Magic User Role

[Blazeguard]

I am currently working through Morgansfort with my kids. They are having a great time but my daughter (who is playing a MU) is a little disappointed that she can't do more. Being a new DM and running a game for kids I'm having a hard time trying to come up with things that would help get the MU more involved.

I would really appreciate any ideas or suggestions that might help.

Thanks.

Ray

[SmootRK]

Add Cantrips/Orisons (zero-level spells supplement). Clerics will like this too.

Give her some sort of animal/familiar, something useful for scouting. I would just give this, rather than looking for a special set of rules to use.

Give her control over an NPC while she is low-powered... perhaps a Man-at-Arms whose role is to protect the weak mageling.

Scrolls!

Add Channelling Items (supplement) to give her some additional flexibility with spell choices. If she always has Magic Missile available in a pinch, then she will memorize other more eccentric choices.

Otherwise, you must reassure her that later, the class comes around and becomes a focal point of the party. It is the price to be paid for that role later in the campaign. She should focus on the role-play aspects of the game at low levels, and later the spells and power will come.

[Sir Bedivere]

The Magic-User Options supplement was designed to answer this very question. You can find it on the downloads page (http://www.basicfantasy.org/downloads.h ... ts_classes) under 'Additional and Alternate Rules,' but I've also posted the PDF here.

I was working on a second edition of it, but got bogged down a few months back. I guess I should dig it out and see what needs to be done to have it finished.

UPDATE: Okay, so I did some editing and here is the second release. (I'm deleting the first release file I had put here earlier.)

[teluria]

One thing you can also do is use the alternative skills to give the mage other skills besides just casting spells. Perhaps the wizard is a student of ancient history and is needed to decifer certain texts found in the dungeon (I used to create simple substitution cyphers using alternative fonts or alphabets that I created. The magic user player might roll against their intelligence score for you to fill in 3 letters for them and let them figure out the rest on their own.

The suggestion to offer the ability to cast cantrips is good or you could provide opportunities for the mage to role play negotiations with the monsters since they are the most likely to speak other languages.

[Joe the Rat]

Edit: I see teluria beat me to most of these points.

M-U is a tough one for beginners.

Being torch holder and ace-in-the-hole doesn't give you much to do in combat - so being more active on the exploration side of things may help some.

A Magic-User (or anyone) of exceptional (15+) Intelligence gains a bonus on secret door searches. If this isn't from raw attentiveness, it would be from some knowledge of architecture, engineering, etc. Character concept might suggest some other bits that the character may be able to call up. A scholar might recognize certain runes and writings. A technical-minded type could have a better-than-average guess at which way to turn - based on knowledge of fortress construction from the late empire period. A character with a more mystic style might have a vague magic sense - a sort of tingle when magic is encountered, but nothing specific or localized - and not always reliable.

Depending on her "schooling", having status as an adept of some college or another might garner a bit of status usable in parlay situations - though part of the fun is seeing how far that will actually carry.

Teluria's got a good idea o the puzzles. Having puzzles can certainly add to the experience - and she may have the specialized knowledge needed to solve it. If your daughter isn't a fan of puzzles and riddles, that might be more work than fun (for her).

Of course, it only takes one good charm person to get an instant henchman (of sorts) - if a goblin becomes charmed, let it understand common, and let her roll for its actions on her behest.

[Hywaywolf]

I am not apposed to cantrips and orisons, but a MU should not get extra help when playing low level characters. They should use the levels to learn to play intelligently. Also, there is nothing in the rules that magically prevents a MU from throwing a dagger, or swinging a sword, or shooting a bow. They will just not be that good at it and will get a penalty bonus. A good roll when throwing a dagger at a kobold will probably hit. Or an MU can carry oil and use it to set a trap when being chased. As said before they can use their high intelligence to get a bonus on knowledge type rolls. ie, "I am a highly intelligent and trained wizard, would I know what those symbols mean or maybe just have some inkling if it leads to safety or certain doom?" It up to the DM to give low level MU an apportunity to shine by setting up those situations. If a player ignores the opportunity maybe they shouldn't be playing an MU and just be a fighter.

[Blazeguard]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Hywaywolf, I agree with you completely but as these are kids (and newbies to boot) I think a little "help" is justified.
Along that line of thought, how do you "guide" younger players into more of a role-playing mind-set instead of just swinging at anything that comes along? Bear in mind that I am a first-time DM myself so I'm learning just as much as the kids (if not more).

[SmootRK]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Hywaywolf, I agree with you completely but as these are kids (and newbies to boot) I think a little "help" is justified.
Along that line of thought, how do you "guide" younger players into more of a role-playing mind-set instead of just swinging at anything that comes along? Bear in mind that I am a first-time DM myself so I'm learning just as much as the kids (if not more).

Kids are natural role-players (they pretend all the time). Just give them some non-combat situations to explore... which may need a little hand-holding at first.

As an example, Give them a mission to head to the castle and convince the duke that he must remove a small settlement that has started to chop lumber in an area that some elves hold dear. The duke makes decent taxation from this settlement, so the party must find some way to convince him. Perhaps the party does some scouting for another site that might even be better. Perhaps the threat of a skirmish with the elves will convince him. Perhaps the party even decides that the duke is in the right and they instead must become emissaries to the also nearby dwarvish lords for some additional assistance to the duke...

The outcome or actual success (or failure) does not really matter... what matters is the characters explore their surroundings, meet interesting folk, and do other things than just 'bust open door, kill monster, take his stuff'. After a few sessions where this is the focus, the players will have all new friends, foes, and motives to adventure in other ways than just simply clearing out the local dungeon.

[Sir Bedivere]

... a MU should not get extra help when playing low level characters.

Here, Hyway, let me fix that for you: The rules should be changed to whatever you and your players find to be fun, and don't let anyone tell you any different.

At least, that's what Gygax put in some form of all of the versions of the original Old School game that I own.

They should use the levels to learn to play intelligently.

Sure, just like the player of a Fighter, Cleric, or Thief should.

[Hywaywolf]

he asked for opinions, I gave mine. Its obvious that he knows he can change the rules if he chooses or he wouldn't be asking for advice on possible things to change so I didn't feel the need to put that in my post.

Yes a Fighter, Cleric, or Thief should also use the lower levels to learn their trade. If the MU gets extras then they should get some too. But I am still of the opinion that beginning players should use BTB rules as written to learn how to play their characters. making a MU a better fighter doesn't help newbies understand how fragile a MU really is.

Smoot, when I came back to D&D a few years back I mostly played with my kids. The way I taught them how to do things was to let them do it, then afterward say something like, "nice you killed them all, picked up 6 gp and only lost 1 PC. Of course, you did have an open door on the left, you could have run through and avoided that wandering party of lizardmen since you heard them before they heard you." or "while you are retrieving the equipment pack from the dead thief with the poison needle dart in his throat, you hear him moan 'ahhhh, I should have checked that chest for traps first."

Another time after they successfully cleared out a small cave and had returned to town and were just inside the gates when I asked them what do they do now. they started arguing amongst themselves what everyone should do, telling others what they should do with their PCs, talking about their treasures and how to split it up. I told them they were in game and that they should hurry it up since it was dark and we didn't have all day. Finally after about 20 minutes of arguing they each made a plan and broke up into several groups and split up. To teach them about in game and out of game comments, about speeding up the game and about strategies and roleplaying, I played out that a novice thief had been stationed by the gate to alert the thieves guild of any good loot that comes to town. The thief who went off by himself with the pearl necklace to sell at the jewelers was waylaid and relieved of his treasure. Two who had a sack of gold was heading to the tavern to party down, was waylaid by two women inside tavern who were ready for them with drugged ale and stole their loot and left them stripped to their short clothes and penniless in an alley (I also used that to forestall in future "wenching" by these two middle school boys. They avoided tavern wenches after that lol) The cleric went to the temple to see if the rings and cross they found was magical. I had one of the thieves guild members call the cleric on duty out on an errand and assumed his role. he took the relics and said that he would take them and test them for magical properties and was never seen again. They took it like champs and forever after made sure to tell me when they were talikng in character and when they were OOC .