[Scarred Lands] Got the Strange Lands book

[Knight Otu]

Is there any mention of the Seraphic Engine in the Asherak chapter? I've been looking forward to reading about this since I first read about it in the Seraphic Creature template.

I'll not be surprised if it isn't however, just disappointed.....again....

There is some mention of the Seraphic Engine, most notably a sidebar in scroll style, written by a "heretic" who found out the "truth" of the devestation of Asherak. It includes the (supposed) purpose, and how it succeeded at this purpose all too well.

 

[Zelda Themelin]

You're kidding me.

Even as of the last book they still insist on screwing around with the setting and making more contradictions?

How very lame.

I strongly agree with you.
So typical I agree with you. Funny.

So, stupid. So pointless. I know Nightfall's loves to think that Ossotel is actually Orcus, and so this stupid alignment change form LE to CE seems to be something he likes.

It happens to strike his fancy, but it's not a good thing. They should have put their energy to fix wrong stuff, lacking info that was supposed to be in books and rule mistakes.

These kind of contradictions and "I changed my mind", "I didn't care to read previous books or even own them, but I writed for this setting" attitude reasons to change things in setting was something that brought Scarred Lands low for me.

I surely hope last book to setting doesn't disappoint me, but that kind of little thing is kind of ringing warning bells to me.

So, review would be interesting to read to me. Written by someone who agrees with me that contradictions are indeed a bad thing.

 

[GMSkarka]

Yeah, 'cause jeebus knows nobody's alignment ever shifts over time, or anything....

(oh--and I'm responsible for Gommog and the Diabolic Enforcer)

 

[Voadam]

Is there any mention of the Seraphic Engine in the Asherak chapter? I've been looking forward to reading about this since I first read about it in the Seraphic Creature template.

I'll not be surprised if it isn't however, just disappointed.....again....

I haven't read the asherak chapter, just a bunch of the creatures and the avatars. Many of the avatars are of Asherak and have mentions about the engine, what it did, and how it affected them.

 

[Zelda Themelin]

Yeah, 'cause jeebus knows nobody's alignment ever shifts over time, or anything....

(oh--and I'm responsible for Gommog and the Diabolic Enforcer)

No, not so with demons and devils or angels without given very very strong reason. Not between two books about setting just out of someone's 'oops, demon nature might be better to my own ideas."

There isn't any long time period for such change and godlike beings don't do alignment shifts out of blue, it's much less likely than with regular outsiders.

I don't think book even mention that there was change about this thing, or did they specially mention something about it?

I just find "out of blue" contradicting changes very typical with scarred lands books concidering world information, sometimes disguised as someone's npc:s opinions, which become the "truth" in next books.

So powerful outsider being is just "anybody", what comes to alignment? If so, here I absolutely disagree.

 

[Knight Otu]

I don't think book even mention that there was change about this thing, or did they specially mention something about it?

I haven't found anything about that - but one could say that it was kind of foreshadowed: his herald in the CC3 is neutral evil (not strong foreshadowing, but possibly a bit).

 

[Nightfall]

Fevil,

There are no actual STATS for the Seraphic engine but there is enough description spread through out the chapter on Asherak (both the continent and the magical stuff as well as the section for monsters from Asherak) to give you an idea of what the Seraphic Engine was designed to do.

Zelda,

Look just because they changed alignments doesn't mean Otossel is no longer useful. Yes gods and angels don't change unless there is specific reason (aka murder, death, rebirth etc). But there are times, maybe because of the way their worshippers act (I site Givild Autel) view/worship their god, it might affect the way that god acts. ALSO much of the info here is based on the avatars found SPECIFICALLY to Asherak. So it might be that this particular avatar might have been altered because of the Seraphic Engine to become CE instead of LE. Now I admit, the book doesn't say that. But however that is one explanation. I still think you need a CE undeath god because all campaign settings have at least one. Even minorly and/or a different version of Nemorga (as Asherak believes Nemorga aspect is divided into various forms of death, Gamgul being a LN version, Otossel another, and so on), has merit. Belsameth already has her own children and Chardun enslaves undead, he doesn't hold them dear to him. So it makes sense, to me, that sentient undead that do follow the gods have some one or something to fall back on. Necromancers, outside of Hollowfaust, should as well. That's why I was against a LE Otossel and more for a CE, especially because of my love of Orcus but also because it made sense that Glivid Autel like necromancers have a patron they can feel comfortable around. At least that's my take.

Anyway, more on the book, the chapter on familiars, and channelling rules, very nicely done. I feel stuff like this is what separates the Scarred Lands from others. It's not exactly gritty but it shows an innateness for arcane spellcasters to have more than just a pretty spy.

Just my two cents.

Oh yeah, Nether dragons and the Dustwrack dragon, very, very nasty.

 

[Zelda Themelin]

I haven't found anything about that - but one could say that it was kind of foreshadowed: his herald in the CC3 is neutral evil (not strong foreshadowing, but possibly a bit).

Oh, well we had discussion before that book about why Ossotel wasn't = Orcus (with different name in Scarred Lands). Main elemement in that friendly argument was that alignment difference.

Apprently someone wanted to make Nightfall happy, or just wanted to see same picture. For mere metagame-reasons that. Oh, and they probably thought that it's just so small a change, no-one cares but those who like the change. I don't know what the forshadowing was supposed to mean, if there is no story-reason given, just sly alteration on at stat block (and domains probably, if given).

Well, no I know at least some of the bad stuff in the book, still hoping to hear more about good stuff. Book hasn't arrived to here yet, but when I have it, I know what's good and what's bad.


Well, thanks for comments Nighfall. It doesn't bother be that much. It just get's to me that they can't stop contradicting even in the last book. And it makes me less sad to see the world go away. Ok, and what was the point of printing stupid elven god's stats in this book. It was supposed to optional, and it was more Termana thing anyhow.

I guess it had to do with critique "not even his domains were given", mostly by people who didn't care for that god's return in the first place.

 

[Nightfall]

Zelda,

Uhm considering I had 0 input and I'd much rather we had the line continue and/or had a restart/revision, I don't think that was the reason they made Otossel CE. (But obviously I'm glad they did.)

Also while they have put in the optional stuff about Jandevos' return, I think the fact they added his avatar should be counted as a plus since this gives people info on his domains as well as his demenor.

 

[Knight Otu]

I don't know what the forshadowing was supposed to mean, if there is no story-reason given, just sly alteration on at stat block (and domains probably, if given).

Well, foreshadowing propably wasn't quite the right word - just a pointer that the change was planned earlier, and like a few other bits, was not put into the books until now (like it happened to the ignan template).
Granted, it would be more convincing if the herald went all the way to CE...