Troy Taylor's page

Some of the original Legends of the Five Rings scenerios were court-based. You'd have to make some adjustments if you want to take them out of their eastern context (and do your own d20 stats), but some of them should work.

My wife and kids did me the greatest honor for Dad's day -- they gave me gaming gear!!

I got a copy of Hellspike Prison and three Reaper figs!

I am, like, so blessed!

A sequel to "The Obsidian Eye"?

(That bard you see doing flip-flops is me!)

You keep grindin' em out, Nicolas, and my group will keep on playin' em.

Bad Wolf

Bad Wolf

B-A-D W-O-L-F

"Oh, c'mon Rose, it can't be that bad."

It would have to be really, really, really cool to make me give up the sheet I've been using for 3 years now ...

From what we've seen of the two previous Adventure Paths, a lot of what Dungeon's creative team is capable of producing falls into the category of "really, really cool."

More rum, I say. More rum, ye laddies!

It looks like Able Drinker feat from Swashbuckling Adventures will be a requirement for the Savage Tide.

Come to think of it, are there any setting specific rules we want included on the sheet? Such as a primer on swim or balance checks, or perhaps Professsion Sailor?

If you're going to trade out the rogue, better make sure you have another way to detect/avoid/survive traps.

Cohorts make great trap detectors. (Just kidding).

That's *cough*uary of 06, right? :-)

My suggestion would be to offer a couple of blank sheets with illustrated backgrounds that relate to the Adventure Path, and then perhaps an additional document with a template for making a character sheet in the style of the new stat block. Print the backgrounds, customize the fields and print over the backgrounds, and bam! Nifty Savage Tide character sheet.

I really like this idea, which retains the Savage Tide theme but allows for customization.

I think we'd want to keep the AP around for ale points, though. That's a very pirate-ish thing to do, me thinks!

Yeah; just call it 'AP' and I'll use it to tally ale pints.

I'll drink to that!

The four core classes give you the best chance, IMHO.

However, I think you can substitute the rogue for a ranger with the right favored enemy choices.

A paladin might substitute for the fighter in certain situations, but over the course of the campaign, a fighter has the edge.

I would stay away from multiclassing with only four PCs.

That said, I think it would be interesting to go with a party of four clerics representing each of the core classes: Heironeous/fighter, Pelor/healer-cleric, Boccob (or Wee Jas)/magic user, and Olidammara (or Fharlangan)/rogue.

Such an ecumenical effort might be mustered by the major churches to combat this growing evil.

So far, it looks like you guys prefer the longer sheet to the shorter one. Any other suggestions?

Some folks do costumes at convetions -- it's just part of the flavor of these events.

It's been a score of years since I've lived in Georgia, but the spring Ga Ren Faire was always a highlight. I sure miss that one, now that I live in the Midwest.

Bards always get the girl. ;-)

Well, in AoW, we learn that Celeste is too busy to help squeeze the little green buggers cuz there's supposed to be a little problem with pirates that needs taken care of ... so I can only imagine ...

Wheel rpg magic is really overpowered when compared to standard D&D. In one respect, it's exactly like the magic from the Wheel books -- spellcasters are so powerful they are held in fear and awe by the general populous. Even novice spellcasters can cast some pretty powerful variantions of their spells.

There are restraints on the magic, which keep it in check, including a madness tainte for male spellcasters and the potential to overchannel and become burned out.

If you are looking for an alignment free game-- then the Wheel rpg magic is a good fit.

Theoretically, since both magic systems are d20, they could be used side-by-side in a campaign. But my gut says they shouldn't share the same game.

My feeling about the artful character sheet would be that it is just one page with the basic information that is universal to all character classes (character description, abilities, saves, combat matrix with weapons, armor, hit point tracker and probably a space for listing skills). That should leave room for the sheet's decorative elements.

Anything else, including special abilities, feats, spells, equipment and magic item slots I assume will be on a second page the player can customize themselves. Or perhaps, we can get a second decorative page that is blank, which we can customize as we see fit.

Of course, I would be happy if the powers that be were willing to fulfil any portion of the original request. A themed character sheet just seems to be a natural extention of of the Adventure Path experience.

Yes, the old reliable sheet of ruled paper works just fine, as does any one of several generic character sheets available elsewhere on the Web, including Wizards of the Coast.

I think it would be really cool, however, if Sean, Sarah and any one of the contributing artists could get together and devise an artfully done Savage Tide-themed character sheet and make it available for download. I'm thinking of something along the lines of something like the sheets that Tony DiTerlizzi did for sale when third edition was released -- something that covers the basics but also incorporates artwork appropriate to the theme of the AP.

I know it's too late to ask for something like this for Age of Worms -- although there are plenty of us still charging through that AP and would appreciate a similiar treatment. It just seems like it would be something really nice to go along with the new Adventure Path.

With some tenderness, I managed to pull the Book Club ad out without tearing, but yes, that was some strong glue.

From what I understand, Hal Maclean ("Seven Deadly Domains," "Take Cover," "The Stars are Right") is king of the query. He has a reputation for being among the most organized of the current crop of regular freelancers. But then again, he's also a darn good writer, so it's no wonder he's got his stuff together.

If he has anything he'd like to share about freelancing and writing, then we should all listen closely. Search the archives under Hal and you'll find a treasure trove of good advice.

From where I sit, Amber Scott "Medesha" and John Ling "Zherog" are among the strongest of the regular contributors. Plus, they're good peoples. Search their names out, as well.

As for the idea about a query exchange, I really don't see what that would work in practice. I mean, I'm all for the exchange of ideas and helping out other writers -- we're all in the same boat, after all -- on the other hand, since we're in the same boat, we're also in competition with one another to get our ideas approved.

The same editors see our proposals, so ultimately, wouldn't posting our queries on the boards be counterproductive?

We also can't post our accepted queries on the messageboards because that telegraphs articles that have the potential to appear in the magazine -- and the editors aren't keen on that at all.

If anyone has any ideas that resolve those concerns, though, I'm open to suggestions.

I think the best that can be done is to encourage one another. I consider myself a reader of Dragon magazine first and an (infrequent) contributor second. So, I'm more about seeing great material in the magazine and getting my money's worth that way. So I hope all aspiring writers have a taste of publishing success.

My two cents worth: Be as concise as you can be in conveying your article idea(s) in a query without shortchanging the content of the article itself. And remember, make the query submission itself as clean as copy as you can. An editor will likely judge the quality of a previously unpublished writer on the only thing they have to go on -- the query. That means being attentive to style, spelling, capitalization and grammar.

Standard array is working fine with my group.

By Thunder, I do believe I be outnumbered on d'es here boards.

Believe it or not, but the TNT-TV version of "Treasure Island" (1990) starring Charlton Heston and a teen-age Christian Bale is an excellent adaption. The film also features the late Oliver Reed, Julian Glover, Christopher Lee, Clive Wood and Pete Postlethwaite.

The ship used was the Bounty from the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty. The shipboard scenes are fantastic. And for a pirate movie fight, there's nothing like the assault Silver leads on the blockhouse.

Whenever I get ready to DM a swashbuckling themed adventure, I always pull that tape out and watch it for inspiration.

Wow, Mike. That's the sort of witty retort which demonstrates why you're the editor and Troy & I are the lowly writers. ;)

Actually, I laughed out loud when I first read {insert clever comeback}, but I didn't want to admit it at first and, thus, ecourage more Vythness.

It was petty of me not to admit to an LOL, but then, "us pirates not be known for our'n social graces, being the complete scoundrels that we are'n."

Yeah, well, {insert clever comeback}.

Ha!

Vyth doth not speak -- again.

Silly ninja.

"If yer gonna wear black, at least puts a skull and crossbones on yer clothes, matey."

Maybe the other members of your group needs to subscribe, too.

On the other hand, that sounds so cool. I could only wish I had more members of my group trying to apply stuff they read about in Dragon. Maybe not in the middle of a combat -- but hey, if it works, then go for it.

Well, the truck-lovin', anime watchin' part, anyhow.

The pirate in me's still got issues with the whole ninja thing. Ahhrrrrgh. :)

Don't feel silly in the least. If you check the archives, a lot of us got information from Mike the same way when we were doing our first submissions. Heck, a lot of us STILL get info that way.

We also use the boards to tweak Mike, whenever possible, cuz he's a fun guy who doesn't mind being tweaked, a little anyway.

(It's all in good natured fun. Just keep in mind that Mike is a truck-drivin', ninja-lovin', anime-watchin' dude.)

But the cool thing is that Mike keeps all the contributors informed on these boards. If you want news about any changes in the submission guidelines for Class Acts or Bazaar of the Bizarre, there's no better place to be than on these boards. And if you post questions, he answers them.

Now, how cool is that?

TPK Jay: You've nailed it!

Great setting to adventure in ... not so great place to actually live.

Saving the world, one vilage at a time.

I LOVE CANDYLAND!

So simple, so pure .. so cheatable? At 5 years old? Yikes!

Nothing like cheaters that are starting young.

Have the other adventuring party led by Kelleck return from the Whispering Cairn with some baubles ... glad beads from the mirror or the broken finger from the arrow statue, and tales of "whispering" sounds from the entry hall and see what happens. (You need something convenient to "distract" Kelleck and his gang from returning too quickly to the Cairn, however).

Another hook is to have an old relative of the Land family come to town hoping to recover the Land ghost's long-lost remains and contract the players to do it. Or have Allustan contract with them to seek out some lore or to actually map the Cairn. (His interest is already well-established).

If they are then still too stubborn to go check things out ... then you can have Smenk abduct them and dump em down Ragolin's mine shaft and see how long they last. (Just kidding).

No. 1: Kasper Gutman from "The Maltese Falcon."

No. 2: The Red Skull from "Captain America."

No. 3: Milady de Winter from "The Three Musketeers" and "The Four Musketeers."

Well, you know, ninjas can be scoundrelly. They are, after all, hidden and unseen and use mystical abilities. :)

Hidden? They wear more black than Johnny Cash. They stick out like sore thumbs.

BTW, our newspaper ran a feature on Grand Master Masaaki Hatsumi -- the last living master of ninjutsu.

Master Masaaki's advice?: "Always be able to kill your students."

Nice guy.

Just idly wondering how the ninja-loving creator of the late Vyth the Unspeaking got tabbed to write a book about Scoundrels.

I mean, aren't Pirates a sort of scoundrel?

Question: Would Compl. Scoundrels come in handy in the upcoming third Adventure Path?

I see over on Amazon that Paizo's own Mike McArtor and Wesley Schneider are co-authors of Complete Scoundrel, a D&D acessory to be released in early January.

Congrats on the assignment and the author creds, guys. Condolences on the post-X-mas release. Any chance it'll move up?

(Not that it would fit in my Christmas stockings, but having Mike and Wes under my Christmas tree would be nicer than having them show up for the Super Bowl. But I guess, being scoundrels, that's the way it's gotta be.)

Other than it being a Complete look at Scoundrels that lists at $29.95, any hints as to its contents? I assume it goes without saying there'll be new feats, equipment, spells and core classes. But what else?

(Like a chapter on how to run a really, really scoundrel-like campaign? What do you do if your DM is a bigger scoundrel than anyone sitting round the table? )

C'mon, Mike and Wes, be a scoundrel. A REAL scoundrel would ignore that non disclosure agreement and spill the beans. It'd be just between us. I promise not to tell anyone else. :)

You guessed it; everything she picks - paint, curtains, bed stuff, and so on - is pink.

I can empathize, brother.

I guess it depends on whether he has plans ever to return.

Look! Amber's returned from Xendrik! How was the trip?

For me, the best part of the new Doctor Who is the fact that in each episode there been a moment of tension between the Doctor and the Companion that doesn't seem contrived. It's driven by the story.

Moreover, we've seen how being a Companion isn't all roses and cream, especially for the people close to her whose lives are disrupted by this interdimensional vagabond.

Showing the Doctor's alien-ness (he's so outta place stuck inside watching the news on TV; driven by revenge, he allows the 'last human' to dry out and pop) has been refreshing. It's been a long time since the producers have gone down that road successfully.

But they've done all of it without losing the best part of the Doctor -- matching wits with fun monsters! Aliens in human suits with zippers! Gas demons! What a hoot!

Polly got banned ... too many little parts left all over everywhere that never got picked up ...

She never latched onto My Little Pony ... however my 2YO son absolutely LOVES horses, all types of horses ...

Hai, hai. That's what my girlfriend keeps saying, too. :D

Sounds like a keeper. She must like anime.

Welcome to my world...

... a magical place filled with Disney Princesses, Dora the Explorer and enough Barbie to make a toy chest look like a Pepto Bismol explosion, I imagine.

At least that's what my daughter's room looks like.

Celeste is just too (chaotic) good to be true.

For that reason, she'd be a lot of fun, but it would never last. I'm sure she want to be "just friends" -- and leave it at that.

Celeste rocks, no question.

She deserves her own mini, not to mention, a whole merchandising line.

I look forward to seeing "I (heart) Celeste" T-shirts in the near future.

On very rare occasions, when the moon is right (it's made of green soy cheese you know), you can also find strawberry soymilk!

Good news for my daughter! She loves all things strawberry, including Strawberry Shortcake, these days.

Soy beans are magical. You can do anything with them! ;)

You mean, as in, "Jack-and-the-Beanstalk" magical?

(Actually, I probably won't, but there's no good joke I can make about that.) ;D

Positive thoughts, young man. Positive thoughts.

For the Adventure Paths we run in Dungeon, we generally fill them with enough XP so that if the PCs do EVERYTHING in that adventure, they'll get about 125% of the XP they need to go to the next in line.

That squares with my experiences of running the AoW.

For the AoW, I've been meticulous about handing out XP after each two-hour gaming session. I've been generally pleased with how the timing of the characters' leveling up has matched the level of the encounters.

Soy milk. ;)

Soy?!?!?

Here in Illinois, we grow soybeans .... But we don't eat 'em, or drink 'em, as the case may be.

I mean, having worked in bean fields, de-roging them as a summer job in my misspent youth, I can tell you that envisioning them as milk is quite a stretch.

Besides, we use soy ink at the newspaper. Honestly, how can you get milk AND ink from those little beans? Sounds like witchcraft to me.

Nope, here in Illinois we drink milk from COWS, preferably ones that reside in nearby Wisconsin, but we have a few chewin' their cud around here. And it's not any skimpy skim milk, or 2 percent, even. It's WHOLE milk, the kind that will leave a stain on the sides of the glass. We eat real CHEESE, too. Big chunks of it. If we're not loading it on pizza, we'll gnaw on a hunk of it in our hand. By the stone, baby! And we put real BUTTER on our potatoes and in everything else we cook too. (And you know where real Jell-O for dessert comes from too, don't you?)

And we creak, when we walk, because that's the sound of our arteries hardening beneath our leather jackets. The good life, yessiree.

Soy milk?

Does it come in chocolate? Cuz I ain't seen no chocolate soybean, but I've seen lotsa brown cows. But if there's chocolate soy milk, I'll give it a try.

What kind do you want? My bestest ones that I make are peanut butter chocolate chip.

There goes the diet ...

Hey! If he's gonna get a cookie, I wanna cookie, too. And it should be warm, right outta the oven ....

Got milk?