Greetings, everyone!
So I was chatting about treasure determination and it was mentioned that it would be nice if there was a way we could roll up treasure without having to consult a bunch of tables and things.
Well, I've done something that might ease the burden some. I built an Excel spreadsheet based on the Treasure By Party Level tables in the Dungeons & Dragons® Essentials™ Rules Compendium™.
Of course, you'll need a recent version of Excel to view this spreadsheet, so if you have that, by all means click on the indicated link: Essentials Treasure Finder
This should ease the burden some, but it won't be suitable to the truly lazy DM that wants each and every item determined by a random roll. In other words, while the tool well tell you that you've found a Level 2 Uncommon magic item, it won't tell you WHAT item that is. As the DM, you'll have to determine that yourself.
Each tab of the spreadsheet contains the outcomes for the various character tiers: Heroic, Paragon, & Epic. Simply click F9 when the spreadsheet is loaded to "roll the dice" and determine the treasure. Click as often as you need.
The spreadsheet should be compatible with most recent versions of Excel. Feel free to adapt the spreadsheet to your own needs, but don't sell it. That wouldn't be cool.
Final note: If there are any code monkeys out there that would like to take the spreadsheet and convert it to a java tool or similar application, feel free to do so. However, if you do, please post a link that I can add to this page, so everyone else can feel the love.
Until next time...
Game excellently with one another.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Friday, October 07, 2011
Something To Do With Rare Magic Items
Ever since Mordy's Book came out, there's been a lot of talk online about rare magic items. Some folks thing they're just the thing to fix what they see as a broken system. Others think these items might break a system that's already well established in 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons.
Regardless of your opinion on such things, I thought of something that might be entertaining and add a little excitement to your player's discovery of a rare magic item. Don't just tell them what they find. Instead, consider working in a skill challenge for those players.
This was just a quick idea I had, but I liked it well enough, that I think I might start using it in my own campaigns. Presented below is a 3rd level example of what such a skill challenge might look like.
This skill challenge is designed to determine the powers & benefits of a Rare Magic Item.
A simple Arcana check (of the appropriate level) can determine during a Short Rest, if a recovered magical item is Rare. If the item is Rare, it's powers can be determined during the party's next Extended Rest.
Pick one person in the party to be designated the primary. That person is now the one that is to complete the skill challenge to determine the nature of the Rare Magic Item. Additional members of the party can assist the primary, but they must be adjacent to the primary in order to do so.
I'd love to hear what you think! Until next time...
Game excellently with one another.
Regardless of your opinion on such things, I thought of something that might be entertaining and add a little excitement to your player's discovery of a rare magic item. Don't just tell them what they find. Instead, consider working in a skill challenge for those players.
This was just a quick idea I had, but I liked it well enough, that I think I might start using it in my own campaigns. Presented below is a 3rd level example of what such a skill challenge might look like.
Rare Magic Item Skill Challenge
Demanding quiet, you hold what must surely be a magical item of great value and rarity. It's a shame the creator's notes were destroyed in the fight. Looks like you'll have to figure out what this item is the hard way.
This skill challenge is designed to determine the powers & benefits of a Rare Magic Item.
A simple Arcana check (of the appropriate level) can determine during a Short Rest, if a recovered magical item is Rare. If the item is Rare, it's powers can be determined during the party's next Extended Rest.
Pick one person in the party to be designated the primary. That person is now the one that is to complete the skill challenge to determine the nature of the Rare Magic Item. Additional members of the party can assist the primary, but they must be adjacent to the primary in order to do so.
| Rare Magic Item Skill Challenge | 150 XP | |
| Level 3 Complexity 1 (requires 4 successes before 3 failures) | ||
| Primary Skills | ||
| Arcana (DC 13): Using your knowledge of the magical arts & sciences, you uncover the secrets this item keeps hidden. | ||
| Success: You gain a 1 success. | ||
| Failure: You gain 1 failure. In addition, your blundering causes you to expend a daily power of the item (if it has one). If the item does not have powers (or has no powers remaining), everyone in a Burst 2 area takes Low Damage (1d6+5 for 3rd level, for example) of a type relevant to the item (for example, if the weapon is fire based, this damage is fire damage.) | ||
| History (DC 13): Special items have unique histories. Surely you can recall something you've read somewhere about the item you now hold in your hands. | ||
| Success: You gain 1 success. | ||
| Failure: You gain 1 failure. In addition, your blundering causes you to expend a daily power of the item (if it has one). If the item does not have powers (or has no remaining powers), everyone in a Burst 2 area takes Low Damage (1d6+5 for 3rd level, for example) of a type relevant to the item (for example, if the weapon is fire based, this damage is fire damage.) | ||
| Other Skills | ||
| Assistance Bonus (DC 13): You lend aid to the primary person completing this Rare Magic Item skill challenge. In order to do so, roll a skill check of the same type as the primary person completing the skill challenge. | ||
| Success: If your assistance roll succeeds, you have managed to provide some helpful information to the primary.The primary person completing the skill challenge gains a +2 to their next skill check roll. | ||
| Failure: If your assistance roll fails, you have managed to steer the primary wrong. The primary person completing the skill challenge gains a -2 to their next skill check roll. | ||
| Other Relevant Skill (DC 21): This category varies, as different items might lend themselves to being puzzled out by different skills. For example, the Religion skill might be useful to figure out the abilities of a Rare Magic Item that has a religious theme or apparent function. | ||
| Success: You gain a 1 success. In addition, you gain a +1 to Arcana or History rolls made for the remainder of the challenge. | ||
| Failure: You gain 1 failure. In addition, your blundering causes you to expend a daily power of the item (if it has one). If the item does not have powers (or has no powers remaining), everyone in a Burst 2 area takes Low Damage (1d6+5 for 3rd level, for example) of a type relevant to the item (for example, if the weapon is fire based, this damage is fire damage.) | ||
| Victory | ||
| If the characters successfully complete the skill challenge, the name and nature of the magical item is revealed. If a successful History check was part of the skill challenge, some historical notes regarding the item are known as well. | ||
| Defeat | ||
| If the characters fail to successfully complete the skill challenge, they have managed to fool around with an item they are not prepared to understand or master. A magical explosion results, and everyone in a Burst 2 area takes High Limited damage based on the level of the item (2d6+9 for 3rd level, for example). In addition, the magic item becomes dormant and will not be available for testing until the next Extended Rest. | ||
I'd love to hear what you think! Until next time...
Game excellently with one another.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Dead Orcs Society Solo Adventures - Lenneth
Once again, from the Dead Orcs Campaign Files comes another solo
adventure. Featured today is the solo adventure of the party's Ranger.
Lenneth is an elf Ranger that specializes in the use of the long bow. He's the group's most powerful striker. Lenneth & Lyreika go way back, as Lyreika's father use to run a trade route that included the outpost where Lenneth could often be found acting as a local guide. When this story occurs, Lenneth has been tracking the famed White Stag, a creature prominent in the local elves' legends.
As a reminder, each adventure follows a simple (but easily adaptable) formula:
Encounter one uses minions and sets the hero on the path.
Encounter two utilizes a simple skill challenge.
Encounter three uses both minions and a level appropriate "boss" figure roughly equal to the hero's strength. The difficulty of this encounter is based on how well the hero does during the skill challenge just prior. If the hero fails the skill challenge, this challenge will likely include several minions as well as the "boss" figure.
Here's what the encounter looks like (encounter created in Masterplan 11.1). Please note that when writing adventures for myself, I often leave out the minor details of certain things so that I have room to ad-lib with the player. If the notes from the adventure below do not seem polished, this is why.
You'll also note that I while Masterplan assigns XP to the various encounters, I did not track this. These adventures were designed as flashbacks. Skip to the bottom to see the followup.
By Randall Walker
It's been a quiet morning. The woods are silent but for your footsteps and the occasional call of a bird. Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you catch site of the famed White Stag, the ultimate quarry!
Lenneth, intent on proving himself a skilled hunter, sets off after the famed White Stag, only to find himself hunting down more than he bargained for.
Illumination:
Features of the Area:
Trees
Several trees surround the encounter area granting cover and blocking line of sight.
Setup:
Tactics:
Items Of Note:
Chasing the White Stag, you have stumbled into a curious glade of very large purple flowers that sway to and fro. Periodically, the flowers emit a sickly looking cloud of green pollen. On the other side of the glade, stands the White Stag, taunting you.
The White Stag lures the Hero into a glade of strange flowers that emit clouds of poisonous pollen. The Hero must dodge the various flowers and get to the other side of the glade in order to continue the chase.
However, there is a catch. Each failure during this skill challenge results in the Hero seeing an additional White Stag.
If the hero was successful at the Glade of Illusion, read the following: You have caught up with your prey. As you take aim, the White Stag turns and speaks, "Strike me down, hunter and seal my fate".
If the hero failed during the Glade of Illusion, read the following: Brushing the last of the poisonous pollen from you, you look up to find yourself surrounded by four identical White Stags. In unison they speak, "Foolish Hunter, do you not realize the power of the White Stag? Prepare now, to face our wrath!"
The Hero finally confronts his prey, The White Stag. Depending on how the previous skill challenge went, the Hero will either be facing the single (and true) White Stag, or the single (and true) White Stag alongside 3 other identical illusions.
Illumination:
Features of the Area:
Setup:
Tactics:
Items Of Note:
Alternative Outcomes:
Lenneth is an elf Ranger that specializes in the use of the long bow. He's the group's most powerful striker. Lenneth & Lyreika go way back, as Lyreika's father use to run a trade route that included the outpost where Lenneth could often be found acting as a local guide. When this story occurs, Lenneth has been tracking the famed White Stag, a creature prominent in the local elves' legends.
As a reminder, each adventure follows a simple (but easily adaptable) formula:
Encounter one uses minions and sets the hero on the path.
Encounter two utilizes a simple skill challenge.
Encounter three uses both minions and a level appropriate "boss" figure roughly equal to the hero's strength. The difficulty of this encounter is based on how well the hero does during the skill challenge just prior. If the hero fails the skill challenge, this challenge will likely include several minions as well as the "boss" figure.
Here's what the encounter looks like (encounter created in Masterplan 11.1). Please note that when writing adventures for myself, I often leave out the minor details of certain things so that I have room to ad-lib with the player. If the notes from the adventure below do not seem polished, this is why.
You'll also note that I while Masterplan assigns XP to the various encounters, I did not track this. These adventures were designed as flashbacks. Skip to the bottom to see the followup.
DeadOrcs_Solo_Lenneth
An adventure for 1 character of level 1.
By Randall Walker
Chasing The White Stag
It's been a quiet morning. The woods are silent but for your footsteps and the occasional call of a bird. Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you catch site of the famed White Stag, the ultimate quarry!
| Encounter | 75 XP | |
| Level 1 | ||
| Opponents | 3 | |
| Starved Dog | x3 | |
Illumination:
Bright light (daylight).
Features of the Area:
Trees
Several trees surround the encounter area granting cover and blocking line of sight.
Setup:
The White Stag starts at the far end of the encounter area and bounds off the map after the first round. The Starving Dogs leap out into the middle of the encounter area. The hero begins at the opposite end of the encounter area away from the White Stag.
Tactics:
The Starving Dogs were initally going to take a shot at the White Stag, but seeing it moving too quickly, decide that its hunter (the Hero) would make an easier meal. The Starving Dogs are very hungry and attack aggressively, fighting to their death.
Items Of Note:
One of the Starving Dogs is wearing a fine leather collar with silver studs. The collar is worth 10 GP.
| Starved Dog Small natural beast | Level 1 Minion 25 XP | |
| HP 1 | Initiative +2 | |
| AC 15; Fort 10; Ref 13; Will 11 | Perception +1 | |
| Speed 8 | low-light vision | |
| Standard Actions | ||
| Bite ♦ At-Will (basic attack) | ||
| Attack: +6 vs AC 4 damage. | ||
| Str: 14 (+2) Con: 13 (+1) | Dex: 15 (+2) Int: 3 (-4) | Wis: 12 (+1) Cha: 8 (-1) |
| Alignment Unaligned | ||
The Glade Of Illusion
Chasing the White Stag, you have stumbled into a curious glade of very large purple flowers that sway to and fro. Periodically, the flowers emit a sickly looking cloud of green pollen. On the other side of the glade, stands the White Stag, taunting you.
However, there is a catch. Each failure during this skill challenge results in the Hero seeing an additional White Stag.
| The Glade Of Illusion | 200 XP | |
| Level 1 Complexity 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 failures) | ||
| Primary Skills | ||
| Acrobatics (DC 12): Dodging the flowers, the hero easily avoids the pollen they emit. The hero may use this skill multiple times. | ||
| Success: The hero gains 1 success and progresses across the glade. | ||
| Failure: The hero takes 1d6 points of poison damage, gains 1 failure, and a copy of the White Stag appears. | ||
| Endurance (DC 19): Taking a deep breath the hero tries to prevent breathing in the poisonous pollen. The hero can only use this skill check twice. | ||
| Success: The hero gains 1 success and progresses through the glade. | ||
| Failure: The hero takes 1d6 poison damage, gains 1 failure, and another copy of the White Stag appears. | ||
| Stealth (DC 12): Moving slowly and quietly the hero attempts to move around the flowers without setting them off. The hero may use this skill check only once. | ||
| Success: The hero gains 2 successes and continues to progress across the glade. | ||
| Failure: The hero takes 1d6 points of poison damage, gains 1 failure, and another copy of the White Stag appears at the end of the glade. | ||
| Other Skills | ||
| Nature (DC 19): Before entering the glade, the hero remembers some obscure nature lore that help succeed at the challenge. | ||
| Success: The hero gains a +2 on his next Endurance check. This skill can only be used before entering the glade. | ||
| Failure: No effect. | ||
| Perception (DC 19): Eying the flowers carefully, the hero is able to perceive and predict their movement, better avoiding their poisonous pollen. | ||
| Success: The hero gains a +2 on his next Acrobatics or Stealth check. The hero can only use this skill once either before or during the challenge. | ||
| Failure: No effect. | ||
| Victory | ||
| The hero makes it through the glade relatively unharmed and only confronts one White Stag (White Stag copies that may have appeared during the challenge, fade away). | ||
| Defeat | ||
| The hero sees an additional White Stag for each failure of the skill challenge (4 in total). | ||
Confronting The White Stag
If the hero was successful at the Glade of Illusion, read the following: You have caught up with your prey. As you take aim, the White Stag turns and speaks, "Strike me down, hunter and seal my fate".
If the hero failed during the Glade of Illusion, read the following: Brushing the last of the poisonous pollen from you, you look up to find yourself surrounded by four identical White Stags. In unison they speak, "Foolish Hunter, do you not realize the power of the White Stag? Prepare now, to face our wrath!"
The Hero finally confronts his prey, The White Stag. Depending on how the previous skill challenge went, the Hero will either be facing the single (and true) White Stag, or the single (and true) White Stag alongside 3 other identical illusions.
| Encounter | 175 XP | |
| Level 4 | ||
| Opponents | 4 | |
| White Stag Illusion | x3 | |
| White Stag | ||
Illumination:
Bright light (sunlight).
Features of the Area:
Numerous trees block line of sight and provide cover.
Setup:
If the Hero faces the White Stag alone, place the White Stag anywhere in a central location on the encounter map. The Hero begins anywhere within 6 squares of the White Stag.
If the Hero faces the White Stag and its duplicates, place the Hero in the center of the encounter map and place the 4 White Stags around the Hero anywhere within 4 squares.
If the Hero faces the White Stag and its duplicates, place the Hero in the center of the encounter map and place the 4 White Stags around the Hero anywhere within 4 squares.
Tactics:
If the Hero chooses to attack, the White Stag defends itself. It will fight to the death.
If the Hero does not attack, see Alternative Outcome below:
If the Hero does not attack, see Alternative Outcome below:
Items Of Note:
Regardless of whether or not the Hero slays the White Stag, he ends up with the Pendant of the White Stag.
Alternative Outcomes:
If the Hero does not attack, the White Stag speaks: "You have chosen not to strike me down. Perhaps you are wiser than I realized." The White Stag then fades into the form of a beautiful woodland spirit. "Continue your work to preserve the forest, and keep this." The spirit then hands a pendant (shaped as a White Stag) to the Hero.
| White Stag Illusion Medium natural beast | Level 1 Minion 25 XP | |
| HP 1 | Initiative -1 | |
| AC 15; Fort 13; Ref 12; Will 11 | Perception +0 | |
| Speed 8 | ||
| Standard Actions | ||
| Hoof Kick ♦ At-Will (basic attack) | ||
| Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 4 damage. | ||
| Str: 14 (+2) Con: 12 (+1) | Dex: 12 (+1) Int: 1 (-5) | Wis: 10 (+0) Cha: 8 (-1) |
| Alignment Unaligned | ||
| White Stag Medium natural beast | Level 1 Skirmisher 100 XP | |
| HP 26; Bloodied 13 | Initiative +2 | |
| AC 15; Fort 13; Ref 13; Will 13 | Perception +0 | |
| Speed 6 squares | low-light | |
| Standard Actions | ||
| Bite ♦ At-Will | ||
| Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 1d8+4 damage | ||
| Antler Rake ♦ Recharges on 5-6 | ||
| Attack: +4 vs Reflex 1d10 +6 damage | ||
| Str: 10 (+0) Con: 10 (+0) | Dex: 10 (+0) Int: 10 (+0) | Wis: 10 (+0) Cha: 10 (+0) |
| Alignment Unaligned | ||
The Feedback:
Russell is the youngest player in the group, and I've only been playing with him since 2008 when I re-booted the Dead Orcs Society. Of all my players, he's the one that I would tag as my "power gamer", as he genuinely enjoys building a character's stats to their greatest potential. While those skills have made him an invaluable team member (his Ranger does insane amounts of damage, even at Heroic levels), I sometimes worry that he's not getting as much as either of us would like out of the role-playing aspects of the game.
As we played through his brief solo adventure, I experience both what I expected out of Russell's character, and a total surprise. First, I had expected him to do well on the combat encounters, and this turned out to be true. However, he really breezed past the skill challenge. Acrobatics was one of the primary skills to use, and Lenneth's was pretty much maxed out. With a Dexterity of 20, Russell pretty much spammed Acrobatics, and breezed through. After seeing how the first two encounters went, I figured the third encounter would be the same. I was totally wrong. While I had written an alternative conclusion to the adventure, I really had no idea that Russell would have his character actually take this option. It was amazing to watch, and to see first hand an excellent example for why a DM shouldn't make assumptions about his players. The most amazing quote from my power gamer player during the final encounter was this (paraphrased), "I hunt for sustenance only. Why would I strike you down for the sheer thrill of it?" It was an awesome role-playing moment I won't forget.
Feel free to steal any or all the elements
of the brief encounters listed above. As always, I'd love to hear your
feedback regarding solo adventures, skill challenges, or anything else
for that matter. In among other posts, you'll see the remaining
adventures as my players schedule time with me to play.
Until next time...
Game excellently with one another.
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