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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 3:26AM
#1
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
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[indent] Fanatical followers of strange philosophies and obscure gods can be a goldmine for story ideas and campaign settings. But creating a believable cult that can represent a challenge (or an ally) to player characters requires true expertise. In this competition, you should create a cult that other DMs can use to enrich their campaign worlds.[/indent] Welcome to the seventh Expert Dungeon Master Competition! The primary purpose of the Expert Dungeon Master Competitions is threefold: [list=1] To create a resource for new Dungeon Masters drawing on the vast talent pool of the experienced Dungeon Masters of this forum.
To create a fun and vibrant competition that is sportsmanlike and friendly.
To showcase the creativity and talent of Dungeon Masters like you.
In order to enter the competition, your entry must fulfill the following required elements:
[list=A]Name the cult.
Describe generally the history and philosophy of the cult and the god or gods (if any) the cult follows.
Describe the current cult leader (if any).
Describe generally the organization and membership of the cult.
Describe one or more encounters that a DM could use to introduce the cult to an adventuring party.
Describe what information characters could learn with a successful History, Religion, and/or Streetwise check.
In addition, the entry must meet at least three of the following ten optional elements:
[list=1]
At least one encounter is described for each tier of play.
Cultic worship causes a physical transformation in some of its members
Cultists all have a permanent feature (tattoo, aura, haircut, etc.) that lets people who know the secret identify members of the cult.
If a player character cleric joins the cult, they will gain access to a unique Channel Divinity feat detailed in the entry.
The cult can be an ally or an enemy to the party, depending on the context.
The cult is well-respected and special laws have been enacted to protect its cultic practices from nonmembers.
The cult knows a unique ritual described in the entry.
The cult leader's identity is hidden from everyone but the highest-ranking cultists.
The cult leader is an influential member of the nobility or traditional clergy
The cult seeks an artifact.
Following are some general rules of the Expert DM Competition.
- Code of Conduct. All entries must comply with the forum's Code of Conduct.
- Contest Duration. Contests usually run for two weeks, beginning with the post announcing the competition. The Coordinator may extend the duration of the contest at his discretion after consulting the other judges for that competition. However, such extensions should be done very rarely.
- Edits After 15 Minutes Prohibited. Applicants may not edit their entries more than 15 minutes after submission. This includes editing done by forum moderators, unless the moderator specifically states that the entry had not been edited prior to the moderator's action. If the entrant submits an entry before the contest closes and then edits the entry after the contest closes, but within fifteen minutes of submission, the edits will be considered valid. Entrants should use the forum’s “preview post” function or an off-line text editor to check the entry before posting. Once winners have been announced, entrants may edit their entries.
- Multiple Entries Prohibited. Each applicant may only submit one entry prior during the period in which entries may be submitted. Submitting multiple entries disqualifies all entries. Additional entries may be submitted after the competition closes, but they will not be judged.
- Multi-Post Entries Prohibited. Each entry must be contained within a single post. The judges must ignore any subsequent posts.
- Outside Links Prohibited. Entries may not include material hosted on a website other than the post on which the entry appears. Images hosted on, or links to, other websites will be ignored by the judges when scoring.
- Plagiarism and Previewing Prohibited. All entries must be the original, exclusive work of the applicant. Entries found to be copying the work of another, or that have been posted for review prior to the close of the competition, will be disqualified.
The contest will run from today through Friday February 13, 2008. All entries must be submitted no later than 12:00 midnight on that day (Eastern Standard Time). The judges of this contest are BraveBoudica, mccowen, Nyarlathotep, TwinBahamut, and wrecan, and the coordinator of this contest is wrecan.
Good luck and have fun!!
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 3:28AM
#2
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
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Questions & Answers
(questions posed by potential entrants and the coordinator's response) Q. May the entry contain a deity specifically designed for the contest?
A. Yes, though it need not. (Be mindful of your Usability score.)Q. May the history of the cult be inconsistent with historical events established in the "Point of Lights" setting?
A. Yes, though it need not be. (Be mindful of your Usability score.)Q. May the membership of the cult be given stats?
A. Yes, though it need not be. (Be mindful of your Usability score.)Q. Can the cult worship an entity other than a deity, like a primordial or spirit?
A. Yes, though it need not. It can also follow an ideal or a philosophy and have no religious connotation whatsoever. (Be mindful of your Usability score.)
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 3:28AM
#3
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 3:29AM
#4
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
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Medalists The Bronze Medal Goes To...;![](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?name=;"&type=card&set=) > Lord Ventnor with "The Seekers"! The Silver Medal Goes To...;> Furious D18 x with ![](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?name=with "&type=card&set=) The Foretold"!! > AceRumble with "The Hanged Men"!!! Congratulations to all of you! The gold medalist, AceRumble, is eligible for the custom title of "Heroic Dungeon Master" (if so desired) and is also now eligible to judge future competitions! If AceRumble wins subsequent competitions, the custom title can be changed to "Paragon Dungeon Master" and then "Epic Dungeon Master". Thanks also to my fellow judges, BraveBoudica, mccowen, nyarlathotep, and TwinBahamut who did a great job judging the competitions. I am so very grateful to them for volunteering. Again, congratulations to everyone for such wonderful entries and thanks for making the XDMC a continuing success! I must note, however, that Mechalibur's entry received a Themes score of zero because it neglected to describe the philosophy of the primordial the cult worshiped, meaning the entry was missing a required element (B). Please don't let that discourage either of you from entering future competitions. Just a word of caution that people should be careful to dot the 'i's and cross the 't's. Stay tuned for XDMC #8 to begin (hopefully) in a few weeks. In the meantime, enjoy the carefully tabulated scores below. [b]CONSOLIDATED SCORES BY ENTRY[/b]
[b]Entry Creat'y Usab'y Theme Clar'y Bonus Total Author's Entry[/b]
1 8 8 1/3 0 7 2/5 23 3/4 Mechalibur's Children of Frost
2 11 1/3 9 1/5 3 4/5 6 1/3 30 2/3 Ilikefrogs' Doghood
3 12 9 4/5 6 4/5 5 4/5 34 2/5 Veok's Dreamwalkers
4 9 4/5 9 5 1/2 6 4/5 31 1/9 Koradzi's Cult of Lies
5 12 1/3 9 2/5 6 2/5 6 1/3 1 35 1/2 Keiichi m's The Ascended
6 11 1/5 9 1/5 4 2/5 3 1/5 28 nezumi45's Lightsworn
7 10 1/5 7 4/5 6 5 2/5 29 2/5 Zillah's Elemental Soldiers
8 13 11 4/5 8 1/5 8 41 Furious D18's Foretold
9 8 10 2/5 6 1/9 7 2/5 32 JayJian's Cult of the Blightbringers
10 12 1/3 12 8 8 40 1/3 Lord Ventnor's Seekers
11 9 1/5 8 2/5 5 2/5 6 2/5 29 2/5 burkoJames' The Children of the Rend
12 12 5/9 11 2/5 8 2/5 9 41 1/3 AceRumble's Hanged Men
13 12 4/5 10 4/5 7 1/3 7 4/5 38 3/4 Nani?'s The Kin of Karley of Kartis
14 12 5/9 10 8 1/5 7 1/9 37 7/8 ff6shadow's Brotherhood of Bonds
15 12 2/5 11 7 2/5 5 1/5 36 Durendal mn's The Confederacy of the Untamed
16 13 11 1/5 7 2/5 6 1/9 37 5/7 Dulsi's The Eight Sided Star
[b]CONSOLIDATED SCORES BY RANK[/b]
[b]Entry Creat'y Usab'y Theme Clar'y Bonus Total Author's Entry[/b]
12 12 5/9 11 2/5 8 2/5 9 41 1/3 AceRumble's Hanged Men
8 13 11 4/5 8 1/5 8 41 Furious D18's Foretold
10 12 1/3 12 8 8 40 1/3 Lord Ventnor's Seekers
13 12 4/5 10 4/5 7 1/3 7 4/5 38 3/4 Nani?'s The Kin of Karley of Kartis
14 12 5/9 10 8 1/5 7 1/9 37 7/8 ff6shadow's Brotherhood of Bonds
16 13 11 1/5 7 2/5 6 1/9 37 5/7 Dulsi's The Eight Sided Star
15 12 2/5 11 7 2/5 5 1/5 36 Durendal mn's The Confederacy of the Untamed
5 12 1/3 9 2/5 6 2/5 6 1/3 1 35 1/2 Keiichi m's The Ascended
3 12 9 4/5 6 4/5 5 4/5 34 2/5 Veok's Dreamwalkers
9 8 10 2/5 6 1/9 7 2/5 32 JayJian's Cult of the Blightbringers
4 9 4/5 9 5 1/2 6 4/5 31 1/9 Koradzi's Cult of Lies
2 11 1/3 9 1/5 3 4/5 6 1/3 30 2/3 Ilikefrogs' Doghood
7 10 1/5 7 4/5 6 5 2/5 29 2/5 Zillah's Elemental Soldiers
11 9 1/5 8 2/5 5 2/5 6 2/5 29 2/5 burkoJames' The Children of the Rend
6 11 1/5 9 1/5 4 2/5 3 1/5 28 nezumi45's Lightsworn
1 8 8 1/3 0 7 2/5 23 3/4 Mechalibur's Children of Frost
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 6:58AM
#5
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Does the cult have to worship an established deity, or can I create my own? I have an idea, but it doesn't fit any of the existing deities.
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 7:05AM
#6
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Does the cult have to worship an established deity, or can I create my own? I have an idea, but it doesn't fit any of the existing deities.
general truth for all mdmc/xdmcs:
if there ain't a restraint in the required elements, you are free to do whatever you want.
got a cult to banjo or fluffy the bunny? go ahead and do so. making up your god might be a good way to get some more creativity points. just make sure it does not hamper your clarity, theme or usability.
This new forum is terrible. Try again Wizards.
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 7:18AM
#7
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- Hero Artisan Gold Medalist
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I didn't see it up there, but should we stat out the cult members (especially in the encounters/leader portion) or leave it nebulous?
Resident Shakespeare
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 8:14AM
#8
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
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Does the cult have to worship an established deity, or can I create my own?
The cult need not worship an established deity.
Should we stat out the cult members (especially in the encounters/leader portion) or leave it nebulous?
That is up to you.
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 8:53AM
#9
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I'm a little confused. What makes a cult... a cult? There's no criteria concerning alignment or intent -- would perhaps a better descriptor for the contest (albeit much less interesting) be "Design a Mildly Religious Organization"?
"Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights." ~ Judge Vaughn Walker
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2 years ago ::
Jan 30, 2009 - 8:59AM
#10
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- Hero Artisan Gold Medalist
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I'm a little confused. What makes a cult... a cult? There's no criteria concerning alignment or intent -- would perhaps a better descriptor for the contest (albeit much less interesting) be "Design a Mildly Religious Organization"?
I don't think it neccesarily needs to be religious to be a cult. There are cults of personality that have little to do with religion. As well as cults of extreme philosophy.
Resident Shakespeare
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