5 posts from February 2007

I've been stuck with GM duties for the past few months and it's not something I altogether regret as I get to create and explore various class and monster combinations. Still, when running an actual game, I shy away from using classes from Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. Don't get me wrong--I love the book. It's just that creating such characters takes more time than usual (damn prerequisites for maneuvers!) and more importantly, it's difficult to run lots of 'em.

The blame can be placed on the maneuvers. First, I'm simply not familiar with them as I am with spells. Perhaps with more time, I'd get to know each and every maneuver by name. The second is that the maneuvers themselves don't have names which are necessarily evocative of what they do. I mean with spells, I pretty much know the difference between fireball, fly, and mage armor. Not so with douse the flames, leading the attack, and leading the charge. Basically I need the book at hand and much referencing to use one martial adept let alone several.

The complaint is more of experience however. Spellcasters in general are difficult to run but because I'm intimately familiar with them, running several spellcasters at once isn't too much trouble for me. Running several martial adepts, however, is.

I just got my copy of Dungeonscape and Secrets of Sarlona last week, thanks to Comic Quest and I have more praise for it than complaints. So far Wizards of the Coast seems to be starting the year strong. Complete Scoundrel and the Gargantuan Blue Dragon miniature (how can you not love a gargantuan miniature?) were great products for the most part and I can't wait to get my hands on the upcoming Magic Item Compedium.

Down the line though, it's a wait-and-see for me. Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress and Dungeon Survival Guide are targeted at the casual reader/non-gamer and it seems like a nice strategy on WotC's part (although if it's effective remains to be seen). At least that's two books this year I'm not going to buy (perhaps). I'm eagerly anticipating Complete Champion but then again, I'm having my doubts with regards to the Rules Compedium. Still, there's the usual cash-cows of WotC, from miniatures to dungeon tiles. There's also a plethora of new adventures going to be released this year and another gargantuan miniature so 2007 seems like the year for D&D for me.

Now if only I could find a game I could actually play in...

In the game of D&D, combat is an expected event and one can’t help but get injured (or worse, actually die). Healing becomes such an integral aspect of the game that an entire class, the Cleric, is devoted to it. This leads to strange gaming dynamics, from a player fully embracing the part, to others shunning the duty of the party healer. Nonetheless, healing is a necessary aspect of the game, at least if you want your characters to live, and here are some tips to help spread out healing duties among party members and even enable the Cleric save his spells for more offensive or utilitarian uses.

In General:

Heal Skill + Healer’s Kit: The heal skill won’t bring unconscious party members back in action but at least it’ll prevent their death by stabilizing them. It’s also handy when a party member is poisoned and Fortitude isn’t his best save. During downtime, Heal can also increase a character’s natural healing rate making it a must-have even for those who don’t have Heal as a class skill. Character classes with a natural high Wisdom score (such as Monks) equipped with a healer’s kit can, on the average, make the DC 15 check.

Healing Potions: It’s a common advice yet holds true nonetheless: stock up on healing potions. They’re no substitutes for a good Cleric but when the Cleric goes down and you need someone to get him back up, you can’t go wrong with healing potions.

Healing Salve (Tome and Blood pg. 72): They’re just as expensive as potions of cure light wounds and heals less but anyone can make them as long as they make the Craft (Alchemy) check. Make sure your GM allows it as Tome and Blood is a 3.0 supplement.

Healing Hands (Complete Scoundrel pg. 87): While conceivably anyone can obtain this skill trick, it’s best used by those who have Heal as a class skill to make certain that the character you’re stabilizing actually gets healed. It’s best if the non-main healer member in the group gets it so that when the Cleric goes down, the damage healed might just be enough to make him active in the game again.

Faster Healing (Complete Warrior pg. 98): If you have the feat to burn and a high Fortitude save, Faster Healing lets you recover more during periods of rest. Doesn’t do much during combat but that’s one less cure light wounds spell the party healer needs to cast before you go to sleep.

Barbarians:

Not exactly the most savvy of classes when it comes to healing, the general tips applies to Barbarians. However, he’s not necessarily the best character to stabilize other characters during a fight, especially when he’s raging. Leave the fighting to him and the healing to others.

Bard:

Wand of Cure Light Wounds: You don’t need to have the cure spells on your spells known list to utilize this magic item. Better yet, maximize your ranks in Use Magic Device mid to late game and you can use magic items that befits a true party healer such as a Staff of Life.

Cleric:

Sacred Healing (Complete Divine pg. 84) and/or Sacred Purification (Player’s Handbook II pg. 89): Both feats transform what would otherwise be a sub-optimal resource on the Cleric’s part into a source of healing. High Charisma Clerics get the most out of it but even those with a decent Charisma score can get mileage with it thanks to Charisma-boosting items. And unlike the other alternatives, these feats can be used during combat.

Augment Healing (Complete Divine pg. 79), Sacred Boost (Complete Divine pg. 84), Magic of the Land (Races of the Wild pg. 152) and/or Sacred Healing (Player’s Handbook II pg. 89): These feats augment your healing prowess, enabling you to heal more for less expenditure of spells.

Druid:

Wand of Cure Light Wounds: You can never go wrong with additional wands of cure light wounds, especially when the party has no Cleric. And unlike the Bard, you don’t really need to invest ranks in Use Magic Device to utilize staves that contain healing spells.

Spontaneous Healer (Complete Divine pg. 84): With this feat, you don’t necessarily have to prepare cure spells in order to cast them. You can save your spell slots for something more useful and then swap them out when needed.

Augment Healing (Complete Divine pg. 79) and/or Magic of the Land (Races of the Wild pg. 152): Much like what’s been mentioned in the Cleric section, these feats gives you more bang for you buck, especially when the party is lacking the services of a true Cleric.

Fighter:

Combat Vigor (Player’s Handbook II pg. 88): Not a replacement for true healing but recovering 2 or 4 hit points per round in the thick of combat ain’t bad. Aside from that, the advice for Barbarians holds true for Fighters.

Monk:

Wholeness of Body: It’s too easy to forget that amidst the myriad of abilities as Monk has, he can heal himself. Wholeness of Body isn’t a lot and it won’t aid your party members but it’s some healing the party healer doesn’t need to expend on you.

Paladin:

Lay on Hands: Much like the Monk’s Wholeness of Body ability, Lay on Hands can lighten the healing load on the rest of the party and unlike Wholeness of Body, can be used on other characters.

Wand of Cure Light Wounds: Nothing new can be said that’s not said before. They’re like potions except cheaper.

Sacred Healing (Complete Divine pg. 84) and/or Sacred Purification (Player’s Handbook II pg. 89): If anyone should get these feats, it should be the Paladin more so than the Cleric especially considering a Paladin will most likely have a high Charisma score and thus gain more benefits from these feats (not to mention you won’t be doing lots of actual turning against undead).

Divine Spirit (Dungeonscape): By ditching your mount, this alternate class features significantly increases the healing capabilities of a Paladin. Suddenly Lay on Hands doesn’t seem as limited thanks to Spirit of Healing.

Ranger:

Wand of Cure Light Wounds: ‘nuff said. The general advice, especially Healing Hands, was meant for the Ranger more than any other class. You’re no Aragorn but you’re better off than say the Barbarian or the Fighter. Light armor also means that you can get to unconscious party members quicker than others.

Rogue:

Wand of Cure Light Wounds: All it takes is enough skill ranks in Use Magic Device. You’re not limited to wands but other items as well such as staves. Just be sure to invest ranks and money to such items.

Sorcerer:

Polymorph: It’s not the most efficient way to heal but the spell does let you recover hit points equal to a day’s rest.

Summon Monster: You may not be able to heal but that doesn’t mean you can’t summon a monster that can. Summon Monster VI lets you summon a Bralani which can use cure serious wounds twice a day while Summon Monster VII lets you summon an Avoral that can use Lay on Hands equal to its hit points.

Limited Wish: When you’re truly desperate, it’s nice to have an option.

Arcane Disciple (Complete Divine pg. 79): You need to invest in a good Wisdom score but now you have limited access to Cleric domains, specifically that of the Healing domain assuming you worship a deity of healing. Even better, you can start using wands of cure light wounds.

Draconic Vigor (Dragon Magic pg. 17): It’s bits of healing for every spell you cast but hey, 1 or 2 hit points might mean the difference between life and death. Spells that have a casting time of an immediate action can also acts as a “buffer” for lethal damage, even if it’s the lowly feather fall.

Undying Vigor of the Dragon Lords (Dragon Magic pg. 74): Perhaps not as efficient as cure critical wounds but it does come close and is a nice alternative than resorting to say, Polymorph or Limited Wish for healing.

Wizard:

Polymorph, Summon Monster, Limited Wish, Arcane Disciple: See my advice for Sorcerers. Better yet, you can scribe scrolls of these spells so you don’t have to prepare them ahead of time.

Arcane Toughness (Player’s Handbook II pg. 75): While not necessarily something you want to rely on, Arcane Toughness might save you from death during a tight spot.

Synostodweomer (Spell Compedium pg. 218): Again, not the most efficient of methods of healing but this spell helps you out a bit as you don’t have some of the healing options of Sorcerers.

Somehow, I failed to catch the biggest phenomenon in D&D in 2006. What I'm talking about is Dungeon Tiles.

Now you guys might be laughing at me right now. Dungeon tiles? Yes, it's a subtle, insidious product which is why it caught me flat-footed so to speak.

No, I haven't bought one. I don't think it's necessary for my weekly D&D game. But some people say that for D&D Miniatures as well. And we know how profitable randomized miniatures are. Perhaps not as much as Magic: The Gathering but it's something that adds to the cash flow of D&D.

What baffled me ever since 3.0 got released was how Wizards of the Coast could turn out a HUGE profit selling books. Mind you, those hardcovers are more expensive to produce than your regular books. Mass-market paperbacks don't come in full color for one thing. And usually the only art you have to pay for is the cover art. And did I mention our D&D supplements are huge?

Sure, releasing a new supplement adds income. But with each supplement released, that's a new expense: new set of writers, new set of artists, new plates for the printer, etc. The only sound business plan there was the fact that supplements helped sell the core books more. I expect the Player's Handbook to be the biggest book seller in D&D's repertoire, followed by the Dungeon Master's Guide, and then the Monster's Manual. While Wizards of the Coast is still paying for the printing of those books, the overhead cost has been covered: no new writers, no new artists, etc.

It's not that the 3.0 era of D&D isn't a lucrative business. It just pales in comparison to other, more lucrative markets such as say, collectible card games. Which is why when D&D Miniatures got released, that made sense for me. By no means is every gamer going to want them, but those that do will be contributing to D&D's revenue. And for me, it seems like the profit margin of miniatures is larger than books (but I'm not an insider so I won't really know).

I didn't think anyone could top D&D Miniatures in terms of profits. And in a way, it still hasn't been toppled. But I think Dungeon Tiles comes close. I mean it's easy to produce on the part of Wizards of the Coast (at least much easier than books). And it is selling quite well. And honestly, I wouldn't mind having a set at home.

Except you know, our local distributor stopped carrying the latest D&D products in favor of other lucrative markets (*cough* World of Warcraft CCG *cough*).

It's a bit delayed here's my retrospective on 2006:

Best Supplements:

I'll be honest--I'm torn between two books: Dragon Magic and Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hell might be a contender but our local supplier stopped acquiring D&D books since the last quarter of 2006 so I haven't seen the book (nor are there copies circulating online). Anyway, Dragon Magic is simply awesome because it addresses a variety of characters while at the same time providing something new and innovative beyond simply optimizing your character. There's flavor, there's variety, and yet it satiates my "crunch" appetites. It's also the "supplement's supplement" as it draws upon various other D&D supplements and touches upon them a bit such as vestiges from Tome of Magic. Tome of Battle: Book if Nine Swords, on the other hand, is an excellent add-on rules supplement that features a new mechanic that's easy to drop in any campaign while still being accessible to players. If the strength of Dragon Magic is diversity, I'd go for Tome of Battle because of focus, and it breathes new life into martial classes.

Best Setting-Related Supplement:

It seems Wizards is easing up on their setting-based books unlike in the past where there was a Forgotten Realms release every two months or so. For the most part, I like the direction Eberron is going and it was honestly a hard choice. I'd go for Dragonmarked though as it's rich in both flavor and crunch and there's something every GM can pick up from this book.

Best 3rd Party Product:

Hands down, it's got to be Monte Cook's mammoth setting Ptolus. It's huge, interesting, and perhaps best of all, shows that a campaign setting shouldn't take a round trip around the world but can be contained in one place. I really like the book and the format (my only wish is that he'd take up the new WotC NPC stat block but that's a quibble).

Overall:

I honestly like the direction most of WotC's releases are going last 2006. My only problem lies at the local level--the D&D distributor here in the Philippines seems to have dropped D&D in favor of other, more lucrative markets such as the World of Warcraft CCG.