Absinth's page

Thanks for these kind words, Robert.
In real life i don't have many opportunities to practice speaking english so i was happy in multiple ways to discover these boards.

Absinth
Hamburg, Germany

I think it would be a good idea to include an index in the last issue each year where the content of every issue (from the certain year) is listed in short.
This would make navigating in my growing collection of Dragon more easy.
Sometimes, when i'm creating my adventures and i'm looking for a certain spell, item or whatever it takes a lot of time just searching for the article.I don't think of an index like in the DMG or similar products with references to certain words, 'cause i think this would be too much and would involve a lot of work.
It would be enough to just reproduce the listed content for every issue.
I'm writing down the content of every issue since a few months and making my own index, but i think this could be a helpful ressource for your devoted readers.
Magazines like National Geographic are providing indexes (don't know the proper plural) at least for subscribers.
What do you think?

Haven't heard about swanmays yet.
But somehow i've got the vision of lycanthrop-like maidens transforming into swans...
Is this somehow right?

I do remember the memory moss, but it never had an appearance in one of my games...

...it ended with my character clenching an eyeball in his pointy beak?

Why does this remind me of a certain article by a certain author about a certain demon-prince?

:)

Hopefully you can fix this soon.
Since I'm living in germany, 2 in the morning is the time i'm browsing the boards here on the other half of the globe (and experiencing the down times first hand).

Giant beetle monsters?
It's always the same on low levels...:)
Vermin...

Thanks for the link.
I'll check this episode when i get my hands on the season 5 DVD's...

Who were the bad guys (besides the DM :) )?
Regarding the situation with the tumbling i suppose you guys started at 1st level.
Have you gained levels at the end of that session?

Plus you can carve off a bit of troll, put it in a can, wait for it to regenerate past the top, shave it off and... troll burgers! An infinte supply too!

This is the type of idea that my players come up with again and again.

There seems to be an endless supply on these too...:D
And this is always the time when i'm glad, that we don't let "innocent Guest" attend to the game...

"Part of that is because everyone knows their stuff, but a major part is that everyone respects one another. Most of us honor the cardinal rule that "the DM is always right," even if the call isn't exactly what's in the book. If something comes up, it's better to deal with it outside of the game session, as nothing stops the fun faster than getting into an argument about how fast a character can slide down a knotted rope..."

This quote should be set in stone.

Well, i'm sometimes a little sad as a DM, when i try to create an athmosphere of tension and adventure and my players loose themselves in endless and seemingly funny conversations.
I hope this wasn't the case in Jason Bulmahn's game.
Don't get me wrong, I'm always for a good laugh at the gaming table, as long as the game itself doesn't suffer from it.

I hope you folks get what i mean, 'cause my english is not the best.

Absinth
Hamburg, Germany

This seems to be a kind of masochistic take on "roleplaying-opportunities"...:)

It's just like in any other D&D-campaign.
I always had the vision that, with players like these, there'd be more serious roleplaying...:)
Another illusion hopelessly destroyed...
On the other hand, it's cool to know, that mistakes like the one with the 'Sleight Of Hand'-check happens to the pro's too.

I think it would be quite hard to DM for a group of eight experienced D&D-professionals like these.
How much time do you spend on rules-discussions?
:)

I just had the idea to transform the Medusa into a monster-template and would like to know, what you think of the idea.
Just imagine, for example, humanoids like giants with Medusa-features.This could be an interesting twist to a mayor villain.
Sure, this would separate the Medusa from it's mythological roots, but it could be fun and would be a mayor surprise for players.

If there's interest, i'd post the template, when i'm done with it.
Or has this been done before?

I know that this is an old one on RPG-message boards, but this always inspires me...:)

I'd like to know your favorite creatures to throw against players in your D&D-Campaigns.
My Top 5 are, in no particular order, these critters:

Troglodytes
These are my favorites since 1st edition.Creatures that are able to to put you down just with their disgusting smell.

Illithids
The perfect villains for higher levels.
Strange, alien and evil.
With the use of psionics they are even more unique and scary.

Were-Rats
These are my favorite lycanthropes and have been a real pain in the ass for some of my players.
But i've taken it a little to far lately, so i have to give these guys a little break.
My players were real paranoid, whenever an ugly and shadowy NPC made an appearance.

Gnolls
I don't really know why, but these are my favorite wild and barbaric humanoids.I was so glad that the Wizards brought back the flinds in MM 3.
I'd really like to see a well written ecology-article on these guys.

Ghouls
My favorite undead. I found them scary since i first read Lovecraft's 'The Dream Quest For Unknown Kadath'.
The Gravetouched Ghoul from Libris Mortis is even better.

I'd like to recommend Sean K. Reynold's 'New Argonauts'-Setting, which draws it's inspiration (as the name suggests) from greek mythology.

I think this is a great idea.
I'd like to see an article on unusual magic clothing like hats, scarves and things like that too.

No, i haven't...
About half way through season one i moved away from "cable-wonderland"...:(
Is it the one with Gygax?

Do you accept submissions from outside the US, like, for example, from Germany?

-Amber S.

Sorry, but are you Amber E. Scott, responsible for the Ecology-article on Will-O-Wisps?

If so, i'd like to let you know, that it is one of the absolut best ecology-articles i've read in years.

Absinth
Hamburg, Germany

This type of campaign has been covered in the Book Of Vile Darkness and Dragon #300, so i can't imagine another article on this subject.

1: does the article contain stats for the demon prince of the aerial kingdoms? i have been hoping that it does since i heard about it, but will be more than happy if it doesn't

It does and they're pretty scary.

But i won't drop Pazuzu into my campaign, 'cause i think his minions are far more interesting (and far more healthy to deal with for my vict...erhh..players).
:)

I'd really like to see more articles on psionics.
I hoped that after the release of the Expanded Psionics Handbook the psionic-stuff would loose its exotic status, but this didn't happen.Sure, there are mentionings of psionics in the Eberron-CS and some of the latest FR-books, but that's not really much.
It would be great to see some articles on psionics, but not just new powers or feats.
I would find it interesting, if there'd be an article on how a society where psionics are common would be like.
How would it be different from a land ruled by wizards (like, for example, Halruaah in the FR)?

I also would like to see one class act per issue devoted to a psionic class or an ecology-article on a race with psionic powers like the half-giants or the githzerai.

I think a regular article on psionics (like the Mind's Eye-articles on the WotC-site) would be a great addition to the mag. This could be a way to introduce more readers to psionics and could be a way to make it more popular.

Absinth
Hamburg, Germany

Will these feats be avaiable on the Paizo- or the RPGA-Site?
And will there be changes on known feats or even new ones?

A few months back i actually had a disgustingly evil little imp in my game whose name was Paizo.
:)
As you can see, i was a little short on ideas that day...

There seem to be a lot of characters in this goup...

It surely needs a mature group of players (not in term of age, but in term of behaviour) to get the benefits out of them that the designers had in mind as they created this cool feature.
We (my group & me) were really exited abnout this idea, 'cause we already had flaws without the benefits since 1st edition.
It was kind of a houserule that every player had to create something like a weak point for the character and it always helped to make the characters seem more "alive" or "realistic".
Some only had a little influence on the game (i remember one rogue who couldn't pass by a mirror without having a look at his hair...) and some were sometimes very difficult to work with (like a dwarven fighter with a serious fear of great heights).
We never thought about getting benefits for these traits, so we were happy in multiple ways as the flaws appeared in UA.
But there's really a kind of motivation within the rules to abuse them and to get the most benefit with the least drawbacks. But i don't know of a way to prevent this (from a designer's point of view).
The player's have to realize the opportunity they're presented with and how they and their game can benefit from this rule.
Otherwise i'd leave flaws out of the game...

Has the RPGA allowed flaws in their games?

Will the Demonomicon be a monthly feature or an irregular one?And are there plans on treating the arch-devils in the same manner?

Hi, i just want to let you know how much i've enjoyed James Jacobs Article on the demon prince Pazuzu in issue 329.
It is one of the best written and most informative article in months and i liked the fact, that you seemed to continue the concept from the 'Ebon Maw'-Article (including stats for followers and stuff) from issue 312, which i found very useful.
I really hope that these Demonomicon-articles will become a regular feature in the magazine as you announced previousley.
In the preview for Dragon 330 there was no mentioning of another Demonomicon-article and i really hope, that you didn't change your mind...
Will the next articles in the series be written by Mr.Jacobs too?
And which demon prince will be next?
Will there be articles on demon princes that were already covered in the Book Of Vile Darkness, like Graz'zt and the boyz?
:)

Yeah,Tony, your work is truly great.
While reading the Zogonia-cartoon in Dragon #329 i nearly collapsed.Great stuff!
I already posted links to your site on every german RPG-Messageboard i know...

Sounds good to me...
Sadly, this issue hasn't made it to Germany by now...

I liked the issue too, but i don't really get, what the intention for the "Dwarves At War"-article was.
Most of this has been covered in 'Races Of Stone' which was released just a few months ago.
Don't get me wrong, i found it an well readable article, but i think that this space should've been devoted to something more "unusual".
I, too, didn't really like the art for this article.
Sure, it was grim'n gritty and somehow suitable to the theme, but the style reminded me more of comics like 'Preacher' or similar stuff than of fantasy.
But i also like the fact that you try to get a wide varity of art-styles into the mag, so keep it up...