D&D Campaign FAQ

FAQ Details

This information is for players starting out in the Serpentine Coast Campaign

What system do I use for generating character stats?

The standard array is my preference: 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10 - allocate to abilities as you see fit, then modify by race.  See Pg 17 PHB.

If you want a character with a greater score in one or two stats at the expense of others, use Customized scores, Pg 18 PHB.

Either a) choose a class then find the best race for that class or b) choose a race and find the best class for that race.  Either way it makes sense to choose ones that go well together.  We all think its very cool to have that Halfling Fighter but save it for when its the RPG Convention and you're shooting for the role-playing prize.

Character Sheets and Generators

The recommendation I would have is to go thru the process outlined in Chapter 2 of the players handbook - its a lot more straightforward than character generation used to be.  The first link below is to D&D character sheets in PDF format that can be printed out for this purpose.

However the tools below might be of interest or use - don't let them substitute for understanding how your characters scores are determined tho.  You actually get a really good sense of your character by manually going through and filling out the stats.

• Javascript based 4th ed character generation tool

• WotC character gen tool

If you use the DnD character generator from WotC, download and import that Serpentine Coast campaign file from here: http://groups.google.com.au/group/serpentine-coast/files

This will give you a warning in the left hand status bar of the program when you select a power or trait that is not in the main rule books that we're using: PHB, PHB2, AV, DMG, and MM.

What level do you want the characters to be?

I (or whomever is DM'ing) will have advised a level.  In general (if not otherwise advised) its level 1.

Check the table Pg 29 PHB.  As per that table select class features, racial traits, starting skills, feats, at-will attack powers, encounter attack powers, and daily attack powers.  Characters have basic clothes and 100GP to spend on starting items (pg 210 PHB & AV).  

For characters starting at a higher level see Pg 143 DMG "Starting at a higher level".

How much background information do you want about the characters?

Make sure answers to all the information in the top section on the front of the character sheet are completed, eg age, gender, height, weight, alignment and deity. 

Also please write down answers to the following questions on your character sheet.  The DM will read these and make notes of them before starting the game.  Feel free to add more background, but if it all totals much more than half-a-page the DM will probably not be able to make useful notes from it.

Reason?

What led your character to be in the town or place where this adventure starts?  This can be recent or bigger in scope: but should start after the characters formative years.

Example: Tordak the Widowmaker recently took part in a sorty thru the Shadowfell, where many dire monsters were slain.  Now she seeks to find buyers for the pelts & horns.  Its known far & wide the best markets for that are in this town.

Conflict?

What shaped or stood out as a defining force in your characters formative years?

Example: Romy Finderforth was planning to be a cleric like his Halfling brothers & sisters, but a visiting roughneck human rogue named Carl who'd fall on hard times came to stay with Romy's parents.  To pay for board Carl taught the children knife throwing and other tricks.  The die was set and Romy left home against his parents wishes to seek out the Thieves guilds in Tyrephene.

What mannerism, habit or unique trait would allow one to pick my character in a crowd?

My characters rotund girth, and penchant for bright red garments always marks him out.  Use the "Mannerisms and Appearance" section on the flip side of the character sheet.

What figure of speech or exclamation does my character habitually use, and when? 

"By the beard of Kord, you'll meet my sword!" whenever engaged in combat.

Are there any house rules I should know about?

Generally no. The rules are as printed, including the D&D errata. With any rules issue, please offline it so play can keep moving. Offline means write a note, and the DM will create a house rule to clarify the situation for the next time it comes up.

The rules used are the Core Rulebooks, ie the DMG, PHB and MM for 4th Edition.  Other rule books such as the PHB2, AdVault (Adventurers Vault)  and so on may be used with a veto power by the DM.

In particular unbalanced or game changing rules brought in from other suppliements may be later rejected, so carefully consider any new rules you want to bring in from later supplements.

Implement and Weapon Keyword Powers

Rules clarification that came out of the pre-sessions (thanks David) - if you have an implement based power, you can still use it without an implement. Where you have a magic +X implement, you can gain that +X to hit and to damage when wielding the implement. In the case of clerics they can wear a holy symbol, but arcane source users must be holding it to gain the +X. Weapon based powers do require a weapon however. You cannot use a power that has the weapon keyword without wielding a weapon.

How Particular Should I be about Tracking Encumbrance, Gold and Items?

There are two rules or practices that are suggested to make encumbrance and items/gold issue free.

No More than you can Carry

See Pg 222 PHB.  Lifting, carrying and Dragging.  Basically if you carry too much you are "slowed", and your speed is 2.  You don't want this.  Pretty simple.

Every character should have a backpack, and you're deemed to have one unless you specifically state that you do not.  Your backpack holds everything that is not immediately to hand.  If you have a mount or vehicle you may put your backpack on it.  Its a minor action to take something out of your backpack.

Figure out at character creation time what the total weight of all your items is.  If this number is more than 10 times your strength score then you can't carry it, because it would slow you down - your speed becomes 2 (Pg 277 PHB), and all your party is annoyed with you.  When you pick up an item as treasure or bought from a shop, make sure you add its weight to the total weight of items carried.

Apart from this what you carry does not affect skill checks and game play at all.

Tracking Gold and Items is Player Responsibility

Elect a character to be Quartermaster/Scribe.  He or she should write down everything the DM gives to the players, and track who was given what.  A journal notebook is good for this, eg "3 May 08: Ruined temple - flaming skeleton fight - Tordak got the sword +1, Alyssa got 300GP".  Tokens are great for tracking gold, alternatively make sure you write down what gold and items you are carrying.

Please pay particular care to ritual ingredients.  Gold and ritual items are not simply interchangeable - tho you can acquire ritual ingredients in towns.  If a ritual says you require 500GP worth of ritual items, and it is an Arcana ritual, then you must have 500GP worth of Alchemical Reagents (the ritual ingredient for Arcana rituals) not just 500GP.  Residuum counts for all kinds of ingredients.  Note that generally shop keepers or other NPC's will not accept Residuum or ritual ingredients as payment - they may buy it at a reduced value.

Can I use the Move Enchantment Ritual from the Adventurers Vault?

Short answer: yes.  I believe in never saying "No" when players want to try something new and interesting.

There are three rituals relating to enchantment of items:

• • Enchant Magic Item - PHB

    • level 4

    • take a normal item and make it into a magic item of your level or lower

    • can resize magic armour (at zero component cost)

    • component cost equal to the cost of the magic item you create

  • Disenchant Magic Item - PHB

    • level 6

    • component cost 25GP

    • take a magic item and destroy it, producing residuum valued at 1/5 of the items price

    • residuum can act as a component in any ritual, no matter what the skill is (eg arcana normally requires alchemical reagents, but residuum to an equal value works just as well)

  • Transfer Enchantment - AV

    • level 4

    • component cost 25

    • move an enchantment from one item to another

    • they must occupy the same slot

    • must be of the same type eg "weapon", "ring" and if weapon, ranged vs melee.

The first two enchantments are relatively harmless.  Mostly.  But the last one may have dire and unintended consequences.  

Notice that the Transfer Enchantment ritual allows low level characters to place into an item powerful high-level enchantments that they do not actually have the ability to create themselves by using the Enchant Magic Item ritual.  For example +2 Thundering magic weapons can only be enchanted by Level 8 characters and above.  And yet Transfer Enchantment allows a level 4 ritual caster to create such an item.   Sounds risky doesn't it?

Also notice also that only 25GP of alchemical reagents or residuum are needed, where normally the enchantment for a high-level item requires components valued at the gold cost of the target magic item.  Sounds like short cuts are being taken - the magics might not be sufficiently well controlled by such an expiditious use.

Magic items on the Serpentine Coast come largely from the ancient histories and long dead magical peoples of the Serpentine Coast, who have left them in their dusty halls for centuries.  They are much treasured and handed down in secret through dynasties.

In other areas of Faerun, in the Forgotten Realms or elsewhere, there maybe skilled magic users who create many of these magic weapons frequently, and routinely perform these rituals for a price.  Magic is a bit more rare on the Serpentine Coast, and those skilled in it have much more important things to do with their time than enchanting swords for anyone with a bit of gold in their pockets.  Magic items of this provenance are much less often seen on the Serpentine Coast - if a magic item is encountered is very likely to be steeped ancient mystic forces.

Let's say the party after displaying great derring-do and facing great dangers find a flaming +3 greatsword in a tomb.  Actually it is the tomb of the great warrior Hassblad, and it was his sword.  Now a character in the party does not have sword proficiency and wants to transfer the enchantment into his mace.

There might be spirits who would think such a ritual was a sacrilege to the soul of Hassblad.  Breaking the magics on the sword, may expose those around to the wrath of those who have been slain by it.  Could a curse even be transferred to the new item, along with the enchantment?  Its very difficult for a 4th level character to know exactly what the consequences might be.  If the enchantment is of a high level, it might produce results beyond their control or ken.

There are other options, and the safest one, is trade.

The characters could return to the town, far away from the spirits and magics of the tomb, and at some later point, and if the sword is really of no use to them seek to trade it for another item that is - a +3 thundering mace perhaps.  That is after dining out on the stories of this great sword, and showing it around the tavern to cheers and wonder.

Even if it takes a day or two for a merchant to turn up with such an item, and a bit of gold has to be spent in the trade, this is a good way to go.

Less risky than the Transfer Enchantment ritual is for a character to Enchant the mace.  Of course the character has to be level 15 because Flaming +3 is level 15.  Maybe the party doesn't have a level 15 character - likely if they're so very keen to get hold of a +3 item.  But if the party knows an NPC that can help out, and can convince them of the need this is another good option.

Or, while you're in the burial chamber of Hassblad, surrounded by the bodies of the monsters you have slain to reach this underground tomb, the party might decide to go ahead with a Transfer Enchantment ritual (presuming someone has it in their ritual book and has spent the 8 hours to master it).

I commend such a party for their courage.  :-)