Apparently Devils in D&D 5e are Just Misunderstood

Bad Mike and I touched on this story earlier tonight on the Talking Crit Livestream, but I thought it was worthy of sharing on the blog:

D&D lead rules designer: Devils don’t have to be evil any more 

While the title may be a bit extreme and expands upon a topic that has already been touched upon (orcs and drow no longer necessarily being evil) Jeremy Crawford takes it to the next level:

Almost all other creatures will either be listed as “Any Alignment” or, in a few cases, “Unaligned” – and even creatures with a “strong moral inclination” such as Angels, Devils, and Demons, will merely be listed as “Typically” Good or Evil, to be customised at the DM’s discretion. It’s aimed at underlining the idea that alignment – which plots a creature’s position on the twin spectrums of Good to Evil, and Lawful to Chaotic – is meant as a “narrative suggestion” and “roleplaying aid” rather than a fundamental, cast-iron rule.

I don't remember alignment being a cast-iron rule. I always thought it was meant as a guideline and a narrative shortcut.

"It's a raiding party of orcs" - evil

"It's a hunting party of elves" - good

Individuals were always potentially exceptional. That is the narrative power behind characters like Drizzt - he is exceptional. If all Drow could be good heroes, he'd no longer be special.

Devils are just misunderstood in D&D 5e. I knew it all along...

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You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

Can You Play an RPG without Owning the Rulebook? Ever?

I think most of us oldtimers know the answer is "yes". In my teens, I was in a group right here in the Poconos (Rach and I have Escaped From New York for a few days) and one player in our group owned none of the books. I THINK he owned a set of dice but I could be wrong. As far as I can recall I was the only group member with the DMG (and pretty much the only DM).

This wasn't uncommon back in the 80s. I knew of groups that had one communal Basic Set and one communal Expert Set, and whoever was DMing took possession of the boxes until the next DM stepped up, then rinse and repeat.

I strongly suspect this whole concept is foreign to players that started with 3e and later. The OGL lowered the ownership barrier, players could download the 3x SRD or simply play a freely distributed OSR game under the OGL - S&W Core, Labyrinth Lord, and OSRIC are some fine earlier examples, but there are more. Heck, these days you can even play 5e without paying for the rules - the Basic rules are your to grab for free in PDF (the only version of the 5e rules available in PDF from WotC as far as I know).

Did you own the rules to the RPG you started playing? How long was it before you had your own copy of the rules? I'm curious.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

Playing a Little Different Fantasy Game....

 

I'm fortunate enough to be back at my old job and in position to be looking to my purchase "my" first home. Sure, I've had a house before, but my ex-wife was involved in the home choice & subsequent design/decoration decisions. This time round it's all me...

Now my "needs" in a new (to me) home are pretty simple: good A/C, decent kitchen, and I'd like a two car garage. As far as add-on wants go I'd prefer a single-level with decent storage.

That's about it. I don't care if I have a bog master bedroom with an attached bathroom, or a specific number of bedrooms/bathrooms. Me & my three cats can get along with whatever works.

Now not on my list, pretty much because I'm going to have one regardless is I want a bonafide game room. If I convert a bedroom, great...but a lot of the houses in the price range I'm looking at come with either a decent master bedroom and/or a "second living area". 

I'm still waiting for my loan pre-approval process to be wrapped up so actually looking at homes, even online, is more a fantasy than anything.....but hey, most of us play Fantasy RPGs anyway, so I can fully enjoy the fantasy of not just getting a new home, but building out my dream game room.....

So here I am brainstorming everything I want in a game room. I think I'd prefer a space I could block off from the rest of the house if need be (ie, keep the cats out) but if there was a larger second living room/area, the space might be too tempting. Ideally though, I'd try to make the space a bit multi-purpose. I'm thinking having the walls lined with shorter bookshelves to serve as a library and one wall serving as my computer station. If I could work in my future retro-game big-screen setup, even better. The game table has to dominate the center of the room, and I really want a big-assed digital tabletop.

The bookcases will be shorter so I can hang all my RPG art around the room, and I have to figure out where my minis and terrain will go, maybe in a custom pedestal base for the game table?

My paint booth for terrain & minis, as well as all my hobby supplies will be in another room/space 'cause I don't want to gunk up my gaming space with supplies.

Hmm....time to start poking around on Zillow again....

Anyway, assuming you get to choose/build out your own at-home gaming space, what do you have to have?  

Do You Prefer Rules or Guidelines in Your RPG?

It's a valid question, and the two may be similar, but their goals are not the same.

Rules are rigid. Professional sports have rules. Infield fly rule in MLB is just that, it's a rule that isn't open to interpretation. Nor is a foul ball. The strike zone, however, seems more like a guideline, as different umpires call different balls and strikes. Some seem more generous to the pitcher, others are more generous to the batter.

Instant replay is an attempt to remove interpretation away from making a rule decision in the heat of the moment - if it was called wrong, it can go to the replay booth, where it will be viewed from multiple angles before the call is either verified or overturned.

I prefer my RPGs to be rules-light, where rulings, not rules, set the precedent. Even the few rules present are more like guidelines, waiting for a better house rule or new interpretation to change the ruling and creating a new precident. 

For me, a game like Pathfinder, or even Dungeons &Dragons 5e, has simply too many rules getting in the way of the gameplay. In my experience, too many rules smother the roleplay and turn every action into yet another roll of the dice.

This is why I find it interesting that the Basic D&D rules from the BECMI Era, had a Dungeon Master's Rulebook, but Advanced Dungeons & Dragons had a Dungeon Master's Guide. Rules are, by definition, rigid. Guides are less so. Yet Advanced Dungeons &Dragons was supposedly the system that was going to be the ruleset of organized play at conventions so that everyone was to play with the same set of rules at each table.

My personal experience with AD&D is that the gameplay was not consistent between groups, let alone different DMs within the same group. Heck, my one and only Gen Con experience in '92, I played in an AD&D 2e Tournament, and in the two rounds I played in, initiative and surprise were ruled differently both the two DM's in question. So even at Gen Con, AD&D 2e didn't have the consistency of rules, let alone rulings.

This is why I thoroughly enjoy Swords & Wizardry in all of its incarnations. There is no attempt made to have a rule for everything, and I can expect and even embrace that the gameplay will vary from one gamemaster to the next, maybe even between campaigns from the same GM. 

Teach someone the rules, and you may create a GM. Guide someone and allow them to make the game their own, and you may create a GM that is invested in the game they run.

 

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The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. 

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are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, 

or wherever you listen to your podcast collection.

 

On Magic Weapons by Racial Background (more campaign design thoughts)

So, I've been working on tables to randomly generate magic weapons, because cookie-cutter magic is boring and not magical ;)

While working on the tables, it occurred to me that weapons created by dwarves would be enchanted via a different method than those of men, or elves.

• Dwarven magic weapons would be made of mithral or adamantine, perhaps with precious metals added to the mix. Magic would be centered more on bonuses to damage, with other powers (rock breaking, goblin slaying, or the like) centered on what would be most useful in dwarven culture.
• Elven magic weapons would be lighter and intricately embellished. Made of steel or specially enchanted ironwood, bonuses to hit would be the focus. Elven weapons often come enchanted with spell-like powers, such as flight, charm, or alter self.
• Human magic weapons are almost crude compared to those of dwarves and elves. Focused. As the human life span is short compared to their longer-lived brethren, less time is spent in the creation and their abilities are often crude but effective (drain health from the target and give it to the wielder, but wielder no longer heals naturally). Powers usually come with an offsetting curse. Such is the way with those so shortsighted.

These basic assumptions are helping to flesh out the item generation lists, the first of which I hope to share with you tomorrow.

Note: artwork copyright John Buckley, used with permission.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

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Coinage in Fantasy RPGs - Why So Large?

 

One thing that has irked me since my early days of gaming was the 10 coins to a pound ratio in AD&D. Even in my teen years it seemed outrageously large, and I vaguely remember an issue of The Dragon from the early 80s discussing such.

Above I have a pic of some Roman coins and a US Quarter. One pound of quarters gives you 80 quarters, so a coin in AD&D is the weight of 8 quarters I (2 bucks of coins jangling in your pocket)

At 10 coins per pound, a gold coin weighs in at 1.6 ounces. That's roughly $3k in today's dollars.

The denarius (Latin pronunciation: [deːˈnaːrɪ.ʊs], pl. dēnāriī [deːˈnaːrɪ.iː]) was the standard Roman silver coin for about 450 years (211 BC to 244 AD). There were 72 denarii to the pound of, though by the end of its mintage that had lighted to 96 to a pound or (and lighter still at the end).

So, 100 coins to the pound isn't a stretch, its historically accurate. Certainly more realistic.

So, why 10 coins to the pound in AD&D 1e? I'm guessing to make retrieving the spoils a worthy effort. I just don't see the need for such heavy coinage and never have.

What are your thoughts?

Further thoughts at tonight's podcast:

https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E846---Are-Coins-in-ADD-Too-Heavy-eke117

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

Rot Grubs - I've Always Hated Them - As a Player and a DM

I've never really seen a Rot Grubs that I've ever liked. Wait, that's a joke, son.

JoeTheLawyer left me a voicemail over on the Tavern Chat podcast (and I'll be putting that episode up later tonight) about, specifically out Tim (Gothridge Manor) using rot grubs to cut down on Joe digging through every piece of garbage in a session looking for loot. And therein lies my issue with rot grubs. They aren't really an adversary. Much like Green Slime, they are more trap or poison than predator.

Here's their description:

Rot grubs are occasionally found in heaps of offal or dung. They are rarely
found in ceilings, walls, or floors. These small creatures will viciously burrow
into any living flesh which touches them, for they greatly enjoy such fare to
dine upon. The victim must immediately apply flame to the wound (1-6 hit
points damage per application) or have a cure disease spell cast upon him.
Otherwise, the rot grubs will burrow to the heart and kill their host in
1-3 turns.

Yep the cure can kill you. I've changed my mind. They are worse than poison...

We Went Down in a Blaze of Glory in the First Session (self inflicted), and it Was Awesome!

First time as a player in over a year and a half, and we had a TPK 90 minutes into it.

Let me back up for a sec. James Spahn is out DM for a Swords and Wizardry Complete campaign that kicked off in Bard's Gate. The other players are Skeeter Green, Jim Wampler and Rocky & Ian from Silver Bulette Publishing. The presence of the Frog God was strong.

In any case, we were exploring Matt Finch's Tomb of the Iron God and we came across a black ooze. Closed the door and decided to come back later. Found embalming fluid and decided to return.

We had a good plan. We had devastating results.

We doused the ooze in elbalming fluid. It retreated. Woot. We lit the embalming fluid. Actually, embalming fluid isn't flammable, the gases it gives off IS, however.

Boom!

And you thought first level characters couldn't cast a fireball.

Black ooze - dead.

Party - Dead.

We have two weeks before the next session. Time to reroll.

This was the best TPK ever! I love the OSR :)

That is an affiliate link above - affiliate links keep the lights on and the taps flowing at The Tavern.

I'm Back! Back in the Player's Saddle Again! X 2

I've had a bit of a dry spell in my non-convention gaming. Saturday nights used to be my gaming night but my niece has been staying weekends an awful lot (no complaints - heh) and my weekends have gotten hectic with interviews and such.

So what happened recently? Tim Shorts invited me to a Monday Night B/X Essentials game. Players include Jason Hobbs, JoeTheLawyer, Matt Jackson and others. My cleric is ready to roll in two days.

You can guess what happened next. James Spahn asked if I was interested in playing in a biweekly Sunday Night Swords & Wizardry Complete game with Jim Wampler, Skeeter Green and Rocky & Ian from Silver Bulette Publishing. Damn! I think I've maxed out my gaming opportunities over the better course of a week and a half :)

No, we don't plan to record the sessions. Most of these fine folks are still gainfully employed ;)

Expect session recaps Monday / Tuesday.

I'm a bit giddy...

Some Thoughts on the Common Tongue

Its occurred to me that the common tongue, as often used in fantasy RPGs, is one hell of an unrealistic crutch. Just look at Europe. How many languages are spoken there? Well, according to Wikipedia, the European Union has 24 languages designated as "official and working": Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish. Trust me, there are others that are spoken.

So, obviously "common" is used so player characters can travel the world without having language difficulties, but is it taken too far?

In my mind, "common" should be to a fantasy setting as English is to much of the real world - a language of international trade and business. Yes, many if not most of Europe  (if not the world) speaks English as a second language, but that's the catch - it is a second language. At home, on the streets, in personal interactions among locals, it is rarely used. Such communications use the native tongue, not the common tongue.

Now, for those that the so-called common tongue is their native tongue, they may not have even bothered to learn another language. Sound familiar to anyone? ;)

Anyhow, just something to chew on when I run my next Swords & Wizardry Campaign...

If you want, I have some further thoughts and observations on tonight's episode of The Tavern Chat Podcast.

https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E198---How-Common-is-the-Common-Tongue-e2lvhc

Announcing "The Ugly, the Bad & the Good" series of upcoming posts - Oh, and Rob Conley's Blackmarsh will be the default setting

I've been toying with the idea of a series of posts offering up NPCs and creatures ever since rewatching The Good, The Bad and The Ugly earlier last week. I enjoy writing such, and I really do need to use my large library of stock art ;)

The kick in the ass was Rob Conley updating the licensing of Blackmarsh earlier today (probably the best, streamlined OSR setting available, and Blackmarsh is free in PDF, 5 Bucks in Print). I've decided to set the series of The Bad, The Ugly & The Good posts in Blackmarsh, or at least, The Tavern's version of Blackmarsh.

I'll be using the Swords & Wizardry rules, but I may experiment with also using descriptors for those that want to use then with non-clone / classic D&D rulesets.

Alright, back to work. I've also been tasked with a write up of Tenkar's Tavern by the end of the year. I'm heavily leaning towards a transdimensional tavern.

Oh, there's an affiliate link above. If you buy Rob's work in print, I get a quarter. Hey, it adds up!

Some Thoughts on Mundane Magic

Yesterday's ridiculous "snow incident" in NYC, where six inches or less of snow brought the city to a standstill, got me thinking of "mundane magic." Follow my thinking for a moment.

Magic in most fantasy RPGs, certainly the OSR ones that draw their direct inspiration from old-school D&D, have magic spell lists that are geared toward adventuring - kills shit, defend against shit, find shit and the like. It makes sense, as there are the spells best suited to keeping adventurers alive.

But what of the mundane spells? The spells that no right-thinking adventurer would keep in his or her spellbook but make daily life easier for the masses. Because magic, if it did exist, would certainly replace bits of technology.

Secure communications? There's a spell for that. Cleaning a mansion? Yep, there's a spell. Butchering? I'm sure. A variation on the web spell for enhanced fishing? Why not? I'm sure there is a spell for quick and safe snow removal in someone's spellbook.

These don't even touch upon magic items that are less about adventuring but more about creature comforts. Magical hair brushes, razors, drinking fountains, lighting, warm baths, snow shovels and the like. Just because it doesn't come up in play doesn't mean it isn't there.

I'm just wondering if it should "be there" a bit more often I guess.

Ah well, back to writing. Yes, thoughts like this come up when I actually try to write. Go figures ;)

The Ugly, the Bad and the Good - Thoughts on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Gaming

I watched The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for the first time in many years tonight with Rach. Rach had never seen it before. It was a great time with many laughs and some amazing visual shots.

I hadn't noticed that the title is not in the same order as the three main characters are introduced. We get The Ugly, then The Bad and finally The Good.

Anyhow, I love how they move from scene to scene seamlessly and don't dwell and certain things - like how The Bad became a sergeant in the Union, or how easily he left said position to follow the gold. Handwave for the win.

$200k in gold fits into 8 sacks. The sacks looked heavy and gave me a good idea on how a strong large sack would look in an OSR game.

I do like the idea of finding a treasure buried in a cemetery. Makes note.

Tempted to make The Ugly, The Bad and The Good a series of adventure hooks and or NPCs as a regular series here on the blog. Damn notes.

Do You Run "Horror Themed Adventures" around Halloween?

I was thinking about this last night. I haven't run a "themed adventure" it at least 25 years. There was a stretch where I ran a Call of Chtuhlu session the weekend before or after Halloween. One year I ran The Created, a puppet-themed low-level Ravenloft Adventure for AD&D 2e.

I had fun doing so. Kinda wish I had set something similar up for this year.

Do you run special adventures for the Halloween season? If so, which ones?

Looking at My Original AD&D 1e Player's Handbook is a Peek Into My Gaming History

I talked a bit about this on The Tavern Chat Podcast yesterday, but I think it's an interesting enough topic to also explore a bit on the blog side looking at my old gaming books is like a peek into my personal gaming history. Thankfully, with the blog, I can use photos ;)

Look at the beat up and worn out cover. This book has been used. And yet the binding is still holding tight - not like my Unearthed Arcana and 2e books. I guess TSR changed to a cheaper printer down the line.

Even back in 1980 (6th print), it was important enough for me to highlight a certain sentence. This is the ONLY highlighting in the entire book and is the one rule that applies to every game I've ever run or played in.

I think I made the pencil change for half-orcs for my sister who wanted to play a half-orc thief, but I'm far from sure 38 years later...

This isn't a bad photo, it's a bad print of A Paladin in Hell. Too much black ink on the page for the printer to handle I guess.

I was house ruling the Ranger class before house ruling was a thing apparently ;)

Looks like I failed a roll to learn Feather Fall. WTF was I marking this in the book of all places?

Yep, 4 pages (2 sheets) are missing. They were perforated and that was an invite to "pull them out" and I did. No idea if I still have them tucked away in a folder or not.

I'd love to hear about (or see) the stories of your gaming history tucked away in the books that brought you into the hobby. 

My Seven Year Old Niece Schools Me on Dungeon Design

The video is short, but my God, she understands what goes into designing a challenging dungeon.

Trick rooms, false treasure, lave, traps, bad guys, wizards, and limited access. All in just over a minute.

She has never played D&D or any of its variants yet. She has played some of the Dungeon boardgame and two sessions of No Thank You Evil!

I suspect she will be a natural :)

So, with the children in your family circles, are you leading them into the corrupted future of "fantasy roleplaying?" ;)

The Tavern Chat Podcast - E145 - Level Draining - Is It the Result of an Overwrought & Drunk DM or Something More Sinister?

Level draining undead. See them and see how I run ;)

Level Drain - never liked it, never will. In today's episode, I discuss some alternatives to the classic level drain threat.

Link to Episode 145 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E145---Level-Draining---Is-It-the-Result-of-an-Overwrought--Drunk-DM-or-Something-More-Sinister-e2bv37

The Tavern Chat Podcast - E131 - Community Follow Up to Gamemaster Anxiety

All things Tavern are better with community involvement. Gamemaster Anxiety hit a chord (or nerve) with The Tavern's community and I really appreciate all of the feedback.

Yesterday's episode about Gamemaster Anxiety struck a nerve with The Tavern's Community. We listen to voicemails and read some comments and I give my feedback to all. Community rules!

Link to Episode 131 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E131---Community-Follow-Up-to-Gamemaster-Anxiety-e29hdb

Photo by Michael Gross

The Tavern Chat Podcast - E127 - Is the Journey or the Destination More Important?

Christmas was always the most exciting in the days before the actual gift giving when I was a kid. The expectations I had in my head were nearly always more exciting than the actual gifts, even when I got the ones I wanted. Same for D&D campaigns for me, I enjoy the journey far more than getting to the destination - or the play to get to the end over achieving the end goal. I guess that's why I prefer open-ended campaigns ;)

I ramble on about the importance of the journey (playing the campaign) and the destination (completing the campaign) in my games.

Link to Episode 127 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E127---Is-the-Journey-or-the-Destination-More-Important-e28sgf

The Tavern Chat Podcast - E126 - Voicemails & Comments regarding Henchmen & Hirelings

I've always had issues with henchmen. They were oft forgotten when an area effect spell was cast but always remembered when the party was hurting and needed some fresh meat to throw at the enemy. Not quite a PC and yet not quite a DM-PC. Has their time come and passed?

In Episode 124 I discussed my thoughts on henchmen and hirelings in RPG campaigns. Today, we listen to some feedback from The Tavern's community. Huzzah!

Link to Episode 126 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E126---Voicemails--Comments-regarding-Henchmen--Hirelings-e28lus

Link to Episode 124 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E124---Henchmen--Hirelings--Followers---Yea-or-Nay-e288t9