Imron Gauthfallow

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An Aboleth elder has been devising his 'master stroke' for 10,000 years. After all that careful Machiavellian planning, he begins phase 1...

The other Aboleths scream, "Frank! NO!! What are you doing?! Don't be so impatient! Jeez, you always had a hair-trigger!"

:P

Aboleths... no one really has to worry about them... the situation changes faster then they can adapt to, and they keep having to start over. The problem with 'big brains' is that you tend to over-think EVERYTHING.


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I'd like variants on existing creatures. I've already suggested something I use in my games - variant Medusae: The winged Euryale, and the serpent-bodied (lamia-like) Sthenno.

More stuff like that. I realize a lot of things can simply be done with templates, but its always great to have art to inspire us.

Also, regular-looking animals with unexpected abilities, like a fire-breathng elephant (that uses its trunk like a flame-thrower), or an ape that can stretch its limbs, or even a carnivorous horse (or any other normally vegetarian critter). I like it when my players get shocked/surprised by something totally unexpected. You give us more dragons, well... they pretty much know whats coming.

Gancanagh wrote:

Lust is mostly a sin and angels are sinfree creatures. So I don't think a sex-based angel (most angels already look sexy BTW) is gonna happen anytime soon. :-p

Not an attack on your wish, just a thought before the entire anti-me gang starts to go berserk again.

Did god not say, "Go forth an multiply"?

And if Outsiders are unilaterally known for any one thing, its taking things to extremes. ;)


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The Phooka probably doesn't have a 'true shape', or at least, one that any mortal has seen. Its a natural shape-shifter - why would it even need a natural shape? it could look like just about anything.

My first D&D encounter with a Phooka was from Tall Tales of the Wee Folk (AD&D), and I believe the main one in that tome was a rabbit normally. In that source they are spelled 'Pooka'.

However, the illustration shows it looking like a dog (Greyhound), and the text states that they can probably take any form (many of the more usual ones are listed). It also says they are related to nightmares, and enjoy alcohol, smoking, and gambling.

Sounds like that one family member that everyone avoids at the reunion.


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Cannibal halfling pinheads... a MUST in any jungle campaign. :D

Perhaps some Shadow Over Innsmouth-type stuff along the coast (given the history with the Aboleths). Instead of victorian-era new England, you could use the local tribes (or even some corrupted Vik... err... Ulfens).

Obviously there should be some sort of 'lost colony' a'la Roanoke. That could tie-into the Cthulhuesque elements.

'Elder Evils' could make a great replacement for some Meso-american gods, and explain large scale temple sacrifices, etc.

Feathered dragons, raptors and other small (but deadly) dinos, etc. Maybe some prehistoric version of a fantasy race (like primitive, shaggy cave-centaurs with the top half of gorillas).

Perhaps more advanced versions of goblinoids, like horse-riding Orc tribes (or some fantasy/prehisitoric versions of a horse). Maybe a desert kobold Empire that keeps the vicious, primitive Waste goblins at bay. Connect Kenkus/Dire corbies to 'The Raven' - a trickster deity from that region.

Dark Elves who aren't drow. No dwarves or gnomes though, unless someone comes up with something really special for them.

We could even give the southern-most areas a Polynesian/Oceania/Aussie vibe (ostensibly due to an admixture from ancient Tian colonies there). I am picturing massive war-outriggers that cross the Ocean (helps explain the Garundi colonies from Arcadia others here have recommended). They could even have some form of magical (Greek) fire projectors to help balance them against the technologically superior Avistan ships. In fact, that area can be similar to the old (and excellent) Pirates of Darkwater cartoon - ecomancers and all.


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And the Worldwound is just like spending the holidays with my ex's family.


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The Mana Wastes. Three kingdoms (and all that geography) tied-up around one tropey plot (two wizards go to war). It should have all been one region, instead of dividing it up like that - its pointless to have all three.

Ninja in the Rye wrote:

Worldwound kind of bugs me. I feel like it should be this major focus for every nation, but the rest of the world seems to mostly ignore it and leave it to Mendev to deal with.

Worldwound/Mendev also covers a lot of the same thematic ground as Lastwall/Belkzen, which makes it seem kind of redundant.

In my FR/Gol mash-up, I made both Mendev and Last Wall provinces within Damara - not only were they redundant, but they were way bigger then necessary.

I never really gave the World Wound much thought (because I don't use it), but I see your point: Fiends are threatening to take-over the world, and everyone is just going about their business. Not very logical, that.

Tholomyes wrote:
I just thought of another thing that bugs me; Asmodeus is supposed to be a god with legitimate following, unlike most other Evil deities, who host cults and whose religious practices are generally not accepted in civilized culture, but he still hosts the stereotypical "Devil" appearance. Even accepting a difference in cultures, I can't see this gaining much support; were I to redo the mythos, I'd maybe (at most) make the devilish guise his true form, but he takes a more human form more often, when dealing with mortals. *<snip>*

THIS.

I had the same problem with FR post-Spellplague. All of a sudden, Asmodeus - who everyone knows is evil and the lord of hell - is a major god. WTF?

So I combined him with Bane. Bane is a generic alias he takes on some worlds, which helps him deflect the dislike normal folks have for his known (devilish) attributes. Thus, FR does not have Asmodeus... and yet, it always had Asmodeus. Wish they had done something like this in Golarion (instead of both companies making the same dumb mistake).

If you have proof of God, why would anyone side with the devil? I just don't get it. 60-70 years of 'good times' is worth all of eternity getting your butt poked with a pitchfork? Not me, man, not me.


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I go with planer 'ghettos', myself.

I've been given this (and many other RPG metaphysical questions) a LOT of thought for some 35+ years, and I think just like RW, "birds of a feather flock together".

So when you die, you appear in the humanocentric portion of the afterlife. You could travel (on near-infinite planes!) to another region where other dead dwell, but you have nothing in common with them at all - they are ALIENS. Near you would be other, very similar races - ones that you may have known in life (like Elves, dwarves, etc..) - but the more different something is from what you were, the further away it would be. As I said, on a near-infinite plane, that could be billions of miles (of course, some believe souls travel at the speed of thought... but this is D&D...)

Also, only in the Prime is everything 'set in stone' (and even then, not nearly as much as people think, hence 'magic'). In the outer planes, people see what they expect to see. So if if you are traveling through a strange city on your way somewhere, the people there may seem a little 'off' to you, but not enough for you pay it much mind (since focusing on anything after you die is pretty damn hard, from what I've read). What they looked like during life has no real bearing on what you are seeing, and the same goes for them when they view YOU (some odd stranger passing through).

This would also apply to the celestials/fiends of the setting, if the dead have 'earned the right' to become one. Of course what you see when viewing an angel is an impossibly beautiful woman. A halfling would see a shorter version, and an elf one with pointy ears (and more androgynous). A dwarf would see bearded angels, etc. Now something else entirely may see some sort of green, 6-eyed, four-armed monstrosity... and think it beautiful.

We see what we expect, unless the being is powerful enough to force its own perceptions on YOU, which is what happens in the case of deities (Thus, a god can appear as its its 'default' expected appearance, or force its own perception on you, whatever that may be), which is why gods can appear as anything they want. The one caveat is that they will still find it very hard to hide some major defect you expect to see (like a missing hand, eye, etc..) - such deformities can be hidden, though, through different takes on the theme (Hence, Gruumsh can appear as a Cyclops).

As to why we don't encounter more of these 'alien' gods - its because of the 'Ghetto theory' again - most everything hangs out in areas where they are known. A deity (or whatever) loses power as it moves away from its worship-base, so they tend to stay near those that know them. A god can travel to other regions/worlds and become known, but they would start-out at the exarch/demigod level of power there, and therefor be extremely vulnerable, which is why very few gods even try to become multi-spheric powers.

Thats my story, and I'm sticking to it.


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Ummm Jack Vance? ;)

We did get our magic system from Scify, NOT fantasy. 'Vancian Magic' (Dying Earth) was closer to psionics in its original form - you had to impress certain patterns onto your brain.

BTW Set, I'm impressed - I had forgotten about a couple of those (and I don't impress easily). I've read Empire of the East four times - its an amazing piece of literature.

But here's the thing - I want the blend to be smooth and feel organic, not be like 'spaceships and wizards!' If it doesn't make sense, then its just not good (to me). Thats why I didn't like Spelljammer - it basically took EttBP and threw it out the window (because EttBP was based on RW physics, unlike SJ, which was based on a lot of crack-smoking). If you have a universe where SJ physics work, then Earth couldn't possibly be in that universe... at least not our Earth. The idea that the USS Enterprise could run into a Spanish Galleon sailing through space is just ridiculous. Fantasy (and especially scify) should build upon RW physics, and add layers, not completely disregard it.

In other words, if you are going to do it at all, do it RIGHT. At least Paizo has a good running record in that dept.


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magnuskn wrote:
MarkusTay wrote:
Then you create a new set of rules with a new world.
That would be about the one thing which would most alienate me from ever trusting a single thing Paizo does.

And here I find that attitude really strange.

If you love what they have done so far, why would you prefer they change it all?

They WILL eventually have to do something, and I would think that moving in a new direction is preferable to destroying what has come before, and pissing everyone off with new rules and a a 're-imagined' setting for Pathfinder/Golarion.

Games are supposed to be 'finished'. You don't see people screaming for expansions to Monopoly or Risk. Why can't an RPG just be 'complete'? I am also not talking about just dropping PF/Gol altogether - just placing focus (and increased income-generation) on new projects, not re-inventing the wheel. WotC tried that with both D&D and FR, and it drove people here by the thousands.

That is the choice they WILL be faced with eventually; I've been in retail, and 'market saturation' is a very real thing. You have to always be aware of 'the numbers', and have the next, new direction already in-place (before its too late). We have to decide now if we are more willing to allow them to blow Golarion up, move the timeline forward, and deal with entirely new rules, OR have something else - a choice - of another setting and rules offered by them, that would be in every way just as good and satisfying as PF has been.

How is having this choice negatively impacting YOU? Why would you quite Paizo altogether? Everyone has to play with your preferred setting and rules or you will "take your ball and go home"?

When they blow the planet up and come out with PF2.0, you and the other 10 people still here can have fun watching the tumbleweeds blowing by....


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Then you create a new set of rules with a new world.

Its the only way to avoid the obvious problems of continuity, bloat, "maximum saturation" (a marketing term), and fanboi nerdrage at changes.

Say the setting and rules are 'done', and then just walk away... its that simple. You don't move the time-frame forward with an WSE (world-shaking event), because that alienates the existing fanbase more then anything else.

This is coming, BTW, from a very disheartened/disgruntled FR fan, who hasn't made a single 4e purchase (aside from one novel) since they nuked the setting I love.

Do a 'Mutants & Mentats' rulebook, and then give us an Omega World (Gamma World) to play it in. Or something Steampunk (real steampunk - not this "there are guns over there... if you want them to be" crap), or Gothic Horror, or pure scify, etc, etc... something completely different, both in rules and setting. That could work, but re-doing the current rules or setting - especially any time soon (as in the next five years) - is just commercial suicide, IMHO. You may as well just tell your fans to go elsewhere, because they will... just look around here.


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*meh*

Hated me some Spelljammer.

As for not-liking FR but loving Golarion... that seems a bit odd to me, since Golarion is (to me) 'FR done right' (in other words, someone looked at FR, took all the good stuff out, got rid of the rest, and built an entirely new setting with it).

I would list all the points they have in-common... but the internet simply is not that big.

;)


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Icyshadow wrote:
Flindbars were around in 3.5e D&D too, RJ.

Well thats just awful...

Nobody likes a drunken Flind.

;)


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So I was gluing together some maps today, just to get a feel for some things. What I used were the Iobaria, Brevoy, and River Kingdoms maps. With a little creative painting I manged to get a decent end-result (a couple of rivers were a bit off, etc). What I noticed is that Iobaria stretches the map waaaay east.

So I decided to take all of that and paste it onto the Golarion (Inner Sea) Campaign Map, and then take that and paste it over the (icky) world map (which I realize isn't accurate - its merely representational).

So after a bit more painting - large color-swaths where the terrain was missing, over the underlying world map - I notice there is a LOT of land to the East of Taldor - why have they never expanded in that direction? Whats over there, between them and the Castrovin Sea? There is approximately 700+ miles until you reach water, which is nearly double the width of Taldor itself.

I assume that there is much desert to the East of Qadira, but it looks like rolling plains east of Taldor. You would think Qadira would have tried to expand into that area as well, if not for the territory, then just for its strategic value when they are fighting Taldor.


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Too bad Karen Wynn Fonstad is no longer around - she did a bang-up job on the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance Atlases (not to mention the Middle Earth one).

Add a great, big, fat, resounding "YES!" from me for a product like this.


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To add to what Matt has said: Red Aegis will have its own RPG system (a dice pool system) for play on the default world (Namarune). This way, players will only have to buy the one set of rules to play the game.

However, the game will be designed in such a way (modular) that it can be used as a sourcebook in conjunction with other rules, so if you do not care for the Loremaster RPG system, you can use your own, but still play with the other rules governing cross-generational and historic play.

Its almost like getting three products in one - a set of rules governing history-spanning, dynastic play, a set of RPG rules, and a setting. Think of it as a buffet - you choose which pieces you want to use, and plug those into the game of your choice.

The beauty of it is it can played in conjunction with another RPG game. Your characters in your regular game can find stuff that was part of the history you unlocked with Red Aegis. You may find out your character was once an Iobarian King, or is the inheritor of a Shory Artifact, or even the last of the pure blood Azlanti! You no longer just read about the history of the world, you become a part of it; you are there, on the scene, as each major turning point unfolds. Your only limitation is your imagination - each session is about what you want it to be about.

The 'Hacker's Guide' is simply a bridge between the macro rules, and the RPG rules of your choice, and Pathfinder will be the first to receive such treatment.


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Sincubus wrote:
If they use that bad joke monster manbearpig and let Drop Bears out because they would be too silly then i'm gonna scream and shout and let it all out the Britney Spears way.

I love Drop Bears - we were doing a whole 'fantasy Australia' thing awhile back at the wotC forums (before they got Icky). Manbearpig was just a joke - we already have them (we just called them 'bugbears'). Slap a feral template on that and we're good to go.

Sincubus wrote:
And even tho the Kaiju are bigger than Colossal they aren't bigger than the Island Turtle and the Bhole/Dhole Worm, and those creatures are Colossal too, so wanting creatures bigger than Colossal is not going to happen as they are already there and are also colossal.

But we need a 'Jî-normous' category! :D

Sincubus wrote:
Creature of interest today: Harionna, the female yokai with living, hooked hair that makes Rusalka's and Korrigan/Korred's hair look like little pony tails.

Now this sounds really cool. What would you call it, a Hooker? :p

On a related note (and now to wax serious for a moment) - awhile back in another old thread on another site I came up with two alternate versions of the Medusae (turns out 'medusae' was just one of three variants - trying to repair D&D with known mythology).

The normal Medusa has legs and looks fairly human (usually).

The Stheno is a harpy hybrid with wings (Looking more like the traditional harpy - no arms). Still snakes for hair, though.

The Euryale has the lower half of a snake (similar to nagas, Yuan-ti, or lamia, so its a hybrid of something as well). Same snakes for hair, of course. We've actually seen this depiction of Medusae in D&D before, so we can chalk those up to mis-identification.

I was saving those for my own system/setting, but since I've been working on it for 30 years I figure I should at least share some stuff before I croak.


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Or conversely, make it like MORPG and have everyone get to choose a secondary profession. In other words, they get a profession feat for free (and if you wanted to make it even better, you could borrow a bit of the tier system from 4e and give additional crafting Feats at levels 10 and 20). This way you don't loose anything - it becomes an optional add-on system if a group chooses to use it. That would make it fair for everyone.

Except for the guy who has to go 'mine diamonds' just to Rez his dead buddies all the time (trying desperately to steer this back).


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Because its the paladin's code, thats why.

In 4e, WotC decided Paladins didn't need any 'silly code'. Pathfinder is the most popular RPG in the world. Yup... that went over well.

Its hard to live by because its supposed to be hard. Thats the choice you made when you decided to play a Paladin. You know why we have such mamby-pamby dark elves these days? Because people wanted to play Drow, but it was too hard. So they nerfed the hell out of the drow and now they can be 'nice' (although I am not familiar-enough with Golarion yet to know if thats the case here).

If every class worked precisely the same way, and they were all easy to play (because none of them had any 'code' they needed to adhere to), we'd all be playing 4e. When you try to level the playing field too much (in other words, 'balance'), what you do is suck all the flavor right out of the game.

Paladins are the brunt of many jokes, and they are hard to play (correctly); you try to stay righteous while the peasants are snickering behind your back. But thats part of RPing, and part of the fun.

I am not so unwavering as to say a paladin can't tell a white lie (or even a non-white one if the circumstances call for it). I think in cases like that its all about good GMing - its situational. This also includes what god you worship. If you are a follower of 'the god of absolute truths' then No, you can't tell any lies. Thats just the way it is. But if you are a paladin of a healing god, and you tell a sick patient "everything will be alright" (even when you know its not) then why should you be penalized for that? if anything, telling the poor bastard "your gonna die" is downright cruel, and thats evil. But once again, its highly situational; the dying man may be the type to want to heart the truth, for instance. This is something rules simply cannot cover, and GMs have to learn how to be good GMs (and by 'good', I don't mean the alignment, I mean the ability to run a game that EVERYONE can have fun playing).


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I'd prefer for them to incrementally add 'new ideas' as they go along, and then, when there are just too many of them, they reprint the rulebooks with the errata/"new stuff" added-in, (but still call it Pathfinder!) If they want to call it PF2.0 then fine, but I think thats a tough thing to handle properly (suddenly you've spawned an 'edition war').

This was how it was done from AD&D to 2e. 2e was culmination of all the errata, 'new stuff' from splats, and articles in Dragon over the years, that were put into the core rulebooks. I would call it more of an update then a new edition. 3e was truly a new edition, as was 4e. 3.5 was just another update, and was handled poorly, IMHO. They should have just posted all the 'errata' online (which they did), and then 'updated' the rulebooks to include the errata with the next printing. Calling it a different edition sent them down a spiral they haven't pulled out of yet.

Companies have to eventually do new editions, but I'd rather see PF do a 'soft' crossover (like 1e/2e or 3e/3.5/PF) where most of the fanbase isn't ready to grab their torches and pitchforks. Will we eventually see a completely different set of rules? Probably... but it should take several of these 'incremental' baby-steps to get there. Things go down easier when folks take 'little bites'.


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Now I am starting to see one of my favorite arguments rear its head: Who's evil, us or 'the monsters'. We kick open their doors, break into their homes, kill their families and take all their stuff... and for what? A few nights of drinking and wenching and then we do it all over again?

You ever notice, monsters very rarely ever come to you, even in a lot of modern horror movies? A bunch of teens get stuck somewhere, then they 'go into the basement'. What the hell were they thinking? They had no spare tire? No GPS? Didn't feel like paying for a motel? To hell with them I say! Leave Jason alone!

Read the Odyssey - Odysseus was a jerk! He was constantly landing on other people's property taking their stuff. Everything he encountered he traveled to. Don't blame the monsters because they were hungry, because so was Odysseus and his men.

Have you guys seen the trailer for Warm Bodies? Even Zombies can fall in love. :D


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johnlocke90 wrote:

I don't think crafting for 75 percent of cost is selfish. If I am a plumber, I wouldn't do 2+ days of hard work for a friend for free. I would give him a discount(hence charging 75 percent). Similarly I don't expect my friends to do skilled labor for me without pay.

There are exceptions. If both me and another player were Paladins of the same order, for instance, I would do it for free, but as a general rule I wouldn't expect others to do free labor for me or vis versa.

Does the healer in your group charge you each times he heals? That must be a hoot if he does.

How about the Mage - does he ask evryone for a couple of bucks to cast that fireball at the lich? I think he should - he had to go to school for years to learn that spell... its only fair.

And the thief... i think he should charge everyone when he does his job. Of course, when he does his job you probably don't have any money in your pocket anymore, but I think you should still owe him a little something for all that effort.

Ad infinitum. You know why they made Griswald killable in Diablo2? Because everyone wanted to kill him in Diablo1, because he asked you to protect his town, and then sold you weapons. Killing him was one of the most satisfying moments in Diablo2.

Welcome to that club. {smirk}


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Interesting.

A long time ago I used to play in a system called Chivalry & Sorcery, and if you were a noble (even just a knight) you had to keep track of your land and income. You had a table you had to roll-on for each farm - things like "Bumper Crop" and "Banner Year", and also bad things like "Crop failure". I wish I still had that book - it was a great resource for any game.

Anyhow, you'd have a percentage attached to each of those outcomes, which would adjust the 'average earnings' listed. If you want a little realism you may want to opt for something like that (and you seem pretty-much into realism - kudos for that).

IIRC, each roll would also provide a modifier for the farm next to it - if your crops failed, there's a good chance your neighbor's might to. Entire kingdoms could be 'dominoed' into ruin by this effect.


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We had a blind player in our group years ago - she had a great imagination. We all helped her with her character sheet, and she rolled her own dice (which we read for her). I can't really remember any problems. We didn't use miniatures at all that much back then, except for marching order (and combat only when it really mattered).

Recently, I did a map for a blind player. I just used text and placed the names spatially. It should have worked fine, except they didn't have a braille printer, which made the whole exercise a bit useless. They did have some sort of 'reader' though, so they were able to 'hear' the map, and it did help some.

Thats one thing you really need to be aware of - blind folk have no awareness of distance, at least not how the rest us do. You can't just say "the monster 10 feet in front of you", or "its 30 feet tall". I mean, you could, but its not the same for them. You'd be better off saying "the monster is practically right in front of you", or "its as tall as three story building" (because they are keenly aware of space). You shouldn't say something is 60 miles away, instead say 'its a 3-day ride' (so it translate into time). Always make sure its relatable.


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Just looked over her DeviantART site - she's got my vote.

She should DEFINITELY be doing the work on the Fey Book. She has a way of capturing the 'alieness' of creatures in a way I have not really seen since Tony Diterlizzi (although that man is in a league of his own).


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Like I said, its all interrelated (to me, anyway).

I use both. I am heavily influenced by the Oriental take (Kami - all things not of this world are 'spirits'), and that includes (as a subset) the Celtic outlook - ancestral spirits are also one group of 'spiritfolk' in oriental myth.

The funny thing is, the more you study folklore and mythology, and the further back you go, the more it all starts to look the same. There are some very basic 'kernels of truth' in that stuff that you can refine-out and build a system off of.

Spirits are also used to power certain artifacts (in fact, any magical item can get bound with a spirit - the more powerful ones usually are). Thats where ancestral weapons come from, and also how I power things such as golems and elementals (you summon something form the spirit world to animate/empower your creations).

The thing you have to remember is that to us, if it isn't of 'this world', then its from 'the next', which translate to the 'land of the dead' to our modern minds. We have to forget everything we have learned about the afterlife and realize it is just another reality - a place where all of these other-worldy creatures come from.

Aside from the shape-change ability (which they tend not to overuse because it cost them spirit-energy, which is all they really have), they also have a Jedi-like method of invisibility/non-detection. If you are not looking directly at them they can simply make you 'not see them' (so don't take yours eyes off them for a second). As they level, they learn other glamours (illusions).

Magic (including their racial abilities) costs energy, and they restore their spirit energy by re-merging with their plants, but if they use too much they can't 'heal', and that's how they dwindle (a well-known concept in faerie-lore). The idea is to level faster then they age, which really isn't all that easy (except for adventurers, most races don't). The higher level they obtain, the more energy they can carry around (eventually becoming Eldest). Most are simply too flighty to be bothered with any of that, and just go about their whimsical lives.


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Fey are the 'spirits' of plants. Weird, I know, but I've only just stumbled upon this concept recently (even though I've been researching Fey lore since 1979).

Even if you don't go with that idea, they are still spirits, and like many other non-prime material creatures they can change their shapes. Most chose a shape and stick with it for a long time (perhaps forever), while others change their form constantly (like the Phooka).

Its hard to take just one piece of my homebrew lore and 'get it'. I have a whole 'theory of everything' worked-out, and part of that is that everything that is not of the Prime Material world is technically 'dead' (even gods... deities need to 'die' in their mortal form in order to ascend to a higher one). Ergo, all fey are dead.

However, that's in the D&D Planescape way, not the RW way. In D&D, death is just another step in evolution - you move onto the next world.

So getting back to fey: Greater Fey (the large ones like the Shidhe) come from trees, and would include things like nymphs (all varieties). Small ones would come from bushes (all of those semi-bestial, brownie-like varieties), and the tiny ones would come from plants. This is why you always see things like pixies and faeries hanging around in flowered meadows. During their life, some fey/flora learn how to project an 'avatar' of themselves - these are the many fey we encounter in the Prime Material (and why in folklore many of them are 'hollow' from the back... these forms are difficult to maintain). If the plant lives long enough (like truly ancient trees), it can even 'evolve' into a mobile form (which is where we get treants). The most powerful archfey (Eldest in PF/Golarion) would be ones that obtained great power while alive, and have gained even more since their 'death' (which they consider 'going home' to the Feywild/First World).

Some refuse to make the transition, and become bitter creatures, while most embrace this new 'life' they move to. Also, because this is D&D, the only real difference between life and death is the travel - 'dead' fey can still visit their living fey relatives (but they can only stay a short time - there are rules about such things).

That was, believe it or not, a very brief synopsis of everything that is involved. My planer musings include everything form 'the gods' to undead, and everything in-between. Its all interrelated - the only difference between this world and the next is being able to 'see' it. Creatures like fey can cross back and forth fairly easily (given the proximity to the nearest 'thin spot' in the veil between worlds).


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Wow, I think our nerdese is showing. :D


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My thoughts on all of the above are thus:

If it has a soul, its redeemable, and if its redeemable, then destroying it also destroys its shot at redemption. Now, suppose the zombie brought back was a paladin - you just nerfed his chance at the afterlife he earned. That means killing that zombie, and not trying to redeem it, is THE evil act, IMO.

And now I just think I got to the bottom of the problems I have been having with Arazni - MAN, did she get a raw deal. It doesn't matter what you accomplish in your life, some idiot with a spell can screw-up your eternity.

And this is why I say undead should be souless, and they always will be in my games.


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If you want to deal with Shrodinger's cats, you have to summon their arch-nemesis, Pavlov's dogs.


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A new revolution in Galt could easily make things go from bad to worse.

Instead of France, you could wind-up with Somalia (minus the lucrative pirate trade). Galt ends up being lead by dozens of warlords and the place becomes a living hell for its citizens.

On the other hand, that sounds just nifty for an RPG setting. :P


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Thanks guys, that means a LOT. I still do FR maps off & on (I was on hiatus for the longest time after 4e came out). All of my FR maps are still circa 1375 DR (3e).

I am not sure what the rules are regarding Paizo's IP, but I'd like to eventually try my hand at doing a few of those as well (with a completely different art-style then the FR maps I do, of course).


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I remember Petal Throne.

Does that mean I get a write-up if Paizo does a 'Dinosaurs' splat?


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Weren't the Shory Garundi? That would have made them black/brown (insert whatever PC descriptor makes you happy - I can't keep up with these things). They were pretty damned advanced.

People tend to overlook it when designers do make things racially mixed. Take Turmish in the Forgotten Realms (the nation just south of Cormyr - the MAIN country in the setting). Turmish people are dark-skinned, and are of the Turami racial group, of which there are many examples of spread throughout the Reams. The cover of Complete Arcane had a picture of Turmish Mage (which you can see HERE in ALL its glory).

And yet, when detractors want to stir something up, they point right to Chult (which also had very advanced group of 'black' natives pre-Spellplague). The stuff is in there, in most good, published settings - you just have to know where to look for it. If it is over-emphasized (like creating an entirely black setting with primitive white aborigines) wouldn't that be just as condescending? I take more issue with folks trying to constantly point out the differences between races; what good could come of that? It shouldn't be a focal point, unless there is a major in-setting reason for it.


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What about fire-breathing Spinosaurus?

Oh.. wait... thats Godzilla. :P

Then again, if we were to get a 'Sauroids' book, it would be fun to get some Kaiju (giant monster) love along with it.

How about a psionic megalodon? Why can't Aboleths have 'cave men' too? Some of those dinosaurs with the domed-heads would also be good candidates for ones with some sort of psionic abilities (even if just fairly primitive).

Giving a pteradon a spiked or poisonous tail is a no-brainer.

This Page has some great reference material.


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A LONG time ago (in a galaxy far away :P) there was a small company called FGU that created a sourcebook for their Chivalry & Sorcery RPG rules called Saurians, which kinda combined the idea of a 'dinosaurs' splat with WotC's own Serpent Kingdoms take. In other words, it wasn't just a dinosaur bestiary, but rather a whole source for dino-cultures and related (intelligent) creatures (go Sleestak!) I think that might be an even better way to go for a book like this.

That way, folks can do everything from a lost 'Dinotopia' thing to a Jurassic park (smart raptors) adventure.


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Wow.

I'm no lawyer, but my GF is - and she laughed when I let her read that thing.

WotC gets: Control of all aspects of their competitions production and creative endeavors, FOREVER. The right to re-use things created by their competitors, and to cancel the rights of their competitors to use anything of theirs, ever again (even if something is already 99% ready for publication). They get back their ability to control the OGL, which they once gave-away freely to all parties.

WotC Loses: Nothing

Their competition gets: Limited use of the 5e material, at WotC's final discretion, and said usage can be cancelled at any time (including after the other company s heavily invested in publishing several products).

Their competition loses: The ability to produce products based off of all other material (OGL) WotC freely gave them in the past. The ability to creaet future product-lines and be heavily invested, for fear of cancellation of their limited-use license, at WotC's discretion.

The idea that they would have allowed anyone (their COMPETITORS!) to make more profit then them, and not use the GSL to put a strangle-hold on others, is a pipe-dream. Basically, "We want all our toys back, and we want to be able to use your toys whenever we want, and we might let you use our toys, sometimes, but we can (and will) take them back whenever we want"

Seriously - thats not a contract. Thats a death-sentence.

And yet, I am still willing to give 5e chance. I do not think they are 'evil', they are simply a company doing whats best for them (which is how all companies work, so by that definition you would have to claim all companies are evil). Self-interst is the back-bone of capitalism.

Caveat Emptor


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You know what I REALLY hate?

The people of Alpha Centauri. I do... I just hate them. They've never done anything for us, or taught us better technology.

Oh... wait a minute... I just realized we haven't even seen them yet. My bad.

Get it? ;)

Its okay for everyone to have an opinion, but I find it very odd we are already seeing so much anti-5e sentiment. Some sort-of preemptive strike, perhaps?

You want to hate 4e, fine. You want to dislike WotC (which everyone forgets saved D&D from oblivion once, and brought us the system Paizo is currently using), thats okay too. But please, PLEASE stop hating something no-one has ever seen yet.

I am no fan of 4e, and absolutely loathe what they did to The Forgotten Realms, but all this hold-over hatred isn't helping anyone.

If 5e is good, and lots of people enjoy it, in the long run we are all better-off.


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Thanks for the info guys - I'm still fence-sitting for a tad bit longer (waiting on an insurance check to replace my gaming goodies), but I think the interaction here has actually given me more insight then the info.

From all appearances, whilst the non-4e crowd has dialed back their vitriol (pity?), the pro-4e crowd is still going strong with the edition war.

Well, the war is over. At lest the last one is - why continue to rage? I don't go over to the WotC site anymore because why should I be the mean kid kicking sand in everyone's face? Thats not productive for anyone. When 5e comes out, make an educated decision on what rules suit you best, and go with that. There is no need to be angry at the people who didn't agree with you.


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That would be Greater Clamor. :D

And yes, I'm aware of ALL the free downloads over at WotC, and I STRONGLY advize everyone to get them now, because in a few short weeks the entire site is going to be a Pay Site, and I'm sure that includes all those wonderful FREE goodies.

The weird thing is, just as they decided to change to a pay-format (the DDi), the quality of material online there has gone WAY down. I don't bother with most of it now (except for the old-edition downloads), so why would I want to pay for it???

For $15 a month, I could be playing WoW, and be getting BETTER fluff and BETTER visuals.


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Paste Pot Pete.

In a Universe full of Cosmic entities and unimaginable powerful foes, you have to give a guy who's thing is to 'glue stuff together' credit for having the balls to even exist.

Black Dow wrote:
Basically a good villian [in my book] is a brutal b*****d with an occasional bit of pathos thrown into the mix.

Then you would like Black Adam, if you were a DC fan, even though technically he's a 'good' guy.