Recent content by trav_laney

I distrust car salesmen. Maybe I'm just overly pessemistic, but without a test drive, do we really know that the 4E roadster handles any better than the 3.5E model? 3.5E has problems, and I find myself doing a lot of repairs on the weekends, but I don't think I am ready to throw up my hands...

I made Turn Resistance into something like Evasion...undead who have Turn Resistance gain a bonus to their Fortitude save, and take no damage on a successful save. Much more useful when turning undead can be Maximized/ Heightened/ Empowered/Etc. As far as intelligent undead go, I like the...

In my next campaign, I am going to test out making Turn Undead a spell. Something along these lines: ---------------------------------------------- Turn Undead, Lesser Evocation [Good] Level: Clr 1, Pal 1 Components: V, DF Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal Area: 20' radius...

How about a 20th level fighter, armed with a spiked chain, using his whirlwind attack feat in a room full of orcs? This is already a colossal pain in the backside...this rule would triple the number of dice rolls required. This rule is definately not for me. I think my head would explode...

We still use the 3.0 halfspear in our 3.5 game...haven't had any balance issues from it yet. (shrug) I suppose I could make it a martial (or even exotic) weapon, but so far I see no need to nerf it.

True...there are places that you couldn't (and shouldn't) take a horse. I think a dragon's lair would be right at the top of that list. But if your travels are going to take you through the Everburning Wastelands of Fiery Death, you might want to prepare a few extra endure elements spells for...

...not if the mage casts resist elements on the party's mounts prior to combat. Or better yet, the party had the foresight to purchase some magical saddle blankets of fire resistance. IMHO, many of the "problems with horses" are actually problems with the party not taking the proper steps to...

I like to give out extra skill points on dead levels...0 + Int modifier (minimum of 1) isn't too unbalancing.

I could be wrong, but I thought that one of the requirements for a "monster race" being able to advance by class, was that it had to have opposable thumbs. If you are going to go with the "good guys of the sea" concept, I would suggest modifying a monster from the SRD. You know, take a...

Personally, I leave them alone. Intelligence 1 or 2 is more than enough for an animal of any kind, and I've had arguments with my own players before about what makes a creature "intelligent." If you dig deep enough, any animal can build a case to support a promotion to "Magical Beast" based on...

Simple enough to do. (shrug) I guess I figured that since his abilities weren't all that over-the-top (lots of monsters and certain classes are immune to fear), it was okay to have spell advancement at every level. But you are right, it's too good to be true. So howsabout I dock the spells...

Prestige Class - Scarecrow This prestige class is based on my favorite Batman villain, Dr. Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. The Scarecrow. It is a prestige class for spellcasters who specialize in fear. I still need a 5th level ability (or not; I don't have a problem with dead levels--but a lot of...

I agree; simpler is always better. Here's how I do it: A character may use a Knowledge [arcana] check to identify magic items. The DC is 10 + minimum caster level required to make the item. Success means the character identifies the magic item's primary function (heavy mace +2, for example.)...

Here's my two cents...if it's worth even that much... 1. I'd say that the creature must be at least 3 size categories larger, whose vital areas are out of reach. A human (Medium size) trying to occupy the same space as a horse (Large) or an elephant (Huge) is going to get trampled, and a...

What about ghouls? After watching a couple of zombie movies over the weekend ("Resident Evil" and "28 Days Later," if you must know), the undead in these films appear to be more like d20 ghouls than d20 zombies. They aren't slow, they have very distinct claw and bite attacks, they have a...