I have DMGII and Revenge of the Giants

[kilamanjaro]

What are the two new varities of giants? I'm trying to think of the ones that are missing (Ocean, Sand, and Forest come to mind).

Eldritch, Shadow, Bog, Sea, Sun, Mountain, Jungle, Fog, Cloud...
I think one of the previews for this on WotC's site mentioned Astral Giants being in the adventure.

 

[Rechan]

Eldritch, Shadow, Bog, Sea, Sun, Mountain, Jungle, Fog, Cloud...

Eldritch giants are in MM2.

 

[Jack99]

Yay, found some Internet access at the convention!

Does it come across as having a personality or is it just a dumb artifact?

Just like other artifacts in 4e, the rod has intelligence and purpose. Its goals are to get reunited with the other parts, to establish the divine rule of law in the universe, taming the elemental chaos and nuking any primordials still in orbit. And of course find and kill Miska the Wolf Spider.

Anyway, I also had a question about the artwork in Revenge of the Giants. I really like how they've been including sets of pictures separate from the rest of the module in the first adventure path and things like Seekers of Ashen Crown. Is there a section in the book with a bunch of highlight images?

Not that I have seen

Is there only a single poster map?

Yes. Double sided though.

Who are the Faces of Sigil in the book?

Adamok Ebon, A'kin, Alluvius Ruskin, Arwyl Swan's Son, Autochon the Bellringer, Balthazaar Thames, Black Marian, Caravan, Estavan, Fell (the rogue Dabus), Kesto Brighteyes, Kylie, Lissandra the Gate-Seeker, Lothar the Old, Ramander the Wise, Rhys, Rule-of-Three, Shemeshka the Marauder, Tattershade (King of Rats), The Us, Vocar the Disobedient and Zadara.

What are some examples of Legendary Boons and Grandmaster Boons? What would you get if you learned from a reclusive Kung Fu master for example?

Legendary Boons: Book of 5 Truths; Ancient scrolls from the dawn of times that grant insight when reading (paraphrased) - The Third Truth (lvl 18, 85.000 gp) Property: When performing a ritual, roll twice and take the better result.
Grandmaster Boon: Davros Elden's Hasty Resurgence (lvl 9, 4200 gp) Power daily: Minor Action. Use this power when you are bloodied to gain temporary hit points equal to your healing surge value.

How does magic item components as rewards work? Is it more codified such as "fire pearls + obsidian tree branch = staff of ruin" or is it more loosely defined such as "these elemental gems count as 5000 GP for your next magic weapon or implement"?

More loosely defined. Basically: Divide into 3 components (one for starting, one for progressing, one for finishing). Then assign category depending on campaign, ideas for categories could be: Harvest ingredients, help an NPC, Forbidden sites. Then "place" the 3 "item parts". After that decide how they will "find" the parts. Could be part of a search, or as part of treasure parcel. Finish by deciding how to make the item. A skill challenge is suggested.

I'd like to hear more about RotG. Of those 21 giants types listed, are they just slight variations are some really interesting new monster mechanics added?

The Giants have a few new powers, but I am not sure I would go as far as call it new mechanics.

Is RotG setup like adventures (I think the last one I read thoroughly was in the H series) where it's chronological mix of story elements and encounters....

or is it setup like Dungeon where it's all the story elements (including the conclusion) and then it lists all the encounters - i.e. lots of flipping. I think it might've been answered, but I wanted to be clearer. Thanks for the help so far! So close to owning it!

As the HPE-series. But far more freeform, as in there are quite a lot of things the players can do when they choose to, not when dictated.

What about the alternate rewards. any rules for using less magic items? How much terrain (like the chandelier in the excerpt)?

There are 7 examples of terrain powers. And yes, there are suggestions for rules for using less magic items.

What are the two new varities of giants? I'm trying to think of the ones that are missing (Ocean, Sand, and Forest come to mind).

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Spoiler

Astral Giant. If there was another I must have missed it.

What is the implied setting for RotG? Is it transferable to Eberron?

4e PoL setting. Nerath and Nethir Vale is mentioned. Should be fairly easy to move to just about anywhere.

 

[Jack99]

Overall on Revenge of the Giants
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Spoiler

It looks to be a fairly interesting adventure. Soon after starting, the players have a lot of options of what they want to do. What they do and how they succeed will determine how the world around them cope with the giant armies (via a simple point system, much like the one in RHoD). There is of course a good deal of combat, but a lot of the "missions" are research and acquisition instead of just "go to that dungeon and clear it out". There is also seems to be a lot (read: far more than in any other wotc module) skill challenges (or pure RP encounters, if that's your thing) to determine how the story unfolds. I haven't had time to study pacing and balance of encounters, but if they check out, this could very well be the best WotC adventure to date. Unless you do not like giants of course. Then it will suck. Of course, a more thorough read-through is required before I can vouch for that, and I must admit that I do not have the time for that atm. I do really like how the big final battle has two "solutions", one being the straight out combat, the other being using a special artifact to kill the boss (via a skill challenge) after he is bloodied. Nothing revolutionary, but it looks good on paper.

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Overall on the DMG
Wow! I wish I had this book when I started DM'ing. While I love my old 1e DMG, I must admit that the 4e versions have impressed me with advice on how to be a good DM. The first was fairly simple, but very good for the new DM. The second iteration of the book definitely ups the game and I think that most DM's should be able to find a lot of advice in here that they can use to improve their game. Even those who have been DM'ing for decades. Sure, maybe some of all of it has been discussed to some degree at some point in some thread on ENworld, but that doesn't mean that everyone has read and bookmarked said thread.

I think I have covered most questions by now, if not, please restate it, because it means that I have missed it. I have no one on ignore.

 

[hailstop]

What is the implied setting for RotG? Is it transferable to Eberron?

I don't have RotG, but just looking at the excerpts, I'm not sure how well it'll fit, although Stormreach I would think would be the 'city' in jeopardy.

 

[Cadfan]

I think I have covered most questions by now, if not, please restate it, because it means that I have missed it. I have no one on ignore.

Do you think that the DMG II has significant value for someone who already has a DDI subscription and is willing to mine the compendium and online tools for crunch material? Just a guess is fine if its not clear what from it will be placed online.

 

[Rechan]

Do you think that the DMG II has significant value for someone who already has a DDI subscription and is willing to mine the compendium and online tools for crunch material? Just a guess is fine if its not clear what from it will be placed online.

He addressed that on page 2:

Hard to say. I doubt any of the first 62 pages will make it into the compendium. After that, maybe 30-40% of the rest of the book will be in the compendium.

 

[Jack99]

Double post

 

[Jack99]

He addressed that on page 2:

Aye, but just to be clear. I definitely think it would be worthwhile, simply due to the amount of information, structures and ideas on how to improve and understand your game sessions. While I can't say for sure, I am pretty sure that none of those will be in the compendium.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I have a question. Why do the Giants want revenage in the first place? It's as if a bunch of strangers waltzed into their homes, killed their kin, and robbed them blind!