So....who wants to play some D&D?

[Eerongal]

So with the announcement of D&D Next, i've been feeling like playing some D&D. I play with a gaming group biweekly (mostly), but they play 4th edition, of which I'm not a particular fan. As such, I was wanting to play some 3/3.5 edition D&D (my favorite edition) and I also happen to have a published "module" called World's Largest Dungeon at my disposal, and that got me thinking that it would be fun to put up in a play-by-post fashion. It also works out well, because as a DM i'm fairly lazy, and generally a bit under prepared, so the work has all ready been done for me.

Now, in order to do this, we would need at least 4 players (of which, i suppose if needed i could stand in for a player and do both DMing and player). If I receive a lot of interest in this, i will limit individual party sizes to groups of 4-6, though we could do as many different parties as we wanted.

So anyways, I just thought I'd put this out there and see what kind of interest there is in running this. You don't need to be an expert at 3rd edition, or even familiar with D&D at all. I'm always available to help out with rules and character creation.

Also, we'd probably use this site for dice rolling.

So, tl;dr - Who's game?

[Satsuoni]

I kinda wanted to try out D&D, but I've never played proper tabletop RPG (the ones with rules), so I am kinda afraid... (Don't know the rules, either).

[Eerongal]

I kinda wanted to try out D&D, but I've never played proper tabletop RPG (the ones with rules), so I am kinda afraid... (Don't know the rules, either).

don't worry about not knowing the rules. You can pick it up as you go.

Also, the 3rd edition core rules are essentially free online because of the OGL. You can look them up here. There's a ton of rules, so don't stress over needing to memorize all of them. Like i said, you can learn them as we use them

So should I chalk that up as 1 person wanting to play so far?

[Satsuoni]

don't worry about not knowing the rules. You can pick it up as you go.

Also, the 3rd edition core rules are essentially free online because of the OGL. You can look them up here. There's a ton of rules, so don't stress over needing to memorize all of them. Like i said, you can learn them as we use them

So should I chalk that up as 1 person wanting to play so far?

Yes, please. I want to give it a try.From reading the related media, I believe I am a style of player termed "munchkin", and I like spell casters, and being able to survive collateral damage from indiscriminate AoE. Recommendations for character?

[Thor]

I'd be interested. I can also help with character creation (possibly more than you ever want to know about it) and I am comfortable taking any role in the party, though I prefer arcane casters, Sorcerers in particular.

Satsuoni: If you want to look into 3.5 there are multiple online sites with OGL (Open Game License) content that covers (legally!) almost everything in 7 published books: Player's Handbook (PHB), Monster Manual (MM), Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), Deities and Demigods (DD), Expanded Psionics Handbook (EPH), Unearthed Arcana (UA), and Epic Level Handbook (ELH). All without having to spend a penny! (And some of the books can fetch quite a hefty sum, since they are out of print...) I prefer the Sovelior/Sage site, as it has the best layout, imo. D&D 3.5 (and all d20 systems, really) have a bit of a learning curve, but they aren't too bad once after a few sessions.

And I doubt you are a "munchkin." More likely optimizer/min-maxer would fit better. Munchkin is usually used as a derogatory term for cheaters/rules-lawyers (or out of context to refer to optimizers/minmaxers). What kind of caster do you want? Blasting might fit, based off the AoE part... Sorcerers are the best blasters, imo, with Wizards and Psions (if one uses Psionics) coming in close second/third (though this depends on the material allowed. If all 3.5 WotC books are allowed, Sorcs have the definite edge. Out of the box...probably Psions.)

Edit: Ninja'd

Edited February 8, 2012 by Thor

[Eerongal]

Yes, please. I want to give it a try.From reading the related media, I believe I am a style of player termed "munchkin", and I like spell casters, and being able to survive collateral damage from indiscriminate AoE. Recommendations for character?

Well, in 3rd edition, spellcasters ARE (easily) the strongest characters, they're also easy to screw up. But at low levels, they're horrendously weak compared to others (well, except maybe clerics). That being said, don't let me sway you away from using them.

As far as using AoE spells, i would recommend either wizard, sorcerer, or warmage (warmage won't be listed on the SRD i linked above)

Wizards and sorcerers are very similar, they share the same spell list, but wizards are prepared caster and sorcerers are spontaneous.

What this means is that wizards need to "prepare" their entire spell list at the beginning of the day, and that's the spells they get for that day. They can learn all the spells through the use of scribing scrolls/other spellbooks into their spellbooks

Sorcerers, by contrast, don't need to prepare their spells, and choose which spell to cast on the fly. The draw back with this is that they learn a particular "spell level" (all spells are divided into 9 levels, getting more powerful as they go up) later than wizards, and they can only learn a limited number of spells. They don't have the option of learning more by taking and using spell scrolls/books

Now, warmage is a little bit different. They're spontaneous casters just like sorcerers, except they don't need to learn spells. They automatically know all of their spells when they gain a spell level. The drawback here is that their spell list is very narrow compared to the wizard/sorcerer. In fact, most of their spells concentrate on damaging abilities. The obvious negative with this is that you miss out on a lot of other utility/buff/basically any other types of spells. Warmages are also quite a bit more sturdy than both wizards and sorcerers.

Now, there's also another option that may appeal to you. It's not a traditional spellcaster, but it is a spellcaster of sorts. They're called warlocks. Basically a warlock has a "ray" spell that it can cast unlimited number of times per day called eldritch blast. They also get these spell-like abilities (but they aren't actually spells) that can modify their eldritch blast, or do other various tricks (like flight and the like). They aren't as powerful as traditional casters, but they're pretty neat in their own right. Their spell-like abilities can also be used an unlimited number of times per day.

Both of these two classes (warmages and warlocks) are in the 3.5 book "Complete arcane" if you can find a way to get a hold of it, if you want to look up the rules on them.

Edit: ninja'd by thor. Also, sure, you would be more than welcome. We would just need at least 1 more person interested to get things rolling. (like i said, i would prefer to have a party of 4-6, and i could stand in for a player if needed)

Also, it will be helpful to have someone who knows what they're doing. I'm going to say this right up front: WLD is BRUTAL. VERY Brutal. It's designed as an old school dungeon crawl times 1000. It's huge, it's unforgiving, and you will need lots of luck.

[Thor]

*snip* <Good stuff on various arcane casters and warlocks>

Edit: ninja'd by thor. Also, sure, you would be more than welcome. We would just need at least 1 more person interested to get things rolling. (like i said, i would prefer to have a party of 4-6, and i could stand in for a player if needed)

Also, it will be helpful to have someone who knows what they're doing. I'm going to say this right up front: WLD is BRUTAL. VERY Brutal. It's designed as an old school dungeon crawl times 1000. It's huge, it's unforgiving, and you will need lots of luck.

I'd say Sorcerer or Warlock would probably be best for a new player, out of the arcane classes. Wizards take a ton of bookkeeping and Warmages are just too limited (without shenanigans).

I am VERY savvy with 3.5 (Though, most of it was obtained through osmosis by lurking on optimization forums. Before that taint was added, I was decent with 3.5. And naive. Oh, so naive.) and, if necessary, I can *dramatic pause* ask them questions.

[Eerongal]

I'd say Sorcerer or Warlock would probably be best for a new player, out of the arcane classes. Wizards take a ton of bookkeeping and Warmages are just too limited (without shenanigans).

I am VERY savvy with 3.5 (Though, most of it was obtained through osmosis by lurking on optimization forums. Before that taint was added, I was decent with 3.5. And naive. Oh, so naive.) and, if necessary, I can *dramatic pause* ask them questions.

Yeah, wizards are easily the most complex class. And warmage, despite being considered a weaker caster (because of the limited spell list), is still a caster, which automatically puts it above many other classes in terms of how strong it is. I also figured it would fit the bill of what he wanted (he sounds like he would enjoy the evocation school most, and warmages focus on evocation almost exclusively)

My only issue with warlock for a new person is that it may come off an confusing, since the difference between spell-like and spells aren't exactly clear to someone unfamiliar with the rules. They're also significantly more of a gish than a blaster, which is why i mentioned it last.

And yeah, i as well used to lurk the optimization boards for the longest time. Honestly, i wish they never released 4th and continued with 3rd, because 4th just felt....limited....

[Satsuoni]

Ok! I gave the classes a quick read, and I agree that Warlock seems to be a right choice, at first. Can I still become a lich after some levels, or do I need to multiclass as a wizard? (just asking)

To Thor: I was not aware that munchkin became derogatory. What I meant was that I prefer direct approach of crushing the enemies, and destroying what I cannot use rather than guile and stealth. Ok, ninja'd probably. Ah. Well, I can't say I remember which school does what. But really, at least some abilities that I dOn't need to count sound pretty good. Also, I really need to get to sleep now (Tokyo time zone )

[Thor]

Ok! I gave the classes a quick read, and I agree that Warlock seems to be a right choice, at first. Can I still become a lich after some levels, or do I need to multiclass as a wizard? (just asking)

To Thor: I was not aware that munchkin became derogatory. What I meant was that I prefer direct approach of crushing the enemies, and destroying what I cannot use rather than guile and stealth. Ok, ninja'd probably. Ah. Well, I can't say I remember which school does what. But really, at least some abilities that I dOn't need to count sound pretty good. Also, I really need to get to sleep now (Tokyo time zone )

Yes, a Warlock can become a Lich, if permitted.

[Eerongal]

Ok! I gave the classes a quick read, and I agree that Warlock seems to be a right choice, at first. Can I still become a lich after some levels, or do I need to multiclass as a wizard? (just asking)

To Thor: I was not aware that munchkin became derogatory. What I meant was that I prefer direct approach of crushing the enemies, and destroying what I cannot use rather than guile and stealth. Ok, ninja'd probably. Ah. Well, I can't say I remember which school does what. But really, at least some abilities that I dOn't need to count sound pretty good. Also, I really need to get to sleep now (Tokyo time zone )

Yes, a warlock has a caster level and qualifies for anything that requires a caster level (but not specific spell levels).

However, i will point this out, that becoming a lich in this particular campaign will have some significant RP drawbacks.

Also, since the lich template isnt actually intended for characters, I would have to point you towards the Lich savage progression. It's basically "levels" you take instead of class levels that give you lich abilities (templates that characters can use have level adjustment, which are "fake" levels that dont give any benefit, but youre considered higher level. This progressions essentially emulates that for the lich template)

I'm not going to stop you from trying to become a lich, i just wanted to let you know that it could come with some drawbacks

[Eerongal]

Oh, while on the topic of spellcasters, I will mention this up front. Some spells (specifically summoning and teleportation) don't work exactly right in WLD. There's a story reason behind it, but I won't go into that

[KChan]

I'm definitely interested in joining - I'd probably play either a meelee class of some sort or a Sorcerer - but I have to be honest: I'm not entirely sure if I'll have time to commit, due to some stuff we're working on for MBI and my already massive time commitment over there. Any idea what you want the OoC pacing to be like, Eero?

Also, I'm fond of the Spellblade class in 4e. Is there anything like that in 3.5, and would you recommend it for relative DnD newbies?

[Eerongal]

I'm definitely interested in joining - I'd probably play either a meelee class of some sort or a Sorcerer - but I have to be honest: I'm not entirely sure if I'll have time to commit, due to some stuff we're working on for MBI and my already massive time commitment over there. Any idea what you want the OoC pacing to be like, Eero?

Also, I'm fond of the Spellblade class in 4e. Is there anything like that in 3.5, and would you recommend it for relative DnD newbies?

So far as pacing goes, I don't really have a set timetable or anything. I plan on going at a pretty laid back pace. If needed, I can always come in and control a characters actions for a short amount of time just to get things rolling, so i dont think it'll be an issue.

As far as the spellblade goes, I have no experience with it, so i'm not sure entirely what it does. Off hand, just from the name, i can recommend either beguiler or hexblade. Coming from 4E, you may also be interested in the Tome of battle classes (any of them, really. Maybe swordsage would have the closest thematic feel to the spellblade) they're pretty much the closest 3rd edition has to offer that has similar 4E mechanics (wizards mentioned that it, among a few other supplements, were actually test runs for ideas they were toying with for 4E mechanics)

[Emeralis00]

I'm interested, but are you doing it over the internet or is it IRL?

3.5 is where I learned what D&D is. I have the core rulebooks for it above my computer on a shelf.

[Eerongal]

I'm interested, but are you doing it over the internet or is it IRL?

3.5 is where I learned what D&D is. I have the core rulebooks for it above my computer on a shelf.

Play by post here on the forums.

[Emeralis00]

Play by post here on the forums.

Here, take one Bro-hug.

Normally, I like to play a wizard, but since others have shown interest, I think I will share. *evil laugh*

I would like to participate, possibly as a druid or cleric.

[Eerongal]

Here, take one Bro-hug.

Normally, I like to play a wizard, but since others have shown interest, I think I will share. *evil laugh*

I would like to participate, possibly as a druid or cleric.

Actually, it's probably good if you guys figure out what you wanna play ahead of time.

I'll go ahead and put this out here about the dungeon. Like i said earlier, it's based around the idea of the classic dungeon crawl, which means that it automatically assumes you have AT LEAST 1 person to fill the following roles: Meatshield, Offensive caster, defensive caster (healer), and a trapper. I'm not going to force anyone to take any of these particular roles, but the entire dungeon was built under the assumption you have one of each of these roles.

Edit: also, as far as a trapper goes, don't feel that you would be completely confined to rogue. If you take 1 level of rogue, and keep the required skills maxed, you can still be a very good trapper. Also, artificer is a trapper right out of the box (in addition to being a steampunk themed class, with some nice spell-like abilities)

[Emeralis00]

Yeah, in the current campaign I am in with my friends, we lost our cleric and are having trouble stay healed.

[Eerongal]

Ok, so at this point, we have the minimum number of people i wanted to get started, so I'm gonna go ahead and give it a few days before we actually start so that I can hash out a few of the particulars for structuring how things will work on here, and to give you guys a couple of days to mull over your character ideas. And that way we have a bit more time for anyone else who is interested to speak up. If we get more than 6/7 people, we'll have to look into splitting it into multiple parties (which isn't a problem. There's way more than enough dungeon to go around in this thing)

If anyone has any character questions or ideas or anything, you can feel free to post questions here, PM me, or even hit me up on AIM (my aim name should be in my profile)

Edit: really quick, here's a list of alternate base classes (all the non core ones, basically. So excluding fighter, wizard, sorcerer, paladin, druid, bard, monk, barbarian, ranger, rogue and cleric) in D&D 3/3.5. It gives a short description of all of them (ignore the top 5 from the DMG. Those are NPC classes, and i can guarantee you don't want to be one.)

[Eerongal]

I put together a quick little character sheet template we can use. I figure the way we'll work it is that each person will make a topic for their character sheet. Their character sheet will be the first post in the topic, and they can upkeep the character sheet themselves as they advance in levels and do various things. It also gives you a section to discuss and ask about your character, or plan advancements. That way we'll have a section to OoC discuss your character that won't get cluttered up.

Here's the template:

Character Name:

Character Race:

Character Class:

Alignment:

Diety:

Player Name:

Gender:

Age:

Height:

Weight:

Eyes:

Hair:

Character Level: 1

Known Languages:

-------------------------------------------------------

Strength: 10 (+0)

Dexterity: 10 (+0)

Constitution: 10 (+0)

Intelligence: 10 (+0)

Wisdom: 10 (+0)

Charisma: 10 (+0)

-------------------------------------------------------

Armor Class: 10 [ BASE (10) + DEX + armor +shield]

Flatfooted AC: 10 [10+armor+shield]

Touch AC: 10 [10+Dex]

AC Penalty:

Maximum DEX bonus:

Armor Type & Weight:

-------------------------------------------------------

Hit Points: X

-------------------------------------------------------

Base Speed: X'/round

Total Encumbrance: X lb. - [ Light/medium/heavy Load]

Normal Speed: X'/round

-------------------------------------------------------

Save vs. Fortitude: +X [ BASE + CON]

Save vs. Reflex: +X [ BASE + DEX]

Save vs. Will: +X [ BASE + WIS]

-------------------------------------------------------

Initiative Modifier: +X [DEX + MISC]

Melee Attack Bonus: +x [bAB + STR]

Ranged Attack Bonus: +x [bAB + DEX ]

-------------------------------------------------------

Weapons:

Weapon weight:

-------------------------------------------------------

Skills (put X in box if a class skill. * indicates armor check penalty):

[Class]SkillName - Ranks - Attribute - Misc. = total

[ ]Appraise - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Balance* - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Bluff - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Climb* - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Concentration - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Craft - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Decipher Script - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Diplomacy - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Disable Device - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Disguise - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Escape Artist* - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Forgery - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Gather Information - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Handle Animal - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Heal - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Hide* - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Intimidate - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Jump* - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Knowledge - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Listen - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Move Silently* - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Open Lock - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Perform - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Profession() - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Ride - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Search - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Sense Motive - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Sleight Of Hand - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Speak Language - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Spellcraft - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Spot - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Survival - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Swim* - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Tumble* - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Use Magic Device - __ - __ - __ =

[ ]Use Rope - __ - __ - __ =

-------------------------------------------------------

Feats:

Feat Name & Description:

-------------------------------------------------------

Racial and Class Skills & Abilities:

-------------------------------------------------------

Equipment & Gear

Weight of Equipment:

-------------------------------------------------------

Money: 0gp, 0sp, 0cp

-------------------------------------------------------

Spells (if applicable):

Spells per day

0 Level Spells: DC = X, Yx per day

1st Level Spells: DC = X, Yx per day

Spells Known/Written in Spellbook (sorc/wizard/favored soul)

0 Level:

1st Level:

Memorized Spell List (Default)

0 Level:

1st level:

-------------------------------------------------------

Character History:

[KChan]

The thing is, Eero, even though I'm slightly more familiar with 4e's mechanics, I'm still relatively new to D&D as a whole, so I'm pretty flexible. I'll see what I can do about getting my hands on the rules and go from there. I normally tend to play casters, but since the majority of us seem to have the same feelings, I might try something new.

Is there any particular campaign setting I should be looking at in terms of lore, deities, etc? I didn't see anything (except the dungeon name) mentioned specifically, but I might have missed it somehow.

[Emeralis00]

Your AIM isn't working, I sent you a friend invite on Steam.

My vague idea is a NG cleric of No-Particular-God with Healing and Good Domains.

Its going to be a standard healing/buff cleric.

What level are we doing? How are we generating characters? I recommend PCgen.

[Eerongal]

The thing is, Eero, even though I'm slightly more familiar with 4e's mechanics, I'm still relatively new to D&D as a whole, so I'm pretty flexible. I'll see what I can do about getting my hands on the rules and go from there. I normally tend to play casters, but since the majority of us seem to have the same feelings, I might try something new.

Is there any particular campaign setting I should be looking at in terms of lore, deities, etc? I didn't see anything (except the dungeon name) mentioned specifically, but I might have missed it somehow.

And that's fine. I don't think you'll have any trouble picking it up as you go along. The base mechanics are pretty simple, and i don't mind answering questions.

As i mentioned previously, this site effectively has all of the rules for 3rd edition. (it's missing character creation and advancement rules, because those aren't covered in the OGL, but we can cover those when we get around to character creation. Other than that, it pretty much has everything you need in terms of rules. I would maybe give the combat section a browse or something just so you get the sort of feel for it, but i wouldn't stress needing to "memorize" everything)

As far as the campaign goes, it's relatively setting neutral, so there's no particular lore or cosmology forced upon us. I was planning on using the generic lore (greyhawk) of 3rd edition, but i have no objections to bringing in things from other campaign settings. As far as what's allowed, i'll pretty much allow anything that was published by wizards of the coast (that is, official D&D swag). Like i said previously, the dungeon itself is incredibly brutal, so i would like to give you guys as much of an edge as possible.

[Eerongal]

Your AIM isn't working, I sent you a friend invite on Steam.

My vague idea is a NG cleric of No-Particular-God with Healing and Good Domains.

Its going to be a standard healing/buff cleric.

What level are we doing? How are we generating characters? I recommend PCgen.

My AIM is working.....If it isn't, then i question how the current conversation i have going with my brother is happening....

As far as steam goes, i wont be home until about 10:30 tonight, so i wont be able to chat on that till then. AIM is good up till and after then.

Edit: also - starting at level 1. This dungeon is intended to bring you from level 1 - 20 over the full course of the dungeon. And i'm thinking 32 point buy. As far as HOW people make them, that's up to them. And i'm always usually around to give advice/help.