Master Plan – Get it while you can?

According to a Neogrognard blog post, there’s a wonderful 4th edition tool set for DMs out there called Masterplan – FOR FREE – which for whatever reason my not see further updates for the foreseeable future. It is available, again, at NO COST, at the Masterplan website and there’s been speculation – the validity of which is unverified – that it might soon not be available.

I only found out about the tool set this evening, because of the Neogrognard blog, and from the vast majority of testimonials and comments I read, it is extremely useful. I’ve picked it up, so if you’re interested in a great resource for which you just can’t beat the price, go check it out and get it while the getting is good!

Mayhem Friday: “The D&D Inn” Issue 1

Okay, I would love to see what a Swimming Pool on a roof looks like!  But what what really excites me is the Thai Massage!  From now on all of my adventures are going to have an Inn with a Thai Massage!  Nothing like bringing a little real world into the game!  Check out the  rest of the description for the D & D Inn!  The best part is the “beautiful skyline” in Bangkok?  WTF?

The D & D offers most services including a restaurant internet and travel services the thing that makes this property stand out from all of the other hotels and guesthouses in Bangkok is the fantastic pool area on the roof offering awesome views of the bangkok sky line.  rooms start at 550 baht and go up from there Breakfast is included for most rooms.

And here’s the swimming pool:

Opportunity Attacks!

I really wanted to preface the subject line with: (Some say it knocks, but)

Get it? (Some say it knocks, but) Opportunity Attacks! Well, it made me smile, anyway.

Nevertheless! What I’d like to discuss in this article is the subject of Opportunity Attacks. Now, many who are transitioning into 4th edition still refer to these by their former handles, Attacks of Opportunity (or AoOs), but the name has evolved with the edition.

Opportunity Attacks (or OAs) are always loved and hated by players. Loved when we MAKE them, and hated when we TAKE them. But just how do we earn these little chances to wallop our enemies for “extra credit?”

Most often Opportunity Attacks are provoked when a creature leaves a threatened square WITHOUT:

A. Shifting (also known as the 5-Foot Step in the previous version). When a creature shifts, it does not provoke Opportunity Attacks – unless an enemy has a power that states otherwise. For example, the fighter’s Combat Challenge class feature specifically enables the fighter to make an Opportunity Attack (a melee basic attack) against a foe that he has marked, if the marked target attempts to either shift or make an attack that does not include the fighter as a target. (And I won’t even get into the coolness that is Combat Superiority – another fighter class feature)

B. Teleporting

C. Being forced to move by a pull, push, or slide

One can also provoke an Opportunity Attack when attempting a ranged or area power while threatened by an enemy – generally an enemy which is adjacent to the would-be ranged/area attacker, but if a creature has threatening reach, watch out, because here it comes!

Another thing to keep in mind with Opportunity Actions in general is that – again, unless you have some power or item that specifically states otherwise – you can take only one Opportunity Action during a specific enemy’s turn, but you can take any number of them during a round. I actually learned something myself while researching this, as not only I, but the rest of my gaming group whom I’ll have to inform, thought that you could only take a single Opportunity Action per round. This alone can make for exciting play!

There are many ways in which Opportunity Attacks can provide both characters and DMs with a dynamic play experience. Players, for example, can use them to particular effect when that fighter puts the aforementioned class features to work! Dungeon Masters can strike terror into the heart of a caster if he happens to get him “cornered” with nowhere in which to shift and get some breathing room to cast. This can often bring out some rather amazing creativity and inspiration from the group as well. ::insert evil laughter::

All in all, Opportunity Attacks, or even other Opportunity Actions, as dictated by the creature’s powers, can make a combat session quite interesting indeed. Sometimes a well-timed OA can even pitch the entire tide of the battle. So get out there (or IN there, on C.O.R.E.!), play, and never forget: Opportunity Attacks are awesome. Or … abhorrent, if you happen to be the recipient.

Work In Progress (WIP) Wednesday

O.k many of you have seen the changes happening around the board.  The goal is to make the place more user friendly and accessible to new players, offer additional community involvement and expand our reach to new players through social media outlets.  but enough of the boring stuff.

WIP Wednesday is about you!  So let others know what you are working on in your cities by posting a short comment below.  Highlight some of your adventures, feature a player you have, or post upcoming adventures you are going to run.

This is your moment to highlight your work on C.O.R.E. and show off some of your new WIPs!

Monday Caption Mania, Round #1

O.k. the rules are simple: I’ll post an image and you make the caption.  The best five captions will be featured on next week’s Contents! And if you have a good image send it to me and maybe it will be the next contest.

So Lets go with something Classic:

Welcome

Welcome to the Creative Online Role-playing Environments Collective. (C.O.R.E)  We specialize in Play by Posts environments using the d20 system created by Wizards of the Coast.