[Dragon] Dragon #307

Well, here is a summary of what it says;

"The biggest question most designers have is, Have I just created a spell that's better (or worse) than every other sepll at this level?"

"However, a spell that allows a character to cast another spell...let me just say, anyone who thinks that a ranged or melee attack is equivalent to being able to cast another spell in a round has not played enough spellcasters in their time."

"Certainly, it completely obliviated the need for the Quicken metamagic feat."

On the plus side.. "now every spellcasting NPC, Dragon and Monster your PCs run into won't be firing two spells evey round."
 

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Re: Re: Re: [Dragon] Dragon #307

Dark Psion said:
As too the changes in Polymorph, I wonder how this will affect Psionics?

Psions and Psychic Warriors have acces to Polymorph Self only, the new Polymorph can target any willing creature so can Egoist now change others or should it be limited to Self only?

You'll know the answer by looking at the revised ranger... He currently knows polyself, but not polyother.
 

Got my magazine today! Although I'm a bit disappointed. For instance, in the new monster section it also has this incredibly unbalanced race for spellcasters.

For +2 ECL you get a Tiny creature with +10 Dex, +10 Int, +8 Wis, +10 cha, 2 starting HD and the only downfall? -6 Str. They also get polymorph self at will during the night as well as a sortof memory-reading glare...

Definately not +2 ECL.

It has 10 PrCs in it, although I don't think there's anything fantastic (or unbalancing, for that matter) about them. Most of them seem weak compared to the rest, and all of them are only 3-5 level PrCs.

Not my favorite issue but I'm looking forward to next months one which has dragon magic described in it.
 

Jarval said:

WayneLigon (or anyone else with a copy of 307): Was there any explanation to the "why" Haste was changed, or just "how"? I've never seen a problem with letting people cast an extra spell a round.

Just as a point of reference, a villainous wizard used haste in a combat I recently ran, and almost wiped out the party. Anyone with haste against anyone without rules the roost. This makes it a completely must-have spell, as combats were both parties have it, or neither parties have it remain balanced, but as soon as one side alone has it... fwoom!

(although my personal dislike was cemented earlier by the quicken issue)
 

Sollir Furryfoot said:
Got my magazine today! Although I'm a bit disappointed. For instance, in the new monster section it also has this incredibly unbalanced race for spellcasters.

For +2 ECL you get a Tiny creature with +10 Dex, +10 Int, +8 Wis, +10 cha, 2 starting HD and the only downfall? -6 Str. They also get polymorph self at will during the night as well as a sortof memory-reading glare...

Definately not +2 ECL.

Ack, give it more than a cursory glance man! That's CR 2, not ecl! :p Worlds of a difference.

And might I add great critters here, sneaky and devious little things. The 3.5 info on the problem spells and their fixes was really something, good to read. Though I wasn't sure about the whole Westeros thing. I prefer to not have half a Mag worth of campaign I wasn't looking for in there, but *shrug* looks kind neat. Haven't read the novels, good reads then?
 

Man, I can't believe how little people are saying about the GRRM stuff in this issue. Is it that uninteresting? I'm starting to wonder if I should get it, now....
 

Wondering about my subscription

Actually my subscription is up in May and I have to renew this month to not experience a gap in the distribution (thanksfully they didn't screw me like many of my UK friends). After a few issues spent on this new Westeros setting and then a giant map pullout this month which has a wonderful Westeros map on side, but with a disturbing "Dragon issues of 2002" display on the other side, I am beginning to wonder. I liked last issue, but it is the only one in the past 5 that has had a majority of useful info.

Not to rant too much, but for me, I am actually finding this George RR Martin stuff to be completely useless and utterly uninspiring. His stories are good, but... Ah oh well.

Sincerely,

Veander
 

King_Stannis said:
Man, I can't believe how little people are saying about the GRRM stuff in this issue. Is it that uninteresting? I'm starting to wonder if I should get it, now....

Actually, the Westeros information is quite good, from what I've scanned, so far. Your little red priestess is a CLR 9 of Rh'lorr, for example. There are details on how to run a game in the wars for kings of Westeros, as well as discussions on the difference from a standard D&D game, as well as an article about how the 'real' Westeros campaign (run by GRRM) is actually not in D&D (I believe that GURPS is their system of choice).

Frankly, with the exception of the poor choice in cover last month, I think Dragon has been quite good the last few issues (as it seems to me that they're giving us what we asked for). Westeros is a good chunk of the issue, but it hardly dominates it...which I'm sure some folks will be just as ticked about as if it did.
 

King_Stannis said:
Man, I can't believe how little people are saying about the GRRM stuff in this issue. Is it that uninteresting? I'm starting to wonder if I should get it, now....

LIke I said in mine; I haven't read the latest book so I don't want to spoil anything for myself. Thus, I haven't been talking about it :) . I'm almost at the point now of having to go back and read the first two. I haven't looked at anything except the map, and did a quick scan for the PrC stat-block so I could make mention of it.

The map does look very nice, and it's good to have a large scale reference. It doesn't show the other continent, though.
 

King_Stannis said:
Man, I can't believe how little people are saying about the GRRM stuff in this issue. Is it that uninteresting? I'm starting to wonder if I should get it, now....

It's ok... The map is great. I have some problems with it, though.

It doesn't really even much seem to TRY to simulate the low-magic setting... at least that I can see... It stats people as paladins and sorcerers, and says something to the effect that the spell list may not be accurate in relationship to the books. Lame cop-out, IMHO.

*tiny spoilers*

I liked the one prestige class they gave, but I wish they would have given a few more... Delay the Heros of Cormyr artical an issue and put more in, would have been my choice. Things like the order of assassins that Arya met... (Valar Morghulis!)... But in fairness, I guess those are still too big of mysteries to do.

Frankly, lots of the issue is just names of NPCs, with few or no stats. A few of the major NPCs are stated out, but I often times disagree with the stats... Stannis Baratheon is stated as a level 10 paladin, for example... why not just a fighter? Or an aristocrat/fighter like they stated Tyrion? I don't remember him doing anything terribly paladin-esq... I'm not even 100% certain I would stat him as Lawful Good... I'd choose Lawful Neutral, myself. Daenerys Targaryen is a 6th level sorcerer.

In fairness to the magic level, they did try to keep spells to a certain theme... generaly less flashy stuff, except in the case of Melisandre... But even there I have problems. Without any major spoilers, one character who in the books *is* able to bring people back from the dead, by his stats in Dragon, is *not* able to do so (Not even close, actualy).

There is a fair amount of assorted setting material... but a lot of it is clearly aimed at people who have never read the books. Not a bad choice, perhaps, but I don't have to like it. :D. They give plot hook ideas, but they generaly are either so self-evident as to be a waste of space (Players could have just joined the Night Watch, or participate in minor skirmishes during the war of succession), or very much a "play around the major NPC" thing... "Help John Stark bolster the garrison of the Wall", or "Look for Bran".

Of the two suggested campaign ideas, "The Awakening Darkness" is the more interesting of the two... It sums up the information we have on what is north of the Wall quite nicely, even clarifying a few points I was unclear on. "The Clash of Kings" is the other one... It's not bad, but far less needed... and IMHO, far less usefull.

The game information ends with a little box titled "Magic in Westeros", which gives suggestions on how to deal with magic in Westeros... It basicly just boils down to giving three options: Magic doesn't exist except for a few NPCs, Magic exists but nothing over 4th level spells, and "Just play D&D".

Interestingly, they occasionaly treat mundane items as minor magic items... Tyrion's signet ring, for example, is treated as a Ring of Protection +1. I'm not sure how I feel about that... I mean, actualy, I kinda like the concept on the surface, of having otherwise mundane items give a bonus just due to their important, but I'm not sure I really like how they did it.

The rest of it is mostly a bio type thing of George R.R. Martin... which wasn't a bad read, until I came across the line "Perhaps most shocking to D&D players, Martin's group's system is not the d20 system. (Their choice of bolding, not mine). Come on, was that really needed or relevant? Other than that, it was a pretty good read.
 
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