Is this the first time they've released an old Encounters campaign via Dungeon Magazine? If it is, I hope they keep it up. I've helped run a couple of them, but I'd love to be able to keep them in my library for future use, or just inspiration.
I really enjoyed the new assassin's poisons. I'm not sure how effective they are mechanically, but I love the flavor and story behind them. The unearthed arcana was great, although I would have liked it to be about 50% longer to give a more in depth treatment of each topic along with some examples. The ecology article is excellent and especially like the ritual that summons a gargoyle. Rituals are one of my favorite part of the game and this one is a great addition to my big-binder-o-rituals....
View full commentI really enjoyed the new assassin's poisons. I'm not sure how effective they are mechanically, but I love the flavor and story behind them. The unearthed arcana was great, although I would have liked it to be about 50% longer to give a more in depth treatment of each topic along with some examples. The ecology article is excellent and especially like the ritual that summons a gargoyle. Rituals are one of my favorite part of the game and this one is a great addition to my big-binder-o-rituals. The Inn of the Welcome Wench is a classic location and this writeup is a welcome addition to the lore. Change the names and you could easily drop this info into any campaign or adventure. Great issue, thanks!
Don't take this wrong, but these cartoons may be the best content on your site... I guess Dungeon and Dragon magazines are good too. But Thompson's toons are up there.
Umm, in my last session my level one party encountered a band of orcs. I went through both my magic missile spells, one of them empowered to do maximum damage, and I only killed one Orc. Granted, my first casting was split my missile between three different orcs (as they all were already damaged by a fire trap) but didn't kill a single one despite the fact that they were each already hurt. My second cast used my daily feat to empower them and two missiles hit one Orc and killed him, and one...
View full commentUmm, in my last session my level one party encountered a band of orcs. I went through both my magic missile spells, one of them empowered to do maximum damage, and I only killed one Orc. Granted, my first casting was split my missile between three different orcs (as they all were already damaged by a fire trap) but didn't kill a single one despite the fact that they were each already hurt. My second cast used my daily feat to empower them and two missiles hit one Orc and killed him, and one missile hit another Orc, and he still survived. After a short rest, I have one first level spell back, the fighter and rogue in the party have not lost any ability to do anything. This was just a random encounter on our way to a town (it was one Orc per party member) and it was our first encounter for the adventuring day. So I don't want to hear any nonsense about the uber power of magic missiles over other classes. Thank you.
Also, not a complaint, I am having fun playing my wizard, at least so far.
Maybe what they should do is have "classic" advancement, which is more of what we are used to and then "official advancement" for use in dnd encounters and living campaigns, as i suspect that's what is behind this move any way. Then people can chose. That could work but it involves not singling out the fast track approach as the default or "right" way to play. I know this for sure, it will fail miserable in its goal of attracting old school players back into the fold if they read that the...
View full commentMaybe what they should do is have "classic" advancement, which is more of what we are used to and then "official advancement" for use in dnd encounters and living campaigns, as i suspect that's what is behind this move any way. Then people can chose. That could work but it involves not singling out the fast track approach as the default or "right" way to play.
I know this for sure, it will fail miserable in its goal of attracting old school players back into the fold if they read that the default game is level every other session as it suggests the game was designed to again he something comlpleatly foreign to what they grew up with. As I said, I myself have been in games that house ruled quicker leveling tracks, and they were fun. But to define DnD as that kind of play won't go over well in winning people back.
Couldn't we just drop colour-coded dragons, please? And while we're at it, forget about fixed alignments for a whole species of intelligent creatures? Dragons encountered by the players should all be individuals, anyway. Dragons should become a toolbox: Provide a general template and pick and choose whatever abilities make sense for the single, unique dragon the party is about to encounter. Make dragons special, rather than just another random monster encounter.
One of the things that should be considered is the Idea of Multi Headed Dragons and that multi Headed Dragons possess a collective Intelligence. in essence all of the heads united together as one mind
Okay, first of all, Adam never rode Cringer, so there's no reason to mention him on the list. Furthermore, it's rude and possibly a little sexist for you to mention Battle Cat and completely ignore She-Ra's Spirit/Swift Wind (and yes, Adora actually did ride Spirit, so it makes more sense to mention him than Cringer). Anyway, I vote for the Luggage from Discworld. Not the most reliable of mounts, but it did get its owner from place to place in a hurry every now and then.
View full commentOkay, first of all, Adam never rode Cringer, so there's no reason to mention him on the list. Furthermore, it's rude and possibly a little sexist for you to mention Battle Cat and completely ignore She-Ra's Spirit/Swift Wind (and yes, Adora actually did ride Spirit, so it makes more sense to mention him than Cringer).
Anyway, I vote for the Luggage from Discworld. Not the most reliable of mounts, but it did get its owner from place to place in a hurry every now and then.
I am thinking mostly spelljammer which was part a riff on Classical metaphysics and and part a vision in black light and velvet in a wood paneled basement.
Personally my biggest peeve with the treatment of faeries in 4e is the idea that faeries are necessarily wild. This is certainly true of some of them, but not all. Some faeries are rather civilized, albeit in a somewhat alien fashion. Personally I also think that trying to have each kind of fey be a specific category or kind is something of a mistake. Sure there are identifiable kinds of faerie, like satyrs or pixies or whatever. However, sometimes a faerie is just a faerie, with it's own...
View full commentPersonally my biggest peeve with the treatment of faeries in 4e is the idea that faeries are necessarily wild. This is certainly true of some of them, but not all. Some faeries are rather civilized, albeit in a somewhat alien fashion.
Personally I also think that trying to have each kind of fey be a specific category or kind is something of a mistake. Sure there are identifiable kinds of faerie, like satyrs or pixies or whatever. However, sometimes a faerie is just a faerie, with it's own unique attributes that doesn't fit into any other category.
MORE FEYWILD!!!! i personally enjoy the Feywild as a "wild"plane. Although i think it needs more "wild". Tiny Fey are completely neccesary but not Wild enough. One last thing OWLBEARS FOR EVER!!!!!
View full commentMORE FEYWILD!!!!
i personally enjoy the Feywild as a "wild"plane. Although i think it needs more "wild". Tiny Fey are completely neccesary but not Wild enough.
One last thing OWLBEARS FOR EVER!!!!!
Facts about Ghouls: A ghoul is a (folkloric) monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh. In fiction, these creatures dwell in cemeteries and other uninhabited places. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is One Thousand and One Nights. The term was first used in English literature in 1786, in William Beckford's Orientalist novel Vathek, which describes the ghūl of meddle eastern folklore. Ghoul is from the Arabic ghul, from ghala "to seize". Marc Cramer...
A ghoul is a (folkloric) monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh. In fiction, these creatures dwell in cemeteries and other uninhabited places. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is One Thousand and One Nights. The term was first used in English literature in 1786, in William Beckford's Orientalist novel Vathek, which describes the ghūl of meddle eastern folklore.
Ghoul is from the Arabic ghul, from ghala "to seize". Marc Cramer and others believe the term to be etymologically related to Gallu, a Mesopotamian demon.
In ancient meddle-eastern folklore, the ghūl dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. The ghul is a fiendish type of Genie believed to be sired by Iblis.
A ghoul is a desert-dwelling shapeshifting demon that can assume the guise of an animal especially a hyena. It lures unwary people into the desert wastes or abandoned places to slay and devour them. The creature also preys on young children, drinks blood, steals coins, and eats the dead, taking the form of the person most recently eaten.
females are called ghouleh and the plural is ghilan. In colloquial Arabic, the term is sometimes used to describe a greedy or gluttonous individual.
I like most of what you've presented, but if you're looking for a definitive description of ghouls, you could do worse than reviewing your H.P. Lovecraft. "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" taught me everything I know about ghouls. You have their ancient combination of bestial hunger and human intelligence, as well as the implications of their grim, subterranean society.
I never liked Kobolds as reptiles, I always preferred the dog people from 2e. Otherwise to barrow from Palladium, I like the idea that kobolds are smart, very smart. I'm fine with the other two.
View full commentI never liked Kobolds as reptiles, I always preferred the dog people from 2e. Otherwise to barrow from Palladium, I like the idea that kobolds are smart, very smart.