(no subject)

[seawasp]

A list of questions I found on Usenet, apparently taken from this post.

1. Ability scores generation method?
  Tell me about the character you want to play and we'll figure out the scores. If you have no idea, 4D6 take the top three and then you'll get bonus points to bring you up to the same average as the other characters. Make sure your character won't step on other players' toes.

2. How are death and dying handled?
  Game contract is basically that I don't kill the PCs unless (A) the player decides that's an appropriate time to die, or (B) the player's done something deliberately and egregiously stupid that's also out of character and/or is relying on the game contract to save him for no reason.

3. What about raising the dead?
  Rare. Partly of course because I rarely have PC deaths, but also because often the dead don't want to come back, or the gods feel they should stay there.

4. How are replacement PCs handled?
  Same as originals, just put to a power level equal to that of the current PCs.

5. Initiative: individual, group, or something else?
  Individual for PCs, group for NPCs. Critical initiative rolls can add extra actions to the PC actions.

6. Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work?
  Yes. Crits are natural 20 followed by a successful to-hit roll and can do more damage or have other effects depending on the weapon. Fumbles are a double 1 roll and can have a variety of bad effects.

7. Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet?
  Less likely to have your brains bashed in.

8. Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly?
  Yeah. You should be careful about that; most other PCs have a dim view of that kind of thing.

9. Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything?
  Need to? You're welcome to stay and fight everything. Of course, that may fall under the "willfully stupid" clause above.

10. Level-draining monsters: yes or no?
  In general more "energy draining" because levels are a strange artifact that's useful for gaming but makes no in-world sense. Energy drain allows me to scare you in more ways, too.

11. Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death?
  See "PC death" above.

12. How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked?
  Casually. Though it can become an issue. Get a bag of holding or something.

13. What's required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time?
  That you have acquired experience enough to level up. If you have a source for new spells, yes, you do (i.e., a book with spells you want, or you've been researching spells, etc.), otherwise you have to find a place to get them from. (that's for wizard-types who need to learn spells; clerical types get their powers from the Gods). It happens when it happens.

14. What do I get experience for?
  Stuff you do that seems experience-like.

15. How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination?
  Any way you like. Rolling is a good way to make sure you get a chance if you don't know how to do description.

16. Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work?
  NPCs like friends, servants, etc.? If you want. Morale is purely roleplay stuff; if you treat your retainers like crap, they're less likely to stick by you when the fecal matter impacts the rotary air impeller.

17. How do I identify magic items?
  Many ways. Lore in the appropriate field, alchemical or magical analysis, specific spells or devices.

18. Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions?
  If you're in a large city, and you have the cash? Of course.

19. Can I create magic items? When and how?
  If you have the knowledge and materials. How... that is a complex business and pretty much different for each item. Basically, in a way that makes sense for the particular item you're trying to make.

20. What about splitting the party?
  As a GM I'd prefer you mostly stay together, but really that's up to you guys. If you split up, I have more opportunity for evil.

Comments

[arcadiagt5.livejournal.com]

Responds to the last line with the appropriate: bwahahahaha!

More seriously that sounds like a balanced, and fair, approach to GMing.

[hvideo.livejournal.com]

I have less need than many for lists like this because my standard is to stick VERY close to RAW (Rules As Written) for whatever roleplaying game I'm playing when I run things. There's quite enough hassle dealing with places where the rules aren't entirely clear without adding House Rules on top of things. So my House Rules tend to be along the lines of "The following books are allowed (list)" and "The following Optional Rules listed in those books are in play (list)". That said, if the players as a group WANT to have House Rules regarding these or other topics, I'm willing to discuss having such. (Crits happen per RAW, if most of the players want to have Fumble Rules we can add some in.)

Some of the things on the list are more "My Style of DMing" rather than "What are the Game Rules?". As I see it, the purpose of playing games is to Have Fun. If I know something will make the game Not Fun, I'll avoid it. One player I knew really hated Level Drains (even if the level could be restored right afterwards by a magic spell). He hated them so much that they made the game Not Fun. So if he was playing, I avoided Level Drains. But my standard way of DMing was to include them along with everything else. So yes, there were encounters that the party was best off running away from. Without a sense of actual danger to the PCs the game has less flavor. Yes, they could injure other party members firing into melee - it's not the DM's job to protect the players from all risk, and that goes double for risk they bring on themselves. But on the other side, I'm fully willing to let the players have the items the game rules say they should expect to have. The D&D 3.5 game rules say purchase of most magic items should be allowed (per MIC), so I allow it. That doesn't mean absolutely everything is always instantly available the first place you look, but with a reasonable amount of time and effort most things can be located and bought. The same goes for crafting items. Some DMs allow players to take crafting feats, only to then make it impossible for them to actually use those feat in play. In general I'll make sure there is enough time to do significant amounts of crafting. That doesn't mean that you will ALWAYS be able to take as much time as you want. Having a time limit is often part of the game. "The evil cultists will make their human sacrifice of the kidnapped child at the next new moon, which is 4 days away", that sort of thing. You won't always have time to make That One Perfect Magic Item in time for the next encounter. But over the entire campaign there will be enough Down Time to craft magic items, even expensive magic items.

Splitting the party is not GENERALLY encouraged - it puts various players Out Of The Game for a time (which is often Not Fun for them) and the smaller PC groups are generally more vulnerable. But there will be times when splitting the party Really Makes Sense, and the players should recognize this.

As for retainers - there are going to be encounters where any retainers near the PCs are quite likely to die. Mindless undead will not exclusively pick on PCs to attack. Area attack spells that are strong enough to do significant damage to PCs will probably kill retainers (even in the unlikely event that they make their saves). Retainers can also be grabbed and threatened to put pressure on PCs. So think about these things before you try to hire retainers - and keep in mind that THEY will think of these things when compensation is discussed.

[seawasp]

I almost never use RAW -- it's pretty much impossible, as my philosophy is "World Trumps Rules" -- if the rules say one thing and the world I've designed implies something else, world wins *every* time. D&D3e is the closest I've gotten to RAW in D&D, meaning that instead of 3 notebooks inches thick for what I do that isn't in the RAW, I had maybe 10 pages instead. I don't even do Amber Diceless RAW, and it doesn't have many rules to begin with.

[niall-shapero.livejournal.com]

Since the days of OD&D (the three slim booklets, ca 1974), I've always been in groups that "rolled their own" (RAW was the start point, but NOT where the gaming began -- house rules were the rule throughout). And if a house rule said "do this", but logic and rationality (and the world) said, "do this other thing", we, like you, "did the other thing". I always tried to avoid breaking the metarule of "don't bore your players" - and that always seemed to work best.