The bad guy has the talisman? Stab him! Nasty thugs blocking your path? Lob some arrows! While these solutions to common D&D problems seem just fine for me, I struggle with the idea of teaching my toddler these actions at this stage in his life.

Are there alternatives? Sure there are but I fear that my gaming sessions with my son will turn in to constant skill challenges. However, as I write this, I think…. would that really be all that bad? It would encourage imagination, creative thinking, and creative problem solving. But not every situation can be solved with diplomacy.

What I would like to do is propose a list of non-lethal attacks…er…solutions to situations that you can’t talk your way out of.  When it comes down to it, a non-lethal solution should be one that either immobilizes/stops the target or causes it to flee. Let’s do it:

• Rope
• Big net
• Shallow`ish pit
• Bolo
• Stink bomb
• Scary sound
• Slippery agent on floor

I know that’s not a complete list but just some ideas to get people/me started. Basically, at this point, I want to avoid any action that strikes the target and causes physical harm.

Am I going overboard here? I know later in life, and not even all that far in the future, my boy`ll be able to make decisions regarding conduct and appropriate actions but for now I don’t want him to believe situations can be solved by knocking an arrow.

Do you have any suggestions for non-lethal solutions that would fit on this list?

I’ve been greatly inspired by The Newbie DM’s rpgKids publication and then by the Daddy Dungeon Master’s account of trying rpgKids with his son. My 2 year old is a bright kid. Well…isn’t everyone’s kid? He`ll be 3 in a couple weeks. He has a robust vocabulary, constantly uses full sentences consisting of 12-15 words, and can pass gas on demand. Cool kid.

While it’s too early to tell what his interests are other than Mickey Mouse, Matchbox cars, and playing with his Thomas the Train play table, I would still like to encourage a vivid imagination and critical thinking skills.  A few weeks ago we were up in our attic putting something away. Actually, it was some of my old Generation 1 Transformers toys that I’ve been showing him. While up there, he saw an old globe I have tucked away. He announced to me, “Daddy? This is the Earth.” I stopped, still holding the box, and looking at him. I tried to think when he would have been up here last as the door is locked. “Yes. It sure is. …Where did you learn that?”.  He answered by spinning it slowly and asking me, “Where do we live on here?” Absolutely floored, I dropped my box and went over to give him his first geography lesson.

But that got me thinking..if he can understand a giant map like a globe, could he comprehend something much more important in the grand scheme of life? … a D&D map?!

A few weeks went by but last night I busted out my Paizo dry-erase battlemap and a black marker. I also had a bucket of tokens made in the style of The Newbie DM’s token tutorial. He was very attentive and very interested in handling everything and giving it a thorough inspection.

Rule #1 for others trying this. Have -TWO- dry erase markers. I only had one at the moment and my boy wanted to monopolize it. Instead of turning this experience in to a sharing lesson that would most likely end with him having to sit in the corner, I let him doodle on the map. It occurred to me that  he has never seen these tools before as I normally game online via Gametable when he’s asleep.  Pretty soon, he has his first battle map scribbled…er… drawn:

In exchange for letting him play with the tokens, he allowed me to use the marker. I quickly drew a rectangle. “Okay kiddo. Pretend you’re in your room but you’re up on the ceiling looking down at your room.” I made a space for his door and put his bed and rocking chair on the map. He put down the tokens and began to pay careful attention to what I was drawing. I asked him where his dresser would be but he pointed to the wrong end of the map. It dawned on my that perhaps I need more realistic representations of the items in his room for this to work at this age.

So I abandoned the bedroom map idea and went for something else. I drew a 10 x 2 square hallway and placed two tokens at one end next to each other. I explained to him that each token takes turns moving and showed him that on one token’s turn, he can move 2 squares and the other can move 3 squares. We were going to have a race to see which token would make it to the end first, of course giving him the token that can move 3 squares.  However, when he began to touch and move the tokens around, the lines smudged on the map and he became distracted with playing with the tokens again.

In the end, I’ve decided to bring out these tools/toys regularly so he becomes familiar with them before I began diving in to some game theory and moving tokens around. Also, I plan on making a map of his bedroom using printed cut outs from pictures I`ll take of his bed, chair, dresser, and so on so he can place them on the map himself.

I`m very excited about all of this!

My players asked for a `whiteboard` of sorts where they can see the current status of all players as well as the initiative order. We play online using Gametable and Mumble (more on Mumble later).  One of my players was able to craft this nifty online D&D encounter tracker for us all to use and share…and you can use it too!

Here’s how to set up an encounter for you (the DM) and your party.

First, have everyone head over to http://encounter.fites.net

You`ll see this screen.

The page/app will update every couple seconds so those connected to your game can see the latest info. Click (or touch if you’re on your iphone/ipod touch) the Menu button. Hit Settings. You’re now at Session selection screen.

Since this is your first time using the application, Click on Game Name and enter a name for your session. You can reuse it later. Mine happens to be called Czar. Original, I know But its easy for my players to find. Please note, the passwords are sent in plain text instead of the *******’s you may be used to. Meaning, if you have a sooper seekrit password you use DON’T use it here. In the Password field, enter a password that people will use to join your session to view the data. For GM Password, enter a password you`ll use to identify yourself as the GM, giving you uber powahz! Well…the ability to add monsters. When that is done, click Menu and Create Game. After showing your game has been created, hit Back. You blank session is ready to go! If you’re returning to the session, use the drop down menu to find your Game in Progress, enter passwords, and press Join Game.

With your blank session, hit Menu, Add Character. Fill in the proper info and hit Add Player. By ticking the Hidden box, only you, the DM, will see the player/monster until you edit the character and uncheck the box.  Here is a populated session with one baddie.

HP is color coded. Bloodied creatures are orange. Those close to death are in red. When I use this, I prefer to give all creatures an HP of 1/1 so the party doesn’t know the true number.

This`ll work for online sessions or live sessions where people have laptops, handheld devices/phone.  Post comments or questions. Right now, major bugs will be addressed if identified. Feature requests will be considered but are very low on the priority list.

The online 4e D&D group I DM brought a concern to me stating that they would like some sort of interaction between our live sessions.  As is stood, we were meeting roughly every 4-5 weeks for a ~3 hour session.  It was very easy to lose momentum and feel a tad lost and out of practice when it came time for us to play a live session.

At first, I began thinking of a few ways to handle the situation. As previously mentioned, I have a server running that allows my players to log in and use the D&D Character Builder without having to buy their own subscription. Some of my players are Linux users and are unable to use the builder anyways. If I left Gametable running on there, we could exchange emails and move our players accordingly on the Gametable map throughout the day. There were concerns right away that managing combat via email would be a hassle and I had to agree thus it was decided we would advance the plot/story line between the live sessions and save the meat & potatoes for when we’re all together online.

But Google Wave is in the preview stage (pre-beta) and is invite only. So I said to my group at the last live session:

It would rock if we all had Google Wave to manage this stuff. I think it would work perfectly for it.

And then one of my players spoke up:

Yeah I’ve got enough invites for everyone here.

Whaaaaaat?! Turns out he had a slew of them and immediately sent out the invites. It took a couple days for them to arrive in our inboxes but within minutes, we all had our accounts set up and were exchanging test waves.

Without going in to how Google Wave works (see this link for a video on that), I firmly believe it`ll allow us to keep the campaign flavor going even between live sessions.

Do others here do campaign work between sessions? If so, what medium do you choose to use?

Sorry, there are no more invites available.

I loooves me some Dungeons and Dragons digital tools! My online campaign revolves around them. We’ve seen before how I take full advantage of my setup to maximize available workspace and (attempt to) stay organized at all times while DMing online.

Recently, I came across a new tool that helps me, as the DM, organize and manage my encounters without having to click through several screens worth of info that I just simply don’t use.

Behold! The DM Encounter Helper made by “Insideru”, a D&D enthusiast seen on several message boards.
(Click all the pics for an enlarged version)

And that’s it. Just unzip and run the application. Nothing to install. There are no other screens. Quick and simple. Let’s check out a pic of it fully populated and in mid-encounter. Keep in mind, this is just random data I  made up. Numbers may not add up or be realistic.

Woo. What can we see here? This encounter pits our PCs, seen on the bottom, against 4 magical ceiling mounted Crossbows of equal stats. Crossbow 1 is already taking 5 ongoing fire damage. C3 is bloodied, marked, and blinded. Crossbow 4 is toast, Jamlamin and Belgar are both bloodied. The Initiative order is on the right hand side.  Everything is right there. No screens to flip through. The colored boxes next to the end of the Crossbow data are a big help. The blue one is used to copy Monster data from one creature to another. So if I wanted to have a 5th Crossbow with the same stats, I could click the [+] sign there and drag the blue box down to the blue box of the new blank field..and BLAM! This works great for minions.

Since the players keep track of their damage and HP, I only need to be concerned with the baddies. When they take damage, I simply enter the damage value in that blank box and press enter. The damage dealt is subtracted from their current HP and a new current HP value is shown. If they are bloodied, the program knows and colors their current HP red. If dead, its black and they are moved to the bottom of the Initiative list separate from the others.

For status effects, right click the orange button and choose what you want. To remove an effect, right click and and de-select the item from the list.  Right click on the gray area in the program to bring up a basic menu allowing you to load and save an encounter as well as some log options. Oh. You can also set it Always On Top.

Check the “Keep PCs” box before hitting the Reset/New button to remove only monster data. If you’re interested, you can enter the XP value for each monster and the program will calculate XP per PC for you.

While there are some limitations as to how many monsters/PCs you can have listed, I now fully rely on this program for helping manage my encounters.

To grab the program, hit this link:

http://www.czaralex.com/dmeh_v0.5.0.zip

Perhaps you’ve seen them around the RPG Blogger’s Network. People are making their own multi-level D&D maps. As I’m just about to get in to face to face sessions, I really wanted to `woo` my players, some of which are completely new to D&D.

For my setup, I took a map that already had two levels to it. Here’s a small segment of it:

Booyah. Two levels. Thinking ahead, if I were to cut that upper walkway out, I’d have a blank 4×4 block underneath it. I busted out the GIMP and went to work. To “show” what was under the walkway, I copied the walkway itself, pasted a new instance of it in the image, rotated it 90 degrees, and lined it up. Blam:

Its important to mention here that you need TWO saved copies of your intended map. One will be for the bottom level and the other for the top level (more as needed as you map may vary). Sure, the edges look a little rough and non blended. Big deal. They don’t have to be. You’re going to cut this newly revealed passage way and you can take those non-blended edges off as you cut.

Repeat that copy/paste process as necessary for any area on the map you may want to “reveal”. You may have to get creative and copy from different areas on the map and then paste it where you need it. In my opinion, it doesn’t have to look perfect. D&D is about imagination, anyways.

When I had all the editing done, I printed out two copies of my map, one of the bottom level file and one of the top level file. I then set to work using my hobby knife to carefully cut out the parts from each map copy and laying them in their proper piles. I had to refer to the digital copy of the maps several times as I was dealing with 9 different 8.5×11″ sheets per map and found myself asking “Is this a top or bottom part?” for various map items/rooms.

After everything was cut out, I glued the bottom level parts to some poster board. Nothing special. The 50 cent stuff you get at Wally World. I then glued the upper level to a $5 piece of foam board acquired at the local craft store. Using my hobby knife, I cut out the top level from the foam board using several strokes over each line to cut all the way through.

I did a little measuring and decided I wanted the top floor 2 inches above the bottom. With a $1.50 1/4″ wooden dowel rod I bought at the local hardware store, I cut off 5 support pieces in that length.  Using hot glue, I attached them on the underside of the upper level in spots to promote good balance and what not.

The map has two sets of stairs to get to the top level (or down from it). On the underside of the steps, at the top where they begin, I cut a slit with the hobby knife and folded the steps down. They’re still attached to the top level but now are angled properly. I had to add a 1″x1″ square in front of one of the steps as the elevation of the top level left a bit of a gap in from of the step where it would normally touch the bottom floor. Oh well.

Here’s the finished product:

Of course, now that I have the pictures to stare at, I can see some areas that need a little touch up. No worries. Nothing a little glue and hobby knife action won’t fix! Also, I had other uses for this foam board before this so please ignore the printed white letters you may see. I’m tempted to make some walls but just aren’t that creative. Suggestions for that?

Hello. D&D hotline.

Yes.. I…I…just want to end it all.

Sir, please stay on the line with me.

Okay.. so its not like that. But I read today in my WOTC RSS feed that there is going to be a test run for a few days of a new service.. the D&D Hotline.

Here’s part of the text from the official page.

If you have a question about running 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, whether it’s a technical rules quandary, or would simply like to improve your DMing skills, here’s your chance to speak directly with the folks at Wizards of the Coast! Expert DMs—including R&D’s Mike Mearls and Rob Heinsoo—will be on hand to field your calls on the DM Hotline.

I wonder if WOTC is testing the waters to see if there would be a need/market for a (wo)manned line available for those playing a little 4e that get stuck. Could WOTC be using data, such as are people calling with game mechanic questions, or just asking how to improve their game play?

If its becomes a dedicated line with scheduled hours, how much would YOU pay to call such a service?

My online 4e D&D group plays roughly one Saturday night a month from 9pm – midnight. In that time, we normally have 2 combat encounters that seem to advance the story line. Recently, I was able to throw in a Skill Challenge that didn’t suck (as my first attempt, months ago, bombed).

A couple sessions ago, we had the opportunity to play two consecutive nights in a row, for the first time. The group agreed to play but requested that the second night of our double header be free from combat. *GULP* …3 hours…no combat?! What’s a DM to do?!

Thankfully, the second night of the double weekend session did not take place, as I was not only unprepared but had some other plans pop up.

Are Skill Challenges my only option? I’d rather not spend 3 hours reciting pre-written story line stuff.  I suppose I could do a series of Skill Challenges if I crafted them properly.  A series of puzzles?

What do some of you folks do? .. Or as a player, what would you want to see?

I’m having my first face to face D&D session this weekend and will be entertaining mostly new D&D players or players who have only played online with me and not in person. I wanted to make the event special…memorable, really get these new guys hooked.

Props are something I’ve always wanted to include in my sessions but playing online only can make that hard so I’ve decided to have props wherever possible and to keep this cheap but entertaining.

Behold the wares! (fine.. -I- called them amazing)

Two healing potions: $1.19 per vial at AC Moore Craft Store, Fruit Punch flavored Crystal Light drink mix.

Tunic scrap from cultist of Bane: $0.70 for the fabric in Wal*Mart’s reminant bin, $1.54 for the red fabric paint, $0.35 for the foam brush (Check hardware for the brush, not crafts)

Pouch of gold coins. $6.50 for all the gold foil wrapped chocolate coins. $0.50 for a yard of black toole mesh, $0.30 for the spool of gold ribbon. (comes to $1.50 each pouch)

Map back to the baddie’s hideout. Cost of printer ink/white paper. Parchment design was from the D&D Map-A-Day archives and drawn by my artistic friend Jordan Cain of o3visuals.

After the session, I’ll report back on how the party liked the props..and if any chocolate coins were left when it was time to pay the ferryman to use his boat

Well.. I did it. I decided to run a Skill Challenge. Early on in my 4th edition campaign, I tried one and it bombed.. hard.. like this.

(okay..enough pictures)

Back then, I tried the skill challenge example where you try to convince someone to do something for you..using bluff, intimidate, and diplomacy checks. The group at the time was very new, some new to D&D, others just unfamiliar with the other players present. I vowed never to do them again.

But then, some months later, the group got to a point where I may be able to throw in a skill challenge and it just might not do the ol` crash`n`burn.  After making their way through a seeekrit underground passage that hasn’t been touched in centuries, the party found themselves in the middle of a thick forest. In fact, the door that acted as the exit from the passage was intertwined with branches and vines and required some hacking to remove. Then I announced to the party:

“Skill Challenge time, comrades”

Silence over the headset (remember, I play online here).

I decided to do the tag-team group leader approach outlined in the DMG. The ranger took the lead. We rolled initiative and I described the scene and rules to the party.

Now that you’re out of the passage, the forest around you is dense and its hard for you to get your barrings given all the twists and turns you made underground in the dungeon. You`ll have to pass this skill challenge to find your way out of the forest and arrive at some familiar landmark.. road..trail. Something like that.

Endurance, Perception, and Nature checks are key skills and Jamlamin (the ranger) will make those at the top of each round. You`ll use any skill in your arsenal to try to give him a stackable +2 to his roll. If you use a skill other than the aforementioned 3, describe to me in detail why and how you’re using it.

I was blown away by the next 5 rounds of this.

• Someone used an Arcana check to feel the flows of magical force throughout the forest to get his barrings.
• Another used a Religion check to pray for divine guidance.
• Our Cleric rolled a Heal check to help patch up people’s scrapes and abrasions received while slashing their way through the woods.

The best of the evening was a Diplomacy check.. Yes.. lost in the woods, and let’s roll diplomacy. His argument was that his Dragonborn Pally has been called in to mediate several boarder and land disputes that have arisen between various waring factions. He wanted to look around to see if any of the local geographical features once crossed his desk on a map that was a part of a boarder dispute. Could it be more of a History check? Sure.. but c`mon. Rule of Cool here! Excellent thinking. In fact, I gave him a +2 to his own roll because it was so clever.

I told him I’d like to see his reasoning behind a bluff check in the woods but everyone was just about tapped for clever ideas all around.

Each round, the Ranger rolled endurance to simulate the hacking of the brush to get through the forest while the rest of the party did supportive actions to guide the group in the right direction.

While I won’t be including Skill Challenges in every session, I’m certainly more open to trying them again in the future.