WotC really don't understand what roleplay is, do they?
They really ARE trying to make a computer game without making a computer game.
When they complained last December (seems like ages ago now, and it was only a month) about D&D being "undermonetized", I'll bet THIS is what they had in mind. Millions of players chained to D&DB, with tiers and microtransactions and "pay to mod" and AI DMs... This is all a system to involuntarily attach their vacuum hoses to our wallets and suck them dry.
When EGG said he never wanted to see a big corporation and/or non-gamers have control over D&D, I doubt he imagined how bad it could really be.
While it won't give you any help mechanics-wise, you may want to take a look at the Red Star graphic novels. They portray magic in a technological world-setting in a somewhat clever way (mostly, bulky technological material components).
I checked out the description for Mythic Monsters: Halloween, and it looks pretty good. I was especially amused by the 'mythic mobs'. I imagine that they're troops?
What leaped to my mind was the museum scene in The Mummy...
IM-HO-TEP!
IM-HO-TEP!
IM-HO-TEP!
Or, substitute the chanted name of your favorite demon lord/Great Old One/BBEG here...
Turns out I misspoke. I thought it was in one of the updates from Gary, but it looks like it was in one of the emails that Michael replied back to me with. More so it was for him to have hex maps completed, which he did. That was last November though.
Maybe we won't get an April date. I'd still like it to be that.
Wouldn't we all, but if wishes were fishes...
It's now been over two years since we last got a Throne of Night module. It's been over nine months since we heard anything about a release schedule. And it's been almost six months since we heard ANYTHING PERIOD.
Even I have to admit that I'm losing faith. I looked it up. It was Oct 2014 that David first did his own summary of how books 3 through 6 should go. It was around that same time that I discussed various monster adds, and adventure substitutions. That means for a year and a half, I've supplemented the AP and gave it tons of filler. At least David (Weslocke) summed everything up and left it to the GMs on how to finish things. I just padded things and gave false hopes.
Gary's lack of candor and good faith does not invalidate all the hard work you have put into helping those of us stuck in the middle of a (now dead?) adventure path. Your work - and the work of the artist Mike Clarke - is greatly appreciated.
You have ZERO blame here. It's all on Mr. McBride.
In my homebrew, I specifically tie all the monsters (any non-mundane evil creatures) I use to three evil deities, either directly or indirectly. For instance, the evil god of battles and destruction [think Khorne-clone] is the patron/creator of orcs and goblins, giants, and various beastmen/lycanthropes; the goddess of twisted creation for aberrations, dragons, magical beasts, and oozes; and of course, a god of death for undead. The point is, there are no "willy nilly" creatures that just show up with no reason - if it exists, one of the gods (or one of their servants) created it for a specific purpose (perhaps long forgotten). These deities are known by different names to the creatures worshiping them (the aberration-goddess may be known as "Big Mama" to the ogres, but is called "Lolth" by the drow), but they remain the same three gods.
For the opposing good pantheon, I broke out the remaining domains not assigned to the evil deities and grouped them logically, and eventually came up with nine deities (called the Lords of Light), each with three associated domains. I also specifically use the houserule that clerics spontaneously cast domain spells rather than healing spells, to give the pantheon and its associated characters some flavor.
Actualy, EdOWar has already converted almost all of the official Pathfinder classes to Beginner Box format. You can find files for his conversions at his blog's Downloads page.
Imagine a small child, a runaway, dressed in rags and carrying a worn-out but surprisingly sturdy ragdoll or teddy animal. When threatened or frightened, the child will toss the doll at his/her nemesis - and the doll tears them to shreds.
The child is (unbeknownst to him/herself) a summoner, and the ragdoll is their eidolon.
Hey! Problem solved! We can all go on with our lives now! ;-)
Trolling aside, it is amazing how spun up we get about "official rules". I freely ban and shift around rules at my table (and in my homebrewing head) all the time, for the sake of gameplay and our enjoyment. Like the Big Guys say on Page 9 of the CR, ultimately they're *our* (the DMs and the players) rules.
One of my wife's favorite TV shows begins its third season tonight. In honor of that, I present for your consideration and critique... the Grimm.
Grimm:
GRIMM (Rogue Archetype)
Almost from the beginning of time, there have been monsters who have taken human form to move unseen among their prey – wolves in sheep’s clothing. And for almost as long, a few humans have exhibited a special sensitivity to these monstrosities – an ability to see things no one else could. This ability to identify the enemies within is usually accompanied by a compulsion to hunt down and destroy these creatures, along with extraordinary abilities in tracking and combat. This “gift” often runs in family bloodlines, manifesting itself in each succeeding generation as the prior recipient dies (of whatever cause). One particular family from Ustalav, the Grimms, became notorious for their possession of this “gift” and their use of it, and so throughout the Inner Sea region their name has become attached to all possessors of these abilities.
Hunt Down the Bad Ones (Ex): Grimms gain Favored Enemies, using the same rules and following the same level progression as Rangers; however, they must choose from the more constricted list given below:
Aberration
Fey
Lycanthropes
Outsider (evil)
Undead
This ability replaces Sneak Attack.
I Can See Things No One Else Can (Su): Grimms have the ability to immediately identify their Favored Enemies, even when they are in disguise and/or shapeshifted into another form. When a Grimm makes visual contact with a Favored Enemy in disguise and/or shapeshifted, he makes a Sense Motive check (DC 10 + creature's CR). If the skill check is successful, the Grimm knows the true identity of the creature AND the creature (if it has visual contact with the Grimm) makes an opposed Sense Motive check against the Grimm’s Bluff skill. If the creature succeeds, it realizes the character is a Grimm and will take whatever action it deems appropriate (anything from fleeing in terror, to mentally marking the Grimm down for future observation, to attempting to rip his throat out on the spot).
This ability replaces Trapfinding and Trap Sense.
Monster Hunter (Ex): A Grimm of 20th level always makes his I Can See Things No One Else Can check. He can also, as a standard action, make a single attack against a favored enemy at his full attack bonus. If the attack hits, the target takes damage normally and must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the Grimm's level + the Grimm's Wisdom modifier. The Grimm can choose instead to deal an amount of nonlethal damage equal to the creature's current hit points. A successful save negates this damage. The Grimm can use this ability once per day against each favored enemy type he possesses, but not against the same creature more than once in a 24-hour period.
This ability replaces Master Strike.
Class Skills: Grimms replace Appraise and Perform with Heal and Survival as class skills.
Rogue Talents: The following rogue talents complement the Grimm archetype: Combat Trick, Resiliency, Snap Shot, Weapon Training.
Advanced Talents: The following advanced rogue talents complement the Grimm archetype: Improved Evasion, Skill Mastery, Feat, Redirect Attack.
You see a skull with a dull metal finish, every square inch of which is covered with engraved arcane symbols, and dark-colored faceted crystals set into the eyesockets. When you pick up the skull, the crystals will glow a fiery orange and a deep, gravelly disembodied voice emits from the skull… “Hey, what are YOU looking at?!?”
The skull is the home of Bob, a spirit of intellect and a very learned loremaster of the arcane. Bob has been passed from wizard to wizard for centuries, and is a priceless font of magical lore. And you can be sure Bob KNOWS it. He likes nothing better than an opportunity to show off his knowledge (unless it’s “officiating” at some wild brawl or party – see below). Normally Bob is a smart-aleck, very, very stubborn, and has a weakness for the fairer sex. However, his personality can shift over time to reflect his current “owner”.
BOB [air spirit of intellect, Chaotic Neutral] - INT 19, WIS 10, CHA 14.
He also has the following skills:
Knowledge (Arcana) +20
Spellcraft +20
Craft (potions) +20
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +20
Knowledge (Planes) +20
Linguistics +20
Bob will aid the PC with a skill check on these skills at any time, if the PC makes successful Diplomacy check (see below). Bob can also make one of these skill rolls on behalf of the PC once per week, using the modifiers listed above, if he is given “leave” - 12-36 hours away from the skull and therefore unavailable to the PC (time away subject to negotiation, roleplay and/or Diplomacy check [see below]). There is a 25% chance Bob will do something while “on leave” that will directly impact the PC later on – not out of deliberate malice, just due to unforeseen consequences (“I didn’t do anything a keg of ale wouldn’t have done!”).
DIPLOMACY CHECKS W/BOB
Base DC 25, other modifiers as appropriate – also note the extra factors listed below...
• Wizards +4
• Other Arcane spellcasters +2
• Divine spellcasters +0
• Non-spellcasters -2
• Female characters get DOUBLE their Charisma bonus (positive or negative – he’s a bit shallow about these kinds of things)
OTHER ABILITIES
Sense Motive skill check of +10
Blindsense (60’)
Read Magic (at will)
Detect Magic (at will)
Arcane Sight (as per the spell, 3 times/day, caster level 20)
Read Languages (at will)
DESTRUCTION
Bob can only be destroyed by burning him on a pyre of spell books with a total worth at least 500,000 GP.
Presented here for your consideration... Bob. Bob is very much a work in progress, and not every detail from the books was accommodated. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.
You see a skull with a dull metal finish, every square inch of which is covered with engraved arcane symbols, and dark-colored faceted crystals set into the eyesockets. When you pick up the skull, the crystals will glow a fiery orange and a deep, gravelly disembodied voice emits from the skull… “Hey, what are YOU looking at?!?”
The skull is the home of Bob, a spirit of intellect and a very learned loremaster of the arcane. Bob has been passed from wizard to wizard for centuries, and is a priceless font of magical lore. And you can be sure Bob KNOWS it. He likes nothing better than an opportunity to show off his knowledge (unless it’s “officiating” at some wild brawl or party – see below). Normally Bob is a smart-aleck, very, very stubborn, and has a weakness for the fairer sex. However, his personality can shift over time to reflect his current “owner”.
BOB [air spirit of intellect, Chaotic Neutral] - INT 19, WIS 10, CHA 14.
He also has the following skills:
Knowledge (Arcana) +20
Spellcraft +20
Craft (potions) +20
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +20
Knowledge (Planes) +20
Linguistics +20
Bob will aid the PC with a skill check on these skills at any time, if the PC makes successful Diplomacy check (see below). Bob can also make one of these skill rolls on behalf of the PC once per week, using the modifiers listed above, if he is given “leave” - 12-36 hours away from the skull and therefore unavailable to the PC (time away subject to negotiation, roleplay and/or Diplomacy check [see below]). There is a 25% chance Bob will do something while “on leave” that will directly impact the PC later on – not out of deliberate malice, just due to unforeseen consequences (“I didn’t do anything a keg of ale wouldn’t have done!”).
DIPLOMACY CHECKS W/BOB
Base DC 25, other modifiers as appropriate – also note the extra factors listed below...
• Wizards +4
• Other Arcane spellcasters +2
• Divine spellcasters +0
• Non-spellcasters -2
• Female characters get DOUBLE their Charisma bonus (positive or negative – he’s a bit shallow about these kinds of things)
OTHER ABILITIES
Sense Motive skill check of +10
Blindsense (60’)
Read Magic (at will)
Detect Magic (as per the spell, 3 times/day, caster level 20)
Read Languages (at will)
DESTRUCTION
Bob can only be destroyed by burning him on a pyre of spell books with a total worth at least 500,000 GP.
