Dragon Tree Blog

AMLA, Graf, etc

2007-05-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, I would be very happy to see my email on the blog. I know AMLA didn't have anything to do with the original D&D A1-4 modules but when I added this 'parent company' to the mix it made an interesting game turn into a real spy mission. Uncovering facts and trying to figure out if the main company even knew about the financing of the slave lords or if this was just some junior baron executive using the company funds to try to make a little extra profit on the side. Where are the company headquarters? Who do you have to talk to? Who is the head of the company? At this point you can take your campaign in virtually any direction. Modules become easy to introduce. You don't have to have a catch or lure. The players are practically torturing and killing to get to the next adventure and add one more piece to the puzzle.

A whole book about non lethal traps :-0. I wonder where that came from? Catching adventurers for slaves? What a great idea!! I'm ordering my copy today.

AMLA has saved many a beloved character in the past and has, for the most part, been an outstanding company in my campaign. The best part about using these names and ideas is that very few players today have ever heard of Dragontree. I know this is probably not good news for you (sales I mean),

But for dungeon masters like me these books are GOLD! Unless you know what you are looking for you can't find these things. It's not like you can go the local bookstore and just order a copy to figure out how to avoid these traps. Also putting these items in at random into a module not only makes play interesting but if you do have the sneaky player who has purchased a copy of the module and is going just by the information in it there can be some nasty surprises in store for them. The maps they have are now complete but dangerous to follow. Kind of like having a map made by a party many years ago and now some new residences have moved in.

Just from memory I added a floating, flaming, horned skull to a module. You should have seen the array of spells, arrows, flying axes and other missile weapons flying toward this thing. All so the local mage could invite them to a special dinner. When it spoke its invitation and floated off I could not believe the reaction. It was not in any monster manual nor was it described in any other adventure, tome, or dungeon masters guide they had ever seen. I got comments like "Thats it?!?!? Were invited to dinner???" and my favorite "What do you mean that wasn't a monster??!!!!"

Can you tell me any more about GRAF or your character? I know I probably have to get the books.

I envy the games you must have been involved in. It sounds to me like there was a lot of imagination going on there. I am collecting as many of the books as I can and I will check out the blog today. For now I would like to thank you for giving me a way to point my players' imagination in a direction outside the 'normal' realm of just rules and dice throws and to be prepared because not all things are monsters. Just because you can't detect a curse in the bigmouth sword (that still radiates very strong magic) does not mean its not there.

Book of Artifacts????

2007-05-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

I am what you might call an OLD school player. I have been playing D&D for about 27 years (my god, has it been that long?!?!?). When I first started playing I was looking for any kind of way to try and spice up my adventures for my friends. Then one day I went into my local hobby store and saw the Dragontree books. So what did I do? Like a novice adventurer I picked up the most interesting looking book and started reading it. It was the Book of Artifacts. I was instantly immersed in a world of Dungeons and Dragons that was unlike any other I had ever seen. Spell casting arrows (that were really funny to throw into an adventure at just the right moment) and bigmouth swords that got you into more trouble than out of. Or best of all was this Amazon Company that seemed to be interested in trade (or maybe behind some of the more sinister parts of the main D&D world). Who did finance the Slave Lords (modules A1-4)? I know that some of my uses were probably not what you intended but it sure kept my players interested.

So the years went by. My friends stopped playing. I went to college. But still these books were on my shelf. Collecting a little dust. Every now and then I would take one down and reread it. Over time I lost track of the most interesting book I had ever owned. Now, years later, I have a group of friends who want to play. I volunteered to be Dungeon Master. I started pulling out my old books and getting some new ones (now where is that old book of artifacts?). It had been so long that I didnt even remember who printed it. Getting most of my things from Ebay I was looking through this list of items and something clicked. What was that? A book from Dragontree press? Yes!!! Spell books and adventures. Cool! But. . . But . . . Where is it? The Book of Artifacts?

So here are my questions: Do you have any copies of the Book of Artifacts? Are you going to print any? Where can I get more information about the campaigns that these books were based on?

In works -- Character Class: Yogi

2007-01-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Character Class: Yogi

Initiate (1)
Novice (2)
Student (3)
Ascetic (4)
Monk (5)
Faquir (6)
Adept (7) no gender contact restrictions / improper contact sends adept back to novice
Guru (8)
Master (9) shift illusion
Boddhisattva (10) does not shift illusion, shifts expectations / attitudes
Avatar (revert, prey to illusion, etc)

Yogis do NOT gain points by fighting but may lose points (and levels) for excessive violence.

Some illusions he may never see, never know what the party is talking about. He may also confuse the party by telling them "Everything is illusion." But if questioned, he can distinguish that some illusions are more illusory than others.
Can go without food for long times, but when he does eat, it must be vegetarian (or meat from animals that have died of natural causes). Similar restrictions on use of leather and similar animal products.
May require much hot tea, milk, and butter.

Initiate (1)
Gains +1 to charm and constitution
+1 if declaring attempt to disbelieve
+2 bonus on saves versus charm
+1 bonus on saves versus poison
can communicate with advanced (Monk and above) yogis using mental contact
can heal others of injury, poisons, etc at 1d6 points / round
can heal insanity (25% chance/attempt but only once per hour)
Novice (2)
Gains +1 to charm and dexterity (cumulative)
detect alignment / sense evil, anger, lust,
+2 if declaring attempt to disbelieve
can heal others of injury, poisons, etc at 2d6 points / round
can heal insanity (35% chance/attempt but only once per hour)
Sadhu (3)
Gains +1 to charm, dexterity and constitution (cumulative)
wanderer, only temporal weapon is buckhorn (antler), +3 to strike / 1d10 damage
able to redirect anger, hunger, lust, etc in others (including companions)
+4 if declaring attempt to disbelieve
can heal others of injury, poisons, etc at 3d6 points / round
can heal insanity (45% chance/attempt but only once per hour)
+1 on initiative, can hear attackers
Ascetic (4)
Gains +1 to charm, dexterity and constitution (cumulative)
able to block anger, hunger, lust, etc in others (including companions)
Disbelieve illusions, +5 to succeed
Detect illusions, +2 to succeed
Detect bluff / lies / fear
can heal others of injury, poisons, etc at 4d6 points / round
can heal insanity (55% chance/attempt but only once per hour)
+2 on initiative, can hear / smell attackers
Monk (5)
Gains +1 to charm, dexterity, constitution and wisdom (cumulative)
Levitation, and ability to generate body heat to keep himself warm and even melt snow -- but only when sitting in proper lotus position, and wearing nothing but a loin cloth. (He can also warm others, but may be forbidden to touch the opposite sex.)
May initiate new yogis
Detect bluff / lies / fear, +3 to succeed
can heal others of injury, poisons, etc at 5d6 points / round
can heal insanity (75% chance/attempt but only once per hour)
+3 on initiative, can hear / smell / feel attackers
Faquir (6)
Mystic rope, bed of nails, burial, levitation of self
Project illusions, -3 to disbelieve,
Detect illusions, +3 to succeed
Gains +1 to charm and wisdom (cumulative), no additional pluses to dex and constitution, intelligence and strength do not change
+4 on initiative, limited clairvoyance
Adept (7)
here and up they are gaining in wisdom and charisma, not dex and cons
levitation of objects
will never attack physically any other being
no sex contact restrictions / improper contact sends adept back to novice
can not lose initiative, full clairvoyance
Guru (8)
able to satisify anger, hunger, lust, etc in others (including companions)
levitation of others
summon gods
charm person, minuses to save
practice tantric sex
may be accompanied by one or more lower level yogis
immune to poisons
heal insanity (95%)
senses intentions of others, –5 to strike
Master (9)
dismiss gods, demons, ill spirits shift illusion
may be accompanied by one or more gurus (and all attendant yogis)
cures poisons
causes attacks to fumble, blocks intentions of others, 90% or better required to attack any Master
Boddhisattva (10)
enlighten gods, demons, ill sp;irits etc (change their alignment)
does not shift illusion, shifts expectations / attitudes
charm supernatural beings
may be accompanied by one or more masters (and all attendant yogis)
practice tantric sex
alters poisons
heal completely self or others
Avatar (11)
01-25% – blinded by self-illusion, reverts to novice, loses all bonuses, skills, etc
26-50% – reincarnated (fresh start as child)
51-75% – trapped on the god-realm, must contend with other gods, too busy to mettle in the affairs of men, elves, dwarves, etc.
76-00% – steps beyond worldly concerns entirely, physically translated (nirvana)

rules for throwing a flaming chair?

2007-01-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

Someone was talking about Tunnels & Trolls' simplified combat system and saying if you want to throw a flaming chair there is nothing to stop you.

My comment:

I'd rather see free-form play than rules for everything, but this seems a little extreme. Suppose next round someone wants to do something else with the flaming chair: how do we know where it landed or whether it fell apart or what? I guess you could roll for that retroactively next round, but I'd rather hear the results when it's first thrown.

Too extreme in the other direction imo would be looking up some special rules for that character having some relevant Feat (carpenter? fire-swallower?) etc; I'd rather have a few simple basic Attrbutes to roll for nearly any action:
Roll Dex with minuses to pick up the awkward unfamiliar object.
Made it? - Okay, you pick it up without catching yourself on fire.
Roll Int to deal with throwing it without breaking it or getting smoke in your own eyes.
Made it? - Okay you throw it more or less in the right direction.
[DM rolls for condition of the chair, whether it comes apart in flight anyway.]
Roll to Hit with minuses.
Made it? - Okay. [DM considers opponent's vulnerability to fire, rolls for his damage.] The opponent's robes catch fire, he flees, dragging the flaming chair behind him as it is entangled in his robes.

This gives us a vivid picture of what is involved, and gives plenty of chances for something to go wrong in a vivid way. But no one has to look things up in the book, because the DM is basically winging the plusses and minuses. If the character IS a carpenter or something, he can state that as he picks up the chair, and the DM will consider that while winging the adjustment to his Dex role.

So am I Old School, huh, huh?

Old School Homebrew

2007-01-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to think we're Old School Homebrew and proud of it.

By these sorts of definitions, anyway:
http://knights-n-knaves.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1546

The gods help the innocent....

2007-01-14T22:49:00.000-08:00

... but it can take a while, and be a whole new quest....

In our play, we don't stop to look things up in books. If the DM makes a hasty ruling and something bad happens to a character, and the player later shows the DM it was quite wrong ... there's no reversal, no ret-con. What happened, happened. "Must have been some sort of glitch in the local mana, or some evil demon sabotage...."

What there is, is plenty of gods and temples and high powered magic users. In the next game, or between games, the injured party (or his survivors) can go looking for help and intervention till they find some. Which will have a price of its own, some new task or quest.

Whether the disaster was a mistake of the DM or of the player or plain bad luck -- anything can be repaired or restored eventually, if the player or the survivors care enough to keep trying.

(This has been described quite unfairly we believe, as 'You can keep throwing good characters after bad as long as you like.')

"Resolution Lag", or "What are you doing, 5,4,3,2...?"

2007-01-14T22:33:00.000-08:00

Well, actually, "Resolution Lag" is when the DM is taking too long to decide what happened. We're fair, and the gods of Delos tend to help the innocent, sooner or later. But fairness, in a percentage and fumble world, can include a lot of random factors. When the game looks like bogging down (and people start opening rule books), we tend to assign some sort of percentage, roll for it, and get on with the action.

Another help to getting on with it, is deciding WHICH details to roll for first. For example, if someone is falling onto a field of Black Tentacles, how much impact damage they might protect him from becomes kind of moot if the tentacles win initiatlve and kill him before he reaches the ground....

Monster File, AMLA, and Desert Plots on website

2007-01-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

Found these in storage and listed them on the website. Have a dozen or so each, dunno if we'll reprint them or not.

Book of Plots, whole

2007-01-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

Looks like we can get the whole original Book of Plots reissued soon. A local printer has done a good scan from the first edition and is bidding on making some new ones. They will be just like the first edition except parchment covers instead of bright red.

So anyone who has recently bought the first edition at collectors' price, I'll exchange and refund the difference if they like.

Also there's now one unique collectors' copy of the first edition: the one that was scanned, that has a handwritten note on the title page saying "scanning for reissue Jan 2007". Of course the new issue will all have copies of that note, but this is the only Original Note in blue ball point ink. :-) The printer also took out those staples but put them back in the original holes, so there's more uniqueness. :-)

Hope the same printer can as easily bring back BOOK OF ARTIFACTS and the other 8 1/2 x 11 titles. Proceeding carefully, testing for pitfalls....

saluti a tutti

2007-01-07T23:46:00.000-08:00

ah! the road winds ever on, eh?

Anti Monte Haul

2007-01-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

One way is to bleed off some of their excess power and hardware in various interesting ways. I'm not out to kill players, but when it does happen, resurrection COSTS. To find someone able to do it, and persuade him and his god, usually requires his friends to go on an expensive quest or two, with no other reward than the resurrection. The dead PC comes back naked and having lost a few levels.

Other things can happen to monte haul hardware. It gets crocked, it gets stolen. The players can have the fun of finding new stuff without getting overloaded, because old stuff they don't use (or they bore everyone with using too much), tends to wear out or disappear or become a target for theft or revenge.

Mary

Not present at the Creation (1/4/-4004)

2007-01-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

This is a fragment(?) of recent discovery by the Questing Acolytes of the Temple of the Unknown Gods in Delos. The words are reported to have been written on a thin adamantine sheet of curious flexibility found embedded in a long cold magma flow and inscribed in a language and syllabary not known to Man, Dwarf, Troll nor Elf but translated only with the reluctant assistance of the Goddess Marliao, the Ancient Mystress of Words. As for the God, Goddess or Entity styled Lao, little information is available beyond this fragment.

The Words of Lao

I. The beginning was Lao.
II. And the first thing Lao wrote was Herself.
III. After Lao had wrotten Herself, the second thing Lao wrote were the laws of the worlds so that stars would understand how to shine, so that firmament would know how to stand, so that seas would know how to flow and so that rains would know how to fall.
IV. But as Lao wrote, Lao had many thoughts and thus Lao wrote many laws for many different worlds that they might behave in many different ways.
V. And, having wrotten the worlds, Lao looked upon them and saw that the rains fell as Lao had wrotten, that the seas flowed as Lao had wrotten, that the firmament stood as Lao had wrotten and that the stars shown as Lao had wrotten and Lao saw that this was well.

This may, perhaps, be the oldest account of the origin(s) of the multiverse and offers some philosophical explanation for why the worlds differ one from another. This does not, however, account for the paths between worlds and some scholars suggest that many – if not all – of these pathways such as the Well of the Worlds are of more recent or secondary origins.

VI. But also, having wrotten the worlds, Lao saw that the worlds were empty because, despite the many laws, one rain drop was very much like another, one sea was very much like another, one firmament was very much like another and one star was very much like another.
VII. Having seen this, the third thing Lao wrote were new laws which created life. And, again, Lao had many thoughts and wrote many laws that life might behave in many forms and many ways.
VIII. Thus Loa wrote plants and animals and peoples in many forms. And Lao looked upon these and saw that they were well.

While Creation myths abound, the preceding three verses are not contradicted by any known evidence and, in general, are seen as a succinct statement of the possible origins of life.

IX. But still Lao saw that these were not enough. That one bird was very like another bird, that one tree was very like another tree, that one fish was very much like another fish, that one people was very much like another people.

There are many schools of thought attempting to account for the diversity of lifeforms throughout the Multiverse and those interested are referred to the Compendium of Diversity Philosophies, compiled by the Department of Unknown Certainties at University Magistrie, in Delos and soon to be revised in a new edition.

X. So Lao thought deeply. And the fourth thing Loa wrote was a gift to Her creations; the gift that they might create as well.
XI. But the gift of creation could not be wrotten alone and, therefore, Lao also wrote the gift of death such that the worlds would not become overburdened and so that Her creations would not lack for space to strive and to recreate themselves. And Lao looked upon her words and saw that they were well.

There are many schools of thought attempting to account for the diversity of lifeforms throughout the Multiverse as well as the lack of diversity in the matter of deaths (since it is known that Death comes to all Beings … including, eventually, the Gods themselves.) To refer to this as a gift is not without precedent and might, in some measure, serve to explain this universality.

XII. And, as well, Lao wrote to Her creations the gift to seek to understand; for each, according to their natures, to strive to know and, potentially, to read and admire Lao’s words as they might.
XIII. But having wrotten the gifts to create and to destroy, to be and to cease and to seek to understand; Lao saw that Her creations used these gifts in many different ways. But having wrotten the gifts, Lao could not erase these gifts and, in time, Lao saw that this was also well.
XIV. Thus the words of the firmament were few and wrote only of quiet stability; the words wrotten by plants were of sunshine and rain while the words wrotten by animals were much of foods to eat and of protection from being eaten but the words wrotten by people were the most complex of all … saving only those wrotten by Lao, Herself.

It has long been suspected that Gods are created by their followers. Attempts in the deliberate creation of deities, however, have been largely inconclusive; one notable exception being Wik, a minor deity created by the Experimental Priests of the Norpal pantheon who is responsible for concealing minor trifles in an annoying fashion. (Note: the Experimental Priesthood of Norpal was disbanded shortly after as its members sought to avoid the wrath not only of their parishioners but of the other members of the pantheon as well.)

XV. Watching her creations, Lao saw that they also wrote new creations; that they wrote Gods after their own natures and imbued these Gods with their natures and gifted these Gods with powers beyond their natures … but this was in the nature of Lao’s words and Lao did not interfere.
XVI. And Lao gazed upon these Gods and the gifts they each were written and Lao observed much that Lao had not expected. Looking on, Lao found Gods of fear and Gods of terror and Gods of anger and Lao was not pleased but Lao did nothing for such was the nature of the gifts She had wrotten on Her creations.
XVII. Lao also found Gods of destolity, Gods of denial and Gods of cruelty. But Lao found Gods of love, Gods of pleasure, Gods of kindness and Gods of compassion as well.
XVIII. And, in time, those who created and followed the Gods of destolity ceased to exist – for such was the nature of destolity and so was it forgotten – and thus their Gods ceased as well and their words, in the fullness of time, erased themselves. And Lao read and this also was well.

The corollary to the creation of Gods by their followers – that Gods can not continue without followers – is an accepted fact testified to by the demise of more one Deity as recorded in long-deserted temples and other mausoleums of past worships. Those interested may also refer to the records of the deceased God Lig who was explicitly and deliberately expurgated, terminated and obliterated by his (?) followers who, having accomplished this task, quickly followed Lig, seeking a new incarnation.

XIX. In like fashion, the followers of the Gods of denial denied them both themselves and their Gods and also ceased to be. And Lao saw and this was also well.
XX. But, if the Gods of cruelty were cruel to their followers and their followers cruel to others, the Gods and their followers did not fare well and did not readily find others to join them nor did their ranks increase. And Lao saw and this was well.
XXI. And so to it was with many of the other unkinder Gods while those Gods who benefited their followers and made much of them attracted more followers and, in time, became greater Gods with many attendants to do them homage and worship them, each in their fashion. And Lao read and this was well.
XXII. And Lao discovered as well that another God had been wrotten; a God not merely of joy but of laughter. And Lao – being singular and alone – had not known laughter but read and was pleased and thus Lao smiled.
XXIII. And then Lao laughed both in pleasure and surprise; Lao had been written a gift by her creations and this too was well.

The Priests of the Laughter of Jokus as well as the Fraternity d’ Frere Marques claim their origins to lie in the gift to the Ancient Lao – this being the only prior extant reference to such an entity.

XXIV. And because a gift wrotten should be regiven, the fifth thing Lao wrote was another gift to her creations; she wrote their Gods with a part of herself, such that the Gods could better serve their attendants and such that their service to their attendants should better empower the Gods themselves.
XXV. But Lao did not give the Gods those gifts she had wrotten on her earlier creations; the gifts of life and death and understanding were wrotten already to her original children. Thus any gifts received by the Gods – excepting the single gift Lao had wrotten on them – could only be those wrotten by their followers.
XXVI. And Lao read and saw that it was well.
XXVII. And Lao laughed. And it was well. For so Lao had wrotten.
XXVIII. Thus endeth the Words of Lao.

Annotated this 93 year of the Century of the Silver Dragon by Hargon, Initiate First of the Order of Questing Acolytes of the Temple of the Unknown Gods, Delos.

protecting a pegasus

2007-01-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

Elsewhere someone asked about protecting a pegasus that her character had just bought.

From my comment:

If the archer is worried about her pegasus in combat, she might leave the pegasus home sometimes, or look for a safer job -- which would begin good role-playing arcs.

In my devious game, some NPCs who caught on might try to kidnap the pegasus for ransom etc. Hell, some other PLAYER characters would probably do that. But in our world the gods would do their best to keep the pegasus from actual harm. Let's see, what was that jeweled bikini that kept the captive heroine from actually meeting a fate worse than death, she just got imprisoned and threatened a lot.

As DM, if nobody else did anything effective to protect the pegasus, I might arrange for some sort of fumble of something like Charm Person or an empathy spell such that EVERYONE would feel about the pegasus the same way that his mistress does. (Which could get funny if she ever gets mad at him, or thinks he is dead and starts mourning him....)

So at least I'd be doing evil-DM stuff to the opponents of the pegasus. Or maybe the word is chaotic-DM.

Blog works! -- thanks to Blogger tech person

2006-12-29T00:28:00.000-08:00

thanks

Testing, or Digging a 50-mile hole

2007-01-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Elsewhere someone asked about making a really deep hole, maybe 50 miles iirc, with minimal magic use.

My comment:

I was thinking of liquifying the earth/stone. Or Rock to Mud and then Create Water or a Decanter of Endless Water to flush it up. Or find underground water and make a horizontal shaft to bring it in. Or run down some sort of tube from above and bring in some water from there. Or bring down some wind to blow it up, Bag of Winds or something like that.

Or get the mud out some other way. Some sort of teleport or magic item down at the bottom so they could drain down. Find caverns nearby and make drain shafts to them.

Hm, or transmute the dirt it to something edible, or valuable to some monster.

Hey, turn all the dirt into Earth Golems, one by one, and tell them to leave. "Will the Golem pls roll Dex to climb out." In a big campaign with several different groups of players, you could have a whole nother adventure start nearby with a village requesting help because they're being trampled by an endless series of golems.

Mary

test - dare I hope?

2006-12-29T00:26:00.000-08:00

tst