Monte's secret project confirmed

[Psion]

My question is can you wear sentient squids on your head...

Ahem, anyways. To the point: If Evil had been a great book on the topic, I would agree that it would be wasted effort. As it isn't (IMO, it has some neat ideas, but a lot that I really wouldn't use) I consider it worthwhile.

Or should we give up on all these superhero d20 games (and there are a metric buttload) out there because Nightshift games already did it?

Get real, people.

 

[trancejeremy]

"apparently it covers all the 'evil' stuff in D&D; Murder, pillaging, Human sacrifice, etc."

So, other than human sacrifice, it's just like regular D&D.

 

[tleilaxu]

anyone else think this is a likely place for demons and devil lords?

 

[Crothian]

So, other than human sacrifice, it's just like regular D&D.

I wasthinking it was just like D&D with the sacrificing.

 

[kkoie]

So it's a book on creating and roleplaying villainous npcs? I hope not. What would be the use of that? Except for newbie DMs?

I would rather a book geared towards more useful, creative stuff, like new prestige classes, spells, templates, monsters, magic items and things of that nature. Specially monsters and templates. The meaner and nastier the better.

I already know how to create quality villains, why do I need a book to tell me how to do something I already know?!

K Koie

 

[rounser]

So it's a book on creating and roleplaying villainous npcs? I hope not. What would be the use of that? Except for newbie DMs?

Given that villains are perhaps the cornerstone of almost any campaign I can think of, are often given little thought to, made as scenery-munching cliches or executed poorly, I can see a lot of use for villain advice. I think that even goes for DMs who think they've got it in the bag when it comes to villains...do you still refer to the campaign/running the game/adventure advice chapters in the 3E DMG?

I'm a big fan of the Complete Book of Villains as an idea generating tome. Sure, I could do without it, but the inspiration factor, encouragement of attention to detail, and suggestions for ways of making villains interesting and dynamic is large enough that I'm very glad I have a copy. I consider villains important enough to the campaign to warrant such attention.

I suspect that a convincing, memorable, novel and well executed villain, like a well-written adventure, is harder to do than most people think - simply because I've seen so very few memorable villains under many DMs.

But I don't think that this is the subject of the Book of Vile Darkness. It sounds like a set of rules and suggestions or plots based around the idea of "evil", rather than a Villain Construction Kit. Given that Monte said that TSR/WotC had never done anything like the project before, I suspect I'm right in suggesting that it has a different focus.

 

[nathanL]

vileness

We got the catalog in the store friday.

In the 2002 WotC catalog this is on page 11:

Book of Vile Darkness.
"Details slavery, human sacrifice, prostitution, and other sensative issues in a mature fashion." The write up says it's full of juicy spells, items, artifacts, PrCs, and campaign fodder. I wonder if it has rules for selling of souls...drugs?...'social' diseases?

The write up makes it seem like it is for DMs to make truely vile NPCs and then some. The example cover looks good, in the style of the core rulebooks, but a bit wicked...sort of like a book of...uh...vile darkness?

stats:
192 pages, hardback, $32.95 due in October

oh ya,
and it is authored by Monte Cook.

Anyone heard of that guy?

 

[DWARF]

Heh, I was hoping for a book like this! It adresses a problem I've always had with DnD; How come "evil" isn't tougher than the good guys? What, no evil mage could figure a way to get a d8 instead of a d6 based fireball by using a material component of a human heart or something like that?

Like the Dark side sourcebook for the new Star Wars d20 game. If the Dark Side is supposed to be faster, easier, more seductive, then why does it always have to look like a different flavor of good?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Anyway, I doubt it will be like AEG's Evil - the premise of that was largely for the PCs to play evil characters. This is probably not a subject WOTC would do.

I would have agreed with this, but Monte said it was something that hadn't been done in D&D before - and there's never been an official book put out with the main focus being that the PCs are evil. The Complete Book of Villains, and even the Complete Book of Necromancers, were put out as DM sourcebooks, not meant for players to use.

 

[Samnell]

Re: vileness

Book of Vile Darkness.
"Details slavery, human sacrifice, prostitution, and other sensative issues in a mature fashion."
[/B]

SOLD!