Recent content by dok

I have a few thoughts. I'm not aiming to offend or hurt feelings; I'm an editor, and it's my job to be critical... 1.) The Red Harlot drawing looks far better than the rest of the "book pictures" on the page, and in fact has sharper lines and better shading than anything else on the page. If...

8th level party, eh? Some simple ideas... 1.) Haste, followed by Polymorph Self into a Rust Monster is perfectly legal by the RAW. With two touch attacks a round (at around +6 or +7) versus a touch AC of 8 and a saving throw DC 17 versus a save bonus of +5, all you need to do is survive two...

Another variant is to say that Magic represents a primal power, only fully understood by the Gods. Clerics & Paladins use magic at the permission of their Gods. Druids & Rangers use magic through a holistic understanding of being. The first wizard was a mortal who stole some of the gods'...

Marhaveen Originally inspired by a certain KODT comic, Marhaveen is a Chaotic Evil, Intelligent +5 anarchic, Unholy Battle Axe. (Full stats to follow) Originally created by a misguided elven cleric of peace, it was designed to trap the souls of all killed by it, and force the wielder to hear the...

Yes & yes Yes, the spell would work against the Golem. A golem's Magic Immunity means that it is immune to spells that target or directly effect it. Mirror image does not target the golem, nor does it directly affect it. (I've seen more absurd arguments along these lines, including that a Golem...

The infamous Temple of the Demon Dead! This one is a long-held favorite "bad gaming story" of mine. Gaming convention. The flyer has a module called "Temple of The Demon Dead", and says to bring two 18th level, 1st edition D&D characters. My older brother & I exchanged ruleful looks. We knew a...

Looking at the Swarm subtype description, here's my knee-jerk reaction: *If the Swarm failed its Reflex save, it would be unable to move. Breaking free would be nearly impossible (Escape Artist check of DC 25, the swarm gets a +6 for dexterity) so it would be caught. If the Web was then set...

IME, the default assumption about CR & EL is that it assumes every day will include 3-4 encounters of an EL equal to the party between resting periods. If the PCs rest & recover more frequently, then they're not going to have as much trouble with any given encounter. The appropriate response...

I like the idea of a saving throw for undead vs. turning. However, I agree that adding more dice rolls is not a good thing. What about simply allowing _intelligent_ undead a Will saving throw (DC 10+ cleric level + Charisma mod?). Failure means normal effect, while success means the effect is...

I believe SKR has said somewhere that the area is a typo. (20' radius spread, not 20' radius +10'/level spread) I also believe that the spell was meant to allow a saving throw of "Reflex Partial", with the damage being unavoidable (4d6 impact, 3d6 fire), but a successful saving throw negating...

IMO, the problem doesn't lie with the paladin, it lies with the Turning mechanic itself. It's an "all or nothing" mechanic that has the potential to turn an encounter into a non-encounter as undead flee, or do nothing at all. Paladins get their turning ability late, which means the...

OK, first, we need to define "worst". "Worst" does not mean "I'm not interested in this" or "It's not my cup of tea". The 'guy-bra' argument neatly makes this point. Let's consider some "worst" definitions: *Value: from a pure "page content versus price" perspective, A&E takes the cake...

There is no sex in the D&D world, duh. Why else would people be running around genocidally killing orcs, swinging ludicriously huge swords & axes, and "blasting away" with "magic missles"? D&D and superhero comic books are realms where sex clearly doesn't exist for the main characters, and...

My toughness variant is as follows: It still grants +3 HP, but additionally, a character with toughness is considered disabled from 0 to -3 hp, and does not actually die until -13 hp (instead of -10). Taking toughness multiple times (or using the MotW toughness feats) increases the...

Nope. Caster level for spell-like abilities is a function of the creature, not it's HD. It does not change. Furthermore, any other Supernatural or Extraordinary abilities would be unchanged as well; those abilities key from the "monster class" HD. Adding levels of any class will not improve...