Let's read the entire run

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 305: March 2003


part 4/9


Cities of the Planes: Hmm. That sounds like it might be the start of another regular column. Although to be honest, I can't see it lasting longer than it's counterpart Cities of the Ages did, despite the number of places out there that could do with some filling in. Still, as usual, I live in hope. :Checks ahead: Nothing? Oh well.

Still, this is a very interesting and otherworldly place indeed, that takes full advantage of the different physics there. On the astral plane, there is no time, so creatures don't need to eat, sleep, or age. Which means any settlement there is composed of immigrants, and will remain pretty stable for long periods of time without natural births or deaths among the population. On the other hand, you do need to worry about Githyanki invaders, having decidedly limited solid materials to build with, and the gigantic corpse you're living on turning out to not be quite so dead after all. Under these conditions, an earthly economy doesn't really work, as people don't need to work just to survive. And so the main avenue of competition is for citizenship, as there's a very limited number of permanent residencies, and a fair number of temporary workers who do not have much legal protection. There's also the interesting fact that everyone who can get here is at least mid-level, often much higher, which means there'll be no slaughtering your way through the guard this time. It's all both interesting and different, which is exactly what the planes should be. I definitely wish more people were writing stuff like this.


Faith and Honor: A religion can not survive on clerics alone. Gods need worshippers if they want to have general influence on the population. Yet a lot of the time, if players aren't playing someone empowered by the gods, they're tremendously cynical about them, even when (or perhaps because ) they definitely exist and are active upon the setting in measurable ways. You know what would fix this? Feats that let even those who aren't clerics enjoy some minor measure of divine power, just like psionicists get wild talents. That's a very 3e way of looking at things. Actually, it's very 4e as well, introducing the idea of picking up minor features from other classes via feats as a general thing, which would also see plenty of use in the incarnum and martial maneuver books. Oh, and lots of roleplaying advice of various ways you can play religious faith. So this is an instance where they're trying to introduce a bit more realism to the game, and having to fight both built up expectations and the system itself to make it accommodate them better. But with interesting results that will have an impact on the game in the future, unlike most articles that try to add more realism. Guess Skip still has a fair bit of influence on the company's design philosophies.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 305: March 2003


part 5/9


Fear the invincible blade: For a third time, Robin Laws tries to sell us on the fun of having catchphrases for our characters. This is becoming quite the thing from him, and I think it may be time to move on. These are times of character development and continuity in TV shows. Using the same transformation sequence every episode, hitting the reset button, and having every show end with the characters giving us a little PSA and laughing is very much on the out. This is further aggravated by the fact that he's selling this as a way to keep warrior attacks interesting. Which makes it a nice diversion, but to be honest, it's not going to make up for the far greater flexibility spellcasters have in actual play, is it. As this is both moderately silly and very rehashed, I'm afraid I cant rate it highly.


Venom and coil: This, on the other hand, is fairly decent. Robin doesn't go in for the grimdark parody he pulled on the Drow, but a proper ecology style expansion on the Yuan-ti history, psychology and social organisation. Like Githzerai, they might have a chaotic alignment and goals, but their high intelligence and natural tactical bent means they can be alarmingly disciplined and co-operative in the way they pursue them, because everyone can work out the solution to a problem and agree to play a part in it of their own free will. Plus while they may not be quite as good at mind control as illithids, their mix of magic and psionics still makes them really good at social manipulation. On top of that, there's the potential for the good old innsmouth look storyline, where a PC finds out they actually contain some yuan-ti blood, and have to decide whether to embrace their monstrous side or run from it and become one of their most dangerous enemies. So this makes them a considerably more credible threat than their old ecology in issue 151. I think this is one people might actually reference in the future.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 305: March 2003


part 6/9


Bazaar of the Bizarre: We've had a few magic mirrors in the past, but this is another thing they haven't tackled since the new edition started. So many ideas to reintroduce, so little space.

Carnival Mirrors turn you into your ironically distorted image in the glass. This is rarely to your benefit. Good luck getting rid of the new form.

Makeup Mirrors give you an instant makeover of your choice, unsurprisingly. The usual cosmetic and disguise benefits ensue.

The Mirror of Answering is the snow white jobbie. As with any divination, how you ask the questions and what you do with the information revealed is up to you. Watch you don't get led into stupid paths by your own narrow visions.

The Mirror of Auras lets you see and identify magic in it. Again, seems a pretty standard bit of construction. Just reflect frequencies invisible to the human eye and shift them downwards.

The Mirror of Dreams lets you see the dreams of a person reflected in it. Unfortunately, it's not also a recording device, so you'll have to trust the person examining them. Like many a divination device, it's uses will largely be determined by DM fiat.

The Mirror of Lies marks the reflection of anyone who lies while looking in it. Thank yourself lucky it doesn't warp your real appearance too. A little combination enchantment and maybe it could.

Mirrors of Scrying are another classic they really ought to have included sooner. No complaints here. Just don't expect it to be as easily portable as a crystal ball.

The Mirror of the Ages, of course, lets you see in the time axis rather than the space one. Again, no surprises at all here.

Mirrors of Translocation are the classic paired transportation portals. Yet again I say seen it before, will see it again.

The Mirror of Truth of course penetrates illusions, invisibility and and similar visual deception crap. Man, we're seeing a lot of cliches here. The new edition sure aint so fresh and new anymore.

Salve of Mirrored eyes gives you gaze reflection and weird eyes. But not for very long. No good for if you know the medusa is somewhere in the dungeon, but haven't found it yet.

Shields of Gaze Reflection turn out to be another victim of the new edition's nerfing. Only work once a day? What's the rationale for that here? It's not as if PC's get reflectable gaze attacks.

On top of that, we steal Arcane Lore's schtick a bit by including a spellbook. A trio of basic utility spells follow. Mirror eyes, Transparency and Durability. None of them have effects even slightly surprising. Can't say I'm very impressed by this one overall.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 305: March 2003


part 7/9


3.5 Revision update: They split their attention evenly this month, pointing out one thing they're going to change in each of the three corebooks. In the players handbook, they want to make the combat chapter easier to understand and reference, so fights will be faster and with fewer rules arguments. In the DMG they're including templates for your spell areas, so if you're using minis, you can quickly and easily figure out who's blasted and who's safe. And in the MM they'll be including tactical advice in monster descriptions, so you have a better idea of how to use their powers effectively, and higher level monsters won't be quite so DM dependent in the amount of challenge they offer. All of them sound reasonable enough, even if the last one does feel a bit too much like hand-holding only intended for n00bs. But since they are all solutions to actual complaints, and seem like you can ignore them easily enough, it's hard to complain too much. Just watch you don't make the book too much bigger in the process.


Guild secrets: Ha. Our theme for this column is " I was a member before they were big, and now they suck." A weaponsmith's guild that's decided to expand it's recruitment, and get people who actually fight with them regularly as well. Which leads to predictable petty bitchiness which PC's are most likely to be on the receiving end of if they sign up. That's the kind of political fun that's completely real feeling, even in a fantasy universe. How much politics caused is not because people actually disagree in position that much, but merely because our lizard brains need to compete for dominance and status? So whether you're a member or just passing through and completely ignorant of what's going on behind the scenes, there's plenty to drive adventure in this article, and both the general idea and new fighting style feats are easily taken and used in other plots. Plus it's not an idea that's totally beaten into the ground, save perhaps OOC in the letters pages. That also adds a few marks.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 305: March 2003


part 8/9


DM's Toolbox: Time for another discussion about the benefits and problems to metagaming. A certain amount of it makes things run so much smoother, especially when players make decisions based on what would be good for the story, rather than their own characters. But the wrong sort can break the verisimilitude of the world, especially if their character uses information they couldn't possibly have. In such circumstances, you may have to engage in similarly metagame methods to encourage what you want and nip what you don't in the bud. The first option should always be to talk about the problem openly, but if that fails, they do suggest other tricks you can try to make them behave. The best idea, as usual, is to combine the carrot and the stick, making sure you reward good as well as punish bad. And if they find magical ways to pass on information at a distance IC, just let them, as it will save a fair amount of hassle in the long run. This once again seems like pretty solid advice. You can't stay completely immersed in character all the time, so it's better to prepare for those moments when you're not.


Dungeoncraft: Monte's next bit of citybuiding advice has us considering what reason the city has to exist in world. There are very good reasons why one settlement remains tiny, while another bloats to hold millions and experiences daily traffic jams as everyone tries to get from A to B and back again each day. What's the terrain and weather like, what resources are there to exploit, how high is the tech level, etc etc. The order of the questions is such that knowing the answer to the previous ones should make answering the later ones easier. After all, technology is shaped by resources, and layout is very dependent on the transportation technology and building materials. Sort out the big questions, and then move onto filling in smaller details, if you have the time. Once again, good organisation helps you get the most practical use out of your creativity. If you do things in the right order, you don't waste so much time running back and forth fixing problems you inadvertently created yourself.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 305: March 2003


part 9/9


Sage advice: Can you deliver a touch spell by touching an enemies weapon (Sorta. Given the nature of abstract combat, you can't control what you're touching. It could be any part of their body. Unless you hold your action and attack them when they attack you with reach. )

How often can a tiger rake (No more than once per round)

Does someone in the way of lightning bolt stop it. (People are not objects. Unless you fill the entire square and those around, it goes through you, and onto the next sucker. )

How does an undead barbarian rage (With his charisma score. Ooooh, scary.)

How real is a shadow wall of force (40% real. 40% likely to stop things from passing through it. Including you. Shoddy workmanship, really)

How does searing light work against incorporeal creatures (Normal miss chance, Skip's afraid. If it does extra damage on a hit, that just makes missing with it all the more frustrating. Real sunlight has no miss chance, however.)

Does uncanny dodge let you keep your dex bonus. (Against anything but full-on immobilization, yes. If that's still not clear enough, skip will check off all the conditions. Skip hopes that is sufficient to satisfy.)

Does armour affect your encumbrance (yes)

Gruntharg the barbarian wants to smash with lots of weapons at once! How quick Gruntharg throw one, then start using other in both hands (Blah example one blah example two blah example three blah blah bla... Gruntharg bored! Gruntharg smash boring Skip! :bang!: Skip thinks not. Skip grew up on the mean shores of lake geneva. Skip is not going to let some young punk like you outdraw Skip. Skip is the Sage and you will shut yo mouth and wait until Skip is finished. Okay, Skip's finished. See you next month folks. And remember.
When everything is so confusing that all you can do is say um.
The very best thing for you to do is come on down to Skip's emporium.
If you've got questions about magical vestments, or you're getting bored with your rules lawyers talk.
Just gimme a call, or send me a letter. You don't you're a fool, there's no-one better.
Satisfaction guaranteed, especially for the laydees :teeth ting:
Established '87, You can take it as a given, that we'll make your game run smooth as SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLK. (dubba da dum ))


Dork tower tries it's hand at D20 modern. Things go ever so slightly better than the last time they tried present day stuff.


Fiction: The arms of the Kraken by George R R Martin. 21 pages? I do believe that's the longest story they've printed in a single issue. Not quite the longest article, but certainly in the top percentile. They must have quite a bit of regard for him. This is basically just an excerpt from his upcoming book though, showing that despite getting a different author in to their usual stable, they're continuing their depressingly overcommercialised treatment of this department. Oh well. At least the story itself is pretty interestingly brutal, with sex, death and religion right up front in the plot. He's never been afraid to show the realities of a life without advanced technology. The setting building is sufficiently dense that you don't need to have read the previous ASoI&F novels to make sense of this, but it probably helps. It definitely showcases the fact that he has a very distinctive writing style, and that he isn't dealing in the sanitised fantasy where you always face foes appropriate to your CR. So while there is a good deal of cynicism here, there's also some genuinely tense plotting, as well as witty banter to break things up and make the exposition more palatable. So I have mixed, but ultimately positive feelings about him showing up here. What could this mean for the magazine as a whole?


What's new points out the prices and drawbacks flying has. Superman never had to worry about these.


Not sure what to make of this issue. it's mostly by the numbers, but has a couple of really weird bits in it, that I have no idea what to make of. Their choice of covers continues to be fugly, and their writing style has become very homogenised, but there are some nice experiments with the rules as they gear up for the edition change, and of course the big scoop in the fiction department. I guess I'll have to accept yet again that virtually no issues are going to perfect, and only come back and use the good stuff. Oh well, April again next month. Maybe they'll have something surprising in there too.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 306: April 2003


part 1/9


94 pages (116) Tonight! I'm going to suuuuck……ubus. (I didn't know her mouth was that flexible :rimshot: I pity the tourists in the open-roof double deckers) From looking at the contents page It looks like this year's april issue is pretty light on the levity, but does have multiple articles with a fiendish flavour. I guess there are worse topics to tackle. There are certainly many far more overdone ones. Let's keep that serious face on as we pen another missive among many.


Scan Quality: Excellent, indexed, Ad free scan.


In this issue:


Wyrms turn: Yet again, i'm left feeling that the playstyle in the offices isn't the one they're trying to sell us in the books, as they regularly kill one another off and switch characters, trying to use as many of the new races, feats, spells etc that they're coming up with. ( which is both work and pleasure, if done right. ) Meanwhile, they're nerfing energy drain, making permanent death less likely, and encouraging you to play full 12-18 month campaigns where you go from 1st to 20th level. It is interesting to observe. I guess it's still a small disconnect compared to Palladium, where Kevin Siembida doesn't even try to use the rules in his own books. Here, they at least use the rules as written, even if they're constantly tinkering with them and adding to them because that's their job. Would the game sell more if they didn't try to retain that gap between the way they're playing, and the way they're trying to encourage us to play? I'm really not sure. But it is worth considering. Would the perfect system be one where there's no need to houserule, and the rules encourage exactly the playstyle that they say they do? Or is there no truly perfect system for everything, and the constant tinkering is part of the fun? I think that's worth a good bit of debating.


Scale Mail: Our first letter is from someone who's DM likes to keep all their magazines polybagged, thus preserving their resale value but keeping their contents from seeing much use. They quite rightly tell him to buy his own copies. Then you can do what ever you like with them, including make nuclear weapons.

Our next question is an obvious one. What does the release of 3.5 portend for their various splatbook series? Oh, they will have no hesitation repeating that, multiple times even. Once again cementing that they feel comfortable covering a narrower range of topics because they know the many D20 companies out there are taking up the slack.

Despite modern communication having advanced, it seems once again that army people are having trouble getting the magazine while stationed out in odd places. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, in this case. They're doing their best.

We also have the problem that some people think cubic cones and spheres are stupid. Doing everything to the grid could well be called stupid. You just have to decide if you want to include that degree of abstraction in your game, because you need some if you want to keep things moving along. It's only an issue if you're using minis and strictly tracking space and positioning anyway.

Even more contentious is the idea that everything WotC and Dragon publishes should be Open Content. They have to argue against that. If they did, anyone could copy their work and sell it for cheaper, putting them out of business. Trouble with that argument is the fact that even 4 years after they took down their .pdfs, it's still simplicity itself to get any D&D book for free online, even 4e ones that were never released as such. * It's still a fairly huge problem, and as we're finding as the digital economy develops, the best way to compete with free is to provide quality and convenience ( which WotC should definitely be able to do if it puts it's mind too it )and use models that get the money upfront like Kickstarter. (which even White Wolf is resorting too these days) I'm once again left feeling that Ryan Dancey knew what he was doing when he created the OGL, while these guys are too busy making their monthly deadlines to predict or plan for long term technology driven changes in the industry.

And finally, another obscure pop culture reference to roleplaying, just to lighten the mood. Not that it really competes with the zany letters of yesteryear.



* Note: this was written before they put them back up again a few days ago. Now that is an interesting development

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 306: April 2003


part 2/9


Dungeon has gone monthly! That'll please a lot of people. It may still be Dragon's little brother, but I guess it has caught up over the years, especially now it's got the D20 stuff in it as well.


Up on a soapbox: Another interesting facet of old school play uncovered here. One reason for having large numbers of hirelings in your party is to get an edge in the action economy. Many monsters had multiple attacks per round, but very few PC's did (until you could cast Haste, which was enormously game-changing if you didn't enforce the aging penalty. ) Meanwhile AC did not consistently scale with HD. If you got enough of them in, you could take down even really powerful monsters (as long as they didn't require magic weapons to hit or something) before they got a chance to take many actions by unleashing a high intensity bombardment of missile weapons. This is definitely something that's consistent with my experience, where each player often had multiple characters, and they did not hesitate to buff up and get into tactical position before a fight so they could make it as short and brutal as possible for the other side. So really, this shows exactly why they tried to define the parameters of a fair challenge more tightly in later editions, and how keeping that finely tuned balance becomes increasingly difficult and tactics dependent as the party and number of enemies increases. At some point the players may well get unlucky and be killed by an enemy that on paper is way weaker than them. Perfect balance is an impossibility in an open ended game. All you can do is try your best.


House rules: Here's one house rule that they did make standard come 3.5. Druids getting to swap out spells for Summon Nature's ally, just as Clerics can swap them out for healing (and sometimes their other domains if they take the right feat) As if they weren't enough of a swiss army knife with just their own shapeshifting powers. Now the only thing keeping them from having access to a full army (including infantry, cavalry, navy and air force) any time they want at higher level is the fact that they'll also nerf the duration to 1 round/level. And I don't find that very satisfying as it hurts the noncombat applications of summoning far more than it does the combat ones, so it doesn't even solve the problem it's intended too. So this is a house rule that seems reasonable in isolation, but when you consider that it's being applied to what is already the most powerful and flexible class overall, it just looks like favouritism. If people STILL aren't playing them after all this, it's purely their own loss. I disapprove quite strongly of this, just as I disapproved of clerics getting spontaneous healing in the first place.


Betraying your evil nature: After the gross-out goofiness of issue 300, it's a real relief to see them try and tackle the question of temptation and redemption in a mature manner. In D&D, there are both creatures that tend towards evil because of their biology, and ones that are innately evil by cosmic design. The first can choose good, but will always find it a battle dealing with their instincts or appetites, while the second can only change their morality by fundamentally altering their being, which may require external intervention (not always voluntary or consensual) to pull off successfully. Is it right to transform a demon's fundamental selfhood so they have a chance to choose good, particularly if they got that way by choosing chaos and evil in their mortal life anyway? (I'll take better than most of the alternatives for 12 please Bob) So far, so good. Of course this being 3e, they then have to try and represent this mechanically, with a system for temptation and redemption based on giving moral weight to each individual act and accumulating points when you perform them. Which I don't inherently object too, but it's so hard to get systems like these to feel right and not be easily broken by rules lawyer players. Still, even if I can't call the system great, it does look more mechanically robust when applied strictly than nWoD morality (not that that's a hard bar to exceed, unfortunately) and the main way to break it is to buff your wisdom so high that you can justify anything to yourself by taking the larger-scale view. Oh well. At least they gave this a proper try, instead of farting on the page and calling it maturity. That means someone can take the ideas and refine them further. Maybe some day they'll come up with a morality system that satisfies most people.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 306: April 2003


part 3/9


By evil bound: Creators of new fiends these days have a fairly stiff challenge. The existing ones have had multiple books looking at their lifecycle, psychology, chains of command, and the ways they get promoted and demoted. With demons it's not too bad, as the abyss is infinite, and you can easily have whole layers where a different set of monstrosities to the usual tanar'ri wound up more common. However, the baatezu and yugoloths have a pretty well defined hierarchy, so any new creations have to somehow be slotted into that with an explanation why we haven't seen them around much before, or stand outside it altogether. So Mike Mearls puts quite a bit of effort into the backstory of this bumper pack of new monsters.

The Devils are primarily internal enforcers. More lawful than evil, they're constructs built unable to break the laws of the nine hells, and as they can't be promoted or demoted, they can be relied upon to keep things functioning down there. The Yugoloths are more created beings like the old Guardians, build to literally serve as living weapons. This means they've been around for ages, but tend to get overlooked. Still, it's another reason to be paranoid about taking their stuff after killing them. You never know when it'll be a trap in itself. The Demons are formed by the merging of evil energy with the elements themselves, creating malevolent beings that have no tie to living souls, and thus even less incentive to trick and corrupt you rather than just torturing and killing. So far, so interesting. Let's look at the individual monsters.

Air Demons can fly faster than Vrocks, but that's their only real advantage. They're not even bright or reliable enough to make decent messengers. But then, if you've made it to abyssal lord status, you're well aware of just how flaky everyone around you is, and plan accordingly. It's just a matter of sufficient force and trickery.

Ash Demons cheese through combat by transforming into an insubstantial cloud of ash and trying to choke you. Zap them with cold spells to dampen their enthusiasm fast.

Earth Demons are dim and thuggish, but at least they're patient (or lazy) enough to sit still in one place and wait for prey, so they can be used as guardians. Just don't expect them to let you by any easier than your enemies.

Fire Demons burn you if they get too near, and set you on fire if they touch you. One trick ponies, really.

Ice Demons are the closest ones here to being civilised, able to shape ice to build all sorts of things. They like their hit and run attacks, letting the cold gradually wear you down before the final kill.

Water Demons superheat the water around them to make hunting easier. Once again, they have one trick, and that's it. Piscoloths'll make short work of them.

Coal Devils don't burn as hot as fire demons, but their constant smoking obscures vision and chokes anyone which needs to breathe. (which doesn't impede them at all. ) You'd think the Hells would have stricter health and safety regulations in the workplace, considering how big they are on bureaucracy.

Glass Devils are permanently invisible, and can move fast and burrow, making them pretty decent spies. Their skillset further supports this, with plenty of move silently, escape artist, and tumble to make it hard to pin them down even if you can see them.

Lead Devils have the fairly unique quirk of being able to teleport, but only when grappling someone else. They're relatively smart for such a big heavy creature too, and really good jumpers for some reason. If one's chasing you, it'll be a pretty terminator like experience.

Obsidian Devils are another one that loves to grapple, but they won't carry you back, just grind you against their sharp edges until you're just a mass of bloody ribbons. Shame being soaked in blood doesn't give you a bonus to escape artist rolls.

Sand Devils are another sneaky one, dispersing themselves and hiding in plain sight. After all, who suspects the dirt? Even paranoid demon lords are usually too arrogant to think of that. Once again, affecting visibility and choking you is their modus operandi if forced into combat.

Spiked Devils don't play well with others, since they need plenty of elbow room, and when they shoot spikes, they go in all directions. So they're generally stuck outside important stuff, serving as guards. Sounds boring and lonely.

Arrow Battleloths are cowards, and quite rightly, since they're 1HD creatures often used in battles full of terrifying extraplanar fiends. So they rarely fight in humanoid form, preferring to be fired once, and then find a way into the enemy's quivers for some spying action. Like any Yugoloth worth their salt, they'll betray their employers and play both sides for maximum personal profit if they think they can get away with it.

Axe Battleloths hit things with their sharpened heads as their primary combat method, so they tend not to be the brightest. When used as a weapon, they bite as well as slice, so they still have incentive to work with others.

Crossbow Battleloths can generate their own ammo and fly, so they're pretty lethal on their own tactically, but they can shoot even faster with someone to reload them. As ever, they don't particularly mind who, as long as they're paying well.

Pick Battleloths like to latch onto the first thing they hit and suck their blood like a mosquito. This means subtlety and tactics are not their strong points if used in a larger melee. Maybe if you keep a whole brace of them in your backpack you can take advantage of gang tactics to lock down something more powerful. Better hope they'll shut up and keep still until then.

Spiked Chain Battleloths demonstrate that Mike is fully aware of this bit of 3e cheese. They like to hunt other battleloths for fun, which only reinforces their assholishness. Nothing like a bit of mean spirited mucking around to reinforce that these guys are neutral evil, not lawful evil.

Sword Battleloths are the straight guys of this lot, which seems appropriate. They just want to kick ass, although they still prefer paying gigs. To be honest, who doesn't.

After reading through all this, I'm struck by how much it feels like a trial run for the changes they would make to monsters in general in 4e. All of these eschew the lengthy lists of spell-like powers existing fiends of the same HD have, just having one or two neat tricks each, and that's it. Plus the demons are formed from corrupted elements, which would also become the canon 4e origin for the Abyss in general. I guess we can definitely blame Mearls for all that then. It does mean they come off as considerably less mysterious and scary than the original set, both because they're all focussed on doing one or two things rather than being versatile big bads, and because they each just take a particular element and riff of that, which is always a formulaic way of generating large numbers of monsters. (so ironically, it's the literal living weapons that have the best developed personalities of this lot ) Compare that with say, a vrock. (it's a vulture man, which does magical dances and generates spores. Those elements do not flow logically from one-another) and it's obvious which still seems more wondrous and threatening. So this is a very displeasing bit of foreshadowing indeed for me. Introducing new creatures that don't work the same way as the old ones is cool in my book. Rewriting all the old ones so they no longer overshadow your new creations is most definitely NOT.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 306: April 2003


part 4/9


Power fantasy: Another attempt to better support a well-known topic mechanically. Swashbucking has already got a themed issue this edition, but it does have to be said that D&D still isn't the best system for high mobility cinematic action. This is made worse by feat bloat, as whenever they include a feat to enable a specific maneuver, it includes the implicit assumption that you'll suck at it or can't try it at all if you don't have that feat. Thankfully this is one of the few articles these days that doesn't have new feats, prestige classes or spells, just new uses for the skills you already have. Use Rope, for example, is really handy if you want to swing from chandeliers and use heavy counterweights to head up or down fast without hurting yourself. And it's amazing how much more damage you can do by dropping something heavy on people than hacking them with your sword. In real life, standing still and trading blows is one of the worst ways to fight a battle. Making that more true in D&D is probably a good way to move things.


Killing cousins: Ahh, the good old gith wars. The yanks and the zerths hate each other with a fiery passion, they both look down on the pirates, and all three would just pity the earthbound primitive gith if they ever ran into them. They're definitely not a big happy family, despite being united in hatred of illithids. But this does make exceedingly good plot fodder for players, especially as Githzerai are reasonably popular as a PC race. So a whole load of new feats, magical items and monsters which are good for the job of killing githyanki is good for both players and DM's. What's even more pleasing is that these are the kind of powers that aren't ONLY good for killing githyanki, just good for the job in an organic way. The power to track planeshifters wherever they may go is useful against tons of high level creatures, and toughening up your silver cord is handy whenever you're astral. Bypasing spell resistance and locking down dimension shifting powers can shift the balance at the most unexpected times. And being able to manipulate the powers of Limbo even better is just logical, considering where they live. This is a far better set of options to take than the ones aimed specifically at fighting undead or dragons, while still being full of flavour. As with the astral city last issue, you can't beat planar stuff for getting people to design interestingly different tricks which can really liven up your game.


Racial variants: Here's a second article containing ideas that they'd use again and expand upon in actual books next edition. Variant racial templates based upon terrain they live in. Not only would that make up a decent chunk of Unearthed Arcana, but they'd also do terrain books in the same vein as their class splatbooks. As with that, all of these are ECL 0, apart from the underdark one, which is +1 to reflect the tougher competition they have like Drow and Svirfneblin. While the descriptions are copypasted, this is definitely a case where they refined the mechanics the second time around, with specific variants for particular races, and greater attention to adding penalties as well as benefits. Still, this article also has a few variants they didn't update, so it's both interesting to uncover, and to compare and contrast. It's good to know they still see this as a work in progress.