the best DM I ever played with (in a live game, anyway!).

As for ability scores and such; I can play any style....as long as everyone knows at the beginning what kind of style it's going to be. In other words; there's nothing worse than thinking up that EPIC story for a character that you plan on trying to take through some world-saving campaign and the DM drops the ol' "Nope, no -10 hp rule here; your dude is toast" in the first adventure after your PC took a max damage roll hit from a Goblin that was rolled up as a random encounter.

On the other hand; if your DM tells you in advance; "hey people; this here is going to be grim and gritty....most characters aren't gonna make it 2nd level; let alone 9th!"......then you don't have as much invested in character creation AND AT THE SAME TIME if the PC with the name; "Redshirt number 11 a.k.a. Meatbag part Quatro" actually makes it to 2nd level; the enjoyment factor is pretty much the same as Epic Joe saving the world again!

[rredmond]

This is likely to be a grimmer and grittier game than I normally run.

Honestly there's a chance for a TPK. If you are careful and strategic, it's a low chance, but you are heading into the lair of hill giants. The hill giants aren't all that smart, but they are cunning (think badass version of Tucker's Kobolds ) and they built their lair... they know it well. But even the best laid plans of any party can go all SNAFU right quick.

Normally my games have had a pretty low mortality, this one can definitely go that way, but the dice are fickle and it could go bad as well. But bad strategy will punish a party with a quick TPK in this module. The first time I played it, that's how it ended. It was terrible, but great at the same time. And we had worked those characters up... that was the end of the campaign. But honestly, one of the best times I remembered of playing D&D in High School. I'll tell the story once it's no longer a spoiler...

[Alethan]

Just be sure to give us rough ideas of how high things are - tables, walls, etc. - any time we enter a new room/location, yah? Will be useful for planning attacks... and for avoiding a complete TPK.

Look, an invisible, leaping retreat should always be a legitimate and viable option!