Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Hey, I saw you got a shout-out in one of the Shadowdark entries for in this jam for having helped someone with their questions. Did you end up doing one yourself?
Shadowdark Shadowdark General Thread [+]
- Thread starter overgeeked
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I didn't, no. The adventure I'm working on is taking up my available time. I'm on a Discord for creative types that formed out of a jam though so helping each other out is the name of the game.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Reviewing a lot of the Appendix N Jam, it really underscores how much text every adventure -- even one a maximum of four pages long -- could cut.
Also, if the challenge is to do a four page A5 adventure, don't cheat by using 6 point text. Come on, guys.
Also, if the challenge is to do a four page A5 adventure, don't cheat by using 6 point text. Come on, guys.
This is really the trick, isn't it? Word count does a better job forcing people to trim than page count.
Scribe
Legend
70 hours!
I was hoping to be in a better spot in terms of uhh freed up assets at this point of the pay cycle, so I'm going to have to think on this a bit.
I was hoping to be in a better spot in terms of uhh freed up assets at this point of the pay cycle, so I'm going to have to think on this a bit.
darjr
I crit!
Btw all three books now are offset print and come with a ribbon. FYI.
Im mulling over three changes to Shadowdark
1. Spellbooks
Wizards and Witches have spellbooks.
The normal spell table shows the number of spells they can have in their head at any one time.
They select which spells they want from the spellbooks they own. A book is a slot
(Perhaps mighty tomes are more)
Copying a spell into another book is DC9+Tier check and costs a few go x tier
Scrolls are one shots that are Dc12 + tier and more expensive to create
Scrolls are basically created for 4 reasons:
-So minions can go do a task remotely
-so henches can cast as well and overwhelm
A spell on a scroll can also be copied to a book but that uses up the scroll
i think this will overall help wizards and witches at lower levels and weaken them slightly at higher. And create a tradeoff between mission focus and versatlility.
2. Priests choose which spells they pray for each rest.
Spells counter to the gods ethos may be denied or scrutinized
Have i missed some terrible game destroying comsequences?
(Im not having any other casting classes)
3. Any advice moving to 9 point alignment?
i cant see any issues.
1. Spellbooks
Wizards and Witches have spellbooks.
The normal spell table shows the number of spells they can have in their head at any one time.
They select which spells they want from the spellbooks they own. A book is a slot
(Perhaps mighty tomes are more)
Copying a spell into another book is DC9+Tier check and costs a few go x tier
Scrolls are one shots that are Dc12 + tier and more expensive to create
Scrolls are basically created for 4 reasons:
-So minions can go do a task remotely
-so henches can cast as well and overwhelm
- as backups for essential spells
- for obscure spells that arent worth a brain slot
A spell on a scroll can also be copied to a book but that uses up the scroll
i think this will overall help wizards and witches at lower levels and weaken them slightly at higher. And create a tradeoff between mission focus and versatlility.
2. Priests choose which spells they pray for each rest.
Spells counter to the gods ethos may be denied or scrutinized
Have i missed some terrible game destroying comsequences?
(Im not having any other casting classes)
3. Any advice moving to 9 point alignment?
i cant see any issues.
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Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
What problem are you trying to solve with spellbooks? Shadowdark wizards who encounter scrolls can learn more spells, expanding the amount of spells they can cast. (The known spells in the rulebook are just the freebie ones they get from leveling.) They already are their own spellbook.
Letting priests change their spells each time they do their daily prayers will homogenize them pretty quickly, since all priests will all have access to the exact same spells and when the party replaces one priest with another, they're just replacing them with an interchangeable cog. That's not necessarily game-breaking, but I think it will definitely make your game less interesting. As it is, you might have a priest who knows only combat spells, but no healing spells, another who's just a medic, and another who has eccentric spells that probably make sense for their expression of faith but who has to be very creative to use them as an adventurer.
I think your scroll creation rules might be too generous, especially if the goal is to hand them out to a bunch of NPCs. Since they have to be casters to use scrolls anyway, why not just hire wizard henchmen to begin with?
None of this will break the game, but I'm not sure I see the argument for making these changes.
The scroll rules as written mean that casters could find lots of scrolls and know loads of spells all the time. Also the scenarios i have in mind are old school and enemy wizard spellbooks are a significant treasure.
And i like wizards to be obsessive about their books.
And how does a SD wizard or witch actually learn new spells?
Since some priest spells are no-brainer choices widening choice will de-homogenise.
