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I actually went and posted comparison photos for most of the relevant maps in this entry. Here's a collected album of all of them and how they appear to someone with deuteranopia, the most common form of colorblindness (and what I have). http://imgur.com/a/mwCLz
Please, for the love of Desna, if your map involves color, pass it through a colorblind filter ( http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/ ) to see how it looks. Some of these maps are practically illegible for me unless I run them through a daltonizer.
http://i.imgur.com/RH4quqd.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Your use of color coding is largely outside the visible spectrum for a deuteranope, which makes your map harder to read. Since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/0suJR5d.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Your use of color is practically unchanged, but since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/72W1FhO.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Your use of color is almost completely outside the visible spectrum for a deuteranope, which significantly decreases the map's visual appeal and legibility.
http://i.imgur.com/yqDzEfq.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Your use of color (especially on the exterior map) is largely outside the visible spectrum for a deuteranope, which makes your map less visually appealing: practically the entire map is brown. Since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/fAJez7s.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Your use of color is largely outside the visible spectrum for a deuteranope, but in this case the visual noise isn't so much that it decreases the map's legibility.
http://i.imgur.com/YA6hgYc.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Unlike most of the other entries, your map's visibility seems to increase for a colorblind user. Are you colorblind yourself?
http://i.imgur.com/xIIamMM.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Your use of color is practically unchanged, but since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/h3sMgOC.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Your use of color is largely outside the visible spectrum for a deuteranope, which makes your map harder to read. Since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/fb9d6FZ.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Your use of color is largely outside the visible spectrum for a deuteranope and results in the map being largely shades of brown, which is very visually unappealing. Since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/kSHUAVS.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Tour use of color is largely outside the visible spectrum for a deuteranope, which makes your map harder to read. Since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/a5XyRag.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Thankfully, your use of color is largely in the visible spectrum for a deuteranope, but that may have been luck rather than intention. Since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/wVU4NRo.jpg Here is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Thankfully, your use of color is largely in the visible spectrum for a deuteranope, but that may have been luck rather than intention. Since roughly 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
http://i.imgur.com/DpUHJzj.jpg This is how your map appears to a colorblind end user. Some of your markings become indistinguishable. Since about 10% of the populace is colorblind, this is something you need to keep in mind.
I didn't have any fretting about my votes: I made a list of the maps that impressed me, and it turned out to be 8. Here's my list: Smokemount Hold, Salvation's End, Elven Guardpost on the Tanglebriar Border, Tomb of the Mad Elementalist, Firebrand's Redoubt, Ancient Cyclops Stronghold, Fancy Reefclaw Brewery, Treant's Crossing. I was going to reserve a seat or two for people from Round 1 who had items that impressed me but maps that didn't, but it turned out that everyone in round 1 I was really in love with made a map I liked in round 2.
See, though, the top 100 list does give feedback. If you made the top 100 but not the top 32, you know you impressed the public but not the judges. If you didn't make the top 100, you didn't impress the public. That means you have different things you need to specifically work on.
Andrew, thanks for the kind words. I have to... I think the issue is that your item functions practically identically to your standard metamagic rod: 3 times per day, alter a spell as it is cast. While your item is functional and useful, it's still a mechanical retread of things that have been done before.
Shellfish bastard I am, I'm going to ask for your opinions on three items: this year's entry, 2013's entry, and 2012's entry that got me into the top 32. Phantom Guardian’s Ring (2015 entry)
Spoiler:
Aura moderate evocation; CL 7th
Slot ring; Price 12,000 gp; Weight — Description
The projection can make one attack of opportunity per round. It threatens squares around it and deals damage as if it were wielding a masterwork longsword. It uses your base attack bonus and ability scores to determine attack and damage rolls, but does not actually possess those attributes: it is not alive and is little more than a projection of your spirit. It cannot be damaged or struck by attacks, cannot speak, and remains stationary other than to make attacks of opportunity against creatures that pass. It uses your senses: if you can sense something, so can the projection. The projection does not block line of sight or effect. A creature can move into or through the projection’s space without penalty and without making an overrun attempt, though the projection will make an attack of opportunity if it is able. A projection can benefit from flanking and can flank an opponent with you or your allies. If you wield an enchanted melee weapon, the projection’s longsword is instead a weapon of the same type (i.e.: a longspear, light mace, or greatsword), and the projection’s weapon shares your weapon’s enhancement bonus. If you wield an enchanted shield, the projection may make a number of attacks of opportunity each round equal to the shield’s enchantment bonus. The projection remains for one minute before fading. A phantom guardian’s ring functions three times each day. Construction
First Light (2013 entry)
Spoiler:
Aura strong evocation; CL 15th
Slot neck; Price 45,000 gp; Weight — Description An effervescent, illuminating liquid of condensed, ancient light fills a small vial attached to a leather cord meant to be worn around the neck. Wearing first light increases the ambient light around the wearer, empowers light magics, and reflexively defends the wearer. First light sheds light like a torch. Ambient light (magical or otherwise, and including the light created by a first light) within 60' of the wearer is increased one step (from normal to bright, from dim to normal, etc.) to a maximum of bright light. Creatures that are harmed by sunlight are accordingly harmed by bright light amplified by first light. Any spell with the Light descriptor cast within 60' of the wearer is cast at +1 caster level. Any spell with the Darkness descriptor cast within 60' of the wearer is cast at -1 caster level. The wearer may, as an immediate action after being attacked (whether successfully or unsuccessfully), attempt to blind the attacker by willing the vial of first light to surge in brightness. The attacker must make a DC 22 Reflex save or be dazzled for one minute. If the attacker fails the Reflex save, they must make a DC 22 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1d3 rounds. A successful save in either case negates the effect. This ability can only be used once every 1d4 rounds as the item must recharge between uses. During this recharge time, a vial of first light loses all its other properties (including shedding light).
Spellbreaker Gauntlets (2012 entry)
Spoiler:
Aura moderate abjuration; CL 7th
Slot Hands; Price 22,500 gp; Weight 2 lbs. Description Spellbreaker gauntlets allow the wearer to break magical barriers and defend their allies. Three times per day as a standard action, a wielder of spellbreaker gauntlets may attempt to dispel non-instantaneous magical barriers (such as a wall of force, a forcecage, or a resilient sphere, but not a wall of stone) by substituting a Strength check for a caster level check. If the wielder has a bonus to sunder attempts, they may also apply this bonus to their Strength check. If such a barrier has an effect for coming in contact with it or moving through it, he must make a saving throw as if he had interacted with or moved through the barrier. In addition, when a line, burst, emanation, or cone effect includes a wielder of spellbreaker gauntlets within it, the wielder may spend an immediate action and outstretch an empty hand to alter the effect's shape to protect his allies. He willingly forgoes his normal saving throw (if any) and his spell resistance (if any), taking the effect's full affects, but is treated as a wall or other obstructive object for the purposes of determining the effect's area. Further, he creates a 15' cone originating in his square and directed immediately away from the origin of the triggering effect. Creatures in this area are not affected by the triggering effect.
You did a rather in-depth review of the cloak of a thousand daggers last year, and I found it illuminating and insightful. Please feel free to hold no bars on these items.
Yeah. Like 3.5's brute ring or PF's ring of the ram.
So, what does this do for halfling cavaliers mounted on dogs? http://www.lomion.de/cmm/cenkhapo.php
This was my favorite item of the competition, hands down. Simple, affordable, thematic, cinematic, potential for the dramatic in the hands of a DM...so much bang out of so little buck.
Staff of the Vineyard I liked this item. Very thematically coherent, nice abilities, but not dramatically or cinematically powerful. Catapult Ring I would have liked to see this include bull-rush capabilities for a creature flung into another. I also felt this was somewhat overpriced, especially for being a dramatically limited application of telekinesis. Jailbird's Sweetheart This item made my personal keep list. It is cinematically powerful without being mechanically overpowered, and is an excellent option for a holdout weapon. Deadeye's Shepherd I loved this item, but I felt it was too expensive, especially considering its status as a crossbow. Most crossbows fall out of use by the time this item becomes affordable, and by then it almost seems to be too little too late. Rod of Ghost Teeth This item made my personal keep list. It is cinematically and mechanically dynamic without being mechanically overpowered, and it has both utilitarian and combative uses. Grandmaster's Plate I feel like this was object/ability dissonance. I like the ability: it's powerful and thematically coherent with the "grandmaster" concept, but...Why is this armor?
Phantom Guardian’s Ring
Description
The projection can make one attack of opportunity per round. It threatens squares around it and deals damage as if it were wielding a masterwork longsword. It uses your base attack bonus and ability scores to determine attack and damage rolls, but does not actually possess those attributes: it is not alive and is little more than a projection of your spirit. It cannot be damaged or struck by attacks, cannot speak, and remains stationary other than to make attacks of opportunity against creatures that pass. It uses your senses: if you can sense something, so can the projection. The projection does not block line of sight or effect. A creature can move into or through the projection’s space without penalty and without making an overrun attempt, though the projection will make an attack of opportunity if it is able. A projection can benefit from flanking and can flank an opponent with you or your allies. If you wield an enchanted melee weapon, the projection’s longsword is instead a weapon of the same type (i.e.: a longspear, light mace, or greatsword), and the projection’s weapon shares your weapon’s enhancement bonus. If you wield an enchanted shield, the projection may make a number of attacks of opportunity each round equal to the shield’s enchantment bonus. The projection remains for one minute before fading. A phantom guardian’s ring functions three times each day. Construction
I think they used to send notification to the actual email account associated with your paizo account... Is that not the case now? They did in 2012, but from your tags I see you already know that.
Not just culled items either. I have a few DQ'd items on my keep list.
Find an empty niche, and fill it. This was my goal when I made the Spellbreaker Gauntlets that, while having some grammatical and formatting errors, still landed in the top 32. ...but make sure it is a niche worth filling. There's a reason I didn't use some of these.
Well, I think on that we need to ask ourselves what the purpose of the contest is. If the purpose is to find undiscovered talent and break them into the industry, they need to be able to handle rejection with grace. Flouncing because your item's been cut is poor form. It's the sort of thing my four-year-old would do when she doesn't get her way. If the contest's purpose, though, is to just foster community, then yeah, I'd agree with you. However, I don't really think that's its intent.
I largely waited until post-cull to vote, so that is a thing. I also would like to suggest that voter tags have mechanical effect, maybe shaving 10 seconds off your wait time if you hit a tag. Champions only have to wait 30 seconds instead of 60, for instance, which is probably okay because they've most likely already seen the two items they're being presented. It also means that lower tiers are still bottlenecked to prevent votespam.
There's an item out there I consistently misread as "Staff of the Viagra King" http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/rods/rod-of-lordly-might The rod of lordly might is metal and thicker than other rods, with a flanged ball at one end and six stud-like buttons along its length. Pushing any of the rod's buttons is an action equivalent to drawing a weapon, and the rod weighs 10 pounds. ifyouknowwhatimean
If they were to do two smaller culls, that might be alright. Say 25% after 1/3 the voting time, and then 25% of the remainder 2/3 of the way in. More than 50% all at once is excessive and will kill many voter's enthusiasm for voting as well as for the competition in general.That's actually a pretty interesting suggestion. I think one of the detriments of the contest is falling in the holiday season where planning the cull (or multiple culls) gets a bit tricky. I'll add this to our list of things we can improve/revisit next time around :) You could also perhaps move it to January?
Ever heard of "The Gift of the Magi"? We cancel one another out. I thought the gift of the magi was spellstrike...?
Nah, they're actively applied. You can remove them by going to the borders thing and choosing "none".
Mine is just a list of items I've found that I particularly enjoyed and want to incorporate into my home games. I'd like to see most of them in the top 32, but I definitely don't have high aspirations for some of them.
In most browsers, opening a Google spreadsheet automatically highlights the first cell, and scrolling using the arrow keys changes which cell is highlighted. In a shared Google spreadsheet, each viewer can see every other viewer's highlighted cell, wherever it happens to be at the time.Bunch of items on the list are bordered. What for?Maybe someone highlighting their item? Maybe dupe remnants? I wondered the same thing. The cells in question have been actively blue bordered, not just the placemarker indicating someone else has selected the cell.
Hell, if I make it onto anyone's keep list, that's enough for me.
Having seen some of the items that made it past the cull and not seeing some of my keeper list not on the post-cull list, I just have a hard time believing the post-cull list is correct. There must just not be enough people adding to the list. I know my taste is different, but for items I considered to be in the top 20 to drop below several items I would have put in the bottom 25%...it just can't be. Just a note: Using these numbers, you are slightly less likely to make it into the top 32 if you made the cull than you are to threaten a critical with a longsword. |
