[dungeoncrawl] Re: Tsk, tsk! :)

  • From: jimkaren@xxxxxxxxxxxx
  • To: dungeoncrawl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 08:46:52 US/Eastern

I think you're partial, as you 
mentioned, since it's one of your 
characters - it's been too long since 
I've seen Nadan in any sort of use when 
I've DMed.  During the past few years, 
his only real use has been as an NPC.

But that's not the point - a few months 
ago, when I started DMing heavily 
again, I made a request for extra help 
from the players when it comes to 
rules.  I'd wanted at the time to have 
someone help with magic, or 3rd edition 
rules, or whatever - not because I have 
no interest or discipline to learn them 
on my own, but because I have little 
time to look at anything anymore 
regarding the game.

I do take time during the week to 
prepare for the next session, and to 
think things through, but that's about 
it.  I'll never have a chance to really 
learn the game - I didn't even know how 
dispel magic works these days.

But I'd rather trust everyone to help 
me and keep things moving, rather than 
stop the action every time some obscure 
spell is cast to read it lest 
someone "pull a fast one" on me.

And it did bother me a bit that I tried 
so hard to give the characters a chance 
last night - I even gave Baish a second 
saving throw to avoid death.  And since 
you were playing the two most powerful 
characters in the group last night, it 
seemed a bit uncharitable to think that 
they needed even more help to seem like 
they deserved to win -

> 
>     I'm sorry Jim.  It wasn't my 
intention to snooker you.  But I've 
used that
> spell many, many times in the past, 
in all sorts of situations, and that has
> always been the overriding drawback 
it has; it only lasts one round.  I 
guess I
> figured that if you had been paying 
any attention whatsoever in the past to 
what
> Nadan was doing, you would have 
remembered.  But I guess I'm partial 
since it's
> one of my characters.  Maybe nobody 
realized that the spell was only one 
round.
> I'm curious if Damon knew.
>     At the time, I just assumed that 
Talos wouldn't know either.  Why would 
he?
> After all, it is a unique spell 
granted by a different power.  It's not 
a divine
> spell that Talos could grant, and is 
he really conversant on the unique 
spells
> that all of the rest of his pantheon 
grant?  I would say no, just as I doubt
> Lathander knows the particulars of 
everything Talos offers his clerics.
>     I don't want to sound harsh, so I 
did send this out to the group.  Damon,
> Matt, Shawn, Bobby, Keith?  Bueller?  
What do you think?  Was I wrong in not
> alerting the DM to this rule?  I'd 
love to hear some other opinions.
> 
> Jim and Karen wrote:
> 
> > John,
> >
> > I'm not trying to give you a hard 
time, but I feel a bit snookered 
tonight!
> > :)
> >
> > It shows you how slow I am that it 
just occurred to me, an hour and a half
> > later, exactly what happened with 
Nadan's "Boon of Lathander" spell.  I
> > didn't have too much problem at the 
time with being permitted to continue
> > thinking that the spell was in 
effect for several rounds after it 
ended, but
> > the more I thought about it, it 
sort of bugs me.
> >
> > After all, I gave Baish a second 
saving throw, and concentrated most of 
the
> > damage from Talos on my own 
character.
> >
> > But when I tried to have Talos 
dispel the "spell" Nadan had cast, it 
would
> > have been a good time to mention 
that it wasn't even in effect.  After 
all,
> > I even gave Quasit every possible 
chance to get rid of the god in the 
first
> > place.
> >
> > One reason I didn't send this to 
Damon and Matt is because I didn't want 
to
> > seem like I was taking you to task 
for this - I think instead that maybe 
you
> > don't realize just how limited my 
rules understanding is. :)  I just don't
> > have time to read enough - when it 
comes down to it, it's not even a
> > guarantee that the spell should 
even exist in 3rd edition anymore.
> >
> > I guess what I'm mostly looking for 
is a change from how things are
> > currently done to a situation where 
we collaborate more - I want the
> > characters to have a slight edge, 
but I'd like to at least know that they
> > have it.  Otherwise, it's tough for 
me to extend too much benefit of the
> > doubt - I need to know that I can 
count on you guys to bolster my
> > nonexistent knowlege of the rules -
> 
> 
>

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