30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 31 - Bonus Questions

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.  Well, sort of.

Day 31 - Bonus Questions

Not to put down the person who put this list together, but there were a few questions I thought it was lacking.  Just for fun, here's a few extra questions I might have used if I'd been the one to make the original list. 

Cleric of Sune

What's your favorite way of representing a battle?
(In other words, do you prefer Minis/tokens/pennies/M&Ms? On grid/hexes/unmarked map? All in your head?)
I love miniatures - generally I use the prepainted ones WOTC made, but I have great respect for people who paint their own.  And a standard gridded map is great, but bonus points if you build something three dimensional.

What is your favorite miniature?
The Cleric of Sune (Unhallowed #15).  Several of my characters have been female redheads, so I've probably use this mini more often than most.  Most significantly I used this one for Aria Thatcher in the Scarred Lands campaign.  Some of my possible future characters also fit this description.

Dungeon Tiles

What are your favorite dungeon tiles/maps?
I really like some of the later Dungeon Tiles WOTC put out, that had the three dimensional elements to them.  Granted, I was already doing three-dimensional things to my Dungeon Tiles before WOTC started doing it.  I love adding little props like furniture and other details.  But that gets expensive and time-consuming.

Of course I'd really like some Dwarven Forge playsets, but I'll never be able to afford any of them.  Terraclips are nice too.  If I had unlimited money, these things would be all over my house.

What is your favorite non-d20 (weapon/magic) die? 
d4, because they're the easiest to identify by stepping on them.

What is your favorite game-breaking exploit or overpowered build?
Well, I've never seen the point in cheating, but it's still fun to read about uber-powerful feat/spell combinations powergamers have come up with.  I remember people complaining about 4e's "Frostcheese" for years, and the pre-nerf Blade Cascade was pretty neat.  About the funniest one I've heard of is the Locate City bomb.

But while I'm not much of a powergamer at the table, I do enjoy overpowered builds in the video games.  I remember some NeverWinter Nights servers banned things like the "Tenser's Transformation" spell and the "Weaponmaster" prestige class.  I once built a Halfling Weaponmaster who dual-wielded keen kukris (and it takes a LOT of feats to pull that off).  Her normal damage wasn't that scary, but she usually critted several times per round.  Add in all the crit feats (Improved Critical, Overwhelming Critical, Devastating Critical) and most of her foes didn't last long.  Of course, by the time you get all those feats you're at such a high level that most enemies are pushovers anyway, and some enemies are immune to crits... but it's still a fun build.

What's your favorite spell?
I love a ranged at-will, even if it's weak.  I'm especially fond of minion-stompers like the 4e Sorcerer's Blazing Starfall or the Druid's Chill Wind.  Sure, you're not going to do a lot of damage, but you're never helpless.  In NeverWinter Nights I really enjoyed Sound Burst (I played a lot of Bards, and I loved sound-related spells).  Also negative energy ray because it looks like a laser beam.

What's your favorite level/tier?
Mid-range, maybe around level 12.  I have no interest in playing a god, but I've seen so much of the early levels that I'm nearly sick of them.

What was your best "Crowning Moment of Awesome"?
Twice when playing "Living Forgotten Realms" games, I've rolled a crit on a Daily power that killed the session's final boss.  One of the times, it looked like it was going to be a very difficult battle, with a powerful boss and lots of minions.  But in the first round my critted Daily took the boss out, leading the DM to shake his head and say, "I hate you guys."  The encounter was smooth sailing after that.

Not D&D, but a runner up would be in a game of Dungeon Crawl Classics, where we were fighting a giant worm.  My fighter climbed to the top of the monster and held on, hacking away at it's head.  It was a feat of heroism I might not have attempted in an ongoing campaign, but in a one-shot I was a bit more brave.  It really pays off sometimes; that image will stick in my head forever.

What's your favorite fictional character and/or novel set in a D&D universe?
Well, it ain't Drizzt.  The best D&D-related books I've read is the Justicar Trilogy by Paul Kidd.  But my favorite character in a D&D book was probably Majandra the bard in The Tomb of Horrors.

What's your favorite D&D-related comic/webcomic?
Knights of the Dinner Table helped me get into D&D in the first place, so I have to give it to them.  But my current favorite RPG webcomic is Order of the Stick.

Which "type" of gamer are you?  (Powergamer, Roleplayer, Instigator, Explorer etc)
I like to think of myself as a Roleplayer, and yet I often find myself sitting out some of the narrative parts of the session.  It depends on the group I'm in, the character I'm playing, and how comfortable I am.  Really I'm a little bit of everything to some extent, but then, that probably describes most players. 

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
What do you mean?  An African or European swallow?
Huh?  I don't know that!  Aaaaiiiigh!

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 30 - Best DM You’ve Had

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 30 - Best DM You’ve Had

To be honest, I'm not overly fond of questions like this, because they have the potential to hurt someone's feelings.  However, in my case there's not much to dance around.  I've only had a couple of DMs that I played with long enough to really form an opinion.  Those two DMs were so different from each other that I can't really say either one was better.  Both are excellent for different reasons.

So anyway, that wraps up the 30 Day D&D Challenge.  It's been a fun month of blogging; I hope to do something like it again next year.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 29 - What is the number you always seem to roll on a d20?

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 29 - What is the number you always seem to roll on a d20?

The random number gods hate me, which is why I don't spend a lot of time in casinos.  I don't actually fumble that often, but I do miss a lot more than I hit.  I seem to get more 4s than anything.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 28 - A character you will never play ever again

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 28 - A character you will never play ever again

Nara Cavell was fun to play, but she could also be pretty annoying.  She was a religious nut, and couldn't go six minutes without praising Pelor.  She was the moral center of the party, and the campaign probably would have gone in a completely different direction without her influence.  While most of my characters are good-aligned, I don't see myself going that insanely far with it ever again.  Even if I were to actually play Nara again, I think I would have her mature a little bit, at least enough to know that sometimes you have to commit minor sins for the greater good.

Class-wise, I really didn't like the time I played a Ardent, and I doubt I'll play one again.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 27 - A character you want to play in the future

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 27 - A character you want to play in the future

I've always wanted to play a fairy.  When 4th edition finally got around to releasing the Pixie, it was right at the end of the edition's lifespan (or at least at the end of my group's tolerance for the edition), so I never got the chance.  Well, okay, I did have one chance, but I played a Hamadryad instead (something else I'd always wanted to play).  Let's face it, I've just got a thing for fey characters.

Of course, you know what will happen.  I'll start playing 5e when it comes out, waiting patiently for them to add Pixies to their Player's Handbooks... and they'll finally add it a month before 6e comes out.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 26 - Favorite nonmagic item (your character’s or someone else’s)

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 26 - Favorite nonmagic item (your character’s or someone else’s)

A katana.  Sure, in real life they're no more effective than a normal sword, but in fiction it's a great way to separate the awesomesauce swordmasters from the mundane soldiers.  Take a normal sword, bend the blade a bit, and you've got an instant badass.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 25 - Favorite magic item (your character’s or someone else’s)

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 25 - Favorite magic item (your character’s or someone else’s)

I like bows that have unlimited arrows.  Even when I'm in a campaign where the DM handwaves your arrow usage, I like having such an item.  I'm just weird that way.  I also like bags of holding, even if the DM doesn't care about encumbrance.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 24 - Favorite energy type

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 24 - Favorite energy type

Acid.  No real reason, it's just the one I tend to pick most when I get to pick an energy type.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 23 - Least Favorite Monster Overall

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 23 - Least Favorite Monster Overall

That's tough... I think even the silliest creatures in the monster manual can be awesome if the DM presents them well.  My least favorites would be the ones that are more annoying than deadly.  Creatures that only takes half damage, or regenerate as fast as you damage them, or that give players multiple status effects on every turn... especially creatures that keep me stunned round after round, preventing me from actually playing the game... those can make D&D less fun.  But again, a good DM can make a difference.

Also annoying are creatures that have ridiculously high AC, though that's often a matter of the DM using inappropriate monsters for that party.  That's another thing - any creatures can be annoying if they're too high level for the party at that time.  One of the most annoying character deaths I've had was when we were ambushed by Bugbears.  They won the initiative and dropped my Sorcerer before I even had a turn.  I didn't make any mistakes that led to my death, and I had to sit and watch the entire encounter without being able to play.  (And it was 4e, so you know the encounter took a while.)  Unpredictable instant death does not make for a fun game.

Fluff-wise, I hate that there's metallic bulls called "Gorgons", while the creatures that should be called Gorgons are called "Medusas".  And it strains my suspension of disbelief a bit that I can kill a gelatinous cube with arrows.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 22 - Favorite Monster Overall

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 22 - Favorite Monster Overall

This probably could have gone under favorite Aberrations, but I didn't want to make the same post twice.

My favorite monster is the Beholder.  Ever since I was a kid I've had a thing for monsters with lots of eyes.  The beholder reminds me of a monster I designed when I was in kindergarten, except mine was more of a humanoid with a beholder-like head, and lots of tentacles instead of arms.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 21 - Favorite Dragon Color/Type

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 21 - Favorite Dragon Color/Type

Blue.  It's my favorite color, so it's my favorite type of dragon.  For metallic dragons, my favorite is silver.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 20 - Favorite Monster (Humanoid/Natural/Fey)

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 20 - Favorite Monster (Humanoid/Natural/Fey)

The Displacer Beast (I'm not up on monster categories, but the the 4e Monster Manual assures me is that the Displacer Beast is of Fey origin).  I've always liked creatures with tentacles, and I love any sort of cat.  Though as cool as these creatures are, I do hate fighting them.

Runner-up: Nymph

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 19 - Favorite Monster (Elemental/Plant)

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 19 - Favorite Monster (Elemental/Plant)

The way they categorize these questions is really odd.  Why are we grouping elementals with plants?  I'm not very fond of either.  I like Dryads a lot, but I think I would classify them more as fey. But I'll play fair.  The Shambling Mound is pretty cool looking, as is the Vine Horror.  Sticking to elementals, I like the ice-based ones the best.  Fire is too mainstream.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 18 - Favorite Monster (Immortal/Outsider)

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 18 - Favorite Monster (Immortal/Outsider)

I confess I had to Google what qualified as an Outsider.  I like the Xorn, just because they're freaky looking.  Runner-up would be the Succubus.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 17 - Favorite Monster (Animal/Vermin)

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 17 - Favorite Monster (Animal/Vermin)

The common housecat, because in some editions it can easily kill a 1st-Level character.

I am Fluffy, the Destroyer of Worlds.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 16 - Favorite Monster (Aberration)

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 16 - Favorite Monster (Aberration)

The next few questions are a little difficult because different editions have different ideas of what monsters qualify as Aberrations or Outsiders or just plain ol' animals.  But hey, my blog, my rules.

The Rust Monster holds a special place in my heart.  There's an old story that Gary Gygax stole the design of the Rust Monster from a cheap plastic toy.  Long before I liked D&D, I used to have one of those toys.  I called it a Clodhopper, and one of my Star Wars figures kept it as a pet.  The first time I saw a picture of one in a D&D Monster Manual, the first thing I thought was, "Hey!  I used to have a toy of that!"

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 15 - Favorite Monster (Undead)

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 15 - Favorite Monster (Undead)

The Dracolich.  Because I can't imagine a scarier creature than a giant skeletal dragon. It combines the sheer power of D&D's most iconic creature, with the natural fear we have of all things undead. 

To be honest - and no offense to the person who made this challenge - but the next few questions feel a bit lazy to me.  It's like they couldn't quite think of 30 questions, so they stretched "favorite monster" out over several posts.  Personally I would have just kept it as "What are your favorite monsters and why?", then used the extra room for questions like:

What is your favorite miniature?
Do you prefer miniatures or tokens?
What are your favorite dungeon tiles/maps?
Do you prefer grids or hexes?

Then again, I'm obsessed with minis and tiles.  Still, it's a D&D quiz and it doesn't even ask you for your favorite spell.  Maybe this isn't the first time they've done a 30-day challenge, and all the good questions were asked last year.  Or maybe they just didn't want to ask some of the more obvious questions, because those get asked enough.  I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. 

Maybe, if I have time after the 30 days is up, I'll make a bonus post with some of the extra questions I've thought of.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 14 - Favorite NPC

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 14 - Favorite NPC

Yeah, that's how I remember it.

Tough call, but I think I'll go with Thuldrin Kreed from our Unlikely Heroes campaign.  We was both our nemesis and our chief employer, and probably the most fleshed-out NPC I've met in a game so far.   The DM said the character reminded him of Gene Hackman's character in - well, some Western.  (Sorry, Western fans, I just don't find the genre very entertaining or memorable.  Westerns are too manly to hold my interest.)  Also, Kreed had a bodyguard named, um... Payden?  Paydum?  Paycheck?  Payday?  Never did get that right…  Anyway, Kreed’s henchman was a pretty cool character too.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 13 - Favorite Trap/Puzzle

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 13 - Favorite Trap/Puzzle

I'm heavily into miniatures and props, so I'm drawn toward any cool visual display of the trap or puzzle.  I saw on Penny Arcade where they used a laser pointer for a mirror puzzle; I thought that was pretty nifty.  I even stole the idea for my "Sunken Temple of Pelor" module, but I never got a chance to run it.  That module later evolved into "Zombie Cyborgs from Outer Space", but the laser puzzle didn't make the transition.

As a DM, though, I don't usually use a lot of puzzles or traps.  I'm too nice, and traps often come across as random DM jerkiness.  Sometimes it's like, "You didn't actually SAY you were staring ahead of you while you were walking down the hallway, so now you've fallen into a pit trap, OKAY?"  (I'm so glad passive perception was invented.)  I don't tend to put a lot of puzzles in my modules either, other than the "this door's key is held by a villain all the way on the opposite side of the dungeon" type.  I did make a few traps and puzzles in my "Temple of Elemental Weevils" session, but none of them were particularly difficult.

30 Day D&D Challenge - Day 12 - Favorite Dungeon Type/Location

Note - This post is part of the 30 Day D&D Challenge.

Day 12 - Favorite Dungeon Type/Location

Typically, whichever one I'm currently in.  I do have a slight preference for traditional dungeon crawls, but only because it took so long for me to get in one.  The first D&D campaign I played in, while an excellent campaign, never had any dungeons in it.  As a new player, I was itching to get into my first dungeon and fight my first dragon, but it would be a long time before I experienced either.

When running a game, a lot of my dungeons seem to be of the "abandoned lab" variety.  Players find an old, usually underground research facility, which is still populated by the weird experiments of a long-dead scientist.  "Zombie Cyborgs from Outer Space" is a prime example, but "Death By Chocolate" also has elements of this trope, as do several areas in my old NeverWinter Nights module, Itropa.