Sometime last fall, I decided to write some small reviews about the 4e products that I bought. I am not even sure why I got that idea, but as it turns out, it had some very interesting consequences.

Now, I have always been a honest (some would say blunt) person, so that was naturally reflected in my reviews. I am sure a lot of people do not like it, whereas others like it. One of those was Angellis_ater from Dreamscarred Press. I gave his first 4e product a fairly poor (read abysmal) review, but instead of taking it personally, he reached out and asked for advice (fool! ). 4e was very new for him, and he wanted someone to give him feedback on the crunch he was going write for a reskinning of the cleric class that he was going to write.

I must admit, that at this point, I had never seen myself as being anything else than a DM, let alone as someone helping creating a product that would see the light of the day. I did however initially take his question a bit as a dare (Sure, it's easy to review and tell other people what they make it crap, but can you actually do better?). Maybe it was. I still do not know. I haven't gotten around asking him yet.

Anyway, soon after (this was around January), I found myself knees deep in what would become the Ardent. I am actually credited as editor in the release, but that's exaggerating a lot. I merely looked and helped some on the crunch, the balance of the powers. I had no say in how things were done or how the powers were written. I simply told him if I thought things got way too wacky and non-balanced. Needless to say, I found myself having lots of fun, but I felt the same as I feel when I play D&D - I hated not being in control, which is probably why I always end up DM'ing Well, it's not exactly true that I only "fixed" crunch, I did contribute with more, namely some defining mechanics which also are used for the Mentalist, but that's another matter altogether.

Some weeks passed, and I was beginning to get more and more emails from various publishers who wanted help or more detailed info on the crunch issues I had picked up while reading their products; so that they could incorporate it in the errata. I figured I was on to something at least, and (I must admit) my ego got slightly inflated because of it. It's always nice when people you "look up to" ask your advice on matters that interest you.

A some point around March 2009, I convinced myself that I was actually some sort of an expert on 4e - and I promptly pitched the mentalist to Dreamscarred Press. I knew that the Psion wouldn't see the light of day until the PHB 3 at the very least, which was slated to the summer of 2010. So I figured I would make my own class, and maybe there would be some interest from the psionic fans so that at least we would have something until the official version came out. Now, as it turns out, I was right about the PHB3 - but not about the release date, but that is a different matter.

Dreamscarred Press liked my pitch and soon enough, I had a contract in hand. My deadline was May 1st. And so I started. At first, it was called the psionicist . Not really original, but it was a start. I was making good progress, and was happy with what I had. This is so simple I remember thinking, why on earth aren't more people doing it. Then again, that was just me ignoring I had absolutely no fluff for neither the class, nor the powers. Merely a collection of 1d6+ int, push 3 squares. 1d10 close burst 5, immobilize and daze all targets, etc. I was merely deluding myself into thinking I was almost done. After all, the crunch is the important part, right?

When I sent in the first draft, Angellis_ater replied: Hey Chris, this look good, but you know how you made a class that is really two classes (I had around half the powers being mindblade/soulknife powers). That won't work! Then he went on about thematic issues and lot of other things I had never thought about, and I found myself nodding like a preschooler. The man had some good points. And he understood the class and the history of the class. Much better than I. Back to the drawing board.

The next version was all psychic or force based. I was very happy with that too, but when we went over it, we noticed that one fire power. Seemed a little out of place. Also, there were a lot of powers that just looked alike. The focus of the class was just too narrow. Again, back to the drawing board. More fire! Meanwhile, May 1st was getting closer.

This is when I ran into my biggest problem - time and feedback. I had written a draft and sent to Dreamscarred Press so that we could talk about things and see where we would go from here. But two weeks later, not a word. Time was ticking (or so I felt) and I was getting impatient (yeah, I am not a patient man). At first, I was worried that they hated it and just couldn't decide how they would tell me. Then I thought that maybe it was so awesome that they were in the process of copying it and releasing it without my name on it (I still hadn't signed and sent the contract). Then I realized I was being silly and figured they really hated it. As it turns out, it was neither. my editor had simply been busy and besides, two weeks is not an unusual amount of time to wait for some good feedback, at least not when you are dealing with small companies. Also he had tried to catch a hold of me via google chat, but since I had never used it before, and always have the sound turned off, I never noticed anything... Phew, I was happy and positive once again.

I got some awesome feedback and a lot of great suggestions on how to improve the Mentalist (who was still called something else at this point) and immediately went to work. Two days later (around April 1st), I had in hand what I thought was a really nice draft. I sent it in and waited. And waited. And waited. 3 weeks later and not a word. I had roughly one week left on my deadline, and all the paranoia came back. Maybe there was something in the contract that I had misunderstood. Maybe this was payback for the lousy review. They were going to drag things along so that I wouldn't be able to meet the deadline, and then using some ridiculous US law from 1824, they would sue my ass for a gazillion dollar. Yeah, I never claimed to be a 100% sane

As it turns out, my editor had been sick as a dog for weeks, which explained the delay. Once again, I got some great feedback that really improved the class. However, just as I thought I was pretty much done, my editor said something like: "The powers are great, and so are the two builds, but I feel they should be even more different. We need to link the builds to the type of area of the powers to a greater extend..." Which almost made me cry. And I never cry. I mean, I had spent a lot of time carefully balancing every single power (at least I thought so). Having to change the area of effect of about half of them would mean countless rounds of re-balancing. And I had 8 days left until the deadline.

Luckily for me, it wasn't that bad. I was pretty happy with the result after only 4 days, which left me plenty of time for me to make feats, paragon paths and magic versions of our brand new implement, the psicrystal.

I turned in the final draft of the Mentalist on April 29th. Or so I thought. It was still not ready. Back and forth it went between my editor and I, and finally, on May 17th, we were both satisfied. It was sent for proof-reading and layout. And then nothing.

Now, many of my frustrations come from lack of knowledge of the business and wrong expectations. I also tend to forget that other people also have a life besides RPGs and they also need sleep. In my mind, it couldn't take long to proofread my stuff, and then slap it together with some pictures and make it into a PDF. Yeah right. I got wiser.

Writing the Mentalist has taught me a good deal of things. First of all, it has taught me that crunch isn't everything, and that fluff and thematic consistency is just as important when making a complete class. This process also taught me to be patient, and that while I might want people to stay up all night in order to give me feedback so that I can get back to work when I have the time just isn't realistic. But most of all, it has taught me that it is much easier criticising others people work. Creating yourself can be quite a bitch, especially when it's not only "for your eyes only". I also learned that I will never ever be a freelancer for anything but the fun and joy of making stuff that others will use, because the pay is horrendous, no matter how sweet a deal you cut. I also learned that while I have a solid grasp on 4e rules, it takes a lot more to make a balanced, interesting class, along with the 80 odd powers, paragon paths, feats and whatever else follows.

But now, finally, after several rounds of sickness, crashing hard-drives, layout problems and a lot more, the Mentalist is just about ready. There is a preview (attached below) exclusive to ENworld, and I can't wait to hear what people think about it.

I hope you like it

Cheers

Jack99

Sanford and the Secret to Not Being able to Govern (Yourself)

Jack7

Who would have thought it would have been harder to write an adventure for evil characters?

I know I didn’t, at least not as difficult as it has been. The principle seemed easy enough: simply find a way to get neutral and evil characters to work together, kill monsters, and claim treasure. The killing and claiming pretty much go hand-in-hand so there’s no real issue there. Working together is simpler than I expected and it all comes down to the players. Good players always understand the needs of the game over the desires of their characters and can always adapt to the situation, balancing the twisted desires of their wicked sorcerers, barbarians, and necromancers with the pursuit of the story. There are several threads here on EN World attesting to this fact, to my great relief. Problem solved. Let’s write an adventure.

Uh, no. There’s one more factor to account for. Motivation.

I’m taking a break right now from completing the latest draft of The Key of the Fey, a 1st-level mercenary adventure for 4e. By “latest,” I mean fourth and by “draft,” I mean complete re-write. The concept is simple: mercenary adventures are written for any non-good party willing to do anything to get paid. Matters such as reputation, dignity, and money are the primary sources of motivation for these types of adventures but the levels to which you can offer vary greatly. Unaligned characters are in it for themselves yet retain a value system and ethical code; evil characters will pretty much do anything to get what they want and their morals are limited only by their players. There are ways to handle this and the answer is one of those classic “easy to say, tricky to do” solutions.

Over the course of writing Key, I’ve found the answer is variety. Good-aligned heroes are simple to provide for – you need a victim. Someone must be in danger, whether it’s one lone villager kidnapped by orcs or an entire city under threat of a demon prince summoning an army of fiends to lay seige and slaughter all in sight. Toss them some coin and XP for their efforts and your adventure is under way. Mercs need a little more. They need a “why.” Why should they save the city? Why don’t they offer their services to the demon prince? Why do they even have to pick a side? Why not play both sides? In asking these questions, they consider alternate possibilities and go for it. They are not held back by the ethics of good. Everything is possible for mercs and the adventure has to account for that, making it one of the best reasons to play a merc.

RPGs are about freedom, from where I sit. Unlike video games, books, and any other media, you can attempt anything you can think of. In a sense, the story should be just as flexible as the rules – they are a guide and nothing more. Every one of us has played a game where something happened out of the blue and without expectation. Out of nowhere, the 1st-level wizard creates a puddle of grease under a hill giant’s foot as it stands on the edge of a cliff and sends the behemoth over the side to his death… with the key to the dungeon the PCs need to get inside hung around his neck. The game never stops. The players climb down the cliff face to retrieve the key from the hill giant’s splattered body, the GM allows a quick Perception check to notice the key dangling from the giant’s belt before pouring the grease, or the hill giant grabs onto a thick tree root to stay alive just a bit longer, or whatever else it takes to keep the story moving.

Mercenary adventures follow this same principle to a higher level. Their motivation can change to suit their latest employer. While they need a good reputation to keep working, they only have to worry about what their employer finds out about their performance and the rumours spread about their exploits when it’s all done and over with. Different alignments create unique obstacles to overcome as well and there’s a good possibility of a mixed-alignment party. The evil mercs will stab anyone in the back so long as they still get paid (or get paid more) and the unaligned mercs gave their word to their original boss. You need to account for these factors when designing (and particularly running) a merc adventure or campaign. And when it works, it’s incredible. You’ve just pulled off one of the greatest balancing acts in gaming and your players become a significant part of the game. Their decisions affect more than just the number of bodies left behind and the story evolves in new directions by the start of the first chapter.

Morals must be considered and the balancing act for any alignment in your party can be tricky. I think it goes without saying that Key is not recommended for noobs or any group getting together for their first game. If you know your players and have already begun to blur the line, Key is for you. I’ve always been able to fall back on a game of Wraith back when it first came out as a guideline for merc adventures. Our group had played together nearly five years and was the original group for all of us (sharing one AD&D Player’s Handbook between the five of us before branching out to try new systems). We had a new player join up and he created a skinhead. Whether or not he used that character as a excuse to spit out his own slurs and speak openly because he was “just in character,” it was a problem. No one wanted to play with his character (and with the player, as it turned out). As soon as we kicked out the skinhead and his equally tolerant player, we enjoyed the game. Roleplaying gives you a better look at the person sitting across from you, a gaze into their imagination unbound. Good players work with their comrades and great players can start fights with party members without affecting the group. Let your players worry about how far is too far and you can focus on crafting the story with little worry or concern for the cohesion of the group.

Everything is just over a week away from getting to the playtesters and we'll find out if this is the one that works. My own group had some fun with it and filled it with surprises (I had no idea just how deviant a pharmacist could be) to make it a good venture into something a little different. Here's hoping you'll be able to enjoy it to when it hits your local online shelf.

However, I think my next adventure will be about fuzzy bunnies and fluffy teddy bears collecting as many hugs as possible before all the boys and girls around the world start to feel sad. That will be much, much easier.

Todd Crapper (that's right) is the Head Honcho for Emerald Press PDF Publishing and author of the upcoming 4e adventure, The Key of the Fey (releasing December 2009), and co-author of Risen: The Guide to Resurrected Characters (October 2009). He wrote this blog because there was no one around to stop him, not even those meddling kids and their mangy mutt.

EP

I've always thought that another good way to give a character more depth is for him to develop meaningful relationships with NPCs and organizations in the game world. However, in order to encourage the players to invest time and effort to do so, the relationship has to be an asset, not a liability.

I've decided to start with organizations first as they are more amorphous and easily fudged. Since organizations are made up of a variety of people, it seems more plausible that they are able to provide various benefits and services.

The following are very initial thoughts on organizations, and are subject to change.

Level
Like almost anything else in 4e, organizations have a level which abstractly measures their power. A village might be no more than 4 or 5. A kingdom would be in the upper teens, possibly even a 20. The worshippers and servitors of a god (not just a specific temple, but every worshipper and servitor, including angels and exarchs, in all the worlds and planes) would probably top the scale at 30.

Rank
Rank is a measure of the character's standing with (or within the organization, if he is a member) and abstractly determines how much of the organization's resources he can tap upon. A character's rank in an organization can be no higher than the organization's level. A character whose rank in an organization equals its level effectively leads the organization and can command all of its resources.

Benefits
Some of the potential benefits that a character can gain from association with an organization are as follows. Generally, a character should not be able to call on assistance from an organization too often - perhaps about once per month. A character's ability to call on assistance from the organization should also be renewed whenever his rank with the organization increases (even if the organization has helped him within the last month), or whenever he performs a service for the organization. An organization may also offer unlimited assistance if the character is acting on its behalf.

1. Skill checks - if the organization is plausibly able to help, it may allow the character to make one skill check as if he was trained in it, and provide an additional +1 bonus to the check. This bonus increases to +2 if the character's rank is 11 or higher, and +3 if his rank is 21 or higher. If the skill is a specialized skill for the organization (e.g. Religion for a church), the character may make the check as if he was trained in the skill and had the Skill Focus feat for the skill, and the bonus is doubled (i.e. +4 if his rank is 11 or higher).

2. Rituals - the organization arranges for the casting of a ritual of half your rank or lower. You still have to pay for the component cost. If the DM thinks it appropriate, the organization may be able to provide access to select higher-level rituals.

3. Trade - the organization procures a magic item of half your rank or lower. If the DM thinks it appropriate, the organization may be able to obtain certain higher-level magic items. You may buy the item or exchange another magic item of the same or higher value for it.

4. Mundane Services - the organization may provide whatever mundane services the DM thinks is appropriate. For example, a village might offer the character a safe place to rest, a merchant house may be able to arrange transportation for the character, or a church may be able to translate a document from Supernal to Common.

FireLance

Thread Link

Jack7

MichaelSomething's Blog is proud to announce its latest and greatest venture yet, MichaelSomething’s RPG Lobbying Service (MSRPGLS)! This new and unique service will promote and advance the ideas that our clients believe should guide the RPG world (for a modest fee, of course!)!

Is there a certain race you just don’t want in D&D? MSRPGLS will work to elimate it! Want to preserve/save your favorite campaign world? MSRPGLS will promote it like the coming of the next edition! Feel that a class is overpowered? MSRPGLS will arm the Nerf guns! Have problems with an RPG’s art direction? MSRPGLS will point them in the right direction! Whatever the problem, MSRPGLS has the solution!

What is lobbying you may ask? Why, it’s a wonderful process where concerned groups of citizens seek to inform decision makers on how to best serve the groups they are responsible for. These concerned groups appoint people called “lobbyists” to inform the decision makers on the best methods possible to serve their needs. Lobbying has been used successfully in many political establishments for many years in order to ensure those governments deliver the type of programs and systems that are desired by the groups the lobbyists represent. Consider it a form of communication between the RPG audience and the RPG creators. If there’s one thing you can never have enough of, it’s communication!

MSRPGLS will employ the latest in lobbying techniques to ensure that your ideas are heard! We'll help develop your ideological platform so it becomes the rock solid foundation of the RPG you play! MSRPGLS will use targetted advertisements to ensure that your message reaches the most receptive audience possible. We will work hard to establish grass-roots support for your ideas. MSRPGLS can also employ classic lobbying stragties to ensure those who design RPGs are "encouraged" to see things your way! We here at MSRPGLS will use the full suit of lobbying tools to promote your RPG ideas!

MSRPGLS may appear to be too expensive for today’s cash-strapped RPG player but it’s the most cost-effective option you have when the RPG you play doesn’t fit with your ideals. Homebrewing and third-party products may appear to be the solution but are anything but so. The quality of such material is questionable at best. When you don’t use material from the official company, you’re taking a shot in the dark. For all you know, the material you could be using is all a giant bag of suckage. It’s just impossible to tell. Assuming you do manage to find the needle in the third-party haystack, will your playgroup accept it? Not every group may accept the material you wish to include in the game. Are you willing to take the chance that they might not? You might also be considering the option of simply not playing an RPG you don’t like and go off to find a new RPG that caters to your taste. That carries financial and emotional costs that many RPG players simply can not withstand. Are you willing to leave your current RPG just like that? An RPG game that you invested a good deal of your time and money on? It is worth it to lose that relationship and all of that history you developed? Breaking up with a favorite RPG can be a very traumatic experience. I don’t even want to mention all of the costs and stress related to learning/mastering/getting a group to play a new, unknown RPG. Compared to those cost, MSRPGLS is practically a steal.

Contact MSRPGLS today! Operators are standing by! Mention the fact that you heard of us through Enworld and we’ll apply a ten percent discount off our lobbying fee! MSRPGLS: Where we work for YOU!

MichaelSomething

A symbiotic item is basically an artifact that doesn't move on and hence may stay with the character throughout his career. In addition, the character's connection with the item (and the item's power) increases more slowly. The character must also meet certain prerequisites (generally linked to the theme of the item or the power) in order to use the item's new abilities.

When first found, Solar Radiance appears to be a +1 sunblade longsword (Adventurer's Vault). It gains the following abilities when its wielder meets the stated prerequisites:

Prerequisites: 5th level; you have performed a just or generous act in the presence of the sword.
Benefit: You can use the sword as a holy symbol.

Prerequistes: 7th level; you have used the sword to defeat an evil or chaotic evil creature of at least 6th level.
Benefit: The sword's enhancement bonus increases to +2.

Prerequistes: 9th level; you have used the sword to defeat a shadow or undead creature of at least 8th level.
Benefit: When the sword is used to deal radiant damage, add a +2 item bonus to damage rolls.

Prerequistes: 11th level; (to be determined)
Benefit: The sword gains the following daily power:
Power (Daily): Free Action. Use this power when you hit with the weapon. The target is dazed until the end of your next turn. If the target is evil or chaotic evil, the target is dazed (save ends) instead.

Prerequistes: 13th level; you have used the sword to defeat an evil or chaotic evil creature of at least 12th level.
Benefit: The sword's enhancement bonus increases to +3.

Prerequistes: 15th level; (to be determined)
Benefit: When you use the sword to attack a target currently marked by you, you gain a +1 bonus to the attack roll.

Prerequistes: 17th level; you have used the sword to defeat an evil or chaotic evil creature of at least 16th level.
Benefit: The sword's enhancement bonus increases to +4.

Prerequistes: 19th level; you have used the sword to defeat a shadow or undead creature of at least 18th level.
Benefit: When the sword is used to deal radiant damage, add a +4 item bonus to damage rolls.

Prerequistes: 21th level; (to be determined)
Benefit: The sword gains the following daily power:
Power (Daily): Free Action. Use this power when you hit with the weapon. The target is blinded until the end of your next turn.

Prerequistes: 23th level; you have used the sword to defeat an evil or chaotic evil creature of at least 22nd level.
Benefit: The sword's enhancement bonus increases to +5.

Prerequistes: 25th level; (to be determined)
Benefit: The sword gains the following encounter power:
Power (Encounter * Radiant): Free Action. Use this power when making an attack that targets AC. The attack targets Reflex defense instead. All damage from the attack is radiant damage.

Prerequistes: 27th level; you have used the sword to defeat an evil or chaotic evil creature of at least 26th level.
Benefit: The sword's enhancement bonus increases to +6.

Prerequistes: 29th level; you have used the sword to defeat a shadow or undead creature of at least 28th level.
Benefit: When the sword is used to deal radiant damage, add a +6 item bonus to damage rolls.

FireLance

Jack7

Free Men and Women

No Country for Small Men

Jack7

The Geek Manifesto - Now with important Social Networking Updates!

Jack7

Recently I was asked to construct a backstory for a new 1st level Eladrin Swordmage. I showed it to him and he said he liked but I needed to adjust a few things to make it fit the world better. Below is that backstory. Like all my writings, it could always use a little more polish but I think it's worth at least a quick browse.


Captain Leafrunner walked towards the blacksmiths area. He was looking to speak with Aronat. Despite the fact that he made no real effort to be silent, Aronat didn't notice his appoarch. All of his focus was on some drawings of a sword.

"Ahem" the Captain coughed.
Aronat looked up and finally noticed that he had a visitor. He was embrassed that he didn't even notice him. He sprang up and began to speak.
"Greetings, Sir! I apologize for not noticing you before! Would you like me to fetch the master blacksmith for you? If you need simple fixes for a weapon, I would be more then happy to do them myself. Do you need your blade sharpened? A new hilt? Have some sratches you need smoothed out? Or perhaps you'd be intrested in some maintiance? You know, regular maintaince keeps a weapon in top shape as well as prolong its lifespan!"
"What I really need is a place to sit for a while."
"Oh!" Aronaut cleared some stuff off a chair and offered it to the elder elf.
"Oh, that's much better," the captain said as he sat down. "So tell me, Aronat, how are you?"

"Busy as always. In a land of constant war, weapon smiths are always in demand."
"That is how it has always been," Leafrunner stated.
"If there was no war, this would be quite a different world we live in. I, for one, would be unable to make a living doing something I enjoy so much." Aronat paused for a moment. "It is wrong of me to benefit from the wars that ended so many of our brothers and sisters?"
"If we weren't fighting the Gnolls, we would most likely be fighting another enemey. Even if we weren't, I imagine someone of your talent could easily find another profession."
"Honestly, weapon crafting is the only profession I want to persue."
"Have you ever considered joining the army?" Leafrunner asked ironically.
Aronat stared blankly at the captain.

"Did you or did you not pass the Swordmage qualification tests?" he asked.
"There's more to being a Swordmage then passing the qualification tests." Aronat retorted.
"True; but you would have never passed those tests unless you had some talent for it."
"True as well. You just won't let this go."
"That's because Swordmages are needed more then blacksmiths right now."

"Funny how life works out." Aronat mused to himself. "When I came here, I was like every other recuit. I was eager for a chance to do my part in the never ending battle agianst the Gnolls. I ending up in the Blacksmith's shops creating weapons for others to use. And it turned out I was quite happy to do so. On a lark, I decided to take a few Swordmage training courses to try them out. To my suprise, I passed then, and all the other courses that followed. A few months ago, I became an acutal Swordmage even though it was never my orginal goal. It's amazing that I acheived such a grand feat even though I never really wanted it. Life can produce quite unexpected results, doesn't it? However, I'm sure you came here for a reason besides hearing me talk about myself?"

"Yes, and my reason for coming here is to request that you go on a mission."
Aronat stared blanky at the Captain again.
"You really have to stop doing that."
"You really have to stop asking me to do things I shouldn't be doing." Aronat retorted.
"You really have to stop acting like you can't fight even though you can."
"That's because I'm not that great of a fighter."
"Yet you win as often as not when you spar with the others."
"That is merely testing their weapons in practice combat."
"Don't sell yourself so short. You are skilled in combat."
"No I'm not!"
"Why do you have so little faith in your own power?"

"It's because I never feel like's it me fighting. Strange, isn't it? Whenever I fight, I never feel like I'm the one fighting. It's as if I'm watching myself fight from a distance. It's almost as if Ichigo weilds me instead of the other way around."
"Ichigo?" the Captain asks.
"My sword." Aronaut answered. A second later, Ichigo flew from where it was to Aronaut's hand. "Ichigo; the blade that never breaks; the passion that never dies."

"I am correct to believe that you do not fight because you fear your enemies..."
"but because I fear myself." Aronaut finished.
"And you will never overcome your fear as long as you are here. That is one more reason why I need you for this mission."
"Normally I would say no to such a thing; but I get the feeling that saying no won't work now, will it?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Well then please explain what you require of me."

"Please be at the town square at noon today. All will be made clear then..."

MichaelSomething

In my 3e version of Roll of Honor, the PC had an encounter with a fiendish hawk.

When 4e was released, there weren't any hawks, eagles or similar predatory birds in the MM, so I converted the encounter to one with a spiretop drake instead.

Now that blood hawks are in MM2 (and are level 1 skirmishers, the same as the spiretop drake), I've decided to change the encounter to one with a shadowtouched blood hawk instead. This will make it slighly tougher as the blood hawk deals more damage.

As with the shadowtouched spiretop drake, the following example is not a direct application of the shadowtouched alternate advancement. Once again, I made flyby attack synergize better with necrotic smite.

Shadowtouched Blood Hawk, Level 2 Skirmisher
Small natural beast (XP 125)

Initiative +6
Senses Perception +2; darkvision
HP 35; Bloodied 17; see also bloodied retaliation
AC 16; Fortitude 12, Reflex 15, Will 13
Resist 5 necrotic
Speed 2 (clumsy), fly 6; see also flyby attack

Claw Rake (standard; at-will)
+6 vs. AC; 1d6 + 5 damage, and the target takes ongoing 2 damage, or ongoing 5 damage if the shadowtouched blood hawk is bloodied; see also bloodied retaliation.
Flyby Attack (standard; at-will)
The shadowtouched blood hawk flies up to 6 squares and makes a claw rake attack or a necrotic smite attack at any point during that movement. It does not provoke opportunity attacks when moving away from the target of the attack.
Necrotic Smite (standard; encounter) * Necrotic
The shadowtouched blood hawk makes a bite attack. If it hits, it deals an additional 6 necrotic damage and the target is weakened (save ends).
Bloodied Retaliation
The shadowtouched blood hawk gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against the creature that first bloodies it in an encounter.

Alignment Unaligned
Languages –
Str 13 (+2) Dex 16 (+4) Wis 13 (+2)
Con 11 (+1) Int 2 (-3) Cha 7 (-1)

FireLance

So, the current main game in my mix is Okami. I picked it up for the Wii a few weeks ago, though it was out on the Playstation 2 long before that.

It's a great game for a few reasons, and I was hoping it would teach me a bit about art design in games: it is a highly stylistic game that draws on Japanese watercolor paintings and traditional Japanese folklore, and one of the main gimmicks of the game is that you get to draw on the screen with a brush that makes stuff happen. Draw a bomb, you get a bomb! Slash through an enemy, and an invisible sword slices through them!

It is teaching me something about that, but it's also bringing up a topic that is a bit closer to D&D's home: dungeons and magic items. Specifically, how to interlink them, to make them useful to each other and depend on each other. In other words, how to set up a dungeon designed around a reward that actually changes your abilities (rather than just enhancing your abilities).

This isn't exclusive to Okami. Indeed, though Okami does it REALLY WELL, it's actually the hallmark of games going back at least to the 8-bit, battery-backed memory period. I'm sure there are more that do this, but the ones that stand out in my mind are Megaman, Metriod, and, the feather in the cap, the Legend of Zelda.

In Megaman, you get to choose your level, and once you beat it, you get a weapon upgrade that lets you use a special attack (the special attack of the robot you just blew up, of course). Your versatility and suite of powers grows steadily, but also strategically: each boss robot has a weakness against another boss robot's weapon, and each weapon has a slightly different firing pattern, meaning that in some stages certain weapons are more useful than in others

In Metriod, the levels are all interconnected and undivided -- the game flows to make a fairly seamless whole -- but regions have their own themes, as well. In certain areas you're going to need certain weapons, certain upgrades, and certain abilities that you acquire there, and going forward, you can use them to access things out of reach before.

And in Zelda, each "dungeon" has its own new toy from Batman's Utility Belt that you find, and use there extensively, and use against the boss there, and then use going forward to open up new regions of the game.

Of course, in Okami, you have brush techniques, but Okami also manages to dodge the "binary solution" issue that can sometimes crop up in Zelda games or the like: you use the item only in its home dungeon, and then never again.

And in D&D, what do you have? A lot of open-endedness. 3e had random treasure tables, so the DM might not know what he's giving out before he rolls it. 4e has treasure parcels, so the DM definitely knows ahead of time, and the players might, too, but the rewards are generic: items that deal damage, or gold to spend on other items that deal damage.

What Okami, and Zelda, and Metriod, and Megaman can teach us about dungeon design is this: Reverse the process, make the dungeons about the rewards found in them, and make the rewards change the game.

Consider when you get the Hookshot in Zelda, how that opens up the world and gets you to new regions that you couldn't go to before, or when you gain the Freeze Beam in Metriod and can suddenly use your enemies like stepping stones -- not to mention all the new doors you can open up (literally!).

There's nothing that changes the game plan like that in D&D.

Or rather, there is, but it's not part of your rewards. Instead, they're relegated to magic.

There's a lot of magic that historically does this to the game, but there is one famous category: It's those old bugaboos, the travel magic. Flight, teleportation, even spells like knock that just open doors. In 3e, these spells aren't bonuses, they're required for play. In 4e, these spells aren't bonuses, but they're effectively optional, relegated to Rituals. These are problematic for many DMs because they give the party brand new resources and ways to short-cut challenges that the DM may not be expecting (in 3e) or may be superfluous detail that the DM does not want (in 4e).

Certainly, we can do better.

We can apply the "adventure videogame" philosophy to our own dungeon design.

We can reward players with these new capacities in worlds specifically designed to take advantage of them, with dungeons that are themed around these powers, in order to teach them how the powers are to be used.

Here's a few simple ideas that should help you in implementing this in your own game:












There ya go! Basically, the first five steps are all about how to treat the ability in the world: a useful, if unusual capacity with limitations that the world assumes you can use to do unique things with, both out of combat and in combat. The sixth step tells you to construct a dungeon around the usefulness and limitations of the ability: effectively, a training ground for using it, complete with enemies (and a boss monster!) that teach players (and their characters) what the ability can and can't do. After the dungeon, they're set loose on a world that has a lot of potential uses for their new ability, things that they couldn't access before (and perhaps things they were frustrated about not being able to access before).

In a sandbox-style game this opens up new areas of exploration, much like crossing the mountain range into the next valley opens up the next valley for exploration (but on a presumably more dramatic scale). In a narrative-style game, this opens up new locations and characters for the ongoing story, and can help resolve problems that the PC's are faced with early on ("how are we going to get the MacGuffin if we can't fly over this gap?").

In any game, this takes abilities that have the capacity to change the way the game is played, and assumes they will be used, without entitling a player to their use. Players must earn the right to ignore challenges, most specifically by facing challenges that teach them exactly what they'll be able to ignore, and what they'll have to still deal with, even with their new powers.

Hopefully, this puts the gears in your head turning. Take a look at some 4e rituals, or some 3e spell categories like teleportation, flight, divination, or even powerful healing like regeneration or raising. Link together some "combat magic" with some "noncombat magic," and keep the package something anyone can gain -- fighter or rogue, too. Stick 'em in a dungeon that makes use of 'em, and enjoy yourself.

Comments, as always, desired and appreciated.

Kamikaze Midget

(in a brief list format since i'm tired, sick, and short on time -- and more grammar and spelling mistakes than usual because i'm not rereading as i type)

* The group spread around town to gather information. Some asked specifically about Sureya while others asked around for people matching the description of "The Mistress," some asked random strangers while others checked in with allies (Aleena and Sarim). Eventually, you were directed to Sureya's house in the wealthier district of the city. A brief external survey revealed a walled perimeter and door guards.

* Brennan woke up the next morning feeling a little weak and with his hair starting to turn a little gray, as best as you can guess, a side-effect from his experimentation with the earrings the day before.

* The group had their second meeting with the king and (eventually) turned over all the artifacts that you had, and gave him Canmore's message of "I will turn over the ring when his brothers are no longer a threat" though the king still wants to talk to Canmore and get that ring, Canmore neither wants to be meet the king nor give up the ring (until the family situation/threat is neutralized).

* The king is also holding the jade statue for you (so when it turns in to a creature at night and slays all within his palace, you'll know what happened :-P )

* Based on the stories you've told him so far, the King rewarded each of you with personally selected items for your help so far.

* The King says you're welcome to check back in two days (after he's had a chance to talk to his advisers and experts) so that he'll have a better plan on how to deal with Malcom, Duncan, Sureya (whose house he says he'll have watched for now), protecting or destroying the artifacts that he currently has, and getting the artifacts he doesn't have...

* You later went to go check at Sureya's manor to confirm that she was there... there was a party going on and none of you saw her, though people at the party mentioned she was around, and it was suggested that she might be "entertaining" male guests.

* Melenna found lots of magical traps and wards around the house (she was the only one who was able to go in further than just the foyer)

* Mitra, the captain of Sureya's house guard, said she'd relay your message to Sureya though you got the impression that she was just humoring you as a courtesy.

* At request of the King, you head to Daphnis (a mid-sized city in the plains just west of the Elara Mnts), to investigate how viable it would be to start relocating some of the refugees there as a permanent settlement annex to the Kingdom of Tarvos. He further explains that some of his own men went there to do that and have not been heard of since.

* You get to Daphnis - the main gate entrance is completely covered over by a slab of ice, but breeches along the wall make it simple enough to still get in. The city is mostly in ruins without an animal in sight, just some overgrowth and brush collecting in areas.

* Nestled in the ruins of a large building in the city center is a dragon (Azameer), and near him are a beholder and 2 trolls. The dragon lets you talk to him for as long as you continue amusing him and stimulating him with conversation, plays, and ballads -- some of your stories were more successful than others. But your glib tongue kept the situation from getting out of hand.

* Eventually you were told to leave when you were no longer amusing, and, surprisingly, not a single attack was drawn by any creature (the beholder and 2 trolls seem to be holding position at the dragon's behest). And, as you left, as a result of your epic-like diplomatic charms in your farewells (I guess at that point, he was more amused by your leaving than by your staying ), Melenna was able to take a book (the nature journal) with her - it is a record of local flora and fauna (animal and plant species seen in the area, a little about the prime growing season and migration patterns, and so on) as well as a few nature-related rituals interspersed.

* On the way back to the city, the party is accosted by some bandits who seem to think (at your mention of ties to the king) that you would fetch a good ransom price. Combat ensued and it was a difficult ... for them! Between veils of darkness, tight maneuvering that left no quarter to move without more strikes, grabs from chilling hands, radiant burning from moving, being knocked with such force to be tossed around the narrow ledge .... in the end, the party won with some minor casualties but no permanent injuries.

As of the end of the session, you made it back to the city. You probably have a couple hours before the follow-up meeting with the king if there was anything you wanted to do (otherwise, next time we'll pick up with the meeting with the king)

---
Incidentally, this marked the group's second encounter with a nonhumanoid creature (the first was the fateful blob of shadow essence), but the first encounter with an intelligent nonhumanoid creature (be it friend or foe).

fba827

I'm in a mellow mood today. It's probably a combination of various factors: it's Friday, the weekend is almost here, and I've got a game to look forward to on Sunday. So, I've decided to write a few words in praise of some things that I think don't get appreciated often enough.

1. The Combat Mini-Game
It might not require as much imagination as the role-playing mini-game or as much creativity as the open-ended problem-solving mini-game, but combat is usually a quick way to increase the level of tension and get all the players involved.

The turn by turn structure of combat means that all the players will get involved, unless they consciously choose not to. The fact that their PCs' lives are typically on the line means that everyone has an interest in the outcome. And when a player's turn comes up, he usually has an interesting choice to make, even it is simply whether or not to move (and if so, where to) and which at-will attack to use.

Interesting things happen in combat: random dice rolls mean that success or failure is never certain, critical hits evoke cheers or groans (depending on who scored the hit), and the PCs often find new ways to work together and pull off some devastatingly effective combination of attacks.

Sometimes, I feel that combat has become so engaging that the players don't want to focus on the other aspects of the game.

2. Simplicity
While I have nothing against PCs with extensive back stories, well-fleshed out personalities, complex motivations and relationships with various organizations and NPCs, or intricately crafted campaign worlds with detailed descriptions of their history, geography, cultures and current political landscape, or carefully-crafted campaigns full of mystery, twists and surprises after every adventure, a straightforward adventure in a vanilla campaign setting with PCs who are typical examples of their races and classes can be fun, too.

More importantly, games like these take very little effort to prepare for. A Dungeon Delve style series of three or four linked fights can be put together at short notice and provide several hours of entertainment for a gaming group.

Casual gamers might even prefer such an approach. If each adventure is more or less self-contained, they will not need to remember the details of previous sessions and can approach each new game afresh. This makes it easier to play periodic games in which weeks or months may pass between sessions.

3. DMs who Give Their Players What They Want
Between the extreme caricatures of the doormat DM who gives in to his players all the time, and the demon DM whose only aim is to frustrate his players, there are (I'm fairly sure) the ordinary everyday DMs who are quite happy to give their players what they want, within reason, provided they work for it.

They might use wealth by level tables as a guideline when giving out treasure, but they don't treat them as player entitlements. They see wish lists as feedback, not orders from the players, and have no qualms about giving them something else if their requests are unreasonable. They see treasure parcels as a way of organizing the rewards to be found by the players, but don't feel obliged to give them out if the players do nothing to earn them.

All in all, they act pretty much like how you would expect a reasonably tough but reasonably fair and reasonably nice person to act. They run games that are challenging, but flexible and fun. I'm glad to say that I play with DMs like these.

4. Players who Respect their DM
Among other things, they make requests, not demands. They appreciate the effort that their DM has put into preparing for the game and work with him instead of against him to get their PCs to the adventure. They take challenges and setbacks in their stride, and work to solve problems instead of sulking and accusing the DM of being unfair. When the DM screws up (it happens from time to time - we're all human) they don't hold a grudge.

In short, they are a joy to DM for. I consider myself pretty lucky that my players are like this.

FireLance