GOD RULES: Player's Guide (5e) Previews/Discussion

[GreatestHonor]

Gravity damage is super force.

Oh thanks, don’t know how I missed that

 

[Upper_Krust]

Oh thanks, don’t know how I missed that

Easy done amigo. Just to note I think I changed it since I showed that preview.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Just to note I have had to delay the release another week or two. The book is just not where I want it to be yet.

I have posted the three Contents pages over on Kickstarter in the latest update. I would post the link here but currently on my mobile and I'm not mobile savvy enough for copying links.

As ever happy to hear any feedback on all things God Rules or Epic.

 

[therealselah]

Some things I noted as I pored over the TOC...

1. The introduction is on page 14. TOC is on pages 11 - 13. Not sure what is before then!
2. Magic weapon damage, which I was expecting to be a relatively short section on a single page, runs to 3 pages. (Although that might end up being closer to 1 page depending on where it begins and ends on the 1st and 3rd page.)
3. Immortal races. I know you mentioned them previously, but super keen to check them out. I hadn't come across Telchines before, and Ens, Ashtari and Veilifican I don't know at all. I suspect Veilifican is derived from Veil and relates to higher planes?
4. Legendary Skills is back! (I loved the epic uses of skills in the 3e ELH.)
5. Paths to Immortality - looking forward to this section
6. Dead gods. Perhaps we'll have more for their corpses now than just husks to build on in the Astral...
7. Acts of creation - this looks like fun!
8. All of III Divinity! Super interested in reading more about the cosmology implied in there too.
9. The rest of the book will be demanding most of my time, I think, as I design and test.

Looks great, my friend!

 

[Upper_Krust]

Some things I noted as I pored over the TOC...

1. The introduction is on page 14. TOC is on pages 11 - 13. Not sure what is before then!

Well initially I wanted two pages on the inside cover of the book so the first two pages are what was going to fit there (I hope people really like page 2 and page 495), p. 3 = Text slogan, p. 4-5 = the Logo and reasoning, p. 6-7 = the Mantra and reasoning, p. 8 = Dedication (and some art), p. 9 = Credits and Legal stuff, p.10 = Preface

1. Magic weapon damage, which I was expecting to be a relatively short section on a single page, runs to 3 pages. (Although that might end up being closer to 1 page depending on where it begins and ends on the 1st and 3rd page.)

It is a very short section:

Page 28
1/2 page of text explains it all
1/2 page on my change to Action Surge and why

Page 29
1/2 page table on new Magic Weapon rarity (rarity goes up one with the new rules)
1/2 page art (the goddess Nike wielding the Labrys axe)

1. Immortal races. I know you mentioned them previously, but super keen to check them out. I hadn't come across Telchines before, and Ens, Ashtari and Veilifican I don't know at all. I suspect Veilifican is derived from Veil and relates to higher planes?

Ashtari = Borg meets Necromonger meets Star Wars Empire
Ens = weird
Grigori = you know from the Epic Bestiary
Rakshasa = you know
Telchines = parasites that attach to others (basically the Gholems from Slaine)
Velificans = Sentient clothing once worn by gods

1. Legendary Skills is back! (I loved the epic uses of skills in the 3e ELH.)

Very brief section.

1. Paths to Immortality - looking forward to this section

Very, very simple. Its all just XP conversion.

1. Dead gods. Perhaps we'll have more for their corpses now than just husks to build on in the Astral...

I explain why Dead Gods exist (philosophically and mechanically) you will be able to know how long they last before eroding to stardust, how cults try to revive them, how others try to mine them etc. Cool art on this one too.

1. Acts of creation - this looks like fun!

Again, very simple stuff, Quintessence burning. Big table.
The Legendary Animals page I already revealed with Gullenbursti.

1. All of III Divinity! Super interested in reading more about the cosmology implied in there too.

Lots and Lots of lore to break up the Divinity Templates.

Weirdly I open with a big art spread for each dimensional rank, but then the next page is half page art of an adventurer on that plane and some Adventure Ideas.

Which might feel a bit weird:
Big Spread of Empyreans (4d Beings) art
next pages is Adventure Hooks with art of a Helicoid Assassin (A 4D Adventurer), then the facing page is about Great Old Ones with the templates for Divine Ranks 7-10.

In a perfect world the Great Old Ones would be a double page spread with art but the book is already a monster.

1. The rest of the book will be demanding most of my time, I think, as I design and test.

There will be a lot to get stuck into. I'm just hoping all the ideas are sufficiently well explained so people can just pick up and play.

Looks great, my friend!

Its all coming together nicely...slowly...but nicely.

One lesson learnt is perhaps my art pacing is badly thought out. There are very few double page spreads without art and a lot of the art is full page.

I think if I knew what I know now, I would have reduced the size of a lot of the art, had more full page art as inset panels (which I might still do in the final book).

I mean I know its EPIC!!! So go BIG or go home, but when you have so many big illustrations it perhaps dilutes the impact of the next big art piece which is three page flips away.

I also think maybe the Purviews would have benefitted from different size art panels just to mix things up more.

But we live and learn. It will be interesting to hear the feedback on the art.

 

[ArcanistDragonborn]

Hey U_K! How are things going for the GOD RULES? Do you think we'll still be on track for the v0.9 release next week?

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey U_K!

Hey Arcanist buddy!

How are things going for the GOD RULES?

As of this morning I have fixed 17 of the issues, though I had a wedding party to attend last Saturday so that has not been a full normal week.

Do you think we'll still be on track for the v0.9 release next week?

I think by next week I will know exactly how long the fixes will take and have a better grasp of the release date (if I had to guess...and take all my guesses with a pinch of salt because this is me...I think maybe 2 weeks from today).

There are a certain number of fundamental fixes I think 'I need' to sort out and a handful of self-contained things I am willing to fix after the Version 0.9 release.

If I can rattle off 3-5 fixes* per working day eventually we get to the finish line in about 2 weeks.

*That said a handful of fixes might take a day to sort out each.

While doing the fixes I have been scanning pages here and there and also rewriting the occasional paragraph or repainting an illustration - One think I have been doing is reducing the size of 10% of the full page art to inset panels and painting in a tiny panel break; so far that has really looked well and breaks up some of the full page art.

Ideally you want topics self-contained on a two page spread. So where I have one full page of text on a subject its often accompanied by a full page of art. If I have one and a half pages of text then it gets half page of art.

Anyway, we are closing in on the finish line. If I can hit about 35 fixes by this time next week then one more week after that 'should' do it.

 

[ArcanistDragonborn]

Hey U_K! I'm wondering, do you have anything like the Qlippoth, Obyriths or other Epic/Immortal-level eldritch fiends planned for the 5e GOD RULES?

Hopefully everything is going along great, and I can't wait to see the finished book!

-Arcane

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey U_K!

Hey Arcanist amigo!

I'm wondering, do you have anything like the Qlippoth, Obyriths or other Epic/Immortal-level eldritch fiends planned for the 5e GOD RULES?

Oddly enough, in my very rare moments of free time I work on plotting the contents of the next few books (some surprises on the way). In fact the next Kickstarter is a book I have never mentioned before.

The next one is going to have a few Qlippoth...I actually have two types Klippot and Qlippoth both totally different monster groups (as there are two separate groups in the mythology with the same name). But we will get to the others in the future.

Hopefully everything is going along great,

My usual, slowly slowly.

Tomorrow's update is Legendary Strength, so look out for that. I think (IIRC) Strength 80 let's you lift a Universe.

and I can't wait to see the finished book!

It's looking awesome. Version 0.9 two weeks from today.

I will post in the update tomorrow the remaining list of fixes.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey all,

not posting the full Preview here on ENWorld, so if you want to see all of it visit the Kickstarter page.

Legendary Strength Preview

The following is pages 2-4 of a 4 page preview, hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think.