[Nanobyte]

OK. Here's another excerpt from the DM's guide on how gameplay works. I'm not sure this will help any, but two are better than one, right?

p. 130-31 (for reference)
The players are playing Tordek (a dwarf fighter), Mialee (an elven wizard), Jozan (a human cleric), and Lidda (a halfling rogue). These four adventurers seek the ruins of the abandoned monastery, drawn by rumors telling of a fabulous fire opal, supposedly hidden there by the abbot when the place was attacked.
After passing through the lifeless aboveground ruins of the monastery, the adventurers find a rubble-strewn staircase leading down.

PC(Tordek): Let's give these upper ruins one more quick examination.
DM: [Making some rolls in secret, but knowing there's nothing to find in the burned-out shell of the monastery.] You don't find anything. What are you going to do now?
PC(Jozan): Let's go down!
PC(Lidda): We'll light a torch first.
DM: Fine, but I'll need the marching order that you'll be in.

At this point, the players arrange their miniature figures, each representing one character, in the order in which they will march down the stairs (and walk down corridors, and enter rooms). Tordek goes first, followed by Jozan (with the torch), then Mialee. Lidda brings up the rear, her player noting that she will be watching behind them occasionally.
If the players didn't have miniatures, writing down the marching order on a piece of paper would suffice.

PC(Tordek): Fortunately, the torchlight won't spoil my darkvision--that'll help us navigate in the dark down there.
PC(Jozan): Okay, we go down the stairs.
DM: You descend southward, possibly 30 feet laterally, and at the end of the stairway you see an open space.
PC(Tordek): I enter and look around.
PC(Jozan): I come in behind with the torch.
DM: You are in a chamber about 30 feet across to the south and 30 feet wide east and west. There are 10-foot-wide passages to the left and right as well as straight ahead, each in the center of it respective wall. Looking back, you see the stairway entered the chamber in the center of the north wall.
PC(Lidda): What else do we see?
DM: The floor is rough and damp. The ceiling is supported by arches that probably rise to meet in the center about 20 feet above you--it's hard to tell because of all the webs. There are some moldering sacks in the southwest corner and some rubbish jumbled in the center of the floor--dirt, old leather, scraps of cloth, and some sticks or maybe bones.

After a short discussion and the formation of a plan, each player announces an action for his or her character. Tordek looks down the south passage, Mialee investigatesthe rubbish in the middle, Jozan looks at the old sacks, and Lidda looks down the west passage. The players position their figures on a floorplan the DM has sketched out on paper.
Since no one paid the webs any attention, the DM doesn't worry about the Spot checks to see the spider.

DM: Okay. As two of you are looking down the passages and Jozan starts looking at the sacks... [The DM rolls a touch attack for the monstrous spider in the webs. He knows knows a 14 indicates success because he wrote down everyone's ACs ahead of time and knows Mialee's AC is 13]...Mialee, you feel something land on your shoulder--it feels hairy and moves toward your neck!
PC(Mialee): Yikes! What is it?
PC(Tordek): If I hear her call out, I'll turn around. What do I see?
DM: Wait, just a minute. First, Mialee, roll for initiative.
PC(Mialee): [Rolls] I got a 19!
DM: [Rolls initiative for the spider, and gets a 14.] Everyone else should roll for initiative as well. Tordek, you heard Mialee gasp, and you turn to see a large, hairy spider on her neck.

Jozan rolls a 10, Lidda an 8, and Tordek a 4.

DM: Mialee, you go first. What do you do?
PC(Mialee): I grab it from my shoulder and throw it to the ground, where I can stomp on it with my boot.
DM: Okay, but your unarmed attack provokes an attack of opportunity for the spider, so it bites as you grab at it. [He rolls an attack roll for the spider, and gets a 16.] Yug! Mialee, you feel a sharp prick on your neck. Make a Fortitude saving throw.

The group all gasp in fear. Mialee rolls a die and would add her Fortitude bonus, except that she has none.

PC(Mialee): Fortitude, my worst save! Let's see--15 plus 0 is, well, 15. Is that good enough?
DM: You feel okay. But the bite still delivers 1 hit point of damage.
PC(Mialee): Ouch. Okay, then I roll a 14 to grab it and throw it to the ground. Do I succeed?
DM: Yes. The spider lands on the ground but looks like it's going to scuttle away. Perhaps back up the wall to the webs above.
PC(Jozan): My turn? I run up to it and smash it with my mace! I roll a natural 20! With my bonus, that's 22 in all.
DM: Good roll! You can move that far and attack, so roll a confirmation roll to see if that's a critical hit.
PC(Jozan): [Excitedly rolling again] Is a 15 good enough?
DM: Yep. Roll damage--twice. Add them together.
PC(Jozan): [Rolling] Sweet! 12 points altogether once I add my Strength bonus--which also doubled with the crit!
DM: That mighty blow smashes the creature to bits.
PC(Mialee): Cool. Well, now that all the excitement's over, I'm going to search through this refuse on the floor like I said I would.
DM: Okay. First make another Fort save to see if there are any lingering effects from that spider bite.
PC(Mialee): Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good...[rolls]...a 17!
DM: No problems, then. You feel fine. Looking at the pile of debris, you'd guess it's probably refuse from the spider--leftovers of its victims and its own castings. Amid bits of bone and tatters of clothing, you find 19 silver pieces. And make a Search roll.

Mialee rolls a 9 and adds her +6 bonus for a result of 15--just enough to notice the hidden gem!

That's about all I can handle for right now, I have to get ready for church. Maybe if you're still having problems, I can help you out.

[ 01-19-2003, 10:13 AM: Message edited by: Nanobyte ]