It's back! Nightfall's "Ask the Sage" Scarred Lands Q&A

[jdrakeh]

Okay, I'm one of you now. For the benefit of others who may be thinking about buying into (or, as I did, back into) the Scarred Lands, Noble Knight Games is currently running a rediculously good deal on mint condition (never before sold) Scarred Lands products. I got the following lot, myself:

Ghelspad - Campaign Setting (MINT/New) (Hardcover)	           $9.95
Termana - Campaign Setting (MINT/New) (Hardcover)	           $11.95
Divine and the Defeated (MINT/New) (Hardcover)		           $9.95
Creature Collection I (Revised) (MINT/New) (Hardcover)	           $11.95
Blood Bayou (MINT/New) (Softcover)	                           $7.49
Burok Torn - City Under Siege (MINT/New) (Softcover)	           $6.95
Calastia - Throne of the Black Dragon (MINT/New) (Softcover)	   $6.95
DM Screen and Companion (SW (MINT/New)) (Softcover)	           $7.95
Hornsaw, The - Forest of Blood (MINT/New) (Softcover)	           $6.95
Mithril - City of the Golem (MINT/New) (Softcover)	           $6.95
Shelzar - City of Sins (MINT/New) (Softcover)	                   $8.49
Wilderness & Wasteland (MINT/New) (Softcover)	                   $4.95
	
Total Cost	                                                   $100.48

It's really even better than an Amazon buy at those prices, so I figured I'd let interested parties know. All of the other Scarred Lands books, with one or two exceptions, are priced similarly. Likewise, I think that the entire line is there with one or two exceptions (I didn't see a copy of Hollowfaust).

And, now, back to your regularly scheduled Q&A

 

[jdrakeh]

Q: Looking through my recently acquired copy of the Creature Collection Revised, it seems that it contains some of the more popular entries from other Creature Collections released in the past (most notably, CCII). Is this just my imagination, or is the case?

Q: I may be mistaken, though I thought that the old CC contained a list of monsters from the MM that are appropriate for use in the Scarred Lands. I cannot seem to find such a list in my copy of CC Revised. Is there a copy of this lise elsewhere, or do you have a list of your own that you could post here?*

Q: I know that the way god work has changed between 3.0 and 3.5. Speccifically, I think, they've been toned down mechanically. That sucks. Do you think that it would it be too cruel/inappropriate for me to use the deities in The Divine and The Defeated wihout modification?

*I ask because I get the impression when reading the entries for Wrack Dragons, that regular dragons (per the MM) don't exist in the Scarred Lands anymore (or if they do, that they're extremely rare).

 

[Twowolves]

Q: Looking through my recently acquired copy of the Creature Collection Revised, it seems that it contains some of the more popular entries from other Creature Collections released in the past (most notably, CCII). Is this just my imagination, or is the case?

I don't think it does at all. They removed some entries from the CCI (like the hags, the exemplars, and the fatlings), some of which became templates, others PrCs.

Q: I may be mistaken, though I thought that the old CC contained a list of monsters from the MM that are appropriate for use in the Scarred Lands. I cannot seem to find such a list in my copy of CC Revised. Is there a copy of this lise elsewhere, or do you have a list of your own that you could post here?*

It did not. There was going to be an appendix in the CCR that did this, but it was bumped to include the PC races originally found in the DM Screen booklet. They said they would release that material as a Web Enhancement, but did not. But you can probably guess which MM monsters would go with which deities/titans.

Q: I know that the way god work has changed between 3.0 and 3.5. Speccifically, I think, they've been toned down mechanically. That sucks. Do you think that it would it be too cruel/inappropriate for me to use the deities in The Divine and The Defeated wihout modification?

*I ask because I get the impression when reading the entries for Wrack Dragons, that regular dragons (per the MM) don't exist in the Scarred Lands anymore (or if they do, that they're extremely rare).

The Divine and Defeated book came out before Deities and Demigods, and long before any of that was in the SRD, so they made it up themselves. Use whichever you like, but I see nothing wrong with the Divine and the Defeated rules.

As for the chromatic dragons, they DO exist in the Scarred Lands, specifically they mostly went back to the Dragon Lands (described in the last book, Strange Lands). They run that entire continent in a society like feudal Japan (sorta). They are everywhere there, some I think in Termana (the Eternal Isle, is it? I forget) and probably none left on Ghelspad.

Which I'm ok with, really.

 

[jdrakeh]

I don't think it does at all. They removed some entries from the CCI (like the hags, the exemplars, and the fatlings), some of which became templates, others PrCs.

I noticed the templates, though I coudl have sworn that the Carnival of Shadows entries were originally in CCII (my memory is fading, though, which is why I asked).

It did not. There was going to be an appendix in the CCR that did this, but it was bumped to include the PC races originally found in the DM Screen booklet. They said they would release that material as a Web Enhancement, but did not. But you can probably guess which MM monsters would go with which deities/titans.

Yeah -- but guesswork is for people with free time

The Divine and Defeated book came out before Deities and Demigods, and long before any of that was in the SRD, so they made it up themselves. Use whichever you like, but I see nothing wrong with the Divine and the Defeated rules.

I'd kind of planned on using the rules in The Devine and The Defeated, just because I'm a bit lazy and because I like my gods. . . erm. . . godlike!

As for the chromatic dragons, they DO exist in the Scarred Lands, specifically they mostly went back to the Dragon Lands (described in the last book, Strange Lands).

This (i.e., Strange Lands) is the one main setting book that I lack, so I may have to append my planned order from Noble Knight next pay period (I had already planned on grabbing CCII, CCIII, R&R, and R&RII).

 

[jdrakeh]

Q: Are there any good sources of online support (i.e., not discussion forums, but fan-created adventures, rule expansions, etc) for the Scarred Lands?

 

[Twowolves]

Q: Are there any good sources of online support (i.e., not discussion forums, but fan-created adventures, rule expansions, etc) for the Scarred Lands?

There were, but they are fading into obscurity. Go do a Yahoo search on "Scarn" or "Ghelspad" and you'll find several "storage houses" of maps, rules and ideas. Most of what's left AFAIK are campaign webpages based in the SL, so they have information very specific to their games (like maps and houserules and such).


As for the Carnival of Shadows entries, there were some in both books.

Strange Lands details (lightly) the other 3 continents, plus has spells, feats, monsters, magic items, templates and PrCs tied to each. Lots of great ideas, kinda slim on specifics. Not really enough to run a campaign in them, but more than enough to introduce aspects of each to a Ghelspad or Termana game.

Which specific MM critters were you wondering about? I'd be glad to throw some suggestions your way.

 

[jdrakeh]

There were, but they are fading into obscurity. Go do a Yahoo search on "Scarn" or "Ghelspad" and you'll find several "storage houses" of maps, rules and ideas. Most of what's left AFAIK are campaign webpages based in the SL, so they have information very specific to their games (like maps and houserules and such).

Well, I suppose that's the price I pay for returning to the fold after an absence of six years.

Strange Lands details (lightly) the other 3 continents, plus has spells, feats, monsters, magic items, templates and PrCs tied to each. Lots of great ideas, kinda slim on specifics. Not really enough to run a campaign in them, but more than enough to introduce aspects of each to a Ghelspad or Termana game.

Well, like all of the other Scarred Lands stuff at Noble Knight, it's rediculously cheap. I think I'll have the whole line, save for three books at under $160.

Which specific MM critters were you wondering about? I'd be glad to throw some suggestions your way.

Well, all of them, really. A lot of 3.5 setting supplements (e.g., Northern Crown) have a little pocket list of what creatures from official WotC support books make sense for the setting. I guess, though, I was really worried about dragons and things very unique to D&D, like Mindflayers, Bulettes, Otyugh, Aboleths, etc.

 

[Nightfall]

Sorry! I was spending the day helping two friends of mine with a DDM DCI rules tournament they are going to participate in this coming weekend.

But as Two wolves has stated, the Carnival stuff might have been mixed in from other source (IE there is the updated Jack of Tears entry for starters), but for the most part, CC Revised continued to use the entries in the previous CC I with 3.5 updates and look sees.

As for the Divine and the Defeated rules, I do tend to like them better, in terms of saying "This is what an Avatar of a god can do." Both rules have their uses, but for me I'll stick with the SL rules for divine creatures/divinities.

Most Abberations with psionic abilities (and indeed monstrous humaniods) tend to have some ties or have their genesis with the Slacerians. Most psionics do.

Regarding the other less "weird" abberations, I'd say Beholders formed from the center of Scarn and believe themselves to be the one true heirs to it.

Dragons are rare in Ghelspad, but they exist in some fashion in other lands. Wrack Dragons tend to be more numerous but you can have true dragons appear, albeit they are very rare and thus not to be seen that much.

Hags of all stripe come from Mormo, even the Planar ones.

 

[jdrakeh]

Thanks for the help! Both of you!

 

[Nightfall]

Glad I could help JD.