Immortals Handbook Epic Bestiary (now available)

[historian]

Hey U_K!

I'm ashamed to admit how much I'm enjoying looking at the first page of the Table Of Contents of Ascension.

12 pages of Cosmic abilities!

Can you offer us additional previews at this point? Maybe an example Transcendent power or something?

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

I just had an Idea for a transendental power ...
Infinite Patience
You can wait for anything
Prerequisites: Con 60, Wis 60, Must have read the IH: ToC.
Benifit: You can tolerate waiting for eternity. You suffer no penalties due to fatigue due to lack of sleep or starvation. You suffer no sanity loss due to anxiety.
Special: You still suffer normal penalties for waiting for the Immortal's Handbook to be released.

Joking aside, U_K, do you think you will still meet the posted date on enworld for the release? (July 4?) (I should know better than to ask by now, just curious)

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey guys!

Joking aside, U_K, do you think you will still meet the posted date on enworld for the release? (July 4?) (I should know better than to ask by now, just curious)

I hope to sneak the text version out for the first week of July. *Fingers Crossed*

As for another preview page, I may add the second page of contents/glossary tomorrow and then another page on Monday.

I sort of wanted to preview the Divine Hierarchy table at the start of the second chapter. The problem being that the top half of that page should have an illustration on it, which I haven't finished yet.

Regarding 12 pages of Cosmic Abilities I should point out that 2 of those pages are the Table of Cosmic Abilities.

One thing I have been worrying about with the Powers chapter is whether or not I should have:

- Epic Feats Table - Epic Feat descriptions - Divine Ability Table - Divine Ability Descriptions - Cosmic Ability Table - Cosmic Ability Descriptions - Transcendental Ability Table - Transcendental Ability Descriptions - Omnific Ability Table - Omnific Ability Descriptions.

or

- Epic Feats Table - Divine Ability Table - Cosmic Ability Table - Transcendental Ability Table - Omnific Ability Table - Epic Feat descriptions - Divine Ability Descriptions - Cosmic Ability Descriptions - Transcendental Ability Descriptions - Omnific Ability Descriptions.

Incidently the Tables take up about 9 1/2 pages* (or 13 1/2 counting the Feat Packages Table).

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

Well, your having a need to have 5 different tables is unique. The individual tables in each section are easier to reference, while a large table would look more comprehensive. I think if the table are to be all together, they should be condensed into one table (If this works out) and possibly with page number references (or we can just wait till the IH is done and a Bookmarked version is finished (Doesnt that sound like a fun job ).
Oh, the feat packages, are they just a quick way of assigning feats to deities based on bonus feat progressions? Like if I make a level 96 Deity, with 33 bonus feats, are the feat packages just "You get x feat y times, z feat n times, q feat l times, and feats e r b & p" ? I like the idea, and sadly whenever I go to stat up epic monsters, I end up giving them all the sane similar feat package (A nasty one too, the most abusive feats possible. If I recall, a Hecontoncheires with Multitasking...) My player group assigns the "ad-hoc-dm-power-gamed-this-monster-CR-adjustment" to anything I make
As for a July release... Fingers *And* Toes crossed.

 

[historian]

Hey U_K!

As for another preview page, I may add the second page of contents/glossary tomorrow and then another page on Monday.

I sort of wanted to preview the Divine Hierarchy table at the start of the second chapter. The problem being that the top half of that page should have an illustration on it, which I haven't finished yet.

Any or all of the above would be great.

One thing I have been worrying about with the Powers chapter is whether or not I should have:

- Epic Feats Table - Epic Feat descriptions - Divine Ability Table - Divine Ability Descriptions - Cosmic Ability Table - Cosmic Ability Descriptions - Transcendental Ability Table - Transcendental Ability Descriptions - Omnific Ability Table - Omnific Ability Descriptions.

or

- Epic Feats Table - Divine Ability Table - Cosmic Ability Table - Transcendental Ability Table - Omnific Ability Table - Epic Feat descriptions - Divine Ability Descriptions - Cosmic Ability Descriptions - Transcendental Ability Descriptions - Omnific Ability Descriptions.

Incidently the Tables take up about 9 1/2 pages* (or 13 1/2 counting the Feat Packages Table).

My candid preference would be for the former primarily because I see it being easier on the reader.

As to the pdf version it might not make a difference. However, as you put this thing into print there will be some shoppers who will pull Ascension off the shelf to flip through. Nine to thirteen pages of consecutively running tables might look a touch awkward. I believe by breaking it up it will flow better.

Of course, I don't think it's too big a deal either way.

 

[Knight Otu]

My candid preference would be for the former primarily because I see it being easier on the reader.

I seem to recall that Deities and Demigods had separate tables for the feats and the SDAs, and Complete Warrior having seperate tables for the different types of feats. So I'd say, separate tables have a good precedence.

 

[paradox42]

I agree with historian and Knight. Five tables placed one per section is likely the most sensible way to organize it for referencing later- plus, the tables will make good markers for the sections when you're madly flipping through a print version in play trying to find that one specific ability.

Now, if you end up having an extra 10 pages or so somehow at the end, I'd say make one condensed table there as a sort of index, but otherwise go with the separate five.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hey Ltheb mate!

Well, your having a need to have 5 different tables is unique. The individual tables in each section are easier to reference, while a large table would look more comprehensive. I think if the table are to be all together, they should be condensed into one table (If this works out) and possibly with page number references (or we can just wait till the IH is done and a Bookmarked version is finished (Doesnt that sound like a fun job ).

Don't scare me with talk of bookmarks. The index is going to be enough of a nightmare*.

*and no I am not relisting all the divine/cosmic/etc powers in the index.

Oh, the feat packages, are they just a quick way of assigning feats to deities based on bonus feat progressions? Like if I make a level 96 Deity, with 33 bonus feats, are the feat packages just "You get x feat y times, z feat n times, q feat l times, and feats e r b & p" ? I like the idea, and sadly whenever I go to stat up epic monsters, I end up giving them all the sane similar feat package (A nasty one too, the most abusive feats possible. If I recall, a Hecontoncheires with Multitasking...) My player group assigns the "ad-hoc-dm-power-gamed-this-monster-CR-adjustment" to anything I make

Not exactly.

Feat packages are collections of 6 feats bundled together into Feat Packages in the same way certain Divine Abilities in D&Dg (like Divine Paladin, Divine Bard etc.) are not individual Divine Abilities, but rather a collection of feats.

So basically to help create deity PC/NPCs you just use these in place of six feats.

ie. Demogorgon, 50 Hit Dice, instead of 17 feats you just have 2 Feat Packages and 5 individual feats. I think it will save a lot of time, especially for the more powerful monsters.

Also its sort of nullifies any min/maxing that you would get designing a PC at 50th-level (or whatever) instead of roleplaying it up from low levels.

As for a July release... Fingers *And* Toes crossed.

If you've got 'em, cross em'.

Regarding the Tables, most of you seem to be suggesting using the Tables as buffers for the individual sections (which is the way its set up at the moment).

Also regarding the Divine Retinue ideas I was sceptical on a day or two ago, nevermind, I did some more testing and found that the trick lies in judging the immortals divine age.

 

[CRGreathouse]

Also regarding the Divine Retinue ideas I was sceptical on a day or two ago, nevermind, I did some more testing and found that the trick lies in judging the immortals divine age.

Does older mean more followers/subcohorts? Regardless of what "power level" of retinue you have for a particular deity, the rules for determining their levels still needs to be determined.

 

[poilbrun]

Does older mean more followers/subcohorts? Regardless of what "power level" of retinue you have for a particular deity, the rules for determining their levels still needs to be determined.

That would make sense though. Even when talking about low-rank deities, it would make more sense that a one who has been around for thousands of year would have gathered more followers than one who just gained divinity an hour ago... Even for no other reason that his mortal followers throughout the centuries would have died and joined him (if mortal followers of a deity join that deity upon their death in your setting - many earth mythologies have them go to a specific plane such as Valhalla or Hades...)