HalcyonUmbra's page

Here's what I could find:

A list of sourcebooks. Should technically contain all OGL books, but of course it doesn't say which is which.

But maybe you could cross reference it with...

Wikipedia's (partial) list of OGL publishers?

Here's also a list of various systems which use OGL.

Here's a metric craptonne of stuff. The vast majority of it is homebrew stuff, but there may be some splatbook material in there if you're willing to sift through.

Hope this helps!

I'm not worried. The things about 4e that bothered me were not the "practical" mechanics like easy HP recovery, but the lack of an in-character rationale for such things. I work really hard to frame my mechanics in a way that makes sense in the world of the characters. I really hate the idea of just tossing a mechanic out and saying "here, this works mechanically, use it." Any good rule has flavor.

I think someone called this "disassociated mechanics" at some point. That's as good a name as any.

"Disassociated mechanics" are any mechanics in which the character's understanding of his capabilities is different from the players understanding. That is, any mechanic which forces the player to metagame is disassociative (dissociative?).

For example: if you present hit points as a combination of superficial wounds, dodging ability, luck, etc., but have all types of damage apply to hit points, then when the Roderick the 20th level Fighter needs to cross the Lake of Lava to get the Magical MacGuffin, you have a problem.

The player knows that he can just wade across the lake and tank the damage. This may be explained after the fact by saying that he coincidentally managed to find the least hot part of the lava, or that he hopped from rock to rock and just singed his feet a bit, or whatever. But Roderick, the character, doesn't know this. He thinks it's entirely possible that he just burns to a crisp the second he sets foot in the lake.

However, if you acknowledge that hit points can also mean mortal wounds or any type of damage, then Roderick knows he's tough as nails, and is aware that the lava really doesn't pose a risk. He doesn't even need an in universe reason as to why the lava doesn't instantly kill him, just as long as he knows. Similarly, the fact that a 4e fighter can only perform a certain maneuver once per day isn't that realistic, but as long as the character is aware of this limitation, it also isn't disassociative.

CrackedOzy wrote:

I do like the "touchstone" idea though, I may use that in my games.

Can you explain what you mean by this?

I believe he's referring to the Planar Touchstone rules introduced in the Planar Handbook, likening them to the Oblivion monoliths. There were certain planar sites you could visit and perform rituals at to gain various bonuses.