terraleon's page

It has an Eastern European/Clockwork vibe, but the Zobeck Gazetteer just came out, and there's Streets of Zobeck (which I led the charge designing) which covers more criminal/noir adventures in that city (and its web supplement). The OGL/d20 Tales of Zobeck has a variety of adventures set in Zobeck. Tales of the Old Margreve is set just to the north of Zobeck, the Imperial Gazetteer is set roughly beneath it (and loaded with ghouls) and the OGL/d20 Dwarves of the Ironcrags is set to the west of Zobeck. Almost (if not all) of those books/supplements have 4+ to 5 star ratings with multiple reviews.

All of this is complemented by the upcoming Midgard setting book (which covers the rest of the world), the Northlands book (much further north of Zobeck), Sunken Empires (tangential to Zobeck at this point), and the ongoing Journeys to the West patronage project (which is in the world, but not really involving Zobeck). If you like the steampunk aspect, I'd suggest KQ#7 for the airships-- but they're not covered in many other places.

I'm also a big fan of the Flying Buffalo system neutral Citybooks (1-7!), which offer up the different quarters of "The City." Several of these are discontinued here, but I think still available through the Flying Buffalo site. I find #1 through #4 particularly useful. I believe Dave Arneson contributed to #2.

-Ben.

Yes. I am about to preach a little. I apologize in advance.

I'm going to take a moment to say "yes, reviews are a good thing, but..."

I have strong feelings about how a review ought to be written, but I'm not going to get into it here. There's a link in my profile to a more complete post discussing what I believe makes a good review and I'll leave it there.

All I could say is, please, please go read that link if you're planning on embarking on a long and glorious endeavor of reviewing material. Those who read reviews and those who write material will thank you.

Good luck!

-Ben.

You know, there's been so much talk about this item...I just had to give it a shot. ...

First off, very cool and I'm flattered...

That said-- you've got the dreaded "GM Adjudication" phrase in there. That phrase immediately means this item enters a YMMV realm I've yet to see hit the top 32.

You use terms as if they were mechanically defined which are not. And this might be simply because you took an off the cuff swing at this here. However, the terms I'd need to scrub on your take (into existing mechanical definitions) would be:
"effectively seizes the opponent"
"become tethered."

The third paragraph uses "effected opponent." Remember: you AFFect AN opponent with an EFFect. It's a homophone slip that'll knock you out of the 32 in the case where you're tied with another item without the error.

Based on your description of the target's shadow and how it's pinned, it's unclear how we'd ever become tethered outside the radius. I also don't see how secondary light sources impact radius-- I'd guess we'd just want the brightest light condition to dictate the effect.

The falling damage isn't scaled to the distance pulled. So if we yank a target from 40 feet up, he only takes 2d6? This also replaces the Reflex save with a Fly check and doesn't indicate what happens if the check is successful.

Editing note: You almost never need the word "that" in a sentence. It usually means you've got a sentence which could be cleaned up.

The thing about this item is that it's playing with a target space which is otherwise pretty much description-- the target's shadow-- and making it something which can be affected. It plays off shadow themes of changing travel distances and the idea that things-hiding-in-darkness-can-drive-us-mad, as well as alluding to the scene of Peter Pan. Then I tried stuffing a very subtle hint of Golarion lore in there-- which even caught one of the judges off guard, probably having him thinking I was trying to stuff my own background language in there (and coloring his perception further). It tries to graft a bit of the tactical movement control more common in other versions of D&D in to this system. (They mentioned other 'pinning' items; I'm curious to see how those items executed the concept.) I was trying to push that space by virtue of the unusual target combined with the option of a consequential choice for the target-- stay in place, take a full round to get free, or suffer 1d6 Wisdom to get free. There's a lot going on here, and I had to use the full 300 words to do it. That's my own foible; if you've given me a wordcount, and no other requirements to consider, I'm going to use that wordcount.

I think the lesson taken from this is exactly what Seabyrn said-- your innovation needs to be elegant and uncomplicated, and (in my opinion) catch the fancy of a judge who views the item very early in the evaluation pass. With an early advocate, it looks like an item enters a more complete discussion. (looking at the flask of liquid sunlight or the scent of the favored sting discussions)

I'd be intrigued to see it, but I'm guessing items with first posts of unadorned "reject" see a much higher rate of overall rejection, as the tone is set. I wonder how it would effect the outcomes if judges "spoiler'd" their votes until two votes were cast and simply worked off of comments? That's easily more effort to implement than it's worth when there's a hojillion items to review, but I think it'd be helpful in many cases. (or maybe just wishful thinking in the case of my item. ;) )

-Ben.

Even more Q&A from Timothy Wallace about the upcoming Book of Martial Arts today... you can read it here!

Tim talks about design considerations and artist choices! Good stuff for more insight on the direction of the project.

-Ben.

I think you're also assuming that a creature's shadow will fill all of those adjacent squares. This is not the case (as the judges and I indicated). It depends on the direction of the light source. If the only light is from someone facing me, then my shadow will be behind me. So even if I had understood your sentence restricting the area of the shadow, it still requires a lot of work from the GM to determine which squares the shadow falls into based on the direction of the shadow.

I'm not assuming, I'm dictating. I've abstracted the need to calculate light source vectoring and simply indicated adjacent surfaces are acceptable targets-- much in the same way we don't worry about facing.

That said, your revision about surfaces within 5 feet is cleaner, even if it doesn't handle the "directly above/below" option. Thank you.

-Ben.

Fresh on the heels of a Mythic Woodchuck, Sub Rosa #9 is here with 68 pages of Ars Magica content, including bonus material for the recently released The Cradle and the Crescent. We offer up beasts, jinn, sahir, companions, and all manner of juicy details to expand your stories in the Mythic Middle East, straight from the designers and playtester Jason Brennan. We’ve also got articles on a pious Companion knight, over 30 mythic texts and Gerald Wylie’s Storyguide’s Handbook offers up great advice for simplifying covenant creation! Once you toss in the Journal of Vulcanis Argens, the tidbits of goodness from across the internet collected for the stew we call Mappa Mundi, and an index of every book mentioned in every 5th edition supplement, you’ll wonder why everyone doesn’t pick up Sub Rosa.

Jeff Menges graciously provides us a very angelic cover, and we’ve got internal illustrations our regular artists like Angela Taylor, Alexandra Dopp, Anoeska Buijze, Kyle Cabral, and Jason Tseng. We’ve even dipped our toe in the pool of colored ink, with a gorgeous piece reminiscent of a stained glass window. I don’t think you could be disappointed with this bit of midwinter eye candy.

Check our subscription page for details on how you can order your copy today!

-Ben.

edit: for that matter, could a target casting multiple shadows be spiked by multiple Umbral Spikes at one time?

Sure. There's no reason they couldn't be.

By this item, your shadow is in the squares surrounding your space, your space, and possibly the space above your character. Heck, even if you had just one shadow, there's no reason you couldn't be spiked multiple times.

Is there any reason you can't shoot a target with multiple arrows? Multiple magic missiles?

-Ben.

terraleon wrote:

Except the item specifically accounts for that, saying:

terraleon wrote:

The surface must be directly above, beneath or adjacent to the target, like a 5-foot square of wall, floor, or ceiling, but not attended objects.

For me the text you point to really doesn't do much at all to clarify the point - "surrounding" can be a very big or very small area.

Those are game mechanics-- a surface "above, beneath, or adjacent to the target" creature is a very clear area. Medium-or-smaller creature? Then its square and the surrounding 8 squares are valid, as is the square over the creature with the ceiling (if the ceiling exists in the setting). An adjacent attacker's shield? No, as it's an attended object. That table or the door? Sure.

You're conflating the mechanics of the item with my comment. Only my quoted portion is from the item. A space "adjacent" to a target is pretty clear within the rules and requires no calculation of shadows and light sources. "Above and below" are pretty clear, too.

The item can't target the shadow stretching 90 feet down a hall. It can only target the shadow on a surface "directly above, beneath or adjacent to the target, like a 5-foot square of wall, floor, or ceiling, but not attended objects."

-Ben.

terraleon wrote:

Umbral Spike

*You realize of course the introduction of this item will now necessitate the GM measuring all of the lighting angles to determine how long of a shadow an individual creature casts to determine which squares can be targeted by this spike? Creature size would also need to be factored in, as a dragon's shadow is likely to stretch much further than a man-sized creature....

*Yeah, this introduces a lot of issues with measuring/guessing the location of shadows.

Except the item specifically accounts for that, saying:

The surface must be directly above, beneath or adjacent to the target, like a 5-foot square of wall, floor, or ceiling, but not attended objects.

Which pretty clearly limits the target area to the floors, walls, and ceiling either surrounding the creature or directly above or below it.

"Charges" probably should have been "uses," but I tend to interchange those. Something you can use 3/day has 3 charges. *shrug*

I chose Wisdom because all monsters have Wisdom, but not all monsters have all of the other ability scores. This ensured it affected all monsters with shadows (vampire spawn are the only ones I found who specifically don't cast shadows.) and didn't leave some kind of creature unaffected (like incorporeals which have no Str but might still cast shadows) because it lacked Strength. And shadowy creatures do more than just Strength damage-- an allip does Wisdom damage.

I thought the touch AC mechanic (Per 5+ > Touch AC is complicated? Ok.) was offset by the full round action to remove the spike, or the move action to wrench oneself free, doing damage. Both options allowed the effects of the spike to be mitigated by the target while demanding a cost, which seemed reasonable. (The dragon just moves, takes some Wisdom damage and continues with a slightly lower Will save. Useful, colorful perhaps, but not game shattering.)

I'm not sure I agree the (Per 5 attack exceeds Touch AC) mechanic is clumsy, but then I hadn't spent four weeks looking at an inordinate number of items. The "per 5 you beat the target" mechanic is something we use for a couple of other maneuvers, like Bull Rushing, but that might be considered clumsy. It's probably the part about pulling the creature to the radius-- which was a corner case I thought ought to be treated given someone might try pinning a creature hovering more than 30 feet overhead.

Still, good notes. I may not agree with them all, and I'd love to know if I'm right about what was considered clumsy, but otherwise, fairly useful. Thank you!

-Ben.

...I suspect they will be in the upcoming Crossroad's Players Guide along with some other rules items referenced in the book (like the fixer archetype).

I'm not sure if the fixer is in the Xroads Guide, but it is in Streets of Zobeck.

And I'm unfamiliar with the items mentioned above, other than I believe they were in Tales of Zobeck and might have been converted over.

-Ben.

I'm just curious if anybody has noticed the same issue, and if they have any suggestions for repairing the spine so it stays more put.

I bought mine when the book first came out (at Gencon), and having suffered through the Conan OGL 2E core book printing and the fact that it came apart into its individual quires, I asked the folks at the Paizo booth how theirs were holding up-- since I was certain they'd had theirs in hand longer.

Fast forward to now, and it's still in decent shape, but I also don't beat the hell out of it. It's a little knocked around, but I think its in good shape. On the upside, they seem willing to do reprints, which is encouraging.

-Ben.

All the stats for the gearforged are included.

Including an example!

-Ben.

I think a series of (later collected) PDFs on particular portions of Zobeck, like the old Flying Buffalo Citybooks would be awesome for Zobeck. Treating each quarter individually would be a lot of fun.

-Ben.

I would appreciate the judges' feedback on the Sluggard's Coffer (which is not a gag item) ;)

Sluggard’s Coffer

I can get into this one for you, if you like...

So this item lacks a certain amount of sexy. It's a chest version of the broom from the Sorcerer's Apprentice or a slightly better protected floating disk option, and I can see some abusive players trying to use it as a mount or a battering ram.

But what does it do? It carries stuff. I've got plenty to do that right now, yes? Haversack, bags, portable holes, secret chests. This is kind of fun because it's a statue that swallows things, but otherwise, if you could have this or a +2 stat bump item, which would you take? For me, that's a clear indication this needed more of the sexy. To me, even the name is uninspiring-- sluggard is a choice evoking something fat and boring, and why do I want that?

Your price seems off. (CL 11 * 6th level spell * 2000GP (constant use))*2 for slotless means you'd be far more expensive. I know you offset this by weakening the actions it can take, but to me, this means the spell choice was off from the start, and that suggests design weakness. Unseen Servant would have probably been better, then you'd be much closer to this price range. And really, by 11th level, if I don't have a sack/bag/hole/chest to drag my loot around, I'm doing something wrong.

That's going to be more than enough to kill the item:
1. not sexy
2. replicates existing functionality with less functionality at a higher price.
3. Odd pricing, implying loose design.

But I can totally see a circus commissioning a pile of them.

-Ben.

I think touch attacks make this too easy. It would also work better if an explanation was given as to how the shadow is tying the creature down.

Well... you know... magic. It's a magic item. ;) They do things using "magic." :D

Or would you prefer I waxed philosophical about the arcane connection between an object and the shadow it casts, and how the spike plunges through the planar boundary to fix the shadow's caster to a corresponding space on the Prime/Shadow planar boundary?

That seemed excessive for the item entry, so I left it to the magic. The magic knows. ;)

-Ben.

Alright. I've been resisting this thread for a while, but may as well post:

Umbral Spike
Aura moderate abjuration; CL 7th
Slot —; Price 34,000 gp; Weight 3 lbs.

Description
This jagged, matte grey metal shard is thirteen inches long, tapering to a point on either end. Shadowtongue inscriptions of inlayed tarnished silver cover its five irregular sides and it feels heavy and cool to the touch. Three times per day, the wielder may thrust the spike into a surface bearing a target creature's shadow, ignoring its hardness. The surface must be directly above, beneath or adjacent to the target, like a 5-foot square of wall, floor, or ceiling, but not attended objects.

Targeting a creature's shadow requires an attack roll against its touch AC using the spike as an improvised weapon. Success pins the target by its shadow, unable to move further than 30 feet from the spike without either carefully removing or forcibly tearing its shadow from the spike. For every 5 the attack roll exceeds the AC, reduce the target's radius of mobility by 5 feet. (eg; Rolling 27 against AC 7 pins the target to within 10 feet of the spike.) Pinned creatures pulled towards the spike provoke attacks of opportunity; those pulled vertically to a surface take falling damage if unable to hover (DC 15 Reflex for half). Missing does not expend charges; otherwise, treat the spike as a piton with Hardness 20.

Any creature in the spike's square may carefully free the target's shadow as a full round action provoking attacks of opportunity. Eliminating a pinned shadow (using darkness, invisibility, or teleportation effects) or forcibly freeing a shadow with a move action deals 1d6 points of Wisdom damage to the pinned creature. Mindless creatures do not willingly damage themselves. Removing the spike leaves the embedded surface unharmed.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, darkness, dimensional anchor; Cost 17,000 gp.

There's a city map. It's a two-page spread!

I stand corrected. Here I got all confuzzled by the comments above about no maps, and then I zipped through it quick and didn't immediately spot them, and now I enjoy the delicious taste of shoe leather. Mmmm! Now with gear grease!

What I really do love about this book is that it has cross references between other Midgard/Zobeck material. Wondering where a particular NPC might crop up? Oh, well that's mentioned in the entry-- and that's gold, in my opinion.

-Ben.

I've submitted every year except...2010, when I was running a patronage project and I didn't feel it was fair to the patrons to split my attentions, so I didn't bother. However, that was the year I was a big part of Jim Groves' pit crew, helping him bust it up, and that was a great experience. I still twitch when someone mentions a skintaker or an ardor wesp.

My first wasn't sexy enough, my second sniped at the class ability boundary, third was a pass, the fourth was considered "gross" but inspired the material for an article in KQ#17, and I'm not sure about this year's yet. I probably need to post it in the thread, but I've been busy with projects. I think this was my last year, too, because I believe there's an Atlas project coming this year which will disqualify me. It was a bummer not to make it, but I think I'd have been truly overwhelmed-- and that's an important skill for a freelancer to learn, too. You need to know when to say "no," and to keep in constant contact if you feel you need more time.

For me, this has been a constant push for the last four-going-on-five years. I've spent a lot of nights on vacations hammering out wordcount. Lots. It's what I ask for on holidays now, "Can I have more time to write?" I love doing it, and it's been a great ride so far.

-Ben.

No maps....

This is part of what sold the book to me, as it got me curious, and at the very least I was expecting map(s). I was hoping to find something that I could use for my own setting.

Streets of Zobeck has a lot of maps in it...

It might be what you're hankering.

-Ben.

Awesome! Glad to see these arrive in the store.

For those who are curious, this has about twice the material as you'll find in the OGL version. There are a lot of stat blocks, some mechanics, all manner of goodies-- some will be familiar from Streets of Zobeck, but there's quite a bit of updated, consolidated and collected material. Personally, I'm glad to see the Zobeck articles from early issues of KQ included.

If you like a steampunk city and enjoy the eastern European vibe of Midgard, this is going to tickle your fancy.

If you're wanting a good read on game design, though-- I'd strongly recommend the Yellow Book. Sure, parts are for the hobbylancers, but it's all solid advice and all of it is useful for the GM looking to sharpen their game. I *still* reference my copy of #2 when I'm thinking about writing pitches.

Good stuff...now there's just the waiting to get my print copies! ;)

-Ben.

And a bit more of a Q&A with Timothy on today's Rite Blog. You can read it here!

-Ben.

Can't you just Take 10 on the check? I don't know what the DCs would be or how many checks since I'm not your GM.

It would appear, reviewing the rules on take 10, that you could-- since you're in no danger. In which case, it makes forcing casters to make checks for spell creation trivial, depending on the required DC.

Why the distinction between Arcane and Divine, btw? Other than possibly the damage cap, what purpose does such an additional cost serve?

-Ben.

They were put in Ultimate Magic, and so are in the PRD right here.

Those things really are dark arts, aren't they? Aside from the damage chart, it's all "use your judgement."

Wow. ...ok, thanks!

-Ben.

Oh no, you don't have to know the spell to craft a wondrous item or a ring or such, you can ignore that requirement by upping the DC by 5. Only scrolls wands and potions actually need the spell.

Spotted it. It's hidden away at the beginning of 549. Well then, there you go.

I'm still wondering what happens if I fail the check. It says the week is wasted, but is the money also wasted?

So if I fail 5 times and then finally succeed, then sure it took me 6 weeks to learn the spell, but did it cost me 500 gp or 3000 gp?

The cruel and brutal might say "yes, the money is gone." I think I'd be disposed to allow another check after a week for half cost-- unless the previous check failed by more than 5, and then I'd have it demand full cost. Besides, if you'd invested (and were permitted to invest) in the benefits I suggested before, like the assistance, the lab, the materials, well, you'd have an extra +6 to the Spellcraft check, and that's fairly substantial.

EDIT: 1st level caster with an Int of 14 and a Spellcraft of +6 would need to roll a 3 or better if he'd acquired quality research tomes (+2), access to a sacred grove (+1), specially prepared components (+1), and experts in magic theory (ie-- low level magi?) who add their insights at the end of the week (+2 aid another), provide enough bonus to pass with a 3 or better. That's a risk I'd seriously consider.

This also helps explain why spellcasters wander, looking for good sites for components and tomes to aid them in their particular goals and research aims.

-Ben.

I'm not quite sure on the process here though, it says 1000 per spell level, so i guess 500 for a cantrip,

Which is about what it is for the item, so that seems based in existing mechanics, and should be ok for most folks.

but is that per research attempt, meaning if you fail your knowledge or spellcraft check, then the money is wasted, or do you only pay it once once you succeed? Because failing on my spellcraft might actually be a possibility (I don't really have it super-high yet)

Personally, I can't see it being that high, since you're studying a known effect. I'd offer a baseline of DC 15 + Spell level, with 3 checks per week and no more than one failure per week.

EDIT: I'd also think you could be assisted in these checks, indicating better research tomes (circumstance bonuses of +1-3), quality components (maybe +1 per 1/2 cost spent?), a specially prepared laboratory or research space (+1 to 3, based on the magical nature of the place related to the spell) and dedicated research assistants (aid another bonus of +2). All of these things could also be entertaining story options as you seek out a library and lab, convince the assistants, acquire the components, which should entice a GM.

The magic item to have it constantly active would cost 500 gp if you craft it yourself, but has the advantage that it doesn't take up a spell slot. Needs the feat though, but that's useful for other things too.

But to craft it, you'd need to know the spell, find an item you could use with the effect, or get someone to help for the duration of the crafting.

Good luck. It is a poorly defined portion of the rules, and always has been-- there was a Dragon article about it forever ago (like '98ish?) but no one has really touched it since. (At least not that I can recall.) The closest is really ZSP's Incantations in Theory and Practice.

-Ben.

Are there published guidelines for calculating spell effect level for the basis of new spell research? If so, where?

Thanks!

-Ben.

Couldn't you just...research it, as per the rules?

A divine spellcaster can also research a spell independently, much as an arcane spellcaster can. Only the creator of such a spell can prepare and cast it, unless she decides to share it with others.

And looking at the arcane section about two pages back, it looks like it would cost you 500gp to research and some checks. Additionally, you want an existing spell, so it's not like it needs to be playtested for balance.

Soooo, given the option of a feat, a trait, a racial choice, an item...I'd opt for a week of research and the sack of loot from the last group of monsters you killed. I haven't even done the math for the item yet, and I know it's a better deal to research it because the spell can't be taken from you.

I think the lack of effectively established guidelines for creating spells (other than wordcasting) deters most folks from this choice. It's the order of the day for Ars Magica, and so I just don't think otherwise. "I need a spell to do X. Doesn't exist? Oh, ok, well, what's it close to? Then I'll start there, build a target spell and run that by the GM." We had a game with a lot of yuan-ti and ended up creating a detect reptile spell to catch them in hiding. Worked pretty well.

If you're willing to invest the resources, a toy like that is fun.

EDIT: Hell, even better bet, RP bartering with an elder to spend the time researching it for him, and then he pays for it, he saves the time, and you both get the spell.

-Ben.

Also, are undead always evil?

There is a PC "lesser darakhul" (ghoul variant) race option presented in the Imperial Gazetteer. Ghouls are very much a social undead, and so there's room for variation within the race. I think they're a fun option, but I'm biased.

The undead of Morgau and Doresh may be evil-- in that they do not care if they inflict pain and suffering on innocents, but that doesn't make them rampaging crazy. They run nations, and that means you can't spend your days soaked in blood without keeping the trains running. Keeping the trains running means dealing with people.

Does that answer your question?

-Ben.

1. What direction did they go with their orcs? Always Chaotic Evil or a wider range of possibilities and cultures? If the latter, have any detailed cultures for that race been explored yet? One of the things I loved about Zobeck was its approach to kobolds, and I'm hoping the other monster races got similar treatments.

Orcs are a savage, failing race, but one that isn't thoroughly detailed. They have their own goddess who inspires worship in other brutal races. They do not have a lot of mention, but (to me) that tends to mean there's room for your own interpretation.

2. Is there an Ancient Egypt-themed, however fantastic or down-to-earth in interpretation it may be, present anywhere?

In the south, is the River Kingdom of Nuria-Natal. It has about 4 pages of content in the current Midgard draft, which includes references to their own sort of magic, a separate dwarf ethnicity, and a number of cities. They brought the religion of Ninkash, goddess of beer, north to the dwarves of the Ironcrags.

-Ben.

I've sent you some cartographers I've had good experiences with on projects, and who work by hand.

-Ben.

Ben MacFarland, Richard Pett, Tim Hitchcock, Jonathan McAnulty, T.H. Gulliver, the Connors, Lou Agesta etc. are upcoming names that are big in 3pp PFRPG and they are not as..how can I put it? Negative.

You put me in very good company, sir, thank you very much.

-Ben.

When will then be now?

Thanks for taking the time to review the Alleys of Zobeck, End. I appreciate the words and your commentary.

-Ben.

Wow, thanks for the insightful words, End. I appreciate the time you've taken to post all these reviews and I'm thrilled to have Streets as your 500th review!

-Ben.

Damon Griffin wrote:

Louis Agresta wrote:

My understanding is that he did return money, but inconsistently. Some received theirs back upon request, some did not. I have no way to know which group is larger (got money back - did not get money back).

There's a third group, though I suppose I might be the last holdout: those people who haven't requested a refund in the increasingly vain hope that Razor Coast will actually see the light of day while there's still a source for that light -- that is, before the sun goes nova.

Hey, you never know. I could win the lottery.

Your not the only one... though we might be the only two. :)

Three^H^H^H^H^H Eighteenth, apparently. But then I was the first to order from Sinister, and I preordered the AGC.

What can I say, we hit it off when he led _Blood of the Gorgon_, and I'm willing to give a friend a shot at making good.

-Ben.

A close second is the Imperial Gazetteer Principalities The Principality of Morgau and Doresh, and Realms Subterranean. While I don't care for the vampire side much, the idea of an entire nation of intelligent and powerful ghouls under the very feet of the pcs with its own class system based on how the person's body reacted to the disease that transformed them into a ghoul, some being literal beggars and virtually powerless, to some retaining the full power they had in life and gaining significantly more besides.

Thank you. I contributed quite a bit to that particular book, and I'm particularly proud of the darakhul PC option. I'm glad to hear you like it-- it's one of the OD books that often flies under the radar. :D

-Ben.

How do I subscribe? (And if I subscribe soon-ish, can I get a hardcopy of this issue?)

You would go here and more than likely, yes.

-Ben.

My 2nd review ever.

My thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review this. I greatly appreciate it!

-Ben.

I can't remember who originally stated up the were-hounds, so I don't know where they found the armors ability.

Those were Boomer's handiwork. They've been given a little more time in _The Rabbit Hole,_ too.

I would concur regarding the difficulty PCs might encounter trying to sell that armor. It would be akin to selling the equipment of the Praetorian Guard in Rome. It's not just that the Hounds will come looking for the PCs with overwhelming force, but that they might exact retribution on the vendor who picked up the armor. If you wanted to sell it, you'd need to be nowhere near the Coliseum.

-Ben.

I have to second lessthanpleased-- Mario Podeschi has yet to disappoint. His material is always a fantastic combination of mechanics and fun roleplaying with interesting characters. Servitors from Beyond was a slamdunk.

The derro ooze magic article was fantastic, if only because they gave us tiny oozes. Do you know what you can do with tiny oozes? Make ooze swarms, my friends. Yes. You heard me right. [b]Ooze *swarms.[b] Say that one once or twice, let it roll around on your tongue and get a taste for it. That'll make them cry tears of TPK sadness.

An adventure, more Monte, bardic arts, heck the small spirits and unearthed ancestry have some good stuff I'm planning on looting for conversion. This issue is solid.

And I'd agree, filtering the issue through a prism of useful/not useful is disingenuous. It's all grist for the mill; for me, articles often inspire ideas that have nothing to do with the subject matter-- but how I can do something tangentially related to them. Without the spark, the idea may not have jumped the gap.

-Ben.

Yes, thanks for taking the time to review it! I know we really appreciate it.

-Ben.

It's here! Woohoo! :D This was a lot of fun!

-Ben.

Milani's barbaque resturaunts, brought to you by the by the Church of Asmodeus and now open all across Cheliax.

Made with the blood of Martyrs.

"Our sauce is to DIE for!"

I'm 37, prior Air Force officer. I started young with the Erol It is cover Basic, and we went pretty quick to the 1E rules. It's been about 30ish years. With any luck, in a year or two, I'll introduce the kids to it.

-Ben.

For those who have played this adventure...let us imagine there was an additional encounter arc designed for it-- what would you want to see?

-Ben.

Question: I backed the original project. Do I have to renew my patronage?

Yes.

Do you have a pit crew? A trusted group of people to review and hammer at your work, give your text the evil eye, give your mechanics the smell test? To playtest monsters or give you straight feedback on encounters?

No? Why not? You *need* a pit crew.

-Ben.

Well sign me up. I don't believe this was covered in Lords of Men. ;)

-Ben.

One thing to remember about a patron project is that it's more than just a $25 promise for a PDF-- it's four to six months of interaction with designers, of seeing pitches, writing pitches, getting feedback on pitches, and possibly getting material published.

That's a lot more content than just a PDF, it's a PDF you helped shape.

-Ben.

Any suggestions for modifying the hungry Legion to be related to the Dark Tapestry? Or lovecraftian in general.

You could make them devotees to a cult of insanity drawn from the manuscripts, On Verified Madness, and The Last Theorum with the hunger devils the strange servants from beyond, who need to sate the cold void with all of creation. That takes very little modification beyond the background.

Even better, because it means you have an established way for the characters to learn about (and possibly self-initiate) the ritual involving the Oracle's heart.

-Ben.