Since the creation of 3^rd-Edition Dungeons & Dragons™ and the d20 Open Gaming system, I have embarked upon a trek of pure insanity.  This edition (including the v3.5 update), in my opinion, was perhaps the single best thing that has happened to the role-playing world since Gary Gygax’s original brainchild in the early ‘70s.  The Open Gaming system alone has begun a literal outpouring of material that one cannot possibly keep up with, though many try to do just that.  I, too, have fallen victim to the limitless possibilities afforded by the new rules, and I have spent many hours exploiting them to the depths of my own imagination.  As I sit at my computer, my wife has stared at my back for countless nights wondering if I realized she still existed.  I have added file upon bloody file of material to an already teetering stack, trying desperately to encapsulate all the house rules and “options” that have sprung up through very lively play.  Fortunately my wife is also a gamer, or there could have been real strife arising from my pursuits.

The result of this effort is an ever-growing set of unique classes, feats, skills, races, house rules, options, magic items and other miscellaneous “stuff” available in my campaign, which is still in its infancy.^[1]  I have tried to systematize all the additions, deletions and changes to the core rules that we have incorporated in our game.  Many have chided me for being rather anal about this at times, and I suppose that is occasionally true.  But I think I’ll be vindicated with 1d6 rounds of “Wow, that’s cool!” when those scoffers see this.  My wife might yet wring my neck…

My crowning achievement so far has been a near-fully-automated character sheet in spreadsheet format (Microsoft Excel), a downloadable version of which may be found here.  I used the template that Wizards of the Coast (WotC) provided in the back of the Player’s Handbook (PH), and added…well, everything.  Very little maintenance is required of the player, as the spreadsheet will calculate quite nearly every adjustment in the books.  In this alone I consider my persistent nature to have paid off.  To that sheet I have added herein a wealth of material, all of which I hope will not only catalogue in systematic form the particulars of my campaign, but will also perhaps provide another DM with a few ideas to take his own campaign to the next level.  Note that this spreadsheet is filled with formulae, and overwriting them will probably cause the thing not to work properly; therefore, if at first you are unsure, drop me a line and I'll explain.

Extra Thoughts...

There are only a few things about the 3^rd-Edition D&D that I don’t like.  One is the persistent use of female pronouns throughout the books where none is required by the context.  Not only is this practice an unnecessary acceptance of the radical feminists of our day, but it also contradicts 1000+ years of English.  The argument that it helps female players feel like they too can play in a male-dominated game is plainly illogical and painfully stupid.  (Never mind the fact that I have three female regular players who happen to agree with me.)  I will not follow WotC’s lead in this, as many companies and individuals have, but will maintain correct grammar on this point by referring to all unknown and generic sexes in my text as “he.”

All the following information, in the spirit of what started it all, is Open Gaming content.  If there are pieces of text that read exactly as copyrighted materials, I hereby automatically give credit to the original authors.  I do not intend to take credit for anything that is not mine.  All references to sourcebooks are assumed to credit their authors, editors, publishers, and owners.  I don’t really want to get mired in a quagmire of legal issues.  If some lawyer is reading this and judges that this disclaimer is insufficient, please tell me rather than sending me a subpoena.

This work has come about mostly piecemeal when I could spare a moment to make a note on something, and is mostly a compilation of thoughts and conversations with others who have creative strains.  Consequently, it will be a collection of odd bits of things that don’t necessarily dovetail very nicely.  I will attempt to join them with flowing documentaries that not only bore you to tears, but also waste precious space.  This work has been in the making since November 2000, and will likely continue for many years to come, so changes are inevitable.  Something will always be added, and occasionally something will be deleted that is no longer deemed valuable to my campaign.  There will certainly always be something in a state of flux, and I will probably not bother with trying to annotate all those changes.

THANKS!!

Finally, some thanks are in order…1) to my wife for her understanding and patience, 2) to all those who have helped with this material, and 3) to my players for making a memorable campaign possible and for making me a better DM.