Shadowdark Shadowdark Discussion Thread [+]

[Bill Zebub]

A bunch of people have made their own alternatives, since her very distinct take is not what everyone is looking for. You can't really do "A Paladin in Hell" with her class.

I'm thinking of making an anti-paladin class at some point, as part of a thing that would remake classic Dragon magazine NPC classes, and it occurs to me that I'll probably need to make an AD&D paladin class as well, since the anti-paladin otherwise will be the mirror image of a class that doesn't officially exist in Shadowdark.

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The variant I have been fiddling with gets Inspiring Presence from the official version, but otherwise has advantages specifically against Chaotic creatures. (And gets Advantage on things involving horses...)

I suppose that would make the Anti-Paladin easy: just swap "Chaotic" for "Lawful".

 

[Fenris-77]

Yeah, I want to say it was no more than what a Fighter would add anyway, but I'd have to go look at Mounts again.

Fighters can have mounts too, they just have to pay for them.

 

[Fenris-77]

I like Kelsey's Paladin but I can also see why it leaves some people cold. I think part of the problem is that some of the OG Paladin classes were overpowered compared to the basic fighter, often offset by differential experience. You can't do that with a SD class.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I like Kelsey's Paladin but I can also see why it leaves some people cold. I think part of the problem is that some of the OG Paladin classes were overpowered compared to the basic fighter, often offset by differential experience. You can't do that with a SD class.

Agreed. And I certainly don't want a D&D Paladin ported to SD. I like how Kelsey is willing to rethink what classes mean without being constrained by established tropes. I just don't like how this particular one turned out.

 

[Fenris-77]

I think some people miss that Named Blade is better than Weapon Master at low levels and only really worse at the highest levels, with the downside that it can be lost temporarily.

Agreed. And I certainly don't want a D&D Paladin ported to SD. I like how Kelsey is willing to rethink what classes mean without being constrained by established tropes. I just don't like how this particular one turned out.

What aspects of the common Paladin class features were you hoping for?

 

[Bill Zebub]

I think some people miss that Named Blade is better than Weapon Master at low levels and only really worse at the highest levels, with the downside that it can be lost temporarily.

What aspects of the common Paladin class features were you hoping for?

Well, none, really.

I think Inspiring Presence was a brilliant way to implement something related to healing, without it actually being healing.

 

[Retros_x]

What aspects of the common Paladin class features were you hoping for?

I chime in here: I think I personally would loved to be oath more than just a limitation - break it or lose abilities. I don't know what exactly. Or maybe in combination with holy quests: The paladin must always have one quest ongoing and when he succeeds he gets some sort of bonus or feat or whatever.

But I must admit there more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that the classic paladin just doesn't fit the game and Kelseys version is quite fitting for the game.

 

[Bill Zebub]

But I must admit there more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that the classic paladin just doesn't fit the game and Kelseys version is quite fitting for the game.

I guess what I've been thinking is that an Arthurian knight just doesn't fit into the dark, gritty, world of Shadowdark. I am envisioning a Paladin as a flickering flame surrounded by darkness, bearing the burden of duty. So instead of galloping around in shining plate armor, waving around a lance with a pennant, he is in a nondescript cloak and hood, going where he is not welcome, hoping to not attract notice.

So...maybe more like a Jedi in the period where they are being hunted?

 

[Mannahnin]

I made the Monday night crew make the new PCs at 2nd level, but let them carouse with the surviving elf wizard, so they got a few xp to start off with. That party is now 3rd level Elf Wizard, 2nd level Elf Thief, 2nd level Human Cleric, and 2nd level Goblin Knight of St. Ydris.

Hiralia the elf returned with her (limited) treasure to the shelter of her guild, where she mourned her lost companions. The terrible icon of the Maggot God she traded for gold, no longer bearing to look at it. After some time her guildmates offered her a new mission to get her mind off her troubles, and introduced her to a few new adventuring/drinking companions. Silvio the elven former pirate, Glaux the priest of Athena Promachos, and Hoshgrish Kunstil, noble goblin Knight (cousin to the recently devoured Ratbag Kunstil) offered to help her get past the trauma.

After a good night's drinking and swapping stories and toasting the fallen, they decided they would indeed seek out the Seer's Sanctum, allegedly the abandoned site of a cult of seers obsessed with vision and other senses, who were rumored to have discovered secrets of extraplanar travel. The guild offered to pay handsomely for planar travel magics and information recovered from this site. Hiralia was also able to find a cheap healing potion to spend most of her remaining gold on.

One near-deadly confrontation with a grey ooze in the entry chamber was had, but after that no more signs of animate foes were yet to be found in this quiet, empty place. Instead strange mechanisms and devices, eerie statues with fearful implications, and obstacles/puzzles met their efforts and needed to be solved/figured out to make progress. Four chambers explored so far, four such puzzles/obstacles solved/circumvented, testing their ingenuity and making them glad for several useful pieces of adventuring equipment they had thought to bring. Avoiding hints for people thinking they might play this: So far helpful have been a crowbar, four lengths of rope, and a grappling hook. Use of iron spikes would have reduced the number of ropes needed.

 

[Bill Zebub]

After a good night's drinking and swapping stories and toasting the fallen,

Isn't it amazing how quickly adventurers recover from seeing their friends get eaten? Hardy lot, those adventurers. Stiff upper lip and all.