tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311060361308252769.post1503282731080743239..comments2024-03-01T03:36:45.772-05:00Comments on THE WHEEL OF SAMSARA: To the Death? No, to the Pain.Matthew Slepinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04056247825064943944noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311060361308252769.post-4792095404840934082009-08-02T02:43:52.346-04:002009-08-02T02:43:52.346-04:00@ze bulete:
As for Resurrection spells, well, they...@ze bulete:<br /><i>As for Resurrection spells, well, they're only as available as you make them to your players to be able to discover and learn.</i><br /><br />Oh yeah, certianly. But I think there is a definite presumption of there presence in OD&D, or, at least, the game play that occurred. For myself, like Akrasia, I pretty much eliminate Resurrection. One of the things I do now is to let half of the HP's lost in a fight return afterwards--second-wind and so forth. It keeps the number of HP's small, but allows me to avoid having Potions of Healing come out like cokes from a vending machine.<br /><br />Death and Dismemberment gave me a thought, though. The newer iterations of FATE have this idea where you can trade in damage for Consequences. So, if yoo are about to take a wound that puts you out, you avoid it by taking, say, "Maimed Hand" or something. I wonder how that might work in D&D. Say that you can avoid the damage of any single blow by taking a spin of the Wheel of Dismemberment.<br /><br />That might be interesting.Matthew Slepinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04056247825064943944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311060361308252769.post-89913894919744695182009-08-01T13:21:44.876-04:002009-08-01T13:21:44.876-04:00Yep. As one of my players has noted, the threat o...Yep. As one of my players has noted, the <a href="http://revolution21days.blogspot.com/2009/06/ever-present-threat-of-death.html" rel="nofollow">threat of worse-than-death</a> is often more effective than death itself.trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311060361308252769.post-23753232233372363632009-08-01T11:47:59.752-04:002009-08-01T11:47:59.752-04:00Unsurprisingly, I very much agree with this post!
...Unsurprisingly, I very much agree with this post!<br /><br />One reason why I prefer to use attribute damage instead of instant death for most poisons and diseases -- at least for my 'swords & sorcery' campaign -- is that I don't allow raise dead or resurrection spells (such spells simply seem contrary to the s&s genre). Even when running a 'classic' D&D game, I prefer to keep such spells extremely rare.Akrasiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08734103159691571156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311060361308252769.post-37853204403722748812009-08-01T02:23:33.775-04:002009-08-01T02:23:33.775-04:00I must have seen that dismemberment table but I...I must have seen that dismemberment table but I'll have to look that up again, sounds fun!<br /><br />I use save vs. death - has always seemed a nice compromise between telling the player to kiss that character goodbye and giving them just one more chance. But our house rules dictate only if they haven't lost more than a negative amount of their Con - given that at higher levels you might suffer more than that in a single bad attack, it takes save vs. death out of the picture at higher levels, where by now players should presumably know better or else be able to deal with it. No restoration to playability, restoration to the ability to play again in a couple of weeks at best. <br /><br />As for Resurrection spells, well, they're only as available as you make them to your players to be able to discover and learn - so as DM you've really total control over that. That is, it needn't be presumed to be available at all - those temple clerics may have had no more chance to learn that one than your players.<br /><br />Save vs. die rolls have generated some serious tension at our table, but ymmv... and though we use descending armor class, I'm not particularly attached to it or give it totemic status in any way, it just has worked and been fun for us. <br /><br />I do like the lose a level and suffer idea but I'd probably be more likely to use it with the occasional poison or other effect), and we do use attribute damage (Wisdom = Sanity, pretty much), but these are things that seldom come up.<br /><br />I see the fun to be had with inflicting suffering (and really the fun to be had in playing a suffering character), but I'll stick with the save vs. death for now. There's something about the trembling finality of the dice throw there that appeals to us so far, but maybe we've just gotten lucky with the death to difficulty/fun level ratio.ze bulettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15603716850479808633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311060361308252769.post-82079343663997268142009-08-01T01:37:19.036-04:002009-08-01T01:37:19.036-04:00Well said. One thing the various iterations of BR...Well said. One thing the various iterations of BRP did was wounds (which often reduce attributes).Matthew Slepinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04056247825064943944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8311060361308252769.post-13421722927411630752009-08-01T01:17:10.530-04:002009-08-01T01:17:10.530-04:00Interesting idea. I agree that too-common death q...Interesting idea. I agree that too-common death quickly loses its sting, which is why I use a Table of Death and Dismemberment stolen from Philotomy, I think. Fun stuff, because fates worse than death are, well, worse than death. ;)trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.com