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<blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5739330" data-attributes="member: 27780"><p><strong><u>Dragon Magazine annual 1998 </u></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>part 8/8</p><p></p><p></p><p>Rogues Gallery: Another Troy Denning novel conversion this month. I'm sure he's been around a lot more than he was before the changeover. This time, it's his new novel Faces of Deception that he's telling us about the characters of. Which seems to involve venturing both to the utter east and the planes, so they're also keeping their other settings supported through this. Hey ho. Gotta get what you can take. </p><p></p><p>Atreus Eleint is utterly hideous, as a combination of a childhood raised by bullying ogres, and a magical curse. He'd very much like to fix that, and I suspect much of the book involves working towards this. In the meantime, he has virtually every material thing he wants, a castle, plus a whole band of ogre mercenaries. This will not assuage his angst, of course. </p><p></p><p>Yago is his surprisingly smart and civilised ogre adoptive father. As a mercenary, he's spent a lot of time around various villainous masterminds, keeping quiet and paying attention, and he might not completely get human culture, but he knows what he's doing. He seems quite appropriate to put in a game. </p><p></p><p>Rishi Saubhari is an eastern conman with a moonshaes fashion fetish. He's high born, but ruined his family, pissed away his wealth, and now lives from one grift to the next. Superficially charming, but with poor long term planning skills and a short temper if foiled, he's pretty much the epitome of the chaotic evil wastrel. Steer well clear. </p><p></p><p>Seema Indrani is a pacifist priestess with a really crappy sphere selection, following a god that can only empower a very small number of clerics. Well, that's what you get when you're only worshipped in a remote tibet analogue. At least it proves she's genuinely faithful. But she wouldn't make a very good adventurer. </p><p></p><p>Tarch is a Barbazu slaver. His abilities are pretty standard for his race, it's merely what he does with them that's interesting. He seems more of a plot point than a fully fleshed out personality though. How long an appearance does he actually make in the book? </p><p></p><p>The Sannyasi is a deva who also has more than half of his description wasted on the powers and immunities that are common to his race, thus leaving little space for individualisation. Would it be so hard to simply refer us to the appropriate monstrous compendium? Or is he just another cookie cutter goody-good boy scout? Either way, I'm left a little disappointed by this. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Dragonmirth has an attack of the twee. Expense is relative, and value is in the eye of the beholder. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Another mixed, but generally competent collection this month. On the positive side, they had more non D&D RPG material than they've done in ages, with an article for each of their 3 other systems, and the setting specific stuff is generally pretty cool. On the negative side, their over-reliance on the same old regular columns continues, and gets a little more barrel-scraping each month. And without any extra special guests like last year's annual, I'm left feeling this is business as usual overall. If this is intended to make me feel like it's time for a change in the near future, they're succeeding. I strongly want to get to the next edition. Will the magazine ever start getting quicker to get through again? Guess I'll never know if I don't keep going.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="(un)reason, post: 5739330, member: 27780"] [B][U]Dragon Magazine annual 1998 [/U][/B] part 8/8 Rogues Gallery: Another Troy Denning novel conversion this month. I'm sure he's been around a lot more than he was before the changeover. This time, it's his new novel Faces of Deception that he's telling us about the characters of. Which seems to involve venturing both to the utter east and the planes, so they're also keeping their other settings supported through this. Hey ho. Gotta get what you can take. Atreus Eleint is utterly hideous, as a combination of a childhood raised by bullying ogres, and a magical curse. He'd very much like to fix that, and I suspect much of the book involves working towards this. In the meantime, he has virtually every material thing he wants, a castle, plus a whole band of ogre mercenaries. This will not assuage his angst, of course. Yago is his surprisingly smart and civilised ogre adoptive father. As a mercenary, he's spent a lot of time around various villainous masterminds, keeping quiet and paying attention, and he might not completely get human culture, but he knows what he's doing. He seems quite appropriate to put in a game. Rishi Saubhari is an eastern conman with a moonshaes fashion fetish. He's high born, but ruined his family, pissed away his wealth, and now lives from one grift to the next. Superficially charming, but with poor long term planning skills and a short temper if foiled, he's pretty much the epitome of the chaotic evil wastrel. Steer well clear. Seema Indrani is a pacifist priestess with a really crappy sphere selection, following a god that can only empower a very small number of clerics. Well, that's what you get when you're only worshipped in a remote tibet analogue. At least it proves she's genuinely faithful. But she wouldn't make a very good adventurer. Tarch is a Barbazu slaver. His abilities are pretty standard for his race, it's merely what he does with them that's interesting. He seems more of a plot point than a fully fleshed out personality though. How long an appearance does he actually make in the book? The Sannyasi is a deva who also has more than half of his description wasted on the powers and immunities that are common to his race, thus leaving little space for individualisation. Would it be so hard to simply refer us to the appropriate monstrous compendium? Or is he just another cookie cutter goody-good boy scout? Either way, I'm left a little disappointed by this. Dragonmirth has an attack of the twee. Expense is relative, and value is in the eye of the beholder. Another mixed, but generally competent collection this month. On the positive side, they had more non D&D RPG material than they've done in ages, with an article for each of their 3 other systems, and the setting specific stuff is generally pretty cool. On the negative side, their over-reliance on the same old regular columns continues, and gets a little more barrel-scraping each month. And without any extra special guests like last year's annual, I'm left feeling this is business as usual overall. If this is intended to make me feel like it's time for a change in the near future, they're succeeding. I strongly want to get to the next edition. Will the magazine ever start getting quicker to get through again? Guess I'll never know if I don't keep going. [/QUOTE]
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