RPG Superstar 2014 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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For the record, I'm not sure if we should be discussing this yet.
Springheart was my second favorite. Rod of Ghost Teeth was my #1
It's ok to discuss the Top 32 entries, but you should wait until the official Critique My Item thread opens before you start talking about the items that didn't make the Top 32. Let the finalists enjoy the limelight for a while, they deserve it. :)
I really loved Ice Fang. During the voting, I showed it (and Mikko's example fireball sword) to one of my friends who never stops ranting that there aren't enough weapons that do cool things in the game. He recently got into a frenzy of buying magic item books, but was really disappointed to see that most weapons are either SIAC or give you situational bonuses. So I asked him, "Is this the kind of weapon you're looking for?" His response: "Yeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssss."
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Widow's Web by a wide margin was my favorite over my own item and even over the fine work of my pit crew which also included some amazing work.
I liked that item more than anything in the top 32 (no offense.) It is this year's Amber Robes in that I feel it was so good that I'd be afraid to try and hire them for fear my rates would insult them.
I'm outright baffled by it's exclusion to a degree that has me considering not participating as a contestant next year.
I'm starting to think that my gaming ascetics have diverged to a degree that is incompatible with the current regime at Paizo. Mythic Rules was a big misstep for me and I'm on the fence about the hybrid classes. Pathfinder Unchained is either going to right the ship or tow the Fonzi to that shark ramp he has set up...
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 4
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Star Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Snowblossom
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Widow's Web by a wide margin was my favorite over my own item and even over the fine work of my pit crew which also included some amazing work.
Widow's Web was my favorite as well. I had really hoped to see it in the Top 32.
Clothiron Dagger, Surveying Ordinance, and Staff of the Seven Bells.
I knew Surveying Ordinance wouldn't make Top 32 but I loved it.
Clothiron was just so...cinematic.
Staff of the Seven Bells was my favorite staff. Really surprised not to see it in the Top.
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Guys, when a judge requests 'wait until the official Critique My Item thread opens before you start talking about the items that didn't make the Top 32', maybe you should consider waiting until the official Critique My Item thread opens before you start talking about the items that didn't make the Top 32.
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I was fond of Rondelero's Kiss myself. Strong visuals and an interesting play style mechanic.
Also, thanks for the praise on Springheart. Looking at the winners I can see I'll need to bring something stronger mechanically next year, but at least someone liked it.
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I'd say it's a tie between Chrysalis Carapace and Harvestweal for me. Both had really strong themes supported by a host of great abilities. Neither are autobuys in any campaign, but they're both items I'd love to receive and give out.
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Widow's Web by a wide margin was my favorite over my own item and even over the fine work of my pit crew which also included some amazing work.
I liked that item more than anything in the top 32 (no offense.) It is this year's Amber Robes in that I feel it was so good that I'd be afraid to try and hire them for fear my rates would insult them.
I'm outright baffled by it's exclusion to a degree that has me considering not participating as a contestant next year.
I was actually the author of both the amber robe and the widow’s web.
GM_Solspiral, I assure you I am not in the freelancing business for the money. I do it for the pleasure of writing, and for the occasional kind words said by people I respect. So, thank you.
Please PM me whenever you want with any projects you’d like me to contribute to or otherwise assist with. I really hope nobody ever gets discouraged. I plan to submit every year until I can’t anymore (one way or another).
I think there were a lot of awesome items this year that didn’t make the cut (but maybe I have odd tastes). I didn’t keep a good list, but the bonewarp chain and catapulting full plate stand out in my memory for their mojo. The covenskein net was just so close to my idea, that I want to compliment whoever saw the same design space.
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I liked that creepy Bates bow that you needed to call mother.
I liked that earth breaker that bite foes and let you move them like Bam-Bam.
I liked that joke item The Axe of the Metal Lord! It was better than a lot of serious items, if only because of formating.
@Jaragil thanks for the kind words for my chrysalis carapace!
The Alchemists Retort was my favorite
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
aka Jiggy
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I really had a thing for that shortsword that gave you a bonus to ID monsters if you looked at their reflections in the blade as a move action. Sure, technically it was a skill bonus in a can, but it was evocative and different, clean and elegant, and was a refreshing change of pace from the parade of "I have to be uber and cost 150k to be superstar" that pervades the contest. It made me smile, and I would totally put it in any game where one of my players was a shortsword user.
The Staff of Arrows was my personal favorite
low strength archers everywhere thank you.
The Movable Rod and Rod of Iron Rose were the items I liked the best. I run games with no magic items in them at all, and those two were interesting enough to me that I would consider including items like them in the future--specifically, very useful, sideways-puzzle-solving items that are NOT math bumps, and that won't ever feel "necessary" or like you character's core schtick.
Frankly, I didn't like much of the top 32--only two weak keeps on my list made it, plus the Iron Rose Rod is an alternate. I also didn't like any item mentioned in this thread so far except the Medic ring, though, so, my taste is clearly off from the rest.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8
aka Jrcmarine
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Hmm I am going to break the rules and post my top 5.
First World Sliver (Lance)
Raven Leather
Molten Belcher
Enkindled Quarterstaff
Fury of the Mountain (Hammer)
What kills me is that none of my top 5 made top 32. I had several of my top 32 make it- Pyroclastic Spike, Rod of Exorcism, Psychopomp's Crosier, Earthcracker, Spectre's Blight and Fraud's Rod.... but not my top 5. Hell not even my top 8!
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I dislike items involving witches and swamps, yet Covenskein Net was one of my favourites.
I also loved both the Catapult Ring, and the Catapulting Armor. Emberflail, too.
Of the ones that made it, the Keyhole Stiletto, Swarmstrike Caster, and The Hero's Breath were the only ones in my top list.
The staff of the imperials was perhaps my favorite overall, though there were many strong contenders this year. To me, that staff was one of those rare moments where a four-elements theme was not only executed well, but also done in a way that kept me from rolling my eyes. The imagery of the item was quite beautiful as well. Even if the designer chooses not come forward, to you I say, "Well done, well done."
I'll wait until the official thread opens to talk more about my favourites, but so far I see a lot of the items I really liked
If you mean the "Official Critique My Item Thread", then you'll be pleased to know that Mark unlocked the thread earlier today, just before 2 pm PST. :)
Thanks, Nazard; I appreciate the kind comments about the catapult ring.
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Three contenders for my favorite item (none of which made the top 32):
moveable rod - while arguably derivative of a pre-existing item (which may have cost it votes), I think this does a great job of finding its own niche while still being an incredibly versatile item that players get to come up with their own uses for. (Much like its inspiration, the immovable rod. The fact that it does the parent item justice is part of why I always upvoted this.)
staff of thin air - in a field glutted with many, many teleport items, this one stood out to me as the coolest. Taking a hard look at it now, i can see reasons why it might not have made it (it's arguably more useful for its special ability than for any of the staff spells it can cast) but damn, it has a great visual and is fun.
sylvan arrow - 'What', you say, 'big deal, it makes a tree'. Well, to me, that just screams fun and again, an item with a lot of potentially creative uses. You can create obstacles, use it as a ladder to climb a wall, make a quick & convenient source of firewood... okay, but a feather token does the same thing for less? Well, can you shoot a feather token at a square, put right under someone and send them flying up in the air with it? No? THOUGHT SO.
Three contenders for my favorite item (none of which made the top 32):
moveable rod - while arguably derivative of a pre-existing item (which may have cost it votes), I think this does a great job of finding its own niche while still being an incredibly versatile item that players get to come up with their own uses for. (Much like its inspiration, the immovable rod. The fact that it does the parent item justice is part of why I always upvoted this.)
Agreed. This was my favorite item for exactly that reason. It played off an absolute classic of an item and did it in a way that perfectly complemented the original. At the same time, it's very much its own item. A very, very difficult task to pull of, and it did it!
Springheart and jailbird's sweetheart were my favorites, and I'm sad neither of them made Top 32 (though I'm not surprised, my favorite items last year didn't make it either).
I liked both of those, too, and felt pretty certain one or the other would show up in the top 32.
@Four Horsemen — Pestilence @nazard
Agree with you on the covenskein net.
Springheart was a favorite among myself and several of my friends.
I also quite liked Surveyor's Ordnance, Movable Rod (gah, I guess the derivativeness kept it from top 32, but I was SURE I was going to see it there).
Really loved the Rheumatic Rod and the Heavyweight Hatchet, the Gorgon Sword, the Liquid Lash, the Sylvan Arrow that someone else mentioned, the Rod of Eldritch Horror, the Armour of the Hare....
...yeah, I was pretty off my predictions for what would make Top 32, but to those of you who created these items: you won big with this fan, anyway.
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Of the Top 32, I really did like Interrogator's Ally, and I thought the Windstrider Mail and Rod of the Iron Rose were pretty neat as well, however they ultimately weren't among my absolute favorites. I should add that I didn't see many of the others; I like the Ophidian Coil now that I have seen it. Still skeptical of earthbreakers due to the Thunder & Fang feat.
I tended to look for A) cool value, B) clarity of description, and C) correct mechanics/pricing/etc, usually in that order. I was more willing to overlook incorrect Price/Cost than I was spelling mistakes and horrible grammar. I also tended to look at items as both a GM (would this break my game?) and player (if I found this, would my first response be "oooh!" or "Appraise check?").
So, my personal Top 12 (in no particular order): Springheart, Interrogator's Ally, Serpent's Tongue, Norgorber's Lens, Ring of the Clockwork Sentinel, Ephemeral Staff, Soulwhisper, Rod of Illusory Casting, Musty Cuirass, Raven Leather, Sickle of Spatial Sundering, and Windpath Razor.
I second that rheumatic rod. truly fantastic. I have not seen its like before. deserved top 32.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Rusty Ironpants
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I really loved Ice Fang. During the voting, I showed it (and Mikko's example fireball sword) to one of my friends who never stops ranting that there aren't enough weapons that do cool things in the game. He recently got into a frenzy of buying magic item books, but was really disappointed to see that most weapons are either SIAC or give you situational bonuses. So I asked him, "Is this the kind of weapon you're looking for?" His response: "Yeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssss."
Thanks! I am glad that you and your friend both liked it!
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
aka Jiggy
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Another item I really liked was the shield that would let you use mirror image a couple times per day, and then "spend" an image to have it attack an opponent so that they'd be unguarded against your real attack. Loved that shield.
Springheart, Jailbairds Sweetheart, Mindtap, and the Dreamers Staff all deserved to be top 32.
It's pretty discouraging that they weren't.
Springheart, Staff of the Seven Bells, and Widow's Web were all amazing in my opinion. All of them would have gotten votes over my item, luckily that never happened for me. :-)
Here were the ones I liked best that didnt make top-32:
Ring of Metamagic thievery
rod of eldritch horror
soulfire band
arbalest of aurochs
jailbirds sweetheart
captains nostalgia
movable rod
ghost moon bow
tormentor (culled chainsaw)
soul whisper (culled staff)
molten belcher
dreaming star
serpents tongue
coilng poison staff
springheart
blowgun of the accursed serpent
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 4
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Star Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Snowblossom
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Here were the ones I liked best that didnt make top-32:
Aww, thanks Grumpus - Ghost Moon Bow was mine. I'm so happy to hear that you liked it :)
And I am joining in on the Springheart love. That, Widow's Web, First World Sliver and Butterfly's Jaunt were my top favorites.
In general, I was very impressed with the quality this year.
My top ten in no particular order:
Swarm-strike Caster (loved the idea behind this one)
Rod of the Unrelenting Master (liked the theme)
Grandmaster's Plate (power level wise this was probably an artifact but I loved the powers)
Jailbird's Sweetheart (Nifty little gadget)
Depth Charger (magic blunderbuss! )
Oath of Discretion (nicely packaged magic katana)
Ring of the Investigator (seems like it should be a new standard ring)
The Hero's Breath (great visuals and neat power set)
Phantom Guardian's Ring (fun set of powers)
Critic's Scorn (best flavor text)
Glad to see someone like my item!
A LOT of love for the Springheart!!!
It's a shame it didn't top 32. ;______;
I think if it cost enough more than 50x7x4 (the cost for a one-use, activated by anyone 4th level spell) to justify the far faster cast time and if wondrous items were allowed (and it was wondrous), it would have made it almost for sure. It would have been in my Top 5.
Rod of the Unrelenting Master (liked the theme)
Thanks for the mention. It's always cool to see your item on someone else's list.
I also like the other familiar themed item.
Vestment of the Twin Soul
I hope a editing mistake on the prices isn't what kept it out of the top 32.
I think the covenskein net was my personal favorite, creepy and cool.