And Now for the Don’ts

Now for the flip side; here are some things you should try to avoid doing at
the table:

1. Don’t hog the spotlight: If there are four players and a DM at the table, you should assume that you’re entitled to about one-quarter of the DM’s time. If you insist on being the character who scouts every tunnel, tackles every puzzle, talks to every NPC, and dictates the strategy for every fight, you’re being a bore. You’re not the star of the show; D&D is a movie with an ensemble cast, so you have to expect that sometimes other players will get good lines too. It is usually okay to take point on something that your character is the best at, or to role-play a long conversation that is of vital interest to your character, but remember that you’ve got the spotlight, and it is good to share it.

2. Don’t disrespect the other characters: Squabbling over the best magic items in treasure hoards, stealing from inattentive allies, or even trying to kill your fellow party members are staples for the less ethical. Ask yourself though, who wants to use their leisure time to play in a game where their characters get robbed or killed, or, where arguments amongst fellow players are the norm? So don’t slip the DM notes saying that your 10th-level rogue is going to pick the fighter’s pockets when he isn’t looking. Don’t threaten to vaporize your allies with a disintegrate spell if they don’t let you have the +4 ring of protection the evil wizard was wearing. Don’t sneer at people, or run down their characters, or generally go out of your way to let them know how stupid you think they are for being in the same game with you. It doesn’t play well in real life, and it is just as unwelcome at the gaming table.

3. Don’t be a poor loser: It is natural to want to be successful in the game. When things do not go your way, try not to take it personally. Sometimes your character is going to get killed in horrific and spectacular ways. It happens. I am sure most of you have seen more than a few players absolutely enraged by the death of a beloved character. If you play a long-running campaign and get attached to your alter ego in the D&D world, it is only natural to feel disappointed when the game does not go your way. Try to remember, if your character is never in any real danger, there isn’t all that much excitement to any game. On occasion, you are going to have a character get mauled, because the other 90 percent of the time, it is way more exciting to be worried about what is going to happen next.

4. Don’t argue with the DM : The Dungeon Master is not infallible. Sometimes I will remember a rule incorrectly, or forget that you are delaying your action, or overlook an obvious plot hole in the adventure. It is accepted gaming etiquette to let the DM run the game as he or she sees fit. I put a lot of work into making the game fun for everybody else. Try to cut me some slack. That said, you are within your rights to ask a me to check a rule that you think I got wrong. If I insist that I am right, even though you know that under normal circumstances, you are correct, then you need to accept the fact that there are special circumstances of which you may not know. Please do not jump to conclusions and let your anxiety show through raised voices and looks of dismay. Let it slide, and go along with it. That way you don’t stop the game altogether and leave the other players sitting around waiting for the argument to resolve. You can always take up your point later on, after the game session is over. If you think that I am spectacularly wrong, spitefully inconsistent and that I refuse to ever be questioned, You will have to decide if you want to keep playing in my campaign.

5. This dovetails with the last “Don’t”. Don’t meta-game. A player is meta-gaming when he or she uses knowledge that is not available to his or her character, in order to change the way the player plays the character (usually to give them an advantage within the game), such as knowledge of the mathematical nature of character statistics, or the statistics of a creature that the player is familiar with but the character has never encountered. In general, it refers to any gaps between player knowledge and character knowledge which the player acts upon. There was an awful lot of meta-gaming at our last session, with challenges presented to me about why invisibility did not work against Grimlocks, or why a poisoned blade was still poisoned after an initial attack, or why someone was not able to see within the effective area of a darkness spell etc. I would maintain that as a player, it would be best to ask in a calm manner, “Is there a reason why my invisibility does not work against the Grimlock”, as opposed to yelling, “How can he attack me? I am invisible!”. And then making an off-hand remark about how ridiculous it is that you are getting attacked, even though you are invisible.

Behavior: Expectations and Suggestions for all of Us

In articles past, I have suggested things you could do to breathe life into your character. Considering our last session, I think it is necessary to take on the awkward topic of our behavior as players, not just characters, at a game session. The bottom line is, we all want to have fun and we want to help everyone else have fun. None of us wants to be the guy or gal who’s making everyone else miserable. In that vein, I would like to be the first to apologize for being so uptight last weekend. I really did let everything get to me, and at times I snapped at some of you. For that, I am sorry.

I have decided to break this up into a series of articles that I will post daily, here on the blog. I hope you will all read them in the spirit in which they are intended: which is not to insult or demean anyone. I am not going to point fingers nor am I going to call names. I think we all know, myself included, where we can improve.

I’ve decided to start the series with a list of things that we should, as players, be prepared to do when we get together to game. I’ll follow that up with a list of “Don’ts”, tomorrow. Below are some things you can do to contribute to everyone’s gaming experience.

Five dos
1. Be on time. If the game starts at 5:00, please be there at 5:00. If you cannot make it on time, try to give us an idea for when you will get there. If you will be an hour late, your character can join in the festivities when you arrive.

2. Think about what you want to do on your turn while other people are taking their turns: Time is the single most precious commodity at the gaming table. If you take ten minutes to figure out what your perfect move is during each round of every combat you get into, you’re taking more than your share. Instead of everybody getting a chance to bash through five or six exciting encounters in the course of that session, you might limit them to half that many. Plan ahead so that your turns don’t take forever, and everyone gets to play more D&D. The minute your turn ends, start thinking about what you’re going to do on your next turn. If you’re playing a spellcaster, figure out which of your spells you’re likely to use when your turn comes up again. If you’re playing a fighting character, think about which foe you are going to attack, and whether or not you need to maneuver or use any special feats. Sometimes your plans will get spoiled by things that happen when it’s not your turn, but sometimes they won’t, and you’ll give everybody at the table a little more D&D for their time.

3. Do the math ahead of time: By the third or fourth time you’ve attacked with your longsword, you ought to know what your attack bonus is. Ditto for the save DC on that fireball spell you cast three or four times a night. Don’t figure these things out from scratch each time you pick up the Dice; be proactive and organized. Look at the actions you undertake all the time, and add up your bonuses and modifiers before you come to the table. No one minds too much if you don’t know your character’s grapple check modifier off the top of your head, but you shouldn’t have to figure out your modified attack roll each and every time you make an attack.

4. Stay on target, stay focused, and stay in the game: Every D&D game features at least some amount of senseless cutting up and Monty Python movie quotes for no particular reason. Gaming is fun; it is a social activity. Part of the reason you’re at the table is because you enjoy the company of the people you’re gaming with, and you want to socialize. But try to recognize when people are trying to move the game along and get somewhere, and when people are kicking back and shooting the breeze or watching the Rangers game on TV. When the game is on, pay attention to what is going down. If the Dungeon Master is talking, pay attention! Nothing is more annoying than a DM giving a crucial encounter set-up, adventure background, or key bit of NPC conversation, only to have to repeat himself numerous times because people weren’t listening, or, they were having their own separate discussion, or, they were away from the game.

5. Help your friends to shine: This one is a little tough. When you have the chance to grab the spotlight, it is natural to want to do exactly that. But sometimes it is actually more rewarding to let another player at the table have that moment in the sun. Try to look out for situations that a particular character is suited for, and defer to that other character if you can. Every character at the table is the best at something, so let your friends show off at the things their characters do best.

Saturday Re-Cap

1. The Arcane Spell Duel

The battle started with Solanthos winning the initiative. Casting a sculpted web, he attempted to web both Gallamead and Lin’Thalus. Lin’Thalus made his reflex save and was able to get out of the webbed area. Gallamead was not so fortunate and became stuck in the web. Lin’Thalus turned himself invisible and waited to see what happened. Solanthos nuked Gallamead a few times and she took some damage. After about 5 rounds, she rolled a 20 and was able to break free. However, doing so is a full round action, so, she was not able to get clear of the webbed area. As soon as she freed herself, Lin’Thalus cast Legion of Sentinals on her and then Solanthos fired a nuke at Lin’Thalus. Gallamead unfortunately, neglected to remember that drinking a potion attracts attacks of opportunities. (So, even though I explained to Gallamead that she needed to 5-foot step it out and then withdraw to a safe location. . .and, even though I told her that drinking a potion would attract AoOs) Gallamead drank the potion, attracting 8 attacks of opportunity. She died.

Now, according to the rules, the Lin’Thalus could now be killed and Solanthos would not have to pull his punches, because Lin’Thalus had summoned a group of monsters with whom he could not communicate. Because of this, the Legion of Sentinals did not attempt to do sub-dual damage. Solanthos and Lin’Thalus continued to battle each other, depleting their spells. However, rather than continue the fight, Solanthos agreed to surrender to Lin’Thalus, so that Lin’thalus could win his wager. In exchange, Solanthos agreed to pay Lin’thalus additional coin, for the rights to the rune staff of travel.

2. The Aftermath

Immediately following the battle, Lin’Thalus dispelled his invisibility in order to claim the rune staff. However, a darkness spell engulfed the judge and the area in which he stood, and a group of Grimlocks came bursting onto the scene from the several stairs that open into the arena floor. They attacked and killed the judge. 8 of them were slain, but, two got away with the rune staff. Fearing that they would lose the scent of the Grimlocks, the party had to forego rest.

3. The Grimlock’s Warehouse

Following Peta’s nose, the group (sans the dead wizard) trailed the grimlocks to an abandoned warehouse in the city’s south side. Orien fortunately cast a daylight spells that ensured the grimlock’s use of darkness would be negated. Gyrr kept calling for the capture of at least one prisoner, but, the rest of the party was apparently too overcome by bloodlust. The ensuing battle left the grimlock forces comepletely slain. In addition, karma saw to it, the end of Lin’Thalus, who died from a grimlock assassin’s poisoned blades.

As the heir to Lin'Thalus belongings, Korik has decided to keep all of Lin'Thalus' money. So, 3200 GP plus the 1400 GP in winnings from the wager that Lin'Thalus made, all go to Korik. However, Korik made all of Lin'Thalus other possessions fair game. As such, Solanthos kept the rune staff and the gloves of starry night. there is a ring of feather fall and a couple of wands still available. Orien also won the roll for Gallamead's ring of wizardry I. He mentioned that this more than made up for the loss of money that he had wagered on Solanthos to win the spell duel.

A few questions have been brought up by a couple of party members.

1. Why did the Grimlocks attack?

2. Who tipped off the Grimlocks so that they knew about the rune staff?

As Shooma the dwarf had mentioned to you in a couple of sessions past, there had been a number of unsolved murders that occurred in the south side of town. It just so happens that the grimlock warehouse was in the south district. With the Grimlocks deaths, is Brindinford safe once again?

Gyrr has muttered under his breath that it would have been nice to take a prisoner to question. He has suggested that you hire someone to cast a spell that would allow you to speak with one of the dead grimlocks in the hopes of getting some answers.

The Forgotten History of the Sheldomar Valley

Vecna and the Cult of Ashardalon:

The following lore has been gleaned from a number of sources, including reliable reports concerning inscriptions and wall paintings found within ancient burial sites in the southern Lorridges, as well as oral histories. Due to the rarity of such sources, the secrecy with which they have been guarded, and the generally vague nature of the clues left behind, it is difficult to prove with absolute certainty the accuracy of the following historical reconstruction, and even more difficult to determine the specific dates when the events in question allegedly occurred. Where no sources were available to shed light on historical developments, a healthy dose of logical inference and scholarly license filled in the cracks. How much is myth, how much truth? You, judicious reader, must decide… but remember that many lives have been lost gathering, transcribing, and diffusing this lore over the ages, as certain parties would prefer to see all references to the personages found in this work utterly eradicated from the memories of both the living and the dead. Others would simply horde it for their own, inscrutable ends. I know not how much longer I shall enjoy life on this Oerth, but I pray that you, brave reader, shall pledge yourself to putting the forbidden knowledge now in your hands to wise and good use.

In your trust,

--Gilidarius the sage, 10 Fireseek, CY 581

During the early days of the Whispered One’s reign, a confederacy of Flan tribes known as the Mara ruled the small “kingdom” of Burgred (later corrupted to Burgess by Suloise and Oeridian scholars). Even before the Whispered One transcended the limits of mortality and massed an army that would establish his dominion in the Sheldomar Valley and beyond, the Mara (who in some songs and poems are held to have occupied lands near the frontier presently demarcating the territories of the Gran March and Bissel) had witnessed a gradual increase in martial activity near the great wetlands to the south. Companies of savage warriors from far and away, and even some of the more peaceful and long time allies of the Mara answered the summons of the powerful, but secretive, sorcerer that had united the oft mist-shrouded territories adjacent to the great wetlands.

It is said that the Mara king Welnarek IV (who in some accounts is called, somewhat confusingly, King Burgred or King of Burgess) firmly yet politely declined repeated invitations from the Secret Lord’s envoys to attend His court in the Spidered Pavilion. Instead, he began to negotiate an alliance with his peoples’ traditional enemies in the highlands (in what today is the southern Lorridges), a barbarous, dragon-worshipping folk. The Ddraigasa (“People of the Dragon”), as the hill folk were called, had also declined the Secret Lord’s overtures. Yet increasingly alarming rumours from the south continued to travel north to the Mara and Ddraigasa, some going so far as to assert that the Secret Lord had recently conquered even death itself…

King Welnarek IV, last king of Burgred, made a pact with the leader of his peoples’ traditional enemies, the powerful wizard-king Gulthias. The wizard-king, who effectively had fulfilled the role of priest among his people for many decades, ensured that the hill folk continued to revere the great wyrm Ashardalon as their ancestors had—a rare glimpse of the magnificent and terrifying dragon had a greater impact on the Ddraigasa than did the subtle responses of unseen gods. Ashardalon was revered as a tribal protector, and also out of fear—the last thing the tribesmen wanted was to call the wrath of the great wyrm upon themselves through negligence. As a condition of the pact with Gulthias and the hill folk, the Mara King and his people were required to renounce their ties to the Old Faith and to convert to the worship of Ashardalon. In exchange, the Mara could build strongholds along the western and southern edges of the Ddraigasa’s highland territory, and obtained a pledge of mutual defence from their former foes. King Welnarek would have the authority to command Ddraigasa forces on the battlefield, while Gulthias held ultimate authority over his peoples and would summon the wyrm to their aid. Thus, the first and only “significant” anti-Vecnate resistance movement was born. While the majority of the Mara willingly submitted to this pact, a small number of Mara tribes led by one, Saithnar, rejected it and sought refuge in the Dim Forest, where they hoped to avoid the conflict altogether by obtaining the protection of the druidess Dydd the Wise. To her credit, the druidess supposedly had protested the endorsement of the Whispered One by Old Faith leaders. As it would turn out, Saithnar acquired the epithet of “Warlord” for waging his own bloody but short-lived campaign against the Vecnate forces that invaded the woods.

As the Whispered One’s influence spread throughout the Sheldomar, so did the strength of the Cult of Ashardalon. Many Flan tribesmen (Mara and non-Mara) who had not yet been enslaved by the Lich Lord’s forces preferred to take their chances by siding with a dangerous yet magnificent dragon and his cult rather than with a tyrannical, undead sorcerer king (or the morally bankrupt Old Faith). It was a choice between the presumed lesser of two great evils. The noniz and dwur of the region, however, wisely chose to retreat into their strongholds due to the lack of trust they felt towards the various human factions. Such is the human perspective, anyway, which allegedly has been contested by the bearded folk. Unbeknownst to King Welnarek and other well intentioned Mara rebels, Gulthias also had aspirations of conquest and domination over the Sheldomar.

Ashardalon’s cult had erected great fortifications and centres of worship in the Lorridges that pre-dated the Whispered One’s reign: the greatest among them were the hidden tower called Draco Spire and Citadel Ddraig (“Dragon,” now known as the Sunless Citadel) in the foothills to the southwest. The worksmanship of the structures suggested that external influences, probably draconic, were involved in their design, because their scale and level of sophistication were unusual given the presumed technological level of most Sheldomar-area Flan tribes during the pre-Migrations era. Some theorize that Ashardalon himself provided Gulthias and his ancestors with the knowledge required to build the fortifications. Sages also have linked burial mounds and the remains of ritual circles found within a 30 mile radius of Citadel Ddraig to the dragon worshippers and their allies. King Welnarek IV and his people barely had the time to build Castle Overlook and a few watchtowers before the Vecnate forces conquered their homeland and invaded the high country, only three years after the Whispered One proclaimed himself Emperor of the Flanaess and marched his armies north… and the same year that the King of the Mara refused the Lich Lord his bloody tribute.

Historians claim the Lich Lord traveled only in the company of a then young but particularly dedicated officer named Kas to Castle Overlook, and proceeded to single-handedly destroy the small fort with his powerful magics; he reportedly had done the same to the traditional lands of the Mara. Ashardalon then took to the field and fought the Arch-Lich, setting the entire plateau ablaze with his fiery breath. Yet despite the dragon’s might, the Lich Lord stood victorious. Ashardalon fled the battlefield and abandoned his worshippers, judging that the lives of a few devout followers were not worth saving at the risk of losing his own quasi-immortality.

Shortly after Castle Overlook’s defeat, the Whispered One’s forces conquered Citadel Ddraig and put its occupants to the sword. Thinking that Citadel Ddraig was the headquarters for the resistance, the Lich Lord himself sunk the stronghold into the earth in order to demonstrate His symbolic triumph over the dragon, and to ensure that the structure could never again fall into enemy hands and be used against His troops.

Having escaped Castle Overlook shortly before it fell to the enemy, King Welnarek IV rallied a small band of followers to make a last stand alongside Gulthias’s Ddraigasa on the grounds below Citadel Ddraig. King Welnarek IV, who had thus far resisted repeated magical assaults by the Whispered One thanks to the legendary powers of his crown, perished under Kas’s blade while the Lich Lord laid the citadel low. Gulthias himself seems to have been absent during this final battle. While a handful of loyal soldiers who survived the conflict managed to retrieve King Welnarek’s remains, concealing them in a remote location in the hills while awaiting a safer time to conduct a proper interment, the Lich Lord walked away with the Mara King’s still-crowned head.

Their strongholds captured or destroyed, their leaders slain or vanished, Vecnate forces teeming the hills, the last of the dragon-worshipping Ddraigasa and of King Welnarek’s retinue scattered throughout the Lorridges and Lortmils, seeking shelter in whatever nooks and crannies they could find. A brave few conducted occasional guerrilla raids against the Vecnate forces, causing as much harm as a lone fly around a horse’s tail. They consequently were ignored by the victors. The Vecnate troops had little interest in pursuing the scattered rebel bands, due to their insignificance to the empire’s safety and expansion. The southern Lorridges were considered conquered and secure territory, and the Mara and their kingdom—like so many other Flan kingdoms of the epoch—never recovered.

The Whispered One left a large garrison at Castle Overlook, due to its strategic location overlooking both the Lorridges as far as the foot of the Lortmils, and the northern plains of present day Gran March. Having defeated the greatest threat that would ever challenge His new reign, the Lich Lord retreated to the confines of His Rotted Tower in the Rushmoors, trusting His lieutenants to expand His realm and to rule in His name while He pursued His arcane studies. Over the course of subsequent centuries, the Lich Lord’s Empire spread north and east, extending (nominally, at least) from the southernmost reaches of the Sheldomar Valley to the shores of the Nyr Dyv. The victorious army of the Whispered One remodelled Castle Overlook to better suit their strategic needs, and the remains of Citadel Ddraig fell into forgotten ruin, swallowed by the Oerth.
The death of Ashardalon

Gulthias and some of his highest ranking acolytes, however, were back in the hidden stronghold of DracoSpire when the battle for Citadel Ddraig took place. As the dragon fled the battlefield, he commanded Gulthias to make ready for his eventual return. Gulthias’s devotion to Ashardalon turned into complete obsession.
One day, years later (as told in the Saithasnal), Ashardalon perished from a wound he sustained while battling the druidess Dydd in the Dim Forest. Fandorth the Elder has surmised that Ashardalon sought the druidess out because he blamed her for “causing a schism” among his new Mara followers, which contributed to their defeat at the hands of the Vecnate forces. She therefore was a prime scapegoat and target for the vengeance he so craved following the virtual annihilation of both the Ddraigasa and the Mara. In his great arrogance, the wyrm underestimated the power of the druidess, thinking her and her acolytes far weaker a target than the Lich Lord. His arrogance proved to be his undoing. Upon securing proof of the dragon's demise after years of absence, Gulthias and his cultists eventually followed their draconic master into oblivion, ritualistically converting DracoSpire into a mass tomb prior to committing mass suicide

The location of DracoSpire is as of yet, unknown, but, speculation places it hidden deep within the Lortmil Mountains, hidden by powerful magic.

History may well have forgotten the story of Ashardalon and his followers completely, save for rumors that Gulthias has returned in the form of a vampire. . .

Character Building: What's Your Motivation?

A Great quiz just came out from WoTC. John Gooch was kind enough to let me see it, and, I have decided to post it here for your benefit.

Every D&D player agrees that the game provides a unique kind of enjoyment and satisfaction, unlike anything you get from other forms of entertainment. Different types of players, however, are motivated to play by the different experiences they get out of the game.
There are eight basic player motivation categories:
actor, explorer, investigator, power gamer, slayer, story-teller, thinker and watcher. Which one are you? Take the quiz below and find out.

Instructions

For each question, choose the answer that best applies. If you cannot decide between two options, choose them both. Then, find your answers on the key at the end of the survey. Add up the number of answers you gave for each motivation to see how important that motivation is for you.

1. Deep in the Underdark, your party pursues a wizard who has betrayed you. Footprints lead in one direction, but, you hear something coming down the tunnel. You say:
A. “Let’s ambush whatever’s coming, because we know that will be a fight. We could waste hours of time in these passages without seeing a single foe.”
B. “My lust for revenge burns like alchemist fire. Each moment it remains unquenched, I suffer. If these footprints might belong to my enemy, I must follow.”
C. “The approaching noise is probably a mindless predator drawn by our lights. Our contact in the mage’s guild said the wizard had apprentices. If these footprints aren’t our foe’s, they might have been left by a student who could lead us to him.”
D. “According to my map, the tunnel leads to the duergar city. I see nowhere else the wizard might be headed. Let’s get there first and learn something about the city that we can use against him when he arrives.”

2. Another player wants to set up an ambush in preparation for an upcoming combat encounter. Which argument is most persuasive?
A. With a surprise round and a good initiative check, your rogue will get the advantage of two attacks, maybe three with an AoO, before the enemies attack.
B. Surrounding your enemies prevents them from escaping and spreading word of your presence, which could prevent problems later.
C. It gives you a chance to describe how your character learned to set up camouflage blinds and decoys while growing up on the Selintan River.
D. The friend who proposed the ambush has not been able to get the party to follow her suggestions lately.

3. Talks with the prince of the Efreet broke down, and, now the party has to fight its way out of the City of Brass. What explains the breakdown?
A. No one in the party is trained in diplomacy, even though you told the paladin to forego training in the heal skill in lieu of the diplomacy skill
B. Who cares?. It’s time to stop talking kick some Efreeti ass! (AARRGH)
C. During the conversation with the prince, you learned that he opposes another faction that might be able to assist you. Publicly making an enemy of him will help you befriend his rivals.
D. The party had all of the information it needed from the prince, so you could care less if you’ve now offended him.

4. During a session, the DM notices you writing something. You show him:
A. A map of the dungeon with detailed notes
B. A list of suspects responsible for the mysterious crime wave hitting your home city.
C. A note to the DM, describing how you want to plant a forged love-letter from the goblin empress in one of your comrade’s backpacks.
D. Funny things people said during the session, to be added to the campaign’s quotation list.

5. Which of these behaviors from other players bugs you the most?
A. Talking out of character during intense role-playing moments.
B. Moving into a square that prevents your character from maneuvering into a flanking position.
C. Putting you on the spot to make an important decision for the group.
D. Forgetting the name of the duke’s chamberlain during a tense negotiation.

6. It really makes your day when you:
A. Discover a hidden sublevel to a dungeon that other characters passed by without noticing.
B. Hear the other players talking about a crazy situation you got them into months ago.
C. Use what you’ve learned about the enemy to manipulate them into fighting each other instead of you.
D. Roll back-to-back critical hits and drop an enemy before it takes a swing at you.

7. When you level up, how do you prefer to choose new feats, spells, abilities, etc.?
A. Visit a character optimization forum and find the options that will make you the most powerful you can be.
B. Think about what best fits the things your character might have learned based on the last few sessions.
C. Get advice from the DM or another player.
D. Figure out the maximum damage that each one can do and pick the biggest number.

8. Why might you choose to seek out an intelligent artifact?
A. The potential for conflict between its goals and yours offers great role-playing opportunities.
B. It has a mind of its own, and following its impulses is sure to keep things interesting and unpredictable.
C. Finding it requires a long exciting process of researching buried secrets and interpreting clues.
D. It is the last link to a forgotten world of the past, and, it might know secrets of an ancient culture.

9. A dispute has arisen among your fellow players. What would most make you want to resolve it?
A. People are starting to take it personally and you want everyone to get along.
B. The disagreement is taking time away from exciting combat.
C. Success in D&D depends on teamwork, and, an unresolved conflict makes cooperation more difficult.
D. Your character has been through a lot with this party and the dispute imperils those hard won bonds of fellowship.

10. The most important feature of a dungeon is:
A. A complex non-linear layout, with branching paths, hidden areas and alternate routes.
B. Puzzles, clever traps and opportunities to gain a strategic advantage through good planning.
C. Rooms full of chests to search and doors to open; preferably during combat.
D. A rich history and intricate relationships among the dungeon denizens.

Scoring Key:
Actor: 1B, 2C, 5A, 8A, 9D
Explorer: 1D, 4A, 6A, 8D, 10A
Instigator: 3D, 4C, 6B, 8B, 10C
Power gamer: 2A, 3A, 5B, 7A, 9C
Slayer: 1A, 3B, 6D, 7D, 9B
Storyteller: 1C, 3C, 5D, 7B, 10D
Thinker: 2B, 4B, 6C, 8C, 10B
Watcher: 2D, 4D, 5C, 7C, 9A

Scoring your Motivation

Add up the number of points you scored for each motivation.

4-5: This is a primary motivation for you. Let us know what your primary motivatin was.
2-3: This is a secondary motivation for you. You enjoy occasional events that satisfy this type of player, but, you get bored without some variety in the DM’s approach
0-1: This is not your motivation. At best, you tolerate events designed for this type of player, but, you are always itching to get back to what

Creating a Persona

Dungeons and Dragons, in its most recent editions, has lent itself to un-imaginary mechanics. That's not to say the game was designed to do this, oh no. In my experience of 30 years+ of gaming, I have seen a change in the way Dungeons and Dragons is played. Prior to the second edition, where the use of table-top miniatures was introduced on a large scale, most encounters were handled strictly through role-playing. There were no detailed mechanics in place to handle many of the types of scenarios which a DM was required to adjudicate. Thus, everything was acted by the players and by the Dungeon Master. This turned out to be a weakness in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, because, to the dismay of many players, sometimes the DM would already have a need to have an encounter end in one particular way, no matter how many sound and reasonable precautions a party took. This is why the introduction of many of the 3rd edition core mechanics was welcomed by players and dungeon masters alike.

The drawback to having comprehensive rules for just about every action a PC could devise is that the rolls made for skill checks, ability checks etc., have become a crutch. Now, when younger players hear the expression "Role-Playing Game", they interpret the phrase to be "Roll-Playing Game". There is a big difference between the two, and, those who play in accordance with the "Roll-Play" method, are missing out on the most rewarding aspect of the game: Creating a persona for yourself and becoming your alter-ego during your gaming session. It is one thing to have a vague image of what you think your character looks like. It is an entirely different thing to be able to portray your character in such a way that your fellow players are able to see your character come to life. Accomplishing a new persona makes for a much richer and memorable character, and, in turn, makes your gaming sessions more fulfilling.

The big question then, is, how does the novice fantasy role-player go about creating a persona?

1. Choose a Culture
Try to learn a little bit about the game world in which your character resides. Knowing a little about an area’s history might help, but, if that is not possible, have your character’s culture mimic a culture from Earth’s past. Let your DM know what it is you want to be, and perhaps he or she can help you find a suitable country of origin.
2. Select a Name
Once you have selected a culture, you are ready to select a name for yourself. Each culture has its own naming practices, or manner in which names were given. To fit into the persona you are creating, and if you have the time, you should investigate the culture, read history on the area, and see what kind of names people associated with that era utilized
3. Fleshing Out the Details
Having a good back-story is a start. Some people confuse the idea of having a back-story with having a complete personality, but, no matter how good the back-story, it is, and can only ever be, a foundation. If I were to meet you for the first time, and say, “Hello, my name is Bob, and I was born in New York 20 years ago and I was orphaned at birth.”, does that tell you anything about the kind of person that I am today? A back-story should give your character drive and motivation. It should leave a few details open to the possibility that the DM might incorporate your story into his campaign. Ask yourself though a few things:
Does my character have an accent (If so, practice speaking in this accent)
Does my new persona have a weakness
Is my character quick to anger or more measured
Is my character likely to be swayed by beauty
Does my persona have any fears
What is it that my character likes most in other people
What does he/she hate most
Does my character have any habits
Does my character use catch-phrases or quote others

The key is, when you think of a good character from a book, movie, or TV, you will always find that the particular character has a number of strengths, weaknesses etc. In fact, I have suggested to a number of people that a good way to create a persona for your character is to borrow from TV or movies. The key is, you will never know how good you can be at becoming someone else, until you give it a try.

A Piece of the Action

With the arrival of Korik, Gallamead, Orien and Ymir, your party was ready to make a second assault on the den of the wererats, in the bell tower. Strategy became fairly important, as you realized the difficulties of close-quarter combat in the five foot corriders afforded to you. Those of your party who were subjected to the rear, found that they rarely were able to get a piece of the action: something to think about in the future. Gyrr earned his paycheck; cleaving through foe after foe. Even in a fight on the roof against a quartet of gargoyles, Gyrr's stealy nerve left its mark on their wretched hides. The wererat menace now destroyed, you found nothing to suggest a motive for their attacks on the local populace. Perhaps Shooma will have some insights.

As your party rests, in the Stony Gaze Inn and Tavern, from your recent battle with the wererats, correspondence has come for masters Solanthos and Lin’Thalus and for lady Gallamead. The town of Brindinford has prepared a spell duel for arcanists of all types, during the month-long fair. Each of you three have received special invitations to participate in this non-lethal duel. The contest is designed to allow you each to demonstrate your skill, while at the same time, providing the crowds with a most marvelous spectacle. The winner of the contest will receive a special trophy and an as-of-yet unnamed magical item. In order to participate, each of you must agree to the following conditions:

• Death effects are forbidden, including effects that entail a serious risk of killing or permanently incapacitating the opponent outright, such as disintegrate or internal fire.
• Spells with any energy descriptor, the force descriptor, or the shadow descriptor are voluntarily “pulled,” dealing half normal damage.
• Spells that require melee attack rolls can strike to subdue within the specific formal conventions of the spell duel,taking a –4 penalty on attack rolls but dealing non-lethal damage instead of normal damage.
• Summoned creatures must be directed to strike to subdue, taking a –4 penalty on attack rolls but dealing non-lethal damage against an opposing duelist (though summoned creatures are free to fight other summoned creatures to the best of their abilities). As such, a caster in a non-lethal duel cannot summon creatures that he cannot communicate with or control.
• Spells that create an incapacitating condition (sleep, for example) are voluntarily dismissed or dispelled by an official after one combatant has been rendered unable to continue, resulting in a loss for that combatant. Spells that incapacitate but allow a save each round (such as hold person) are allowed to persist, potentially giving one caster a severe advantage as he pummels his opponent with spell after spell.
• Understand that even under rigorous guidelines, non-lethal spell duels are not always safe. Some mages have died from injuries inflicted by a careless (or surprisingly lucky) foe.
• Understand that the restrictions of a non-lethal spell duel are voluntarily observed by each participant; nothing can stop a dishonorable or desperate duelist from abandoning observation of the non-lethal forms at any point during the proceedings. Intentionally casting spells for full effect during a non-lethal duel is regarded as poor form at best, though, and once one duelist abandons the non-lethal restrictions, the other is free to escalate as well, with no besmirching of
his or her own honor.

The spell duel takes place on the day following your receipt of the invitations.