Running Monsters - A 4e Monster Hack

There is a trend with RPGs that I've noticed over the years. When a game first comes out, everyone jumps right on board, playing the game as it was written, glossing over the bumps, and occasionally giving feedback on what could be done better.

Good game companies respond to this feedback, and if they're diligent, try to improve their game with upgrades that smooth out those previously mentioned bumps. If a company doesn't do that, then another company might come along and do it for them. I think the best example of this is Paizo's Pathfinder. It's basically the ultimate D&D 3.5 "hack". Seems it's pretty popular, too.

So. The longer a game is played, the more likely it will be "house-ruled". The 4e version of Dungeons & Dragons has been out for nearly 4 years now. I think WotC has been as diligent as a large company can be with encouraging player feedback and responding to the gaming communities' needs. You might argue that Essentials was even a result of that. Nevertheless, as the game ages, more and more "hacks" of the game can be found. Maybe someone didn't like "this" rule or "that" rule. A quick scan of the gaming blogs (even just the 4e gaming blogs) shows that people are playing the game in a bunch of different ways.

There's nothing wrong with this. You could say that even board games get this treatment. Have you ever sat down in someone's home and NOT had some house-rule version of Monopoly played?

Exactly.

All this is leading up to something that occurred to me the other day. As a DM, one of the biggest challenges I face is running monsters. Monsters have a wide variety of different powers that are used under different circumstances. While Player indecision at the table is talked about a lot (particularly as a factor in slow game play), the DM can face similar indecision, especially when faced with solo monsters with multiple powers. While WotC did a great thing a year ago or so when they changed the layout of the monster stat blocks, I'm finding that this is not enough. As a DM it would be nice if the monsters "ran themselves". This way, nature could take it's course, and it would be less of a contest between myself and my players on a tactical level. It wasn't until yesterday I figured out how to do this.

Basically what I would do is set up each major monster with a "combat profile". What that means, is that I inventory the powers of the creature, and then set up a small table to determine (at random) what power a monster might use. In this way, you can sort of "animate" the monster to act on its own. The only real decision you have to make is the creature's movement (which is much more difficult to randomize).

You might recognize Kalarel, the Scion of Orcus. Mean guy. Lots of powers. Let's break it down.

Side note: This stat block is in the old format. I'll break his powers down by action.

Standard Action Powers - 

Rod of Ruin
Decaying Ray
Master of the Undead (limited use)

Minor Action Powers -

Touch of Ruin (conditional use)
Call of the Grave (rechargeable use)

Five powers, split between standard actions and minor actions. This particular version of Kalarel has no movement action powers. So how do we automate this guy? Well, let's take his environment into consideration first. He's near an underground portal, has some undead servants helping him out. He can't fly, so it's not like he has powers that would assist him in that kind of arena. He does have a mix of ranged and melee attacks, though, in order to handle both ranged and nearby enemies. To "automate" this guy, this is how I'd set up his powers:

Die Roll (d6) - Power Used

1 to 2 - Decaying Ray (S), Move (M), Touch of Ruin (Mn - applicable)
3 to 4 - Rod of Ruin (S), Move (M), Touch of Ruin (Mn - if applicable)
5 - Master of the Undead (S - if applicable), Move (M), Touch of Ruin Mn - if applicable)
6 - Decaying Ray (S), Move (M), Call of the Grave (Mn - if applicable)

Now, you'll notice that there are a couple of things I ignored. Recharge powers? I hate having to remember them. Instead of worrying about the recharge, I just assign them a lower probability on the "Powers Used" chart. In the above example, Call of the Grave is a recharge power. Thus, I set it as the "6" on the die roll. Of course, you can always fool around with the probability. You might wish to use a d10, which equates to a percentage a little easier. Something like this, maybe:


Die Roll (d10) - Power Used

1 to 4 - Decaying Ray (S), Move (M), Touch of Ruin (Mn - applicable)

5 to 7 - Rod of Ruin (S), Move (M), Touch of Ruin (Mn - if applicable)

8 to 9 - Master of the Undead (S - if applicable), Move (M), Touch of Ruin Mn - if applicable)

10 - Decaying Ray (S), Move (M), Call of the Grave (Mn - if applicable)

Changing the die changes the probability some. Essentially, powers you think will be used more often will get more pips.

Finally, for really complex solo creatures whose power profiles change abruptly, you might create two charts. Some creatures go a little crazy once they're bloodied. In that event, you might create a random Power Used profile for when the creature is healthy, and one for when the creature is bloodied. The nice thing about this system is that you can expand it as much as you like.  The only real drawback, is that it does require some knowledge of the creatures you are running. It's good for a Dungeon Master to have this information anyway, but it you're pulling out random monsters, you might use a generic chart like this:

Die Roll (d10) - Power Used

1-4 - Basic Melee or Ranged Attack
5-7 - Optional Full Melee or Ranged Attack
8-9 - Encounter Power
10 - Recharge Power

I plan on using this in the future with my monsters so I can be a more efficient DM at the table. I'd love to hear what you think about his idea? Leave me note!

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.

Dead Orcs Society - House Rules Edition

Greetings, All!

It's been awhile since I've done any blogging, as I've been working on a pretty big project that was finally completed. In a few days, I'll be posting pics and information on my Myst Island campaign for 4th Edition. However, in the meantime, there's something else I'd like to talk about.

There's been a lot of talk on Twitter (my main hangout) as of late regarding the various conceits of Dungeons & Dragons and particularly 4th Edition. Monte Cook's various Legends & Lore articles never fail to encourage in-depth (and often unnecessarily heated) discussion on how the game of Dungeons & Dragons is really to be played.

As a Dungeon Master, I love 4th Edition. It's balanced play, ease of encounter construction, and flexible presentation make it the easiest game I've ever had the privilege to DM. It's because of this flexibility, that I feel comfortable modifying certain rules to help our own game group better enjoy the game. No game is perfect, but 4th Edition allows me to change things up and improve our group's experience without having to invest in yet another game that tries to fix those gaps.

Listed below are most of the house rules I've either implemented or intend to implement. I've avoided listing the ones that are "campaign specific". Thus, these rules are applicable to whatever 4e game I'm running and are listed in no particular order:

1 - Extremely Curtailed Perception Checks.

I discussed why I did this HERE, but the short version is that I wanted more Player participation instead of Character resolution. What I mean by that is that if there is a puzzle or mystery or search, I want my Players to be able to set the course of action, not the character. I now reserve Perception checks only for combat situations involving invisibility.

2 - Minions Have 1 Hit Point Per Level.

It's always bugged me that even a 23rd level Minion has only 1 hit point. I understand that there are reasons for this rules conceit, but I changed it anyway. Minions have 1 hit point per level. Powers that are keyed to taking out Minions are modified to scale up. Missed attacks still do not harm Minions. 

3 - Death Is Not The End.

While my own players haven't had their characters experience this yet, they will find that Death is not necessarily the end. Heroes have the option to continue play as a Ghost, with limited abilities. Since Rituals exist to bring back life to a Hero, the Ghost option (based on the Ghostwalk Campaign Setting) allows the Player to continue to participate.

4 - Curtailed Opportunity Attacks.

The only opportunity attacks that occur is when a character attempts to use a ranged or magical attack against an adjacent enemy. Those adjacent enemies get opportunity attacks. This rule applies to monsters as well.

5 - XP Is Not Handed Out.

While I base my encounters on the party level (so they are balanced), I do not hand out XP for said encounters. Instead, I level up the party when I feel it is appropriate. This process saves the Players some math, and I don't have to worry about keeping track of every little bit of XP.

6 - DM Controlled Magic Item Distribution.

I do not allow my players to really "shop" for appropriate magic items (although I have made exceptions for characters joining the campaign "mid stream"). Instead, I monitor what types of items the characters say they'd like, and if appropriate place them in the campaign as needed. Under most circumstances, the items will be random. In larger towns, there may be magic "shoppes", but these places will only carry Common magic items, alchemical reagents, and the occasional ritual.

7 - Action Point Usage (Daily Powers).

If a Player would like to insure that a Daily Power hits, he or she may expend an Action Point in order for that to happen. Because the hit is automatic, it prevents the hit from ever being critical in nature. An Action Point can only be used in this way once per encounter.

8 - Encounter Power Fallback.

If a Player misses his or her enemy with an Encounter Attack Power, the Player has the option to expend a Healing Surge and instead strike the enemy with a Melee or Ranged Basic Attack. This attack must be rolled, but the Character gains a +2 on the attack roll.

9 - Rare Magic Item Challenges.

Characters do not get to automatically determine the powers/effects of a Rare Magic Item. Instead, I have them do a brief skill challenge. You can read about how that works HERE.


10 - Extended Rests Are More Challenging.

Extended Rests are a little more challenging in my game. Not every resting spot is a nice comfy inn or safe castle. I wrote all about how I changed it up right HERE.


That's basically the list. It's not very long, but it's enough to fill in the gaps where the game (for our group) can become "un-fun".  I want to hear about the rules your game groups have created to either fill in a gap or improve play. Leave a comment and let me know!

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.

Automated Treasure Finder

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

DeadOrcs Rolls Initiative on Skills

So despite spending all morning yesterday waiting for jury duty that never materialized and a trip out to the company's super-secret fortress of research and development, I managed to pop on to Twitter a few times to find it ablaze with talk of skills and how they work (or don't work) in 4e and other versions of Dungeons & Dragons.

Skills have been talked about a lot, but recent articles over at WotC's "Legends & Lore" column, and fellow 4Geeks4E host, Tracy Hurley's column over at her Sarah Darkmagic blog, have sparked considerable chatter about skills. Some of that chatter, in fact, led my wife & I to have a lengthy discussion about skills over dinner. I can tell you it's the first dinner conversation we ever had that focused exclusively on some element of the game. Safe to say, skills are the hot topic.

Skill, skills, skills.

When we look at 4e, there does seem to be a disconnect between how skills are presented, and how they work out in practice while actually playing the game. While the 4e skill system is pretty solid overall, there are a couple of issues that seem to crop up fairly often. The first is this bit about Religion skill. Boiled down, the problem is that Religion skill is based on Intelligence, while most of the character classes that would use this skill frequently, have high Wisdom scores instead. You end up with situations where a Wizard would have a better success rate with Religion than a Cleric would. While this might not be a problem for those that consider Religion a Knowledge type skill only, materials in both home brew and published adventures make use of Religion in a far more broader sense. Consider, for example, a situation in which a hero needs to manipulate Divine energy in some fashion. While this task would seem to fall obviously to the hero with a Divine energy source (say, a Cleric, for example), you have instead, the party's Wizard tackling the problem since his Religion score is actually higher. The Angry DM has a fairly decent solution to this issue over at his recently posted blog, so check that out. For my own campaigns, I would just re-key the skill to Wisdom. At the same time, I remove Religion from the Knowledge skills list, and it becomes instead, the Divine equivalent of the Arcana skill.

A far more sticky issue is the one Monte Cook brought up in the Legends & Lore article I mentioned earlier. While the article is really not to be taken as gospel, he posits that some kind of "ranking" system be used to describe a character's "level of Perception" if you will. While that might group the ranges of Perception chances into easy-to-grasp chunks, I think it's missing the point. If I dust off the ancient text, and put on my Grognard hat for a moment, I can show you that Perception in 4e used to be Search in 3e, and before that it was...well, that's just it. Before 3e you didn't use a die roll to determine the results of a search.

What's that? No die roll?

That's right. In older editions of the rules, searching was the result of the Player's (not Character's) intuition, combined with the descriptive abilities of the Dungeon Master. Both used common sense to determine what could and could not be seen or recognized in a given situation. Take the following over-simplified example:

A hero is running away from an Ogre. He runs past a corridor and asks the Dungeon Master if he can tell if there's an exit in that direction. In the current 4e rules, the DM might call for a Perception check. The DM knows that the hero is moving quickly so sets the difficulty to the Hard column and sets the DC to the level of the character. Even if the character doesn't have a high Perception score, he still can roll a 20 (5% chance) to tell what's down the corridor. Now, while I understand we're not playing a simulation game, common sense tells us that being chased by an Ogre is pretty horrible, and that you're probably concentrating more on not falling down (and becoming an Ogre Slim-Jim) than you are looking carefully at every passage you zip by. In an older version of the game, the DM might simply say, "You pass a corridor alright, but you're moving too fast, you can't tell if there's an exit."  While the DM can say that in 4e, as well, there's an expectation that if you roll high enough on a given Perception check, something will be revealed. That expectation needs to go away.

I would like to see adventures & the DMs that run them, move away from using Perception. Let's take it out of the skill list altogether. As a DM, you should be able to categorize the descriptive parts of your encounters by how much you reveal. Try this example:

Let's say the encounter takes place in a Wizard's laboratory. The room is about 40' by 40', has no visible exits (but contains a concealed one behind a tapestry), there are several tables with equipment on them (including 3 potion bottles), a shelf of old tomes (including a trapped book), a magic circle inscribed on the floor, a Wizard, 3 Stone Golems, and a large tapestry on each wall. Now consider how we can group these items together, so that describing them is based on the player's actions instead of the character's skill states:

The Brief Glance: This category is for when a hero is literally only getting a brief glance at a specific area, either by passing by it quickly, viewing the area in a limited way, or simply being too distracted to note further details.  For example: "Peering through a crack in the door, you see what looks like a workroom of some kind. It is lit, and there are creatures moving about the room."

The Once Over: This category is for when a hero can take a moment to view his entire surroundings. It's good for when the heroes have busted down the door and are just about to have to roll initiative. It's also effective when invisible characters are sneaking around and detailed investigation would risk discovery. For example: "Standing at the entrance to the room, you see what appears to be a Wizard's laboratory. There are tables full of equipment, a strange glowing circle drawn on the floor, and a large bookcase. A man in robes directs creatures that look like moving statues about the room. Old tapestries line the walls."

The Combat Assessment: This category is for heroes focused on any foes that might be in the room. It's basically a combat threat assessment. For example: "The Wizard speaks words in a strange tongue and the statues move towards you in a threatening manner".

The Detailed Investigation: This category is for heroes investigating specific areas of the room. These descriptions would be unique for the various features described above. Investigating the work tables reveals the potions (although they may not be labeled in an obvious manner). The book shelf would eventually reveal the trapped book. The magic circle would reveal (to a character trained in Arcana) that it was a summoning circle. The tapestries would eventually reveal that one of them is hiding a concealed passage. You get the point. The Detailed Investigation eventually reveals what the DM wants the players and their characters to know. Not once is a single Perception check rolled, as it's the Players that are guiding their character's actions.

I'll admit, this style of play takes a little more work on the part of both the Players and the Dungeon Master. However, it does get the Players involved in really interacting with the environment. Instead of just declaring, "I roll a Perception check to see what I can in the room.", the Player instead must direct his character to actively investigate his surroundings. As the Dungeon Master, listen for your Players to say things like, "I pick this item up." or "I try to move this item". If a specific action is called for (for example, lifting a heavy object, or figuring out what a specific rune might mean), then a skill check of some kind is of course, appropriate.

In full disclosure, I've not yet used this method in my 4e games. However, as I'm starting my own home brew campaign in a month or so, I'll be going over my notes and removing Perception from the equation. We'll see how it goes!

I'm sure there's more that can be done to tweak the skill system, but that will have to wait for another blog post. I welcome comments and want to hear what you have to say about skills. Let me know!

Until next time...

Game excellently with one another.

Dead Orcs Society Solo Adventures - Sovelis

Once again, from the Dead Orcs Campaign Files comes another solo adventures. Featured today is the solo adventure of the party's Wizard.

Sovelis (no relation) is an Evocation Wizard whose former master was Nimozaran, most recently from his tower in Fallcrest. Sovelis studied under Nimozaran for a number of years, and this adventure was one of Sovelis' last before leaving the tower and beginning his career. The adventure occurred quite by accident, and Sovelis hates talking about it. However, the adventure is notable, as it is where Sovelis acquired his faithful familiar, Bubo.

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_Sovelis

An adventure for 1 character of level 1.

By Randall Walker

---

A Wizard's Errand

It is really late. You're not sure why your old mentor, Nimozaran is wanting Parrow Mushrooms this late at night, but an apprentice's job is not to ask too many questions.

You've never been down to the dungeon level of the tower unaccompanied before. But it's just a simple request. What could possibly go wrong?

A lot actually. A lot can go wrong. This is what you remember thinking as you pressed the wrong stud on the secret wall, and the trap door opened underneath your feet. The fall bruised your ego more than your body, but now you're in a dark room on a cold floor somewhere in your Master's dungeon. You can hear an unnerving skittering sound echoing in the distance.

Late one evening, a servant awakens you asking you to report to your mentor, Nimozaran. The wise mage is in the midst of an experiment and asks you to retrieve some fresh Parrow Mushrooms from the dungeon of the tower.

Encounter		75 XP
Level 1
Opponents		3
Carrion Crawler Hatchling		x3

Illumination:

Total darkness. Illumination will change based on the lighting provided by the hero.

Features of the Area:

Stalagmites 
The stalagmites are considered difficult terrain to the hero, while the carrion crawler hatchlings ignore this terrain.

Setup:

The hero begins at the center of the cavern. The carrion crawler hatchlings begin at the only exit from the cave.

Tactics:

The carrion crawler hatchlings are eating machines placed here years ago by Nimozaran to aid in "mess clean-up". They attack any living creature dropped into the cave. The creatures will attack until destroyed.

Items:

There are no items of interest in the cave.

Carrion Crawler Hatchling  Small aberrant beast		Level 1 Minion  25 XP
HP 1		Initiative +3
AC 15; Fort 12; Ref 14; Will 12		Perception +4
Speed 6, climb 4		tremorsense 5
Standard Actions
Tentacle Brush (necrotic) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
The small but potent tentacles of the Carrion Crawler Hatchling brush against you, painfully rotting your flesh. Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 4 necrotic damage and the target is slowed (save ends).
Rotting Grasp (Necrotic) ♦ At-Will
Seeing a still opponent, the Carrior Crawler Hatchling latches on, dissolving the prey with its tentacled grasp. Range: Melee Touch The target takes 4 ongoing necrotic damage each round until the Carrion Crawler Hatchling is removed or the prey is dead. While the Carrion Crawler Hatchling is attached to its target, it grants combat advantage. Sustain: Minor
Skills Perception +4
Str: 10 (+0)  Con: 13 (+1)	Dex: 16 (+3)  Int: 1 (-5)	Wis: 12 (+1)  Cha: 2 (-4)
Alignment Unaligned

Treasure Parcels

Scattered coins worth 25 GP

25 GP

Negotiate the Crystal Cavern

Glowing multicolored light pointing the way, you leave the cave of the carrion crawlers only to find yourself in another cavern. 

Filling the cavern are strange crystals. Brilliant sparks of energy dance between the crystals, and the smell of ozone fills the air. From across the cavern, you see a bulbous humanoid waving a satchel in the air. Over the sound of the sparking crystals you hear a warbling voice call out, "If that fool Nimozaran wants his mushrooms, you'll have to go through me, Bubo the Enlightened, first. The power of the shrooms is MINE!"

Having escaped the rotting tentacles of the carrion crawlers, you stumble into a cave filled with strange energetic crystals. You must make your way across the cave and climb the balcony to reach the strange foe you've suddenly acquired.

Negotiate the Crystal Cavern		200 XP
Level 1  Complexity 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 failures)
Primary Skills
Acrobatics (DC 19): Dodging the sparks isn't the easiest way to get around the crystals, but it's possible. You can use this abiity score any number of times to complete this skill challenge.
Success: Your clever dodging and weaving has allowed you to avoid the sparking crystals. You move your movement rate through the cave and gain 1 success.
Failure: Your attempt at clever movements has failed, and you have misstepped. You take 2 points of lightning damage and can only move 2 squares. Bubo spawns a minion and you gain 1 failure.
Arcana (DC 19): Using your mastery of the arcane sciences, you quiet nearby crystals in order to move past them. You can use this skill any number of times to complete the challenge.
Success: The sparks between the crystals quiet down and you are able to move your speed through the cavern. You gain 1 success.
Failure: Despite your efforts, sparks cause you 2 points of damage and you move only 2 squares. Bubo spawns a minion and you gain 1 Failure.
Other Skills
Endurance (DC 12): Summoning your reserves of energy, you decide to push your way past the sparking crystals, disregarding their arcing lightning. You may use this ability once during the skill challenge.
Success: You gains a +2 on the next Acrobatics or Arcana check made for this skill challenge.
Failure: None.
Insight (DC 12): You attempt to time your passage through the crystals, in order to avoid the sparks. You can use this ability only once during the skill challenge.
Success: You gain a +2 to the next Acrobatics check made during the skill challenge.
Failure: None.
Magic Missile (DC 8): You use your Magic Missile power to destroy a group of crystals. This ability can be used twice during the skill challenge.
Success: The hero blasts a section of crystals into oblivion moving past them at your normal movement rate. You gain 1 success and one of Bubo's spawned minions tumbles off the ledge and is impaled on the crystals below.
Failure: None.
Victory
If the hero succeeds in the skill challenge, you make it to the opposite wall of the cavern where a notches in the wall allow you to climb toward the ledge above. Bubo flees to an unseen location.
Defeat
You make it to the other edge of the cavern, but you are beaten and worn. Bubo has gained some additional allies (spawned from his own body) and together they flee to an unseen location.
Notes

Mushroom Madness

If Bubo spawned no minions, read the following: Bursting into the final chamber, you finally get a clear look at the creature calling himself, Bubo. He stands near the back of a cave filled with row upon row of mushrooms. There are many varieties, but the patches of parrow mushrooms have been picked bare. Wide eyed he shouts at you, "These mushrooms hold the key to my freedom! But since you don't seem to understand that, I will send Nimozaran your CORPSE! 

If Bubo spawned one or more minions, read the following: Bursting into the final chamber, you finally get a clear look at the creature calling himself, Bubo. He stands near the back of a cave with creatures that look similar to himself, only smaller. The cave you're in is filled with row upon row of mushrooms. There are many varieties, but the patches of parrow mushrooms have been picked bare. Wide eyed Bubo shouts at you, "These mushrooms hold the key to my freedom! But since you don't seem to understand that, I am forced to send you back to Nimozaran as a CORPSE! My children! Destroy him!

Racing to retrieve the mushrooms, you confront Bubo in order to stop his madness.

Encounter		175 XP
Level 4
Opponents		4
Bubo the Enlightened
Spawn of Bubo		x3

Illumination:

Darkness, unless the hero brings their own light.

Features of the Area:

Fungal Gardens 
The cave is filled with rows of mushroom beds and other fungal gardens. These areas are treated as difficult terrain for the character, but do not block line of sight. 

Elevator Shaft 
At the far end of the cave, and carved out of the very cave wall, is a rectangular shaft containing a wooden platform. Pulling on the rope that runs through the middle of the platform, raises & lowers the platform. If the platform is raised as far as it can go, it leads to a secret door that gives egress back into the tower.

Setup:

The hero begins at the entrance of the fungal garden cavern. 

Bubo starts anywhere within 1 square of the elevator shaft. Any of Bubo's Spawn start adjacent to Bubo.

Tactics:

Bubo is really upset that Nimozaran is stealing his brethren and putting them to use as an ingredient in his spells. Having only reached sentience a little while ago, he is driven only by the desire to protect the mushrooms and carry away the most valuable ones. 

During combat, Bubo will send his Spawn to fight the hero before engaging in combat himself. Bubo does not know how to work the elevator platform, and considers it just another part of the cave. Both Bubo and his Spawn fight until they are killed or incapacitated.

Items Of Note:

When Bubo is slain, he leaves behind a bright red mushroom. This mushroom becomes Bubo, the Familiar of Sovelis. Bubo the Familiar has dreams of his previous (and rather brief) life, but is loyal & faithful to Sovelis.

Bubo the Enlightened  Medium natural humanoid (plant)		Level 1 Skirmisher  100 XP
HP 28; Bloodied 14		Initiative +2
AC 15; Fort 13; Ref 13; Will 13		Perception +1
Speed 6		darkvision
Resist 5 poison
Traits
Spore Cloud (Poison) ♦ Aura 1
Aura 1: Any creature that begins its turn within 1 square of Bubo, takes 5 poison damage.
Fungal Born
Bubo can move through any terrain composed primarily of fungi, as if the terrain were normal terrain.
Standard Actions
Deadly Puff Ball (plant, poison) ♦ At-Will
Pulling a strange growth from the top of his head, Bubo hurls a glob of strange plant-like material at you! Range: Ranged 10 Attack: +6 vs AC 1d8+4 poison damage.
Rhizome Stick (plant, poison, weapon) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
Bubo jabs at you with a sharp plant-like growth that extends from his body! Range: Melee Attack: +6 vs AC 1d6+3 poison damage.
Skills Nature +6, Thievery +8
Str: 9 (-1)  Con: 12 (+1)	Dex: 17 (+3)  Int: 9 (-1)	Wis: 12 (+1)  Cha: 10 (+0)
Alignment Evil
Languages Common

Spawn of Bubo  Small natural humanoid (plant)		Level 1 Minion  25 XP
HP 1		Initiative +0
AC 15; Fort 13; Ref 13; Will 13		Perception +1
Speed 6
Resist 5 poison
Traits
Fungal Born
A Spawn of Bubo can move through any terrain composed primarily of fungi, as if the terrain were normal terrain.
Standard Actions
Rhizome Jab (Poison) ♦ At-Will (basic attack)
Range: Melee Attack: +4 vs Fortitude 4 poison damage
Skills Stealth +8
Str: 7 (-2)  Con: 7 (-2)	Dex: 17 (+3)  Int: 5 (-3)	Wis: 12 (+1)  Cha: 10 (+0)
Alignment Evil

Here is the stat-block for Sovelis' familiar, Bubo. This was built in the original monster builder. While it doesn't have the same formatting as familiars in official resources (Arcane Power, etc.), it has all the information required to run one.

 

The Feedback:

Like Alex, I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons with Trey for over 10 years. Trey is the math genius at the table, and his mind can crunch numbers faster than most people I know. He's great to have at the table, because if there's a calculation error, or problem with dividing the monetary aspects of treasure, he's all over it.  Trey is a reluctant role-player, but once he gets into a situation, he can play his character to the hilt. He can be a bit aloof & arrogant (although not in a douche-bag type way) so his characters are often Wizards or Sorcerers. He certainly enjoys wielding Phenomenal Cosmic Power™

As we played through the adventure, I wanted to challenge Trey's assumptions about what to expect in any given encounter. The adventure brought him pretty close to death a couple of times, so I know I stretched the boundaries of what a solo adventure can manage as far as balanced play goes. Being a reluctant role-player, I spoke to him about using a quirk, but he's not entirely sure how to approach that. There's a chance that his quirks will be subtle, even to the point of being "the character that has no quirks". Of course, that in itself, becomes a kind of quirk. He's eager to try on Themes for size, and I know he'll enjoy the additional benefits. However, he's not especially open as to the details of his background. Hopefully, this adventure will help fill in some of those gaps.

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.