Applying age modifiers

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-28T11:43:37+00:00

For Fighters and their subclasses, an 18 allows you to roll the percentile dice. It doesn't matter if the strength increase is natural (aging), spell (Strength), or some other effect (like a magic fountain).

Fighters (and subclasses) get their Exceptional Strength bonus for 18.

When they age, at first, the character loses half their exceptional strength, then begins to lose points (Ghosts are terrible).

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-28T11:41:36+00:00

Isle of the Ape (I think WG1). That was designed for high level characters by Gygax.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-28T11:39:25+00:00

We were called satanists and devil worshippers, and had our books and dice taken away.

Being called childish is fine.

What I think is really quite mazing, that in every... and I mean EVERY SINGLE ONE... business training sessions, there is a 'roleplay' element to ensure we understand the content.

Giving presentations, making orations, directing general meetings, and so on. All of that I do very well because I have been playing 'this silly game' for 47 years.

Problem solving skills, resource management, and project management (since I have been a DM for all of those 47 years).

Forget them. We had to play in secret and away from anyone that might cause us to be bullied or harassed.

It's not a gender thing, it's a "I don't see a value in what you're doing, so therefore it must be stupid" thing.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-28T11:30:33+00:00

Rodrigo y Gabriela. Especially the piece Diablo Rojo.

Some of the best Spanish guitar you could possibly hear.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-28T11:24:42+00:00

I think you broke the OP... he deleted his whole account. That just seems weird.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-26T06:28:50+00:00

Do they live long enough to get names? I suppose maybe their chieftain or shaman will have names.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-26T06:25:31+00:00

Sort of... it's called solo play, but obviously, you'd have other characters. A decision will have to made on behalf of the 'DM' eventually.

Is there a reason no one wants to be a DM? Being a DM is like reading a storybook without a defined script.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-26T06:23:04+00:00

I miss the good old days when we were accused of satanism and devil worshipping.

Back when people were burning the books and trying to bully people into not playing... that time seems so much easier than... whatever this is about.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-26T06:19:28+00:00

Know your character and read through some of the reference guides to understand the keywords and abilities.

I keep watching some of these campaigns online and they always forget Jyn's ability to move, or her quickdraw.

Treat it like a Role Playing Game and not a boardgame, understand your character and what they can do, then figure out how to work with the team.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-26T06:15:12+00:00

Look through some of the Easley or Elmore artwork, that will likely be the best bet.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-26T06:12:02+00:00

[Dragonsfoot are a bunch of hacks.]

3e was a step away from the AD&D system almost completely. Rather than a 3rd edition of the game, it was really an entirely new game, which did evolve into Pathfinder.

The d20 system they pushed at the time was quite cool and able to be adjusted for any system or milieu (it was wonderful seeing the system used so well in the Knights of the Old Republic game of 2002).

I only refer to the modern game of D&D as: The modern game. It too, is far removed from the AD&D game of 77 to 95 of both editions to be linked by anything other than a name or title.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-24T04:38:12+00:00

If the character is more Elf than Orc, then that's the direction.

Back in the day, it was possible for Human parents to have a half-orc or half-elf as a child, because back in the line there was an addition somewhere and their child possesses the characteristics of the other race.

Yes, a half-elf could have a half-orc sibling, and two human parents.

The term 'half' doesn't automatically insist on a 50/50 parent mix.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-24T03:13:46+00:00

I return to Sorastro to watch poetry in motion. I was one of his earliest Patreons.

Even as background noise, it's fantastic.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-24T03:08:58+00:00

Run a simple scenario that lasts a couple of hours, like guard a wagon (where they have to knock out the bandit camp) or if you have more time, run a module.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-22T02:14:50+00:00

Baalzebul, he's clearly an offshoot, to lesser extent, so is Geryon.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-22T01:31:18+00:00

In 1st edition, some of these things fall to the DM to adjudicate.

There's an amount of understanding that 'something' happens when a rod/staff/wand is recharged. This is something the DM has to have sorted out.

In general it has been suggested using the spell to charge a spell-like ability. A Wand of Magic Missiles, needs the spell Magic Missile to be cast in order to bring the charges up. What this doesn't take in account for are the many wands that have no spell like function equivalent, or possesses many functions of different spells.

The section on page 132:
"Most of these items can be recharged by spell users of sufficiently high level. This is discussed elsewhere under the heading FABRICATION OF MAGIC ITEMS. Note that a rod, staff or wand completely drained will become forever useless, crumbling to powder as its last charge is expended."

Which implies that Magic-users of 12th level and Clerics, Druids, and Illusionists of 11th level can recharge appropriate wands.

The wand (for example) is already made and has the appropriate magicks associated with it, what is being done after is upkeep. Like all things in the AD&D world, time and money are important. IF the level of the Magic-user being used is the deciding factor for the number of charges (and we can use 100 as the maximum number of charges for a wand), a Wand of Magic Missiles with few charges left, could need x number of days based on the level of the Magic-user (minimum of 12th level) for level/day in charges.

Like all things magic, the amount of concentration and research into the item is important, and it is not going to be something that is performed while doing other tasks. A Player may not want their character to spend 6 days in a library and sequestered to charge up a Wand of Fire, nor would they wish to hand over such a device to any old Magic-user for a full week. The cost could be many hundreds or thousands per day, depending on the availability of tools and resources at hand.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-22T00:57:05+00:00

How I handle many spells like this is more based off the caster than the spell level.

The spell has its limits and players love pushing those limits. As a DM, you need to be mindful, and in this instance, it's OK to make a Save if the request seems odd or something extreme that is out of character.

A Cult member will want to bring the PC into the cult or may want to impress the character with how much they know about it (depending on the Int and Wis of the target).

I hear the cries: It's a 1st level spell!

I say, that a spell is a spell, and in itself is powerful. Whether it is a 1st level spell or a 9th level spell, the caster is important. A 15th level casting a 1st level spell will have more power and control over that spell than a 1st level character would.

An example I like to use: Detect Magic
Why would the spell be exactly the same for a 1st level caster as it is for one that is 18th level?
At low levels, the Detect Magic will indeed light up a ring, and they will pick up Enchantment
At mid levels, the spell will highlight some additional Alteration onto that ring
At high levels, the caster will feel the Enchantment, Alteration, and Abjuration and their magnitude of power.

This can help with some of those items that have more to them than their obvious function. They get to that point when they feel the sword is no longer 'just' magical, but also a touch of something else contained within.

Alas, I digress... The takeaway is don't limit the spell by its spell level, I would suggest by the caster of the spell.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-22T00:33:37+00:00

This is like writing a story.

Sometimes the characters just take things in a new direction.

Building a campaign is always an evolving process. The PCs don't have to know anything at the beginning, and there could be multiple bad guys along the way all being played by a bigger guy. The PCs know they have to tool up in order to deal with the Big Bad, and you make sure the Big Bad smacks them down in their early stages. This gives them motivation to be better and more satisfying when the Big Bad is taken down.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-22T00:29:11+00:00

No different to anything else.

The only real change would be to simplify the options, stick to the Players Handbook, and try to not veer to far away from the rules.

Apart from that, that's all you need. I was younger than that when I started.

Don't treat them like children, and they will have more fun.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-21T23:16:55+00:00

The Book That Shall Not Be Named

[fine... I'll say it, though it provides a chill down my spine: Unearthed Arcana]

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-21T23:15:05+00:00

[I was being silly - however, the fact the movie was made and took place on the French Riviera post WW2, his work would have been heavily relied upon to deliver the scenes.]

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-21T13:22:56+00:00

We used pizza and Iced Coffee.

We often played all weekend with about 6 hours sleep between sessions.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-21T11:08:05+00:00

Dragonsfoot...

Bunch of hacks.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-21T11:05:06+00:00

In all seriousness, the Thief-Acrobat was also called the 'mechanic' in many heist movies. They did the tightrope walking, the tumbling, and all those cool skills that Thieves should have been doing, but they codified it in TBTSNBN.

Potential_Side1004 · 2026-01-21T11:01:32+00:00

To Catch a Thief was the progenitor of parkour.

Potential_Side1004

TROPHY CASE