Post/Author/DateTime	Post
HK-47 II 04-05-07, 01:24 PM	I have a few problems that need your opinions... (Books I have: Player's Handbook 3.5, Dungeon Master's Guide 3.5, Monster Manual 3.5, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Frostburn, Oriental Adventures (only 3.0 book, but I have the update) 1) My first session is Saturday, and one of my players is sick, I don't know whether or not to continue without him... but I know it's the first session and they may need 4 players, but we've all been waiting months (and in my case, years) to begin this session... In addition, he's never played before, and still doesn't even understand how you actually play.... 2) This is the party makeup, sick player's character is bolded: Elf Barbarian Half-Elf Rogue Human Fighter Vanara Paladin I'm worried that they are too physical combat oriented, no divine or arcane casters, no manifesters, etc. 3) the player of the barbarian keeps saying he wants to be borderline evil.... if he's not lying that will be a major problem... assuming that the paladin doesn't fall from behaving chaotically first..... Of course, all of these may turn out to not be problems at all, the sick player could get better, etc. but I don't know....... Also, any other DMing advice for me?
MrGrass 04-05-07, 02:09 PM	Welcome to the world of DMing! :king: If you really want to get playing then go ahead and get started. Just keep thing simple (kobolds) low level (kobolds) and just try to keep things light. Wait until you can get all your players together to start dropping big plot stuff. :detect: The paladin will give the party some healing later on, but I'd advise making sure the party has plenty of access to buy healing potions when they're in town. :whatsthis True you don't have any arcane casters, but that's not the end of the world. Just try to avoid putting them up against bad guys they NEED an arcane caster to beat very often. Do it every now and then so they feel the usefulness of arcane power, but not so much that they feel like they're getting picked on. If the rogue puts lots of ranks into Use Magic Device he can use wands and partially fill in for an arcane caster. :mage: The "borderline evil" character is the biggest cause of concern I think. Alignment clashes can be a big source of angst for a party, and having a paladin in the group is only going to magnify things. Talk to the player about what he means by being borderline evil. If he's going to be uncaring for the lives of others that's fine. If he casually kills people for minor respasses you're going to have a problem. :banghead: Best of luck with your game. Above all, have fun! :pile:
OravennasBrother 04-05-07, 02:20 PM	In General Tips for the novice game-master 1 Start Small Don't design the entire world. Use a pre-made world or just get a rough idea of the size and name of the country. For example - you're starting in the country of Franchi which is ~ 500 miles across and has a population of ~ 11 million. 2 Have a simple Plot Don’t go for an Agatha Christie mystery. Bandit raiders, guarding a caravan, or rescuing people from kidnappers/slavers is fine. You can even use a classic dungeon crawl "You've heard rumors of treasure in the old ruins at Trevor Hill." 3 Keep Control at the start If you want an all Human group, announce that restriction and then don't let anyone talk you out of it. At the same time you don't go overboard and force everyone to start as a human peasant with no skills or combat ability. That will just see players walk away en masse. 4 Let the Players push the pace If all the players want more action, put in a combat encounter, if they want to dicker over prices, let them. Don't push either way. 5 Don't give too much away Keep secrets for a while. Just because you know WHY something happened, don't tell the players. 6 Get atmosphere Write down a few "bits" on a sheet of paper, or even flashcards which contain atmosphere. Example, "Walking down the dimly lit street, the narrow street closes in, the shadows dancing in the lamplight. In the distance you head the rattle of a carriage and the clap of shod hooves on the cobblestones. A chill damp breeze brings the salty tang of the sea, temporarily reliving the odor of the sewage in the street."
Orchomenos 04-05-07, 02:22 PM	1) With a barbarian, a paladin and a rogue, I think the party is ok for some heavy combat. They're more likely to need some healing, so give them many potions of Cure Light Wounds or Cure Moderate Wounds, or give a wand to the paladin. If the fights are really nasty, you can have a few NPCs cannon-fodder to join them. 2) "Next time" is the answer you should give. The barbarian can be nasty in battle, be reckless and vengeful, but no free act of evil. However, (if you're ok with that) the next campaign could be more open to... other kinds of thought...
Imatash 04-05-07, 04:01 PM	I would either play the other characters person for them as a DMPC or give them to a friend of his to control. That way the PC doesn't fall behind and he is there (knowledge wise) from the start. Keep the suggestions on don't start major plot and keep things simple for your first few games. It isn't fun cancelling or postponing game sessions. Remember have fun! Imatash
Azezel 04-05-07, 04:04 PM	Righto - in order of danger to the game. 1) Everyone hast to start somewhere, even DMs. Keep things simple, Since none of your players seem to have gone for non-core stuff, I recomend that you make this a core-only game. The first adventure should have a simple shape - just like OravennasBrother suggested. Throw in a bit of everything though - so that you and the players can learn what you like. A couple of traps makes the rogue happy, some fighting for the warriors, a bit of NPC interaction for the Paladin (he probably has the best Charisma). You get my drift. Also - don't be afraid to hit the reset switch if the game gets beyond your control - it happens sometimes. 2) Tell the Barbarian that he may not be evil. Trust me on this, it will not end well - particulalry with a novice DM. It's just a short road to a derailed game. If the Barbarian acts in an evil way despite this, then he gets arrested and hung, because that's what happens to people who do evil. 3) Drop a wand of Cure Light Wounds into the treasure early on in the game - the Paladin can use this, and the Rogue might be able to too, if he has ranks in Use Magic Device. 4) The party has no arcanists, now at level 1, this is not a great problem, since a Wizard or Sorcerer is only good for a few of spells a day anyway. However, spells such as Sleep, Colour Spray and Hypnotism are party-savers at this level. I suggest you run an adventure with Kobolds - Kobolds are good low-level enemies, and they tend to have a Sorcerer or two amongst their number - demonstrate to the players that the Arcane classes are fun and useful (in that order).
Pallin Rahl 04-05-07, 04:36 PM	1) My first session is Saturday, and one of my players is sick, I don't know whether or not to continue without him... but I know it's the first session and they may need 4 players, but we've all been waiting months (and in my case, years) to begin this session... In addition, he's never played before, and still doesn't even understand how you actually play.... Go ahead and start without him... but keep in mind that, if possible, you might want to end that session in a place that you could logically add in the Fighter when he shows up next week. As mentioned, keep it simple and hold off on any major plot-stuff that you likely want all four of them there for. Furthermore, you might consider running a short 1-player adventure for the person who missed the session, before the next "normal" (4-player group session). That way he can not only get caught-up xp-wise, but you can also give him a hand understanding the rules and flow of play, as you mentioned he's not too clear on things yet. :) That way, everyone's on the same page when you all sit down as DM + 4 players next week. :) If you're feeling confident enough, you could even have the plots of the two adventures tie in together... to make for a more-logical and flowing introduction of the Fighter to the party. 2) This is the party makeup, sick player's character is bolded: Elf Barbarian Half-Elf Rogue Human Fighter Vanara Paladin I'm worried that they are too physical combat oriented, no divine or arcane casters, no manifesters, etc. It's most-often a good idea to tailor adventures to the party at hand, regardless. Don't toss tons of stuff at them that require casters to handle and you'll be fine. (not saying to ignore casters completely... just keep the capabilities of the party in mind when designing your adventures/encounters) As for healing... the Rogue could be putting his UMD to good use with some Cure Wands, etc. ...and anyone can use potions. :) 3) the player of the barbarian keeps saying he wants to be borderline evil.... if he's not lying that will be a major problem... assuming that the paladin doesn't fall from behaving chaotically first..... Get some clarification from the person playing the Barbarian. Maybe his statement isn't what you took it to be. If, however, he truly seems like he wants to play the character as "evil", simply tell him that he can not in this campaign. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a "no evil PCs" rule... matter of fact, it's more common than you may thing. Saves tons of headaches... especially if there's a Paladin in the party. Maybe you can run an "evil campaign" in the future... but it's best not to mix evil PCs into normal games, unless you are fully confident that the players can handle it without any problems. ...especially as you all seem newer to things, I'd highly suggest a "no evil PCs" rule. Also, any other DMing advice for me? Have fun. :) With all the planning and worrying you can find yourself doing as a new DM, don't lose sight of the reason you're doing all this: to have fun. :D Welcome to the world of DMing :D
Nom 04-05-07, 05:33 PM	On "Evil". Is he "evil" as in "power-hungry and not motivated by altruism, willing to sacrifice others if necessary to further his long-term plans" or "evil" as in "mad rampage of killing and expect not to suffer the consequences". The former is workable in many scenarios, and most PC parties (even "good" ones), have a bit of that in them ("what will we get paid for this" is at best a Neutral motivation, not a Good one). The latter is almost guaranteed to make for a frustrating game.
HK-47 II 04-05-07, 08:19 PM	well, They gave me permission to create their characters, the rogue does have Use Magic Device, and Wands 2 of Cure Light wounds, 1 of Magic Missle... I've told the barbarian's player that if he acts evil his character will become an NPC, but I don't think it got through...
Azezel 04-05-07, 09:10 PM	well, They gave me permission to create their characters, the rogue does have Use Magic Device, and Wands 2 of Cure Light wounds, 1 of Magic Missle... I've told the barbarian's player that if he acts evil his character will become an NPC, but I don't think it got through... First off - it's not a good idea to create characters for the players. How will they learn if they never do? Second - off the top of my head, those three wands total 2'250gp. Now I don't know what level you are starting this game at, but I strongly suggest that you do not start above level 1 - in which case you have given the rogue (hell, the whole party) far too much wealth in these wands. There's an important - in fact a critical table in your DMG - Wealth By Levels, on page 135 if memory serves. By the end of level 1, each character should have money and goods worth the figure on that table (I cannot tell you what the figure is, it is not part of the Open Gaming Liscence). Besides which - a single Wand of Cure Light Wounds will be plenty, but do not give it to the party at the start of the game, include it in their first bit of loot. I'd also recomend against giving them a Wand of Magic Missile - only the rogue has a chance of using it, and he's got better things to do. As for the Barbarian. My rule is exactly the same as yours. Evil is for NPCs only - if your character becomes Evil, he also becomes an NPC.
HK-47 II 04-05-07, 09:19 PM	The rogue's player was the only one with a player's handbook and I know that they wouldn't write a character sheet if I told them to use the SRD... also I never said the wands had a full 50 charges I don't remember how much I gave him though...
wizarddog 04-05-07, 10:20 PM	The rogue's player was the only one with a player's handbook and I know that they wouldn't write a character sheet if I told them to use the SRD... also I never said the wands had a full 50 charges I don't remember how much I gave him though... They should make their characters at the 1st session. If you hand them the character they won't feel it as their own. To speed up creation use the starting equipment stats. Don't give them any magic items. They should find them. They don't need a wand of magic missles. A wand of cure light usable by the Paladin (or rogue) will be fine. As fighting characters they will be looking for weapons and armor (and the occasional potion). Isn't Chaotic neutral enough for the barbarian character? His idea of "evil" may be more chaotic. In any case, have him start as neutral and later he can gradually become evil. HOWEVER if he wants to do evil acts it will have to be countered by the Paladin (who will be the only one using a wand to cure him after he loses hit points!) :cool:
Aminvelos 04-05-07, 11:39 PM	1. Let them make their own characters, that need to learn. 2. Remember that not every battle is meant to be challenging. If you play according to the dm guide and don't throw anything closer to the 2CR side thats in the dm book at CR1 the first session should be a cake walk. Slowly introduce them into the game. 3. Start without him, he'll catch up.
HK-47 II 04-28-07, 05:10 PM	Sorry for ressurecting this post but I have a few things to say,... The first session happened, the Barbarian's player, who I'll call M from now on in this post, showed up, as well as the Rogue's player, C, The Sick player, R, obviously, did not show up... The Paladin's Player, J, said to start without him, then was too busy to show up at all... he knew that it would happen again so he dropped out... I made R's character first, he didn't want to do anything complicated and I figured since he's new to all RPG's, and only agreed cause I practically begged (he'll like it when he plays it though, I can tell), so he said that he would play whatever... I choose Human Fighter because I thought it would be easiest for a new player... I also figure I should get him hooked before he makes his character himself, that way I know he'll want to... M's character was made because he played 2nd edition when 3.0 edition was out, and was completely behind on the rules... we worked together making his and he loves the concept, he has made the character his own already and was just pulling my leg about the evil thing... I asked C if I could make his character mainly because I was making everyone else's character... he likes his character (except that it has lower Cha then he wanted) but not as much as R or M... the current problem is that R is M's ride, and C doesn't like solo campaigns Session one- my mom gave M a ride, C also showed up Session two- R was sick still, C couldn't come, no one came Session three- R was still sick, had to cancel Session four(today)- R was ok that morning, then got sick, M was sick, C was at a convention... ....