Basics of D&D

[Jeff]

This thread combines all the previous basics about D&D (with a few Eberron-specific bits thrown in).

[Jeff]

So...classes (aka, adventurer careers)...

A classic, well-rounded D&D group includes a fighter type, a rogue type, a wizard type, and a cleric type. I don't care about that for this game. I'd rather each of you be whatever class and race you would find the most interesting, challenging, or just plain fun. That said, it would be cool if there were some Eberron-unique types, such as warforged, changelings, shifters, or dragonmarked* characters. If we end up with a party consisting only of gnome barbarians, so be it! Be what you want to be, not based on what others might be.

*Dragonmarks are like the cross between magical tattoos and birthmarks. They appear, usually during adolescence, on a small percentage of family members within one of the dragonmarked houses.

Since play-by-post (PbP) games are slow-paced by nature, I'm going to start everyone as 2nd level characters rather than 1st. But I'm going to do it like this: Each of you will have 1 level from an NPC (non-player character) class and 1 level in one of the core PC (player character) classes. Basically, the NPC class is a "free one" and won't calculate it in regarding experience points—yet it will count toward your overall character level so it only benefits you. Here are the NPC classes to choose from:

• Adept: A primal spellcaster, such as hedge wizard, witch, or shaman. Adepts are what tribal spellcasters would be, or village mystics. The midwife who lives on the edge of town who sells love potions would be an adept.
  
• Aristocrat: One of noble birth, and who was raised accordingly, with the training appropriate to the station: diplomacy and horse riding, etc. They definitely start the game with the most money. But with status comes expectation, so don't think this is the necessarily the easiest way to go.
  
• Commoner: The vast majority of the citizens of the Five Nations. They are the farmers, laborers, and serfs. They have a few everyday practical skills and certainly make for believable adventurers starting their lives in ordinary ways.
  Note: Because Commoner is clearly the weakest NPC class, anyone who chooses it will have 35, not 34, points to distribute on the ability score point buy system.
  
• Expert: They are the artisans of the world—blacksmiths, tailors, cooks, etc. They're really good at a handful of skills. Whereas a commoner may go from job to job and be able to do various things well enough, experts tend to do a smaller number of things really well. Experts usually have solid careers.
  
• Magewright: Unique to Eberron, magewrights are basically craftsmen who possession some talent with magic which they use to enhance their skills. Basically, magic-using experts. Magewrights are responsible for most of the magical "technology" of Eberron, the reason that low-level magic is actually quite common. They create the everbright lanterns (heatless permanent flames) that light city streets, and help construct and maintain the various magical vehicles of Eberron, such as the lightning rail or the elemental airships, among other things. In the Last War (the defining event of the current political, economic, and social climate of Eberron), they even filled in for wizards and sorcerers on the battlefield when the latter were scarce.
  
• Warrior: Warriors, in game terms, are those who've learned a thing or two about combat, but haven't received the rigorous instruction most career soldiers have. Such as members of a town's militia. They have few skills, but are the best at fighting. Obviously. Note that the term "warrior" is used in game terms. Within the world, "warrior" can apply to anyone who fights. The vast majority of combatants in the Last War were warriors.
  

You'd want to choose your NPC class based on whatever background you want to go with. If you want to be the everyman, be a commoner. If you want to be a dragonmarked character, consider aristocrat. Magewright or adept, perhaps, if you want to go a spellcasting route. And so on. But you can mix them up, too: start off a commoner even though you're going to be a spellcaster. Whatever you want.

Then you'll pick a regular PC class: artificer, barbarian, bard, cleric, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, or wizard. I'd consider other base classes from other WotC books, such as hexblade, psion, psychic warrior, scout, swashbuckler, warlock, or warmage. If you're familiar with any of the latter and would like to play one, we can talk.

Here's the basics of the common classes, for those of you unfamiliar with them:

• Artificer - Unique to Eberron, they are the inventors and magic tinkerers. Their infusions are exclusive to material objects—whether that's weapons, armor, wands, warforged, or vehicles. If someone's weapon needs to be mended or a warforged needs to be repaired, they come to you!
  
• Barbarian - Savage warriors, usually associated with a particular non-urban landscape. Halflings of the Talenta Plains are often barbarians, as are the human hunters of the Shadow Marches or the dragon-worshipping humans of the island of Seren.
  
• Bard - Musicians and storytellers, bards are jacks-of-all-trades. Generally the most "in the know" characters. Some make good spies, which is not uncommon in the aftermath of a great war.
  
• Cleric - Priests, holy men and women. They are not particularly common in Eberron. Usually crusading knights and pilgrims, clerics do the work of the gods abroad. Some dwell in temples (usually in a position of leadership), though most clergies are made up of experts, not clerics. They are purveyors of magical, divine healing. But House Jorasco, one of the dragonmarked house, is more commonly associated with healing than clerics. Most clerics will only heal those of their own faith, and then usually for some donation to the temple. (This is not a hard and fast rule, however.)
  
• Druid - Spellcasters of the old world, druids wield divine magic drawn from the land itself. Their traditions began from the ancient orc tribes, which in turn may have learned their skills from the dragons. Druids usually live on the outskirts of society to protect the magical gates that imprison the demons of Khyber (the underworld).
  
• Fighter - The quintessential master of combat. Soldiers in the Last War who had more rigorous training than warriors are fighters. They're very customizable. Fighters could be gladiatorial brutes, horse-riding cavaliers, or they could be light-footed swashbuckling types.
  
• Monk - Certainly not common in Eberron, monks are devoted to martial artists and ascetic lives. Monasteries dot the land, as often as not affiliated with a particular faith. Monks are a fighting class, usually eschewing weapons altogether and dealing lethal damage with their own hands (and legs, and heads, and knees....).
  
• Paladin - Though most see paladins as holier-than-thou knights, they can be versatile fighters. But basically, they're devoted to law, goodness, and their chosen god. They are much like fighters, but also possess a limited amount of divine magic.
  
• Ranger - Warriors of the wild, rangers are scouts, hunters, and trackers, associated with some sort of non-urban terrain (like barbarians). In wilder places like the Eldeen Reaches or the Shadow Marches, rangers are not uncommon.
  
• Rogue - What is commonly seen as "thieves," rogues are really just as versatile as fighters. Rogues could be heavy-handed thugs, pocket-picking street urchins, or savvy diplomats. They are the class with the most skills to choose from.
  
• Sorcerer - Wielders of arcane magic, sorcerers are those born with the innate power to use magic. They needn't study. They needn't even be smart. With charisma alone they can channel the magic that infuses the world.
  
• Wizard - Your classic bookish spellcaster, wizards lack the sheer battery power of sorcerers but can have an unlimited repertoire of spells to cast from. They study, they grow their personal arsenal of magical skill, and they are more respected in Eberron as the backbone of magic innovation. While artificers assemble the artifacts that magic makes possible, wizards strike out to discover new magic.
  

[Jeff]

Then it's time to think about ability scores. That is, the 6 classic D&D stats that every character and creature in the game has: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma. Now we're onto the geeky stuff! Here's a very brief description of each, for you beginners:

STRENGTH (STR)
Strength measures your character’s muscle and physical power. This ability is especially important for fighters, barbarians, paladins, rangers, and monks because it helps them prevail in combat. Strength also limits the amount of equipment your character can carry.
You apply your character’s Strength modifier to: Melee attack rolls; Climb, Jump, and Swim checks.
Good for fights in melee combat, smashing stuff, or kicking doors in.

DEXTERITY (DEX)
Dexterity measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is the most important one for rogues, but it’s also high on the list for characters who typically wear light or medium armor (rangers and barbarians) or no armor at all (monks, wizards, and sorcerers), and for anyone who wants to be a skilled archer.
You apply your character’s Dexterity modifier to: Ranged attack rolls, including those for attacks made with bows, crossbows, throwing axes, and other ranged weapons; Armor Class (AC), provided that the character can react to the attack; Reflex saving throws, for avoiding fireballs and other attacks that you can escape by moving quickly; Balance, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock, Ride, Sleight of Hand, Tumble, and Use Rope checks.
Good for using ranged weapons or doing sneaky things like picking pockets and hiding in shadows.

CONSTITUTION (CON)
Constitution represents your character’s health and stamina. A Constitution bonus increases a character’s hit points, so the ability is important for all classes.
You apply your character’s Constitution modifier to: Each roll of a the die for determing how many hit points (health) you have; Fortitude saving throws, for resisting poison and similar threats; Concentration checks.
Good for taking a lot of physical punishment, resisting poisons or disease, or needs good concentration while casting a spell.

INTELLIGENCE (INT)
Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons. This ability is important for wizards because it affects how many spells they can cast, how hard their spells are to resist, and how powerful their spells can be. It’s also important for any character who wants to have a wide assortment of skills.
You apply your character’s Intelligence modifier to: The number of languages your character knows at the start of the game; the number of skill points you gain at each level; Appraise, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Forgery, Knowledge, Search, and Spellcraft checks.
Good for having a lot of skill points all around or casting memorized [spellbook] spells!

WISDOM (WIS)
Wisdom describes a character’s willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one’s ability to analyze information, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of one’s surroundings. Wisdom is the most important ability for clerics and druids, and it is also important for paladins and rangers. If you want your character to have acute senses, put a high score in Wisdom. Every creature has a Wisdom score.
You apply your character’s Wisdom modifier to: Will saving throws (for negating the effect of charm person and other spells); Heal, Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks.
Good for resisting mental attacks or casting divine (cleric or druid) spells.

CHARISMA (CHA)
Charisma measures a character’s force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness. This ability represents actual strength of personality, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting. Charisma is most important for paladins, sorcerers, and bards. It is also important for clerics, since it affects their ability to turn undead. Every creature has a Charisma score.
You apply your character’s Charisma modifier to: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device checks.
Good for being social (e.g. bards, rogues, sorcerers, diplomatic types) or otherwise persuasive.


Most of the time, a character's ability scores range from 3 (pathetic) to 18 (amazing). As for what your numbers will be....I'm using a 34* point buy system, which is a really generous one (32 is normally the highest one). Here's how it works:

Set all ability scores to 8, and then spend those 34 points to raise them to their desired end. Raising the score between 9 and 14 costs only 1 point for each raise, by the following chart:

9–14 = 1 point each
15–16 = 2 points each
17–18 = 3 points per ability score

Hope this makes sense? If I lost you, let me know, and I'll help out. The following are sample spreads that use this method; you could certainly pick any of these to make it easy:

18,18,10,8,8,8
18,16,14,10,8,8
18,15,12,10,10,10
17,16,14,10,10,9
16,16,16,12,8,8
16,14,14,14,12,10
16,14,14,12,12,12
14,14,14,14,14,12

Once you've chosen which spread of points you want, you can apply any racial modifiers. For example, if you're a dwarf, you would then add 2 to your final Constitution score, but you'd subtract 2 from your Charisma score (because dwarves are tough and dour!). To give you a basic understanding of the ability score scale, the average ho-hum human commoner in the world has 10 for every score. Those are run-of-the-mill. So that'll tell you how far above or below average you end up. People with 18 anything are amazing. 18 Strength would make you stronger than the average bugbear, and 18 Intelligence means you'd have a fighting chance at beating a gynosphinx at chess.

* I've decided that since the NPC class Commoner is clearly the weakest class, anyone who chooses it will have 35, not 34, points to distribute.

[Jeff]

This is a thread for you D&D beginners. What are skill and how do they work?

Basically, skills allow you to do a variety of things outside of combat (and some even help you in combat). Characters like rogues and bards tend to have the most available skills and characters like fighters tend to have the fewest. But they're all really useful. I'll give you a rundown of what you can do with them here, and I won't throw numbers at you right now.

Note that the abbreviations in paranthesis are the ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisom, Charisma) that tie to that particular skill. So if you're really strong, then you're going to be particularly good at climbing and jumping.

Some of these skills are active and some are passive. So for example, if you pick up a jewel-encrusted sword from a dead enemy, you might say that you'd like to use your Appraise skill to assess its value. But if someone was trying to creep up on you, I as the DM would roll your Spot check to see if you notice. If you do, I'll tell you about it.

Not all skills can be performed unless you've actively trained it (that is, put at least 1 point into it to buy you 1 rank). I've noted those below.

A more thorough description of skills can be found here.

Appraise (Int): This skill allows you to assess the worth of treasure you find. Especially useful if you find some valuable object on your travels that you'd like to sell for gold but don't really want to keep. If you have a good idea of its worth, you'll know if the merchant buying from you is trying to scam you or not.

Balance (Dex): If you're walking along a narrow ledge over a yawning chasm that drops to certain death, you may be happy for a good Balance roll.

Bluff (Cha): Anytime you want to lie to someone, or mislead them, or generally deceive, this is the skill to use.

Climb (Str): Pretty self-explanatory. Whether you're climbing a rope ladder or scaling a sheer wall, this is the skill to use.

Concentration (Con): If you're a spellcaster and you're casting a spell during combat, you may need this one. If you're standing next to an enemy and need to cast a spell, the very casting makes you an easy target. If you're using this skill, you can maintain your spell even as you dodge. Other uses of the skill come when you're doing anything that requires focus in a distracting environment.

Craft (Int): If you choose to put points into the Craft skill, you can create things. Not really the common province of adventurers, but you never know. Artificers would do well to have some skill in this, though.

Decipher Script (Int): If you come across some strange markings on the wall of a tomb, having even one point in this skill allows you to try to make some sense of it. Otherwise it's gibberish to you!
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Diplomacy (Cha)*: This accounts for all kinds of things, but basically this is the skill you use whenever you're negotiating with people, trying to calm them down, rile them up, or just generally try and get them on your side.

Disable Device (Int): This is the skill that allows you to disarm traps, rig a wagon to collapse the moment someone puts weight on it, or set up a bucket of water to fall on someone when they walk through a door...
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Disguise (Cha): This is the skill you use whenever you want to pretend to be someone else, both with acting and with physical appearance. Usually you need some kind of actual disguise kit to help you out.

Escape Artist (Dex): If someone wrestles you to the ground, or binds you with ropes, this is what you use to try to escape again.

Forgery (Int): If you're a willing lawbreaker, you can try to use this to falsify documents and forge someone else's name.

Gather Information (Cha): When the party splits up (or not) and each person goes their own way, you can use this skill to loosen the tongues of the locals, find out what's going on, what the political air is like, or what specific rumors might be going around.

Handle Animal (Cha): You use this skill to train an animal, or temporarily get an animal to do something, within reason (such as get a stubborn mule to move or a horse to hurry up!).
Only those trained with this skill can use it, although an untrained person could still try to persuade an animal to do something simple.

Heal (Wis): Allows you to bind severe wounds, lessen the effects of poison, or treat disease. It's not magical in nature, so you only have your own knowledge and any tools to work with on this. You can also use Heal to assess someone's wounds or try and determine how someone died (if it's not already obvious).

Hide (Dex): Merge into the shadows or even try to lose your pursuer in a crowd.

Intimidate (Cha): This works a lot like Diplomacy, except that you're scaring someone into action or inaction rather than persuading them. While Charisma is the driving force of this one (because it's a lot like Bluff), if you're imaginative about how you intimidate someone, circumstantial bonuses can be added to the roll.

Jump (Str): Need to get across that gaping fissure? Reach that stone shelf above the swiftly flooding chamber? Or maybe minimize the amount of damage you'll take from an inevitable fall by falling on your own terms? Then Jump is for you!

Knowledge (Int): There's actually a bunch of different Knowledge skills you can take, each a broad category of information. But it basically represents your education on that subject. Whenever you're face with some new creature, event, or object, you might be able to make a Knowledge check and see if you know anything about it. Not having points in any Knowledge skill doesn't mean you're a moron. It just means you only know as much as everyone else about any given subject. Whatever's common knowledge.
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Listen (Wis): If someone's creeping up on you to stab you in the back, this is a good skill to use. It's usually passive. Or, if you want to eavesdrop through a door, use Listen!

Move Silently (Dex): Want to be that person sneaking up on someone else to stab them in the back? Then Move Silently is for you!

Open Lock (Dex): Want to get past a door without bashing it in and leaving evidence of your intrustion? This is a burglar's friend.
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Perform (Cha): Used mostly by bards, this skill is all about how well you are at entertaining. You can make a check for an evening's performance and find out whether you've earned some of the crowd's hard-earned money, the attention of the local nobility...or earned yourself a collection of projectile, rotten tomatoes and a vehement "Boooooo!"

Profession (Wis): Having points in a Profession (you can choose from many) allows you to actually make a living with it and earn money over time. If there's downtime between adventuring, you can use this for some extra cash. But more importantly, this will tie into your character's background. Not everyone will have a profession, though.
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Ride (Dex): Anytime you get on a horse, or any other kind of steed, this skill determines how well you can handle it, whether you can fight while riding, and how much control you have overall.

Search (Int): Looking for that stash of gold you know the real owner of this house has around somewhere? This is the skill for you! It also helps you find traps and locate secret doors.

Sense Motive (Wis): When someone else might be lying you, this is what you use to try to figure it out. Generally speaking, this is the skill that tells you if something fishy is going on (or if you smell a rat!).

Sleight of Hand (Dex): A wonderful skill that determines how good you are at picking pockets, palming coins, or hiding small objects on your person. All in all, how deft are you with your hands?
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Speak Language: Technically, this is a skill but it hardly works like one. You either have it or you don't. Basically, everyone starts off with a free language or two they can speak. But if you want to learn more, you can use points to buy more languages.
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Spellcraft (Int): If you have points in Spellcraft, then you can try to identify spells cast by other people either as they're casting them or if they're already in place. You know, it might be useful to know whether or not the spell just cast on you will soon cause your limbs to shrivel and fall off.
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Spot (Wis): This is a passive skill, and one that helps you notice things...like that sniper up on the wall who's got a crossbow trained on you, or perhaps that street urchin who's picking your pocket. You can even read lips with this one.

Survival (Wis): A handy catch-all skill used for getting on in the wild. You use it to track prints (if you also have the Track feat), find food or water, hunt, take shelter from the weather, avoid hazards, or keep from getting lost. Definitely the skill of rangers and druids!

Swim (Str): Everyone can tread water, for the most part, but the Swim skill determines how well you can move around in the water. Especially useful if you're being attacked in the water or if the water is turbulent.

Tumble (Dex): A skill for the nimble, Tumbling successfully allows you move around the battlefield with less chance of you getting attacked as you move. You can weave among opponents, dive under an enemy's legs, and even treat a fall as if it's shorter than it really is.
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Use Magic Device (Cha): The basic rule in D&D is like this: if you're not a wizard, then you probably can't use a scroll with a wizard's spell on it, or you can't discharge an arcane wand if you're not yourself an arcane spellcaster. But this skill allows you get around that rule, to try to fool the item into thinking you are a wizard (or whatever). This skill allows roguish types the ability to use more magic items than their class normally allows.
Only those trained with this skill can use it.

Use Rope (Dex): Want to tie someone up until the proper authorities arrive? This skill shows you how good those knots are for when that someone inevitably tries to slip his bonds. Also, if you have to splice some ropes together and then ascend into a deep pit, you'll want to know someone with a good Use Rope skill tied off those knots!

Diplomacy (houseruled based on Rich Burlew's take on it)

Formula: The base Difficulty Class (DC) for any Diplomacy check is equal to the 15 + level of the highest-level character in the group that you are trying to influence + the Wisdom modifier of the character in the group with the highest Wisdom.

Relationship Modifiers to the DC:
-10 Intimate: Someone who with whom you have an implicit trust.
-7 Friend: Someone with whom you have a regularly positive personal relationship.
-5 Ally: Someone on the same team, but with whom you have no personal relationship.
-2 Acquaintance (Positive): Someone you have met several times with no particularly negative experiences.
+0 Just Met: No relationship whatsoever.
+2 Acquaintance (Negative): Someone you have met several times with no particularly positive experiences.
+5 Enemy: Someone on an opposed team, with whom you have no personal relationship.
+7 Personal Foe: Someone with whom you have a regularly antagonistic personal relationship.
+10 Nemesis: Someone who has sworn to do you, personally, harm.

Risk vs. Reward Judgement:
-10 Fantastic: The reward for accepting the deal is very worthwhile, and the risk is either acceptable or extremely unlikely. The best-case scenario is a virtual guarantee.
-5 Favorable: The reward is good, and the risk is tolerable. If all goes according to plan, the deal will end up benefiting the subject.
+0 Even: The reward and risk are more or less even, or the deal involves neither reward nor risk.
+5 Unfavorable: The reward is not enough compared to the risk involved; even if all goes according to plan, chances are it will end up badly for the subject.
+10 Horrible: There is no conceivable way the proposed plan could end up with the subject ahead, or the worst-case scenario is guaranteed to occur.