Helpful Unwritten Rules of DnD

[Jeff the Green]

X^Y^Z) Your players will always be more entertained by the random NPC you added to a scene on a split-second whim than the character you spent months developing.

Edit: This was already covered. Suffice to say it happened fairly recently in our campaign.

Rule λ) There is nothing new under the sun.

[Raven777]

™) Every post is a repost Every plot has been done before.

[ramrod]

1.1.2b Not everyone in the party needs to invest in a handy haversack. If your DM will allow when you come to spend that wealth by level when creating a new character ensure that you do not double up on items, but also that you do not miss critical items. Did someone forget to buy a wand of CLW?

(I am currently playing a campaign where it soon became apparent that there was not a single bladed weapon or even butter knife between us... cutting ropes, a simple task ended up becoming a lot more complicated than we thought).

99.3.1x If you optimise, so will the DM... his numbers can always be bigger than yours!

55b - One trick ponies belong in the knacker's yard (or deserve to be shot if it is a powerful one trick). Don't overspecialise.


1.2.500x - Do not buy healing potions. They come as random loot fairly regularly and are a totally ineffective way of spending actions in encounters. The only use for them is in a water skin strapped to your chest/around your neck for quick recovery when you go down and you need bringing back to consciousness mid fight.

123.2421.b Everyone should put at least one point into tumble. Oh how many times has it saved someone's behind when you are in deeper than you feel comfortable?


564.c Always bring snacks to a gaming session. Always share. People get hungry sat watching you dig through a bag of doritos like there are diamonds at the bottom. It is also polite given the effort that your DM (if they are good) has put into preparing the game (for those of you who have not DMd before, it takes many many hours, especially if it is a handcrafted adventure. I have spent 10-15 hours crafting a town, drawing it, drawing maps, creating NPCs for a party to wander in, visit and NPC and walk right out again).

54 - Always carry cure disease unless you want to end up very poorly... or pregnant http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Pregnancy_(3.5e_Disease)

69 (ha) - Luck stones or anything that allows for an ultra emergency reroll are beautiful things and should always be carried. Why buy a +4 Splitting Longbow if you are going to get narnered on your first trip out. Disintegrate is a very real thing.

765ac - Don't assume that you can use other people's dice. Lots of gamers are unnecessarily finicky about people touching their dice. I know because I am one of them, a little piece of me dies every time someone touches my dice. Old habits die hard. I have invested a lot of money and love into my dice (they are expensive and I handmade a chainmail bag for them to go in) as a cover story to basically justify the same reaction that I would have over a 30p lump of plastic.

9945 - Don't become too attached to a character. It may almost certainly die at some point. I'm as guilty as the next person for this, I become heavily invested in characters that I have spend dozens of hours optimizing only for the heartwrenching pain of watching it die. Characters dying should be meaningful but also fun. Everyone else will poke fun and make backhand comments. My last character that died will be be raised, but is the butt of the jokes as being a gnome his corpses is handily small enough to be popped into the handy haversack.

100. Caltrops in a quick release bag on your belt makes for a great getaway device. Caltrops in general are cheap, fun and reusable awkwardness for the DM :)

[ramrod]

Rule number one... have fun, spread the word and be proud of what you do. I'm amazed at the number of people that 'have always wanted to play but not known how to'.

I've never known anyone to not enjoy the game. Even people that are not big on role play, power gaming or otherwise love the opportunity to sit around a table and have an excuse to chat to friends for prolonged periods of time :)

[Pathagaron]

α) For players: Not every fight is winnable. Sometimes running is the best option.

β) For DMs: If the players try to run from a losing fight, let them run.

β corollary) Of course, if they did something incredibly stupid to get themselves in over their heads, then you are fully justified in pursuing them.

[atemu1234]

α) For players: Not every fight is winnable. Sometimes running is the best option.

β) For DMs: If the players try to run from a losing fight, let them run.

β corollary) Of course, if they did something incredibly stupid to get themselves in over their heads, then you are fully justified in pursuing them.

Reminds me of the time the lawful good players going on a quest AT THE BEHEST OF A DEITY decided that when they met a gold dragon who WORSHIPED THE SAME GOD that it was there for them to kill and take its stuff. Luckily, I had the stats for a gold dragon with VoP sitting around...

[Jeff the Green]

™) Every post is a repost Every plot has been done before.

א) All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

[Raven777]

א) All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

å) The wheel of time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave it birth comes again.

[Gnome Alone]

å) The wheel of time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave it birth comes again.

_)_) "When the universe was formed in the crucible of the big bang, our mighty race was already seventeen years old."

[Jeff the Green]

_)_) "When the universe was formed in the crucible of the big bang, our mighty race was already seventeen years old."

()* History is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man

*Yes, that's "rule number open parenthesis"

[Rater202]

א) All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

å) The wheel of time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave it birth comes again.

XYZ Summon Number 100: on the other hoof, a sufficient act of unadulterated awesome can alter the course of history to such a degree as to permanatly destroy the cycle of recursive history.

An example of this being the formation of Chou Tengen Toppa Guren Lagaan, as well as any halfway decent game of exalted past essence 6.

[Jeff the Green]

Rule Stoner: Dude! What if like, the universe were a sphere, but not just space, man. What if time just went around and around just like a record player. And like, if you play The Wizard of Oz at the same time it, like, matches up. You gonna eat that?

[Yael]

¥ > $) Everything you might see in TV may be done in a D&D campaign.

[Azoth]

Respect each other's roles in the party and the character for them, lest they be turned on you.

Always have a contingency plan to take down your party members without killing them. (Use this if they end up under enemy mind control)

Have a backup plan on how to kill them in case the first plan fails.

Invest in mundane ways to accomplish things that magic can do. (Permiter alarm, disabling locks/traps, ect)

[Inevitability]

E=mc²: A bag of holding can transport people for short periods of time. Know this, abuse this, and make your DM go mad for ever giving you those.

E≠mc²: Combine with Hoard Gullet for more fun. You may look like a powerless, naked, old, chained prisoner... until you vomit out sixty gift-wrapped barbarians!

E=m=c=²: A bag of holding is also a great way to dispose of anything you may not like. Why kill the lich you just got down when you can dump him in a Bag of Holding, destroy the bag and be done with it? No need to go on a separate sidequest just to destroy his phylactery.

[Gnome Alone]

Respect each other's roles in the party and the character for them, lest they be turned on you.

Always have a contingency plan to take down your party members without killing them. (Use this if they end up under enemy mind control)

Have a backup plan on how to kill them in case the first plan fails.

Invest in mundane ways to accomplish things that magic can do. (Permiter alarm, disabling locks/traps, ect)

Hmm, mundane perimeter alarm... does it go "woof, woof"?

[Azoth]

Hmm, mundane perimeter alarm... does it go "woof, woof"?

No it jingles

[Venger]

rule ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°): beware the stormwind fallacy from both directions.

[atemu1234]

E=mc²: A bag of holding can transport people for short periods of time. Know this, abuse this, and make your DM go mad for ever giving you those.

E≠mc²: Combine with Hoard Gullet for more fun. You may look like a powerless, naked, old, chained prisoner... until you vomit out sixty gift-wrapped barbarians!

E=m=c=²: A bag of holding is also a great way to dispose of anything you may not like. Why kill the lich you just got down when you can dump him in a Bag of Holding, destroy the bag and be done with it? No need to go on a separate sidequest just to destroy his phylactery.

I'm pretty sure that the third one doesn't work. Doesn't that just count as him dying, so he regenerates as per usual?

[Lightlawbliss]

I'm pretty sure that the third one doesn't work. Doesn't that just count as him dying, so he regenerates as per usual?

I believe you are correct.

[Inevitability]

I'm pretty sure that the third one doesn't work. Doesn't that just count as him dying, so he regenerates as per usual?

If the bag is overloaded, or if sharp objects pierce it (from inside or outside), the bag ruptures and is ruined. All contents are lost forever.

I am pretty sure 'regenerates and happily returns' doesn't mix with 'lost forever'. At the most, the lich becomes a vestige (and that's pushing it).

[atemu1234]

I believe you are correct.

Funny, I think I'm correct too.

[Venger]

I am pretty sure 'regenerates and happily returns' doesn't mix with 'lost forever'. At the most, the lich becomes a vestige (and that's pushing it).

So that's what happened to Acererak

[Jeff the Green]

No it jingles

How did you teach your guard dog to ring a bell?

[OldTrees1]

How did you teach your guard dog to ring a bell?

The guard cat wears a silver bell. The guard dog wakes the cat up when it is afraid.

[JackRackham]

Unwritten rules, let's see:

PCs

Every problem can be solved with fire. If it can't be solved with fire, try it anyway. It's fun.

When starting level 3 or higher, someone should have a long list of mundane gear. You never know when the DM is going to decide that weather is interesting and those snow shoes will save your asp.

Wizards go 2nd to last in the marching order.

Never steal from the party wizard.

Paranoia is your friend.

Paranoia is the enemy.

Never make a character that, while mechanically good, is no fun to play, or no fun for others to play with (summoners, necromancers, trip-builds, etc. Should be careful not to annoy everyone).

Think about what you're doing. Plot, scheme and plan. But not too much. And when **** hits the fan, wing it (with fire).

Solve problems as though they're real-life situations.

Let the batman wizard go first.

Let the rogue go first.

Heavy damage-dealers should go last or 2nd-to-last.

Kill things in one round. Always attack the thing closest to death first. Action economy is paramount.

Look for something interesting in the world you're in. Take time to look and ask questions.

DMs

Fire is not the solution to every problem.

Let the PCs solve the problem their way

Let the PCs shine 1/2 the time. But frustrate them often enough to keep them hungry/wary.

A comfortable, satisfied, successful PC is a soon-to-be-bored PC. They need ambitions that are still unfulfilled.

Hallways need to be 10+ft wide unless there's a specific reason to bottle-neck the PCs.
-only bottle-neck the PCs once in a while.

PCs should have a reason not to know anything about the game world, unless the players are the type to take a sincere interest in the world.

Build at least 1/4 of the encounters such that you have no idea how the PCs will solve them. Like, don't even try to think of the solution. That's the PCs' job. Focus on creating an interesting challenge.

[Gnome Alone]

I get that summoners and necromancers involve a lot of waiting for your stupid pets' extra turns to be over, but are trip-build guys really that un-fun to play with?

[JackRackham]

They can be. A guy I DM'd for had a trip build (lock-down build) that (eventually) gave him AoOs anytime anything did or didn't happen, basically (we've all seen variations of this). Each AoO was used to trip and each trip gave him a free attack (at least one). He had a turn that went quickly enough, but he seemed to have extra turns any time anyone did anything. And it was all very grid-intensive, strategic, and involved a lot of modifiers, so it slowed combat to a crawl.

It really can get to be like having a bunch of summons or something in terms of slowing the pace of play.

EDIT: That said, the guy was pretty good about things. I only got tedious a few times, as the build got progressively crazy, really.

[Jormengand]

ln(i): It's called "Theoretical optimisation" for a reason.

[Necroticplague]

Rule 413: Yes, it is a good idea to have some of your crunch reflected in your backstory. However, everybody should have a personality beyond just their crunch. An easy way to do this is to give them interesting quirks.
-subrule A: If you're backstory is nothing but you justifying implausibly coincidental powers, you might wanna think about fleshing out who they are some more.