JohnnyONeal's page

On one hand, let's all refrain from getting snippy about this. Delays are understandable and it makes sense that an online supplement isn't on the top of anyone's to-do list. (We love you no matter what, Erik!)

On the other hand, I think a little pestering is perfectly appropriate. The reprinted art and maps are just a "nice to have," but what's really at issue here is the web enhancement's original content: Eberron conversion text. When this Adventure Path was announced, they promised Eberron and FR conversions. I don't think I'm the only one who assumed this meant they'd include that text in each actual issue, which is resulting in that sense of entitlement evident in this thread. We didn't even reckon on delays, much less month-long delays.

But hey, delays happen. I'm too happy that Dungeon and Dragon manage to survive to be too upset over hiccups, even major hiccups like this one.

I just hope it gets posted sometime this week...

I always use point-buy. It keeps the characters relatively even while rewarding a bit of smart character design. Here's what I'd recommend.

1. Allow 28 points (32 if the players are all new to D&D) for players to build their characters and give players full HP at first level
2. Don't allow players to have scores above 19 or below 7 (after racial modifications).
3. Offer a few arrays of scores for players who don't want to do the point buy math.
4. Direct the characters to an online point buy calculator so there's no confusion. (My favorite, though the site is slow-loading, is at http://www.pathguy.com/cg35.htm)

You might want to set specific guidelines for what supplements the players can use to create their PCs. For example, I allow all of the PHB classes and some (scout, ninja, warlock) but not all (spellthief, samurai, spirit shaman) of the "Complete" book basic classes.

Set aside plenty of time for the players to make their characters. Ideally, give them a chance to start building characters before your first session, because the time-consuming process of character creation can be disheartening if the players are expecting to actually play during your first meeting.

I haven't gotten my hands on that particular issue yet, but I like the sound of the "make an arrangement with one of my PCs" route. I wouldn't stop the other members from doing things like casting detect evil; I'd just do some pre-rolling to set up the initial doppleganging and encourage the player to do his best to hide his doppleganger-ness (while restricting himself to actions a doppleganger can take).

My players would love it!

Thanks for the responses! I was just curious, and I understand how getting married can delay things. I got married this July and didn't get anything D&D-related done for the entire month of August. :)

I look forward to the Ecology of the Kobold!

A quick question for published Dragon writers (like Tracy and Medesha):

Is there a general guideline for response time to query letters? I sent a query letter via e-mail about a week ago. It contained two Class Acts proposals and two Silicon Sorcery pitches. (The latter two would be most timely if published sometime in the next few months.)

While I certainly wouldn't expect a response right away (especially with the move happening right now), I'm wondering if this is something that generally takes a few weeks or if the wait might last several months.

Any advice/information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I don't feel that Eberron is different enough from standard "core" D&D that Eberron-specific adventures should be avoided any more than FR-specific adventures. I like seeing Eberron adventures, because it helps deepen the backstory for the setting. On the other hand, I can just as easily drop a FR or Greyhawk adventure into the setting.

One Eberron-specific thing I'd love to see, though, is adventures that take advantage of Eberron's planar manifest zones and frequent coterminous periods with other planes. I can understand how that would be harder to translate to other settings, but it's a neat part of the world that I'd love to see explored.