Sir Gawain and the Iron Man, Part 2

In Part 1, I described the classic "arming of the hero" scene in the story of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and in the Iron Man movie, and I described how this scene could be applied to your own roleplaying as an indication of character development.  I hadn't intended to make a Part 2, but our friend, Todd, posted a couple of interesting follow-up questions:

Todd Bradley said...

How does this "Arming the Hero" scene fit in with the classic "Training Montage" of action movies? And where does sit in Joseph Campbell's monomyth ("the hero's journey")?

Sir Gawain and the... Training Montage?

The classic Training Montage is ever so familiar to movie-goers.  In this filmed sequence, we witness the hero in physical preparation for the upcoming battle.  I think that there are a couple of ways to adapt the arming scene to the montage sequence.

First, for the unarmed, the training montage is pretty much the arming scene.  Because there aren't weapons or armor (in most cases), the training is the hero's preparation. You could develop a training montage for your unarmed character as his arming scene; roleplay this by describing what exercises he completes to emphasize what aspects of his training are most important.  You can then describe character development through the introduction of new training exercises.

However, if you still want to implement a classic arming sequence for your unarmed character, or if you want to implement a training montage for your armed character, you can easily include both because they have such a complementary nature.  Describe your character's training regimen, with or without weapons.  Let's face it, those fighters and archers didn't just wake up one morning proficient with their chosen weapon; a training montage can be a great roleplaying technique to describe your character's dedication to perfecting her combat abilities.  Follow-up the training montage with an arming scene: describe what is important for your character to have with her when she enters combat.  Maybe your unarmed character has a charm or a magical ring he carries with him; describing that in specific detail as he prepares for battle would be part of his arming scene.  For your armed character, describe how she prepares her weapon: testing the edge of her blade, or ensuring her bowstring is in good condition.  Character development, such as learning new techniques or acquiring new equipment, can be described in future training exercises and/or arming scenes.

Iron Man-omyth

Joseph Campell, in his introduction for The Hero with a Thousand Faces, summarizes the "hero's journey" monomyth as: 

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. [From the Wikipedia entry at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces#Summary]

There are several elements throughout that description that we can recognize has part of our roleplaying stories.  Many campaigns begin with the characters being faced with that call to "venture forth."  This is a prime place for a simple arming scene: what does the character feel is important as he prepares to leave on his journey?

I've always felt that the real power of the arming scene comes from multiple iterations used to describe character development.  That simple opening arming scene is more significant if, later in the adventure, there is a second arming scene to show how the character has grown.  For that purpose, I would recommend placing the next arming scene between encounters with "fabulous forces."  The hero (your character) seldom sees only on encounter in his journey; after one or more encounters, he will gain knowledge leading to personal growth.  When you feel that your character has experienced significant growth, you can craft a second arming scene (possibly with a training montage) to illustrate this growth.

The Arming and the Monomyth Example 

Suppose we have a fighter.  She has received good basic training (insert montage here) from the town guard, and her natural ability with a longsword has caught the attention of the elite weapon-masters in the next town over.  She has been summoned to attend their trials.  Our innocent fighter has been presented with the call to venture forth.

Here, we can craft the first arming scene: she dresses with care the morning of her departure.  She checks her blade; it's not new, being a cast-off from the guard, but it is a sound sword and holds a decent edge.  Before she leaves, her mother presents her with a soft blue ribbon.  Our fighter absentmindedly ties back her hair with the new ribbon, not so much out of vanity but as a reminder of her family.  We have described our fighter's personality here: not much attention to her clothes, when compared to her weapon; her weapons are more important than her appearance.  The last detail with the ribbon shows that she is close to her family.

Our fighter ventures out into the great wide world on her way to the trials.  She encounters an outlaw, who engages her in combat.  She receives a few minor injuries, before being disarmed by her opponent.  She manages to regain her weapon, but she receives a nasty cut to her forearm in the process.  In the end, she is victorious against the outlaw, though she is wounded from the encounter.  Here is our first trial: combat outside the careful training activities.  Our fighter has reached a very significant realization that she needs much more training.

She continue on her journey, arriving in good time for the trials.  She succeeds and is invited to join the elites, who present her with a new, better blade.  She has been victorious in her early trials, and she has received a reward.

In her next arming scene, we can focus on describing her new sword: the metallic ring as she pulls it from its scabbard, the way the light reflects off it as she inspects it in the sun.  We might mention less of her appearance and the blue ribbon; right now, those parts of her personality aren't quite as important to her, because she is more concerned with not only the new blade but the new training that comes with it.  For those looking to add a training montage, there is ample opportunity to describe the exercises she practices as she learns the weight and balance of her new blade, and her desire to improve her skills after her near-miss with the outlaw.

As I said last time, the arming scene provides some great roleplaying opportunities, especially to highlight character development.  You can also include the training montage, either in place of or in conjunction with the arming scene.  And both elements work well in Campbell's "hero's journey" monomyth; consider your character's path to determine where he is in the "journey," then plan the appropriate scenes or sequences to showcase your character's development.

Sir Gawain and the Iron Man

The "arming of the hero" scene is a classic literary element that allows us as readers (or viewers) to experience those moments when the hero is preparing for battle.  It allows us a brief look into the hero's mind and a glimpse of the hero's character independent of his actions.

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"

I was first introduced to the "arming of the hero" scene in college as I was studying "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."  We see a change in Gawain throughout the story; this is highlighted with the differences between the two arming scenes.  In the first, as Gawain sets out on his quest, the arming scene focuses on his shield, a symbol of his faith and belief in the Code of Chivalry.  In the second, when he is facing certain death, the arming scene changes focus to the green girdle; with it, Gawain hopes to avoid death, and in doing so, he has turned away from his Code.  We see Gawain's focus change from faith to fear as he trying to reconcile his mortality.

Iron Man

A couple of weeks ago, Dante & I were watching Iron Man.  We saw the movie a couple of times in the theatre, but at home, I had that light bulb moment as I watched Tony Stark's two arming scenes.

The first, when Tony is escaping from the cave, the cumbersome nature of the suit means Tony must rely on a computer activation sequence as well as Yinsen's assistance; this arming scene ends with Tony witnessing Yinsen's sacrifice as Tony waits for the suit to reach its full power.  The second, Tony has automated the entire arming scene, replacing Yinsen and the computer loading bar with JARVIS.  The first arming of Iron Man preceeded a selfless sacrifice and a dramatic escape; the second begins without a feeling of humanity as Iron Man strives to free an entire village from tyrants.

Arming Your Hero

The arming of the hero is a classic element, and for the storytellers out there, it can be an interesting element to add to your hero.  Your first arming scene will likely occur in the early days of the campaign; at some point -- during your initial character description or in one of your early encounters -- you will likely describe your weaponry, your armor, your spells, your holy symbol... something specific that helps define your character.  But characters change, whether through organic personal growth or story-driven character development.  If your character has undergone a signficant change, you can help showcase this change through a second arming scene.

For instance, my current character, Eaerenel, is an Eladrin Wizard who loves to use fire spells.  I have described several of her early attacks with firey details.  In the event that something causes her to re-define the nature of her attacks (ie. seeing an entire village and its population destroyed by another wizard's massive fire attacks), Eaerenel might begin to study icy attacks; I could introduce this change by describing specific icy details of her attacks... where once there was fire, there would be ice instead.

As a storytelling element, you can easily craft arming scenes to help detail your character's development.  It's one more creative trick to enhance your roleplaying experience.

Rituals in Roleplaying

This weekend, Dante & I helped celebrated our niece's first birthday! Let me tell you, watching a 1-year-old make a huge mess of her little "for me to destroy" birthday cake is pretty darn entertaining.

And as I'm sitting here, grasping for straws for something to write, I am thinking back fondly of the "adult" cake (and how oh-so-tasty it was), and I begin to consider how ritualized the birthday party is. In our family, there's the socializing time, generally including food, followed by presents, then cake. It's a very specific pattern of events that occurs every time, no matter who is celebrating a birthday.

And now to the point... All this reminiscing of birthday party rituals has lead me to consider ritual patterns in roleplaying.

In terms of mechanics, there are patterns of behavior governing actions. For instance, initiative to determine order of combat, actions taken in order. It's the same pattern that is followed every time there is combat.

In-character rituals are a little harder to identify as they are generally subjective. One that comes to mind stems from both parts of our last big campaign. Various characters had their rituals to follow whenever the party arrived in a new town. Nathanial, the goblin-turned-human paladin of Horus-Re, would visit the local temple and clean it. Batloaf, the Rock bard extraordinaire, would scope out the population of available women and select his partner(s) for the evening; I won't share with you the specifics of this ritual so-as to keep this post family friendly.

My character, Ari, didn't really have any specific pattern of behavior to follow when arriving in town. I realize after the fact that this is one of the components of roleplaying that I neglected with this character. I was vaguely uneasy when reaching a new town as it seemed that most other characters had something to do, and Ari didn't really have a ritual to follow. In a fluff-heavy group, not having something fluffy to do made it a little less fun.

It's easy to say that the solution in this case would be to find something to do, but that may be difficult to accomplish, depending on the character's personality. So, unsatisfyingly, I don't really have an answer for this. But I would recommend that if you are involved in a fluffy campaign, take some extra time between sessions to consider your backstory (because it's a fluffy campaign and I know you have a backstory). Is there something there that your character could use to fill those empty hours in town? Maybe you could write letters home or update your adventuring journal: these two options don't require much (if any) in-game time but they can give you a ritual to complete. Plus, it leaves an opening for you to write that letter/journal entry between sessions as a character-building exercise; what would your character have to say about that crazy old oracle you visited?

As a player, if you're having difficulty involving your character, try working with the other players to see if you might find something your characters can do together. Or maybe your DM can offer some insight on what your character could be doing or what areas of town that might be of interest.

Rhetorical tropes on being a Player Character

The road from Dungeon Master to Player can seem difficult and confining. On Tuesday, I outlined a few reasons why the transition from DM to Player has been exciting for me. I readily accept that the path is more difficult for some, and today I hope I can offer a few thoughts to help those of you that find it hard to step back into adventuring shoes*.

Learning to love your small pond

Phil, The Chatty DM pointed out in his comment that after 25 years of DMing he has lost the ability to be a player. I love Phil, but I disagree with this statement: he has just become very good at being a massively multithreaded player (to steal a Computer Science term). Putting on your adventuring shoes forces you to become a single threaded player, focusing on only one character's development, storylinee, passions, and needs.

Instead of painting in broad strokes, you get to paint in fine details. It's D&D pointalism, people! To me, part of the fun of being a player is obsessing about and exploring the fine details of this character whose actions I get to guide for awhile. Learning to love those details is the path toward enjoyment of being a player again.

Get yourself a big bag of contentment (max load 50 lbs)

Just as in life, we suffer from the ability to always want what we don't have. Another key to becoming a player again is learning to be content with the pacing of the campaign and the treasure/spells/abilities/random miscellanea that you have been dealt. Feeling confined is natural when you're used to calling all of the shots. You, the person (not the character), can make the choice to be pleased with your cozy new niche or you can be frustrated by the perceived restraints as Phil so articulately phrased it.

The choice, as they say, is yours and yours alone! Make the most of it!

Special thanks go to Phil for inspiring this post, and to Mad Brew Labs for accurately guessing The Simpsons episode, "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Homer", that I was referencing yesterday! Thanks guys!

* Adventuring Shoes are magical shoes that appear tattered and worn and grant a +5 bonus on all Perform checks when telling adventuring stories.

Playing the Races in 4E

I think there's a lot of good in 4E, but there is no denying there's a lot of change. One of the first areas in the PHB where we can see that change is in the races. There's the introduction of several new classes, as well as changes to the existing, familiar classes.

Dragonborn

Definitely different. The Dragonborn race is one of the new races in 4E, which by now is not news to you. Dante recently likened them to Klingons, which really isn't too far off the mark. One of the things that struck me is that their sense of honor is so strong that they treat their adversaries with courtesy and respect. There's something very poetic about that level of nobility, and that will make a great character trait to highlight as a player.

Dwarf

Familiar but slightly changed. I felt that the description focused a great deal on the Dwarven affinity to stone, more than I remember from the previous edition. But what hasn't changed the Dwarven loyalty; a friend is a friend, and it is an honor to fight beside a friend, no matter how dire the situation. This gives you a great character progression to follow. In the beginning, you're merely acquaintences; as you adventure together, you discover the worth of your comrades and are proud to fight with them.

Eladrin

Because I don't think it was necessary for the Eladrin/Elf split, I've decided that it's just easier to think of the Eladrin as an entirely new race. All that aside, perhaps one of the best descriptors of the Eladrin is "detached." They are very much separate from the rest of the world around them. The "detached" persona is nothing new to me as a player, having recently played Ari along similar lines (because with Batloaf around, it was just easier and gave Ari reasonably deniability when he did crazy things). I would warn that this can be very difficult to overcome as you adventure; if you are playing an Eladrin, I would recommend softening your aloof nature as you spend more time with your comrades.

Elf

Elves in 4E sound a lot like tree-hugging hippies, but I say this as kindly as possible, knowing that I'm planning to play one soon. They are very closely tied to the woodlands and are very passionate in that the emotions they feel, they feel deeply. Try playing your Elf with particular attention to the emotion reactions they might feel; this is a significant part of their personality.

Half-Elf

Not much really changed with the Half-Elves, but I think we see a lonely side to their existance in this edition. Not quite fitting in with the Humans, not quite fitting in with the Elves, Half-Elves enjoy surrounding themselves with friends, possible to alleviate some of the loneliness they feel from not really belonging anywhere. Your Half-Elf will likely be open-minded to newcomers she meets, eager to learn something new from her new-found friend.

We'll take a look at the rest of the races in the next installment!

27 Character Sheets

In a fit of girly-ness this evening, I watched 27 Dresses. I'm guessing that many of you either haven't seen this movie or saw it under duress with your significant other. And I'm also guessing that you're just waiting to see how I'm going to connect this to gaming. And here it is:

About half-way through the movie, Jane comes to realize that she must discard the baggage in her past (in the form of 27 dresses) in order to move on. And I got to thinking that as you move on to a new character, it becomes very important to dump the baggage of your old characters.

You have to let your old characters retire gracefully. If you let the memories of your previous character dictate your new character, you may attempt the Mark 2, a re-creation of the character concept, because you are sure you can do it better this time. Or, in the event things didn't turn out the way you planned, you may create the antithesis, trying to create your new character as different as possible.

I'm not always good about letting past character retire, but I do try to keep my characters separate, at least in my own mind. For me, it helps to have a developed back story; it's easier to keep everyone separate if they all had different stories.

What techniques do you use to move on from your old character(s)?

On the Eve of Battle

Last Sunday, we finally got the chance to make some good, forward progress in our campaign. And we know that our next session (hopefully Friday) will be the Big End Battle. Sitting at this vantage point, knowing what is coming next, it's important to be as prepared as possible. Here's some thoughts to help you get ready for that battle:

1. Read your character sheet: Before heading in to battle, it's a good idea to review all your equipment: weapons, armor, and miscellanea. Especially take a look at the miscellanea. Take note of the wands, scrolls, rings, etc that you may have collected. Review the attributes of your magical equipment to see if you have any magic you overlooked; for instance, did you forget that your armor had spell resistance. Make sure you are familiar with everything you're carrying because during the battle, that simple little thing you forgot you had, like a spare weapon or a potion of spider climb, might make a huge difference.

2. Review your capabilities: I think this may be one of the most important pre-battle checks. Be aware of your attack and damage bonuses; knowing the numbers can make the actual battle less frustrating because you're not trying to do complicated math on the fly. Take a look at your feats and review the ones that may affect your battle skills. For the magic users, be aware of your prepared spells, as well as the spells you can prepare. If you're anything like me, your spellcasters have had the same spells prepared for goodness only knows how long; if that's true, you might want to review and adjust your spells to better suit the upcoming battle.

3. Brainstorm with the rest of the party: You've been traveling together for a long time, and you've been fighting together for a long time. It doesn't hurt, however to review everyone's strengths and weaknesses. How can your spellcasters' buffing spells can be coordinated for everyone's benefit? Are your fighters going to all rush in together or are they going to wait for the Big Bad to approach? Who has healing capabilities, and how can those individuals be distributed for the best coverage on the battlefield? Considering strategies like these and others can make sure you are approaching the battle as a team instead of a bunch of people who just happen to be hanging out together.

4. As a player, make sure you have everything you need: Make sure you have all your references (character sheet, notes, reference books, websites, cheat sheets, spell lists) and paraphernalia (dice, pencils, calculator, scratch paper). And, of course, make sure the fridge is stock with the appropriate beverages and the requisite snacks are plentiful!

The Whirling Blades of a Tempest

Continuing with our recent theme of prestige class discussions, I wanted to highlight a short, simple prestige class, the Tempest. I found this prestige class in Complete Adventurer, and it's one of my favorites because it's a simple, elegant and natural progression for a two-weapon fighter.

Here's What I Like About It

Two-weapon fighting doesn't happen by accident. If you've taken the effort to develop your fighter into a two-weapon fighter, you have put some thought into what weapons you wield. These weapons are your signature, they're part of your character.

The Tempest prestige class doesn't require a specific combination of weapons; you can use whatever two weapons you want. So this prestige class works as well for my elven thinblade/short sword combination as it would for an axe/dagger combination or a double-weapon. I like that I don't have to fit a stereotype to follow this prestige class; it's adaptable to my character.

Here's What I Love About It

The Tempest prestige class finally recognizes that your fighter is intelligent. The class features credit your character with the ability to become a more efficient fighter as you grow into proficiency with your two weapons. You gain AC bonuses, you reduce your two-weapon fighting penalties. And, my personal favorite, you gain the effects of certain feats for your secondary weapons; for example, if you have Weapon Focus for one of your weapons, you gain its abilities for your other weapon.

These class features (there are more, so read up if you're interested) demonstrate that your character is growing as a fighter throughout this process. I love that it's a natural progression of skills we might expect a two-weapon fighter to develop.

The Moral of Today's Story

Whether or not you ever take this prestige class, there is something important I want you to take from this discussion. Your prestige class should be a natural complement to your character, and any sacrifices (pre-req's) should be easily outweighed by the class benefits. Do your research and enjoy!

Joys of Playing an Epic Character

Dante has share some of the growing pains he's experienced as a co-DM for our epic campaign. And it surprised me when I realized that playing an epic character really isn't the walk-in-the-park I had expected.

It'll All Be Easier When I'm Epic

It's very easy to fall into the mindset everything will come up sunshine and rainbows once your character reaches 20th level. Think of all those fabulous spells/feats/skills/etc your character didn't have when they were younger. Life will be happy and joyful. Let me remind you that as your character gains awesome spells/feats/skills, enemies will also gain spells/feats/skills. You think your party's wizard is pretty awesome now, wait 'til you see the spells the evil wizard can cast! Hope your character's reflex save improved too!

When I Grow Up....

I'm a huge proponent of career planning, making decisions early so you know what your character wants to be when they grow up. Unfortunately, my optimism doesn't usually survive to 20th level. I had a mid-character-life crisis upon realizing that I didn't know what to do next in terms of career development for Ari. I have since overcome that particular obstacle by finding a new prestige class that compliments her combat style.

One of the harder parts of growing epic is the need to keep your character exciting, to have something toward which you can look forward as your character gains new levels. For me (and Ari), it was finding another prestige class; for you, it might be the need to start inventing your own spells. Figure out what keeps you excited about gaining a new level and build that into your character development.

Playing an epic character in an epic story to save the world is very exciting; I'm thrilled that Ari is awesome enough that wizards want to try to disintegrate her! I just caution you to consider that with great levels come great responsibility.

Facing Impending Doom

There will come a time when you will be faced with the inevitable realization that the DM is actually, actively trying to kill your party. Sometimes, you'll discover it far enough in advance to be able to do something about your impending death, but often the crafty DM will hide the truth of the encounter until it is too late for you to do anything other than play along and hope for a bunch of really, really bad dice rolls from behind the screen.

Grab Your Weapons and Tell Your Clerics to Pray!

Upon realizing your impending doom, you can suck it up, tell your clerics (or druids or paladins... anyone in the party with ANY sort of religious affiliation) to pray to their respective deities, and head into danger with a swagger in your step, knowing if you go down, you'll be taking down as many of those murderous orcs with you as you can.

This, of course, is the "hero" scenario, and it will either end with your party emerging as god-like to the uneducated peasants in the surrounding village or... well... certain death. Either way, the villagers will usually turn the site of your battle into a monument to your (attempted) achievements, unless the evils move in for good and the peasants all become slaves in the Evil Army of Doom.

The positive part of the "hero" scenario is that there is usually a lot of smashing and destruction involved, so at least you get your last kicks in before the bad guys try to kill you. The negative part is that you're never sure until it's over if you will survive.

DM's will often create a "hero"-esque scenario to test your skills and battle-courage. But sometimes, they'll do it just because they can (cue evil DM laughter).

Lower Your Weapons and Let's See What Other Options We Have

The other option available to the party upon realizing the impending doom is to investigate what other options are available. This doesn't necessarily make you cowards; this is the "second chance" scenario. You are avoiding certain death now, knowing that with a little more experience or the help of a magical artifact, you will better survive this impossible encounter.

DM's will often create "second chance" scenarios to see if you're paying attention to the story; they present an obvious attempt to kill you to see if you've remember that the old wise man from three towns back, told you that you should seek the rare Midnight Gem, reputedly lost in the Forest of the Night.

Put Away Your Weapons and Let's See What Other Trouble We Can Find

You collectively can decide not to fall in with the DM's plan and abandon the carefully-created storyline. This is the "scoundrel" option, where you don't pay any attention to the story and just do whatever you want to do. The DM will not like this, and retribution will likely be swift and... well, deadly. But, hey, the look in the DM's eyes when you choose not to follow the outlined path is a priceless moment. Enjoy it, before it is replaced by the Look of Vengeance.

A Little Bit Fluffy, A Little Bit Crunch-and-Roll

I have realized, over the past month or so, that I'm a little bit fluffy and a little bit crunchy. I think it all depends on my mood on any given day.

Fluff-O-Meter

I enjoy the fluff of the game... without the fluff, I get bored. And when I get bored, I go a little crazy. I crave a storyline that really draws me and my character into the action. I love to create back stories and expand on them throughout the campaign. Any story that inspires me to create my character as a literary figure in my own mind is a good story in my book, pun definitely intended. I need to feel as if my character has a positive impact on the world around her, that who she is and what she's doing is important.

Mmmm... Crunchy...

I love the rules! Game mechanics are always fun for me, especially when they get me out of trouble. I plan out my character development several levels in advance, so I always know what feats and spells I'm taking. I love a good crunchy dungeon every once in awhile, to prove that my character development has been successful in providing the skills necessary to defeat the evils. And, of course, rolling dice is always fun!

So, I'm not too fluffy or too crunchy. I like to think I'm the prefect blend of fluffy-to-crunch. And I've noticed I tend to have the most fun when a session provides me with both crunchy and fluffy fodder.

On a related note, Yax posted the Top 10 Signs Your DM is Fluffy and Crunchy. Besides identifying your DM's modis operandi, it's also great for helping you identify your level of Fluff-to-Crunch as a player... just pick the list that includes the elements you prefer in your game session.

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P.S. Thanks to Yax for the #7 spot on his Top 50 RPG sites! It's definitely an honor to be included among those many great sites! :)

Staying Tuned-In

During holiday season, we have some difficulty finding game time when everyone can get together to game. These delays can making staying tuned-in to the storyline very difficult. In the past, we haven't done much to keep in touch with the story outside of game nights, but there are a few things I think might help us this time around. Of course, implementation may not happen right away, but that doesn't mean I can't dream!

1. Plot In Review - We have a bulletin board already established for the game. As one of the note-takers in the group, I could post recaps of the plot thus far on the board: one to help me remember, and two to share with everyone else.

2. Character Development - Instead of ignoring my alter-ego until the next game night, I could be working on character development between sessions. I have created a fairly good backstory for my character, but I could take some time to flesh it out, giving her more personality and keeping me in-tune with her.

3. Career Planning - I could take some time to consider my character's career. I can review supplements to explore prestige class options or other feat ladders I haven't had time to pursue. This will give me some direction as my character gains experience, as well as some opportunities for in-game roleplaying as I "develop" these new abilities.

Do you have any tricks to share for staying tuned-in to the game during hiatus?

Someone Heal Me!!

There are days, like today, when I would trade in my doctor for a good cleric and his repertoire of divine spells. And as my loving husband, Dante, pointed out, characters never get sick; they have clerics that can cast Remove Disease or any Cure spells to make them feel better. So, here's my cleric-inspired post, mostly because I'm sick and forgot to post something earlier.

Never Leave Home Without One

Clerics are among the most important characters in any party; it's not impossible to adventure without one, but you'll usually wish you hadn't left home without one. Clerics have that wonderful ability to make you feel better when the orcs have tried (nearly successfully) to remove your sword arm. Plus, they have all other kinds of handy make-you-feel-better spells; it's not just about the wounds. Neutralize Poison, Remove Disease, the Restoration spells... all kinds of things to make you feel better.

Not Just For Healing

Besides ensuring the good health of the party, clerics can also contribute on the combat front. They can hold their own in combat; clerics have simple weapon proficiency, as well as armor and shield proficiencies. Plus, they are great against undead, not just with their ability to turn, but also with their arsenal of undead-damaging spells, which also work great against not-undead too!

Black Friday Shopping List

In the spirit of Black Friday, when those who love to shop worship the After Thanksgiving Sales in crowded stores, let us not forget that most players love to shop for their character and thus celebrate this most impressive of shopping holidays in the manner best fitting our favored past-time.

Beginning with the Basics

In addition to armor and weapons, there are certain things most character will need to procure before adventuring in the great wide world. I try to never leave home without the following:

• Backpack
• Bedroll
• Winter Blanket - I love to use these for more than just camping in the colder months; they're handy for a make-shift litter or awning, and in a pinch, you could create a blanket rope.
• Scroll case, parchment, ink & pen - a great DM with whom I once had the privilege to game had a house rule that unless you character was carrying the necessary equipment for taking notes, you as the player didn't take notes. So if you wanted to keep a copy of the prophecy, you character better be able to write it down. Ever since that momentous session, I have always equipped my character with the necessary writing materials.
• Flint & Steel
• Mirror - sometimes you use it, sometimes you don't. But you never know when a mirror will come in handy.
• Rope - of course.
• Waterskin & Rations - even though our house rule doesn't specifically monitor such things, I always have them on my character sheet.
• Class-specific requirements - holy symbols for clerics, instruments for bards, thieves' tools for rogues, etc.

Adventurer's Wish List

Beyond the basics, every character has a wish-list of items they would buy if they had enough money. For me, these tend to be:

• Amulet of Natural Armor - since most characters don't have anything to provide natural armor, this is a quick boost to AC without the tedious mucking about trying to figure out what kind of bonus it is and do you always have something with that bonus.
• Stat-boosting items - gauntlets of ogre power, cloaks of charisma, gloves of dexterity, anything that will boost the primary stat for your character class
• Bag of Holding - true shopping can only begin when you can sell more loot! And to sell more, you must be able to carry more.
  
• Magic weapons - for the fightery-types, magic is always better, especially if it comes with some sort of extra enhancement, like fire damage or keen-ness
• Magic accoutrements - for the spell-castery-types, bonus spells are always a plus... magic wands, extra scrolls, anything to fill the void when you've used up your best spells for the day
• Magic Armor/Robes - anything to make it harder for the enemy to hurt you is always cause for celebration, whether you need shiny new plate or a fabulous new robe.
  

I know I always have a great time when I get to cash in my share of the loot and upgrade my character's equipment. And it's even better than Black Friday door-busters, since you don't have to wake up before the sun just to get the best deals!

Desperate Times - An Ari Story

Disclaimer: I've been coming down sick and almost didn't post today, but I didn't want to disappoint the regulars, so I apologize if this post isn't up to my normal standard. Bear with me, and I'll try to make it up to you over the holiday weekend.

Finally, a Plot Hook I Can Really Enjoy

At the beginning of our Act 2 campaign, I had a hard time finding motivation for my character, but we finally encountered some crazy-scary plot hooks that have pulled me back into the game. First, we encountered a horribly evil goddess bent on tipping the balance of good and evil towards evil (big surprise, huh?). She's an evil, scary enemy that we totally didn't deserve. After all, we saved the world just 4 short years ago! One would surely think our contributions have earned us a little peace and quiet, but, alas, that is not to be.

Then, in a follow-up twist, we were called to a council of the gods, who told us that Evil Lady had a good point, that we made the world too good when we saved the world last time. So, the gods can't stop Evil Lady, and we'll just have to figure out how to defeat her ourselves.

WHAT!?!?!

We're being abandoned by our various gods! On the verge of world-wide war, we're being given a secret mission to defeat an evil goddess, but we can't count on our gods for assistance. This is the kind of treatment I would have expected if we'd failed our last attempt at saving the world, but being the proven heroes we are, I would expect a little more support, especially as our characters all have strong religious connections.

And so it is that we embark on our assigned mission to save the world once again in these desperate times. There are few times more intriguing than that moment when you realize that (once again) the fate of the entire world rests on your ability to overcome the unreasonable, evil goddess.

The Player's Perspective

This is always a tense situation, because we if we fail in our mission, the world will be overcome with darkness. I love the intrigue of this particular type of plot hook. The difficulty I find is how to accurately represent my character's reaction to this kind of responsibility. For Ari, an accomplished fighter, it's not so much about the impending battles as it is the overwhelming knowledge that failure means the destruction of the world she has already fought to save; unfortunately, this isn't the easiest reaction to roleplay, so I have my work cut out for me.

Share Your Stories

What kind of crazy-scary moments have you encountered or (for the DMs out there) created? And how did you (or your players) roleplay their reactions?

When All Else Fails, Make It Up!

Over at the Chatty DM's site, Phil & Yan posted a couple of posts recently about tweaking a class to create a cooler character. If you haven't read about the Shaper class, I suggest you check it out, both Part 1 and Part 2.

Here's What I Like About It
D&D should always be about having fun. And if it's not fun, you need to take whatever actions are necessary to make it fun again. In this case, Yan & Phil developed a class that suited Yan's character concept, making the game more fun... as it should be.

Here's What I Love About It

Developing your character to the level that inspires you to create a class that meets your character's roleplay needs is an exceptional concept. I have usually developed a character concept to fit a class, never the other way around. I think it's a great idea, and I'm really excited about the possibilities this opens up for my own future characters.

So the Moral of Today's Story Is...

If it's broke and it's not contributing to your roleplaying experience, fix it! Work with your DM and tweak something to make things better for you. That doesn't mean you have to develop a whole new class... maybe you just need to adjust your spell selection, or work on a prestige class. Take control of your character's destiny, even if that means you have to build that destiny yourself.

P.S. Phil recently moved to his new site, so if you haven't already, be sure to update your bookmark!

House Rules

As much as we love the core rulebooks, we are all pretty well set in our house rules ways. House rules give you that extra little help when the rules don't quite fit your party's needs. I'm always looking for good house rules to convince my DM we should implement, but here are a few of ours to share.

Re-rolling 1's on healing and health. When rolling for healings (either potions or spells) or rolling your hit die each level, rolling a 1 is an automatic re-roll.

No changes after your turn is over. You can change the amount of damage you did during your turn only until the next person begins his/her turn. So, if you forgot to add the +2 from the bard's inspire courage to the 3 attacks you made, you're just out of luck... try to remember next time!

No food need while traveling. Except in extreme climates (ie. deserts, frozen tundras, etc), it is assumed sufficient time has been allotted during the day to hunt for food so tracking rations is not necessary.

So, what house rules do you have in place?

Hotdog Forks!!

On the way home from work, I noticed, out of the corned of my eye, a marquee sign for the camper sales place. It blinked twice: Hotdog Forks!! And I knew that my muse had appeared in those blinking red lights. On the way home from a crazy day at work, the absurdity of the words "Hotdog Forks!!" made me smile, but most importantly, it reminded me how some of the littlest things make such a huge difference, even in the D&D realm.

Spice Things Up

How easy it can be to make your character just that much more interesting by adding a little spice. Add a quirk to your character with a small trinket that always gets lost and without which you won't leave the campsite in the morning. Or maybe you have a lucky feather you have to have tucked securely in your armor or robes before you go into battle.

Add Some Comic Release

In the first half of our current campaign, Ari won a small necklace from the mysterious carnival. Most of the gains from the carnival would disappear in the light of the new morning, but the necklace, for whatever reason, stayed. Ari shrugged it off as bizarre, but it was pretty, and she decided that she would keep it. It was a few days later before she discovered the trick in the trinket. She said the word "necklace" and was transported to another random location, not too far from where she was standing. It was such a fun little item... but the best part was keeping the DM's guessing if she was going to say the magic word.

So, if you find yourself in the situation where you feel as if your muse has abandoned you, try to add some fun to your character with your own "Hotdog Forks!!"

Stop that Muse!

There are those days... when we really just don't have the energy... when real life just seems so overwhelming, how can we ever enjoy ourselves when the rest of the party is counting on us? How do we survive when our muse escapes us?

I have been suffering a distinct lack of motivation, and I firmly blame the absence of my muse. I haven't gotten fully into the 4-years-in-the-future campaign. And I haven't been particularly moved to create an inspiring post to share with you all. So here's how I'm trying to win back my muse:

1. Reading inspirational literature. Not sunshine & light inspirational. D&D inspirational. I've recently discovered R.A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels... I know, about 20 years after the rest of the population. But nevertheless, they have helped me remember all the awesomeness of D&D, and inspire me to get out there and roll some dice.

2. Reading other blogs. While I'm not a DM myself, I read a lot of the DM blogs... Dungeon Mastering dot com, Treasure Tables, Chatty DM, and many, many, many others. And they inspire me by reminding me that the game isn't just about me, it's about everyone else, including the DM.

So, what else can you recommend for finding my muse?

Get Some of These Skills

Continuing in the spirit of sharing some of my favorites, I thought I'd share some of my favorite skills. My favorites vary by class, of course, because some skills are really more useful for specific classes, such as Perform for Bards or Sleight of Hand for Rogues. The majority of skills can be useful to nearly everyone, if you only have a handful of skill points, here's where I would spend them:
1. Spot & Listen - It's a draw on these... While obviously not the same, they are each so useful it's hard to pick one. Whether Spotting the oncoming enemy or Listening to the sounds of approaching battle, these two skills can help you identify dangerous situations. Of course, they can be used for non-combat situations, like being able to overhear that juicy bit of gossip about the mayor's missing daughter or noticing that shiny coin over in the corner. Even though these are cross-class skills for the majority of classes, I still spend the extra points to have some good ranks in these two.

2. Tumble - a hidden gem all the way down at the bottom of the list. Again, it's cross-classed for the majority of classes, but it's a handy trick to have if you constantly find yourself in the midst of melee but you'd really prefer to be much further away. If you can Tumble successfully, you can maneuver your way out of melee without provoking attacks of opportunity.

3. Knowledge - a little Knowledge never hurt anyone, and depending on your class or backstory, having a little bit may go a long way. My personal favorite is Arcana; I like having that extra insight into those things magical. I don't usually spend a lot of points here, but having one or two gives you a chance to at least roll the dice on that little bit you do know. Of course, so classes benefit from lots of Knowledge, such as Bards, Clerics, Wizards & Sorcerers, so you may want alter your ranks in Knowledge based on your class.

4. Concentration - for me, it's a must for my spellcasters... not because I plan to cast spells in melee, but if I need to, I have a little better chance of success. Anything you might do that would provoke an attack of opportunity will require a Concentration check, and let's face it, you hate being disturbed when trying to cast your big spell.

5. Climb & Swim - I try to take a couple of ranks in these if I'm wearing armor that has a check penalty. There's nothing less frustrating (not to mention embarrassing) than lying sprawled on your back because you couldn't climb up a rope or ending up half-drowned because you got bogged down crossing the river. Armor is great for battles, but to give yourself a fighting chance with these skills, try taking enough ranks to balance out that penalty. If you think you might want to use Balance, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand and Tumble, you should consider taking a couple of ranks, as these skills incur the same armor check penalties.