Campaign and new player guidelines

THE GAME

Pretty much straight AD&D 1st edition rules. I also include the additional rules and stuff from the Unearthed Arcana and various Survival Guide volumes. Spells from the Greyhawk Adventures book are not generally available throughout my multiverse, though...

Some changes to the rules include the following...

1. The melee system is somewhat simplified, in that adjustments for weapons vs. armour types are not used. Also, the speed factors of weapons are used only in melee vs. spell casters, and in critical melee situations.

2. Optionally, beginning magic users are allowed a full standard spell book of first level spells, though the usual restrictions imposed by their intelligence still apply. This helps them survive at low level.

3. Similarily, when a character goes up a level, they are allowed to roll their new hit points immediately, even though they have not trained for that level yet. They gain no other benefits of the higher level (melee, saving throws, etc.), though, until they have trained.

4. After trying for some time to integrate existing Paladin characters into the Unearthed Arcana rules, I gave up and decided that there should be two sub-classes of Paladins, namely the "Player's Handbook Paladin" and the "Unearthed Arcana Paladin".

5. Neutrally aligned clerics are allowed.

6. The method for awarding experience points is slightly simplified over the method in the DMG.

2nd edition AD&D characters, spells, and whatnot are not allowed. There are several exceptions to this, however. Thieves are allowed to follow the 2nd ed rules at their option. Specialist mages and clerics may be allowed at the DM's descretion. Some 2nd ed spells are drastically different from their 1st ed predecessors...many of these are allowed but are treated as different spells altogether...and sometimes of different level as well.

THE CAMPAIGN

I don't want to get too specific here about the details of my campaign, since I feel that one of the major pleasures of a D&D campaign for the players is going out and exploring the world(s) for themselves. Suffice to say that after working on it for over 14 years, it is BIG. It has lots of the standard AD&D setting things, like a variety of topographical/geographical terrains, extremes of climate, powerful empires and bickering city-states, noble kings and dirty politics, high ideals and moral sewers, vast ruins filled with evil and loot (lots of these!), many interesting and important NPCs to interact with, etc. etc. What other people have told me that makes it special, though, is the depth of the history of the campaign. The main campaign world has a history going back over 100,000 years, beleive it or not.

I feel that it is a magic rich campaign, but don't turn your nose up at that! For starters, that means that your foes will have a lot of magic to use against *you*. Second, for some reason I am very adept at relieving the PCs of their magic items, so that there are usually very few "Christmas trees" walking around. My standard advice to the players is, don't get too attached to any one piece of magic...

What *kind* of a campaign is it? That is up to the players. Like I said two paragraphs ago, it is a big campaign, and I think it can handle a variety of playing styles. It is up to the characters to decide where to take it.

STARTING UP

Starting levels are first to one level below the current lowest level party member in the group. Talk to the DM to see what this level currently is.

I do not have a problem with players bringing in characters from other campaigns once the group is established, subject to a few restrictions. First, if a character comes in, I expect them to *stay* in, at least for awhile. Second, I reserve the right to limit the amount the magic which these newcomers might bring with them. PCs from other campaigns may discover that some of their magic items do not function at all in my campaign, or that they function differently (ie. a +5 sword may become a +2...not that I will tell you it has changed!). Artifacts of Power from other campaigns will definitely *not* work in mine, and most likely non-standard magic items will not, either.

CREATING CHARACTERS

Use any of the approved AD&D methods to roll up a character and generate their starting funds. Equip them as per the lists in any of the books, paying "list price", roll up spell books, and check for psionics, if you wish. No magic items are allowed (except for spell books, holy symbols and such) to start...that will come soon enough! When you are done, please email me the following information:

Character name, race, sex, class, AC, HP, alignment, psionic abilities (if any), strength, intelligence, wisdom, constitution, dexterity, charisma, (comeliness), preferred weapon (this is the weapon I assume you will be using unless you specifically tell me otherwise), and any other information that you think I should know.

You are also expected to keep track of where you keep your various possessions...I have to know this occasionally.

Once you have sent me your character information, I will get back to you with a brief background for him/her, along with a list of deities worshipped in your native region, should you want to select a patron god(s).

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