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As the subject line suggested, it would be appreciated if you could cancel my Pathfinder Subscription. Thanks for the quality products & service! A combination of losing Dungeon, a group lack of interest in 4th edition, and personally experiencing a sort of 'DM burnout' has reduced our gaming sessions from once a week to once every 3 months (so twice since Sept.). Throw in purchasing a new house, and Pathfinder became a casualty in the budget. All the best,
EXACTLY. Dungeon was part of the experience, for me. The point wasn't how fast I got an article that dealt with D&D. The point was getting a physical magazine filled with quality adventures & ideas that got my imagination going, as well as acted as a centering point of a hobby I've enjoyed with long time friends for decades. I've written, erased, and rewritten what Dungeon meant to me 1/2 dozen times here, and nothing sounds right. I'll simply say it fit my gaming group, our style & preferences, and provided the majority of our D&D entertainment for a long time now. That can't be replaced so easily. J-
Nay. But for a setting of the quality you describe, I might use it with 3.5. J-
Coolness...rear echelon pogues with boots still shiny at noon deserve it. ;) I always thought Thieve's Cant was ridiculous as a language, that people who knew Common would be able to understand it. Heath has changed my mind on that. (Read out of order while skimming the thread, that line had me mightily confused) J-
Hello, It may be only 1 subscription, but like Fake Healer commented near the beginning of this thread I appreciate that you look for input from your peers, subscribers, and us many who share a love for a game...therefore, throwing my voice into the mix. I'd intended to stop my subscription when Paizo moved to 4.0, but if Pathfinder continues as 3.5 then my subscription will continue. That's not a threat of any sort ("HARUMPH! I'm pulling my subscription because I'm a stubborn bugger blah blah blah..."). I Just don't need it, my group's happy with 3.5, and our buying would drop off dramatically once 3.5 products stop being published. We skipped 3.0 completely, so I could see that happening with 4.0 too. J- PS. Thanks for keeping us in the loop; truly appreciated. And thanks for the fine work & quality products thus far.
We were almost unanimous as a group in having no interest in 4.0. Our group is a little larger than most, 14 regulars and 7 occassional players that mix & match for different, simultaneous campaigns & games. Out of 21 players only 1 showed any interest at all in 'checking it out'. Don't get me wrong, most of the group isn't against 4.0 at all. We have invested a lot of time & money into 3.5 and estimate that between what we have yet to play through, & what we can create ourselves using the 3.5 materials we're set for life. We enjoy 3.5 immensely, are comfortable with the system, and have players willing to try their hand at DM'ing who haven't before (3 of us share the DM'ing duties, myself mainly up until this year). So my vote is 'B', but with an open mind to "let 4.0 live, and take gamers where it may". We're just happy with 3.5 is all. J-
You've probably progressed further by now, but you don't have to write off this adventure. Perhaps have the surviving wizard join another group still in the competition who's in search of additional manpower; of course, this new team the wizard joins would be made up of your players' new characters. The wizard could then convince them to join in the investigation of Kyuss, etc...which shouldn't be hard, if they witness the havok one ulgurstasta causes. General outline there, but it could be fleshed out. J-
There'll never be one ultimate article that turns around the preconceptions & myths that a lot of folks have. I think this article was on the plus side. Sure there's some phrases and comments that add to the 'dork' propaganda but overall I think it demonstrates that this game is 1) Played by adults, 2) Played by people of different walks of life, 3) Is more widely accepted than the average reader assumes. It's not the best, it's not fantastic...but it isn't one sided ;-) The journalist showed up, checked it out, and reported on it...flavoured by her opinions of course. Now keep in mind; if this is a young female reporter, she probably felt she needed to distance herself from it a bit too...else she'd be branded as a dork as well. By including a few jibes, it's more palatable to a reader letting them know that she's just a normal person with the normal preconceptions of D&D and you know what?...it wasn't that bad. Sorry, at work so can't edit the above stream-of-conciousness, but I think I got my point across. Thought the article was alright, and enjoyed the slice of another group's table talk. If everyone's having as much fun as this group, mine, and I suspect most of yours (meaning the Paizo community), then this game can only get better & become more accepted. Game!
sobusTooms, that's an impressive set up. I also liked the Blackwall Keep tower...looked like something even a no-talent shmuck like me could do ;-) Just wanted to say that after seeing what you accomplished, you've inspired another DM & I to give this sort of crafting a shot. Thanks for the info regarding where to get tools as well. I'm certain this'll add a new, exciting dimension to our games...our players are happy enough when we put out little trees & shrubs on our maps ;-) J-
The month-to-month kicks in once your converted issues are exhausted. Perfect Gary, thanks for the swift response. Can't wait to check out the new offering. Chris
Sorry, this is probably me just being dense but... I chose the transition selection of receiving Pathfinder for the balance of my account (4 issues of Pathfinder). Next, I signed up for the month-to-month subscription of Pathfinder. Does this mean I'll receive 2 copies of Pathfinder for the first 4 issues? Or does month-to-month kick in with Pathfinder #5, after I receive the 4 issues alloted from the transition? Your insight is appreciated, Chris
Dungeon has been the prime reason I still game. For the past 20 years I've used it to entertain 40+ players, introduce newbies to DM'ing, and to add flavour to my own campaigns. I'd come to rely upon Dungeon so much so that any given campaign is now 80+% Dungeon content. Seeing it go (as well as Dragon for the additional flavour) truly saddens me. I can honestly say this will impact our frequency of gaming. Reading an adventure was something I could fit into my schedule; creating them is another thing. Plus, I loved the quality of Dungeon's offerings. I won't be purchasing any online content/mag from WotC. I don't have internet access at home (live in the country), so it's not an option. Less gaming means less purchases of figurines & other WotC products. Thank you Eric Mona (and Paizo staff), for your patient replies regarding this change. My first reaction was to get backissues for my remaining subscription credit & cut loose, but I'm rethinking that. While Pathfinder's price initially scared me off, I may give it a go...especially if it means supporting Paizo itself. It's not like I'm spending more...I'll just take the subscription price to Pathfinder out of what I would've spent on WotC products. I guess the move to online content was inevitable, but for someone like me who doesn't have internet access (besides at work) & loves the feel of a magazine in their hands, well, I don't have to like it. J-
Neat! In there now too. This brings to mind the OotS Elan t-shirt, "I'm PARTICIPATING!". Look forward to browsing all those nifty profiles of the unusual folks on here... ;-) J-
Either way, they all throw down tomorrow night. Let's see who comes out on top! Let us know how it goes; I'm curious to hear. The group I DM'd were primarily casters as well. Hope it's entertaining for all! J-
In your position, I'd include Brazzemal. Your players seem to be having an easy time of the combats so far and this is the point to pull out the stops and really challenge them. As Brazzemal is Dragotha's lieutenant, I'd be surprised if Dragotha *didn't* make use of him during the final confrontation. To not use everything Dragotha has at his disposal is to nerf him. Keep in mind your players all have epic characters at this point; they'll likely do better than you suspect (again). J-
A colour picture of the kirre was used for a Spellfire card of the same name. Unfortunately, I can't tell you which booster set it was part of...be prepared to look through a lot of card lists :/ J-
Due to reading this at work, and the amount of posts, I didn't give this a complete read so pardon any repetition. I'll just list a couple of ideas which may or may not be helpful: 1) Mention that this is a game enjoyed, played, and run by people of all faiths & beliefs (or lack of). This should demonstrate that D&D isn't driven by anti-religious sentiment. 2) As mentioned above, invite the parent to sit in & encourage their interest (read: concern). 3) Describe D&D as a mix of boardgame, social interaction, and storytelling. After all, the group is creating a story by each taking an active role. This is similar in ways to what a drama club does. Really, most kids have been roleplaying already in some form via videogames...but the concerned parent may already have formed the same opinions about those too. 4) This may just be me, but I think seeing figurines on a mapped grid might make it easier to swallow. Preconceptions of D&D used to focus on it being strictly a product of imagination. Sure, most of it is...but the use of figurines makes it look more like a boardgame, which most people can relate to. 5) Most importantly (again), showing benefits for the kids playing may win the day. Need to look up a spell? Ask one kid to read out the spell to everyone. Need to keep track of initiatives? Get a kid involved by keeping the order. Have each player work track their hit points with pencil & paper (math). Encourage their ideas, have them work out plans as a group, create leadership opportunities, get them all involved... Sure, it's D&D, that last stuff is a no brainer...but a parent may pick up on the fact that their kid is PARTICIPATING, reading, leading, being social, and hopefully laughing and is excited! It's a lot to hope that a parent will focus on their child's wellbeing instead of their own concerns, but hey...all you can do is try. Good luck! As a gaming Lutheran myself who had to weather the concern of a parent when much younger, I understand what you're up against. If anything, it was partly responsible for helping me become an openminded person (at least, I hope I am!) myself ;-) J-
What I'd like to see is an example of mass combat (warfare), such as the Heroes of Battle book details. Not sure if Savage Tide deals with that as we haven't played it yet and I'm not peeking, but I think that'd be entertaining. Otherwise...no preference. J- Edit: Not an entire AP of mass combat, but a battle or two (or military campaign taking up one issue) is what I'm getting at.
Started in Aug '05. Ended Feb 10, 2007, and the players wish to continue with the characters into epic adventures (a success then, in my books). Over the course of the campaign the number of players went from 3 to 7 (plus DM, and a few one-time additions). We played 3 or 4 times a month, with about 1/2 the sessions lasting 6 hours or longer. As the DM it sure seemed long ;-) Lengthy, but fun. Certainly looking forward to actually gaming now! J-
The wearer of the circlet must hold the weapon for 1 round, after which it's considered epic for the purpose of bypassing damage resistance for 1 full minute (10 rds). 95% sure that's it, we just played out the end a couple weekends ago. J-
Let's get back to the initial post, and see what we have. I like the idea, and think certain players would embrace it. Starting each campaign with "You all meet in an inn" works for some but I applaud you trying out something new. You're bound to meet some resistance but perhaps you (or we, with poster input) can come up with some ideas to minimize the damage of a TPK and instead get everyone excited about the storyline. In your particular case, it's probably too late to input these changes but we can all draw something out of this. Ideas: - Start with prefab characters. The players will understand this is something new, and be more open to 'the twist'. Also, there'll be less personal attachment to the characters so the TPK won't raise as many hackles. Once the story progresses past that, allow them to create their own characters...now they'll feel like they've been given both the tools and a definite goal! - Ensure 'the twist' comes relatively early, first session or two...long enough for the players to gain interest in the story but not invest too much into the initially killed characters themselves. - Down the road make mention of any actions of the original characters that stood out (perhaps through Bardic knowledge, or discovered lore). This will add a little more credence to their previous characters' involvement. Who doesn't enjoy knowing they've played a memorable role? Also, the players will feel like they've contributed to the overall story & lore...which they are. - As mentioned, be prepared for the characters to succeed where you don't expect them to...and embrace it. Save the campfire idea for another time if they manage to surprise you. Knowing that they're hugely overmatched makes for a great story too, as they attempt to raise the realm against this foe & gain in personal power. So kudos for trying something new. Only you know your players well enough to judge if this will work. Just be sure before you leap, because a failed attempt that looks like a (blatantly cruel) railroad will cause them to lose faith in their DM, and his future campaigns. Just my 2 cents,
EDIT: What Saern said ;-)
I see 2 additional arguments against throwing the acorns as a handful: 1) As the acorns are described as 'grenades' that go off once they hit something solid, that'd suggest they're somewhat volatile & should be handled with care. As the gravelly scrape of throwing a handful of rocks will attest too, the missiles would be bumping against each other & could go off a mere foot from your hand (possibly setting off the whole shwack?). 2) Tossing a handful of anything drops a few items nearer than you'd like. Like you said, 'most' would hit the house but a party may not appreciate the spell being used when they're also in the danger zone. Just a couple thoughts. Also, if it's a normal ranged touch attack, won't the druid be tossing multiple acorns anyways (dependent on BAB)? J-
I like the suggestion given in Dawn of a New Age; use Maralee's Advanced Kyuss knight stat block for Raknian too. We're finishing this weekend so the plan is to use the same stats for both Maralee & Raknian, but describe him so he's recognizable. Easy, memorable, and a worthy challenge for the PCs. J-
I could see using the followers to help protect the citizens from lesser undead entities, to herd them away from falling buildings and other hazards, and to get them the heckout of the city, maybe to Eel town or beyond. I agree with Sol here. The adventure is dealing with an entire city in turmoil, and the extra bodies could be very useful. Using them appropriately can add to a player's sense of accomplishment as they'll be helping directly & indirectly too. Plus, followers can add to the overall flavour & drive home the scale of this adventure. Here are a few examples of how followers can be used:
The PCs earned them, let them use them. They'll get the idea pretty quick though that they won't be much use in the PCs' battles when a dozen die to a casual fireball from a lich. J-
I planned for a month (four 6-8 hour sessions) per magazine. Thats pretty much how it worked out for us. I can see how it could easily take longer, however. When all is said & done, I'm thinking 200 hours of prep went into AoW. Started early summer of 2005 and will finish this coming Saturday hopefully. The party is approaching the base of the spire, ready for some of that sweet, sweet Kyuss action! To add to the session, my wife is baking up a storm, we bought a bunch of toy weaponry to swing around, all 7 players can make it out, and I've picked up mini-trophies to give out at the end of the AP (ex. "Most Improved Roleplayer" & "Most Dirt Naps" awards, etc.). Throw in a liberal amount of adult beverages & a deepfrier though, and this session is just as likely to end in a fire... :-/ Really, really looking forward to this...it's been a good time and as you've all mentioned, my players are excited about Savage Tide too. It'll be fun to participate as a player this time around. Can you tell I'm excited? Can you? CAN YOU?!?!? J-
I was thinking a Will save, but I agree (and Concentration would be appropriate). High level characters especially would be more able to deal with such circumstances but there should still be that element of danger. J-
I'll echo the other posters saying it was a good ruling. In your place I would've played it pretty much the same way, but with the monk hit only on a missed touch attack on the necklace. Perhaps no auto hit opportunity either, as trying to remain still while your life was being choked out of you would be a feat indeed ;-) Good stuff! J-
I had to remark as well; impressive tie-ins and interesting characters! This is the sort of creativity I think we all strive for, and I'm sure it'll help make this an AP for your players to long remember. J-
I agree with this. The party is entering Dragotha's primary lair, as a DM feel free to take this a step further and add to the existing environmental hazards. Not only is Dragotha's sanctum great for ambiance, but it's his preferred battlefield. Throw in a couple other obstacles. For example, at the door I placed a Dispelling Screen of sorts, preventing spells being cast from the hall into the sanctum. Felt it was necessary as the party is large & use mainly ranged tactics (3 mage types, a warlock, and 2 archers). This got them in there & up close & personal with Dragotha, adding to the excitement. By the way, Forcecage + Silence caught a couple mages by surprise. Together with the negative energy drain from the air, added a sense of urgency for them ;-) Wish I'd read this thread before running the battle, but the posts are definitely going to add some new pizazz to the final battles! J-
Well put, Mr. Keegan. I don't think enough focus is put on the importance that the entire party must work towards group cohesion. Playing an evil character isn't a free pass to do what you will & hijack a campaign. Consider the rest of the party; each player has goals & wants to have fun. Also consider the DM, as a self-destructing party may be fun for a one-time adventure, but hardly for an AP. Personally I'm tired of alignment being a tool of convenience; after all, this is (for most) a game of heroic roleplay...so stand up for something! Good characters often are looking the other way for most of the 'grey area' actions James mentioned, I think it's only fair that evil characters play smart & make an attempt to maintain party cohesion. If the evil character absolutely must stab someone, do it away from the party. Back to paladins; you've all given great info to work with. A paladin *can* be played as they are meant, a champion of good & leader, without being a zealot. Pick your battles. Lead by example. You're likely travelling with other good characters...get them on your side & perhaps that will help tone down the activities of a "not-so-good" companion. Confront them when necessary, but from a position of strength (hehe...images of a party intervention...) after all else has failed. I think the key is in how you play it; a paladin can be devoted and likeable/personable at the same time...remember those charisma scores! It's not just how the paladin approaches evil, but how they deal with everyone else. Sorry if that sounds disjointed, but I only write these from work ;-) C-
Particularly difficult battles for our crew were:
Ah...memories ;-) They begin Dawn of a New Age next week, so hopefully Kyuss will be memorable for them. J-
It is also the responsibility of the other players to separate player knowledge from character knowledge. Not all campaigns include note passing, but you can suggest it. If the Roleplayer flaunts their actions in front of the other Players, then the DM may want to say something to that player since he's taking away from the enjoyment of the others. Enjoying something is fine, but not at the expense of others. J-
Skill selection is part of a player's decision making process in regards to creating the particular character they want (okay, everyone can say *DUH* now). As such, they'll have to make some choices. You can't be good at them all...unless you're prepared to make some sacrifices. Make INT your highest stat and use your feats towards that end...somehow I don't see many lining up to do that ;) IMHO I like the stat system where it is, but this thread brought to mind a couple ideas. If you feel like stats need a bit of a kick in your campaign, consider the following: 1) Only drop the cross-class designation for the initial, 1st level skill selection phase. This represents some individual choice by the player in how their character chose to spend their formative years. Perhaps a mage puts some of those points into sleight of hand to reflect being a street urchin before being taken on as an apprentice by some kindly mage. The other apprentices are better at him in Knowledge: Arcana due to their different backgrounds, but such is life. Any further skill points gained at each new level however would be subject to the cross-class/class designations, reflecting their chosen profession path. Before you say "That's not fair!" as rogues get more points than mages, consider this; the mage is also spending time learning to cast spells, scribe scrolls, etc. which can be argued to take up more time than say, learning to sneak attack. The idea is that characters could've spent some time initially learning other skills while starting into their class. 2) Don't forget about multi-classing. If you want to roleplay a fighter who's quite diplomatic, take a level in bard...it's the perfect reason to. (Again the peanut gallery moans *DUH*, but the tools are there...use them!). 3) Set up a skills list for each race...perhaps working off those that already receive bonuses at character creation. Even just a couple per race would add a little more selection. For instance, if Diplomacy was a class skill for Humans then a Human Cleric could use Diplomacy as a class skill. Just some ideas. When you're tooling skills to fit your campaign, you'll find your own balance you're happy with. I myself don't think the answer would be to add skill points, but instead using other options such as multi-classing, feats, and INT...in other words, the existing system has ways of catering to the skill fiend! J-
Added 1 to Greyhawk, 1 to FR.
The 2nd ed. Elven handbook described the reverie in a similar way, that elves replayed their memories instead of dreaming. In 3.5 I'd treat it the same way. Imagine how violated or unnerved an elven character would be if their very memories were somehow twisted or changed one night. This could be an interesting roleplaying event, with the dreaming races suffering the visions and the elf experiencing the same, albeit with a much more personal touch! After all, their memories/reminiscences are *theirs*...to have something monkey with something so personal should invoke terror or at the least, nervousness. Often you'll see players simply play other races for the bonuses, ignoring all the other characteristics that make that race unique. The dream sequence could be used as a tool to enforce the uniqueness of the elf. J-
Thanks apprenticewizard for the rundown of what your party went through. As my party will be facing Dragotha in the next few sessions, all of the input here helps. The comment about the INTs of the NPCs really hit home. As a DM my tactics have got to reflect their level of INT & preparedness. J-
Exceptional! Thanks for posting the sites, I enjoyed browsing your story & work...although my employer probably wouldn't have appreciated the time spent as much as I did ;) J-
I feel for you. My party exhibited the same lack of interest in exploring past the ceonoby. The Champion's Games took precedence for them, but hey...that was their decision. Each session I introduced ways to prompt them to pursue their TRUE task of investigating Loris, the AoW, & the arena such as: 1. A letter from Eligos delivered by Ekaym on his daily visit, providing a tidbit regarding what to look for. Served as a reminder. 2. Upon visiting, Ekaym would ask about any progress towards finding his sister. When faced with disinterest from the party he became moody and 'forgot' to bring healing potions the next time (without a cleric in the party, this got their attention). 3. A subtle reminder to good-aligned PCs they might consider saving the world a priority over betting on the outcome of the next match. In the end they found Bozal & the scrolls on the 3rd day. The Ulgurstasta, while found, was ignored. The Scrolls went unexamined. In the end the Ulgurstasta rose up. The 1/2 orc fighter in the party ignored it and continued fighting Auric, which made him an easy meal for the Ulgurstasta. Boom, dead folk abound. Wights rise. A large side campaign later, Greyhawk's population is lessened by a full third but the horde is contained (with wight-y aftershocks on the country). It's now a dirty little secret that the party knew about the Ulgurstasta but did nothing to stop it before it's release. As a DM, I was disappointed with the disinterest in the overall plot. Ultimately it was up to them so now they deal with the repercussions. Selling items garners only 1/2 price due to Greyhawk still recuperating. Healing services in Greyhawk will be tougher to secure. And finally, the truth is about to come out in their next visit to Greyhawk...enough time has passed for sages, divinings & the inquisitive to discover that in truth the Band of Bucklers was responsible for not stopping the catastrophe. My advice would be to not sweat it. Provide the gentle reminders via gameplay & NPCs, but this can be an opportunity for the campaign to become decidedly more intense. Let them choose their path and roll with it. I hope the above gives a few ideas of how to deal with their failure. J-
Wow, I'm jealous of the amount of play time you get in and especially how you've organized it all to fit. Planning our sessions is a tactical nightmare. A texts B, B emails C, D, and E. E calls F. B remembers a prior commitment so the day changes. B calls G... etc. You'd think a bunch of adults could be more efficient. The day we settle on is different each week...or 2 weeks... *sigh*
As Ragnarok, am 33 and gamed/DM'd since age 14...in Edmonton too. Started with D&D and Middle Earth. Our group consists of friends who've known each other from between 12 to 26 years, plus my wife. The DM changes regularly but I'm currently running AoW with our core group:
We have some sessional and semi-regular players as well:
The friendship of this group extends beyond gaming so there are others who pop in once a year to "relive the good ol' days". It's nice to have a reliable, solid group to get together with weekly...although gaming often suffers as we get sidetracked often chatting about other stuff :-\ J-
That was exactly what I was looking for. The explanation of why it wouldn't work makes perfect sense to me. Thanks for taking the time to find that! J-
Hello. I've made a Dread Necromancer with the Tomb-tainted soul feat(healed by negative energy, such as inflict spells, damaged by normal healing). The class has a touch attack called Charnal touch that deals negative energy damage. Both the feat & class can be found in Heroes of Horror (feat also in Libris Mortis). Would you, as a DM, allow the Dread Necromancer to heal themselves with their own charnal touch? Personally I think the spirit of the feat was meant to see Inflict spells/potions used to heal the DN (like other sentient undead use). The charnal touch ability (being available once per round indefinitely) would effectively regenerate oneself, and would be too powerful imo. Would this be a fair assessment? Thanks,
Only check in from work. Great way to spend a break, the equivalent of a mental stand-up & stretch. Gets the creative juices flowing, and I agree with the previous posts...makes me a more content & productive employee. Nothing against smokers in general, but in my office I find it curious how they manage to take smoke breaks *as well as* their regularly scheduled breaks. J-
For those facing Dragotha, I noticed that in the last paragraph under tactics it mentions Dragotha will use Plane Shift to escape once reduced to less than 100 HPs. The stat block missing this spell is probably just an oversight. Forcecage, Destruction, and Greater Teleport are the 7th level spells listed in the stat block so replace one if you see the need. I've learned that lesson as well about reading spells beforehand...came about after a few errors where I assumed the spells functioned the same as their 2nd Ed. counterpart. Anyone else frustrated by Greater Invisibility confounding some tough monsters? ;-) J-
As an imperfect DM myself, I appreciate the meat of the above discussion. Within it have been some things I didn't consider and I feel I'll be more prepared for the encounter when my PCs get there (they're starting Into the Wormcrawl Fissure this week). Thanks for the story though & kudos to the DM for playing it through! We all learn from the experiences of others. Whatever happens to Dragotha, the Sending spell will give him options not found in the stat block (ie. "Hey, whatcha up to? See, I'm stuck on this nasty plane..." or "Emergency Plan D. March in 10 Swords of Kyuss and heal my ass with that negative energy burst thingy."). Of course, if he's whalloping the players it'll be a different Sending message, "HAHAHA...seriously, you guys have to come watch me wipe the floor with this adventuring party.". TPK!
5'9" 178 lbs, stocky frame My wife left for a 6-week dig in Tanzania, and I've so far lost 7 lbs ;) Hopefully the exercise regimen continues after her return in a month. *crosses fingers* J-
My players did quite well. I used the suggested tactics and had only 1/2 the Swords of Kyuss use the invocation at a time, injuring pcs and healing the meleeing Swords simultaneously. Also, the delay between the 2 waves of Swords allowed enough time for a wall of force & 2 walls of fire to hamper the reinforcements. Throw in a well placed scroll of Mass Heal by the Warlock, tactical distancing by the mages, and the fact that there were 6 PCs and the encounter made for a challenging fight with only 1 casualty. The key seemed to be tactical placement. As 5 of the 6 PCs use missile forms (bows, spells, arcane fire) they spread out enough that after the first round any one invocation was only catching 2 of them at best. This meant our 1/2 orc fighter/barbarian (Gak) got hit a lot. I really feel for any party consisting of mainly meleers in this encounter! J-
That example is on the right track, but it doesn't take the size differences into account (the adult on adult part) or what Eris is focusing on; creatures that are designed specifically to grapple with multiple appendages and swallow whole. In my own campaigns this has come about, and dampened the danger the creatures represented substantially. Disappointing really; it's no wonder grappling is avoided by my players. I think Eris may agree with this though; I think feats to negate the -20 could be added to those available for monsters. Perhaps 'Improved Swallow' dropping the penalty to -10, and 'Greater Improved Swallow' negating it completely? The latter possibly only available to creatures of Huge+ size, or with 6+ grappling tendrils/apendages, or a required amount of HD? Something along those lines. I think feats like that would allow a creature such as the Kraken to function in a more appropriately challenging manner. I also agree that the present system is the best version yet. Ideas!
That's great, thanks for the effort (and link). The PrC in Complete Arcane was disappointing, but I suspect you've just added the touch that'll see this reworked for my campaign! J- PS. There/Not There was also a great spell (if I remember correctly that being a Wild Mage spell). |
