Dragon #355

[Alzrius]

Congratulations on getting your first Dragon article published.

Thanks! I'm pretty over the moon about it. Now I just need to send more stuff in.

Al, is there ANY mention of Orcus?

Sorry, no love for our favorite demon prince this time, Nightfall.

Who did the art for the Creature Catalog article?

John Gravato, Ramon Perez, and James Zhang. It doesn't seem to be more specific about who did what, though.

It's about anything Eberron-related, written by Keith Baker.

It's not always by Keith; this month's is by Nicolas Logue, for example.

I thought they got those virtues wrong, then I looked it up and saw there's at least 3 different types of seven virtues.

The sidebar on their opposing sins mentions that the seven deadly sins have remained relatively universal since they were conceived, the opposing virtues have fluctuated a little more; it then notes that the virtues listed here are the ones defined by the Roman Catholic Church.

Wait, wait. There's now a Psionic Class Act in Dragon? This makes me happy. I just hope that it becomes a permanent fixture of the magazine.

I hope so, but I doubt it. This isn't the first time that category has appeared, but it's never become permanent yet.

I hope the Dragon staff pay close attention to that!

What was their reply? I'm curious now. I hope it's good news.

Sadly, no. They note how much space it'd take to print full stat blocks for the hierarch modrons (nine of them, plus larger stat blocks for higher-level monsters). They then reference the tertian modron in Dungeon #144, and the Primus vestige in Dragon #341. Finally, they refer you to the Manual of the Planes web enhancement wih the 3.0 modrons.

Can someone tell me if the Maedar is what I think it is? The male medusa from 2e?

Indeed it is! It even has a section talking about how it can become a glyptar!

Does the Devourer Ecology delve into the whole "it's explicitely not undead" versus "it's undead" difference between its 2e and 3e incarnation?

Sorry Shemmy, he goes with a full retcon; they're undead, and always have been.

Oddly, he notes that the first devourer (a githyanki) apparently destroyed the "previous" Lich Queen Vlaakith (it's intimated that each such ruler was a lich), which strikes me as odd...I was under the impression that only the most recent Vlaakith became a lich.

 

[Nightfall]

Al,

I think Eric L. Boyd is going to get an earful from me about THAT miscue.

Glyptar?! What the heck is that?! I mean I knew about Maedar and all, but glyptar?!

 

[ericlboyd]

What?! No love for Orcus?!! Eric L Boyd, you should be ashamed of yourself!!!

Well at least 356 confirms that Hextor is there.

Al, is there ANY mention of Orcus?

*thinks the new dragons should be nice enough, especially for a half dragon.*

Nightfall,

If you like the article, tell the editors and maybe I'll get to write another installment. ;-) The Cult of Orcus is definitely active in the Realms.

--Eric

 

[Nightfall]

Eric,

Good cause I will make it a point to both Erik Mona and James Jacobs to GET ORCUS in the Realms!

 

[demiurge1138]

Glyptar?! What the heck is that?! I mean I knew about Maedar and all, but glyptar?!

Maedar can put their souls into crystals when they die and cause all sorts of havoc when they're embedded in swords and other items.

Demiurge out.

 

[Shade]

Does anyone know if the article on the ferrous dragons in 356 is an update of a previous article on ferrous dragons or is it brand new?

Chromium, Iron, Cobalt, and Tungsten were all ones from that article....Nickel's the only one I don't remember. They were cool ones though....I had thought of converting them to 3E myself.

As a co-author of the article in question, I can guarantee you that they are updates of those that came before.

The nickel was in the original article as well.

 

[Shemeska]

Sorry Shemmy, he goes with a full retcon; they're undead, and always have been.

And I can wholly overlook the retcon if the replacement details are cool. Once I get my copy in a few days or so I'll look over it.

Oddly, he notes that the first devourer (a githyanki) apparently destroyed the "previous" Lich Queen Vlaakith (it's intimated that each such ruler was a lich), which strikes me as odd...I was under the impression that only the most recent Vlaakith became a lich.

Indeed. It was a sticking point of oddness that Vlaakith CLVII was a lich, and none of her preceeding ancestors were ever suggested as having obtained lichdom (being a line of 150+ of them, and the Astral negating the aging process unless they left the plane, would suggest that only the current Vlaakith is a lich). But I can buy a previous lich queen back in the line who had heirs prior to her undeath, and perhaps the current queen took her inspiration from that one. However I'll agree that the notion of all of the members of the Vlaakith line being liches would be ten degrees of bizarre.

 

[Shade]

Adventurer: Strangulation, by Shane O'Connor - This updates the strangulation rules from Song & Silence to 3.5, along with presenting rules for garrotes and garrote-armor, as well as sidebar for strangling for hit point damage. On a personal note, this is my first article in Dragon!

Congrats! Welcome to the club.

 

[Nightfall]

Shade,

Cool! I look forward to seeing that in Dragon 356.

 

[Shade]

Shade,

Cool! I look forward to seeing that in Dragon 356.

It was one of the most challenging, but rewarding, articles I've had the opportunity to work on. The ferrous dragons were on my short list of creatures I wanted to see come back.