BoVD Questions

[Bonehoard Taffer]

How much useful info does it contain, and for those who have it, in what ways is it improving your campaign? Finally, how do you (or intend to) use it?

 

[Bonehoard Taffer]

Oh yeah, another thing, in your estimation, how much of the book is devoted to running and creating evil PCs and NPCs? I'm thinking probably not alot, but I don't know because I haven't seen in im my area yet.

 

[Crothian]

It has some good info on possesions and curses. I think those are the two best sections. The spells are also nice abd should confound some PCs when they are used against them. I've enjoyed the book and now it's being passed around my group.

The info on running evil PCs and evil campaigns is rather small. I'd suggest looking at AEG's Evil for that information. While Evil is poorly organized, it has some great ideas in it.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

Oh yeah, another thing, in your estimation, how much of the book is devoted to running and creating evil PCs and NPCs? I'm thinking probably not alot, but I don't know because I haven't seen in im my area yet.

PC's - none
NPC's - most of the book

That's what the BoVD is all about, creating truly "plausible" ( because we don't say "realism" when describing D&D right? ) evil antagonists for the PC's. Were talking despicably evil here, not your run-o-the mill selfish, fear-based evil villian, like a local despot hurting innocents in a land grab.

This is NOT a book for players.

That said, as a DM in a fairly low level campaign, I won't be using much of the material for a while. But I can start planting "seeds" now...

Or not ( especially if my players are reading this... )

 

[Nightfall]

For me, the best parts of BoVD are the feats (few that they are), the spells and magic items.

I will say this is more of Dm's book than a PCs. Mainly because Monte focused alot on the needs of the Dms for realistic and truly awful villians. While the book isn't that vile, there are some distasteful things. Plus the new component features for some of the spells makes it so that there are spells on certain KINDS of beings can cast.

Overall, I'd say there's alot of mechanical value for Dms, as well as some flavor. But I'd hardly say this is VILE Darkness as much as just kick ass evil!

 

[Shard O'Glase]

For me, the best parts of BoVD are the feats (few that they are), the spells and magic items.

I will say this is more of Dm's book than a PCs. Mainly because Monte focused alot on the needs of the Dms for realistic and truly awful villians. While the book isn't that vile, there are some distasteful things. Plus the new component features for some of the spells makes it so that there are spells on certain KINDS of beings can cast.

Overall, I'd say there's alot of mechanical value for Dms, as well as some flavor. But I'd hardly say this is VILE Darkness as much as just kick ass evil!

Really when I look at the feats for example I see more of a I'm a big old sissie kind of evil that a 5 year old girl could spank so why should the Pcs waste time sliping on the chainmail over thier underoos.

The spells were fairly evil and some were cool.(I loved the psychic poion idea) but they weren't Kick butt, in fact many I felt were on the weak side.

Magic items i'll get back to you I haven't finished that section yet.

 

[darkbard]

i think one of the greatest things about the book is that, as monte himself points out, every prestige class is a plot hook waiting to burst forth. there are so many cool ideas for villains based purely on the game statistics of their class that dms should have a much easier time creating unique, inventive foes.

the concept of corrupting spells is also quite cool: in exchange for investing some of the caster's life force (through ability score damage), some spells that truly pack a whallop are available.

as a sourcebook of plothooks and foe ideas for the dm, this book is matched only by the monster manual and monsters of faerun. throw in some nasty spells and feats and it should be a definite buy if you have the available cash.

 

[NiTessine]

Actually, there is a three-page appendix in the end with advice on running a campaign with evil characters.

I'll be using the book a lot in my campaign, with the Chaos cultists, other sort of Chaos cultists, and some less Chaotic cultists, too. If you want details about the campaign itself, the story hour link is in my .sig...

And I simply must give one of the Slaaneshi a nipple clamp of exquisite pain... Also, I'm thinking up ways to drop the Corrupted Creature template on the druid's animal companion, or the party's horses and pack animals. Thralls of Demogorgon, Graz'zt, and Juiblex will also be making appearances, along with the odd Cancer Mage and Demonologist. Or many Demonologists. Bwahahaha.

As a side note, our party in another campaign already took on a buffed-up vilewight. The link to the Story Hour is in the .sig, though Nightfall still hasn't gotten through even the first session with it...

 

[drnuncheon]

I've already used it, with a demonologist slaver making a (brief) appearance in my game (before he was slaughtered. You'd think they'd learn not to take the PCs prisoner.) I even used vile damage (and then promptly forgot about it next session and let them heal it up...d'oh.)

J

 

[Omega Lord]

Any book that has a spell that has an ARTIFACT as a material component will always have a special place in my heart. Hehe, i can just imagine some pc bugging gods for hand-me-downs .

I like the idea of the Ur-Priest but i think it is far too powerful for my players to get ahold of. Then again maybe not who knows? When I first saw the Ur-Priest i thought of the kir-lannins (sp?) from the forgotten realms. Godless fun wheeeeee.

I personally found the bovd to be very useful and a breeding ground for ideas.

P.S. anyone else notice that the feats that are basically spell like ability metamagic also work for psionics? Yay for loopholes.