Pinoy Dungeon Master

Jeff, On being the Group Tactician

noreply@blogger.com (Erik Gaius,aka [ K i r E ]) — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:19:00 +0000

I interviewed Jeff Salvador, the party's Dragonborn Warlord, the night after one of our sanctioned events. He's the party's tactician, a role he played even when we're still playing ragnarok online as the team's Professor.

PDM: enter-view

JS: ge gow

PDM: When did you start playing Dungeons & Dragons?

JS: About two to three years. It was still D&D 3.5th Edition back then, before we switched for one session with White Wolf's Vampire: the Masquerade. After that, we started playing again when 4th edition came out last year.

PDM: Why choose a Warlord?

JS: I was looking for a utility class that's very versatile.

PDM: Paladin?

JS: Actually I was an artificer last campaign.

PDM: ah.

JS: After reading some of 4th ed's materials, I was intrigued by the warlord's role as a tactician. I started researching after that, and ended up building a character who can duplicate other classes abilities (in case they don't show up, or run out). I think they called this the '5thman' on one of the Dragon Magazines...

PDM: I see.. But why a dragonborn?

JS: I was thinking about creating either a human or a dragonborn warlord, but the dragonborn looks way cooler.

JS: Also, the stats & skill bonuses are right on the spot for an Inspiring/Bravura Warlord, while the dragon breath is great for clearing minions.

PDM: What's the greatest obstacle a Filipino D&D Player is going to face?

JS: In game, its the strategies & roleplaying in general.

PDM: Care to explain?

JS: Strategy, especially to warlords, is hard to execute. Such plans must be precise and should always save the party's resources. I'm having trouble roleplaying since I'm the party's "face" - so I have to set the basic standards. Its my job to make sure that the quest doesn't become more complicated instead of being simple.

PDM: How about in real life?

JS: In real life, the (lack of) materials and time management.

PDM: Last one, What's your message to other aspiring Pinoy Dungeons & Dragons Players out there?

JS: maglaro kau ng DND sigurado mggusthan nu ito kahit for fun lang lalo na kung mahilig kau s team play. [translation: You'll enjoy playing Dungeons & Dragons for sure, it's a lot of fun, espcially if you like team play.]

PDM: Thanks Jeff, have a good night~!

There you go peeps, straight from the dragon's mouth. ^^ I guess that concludes today's post, until next time! Oh, and stay tuned for the group's Druid!

Jeff, Dragonborn Warlord

noreply@blogger.com (Erik Gaius,aka [ K i r E ]) — Thu, 28 May 2009 07:03:00 +0000

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&DI Character Builder ======

Sarkhan Vol, level 1

Dragonborn, Warlord

Commanding Presence: Bravura Presence

FINAL ABILITY SCORES

Str 18, Con 13, Dex 11, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 18.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES

Str 16, Con 13, Dex 11, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 16.

AC: 16 Fort: 15 Reflex: 10 Will: 15

HP: 25 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS

Endurance +5, Intimidate +11, Athletics +8, Diplomacy +11

UNTRAINED SKILLS

Acrobatics -1, Arcana, Bluff +4, Dungeoneering -1, Heal -1, History +2, Insight -1, Nature -1, Perception -1, Religion, Stealth -1, Streetwise +4, Thievery -1

FEATS

Level 1: Weapon Proficiency (Fullblade)

POWERS

Warlord at-will 1: Brash Assault

Warlord at-will 1: Wolf Pack Tactics

Warlord encounter 1: Diabolic Stratagem

Warlord daily 1: Bastion of Defense

ITEMS

Chainmail, Fullblade, Adventurer's Kit, Javelin (2)

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&DI Character Builder ======

How-to: Be A Pinoy Dungeonmaster Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Erik Gaius,aka [ K i r E ]) — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:07:00 +0000

Magandang Araw! and welcome to my blog~ :D I am Erik Gaius Capistrano, one of the two official Dungeon Masters from the Philippines (as of now). As you can see from my card above, I started playing Dungeons & Dragons on 2003 (Still at third edition), and was almost always the Dungeon Master of my circle of friends. As such, I'd like to share with you the experiences and obstacles I have (and will probably) face as a Pinoy DM.

In layman's terms, Dungeons and Dragons is just a gathering of friends talking about their characters killing monsters with the Dungeon Master being the storyteller and referee. Being a Dungeon Master is hard, and being a Filipino ('Pinoy') DM presents a whole new angle of difficulty. But don't let that stop you from having fun! Coz the planning and the hijinks your players put you through is part of the fun~ :P

The first and foremost obstacle is the language barrier, and next is the Filipino mentality of 'power levelling'. We'll adress both issues in the next few articles :D Also, I'll post my players and their characters here, how they play and such. I'll also try to post some of my adventure logs here (not sure if that's allowed, I'll clear it up first). In case you're also interested in becoming an official dungeonmaster, here's a link to the RPGA website where you can take the Herald-level DM Test.

So, I guess I'll start writing those posts now.. Stay tuned, and keep your campaigns fun~!