mark_of_bane's page

I think this release is way too little information to base any real conclusions. That having been said, here are my wild unsubstantiated guesses....

I also was bothered by no mention of an intelligence bonus for skills. I'm guessing that it is still there, but just not mentioned under classes. I'm speculating that there are race skill lists as well as class skill lists, and the intelligence bonus will apply to skills of the player's choice from either list. I am pleased that it looks like they are going with the Saga skill system. I picked up Saga a couple weeks ago and I really like the look of the mechanics.

The shuriken proficiency was surprising to me, but I am not yet alarmed that rapier was not listed. Perhaps there are racial proficiencies (eg, human pick one weapon, elves automatically get bow, halflings automatically get... swamp boat pole?) Or perhaps rapier proficiency could be acquired by with a larger feat. Say, you get proficiency with a fencing feat that provides other bonuses with it.

Most of the time I have gone with the option of average hit points rather than rolling, so that doesn't bother me. I suspect rolling may be an option somewhere still.

Like some other posters, I find it odd that Crimson Edge could only be used once per day. I imagine there will be feats that will allow once-per-day powers to be recharged, much like Saga allows single use Force powers to be recharged during encounters with the right talents or feats.

I'm not thrilled with the class abilities being referred to as "powers". I prefer the Saga term "talents". But I guess that is just somantics. What I am really hoping for here is an end to dead levels. I wish someone on the design team would break the silence just to confirm that there are no more dead levels.

And I was pleased to see the nod to Dickens in there. ^-^

So please don't ask me for sources on any of the above. It is either my impression from months of following releases and blogs with a liberal dose of wishful thinking and guessing mixed in. Now I'm heading back off to the sidelines to wait for the June releases.

When I read this article, I had a slightly different take on it on their irresistable command ability. I figured this exploding minions ability was a disciplinary tool that was statted out since it could have combat usefulness. You got a pack of lesser minions that have disappointed you? Point at one, it slides a safe distance back from the rest of the grovelers, then POW! Talk about your instant motivation. And if I were designing an encounter with a pit fiend, I'd make sure that it had a couple of very low level minions on hand (you know, for manicures, recipients of kicks of frustration, etc.), that could quickly be turned into weapons if it was attacked. I probably wouldn't use the higher level summoned minions as ranged attacks unless I saw that one was a strike from a PC away from dying anyway.

I would appreciate feedback...

Misleading Cloak

On command, this unremarkable appearing cloak simultaneously teleports the wearer a short distance, turns him invisible and leaves behind an illusory double. When activated, the wearer selects a destination within 50 feet and transports to the exact spot desired. If the destination is not available for him to occupy or is out of range, none of the cloak’s effects activate and a use is considered expended. The wearer can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed his maximum load. At the same instant that the wearer transports, he becomes invisible as if a greater invisibility spell had been placed on him. In addition, an illusory double appears in the space he is departing, perfectly superimposed over his body. The double behaves and is controlled as though the wearer had cast a mislead spell. The illusion and the invisibility last for 11 rounds. The cloak can be used three times per day.

Moderate conjuration and illusion; CL 11th; Craft Wondrous Item, mislead, dimension door; Price 80,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

I don't think anyone should be too worried about the deadlines coming up for the finalists. If you are a finalist, I'm confident that the judges will have very narrow criteria for the country development, just like they did for the magic item. If you think about it, they really narrowed the field on what you could do with magic items. By limiting it to a wonderous item, they ruled out arms, armor, rings, staffs, rods, etc. A 200 word limit was also a decisive restriction. The country portion of the competition will certainly have a word limit, and I suspect a set of clear restrictions on the country. I am pretty sure they will post a map of the country, probably without names, that all the finalists have to use.

In some ways, I think we are better off playing a lottery game. I've seen experienced contributors posted that they've entered (though not so experienced as to be disqualified...) and I have seen some really brilliant amateurs post either their second string items (Ken Marable, I'm looking at you and your False Track Arrows) and some extremely clever postings on the Uncouth thread (my personal favorite so far being Mothman's Stone of Usefulness). I'm confident that the judges are being sincere when they say they've got loads of great items when they still have hundreds left to go through. That haven't been said, I try not to get discouraged, and no one else should either. It's neigh impossible to say which items will capture the judges imagination. But I look forward to seeing what they finally force themselves to unveil as their top 32. And while our odds may be better with lottery games where winners are determined by chance rather than careful consideration and competition, I had so much fun putting my item together that I don't regret a moment of the effort, regardless of the outcome.

C. I am very optimistic about 4th ed and will certainly buy the core books when they come out, but the core books does not a vibrant campaign make. I am hoping paizo and the other companies that offer accessories will be pulled in to help give story options in the first quarter that the new edition is released. I believe the dozens of designers that suppliment what WotC can accomplish on their own will be critical to making 4th edition a strong success rather than a slow, gradual build up of conversions. A couple of adventures on the WotC Dungeon website is not likely to cut it.

I suspect our esteemed judges will use very specific guidelines to allow the contestants to focus and make it easier for the voting public to compare side-by-side. I am going to go so far as to speculate that they will post a map of a nation that the contestants have to use. They likely will provide a format that they want it; a format provided up front would accomplish both standardizing the entries (so that they do not get one that is a series of haikus) and to make sure that the contestants cover the areas of country development that are important to them as judges. I'm guessing we'll see a 600 or 1200 word limit on it. Just my idle speculation... But because of these suspicions, I'm not investing too much time in a particular train of thought on a country for the contest.

I finally tossed my hat in the ring. And no, my item is not a hat, nor is it a ring. Good luck to everyone! And thanks to Paizo for the opportunity. Even if I'm not one of the fortunate few, I look forward to playing along at home.