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While we're not ready to unveil any of the juicy details on the new Adventure Path quite yet, we're definately interested in hearing what the readers want to see in it!

So what do you all think? Any requests for the Adventure Path 2? What did you like in the Shackled City Adventure Path, and would you like to see that in the second one? What about things you didn't like in the first? More gnomes? Less demodands? More new monsters? Less new prestige classes? More exploration and overland travel? Less dungeons? More ninjas? Less baboons?

We'll definately take any opinions and recomendations posted here into account as we plot out the next adventure path, but the earlier you voice any suggestions and/or concerns, the better!

The one thing I can guarentee is that we'll be building in goodies for all 11 of the core character classes throughout the next adventure path.

Oh boy! Let's see:

1. Plot twists where BBEG is not the BBEG, but perhaps one of many BBEGs, or even possible only a minion to a greater set of BBEGs who follow an undead god. (Personally, I like lycanthropic orcs who follow Malar allies with a cult of psions bent on destroying illithids by making uber mighty psionic ioun stones and will ally with anyone who can help.)
2. Typical bad guys are actually potential allies. (Can anyone say Illithid Ranger?)
3. Magic items that even have the gods a bit scared.
4. Multiple locations ... like a scavenger hunt that only brings the group deeper and deeper into the plot.
5. Plot twists where NPCs allies "aren't."
6. Githyanki and Githzerai (and potential alliances between a certain familiar sect of Gith).
7. Serious morality choices with no easy black and white path to tread ... and consequences any which way you go.
8. Perhaps a jaunt to the Fugue Plane (and the Far Realms).
9. Surprise twists of bloodlines in the NPCs - be they deity-related, BBEG-related, or otherwise .. and tied into some exciting new PrCs (or revised old ones from Dragon!), and perhaps even a new CLASS for a character to assume (or perhaps classes from Miniatures Handbook).
10. Taint.
11. Turning races on their heads: Eldreth Veluuthra, Durzagon, and perhaps even a few Warforged or other "rare" races ... though I'd prefer the campaign NOT be set in Eberron.
12. Blood War
13. (A good number to stop at): Aboleth City in the Underdark ruled by an aboleth lich.

While I'm commenting without having read the "From the Editor" (my Dragon visits places all over the country before finally being delivered battered and bruised to me late in the month) I have to agree whole-heartedly with Brad.

We need to do something to get new people into the game, and another horrid B-Movie with the D&D logo ain't it. The first film, for those of you lucky enough to have done anything else with your two hours, was about as much D&D as "Attack of the Killer Tomatos" was horror...
TSR / WotC has published whole lines of incredible novels based on worlds like Dragonlance, Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms.
If WotC really wants to draw people to the theaters, why not ask Greenwood, Weis & Hickman, or Salvatore to write something. Sorry, best selling authors = half a chance at pleasing the old guard and drawing in the new.

Or better yet, base a movie off of one of their books. (I always thought that the Drizz't series could lead to an awesome series of movies.) Heck, many of the Forgotten Realms books could. (Imagine seeing Venom's Taste on the big screen, or the Rage, or any of the Rogue series!) So much to pick from. *sigh*

amethal wrote:

Matthew Sernett wrote:

The Epic Level Handbook, Oriental Adventures, and Ghostwalk are particularly problematic because they have so many new rules systems that an article would have to avoid or reprint to make the article useful to most readers.

James Jacobs reminded us on the Dungeon message board that "basic" epic level rules appear in the 3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide. I know Dragon is now generally aimed at players, but surely most players have access to the DMG even if they don't own a copy.

It should be possible for Dragon to run articles on new epic feats, prestige classes and magic items without having to reprint chunks of the epic level handbook.

That's true, and Dragon might print such things on occasion. However, it's unlikely to be a regular feature because most D&D campaigns don't reach such high levels. Epic-level characters can easily use all the material presented in Dragon, but not every reader can use epic-level material.

I understand the need to be able to please most of your consumer base most of the time. How else do you keep your sales up? In any event, I'm happy to hear that I may see some more support for settings (or expanded rules) that I like. As you occasionally add some flavor to a 3.5 "Planescape" campaign, I'm happy to hear that you intend to do so for epic campaigns (and the others I mentioned), as well. Thanks!

Finally, a forum where I can easily make comments. I've had this one brewing for a long time:

Looking through my old issues today, I was utterly enraptured by the covers. My God, they were beautful. Yes, beautiful. There's just no other word for it. Sweeping, uncluttered, panoramic vistas of fantasy worlds that, to this day, make me want to get out there and play like nothing else. They've fired my imagination for years.

The covers since 3E are just terrible. So stale. So trite. So...souless. Just figures in poses. No insight. No feeling. No WORLDS.

And it's not just me. Whenever the subject of Dragon comes up anywhere on the internet in any forum, this sentiment is echoed again and again. Never have I witnessed, even once, a participant in a Dragon-related discussion express a preference for the new cover style over the old.

So, what do you say? Will you give us what we want and make Dragon beautiful again?

Here's one. Personally, I liked the bulk of 3E cover art. I also liked the artistic "Dragon" and "Dungeon" 3E logos and wish that Paizo hadn't returned to the old block-print. But hey - they must bend to consumer demands or else they risk losing consumers - and the majority of consumers seemed to like the logos of old.

While a great many characters have the knowledge and means to assess what a particular potion can do, many others do not. In any event, instead of simply saying, "You have a potion of cure light wounds (d8+4) in your possession," I've taken to giving players a description of the potion, including color, smell and taste. This enables even those characters without the means to assess the qualities of a potion to begin to figure out what certain ones do. For instance, in my campaigns curative potions all appear as silvery liquid, smell of lavender, and taste of honey. (The varying vials in which the liquids are stored represent the different types of curative potions in my game.) It seems to me that this sort of topic is one that could be easily handled by the Paizo staff and would prove to be of use to a great many players if incorporated into Dragon magazine. So, how about it? How about giving us a table that provides sensory descriptions of the more common potions, as well as a template (or random description table) to describe the bulk of all available potions?

Aaron C. Frankland
Gallup, NM

While I thoroughly appreciate what Dragon Magazine does for the game of DnD, I hope to see it expand its support into areas that have grown dusty with unuse by either Wizards of the Coast or Paizo. For instance, when the Epic Level Handbook came out, Dungeon provided a nice module for the sourcebook, and if I recall correctly, Dragon had a few supportive elements. Even Wizards offered up some web enhancements. But now, pardon the tumbleweed, all is silent. Why not offer the occasional return to those sourcebooks? (Ghostwalk is another one that comes to mind.) I understand the commercial reason - build the hype on soon-to-be released products to encourage purchases. But still, why not continue to support past products that can still see use. (I'd throw in Planescape and Oriental Adventures here, but acknowledge that occasionally, you offer a nice little planar tidbit and AEG supports Oriental Adventures - insofar as your interested in Rokugan .. which I am.)

Anyhow, just a suggestion. By the way, I like your new format ... but equally liked the old. (I did like the 3E Dragon and Dungeon titles better, though. Very artistic!)

Is there any one article or issue of Dragon that you consitantly use or frequently refer to in playing or running a game? Dragon #310 is now constantly in my game bag with my core books, we started my current camapign about the time it came out and my wife chose to play one of the variant fighters presented there in. I have also been thinking about developing a game around the Sentinel variant Paladin class in tat same issue.

So what do you use?

The one issue I use in nearly every game I DM is issue 289 - the article, "Leveled Treasures," rocks. I really like the idea of investing in a piece of ancestral armor or an ancestral weapon.