Just for fun, I calculated the attributes of Itash the Grim as a member of the other 5th edition kin. Each of these has an interesting effect on the effectiveness of Itash as a Wizard.
Itash the Dwarf
Type: Wizard
Kin: Dwarf
Level: 1
ST 28
IQ 14
LK 14
CON 18
DEX 12
CHR 7
ADDS +18
As I've mentioned previously, dwarves are the most ideal kin for solo adventurers in 5th edition and even more so in earlier editions. Their doubled Strength and Constitution given them a major edge in combat. With his two daggers Itash the Dwarf gets 4D+32 making him capable of taking on a MR50 (6D+25) monster in by himself in hand-to-hand combat with pretty even chances on winning. In addition, as a dwarf Itash can cast several spells without worrying about dropping to negative adds or becoming too weak to wield his weapons.
Itash the Elf
Type: Wizard
Kin: Elf
Level: 1
ST 14
IQ 21
LK 14
CON 6
DEX 18
CHR 20
ADDS +10/+16
As an elf, Itash is a little more fragile, but the boost to IQ and DEX means that he wouldn't need to invest too heavily in these attributes when gaining levels; his current IQ and DEX are already high enough to allow the use of 6th level spells. The DEX boost also makes Itash the Elf deadly with missile weapons.
Itash the Hobbit
Type: Wizard
Kin: Hobbit
Level: 1
ST 7
IQ 14
LK 14
CON 18
DEX 18
CHR 10
ADDS +6/+12
Now we start to see the problem with spells being powered by the Strength attribute. Itash the Hobbit wouldn't be able to cast very many spells. A single Take That You Fiend would render him almost too weak to move. The boosts to CON and DEX do make him rather hearty and dextrous, but he would do far better as a bow-wielding Warrior or Rogue.
Itash the Leprechaun
Type: Wizard
Kin: Leprechaun
Level: 1
ST 7
IQ 21
LK 21
CON 9
DEX 18
CHR 10
ADDS +13/+19
The same problem with Strength occurs with Itash the Leprechaun. Of course that does not mean too much starting out since Leprechauns know no spells when they start. But his high IQ, LK, and DEX do make him formidable especially with ranged weapons. Plus he's still doing more damage in combat than Itash the Human (4D+27 vs 4D+18).
Itash the Fairy
Type: Wizard
Kin: Fairy
Level: 1
ST 4
IQ 14
LK 21
CON 3
DEX 18
CHR 20
ADDS +10/+16
Here's an even bigger problem with using Strength to power spells. Itash the Fairy cannot cast four of the ten starting spells including Take That You Fiend, Oh There It Is, Vorpal Blade, and Oh Go Away. These are by far the most important of the first level spells especially to a solo wizard (IMO). That Wizardry attribute looks even better now. The bonus adds from the boosted LK and DEX still makes Itash and effective fighter using two banks (requiring only 1 ST/DEX each) giving him 4D+16; he's also deadly at a distance. Given these attributes I would not make Itash the Fairy a Wizard; a Rogue would be a better choice here.
There you have it; five alternate views of Itash the Grim. Interestingly, in all cases Itash became a better fighter (i.e. had more personal adds) when played as a kin other than human. This again points out that Wizards can be capable combatants; it's all in the attributes.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Spell Casting Mechanics: Points vs Memory
I am currently running two play-by-post T&T games, one at the Trollbridge and another on Roleplay Online. One aspect of the T&T rules that I have had an issue with while running these games is how tedious and difficult it can sometimes be to keep track of Strength/Wizardry points expended by the spell casters and their eventual, slow recovery. In the T&T rules spell casters recover 1 point of ST/WIZ per 10 minutes spent in non-strenuous activity; this typically means nothing more taxing than walking. Keeping track of all of these points can be tiring to say the least. The alternate way of limiting the power of spell casters and eliminating the 'point cost' method is the 'memory' method. Wizards and similar characters memorize spells at the start of the day and they may only cast that spell once. Once it is cast, the word and instructions for that spell vanish from the wizard's mind.
Instead of choosing one of these options, I've thought of a new house rule for T&T spell casting that simplifies the current 'point' method:
To me this house rule fits in well with T&T's basic KISS strategy. This approach seems to work out in my mind, we'll just have to see how it works in practice.
Instead of choosing one of these options, I've thought of a new house rule for T&T spell casting that simplifies the current 'point' method:
Wizards, Rogues, and Warrior-Wizards may cast a number of spells per day equal to his/her Strength or Wizardry attribute. Each level of spell increases the casting cost by 1 point, so a first level spell costs 1 point, a second level spell costs 2 points, and so on. A day starts after the spell caster gets at least eight hours of uninterrupted rest (no moving, no fighting). Spells that are cast do not vanish from memory and may be cast multiple times. So if you have a WIZ of 15, you could cast Take That You Fiend 15 times in a day as long as you cast no other spell. When using the Strength attribute to power magic (1st-5th editions), Strength is not reduced and personal adds are not lost from casting spells.
Benefit of magic staffs: A magic staff increases the number of ST/WIZ points available to a Wizard each day equal to 1D6 + Wizard level. The die is rolled at the start of each day making the benefit of the staff somewhat unpredictable. Makeshift staffs can only be used once before becoming worthless.
Casting lower level magic: Wizards may cast lower level magic at a cost reduced by an amount equal to Wizard Level minus Spell Level. The base cost is always 1 point. So a 3rd level Wizard can cast first and second level spells at a cost of 1 ST/WIZ each. A 10th level Wizard can cast a 7th level spell at a cost of 4 ST/WIZ.
Powering up spells: A wizard can cast some low level spells at a higher level to greater effect. The spell simply costs a number of ST/WIZ points equal to this effective level. So a third level Take That You Fiend costs 3 points.
To me this house rule fits in well with T&T's basic KISS strategy. This approach seems to work out in my mind, we'll just have to see how it works in practice.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Hocus Pocus and Magic Staffs
The typical image of a wizard generally includes some kind of magic staff or wand. While this does not fit my view of a delving wizard (especially a lone delving wizard), magic staffs are extremely useful to a Wizard in Tunnels and Trolls. They are one of the major advantages that Wizards have over Rogues in spell-casting. Like most of them, the rules regarding magic staffs have changed over the editions and I have always had questions about them.In the 5th and 7th edition rules, a magic staff reduces the cost to cast a spell by the level number of the wizard down to a minimum cost of 1 (Strength or Wizardry). This may not seem like a lot but it can be quite helpful even to a level 1 Wizard.
When selecting a magic staff a Wizard can buy two types from the Wizard's Guild, a staff ordinaire or a staff deluxe. The first is rather common and cheap (100 gp) but will never burn out. The second is pretty costly (5000 gp) and also mysterious. It reduces the cost of casting spells the exact same way that the staff ordinaire does, but it can remember the spells cast through it; so perhaps your shiny new staff has a few things to teach you? Some say that deluxe staffs have demons bound inside them.
Of course the Wizard always has the option of using a basic spell that every Wizard knows, Hocus Pocus, to create a makeshift staff. This requires no money at all, you simply need to find yourself a piece of wood. Here is where my questions begin.
First, the nature of the magic staff (often referred to as a focus) can vary according to the rules and may include "wands, walking sticks, sturdy quarterstaves, or even rings." So now it seems that your staff ordinaire may in fact be a ring or maybe a pendant hanging from a chain and not a 5' length of wood.
But, in 5th edition rules, the description for Hocus Pocus states specifically that it can be used to enchant any piece of WOOD into a makeshift staff. It does not say anything about any other items. So here is where house rules come in. Do you really only allow this spell to be cast on wood, or do you allow other items such as stone, ceramic, or metal? But while the description does say that the spell is cast on a piece of wood it does not say it must be a stick. It could simply be a chunk of wood; or maybe a wooden ring? That has possibilities. This caveat allows both rules to stand as is; Hocus Pocus may be cast on any wooden object.
The chief drawback of the makeshift staff is that it eventually will burn out and crumble to dust. This happens (in 5th edition) once the Wizard has cast a number of Strength points through the staff equal to twice his/her Intelligence. This is where my next question comes in: how do you count the Strength (or Wizardry, Mana, etc.) points cast through the staff? Is it the number of Strength points saved by using the staff or the total number of Strength points used to cast the spell? In other words, if you are a 1st level Wizard and cast Vorpal Blade using your makeshift staff, does that reduce it's Strength pool by 5 (the full cost of the spell) or by 1 (the strength saved by using the staff)? I've seen this rule interpreted both ways. Personally I prefer the latter. This really is not too much of a drawback since you can always find a new item to produce a makeshift staff. Besides, who says that you cannot create 10 or even 20 makeshift staffs the day before you set out to seek fame and fortune? There's no time limit on the enchantment after all. But then in 5th edition the makeshift staff may fail on the first attempt to use it unless you make a Level 1 Saving Roll on Luck. This is all the more reason to invest in increasing your Wizard's Luck attribute when you gain that first level.
At least one of these questions was answered for me in the 7th edition rules, where the spell (now called Hocus Focus) is now described as being able to "enchant ANY non-magical item into a magical focus." So in 7th edition you are not restricted to wood. That certainly increases the usefulness of this spell since according to this rule you could enchant a piece of lint you pull out of your pocket. Also, the chance of the makeshift focus failing on first use is not longer there. Even better. There is also an interesting change where it channels a number of Wizardry points equal to the Wizard's combined Intelligence and Dexterity. The combat effectiveness of the two different types of staffs is also addressed. The staff ordinaire is listed as a 2D weapon while the deluxe staff is listed as a 4D weapon due to the indestructible nature of the material (and the fact that there's a demon trapped inside).
So what does all this mean and why am I writing about magic staffs? Itash the Grim has been missing a magic staff in his adventures, but he really needs both hands free to fight with his daggers. The solution? Itash the Grim is going to get a small knife and make himself a pocket full of wooden rings to use a makeshift "staffs" on his next adventure and keep his hands free for his daggers while casting his spells for less Strength. Time to gear up for one last trip through Buffalo Castle. Take That You Fiend!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Itash Against Buffalo Castle - Delve #2
Before setting off on his next adventure in Buffalo Castle, Itash went shopping. He traded in his old suit of leather armor for a customized suit of armor. This new suit gave him almost twice the protection with only a 50% increase in weight! In game terms the different pieces take 11 hits total, require 6 ST, weighs 300 wu, and cost 300 gp. He also picked up some silk rope, a delvers package (you just never know), and one days provisions just in case he got hungry.
After a little rest and relaxation in town, Itash became bored and headed back to the ominous castle. A short hike found Itash standing before the three doors once again. Itash decided to continue his exploration of the area through the left door. He opened the door and stepped into the familiar corridor. Itash arrived at the first chamber where he faced a troll and took his first treasure. Nothing remained of the troll or his empty chest. Two more doors now faced him, one leading north, the other west. The door leading north was familiar, so instead Itash opened the door leading west.
Itash walked into another simple chamber. Simple with the exception of the two swarms of bees buzzing around. As soon as Itash entered, the two swarms of bees attacked (MR 10 each). Itash raised his daggers and began swatting bees out of the air. With a little effort Itash was able to kill every bee without a scratch (Two combat turns, won by 15 and 24). Looking around the room, Itash saw no sign of treasure, only a door leading north and the door leading back to the east. Itash decided to continue his new exploration and went north.
Itash traveled down a short corridor until he came to an intersection with passages leading north and east. Itash continued to make his way north until he entered a small chamber. Standing in the chamber was a evil-looking character dressed in leather armor. He demanded that Itash pay him 1 gold piece or fight him. "One gold piece?" Itash said with a laugh. "You do not think very highly of yourself do you? Why don't we fight." Itash decided to save his strength and deal with this nuisance with his blades. The leather-clad man (MR 20) rushed Itash but the wizard easily side-stepped him and drove both daggers through his soft armor. The man, now heavily bleeding, pleaded for his life but Itash lived up to his nickname and finished him with a clean strike with his haladie (Two combat turns, won by 16 and 27). Quickly searching the man, Itash discovered a sack containing 400 gold pieces! "Thank you my friend," Itash said to the corpse, "that will be quite useful." The content wizard now walked out of the chamber through the northern doorway.
Itash strode down the corridor until he came to a 4-way intersection. Standing in center of the intersection was a dust-covered and rather frail-looking mummy (MR 16). As Itash drew closer, it howled weakly and began to shamble toward him. Itash worked quickly, easily dodging the mummy's clumsy attaks and soon knocked it's hollow head from it's desiccated body (Two combat turns, won by 15 and 28). Finding nothing of value on the mummy, Itash was faced with four directions; he chose west and found himself facing yet another door. "Odd castle," he muttered.
Entering the room Itash found it filled with spider webs. "Uh oh." Before he could make a quick exit, a giant spider was upon him (MR 16). Itash staggered back and stumbled into the webs. Itash flailed about struggling to get his arms free as the spider drew closer and attacked. Panicked but trusting in his armor, Itash shouted the words that unleashed a bolt of energy that exploded in the spiders ugly mouth but not before it was able to strike. Fortunately for Itash the spiders mandibles only found the steel of his new armor. A quick thrust with his haladie finished the smoldering arachnid (Two combat turns, lost first by 2 but delivered 14 hits with TTYF, won second by 16). With the spider dead, Itash was able to cut himself free of the spider webs. Itash made a quick search of the room a found a sack containing 130 silver coins among the scattered bones of less fortunate delvers. As Itash searched for valuables he was surprised to see no doors other than the one he came in through. Itash began a more thorough search for secret doors. In the end he found none, but he did begin to feel some of the strength he lost by casting his spell returning (Regained 1 ST). Itash left the room returned to the intersection and traveled north.
Itash soon arrived in a chamber with a chest sitting unguarded in the center of the floor. Itash approached the chest and carefully opened it; he'd had nothing but good luck with chests thus far after all. Looking inside the chest, Itash was at a loss for words. There was a massive ruby inside that must have been worth at least 1000 gp. What luck! Itash took the ruby from the chest and stored it carefully in his pack. (Note: This ruby is cursed and will cause any monster fought to fight with double strength.) Itash decided to continue his treasure hunt just a little while longer and exited the room through the north door.
After another short walk down a corridor Itash entered what looked like a bank vault. It seemed odd considering where he was, but the northern wall of the chamber was lined with safety deposit boxes. Somehow Itash knew that he could only pick one box and that he would then be forced to leave Buffalo Castle and could never return to this room again. There were 25 boxes to pick from. Which one? Itash had always been partial to the number 10, so he opened that box. Inside he found a neat stack of stocks and bonds. Rifling through the documents he determined that they were worth 100 gp. Itash stuffed these into his pack then felt himself hurtling toward the castle exit.
"Wonderful trick," Itash said now looking at the door leading outside. But Itash was not able to leave just yet. "Now that is weird," Itash said. In front of the door was a giant jellyfish. "Shouldn't you be in a nice ocean somewhere?" Itash asked the jellyfish. Instead of replying the monster attacked. As the attack came Itash realized that the creature was being excessively aggressive (MR 10 doubled to 20). Itash dodged a stinging tentacle and went to work. Despite the berserk fury the jellyfish fought with, it was still just a jellyfish. Itash's daggers sliced it up into small, harmless chunks of goo in a manner of minutes (Two combat turns, won by 14 and 23). The jellyfish had no treasure but it did leave a sticky residue on his daggers. Itash spared a few minutes to clean the blades wary of any other wandering creatures. None had stumbled in by the time he finished so Itash once again walked out into the sunlight. He had plenty of coins, some stocks and bonds, and a massive ruby to show for his efforts. "I could get use to this," Itash said. A smile briefly broke his normal grim countenance. "Who knew delving could be so easy and profitable."
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Itash survived his second foray into Buffalo Castle! He earned 96 AP for slaying five opponents and walked out with a little over 1600 gp in treasure. Unfortunately until Itash goes up a level and has access to some second level spells he has little to spend this money on. Maybe some poison? Or perhaps he could hire a warrior to watch his back or a pack bearer to carry all of his treasure?
I'm finding the fights in Buffalo Castle to be rather easy. In his first delve the troll with a MR of 40 was the only real challenge. In the second delve the giant spider could have ended Itash's career due to the fact that he was ensnared in the spider's webs. This reduced all of his combat rolls by half. Luckily Itash had TTYF at his disposal and a good amount of armor. All of the other battles have been simple, facing monsters with MRs of 15-20. Two daggers seem to be all you need in Buffalo Castle; so far at least.
I'll plan one more delve into Buffalo Castle with Itash before moving on to a different solo. Perhaps "Sword for Hire." Any other suggestions? No meat grinders please.
Name: Itash the Grim
Type: Wizard
Kin: Human
Level: 1
ST 14
IQ 14
LK 14
CON 9
DEX 12
CHR 10
ADDS +4
Treasure: 165 sp, 75 gp, 1 jewel (300 gp)
Adventure Points: 197
Weapons: Kukri (2D+5, 20 wu, 15 yd), Haladie* (2D+9, 15 wu, enchanted), Common sling w 100 stones (2D+0, 60 wu, 100 yds)
Armor: Back and breast (5 hits, 200 wu), Greaves (2 hits, 40 wu), Gauntlets (2 hits, 25 wu), Greek helm (2 hits, 35 wu) [Total 11 hits, 300 wu]
Equipment: Warm clothing and pack, calf high boots, 5 torches, 20' silk rope, Delvers package, 1 days provisions
Weight carried: 455/1400
Languages: Common, Elven
Magic: Detect Magic, Knock knock, Lock Tight, Will-o-wisp, Oh There It Is, Take That You Fiend, Vorpal Blade, Oh-Go-Away, Hocus Pocus, Teacher
After a little rest and relaxation in town, Itash became bored and headed back to the ominous castle. A short hike found Itash standing before the three doors once again. Itash decided to continue his exploration of the area through the left door. He opened the door and stepped into the familiar corridor. Itash arrived at the first chamber where he faced a troll and took his first treasure. Nothing remained of the troll or his empty chest. Two more doors now faced him, one leading north, the other west. The door leading north was familiar, so instead Itash opened the door leading west.
Itash walked into another simple chamber. Simple with the exception of the two swarms of bees buzzing around. As soon as Itash entered, the two swarms of bees attacked (MR 10 each). Itash raised his daggers and began swatting bees out of the air. With a little effort Itash was able to kill every bee without a scratch (Two combat turns, won by 15 and 24). Looking around the room, Itash saw no sign of treasure, only a door leading north and the door leading back to the east. Itash decided to continue his new exploration and went north.
Itash traveled down a short corridor until he came to an intersection with passages leading north and east. Itash continued to make his way north until he entered a small chamber. Standing in the chamber was a evil-looking character dressed in leather armor. He demanded that Itash pay him 1 gold piece or fight him. "One gold piece?" Itash said with a laugh. "You do not think very highly of yourself do you? Why don't we fight." Itash decided to save his strength and deal with this nuisance with his blades. The leather-clad man (MR 20) rushed Itash but the wizard easily side-stepped him and drove both daggers through his soft armor. The man, now heavily bleeding, pleaded for his life but Itash lived up to his nickname and finished him with a clean strike with his haladie (Two combat turns, won by 16 and 27). Quickly searching the man, Itash discovered a sack containing 400 gold pieces! "Thank you my friend," Itash said to the corpse, "that will be quite useful." The content wizard now walked out of the chamber through the northern doorway.
Itash strode down the corridor until he came to a 4-way intersection. Standing in center of the intersection was a dust-covered and rather frail-looking mummy (MR 16). As Itash drew closer, it howled weakly and began to shamble toward him. Itash worked quickly, easily dodging the mummy's clumsy attaks and soon knocked it's hollow head from it's desiccated body (Two combat turns, won by 15 and 28). Finding nothing of value on the mummy, Itash was faced with four directions; he chose west and found himself facing yet another door. "Odd castle," he muttered.
Entering the room Itash found it filled with spider webs. "Uh oh." Before he could make a quick exit, a giant spider was upon him (MR 16). Itash staggered back and stumbled into the webs. Itash flailed about struggling to get his arms free as the spider drew closer and attacked. Panicked but trusting in his armor, Itash shouted the words that unleashed a bolt of energy that exploded in the spiders ugly mouth but not before it was able to strike. Fortunately for Itash the spiders mandibles only found the steel of his new armor. A quick thrust with his haladie finished the smoldering arachnid (Two combat turns, lost first by 2 but delivered 14 hits with TTYF, won second by 16). With the spider dead, Itash was able to cut himself free of the spider webs. Itash made a quick search of the room a found a sack containing 130 silver coins among the scattered bones of less fortunate delvers. As Itash searched for valuables he was surprised to see no doors other than the one he came in through. Itash began a more thorough search for secret doors. In the end he found none, but he did begin to feel some of the strength he lost by casting his spell returning (Regained 1 ST). Itash left the room returned to the intersection and traveled north.
Itash soon arrived in a chamber with a chest sitting unguarded in the center of the floor. Itash approached the chest and carefully opened it; he'd had nothing but good luck with chests thus far after all. Looking inside the chest, Itash was at a loss for words. There was a massive ruby inside that must have been worth at least 1000 gp. What luck! Itash took the ruby from the chest and stored it carefully in his pack. (Note: This ruby is cursed and will cause any monster fought to fight with double strength.) Itash decided to continue his treasure hunt just a little while longer and exited the room through the north door.
After another short walk down a corridor Itash entered what looked like a bank vault. It seemed odd considering where he was, but the northern wall of the chamber was lined with safety deposit boxes. Somehow Itash knew that he could only pick one box and that he would then be forced to leave Buffalo Castle and could never return to this room again. There were 25 boxes to pick from. Which one? Itash had always been partial to the number 10, so he opened that box. Inside he found a neat stack of stocks and bonds. Rifling through the documents he determined that they were worth 100 gp. Itash stuffed these into his pack then felt himself hurtling toward the castle exit.
"Wonderful trick," Itash said now looking at the door leading outside. But Itash was not able to leave just yet. "Now that is weird," Itash said. In front of the door was a giant jellyfish. "Shouldn't you be in a nice ocean somewhere?" Itash asked the jellyfish. Instead of replying the monster attacked. As the attack came Itash realized that the creature was being excessively aggressive (MR 10 doubled to 20). Itash dodged a stinging tentacle and went to work. Despite the berserk fury the jellyfish fought with, it was still just a jellyfish. Itash's daggers sliced it up into small, harmless chunks of goo in a manner of minutes (Two combat turns, won by 14 and 23). The jellyfish had no treasure but it did leave a sticky residue on his daggers. Itash spared a few minutes to clean the blades wary of any other wandering creatures. None had stumbled in by the time he finished so Itash once again walked out into the sunlight. He had plenty of coins, some stocks and bonds, and a massive ruby to show for his efforts. "I could get use to this," Itash said. A smile briefly broke his normal grim countenance. "Who knew delving could be so easy and profitable."
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Itash survived his second foray into Buffalo Castle! He earned 96 AP for slaying five opponents and walked out with a little over 1600 gp in treasure. Unfortunately until Itash goes up a level and has access to some second level spells he has little to spend this money on. Maybe some poison? Or perhaps he could hire a warrior to watch his back or a pack bearer to carry all of his treasure?
I'm finding the fights in Buffalo Castle to be rather easy. In his first delve the troll with a MR of 40 was the only real challenge. In the second delve the giant spider could have ended Itash's career due to the fact that he was ensnared in the spider's webs. This reduced all of his combat rolls by half. Luckily Itash had TTYF at his disposal and a good amount of armor. All of the other battles have been simple, facing monsters with MRs of 15-20. Two daggers seem to be all you need in Buffalo Castle; so far at least.
I'll plan one more delve into Buffalo Castle with Itash before moving on to a different solo. Perhaps "Sword for Hire." Any other suggestions? No meat grinders please.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Itash Against Buffalo Castle - Delve #1
Itash the Grim gathered his weapons and equipment and set off to seek his fortune at the famous Buffalo Castle. As he neared the massive fortress he saw three identical wooden doors leading inside.
Trusting in his luck, Itash opened the left hand door. He was faced by a corridor leading into the castle. Itash boldly walked down the corridor until it opened into a large chamber. In the middle of the chamber was a troll sitting on a treasure chest. It looked up at Istash in a bored fashion and yawned. Finding such behavior to be quite rude, Itash launched a bolt of energy right into the yawning trolls face (MR 40). The troll was momentarily stunned by the attack, but rose and charged the small wizard. Itash readied his two daggers and met the charge, although he felt rather weak after unleashing his magical energy. He fell back momentarily against the trolls charge, but Itash's leather armor kept the monster's claws from rending his flesh. Itash then turned the tables and delivered a rapid succession of blows with his daggers until the troll fell dead on the floor. (Cast TTYF for 14 hits against the sitting troll. Strength reduced to 8, trolls MR reduced to 26. Fought six combat turns, lost the first by 5, won the remaining five by 2, 8, 5, 5, and 16). With the troll dead, Itash opened the treasure chest. He laughed in delight as he extracted a large jewel worth perhaps 300 gold pieces!
Looking around the room more closely, Itash saw doors to the north and west. Itash walked to the north door and opened it revealing another corridor. Walking down the hall he eventually found himself in a small room. The only thing of interest in the room was a slot in one of the walls with a sign above it reading "Insert Sword Here." Shrugging, Itash inserted the blade of his Kukri into the slot. The dagger received a temporary enchantment (+20 adds for next combat roll)! Happy with the result, Itash inserted the blade of his haladie next. This time the dagger received a permanent enchantment (+5 adds)! "This is a nice castle," Itash said happily to himself, "very considerate." He also started to feel a little stronger since casting his spell (recovered 1 ST). Faced with two new doors to the north and west, Itash elected to continue his progress north.
Itash walked down yet another hall until he stopped at at door leading east. Itash opened the door and was faced with a mummy (MR 16) stalking toward him. Raising his daggers, Itash attacked the mummy. The temporary enchantment on his kukri proved too much for the undead monster and it fell immediately before him (One combat turn, won by 34). Looking around the room, Itash found nothing of value. A new door led east, but Itash returned to the corridor and continued his trek north until he came to yet another door in the eastern wall.
Opening this door, Itash saw a room with a chest sitting on the floor. Itash advanced carefully toward the chest; treasure or trap he thought. Hoping for the best, he knelled down and opened the lid; he was not disappointed. Inside the chest was jewel worth 100 gold pieces. Itash happily pocketed the jewel and returned to the corridor feeling stronger once again (recovered 1 ST). Finally the corridor branched at a T-intersection leading west and north. Itash chose to continue his northern path leading him to a room that took his breath away. In the middle of the room was a large tree with what looked like emeralds growing on it's branches and rubies lying on the ground. Itash could not believe his luck. Choosing to stay away from the tree, Itash picked up the rubies. There were three, each worth maybe 100 gp each. Itash's greed then got the better of him. There were far more emeralds on the tree so he reached out to pick one. Suddenly, the tree came to life and it's branches lashed out at the surprised wizard. Itash fought back against the enraged tree (MR 25). The wizard's daggers hacked and cleaved the trees limbs leaving it a broken hulk (Won in three combat turns by 7, 8, and 17). With the tree dead, Itash happily collected the emeralds. After a close inspection, however, he found that they were fake and threw angrily on the floor.
Itash now had five jewels and an enchanted haladie. It seemed like a decent haul for a day, so he decided to make his way back to the castle entrance. He moved quickly to the south ignoring the other doors until he finally came to the door leading outside the castle (recovered 2 ST). Unfortunately, coiled up in front of the door was a giant snake (MR 16). Not willing to weaken himself with another spell, Itash readied his daggers once more as the snake struck. His blades served him well again as Itash cut the snakes head off in a single stroke (Won in one combat turn by 17). Itash kicked the snakes body aside and saw a large pouch. Opening the pouch, Itash found 160 silver coins. A nice tip, he thought.
Itash threw open the castle door and strode out into the sunlight. He felt relieved to have survived his first foray into Buffalo Castle although he knew it would not be his last. After all, money does not last forever.
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So ends a wizard's first adventure in Buffalo Castle. Itash did far better than I though he would. Itash received 97 AP for defeating four monsters and an additional 100 AP for getting out of the castle alive. He also recovered 700 gp and 160 sp in treasure as well as enchanting his haladie (2D+9). Not bad for a lone wizard.
Strength recovery after casting spells is always an issue for wizards or rogues in solos. Spell casters are supposed to recover 1 ST per turn not engaged in strenuous activity. For Buffalo Castle I made this equivalent to two paragraphs of movement with no fighting or some kind of searching or similar activity like inserting daggers into the enchanting slot or checking out an unguarded chest.
Itash will certainly head back to Buffalo Castle. There are so many more unexplored twists and turns to go.
Trusting in his luck, Itash opened the left hand door. He was faced by a corridor leading into the castle. Itash boldly walked down the corridor until it opened into a large chamber. In the middle of the chamber was a troll sitting on a treasure chest. It looked up at Istash in a bored fashion and yawned. Finding such behavior to be quite rude, Itash launched a bolt of energy right into the yawning trolls face (MR 40). The troll was momentarily stunned by the attack, but rose and charged the small wizard. Itash readied his two daggers and met the charge, although he felt rather weak after unleashing his magical energy. He fell back momentarily against the trolls charge, but Itash's leather armor kept the monster's claws from rending his flesh. Itash then turned the tables and delivered a rapid succession of blows with his daggers until the troll fell dead on the floor. (Cast TTYF for 14 hits against the sitting troll. Strength reduced to 8, trolls MR reduced to 26. Fought six combat turns, lost the first by 5, won the remaining five by 2, 8, 5, 5, and 16). With the troll dead, Itash opened the treasure chest. He laughed in delight as he extracted a large jewel worth perhaps 300 gold pieces!
Looking around the room more closely, Itash saw doors to the north and west. Itash walked to the north door and opened it revealing another corridor. Walking down the hall he eventually found himself in a small room. The only thing of interest in the room was a slot in one of the walls with a sign above it reading "Insert Sword Here." Shrugging, Itash inserted the blade of his Kukri into the slot. The dagger received a temporary enchantment (+20 adds for next combat roll)! Happy with the result, Itash inserted the blade of his haladie next. This time the dagger received a permanent enchantment (+5 adds)! "This is a nice castle," Itash said happily to himself, "very considerate." He also started to feel a little stronger since casting his spell (recovered 1 ST). Faced with two new doors to the north and west, Itash elected to continue his progress north.
Itash walked down yet another hall until he stopped at at door leading east. Itash opened the door and was faced with a mummy (MR 16) stalking toward him. Raising his daggers, Itash attacked the mummy. The temporary enchantment on his kukri proved too much for the undead monster and it fell immediately before him (One combat turn, won by 34). Looking around the room, Itash found nothing of value. A new door led east, but Itash returned to the corridor and continued his trek north until he came to yet another door in the eastern wall.
Opening this door, Itash saw a room with a chest sitting on the floor. Itash advanced carefully toward the chest; treasure or trap he thought. Hoping for the best, he knelled down and opened the lid; he was not disappointed. Inside the chest was jewel worth 100 gold pieces. Itash happily pocketed the jewel and returned to the corridor feeling stronger once again (recovered 1 ST). Finally the corridor branched at a T-intersection leading west and north. Itash chose to continue his northern path leading him to a room that took his breath away. In the middle of the room was a large tree with what looked like emeralds growing on it's branches and rubies lying on the ground. Itash could not believe his luck. Choosing to stay away from the tree, Itash picked up the rubies. There were three, each worth maybe 100 gp each. Itash's greed then got the better of him. There were far more emeralds on the tree so he reached out to pick one. Suddenly, the tree came to life and it's branches lashed out at the surprised wizard. Itash fought back against the enraged tree (MR 25). The wizard's daggers hacked and cleaved the trees limbs leaving it a broken hulk (Won in three combat turns by 7, 8, and 17). With the tree dead, Itash happily collected the emeralds. After a close inspection, however, he found that they were fake and threw angrily on the floor.
Itash now had five jewels and an enchanted haladie. It seemed like a decent haul for a day, so he decided to make his way back to the castle entrance. He moved quickly to the south ignoring the other doors until he finally came to the door leading outside the castle (recovered 2 ST). Unfortunately, coiled up in front of the door was a giant snake (MR 16). Not willing to weaken himself with another spell, Itash readied his daggers once more as the snake struck. His blades served him well again as Itash cut the snakes head off in a single stroke (Won in one combat turn by 17). Itash kicked the snakes body aside and saw a large pouch. Opening the pouch, Itash found 160 silver coins. A nice tip, he thought.
Itash threw open the castle door and strode out into the sunlight. He felt relieved to have survived his first foray into Buffalo Castle although he knew it would not be his last. After all, money does not last forever.
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So ends a wizard's first adventure in Buffalo Castle. Itash did far better than I though he would. Itash received 97 AP for defeating four monsters and an additional 100 AP for getting out of the castle alive. He also recovered 700 gp and 160 sp in treasure as well as enchanting his haladie (2D+9). Not bad for a lone wizard.
Strength recovery after casting spells is always an issue for wizards or rogues in solos. Spell casters are supposed to recover 1 ST per turn not engaged in strenuous activity. For Buffalo Castle I made this equivalent to two paragraphs of movement with no fighting or some kind of searching or similar activity like inserting daggers into the enchanting slot or checking out an unguarded chest.
Itash will certainly head back to Buffalo Castle. There are so many more unexplored twists and turns to go.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Itash the Grim
Here is my newest character, a 1st level wizard created with the 5th edition rules ready to head off on his own.
As you can see I had some nice luck with the dice; the Eposic Animated Die Roller is generally kind.
I'll be putting this interesting fellow through some trials in various classic solo adventures whether or not they allow wizards or magic to see how well he fares. Because survival in combat appears to be the biggest question I'll be running him through some fights first.
More to come.
Name: Itash the Grim
Type: Wizard
Kin: Human
Level: 1
ST 14
IQ 14
LK 14
CON 9
DEX 12
CHR 10
ADDS +4
Treasure: 5 sp
Adventure Points: 0
Weapons: Kukri (2D+5, 20 wu, 15 yd), Haladie (2D+4, 15 wu), Common sling w 100 stones (2D+0, 60 wu, 100 yds)
Armor: Leather armor (6 hits, 200 wu)
Equipment: Warm clothing and pack, calf high boots, 5 torches
Languages: Common, Elven
Magic: Detect Magic, Knock knock, Lock Tight, Will-o-wisp, Oh There It Is, Take That You Fiend, Vorpal Blade, Oh-Go-Away, Hocus Pocus, Teacher
As you can see I had some nice luck with the dice; the Eposic Animated Die Roller is generally kind.
I'll be putting this interesting fellow through some trials in various classic solo adventures whether or not they allow wizards or magic to see how well he fares. Because survival in combat appears to be the biggest question I'll be running him through some fights first.
More to come.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Wizards in Close Combat
In my last post I described 5th edition rogues, at least at low levels, as poor excuses for warriors. This may seem a bit harsh but it is only my opinion. It is certainly not the case for 7th edition rogues. In a comment to this post, Soren stated that while rogues were not as good as warriors in combat, a wizard in close combat was simply a dead wizard but not so for rogues. That got me wondering. Was that really true? It is certainly the common assumption; but how do the combat abilities of rogues and wizards stack up in 5th edition and how likely is either type to survive a typical solo adventure where they would be forced to fight at least once.
In 5th edition, wizards are limited to weapons with 2 or fewer dice. This includes all daggers, the manople, foil, baton, piton hammer, crowbar, bagh nakh, quarterstaff, assegai, javelin, very light bow, common sling, chakram, shurikin, war bola, and caltrops. That's actually not a bad assortment of weapons especially considering the starting funds of most delvers; it also includes a good number of missile weapons. The rules state that wizards must only use 2 die weapons, but it does not say that they cannot use two of these at the same time. At a minimum, a wizard can use two banks, getting 4D+6 in combat and only requiring a STR and DEX of 2. At best, a wizard can use two kukri and get 4D+10 in combat requiring a STR and DEX of 12. That's not bad in either case. Even with two banks the wizard should be able to handle a MR 20 monster single handed. Keep in mind that there is also nothing saying that a wizard cannot use poison to increase the effectiveness of these weapons. It is also important to remember, there is no limit on armor or shields for wizards in T&T. A wizard with enough money (and strength) can deck himself out in plate armor and carry a tower shield is he or she so chooses. The wizards of T&T need not rely on the protection of warriors, nor should they.
Now, what about the combat ability of rogues? They have no restriction on which weapons they can use just like warriors meaning they can use whatever they want in the lists as long as they have the money, strength, and dexterity. But what does that mean really? Will the rogue necessarily have a much higher strength or dexterity than the wizard? How many more dice and adds can the rogue bring to bear than the wizard? One most likely, maybe two. This lack of a difference is most evident at low levels. Rogues get the same use out of armor that wizards do, so they are completely even on that front.
What do wizards have that rogues do not in 5th edition? Ten spells. Starting wizards can blast their enemies to smithereens, freeze them in place, briefly enchant their own weapons doubling their effectiveness, panic their enemies so that they flee, locate hidden objects or invisible monsters, open locked doors, magically lock doors, make magical light without need for torches or lanterns, and detect the presence of magic. Oh, they can also enchant a piece of wood so that their spells require less strength to cast. True they also have a spell that allows them to teach spells to rogues, but why do that? That would cut down their edge. It is true that in 5th edition wizard spells are powered by strength and this can be a problem if the wizard is suddenly forced into combat. But it's all about being smart and conserving your strength, especially when you are delving alone. Use spells only when they will do the most good, otherwise save your strength and rely on your daggers.
Like Soren I had considered wizard useless in combat and therefore lost causes when it came to solo delving. I'm not so sure any more. As long as the mechanics of the solo allow magic to be used, a wizard should be able to survive as equally as a rogue or even a warrior. Well, most of the time.
In 5th edition, wizards are limited to weapons with 2 or fewer dice. This includes all daggers, the manople, foil, baton, piton hammer, crowbar, bagh nakh, quarterstaff, assegai, javelin, very light bow, common sling, chakram, shurikin, war bola, and caltrops. That's actually not a bad assortment of weapons especially considering the starting funds of most delvers; it also includes a good number of missile weapons. The rules state that wizards must only use 2 die weapons, but it does not say that they cannot use two of these at the same time. At a minimum, a wizard can use two banks, getting 4D+6 in combat and only requiring a STR and DEX of 2. At best, a wizard can use two kukri and get 4D+10 in combat requiring a STR and DEX of 12. That's not bad in either case. Even with two banks the wizard should be able to handle a MR 20 monster single handed. Keep in mind that there is also nothing saying that a wizard cannot use poison to increase the effectiveness of these weapons. It is also important to remember, there is no limit on armor or shields for wizards in T&T. A wizard with enough money (and strength) can deck himself out in plate armor and carry a tower shield is he or she so chooses. The wizards of T&T need not rely on the protection of warriors, nor should they.
Now, what about the combat ability of rogues? They have no restriction on which weapons they can use just like warriors meaning they can use whatever they want in the lists as long as they have the money, strength, and dexterity. But what does that mean really? Will the rogue necessarily have a much higher strength or dexterity than the wizard? How many more dice and adds can the rogue bring to bear than the wizard? One most likely, maybe two. This lack of a difference is most evident at low levels. Rogues get the same use out of armor that wizards do, so they are completely even on that front.
What do wizards have that rogues do not in 5th edition? Ten spells. Starting wizards can blast their enemies to smithereens, freeze them in place, briefly enchant their own weapons doubling their effectiveness, panic their enemies so that they flee, locate hidden objects or invisible monsters, open locked doors, magically lock doors, make magical light without need for torches or lanterns, and detect the presence of magic. Oh, they can also enchant a piece of wood so that their spells require less strength to cast. True they also have a spell that allows them to teach spells to rogues, but why do that? That would cut down their edge. It is true that in 5th edition wizard spells are powered by strength and this can be a problem if the wizard is suddenly forced into combat. But it's all about being smart and conserving your strength, especially when you are delving alone. Use spells only when they will do the most good, otherwise save your strength and rely on your daggers.
Like Soren I had considered wizard useless in combat and therefore lost causes when it came to solo delving. I'm not so sure any more. As long as the mechanics of the solo allow magic to be used, a wizard should be able to survive as equally as a rogue or even a warrior. Well, most of the time.
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