tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58102237094103674072024-03-18T03:21:23.611-04:00Stocking The DungeonDarvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-42722030067158364242018-10-21T12:01:00.000-04:002018-10-21T12:01:09.062-04:00A lighthearted open letter to Greyhawk fans.
Let me start by saying I don't dislike Greyhawk. I play in a current AD&D 2nd ed. game set in that setting, Greyhawk and Blackmoor also, as the settings designed by the game's two creators, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson respectively, deserve a place of honor among D&D settings.
Since Greyhawk, like Blackmoor and Mystara, have largely been ignored by the publisher for Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com94Immokalee, FL26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-624700950425392032018-10-20T14:45:00.001-04:002018-10-20T14:45:37.214-04:00Stocking the Dungeon is now on MeWe!I never did a lot of RPG stuff on Google+, for some reason the interface and spam I'd run into there just kept me from getting that into it. I was a bit saddened though, to hear of Google's plans to close down the network next year, since a lot of creative gaming stuff got shared and discussed there, especially in the old school D&D and related OSR groups. When discussions of the announcementDarvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-1842024173087239822018-10-20T13:59:00.000-04:002018-10-20T17:00:53.702-04:00Fixing the revised X1 Map quirkMost long time D&D players have fond memories of module X1:The Isle of Dread, and with the ease of researching things online, both versions of the classic adventure can be compared.
The main difference between the two is the art. All the artwork from the blue cover original version of the module gets replaced in the revised orange cover. Also, the maps get updates, with more color and Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com5Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-77207673774415074852017-11-27T12:32:00.000-05:002017-11-27T12:32:00.157-05:00Known World Magic Items: Avrine's Lockpicks
Avrine's Lockpicks
New Magic Item
Avrine Nimblefoot is a legendary figure among the folk of the Five Shires and western Karameikos, especially the Hin. She lived about 50 years ago, and was a daring swashbuckler of a lass, living a life of wild adventures and daring deeds. Among the stories told about her are the tale of how she retrieved the jeweled crown of Penhaligon from a bugbear bandit Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com3Immokalee, FL26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-26346390360356491942017-11-25T12:30:00.000-05:002018-10-13T00:52:06.624-04:00Known World Magic Items: Saudamard's ClubSaudamard was a strange and unique hero, an orphaned Hin (the name halflings use for themselves) raised by animals in the wilderness. Saudamard himself claimed that he was raised in a nest of rust monsters in the Cruth mountains, but for the majority of his life, this was not taken seriously.
Saudamard didn't take offense, and though he remained wild and uncouth for a Hin, he gained some Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com5Immokalee, FL26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-74904334919538722602017-11-23T12:30:00.000-05:002017-11-28T02:21:44.794-05:00Known World Magic Items: Culinary MagicI always like fun and interesting new magic for the game, things the players least expect. I had some notes on magical food concoctions in my notes, and remembered them while reading about the Chef class in an old issue of Polyhedron magazine. I decided to type up my notes, and convert some of the Chef magic stuff from AD&D to Classic D&D, here's what i came up with.
Miija's Gingersnaps Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com10Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-56680944059700030302017-11-21T12:30:00.000-05:002017-11-21T12:30:13.428-05:00Known World Magic Items: Poor Man's FeastWhatever poor soul first kept his share of the day's hunt too close to the campfire and happily discovered that putting a char to a piece of meat vastly improves its taste is sadly lost to the fog of prehistory, but in the Shirelands, every Hin worth his or her toehair knows the name Blossom Goldenspoon.
Long ago, in the days when the Hin first learned to tend their fields and keep pantries, Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com5Immokalee, FL26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-20411755246865995182017-11-19T12:30:00.000-05:002017-11-19T12:30:03.868-05:00Known World Magic Items: Druid's Honey Mead
Druid's Honey Mead
The druids long ago mastered the techniques of fermenting honey from beehives into a potent and tasty beverage that is popular across the known world even today. Though the meads vary a little from region to region, the general theme is the same. Honey is harvested and prepared in the autumn and allowed to ferment over the winter, reaching maturity in early spring and broughtDarvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com1Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-45092383086640171432017-11-17T12:00:00.000-05:002017-11-17T12:02:40.876-05:00Known World Magic Items: Mask of the Eagle's TalonsMask of the Eagle's Talons
The Eagle's Talons are an old, well established thieving guild based in Specularum, though the exact location of their guildhouse is a closely kept secret. Despite many attempts, including recent ones by Duke Stefan, the secrets of the guild, and the identity of its headquarters remains unknown to most of the city's residents.
Since most of the guild's activities take Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com0Immokalee, FL26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-16850305774390302062017-11-04T18:29:00.000-04:002017-11-04T18:29:02.032-04:00Location of Bywater on Karameikos Maps
I recently noticed, after reading The Tainted Sword (Penhaligon trilogy, book 1) that some of the maps on Pandius.com show the wrong location for the town of Bywater, in Karameikos. The top map is a quick and dirty scan (I'm not going to cut apart my book for a proper flatbed scan, sorry) from that novel, and the one below it is from the Escape from Thunder Rift adventure module. Hope this Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com5Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-82006448153345854252017-11-03T12:00:00.000-04:002017-11-03T12:00:17.914-04:00Karameikos: the "Basics"When starting a new Mystara campaign, Karameikos tends to be my usual starting point, mainly because it is the most standard Euro-Medieval fantasy of the various regions of the Known World that still has a human focus. I also love using Humans and Halflings as the main 'civilized' folk of the campaign, and having the Hin of the Five Shires right next door is a bonus too. The only problem with Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com3Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-24605671094275909592017-11-01T12:00:00.000-04:002017-11-01T12:00:06.064-04:00The Hin (Halfling) Sneak, an optional PC Thief variant.Here it is, The Hin Sneak, an optional halfling "thief" class for Classic D&D!
The Hin Sneak (150kb PDF)
This file is provided for your private use. Please do not redistribute it without discussing it with me beforehand. Thanks!Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com0Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-8336492828759792592017-10-31T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-31T17:53:02.822-04:00The Hin (Halfling) Friar, an optional PC Cleric variant.AD&D 1e (in Unearthed Arcana) and AD&D 2e allowed the major PC races to take the cleric class, but for the demihumans, level limits in the rules prevented them from accessing the high level spells. In a setting like the Known World, where all the major PC races have their own nations and cultures, it is a little awkward that the demihuman classes lack religious leaders and the ability to Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com0Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-25507629487258440752017-10-30T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-30T12:00:04.380-04:00The Thunder Rift, the "other" D&D default settingThe Known World, later rebranded as Mystara, is a rather sprawling, large campaign, and choosing where to begin can be a little daunting to a DM or group just getting started, but here's an option that is ideal for those groups who just want a smaller scale map with some settlements and a wilderness in which to find adventures.
The Thunder Rift
Many Classic D&D players who got their start Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com1Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-41227228489641653012017-10-29T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-29T12:00:02.105-04:00Roots of the Known World as D&D's default game settingAlthough the early incarnations of OD&D and Basic D&D (namely, the Holmes and Moldvay Basic Sets) included sample adventures and teasers for Greyhawk and Blackmoor, the Expert set (Cook edition) was the first to truly present a setting to set your adventures in. Cook's "Sample Wilderness" introduces us to the Grand Duchy of Karameikos for the first time, and includes notes on the folk, Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com1Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-39651029021300306202017-10-28T16:21:00.000-04:002017-10-28T17:47:15.492-04:00Side Treks from the Known World - Castle Amber and Averoigne
If you've enjoyed adventure module X2: Castle Amber (aka Chateau D'Ambreville), you've dabbled in the fantasy realm of Averoigne, whether you realized it or not! That adventure, in which in the PC heroes explore a strange, seemingly haunted mansion which acts as a sort of planar gateway into the world of Averoigne; a fantasy realm inspired by real world historical France.
I'll be honest here, Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com0Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-35001435256101106582017-10-27T12:00:00.001-04:002017-10-27T12:00:15.668-04:00Weapons for Halflings and other small sized creaturesThe Known World holds a bit of a distinction among the major D&D campaign settings; it's the only one with a detailed, developed Halfling homeland central to the campaign world. Sure, Forgotten Realms has a Halfling nation, but it's way off the beaten path in a corner of Faerun pretty much ignored by the setting material. Other worlds, like Greyhawk, just throw Halflings in as an afterthoughtDarvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com0Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-34055061625540554052017-10-26T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-26T12:00:14.239-04:00Five ShirefolkGood D&D campaigns always need interesting NPCs, and Classic D&D caters to this need with the excellent Shady Dragon Inn supplement, a collection of myriad pregenerated characters with thumbnail sketches of their personality and background to get the DM's imagination going. For those who lack access to that book, or who want some NPCs tied a little closer to the Known World setting, Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com0Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-44676512348047629152017-10-25T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-25T12:00:02.255-04:00Hin (Halfling) Specific Level Titles in the Known World
The demihumans of the Classic D&D game kind of get cheated in regard to their level titles. Generally, the game just takes the fighter class titles and adds a "dwarf/halfling" modifier, or with the elves, just compounds the fighter and magic user titles. I decided that the Hin of the Known World are common enough, and established enough in their own homeland that their culture shouldDarvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com3Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-57069140975583258912017-10-24T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-24T12:00:10.966-04:00The Mind of the Mule (or, The Wise Ass of Eltan's Spring)One show I like to have on for background noise is Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Museum, a random collection of interesting stories connected to obscure items from the artifact collections of different museums. The other night I was working on reports for work while a 'marathon' of reruns played in the background, and one fun story caught my attention.
Lady Wonder, the mind reading mare of Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com2Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-27680084354373861622017-10-06T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-06T12:00:04.989-04:00House Rules - Magical Wands (Includes New Known World Magic Items!)New enchanted wands for your Magic User PCs, and some thoughts on Basic D&D's 'evolving' rules on wands.
As you may have noticed, the different editions of the Basic Rules have different notes on how many charges a wand has:
Original D&D (Book 2, Monsters & Treasures): 100 charges (1d100/d% when found)
Holmes Basic: 100 charges (1d100/d% when found)
Moldvay Basic: 10 charges (1d10 Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com5Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-27991243767244826712017-10-05T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-05T12:00:19.322-04:00House Rules - Magical Staves (Includes New Known World Magic Items!)New enchanted staves for your Magic User PCs, and some thoughts on Basic D&D's 'evolving' rules on charges for a staff.
As you may have noticed, the different editions of the Basic Rules have different notes on how many charges a staff has:
Original D&D (Book 2, Monsters & Treasures): 200 charges (2d100/2d% when found)
Holmes Basic: 100 charges (1d100/d% when found)
Moldvay Basic: Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com2Immokalee, FL 26.4185248 -81.41740570000001826.3616438 -81.498086700000016 26.4754058 -81.336724700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-20345782244626751932017-10-04T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-04T12:00:35.494-04:00House Rules - Casting Times & Spell Components for Clerics, Druids & ShamansMagic-users and Elves aren't the only characters in the game who cast spells, of course, Clerics get important spell abilities when they reach 2nd level of experience. Somewhat unlike the former casters, the Cleric's spells are critical to the success of the entire party, healing and protecting the Cleric's allies when things get tough.
Since the rules are not totally clear, many players Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-57837906543110447342017-10-03T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-03T12:00:16.524-04:00House Rules - Casting Times & Spell Components for Magic Users, Elves and WiccaOne part of playing a spellcaster in AD&D, either 1st or 2nd edition, that I've always found fun is the use of material components for casting a spell. For those unfamiliar with the idea, it basically means that most spells require a little bit of some physical material that is used to harness and focus the magic required to cast the spell. The components are usually figuratively or Darvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5810223709410367407.post-77469700824888394582017-10-02T12:00:00.000-04:002017-10-02T12:00:09.974-04:00The Known World Setting - Spellcasting in the Five Faceted FaithI was thinking over some general ideas about how the different magic using classes approach their spellcraft, and how it fits into the Five Faceted Faith. None of this has any real impact on game play, it's just a little in character flavor to make the characters something more than a checklist of available spells.
The only optional "rule" I'd consider in regard to all of this is maybe requiringDarvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10909162939260320456noreply@blogger.com0