Search results

There's a few key reasons. The first gets back to the design intent of the monster. If a humanoid is meant to take class levels, it makes sense to present it that way. If we split the books, we probably just split our audience. It's also hard to communicate to people that "Monster Manuals" have...

No, I don't think they are in the book. Sorry!

There's a few reasons to try it in the first place, and a couple more to keep doing it. The most important factor is that, while there were critics on message boards, plenty of other people liked their inclusion. AFAIK, we didn't see signs anywhere else (customer surveys, sales) that indicated...

In response to the criticisms that monsters with class levels are boring, we did things a bit different in MM V. You have new hobgoblins, but they aren't necessarily hobgoblins with nothing but levels in a class. I don't have the book in front of me, but in a few cases we tried to design them...

I think there are a lot of reasons that RPGs can stumble over the 20 minutes of fun in four hours thing. Many of them go beyond the game mechanics. For instance, I think LostSoul's comments echo many of the worst sessions I've played, particularly at conventions. The party wants to do fun stuff...

In my current campaign, I've used a lot of wererats. Rather than deal with a template, I made a new critter as the base wererat and then slap levels on it for tougher versions. I also don't want the hassles of lycanthropy, so I just cut it out as a communicable disease. IMC, werecreatures are...

Yeah, if I ever had a chance to do that one over again, I would've had the elevator lead to an isolated section of the Underdark and a weird village of Underdark refugees who sell supplies to the three temples. Each temple would've been located in various, nearby areas of the Underdark, allowing...

Perhaps it was Adventure Pack I? http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/modpages/modscans/i13.html

Tat's a good way to put it, and it ties back into the thoughts inspired by Wright's keynote. A DM knows his players and campaigns better than a designer. The DM can design a better adventure for his game. I think it might explain why campaign adventures, like the Adventure Paths, do so well. If...

My fiance would beg to differ! Adventures have always been a hard sell, particularly for games other than D&D. How many adventures does WW release for the WoD each year? How about GURPS or Champions? I think you need a pretty big fan base, and a fan base that includes a significant number of...

Wow, that's really awesome stuff. I think I DM to that sort of mode, responding to the players, building the world in response to them, following their cues. It fits with my view of DM as entertainer, a host of sorts who is there to provide challenges and entertainment for the players at the...

I have a meeting in 4 minutes, but let me get the basics of its strengths out there. The key to per-encounter resources is that they are easier to balance against classes. Per day resources are a lot funkier, because a designer (and to a lesser extent a DM) can't predict the rate at which a...

I have no idea what the pet had that gave it such a crazy AC. I imagine it was simply a combination of notoriously.... interesting... mechanics, such as the druid's pet, and the druid in general, along with some stuff from Savage Species. Keep in mind that this game is pretty much an excuse for...

I think this cuts to the heart of the matter. T. Foster and Korgoth like B2 for a variety of reasons, I don't. Working for WotC doesn't give me the ability to absolutely judge what's good and bad. I don't think anyone is wrong to like B2. I just happen to dislike it. That said, I've been toying...

I don't have time to read the entire thread, but Korgoth asked for an explanation and I think he deserves one. My main beef with KotB is that there were already plenty of better modules prior to it, yet KotB is the module that ended up in the basic set. White Plume Mountain, Against the Giants...

I was in a arts and crafts store with my fiance the week after Christmas, and they had a sale on plastic boxes that were about 9 x 12 inches, and 3 inches deep. I use one box for my two or three sets of each release so far, with smaller pieces kept in ziplock bags. They work out pretty well.

Yeah, it was funny. That quote can make me sound like a cheaty pants killer DM, and I honestly find that pretty dang funny. Man, I'd write more but I have to go eat lunch. I'll make a reply to variouses and sundries later.

We're definitely paying attention to feedback on the new encounter format. I've used it myself (I'm running parts of SGoS), and I think it has a lot of strengths. However, it obviously comes at a cost of space. The niftiest thing for me is the reduction in prep time. I read SGoS on the plane...

Assume that the factotum regains his inspiration points with five minutes of rest. Man, that's an annoying oversight. The funny thing is that some of his abilities, like the skill bonus, have restrictions precisely so they work fine outside of combat. I'll pass a note along to customer service...

One thing that I think is important is that I don't think Eyebeams is rubbing his hands together in glee as he plans to destroy the Ennies. There will be suggestions for change and voices that disagree with the Ennies' direction. This being the Internet, it's hard for people to discuss things...