Transitioning from 2nd to 5th Edition D&D(Part II)

Introduction

In my last post, I discussed the things I like about 5th Edition D&D when compared to 2nd Edition D&D. Let’s move on to the things I really don’t like.

Things I Don’t Like About 5th Edition

Saving Throws

One of my biggest issues with 5th Edition is how they did Saving Throws. It starts off okay for low-level characters, where saving throws are based on particular stats and every class has proficiency in two saving throws. So, one class might be proficient in Strength and Constitution, while another might be proficient in Wisdom and Charisma. Since they are proficient, they get to add their proficiency bonus (+2 at first level) to their relevant stat bonus. For example, a first-level fighter might have a +2 proficiency bonus and a +4 Strength bonus because he has an 18 Strength. Combined, he has a +6 bonus to Strength saving throws. Which is a big bonus for a 1st level character, but he’s a fighter – so it’s understandable.

My problem is how saving throws progress for higher-level characters. In all honesty, though, I’ve only played up to around 13th level characters at this point. Still, there seems to be a weakness here. All characters start with proficiency in only 2 saving throw statistics – usually stats that pertain to their classes strengths (Strength and Constitution for fighters, etc…). As you advance, in levels, you get to upgrade your stats every few levels or so. Each time, you get 2 stat points that can be applied, one apiece to two stats, or together to a single stat. So, our fourth level fighter is incentivized – just by the nature of his class and normal activities – to add two points to his Strength when he reaches 4th level. That gives him +5 to hit, damage, and Strength saving throws.

Alternatively, instead of using Stat bonuses on stats, you can trade them in for a feat. You are permitted to take each feat only once, unless stated otherwise. One option is the Resilient feat which gives you proficiency in a stat saving throw of your choosing (provided you aren’t already proficient in it). So, our fighter could choose Charisma for his Resilient stat – so he’s got proficiency in Strength, Constitution, and Charisma. And maybe, he’ll take Shieldmaster to go with the magic shield he found somewhere on his adventures. This gives him a kind of pseudo-proficiency in Dexterity saving throws in certain situations.

But that leaves Wisdom and Intelligence. And I kind of think that most fighters won’t be focused on upgrading those two stats to make a reasonable difference. Is he going to boost his Int by two instead of Strength or instead of Constitution? It’s possible, but I don’t think it is really advantageous. Maybe I’m looking at it in too limited of a fashion, but I kind of think there’s a good chance our fighter will wind up with the same Saving Throws for Intelligence and Wisdom that he had at 1st level when he’s reached a whopping 20th level. Maybe he’ll have some magic items to alter that, but if he doesn’t – that is one heck of a vulnerability for high-level powerful characters.

If I were to offer a solution, I would give characters a single +1 bonus to be applied to any non-proficient saving throw of their choosing every time they advanced to a higher level tier (5th, 9th, 13th, etc…). I know in 2nd edition, high-level characters had good saving throws all around, and I think a modification like this would do likewise for 5th.

Age Categories of Dragons

My next complaint about fifth edition is the number of age categories for dragons. In 2nd edition, if I recall correctly, there were 8 age categories for dragons (or was that just 1st edition – I’m not sure). I really like the idea that dragons are powerful creatures that get stronger as they get older. Ancient dragons (the oldest) are the most powerful of all (I’m ignoring draco-liches for now, as I have yet to fight one in 5th edition).

Fifth edition cut all those age categories down to four. You’ve got what, now? Wyrmlings, young dragons, adult dragons, and ancients? I think. Four. I mean, it’s a semi-respectable number, but I just really miss the full span of 8 age categories, that covered so much ground. I liked the idea of there being some significant variability around the adult category – which is the “real” dragon, in my view.

I mean, wyrmlings have their place, but I kind of think if you aren’t fighting an adult, it’s not really a dragon. And I think they’re should be some variability there. And then there are the ancient dragons. They can pretty much be end-campaign villains. Which is good. Still, going from 8 age categories to – hah, I just looked it up in an old 2nd edition book. 2nd edition dragons went up to 12 age categories. That, I think is a bit excessive. I think I prefer the 8 age categories of 1st edition. Given the choice between 4 and 12, however, I think I prefer the 12. Gives more variability.

Psionics

My next complaint is how 5th edition rolls all the spells and spell-ish abilities into one spell list. That is, magical spells, priestly spells, and even psionics are all mashed together into a single master list of “spells” that go up to 9th level. Previous editions had magic spells going up to 9th level, priestly spells going up to 7th level, and psionics – I don’t fully remember, but it had a few features that made it stand out as a different sort of animal than either one of the spell lists (psionic points, etc…).

Of course, I always thought that maximum cleric spell levels (7th) versus maximum magic spell levels (9th) should be reversed. I mean, magic is the power of mortals, and ultimately, priestly spells are the power of the divine. And psionics … I’m not sure I really was ever a big fan of psionics. It doesn’t really quite fit my notion of fantasy. It seems more like a sci-fi type of ability. But … I do really like mind-flayers. They are a great D & D monster.

Magic Resistance

And last in my little list of things I don’t like about 5th edition D&D is how they handle magic resistance. Creatures just get “advantage” on saving throws. That is, they roll two dice and take the highest. Part of me doesn’t really like the whole throwing bunches of dice together at the same time thing, but I’m getting used to it.

Still, I like it when magic resistance was a percentile roll. That gave it some good variability, and made it more unique to each creature that had it. Now in 5th, since it’s just an advantage thing … it just seems a little lackluster.

I remember the old 1st edition Monster Manual where Demogorgon had like 95% magic resistance. That was just a cool feature of the Prince of Demons – echoed by other powerful beings like Orcus and whoever – but still … it was kind of more “special” that way. Because if you didn’t have magic resistance, you were just normal. Creatures with magic resistance were a cut above the ordinary. And I don’t get that feeling when it is simply a saving throw made with advantage.

Conclusion

Well, those are all my complaints about 5th edition. Of course, the more I play it, the more I get used to it. It’s still a good system, regardless. It’s definitely simplified some aspects of the game. But, in my view, that’s not always necessarily a good thing. But sometimes it is.

Three of My Fantasy Books Discounted on Smashwords

Just an FYI – the following three fantasy books of mine are on discount only on the Smashwords site, until Friday, May 17th. The needed coupons are listed on the corresponding book pages.

Drasmyr: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/131156  (Free)

The Children of Lubrochius: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/415779 ($0.99) 

Prism: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/693400 (Free)

Enjoy the read!

Transitioning from 2nd Edition D&D to 5th Edition (Part I)

Introduction

I’ve been playing Dungeons and Dragons for around forty years or so. I remember back in the  early 80’s playing with my friends. I remember the first set of “dragon dice” I ever saw, being fascinated by the green 8-sided die. Back then, there was Dungeons and Dragons consisting entirely of three boxed sets: Basic, something set in the wilderness, and, of course, the Expert Set and Master Set. I didn’t play the original version of D&D much, but kind of skipped along to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition. I remember all the handbooks that came out from the Player’s Handbook to the Dungeon Master Guide to the Monster Manual – and then there was the Fiend Folio, Deities & Demigods, The Unearthed Arcana, The Wilderness Survival Guide and a whole bunch of others that I’ve forgotten. And then came 2nd edition, and that’s where I got really swallowed up in the game. I mean, honestly, I think I had a level of obsession with D & D bordering on psychological dysfunction. But I loved it.

Anyway, after a hiatus of a few years, I got into D & D again, skipping over all the intermittent editions and instead deciding to play 5th edition with some friends of mine. It’s interesting. Different. But interesting.

Now that I’ve been playing for a couple of years, I feel like doing a little compare and contrast type of post, exploring the features I like better in 5th edition than 2nd, the features I like less, and the ones I’m a little ambivalent about.

So, without further adieux, let’s get into it, shall we?

Things I Like in 5th Edition

The Delineation of the Types of Damage Inflicted

There were always hints of damage types in 1st and 2nd edition D & D, but in 5th, they did their due diligence and really made all the distinctions crystal clear. Back in the day, you’d run across the occasional creature that might be resistant to fire damage (like a Fire Giant or a Red Dragon) or some other type of damage. It was usually limited to things like fire-based damage, cold-based damage, or what have you. When necessary, it was added in the monster description, but it always seemed kind of like an ad hoc type of thing.

5th edition, though, changed that. They organized the types of damage and created an exhaustive list of such types. Starting with normal weapon damage – slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning – and moving on to the more exotic types like – poison, necrotic, fire, electrical, cold, etc… There is, of course, the possibility that the “exhaustive list” is not as “exhaustive” as it should be, that the designers overlooked a damage type that might be required, but in two years of playing, I haven’t encountered any instances where we needed a damage type that was not found on the list.

So, too that, I say, “Well done!”

Clearer rules on Conditions

Much like the clearer delineation of the types of damage, the 5th Edition system also has a far clearer delineation of the types of “conditions” that can affect an individual. You have clear cut rules for being grappled, paralyzed, restrained, etc… Again, the conditions are sorted and distinguished each with its own particular criteria and effects.

Back in the day, whenever you encountered a creature that had a special ability that led to a special condition – say a Giant Spider that sprays webbing – you’d get rules to handle the condition that was based on each individual creature. One spider might have one set of special rules to handle the webbing encounter whereas another type of spider would have still entirely other rules.

Soo, again, I say, “Well done!”

Overall Simplification of System

Generally, I find the simplification of the gaming system to be a great plus to the game. It gives a kind of consistency and uniformity that makes the system easy to get a hang of. It’s easier to follow.

Back in 2nd Edition, although I enjoyed it immensely, it was easy to get bogged down in details and gaming minutiae. Of course, as a young teenager with “infinite time” on my hands, I found it totally engrossing. Now, not so much.

So, I am glad of the simplification of the system, and, again, I say, “Well done!.”

Conclusion

Okay, that covers the details of three specific improvements of 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons vs. 2nd Edition (and 1st) – at least, according to my opinion. I hope you found the discussion entertaining and informative. Next week, we’ll cover a few items that I don’t like how they were done in the new (5th edition) system.  Again, just my two cents. Feel free to disagree.

What To Replace Fiends With?

Regardless of what you are worldbuilding, whether it’s for a novel or an RPG game, you often need an end-stage villain like a Fiend (demons, devils, or what-have-you). But as I’ve mentioned in prior posts, you might want to shy away from using “real-life” Fiends. You might want to avoid using “entities” that can be traced back to real world religions like Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, or whatever.

Why?

Why Should You Replace Fiends?

There is a slew of reasons involved with, for lack of a better term, “political correctness.” Do you want to offend a billion+ Christian by using demons/devils like Asmodeus and Mammon, or do the same to a billion+ Muslims for their religious figures, etc….? I’m inclined to think you shouldn’t, at least not without weighing the pros and cons of such.

Anyway, I really don’t want to discuss “political correctness” issues, because, well, I’ve never really been a fan of “political correctness,” and I think, in the end, the GM should be able to do whatever he/she wants. Having said that, I want to focus, instead, on the issue of your personal creativity.

Using Your Creativity

Ignoring the aforementioned “politically correct issues,” you can use whatever creatures and beings you want to pilfer from the collective mythology of our planet (just respect copyright issues, of course). But, at some level, that’s kind of “easy” to do and, I think, kind of wastes an opportunity to “stretch your creative muscles.”

Tolkien

Let’s look at a few examples from fantasy literature of the past. Consider, the Balrogs of J.R.R. Tolkien – although they were called demons, and they were clearly influenced by Judeo-Christian mythology, they are very unique creations and highly memorable. Who can forget Gandalf facing off against the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dum?

Lovecraft

Next on the list, I think, is H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos. This, in my view, is even more conceptually distant from any other mythology I am aware of. The gods of that mythos are, again, very unique and highly memorable.

Tad Williams

Next up, is Tad Williams’ Sithi from his series “Sorrow, Memory, and Thorn.” They are, pretty much, derived from European myths based around Elves and similar beings, but again, they do come across as pretty original and memorable.

Other Religious Mythos

Other options might include something derived from Islamic Jinn – but only after you research and understand the Islamic conception of such, and not the Western bastardization of such. However, in the end, you kind of want to put some distance between your creation and its source of inspiration. You probably should avoid creating a Jinn like Ibliss (Satan), for example, but instead do your own thing.

My Own Works

It is difficult. But I think it is worth it. In my own series of books (“From the Ashes of Ruin”), to be honest, I’m a little disappointed in my own interpretation of demons (Yeah, I know -that’s poor marketing to admit that – I still think the series is great overall, though). I like many of the names (Lubrochius, for example, is my favorite demon name of my own creation), but when it came to describing the demons, I fell back on the standard lizard-ish physical descriptions for most of the demons – although there are a few exceptions.

Be Memorable

The goal is to create something “memorable.” In my own books, I think I have some really good names like “Drasmyr” and “Lubrochius” and a few others, here and there, but I kind of wish I’d gone in another direction with the natures and descriptions of the demons. The vampire is fine. I always wanted to write a book about the traditional, Dracula-esque version of a vampire. And Drasmyr does just that. But the demons … well, I have some reservations.

Conclusion

Anyway, as I said, when it comes to Fiends or other end-game villains, be memorable. Your readers and/or players will be grateful for it.

Silver Weapons

Anyone who’s watched a werewolf movie has probably heard of silver bullets. According to werewolf lore, werewolves can only be killed with a silver bullet.

D & D, and many other fantasy games, novels and worlds, expand on that concept. It is commonly held that werewolves can be harmed by silver weapons as well as, perhaps, magical and supernatural effects – spells, other special creatures, etc… Of course, the first step D & D takes is the expansion of the concept of a were-creature.

Let’s look into it.

Lycanthropes

Lycanthrope is the technical name for what is more crudely called “Werewolfism.” It is the disease/curse that causes an individual to become a werewolf. In actual modern psychology, there is an actual mental disease called lycanthrope.  According to the psychologists, a person suffering from lycanthrope believes he/she is a wolf or other animal. In fantasy settings like D & D, a person suffering from lycanthrope actually becomes a wolf or other animal with the rising of the full moon.

The Different Types of Lycanthropes

In the book, The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien introduced a character called Beorn who was, for all intents and purposes, a lycanthrope. Specifically, I think he was a werebear – a man who could turn into a bear as needed. As a result, the notion of lycanthropes can be expanded to include not only werewolves but werebears as well.

From at least 1st edition, Dungeons and Dragons has had a fairly extensive list of lycanthropes. These include not only werewolves and werebears, but wererats, wereboars, and weretigers, if I recall correctly. In the years since then, I’ve seen other additions like wereravens and more. I’ve even seen some reversals like “wolfweres” which are very much like werewolves but sworn enemies of such for some reason.

Lycanthropes and Their Weakness to Silver

One of the universal features of lycanthropes in D & D is their weakness with respect to silver. In 5th edition, non-magical silvered weapons can harm any lycanthrope they hit. But, I have misgivings about that particular weakness.

I prefer the idea where lycanthropes can only be harmed by silver weapons not silvered weapons. I think the weapons should be made of pure silver rather than permitting them to be diluted with other metals  and still be effective. I think this leads to interesting intricacies in adventures that involve lycanthropes.

For example, I once ran a 2nd edition D & D adventure in Ravenloft in a domain run by wererats where that particular detail was true. In light of that, I threw in, what I thought was a neat, intriguing little twist: The Electrum Guild.

The Electrum Guild

Electrum is a metal made from combining silver with gold. Basically, since wererats were lycanthropes they could be harmed by weapons fashioned from pure silver, but NOT silvered weapons or electrum weapons or any weapon made from silver mixed with any other material. And the wererats knew that.

How Intellignent Lycanthropes  Can Eliminate Silver

So, they set up and ran an electrum guild that, conveniently, served to inflate the value of electrum. Because of the Electrum Guild, electrum in that particular Ravenloft Domain was significantly more valuable than gold. Think about it. If you have 10 sps and 10 gps, and you can mix them together and make 20 eps and the eps are worth , say, 2 gp each instead of the usual ½ gp, what will you likely do? 10 sps and 10 gps left as is is worth 11 gps. But 20 eps is worth 40 gp.

So, the wererats, at the cost of a little gold, had set up a system that provided an extreme monetary incentive for the surrounding population to change their silver into electrum thereby taking the silver out of circulation. That makes pure silver weapons all the more rare. Much to the wererats’ delight.

Limiting the Usefulness of Silver Weapons

Of course, silver is a softer metal so the weapons made from it probably aren’t as durable as normal weapons, but I kind of think that silver weapons are only likely to be used against lycanthropes and, maybe, certain undead. After all, in the original Dracula, Count Dracula was susceptible to silver weapons just like a lycanthrope.

Anyway, I like the twist using pure silver weapons instead of merely silvered weapons against lycanthropes. I thought the Electrum Guild was a cool idea. Unfortunately, the group I was DMing for figured out the Electrum Guild a little too quickly. But I still think it was cool.

Conclusion

Silver weapons are a great tool for Dungeon Masters. It gives a little flavor and spice to campaigns or adventures that revolve around lycanthropes or, alternatively, undead. It also serves as a great example on how to incorporate special weaknesses to certain creatures for those DMs who like to create their own creatures.

GM Tips: Dealing with the Unexpected from Your Players

Anyone who has been GMing for any length of time understands how difficult it can be to predict the actions of your players.

This is a problem in campaigns that take place in vast complicated worlds where the options before the PCs is nearly limitless. Of course, “problem” might not be the right word. It is, rather, a feature that must be accounted for. Typically, players don’t like games where they are compelled by the GM on a particular course of action regardless of how they feel.

That’s not a good way to GM.

The Problem of Free Will

The PCs can go north, south, east, or west. They can go investigate the ruined citadel or explore the deadly dessert of the East. That broad scope of options creates problems for the GM.

How do you prepare an adventure when you don’t know what the players will do?

The Floating Encounter

One solution, that I mentioned previously, is the idea of the “Floating Encounter.” Basically, the idea is to create an adventure that you can just drop in anywhere on the map and go from there. Is the ruined tower on the north road? Or in the heart of the forest? For your purposes, it lies in whatever direction the PCs decide to take.

But there are issues besides simply getting players enmeshed in the adventure you want. There are the surprise instances of PC ingenuity. As well as the reverse: instances of PC stupidity. How do you react?

Dealing with PC Ingenuity and Creativity

Consider this example drawn from my own experience. In this situation, I was not the GM, but a player. And I think I had a particularly good idea in a particularly difficult situation. I was playing a low-level cleric. Our party of, like, four 2nd level characters engaged a group of Sahuagin who were attacking a boat captain (our ride off an island we were exploring). The boat captain was pretty formidable – probably a couple levels higher than any of us PCs.

Anyway, we heard the sounds of the battle when the Sahuagin engaged the boat captain and we rushed to help him. We arrived on the scene just as the boat captain fell down unconscious/dead/whatever. Before falling, he had taken out two of the five Sahuagin leaving us with three to deal with.

So, we engaged the Sahuagin.

The Battle Begins

We were pretty evenly matched, but then I had a spark of genius, if I do say so myself 😊 . In the midst of the combat, I cast Healing Word (a long distance healing spell), not on any of the party members, but on the boat captain. He’d only been down one round, so, he was technically unconscious – not dead. The spell brought him up to like 9 hps.

I reasoned that, the captain was pretty formidable as he had held his own against five Sahuagin and managed to take down two in the battle. I figured, even if he just held back and attacked from a distance with his crossbow, he could really turn the tide of the battle.

A PC Action Thwarted

Unfortunately, the GM had different ideas. The boat captain stayed out of the battle entirely. Although I saved his life and preserved our ride off the island, we didn’t gain any tactical advantage against the Sahuagin.

I kind of suspect that the boat captain’s assistance would have turned a difficult encounter into a really easy one. And the GM did not want that. He wanted the encounter to be a little more hair-raising and difficult. In the end, we won the battle anyway. But I think this encounter illustrates the point I’m trying to make.

The GM’s Options Analyzed

Of course, every GM is different and each one has his own preferences, but I think it would have been better to let the partially healed boat captain engage the Sahuagin and turn the difficult encounter into a simple one.

This would have rewarded the party (and me) for a clever tactical move that really changed the scales of balance in the battle.

In other words, I think it best for GMs to let the party reap the rewards of their ingenuity.

Of course, the reverse of this, reaping the results of their stupidity … not so much.

Dealing with PC Stupidity and/or Bad Luck

Well, there may be situations where the party does something so colossally stupid that the GM should stay out it and just let the dice fall where they may. Having said that, though, there is a difference between suffering an ill effect from a bad decision and letting the whole party get wiped out.  

A character that suffers a permanent loss of a few hit points or stat points might learn a lesson from the encounter, but if everyone’s dead, no one enjoys the game. And enjoying the game is the ultimate goal, is it not?  

The Benevolent GM Intervention

For myself, I have GMed games where I’ve manipulated a few die rolls here and there – all unbeknownst to the players. I remember, years ago, a PC was hit by a crawling claw for double damage. She was already wounded and near death. And the claw rolled maximum damage.

This was back in 2nd edition when you went unconscious at 0 hps and died at -10 or something like that. The claw rolled an 8 for damage, I think. It would have killed the character outright. So, I just pretended the 8 was already doubled. The PC was knocked unconscious, but she survived.

Conclusion

To sum up, I would say that the GM’s relationship with the players should be neutral leaning toward helpful. He/she shouldn’t be too adversarial and “out to get” the players. Nor should he/she be so altruistic toward the players that nothing is a challenge. And being perfectly neutral isn’t ideal either. He/she must strike the right balance. And let the good surprises from the players play out. Bad surprises … well, those you might have to mitigate.         

2 GM Tips for Wilderness Encounters

Here’s a couple quick tips for GMs when running adventures in the wilderness.

I’ll start with my own experience. Back in the day, when I was first learning how to play RPGs and GM for them as well, I had a little difficulty getting the hang of wilderness adventures. Why? Primarily, because the first types of adventures I went on were all simple dungeon adventures.

Plus, I tend to have a very structured, inflexible mind/perspective. This made it difficult to “go with the flow.”

Wilderness Versus Dungeon

I think I just had grown too accustomed to the standard dungeon crawl. In such an adventure, there are a limited number of decisions for the players to make. They can choose either the door on the east wall, the north wall, or the west wall and go from there. It’s a very controlled space in which the GM can prepare for each of the obvious number of finite decisions the players have. Room 1 has a troll, room 2 has an ancient statue, and so on.

The wilderness is different. The players can go virtually anywhere they want. That makes it hard to prepare encounters without infringing on the players’ free will. You write an adventure that takes place in a ruined village in the south, and, for some other reason, the players head north. What to do?

1) The Floating Encounter

Although this wouldn’t work for major adventures, it finally occurred to me to use, what I would call, “Floating Encounters.” Basically, you write up an encounter and don’t place it on a specific location on your map. You pull it out in lieu of a random encounter and put it wherever it fits.

So, say, for example, you write up this short encounter involving an ancient, ruined statue on the side of a forest road that holds some horrible curse or has a secret compartment with some lost treasure or map to some lost treasure of some sort.

You can place the statue and use it on any forest road you want. Maybe it’s also the lair of a pack of wild dogs or what-have-you. The point is, it doesn’t need to be designated as being on the road to city A or city B or city C – until the party is traveling on whichever one of those roads they decide to travel on. It is, for all intents and purposes, a fixed encounter in time, but not in space.

If the party travels to city A, they encounter the statue halfway along the trip. If, instead, they intend to travel to city B, maybe they encounter the statue one third of the way along on the trip. The only thing you have to realize is that once it’s placed and they encounter it, it is there for good (barring magical disappearing statues, etc….).

You don’t have to place the statue before the adventure and meticulously track the party through the wilderness hoping they stumble across it by chance. Just throw it in their path whenever and wherever you deem it appropriate.

The other thing that took me a long time to realize was the importance of … spice.

2) Adding a Bit of Spice to Wilderness Adventures

For the longest time, wilderness encounters in the games I played usually consisted of a blank wet-erasable hexagonal or graph map upon which the encounters played out. Say, your party of five characters encounter six hyenas in the plains. There’s the map. Placed on it are the five miniatures for the player characters. And, about ten spaces away there are the six tokens or miniatures for the hyenas. Nothing else.

That’s all well and good. But what if there was a road crossing the map? Or a stream? A random couple boulders, perhaps. A couple bushes or a copse of trees. An ancient ruined stone wall. You would be surprised how much a few extra dashes of detail can enhance the quality of an encounter. It will make it far more memorable. It will also make the battle more tactical and strategic as the details create a more interactive slice of terrain. You can hide or take cover behind a boulder or climb a tree. Options like these are lost on a blank map.

Conclusion

Anyway, neither of those things are huge tips for GMs. And I’m sure many GMs have already figured such things out. But, in the event you are new to the GMing endeavor, I offer those tips freely.

8 Important Traits of Vampires

Vampires are one of my favorite creatures of myth and legend. I’m not sure exactly why.

 I, by far, prefer the traditional sinister quasi-demonic type of vampire over the more modern “romantic” vampires of Twilight or even the brooding vampires of Anne Rice’s works. Regardless, the vampire as a powerful evil undead is a far better fit for fantasy RPG’s like D & D and such.

I wrote a book about a vampire called “Drasmyr” with a fantasy setting. But that’s just a shameless plug. Let’s get into the intricate details.

Vampires and Religion

I think I’m partly attracted to the vampire myth because of how it can be interpreted in a Christian religious perspective. Much like Bram Stoker’s original “Dracula”, vampires in D & D have always been evil undead creatures of the night. As such, many holy symbols can be used by clerics to turn them.

Although D & D typically doesn’t relate vampires to Christianity specifically, let’s look at some of the connections to Christianity vampires can have. Realize some of this was inspired by Wes Craven’s movie Dracula 2000.

1) Blood

Blood and blood sacrifice has particular significance in Judaism and Christianity. The basis of Christianity is that Jesus of Nazareth atoned for humanity’s sins by offering his blood (The blood of the Lamb) as a sacrifice to God. With that background, one can look at the vampire’s thirst for blood as a type of sacrilegious perversion. This enhances the demonic aspect of this particular undead creature.

2) Silver

Another connection to Christianity comes from the vampire’s weakness against silver. Although in SRD rules I don’t think Vampires are vulnerable to silver, in many myths they are. Much like the werewolf, a vampire can be slain by silver weapons. The connection here (as Wes Craven made in Dracula 2000, many years ago) is the 30 pieces of silver given to Judas to betray Christ.

3) Wooden Stakes

Wooden stakes, of course, remind one of the wood of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. A vampire, naturally, is vulnerable to a stake through the heart because the stake is typically made of wood and the heart is the seat of love.

4) Roses

A vampire’s weakness against roses is an often overlooked characteristic. It certainly makes no appearance in D & D. However, in the original “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, a rose placed on a vampire’s coffin would keep the vampire confined within as long as the rose remained in place. And what do roses have? Why, thorns, of course. And this can suggest the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head.

5) Sunlight

Sunlight or light, rather, has often been considered symbolic of the truth, goodness, and the divine. In Christianity, Jesus is often called “The Light of the World.” So, of course, vampires are susceptible to sunlight. It can burn them to a crisp, or at least weaken them considerably. In the original Dracula legend sunlight simply weakened the vampire. It did not destroy them.

6) Shapechange

Many vampire myths portray vampires as shapechangers. Most often, vampires can take the form of a bat, a wolf, a man/vampire, or a cloud of mist. In Dracula, the vampire can also take the form of specks of dust. Some traditions might (like Plato/Socrates) associate the ability to change shape with evil. Why? Because shapeshifting is a form of deception. And only evil beings deceive.

7) Invitations

The matter of invitations might be another perversion of Christianity. In the Christian religion, you are supposed to invite Christ into your life. And, according to the vampire myth, a vampire cannot enter a building unless you invite it in. That may be a stretch. But not too much of one, I think.

8) Ravens

Typically, vampires are not associated with ravens except, perhaps, for the setting of mood and atmosphere. Perhaps thanks to Ravenloft, the notion of sinister ravens with black plumage just seems appropriate for a vampire’s castle. In any event, I don’t think ravens have a connection to Christianity or any other religion, but I do kind of connect them with vampires nonetheless.

Anyway. in D & D the Christian connections to vampires are rarely realized. However, in my view, vampires provide a kind of worldbuilding template for the creation of other monsters. The strengths and weaknesses aren’t just a slew of stats and features, but they have real symbolic heft to them and a meaning that is deeper than just modifiers to a die roll.

Conclusion

I find the connections of the vampire to Christianity incredibly interesting. They give the vampire a mythological substance and force that other creatures lack. All those weaknesses and strengths tied to a particular religion make it far more intriguing to me.

 

Using Fiends as Monsters in Fantasy RPGs

I mentioned in a previous post that back in the 1990’s Tipper Gore got all bent out of shape because  D&D used demons and devils as types of monsters. At the time, I dismissed her concerns. Nowadays, some 25ish years later, I think she may have had a legitimate concern.

In the intervening years, D & D has developed a significant body of information about the demons and devils it uses. Devils have talismans, and demons have amulets. Players that get a hold of such things, bathe them in blood, or perform some other hideous ritual, can gain power over these fiends.

Honestly, going into that much detail about fiends is something I find a little ill-advised. At least for children.

Fiends and the Real World

Of course, most people in the developed world these days do not believe in demons or devils. This is largely because of the success of science of having explained so much. And most scientists don’t give demons or devils a second thought.

However, in my personal experience “paranormal” phenomena, at least, are real. As to demons and devils, I wouldn’t rule them out. I do have unusual beliefs about Satan, though, but let’s jump off the real world discussion of fiends and get back to fantasy.

As far as the real world is concerned, I wouldn’t mind if the demons and devils in D & D were excised from material intended for children (and probably teens, too). Adults … well, I don’t know. Adults should be able to handle just about anything.

Fiends and the Fantasy World

Anyway, on to fantasy and using fiends.

The most common use of a fiend in D & D is as a powerful foe. 5th edition fiends are no different. Demogorgon, The Prince of Demons, for example, is challenge rating 26, I think. That makes him incredibly difficult to defeat. Likewise, for Orcus and a number of powerful Archdevils. They are all designed to be a challenge for even 20th level characters to take on.

The usual story is that there is a cult of demon or devil worshipers who must be destroyed bv the PCs. They might first encounter members of the cult as a low-level group. The demon cult might be the primary focus of a series of adventures. Or, the cult might linger in the background, its full scope and nature a secret, always intimated at but never fully divulged – until a final battle that exposes the fiend’s high priest. The priest is defeated, but now the PCs must seek out and destroy the fiend itself. Truly, a herculean task.

Warlocks and Fiends in 5th Edition D & D

Then there is the Warlock character class. Who, honestly, even for adults seems like a case in point of Tipper Gore’s concerns. I can see using the Warlock (Fiend) as an NPC, but a PC? Um, no. I would have no compunction against restricting Warlock PCs from making pacts with Fiends … actually, Warlocks, in general, rub me the wrong way. I probably wouldn’t allow them at all for PC’s in an adventure I DM’d.

Real World Sources for Fantasy Fiends

Of course, there are fiends that are completely disconnected from the real world. While you can find real world source material for Asmodeus (the Bible), Mammon (also, the Bible), Demogorgon (a misreading of the Greek demiurge – which comes from Plato’s Timaeus, I think), Orcus (Roman myth), and a host of other demons and devils, I think there are a number whose names were simply made up. For example, I don’t think there are real world sources on Yugoloths (or whatever they are), although I could be wrong.

Fiends as the Final Villain in a Campaign

In the end, though, I think something like fiends is really necessary for D & D. There has to be an end-level bad guy. Liches are fine, of course. As are ancient dragons. But, when presented as a foe, a powerful demon prince or Archdevil makes for a great finale. I mean, after that, what else can you fight? A Tarrasque, maybe? Or, I guess, an evil deity. But that, all things considered, is just about the same thing as a fiend.

Fiends and Worldbuilding

When building a world most DMs and authors prefer to develop their own fiends . And, I think, I would encourage that. Take it as an opportunity to stretch your creative muscles. Try to avoid using real world fiends, as tempting as they may be. Although many people probably don’t take exception to talk of demons and devils, there are some who might. Plus, when you start throwing in different cultures, there is a lot of opportunity to unwittingly cause problems. I mean, according to the Muslims, Satan was a Jinn.

Conclusion

RPGs, in my view, are the pinnacle of the “game” concept. Chess and Go and similar games, although great for strategy, don’t really incorporate chance. RPGs have everything. Strategy. Chance. Action. Mystery. Whatever you want. Don’t spoil it by unnecessarily invoking unsavory real world nasties. The more that comes from your own imagination, the better.  

2 Real World Elements Needed In Fantasy Worldbuilding: Influences from Earth, and Morality

Ugh. When was the last time I posted here? What? Like two years ago almost now. Well, let’s at least wrap up my series of posts on general topics and ideas for fantasy worldbuilding in novels and RPG games.

Today, I’m going to discuss the relationship between fantasy worlds and the “real” world. In other words, how much is a fantasy world like the real world and vice versa. These days, I like to tell myself that we don’t live in a “D & D world.”

Let me explain.

Influences from Earth

As all of us gamemasters, players, authors, and readers alike have grown up on this remarkable little planet called Earth, we have all been significantly influenced by the lives we have led here. Naturally, the worlds we create while worldbuilding have been influenced by our real-life experience on Earth. But, the reverse is also true, to a certain extent.

I am not saying that our imaginary worlds influence the real world itself around us, but, rather, they influence us and how we experience the world as we explore it. It’s kind of a feedback loop.

—Pen and Paper RPGs

Magic, for example, is the lifeblood of virtually every fantasy RPG. There are wizards and witches and spell-wielding monsters galore. Naturally, much of this is derived from the myths and legends of bygone ages here on Earth.

In the Medieval era, most of the Western real-world population believed in the power of witches and magical creatures like dragons, elves, and fairies. The Arabic culture gave birth to the notion of jinn. Stories of the vampire and similar such creatures can be found in various cultures across the globe.

And then, there are the various pantheons of deities from Zeus of the Greeks to Odin of the Norsemen, and many, many more.

—Novels

Oddly enough, the only religion I’ve never seen a parallel for in gaming is Christianity. This is not true for novels. Tad Williams’ “Sorrow, Memory, and Thorn” series had a Christ figure in Usires Aedon and a corresponding equivalent to the Catholic Church. I’ve never seen that in a pen & paper RPG – of course, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist – I’ve just never encountered it.

Regardless, just like RPGs, the development of a novel is significantly influenced by life here in the real world. Often in ways you won’t expect. This includes things like the length and divisions of calendars, the types and passing of seasons, and a host of other issues. At a certain level, some things have to come from this world.

Unless you are a master linguist like J.R.R. Tolkien, you really don’t have the ability to invent your own language/s (he did with his Elvish language). So, you will most likely fall back on the language of your own culture. For example, I have written several fantasy novels and, naturally, all of them, used the English language.

In many fantasy novels, authors will sprinkle a few words or phrases from a made-up magical or fantastical language but, and I include myself in this, the corresponding words usually sound crude and made up themselves. Because of his linguistic skill, J. R. R. Tolkien’s Elvish is probably the one and only exception to this.

Morality

Back in the 1990’s, I think, Tipper Gore (the wife of Al Gore) was very concerned about the influence of AD & D on the moral character of the young. At the time, I, like many other people my age, were very much “into” the game. I, like many others, dismissed her concerns. After all, D & D was just a harmless, made-up game.

Since that time. I watched one friend become a witch (i.e. Wiccan) and another become a pagan. Both of my then-friends were free to do so, of course, but I do wonder about the influence D & D played in their respective conversions to such religions.

In any event, there’s more to morality than just a choice of religion. Both of my friends were good people and I hardly expect them to start ritually sacrificing children underneath a blood moon or something.

However, I do think the possibility of influence by a steady fantasy diet is there. Although, in the case of adults, that’s totally on them, parents of younger children might want to be a little better informed about certain RPG games.

—Pen and Paper RPGs

A demon worshiper, for example, is often presented as an adversary to the players in an RPG game. However, the rules of some systems do allow a player character to actually worship demons and gain corresponding power. Depending upon your belief in whether demons actually exist or not, you might not want your children playing said game.

Back in the 90’s, I would have scoffed at you for doing such. Now, some 30+ years later, I think I’m on your side in that debate. I remember an adventure, years ago, where one of the PCs started worshiping Demogorgon. I think we were like 16 years old, at the time. I didn’t think much of it then. But now … yeah, I don’t think that’s healthy.

—Novels

Novels, I think, are a little safer than RPG’s in this respect. This is because the reader is simply a consumer. He/she simply follows the story along. Neither he/she actually chooses anything in the novel (except in a which way book). Although they may identify with a character, the barrier between reality and fantasy is a trifle bit thicker.

Still, many people and parents have concerns about exposing their children to certain books. And they have every right to be so concerned. Some parents don’t want to have their children reading books about demons, demon-worshiping (like my own books, for example) or books graphically describing sex and such. Or violence or theft or whatever.

And if it is their kids, I think they are well within their rights to be so concerned. And that should be obvious. Some books, games, and other activities may be fine for adults, but ill-advisable for children. You might be able to solve this issue by giving ratings or age-recommendations for books (that’s the route I took for my own, although in hindsight, I might have been better off adding 2 or 3 more years to my cutoff), but I’m not sure how to solve it when it comes to gaming.

Conclusion

Anyway, that’s my two cents on a very old debate. And so, I finish my starting post. Two years after I first started it. Next week (I hope), I should have a completely different post topic.