Green Ronin's Advanced GameMasters Guide is Out!

[tensen]

Levin is a lot like vis from the Ars Magica game, and can be used as power components. "Levin is magical material that can be used in place of experience point costs when casting spells or making magic items. It can best be described as potential magical energy,dormant by itself but able to empower rituals and ceremonies in much the same way a spellcaster ’s own life-energies can. Levin is measured in points,with 1 point of levin able to replace 1 experience point of cost for item creation or spellcasting."

I am truly Godlike.. their power components require me to be chopped up in tiny pieces and used to power items.

Those that get it, realize my last name is Levin.

 

[tetsujin28]

Thank you. I have a much more evil idea for Levin- rending down the bodies of magical beings (those that either cast spells or have spell like or supernatural abilities) to create it.

Games like Chivalry and Sorcery and Swordbearer did it years ago. It works great.

 

[Garnfellow]

Thank you. I have a much more evil idea for Levin- rending down the bodies of magical beings (those that either cast spells or have spell like or supernatural abilities) to create it.

There's a nice section on "Taking Levin from Creatures."

 

[Moulin Rogue]

Could anyone with Unearthed Arcana say if and how Spell Points from Chapter Two are handled differently in this product?

 

[thundershot]

Grrr.. it's still not even listed on amazon.com..... *mutters*



Chris

 

[Garnfellow]

Grrr.. it's still not even listed on amazon.com..... *mutters*

I don't think the hard copies will go out for at least a month or two, if Green Ronin is using a release schedule similar to what they used with the Player's Guide. Just electronic format for now.

 

[Psion]

Well, I grabbed this last night. And it's pretty nice. Sort of like a cross between "Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering" and "Unearthed Arcana."

Note that you should take "advanced" to mean "more advanced than the DMG." Some of the GM advice is old hat for many expeienced GMs. But it may help some experienced GMs get organized and help some newer GMs take it to the next level.

Much advice, like initiative cards and specified dice for attacks, are techniques commonly offered up on these boards, but will be nice to get some of these techniques to a wider audience.

Still more reading to do, but I like what I see so far.

I dig the guidelines for representative battles, and have been using a similar method since FGU's Bushido.

One of the variant rules I really dug was the "class dodge bonus" rules. It's a bit less simplistic / less drastic / more simulationist than the UA rules, and easier to use than the Second World Sourcebook rules. It's one rule I intend to implement post haste.

 

[Dr. Harry]

I bought my pdf copy at RPGNow this morning, and had a chance to look it over at lunch. So far, it looks very cool.

Thanks for the heads-up. I got mine once I read your post.

 

[Owen K.C. Stephens]

Could anyone with Unearthed Arcana say if and how Spell Points from Chapter Two are handled differently in this product?

As I recall (I didn't go look at my manuscript for this answer, so forgive me if I'm mistaken) the spellpoint system in AGM gives casters a lot fewer spells per day, but allows them to select from any spell they know. There is no "preparation." A wizard who knows 167 spells can cast any of them, if he's willing to spend the spell points.

Obviously this makes the difference between sorcerers and wizards much smaller, but that's addressd in the book.

Owen K.C. Stephens

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Wow. This looks even better than I thought it would be.