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11 months ago ::
Jul 24, 2012 - 11:04PM
#1
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Date Joined:
May 12, 2009
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Wandering Monsters
Dragon's-Eye View by Jon Schindehette The forest goes silent. Not a sound is heard except the drip, drip, drip of water in the leaves. It’s quiet. Too quiet. And then the silence is broken by the crashing of a creature—or maybe two—in the underbrush, and the sound is heading toward you. Before you have a chance to react, the bush next to you explodes, and you see the teeth and claws of a . . . Talk about this column here. 
Yan
Montréal, Canada
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11 months ago ::
Jul 24, 2012 - 11:45PM
#2
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No comment...
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11 months ago ::
Jul 25, 2012 - 12:31AM
#3
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Bah, deleted my comment and going to agree with lokiare. The sky is burning and the seas fill with blood as we speak.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 25, 2012 - 1:00AM
#4
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Date Joined:
May 25, 2012
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Interesting..it seems a monumental task..but my question is:what will change for the players? we will be able to reference online all the modules/setting/monsters for all the D&D products?
DM: Products of MY Imagination ©. Since 1986.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 25, 2012 - 1:15AM
#5
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Date Joined:
May 12, 2009
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I am pretty much with Jon Schindehette on monsters entry, in that i always liked AD&D 2nd edition monster's write-up details about their diet, their habitat & society, the organizational status etc...Always found them informative and inspirational! I am pretty much with Dark_T_Zeratulon the Paladin outlook and feel:
Yan
Montréal, Canada
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11 months ago ::
Jul 25, 2012 - 1:45AM
#6
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I'm always down with anything that results in monsters being more coherant and more cohesive. It also sounds (although I may be reading a bit between the lines on this one) that one of the results of this project may be the focusing and de-generification of many of D&D's monsters - zooming in on and highlighting (and creating) interesting differences between the kjillion "dumb brutish guy" and "annoying small guy" races, for example.
Dwarves invented beer so they could toast to their axes. Dwarves invented axes to kill people and take their beer.
"Feel free to claim I said anything you like. How's someone going to call you out on it? Are they going to be all like, 'I know all of the things that Gary said, and that's not one of them?'"
- Gary Gygax
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11 months ago ::
Jul 25, 2012 - 1:46AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2007
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I am pretty much with Jon Schindehette on monsters entry, in that i always liked AD&D 2nd edition monster's write-up details about their diet, their habitat & society, the organizational status etc...Always found them informative and inspirational!
the things you describe there to me are things that are campaign dependent.
so yes you could have some of it in the Mm if the Mm assumes a basic campaign setting.
to me the MM should suply the stats and the campaign setting would tell you how these creatures fit into the world.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 25, 2012 - 3:05AM
#8
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OK, my what, around 1988-89 so 33 year love affair with gnolls all started with the Ecology of the Flind article in Dragon magazine so something good can come of this I guess.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 25, 2012 - 5:31AM
#9
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Date Joined:
Dec 15, 2009
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The Article:
It's a good idea and fits for the direction they are taking DnDNext. It looks like a ton of work and I sincerely hope they stick it out and complete the job. Once done, having a consolidated block of information that is not edition dependent and visually matches the description will be invaluable.
Concerning the Paladin:
For me, a Paladin is first and foremost the strong right arm of their Deity. They represent that Deity's martial, protective or destructive nature made manifest. While the Cleric is their will and word, the Paladin is their shield and sword. They are Warriors whose very aura is an extension of their chosen Deity's, and so for me it is the two combined that tell me 'Hey, this guys a Paladin'.
Whether called Paladins, Templars, Hospitallers or Antipaladins they all represent the same archetype. And that Archetype, just as is the Cleric, is most heavily influenced by their Deity. So a Paladin of Pelor is and should be visually different than a Paladin of Hextor (for example). What weapons and armor they use, how they stand, even what their bodies conditions are in will be different. What they have in common however is that they are Warriors and exude a palpable presence that gives you an idea of what/who they represent.
Examples:
Paladin of Heironeous- The Knight in Shining Armor; Tabard and shield emblazoned with his gods symbol, sword in hand, proud charger bedecked in barding, with an aura of Nobility and Chivalry.
Paladin of Hextor- The Dark Knight; Heavy blackened armor with lots of sharp points, massively built muscles, weapons meant for breaking and maiming, mounted upon a Nightmare, with an aura of Murder and Menace.
Paladin of Corellon Larethian- The Wise Warrior; Champion of the Elven people, graceful and deadly, armed and armored in the best Elven-made equipment, at home in the forest or at war, with and aura of Grace and Magic.
I could go on, but I think you see my point. These are just some of my opinions on what a Paladin can be.
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11 months ago ::
Jul 25, 2012 - 6:19AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Mar 14, 2009
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I rarely use D&D with official settings. All this work will be of no value to me. Good thing for other DMs, though.
As long as no one comes tell to me that my paladin is not a paladin because it doesn't look and act as the official Arthurian knight type, my hobgoblins are not hobgoblins because they are inspired by medieval Japan rather than whatever they thought apropriate, my Dragons are not Dragons because they are all of the same specie and the youngs change color according to environment and personality rather than numerous different species as "official".
Remember Tunnel Seventeen !
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