Let's read the entire run

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 313: November 2003


part 4/9


Eye Wares: Now beholders aren't overexposed like all the other races being covered here. While they did get a fair amount of love in Spelljammer, that was one of the less popular settings, and even there they tended to use a lot of variants that are actually weaker than the regular eye tyrants. So an article that actually makes them even more scary is quite interesting to see. For all their powers, they do have a fair number of limitations. No hands, and any items designed for a humanoid body shape won't be much use. On the other hand (eye?) they have plenty of slots for unique eyeglasses that modify their ray abilities, and room for feats that push their limitations. And that's exactly what this provides. Boosts to their flying, feats to enhance or substitute their eye ray powers, one that lets them develop their eystalks so they can use them in a prehensile way, and a prestige class that lets them combine multiple rays into one more powerful one. If your players are high level to handle it, this'll let you challenge them in all sorts of interesting ways that'll keep them on their toes tactically. Whether they'll beat a dragon who's also using a load of the options from the magazine I'm not sure, but I suspect you can have a good deal of fun finding out.


Born of death: We've already had two full articles on making undead into templates. Now we have one on half-undead. (which are also templates) Yup, the 3e love of letting anything breed with anything else, even if it's anatomically impossible on multiple levels continues. Saying love can conquer even death isn't just a platitude in D&D land. It might still be gross and icky and give you cooties though. Really, this seems like an excuse to have some cool undead powers and a tragic backstory in a package that won't make your character unviable due to the LA adjustment. And what's so wrong about that?

Fetch are the result of nocturnal visitations by a ghost, and with flight, telekinesis, and the ability to temporarily leave their body, are easily the most powerful of these. With both the con penalty and the +5 LA, they are indeed going to be pretty fragile and in need of being taken care of in combat though.

Gheden are the product of melding mortal essence with zombies or skeletons. (ie, basic necrophilia if you don't want to beat around the bush. Actually, is hair going to fall off before they putrefy too much for you to …… no, that way lies madness. ) They're tough but dull-witted, and can sense mindless undead innately. If you want to raise a trusty thuggish lieutenant, this seems a marginally more reliable option than raising a half-orc.

Ghuls are the offspring of pregnant women turned into ghouls. With a perpetual hunger for the flesh of sentient beings, they're going to be anti-heroes at best, or get a job as morticians. Kill them, take their stuff, and eat them. It's the most efficient way.

Katane are also unable to resist their vampiric hungers for more than a few days. Since their bite does permanent con drain rather than just damage, this means they can't even feed a little, spread the love around, let people recover, and then come back again for another helping. I think that alone merits their la+4 modifier, and makes specialising in grappling and hit and run attacks a very good idea to wear out and kill otherwise unstoppable monsters.

Deathtouched, like Planetouched, are the result of half-undead producing their own offspring, with a bit of death left, but diluted enough that the specific ancestry is hard to tell. Like all the other planetouched, they're LA+1, and have minor ability score bonuses, resist 5 to 2 energy types and a 1st level innate spell once per day. If you don't want to deal with mechanical hassles or unsavoury appetites, they're the way to go.

 

[jagerm]

Too funny. I wrote that article for Dragon when I was 14 - I convinced the editor I was in college and was willing to work if they let me keep the copy of the video game I reviewed. Sadly my grammar in the article was lacking a bit

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 313: November 2003


part 5/9


Dork tower also gets a second strip. They really need to get some new cartoonists. These ones are being overexposed.


Ghost Elves: Of all the creatures getting an article in this issue, elves seem to be the odd one out. While they can be powerful, they're way too common as a PC race to be in any way mysterious or intimidating to use. So here's an attempt to bring back a little of that. It's also a blatant imitation of the Gith backstory. Ghost Elves were created when a deal with a devil went wrong, and the whole tribe was taken to the 9 hells to serve as slaves for generations. They eventually escaped, but found themselves forever changed by the experience. And now they live on the ethereal plane, reclusive and paranoid with their sense of humour stripped away. Great, more grim, brooding, morally ambiguous heroes for players to choose from. I think we already have enough of those, don't you? Just the options from the magazine are enough to fill that niche a dozen times over. That said, they're not bad mechanically, with escalating spell-like abilities as they gain levels that keep them interesting. But yeah, description-wise, they're completely unenthralling to me. We need neither more elf variants or more brooding anti-heroes, and with Drizzt still selling hugely, we definitely don't need another combination of the two.


Dragon Psychoses: Most of the dragon articles we see show you ways to make them more powerful, or use their existing abilities more effectively. So it's with both relief and amusement that I see an article that reminds us dragons can be as ed up as anyone, and with their longer lifespans and lack of decent social networks, they have a lot of opportunities to become traumatised or set in their ways to the point where they lose touch with reality. Characters are more interesting when they aren't all icy optimisation of their powers and every waking moment spent in lethal lair design.

Nameless Dragons compulsively try and erase all evidence of their existence from the records. They automatically sense when someone uses their name, and home in on them to kick ass. If they get past the first stage, they become very good at hiding indeed, and convincing them that y'know, an identity and social interaction might have benefits gets increasingly tricky.

Ravening Dragons let their base hungers get the better of them, and have to consume their own bodyweight in food every day. This means they're considerably harder to fight or negotiate with, but easier to trick and trap, as they don't have time for all that patient planning and weighing up their options. Better hope you can wear them down without too many losses, because each one lets them last a little longer without starving.

Riddled Dragons go the opposite way, becoming obsessed with the cerebral beyond the bounds of practicality. This means they'll put stupidly obscure clues as to their master plans in the wake of their actions, and are likely to stop and talk even if it's not in their best interests. If you want a villain that goes at things 60's batman stylee, then this gives you an excellent excuse. The curing process is a pretty cool plot hook too. They can definitely have a place in my game.

Spellhoarding Dragons get too greedy when it comes to magical gear and secrets, and neglect mundane treasure-seeking. This once again means they might let their avarice overcome their common sense, but they do get substantial magical tricks to play with, so don't underestimate them, and hope they retain enough sense to trade for new spells instead of just killing you and taking your stuff.

Wandering Dragons not only wander endlessly, they become so sleep deprived that their dreams start manifesting as illusions in the surrounding areas. This means to cure them, you have to get to the bottom of their subconscious fears, while simultaneously dealing with a very real and mobile but irrational monster. Once again, this seems like a fun plot hook seen in many shows and movies, but not so many games, that you can get some use out of. This article has definitely had an above average amount of whimsy for one of this era.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 313: November 2003


part 6/9


Faiths of Faerun: Neither spells or prestige classes for this column this month. Instead, it's another template. They ought to have made that the issue's theme instead of monsters. it's also a convoluted mess of continuity, dealing with Set, one of the few gods who exists in both the Realms and the real world, and the way he and his portfolio (and name) have changed over the years. This involved the typical Realms method of deicide and portfolio stealing, persuading your new worshippers that the new boss is going to be the same or better than the old boss. But anyway, the game material is a template for making snakes into sentient, long-lived creatures with superhuman wisdom, and a whole bunch of examples, along with plenty of examples, and how they relate to Set, and his humanoid worshippers. It's a fair sized article, but still a very dense one, like it was originally even bigger, and then squashed down into it's current shape. It's also fairly unusual in the way it takes real world material and adapts it for another universe in a very specific way. I'm not entirely sure I like it, but like a surprising amount of the Realms material, it keeps me interested simply because they're able and allowed to do different things with it to a generic article. I do wish they'd cover more settings in the same way.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 313: November 2003


part 7/9


Strange bedfellows: A second article on half-creature templates in the same issue?! it seems like the process of following up ideas until they're done to death and they have to move on is still accelerating. Since that won't hit it's peak (so far) until the release of Essentials as an "evergreen" product, and then announcing the next edition just a year later, I guess I have to deal with more decline in variety of topics to come. What are we to do with these imitative writers?

Half-Dopplegangers get three alternate forms, and fairly decent bonuses to their social skills. They won't be able to casually disguise themselves as a specific other person, but leading a double life, having a lot of fun with sexual experimentation, or escaping pursuit from people who don't know you seem very good options. And so there's plenty of chances for the creation of weaker doppleganger-blooded creatures as detailed in UA.

Half-Janni get to planeshift and bring people along like their parents, but only for a minute per level. It's a nice toy, but as the location is pretty random, and they don't get protection from the environment either, it seems like a poison chalice really. Still, they get enough ability score bonuses and spell-like abilities that their LA+3 modifier is probably about right. And sometimes you've just got to make that fast exit, and hope the enemy'll assume you're gone for good and wander off in the interim.

Half-Minotaurs get pretty much all the tricks their parent does, only with smaller numbers. Since a natural weapon, darkvision, tracking, and bonus to search + spot are all pretty handy for adventurers, there's not much to say here.

Half-Nymphs also get a weakened version of their parent's signature move, leaving people Shaken instead of dead with their beauty. Good thing they can switch it off, otherwise sustaining an actual relationship would be very hard indeed. Even so, I think temptation (and guys doing the medieval equivalent of texting pictures of their dicks, which isn't tempting at all) will be a constant issue. You could be driven to become an adventurer just to get some space.

Half-Ogres definitely benefit from being changed to a template, given their penchant for gently caressing whatever they can get. Now you can get some truly awful hybrids with other dungeon denizens. But not Oozes, thankfully. Being only LA+1 makes them more accessible than the regular race as well. I approve. Now, would Half-Minotaur/Half-Ogre still work without a base?

Half-Rakshasa are another one that get some minor shapeshifting, but not nearly enough to keep up with their parents. They're not likely to have easy childhoods, which makes their natural cravings for luxury and vices of the flesh all the more problematic. As a PC, that's a strong invitation to play them with large amounts of angst.

Half-Satyr could also be angsty if brought up somewhere that's big on sex being something sinful to be repressed, but they're just as likely to embrace the rock and roll lifestyle and do very well at it. It does take at least a moderate amount of discipline to show up and practice with the same people regularly, after all, and they're more likely to manage that than their dads.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 313: November 2003


part 8/9


Guild secrets: A short one for this column, detailing the kind of guild that makes life a nuisance for the players without attacking them directly. Where there is conflict, there are profiteers who sell food and weapons at inflated prices, and benefit from human misery. Since adventurers cause a fair amount of death and social upheaval, it's no surprise that people like this would show an interest in them, making sure equipment prices go up before they arrive, and down again afterwards, and maybe ensuring that trouble breaks out to keep you on your toes, while keeping themselves in the background. The kind of stuff that's part boon, part bane, and not easy to detect if you don't have flexible divination spells up that let you trace stuff happening at a couple of removes, because mind-reading patsies isn't particularly helpful. Still, it's not that much of a problem unless you want to retire, but it does mean more innocents will be caught in the crossfire than otherwise. So it's a realistic, but slightly unorthodox method of generating adventure hooks, which I mostly approve of.


DM's Toolbox: The toolbox this month is on the fine art of misdirecting your players so when they do something that's unexpected and outside your prepared map/plot, you can get them back on track without them ever even noticing something went wrong. The trick here, as in a lot of cases, is having extra stuff that you can put anywhere that'll keep them occupied while you spin your wheels in the background to come up with something better. Random encounter tables are very helpful for this. Nothing like a sudden combat or getting well and truly lost to eat up a load of time and make the players worry while you can go through the motions and think simultaneously. (presuming you know the rules fairly well) And if you can get them into a big internal discussion full of roleplaying, then that's absolute gravy, because not only does it let you back off and leave them to it for a while, the ideas they come up with may well be worth stealing for future plot developments. To be a really good DM, you need to have a multitrack mind, able to juggle the immediate events at hand with your longterm plans, and work them in without slowing down midgame. Yup. That definitely sounds right to me. Always have a few tricks up your sleeve that'll make improvising easier, and you'll feel far less pressurised.

 

[Scott DeWar]

Spambot Sally600 reported

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 313: November 2003


part 9/9


Sage advice: What's the point of a save DC against wind (Bwah?! :snigger: Oh, you're serious. That's what you've got to roll to avoid being knocked down or blown away.)

Does arcane sight reveal magical traps (yes, but it doesn't reveal they're traps. Be careful investigating. )

How long do rings last once activated. (As long as the appropriate spell. )

Does enervation remove all your high level spells, or just one at a time. (One at a time. It turned out to be easier that way.)

Do you have to choose your attacks beforehand when doing a full attack (no)

If you're making a full attack, can you take a 5 foot step in the middle of it (Yes. Very handy)

Are tieflings affected by holy effects (Only if they're actually evil. Guess there is some justice in the universe after all.)

How does the monk's new flurry of blows work. (We thought it would be less confusing this way. Guess not. So Skip will have to explain again.)

If two characters have the same initiative, who goes first. Can a meleeist close and make an AoO as the archer fires (No. Because you never act simultaneously. What do you think this is, Exalted? The only way you can do this is by delaying, then acting immediately before them. )

If you bluff someone, then use improved trip, are they still denied their dex bonus for the free attack after that (no. )

Do stat boosting items boost spellcasting power (Oh yeah! Many a spellcaster would be unable to use their most powerful magics without their bling. But not Skip. Skip is awesome enough to cast 9th level spells nekkid! )

What happens if you regain conciousness while in someone else's square (You've gotta get out of it to stand up. This will provoke AoO's)

Are there any exclusive skills in 3.5 (no)

Are druids limited by the 15HD limit of the polymorph spell (no)

Is there any way for a monk to get weapon finesse at 1st level (be another class first. )

Does mislead mean greater when it says improved (Yes. Skip finds them pretty synonymous.)

Does ride by attack prevent AoO's (yes)

Does rolling a natural 20 let you hit displaced enemies automatically (No, nor will it penetrate cover. That happens separately, afterwards.)


Nodwick suffers from an attack of author self-insertion. Well, with phil gone, someone's got to take his place. Thankfully it's not in continuity, whatever that means in this strip.


Once again, making their topics broader and shallower ironically results in the individual articles being even more similar to each other in the type of new material they provide. The overload of templates is particularly frustrating, making me start to sour on what is normally one of my favourite parts of 3e. After four consecutive issues of this grind, I seriously hope they have something special planned for christmas.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 314: December 2003


part 1/9


83 (108) pages: For the 5th issue in a row, they continue to skim shallowly off the top of topics. The elements? You could have a whole issue devoted to each of the main 4, plus probably a couple more on the para and quasi ones if you asked for appropriate submissions. Will I find this smorgasboard any more satisfying than nibbling at 5-6 classes or monsters in one sitting? Or am I going to have to wait for a change in staff before things start to improve again? Let's hope, as per the usual.


Scan Quality: Moderate, unindexed, ad-free scan.


In this issue:


Wyrms turn: Our editorial this month is basically them trying to figure out how best to promote the new D&D minis game. With one scrapped variant under their belt, they'd really like to do better this time. What can they give us, how can they tweak the format so we're more likely to buy the game, or at least not complain that it's a waste of space in a magazine that should be all D&D, all the time? It's another reminder that they've found themselves becoming gradually more boxed in as time goes on, and need to push back if they want to have a decent range of material to write about, and not repeat themselves in just a couple of years time, and I hope they can hold onto the minis game for at least as long as Chainmail. Wargaming was an interesting part of the magazine for a fair bit of it's history, and maybe it could be again. They just need to find something that gets a decent amount of uptake from the readers.


Scale Mail: Our first four(!) letters are all about an annoying insert right in the middle of the Blackguards article. The necessity of taking filthy lucre should not make you forget proper formatting. Since they now have a full-time advertising guy again, they hope this mistake won't be repeated any time soon.

Another irritating mistake they made, and had to own up too, is attributing the wrong name to the wrong letter. People absolutely haaaaaaaate that.

They also left a few small but crucial things out of the celestial monster progressions in issue 312. Working with material from another department that hasn't been through the full editing pass itself is a risky business, and this time, the dice rolled snake-eyes.

Rather more far reaching is a complaint that since Dungeon ate Polyhedron, the split focus means we're getting fewer adventures, and the ones we do get are smaller and of lower quality. They need to get back to their roots and do what the magazine was originally created for. Since I know that they do wind up scrapping Polyhedron for good next year, it's obvious that they're listening too and thinking very hard about this particular problem. I wonder if I'll ever get round to reviewing that process first hand, and if I'll feel the same way.

Similarly, we have a complaint that the latest issues of Dragon are shallow and full of filler, which I quite agree with. The writers are going for the easy options to meet deadlines too often.

The cavalcade of complaints continues with two more about things misplaced or delayed to the issue after. They are not having a good time at the moment, are they. Even Roger wasn't getting picked apart this viciously in his early years.

Still, they are managing to please a few people, as they end with one unreservedly positive letter. Whether they're actually part of the silent majority remains to be seen.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Issue 314: December 2003


part 2/9


Up on a soapbox: Remember, no matter how powerful you are, the DM can ALWAYS create something more powerful to deal with you. Even if you discover a game-breaking infinite loop like pun-pun, they can make a character that did it first, and has had more time to build up obscene levels of equipment and minions with it. Jim Ward told tales about stuff like this back in the old days, and Gary does so here. A 13th level Ranger is only half a dozen hits from a vampire away from being 1st level again if they get sloppy. And someone who didn't earn them the hard way is a lot more likely to be reckless and not use their powers to their full potential. Yup, it's this old canard. Ironically, I think these days the foot is more likely to be on the other boot, with plenty of people having played multiple characters to mid or high level before the game ends, and then starting a new one. Whether they've learned wisdom from this process though, and play the new low level ones smarter is another matter. But I do think this is less of an issue than 30 years ago. Course, if you're recruiting new players (which we all ought to try to do occasionally) it will come up again, and you need to balance keeping it fun for the new blood with letting them know this isn't a game where they'll always win. But still, times have changed, and Gary's experiences aren't as relevant as they were in this case.


Zogonia puts it's main character through the wringer again. Is it another trip to reztown?


Brotherhood of the burning heart: Well, it looks like our elemental features are indeed going to be pretty formulaic. Each has an organisation somehow devoted to the element serving as a framing device for various new spells, magic items, prestige classes, etc etc. If you want to put them all in your campaign as allies or rivals, this would probably work pretty well, as they're all of neutral or good alignments and friendly to being joined mid-campaign. It's not like the old campaign settings where things like fire wizards or silt priests could be hunted down for revealing their specialty.

So our fire guys are a Bard heavy bunch who are more about fanning the fires of passion than literally burning stuff down, and both their spells and prestige class reflect that. Course, they can also have synergistic effects, like making a fire burn longer or brighter because it's feeding off the emotions of the people around it as much as the physical fuel, or a template which makes your fire spells blinding on top of inflicting damage. But the primary emphasis is on making your emotions stronger, last longer, and getting various buffs from that. This makes them even more focussed on being buffers and support characters than regular bards in combat, but they'll do it in such an overdramatic way that they certainly won't feel like part of the background. If you want a character who doesn't even have to work at this, they also have the fire-souled template, a LA+3 thang that gives you a substantial cha boost, Leadership (and all the devoted followers that implies ) for free, enough surplus passion to effectively Haste themselves, and most interestingly of all, the power to make enemies temporarily forget about their most advantageous combat options. Basically, the kind of messiah who gets hailed from birth, spoilt rotten no matter how unpredictable and temperamental they are, and wins against enemies in both the physical and social arena because anyone trying to fight them inexplicably acts dumber than usual. I can see players really loving to hate an enemy like that. Well, looks like the first article has managed to put a nongeneric spin on the elemental theme. Let's see if the rest can keep up the pace.