Saturday, August 24, 2024
Friday, August 23, 2024
Thursday, August 22, 2024
The dragons are power incarnate and they know it. The DM has the responsibility of playing these magnificent beasts properly. There should be nothing so terrifying to PCs as dragons on the wing. When in flight at full speed, dragons rush across the world like a gale, but their ability to turn is greatly impaired (Maneuverability Class E).
When engaging earth-bound creatures in combat, dragons slow to half-speed, improving their maneuverability to Class D. At less than half speed, the creatures stall and lose altitude. They can climb at half speed or dive at double their listed speeds. Dragons can glide but they lose 1,000 feet of altitude per round. Dragons can perform a wingover if they stall while climbing. This enables them to turn 120 degrees as they dive to regain speed.
When attacking from the air, dragons employ their breath weapons and awe ability while swooping down low over their opponents and then climbing back into the sky.
Flying dragons can swoop down and either claw or bite, but not both. Diving dragons inflict double damage with their claws if they dive. Dragons cannot cast spells while flying, but can cast spells on the ground or while gliding. Most dragons tend to use their breath weapons twice and then wait for a strategic moment to use their third breath attack.
Dragons are haughty creatures and may refuse to fight except as it suits their own purposes. When using spells, they often cast them before melee to avoid the conflict, weaken their opponents, or gain the upper hand. Once in melee, dragons cast spells only if losing.
Dragons do not knowingly place themselves in a position to be subdued, although they are clever enough to pretend to be subdued to lure unwary adventurers into a trap. Dragons are very clever opponents. They have been known to feign death, unconsciousness, sleep, or subdual to trap opponents. They can see, hear, and smell much better than most creatures and automatically detect hidden and invisible beings at a range of 1' per age level. They are rarely surprised. Dragons adapt their tactics to the situarion as is appropriate for very clever creatures. The following tactics are frequently used.
1. Dragons stay in the air as much as possible
during melee to cause awe (see below) and
stay out of hand-held weapon range.
2. If the combat area is dusty, they beat
their wings, stirring up clouds to blind fighters
and disturb spell casters.
3. They use clever conversation and promises
to talk their way out of bad situations.
The power to cause awe and fear is one of a dragons' most potent weapons. Flying or charging dragons cause awe under the following
conditions:
1. Watchers with less than 1 hit die automatically
panic and flee for 4d8 turns.
2. Watchers with 1 to 3 hit dice must roll a'
successful saving throw vs. spell or be paralyzed
with fear (50% chance) or flee as'above
(50% chance).
3. All others must roll a successful saving
throw vs. spell or suffer a - 1 penalty to hit.
Even the draconians are subject to these effects from good dragons. If the draconians are within 12' of the evil dragon they serve, however, they have a +1 bonus to hit.
Dragons younger than adult cannot inspire awe.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Nine distinct alignments define all the possible combinations of the lawful-chaotic axis with the good-evil axis. Each alignment description below depicts a typical character of that alignment. Remember that individuals vary from this norm, and that a given character may act more or less in accord with his or her alignment from day to day. Use these descriptions as guidelines, not as scripts.
The first six alignments, lawful good through chaotic neutral, are the standard alignments for player characters. The three evil alignments are for monsters and villains.
Lawful Good, "Crusader"
A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. He combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. He tells the truth, keeps his word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished.
Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion. Lawful good can be a dangerous alignment when it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.
Neutral Good, "Benefactor"
A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them.
Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. Neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.
Chaotic Good, "Rebel"
A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society.
Chaotic good is the best alignment you can be because it combines a good heart with a free spirit. Chaotic good can be a dangerous alignment when it disrupts the order of society and punishes those who do well for themselves.
Lawful Neutral, "Judge"
A lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs her. Order and organization are paramount to her. She may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or she may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government.
Lawful neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you are reliable and honorable without being a zealot. Lawful neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it seeks to eliminate all freedom, choice, and diversity in society.
Neutral, "Undecided"
A neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. She doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most 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, she would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, she's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way.
Some 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. Neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. Neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.
Chaotic Neutral, "Free Spirit"
A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn't strive to protect others' freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it.
Chaotic neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it seeks to eliminate all authority, harmony, and order in society.
A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. He cares about tradition, loyalty, and order but not about freedom, dignity, or life. He plays by the rules but without mercy or compassion. He is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He condemns others not according to their actions but according to race, religion, homeland, or social rank. He is loath to break laws or promises.
This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly because he depends on order to protect himself from those who oppose him on moral grounds. Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it can be helped). They imagine that these compunctions put them above unprincipled villains.
Some lawful evil people and creatures commit themselves to evil with a zeal like that of a crusader committed to good. Beyond being willing to hurt others for their own ends, they take pleasure in spreading evil as an end unto itself. They may also see doing evil as part of a duty to an evil deity or master.
Lawful evil is sometimes called "diabolical," because devils are the epitome of lawful evil. Lawful evil creatures consider their alignment to be the best because it combines honor with a dedicated self-interest. Lawful evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents methodical, intentional, and frequently successful evil.
Neutral Evil, "Malefactor"
A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. She has no love of order and holds no illusion that following laws, traditions, or codes would make her any better or more noble. On the other hand, she doesn't have the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has.
Some neutral evil villains hold up evil as an ideal, committing evil for its own sake. Most often, such villains are devoted to evil deities or secret societies. Neutral evil beings consider their alignment to be the best because they can advance themselves without regard for others. Neutral evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents pure evil without honor and without variation.
Chaotic Evil, "Destroyer"
A chaotic evil character does whatever his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If he is simply out for whatever he can get, he is ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of evil and chaos, he is even worse. Thankfully, his plans are haphazard, and any groups he joins or forms are poorly organized. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him.
Chaotic evil is sometimes called "demonic" because demons are the epitome of chaotic evil. Chaotic evil beings believe their alignment is the best because it combines self-interest and pure freedom. Chaotic evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents the destruction not only of beauty and life but also of the order on which beauty and life depend.
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Monday, August 19, 2024
Sunday, August 18, 2024
A shadow has fallen across the world of Krynn, a long-lingering twilight that stretches into its third century. It is the Age of Despair, and a deep sense of wrongness poisons the air, a malaise of the soul that seeps into the very soil. This is the legacy of the Cataclysm, the day the gods turned their backs on the world.
Over three hundred years ago, the Kingpriest of Istar, in his boundless arrogance, demanded the power of the gods to purge the world of all things evil—and all who disagreed with his rigid, self-serving piety. Warnings were sent, omens of divine displeasure, but the Kingpriest saw them not as warnings, but as attacks from the very darkness he sought to vanquish. So, the gods responded. A fiery mountain was hurled from the sky, a meteor of divine wrath that consumed Istar and tore the continent of Ansalon asunder. In its place now lies the Blood Sea, a perpetually churning maelstrom, a wound on the world that bleeds scarlet and never heals. The reverberations of that day still ripple across the land, a bitter aftertaste in everyone's mouth.
In the years that followed, the gods fell silent. Hope, once a tangible force, became a fable told to children. The holy cities were drowned, the great empires shattered, and the Knights of Solamnia, once a beacon of honor, fell into disrepute. Into this spiritual void stepped the Seekers, a false religion built on greed and opportunism, claiming to find new gods, but offering only hollow platitudes.
Now, whispers creep through the darkened taverns and across the cracked plains, whispers of war brewing in the east. An army unlike any seen since the last age is said to be on the march, led by cruel warlords and their fanatical followers. But the most chilling stories speak of another presence, a terror long thought to be myth: dragons.
Ansalon is now a patchwork of isolated communities and mistrustful survivors. In the Plains of Abanasinia, where the land once flowed verdant and fertile, the Cataclysm shifted coastlines and altered the climate. The nomadic tribes, ever resilient, turned to ancestral worship and totems to fill the void left by the absent gods. Towns like Solace cling to survival, rebuilt in the sturdy branches of vallenwood trees, a defiant symbol against the encroaching darkness.
Fear and uncertainty permeate daily life. The cheerful tavern gossip is replaced with hushed, anxious talk of the coming war and the sinister tidings arriving on every passing merchant's tongue. The simple farmer double-checks the lock on his door, fearing not only brigands but a deeper, more profound malevolence. Even the jovial kender, usually immune to the world's sorrows, have had their wanderlust tempered by a newfound caution. The end of summer, once a time of harvest celebrations, now carries a grim premonition of the winter that will be remembered in sorrow.
Our story, however, begins along a dusty, roughly maintained stretch of road that leads north out of the city of New Ports. The chill of dawn's last moments clings to the air. To the south, the path winds away, back towards the trouble and the triumphs that brought our companions together. But now, their faces are turned north, toward the homeland they haven't seen in too long, Ravenvale. The road ahead is long, but the promise of home, of familiar hearths and faces, pulls at their weary hearts.
As the sun peeks over the horizon, it paints the world in strokes of soft gold and rose. The dew on the tall grasses shimmers like a thousand tiny diamonds, and a gentle mist rises from the wooded riverbed to their west. A cool, crisp breeze stirs from the north, carrying the clean, earthy scent of pine and damp soil. The distant call of a hunting hawk echoes in the open air, a lonesome counterpoint to the rustling of leaves and the creak of your bedrolls.
It is a morning of quiet hope and weary determination, with the road ahead of you holding its own mysteries and promises. The companions weary bones ache for a warm fire, a full belly, and the simple rest that comes after a job well done. The journey back is a quiet one, filled with the promise of respite. But a promise, like hope itself, is a fragile thing in these dark times . . .
Saturday, August 17, 2024
Friday, August 16, 2024
I wanted to write up an article describing the game rules we will be using. We are using a "modified" Old-School Essentials system with a few house rules. The thing I love about Dragonlance is, you don't have all these crazy races and weird classes that are robots, furries and such, this is a pure classical campaign setting, much like Middle-earth.
We have slightly modified the races and the classes, in Old-School Essentials to bring them up to the AD&D standards of the modules I will be running. I've kept with the core races that Dragonlance uses, but have added the Half-Kender & Half-Ogre races. You can just look them all over and you will see what has been done. I actually like what I've ended up with.
Old-School Essentials classes are not anywhere near as powerful as new edition classes, even AD&D classes "but they are pretty close" so players can't simply have characters charge in and run through all the enemies that they face. We do plan to use a few 5th edition rules as house rules at the start . . . mainly advantage/disadvantage and see how they work out. More 5th edition house rules may be added later or we may just remove all of them "we will decide after we do some playtesting in our games if we want to keep them or just trash them".
The goal is to run this slightly modified Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy system with a select few house rules while running campaign using various 1st edition adventure modules. At times depending on treasure obtained from modules, we will incorporate select Divine or Arcane spells and certain magical items into our Old-School Essentials campaign. When needed, the items or spells might be adjusted to better fit the Old-School Essentials system.
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Listen to the wind. It’s the same dry, hollow sound that’s been whistling through the ruined lands of Ansalon for over 300 years. The gods—the true gods—answered a mad priest’s arrogance by dropping a mountain on him, and they've been silent ever since. Gone, Abandoned, Forgotten.
That’s the world you live in now. It’s a world where healers can't truly heal. It’s a world where the sacred is just rubble. It’s a world where the old faiths are mocked by charlatans promising prosperity from false gods called the Seekers. The old knights, those who still cling to their vows, are seen as relics, failures who couldn't protect anyone from the great Cataclysm.
Look around you. Settlements like Solace, once a hub of trade and merriment, but now it’s just a stopover. The great city-states are gone, and in their place, you have isolated, suspicious towns and villages. The elves have retreated into their forests, the dwarves into their mountains, and everyone else is just . . . trying to get by.
For 300 years, the darkness has been formless—famine, disease, bandits, the slow decay of society. Now, you’re hearing stories that suggest a malevolent order is replacing the chaos. People speak of disciplined armies, not just rabble. They mention armor that glints like dragon scales, and banners you’ve never seen, bearing the symbol of the five-headed dragon. It's not rumors of a fight over scraps anymore; these rumors call it a focused, deliberate invasion.
You've all noticed it, a new stillness in the world. The usual rhythm of life has been subtly, but fundamentally, altered. The air, which once felt clear, now feels thick with unspoken worry. It’s the kind of quiet that follows a loud argument, where everyone is afraid to speak.
The old stone mason, a man who has whistled while he worked for thirty years, is silent, his rhythmic chipping of the hammer replaced by a nervous, quiet tapping. The tavern, once a bastion of boisterous songs and friendly arguments, now has patrons drinking in hushed, low tones, their eyes darting toward the door with every new arrival. Everyone is buying or selling in a panic.
People aren't just buying—they are hoarding. Long lines form at the bakeries and mills, with whispers of price hikes and potential food shortages on everyone's lips. Merchants who used to haggle with a smile are now secretive and shrewd, some of them hiding their best stock entirely.
The rumors from the East are no longer just travelers' tall tales; they are the subject of tavern chatter and hushed conversations. These whispers tell of a storm on the horizon.
Other accounts are more fantastical, speaking of powerful war-wizards and massive, mechanical siege weapons. Every traveler, from the lowliest peddler to the most high-minded diplomat, seems to bring a new version of the same story.
Some say a massive army has been gathering, bigger and more disciplined than any seen in centuries. The message is clear: things are changing, and not for the better. The peace that everyone has taken for granted is fracturing, and some say the war is already here, a quiet tension waiting for the first drop of blood.
You've heard the rumors of great armies in the east, but they're just that, rumors. So you gather your courage, your strength, and your friends, because that’s all you have left.
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
This will be my first "slightly modified" Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy system that I've ever ran "since for pretty much my entire gaming life, I've ran Advanced Dungeons & Dragons exclusively". Of all settings that I'll be using this system with, it's Dragonlance and it seems only fitting because Dragonlance should only ever be ran using a classic system since that is what it was created with.
I've ran games around the table in the past, I've never had anyone complain so I guess I must be decent but this time I'll be doing an online campaign using Discord/Roll20 so I'll have to work extra hard to make this thing fun for my players. I simply want to try and give my players the best game that I can.
You can contact me in our Discord server at this link. In the list of names along the right side of the Discord server, my name will be at the top "James" and will be listed under the "King Dingaling" section - lol don't ask. I'd love to sit back and talk with you.
- Front Page This link takes you to the campaign blog front page.
- House Rules: We do have a few "quality of life" house rules to help make the game run a little smoother and be slightly more forgiving than it is in it's current form. These rules may change over time.
- About Our Campaign: Here you can read all about our Dragonlance campaign.
- Journals Page: This is where my players can find everything they need to know about our current campaigns.
- Playable Races & Classes: This is where you will find all of the playable races and classes we allow in our Dragonlance campaign setting.
- The Gods of Krynn: A complete listing of all of the Deities of Krynn.
- Opening Introduction: This will be read to the players at the start of session 1.
- Discord: This is the eastiest way to reach me. Click the Discord link for a link to my Discord server.
- Facebook: You can also find me on Facebook.
- Email: If all else fails, my email is jamesefullard@gmail.com
This is a rules light system, your choices as a player matter more than dice rolls. Actions of your character are less defined by your character sheet than on creativity and thoughtful planning. Players have agency, they decide the plot. They're actions have consequences. There is no pre-determined plot. It plays faster and smoother, with more player agency overall, and a kind of classic “feels” or “vibe” that can’t quite be gotten via modern-style rules sets. In a nut shell, It's just like 5e, except all the rules that tell you what you can or can't do are gone. Instead, you tell your Dungeon Master what you want to do and the Dungeon Master tells you what attribute to roll equal to or under. Don't be afraid to try this system out, who knows . . . you may end up liking it."
Sure, classic D&D does not have all the bells and whistles of 5th edition, sure classic does not have the option of spell casting with subclasses like 5th edition and most importantly, classic D&D is not meant for you to start out at level 1 and be a superhero.
This modified Old-School Essentials system is very easy to understand. You don't need to know the rules before you play. Character sheet creation takes minutes, not an hour. Classic D&D is about normal "mortals" setting out for adventure to try and earn fame and fortune and be the heroes of the land. The Dragonlance setting is the perfect setting for this. We use a set of homebrewed races and classes to better fit the Dragonlance setting here.
I hope that I can pick up some players that would like to try something new and fresh - I personally did some adjusting to my modified Old-School Essentials system since I plan to run AD&D adventures with it as well. All of this will be discussed between DM and player if you join the group.
I don't consider myself a super awesome dungeon master, as a matter of fact I think I am more or less average but one thing I can say is every game I've ever ran my players have had a great time so I guess I am doing something right. If you're looking for a friendly atmosphere, friendly down to earth players and a Dungeon Master that tries very hard to give his players something special, I would love to hear from you.
- This campaign blog was built for our players, so take the time to go through it thoroughly please.
- We "prefer" US players simply because of the time zone issues we've had with EU players.
- This page in particular is super important, take the time to explore the links left here.
Rules
• Other Games During Game Time: Look, be respectful and while we are playing D&D, don't have World of Warcraft pulled up in the background etc. etc. Either you want to play in our campaign or you don't. Just be respectful please, your DM puts in a lot of hard work to try and give his players a good solid game.
• Be Mature: We are all adults, please ... let us all act like adults when we play. (no need to elaborate on this any more - this should come naturally)
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Monday, August 12, 2024
| Campaign One | Dragons of Sorrow |
Sunday, August 11, 2024
Saturday, August 10, 2024
BREAKFAST MEALS
Oatmeal: 8cp
Chicken Eggs: 5cp
Fruit and Cheese: 10cp
Pork Sausages: 15cp
AFTERNOON MEALS
Game Pie: 12cp
Boar Steak: 2sp
Venison Stew: 1sp
Beef Stew: 1sp
BEVERAGES
Mead: 6cp
Apple Lemonade: 5cp
Goat Milk: 2cp
Cloudberry Cider: 2sp
Old One Eye beer: 2cp
Bitter Barter Ale: 2cp
ROOM NIGHTLY PRICES
Guest Room: 5sp
Friday, August 9, 2024
| Interested in Being a Player? |
| About Our Dragonlance Campaign |
| Our Core Game Rules |
| Races & Classes |
| Abanasinia |
| Region Map |
| Digfel |
| Adventure Introduction |
| Session One: |
Thursday, August 8, 2024
▶ Alignment: We use the nine alignments from AD&D 1st edition located here.
▶ Level One Hit Points: We give all level 1 characters max hitpoints. This is done "only" for level One. This gives the characters a fighting chance, especially the Wizard who could easily have 1-2 hit points. Yea I know, it is babying them at level 1. We try to make sure our players have a good time and not worry about tripping and taking lethal damage from a pebble. From level Two and higher, hit points are rolled normal.
▶ Clerics & Level One Spells: In the classic B/X systems, Clerics do not normally start out with an opening spell at level One which I find a bit harsh so we have house ruled in that Clerics will gain one level One spell at level One. Level two and beyond the Cleric follows the spell chart as it is written. Basically we are following the rule from AD&D on Divine spellcasting for the Cleric class.
▶ Playable Races & Classes: Every race & class can be found at this link. If you happen to notice any errors, please let us know.
▶ Death & Unconsciousness: We use the official rule in AD&D 1st edition that says—a character becomes unconscious at 0 hit points (HP) and begins to die, losing 1 HP per round if left unassisted. Death occurs when hit points reach -10. If a character takes enough damage that takes him to -10 hit points or below, he/she is just dead. Our house rule we've added for recovery is, if a character is brought back to consciousness using non magical healing, that character requires one week of bedrest for recovery but if that character is brought back to consciousness using magical healing, that character needs to rest for eight uninterrupted hours before returning to full strength.
▶ Wizard Starting Spellbook: The way we handle a Wizard's starting spellbook is, the player chooses one spell (any spell) from the 1st level list of Magic-User spells in the 1st edition Players Handbook as the starting spell for that character. The DM "gifts" the following spells to add to the starting spellbook—Write, Read Magic & Identify which gives a new starting Wizard four spells to start with.
▶ Elves Resistances: In AD&D Elves have a 90% resistance to spells/abilities that charm or unnaturally cause sleep. It makes sense that elves would have this but in Old-School Essentials it is not a rule so I have chosen to make this a house rules of sorts. Elves, Drow, Moon Drow & Sylvan Elves are particularly resistant to spells and spell-like abilities that charm or unnaturally cause sleep. When making saving throws against these types of spells, they receive a +10 bonus, Half-Elves get a +5 bonus.
▶ Elves & Resting: Elves, Drow, Moon Drow & Sylvan Elves do not need to sleep in the traditional sense. Instead, they engage in a meditative state called a "trance" for four hours, which provides them with the same benefits as eight hours of sleep for other races. While they can technically sleep if they choose, they rarely do, and it wouldn't provide them with the same restorative effects as their trance. Half-Elves however do require sleep.
▶ Armor Class: Old-School Essentials gives the option of using either descending or ascending armor class. For our campaigns, we will be using descending armor class.
▶ Detect Magic Skill: The "Wizard & Sorcerer class" can detect magic on an item by concentrating for 1 full turn. This procedure is repeatable.
▶ Identify Skill: The "Wizard & Sorcerer class" can identify a magical object by studying it for 3 full hours. They then have a 3-in-6 chance of successfully determining its effects. This procedure is repeatable.
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Monday, August 5, 2024
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Saturday, August 3, 2024
Friday, August 2, 2024
Thursday, August 1, 2024
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)