Tao's page

Reading through this year's entry has brought me back to musing about something I've discovered about myself. I'm hesitant to bring it up, because I didn't want to risk sounding a grogniphobe who hates the classics. I'm not and I don't.

But more and more, I'm trying to find something I haven't seen before. Something that makes me go "Wait, the villain's what/who? Doing what?" I admit, gonzo ideas attract me, (at least partly because I favor weird aesthetics,) but partly because, at the very least, it'll be new territory to explore.

Maybe it's a problem with my mindset, but I feel a bit disappointed this year in Superstar, with so many familiar villain types. There are a couple of fresh new ideas that grab me, really grab me, but I could use some tough decisions.

This is true. Maybe, as a society, we're just running out of good ideas. Honestly, it's not just in this contest... it's movies, books, tv, and even professionally published RPG material. At a certain point, one evil lich or vampire or human druid just starts looking like all of the others. Whatever differences are there just seem insignificant next to all of the similarities.

Heck, as much as I hate the whole pre-teen Twilight garbage and the fact that they are vampires that sparkle in the sunlight, at least that sets them apart. I may hate that they sparkle, but at least I will remember that they sparkle (since it has been painfully seared into my brain). Too few of these entries really seemed worth remembering.

I was happy to see that some people actually did take some risks. Some of them didn't for various reasons (usually for reasons of usability within a campaign), but I'd rather see someone making a flying leap off a cliff than a timid step forward.

Personally, I am going to sleep on it before I cast my vote. I'll see which ones I remember (and like) in the morning.

I've already gotten Clark's feedback, but I'd love to hear what the others thought (good, bad, or otherwise). Thanks in advance!

Myrrh Egg of Ashes
Aura strong conjuration; CL 18th
Slot Neck; Price 82,000 gp; Weight -

Description

This reddish-brown egg, believed to be that of a phoenix, is about the size of a human fist and hangs from a golden chain. Warm to the touch, the egg glows a golden color (shedding light as a torch) and functions as a holy symbol for good aligned characters. Additionally, three times per day she may empower any Conjuration (healing) or Fire spells as through the Empower Spell metamagic feat.

If the wearer of the Myrrh Egg is killed by an attack that deals fire damage, the egg shatters and she is immediately resurrected as a divine being. She is treated as an outsider for the purpose of spells and effects, gains resistance against fire 10, and can cast Produce Flame as a spell-like ability. If she is killed in this form, her body immediately disappears and a Myrrh Egg of Ashes is left in its place. Unlike other outsiders, she can be resurrected using the Myrrh Egg of Ashes in place of her remains.

Constructionp

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Empower Spell, burning hands, protection from energy, resurrection; Cost 41,000

I feel the same way. I initially read them all without reading anyone else's commentary and was disappointed throughout. I was more than a little surprised to see that I wasn't the only one who felt this way.

As the cornerstone of the rest of the competition, round two is really the most important round IMO. Round one is a basic creativity and mechanics test (which, I unfortunately failed :( ). Round two is where the competition really begins. If you don't have a good foundation at this level of development it's going to be hard to make up for it later.

I hope the things get better as ideas get more developed, but for now I'm less than optimistic.

Edit: I think what really bothers me is that the entries seem to fit into one (or more) of the following three categories:

1) A "new" take on an old cliche.
2) An enemy, perhaps, but not a villain.
3) Won't survive contact with players.

Nope. No waiting. I'm a machine.

Here are my comments:

[after initial concerns from Wolfgang about it being too good and the outsider stuff being permanent]

"Wow, I like this item. It is totally ridiculous, of course. But I like it. I agree the outsider properties are permanent. Is there a reason you dont simply ask your mage buddy to kill you with a fireball to get those benefits? I mean, you dont seem to lose anything by dying. Seems too abusable. What does this mean, though: "Unlike other outsiders, she can be resurrected using the Myrrh Egg of Ashes in place of her remains"?"

[then later after some discussion with Wolf over its abusability and what the above quote means, I said:]

"I'll reject it. Its the abusability that kills it for me. Too bad, too (once again, I am saying that this year)."

[I will say that though it was rejected, Wolf did note: "Inclined to pass, though I think this designer could have some potential."]

Bummer. I was afraid that was unclear. The intention was that you lost the "first set" of powers when you gained the second, and that being resurrected "from the egg" reset it back to your original form.

It definitely taught me the limits to complexity when working within a tight word budget though. If nothing else, that was worth the experience.

Thanks again for your feedback. That definitely helped, and now I can have a good night's sleep without beating myself up over it anymore. I guess I won't "throw in the towel and find a real job" after all. ;)

I'm going to go ahead and post this before I go to bed. I was trying to wait up, but the timezone difference is killing me. Plus I am not the first, so I don't feel quite as bad. Obviously, I don't expect an answer right away, so feel free to take your time. I just really appreciate any feedback. Be brutally honest. I can take it, and 'going easy on me' isn't doing me any favors, you know. ;)

Thanks again!

Myrrh Egg of Ashes

Aura strong conjuration; CL 18th
Slot Neck; Price 82,000 gp; Weight -

Description

This reddish-brown egg, believed to be that of a phoenix, is about the size of a human fist and hangs from a golden chain. Warm to the touch, the egg glows a golden color (shedding light as a torch) and functions as a holy symbol for good aligned characters. Additionally, three times per day she may empower any Conjuration (healing) or Fire spells as through the Empower Spell metamagic feat.

If the wearer of the Myrrh Egg is killed by an attack that deals fire damage, the egg shatters and she is immediately resurrected as a divine being. She is treated as an outsider for the purpose of spells and effects, gains resistance against fire 10, and can cast Produce Flame as a spell-like ability. If she is killed in this form, her body immediately disappears and a Myrrh Egg of Ashes is left in its place. Unlike other outsiders, she can be resurrected using the Myrrh Egg of Ashes in place of her remains.

Constructionp

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Empower Spell, burning hands, protection from energy, resurrection; Cost 41,000

My biggest disappointment is that, in retrospect, I should have gone with one of my other item ideas. I think I tried to hard to make something that I thought "they" (the judges) would like that I submitted something I didn't really like all that much.

Oh well... see you in 2010! :D

Now that the initial disappointment is over, I want to extend a heart-felt congratulations to the people who made it to the next round. Good work everyone!

Regardless of the outcome, its always a pleasure to be involved in the growth of the gaming community. I'm happy to have participated.

Obviously, I'll be happier to have made it to the next round, but you can't win 'em all. ;)

Assuming you guys get the SRD and make the decision to move to 4E, will this be a 4E product?

I don't imagine that they would, barring a VERY special licensing concession from WotC (separate from the GSL/SRD). However, setting material is pretty easy to convert. We have switched our Pathfinder campaign over to 4e without any major roadblocks.

Lillith,
I am also a web developer. I do a lot of design work, especially using CSS to creat GUIs for databased driven PHP and JSP sites. One of my recent projects has been with the difficult20 gaming group. They're still raising money to pay for the hosting, but a beta version of the site is available at http://d20.mattylee.com It looks like you've got things under control I would love to help you out if you decide you want to put together a slightly flashier GUI. If you need any help, feel free to contact me (ml@mattylee.com).