Seriously though I would suggest giving "Seeds of Sehan" a try, (...)
Oh, I'll sure read it. Since I am a subscriber I am getting these issues and I rarely entirely skip an adventure (I just stay clear of STAP stuff since I am a player in that campaign). I try to not let my prejudices come in the way of my reading.
It's just that I know that I really really don't like Far Realm stuff and I am not likely to use it in a campaign. But, hey!, I might be wrong. ;-)
Bocklin
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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My very personal "Hit list" (As in, hit head against object whenever i come across one:)
* Downer - Down with Downer, its just so unfunny...
* Portent - Just not my kind of humor
* "Unbreakable" Dungeons - Face it, the PCs can't handle 39 encounters without going to town to rest and resupply. Dungeons should either be short and sweet, or allow for this.
* All monsters, no roleplaying - Backstory, and "interaction-worthy" NPCs are a must for each adventure.
I can and do use nearly all adventures, whether its just to take and idea, a map, an encounter or a npc idea.
But what I don't like is Epic Level Adventures, I can see the need for them, but for me and my group they tend to be not used. As the majority of the time, characters are retired or just plain never reach epic levels.
But apart from that, any and all are welcome.
Maure Castle. It hold no appeal for me.
It does seem, more and more, that the only adventures that interest me are those connected to the AP, or an arc of adventures (Though I didn't like the Vampires of Waterdeep thing, sorry). I'm starting to feel as though a small one-off adventure just isn't enough, I would much prefer arcs, adventures with links to one another, or maybe even adventures designed so that they can be purposely substituted for others in an AP. Also small, but fully detailed, side-quests that PCs can go on for an AP, rather than just the idea for one.
After saying all that, there are still the occasional short adventures that I do find interesting, but for the most part I just get Dungeon for the AP.
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Also, I'm sick of adventures where the bad guy is seen doing really amazing things throughout, but in the end, it's revealed to be Old Man McMurdy using a projector. C'mon, how the hell can the players not tell that it's a projector and not a real ghost. Or for that matter, how could these arthritic old men set up these elaborate cable systems to make it appear they are flying around the haunted museum/carnival/ice cream factory. Seriously, it's a ridiculous premise, and I for one will not tolerate it any longer.Zoinks.
Huh?
are you reading the same magazine as I am? I can't really remember the last time I saw this in the magazine.
Dude...you're harshing my buzz man...reread the post with emphasis on the bolded words...
Also, I'm sick of adventures where the bad guy is seen doing really amazing things throughout, but in the end, it's revealed to be Old Man McMurdy using a projector. C'mon, how the hell can the players not tell that it's a projector and not a real ghost. Or for that matter, how could these arthritic old men set up these elaborate cable systems to make it appear they are flying around the haunted museum/carnival/ice cream factory. Seriously, it's a ridiculous premise, and I for one will not tolerate it any longer.
Zoinks.
"Let's split up... The ranger and his animal companion will search the abandoned dwarven mines, while me and the girls check out what's behind that barn...(hehehe; sucker!)"
Ultradan
Also, I'm sick of adventures where the bad guy is seen doing really amazing things throughout, but in the end, it's revealed to be Old Man McMurdy using a projector. C'mon, how the hell can the players not tell that it's a projector and not a real ghost. Or for that matter, how could these arthritic old men set up these elaborate cable systems to make it appear they are flying around the haunted museum/carnival/ice cream factory. Seriously, it's a ridiculous premise, and I for one will not tolerate it any longer.
Zoinks.
"Let's split up... The ranger and his animal companion will search the abandoned dwarven mines, while me and the girls check out what's behind that barn...(hehehe; sucker!)"
Ultradan
Unless the ranger is also the kinda guy who goes to furry conventions...
My "let's not go there" list:
Vermin. Dull.
Vampire masterminds. Not again.
Any villain I could imagine saying “Muhahahahaa!” Time for a new DM.
Any bad guy with a “dastardly” plot no more complex than what a couple of 13-year-old boys might cobble together. You know, the necromancer who plans to make undead to kill people to make more undead. Brilliant. Muhahahahaa.
Half-dragons. Never. Not ever.
KoboldGoblinOrcHobgoblinGnollBugbears. ZZZZ. (And OgreGiants totter close to becoming big KoboldGoblinOrcHobgoblinBugbears.)
Standard low-level undead in a dusty setting with coffins and cobwebs but no slow-building, eerie story to create a genuinely unsettling horror atmosphere. Not scary.
Monsters whose actions track from their alignment designations. Let me expand that. Anyone or anything whose actions simply track his/her/its alignment designation.
Any clichés. Sturdy dwarven undergound fastnesses guarded or abandoned by sturdy underground dwarves. Sylvan elves in the beautiful sylvan trees of an ancient sylvan forest protected by sylvan magic and sylvan animals. Please. A rampaging dragon now waiting in his cavernous lair with his horde of treasure. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Dozens, in fact.
Psionics. Not better, just harder to spell.
Purposeless dungeon crawls whose levels of difficulty are conveniently arranged by consecutive floors. In fact, anything purposeless. (Unless spreading chaos IS the purpose, of course.)
Anything that, when tripped, goes BoomZapCrackle and kills, maims, or alters you into something with feathers and a bill without any forewarning or meaning to the plot. (Note that, if it serves the story, and creates a moment of closure, I'd designate that same BoomZapCracler as brilliant.)
Rooms not important enough to warrant a map. Maps with nothing in the rooms. Any room with nothing but a monster and a treasure.
Many rooms filled with many foes who all come-a-running to the first room where the fight breaks out, leading to the endless pitched battle, after which all the bad guys are dead in one room and the rest of the now-vacant rooms must still be explored and looted. Oooh, but look out for that nasty footlocker in the back closet of the last room with the tricksy poison needle trap. Snore.
Endless doors to kick in for no reason other than its adventure night, I brought my dice bag, and someone else promised pizza.
Of course, every time I decide I’ve grown tired of – or just plain dislike – some adventure element or theme, a good author comes along and dazzles me with that very element or theme. Good, imaginative writing overcomes any prejudice I have.
Unless the ranger is also the kinda guy who goes to furry conventions...
Truth be told, your "furry" ranger would probably just whine so loudly at his animal companion over how everyone else is so full of "drama" that he actually gets caught and killed by the bad guys.
Either that or I'm just not attending the right conventions. You know, the ones with the devil worshiping and the exotic fetish mags with lurid names like "Dungeon" being passed around like candy?
My Undesirables list:
1. Manga-style artwork. Not wanted, wrong industry, thanks.
2. Evil cults. Once, fine. Twice, meh. Three times I join the gosh-darn cult and help them to destroy the world. On a related note, the game is called D&D, not CoC. I like Lovecraft and Call of Cthulhu as much as the next geek, but one is fantasy and the other is weird horror. Dungeon shouldn't be mixing the two so much; they're different games. The D&D rules and mindset are especially bad for CoC-style mysteries.
3. Dungeon Iconics. I liked them initially, but I've gotten tired of seeing the same characters in so many panels and on so many Dungeon covers. More variety please.
4. High-Level statblocks that go on for pages at a time. Is there no way to shorten the darn things to {Ranger 18/Scout2/CG/Fharlangh/Attribute-Skill Template #46}? Character flavour descriptions are alright, of course.
5. Intricately-constructed and brilliant backstories that only the DM ever gets to read because they're so hard to unravel the PCs will never, ever do it. Whatever cool story is there should be happening to the PCs in the adventure, not offstage to the NPCs before or after.
I firmly agree on most counts!
I love virtually all kinds of artwork and illustration, but Magna oddly always struck wrong.
I too tire of the Dungeon Iconics. Their appearance often seems forced . . . or just repetitive. Leave it to the artist to come up with exactly the right character for the moment.
I don't see an easy way around the lengthy high-level stat blocks, but hate them nonetheless. In my experience, a high-level bad guy rarely lives long enough to use more than three or four of his nifty, unique powers. The vast majority of his stat block's text goes to waste. A Stradh-like villain needs the whole block, of course, but most foes seem like they'd better serve adventures (and the magazine's space) with somehow abbreviated blocks.
Kypter hit the nail on the head with the backstories. All backstories should both drive and unfold during the adventure or should be cut.
I'm kind of a negative guy so this should be easy right?
Here they come:
1. Adventures that revolve around a "deity" as a plot device. For example: a disease adventure that revolves around a cult of incabulos.
2. I'd like to see about 1/2 as many Level 13+ adventures.
3. Adventures that revolve around a D&D monster as a plot device.
4. ..the same old NPC spells recycled over..and over..and over..and over..
5. It seems that higher level adventures just become monster-fests and lose all aspects of conceivable role-playing solutions.
6. I'll think of more later...
[edit] 7. DUNGEONS. Holy crap I'm sick and tired of meaningless Monster-ZOO Dungeon crawls. Age of WOrms it seems is nothing but endless, meaningless dungeoncrawls.
Jay Hafner
Lakewood, CO usa
..
There's others who hate Maure Castle? I'm not alone? Yay! We should form a support group or something. :)
Count me in on that too...but you've heard my sentiments about meaningless Zoo dungeon crawls..
jh
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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I thought of an issue - maps. Looking back at my old issues, there are some adventures with the very sterile looking washed out color maps that can really impair my enjoyment of an adventure. Fiend's Embrace, the Obsidian Eye, Shut-In, the Eberron arc all had maps that were not very appealing to the eye or user friendly.
Of course, in my ideal world, Chris West would do all cartography.
My Undesirables list:
1. Manga-style artwork. Not wanted, wrong industry, thanks.
2. Evil cults.
3. Dungeon Iconics.
4. High-Level statblocks that go on for pages at a time.
5. Intricately-constructed and brilliant backstories that only the DM ever gets to read because they're so hard to unravel the PCs will never, ever do it.
If "manga" is that silly Japanimation stuff where their feet and swords are absurdly, ridiculously huge, then I'm with you 100%. Cults: done to death. Iconics: meh. Statblocks I don't mind, and I don't even mind a good backstory. I like the Cthulhu stuff, too.
But I have ABSOLUTELY no use at all for the "zoo-full of monsters" adventures exemplified by "Graymalkin Academy." Area #1: room with monster. Area #2: room with different monsters. Area #3: room with more monsters... with no puzzles, no tactics, no role-playing, and no theme except for more boring rooms with monsters.
I thought of an issue - maps. Looking back at my old issues, there are some adventures with the very sterile looking washed out color maps that can really impair my enjoyment of an adventure. Fiend's Embrace . . . had maps that were not very appealing to the eye or user friendly.
Of course, in my ideal world, Chris West would do all cartography.
Ouch! Fiend's Embrace cartographer here.
In my defense, the art director, a real good guy named Mike Schley (who has gone on to become a rockin' cartographer an illustrator in his own right), desaturated the color from my swamp keep map because he felt it looked to warm for the Cold Marshes setting. Click here to see the way it was originally proposed.
Mike also nixed my proposal for a series of vignettes surrounding the overland map, one for each notable location. Click here to see what this looked like. Mike feared they'd conflict with the style of the main illustrator. He was right. I hadn't seen Wayne Reynold's vision for the pit-fiend-hide cloak (on the issue cover) when I painted my version of the cloak-wrapped scrag at the bottom right.
The choice to use an overland map that didn't present a straight-down view was a deliberate attempt to offer something different. It was loosely inspired by this map for an alpine adventure (click here to see), which Mike liked and asked me to emulate. A big, flat swamp, however, is far more challenging to make interesting from this visual perspective than an nice, rugged mountain range. I did my best and have had some good feedback, but I guess it didn't please everyone. I appreciate the feedback though, Sebastian! That's how we improve.
-Ted
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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I thought of an issue - maps. Looking back at my old issues, there are some adventures with the very sterile looking washed out color maps that can really impair my enjoyment of an adventure. Fiend's Embrace . . . had maps that were not very appealing to the eye or user friendly.
Ouch! Fiend's Embrace cartographer here.
In my defense, the art director, a real good guy named Mike Schley (who has gone on to become a rockin' cartographer an illustrator in his own right), desaturated the color from my swamp keep map because he felt it looked to warm for the Cold Marshes setting. Click here to see the way it was originally proposed.
Mike also nixed my proposal for a series of vignettes surrounding the overland map, one for each notable location. Click here to see what this looked like. Mike feared they'd conflict with the style of the main illustrator. He was right. I hadn't seen Wayne Reynold's WAR's vision for the pit-fiend-hide cloak (on the issue cover) when I painted my version of the cloak-wrapped scrag at the bottom right.
*cough*
Well then...
Sorry Ashenvale, don't mean to be a hater. I do think your original version looks much better, but it still feels more computer generated than I prefer.
I guess I have a very specific idea of what I think a map should look like, which I readily admit, probably is a minority preference. I can appreciate the idea of trying something different for an overland map, but ultimately, it was not quite functional enough for me.
Out of curiousity, what other maps can you claim?
Edit: Also, I really dig the pictures you had up.
I thought of something else, so I figured I'd post it. When I say something is too computer generated looking, the general issue I have is that it doesn't fit the way the place is described. Looking at the very clean very sharp map in Fiend's Embrace gives the impression that this keep is similarly clean. It was very hard for me to connect the idea of this broken up, abandoned keep depicted in the art for the adventure with the crisp map later on.
Anyway, I do hope that my criticism is helpful and mean it with all due respect. I can barely draw maps servicable enough for my own use, and I do not mean to suggest in anyway that your talent is unappreciated.
D20 modern. gonk...
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What I DON'T want to see:
1. Downer. (this adds nothing to the magazine)
2. The Portent. "UGH" is all that comes to mind when I read this.
3. Goofy looking artwork. Why do the crappy adventures have really crappy artwork.
Only the good adventures seem to have good artwork. Coincidence?
4. FR. Can do without this.
I thought of something else, so I figured I'd post it. When I say something is too computer generated looking, the general issue I have is that it doesn't fit the way the place is described. Looking at the very clean very sharp map in Fiend's Embrace gives the impression that this keep is similarly clean. It was very hard for me to connect the idea of this broken up, abandoned keep depicted in the art for the adventure with the crisp map later on.
Hey, Sebastian, no problem! I genuinely appreciate the unvarnished feedback. (I'm also a retired trial lawyer, so my skin's on the durable side.)
(THREAD-JACK ALERT! THREAD-JACK ALERT! NON-CARTOGRAPHY LOVERS SHOULD SKIP THIS ENTRY!)
Your observation about the clean feel of the computer-generate maps is sagacious. My lasting disappointment with the Cold Stones Keep map has been that it doesn't "feel" frangible and timeworn. If I'd painted an illustration of the keep, I'd surely have portrayed it as dilapidated and weather-beaten. But I didn't embrace the importance of this seminal attribute when crafting the map.
The simple truth is that digital work starts with an overly pellucid and precise character, while hand-drawn or hand-painted work begins with an expressive, broken, imprecise aspect. Neither must end that way however; digital work can feel downright grungy while hand-painted work can achieve the highest level of precision. It's the artist's job to achieve the desired effect with whatever tool he chooses.
Consider, for example, Jason Engle and Kyle Hunter's cartography for Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. One worked digitally and the other by hand, yet both achieved a dusty, cold, mysterious mien throughout. (If only WotC had included the overall castle map that we all loved in our youth . . . !)
Okay, let's escape this thread-jack swiftly, or fold it back into the thread's central theme: Maps are key. Maps in Dungeon adventures MUST serve at least two purposes: (1) they must be clear and functional, and (2) they must capture the flavor of the adventure.
Let's face it. When we first open the magazine, hearts pounding with excitement, we flip through quickly looking at adventure names, illustrations, and maps. I'm on board with you here, Sebastian. In many past instances, Dungeon has missed the mark by including uninspiring maps, maps lacking color, accuracy (egad!), or, perhaps most importantly, a character that expresses the adventure's mood. While I like to think otherwise, perhaps the "Fiend's Embrace" maps stumble into that category. My hope is that all cartography in future adventures avoids this shortcoming.
Maps must rock. It's that simple.
The simple truth is that digital work starts with an overly pellucid and precise character...
Pellucid.
Nice.
Here's what I don't want to see in Dungeon: Set up.
Let's look at Dungeon 144 for examples.
Take "The Muster of Morach Tor." A 4th level adventure in a swamp with lizardfolk and a giant alligator. Sooner or later, that's gonna come in handy. Combine it with "Fiend's Embrace" and you've got yourself a nice little arc, enough adventure for a month or more. Yet nearly a third of the adventure's length is spent on events and locations leading up to the players' arrival at Morach Tor. It's only two or three pages, but in an adventure less than ten pages long, every word counts. Plus, any group will blow through those pages before the pizza arrives. So let's skip the set up. Just give me a couple suggested hooks. I'm the DM, I'll figure it out. All I need is a cool environment, a few novel challenges, and a memorable foe.
In contrast, "Diplomacy," which clearly has the greater word count of the two adventures, takes only a page to set up the adventure. And, frankly, I would argue it doesn't even need that much.
Space is limited. Let's use it wisely.
Manure Castle.
LOL - Bad kid :)) My coffee just spurt out my nostrils you silly :))
By the way if you didn't like it just have a look at what Steeve Greer made of it in his famous "Destiny Stone" campaign. I plan to move to Nevada each time I'm reading it...
Bran.
16 Knowledge checks just to find their way out of the bathroom.
I made one of those during a deathmatch of Duke 3D using tripmines. Literally. In the bathroom. He opened the door into a mine. Set them all off.
Space is limited. Let's use it wisely.
You know, I would like to see some of those Side Quests , 3-5 page adventures which could be stuck anywhere whenever the characters happened to be more or less on the suitable point...not everything needs to be a adventure path.
What I don't want to see...well, few of the campaigns I play ever run to those 13+ levels so I have little need for high-level adventures. Well, except for nice maps and such...the encounters in those are usually too tough to be usable on lower levels.
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Maps must rock. It's that simple.
Especially given that they are used more and more as battlemaps that the players will see. With the high-def online supplements available, I think the maps convey to the players as much of the feel of the dungeon as the descriptions do. More even. Not to mention the role they play in the tactics of the game, etc. Generally speaking, this mag does an excellent job of focusing on the maps as absolutely central to the game.
A good Map of Mystery is almost like including an extra adventure in each issue. I've spun many side-quests and custom adventures off these bonus maps. To keep with the theme of the thread, I don't want to see anymore issues without a Map of Mystery!
Have I already mentioned - anyone with the initials L V G or N?
-Cliché FR adventures. Hell.. back in issue #121, they proudly blurbed "Rediscover the Realms!" on the cover. Rediscover an adventure with drow, elves, spiders, spiderdrows, spiderdemons, spiderdrowdemons, en demondrows, AAAAND.. a half dragon bad guy on the last moment. Half-Dragon. Mind you this was in a issue with a gorgeous cover, some hot Iuz love, the styes, and the last of 4 beloved poster maps...
-More cliché FR adventures. The vampire arc. Nice idea. Boring crawl. Beasts of Malar. Go on! Kill lots of beasts! Lots! Werebeasts at that! And there was another one.. one with.. a vampire?
-Eberron murder mysteries. There are many more ways to make an adventure feel Noir and Pulpy. Lots of ways we havent seen yet. Go on and discover them. Also there is more to Eberron than just Sharn.
Have I already mentioned - anyone with the initials L V G or N?
*cries some more*
--John Ling
Have I already mentioned - anyone with the initials L V G or N?*cries some more*
--John Ling
...excluding anyone called Ling of course:)
Here's my list:
1) Anything by Nick L.
2) Anything by Richard P.
3) Anything by Dragon or Dungeon staff
4) Anything by any other writer but me!
I pick the first two just so that they can stop their b!!*#ing and moaning about whose better. Plus, a lot of people are sick of Eberron, the Styes, and well-crafted adventures (which these two excel at)
I pick the Dragon and Dungeon staff because they have an unfair advantage (nepotism! nepotism! I say)
The last comment is just me being crazy and egomanical!
I do have to say one thing in a seriousness though. The next Maure adventure better have a decent plot. I'd say that most of the dedicated writers for Dungeon could come up with a Maure Castle level just as good as any presented in the mag if we didn't have to worry about plots. The nostalgia value of having an old decorated writer on board doesn't make up for an adventure that doesn't have a good plot. If that was the case I would have been published about 50 times over by now!
I'm not the only person who thinks this way either. Contributors like Nick Logue agree with me ;)
By the way if you didn't like it just have a look at what Steve Greer made of it in his famous "Destiny Stone" campaign. I plan to move to Nevada each time I'm reading it...
Bran.
Just saw this. Thanks, Bran. You're a helluva fella!
I'm not the only person who thinks this way either. Contributors like Nick Logue agree with me ;)
Dude, you didn't get your Contributor wings yet? Vic? Hook Phil up!
You know what they say Phil...everytime a PC gets eviscerated by a demon...a contributor gets his wings...
You know what they say Phil...everytime a PC gets eviscerated by a demon...a contributor gets his wings...
That's nice :) Real nice.
I'm not the only person who thinks this way either. Contributors like Nick Logue agree with me ;)
Dude, you didn't get your Contributor wings yet? Vic? Hook Phil up!
You know what they say Phil...everytime a PC gets eviscerated by a demon...a contributor gets his wings...
That's okay. Actually the emphasis (bold) on your name was intended for a different reason (that you have credentials as far as designing adventures goes). As for myself, I have to pull my bootstraps up and come up with a few decent adventures before I warrant a contributor tag. I have to follow in the footsteps of the masters you might say :)
That's okay. Actually the emphasis (bold) on your name was intended for a different reason (that you have credentials as far as designing adventures goes). As for myself, I have to pull my bootstraps up and come up with a few decent adventures before I warrant a contributor tag. I have to follow in the footsteps of the masters you might say :)
I'm not the only person who thinks this way either. Contributors like Nick Logue agree with me ;)
Dude, you didn't get your Contributor wings yet? Vic? Hook Phil up!
You know what they say Phil...everytime a PC gets eviscerated by a demon...a contributor gets his wings...
Wait...are you Phil Larwood? I always assumed you were...gah, messageboard weirdness! ;-)
I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of the outer planes. Maybe I'm less put off by the actual idea of visiting the planes, and more just tired of so many BBEG being from the planes.
Hey Phil, just so you know the invite still stands (even if your formian adventure did knock mine out of the running a few meetings back). I'm not bitter or anything.... Much. ;)
GGG
okay, here's my list
any adventure that relies only on diplomacy. the latest issue with that one adventure for high level characters is boring. boring boring talkfest. ugh. no offense, but why did you even draw a map? if the adventure takes place in one area, why design it in the first place. you may as well take this adventure out of the magazine and put it in the circular file. i can think of no group who would even run through this one. oh well, to each his own.
maure castle dungeon crawl. great ideas i've used in several adventures, parts of it are okay, but if you had to run this one every week, your players would be falling asleep. there is nothing that keeps people going or motivation. PCs need good motivations.
any comic book rip offs: graymalkin academy and that recent FR nonsense with the batman references all over should never be considered. sorry.
Murder mysteries. i know ebberon is good for those, but nobody in my group actually likes them. of course, i have a group of hackslashers ala Knights of the Dinner Table, but that's okay.
any adventure where you have to follow some lame ass npc to the adventure site only to have him betray you. yawn. wow, didn't see that coming.
vampire villains, half dragons, any awakened animal/tree/golem/ooze/or elemental with class levels needs to stay out. and i'll add demons with class levels too. there was a recent adventure with a pit fiend with one fighter level. why? what's the point? to give him one more feat and a stupid hit point increase? no point, i tell you. completely wasted. so what, he made it all the way up the demon food chain and then decided to be a fighter? shya right. it's like the eskimo said to the ice salesman: "I'm not buyin' it!"
psionics. hmmm. even though i run it, there seems to be no end of complaints when a psion adventure makes its way into the mag. keep it out and make those who want to run such adventures do it themselves.
...any awakened animal/tree/golem/ooze/or elemental with class levels needs to stay out. and i'll add demons with class levels too. there was a recent adventure with a pit fiend with one fighter level. why? what's the point? to give him one more feat and a stupid hit point increase? no point, i tell you. completely wasted. so what, he made it all the way up the demon food chain and then decided to be a fighter? shya right. it's like the eskimo said to the ice salesman: "I'm not buyin' it!"
I can see why you don't like monsters with class if all you give them is 1 feat and some HP
First you are assuming he got the figher level after becoming a Pitfiend.
What if on the way up he was a Chain Devil and realized having metal wraped around me
makes it harder to be hit. So decides to take some time out and gain some XP and learn
to use Armor. Decides to take a fighter level which gets it everything it needs, then
resumes the climb to the top, finding the climb easier.
Normal
AC 30 (-1 size, +8 Dex, +23 Natural)
As Fighter +4 Full Plate(Nimble), +2 Shield
AC 40 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +23 Natural, +12 Armor, +3 Shield)
Throw in another +4 Deflection For Unholy Arura.
Give it a Hell Forged weapon (Unholy, Wounding, Etc.)
Fighter:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A
fighter is proficient with all simple and
martial weapons and with all armor (heavy,
medium, and light) and shields (including tower
shields).
+2 Fort Saves
+1 BAC
1 Bonus Feat
10 Skill Ranks
Climb (Str), Craft (Int),
Handle Animal (Cha),
Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str),
Ride (Dex), and Swim (Str)
Eveyone grew silent almost at once. A look passed between them and eveyone moved to get a look.
You couldn't see it yet because the hall leading out of the room turned sharply 20ft down the hall
but something was coming and it was big. There was almost a collective sigh of relief when the
large metal figure came into view, just another Iron golem. The fighters reflexivly moved
to the front and the wizard cursed his usual when a construct was encountered. The priest
came up behind the fighters getting ready for the healing they would need. When it emerged
in the room everyone knew something was different the Iron goliath was wreathed in Black flames
and the great axe it hefted in one hand was crackling with a purple tinge visible through the flames.
It lowered the axe towards the party, a deep horrid voice spoke "Xorokal will be the last thing
your mortal eyes see" In a flash black fire raced down the axe leaped to the wizard and exploded
in a hellish ball of fire.
But hey its only 1 fighter level what good could that possibly do?
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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any comic book rip offs: graymalkin academy and that recent FR nonsense with the batman references all over should never be considered. sorry.
YES!!! Someone else thought graymalkin academy was a subtle riff on the X-men! I'm not crazy!!! I'm not crazy!!!
What? Wait, just because someone else made a crazy assumption doesn't make my assumption any less crazy?
Damn.
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any comic book rip offs: graymalkin academy and that recent FR nonsense with the batman references all over should never be considered. sorry.
YES!!! Someone else thought graymalkin academy was a subtle riff on the X-men! I'm not crazy!!! I'm not crazy!!!
What? Wait, just because someone else made a crazy assumption doesn't make my assumption any less crazy?
Damn.
The Goon comic book would be perfectly acceptable, though.
"All I gotta say is....knife ta da eye!!!"
Hmm what a varied post this is, eh?
Lets try and summerize:
People want ot see FR and do not want to see FR
No one wants to see more half-dragons
People want Maure style dungeons, most folks don't want Maure style dungeons.
ect.
ect.
ect.
From what I can read, we have our of particular likes and silikes, but what we really want, as a group is variety. We want a murder mystery in Eberron, we want a Gygaxian dungeon in forgotten realms, we want diplomacy and story, we want hack and slash. We want it all.
Well, I for one (I realize this is a engative post, in essence, but I guess Iwill switch to positive here) have to say that Dungeon has been giving that to me for the last couple years. I have had it all. More on average that I liked than not liked. I would probably break it down to 25% or 1-2 adventures per 2 magazines that I really, really liked and thus will use, 50% or 3-4 adventures per 2 magazines that I liked enough to use parts of them and read them for enjoyment of the story, and 25% or 1-2 adventures per 2 magazines that I just thought were junk that I got little from.
The reasons for that last dislikes 25% are varried for me, as I suspect they are for all of you.
I am an art teacher so I love good art, but also realize it is expensive. So when art is poor, my enjoyment goes down. (love the good maps, love em when they are good!)
I like a story and plot but also good combat senarios. Thus I actually ended up choosing to run Age of Worms based upon three adventures:
The first, The Champion's Belt. Big on combat, epic battles, and vast consequences of player failure (something more games should have).
The second, The Prince of Redhand. Awesome diplomacy and settings, mixed with simple dungeons and nice side fights (I mean how many times do you get to fight four dragons at once! Opps see next adventure).
The Third, The Kings of the Rift. Wow a epic battle between Dragons and Giants! And the players are in the middle of it!! WOW!! A cool Dragon hunting society of Giants!! Cool!! Giants that are not just interested in enslaving little people, but instead are kinda good-bad guys, awesome!! I hope my players enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed reading this one (difficult map aside, we are only finishing up with Spire of Long shadows so far).
Ok so if that is some of my favorite of Dungeon, what do I not like?
Maure Castle. To be honest, I do not like Gygaxian style D&D. Sacriliege I know, but hey I started playing in 1985, during the downswing in Gygaxian style, and generally became disinterested in gaming during high school because of the lack of good stories, stories that really hooked me. I came back to RPGs because of Vampire, Werewolf, and the other White Wolf Games. I love story and cool combat. I run sessions with no combat some days. I run sessions with all combat some days. Both are representative of my best gaming experiences. But the old fool the GM huge dungeon crawl is so a thing of the past for me.
Linear adventures. As much as I love the Age of Worms, from my reading of Savage Tides so far, it seems that the folks at Dungeon have created a AP full of non-linear adventures, in other words adventures which can be shifted, switched, changed, or are more amorphous, thus more open to player input. As a GM with decades of experience both behind and in front of the screen, I have a strong personal belief in the power of player input in the game. In allowing players to direct and control portions of the plot, side-plots and the like, and at least having a hand on the wheel, as it were, that directs the main plot. While I, as a DM, bring the adventure to the table and expect my players to play in it, I also expect that if they push me to new places or to new approaches to my written adventure, that I should be open enough to sail along with them. It makes the game better for them, in my exprience.
Oh and by the way, I like the epic adventures and 13+ level adventures. You know why? Because damm it is hard to write adventures for characters of those levels. I mean if you are going to ever run high level or epic, it is nnearly impossible to write or run on the fly because there are so many things to take into consideration (that being said I am currently brewing and Epic adventure Idea I want to send it, get back to you on that later). So as much as I love the low level adventures, and realize they are the more likely to be used more often, I think the high and epic level adventures are good to publish, simply because it is so difficult to run non-canned material for games that are based in those levels.
I am so with you there Sol. D&D was never my first love that was Middle-Earth Role-Playing by ICE, and then came Classic D&D, DC Heroes, and finally the World of Darkness along with tons of side trips to other games. I like Dungeon for the reasons you mention, I even like Maure Castle for having the guts to stand up for complete arbatrariness from time to time. In all I like variety now if only there was enough market interest to allow Dragon Magazine to publish articles about any RPG again my life would be complete.
GGG