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The Workshop of the Clockwork Gnome, a system neutral fansite devoted to new and expanded material for Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire, has just unveiled the first article in a brand new series, The Ecology of Praemal. This first installment, The Draconic Scions: Kobolds, details the diminutive race's biology and culture, providing a unique spin on this legacy creature.
While everything at the Workshop is geared towards the setting of Ptolus, the material is flexible enough to be converted to any campaign setting. So, even if Ptolus is not your setting of choice, you will still find great material for your campaigns.
The Workshop of the Clockwork Gnome, a system neutral fansite devoted to new and expanded material for Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire, has just unveiled the first article in a brand new series, The Ecology of Praemal. This first installment, The Draconic Scions: Kobolds, details the diminutive race's biology and culture, providing a unique spin on this legacy creature.
While everything at the Workshop is geared towards the setting of Ptolus, the material is flexible enough to be converted to any campaign setting. So, even if Ptolus is not your setting of choice, you will still find great material for your campaigns.
That's GREAT news! I go to my Ptolus game in 2 weeks- hopefully I can find information on my character's god, Torksal, there!
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That's GREAT news! I go to my Ptolus game in 2 weeks- hopefully I can find information on my character's god, Torksal, there!The Workshop of the Clockwork Gnome, a system neutral fansite devoted to new and expanded material for Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire, has just unveiled the first article in a brand new series, The Ecology of Praemal. This first installment, The Draconic Scions: Kobolds, details the diminutive race's biology and culture, providing a unique spin on this legacy creature.
While everything at the Workshop is geared towards the setting of Ptolus, the material is flexible enough to be converted to any campaign setting. So, even if Ptolus is not your setting of choice, you will still find great material for your campaigns.
Hmmm....not yet. But......let's see what I can cook up for you within the next week. It sounds like a fun challenge.
I will make sure I list you as the inspiration to the article. :)
That's GREAT news! I go to my Ptolus game in 2 weeks- hopefully I can find information on my character's god, Torksal, there!The Workshop of the Clockwork Gnome, a system neutral fansite devoted to new and expanded material for Ptolus: Monte Cook's City by the Spire, has just unveiled the first article in a brand new series, The Ecology of Praemal. This first installment, The Draconic Scions: Kobolds, details the diminutive race's biology and culture, providing a unique spin on this legacy creature.
While everything at the Workshop is geared towards the setting of Ptolus, the material is flexible enough to be converted to any campaign setting. So, even if Ptolus is not your setting of choice, you will still find great material for your campaigns.
Hmmm....not yet. But......let's see what I can cook up for you within the next week. It sounds like a fun challenge.
I will make sure I list you as the inspiration to the article. :)
Dude, that would be AWESOME!!!!
Interesting!
I can't wait!!!!!
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It has been posted! Freehold, if there is anything at all you would like to see changed, do not hesitate to let me know. I am open to any changes you might like to see. I am considering adding a portion concerning paladins devoted to the service of Torskal. If I do that, I will make an announcement that it has been updated.
I am bumping this just to make sure Freehold DM sees this.
As I said, Freehold, feel free to ask for changes if you would like. I won't be offended in any way and I would be happy to tailor it so it fits your character concept.
Oh man, I can't believe I missed this! I'm reading now...
OH. MY. GAAAAAAAAAWWWWD.
This is BEAUTIFUL! AND a mention of my own homebrew(which desperately needs to be updated)! This has truly, truly made my day. I will be putting up a link to your site on my own, and I will also put up a link at my rpgbomb.com page as well. I truly have no words for how awesome this is or how honored I feel right now. Your writeup of Torksal is wonderful, and I will be incorporating as much of it as possible into the game I'm in, probably centered around his followers and the role Torksal plays in society. My centaur barbarian is certainly taking what you have written about Torksal to an extreme!
[EDIT]Okay, after calming down a bit from the slap to the awesome this post was, there are only a few changes I would make- or rather, there are a few ways where my character's interpretation of Torksal is different from yours. Mainly, my interpretation of Torksal is that he is Chaotic Good and his symbol is that of a lightning bolt coming from a drawn bow. In society, his priests are rather secretive, often going about their duties(which mainly consist of seeing to the maintenence of his infrequent shrines and offering anonymous counsel there in a fashion similar to how Catholic priests give confession) hooded and cloaked. This isn't out of any desire to create an air of mystery, just to propegate the idea that vengance is a dish best served with an arrow in the night(or a bolt from the blue) from an unknown source. His priests are popular because they serve to listen to everyone's problems, and they decide as a group which ones to act upon and which ones to ignore(i.e. no arrows in the eye for Mama Aram making a child eat their veggies; several for another whom several women complained took advantage of them when they were inebrieated, a stern talking to for those who are an embarrassment to their people, etc). Priests of Torksal rarely adventure, as they are often attached to their tribes in one form or another- rarely leading them outright, but usually in positions of importance: anodyne, hunter, or simply an ususually sage elder. Torksal usually turns to other classes when he feels he must make his presence known outside of his people- rangers, barbarians and druids are particular favorites.
Ah, you're making it system neutral? I was under the impression originally that you were moving from Pathfinder to 4e for your Ptolus campaign, which made me take a break from following your content. It's good to know you're at least taking it from a system neutral pov, then. =)
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Ah, you're making it system neutral? I was under the impression originally that you were moving from Pathfinder to 4e for your Ptolus campaign, which made me take a break from following your content. It's good to know you're at least taking it from a system neutral pov, then. =)
My home campaign changed to 4e but nothing about the Ptolus material I produce has changed. I wanted to keep everyone onboard (which appears to have been a slight failure on my part). I mentioned that in the blog before, but if you think it needs mentioned again, I would be happy to do that to help clear up any confusion.
I had even considered not mentioning my group was changing systems and just stating the blog was system neutral. My material was mostly "story based" material in any case. I have never felt comfortable creating new mechanics for 3.5/Pathfinder so I was kidding myself when I said I would want to do mechanics work. My strength is my ability to craft story material. And while I feel very confident when designing 4e material, I was never going to let that show in my blog.
I am extremely cognizant of the size of my audience. First off, the initial audience is a niche within a niche and a bit difficult to reach. I think the fact I have one follower but an indeterminate amount of readers supports that assumption. If I had leaned more towards 4e, I would have lost more that way than I would have lost if I had gone system neutral and let the material speak for itself. In fact, I had assumed I would gain some people by going system neutral.
I still want to post articles that deal with integrating one book or another into the setting. Since I wouldn't limit myself to any game system, not to talk of Pathfinder and 4e, I have not reached a point where I feel comfortable with doing that. There is so much material out there waiting to be discussed, mined, and morphed. It is exciting. But given the kinds of reactions I have seen all over the net, I have avoided it. I was nervous providing what little stats I did in the Torskal article. And that wasn't even anything major.
You should know, there might be an occasional mention of Faerie or the Realm of the Dead (which is really just the ethereal plane), but those existed in my Ptolus campaigns before the switch, mostly to provide me tools to help answer some specific questions that appear in the kind of campaigns I run. Ultimately, I like having those kinds of places in my campaigns and they have appeared no matter what setting I use. But any reference to them will be rare, I imagine. And if they do come up, I will make sure there is a baseline from which I write my articles. I have the perfect article through which establish my baselines- the Straight From the Cortex series. Ultimately, I avoid any 4e-isms or Pathfinder-isms equally. I focus on Praemal and go from there.
In most cases, the ruleset doesn't even matter. I am loyal to Praemal first and foremost. Everything else takes a back seat. And I avoid mechanics like the plague. I think it is important to remember that not everything I share at the Workshop has actually seen use in my campaigns. But even if it has, how it appears at my table and how it appears in my blog might be wildly different. It certainly won't have the mechanics I used.
Now, I do have a separate 4e blog forming as we speak. It is called The Cortex, and it will deal with 4e material, irregardless of Ptolus. I will not promote them together. Promotions for Cortex will happen in the 4e forums and, the Workshop stuff will be posted in Gamer Life. I don't see much, if any discussion, of either blog on the sister site. In fact, the only relation that will exist is me, the Clockwork Gnome, and that will be it.
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I am bumping this just to make sure Freehold DM sees this.
As I said, Freehold, feel free to ask for changes if you would like. I won't be offended in any way and I would be happy to tailor it so it fits your character concept.
Oh man, I can't believe I missed this! I'm reading now...
OH. MY. GAAAAAAAAAWWWWD.
This is BEAUTIFUL! AND a mention of my own homebrew(which desperately needs to be updated)! This has truly, truly made my day. I will be putting up a link to your site on my own, and I will also put up a link at my rpgbomb.com page as well. I truly have no words for how awesome this is or how honored I feel right now. Your writeup of Torksal is wonderful, and I will be incorporating as much of it as possible into the game I'm in, probably centered around his followers and the role Torksal plays in society. My centaur barbarian is certainly taking what you have written about Torksal to an extreme!
[EDIT]Okay, after calming down a bit from the slap to the awesome this post was, there are only a few changes I would make- or rather, there are a few ways where my character's interpretation of Torksal is different from yours. Mainly, my interpretation of Torksal is that he is Chaotic Good and his symbol is that of a lightning bolt coming from a drawn bow. In society, his priests are rather secretive, often going about their duties(which mainly consist of seeing to the maintenence of his infrequent shrines and offering anonymous counsel there in a fashion similar to how Catholic priests give confession) hooded and cloaked. This isn't out of any desire to create an air of mystery, just to propegate the idea that vengance is a dish best served with an arrow in the night(or a bolt from the blue) from an unknown source. His priests are popular because they serve to listen to everyone's problems, and they decide as a group which ones to act upon and which ones to ignore(i.e. no arrows in the eye for Mama Aram making a child eat their...
Wow, I typed out this huge response and it got eaten. Let me recompile my thoughts and re-post them a bit later.
I hate when that happens and I thought I had learned my lesson a long time ago.
I like your ideas and I have some thoughts as well, just give me a bit to re-organize them.
I'm really excited that there are still Ptolus fans out there. Until recently it seemed to have fallen off the radar.
My home campaign changed to 4e but nothing about the Ptolus material I produce has changed. I wanted to keep everyone onboard (which appears to have been a slight failure on my part). I mentioned that in the blog before, but if you think it needs mentioned again, I would be happy to do that to help clear up any confusion.
Cont...
Ah. Thanks for the clarification. I enjoy reading lots of fluff for ideas, but being that crunch is not part of my strong skill set, I tend to lean toward those that offer some as a base and I would just yoink them and build from there.
Ever thought about feeding your blog into FB so that when a new entry from you is up that we're notified on FB to check it out? I wasn't sure whether you do the FB or if you're resistant to technological changes like our resident neo-luddite, Freehold. ;)
I'm really excited that there are still Ptolus fans out there. Until recently it seemed to have fallen off the radar.
It doesn't help that Ptolus is out of print and scarce to find ... and when one does, it hits hard in the wallet.
I'm still hoping to come across a used copy sold cheaply by some fool that doesn't know any better its value ... as well as anything Iron Kingdoms related ... but again, it is only hope. =)
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Ah. Thanks for the clarification. I enjoy reading lots of fluff for ideas, but being that crunch is not part of my strong skill set, I tend to lean toward those that offer some as a base and I would just yoink them and build from there.
I completely understand that. I did do some mechanics work in the first few years after the release of 3e. Somewhere along the line I stopped and told myself I wasn't very good at it. I don't know....perhaps I am and perhaps I am not. Either way, I kind of gotten away from that sort of thing so I understand where you are coming from in that regard.
Ever thought about feeding your blog into FB so that when a new entry from you is up that we're notified on FB to check it out? I wasn't sure whether you do the FB or if you're resistant to technological changes like our resident neo-luddite, Freehold. ;)
I do feed my blog into my Facebook. I also maintain a Twitter account, though I only tweet when I have updates on my blogs. As a Gmail client, I also use Buzz.
If you are interested in getting updates via FB, I can drop a friend request if you would like. My blog has a place to sign up for Twitter updates and I think you can find my Buzz via my email address, which can be found in the Blogger profile.
I do feed my blog into my Facebook. I also maintain a Twitter account, though I only tweet when I have updates on my blogs. As a Gmail client, I also use Buzz.
If you are interested in getting updates via FB, I can drop a friend request if you would like. My blog has a place to sign up for Twitter updates and I think you can find my Buzz via my email address, which can be found in the Blogger profile.
Fire away! My FB is in my profile here. Just give me a reminder who you are on here. And it's cool that you're also a local. :D
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Okay....some thoughts on Torskal.
First off, I am happy you liked the article. I was surprised how it developed
I agree with you Freehold. I thought the idea of a LG god of vengeance to be a bit odd. According to the Ptolus Brick, the god is LG. I imagine the idea of "just" vengeance is at work here. Torskal deals in a form of justice and that might be why his alignment is LG. I can actually see both sides of the argument, which actually leads me to an idea I had.
I want to do an entry on orders devoted to Torskal, especially those that sit on the fringe or in the background. Which leads to this question:
Do you see the kind of priests of which you speak as a separate order in a larger religion or is this a feature of the entire faith?
Let me give you some thoughts I have and find out what you think. The public face of Torskal is one of leadership and justice. The priests preach that vengeance must be fulfilled honorably and in the spirit of Torskal's own deeds.
But they know that can't always be the case. Sometimes, vengeance goes unfulfilled and more drastic measures come into play. At that point the Shadows of Torskal's Rage (not sure about that name, really) take action. They specialize in that "arrow in the night" form of vengeance, taking out those that would normally be untouchable or somehow slipped the bonds of justice.
These servants, which would include many different races, represent Torskal's rage over injustice that cannot be publicly handled. They worship an aspect of the god that is definitely more chaotic good and do so secretly to allay suspicion that the followers of Torskal would approve of such actions.
I like the idea of the priests taking confessions, though I would shift that responsibility to the more mainstream priests. I also like the idea of them using that confession by passing it on to their darker kin. Which is a tense situation. People are giving these very publicly caring priests tools to damn themselves or those they may care for. At the very least, this info should be private. Are the followers of Torskal crossing a line or are they doing what is necessary to preserve society?
Of course, vengeance does not always need to involve death. These shadowy agents could inflict harm, find ways to ridicule, and even blackmail those that they believe have severely wronged others. Once a task has been passed on to this order, the public priests wipe their hands of it (perhaps with a formal ritual, in fact) and allow these guys to do their work. There are few limits in what they can do, so long as it is not patently evil or destructive to aram society.
Torskal supports this order and understands their necessity. This aspect the Shadows of Torskal's Rage worships is quite real. Either it is a force that Torskal eliminated from himself long ago, but recognizes its importance in the world. Or, it is still apart of him and he is comfortable with that. Either way, both groups are worshiping the same god, just different aspects of it.
How does this sound? Would this work for you? Or would you prefer to see a more universal shift?
Either is fine. While I like to stick to the core setting book when I can, I don't mind straying when necessary either. So, just let me know what you think and I can work from there. I am happy to go either way.
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I'm really excited that there are still Ptolus fans out there. Until recently it seemed to have fallen off the radar.
It has kind of faded, mostly for the reasons Urizen has pointed out.
My last major campaign was a two-year epic in the city. The group became incredibly devoted to the setting and have extremely strong opinions about it. Ever since, we haven't really found a setting that suited our tastes as much as Ptolus.
Some of my favorite settings include Greyhawk, Golarion, and Midnight; but Ptolus is the setting we have returned to repeatedly over the last few years. It has the right mix of urban and dungeon, steampunk and traditional D&D fantasy to suit our needs. It can even provide some great wilderness adventures if you stray outside the city walls. Monte gave us a great canvas on which to create and I can always find space to fit my "favorite concept of the week". It is a great location and I hope it continues to be remembered by future gamers. I know I will try to do my part to make that happen.
I like this. A LOT. It makes the god a lot more interesting. He's a god of Justice and Vengeance at the same time, and near the head of his pantheon, so he's going to need some...deniable assets. I say keep the priests as the god's public face, just as you described above for the most part- the Shadows of Torksal's Rage(I think Shadows of Torksal sound better) are his devoted worshippers who are not clerics, and they get their marching orders from the clerics, who contact them in secret and give them great latitude in their duties. If you want to keep the god's symbol as the white horse you described, that's fine- the lightning bolt coming from a drawn bow can be the symbol of this secretive order. In terms of a rivalry between the two sects? I'd say its possible. Maybe Torksal has only recently created an order of paladins and they take issue with the doings of barbarians, rangers, druids and certainly rogues. I also really like the fact that the priests symbolically(but maybe not publically, I don't think that would work) wash their hands of whatever the Shadows do- that's just cool- and I agree that not everything need end in bloodshed.
I've been under the weather myself- this is the worst allergy season I've suffered in my life- but I am looking forward to what you come up with.
AB,
Did you state that you also fed your blog into FB? I wasn't sure if you put up a notice from a FB entry or you had your own fan page for updates? I wasn't sure as I may have misunderstood you. Thanks. :D
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AB,
Did you state that you also fed your blog into FB? I wasn't sure if you put up a notice from a FB entry or you had your own fan page for updates? I wasn't sure as I may have misunderstood you. Thanks. :D
The entries appear in my feed. Though, I do have a fan page that is not active yet. I should get on that.
Get to it, or I'm going to let loose the Galchutts from down under. ;)
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Get to it, or I'm going to let loose the Galchutts from down under. ;)
All done, but you know that already. :)
I am not sure why I find this amusing, but my first Ptolus campaign followed the "classic" themes, which culminated into channeling the Galchutt into a new prison and opening the world to planar travel. So I don't have any Galchutt to fear. ;)
At least, in theory. Who knows whats going on in that new extradimensional prison.
I was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and typing can sometimes be quite painful if I am having a flare.
But, things are going well now and I suspect it will be posted tomorrow. I have plenty of time today to do the finishing work and editing.
I'm sorry it took me so long to respond to this post, but you are in my prayers- Fibromalasia is no joke.
Here are some fibro-meds I just learned about today: Lioresal and baclofen(possibly a generic for lioresal). Just make sure you don't drink when taking them and you may want to be near a bed when you start them in case they make you feel a bit loopy. The cessation of pain is a good trade off, though.
Hey Allen, not sure if you caught my comments last night, but some of your recent posts on FB was from your personal acct and not from your fan page. Some ppl may have not gotten it. ;)
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Hey Allen, not sure if you caught my comments last night, but some of your recent posts on FB was from your personal acct and not from your fan page. Some ppl may have not gotten it. ;)
Hmmm? How so? The most recent posting should have appeared on my personal FB Site and on the wall of the fan page. Is there something I am missing?
The one you specifically note is the Torskal' Devoted article, but I can view it on the fan page. It doesn't appear as a note, which I can't seem to make work on the fan page. I am not sure why. There isn't even an option to create a feed from a blog to a fan page, near as I can tell. But there is access to the article there via the networkedblogs app.
Edit: Okay....I figured it out. Importing is a bit more roundabout with a fan page than it was for my profile page. Or, I completely forgot how all of this worked and couldn't figure out the right questions to ask to make it work again. Both are probable. :)
The blog is being fed into the fan page notes, so I will remove the networkedblogs app from the equation. That said, updates to my profile and fan page are automatic so they will appear in both locations at the same time. Perhaps I might nix the feed to my personal page. I am not sure yet. Seems like the logical thing to do.
All I know is I do prefer having those entries appear as notes so my readers on Facebook would not have to click away from the fan page to read them. With that worked out now, I feel a lot better.
Thank you for spurring me to look again Gregg.
Not a problem. I just wanted to make sure you were aware else it would have defeated the purpose to begin with. After all, you made the effort to allow it to be read from within FB so it's easier for some of us to remember to check it out than to go to the website directly. :-D
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Not a problem. I just wanted to make sure you were aware else it would have defeated the purpose to begin with. After all, you made the effort to allow it to be read from within FB so it's easier for some of us to remember to check it out than to go to the website directly. :-D
Indeed. Making the process as easy as possible is key to a good blog. Now that I have all of the organized play stuff out of the way for this week I can really focus on promoting the newest article at other sites. That has been something I have been itching to do but I couldn't find the time due to other surprises.
I find it funny that I actually searched for a way to add a feed to the fan page but I couldn't find it. For that reason I used the networkedblogs app.
But when I look again, the answer falls into my lap. It was rather straightforward on my profile page. But, for some reason, the extra little step on the fan page was an enigma to me. I am really hoping I can get my mind back to what it used to be.....some day. <sigh>
I hear that about getting the mind back where it used to be. Being unemployed for the past month has been a bit of a downer. I try to at least read stuff to keep my mind engaged in the interim.
Chin up, and good luck on the house hunt. =)