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You find troll tracks in several areas... small groups accompanied by trollhounds. In once such area - nearby one of the abandoned huts, you find two piles of little more than bloody bones. The perimeter is tamped down by scores of troll prints - making it impossible to detect what other creatures' tracks you might find. Garborn and Malylev: You notice in areas of trolls and hounds traveling (fair distances in the same direction) the heading is primarily to and from west-southwest of here.
Parting ways with the loggers, you head south to begin exploration. In this area of predominately wooded and fairly low land, you find several remnants of abandoned camps and primitive huts, deer stands, and animal trails though the brown and gray forest floor - covered with several seasons worth of matted leaves.
Spoiler:
Erodel hacks through the blob demon with one heavy swing.. it falls with a splat. He and Idril move into position surrounding Elgadazum. Idril:
Sorry.. already dead. That attack (minus the sneak attack) will go against Elgadazum
I didn't either... sorry, you did do full damage if that's the case
The devil redirects Stricia's strike with the shaft of his weapon, then drops it. He ignores Bastargrae's words and his blade - a clean jab to the thigh which seems to have left no wound. Elgadazum claws at Stricia, and draws blood with a wicked claw.
The blob demon at the north door swings a bloated fist at Bastargrae, then swipes him with a clawed hand.
The other lunges to Erodel, and claws at him.
Marlbeck reddens, smirks, and nods in response to Garborn.
"I'll see ya soon enough. Hope I'll be able to say more then."
He then looks to his scouts.. "Let's head out."
The devil Elgadazum snorts at Indio, then nods repeatedly with a smile.
"How interesting.... I am here because I have been summoned, and bound into service of my mistress."
"Before you are slaughtered and flensed, I am curious.. I would hear.. outsiders'.. perspective. It is my belief that waiting for the cusp of adulthood to sacrifice a soul is a waste of time, and that souls are souls regardless of how long they’ve been lodged in living flesh. Would you agree?" He gestures toward the cell door to his left. From which you now start to hear muffled unintelligible sounds.. like attempts by gagged captives to scream. The malformed heads atop the piles of less than solid flesh at both doors sway - mouths agape. Their partial limbs push against the stone floor - still hunched but more upright. Bastargrae: He is clearly evil and smug - certain you will all fall against him. You did notice him "clock" your weapons, before his air of confidence appeared.
Though his gaze pores over the entire group, he focuses on Idril. His tone and demeanor are rather relaxed at this point.
Nio: Sure
Nio: It is a bearded devil. Immune to fire damage... resistant to cold and acid.
As Stricia opens the secret door, you can hear a low voice, and smell a faint sulfurous scent. As you move in you see the muscular red devilish creature watching you from the far wall. Now there are two squat figures - disfigured lumps of flesh - on either side of it. "Please enter... a word perhaps?" The devil's deep and textured voice is as congenial as it's inherently evil timbre could be. An antique wooden desk sits to your right.. in the southwestern corner of this 20 foot square room, attended by a high-backed chair with tufts of stuffing protruding here and there from its rotting cushions. Partially broken shelves sit against the north and east walls, and strange symbols of a one-eyed insectile face have been painted on the walls along with curving lines of strange, sinister script. One lumpy squat figure stands in front of the door on the north wall.. the other in front of the cell door on the far wall. The devil stands between.. holding a wicked polearm - though non-threateningly at the moment.
After a beat, Corvax joins in Garborn's laughter.
After a brief meal for those freed from enchantment, night passes without incident. At first light everyone gathers to travel to Hope's Haven. The loggers' moods have improved considerably.. now anxious to spend some time with a few of the luxuries not found in the wild. Marlbeck hems and haws for a bit before "My scouts and I are going upriver to pinpoint the grove Melianse spoke of. We'll meet you back at Haven soon. Good travels." Sense Motive DC15: You've noticed Marlbeck's lingering glances toward the spot in the river where Melianse would appear... and now again as he states their plan. There seems to be some sort of emotional attachment? Whether it is a "romantic" pull, the polar opposite, or something remaining from the enchantment... is unclear.
Idril sees the dark empty hallway beyond the barricades... no sign of life within view. She hears nothing on the east end before Stricia quietly opens the secret door. Stricia:
You see a medium sized dimly lit chamber just as a door on the north wall closes. A large and muscled horned figure turns back in your direction and walks toward a desk just inside and to your right.
It is red.. demonic.. with beard of twitching locks like writhing tentacles. The deep dark eyes on its cruel fuming face are cast toward the east wall. You see a lip begin to curl upward as you close the secret door fully.. unsure if it detected your presence. rolls:
As the loggers and scouts reunite, there is some grumbling.. but it is quickly shushed with "Let's just go home... we're safe now... " and the like. Melianse places the tokens where the old trees fell. At each location, a burst of wood sprouts upward, and grows into an massive adult tree within a few seconds... five foot diameter trunk, and well over fifty feet high.... Corvax approaches with a proud smile. "Great work m'lords.. m'lady. You go on ahead... we'd just slow you down. We'll be fine... 'specially with you folks blazing the trail!"
Stricia hears a monstrous voice beyond the far wall, and is able to make one half of the exchange...
Stricia and Idril:
Stricia sees the hairline seam of a secret door at the far end of the hallway. The two of you then spot another one in the center of the north wall.
Melianse swims to the bank and rises... her long dark hair wends itself away from her face, and shifts to cover her body just enough. She takes the tokens from Garborn, inspects them, and smiles.
With a beckoning gesture, Marlbeck in wolf form, and the remaining ensorcelled loggers rise from the river. A moment later, you see them visibly shake off the fog, and Marlbeck morphs into his human form. He takes a knee.... "Thank you for freeing me.", and looks to the nymph.
Melianse bows her head to him, then gestures and murmurs facing the river.. which begins to part. The now lower level allows safe and easy passage to the far side. "There is a grove of hardwoods - larger than this one - upriver. I will lead you there if you wish. Return here and call for me when you are ready."
Sorry all.. crazy hours at work, and preparing for wedding.
Stricia: good tone (re audio), levels, elocution, etc... Intelligent thoughts, and stated well.
Your hem and haw hesitancy at times, and somber tone (understandable due to the nature of your topic) slowed things a bit, but I'm sure with other topics your cadence/pace will be fine.
Stricia enters an unadorned fifteen foot long hallway with no visible exits. Though it appears to be solid stone, she can hear muffled raised voices which seem to be coming from beyond the east wall.
You reach the riverbank across from the lumber camp at nightfall. You see the loggers and Marlbeck's rangers seated around a campfire. Within seconds, just beyond your illumination Melianse surfaces.
The loggers - who've now noticed you - rise... Corax slaps the back of the lumberjack at his side. "Ha! I told you they'd come through!"
Just at the last moment, Nio is able to point out a precarious beam holding up quite a bit of loose rubble overhead. The trio are then able to avoid the primitive trap, and reach the secret door at the end of the hall. It opens just a hair before hitting some obstruction on the other side. Meanwhile, within the second chamber Stricia inspects, there is another secret door against the back wall.
Tiressia waves farewell again... "It was a pleasure speaking with you, dear Daldin. I hope your wife will be pleased with the seeds." He responds.. maybe a bit sheepish.. "I've got no doubt, Miss... thank you again." It is late afternoon as you leave Tiressia's glade. Now more familiar with the path on your return, your pace is slightly increased.
The hallway behind the secret door in the northwest chamber is flooded with clutter. Stones, bricks, broken furniture, and molding cloth make for slow going as you clamber over and weave through piles and obstructions. The drifting motes of illumination cause moments of shadow. In the main chamber, as you begin to look about, you find nothing new other than stains from your previous fight.
"Gifts from Tiressia.. my Lord." He extends his arms offering up the bundle. Within, there is a fine cloak, a wand, and a satchel containing a few potions. gifts from Tiressia: +1 Cloak of Protection 3 potions of Cure Moderate Wounds Wand of Burst of Radiance CL3 (15 charges)
"It will be done. A bird will come to you bearing a message of dangers in the woods should I become aware of any.. lurking threats."
She continues... "I do hope you continue to care for your good people.. It is heartening to see kindness among you." Falchos adds "We'll see each other again.. yes? We should go...." Tiressia nods. "It is time to perform rites for our friends who have fallen in the fight against the scythe tree."
You hear no words.. just the retreating footsteps of the fleeing cultist. Several seconds later you hear a series of short whistles further in the complex... and then, quiet again.
"Please... This is nothing compared to what you've done for me and mine. What else can I do for you?"
"Ah.. so you felled trees in Melianse's grove?"
You return to the chamber. As your illumination fills the room, you see a barricade of simple spears and overturned tables blocking the northeast hallway. A figure on the other side tries to slink away into the darkness without being seen, but she is clearly visible due to your several light sources. rolls:
>map<
You return to the dryad's glade.. Falchos greets you at the edge of the clearing.
You leave the passenger cabins to the main deck - where a couple deckhands are lazing about. They nod to you, and continue their half-hearted "looking busy".
You return to the area where you found the Lucky Bones entrance, and find no presence. It is dark under the hatch... You hear nothing as you descend into the filthy basement, and the swinging door leading into the large chamber is still unlocked. There is not a hint of light coming from the descending staircase beyond the door.
Vladimir finds a few gems under the roots. There are also several shredded corpses in the area.. as well as further down its wilted and trodden path.
With a resounding crack, a seeping wound opens in the scythe tree's trunk. A moment later, the wicked branches droop, and its maw hangs agape. The flames linger.. slowly spreading.
The flames continue to spread.. the scythe tree roars again.. its branches flail as if it's begun to go into a frenzy.
Nico's bolt hits above and between the dark sockets which seem to serve as its eyes. Vladimir's blade sends bark chips flying revealing the sickly bare wood beneath - dark mottled colors of badly bruised flesh. One of Malylev's chains grazes the scythe tree, and leaves behind a splintered wound. Skokan tears a small chunk of bark free with a bite. You hear wood creak as the scythe tree turns.. bladed limbs slash wildly at the small fiery creatures... only one winks out of existence.
The scythe tree swipes madly at the fiery creatures.. their flaming strikes cause the rear of the tree to catch.
As the scythe tree makes a slight rotation, several branches swoop and curl down and inward to slash at the three attackers around it.
As casting begins, the wicked tree yanks its roots from the ground, and begins to lumber toward you.
Wencella the halfling attendant leads you to the two passenger cabins. They are well furnished - an understated richness, and surprisingly comfortable.
Spoiler:
The scar on the trunk splits to reveal a wide mouth... it speaks with an unnaturally low rumbling voice, and a ponderous cadence.
Sylvan:
"The scent I follow.. carried on the winds.. you carry it too. The scent of a dryad... I crave.. I hunger for a taste. Horse flesh and man will do for now. Come...." DM rolls confirming the 40' distance before spotting is about right...:
The sweet stench of decay hangs thick in this woodland clearing. Knotted branches of sickly trees line the perimeter, creating a thick canopy that blocks most of the sunlight and cloaks the hollow in shadow. Withered vegetation struggles to grow in ragged clumps among the multitude of bones strewn across the forest floor. Forty feet from you, stands a dark gnarled tree. A horizontal scar spreads across its trunk. It is well over twenty feet tall, with dark, twisted and exposed roots; a few reddish-brown leaves hang on the gnarled, wickedly curved branches. There is a faint rustling sound, but no movement as you come to the edge of the clearing. Vladimir: This is a scythe tree. They are vulnerable to fire, have incredible reach, and are both intelligent and very perceptive.
Daldin timidly raises his hand - like a reminder of his presence.
Captain Sargaeta hems and haws for a moment, then replies
"To the point.. I will get back to you on that." He rubs Marquel's back affectionately, and says to you..
Tiressia clasps her hands together and beams, then her expression turns grave.. "Please.. be careful. Thank you." Falchos nods.. "Best of luck to you. Be warned.. it moves slowly, but its attacks are quick."
As Garborn sings beautifully to the piper's accompaniment.. the piper gives the slender fair woman a few sidelong looks. As she appears to enjoy the performance more and more, he seems to relax and lets go.. his piping becomes more dynamic.. and he stands - getting into the music. At the end of the song, the woman slides off the branch and lands softly - as if a fraction what you'd think she'd weigh.
As she speaks, she lightly steps to Garborn and Malylev's companion, and greets them with an offered hand, then gentle strokes.
Spoiler:
The trees part to reveal a peaceful forest glade dappled with sunlight. A small pond lies placidly at the roots of an enormous oak tree with a scattering of leaves floating upon its surface. Birdsong twitters from the branches high above. A goat-legged and horned man sits with his back against the oak.. blowing into a pan flute. Above him - on the lowest branch - sits a fair woman with hair like the most vivid autumn leaves.. wearing what appears to be twisted and curling vines in shades of gold and green - woven into a revealing short dress. Her legs dangle and lightly swing. She smiles as you approach.
Making your way beyond a part of the wood crowded with tangles of weeds, and scrawny scantly-branched tall and straight trees mid-afternoon, you enter another glade of verdant idyllic foliage. You begin to hear something.. music somewhere in the distance. It sounds to be some sort of wind instrument. The volume and clarity of it increases as you continue on your intended course. The melancholy melody floats on the air.
The teacup shatters into six pieces. The halfling attendant picks up the pieces, and hands them to you. Captain Sargaeta smiles.. "The fragments of this cup represent the number of favors I owe you,” says Sargaeta once the shards are gathered.
Marquel raises his glass "Here here..", and bows his head to your group in appreciation.
As you are served, Captain Sargaeta turns back to Marquel, and beams.. "So you are here... Dare I assume the answer is yes?" Marquel nods, and they embrace. Sargaeta calls over his shoulder. "Hopgut play for us!" Another halfling comes in with a violin.. he sets it on his shoulder and begins to play a lilting tune. There is brief idle chat, then Marquel tells Sargaeta how the night played out. Sargaeta's face is awash with gratitude as he speaks to you.
He holds out his tea cup.. turns it over.. it is empty, then hands it you. "Take this, and drop it." He gestures to the floor in front of you. "Right here on the floor."
Daldin nods with some enthusiasm... "This way.. I'll show you a nearby shallow crossing."
Garborn+Maly: From the number of hours before dusk Melianse said it would take to her sister, you estimate your target location to be roughly ten miles away.
The game is well into the 15th level; they ignore most touch attacks and incorporeal attacks. The Alchemist especially. They're also not going up against mindless creatures. We're talking intelligent warlords, who know some advanced protips I'm also not interested in hitting them. And neither are they interested in me inventing ways to hit them. Do you know how BORING it gets for everyone to have someone run up and slam their fists' uselessly against you? Yeah, it's awesome the first few times. Three months later, its boring.
Antagonize, Combat Reflexes, Stand Still have their problems (but that's still pretty cool, thanks!) One requires a good Charisma and lots of skill points (and is useless against a lot of creatures) and the other requires a good Dexterity (which one, the Alchemist, has. I'll mention it to him!)
I'm surprised no one has talked about something like this happening yet. My players went on the hunt for the Cindermaw in last night's game. Once the great beast revealed itself, the party began to buff; no one attacked it. On round one, I had the creature use its fiery breath weapon. I had plans for round two. But they never came to fruition. On round two, the summoner cast Charm Monster; on round one, she had cast Eagle's Splendor upon herself. Now, the Cindermaw already has a poor Will save, but I rolled quite well. Not well enough, however, to save vs. the Summoner's DC; I was off by one (I can't remember the actual DC anymore, but I won't forget the Summoner's player chanting how I missed by 1). Now, the players were just a little higher in level, since their number fluctuates, and they are at 12th level. So, the Cleric, spell slots left empty, prepares Hero's feast, and in due time, they feed the Cindermaw. Then, there was a casting of Fox's Cunning and the like, and they had a average intelligence Cindermaw. Tongues had already been cast, and Diplomacy checks were made. "Did you like your meal? If you did, align with us!" was the general message. They hadn't planned this. They made it up as they went. I was so awed that I let them have it. They subdued the beast for good. They rode the great beast. Just for good measure, each and everyone of the party's members walked in and out of the great beast's gullet for the Truthspeaker's tale. Did I mention that they rode the Cindermaw? They rode the Cindermaw all the way to the Sklar-Quah's encampment. The player's had had enough of chain quests and rituals; they wanted to know how to defeat the B%#@* Queen. In no small words did they explain that they had done the impossible. They wanted to know about the Fangs' of Kazavon. Now. The Shoanti had two options really: Tell them, or...don't. I opted for the peaceful option. The players felt for the Shoanti people. I know the book has the respect points averting war; but the players? They kind of want to ride, balls to the wall, back to the city, with a hoard of Shoanti warriors, and bring war to the Queen. I might just let them. They are the Kwisatz Haderach, after all.
*Screams* To:
Too:
You need another O! ADD ANOTHER O! (Or get rid of one, for some of you) The only thing I like different, and I just house-ruled it in, is a feat at every level, more starting HP (we just add the con score at first level) and a +1 to an ability score at every even level that cannot be the same one as the last one. *Walks away*
Nuke the table from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. Look. I'm not blind to what is going on, but I cannot authorize that kind of action. I'm sorry. ------- Alright, thanks everyone. Getting alot of the same advice here, so I'll take it, but he isn't the type to take criticism well at all, so I see this exploding, but honestly? His behavior isn't anything new, we just haven't gamed with him in over 4 years. Now I see why...
Nice. So, both me and my wife already have those, and I wasn't a germ freak until afterwards. You don't get auto-immune diseases for the reason you listed. But way to be as insulting as you could be by blaming me for why I have MS. We have a community dice bucket, it gets brought to game shops, conventions, etc. I don't know whose or how many hands have touched those dice, or will.
The goblin that is left remaining,
His hands fly up!
He turns around,
An attack of opportunity,
A Withdraw action.
Adanel *went*
Food. A lot more food. Trade values, how to cook it, what benefits there could maybe be from preparing a meal instead of just chomping away. Also in this request is alcohols. Everyone loves to have their character drink dwarven ale, elven wine, or gnomish mead, but I can never find the price. And what if such beverages gave some sort of benefit? Unrelated:
I have no good reply
That sometimes editing a thread can be
Or perhaps you write a poem
As the goblins disintegrated from the massive amount of murder stabbing that was had upon them, the heroes looked about, and saw that the town of Sandpoint was engulfed. Engulfed in Goblin song, goblin merriment, goblin chaos, and goblin flames. Nearby, another song could be heard above screams the sound of violence all around. Burn the building
Drink their blood!
Nosh on down until you filled,
When the humies start to fight
Skeith manages to get a bag full of silver pieces. 17 pieces are in the bag. A sharp retort, like the crack of distant thunder, slices through the excited crowd as the sun’s setting rays paint the western sky. A stray dog that has crawled under a nearby wagon to sleep starts awake, and the buzz of two dozen conversations quickly hushes as all heads turn toward the central podium, where a beaming Father Zantus has taken the stage. He clears his throat, takes a breath to speak, and suddenly a woman’s scream slices through the air. A few moments later, another scream rises, then another. Beyond them, a sudden surge of strange new voices rises—high-pitched, tittering shrieks that sound not quite human. The crowd parts and something low to the ground races by, giggling with disturbing glee as the stray dog gives a pained yelp and then collapses with a gurgle, its throat cut open from ear to ear. As blood pools around its head, the raucous sound of a strange song begins, chanted from shrill, scratchy voices. Goblins chew and goblins bite.
Goblins race and goblins jump.
Chase the baby, catch the pup.
Those who make a DC 12 Perception check:
You see that the shape that raced by and killed the dog now hides at the edge of the wagon—a single goblin, licking the blood from its dogslicer as it looks excitedly at the crowd, seeking out a new target. Characters who make the check may act in the surprise round.
There are horror stories of hospitals turning to homosexual's estranged parents and shutting out the partner of 20+ years. He's not related. Has no legal right to visit. This. This breaks my heart. This is why I am pro-gay-marriage, or even something resembling marriage, for consenting adults. Because I can't imagine the situation that occurs. I would die inside if I couldn't guarantee my partner's wishes if they were dying. If it was left for their parents to decide. No. It makes me die a little on the inside to hear about this. I wonder why the PnP-gamer community is, generally, united on the pro-gay front? I haven't yet met more than one gamer who is anti-gay marriage. (One out of many more than I can count). And, in my experience, it surpasses a generational gap. I've met gamers, young and old, who feel this way. Maybe it's because most of us come from a community that shuns us. "D&D!? You're a freak," Is that why? I'm curious. Or maybe it's just here in the Denver-Metro area.
but too many instances of a player counting out a bunch of different paths to see if he could get where he wanted convinced me that it was a complexity not worth holding on to. Bam! There ya go. And bringing up examples about mathematics? Sounds complicated. Yep, I am that stupid, I don't know what you're talking about, I don't think I passed elementary geometry. Although my gaming table does include one engineer, it otherwise includes English majors, Theater Majors, and Homemakers. It's a pain to count out diagonal square movements at a 1:2 movement ratio. One square equals one square, no matter what. It is why I wish hex maps could be used with more ease; however, it's a pain to draw dungeons and maps without straight lines. But to each his own. If it helps you make sense of a world in which everyone moves at exactly the same pace, and creatures larger than a mack truck can achieve flight with their wings, then more power to ya! @Finn K: What I meant to say is that you can do all those awesome things in Pathfinder/3.5, but NOT hike easily. Endurance made it so that you could jog around the earth twice without breaking a sweat. At higher levels of course.
I'm running CotCT for the first time tomorrow, and I've been looking through the threads here, and seeing that many people think certain elements of the game should have been either: Changed
Just so I can run a game with a full deck so to speak, I wonder which of these things you would have done? Of course, no need to pick just one! Also, in regards to the Harrow points, how important are they really? The method for doing Harrow readings seems needlessly tedious and boring; at least, boring for my players. I've been using Action Points since they were introduced in D20 Modern all those years ago, and feel Harrow points would complicate things; how did you do the Harrow readings? Zell seems like a useful plot train engineer, but also doesn't seem to bring much to the story.
I've never seemed to have a problem with tracking buffs either as a player or GM. When I am playing a buffer, I jot down the name of the spell, it's page number, what bonus it grants, and how long it lasts (much like was just suggested). I keep track of the rounds in a very small notepad. When I play a self-buffer or someone who gets buffed, I jot down what my stats are with different buff spells and effects in place. As DM, I make sure the players know what their spells and effects do or do not do. As far as my monsters/opponents...well, if the players just burst into a room, I go ahead and just run the opponents with all their buffs in place, some may not agree with that, but it makes the battles work just fine, and the players don't mind. If the players on purpose sneak into the room so that opponent wouldn't have time to buff themselves (or something to that effect), it is then that, assuming the players were successful in their endeavors, the opponent is not buffed. It is rare that they do this, but when they make such an effort, I reward them for their success. I agree that if you just hate buffs, you find another system. Castles and Crusades might work (I've never played though, so I can't speak from experience), and one of the changes that was integral to 4th Edition was that no one has to track buffs anymore, or at least as often, so that might serve you well. And then there are things quite off the beaten path from D20 like GURPS or Lord of the Rings. But I like to think that with just a little effort and prep work, you could run a game with as many buffs as possible.
The leader went for his broadsword as Adanel stepped in front of them. "WHY YOU STUPID COW!" But another solider put his hand on the leader's arm. "Sir, we must keep riding to keep the road's safe. They may be moths, but they aren't actively hurting anything. Why waste our time on people who might be con-artists and thieves, when goblin activity has been spotted? Isn't it better that if they commit a crime, they pay for it in front of the town's people, instead of some ditch in the road?" The leader sneered at Adanel, and the others. "Good point. These gnats aren't worth it. And girl," The leader looks at Zelaria. "Nothing is wrong in Sandpoint! It's a little puddle compared to the majesty of Magnimar! We just ride to keep these roads safe from goblins...and bandits," The man sneers at them one final time before moving around Adanel on his horse and riding off.
Tablark clenches his fists around the piece of wood he held in his hands. "Don't worry! I'm sure, together, we can take out Ole Broke-Neck Mord! I don't fear im'! He 'asn't even showed 'imself! Come on out ye bastard! Come on out and fight like a man!"
The large iron door suddenly fly open! An ominous figure, hands bound before him and his head lolling obscenely to one side on a broken neck, hovers forward. His face is obscured by a rotten death shroud, a milky eye peering through one worn hole, half its black-tooth-filled mouth visible through another rent in the fabric. A horrid rasp of air croaking out pain and misery issues from the thing’s crushed throat. Ebin is suddenly ripped out of Adanel's grasp with a strong and invisible tug, as his claws rip up the gnome's legs. Tablark screams and begins clawing at his eyes. "NO! I CAN NA BE! NO! NOOOOO!" Tablark runs off, as Ebin is lifted to the creature's grasping hands. Ebin keeps protesting, crying for mercy, again and again as the ghost formerly known as Mord reaches into the gnomes mouth, and with a sickening sound, rips his tongue from the jester's mouth.
Rekkart has dropped his holy symbol in favor of his sword, and swings at the creature. It flies harmlessly through him.
I just started up a new game, and my players asked that I choose some unconventional races to be played. I looked through my books, and decided I could run a game using only humans and all the races in the Dragon compendium. My group is mainly made up of girls, and when they saw the Tibbit race, with sequels of delight, I suddenly had a party made up of Tibbits, and rogue Tibbits, at that. Well crap. Of course, they all switched into cats and immediately started acting like cats. In a haunted house. Double crap. They can't do anything! I'm having a host of troubles. Any help would be appreciated on these issues: Everyone dropped their strength scores to 7 to get the extra points, and when in cat form, Tibbits have a -8 to strength. And at a 5 strength, that -8 should put them at a -3. I know the lowest it actually goes is 1, but I just feel like it is giving the characters a free pass at lowering their scores as low as they'd like. Because of the player's desire to be in just cat form, they haven't been able to function in combat; they just run away from all combat encounters. I'm also having trouble wondering if ghosts would even look twice at a cat (Edit: Actually, that question pertains to almost all semi-intelligent dungeon inhabitants). Assuming the world has Tibbits as a major race, would people just assume that a cat is a Tibbit? My biggest problem is motivating the players. They pretty much just want to act like cats roaming around a dungeon. I feel like I should revoke the race, but I'm afraid that'll start a riot. Help please?
We just got our first issue of Kobold in the mail yesterday, it's pretty awesome. My wife was so happy to place it into her magazine basket. I don't get her fascination with having a magazine subscription, but I'm certainly glad to have a gaming magazine instead of 'Better homes and gardens.'
I know, it seems like apples and oranges, but let me explain. Words of power is a system in which you can piece together magical parts and make a spell, right? Try and replicate an old spell, and you will come up with something that is similar to the old spell, but not quite. Which was fine, because that wasn't what the system was about, it wasn't about remaking old spells, it was about making new ones. So why is the Race Builder trying to do something it shouldn't? Maybe you say: But goblins, you should be able to remake halflings with this system! And I'll say: Yes, yes you should be able to. But you should be able to create new races with it as well. And you should be able to make monstrous races, like trolls, without racial hit dice, and see how those measure up. But instead of looking at all the parts lying in a pile, and building up the races from there, you took the preexisting core races, and broke them down in such a way that each core race had to come out to the same point amount. You tried making the race builder do something it cannot do: Make the core races fit into neat and tidy little boxes. You didn't make this mistake with some other fan favorites: Aasimar and Tieflings, easily the two races everyone knows are just a little better, but not by much. And you didn't deny it. You took the tools and built those races up to their point totals, knowing that they would come out just a little better, instead of taking the components out of those races and tossing them into the pile, which is what happened here with the core races. (Heck, it might have even happened with the Aasimar and Tiefling, but no one has ever denied that they are slightly more powerful.) I don't believe that the core races are going to be built up from a pile of tools that don't exactly match them and come out to be the same point totals. I want to give a clearer example of what I am talking about Elf Immunities should be something someone comes to the board with, and says: Look! Look! I made this racial ability with all the parts given to us, and it is like the Elf's immunities! I took that one ability that makes you immune to (some list of magic effects, like fear, sleep, sickness, paralysis, etc.) and chose sleep! It cost me (xRP)! And then, I took this other ability, the one that gives you a +2 racial bonus on saving throws made against (a specific school of magic) spells and effects, I chose Enchantment, and that cost me (xRP)! Oh boy! And when I added all these other abilities together, and made the Elf with these tools, it cost (xRP) amount, which is not the same as the human, or the gnome, or the dwarf, because why would it make any sense that those races, which are so very, very different from each other, have ever come out to be the same cost? And you know what? That's okay. *Breathe* This comes from a lot of places. There should be a racial ability that any race can receive a +1 racial bonus to all their saving throws, not just halflings or the halfling subtype. And if I am making a skill based character? It is just odd that I could purchase Adaptable, Bonus Feat, two skill bonuses and Integrated, all of which can do similar things but at drastically different prices. Am I making any sense here? This is so odd, I usually playtest these before having comments, complaints, suggestions, but I feel like, if we are going to go into this pretending like the core races all would come out to cost the same thing, then the only thing that needs to be playtested are the rules for challenging advanced and monstrous races (which look awesome, btw) and any new abilities. Hey, I am open to being told and convinced "No, you are wrong," if it is followed up by: "And here is why," And please, discussion, not hatred.
One of the problems with ECL was the fact that the racial abilities were really good if you had one...and then they weren't. As in: At first level, all of the abilities of a Drow are pretty awesome. At 15th level, all of the abilities of a Drow aren't as good as if you traded them in for what your ECL wasn't letting you have. Personally, the new system looks great. I need to try it out first before I can say whether it is or not.
Halted Speed: (-1RP) 25 foot speed Light Sleeper: (1 RP) Gain the benefits of an 8 hour rest in only 4 hours. Must still rest full 8 hours to regain spells. Polygot: (3 RP) Members of this race start with Common plus one more language of their choice. Furthermore, members of this race with high Intelligence scores can choose any language (except Druidic and other secret languages) as their bonus languages. Glide: (2 RP) Members of this race move 10 feet horizontally for every 5 feet they fall. They cannot take damage from a fall. Never Thirsty: (1 RP) Members of this race can never suffer from thirst. Never Hungry: (1 RP) Members of this race can never suffer from starvation. Iron Gut: (1 RP) +2 vs ingested poisons, and becoming nauseated or sickened. Combat Trained: (2 RP) Choose a Combat maneuver. Members of this race receive a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting this combat maneuver. Moon Hide: (4 RP) Members of this race receive DR 5/Silver Resilient: (2 RP) Members of this race receive Toughness as a bonus feat.
Thick Skinned: (4 RP) Members of this race receive DR 2/-
These are just what I came up with just now. Give me some time, I'll have more.
Also just as an opinion type thing the slow base speed only giving -1 seems iffy. Personally i reckon -2. Speed is a major thing. Because you can still move while encumbered. I personally think non-penalized encumbered movement should be a 1 RP ability, and a 20 foot speed should be a -2 RP. You could call the new non-penalized encumbered movement Steady, thus giving us the Dwarf's Slow (-2RP) and Steady (1RP) ability.
xevious573 created, much better than I could, a Dragon type, which I feel is really needed for those of us who like to play dragons.
I'd also like to suggest a +1 racial bonus to a saving throw. Probably worth 2 RP, possibly 3.
This is what we ultimately decided on: Ice Tomb (Su): With a quick incantation, a witch can place this hex on a creature or object within 60 feet. A storm of ice and freezing wind envelops the target, which takes 3d8 points of cold damage (Fortitude save for half). If the target fails its save, the target is encased in a thin layer of ice, which renders it paralyzed and unconscious while the ice lasts, and it does not need to eat, drink, or breathe while the ice lasts, which, unless destroyed, lasts indefinitely. The ice has 20 hit points, no hardness, and it takes full damage from fire attacks (instead of the normal half damage taken by objects); creatures with natural attacks that deal fire damage (like fire elementals) automatically deal their fire damage to the ice each round. Destroying the ice frees the creature, which is staggered for 1d4 rounds after being released. The ice must be destroyed first before the creature can be damaged. Creatures immune to paralysis can still be rendered unconscious, however, creatures that could not be normally rendered unconscious (like undead or constructs) cannot also be paralyzed, however, if they failed their save, they are still staggered for 1d4 rounds immediately after taking damage from this hex. Whether or not the target’s saving throw is successful, it cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.
If he wants to prohibit himself from being a Universalist, just let him and say that all spells not in his selected school take the penalty. That's about as universal as it gets. I'd argue that the Universalist school is the study of all magical schools, and go with Lurk3r's suggestion. Your player should know that sometimes a loophole is kinda awesome to find, and sometimes just too damn powerful, and that he shouldn't be putting up a fight. And if he does, I agree with everyone else, and remind the player of GM Fiat.
Oh, we use these all the time, I call them breathers. Here, let me do some copy-paste: Breather
I am not a lover of any Half-race (Half-Elf or Half-Orc, for example). I have long contemplated designing racial feats that allow a player of any race to take them and call their character Half-(insert something here). This is what I have so far; I could use some help with ideas fleshing these all out and balancing them. Disclaimer: Not all of what lies below is original. --------
Celestial Blooded (Angels, Archons, Celestials)
Celestial Blooded
Titan Blooded
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