Free RPG stuff tomorrow

Free RPG Day is almost here, specifically on Saturday, June 15.  Go here to find your nearest participating store.

Because there hasn't been enough discussion yet about the Appendix N books

Over at Tor.com there's a series of articles kicking off discussing the various Appendix N books, and how they actually relate to D&D as it's actually played, starting off with a look at "Red Nails" by Robert E. Howard.

 

The Holmes D&D rulebook should have had a Lucha Libre class

So, I was watching Santo y Blue Demon Contra los Monstruos with my wife (hey, don't judge us, man), which, just in case you are unfamiliar with this cinematic masterpiece, involves two masked Mexican wrestlers fighting a mad scientist, various zombies, and yes, about a half-dozen different monsters of the old-school, ripped-off-from-Universal-Monsters mode, complete with cheap sets, spliced-in footage from other movies, and a shameless lack of acting talent.  The monsters include a vampire (along with two sexy female vamps), a Frankenstein monster, a wolfman, a mummy, and a cyclops.

The latter is what interests me.  Based on a monster suit from an earlier film, what the film refers to as a cyclops is also an amphibian gill-man, giving it a bit of a Creature from the Black Lagoon vibe (in a very cheap, knock-offish sort of way) as well.

While watching the film, I was thinking to myself, "I've seen something like this somewhere before... was it in a gaming book?"  About halfway though the movie, it hit me where I had seen something similar enough that I can't help if it if perhaps the creature shown in los Monstruos might perhaps have served as some sort of visual inspiration.

That's from the UK version of the Holmes 'Blue Book' edition of Dungeons & Dragons.  The art in the UK edition has some one-eyes orcs in it as well, but I've always assumed that the above illustration was meant to be a troglodyte.  Is it possible that the artist was a fan of cheesy Mexican wrestling films, or am I merely reading too much into what is probably a coincidence?

Banner of Three Swords

Highly prized by kings and generals, the Banner of Three Swords is a powerful magical item that grants great aid to armies who fight under its aegis.  Specifically, it grants all who fight while the Banner is being held (within line-of-sight of the Banner) the following bonuses, for the duration of the battle:

• +2 to all attack rolls
• +2 temporary HD
• +4 to all attribute checks, class ability checks, saving throws, and morale checks

However, these bonuses come at a cost.  The bearer of the Banner suffers a -4 penalty to AC, and a -4 penalty to most saving throws.  They do gain the temporary HD listed above, and have a +4 bonus to resist any attempts to take the banner from them, magical or otherwise. Due to its size, the bearer of the Banner can not otherwise attack while holding it.  The bearer of the Banner must understand and freely accept the risk involved; someone bearing the Banner through ignorance, coercion, or trickery confers none of the above-listed bonuses to those who fight under the Banner.

Those who die bearing the Banner are usually accorded much honor and respect.  If a PC dies bearing the Banner, they should receive some sort of bonus to creating their next character.  If using an Honor system (like that used in the 1st ed AD&D Oriental Adventures rulebook), grant the dying character double the "heroic death" honor award.  If not, the player's new PC can either choose to start one level higher than normal, or add +1 to any two attribute scores.

Inspired by Marvel Graphic Novel #15: "The Raven Banner - A Tale of Asgard"

Overknight at the Inn

Just as Villages are often glossed over, so are the inns that adventurers often stay in during their travels.  Still, there are times when a little detail can be useful, both for the inn itself and for whatever other NPC's are staying the night there as well.

First, the name of the Inn in question.  Roll d4 twice to get started (if you roll a 4 on the first roll, use a d3 for the second roll instead) to see what type of words forms the name of the Inn.

1. Person
2. Object
3. Creature
4. Adjective

If there is an Adjective, it always comes first.  A Person will come first, unless there is also an Adjective.  A Creature will always come last.  If there is no Adjective, then there will be an '&' between the two names.  Add 'Inn' at the end of it, and there you go.

PERSON (roll d20)

1. Archer
2. Angel
3. Bandit
4. Baron
5. Count
6. Dancer
7. Duke
8. Friar
9. Hangman
10. Hunter
11. Hag
12. Imp
13. King
14. Knave
15. Knight
16. Nymph
17. Prince
18. Queen
19. Squire
20. Wench

OBJECT (roll d30)

1. Arrow
2. Banner
3. Barrel
4. Boot
5. Bridge
6. Brook
7. Bugle
8. Bush
9. Cart
10. Cask
11. Crown
12. Cup
13. Dagger
14. Fiddle
15. Flagon
16. Flask
17. Glass
18. Glove
19. Goblet
20. Helm
21. Horn
22. Quiver
23. Rose
24. Shield
25. Spear
26. Staff
27. Sword
28. Vine
29. Whistle
30. Willow

CREATURE (roll d6,d6)

1,1 Boar
1,2 Bear
1,3 Cow
1,4 Cock
1,5 Crow
1,6 Deer

2,1 Dragon
2,2 Duck
2,3 Eagle
2,4 Elk
2,5 Falcon
2,6 Fox

3,1 Fowl
3,2 Frog
3,3 Goat
3,4 Goose
3,5 Griffin
3,6 Hare

4,1 Hart
4,2 Harpy
4,3 Hawk
4,4 Hog
4,5 Horse
4,6 Hound

5,1 Kestrel
5,2 Owl
5,3 Pheasant
5,4 Pig
5,5 Rabbit
5,6 Ram

6,1 Sheep
6,2 Sparrow
6,3 Stag
6,4 Swan
6,5 Toad
6,6 Wolf

ADJECTIVE (roll d30)

1. Bald
2. Big
3. Bonny
4. Burly
5. Burning
6. Buxom
7. Crowing
8. Dancing
9. Dirty
10. Flying
11. Giddy
12. Happy
13. Howling
14. Jolly
15. Leaping
16. Little
17. Lone
18. Long
19. Lucky
20. Merry
21. Noble
22. Roaring
23. Royal
24. Singing
25. Sleeping
26. Ye Olde
27. (number)
28. (color)
29. (metal/jewel)
30. (roll twice on this table)

For Number, roll d8+1, giving a range of adjectives from Two to Nine (anything following should be plural, or course).  For either Color or Metal/Jewel, roll on the subtables below:

COLOR SUBTABLE (roll d8)

1. Black
2. Blue
3. Brown
4. Green
5. Grey
6. Red
7. Scarlet
8. White

METAL/JEWEL SUBTABLE (roll d8)

1. Brass
2. Bronze
3. Copper
4. Golden
5. Iron
6. Ivory
7. Jade
8. Silver

As for the inn itself, if it is situated in a village, it will have 2d4+2 rooms that it rents out, in addition to the common room.  If it has 8+ rooms, there is a 1-in-6 chance the building has two stories, otherwise it is an one-story structure.  If in a town or city, the inn will have 3d6+2 rooms for rent (plus common room); assume any such structure with 11+ rooms is automatically a two-story building  Most rooms can hold two human-sized travelers for the night with minimum fuss.  There is a 2-in-6 chance of there being a stable nearby for the horses (or really poor travelers).  There will be 1-2 primary owners (if two, even odds of it being a married couple), with a number of servers and other help equal to 1d3 + (number of rooms for rent/5, +1 if there is also a stable), most of them probably related to the owner(s). There is a 1-in-20 chance of the Innkeeper(s) being Eeeeeeevil (i.e. spy for foreign power, dangerous cultist, or just killing travelers via secret doors into the rooms so they can steal their gold and make meat pies from their bodies). 

Of course, there's no guarantee that there are going to be enough rooms for all of the PC's to sleep in.  That depends, after all, on what other travelers are staying overnight there.  Roll three times on the Common Travelers table below if in a village, four times if in a town or city; roll an extra time if there is a fair or religious festival going on in the area at the time.

COMMON TRAVELERS (roll d8)

1. 2d3 common craftsmen (i.e. potters, masons, etc) traveling between towns, probably staying in the common room.
2. 2d4 criminals - could be local members of the thieves' guild, bandits, slavers, etc.  Might be staying in the common room, or might be renting rooms (two per room).  Probably won't attack while in the inn, but may ambush the PC's if they don't look strong enough.  Most will be 1st level, but the leader will be 1d4+1 level.
3. 2d4 fighters, possibly either traveling guardsmen, or mercenaries for hire.  Even odds whether they are renting rooms or sleeping in the common room.  1st level, with a leader 1d4+1 level.
4. 1d3 locals, probably sleeping in the common room because they don't want to go home this particular night.  If more than one, they might be getting together for some secret meeting (conspirators, sexual tryst, etc.), in which case they will have rented a room.
5. 1d2 merchants, renting rooms (possibly a room each).  Will have 2d3 1st level fighters as guards with them, who may or may not be sleeping in the common room, and 1d3-1 apprentices, who will definately be sleeping in the common room.
6. 1 lesser member of nobility, who will (of course) have a room to themselves.  They will have 1d3 guards (1d4 level fighters) and 1d2 servants with them, who will also be sleeping two to a room.
7. 2d4 pilgrims, all sleeping in the common room.  There is a 1-in-10 chance that one of the pilgrims is actually an adventurer or former adventurer (roll as per Uncommon Traveler, below).  There is a 1-in-6 chance there is a Cleric with them (1d6 level), probably renting a room for themselves.
8. roll on the Uncommon Travelers table below

UNCOMMON TRAVELERS (roll d12)

(assume that there is only one of each, unless otherwise mentioned, 2d4 level, and will definitely have a room to themselves, 3-in-10 chance is actually a demi-human)

1. Assassin
2. Barbarian
3. Bard
4. Cleric (even odds 1d6 acolytes are with them, either two to a room or sleeping in the common room, 1-in-20 chance is a Druid instead)
5. Fighter
6. Knight (4-in-6 chance has a 1st level squire with them, in their own room)
7. Magician (1-in-10 chance is an Illusionist instead)
8. Paladin
9. Ranger
10. Thief
11. Adventurers (2d3+1 in number, 2d3 level each, reroll d10 on this table to determine class for each)
12. roll on the Special Travelers table below

SPECIAL TRAVELERS (roll d6)

(all except the last option will, of course, be shapeshifted to appear human (or at least humanoid), all will be alone unless noted, and all will have rooms to themselves except where noted)

1. Demon (probably a Succubus)
2. Doppleganger
3. Dragon (either Silver or Gold)
4. Rakshasa
5. Lycanthropes (either 1d3 werewolves or 1d4 wererats, either sharing rooms or sleeping in the common room)
6. Ghost (not actually renting a room, of course... the inn is haunted!)

Random Village Generation

Most faux-medieval fantasy worlds are littered with various settlements too small, and too numerous, to be worth detailing too much in advance.  Most fantasy maps won't bother showing anything smaller than the various towns and cities of a given country, unless the map scale is fairly small.  Usually this isn't an issue, and most overland travel by adventurers will gloss over passing through such smaller areas, but it can occasionally be useful to give a little detail to such areas.  If the GM/DM doesn't have anything prepared, a few random rolls can flesh out a few needed details, giving the name and size of the village, as well as notes on what businesses and areas of possible interest might be around (specifically, what would be of interest to the PC's, because 99.99% of the time they're not going to give a rat's ass about how many bootmakers or coppersmiths reside in the area).

(note: for these purposes, a village is any settlement of 1,000 or less)

VILLAGE NAME PREFIX (roll d8,d10)

1,1 Aber
1,2 Ach
1,3 Adder
1,4 Ald
1,5 Amber
1,6 Apple
1,7 Arrow
1,8 Ash
1,9 Auch
1,0 Bal

2,1 Barrow
2,2 Bear
2,3 Bell
2,4 Berry
2,5 Birch
2,6 Black
2,7 Bow
2,8 Brown
2,9 Brad
2,0 Buck

3,1 Bull
3,2 Bur
3,3 Caer
3,4 Carn
3,5 Corn
3,6 Crow
3,7 Cul
3,8 Darth
3,9 Deer
3,0 Drum

4,1 Duck
4,2 Dun
4,3 Elm
4,4 Ever
4,5 Fair
4,6 Fox
4,7 Free
4,8 Goat
4,9 Green
4,0 Grey

5,1 Hast
5,2 High
5,3 Hog
5,4 Hook
5,5 Horn
5,6 Key
5,7 Kings
5,8 Lang
5,9 Long
5,0 Maple

6,1 Marble
6,2 Mid
6,3 Mor
6,4 Nor
6,5 Oak
6,6 Ox
6,7 Pad
6,8 Pax
6,9 Pen
6,0 Pine

7,1 Queens
7,2 Ram
7,3 Red
7,4 Rest
7,5 Rose
7,6 Salt
7,7 Small
7,8 Smoke
7,9 Stock
7,0 Sun

8,1 Swan
8,2 Twin
8,3 Way
8,4 Well
8,5 White
8,6 Wolf
8,7 Wood
8,8 York
8,9 (directional prefix)
8,0 (geographic prefix)

Directional prefixes (north/south/east/west) are usually determined by the village's relationship to the center of the nation as it existed when the village was first founded (the borders may have since changed, of course).  Or you could just roll a d4 to randomly pick one.

Geographical prefixes are names such as Cliff, Glen, Hill, Lake, Mount, Sand, and Sea, dependent on the local terrain.

VILLAGE NAME SUFFIX (roll d6,d10)

1,1 axe
1,2 bole
1,3 bury
1,4 combe
1,5 coor
1,6 court
1,7 cott
1,8 dale
1,9 dell
1,0 edge

2,1 firth
2,2 green
2,3 hall
2,4 ham
2,5 heath
2,6 hart
2,7 hold
2,8 holm
2,9 hook
2,0 hurst

3,1 ing
3,2 land
3,3 leaf
3,4 lund
3,5 ly
3,6 mead
3,7 mont
3,8 mouth
3,9 nock
3,0 pool

4,1 rach
4,2 rook
4,3 root
4,4 scar
4,5 shaw
4,6 shield
4,7 shire
4,8 side
4,9 stead
4,0 thorn

5,1 thorpe
5,2 ton
5,3 vale
5,4 view
5,5 ville
5,6 way
5,7 well
5,8 wich
5,9 wick
5,0 worth

6, x (geographic suffix)

Geographical suffixes can include the following - bank, bridge, brook, bush, creek, field, ford, glen, hill, knoll, lake, moor, pass, port, ridge, shore, tree, valley, wood

Not all prefix/suffix combinations will work, and those that obviously don't should be re-rolled.  Some can work with a little tweaking (Restcourt might sound better as Restencourt, for example), and a few might work better as two names instead of one (Bull's Green instead of Bullgreen).

VILLAGE SIZE GENERATOR (2d4)

2-    Tiny
3     Small
4     Medium
5-6  Large
7+   Very Large

-1 to the roll if the area has only been settled in the last century or so, +1 to the roll if the land has been settled for several centuries without any major calamities, such as plagues or apocalyptic wars.

Tiny villages will number a hundred or less in terms of populace (3d6x5 + 1d10 works fine for my purposes), and will have little of interest to them.  Most villages will have about one building per 6 people or so.

Small villages range from 101-300 people.  They will have a temple (or a sacred grove, if druidic/nature worship is more common in the area), and a 3-in-6 chance of having a tavern, as well.  There will be 1-2 low-level men-at-arms types who might be available for hire as mercenaries or henchmen.

Medium villages range from 301-600 people.  They will have both a temple and a tavern, as well as a 2-in-6 chance (each) for the sort of craftsman that a PC might want to hire to help fix their damaged non-magical gear (i.e. blacksmith, leathermaker, bowyer/fletcher, etc.). There will be 1-3 men-at-arms types available for potential hire.

Large villages will number around 601-800 people.  There will be 1-2 temples, and 1-2 taverns.  There is a 3-in-6 chance each of the aforementioned craftsmen, as well as a 1-in-6 chance of there being an inn.  There will be 1-4 men-at-arms types available for potential hire.

Very Large villages will top out at around 801-1000 people.  They will have 1-2 temples, 2 taverns, a 4-in-6 chance each of the aforementioned craftsmen, and a 3-in-6 chance of there being an inn.  There is also a 1-in-6 chance of there being a small brothel on the edge of the village, as well as a 1-in-6 chance of there being a low-level arcane spellcaster in the area who serves as the local hedge wizard/wise woman/village witch/etc. 1-6 men-at-arms types will be available for potential hire.

1-in-20 villages will be Eeeeeeevil, probably in service of some sinister cult.  If not, 1-in-12 villages will still have some sort of secret that they wish to keep from the outside world, such as worshiping some forbidden/outlawed deity, or engaging in some sort of social practices so far from the norm that even jaded adventurers might be shocked by them.

Alternate spell memorization rules

Like many players growing up with older editions of D&D, I disliked the need for spell memorization from magic-users.  I had not yet read Vance, and the idea of a wizard forgetting a spell upon casting it made no sense to me, nor did it line up with other representations of magic as per Howard, Leiber, Moorcock, etc.  Truthfully, outside of a specifically Vancian setting it still doesn't make that much sense to me, to be honest... however, in recent years I have come to appreciate a bit more the 'resource allocation' aspect of 'old-school' D&D, i.e. the necessity of having the right spell memorized, the right equipment on hand, etc. for a given adventure.  For my upcoming C&C game I'd like to retain a bit of that pre-adventure planning, while still giving wizards a bit more flexibility in terms of overall spellcasting.

The following alternate rules are designed for Castles & Crusades, but could easily be adapted to earlier versions of Dungeons & Dragons with little muss or fuss.  The only possible hurdle might be if your particular flavor of D&D uses a different time scale - in C&C a round is 10 seconds long, and a turn is a minute long.

First, what the wizard (or illusionist, or whatever) is doing after those 8 hours or so of sleep isn't so much spell memorization, but rather spell preparation.  Think of casting a spell as not unlike firing an arrow from a bow.  There are multiple steps involved in the latter: 1) having a bow in hand, 2) grabbing an arrow, 3) nocking the arrow on the bowstring, 4) drawing the arrow (and bowstring) back, 5) aiming the arrow at the target, and 6) letting loose of the arrow, so that it may (hopefully) hit its intended target.  In preparing their spells for the day, spellcasters are essentially going through the magical equivalents of steps 1-5, leaving only the final step undone so that the final triggering of the spell may be cast at the appropriate moment. 

The implication here is that the casting time given for a listed spell is for that last step, when the spellcaster 'pulls the trigger' on the incantation in question.  A further implication is that a spellcaster can cast any unprepared spell they know, but that it required more time to complete.  An unprepared spell whose casting time is listed in rounds requires an equal amount of time in turns/minutes; if a spell has a casting time listed in turns, the unprepared time required is multiplied by 10.  For example, Dragon Mount has a CT of 2 rounds; an illusionist casting it unprepared would actually need 2 turns/minutes to cast it.  Likewise, Explosive Runes has a CT of 1 turn/minute; a wizard would need 10 minutes of cast said spell unprepared.

The exception here is any spell that has a CT listed in minutes, hours, or days (instead of rounds or turns), requires the same amount of time to cast, prepared or not.  This changes the 'resource allocation' dynamic of spell preparation a bit, but not overly much; such spells are comparatively few, and many of them are of a nature that you would not bother to memorize for a dungeon expedition, but would rather save for 'downtime casting' (i.e. Guards And Wards).  If a spellcaster knows such a spell, they can cast them unprepared at no penalty... if they have the time to do so.

The time required for preparing spells after a good night's rest is, unsurprisingly, equal to the full, unprepared casting time described above.  Preparing the spells Detect Magic, Light, Open/Close, Magic Missile, and Sleep (all CT 1) would only require about five minutes.  Preparing the spell Greater Scrying (CT 1 turn) would require about 10 minutes.

While originally intended for arcane spellcasters, the above system can also be applied to divine spellcasters as well, if desired.  The cleric or druid is spending their morning prayers making the mental preparations required to act as a conduit to channel their deity's favor into a specific miracle/spell.  However, if a spell falls under a deity's primary aspect (i.e. Cure Light Wounds for a Goddess of Healing, or Continual Flame for the God of Fire), then the spell can be cast unprepared at the reduced casting time.  

So what's in that spellbook?

Besides spells, I mean.

Most of us have seen college notebooks which, while in theory should be dedicated to notes and information regarding the class in question, in reality will usually have all sorts of doodles, unrelated notes, and various other inanities written in its pages.  An apprentice wizard is very much the equivalent of such a student, so their 'notebook' should probably be similar in that regard.   Also, once a wizard becomes an adventurer, there may be a legitimate need for such behavior - some information will need to be properly recorded, and sometimes a spellbook is the only means available to do so.

And so, when your PC adventurers stumble across a spellbook, roll 1d4-1 times on the table below:

Spellbook Extras Table (d10)

1-2:   Art
3:      Maps
4:      Poetry
5:      Rumor
6:      Spell Commentary
7:      Magic Item Commentary
8:      Monster Commentary
9:      Religious Notes
10:    Roll twice, combining the results

Art - roll a d6 on the table below:
1:  Portrait(s) done in a somewhat realistic style (could be of anyone - the apprentice's master, family and friends, fellow adventurers, the bar wench the wizard encountered the night before, etc)
2:  As above, but drawn in a more erotic/lewd manner
3.  As above, but drawn more for humorous/mocking effect
4:  Non-realistic doodles and/or geometric shapes
5:  Portrait(s) of monster(s)
6:  Portrait(s) of magic item(s)

Maps - roll a d4 on the table below:
1:  Partial dungeon map
2:  Overland local map leading to dungeon
3:  Combo overland/dungeon map
4:  Map of hidden room(s) inside house/temple/castle/etc.

Poetry - there is a 5-in-6 chance that this is pretty doggerel stuff, at best being mildly amusing limericks ("there once was an elf from Hamrick...").  If the poetry is of the non-suck variety, there is a further 5-in-6 chance that it is not original to the wizard in question, but rather copied from another source, and therefore perhaps has potential adventure-useful info contained within its verses.

Rumor - a rumor/adventure seed, noted for posterity.  If you have a rumor table/chart for the area, roll on that and dress it up a little.  There is a 1-in-6 chance that the rumor is 'reversed', making a true rumor false and vice versa.

Spell Commentary - roll a d6 on the table below:
1-4:  basic notes and anecdotes regarding the spell in question ("why did master Garrett teach me this spell?  It's useless!") ("I love the smell of fireballs in the dungeon")
5:  notes regarding an unusual use and/or tactical application of a particular spell
6:  notes and theory regarding creating an improved version of a given spell.   If spell research is followed along these lines, it will give a small bonus to the success chance of creating such a spell, although there is a 2-in-6 chance that the notes/theory are in error, in which case an equivalent penalty is assigned to the spell research roll.

Magic Item Commentary - roll a d4 on the table below:
1.  Listing of a command word for a particular magic item
2-3.  A listing of various items needed for the creation of a particular magic item.*  If item creation research is followed along these lines, it will give a small bonus to the success chance of creating such a magic item, although there is a 2-in-6 chance that the notes/theory are in error, in which case an equivalent penalty is assigned to the item creation roll.
4.  Description of a non-standard/unique magic item.

Monster Commentary - roll a d8 on the table below:
1-5:  Notes on a monster or monsters common to the area ("the orcs of Tharn are not as primitive as we were led to believe...")
6-7.  Notes on a monster or monsters not common to the local area, or are otherwise rare and unique
8.  Notes on a monster not in whatever Monster Manual you're using (make something up!) 

Religious Notes - there is a 4-in-6 chance that this is info regarding some demonic or otherwise malevolent order/cult that the wizard has encountered, otherwise it gives details about a minor or secretive religious order about which little is generally known.





*Appendix J in the 1st ed DMG is quite useful here, as is the 'Reputed Magical Properties of Gems' chart on pages 26-27 of the same volume.

Free RPG Day 2012

You can find your nearest participating store here.

The Tobes of Hades

No one will ever mistake me for a graphics designer, but hopefully some of you will get a chuckle out of this anyways...(click on image for larger pic)

Four years later...

...we still roll the dice, when we can.

Ernest Gary Gygax: July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008

Just watch out for those random encounters while on the astral and etheral planes, okay?

To the person yesterday who found this blog while searching for 'halfling porn'...

...I'm sorry to disappoint you (hell, I'm not even certain how such a search led to this blog).  That said, if by any chance you're still hanging around, let me offer you the following:

Yes, they're all wearing clothes, but let me assure you, underneath those clothes they're actually quite naked.

WOTC to reprint 1st ed AD&D core rulebooks

For the benefit of the Gygax Memorial Fund

Wizards is definitely courting the OSR crowd at the moment.

Just in case you somehow missed it on every other gaming blog...

Wizards Of The Coast has officially announced the forthcoming 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

(Yes, every other gaming blog has already jumped on this.  I was out working when the news broke.  Not all of us live in front of a computer.)

One of the stated goals by Mike Mearls is to have "a game that rises above differences of play styles, campaign settings, and editions".  Which sounds nice, but how do you go about doing that?  The only way I can visualize it is to have a dead simple core set of rules as the skeletal framework (something no more complicated than the old Moldvay/Cook B/X rules), and then have lots, and I do mean LOTS of optional rules, with multiple options for pretty much every aspect of gameplay.  The DM decides which options they want for the game they're running, ignoring everything they don't want.

(This brings up the question of tournament play - I would expect that certain option would be flagged as 'convention standard'.)

If this this is indeed the approach that would be taken - and I'm just guessing here, of course - then that brings up the question of PDF gamebooks.  WOTC no longer sells PDFs of any of their games, past or present, a move that helped lead to the rise of the Old School Renaissance.  I would personally hope that WOTC would make the 5th edition rules available as a PDF, because such a rulebook could be a bit unwieldy in print format - having lots of optional rules that you aren't using might create a sense of diminished value, if you're ignoring over half of the rules in the books you're using.

But with a well-designed PDF, that might be less of an issue.  A customizable PDF that allowed you to put all those rules you aren't going to use anyways on 'ignore', slimming down paragraphs of unused walls of text to a small tab that you could re-open at any time, might cut down a 300+ page document to a much more manageable number, perhaps even half the size of the entire document.  Suddenly you have a leaner, less cumbersome rulebook, yet easily customizable to to the different playstyles of different DM's.

At the very least, it seems we'll have plenty of time to figure out if 5th Edition might be geared to our individual tastes.  The open playtests would appear to be a good sign (assuming that WOTC actually listens to the playtesters, instead of just looking for justification for decisions that they would make anyways); even if the new rules aren't to your or my taste, we'll probably have a pretty good idea if that's the case by the time 5th Edition hits the stores.

It would be easy to abuse...

...but D&D characters who get killed off should perhaps have a 1% chance of returning as a ghost of some sort.

This is somewhat ironic...

...given how I like to put the screws to elves in D&D games:


I Am A: True Neutral Elf Wizard (5th Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-12
Dexterity-11
Constitution-11
Intelligence-14
Wisdom-13
Charisma-10

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Elves are known for their poetry, song, and magical arts, but when danger threatens they show great skill with weapons and strategy. Elves can live to be over 700 years old and, by human standards, are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. Elves are slim and stand 4.5 to 5.5 feet tall. They have no facial or body hair, prefer comfortable clothes, and possess unearthly grace. Many others races find them hauntingly beautiful.

Class:
Wizards are arcane spellcasters who depend on intensive study to create their magic. To wizards, magic is not a talent but a difficult, rewarding art. When they are prepared for battle, wizards can use their spells to devastating effect. When caught by surprise, they are vulnerable. The wizard's strength is her spells, everything else is secondary. She learns new spells as she experiments and grows in experience, and she can also learn them from other wizards. In addition, over time a wizard learns to manipulate her spells so they go farther, work better, or are improved in some other way. A wizard can call a familiar- a small, magical, animal companion that serves her. With a high Intelligence, wizards are capable of casting very high levels of spells.

Courtesy of What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?

DND character sheets for kids

While I still have a lot of stuff to write up (notes form DragonCon, two weeks worth of comics reviews, etc), I did want to link to these awesome D&D character sheets designed for 8 year olds.

The Hardest Gary Gygax Quiz In The World

Knightsky took the Hardest Gary Gygax Quiz in the World and got 60%!



You are a Gary Gygax Myrmidon. You are mighty in the ways of Gary Gygax. You're probably a First Edition or OD&D player, and I wouldn't be surprised if you had an original copy of the Chainmail rules.

Paladin Code: You completed this quiz without using Google.

I missed questions 6, 8, and 9, and didn't even try 10 or the bonus question.

You can take the quiz here.

Happy birthday, Gary.

Here's what the OSR means to me...

If other people want to get wound up about what is the right way to pretend to be an elf, that's their right, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to think they're being silly for taking it just a bit too seriously.

Okay, this is neat...

A park in Carbondale, IL with a D&D/fantasy theme