Recent content by Alas

Arthurian-style plots? My mind goes to Gawain and the Green Knight or Pellinore and the Questing Beast. A session/episode focuses on one puzzling adversary at a time (though they may have minions/mini-bosses), and resolving the issue requires cleverness (figuring out loopholes and weaknesses)...

Do you mean, how did we set up the character? We kind of hand waved the phantom steed part of the Knight Phantom, saying that the warlock's "ring you cannot take off" was their focus for summoning their steed. Since it didn't have a direct combat application yet, and was mainly for riding from...

Synopsis: While waiting for the rest of the party’s schedules to synch up, a player and I decided to try a Daggerheart pick-up solo adventure. We played a largely improvised session that involved some social interaction, exploring, and combat. The final encounter against a solo monster went down...

Pretty reminiscent of the Cistercian numeral system...

Perhaps germane to the topic? The historical perspective from Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, Scene III: Faust. Did not [Lucifer] charge thee to appear to me? Mephistophilis. No, I came hither of mine own accord. [and later] Faust. Where are you damn’d? Mephistophilis. In hell. Faust. How comes...

As a DM, I try to tailor adventures to my PCs' traits and specialties. However, there's six of them and one of me, so there comes a point when irregularly used abilities fall off my encounter-design radar. If you decide to keep the Use Rope skill (and I'm not saying you're obliged to), be...

It certainly raises my expectations for the next Draconomicon. :)

That's pretty much how changelings (doppelgangers) work, as presented in the Eberron Player's Guide. Their Charisma bonus is fixed, and they get to choose an Intelligence bonus or a Dexterity bonus.

I was so-so on the article until I saw the Monster Manual shout-out in the epic destiny. The seven canaries? Awesome.

The changeling killed it and took its schtick (so to speak). :) I'll see the Giff and raise the Xixchil-- scalpel-fingered body-modding space kreen!

Hollowfaust has a lot of little gems in it, such as why their necromancers dress the way they do. Their "college" is primarily underground, in dank old volcanic tunnels (the "faust" in Hollowfaust is a dormant/extinct volcano). Because the tunnels drip, they wear broad brimmed hats; because of...

Brainstorming Ravenloft for 4e I loved Ravenloft back when it came out, and even got to run a couple games in it before my players were distracted by Spelljammer. I missed out on the 3rd ed conversions for it, but 4th ed's Shadowfell rekindled my interest in the old domains of dread, and has me...

I will support your theory if you expand it to include such non-D&D platypuses as HOL, TORG, and FASA's Doctor Who RPG. ;)

I'm reminded of a scene from the early Cerebus comics, when Cerebus would walk into a seedy bar, say, "Hey, you!" and whip a 15-lb. bag of flour at the assembled patrons. Narrative result: everybody takes it personally, and gets ready to charge him. D&D translation: area attack marked all...

I've read through the entire thread, but I still feel like I'm coming late to the party, so I hope my question doesn't sound impertinent-- but can you clarify what at-wills take from the game? In my understanding, at-wills are one of the design spaces where a class's schtick resides. Rogue...