I’ve mentioned that I use a variety of house rules, and some people have asked me what those are. Some (rituals, dragonmarks) really call for individual posts. But here’s a few things. Alternative Uses For Healing Surges. I like the concept of healing surges, but there’s consistently a lot of characters in my games who don’t come close to using all of their healing surges in an adventure. One option is to burn healing surges as penalties in skill challenges or find other ways to force characters to spend healing surges. But I also like to provide more uses for healing surges....

I’ve been traveling over the past week, and I have a great deal of work I need to do, so I haven’t had the time to address any of the longer subjects I want to get to. However, here’s my thoughts on a few questions sent my way. If you have questions, ping me at HellcowKeith on Twitter! Would it be possible for a character to manifest dragonmarks from two or more houses? If not, why not? It’s a basic principle of Eberron that anything is possible, if you want it to be possible. Perhaps the person in question is a living channel of the Prophecy and will in time develop all...

There’s a lot of message boards out there where people talk about Eberron, and try as I might to keep my web presence up, my time is limited and I can’t be everywhere. You’ll still see me on the boards, but if you want to get my thoughts on something, send your questions here (or reach me as Hellcowkeith on Twitter). Every week or so I’ll sift through the pile and answer a few questions. Bear in mind that this is entirely unofficial and in no way canon. Looking to my recent post on Dragonshards, there’s always the chance that it will work into a DDI article and become...

I was looking at the recent Escapist interview with Mike Mearls, and the following piece caught my eye. (speaking of 4E D&D, Jason) Alexander damned the powers mechanics and marking system in 4E because they were not simulating anything that happened in the game world. For example, why could a Rogue only pull off his fancy Daily power once per day? The only answer was because those were the rules of the game, not because that was how combat ought or should work in the fantasy setting. As I said in yesterday’s post, I don’t think there’s One True Game. Each system appeals...

On my last post, David S. asked: If we are all gamers and system does not matter, why do you feel the need to move your adventure to other systems? Why not just play 4E? If the table is a 4E hating OD&D Grognard group, I would think your ‘there is no right way to play’ argument would trump their old school position, no? It’s a good question. For the last year, I’ve mainly been running it in D&D 4E, and using Over The Edge when I run into people who really dislike 4E. When I went to LA this weekend, I converted it to 3E, and plan to polish it to Pathfinder. I mentioned...

One of my main goals with Have Dice Will Travel is play with as wide a spectrum of gamers as possible… both geographically and sociologically. We’re burdened with the image of the socially inept gamer living in his parents’ basement, and I want to show just how diverse gamers are. We’re students and soldiers, programmers and executives, cashiers and artists. And, for that matter, strippers and porn stars. Some of you may already be familiar with Zak Sabbath’s blog Playing D&D With Porn Stars or the Escapist series I Hit It With My Axe. This weekend I had a chance...

For DDI subscribers, there’s a new article on Q’barra here: Blood and Dragonshards There’s a second part in the wings that gets more into the “Blood” part, but this is a foundation for the unrest in the region. It also canonizes the “Dragonshard as residuum” thing I mentioned here a few weeks back, though I changed my formula for simplicity’s sake. If you like the article and have an account on the WotC forums, post something on this thread so WotC knows that you want more Eberron support! I’d also appreciate it if you said what you’d...

I haven’t been posting much lately because of my workload and con schedule, but here’s a few threads I’ve posted on. For whatever reason, the subject that’s caught my eye consistently has been the Blood of Vol. Undead of Karrnath Need Insight Into The Blood of Vol Emerald Claw and Zombies Blood of Vol: Common Knowledge

I have a lot to do this week before I head out for my next brief HDWT trip, but I wanted to call out the highlights of the trip. Meeting People. I was surprised by the number of people who stayed behind after panels or just stopped me in the hall to tell me about their experiences with the world or shake my hand. Thanks to all of you for keeping the world alive, and I hope you continue to enjoy Eberron for years to come. Gamma World. I don’t often get to play games at conventions, but I had an unexpected opportunity to play Gamma World with GM Logan Bonner, Will Hindmarch, Andrew Hackard,...

I’ve been traveling, preparing for PAX, and struggling to keep up with my regular workload this week, so I haven’t had chance to post on a new subject this week… and with PAX less than 48 hours and the length of a continent away, I don’t see it happening until next week. However, I have a topic in mind, so check back next week… and if you’re at PAX, I hope I’ll see you at one of my panels!