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News Archive #14
September 2000
News from September 2000:
Playtester on Psionics: Playtester and all-around good
guy "Piratecat" (Darrh!) posted a few thoughts about the latest version
of the Psionics Handbook over on my message board:
I am extremely pleased by the final
version I've seen. We gave some playtest advice on our final
run-through (a few powers that needed clarification, some psionic
combat considerations to make it even more fun) but most of the issues
we'd seen before had been cleared up. I was especially pleased to see
that even more unique, mind- and personality-based powers had been
added in. The classes now feel very different than sorcerors to me.
Personally, I find the psi-classes more fun than sorcerors, but your
mileage may vary.
On a flight yesterday, I built a psionic warrior-monk from the ground
up, and ended up with a really fun character. The extra psionic feats
really added and expanded on certain cool monk powers; instead of
punching ability, I decided to concentrate on mobility, and chose feats
and powers towards that end. I ended up with a character who can JUMP.
It looked quite balanced, all told.
Monte Cook Interview: I've posted my latest interview, a
brief Q&A with Dungeon Master's Guide author Monte Cook. You'll get
to read about his background, his thoughts about the DMG, and some of
his future creations including a return to the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Electronic Documents for Sale at WotC Online Store: You're
probably aware that WotC has decided to make all material published for
earlier editions of D&D available as downloads -- some for free
(such as these Forgotten Realms freebies), and some for a fee.
Eagle-eyed scooper "Roland" has spotted electronic versions of a FR
adventure module trilogy -- Sword of the Dales, Secret of Spiderhaunt,
and The Return of Randal Morn -- available for sale a the WotC Online
Store for $2.95 each. Apparently this is a test of the system before
more products are released in this fashion.
Community News:
- Planewalker.com has a bunch of 3E-related stuff scattered
about the site, including 3E links and D20 reviews.
- Decapitation.com (lovely name, watch out for the dripping
blood) has a couple of D20 resources you might find useful, including
stats for "more historically accurate weapons" and a different critical
hit system. Plus there's an "alignment test" you can take; the creator
would like you to send in the results as part of some research he's
doing.
UnCon at WotC: The WizO chat and message board moderators
are holding an online gaming convention this weekend. You can read
about "UnCon" right here. (thanks to Dark Blackshield and Ian the Mad
for the scoop)
New Documents in the Conversion Library: Another stab at
the Wild Mage, and conversion of Empire of the Petal Throne for D&D.
Bishop on Master Tools: WotC's Jim Bishop reported on the
state of Master Tools and some other related issues (thanks to Pat for
the scoop):
I just got back from a visit
to Fluid to look over the new design, so this is a great time to start
a new flow of info.
First off, Fluid has added three new faces: Eric, a programmer; Kevin,
an artist; and Wayne, a producer. Eric and Kevin are new to the
industry but both extremely talented, and Wayne is an grizzled veteran
of many gaming campaigns. They're all on staff now, and blazing away on
the Master Tools. Counting myself and Paul the audio meister, we're a
full company of nine. If we had to, we could take the One Ring into
Mordor.
Mike and Kevin are cranking out beautiful art by the bushel-load. Mike
did a cupboard that's so pretty I almost wet myself, and Kevin's doing
some excellent implements of torture. In fact they're done with the
major and minor features from the DMG and have moved on to floors and
walls. I'm looking forward to putting up screenshots of the finished
objects and critters in the next few weeks--this is really top-notch
stuff.
Scott has a finished design for most of the product: the treasure
generator, new-monster generator, map editor, and most of the encounter
and character generators. We spent much of my visit in heated
discussion about top-level issues: support for custom data, rules
(non)enforcement, instant generation of game objects, and the relation
between the mapper and the rest of the application. Many metaphors were
tossed around. Much coffee was consumed. The mailing list was invoked
many times (as in "the list says they want X.") And we came to some
important decisions. Here are some general rules:
1) Most rules will not be enforced, but they will be presented. For
example, if you create a halfling character his height and weight will
be randomly generated within the legal range, but you will be free to
modify his height and weight as much as you like. Rules come in handy
if you want to quickly generate something legally, but they shouldn't
get in the way of your creativity.
Note that 1st order rules (ability score modifiers, size modifiers,
stacking rules, etc.) will be enforced. For instance you couldn't
arbitrarily decide that the AC modifier for a Small character is +5,
but you could freely modify his Natural or Misc armor bonuses to raise
his total AC.
2) Custom data will have to be entered "formally" into the database.
We're still deciding if that means going into Access or using an
in-product interface. Access is so flexible and powerful for doing what
we want, but it would create a barrier to entry for many users. It may
be that we create an interface for certain kinds of simple new data,
and require you to get into Access to make serious changes.
As always, there are some questions we still have to answer:
1) Let's say I create an encounter with 10 goblins, 2 hobgoblins, a
bugbear, and a kobold shaman. I go to drag this encounter into the map.
Do I have to drag 14 different icons, or just one icon? Can I choose
between these options?
2) This raises a more general question as well: how important is it to
arrange individual models within an encounter area? Do you really want
to put an orc model by the door, or just state in the description that
"an orc is hiding behind the door?"
DMG Erratum -- Holy Avenger: According to Monte
Cook, the holy avenger sword should get +2d6 damage from its
"holy" bonus, not +1d6. (thanks to Brandon Aiken for the scoop)
D20 System Reference Document (Prototype) Updated: The
Open Gaming Foundation has posted an extensive update to the prototype
of the D20 System Reference Document. It basically includes the
mechanics for the D20 System and definitions for selected "covered
terms." Once this prototype is presented in its complete form, this is
the "open game" that could be used by third-party D20 System publishers
to create materials compatible with other D20 System games such as
D&D and Star Wars. (thanks to Chris for the scoop)
Map-A-Week: A volcanic fortress is mapped this week at
WotC. (thanks to Dark Blackshield, Bertman4, Arthur Braune and NeghVar
for the scoop)
New NPC Villain at WotC FR Site: The Forgotten Realms area
of the WotC site has a new bad guy for your reading pleasure -- an evil
gnoll sorcerer complete with weasle familiar, loyal gnoll guards, and
an interesting backstory. (thanks to Kwalish Kid for the scoop)
WotC Message Boards Relocated: As previously announced,
WotC has made some changes with their message boards. Here's the new
entryway into the web-based interface. For those of you using newsgroup
readers, the major change is the name of the server: tank.wizards.com. Also important to note, there
are new groups and some groups now gone. There is apparently no more 3rd.Edition group, but there are a number of
new or renamed D&D groups, including RPG.DnD.Core_PH,
RPG.DnD.Core_DMG, RPG.DnD.Core_MM, and Software.Master_Tools.
Note that they're still apparently working on the system, so you might
want to keep trying if you're not getting through.
New D20 Publishers: Two publishers have recently entered
the D20 System scene.
- Chaosium, publisher of the well-known RPGs Call of
Cthulhu and Elric!, will make its D20 System debut with Dragon
Lords of Melniboné in Q1 2001. "We
believe that Moorcock's tales of Elric, albino prince of
Melniboné and doomed bearer of the fantastically magical sword
Stormbringer, had great influence in the early development of Dungeons
& Dragons. It seems natural to make this world available in all its
wonder and majesty to players of the new d20 System."
- Nightshift Games will be releasing D20 System products
starting in November, including a D20 adventure called The Horror
Beneath and a D20 superhero game called The Foundation. In
February they plan to release Blackwater, "A
Coastal City for use in any Fantasy Campaign." (thanks to
JoMaC2k for the scoop)
Encounter Calculator: John Dell's computer wizardry
returns with a new gizmo, the Encounter Calculator. Simply enter the
party information (how many characters of what level), the encounter
information (how many critters of what Challenge Rating), and voila --
you're given all sorts of relevant numbers (the Encounter Level,
suggested XP and Treasure award per character, average party level).
Familiar Update: WotC's Sean Reynolds has provided
corrected/clarified information about familiars and how mutliclassed
characters' levels play into the familiar's abilities (on the 3E
Message Board, thanks to Jody Johnson for the scoop):
Everything in that familiars sidebar
(except the abilities in Table 3-19) is based on the master's total
level, not just sor/wiz levels.
3E Treasure Generator: Jamis Buck has created an online
D&D treasure generator based on the treasure tables provided in the
Dungeon Master's Guide. You can generate a treasure by encounter level,
or generate minor/medium/major items from different categories
(potions, rings, etc.). Very spiffy indeed!
WotC Message Board Server Switch: A message from WizO
Heimdall about changes to the official WotC message board server:
On Wednesday, September 27th, the
message boards server will be taken off line and moved to a new server
with the most recent version of ichat installed. We hope that this will
solve some of the difficulties with the current configuration. The
process will be completed and brought back online by the following day.
Users will need to reset any bookmarks on log-in pages and reconfigure
their newsreader to point to the new server (instructions on how to do
this will be posted to the message boards). Thanks for your patience,
we think you'll like the improved performance!
The new URL/news server for the message boards will be posted in three
places: the old message board (all other messages will be gone), the
main Wizards Community page (http://www.wizards.com/community/), and the message board web site (http://www.wizards.com/boards/).
Community News:
- Seven Avengers (a D20 system publisher) has added a
character sheet and desktop wallpapers to their site.
- Tales of the Seven is a FR campaign site for The North
Texas Game Consortium.
- Coik's 3E Primer has been updated, including notes from his
experiences at GenCon.
Cliffhanger II, Part III: The current Cliffhanger
Adventure, The Village of Camiram, continues on the WotC site. (thanks
to Steve Vogel and Dark Blackshield for the scoop)
New 3E Monsters at Sword & Sorcery: D20 publishing
company Sword & Sorcery has posted two more exerpts from their
forthcoming Creature Collection book. (thanks to Hand of Evil and Steve
Vogel for the scoop)
Wyatt's Update: WotC's James Wyatt has updated his
personal Third Edition D&D page with annecdotes from a recent game
he was involved in. (thanks to tHeMaDonE and Masked for the scoop)
New Documents in the Conversion Library: two Greyhawk
prestige classes and a Martial Arts system with a lot of related feats.
PHB 2nd Printing By Christmas? WotC's VP Ryan Dancey
provided a rough guestimate as to when the 2nd printing of the Player's
Handbook might be available (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to Gerard
for the scoop): "You will probably not see them
on store shelves until very close to Christmas."
FR Delay Comments: WotC bigwigs Ryan Dancey and Keith
Strohm elaborated on the reasoning behind delaying the FR Campaign
Setting hardcover until June 2001 (on the 3E Message Board, thanks to
Black Moria and Dark Blackshield for help with this scoop):
- Ryan Dancey: The team was so busy
with last minute tune ups to the core 3e books that some work on the FR
book was delayed past the point where we could hit the deadlines. The
extra time is primarily going to be used for fit and finish, and an
extensive "rules council" review of the manuscript.
- Keith Strohm: We wanted to make sure
that we produced the best possible campaign book for the Forgotten
Realms. With the heavy lifting that the R&D department has done
trying to get the D&D core books and other 3rd Edition new releases
out the door, they asked me for some extra time on the FR book to
insure that they create a product that will absolutely be chocked full
of cool and useful information for FR fans everywhere. It's not a
question of fixing a bad design, but of making a really good design
even better. Wizards of the Coast is very good at hitting its announced
dates, and we will continue to do so. Just consider the new announced
date for the FR setting to be in June :)
D20 Star Wars: If you're curious to see how D&D's D20
System rules will carry over to a science fantasy game like Star Wars,
you'll want to read this exerpt from WotC's Star Wars Roleplaying
Game rulebook about Vitality and Wound Points. In addition, you can
find conversion notes from WEG's Star Wars to WotC's Star Wars, and see
what's coming up in the premiere issue of Star Wars Gamer
magazine. (thanks to Joel Flank for the scoop)
Forgotten Realms Hardcover Delayed Until June 2001: No,
this isn't the April Fool's edition. Reliable word both on REALMS-L and
the FR message board indicate that the FR campaign setting for 3rd
Edition, originally slated for April, has been pushed back until June.
I'll try to get more information on this shortly. (thanks to Black
Moria for the scoop)
Dungeon Delve Online: If you're curious about the Dungeon
Delve event from GenCon 2000, you can read all about it right here.
You'll be able to download maps, character sheets, and room
descriptions. However, most monster stats are not provided. (thanks to
Bertman4, Oren Douek, and Kar Fai for the scoop)
Community News:
- Threshold is a D&D campaign site brought to you by
James "Gargoyle" Garr.
- Change of address for Dungeons & Dragons Files -- new
address is http://www.dndfiles.com.
Faster Tools: Scott Metzger has created a free program
called "Faster Tools" that randomly generates some D&D character
specifics, or allows you to enter some specifics. For instance, you
could pick a race, have a class and level randomly assigned, enter
ability scores, and have feats and skills selected for you. Or you can
type in the class and level. Ultimately, though, you take this info and
enter it into the D&D Character Generator by hand. Scott's ultimate
goal with this free download? "I hope to
generate interest and demand for WOTC and Fluid to open up the
database, an API, or the character files for the upcoming Master
Tools. So if you could send an email to mastertools@wizards.com and ask them to do this developers like me will be
able to do all sorts of cool stuff."
Green Ronin to Publish "Freeport" Sequel: The publishers
of one of the first D20 system adventures announced that they're
producing a sequel to "Death in Freeport." The new module, called
"Terror in Freeport," will be released in November.
Official Updates: WotC has posted several new goodies on
the official D&D page. (Thanks to Psionicist, Dave Blewer, and
Bradley Bugbear for the scoop)
- The Ettin's Riddle, a free adventure by JD Wiker, available
as a PDF download. "An ettin has begun
terrorizing the hamlet of Newkeep, stealing cattle and smashing homes
— and flattening anyone who tries to stop him. Meanwhile, a
mysterious riddle has appeared on the walls of the local shrine —
a riddle which may hold the key to vanquishing the ettin. The
Ettin’s Riddle is a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure suitable for
four 2nd-level or 3rd-level player characters."
- New Desktop Wallpaper featuring art from the DMG.
- An updated version of the Diablo II Magic Item Generator.
The first version could only make swords. This version can make other
stuff, though it apparently uses 2nd Edition rules.
Ballista Ammo: Sean Reynolds of WotC indicates that the
ballista (as described in the DMG) "should use
shortspears" as its ammunition. (3E message board, thanks to PA
for the scoop)
D&D Article at RPG Planet: You can read an article
called "D&D: A New Beginning" at RPG Planet. It's essentially a
pair of positive reviews of the PHB and the DMG. (thanks to Silverdawn
for the scoop)
D&D Movie Release Date: Apparently the Dungeons
& Dragons movie has a firm release date of December 8th,
according to dndmovie.com. (thanks to Michael Webster for the scoop)
Gnome Inherent Spells: WotC's Sean Reynolds clarifies the
issue of whether a gnome's racial illusion powers are spell-like
abilities (on the 3E message board, thanks to PA for the scoop):
Gnomes "cast spells." They do not have
spell-like abilities.
Caster Level and Magic Item Creation: Comments from WotC's
Sean Reynolds about caster levels and prerequisites for magic items
(official 3E message board, thanks to PA and James Hoover for the
scoop):
There's some errata discussion going
on internally about the caster level vs. the prerequisites [for
creating magic items listed in the DMG]. I'll give you the info we're
100% certain on.
1) CL is not necessarily a prerequisite, although the prerequisites
often influence the CL (for example, if a prereq for an item that
throws fireballs is the fireball spell, the CL has to be at least 5,
the minimum level to cast fireball).
2) If the CL of an item doesn't have any influence on its cost or its
abilities, you can have the CL be anything up to the creator's caster
level. Essentially, the CL for some items is a no-cost thing. Aside:
Take the chime of opening, for example ... it uses a 2nd-level spell
(knock) for its abilities, but the caster level is listed as 11.
Obviously you don't need to be a 11th-level caster to make this item --
you only need to be 3rd to have CWI and the knock spell -- so the CL
could be as low as 3 (the actual minimum level you'd need to be to make
it). The caster level doesn't have anything to do with the effects of
the item - there's no dice of damage dependant upon level or effects
that require a skill roll (the part about the 15th-level limit for
arcane lock is a quirk of the item and not related to the spell at all,
so we can ignore it). Therefore, it doesn't matter if you set the
caster level to 3, 10, or 20. It's free, so set it to your own level
and feel good about yourself.
3) The listed CLs in the DMG are for a random item off of the treasure
chart. If you roll a random +1 ring of protection, it's caster level is
assumed to be 5th for the purpose of saves and such. If a 19th-level
sorcerer made such a ring, he could set the CL to 19 if he wanted to,
since the CL has no role in the item's cost (the CL only determines
what power level of the item you can make: +1, +2, etc.). So use those
listed CLs for random items, but set items that you make to whatever
caster level is needed (such as for a wand of fireball, where it makes
a difference) or whatever level you can (such as for the chime of
opening or the ring of protection, where the CL makes no difference to
the cost).
Ability Score Modifiers: WotC's Sean Reynolds explains
why, when you design a new race, you should always assign even-numbered
ability score modifiers (on the official 3E message board, thanks to
David Caveney and PA for the scoop):
Ability score bonuses should always be
even numbers. Otherwise, it allows a character to create a bonus (by
adding a +1 to an odd stat) and hide a penalty (by subtracting from an
odd stat). Essentially, odd (+1/-1) ability score bonuses for races
mean that all characters are going to effectively have a +2/-0, since
you can put the +1 where it benefits you and put the -1 where it
doesn't hurt you. Similarly, items that grant ability score bonuses
should always be even numbers, otherwise they don't benefit all
characters equally; a +1 belt of
Strength has absolutely no game effect
on the character with a 12 Strength.
Master Tools Misc: WotC's Jim Bishop updated the masses
on MASTERTOOLS-L (thanks to Pat for the scoop):
Hokay, I was out with strep for a few
days so I owe you guys my take on the various issues under discussion.
Since I'm about to get on a plane down to Fluid, this'll be very quick:
- Price. Funny thing about the software industry--no MSRP. We
sell our product at a wholesale price to retailers, and they mark it up
according to their strategy or store policy. With that said, we're
going to offer the Master Tools to the channel at a price that
typically means a $40-60 retail price. You'll be able to find it at one
place for $41, but it might be $59.99 right across the mall. Unlike
just about everything else in this project, the price is not up for
debate. At the end of the day my job is to keep development costs below
revenues, and we've got it carefully balanced as it is.
- DM-only section/"cheating." One of the best uses for this section (as it currently
stands in 1.2) is to monitor relative character wealth and power. I can
tell at a glance how much my PCs are "worth" and which ones had luckier
rolls; it's a great way to budget treasure as the campaign progresses,
and I can always point more bad guys at the "luckier" characters. It's
not a question of "controlling cheating" as much as it's a source of
information for the DM. If you don't want to use it, don't. Design for
the print options screen isn't done yet, but I'll bet we can make this
a print option.
- The next patch. We've always tried to quash hopes for this, and I'm
not about to stop now: There will not
be another patch for the demo. This
isn't because we're mean, or stingy, or we hate you, or even that
coding a +1 sword is "too hard." The guys are hard at work on the
Master Tools, it's as simple as that. We pay them to complete
development milestones, and from now 'til . . . sometime next year,
that's all they're going to be working on.
- Will "X" from the DMG be
implemented? My default answer is
"yes." Don't even bother to ask about the 3 core books--everything in
those manuals will be in the product in some form, or at the very least
will inform our design.
- Will "Y" bug be fixed? Yes. The final product will implement the D&D
rules without exception.
- When will the Master Tools
release? I hate to use the oldest
software dodge in the book, but: next year. I'm a big believer in
managing expectations, and making promises that I can't 100% keep is
not my style. So just sit back and be patient; we'll have screenshots
and more goodies for you ASAP.
Official Updates at WotC: (thanks to Dark Blackshield and
Greg Morrow for the scoop)
- Another week, another new map.
- Legends of the Lance #8 includes stats for a ghost.
Official DMG Corrections: Thanks to PA for the scoops...
- Staff of the Deathsong (Monte Cook, as
reported by Sean Reynolds): The staff of the
deathsong is in error. The DCs should be 13 [for shatter] and 16 [for shout]. (This staff is mentioned on p. 173-174).
- Which Witch Spells? (Monte Cook, as reported by
Sean Reynolds): A number of spells given on the Witch spell list no
longer exist in 3E or have had name changes. Here are the corrections:
- Cure blindness/deafness should be Remove
blindness/deafness
- Spectral force should be Major image
- Advanced illusion should be Mirage arcana
- Attraction should be replaced with False
Vision
- Avoidance should be replaced with Sending
- Animate should be Animate objects
- Also note that antipathy/sympathy at 8th level
are two spells, and should be separated by a comma (actually, should be
arranged in alphabetical order).
Community News:
- Darkmatter d20 Conversion: "These
notes will help convert the Alternity-based Darkmatter game to the d20
System by Wizards of the Coast."
- D20 World Builder's Guild: "An
online community of role playing game enthusiasts that have gone beyond
the boundries of officially published campaign worlds in order to
create their own unique and original rpg settings using the d20 system."
Wyatt's Update: WotC's James Wyatt has updated his
personal Third Edition D&D page with annecdotes from a recent game
he was involved in. (thanks to mrjamela for the scoop)
Inverview with the Necromancer: Roleplaynew.com has
posted an informative interview with Bill Webb and Clark Peterson of
Necromancer Games, a D20 System publisher. Here's a quote:
We believe that the d20 license is the
best thing that has happened to gaming in years. WotC should be
commended for providing an open format for folks like us to get
material out to other people. This should be a win-win situation for
all, and I wholeheartedly believe that the growth in numbers of gamers
will make WotC richer, and will provide intellectual growth from
sharing of ideas that was formerly relegated to only a few. I think
that the d20 program will provide a unique opportunity to see some
really great things in the role-playing industry, as a more diverse set
of writers can now be heard from.
FR Updates at WotC: Read new installments of Realms by
Night and Elminster Speaks. (Thanks to Dark Blackshield for the scoop)
PHB 2nd Printing: WotC's Keith Strohm explains what will
and won't be included with the 2nd print run of the 3E Player's
Handbook (thanks to Pat for the scoop):
The reprint will have errata
corrections. We will list these corrections, as well as the date the
corrections were made (the on-sale date of the reprint), on our
website. This reprint will not have the survival kit in it, as the DMG
will be available to everyone by the time the reprint comes out. It
will, however, have the character generator CD.
The reprint will also have a new insert explaining Attacks of
Opportunity further, including additional explanatory diagrams. This
insert will also be available on our website and through every other
venue possible so that folks won't think (like many of them probably
were when they first read this sentence) that we're forcing people to
buy the PH again to get this new material. It will be widely available.
As far as making the errata list available on the website,
Keith says,
We should have an official errata page
up about the time that the 2nd printing of the PH is ready, which
should be about 3 or four weeks.
DMG Clarification: WotC's Sean Reynolds explains how to
read one of the DMG NPC tables given that there's a misalignment with
the table layout (thanks to PA for the scoop):
The column headers are misaligned ...
check right under where it says "Table 2-43: NPC Wizard" and you'll see
"Crossbow Spllc/Kno"
DMG & PHB Reviews:
- You can find a very positive review of the DMG here.
- You can find a very positive review of the PHB, by the same
author, here. (scoop by Christopher Jackson)
Cliffhanger II, part 2: The second part of "The Village of
Camiram" has been posted at WotC. (thanks to Wolfspider, Ian the Mad,
and Dark Blackshield for the scoop)
Community News:
- Alex Peake invites you to visit his D20 Cyberpunk page. "I am planning to release a full PDF-printable beta
playtest draft of the game on November 1. It will be published
independently as the first completely new D20 game released, possibly
even before Star Wars Adventure Game is."
- Sword & Sorcery is a new D20 System producer. They're
apparently a "parent company" that includes Necromancer Games, and
they'll be working in cooperation with White Wolf to produce a campaign
setting called Scarred Lands and a monster book for that setting. You
can view two sample creatures from the monster book: Red Witch Ratman,
and Undead Ooze. (thanks to MadBlue and NeghVar for the scoop)
- Fantaseum, an RPG Planet hosted site, is now hosting new
fan-submitted rules. You can find the gateway to their collection of 3E
files right here. (thanks to BrannichBlacksmoke for the scoop)
- World of Layonara is a D&D/Neverwinter Nights site.
Community News:
- D20 Superhero Game Discussion: Join a mailing list
and participate in polls related to fan-created d20 superhero games.
- World of Raskia is a D&D campaign site.
New Documents in the Conversion Library: Knights of
Solamnia, Psionics notes, Death Master prestige class, elementalist
prestige class, "bladedancer" (bladesinger variant) prestige class,
Dark Sun prestige classes, notes for firearms, and several
revisions/updates.
New Conversions: Two 2E kits, the Anatomist and the
Bladesinger, have been converted to 3E prestige classes and are linked
in the Conversion Library.
Community News:
- Everquest d20 has rules for using the Everquest setting in
your D&D game
- New prestige classes at DNDHelp.com
Open Gaming License, Final Version: The final, approved
version of the Open Gaming License has been posted at the Open Gaming
Foundation. (Thanks to Oren Douek for the scoop)
WotC Downloads FAQ: WotC's Jim Butler has put togther a
FAQ about WotC's plans to release all older gaming materials as free or
for-fee downloads (on DND-L, thanks to Mark Oliva and Mondo for the
scoop):
Thanks for taking the
interest in all of the classic downloads offered by Wizards of the
Coast. Since we have more than 25 years worth of product that we've
created, a number of questions have been asked about when, what, and
how the older materials will be made available. If you have a question
that's not on this list, please drop an e-mail to Jim
Butler and I'll answer it for
you. Technical problems concerning broken links or other webpage issues
should be directed to webmaster@wizards.com.
Q: What other products will be made
available for download?
A: We're working to make all of the old game products for all of the
old game worlds available eventually. We're working through one game
world at a time and converting all of the old materials to PDF format.
All of the various AD&D rules materials will also be made
available. Once that's completed, we'll release some of the products as
free downloads and the others will be available through our online
store.
Q: How can I get these products through
the online store?
A: You'll be able to download copies of your favorite game products
through the online store.
Q: How much will these downloads cost?
A: You'll be able to purchase any of the older game products through
the website for $2.95 each in electronic PDF format.
Q: What if I live outside of the U.S.?
A: You'll be able to order the downloads from any country that the
Wizards Online Store currently ships to. Right now, that includes the
U.K., Canada, and much of western Europe. We're working to add more
countries all the time, so check out the list a the Online Store.
Q: Can't I order it on CD-ROM?
A: No. While our original plan was to include releasing these products
on CD-ROM, the economic realities of the business have forced us to
pursue other venues to release this information. We're investigating
the possibility of burning CD-ROMs on demand to sell World Packages,
but we don't have any plans to do so right now.
Q: What about Third Edition D&D game
products?
A: Those products that don't make it to our backlist of game products
will eventually be released as downloads. Don't expect them to appear
any time soon, however, as we plan to give the sales channels a good 18
months to sell through the products. In other words, you'll never see
the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide, or Monster Manual as
downloads in this program.
Q: Can I convert these free products to
Third Edition D&D?
A: Yes, and you're free to put those converted documents up on your
website.
Q: Can I convert the downloads I've paid
for and put them up on my website?
A: No. You can create a conversion document that details the necessary
changes and place that on your website, but you can't include the
entire download on your website.
Q: What about Marvel, Conan, Lankhmar,
and other licensed products?
A: As we don't own the rights to these materials outright, it's
doubtful that we'll be able to make these available over the website.
Q: Can I put these free downloads on my
website?
A: We're limiting distribution of these free downloads to the Wizards
website so that we can accurately gauge everyone's interest in them.
We're asking that everyone simply point interested parties to the
classic downloads page for access to the files, since we can't
accurately track downloads if people are getting them from sites
outside of our own.
Q: What about the products that I have to
pay for? Can I put them on my website after I download them?
A: As we'll still be selling these products as downloads, you can't
make them available for free over your website.
Q: What's the timeline for releasing all
of these products?
A: All of the Forgotten Realms, Kara-Tur, Al-Qadim, and Maztica
materials should be available before the end of September. I'm hoping
that Dark Sun will be available before the end of October and for
Dragonlance to be available before the end of November. We have two
companies working on scanning all of these materials right now, so much
is dependent upon how fast they can complete the scans.
Q: Would it help if I scanned products
and sent them to you?
A: I'm afraid not. We're trying to make sure that all of the products
are scanned to the same level of quality, and that works better if we
have just a few companies working together to get the work done.
Q: Why are you using PDF format?
A: Because it can be viewed across platforms with Adobe Acrobat, it
preserves the layout and artwork, and it's easy for you to print it out.
Keen Weapons Correction: Scooper "Alarandar" received word
from Skip Williams that the DMG is incorrect about "keen" weapons only
being slashing weapons. "...table 8-15 in the
DMG and the following description (pages 185, 187) are incorrect. Keen
is intended to be placed on piercing as well as slashing."
Mystara 3E Adventure: A new short D&D adventure,
"Keep of the Shadow Knight," has been posted over on the official
Mystara fan site. The author is Steve Kenson, who has a couple of
articles coming up in November's issue of Dragon Magazine. (Thanks to
Shawn Stanley and Pierre-Paul Durastanti for the scoop)
Monster Manual Cover Spotted: Scooper "Ryngard" spotted a
new version of the Monster Manual cover at WotC's online store.
Update: WotC's James Wyatt confirms that this is
indeed the final version of the cover. (Click here for a poor scan of a
previous version for comparison.)
DMG Review: Zealot.com has posted a glowing review of the
Dungeon Master's Guide. (Thanks to Wyrm for the scoop)
New at WotC: A slew of new items on the official D&D
page. (Thanks to Albert Nakano and the dozens of other scoopers after
him)
- Monster Mayhem: A regenerating nightmare, the troll
is a standard creature of D&D. Read its Third Edition stats.
- Fight Club: Witness the terror that is Kalaboah, the
half-ogre/half-fiend blackguard! You can see his stats at 1st, 6th and
10th level.
- Weapons Rack: The jambiya, a curved dagger, is
showcased.
D20 Overview: Want a short summary of what the D20 System
is and how it relates to the Open Gaming Movement? Take a look at a new
article at RPG Planet. (thanks to Silverdawn for the scoop)
Mysterious Map: Yea, verily, WotC hath posted another map
of mystery. Ruins, part II. (thanks to jester47 and Kwalish Kid for the
scoop)
Monks and Magic: Monks lose their Wisdom bonus to AC when
they wear armor. So do monks have to worry about losing their Wisdom
bonus when protected by AC-enhancing magic? Here's ever-friendly Sean
Reynolds of WotC (3E Message Board, a very sincere and extra-special
thanks to the wonderful PA for the scoop):
Bracers of armor and the mage armor
spell do not count as "wearing armor."
Sorcerer/Wizards and Familiars: Good news if you're
playing a multiclassed sorcerer/wizard character, from WotC's Sean
Reynolds (3E Message Boards):
Official errata: Sor & Wiz levels
stack for determining a familiar's abilities.
Dragon #276: The October issue of Dragon
arrived in the mail today, and it's as full of goodies as usual. I'm
not going to go into as much depth as usual, but here are the
highlights:
- The jewel of the crown this month is Skip Williams' "How to Create a Monster," a 14-page beauty
that crosses every monster type and size to help you generate the right
kind and number of hit dice, damage, attack bonuses, saving throws, and
so forth. Click here to view a sample chart from the article. Also
included are suggestions for setting the Challenge Rating (it's
definitely more of an art than a science) and DCs for saving against
monster special abilities. This article is really like opening up the
hood of the car to see how it works -- it's a must-read for any DM who
plans on creating critters for his or her game world.
- "Countdown to the Forgotten Realms"
begins this month, with a general overview of what can be expected with
the new campaign setting. Three Todd Lockwood illustrations (Fzoul, The
Simbul, and Szass Tamm) accompany the piece. There's not a whole lot of
new information. Next month we'll get to read about Realms heroes and
villains.
- Monsters: "Ecology of the Sheet
Phantom" updates an old Fiend Folio monster for 3E, and
includes full stats. "The Bestiary"
showcases five new critters, including a gargantuan maggot-like
creature that can spawn undead skeletons with its acidic spit. Icky!
- This month's prestige class is the Hunter
of the Dead, undead slayers who can detect undead, cast a
handfull of spells, smite undead, burn undead with positive energy, and
eventually become immune to level draining from undead.
New Conversions: Read about a Spellfire "template," the
Battlerager prestige class, and some converted arcane spells in the
Conversion Library.
DMG Survey: What do you think of the Dungeon Master's
Guide? Click here to participate in a survey, and you could win an
autographed copy of the Monster Manual (well apparently one
page says a copy of Sword & Fist, while another says Monster
Manual). (thanks to sk0766 for the scoop)
Necromancer and Wolf: Necromancer Games and White Wolf
Publishing will be working together on D20 System materials. White Wolf
will will apparently be marketing game product for Necromancer Games in
this deal. For more info, read the press release. (thanks to Clark
Peterson, sk0766, and Steve Vogel for the scoop)
BG II Gold: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, has gone
gold. This CRPG uses 2nd Edition AD&D rules but introduces 3E
elements such as the barbarian, sorcerer, and half-orc. (thanks to
Jonathan Pettit for the scoop)
FR 3E Survival Kit Online: WotC has provided a "survival
kit" for those who want to run 3E campaigns in the Realms before the
official campaign setting is released next April. Included are notes on
racial variants, lists of deities and their domains, a spell, several
magic items, regional feats, and rules that loosen paladin and monk
multiclassing a bit. Lotsa new stuff here! Thanks to "The shadow of my
former self" for the scoop)
More FR Downloads: As reported by a dozen scoopers, WotC
has released a second wave of free Forgotten Realms products from the
past. They're available as zipped PDF files. (thanks to Oren Douek,
first of many scoopers)
Master Tools Voting: A member of the MasterTools-L
discussion group has set up a voting area just to help gather
information about user desires and habits. If you'd like to become
involved, head over to http://www.egroups.com/polls/dnd_mt -- you'll
have to register but once you do you can make your opinion known.
Sunless Citadel Corrections: According to scooper
Peter Seebach, Bruce Cordell, author of the new adventure The Sunless
Citadel, offers these two corrections:
- Reflex Save DC for pit trap on p. 20: "this old pit trap should be DC 16."
- Missing word: "...the last
word in the boxed description of encounter 42 is 'wheelbarrow', as in
'rusted wheelbarrow'."
Community News:
- Return to the Dungeon has some more goodies for you,
including floorplan and description of a small tavern and some
spell-related plot hooks.
- Fiery Dragon Productions (a D20 publisher) is now accepting
applications to run free private campaigns through their message boards
(including the ability to attach files for GMs players). "More than just an avenue for play-by-email, this can
be a valuable tool for a GM to reduce "paper work" time at the game
table, instead having it done and available before and after a session.
With our private boards, the GM can post material (including files such
as maps, PDFs, npc stats) to a message board that only the players in
his or her campaign have access to. A great way to distribute
pre-adventure backgrounds, review sessions, or award experience, any GM
is sure to find it useful. For more information, check out our site and
click on our PRIVATE CAMPAIGNS link."
- John Dells has posted a 2E-to-3E Experience Point Converter
for your amusement and edification. This is helpful if your old
character's XP total put him midway between levels because this program
"interpolates between levels." Just nod your head in agreement... :)
Cliffhanger II: WotC has posted the first part of another
Cliffhanger D&D adventure. (thanks to Dark Blackshield for the
scoop)
New Conversions: Visit the Conversion Library to see
Dragonlance's Wizards of High Sorcery as a Prestige Class, and notes on
Gnomish Inventions 3E style.
Critical Hits with Spells: WotC's Sean Reynolds discusses
what happens when you score a crit with a spell such as a ray which
requires a successful attack roll (on the 3E message board):
Here's the scoop: damage (hit point or
ability) is doubled. Ray of enfeeblement gives a penalty, it doesn't
inflict damage. Enervation gives negative energy levels, it doesn't
inflict damage. Therefore, neither of those doubles on a crit.
GenCon Seminar Handouts Online: Did you miss some or all
of the seminars at GenCon this year? WotC has posted handouts from
Psionics in 3rd Edition (complete list of powers as well as monster
stat block for githyanki), How to Min/Max Your Character, What's a DM
to Do Now?, and To 20th Level and Beyond. (oops, deleted scooper's
message before posting scooper's name -- sorry!)
D20 Publisher News: Otherworld Creations is now accepting
preorders for their D20 campaign world, Diomin.
News from Fluid: Scott Mathews of Fluid Entertainment,
creators of the Character Generator program and the forthcoming Master
Tools, sent in the following announcement:
Please welcome Wayne Cline as Fluid's
latest member of our growing team. Wayne will act as Producer on a
couple of our projects.
Wayne came to us from LucasArts where he was Project Manager for over
10 years. His titles include X Wing vs. Tie Fighter, Indiana Jones and
the Infernal Machine, the forthcoming ObiWan Gameboy to anything as far
back as Super Empire Strikes Back SNES.
Wayne's experience and knowledge are unparalleled. He's also a really
nice guy. We are very excited to have him on board to produce our
projects for us!
Evil Clerics Controling Undead Errata: Scooper Roberto
Micheri wrote to WotC's Skip Williams regarding contradictory rules for
evil clerics controling undead appearing on p. 140 of the PHB.
Referring to the paragraph just before "Dispelling Turning," Skip says,
"The text in question is one big typo (just
omit the paragraph that begins with he word 'alternatively')."
Drow: Anonymous has sent along the drow elf racial traits
from the Monster Manual:
Drow Traits (Ex): These are in addition to the basic elf traits, except
where noted here. Drow do not get the usual elven weapon proficiencies.
- Spell resistance 11 + class level.
- +2 racial bonus to Will saves
against spells and spell-like abilities.
- Darkvision up to 120 feet. This
replaces elven low-light vision.
- [Note that I was not given any info on drow spell-like
abilities.]
Light Blindness (Ex): Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a
daylight spell) blinds drow for 1 round. In addition, they suffer a -1
circumstance penalty to all attack rolls, saves, and checks while
operating in bright light.
This information can be used in conjunction with the raw stat
adjustments for drow found in the DMG. (DMs can use the CR adjustment
to set the right Challenge Rating and thus XP award for drow NPCs
defeated.)
- Drow Female: +1 CR, +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Cha, +2 Listen, +2
Search, +2 Spot.
- Drow Male: +1 CR, +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Int, -2 Cha, +2 Listen, +2
Search, +2 Spot.
D&D Comics: Apparently there will be a new line of
D&D comics, produced by Kenzer & Co. You can read about the
deal right here. Here's my favorite quote: (thanks to Ian "the Mad,"
Ahzad, Vulpus, and Andrew Theisen for the scoop)
"We anticipate our new Dungeons &
Dragons comics will be huge," said Kenzer & Co. President David
Kenzer. "We're thinking of going with about nine foot by eleven foot
format. It just might be the biggest comic ever released."
Skeleton Errata: Skip Williams notes that there's an
error with the description of the skeleton in the "2000 Survival Guide"
in the PHB, specifically their immunity to piercing and slashing
weapons. "That's an error, skeletons take half
damage from piercing or slashing weapons." (thanks to Peter
Seebach for the scoop)
Community News: New 3E links for you...
- High Adventure is a D&D campaign site.
- World of Sosaria blends Ultima and D&D.
Monster Manual Tidbits: Anonymous has sent in some
interesting bits from the intro to the Monster Manual. Here are
a few to whet your appetite for the book, which will be released in
October:
Monster Feats
FLYBY ATTACK [General]
The creature can attack on the wing.
Prerequisite: Fly speed.
Benefit: When flying, the creature can take a move action (including a
dive) and another partial action at any point during the move. The
creature cannot take a second move action during a round when it makes
a flyby attack.
Normal: Without this feat, the creature takes a partial action either
before or after its move.
MULTIATTACK [General]
The creature is adept at using all its natural weapons at once.
Prerequisite: Three or more natural weapons.
Benefit: The creature's secondary attacks with natural weapons suffer
only a -2 penalty.
Normal: Without this feat, the creature's secondary natural attacks
suffer a -5 penalty.
Monster Manual "Review": About.com has posted a review of
a "galley version" of the Monster Manual. While the conclusion
isn't all that appreciative ("grit your teeth and
pick it up, 'cause in 3rd Edition, about 40 percent of what's in those
old 1st and 2nd Edition monster books is now outdated"), the
description sounds good to me! Here's an exerpt: (thanks to sk0766 for
the scoop)
The book starts with Aboleth and ends
with Zombie. Appendix 1 provides stats for normal animals, and Appendix
2 provides stats for vermin (in other words, bugs). Appendix 3 is the
most interesting, providing "templates." Certain creatures have no
single type, the book explains, but their monstrous templates are
instead laid over an existing character type. For example, Celestial or
Fiendish Creatures, Half-Celestials, Half-Dragons, Half-Fiends, Liches,
Lycanthropes, and Vampires. Seems like a very interesting way of
handling these types of monsters. There's also a chart at the end that
ranks each monster by challenge rating.
Star Wars in 2001: Though not listed (yet?) in the WotC
product catalog, there apparently will be a number of Star Wars RPG
products released in Q1 2001. As you probably know, the soon-to-be
released Star Wars RPG uses the d20 system as the basis of its rules.
(Thanks to OdGregg for the scoop)
I received a couple of weeks ago now
the WOTC Jan-Apr catalog from the australian distributor and it list
the following 6 products to be released:
January:
Star Wars: Episode I Heroes (Miniatures: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme
Naberrie, Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, Jar Jar Binks,
and Captain Panaka)
Star Wars: Episode I Villians & Scoundrels (Miniatures: Darth Maul,
Sebulba, Darth Sidious, Rune Haako, Nute Gunray, Watto, and Aurra Sing)
February:
Star Wars Gamemaster Screen
March:
Rebellion Era Sourcebook
Living Force Campaign Guide
April:
Secret of Tatooine
The Shadow Knows: Scooper James Hogge has scored a copy
of the first core D&D adventure, The Sunless Citadel. Here
are his comments on the product, as well as the stat block for a
monster found within:
If this module is an example of what
is to come we have a lot to look forward to. The maps although black
and white are the best I've seen in years. It reminds me of the higher
quality First Edition modules like T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil.
The new format includes non "world" specific writing format that makes
the adventure easy to plug into any campaign. It also features sidebar
notations containing encounter specifics as well as hints to the DM.
The story is written with several good plot leads for further
adventuring. This module is the first in a series desighned to take 3E
characters from 1st to 20th level. The next module will be "The Forge
of Fury"! I think its perfect for new gamers and veterans alike.
What really great for DM's is that it has stat blocks for 10 monsters
including Shadows and Water Mephits which up untill now have not been
released. A must have untill the Monster Manual is released.
Heres the stat block for a shadow....
SHADOW: CR3; Medium-size undead (incorporeal); HD 3d12; hp 13;
Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30 ft; fly 40 ft. (good); AC 13; Atk +1 melee (1d6
temporary Str damage, incorporeal touch); SA Str damage, create spawn;
SQ Undead, incorporeal, turn resistance +2, 60 ft. darkvision; AL CE;
SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +4; Str --, Dex 14, Con --, Int 6, Wis 12,
Cha13.
SKILLS & FEATS: Hide +8, Intuit Direction +5, Listen +7, Spot +7;
Dodge
SPECIAL QUALITIES: UNDEAD: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison,
sleep, paralyzation, stunning, and disease; not subject to critical
hits, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or death from
massive damage.
INCORPOREAL: Harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, +1 or better
weapons, or by spells, spell-like effects, and supernatural effects;
50% chance to ignore damage from corporeal source; passes through solid
objects at will; always moves silently.
DMG Preview and Other New Stuff at WotC: Eager to read
the Dungeon Master's Guide? Don't have yours yet? You can read exerpts
of this book at WotC. For the visually-minded, they've also posted a
DMG Art Gallery. DMG designer Monte Cook ran a D&D campaign for
other WotC folk and a summary of this campaign, along with stats for
the PCs, can be found here. And another interview with Pool of
Radiance II producer Jon Kromrey has been posted. (thanks to
Psionicist and Kwalish Kid for the scoop)
DMG Review: A positive review of the Dungeon Master's
Guide can be found here. (thanks to Robert Burns for the scoop)
New Conversion: You can read the first part of a
conversion document for Council of Wyrms in the Conversion Library.
Monk Off-Hand Errata: From Skip Williams, posted on DND-L
by Andrew A. Berrigan. (thanks to Steve Mulhern and Pat for the scoop)
There is no such thing as a monk
making an unarmed attack with an off hand
(that's what the flurry of blows ability is for). Here's the official
errata:
39, col 2 top: Change second sentence: There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a
monk striking unarmed.
WotC Products for Q1 2001: We already have a good idea of
what 3E products are slated for first quarter 2001 due to products
spotted at Amazon.com. WotC has officially posted their product catalog
for January, February, March, and April of next year, including novels,
miniatures, and other odds and ends. (thanks to Urklore the Iron for
the scoop)
Community News: New and revised 3E sites...
- Quarterland is a 3E campaign site.
- Cyberzombie's D&D page now has new feats, traits &
flaws, and a message board.
- Return to the Dungeon is celebrating its one year
anniversary with huge discounts on sleeper sofas ... no, wait ... with
new prestige classes and new feats.
- Dungeons & Talislanta is a 3E campaign site.
- From the Ashes is a Greyhawk campaign site.
- The Ashara Campaign is a 3E campaign site.
DMG Spotted at Electronics Boutique: Need I say more?
Give them a call if you live near one. (very very reliable
scoop sent in by Eric Enos; and yeah, there's a reason I know
it's reliable :)
FR Downloads MIA? A number of people are reporting that
some or all of the links for the recently posted Forgotten Realms
products are dead. But then sometimes they do work. They were working
last night and early this morning but apparently kind of come and go.
Keep trying!
Pool of Radiance II & 3E: An article about the
forthcoming Pool of Radiance II computer game, complete with discussion
of its use of 3E rules, appears at Adrenaline Vault. (thanks to OdGregg
for the scoop)
FR Downloads Galore! The first batch of the promised free
Forgotten Realms products has been posted at WotC. The list currently
includes The Horde, Lands of Intrigue, Cormanthyr, Savage Frontier,
Gold and Glory, Elminster’s Ecologies Appendix 1&2, Four From
Cormyr, Castle Spulzeer, Cult of the Dragon, For Duty and Deity, City
of Ravens Bluf, and Calimport. They're all zipped PDF files. (thanks to
Dark Blackshield for the scoop)
New Map-a-Week: Scooper Steve Mulhern says there's a new
map over at WotC. And by golly, he's right! :)
DM Screen Described: A fellow who has scored an early
copy of the Dungeon Master's Screen was kind enough to send along a
description of what's on it (and with it). Thanks to Ronald W. Siebert
for the scoop.
Dungeon Master's Screen
|
Panel 1
- Balance Check DCs
- Bluff Checks DCs
- Climb Checks DCs
- Concentration Checks DCs
- Disable Checks DCs
- Escape Checks DCs
- Listen Checks DCs
- Open Lock Checks DCs
- Search Checks DCs
|
Panel 2
- Fundamental Actions in Combat
- Attack Roll Modifiers
- Partial Actions
- Cover
- Concealment
|
|
Panel 3
- Misc. Actions
- Creature Size and Scale
- Turning Undead
- Access to Spells (by class
level) - basically what level you have to be to be able to cast spells
|
Panel 4
- Size and AC of Objects
- Substance Hardness and Hit
Points
- Common Weapon and Shield
Hardness and Hit Points
- DCs to break or burst item
- Object hardness and Hit Points
- Example Opposed Checks
- Example Door DCs
- Skill that can be used untrained
- Light Sources
|
| The 8 page booklet
has a combat planner (everyone's name, speed, AC, attack bonuse, etc.),
grenade like weapons and are of effect for spells (shows on graph paper
how big of an area sleep, burning hands, color spray, and others effect
if they are cast straight or diagonal), disease and poison tables and
finally weapon charts from players handbook. The back of booklet is a
sheet of 1 inch squares for photo copying. |
Char Gen Reviewed: RPG Planet has posted a review of the
Character Generator program. This is a bit unusual as it's only a demo,
but the reviewer was mostly pleased with the product. (thanks to
Silverdawn for the scoop)
More DMG Scoops: The scooper from yesterday's DMG table
of contents has been enthusiastically sharing info from the DMG he was
able to purchase early. Thanks to ahzrei for the scoops (more coming
soon):
- The Shadow Dancer is a prestige class involving
(you guessed it) shadows and other sneaky stuff. Here are some of the
abilities a Shadow Dancer can gain:
- Hide in plain sight: if within 10' of a shadow other than their own, they
may use the Hide ability even when being observed (supernatural
ability).
- Summon Shadow: may summon a shadow (the undead shade, see MM for
statistics) as a companion. Unlike normal, the shadow's alignment
matches the dancer's. It cannot be turned, rebuked, or commanded by any
third party. The shadow can communicate intelligently with the
shadowdancer. A destroyed or dismissed shadow cannot be replaced for a
year and a day.
- Shadow Jump: may jump between shadows as if using a dimension door spell.
- Shadow Illusion: as the silent image spell, employable once per day, the dancer can create
illusions out of surrounding shadows.
- Dwarven Defender is another prestige class. The main
ability gained here is defensive stance (can be used multiple
times per day at higher levels):
- gains +2 str, +4 con, +2
resistance bonus on all saves, +4 dodge bonus to ac
- con increase raises hp by
2/level, but they go away at end of the def stance
- these hp are not lost first, as
temporary hp are
- while defending, the PC may not
use skills that require a shift in position such as Move Silently or
Jump
- duration is 3 rounds plus the
defender's (newly modified) constitution bonus, and may be ended
voluntarily at any time at the end, the
defender is winded and suffers -2 str for the rest of that encounter
- In the section on modifying character classes is an entry
for The Witch:
- The witch is just an example of
creating a new spell list for a variant spellcasting class. Comments on
each spell area:
- Cure spells: only the
weakest, and few of them.
- Illusions: Only through the
middle levels, she can trick her foes, but not to the extent that a
wizard can.
- Divinations: Only the
straightforward ones, and not all of those.
- Charms: Many. A major niche
for this spellcaster.
- Form-changing: another strong
point for the witch, she has access to most of these.
- Nature: from speaking to
animals to controlling the weather, she dabbles in this area, if for no
other reason than she usually lives alone in the wilderness.
- Flashy Spells: anything from
a lightning bolt to a wall of fire to a bigby's hand spell is right
out. The witch's archetype doesn't suggest overt attack spells or
spells that create massive constructs. She doesn't summon monsters,
place wards, or teleport from place to place. Her magic is subtle.
- Miscellaneous: spells such as
'whispering wind', 'leomunds tiny hut', 'bestow curse' (and a few other
curselike spells), and some communication spells round out the list.
- For flavor, the first six
levels of the witch's spells list each have 13 spells.
- Ability score adjustments for "planetouched" races:
- Aasimar (Planetouched): +2 wis, +2 cha, +2 listen, +2 spot.
- Tiefling (Planetouched): +2 dex, +2 int, -2 cha, +2 bluff, +2
hide
- Tieflings and Aasimars are listed
in the chart as "Class level +1". [This means that if the DM allows a
tiefling or aasimar PC, that PC effectively starts out as 2nd level --
one level of character class and one level of tiefling or aasimar race.
PCs of the standard races would need to be 2nd level in order to be
equivalent in power.]
DMG Review: You can read a very positive review of the
forthcoming Dungeon Master's Guide at RPG.net. (thanks to Alexander
Tynkov for the scoop)
FR Adventure Hooks: The WotC Forgotten Realms site has an
adventure hook generator that uses specific Realms people and places.
(thanks to Black Moria and Dark Blackshield for the scoop)
Wyatt's Update: WotC's James Wyatt has updated his
personal 3E site:
This week, I posted some of my campaign
information for Night and last night I updated my
3e page with tales of Sanaril's
adventures.
DMG ToC: A kindly fellow who acquired the DMG early
shared the Table of Contents. It's a very long scoop, so I've placed it
here on the Rulebooks page. Thanks to ahzrei for the informative scoop!
New Conversions: Read notes on Preservers and Defilers from Dark
Sun, and the Shadow Walker from Wizards and Rogues of the Realms.
D20 RPG Evolution: An online zine called RPGevolution has
released an "all D20" issue, complete with adventures, new classes,
conversions, and so forth. Check it out. (Thanks to Clinton Nixon and
Mike Mearls for the scoop)
Chat Functional: Apparently there's been a name change
for the Gamespy chat server. Instead of connecting at
chat.gamespynetwork.com, the address is chat.gamespy.com. You can link
to the chatroom or read about how to connect via IRC here.
Cliffhanger Concluded: Part 4 of Unearthing the Past has
been posted at WotC.
New Conversions: Read another Dark Sun conversion
document, notes for 3E Elementalists, Planescape Spells converted, and
the finishing touches to the Viking supplement.
FR Skills: WotC's Sean Reynolds lets slip a tidbit about
the forthcoming FR book (official 3E message board, thanks to Gerard
for the scoop):
... in the FR hardback ... there's a
skill [he meant feat] that lets you
choose a skill to always be a class skill for you.
- Update from Sean: Er, yeah,
I meant feat.
More about the Speaker in Dreams: WotC's James Wyatt has
added some commentary about his forthcoming core 3E adventure, The
Speaker in Dreams, in the Amazon.com editorial/review area for this
product. Click the above link, and scroll down past Editorial Review to
see James' comments. Here's a sample to whet your appetite (thanks to
Mark Henderson for the scoop)
[The adventure] shows off the rules
for designing cities with a fleshed-out example. Note that even more
information about the city in which the adventure is set will appear on
the Wizards web site when this adventure is released. (I had to cut a
lot of words from the manuscript!) The adventure models a living city
with NPCs, and highlights some of the important elements of city
encounters.
Playtest Group of the Month: If you're curious about how
the Psionics playtest is going, check out the September Playtest Group
of the Month (featuring Kevin "Piratecat" Kulp). (thanks to David
Caveney for the scoop)
Deadlands d20: Pinnacle Entertainment Group announced that
there will be a D20 version of Deadlands: (thanks to Todd Antill for
the scoop)
We ARE doing a Deadlands D20
conversion book, and John Goff is writing it. The current plan--and
this may change--is to do a hardback, full-color book using the
Doomtown art, for about $25. It will restate what's going on in
Deadlands and then explain how to play in the Weird West using the D20
rules.
Community News: New and updated 3E/D20 sites of note...
- Talath Gond's website has a poll regarding a fan-made d20
Earth setting.
- Seven Avengers (a D20 system publisher) has added a FAQ to
their site.
- Community 3E is hosting a Top 25 3E Sites list.
- Highlander netbook for 3E
- Sleeping Imperium is a site for a 3E campaign
- The webmaster of Dr. Skull's D&D page offers to e-mail
you a lot of neat goodies such as a big Word file filled with NPCs.
- A new race at DNDWorld.com.
- RPCore Productions has added an NPC index with
fan-submitted characters.
Official Updates: Some new stuff over at WotC...
- September is Fighter Month on the main D&D page.
We have promises of a new Fight Club entry featuring a
half-fiend/half-ogre, a new adventure, a new Cliffhanger, and a DMG
preview.
- Personality Spotlight: Bruce Cordell, author of The
Sunless Citadel, is interviewed.
- Bruce describes this first core D&D adventure: The technical premise is that it’s an adventure
balanced for 1st-level characters of the new D&D game. From my
privileged position ensconced in the heart of Wizards Roleplaying
R&D, I was able to create an adventure true to the rules, and one
that provides simple explanations for many of the situations that crop
up during the course of the adventure. Things like attacks of
opportunity, flanking, and partial actions are endemic to the game but
possibly new to Dungeon Masters for the time being. The story premise
involves a once-proud fortress that fell into the earth in a long-ago
past. Rechristened the Sunless Citadel, its echoing, broken halls now
house nefarious races and malign creatures. Evil has taken root at the
citadel's core, which lies deep within a subterranean garden of
blighted foliage. Here a terrible tree and its dark shepherd plot in
darkness.
- Bruce is currently working on "another
32-page adventure for 10th- to 13th-level characters, with the working
title of 'Heart of Nightfang Spire.'" After that, he's working
with Monte Cook on "an upcoming sourcebook
involving arcane spellcasters."
- Map-A-Week: This week's free map is a traditional
dungeon complex. (thanks to Dark Blackshield and Fzoul Chembryl for the
scoop)
- Write the Realms: An adventure-writing contest.
(thanks to Black Moria for the scoop)
- Screensaver: Mac and PC versions of a D&D
screensaver.
Community News: Visit the D&D Netbook of Feats to
find fan-submitted feats for 3E.
PHB Review: You can read a fairly positive review of the
PHB over at About.com. (thanks to sk0766 for the scoop)
Character Generator for NT: WotC's Jim Bishop posted this
message over on my message boards:
We just added a link for an NT4.0
version of 1.2 to the Master Tools page.
This version does not have an installer--you'll need to save it to your
machine and double-click on the executable to run it. A caveat: the
application requires SP4.0 be installed (because of the DirectX
requirement).
Message Board Tidbits: Clarifications from the message
boards:
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