PDF products I'd like to see

[Bloodstone Press]

Templates for undead

since there is no way I'll have time to work on something like this for at least a few years, I figured I post a few thoughts I had about this:

Sun Strider: Vampire Template that can withstand the sun

From Hell: applied to any undead, enhances creature with demonic qualities, these undead are created from exceptionally evil and vile people. (sample creature: Zombie from Hell)

Soul Bound: Although dead, the creature's soul is trapped in their bodies, making them "Living Dead" rather than "undead." This slight change eliminates any level draining ability of the creature, but allows it to ignore any spells or effects that target "undead" such as detect undead. Furthermore, soul bound creatures are immune to turning. (sample creature: Soul bound vampire [once bitten?])

Flaming Death: undead created from the remains of someone slain in a terrible magical fire. Perhaps on another a plane, causing their souls to become lost and unable to find their resting place. Template grants resistance to fire, fire based attacks, fire sub-type, etc. (sample creature: a flaming death banshee with a breath weapon ability)

Icy Death: ditto (replace "fire with "cold"). (sample creature: Icy Death Mummy)

Anyone who wants to run with those ideas go ahead.

 

[philreed]

Yes, templates to be applied to undead.

How about a book on disease? There are at least 4 books on poisons and not one that I know of that is about diseases and alternate rules for diseases.

Magical disease.

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2038

 

[DMH]

The Book of Broken Dreams has a "psychologist" sort of prestige class who can control subject's attitudes about all sorts of things. Its "attitude control" but not quite "mind control."

This looks cool and I will buy it sometime soon, but what I am thinking of is more of a master of propoganda- someone who manipulates the whole kingdom but not with mind control. A d20 version of Toxic Memes to be precise (a Transhuman Space book from SJ Games).

As for a book on disease, how about a varient of Mad Kaiser's Toxicant (which is about poisons). A book with 300-500 real diseases (broken up into bacterial, viral, fungal, other), alternate rules for diseases and how to cure diseases.

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

Parasites (both ecto and endo) and other little nasty monsters.

One of the creatures people most want to see covered in the Masters and Minions series seems to be the rot grub. Maybe just because the illustration in the 1E Monster Manual where the guy is staring, aghast, at his grub-infested arm is so memorable!

 

[DMH]

Sun Strider: Vampire Template that can withstand the sun

All of them are very cool. I just want to add my idea- fungi bred specifically to enhance zombies and wights (one fungus improves armor, another has spores, another improves strength, and another help defend against turning attempts).

 

[DMH]

How about a book of real technology, from the Bronze Age through the Middle Ages, in game terms?

 

[GMSkarka]

That's the cover of CORSAIR: The Definitive D20 Guide to Ships, which is coming in another month or so from Adamant.

There were a few folks on this thread who were interested in the above, so I'm just dropping a brief note to let you know that Corsair has been released at RPGNow.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

All of them are very cool. I just want to add my idea- fungi bred specifically to enhance zombies and wights (one fungus improves armor, another has spores, another improves strength, and another help defend against turning attempts).

I like it.

It makes me think of ghouls that are enhanced with a template when they feed on specific corpses.

A mighty dragon/sorcerer was slain by a band of heroes. They took the treasure and a few teeth and claws etc. from the beast, but left much of the hulking corpse to rot in the cave. But after they left, a band of ghouls, drawn by the scent of the rotting dragon flesh came and ate their fill. Now they have become enhanced with magical power. Perhaps they have also found a few magic items that the heroes overlooked.

What about ghouls that feed on each other? Perhaps that promotes some sort of "Mad Ghoul Disease" which is transmitable like Rabies.

How about ghoulish undead plants?

Ghouls that feed on lawful good outsiders and become immune to turning and gain resistance against "good" magic.

Ghouls that feed on specially prepared meals of necromatic power (a necromancer has the ghouls in a pit in his cave and feeds them these meals, while he cultivates his plans for them.)

Ghouls that feed on the flesh of a Storm Giant cleric as part of a ritual suicide and become very strong and gain some spell-like abilities.

Ghouls that have eaten the brains of certain high-level sorcerers and gain inate spell casting ability....

stuff like that that...

This looks cool and I will buy it sometime soon, but what I am thinking of is more of a master of propaganda- someone who manipulates the whole kingdom but not with mind control. A d20 version of Toxic Memes to be precise (a Transhuman Space book from SJ Games).

There is also the Demagogue in the Hero's Handbook, who has the ability to affect public opinion with speeches and rallies and even overt commands. He gets abilities like, Rallying speech, which grants morale bonuses to his listeners. He gets several very devoted followers who do his bidding blindly. These are like extremely loyal cohorts and followers. He also get money when he reaches certain level... er [cough, cough] I mean, he gets access to a financial fund that is to be used for his election campaigns. , . He can also cast several spells that are found in the Book of Broken Dreams.

The Book of Broken Dreams is about to be revised. Although it is a good book now, it really has a lot of room for improvement. The revised version will have a new chapter on group dynamic and include rules for mobs (not just the Swarm rules, but rules for the psychological dynamics of mob mentality)

Note that the revised version will cost $7. The current version is selling for only $5. Anyone who buys the current version will automatically receive a free copy of the revision when it is released.

I'm not familiar with the Toxic Memes (a Transhuman Space book from SJ Games), but I'll look into them. They sound cool.

 

[Joe123]

What about a `How to Create Adventures' book for DM's. A step-by-step guide describing how to create enjoyable adventures, kind of like the advice from the DMG, but more detailed. I would be interested in this kind of product. I remember one other person on the WotC messageboards ask for such a thing a while back and one only needs to read questions from many DMs on the boards, asking for advice from people on how to create their adventure. (There is one now on Enworld regarding how to incorporate PCs' background into an adventure, to make the adventure more compelling). Thus I think there is a need for this type of book.

I don't believe such a book has ever been published before for the Dungeons & Dragons game. The closest may be Johnn Four's guide for making NPCs, although that focuses solely on NPCs, where as I'm talking about adventure-creating in general.

Such a book would not concentrate on just "city-based scenarios", or "Thieves' Guilds", or what have you. Rather, it could encompass adventure-creating in general, meaning it would be useful for ALL Dungeon Masters, regardless of the campaign they are running. I am not a wriiter/game-designer or publisher, but I think this kind of book is a good idea and I am sure many DMs would be interested in buying it. What does everyone else think?

 

[jmucchiello]

What about a `How to Create Adventures' book for DM's. A step-by-step guide describing how to create enjoyable adventures, kind of like the advice from the DMG, but more detailed.

I think the reason no one has done this is because "what" constitutes a good adventure varies (widely) by gaming group. IMO, what you are asking for is not "How to Paint" or "How to play guitar". You are asking for a book on "How to Create Art". Creating adventures whether published for the masses or by a DM with only one PC is artistry and I don't think a book can explain HOW to do that.

That is not to say that someone could not write a "How I create Adventures and Hopefully Something Relavent to Your Game can be Found Herein" book. But ultimately any How To guide on this topic should have such a title.