Advise for a new DM please [Archive] - Wizards Community

Advise for a new DM please [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Fusecase
07-18-06, 12:46 AM Hi all! Recently I have been left with the job of DMing while the usual suspect for the job spends 4 weeks in africa. I have the idea for a world with two layers, each with different elemental alignments and cultures. An elementally focused Meshworld if you will.

My build is that the "Lower Layer" is an earth/fire based realm with weapon craftsmanship and fighting abilities (Gladiators) as prized by society. Honor is as important to everyone as family is to the Dwarves, but discipline is not common. In this society, honor is earned through trials in the arenas and out on the hunt in the wilds. The land is highly rugged, with mountain ranges and forests covering the land. Also where oceans would be on the edges of the continents, instead is a molten sea of magma that is enchanted to protect the population. The common races are Elementals, Humans, Dwarves, Drow (Some race has to be the ones running the Gambling Ring for the Fights), Gnomes, Halflings, Wood Elves, Goblinoids, Kobolds, Ibixians, Beasts, Undead of all kinds, Dragons, ETC. The metals of the land draw casters to study their properties and are all magically enhanced so +1 enhancement bonuses on weapons and armor are at half price if they are only the Damage/Attack/Armor Class boost (i.e. if you want Keen applied to something it still costs full price), but the minor magical items like potions, scrolls, and wonderous items are hard to find due to the favortism of physical strength so the cost of the items is 150% of "normal".

The "Upper Layer" is elementally and idealogically the opposite. Air and Water are the guiding factors in the terrain and society. The land structure is comparable to floating continents that contain solid land with woods and magically sculpted cities or great oceans. The common races include: Elementals, Humans, High Elves, Sea Elves, Wood Elves, Halflings, Gnomes, Djinni, Fey, Beasts, Dragons, Sphynx, ETC. Wizardry is the highest form of art with swordplay and dueling a close second by popular vote. The economy at lower levels of item power is the opposite of the "Lower Layer" with the exception of one handed swords and Rapiers are cheaper than normal if they are at Masterwork or better in quality. (I appologize for the lack of great detail, but as of this time I have yet to build this layer any further)

Both layers can contact the other by means of flying vessels which will be refered to as Airships. I would like help on how to incorporate this into the world with the limited book selection I have (In my sig, the only books I can't access right now are the Comp Psion, Exp. Psionic HB, and Unearthed Arcana). All advise on this will be great. I hope I can make ship to ship combat in midair possible with my resources.

For the party I have generated a party of 6 third level characters: One Dwarf fighter going to become a Tempest that wields Dwarven Waraxes (The axes are also wrenches for when he repairs airships), One Drow Rogue/Diviner who is on the way to Arcane Trickster (The ultimate "I thought you would say that" running gag), One Ex-Gladiator Human Barbarian with a focus on Halberds, One Half-Vamp Human Warlock who is going Blood Magus for story reasons (A joke about Emos got it started sadly), One Half-Vamp Half-Elf Bard with godly Diplomacy from Feats and Synergies, and One Half-Vamp Cleric going Radiant Servant of Pelor (The Healbot).

My method is to set everyone with base stats of 10 then add 32 on a point for point basis, add feats and skills to make them functional in many conditions, and then assign items for the areas they were raised (paying attention to the table for generating character wealth in the DMG).

My question is on how hard should encounters be if the characters start out in the world with a bit of a story, experience, and kick :censored: statistics behind them? I have the premade "The Ettin's Riddle" and "The Fallen Angel" ready to go, but I'm not sure if the ECLs of 3 (Focusing on Tact and Roleplaying) and 5 (Leaning to Brawn and Kick in the Door) are enough for the 6 of them.
Rerecros
07-18-06, 01:20 AM You're going to have to gage your player's ability to beat challenges on your own.
A good way to figure it out though would to make a layered dungeon.
Each layer has monsters, traps, treasure, ect... of equivalent level.
And make each level more difficult then the last.
As soon as turning around looks like a good idea, you'll know the PC's strength.

Can you go into more detail about how your universe is structured.
All the PC races, except for elves, seem to be on the fire/earth layer.
You seem to have put all the elves on the layer with no forrest, except the drow.
Fusecase
07-18-06, 01:35 AM You're going to have to gage your player's ability to beat challenges on your own.
A good way to figure it out though would to make a layered dungeon.
Each layer has monsters, traps, treasure, ect... of equivalent level.
And make each level more difficult then the last.
As soon as turning around looks like a good idea, you'll know the PC's strength.

Can you go into more detail about how your universe is structured.
All the PC races, except for elves, seem to be on the fire/earth layer.
You seem to have put all the elves on the layer with no forrest, except the drow.
Oh sorry about that, the air/water is also forested, but the wilds are a little more "tame" by comparison, the land is just composed of floating islands the size of North America, and some islands are just bowls that hold oceans. The races will be edited too.
Fusecase
07-18-06, 10:35 AM :bump: :help: I still have very little clue how to set up the ship to ship combat. Things like: how much damage should the weapons do vs. how much health should an airship have, how is damage scored on a vehicle, etc.
Arganis
07-18-06, 11:49 AM :bump: :help: I still have very little clue how to set up the ship to ship combat. Things like: how much damage should the weapons do vs. how much health should an airship have, how is damage scored on a vehicle, etc.

There has been some discussion to this effect. The general consensus among those that I agree with is that each airship should be treated as a creature of type Construct, and that these "creatures" should have DR/Siege. The definition of Siege varies, depending on who you talk to. Vaal uses "any damage done by a creature of equal or larger size" whereas I use "any damage done by a creature of larger size"

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fusecase 07-18-06, 12:46 AM	Hi all! Recently I have been left with the job of DMing while the usual suspect for the job spends 4 weeks in africa. I have the idea for a world with two layers, each with different elemental alignments and cultures. An elementally focused Meshworld if you will. My build is that the "Lower Layer" is an earth/fire based realm with weapon craftsmanship and fighting abilities (Gladiators) as prized by society. Honor is as important to everyone as family is to the Dwarves, but discipline is not common. In this society, honor is earned through trials in the arenas and out on the hunt in the wilds. The land is highly rugged, with mountain ranges and forests covering the land. Also where oceans would be on the edges of the continents, instead is a molten sea of magma that is enchanted to protect the population. The common races are Elementals, Humans, Dwarves, Drow (Some race has to be the ones running the Gambling Ring for the Fights), Gnomes, Halflings, Wood Elves, Goblinoids, Kobolds, Ibixians, Beasts, Undead of all kinds, Dragons, ETC. The metals of the land draw casters to study their properties and are all magically enhanced so +1 enhancement bonuses on weapons and armor are at half price if they are only the Damage/Attack/Armor Class boost (i.e. if you want Keen applied to something it still costs full price), but the minor magical items like potions, scrolls, and wonderous items are hard to find due to the favortism of physical strength so the cost of the items is 150% of "normal". The "Upper Layer" is elementally and idealogically the opposite. Air and Water are the guiding factors in the terrain and society. The land structure is comparable to floating continents that contain solid land with woods and magically sculpted cities or great oceans. The common races include: Elementals, Humans, High Elves, Sea Elves, Wood Elves, Halflings, Gnomes, Djinni, Fey, Beasts, Dragons, Sphynx, ETC. Wizardry is the highest form of art with swordplay and dueling a close second by popular vote. The economy at lower levels of item power is the opposite of the "Lower Layer" with the exception of one handed swords and Rapiers are cheaper than normal if they are at Masterwork or better in quality. (I appologize for the lack of great detail, but as of this time I have yet to build this layer any further) Both layers can contact the other by means of flying vessels which will be refered to as Airships. I would like help on how to incorporate this into the world with the limited book selection I have (In my sig, the only books I can't access right now are the Comp Psion, Exp. Psionic HB, and Unearthed Arcana). All advise on this will be great. I hope I can make ship to ship combat in midair possible with my resources. For the party I have generated a party of 6 third level characters: One Dwarf fighter going to become a Tempest that wields Dwarven Waraxes (The axes are also wrenches for when he repairs airships), One Drow Rogue/Diviner who is on the way to Arcane Trickster (The ultimate "I thought you would say that" running gag), One Ex-Gladiator Human Barbarian with a focus on Halberds, One Half-Vamp Human Warlock who is going Blood Magus for story reasons (A joke about Emos got it started sadly), One Half-Vamp Half-Elf Bard with godly Diplomacy from Feats and Synergies, and One Half-Vamp Cleric going Radiant Servant of Pelor (The Healbot). My method is to set everyone with base stats of 10 then add 32 on a point for point basis, add feats and skills to make them functional in many conditions, and then assign items for the areas they were raised (paying attention to the table for generating character wealth in the DMG). My question is on how hard should encounters be if the characters start out in the world with a bit of a story, experience, and kick :censored: statistics behind them? I have the premade "The Ettin's Riddle" and "The Fallen Angel" ready to go, but I'm not sure if the ECLs of 3 (Focusing on Tact and Roleplaying) and 5 (Leaning to Brawn and Kick in the Door) are enough for the 6 of them.
Rerecros 07-18-06, 01:20 AM	You're going to have to gage your player's ability to beat challenges on your own. A good way to figure it out though would to make a layered dungeon. Each layer has monsters, traps, treasure, ect... of equivalent level. And make each level more difficult then the last. As soon as turning around looks like a good idea, you'll know the PC's strength. Can you go into more detail about how your universe is structured. All the PC races, except for elves, seem to be on the fire/earth layer. You seem to have put all the elves on the layer with no forrest, except the drow.
Fusecase 07-18-06, 01:35 AM	You're going to have to gage your player's ability to beat challenges on your own. A good way to figure it out though would to make a layered dungeon. Each layer has monsters, traps, treasure, ect... of equivalent level. And make each level more difficult then the last. As soon as turning around looks like a good idea, you'll know the PC's strength. Can you go into more detail about how your universe is structured. All the PC races, except for elves, seem to be on the fire/earth layer. You seem to have put all the elves on the layer with no forrest, except the drow. Oh sorry about that, the air/water is also forested, but the wilds are a little more "tame" by comparison, the land is just composed of floating islands the size of North America, and some islands are just bowls that hold oceans. The races will be edited too.
Fusecase 07-18-06, 10:35 AM	:bump: :help: I still have very little clue how to set up the ship to ship combat. Things like: how much damage should the weapons do vs. how much health should an airship have, how is damage scored on a vehicle, etc.
Arganis 07-18-06, 11:49 AM	:bump: :help: I still have very little clue how to set up the ship to ship combat. Things like: how much damage should the weapons do vs. how much health should an airship have, how is damage scored on a vehicle, etc. There has been some discussion to this effect. The general consensus among those that I agree with is that each airship should be treated as a creature of type Construct, and that these "creatures" should have DR/Siege. The definition of Siege varies, depending on who you talk to. Vaal uses "any damage done by a creature of equal or larger size" whereas I use "any damage done by a creature of larger size"