Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Donfang Jul 20, 2011 22:28:31	Hey everyone, so I am starting to build a campaign for some guys I've played with for a few years now. This is actually going to be my first time Dm'ing though I've played D&D for almost 10 years now. Darksun is a totally different world and offers a lot of varients on things which is why I love it. Though I am a bit confused on how somethings work and would love help/advice. Sorry if this info is posted somewhere else, I just learn quicker from other gamers. 1) I want to use the Fixed enchancement bonus system but I'm not totally sure how it works. I get the bonuses, but do players not get magic/enchanted weapons? If not what do I reward them with other than magic necks, arms, hands, etc. Just lots of money? 2) I know most objects are made from bone, wood, hide, shells, etc. but how do enchanted items come into play? Do they have a magical bone sword (I.e Bone sword +1) Are players allowed to craft items that way? And using the Fixed enchanment bonus system does that mean they do not get magical armor or weapons ever? I guess what I'm really asking is just how do I reward the players differently in Darksun. Also how do magical items work in a world like Darksun. If I use the Fixed system, then what do I do about loot? I am all over the place so I hope this made sense, any help is greatly apprciated. Thanks.
#2 DontEatRawHagis Jul 20, 2011 23:14:47	Hey everyone, so I am starting to build a campaign for some guys I've played with for a few years now. This is actually going to be my first time Dm'ing though I've played D&D for almost 10 years now. Darksun is a totally different world and offers a lot of varients on things which is why I love it. Though I am a bit confused on how somethings work and would love help/advice. Sorry if this info is posted somewhere else, I just learn quicker from other gamers. 1) I want to use the Fixed enchancement bonus system but I'm not totally sure how it works. I get the bonuses, but do players not get magic/enchanted weapons? If not what do I reward them with other than magic necks, arms, hands, etc. Just lots of money? It works however you want it to. Maybe explain away the bonuses as training or instinct. Magic items still exist, but are rare and destructive, usually defiling. There are some unique items in 4e like the silt runner sandals and other equipment. If I remember correctly you could use the Magic items such as armor, necklaces and rings by using their stat changes and explaining them as special abilities that the player learns, change flavor to fit setting. 2) I know most objects are made from bone, wood, hide, shells, etc. but how do enchanted items come into play? Do they have a magical bone sword (I.e Bone sword +1) Are players allowed to craft items that way? And using the Fixed enchanment bonus system does that mean they do not get magical armor or weapons ever? Magic is Rare, and usually destructive, defiling always causes pain in someway. Some magic items can be handwaved away as mastercraft items. In the book it mentions using different traits such as Brutal and adding them to different weapons. I did that for a player who kept rolling ones on his knife attacks, gave him a knife with the brutal(1) quality. Players should not craft weapons, unless their is a good reason. Magic items should always have downsides to them. I guess what I'm really asking is just how do I reward the players differently in Darksun. Also how do magical items work in a world like Darksun. If I use the Fixed system, then what do I do about loot? I am all over the place so I hope this made sense, any help is greatly apprciated. Thanks. Survival is necessary in Dark Sun, so survival days are good. Metal weapons are rare, keep the reckless breakage rules to increase the value.  Also try to call gold coins instead ceramic. If metal is rare why are their gold coins? I haven't done Dark Sun for a few months now so I can't remember everything off hand.
#3 dudelander Jul 21, 2011 0:05:50	1) I want to use the Fixed enchancement bonus system but I'm not totally sure how it works. I get the bonuses, but do players not get magic/enchanted weapons? If not what do I reward them with other than magic necks, arms, hands, etc. Just lots of money? There are enchanted weapons, but the bonuses don't stack.  So a +3 sword wielded by a player with an inherit bonus of +3 would be +3 to hit and damage, not +6.  Also, you should remove both the higest and lowest level magic items in the parcels you hand out.  (So the players get less money / magic items overall.) 2) I know most objects are made from bone, wood, hide, shells, etc. but how do enchanted items come into play? Do they have a magical bone sword (I.e Bone sword +1) Are players allowed to craft items that way? And using the Fixed enchanment bonus system does that mean they do not get magical armor or weapons ever? Yep, there are +1 bone swords.  But a reguler +1 sword would not be more useful than a reguler sword becuase the bonus does not stack with inherit bonuses.  As for crafting, I'm not sure what the offical rules are, but I would say no in most cases.  The idea is that magic items are rare and special, and not disposable like they are in reguler 4E.  If a player gets a flaming sword, they'll want to hang on to it.
#4 angelus_obscura Jul 21, 2011 3:22:15	Don't forget psionics, which is pretty common in Dark Sun. Psionic equivalent items are the perfect alternative to magic items. I play a psion in our current Dark Sun game and our DM allowed me to take the Enchant Magic Item feat, redubbing it Craft Psionic Item. Really powerful and/or high level items are tough to craft and would require rare ingredients and such, but it isn't impossible.
#5 Donfang Jul 21, 2011 3:40:56	Sweet thanks for the comments guys, I think I understand it a bit better now
#6 khorne37 Jul 21, 2011 10:02:02	If you use the limited magic parcel of dropping the lowest magic item and the highest magic item then you should use the inherit bonuses. When figuring out which bonus to use however it is whicever happens to be higher. Also there is nothing wrong with crafting your own magic items but people will be watching if your a defiler the veilled alliance may step in and put u down...
#7 khorne37 Jul 21, 2011 10:02:04	If you use the limited magic parcel of dropping the lowest magic item and the highest magic item then you should use the inherit bonuses. When figuring out which bonus to use however it is whicever happens to be higher. Also there is nothing wrong with crafting your own magic items but people will be watching if your a defiler the veilled alliance may step in and put u down...
#8 vanadium322 Jul 25, 2011 1:25:53	I'd also like to point out that if you use inherent bonuses, you can still give weapons and stuff almost normally, but with different lasting effects; if a level 1 character (no inherent bonus yet) finds a +1 weapon, then they get +1 to hit and damage until their inherant bonuses kick in, at which point the +1 weapon becomes a novelty with no actual power increase.  So they're like temporary boosts, depending at what level you give them.  This is true at higher levels as well whenever they find something with a bonus higher than theirs. Now something like a +1 flaming weapon is a different matter (as someone else mentioned), cause even after the enhancement bonus is overshadowed, it still has the flaming property on top of whatever inherent enhancement the player has. So there's definitely more finesse to giving out item loot. Also try to call gold coins instead ceramic. If metal is rare why are their gold coins? That point is specifically addressed in the campaign setting; most money in the city-states is ceramic, but gold and other coins exist from ancient troves found in the ruined cities of previous ages.  A lot of it has been looted already, and is in circulation (though it's probably still a tiny percentage compared to ceramic coins), but presumably more is out there waiting to be found.