stuff
I'm not sure that the Bladebound is better than a vanilla Magus, but I can see pros and cons for it. You are losing one arcana (which is exactly equivalent to a feat) and getting a modified Arcane Pool progression, in which your total points are always equal or higher than the normal progression, and your personal pool is at worst 4 points lower (only at lvl20). For this you:
-Will be way above the curve on equipment (The cost of a weapon equivalent to the Blade plus AP is minimum a quarter of your WBL, and isn't that low until lvl 20)
-Will be better against DR than most physical combatants, at 5 if you allocate your pool to enhancement you ignore almost all DR and at 9 you only need to worry about DR epic, s/p/b, and -.
-Will be able to pump your static damage modifiers as higher than any other Magus.
-will get a few utility powers with which YMMV
On the other hand I have a hard time seeing how the Spellblade isn't straight up worse than vanilla. You trade Spellstrike, for the Athame which gets you:
-a magic force dagger that can't be thrown at the cost of a spell/minute. Since it is force it ignores DR and can hit incorporeal.
-access to three more arcana options (YMMV but in my opinion they are awful, inefficient, and mediocre respectively)
TWF is not compatible with Spell Combat, makes you MAD, and is very feat intensive. To stay ahead of or equal the Black Blade's enhancement you need to burn your highest level spell each fight up until lvl 13 at which point your second highest will do.
Unless you are in a very ghost heavy campaign, I just don't see the advantage, and even I'm not sure how much better it is than spell combat with magic missile.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I preferred the Green Ranger over White. Dragon Dagger forever!I know I'm going to regret this, but I'll throw my two cents in. But let's preface, being 22 now, I was like six or seven when this was around so it is a more prevalent image than Elric and the rest.
When I first read the Bladebound archetype, I instantly thought of White Ranger and Saba....
*prepares to duck under thrown objects*
I'd love to get the dragon dagger's trumpet music as a ringtone actually.
Saba is an example of a 'bound weapon' that's not constantly trying to draw the wielder to the Dark Side though. (Now we just need the Magus to be able to summon an advanced Dire Tiger. :-))
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I'm not sure that the Bladebound is better than a vanilla Magus, but I can see pros and cons for it. You are losing one arcana (which is exactly equivalent to a feat) and getting a modified Arcane Pool progression, in which your total points are always equal or higher than the normal progression, and your personal pool is at worst 4 points lower (only at lvl20)...
You give up a little more than that, in so far as your 'modified' arcane pool progression is limited in what it can do (the blade's points can only work for the blade and vice-versa). You also (importantly) give up the chance to get a familiar - and familiars work especially well with the Magus class (for one thing you have more Hit Points than a straight Wizard, Witch, or Arcane Sorcerer, so your familiar is tougher), most notably the three new 'small' sized familiars (donkey rat, goat, and pig) which can all provide flanking, and (of course) the Improved Familiar list (small elementals can rock with a Magus). The limited options on the form of the Black Blade also limit your choices a little. Put another way - a Bladebound Magus has a magic sword; any other Magus can have a magic sword and a Familiar... Although how much, if at all, any of that stuff will be a concern will vary a lot depending on how you're planning on playing your Magus.
... For this you:
-Will be way above the curve on equipment (The cost of a weapon equivalent to the Blade plus AP is minimum a quarter of your WBL, and isn't that low until lvl 20)
Assuming you (or a friend) do your own Crafting (which is pretty much a must for a Magus, since they benefit so much from the straight +'X' weapons): a +1 weapon costs you 1,000gp, +2 4,000gp, +3, 9,000gp, +4 16,000gp, and +5 25,000gp.
Wealth by Level for the levels you can actually craft weapons of those bonues is: +1 / level 5 / 10,500gp, +2 / level 6 / 16,000gp, +3 / level 9 / 46,000gp, +4 / level 12 / 108,000gp, +5 / level 15 / 240,000gp.
So it's more like a maximum of a quarter of your WBL (with any forward planning at all), at level 6, but it goes down from there (to closer to 10% at level 15). Self-crafting, you also hit a +4 and +5 bonus one or two levels before a Black Blade does.
-Will be better against DR than most physical combatants, at 5 if you allocate your pool to enhancement you ignore almost all DR and at 9 you only need to worry about DR epic, s/p/b, and -.
The basic arcane pool weapon enhancements are what get you past DR, more than the hyper-expensive Black Blade Energy Attunement power.
-Will be able to pump your static damage modifiers as higher than any other Magus.
Yes - the Black Blade Strike is a good power. Looking at an 'average' 4 to 6 encounter adventuring day you'll need 4 to 6 points in your Black Blade's own pool to draw on that power every time. The highest level Black Blade only has 5 arcane pool points of its own, and will probably want to keep one of them aside to stay unbreakable. So even this good power becomes only a rare boost - something to horde for the BBEG - rather than a reliable increase... until you hit level 19 and it can start drinking life...
-will get a few utility powers with which YMMV
I think for a great deal of Magus build choices YMMV. It seems like a class that needs a little more planning than most, and it'll certainly help to know the style of game and setting you're playing in. Teleport Blade is a great example - in some games it's going to be a godsend, in others it will never, ever, be used.
On the other hand I have a hard time seeing how the Spellblade isn't straight up worse than vanilla. You trade Spellstrike, for the Athame which gets you:
It depends a lot on how much, and how, you're going to use Spellstrike otherwise. Generally the two big advantages of Spellstrike are the extra attack (which only becomes a reliable advantage once you've got the Close Range arcana, or play a Hexcrafter with the Accursed Strike arcana, and can Spellstrike off 0-level spells, and which gives the best payoff with the biggest base damage weapons), and the extra critical range on the spell's damage (which gives the most pay-off for high damage, single-shot, type spells - if you're building a Magus around Shocking Grasp, for example, the chance to trigger a doubling of that damage off of your 15-20 threat-range keen scimitar is a very nice thing).
If you're looking more at self-buffing type spells as your mainstay, for example, then Spellstrike gets progressively less important.
-a magic force dagger that can't be thrown at the cost of a spell/minute. Since it is force it ignores DR and can hit incorporeal.
A magic force dagger with an enhancement bonus on top of whatever your arcane pool weapon enhancement is pushing out in the first place...
-access to three more arcana options (YMMV but in my opinion they are awful, inefficient, and mediocre respectively)
I'l' agree that YMMV here... ;)
TWF is not compatible with Spell Combat, makes you MAD, and is very feat intensive.
TWF is not compatible with Spell Combat, but the Spellblade makes it interchangable with Spell Combat, which is one of the main points of the archetype. Obviously, if you're planning on blasting out spell after spell, round after round, then Spellblade isn't for you. If you plan on perhaps regulating your resource expenditure a little more carefully (which, again, will depend a lot on the style of campaign and play) then a Spellblade (with TWF) can keep up the Magus's attack rate without needing to use Spell Combat all the time.
You also get access to the TWF Feats like Two-Weapon Defense, and Double Slice - YMMV on how much you like them in the first place, of course.
A TWF Spellblade is not really any more MAD than any Dex-focused Magus. You skip the whole Dervish Dance thing to do a TWF thing instead... Plus you can Piranna Strike with light weapons...
Also, you don't have to use the Force Athame for TWF - it's just the most obvious option.
... To stay ahead of or equal the Black Blade's enhancement you need to burn your highest level spell each fight up until lvl 13 at which point your second highest will do.
Your main weapon will likely be equaling or outsripping the Black Blade's raw + 'X' anyway. By level 11 you can use Improved Spell Recall to generate a level 4 spell with a 'mere' 2 arcane pool points, by level 13 that investment gets you a level 5 spell... if you don't happen to have any spare unused spells floating about by then, of course.
With a Pool-sourced Athame you can nova a +5 blade at level 3... chances are you don't want to, but the option's there.
Besides - Spellblade isn't incompatable with the Bladebound archetype - you can have both, it's not an either / or deal.
Unless you are in a very ghost heavy campaign, I just don't see the advantage, and even I'm not sure how much better it is than spell combat with magic missile.
Maybe 'different' more than 'better'? No concentration checks for TWF, as compared with Spell Combat, for a start. Magic Missiles are one-shot, Force Athame lasts a whole fight.
It depends on what you're looking for in your Magus build, true, but unless you really design the guy to maximise his Spellstrike potential, then why not take Spellblade and increase your options?
The stories are so good that it's worth the hassle of converting to pathfinder.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I find it relatively easy to write up, say, a 8th level fighter as a villain.
What takes time is to write the story. What's the adventure about? Why are the PC's there? Elric! (and Call of Cthulhu, also Chaosium) are generally excellent for the stories that are there, and very GM friendly as well, with advice for alternate hooks, what to do if the PC's get off track, and sometimes multiple endings as well.
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I preferred the Green Ranger over White. Dragon Dagger forever!I know I'm going to regret this, but I'll throw my two cents in. But let's preface, being 22 now, I was like six or seven when this was around so it is a more prevalent image than Elric and the rest.
When I first read the Bladebound archetype, I instantly thought of White Ranger and Saba....
*prepares to duck under thrown objects*
The Dragon dagger was one of the few MMPR toys I still had until; senior year of High School. I'd still have it were it not for a fire in our storage shed.
Elric really started the "anti-hero" character type.Eh. Contributed to its modern popularity certainly, but started... no.
After all, Elric (like Tolkien's Turin Turambar) was a direct lift from Kullervo in the Kalevala.
Not exactly a direct lift. I mean okay the part about a sentient sword, sure. There's a lot more that can be drawn about the arc of his character though. It has been stated that he was the "anti-conan". Where Conan was a savage who would eventually become king, who thrived on animal instinct and had a distrust for magic, Elric begins his journey as emperor, is introspective and doubts himself, and relies on magic to live.
So who, then, was the first antihero?
Elric really started the "anti-hero" character type.Eh. Contributed to its modern popularity certainly, but started... no.
After all, Elric (like Tolkien's Turin Turambar) was a direct lift from Kullervo in the Kalevala.
Not exactly a direct lift. I mean okay the part about a sentient sword, sure. There's a lot more that can be drawn about the arc of his character though. It has been stated that he was the "anti-conan". Where Conan was a savage who would eventually become king, who thrived on animal instinct and had a distrust for magic, Elric begins his journey as emperor, is introspective and doubts himself, and relies on magic to live.
So who, then, was the first antihero?
Going to ahve to be Elric. Elric was in fact stated to be anti-theclassicherostereotype of the time. Conan was a popular fantasy character and Elreic was intentionally his opposite. Where conan was strong, Elric was weak. Where Conan paid mere lip service to his god and hated magic, Elric relied on higher powers and magic to get through the day. Where Canan was a bronze god, Elric was an albino. Where Conan's friends lived, Elric's met with terrible fates. And not to spoil anything but let's jsut say if Conan becomes king you can guess where Elric ends up.
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Not exactly a direct lift. I mean okay the part about a sentient sword, sure.
Bit more to it than that. All three were heirs to a noble line which died with them. All three committed incest. All three were cursed to bring ruin to all around them. And, of course, in the final scene of each story all three swords get asked the same question and give the same answer (despite never having spoken before).
So who, then, was the first antihero?
Hmmm... Gilgamesh? Set? Oedipus? Lucifer? Faust? Depends on what definition of 'anti-hero' we're using.
Not exactly a direct lift. I mean okay the part about a sentient sword, sure.Bit more to it than that. All three were heirs to a noble line which died with them. All three committed incest. All three were cursed to bring ruin to all around them. And, of course, in the final scene of each story all three swords get asked the same question and give the same answer (despite never having spoken before).
So who, then, was the first antihero?Hmmm... Gilgamesh? Set? Oedipus? Lucifer? Faust? Depends on what definition of 'anti-hero' we're using.
I understand, I'm just trying to push you from declaring it "directly lifted from" to being "clearly inspired by". There's enough other stuff going on in Elric to say it isn't simply derivative. :)
Some decent points
I think you are misunderstanding me a bit, I'm not praising the glory of the Bladebound. I think that what it gains is a roughly even trade for what it loses.
The loss of the points in your personal AP pool hurts, and the Black Blades powers aren't necessarily an even trade for them, as I only see Black Blade Strike as being consistently useful, everything else is incredibly situational(I wasn't thinking about Energy attunement when I was talking about DR).
Getting the Blade itself for one Arcana I think is a great trade. Being guaranteed the magic weapon you want (and bladebound is only an option if the weapon you want is on the list) for free early on is pretty good. Crafting your own weapons is almost as good(it still cost more), but my comparison to a feat wasn't entirely fair. In a lot of ways a feat is more valuable than an Arcana, since a feat can become an Arcana and the reverse is not true, and the Magus is pretty feat starved.
The spellblade on the other hand, I'm not saying that it is a bad trade for Spellstrike... that's just adding insult to injury.
- When you get your athame at level 2, it is slightly superior to being able to spontaneously cast Magic Weapon, on daggers, that you can't throw...
- At level 7, you could use your only level 3 spell to make it +3 for a minute, or you could cast greater magic weapon and make a dagger +2 for 7 hours.
There isn't a single spell level where I can imagine sacrificing a spell to get the athame being anywhere near as useful as just casting a spell.
On top of that, the Arcanas:
- Pool Sourced Athame: It is horribly inefficient, but I'll grant you the low level nova capability.
- Throw Athame: an arcana to be able to throw the athame, ending its duration if it hits... Really?!?! Do I need to start making comparisons to magic missile again?
- Spellblade Parry: Seems ok... until you compare it to Spell Shield. Immediate action against melee vs immediate action, spell level vs int bonus, dismiss athame vs 1 ap, deflection vs shield. The only way Spellblade Parry is better, is if you cast shield each fight.
I was looking forward to the Spellblade the most out of the Magus archetypes, I love the flavour, but you are trading a decent (at worst) class feature, and good spells for a mediocre off hand weapon for a class that really shouldn't be trying to TWF...
I'll grant, it's better than Vow of Poverty, but as far as I'm concerned it gets tossed into the same "Only for use in masochistic RP builds" bin.
(Disclaimer: I do not believe that RP is masochistic, or that playing an unoptimized is in any way wrong. An intentionally weak character can make for (but does not guarantee) good roleplaying, but the player must accept that they will most likely "suffer for their art" in any situation where the weaknesses are showcased.)
Oh and more on the primary topic, if I could play a Bladebound with a Blade anywhere near as awesome as any of Brust's intelligent weapons...
I still can't decide if I'd rather play a game he ran, or eat a meal he cooked...
ProfPotts and Froze_Man, just wanted to let you two know that I've really enjoyed you guys' discussion. I was really drawn to the Spellblade archetype initially, but I have reservations about it, for all the reasons FM listed. My main concerns are the loss of spellstrike (obviously) as well as the extra feats required (my opinion is that if you were able to use the dagger as if you had the TWF feat, sort of like flurry of blows, the archetype would become a much more viable option). I have a feeling my next character will be a magus, so I'm going to be chewing over the pros and cons for some time to come.
ichigo vs elric would be hilarious. elric would laugh hysterically and stab ichigo repeatedly before his sorceror tendencies would kick in.... but erekose? well i think we know that would go?
Unless this Ichigo is horribly more powerful, there would be no reason to stab him repeatedly. Just 1 point of damage would rip out his soul unless Elric's player rolled very badly.
Course, this scenario is assuming you do two things.
1. Go by the novels where even being nicked by Stormbringer ripped out your soul.
2. In Chaosium's d20 OGL Elric book, "Lords of Melnibone", Stormbringer is a bastard sword (forget all the enchantments, but it's like a epic level weapon) plus the added that if it damages you, it also does 1d100 Con DRAIN. Yeah. 1 dmg = insta kill 80% of the time.
Also, on the "anti-hero" discussion, Moorcock actually hates the term, especially when Elric is referred to as an anti-hero. Just a fun fact. Carry on.
50 episodes into Bleach.
It's much as I feared: Took me this long to get anywhere remotely interesting as one fight can easily span 3 episodes. A simple plot line such as "break into the enemy fort and rescue the girl," which can be accomplished in a single episode, instead takes dozens and dozens (many of which aren't even related to the central plot line).
Also...
Nobody. Ever. Dies. (Not even when both arms are nearly severed, skull is cracked open, and their heart impaled!)
Unless you're a character that appears almost exclusively in flashbacks. God forbid you're in a flashback.
Kind of kills the intensity of it, knowing all that.
So I have concluded that Bleach is utter garbage. Nothing more than a series of unrelated short stories that span whole seasons filled with dribble made up by the writers as they go (rather than putting in a lot of forethought and writing a real story).
In short: It's a series of fights for kids using minimal story as an excuse for the fighting.
50 episodes into Bleach.
It's much as I feared: Took me this long to get anywhere remotely interesting as one fight can easily span 3 episodes. A simple plot line such as "break into the enemy fort and rescue the girl," which can be accomplished in a single episode, instead takes dozens and dozens (many of which aren't even related to the central plot line).
Also...
Nobody. Ever. Dies. (Not even when both arms are nearly severed, skull is cracked open, and their heart impaled!)
Unless you're a character that appears almost exclusively in flashbacks. God forbid you're in a flashback.
Kind of kills the intensity of it, knowing all that.
That's Shonen jump anime in a nutshell.
That's Shonen jump anime in a nutshell.
How on earth did this become a popular trend?
How on earth did this become a popular trend?That's Shonen jump anime in a nutshell.
Fangirls.
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ProfPotts and Froze_Man, just wanted to let you two know that I've really enjoyed you guys' discussion...
Cheers! I've enjoyed it too - I find it helps to toss this sort of stuff back and forth, if only to see where the cracks develop, before plunging into a game with a hastily written up character. Froze_man indeed raises some valid points, especially about how useless Pool Sourced Athame gets past the low levels (once you hit Improved Spell Recall it's an arcana you will never, ever, use again).
I was really drawn to the Spellblade archetype initially, but I have reservations about it, for all the reasons FM listed. My main concerns are the loss of spellstrike (obviously) as well as the extra feats required (my opinion is that if you were able to use the dagger as if you had the TWF feat, sort of like flurry of blows, the archetype would become a much more viable option). I have a feeling my next character will be a magus, so I'm going to be chewing over the pros and cons for some time to come.
A couple of things to keep in mind are:
a) All Spellstrike really does is change your 'designated touching thing' from your hand to your weapon - unless you design the character around capitalising on the advantages that provides (hence all the keen scimitar builds), then it's not as good as it can seem at first glance. Without it your melee touch spells still get the free touch attack they normally get - Spellstrike adds some damage, not any extra attacks.
b) A Magus using Spell Combat is already using a form of TWF, along with the normal penalties (needs a full round action, -2 to attack), but with the added penalty of needing to make concentration checks as well 'cos he's casting in melee. With a Dex-based Magus build TWF and Spellblade adds options to what you can do in combat - and TWF doesn't require concentration.
All of which is to say... it can be a viable build if you build it right... which is pretty much true for the Magus as a whole, it seems. Some classes can get away with any old scatter-shot design and still play well - Magus really isn't one of 'em.
I would say that he's probably at enough of an advantage that most Magus who don't go staff-based should be looking into it.
I'm not so sure - mostly because a Familiar is such a boon for a Magus... and really that's the choice you're making when you contemplate taking a Bladebound Magus - do you want a Familiar or a Familiar-like magic sword (which is what the Black Blade essentially is)?
Generally though, I do love the flavour of the Bladebound Magus archetype... partially, I guess, because I have fond memories of playing, as GM, the various intelligent Runeswords the PCs picked up in first edition Palladium Fantasy RPG and really screwing with the PCs' heads... ;)
I know i am little late to the party but still...
Yes my answer to the OP also is Elric.
I have been for a really long time to make Elric into a character for a game, and until recently i couldn't done it. Now i can.
PS. Can anyone tell me how is it called the stormbringer's sister sword? (i have only read the books in Greek)
I know i am little late to the party but still...
Yes my answer to the OP also is Elric.
I have been for a really long time to make Elric into a character for a game, and until recently i couldn't done it. Now i can.PS. Can anyone tell me how is it called the stormbringer's sister sword? (i have only read the books in Greek)
Mournblade if I recall correctly.. it's been decades though,
James
You are correct, sir.
Thank you both.
its funny I thought of Morrolan rom the vlad taltos novels before elrik.Bah, Vlad is better.
Morrolan may have have found Blackwand but Vlad MADE Lady Teldra and she's a much cooler weapon.
While I totally agree with you, given how much this thread has been showcasing how many awesome fantasy series are seriously under read by this group, (and I think I need to track down Elric myself), that should probably go in a spoiler tag.
I'm not so sure - mostly because a Familiar is such a boon for a Magus... and really that's the choice you're making when you contemplate taking a Bladebound Magus - do you want a Familiar or a Familiar-like magic sword (which is what the Black Blade essentially is)?
That would be right at the top of my list of good points you've made. I always forget familiars because, well, I always forget familiars... and so does everyone else I play PF with. I've always thought that Loiosh (From Brust's novels) is what a familiar should be like, but that requires the GM to actively role-play it, and GMs tend to be the worst for forgetting familiars. On top of that I think roleplaying your own familiar/cohort/eidolon is kinda masturbatory. What all that means is that I don't even consider choosing them anymore, and the best anyone in my group has done in a long time is the old "Toad of Toughness"
I know they can be awesome, but they are one of my blindspots.
Of course, all of that wall of text is probably just the reaction you wanted. I seriously doubt that you actually watched even close to 50 episodes. My guess is less than 10. Either that or you just went in so prejudiced against it that you refused to see what is there. Your insults add to this perception.
Was that the reaction I wanted? I dunno about that. I was hoping someone would post a response of some kind though.
In any case, as of this writing I have watched the first 65 episodes. You are welcome to test me if you'd like.
For better or worse I will likely keep watching it too, not because I like it, but because it's the summer and all my normal shows have dried up leaving me with nothing better.
Of course, all of that wall of text is probably just the reaction you wanted. I seriously doubt that you actually watched even close to 50 episodes. My guess is less than 10. Either that or you just went in so prejudiced against it that you refused to see what is there. Your insults add to this perception.Was that the reaction I wanted? I dunno about that. I was hoping someone would post a response of some kind though.
In any case, as of this writing I have watched the first 65 episodes. You are welcome to test me if you'd like.
For better or worse I will likely keep watching it too, not because I like it, but because it's the summer and all my normal shows have dried up leaving me with nothing better.
Any redeeming qualities? Things you'd actually like if they didn't take so long to play out? I'm just curious about your mindset considering how much you've invested into something you seem to be fundamentally opposed to... perhaps you like having something to hate?
Saying otherwise is like saying Babylon 5 has no forethought and no real story after having watched season 1.
Babylon 5 got to the point. If it takes your series close to a hundred episodes to understand you're doing it wrong. Lot's of animes are guilty of this.
Babylon 5 got to the point. If it takes your series close to a hundred episodes to understand you're doing it wrong. Lot's of animes are guilty of this.
Saying otherwise is like saying Babylon 5 has no forethought and no real story after having watched season 1.
Eh, the first season was a lot of filler... They got to the point by the end of the first season. Best. Show. Ever.
Any redeeming qualities? Things you'd actually like if they didn't take so long to play out? I'm just curious about your mindset considering how much you've invested into something you seem to be fundamentally opposed to... perhaps you like having something to hate?
The emotional drama, although rare, is pretty good (i.e. - the death of Ichigo's mother).
The greater story (i.e. - rescue friend from execution) is alright, but it needs to be condensed from 50 episodes to around 5.
That's about it. To me, the rest of it is like anime for young people with A.D.D.
"we are going to rescue our friend!"
But first we need to fight this guard standing in our way.
While the guard makes an opening charge, the good guys split up and go around him (defeating the whole point of their even being a guard I might add) the remaining good guy defender has a lengthy flashback about how he and his charging foe used to be great friends.
Then we start to follow the other characters who split up and the various foes/problems that they encounter.
Then we conclude the flashback.
Then we conclude the opening charge (finally!).
Then we start and finish the fight, often with frequent interruptions of scenes from the other characters (including some of their own flashbacks or monologues).
Then nobody gets seriously hurt or killed (cause, you know, they used to be friends and all).
ONLY THEN do then they continue forward with the intention of rescuing their friend (often with a larger cast that now has to have their own off-topic flashbacks/monologues).
Inception was easier to follow!
I talk a lot about it's negative points, but looking back, I guess my only real complaints are its HORRIBLE PACING and the fact that no one ever really dies.
Eh, the first season was a lot of filler... They got to the point by the end of the first season. Best. Show. Ever.Babylon 5 got to the point. If it takes your series close to a hundred episodes to understand you're doing it wrong. Lot's of animes are guilty of this.
Saying otherwise is like saying Babylon 5 has no forethought and no real story after having watched season 1.
Are you talking about B5 or Bleach here. The first season of B5 has virtually no filler, you just don't understand events' importance except in hindsight. Upon repeated viewing season 1 is possibly my favorite because of how intricately woven the story/continuity is and every single episode something important transpires for the characters and/or for the greater story arc.
For better or worse I will likely keep watching it too, not because I like it, but because it's the summer and all my normal shows have dried up leaving me with nothing better.
[THREADJACK]Then I should recommend Record of Lodos War. It's quite cliche at the beginning, but it turns really interesting, around chapter 5, and the second season is epic.
Did I mention it draws heavily from D&D, its basically what the movie should have been.
Also, I'll have the audacity of recommending the more readily available "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic", although taint by its predecessors, manages to pull a self-conscious, hilarious, endearing and sometimes epic show that has attracted a large periphery demographic. If you liked Invader Zim, you may also like this show. [/THREADJACK]
Humbly,
Yawar
PSD: I am 23 year old male economist and I like Twilight Sparkle.
Seen Lodoss War and all of Invader Zim. They are sitting on my bedroom shelf in fact.
My Little Pony? You for reals?
Seen Lodoss War and all of Invader Zim. They are sitting on my bedroom shelf in fact.
My Little Pony? You for reals?
It is rather amusing though the fanbase terrifies me.
Seen Lodoss War and all of Invader Zim. They are sitting on my bedroom shelf in fact.
My Little Pony? You for reals?
Yes. I became curious because of the Ponyfinder april's fool, naturally, I made a little research and became interested after reading a few reviews. I was completly hooked by the third episode by the reason.
Besides a few title changes due to executive medling, my only complaint about the show is one episode that I found extremely hilarious, but has character derailment. 24 episodes and only one complaint, its that good.
It is rather amusing though the fanbase terrifies me.
That's huge generalization. However, what did you expected from the fandom in deviantart and 4chan?
That same thing can be said, to a lesser or greater degree, about any comtemporary kid show with peripherical demographic.
Humbly,
Yawar
To me there is only one fantasy anime: Berzerk!
The plain realization that the anime artists for long-running series are, maybe 1% of the time, as artistically talented as the actual manga-ka was enough to turn me off of anime.
There are some stellar sequences in some of the extremely long shounen manga anime. But, it's not worth sitting through all of the pregnant pauses and long minutes of people with twitching eyebrows making the "Ughk... gkk.. ukkgg" noise to synth music.
And doesn't Kubo Tite just run his story by ear, anyways?
Anyways, the bladebound magus is great because you are guaranteed to get a badass sword at the levels it becomes appropriate. My rogue ended Serpent's Skull with a pair of +2 weapons. The magus would have ended with a +5 and change. It's just nicer.
And, teleport blade has a ton of uses. Frightened and drop your weapon? SHAZAM! Disarmed? SHAZAM! Monster getting away? TOSS-- AND SHAZAM! It's just so neat.
The plain realization that the anime artists for long-running series are, maybe 1% of the time, as artistically talented as the actual manga-ka was enough to turn me off of anime.
I was pretty hardcore into anime until maybe 6 or 7 years ago. The new stuff coming out is just really low quality IMO. Lots of stuff aimed at children and adolescents, stuff that just goes on forever. Give me a Trigun or a Cowboy Bebop, or even Lain, something with 13-26 episodes to tell a story over and I'm happy. 200+ episodes? Come on...
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The plain realization that the anime artists for long-running series are, maybe 1% of the time, as artistically talented as the actual manga-ka was enough to turn me off of anime.I was pretty hardcore into anime until maybe 6 or 7 years ago. The new stuff coming out is just really low quality IMO. Lots of stuff aimed at children and adolescents, stuff that just goes on forever. Give me a Trigun or a Cowboy Bebop, or even Lain, something with 13-26 episodes to tell a story over and I'm happy. 200+ episodes? Come on...
Most of the current shows have about 13 episodes. And Stein's Gate or Tiger & Bunny are pretty good (as are several other shows of the current season). I'd say, if anything, anime shows have gotten better.
Of course, there are shows like Naruto and Bleach, too, but even those are much better than 'classics' like Dragon Ball.
I'd say, if anything, anime shows have gotten better.
If you've found any relatively new anime that's on par in quality with Outlaw Star, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, and the like, PLEASE SHARE.
On a side note, Ichigo is a somewhat poor representation of a Magus considering he is utterly incapable of using the magic system in Bleach - replace the Magus spells with a Master Chymist feature and we're talking.
Kuchiki Byakuya is probably the best example of integrating spells and combat - now if anyone wants to stat up a magic weapon for his Senbonzakura, they'll be my hero. (Sword that can perform a "Flurry of Blows" as if with Keen Shuriken as a standard action?)
I'd say, if anything, anime shows have gotten better.If you've found any relatively new anime that's on par in quality with Outlaw Star, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, and the like, PLEASE SHARE.
26 episodes? Sci-fi? Newer than the series you mentioned? Maybe you'd like Gurren Lagann.
26 episodes? Sci-fi? Newer than the series you mentioned? Maybe you'd like Gurren Lagann.
Saw it on Netflix. It has the same kind of ridiculous escalation I see in Shounen anime. Still, it's pretty good. Very unique too. I strongly suspect the crazy escalation therein is meant only as a parody of other anime like DBZ, but that might just be me.
Unlike Bleach (where nobody important dies) or DBZ (where dying doesn't matter due to wishes) important people in Gurren Lagann do die, sometimes from the most mundane things.