[BDP] Blackdirge Publishing upcoming January releases

[BLACKDIRGE]

Here’s a look at some of the products coming your way from Blackdirge Publishing in January.

Master at Arms: Shieldbearer

The next installment of the Master at Arms series doesn’t deal with a weapon, but a piece of equipment that no self-respecting warrior would be caught without. The shield has never gotten its due in the d20 system, and the three level shieldbearer prestige class seeks to rectify that oversight.

Master at Arms: Escrimeur

Here the Master at Arms series explores the intricacies of classical fencing. The escrimeur prestige class focuses primarily on the rapier, but provides option for fencing with other weapons, such as the saber and the two-handed estoc.

Blackdyrge’s Templates: Devout

The next template in the synergy line, the devout template adds a bit of a divine spark to your villains and monsters.

Blackdyrge’s Templates: Brute

The brute template allows you to dramatically increase the power level of your humanoids, giants, and monstrous humanoids without having to add class levels. Brutes are big, mean, and pack a wallop that might surprise PCs thinking, “Hey, it’s just a big goblin.”

Animal Archives – Prehistoric Animals II

The next installment of the Animal Archives series contains 10 new prehistoric animals plus a number of templated and advanced version of the animals found within.

Animal Archives: Prehistoric Animals II features the following prehistoric critters:

• Pterygotus – a giant sea scorpion from the Silurian, and one of the largest arthropods of all time.
• Arthropleura – a mammoth millipede from the Carboniferous, and another contender for largest ever arthropod.
• Gastornis - A massive flightless bird, and one of the first large predators to evolve after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
• Rhamphorhynchus - a tiny pterosaur, and an ideal candidate for a familiar.
• Andrewsarchus – the largest terrestrial mammalian carnivore known to science.
• Hesperornis – the giant, toothed marine bird from the Late Cretaceous.
• Euchambersia – a bizarre mammal-like reptile with a poisonous bite.
• Sarcosuchus – an enormous crocodile the length of a city bus.
• Megalania – the giant monitor lizard of ancient Australia.
• Doedicurus - the massive spiked-tailed glyptodont from the Pleistocene.

Also included:

• Information for players, including information on animal companions, familiars, and mounts.
• A summon nature’s ally and summon monster appendix, complete with stat blocks for fiendish and celestial version of every animals
• Intriguing real world information on each animal.
• Fantastic illustrations by Jesse Mohn.

 

[Pinotage]

Much goodness awaits! I'm looking forward to all of those!

Pinotage

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

Much goodness awaits! I'm looking forward to all of those!

Pinotage

Thanks. And I look forward to your reviews on some of these. =]

We've still got a lot more cool stuff coming for 3.5 before we start the laborious process of converting to 4E. By the way, all of the current Blackdirge lines will be converted to the new edition, with a few necessary changes to make them compatible.

BD

 

[joewolz]

I can't wait for the new Animal Archives! I love that series.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I really needs to be getting my hand on those prehistoric archives. I've got a whole primordial section of my world that would benefit from it.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

I really needs to be getting my hand on those prehistoric archives. I've got a whole primordial section of my world that would benefit from it.

That sounds really cool. I've always wanted to run (or write) a primordial setting.

I've got plenty more prehistoric animals coming your way. Today, I finished writing the next DinoFiles, and Prehistoric Animals III is almost done.

BD

 

[JiCi]

Aw man, I've just bought Falchioneer and Shieldbearer today. I would have waited a bit longer if I've known that more books were coming. Guess I'll have to stick to small packaging purchases. BTW, you can easily combine these 2 PrCs: since you can wield a falchion in one hand due to the Falchioneer, you can use a shield and gains the Shieldbearer benefits.

Anyway, I've heard you'll be stopping publishing these kind of books when the 4th edition will come out... the problem is, there's still lots of stuff to cover. I know that the Devout, Sorcerous and Scholarly templates are coming, plus a few more interesting templates. May I suggest a psychic/psionic one as well as a "sublime" one ?

I could see the psionic with bonus power points, a faster way to get psionically focused and other stuff depending on your psion/wilder level. "Sublime" is a term used with the famous Tome of Battle. You could tinker with extra maneuvers and stances or a discipline specialization (sorry if you don't cleary understand).

As for the Master of Arms series, how about these weapons for your next books ?
- Kukri
- Lance
- Bow
- Mace/Morning Star
- Whip
- Flail
- Scythe

Ok, I can go on forever, but you get the point.

Finally, if you do not wish to tell us about your future projects, can you at least tell us the release dates for the books mentionned above ?

Cheers

JiCi

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

Anyway, I've heard you'll be stopping publishing these kind of books when the 4th edition will come out...

I don't know where you heard that, but it is absolutely not true. All of my current product lines will continue into 4E. However, Master at Arms will change a bit since prestige classes will not exist in the new edition. Master at Arms will likely be based on the new "paragon path" mechanic, which, as I understand it, serves the same functionality as a prestige class.

I know that the Devout, Sorcerous and Scholarly templates are coming, plus a few more interesting templates. May I suggest a psychic/psionic one as well as a "sublime" one ?

My goal was to cover all the core classes with the synergy series, but I don't know if I'll get to all of that before 4E. I've given a lot of thought to doing a psionic synergy template, and I might do one in the near future.

As for the Master of Arms series, how about these weapons for your next books ?
- Kukri
- Lance
- Bow
- Mace/Morning Star
- Whip
- Flail
- Scythe

Ok, I can go on forever, but you get the point.

Those are all solid weapons, and I've considered doing a number of them. I've actually done the mace/morningstar with the Shatterskull Adept, and I’m definitely going to do the flail in the near future. Since I base my classes on historical combat, some weapons are harder to do than others. The scythe, for instance, really doesn't have a military counterpart; the closest thing to it is the Dacian falx, which is more sword or falchion than scythe.

Finally, if you do not wish to tell us about your future projects, can you at least tell us the release dates for the books mentionned above ?

Oh, I have no problem talking about future projects, and I try to announce them as they near completion. As for release dates, it's hard to give an exact date because I'm often waiting for art to finish the product. Once I have the art, we can get the product finished very quickly. So, what I can do is give you the week a product should be released.

Next week you should see the devout template, the week after, the brute template and probably Master at Arms: Escremeur. Finally, in the last week of January I should be releasing the next Animal Archives, and possibly another DinoFiles.

If you have any other questions about any of my products post them here, or, if you would like a more direct answer, feel free to email me at: blackdirge@gmail.com.

BD

 

[JiCi]

I don't know where you heard that, but it is absolutely not true. All of my current product lines will continue into 4E. However, Master at Arms will change a bit since prestige classes will not exist in the new edition. Master at Arms will likely be based on the new "paragon path" mechanic, which, as I understand it, serves the same functionality as a prestige class.

Woops... my bad... I thought I've heard you say that, when you commented my martial psiforged crimson cleaver PC... I think, it was probably for 3.5 products. Sorry.

My goal was to cover all the core classes with the synergy series, but I don't know if I'll get to all of that before 4E. I've given a lot of thought to doing a psionic synergy template, and I might do one in the near future.

That's cool. While psionic doesn't have much of the spotlight in Faerun or Greyhawk, it does have a greater place in Eberron.

Those are all solid weapons, and I've considered doing a number of them. I've actually done the mace/morningstar with the Shatterskull Adept, and I’m definitely going to do the flail in the near future. Since I base my classes on historical combat, some weapons are harder to do than others. The scythe, for instance, really doesn't have a military counterpart; the closest thing to it is the Dacian falx, which is more sword or falchion than scythe.

*Goes checking his Shatterskull Adept copy*
Oh, you're right. For some reasons, I always mistake this weapon focus for the greatclub. My bad.

Oh, I have no problem talking about future projects, and I try to announce them as they near completion. As for release dates, it's hard to give an exact date because I'm often waiting for art to finish the product. Once I have the art, we can get the product finished very quickly. So, what I can do is give you the week a product should be released.

Next week you should see the devout template, the week after, the brute template and probably Master at Arms: Escremeur. Finally, in the last week of January I should be releasing the next Animal Archives, and possibly another DinoFiles.

If you have any other questions about any of my products post them here, or, if you would like a more direct answer, feel free to email me at: blackdirge@gmail.com.

BD

Thanks, that's good news.

 

[jaerdaph]

Fossil of Gigantic Prehistoric Rodent Found

Animal Archives – Prehistoric Animals II

The next installment of the Animal Archives series contains 10 new prehistoric animals plus a number of templated and advanced version of the animals found within.

Hi Blackdirge,

I saw this on Yahoo! today and I immediately thought of you (for your Animal Archives series, not any sort of physical resemblance ):

Huge rodent species found - King of the rats weighed one tonne
Scientists uncover a fossil of a gigantic rodent that looked more like a hippo than a rat.