[D&D Next] Sample Character: Tathar Tasartir

Here’s a guest post from frequent commenter and member of my gaming group: Hikkikomori. He’s put together a pretty non-standard looking character that does raise a few questions as to what kind of twisted upbringing could have resulted in this sort of character.

Tathar Tasartir

Ability Scores:
4 6-sided dice, total 3.
Rolled: 8, 13, 18, 9, 15, 15

STR 09    -1
DEX 19    +4 Rogue +1
CON 13    +1
INT 16    +3 High Elf  +1
WIS 08    -1
CHA 15    +2

Race: Elf
Low-Light Vision
Elf Weapon Training
Keen Senses
Free spirit
Trance

High Elf
INT +1
Cantrip: Choose 1 Minor Spell
Shocking Grasp

Class: Rogue
Str, Dex, or Int +1
HP: 6 + CON mod
Armor/Shield Prof.: Light armor
Weap. Prof: Basic, Finesse, Simple/Martial missile weapons

Class Features:
HD: 1d6 per Rogue lvl
HP: 1d6 (or 4) + CON mod per Rogue lvl

Level 1:
Theives’ Cant
Interpret and communicate thief signs and language.

Skill Mastery
When using skill, use Abil Mod or +3, whichever is higher

Sneak Attack
When Advantage, deal sneak attack damage / 1 per round

Rogue Scheme:
Thug
Bad Reputation

Background: Sage
Specialty: Necromancer
Level 1: Aura of Souls

 My thoughts on the August Playtest Package is: I’m loving the options.

I like the direction that they are going; that not all options don’t necessarily have mechanical benefits. Its a bit of hand-holding having to explain to Players the advantages of having certain backgrounds, but its a good start.

HP calculation is lower, which is good. Since I have a serious gripe with games that have insane amounts of HP. Attacking a dragon’s foot is not the same as dropping a stalactite on its head. Not to mention, having a lot of HP makes Players/PCs reckless. Since it promotes meta-gaming by HP counting.

I’m still wary regarding the return of Attacks of Opportunity. Since that’s one of the avenues where D&D multi-attacks went awry.

All-in-all. D&D Next seems to be shaping up nicely. Its not as crunchy as more mechanics-minded players might like it to be. But at least now it caters to the other spectrum of non-mechanics heavy gamers.

[D&D Next] Character Generation: Silas Renner, Urban Ranger

Right, so after taking some time to read a bit of the new Playtest packet, I figure I might as well give character generation a spin. The character generation process was relatively painless with all the steps that were familiar to most gamers, though deviating slightly from the normal D20 by just a touch with the Backgrounds and Specialties. That said, it was also rather quick, given that there wasn’t any skill point distribution and feat selection to go through. From what I can tell, the system can work with the “concept first” approach quite well, something that makes me very happy.

I decided to go and not shop for specific gear, instead taking the equipment packages that were suggested beforehand so I suspect that this contributed to how quickly and easily the character was put together.

Silas Renner
Race: Human
Class: Fighter
Background: Bounty Hunter
Specialty: Archer

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

STR 13 +1
DEX 17 +3
CON 10 +0
INT 11 +0
WIS 15 +2
CHA 14 +2

HP: 10
Hit Dice: 1d10
Weapon Attack: +3
Expertise Dice: 1d6

Armor and Shield Proficiencies: All
Weapon Proficiencies: All

Racial Traits:
Ability Score Adjustment +2 to one score,+1 to all others
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 Feet
Languages: Common

Class Features:
Ability Adjustment: +1 to Str, Dex or Con
Combat Superiority
Fighting Style: Sharpshooter
- Deadly Strike
- Parry
- Precise Shot

Feats:
Rapid Shot – Make 2 ranged attacks, all damage of each attack is halved.

Skills:
Spot +3
Stealth +3
Streetwise +2

Trait: Bounty Board

Equipment:
Mask, collection of “Wanted” broadsheets, two sets of manacles, lock of hair from previous or current bounty, common clothing, Leather Armor, Short Sword, Longbow, 20 Arrows, Adventurer’s Kit, Healer’s Kit, 115 gp and 5 sp

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Not bad overall, Silas Renner comes off as fairly capable, and has all the tools and trappings that make for a decent bow-based urban ranger. Maybe tomorrow I’ll try to see if I can put together something a little further away from the standard character concepts.

[D&D Next] First Impressions of the August Playtest Packet

I’m sure that everyone who is actually subscribed to receiving updates from the D&D Next playtest program already knows this, but the packet is out! I’ve just downloaded mine and I have only begun to start reading through the new stuff. Of course, given the hearty discussion on my previous read on the D&D Next Fighter of the last playtest, the Dwarven Fighter pregen was the first file I opened.

The Combat Superiority mechanic is pretty neat, and I’m glad that the design team managed to reach a happy medium between my earlier improvisation-focused approach and the other preference for having hard-coded abilities in the rules. As is, the Fighter is capable of pulling off some impressive combat tricks (some of which resemble the feats of older editions) without losing the ability to use the Improvise action found in the rules to pull off some of the tricks that aren’t covered in the Combat Superiority list.

The expanded documents on the Backgrounds and Specialties make me happy, given the approach to allow characters to start customizing their builds beyond just simple class. Heck, having a Fighter with the Sharpshooter Fighting style, the Bounty Hunter Background and Archer Specialty would make for a compelling Urban Ranger dedicated to bringing unsavory types to justice. Quick, easy, relatively painless to come up with interesting characters simply by mixing and matching these three facets of a character.

Overall, I’m pretty impressed with what I’m seeing so far. I’ll update with more impressions of the new stuff once I’ve had a chance to go over everything in detail.

[Gaming 101] Games to Start With Part 1: Fantasy

In celebration of Gaming Library‘s announcement that they’re willing to special order RPG books, I figure it would be a great time to start delving into good books for starting RPG gamers in the Philippines. Today we’ll be focusing on some Fantasy RPGs that have amazing production values and excellent mechanics. Admittedly this isn’t a complete listing, and there’s certainly lots of room for this particular genre, but that’s what I’m hoping the comments are for. If you’re an old hand to RPGs, and feel that you know of a game that I haven’t included, feel free to put them in the comments, the post is meant to be a reference after all.

That said, let’s get started with a few excellent Fantasy games for consideration:

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition by Wizards of the Coast
In tribute to the people responsible for the hobby, D&D takes the top spot. Love it or hate it, Dungeons & Dragons has introduced a lot of us in the hobby and everyone has at least some some passing knowledge of the rules. The latest iteration has easy to learn rules and a whole bunch of neat support in the form of figures, adventures and a strong local community. The game comes in three core books, the Players Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide and the Monster Manual. There are a bunch more of these three (PHB 2, DMG 2, MM2, etc), but you only need the first three to play.

Pathfinder by Paizo Publishing
Born from the Ashes of the 3rd iteration of the D&D rules, Pathfinder takes up the ball where Wizards of the Coast left it and made it their own. With interesting setting, continuous support and fantastic artwork, there’s little wonder that Pathfinder is the powerhouse that it is today. The Core Rulebook is massive, and in gorgeous full color. The local community of Pathfinder players are pretty helpful, and there’s a strong internet community in case you want to ask about something. Everything a player needs is here, but the GM will need to look for a different book or online sources for monsters.

Fantasy Craft by Crafty Games
On the other side of the equation is Crafty-Games’ Fantasy Craft. Born from the same D&D 3rd edition rules that birthed Pathfinder, Fantasy Craft takes the rules to the direction of a fantasy gaming toolkit. Definitely great for people who want to make up their own worlds to play in rather than work with someone else’s setting. Wuxia? Steampunk? Conan-esque Swords & Sorcery? Fantasy Craft does it all with style. The book edges out Pathfinder and D&D in the fact that it also provides all the necessary information in one book. GMing advice and Monsters are already here.

Legend of the Five Rings 4th Edition by Alderac Entertainment
Fans of the CCG will need no introduction, but to those who are new to the setting Legend of the Five Rings is a fantasy adventure rpg set in the land of Rokugan, which is a pseudo-Japan setting mixed with other Asian elements. Fantastic artwork, an excellent back story and the best iteration of the rules to ever come out so far make this game a strong candidate for gamers who enjoy the idea of playing in a Japan-inspired fantasy Setting

The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild by Cubicle 7
Tolkien Fans need little motivation to check this game out. The One Ring is the first in a series of games that will be exploring Middle-Earth’s eras and locales. Set in the time just after the events of The Hobbit, this game puts the characters in a time of adventure and danger as you take on the roles of elves, men, dwarves and hobbits as they go on adventures and explore the world of Middle-Earth. The hardcover version of this game is especially tempting as it comes in a lovely slipcase cover and its own set of special dice and maps.  Again the book is in full color and sports some truly breathtaking illustrations.

Dragon Age Set 1 & 2 from Green Ronin
Green Ronin picked up the license to do a tabletop RPG for Bioware’s Dragon Age, and they came out with a very impressive ruleset that carries the mood of the videogame and is full of old-school nostalgia.  The harcover copies are especially good since they come with multiple books, a poster-sized map and all the dice, everything you need in one box!

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That’s it for my initial batch, tomorrow we’ll look at another excellent series of RPG: The World of Darkness from White Wolf Studios

If you’re interested in picking up any of these in hardcover, you can order them directly from Gaming Library.

To place an order, please go to Gaming Library’s special order express page : http://www.gaminglib.com/pages/special-order-express-page

Take note that placing an order there doesn’t mean you’re committed, rather the Gaming Library team will be giving a quote and you can now choose whether to push through with the purchase or not.

[D&D Next] Welcome To The Edition Wars, Private

It’s finally happened. Your favorite edition of the game is winding up to a close, and there’s all this scary talk of a new edition.

What’s worse, they’ve given you a preview into the next game… and it is terrible.

Everything you’ve enjoyed has been defiled by the very people you trusted for your entertainment. There’s no tomorrow for your favorite game. No more supplements to wait for, and soon even the fanbase will shrink. Soon nobody will be playing the game you love anymore.

Welcome to the edition wars, Private.

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There’s plenty of us that have seen more than our fair share of action in the front lines of this kind of conflict. I’ve been up there in the 2nd Edition vs. Revised Mage: the Ascension edition war fighting bitterly for my side as if everything depended on it. I flung hate and vitriol in electronic format on every front: mailing lists, forums, and even chat rooms. When time took its toll and the grind towards new editions finally eroded those on both sides, everyone pretty much came to the same conclusion:

Edition wars are pointless.

But that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t feel anything about it. Emotions are a natural part of being a human being. It’s okay to feel bad or upset over things like these. People in general reacts poorly to any sort of change. But you know what else people are capable of?

Simple human courtesy.

It’s entirely possible to express that you don’t like something, in a manner that doesn’t insult the people who do.

Robin D. Laws hit the nail on the head perfectly when he posted “Consider That Stolen, Music Fan“. It’s a brilliant means of acknowledging a simple, honest truth: personal taste is ultimately subjective. There’s plenty of room in the hobby for people who like different things, and that’s one of the best things about this hobby.

So put the gun down, and let’s talk it over.