Thought Eater Podcast: Five Minute Friday: What is the Ideal D&D Adventuring Party Size?

Hello everyone. Happy Friday to you! Today on the podcast I offer you some brief musings about the ideal party size in the various iterations of D&D. Give it a listen and let me know your opinion!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!!!

If you enjoy my free zine, podcast, and/or blog, please consider supporting my work for only $1 per month.

Humpday Blog-O-Rama 10.2.19

Blogs are an integral, vital part of the RPG hobby. They serve as incubators for new games, sounding boards for fresh ideas, and platforms for up-and-coming talent. They keep "forgotten" games alive, foster discussions, and build communities.

Every Wednesday on the Thought Eater podcast and blog, I take a look at what is going on in the vibrant RPG blog scene. Check out previous Humpday Blog-O-Rama posts HERE.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!!!

DAVE ARNESON DAY

http://www.creativemountaingames.com/2019/09/rpg-media-monday-happy-dave-arneson-day.html

https://oldschoolfrp.tumblr.com/post/188067828424/on-dave-arneson-day-the-creator-of-the-dungeon

http://direbane.blogspot.com/2019/09/happy-dave-arneson-day.html

https://dmdavid.com/tag/how-dungeons-dragons-got-its-ability-scores/

http://blackmoormystara.blogspot.com/2019/10/dave-arneson-game-day-2019-is-today.html
http://blackmoormystara.blogspot.com/search/label/Blackmoor%20Week%202019



MAPS

https://dysonlogos.blog/2019/09/30/jalovhec-hexes/

https://footofthemountainadventures.blogspot.com/2019/09/roomscapes-in-forest.html

http://heropresstwo.blogspot.com/2019/09/map-monday-temeria-witcher.html

https://thestoryteller.press/2019/09/26/tutorial-how-to-draw-a-fantasy-castle-map/



REVIEWS AND RETROSPECTIVES

https://waynesbooks.games/2019/09/26/man-myth-magic-a-role-playing-game-of-mans-greatest-adventures-1982/

http://vorpalmace.blogspot.com/2019/09/review-wee-warriors-reprints-part-iii.html

https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2019/09/25/shadowrun-sixth-world-review/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robwieland/2019/09/24/cthulhu-comes-calling-with-a-new-beginner-boxed-set/#756d52ff705c

https://alegisdownport.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/outlaw-crime-in-clement-sector-review/

http://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/search/label/%27B%27%20Series

https://www.indiegamereadingclub.com/tag/invisible-sun/

http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-brief-history-of-tolkien-rpgs-by-john.html

RANDOM TABLES AND GENERATORS

http://themansegaming.blogspot.com/2019/09/dungeon-graffiti-generator.html

http://graverobbersguide.blogspot.com/2019/09/1d6-strange-arrows.html

https://boxfullofboxes.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-place-of-commerce-enterprise.html



FREE STUFF

https://rendedpress.blogspot.com/2019/10/toss-off-issue-8.html

https://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2019/09/b1-series-in-search-of-unknown-campaign.html
https://sites.google.com/site/zenopusarchives/home/modules-and-scenarios/b1-in-search-of-the-unknown
https://55b47f8e-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/osrgrimoire/B1sourcebookwithmaps.pdf

https://pretendo.games/2019/09/27/hit-die/
https://itch.io/jam/1hp/entries



MISCELLANY

https://www.blackgate.com/2019/09/25/that-buck-rogers-stuff/

http://darksunadventures.blogspot.com/2019/09/dark-sun-trading-cards-05.html

http://heropresstwo.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-history-of-original-dungeons-dragons.html

https://goodberrymonthly.blogspot.com/2019/09/under-gallax-hall-24-34.html

http://daimon-games.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-forest-trees-plants-herbs-and-more.html

https://www.paulsgameblog.com/2019/09/28/tools-in-dd/

NOPE

http://dmsworkshop.com/2019/09/27/dm-101-boxed-text-mastering/

https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/43708/roleplaying-games/gm-dont-list-9-fudging

If you enjoy my free zine, podcast, and/or blog, please consider supporting my work for only $1 per month.

Humpday Blog-O-Rama 2.13.19

Blogs are an integral, vital part of the RPG hobby. They serve as incubators for new games, sounding boards for new ideas, and platforms for up-and-coming talent. They keep "forgotten" games alive, foster discussions, and build communities. Not everyone can work for a big game company, command a large audience on Twitch, or get paid for their art or cartography, but every RPG enthusiast can easily create a blog and start sharing their passion with the world. Every Wednesday on the Thought Eater podcast, I take a look at what is going on in the vibrant RPG blog scene.

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK'S EPISODE HERE




LINKS FROM THIS WEEK'S EPISODE

MAPS

https://www.patreon.com/FrankT

https://www.blueswordgames.com/

https://monkeyblooddesign.co.uk/2019/02/09/sewer-map-wip-city-of-great-lunden/


BAD RULEBOOKS

https://tabletopbellhop.com/gaming-advice/bad-game-rulebook/


HYDRA COOPERATIVE

https://dungeonspossums.blogspot.com/


THE PULP-O-MIZER

https://thrilling-tales.webomator.com/derange-o-lab/pulp-o-mizer/pulp-o-mizer.html

https://www.webomator.com/


BUCK ROGERS

http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2019/02/high-adventure-cliffhangers-buck-rogers.html


VARIANTS

https://roseandkingfisher.blogspot.com/2019/02/bard-spells.html

http://bxblackrazor.blogspot.com/2019/02/howardian-healing.html


FINDING COOL BLOGS

http://save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/blog/osr-opml/

https://campaignwiki.org/osr/

https://campaignwiki.org/indie/

Non-OSR game blogs a la carte

OSR blogs  a la carte

https://dreamsofmythicfantasy.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-osr-news-february-9-2019.html



If you enjoy my free zine, podcast, and/or blog, please consider supporting my work for only $1 per month. 

Froth's 5e Healing Houserules

I thought I would share my houserules for healing in 5e. Healing in the core game is just way too much for my tastes. While the DMG does provide some other options, they aren't exactly what I am looking for. I don't want an ultra-gritty game, nor do I want 4e's absurd amounts of healing. Anyhoo, here are my ideas:

-Eliminate healer feat
-Overnight healing only heals 1 hp (I'm a sucker for tradition, sue me)
-You can spend HD during short or long rest. You regain half of your current HD rounded down (minimum 1) overnight. So if you are a 6th level fighter but take a long rest with only 3 HD left, you only regain 1 HD the following day. If you take a long rest with no remaining HD, you start the next day with 1.
-Healer's kits work as written, they're just no longer able to be buffed by the healer feat
-Healing potions are not typically found for sale

This gives me the balance I am looking for. You still have ability to recuperate at a reasonable rate, but resource management comes more into play and the traditional healing roles are reinforced.

Do you houserule 5e healing? What is your system?

Let's Clear Up A Few 4e Myths

Howdy. I had a few disparate blog ideas running thru the head, and I realized they all could be used to dispel a few 4e myths, so I have combined them together. First off, don't get me wrong, 4e isn't perfect and I don't claim it to be. Readers of this blog know that I constantly tinker with 4e to make it something I like more. That's sort of the essence of D&D after all: making the game your own. But I am undoubtedly a huge fan of 4e. Anyway, here are some common 4e myths and my response:





"It is difficult to convert old modules to 4e"

I don't now who started this one, but it simply isn't true. I've mentioned before that I drop Skill Challenges from my games. One of the reasons for this is that, on its own, the 4e skill system is very smooth, intuitive, and covers pretty much anything that comes up (and if something else comes up, you can roll with Ability Checks). Anyway, in my experience the 4e skill system works like a charm in updated adventures. I updated Ravenloft (I6) for 4e. There are all kinds of roleplay moments, exploration, etc where skills came up. I just rolled with it if the players wanted to use one, or called for a check if it was really needed. So there is really no conversion necessary for an old modules' out-of-combat material. It can be handled on the fly quite easily.

The monster conversion is where the real challenges would appear to begin. Now, I am not going to say converting monsters from 1e to 4e is as easy as 1e to B/X or 2e, because it isn't. But 4e does have a strength that those games lack: 4e monsters have specific formulas to work from. This can help DMs determine difficulty fairly accurately, but more importantly, it is very easy to make 4e monsters.

Confronted with the need to convert a monster in an old module, the first step I would encourage is to see if there is a 4e version within your party's level range. If so, check the source and see if it is post MM3. If it isn't, try these tips to upgrade old crappy monsters on the fly. If the monster isn't in your party's range, it is fairly straightforward to adjust. The design remains the same, you just plug in different numbers. Make sure you are using the DMG errata though.

If you can't find the monster in a 4e source, or if you don't like what 4e did the monster, build your own. This doesn't have to be laborious. Use this guide to make quick 4e monsters. Try to distill the essence of the original monster and keep it simple.



The last step is to make sure the adventure doesn't run like a sloggy mess. There are several ways to do this. You could drop the wandering monsters from an adventure and just run the prepared encounters, or you could drop a lot of planned encounters and instead just use the wandering monster tables. Or you could drop a little of both. This isn't just in response to 4e combat length (more on that below); the fact is, some old modules feel like a grind to begin with. You should also use Morale and Reaction Tables. If you are using an old module that has Morale scores, just port them over. Otherwise you can check my 4e Morale rules. Ok, so that leads us to the next myth.

"Combat was fast in old editions, never approaching 4e length"

This is simply not true. It is true that classic edition combat COULD be quicker, but it wasn't always. I know this because I DM and play old editions. At even moderate levels, old edition spellcasters could have a ton of choices, and adjudicating their effects was often not a cut and dried proposition. A typical PC's percentage chance to hit was often lower, so there are more misses. There were also huge throngs of monsters in old adventures, like all the time. I am reminded of one of my faves, Descent Into the Depth of the Earth, which was a combo module of D1-D2. There are like 20 Drow here, 40 Kuo-Toa there, 30 Troglodytes here. Heck, even in the Village of Hommlet, you will have 16 or more enemy combatants!

Now I KNOW combat can drag in 4e. I have tried to provide some tips and ideas to help with that. Simplifying monsters, using groups of the same monsters, using Morale, lowering hit points-all of this helps. But it is simply disingenuous to act like old combat couldn't take a while, especially when casters had some actual spells to cast. This has also been true of my experience with 5e so far. We had a two hour combat last week and we just hit level 2. Combat often takes an hour or more at level 1. I am not saying it isn't fun, or that this is too long, I am just saying that combat length can drag in multiple editions; it isn't only a 4e phenomenon.

"It is harder to houserule 4e than other editions"

I am tempted just to say "read my blog" as a response to this one, because there are dozens of houserule examples on here, but just to expound on it a bit, 4e is no different from any other edition of D&D. You can houserule it and make it your own with ease. The difference between 4e and classic editions is that the mechanics in 4e are "on display". The math is predictable and easy to grasp. This is already sort of covered above with monsters. This makes houseruling and homebrewing very easy. Since you have clear expectations for damage, defenses, DCs, etc at all levels, it becomes very easy to slide the scale towards "easy" or "hard". See Fourthcore. I have tweaked monster design, traps, disease, combat, and on and on, and I have only scratched the surface of the possibilities. 4e does not deviate from D&D's proud history of homebrewing and houseruling, it embraces it as much as any other edition.

That's all I have for you today. As always, I welcome comments! Take it easy!

Tips for Simplified 4e Monster Creation

Hello all. This post compiles several ideas that I have shared over the last year regarding monster creation for 4e. Using these methods has made designing monsters a far more pleasurable experience for me, so I thought I would combine the basic ideas into a single post in the hope that it helps others.

You only need a few pieces of paper to make monsters for all levels of 4e play. You need the updated DMG monster errata (page 7 of this document).  You need a copy of the updated DCs; you can get this in the Rules Compendium, DM Kit, or free here. You need a list of experience point values broken down for monster type and level, which you can find in the DMG, DM Kit, RC, etc. Finally, you will want to use a few tables and formulas from this blog that are easy to memorize, or can be jotted down on a sheet of paper.

Start with a monster level in mind. Lets just make it simple and say we are making a Level 3 monster. Most 4e DMs can probably put together a monsters defenses and attack bonuses without looking, but if you need to, use the DMG errata. Ignore specialized roles, and go with the basics. AC is level+14 (17); NADs are 12+level (15). Attack bonus vs AC is level+5 (+8), vs NADs is level+3 (+6). Damage expressions are right there on the sheet, but hold off for a second.

Next, we completely ignore characteristic scores and derive the skill and initiative bonuses from the DC list. We look at the moderate and hard DCs of a monster's level; the level 3 moderate and hard DCs are 13 and 21. Subtract 10 from these to get 3 and 11. The monster's trained skill modifier is +11, untrained modifier is +3. Do not add half their level to these. Adjudicate skill use on the fly; for example, if it is a sneaky monster that lives in dark caves, perhaps it is "trained" in Stealth. If the monster is a dexterous, quick type, its initiative mod is +11. If typical, its mod is +3.

Use the 4e Forever unified hit point formula. (Level x 8) +20 is the formula for a Standard monster's hit points. Multiply the total times 2 for Elites and Savages, or times 4 for Solos. Minions of course have one HP. It is super easy to memorize this, and you do not have to fiddle with multiple formulas.

Add the XP total to the monster statistics if you award XP, or if you calculate your encounter difficulty levels from it.

Add Morale and use the Reaction Tables. Trust me, this is going to help a lot of your encounters go from slogs to skirmishes.

The only thing left is the actual power design. We get the updated damage expressions from the same DMG errata page mentioned above. Resist the urge to over-complicate your monsters. Most of the time they will be dead before they can get through some long list of powers. Focus on a single go-to power, possibly one that has multiple-attacks as a single Standard action. If needed, add another ability or two that back up the flavor of the monster, but don't overthink it or overdo it. It is kind of the same thing as designing an entire world before the campaign has even started: unnecessary.

You can likely just make a mental note of any other bits such as Alignment, Languages, Keywords, etc.

And there you have it. Nice and easy 4e monster creation! I will never go back! Once you are comfortable with this, you can make a monster in a matter of seconds. If you liked this post and want to see some ideas on resurrecting your old pre-errata monsters from the MM1, MM2, and other old 4e books, check this out!

The Hybrid Stat Block: Hit Points

We continue our look at the 4e Forever monster stat block today with some changes I am making to hit points. We are not going back to hit dice, so don't panic. The basic concept of hit points isn't changing, and they are still listed just like they are on the 4e stat block. However, the formula for calculating monster hit points has changed.

Recently, I posted about how I am experimenting with different ways to derive certain statistics. It is a push towards simplicity. I have also mentioned a few times that many of the encounters in my upcoming project are with variable numbers of the same monster, much like the wandering monster tables of yesteryear. Partly because of this, I have dropped some of the roles from monsters. I retain Minion, Solo, Standard, Elite, and Savage, but drop the rest. It isn't that roles are bad, they just really didn't fit my project mechanically or aesthetically. In the process, I had finally realized the obvious: the way 4e does hit points is really annoying.

4e has different formulas for different types of monsters. This makes perfect sense for Solos, Minions, Standards, and Elites, because these categories are based on the overall ratios of hit points. However, Brutes, Skirmishers, and the rest have hit points based more on flavor. Weak little Artillery guy in the periphery of the fight? Fewer hit points. Big tough Soldier? More hit points. Makes sense. It also makes it a nightmare to calculate hit points. Heck, I'm not even giving Constitution scores to monsters in the first place!

It was with all of these things in mind that I came up with the formula for hit points. Overall, it gives monsters a tad fewer hit points. Of the 4e monster roles, only Lurkers and Artillery would average fewer. Everything ends up about "Controller" level. It isn't a huge difference, but I do think that this will still help a titch with combat speed at high levels (something I have gone to great lengths in this project to address). The early playtesting has shown that the monster difficulty will not suffer as a result. But the most important thing is that it's easy. That's the real point of it. With this formula, you do not even need to look in the DMG (or whatever source you use).

The 4e Forever formula for a Standard monster's hit points is (Level x 8) + 20. Elites and Savages have twice that. Solos vary and can have 4 to 5 times the hit points of a Standard. Minions of course have 1 hit point.

Check it out the next time you are making monsters. The slightly lower hit points should help a touch with slow combat, and they are a lot easier to calculate. Leave a post and let me know what you think!