Flava's page

I could effortlessly fulfill each and every one of the contest entries, but that creates a problem.

If I do, your rules say that any submissions become property of Paizo. That's not so good for me.

Yeah. I don't think it's likely that Paizo would bend the rules of their contest just to suit your needs. Plus, that would be bad business on their part... to just let the creator maintain ownership of the work... they are a publishing company, afterall.

I'd suggest you try to flex your creativity into a new and separate project from the one you intend to market yourself, and enter the new idea into the Open Call. Otherwise, try to arrange a meeting with Paizo to pitch your entire campaign.

Good luck!
Cheers!

I just kinda came up with it its is as good as any I suppose.

Not bad. I had come up with something entirely different. It's very homebrewed, just to warn ya.

KALAMANTHIS
Eat Root: Costs 1gp. Character feels euphoric and gains a +2 to Perform checks. Character makes a DC 15 Fort save, failure means suffering -2 CHA & -2 WIS temporary ability damage. Character makes a DC 12 Will save, failure indicates a "bad trip" and the character becomes nauseated.

Smoke Leaf: Costs 5gp. Character feels euphoric with mild hallucinations and gains +1d4 to Perform checks. Character makes a DC 12 Fort save, failure means suffering 1d4 CHA & 1d4 WIS temporary ability damage. Character makes a DC 15 Will save, failure indicates a "bad trip" and the character becomes sickened.

Inject Sap: Costs 20gp. Character feels ecstatic with strong hallucinations and delusions of grandeur, plus the character gains +1d4 to Perform checks and +2 vs Enchantment spells and spell-like effects. Character makes a DC 10 Fort save, failure means suffering -4 CHA & -4 WIS temporary ability damage, along with -2 to Initiative checks. Character makes a DC 12 Will save, failure indicates a "bad trip" and the character becomes both nauseated and paranoid.

BASIC FUNCTION: A failed Fortitude save results in the hindrance, while a failed Will save results in the "bad trip." Unless it is otherwise noted, the benefits and hindrances last one hour.

PARANOID: The character suffers –6 to all Charisma-based skill checks. Additionally, the character assumes that others mean him harm.

Yes, this is all very hombrewed, but it goes along with how I treat drugs and alcohol, etc. in my campaign. Maybe it could be useful for inspiration, or go ahead and use it as is.

Cheers!

I would have posted this review for Dungeon, but I'm not putting my visa info on the interweb just to post a review. Sorry, Erik. But, if anyone else who is already a Amazon user wants to post it... here it is!

Simply put... Dungeon is the world's best resource for busy DMs.

Dungeon has always had a good reputation for producing high-quality adventures, but now they've gone beyond just publishing adventures.

The new format gives us low, medium, and high level adventures in each issue. The some adventures can be used as stand-alone adventures or as part of an adventure arc or an entire campaign! What busy DM wouldn't appreciate this?

But, beyond the adventures, Dungeon now features articles that cater to the DM's role behind the table! Monte Cook submits a monthly feature, Dungeoncraft, which focuses on the art of dungeon mastery. Monte Cook is the authority on 3E and 3.5... he helped create the game system! His articles have always considered various play-styles, and have never failed to be useful!

And, on top of all that... the busy DM gets even more assistance from the Campaign Workbook. This feature provides all the nice details to help run a campaign! Everything from NPCs, encounters, setting suggestions... the topics covered are too varied to convey here!

All in all, these features alone are enough to keep me coming back to Dungeon magazine month after month, year after year. Pick up a copy... I'm sure you'll use it in your next game!

Class Acts has been an awesome change in Dragon! I can't understand why anyone would waste time complaining about it.

In mostly every issue I've found at least a handful of really useful ideas from the Class Acts. Seriously, as long as they keep publishing Flaws, then I'm happy.

I usually DM, but my favourite character has to be the last one I had a chance to play. Shen Ying Xiong (translated loosely into chinese as Spiritual Hero) was a pandaren shaman who, just as he left the borders of his isolated homeland, fell through the Mist into Ravenloft. He was wicked-cool!

Shen was a pandaren dressed in a Chinese kung fu suit with many pouches, a satchel, and carrying a keg of ale. His animal companions were a weasel named Ben (ala Ben Weasel of the band Screeching Weasel) and a cougar... I forget her name... probably something like Old Skank.

Shen is very passionate and opinionated. However, he perceives himself as in control and reasonable. His superstitions are based in sophistications. While a rabbit’s foot is certainly unlucky, walking under a ladder means something could easily thunk you on the head. His faith is incredibly strong. He sees what he reveres in everything. His confidence reflects his passions. If he feels strongly about something, he is assured that he can handle it himself. Otherwise, he will gladly accept assistance in areas he know that he is no expert.

Originally, his drive developed from an overwhelming curiosity about the “outside” world. However, after falling through the mists into a mysterious land, he follows the adventurers trade as a means to survive. He keeps the knowledge of his homeland and his memories to himself. Fearful that others will think he is outright insane.

Wow! Thanx again for all the suggestions!

I think I'm gonna stick with the republic-style government of a council of the richest and most influential merchants. The business of bazaars is a BIG deal, and the most established merchants effectively rule the matters of state. And, corruption abounds as the rulers all easily recognize a "good" business deal.

Haggling will play a big role as well. I'm gonna have Diplomacy checks for just about all business the PCs deal with.

The mesopotamian pantheon... anyone know what issue of dragon that was in?

I've checked into some Al-Qaadim material now as well. Like the older versions on the WotC site and a newer conversion to 3E or 3.5. That stuff has been really helpful!

Finally, Aberzombie posted something about "the Rose of the Prophet Trilogy by Margarte Weis and Tracy Hickman." Is that a Dragonlance book, part of the Deathgate Cycle, or what? I loved the Dragonlance works I've read, but I've only read one book in the Deathgate Cycle.

Thanx again!

EDIT: Actually, I'm gonna run the new AoW Adventure Path in this setting. I think it suits this kind of atmosphere, with only a few minor adjustments for additional flava. And, there's even a major opium and "kalamanthis" trade in the area, so that fits in well, too! Thanx!

Wow. Those are a lot of great suggestions I hadn't thought of! Thanx!

One thing I'd like to incorporate is a very diverse set of religions. Like, I'm using the standard D&D pantheon, animism, ancestor worship, and the Pharaonic pantheon (albeit slightly modified).

I had already planned for there to be city-folk and tribe-folk, but thanx to a suggestion above, I'm gonna emphasize the tension between those peoples. I'm thinking along the lines that the tribesmen have a lot of disdain for the city-folk, but they reluctantly deal with them out of necessity. And, beyond that, the different tribes have petty feuds amongst themselves... like, constantly.

There's lots more I have in mind, but too much to post here. Thanx again for all the ideas and suggestions! Feel free to post some more, too!

Yeah, I've always found Trapmaking to be used by NPCs way more often than PCs. It really takes up a lot of down time, and you can never get it to work out like Arnold in Predator, or even the Ewoks in Star Wars.

OK, so I've placed my players in a nation (part of my homebrew)that is a little arabian-esque (excuse the cliched genre reference, but it's unavoidable). The nation is basically a republic, headed-up by a roundtable of merchant-aristocrats.

The only thing is, I haven't really played out much of my past campaigns in this nation. Only a few brief visits to one city. I was just wonderin' if anyone had any advice for running a campaign in this kind of setting. Like, what could help set the tone and atmosphere? Or, what would i most likely overlook and forget?

Much thanx in advance.

Well, I use a MP system that's similar to the one presented in Unearthed Arcana, but mostly the numbers are different. My players really like the system, cuz it gives the spellcasters more freedom when casting spells. As long as they have the MP to cast the spell and it's prepared, then it's good to go!

If the GH rights are even up for grabs, I'd like to see Mr. Mona and Paizo get it. I'm starting to get the notion that Paizo is starting to push the gaming industry moreso than WotC.

But, regardless, it won't do any good talkin' about it here. I figure this thread should be copied to the Wizards' Forums.

Redcaps are psycho! And, it'd be wicked-cool to see an Ecology done on them!

I see the Redcaps as a more obscure race that really desrves this kind of spotlight!

Winning Races is definately a cool article series! My favourite (and I dunno if it was really a Winning Races article) was a feature by Dean Possio in Dragon 317, Xenophilia. That was really cool! It had four races that were really original and could be used in almost any setting!

The one thing that I don't like about races is Level Adjustments. I like to start off a campaign at level one and I prefer that the players are all on equal terms. But, that's just me.

That's cool. Much thanx for the quick response!

Alright. So, an hour and a half after I posted the thread, it shows up. Now, this thread becomes kinda redundant. I still dunno what happened, but if any paizo-support solved this problem, much thanx to ya!

OK. So, like a half-hour after I posted the thread, I managed to get to the post through your search. Here's the link to the thread:

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/dungeon/ageOfWorms/almostArabianAoW

It still doesn't show up on the Age of Worms forum's list of threads, though.

It might be something with the upgrades, or previous bugs. But, it's the first time it has happened to me. I'd just like the thread to show up on the boards. Thanx.

Well, I guess Robert Head or Gary Teter can help with this.

I posted a thread in the Age of Worms forum. When I clicked on submit thread, it brought me back to the list of threads in the forum, but mine did not show up. It does show up when I do a search for the thread title across the Messageboards, but even if I click on the link it won't take me to my post.

Wha's up wit dat?

If it helps, here's the thread title, "Almost Arabian in AoW." Well... the title was something like that, I think. It's just a post asking for help from other DMs who might have run campaigns with a desert-style setting... I dunno if it got censored, or if it was a technical glitch.

OK, so I've placed Diamond Lake into my homebrew in a nation that is a little arabian-esque (excuse the cliched genre reference, but it's unavoidable). The town and the Free City fit best in this nation for my campaign. I mean, the nation is basically a republic, headed-up by a roundtable of merchant-aristocrats.

The only thing is, I haven't really played out much of my past campaigns in this nation. Only a few brief visits to one city. I was just wonderin' if anyone had any advice for running AoW in this kind of setting. Like, what could help set the tone and atmosphere? Or, what would i most likely overlook and forget?

Much thanx in advance.

Editors, any idea when there'll be an inclusion of the Kalamantis stats in future AoW Overloads????

We are indeed looking for low-level adventures for Dungeon. In particular, SHORT low-level adventures. That is, adventures for 1st–5th level characters that are about 5,000 words long. Send in proposals to dungeon@paizo.com!

Dude. I'm dying for short low-level scenarios. Serious. Low-level is my favourite game to run.

Besides that... as open suggestions... I know I'd love to see something done with kobolds. (Much thanks for the Ecology in Dragon). That's just me.

I also really like stuff that has a cultural atmosphere that adds flavour to a scenario. Like something oriental, carribean, arabian, cliches like that. And, I know Dungeon only publishes like one Oriental Adventures scenario each year, but that shouldn't rule out an adventure that has that kinda feel to it. I mean, any cosmopolitan city in any campaign setting could easily have a sub-culture. Think Little China Town, or even Itaewon (Little America in Seoul, South Korea).

And, I think it was already mentioned, but encounters that aren't blatantly hack and slash. It'd be nice to have some encounters that don't require the adventurers to jump in, swords drawn.

Not to criticize Erik Mona (seriously, I really appreciate the work he's put into these magazines), but in The Whispering Cairn the first real encounter is with a pack of wolves and the "Tactics" say they prefer to wolf-pack-attack individuals until their subdued. Now, that does make some sense, that's how wolves attack, and he's written the adventure to accomodate the default adventurers (I guess). But, I can't help but think the wolves would shy away from confronting a group of human(oid)s, despite territorialism. Most animals wouldn't attack people unless they are seriously threatened.

Anyways, I'm no zoologist and I don't write published adventures (yet), but I'd like to see some quick stats, DCs, or any other alternatives given as ideas for non-combat encounters.

Those are just my opinions. I mean, I keep buying both Dungeon and Dragon every month, so it'd be wicked-cool to see any of those ideas come into the mags. Apologies for the lengthy post, but maybe it'll benefit the free-lancers.

While it might not be helpful to anyone, really, cuz it's specific to my party in my campaign... maybe it can spark an idea or two for DM's in a tight spot.

I've got a samurai disguised as a miner in Diamond Lake. He's there to investigate Smenk's involvement with the disappearance of his lord's nephew. Smenk and the samurai's lord have had business conflicts in the past, and the nephew had taken a day trip to Diamond Lake to visit their famous freakshow at the Emporium. (Let's not question the difficulties of a samurai in disguise. It's a challenge the player wants to deal with, and he's LN, so is his lord, and it really doesn't conflict with bushido).

The samurai has been working away in the mines for a couple of months and has made the aquaintance of another character. The other character is a native of Diamond Lake, and has been working in the mines since he could hold a pick and hammer. He's a huge brute and has honed his skills at fist-fighting at the Feral Dog.

Those two characters are tied together somewhat before the campaign begins, and the next two are kind of lone-wolf types before the campaign.

One character is a knife-thrower. He grew up with a travelling circus and learned his showmanship first-hand. Unfortunately, when he set off into the world on his own, the best thing he came across was a part-time job at the Emporium. He's quite eager to find a path with more excitement.

The other character grew up in a nomadic tribe in the area, until he got seperated from his tribe during a bandit raid (Ebon Triad maybe). So, a portion of his childhood is spent slaving away for these bandits (or cultists), until he made his escape. The lights of Diamond Lake lead him to the town through the night, and he's been here since. He's very eager to hunt down the bandits for some payback, and possibly discover what happened to his tribe.

So, for the most part, the characters have ties to the town... for the moment. The samurai's investigation is a great tactic, I can use that to lead the group almost anywhere. The family thing and job thing aren't that great, really. I mean, people leave their families and jobs all the time. And, with the tribesman searching for the bandits and his family... well, that's not too problematic. As long as he thinks the Ebon Triad had something to do with the attack, then he'll stay in town long enough.

Anyways... hope it helps.

Yeah, WotC are pretty good for recognizing what their core demographic demands. And, they've already showed that they kinda think that Half-Elves need a boost. Why else would they have put that little side note in Unearthed Arcana?

I'd have to say it's your players. I've known "roleplayers" who wouldn't know a good story if it bit them in the rear, and "powergamers" who are the most talented storytellers and actors I've ever had the pleasure to know.

It's not the system, it's the players. IMHO.

-Amber S.

The first response to this thread said it all. What else is left?

Geez, I had totally forgotten about all that stuff on torture and sacrifice from BoVD. That stuff is wicked for villains!

And, I had no idea there was a metal in that could steal souls. That sounds mest up.

I like the idea of risky and dangerous failure that Saern mentioned, tho! I've always used crit fails on skill checks, but I think I'll make it a little harsher for Item Creation.

Like, a Spellcraft check that fails by 1-5 simply wastes materials, a check that fails by 6-10 might have the magical energies explode in their face, and a roll of 1 would be really bad. Something to think about, for sure.

Time to throw in some more "constructive criticism" (hell, everyones agreeing with each other on this thread. We can't have that happening).

On a final note, those sickness rules for making magic items aren't necessarily bad they just won't hamper the spellcasters in your group unless you go out of your way to make it a problem. Being sick or nauseated for an hour just isn't debilitating enough. By the following morning the wizard or cleric is as right as rain, with nothing detrimental to show for his intensive labor.

Exactly. That's what I was looking for. I don't want detrimental effects hindering magic-users. A severe shortage of XP puts spellcasters behind the rest of the group. That's part of the reason why I started thinking about an alternative method.

It's a great point you make about the morality of using soulgems, but it's no different than the problem of using any power components. It just comes down to what a DM wants his Holy Longsword to be made of, really. Maybe it inflicts that extra 2d6 damage because the steel is mingled with demon blood as the blade gets forged. Then it's not really evil for a good magic-user to slay an evil demon so he can make a Holy Longsword. But, it's still a good point you bring up.

Personally, the Infuse Item skill, I have to agree with what you said. Making up more skills means that characters have to focus in a few areas while ignoring many others, even if the only want to be adequately skillful. That's why I have to stick with the Spellcraft skill. That, and Spellcraft already has special rules and synnergy bonuses... so, it's less work for me.

I hear ya, man. No offense meant, or taken. And the reality vs. game mechanics thing is always present. It all really hinges on suspension of disbelief.

Apparently, there are power component variant rules in the DMG on page 36 (3.5E). You can also check out a coupla articles in Dragon. Issue 332 has a huge chart of dragon anatomy used as power components, and an article in issue 317 has alot of other components. It's all done up really tight, with the component, what spell it corresponds to, how much it'd cost in the market, and how much XP it can replace. Defiantely much needed resource material.

Yeah I was thinking of using the prerequisite caster level for specific items in calculating the skill DC, too. I was thinking along the lines of say 10 (or maybe 15 or 20) + caster level prerequisite for the item creation feat + caster level prerequisite for the specific item.

So say a scroll might be a Spellcraft DC of 10 + 1 + 1 for a scroll of magic missle.

And, an Apparatus of Kwallish might be a Spellcraft DC of 10 + 3 + 19.

And, a Staff of Power would be a DC of 10 + 12 + 15.

But, then maybe the base DC should be 15 or 20 instead of just 10.

One change I've been toying about with for a long time is a major overhaul of the cleric.

...

Essentially, the numbers for clerical spells in table PHB 3-6 are reversed with regards to the cleric base spell list and the domain lists.

Consequently most of the cleric's spells are drawn from his domains with only 1+WIS bonus from the base spell list.

3 domains at 1st level, bonus domains at 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th.

Check out Dragon 311. There's an article about variant Clerics and one of them, the Evangelist, sounds just like what you have in mind. Well, it's more like a cleric who casts spells sorcerer-style... but, the Spells Known and the Domain structure is very similar to what you've thought up. I really liked the Evangelist-style Cleric, and I might run one as an NPC with my next adventuring group.

No he wanted his sneak attacks... just one per round. It's not that crazy, ya know. Think about it. If I sucker punch you, would you stand there for six seconds and let me sucker punch you four more times? Or, maybe if I use BOTH hands! OH! Then I could sucker punch you over and over again! ALL IN SIX SECONDS!

*ahem* Excuse the sarcasm.

Really, the six second round and initiative order was something he thought made little sense. You should be able to understand that. Why would someone take a sneak attack and not expect another? That's why he only wanted one in a round.

Look... my group of players don't really care what's official... if we don't like it, we don't use it. That only makes sense.

Perhaps an XP loss for the wizard (or other character) if the item being created is a very powerful item (or, at epic levels, an artifact)... the XP loss could reflect an infusion of a fragment of the caster's personality, and personal power.

Well... I kinda figure that epic level items are made by epic level characters. For superman to throw a fully-loaded transport truck, it's like me throwin' a frisbee. I figure, it's the same difference for an epic level character to try and make a Staff of the Magus, like a low level character tries to make an Apparatus of Kwallish. It's hard in both cases, but neither is more difficult than the other.

Of course, you could argue to support what you've said... but, I really wanna steer clear of XP costs all together.

That said, it's still a good idea you have there, man!

I am really stubborn, and I'm really set on elliminating the XP cost from Item Creation. Construcivte criticism is wicked! It helps refresh the in-game consequences of screwing with the D20 system. I don't mind messsin' it up a little, cuz it's not flawless to begin with, so I'm gonna twist it whichever way will suit my campaign and players best.

Laeknir, I kinda like the idea of using a Spellcraft check over makin' up three new and specific skills just because it keeps things simpler. I prefer comin' up with a new skill use rather than forcin' PCs and NPCs to spread their few skill points even thinner by adding new skills. But, that's just how I see it.

Searn, your Soultrap/Soulgem conversion should work out fine. That way there's a lot less screwin' around with the D20 system that is already in place. It fundamentally works just like power components, but the Soulgems are like generic power components. I'm sure there have been rules done up about using power components to help reduce the XP costs of Item Creation, you should look it up, it'd definately help you hammer out the details of you Soultrap/Soulgem system. Really, I'd like to see what you get, cuz your way seems to be a lot more compatible with maintaining balance in the D20 system than what I've been workin' on.

But, I'm stubborn, so I'm gonna keep workin' on my sickness-system. The DCs really should be set up differently. I'd like to keep things simple, but things might get a little more complicated. Dammit.

'Til then... like Greg Graffen said... "against the grain, that's where i'll stay, swimming upstream, i maintain against the grain."

Then your DM is ruling it wrong. If your DM continues to rule the sneak attack damage this way, he is cheating you out. Your DM should really double check his interpretation on these things if he is unsure on how to adjudicate these things.

Dude. I AM the DM. I gave the rogue the sneak attacks, he didn't want them. That's when the house rule came into play.

Seriously, and the rules are more like guidelines anyways.

Je comprends.

Your editing skills make it look like I tried to attack you.

Dude, calm down. Expression is good, and I only said I'm not forcin' my theories of game mechanics onto other people as if I were a fascist dictator of what rules must be used.

Further, "discussion" and "fascism" can logically coexist according to linguistics.

In other news....

Whatever happened to Smash Mouth... "WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS!"

That does add up to a sick amount of damage, though. Damn.

I dunno if it's "official," but the rogue in my group actually opted out of having his sneak attack apply to every hit in a round, when I would have let him take it.

But, we came up with a "house" rule (I guess, unless it turns out to be "official") that the first hit on an opponent can have sneak attack applied to it, and if another opponent is attacked in that same round, then sneak attack can be applied to the other opponent as well.

So, basically, you can sneak attack an opponent once per round, but you can sneak attack more than one opponent per round.

Side note: The DCs could be a little higher. HA!

Saern, I've adopted a half-elf very similar to the first one you posted. While I was comparin' the changes to the other standard races, I started thinkin' about humans... they really suck.

I mean can an extra feat and a coupla extra skill points really balance out with the elf, dwarf, gnome, halfling, or half-orc? Not at all. Not even close!

So... after re-tooling the half-elf, I went to work on humans.

I found some ideas in Unearthed Arcana about environmental traits for races, made up a bunch of my own specifically for humans. I'll give any human character the choice of traits as long as it makes sense compared to their homeland regions. It really adds a lot of flava to the humans!

Any ideas?

Well, of course magic-users don't make frikkin' items in the middle of an adventure. I addressed that issue before anyone else bothered to bring it up.

And, other people might wanna run campaigns where XP cost is a big deal. I'm not tryin' to preach some holy jyhad against the official all-balancing rules of Wizard's D20 system. Not at all. I'm using this for my own campaign.

And, the bottom line is it'll work great in my campaign. The spellcaster won't be willing to take a coupla years off adventuring to sit around and make items that make him feel like crap all the time. It's called "in character."

And, the players won't be hounding on the party magic-user any more than they'd be houndin' on any other NPC magic-user to make 'em items. My PC magic-user would charge 'em full price.

And, really? Would ya rather have a group of adventurers loaded up on "game balance" with a pile of random magic items they pick up off the bodies of some mind flayers in a random dungeon encounter? Or, would you rather have players incredibly psyched to have items that their characters can actually use!?!

Well... that was my rant. Not meant to offend anyone, only meant to deffend my case. I like the system. And everyone else can have their own opinion. Why d'ya feel the need to dis on someone elses ideas as if they're forcin' it on ya like a dictator of some fascist regime? Serious.

Yeah, I played Morrowind. That game was wicked! And, that just added to my thoughts that creating magic items shouldn't cost the character thier XP... in Morrowind you'd gain XP. My character was all about the Enchanting skill, he made himself some seriously kick-arse weapons!

I gotta say, I think I'm gonna stick with this kinda formula in my campaign. And, I wanna use power components to alleviate some of the material costs, instead of XP costs. The soul gem idea works really well with power components, too. Ya think someone would have done a Silicon Sorcery article on that matter. Oh, well....

Alright, here's what I've come up with:

When any PC or NPC crafts a magic item it takes a toll on the magic-user, but it does not drain XP. Instead, the magic-user feels physically and mentally drained from the act of creating magic items. The level of drain is determined by a Spellcraft check vs. the item's creation DC.

Feat / DC
Scribe Scroll / 11
Brew Potion / 13
Craft Wondrous / 13
Craft Arms & Armour / 15
Craft Wand / 15
Craft Rod / 19
Craft Staff / 22
Forge Ring / 22

Check Beats DC / Effect
0-4 / Nauseated, Exhausted, Fatigued, Shaken
5-9 / Exhausted, Fatigued, Shaken
10-14 / Fatigued, Shaken
15-19 / Shaken
20+ / No Detrimental Condition

Note: Exhaustion lasts until one hour of rest, then fatigue sets in until eight more hours of rest. The nausea and shaken effects last one hour regardless. And, the effects occur in the order presented, not simultaneously.

It's a basic and straightforward system. The DCs are based on the prerequisite caster levels for taking each item creation feat, and the Spellcraft results are meant to reflect differing levels of aptitude amongst magic-users.

Of course, most of those conditions happen during downtime for PCs or NPCs while they're not adventuring, but it could make for interesting encounters if the PCs find the evil necromancer shortly after he crafted some major item... or even if the PC magic-user gets ambushed after doing the same!

Opinions, comments, and ideas are always welcome... I just came up with this, so there could be some flaws I haven't thought of, and there should still be room for improvement.

Thanx for all the feedback!

The alternitives put forward are all good ideas. That said there is a possible justification for magic items costing XP. In imbuing an item with magic the mage is draining some of their own essence. Binding a Demon to a sword for all eternity is not the same thing as bringing in a corn crop. You lose a little of yourself in the process when it comes to magic.

Nah, I see what you're sayin', and that's exactly what I'm lookin' for: "In imbuing an item with magic the mage is draining some of their own essence." I just don't think essence equals experience.

On another note, I think I've come up with a system I like. Using the standard Item Creation feats and requiring a Spellcraft check to determine how much of a drain the magic-user feels. I'll post more once I hammer out the details.

Cool! That's two ways I've never thought of trying it. Even if both methods go together... like Craft (minor), Craft (moderate), and Craft (major) feats are required to unlock different items, naybe a specific skill check could go with it.

Something to think about, at least. Or, maybe the feat tree and a Spellcraft check. Spellcraft has always been an underrated skill for standard level characters, then it becomes really important for epic spellcasters. Maybe this way the Spellcraft skill gains more oomph at lower levels, too.

But, I like the idea of crafting a magic item physically drains the magic-user. So, I'm gonna keep working on that aspect, too.

Thanx for the perspective, dude!

Anyway ya wanna look at it... every DM is gonna run it which ever way he thinks would be best for his campaign.

I figure the Free City might have a lot of complex laws. The "Free City" in my homebrew, is part of a capitalist-republic that is really, really strict on contract-law, especially.

But, there's so much corruption that just can't be avoided. I see it as a matter of Smenk's bribes vs. public opinion. If the whole deal is exposed to the public and they wanna see Smenk sentenced to hard labor in the mines (formerly Smenk's mines), then Governor-Mayor Neff would likely accept his bribes, and appease the will of the masses. For Neff, it's a win-win situation. But, if the citizens of Diamond Lake are mostly ignorant of the whole affair, then Smenk's bribes see to his "innocence." But, that's just my campaign.

Alright, one thing I've been trying to avoid is a campaign where crafting magic items COSTS the character XP.

I think it should be the other way around. A mage who crafts items should gain XP simply by virtue of practice makes perfect.

It should be the same for any artisan or trades person. Characters should gain XP by doing what they are supposed to do. Blacksmiths should get XP by forging metals into items, farmers should get XP through growing and harvesting crops, etc. Why should XP only come from slaying monsters?

Anyway, what I'd really like some help on is the fact that spellcasters can't craft magic items without throwing away XP. I'm trying to find a sensible system where they don't spend XP, but still suffer some drawback. I've considered prolonged fatigue, nausea, sickness, exhaustion... but I can't hammer out a good system.

Anyone have any ideas? Please?

Well, I gotta say I've always found that half-elves were never that appealing in 3E or 3.5E.

I really like your +2 CHA and -2CON. It's an off-balance exchange, so I can't see how this could make the race overpowered. And, it does reflect their more-frail-than-humans' bodies, while playing on how they must become diplomatic because neither elvish nor human cultures fully accept them.

The humans' extra skill points help reflect their human blood, but I don't like the +2 bonus on skill checks... they already get +1 to all CHA checks due to their +2 CHA bonus (compared to standard half-elves, at least).

I've done away with the favored class system in my campaign, so I dunno what to say on that factor. Maybe they could keep the Favored Class: Any.

All in all, I like where you're taking the half-elves. It's definately as appealing as humans or elves, and I really don't think it's any less balanced than any other standard race.

Good stuff!

Woah. Laws in alot of your campaign settings are really advanced.

I don't see the question of Smenk or Dourstone's involvement in the cult activities as important at all. It seems like most of you take the matter as like a modern court case. I figure it would be more like a salem witch trial.

Basically, everyone in town blames Smenk and Dourstone, so they get punished. Simple.

While we're at it, any other subplots floating around?

I have an idea, but it's specific to a samurai disguised as a miner working for Smenk. He was sent to Diamond Lake to investigate his lord's missing nephew, and Smenk is suspected.

Anyway, Smenk has this old useless mine that he uses for storing gear and dumping the occasional body. I was thinkin' of tying this old mine to a personal dungeon of Smenk. Like, he uses it as "storage" is just his cover up to keep residents away from prying too deeply into any traffic to and from the mine. Secretly, he uses it to lock up his enemies, interrogate conspirators, dump dead bodies, all that good stuff.

Smenk's mine is ideal for just about any sub-plot you wanna throw into Diamond Lake. Even if Smenk doesn't use it himself, his thugs might... anything goes.

my pc's think kalamanthis is close to halfling pipe weed or the blue poppy from Batman Begins...I haven't confirmed or denied their theories

I like the comparison to the Scarecrow's fear drug. Cuz it would give player's unfamiliar with the effects of such drugs without personal experience. And, that's a good thing.

I just wouldn't have the drug as always inducing fear. That sounds like a bad trip. But, like a Will check perhaps might help determine the "enjoyment" a user might get from the drug, while failing the Will save (maybe by 5 or more) could result in the bad trip.

*AHEM* Feel free to develope upon this idea, Mr. E. Mona. HA!

It's cool to see all the different gaming groups... it really shows alot of different play styles, too.

I'm setting the AoW in m homebrew, specifically, in a nation called Amerland. It's a very arabic-mediteranean kinda setting, totally based on a capitalist-republic and a roundtable of the wealthiest merchants rule the nation. Anyways, I like a smaller group of players in my games, and I focus more on the character "concept" rather than a character dictated by their class. So, my preliminary group seems to be....

A human Samurai - in disguise as a miner investigating the disappearance of his lord's nephew. And, trust me, a disguised samurai will be a HUGE challenge to play! And, the class is based on a mix of samurai classes that have been published.

A human unfettered - An employee of the freakshow at the Emporium as their knife-thrower. He takes on a masked identity for swashbuckling and adventure. He had grown up in a travelling circus in an area like the carribbean isles during the pirate eras.

A half-elf unfettered - He's like a martyr waiting to happen. His family was slaughtered by bandits (most likely members of the Ebon Triad)and he has wound up in Diamond Lake to begin his quest for vengeance. I kinda picture him like Frank Castle, but with slightly pointy ears, bisht, shmaagh and agaal.

A human fighter (maybe) - A surly miner in Smenk's mines. Focused on unarmed combat, he's become skilled through bar fights at the Feral Dog. A GIANT of a man at a bout 7 feet tall, he's sick of Diamond Lake and is considering entering the Arena in Liberopolis, the Free City.

I'd like to add an NPC to the group that could offer some arcane or divine support magic, but I hate running an NPC as part of the adventure group. They always see it as the "voice of the DM" leading them down a linear path. That's a hard assumption to avoid.