Sven's page

I buy most of my paizo stuff from nobleknight.com, with which I have a long lasting business relationship...
I've considered to subscribe, but the shipping price for Italy is just too high.

Ciao!

here it comes another Italian...
from Bologna, the one and only BASKET CITY in the world!
(Ask Ginobili if you like... ;-))

I too have a couple of nice pictures but nowhere to post them!
anybody willing to help?

Thanks!

I'm not sure I would prefere a less likely but violent robbery instad of a more likely but not-violent robbery....
Buy I can agree how Fiz feels.
This is the problem we have in Italy... laws are so geared toward the rights of the criminals that it's really difficult to keep them in jail for long...
A common - but sadly real - joke among my policeman friends says that usually criminals get uot of jail faster than the time it takes to the policeman who arressted them to compile the necessary papers to convalidate the arrest...
This IS a problem we ought to address. But it's a really long story....

But at least we haven't never had any Waco or Columbine or VA Tech happening in Italy.
This is definitely good thing I believe.

just my two EUROcents...

The point about gun-control laws is - in my opinion - important.
It is definitely true that in countries where gun-control laws are enforced (like here in italy) armed violence is a lot less frequent.
The point is that, while it is true that criminals will always capable to get armed, the real boon of these laws is to keep weapons away from pyschos.
the massacre at VAtech wasn't made by criminals.. but by a psichotic student.
Who just had been permitted to buy weapons freely... this is really scary.

And on a second level, if the priority is to save citizen's lives, not permitting them to go around armed can save their lives simply because someone who wants to steal something (a criminal, not a psycho) will be less inclined to shoot - fearing some citizen's armed response - during the theft(risking a much more heavy imputation). this won't stop theft, but make them sell bloody.

Here in my town last week we had three bank robberies.
weapons fired: none. (no-one had the need to. here tellers have strict orders to simply give the money without endangering themselves or the customers - thiefs know this and are much less prone to use violence because of this)
people killed or wounded: none.
the banks were insured for the loss.

Was it better to start gunfights to protect some tens of thousand insured euros?
Mr. walker, texas ranger: thanks but NO, thanks.

I still am sura that Kenshiro would totally whup the barbarian on steroids...
c'mon guys! we are talking about the rightful scion of the school of Hokuto.
I mean, he can pass through a falling skyscraper with no sweat.
He packs so much power that one of his blows, if not perfectly delivered, could tear the whole univers apart!

now, who's this Conan again????

Guys,

sorry for your beloved Cimmerian, but it goes without a doubt that Kenshiro, and his Hokuto fighting style, would just vaporize Conan into a gelatinous cube.
Such is the power of Hokuto.
(and BTW, I would put my money also on Rey, Falco, Io, Raoul and Caio to boot - ah, also Sauzer.All of them surely posses fighting prowess way superior to Conan's)

Ah, if you wanna be nasty put him against Goku.

Thank you all for your comments!
I guess that the most feasible thing is to have the final battle in the arena....
but it still seem to me that having the PCs discover the plot but not being able to twart it somehow before the end is a lot like railroading...

Anyways, thanks everybody!

Hey guys, I’d like your feedback on this subject….

We are currently playing the Arena Games in the AOW AP:
Last session, my PC went off to explore under the arena, and found the hidden home of Bozal and his minions.
The session ended with them barely able to defeat him after going through the Morghs and the Spawns of Kyuss. Next friday they will likely discover the Apostolic scrolls and the Ulghurstasta-containing sphere.
My questions are:
1) I’ve gone through the ways one can destroy the sphere (other than the one who created it – which is presumably now out of the question, since Bozal is now quite dead) and they seem all very difficult to achieve for 9th-10th level PCs…
The turning undead attempt could be feasibile, but heck! – the dispel 1d4 round later against caster level 20! That’s tough!!!

2) Even if they break the sphere, the adventure says that the Ulghur-boy vill attack anything on tendrils’range, or – much more likely option in my opinion – try to open its way to the arena floor since nobody will stay near it…
What happens next? Big night combat in the empty arena? And the games? No distruption whatsoever? To me it seems that this was not what the adventure’s author had in mind (I think that he wants the PS destroy the Ulghur with no-one else being the wiser of this fact) but the odds are stacked against this happening…

How have you handled these points in your campaigns?

Thanks all for the help!

Kella

Hey guys,

I guess that I'm one of the few for whom the shipping price is really not an issue...
Thanks to our overvalued EURO, I can tell you that ordering in the US is cheaper than buying the same stuff in Italy, EVEN AFTER ADDING the S&H costs...
Lucky me then! (at least until the EURO will start losing something to the $...)
Or should I say poor me for the normally outrageous prices we have here in Italy....

Oh, well, I just hope than when some issue of my dragon subscription will get lost (a very likely event given the state of the Italian mail system nowadays...) Paizo will share some of its well known LTC to me... ;-)

Yay for Paizo!

Majestico wrote:

Erik, you'll have to refresh my memory on this one. Although, through some warped twist of fate, both the names' Loraine, and Williams do still manage in their own way to occassionally awake in the dead of night, screaming into my pillow in mortal fear!

She-Who-Must-Not-Be Named, Lorraine Williams

sorry.

Majestico wrote:

Erik, you'll have to refresh my memory on this one. Although, through some warped twist of fate, both the names' Loraine, and Williams do still manage in their own way to occassionally awake in the dead of night, screaming into my pillow in mortal fear!

She-Who-Must-Not-Be Named, Lorraine Williams

This name sound new to me.

I guess she must have something to do with TSR and D&D, but what?

Lilith, even without speaking her name, could you add some info? ;-)

go bounty hunter!
from across the ocean, I daresay that you guys should reassert your preminence over the neighborood a little more forcefully...

But given how things are going on these days, in a couple of decades you'll be all speaking spanish.

sad thought indeed...

Hi guys,

what is this Cannonfire you're talking about? Is it a website?

As for Vecna, I was just reading the article in dragon, where they write about him entering Sigil during the course of his ascension to godhood.

Is this stuff described somewhere in some book?
I can say that news of Sigil being destroyed were new for me.

Any better info from you guys?

Thanks!

Sven

- Greyhawk : 39

- Forgotten realms : 19
- Eberron : 14
- Dark sun : 5
- Spelljammer :2
- Ravenloft : 6
- Dragonlance : 5
- Al-Qadim : 2
- Maztica :
- Kara-Tur :
- Oriental adventures / settings : 1
- Mystara :2
- Scarred lands :
- Homebrew : 13
- Wilderlands of High Fantasy/City State of the Invincible Overlord: 4
- Birthright : 4
- The Styes: 2
- Council of Wyrms (v.3.5): 1
- Planescape: 4
- Freeport: 2
- Midnight :
- Ptolus : 6
- Iron kingdoms : 3

I added Enjego Montoya's votes (despite the fact he didn't vote for GH ! ; see his post above): he replied to an "out of date" post...
so +1 to FR & +1 to homebrew !

since 10 years, only GREYHAWK for me!!!!

But I fondly remember playing
DARK SUN
SPELLJAMMER
and the Mystara setting for old D&D...
Alphatia rulezz!!!!!

Ok guys, this blows but I would like to know if something similar has ever happened to some of you...

Iesterday I got my first batch of War of the Dragon Queen minis and I got lucky!
Aspect of Tiamat right on the 3rd one!
But, after a few seconds of drooling oer it, I just realised something was wrong...
The damn thing was lacking the Black Head!
I don't know, but my best guess is that someone just forgot to put it n, or maybe it wasn't glued enough to toe neck.
In aniy case, I have Tiamat-with-black-stump.

Has something similar ever happened to you guys?
is there any hope that i colud get back a spare black head to glue on my mini?

This shouldn't be the way to treat the Dark Queen!

as for me, when we played that encounter, the sorcerer just sent the Ranger (sworn enemy outsiders) and the super powerplayer monk (wow of poverty anyone?) flying; Aushanna's only tactic was to try not to get slaugherd too fast.
Not mentionig that her 20SR was often bested by the poor sosrcere ("poor" like the monk...)

In June I've bought a few articles from you guys.
They were "ready to ship" in June, and they still are that way.
What kind of problem keeps you from shipping them?
Is that normal?

thanks for an answer

In June I've bought a few articles from you guys.
They were "ready to ship" in June, and they still are that way.
What kind of problem keeps you from shipping them?
Is that normal?

What would you wish for if you were given one wish?

The rules are...

1. You can't wish for more wishes.
2. You can't bring back the dead.
3. You can't make someone love you.

What would you wish for? What is your greatest desire?

I DEFINITELY WANT TO BE THE GRAND MASTER OF THE SCHOOL OF HOKUTO!

I WANT TO BE KENSHIRO!!!

Or just type NATURAL GAS CARS on Google.
i got tons of links

Yeah, renting is gong up everywhere....
Near Bologna where I live, it is outrageous. Agreed, we live in a very sought after area - unemployment rate is probably 0.5% or something... and schooling, health care and public services are far above average in italy - but, the average income is around 1000 - 1200€/month (net) and in a not upper class area you pay araound that same amount for a 100 sq/mt apartment.
It is almost cheaper to have a mortgage than a rent, but you have to have some starting money, and not everybody does.

I got lucky in being born there... and we have also the beach not too far away! Free weekends under the sun for everybody!!! ;-)

At least higher education is non so expensive...
I just re-enrolled at university, and my tuition fees are around 1200€/year (1500$).
Our system is different form the US one, since we pay yearly, not for course taken.
And all the exams-system works differently... we can refuse bad grades! ;-) (on the down side, in tough sience and technical courses there is an average 70% failings...)

BTW, I got a Natural Gas car too...
I have 30 miles one way to go to work, and it's nearly mandatory given the fuel prices!

Fake Healer wrote:

US averages are around 3-4 weeks vacation time, 1-2 weeks sick time and maternity leave is 6 weeks unless you get a good company with extra benefits. My wife went back to work after 6 weeks, leaving me with frozen breastmilk to feed the kid. The US should be ashamed of its maternity leave system and there is no paternity leave at all (I have heard of some countries that do have Paternity Leave legislation.)

I feel your pain, bro. I do the work thing, my wife takes care of the kids, and the bank account is a big flatline most of the time. She tried to go back to work, we tried daycare, 3 weeks later everyone was constantly sick, it wasn't doable. The second salary is direly missed.

And it's a pain, foregoing vacation to beef up your p.t.o. hours for cash trade whilst looking for extra weekend work.
I feel like a dwarven defender at a hill giant ho-down mosh pit.
"knockin them down, knockin them down, knockin them down" ad nauseum.
And when you accumulate 150+ hours of pto, it's reeeeeeeeal tempting to go look for a new job and cash out.
I wish I could find a cave full of orcs, with 100 gold pieces. Man, I could use that kind of cash.

man, this is bad...

If being in an "efficient" system means
1) working 60-hours weeks (39 for me...)
2) not daring taking sick days for fear of being laid off, and for the same reason not daring refusing overtime work
3)having to pay for pension (which can default without any responsability on your part - pension funds investing in ENRON anyone?
4) AND Health Care (like going to an hospital and 1st question asked being "Cash or Credit card?")
5) not mentioning the actual stress of doing your job well AND STILL FEARING THE POSSIBILITY OF A LAYOFF
6) getting two weeks of vacation a year (all considered, I get more or less 6 and my sector is stingy this weay...)
7) having to stay at work until you're ready to give birth - and gonig back right after! (italy sports a mighty 6 months payd maternity leave, wich can be augmented to one year plus another 6 months period at a reduced wage - of course, no one can fire you while you're at home breast feeding your child!)

Thanks, but no thanks!

;-)

hopefully soccer will be one of those... ;-)
With England and Germany's permission, of course!

Ahhh.... the Brits!
life would be so boring without them! ;-)
Now everybody thinks I come from some 5th world Banana Republic (no offense for bananas!)

Anyways, thanks for the feedback, I consider myself satisfied...
And for sure I don't want to start a geopolitical flamewar over our various economies.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

But I'll take mine over yours any day of the week... Ha! ;-)

Stefan,

95% of what you've said applies also for Italy...
Thanks for being much clearer than I had previously been.

I just want to add that many of our common working benefits don't come from wages but from other things, like, long vacations, paid healthcare and sickdays etc. etc.
Therefore, you usually think twice before changing your job.

Here joung people mainly change jobs to find the "secure job" that gives them the above mentioned benefits, as opposed from the now growing plethora of precarious, time limited jobs.

second, as I said above, if to get a better job you have to move to another city, many people won't do that.

Thanks for the feedback, guys! ;-)
I can see your points, it probably has a lot to do with the overall job system overthere vs here.

Here people don't move too much, and that for sure means that there are less job vacancies - and therefore opportunities for other people.
As an example, the firm I work in ha probably at least half of the workforce who is here at least from 10 years.

Also, many people here (myself included) would not take a better job if it meant having to move away from your city or town. You know, friends, family and stuff are a big barrier to people moving around...

For sure, in the more technological and upper level jobs the situation is more like yours in the US, but I think that as a mind set, here companies tend to value stability over many other things.

Lastly, with the economic crisis wwe are facibng, with china and all that stuff, people who have a job - and italian laws are relly protective against lay offs - usually keep and guard it with care.

I don't know...
this doesn't really explain te situation.
Here, changing jobs so quickly is often seen as a bad sign.
On one side, why would an employer give you a position when you colud leave six months later? This would seem like wastd time on their part.
And on the other side, a person who changes many jobs is seen as someone who probably is a troublemaker and therefore cannot be trusted.

This change in Dungeon Direction just made me wonder.

Can someone explain to me why people overthere seems changing Job positions so quickly?!?
To an Italian like I am, this seems pretty crazy.
Is there any hidden reason I cannot think of?
Is it just the way you guys live?

I need explanations for this behaviour... ;-)

Thanks!

Can someone explain to me why people overthere seems changing Job positions so quickly?!?
To an Italian like I am, this seems pretty crazy.
Is there any hidden reason I cannot think of?
Is it just the way you guys live?

I need explanations for this behaviour... ;-)

Thanks!

Brehon wrote:

I hate elves and I'm not afraid to say it. Why? Because of elven supremacists. All this "Elves invented magic" and "Elves invented archery" and "I was old when your grandfather was born" garbage. Elves think that they're better than everyone else, but the truth is that they live so long that they can't see in the short term and just don't have a grip on real life anymore. Besides if elves are so great, why can members of every other race match their skill in every field despite shorter life spans? Because elves are lazy. Who cares if you live to be 1200 years old if you don't accomplish anything? Not to mention that that 40 year old human wizard has already achieved the same level of power that your 2000 year old elven archmage has. Now who's smarter?

In summation, elves are arrogant, self-aggrandizing, lazy, untrustworthy, self-serving, looking-down-their-noses sluggards whose time has long since passed. They all need to get haircuts and jobs.

So tell us how you really feel.

Seriously though, chill out. If you don't like the way other people write about elves, don't use that stuff. All that rage, man, you're starting to sound like me when I talk about Eberron.

Can't we all just get along?

Yep. This stuff reaally drives me nuts.

And even if I allow for elves' laziness, what about Drow????

Drizzt battled enemies everey damn day since he was perhaps five... And enemies who are much tougher than the average human.
He left Menzoberranzan at approximately 100 Years of age IE 95 years of continuous drilling and honing of his abilities...
He should have been at least 50th level by then, not the puny 16th that the stats give him!!!!!

Drows should simply be the most powerful race in the world.

This might be a tall order, but does anyone know of a complete listing of all products ever released under the D&D banner since its inception through all the various editions..?

Cheers
Llowellen

Maybe I could be of help.

If someone is interested, I could scan the pages and e-mail them.
I don't promise a quick work though...

Or better: we could all pester the new sage for a new list!!!!

Let me know!

Yup!
Send over a copy here in Italy!
I'll buy everything connected to the APs - no questions asked!