Dungeons and Dragons Next: Warforge Errata

After giving it some thought, I decided it was time to reevaluate my Warforged design for D&D Next. I have to admit, though, that I am excited for the day Wizards of the Coast publishes their own design and I can drop this like a ton of bricks.

4th Edition Homebrew: Monster HP

What? Me doing another article on 4th Edition!? The Mayans were right; it's the end of the world!

"We predict that a blogger will write a stupid Mayan joke.
Thousands will die."

Weekly 4e Homebrew: Character Reputation

Have you ever wondered how well people know of your exploits? Wonder no longer. Your character's reputation is on the line with this week's Character Reputation mechanics.

Vampires...or as I call them, the Vahm-pyre...

There has been debate, outrage, and confusion spreading across the internets. Which ones? ALL OF THEM!

Why? Because in the newest book in the Dungeons and Dragons 4E line that is coming out from Wizards of the Coast not only seems to be built for the Essentials line, ignoring the original 4E line, but one of the newest classes available in the Heroes of Shadow is the Vampire.

"Now, wait just a minute" you may say. "This makes very little sense." I agree. However, if you are just as confused as this hypothetical person commenting on the class choice, check out Wizard's excuses HERE. Still not agreeing with the choice? Allow me to help you with that.

Theme: Puninator

So I got to admit. Times have been rather...unkind to me as of recently. Nothing strong like a death or severe injury or disease. Just...hard times.

IN BETTER NEWS! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. With that! I give you a theme I have put together for my Humor Campaign written specifically for a friend.

Theme: Puninator

"This is quite theme-atic."

DM Tips: My House Rules

It suddenly came to me not too long ago. "Damn. Do I have too many house rules? Is this still D&D I'm playing?" Okay, maybe it isn't that bad. But still, I have a good amount and by God, it is actually helping my players enjoy the game. Originally, upon introducing some of these elements, I was worried about it bogging down an already rules-y game. Somehow, somewhere, sometime...it is all coming together nicely.

More after the jump break...

DM Tips: A Small Dungeon Solution

No one likes a dungeon that lasts for multiple game sessions.

Well. No one I have played with, personally (except my wife).

Our groups tend to want to get to the next plot point quickly. Not to say that there isn't plot that occurs in dungeons, but it feels like the standard dungeon just drags on for too long. Many people online, especially recently, have been complaining about the dungeon setting, as well as trying to solve it or get rid of the concept entirely. As an active Dungeon Master, I have seen what these dungeons do to a game:

• Players forget why they were there in the first place.
• Players become bored.
• Players forget that this is a Role Playing Game and not a tactical simulator.
• Players begin to get distracted increasingly with each session in the same dungeon.

DMs, I have the solution. Well, maybe not THE solution, but A solution.

Create smaller scale dungeons.

I Need Space Marines!

Need some Survival Horror in your 4th Edition D&D game? I give you, the Aliens.

Allow me to admit a few things. 1) My Adventure Tools program has not been upgraded in months. Ergo, some of this may be imbalanced due to any updates or errata I've missed. 2) I just didn't feel like making the queen, so *nyah*.

A Preview of What I WON'T Offer to WotC

Here's the deal. I have been working on a little thing to submit to Dragon magazine. At first, it was going to be a Class. This turned out to be really difficult. I don't know how they do it at Wizards of the Coast. So instead, they are going to get a few races I've conjured up from the depths of my twisted imagination.

HOWEVER, genius like this cannot be left unpublished. Ladies and Gentlemen! I offer you a small taste of what is to come. BEHOLD:




























Those of you who have played in my Humor Campaign understand the power that this class has at its fingertips. Beware. The Mimes are coming.

My Hectic Life

Seriously. Between having a kid April 1st, moving mid May, and still trying to find a steady job.....ACK! How can I get ANYTHING done?

In any case, with the destruction of the laptop, the 4E Mass Effect project slowly died. I tried to keep it alive, as told in my previous post about it, but the fact is the plug was pulled. Flat-line. Perhaps I shall post what is done so that someone may eventually pick up where I left off. We shall see.

As of recently, I have played some Star Wars Saga Edition, a good amount of 4th Edition D&D, and a dash of D20 Modern. I started my gaming with D&D 3.5 Edition and have found my heart strings pulled when the Base Attack Bonus once again reared its head my way.

THEREFORE! I have taken it upon myself to attempt the creation of D&D 3.759 Edition. This would essentially take the best of STSE, 3.5, and 4th. I am currently still collecting data at this time so nothing can be released as of yet. Best of luck to me, though.

ALSO! Keep a look out for something more official in the ThatRobedGuy Presents... video show. I have recently acquired a somewhat decent video editor that I know how to use a LOT more effectively than my previous choice. I'm thinking of making this show a season based show with 13 to 20 episodes a season, released weekly with a few months in between for writing, filming, and editing. There might be a few tangents here and there based on then-to-be-recent events.

Catch ya, later!

Spear Birds! [4e D&D]

Once again, my friend and Dungeon Master, braingoblin, has inspired me to create 4th Edition D&D version of creatures he has placed in our game.

I present to you: Spear Birds!

For Your Beegeridoo Needs

More awesome Beegeridoo awesomeness:

And now you have all you need for your Beegeridoo encounter.

Other RPG inspired 4e homebrew: The Beegeridoo!

In a game we have been playing on Saturdays based on Microlite20, my friend TheGreatMrChibi invented a bee monster inspired by an actual bee monster he was encountering as a joke. Here it is, ready to be inserted into your games, the Beegeridoo. It eats fire, breathes lightning, and speaks untruths.

I think I will eventually write up the Queen and a swarm of the smaller beegeridoos. Perhaps even a few minions.

A little taste of what I do...(4D Mass Effect)

 As many of my friends and coworkers know, I am a self-proclaimed game designer. I do not have anything published as of yet, mostly due to my own attention span, but I have many successful play-tested games under my belt with very positive feedback.

My most recent attempts at game designing involve a little game called MASS EFFECT. I love Mass Effect. Bioware created a superb game there. But here's the deal: I want a table top version. I want to be able to take me and my friends around the galaxy shooting some Geth. As of 2008, I have been highly involved with playing 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons. It would only make sense for me to design a Mass Effect game around that.

Want a sneak peek? Well sure. Here is the Asari racial stats.

A quick note: this is draft 2 of this game. I lost the first draft in a terrible computer crash. I get the feeling this version is not as good as the last one. Thusly, please offer any constructive criticism you can to help me reach that former glory.


ASARI RACIAL STATS









Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 sqaures
Vision: Normal

Languages: Terran, Asarin, telepathy (touch)
Skill Bonuses: +2 Diplomacy, +2 Rumor
All is One: When flanking an enemy with an ally, you gain a +3 bonus instead of the usual +2.
Biotic Talent: When you use a power with the Biotic keyword, you gain a +1 racial bonus to attack rolls.
Long View: You gain long view as an encounter power.