Scarred Lands: Ask the Sage [New and Improved!]

[Trickstergod]

I'd say if bothers you that much Trick, just set it at cleric's BAB and save progressions.

Fixing something has never been my problem. I'm curious about the whys of the changed attack and save progression, if any exist. If there is no rhyme or reason to it, then, while one of the most easily fixed problems, it's most troubling for the fact that it's not even a matter of balance issues or poorly thought out mechanics, but that the writer seems to lack an understanding of even basic d20 material. If there's no reason to it, it's sloppiness on a scale that should not be seen in professional, published worked, and that an editor familiar with d20 mechanics should have caught.

Thus why I'm keenly interested in why the attack and saves were done the way they were done, and apparently went unchanged from the quarterly to the published work, as I've no reason not to believe Fevil. Something so basic as the attack and save progression shouldn't have any issues cropping up. Even if the writer came out and deliberately said, "Yeah, I don't like the current way attacks and saves go up," that'd be vaguely all right, though that still leaves me questioning why the editor didn't smack that thought right down and rectify things (in which case, I figure it would be that the save/attack progression is so basic, that it shouldn't have really even needed a glance. Shouldn't being the key word).

 

[Will]

My calculations about speed and such were intentionally very conservative, outside numbers. Authors generally have to do that in public fora.

So by your estimate, the 10,000 figure would be sailed in about 3-4 months. I wonder how many Calastian vessels make the voyage, and what kind of magic they'd spare.

As for islands... like I said before, there are definitely many islands between the two, with a good chance of provisioning even on the smaller ones.

I think Night mentioned there's at least one large port between the two.

 

[Nightfall]

Will,

That would be Bloodport right?

Trick,

Understood. I was just commenting.

 

[Nightfall]

I'd have more to say...but bumping is my calling.

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

My calculations about speed and such were intentionally very conservative, outside numbers. Authors generally have to do that in public fora.

So by your estimate, the 10,000 figure would be sailed in about 3-4 months. I wonder how many Calastian vessels make the voyage, and what kind of magic they'd spare.

As for islands... like I said before, there are definitely many islands between the two, with a good chance of provisioning even on the smaller ones.

I think Night mentioned there's at least one large port between the two.

Hmmm, yeah , if one used my numbers formulated above, 10000 mile could be done in about app 125 days of sailing.... but. that would be a straight journey, say from historical Europe to the west coast of Australia ...which historically was done, yes, but only in a rather advanced age of sailing (late 18th century, 19th century ), with colonizing ships, but with reprovisioning stops in the Canary Islands, at Capetown and with absolutely inhuman conditions for the "colonists", aka prisoners, sentenced to life-sentences in Australia, chained under decks in the holds. In addition , these journeys, with stops, frequent calms and adverse weather could easily take six, seven or even eight months. And it was basically one way settlement, the return journey was even longer and stressful, especially for the ships. Medieval sailing technology, seamanship and logistics even with magic enhancement would have been very hard pressed to deal with it. I will not go into the difficulties of island/coastal reprovisioning stops, but will only mention that you need a convenient sized island, with a reasonably safe (no reefs, currents, special hazards, defensible ) harbour, close to your route (smack in the middle of an open ocean) with friendly, non-monstrous inhabitants. These are rare, and may simply be inconveniently placed. Hard to imagine that on the outskirts of the Blood Sea (and I haven't seen the supplement yet ).

And it still leaves open as to where precisely to place Termana in Scarn's northern hemisphere - 10000 miles away from south eastern Ghelspad, yet still in the northern hemisphere, this would place it somewhere slightly east of India on Earth if one assumed Ghelspad to be about the size and in the place/climatical bracket of North America. Given the size of Termana, this would mean it would be much easier to reach sailing west from Ghelspad and save a couple of thousand miles... I say, bugged geography of Scarn again - or strike the 10000 miles. Where does that number come from, anyway ?

 

[Nightfall]

Like most everything done Uzagi, it's just something decided by the authors. Or in Will's case, his own understanding.

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

Like most everything done Uzagi, it's just something decided by the authors. Or in Will's case, his own understanding.

Actually I have to apologize to Will - which I hereby do. ! Sorry Will - the fault is not yours. If I came over angry, the anger was directed at the numbers mentioned by you - for which you have no real responsibility, after all. mea culpa !

Two hours ago my copy of "Blood Sea" arrived at my house, and since then I have been reading it, clapped it shut repeatedly and reopened it again and over time slowly started foaming (my slitheren blood acting up, I guess). Chapter one has a map of both Ghelspad's and Termana's relative location and shows the distances involved printed on page16 which backs up Will's estimate - it shows a massive 9000 to 10000 miles wide gap between the two continents with nothing in between but an island chain the size of Hawaii. I knew Scarred Lands cartography and world design was a bit "odd" but this .......is freaking me out ! The Blood Sea (the parts of it on the map, that is - its core area measures roughly 11000 x 17000 miles, but several huge areas of watery nothing surround that zone ) is vastly larger than the Pacific Ocean, and definitely less densely studded with islands.

There are a lot of other unbelievable (if the map is to taken at face value in any way ), so currently my brain is looking for its ability to ignore what I am reading - like a hefty 4000 mile gap between the north coast of Ghelspad and the edge of polar ice ( that is roughly the distance between North Africa and the northern polar icecap.... I wonder about the snow in Albadia now, yeah ), or the size of Scarn implied by that map. Those Calastians must really have been weathered mariners to look for land THAT far out...

At the moment I am baffled- I just wanted to apologize to Will.

 

[Will]

No apologies necessary. Righteous indignation about the stupidities of game authors are pretty much de rigeur for game design.

I suggest moving on to the rest of the book, then coming back to the issue and see if it makes some more sense. If not, change it for your own game, shake a fist at us nitwits, and move on.

It's possible that Scarn is simply much bigger than Earth. I'm reminded of the Majipoor Chronicles (SciFi.. .sorta), with lots of huge oceans.

Also, again, keep in mind magic. One Divination could say 'if you sail due east, you'll find the land I wish you to find.' Or west, if it's the Charduni doing the asking.

 

[Taelorn76]

Reading the last several posts I came to the same conclusion that Will brought up, is Scarn bigger than the Earth? Is the actual size of Scarn written anywhere?

 

[Will]

Oh, double checked the PHB.

Actually, the rules say that a sailing ship can move a full 24 hours, and that is counted in the average speed. So not counting magic, favorable winds, or anything, a 10k mile voyage is made in 7 months. Say 8, with a few substantial stops.