| | Ref | Ouvrage | Question | | Reponse |
|---|
| 211. | DR053 | Dragon #53 | When a player character monk attains 8th level or higher, will
there be non-player character monks seeking to defeat him in
combat so as to attain his level? Will be always have to combat
higher-level NPCs when this is necessary to attain the next level? | | In a well structured campaign, there will be a monkish hierarchy
even if there is only one monk player character of sufficiently
high level to challenge for another monk’s position. In
the extreme, this hierarchy would be delineated all the way up to
the Grand Master of Flowers—a total of 12 positions (from 8th
level through 17th) which would all be filled by NPCs if no player
character has yet advanced beyond 7th level. At the least, the
DM should provide opposition for a player character as it becomes
necessary: Be sure there is an 8th-level monk for the
upstart player character to battle, when the time comes, and
have other “titleholders” prepared and ready to play if the player
character rises even higher.
The rules about advancement for monks are specific: A monk
must meet a higher-level monk in hand-to-hand combat when
the lower-level monk obtains enough experience points to qualify
for ascension to the next level. This presumes the existence
of higher-level monks, which the DM must provide if player
characters do not already fill those positions. Otherwise, the
lower-level PC monk’s efforts to rise in level, obtain experience
points and strive for greater prowess and superiority become
meaningless.
It doesn’t necessarily work the same way when a player character is in a position to be challenged by a lower-level monk. It is
not mandatory for higher-level PC monks to face challenges
from lower-level aspirants, but such challenges will certainly
come about in a campaign where the DM actively employs NPC
monks, charting their advancement up the experience-point
ladder just as for player characters. Challenges to a player
character monk do not ever have to occur, but it would be
ridiculous for a player character to make it all the way to Grand
Master of Flowers without ever facing a bid for his position from
a lower-level contender. |
| 212. | DR043 | Dragon #43 | When the Dungeon Masters Guide or Players
Handbook states that high-level clerical spells are only given
by a deity directly, does that mean directly each time a cleric
wants to recharge a high-level spell, or directly only the first
time, upon acquiring a new level? | | In Deities & Demigods it is stated that the gods punish their
clerics’ transgressions by withholding higher-level spells when they do
wrong. From this, it can be inferred that it is necessary for a cleric to
make a new appeal to his/her deity for a spell of third level or higher
every time such a spell is desired. |
| 213. | DR064 | Dragon #64 | Can a two-classed fighter-cleric use edged weapons and mix
the use of these with the use of clerical abilities (spells)? If this
is not allowable, does that mean a two-classed character must
follow the conditions of the more restricted class with regard to
the use of certain weapons, the wearing of certain armor, and
other particulars? | | In essence, being a character with two classes means you
can do different things at different times, which makes “double
duty” desirable for some players and their characters. But twoclassed
characters (always human) can’t legitimately mix the
abilities and benefits of different classes at the same time the
way multi-classed (always non-human or semi-human) characters
can.
Like it says on page 33 of the Players Handbook, “restrictions
regarding armor, shield, and/or weapon apply with regard to
operations particular to one or both classes.” From that statement,
and the example that follows it concerning a two-classed
fighter and magic-user, we can see that the intent of the rules is
to keep the class functions separate. The result is that a twoclassed
character must be played quite a bit differently than a
multi-classed character who is practicing the same professions.
A fighter-cleric wielding an edged weapon can’t successfully
cast a spell, turn an undead, or perform any other cleric-type
action. If the character wants to be able to hold a weapon and
act as a cleric at the same time, it must be a weapon clerics are
permitted to use. A fighter-MU can “carry (but not wear) armor
and weapons not normally usable by magic-users,” according
to the Players Handbook.
Thus, a two-classed fighter-cleric ought to be allowed to
carry (but not hold) an edged weapon and still use clerical
abilities: It would be okay for the two-classed fighter-cleric to
keep a sword at his belt and turn an undead, for instance— but
if he tries to do the same thing with a sword in one hand and a
holy symbol in the other, he’d better be ready to use that sword.
A fighter-cleric carrying more than one weapon but not holding
any particular one at a given time can perform as a cleric as long
as one of the weapons he carries is permitted to clerics, and as
long as that particular weapon is the one (if any) being drawn or
wielded. |
| 214. | DR117 | Dragon #117 | Can a cavalier use a crossbow? | | In general, cavaliers shun the use of
missile weapons, with the exception of
elven and half-elven cavaliers who often
use short composite bows. Cavaliers tend
to see missile weapons as ignoble because
they deal out damage at a distance, which
calls the cavalier’s personal bravery into
question. This does not mean that a cavalier
cannot take proficiency in crossbow at
higher levels, but the character risks losing
status in the knightly community for
doing so, depending upon the circumstances
and whether or not the character
is dependent upon the undesirable
weapon. Historically, the crossbow was
sometimes used by normal soldiers, so it
would probably offend the cavalier, who is
supposed to be superior. |
| 215. | DR058 | Dragon #58 | Do dwarves rise to the 7th or 8th level of clerical ability? The
DEITIES & DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia (p. 108) and the Monster
Manual (p. 35) either state or imply that 7th is the maximum, but
the Players Handbook (p. 14) says 8th. | | In his general article on dwarves in this issue of DRAGON™
Magazine, Roger Moore suggests one logical answer to this
problem: To resolve the discrepancy, it can be ruled that
dwarven clerics with 18 wisdom can ascend to 8th level, while
all others are limited to 7th level. In the final analysis, whether a
campaign includes 8th-level dwarven clerics or not (regardless
of wisdom score) is a matter of choice and circumstance. Perhaps, if your campaign was begun with a pre-generated band of
dwarves that includes characters who have 7th-level clerical
ability (as per the Monster Manual), you might allow the possibility
of those characters rising to 8th level. But such an advancement,
if it is even possible, would take decades of game
time to achieve. According to the age determination charts in
the Dungeon Masters Guide, dwarven clerics who are established
as NPCs are already almost 300 years old. If a dwarf has
spent, say, 200 years rising from 1st level to as high as 7th level
in clerical ability, then the advancement from 7th to 8th level is
certainly not going to come about “overnight.” |
| 216. | DR126 | Dragon #126 | When a map has a hex grid (hexagons
instead of squares), and the
scale is 24 miles per hex, what does
this really mean? Is the distance
measured from the centers of opposite
sides or from opposite corners? | | In most games, the distance across a hex
is measured from the center of one side to
the center of the opposite side. This is the
case in the D&D and AD&D games. |
| 217. | DR133 | Dragon #133 | How about some guidelines on the
wish spell? | | In one Lake Geneva campaign, wishes
were sometimes used to gain treasure. A
random amount of 5,000-40,000 gp (5d8 x
1,000) was the usual range. Experience
was never awarded for this treasure, and
a few local campaigns now actually deduct
experience (½-l xp per 1 gp gained). A
wish may never be used to gain experience
or levels.
A wish will produce a magical item (not
of artifact quality) of up to +5 enchantment,
lasting for one hour. The item is not
actually created; it is just “borrowed" from
somewhere. When the duration is up, the
item disappears, returning “home." (Such
an absence might anger the item’s owner,
of course.)
The Dungeon Masters Guide says that a
wish can be used to permanently gain one
ability score point as long as the score is
not raised above 16. If the score is 16 or
higher, it takes 10 wishes to raise it one
point. Thus, it would take 20 wishes to
raise an ability score from 16 to 18.
A wish can temporarily raise an ability
to 18. In some Lake Geneva campaigns, the
duration for this effect is anywhere from
1d6 turns to 1d6 hours (6-36 turns),
depending on how low the original score
was to begin with.
A wish can change a character’s race,
but it can’t remove a racial class or level
restriction entirely. Thus, an elf made into
a human can rise as high as a human can
in levels, but an elf (as itself) can at best
only slightly exceed racial restrictions on
maximum levels using a wish spell.
A wish can duplicate other spells. One
Lake Geneva campaign allows wishes to
duplicate any other spells; another limits
this to first- to seventh-level spells.
Wishes can usually negate or change bad
events. This can range from the previous
hour to the previous week, depending on
how many creatures are involved, the
creatures’ relative power, and how specific
the change is. A bad adventure involving a
few adventurers could be wiped out completely
after as much as a week, but a
wish that negated the bad effects of the
same adventure while preserving everything
gained would have to be made within
a day. The results of a minor battle
involving normal troops could be changed
after as much as a day. If the fate of a
whole empire hinged on the battle, however,
and there were powerful demons
present, the wish would have to be made
within the hour and be limited to changing
the result a single key melee (which might
or might not change the outcome of the
battle).
A wish which shows excessive greed or
promises to be a campaign-buster should
be twisted so that the exact wording is
met, but the intent is not served. For
example: “I wish to know everything there
is to know about this dungeon,” would
result in the character getting deluged
with information which is quickly forgotten.
If the party is being lazy and trying to
avoid a piece of campaign business with
which it ought to be concerned, it is
incumbent upon the DM to see to it that
the wish winds up costing the party more
than it gains. If a wish is to be used in a
tricky situation, players should limit the
number of words in the wish.
This list could go on. Ultimately, the DM
must decide on his own guidelines for
using wishes. A useful article on this topic
appeared in the Best of DRAGON Magazine
Anthology, volume 5: “Best wishes!” |
| 218. | DR031 | Dragon #31 | In the AD&D PLAYERS HANDBOOK, under the
Read Magic spell, it says that scrolls must have the spell cast
upon them before they can be read by the Magic-User. What
does a magic-user do if he doesn’t have a Read Magic? What
about the poor illusionist who has no Read Magic spell at all, except perhaps as a seventh-level spell? Furthermore, what do
clerics do about scrolls? Do they have any? | | In the DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE, it says that all
magic-users know the spell Read Magic. They would be worthless to
their master (from whom they learned the profession) without it.
Illusionists don’t need a Read Magic. as all of their spells are written in
the same secret language. This also applies to clerics. even though their
spells are god-given, so yes, clerics can have scrolls. |
| 219. | DR131 | Dragon #131 | Where are monsters? psionic abilities
explained? | | In the Players Handbook, starting on
page 110, and in the Dungeon Masters
Guide, starting on page 76. |
| 220. | DR031 | Dragon #31 | In our town of Terre Haute, there is an eighthlevel
paladin that has a favorite saying, “Repent or Die.” On one
occasion he pulled back the arm of a captured orc, placed a
Ring of regeneration on his finger and then ripped his face off.
When the orc’s face healed, he would do it again. He says he
has a valid right to do this, because torture was very much a
part of the inquisition and he is saving the orc’s soul. This
raises two questions. First, is the paladin still a paladin and if
not, is he changed forever? | | Inform the paladin he isn’t one any more. His new alignment
is now lawful evil. Paladins tend to frown upon torture of any kind
for any reason and would not let it be done in their presence, let alone
do it themselves. Good and the process of law must be followed.
Everything a paladin does must obey laws of good and thereby insure
that all are treated fairly and just.
Granted, a lot of cruel and heartless things have been done in the
name of religion, but that doesn’t mean that it was good or right. Men
have always done strange things for even stranger reasons. For the
paladin to have tortured the orc was an evil act, and therefore he has
given up the right to be a paladin. I suggest that he not be allowed to
regain it, either, but if you decide to let him, make sure the quest is long,
hard, and nearly impossible to accomplish. |
· 
· 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 · 
· 