Marathon Voter Season 9
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To the creator of The Blaze in the Azimuth,
I think your entry was wonderful. It was likely culled due to its high price tag, but yours was the one thing that expensive that I thought totally appropriate. If that item was printed, I know my party would split the cost for one around level 16 or so.
It was a thing of beauty too good for this world.
Fare thee well
I'm just going to say...
Whoever made the Imposing Sock Puppet, I approve! It's hilarious, and really useful. I can see a lot of uses for this. I'm really tempted to include intelligent versions of them in various things. Heh, I'd even like to play an intelligent one.
Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9
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I would like to call out the Plush Guardian of Cuddles as my absolute favorite item in this year's contest.
When I started reading the item it annoyed me, but by the time I was finished with it I was in love. The author absolutely committed to it and turned what could have been a joke item into something great. This was one item where the background was essential to grounding it in the world.
And every time I saw it I smiled. I don't have any higher praise than that.
I would like to call out the Plush Guardian of Cuddles as my absolute favorite item in this year's contest.
When I started reading the item it annoyed me, but by the time I was finished with it I was in love. The author absolutely committed to it and turned what could have been a joke item into something great. This was one item where the background was essential to grounding it in the world.
And every time I saw it I smiled. I don't have any higher praise than that.
I 100% agree and I was shocked it was not in the top 32. Show yourself and take a bow! :-)
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I hope the designers of the Portable Excavation and the Observation Cubes posts. Loved those.
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Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9
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I hope the designers of the Portable Excavation and the Observation Cubes posts. Loved those.
I only saw Observation Cubes once, but they were on my tentative keep list. It's not a new concept, but that seemed to be the best iteration of that concept that I've come across.
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Personally, I really liked the Webwarden's Vigilant Claw and was kind of bummed out it didn't hit the 32. Also the Fluttering Sphere, but that one was posted on the CMI thread, so I'll have to go over that later.
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I was thrilled to see them mentioned. They were on the front page of my newspaper (since it happened relatively nearby), and it was a neat touch to incorporate a newly discovered animal.
Still no Armor of the Dreadnoughtus that kills you if you go prone, though. :(
Also, I really liked the Clockwork Arrow and the 2 Troll items (1 was the Trollhide Shield the other was Trollgut something)
Star Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9
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There are several items I put on my Keep list that did not make it to the Top 32+4 and have not (yet) been submitted on the CMI thread.
I wish to tell their designers that I enjoyed these items very much and I fervently hope to see more of their design in the followings seasons (or other venues).
BTW, do not hesitate to post on the CMI thread. I will tell you what made me love your item ;-)
And we will tell you how it could have been even better :-)
So, kudos to those who designed :
Abacus of Sensory Balance
Bracelet of Brain Binding
Charlatan’s Spellbook
Crown of Cocytus
Dust of the Doppelganger
Featherblade
Haunted Sword
Master Key of the Discerning Ambassador
Spellguardian's salvation
Stepping Stones
Vial of Shadows
Well-Seasoned Cleaver
You made this contest and the whole tedious voting process worth it. Thank you :-)
My short list of favorites, just to give some credit where credit is due...
Testament of Pharasma: Useful mechanics, great writing.
Abacus of Probable Paradox: dangerous territory, nicely handled. Needs build review.
Stonewake Greatsword: Interesting twist on summoning. Expensive?
Reefstrider Plate: Breathe under water, grow pincers. Already exists somewhere?
Banshee's Wrath: Turn incorporeal when charging, nice idea.
Leviathan's Terror: Excellent writing around this ominous harpoon.
The notes probably aren't very helpful. They were just what I was thinking during the voting.
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I'm just going to say...
Whoever made the Imposing Sock Puppet, I approve! It's hilarious, and really useful. I can see a lot of uses for this. I'm really tempted to include intelligent versions of them in various things. Heh, I'd even like to play an intelligent one.
Right! If it wasn't already lost to Paizo I might even pay for the rights to that item. And the security blanket one as well. Wish I knew who made them.
I believe Wolin posted that he made the security blanket.
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Yep, that was me. It might not have made the even the top 100, but I'm glad that so many people seemed to enjoy it, and enough to comment that they did. That's much more satisfying and rewarding to me than the actual official prestige.
You can see an 'original' here or the redo that I did to rectify my many, many mistakes here.
Since I'm here and posting, I'll also call out to the designers of the Coin of Chance, Trollhide Shield, Plush Guardian of Cuddles and Fray's Fabulous Fireworks. While only FFF made a placed position, I thought all of you were fun and creative items.
And of course the top 36 that for some reason I haven't praised yet
I am getting a little bit of time to actually time my keep list. These are not necessarily Top 32 items, but rather things I would like to see at my table for their creative additions to the game. *and some are both of course :)
Gloves of the Spellgrip
Stonefish Hide
Trollhide Shield
Purging Lotus Bell*
Wily Mace
Scattertracks*
Fluttering Sphere
Bombadier's Dragon Mask
Iounic Pipes*
Chrysalis Cloak
Gown of Many Graves*
Armor of the Crows
Banshee's Tongue*
Book of Remembered Locations
Ghostly Tome
Iron Feather
Metallurgical Gauntlets
Sheath of Shifting Dragons
There were several on my keep list before voting even began so I didn't list them. I think they all belonged in the Top 32 and were fun items.
If these show up in the CMI thread I will comment more. If not posting to the CMI thread and the authors would still like comments PM me. :)
Well done all!
Contributor
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Star Voter Season 8
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I want to know who on earth made the Gentry High Hat. Sure, may have been a wee bit underpriced for what it does, but it's still REALLY REALLY cool. I would totally pick it up for use in many of my campaigns (where I'm either a snooty PC or NPC). Props to you, designer!
Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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Ghostly Tome
You're too kind.
There were a bunch of items on my keep list, they were (in alphabetical order):
- Book of Remembered Locations
- Compass of Distorted Geometry
- Canvas of the Dreamer
- Disks of the Solar Eclipse
- Ebon Fury
- Earthbind Manacles
- Fray’s Fabulous Fireworks
- Glove of the Severed Servant
- Gown of Many Graves
- Green Canary
- Hide of the Hagfish
- Lodestone Plate
- Phantom Corsair Boots
- Phase Strike Lenses
- Primordial Fang
- Psalter of Devotion
- Rat-Scratch Cane
- Sage’s Arquebus
- Spirit-Catcher
- Starsling Buckler
- Watch of Borrowed Time
Hide of the Hagfish and Gown of Many Graves are two of my favorite items of all time, it's easy to see why they got into the top lot.
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I want to know who on earth made the Gentry High Hat. Sure, may have been a wee bit underpriced for what it does, but it's still REALLY REALLY cool. I would totally pick it up for use in many of my campaigns (where I'm either a snooty PC or NPC). Props to you, designer!
That would be me! I realized pretty quickly I'd made a few styling and formatting errors, and there is a good argument for my pricing being too low. However, I was happy that it survived through all the culls to the end. I'm very flattered by your words. It was definitely in mind that this would be a perfect item for the ever present PC or NPC that prefers someone else doing their drudge work.
The original design was going to have a human butler, but I was unsure how to pin that down mechanically. Being able to reference the NPC codex was a boon, but morphed the butler in a halfling page, which was still pretty neat.
The favorite items I've seen, in the order I saw them:
The Anathema Brand
Banshee's Tongue
Dust of Elan Vital
Shattered Blade
Swindler's Grasp
Soul-Wrenching Spear
Sandals of Dragon's Rise
Fate-Woven Braid of the Norns
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The favorite items I've seen, in the order I saw them:
The Anathema Brand
Thanks, Ronars.
Lodestone Plate
Thank you kindly.
Finished up reading and commenting on the 32+4, and I have to say...
This is the first year ever when I haven't thought "How did *that* make the cut?"
Every item has an obvious appeal, and even if an item wasn't on my personal list, I can see what people liked about each of them.
One odd thing I did notice, though- a lot of items has unique sounding names, far more than usual. I suspect that's something judges ding a little more strongly than voters.
I would like to call out the Plush Guardian of Cuddles as my absolute favorite item in this year's contest.
When I started reading the item it annoyed me, but by the time I was finished with it I was in love. The author absolutely committed to it and turned what could have been a joke item into something great. This was one item where the background was essential to grounding it in the world.
And every time I saw it I smiled. I don't have any higher praise than that.
That one was mine. Thank you very much for the kudos. I was pretty proud of it and my wife (also an avid player) loved it. I wasn't too happy with the name, but I couldn't think of anything better and I wanted something that stood out. I was mostly inspired by my nine month old son playing with a teddy bear.
My thanks to everyone who voted for my item, and congratulations to everyone who made it!
Dubiousmx,
I would also like to state my appreciation of your excellent item.
I am usually the strongest anti-"Cute/Funny/Kiddy" item type of person, but I have to admit your item was so well done it completely won me over.
Bravo good sir, well done and my thanks for the enjoyment during the voting process.
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 9
aka Thrawn007
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And I have to say to Wolin, who submitted the Security Blanket, that I now can't help but picture a child clutching the Blanket and the Guardian, wandering lost in a dungeon. And I kind of want to design an adventure based around that.
I'm even more specific. I picture the new pregen from the Occult book clutching the blanket and the guardian.
The plush guardian was the best joke item I've ever seen. It was really well done. So much that I actually kind of wish it wasn't a joke item. I think it could have been written to be something we can take more seriously. I have a cute kitsune witch who does make and cuddle plushies, and even she wouldn't take this item seriously.
Plus Guardian felt very League of Legends inspired to me. Have you seen my bear, Tibbers?
Plus Guardian felt very League of Legends inspired to me. Have you seen my bear, Tibbers?
I don't totally fault people for taking inspiration from that game. Many characters have interesting abilities and it takes some creativity and mechanics knowledge to implement the powers coherently. So as long as it's not totally obvious and the designer has a fun spin on it (like Wukong's Puzzle Box in previous years), I'm fine with it.
Besides, a pyromaniac little girl with a stuffed owlbear is now officially canon in Pathfinder.
Remember that this is a game of high fantasy and epic heroes. If you struggle to imagine a hero buying/crafting/wielding your item, then you might want to reconsider. Sean K. Reynolds even has a guideline for this. As I mentioned earlier, I actually do have a cutesy character who carries plushies and even she wouldn't really care for it.
Many times, you can tone things down or represent it differently while keeping the mechanics. It's all about presentation.
Plus Guardian felt very League of Legends inspired to me. Have you seen my bear, Tibbers?The inspiration for the item came from my 10 month old son playing with a teddy bear. I have never actually played League of Legends since I am an old man who fears new things ;)
And this is the second reason I seldom downvote anyone for taking inspiration from a video game or another source. It may be the case the designer simply had a similar idea.
Plus Guardian felt very League of Legends inspired to me. Have you seen my bear, Tibbers?The inspiration for the item came from my 10 month old son playing with a teddy bear. I have never actually played League of Legends since I am an old man who fears new things ;)
That's a really adorable and organic place to come from. I just want to clarify that I'm with Garrick on this one. I was reminded of LoL but that wasn't an automatic downvote in my book. You clearly hadn't carbon-copied the character from the video game, but there was a delightful similarity.