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What is up with the underlying batman motif? The older, rich adventurer and his youthful ward Danik Grycos! If the hags catch Dick,errrr, I mean Danik, they Polymorph him into a what........that's right, a robin. Giant ettin-bats. Wow. Someone likes the Dark Knight.
So far it seems like a good adventure but the batman parallels are a bit cheesy.
FH (IMO)
What is up with the underlying batman motif? The older, rich adventurer and his youthful ward Danik Grycos! If the hags catch Dick,errrr, I mean Danik, they Polymorph him into a what........that's right, a robin. Giant ettin-bats. Wow. Someone likes the Dark Knight.
So far it seems like a good adventure but the batman parallels are a bit cheesy.FH (IMO)
I really like the adventure, but I hadn't noticed the parallels. :)
I like the concept of RP-based 'storming the castle' adventures, and the Ettin dire bats are going to drive my PCs crazy!
Creative Director
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I was wondering when someone would notice the Batman easter eggs in that adventure.
Actaully, the amount of Batman stuff in "Man Forever" is vastly less than the initial draft. There was a LOT more, is what I'm saying. As it stands now, I think it's subtle enough that in play it won't really cause a problem and probably'll make those who know their Batman mythos chuckle. If you run a more serious game, feel free to change the names.
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I was wondering when someone would notice the Batman easter eggs in that adventure.
Actaully, the amount of Batman stuff in "Man Forever" is vastly less than the initial draft. There was a LOT more, is what I'm saying. As it stands now, I think it's subtle enough that in play it won't really cause a problem and probably'll make those who know their Batman mythos chuckle. If you run a more serious game, feel free to change the names.
Cool, I'm not going crazy. At least not because of this;>
FH
I was wondering when someone would notice the Batman easter eggs in that adventure.
Actaully, the amount of Batman stuff in "Man Forever" is vastly less than the initial draft. There was a LOT more, is what I'm saying. As it stands now, I think it's subtle enough that in play it won't really cause a problem and probably'll make those who know their Batman mythos chuckle. If you run a more serious game, feel free to change the names.
Did the author have a magical bat signal in the manuscript?
Bat-a-rangs?
Utility belts?
Super easy "Climb" checks up the sides of buildings?
Big womping sound effects?
(sorry...Love Batman in his many incarnations, too. Just had to poke fun.)
My favorite quote from an otherwise craptacular Batman movie...
"Holy rusted metal, Batman!"
"...What?"
"The metal, it's rusted."
:D
Batman Begins, however, is firmly cemented as the Best Damn Batman Movie. Evar. Which is a good thing, because my other half adores that movie.
Actually, I did not notice the parallels, as big a comic book collector as I am, but I would like to rewrite this adventure and run it with a little more human theme.
My problem is that an adventure with a title like "Man Forever" begs for a different sort of treatment in my head, especially with a plot involving Shar and Impilturvian creepy politics.
But I will tell you this. My villain will be his wife...who will also be the Shar Priestess he killed...:) That's the problem with killing Durthans when you're in a foreign country. Taking the mask off is meaningless...
"I'm sorry. I love you...but I love my goddess more, and that makes losing you...perfect..." :)
Erik told me to send him an email when I'm done, so we'll see how it goes, but hopefully, it will be just as batty when I'm done now that I understand the parallels...
Super easy "Climb" checks up the sides of buildings?
My local climbing gym has a route named "Wayne Manor Back Door". It's rated 5.7. (i.e. super easy if you've been in the sport for a year or two)
Hm . . . all things considered now, I'm surprised Shar is involved and not . . . Bane . . .
I can see a sequel or two for this movie -- I mean, adventure.
A kenku and a were tigeress get together and plan to kidnap ...
Yeah, it could work.
I can see a sequel or two for this movie -- I mean, adventure.
A kenku and a were tigeress get together and plan to kidnap ...
Yeah, it could work.
Only if the plot revolves around the Moonpenguin of Boof.
My favorite quote from an otherwise craptacular Batman movie...
"Holy rusted metal, Batman!"
"...What?"
"The metal, it's rusted.":D
Batman Begins, however, is firmly cemented as the Best Damn Batman Movie. Evar. Which is a good thing, because my other half adores that movie.
Any movie that introduces Ra's al Ghul to the masses (Batman's REAL archnemisis), and includes elements of Year One and Detective Comics 0 definately gets massive points in my book. Even enough to forgive the creation of a character that didn't make a heck of a lot of sense to me (Rachel).
::Sigh:: for a moment it almost convinced me that maybe Superman Returns might have someone like Mongul or Darkseid in it . . . but I forgot, Hollywood sees Superman as having begun when Christopher Reeve took the part . . . although the Ace of Clubs made it into the movie . . .
Only if the plot revolves around the Moonpenguin of Boof.I can see a sequel or two for this movie -- I mean, adventure.
A kenku and a were tigeress get together and plan to kidnap ...
Yeah, it could work.
How could I have forgotten about the Moonpenguin of Boof . . . the single greatest artifact ever known to Faerun.
Then again, it would also be a perfect chance to introduce a jester NPC as a villain as well . . .
Super easy "Climb" checks up the sides of buildings?My local climbing gym has a route named "Wayne Manor Back Door". It's rated 5.7. (i.e. super easy if you've been in the sport for a year or two)
What is it with climbing gyms and the awesome route names? I don't know where it started, but I love it.
I loved "Man Forever." I just read it this morning (it was too hot to sleep), and while "Siege of the Spider Eaters" and "Tealpeck's Flood" were good adventures, I thought "Man Forever" was the best of the bunch, and I'm not even a Realms fan or comic aficionado (I doubt I would have picked up on the Batman themes). What I really liked was the investigative and diplomatic aspects of the adventure (also loved the action, the hags and hagspawn are interesting villains, liked the usage of the mob template from the DMGII, and while dire werebat ettins sounds crazy on paper, they were pretty cool); the adventure presupposes the usage of high level divination magic and makes it useful, but the Weave vs. Shadow Weave opposition and high caster levels of the hags, makes it difficult, so that the PCs may have to still do some old fashioned grunt work.
Ettin dire werebat. Brilliant.
So far, the only flaw I can find in the adventure is that it's too easy to use high powered divination spells and Teleport Without Error to rescue Danik and mount a vicious assault on the hags within their own stronghold.
Since none of them can cast Mind Blank, or own a Prison of Zagyg, Discern Location followed by Teleport Without Error is the only way to really bust this up.
Thankfully, I'll be running this adventure for a group of PC's who can't cast discern location...:)
I still haven't gotten my issue in the mail yet!
Once I do, I think I'll read it with some Batman comics next to the issue as I read "Man Forever".
But it's taking sooooo long to get here!
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Creative Director
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So far, the only flaw I can find in the adventure is that it's too easy to use high powered divination spells and Teleport Without Error to rescue Danik and mount a vicious assault on the hags within their own stronghold.
Since none of them can cast Mind Blank, or own a Prison of Zagyg, Discern Location followed by Teleport Without Error is the only way to really bust this up.
Thankfully, I'll be running this adventure for a group of PC's who can't cast discern location...:)
I wouldn't call this a flaw, honestly. If the PCs figure this out as a way to track down the hag lair, let them go for it! High level spells are supposed to let the PCs break plots now and then...
Of course, if no one can cast discern location (or they just don't think of it) you shouldn't give them any hints!
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What is up with the underlying batman motif? The older, rich adventurer and his youthful ward Danik Grycos! If the hags catch Dick,errrr, I mean Danik, they Polymorph him into a what........that's right, a robin. Giant ettin-bats. Wow. Someone likes the Dark Knight.
So far it seems like a good adventure but the batman parallels are a bit cheesy.FH (IMO)
Reading it right now. Just noticed "Agmoth" is a scramble of "Gotham."
Holy Annoying Cryptograms Lord Samulbrar . . .
I was wondering over at Candlekeep if the Ettin's heads were named "Kirk" and "Langstrom" in the original draft . . . I meant it as a joke . . . now I'm afraid.
Gnomeat . . . that sounds like a kobold's nickname . . .
Hmmm, I haven't received this issue yet but this strikes me as a bit too silly. Impiltur does not seem like the kind of place that deserves goofball parody, especially in light of the serious tone taken in the Dragon article.
Hmmm, I haven't received this issue yet but this strikes me as a bit too silly. Impiltur does not seem like the kind of place that deserves goofball parody, especially in light of the serious tone taken in the Dragon article.
"Man Forever" is far from a goofball parody.
Awesome, I love oblique references to other stuff in D&D. Sometimes I use such homages to give a sort of instant-recognition factor for my players, as a kind of pop-culture short hand so things are easier to describe.
Igor from Discworld has made it into my D&D games, there's jutht thumpthing thpecial about an athithtant named Igor.
But Batman References!? That is so wicked cool. Of course when the party finds out about a watchtower manned by a group of epic level adventurers known as The League of Justice, that's when I know things have gone way beyond my control.
I can't wait to read Man Forever.
"Man Forever" is far from a goofball parody.
QFT. It's actually a dramatic story with the potential to turn horribly tragic. If the names get in the way, change them. Honestly though, I doubt that any players listening to the names will make any sort of connection. It's only when you sit down with the adventure and closely examine it that the connections become apparent.
It's amusing to note that while Lord Chauve-Souris translates to Lord Bat, it transliterates to Lord Hairless Mouse. An ancient and noble lineage, no doubt. :)
