Ultradan's page

What if they're ALL cylons... Ah, forget I said that... That would be nuts.

Ultradan

Thanks for clearing that up... :)

Ultradan

I always considered missiles (arrows and bolts) as either lost or unusable after each shot, whether the attack missed OR hit. I suppose, in extreme cases where the characters are stuck somewhere with no access to new arrows to replenish their stocks, I could give them a small percent chance to actually find a few that are still usable after a battle.

As for the chances for hitting zombies, their considerably low armor class makes it almost a sure hit for anyone passed the third level.

Ultradan

I have a question of my own...

I subscribed to (and am receiving) the Pathfinder series Rise of the Rune Lords. No problems there... My question is, when the Rise of the Rune Lords are finished (i.e. when I get the last issue), will I need to subscribe to something else, or will my subscription continue with a new series every month automatically?

Just wondering.

Ultradan

There are about eight out there, but they're all either:

Difficult to figure out (Campaign Cartographer)
Expensive (IIRC Dundjinni (sp.))
Very limited (AutoRealms - though it is free)
Difficult to scale (can't recall the one but there was one that basically did only 10' squares and nothing else).

That's the problem... All we would need (and would be quite marvelous) would be the choice of a hex, square, or other types of grid, then the ability to fill each hex (or square) with a clickable icon (like a hill, a mountain, a city, etc) then format each hex (add color, put the content in bold, etc...), and finally add text boxes to put names and legends.

Is that too much to ask?

Ultradan

I usually use maps that are published in the various D&D books I own... But for maps that I make myself, I usually draw them on good old graph paper, since I'm not that good with using drawing software.

That said, it would be very neat to have an easy to use D&D map-maker for outdoors/dungeons creation. I'd be the first in line to buy one... But it would have to be VERY user-friendly.

Ultradan

I went to see it last night...

Pretty good. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to see something different. It's a fresh new look on what we're used to seeing in a monster flic.

Plus, we got to see a fifteen-second teaser for Star Trek 11 that sent chills down my spine. :)

Ultradan

1) I never lie.
2) I think all women are beautiful.
3) I hate tomatoes.

Ultradan

Administrative Technician for the Quebec Government (Immigration) in the Financial Ressources department. Basically, I crunch numbers all day long.

Ultradan

We played Call of Cthulu only a few times (maybe three times at the most), but those games will be etched in our memories forever. Heck, as a DM, just reading the adventure modules for Call of Cthulu gave me the creeps (and even had a nightmare about it).

I think the little gore that is presented in RotRL is very interesting. It shows the players just how twisted and demented chaotic beings can be. It puts a whole new twist on those all too familiar goblins.

More please! Just my thoughts...

Ultradan

I think variety is the key to making a dungeon interesting. On dungeon could be a small fortress (about 20 rooms) with 30 gnolls in it, and the object would be to free a prisoner. The player know that if the alarm is raised, all 30 will rush them (as mentioned above).

Another could be an abandoned house (about 5 to 15 rooms) with a single creature in one of the rooms. It could be anything from three mephits in the attic to a single giant assassin vine in the basement. The object could be to just spend the night there as a storm passes (the players are unaware of the creature at first).

And one could be a crypt or a tomb (about 1 to 5 rooms) with deadly traps to be avoided in each one. The object could be to retreive an object or an artifact. It could have no creatures at all.

The thing is, a dungeon doesn't have to be an underground complexe with 300 rooms. It can be anything.

A good way I found to keep things interesting was the old 'Star Wars RPG' method of having at least one of every elements in every adventure... (it went something like this)

At least two fight scenes,
At least one part puzzle-solving,
At least one chase scene,
At least one role-play/interaction scene,
And at least one space scene.
Mix and serve.

For us, a dungeon is like the cherry on the sunday. Specially if the PCs had to figure out a puzzle (or come up with a good plan) in order to accomplish it.

Ultradan

I would take a copy of those maps, if it ain't too much trouble. I'll owe you the life of my first born child... :)

ultradan@hotmail.com

HUGE thanks!

Ultradan

If I were to choose an already known Super-Power... It would be the power of flight.

For a yet unknown super-power... I'd find it cool to be able to 'feel' the ripples in the timeline (like receiving bits of a radio signal). The bigger the event, the bigger the ripple, , the clearer the image, the longer I could sense that something is about to happen, or that something has happened.

Ultradan

I'm sure many of us have heard about the new Trek movie that J.J. Abrams is working on. While there hasn't been a lot of plot info (other than the "early adventures of..."), there has been a good bit of cast news. Zachary Quinto (Heroes' Sylar) is young Spock, while Leonard Nimoy is old Spock. Zoe Saldana is going to be Uhura. And the latest news is that Simon Pegg (Shaun from Shaun of the Dead for those who don't know) will play that paragon of Dylthium Crystal goodness, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. Sweet!

This is purely speculation...

But from what I've seen of J.J. Abrams, and what he's done with LOST, I believe we'll be looking at some sort of story that will be about future spock (Nimoy) either near death and will be recalling moments from his early years (via flashbacks), or will be on a mission that will require him to search for answers in his past (again via flashbacks) in order to accomplish it. So we could be looking at a story that will be evolving in two different time frames.

Again, this is just my idea of what could be in the next film.

Ultradan

"HELP US ERIK-MONA-KENOBI, YOU'RE OUR ONLY HOPE."

- I wonder if he means old Erik Kenobi?

Ultradan

Just a thought...

Remember back in the 1st and 2nd edition how easy it was to just create an NPC or Monster "on the spot"? Just decide the HD, roll hit points, put a reasonable AC, maybe add one or two abilities, and figure out the XP by looking on a table that gave you something like "ok, 4HD + 2HD for spell-like abilities + 1HD for regeneration = a 7HD dice monster = 2000 xp"... That was with more or less 10 levels for classes, and a certain number of abilities that you could add to your creation.

Then came 3rd edition... With 20 levels, and TONS of abilities, and TONS of skills, and TONS of feats... Then the Dm would have to calculate for fifteen minutes using multiple cross-reference tables to figure out the CR to then convert that to XP... Which made DM preperation time ten times more long than it used to be.

Now comes 4th edition... With 30 levels, and even more abilities, and even more skills, and even more feats... And they're saying that DM preparation time will be drastically reduced?!? Sorry folks, I don't buy it!

Fourth Edition can be the funest game in the world when it comes out, but I will NOT spend a minute more planning and calculating and learning ENTIRE books of abilities and skills and feats, and spells, just for the sake of preparing one single encounter!! I don't HAVE that extra time. Sorry.

You wanted specifics Mr Mona; Well longer prep-time is the thorn in my foot.

Ultradan

I usually dream in third person... As I can recall seeing myself in the dream afterwards.

I dream in color (Technicolor, lol), and seem very real to me.

Sometimes (in about 40% of my dreams), I realize that I'm in a dream and can control stuff, like events and surroundings, permitting me to bend reality to my will and have fun.

In most dreams, I dream that I'm flying, or that I am attempting to fly.

In the few dreams that get really ugly (nightmares), I usually realize that I'm dreaming and can wake myself up by blinking my eyes in the dream.

Ultradan

I'm having dreams lately that I'm flying through the air using only will-power. In my dreams, when I really concentrate hard, I can take off and fly. It's so real (don't tell this to anyone, lol) that I found myself trying to concentrate (to fly) while I was walking home from work the other day... Strange things, these dreams...

Ultradan

BTW, I don't buy coffee from McDonald's, because it's too freaking hot. When I buy coffee, I want to drink it now, not later at work. And I do keep it away from my crotch.

How hot can coffee get?? Water boils at 100c and evaporates at anything higher... When we make coffee at home, we wait until the water boils, make the coffee, and start drinking (slowly) right away.

So home coffee is the hottest coffee you can get... I suppose Mc'Donald's makes their coffee the same way (how many ways is there to boil water?)... How is Mc Donald's coffee ridiculously hot? It's as hot as boiling water minus a degree or two. It's as hot as the coffee everyone makes at home... No more dangerous, no less.

What's the point of my argument? LOL!!

Ultradan

Ultradan wrote:

Kahoolin, you seem to have disapeared from Facebook... Just want to know if you're all right. :)

Ultradan

I used this site to steal his identity. I then stole his mind and finally his body. The entity you know as Kahoolin no longer exists, having been subsumed into the greater collective. I shall continue with this assimilation until only you remain - everyone you interact with will in fact be me. Then I shall claim the ultimate prize....

"He assimilates entire Paizonians, and we fall back... The line must be drawn HERE!! This far, no further! And I will make you PAY, for what you have done!!!"

lol

I can't wait for it to start again (this Janurary, I think?)...

Well at least their showing reruns to keep us going, unlike Lost that show NOTHING of the show for almost a year and expect everyone to still be waiting for the next new episode. What's up with that?

Ultradan

Huzzah! Go me!

Man, I was so tired when I posted that I wasn't even sure what day it was. But I figured it out. It was Friday. :D

Ahem! (It was Saturday...) lol!!

I must say that this episode of Family Guy was really cool. I watched it with a smile on my face from start to finish. Bravo!! Encore!!

Ultradan

Kahoolin, you seem to have disapeared from Facebook... Just want to know if you're all right. :)

Ultradan

And what if they do away with the classes? You build your character from scratch, taking feats and skills as you see fit. Taking certain feats could block access to other feats, so as the character progresses, he slowly turns into a spellcaster, or a fighter, or a cleric.

Seriously... What's a paladin? A champion of the church? A first level champion?? (not so champion is he?)... A class is nothing more than a title that is given when someone accomplishes certain things. With the removal of classes, your character could start as a guard, then slowly upgrade to a fighter (say gladiator because he is captured and fights in arenas). Then turns to St-Cuthbert when he is finally released and takes on clerical cappabilities. And at the end, becomes a paladin of St-Cuthbert, striking down evil where-ever it stands. Isn't that more beleivable?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Ultradan

Movies; Even after watching a good Star Wars or a Lord of the Rings for the hundredth time I still get new ideas. There's something in those action/adventure films that sparks that ligh bulb inside my head.

Music; Put together me, a blank sheet of paper, a pencil, an eraser, and a new age or movie soundtrack CD and you've got an automatic story generator.

Bike rides; I went bike-riding in countryside trails about a couple of hundred miles north of Montreal. The forest-filled hills and mountains got my imagination going in full speed. Sort of reminded me of The Last of the Mohicans.

The Subway; I find that I get some of my best ideas going to and comming home from work in the subway. I guess just sitting there with nothing to do for about an hour (till you get to where you're going) gives you no other choice but to think up stuff.

Drawing; Sometimes I come up with the weirdest stuff when I draw. I've based entire campaigns on drawings that just came out of nowhere.

Of course, there's books, TV, dreams, action figures, posters... Even the most insignificant conversation with a co-worker can spark an idea for an adventure or an NPC. I guess that brain of mine just never stops...

Ultradan

My group of PCs booked a passage on a big sailing ship to cross an ocean once. I made the crew of the ship to resemble the crew of the Sulacco (the marines ship in Aliens): Apone, Hicks, Hudson, Bishop, Burke, Vasquez, etc... Even Ripley and Newt. It made it easier for me to get into character when the PCs interacted with the ship crew.

And, unknown to my players, I had the folks in a small village resemble the cast from Gilligan's Island. I used the ACTORS names instead of their tv characters... Bob, Alan, Jim, Nathalie, Tina, Russel, and Dawn...

I do that alot so I don't have to remember each of the PCs quirks and personalities.

Ultradan

The DM Guide, 4 Monster Manuals, and five copies of the Player's Handbook! It's really all you need.

Ultradan

Will one or more of you enlighten me and those of us who don't bother to read the WoTC message boards what exactly you have observed. Are the posters there complete sychophants who are passionately in love with 4th edition, or are they for the most part against it, to the point of being irritating? I have just gotten an account with D&D insider (mainly so I can get the 3.5 version of Tsojcanth due out in October) and I haven't read the boards... So help a fellow Killer GM out will ya...

I haven't been on the WotC messageboards, but from what I've read on the subject here, it sounds like there's a lot of 'rules lawyers' just waiting to tell you that you're wrong about anything you post, and will continue to argue about it even after you tell them they're right.

Loads of fun...

Ultradan

I actually never bothered with message boards until I discovered this place. All in all, I like this board and the community it represents. Paizo kicks ass!

Same for me....

I really have the impression of talking with fellow gamers here. Even though I've been playing D&D for like twenty-five years, I still learn new stuff everyday from you guys.

Keep on rolling (dice, that is...)!

Ultradan

I hate hoarders. They cause themselves stress and then stress others when they’re too incompetent to find the **** they’re after because they’ve hoarded so much crap. WORLD WAR TWO IS OVER!!! STOP ******* KEEPING THINGS BECAUSE “THEY MIGHT COME IN HANDY”. ‘Cos they just don’t. It’s a ******* selfish attitude as well because it means that when they ******* die, someone else will have to deal with all the **** they left behind. And if it’s hoarded paper, it’s ******* worse, because there might be important documents in it.

Hoarders can all go to hell- but hopefully they’ll all have long-lasting terminal illnesses so they can face up to their ******* lack of irresponsibility and throw out their **** before they die.
And the hoarder attitude usually goes with an incompetent attitude to other financial stuff as well. Aaaargh.

It's usually a sign of a great lack of confidence. Sometimes due to a trauma (the loss of an authority figure, like a spouse, a parent or an older sibling) that happened earlier in their lives. It's sad really.

Ultradan

Okay, let me clarify my need for a resolution here:

The party members have just spent 2 days traveling across the plains. The travel itself was normal (i.e. 8 hours of overland travel, no hustling or forced marching, no combat, etc.). After the second full day of travel, they set up camp for the night and were about to get some sleep when they were attacked by worgs.

They chased one of the worgs off into the wilderness thinking that it would lead them to the orc camp they were seeking. They followed it for several hours, eventually catching up to it and attacking it again. It managed to get away again. The party then started looking for a new place to rest and watch for orcs. A couple hours later, sure enough, the worg brought some orcs right to them and combat ensued. Now the party ranger wants to follow the orc tracks back to their camp, but it's been 21 hours since anyone had some sleep. The party is currently discussing whether or not they should set off after the camp tonight or wait to get some rest before charging off.

As the DM, I know that the camp is about 2 hours away. It'll be just before dawn when they arrive at the camp - the perfect time to strike at light-sensitive orcs. However, the party will have been awake and active for a full 23 hours at that point and the players are wondering if fatigue is going to be an issue.

Oh, and yes, irregardless is a word, just not a popular one. I consider myself somewhat well-versed in American English. I'm far from perfect, I'm sure, but I generally stick to words that actually exist. ;)

Maybe if you (the DM) decide that the players are fatigued, then hit them with the Fatigued status until they rest (or you say otherwise). I say it's your call dude...

Ultradan

I know for a fact that after more than 24 hours without sleep, I become totally incoherent (sp?) and distant. I'll litteraly have problems forming a complete sentence. It happened to me a few times to stay at work for three straight eight-hour shifts (voluntarily). I wasn't a pretty picture the next day... lol..

Ultradan

I have three cats called Moogy, Keiko and Pixelle. My sister (Who loves Final Fantasy) called her cat Kupo (pronounced Koo-po).

Ultradan

Yup... I'll ring in and say that I'm still without my #150, and everything else after that.

Ultradan
Montreal Canada

Ok... False alarm. I just got my copy of #150 today.

Ultradan

I imagined a two-handed sword scabbard that carryied the sword on ones' back with just a few inches at the tip being really 'sheathed' and only a simple lace or string holding the pommel in place near the top. A mighty warrior would reach back, untie the lace (as we would a shoe) and 'draw' his two handed sword by bringing it around to the front.

Is this silly?

Ultradan

Hasbro sucks.

Ultradan

I don't need more rules- I need a game that can sweep the world, a game that can go camping, a game that doesn't require enough reading to get a Law Degree, crates of equipment and all the optional dross to feel I'm getting all I can out of it.

We don't need to sell more optional crap, we need to sell more of the basic rule to more people. And sorry, but that means outlay and effort.

What I think we need also are tons of affordable (10$ to 15$) adventure modules... Which seems to be incredibly scarce since the third edition came out. It's one of the reasons I subscribed to Dungeon magazine actually.

I need maps (lots of maps) of cool places, plots, legends, rooms with traps, pictures, treasures, enemies, monsters with a twist.

After 25 years of gaming, I don't need more rules... I need more material to throw at my PCs!!

Ultradan

I know these are usually found underground but...

Have a giant mushroom forest and have Myconids swarm the place.

Go wild with fungi and oozes (imagine a Quicksand Ooze).

As stated above, the Gargantuan Gorillon could be pretty neat.

Get them LOST in the swamp... Start counting down food and water rations... Have some of the PCs go through hunger and fatigue penalties... Have them so low on ressources that every encounter turns into a fight for their lives.

Super week-long downpoors that inhibit range attacks, spellcasting, and severe penalties to attacks and movement.

Ultradan

Yup... I'll ring in and say that I'm still without my #150, and everything else after that.

Ultradan
Montreal Canada

Montreal, Quebec (Canada) here...

Ultradan

The Discovery channel's Mythbusters looked at a few myths surrounding the mighty ninjas last weekend... I started to watch it, but then Discovery Channel got 'technical difficulties', so I missed most of the show. It will pass again as a rerun this Wednesday (in Canada). Cool stuff...

Ultradan

Bards can be really fun, if the player that plays one gets into character...

A fun character I played was called 'The Great Ozaki'. He was a human bard with a knack for exageration. I was playing with a group in a new world created by the DM. So I actually made up places and events in my rantings wich the DM used later on when he drew up new maps.

..."Yes, The Great Ozaki has seen it all! He's brought joy to the inhabitants of the Swamp of Sorrow, climbed to the very peak of Mount Infinity (barefoot!), found a hidden cave on the 666th layer of the Abyss witch led to yet another layer, fought and killed the Giant Snarzle that terrorized the evil people of Bloodwitch Village (then killed the villagers), retrieved the lost artifact of Impalpabloth (wich happened to be invisible, incorporeal and undetectable by any magical means)..."

You get the point.

Ultradan

Bubble Bobble,
Dragon's Lair (as well as all the other animated games),
Gauntlet,
Star Wars,
Q Bert,
Tron,
Jungle Hunt,
Galaga,
Mrs Pac Man,
Joust,
Tapper,
Mario Bros.,
Donkey Kong (and Jr.)
Elevator Action,
Time Pilot,
B52 Bomber,
Qix,

And many more..

Ultradan

If I'm not mistaken, it's Lilith's birthday today!!

Let this day be all for you, dear Lilith!

Ultradan

I take the Dan's point - but I have quite nice little community feel with the guys I PbP with. Never met them, but would call them friends.

Oh, don't get me wrong... Online play is quite exciting (I play online games too), playing with half a dozen other people from all over the globe is something incredible, the way I look at it. It just fills a different need (for me, anyway).

Ultradan

Me, the reason I play D&D is for the gathering of friends at my house and the interaction the game creates. So, in truth, any version of the game would probably give the same result. I probably (I always say probably, cause we never know) won't get into the fourth edition, because the third gives us everything we want already.

Others play for the full experience and the game mechanics, so I would understand why some would decide to get the fourth edition as soon as it comes out. New rules, new combat system, new experience.

I guess what it all comes down to is why we play the game in the first place...

Ultradan

Cool guys, I've added you all to my list. This is neat!

Ultradan

Here I go with Facebook again... It's just that in the past week, I've finally found folks I've went to kindergarden with! Folks that I havent seen or heard from in over 25 years!!! Folks that still have contacts with other folks I've been trying to get in contact with since I've moved from my hometown. Incredible!

Ultradan

I'm back at work after a three week vacation... It's horrible! Even though I went to bed early last night (to be in shape for today), I woke up with all the symptoms of a hang-over. Talk about having a version to work, sheesh!!

Ultradan