Basic Info

[JadedDM]

This is a 2nd Edition game using the original 1E modules for Dragonlance Chronicles converted to 2E. We will be beginning with Dragons of Despair (DL1) and assuming everything goes well, continue on from there to the other modules.

The game is set in 350 AC, which means the gods have not returned and there are no true clerics. This means any class with divine abilities (cleric, druid, paladin, ranger) cannot access them yet. But don't worry. The point of the first module is to fix that. There is a cleric in the party, and she cannot cast spells or turn undead, but she does get a magic staff that helps balance out the lack of power.

For those who are not familiar all ready with Dragonlance or Chronicles, a basic summary:

Three hundred and fifty years ago was the Cataclysm. Mankind, in its arrogance, demanded the supplication of the gods. In response, the gods hurled a fiery mountain at the city of Istar, the largest and holiest of empires. The devastation wrought affected the entire continent of Ansalon. New mountains were formed, new seas were born, and the death toll was unmeasurable. When the dust settled, the world had changed and the true clerics of the land--those who could heal magically--were gone. Thus began the Age of Despair.

Things have changed since then. People have sought out new gods. These 'gods' to not grant clerical powers or create miracles. There are rumors of war to the north. People speak of strange monsters, the mythical dragons that were said to once populate the land, and of a great army sweeping across Ansalon like a shadow. A group of nine friends made a pact five years ago--to split up and search the land for signs that the true gods have returned. They return now to their home of Solace to find things are not how they left them...

[JadedDM]

Like in my other game, I'll be using individual initiative. When a round of battle starts, I'll roll both sides.

In character (IC) posts should be third-person. Any out of character (OOC) posts should be in parenthesis, labeled as OOC, and preferably should be at the bottom of the post. Dialogue should be in quotation marks. When rolling dice, link the actual roll to the Invisible Castle page where you rolled it. (Make sure to color the link, too, so it stands out as a link.) I'll give an example here:

Desdemona runs back to the previous room where she heard the shouts. She freezes in place at the sight of the creatures that had attacked her companions. They were the walking dead, zombies. She had heard legends of such abominations, but seeing them--and for that matter, smelling them--was another thing entirely. "Solinari protect me," she mutters.

Making sure she has a clear line of fire, she begins chanting in the spidery language of magic and unleashes a jet of flame from her fingertips.

(OOC: Des is casting Burning Hands. That's (1d3+6): 8 damage.)

[JadedDM]

Other things to note:

I won't be giving out XP in this game. Rather, whenever we end a module, everyone levels up once automatically.

If you are familiar with the books or the modules, please don't spoil things for the players who are new to this all. Also, remember that characters are open to interpretation. We are not following a script here. A character who died in the books might live, and one who lived in the books might die. There is no need to play the characters exactly like they are in the books. Just follow the basic description I give in the "Character Selection" thread. And of course, characters can change and grow over time, that is a given.

Wizards draw their power from the moon, which means depending on which moon they serve, they may have more or less power than normal. I will be starting this game with Lunitari in full sanction, so whoever is playing Raistlin need not worry about that.

Any character not chosen by a PC will be NPC'd by me. If a new player comes along and wishes to join us, they may take control of any NPC in the party. If a player goes too long without posting, I may regain control of their character to move things forward. Be forewarned! Once your character moves back into my control, that means it's possible I may hand it over to another player. In other words, if you stop participating without telling us and come back a month later, you may find your character now belongs to someone else. So, if you know ahead of time you won't be able to participate for awhile, please be sure to let me know ahead of time! If, for instance, you know you'll be away for a month, you can let me know. That way, I won't give your character away while you're gone.

Each module is divided into chapters. I'll devote one thread for each chapter, so the threads don't get too long and cluttered. I'll also be posting 'summaries' of each chapter, so new players can join right in without having to read page after page of threads to catch up on what is happening now.

That's it for now. I'll post more if anything else comes to me. Any questions?

[JadedDM]

Some basic information about Dragonlance and the world it takes place on, Krynn.

Krynn has a couple of known continents, but the one this adventure centers on is called Ansalon. The people of Ansalon are largely ignorant of any other continents.

Krynn has three moons. However, most people are only familiar with two. The first moon, and the largest, is white and known as Solinari. The medium sized moon is red and known as Lunitari. The third moon is the smallest and is black, called Nuitari. The reason most people are not aware of Nuitari is because it is black, it is hidden in the night sky. It can only be seen by evil wizards. The only time it is visible to other people is when it is eclipsed against one of the other two moons. The three moons are the source of all magic. When all three line up in an eclipse, it's called the Night of the Eye and all magic is boosted significantly.

Gold has little value in this world. Steel pieces replace gold pieces in this world. Gold itself falls somewhere between copper and silver in value. I realize this makes no sense at all, considering the party is completely decked out in steel. Just go with it, though. It's part of the world's flavor.

Clerical spells, potions, and items have not existed for nearly 300 years. Most humans have completely forgotten about the names and myths of the old gods. The elves and dwarves still pay lip-service to these old gods, but are not true believers and thus do not have clerics, either.

Dragons have not existed on Krynn for over 1000 years. As a result, most people in this world smile when dragons are mentioned, believing they are only folktales to frighten children. Few believe that dragons ever did exist; almost nobody believes that they exist now.

Halflings do not exist on Krynn. They are replaced with Kender. Kender are (literally) fearless. They are childlike in appearance and demeanor, and yet most people can't stand them. The reason for this is because kender have no sense of property. They have wandering hands, and often don't even realize they are stealing. Often, they are attracted to something shiny or interesting, pick it up to examine it, then carelessly drop it in their pouches. Kender also cause a lot of trouble, because their immunity to fear mixed with their insatiable curiosity, often means they do rather foolish things (like walk up to a Lich to ask it on what it's like to be undead).

Orcs do not exist on Krynn. Goblinoids, ogres, gnolls, etc. do, however. Also, there are no lycanthropes or Drow on Krynn. The term "Dark elf" refers to any elf who has 'left the light' and been exiled from his or her peoples. Thus, any elf who is neutral or evil is a 'dark elf,' although an elf could still be good and considered 'dark.' Psionics do not exist, either.

All arcane magic users are required to join the Orders of High Sorcery. This must be done by the time they learn third level spells, or else they are hunted down by the Orders and either destroyed or forced to join. Upon reaching access to level three spells, they are required to undergo the Test. The Test is different from each wizard, but failure always means death. Magic is considered a huge responsibility, and never one to be taken lightly. Those of good alignment join the Order of Solinari and wear white robes. Those of neutral alignment join the Order of Lunitari and wear red robes. Those of evil alignment join the Order of Nuitari and wear black robes.

Most people are extremely suspicious and wary of wizards, even the White Robed ones. Most people are also distrustful of the Knights of Solamnia--once considered honorable and noble heroes--because they failed to stop the Cataclysm.

[SightblinderX]

I will try to abide by your posting method. if I stray, I am sure my posts will still be understandbale -- been PbPing for over a decade now.

[JadedDM]

Healing

I'm bored and decided I'd sit down and explain the rules (both official and my own house rules) regarding non-magical healing. I will be posting this in both of my forums, because it will apply to both games.

There are basically two ways to receive non-magical healing, and neither is anywhere near as effective or efficient as spells, potions, etc.. The first way is through resting, the second way is through the Healing proficiency.

According to the PHB:

"Characters heal naturally at a rate of 1 hit point per day of rest. Rest is defined as low activity--nothing more strenuous than riding a horse or traveling from one place to another. Fighting, running in fear, lifting a heavy boulder, or any other physical activity prevents resting, since it strains old wounds and may even reopen them."

I've seen lots of games where this rule is interpreted to mean everyone regains 1 HP every time they rest. But I put emphasis on the fact that it reads 'per day of rest.' That means if the party did anything 'strenuous' during the day, then resting for the night yields nothing. On the other hand, if all they do in one day is travel (no encounters), I would allow them to regain that 1 HP at the end of the night.

"If a character has complete bed rest (doing nothing for an entire day), he can regain 3 hit points for the day. For each complete week of bed rest, the character can add any Constitution hit point bonus he might have to the base of 21 points (3 points per day) he regained during that week."

To achieve this, the party can't even travel. This may work out at an inn, but if the party's in the wilderness or in a dungeon, spending a whole day doing nothing can be dangerous (higher risk of encounters). Sometimes the risk is worth it, though. Obviously, this isn't much of an option when there's a time limit of some sort on the adventure (i.e., the missing princess will be executed in two days if the party doesn't save her in time).

"In both cases above, the character is assumed to be getting adequate food, water, and sleep. If these are lacking, the character does not regain any hit points that day."

Naturally. For me, 'adequate' food and water is the typical amount usually consumed while adventuring. Iron rations and waterskins are acceptable. Nothing special or fancy is required.

If a character has the Healing proficiency, they can also add to a party's well-being in a small way.

"A character proficient in healing knows how to use natural medicines and basic principles of first aid and doctoring. If the character tends another within one round of wounding (and makes a successful proficiency check), his ministrations restore 1d3 hit points (but no more hit points can be restored than were lost in the previous round). Only one healing attempt can be made on a character per day."

This is a little strict for me, so I loosen the restrictions slightly. In my games, the healing need not occur immediately one round after the wounding itself. But it should take place shortly after the end of a battle to work. If the healer waits for more than a few minutes, then it won't work. Normally, the best thing to do, is just go around the room and patch up everyone who was wounded, one by one, as soon as the battle is over. Sometimes, though, there's just not time.

Also, instead of only once per day, I limit it to once per battle. (I'll also allow it after certain other incidents that deal damage, like a trap or a fall, for instance.) However, a healing attempt cannot restore more HP than was damaged during the incident.

For instance, let's say Desiree Monreau, Human Bard, has 20 HP. She gets into a battle with some goblins, and takes a total of 4 damage. When the battle ends, her friend cleric, Gilly, does a healing check and succeeds. Desiree gets 3 HP back and now has 19/20.

A little later in the quest, a dart trap is triggered and Desiree is hit for 2 damage. She's now back down to 17/20 HP. Gilly does another healing check, succeeds, and rolls a 3. However, Desiree only gets 2 HP back, because that's all the damage the dart did. She's back to 19/20. She'll need magical healing or a day of rest to regain that last one.

(And lest you think me too nice of a guy, the reason I don't enforce the "once per day" rule is because I don't want to have to keep track of who the healer has healed in any given day.)

"If a wounded character remains under the care of someone with healing proficiency, that character can recover lost hit points at the rate of 1 per day even when traveling or engaging in non-strenuous activity. If the wounded character gets complete rest, he can recover 2 hit points per day while under such care. Only characters with both healing and herbalism can help others recover at the rate of 3 hit points per day of rest. This care does not require a proficiency check, only the regular attention of the proficient character. Up to six patients can be care for at any time."

The wording here always kind of confused me. Doesn't a character heal at that rate on their own? Better, even? So I've always interpreted this rule to mean that the two stack. A character who spends a day traveling, but nothing strenuous will regain 1 HP. If a healer is tending to him in the process, he gets back 2 instead. A character who spends a day in bed gets back 3 HP. If a healer is watching over him, he gets back 5 (or 6 if the healer also has herbalism).

In the event of there being multiple healers in the same group, their attempts do not stack. If Desiree is hurt in battle, and Gilly successful heals her, then Hildebrand the Cleric cannot make a second check to heal her further. However, if Gilly fails her check, Hildebrand can attempt to make his own.

Likewise, if Gilly and Hildebrand both watch over Desiree for the day, she does not regain double the HP. She only heals as much as if only one of them were watching her.

Hopefully my wording here is clear enough to be understood. If not, ask, and I'll do my best to clarify.

[JadedDM]

I realized recently that although I've been DMing here for a year and a half now, I've never really gone into any detail on the rules of my games. Which optional rules do I use, which splatbooks, and which house rules?

So I'm going to clarify that all now, so there won't be any question at all. Note that rules written in italics are ones that have not yet been 'activated' but will be come the next adventure/module. Sometimes I like to tweak or update the rules, but I don't like doing so in the middle of the game, but rather wait until the current adventure/module is over. Don't worry, I'll make an announcement when those rules become 'official.'

Core Rules
Character Generation - Because of the way many players tend to drop suddenly and without warning from pbp games, I usually use pre-gens whenever possible. Otherwise, I prefer using Method III (3d6, choose order). When I allow a different method, I'll announce so formally.
Rerolling Ability Scores - A player may reroll a single roll if it is 3 during character generation. Otherwise, you keep what you get. If you are unsatisfied with the results, talk to me, maybe we can work something out.
Height/Weight/Age - Players need not roll for these, unless they want to. They can just choose them. The DM secretly rolls your maximum age, to learn when your character will die of old age (if you're lucky!)
Starter Spells - A player may choose his wizard's starting spells, but still must roll to learn them. Upon reaching a new spell level, a general mage learns a new spell for that level automatically (chosen by the DM) whereas a specialist mage learns a new spell of their chosen school (chosen by the player). A mage's first spellbook is free, but additional ones must be paid for.
When XP is Given - Characters earn XP (and level up automatically upon receiving enough to do so) at the end of a thread. Threads are usually divided into chapters, and generally will end when the party rests for the night.
Initiative - I use Individual Initiative during combat. I also use all of the modifiers that come with it, including casting times and weapon speeds. Characters with multiple attacks don't use them until the end of the round (except for those who are dual-wielding).
Firing into Melee - This rule is completely ignored. You can only hit an ally during melee with a projectile weapon if you roll a fumble or if they move directly into your line of fire (and are larger than or the same size as your target).

Optional Rules (The rules in blue found in the PHB/DMG)
Intelligence Bonus to Proficiencies - For every language slot a character gets from INT, they get an extra NWP slot, as well.
Maximum Spells per Level - Based on their INT score, wizards have a limit to how many spells they can learn each level, total.
Racial Adjustment to Charisma - I actually apply lots of extra modifiers to Charisma when taking into account race, class, ethnicity, and so forth. For instance, a Cleric of Good proudly bearing his icon in a land of evil is likely to get a big penalty to his reaction adjustment.
Detection of Pick Pocketing - I use the optional rule that allows a thief a lesser chance of being caught pickpocketing when the victim is lower level than the thief.
Nonweapon Proficiencies - I use both weapon and nonweapon proficiencies in my game, not secondary skills. Unless stated otherwise, a character must train to learn a new proficiency slot once it becomes available.
Encumbrance - I do use (basic, not specific) encumbrance in my games. I also rule that magical armor does not count toward one's encumbrance.
Horse Traits - I do use horse traits for flavor, but don't usually enforce them.
Armor Made of Unusual Metals - I do allow this.
Spell Components - I do use these. Material components that are rare and expensive must be in the caster's inventory to work. For more general components, like sand, gum, cloth, etc., a caster needs a 'component bag' that costs 1 gp per spell level to refill (a 1st level mage would need to spend 1 gp, a 3rd level mage would need to spend 3 gp, etc.) at a mageware shop. The component bag must be refilled between adventures (or once a month, whichever comes first).
Researching Extra Wizard Spells - I allow that any spell researched by a wizard does not count against his/her limit of spells per level.
Individual Experience Awards - I use these, and group awards, too.
Training - I do not require a character train to advance in level (but they do need to train to learn new proficiencies).
Weapon Type vs Armor Modifiers - I do use these rules. Thus, a piercing weapon is more effective against leather armor, whereas a bludgeoning weapon is better against chain mail.
Parrying - I do allow this.
Multiple Attacks Against Weak Opponents - I do not allow warriors to make a number of attacks equal to their level against opponents who have 1-1 or less HD.
Polearms/Shields and Weapon Frontage - I use both of these rules.
Critical Hits/Misses - I use both. A natural 20 is a critical hit, and the character is allowed to roll for damage twice (not once and then multiplied by two). On a natural 1, the character fumbles. What this means is up to the DM, but it can involve a weapon breaking, accidentally hitting oneself or an ally, dropping a weapon or falling down to the ground. It depends on the situation.
Specific Injuries - I do not use this rule.
Hovering at Death's Door - I do use this rule. At 0 HP, a character becomes unconscious and bleeds out (losing 1 HP per round) until they reach death at -10 HP. A character who is bleeding out can have their wounds bound (no check or roll needed) to stop the bleeding. Magical healing spells only restore an unconscious character to 1 HP and no more can be used until the character has rested one day (exception--the Heal spell; I also allow potions and wands to be exempt from this rule, as well).
Aerial Combat - I use all of these rules, too.
Degrees of Darkness Modifiers - I use these, yep. Moving/fighting in moonlight is not as bad as total darkness, etc.
Jogging and Running - I use these rules.
Terrain Effects on Movement - I use these rules. So traveling through water, snow, heavy forest/brush, rocky ground, and in darkness slows the party down.
Terrain Modifiers for Overland Movement - I use these, too.
Command Words - Rods, wands and staves use them, yep.

Splatbook Rules
Kits - I do allow some kits, but not others. If you are interested in a kit, just ask the DM to find out more.
The Complete Fighter's Handbook - I use the rules for weapon and armor crafting, off-hand weapon use, kneeling and sitting, range and initiative, ambidexterity, fighting style specialization, martial arts, punching/wrestling specialization, disarming, grabbing, holding, pinning, pulling/tripping, sapping, shield punching and rushing, recovery of temporary damage, darkness modifiers, unstable ground, mounted combat, bone and stone weaponry, high quality racial armor, and piecemeal armor.
The Complete Paladin's Handbook - Pretty much all of it.
The Complete Ranger's Handbook - Pretty much all of it.
The Complete Wizard's Handbook - Pretty much all of it.
The Complete Druid's Handbook - Pretty much all of it.
The Complete Thief's Handbook - Pretty much all of it.
The Complete Bard's Handbook - Pretty much all of it.
The Complete Book of Dwarves - Pretty much all of it.
The Complete Book of Gnomes and Halflings - Pretty much all of it.
The Complete Book of Elves - Just the expanded archery rules and the new equipment/spells.
The Complete Book of Humanoids - Pretty much all of it.
Of Ships and the Sea - Pretty much all of it.
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide - I use the new equipment.
Wilderness Survival Guide - The rules for temperature, the rules for food and water, the rules for foraging, fishing and hunting.
Player's Option: Spells and Magic - The Cure Moderate Wounds spell only.

House Rules
No Racial Ability Adjustments - I don't bother with these at all (e.g., not being able to play a dwarf unless your STR is 8 or higher). Never saw the point to it.
No Level Limits - I don't bother with these, either. Most of my games never get high enough in level for them to matter anyway.
Rally Allies/Berserker Rage - The benefits of a bard's 'rally allies' ability kicks in on the first round, not the third round. Those who can go berserker can do so in one round, not ten.
No Racial/Class Restrictions - Any race may take any class in my games. A dwarf can be a paladin, an elf can be a bard, a gnome can be a ranger, etc.
Proficiency Checks without the Proficiency - In some cases, I will allow a character to attempt a proficiency check in something he/she doesn't have proficiency in. In this case, they must roll a 3 or less to succeed. And the end result will never be of high quality (someone trying to forge a dagger without the weaponsmithing proficiency will only make one of average quality at best). There are lots of stipulations to this rule. For instance, the character in question cannot even make the attempt if the DM feels that it violates common sense (a character who has never seen a horse before can't possibly hope to make a rider check). Likewise, some things are just impossible for unskilled characters, regardless of luck (someone without the armorer proficiency could try and bang out a satisfactory suit of chain mail, but full plate mail is out of the question).
Crossbow Damage - In my games, a light crossbow does 1d6 damage and a heavy crossbow does 1d8 damage.
Turn/Control Undead - I allow clerics and paladins with this ability to also use it against extraplanar creatures. A good cleric can turn evil extraplanar creatures, and an evil cleric can control evil extraplanar creatures.
Cantrips Cantrip is not a spell, but a nonweapon proficiency that can only be taken by someone with levels in wizard or bard.
Natural Healing - The effects of natural healing and the healing proficiency are stacked.
Proficiency Slots - If a player adds an empty NWP slot to a proficiency he/she already has, they get a +2 to their rolls.

Dragonlance Rules
For my games that take place in Dragonlance, I used to use the Tales of the Lance supplement. I am currently working on alternatives for races and kits, which can be found here.

Forum/Posting Rules
Present Tense - Keep your posts in present tense, please.
Three Day Rule - The DM will wait for any given player at least three days before moving on.
Name Your Targets! - When in combat, make sure to specify who you are hitting or where you are centering any spells.
Roll or No Roll - If you roll (attack, damage, initiative, whatever), use Invisible Castle and then (most importantly) post the results of your rolls. If you do not roll, the DM will roll for you. If you forget your modifiers, the DM will add them (when he remembers to).
AWOL - If a player vanishes (stops posting, doesn't even log in) for at least a month without giving any prior explanation or warning, they are dropped from the game and their character becomes a permanent NPC.