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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 6168197" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Issue 329: March 2005part 5/7The ecology of the kenku: Connecting to the last article, one of the other creatures that got fairly substantial changes in both the fluff and mechanics in the edition change. Kenku used to be mysterious hawk people who lived in the wilderness and stole and tricked people for some inscrutable reasons. Now they're slightly less mysterious flightless crow people who live in slums, are frequently ridden with disease, and trick and steal to survive. A definite step down in terms of glamour, but that's what you get for pissing off Pazuzu. Still, they retain their ability to cooperate well in the face of danger and pull off extra large heists. This ecology is slightly larger than their recent ones, but retains pretty much the same formula, refined slightly with a greater number of interesting sidebars and actual play ideas. Like the creature themselves, the writers are being eminently practical and listening to reader feedback. And these are still one of the best creatures for using cleverly, with their array of minor powers that can both deceive and be surprisingly effective. No great objections here. Bazaar of the Bizarre: In theme here, with a bunch of real world mythical adaptions. One would think these would be well tapped by now, yet somehow they always seem to find a few new obscure ones. Maybe people are making them up and passing them off as ancient. Let's see which sources they favour this time. Alatyr is a stone from Russian mythology. It gives waters near it healing powers. Since you need to bury it and dig it up again, it's probably better for a village than an adventuring party. Canoloa's Harp can put people to sleep, which is not generally the sign of good music, but still gets it legendary status. Obviously from a time before every wizard learnt sleep as routine training. Durandal is one we've seen many-a-time in the magazine, albeit mostly in the 80's. It kicks ass, makes you braver, and is near impossible to destroy. Another one who's legendary powers seem rather unimpressive compared to the quirky stuff good D&D items do. The Fount of Acadne lets real things float, while fakes sink like a stone. Now that's more like it. A quirky power that's useful in everyday life and hasn't been seen here before. I approve. Kongo is actually a trident from Japan. It may not look that impressive, but it boosts your wisdom and glows in the dark. Should help make you a better ruler. The Shedshed is an egyptian battle standard that not only provides the usual morale boost, but also wraps you up and flies you away if you get taken down. Now that is pretty cool both conceptually and visually. I like the idea of giving my villain this. The Teeth of the Sown Men are your basic argonauts dragon teeth jobbie. Seen them here before. Mind you, that was once again in the 80's, and the mechanics were surprisingly fiddly. This version seems much more user-friendlyThe White Buffalo of Calf Pipe is another low-key sensible one. It's smoke makes everyone more reasonable, letting you pow wow happily with your enemies and come to an equitable solution. Looks like it's another mixed bag in this department, just as it usually is with the class acts.</blockquote>

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