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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 6137241" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Issue 319: May 2004part 8/8Dungeoncraft: Monte examines the logistics of making interesting wilderness adventures some more. Remember, just because it's a wilderness to the PC's, doesn't mean it is to the creatures that live there. Also, while it may be neat hexes on a map, it presumably isn't in reality, and the distance you can see will vary hugely. Also, it won't entirely be travelling, fighting monsters and living off the land. You may well have to create temporary base camps to explore particularly interesting areas in more detail. You may stop off at a village for a few weeks to recharge your supplies, and have to spend a load of time learning the basics of the language and culture.  You may get hunted by a monster that's too tough to fight, which forces you to run and not have time to keep up your mapping. It's unlikely that a several hour game session will be all just one thing. (and if it is, you should probably work on your pacing. ) So yeah, options and diversion. That's what'll keep players venturing further out to see what's there. That or having no idea where they are and really needing to find a familiar landmark to navigate from. So even if you don't design the whole world beforehand, make sure there's plenty of options and diversions to throw at the characters whichever way they go. Sage advice: Is damage reduction extraordinary or supernatural (Depends if it's magical or not.) Do allies of a creature with gaze attacks need to save (Recycled question. What is this? Recycle city. Actually, Skip guesses there's actually fewer recycled questions than when Skip was hustling on the mean shores of lake geneva. But that still doesn't mean Skip is happy about this. The Eternal Sage needs stimulating cases. Give them to Skip!)Why do ghosts have strength scores when they are incorporeal (because they aren't to ethereal creatures. )How do you use armor spikes. (As a light off-hand weapon. The real kicker is that you can use them plus a two handed weapon or shield. That and grappling. They're pretty brutal for that. ) Just how much weight can a flying creature carry (No more than their light load. Any more than that, and they don't move more slowly, they just fall and go splat. There are some exceptions. Skip will have to do some more pontification.)If you have a flying mount, do you need to take fly by attack, or can you still use ride by attack (You'll have to spend another feat. Ground and air attacks are very different disciplines.)You've nerfed ride by attack so it's nearly useless. Blah blah blah blah worst game evar I want my money back. ( Skip will point out the special case rule that ensures it is not useless, and then Skip will sit back and look smug. The Eternal Sage will not be swayed by your filibustering. Unfortunately, you've eaten up the rest of the magazine, as you took so long, so Skip will have to cut short Skip's cutting reply. Just take it as granted that Skip said something witty, and then made a shaft-esque boast. See you next month, folks. ) With a fairly solid themed section, and the first hints that they're planning a shakeup of the magazine in the near future, this once again shows that the magazine is more interesting when it isn't too bound by a single formula. Seeing what they come out with during these transitional times is less boring, even if it's bad like the red triangle issues. And let's hope they won't be even more formulaic once the've settled down again, because that would not be a good way to end the magazine's run.</blockquote>

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