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 Recent Posts
To me, art helps with envisioning certain aspects of the game, but a good description is much better than a picture. Art is too easy of a crutch to rely upon. I'd much rather envision something with my own minds eye than someone else's - which is why I tend to avoid seeing movies based upon books that I've read; with a few exceptions...
I don't really care much for verisimilitude, as you're playing a game where people can summon monsters to cast lightning bolts at a murderous gelatinous cube, but YMMV. Verisimilitude when concerning RPGs, is keeping internal consistency within the setting; making it believable on its own terms (to quote Wikipedia)... So yeah, it's a game of the fantastic, but those casting lightning bolts as well as those murderous gelatinous cubes remain believable through a suspension of disbelief (because of verisimilitude)...
watched the video...a common theme is borrowing from pathfinder. Is it truly? I see "Castle's & Crusades" in it myself (which is meant as a compliment)... I like what I'm seeing (I really do), but at least so far and speaking only for myself and my group of course, I see no reason to convert over to the new edition once it's out (because I am quite happy playing both Pathfinder and 2nd Edition)...
I don't think DE was saying no rest should be allowed ever, but "resting on demand" should not be something that is assumed to happen Exactly... While I make good use of random encounter tables when and where it is appropriate to the adventure; I allow a party to safely rest whenever and wherever it is safe for them to do so... But this is dictated by the adventure at hand and not because the party's mage ran out of spells...
An intelligent magic user prepares ahead of time in such a way that his arsenal of spells is far greater than any expected level of challenge would require of him. An intelligent magic-user would indeed prepare ahead of time. But one can prepare only so far... Preparation is limited on the availability of funds and information... One can know that they are about to enter so-and-so's tomb, but they are limited to what information is available. And this information is rarely accurate down to the last monster or trap, much less the layout of the place... Again, because of the huge gold surplus spellcasters enjoy due to not having to compete in the weapon-and-armor race, characters like wizards can afford silly amounts of magic consumables that give them both longevity and flexibility. This depends greatly upon the level of the magic-user... A well-played full-caster should never have to choose whether to use spells in a given encounter. He should be using spells every encounter, and should be using a couple of powerful spells every encounter, to boot! This depends greatly upon how magic and its use is viewed by the player. It is but only ONE way of imagining how magic should work...
that's an interesting choice for the spellcasters, but not an optimal one. And if you're okay justifying that to yourself, or to your players, that's fine. But from both a gameplay perspective and from an in-character perspective, tackling challenges with the best choices from your (considerable) pool of resources is the optimal way to approach the challenges of D&D. But intelligently managing the resources that one has available to him (e.g. a finite list of spells available per day) IS an optimal choice! An intelligent magic-user cannot count on there being anywhere within a "dungeon" to rest and recoup spells. If such an opportunity presents itself, fine, but that should never be a given. So an intelligent magic-user in such a situation isn't going to blow his top hitting spells on a band of wandering orcs; he's going to wait for something bigger... *Note that I did NOT say the above was THE "optimal choice", I was just refuting your claim that it wasn't an optimal choice...
I started a game last Saturday with my wife and a long-time friend. My wife is relatively new to RPGs (started with 3.5 in 2008), while my friend and I have been gaming together since the early 80's... They both had a blast (I did too of course). It feels really good to be getting back to these old rules...
But then doesn't there pose a greater threat with Homebrew items in your game? I'll always err on the side of keeping it within the rules, because at least I know what to expect in terms of power/balance. By homebrewing (Something I love to do, but with exceptions) I feel your opening a much greater and potentially unbalancing door to your PCs. If you simply re-skin something, you are still home-brewing it. By making a whole new item (in the case of the greatsword/scythe at least), you have hard stats for the creation, instead of some nebulous notation on the player's character sheet and/or perhaps some campaign-note the GM has scribbled somewhere. You also have the same potential for unbalance by simply re-skinning something that you would by making a new item (or what have you). The new thing created should do the same job with the same or similar stats that the planned re-skinned thing would do (i.e. a "great scythe" works exactly like a greasword that had been "re-skinned" as a scythe)... I think my problem with simply re-flavoring something "because it'll be cool", is that for me it breaks the associated mechanics of the setting. To me, just because it's a fantasy world, does not mean that "anything goes"; Verisimilitude is important to me - a scythe should remain a scythe and a greatsword should remain a greatsword... I have in the past however, gone the route Paizo did with the Katana and used stats of similar items (like using a short sword for a gladious for example), because certain items are just that similar in look and/or function... And for as long as I can remember (across all editions of D&D), magical items could always be re-skinned for a like item (e.g. Gloves of Dexterity/Bracers of Dexterity) and I have never had a problem with that as a GM...
Where is the harm in changing the flavor? If you re-skin something simply for the sake of pure flavor, you leave that door open for every player to potentially go through at any time they want. If that is something a given GM does not mind, then that's one thing. Personally, I'd rather leave that particular door closed... I would however (using your greatsword/scythe as an example), be more open to creating a whole new weapon... *EXAMPLE (using 3.5 rules out of familiarity)* Great Scythe (exotic weapon) Cost: 50-100 gp (a greatsword costs 50 gp, while a normal scythe costs 18 gp, so a price would have to be nailed down. I would set it at 75 gp) Dmg (sm): 1d10 (same as greatsword) Dmg (med): 2d6 (same as greatsword) Crit: 19-20 (×4) Range: — Weight: 12 lb. Type: Piercing or slashing This weapon would have a bigger blade, heavier handle (as compared to a normal scythe), and (because it's an exotic weapon) would require a feat to use. It might even require a minimum STR score to use (say a 15 or better) because the way I see it, this would be an extremely awkward weapon to wield... This last point would be open to debate/discussion, but I would be inclined to keep such a rule just to balance things out, and in order to keep this rule I'd be willing to change the damage output to: sm/med 1d12/2d8 (making the damage output even better than that of a greatsword)...
What you write about can be done with any edition of the game. And with 3.0, it was done to a certain extent with Atlas Game's "Burning Shaolin" adventure. In it, the characters could fight while using any weapon, improvised or not, a do the same damage they were doing with their original weapon (an example used was they could kick up a loose floor tile and then kick it towards their foe and have ot do the same damage as whatever weapon they originally had before combat began)... Personally however, I would not allow this. The game provides rules for certain weapons, and if a player wishes to use a certain weapon, I say use the rules provided... I openly admit that I am a "You kids get off my lawn!" grognard, but it is my opinion that if a player does not like the rules of the game, play another game! This does not mean I will not listen to genuine grievances with said rules, but your greatsword/scythe example just smacks to me as nothing more than a player wishing to change the rules in his favor just to be more bad-*** and nothing more; to which I would rule against as explained... Obviously, YMMV...
He didn't care much for 3x, either. I posted this on another thread here about a year back when this came up... I've looked at them, yes, but I'm not really a fan. The new D&D is too rule intensive. It's relegated the Dungeon Master to being an entertainer rather than master of the game. It's done away with the archetypes, focused on nothing but combat and character power, lost the group cooperative aspect, bastardized the class-based system, and resembles a comic-book superheroes game more than a fantasy RPG where a player can play any alignment desired, not just lawful good. Now, should I tell you what I really think? The quote comes from a "Gamespy.com" interview with Gary Gygax back in 2004. Here is the full interview: Part 1 and Part 2
I think the illustrations take something away from the game. Its like whether Lovecraftian horrors are better described as text or drawings. I would agree with you, however, many of the monsters as they first appeared within those original 3 D&D booklets did not have any description at all; text or otherwise (see the quote I posted above from Vol. 2 of those booklets concerning kobolds for an example of what I mean)...
*Edit* I'm thinking with the lack of illustration / description I went looking and found something like an illustration of a Knocker, Kobold etc. presented that way. I put them into my game... I was not fortunate enough to actually start gaming back in the 70's, and while my first D&D experience was with the "Holmes Blue Cover", at the time I started gaming; AD&D was already out... It would have been a little frustrating for me I believe, to play without a decent illustration of most of these monsters. I at least had the AD&D Monster Manual to fall back on for that...
If I recall correctly the illustration associated with Kobolds in original D&D depicted them as small twisted Dwarf / Gnome like beings with wild hair. I've just looked through all 8 of the original D&D booklets (the first "core" 3 and the 5 additional supplements such as "Greyhawk", "Blackmoor", etc.), and while the booklets have a few illustrations within them, the kobold is NOT among them (and while I have access to the "Strategic Review" magazine as well, I have not looked through those for any illustrations of kobolds however)... As for the original description of the kobold: Kobolds: Treat these monsters as if they were Goblins except that they will take from 1 - 3 hits (roll a six-sided die with a 1 or 3 equalling 1 hit, a 3 or 4 equalling 2 hits, etc.). Notice, no hair, no scales, no horns, no tail, nothing...
Tea grows abundantly within tropical and sub-tropical climates. So one is not limited to just Tian Xia... Also, one does not have to limit "tea" to just the "Camellia Sinensis" plant (thank you Wikipedia). Any leaf (that isn’t poisonous) can be brewed into a tea and consumed. And given a fantasy setting, some plants may have healing or other beneficial properties when drank as a tea...
I'm not sure if I like the "common, uncommon, rare" wording (besides the obvious trading card similarity) - these words imply that something like a Tiefling is a "rare" race in any campaign, which is certainly not true. Those terms go back to the older editions of D&D in that they gave the frequency in which any given race/monster was encountered in a typical campaign setting. But it was never a straight jacket (e.g. if a DM wanted a "rare" monster or race to be more common, he simply made it so)... It's just a starting point; something a DM can look at and adjust within their campaign world as they see fit...
...Mearls, at least, acknowledged that 4E was a mistake.link? I keep seeing this repeated, have yet to see confirmation. I think this is the part of what he said that some take as him admitting 4e was a mistake... “If you are a disgruntled D&D fan, there’s nothing I can say to you that undoes whatever happened two years ago or a year ago that made you disgruntled – but what I can do, what’s within my power, is that going forward, I can make products, I can design game material, I can listen to what you’re saying, and I can do what I can do with design to make you happy again; to get back to that core of what makes D&D, D&D; to what made people fall in love with it the first time, whether it was the Red Box in ’83, the original three booklets back in ’74 or ’75 or even 3rd Edition in 2004, whenever that happened, to get back to what drew you into D&D in the first place and give that back to you.” The full interview can be found HERE
The implication being that if you need an unholy symbol to cast Evil spells, you need a holy symbol to cast Good spells (with a holy symbol being understood to be the standard). That's how I read it...
Then why do people still like to argue and make it a point to come to the 4E sub-forums just to say how much they dislike 4E or that 4E is a Pen-Paper MMO or well.....half a million other reasons that it doesn't suit their fancy? All it does is just make those of us who do enjoy the game :facepalm: at the ridiculousness of such a declaration. Because we're gamers, and we like to make our opinions known! ;-p However, I still assert that neither side is going to have any effect upon the other in regards to changing that opinion...
Outside of adventures? Random loot tables, for one. Random loot is what Diablo is all about: go out, kick @ss, load up on magical junk until your inventory/bag of holding is maxed out, then head back to town to sell 90% of it for stuff you actually need. (In D&D, this means the Big 6.) That is a holdover from 1st and 2nd edition... Granted, people tended not to sell magic items with the frequency people did in 3rd/4th edition, but the tables were random none-the-less... Me, I can't imagine how anyone playing 3.x very long can say that it makes sense even within its own context. Everything from "mundane" warriors who can swim through lava to the way that spells are arbitrarily assigned to schools to Oaths and Codes and alignment restrictions, to dextrous types needing to pay a special feat tax to aim with something other than their non-existant mighty thews. (Weapon finesse.) Um... Again, everything you bring up (with the exception of the use of feats) are holdovers from 1st and 2nd edition...
You, and the specific game you like most, do not get to unilaterally declare that something is or isn't D&D-special (whatever that means). You fought the good fight Scott, but I really don't think you're going to change anyone's mind about 4th edition at this point any more than you could change someone's mind about 2nd edition (because that too was the edition people loved to hate)... People have indelibly made up their minds...
Here are the stats from D20 Modern... Machete
Hitting the target on a shooting range with your 12-gauge shotgun requires a ranged attack roll, right? So... How many times do people hurt themselves while shooting? Once in 40 shots? [Partial Threadjack] Shooting firearms is a dangerous activity (but one that active shooters accept as a part of the "sport")... This is because, simply put, firearms fail! And when they fail, they usually do so catastrophically (Video of gun blowing up). And there are many ways for it to happen, such as a squib round.
One can also have a negligent discharge. Even though this usually happens because many new shooters and those that are improperly trained tend to practice poor trigger control and often wind up "muzzle sweeping" everyone on the firing line while they wave their gun around with finger firmly on the trigger. But practiced professionals are not immune (Accendental Discharge)... The list goes on... Are these events rare? Unfortunately no, they're more like infrequent (with some "lesser" things that can happen every trip to the range, like getting hit with hot brass as it is ejected from a firearm; which is one of the more minor things that can happen, but it should never be dismissed so easily out of hand)... The chances of something bad happening to one tends to increase the longer one shoots (in terms of actively in the sport)... [/End Partial Threadjack]
Abeir- was added as a prefix to the planet's name so that it would be the first entry in the alphabetical encyclopedia of terms included in the set. This comes from the "Forgotten Realms Mailing List Archive":
Mulhorand was apparently written at various points assuming its own isolated cosmology bleeding over from the portals and deities from Egypt. In 1st edition (and the early portion of 2nd edition), Mulhorand's deities were literally on the Prime Material Plane in the form of "Manifestations" (much more powerful than "Avatars"), and "Incarnations" (which were essentially the same as avatars)... The reason for this was that the gods were from our Earth and were were not able to leave the prime material nor go back through the portals in which they came, but the cosmology of the outer planes was still the same as everywhere else on Toril (i.e. the great wheel). In fact, when the Gods were able to finally leave Toril, they took their place within the great wheel... There were a few gods in the Forgotten Realms that had aspects within our Earth AND Toril, such as Sune Firehair/Aphrodite for example. So Mulhorand was not all that unique in that respect... The only thing Spelljammer added to the mix of the Great Wheel, were the Crystal Spheres and the Phlogiston. Otherwise, the Cosmology of Toril in its entirety was the Great Wheel; from Kara-Tur in the east, to Maztica in the west. Though some had differing ways of organizing their internal politics within the outer plane (the Celestial Bureaucracy for Kara-Tur for example), but they still remained seated within the Great Wheel itself... Now, Wizards of the Coast DID change the cosmology of the Forgotten Realms with the introduction of 3rd edition in 2000. But it remained the great wheel for the entirety of 1st AND 2nd edition no matter what land/country/kingdom/empire you were in...
Actually, applying the Great Wheel / Hourglass Greyhawk cosmology to all of the campaign settings was a 2eRevised Planescape retcon. With the two booklets from the original 1st edition gray box set in front of me, I'm seeing that the setting is FILLED with references to the cosmology of the great wheel...
Here is a list of every 2nd edition character kit from Dragon Magazine... I copied it from HERE... Like Kitsune Knight said above, hopefully you'll see something that looks/sounds familiar within the list... Good luck... Character Kits From Dragon Magazine:
Kits, character:
Air Knight (War) "Greater Drakes" Jonathan M. Richards 260(36) D&D2 Alakvalt (Taltos) "Taltos, The" Tom Moldvay 247(41) D&D2 Allati (Taltos) "Taltos, The" Tom Moldvay 247(42) D&D2 Animal Priestess (Pri) "Priests of Africa, The" Michael John Wybo II 209(18) D&D2 Arcanamach (Wiz) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(74) D&D2 Arcanist (Mag-Cle) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(14) D&D2 Archeologist (War or Rog) "Great Excavations" Steve Berman 241(24) D&D2 Aristocrat (Ftr-Mag) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(13) D&D2 Ascetic Warrior (Psi) "Open Your Mind" Michael John Wybo II 191(19) D&D2 Ashanti Warrior (War) "Real Warriors Ride Elephants" Michael John Wybo II 195(27) D&D2 Assassin (War) "Completing the Complete Fighter" David Howery 172(74) D&D2 Athlete (MotRD) "Donning a New Masque" William W. Connors 215(42) D&D2 Baule Diviner (Wiz) "Magic From the Gods" Michael John Wybo II 200(15) D&D2 Benin Hunter (War) "Real Warriors Ride Elephants" Michael John Wybo II 195(28) D&D2 Berranie Seer/Seeress (Psi) "Open Your Mind" Michael John Wybo II 191(17) D&D2 Bibliotaph (Pri or Wiz) "Great Excavations" Steve Berman 241(24) D&D2 Bikaver (Taltos) "Taltos, The" Tom Moldvay 247(42) D&D2 Black Arrow (Ftr) "Dragonslayers" Wolfgang Baur 230(21) D&D2 Bokor (Wiz) "Magic From the Gods" Michael John Wybo II 200(16) D&D2 Bornu Horseman (War) "Real Warriors Ride Elephants" Michael John Wybo II 195(28) D&D2 Boszorkany (Taltos) "Taltos, The" Tom Moldvay 247(43) D&D2 Brahmin (Pri) "Caste of Characters" Michael A. Selinker 225(26) D&D2 Bushi (War) "Other Orientals, The" Tom Griffith 189(28) D&D2 Caradhaker (Dwarf) "Mindstalkers" Bruce R. Cordell 245(36) D&D2 Caravaneer (Rog) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(78) D&D2 Ceorl (Ftr) "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(39) D&D2 Charcoal Burner (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(38) D&D2 Chronicler (Pri) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(75) D&D2 Courier (Avariel) "On Wings of Eagles" James Estes 233(21) D&D2 Crusader (Ftr-Cle) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(12) D&D2 Crypt Defender (Rgr) "Crypt Rangers and Defenders" Ross Allen Clifton 234(26) D&D2 Crypt Ranger (Rgr) "Crypt Rangers and Defenders" Ross Allen Clifton 234(24) D&D2 Crystallite (Psi) "Even More Complete Psionicist, The" Jon Winter 200(98) D&D2 Dandy (Brd) "Completing the Complete Bard" Jon Winter 189(82) D&D2 Danseur (Ravenloft) "Denizens of Dread" Owen K.C. Stephens An3(29) D&D2 DARK SUN setting "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(71) D&D2 Delver (Rog) "Little Rascals" Steve Berman 245(44) D&D2 Dilettante (Ftr-Mag-Thi) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(15) D&D2 Dilettante (Ravenloft) "Denizens of Dread" Owen K.C. Stephens An3(30) D&D2 Diplomat (Ftr-Mag-Thi) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(15) D&D2 Dirgist (Brd) "Grim Callings" Steve Berman 252(31) D&D2 Dowser (Psi) "Even More Complete Psionicist, The" Jon Winter 200(98) D&D2 Dragon Lord (Wiz) "Dragonslayers" Wolfgang Baur 230(22) D&D2 Dragon Sage "Dragon Sage, The" Bill Slavicsek 207(74) D&D2 Dragonslayer (Ftr) "Dragonslayers" Wolfgang Baur 230(20) D&D2 Earthstoker (Drd) "Earthstokers" Jennifer Tittle Stack 265(34) D&D2 Eastern Woodland Warrior (War) "People, The" David Howery 205(20) D&D2 Empath (Psi) "Even More Complete Psionicist, The" Jon Winter 200(99) D&D2 Enthusiast (MotRD) "Mystics, Miracles, & Meditations" James Wyatt 236(28) D&D2 Exile (Half-dragon) "Part Dragon, All Hero" Roger E. Moore 206(27) D&D2 Exorcist (MotRD) "Mystics, Miracles, & Meditations" James Wyatt 236(28) D&D2 Fakir (Brd) "Caste of Characters" Michael A. Selinker 225(28) D&D2 Feral (Ftr) "Wild At Heart" Steve Berman 237(9) D&D2 Fiend Slayer (Wiz) "Wizards' Three, A" Chris Perry 229(43) D&D2 Forge Priest (Cle) "Heart of the Forge" Wolfgang Baur 245(30) D&D2 Frost Wizard (Wiz) "Wizards' Three, A" Chris Perry 229(40) D&D2 Gatekeeper (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(39) D&D2 Georgian (Ftr) "Dragonslayers" Wolfgang Baur 230(21) D&D2 Gray Chasseur (Wiz) "Defilers and Preservers" Bill Slavicsek 231(41) D&D2 Great Plains Warrior (War) "People, The" David Howery 205(20) D&D2 Greenfellow (Thi) "Wild At Heart" Steve Berman 237(10) D&D2 Guild Mage (Thi-Mag) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(14) D&D2 Healer (Psi) "Open Your Mind" Michael John Wybo II 191(19) D&D2 Hoardsacker (Rog) "Little Rascals" Steve Berman 245(45) D&D2 Horseman (Ftr) "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(40) D&D2 Houngan (Wiz) "Magic From the Gods" Michael John Wybo II 200(16) D&D2 Investigator (Ravenloft) "Denizens of Dread" Owen K.C. Stephens An3(30) D&D2 Janissary (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(39) D&D2 Kalahari Bushman (War) "Real Warriors Ride Elephants" Michael John Wybo II 195(30) D&D2 Keeper of the Veil (Pal) "Grim Callings" Steve Berman 252(29) D&D2 Kensai (War) "Other Orientals, The" Tom Griffith 189(30) D&D2 Kongo Witch Doctor (Pri) "Priests of Africa, The" Michael John Wybo II 209(18) D&D2 Kshatriya (Pal) "Caste of Characters" Michael A. Selinker 225(24) D&D2 Kushite Elephant Warrior (War) "Real Warriors Ride Elephants" Michael John Wybo II 195(30) D&D2 Lawyer (MotRD) "Donning a New Masque" William W. Connors 215(44) D&D2 Legba (Pri) "Priests of Africa, The" Michael John Wybo II 209(18) D&D2 Lethean (Pri) "Grim Callings" Steve Berman 252(32) D&D2 Machine Mage (Wiz) "Mage Vs. Machine" Bruce R. Cordell 258(34) D&D2 Mambo (Wiz) "Magic From the Gods" Michael John Wybo II 200(16) D&D2 Manikin (any) "Revenge of the Sheens" Bruce R. Cordell 270(36) D&D2 Manipulator (Psi) "Even More Complete Psionicist, The" Jon Winter 200(99) D&D2 Merlane (Wiz) "Wild At Heart" Steve Berman 237(12) D&D2 Militant Psionicist (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(41) D&D2 Military Scout (Ftr-Thi) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(12) D&D2 Mindclouder (Ninja) "Shadow Way, The" Samuel M. Wright 255(50) D&D2 Mind Mage (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(41) D&D2 Mind Monk (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(43) D&D2 Mindstalker (Dwarf) "Mindstalkers" Bruce R. Cordell 245(36) D&D2 Moribund (Nec) "Grim Callings" Steve Berman 252(34) D&D2 Mountebank (Psi) "Even More Complete Psionicist, The" Jon Winter 200(97) D&D2 Mystery Man (Wiz) "People, The" David Howery 205(22) D&D2 Ninja (Rog) "Other Orientals, The" Tom Griffith 189(32) D&D2 Noble (Psi) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(79) D&D2 Nomad (War) "Completing the Complete Fighter" David Howery 172(75) D&D2 Northman (War) "Completing the Complete Fighter" David Howery 172(76) D&D2 Obeah-Man (Pri) "Priests of Africa, The" Michael John Wybo II 209(20) D&D2 Obscurer (Wiz) "Defilers and Preservers" Bill Slavicsek 231(42) D&D2 Outlaw (Brd) "Completing the Complete Bard" Jon Winter 189(84) D&D2 Pale (Wiz) "Defilers and Preservers" Bill Slavicsek 231(43) D&D2 Paranaturalist (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(44) D&D2 Pioneer (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(44) D&D2 Poro (Pri) "Priests of Africa, The" Michael John Wybo II 209(20) D&D2 Prestidigitator (Thi-Mag) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(14) D&D2 Priest-Defender (Pri) "Campaign Journal" Wolfgang Baur 198(67) D&D2 Protector (Wiz) "Defilers and Preservers" Bill Slavicsek 231(44) D&D2 Psychic Surgeon (Psi) "Even More Complete Psionicist, The" Jon Winter 200(100) D&D2 Psychologue (Ravenloft) "Denizens of Dread" Owen K.C. Stephens An3(31) D&D2 Raider (War) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(73) D&D2 Redeemer (Ftr-Mag-Cle) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(14) D&D2 Relic Seeker (Wiz) "Defilers and Preservers" Bill Slavicsek 231(46) D&D2 Rescuer (Cle-Rgr) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(13) D&D2 Runemaster (Wiz) "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(42) D&D2 Rustler (Thi) "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(46) D&D2 Sarkany (Taltos) "Taltos, The" Tom Moldvay 247(41) D&D2 Scholar Monk (Pri) "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(43) D&D2 Scientist (MotRD) "Donning a New Masque" William W. Connors 215(41) D&D2 Scurr (Rog) "Little Rascals" Steve Berman 245(46) D&D2 Shadowblade (Ftr-Thi) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(11) D&D2 Shadow Caller (Wiz) "Wizards of Dusk & Gloom" Tony Nixon 261(29) D&D2 Shadow Hunter (Wiz) "Wizards of Dusk & Gloom" Tony Nixon 261(31) D&D2 Shadow Seeker (Wiz) "Wizards of Dusk & Gloom" Tony Nixon 261(30) D&D2 Shaman (Pri) "People, The" David Howery 205(21) D&D2 Sheenchaser (Wiz) "Mage Vs. Machine" Bruce R. Cordell 258(33) D&D2 Shikari (Rgr) "Caste of Characters" Michael A. Selinker 225(24) D&D2 Shinobi (Psi) "Shadow Way, The" Samuel M. Wright 255(51) D&D2 Shipmage (Wiz) "Mage On Deck!" Ted Zuvich 235(30) D&D2 Shukenja (Pri) "Other Orientals, The" Tom Griffith 189(31) D&D2 Singh (Ftr) "Caste of Characters" Michael A. Selinker 225(23) D&D2 Skywarden (Avariel) "On Wings of Eagles" James Estes 233(21) D&D2 Sky Wizard (Wiz) "Greater Drakes" Jonathan M. Richards 260(37) D&D2 Slave Warrior (War) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(72) D&D2 Slayer (Wiz) "Defilers and Preservers" Bill Slavicsek 231(47) D&D2 Slayer-Mage (Wiz) "Dragon Slayers" Bill Slavicsek 205(95) D&D2 Sohei (Pri) "Other Orientals, The" Tom Griffith 189(30) D&D2 Southwest Desert Warrior (War) "People, The" David Howery 205(20) D&D2 Specialist Psionicist (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(46) D&D2 Spellarcher (Ftr-Mag) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(13) D&D2 Spidermaiden (Pri) "Xakhun Airship" Raupp, Perkins & Decker 244(36) D&D2 Spiritualist (Psi) "Even More Complete Psionicist, The" Jon Winter 200(100) D&D2 Spiritualist (Wiz) "Wizards' Three, A" Chris Perry 229(45) D&D2 Stalker (Ravenloft) "Denizens of Dread" Owen K.C. Stephens An3(32) D&D2 Storm Priest (Pri) "Greater Drakes" Jonathan M. Richards 260(38) D&D2 Storyteller (Brd) "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(46) D&D2 Stridesman (Cle) "Wild At Heart" Steve Berman 237(11) D&D2 Sungazer (Wiz) "Campaign Journal" Wolfgang Baur 198(68) D&D2 Swami (Wiz) "Caste of Characters" Michael A. Selinker 225(25) D&D2 Sycophant (Rog) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(78) D&D2 Talebearer (Rog) "Little Rascals" Steve Berman 245(47) D&D2 Talon (Avariel) "On Wings of Eagles" James Estes 233(21) D&D2 Thegn (Ftr) "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(40) D&D2 Thespian (MotRD) "Donning a New Masque" William W. Connors 215(43) D&D2 Thought Agent (Psi) "Open Your Mind" Michael John Wybo II 191(18) D&D2 Thug (Rog) "Caste of Characters" Michael A. Selinker 225(27) D&D2 Tribal Priest (Pri) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(76) D&D2 Tribal Priest (Pri) "Dark Ages" Ian Malcolmson 257(45) D&D2 Tribal Scout (Rog) "People, The" David Howery 205(22) D&D2 Untutored One (Psi) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(80) D&D2 Varazslo (Taltos) "Taltos, The" Tom Moldvay 247(43) D&D2 Veiled One (Wiz) "Campaign Journal" L. Richard Baker III 194(74) D&D2 Voice (Psi) "Psi Kits" Stephens & Brown 255(48) D&D2 Ward (Half-dragon) "Part Dragon, All Hero" Roger E. Moore 206(27) D&D2 Warder (Ravenloft) "Denizens of Dread" Owen K.C. Stephens An3(33) D&D2 Wilderness Avenger (Ftr-Drd) "Complete Half-Elf, The" Greg Jensen 214(12) D&D2 Windsailor (War or Rog) "Xakhun Airship" Raupp, Perkins & Decker 244(35) D&D2 Wind Scout (Rog) "Greater Drakes" Jonathan M. Richards 260(38) D&D2 Windtamer (Wiz) "Xakhun Airship" Raupp, Perkins & Decker 244(36) D&D2 Yakuza (Rog) "Other Orientals, The" Tom Griffith 189(32) D&D2 Yogi (Psi) "Caste of Characters" Michael A. Selinker 225(29) D&D2 Zande Witch Woman (Wiz) "Magic From the Gods" Michael John Wybo II 200(16) D&D2 Zelganok (Taltos) "Taltos, The" Tom Moldvay 247(40) D&D2
Skills based off of ability checks sounds an awful lot like Non-Weapon Proficiencies, which equates to a colossal step backwards in my book. Proficiencies and skills (as used in PF/3.x) are both just modified ability checks... Remember, just like adding ranks to skills, you were able to add additional slots to proficiencies. You just didn't have an obscene amount of them to use...
This upcoming "13th Age" game kind of just popped out of nowhere. I'll keep an eye out for it to see if it's any good but it's starting to get ridiculous with all these versions of D&D. Unless they use the OGL, it probably won't be another version of D&D, but just another fantasy RPG (there IS a difference)...
There was a 2nd edition to 3rd edition conversion guide published (by WotC) that might be of help to you with converting the NPCs... While not perfect, and certainly not for Pathfinder, it is a good place to start from IMHO... You can download the PDF HERE (just scroll to the bottom of the page for the conversion guide)....
Whenever I see "splintering the player base," it's been in the context of "Too many fan groups, the brand is in danger of going completely under!" Well, in that context, look at what happened with TSR. They did exactly that... That had too many products, and spread the base too thin and narrowly missed bankrupting the company (yes, yes, this is a simplistic synopsis, but it does go to the root of the cause)... So no, I don't see that happening with Wizards. But I think most people when they hear "splintering the fan base" do not think of your definition...
"Splintering the player base" is just a catch phrase without much actual meaning. Um... Then what's your explanation for the "play nice" warning at the top of this forum, or the many complaints by the regular 4e posters that the 4e haters come in here and troll?? Is that not from a splintered fan base??? Your personal experiences may differ, just as mine do, but both of our experiences are just anecdotes from a much greater tapestry...
You could play a Barbarian in 2nd Ed. as a berserker (there was a character kit and everything)...but it certainly wasn't a base part of the class. The Barbarian as a class wasn't even a part of 2nd edition... TSR's reasoning was that to be a barbarian was a philosophy, not a choice of career or profession (which is what classes were in 1st/2nd edition) The "Complete Barbarian's Handbook" (the 14th book in the series) didn't even come out until 1995 (and 2nd edition came out in 1989)... And even then, it was the "Fighter Barbarian" or "Shaman" and not a "true" class unto itself...
There is an excellent resource at: Alternityrpg.net There are adventures, character sheets, there's even a brochure for the Hoffman Institute... I wish I still had the NDA I created for working at the Hoffman Institute. I created it based off a real government NDA... Good times...
I see no reason why it would be considered "in poor taste". You may not see the reason, but the developers certainly do (and have said as much)... I'm on staff, and I'll comment. I can't answer any rules questions, but I will note that calling out Paizo staff by name in the thread title, or including anything like "FAQ Request" in the thread title, is generally considered bad form and we will edit it out if we see it. *emphasis mine*
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