I just try to think of what would be fun to do, or a time during a game when I wish I could do a particular action, but didn't have a way to do it.
My creative process as I await the results on Round 1 have been to wake up in the middle of the night for the last four nights and while working on an outline for an Adventure proposal for the last round ... I'm an optimist so sue me ... I've discovered that I've created an outline for an Adventure Path. Gah ... I need to stop waking up in the middle of the night.
Last night I kept myself from doing it but came up with a great idea that I *knew* I'd forget if I didn't do anything about. So I turned my alarm clock upside down to remind me about it in the morning. Strangely enough it worked. Now there's a creative process :)
Aaron, that's not too bad - but unless you're going to be actually writing a whole path, keep potential leads to implied leads, that a GM can pick up if he feels like after the adventure is over.
I've had whole campaigns spawn from a single two-page adventure summary.
My process-
2. Pick a name.
3. Make it into an item.
(Don't really do that)
I got a "Necklace of Absorbs Disappearance." Hmm.
An item that allows you, with a successful touch attack, to steal invisibility effects from your target? Maybe even pull such spells from the target's prepared list?
My process-
2. Pick a name.
3. Make it into an item.
(Don't really do that)
I got a "Necklace of Absorbs Disappearance." Hmm.
An item that allows you, with a successful touch attack, to steal invisibility effects from your target? Maybe even pull such spells from the target's prepared list?
I got...
Leather Armor of the Good Witchery of the Acidic Books...and..yeah, I got nothing with this, other than that it's apparently armour, and therefore not allowed for RPGSS.
Edit: sorry, armor!!
My process-
2. Pick a name.
3. Make it into an item.
I've done that before. Not actually for RPG superstar, but that can be a huge source of inspiration. Taken to the right level, some of these random things can be *excellent* items.
This smells like an idea that needs its own thread...
My process-
2. Pick a name.
3. Make it into an item.
(Don't really do that)
Book of Elf Slaying
Paper is made from slaying trees and grinding the wood into pulp. This book is made by slayin... err... better not go there. :)
My muse must be a water elemental. After going back and forth on already created items, I had a sudden inspiration in the shower today. Rushed out to the computer still slightly damp and hammered out the item I'm going to submit after two hours of researching spells, checking books for similar items, wrangling the pricing, and getting the thing written into the proper format. Now I'll sit on it over the weekend, run it by a few of my friends, then give it a final rewrite on Monday. It beats the heck out of the ones I was considering. Feels like a winner. I'm stoked.
Endless Golden Scimtar of Magic Blasts
A magical scimitar that shoots out force scimitars as ranged touch attacks! 18-20/x2 crit threat range! Useable at will--just like a warlock's eldritch blast!
Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 9
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Endless Golden Scimtar of Magic Blasts
A magical scimitar that shoots out force scimitars as ranged touch attacks! 18-20/x2 crit threat range! Useable at will--just like a warlock's eldritch blast!
Long pointed thingie that shoots out golden stuff....., makes me think I need to use the bathroom.
Star Voter Season 6
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After spending a couple hours researching spells, similar items, and pricing, I finally managed to flesh out something that I thought was Superstar material.
The only flub I had was forgetting to include the Construction requirements which I had written down on a piece of paper next to me. I just got so caught up in the moment (and my meds) that I forgot to type them up.
Always make sure your creative process includes everything that's outlined in the format set forth by the rules and guidelines!
Long pointed thingie that shoots out golden stuff....., makes me think I need to use the bathroom.Endless Golden Scimtar of Magic Blasts
A magical scimitar that shoots out force scimitars as ranged touch attacks! 18-20/x2 crit threat range! Useable at will--just like a warlock's eldritch blast!
EW!!!
I didn't even think of that!
I'm just glad I didn't give it splash damage....
Step 1: Learn that RPG Superstar exists.
Step 2: Research past entries, both from the 32 that placed each year, and entries that didn't make it, especially those that the judges said almost made the cut.
Step 3: Yoink several of the past entries for inclusion in some form in my own campaigns. (I especially love Last Leaves of the Autumn Dryad and Seven Thousand Blossoms.)
Step 4: Jot down a bunch of ideas in Notepad.
Step 5: Eliminate as many of those ideas as I can based purely on the list of 'automatic reject' advice so thoughtfully provided.
Step 6: Use an idea that feels a little SIAC-ish anyway, simply because I think I can do an original treatment on it that will overcome that potential drawback.
Step 7: Check that the title hasn't been used anywhere else, or if it has, only as randomly generated MMO items that don't have anything to do with my item.
Step 8: Alt-tab back and forth between the preview pane for my submission and a winning submission for last year.
Step 9: Submit the entry.
Step 10: Stress out over whether the name wasn't catchy enough for the judges to even care about the item and not just reject it out of hand.
I read through all of the past top 32s as well as SKR's autoreject threads. That gave me an idea of what the judges were looking for. As for how I came up with my idea I'm not entirely sure. It came to me at some point that I can't remember and though I had a couple other ideas I kept on coming back to this one. So I spent hours pouring through books to see if there were similar items or abilities (SKR's advice threads #6 and #21). Then I picked out my spells for construction, what spells could counter it and relative power level. Like everyone else, I fretted over pricing my object for hours and I'm still sure I messed it up. XP
Endless Golden Scimtar of Magic Blasts
A magical scimitar that shoots out force scimitars as ranged touch attacks! 18-20/x2 crit threat range! Useable at will--just like a warlock's eldritch blast!
But only while you have full health. Otherwise, it just acts as a normal scimitar. ;)
But only while you have full health. Otherwise, it just acts as a normal scimitar. ;)Endless Golden Scimtar of Magic Blasts
A magical scimitar that shoots out force scimitars as ranged touch attacks! 18-20/x2 crit threat range! Useable at will--just like a warlock's eldritch blast!
I'm sorry, I don't get the joke. Well, I'm assuming a joke, because of the wink. :-P
This years process was a little different for me.
It started in October! I was sitting there, thinking "ohhh, Paizo will be starting their search soon..." and so my search began.
So I spent the next four weeks, looking for a mundane, an item that could exist in feudal times, an item that could be made wondrous and awe inspiring.
My wife blew her nose, a real honker...
Ewww
No!
Not that!
No way!
A week later, it presented itself, November came and went as my subconscious cogitated and devised and schemed.
1st Decemeber - draft 1 - 430 words.
Wordy I know but it was that initial dump everything draft full of all the extraneous prose and waffle we all think is cool.
Ok, now sift out the bad, the silly and get to the core thread.
Thats better 315 words for draft 2 by the end of week 1.
Feedback time from the monsters amongst my gaming circle.
A week later and it survives relatively intact, could this be the year!
Draft 3, 305 words and getting tighter on the theming.
Now, I read the threads for the 5th year running. Yes, seems to survive the auto rejects in general (apart from word count but I always get on top of that by posting time).
Hmm, that's prosey, lets make it fact and simple and straight forward.
Draft 4 drops to below the 300 word limit with a good margin for error.
Draft 5 adds the construction, pricing. Still below 300.
A name final makes itself known, thank you subconscious, thank you.
Draft 6 more feedback, review and with the name, still staying below that 300 words - it's looking good.
Draft 7 extraneous waffle finally eliminated - as you can tell from this post, I'm full of waffle and maple syrup too! :)
Draft 8 prepping, format checking, spell checking, the mundane stuff of creative writing.
So this is my method - get the idea, polish it, make it shine, feel that it is a good idea and survives the initial processes.
Then worry about word count, grammar and spelling, the idea is the root of it all - that is the crux of a wondrous item for me.
Draft 9 - 'tis done bar the posting.
Enjoy the forums!
Occassionaly post to said forums.
Let the subconscious mull for a few days.
I wont say if I posted yet or not, as I dont want to risk identifying my item but I wont wait for final day, that's for sure!
I'm sorry, I don't get the joke. Well, I'm assuming a joke, because of the wink. :-PBut only while you have full health. Otherwise, it just acts as a normal scimitar. ;)Endless Golden Scimtar of Magic Blasts
A magical scimitar that shoots out force scimitars as ranged touch attacks! 18-20/x2 crit threat range! Useable at will--just like a warlock's eldritch blast!
I believe he is referencing Legend of Zelda. Link's sword later in the game (in most versions) can shoot a laser if you are at full health. Otherwise, it is just a normal sword.
huh, didn't expect that to be so obscure. hg, you're absolutely right on it, though.
Maybe it was the scimitar that was throwing him. Link obviously uses a longsword. XP
Nope! I's just that ignerunt. ;-)
But now I know!
And knowing is half the battle!
When I design magic items as a DM, I think of them primarily as treasure, and that habit carried over here. It seemed like the appropriate paradigm. As a crafting character, say, you're always scrutinizing That Damn Table to get the biggest bang from your buck and shave off cost while maximizing utility... in other words, you're doing exactly what you're warned not to do with that table. As a DM, on the other hand, you're after:
1. Something balanced and mechanically sound.
2. Something that makes the campaign more interesting.
3. Something that will get used and not sold.
4. That look in the players' eyes when they see something cool and don't know what it is.
So I tried to write something I'd like to place (or to find) as treasure.
My only concern is that the judges, swamped as they are, will overlook some of the nuance that I put into the item. I like to write things with a lot of emergent entertainment value based on their niggling restrictions, requirements, etc. I tried not to bury it too deep with my Superstar submission, but we'll see.
A friend of mine was trying to come up with an item to submit for this year's competition, so I tried to summarize a way for him to do it. This is what I came up with, and I figured I'd post it here in case it helps anyone else, as well.
1) Find a spell from the PRD you like. The newer the better, because it's less likely to be in anything already)
2) Come up with one major thing about the spell to change. Find a second and maybe thrird spell to account for that change.
3) Decide on a physical item that matches the effect you've chosen.
4) Make the item look cool.
Step 1: Read all the relevant books. Actually read them cover-to-cover. I only have to do that once. I now have a working idea as to what all of the rules are and where they all are.
Step 2: Impair yourself. Not prepare, impair. Sleepless nights is easiest for me but I try not to go longer than four days without sleep, things get weird. Other things work as well but are harder to get and usually involve breaking some laws.
Step 3: Recover. And attempt to remember the ideas you had while impaired. I find some doozys in there once I put my brain back together.
Step 4: Write, rewrite, edit, check for spelling.
Step 5: Ferment. Let it sit there, completed, for a day or three. Read aloud, rewrite or scrap if necessary.
Step 6: Profit. Or submit, either one.
Creative Process, as it is during the University Winter Exams (this year).
1) Over the year, though often during the former year, compile ideas, learn what not to do and search for every imaginable flaw in past items
2) Learn, read through forums, learn more, reject instantaneuosly bad ideas.
3) Read through rules, frantically hope that it may be a spell this year. Then frantically hope that it'll be items again, so all the preparation won't be in vain.
4) Apply time, chocolate and more time.
5) Enter exam period, be focused on upcoming exams, and near-enough forget about Superstar until it is announced.
5) Look through the years preparation, write up new ideas, scrap at least a dozen of the old.
6) Get a "good feeling" about a number of ideas
7) Figure out exactly what that interesting form/object or this awesome sounding name does or what that particular function is likely to go in the shape of.
8) Write up the best ideas in 3-4 sentences. Choose 1-2 I feel the best about.
9) Write up those ideas, usually in full format at 200-400 words. Do exam. Fret over too little time. Try to add an additional hour to the day. Fail.
10) Return to ideas. Feel far best about one of the chosen. Kill my darlings by forcing myself to look over other ideas. Discard poor ones, brrod over good, reformulate as needed.
11) Return to favourite item. Fret over written exam. Read up for exam, while thinking about item. Create item, while thinking about Ancient Greek grammar. Wonder if applying Greek grammar rules could make me comprehend English grammar. Rework idea, twice.
12) Debate item name for half an hour, choose one for working title and write up at least two others.
13) Search for appropriate spells. Read through. Write synopsis for exam project. Fret over 300 signs including spaces. Realize that it is in fact 300 words. Breathe out. Apply chocolate or tea. Maybe both.
14) Change choice of spells. Read through new choice. Write appropriate description. Remember to set language to USA English.
15) Write a little more on another item. Self-esteem related breakdown, half-way decide to quit, recontemplate and decide that I'm bloody well going to do it.
16) Read a couple of thousand pages ancient literary criticism. Read more epic fantasy. Contemplate ideas. Re-contemplate.
17) Re-write one or the other item. Change to the other favourite. Decide that it's not at all innovative, return to the other, fret endlessly over it's flaws.
18) Rewrite to eliminate flaws. Run through list of things not to do. Change where appropriate. Mark entire text in yellow. Re-write, return approved text to write.
19) Re-write again. Deliver exam paper. Re-write some more. Apply a couple of days of relaxation. Feel pretty good about item. Alternate change idea.
20) Write or re-write. Contemplate next round. Decide to start posting on forums soon. Christmas. Post on forums. Read some people's thought. Get inspired to another rewrite.
Not yet done:
21) Decide to submit before last day. Realize I'll probably want to twist it some more. Check word-count. Remove some 50 words to get well under 300 (no more than 280). Re-write mechanics.
22) Maybe show boyfriend, who is power gamer, far more than me. Re-write. Remove abusable element. Rewrite some bloody bit more. Start to dislike.
23) Re-write for creativity. Like item again. Review critically. Then review not at all critically. Decide to go onwards.
24) Send to one or two friends, who can be trusted for constructive critique. Find their comments overly positive. Fret over all the flaws they probably didn't notice. Apply perfectionism. Dislike perfectionism. Re-write.
25) Either re-write ad nauseam, or submit. Check submission time on computer. Three times daily. Re-write some more.
26) Realize exam paper delivery is soon. Write 24000 signs for that. Fret over 300 words. Re-write.
27) Realize submission date is tomorrow. Fret some more. Panic mildly. Utilize preview function. Go through spelling. Once more wish for English to be native language. Fret over English punctuation rules. Read a tome on English grammar. Re-write, spell check, re-write, remove 20 more words. Check for passives, realize you define passive differently, due to excessive Greek grammar. Try to forget it. Fail. Re-write. Remove a dozen ",", some ";" and probably add some few ".". Then re-write. Dislike modern languages. Contemplate rewriting in Greek. Realize half the words don't exist, before I start. Re-write.
28) Possibly submit, fret over submission tool, fret over coding, possibly submit, fret over spell checking, fret over nothing in particular.
29) Eventually somewhere in the above process hit the submit bottom. Look at next round. Repeat. Worry crazy. Focus on last exam. Worry some more.
Approximately like that. Really.
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My process has not been what I thought it would be. It turned out to be:
1. Item close to what the judges suggest in the superstar panel comes to mind.
2. Pick some different variables, stat it out.
3. Get very upset with it and make something totally and randomly different.
4. After spending hours perfecting item #2 and making many versions, finally realize it's a SIAC and cry myself to sleep.
5. Come up with a cool idea inspired by an item I made previously as a PC and mull it over till i get something unique.
6. Make many versions of it that I try to include as 1 item (with different variants). Realize it's too many words AND does less stuff then I thought.
7. Pick the one variant I think is the coolest and run with it as it's own slightly more powerful more sexed up item.
8. Get paranoid about adding too many unnecessary effects and possibly being too violent.
9. Post this.
10. Sleep on it and repeat all over.
All right! Round one is all finished up. Has anyone started on their Round 2 entry yet? (Wishful thinking, I know.)
My process has been pretty different this time around. I spent some time to read though the organizations in Golarion, and I've actually made a notepad file with summaries of the ones I read about for quick reference. My goal has been to see what sorts of organizations have been explored, and where there might be some gaps.
Just that process alone has generated a few ideas for me.
In the meanwhile, I pretty much just live my life day-to-day and ideas will come to me as I'm working or indulging in some media, so I write them down to expand upon later.
Once again, I like to open a notepad file and just brainvomit everything I can about what each organization I think up might entail. I'm trying to read up about Golarion to find things to attach these organizations to so I can expand and refine them further.
My ideas are all still pretty nascent at the moment.
My creative process;
Step 1; try and fail to get to sleep, while stuff randomly pops into my head and entire worlds are born and die
Step 2; get frustrated and write some of the stuff down, so that it stops echoing around in my skull
Step 3; wake up and find a barely readable pile of gobbledigook on my bedstand
Step 4; decipher said gibberish and say, 'Hey, this one's pretty cool!'
That's pretty much it. I don't sit down and think 'I'm gonna create something!' I'm a complete hostage to my creativity, and I just have to write what the voices in my head tell me to write, or they won't let me sleep.
Step 1: Discover that RPG Superstar even exists, and read the rules to it.
Step 2: Fret about whether or not I have a chance and if I should try or if I'll just disappoint myself etc etc etc. Defeatist thinking in general.
Step 3: Submit the first random thing that comes to mind.
Step 4: Wonder whether my item already exists under a different name and I just hadn't heard of it before. Simultaneously, repeat Step 2, ad nauseam.
Aaaaaand that's my process in a nutshell. Total elapsed time from the beginning of Step 1 to completing Step 3 was like, 24 hours. Step 3 in particular was today's lunch break. Step 4 will be repeated continuously until results are revealed.
Interesting, that's not the first time I've heard about musing in the shower.
Guess my process is a bit more haphazard. Short version, wait until something congeals from the murky soup I call a mind. Long version, take inspiration from old ideas, what ever I've watched/read/drawn recently, bounce them around for a bit, let something spark, and see what flares up.
Mine is similar to an amalgamation of Set's, Jiggy's, and Adam's processes, save that I likely write less down than Set. I'm sure there was more rules reading (and a bit more research) than Jiggy indicated, but yeah. That's about it.
EDIT: OH, and also I don't sleep well wishing I had more money to spend on books and/or a faster internet connection to memorize all the magic items that came out with the other books. Also, edited for a word choice. Man, I wish I could do that to my entry. Right now. I'd be editing that puppy. Seriously right now.
In regards to Hodge Podge's #7, on pricing- You can end up spending as much time figuring out the price of an item as you do designing.I think I may have spent more time on pricing than the actual design and writing of the item last year. In the end I just ball-parked it.Pretty much ditto for me. It took about the same amount of time to price as to write out everything else. I ended up scrapping my initial attempts and just went the "this seems about right-ish" route.
Pricing is my sticky wicket, too. I can't be comfortable pricing anything. It just bothers me!
Now to fretting about everything.
All right! Round one is all finished up. Has anyone started on their Round 2 entry yet?
Yes. And I'm freaked out about them, too.
I've actually started working on all the round entries, and tied them together (although in ways that - I hope - are surprising and not directly obvious).
All right! Round one is all finished up. Has anyone started on their Round 2 entry yet? ...
Sure have, currently have a notepad text file on my desktop at home and work, using the preview template and I am "pencilling" in ideas and things I want to cover in the respective sections.
Adding as I think of cool stuff, removing some of the mundane stuff and generally visiting it as the days tick buy.
That way, when the time comes, I can write it up formally and have pretty focused and tight sections in short order.
I tried to make an item that dealt with an aspect of the game which is generally overlooked and needed a bit of fun design applied to it. Then I tried to make it work within a pricing scheme that would be appropriate for the general level of adventurer I would want using the item.
Now, whether its Superstar material to make something mundane into something interesting, or at least a little less banal is a matter for our panel of judges.
...I hope so for my sake! :)
Pretty much the same with me. Coming up with something that I've just not seen done was extremely frustrating - especially when I was trying to (as much as possible) follow the guidelines suggested. That's why I just kind of waited for something to come from the darkness and be revealed.