Should you use dice other than the d20?

Note: This is not a list of the official rules of any version of Dungeons and Dragons, it's just some ideas which can be used for any version of the game or any simplified version anyone might use.

The most common die used in table top games is the six sided die, known as d6. However, this is not the only type, as most Dungeons and Dragons players know well enough. In a dice set, one can generally find seven dice, as shown below.

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Since the twenty sided die, known as the d20, is the one that is used most in Dungeons and Dragons, and people who play a simplified version of the game which only uses the d20, many players simply buy a d20 and that's it. So much so, that it's called the d20 system. Even so,  the other dice can easily be introduced and used throughout the game. For instance, the d12, d10, d8 and d6 can be used to determine the amount of damage done depending on which weapon the player is using. For example, a two handed weapon can use a d12, a one handed axe or sword can use a d10, while daggers can use a d8. Recently, while we were playing a DnD campaign, the Dungeon Master decided to use the d6 for a new mechanic; when more enemies where on their way, he asked the players who can see farthest, for example elves, or illusion mages who might be able to see through an invisibility spell, to throw a d6, the resultant number being the number of enemies the player can see. Although some might not like this sort of mechanic, it's an idea one can use. After all, the point of a table top game is to be able to imagine and improvise. The d90 can be used in conjunction with the d10 to achieve any number between 1 and 100. This can be used for instances where the player is required to roll above a certain percentage; for example, to check whether a player can see through an illusion spell or not.

Also, the d20 can be used for things like initiative to see who gets to attack first, if such a mechanic is to be used, whether the player hits an enemy or not as well as to see if the player lands a critical hit or a critical miss. A critical hit (usually a two 20s in a row) deals extra damage while a critical miss (two 1s in a row) usually means you either drop your weapon or hit allies who happen to be nearby if you use a melee weapon, or allies in front of you if you're using ranged attacks (arrows, throwing knives, spells, etc.)

A note I would like to make before I close off is this; if you do not wish to purchase a whole dice set, perhaps when starting off the hobby in the first place, you can try out an app on your smartphone or tablet that simulates the use of dice, any number of sides, as shown below.

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Vician Tenebor, the Illusionist Assassin - Part II

This post is the second of a two post story, the first can be found here.

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Having left the college of Arcane Knowledge, Vician relied on his skills in Illusion magic to trick people into helping him, providing him with supplies and a place to stay; mostly for free. He spent his days observing what people do during the day, where they go and what they wear; you can learn a lot simply by looking at people. After a couple of months, he knew who the richest people were, and which of them would be easy to relieve of said riches. So he started tailing these people, taking in as much as he could about their daily lives, their families, where they go during the day and where they live. He started off with a tax collector and a blacksmith, both these men spent most of their time around the city, having their houses practically unprotected. Vician planned his moves ahead of time, knowing when his targets where surely to be outside, and entered their homes while they were busy. He cleaned their homes of their valuables, leaving barely anything that may make others believe these men were rich, from jewellery to golden statuettes. These riches he hid, under a lose floor board in his room at the tavern. Eventually he started breaking into homes under the cover of night, entering through windows which were left open for the evening breeze, clearing bedrooms from any valuables while his Silence spell cancels any sounds he may make, thus not waking any residents of the target house.

However, although his skill was great, others of the same skill and lifestyle noticed his doing. One night, returning to his room, he could sense that he was not alone, even though it was dark. Casting a great light in the room revealed a man hidden in the corner of the room, Vician quickly drew a dagger a held it against the intruder's throat. Not having enough time to react, the intruder said he was part of a group of thieves which would welcome Vician's skills to the group. Vician did not feel like this was the best way they could have invited him to join, nor did they show they were the best there is, considering the intruder was easily detected and beaten; but he did agree to meet with the leader of the group, information would be useful. Thus, Vician met Deon Shea, the leader of the group, who provided him with a lot of information about the city, ways to get around and which houses have the best loot or are easiest to break into.

At this point, Vician decided not to join the group, but he did sign a contract where Deon would assign him a job, retrieving known items of extreme value, and was paid for handsomely. Vician kept this up for over a year, until one night, the owner of the house Vician had broken into woke up in the middle of the night and noticed someone was in the house. Instinctively, Vician cast a spell which made him invisible, hiding him from the resident's sight, who called for the intruder to show himself. At one point, when the house owner had come close enough to Vician, he outstretched his hand and grabbed the thief by the collar, claiming that Vician wasn't the only Illusionist in the house. Panicked, Vician reached for his dagger and stabbed the man, who released his grip. Seeing his moment, Vician left the man to die and returned to Deon, not knowing how the leader of the group would take the news. To Vician's surprise, Deon was not upset, he did not seem to really care how Vician acquired the requested goods, so long as they arrived at the group's hideout in one piece.

So Vician kept up his contract with Deon, until one night, arriving back at the hideout, he was greeted by the rest of the group, with the dead body of Deon himself in the middle of the room. They told Vician that he was found a few buildings away from the hideout, with multiple stab wounds in the back. They also found a not in one of his pockets saying that should anything befall him, Vician should take over his place as leader of the group. Although hesitant, Vician eventually accepted this request, taking over leadership of the group and organising them as they never were before. Firstly, the group was finally given a name, the Sons of Shadow. The group pooled there efforts and established themselves in an abandoned manor on the outskirts of the city. They renovated it, making it fit for kings on the inside, but still looking decrepit on the outside. Any contacts that Deon had before his death were forwarded to Vician, who took over all control of the contracts the group had. Vician also set up a set of rules which were to be followed by all members of the guild. For instance, should a member betray the rest, they were to be hunted down and executed. The same was to be done to clients who betrayed the trust of the guild. Thus, the Sons of Shadow grew in repute with people of similar interests, as well as their victims.

Assassination and theft, these were the expertise of these men and women, clothes in dark garments, with hidden faces; wits as sharp as their blades. Since Vician took over leadership of the Sons of Shadow, never has a contract been dishonoured.

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Vician Tenebor, the Illusionist Assassin - Part I

This is the first of a two post story, the second part can be found here.

Join me as I recount how Vician Tenebor, the son of a respected Scholar from the College of Arcane Knowledge, became a Master Assassin of the Sons of Shadow, the most feared criminal organisation in the realm.

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Ralor Tenebor was a man who devoted his life to the studies of anything related to magic, learning as much as he can and teaching young apprentices of the College of Arcane Knowledge. Knowing his son, Vician, had great potential from a young age, he took him in as one of his apprentices. However, he never favoured him above the others, he treated him as one of the other apprentices. However, Vician felt this disconnection with his father was unnecessary; especially since he never knew his mother. He felt abandoned, like one of the orphan apprentices at the College, although his father was in the same room as him most of the time, every day.

During their time off, the apprentices could do anything they liked, Vician would wander around the city, observing the day to day life of nobles and commoners alike. One day, he noticed a lady passing through, clad in exotic clothing and countless jewels. On her way to the city market, she dropped her coin purse, something Vician quickly noted. He went over and picked it up to return it to her, but seeing her pushing aside commoners with no respect, a smug look on her face as if nobody around her was worth anything, made him keep the purse. He lingered about, to see what would happen next, until he noticed the lady walking around, trying to find her purse on the ground and then shouting that someone had stolen her money. Not wanting to have anything to do with it, he left and he never saw the lady again.

As time passed, Vician grew in power, learning all he could about Illusion magic, casting high level spells at a young age. At the age of 28, he left the College, and never returned, stealing some books on Illusion from the College, disguising them as his own scrolls and parchments. When he left, he no longer had the support of the College; no place to live and no supply of food. Thus, he booked a room at the tavern and started looking for a job, but given the political conflict between the mages at the College and nobles of the five Great Families, which had great influence on the commoners' opinions.

Vician had to rely on his skills in Illusion magic to trick people into helping him, eventually turning to theft to earn his only earnings. This however, did not go unnoticed. Although he always did a great job in tricking his target, others who spent their lives preying on the rich knew there was a new thief in town.

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Dice through the ages

Recently, I read an article on CNET about an ancient d20 die which was found in Egypt and is now kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The die is slightly larger than the regular dice we use for board games and table top RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. It is made of serpentine, a green mineral and is believed to have originated between 200 BC and 400 AD in Greece due to the Greek symbols shown on its faces.

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Driven by curiosity, I researched when dice started being used and why. Apparently, ancient cultures used dice to determine one's fate, who was right or wrong, or even who was favoured by the gods or not. Games of chance were then designed and evidence of these games have been found dating back 2100 BC.

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I looked for some other ancient dice to see the different styles of dice our ancestors used for games, political and religious debates alike. Here are just a few dice which caught my eye.


Roman Dice

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Egyptian Die
Names of Gods instead of numbers

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Unknown Origin 
(Greek and Roman Antiquities Department at the British Museum)

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Sword Coast Legends: my thoughts

Ever wanted to experience a Dungeons and Dragons adventure in the form of a video game? Of course you have, and you've tried countless RPGs. Here comes another, but this one is different. First off, it is set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe based on the fifth edition ruleset; even populated with Dungeons & Dragons lore and legend.

The single player campaign was created by developers who worked on Dragon Age: Origins, in my opinion, a guarantee of high quality content right there. Watching the teaser they posted by the development team, I can clearly see the Dragon Age influence on the game, having the ability to pause the game and plan you next move; wise move. Another feature we will quickly recognise is the top down isometric view, a welcome feature in my books. Players will be able to join campaigns playing as one of five races and six classes; a good selection.

However, playing it in single player mode is just like any other RPG; bring in multiplayer mode. You can play the game with up to three other players, a group of four, not a new idea by far, in my opinion; but here's where this game stands out. A fifth player can join into the fray; as the Dungeon Master!! The DM will be able to create his/her own epic adventure and let the players to navigate through it, if they can. Dragon Age: Origins director Dan Tulge said that "DMs are able to adjust encounters, place, promote, manage and even control monsters, set traps, reward and punish party members." Awesome.

Oh wait, did I forget to mention that the DM will be able to do all this in real-time?

As Digital Trends argue here, "the role of the DM is not strictly adversarial. They can help or hinder the players as t hey see fit, able to increase the challenge and punish players that are doing too well or help out the heroes when they are stuggling and move the story forward." That's exactly what the DM in Sword Coast Legends will be able to do.

For those who are concerned about the requirements for this game, not a problem. You should all check out the official site and then their social media profiles for more information about this new gem. I will surely blog more about this upcoming game as more news is posted, as well as when I get my hands on it and actually play it.

Get ready to fight epic battles, walk through dark dungeons and chill out in a noisy tavern some time in 2015.

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Teraqa Akil, the Egyptian Earth Mage

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   Teraqa Akil

   Elementalist: Earth, Water

   Occupation: Sem Priestess
   Age: 43 years old

   Origin: Valley of Kings 

Teraqa Akil, born to Lepore and Ursa, ia a 43 year old Sem Priest from the Valley of Kings in Upper Egypt. Lepore, Teraqa’s father was a respected Charm Maker in the Valley, making charms for adventurers and official guards of the Pharaoh. Her mother, on the other hand, was a talented Shape Shifter, her favourite form being that of the bear. This is what earned her the name Ursa when she was still young. She left her shape shifting ways back at home when she met Lepore and married him, and never told him of her little secret. However, one faithful day, she was confronted by a group of bandits who tried to rob her and her family of all their riches; this was when she lost control of her powers. She turned into a fierce bear, killing all of the bandits and saving her family. However, Lepore was not impressed; he left her and took Teraqa with him and away from her, in fear for her health.  

Growing up, Teraqa learned how to build magical charms, learning this skill from her father. However, she later found out she had other powers. Enjoyed long walks in the woods, going further from home every time, she felt in tune with nature. One time, she encountered a pack of wolves, her only defence being her wooden walking stick. Wishing she had something harder to deal more damage, her staff turned to stone, heavier but a much stronger weapon. After beating some of the wolves and escaping, Teraqa investigated the new skills she found out, learning more and more about Earth magic. Having this new found power, she started worshipping Geb, the god of Earth, learning much when researching about him through hieroglyphic runes and old scriptures. Through these readings, she also learned about Water magic, learning some of the spells she read about and practicing them along with Earth magic when she was in the woods. Through the long times she spent out in the wilderness, she also became capable of tracking animals and knowing if she was a prey of any dangerous beast she had to be aware of, also identifying abnormalities such as traps in the wilderness from a safe distance.

When asking around for more resources about magic, she was told that the priests of the temples had the largest libraries with vast collection of books, scrolls and more. So, when she was 30 years old, she joined the priests at the temples at the Valley of Kings as an Initiate, earning a promotion to a scribe, earning another promotion to a Sem Priestess at the age of 40. As a priestess of Geb, she learned more and more, taking advantage of the priests’ knowledge on Earth magic, gleaning as much information from their libraries as she could. Earning the respect of fellow priests and commoners alike as a Sem Priestess, she took up the responsibility of performing rituals alongside other priests as they embalmed and mummified the dead, not dealing with the dead herself, but blessing them for the afterlife.  

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The Strike of Saarii - Final Chapter

Coming out of Enligt Castle, the group discussed what the odds were that they would survive through the storms close to Saarii one more time. Deciding that adventure and living through peril was their life style, they sought the general to acquire resources for the journey to Saarii. Before they left, the general gave them one last piece of advice, "go back to Kalastaia, leave on a small boat from there. The enemy has his eyes on Enligt, Kalastaia holds no threat to Saarii, you should get fairly close to Saarii before he sees you, if he does at all."

Having received all the resources needed for their journey, they left for Kalastaia, luckily, not being disturbed on their way. Arriving there, they did not dally, for they knew that the residents here could remember who these warriors were, although time had gone by. So they talked to a young fisherman and bought his boat from him, offering him an unreasonably high amount of money for it. He did not hesitate to give them the only boat he had.

So they left for Saarii once again, this time, moving to the east instead of Southwards towards the island. Going a long way to the east, and then heading towards the island on its East side. On their way there, they noticed that there was no soldiers standing on the bastions guarding the island; their focus was all put to use at the Western part of the island. So the Druid was right. They eventually managed to find a small beach they could land on; they managed to arrive at Saarii safely, avoiding all of the bad weather they had faced before.

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Once on the island, the group scouted the area to check if there were any hostile forces, none could be found. Having landed on the beach late in the evening, they camped in the shadow of some large rock formations, to avoid being seen by a random guard who decided to actually look their way, instead of the way their leaders ordered. Waking up in the morning, they had something to eat and prepared to look for the cave they were to find.

This did not take too long, apparently, the sorcerer they were to kill liked to live close to the waters. Creeping towards the entrance, they looked inside to see if they could locate their target without him knowing they were there. Nobody could be seen inside, only the dim light coming from a couple torches hanging on the walls. Walking inside, the group started exploring the inside of the cave, finding nothing of use on their way, only torches and a few lanterns. After what seemed like an hour, they started noticing that the wall was no longer rough stone eroded by the sea, but finely cut to form a corridor. At a certain point, they even found a couple of rooms, in which they found animated corpses brandishing swords. They had to be killed; once more, not lasting long enough to strike once. the group moved on, deeper and deeper into the tunnels beneath Saarii, until they arrived at an opening leading to a huge hall. Inside, the dark figure they saw in the Druid's orb.

"If the dwarf did not drag his feet so much, I would not have heard you coming." The voice boomed throughout the hall, the dark figure not moving yet. "This does not mean I have not seen you coming, a small boat to be unseen; a wise move." At this the figure turned to face them, the cloak dropping to the ground; their enemy was nothing they had expected. An elf, taller than any of them, with heavy armour; not the type usually used by mages and sorcerers. Giving them a few seconds to know what they were facing, he said "Let's play." He stretched out his arms and in a second, all the lights in the hall were extinguished, a strong gust of wind blowing dust out towards the warriors at the entrance, covering their eyes to avoid visibility problems later on. Opening them again, the only thing they saw were two small glows of red light. Amal immediately cast a spell to illuminate the hall; he was right, their enemy's eyes were now bright red, his stance, that of a warrior ready to strike.

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They all drew their weapons, but before any one of them could do anything, bolts of red lightning were shot at them, they had to make a lot of effort to avoid them, this guy was leagues above the one they met up in the mountain. Any time Dan or Duryraen got close enough for the sorcerer to think they had any chance of hitting him, he turned his focus onto them and shot blasts of wind at them to throw them back against the wall, making them easier targets for his precise attacks while dazed from the blast, but the other was also getting closer, while he also had to take care of Dean's arrows and Uuragan's icicles.

When one of Dean's arrows hit the sorcerer in the shoulder, he decided to take it up a notch. He stamped his foot, blasting Dan and Duryraen away from him while he cast a wall of ice to block off Dean's arrows, and a wall of fire in front of it to block off Uuragan's ice. He then conjured two magical swords which he used to fight off Dan and Duryraen. This surprised the two, for they did not imaging a sorcerer to be this skilled with arms.

Amal immediately knew that magic would not pierce through the fire, the same death magic that gave energy to the corpses they dealt with before was fuelling these flames. He focused all his energy to dispel the magic holding them at bay; while Uuragan and Dean waited, furious that they were cut off so easily. Dan and Duryraen on the other side of the walls were having a hard time keeping up with what seemed like a veteran swordsman. After hundreds of strikes from each one, all three of them had visible cuts, blood oozing freely down their armour. At this point, life started flowing back intro the cave, Amal managed to stop the fire and then Uuragan melted the ice. Arrows shot through, one after the other, but the sorcerer was quick to avoid them. This time, it was Uuragan who attacked, having had time to position himself while Dean distrated their enemy, Uuragan now cast a wave of frost at the sorcerer, slowing his movement and decreasing his visibility. This time, arrows did hit their mark, the second one hitting him in the back; as soon as he turned to face Dean, another pierced his stomach.

Falling to his knees, the sorcerer dropped his swords, which faded away quickly, Duryraen who had recovered a little moved in quickly and stabbed him in the back, lodging his dagger deep into his foe, the blade protruding from the sorcerer's chest. Using his second dagger, he slit his throat, letting him drop to the ground. At the back of the cave, Amal was working hard to heal Dan's wounds, as he was in a much worse shape than Duryraen.

The terrible storms outside suddenly subsided, beautiful weather followed, the opportunity the army of Enligt was waiting for. Aboard longships was the entire army, already on the way towards the island of Saarii.

Uuragan Oakwale, Dean Dalgaard, Dan Scott, Duryraen dar'Vuzmur and Amal Cal.These are the men who beat helped make Saarii the strategic military base of the Enligt empire. These are the men mentioned in song and legend. These are the men who vanquished the power of Saarii. These are the men from the Strike of Saarii.

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The Strike of Saarii - Chapter VII

On they journeyed, up the mountain side, until they arrived at an opening, a plateau, tents were visible as well as elves in golden armour, crossing their halberds as soon as the party approached the encampment. The group were asked why they were in such a remote location, to which they answered that they needed to speak to the Master Druid. At this reply, one of the guards left and entered a cave, into the side of the mountain, at the far end of the plateau. Upon returning to the group, he told the others that the Master Druid wanted to see them, but before escorting them to the cave, they asked the group to leave all weapons outside.

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"I know," the Druid replied, "I have seen your coming, and I know what you seek. You seek answers; why have Runo's men never made it to Saarii? My dear Runo, you should have realised by now." The Druid finally turned to face them, smiling when he saw the composition of the group. "Not too many, but enough to cause damage. Good. You will do." He started walking towards a small orb which was sat upon a round table a few paces away. He placed his hand over it, started whispering, and almost immediately images started forming within the orb. "Look, my friends, this is the reason your leader never managed to take Saarii." The orb showed a dark figure hunched over a small table, much like the Druid himself when the group entered the cave. "Magic. Great magic. Enough to affect the weather. But too much going on to notice a small vessel. Go, tell your Lord that a small strike team is all he needs. His target is in a small cave beneath the island of Saarii, to the East." With one last glance at the party, he clapped his hands twice, and turned back to his business. Hearing his summons, two guards entered the cave and issued the group outside, giving them their weapons back.

Before the group started their journey back, they were granted a tent in which to rest for the night, very much appreciated by the Runo's agents. They rested, and prepared to start their journey back to Enligt early in the morning. However, before they left, they heard someone calling Uuragan, a female voice. Turning around, Uuragan's face shone, his long lost best friend was alive, the one person he used to trust before he joined Enligt's army. A dark elf, just like him, a mage just like him, and the one who saved him from near death when nobody else cared. He turned to his friends and told them to start on their way down the mountain, promising he would catch up with them when he was ready.

Entering the cave, they did not find any grand hall for a mighty leader, nor did they see any fine banners or a golden throne. All they saw were a couple of tables and chairs and magical artifacts glowing in bright violet and blue light at the back of the cave. A dark figure, his back facing the entrance, was the Master Druid, busy with one of the artifacts. He raised his hand and motioned the group forward, his guards leaving the cave when he did so. The party moved in closer, stopping some feet away when the Druid held up his hand again. Amal took it upon himself to break the silence, "We bring you gifts from Runo, Lord of Enligt."

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A day later, the group saw him enter the cave where they were camping for the night, the same cave they fought the mages on their way up to meet the Master Druid; a new weapon sheathed at his side, his brother's ice sword, which he had lost prior to joining the army. Two days later, they arrived back at Enligt and requested audience with Lord Runo, which he granted immediately. "Rise." he said, as the men knelt in front of him, "and tell me all the Master Druid said." Telling him all that the Druid had told them, and what they saw in the orb, the Lord's face darkened, "Grave news again, never a good sign when one's enemy holds such power. No matter, if the Druid thinks we can deal with this foe with a small team, we will try. Go, ask the general to provide anything you need for battle, and go forth to Saarii. Use a small boat to get there and try to attract as little attention as possible. The fleet of Enligt will be ready to sail to Saarii as soon as the storms subside."

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