Lastly, God (or Gods) bless you Mr. Tolkien, whatever Outer Plane you may currently be on. A new generation of players are being inspired by your works even as we RPG. Thank you ( the DM always wanted to say that) :-)
About the Game,and Restenfjord
LEVEL: 1st only (this is a starting campaign) IMPORTANT NOTE: THERE ARE *NO* RACIAL LEVEL RESTRICTIONS FOR ANY PC RACE.
PC's are unique creatures, with the potential to become 'heroes', that is, extraordinary examples of their race. Note that this pertains to *level*, not class. Don't try to enter a Dwarven Magic User, a Halfling Monk, or a 1/2 Orc Paladin. The class restrictions in the 1st editon apply, but the level restrictions have been thrown out.
RACES: All in first edition: a. Humans
b. Elves: Wood, Grey, Faerie("Sidhe"), Drow, and 1/2
Elves. c. Dwarves: Hill and Mountain.
d. Halflings
e. Gnomes: Aboveground only.
f. Others: 1/2 Orcs or other half human/humanoid beings(1/2 Troll, Ogre, etc).
Note: If you feel that a race not represented above should be included, or have an original idea, let me know.
Sorry, I am not fond of Kender, or Gully Dwarves, as I feel they have replaced the original PC niche intended for Halflings IMHO.
Fantastic monsters, 1/2 demons/devils, Vampires, Lycanthropes, etc, are NPCs only.
STATISTICS: Roll 4d6 six times, discarding the lowest die, and arrange the rolls according to the class you wish to play. Roll up three of these characters, choose one, and keep the other two as backups to the 1st. Remember, this is first level, and the attrition rate can be high. After you have arranged the stats, and decided the race, make the racial adjustments according to the 1st Editon PHB. If you dont' have one available, remember to tell me so I can make the adjustments.
CLASSES: Almost all in 1st Edition, including Monks and Assassins. Barbarians are a race, not a class, and are not included here. Cavaliers do not exist.
See Alignment, below, for playing Assassins. Anti-Paladins are NPC's only. Witches, on the other hand, are allowed as PCs! (as per Dragon #114)
ALIGNMENT:
ANY IS ALLOWED. However, a warning.....if you choose to play an evil character (such as an assassin), he/she/it better be *very* intelligent and work with the party at large. Otherwise, attempts to disrupt the party, or ruin the game for everyone, will result in immediate dismissal, no jury, no passing GO, etc. Please remember, we're here to have fun, not embark on personal vendettas or go on killing sprees.
DEITIES: Any from the following mythos: 1. Greek 2. Egyptian 3. Norse 4. Melnibonean (M. Moorcock's Elric Mythos) 4. Cthulhu (Lovecraft's Mythos, Evil characters only)
Your character does not necesarily have to follow a diety (exception: Clerics). Of course, all the non-human mythos are included as well.
PSIONICS: ALLOWED, but I make the roll, according to 1st Edition Rules.
II: Submitting a character 1. Read all of the above. 2. Roll the dice, generate three characters, pick your favorite, save the other two. 3. Select Race, Class, Alignment, Deity (if any). 4. Roll for cash, buy what you need (out of the PHB), equip yourself. 5. Send me an organized, line by line document of all this stuff (above) for approval, as well as any questions.
II: The world of Restenfjord I have included with this document a History of Restenfjord, it's cities, townes, and points of interest. Suggestion: Read the cities and townes part, glance at the history, don't read it (a saving throw vs. sleep might be required (grin) ).
III: My style of DMing 1. I reward Role-Playing very well. Note that your character is 1st level, so is bound to make mistakes, not recognize most monsters,etc. I REWARD IGNORANCE IN THIS CASE! Play and develop your new character as if it was a real being! Questions about your alignment, etc, by other party members is up to you to answer. Often, asking about someone's alignment can be considered VERY RUDE.
2. At the beginning, choose a Party Leader, who will suggest/dictate actions of the members of your party. Now, you won't be surrendering your individuality, just electing someone to due most of the typing during non-melee travel. Elect Party Leaders on a rotating basis.
3. Select a party order as well. This is important in dungeon/underground settings. 4. Melee encounters: a. First the die for surprise is rolled (1d6). You dont need to tell me immediately what you rolled! Just say "Yo!" when I call your initiative. b. Initiative is rolled each party member, subtract your dex adjustment. c. Melee is by segment, from 1 to 10. Spell casters, announce when you are beginning to cast a spell, then announce when the spell comes off.
Example: Your magic user rolls a 1d10, getting a '2' to begin a spell 1. On 2's, say "Beginning Spell" 2. On 5's, say:" (my character) pulls out a glass rod, speaks a Mystic Key, and a Lightning Bolt strikes the Umber Hulk!". d. Attack may be multiple per round, but actions are not. e. Remember what your movement rate is, to remind me often.
You roll required "to hits", and *I* roll damage, so I might ask about your weapon and + damage often. Please be patient with this, I might have as many as ten other characters to try to memorize.
5. Saving throws YOU make all of your own saving throws, with one exception: When surprised or unaware, if it is a NONFATAL save needed, I might make the throw secretly. In any event, I will inform you (Out Of Character) of what i did, later on.
6. People dropping in/out Obviously, we cannot control everyone's schedule. So get used to characters dropping in and out of games. The minimum amount to play is 2 players, the maximum probably around six. Sessions should be around 4-6 hours at most.
Players who are absent for a long amount of time (3 sessions or more) will be removed automatically. Important magic items/quest items in the possession of said characters will be given to another active player. Again, the DM reserves the right to disinclude any player as the DM sees fit.
