Jack Daniel
dice-universe.blogspot.com
I'd guess that ascending AC and not using THAC0 have become sacred to mainstream D&D players. I ignore that.
Yup. At least the Chromatic Dragons do.Wait dragons are supposed to have specific head types? This is news to me.
It goes back to the art from the 1st edition Monster Manual. All the dragons had distinct designs, which (for the chromatics) was reflected in the art for Tiamat. Subsequent D&D artists have been pretty consistent in picking up on those original designs for the chromatic dragons.Wait dragons are supposed to have specific head types? This is news to me.
Any particular reason? I have always found descending AC and THAC0 to be incredibly confusing and frustrating. It's not--at all--that I lack the math training or preparation to use it. It's just that I find it nearly impossible to get my brain to employ "lower is good" when you have +X weapons and armor and spells that provide a +Y bonus to AC or a -Z penalty to hit.I'd guess that ascending AC and not using THAC0 have become sacred to mainstream D&D players. I ignore that.
Any particular reason? I have always found descending AC and THAC0 to be incredibly confusing and frustrating.
To me, the Great Wheel isn't designed well for adventuring, is too tied to alignment, and too complicated/filled with redundancies. So the main things I've done with my own cosmology systems are to divorce it from the alignment system, design the planes with the intention of them being adventure locations, and simplifying it so it's easier for the PCs to become familiar with.I'm seeing a lot of people have abandoned the original planar structure these days. In the past, it seemed like few had moved as far away from it as I have. It would be interesting for people to share their changes and see if there are trends that have developed.
The cosmology of Jewel of the Desert is specifically an area of mystery, one which the players are slowly learning the truths of. (I left much of this open to start with, and began figuring it out as the players established things and as it made sense for the ways the fronts were developing.)I'm seeing a lot of people have abandoned the original planar structure these days. In the past, it seemed like few had moved as far away from it as I have. It would be interesting for people to share their changes and see if there are trends that have developed.
And in some sculpts those (IMO ridiculous) horns are long enough to prevent the Dragon from getting its mouth to anything on the ground, such as a fresh kill it wants to eat.Black Dragons have two horns, one on each side of their head, but they point forward.
I've never grokked THAC0 and probably never will, but descending AC is second-nature to me. THAC0 tries to force me to do the arithmetic differently than I've always done it, and adds a step as well.Any particular reason? I have always found descending AC and THAC0 to be incredibly confusing and frustrating. It's not--at all--that I lack the math training or preparation to use it. It's just that I find it nearly impossible to get my brain to employ "lower is good" when you have +X weapons and armor and spells that provide a +Y bonus to AC or a -Z penalty to hit.
I moved away from it but probably in the opposite direction to most: I made the underlying cosmology even harder-coded than the great wheel has it, and based it all on three dualities: Good-Evil, Law-Chaos, and Male-Female.I'm seeing a lot of people have abandoned the original planar structure these days. In the past, it seemed like few had moved as far away from it as I have. It would be interesting for people to share their changes and see if there are trends that have developed.
I'm seeing a lot of people have abandoned the original planar structure these days. In the past, it seemed like few had moved as far away from it as I have. It would be interesting for people to share their changes and see if there are trends that have developed.