prashant panavalli's page

The Viking Saga would be even cooler if it was Vikings vs Dragons.

A How to Train your Dragon AP? ;)

We play games that we enjoy. We also make the assumption that because we enjoy something, that makes it a good whatever it is. This is a poor assumption. It's quite obvious from what I've read (and from common sense) that there are games I like to play that many others do not (this is no new revelation). But from a purely selfish standpoint, I'd like PFO to be a game I'll like. This hypothetical game may be terrible (from whatever objective standard determines that kind of thing), but if I like it then I'll play it. From the standpoint of wanting Paizo to be successful, I want them to make a game which will both get them lots of acclaim and lots of profit.

The way I balance these conflicting desires is taking the more easily produced of the two. I think the hypothetical game I'd like to play is easier to produce than the one that gets them lots of acclaim and lots of profit. And there might be the possibility (however remote that is), that producing my desired product will also get them the "Paizo being successful" option. Maybe I'm a jerk for this selfish desire. I don't think I am, because most consumers' wish is that someone will produce the product they want, even if it's not profitable.

I'm so glad you enjoyed the adventure and I thank you for making this your 300th review (we are honored) and for going so thoughtfully in-depth.

Glad you appreciate the work I put into this review - I really tried my best to convey the adventure's unique style and covering at least the basic elements of what to expect. Once again - great work!

Great review End. Pretty mich echo my thoughts. Even stat blocks are interesting in this adventure.

Thank you for your kind words Coltaine (btw. still one of favorite Malazan characters) - its nice comments like these that make me keep going. ^^

Nice review End.

Thanks, D_M! I'm looking forward to seeing your take on the epic, too!

That sounds complicated and at the same time too situational (needs a wall and can only be done with ONE kind of spera WTF BBQ?). Here's the PF version:

Impaling Critical (Combat, Critical)
Your critical hits can skewer your foes.
Prerequisites: Critical Focus, Weapon Specialization with selected piercing melee weapon, base attack bonus +11.
Benefit: Whenever you score a critical hit with the selected piercing melee weapon, you can impale your opponent on your weapon. While your opponent is impaled in this way, each time he starts his turn, you deal damage equal to your weapon’s damage dice plus the extra damage dice from your weapon’s properties. As an immediate action, you can pull your weapon out of your opponent. If your opponent is ever outside your reach, you must spend a free action to let go of your weapon or pull it out of him. Your opponent can also spend a move action to pull your weapon out. When the weapon comes out, your opponent takes damage as if starting his turn impaled. While you impale your opponent with your weapon, you cannot use it to attack, and you must hold on to it.

It is not circunstantial AND can be used with your favorite piercing weapon. And it even can be improved:

Improved Impaling Critical (Combat, Critical)
When you impale a target, you hinder its movement and can cause severe bleeding.
Prerequisites: Impaling Critical, Critical Focus, Weapon Specialization with selected piercing melee weapon, base attack bonus +13.
Benefit: While you are using Impaling Critical to impale an opponent, and you are still holding onto that weapon, that opponent must succeed at a grapple combat maneuver check against you to pull your weapon out. If you have let go of your weapon, the impaled opponent must spend a standard action to remove the weapon. Until the opponent pulls the weapon out, his speed in all modes is halved and his maneuverability, if any, is reduced by one step. When the weapon comes out, instead of dealing the damage normal for Impaling Critical, you can deal bleed damage equal to your weapon’s damage dice result once per round at the start of that opponent’s turn.

Aha! I knew I got the Children's Librarian degree for a reason!

Besides the great suggestions already posted:

Charles de Lint. For the 16 year old.

Jack Vance's Lyonesse mentioned above has some adult sections, btw. It's more the 16 age range.

I also second Abhorsen by Nix. It's better than his later work. It works for either girl. It's also got a heroine as the lead.

Le Guin's Wizard series gets more mature (not adult in content but in approach and mood) as it goes along -- in the two sequels.

Tamora Pierce's books get more mature over time as the protagonists age.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet and its sequels by L'Engle are good for any age.

I'll add more if I think of them.

Lunch was brought out; a feast by anyones reckoning. Sheep steak, boiled potatoes, and roasted beans.

"Oh. Look away, Louise May. It's nae anyone you ken."

Yoman's Folly- blank stares and shrugs is the common response at mention this name in the Kingdom of Aldavir, even among the most knowledgable of scholars (admitedly there were few due to the the Great Purge few years ago; it all started when King Omarch the 7th, may st. Cuthbert bless he and his many offspring, was corrected by a Scholar about how fast an apple and an anvil would fall. The said scholar, not of his on violation, found himself under an anvil post haste).

Yoman, apparently a thinker and planner of great foresight, had founded his village, on where he expected the Kings Road to be built. Unfortunately, the fact that he had gotten his information from a drunken "lady" of dubious repute had been witheld from those who followed him there. Needless to say, there was no road. Hence, the little village existed in the middle of no where, with the occasional (even occasional being a stretch, the last being passer by was apparently some crazed explorer who had set off to map the Inpenetrable Forest of Black Death.)passerby. Anyway, none of this mattered to the residents of said village, much more concerned about where their next boiled potato was going to come from.

For the past few years, an ogre, a rather ferocious, grey and bloated thing of considerable girth and ugliness, has demanded monthly tribute. Since the demands were ale, sheep, and occasional mundane supplies, the village complied with these demands. The ogre was content
to collect his extorted goods, and leave the people alone.

However, last month, the tribute changed. In addition to ale and sheep, the ogre demanded gold and building materials!(the former in much short supply, curious thing as to what an ogre would do with gold in the middle of nowhere).

But the situation has grown even more grim. The ogre returned yesterday with yet more demands of ale and worse: people! The village is in an uproar and denied the ogre's request. The brute flew into a rage and grabbed two townsfolk and hauled them back to his lair. They're destined for his gullet, no doubt! The fact that one of the two was Alisa, the fairest of the fair, she who made men (and dwarves) week in the knees also might have increased the "uproar" (by village standards anyway- she did have good teeth, a claim few could make).

Bob was the other, but no one cared about Bob.

Hence the brave men and women? of the village had taken up arms (shovels, pitchforks, club); a rather large group it must be said, whose loss might cut the village poulation in half.

They gathered at the Broken Mug, where free ale was in full flow- it was well known that drinking made men braver (in fact the great Paladin Heronus the Just was always sloshed). They knew a little of the darned ogre- his cave was two miles away, in a hillock in the shape of a skull; bleating of sheep had been heard occasionally and apparently the darned beast liked to cook (smoke had been seen rising up through one of the "eyes" in the hillock.

Karly and Kaylin, two "attractive" and buxom sisters, served the wine and ale as "Lord" Merriweather, self appointed mayor, and the rest of the villagers gathered to give their berthen a fond farwell.

"Heresh to the brave heroes! We know you'll kill the beast!"yelled the mayor, the jowls under his chin quivering with each word. "hip hip horray" he cheered, echoed by the more subdued response of the villagers, half of whom looked a bit glum.

I have never been the greatest adherent to D20 systems...

My PF days are over, for now, I guess. I want to tell stories, and for me, personally, D20 is not the means to do that. It may well be for others, and the APs tell great stories in their own right. But in the end, not for me.

Cheers all! Game on!

You gotta play what you enjoy! Good gaming.