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 Recent Posts
C. Wait and see. I'll continue to play 3.5 until the new books arrive, and I'll even buy the new books so I can read them myself. I want product in hand (like my magazines used to be) before I make a decision to change. I know my wife is going to be terribly disappointed though, if she can't convert her sorcerer/elemental savant/eldritch knight. I'm sure I'll have to work with her on that, including some tweaks by rule #0.
My first and most important point is to say that the alignment system is intended to be vague, fast and loose (imo). Next, I'll note that in its most recent incarnation, the alignment system makes use of individual personality examples in the very definitions of good/evil/neutral/law/chaos. This, I think, highlights the use of the alignment system for PCs, and only to societies as an extension of common personality types. Third, at various times I have argued about alignment with players. Can the half-vampire feed off of his familiar with no moral qualms? I've come to interpret alignment as a jumble of three things:
Of course, through roleplaying all of these things can and do change. That makes an evolving and usually very interesting character with depth, which is one of my favorite parts of the game.
I will never allow a skulk rogue/shadowdancer in the party again (3.0 when skill bonuses weren't always clear on stacking). The one I did allow would remain hidden in plain sight all the time, but instead of staying silent he would make rude comments to confuse or anger any NPCs the party met. Only his hide skill and reflex saves were abusively high, and instead of helping the group by scouting for example, he would sneak off ahead of them in hopes of gaining extra treasure for himself, usually setting off a trap or alarm that made the encounter that much more difficult for the party. The other players eventually decided that if they ever found him, he would die.
My list for fantasy gamers, in order of importance: Ladyhawke
And some for gamers in general, in no particular order:
Gestalt is popular with my group, too, usually because we only have three players. This time I have a fourth. Varisian male human rogue/sorcerer, going for master of many masks Elven female druid/ranger, focusing in spellcasting and skills Varisian male fighter/cleric of Sarenrae (possibly looking into Shadowspy) Shoanti male barbarian/dragon shaman and recorder of heroic deeds. Yes, the barbarian is going to keep a journal of the group's adventures, and I hope to post it in sections once we get rolling, starting this week!
Thanks guys! And Mothman,
Spoiler:
I agree that finding the group through a rainstorm would be a bit daunting. Likewise that rescuing Gosia on his own would be anticlimatic for the rest of the players. I'll wait to post until they make it back to town. As for what Troy's been doing in the meantime; He could be back in the town, trying to find out more about Gosia through the locals. Asking too many questions might've made someone upset so that Troy decided to stay out of the inquisitor's sight for awhile. He would also indulge in a little gambling, if the opportunity was there. Whatcha think?
"Foot-Trap Laying Song" When it's dark and humans sleep,
Careful with the dirt on top;
Dig it half as you are tall,
Mesh of twigs to hold the dirt
Bad grammar, missing connecting words... this might be something a goblin could manage in Common.
I would guess that Rich is a guy who doesn't like to admit to limitations on what he is capable of finishing in a timely manner. No, that doesn't really excuse the erratic scheduling. But then, I don't read OotS to be impressed with Mr. Burlew's punctuality. I would call this "cutting some slack", because it is a minor inconvenience that I can accept (though perhaps not predict). Best wishes for your health, sir, and thank you for a wonderfully entertaining strip! (edited for spelling)
Hmmm, points to ponder. 1. The region is mountainous, with terrain being a possible common obstacle. 2. The AP features many large-sized (or bigger) opponents. Considering these things, I wonder how well a character with the Mounted Combat chain of feats would fare? Probably better than in the SCAP.
Your post seems to have a very negative tone. I'll see if I can offer a new perspective. I would not say that disarm, sunder, and grappling are easier than a normal attack; after all, many classes let you start swinging a sword at level 1 without feats. To be good at these abilities (or any other abilities, really) a PC has to invest time and experience and sometimes feats. These options are available to players for several reasons: Some players like to engage in melee combat that is more interesting and dramatic than "I hit, it takes damage." Some opponents are very difficult to defeat by normal combat methods (see Hydra). And some DMs like to have rules already written for when their players come up with an oddball idea, like knocking the wizard's staff out of his hands with a well-aimed chop.
I've used this with a fighter to truly frustrate a marilith. On another note, you can attempt a Slight-of-Hand check to take something from your opponent that he is not holding, provided you have a hand free, if you succeed on a DC 20 skill check. By taking a -20 penalty, this can be done as a free action. So if your PC has close to a +40 modifier, you can go through your enemies' pockets without waiting for the end of the fight.
Evil clerics make great BBEGs. They have good hit points, two high saves, can wear heavy armor, and cast strong spells. They can even heal themselves or minions when things go badly for them. A level 30 cleric could have access to epic spells and the Automatic Quicken Spell feat. He could throw around spells that don't allow a saving throw, like a Twinned Maximized Enervation (-16 to all your rolls, great to follow up with a PW:Kill or Wail of the Banshee). If the PCs have learned the dangers of negative energy, no problem. Gate in some muscle-bound demons with the promise of many humanoid sacrifices later. Mind-control spells can also win a battle. If your evil guy should be an unstoppable killing machine, a barbarian/Frenzied Berzerker is probably best. An evil manipulator might be a lich sorcerer/archmage, a rogue/spymaster, or even an elven bard/dirgesinger. A CR 30 dragon could fill most any profile above, too.
LittlePark.
Are druid animal companions limited to those listed in the PHB? I re-read the druid class features and it seems to be so. The starting companions "must be from the following list". But there are no rules on selecting future animal companions (apart from the advanced list in the PHB) that I can find. So, what are the guidelines for, say, choosing a new dinosaur from Savage Tide? Thanks.
As pointed out, gods work by different rules in different worlds. As for my own homebrew, I prefer the "many paths to power" approach. 1. Some gods gain the majority of their power from worshippers, and are mutable depending on how they are perceived by mortals. They spend all their energy and attention on the material plane, promoting themselves to retain or enhance their power. These gods can grant spells for uses vaguely or indirectly in line with the god's dogma. 2. Some gods gain only a portion of their power through their followers, and so it's in their best interest to look after their flock, but not essential or perhaps not their first and only concern. These gods usually grant spells for uses directly benefitting its own religion or dogma. 3. Some gods have power all their own, requiring nothing of mortals and usually caring little about the material plane. Some of these gods do have interest in mortals for other reasons, and grant spells to clerics who view them as the most benevolent or terrible of all gods. Depending on the god, the uses of this divine power can be very strict or nearly frivolous in nature.
I was playing in a high-level game and the girl next to me was playing an archmage. At some point we came into a long hallway with a bunch of low-level warriors charging at us. The archmage cast some kind of wave of exhaustion, or perhaps a chained strength-draining spell. Anyway, the entire band of warriors flops to the floor, without the strength to move. My cleric remarks that it'll take awhile to Coup-de-Grace them all. So the archmage followed it with a Fire Spiders spell, Energy-substituted to electricity. I could only marvel as a couple dozen paralyzed foes died by sparking vermin crawling on them, taking one point of damage per round. I eventually married that girl.
I don't use favored class rules in my games. If this rule exists to explain a racial preference for one class or another, that has more to do with flavor than mechanics, imo. If it is to encourage playing single-class characters, I think that point is made with all the other drawbacks of multi-classing (usually lower overall effectiveness). Stones were also used in the Everquest online RPG, to which I was addicted for a couple years. I'm glad that's over. As for a "broken" rule, I think the rules are faily well-balanced for the pace of game-play, as a few others have said. The only thing that tends to make me groan is the spiked chain.
It looks like this query has been answered pretty thoroughly, so I'll just touch on the last question: how to offset attack roll penalties. As a fighter, the character can take Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Focus for her ranged weapon. Bracers of Archery are also something to consider. If you don't get Gloves of Dexterity, then some Cat's Grace potions might do.
My experiences with these games are a little less broad than some of you. I never got the full experience of playing in HERO system or MSH, but my favorite and longest-running supers games were Aberrant. I loved the system and the setting, and bought its follow-up Mutants & Masterminds, too. That was a little clunky and tended to favor defense; I hope they worked those issues with the 2nd Ed. Aberrant had a good character creation system and combat system, and I was fairly satisfied with the rules for gaining experience, too. My most memorable campaign was hunting down the symbiote (Venom-like), but battling Devus Mal (Magneto-esque BBEG) was a blast. Mutants & Masterminds was also fun, in which we played a new inexperienced group hunting down the same symbiote controlling a previous character. I had a good time with BESM 2nd Ed, playing a crab-tank driver. I did not have a good time with MSH, perhaps because the GM had an unhealthy obsession with Black Cat. On second thought, that is definitely the reason. Edit: Logue, you look a bit like a Finnigan (sp?) boxer.
It sounds like your mystic theurge is pulling some double-duty, doing the healing and magical support. I might suggest a human wizard with a couple of the reserve feats. Max out knowledge: Arcana and Concentration to fill out your role and then spend the other skill points (high INT, plus human) on something unique, like Profession: Gambler or Ride. Later you can look at the Magelord or Loremaster or many other options. My two cents.
It is common for islander communities to be based in tropical or near-tropical climates, and those areas tend to give the people a tanned appearance. At least, that's my take on it. The climate of Varisia is a bit more northern, so islanders in this setting could be based on Vikings, early English, Inuit tribes, and the like. Or something completely new. That being said, I like the roleplaying possiblities in a culture based on historic French aristocracies. Cormyr of the Forgotten Realms plays to the courtly intrigue, and the Montaingue(sp?) empire of 7th Sea (or Swashbuckling Adventures) was well-rendered with the addition of magics to high-seas fleet warfare and piracy. Admittedly, the technology level presented in 7th sea is more advanced than Varisia's, but that could be scaled back.
Yay! Experience points! I like the way the game is going. I wish it wasn't such a hassle for me to read the boards right now, or I'd make Troy reappear soon. As it is, I only have a couple months left on my deployment, which means one month until the hectic packing and moving period begins. After a little family time home, it should be a simple matter for me to PBP.
I would take advantage of the minotaur's large size and specialize in a reach weapon, possibly taking the feat Large and In Charge (originally in the Sword and Fist handbook, I think). As for prestige classes, you're missing a couple hit dice because of the race's level adjustment, so a frenzied berzerker might be what you're looking for. If you're more into grappling, the Savage Grappler or Justicar are worth looking at. I'm a big fan myself of two old prestige classes, the Devoted Defender (Sword and Fist handbook) and the Planar Champion (the Manual of the Planes), both with 3.5 errata available.
I wonder what the sentence terms are for "being a skulk", "intent to assault and battery" and "trespassing in Jzadirune"? There isn't much more they can be blamed for, and the adventurers are just as guilty of the latter offense. But still, I think it's cool they don't kill as long as it doesn't become too impractical.
I think in terms of character power, your best bet is probably to stay focused in the ranger class. However, there are options that might seem more attractive after level 20. Your attack bonuses and saving throw progression are now set, no matter what class you choose. If you were to pick up levels of Wiz/Sor, you would have more magic to help your ranger attack style, and perhaps more mobility, too. The drawbacks are: lower hit dice, little chance to overcome SR, and several levels of investment before worthwhile spells are gained.
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