Why So Serious?

Greetings!  As I have been reading more and more about the actual D&D universe and all the nuances that are involved in buildings and cultures, I feel like the next campaign I run  should be a very constructive one rather than one oriented around having to kill something.  Perhaps this is just me, but I find just as much gratification from turning a small keep, (which we acquired through the Deck of Many Things), into an upscale tavern, as I get from achieving a critical hit on (and then promptly getting KOed by) a Flesh Golem.   [this post is property of Do A Spot Check]

Page 3 of Order of the Stick

Anyways, today I wanted to take a break from the serious (haha) stuff to introduce to you a web comic that I stumbled upon called “The Order of the Stick” on the site Giant in the Playground.  This is an absolutely hilarious web comic centered around a silly group of D&D characters that are on a quest to slay a proverbial bad guy.  The comic, while meant to be funny, actually does give some good insight on how inter-party relationships can go in D&D (sometimes).  Take it as a learning experience or just enjoy the humor.  I personally have been too busy laughing to focus on potential learning value.    [this post is property of Do A Spot Check]

Until next week!

Raz

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Player Tip of the Week

Have a plan for your character.  When you create your character at the beginning of a campaign it is wise to know what direction you want to develop it.  What I mean by this is that you should have a general idea of where you want to invest your Ability Points, Feats, Skills, equipment, and money in.  While this does require a greater overall knowledge of the game, this will not only save you time in the long run, but also will make your character a more effective combatant and ally throughout. 

For example, for our current campaign I am a Jumper (as you know) and I wanted to make sure that by the time I hit level 8 I would be as powerful as I’d ever be.  So I promptly went digging through the internet and books to find what could make me as powerful as possible.  Knowing that a Jumper requires high Dexterity I decided to invest all my future ability points into it.  Keeping this in mind, I also deemed that my Feats should reflect this as well so I picked those that would make me more mobile and give me greater AC.  Then I promptly decided that nothing would complete my array of mobile assets with some Mithril armor.  However, sadly I can’t get any because there is an evil, Mithril-obsessed wizard had taken over the Mithril mines…   [this post is property of Do A Spot Check]

DM Tip of the Week

Know what you’re good at. As a DM, you get to decide what type of campaign you want to run, but with this said, you have to know what elements of a campaign you are best at so that you can adequately plan for the events to come.  Whether it’s Role Playing, Puzzles, or Combat, if you know which of these elements you are best at, you will be a more effective DM and the campaign will be more fun overall.  This is not to say you should only incorporate one of these elements, it’s just you should focus on the one you are best at.    [this post is property of Do A Spot Check]

For instance, I am a primarily Role Play oriented DM that focuses on elaborate characterization and plot driven combat as opposed to complex battles that require battle tactics to resolve.  Another DM friend of mine focuses much more on puzzles and battles that require critical thought to find the key to victory but strays away from straight combat that is a dice rolling exercise.  Yet another DM I know focuses entirely on combat, setting up elaborate battles such as practically reenacting the battle of Helms Deep…  it was a pyrrhic victory.