A better way to keep track of magic items

I have been designing a magic item card template to use with my D&D group. Eventually the template will be part of a suite of useful tools for DM's and players alike. There were quite a few problems with my first version which I have posted below:

The main issue I had with it was there not enough space to display all the information I needed to. My next attempt was a large improvement.

 I'm sure I will have to make more revisions in the future, but for now this will do.

~James

Arcane Pain

My group of level 2 players, one man down was able to take down my Arcane Shardling without too much trouble. Our resident rogue Lith (played by Xander) did most of the damge, as well as blinding the target making it possible for the other players to hit it.

~James

Playing in the Mud Was Never so Dangerous

Here are some stat blocks for some monsters that were recently vanquished by my players. The chieftain never got to use his mending ability, do to the parties warlock finding out very quickly that fire stopped them from regenerating. Blast!

~James

Intangible Rewards Are More Real

Recently I let one of my players go on a short side quest to acquire a furry companion. The puppy she rescued from its abusive owner means the world to her. Being very fond of animals in real life the player seemed to connect with the role playing aspect of the game a little bit more.

I've found playing on real world personality traits is a good way to get new gamers involved with more than just the rules aspect of the game. It's a big step for some people to jump into another persona and play the role. So you should not discourage new players mirroring their own personality in their first character.

I know that my player will cherish her new puppy more than she could ever love a Great sword +5. Below are the stats for her dog, Stargazer.

~James

A Lesson on Pulling Punches

My first custom monster creating venture was a little less successful than I thought it would be. I was very careful not make the giant walking squid I call a Squel too powerful. I thought that by lowering a few scores here and there I would be making sure the players were not outdone before even getting to the main adventure. I forgot that, just as a series of low rolls for the players could really mess things up, a series of high rolls would end the encounter without much of a climax. My monster was dispatched way before his prime, poor mister Squel. But, revenge will be his. I took notes throughout the battle and made some small adjustments. Next time the players meet a Squel, it will be a great fight. Below are the fixed stats.

~James

Some people just shouldn't beat box

Sure D&D is fun, but in order to create a lasting group, you have to do other things together, create a lasting bond... like impromptu music production...

Mix


Oh God



Okay, maybe not...
~James

The Current Gaming Group

Bill
as
Mindartis Thornscrape
(Warlord)

Kirsti
as
Oriesis Eldaron
(Fighter)

Peter
as
Drogmer Kulsad
Threzdin Venthras
(Warlock)

Xander
as
Lith Pslili
(Rogue)

James
as
The Dungeon Master

Hail, brave adventurers!
~James P.

Cartography Catastrophe

A new Dungeons and Dragons group is underway. Getting back in the swing of things after a very long hiatus I find my self in sore need of a number of dungeon mastering software utilities. One such piece of software is a mapping program for large scale cartography. While I have found many I have yet to find one that warrants mentioning, at least for the right reasons. The internet is riddled with buggy, messy, and annoying outdoor map makers. The one I have settled with for now is AutoREALM. I used to use it a few years back. Its quite alarming to see the exact same faults I saw so many years ago still present in the aging piece of software. At least I can actually make some semi-professional looking maps with it. It has a steep learning curve, but there is no reason that it should. The UI is a jumbled mess, the key commands cryptic, and the graphical glitches annoying. I guess I can't complain, I haven't had to write my own program from scratch........yet.

~James P.
15th Level Dungeon Master