Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) Roleplay- Comments

[Celadon's Penultimate]

So, I've been in talks with Zaleramancer and Smackgiver, each of whom are avid Dungeons and Dragons enthusiasts. They've expressed interest in putting together a fun little Forum game for the lot of us to join in--of course, as many as are interested. And since I've always wanted to try my hand at Dungeons and Dragons (hence my bringing up the idea of a roleplay section for this Forum in the first place), I have volunteered my efforts to whatever end I can be of service in.

That being said, this will probably be a very rough and unkempt version of what actual D&D players are used to, but us non-D&Ders have gotten at least a taste with the prep we did for the Fantasy Roleplay Zaleramancer previously helped set our sights on before. We've made characters and all that before, now if we're willing to take on a bit more complexity and blessed, blessed structure, we can actually make this thing work. I have faith in this project, especially given the minds involved.

With that, what say you, Listers?

(Rolls dice for Charisma, Diplomacy and Initiative checks...if that's a thing )

[Zaleramancer]

What sort of D&D we talkin?

[Smackgiver]

I propose either 3.0 or 3.5 rules, as those are the ones with which I am most familiar.  I'm not at all particular about the game setting, so I'll defer to anyone on that score.  My personal favorite is the Forgotten Realms world (Faerun - the world of Driz'zt Do'Urden) but any will do.

Were we talking about a beginning campaign here, or are we starting off with a brainstorming session?

[Celadon's Penultimate]

My thought, this could be a discussion thread, and the actual story could be in a thread all its own, just to make sure things stay streamlined. Cause I'm not really all that confident in my grasp of the rules, so I don't want to keep fogging everything up by asking questions and making mistakes in the middle of play.

So, did anybody have a point of interest they'd like to get to first? Rules? Character creation (or modification for the purpose of D&D)? Classes? Combat? Weapons? Settings? I'm game for whatever you guys feel like talking about.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

I am so up for this. Just let me know what kind of character sheet we need.

[Zaleramancer]

First we need to decide what set of rules we're using.

3.5 I'm familiar with, though less so with 3.0 or before that. I'm not at all familiar with 4e or 5e.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Smack mentioned something about 3.25-- a self-styled name for a version combining elements from 3.0 and 3.5?

[Philote]

I'm a fan of Dungeon World 

[Smackgiver]

@ Zale:  the variance between 3.0 and 3.5 is minuscule.   Your 3.5 knowledge automatically qualifies you as an expert.  Just a few interpretations of magical spells and psionic powers are the only variables.

I have an MS Excel version of a character sheet I can send the group,  but it's on my laptop at work.  I'll send it along via this thread on Monday.   That should give us a firm starting point.

For noobs, I would usually suggest starting at level 1, but since the majority of this group is already well-founded on RP aspects we can start a little higher, if no one objects.  My personal experience suggests that we consider an ECL (effective character level) of 5.  Generally speaking, we're closer to the "sweet spot" of engaging play if we begin there.  Just my $0.02.  I'm open to debate on that point.

@Zale:  I'm fairly used to running campaigns with slightly higher powered characters,  with the starting stats using a 4d6 roll (re-roll 1s) and discarding the lowest roll.  I'd like to check your comfort level on that before making a solid declaration.

[Zaleramancer]

That sounds fantastic. Level one, where a meaningful look can kill you, is never a time I much like. I was going to suggest stating at a higher level also. Standard WBL, I take it?,

I typically go with the Mythweavers character sheets myself.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Is Dungeons and Dragons character creation fairly similar to Pathfinder character creation?

[Smackgiver]

WBL - I'm not sure what that stands for.  Please elaborate at your earliest convenience.  

Otherwise, you and I are in total agreement.  A level 1 wizard is merely a snack for an ogre at the end of a day's series of encounters.  We'll likely enjoy more cohesion and satisfaction if all party members can contribute somewhat equally... in my experience with D&D 3.25 (and 3.0; 3.5) the sweet spot occurs between levels 5 and 16.  Any earlier and your wizard is a wuss.  Any later and your wizard takes control of the known realm and compels obedience from all NPCs (and, in some cases, PCs).

My initial thought is this - once we get all participants on the same gaming mechanic and realm, I could take us all thru a short,  appetite-whetting morsel of an adventure to see where everyone stands on rules,  gameplay, and flavor.   From that point (after a post-mortem discussion) you could flaunt your creativity and kick it up a notch and propel the group thru whatever roller-coaster you have in mind.  I would be happy to assist you as monster-researcher, rules lawyer, combat provocateur (or whatever assistance you might need).

Again, I'd like to know your comfort level of the aforementioned proposal.

Phi/Marv - as fellow D&D connoisseurs,  I'd like to solicit your input on this "testing out" hypothesis.  I'm trying to cover all the bases... would you guys suggest a different tactic?

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Fine by me...but do note that my tabletop RPG experience is limited to only Pathfinder. I may be clueless on some aspects of classic D&D

[Celadon's Penultimate]

You're still one step ahead of me.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Pathfinder is literally just 3.5, but somehow even more broken, buggy, and with more trap options.

[Zaleramancer]

It's called 3.P by some for a reason.

Pathfinder is close enough that you can just convert one to the other without any problem. Main difference is some spells and skills (3.5 has Hide and Move Silently instead Stealth, yadda yadda)

That and 3.5 has no bonuses for going with your favored class that Pathfinder apparently has. Instead there's a rule penalizing you for multiclassing that I have literally never seen anyone use. Most people I've talked to despise it and flaunt it at every opportunity.

Hey, Vault, got any interest in joining us?

[Zaleramancer]

Wealth By Level. (It's on page 135 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) It's the measuring stick for how much stuff people should get by what level and all. Useful if you don't want to ad-hoc it.

(For level 5 characters, that would be 9000 gold worth of stuff.)

And the more words I read the more I think we're going to get along well.

I rather like the idea of a trial run before the actual one.

So, I know a vague amount about Faerun, or at least enough to get by most of the time. We could always dump everyone in Waterdeep and then have a nice time. Plenty of ways to get robbed there, loads of wizards though. Easy access to ships for far off or aquatic adventures.

Honestly, running things as co-DMs sounds like it'd be much easier. Less pressure on one person, easier to bounce ideas around.

So, everyone, what sort of things are you looking to be being/doing?

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Opportunities to play my character. Collecting swag and fighting are secondary to having chances to really play a character.

[Zaleramancer]

Well, yes, but it'd be nice if people could state what sort of characters they're interested in playing, so that we can know where to start.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Ah, right...I see now what you were getting at. Well, uh...I was thinking of trying a paladin