Upper_Krust said:
Hi Shannon!
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
As the writer of the 'other project' I wish you the best of luck with your own endeavours. I have long been an advocate of epic/immortal gaming and I am thrilled that a company as prolific as Mongoose are tackling the subject. More such products can only be a good thing for the consumer and the profile of epic/immortal gaming.
Thanks. Good luck with the
Immortals Book as well. For myself, I'm taking a break from full-time RPG writing at the moment to take care of my three month old son. But I'll be back.
I did note, from various comments, that you divorced immortals from deities on a conscious level, yet you still integrate deities vis a vis 'covenants'. May I ask why you made the distinction (between immortals and gods)?
My models for this supplement were, in order:
1) The Gold Box
2) Greek Mystery Religions
3) Chinese Taoist interpretations of the Heaven/Earth balance
I took tone and method from the gold box. From the Greeks I borrowed a clear ritual progression from mortality to becoming 'like onto a god'. From the Chinese an elaborate cosmology peopled with functionaries with a simply mind-boggling array of powers.
In order to keep with the Greeks, Immortals (not demi-gods and the like) become like gods but not gods in and of themselves. They share in the divine power until they transcend, at which point they pass from this supplement to something completely different.
Covenants and wellsprings represent two distinct approachs to this 'divine power'. With covenants the Immortal performs deeds pleasing to a divinity/granting power, even emulating the actions it took during the world's creation. This brings the Immortal closer in nature and power to the god(s) until he finally becomes a god himself. Wellsprings allow the Immortal to take up the gods tools of creation and destruction, eventually allowing them to recreate themselves as gods.
RE
: Monsters
I'm not sure I agree with that, I always got a kick out of the original gold box monsters myself.
I did too. Yet you could stack D20 monster books up to the ceiling at this point. So, rather than spend print space on yet more monsters I decided to tackle the more complicated issue of modeling mythic tests as well as combats. BoI has 17 of the 34 structures I worked out: I couldn't get the others balanced to my satisfaction without dismantling fairly substantial parts of the core rules. Since my scope of work involved building a game to run alongside standard epic progression rather than supplanting it entirely...
Good luck and good gaming!
Shannon Kalvar