Awesome blogs by awesome women

I've been putting together an article for dungeonsmaster.com for the past few weeks. It's about women in the role-playing game hobby, their thoughts, opinions, and ideas. Originally it was just going to focus on how guys could better encourage more women to play D&D, given that the hobby tends to be a sausage fest boy's club.

However, with every female player, gamer, dungeon mistress, and blogger I speak to, my article's scope keeps increasing. The more I learn, the more I want to draw attention to these awesome people.

If you've never been privileged enough to have a girl grace your gaming table before, you have my condolences. I've been lucky enough to DM for a party that was exclusively female (though some of their characters were the most butch guys you could imagine), and have always considered myself fortunate. Having played with groups of juvenile guys in high school (and juvenile adult men when DMing professionally), playing the game with women in the party usually adds a perspective that the game sorely needs. Girl gamers (especially those new to D&D) can make the game fresh and interesting in ways I wouldn't have guessed at.*

So here's a collection of some of the best, brightest, savviest, funniest, and most creative female role-playing bloggers I've come across. If you've heard of some of them before, fantastic. If not, I encourage you to give them a read.

Satine Phoenix

Artist, Performer, and a girl who's hit things with her axe, Satine has become a more and more popular name in a lot of circles. Cutting her teeth on 3.5e, she knows what makes a good game and how to spark the interest of players. Currently, she's created a D&D meet up group in Hollywood, D&DMelt, which you should check out.

http://satinephoenix.net/

Mandy Morbid

Being introduced to the game by Zak. S and contributing to Vornheim: The Complete City Kit, Mandy's often considered the most grounded and story-conscious player of the 'Axe girls'. Experienced with a number of game systems (D&D, Warhammer 40'000, Cthulhu, Al-Qadim, etc), she's also taken to being a DM, which you can read about here.

http://mandymorbid.blogspot.com/

Tracy Hurley

Better known as Sarah Darkmagic, D&D has been a part of Tracy's life for a long time. She's cited her true intro to the game as the Penny Arcade/PVP podcasts with Chris Perkins, and has gone on to blog about her gaming experiences ever since. She's a good judge of adventure design, and her blog hosts a number of downloadable delves. Plus, she's contributed to published works like Logan Bonner's 'Lost City'.

http://www.sarahdarkmagic.com/

Natalie Bennett

I firmly believe that this woman is one of the most positive "forces for good" in the DIY role-playing community. She pens the blog How to Start a Revolution in 21 Days or Less and almost all of her posts are both extremely inclusive of all types of gamers/people, and right at home with the 'Old School Rennaissance'. She's got the passion of a gaming grognard without any of the prejudices of the many self-described 'grognards'. Check out some of her posts. They're great.

http://revolution21days.blogspot.com/

Emily "Domino" Taylor

Domino has worked on a number of MMORPGs and writes about her experiences on her blog, Tradeskill Perspectives. Her musings provide interesting insight into the profession of game design, as well as how paper/dice RPGs and video games are growing more and more analogous. Also, she's got a great article over at G.I.R.L. (Gamers In Real Life) about growing up with D&D. Give her a read.

http://tradeskill.blogspot.com/

Celestial7 "Dungeon Mistress"

This is a fairly new blog I stumbled upon in a Google search. She might be new, but she's genuinely passionate about the game and its meanings outside of just the hobby. Her articles are thought provoking and, for more experienced DMs, nostalgic in that they're reminiscent of a lot of DM's first experiences with the game. Plus, she made this video, which is a lot of fun. I like D&D to be about fun.

http://girls-play-dnd.blogspot.com/

Shelly Mazzanoble

Okay, maybe I'm biased, but I really dig Shelly Mazzanoble and her columns/books. I recently read an article about her and her work on 'Go Make Me A Sandwich', a stridently feminist blog about games, gamers, and game marketing. Normally my opinions are pretty much in line with theirs, though apparently we disagree greatly when it comes to Shelly and her stance on D&D. I'm of the opinion that anything that gets new people involved in the hobby is a good thing. Shelly's works at Wizards definitely draw in a new audience, and I'm all for it. Give her column a read.

Confessions of a Full Time Wizard




Now, I'd like to say that I've only listed seven people. Seven! This is predominantly due to my own ignorance of other noteworthy female role-players/bloggers, but also partly because these seven ladies were the only ones I came across after a few quick searches (diamonds in the rough, floating amid a sea of thousands of guy-centric gaming blogs...wait, I think I screwed up my metaphors there...).

The point is, if you know of any other women who're into role-playing games (and also blog/write about them) please list them in comments. Also, please provide links. I'm very eager to see my meager list grow.


*I understand that this assumption may be inherently sexist and exclusive. For that I apologize. Gaming blogs and the people who write them should be given attention based on their own merits, rather than just based on the sex/gender of the writer. Still, I stand by my position that most (though not all) female gamers bring a unique perspective to the analysis and commentary of the hobby. Also, all of the above mentioned bloggers/writers have made commentary that has its own value and merit, regardless of their gender. They are noteworthy not just for being female, but also for being exceptionally good at what they do.

What's up with D&D Encounters Episodes?

Yeah, had to address this sooner or later. Remember when I said there would be new episodes every weekend...for reals? Turns out I'm kind of a liar.

My usual camera guy has moved up in the world and can't fit D&D Encounters in his schedule. It's a shame, but I can't blame him. His new series of jobs are pretty pimp. As for myself, the D&D Encounter's schedule at my local game store, Dueling Grounds, is a bit all over the place after the introduction of D&D Lair Assault. So I've missed a few sessions to say the least.

As for episodes, about 8 sessions have been played and not filmed. I've DM'ed the majority of them, but have missed a couple.

So far, only 3 episodes have been released on YouTube...so...crap.

There is, however, a solution!

I'm planning on filming a big recap episode, which would basically cover most of the season in its entirety, right up to the finale. Rather than include in-game footage (which we don't have) it would feature some motion-comics/animation to keep things visually interesting and dynamic. I'm also looking into having some additional voice-work done for it as well.

For the finale, I'm hosting a big climax game the first weekend in November, which will include the last 2-3 Encounters of 'Lost Crown of Neverwinter', complete with a big recap and followup of the season so far. It's a game day event, so even if you've never been involved in D&D Encounters this season, you'll still feel caught up and right at home.

If you live in the GTA area and are interested in playing, here's the info:

D&D Encounters Finale

@ Dueling Grounds
1193 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON

On Saturday November 5th, 2011
12:00pm-4:00pm


There's also a Facebook event page if you want to sign up, here.

If you've already played most of the end of D&D Encounters: Lost Crown of Neverwinter, and can't see the point of replaying a bunch of the end, let me put your mind at ease.

The monsters featured in the final few encounters have been tweaked, rearranged, or all together replaced with others to provide a brand new experience. Plus, the finale will feature a brand new ending, as well as more integration with Neverwinter character themes. All of the above is being done to ensure this season of D&D Encounters will be remembered as YOUR season! This is your chance to really shine and prove yourself a hero.

More info to come in the coming week.

Preparing a game (and how not to do it)

Last Saturday I ran a game for a bunch of friends in Toronto. It was part of our quasi-ongoing campaign that I hold at Dueling Grounds in lieu of Living Forgotten Realms. It didn't go especially well.

Oh, don't get me wrong, good times were had by all. Nobody left the game unhappy or feeling unsatisfied...except for me. Also, these feelings of dissatisfaction were not with my players (who continued to be absolutely banging), but with myself as a DM.

Let me break it down:

The adventure I ran consisted of the following:

-Introducing a new plot thread about violent taxation in the city the PCs are staying in.
-Giving them a chance at joining a lucrative airship expedition to a danger/treasure filled jungle continent.
-Crashing said airship with a Beholder mid flight.
-Having the PCs crash land in an unknown, dangerous locale.
-Cliffhanger.

I also made up the entire adventure off the top of my head in the span of about 20 mins. I did this because I literally didn't have any time to prepare anything else.



Whenever possible, please, DON'T DO THIS!

What I presented my players with was a functional adventure. There was some plot, the PCs got to make some choices and decide what path was best, there was the equivalent of an 'end boss', followed by a story cliff-hanger.

It was all perfectly functional, but it lacked the kind of story and world-building game play experiences I usually like to present when I DM a game. Let me pick it apart a little so you have a better understanding of what I did WRONG:

-Tax collectors in Vornheim (the city the PCs are in) was done as to remove any gold the PCs were carrying. This was to incentivize going on an expedition, as it was a high paying job and the PCs are now broke. While rooted in the world of story, this is still a lazy and disruptive mechanic. It represents one all-encompassing adventure hook that the PCs are essentially forced to follow. This is called 'Rail-roading', and is usually discouraged in game design.

-While I did give the PCs a chance to escape the tax collectors (their leaders being an Eladrin and a Drow named Slice and Crush), even upon escaping out a window of the inn they were staying in, they were then forced into an unavoidable fight with a bunch of hired thugs. Again, more 'rail-roading'.

-The NPCs who were involved with the hiring process weren't as interesting as I would have liked. One was a nameless dwarf buearocrat, the other was a female Eladrin airship captain named Captain Lady Orchid of Airhaven. Not only is her name kind of dumb, but her personality was never made concrete. She started out being portrayed as an aloof, high-class aristocrat. Then, later on, she seemed more like a brazen pirate. This lack of character consistency detracts from player's immersion in the game.

-The whole airship expedition was kind of a mess. It was described as a treasure hunting quest to Xendrik (the jungle continent of the world of Eberron), but it was also tied to one of the Sorcerer-Queens somehow, and there was the possibility of it being underhanded in some way, etc. Point is, it was an overcomplicated quest without any clear motivation for the players aside from "This quest rewards with 500gp each".

-The last encounter was with a Beholder who literally fell out of a rip in the fabric of space/time. The airship was approaching a magical storm, which the Captain refused to avoid, resulting in the airship crashing. Randomly dropping a monster in front of the PCs without the location/plot/ecology supporting it is a sign of lazy adventure design. My only reason for using a beholder was because I'd never gotten a chance to and wanted to try it. That is not a suitable reason.


Now, all of the above issues I had with my game stem from one problem: I did not prepare enough.

With enough preparation, I could have fixed each of the above problems. Plus, that preparation time probably wouldn't have taken all that long. All of the above problems could have been fixed with even an hour's worth of writing and thought. Like so:

-Three or more alternative adventure hooks could have been introduced for the players, all of them leading to the airship expedition with varying motivations and consequences.

-Alternative encounter solutions could have been prepared, letting the PCs avoid combat entirely if they chose to.

-If I'd given the NPCs more than just names and races (which is literally all I gave them*), their performance and interaction with the PCs would have been more believable and grounded in their character.

-Providing a clear end goal for the PCs, rather than just vague ideas at a quest, would allow the PCs to come up with their own reasons for wanting to take the expedition quest.

-Beholders are very rare monsters. I could have substituted it with one that made more sense given the surroundings (like some kind of bird...monster), or I could have given the appearance of a beholder more context by providing a few more setting details (like, why is there a magical storm brewing, and what could have caused it).


All of these solutions come from a bit of preparation. If you're like me, and you're writing up your campaign world as you go, preparation time is extremely important. One can only ad-lib and improvise for so long before s/he begins to stumble. This is where some good notes and characters can come in, saving your game.

Please, to all you new DMs out there, tempted to just "wing it" or rely entirely on a pre-written published adventure:

Do not neglect preparation time.

Even if you can only afford an hour or two, some preparation time is better than none. Your players will thank you for it.


*NOTE: Not entirely true...Slice and Crush were based, personality wise, on the Turks, Reno and Rude from FFVII.

"My Campaign" art meme

So there's been a bunch of D&D art memes over the years. The current most popular one is the DM merit-badges, which can be found here, from Strange Magic. There's also the Alignment meme popularized on Dorkly, found here. On top of that, many other sites, forums, and message boards have all kinds of D&D campaign questionnaires and identifiers:

"What film best encapsulates your campaign"

or

"Pick a piece of art that best describes your game"

Well POPPYCOCK to all those! I'm gonna do 'em one better!

Here's the "My Campaign" Art Meme:
Download this template, then Photoshop (or other art program) in three pictures of other media that best describes the look, feel, atmosphere, style, and tone of your campaign. Said media can include:

-Books
-Television series
-Video Games
-Paper/Dice RPGs
-Published RPG Settings
-Art
-Comics
-Manga
-Cartoons
-Philosophies (depicted by philosophers)
-Noteworthy people
-Web series
-Cocktail napkin doodles
-Beer Commercials
-Etc.

For example, say you had a super-traditional medieval fantasy themed campaign, motivated and presented using only the most often thought of fantasy tropes. Your finished art meme might look like this:
See? Art cues taken from Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms; all the typical fantasy works that most people associate with D&D, becoming the basis for their campaign world and style (even if said style is a bit generic). We as an audience can infer from this meme that Boring Brett's involves a giant fantasy world, bearded wizards, and a motley crew of standard fantasy archetypes. All of these images epitomize a 'generic fantasy setting' as we understand them.

*Apologies to all the 'real' Brett's out there. I'm sure you're all super classy guys.

Then, there's my Campaign Art Meme:

Eh? Ehh?! Totally more better, right? Right?!

My current Saturday game is described best with the three above images. Humour is a big part of the game, as is a light tone and satirical edge. Also, sometimes blood, death, nudity, and sex happens...so there's that, too.

My campaign is influenced heavily by all three pieces of media shown above, from the humour and tone of Penny Arcade, the intrigue and world of Dragon Age, and also I had an adventure where the PCs fought sentient cake while trying to save a 1000lb princess. That would feel right at home in the world of Adventure Time.



So there's the meme. I implore you to give it a try and post your own encapsulated description of your campaign on your blog. Your readers will appreciate the references and description. I feel it's a decent shorthand for describing your campaign and its style. Give it a try:

Here's the template, again:


Let me know what you think in comments.

Coffee Break Podcast: Shelly Mazzanoble wants you to play D&D

Listen to the podcast here.

I got an opportunity to speak with Wizards of the Coast's own Shelly Mazzanoble to speak about her new book: Everything I Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons.

You can buy her book here.

So in this podcast we discuss the following:

-Shelly's new book and how it came into being.
-D&D Encounters and Lair Assault (I might have to try it now).
-How and why more women should give D&D a try (and how men can support/encourage them).
-What makes a good DM/Player.
-The origin of the updated 'Always Hits Magic Missile' power.
-Chris Perkins is better than everyone at everything.
-Much more.

Also, I tell some of my usual D&D stories. This time around there's a cue to skip them if you've heard them already.

Want to thank Shelly again for taking the time for the podcast. Also for saying I'm a good DM. D'awwww...thanks.

*NOTE: The podcast with Satine Phoenix has been re-uploaded. You can listen to it here.

10 random magic items (designed to increase fun/interest at the table)

So Monte Cook (Prolific game designer and one of the minds behind Type III D&D) is writing a weekly column for WotC on their D&D site. In one of his columns he discusses magic items and their roles throughout the history of D&D, and how best they should be implemented.

In Fourth Edition, magic items are treated more like mundane gear; essential to character advancement and a mechanical expectation by players. Like a lot of other DMs, especially some in the DIY D&D scene, I feel like this treatment of magical items is ill-suited to D&D.

Magic items should never, ever feel mundane or ordinary.

They're magical!

Magic is wondrous and amazing and awe-inspiring and terrible! It should never become mundane, boring, or worst of all, a mechanical expectation.

So, here's my advice to you if you're running or playing in a 4e D&D game. Throw away all of your assorted +1, +2, and +3 trinkets and knick-knacks. Just toss them in your medieval fantasy dustbin. Right now. Here, I'll wait.

Thrown them away yet? Good.

Here's 10 magical items that really emphasize the fact that they're magical. They all work mechanically with the game, as well as provide a number of cool perks that fall outside of the rules. They're useful at any level of play, and all of them fall outside of the realm of "+1 bonuses".

1. Helm of Deceit

This cold iron helm is wrought with rubies and imbued with the souls of liars. It is said to have belonged to a demon prince, who lost it in a game of chance. He now desperately seeks to reclaim it.
-Once per day, you can tell a perfect lie. This lie will be believed by anyone you tell it to. Once told, you lose 3 healing surges for that day.

2. Amulet of the Succubi

This silver amulet is warm to the touch. It is a piece of solid silver, shaped to look like two eyes. It was made by the succubi of the Nine Hells, and is rumored to have ruined the lives of many lovers.
-Once per day, you can automatically succeed at any Bluff, Intimidate, Diplomacy, or Streetwise check, no matter the DC. Once used, however, you take a -5 penalty to all Athletics checks for the remainder of the day.

3. Ancient Wizard's Hat

This dusty, ratty-looking old pointed hat has graced the head of many wizards over the centuries. It has absorbed much of their sweat, hard work, and toil, and has been imbued with their power. Some say it belonged to the most hated mage in the world, while others think it belonged to your ancestors.
-Must be an Arcane class to use.
-Once per day you can double the damage of one rolled magical attack, or you can automatically succeed at any one Arcana check, no matter the DC.

4. Demon's Tongue Charm

Gross. The severed tongue of a demon, cauterized and tied with a leather strap. If you listen close to it, it's said you can hear the words spoken by demons and their kind.
-Allows the wearer to understand and speak Abyssal (or any demonic language).
-Holding it gives you kinship with any demons/demonic folk.
-Can be used as a Holy Symbol.

5. Totem of the Goblin Queen

This small goblin statuette is carved out of jade. It is imbued with eerie goblin magic, and many people claim that it is cursed. If it is taken from a goblin stronghold/dungeon/empire/temple, it confers its magic to the user.
-Once per day, you can activate the totem and make an Arcana check (High DC). If successful, you can use it to shrink one target to exactly one foot in height. This spell effect lasts 1d4 hours.
-If you fail the Arcana check, you are shrunk instead. This spell effect lasts 1d4 hours.
-The target's clothing/armor shrink with them. Their weapons do not.
-If you purposefully try to shrink yourself, the totem vanishes. It will reappear in a different dungeon.

6. Baby's First Summoning Staff

New from the Sorceress's Hegemony, it's an introductory summoning staff, able to rip a hole in reality and pull a creature from the void to do your bidding. Don't be shy now, give it a wave. Ages 11 and up.
-Roll a d6. You summon one of the following creatures. Creatures disappear at the end of the encounter:

1) Brain-slug. Toss this slug at an enemy as a ranged attack. If the attack hits, the slug dominates the target, obeying your command. Save ends.

2) Two-headed Scorpion Cat. Minion. AC 18 Fort 17 Ref 16 Will 15. Speed 7. Attack: Poison stinger +5 vs Fort, 1d6+5 poison damage.

3)Lesser Air Elemental Twister. Roll a d20. If you roll 11 or higher, the air elemental appears on top of an enemy. It tosses said enemy and anyone else in a close burst 1, 1d6x10 feet in the air. They take the appropriate falling damage.
-If you roll 10 or lower, the air elemental appears in your square, tossing you and anyone else in a close burst 1, 1d4x10 feet in the air. You take the appropriate falling damage.
-After this appearance, the air elemental fades away.

4) Little Tentacled Abomination. Select one enemy. The slimy tentacle monster appears in a square adjacent to the enemy. It makes a single attack with all of its tentacles at once (+7 vs Reflex). If it hits, the enemy is inflicted with 10 ongoing tentacle damage (Save ends). If the attack misses, the monster dematerializes. Once the enemy has saved, the monster dematerializes.

5) Key-shaped Mouse. This tiny mouse can magically take the shape of any lock, opening almost any locked door, magical or otherwise. Before taking the shape of a key, this magical mouse must be fed some type of cheese, otherwise no transformation will take place. If the party has no cheese available (not included in the adventurer's kit), it will vanish until re-summoned.

6) Mischievous Imp. Minion. AC 18 Fort 17 Ref 16 Will 15. Speed 7. Attack: Claw +6 vs Will, 1d4+4 damage. Once summoned, the Imp must be persuaded to fight for your side with either a Diplomacy or Intimidate check (High DC). If you fail the check, the Imp will turn against you.

7. Flubber-Flail

This rubbery spiked ball-chain weapon is the pride of an oft-forgotten clan of amazons known for their prodigious girth and body size, as well as their uncanny ability to manipulate body fat.
- This is a +1 'Mace', dealing 1d8 damage, Prof. bonus +3
-Once per day, when attacking with this weapon, you cause the attacked target to spontaneously gain weight, bursting out of their armor/hide as they grow fatter. Target must roll 2d10, and gains the value of the roll times 10 in pounds. (ie, a combined roll of 7 equals 70lbs gained).
-If the target gains over 60lbs, they lose any/all armor bonus to AC. If the target is a monster not wearing armor, they lose 1d6 points from their AC.

8. Belt Buckle of the Demi-Lich

This belt buckle is totally bitching. Polished silver in the shape of a ram's skull, with little gems for eyes (what kind of gems? Nobody knows!). Wearing it makes you want to rush head-long into danger. After all, bones heal, right?
-If you are killed while wearing this belt, it will revive you, casting a 'Raise Dead' ritual immediately upon your body (with all the after-effects that apply).
-As a result, your body is marred by a demonic tattoo that can speak. It urges you to do unspeakable things. It is exceedingly difficult to remove, even by high-level clerics/priests.
-Once the belt buckle has revived you once, it no longer works and is just an ordinary belt buckle (though this knowledge is best withheld from your players).

9. Decanter of Never-Ending Wine

A handsome vessel, this small decanter is filled with expensive fine wine. Upon emptying, it refills itself. What a find! Still, after refilling a few-dozen times, the wine begins to taste a bit funny.
-The small decanter holds the equivalent of one glass of wine.
-Every time the decanter refills, have the drinking player roll a d10. It refills with the following per roll:
*1-5: Refills with fine wine
*6-8: Refills with cheap wine
*9: Refills with grape juice
*10: Refills with acid that looks/smells like fine wine. Deals 3d6 acid damage upon contact.

10. Rod of Wonder

The big enchilada. Rods and wands of wonder are priceless magical tools, able to produce amazing feats of magic. The only caveat is that the rod's wondrous spells are completely random. Using it could spell utter defeat for your party, or it could lead to ultimate victory. Take a chance, use this item!
-Rods of wonder can be used by any class of character. They require a command word to use.
These command words are often bizarre or silly (ie, "Wubba Wubba").
-The rod of wonder can be used as a minor action, once per turn. Once used, roll a d6 to recharge the rod. If you roll a 5 or 6, the rod can be used again that encounter. If you roll 1-4, the rod cannot be used again until the next encounter.
-Roll 2d10 or a d100 for a percentage roll:

01: Caster and target switch places (and undergarments).
02: 30 foot deep pit appears below target in a burst 1.
03: Caster's hair falls out. All of it.
04: Target is stunned. Save ends.
05: Target suffers 2d10 damage.
06: Caster and Target switch bodies until the end of the caster's next turn.
07: Target is polymorphed into a small cactus plant, permanently.
08: Target becomes gelatinous. All defenses lowered by 10.
09: 1d10 gold pieces shoot violently from rod's tip. Automatically hits one target within caster's line of sight. Deals 2d4 damage.
10: Target's sex is permanently changed.
11: Caster's sex is permanently changed.
12: Caster's sexual orientation is changed.
13: Target glows bright pink. Grants combat advantage.
14: Caster glows bright pink until end of encounter. Grants combat advantage.
15: Rod creates a blinding flash of light. Everyone is blinded until the end of the caster's next turn.
16: Caster smells delicious to all manner of beasts.
17: Target smells delicious to all manner of beasts.
18: Target falls hopelessly in love with caster.
19: Rod shoots out multicoloured sparks. Sparks are ineffectual.
20: Rod changes into a snake until the end of the encounter.
21: Rod disappears for 1d4 encounters. Returns to caster's hand.
22: 1d10 of caster's fingers turn to stone. All caster's attacks take a -2 penalty. Caster can only be cured with divine healing.
23: Caster sweats healing potion until the end of the encounter.
24: Caster is immune to ranged attacks for 1 round.
25: Target is immune to ranged attacks for 1 round.
26: Any/all undead around caster explode, dead.
27: Target is now covered in jam. Random flavour.
28: All of target's items vanish.
29: All of target's money (currency, gems, treasure) vanishes.
30: All of caster's money (currency, gems, treasure) vanishes.
31: Until the end of the encounter, caster must confess an embarassing secret before making any move actions.
32: Target's armor/hide turn to cheese. All AC bonuses lost.
31: Caster grows a pair of breasts. A second pair if caster is female.
32: Caster's ears replaced with cat ears. Gains +2 to Perception.
33: Target is immobilized until caster's next turn.
34: Caster teleports behind target. Target grants combat advantage.
35: Target's legs turn to tentacles. Speed reduced to 3.
36: Caster's legs turn to tentacles until the end of the encounter. Speed reduced to 3.
37: Caster suddenly bears a birthmark to the lineage of powerful kings.
38: Caster and one other party member switch minds. Each player must swap character sheets for the duration of the session.
39: Target enters a rage, deals 1d10 extra damage per attack.
40: Target terribly saddened, takes -5 penalty to all damage rolls.
41: Rod casts magic missile at target. Target automatically takes 7 force damage.
42: Vines sprout from target's footsteps. Every square the target touches becomes difficult terrain.
43: Vines sprout from caster's footsteps. Every square the caster touches becomes difficult terrain.
44: Nothing happens.
45: Time freezes for everyone but the caster for 1 round.
46: Target's clothes vanish. Loses all AC bonus.
47: Caster's clothes vanish until the end of the encounter. Loses all AC bonus.
48: Target is turned to stone. Cannot breathe or perceive anything.
49: Target is turned into feathers.
50: Target is turned into a Kobold Minion (same level as PCs).
51: Target is turned into a Young Red Dragon (same level as PCs).
52: Target is turned into an attractive serving wench, no longer interested in combat.
53: Target is turned into a mouse.
54: Target is turned into a handsome sofa. Can still speak.
55: Target is turned undead. Can reanimate after being reduced to 0 HP.
56: Target is turned into a +3 longsword. Can still speak, but will accept its fate as a weapon.
57: Target is turned into a living, sentient roast turkey.
58: Target is turned into a small pile of gold (6d6 gold pieces).
59: Target cannot see or perceive Fey creatures.
60: Caster cannot see or perceive fey creatures until the end of the encounter.
61: Caster is rendered mute. The rod gains the caster's voice. Will only return the caster's voice after being convinced with a simple skill challenge.
62: Target is destroyed.
63: Caster is reduced to 0 HP. Must make death saving throws.
64: Caster regains 2d6 HP.
65: Target regains 2d6 HP.
66: Target gains 10 temporary hit points.
67: Caster gains 10 temporary hit points.
68: Caster is killed. Every party member must make a saving throw. Any who succeed suddenly know the caster can be brought back to life by saying their name backwards.
69: Target has an orgasm. Grants combat advantage until the end of their next turn (but it's totally worth it).
70: Target is engulfed in flames. Target takes 10 fire damage and ongoing 5 fire damage.
71: Caster is engulfed in flames. Caster takes 10 fire damage and ongoing 5 fire damage.
72: A bouquet of flowers sprout from the tip of the rod.
73: Caster gains resist 5 to all damage until the end of their next turn.
74: Caster gains resist 5 to all fire/cold/lightning damage until the end of their next turn.
75: A parent of the caster is suddenly killed. The caster realizes this.
76: A lost relative of the caster is suddenly brought back to life. The caster realizes this.
77: Caster now permanently has 'low light vision'.
78: Caster's stomach is transformed into an organic bag of holding. Mouth can stretch wide enough to accommodate most things.
79: Caster is struck with a vision of his/her near future.
80: Caster's voice replaced with a dog's voice until the end of the encounter.
81: Target and caster each lose 10 HP per round. This effect ends when one of them is reduced to 0 hit points.
82: Target's XP value doubles.
83: Target's HP doubles (even past its maximum).
84: Target's speed doubles.
85: Target's treasure value doubles.
86: Target is dazed.
85: Target is dominated under the caster's control. Save ends.
86: Target loses all memory of why he/she/it is fighting.
87: Caster loses a hand. It is replaced by a silver hook.
88: Caster loses a leg. It is replaced by a functioning silver prosthetic.
89: Caster loses an eye. It is replaced by a Beholder eye. Confers a Daily eye-beam spell.
90: Caster is immune to all arcane attacks until the end of the encounter.
91: Target is immune to all arcane attacks until the end of the encounter.
92: Target regenerates 5 HP after every round.
93: Target gains a prehensile tongue, able to lash out as a basic 2 melee attack. Deals 1d8 damage.
94: Caster gains a prehensile tongue, able to lash out as a basic 2 melee attack. Deals 1d8 damage. Caster gains this until the end of the encounter.
95: All targets in the room are destroyed, even friendly ones, all except the PCs.
96: Caster is killed. If a PC is adjacent to the caster, he/she can perform a Heal check as a free action (DC 10). If successful, caster is only reduced to 5 HP.
97: Caster can move the target up to 6 squares in any direction (even up).
98: Caster is immobilized.
99: Target suddenly joins the PC's side, and will fight to the death for them.
100: Roll twice, use either result.



So there you have it. 10 magic items designed to increase the feel of things being "magical" in your game. If you have any ideas for more, leave them in comments!

Why do you play D&D?

Hey, still sick. I've got a post with some new Warlock pre-gens coming up, but it'll have to wait until I'm well enough to focus while using a tablet pen again.

Until then, if you haven't yet. GO READ ASHLEY BURCH'S NEW SITE! 'How Video Games Saved My Life' has become something very dear to me. This is mostly because I find it refreshing to see people focus on the positive reactions people have to video games that fall outside of the norm.

It has also gotten me thinking about D&D again.

Here's a question. Why do you play D&D? What do you derive from the game outside of just 'just having fun', if anything?

If you've never played before; no problem. Hopefully this post will pique your interest in the game and persuade you to give it a try. Believe me, after one game of D&D, you'll learn what your favourite things about the game are.

Because the game is flexible enough to accommodate hundreds, if not thousands, of viewpoints on how it can and should be played, it makes for a very, VERY diverse fan base.

Roleplayers, story tellers, power gamers, min-maxers, rules-lawyers, instigators, observers, thespians, hack'n'slashers, grognards. All colourful titles with varied origins. All of them signifying a different kind of D&D player, based on what they want out of the game.

It's no secret that, as both a player and a dungeon master, I love me some characters and character development. The thing I love most about the game is being able to have or play with a collection of fantasy personae, all of them with different motivations, drives, and interests. I love running or playing in a game where I can accommodate these personae, challenge them, and play off them as much as possible.

Also, I love me some funny accents and voices. Any excuse to ham it up is one I'll take.

For example, the last home game I ran and played in, I played a tiefling wizard named Ink (full name = Reita Medina Belacova). She (I) spoke in a fairly thick Russian accent and generally presented herself as a walking tome of arcane knowledge and history (sort of a cross between Natasha Fatale and Egon Spengler...but with horns). Also, she was the straight 'woman' of the party, playing off of the eccentricities of her comrades (a plucky female dwarven rogue with mommy-issues, and a stoic male half-elf druid who rode a giant wolf).

Originally, Ink was just supposed to be added 'DPS' for the party. She was an NPC I ran alongside the party in order to assist them with fighting. But over time she grew to have more and more character, and in turn became better and better liked by the party.

So much so that when she was killed by giant spiders while the party was in a climactic battle with half-elf druid's evil uncle, the players were truly upset that she was gone and would no longer be able to play with them.

In other words, what started out as a goofy accent and ability to cast magic missiles, had grown to become a real character that my players cared about and would miss.

THAT'S why I play D&D. That's what I enjoy most about the game. Making and playing characters that the other players will enjoy and have fun with. Be they comrades, acquaintances, villains, despots, peddlers, monsters, heroes, or any combination of the above, I love filling the 'role' of a character in order to amuse, excite, and hopefully endear.

So my non-rhetorical question to you all is this: Why do YOU play D&D? What makes you want to roll polyhedrons with friends when you haven't done so in a long time? If you're an experienced player, what keeps you coming back to D&D after all these years? What do you truly hope to derive out of the game?

Answer below in comments, or hit me up on Google+



*NOTE: So, of course, faced with having killed off my player's favourite NPC, I fixed things up Aeofel Style right away.