New DM rules questions

[tfwfh]

I'll just take a few of these:
Regarding Sneak Attack dice, you get them whenever you meet the requirements to get them.  To use your example of burglar with wolf pack mastery, you only get that sneak attack die when the opponent is flanked.  So, if the opponent is flat-footed but not flanked, be only gets the 1d6 from Bag of Tricks.  If the opponent is flanked, then he gets the 1d6 from Bag of Tricks, plus the 1d6 from Wolf Pack Mastery, for a total of 2d6.

For treasure, using the treasure generation rules works out pretty well in my experience.  p327 recommends 3 to 5 scenes per adventure.  That feels a little abbreviated to me, and I stretch things out to about 6 to 8.  Regardless, average 1 treasure roll per scene at 100 to 150xp and it keeps the players hungry for coin but in no danger of starving to death.

For buying magic items, yes absolutely.  The silver price for an item to be enchanted should not just be ignored.  And the level of the item should be the character's level when they buy the item, if you're letting them buy magic items.  It could also optionally be lower, but definitely don't let it be higher.  And don't forget about the other rules regarding buying magic items, particularly on p194, where it gives the maximum value of an item that a character buys is 10x his current total renown.

[Krensky]

Tfwfh covered sneak attacks.

As for coin, that is also a function of your world and campaign. There aren't any wealth by level since the rules don't assume magic items and most things give you extra abilities rather then straight numbers.

For poison, you keep making saves until you pass one or die/passout/whatever. This is part of why the DCs are lower then you're used to. Remeber that you can apply any combination of the DC raising upgrades to make it harder.

Making a poison attack an extrordinary attack works well for things where you want to only have one save. For using the venom attack upgrade, you can layer the DC upgrades on for free by RAW. If that's too much, charge 1 XP for each upgrade, including the speed or any other one.

By RAW, silver is ignored. If you don't like it, by all means add it to the cost for the purchase.

[tfwfh]

Actually, unless I've missed something, the rules as written don't address the silver cost of items to be enchanted.  The reason I urge you to also charge for that is because some equipment is expensive as a balancing mechanism as much as anything else.  Articulated plate mail armor costs 1,600s, and upwards of 5,000 with good upgrades.  Letting a character ignore that by making it Babel Articulated Plate Mail (speak 1 language) or Smooth Articulated Plate Mail (-2 ACP) could be tremendously unbalancing.  Characters shouldn't have thousands of silver lying around until middle levels or later, but they start out with 10 rep before their first adventure at level 1, and those magic items only cost 3 rep.

[Deral]

Actually, unless I've missed something, the rules as written don't address the silver cost of items to be enchanted.  The reason I urge you to also charge for that is because some equipment is expensive as a balancing mechanism as much as anything else.  Articulated plate mail armor costs 1,600s, and upwards of 5,000 with good upgrades.  Letting a character ignore that by making it Babel Articulated Plate Mail (speak 1 language) or Smooth Articulated Plate Mail (-2 ACP) could be tremendously unbalancing.  Characters shouldn't have thousands of silver lying around until middle levels or later, but they start out with 10 rep before their first adventure at level 1, and those magic items only cost 3 rep.

That may be something to rule on a case-by-case basis, and RAW implies that fully open magic item purchasing is not often a good idea. Even with it, however you can't just start off and buy a magic item, you need at least one rank of renown, so at least that minimum cost is high enough you can't get it at level 1.

[Krensky]

And when someone asks to purchase a disruptive item that makes no sense, the GM says "No."

[tfwfh]

Yeah, there's always rule 0.  Of course, even better than relying on rule 0 is not having to rely on it, because the other rules make it difficult for disruptive things to exist in the first place.  If an experienced GM wants to let his players go nuts with magic items, that's his prerogative and he'll know what changes need to be made to let that happen.  But for a rookie GM, having rules in place that limit the disruptiveness of player decisions is the difference between enjoying the game and quitting in frustration.  Because that rookie GM doesn't know whether this will be disruptive or not, he just knows that his players are whining about how they have to spend silver and reputation on the magic items he's already been kind enough to let them buy.

[Krensky]

And here we come to the single biggest failure of d20. That rule zero is somehow bad. That anytime the GM has to think for himself the rules have failed. This is usually dressed up as "think of the rookie gm". I do think of the rookie gms. All the time. The ones who have been playing since 3.0 came out and can't do anything other then read the adventure and apply the rules by rote because they're so insulated. They've never been allowed to make mistakes, so they never learned.

Frankly, the rules state that silver is ignored. They're not silent on it, they expressly say no currency is exchanged. Silver is just not that big a deal. Hell, 5000s of articulated plate isn't that big a deal. Ifnit is, the rules give guidlines for dealing with it in the GM section and the gear section.

There are times I think I'm the only person who doesn't play with munchkins based on how much people spend trying to craft rules to stave off the players.

[Crafty_Pat]

Regulars here already know our opinion on Rule 0 - we not only like and support it for all GMs, we feel it's an absolutely vital part of the engine and experience of each and every RPG ever made, and omitting or ignoring it isn't just a matter of choice, it's actively disrupting the fundamental value and function of the medium.

That said, I'd like to ask about the most recent question - because I may be misinterpreting it. Is it about whether there are / should be silver costs for adding magic to items using the magic item rules starting on page 193? Because if so, I can answer that one pretty easily - those costs aren't provided on purpose, because we position magic items exclusively in the Reputation economy. In terms of silver even the most basic ones are effectively priceless.

Of course, if that's not the question, please feel free to let me know and we'll see how we can help.

[MilitiaJim]

...  Because that rookie GM doesn't know whether this will be disruptive or not, ...

This is something you should be able to sort out with your friends.  I let my friends go crazy when I ran a modern fantasy SC1 game:  Friend wanted to be a werewolf.  "No problem I" said, "we'll start like this and adjust if things are out of hand."

(Yes, DR 10/silver for Vitality is out of hand.  Then NPC crit shanked him with a silver dagger a few times, and I didn't feel so bad, but that much DR nekkid is overpowered.)

[tfwfh]

Frankly, the rules state that silver is ignored. They're not silent on it, they expressly say no currency is exchanged

Clearly I missed something then.  What page is that on?

[tfwfh]

That said, I'd like to ask about the most recent question - because I may be misinterpreting it. Is it about whether there are / should be silver costs for adding magic to items using the magic item rules starting on page 193? Because if so, I can answer that one pretty easily - those costs aren't provided on purpose, because we position magic items exclusively in the Reputation economy. In terms of silver even the most basic ones are effectively priceless.

Of course, if that's not the question, please feel free to let me know and we'll see how we can help.

The question is more, if the GM is letting players buy magic items with reputation, do the players also have to pay the silver cost for the items they are going to have made magical?  Magic items are priceless where regular money is concerned, but does that also mean that magic fitted articulated plate mail is no more expensive than magic leather armor?

[Antilles]

There's also the question of upgrades when buying magic items. How do you determine which upgrades an item has, and how do you pay for it? Or do all magic items come with all upgrades?

[Krensky]

Frankly, the rules state that silver is ignored. They're not silent on it, they expressly say no currency is exchanged

Clearly I missed something then.  What page is that on?

Page 187. Second sentence under Purchasing Prizes.

A purchased magic item has whatever upgrades the GM agreed to.

[Antilles]

And if you craft the item yourself, do you get to add upgrades then, and if you can is it still the GM's decision what exactly you've made?

[Crafty_Pat]

The question is more, if the GM is letting players buy magic items with reputation, do the players also have to pay the silver cost for the items they are going to have made magical?  Magic items are priceless where regular money is concerned, but does that also mean that magic fitted articulated plate mail is no more expensive than magic leather armor?

I think that's best answered by the world and story. If the in-game explanation of a Hero receiving a magic sword is that his king is gifting it to him, for example, then I wouldn't charge the silver cost. If it's the Hero taking a sword he has to purchase at market to a local Hoodoo Dude (tm), then I would.

There's also the question of upgrades when buying magic items. How do you determine which upgrades an item has, and how do you pay for it? Or do all magic items come with all upgrades?

And if you craft the item yourself, do you get to add upgrades then, and if you can is it still the GM's decision what exactly you've made?

These two questions confuse me. Can you offer a specific example or two?