I have survived decades of hunt-and-peck typing, and am now ready to graduate to touch-typing. Can anyone recommend a cheap typing program that won't make me pull my hair out?
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When you apply an undead template such as ghost or vampire to an NPC who can use rage, defensive stance, etc., how does the Constitution modifier work for duration? Does the NPC lose that ability, or do they use the Con they had in life? I don't curerrently have access to Libris Mortis to see if they covered that, and I don't remember a rule about it anywhere else. Is there any errata on this somewhere? Suggesstions? Thanks.
Okay, okay. Paizo sells .pdf files of old 1st edition adventures, as well as many other Greyhawk suppliments. While leafing through the store, I recognize plently of the adventures from my childhood, but there are at least three times as many that I couldn't afford as a 12-year old, and never even had the chance to read, let alone play. Some I've never even seen before. Now, as a grown up, I want 'em. But not necessarily ALL of them. I want the best of the best, 20-25 works of old school Greyhawk, chosen for their Greyhawk content and wrapped up for me in a big red ribbon. For those of us who, for whatever reason, couldn't afford those titles as a kid, this would be a great way to provide a quality Greyhawk education, hand-picked by the experts and bundled together for a single purchase. Plus, for the price of a cheap pair of Nikes or a Xbox 360 game, the next generation can have a simple, direct line to their gaming roots. So, what would be the logistics surrounding the creation of such a mega download? For 20 handpicked modules, and perhaps half a dozen suppliments such as "From the Ashes," I'd gladly pay an extra 10 - 15% over getting them piecemeal. . . maybe $125? Perhaps a smaller version can be offereed, like a 10 module pack with a couple extra Greyhawk suppliments for $60. Can this be done? - Chris (If not, then maybe some good folks could provide me with a good list, and I'll buy them piecemeal. Thanks!)
Oh yeah, let me qualify something: I do not feel that Goth culture in the US or anywhere is inherently unhealthy, and I am not implying or judging that D&D is hurt by any association to it. The article simply misrepresents D&D by an implied association with a series of specific, maladaptive behaviors, not a culture or a subculture. That's what I meant, in case there was any confusion about that.
My party has just completed the Whispering Cairn, and have not yet met Allustan. I don't like his role in the campaign, as well as the roles of Eligos, Manzorian, and the other wizardly types. Since, my party has a Wizard PC in it, and she is focusing alot on knowledge skills and research, I've been thinknig that it's only fair to reward her by letting her take an active role in uncovering all of the campagin's information and backstory. However, since alot of stuff in the first half of the campaign revolves aroud these Wizards, stuff needs to change. . . mostly with the hooks. The hooks for the third, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth are somewhat dependent on the wizards (For the Whispering Cairn, the party wizard has already uncovered the Wind Duke's information herself, Allustan wasn't needed). . . here's what I have so far. "Blackwall Keep" The PCs have been working on and off with a grizzled old garrison commander, Captain Legare, to clear out some goblins stirring in the mountains (one of their first level quests - they didn't get to the Cairn until second level). Long at odds with his superiors and the corrupt government for which is is sworn to protect, he gets a transfer out of Miresberg, and is sent to Blackwall Keep, to keep him out of the way. When the lizrdfolk attack at the end of the second module, he sends for the PCs to aid him, as they are the only ones he can trust. "Hall of Harsh Stuff" When the PCs discover the slow worms, they'll also discover that a large shipment of tainted fluids are being sent to Cinnmore (my campaign's Free City). The materials are to be dissiminated throughout the city by the Dopplegangers, hired by Raknian in prep for his Champion's Games offering. It's the PC's inquiries (as well as Thedrick's word to Raknian), are what sets the attacks in motion. After that, I'm stuck. The hook with Allustan trapped in Icosol's tomb in the sixth adventure definitely needs to be changed/replaced/etc. I am thinking about using Khellek in some way, but the PCs don't have much of a relationship with him yet. I have a few months to get it together, but I may need to get some NPCs or other devices into the campaign sooner rather than later, to set it up properly. Any ideas on how to do this?
This new line is really looking great, and it looks like there are tons of posibilities for this. With that in mind, could anyone tell me if there is a place to submit ideas or queries for future "Compleat" publications?
I've been waiting to see this little table scrap of a teaser for weeks now. I checked AICN threee times a day, reading and rereading their interview with Aronofsky, hoping for a clue to this one. It's finally online. The teaser was worth the wait. Go to apple.com/trailers to see it for yourself!
I am intrigued by this fiend, discussed briefly in the Book of Vile Darkness suppliment. She was the former "Lady of the First" in the Nine Hells, in control of Avernus. However, at some point in the past, she was deposed by Bel. Rumors abound regarding her current condition, but some think that Bel is still drawing off her power, having imprisoning her soul in his Brass Keep on Avernus. Who is she? What's her deal? Has anyone ever used her in a campaign? Furthermore, are there any other resources out there that discusses her history or fate? Thanks.
Here's a question. . . For non-humanoid creatures with unusual anatomies, what are the absolute minimum requirements necessary for a creature to perform the necessary Verbal and Somatic components? For example, could a Hell Hound receive wizard levels and cast a spell, despite its verbal limitations? For that matter, could a Nightmare get cleric levels and use its hooves for somatic components? What about a Mimic? Or an Invisible Stalker? And so on. . . Is there any general ruling in the core books that I am missing, and if so, could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks a lot!
I have a question about the Rapid Reload Feat in the 3.5 Player's Handbook, pg. 99. The Feat states that it applies to one type of crossbow, and can be taken multiple tmies. I was wondering if it could also be applied to ANY weapon requiring a move action to reload, not just crossbows. Furthermore, once the Rapid Reload Feat is taken, does it allow for Rapid Shot with that weapon?
My name is Chris Wissel, and I have recently learned that I will be moving to Galveston, TX from Indianapolis, IN (I am moving the weekend of GenCon, ironically). I bring many things to the table, including 20+ years of experience, a good knowledge of the rules, a desire to DM, and oftentimes. . . ice cold beer. I know very few people in Galveston, and I would like to join a current game, or perhaps start a new one with fresh players. Please let me know if you are interested by responding to this posting, or e-mailing me at weaslfish@yahoo.com Thanks for your interest. - Chris
I've been doing some crazy calculations lately. For instance, I have figured out that I spent roughly $440 dollars on gaming materials since 3.0 came out, and this is not counting Dungeon/Dragon magazines. Lord knows how much I've spent before that. I begrudge not a single penny. If I used the price of a single issue of Dungeon magazine, $7, as a single Dungeon Unit (DU), then I have spent roughly 62.5 DU on 3.0/3.5 D&D gaming. Also, I bought a rowing machine last month. Total cost = 28 DU I went to Chili's for dinner wiht my fiancee Friday night. Total cost = 5 DU I drank at least 10 DU worth of diet soda in the last month. If I ever get an adventure published in Dungeon, and it runs just over 10,000 words, I'll get paid 72 DU. Lunch at Micky D's is about .75 DU. One pair of Nike's cost about 23 DU these days. Wow!
It looks like it may be a few weeks before I can run the Whispering Cairn. . . so in the meantime, I’ve been developing an alternative ways to help out the 4 PCs who will be trying to survive it. The following idea (when we finally get to start) uses the Wormfood article in Dragon #333. I thought I’d post it as an alternative, since so many people are having problems with certain parts of the first adventure. The ruined mine office described in Dragon #333, while abandoned, does not stand empty. If the PCs want to use it as their base of operations, they’re going to have to win it from the creatures that have squatted there, including a small band of goblins led by their shaman, Ugloop. They have been wandering the countryside of the cairn hills for weeks, completely lost and cut-off from their tribe, trying to avoid the daily Garrison patrols. They have holed up there until their leader, Ugloop, can figure out what to do. In addition, there are a few infestations that must be dealt with to make the place safe. I used the descriptions and mechanics found in the original article, but I also added the information to each room, as it applies. With the exception of the Shaman, the equipment used by the Goblins is rusty and in disrepair, and are valued at 1/5 their normal price (DC 10 Appraise check). I am using this to start the campaign for three reasons: 1. I wanted the party to have a good 500 xp when they enter the cairn 2. I wanted to them to fight in a few CR 1 encounters to get a sense of their relative strengths/weaknesses 3. I wanted them to be equipped with a variety of solutions to handle the first swarm encounter in the Cairn, and have a little help in other areas too. This set of encounters should waste the entire first night of the campaign, and its pretty cliché, but I’m hoping it’ll be worth it. Besides, if any goblins survive, they can provide a few shaky details about the noises found in the hill of the Whispering Cairn. . . adding a sense of ominous flavor to their approaching adventure. Anyway, here it is. . . The Ruined Mine Office The Yard (CR 1) There is a twisted, dead tree that hangs over the yard. Hanging around the tree are 3 Stirges, 5 hp each, Monster Manual, pg. 236, who have caught the scent of sweat and blood inside the mine office, and are waiting for it to come out. They have been waiting too long however, and are now ravenous. They attack anyone who comes into the yard. The Living Room (CR 1) The Goblins inside should hear the commotion from the Stirges and the Shaman will nudge out a few guards to wait for the PCs in the Living Room. The Shaman hides in the Library/Study until the attack is over. 4 Goblins, 5 hp each, Monster Manual, pg. 133. If the Goblins hear nothing, they will be spread through the house in twos, with the Shaman inspecting the rooms upstairs. Dining Room (CR 1) This room contains the “guard dogs” for the small band, 2 starving, tortured Badgers, 6 hp each, Monster Manual, pg 268, who have taken to digging into the floorboards in frustration. They will attack anything that doesn’t feed them a scrap of food, and even then, will only pause long enough to eat it. The Kitchen/Pantry These areas are the same, except the Pantry contains the treasures of the small goblin band: 8 pints of oil, 5 tindertwigs, 1 Flask of Alchemist’s Fire, 50’ Silk rope, 18 Trail Rations, 625 sp, 60 gp, 1 rose quartz (50gp), 3 blue quartz (10gp each) The Library Study (CR 2) The Shaman, Ugloop, and his bodyguards are located here, and they fight to the death. After days and days of wandering and dodging the Garrison and other dangers of the cairn hills, these Goblins desperately fight to the death. Any taken alive will know nothing of the area, but they will have heard strange moaning and whispering coming from the hills. 2 Goblins, 5 hp each, Monster Manual pg. 133 Ugloop, 1st level Warrior, 1st level Adept, hp, 9, stats as the other Goblins, with Wisdom and Strength are 3 points higher. Make the following changes to stats: Will save is +2, +5 attack with Morningstar (1d6+2), +4 Spot checks, Spells: 0 level (DC 11) – cure minor wounds, ghost sound, touch of fatigue; 1 level (DC 12) – burning hands, sleep. Ugloop uses a masterwork Morningstar, studded leather armor, 3 potions of cure light wounds, 1 potion of resist energy (acid), and an obsidian necklace valued at 200gp. The Second Story Is the same as the text, with the caved in roof. It is also possible that there could be more Stirges up here, roosting. The Basement (CR 2) A DC 7 Listen check will notice that there are ominous squeaking sounds coming from below, made by a nest of 5 Dire Rats, hp 5 each, Monster Manual pg 64, who have laired in the ruins of the basement. Also a number of non-combatant baby dire rats blindly root about a nest on the south wall, with a couple of badly decomposed bodies. The nest also contains a box, nestled under the debris, requiring a DC 10 Search check. The box contains an Elixir of Swimming, a scroll of Burning Hands a scroll of Animate Rope, 340 sp, 82 gp, a masterwork, and an ivory bound ledger worth 125gp. The Tiny Crevasse There is also a small crevasse surrounded by a littering of stones and rocks, about 100 yards from the mine office. It would be a great place to dispose/bury bodies. Alternatively, there could be a cleric of Wee-Jas nearby, wandering the hills and collecting the skins of dead animals. Maybe he would be cool with helping out the PCs with this problem.
Diamond Lake Player’s Handout The ramblings of Knuckston Grizzlebeard, common miner and regular patron of the Feral Dog Tavern, a week before his death by a falling girder in the Tilgast Mines: So, you wanna know what life is like in Diamond Lake? Hells man, why would you want ta give a s++! about this place? It’s a piss hole. My old bones sweat their last in those mines, and I’ve got nothing to show for it except a case of gout and the hacking lungrot. You ain’t going away are, ya? Well then, sit down. . . I’ll talk to ye about the sights around here, but it’ll cost ya a few rounds . . . the Good Dwarven stuff too, you cheapskate. Okay, where was I? Diamond Lake, a s+~@hole like no other. . . Politics Governor-mayor Lanod Neff is the head cheese around here. He’s been appointed by Cinnmore itself because his father was a head cheese and got him started with a position at the Garrison that he didn’t deserve. Now, he sits in his massive manor house on the hill overlooking the town. It’s constantly under construction, mostly so Neff can try to outclass the other bigwigs in this berg. The man himself? Hells! He’s a lying, cheating philanderer who spends more time chasing tail than doing any real work. He lines the pockets of his cronies to stay in power, and pays off that sheriff to keep him and his boys in line. If it weren’t for his brother, Allustan Neff, Lanod’s body would have been dumped into a dry mine years ago by the other power brokers in town. Allustan’s a pretty powerful Wizard, probably the smartest man in town. I heard that back in Cinnmore, he had designs on being the head of a wizard’s academy, but fell out of favor and was forced into retirement. Since he was born and raised here, he ended up back where he started. I like to think he may have ran away from the big city with his tail between his legs, but, um . . . don’t tell anyone I told you that. Anyway, the law around here, if you wanna call it that, is a big old bastard named Sheriff Cubbin. It’s no secret he’s in the pocket of the Mayor, and spends his time drinking and carousing in the various cathouses. When he got elected Sheriff, we laughed in our cups and threw darts at his head, until he arrested us all with his private battalion of cronies. Son of a b&@@*. . . The only other law in town is the Garrison, ran by Captain Tolliver Trask. He runs about 60 men in the old keep, but the snots never bother to step foot inside the town proper. Mostly, they patrol the miles of wilderness outside of town, and pray to their self-righteous god of honor. Truth is, Trask doesn’t care a lick for Diamond Lake, and he keeps his men out of our affairs. He’s just here to make sure his precious metropolis Cinnmore don’t get attacked from our direction. If anything really bad happens here, the gates of the keep will shut so fast that any honest wage earner standing in the way’ll get dashed against the walls. Business The mines are everything here, and I’ve been breaking my back inside of ‘em for 30 years. The mine managers come and go, and deeds exchange hands over blackmail, gambling, and even downright murder and theft. At least that’s the rumor. It a tough business and I can say that through it all, I’m still here, digging away to line the pockets for every backstabbing son-of-a-b**~& that ever owned a mine. Right now, there are six mine managers, who are considered to be the ones that matter in town. They have the chink to ignore the law, and hire their own thugs to keep order in their respective areas of business. They fight with the mayor sometimes, but for the most part they don’t do much but bicker amongst themselves for every scrap of ore they can squeeze out of the hills. You want a rundown of who they are? What’s the point of that? It won’t last. . . Ah . . . the hells with it . . . keep the ale coming. . . Right now, the comer is Balabar Smenk. He is a fat, lecherous bastard who got his start from his old contacts in Cinnmore. He spends his time gambling, drinking, and scheming up new ways to take over this entire town. The mayor hates him, mostly because he’s scared. Smenk owns 4 mines right now, and is poised to get more. Balabar may have just enough of the town in his pocket to stage a coup of his own, but he’s usually too powdered up with perfume and sweaty finery to think about lifting a sword. Of course, this has really pissed off Gelch Tilgast. Right now I work for the old fart, but it may not last. Before Smenk come into the picture, Gelch reigned over this berg for years like a petty lord, and now he’s getting a taste of what it’s like to be on the outs. I’ve even heard rumors that he’s trying to get support from other mine managers to fight off Balabar Smenk, but that’s probably hogwash. Tilgast doesn’t know which way is up these days, and they sure as hell wouldn’t deal with him after the way he’s backhanded them over the years. He’s still better off that Luzanne Parrin. She inherited her mines from her mother, who died in the Red Death when she was still a pup. Now, twenty years later, she’s almost bankrupt, and it’s no secret that she’s sleeping with Chaum Gansworth to try and protect her own skin. She’ll be broke soon. Chaum Gansworth has been in town for a while, and keeps a pretty low profile. Other than the fact that he’s sleeping with Luzanne, there ain’t much to tell. He does own the Rusty Bucket, and has dinner there quite often. I guess his mines are doing okay, but then again . . . how the hell am I supposed to know? The same can be said for the other two mine managers. One’s an elf, some prancing panty waste named Ellival Moonmeadow. He only owns one silver mine, and doesn’t have anything to do with regular townsfolk like us. He just hangs out with his fellow elves, doing . . . well, whatever it is elves do when they’re together. Haw ha! The other one is a dwarf, named Ragnolin Dourstone, who’s been here ever since I can remember. Like most Dwarves, he does well for himself in the mining profession, and has handpicked a number of spots to start new mines, all of them pretty damn successful. So far, neither Tilgast nor Smenk has managed to dent his business one bit . . . though they’ve both tried their best over the years. In addition to the mines, all six mine managers share a single smelting house, located near the old piers. It’s pretty much monopolized by the city council in Cinnmore, and run like a tight ship. The chief smelter, Vulgan Durtch, is a recluse, and the entire operation resembles a fortress with no windows, and no unguarded entrances. They had to step things up a bit security wise, after one of the mine managers sabotaged a rival’s shipment. History Well, I can’t really go back all that far. My memory gets a little fuzzy when I think back to the old days. . . I do know that the area near the lake was run by some uppity feudal lord a long time ago. He built a keep, which currently houses the Garrison’s men. There are also a couple of old fences in the cairn hills where he tried to get his farming subjects to grow carrots and potatoes. I wonder how many of the idiot’s subjects starved to death! Well, his sons started exploring the cairns and old gravesites that litter this whole area. I guess they found quite a bit of loot from the olden days . . . and I don’t mean 50 years ago. I mean really old days. Hundreds of years ago. Anyway, all this loot attracted the attention of Cinnmore, and pretty soon they bought off the noble kids and annexed this whole area for themselves. They hired a group of adventurers to explore it all, and sucked every last treasure dry from those old tombs. That would have been the end of Diamond Lake, except prospectors and surveyors came in and took measure of the land. It’s still s+++ for growing anything but weeds, but wouldn’t you know they discovered a massive cache of silver lodes and massive veins of iron under the hills, including the one we’re sitting on right now? Now, years and years later, it’s said that that we’re the cornerstone of Cinnmore’s ore supply. Not like they’d pass any of that wealth onto common laborers like us, you understand. When I was a kid, getting a meal was as easily as casting a line in the Lake. Now, the smelting house and associated runoff has polluted the water so much, the merchants have to send off to Cinnmore just to get a week-old, salted flounder. As far as recent history goes, there ain’t much to tell . . . honest folk are still getting screwed and the wealthy are still getting richer off of our sweat. Let’s see. . . There’s an old ring of stones out in the boonies, called the Menhirs. It’s visited by Rangers, Druids, and other freeloaders. No one knows who built it, but they say the worn stone have been there for centuries. The Old Observatory used to be a haven to some scholarly Monks, who used to prance about and read off astrology. They packed up shop when I was just a kid, and since then it’s pretty much sat abandoned. Then, of course, about 19 years ago, a pretty bad plague called the Red Death swept through and killed a good many of us. I lost my sister to the Boneyard, and me son’s still got vapors and can’t make a living. I even had it myself, but it’s weren’t too bad on me. I did get a pretty lumpy scar from it on the back o’ my head though. You wanna see it? No? Ah well. . . Entertainment There’s nothing like spending a day’s wage in Diamond Lake. We may not get much in the way o’ housing, sanitation, or any of that frilly city crap that doesn’t do any good anyway . . . but we do have entertainment in spades. If you have the money, the Emporium is the place to be. It’s run by a lady of the night, Zalamadra, and she’s got a whole cadre of the sweetest ladies you ever saw at her disposal. They sit in perfumed glory in the upstairs area she calls the Veiled Corridor. There aren’t any veils there that I’ve seen, but then again, I’ve never asked for one. There’s also a Den on the top floor where you can obtain the use of other substances that twist your mind around and make you talk funny, if you’re into that. There are plenty of games of chance, and a very interesting freak show downstairs full of dangerous and exotic creatures. Just last week, I heard a rumor that a crazed demon child escaped it cage and went on a fiery rampage. They haven’t caught it yet, and I’m keeping a sharp lookout. They say its hide has magic designs on it, and I’ll bet its worth a few pennies to its owners. I have a boot dagger handy in case I run into the thing. If you like boredom, you can always visit Lazare’s House. It’s a fancy, high class place with a steep price I remember when Lazare managed a mine in town, until his wife got sick and he was bankrupted, selling everything to that bastard Smenk. Inside his place, there’s no music, no dancing girls, and no fun. I heard everyone sits at tables and plays Dragonchess, a game with over 40 pieces and a multilevel board. Lazare used to be a champion, and has somehow pushed his habit on some of the upper crust. It’s a snore, but at least you can gamble on it. If you find yourself a little light of chink, there are a few other places you can visit for fun. The Midnight Salute is a pretty cheap place to get some female action, but they cater heavily to the Garrison’s crowd. If you’re looking to get drunk or do some low-end betting, there’s the Feral Dog, where you can see some pit dogs tear each other to pieces, and get into a bar brawl or two. It can get rough, even for a guy like me, but it’s worth it because they don’t charge you to get in. Your other choice among the chaff is the Spinning Giant, but the other patrons are usually garrison soldiers, so you have to be tolerant of drunken chants and men who like to slap each other on the butt. They don’t tolerate stealing or bad manners, and there isn’t a card game to be found anywhere in the vicinity. If you’re just hungry for some food, you can go to the Hungry Gar. The chef there is a pretty decent cook, but there’s only so much you can do with snared rabbits and deer meat. One alternative is the Rusty Bucket, which has a pretty decent common room as well. Finally, if information of the outside world is your cup of tea, many out-of-towners stay at the Able Carter Coaching Inn. The main thrust of the business is running coaches and supplies back and forth to Cinnmore, Blackwall Keep, Elmshire, and other parts west. Boarders from all over stay there, mostly for short term business, so a good conversation about Cinnmore and other part o’ the world are in good order there. Plus, if you’re willing to pay, they’ll take horses too. Nine Hells, you can always do what I do. You can always spend thirty years of your life slaving away to Gelch Tilgast, only to see your life get poured down the drain when he sells the mine to Balabar Smenk in a few years. Smenk pays two coppers cheaper, and you work a longer shift. Bastards. Shops There are plenty o’ places to get business done in Diamond Lake. You got something to buy or sell, you can most likely procure your needs right here. Let’s see. . . we got Tidwoad’s Jewelry, run by a uppity gnome of the same name. He cheated my mother out of her jewels for half their worth, so I can’t vouch for his honesty, but you should see his collections in the window – whew! . . . He swears that his shop is burglar proof, and so far, no one’s taken him up on the challenge. I’d like a few of those baubles for myself, that’s the honest truth. The General Store is where you can pick up just about any mundane equipment you’d ever need. Taggin runs it pretty reasonable, and has all the supplies you need to travel overland for a month, or survive a mountain climb. He stays outta people’s business, and sticks to his own outfit. The Lakeside Stables are run by a half-elf named Lanch Faraday. I ain’t ever owned a horse myself, so I don’t know him well. I only met him once, during a card game, but I took my leave when he upset a table and pulled a knife. He’s a mean, sour drunk, but he takes care of most of the community’s horses, so he can’t be all bad. If you’re looking for weapons, Tyorl Ebberly has a good shop. He claims to be a watch captain in Cinnmore, but be must’ve done something wrong to end up here. He has a few artifacts from the Cairn hills that he’s found. If your interested his place is called The Captain’s Blade. Venelle’s contains some of the finest bows in the land. Venelle herself is happy to sell anything she has, if she can locate it through all the clutter o’ her shop. I took up bow hunting myself once, and stood all day in a tree stand, on her advice. The only thing I caught was a damned cold. Manlin Osgood. . . now there’s a man I can hang a reputation on. He’s a right fellow and an able drinking companion, if his head’s right. He doesn’t bluff at cards, he’s always ready with a backslap and a handshake, and he makes the finest masterwork armor in the region. A few from Cinnmore come to Osgood’s Smithy special, just to access his team of apprentice blacksmiths. That’s about it. There are other places in town to get things, but I wouldn’t recommend it. When your life depends on a wooden girder underground, you better make sure the right hands set it up, if you catch my meaning. In Diamond Lake, it’s better to be gouged by an honest exploiter than outright cheated by a thief, so stick to those places I mentioned . . . you should be fine. Churches There are a few churches in town that have gained a following, but I wouldn’t recommend any of ‘em. The best church for me are the Halls of the Veiled Corridor, where you can tithe your money for a cause that’s worthy of your coin, and get a little bit of sweetness besides. However, if you insist, you can go to the Church of Ct. Cuthbert, right on the center of town. The sermons there are full of piss and vinegar, led by Jierian Wierus, whose favorite activity is to flog his own backside with a cat-o-nine-tails, and go to the seedy parts of town to covert others to do the same. His following is 150 strong and growing. If they’d make you feel welcome, you can go to the garrison and sit at the Chapel of Heironeous. It’s mostly full of soldiers, who like to puff themselves up with honor before riding around the countryside in their fancy armor. Valkus Dunn is the righteous bastard in charge, preaching about public do-goodery, but doing nothing about it. He opens the service up to the public, but no one goes except men who swing swords for a living. If you like nature, you can traipse out in to the boonies to visit the Bronzewood Lodge. Its run by Nogweir, a cleric of Obad-Hai who likes to scare people about bogeymen in the hills, but I can’t imagine why they’d sit out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to entertain them. Trying to fill the coffers so he can get back to real civilization is my guess. There’s also a Temple of Wee-Jas around here somewhere, called the Cult of the Green Lady, but you won’t see them much unless you go the Boneyard and visit the graves they tend to. When my Suzie died from the Red Death, they took her thin, deformed bones and washed her up real pretty. Then they stood around and gave a little speech about mortality and life, but I didn’t have a penny to give ‘em. They went ahead and did it for free. Anyway, that’s pretty much a good rundown of Diamond Lake for ya. You wasted enough of my time, so get out of my face and stop asking questions. I got a few coppers left in my pocket, and I want to get to the Emporium to see that damned two-headed mule again . . . Knuckston Grizzlebeard was buried in the Bonyard of Diamond Lake. His burial was overseen by the Cult of the Green Lady, and he is survived by his adult son Renald Grizzlebeard, in the direct custody of the mine manager Gelch Tilgast. “The joys of the rich man are nothing, as they who hang around with sinners, scoffing at the simple paths of righteousness. Their delights are a pittance compared to eternity, and their rewards shall be devoured by the wriggling powers of darkness. They seem as trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruits, but I tell you: they are plagued from within by blind, consuming things that eat without mercy and leave nothing behind. Not a one of them will be safe on the day of final judgment, when the slithering darkness feasts upon them. We tread toward a red day, full of writing doom and a dread feast of bloated, ravenous hunger. Dark times is coming. Slithering times, when the clouds snuff the sky and the austerity of flesh is the path of salvation. Be ready, and prepare your body for the coming Age . . . an Age of Worms . . .” - Jierian Weirus, Priest of St. Cuthbert
Wow! I wish I knew how to post a link . . . but if you go to Harry Knowles' aint-it-cool-news website, you can see the trailer. This movie looks like Pink Floyd's "The Wall," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "The Cell," and a lifetime's worth of acid flashbacks, all rolled into one. I can't wait to see this movie.
I originally posted this ion the "Article Requests" seciton of Dragon magazine's forum, but generated no interst. I got to thinking that this is because it is more of a Dungeon Magazine thing. ANyway, here's a reprint if anyoneis interested in commenting. "Do you get many submission queries regarding alternative Prime Material Planes? According to the Planar Handbook, there are an infinite number of them, all right next to Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and others. I wasn't thinking of entire Campaign Worlds or huge Backdrops, where every detail would have to be built - rather, a few details that would make each world a little bit different, allowing it to fit into a regular sized article. For instance, have a colder Prime World, where the sun is a distant blue star, and surface races have crowded around pockets of geothermal energy. Or perhaps a world where magic is flooded, and every mortal is born with a small, select list of spell-like abilities that are innate. Or a shattered planes, where a couple of Prime worlds collided together, leaving pockets of different climates and topogrpahical features, all patchworked together into one large continent (this one was not my idea - belongs to Tony B. in Clarksville, IN). And so on. . . What would be the interest level for regular articles highlighting a different alternative Prime Material Plane? Considering that there were over 11,000 submissions for WOTC's Campaign World contest (I sent 4 myself, but they were absolute stinkers compared to Baker's Ebberon), I think there might be a font of unused material out there...
Has anyone seen this yet? I'm curious to see what someone else thinks of this one. I loved it, but I'm not sure why just yet...
"A Song of Ice and Fire" is some of the best fantasy fiction I have ever read. The characters are so full of life and energy, and their motivations are so incredible gritty and realistic. There's cussing and sex and limbs getting cut off, and all that nasty stuff, all of which exist to advance the nature of the characters Martin is dealing with. And the twists. . . Main characters that you've read about and loved for 2,000 pages will suddenly get capped off camera somewhere. . . whole kingdoms get flopped on their heads (realistically), and every single class from the king to the commoner is somehow tied into the experiences of the plight of the 7 Kingdoms. Add in Ages of very intersting backstory and history, and a plethora of very distictive cultures, adn you have a very entertaining and well-realized world. I highly recommend it. And BTW, if anyone knows the man himself, tell him to hurry up with the next volume. I'm going nuts.
I've been thinking about coming up with my own d20 game. . . Remember that one cartoon in one of the 1st edition guides (maybe the DMG), where the adventurers are gaming with a system where they're all pretending to be lawyers and accountants in an post-industrilized society. Sounds like fun. My game is called "Bureaucracy," and you have to negotiate your way through a number of very tricky hazards, requiring every ounce of your wit, tenacity, and patience. For instance, traversing the Department of Motor Vehicles in order to get transportation, filling out applications for health insurance whenever you take damage, and so on . . . all of which must be done without falling below a certain credit rating. The credit rating is your alignment, and it's the basis for all your moral decisions during the campaign. Your weapons are various spending tools, like credit cards, checkbooks, hard cash, PayPal, etc. Your advesaries are monsters that sit behind thick plastic and tell you to fill things out in triplicate. C'mon. . .why play D&D when you can have Bureaucracy!
Do you get many submission queries regarding alternative Prime Material Planes? According the D&D pantheon, there are an infinite number of them, all right next to Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and others. I wasn't thinking of entire Campaign Worlds or huge Backdrops, where every detail would have to be built - rather, a few details that would make each world a little bit different, allowing it to fit into a regular sized article. For instance, have a colder Prime World, where the sun is a distant blue star, and surface races have crowded around pockets of geothermal energy. Or perhaps a world where magic is flooded, and every mortal is born with a small, select list of spell-like abilities that are innate. Or a shattered planes, where a couple of Prime worlds collided together, leaving pockets of different climates and topogrpahical features, all patchworked together into one large continent (this one was not my idea - belongs to Tony B. in Clarksville, IN). And so on. . . What would be the interest level for regular articles highlighting a different alternative Prime Material Plane? Considering that there were over 11,000 submissions for WOTC's Campaign World contest(I sent 4 myself, but they were absolute stinkers compared to Baker's Ebberon), I think there might be a font of unused material out there...
Recently, a series of postings on the boards suggested some confusion about clichéd plotlines for D&D adventures (The Black Hole at Paizo one - if only I knew how to do that nifty hyperlink thing... grrr). I had the idea that some of us might like to post our ideas on what a clichéd adventure might consist of. I’ve come up with an initial list of fifteen to add to or discuss: 1. A githyanki loses his silver sword and comes looking for it.
Let me know if you disagree with any I’ve come up with so far. They’re just my personal opinion, and subject to debate. . . - Chris
Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and other campaign worlds are great, and very well realized over the last 30 years of gaming. But does everyone use them? I would be interested to hear about other campaign worlds that DMs have come up with in their games. Gods, Cosmologies, Cities, Unusual Geogrpahies, and other features would all be fair game. Anyone wanna share? |