Wicht's page

Thanks very much for the review. It is much appreciated.

I only recently starting writing reviews, and I did it for one very simple reason, I only saw two voices speaking up about what was worth buying, and what wasn't. I got nothing but respect for End and D_M, but it seemed to me that more opinions were needed. I don't get to review nearly as much as I would like, but that's more because of cost than anything.

Let me just say thank you for the reviews you have written. They have not gone unnoticed.

Are there any Rite Publishing books you would like to review but have not because of your budget?

Just noticed KTFish7's review. Thank you very much for that. It is appreciated.

#30 Unique Magical Blades has pictures in it of each magical weapon, including some which I decided were good representations of elven curved blades. Now when I picture curved blades, the images from this book are what come to mind.

I wouldn't have a problem with it, especially if you are playing in a world where dragon sightings are rare. It would also mean that good and evil dragons would not be so easily distinguished by veteran gamers.

That said, the Sublime Template is... well, sublime! Makes me desire to create an entire PrC just to give it as a 10th-level boon!

And I love the poor unfortunate medusa oracle too.

Thank you very much. You brightened an already good morning. Glad you liked them.

I just have to ask, what is the intended use of this item?

I can see it keeping doors closed, and even using it in combat to nail an enemies shield and weapon together. I am not trying to say it's a bad item - in fact it is extremely creative, but at a price tag of 24,000 GP I might be missing something here.

I think it is pretty much agreed that it is too expensive. Redoing it without many changes (Mr. Reynolds in another thread suggests making it an inexpensive one-shot with some other changes) I would knock the price down to 6000 gp and put a weight limit on it.

The use is whatever people can come up with, much as with sovereign glue or an immovable rod. I think its the sort of item that would be constantly put to new and unexpected uses as the situation demanded. Some I have thought of are as follows.

-sneakily putting it into someones boot heel and the floor
-quickly nailing a door shut when you don't have a wizard with a memorized arcane lock spell
-securing your sword (or other valuables) so it cannot be stolen while you sleep
-quickly hiding something out of sight on the ceiling
-tying off a chain or rope to a featureless cliff
-nailing a book shut to prevent other people from reading it
-secure a flask/pot/canteen so it cannot be easily opened
-secure manacles/chains/etc without the aid of a lock and key

Clark, I think, suggested pinning a foes armor to the ground during a grapple.

A friend suggested it as a means of temporarily destroying a lock so that it could not be opened with the key.

I would be very interested in what other uses people could create for it in an actual game.

Thank you Sean. I greatly appreciate the feedback.

So how about you? What do you desire from this annual odyssey?

A monthly Paizo paycheck for freelance work. :)

Draelin wrote:

Thanks, and good luck to all the winners

Mask, Secret Mask
Aura moderate (no school); CL 10th
Slot head slot; Price 11,000 gp; Weight - lbs.
Description
This mask can be made of different kinds of materials be it metal, leather, ceramic, or even wood. But the defining
feature is that the mouth is never open. When worn, the mask prevents you from uttering a single word from your mouth.
It takes a standard action to put on, or remove, but when worn you gain a +2 enhancement bonus to stealth checks.
Once per day, you may speak a command word and be under the effect of pass without trace spell for 10 minutes. If you
remove the mask the effect ends.
If Norgorber is your patron, the mask can be worn as your holy symbol and the wielder can cast up to three spells per day
without verbal components as though using the Silent Spell feat.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wonderious Item, Silent Spell, Pass Without Trace; Cost 5,500 gp

Like Sphen said, plus (nitpicking; I know...)

- A comma is missing between "materials" and "be it"
- If pass without trace is a spell, it should be in italics and not capitalized. Plus, inconsistent use of capitals between both occurences.
- Cenerally clunky sentences, as an eample take the unnecessary leap between subjects in mid-sentence, "If Norgorber is your patron, (...) the wielder can cast...".
- "when worn you gain a +2 enhancement bonus"... umm am I the only one who is not happy with that formulation?
- Line break between "Construction" and "Requirements"... why?
- Finally: What the eff is a "Wonderious Item"? Trying to take "Wonderous" to a new level of wondrous?

It has more problems than that.

- Its a SIAC which grants a minor bonus and mimics a metamagic rod(ie. not bad but not superstar).

- The aura should include faint transmutation (the spell is 1st level transmutation)

- CL should be either 1st or 17th. Aside from the metamagic rod emulation, there is no reason for it to be higher than 3rd but the item is weak enough that 1st is good (the 10 min a day use nerfs even the 1st level spell).

- Price, by RaW, should be either 2400 gp or 19,400 (1x1x2000 + 2x2x100) + 17,000 gp for greater silent metamagic rod)

- the word "slot" does not need to follow "head"

- There should be at least a 1 lb weight as the mask is made of material heavier than silk.

- The requirement to speak a command word with a mask that does not let you speak has been noted, but is a major mistake.

- The text is too clunky for such a simple item, consider, "This leather mask has no slot for the mouth and functions as a holy symbol for clerics of Norgorber. Wearing the mask, which prevents you from speaking or casting spells, grants you a +2 bonus to Stealth checks and allows you 1/day to cast pass without trace." All the same basic information in 2 sentences.

- I would just drop the whole Silent Spell aspect as it simply mimics a greater metamagic rod and makes everything else (CL, price, etc.) wonky.

- The 10 minutes of spell effect a day is weak considering the spell lasts 1 hour/level.

- the whole not speaking thing is problematic, making the mask undesirable for the clerics who are supposed to be benefiting from it.

You can download the classes here

link

I'm fine with stats for it being printed here. I've seen that before with pdfs where one of the illustrations, or bbeg monsters aren't stated.

I'll keep it in mind for a short article for Pathways.

I went through and found, thanks to Clark's critique threads, my entry for each year. Here they are from first to last.

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

On page 11 we see the picture of the dream horror. However, I can't seem to find any stats on it anywhere in the book. Where might I find some? In another supplement?

I'm really surprised no one has asked this before as it was one of the first things I noticed when I scanned through it after layout: an illustration without an accompanying monster. As far as I know, the picture is just an illustration that wandered into the book. When I took over the project, I knew I wanted to do some more monsters for the book (and did) because it felt to me like it needed more. However, there was no art budget left over for them (which is why the monster section lacks the illustrations for the monsters). But the pages needed some art and I assume that picture was just one that was available to be used and thus got used when layout was being done.

Stubborn Nail: I know, this item got a lot of discussion from the judges, but I'm really not impressed with it. Why? Because, it's only as cool as the user makes it. It could, potentially be cool, but it's exactly as cool as a lot of other items, like a decanter of endless water, or an immovable rod. And, as judges pointed out, it's way too expensive for what it is/does.

Thanks for the comment. It is very much an item whose use is determined by the owner. I happen to think that the immovable rod is extremely cool so I'll take that as praise. :) And it is likely too expensive (edit: If I had to reprice it, I would likely set it at 6000).

For my submission writing "Price is totally off. Boring idea. Seen it before." would have been more telling than "poorly crafted".

"Poorly crafted," seems like a reasonable description to me for a judge to use and I think you would do better to consider why they used that description instead of more specific criticisms. "Poorly crafted," implies a general weakness in the design of the item and means that there is no single one thing wrong but that the whole of the item is deficient.

If you want more constructive criticism, reading your submission, I would advise you to figure out how to be more concise. Simplify your idea and your presentation of the idea. It is needlessly wordy for what is essentially a walking suitcase (and no, its not original for anyone who has read Discworld).

You also would do well to work on your actual grammar. Your first sentence alone reveals a weakness in your writing and proofing. Several of your sentences are a bit clumsy. Your last sentence, for instance, has 3 different uses of the word "or" in it.

I admit a bit of conflict when I read things such as, “If this is how the judges are going to be I just won't enter next year.” The selfish bit of me is glad – less competition and all that. But the rest of me, the bit normally in control, thinks such an attitude is awful shortsighted. Each man (and women too) should strive for greatness and pursue dreams. If one of your dreams is to produce RPG material, the RPG Superstar contest is a good way to gauge your current abilities in the field. It is made even better by the fact that the judges are willing to provide feedback on what kept you from being in the top tier. You get the benefit of seeing what you did wrong (or right) but also, and even better, you get to see how everyone else did and therefore you have a hundred critiques to learn from instead of just one.

I do think that those who are complaining about the judges feedback being too short, or not enough, are wrong. Or, rather, you are looking at it in absolutely the wrong way. Think of it in terms of roofing. Some people seem to want instructions on how to better swing the hammer, but they are having problems climbing the ladder. To make it worse, they are getting frustrated by the teacher's fixation on the ladder. But the teacher has it right: the hammer does you no good if you can't first learn how to get on the roof. Two illustrations.

Say your item was disqualified. You do not need to know anything else about your submission. You instead need to go back and figure out why it was disqualified and fix that problem. Our beloved Mr. Reynolds has stressed this for some time now: If you can't follow instructions he doesn't want to work with you. It doesn't matter how creative your ideas are, how flowery your prose. A disqualification means you need to work on one of the most fundamental of skills for a writer: reading comprehension. “But!” you exclaim, “It doesn't tell me what else was wrong with my entry, or how to improve.” But here you are wrong. It doesn't matter what else was wrong. If you can't climb up the first rung of the ladder, you have no business working on the roof.

I also notice, and its not unique to this year (and we all are prey to the temptation) complaints that the judges misunderstood something about your entry and that their feedback is therefore insufficient to help you improve. But regardless of whether they did misunderstand you, and even assuming you understand the rules and how your submission conforms to the rules better than the judges, it doesn't matter for you have a deeper, more fundamental flaw. Your writing was not good enough to convey your ideas. End of story. That sounds harsh but it is not (because I'm not saying your writing can't improve). Its a simple truth and you need to admit it before you can improve. Consider this: if the judges, with their expertise, did not understand the nuances of your submission, you are pretty much guaranteed that the average reader will mess it up too. This is due to the inherent cheapness, in my opinion, of the Paizo Accounting department. They have refused to include a cloned copy of the writer in every book they sell. Until such time as the bean counters see fit to adapt with the times, the writers have to write in such a way as to allow everyone to understand their work the first time through, everytime, without the benefit of their presence at the table. That's not always easy, but the sooner and better you can accomplish this, the better for you. So don't argue with the judges about how they misunderstood you. Learn to write in a way where there is no doubt as to what's what. Once you have mastered those rungs, you can start to worry more about the whole hammer and nail aspect of the business.

I'll take you up on that offer Sean for the Stubborn Nail. I understand most of the reasons it did not make the final cut(ie. mundane name and too expensive for a glorified nail). I would be glad for any advice you have to offer.

I've entered all 5 years, though I don't know if I could find my first two or three items now. I've made the keep folder twice. I continue to keep trying.

However, let me add that I have actually been freelancing for the last two years and now have RPG books in print with my name on it. I admit that it would be nice to have the Paizo contributor tag, but the contest is only one path to success and if you are waiting on success in it before attempting other avenues, you're a bit like the guy waiting to get rich by hitting the lottery. It would be nice, but the man with his nose to the grindstone everyday is going to likely get there first. As Liz said, submit to some other places and see what happens.

Assassin Eye

Since you asked. I have to agree with the judges on the fact that its essentially a remote controlled fireball.

Beyond this, your text is too wordy for what is conveyed. There is no real excuse for you to be over the word count with this item. Figure out how to tighten up and combine your sentences so that you are saying the same thing with fewer words.

I also think, mechanically and textually, you are trying too hard to cover too many bases and and thus making your item too complicated for what it is. Why would I even imagine a solid metal sphere could just pop into and out of dimensions. There is no need for that tidbit of negative information to be there. Also things like the "smooth floor" convey too much information and yet not enough. Will it work on carpets? What if there is gravel in the cave?

I have yet to make it to the top 32, so take this for what its worth: My main advice to you would be for you to figure out how to tighten up your ideas and text.

Wicht wrote:

Stubborn Nail

Ha! I liked this one. In fact, I put it in the keep pile. So you initially made it into the keep pile. That means you've got good design.

-snip-
5. Using the format right matters. Your excellent use of the template got you into the keep pile. Your technical execution of the item was very good, and that is worth something. While your idea was good and fun, it was not awesome (which is what cost you the ticket from my view). What got you initially sorted into the keep folder was that you did such a great job with the template, that tells me you have the mojo to be a freelancer and follow those kinds of instructions.

Thank's Clark (and Neil) for the info and the feedback. I greatly appreciate it. Short of making it into an RPG hardback or a Paizo book before the next contest, I'll do my utmost to enter again next year.

I can see that the name is a bit mundane, but I confess I got the idea from the phrase, "stubborn nail," while pulling out nails, and once I came up with mechanics for it, I couldn't really think of a more apropos name, since it describes exactly what it is. I can also see its likely overpriced, but I still think it would be a very fun item to watch players coming up with uses for in game.

And I am strangely heartened to hear I have the mojo to be a freelancer. :D

I'll keep at it.

Stubborn Nail
Aura moderate abjuration and faint transmutation; CL 3rd
Slot feet; Price 24,000 gp; Weight -
Description
This admantine nail is three inches long. As a standard action you, or another creature, may easily push the nail, by hand, through and into any non-living material, including metal, stone and cut wood. You may likewise push it through more than one item at a time, so long as the width of each item will allow this. Once the nail has been pushed into place, only the one who embedded it may easily pull it out again. All others attempting to remove the nail must make a successful Strength check to do so, where the DC of the attempt is equal to 10 plus the combined hardness of the items the nail is in. Once the nail has been removed, there is no evidence, such as a hole, to indicate it has been used nor does the nail ever damage that which it has been used to secure.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, arcane lock, mending ; Cost 12,000 gp

I was not surprised 96 pages did not get finished in 24 hours. I am curious how many pages were done in the time span.

The Complete Tome of Horrors is your #1 buy, though you may have to settle for PDF. If you can't buy that, buy the older versions anyway.

Dangerous Denizens, by Kenzer is a good book, its animal section alone makes it worth picking up.

The Creature Collections from Sword and Sorcery are a little rough CR wise, but the monsters are a gold mine of ideas and readily polished up.

Book of Monster Templates, from Rite, has already been mentioned, but I'll put in another vote for it.

I don't know who would run it, but a 3pp Pathfinder awards ceremony would be a great event for Paizo Con.

That's a shame, because building characters (even, or possibly even especially, with tool like Hero Lab) is probably one of the best ways to learn the rules.

Ain't that the truth. First thing I do, as a GM, when trying to learn any new system is make a half dozen characters. It forces you to learn where things are in the rulebook and gives you a better understanding of how things mesh together.

Thanks for the Review D.M.

Ice is certainly a niche material, and won't show up in most sessions, but I could certainly think of any number of ways to use it in adventures. So its nice to have rules for it when it shows up. I wouldn't call it worthless. Far from it.

I can't remember who originally stated up the were-hounds, so I don't know where they found the armors ability. They might have taken it from the 3.5 book, but I think a +3 bonus is too high a price. Officially, I would price it at being 14,000gp + the price of the armor (my reasoning is in the spoiler). Though I would also suggest that if they were to try to sell the armor in the Souk, or the city, on the Island, most merchants would refuse to touch it, recognizing where it came from and not wanting to anger the Khan.

Am wondering if we're ever to see this hinted collection of 101

I am happy to be able to tell you that you can see, in fact, see this collection: 101 Malevolent Magic Items.

Hope you enjoy them. :)

Question about what the were-hellhounds are wearing. They have +2 chain shirt-barding that's enchanted to turn into barding when they morph. How much of an enchanted would that be if a PC wanted to put that on their armor as well? +2 ability? +4 ability? Tens of thousands of gold?

I would consider it actually to be a fairly minor ability. Glamered armor adds only 2700 to the price. This is admittedly a little better than Glamered, and I would probably use the 3rd level spell Beast Shape 1 as the spell necessary for creation, which does raise the minimum caster level. With that in mind, I would make it cost about 10,000 gp flat.

Email them. ;)

That would have been my answer as well. While the "big names" in the business may be harder to get to, I imagine most freelancers would be pretty happy to be personally asked to do some work. Even if their schedule meant they would have to say no.

Thanks for the review End.

I think Cheapy's read is probably accurate. They have lines that are more profitable for them and have indicated here and there that they are going to focus on those. Though I would hold out hope for them to do something else in the future.

It is a good book. I've used one of the templates to date in a publication (dark seed in Dark Path) but I suspect there will be more to come.

I think it is just a matter of time and choosing priorities. They are focused on their other lines and are finding they don't have as much time as is necessary to keep their Pathfinder offerings up to speed. I would expect them to be taking steps to adjust here soon, especially with those projects they have invested money in.

Kaidan has a new book in the series, this one on Yakuza, and, though it is Kaidan, it should be suitable for use in any oriental setting with Japanese elements.

A Link for the convenience of those interested in acquiring the best PFRPG Yakuza supplement around.

And its up!

And a map!

Can't forget the village map. :)

The fourth part is not quite a module but should help a busy GM to put together a series of adventures with a minimum of work.

Content teaser, pretty pretty please?

What's the expected function of Yakuza in one's games? Are they the opposition, mafia-like sinister organization or something else?

Do we get NPCs?

The role of the yakuza in one's game is completely up to the players and GM involved. There is enough information to create Yakuza PCs, including yakuza traits and feats. There are Yakuza NPCs presented and even a mountain village in the grip of a Yakuza gang, complete with adventure seeds for the GM. I do mention in the book, that, in my opinion, a game focused solely on the Yakuza is going to be a bit dark, as the Yakuza, as a whole, are evil (this is a matter of taste I recognize, as I prefer heroic PCs). However, there is no reason not to have heroes who have yakuza backgrounds, and perhaps are trying to escape the life, and there are ideas for faithful yakuza member/adventurers given as well. So hopefully there is a little something for everyone.

There are four parts to the book. The first part presents a look at the Yakuza from the 1st person viewpoint of a yakuza member. If you've read the Rite race books, you should have a good idea what to expect, as I followed the same format. The second part of the book provides the information necessary for making yakuza members, including traits, feats, spells, archetypes and a Prestige class. There are magical tattoos (I borrowed some feats and tables from Inkantations, but the tattoos are original) and one of the archetypes is a tattoo oriented wizard. The third part of the book describes a method for creating a Yakuza gang, so that each gang has its own focus and personality. Finally, the fourth part of the book presents a Yakuza controlled mountain village, complete with notable yakuza NPC stat blocks and half a dozen adventure ideas.

I really think people are going to like this one. It has a little bit of everything, from character options, to adventure seeds and even a method by which GMs may create a Yakuza gang stat block.

Gareth - I'm going to be moving in about two weeks. Will you be reaffirming addresses for the preorder for this, or do I need to send you the new address?

Okay then. Totally non-specific crashed craft-from-the-heavens. Replete with multi-function decks, powered levels, damaged areas and submerged portions. And make it snappy!

That sounds almost like an adventure request.

I thought I would share this review left on RPGNow:

I downloaded this adventure to run for my Legend of the Five Rings game, not Pathfinder. Aside from having to modify the monsters to suit the d10 version of L5R, I found this adventure to be very well written, immediately engaging, and a perfect match for the L5R setting. I really liked the back story in particular - the information is very useful. I also found the Three Act method of running the adventure to be very helpful in raising the tension for my players. I would strongly recommend this adventure for anyone interested in playing d20, Pathfinder, or L5R or another Wuxia-style RPG. Don't delay! Download today!

Giants love Creole cooking, especially Jumbo-laya.

That sounds like it went just right then Michael. :)

Every group I've run through it made it just by the skin of their teeth.

If anyone used this scenario for Halloween, I would love to hear how it went. :)

I wonder if anyone was expecting that. I certainly didn't. I thought it was pretty much going to be the same as the adventures they published.

Though that makes me wonder how much of the sales of rulebooks is in relation to adventures. I know lots of people who love the game, but don't use published adventures at all.
Don't companies have to publish regular reports on their profits? How did Paizos profits turn out after the release of the rulebooks?

I was expecting it. The trend has been pretty obvious. I expect it will continue until 5e is finally released (or WotC does something else to suddenly boost sales).

Paizo is privately owned and has no obligation to share profit reports.

Congratulations to the hardworking Paizo staff.