You can't have a serious Werewolf Wild West campaign when the characters are named Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker and Jim Beam.
Hahaha, oh wow. Actual tears are streaming from my eyes as I type this, I am laughing so hard. My god. That's Knights of the Dinner Table material, right there.
("And you have one here from... Jack Daniels?"
"Wow! He does exist!")
Ahem, excuse me...
Also, I've seen the Sailor Moon RPG (almost picked it up, myself), and yeah... GoO's point buy stuff is infinitely breakable. I'd say this is one place where the move to d20 helped rather than hurt, but that could be just me. And the system's still broke, mind, just in different ways.
You know, I tried to get into L5R, but it just wasn't working for me. Of course, I don't know anyone who plays... Or, rather, I don't know anyone who plays who can explain the game to me sensibly, and respond to my concern that charachters seem to be downright disposable...
No, I'm serious; When I told her that I found both the combat and setting to be a bit deadly, and spoke of the apparently very high chance of being killed in a fight, eaten by a Shadowlands creature, or, more likely, needing to eviscerate yourself because you misspoke once, she replied with "Well, yeah. That's what ancient Japan was like."
You can't make stuff like this up, folks.
And yet, I remain fascinated by what little I know. Having a love of Asia and its cultures (not just Japan, mind you), I keep wanting to find some way to make sense of what has thus far been utterly incomprehensible to me.
I mean, a lot of people play it, so the fun's got to be in there somewhere, right? (Well, yeah, but I never did find the fun in oWoD...)
Anyone have any advice as to how I can get in on this seemingly wonderful title?
I'll second Kult. It's a game that should have gotten more attention, as it is one of the single best supernatural/horror-based games out there (At least, in my humble opinion. Mind you, I never much liked World of Darkness). I've never actually played it, but I have a friend who tells me the rules are serviceable, and the actual setting more than makes up for them.
And speaking of games you don't hear about... Pokethulu. Oh, I don't want to RUN it, I just frigging love to READ it. Well, I might try to run it someday, but I'd definately have to port it to another system. Serious business, and all that.
Well, this is all very exciting. And I would love, L-O-V-E, LOVE to volunteer... But I'm not sure what good it would do. I'm not the best organizer, and I haven't been able to scare up a game in years. And I'm in New York. Near NYC, no less. How does that figure? (Well, beyond the fact that I don't drive, I guess?)
That said, I'm still very excited, and await word on what is going on with PFS in New York. I plan on participating, if not running. And who knows, I might try it at some point.
If I had to use one thread to sum up the level of sarcasm, infighting, trolling, eletisim and overall blase and ennui that has forced me into near-permanent lurk mode for the last four months, it would be this one. All it needs is some joke accounts and a little vomit, and I would be able to frame it and thus need only be able to point at it and say "This is why I stopped posting."
Hell, I stay logged out all the time so I won't say things like this. But alas, it is too late- The submit key has already been pressed.
Frankly I'm glad Jacobs won't be doing it. I mean, really, after something like three years of writing these barely passable bits of filler it's obvious the creative well has run dry. Any reader caught on long ago that you can only use the words "unfathomable," "squamous," and "rictus" so many times in a series before it comes crashing in on itself. With a lack of talent being a crippling first strike, using such an infamously unreliable and relatively unknown author seems like strike two, with the strike-out coming along with the niche, outdated subject matter (the Outer Planes) that no one besides the groggiest of grognards use. In short, I'm hoping the new author finally turns these into something readable... and maybe grounds them in a bit of legitimate D&D history, like that presented in the Charlemagne’s Paladins Campaign Sourcebook.
I think you just broke my Sarcasm Detector. I'll have you know, I'm billing Paizo for a new one.
Yeah, and they had cool saddles that allowed them to ride upside down and stuff. That was pretty cool. Although having the spider association didn't help that whole "drow of the dwarves" image.
In one of the Class Acts in a (fairly) recent Dragon, there were various weird Underdark animals, and one was this cool black cave lizard. I think it was also good at climbing, so if you wanted to use that aspect, instant solution, right there. (Sorry that I forgot issue number. I'll turn it up later, I'm sure...)
Never actually had a problem with it, though my mother knew about the whole "satanic" angle somehow- Either through word of mouth or Mother Jones (and don't get me started on that thing...), but never actually prevented me from playing.
Though, if I ever had to defend it today, I would do so by explaining, calmly, that devils and demons are put into the game so that the players can crush them flat. It dosen't promote worship of devils, if anything, by placing the forces of evil in the roles of antagonists, it encourages just the opposite.
I, of course, will never go into details as to the cathartic joys of playing evil charachters (I STILL want to run a Soul Eater, or maybe Acolyte of the Skin...), nor will I ever tell anyone that worshiping evil beings is an option in the game... As anyone who thinks that D&D promotes Satanism calearly cannot tell fantasy (my charachter eats souls to survive) from reality (souls probably don't taste very good).
DOH! How the hell did I forget Dagon?! I actually liked that one, too... That makes it all the more unforgiveable... (Didn't much like the monster he came with, but for the most part, I dislike Form of Madness anyway...)
As for that beast in MMV... I forget its name, but it's some weird green spindly monster with three legs, like a spider or something, and Pale Night apparently makes them from the bones surrounding her castle, and their Form of Madness (again with the... Ahem...) makes you think something's growing inside you and you become Sickened...
Maybe I'm speaking from ignorance (wouldn't be the first time...) but it didn't say "Pale Night" to me.
Ah, and I really would have liked a Pale Night article. She would make the first (well, second, in a theoretical timeline where Obox-ob gets an article) Obryth Lord to get such an article (Pazuzu does not count). What little we know about her intrigues me so... Though the monster they gave in connection to her in MM V... Does not seem a thing like her.
I also would have liked to see more information on the Lomura. They were pretty intriguing, and it would have been nice to learn more about them. Maybe detail a Lomura Lord or two.
And that's what is really annoying me about 4e- An end to some of the best articles I've ever read, articles that are rich with history and pregnant with ideas. I want to hope that 4e will have such articles and flavor, but even if it does, it just will not be the same.
I ask here because, unlike a such a qeustion posed at the WotC boards, I KNOW I will get an answer I can trust.
So here goes.
What is known about the proto-devils/proto-Baatorians? What sources are they in? What, if anything, can be drawn from this? (In lieu of any real information, I'll take speculations or anything people have developed on their own...)
I know only that they are to the Batezu what the Obryth are to the Tan'ri- A precursor race that was once the true ruler of their current home, and now they're in decline. Much is known about the Obryth and their few remaining rulers (indeed, for a race in decline, they seem to be doing all right for themselves...), but I've heard next to nothing about the so-called proto-devils.
So... Just cuz I'm bored... I'd be happ to hear what little IS known about these frustratingly mysterious beings.
Fall-From-Grace, after escaping slavery, fled to Sigil where she eventually forsook her Succubus upgringing. She's still very much a demon, but she is no longer evil, and is actually chaste. She runs a unique establishment known as The Brothel of Intellectual Pursuits or something like that, where people can go to play various games like chess, or, her most lucrative function, the buying and trading of memories, espically of unique expirences. Like, if you were eaten by a Terrasque and lived, she'd want that... If she didn't have a copy already, anyway.
Not only are they unique expirences that her decadent guests can enjoy, but they can also prove useful to others seeking the same ends.
In all, she's a fascinating charachter, and one I've always wanted to use in a game.
[between the lines]...because we are trying to determine how soon to switch [/between the lines]
[insert maniacal laughter here]
I've got a feeling they've already figured out when they're making the switch, but they're gonna wait a little while to announce it. Telling people about it at this point would just rile too many folks up needlessly . People seem awful sensitive about 4E on both sides right now.
I could be wrong, of course.
To be fair, theirs is a sensible business stance.
Think about it from their point of view: What happens if they say yes now? They lose support of a lot of 3.5e adherents. If they say no? They lose potential 4e customers, and open a huge can of worms in their own, usually stable community.
They are taking the most sensible stance a small company with an uncertain future can take: Paizo is holding out for more evidence.
Someone from Paizo (Erik, I think, but I forget right now) has said that 3.5e will be supported at least until next summer.
So, in that way, they do know when they're going to make the switch. Or, rather, when they're going to decide if that will happen, and how.
Comparing sales of their 3.5e products to customer feedback is not a bad idea, it will give them an idea of when to switch. If the tide changes quickly (possible), then they'll need to change with it.
Remember: Back in the good old days of Queen of the Demonweb Pits, you used to beat on Llolth.
Is SHE dead? Naw, you just made her angrier.
(Now, if you want a real treat, look in Complete Scoundrel. The sample NPC for one of the first classes in the book. Avenging Murderer or whatever it is. Yeah. He should look familliar to Paizo-era adherents...)
Well, not that I'm planning on buying 4e at all, nor am I overly happy with what I'm hearing... But I am all for an end to the whining so I'll throw my hat into this ring.
1) AN END TO LAND MINE SPELLS
No, not spells that create land mines. I mean spells like Rays (no saves? Ever? Srsly?), and most importantly, little things like True Strike that, when applied to magical items, wreak all kinds of havoc. Lion's Charge (and Psionic Lion's Charge) create similar land mines: Continuous items that are perhaps too good for their level and cost. Either these spells need to be fixed, or item creation rules need to be fixed. ... Say, that's not a bad idea anyway.
2) AN END TO CLASS SHAFTING
Ah, the Fighter. You are so... Straightforward. So inelegant. So... Boring. Though there are many reasons to play a Fighter, there are many more to play a Barbarian or Paladin (or, so I'm told, to tool a Cleric or Druid for melee)...
PrCs to the rescue? Nope. Almost everything that could make the Fighter good can't be taken by a single-classed Fighter. Barbarians and Paladins get their pick, though.
A similar story can be woven for the Sorceror: So much effort was poured into spontaneous casting... To have its caster be so seemingly ignored in comparison to the Wizard. Again, there are many reasons to play a Sorc. There are usually more reasons to play a Wizard. And while the Sorceror gets a few good PrCs, again, the lion's share goes to the Wizard.
Yes, on the note of "restrict books", definately limit yourself to either core or "core plus one" as I've heard it: People get access to one or two books outside the core, of their choosing, and that's it.
Check, double check and triple check all player suggestions. And remember, you're the DM: NOTHING happens unless you say so.
Non core sources actually help increase party survivability... sometimes perhaps too much. For example, one party used a spell to inadvertently completely bypass the event at the end of "Sea Wyvern's Wake", thus skipping "Here There Be Monsters" almost completely.
Approve nothing you're unsure of. But if the players do outsmart you? Well, that's life. Sometimes, that can be a lot of fun.
On less serious notes... Yes, read posts here. There's a wealth of information as to what to do with recurring or important NPCs, how to bypass problems, and generally just how to run the AP better.
Frankly I'd love to run this AP myself, but alas. No players...
"Good eye?" It's all right there in black and white (well, red and white), along with the only other thing we get out of FR adepts: "No, Elminster is NOT Ed, please stop asking" that we haven't gotten, oh, once a year, for the last twenty years or so...
Quote:
Perhaps what it means, is that in 4E, the only character choice available in the FR is a:
JOKE WE'VE HEARD ONCE A WEEK FOR THE LAST TWO DECADES! ^_^!!!
Any chance I could establish "Greenwood's Law?" Yeah: Anyone attempting to use Drizzt as though it were ever funny, loses the thread. If not the entire internet.
Yeah, the only problem I have with the Dire Corby is that the Kenku already does what they do, and in some cases, better than they do.
On the other hand, if we can have the Asherai AND the spawn of Tiamat, then we can have two different kinds of birdmen too. If you're going to do that, might as well make them somewhat interesting.
At the end of "Wells of Darkness," after Shami-Amourae tells them about the Savage Tide (and tries to seduce one of them- A wise target refuses...), the plane is flooded with the waters of the Styx from Demogorgon's final trap.
Just when the charachters think it's all over, out of the murky waters comes an imposing, robed figure, whose presence brings with it an almost tangible aura of dread.
Charon, boatman of the Styx.
However, all he wants is an apology. Demogorgon has annoyed Charon for the last time, and, sensing an oppertunity, offers to allow the charachters free passage on the Styx... So long as they promise to relieve the Prince of Demons of his heads. This is the closest the old guy gets to a mutal agreement.
Provided they agree (he's in a good mood, but he isn't above killing them to prove a point), he takes them to Iggwilv's mansion on the banks of the Styx.
Yes, THAT Iggwilv.
Once there, if the heroes can avoid getting kicked out, or worse, offending Iggwilv, she offers them numerous oppertunities to turn Demogorgon's enemies against him, including the identities of said enemies, his generals, the location of an aspect of Obox-Ob, and even writes them a letter of introduction for Orcus (He's got to be her b---h, I swear...).
If they succeed, they will be ready to take on Demogorgon and stop the Savage Tide!
And that's the Cliff's Notes version of "Enemies of my Enemy."
Yeah. Baker himself said, long time ago, that the Rajas are unique, both among the creatures that revere them (the Rakshasha) and among all other beings. (Something like that. If you'd read the Dragon article on the Lords of Dust, you'd know exactly what I'm talking about.)
That said, a demon lord (or devil lord, yugoloth lord, celestial paragon...) would fall into the "epic" category, but still a fair bit under the Rajas themselves.
And of course there is a place for demon lords and 30th-level archmages in Eberron. I never meant to imply otherwise. Just that the conversion is going to be harrowing... But I agree that it's much easier to transplant TO Eberron than FROM. Removal of Warforged in general can be hours of your time, and that's just for openers.
But... The still-fresh blood of Khyber? I like that. I really like that. You could easily explain a river of divine blood reaching through the planes. And Charon's mastery over it would make sense- Even as remote as it is, relitively simple Prime Planar access to the planes is something that could prove lucrative...
Given the huge ammount of text they published each month, the number of typographical errors was fairly small. And the errors tended to be comical.
Though my favorite will always be "Anicat Tmeple" from Spire of Long Shadows, Dividend's Ire (from the map of Gaping Maw from Into The Maw) is a very close second.
I might have to call it that. Dividend's Ire. I kinda like that...
Including, most recently, an updated Thrall of Demogorgon.
All the Thrall casses were special, though. The Thrall of Kostiche even beat me to an idea I was planning to use (a PrC that slowly deforms you as you take levels in it. Beautiful).
It didn't have a bad article, ever.
I loved the Demonomicon series and I'm going to miss it.
As far as I know, Iggwilv's stats are largely moot. She is a MacGuffin, a plot device with legs. Her purpose is to drive the plot of Enemy of my Enemy and Prince of Demons, and she is, for the larger part, not an enemy to be defeated.
So that said, Sora Kell could easily be subbed in for her with little damage. Just give her some Wizard/Archmage levels similar to Iggwilv herself.
You might need to do some screwing with things like the Demonomicon, of course.
... Never mind what a damn nightmare running the last quarter of this AP in Eberron will be. Y helo thar, cosmotology that has nothing at all to do with the Great Wheel!
(Actually, there's a story behind my current choice of icon: It was around the time of the demise of Will Save, and I was using one of the "assassin" icons... Same as about a hundred other people at the time. Not that I was exactly sad to see it go, but I wasn't fond of the way Will Save went, so, in tribute of and respect for the series that wasn't, this became my icon. I think it fits me, goofy grin and all, and... Uh... I never found a better icon to replace it with...)
As I recall, Tome of Magic has a Ritual of Renaming which allows a being to change their truename. It isn't cheap, it isn't easy, and it's not fun, but anyone who gets tired of being summoned with their truename will probably look into it sooner or later...
I do not deny the possibility that we could see the rest of the deities in print in this new venue. And a continuation of Core Beliefs would go a HELL of a long way torwards Wizards getting my money on this new format. If it later lead to a complete print compilation of Core Beliefs articles, that would also get my money. Hell, Dragon Ecologies did.
I'm not a hard guy to please... For a D&D fan, anyway.
And I REALLY want Nerull. I mean, i know there's got to be more to him than "AHAHAHAHA, I'M A DEATH GOD THAT KILLS PEOPLE!"
Seriously. There's got to be more to it than that. There simply has to be.
I'm with you, Matt- The next time I play a cleric, it will simply HAVE to be a Cuthbertinian. Crumpled hat, cloak, cudgel, the works. More ranks in Professions and Crafts than in Knowledges. Will likely carry hand-crafted copies of the Parables of the Wise Fool and the other book of the faith to hand out to people.
That's one thing that really curdles my milk about this change: No more Core Beliefs. I mean, the Vecna article made Vecna interesting again, and Hextor? I basicaly ignored Hextor until I read his article. I'd kill (lawl) for a Nerull article. If anything can make that guy interesting again, it's him. But that's me- I like death gods...
My impression of Downer is that it has taken a sharp turn towards resolution ever since the fight with the chronotryn. I could be wrong, but it seemed like the stop in the pirate city was going to cover a handful of strips and involve the neogi conspiracy, the pit fights, and raising the gnome guy from the dead. It seemed like the whole thing was thrown into no-time-for-that-mode when the Needleman arrived and Downer was rushed off to Sigil. There are a lot of hanging threads that were left back on the prime material (the devil impersonating the illithid, Downer's bro's transformation into a drider, Downer's prior relationship with a medusa). I could be totally wrong, and maybe we are barreling towards a to-be-continued with no continuation, but my sense is that at least the main storyline is being ushered to a conclusion post-haste.
If that is the case, then Kyle gets two points from me for not "winding up like Lloyd," as I feared he might some time ago.
Admitted, the sudden rush to a conclusion is kind of dissapointing, but since Downer and his friends are all returning to their original owners, best to have some kind of conclusion, even a hurried one.
And I'm STILL going to use some of the charachters in a campaign. Someday...
I've been thinking about this, and have decided on something. The memories of the monkey's previous life as a beholder are going to come back in fragments, like a dream sequence. The monkey will slowly shift alignment to Neutral Evil from Neutral. At some point in the campaign - the monkey will betray the party.
"I used to be an all powerful creature that was feared! Now I'm a simian in a striped shirt! You will pay for what you've done!"
Or am I too evil a DM if I do that?
It's the player's own fault for wanting a pet monkey.
Kyle, I know you've heard this from me at least once in the past, but in case you missed it, here it is again:
I love Downer. I like the art, love the charachters, and find the story interesting... If slightly disjointed with some mild coherency issues. (On that last point, it's actually a nit- I love the art and charachters so much that the story itself is largely secondary to my enjoyment.)
On the chaarchters: Some of the most g&~ d~&ned creative charachters I have ever seen related to D&D. Some of the most creative fantasy charachters I have seen in years. I mean, seriously: Kensai Githiyanki? I never would have thought of that. Honestly. And Kalro is aweomse. If I ever get a game going, I AM going to jack a few of your charachters as NPCs, mainly Downer Tarantula, but possibly others as well.
What makes the charachters so great (in my opinion, anyway) is that they take established memes and turn them on their ears. Plus you use both iconic and obscure charachters in interesting ways. (Case in point, I think that I shall never see, an Ethergaunt lovlier than a tree...)
On the art: I will admit it: At one point, I'm pretty sure I called your art "ugly." Interesting, but ugly. That was at least two years ago now, and you've made great strides in quality and presentation since then. I've been truly sold on your art ever since the day I saw the Azer cooking breakfast on his head- Your art often brings a much-needed whimsy and irreverence to the table.
And one last thing: Your colors in Downer are beautiful. Rarely have I seen anyone use such drab palettes and make them seem so rich.
In short: Keep improving and don't let anybody get you down. Downer is awesome.
Thus far, I too have only seen stats on two. Since you can only collect the Zelakrune's Horns affiliation bonus three times (+1 for killing TWO creatures of legend? The Horns are a tough crowd!), you were meant to kill only six (perhaps?). It's possible that you fight one or two more on your way out of the Isle of Dread, but I get the feeling that most of the five ustatted encounters were for DMs who needed to pad their downtime with side quests.
After all, a good DM's best plot hooks come from his players.
Be. Polite. Errors appear all the time, and people point them out, and sometimes, the staff actually does care about their nature.
Or to be more existential, why would anyone care about anything? Indeed, what is the very nature of caring? If a treant falls in the woods, and nobody else is around, does it make a sound?
Shensen, the druid (mostly) from SCAP also presumably worshipped Fharlanghn ... maybe its a regional thing. Or maybe its a James Jacobs thing... ;-)
It's probably a James Jacobs thing. Fharlanghn just seems like a cool druid god to me.
For what it's worth, he strikes me as being one, too. Perhaps not the likliest choice, but it's very possible that an adventuring Druid would have reason to worship Fharlaghn. In fact, I might need to steal that idea... ;p
James or the other editors, are they're any specific rules used to calculate the CR of the various hauntings since they are described as complex traps and/or hazards? For example, is the CR equal to the magnitude? Or should we somehow utilize the trap CR rules from the DMG? I love this article and want to use a lot of its content, but I don't want to screw my players.
I believe that CR=magnitude, the haunting treated like a creature in this respect. But I haven't looked at the article in a long, long while.
A few other things, like weapon profs, change, but nothing major. Umbragen are, more or less, identical to Drow.
That said, I'd consider tracking down that issue, because it was a great one. One of the few Aprils I liked (mainly because it skipped on the jokes almost completely).
For what it's worth, the Dungeon adventure "Strike on the Rabid Dawn" (I forget issue # right now, but it was just before the format shift), not only has a Horned Society cell, but they follow Asmodeus. The leader is even a Deciple of Asomodeus.
That tells me that the Horned Society probably should revere Asmodeus.
but that's based on my rather limited Greyhawk-fu.
