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<blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5658324" data-attributes="member: 27780"><p><strong><u>Dragon Magazine Issue 243: January 1998</u></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>part 3/8</p><p></p><p></p><p>Out of character: Ah yes, Peter Adkison gets his own regular column, just as Gary used too. Now there's something that has a chance to go amusingly wrong. But not this time. No outre opinions or vitriolic rants here, just an alternative system for awarding xp that's simpler and gives the DM more control than counting up goblins slaughtered and booty plundered. Set a target that reflects how quickly you want them to advance (in his case rather quicker than in standard D&D, as he likes high level play) and then give them a percentage of that based upon how well they complete the goals of the adventure. This is of course the kind of mathematical thinking that they'll apply when figuring out advancement for 3e, with the standardised XP table and 13.33 encounters of equal CR to your level to level up, resulting in a total campaign length of a bit over a year going from 1-20 if you have weekly sessions with 3-4 encounters per session. So yeah, this is very interesting indeed, and already shows how the boss will have a personal influence on the next edition, even if he isn't actually one of the writers. That makes this historically significant right away. The magazine feels relevant to the development of the game as a whole in a way it hasn't for a good decade. Plus it's becoming apparent that Peter's pleasantly breezy writing style in the annual is his natural voice. If he keeps this up, and doesn't get too caught up in his managerial work to talk to us and still play, I could really get to like him. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Destriers of the planes: A selection of extraplanar horses, one for each alignment? interesting. Reminds me of the similar work by Stephen Innis in issue 86 where he created imp variants for each alignment, plus several other little magical creatures for those bored with pseudodragon familiars, and number 149, where they gave us a bunch of generalised magical mounts for players to ride. This gives them plenty of room to come up with imaginatively quirky expressions of each moral point. Or they could just rely on the standard cliches. Let's hope not. </p><p></p><p>Trothspyre are superficially similar to unicorns, but slightly easier to catch, and a lot more expensive to keep. They can know alignment, heal stuff and keep out evil things, so they're a perfect match for a paladin. The main problem is that they don't deal well with the nighttime, so no riding out vampire hunting. </p><p></p><p>Gildmanes eat 200gp worth of gold every day. No resting on your laurels as an adventurer if you want to keep one of these babies. Fortunately, they can detect false gold magically, and also provide good luck. And talk to astral travellers, even though they aren't allowed to go astral themselves, weirdly enough. Yup, I think we're definitely going to get some non-cliche quirks here. I approve. </p><p></p><p>Favonian are slightly less expensive, but still take quite a bit of effort, as they eat stories. Better keep your voice in good shape. They have control over winds, and the more powerful ones can fly for short periods. I can see the thematic connection. </p><p></p><p>Lithicthil, by contrast are stony and persistent, as befits the LN alignment, and eat magical earths and metals. (although wild magic will make them unwell. Their powers follow these two themes pretty predictably. </p><p></p><p>Menthric have a human shadow rather than a horse one, and are good at spotting and exploiting weak spots in things. They eat magical papers, which means they'll be another really expensive one to keep. Probably the best way to handle this would be to go wizard hunting and take their spellbooks. </p><p></p><p>Potherrounce round off the neutral ones by drinking mixed magical potions. This is of course pretty hazardous to the mixer. Perhaps a crucible and tongs would be a good investment. They of course get to screw up magic and generally cause chaotic effects wherever they go. Muahahaha. </p><p></p><p>Banecoursers have forked tongues and lap up poison, and are vulnerable to silver. They of course love harsh but fair treatment, and look very proud and noble. They make a fine alternative to a Nightmare. </p><p></p><p>Rosinante are revolting hairless rat-horses that insist on being hand-fed rotten meat, and can summon vermin. Not so glamorous. But then, neutral evil is rarely presented as such in D&D, and certainly not in the Gray Waste, which epitomises banal, grubby depressing nastiness. They fit in there perfectly. </p><p></p><p>Charnalbalk are ferocious carnivorous warthog-horses, as befits a creature from the Abyss. They can't stand the day, just as their lawful good counterparts can't stand the night, and can strike fear into onlookers. So overall, I think this is a pretty cool and usable collection, with creatures that are powerful enough that even high level PC's want them, but also costly and quirky enough to not be a no-brainer, and well integrated into the existing planar setup. Fun fun fun.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="(un)reason, post: 5658324, member: 27780"] [B][U]Dragon Magazine Issue 243: January 1998[/U][/B] part 3/8 Out of character: Ah yes, Peter Adkison gets his own regular column, just as Gary used too. Now there's something that has a chance to go amusingly wrong. But not this time. No outre opinions or vitriolic rants here, just an alternative system for awarding xp that's simpler and gives the DM more control than counting up goblins slaughtered and booty plundered. Set a target that reflects how quickly you want them to advance (in his case rather quicker than in standard D&D, as he likes high level play) and then give them a percentage of that based upon how well they complete the goals of the adventure. This is of course the kind of mathematical thinking that they'll apply when figuring out advancement for 3e, with the standardised XP table and 13.33 encounters of equal CR to your level to level up, resulting in a total campaign length of a bit over a year going from 1-20 if you have weekly sessions with 3-4 encounters per session. So yeah, this is very interesting indeed, and already shows how the boss will have a personal influence on the next edition, even if he isn't actually one of the writers. That makes this historically significant right away. The magazine feels relevant to the development of the game as a whole in a way it hasn't for a good decade. Plus it's becoming apparent that Peter's pleasantly breezy writing style in the annual is his natural voice. If he keeps this up, and doesn't get too caught up in his managerial work to talk to us and still play, I could really get to like him. Destriers of the planes: A selection of extraplanar horses, one for each alignment? interesting. Reminds me of the similar work by Stephen Innis in issue 86 where he created imp variants for each alignment, plus several other little magical creatures for those bored with pseudodragon familiars, and number 149, where they gave us a bunch of generalised magical mounts for players to ride. This gives them plenty of room to come up with imaginatively quirky expressions of each moral point. Or they could just rely on the standard cliches. Let's hope not. Trothspyre are superficially similar to unicorns, but slightly easier to catch, and a lot more expensive to keep. They can know alignment, heal stuff and keep out evil things, so they're a perfect match for a paladin. The main problem is that they don't deal well with the nighttime, so no riding out vampire hunting. Gildmanes eat 200gp worth of gold every day. No resting on your laurels as an adventurer if you want to keep one of these babies. Fortunately, they can detect false gold magically, and also provide good luck. And talk to astral travellers, even though they aren't allowed to go astral themselves, weirdly enough. Yup, I think we're definitely going to get some non-cliche quirks here. I approve. Favonian are slightly less expensive, but still take quite a bit of effort, as they eat stories. Better keep your voice in good shape. They have control over winds, and the more powerful ones can fly for short periods. I can see the thematic connection. Lithicthil, by contrast are stony and persistent, as befits the LN alignment, and eat magical earths and metals. (although wild magic will make them unwell. Their powers follow these two themes pretty predictably. Menthric have a human shadow rather than a horse one, and are good at spotting and exploiting weak spots in things. They eat magical papers, which means they'll be another really expensive one to keep. Probably the best way to handle this would be to go wizard hunting and take their spellbooks. Potherrounce round off the neutral ones by drinking mixed magical potions. This is of course pretty hazardous to the mixer. Perhaps a crucible and tongs would be a good investment. They of course get to screw up magic and generally cause chaotic effects wherever they go. Muahahaha. Banecoursers have forked tongues and lap up poison, and are vulnerable to silver. They of course love harsh but fair treatment, and look very proud and noble. They make a fine alternative to a Nightmare. Rosinante are revolting hairless rat-horses that insist on being hand-fed rotten meat, and can summon vermin. Not so glamorous. But then, neutral evil is rarely presented as such in D&D, and certainly not in the Gray Waste, which epitomises banal, grubby depressing nastiness. They fit in there perfectly. Charnalbalk are ferocious carnivorous warthog-horses, as befits a creature from the Abyss. They can't stand the day, just as their lawful good counterparts can't stand the night, and can strike fear into onlookers. So overall, I think this is a pretty cool and usable collection, with creatures that are powerful enough that even high level PC's want them, but also costly and quirky enough to not be a no-brainer, and well integrated into the existing planar setup. Fun fun fun. [/QUOTE]
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