Discussion:Some newbie questions

Some newbie questions

Im new to the wiki but not that new to DnD Okay I have some newbie questions for DnD 1. Is it okay to use lego as miniatures? (Due to that i dont want to spend more money) 2. Do you have to use grid or can you measure on a non grid battlefield? 3. Can I play only with the free SRD i downloaded or do I have to buy the books? Some big difference? (Im playing 3.5 because i like it most) I have some dungeons and dragons basic experience from Never Winter Nights so I know what a Ogre is and a Hit die and so on. Thank you for help

JazzMan 22:30, 4 June 2010 (UTC)

1. Yes, you can use anything that fits on your map. I've found that food items work well for enemies; whoever kills it gets to eat it :)
2. You can use a grid, make measurements, or just use your imagination. I've done all three and each have their merits and disadvantages.
3. Sort of. The rules are the same in the SRD, but they are missing information. For instance, you won't find a table of experience per level, or descriptions of certain creatures, like Mindflayers. It's best if one person in your gaming group owns the Players Handbook (should be able to find a used copy pretty cheap), but if you are just going to play to see if you like the game, you can usually get by with out it.

Badger 23:11, 4 June 2010 (UTC)

To add on to what Jazzman said:

1. We have special painted, decent quality miniatures for our player characters, but tend to use change or dice as enemy markers. That's totally a preference thing, of course. Over time you'll decide what you like and what you don't.
2. In 3.5e you can get away with measurements, and avoid grids for the most part. I've done things like cut a length of string for my movement speed and a second length of string for my range increments and go from there. tape measures or rulers work fine though, too. However, I will tell you that I bought a chessex battle mat (like 35$) and it was worth every penny. Squares on one side, hex grid on the other. However, if you're unwilling or unable to shell out for the mat, there are sites that let you print out 1 inch square grid paper, which you can make, copy and tape together. I actually like that a lot because you can draw all over it with any kind of marker, not the special wet-erase ones, but it's kinda wasteful and time consuming.
3. I have; You can play with nothing but the online SRD. It sucks. First off, you lose all the flavor text that is scattered throughout the books, as well as the pictures. Worse though, is when your wizard wants to cast a spell. If he doesn't remember exactly his spell he wants to spend a minute looking up everything on the computer. While this doesn't sound bad, remember a wizard casts spells every round. maybe your fighter forgot the rules for a grapple, and your ranger wants to look up how favored enemy works again too. Player's Handbooks are incredibly important for a fun game. Next most important, I would say, is the Monster manual. The Dungeon Master's guide is the most flavorful, but honestly, you can get by without most of it.

Thx for help

Ok, I have a solution to that wizard thing. I have written down all spells that the wizard has learned and some quick info on a linear paper. I havent seen any DnD book here in Eskilstuna (Sweden) so I maybe can find one in London later. BTW thx for help

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