Rule of 3: 29-08-11 Kara-Tur in October

[Zaran]

I love the fact that we are going to get some Oriental Adventure stuff but wow did the answer to Number 1 just tick me off. I'd love to see one of them come out and say "Uh , while fireball is a daily, we know it actually sucks as a spell but fireblast is an encounter and is like a fireball! Bladesingers can use that!"

 

[Dragonhelm]

Hengeyokai are shape changing animal spirits. They traditionally have a human form, an animal form, and something in between.

I'm disappointed they didn't do the Vanara.

 

[Shroomy]

I'm disappointed they didn't do the Vanara.

There are monkey hengeyokai. Kara-Tur doesn't really have an area similar to South Asia, though there's a Khmer-like state in the SE whose religion is similar to Hinduism.

 

[Ryujin]

I'm disappointed they didn't do the Vanara.

The Hengeyokai of Japan

 

[Shemeska]

October is looking like a good month for people wanting Eastern/Non-Western fantasy.

Because Paizo's Jade Reagent AP is out now and its associated Tian-Xia sourcebook (including a kitsune PC race) are out in more or less the same time frame.

 

[WalterKovacs]

They updated it to replace fireball with burning hands (although they left the fireball there with a strikethrough, so they aren't hiding the mistake, just 'correcting' it with an actual iconic encounter spell name).

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

I am not the least bit interested in the Oriental Adventures / Kara Tur stuff - I didn't like it back in the day, and I don't like it now - but I know there is a significant number of players who are pretty keen on it, so that's cool.

News of Sentinel of Autumn and Winter articles coming at some point makes me happy though. I just would like that to be sooner rather than later.

Their answer for the Bladesinger makes sense, mechanically, even if it doesn't work fluff-wise. For the Fireball mix-up, there is the L7 Encounter of Fire Burst, which is very similar. Magic Missile also has a few spells that work similarly and are encounter powers, or if your DM wants to co-operate, you could get Corellon's Boon of Arcane Might. Or be Human and take the extra Wizard At-will (I think MM still qualifies?). Encounters-as-Dailies sounds weak, but I will reserve judgement until I see one being played or get a chance to use one myself.

 

[Drakhar]

Bladesingers get MM for free just like Mages do Nemesis.

 

[Riastlin]

They updated it to replace fireball with burning hands (although they left the fireball there with a strikethrough, so they aren't hiding the mistake, just 'correcting' it with an actual iconic encounter spell name).

I'll give them credit for acknowledging the mistake rather than trying to hide. Odd that it would be made in the first place (particularly with something as iconic as fireball) but the explanation doesn't change with the mistake.

I agree that encounters as dailies sounds weak, but until I actually see one in play (or at least read some good play reports) I'll reserve judgment. My initial reactions have certainly been wrong before.

 

[GameDoc]

I am still baffled as to why the Bladesinger is a Wizard build and not a Swordmage build.

Per fluff in FRCS, Swordmagery in Faerun was developed by the high elves (eladrin). Since the Bladesing was introduces in an FR supplement, it seems like a natrual fit. If they wanted it to be a controller instead of a defender, that's okay. We have different builds for warlocks, fighters, rangers, and paladins that fill different roles. There are a lot of Swordmage powers that would be cool with a Bladesinger, but you have to go down the multiclass line of feats to get them.

My personal conspiracy theory is that it goes back to cantrips. WotC designers seem bound and determined that no one, and I mean NO ONE, but a wizard can have cantrips. Not even the other arcance classes. They decided that Bladesingers need cantrips and therefore could not be a build of any class other than wizard.