Ultradan's page

Losing all the major tpps hasn't just lost them the support for the 4e system that the tpps pumping out quality 4e product would have generated, it's created very real competitors.

That's exactly what clicked in my mind when I read that 4th edition wasn't like anything out there. Now they're stuck with what only THEY come up with. And, to be honest, it isn't quite as good or relevant as what I've been getting from companies like Paizo these last few years. It seemed that WoC just made new books every other month just to boost sales and not to really add anything to the game.

I'm a big fan of adventure modules, and WoC barely had anything good in that department for a real long time. In fact, in my case, I would read an adventure in Dungeon magazine and then maybe buy a book from WoC that complimented the adventure with additionnal rules and monsters for that environment.

Now, with their 'new game', I'm afraid they'll just go crazy on the rule books again (remember The Complete Book of... series?) and have very few quality adventure modules. To me, this 4th edition, isn't an upgrade at all, it's just buisness men telling their production department to come up with a way to monopolize the game again. The game didn't really need anything.

So however good it is, I just don't need a new game right now. My 3.5 edition is perfectly fine (for me)... I already have most of the rulebooks and I get all the fine quality adventures I can possibly desire with Paizo.

Sadly, I think WoC just shot themselves in the foot. In changing to a whole new game, they sort of excluded themselves from something that was comming along very good. Will the words D&D survive this decision by Woc? I certainly hope so.

(Just remembering you that these are only MY feelings... I don't think I attacked anyone in my post, lol)

Ultradan

Think about it... In a few years, that kid named GOD can log onto the Paizo Messageboards and choose a weird pseudo-name, like JOHN.

Ultradan

I was thinking that Hasbro would make up a whole new game JUST to have all the rights for themselves...

Thinking that everyone would blindly 'upgrade' to 4th edition when, in fact, they'd be converting folks to a whole new game. Leaving d20 OGL companies and products behind.

Maybe I'm thinking too much.

Ultradan

I have a theoretical question...

Does 4th Edition work with the OGL? Since it's totally a new game (and not d20) now souly owned by Hasbro, could another company like PAIZO publish books using their new game system?

Just wondering.

Ultradan

I don't think so... In order to detect magic, evil, or plants (lol), the target must be visible. Otherwise, it would render the detect invisibility spell pretty useless.

Ultradan

I'm finding the monster section in every Pathfinder adventure path books a great ressource for this... Most monsters there are new, and almost all of them get my players pretty worried the first time they encounter them ("What the heck is THAT???").

Use known creatures to the best of their ability... Have the group fall in a 15ft pit as they are walking in the middle of a field, then have a dozen kobolds appear over the sides with short bows (since kobolds like using traps). Then have them flee if two PCs manage to get out...

Mix natural hazards with mundane monsters... Quicksand and stirges, for example. Use the AREA around the PCs to add flavor (and danger) to each encounter. Icy paths, thick fog, chest-high water, low ceilings, are all great at sticking thorns in the side of PCs, and it makes random encounters way more memorable.

Ultradan

For scores that are borderline low (with only a -1 penalty), I'd play the character the same way I'd play an average or just above average character. Your little penalty will reflect enough on your skills, I would't even worry about playing the character.

I'd focus more on the extremes, say you rolled a five on intelligence... I'd make him forgetfull, missinformed, or something like that. For a very low wisdom score, I'd play him gullible and/or naive. For a low charisma score, I would give him a quirk that repulses others (or make others not want to have him as a leader)... I'd make him bashful, akward around others, maybe give him a studdering problem or an awful scar across the face.

Same thing goes with high scores (16 or more)... High intelligence would translate in the character being a great tacticitian, remembering passes from book he's read long ago, etc... For a high wisdom score, I would prepare a series of old chinese proverbs on a sheet of paper and my character would say a few during the games, when the time is appropriate. For high charisma, I would certainly get the Leadership feat and start surrounding myself with an entourage, talk in character with an english accent, start calling everyone Jimmy.

Ultradan

I hear ya pal... I had a player who even always took the same PC name. That's beyond 'comfort zone'... And I agree, it's quite lazy.

Whenever I play, I take it as a challenge to play what the team needs. I'll roll up a first level character and then see where he takes me. I don't focus on what he'll look like at level twenty, I just go with the flow. Any race, any class, any alignment!

Although I tend to stick to the base classes, as I never seen the need for prestige classes. My characters are SO different, even if I were to play another fighter after the first one dies, I swear it wouldn't be the same experience.

And it's not true that just because you don't play a half-orc barbarian with 20 strength that you'll get your ass kicked... Dudes, I could play a halfling ranger with 11 strength and still find tons of ways to beat the enemies.

Ultradan

I usually play the monsters to the best of my ability, often giggling whe they get a crit on the PCs. My players say I take for the bad guys... To which I respond: I AM THE BAD GUYS!! LOL

I fudge rolls (sometimes), when I want the fight to last longer, or when I judge that a PC death here would be pointless. Everything that happens in my game is orchestrated by me to enhance the overall story and the general experience of it all.

Mind you, that unplanned deaths still occure sometimes. After all, I gotta keep my players on their toes!

Ultradan

Wow... I'm floored. Big thanks!!

Ultradan

(now, if I can only hide this thread from my players...lol)

Hello Kate,

Make yourself at home! If any of these goons gives you trouble, let me know... I'll freeze them with my Y-Ray vision.

Ultradan
Resident Super-Hero

Years ago, your wife chose to spend the rest of her life with you, and you honored that admirably. Those memories and experiences are to be cherrished; not forgotten. They will be part of you and what you are forever. And you will eventually have more of them to add to those. I won't say better ones, just different ones.

Hang in there Fizz... One day at a time (one hour at a time if you have to). Seek those close to you for strength when you're in need of it.

Daniel Morency

Riddler has, in my opinion, always been a second tier character, unworhty of main villain status. He's just a piss-poor versionof a less psychotic Joker.

Catwoman might be interesting, but she's more of an anti-hero than an outright villain.

Penguin could be a possibility, as long as they didn't do him as some half-bird boy.

All in all, it'll be a difficult decision.

Have the Riddler be anonymous, leaving gruesome clues all along (as mentioned above, like in Seven)... And we only find out that it's someone we didn't expect at the end, like a young woman, an old man, or a quadraplegic genius...

Or maybe a combination of villains... Catwoman, Penguin and the Riddler, to give it the old 1966 Batman movie feel. We could introduce Robin or Batgirl here.

Ultradan

In the openning credits to the old Buck Rogers television show, the narrator says...

"...The year is 1987, and Nasa launches the last of America's DEEP SPACE PROBES..."

..On which Captain William Buck Rogers was the LONE astronaut!! LOL!!

Ultradan

I think they work pretty well...
:P

Ultradan

2. Teachers using poor grammar

Lol... In Quebec, we have english teachers that don't speak english. How's that for ridiculous?!?

Ultradan

You're welcome here, nomatter what your opinions may be.

Ultradan

"Don't make me Ang-Lee... You wouldn't like me when I'm Ang-Lee..."

LOL!!

Ultradan

Mine was the adventure module B1: In Search of the Unknown (with a d4 and a d10) in 1981... And I STILL have it in my collection today, although it's a bit banged up.

Ultradan

It usually serves as background story in my campaigns. When the PC party comes in town, the barbarian immediately starts looking for a prostitute. So without going into the details, we know what the barbarian did last night...

And for mature subject matter, I usually use it sparringly. Which makes it much more effective when it does come up.

Ultradan

In my game, my players "referee" almost as much as I do... I'm finding it ever more difficult to keep up with the zillions of rules, skills, feats, and spells. So my players do most of that part for me.

We rule together, usually with me having the last word (but I agree with them most of the time cause it makes sense). I'm more of a narrator than a referee, I guess... And certainly not a god. I try to have as much fun as they do.

And as for where and when do I use the rules... I use them when the players interact with my NPCs. I rarely use them otherwise (I just tell the story). If it's in the story that the town 7th level Paladin got stabbed by a local kid, then so be it. Although I would never tell a PLAYER paladin that his PC got stabbed and killed (by whoever)without a rolling for initiative.

Ultradan

Very little of the email that comes to my website email address is about, you know, asking me to do art for someone. Most of it is spam centered around offering to give me a newer (presumably better) wang. I don't know what it is about my artwork that says I need a new wang, but I think I have at least a few years left on this one before I need to trade up.

I found one today that says,"Your new c%%% is waiting for you" and I was like, "Oh, snap! I forgot to pick up my rooster from the bus terminal! He's going to be FURIOUS!"

What is the purpose of sending SPAM like this? Do folks actually reply to these and buy the product (whatever it is they are selling, be it watches, trips, watches, wangs...)?

And what happens if you click on one/open one? I'm afraid to even keep them in my inbox too long for fear that they'll invite more SPAM...

Ultradan

I used to work in a big-surface hardware store (like Home Depot), and this old italian man comes up to me and asks me if I sell "washers" for a garden hose. I say YESSIR and show him where they were situated. But to the customer's chagrin, we sold them in little plastic bags of six.

He turns and asks me if we sold them individually.

I say: "No. But for .89 cents, you'll be good for a few years!"

He then says: "But I only need one..."

Then my look turned to disgust. I just told him again that we only sell them in packs of six, and that I was sorry for that.

So I turn my attention to some other customer for a few minutes, and happen to walk back past the "Washers" rack... One bag was ripped open and one washer was missing.

:(

HOW CHEAP IS THAT?!?!?

Ultradan

True story...

I once worked in a mirror/window shop. I had a lady walk into the shop and ask us if we could make her a mirror in which she could admire her beauty... I replied (a bit too quickly) that we made mirrors, not miracles.

She took it pretty bad. LOL... And while my boss was doing everything in his power to excuse this outrage, I was laughing myself silly just a few feet away.

Ultradan

We used to do a sort of "D&D" Olympics... About twelve players would agree on a character level and what was permitted (everyone had max hit points, only magic items under a certain value were permitted, etc...), create our own PC and then participate in a series of events to see who comes out on top.

There were arena fights, target shooting, drinking contests (a series of constitution rolls), etc...

Was pretty fun.

Nowadays, I try to intergrate something similar at least once in my campaign, with the PCs of the group participating in the event (Like in the Age of Worms campaign) and me making up the rest of the NPCs.

Ultradan

Gee Fizz, life sucks dude... I'm so sorry.

These boards are so much more than rule debates and gaming. It's also a place where you can find support. Do what you feel is right my friend, and know that we'll all be here for you when and if you decide to comeback.

Take care man.

Daniel Morency

Top 10 sings that you play too much D&D...

10) When told by your boss that you won’t get a raise this year, you reply "...can I roll again?"

9) You walk exactly 10 feet per minute slower when carrying heavy luggage.

8) You actually carry around a ten foot pole 'just in case'.

7) You study hard for one hour after a good night's rest and forget everything immediately after the exam.

6) You refuse to cook dinner with the excuse that you never put any points in that skill.

5) You know what a Magmin is.

4) You look and listen separately.

3) You sleep fully dressed in case something happens during the night.

2) When entering a building, you insist on checking every room on the main floor before moving up to the next one.

1) The most intimate you've been with a woman was with a prostitute in Scuttlecove.

Ultradan

Maybe it's like Star Trek. By the 23rd Century humans no longer exude waste, right?

-DM Jeff

"Scotty, beam the $#@&% out of me!"

Ultradan

Here's a question: Otyughs are sometimes used to dispose of human waste. What kind of waste do otyughs produce?

They produce tuna sadwiches and cherry cokes. It's the circle of life man! LOL!!

Ultradan

ZERO.

Welcome!

Ultradan here... Real life super-hero... Should you ever be in need of rescuing while on these messageboards.

My only weakness is cryptonite dice (and hamburgers).

Ultradan

Ever thought of running a Star Wars campaing? That's what we did for a while... The adventures are pretty action-packed and you can find a bunch of CDs with Star Wars soundtracks to push the experience even further. We had a lot of fun with that.

Ultradan

I found 'Cabin Fever' to be one of the worst movies I ever seen. Everything about it screams CHEAP!!!

I was very disapointed in 'Dreamcatcher' which started out pretty creepy (with all the forest animals walking in the same direction), but ended in total crappness.

Ultradan

I had this awesome game back in the day.Anyone else remember this game?I have many fond memories of destroying my little sisters castle...

I also destroyed my sister's castle; But it was her 'My Little Pony' castle... lol

Ultradan

I have chosen not to hide my post as to take up the most space possible… lol

1. In your experience what is the typical composition (e.g. gender, age, race, etc.) of the players?
Started playing when I was 9 or 10, I played with little boys my age. I’m 36 now and play with folks ten years above or below my age, male and female, although mostly male. Female players seem to be hard to find. I like having them in a group as they bring a whole other perspective to game play.

2. A common D & D stereotype that I have heard is that those who play D & D are under achievers. For example, still live with parents, don’t have a job, or just don’t want to “grow up.”
I so believe that’s not true. From my experience, most roleplayers end up being very successful, with families and good jobs.

3. What role does religion play in the D & D culture?
Although in game it plays a big role (clerics need to pray to their god to get spells, villains are usually pawns in some evil deity’s major plan to rule the universe), out of the game it’s inconsequential. Any one from any background from any religion can have fun here.

4. What thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and/or values are most important in the D & D culture?
D&D is not very different than sitting down in front of the TV to watch the next episode of your favourite show. Except that you play one of the main characters in the story. I guess the most important attitude to have for playing any roleplaying game is the willingness to exchange… Ideas, stories, good times.

5. Is their another culture that the D & D culture seems to have difficulty with? What is the nature of this difficulty?
As others have posted, the only trouble I see are the religious folks who think that somehow we’re the devil because we play characters in a fantasy story and roll dice. But the problem is on their side, not ours.

6. Are there ways that the D & D culture are discriminated against? What ways?
As with all other forms of discrimination, it comes from a lack of understanding. Those who make fun or fear roleplayers and roleplaying games just have no clue.

7. Have you personally been discriminated and/or stereotyped due to your involvement in the D & D culture? If you have been please explain.
Not personally, I don’t think so. I proudly write it on my résumé that I’m a roleplayer. I think it tells the reader that I’m someone with great interpersonal skills and great at solving problems. That’s what I would think if I saw that on a résumé…

8. What strengths does the D & D culture have?
This hobby changed my life. It sparked my imagination as a child and it’s been running full-blast to this very day. It helped me develop my reading and writing skills, my oratory skills, my math skills, geography, history, vocabulary, visualisation, problem-solving, etc… Only good came of it. It taught me that learning can be fun.

9. What weaknesses does the D & D culture have?
I don’t see any weaknesses in the hobby of roleplaying.

10. How are disagreements or conflicts resolved in the D & D culture?
With diplomacy. Exchange. Comprehension. Teamwork.

11. Many in the “Christian” culture believe that D & D is “of the devil” and “sinful.” How would respond to this?
Ugh… Poor, poor Christians. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

12. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
Roleplaying shouldn’t be banned and feared. It should be used in schools and shown to children at an early age. Your religion forbids you to talk about sorcery and demons, fine… Use another story setting. A little sci-fi perhaps (Star Wars universe…)? How about an Indiana Jones style adventure set in the 1950s, with real historical events that children would have to learn for an upcoming history exam. There’s no limit to the kind of stories you can use. I swear, if the teachers in my time used this medium for learning purposes, I’d have 100%s in all my classes.

Ultradan

Or the old Gauntlet game... (sigh)

Ultradan

What can you do with a turtle?... Lol. It barely moves. If your lucky enough he'll bit your daughter's finger off. I say, put it back in the creek it came from and get a hamster.

Ultradan
p.s.: What exactly do you feed a turtle anyway?

Take Chris Carter for instance... Sure the X-Files were good and interesting. But man, was I pissed when the whole thing ended with practically no answers to the multitude of mysteries.

Remember when Mr Carter used to tell us that in certain upcomming episodes, secrets would be revealed, there would be answers to our questions, etc... But by the time said episode passed, it just lead to more questions. I always wondered if mr Carter just invented as he went along, not knowing himself what the whole government conspiracy was. Will I go see the next X-Files movie when it comes out next year? Sure. Anything to see Scully again. lol.

Then take J.J.Abrams when he took us on that rollercoaster called lost. A TON of mysteries and questions at the beginning... That's what hooked us to the show. But by now, with the fourth season nearing its climax, we ha been explained a lot. Sure, there are some mysteries remaining, but we get a sense that the story is getting somewhere and that the writers are leading us to a final goal, and that things WILL be explained sometime in the future.

You need mystery to get your audience interested, but you also need to explain at some point. Or you risk leaving your audience a little frustrated, like the X-Files left me.

Ultradan

An idea that occured to me when I read in a previous post that they have good Wisdom scores and not so good Intelligence:

The elementals worship the magic forge. It is their God and their Alter. They make offerings and protect it from blasphemers. The usual cleric stuff.

You could even give some of the elementals cleric levels. Domains of Fire and Artifice, or really almost any second domain.

-Jack

I was thinking this exactly. So fire elementals USUALLY don't do anything, but THESE ONES worship and protect their forge as if it was a god. Mess with that forge and you've stirred up a hornets nest! It's simple; It's brilliant.

Ultradan

Administrative Technician for Quebec Immigration in the financial ressources department. Basically, I compile and crunch numbers all day long. It's not just a job, it's an adventure.

Ultradan

I would add that NEED would be a reason for big trees.

A tree has to get as high as the other trees surrounding it in order to get sunligh. This also may be why huge trees are mainly found in deep valleys or at the base of mountains (they have to get high enough to see the sun longer). So a lone tree in the middle of a plain should be smaller than the same kind of tree in a lush forest.

Why can't they grow to gargantuan sizes? For the same reason why we can't make buildings that reach space... At some point, the entire building would be elevator shafts to get folks to the highest reaches of the building. Trees have to get nutrients from the ground all the way up to those top branches. If trees were to grow as high as mountains, the tree itself would be hollow (from all the conduits) and break under its own weight.

Mind you, this is just speculation as I am no where near a specialist on trees. lol

Ultradan

It's been hell at work (it's where I usually posted from) for the past nine months cause of a new accounting system we've implanted. That and the fact that I haven't DMed a game of D&D for a whole year now (weddings, funerals, second job, etc...). So I didn't have much to contribute to the discussions.

I just finished reading the first Rise of the Runelords (that's how far back I am, lol).

We plan to play soon though.

Ultradan

Ultradan! *squees, runs over, glomps*

Well, hello to you too Lilith!!

Ultradan

I drive a scooter. Used to cost me 3.50 to fill up my gas tank. Now it costs me 4.75... Boo-hoo!

Seriously though, to get around in the city, NOTHING beats a scooter. Low-gas costs, hardly spent anything on repaire (like 250.00 in nine years), no parking troubles... And leaves me plenty of room in the garage for a D&D room. Of course, I take the bus from december to march when the snow comes.

Ultradan

Btw, it seems that there are many gaming groups out there, that are playing parodies of the game. This is something that I can't understand. I don't have anything against a good laugh while playing, but I can't imagine to learn rules and prepare a game with the sole intention to make fun of it.

The games I DM are usually serious, down to earth adventures, with great players and mostly turn out to be alot of fun. But, I have nothing against a good laugh though (the point is to have a good time, no?), as long as it doesn't become a circus.

I've had characters do zanny things (mostly desperation acts when things go sour in a big boss fight). But if the player comes up with a plan, and there's a remote chance of success; Should that player go ahead with it and roll a natural 20 on the skill check (or attack roll), then what the heck, I go along with it (like skewering a white dragon with a lance tied to the bow of a catamaran...). Those situations usually last in our memories forever.

Ultradan

I had a girl player (druid) once who was more interested in the little boys outside than in the game (and she was regularly abscent too), which really yanked my chain. So at on point during a game, she (the player)sort of disappeared from my gaming table to go talk to some friends outside. After about fifteen minutes I went to her and asked her if she was either staying outside or comming back in to continue gaming. She said she wanted to stay outside. I said "Ok then..."

I returned to the gaming table and contuniued gaming...

"Ok, so where were we... Oh yeah, second watch around the campfire... (rolling for encounters)... (I turn to the bard)... "Well, as your sitting there at the campfire, the druid suddenly looks at you, as if she heard something. Then she explodes."

Yeah, I made her explode for no good reason. We laughed for fifteen minutes before continuing... The group picked up her equipement and continued on their quest.

Ultradan

...Or, maybe they could do something with ninjas....

I was thinking the exact same thing... Something oriental. There are tons of chinese/japonese legends and myths to go around. Get some ninjas/samurai in there, and it could become pretty interesting pretty quick.

It would be GREAT to have a scene (say, at the begining of the movie) where Indy escapes the clutches of some bad guys and gets into a getaway car driven by the now grown up Short-Round (they could actually show us that his feet now reach the pedals...lol).

Ultradan

Is it the best movie I ever seen?

No. In fact, none of the other Indiana Jones were either. (I'm still an total fan though.)

Is it worth to spend ten bucks to go see it at the theatre?

Absolutely. If you've seen and liked the rest of the Indy movies, then you'll absolutely enjoy this one.

Bottom line is, it's an Indiana Jones movie... It has Harrison Ford in it... It has adventure, excitement, bugs, chases, humor, all the good stuff we'd excpect from an Indy film. Sure, there are parts that are out of this world or out right unrealistic; But hey, it's a movie.

Enjoy the ride!

Ultradan
(wishing they would make another one...)

I think the problem is perception.

Sure, a roll of 4 (on d12) for hit points seems pretty crappy campared to the possibility of 12. But now compare it to 6... Now it seem that it's just a little below average. In my mind, a character rolling d12s for hit points should have rolled about 36 at sixth level. Barbarians, who should have a high constitution, should add 12 or 18 to this, bringing the character in question around 50 hit points. Which in my book, isn't that bad. It allows for the character to survive a few hits and keeps the players on their toes (and makes for exciting fights).

It may sound rough to you, but my players really think twice about attacking that family of owl bears living in the woods. And in my game, the reckless frontal attack almost never prevails.

Ultradan

All I can say about Friday is 'Holy Frak!' I sat there for a minute or two, my jaw hanging...

I as well... I didn't see that comming at all. There's some good stuff on TV these days.

Ultradan