I just wanted to express my gratitude and overall enjoyment of the new Class Acts Format. I really enjoyed seeing a Class Acts article about HexBlades. Awesome. I think the new format will inject a new feeling of eagerness when reading the articles, as well as opening up the potential to explore the many new core classses released by WotC. Class Acts has been given a fresh breath of air and I look forward to seeing how far its lungs can expand.
Thank you.
I didn't read it in detail, but I too liked the way they expanded Class Acts. Seeing as how they've really gone out of their way to expand the class abilities with feats (consider: Bardic Music feats, Wild Feats, Divine Feats...), this only makes sense.
I always considered Class Acts to be a mixed bag, but a series that eventually found its feet- Moreso than some of the other relaunch features, anyway. I think that two pages to a particular class will allow for much better expansion, and be a more efficent use of space besides.
I'll have to see what is done with it, but so far, so good.
It's more than just two pages to a class, too - it's two pages to a group of classes. In fact, it's possible to write an "Arcane" class act that has something to do with fighters, rogues, druids, etc - just like in the Complete books. There's a lot of flexibility that exists in this format that wasn't there before. As one of the writers who tries to keep Mike busy, that added flexibility is a good thing. :)
I haven't had a chance to actually read the articles yet. My copy just arrived yesterday and it was a gaming night. I did flip through, though. The new section looks nice, with cool art, new "sidebar" design, and so on. I'm looking forward to seeing one of my articles in there. :D
I thought Stephanie Vergamini's piece on the Sidhe Scholar was particularly well done. It's a mystic-druid class build with a lot of potential.
Yes, yes, very nice with new Hexblade material. I have a Hexblade player in my campaign and she could really use the stuff presented in there.
I hope Ninjas are next! They need feats that enhance their ki powers, and especially feats that grant them abilities that can be used with their ki powers. A feat called Extra Ki Power, grants extra 2 uses of ki power and then a feat called Shadow Run, where their speed increases for a limited amount of time when using ki power.
Just some ideas for you Dragon writers/editors
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I thought Stephanie Vergamini's piece on the Sidhe Scholar was particularly well done. It's a mystic-druid class build with a lot of potential.
I'm glad you liked it. I've very pleased with the entire article, from Stephanie's solid idea and writing all the way to the neat Gothic Vadania art. I think the first four articles of the Class Acts New World Order are all very strong, with the Divine article the first among equals.
Plus, you know, it's fun to write an art order that uses the phrase "Goth girl." ;D
(Which obviously had nothing to do with me selecting that article for inclusion.)
I thought Stephanie Vergamini's piece on the Sidhe Scholar was particularly well done. It's a mystic-druid class build with a lot of potential.
I liked the concept a lot. It reminded me of Katrina Anne Van Tassel in Sleepy Hollow.
Now there's a thought ... hey Mike, can we get Christina Ricci and Miranda Richardson to pose in costume for live photos as our iconic characters for future Class Acts? That would be soooo coool. I'm sure it can fit in your budget. :-)
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Now there's a thought ... hey Mike, can we get Christina Ricci and Miranda Richardson to pose in costume for live photos as our iconic characters for future Class Acts? That would be soooo coool. I'm sure it can fit in your budget. :-)
Oh sure. That couldn't possibly break our budget. ;D
I think I might base future CA queries around the quest to make Mialee look reasonably attractive in future artwork.
-Amber S.
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I think I might base future CA queries around the quest to make Mialee look reasonably attractive in future artwork.
It can't be done! ;D Wes forbade me from ever again using Mialee in the art orders, but IIRC I included her in the art order for #341 just to spite him.
Such a supportive environment we have around here... ;)
I think I might base future CA queries around the quest to make Mialee look reasonably attractive in future artwork.
-Amber S.
She's got a Charisma of 8! It's gonna take some "Extreme Makeover" action to help her, plus a visit to "What Not To Wear." (Don't ask how I know about those shows.)
Host: "Honey, that ripped leather-jerkin thing you're wearin' is so Third Edition. And you need some cover on the backside baby, cuz in Frostburn and Stormwrack, it's darn cold out there. Who dressed you anyway?"
Yes, yes, very nice with new Hexblade material. I have a Hexblade player in my campaign and she could really use the stuff presented in there.
It's so nice to be appreciated.
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It's so nice to be appreciated.
It was awesome for me to finally get to include something from a non-core standard class. I thought your article was a solid choice for the introduction of the non-core materials. So thanks. :)
By the way, Luke... am I going to get any more queries from you? ;)
I think I might base future CA queries around the quest to make Mialee look reasonably attractive in future artwork.
She's got a Charisma of 8! It's gonna take some "Extreme Makeover" action to help her, plus a visit to "What Not To Wear." (Don't ask how I know about those shows.)
It seems like Mialee's current clothing would leave disturbing tan lines. Maybe just a trip to "What Not To Wear" should be in order! :-)
By the way, Luke... am I going to get any more queries from you? ;)
I sent a batch in about a month or so back, but I haven't heard any responses. I got about 5 or 6 more I want to query, but I was waiting for the response on that one first. Also, I have been emboldened by this, so I will have more after that.
So, yes, you will. Hopefully some might be good.
By the way, Luke... am I going to get any more queries from you? ;)I sent a batch in about a month or so back, but I haven't heard any responses. I got about 5 or 6 more I want to query, but I was waiting for the response on that one first. Also, I have been emboldened by this, so I will have more after that.
So, yes, you will. Hopefully some might be good.
Luke -
Send them anyway. Don't wait to hear on the old queries, for that way lies madness - and leaves you with nothing to cushion the rejections. Keep submitting, and try to submit to at least two different editors (or better yet to both magazines) to keep the time frames for rejections (and hopefully acceptances) somewhat staggered.
- Ashavan
I just wanted to express my gratitude and overall enjoyment of the new Class Acts Format. I really enjoyed seeing a Class Acts article about HexBlades.
I was very excited to see some non-Core material in the Class Acts section. My players tend to snatch up classes like Hexblade, Warmage, and other "exotics". Seeing some real support for them in the pages of Dragon is fantastic. Great job!
'Complete ...' classes have been added to 'Class Acts'? Sweet! This just goes to show what a nice, tightknit community gamers are. If we politely articulate our thoughts, be they appreciation or criticism, the people who run things are willing to listen and change accordingly. :D
On that note, anyone working on any new Warlock invocations? *wink, wink, nug, nug*
I really like the new format and am thrilled to see the hexblade get treatment.
My only disappointment with Class Acts this month is that they didn't tie into the whole "Campaign Classics" theme of the issue. It would've been fun to see alternate classes or variant rules (such as pluma magic from Maztica for the arcane portion) pulled from defunct campaign settings, for example.
But I suppose it was short notice with the format change, and I'm excited about the possibilities of the new format.
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I sent a batch in about a month or so back, but I haven't heard any responses. I got about 5 or 6 more I want to query, but I was waiting for the response on that one first. Also, I have been emboldened by this, so I will have more after that.
So, yes, you will. Hopefully some might be good.
If you haven't received a response from me in a month it's because I never saw the articles. If you sent the queries directly to me (mike.mcartor@paizo.com) the email got lost. If you sent them on to dragon@paizo.com they haven't come to me yet. In either case, please resend the queries directly to me.
:)
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I really like the new format and am thrilled to see the hexblade get treatment.
My only disappointment with Class Acts this month is that they didn't tie into the whole "Campaign Classics" theme of the issue. It would've been fun to see alternate classes or variant rules (such as pluma magic from Maztica for the arcane portion) pulled from defunct campaign settings, for example.
But I suppose it was short notice with the format change, and I'm excited about the possibilities of the new format.
This was a conscious decision, actually. We've talked long and hard about tying Class Acts in with an issue's theme. Current editorial thought is that we will not intentionally do that. Sometimes you might be able to make a connection from the general theme to a specific Class Act, but that is the exception that proves the rule.
But hey, we did tie in Sage Advice to the theme... it's about a campaign setting, anyway. ;D
I sent a batch in about a month or so back, but I haven't heard any responses. I got about 5 or 6 more I want to query, but I was waiting for the response on that one first. Also, I have been emboldened by this, so I will have more after that.
So, yes, you will. Hopefully some might be good.
If you haven't received a response from me in a month it's because I never saw the articles. If you sent the queries directly to me (mike.mcartor@paizo.com) the email got lost. If you sent them on to dragon@paizo.com they haven't come to me yet. In either case, please resend the queries directly to me.
:)
Mike -
I thought it was a general no-no to send queries directly to the editor in question, unless specifically asked for them... is it generally okay to send them directly to you if they're for one of your sections?
- Ashavan
But hey, we did tie in Sage Advice to the theme... it's about a campaign setting, anyway. ;D
Eberron hardly qualifies as a Campaign Classic, even if it is really k00l. Give it a few years and it may!
That seems like an odd decision though. Not that I'm complaining, I rather liked the class acts in this issue.
- Ashavan
Slightly off-topic from the current discussion, but still a question I have about the Class Acts in #339...
In Jesse Decker's Arcane Class Act, he mentions for the Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion spell that it includes the benefits of hero's feast. Now, I haven't checked the actual Player's Handbook, but the SRD does not mention this at all. Am I missing something?
Slightly off-topic from the current discussion, but still a question I have about the Class Acts in #339...
In Jesse Decker's Arcane Class Act, he mentions for the Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion spell that it includes the benefits of hero's feast. Now, I haven't checked the actual Player's Handbook, but the SRD does not mention this at all. Am I missing something?
In SRD it's Mage's Magnificent Mansion. Mordenkainen is what lawyerly types call product identity -- so it doesn't appear in the SRD. The SRD doesn't mention Heroes' Feast by name, but it does include its description in the spell effects, the banquet for nine.
Happy dining.
Mordy's Mansion is worded the same way in the PHB; it doesn't say heroes feast, but it's the same effect.
New format > old format.
I especially liked the hexblade one.
Mordy's Mansion is worded the same way in the PHB; it doesn't say heroes feast, but it's the same effect.
That's just it: both the SRD and PHB say "sufficient foodstuffs to serve a nine-course banquet to a dozen people per caster level." This is hardly the equivalent of a hero's feast, which includes immunity to poison and fear, being cured of disease, temporary hit points, and a morale bonus.
If it was included in magnificent mansion, it would be an even better spell than I thought! But I don't see how a hero's feast is even implied in its description.
I checked the 3.0 PHB, and it's worded the same way. So, I have to say: you're correct - MMM does not include all the benefits of hero's feast, just the amount of food.
Dinner's not enough. The man wants dessert too!
Why yes. Yes I do. :D
Just wanted to add that I like the new format and the new art for Class Acts.
NINJAS!
I want to see a soon-to-come NINJA article in the Adventurer section of the Class Acts!
Woo! NINJAS!
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Mike -
I thought it was a general no-no to send queries directly to the editor in question, unless specifically asked for them... is it generally okay to send them directly to you if they're for one of your sections?
- Ashavan
If you know the email address of the editor in charge of the section you want to write for, send it directly to him. Saves everyone time and hassle. The writers guidelines point you toward dragon@paizo.com so Jason can have some modicum of control over the influx of new writers, and so Wes and I don't have to publicize our emails. ;)
NINJAS!
I want to see a soon-to-come NINJA article in the Adventurer section of the Class Acts!
Woo! NINJAS!
Hells yeah! Me too! ^_^
Just wanted to add my mug to the toast and say that I love the new CA format. They are better for being longer; better for being fewer (only 4); and better for including the non-cores (hopefully psionics will have a place in there too).
Of course, I could've just been spoiled from an amazing batch of CA's... the bar's certainly been placed high.
Just wanted to add my mug to the toast and say that I love the new CA format. They are better for being longer; better for being fewer (only 4); and better for including the non-cores (hopefully psionics will have a place in there too).
Of course, I could've just been spoiled from an amazing batch of CA's... the bar's certainly been placed high.
They said they'd love to do a Psionics one, but they need someone to write it and send it in.
Supposedly it's because either no one writes stuff on Psionics and sends it to Dragon because it's a small percentage of psionic users out there or because no one sends the psionic articles because they don't think it's worth it since they hardly ever see psionic articles in the magazine.
I truly believe its the latter. :(
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... or because no one sends the psionic articles because they don't think it's worth it since they hardly ever see psionic articles in the magazine.
That's right. It's kind of a weird Catch-22, you know? We don't publish much on psionics because people don't query us very often about psionics because we don't publish much on psionics.
Thus, we've put the word out.
In fact, there will be a psionic Class Act in the near future! Watch for it. :)
Yeah, when Complete Psionics comes out in April. We're on to you, Mike! *lol*
I submitted a query on doing a Class Acts article on Ninjas. Hope you guys get to it soon! :D
Hi,
I really like the new Class Acts format too and particularly enjoyed the Sorceror & Wizard spells article. Two pages is enough to do a subject justice.
Cheers
Richard
Hi,
I really like the new Class Acts format too. Two pages is enough to do a subject justice.
Cheers
Richard
Echo that.
I have mixed feelings about the new Class Acts article. Yes it was a nice change, but I missed finding out more angles to play to my preferred core class. I would suggest alternating each month between orginal core and new/prestige classes, or at least not forgetting about some of the staple classes like Thief, Paladin, Bard and Barbarian.
However, if you're going to continue with the Class Acts format, I'd like to see articles for Assassin, Scout and Ninja in the future
I have mixed feelings about the new Class Acts article. Yes it was a nice change, but I missed finding out more angles to play to my preferred core class. I would suggest alternating each month between orginal core and new/prestige classes, or at least not forgetting about some of the staple classes like Thief, Paladin, Bard and Barbarian.
However, if you're going to continue with the Class Acts format, I'd like to see articles for Assassin, Scout and Ninja in the future
I submitted a Ninja query article. Just hoping they reply and give me the go ahead to give them the file. :D
Class Acts doesn't deal with prestige classes directly. That said, though, there's no reason that some stuff that'll appear in the "Adventurer" article (for example) can't be applied to assassins.
Based on articles Mike has greenlit for me to write, there's going to be two sorts of articles. The first is still going to be focused on one particular class. One that has been mentioned is racial substitution levels. The second type of article will intentionally take a broader look at something that transcends one particular class, but fits nice and neatly into one of the four designations.
As a writer, I liked the old format. Frankly, they were usually easy to write, once I got an idea. There were plenty of times, though, that I wished I had more words to express my idea. That's the beauty of the new format. Well, that and the writers will get paid more per article, since it's more words. :D
I know that I am kind of cross-posting in a different thread, but since I saw Luke posting here, I thought I would mention: my bud liked the Hexblade article so much that not only is he using several of the feats for his new Age of Worms Hexblade, but he subscribed to Dragon because of it!
I am using a feat from the Ranger article, myself, also for Age of Worms, although my character is a Scout/Barbarian, so I suppose that also speaks to the new format's transferability between several classes- cool.
That is not bad for your first issue with the new format, Mike! :)
I know that I am kind of cross-posting in a different thread, but since I saw Luke posting here, I thought I would mention: my bud liked the Hexblade article so much that not only is he using several of the feats for his new Age of Worms Hexblade, but he subscribed to Dragon because of it!
Frickin sweet! Hey Mike, do I get a piece of that action for getting the sub?
Yeah, nice job Luke, my wife's tiefling hexblade is planning to get a couple of those herself. Though personally, I think Extra Curse should've given an extra 2 uses rather than 1, since the hexblade has a rather limited amount by 20th-level compared to a Paladin's smite evil, who can take feats like Chaos Smite and Extra Smiting (which grants another 2 smites) but it's a great article, overall! :D
Its interesting to see how things get revised, I think. My original version had more uses for it. I think the feats themselves limited how many extra uses the feat would give, because with new abilities you don't want them using too many of the feats too many times.
It came out very balanced, either way.
If we get Ninjas, does that mean we get Pirates too??
Arr! and Hai!
Love the Goth Vadania, myself.