Dragon Magazine #294

[JacktheRabbit]

There is but it is about 10-15% of the total description of the God.

I got the impression that there WAS information about the religions and such included in the entry.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Yep I saw Crouching Tiger. As far as I am concerned the movie sucked. Sure there were some great scenic shots in the movie but the movie and the story intself (as well as the action) sucked and looked about on par with a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western.

OH well, the Chinese still have plenty of time to catch up with the rest of the film making world.

 

[Wolfspider]

Yep I was Crouching Tiger. As far as I am concerned the movie sucked. Sure there were some great scenic shots in the movie but the movie and the story intself (as well as the action) sucked and looked about on par with a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western.

OH well, the Chinese still have plenty of time to catch up with the rest of the film making world.

Hmmm? People have made some well-reasoned posts concerning your reaction to the ELH and this is all you can say in response?!?

 

[Tsyr]

OH well, the Chinese still have plenty of time to catch up with the rest of the film making world.

*coughs*

Need I remind you that there will be a sizeable amount of americans who would be upset if this happened? We happen to LIKE chinese films.

 

[PenguinKing]

Yep I was Crouching Tiger. As far as I am concerned the movie sucked. Sure there were some great scenic shots in the movie but the movie and the story intself (as well as the action) sucked and looked about on par with a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western.

Hmmm... you're the sort of guy who'd watch a documentary about the day-to-day life of a diseased serf in Medieval Europe and declare you've just found the premise of your next campaign, aren't you?

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hello there!

Yeah, I brought this very concern up in another thread. My issue isn't so much that I don't like the gods having stats, it's that the more mundane aspects of gods (cult details, day-to-day activities of the clergy, various myths) seem to have gotten lost in the push to add gods to the Fight Club.

An interesting point.

From what little I know; each deity is provided with 3 columns/including illustration, of material in Deities & Demigods.

Which compares favourably to the FRCS (about 1 column per deity). Though I believe the first column of text in D&Dg entries is akin to a FRCS entry. The remainder being devoted to the deities personal characteristics.

Compared to Faiths & Avatars (averages 3.5 columns*/no illustration) the amount of information is slightly less.

*If we remove Speciality Priest info and Spells.

However, Faiths & Avatars has about 45 gods within its pages over 192 pages.

I anticipate Deities & Demigods will have more than double (90+) that total within its 224 pages. Encompassing Greek, Greyhawk and Norse Pantheons as well as figures such as the Archdukes of Hell and various Demon Princes.

I've long waited for the Greyhawk gods to get a treatment similar to the one the Forgotten Realms' gods received in the 'Faiths & Avatars' series of books. Has this happened in a previous edition and I just missed it? Regardless, it definitely doesn't seem as if that's what 'Deities & Demigods' is all about, though I fully intend to check it out regardless.

They could have easily devoted 224 pages to a single Pantheon (in fact they do in Faiths & Pantheons - due in May: 115 FR gods).

But for D&Dg they chose to deliver an eclectic mix, personally I think the book will be more interesting for it.

 

[Numion]

2. More info on the Epic Handbook. Now we hear of some skill checks you will be able to make. Wow don't these sound lame:

Swim up a WATERFALL DC 80
Escape artist THROUGH a wall of force DC 120
Climb a perfectly smooth CEILING DC 100

So, a 60th level rogue isn't automatically captured by a 9th level mages Wall of Force. Sure is munchkin.

Spider Man was a munchkin too, he could climb on ceilings.

I don't see much problem with these. The characters of Epic level are supposed to do things beyond the scope of mere mortals. Why should only the non-spellcasting classes be limited to 'realistic' actions, BTW? All those things you listed are easily accomplished by relatively low-level spells.

And the vorpal strike: For all purposes the normal 30 point strikes of non-epic monks are vorpal strikes against normal people. I'd be disappointed if Epic monks couldn't strike someones head off.

I'd like my Epic monks like Jet Li in The One .

And why yes, I am very hyped about the ELHB.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

I was replying to an item I felt like replying to. If ELH was heavily influenced by Crouching Tiger then people are right in saying I will not like it in the least.

I do not like gaming based around exxagerated verbal legends. So swimming up waterfalls, running across the tops of palm trees or lunging hundreds of feet across the ground sword point first do not interest me. I see things like that and the most interesting item to me is looking to see if I catch a guide wire they didnt hide well enough.

Hmmm? People have made some well-reasoned posts concerning your reaction to the ELH and this is all you can say in response?!?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I do not like gaming based around exxagerated verbal legends. So swimming up waterfalls, running across the tops of palm trees or lunging hundreds of feet across the ground sword point first do not interest me.

I'm not being argumentative, but what exactly would you expect in something called "Epic Level Handbook"? As it is, D&D characters are pretty "out there" in terms of power. That is, even a 5th level sorcerer or druid, for example, will have powers that would look rather goofy and exaggerated (or thrilling and spectacular, depending on the viewer) if depicted on a movie screen. I guess what I'm asking is, if you don't like that kind of stuff, and you know the Epic level book will have to have material that helps characters do things beyond what a 20th level character can do, what interested you enough about the book to discuss it?

 

[hong]

I'm not being argumentative, but what exactly would you expect in something called "Epic Level Handbook"? As it is, D&D characters are pretty "out there" in terms of power. That is, even a 5th level sorcerer or druid, for example, will have powers that would look rather goofy and exaggerated (or thrilling and spectacular, depending on the viewer) if depicted on a movie screen. I guess what I'm asking is, if you don't like that kind of stuff, and you know the Epic level book will have to have material that helps characters do things beyond what a 20th level character can do, what interested you enough about the book to discuss it?

I think Doc is just peeved at the fact that at high levels, everyone will be able to do what his mage can do now.