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 Recent Posts
You might want to check out this thread as well: Trench warfare: a magic warzone Edit: As to running a trench battle, flyers can act as spotters. This was the original purpose of aircaft in WWI. With casters on the ground acting as artillery (fireball), flyers are not a big threat unless it is a big beast (dragon) or a mass of flyers.
Ghost are an interesting option, because they can be of any alignment. If you have living survivors, you might have a good or neutral ghost serving as a protector, one the living may even be afraid of. I am reminded of the intro to the AD&D Forgotten Realms product, Lords of Darkness. It tells of a paladin of Torm riding into a village in the dark of night banging on his sheild to warn them of an approaching horde of goblins and such. He then turns back toward the horde as the villagers rush to set up defenses. The battle lasts through the night with the goblins fleeing as dawn breaks. It is at this time that the villagers get a good look at their savior. Old wounds mark the paladin's body, dead flesh sagging from bones. As he witnesses the looks of horror, he mounts his skeletal horse and rides away.
The clockwork goliath can serve this function too. If you include counter trenching (digging trenches toward the opponent's earthworks to make charging easier - which likely continued under undead hands), then you end up with a maze of tunnels, trencehes, bunkers, and observation post/platforms that are all interconnected. The land inbetween could be full of roaming constructs like the clockwork goliath waiting for someone to pop up. Specific locations could even have haunts keyed to the events of whatever conflict was fought there.
From what I can garner, the rules never said that natural weapons do not count as weapons for this ability. However, in the case of contact poisons, simply touching the poison would make you susceptible. Perhaps this ability is merely a way to protect against contact poisons? I believe, as a general rule, natural attacks and unarmed strikes are not considered to be weapons. This is the reason the monk class specifically calls out its unarmed strikes as counting as both manufactured weapons and natural weapons. A monk's unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.
Monsters with PC levels also get a favored class bonus? Also, Do non PC class levels, such as aristocrat, expert, etc., receive maximum HPs on their first level? As far as I can tell, favored class bonus applies for all PC classes. NPC classes do not get a favored class bonus, nor to they get max hit points at 1st level.
The easy way is to use a bolt retaining spring. It is curved piece of metal that the bolt slides under. It puts enough pressure to get the bolt in place, but not enough to prevent it from firing. It is fairly common in modern crossbows, but is not a new idea. I have a paramilitary style crossbow (effectively a light crossbow with a pistol grip) that can retain the bolt under pretty much any condition.
There really isn't any need to... the bulk of the damage for the hand crossbow is intended to come from precision dice and/or poison. It's not intended to be a brute force weapon like it's bigger cousins. True, but the d6 damage has encourged some of my players to use them for more than sell fodder. Of course making it a cheaper and a simple weapon can do that too.
From what I understand, the weapon was historically used by assassins and bodyguards during the Renaissance. The weapons could be easily concealed under a cloak and used to deliver poison from short range or shoot an attacker before they could close on the target. The weapon does not do a lot of damage as it lacks the force of standard crossbows. That said, as a house rule, I up the damage to 1d6. That sets a nice damage range for the crossbows from 1d6 (hand) to 1d8 (light) to 1d10 (heavy) and puts the weapon on par with a shortbow.
The blue box basic set was the first of the basic box sets. That is the set I started with before moving to AD&D. Some of the later blue box sets included module B2 instead of B1. A friend of mine had that one.
You are not the only one.
Well you can alway go with the Caitians from Star Trek (who, according the Larry Niven, are related to the Kzinti).
In addition to many already mentioned, I will also add the Aslan race from the Traveller RPG, which first came out in 1977. The Aslan from Traveler and the Rakasta from D&D influenced a homebrew catfolk race of mine from many years back called the K'Tarren (Sing. K'Tarra). One of these days, I am going to update the setting and use it as more than an exercise in planning. This was the inital background blurb I did for the race: K’Tarren are a race of feline humanoids. They are covered in short, soft fur that ranges in color from light tan to dark brown, though white, black, and dark red are not unheard of. The ears and muzzle typically have a darker hue that tends to lighten as they age. K’tarren possess piercing cat-like eyes, with vertical pupils, and tails that are nearly four feet in length. K’tarren are expert seafarers and ship builders. They are a proud and emotional race, possessing a strong sense of honor relating to clan, family, and self. They show great bravery and tenacity in battle, and boost openly of their deeds. They are extremely interested in the world at large and this translates into a wanderlust that demands they explore and experience all things for themselves. K’tarren speak K’tar, an old language unrelated to any other. It does not use the script of the Common tongue, but is instead composed of ideograms that can have different meanings based on how the symbols are used in a sentence.
You might find some answers in the construction of real world underground cities like Kaymakl Underground City, Derinkuyu Underground City, and Özkonak Underground City.
The Earthdawn game plays with this. Humans live scattered around in a number of cities and villages, but most of the major cities are controlled by non-humans. You even have the Dwarf Kingdom of Throal as the major power in the region. The main "bad guy" kingdom was an elven-ruled kingdom with a huge number of humans as military support.
My wife uses that feat when she is sick. Given that she has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is trained in Krav Magav, there have been a few times that I have just given her the bed and slept on the couch. It is less painful and I don't have to defend myself in my sleep.
I once used the amalgam template to create minons for a evil wizard that fused villagers to ogre skeletons. The villagers were still alive and could speak, but had no control over the creature.
I remember an adventure called Tallow's deep, from dungeon 18. We were about levels 7-9 then, but the monsters got us running. I think it was goblins, not kobolds, but they were just as nasty. And had lots of small corridors, of the kind in which you could not cast an old-fashioned 1st level fireball... If that is the one I am thinking off, I played it. A bunch of plain goblins were slaughtering our 8th level party until we figure out how to bypass the trapped filled main corridor. Even then it was a tough fight and gave me some respect of weak creatures using good tactics.
Actually, I could see a darklands/megadungeon mix. This would allow combining the typical dungeon structure with a vast cavern network. You can have various factions/races that could be interacted with. The inital goal could be exploration of some ancient ruins with a cave-in/trap/whatever depositing the players in the upper darklands. The goal would then shift as the PCs try to find a way out.
I have a file of quotes that I like. I am going to have to add a few from this topic to that list when I get home. That said, here are a few of my favorites (I hope I am not repeating any): “The human condition is a mess and always has been, and visions of perfecting it are a snare and a delusion, but we can all grab for great moments - for one floating instant, to do better than we think we can. Heroes are just people who are lucky or determined enough to match the moment - and at least once, to get it right when it matters.”
“Sometimes I’ve believed as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast.”
“I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”
“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”
"The press is easier to strangle than to look in the eyes."
“Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.”
“There are only two truly infinite things, the universe and stupidity. And I am unsure about the universe.”
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”
“Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.”
“Imagination is one weapon in the war against reality.”
“The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.”
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”
“The most merciful thing in the world ... is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
“Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”
“I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
“Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first.”
“The history of the race, and each individual's experience, are thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.”
To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours.”
“Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.”
The History Channel has to adapt to keep viewers. They did so many shows on WWII in their early years that people were calling them the Hilter Channel. History start adapting with shows like Modern Marvels and American Eats. The newer "reality" shows are the latest version. Some are just better at relating to history than others. Ok, some don't relate at all. I really hate Ancient Aliens, though it has been as good source from game ideas. On the other hand, I do like Swamp People. I am from Louisiana, so the show actually touches on some of our local heritage. Besides, my wife's relatives know some of the some of the people on the show.
The only problem I have with Cheetara + Tigra is Tigra. Tigra keeps going on about how Lion-o does not deserve everything he has while simultaneously showing off that he is better than Lion-o (typically by beating him is a contest of somekind). I am really wanting Lion-o to show him up just once. Other than that, I am really liking the new Thundercats.
As others have pointed out, a hand axe is not what you use for felling trees. What you would use is a felling axe. Felling axes are two-handed axes designed to cut across wood grain. If I need to figure damage for some reason, I would treat a felling axe as either improvised dwarven waraxe or improvised great axe (depending on the size of the haft). From personal experience, the one I used as a kid to help clear small trees would have been closer to the dwarven warxae in size. You could use it in one hand with a lot of difficulty.
Can you site where that is? There is not FAQ entry on it and the bestiary does not make a distinction. Mind you, based on the playtest info on what outsider (native) type grants for 2 points, I believe you are correct. I just want to know where it was stated for future reference.
It also affects hold person, which sees a bit more use in encounters. Still, it is not a particularly overpowering bonus. Of course, I was hoping that they would have just made native outsider a subtype for humanoid (as a few people suggested back in the original playtest).
"An unbreakable gains Endurance and Die Hard as bonus feats. This ability replaces the fighter's 1st-level bonus feat." Technically, the Unbreakable looses proficiency with Tower Shields as well, so effectively it looses two feats for two feats at 1st level. The same holds true for the Dragoon (looses Tower Shield proficiency) and the unarmed fighter (looses medium armor, heavey armor, and shield proficiency, but gains all monk weapons). That said, armor and weapon proficiencies are hard to value given the options PCs have as they advance. Edited.
I had a similar idea to Azure_Zero. I made a homebrewed Trollborn race with a trait called Strong as an Ox that allowed for increase lifting/carrying capacity. It does not look like a powerful ability, until you realize you can pull a Nodwick and carry large boulders and such. At the same time, it allowed me to have a medium race known for its incredible strength without worrying about a big Strength bonus directly affecting combat. Strong As An Ox [2 RP]: Your lifting and carrying capacity is calculated as if you were one size Larger. Edited
My only gripe about Marvel was doing Fear Itself after claiming that the Heroic Age was going to return to the earlier heroic stories while moving away from the recent dark overtones. The civilian death toll alone would have people calling for registration again, especially New York. Between Civil War, World War Hulk, and Fear Itself, I am surprised the city does not require every hero to carry insurance to cover damages and accidental lose of life. Other then that, I have liked what I have read.
Anybody see this fridays episode? I am curious as to who were the orignal owners of the Eye of Thundara. I also noticed the use of what looked to be the Feliner in the flashback.
A lot of creatures the OP mentions go back to 1e (AD&D). The immunities were largely the result of spells like lightning bolt and fireball not having a damage cap. The original chain lighnting was even worse. It would lose 1 die of damage each time it jumped to a new target and you could chain the spell through the same target multiple times, so you could bounce a chain lightning between to targets. Additionally lightning bolts (regular and chain) would bounce off walls too, allowing a caster to ricochett them through targets or around corners.
Honestly, I think situations like this should be house rules. It was common practice back in 1e and 2e. I could see heat metal cooking of a gun on turn 3 and might houserule it as such on the rare occasions that it came up. I have done similar things, such as having the heat from a fireball (cast be a PC) melt enough snow and ice to treat the area of effect as a grease spell (using the fireball DC). For the record, Frost Giants have horible Reflex saves. I tend to encourage creative spell use when applicable and houserule as needed.
Back when I was about 12 or so (way to many years ago), a friend's grandfather had been burning fire ant mounds. He had soaked the mounds with gas and lit them. Well on had burned out, and being a dumb kid I put my hands on the ground to see if it was hot. The fire flared up and engulfed my hands. I pulled back and was luckily unharmed. As Kalyth stated, Reflex saves are not about dodging an effect, but avoiding the worse of it. Add evasion and you might come out unscathed.
I mean, didn't escaped slaves and Florida Indian tribes use swamps as a base that was difficult to find them in?Not that many rangers in Florida. The main reason most took to the swamps because they were a place where most folks simply did not want to go. Swamps are also very dangerous for those not familiar with the terrain. Natives of the area will know the waterways and hazards. They will also know where the dangerous animals are. Desperate people may risk the dangers, others will assume that the swamp and gators will get them. Also, most trackers hunting escaped slaves used dogs. Water can screw up scent trails. A good "visual" tracker is slower, but isn't influenced as much by water.
So far it seems like this DM is looking at monsters as stat blocks. Now that I think about it, pursuing something like this for RP reasons would probably be a waste of time as it's been hack and slay since I started with this group. It's a good thought for my family game though, I know they would jump all over an Ogre Orphanage. Back in 2E, I screwed with my players a bit. They came across a wrecked wagon with unconscious or dead merchants and guards. A group of four orcs were going through the wreckage with a fifth one leaning over one of the bodies, a bloody knife lying next to him. The party attack immediately and slaughtered the orcs before they could react. They then discovered that the orc with the bloody knife had cut two arrows out of a wounded merchant and treat his wounds. She was also the daughter of of the local orc shaman. The other orcs were looking for pots to fill with water to clean wounds and clean cloth to use as bandages. Their tribe was allied with the village the merchants were from. The players ended up in a political mess, being branded murderers by the orcs and having no support from the local humans. They eventually convinced the shaman to let them seek a means to resort those they had killed to life. They also had to get rid of the remaining bandits (with no reward for doing so). The end result of all of that was that my players stopped judging monsters by their stats.
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