Mmmm...Libris Mortis.

[Pants]

Pants,


I meant the supposed 2005 release from WotC about Archfiends...

There's a 2005 Fiend book coming out by WotC?!
I thought that was an unsubstantiated rumor.

 

[Knight Otu]

I believe it was said during a con (GenCon?) that the Monster Line will include at least two books for fiends.

Ah, here is a GamingReport link.

 

[Nightfall]

Ah see I knew I wasn't dreaming/imagining this.

Thank Otu. You always save my bacon.

 

[Pants]

I believe it was said during a con (GenCon?) that the Monster Line will include at least two books for fiends.

Ah, here is a GamingReport link.

Awesome.

Two? I wonder... 1 one for the demons and 1 for the devils?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Hmmm, does the Archfiends book mean the ram-headed Orcus-servant-demon thingies from Ghostwalk will get reprinted? I'm really disappointed that most of the Ghostwalk stuff hasn't made the jump to a regular monster book yet.

 

[Vecna]

Awesome.

Two? I wonder... 1 one for the demons and 1 for the devils?

Maybe one for major races (demon, devil and daemon) and another for lesser ones (gehreleth, hordlings, rakshasa)

 

[glass]

According to Complete Divine, undead have the soul of the original person bound whithin them. That's why it's evil.
Guess I can live with it, and why its far easier to animate a zombie than create a golem.

Well that's a poor rationale for the standard D&D cosmology where the soul turns into an outsider after enough time on the outer planes.

So the easiest way to defeat a Balor is to find the corpse of his former body and animate it. No save.

I prefer to think of it as part of the soul still being in the body. Therefore another part can go of and (eventually) become a pit fiend or whatever, and another part can be contacted by speak with dead. Multi-part souls or quite common in real world mythology.

Plus, it nicely differentiates corporeal undead from living creatures (who are, after all, bodies with souls in them), and gels nicely with the vampire's lack of shadow = lack of soul thing.

Just my €0.02.


glass.

 

[Knight Otu]

Maybe one for major races (demon, devil and daemon) and another for lesser ones (gehreleth, hordlings, rakshasa)

Daemons a major race? In 3.x?

Seriously, I believe it will be one for the demons and one for the devils.

 

[Shemeska]

I'll give a critical eye like never before seen

I believe it was said during a con (GenCon?) that the Monster Line will include at least two books for fiends.

Ah, here is a GamingReport link.

If it was the same GenCon seminar I was at, that bit of info was snagged in response to a question I posed to Collins and Slavicsek IIRC.

That said, I worry about a Draconomicon style fiend book being written by WotC:

1) They have gigantic, titan sized shoes to fill. Anything they write will be judged against 'Hellbound: The Blood War' and 'Faces of Evil: The Fiends'.

2) Planar Handbook was a missed opportunity in many ways. They need to do better than that on planar material in a big way.

3) I want an ecology book on fiends, not a book of items, weapons, spells, endless encounter tables and PrCs. I'm not sure the current crop of products from WotC bodes well for that happening.

4) The current group at WotC will likely shaft the Yugoloths entirely as they have been for all of 3e.

 

[Pants]

3) I want an ecology book on fiends, not a book of items, weapons, spells, endless encounter tables and PrCs. I'm not sure the current crop of products from WotC bodes well for that happening.

You already have that. It's called 'Faces of Evil.' Unfortunately, a book detailing the eating habits, bathroom habits, and how superbly awesome the yugoloths are will be useful to a small, select group of people, much less than say a book with fiendish spells, items, monsters, classes, and other stuff. I'd much prefer a nice balance between the rules and the flavor-text... exactly like the Draconomicon and Frostburn to a lesser extent.

4) The current group at WotC will likely shaft the Yugoloths entirely as they have been for all of 3e.

Unfortunately... :\

That said, if it's as good as LM, I'll be happy. I hope that they turn out to be big books (320 pages I'm hoping), but I'm not sure if I see that happening.