Search results

  1. I

    "My hat of flight noes know limits"

    The basic problem with it is that any true feelgood magic with free reign will immediately become a tool for utilitarianism- Polymorph is the egregious member here. The best answer is to have some kind of DM proxy (Intelligent Magic Item, Patron Trickster Godling, Unique Occurrence Effects)...
  2. I

    Never Say The Fans Don't Matter

    For one, my post was about Damage Control in the specific case of Golden Wvyren Adept and Tier-Specific ring rules. Not the "all of the changes" that you are assuming I spoke of. Flawed Micro-criticism is a weak response. "Floating it by to see what our reaction would be" is Damage Control...
  3. I

    "My hat of flight noes know limits"

    The problem with the "Kill Him First" assumption with flight is 1- you can't assume that all possible encounters have to be balanced upon the ability to kill the flying guy when flying is not a strong genre expectation (as in a "swords are effective" and "dragons are strong" expectation) 2-...
  4. I

    Never Say The Fans Don't Matter

    It is called "Damage Control" in marketing circles. You send in an "aware" marketer into a group of non-aware consumers. He then floats a controversial subject of the Product that is easily refuted or corrected. The consumers involved complain about said problem that is then refuted...
  5. I

    D&D 4E How do you feel right now about 4e?

    How about "I'm purchasing 4E because the Game Engine and its assumptions are far more enjoyable for me and my group, and I'm intelligent enough to work around corner cases?"
  6. I

    I miss CG

    Is it that he changed alignment, or that he was never CG to begin with? 4E simply assumes that latter.
  7. I

    D&D 4E Why do weapons have different damage in 4e?

    Because being disarmed or stripped of your weapon is a powerful narrative device. Having to "make do" with a lesser weapon is another. As a method for balancing weapon types without laying on arbitrary bonuses and pluses because of a limited ability to scale its power.
  8. I

    Paladins and alignment

    Sacred Cow. Tasty Beef. Also what is this CN you speak of? Why would any mortal choose to dedicate themselves to an ineffable concept? Alignment debates and PC/GM conflict are particularly tasty forms of Sacred Cow. Because PrCs are wasted design space with little to no cross-application...
  9. I

    Five Alignments?

    I imagine that the 5-note scale alignment, like evil gods, is something for players (mortals) to understand. To a person with a limited life span, the scale of "Murdering Sociopath" to "Charitable Altruist" is far, far more important than whether or not he pays his taxes or jaywalks. To Gods...
  10. I

    Paladins and alignment

    Why in the world would you want to be straight-jacketed into playing your character's concept as one and only one class? Especially when you want to play a more "Smite and Fight" Holyman rather than a "Heal and Feel" Holyman. I'm surprised that you are decrying an increase in options here.
  11. I

    Excerpt: Economies [merged]

    Your initial assertion is wrong. Bottlers take the pre-manufactured products that are shipped in and then bottle it. They are completely different companies than the actual recipe Manufactures. However you can purchase a $1.25 for $.50 from the Bottler and they would still make a 100% profit...
  12. I

    Excerpt: Economies [merged]

    You only have to make the +10 sword of godslaying once. It'll last the test of time. You'll always have some new lord wanting some +1 swords for his pug army. The +1 swords also don't fade away, and you could use the surplus of +1 swords (looting a battlefield, say, in which you have more...
  13. I

    Excerpt: Economies [merged]

    How does the 4e MM's Roles prevent you from making NPCs instead of normal Monsters? If I want to make a 2-headed Ogre with Warlock and/or Wizard spells plus some rituals and special abilities, I could do that. I'd call him mostly artillery with some leader abilities. He would have some amount...
  14. I

    Excerpt: Economies [merged]

    Allow me to instruct. Weak Weapons are useful to the more common man and more agreeable to a lord to arm his men with (no one gets more powerful than a king, etc). They have a higher utility because their cost makes them a more efficient purchase for an army, than a purchase one super sword...
  15. I

    Excerpt: Economies [merged]

    Yeah, no. Considering that a +1 swords don't really grow on trees and that Disenchant/radiuum implies that bulk lesser items could be drained away to make better items, its far more likely the storage of an town's merchant guild looks like: 5 +1 longswords 2 +2 Flaming longswords 10 +5 Flaming...
  16. I

    Excerpt: Economies [merged]

    Again, why would there be a Powerful Magic Sword created if no one demands said Magic Sword? If Demand undercuts supply, there is no supply. And since merchants know that Magic Items don't devalue over time, why would they sell it at less than a competitive market price? Fire Sale Situations...
  17. I

    How do wandering merchants survive?

    However another assumption of the given PoL setting is that there was a major Empire that recently fell. The Empire would have created a surplus of magical items that are lost and hoarded away from the PoLs, therefore they are more easily found by the low-level adventures that could constitute...
  18. I

    Excerpt: Economies [merged]

    PCs die, and at a significant rate higher than your bog-standard merchant. The reasons merchants don't die more often is because they aren't known to commonly be carrying stupid amounts of magic. +1 Swords, as I said before in the post you failed to quote entirely, are a higher risk of...
  19. I

    How do wandering merchants survive?

    Merchants survive because 90% of the time their goods in no way are worth stealing by any super-powerful and/or organized group. Merchants are usually shipping in Commodities or Products. Wheat for Iron Work, for example, or Cotton for Cloth. Assuming that the Teleportation Ritual is limited...
  20. I

    Excerpt: Economies [merged]

    Alright, a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation (also cribbed from a business plan of a friend of mine) It takes under $500k to open up a coffee franchise in the year 2004. Even assuming things like perennial costs such as insurance, worker pay, utilities, and supplies, it costs about $.30...
Top