-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Monster Skill Points
- Thread starter Kirowan
- Start date
D20 Modern comes to mind. The vast majority of the entries are incorrect. People on the D20 Modern boards said that this was a well-known problem.
I don't see this as much with the 3.5 compatible products. I used to notice it more with the 3.0 stuff. Some of the monsters in the 3.0 Monster Manual are also wrong.
I looked at the previews for Conan and the man-ape's stats were wrong as well (using either the 3.0 or 3.5 method and I doubt they changed the monster skill point generation method).
Nick
I don't see this as much with the 3.5 compatible products. I used to notice it more with the 3.0 stuff. Some of the monsters in the 3.0 Monster Manual are also wrong.
I looked at the previews for Conan and the man-ape's stats were wrong as well (using either the 3.0 or 3.5 method and I doubt they changed the monster skill point generation method).
Nick
Jolly Giant
First Post
Rant!
To my experience, just about EVERY 3rd party book is crammed full of annoying little mistakes like that...
Monsters getting a random amount of skill points is small potatoes; it's worse that they very often don't have the right attack-bonus, size-modifiers or even the right STR-modifier to damage!
Much the same problem with spells in 3rd party books. Seems like a lot of the 3rd party authors out there just doesn't know how magic works in D&D, and yet they boldly go on a publish volume after volume of spells for the game! They rarely (if ever!) seem to know the difference between an instaneous spell and a permanent spell, for instance! I won't mention names, but if you follow the instructions for how one becomes a lich (printed in a book on necromancy, written by one of the BIG names in RPGs, published by one of MAJOR 3rd party publishers!), then a lich can be restored to it's old living form by a simple Dispel Magic! If he entered an antimagic field, he'd likewise be returned to his living form while in that field, but then go back to being a lich once he left the field. I'm sure that wasn't what the author had in mind, but since he clearly doesn't know the basic rules for 3.x magic, that's how it came out...
I've grown so tired of proof-reading and editing my 3rd party books to make them comply with the basic rules of D&D, I don't even bother to check new releases out any more. Which is sad, because a lot of thse guys have some really cool and creative ideas! The only ones I even consider are the Malhavoc releases. At least Monte (and his other contributors) know the rules of the game! Well' he should, shouldn't he?
Sorry about the lengthy tirade, folks. Just HAD to get that off my chest!
To my experience, just about EVERY 3rd party book is crammed full of annoying little mistakes like that...
Monsters getting a random amount of skill points is small potatoes; it's worse that they very often don't have the right attack-bonus, size-modifiers or even the right STR-modifier to damage!Much the same problem with spells in 3rd party books. Seems like a lot of the 3rd party authors out there just doesn't know how magic works in D&D, and yet they boldly go on a publish volume after volume of spells for the game!
They rarely (if ever!) seem to know the difference between an instaneous spell and a permanent spell, for instance! I won't mention names, but if you follow the instructions for how one becomes a lich (printed in a book on necromancy, written by one of the BIG names in RPGs, published by one of MAJOR 3rd party publishers!), then a lich can be restored to it's old living form by a simple Dispel Magic! If he entered an antimagic field, he'd likewise be returned to his living form while in that field, but then go back to being a lich once he left the field. I'm sure that wasn't what the author had in mind, but since he clearly doesn't know the basic rules for 3.x magic, that's how it came out... I've grown so tired of proof-reading and editing my 3rd party books to make them comply with the basic rules of D&D, I don't even bother to check new releases out any more. Which is sad, because a lot of thse guys have some really cool and creative ideas!
The only ones I even consider are the Malhavoc releases. At least Monte (and his other contributors) know the rules of the game! Well' he should, shouldn't he? Sorry about the lengthy tirade, folks. Just HAD to get that off my chest!
Sir Whiskers
First Post
Yeah, I've noticed this but as Kirowan said, it's gotten better with 3.5. I'm updating my gaming databases and testing them by adding material from Dragon magazine. I found numerous errors in just the first two issues (274/275) immediately following the release of 3E. As with any system, errors go down with time, but they never go away completely.
It does make me wonder why they (WOTC) don't use a computer program for designing new creatures to catch just those sorts of things, though...
It does make me wonder why they (WOTC) don't use a computer program for designing new creatures to catch just those sorts of things, though...
Last edited:
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
It's somewhat true that 3rd party books have a lot of errors....though as we've seen with stuff like Sword and Fist, WotC isn't immune to the problem themselves....
Though this is what leads to a series or people who only get 'official' WotC rules, and will not go beyond them....even though WotC messes up at least once for every three times a 3rd party does.
Though this is what leads to a series or people who only get 'official' WotC rules, and will not go beyond them....even though WotC messes up at least once for every three times a 3rd party does.
Similar Threads
