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In thinking about the Monster round, apparently my creative process is,
1. Come up with a brilliant idea for an unfilled niche.
2. Hit the Advanced Monster Search tool on D20PFSRD, looking for things that might fill that niche. Key step: hit the select all sources button.
3. Pore through results.
4. Realize that apparently I was just remembering a critter from an AP book I read a year or two ago.
5. Goto 1.
Sad -- my version had better visuals for exactly the same core ability mechanics, if I do say so myself. :p So that's at least good motivation to keep working!
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4. Realize that apparently I was just remembering a critter from an AP book I read a year or two ago.
I hate it when that happens! (Because it's been happening to me, too.)
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Hmmm, I wonder... Round 2 is monster creation, so where o where could I find inspiration.
A dangerous, potentially lethal, yet cunning plan... ( if you try this, I deny everything :D )
1) Get wife really, really angry with me ( leave both toilet seats up whenever I pass by them for example ;) )
2) Take notes of the resulting scary creature
3) Build scariest monster ever :D
Nah, I think I would rather stay alive and vote some more...
Nah, I think I would rather stay alive and vote some more...
You chose ... wisely.
I have been working on my entry for this year since RPGSS 2012 announced its top 32. It went through a major revision last year and was an alternate to my entry that finally got me in the top 32 last year. This year I reviewed my old alternates as well as the couple of new items I came up with over the past year for possible entry. I was about to submit one of those when I saw an issue with it and went with my old alternate instead. It is a fixable issue, and that item may see entry next year. Or I might enter the item I came up with this year, three days after the submission deadline. It's cool too. I basically have almost half a dozen items that I've created and continue to tweak that are possible entries each year. I usually drop off a couple and add a couple new ones each year.
My process for this year(my first).
1. Have players need something. Fail to find the item they were looking for(which did exist...). Wonder why there wasn't a better option to fulfill that need.
2. Churn the idea around on and off. How would that work, what would be a cool visual, appropriate slot, etc.
3. Decide on a merged concept that fills original niche, is a wondrous item, has a cool visual, and possible additional related effects.
4. Write it up.
5. Use Anthony's worked example & advice threads to fill gaps & tighten. Select spells & price. Make sure item is properly formatted.
6. Walk away.
7. Review/edit.
8. Walk away again.
9. Review/edit.
10. Have a few friends read/review, then edit again.
11. Submit.
Marathon Voter Season 7
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It's been interesting to see people's methods. I will note that I actually had to call my son to explain one method to me because it had me stumped...
The "find a hole in the rules method" was totally new to me. Guess I'm too old school. Once it was explained to me it did two things.
1. It opened up a whole class of possibilities for items that I'd seen before, but hadn't really analyzed from a perspective of understanding where they came from.
2. It explained a lot of really bad items that I've seen lately.
Does nobody else just fall asleep in a warm bath?
That's what I was preparing to do when I fell and hit my head.
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For this year's item, I browsed the spell lists in the PRD, looking for anything with a cool visual or mechanic, and asked myself "How can I twist this to do something new?"
Last year, I think I had watched Army of Darkness too recently, and it just popped into my head. It was working out the details of the mechanics that took all the work.
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Does nobody else just fall asleep in a warm bath?
That's how we got a lot of last year's archetypes. ;)
Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7
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I tend to run the opposite way for item design, Joseph. I tend to come up with the concept, let it bounce around in my cranium for a couple days (to figure out what would be the best way to accomplish what I am picturing mechanically or thematically ... basically trying to figure out what spells I could utilize to best fit the mechanic or thematic feel or the item), stat it up and let it sit for a few more days before going back and seeing if it really was a good idea. If so, then tweak it and get it to within word count.
Or I do a last minute mad rush due to writer's block and whip it together in a matter of about 30 minutes from first keystroke to submission.
I prefer the former to the latter method. ;)