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I'm looking for a good, solid superhero game... something d20 based if possible, but I'm willing to consider other systems. While I'm familiar with the tops in fantasy RPG, vampire/gothic games, Cthulu games, and such, I don't know which games are best for general, superheroic action.

Any suggestions?

I inherited the DM duties of our ST campaign, which is set in Eberron. One of the characters is playing a halfling druid/scout, and since it's Eberron, he chose to get a glidewing (pterodactyl) as his companion/mount. While on the ocean, he served as the party's main scout/ranged fighter.

Once the ship crashed into the Isle of Dread, and the players were facing a ten-day march to Farshore, he asked why he couldn't fly there, leaving the party behind, to get a boat to come rescue them. I had the gnome expert on the Isle tell him many predators on the Isle were much more dangerous that what he was used ton on the Talenta Plains, and going alone would be tantamount to suicide.

Being rash (character flaw), he was raring to go, confident he was fast enough to outrun anything thrown at him. In the back of my mind, I was prepared to show him what the Isle has to offer, if he went... particularly the naties waiting halfway through the module. But he relented, saying he'd stick with the party since flying away would "break the module".

So my question is, what can be done to take into account flight on the Isle of Dread? His mount allows him to theoretically skirt across the Island in a day (though he'd get caught in the interior, the same way the players will). It just provides some different problems, both travel-wise and encounter-wise, and I'm looking to head off any future problems.

EDIT: And yes, he already wants a horrid T-Rex as an animal companion. That's a whole other headache I have to worry about later.

After seeing Mephistopheles' leering visage at my FLGS, I thought I'd ask: why haven't I been getting my last few Dungeons?

According to my subscription info, the last Dungeon I was sent was #137, every other Dugeon after that I've purchased (because they're so GOOD...); I also noticed the total number of issues left on my subscription are still the same, so I'm not *too concerned, just curious.

Thanks!

I figure this is something that will probably be handled in the online supplement (and if not, it should be). In Eberron, Kyuss was bound to the rakshasa Overlord Katashka, who used the priest's faith to break free of his prison for a short time. Now in "Dawn of a New Age", the players will be expected to finish him once and for all.

The problem is that as a rakshasa Overlord, Katashka/Kyuss is immortal. Should he be destroyed, he immediately dissipates and reforms in the depths of Khyber 4d6 hours later (per Dragon 337). That's why, from what I gather, the couatl decided imprisonment was the best they could do.

My question is, will things be different this time, and the players finally have a chance to kill the un-killable? Would more be required of them if they wanted to banish Katashka for all time from Eberron, much as Mishka the Wolf-Spider was banished by the Rod of Law? Or is stuffing Kyuss back inside his prison the best the players can hope to do?

I have my own ideas, but I'm wondering what the collective geniuses who brought us the Age of Worms thought about it first ;)

So after reading the latest AP module I'm left wondering one thing. Well, actually wondering several things, but I'll focus on the one:

When will see a Sphere of Annihilation?

Considering the players have been carrying this talisman around for almost 20 levels now, and I haven't seen a Sphere in any of the modules, they *should put it in the last module. There's a theatre maxim that goes something like "You can't show a gun in Act 1 without having it go off in Act 3."

So, a little background: my campaign's in Eberron, and I'm following the conversion notes in the online supplements fairly closely. The party just finished exploring Icosiol's tomb and is now back in Diamond Lake awaiting their audience with Manzorian.

In that time, the players have decided to sink a lot of money into Diamond Lake to rebuild the town: they've grown quite fond of it and are planning on becoming its new benefactors. Since the Governor-Mayor ran off and was found dead in the woods, and most of the other government-folk were killed in the dragon attack, a garrison captain came to town to hold emergency elections for a new Mayor and City Council (Breland has a somewhat progressive democracy, and I chalked it up to an obscure wartime proclomation to make sure a town had the means to govern itself in emergency circumstances).

The Face of the party was elected Mayor (appointing someone else who would be around more his Deputy), and the group went about rebuilding the town.

SO the question... my mage wants to re-build Icosiol's tomb as his personal sanctuary and lab. Personally, I think doing so would be an affront to the proud Wind Duke General's memory, and thus remove his 'blessing' that he gave the party. I'm not sure what the best way to communicate this would be; I'm all for him building a lair, just the thought of using the guy's GRAVE makes me a little leery. I'm tempted to just say that the portal no longer functions for them, period... but they'd be much more satisfied if I RP'd it out.

Anyone else have a similar problem? Any suggestions?

So if you've read the Overload you know what the PC's get if they live through (and prevent) the Age of Worms; their own freakin' kingdom. Nice reward, but it might not necessarily work in all campaign settings, like Eberron.

So my question is...for those of us looking down the line and planning conversions already, what have you got planned for your individual "Redhand"s?

For example: I'm thinking Redhand in Eberron will actually end up being Q'Barra. It's the only truly independent nation with any semblance of a monarchy that could be turned over to the PCs without a massive shift in the campaign setting. It's isolated, near where the Spire of Long Shadows is apparently set... it seems perfect. Of course, it's mostly swampland, and then there's the lizardfolk and the Riedran armies...

Then again, Breland has figured prominently in the conversions of the campaign so far. And King Boranel is concerned about who his heir will be, but he doesn't strike me as the type that would fall on his own sword.

I'm interested to see what others are thinking for their own settings' endgame.

Here's the composition of the group:

Brownie d'Jorasco: Halfling Wiz1
Ro: Changeling Rog1
Lynnell (d'Lyrandar - orphaned): Half-elf Drd1
Siell: Shifter Mnk1

No-one's taken any dragonmark feats yet, but I know they will later. The half-elf was abandoned in the Eldeen Reaches at birth, a bit of family scandal that was covered up. The halfling is hiding from his family; his brother died in a barge accident while he was supposed to be on watch, so he's dealing with that guilt. The changeling is a Diamond Lake guide to local crypts, and the shifter is part of the Twilight Monastery, a group that studies the Draconic Prophecy.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER:
>Russell Jones does not promote party killing.<

The party of guys I'm running is about to head for the observatory to confront Filge; that is, they WERE before three of them DIED!!

MUA-HA-HA!!

Every DM has their own special D20, and mine has been dubbed "PC Killer" due to its uncanny ability to roll 20s like no-one's business. Despite what people tell you, it is one of the most viscerally gratifying moments as a DM when you off members of a party. It's even BETTER if you get more than one in the same combat. And if only one squeaks away to tell the tale, so much the better.

Plus, it was all their fault! Well, mostly their fault...

First Casuality: The CN human fighter/rogue had just found a Large +1 katana in the metal ball pit right outside the True Tomb (and before you comment, I had just bought Weaps of Legacy). It didn't help him though; when they made it inside the TTomb, he got walloped by not one, but TWO criticals in a row from one of the Wind Guardians. Current status; in Allustan's meat locker.

Second and Third Casualties: The remaining three PCs dumped Alastor's body and found the thugs in the Feral Dog. The NE wanna-be-blighter druid split off from the group to skin the baby bugbear, while the LE Favored Soul of Hextor and LG Tiefling Warlock (don't ask) confronted the toughs. After hearing many not-so-subtle hints that the guys were itching for a fight, the Hextorian tosses the scrap of their comrade's arm with their tattoo on it onto the table.

Violence ensues.

First round of combat; Hextorian critically misses. Kullen the half orc rages and critically hits. For 46 damage. The warlock runs all over the tavern trying to get away, and the druid shows up. Two rounds later, the orc crits again for 55 damage on the druid, and things are looking bleak. All the dead players at the table are now rooting for Kullen, and the warlock is turning pale. The half-orc falls to several well-placed fatigue fogs, and the 'lock cuts his thumbs off, finding out where the Land's bodies are, then runs away.

The best part; the players loved every minute of it! The Hextorian and blighter wanted to play evil characters, but when I explained to them that no one was coming to raise their bodies, they changed alignments for their next characters in a hurry. Up until this point, everyone in my sessions had played a niche character; everyone wanted to try being evil, wanted some new combination of classes, or wanted to be the drow. Now that they've witnessed their own mortality (two of them had never had characters die before in straight combat...in seven years of gaming!), they're more willing to put survivability as their top priority. They want to work together and work in the system now; it only took three of them dying to do it.

DMs should not shy away from being brutish, harsh and painful to their PCs. The world of an adventurer is harsh; it's not all XP and roses. Sometimes what a difficult group of players needs is just a good Total Party Kill. Or at least a near-miss.

Of course, DMs should NEVER take that advice unless they know the people they're playing with VERY well; these guys had been friends for four years, so they knew I wasn't being stupid or vain. The same could not be said for another DM they played with, who killed off characters just because they weren't following his storyline exactly or his version of "The Rules". As a DM you should be friends first, a gracious host second, and a DM third. Make sure they're having fun; and sometimes, a little death can be REALLY fun :)