High-Level Campaigns Sample File
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Advanced Duneeons&DraeonWORLDS OF ADVENTURE Rulebooks DUNGEON MASTED® Option: High-Level Campaigns by Skip Williams 4^ §m Sample file TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd. 201 Sheridan Springs Road 120 Church End Lake Geneva Cherry Hinton Wl 53147 Cambridge CB1 3LB USA United Kingdom Credits Design: Skip Williams Editing: Jim Butler Typography: Angelika Lokotz Graphic Design: Dee Barnett Graphic Coordinator: Paul Jacquays Production: Paul Hanchette Art Coordinator: Peggy Cooper Cover Art: Jeff Easley Interior Art: Eric Hotz, Ken Frank, Stephan Peregrine Proofreading: Leonard McGillis Special Thanks To: Jon Pickens, John Rateliff, Jean Rabe, and Deneen Olsen. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, DARK SUN, DUNGEON MASTER, FORGOTTEN REALMS, MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM, and TSR are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. DM, ENCYCLOPEDIA MAGICA, MONSTROUS MANUAL, PLANESCAPE, PLAYER'S OPTION, RAVENS BLUFF, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. All TSR characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Page 117 shows two miniatures engaged in a spell duel. The miniatures are produced by Ral Partha Enterprises, 5938 Carthage Court, SampleCincinnati, OH 45212 file. Random House and its affiliate companies have worldwide distribution rights in the book trade for English-language products of TSR, Inc. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. ©1995 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc. 2156XXX1501 ISBN 0-7869-0168-3 First Printing, August, 1995 Printed in the United States of America. Foreword Utter the words "high-level character" to just about any group of AD&D® game fans and you are certain to get a strong reaction. Veteran players often shake their heads in disgust, but there are a few whose eyes gleam with fond memories. Referees often look pained or con- fused. Everyone, it seems, has an opinion about high-level play. If you are a fan of high-level campaigns, there is very little I can say about this book. You have probably already thumbed through the pages, lingering over the choicest bits. Perhaps you've studied the rules and tables of legendary monsters in Chapter 2 or considered the pos- . sibilities that the new character powers from Chapter 7 can bring to your game. Enjoy! If your opinion of high-level play is lukewarm or worse, you might be wondering why I wrote this book at all. I'll share a secret with you. Before I started this book, I wasn't any too fond of high-level play either. My mind began to change, however, as I began planning the '; book and talking to people about what it should contain. Although high-level play can be diffi- cult, I learned that there have been plenty of successful high-level campaigns over the years. Along the way, I began thinking about an old character I once played: Ellis Strongheart. Ellis began life as a 1 st-level ranger full of spunk, and he wound up as a the lord of a huge castle. : Ellis had a list of powerful enemies as long as your arm and an equally long list of allies, including a time-traveling dragon and a host of servants and retainers. The campaign that gave birth to Ellis is long gone, but Ellis is now firmly ensconced in my own campaign as an NPC The players in my game are strangely attracted to Ellis (lesser mortals call him Lord Strong- heart). Ellis is very much a viable character, with a long history and an enigmatic reputation. To me, Ellis is proof that high-level play can be worthwhile, even if it does get rather wild. This book's first chapter, The Seven Maxims, discusses what DMs have to do to make sure their campaigns stand up to the rigors of high-level play. All campaigns require work, but high- level games require a special touch, and it is the lack of that knowledge that causes many high-level games to go astray. If yoSampleu have tried a high-leve file l game and failed, the material in the first two chapters should help you avoid critical mistakes. The rest of the book provides ideas for keeping a game-and its player characters—fresh. There are rules and suggestions for building adventures and whole new worlds, conducting magical duels, and making magical items. Two chapters are worth special note: Chapter 6, True Dweomers, and Chapter 7, High- Level Characters. Both of these chapters introduce new powers into the game. True dweomers are essentially lOth-level spells. I included them not just to satisfy power gamers, but to allow high-level spellcasters to create world-shaking magic. When the rules are used properly, the casting of a single true dweomer can keep a group of PCs busy for a long time. Chapter 7 includes some hard-and-fast rules about what characters can do. In it there is a revised rule for automatic failure of saving throws—something that places a little fear back into high-level character's lives—and a host of new powers. Don't be put off by these new abil- ities; their purpose is twofold: First, they give players something to look forward to. No longer do high-level characters simply accumulate more hit points once they reach 9th or 10th level. Second, they put truly epic abilities into the hands of player characters. These new powers are not going to allow PCs to lay waste to the countryside, but using one indisputably marks a character as a legendary figure. That's what high-level play is all about. Skip Williams April, 1995 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Chapter 3: The Seven Maxims 6 Spells and Magical Items 68 Don't Depend on the Dice 7 Daily Recovery of Spells 68 Intelligent Adversaries 10 Additional Comments on Spells Consider the Opponent's Intelligence 10 and Magical Items 69 Review the Creature's Weaknesses 11 Wizard Spells 69 Review the Creature's Strengths 11 Priest Spells 76 Handling Defeat 12 Magical Items 79 Minimizing Personal Risks 16 Bad Guys Don't Fight Fair 17 Chapter 4: Control Magic 17 Creating Magical Items 86 Use Magical Items 18 Holy Water 86 Magic is Tempting 18 Creating Magical Items 87 Remove Unwanted Magical Items 18 Requirements 87 Spell Memorization and Acquisition 18 Creating the Item 90 Magic's Limitations 20 Enchanting the Item 90 Magic Shops 20 Item Details 92 Be Aware of Demographics 21 Recharging Items 93 Think on an Epic Scale 22 Success and Failure 93 Heroes are not Anonymous 22 Values for Cursed and Nonstandard Items 94 Heroes Deserve Heroic Tasks 22 Examples of Magical Item Creation 94 Far-reaching Impact 23 Plan Ahead 24 Chapter 5: Create Villains Who Learn 24 Magical Duels 96 Consequences 24 Creating the Arena 96 Fame and Infamy 26 Arena Physics 97 Balancing Act 27 Conducting the Duel 97 Share Responsibility 27 Determining Advantage 97 Garner Interest 27 Spells in the Arena 98 Goals Sample28 file Spell Movement and Combat 100 Allies and Enemies 28 Character Movement and Combat 103 Personality 29 Special Notes 104 Magical Items and Preexisting Spells 104 Chapter 2: Specialist Wizards 105 Adventures 30 The Spoils of Victory 105 Common Mistakes 30 The Role of the Mediator 107 Plots 35 Special Dueling Characteristics 108 Types of Encounters 36 Mental or Debilitating Attacks 108 Linking Adventures 40 Creature-Summoning Spells 108 Planning Combats 42 Reversible Spells 108 World Hopping 44 Teleportation 108 Types of Worlds 44 Individual Spells' Special Abilities 108 Properties of Worlds 45 An Example of Magical Dueling 116 Chronological Aspect 46 Magical Aspect 46 Chapter 6: Technological Aspect 51 True Dweomers 118 Ecological Aspect 52 Requirements 119 Quirks 53 Knowledge 119 Monsters 56 Materials 119 Altering Monsters the Easy Way 57 Preparation 119 Ability Scores for Monsters 57 Approval 119 Legendary Monsters 59 Creating the Spell 119 Powers 62 Abjuration 121 Table of Contents Alteration 123 Table 3: Magical Ratings 47 Conjuration/Summoning 124 Table 4: Technological Ratings 52 Enchantment/Charm 125 Table 5: Ecological Ratings 54 Divination 126 Table 6: Monster Strength Scores 58 Illusion/Phantasm 127 Table 7: Monster Dexterity Scores 58 Evocation/Invocation 127 Table 8: Monster Constitution Scores 58 Necromancy 129 Table 9: Monster Intelligence Scores 59 Material Components 130 Table 10: Monster Wisdom Scores 59 Special Conditions 132 Table 11: Monster Charisma Scores 61 Preparing the Spell 133 Table 12: Legendary Monsters 61 Final Difficulty 133 Table 13: Breath Weapons 62 Casting the Spell 133 Table 14: Disease 63 An Example of True Dweomer Creation 134 Tablel5: Fear Effects 63 True Dweomers in Play 134 Tablel6: Crush Attacks 63 True Dweomers in Magical Duels 135 Table 17: Wounding Effects 65 True Dweomers and Quest Spells 135 Table 18: Enhanced Melee Damage 65 Known True Dweomers 136 Table 19: Enhanced Movement 66 Table 20: Gaze Weapons 66 Chapter 7: Table 21: Magic Resistance 66 High-Level Characters 142 Table 22: Regeneration Rates 66 Saving Throws 142 Table 23: Magical Item Creation 89 Automatic Saving Throw Failure 142 Table 24: Typical Experience Point Values 93 Saving Throws by Caster Level 144 Table 25: Spell Interactions 99 Saving Throw Penalties by Caster Level 144 Table 26: Spell Movement 99 Attack Rolls 144 Table 27: Character Power Scores 101 Skills for High-Level Characters 144 Table 28: True Dweomers 120 Warriors 146 Table 29: Areas of Effect 130 Fighters Beyond 20th Level 146 Table 30: Animated Objects 130 Rangers Beyond 20th Level 147 Table 31: Ranges 131 Paladins Beyond 20th Level Sample147 Table file32: Durations 131 Skills for High-Level Warriors 147 Table 33: Preparation and Casting Times 132 Wizards 156 Table 34: Difficulty Adjustments 132 Wizards beyond 20th Level 156 Table 35: True Dweomer Spell Types for Skills for High-Level Wizards 157 Magical Duels 135 Priest 159 Table 36: Saving Throws by Caster Level or Hit Dice .