[UPDATED - ASCENSION!] Blackdirge's "Metamorphosis - From Dretch to Demon Lord"

[caudor]

Congratulations Blackdirge!

This book sounds really cool

 

[Exquisite Dead Guy]

When will this be up for sale?

 

[Muxe]

Will the mechanics for your Demonic progression of our hero be included in your book, or perhaps maybe you could post that here if it is not. I am interested in what would be required mechanically speaking to progress from a dretch and on up.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

Will the mechanics for your Demonic progression of our hero be included in your book, or perhaps maybe you could post that here if it is not. I am interested in what would be required mechanically speaking to progress from a dretch and on up.

There will be plenty of crunchy goodness included in the book, but that aspect I think I'd rather leave vague, simply becasue defining it in D20 terms could keep me from taking the story where I want it to go. It would kind of box me in, and I like to avoid that as much as possible.

But that said, I do have some ideas in the vein that I would like to explore at some point, and of course, these boards would be an ideal place to do so.

BD

 

[Morrus]

When will this be up for sale?

This summer.

 

[Piratecat]

This is great! How are you addressing the IP issues?

 

[Land Outcast]

This is great! How are you addressing the IP issues?

He's taking out the non-OGL stuff.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

He's taking out the non-OGL stuff.

Correct.

Most of the changes I'm making are pretty small. Instead of saying Baator, I just say the Nine Hells, instead of tanar'ri, I say demon, and so on. There are only a few instances where I needed to do any serious reworking.

BD

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

This is fantastic, I've often thought that many of the Story Hours here deserve to see print.

Now, I wonder if it's possible to get certain other DM's to finish thier Story Hours if they were to be published? I think the oldsters here know just who I'm talking about, or have thier own list.

 

[Nail]

Very cool, guys! Very cool.

 

[Morrus]

This is fantastic, I've often thought that many of the Story Hours here deserve to see print.

Now, I wonder if it's possible to get certain other DM's to finish thier Story Hours if they were to be published? I think the oldsters here know just who I'm talking about, or have thier own list.

I'm certainly open to other Story Hour authors doing it.

 

[Justin]

I'm certainly open to other Story Hour authors doing it.

Hear that, Sep?

With apologies to Monty Python:

"This is the book Ptolus with 'Ptolus' crossed out and 'Wyre' written in in crayon."

 

[Morrus]

Hear that, Sep?

With apologies to Monty Python:

"This is the book Ptolus with 'Ptolus' crossed out and 'Wyre' written in in crayon."

I don't know how many would want to do it - it pays $.02 per word, flat rate, and is accepted as work-for-hire. Requires significant enditing by the author to remove WotC IP issues. Some people who are particularly attached to characters or other material would therefore need to remove and substitute them if they wanted to retain ownership. It gets professionally edited.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

I don't know how many would want to do it - it pays $.02 per word, flat rate, and is accepted as work-for-hire. Requires significant enditing by the author to remove WotC IP issues. Some people who are particularly attached to characters or other material would therefore need to remove and substitute them if they wanted to retain ownership. It gets professionally edited.

For authors whoe derive their story hour material from game sessions, there is another issue to consider. Do the players in the game, whose characters' actions tell the story, have any stake in the authorship, and therefore the rights, to a story hour?

Personally, I have no idea, and it might only require something as simple as getting the players to sign a release. But when money enters the equation, who knows.

BD

 

[Shemeska]

I'm certainly open to other Story Hour authors doing it.

*chuckle* It's not possible for some of us, even assuming there'd be a following enough to make it a valid venture. While most of the major antagonists in mine are my own creations, it'd be impossible to remove it from the backdrop setting because of the history and themes it plays with. Won't make me stop writing it though, even if it's likely going to be at least another two or three years before that little monster is finished.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

*chuckle* It's not possible for some of us, even assuming there'd be a following enough to make it a valid venture. While most of the major antagonists in mine are my own creations, it'd be impossible to remove it from the backdrop setting because of the history and themes it plays with. Won't make me stop writing it though, even if it's likely going to be at least another two or three years before that little monster is finished.

Well, you certainly have the following to do it. No doubt about that.

Couldn't you change 'loth to daemon to fly under the OGL radar? That's what I did.

BD

 

[EditorBFG]

Hey Morrus, just want to make sure you got my last two emails. One was my singing the praises of Death of a Demon Lord, another was just a question. If you've been busy and can't respond, no big, I just want to make sure my email client is not messing up again.

And I just want to state publicly that the cover art is amazingly perfect. Seriously, dead on.

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

And I just want to state publicly that the cover art is amazingly perfect. Seriously, dead on.

Isn't it though?

Wait to you see the interior stuff.

Oh, and thanks for the great edit. My prose has never looked better.

BD

 

[EditorBFG]

Isn't it though?

Wait to you see the interior stuff.

Oh, and thanks for the great edit. My prose has never looked better.

You have no idea how happy I am to see you say that!

An author referred to an edit I did early in my career as a "hatchet job" once, and now I'm always paranoid that authors will hate me-- heck, I was half-worried that Morrus hadn't emailed back because he was unhappy with the job I'd done.

So, let me thank you back for giving me such a great story to read. I was bowled over by the sheer inventiveness of it, so much so that I have (mostly) forgiven you for killing my favorite character...

(As an aside, I am proud to see a fellow Central Valley boy doing such great work, as I see you live in Modesto. I've spent a lot of time in Modesto, working at the Prospect Theater on Scenic. I lived in Manteca almost continuously from age 11 to 28, so if you've lived there more than a couple of years, we were practically neighbors!)

 

[BLACKDIRGE]

An author referred to an edit I did early in my career as a "hatchet job" once, and now I'm always paranoid that authors will hate me-- heck, I was half-worried that Morrus hadn't emailed back because he was unhappy with the job I'd done.

No hatchet job here. Just good solid editing. I think some writers might see a good editor's changes as a personal attack, an affront to their "perfect" prose. Those writers need to get over themselves.

So, let me thank you back for giving me such a great story to read. I was bowled over by the sheer inventiveness of it, so much so that I have (mostly) forgiven you for killing my favorite character...

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Don't worry, I don't think we've seen the last of our feathered friend.

(As an aside, I am proud to see a fellow Central Valley boy doing such great work, as I see you live in Modesto. I've spent a lot of time in Modesto, working at the Prospect Theater on Scenic. I lived in Manteca almost continuously from age 11 to 28, so if you've lived there more than a couple of years, we were practically neighbors!)

Yup, born and raised in cow town USA.

BD