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<blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 4788012" data-attributes="member: 27780"><p><strong><u>Dragon Issue 118: February 1987</u></strong></p><p></p><p>part 4/5</p><p></p><p>The dragon's bestiary: Opilonid are a swarm hunting breed of underground arachnoids. They get a whole bunch of quirky exception based powers and ecological stuff. Definitely one of the better thought out entries in here. </p><p>Spider cats(!) are exactly what they sound like, hybrid predators that stalk you, web you, and string you up for later. Mad wizards get memetastic. Just be thankful none of them have unleashed lolcats on the forgotten realms. That'd mess it up even worse than the spellplague. </p><p>Pheonix spiders take the tenacity of cockroaches and make it even worse, as they reform, bigger and badder every time you kill them. Now that's the kind of thing that provokes HOLY CRAP! reactions in players. I so want to use these. If anything'll make even the dumbest kill everything that moves party stop and think, it's these guys. They also have instadeath poison that still does damage if you save, so even at their smaller sizes they'll still mow through an uninformed party. If you were to take the cap off it's growth, and vary it's weakness to a form harder to find and use, one of these could rival the tarrasque as a country destroying monstrosity that drives an entire campaign arc. Muahahahaha!!!!!! </p><p>Polar spiders, like polar bears, are big furry things that camouflage themselves against the ice, and hunt you down. Yet another apex predator in a world absolutely swarming with them. </p><p>Giant bolas spiders throw a sticky glob at you and reel you in like a hooked fish. Good luck breaking free before they grab you and apply the standard instadeath poison. To top it off, they're smart enough to be malevolent, and can detect magic by touch, which definitely seems like it could have plot purposes. </p><p>Definitely a well above average bestiary this month, with several awesome entries. Their diabolical imaginations are working at full steam, adapting stuff from the real world to their ends. I approve. </p><p></p><p>The game wizards: Zeb Cook continues to clarify his plans for the next edition. This month, it's the crucial decision of which classes to include. Fighters, wizards and thieves are a shoe-in, although they may be tweaked slightly, and the thief abilities subsumed into the skill system. Too radical a change? Maybe the edition after then. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p>Clerics are probably staying, although they do have some vocal opposition, and if they weren't essential for healing, might be ditched (just make another class with healing powers then, so they aren't essential anymore <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite11" alt=":rolleyes:" title="Roll eyes :rolleyes:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":rolleyes:" /> ) We still want to differentiate clerics of various gods more. This will also have the effect of making druids less unique, and they'll likely be rolled into the general speciality cleric rules. </p><p>Assassins are definitely going, we're trying to be a family friendly company now, and they've just caused too much hassle. </p><p>Bards are getting completely reworked, to make them more universal, and less mechanically wonky. </p><p>Monks are going to be relegated to the oriental supplement where they belong. Barbarians and cavaliers are also likely to be relegated to a splatbook and seriously rebalanced, and maybe paladins and rangers will join them. Or maybe not, as we want to have a few unambiguous hero types. </p><p>Illusionists are to be rolled into wizards and new types of specialists created, and thief-acrobats will similarly be constructible using the proficiency rules, and therefore redundant as a separate class. </p><p>So his plans as stated aren't too different from Gary's original ones from issue 103. (Although I'm pretty sure the new classes from UA would have got a better deal if he was still around, since they were his babies.) For all his statements that your letters are vital to their decisions, they already seem to have come to a consensus on most of the big issues. Probably the thing that stands out most as a dropped ball was their failure to enhance the skill system, and make it fully integrated with class features, giving all the classes a much greater degree of flexibility, and their various abilities more universal resolution. Guess inertia won out over good intentions on that one. But then again, even the radicals in their office have no desire to make the kind of changes that we saw in 3rd and 4th ed, partly due to inability to conceive of ways the game could be done differently. Another interesting bit of fuel for the flame wars, that I'm sure we'll see responses to in the forum. </p><p></p><p>TSR previews: D&D is still on an epic kick, with IM2: Wrath of the immortals. Course, it isn't quite as epic as the first immortal adventure, but probably more accessable. Kick the asses of those who dare to meddle in human affairs directly. Woo. </p><p>AD&D gets I11: Needle. Frank Mentzer sends the PC's on an epic adventure to retrieve a macguffin and rescue a spider princess. How very amusing. We also get C6: The official RPGA Tournament Handbook. Want to write your own convention legal modules? Now you can without having to pay a load of subscription fees. Technically AD&D, but actually pretty system free, is Leaves from the Inn of the Last home. Tons of stuff to fill out Dragonlance as a setting, rather than just the backdrop for a specific set of adventures. </p><p>Marvel superheroes are getting MA3: The ultimate powers book. That sounds like the kind of thing which sells well. Everyone loves new official powers. </p><p>Our adventure gamebooks are up to number 12, Curse of the werewolf. Can you cure your lycanthropy before you become nothing but a monster? </p><p>Carwars gets it's third gamebook, Dueltrack. All the usual hazards, plus an unreliable experimental robot that's supposedly on your side. I suspect this may be used for comic relief. :shudders: </p><p>Another new imprint kicks off, the Windwalker books. The first is Once upon a murder. A detective is bodyswapped and sent back in time. Can he find out what the hell is going on and get home? The second is Bimbos of the Death Sun. I remember that name! I get the impression that this may be a line of less serious books. What was all this about then? </p><p>Finally, we have the Chase family board game. Another attempt to diversify, this had a short independently printed run which was a resounding success, and has now been picked up for widespread distribution. Anyone played this one?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="(un)reason, post: 4788012, member: 27780"] [B][U]Dragon Issue 118: February 1987[/U][/B] part 4/5 The dragon's bestiary: Opilonid are a swarm hunting breed of underground arachnoids. They get a whole bunch of quirky exception based powers and ecological stuff. Definitely one of the better thought out entries in here. Spider cats(!) are exactly what they sound like, hybrid predators that stalk you, web you, and string you up for later. Mad wizards get memetastic. Just be thankful none of them have unleashed lolcats on the forgotten realms. That'd mess it up even worse than the spellplague. Pheonix spiders take the tenacity of cockroaches and make it even worse, as they reform, bigger and badder every time you kill them. Now that's the kind of thing that provokes HOLY CRAP! reactions in players. I so want to use these. If anything'll make even the dumbest kill everything that moves party stop and think, it's these guys. They also have instadeath poison that still does damage if you save, so even at their smaller sizes they'll still mow through an uninformed party. If you were to take the cap off it's growth, and vary it's weakness to a form harder to find and use, one of these could rival the tarrasque as a country destroying monstrosity that drives an entire campaign arc. Muahahahaha!!!!!! Polar spiders, like polar bears, are big furry things that camouflage themselves against the ice, and hunt you down. Yet another apex predator in a world absolutely swarming with them. Giant bolas spiders throw a sticky glob at you and reel you in like a hooked fish. Good luck breaking free before they grab you and apply the standard instadeath poison. To top it off, they're smart enough to be malevolent, and can detect magic by touch, which definitely seems like it could have plot purposes. Definitely a well above average bestiary this month, with several awesome entries. Their diabolical imaginations are working at full steam, adapting stuff from the real world to their ends. I approve. The game wizards: Zeb Cook continues to clarify his plans for the next edition. This month, it's the crucial decision of which classes to include. Fighters, wizards and thieves are a shoe-in, although they may be tweaked slightly, and the thief abilities subsumed into the skill system. Too radical a change? Maybe the edition after then. ;) Clerics are probably staying, although they do have some vocal opposition, and if they weren't essential for healing, might be ditched (just make another class with healing powers then, so they aren't essential anymore :rolleyes: ) We still want to differentiate clerics of various gods more. This will also have the effect of making druids less unique, and they'll likely be rolled into the general speciality cleric rules. Assassins are definitely going, we're trying to be a family friendly company now, and they've just caused too much hassle. Bards are getting completely reworked, to make them more universal, and less mechanically wonky. Monks are going to be relegated to the oriental supplement where they belong. Barbarians and cavaliers are also likely to be relegated to a splatbook and seriously rebalanced, and maybe paladins and rangers will join them. Or maybe not, as we want to have a few unambiguous hero types. Illusionists are to be rolled into wizards and new types of specialists created, and thief-acrobats will similarly be constructible using the proficiency rules, and therefore redundant as a separate class. So his plans as stated aren't too different from Gary's original ones from issue 103. (Although I'm pretty sure the new classes from UA would have got a better deal if he was still around, since they were his babies.) For all his statements that your letters are vital to their decisions, they already seem to have come to a consensus on most of the big issues. Probably the thing that stands out most as a dropped ball was their failure to enhance the skill system, and make it fully integrated with class features, giving all the classes a much greater degree of flexibility, and their various abilities more universal resolution. Guess inertia won out over good intentions on that one. But then again, even the radicals in their office have no desire to make the kind of changes that we saw in 3rd and 4th ed, partly due to inability to conceive of ways the game could be done differently. Another interesting bit of fuel for the flame wars, that I'm sure we'll see responses to in the forum. TSR previews: D&D is still on an epic kick, with IM2: Wrath of the immortals. Course, it isn't quite as epic as the first immortal adventure, but probably more accessable. Kick the asses of those who dare to meddle in human affairs directly. Woo. AD&D gets I11: Needle. Frank Mentzer sends the PC's on an epic adventure to retrieve a macguffin and rescue a spider princess. How very amusing. We also get C6: The official RPGA Tournament Handbook. Want to write your own convention legal modules? Now you can without having to pay a load of subscription fees. Technically AD&D, but actually pretty system free, is Leaves from the Inn of the Last home. Tons of stuff to fill out Dragonlance as a setting, rather than just the backdrop for a specific set of adventures. Marvel superheroes are getting MA3: The ultimate powers book. That sounds like the kind of thing which sells well. Everyone loves new official powers. Our adventure gamebooks are up to number 12, Curse of the werewolf. Can you cure your lycanthropy before you become nothing but a monster? Carwars gets it's third gamebook, Dueltrack. All the usual hazards, plus an unreliable experimental robot that's supposedly on your side. I suspect this may be used for comic relief. :shudders: Another new imprint kicks off, the Windwalker books. The first is Once upon a murder. A detective is bodyswapped and sent back in time. Can he find out what the hell is going on and get home? The second is Bimbos of the Death Sun. I remember that name! I get the impression that this may be a line of less serious books. What was all this about then? Finally, we have the Chase family board game. Another attempt to diversify, this had a short independently printed run which was a resounding success, and has now been picked up for widespread distribution. Anyone played this one? [/QUOTE]
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