Upper_Krust
Hero
Weirdly enough, that is eerily similar to my original icon design for the Demiurge Tier. Due to my craziness I designed them all to fit as a loosely stacking jigsaw.
Immortals Handbook: Gods & Monsters 5E Early Preview (Feedback encouraged)
- Thread starter Upper_Krust
- Start date
Weirdly enough, that is eerily similar to my original icon design for the Demiurge Tier. Due to my craziness I designed them all to fit as a loosely stacking jigsaw.
Upper_Krust
Hero
First 3 God Tier icons
LunarSquid
Villager
How is progress going? Any more news to bring?
Upper_Krust
Hero
Howdy LunarSquid amigo! 
Its like battling a Lernean hydra. In the process of copying over the material to the new format and everything is going slowly but surely. I'm happy with the new layout (should have a God preview up on Sunday/Monday for everyone to see).
However, its slowly starting to dawn on me the book is an absolute monster and I think I could crazily be looking at upwards of 500 pages. Which may mean the best thing to do is split the book into 3 books (which I sort of already did).
The 6 Chapters are:
1. Divinity
2. Magic (includes Magic Items)
3. The Epic (Campaigns)
4. The Kosmos
5. The Monstrous (new rules for really big monsters)
6. The Bestiary
x. Appendices
So 1-2 are Player material, 3-4 DM material, 5-6 the Monsters.
Its currently shaping up to be C 1-2 = 144 pages, C 3-4 = 128 pages (144 if I add the Appendices which are mainly for DMs), C 5-6 = 228 pages. None of that is counting the opening 14 pages (credits, contents, intro, glossary etc.).
My goal at this juncture is to have Chapters 1-3 completely finished by Christmas (chapters 4-6 are half finished already but need brought over to the new format. Currently I am able to get 15-20 pages finished per week (a combination of copying stuff over to the new format, finishing, polishing and editing where needed, etc.)
Yet while all that looks like smooth sailing to the finish line, inevitably something crops up, I get stuck on something, I am in two minds on something (like the art style for the 7th-dimension), one of my artists is dragging his heels on turning in the last dozen pieces (for which he has already been paid), five other artists I am trying to license work from, have not yet replied (trying to track them down across multiple social media apps), the main colour artist (who is doing amazing) I am working closely with I need to give feedback and that soaks up 3-4 hours every other day to get things right, I'm doing some of the paintings (after Midjourney) again another 3-4 hours work a pop.
In a nutshell, take a look at the credits in the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual. Then imagine one person was stupid enough to think he could easily do virtually every job and that idiot would be me. On the flip side to that though, I know I have got something special here. The design is good. The mechanics are solid and simple. The art is awesome. The ideas are cool (in my opinion).
Some days I just look at what needs done and think to myself "you bloody idiot"...then I snap out of it, because if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth doing, then I just get on with it.
So we will see how I get on over the next two months and whether I can finally start to turn the tide on this behemoth of a book.
Its like battling a Lernean hydra. In the process of copying over the material to the new format and everything is going slowly but surely. I'm happy with the new layout (should have a God preview up on Sunday/Monday for everyone to see).
However, its slowly starting to dawn on me the book is an absolute monster and I think I could crazily be looking at upwards of 500 pages. Which may mean the best thing to do is split the book into 3 books (which I sort of already did).
The 6 Chapters are:
1. Divinity
2. Magic (includes Magic Items)
3. The Epic (Campaigns)
4. The Kosmos
5. The Monstrous (new rules for really big monsters)
6. The Bestiary
x. Appendices
So 1-2 are Player material, 3-4 DM material, 5-6 the Monsters.
Its currently shaping up to be C 1-2 = 144 pages, C 3-4 = 128 pages (144 if I add the Appendices which are mainly for DMs), C 5-6 = 228 pages. None of that is counting the opening 14 pages (credits, contents, intro, glossary etc.).
My goal at this juncture is to have Chapters 1-3 completely finished by Christmas (chapters 4-6 are half finished already but need brought over to the new format. Currently I am able to get 15-20 pages finished per week (a combination of copying stuff over to the new format, finishing, polishing and editing where needed, etc.)
Yet while all that looks like smooth sailing to the finish line, inevitably something crops up, I get stuck on something, I am in two minds on something (like the art style for the 7th-dimension), one of my artists is dragging his heels on turning in the last dozen pieces (for which he has already been paid), five other artists I am trying to license work from, have not yet replied (trying to track them down across multiple social media apps), the main colour artist (who is doing amazing) I am working closely with I need to give feedback and that soaks up 3-4 hours every other day to get things right, I'm doing some of the paintings (after Midjourney) again another 3-4 hours work a pop.
In a nutshell, take a look at the credits in the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual. Then imagine one person was stupid enough to think he could easily do virtually every job and that idiot would be me. On the flip side to that though, I know I have got something special here. The design is good. The mechanics are solid and simple. The art is awesome. The ideas are cool (in my opinion).
Some days I just look at what needs done and think to myself "you bloody idiot"...then I snap out of it, because if it were easy, it wouldn't be worth doing, then I just get on with it.
So we will see how I get on over the next two months and whether I can finally start to turn the tide on this behemoth of a book.
Upper_Krust
Hero
Might also post this in the 5e Discussion Forum in a bit. Let me know what you think. Will add the screenshots here shortly.
Upper_Krust
Hero
Upper_Krust
Hero
Obly99
Adventurer
Really nice. Since it is something you sell (and therefore earn money from it), don't you risk copyright problems on Kratos (if it is present in the final manual)?
Upper_Krust
Hero
Kratos is not in the book. I just used the Immortals Handbook rules to cook up a Kratos stat block and see what it was like. So this will be web only. Note that I did cut out a few rules just to get everything onto 1 page so you are not getting to see a full Intermediate Deity there but its fairly close.
Obly99
Adventurer
Suggestion: Parry go as Reaction and not as Bonus action.
Upper_Krust
Hero
Hey Obly buddy!
...just got sent the artwork for ONE OF the CR 44 Old Ones in the book. Really cool image. ;-)
Yeah I was sort of wondering how best to do a few of the actions. Technically 5E doesn't seem to have Immobilize (for the bounce on impact) and not sure if (not able to use the shield) is a big enough detriment to the 2-handed strikes. Ideally it would be a 2 page write-up if I had it in the book, but just wanted to keep that one compact enough to fit a single page.
...just got sent the artwork for ONE OF the CR 44 Old Ones in the book. Really cool image. ;-)
Yeah I was sort of wondering how best to do a few of the actions. Technically 5E doesn't seem to have Immobilize (for the bounce on impact) and not sure if (not able to use the shield) is a big enough detriment to the 2-handed strikes. Ideally it would be a 2 page write-up if I had it in the book, but just wanted to keep that one compact enough to fit a single page.
LunarSquid
Villager
I noticed he had a +22 to hit on his weapons. Have you changed your mind on capping bonuses at +20?
Upper_Krust
Hero
Hey LunarSquid amigo!
Bonuses are not capped per see, Ability Scores are capped at +10 (although you can modify this for one die roll using Legendary Ability Scores), other stuff will scale.
Items go up to +10 in the book (for the top Supernals, so don't expect immortals to see anything over +4), Proficiency Bonuses go to over +20. So AC 50 is probably possible.
I was considering a limit of 50 on the ability score (+20) but I don't think its necessary and doesn't add anything to the game, it only decreases potential interactions. Its difficult to cap Proficiency Bonus though. Greater Gods get +10, Elder Gods +11 etc. I can live with the +1 difference per Divine Rank given you don't want to be messing with beings +3 ranks higher since they will likely be too powerful.
Bonuses are not capped per see, Ability Scores are capped at +10 (although you can modify this for one die roll using Legendary Ability Scores), other stuff will scale.
Items go up to +10 in the book (for the top Supernals, so don't expect immortals to see anything over +4), Proficiency Bonuses go to over +20. So AC 50 is probably possible.
I was considering a limit of 50 on the ability score (+20) but I don't think its necessary and doesn't add anything to the game, it only decreases potential interactions. Its difficult to cap Proficiency Bonus though. Greater Gods get +10, Elder Gods +11 etc. I can live with the +1 difference per Divine Rank given you don't want to be messing with beings +3 ranks higher since they will likely be too powerful.
Akira Whitlock
Explorer
How many items will we see of cosmic tier and above?Hey LunarSquid amigo!
Bonuses are not capped per see, Ability Scores are capped at +10 (although you can modify this for one die roll using Legendary Ability Scores), other stuff will scale.
Items go up to +10 in the book (for the top Supernals, so don't expect immortals to see anything over +4), Proficiency Bonuses go to over +20. So AC 50 is probably possible.
I was considering a limit of 50 on the ability score (+20) but I don't think its necessary and doesn't add anything to the game, it only decreases potential interactions. Its difficult to cap Proficiency Bonus though. Greater Gods get +10, Elder Gods +11 etc. I can live with the +1 difference per Divine Rank given you don't want to be messing with beings +3 ranks higher since they will likely be too powerful.
Akira Whitlock
Explorer
Ooooooo and what about materials? It would be fun to see a few more than just Orichalcum purities.,
Upper_Krust
Hero
Howdy Akira buddy!
Well I have a slightly different method of classification but I think I should have at least 12 items above a 4-dimensional artifact (standard artifact), so 5-d, 6-d, etc. Not sure if I will fold in the artifacts from the god & monster entries into the Artifact (Epic Magic Item) chapter - I a not planning to at this point.
I'm having to keep the artifacts in the stat-blocks brief to keep it all in one page (except for the big monsters), whereas in the Artifact Chapter I can flesh the items out more.
Well I have a slightly different method of classification but I think I should have at least 12 items above a 4-dimensional artifact (standard artifact), so 5-d, 6-d, etc. Not sure if I will fold in the artifacts from the god & monster entries into the Artifact (Epic Magic Item) chapter - I a not planning to at this point.
I'm having to keep the artifacts in the stat-blocks brief to keep it all in one page (except for the big monsters), whereas in the Artifact Chapter I can flesh the items out more.
Upper_Krust
Hero
Well I am trying to shy away from just heavier and heavier metals (although I have those too). Basically I want 3 for each dimension* (4d, 5d, 6d etc.), but the higher dimensions are tricky to find materials for and I like them all to have some basis in mythology, science or magic.
*...and the dimensions are not exactly the same as what I laid out in 3.5E, a few changes and some new (hopefully cool) and very dangerous locations. I currently have 6 pages for each dimension I am detailing (and half of those six pages are illustrations). So that should be enough of an overview to get people started - if I get to do other books at a later date I might flesh each out further.
LunarSquid
Villager
Hey Upper_Krust,
From early July next year, I will be on a mission for my church for two years. Is it possible that the handbook would be close enough to finish by then so that I could order it and my family could hold on to it till I get back? I know you have mentioned that you can't say exact dates, but would 6 or so months bring it close?
From early July next year, I will be on a mission for my church for two years. Is it possible that the handbook would be close enough to finish by then so that I could order it and my family could hold on to it till I get back? I know you have mentioned that you can't say exact dates, but would 6 or so months bring it close?
Upper_Krust
Hero
Howdy LunarSquid amigo!
Wow! Congratulations, sounds like an adventure.
If I don't have it ready by then I will send you a copy when its done to your family and/or where you are placed (whichever is easier). So don't worry you won't miss out my friend. Plus the pdf is free when you buy the book(s)* so you could take it with you on a kindle or whatever (if that's possible where you are going? No need to say where it is buddy).
Two books now:
Immortals Handbook: GODS (2 Player chapters and 2 DM chapters, also has about 10 sample gods and 10 sample monsters that use some new mechanics from the book, like new epic conditions, new epic damage types, rules for building your own Abominations etc.).
Immortals Handbook: MONSTERS (some DM stuff mainly about the new sizes and approx. 80 monsters divided into six sections: I already mentioned the Teralodon, so it is one section with about a dozen accompanying entries and lots of other cool stuff).
Honestly, I think I should have it finished by then, BUT, I am not sure the Kickstarter will be underway by then.
From what I can learn, Kickstarter suggest doing 6+ months pre-Kickstarter build up (gaining email addresses, promotion etc.) to gain sufficient support until you know you will hit your target. The thing is I don't want to start the build-up until I know I have the finish line in sight (you guys know how slow I am). Now that said, it might be a beneficial move partnering with another company to do the Kickstarter in which case that might speed things up. So that might be an avenue to explore.
LunarSquid
Villager
Thank you!
Thank you so much! I would greatly appreciate that. I do not know yet where I will be sent, so I don't know if I could or not.
I just want to thank you again for your time in making this for all of us gamers who would benefit from it.
Similar Threads
