In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 8):



Okay, I see it now. It makes sense to me, in that it is not confusing, but I wish we didn't have to deal with encumberance at all. In what way could keeping track of encumbrance make the game more fun instead of less? I'm really not looking forward to figuring it out, and looking forward even less to keeping track of it every time I pick up or drop things (or am unable to carry things back to town)...




Okay, so smorgasbord. Groovy. I sort of like the idea, though... maybe I'll try it some other time. A Libra cavalier or Aquarius cleric could be neat...

Almost ready to go - just got to get everybody typed in!

For a competitive dungeon delve game, I think relatively strict encumbrance is a good thing. Players shouldn't be looking to fight everything they face and scrounge every last copper piece. They should be focused on finding high end treasure hoards to get the most bang out of every delve.

For simplicity's sake, we could just assume a backpack carries all normal gear and treasure just goes in large/small sacks and belt pouches.

I'll post the effects of encumbrance on speed later (again, by the book).

I'd like to suggest something else to reduce bookkeeping.

Adding bonus Experience Points for a high prime requisite score is pretty standard for older editions, but it had one headache: you had to keep doing math on it. Every time you gained XP, you needed to add 5% or 10%; this required constant rounding (which was inaccurate) or having a decimal point on your XP value (which made it look too picky).

An easier method is to instead reduce the amount needed to gain a level. That way you're only keeping track of a single change. Lower the goal, instead of raising the reward.

Now, the obvious question: doesn't that mean that characters need less XP to gain a level than in the original system? Yes, but the difference is pretty slight:

• A fighter with a 5% XP bonus would need 1905 + 95 = 2000 XP. In the other method, he needs 1900 XP.
• A fighter with a 10% XP bonus would need 1819 + 182 = 2001 XP. In the other method, he needs 1800 XP.

This also means that if someone somehow improves their stats and qualifies for a higher XP bonus, you still just change the one value.

Pardon me for double-posting, but this is unrelated.

I made a spreadsheet in Google Sheets that will help you plan out your party. Just plug in the stats you rolled, and when you pick your race and class(es) it will limit you to the ones you qualify for.

https://docs.google.com/spread...fO8/edit?usp=sharing

That's pretty awesome, Typical! Thanks for that. I'm fairly computer savvy, but not really a spreadsheet guy. I basically just use them for keeping grades for my students and that's about it.

I'll get the movement/encumbrance chart up soon, and then start looking over everyone's parties. I'll hopefully get everyone into the dungeon by Halloween at the latest. I've actually got a bit of DM-side prep that I need to finish up to make this easier for me. All my notes for the dungeon are hand-written. I'm typing them up so I can easily copy/paste when a party enters a certain area. I should have enough of that done this week or early next to get everyone going.

I think my halfling team I ready to go

OK, I looked over everyone's character sheets/party rosters. A few of you still need to total encumbrance for your characters and see how much room you have left over to carry treasure.

I rolled for a few extra spells in spell books for magic-users and illusionists.

I gave a few rumors to each party.

If I missed you (it's late, nearly midnight my time zone) let me know and I'll get that done tomorrow.

I'll be starting an "in town" thread soon so you can all do a bit of role play, search for additional information, do any last minute shopping, try to hire any followers you may wish to bring along, etc. When you've done with that (or just want to 'skip to the end' like Prince Humperdinck on his wedding day) let me know and I'll create a thread for your party's first delve.

"Good luck storming the castle."

A player asked about PvP in a PM.

I'm not opposed to it if it happens in the dungeon, but in town authorities will step in to punish instigators (if they survive). But remember, at low levels especially, the party with initiative is most likely going to win, especially if they have a sleep spell.

If the majority of you players would rather not have PvP, then I will disallow it.

If it's all the same with you guys, I'd rather gamble against you in the taverns for money rather than fight against you in the dungeon. It's going to be hard enough surviving the labyrinth without fighting against the other players. Running for the treasures first is one thing, but having that all-thief group backstab me every time I left town would suck.

I'm with TAW on this. Let us compete over bragging rights, or place side bets on how we do in the dungeons. Either make it a gentlemen's agreement that town is neutral territory, or have an Adventurers' Guild that stomps down hard on PvP.

And if there isn't such a guild, maybe some of our characters could use their retirement (once they've gained some levels and loot) to start one. Nothing would keep low-level adventurers in line like a group of high-level adventurers telling them to play nice.

EDIT: Also, I edited my first in-character post to remove the "god-modding". I was honestly just trying to save a step. I have to get my group outside before curfew anyway, as they literally have zero coin left.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:41, Thu 02 Nov 2017.

No problem, Typical. The guards will always let you out after dark, they just won't let you back in until sunrise. And since I haven't specified a season yet, we'll say it's early summer so the days are long and you've still got a bit of sunlight left.

Thanks. Do we know where these ruins are, or do we have to ask around to find out?

They're about an hour or so walk north of town, so not hard to locate.

Typical - I'll get your first delve thread started later. I've got a map of Silverwood on my home computer, and maybe still one of some of the castle ruins my players made in a game I ran over G+ Hangouts a few years ago.

I agree, I don't want to fight with my fellow parties.

OK, 3 out of 5 players don't want to have PvP fights, so I'll take it off the table. When you're in the dungeon and happen to meet with another party, I'll let you negotiate with each other, but no battles.

Yeah, I'm not for pvp either. Negotiating etc is fine by me.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 26):

Honestly, if I'm down there and I come across another party, I'll want to HELP them.

So the main reason not to leave now is that we won't be allowed back in until sunrise?

Okay, my people will wait.

Hope sunrise comes soon, though, because we can't really afford to buy a ton more stuff...

Sorry all, family issues kept me busy all day, and I'm too drained to post. I'll get to everyone tomorrow.

Its okay, I got a similar thing going on myself.

As a parent with two little ones, I totally understand. Get rest when you can.

Sorry for the delays. Grading papers, getting a job application ready, dealing with the kids and my wife who suffers from depression especially in the fall and winter... Anyway, no excuses. Updating all the groups now.