Archive for the ‘Storytelling & Roleplaying’ Category

Newer Entries »

Rituals Re-Organized

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Did you know there are a whopping 314 rituals (!) right now in D&D 4e? 

That’s 314 additional things nearly every party has access to.  Ritual scrolls, after all, are a “power” every individual character has access to, without needing to actually be a Ritual Caster via feat or class feature.
alt text
But do we seek out or include these 314 options enough in our adventures?  More importantly, do we really know how to use them?   Whether as PCs or DMs?

Remember that every ritual is a potential opportunity for your PC to creatively solve a type of problem as well a tool to help DMs create and add new layers of quests, encounters, adventures and storytelling in your game.  Whether in the hands of your characters, or in the hands of  antagonists, ritual magic is a resource for D&D problem-solving and inspiration.

(more…)

Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 12 Comments »

How To: Write Great In-Character Posts

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Really looking forward to next session?  Can’t wait to play your character and return to your adventures? 
alt text
One way to keep some of the magic of your last game’s adventures fresh is to make an in-character post between sessions.  The impertinent intrusion of the real world on your campaign is actually a great opportunity to amp up your ever-growing RP and creative writing skills, develop and present your spectacularly cool character’s background and personality, and share your private and keen thoughts on the unfolding adventure and campaign.

Advantages of In-Character Posts

“The creation and convincing representation of fictitious characters” (the very definition of characterization) – adds memorable amounts of mood, atmosphere and storytelling flavor to your campaign.  This encourages other PCs to roleplay with your character – both with their own in-character posts, and, using your cues and clues, “live” in your next session and all sessions beyond.  They also make for a handy and entertaining  journal-like record of your adventures and the campaign. (more…)

Posted in Characters, Creative Writing, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 4 Comments »

Companion Characters: Gather Your Allies!

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Love the cast of characters in your D&D game?  Especially those party allies you make and keep on the way to, through, and after the Nine Hells?  Like the ideas presented in DMG2 but looking for something with even more simplicity and even less DM prep work? 
alt text

Better Together!

Why are companion characters or party allies so great?  NPC companion characters provide a wonderful storytelling and roleplaying tool for DMs.  Ideally, they help draw out some amusing or memorable roleplaying atmosphere from your players through their questions and banter.  

And of course, party allies make for a helpful brother or sister-in-arms in the thick of combat.  For small parties, they especially help in filling a missing role. Regardless of party size, just one companion character can help breathe a lot of life into party banter alone as the adventure and campaign continues.  (more…)

Posted in Characters, Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 7 Comments »

Which Role is Missing in Your Parties?

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Hey everyone!  I would love your help.  I’m putting some ideas together based on this simple poll question on the front page of Leonine Roar: What Role in Your Parties is Least Common or Missing?

alt text

For my friends and I, it’s usually Controllers though up until this very morning I thought we might be playing in our brand new Shadowfell campaign tonight without a Defender, and that we’d be on the lookout for an NPC party ally Fighter, Paladin or someone else, depending how things went.  Fortunately, one of my friends is going with a Raven Queen-worshiping human Paladin named Vrakas, so guess what?  Missing Controller, yet again, it is! 

Also, and this is so important to me, in the games I DM, I enjoy roleplaying NPC party allies or companion characters while the players switch off running them in combat. Win-win!

As for controllers not being as well represented in our playgroups’ parties, I guess my friends and I assume hordes of minions won’t be a problem! But that’s not always true, is it?

What about you guys? Which role and why?  Please share your thoughts and stories and vote on my poll.  Thanks!

Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 2 Comments »

The Leonine 12: D&D’s Top Blogs & Creative Minds

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

Where in the blogosphere do you go to think, read and talk D&D? 

Right now, this is my list, and I hope you visit them and come back anytime – I’ll still be here!   Their quality creative work – blogs, ideas, community and products – keep me coming back for more.  They are players, fans, writers and game designers just like you and me who keep our wonderful and unique hobby alive and well.  Explore their corner of the web and you’ll see what I mean.

The Leonine 12: D&D’s Top Blogs & Creative Minds

Thank you and keep up the great work guys! (more…)

Posted in Design, Mechanics & Efficiencies, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 4 Comments »

What is Atmosphere? Not What, But Whom

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

When you conjure up memories of your favorite stories – in books, movies or in your RPG campaigns – what’s often the first thing you remember?  If you thought or mouthed “the characters,” then read on.  And if you didn’t for some wild yet almost assuredly creative reason, read on anyway because it’s worth it! 

Atmosphere is defined as “the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel: the chilly atmosphere of a ghost story” – for our purposes, this literary definition serves us best.  Now I’m not going to fire us all back to English class (and oh how I honestly miss those halcyon days), but I do want to emphasize the importance of the connection between atmosphere and the cast of characters in your roleplaying games. 

alt text
Just look at the in-context example of atmosphere’s definition.  The mere presence of a ghost indicates characters, and likely human characters with all sorts of very real and identifiable human emotions.  Strong ones like fear, hate and love – the latter usually buried deep in the story somewhere, somehow, preferably as convoluted or tragic as possible – are common in ghost stories.  Certainly other important elements help create atmosphere (music, descriptive language, etc.), yet characters create and drive the lion’s share of mood and atmosphere in a story.  If the character is shallow, boring, or we simply don’t know much about him or her, or the actor is terrible, they’ve lost you before you also realize how bad the background music, plot or dialogue is.  (more…)

Posted in Characters, Storytelling & Roleplaying | 2 Comments »

What Was Your First Monster?

Monday, February 28th, 2011

The air smelled like poison as the wind whistled through the ruin. My feet ached as I approached a hole in the ground. Dust and pebbles blew by my freshly stained boots.
alt text
Suddenly, out of that black hole burst forth this worm thing. Chunks of green slime plopped onto the rubble around it, and I gagged at the odor that invaded the air, even as I went sprawling face-first to the ground. That’s when I felt prickly feelers slithering their way through my hair. My entire head burned as if on fire.

My palms pushed against the rubble, trying to get my heavy body up. My pounding head tried to get my bloodshot eyes to stare at the thing, to face it. My only thought… This thing needs to die!

But something was wrong… What? My arms, my legs… I can’t…

I used every last bit of my sapping strength to stare up at it.

I roared as I faced my monster.

  
We’ve all faced monsters in our RPGs, and the first time is something special.

I love Dungeons & Dragons, and that’s where the angelic music sounded for me.  I knew right then I wanted to play in this world forever. 

When did you hear the music? What was your first monster?

Posted in Creative Writing, Storytelling & Roleplaying | No Comments »

Newer Entries »