After 1,000 years of warfare of the God Wars, and have 100 years of general strife in the aftermath, legend tells of a new age when heroes would come forth and right the wrongs of the world and lead it into peace and prosperity. But how? Now that is the million dollar question. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Just an announcement here. I’m suffering some hand pain and have been for the last couple of days. I’m being forced to take a short break. However, my pain could be your gain. How, you may ask? Simple. Just let me know what YOU would like to see written about here at The Geek Emporium and I’ll be more than happy to accomodate (so long as it’s not insulting to me…a guy has to have some standards 
), so let me know!
Everyone knows pirates versus ninjas, but with the Twilight movie coming on on DVD this past weekend, I figured we should get to the more important question: Vampires or werewolves (both inside of games or outside of games ). Remember, your vote is important to maintain our American way of life! [Read the rest of this entry...]
Anyone who’s read this blog for very long knows that I love busting stereotypes. I enjoy seeing the typical idea of what makes X and turning it on it’s head. However, if the concept isn’t fun, it won’t matter how well the character busts the stereotypes. Here’s a few concepts that popped into my head this morning that I hope you all will enjoy.
In many games, the Gods work in mysterious ways. Especially in fantasy campaigns, we often find religion and dieties as driving forces within the context of the game. So how do characters observe these religions. Are they merely occasional devotees of their Gods? Or are they fanatical followers? Perhaps they’re somewhere in between [Read the rest of this entry...]
I’m just curious about why we play. Let’s face it, we often face a certain amount of ridicule from peers. We’ve been targetted by groups who use pyschologically unstable people as models for the rest of us. Let’s face it folks, there has to be one hell of a reason for us to play these games (besides stubbornness potentially). So what is it? [Read the rest of this entry...]
Everyone has their favorite RPG system, but I came to a realization earlier today. Every game system has to balance a few basic ideas in order to be truly viable. White Wolf and D&D are very different in a great many ways, yet both are successful in that they meet those basic ideas. Without accomplishing that, then you’ve successfully created a system that no one will enjoy. [Read the rest of this entry...]
We all see them, and we all tend to get tickled with them a bit. But which one is worse? A stereotype that is used so much it’s cliche, or the standard start of an adventure, it doesn’t matter. Which one do you get sick of? [Read the rest of this entry...]
Sorry to the length of time I’ve been away. I’ve been forced to go underground due to being chased by government operatives bent on denying me the opportunity to tell you these things. OK, not really, but it sounds a lot cooler than to say I’ve had computer issues, job issues, and family issues keeping me from being here. Not only that, but it gives me a great opportunity to start a new series, the revolution in game. Gamers have always been revolting, but now…we’re rebelling! [Read the rest of this entry...]
Well I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m still full from Thursday. And the leftover turkey sandwiches Friday and Saturday. And the really leftover turkey and yam casserole from Sunday. So in the spirit of keeping myself from bloating any further, I’ll do what I can to keep this week’s article short and to the point. So, this week I’ll be babbling about what I consider to be skills all DMs should have and/or strive to develop. In true geek fashion I’ll be keeping this in d20 skill format.
Adjudicate (Wis)
Adjudication is the skill of mediation. This skill is useful in rule disputes or determining the results of unexpected actions.
Check: Adjudicating a common or well-known rule is a DC 10. More obscure rules or outlandish situations may require a DC of 20 or 25. Failure means you adjudicate unfairly or unclearly.
A rulebook containing the rule in question grants you a +2 circumstance bonus on adjudicating rule disputes. A reference sheet increases this bonus to +4.
Action: Adjudicating a rule or situation requires 2 full rounds, or 1 minute if using a rule book.
Try Again: No. You may only adjudicate a given dispute or situation once, though each occurrence may be individually adjudicated if desired.
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in Memory you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Adjudicate checks.
If you have 5 ranks in Annotate you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Adjudicate checks for rule disputes.
If you have 5 ranks in Pronouncement you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Adjudicate checks.
Annotate (Int)
Annotation is used to create shortened and abbreviated let legible notes on everything from NPCs to rules to campaign updates.
Check: Any time you wish to jot a quick note down you may make an Annotate check. The DC for this check is 10 + 1 per 3 words or integers in the note you wish to create. You may always read your own successful annotations. Failure in this check means either you cannot read your note, or not enough information was noted. In either case, the note is useless and the materials wasted.
A notepad grants a +2 circumstance bonus to Annotate checks.
Action: Annotating requires 1 round.
Try Again: Yes, though you must have some indication that your first attempt was unsuccessful (such as a player commenting on your chicken-scratch writing).
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in memory you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Annotate checks.
Balance (Int; Trained Only)
Balance is the art of balancing the game’s mechanics, especially in regarding to 3rd party creations and homebrew material.
Check: Balancing a class or race has a DC ranging from 15 (for normal creations, i.e. a race of cat people) to 35 or even higher (for highly unusual creations, i.e. a race of ephemeral flying spaghetti monsters). Failure indicates you cause the creation to be overpowered or underpowered.
Action: Balance checks require a minimum of 1 hour, but may take up to a day or more. Each hour devoted to the study of the creation in question grants a cumulative +2 insight bonus to the Balance check for that particular creation, up to a +20 bonus.
Try Again: Yes, though each successive attempt on the same creation causes all affected players to suffer a -2 morale penalty to Trust for the duration of the campaign.
Basic Rhyming (Cha)
Basic Rhyming is used to create simple bardic songs and ancient prophecies alike.
Check: Basic Rhyming checks are made as part of a Craft (writing) or Perform (poetry) check. The DC is 12 and increases by +3 per verse beyond the first, as rhyming words become worse and worse, the song or prophecy eventually needing a hearse to lift its curse before the players’ eardrums burst. Failure causes your players to cringe in mental pain upon hearing the piece.
Action: Making a Basic Rhyming check requires no action itself. It is made during a Craft (writing) or Perform (poetry) check.
Try Again: Yes until a piece has been presented publicly, though you must have some indication that your initial attempt failed.
Special: The writer and musician classes gain a +4 inherent bonus to Basic Rhyming checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in Craft (writing) or Perform (poetry) you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Basic Rhyming checks when creating a piece using the relevant skill.
Craft (Int)
Craft encompasses a number of different sub-skills, each of which must be taken individually. These skills are used to create products that can be incorporated into the game, earning extra fun from your players.
Check: See the Craft skill in the PHB, except replace all earnings with fun, and all costs with time/effort. The most common Craft skills are:
· Class – creation of new classes and prestige classes.
· Dungeon – creation of temples, dungeons, castles, caves, lairs, and any other imaginable structure your party can plunder.
· Miscellaneous – creation of items both magical and mundane, spells, abilities, NPCs, and damn near everything else not covered in another Craft.
· Race – creation of races and subraces.
· World – creation of a homebrew world to run one or more campaigns in.
Action: Does not apply. Craft checks are made by the day and week.
Try Again: Yes, but each time you miss by 5 or more you waste half of the effort you put into the original attempt.
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in an appropriate Craft skill you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Balance checks made for that item.
Fudge (Cha)
Like Craft, Fudge is a skill that encompasses a number of sub-skills, each of which must be taken individually. Fudging is used to pretend you know what you’re talking about regarding some bit of minutiae.
Check: See the Knowledge skill in the PHB. The most common types of Fudging are:
· Astronomy – pretending you know about constellations and celestial bodies… like Saturn, not Mila Jovovich.
· Economics – pretending you know about supply and demand, about trade routes and trade winds, about market saturation and the intricacies of real estate.
· Geology – pretending you know what makes mountain ranges, islands, weather patterns, ocean currents, and biospheres.
· Military Logistics – pretending you know about the needs of a standing army, what military encampments look like, what they are doing and need during times of peace, and when to apply the GI Bill.
· Politics – pretending you know about the subtle maneuverings of the members of Council X, the reasoning behind a duke picking a bunch of ragtag nobodies to clear his land of orcs instead of his trained and loyal soldiers, and how –exactly- one is chosen to be the leader of a nation if not by blood relation.
Action: A Fudge check requires 1 minute.
Try Again: No, if you try to re-fudge something, you alert the players to your original fudge, thereby negating all concurrent fudges about that subject for 24 hours.
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in Pronouncement you gain a +2 synergy bonus to all Fudge checks.
If you have 5 ranks in a Knowledge sub-skill, you gain a +2 synergy bonus to Fudge checks of that sub-skill.
Memory (Int)
Memory is the skill of memorizing and remembering details you’ve previously concentrated on.
Check: In order to make a Memory check you must have been exposed to the object of the Memory check at least once in the past. The DC equals the DC of bardic lore checks. Failure indicates you cannot recall any relevant information about the question you are attempting to answer.
Action: A Memory check requires a standard action.
Try Again: No. You may not try to remember a detail again until you’ve gained at least 1 additional rank in Memory.
Pronouncement (Cha)
Pronouncement is used to announce your decisions in an effective and impacting way.
Check: Pronouncement checks are opposed by a player’s Sense Loophole check. To make a Pronouncement check, all you need to do is have a declarative statement in mind. If you succeed this check, your pronouncement becomes unwritten law. Failure indicates your players have found a way to negate your pronouncement, or you caved in to their petulant baby-whining.
Action: A Pronouncement check requires a standard action.
Try Again: Yes.
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in Adjudicate, you gain a +2 synergy bonus to pronouncements made to resolve disputes.
Verbose Description (Cha)
Using your incredibly expansive vocabulary, you vividly describe to your anticipatory listeners a scene or event in such magnificent and unfiltered detail that even those with the basest amount of imagination are capable of painting masterpieces in the canvases of their minds, with your nouns as their brush and palette, your adjectives and adverbs their pigments, and your verbs, articles, conjunctions and prepositions their graceful brush strokes.
Check: A Verbose Description check is made as part of a Perform (oratory) check, and is made at the same DC. Failure indicates your description was underwhelming.
Action: Does not apply.
Try Again: Yes.
Voice Alteration (Cha)
This is the skill of altering your voice when speaking as NPCs, and is very useful in bringing them to life. Note that unlike the Player version of this skill, a DM’s Voice Alteration may include silly voices at no penalty.
Check: Choosing to emulate a known accent requires a DC 15 check. Emulating an accent you know of, but have had little to no exposure to, requires a DC 20 check. Creating a new accent requires a DC 25 check. Failure indicates you emulate the wrong accent, or just sound silly.
If you speak the language you are attempting to emulate the accent of, the DC of emulating that accent is 5.
Action: Voice Alteration checks are instant actions.
Try Again: Yes, though you run the risk of looking silly.
Synergy: If you have 5 ranks in Memory, you gain a +2 synergy bonus to emulate accents you’ve heard before.
So there we have it, ten skills that all DMs should invest skill points in at every available opportunity. I’m quite sure there are plenty other skills out there that other DMs have had need of as well, and I’d love to hear about them! Until next time, keep your skills sharp!
- Liambic
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