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(Last year I compiled a list of things that would instantly disqualify your item. I'm posting them one by one as we approach Round 1 of this year's contest. Now we're starting to get into some of the weirder, specific categories.)
19. Item involves vomit.
If your item makes the user vomit as a side effect, or makes the target vomit, or requires you to vomit to activate it, or vomit to end its effects, or lets the user vomit as an attack, or lets you vomit for no reason whatsoever, I'm going to reject it.
The same goes for other bodily functions that you wouldn't perform in front of guests at a classy party. Rather than providing specific examples, I'll just leave the specifics to your imaginations.
Last year we had at least two vomit-themed items, perhaps three. All were rejected. We will maintain this fine tradition in this year's competition. Show some class, don't submit a vomit item. Yes, this category overlaps with #14 (mature or offensive content) a bit, but I think it merits a special mention on its own.
Nah, just kidding. Actually if anything, this makes more sense to me than the no mature content one. No bodily functions, got it.
But but but Lem makes people vomit on one APG artwork, and nobody rejected him for that :/
Point to the talking bag on that one.
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If your item makes the user vomit as a side effect, or makes the target vomit, or requires you to vomit to activate it, or vomit to end its effects, or lets the user vomit as an attack, or lets you vomit for no reason whatsoever, I'm going to reject it.
This is a general precaution to prevent gamers to fully embrace their hidden persona, the one that is buried deep inside. "Attack of the 10-year-old boy who thinks nothing is hilarious than poop and vomit and maybe dinosaurs"
My two-cents...
For me, this type of item starts bordering on "gross for grossness' sake"...which I find disappointing and uninspired when looking for a Superstar-quality item. That doesn't mean some Superstar items can't have a gross element to them...troll fingers, anyone? In general, however, don't equate gross to cool. Because quite often, it isn't. If you want to tread that line, you'd better step lightly. And there'd better be something awesome and innovative to it beyond just the grossness factor. Because if the grossness just got layered on in an attempt to increase the coolness aspect of it, I think such an item isn't as supportive of the game as it otherwise could be without that kind of unnecessary stuff.
--Neil
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This is a general precaution to prevent gamers to fully embrace their hidden persona, the one that is buried deep inside. "Attack of the 10-year-old boy who thinks nothing is hilarious than poop and vomit and maybe dinosaurs"
If your item makes the user vomit as a side effect, or makes the target vomit, or requires you to vomit to activate it, or vomit to end its effects, or lets the user vomit as an attack, or lets you vomit for no reason whatsoever, I'm going to reject it.
Paizo Creative Director James Jacobs has a T-rex for an avatar. And his love of dinosaurs knows no bounds. You have been warned ..
But but but Lem makes people vomit on one APG artwork, and nobody rejected him for that :/
Yeah, but I didn't pick that art. And I believe it's referring to a spell that makes affected creature's nauseated, which you can interpret as vomiting, but isn't specifically stated as such.
Plus, halflings make everyone vomit. ;)
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka JoelF847
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Not that I'm looking to submit an item like this, but what about an item that let you vomit something cool, like the old spell Vipergout that let you vomit up a snake at people?
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I could almost see the use in such a spell/item. In one of the Forgotten Realms books Cadderly uses a Sneeze command/spell to interrupt a wizard's spell casting and I can see a correlation, the only real difference of the 2 is that a sneeze disrupts a specific spell while vomiting would prevent you from casting for a set amount of time.
Wouldn't that be a humorous character concept, a Cold Caster, but instead of ice based spells, have them giving fighters the flu and bards strep throat, and a rogue that can not stop sneezing won't be sneaking up on anyone.
Sorry, just throwing my 2 cents in, or I was until I got side-tracked by the cold caster.
Technically, vipergout summons snakes and lets you spit them out of your mouth, you're not actually calling up snakes from your stomach and vomiting them.
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Vomit swarm? :)
My main problem with the vomit swarm spell is that "vomit" could be a verb or an adjective, and in reading the spell I always forget whether it is "a spell that lets you barf up a swarm," or "a spell that makes swarm of barf."
In either case, I didn't design that spell, and just because something makes it into a book doesn't mean it's Superstar. As you know.
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Dedicated Voter Season 6
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To me, this also seems to fit into the excessive description category as well.
You could make a vomit item, that doesn't specifically say that it makes you vomit.
The terms nauseated and sickened are conditions within the game mechanics. Wasn't there a top 32 pill that you would swallow, and if someone did a bite attack on you, you could sicken them because it made you a hard pill to swallow?
To me, this also seems to fit into the excessive description category as well.
You could make a vomit item, that doesn't specifically say that it makes you vomit.
The terms nauseated and sickened are conditions within the game mechanics. Wasn't there a top 32 pill that you would swallow, and if someone did a bite attack on you, you could sicken them because it made you a hard pill to swallow?
That item struck me as highly inventive. One of my favorites, I wish I thought of it.
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Dedicated Voter Season 6
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That item struck me as highly inventive. One of my favorites, I wish I thought of it.To me, this also seems to fit into the excessive description category as well.
You could make a vomit item, that doesn't specifically say that it makes you vomit.
The terms nauseated and sickened are conditions within the game mechanics. Wasn't there a top 32 pill that you would swallow, and if someone did a bite attack on you, you could sicken them because it made you a hard pill to swallow?
Yeah, me too. Useful in only a handful of situations, but elegantly simple and really cool.
It included vomit, but without using the word vomit. It wasn't sophomoric, and didn't contain bathroom humor. It wasn't a vomit item for the sake of being gross. Although you could easily have let your mind wander there, and I'm sure my current gaming group (and many past ones) would let their mind (and voices) sprint head-long into the silly and giddy humor.
I guess my whole point is, you can make a "vomit" item, without breaking this auto-reject advice. I guess it is mainly the intent and execution of the writing that determines if it is truly a "vomit" item or not.
Plus, halflings make everyone vomit. ;)
Except for ones based on "Halfings of Golarion"... :)
Does this include items whose effect isn't to vomit vomit but to vomit something else? For example an item whose consumtion causes the user to vomit out a swarm of insects? (idea blatantly stolen from Planescape: Torment)
Reread my initial post.
Sadly, I think the spell cacophonous call and its rather graphic accompanying artwork on page 209 of the APG will lead some folks to think Paizo thinks such entries will be acceptable, regardless of this warning.
Thanks for posting this one -- it (sadly?) crosses one potential submission off my list.
Although I swear that item is cool.
This reminds me of something that has bothered me recently with the APs.
I've played through RotRL, played in CotCT, watched SD, am finishing up playing LoF, am in the middle of CoT, and am going to run KM.
Two themes have maintained themselves in every AP:
1. Pocket Dimensions in the 3~5th book -- almost always with the no escape clause. This has gotten boring, but at least it's not as bad as the next one...
2. Evil is always filthy, and enjoys living in its own excrement.
Seriously in every AP to date there are complete dungeons filled with, well, dung -- and not just an "Oh, it stinks in here, they've been going where ever they want" but a "we are going to explain in detail, and with precious word count how there is poo smeared on all the walls, and how it stinks so much you have to roll fort saves -- even in the pocket dimension where you don't even have reason for a cestpool to be we have two appear.
If vomit isn't something you want in an item, I would humbly summit that it isn't something I want in every AP, and in great detail and the same goes for excrement.
Just once it might be nice to have a *clean* evil -- one that is smart enough to wipe and flush.
(Last year I compiled a list of things that would instantly disqualify your item. I'm posting them one by one as we approach Round 1 of this year's contest. Now we're starting to get into some of the weirder, specific categories.)
19. Item involves vomit.
How can you spew such nonsense? I can see rejecting ideas that are just regurgitations of old ideas, but how can you thoughtlessly purge so many great entries? It's just wretched (sp?), and it makes me sick.
(Last year I compiled a list of things that would instantly disqualify your item. I'm posting them one by one as we approach Round 1 of this year's contest. Now we're starting to get into some of the weirder, specific categories.)
19. Item involves vomit.
How can you spew such nonsense? I can see rejecting ideas that are just regurgitations of old ideas, but how can you thoughtlessly purge so many great entries? It's just wretched (sp?), and it makes me sick.
Just don't vomit or you'll be auto-rejected :-)
Curious: Can an item induce sickness and not be autorejected? or is anything with the possibility of vomit automatically tossed?
Curious: Can an item induce sickness and not be autorejected? or is anything with the possibility of vomit automatically tossed?
Hee. :)
Other than my shameless amusement at this choice of words, I don't think that an item causing the sickened condition would necessarily be disqualified. IMHO, of course.
It's fair game to create an item that imposes the sickened condition on someone. This category of auto-reject advice is referencing the introduction of vomiting forth some effect or object or literally describing that it makes people vomit. Introducing gross elements just for the sake of being gross does not an RPG Superstar make.
For what its worth me and my friends have a running joke:
We find puns would be far more fun to tell if they caused involuntary vomiting.
I think a wonderous item that could tell a pun bad enough to nauseate you would be quite punny.
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This is a general precaution to prevent gamers to fully embrace their hidden persona, the one that is buried deep inside. "Attack of the 10-year-old boy who thinks nothing is hilarious than poop and vomit and maybe dinosaurs"
If your item makes the user vomit as a side effect, or makes the target vomit, or requires you to vomit to activate it, or vomit to end its effects, or lets the user vomit as an attack, or lets you vomit for no reason whatsoever, I'm going to reject it.
So a Figurine of Wondrous Power of a T-rex carved from a coprolite that has an acid cone attack would be a home run for those 10-year-olds....
I've been starving. Now I know why.
Let me just join the big group of "people" on the internet that "hate" on SKR.
Damn you, I'm so hungry. Whine.