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Hydras are, in my mind, always tricky creatures to stat up. When I opened the 4e Monster Manual, I was disappointed in how they handled the write-up. It didn't really give the feel of multiple heads, and they had done away with the regeneration. Then I had an epiphany. Why not write up a hydra...

The SRD seems to serve near-opposite purposes under the GSL and the OGL. The 3.x-era SRD was a listing of open content that you could use with very few restrictions. Things that were not in the SRD but were in Wizards' books were considered closed content and could not be republished under the...

I'm going to run Keep on the Shadowfell for three players. Currently, they are thinking of playing an Eladrin Wizard, an Elf Cleric, and a Dragonborn Warlord. Things I'm worried about: The Warlord may get roped into the defender role and may not really be able to make full use of his...

So... The choice of a ranger fighting style doesn't dictate the types of powers you take. It is perfectly feasible to take the two-weapon combat style and focus on ranged combat powers. You can even pick up the Defensive Mobility feat - so you'll be functionally equivalent to a Ranger with the...

Okay. Here is the situation: I have never been to GenCon. Currently, I live about two hours away from Indianapolis. My girlfriend is going - she has an artist booth (Necropolis Studios - you should check it out) and a hotel room. I do not have a badge or anything, and I would not be able to...

The following is an idea for a five-level prestige class that I just thought up while thinking about the Abjurant Champion. Let me know how broken you think it is. -Stuart Gifted Mage Hit Die d4. Requirements To qualify to become a gifted mage, a character must fulfill all the following...

I have an idea for a spell, but I really have no clue at what level to peg it: Rough relevant info: Magic Relay Target: either a point in space or an object (~ 1 cubic foot/level?) Duration: longish (either 10 min or 1 hr per level) Description: essentially, the spell would create a virtual...

Over in my blog, I've been talking about my dissatisfaction with the Monk. My solution? Split it into two classes: the martial artist and the ascetic. Build them so that they multiclass well together. Below are my notes for the martial artist. Comments/suggestions are more than welcome. HD...

There is a thread over in Rules that is lamenting the +2 LA on Drow, and how it makes them ineffective. This seems to come up a lot, so I thought I'd try my hand on a solution. The basics: make Drow a +0 LA race that isn't all that different from other elven subraces. Revise their Paragon class...

If you use a weapon two-handed, you apply 1.5 times your strength bonus. What happens if you have a strength penalty? It makes no sense for your penalty to be increased... and it probably ought to be ameliorated somewhat. Did I miss something in the rules about this? -Stuart

So... I'm going to begin playing in an Eberron campaign. Play begins at first level, and will probably run up to about 12th. Firearms are more common and are as per the DMG with the following exceptions: Martial weapons, Crit 20/x4, and crossbow feats have firearm equivalents (rapid reload makes...

I'm going to be involved in an occasional game which I expect to be fairly combat-lite. It will most likely be primarily exploration of setting. I have a concept for the character I want to play. He's a young, ambitious chef who is seeking out an entirely new sort of cuisine. His motivation for...

Some questions about Shapechange: Say I shapechange into a Construct of whatever type: - Do I gain immunity to mind-affecting effects? - My Constitution score presumably goes away. Does this affect my hit points? - What happens if I subsequently use a Constitution-boosting effect, does it...

Okay - a number of effects and such in the D20 rules note that they "do not stack, they overlap." How does this work? For instance, Spell Resistance overlaps. Say that I have SR 20 from an item and I acquire another item (or whatever) that provides SR 19. They don't stack. Fine. What does...

Given Polymorph Any Object, is there anything stopping a high-level arcane caster from permanently polymorphing his pseudodragon familiar into a full-scale metallic dragon? Would it still be a familiar? Would the familiar bonuses apply after the transformation or be subsumed into it? What age...

I was looking at the Spell Compendium and came across the Sor/Wiz 7 spell Animate Breath. This allows you to turn your breath weapon into a Huge Elemental. How it works, however, is confusing. It has a duration in rounds/lvl. It requires you to use your breath weapon. It turns your breath...