From: MichaelZenke
Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 5:07 PM -0500
Sessions are currently planned to run from 5pm to 10pm every Sunday. Please plan on arriving ten to fifteen minutes prior to 5pm, so that we can begin in a timely fashion. One of our players lives across town, so out of respect to him I'd like to make sure we can finish on time every night. Session starts may drift as we find out what works best for us. Please arrive fed and ready to play, with dice and your Player's Handbook.
Food and drink will always be available, but I'd like to get a snack rotation going. KatieZenke and I will have stuff for chargen and the first session, after which we'll get a rotation going (assuming people are up for it).
If you need to be late for a session, please call ahead to let me know. If you need to cancel for a session, please do so no later than 48 hours ahead of time as a matter of courtesy to myself and the other players. Obviously, we're all friends here and we understand that things come up. Just the same, I'd like to make sure that we can count on the game occuring.
While The Shackled City is not going to be set in Eberron, I am going to lift a game concept from that setting for use in the campaign. The concept is Action Points. Action Points are a way to add a cinematic quality to a campaign, and allow a player to sway the outcome of a die roll in a critical situation. Action Points in The Shackled City campaign will be represented by Magic: The Gathering Cards (1000 of which I picked up on the cheap at Gen Con). In order to spend an Action Point, you'll hand the magic card representing the point to me for dispersal back into the general pool. Action points may only be spent on your turn in the initiative order, and count as a free action.
A standard loadout for a character's action point total is equal to 1 + 1/2 the character's total level. (Ie, 2 at 2, 3 at 4, 4 at 6). Action point cards given out for character level action point will be green in color. Green action points may not be "saved" between levels. All unspent Green action points still held by a player when the level must be turned in before a new set of Green points is awarded.
By spending an action point, you are allowed to do one of the following:
Roll additional dice to add to a d20 roll, after the roll is made but before the result is determined. From levels 1-7 you may roll 1d6, from 8-14 you may roll 2d6, and from 15-20 you may roll 3d6. If you are rolling more than 1d6, the additional dice are not also added to the result. The best roll from the extra dice is chosen and added as appropriate.
Stabilize at your current hit point total, assuming you are below 0 hit points.
By spending two action points, you are allowed to do one of the following:
Gain one extra use per day of a class ability.
Roll an appropriate amount of dice (1d6/2d6/3d6) to add to a damage roll, after the roll is made but before damage is applied to your opponent. The damage may only be added to a melee hit (not a spell effect), and is the same "type" of damage as the melee strike.
By sacrificing all of your current action points (minimum of 4) you may do one of the following:
Regain the use of a spell slot, spell per day, or clerical prayer per day. The regained spell must be cast during the initiative pass they are regained.
I will occasionally be assigning character-based homework. For players in my previous games, this homework will take the place of questions in the weekly Campaign Newsletter. Homework will be assigned at the end of a gaming session, and will be due in my inbox at the start of the following gaming session. Players who participate in homework questions will be given an action point. Homework action points will be Red in color. Red Action Points do not need to be turned in when the character in question gains a level.
Every week I will post a Campaign Newsletter to the mailing list, sometime prior to Saturday. The newsletter will include 1.) A reminder of last week's session 2.) a reminder of where the next session will start 3.) A reminder of what the current homework question is (if there is one) and 4.) Any notes about the next session, including who is up in the snack rotation.
Other action points of varying colors will be given out for roleplaying, plot participation, enthusiasm, humor, etc. Details on other colors of Action Points will be made available when they come up.