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Not a problem. :)
Over at EN World, I've rebooted my used-to-be monthly Pathfinder monster-making contest. Rules are below. You can post your entries here or there, but polling to determine the winner will happen at EN World.
Huzzah!
The Rules
Hello! The goal is to create a monster for the picture of month. This month's picture perches expectantly near you here.
1. One submission per entrant. Previous entrants have had their entries linked to below, and all of them are still in the running.
2. Post a complete stat block and fluff text for the creature depicted at the link above in this thread using the standard format for PF monsters. Also, include at least two plot hooks for the monster.
3. Your work must be your own and cannot use anyone's Product Identity or Closed Content material.
4. The deadline is 19 January 2013. After this, all entries are considered final.
5. A winner will be chosen via a poll set up in another thread. This poll will remain open until approximately the end of January.
6. All entrants retain rights to their submissions.
The Prizes
1. The winner chosen by poll gets to brag about how awesome his or her monster is.
2. The winner will receive a $5 gift certificate to DriveThruRPG. Reception of the gift certificate is contingent on me having a valid email address for the winner.
Previous Contests
#1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7
Well, I'm ahead of schedule for the first Quid Novi? of 2013. I'm still going to release it via email list on 19 January, which gives people plenty of time to sign up so as to not miss out.
What do you get with this first Quid Novi? Well...
* Sarpashana Station, a short adventure for Stars Without Number (but adaptable to other Old School systems).
* An Awful Affliction to curse foes of deceit's god.
* The Bazaar of the Bizarre, introducing two new items, one for Stars Without Number, the other for Swords & Wizardry.
* Chance Encounters, including Stars Without Number and Swords & Wizardry stats for one monster and two NPCs.
* A Treacherous Terrain to threaten adventuring spelunkers.
* Words of Magic describing a new Swords & Wizardry cleric spell.
* Required Reading, a collection of links to some of the best blogposts I've found recently.
Quid Novi? arrives in your inbox in glorious PDF format, complete with bookmarks and hyperlinks. Best of all, Quid Novi? is always free to subscribers, and Quid Novi? subscribers always can get 33% off Spes Magna Games products purchased at Paizo.com.
Well, I'm ahead of schedule for the first Quid Novi? of 2013. I'm still going to release it via email list on 19 January, which gives people plenty of time to sign up so as to not miss out.
What do you get with this first Quid Novi? Well...
* Sarpashana Station, a short adventure for Stars Without Number (but adaptable to other Old School systems).
* An Awful Affliction to curse foes of deceit's god.
* The Bazaar of the Bizarre, introducing two new items, one for Stars Without Number, the other for Swords & Wizardry.
* Chance Encounters, including Stars Without Number and Swords & Wizardry stats for one monster and two NPCs.
* A Treacherous Terrain to threaten adventuring spelunkers.
* Words of Magic describing a new Swords & Wizardry cleric spell.
* Required Reading, a collection of links to some of the best blogposts I've found recently.
Quid Novi? arrives in your inbox in glorious PDF format, complete with bookmarks and hyperlinks. Best of all, Quid Novi? is always free to subscribers, and Quid Novi? subscribers always can get 33% off Spes Magna Games products purchased at Paizo.com.
For Swords & Wizardry:
Blitzkringler
Hit Dice: 4
Armor Class: 4 [15] (8 [11] unarmored)
Attacks: Two-handed sword (1d10 plus 1 point of lightning damage)
Saving Throw: 13
Special: Immune to cold & lightning
Move: 12
Alignment: Lawful
Challenge Level/XP: 5/240
Blitzkringlers are a mysterious race of lawful warriors who inhabit arctic regions. When dealing with those who are nice, blitzkringlers act benevolently. Against those who are naughty, blitzkringlers can be terrible. The red-and-white suits of fur and leather worn by blitzkringlers are equal to chain armor. Blitzkringlers prefer to fight with two-handed swords. Any metal weapon wielded by a blitzkringler inflicts an extra point of lightning damage with a successful hit.
(Pic at this link.)
I’m gearing up for a new year of Quid Novi?, my (allegedly monthly) newsletter. This is the fourth year I’ve been writing this gaming resource, and I hope to do a better job with it in 2013 than I did in 2012. The focus for Quid Novi? is shifting away from Pathfinder/d20 System to old school RPG clones with special emphasis on Stars Without Number and Swords & Wizardry.
Quid Novi? will feature an assortment of, well, features, including:
* Awful Afflictions: New curses, diseases, and poisons to torture your players’ characters.
* Bazaar of the Bizarre: New items to augment your villains and reward victorious heroes.
* Chance Encounter: New monsters to claw/claw/bite those who try to steal their stuff.
* Treacherous Terrain: New terrains and traps to befuddle your players’ characters.
* Words of Magic: New spells for casters of all classes.
* Recommended Reading: New links to some of the best RPG blogposts I can find.
Subscribers also get a 33% discount on all Spes Magna Games PDFs purchased at Paizo.com. Free subscriptions to Quid Novi? can be processed at this link.
Life on Rigel: The badlands world of Rigel presents several challenges to its population.
Empathy Psionic Discipline: Empaths are often viewed with mistrust. Many believe they secretly manipulate the emotions and actions of populations.
A New Year of Quid Novi?: I’m gearing up for a new year of Quid Novi?, my (allegedly monthly) newsletter.
Not a problem, R_Chance. I hope to get the playtest version of Tiamat's Throne out by the end of February 2013. Meanwhile, it seems as if my various blog updates posted here and other places is slowly building up some interest.
Things've been a bit slow on the writing front lately, but I did get this brief blogpost up: About Those Dragons.
Thanks! :)
Hello!
I'm thinking my next project will be available in both PDF and print-on-demand. I know how to do the former, but I'm largely clueless about the latter. What are good sources/resources that I can study to figure out the ins and outs of PoD publishing? I'm specifically looking for quality vendors, information about layout and pricing, et cetera.
Thanks!
Zombies for Tiamat's Throne.
The Duonos: My first rough-drafted demi-human race for my Stars Without Number-inspired setting.
I think that should work. I'll have to double-check with the Paizo folks to make sure I can do that. I'm pretty sure I can.
Of course, nothing is getting released for a while. I shooting for February 2013 to release the playtest document(s). I'm also debating jumping into the Kickstarter arena to purchase some good art and maybe hire somebody who can do a more professional layout.
I have Other Dust. It's quite well done, IMO. :)
I still want to finish a couple or so Pathfinder projects. As for Quid Novi?, I'm not sure. I'd hate to let it die, so I'm leaning toward changing the focus. I must mull. :)
Hello!
Well, for the few of you who pay attention to Spes Magna Games, it's probably become obvious that I've not done much that's Pathfinder-related lately. My heart's just not in it like it was. Please don't misunderstand: I still think Pathfinder is a great game, and that the folks at Paizo are first-rate at what they do. The problem isn't Pathfinder; it's me.
On the plus side, Spes Magna isn't closing up shop. Rather, I've shifted focus to a different game system, specifically Sine Nomine's excellent Stars Without Number. I'm developing Tiamat's Throne, sci-fi/fantasy setting using the Stars Without Number core rules.
If you're curious, I've got several rough-draft excerpts up at my website.
Cheapy wrote: So you still select them in the same order, meaning you still can't use Racial Heritage to take archetypes which modify first level abilities. Maybe you can't, but I can.
Tiamat's Throne
Excerpts from my first non-Pathfinder project, Tiamat’s Throne, a sci-fi/fantasy setting using the Stars Without Number core rules.
Laurefindel wrote: ...but perhaps I'm missing your point, could you elaborate? Certainly. If, as GM, I want a monster or NPC to do X, and there are no feats, spells, et cetera that emulate X, I can just invent X. Players don't have that option.
Laurefindel wrote: The system makes it pretty clear that what is fair game for the PC is fair game for the DM and his/her NPCs and monsters.... Admittedly, but the opposite is not true. What's fair for the DM and his/her NPCs and monsters is not necessarily fair game for the PCs. Hence, no symmetry.
My long-standing game rule has always been, "Whatever the PCs can use, the GM can use. The GM also gets to use things the PCs can't use because the GM doesn't have the same restrictions the players do."
Laurefindel wrote: 3.5 and Pathfinder RPG promote system symmetry at all times: what is good for the players is also good for the monsters, and vice-versa. The system per se doesn't promote this. Players and GMs do.
Hello!
Just go your email and saw this post. I've got to get up and fight a head cold as I head off to work today, but I'll take a closer look at things later today. :)
The Croaking Priestess and her boggard followers run a brisk business trading magical potions for sacrificial victims. Local marshfolk have suffered the predations of wicked swamp denizens long enough. They need adventurers to head into the muck, assault the Swamp Isle, and finally put an end to the Croaking Priestess's evil.
The Swamp Isle of the Croaking Priestess is a short adventure suitable for clever and tough 4th-level characters. It's current available at DriveThruRPG for a mere $0.99.
As autumn approaches, so does the end-of-year holiday season. What goes better with a holiday get-together than good food and great gaming? Nothing that I can think of.
To help with your holiday gaming entertaining, A Medieval Holiday is on sale for a mere $0.68 from now through 10 September 2012.
This printer-friendly PDF has holiday decorating and entertaining tips, enough recipes to create a three-course medieval banquet, and the trencherman, a Pathfinder-compatible prestige class who parties as hearty as he fights.
Get a head start on your holiday planning today!
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Gronk de'Morcaine wrote: Did you ever think about banning the paladin from your game world just to avoid all the "a paladin can't do that" arguments? I ban the arguments instead.
blackbloodtroll wrote: SKR stated the interaction should be a standard action in most cases, and a move action at least.
"I look at it", or "I choose to disbelieve" is not enough.
Agreed. I require a standard action, and the PC thinking, "Hey, that's an illusion," can be that standard action. Alternately, if the illusion interacts with the PC, such as an illusionary attack, that is also sufficient for the save.
Trekking to the Side
What follows is one of the villains from my most recent Quid Novi? mini-adventure, The Coming Storm....
Umbral Reaver wrote: I didn't say you did. It just seems to pop up in every one of those threads so I'm preempting it. You're preempting the start of a discussion that's already started and didn't include what you wanted to preempt until you mentioned it?
I forgot to mention this: Stars Without Number has a great section on factions. That part alone makes the rules worth a download.
Woo hoo! :)
Trekking to the Side features two short adventures originally published for Quid Novi? subscribers in June and July 2012. "The Ruined Fort" is suitable for 5th-7th level PCs. "The Coming Storm" is suitable for 9th-11th level PCs. In addition to the short adventures, this printer-friendly PDF includes a new monster, new haunts, new afflictions, and more.
"The Ruined Fort": Years ago, after the margrave refused to offer homage to the Old Man of the Rocks, Fort Caergwyn and its defenders were destroyed in a night of lightning and violence. The margrave now wants to reclaim Fort Caergwyn, and he needs brave adventurers to make the trek to the ruins and put to the sword any monsters that might be calling the place home.
"The Coming Storm": Eadwig's Tarn, a peaceful mountain village, has again been targeted by lurkers in light. These evil fey have abducted several locals for sacrifice in horrid rituals. The village councillors need brave adventurers to make the trek to an ancient dwarven scriptorium to defeat the lurkers and free their captives.
Available at Paizo.com and DriveThruRPG for a wee bit less than $1.
Dosgamer wrote: Thank you for the responses. I actually hope that the damage is nonlethal for this particular build, but I was unsure of how to rule on it. If you're the GM, the ruling is whatever you want it to be.
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Dabbler wrote: It's a 10' by 10' pit, and they are frost giants. The pit is barely big enough to fit one of them.... Quite right. The frost giant is about 15 feet tall. The pit covers him to about halfway up his torso. Just stay in the pit and lob rocks while enjoying the cover. :)
Ooh, That Smell!
Several weeks ago, I read a thread on the Paizo messageboards about the scent extraordinary ability. It was started by a poster confused by the assertion that scent isn’t some sort of automatic enemy detection power that operates in a 30-foot radius....
xanthemann wrote: Have you ever spent hours planning, researching, and building an NPC for a campaign only to have the players destroy it within seconds? It's happened before, which is why I stopped putting so much time and effort into NPC builds. It ain't worth the pay off.
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