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By popular demand posted:Now you've reminded me of 'The Iron Dream'. The Iron Dream is an absolutely fascinating book
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Oct 5, 2022 15:47
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I think anyone with even a passing interest in the hero myth(GMs included) needs to read it. There are definitely more scholarly and deep works treating the subject but this is very demonstrative and easy to understand.
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Oct 5, 2022 16:01
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joylessdivision posted:I'm almost 100% certain the term "Swarthy" would be used. Let's ask an OG WASP, Benjamin Franklin: Which leads me to add one Remark: That the Number of purely white People in the World is proportionably very small. All Africa is black or tawny. Asia chiefly tawny. America (exclusive of the new Comers) wholly so. And in Europe, the Spaniards, Italians, French, Russians and Swedes, are generally of what we call a swarthy Complexion; as are the Germans also, the Saxons only excepted, who with the English, make the principal Body of White People on the Face of the Earth. I could wish their Numbers were increased. And while we are, as I may call it, Scouring our Planet, by clearing America of Woods, and so making this Side of our Globe reflect a brighter Light to the Eyes of Inhabitants in Mars or Venus, why should we in the Sight of Superior Beings, darken its People? why increase the Sons of Africa, by Planting them in America, where we have so fair an Opportunity, by excluding all Blacks and Tawneys, of increasing the lovely White and Red? But perhaps I am partial to the Compexion of my Country, for such Kind of Partiality is natural to Mankind. As an entirely arbitrary category, there can be no limit to the narrowness with which "whiteness" is defined...
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Oct 5, 2022 22:52
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Yeah, in Franklin's day the perfidious Other who sought to destroy True, Real America with their dark menace of Immigration and Talking Foreign Jibber Jabber were... Germans.
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Oct 6, 2022 02:06
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 Dragonlance Adventures part 20 Magical Items of Krynn Many of these items came from the Age of Might, during the height of the order of high sorcery. Of course, at the end of the Age, wizards were persecuted and their towers destroyed, so items and lore were lost (here's your justification for why there are so many magic items out when it's so hard to make them). It's noted that other magic items exist that can be found on other worlds, but these items are uniquely Krynn. Potions Istar's Truth- truth serum. Make someone drink it, they have to answer 2d4 yes/no questions and 1d4 longer response questions, truthfully and completely. A save is allowed, but at -5; success means you're sleepy, but can lie. The formula is known to clerics in Istar of 5th level and above, but lost post-Cataclysm. Scrolls Scroll of Stellar Path- for wizards, they read this and for 48 hours they treat their moon as though it's in its most advantageous position. It doesn't affect the other moons, and doesn't actually move your moon, you just get to treat it probably like High Sanction and in conjunction with one or both other moons. With the effect the moons can have, this is a potent and relevant item for a Dragonlance game. Rods, Staves, and Wands Staff of Striking/Curing- common among clerics in the Age of Might, it both protects the cleric and helps them produce miracles. It's not stated, but I've assumed the Blue Crystal Staff is one of these, or a near relative. "This staff combines the functions of a staff of striking and staff of curing with the following limitations." I'm not sure limitations is the best word, because in some ways it's more useful. A typical DMG staff has 25 charges or less, this staff has 50 and recharges 5 per day in sunlight. Striking, it's a +3 weapon, doing 1d6+3 without a charge (normal striking costs 1 charge). For 2 charges, double damage, as per the regular staff (a staff of striking also allows 3 charges for triple damage, but not here). For every double damage strike you do, you have to wait an hour before healing, which is an interesting limitation (hope your friends aren't bleeding out after the combat you needed the double damage strikes). Cures cost 2 charges, which is double a staff of curing, but then the staff of curing only had 25 charges and didn't re-charge. You also can only do 6 cures, vs the staff of curing's 8. Still, I don't think any cleric would be disappointed to find this. Diviner of Life- often called a baton, a general could use this to check on the health of their troops. Use it on the troops during a long rest so you know where they should be fully healthy, then check on them like after a battle to see how they've recovered. It's basically a HP thermometer, 4 feet long with a 3 foot crystal section. Speak the keyword, touch someone, their lifeforce shows as a green line, 1 inch/10 hp. It feels like, "Oh, we don't want to tell you how many HP an NPC has, so here's an item to determine it in-game." It's not something I remember from the books, but I think it popped up somewhere in the modules. Crystals and Gems Brooch of Imog- a bit of jewelry, gold leaf shaped like a circlet of mistletoe, granted to mages who serve the elven realms. Once per day, the owner can speak the command word and create a 10-round minor glove of invulnerability. Handy. None have been made since the Cataclysm. Medallion of Faith- Magic holy symbol, the only property is creating a new medallion for a new follower of a god (does not have to be the same god). It's fine. Miscellaneous Magic Flute of Wind Dancing- Constructed by sirens and given to favored mariners, only usable by characters who know how to play a flute or other wind instrument (and no bards around). You'll need to play for two rounds- two minutes- to create a zephyr. Three rounds for a gust of wind. A turn (10 rounds) to summon a dust devil. These effects end when you stop playing. Glasses of the Arcanist- Basically permanent comprehend languages/read magic for written words, although only if you're a kender or elf can the frames fit on your head. They don't allow a non-caster to cast spells from scrolls, but a caster can cast higher level spells from a scroll with no chance of failure. It's not noted, but I'm pretty sure these were the glasses Tas had in Tarsis, and an illustration shows the glasses sitting on an open book of unreadable script, but viewing through the lens the word Dragon is clear.  Golden Circlet- Made in Istar, designed to guide people into aiding the church. "Their use, however, tended more toward slavery than service. Even so, they could only be used by one of good desires and so their abuse was somewhat limited." Feh. Slavery is okay if you mean it in a good way. A cleric "of good" can 1/turn Command up to 8 HD of creatures, or 1/turn control a creature up to 4HD as long as they concentrate. This isn't charm and the creature can't be made to hurt itself. Keys of Quinarost- Keys for the royal family of Silvanost, they unlock the tower at the center of the city. The key only works for one person, but it can be reassigned while the original person is still alive to do so. Owner dies, key doesn't work, but elves will still pay a "rich reward." This is not a magic item- it's a quest item, maybe something you include in a module or as an adventure hook (and probably showed up in the modules). Singing Statue- Relics of Mishakal, used in her temple complexes. Pour water in the top, it starts singing, then works as a chime of opening, keeps undead from approaching within 20 feet, and can heal 1d6 points of damage to any person within 10 feet (1/day). Webnet- Hairnet made by the Dimernesti. A wizard can throw it and have it transform into a net of entrapment or spin it and hypnotize up to 12 HD of creatures. Armor and Shields Dragonarmor- Underneath a picture of a helmet, shoulder, and part of breastplate that resembles what Kit wears on the cover of Dragons of Winter Night. This armor has been used by the Dark Queen's forces throughout the ages. It's a padded tunic and leggings, with plate mail breastplate and shoulder plates. Plates for the thighs and shins are attached separately. The helm is two pieces, giving protection for face and back of neck. It gives freedom of movement, protection in combat, and warmth while at high, dragon-riding altitudes. It's also custom-made, so don't try looting it off that dragon highlord, you'l get -1 on attacks because it's ill-fitting. So what you should do instead, is spend 90 stl at your local armorer for a suit of banded mail, because this stuff is the equivalent of Scale +2. That's right, look dark and sinister and enjoy an AC 4. Oh, with all the padding, you do subtract 1d6 from any cold based attacks or damage, so rock on. The Plate of Solamnus- Ever notice how the bad guys get the really cool toys? Well, not in armor. We go from poo poo to the poo poo. These are suits of armor designed specifically for several knights back when the Knighthood was formed, and the deeds of the wears are legendary. Not that we know of any of these knights, or their deeds. Oh, Huma got a suit, even though he wasn't around when the knighthood was formed (and also wasn't a knight of the rose, which is a usual requirement). Many suits, like the one owned by Vinas Solamnus, have disappeared, but rumors abound. The armor is plate breastplate, shoulder guard, arm fittings, leggings, and helm. All beautifully decorated with symbols of knighthood, the rose prominent. It's noted that the suits are rare and the DM should take care when placing them in their world, and that acquiring a suit might be the focus of a campaign. And yeah, it's potent stuff, being Plate +5 (AC -2, Huma's stats certainly don't reflect him having a suit). There doesn't seem to be any concern about the suits being custom fitted. However, the armor is tied in with those alignment trackers. You only get the Plate +5 if you are at the extreme left of the Good chart. Each space to the right, you're penalized by 1, going far enough, the bonus becomes a penalty, up to a -5 penalty (so your plate armor would grant AC 8, as good as leather armor). Each alignment section is 20 spaces long, so just being mid-point good gets you the full penalty. Evil or neutral characters take an additional 1d10 damage from any damage received while wearing the armor (so a long sword hit on you does 1d8+1d10, falling 10' will do 1d6+1d10). Of course, that's basically pointless, since as noted, you're wearing plate armor to achieve an amazing AC 8 (Okay, okay, MAYBE you can contrive a scenario where a villain is willing to have crap AC and risk great damage just to imitate a knight hero but there's got to be an easier, safer way). It's noted that this is NOT the sort of armor Lord Soth wears. Shield of Huma- Less famous than the dragonlance, it shows up in some of his pre-dragonlance tales and is noted for saving his life on several occasions before discovering the lance. It's a +3 shield, +5 vs dragons, and you take no damage on a successful save or half damage on a failed save against dragon breath. Simple, yet very useful. Solamnic Armor- traditionally granted to a knight when they attain the title of Lord (I think 10th level for crown as Lord Warrior, although there is Lord of Shields and Lord of Crowns at 7th and 8th. Sword might be Lord of Swords at 10, or Lord Clerist at 13. Rose is Lord of Roses at 12 or Lord of Justice at 14. Those second lord titles are the step below the "There is only one of this class") The armor is engraved with the symbols of your order, plus any previous ones you belonged to. This grants AC 0, which the texts notes as Plate+1 and Shield+1, except it's really Plate+3 because there's nothing stopping you from using a shield. It shows up in Circles of Knights with roll+modifiers of 15 or more (text says greater than 15, but the chart lists it at 15, 16, and 17. Interestingly, at 18, 19, and 20, Plate +1, +2, or +3 is available. Weapons Dragonlance- the iconic weapon of this setting. Described as made of silvery metal with a silver glow, the head sharpened to a fine edge, with sharp barbs- so definitely the weapon that's part of the logo. Legend has it that you need the Silver Arm of Ergoth and the Hammer of Kharas to make a true dragonlance, but you can get by with one or none (the Knight Circle equipment chart, if they have dragonlances, on 1-9 it's made without either, 10-11 with one, and a 12 gets you ancient dragonlances made with both artifacts (hey, a use for d12s, beyond barbarian HP and long swords vs large creatures) A rules box states that a lance forged with one of the artifacts gets a +2 bonus to hit and damage, while one made with both gets +4 to hit and damage, above and beyond any bonuses in the weapon description. This rules box does end with END SCREEN in an editing error. Footman's Lance- About 8 feet long, used as a spear, does damage as a spear- except if you stab a dragon, in which case you do damage equal to your HP (+2 or +4 with an artifact-crafted lance?) The lance is naturally +1, unless you throw it in which case its -2. Mounted Dragonlance- At 16 feet long, it's meant to be mounted on a dragon. Because of its weight, it's not good mounted on anything smaller than a dragon. It's treated as a normal lance if not mounted on a dragon (which still leaves questions because the PHB lists different damages for light, medium, and heavy horses). If it's on a dragon, it does damage as if on a heavy warhorse- that is, 2d4+1 against small and medium creatures, 3d6 against large. If you have it on a dragon and stab another dragon, you deal your HP plus your mount's HP as damage (you have 15 HP, on a 35 HP dragon, that's 50 damage). The lance is +2 to hit when mounted. Frostreaver- A heavy battle axe made out of ice. The ice comes from a secret location on Icewall Glacier, where the tremendous pressure has made very dense ice. The Revered Clerics of the Ice Folk make them. The only other ingredient we're told is the oil of the thanoi- the walrus men, so I'm guessing harvested from the bodies. It takes a month of work, and only has a 33% chance of success. So, that's 4 a year. And it seems worthwhile- it's a +4 battle axe, with a 13 strength requirement (in AD&D, swords could go to +5 or +6, but other weapons would rarely, if ever, exceed +3. So this is quite good). However, one day above freezing ruins the axe, or 1d6 hours in a warm environment. The Icewall stuff got yadda yaddaed in the Chronicles, but there is a story in Tales, with the cleric coming with Laurana and crew to retrieve a dragon orb. As I recall, he tells the story while working on a frostreaver. Mantooth- aka Spellcleaver, Darkstar, and Magefool. It's a long sword +1/+2 vs magic-users and enchanted creatures (I miss this format- when WotC was doing their "Does this feel like D&D?" polls for 5E, I wish one had the option to say that swords +1/+x vs $thing felt like D&D. Breaks my heart that the flametongue became basically just a fire sword. But I digress). It can also cut through magical barriers, % chance equal to damage done, and it can reflect spells if the wielder rolls to hit 0 without any bonuses. It's a neat weapon, but I have no idea where this fits in Dragonlance. Some later weapons we'll see ownership notes, but so many must have appeared in the Chronicles or modules and there's no indication of that. Looking at other sources, I think this is given to Caramon at the conclusion of the Silvanesti adventure. Nightbringer- this one I know. It's a +3 mace that was wielded by Verminaard. Text says the Black Robes made it in the Tower of Ergoth, back when their kind was hunted by the church, and many evil weapons were forged there. "The evil ones knew far better the need for a strong arm and exercised that might more quickly than their good brethren." Though- who were they equipping with the weapons? Seeking out evil clerics who are likewise being hunted sounds like it's going to compound your problems. But, it at least made its way to evil clerics post- Cataclysm. Besides the +3, on a hit with the command word, target saves vs spell or is blinded for 2d6 turns (minimum of 20 rounds, that's rough). Good characters who pick it up save at -2 or are permanently blinded (or cure blindness). Wyrmsbane- An artifact from the third Dragon War (which I'll mention again, got left off the history page), forged in the Age of Might then lost. It's a +2 two-handed sword, does double damage against dragons and draconians, triple damage against black dragons and sea dragons (?) and it doesn't get stuck in Baaz. It can also locate object three times a day. Another useful weapon that I don't know where it fits in Krynn. Poking around, it's paired with Wyrmslayer, going to Kith-Kanan's brother. As such, it stayed in Silvanesti, and gets bestowed upon Tanis (who had managed to lose Wyrmslayer). Wyrmslayer- The weapon of Kith-Kanan, forged for the second Dragon War, property of the Silvanesti royal house until Kith-Kanan took it to Qualinesti. "He is said to have been buried with the sword." Which... yeah, it show's up in his tomb in the Chronicles and Tanis claims it. I don't know why the book doesn't mention that. It resembles Wyrmsbane, except a little larger- though we don't have a description of Wyrmsbane expect it's a two-handed sword. So Wyrmslayer is... a 12 finger sword? Anyway, it's a +3 two-handed sword, doesn't get stuck in Baaz, does double damage against dragons and draconians. Additionally, holding the hilt (so, no good if sheathed) grants the wielder +3 on saves vs dragonbreath or dragon or draconian magic. It buzzes when within 3" of a true dragon (that's map measurements, I believe 30 feet indoors, 30 yards outside). The buzz is loud enough to wake a sleeping dragon. Good fun, party sneaks up on a sleeping dragon- and the warrior's sword starts buzzing like a phone on silent mode. Special Magical Items of Krynn Because the previous magic items weren't special? or of Krynn? Maybe it's artifacts or unique items, but, we've had some of those already? Oh, because I don't have a better place to put it- none of these items has a gold (or steel) or XP value. Which, is pretty important in AD&D with GP=XP, and sometimes you need the GP of selling to bump your XP and/or pay for training. I mean, Wyrmsbane might not be far off from any dragonslayer, but Mantooth seems a bit more than just a sword +1/+2 vs magic-users. But what about a dragonlance? The glasses of the arcanist? Icon of Truth- A white marble rectangle carved in the shape of a book, encrusted with jewels and with a magic aura. "It is the book held by the god Gilean that symbolizes all the knowledge of the gods." The actual book? If so, its properties seem a little underwhelming. And also, what's it doing here rather than being in Gilean's possession? Its one power is to Dispel Illusion as a 21st level caster in a 30 foot radius. Illusions cannot exist in this area. Magic-users and clerics who hold it know how to use it. The command word is "Tobril", which I think is the name of the actual book Gilean has. Orb of Dragonkind- aka, Dragon Orbs, and really, that's the only way they should be called because AD&D already has artifacts called the Orb of Dragonkind. These are 20 inches in diameter (twice the size of the biggest Orb of Dragonkind in the DMG) though shrink to 10 inches when not in use. They are fragile. Legends have it that they were used in destroying dragons. What they don't say is that the orbs SUMMON dragons and then the wizards use powerful magic to destroy the dragons. They do contain the essence of an evil dragon, and the user must save vs spell or be charmed (which might be a clue how Laurana was able to use one- elves are 90% resistant to sleep or charm. Lorac of Silvanesti just got really unlucky). If you save, you cause all evil dragons within 1d4 x 10 miles to head to your location where they will attack any non-evil creature. If the DM doesn't specifically know if any dragons are around, roll a d6 with a random dragon being nearby on a 1-2. If you fail the save, no dragons come, and your DM is going to take you aside to secretly reveal you've been charmed. The dragon makes you do evil, but subtly, until a critical moment, such as throwing in with evil forces in a close battle. I think in some places its suggested that Derek Crownguard was charmed by the Dragon Orb retrieved from Icewall, resulting in his bad behavior in regard to Sturm and at the High Clerist Tower. The orb can also cure serious wounds 3/day, and cast detect magic and continual light at will. Each use still requires the save vs charm and the check to see if evil dragons are summoned. Seems pretty risky for detect magic. Hammer of Kharas- A mighty artifact that according to legend is the only hammer that can forge a dragonlance. We know that's not true, but also- the dragonlances were first forged in the second dragon war. Kharas is a hero of the Dwarfgate Wars, some time after the Cataclysm. I'm not saying the hammer couldn't have existed previously- but, wouldn't it already have a name then? This is an issue with the original novels but it still bothers me. We're told it was given to Kharas by the Kaolyn dwarves (who dwell south of Solamnia, and were oppressed by the Ergothians) for deeds before the Dwarfgate Wars. So maybe they had it from of old, and it gained the name of the new, famous wielder. The hammer is +2 to hit and does 2d4+2 damage- described as hammer twice the size as normal, that's about twice the damage of a hammer, which normally does 2-5... or maybe it IS double damage, and doesn't have a magic bonus to damage? Anyway, you need a strength 12 to pick it up, and an 18/50 to wield without a -2 penalty to hit (Kharas was doing okay with an 18/56). It also acts as a mace of disruption against undead AND creatures from the Abyss, and turns undead as a level 12 cleric. It is intelligent with an Int 11, Ego 11, and can control anyone who touches it who has less than 22 combined in Int and Wis. So if Flint, the dwarf of the Heroes of the Lance tried to imitate the dwarf hero, he's get controlled (7 int and 12 wis); his 16 strength also prevents him from using it effectively. Caramon is the only hero strong enough, and just barely qualifies with 10 int and 12 wis (Tas can barely lift with a 13 str, and 9 int/12 wis leaves him controlled). Kharas is fine here too. Additionally, at the 20th level of ability, it detects evil as a paladin, grants immunity to fear, wielder is unaffected by 1st-4th level spells, Prayer 1/day, Protection from Normal Missiles 1/day, acts as a potion of Fire Giant strength 1/day, Cure Serious Wounds 1/day, inspires magical awe in dwarves and derro. The hammer chooses when to activate these abilities. Silver Arm of Ergoth- created by good dragons, men, elves, and dwarves during the first Dragon War (except the first Dragon War predates the Greystone being released, so no dwarves, and I think humans were mostly hiding in caves afraid of the sun. It was used in the creation of the dragonlances, and during the most recent war. It needs to be attached to a human with at least 17 Strength who does not have a right arm (good thing there's no Silver Head of Ergoth...). It attaches and works like a normal arm. Except, it has the power to forge dragonlances, using pure dragonmetal (which I've read elsewhere apparently comes from a dragon) and with the Hammer of Kharas. It also acts as a ring of regeneration... well, I hope without the regrows-limbs part. Staff of Magius- A detail from this close read, these item blocks are really hit or miss on description. The Hammer of Kharas did have a picture, and also we know it's a 2x warhammer. Nothing about what the silver arm looks like, though I suppose you can guess. The Staff of Magius- there's an image near by I recognize as the staff, but only because I've read about it elsewhere. Anyway, we're getting into the Raistlin items, to be followed by the Legends items. This was the staff of Magius, Huma's wizard friend, and it was a revered artifact because of who owned it, not for any special powers (like you might like Babe Ruth's bat because of Babe Ruth, not because it could shoot lightning bolts). "Many have suspected that there was more magic to the staff than met the eye." Whoa boy. Apparently wizards are MORONS because they didn't know about what it could do despite having it for hundreds of years. It was gifted to Raistlin after his test, sealed in his lab after his death, then his nephew Palin got it after his test. So what does it do? What's this staff that you might use as guidance when awarding an item to the 3rd level m-u in your game who's completed his test? The first group of powers are know immediately, the second group only when casting certain spells (so again, wtf that the wizards didn't recognize its power?). It functions as a Ring of Protection +3- rings of protection were more common in 1st than in 5th, but that's still some hefty magic- just a ring would be worth between 2-4,000 XP, so this function alone makes it somewhere in value between a +4 sword and a +5 Holy Avenger. It strikes as a +2 magical weapon and does 1d8 damage (AD&D quarter staff did 1d6). It can also cast feather fall and continual light 1/day. Perfect item for a 3rd level character. (maybe I'm being unfair, with 5E's mindset of being very careful with AC bonuses. In AD&D, this basically mean the magic-user had an AC equal to ring mail, along with +3 on saves. Potent, but not breaking) At 6th level, you get access to its full power. Spells that influence light, air, and minds are doubled in duration. If you need to concentrate on a spell and stop, the staff keeps it going for one more round. And you add +2 to each die of damage from your spells (6th level, you're now throwing 3 magic missiles, hitting for 3d4+9; your fireball is doing 6d6+12). Dagger of Magius- no mention of the famous wizard in this one, and by lore, it couldn't have been his dagger, as he wasn't allowed one (I remember early campaigns, usually fighters would take dagger as a proficiency after a sword and bow because it made sense to have a back-up weapon, and you'd probably have a dagger anywhere to cut your meat and stuff. I suppose before Magius, wizards cut their steak with MAGIC, or beat it with their staff). Raistlin picked it up at the Tower, trading a valuable magic item found in his mercenary days. He'd carry it on his forearm in a leather strap that allowed him to easily slip it into his wrist. It is described, six inches long, silver dagger carved in the shape of a dragon. And this dagger, that Raistlin casually traded for, is a +3 weapon and also remains undetected if the owner is searched. Um, so yeah, these magic item shops are trading +3 items (but then, Sturm has a +3 Two-handed sword in the first module. Ancestral blade gets you some mileage with his DM I suppose) (with all these other weapons discussed, I'm surprised the Bright Blade doesn't get any text) Bupu's Emerald- Raistlin gave this emerald to the gully dwarf Bupu in Xak Tsaroth. The end. No, wait, after he died, the legend sprang up that it was in the pocket of a gully dwarf who was about to be killed by a draconian. He offered it as payment for his life, the draconian took the gem and died. It only works for a gully dwarf, gnome, or kender, and if offered in a life-threatening situation, the attacker must take it (as by a 15th level charm spell- except charm doesn't get harder to save against? Maybe 15th level for overcoming magic resistance). The attacker then dies, or takes 2d20 on a successful save. Can't say I'm too fond of this as it's tied in with three races I hate. The Bloodstone of Fistandantilus- This is how the evil wizard found immortality, until it was taken by Raistlin. It's evil, about 3 inches in diameter, green gem flecked with red. It can be used to cure physical wounds (so no help against poison) expect there aren't any rules for how it does that. It lets you take over another person's body, sucking out their life force and replacing it with your own. You also get their wisdom, memories, and such, which can be disorienting if your will isn't strong enough to retain your identity. Using it is evil moving your alignment tracker 10 blocks toward evil for each use (this is so important it's stated at the start and end of the rules block, or it's repeated due to bad editing). Both parties need to make a save vs spell. Both failing, each takes 1d10+5, and the victim gets a free attack. The wizard can try again. Both save, they're locked in mental combat, roll again. Victim saves, wizard fails, wizard takes 1d10+5, loses initiative in the following round, and the victim gets a free action next round. Wizard saves, victim fails, victim goes to meet the gods. The wizard takes over the body, using either their own ability scores or the body's, whichever are higher, and if higher level, the body gets promoted to wizard's level. Device of Time Journeying- The key to making the Legends trilogy work. This was restricted to the the major races- humans, elves, and ogres- and one person at a time. It's also got a safeguard built into it that it comes back to its owner (since you need it to get back to your own time, this takes care of the worry of cavemen running off with it or something) (specifically called out as proof against kender handling). Oh, this isn't the only time travel- there's also the Timereaver spell, which is called out as what was used to send Caramon and Tas back to the time of the Kingpriest. The spell mentions it is also used by the Scepter of Time, which I think is what this is (as it's described as a jeweled scepter). (by the by, Timereaver is a 9th level evocation, so Raistlin is doubly blocked from it, except he's pretty much a renegade. So was he using a Device of Time Journeying?). The device got altered by a gnome, the only gnome whose inventions worked, and it could then transport the minor races and more than one target. It has been ~ 30 years since I read Legends, so I don't know if this causes any paradoxes in the text. There is a whole list of instructions and a nine line poem to recite, which will either be glossed over or used to screw the players. Speaking of screwing, you can go to the desired time, or the desired place, but not both. Examples are transporting to a tower's treasure room- and showing up before the tower if built, so hello 50 foot drop. Or pick a time and end up in the middle of an arena. "Use this little loophole to get your players where you want them when they want to be there or when you want them in a place the want to be." And that's all there is on the Railroad of Time Journeying. Dalamar's Bracelet of Magic Resistance- Apparently not really Dalamar's, just a treasure in the tower he gave to Tanis to protect him from Lord Soth. It grants 10% magic resistance against 3rd-5th level spells, 20% vs 6th and 7th, and 30% against 8th and 9th, 3 times per day for each group. Sounds super, and I think Tas steals it before Tanis can use it. Except- it's an evil item that only can be worn by neutral or evil characters. Good characters who touch it take a jolt of electricity- a jolt being the amount required to inflict 3d10 damage. How the gently caress was Tanis supposed to use this? Who added that element to this item? Dalamar's Ring of Healing- Not a unique item, seems a common one but the only example we got was Dalamar using it in the books. Also the danger of mixing narrative language with game terms. Must be worn on the right hand, works only for magic-users. I'm not sure if it's using up your ring slot or not. It's the last defense against death. It can heal a light wound completely, which means 6 HP of damage. Or heal a mortal wound to prevent death- which brings you up to 1 hit point. Does that mean it only works if you've taken massive damage? If you've gone to -10 with death's door? Does it work at any negative (in which case, if you're at -2, I'd rather it heal me 6 HP)? It activates by touch, so, are you always touching it? touch it with your left hand (in which case, how do you activate if you're unconscious)? Does it work automatically? It can only be used once by that character, so how do you prevent premature curation? Like, if you get a paper cut, is it going to heal that, and there's your use? I'm sure it worked fine as a Get Out of Dead Card for Dalamar in the book, but once we're into the game with HP and actions, we need something more. Dalamar's Wand of Lightning- Casts lightning bolt as a 15th level caster (which means 15d6 of damage), has 7 charges, recharges one per week that there's a local thunderstorm. BUT- this is the wand used to kill Kitiara. Every time it's used, there's a 5% chance that Lord Soth notices. He arrives in 1d10 rounds and wants to bring the wand to his mistress. Tasslehoff's Magic Mouse Ring- A ring from a short story that turns you into a white mouse when put on. Change back at will. The text states that it's a simple ring, the type made by apprentices learning to make items... except making magic items beyond potions and scrolls is the exclusive domain of higher level characters, specifically level 12+ for magic-users. It's also mentioned the ring was probably to help avoid observation or eavesdrop. Sure, in the story, but you come into AD&D and each transformation is a system shock roll. Do you want to turn into a mouse when each time carries a 30% chance of death? And it seems like a ring of invisibility would be easier to make, with invisibility being lower level than polymorph. The Nightjewel- Black as a dragon's blood, looking like a lump of coal to any non-undead, this is Kiss of Night's Guardian in item form. Keep your weapons away, take off your helmet, present this jewel and you get to make your save vs. fear in the Shoikan Grove at normal, instead of -10. It applies to the whole party, until someone draws a weapon or casts a spell. Failing a save means the -10 penalty comes back until you save. Warbringer- a two-handed sword, owned by Steeltoe, taken by Caramon back to the future. It's a +3 weapon. That's it. Sturm had the same thing back in Dragons of Despair. The Axe of Brotherhood and Sword of Friendship- to get factions of dwarves and tribesmen to work together, Caramon set a post in the mud and placed a magic sword and axe at the top. The pole was greased and the whole thing was rigged so the dwarves and humans had to work together to get the prizes. The axe is +2, the sword +3, I don't know why the dwarves got (sorry) shorted on their weapon. Also pretty handy that Caramon had a couple spare magic weapons laying around... although I guess he was doing AD&D modules so he probably couldn't give the things away. Raistlin's Cursed Money- 100,000 steel coins paid by Raistlin to the dark dwarves of Throbardin to open the gates in the Dwarfgate Wars. I guess it didn't take long for the steel piece to be adopted post-Cataclysm. To prevent the dwarves sudden but inevitable betrayal, the coins were cursed- if you're paid the coins to do something, and then you don't follow through, you're afflicted by a wasting disease. The curse is still intact, so these coins could still turn up. No problem if you're true to your word, but if you take the money and run, "the flesh of hands begins to turn black and rot away." Which is good enough for 1d4 damage a day until you get a remove curse or die. With no clerics, you're looking at a slow, painful death. Rabbitslayer, Tasslehoff's knife- Maybe a single knife picked up in Xak Tsaroth, or a series of knives, except probably not with the game stats. It's a +4 knife that also can't be lost or stolen, returning to the owner within 1d20 hours. Not a bad trait for a kender's weapon. The Helm of Griffon Mane- A dwarf-sized helmet decorated with a horse tail (but Flint's "allergic" to horses, so it must be griffon, har har). Grants +1 AC to a dwarf wearing it. And that's all the items that matter on Krynn. Next time, history, post-Cataclysm.
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Oct 6, 2022 08:45
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The HP-checker baton reminds me of the time as a kid I was exposed to Dragonlance, as the first setting I ever played in. I had a GM back then who refused to tell us what damage dice weapon rolled until we'd used them(as in, he kept the PHB away from us and wouldn't even let us check what damage, say, a two-handed sword did) and similar obtuse bullshit. Even as a 10-year-old I knew it was stupid to not let players know what rules they were playing by, and the baton I can really only imagine as useful in a similar situation due to it needing physical contact to check health status. If instead it gave you a general idea of how healthy creatures in the area were, it could be used to guide target prioritization during battles or ambushes.
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Oct 6, 2022 11:03
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Wraith Update: finished the chapter 6 and 7 notes today (skipped summaries for the example archetype Harrowings) and got through part of chapter 8. I might actually finish these notes by this weekend and be able to start on the actual review by Monday. That is my mission. In the meantime look at this goofy poo poo 
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Oct 7, 2022 00:14
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Air Nation's standards been slipping
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Oct 7, 2022 00:17
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joylessdivision posted:In the meantime look at this goofy poo poo Friends don't let friends wear crow make up.
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Oct 7, 2022 02:37
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joylessdivision posted:Wraith Update: finished the chapter 6 and 7 notes today (skipped summaries for the example archetype Harrowings) and got through part of chapter 8. I might actually finish these notes by this weekend and be able to start on the actual review by Monday. I feel that all the art adds to Wraith, goofy or spooky.
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Oct 7, 2022 03:22
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Dawgstar posted:I feel that all the art adds to Wraith, goofy or spooky. Oh absolutely, and I pulled some selections of "Legit great" (the Bradstreet two page spreads), "Cool or atmospheric" and "Unitentionally/intentionally hilarious". The Bradstreet stuff is easily some of my favorite but I really dig some of the chapter opening art as well. Really of the three corebooks I've read now, I think this one has the best atmospheric art throughout. I love some of the art in Werewolf 1e but Wraiths got it beat.
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Oct 7, 2022 03:44
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I'm approaching the end of Dragonlance Adventures and I've been enjoying having a writing project, such as it is. I'd like to continue. Thinking about things in my collection that I feel knowledgeable about and could rip into a bit, I'm looking at either Dragon Kings, basically the epic level handbook for Dark Sun from 2nd edition AD&D, or Rise of the Runelords, the initial Pathfinder adventure path (written after WotC pulled the magazines from Paizo, but before they turned Pathfinder into its own game). Any preferences?
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Oct 7, 2022 05:55
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I'd be a bit more interested in hearing about Runelords than the other. Started in on it with some friends at the time but we didn't even finish the first adventure before the game fell apart, and always been kind of curious where it goes. I'm given to understand that it goes into splatter horror with a side of gross-out before too long, though. Not inappropriate for October, but probably something for people to be aware of.
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Oct 7, 2022 06:04
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I'll ditto the Runelords idea.
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Oct 7, 2022 13:31
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disposablewords posted:I'd be a bit more interested in hearing about Runelords than the other. Started in on it with some friends at the time but we didn't even finish the first adventure before the game fell apart, and always been kind of curious where it goes. I'm given to understand that it goes into splatter horror with a side of gross-out before too long, though. Not inappropriate for October, but probably something for people to be aware of. Oh yes. It's like they realized "we're no longer representing Wizards of the Coast, we can be as gross and juvenile as we want. Maybe toss in some swear words. Let's do The Hills have Eyes with ogres." Got some history and stat blocks to cover, then I'll move on to the Runelords.
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Oct 7, 2022 21:03
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Dragonlance Adventures part 21 Astinus's Scroll: The River of Time We're back to history, starting with the cataclysm. Age of Darkness 0 Cataclysm- "The wrath of the gods descends upon Krynn." The Thirteen Warnings strike, thirteen days each with some calamity leading up to the end of the year. Trees weep blood, fires die or rage uncontrollably, cyclones strike the Temple of the Kingpriest (I think these are some of the 13, but it's not clear. Do fires die one day and rage the next? It's not mentioned, but I think during this time, the true clerics are taken away, though it seems like there aren't a whole lot to take. So, on the one hand, yeah, I get the gods wanting to save their faithful- but what about all the common people left behind? The ones that really didn't get a say in whatever crazy poo poo the Kingpriests were doing while the gods kept granting them spells). Day 13, the mountains of fire fall (plural here, I think in other places it's implied just one falls). Istar is destroyed, the remnants sinking below the new Bloodsea. Ergoth becomes two islands separated from the mainland. Central Ansalon is flooded, creating the new sea and shrinking the plains. Further south, the water recedes and the land rises, most famously making Tarsis landlocked (and in 300 years no one thought to rebuild the city to make it a port once again). The temple of the Kingpriest is shattered and the pieces scattered throughout the planes of the universe. The Cataclysm is always going to bug me. It looks like Weis & Hickman wanted some major disaster, something Old Testament, the Great Flood, the Tower of Babel, something big and epic that plunged the world into darkness and chaos. And that's great! For me the default D&D world is one where the present is build upon the ruins of past civilizations that were greater. That's why you adventure into a hole in the ground and pull out gold and magic. But where they fumbled, for me, was the Why. Alignment in Dragonlance is the Horseshoe Theory, and this Good empire just got too good so it was going out and doing Good genocides and maintaining a Good slave system and we know it's good because it's run by a LAWFUL GOOD cleric (that's what his statblock says) of the leader of the Good gods. And this guy is just so Good and so arrogant, that when he demands his recognition from the gods, they 1-100 AC Chaos and Pestilence- Famine spreads and plague follows. There are no true clerics (a world that grew up on Cure Disease and Create Food and Water is going to have a hard time adjusting). The knights get scapegoated. Many villages and towns, initially untouched, disappear in the years following the Cataclysm. But hey, it's their fault, because man turned away from the gods, not the gods turning away from Krynn. Also during this time, the Foundation Stone of the Temple of the Kingpriest ends up in the Abyss, and Takhisis finds it. 141 Stone Planted in Neraka- Takhisis places the Foundation Stone in the barren plain of Neraka, away from any major cities. It grows into a twisted parody of the temple. This also opens up a portal, allowing Takhisis to physically enter Krynn. She awakens her evil dragons... which were banished to a negative plane and shouldn't be on Krynn. Anyway, she tells the dragons to wake up and get ready to work, and she heads back to the Abyss to gather her forces. We're really only interested in events leading up to the War of the Lance. The Dwarfgate War should have fit somewhere in here, and it's left out entirely. 157 Berem finds the Stone- one of the central points of the Chronicles, almost 200 years before it begins, Berem and his sister find the Foundation Stone (guess it wasn't far enough away from population centers? I wonder if a bumbling wizard pointed them in the direction). I get hunting and gathering, but, "barren plain." And in the adventures, isn't Neraka in the middle of a bunch of volcanos? Berem decides to pry out a gem (gold has no value, but pretty rocks do), his sister says don't, she's accidentally killed and he gets the gem (I think emerald, but not specified here) stuck in his chest. He is now Berem Everman, cursed to life until his sister's soul can be set free. 210 Takhisis returns- after a 70 year coffee break, Takhisis is ready to get on with the conquering of Krynn, but Berem's sister's spirit (which the previous entry told us was imbued with goodness and took up residence in the Foundation Stone) blocks the portal. Takhisis is not pleased. 287 Dragon eggs stolen- The evil dragons, who have been awake for 136 years, go to the Isle of Dragons and steal the good dragon eggs. 296 The Oath- The evil dragons make the good dragons swear the Oath of Neutrality, which says the good dragons will still out of the coming war, and they get their eggs back after. Great! Because making deals with evil kidnappers works out well. And look, we've got to talk dragon biology here. How long do these eggs stay eggs? It's 50 years before the war kicks off, by that time, wouldn't the evil dragons be holding on to a bunch of young dragons (if they weren't turning the eggs into draconians). Heck, it's been 9 years since they took them, shouldn't the eggs have hatched already? Checking age categories, 50 is the end of the young adult, so when the war starts in 348, that's a eggcarton full of adult dragons. Also, I get having your unborn children dragonnapped is traumatic. But... can't the good dragons just make more? Or are they like pandas in captivity? "Not tonight, I have a headache." "For Paladine's sake, Lhammaruntosz, you've had a headache for 200 years!" We need a reason why the good dragons aren't involved from the start, when really, the designers could have been working on cool aerial joust rules from word one. 300-320 Agents of Evil- Goddess Seeking Man. Me, eternal, five headed, conquest-oriented. You, 150 years old with a green gemstone stuck in your chest. (so yeah, we do get color here). Takhisis' personal ad gets no reply, so she decides, gently caress it, let's get things going. Age of Dragons 332 Dragons Appear- in a victory for passive voice, "The savage and warlike humans of Sanction, Neraka, and Estwilde are allowed to discover the evil dragons." The most evil of these 340 Humanoids Recruited- Ogres and hobgoblins are, well, recruited into the Dragonarmies. 342 Draconians created- Takhisis teaches the process of corrupting the good dragon eggs (OMG! Oathbreaking!) Baaz are made first, then Kapak. 343-347 Evil Armies Marshall- the first Bozak, Sivak, and Aurak draconians roll off the assembly line. The draconians are formed into military units, alongside the humans and humanoids. There are outbreaks of violence in the ranks, which the Highlords encourage as positive, aggressive behavior (evil turns on itself). 348 War of the Lance Begins- the snow melts in the high passes around Neraka and the dragonarmies head east. Nordmaar and Goodlund are quickly conquered, Khur allies with the invaders to avoid being conquered. There isn't much in the way of battles, and what there is, dragons decide (air superiority). End of the page, next two pages show the post-war (and post-cataclysm) Ansalon. Lines and dots mark the areas still under dragonarmy control. Red holds a lot of Nordmaar. Black has the bulk of Kendermore. White has a chunk of Icewall. Blue covers from Lemis to Sanction. Green heads from south of Sanction into Silvanesti, stopping short of Silvanost, leaving everything south and east of that unoccupied. There's textured area running from Khur through Neraka and up to Kalaman which I think may belong to all the armies? From the map, it appears the conquests in Abanasinia and Solamnia were temporary and those lands have been reclaimed. 349 Takhisis turns to Silvanesti- Three pronged attack into the elf lands. Elves put up more resistance than humans or kender, with magic, discipline, and knowledge of the terrain working to slow the advance. Takhisis sends her two remaining Dragonarmies (the Dragonarmies are seeming a lot less scary when one elf nation is able to check the entire all that of evil). These added forces push the elves back, and dragons go out destroying food stockpiles (well, hopefully grabbing some of them- I think an army with ogres and dragons is going to need a lot of MREs). In the autumn, the capital is evacuated. Fighters remain, most of the elves take ship to Southern Ergoth. On the last day of the year, King Lorac tries to use the Dragon Orb, but it takes control and plunges the land into living nightmare. 350 Rearming evil- The dragonarmies rebuild, retrain. They now control all of eastern Ansalon. The minotaurs of Mithas and Kothas are recruited, though too late to catch the elven fleet. Apparently no one out west thinks they should be concerned. 351 Evil turns west- with the spring, a new offensive starts. The Blue Army spearheads the strike across Solamnia, overrunning Kalaman, Vingaard, and Solanthus. Ah, "disorganized and bickering" the Knights are slow to respond. Lemish sides with evil, the Kaolyn dwarves hold out and cause problems on the flanks. The Red Army takes an amphibious assault to the Plain of Abanasinia. The barbarian tribes are "absorbed" (join up? conquered? disappear in fiery breaths?) and the army makes it to the borders of Qualinesti. While the Silvanesti were able to resist the entire Dragonarmy, Qualinesti apparently can't even handle the Red Army, so they also flee to Southern Ergoth. By the year's end, the army is at the gates of Thorbardin and settles in for siege. More troops head from Silvanesti across the Tarsian Plain, and Tarsis is occupied by the end of the year. The Dragonarmies rule all by the western islands and the western coastline. This is also the year (though not mentioned in the history) that the companions meet up in Solace. I hadn't realized that the war started 3 years earlier- over half their 5 year quest was during the war, even if it wasn't going on in the places the companions were. 352 Whitestone Council- surviving good nations meet at the Whitestone, with more bickering between the humans, elves, and dwarves. They're convinced to their act together when Theros Ironfeld shows up, bearing the Silver Arm of Ergoth and a dragonlance. In Spring, the Blue Army hits the High Clerist Tower, which stands on the mountain pass to Palanthus. The knights rally, make a heroic stand. "for the first time, a Dragonarmy retreats from a field of battle. The battle marks the first modern use of dragonlances." Shortly after that, heroes enter the temples of the Highlords in Sanction and discover the truth about the dragon eggs. The good dragons are brought into the war. The allied armies, backed by dragons, take back on the Solamnic Plain during the rest of the year. Gunthar Uth Wistan and Laurana lead the armies. With mounted dragonlances, they win every battle they fight during the summer. Kalaman is recaptured, the beginning of the end. Takhisis is still trying to find the Greenstone Man, still trying to get back to Krynn. But, she fails. The allied armies close in on the Dragonarmies at Neraka. Evil turns on itself and the army collapses. The War of the Lance ends. Ansalon after the War Although Legends was out and is referenced throughout this book, the default setting seems to be right after the War of the Lance, not the five years later of Legends. We're told factions are in control of their areas, with veteran troops maintaining order. There may be border skirmishes, but no fighting inside territory beyond possible guerrilla actions. Areas outside of factions are probably seeing bandits inhibiting cities from controlling their surroundings. This would be a lot more helpful if the map depicted all the factions and not just the Dragonarmy remnants. Knowing where the knights have claims, or the dwarves, would be very helpful, but it's not there. A grey box points out YCMV, with an example that if you had played the Battle of Neraka and the Blue Dragonarmy was destroyed and Kitiara killed, they wouldn't control any territory. Instead, the Red and Green armies, along with the knights would have expanded into the void, with parts of it not under anyone's control If you led units in combat, you're recognized by your army, and if you're a hero of the conflict, allied troops recognize you about 50% of the time (hostile troops will just view you as a suspicious outsider). Nine factions control things- the five dragonarmies, the minotaurs, the knights, elves, and dwarves. A chart shows alliances- white has no allies, red and black are aligned, as are blue and green (the chaotics and lawfuls). Although LE, the minotaurs are allied with the black army. The knights are allied to the elves and dwarves, but those races are not allied with each other. Where good and evil meet, you'll often have border skirmishes. For co-aligned but non-allied factions, there will be border guards (I think this is where dwarves and elves sharing a border, or blue and red). There's a 10% chance for fighting to start, though never at the level of a full on war. Allies will work together, troops fighting side by side- though never allowing their troops to be commanded by another faction (I guess Larurana was a unique situation) We're told post-war, most of the Whitestone Army went home to plant crops. After stopping the Dark Queen, they just put up the Mission Accomplished banner and went home, leaving the dragonarmies in control of conquered area. We're told wars continue, but on the small scale. There are plenty of mercenaries around who've spent their adult lives in war (a little surprising, but sure, could happen. We don't have a clear picture of pre-war Ansalon. Does remind me I once considered, maybe because of something I read here, running a Black Company campaign set in pre-war Ansalon, a mercenary group that joins up with the Dragonarmies using the Green Ronin sourcebook). Palanthus escaped damage during the war, so is now the center of civilization on Krynn (I thought that's what it was post-Cataclysm, for much the same reason). Discussion on climate, reminder that Ansalon is in the southern hemisphere. Qualinesti to Silvanesti sees severe winters. The western islands get mild winters, which still include plenty of snow. Beyond the map, heading south hits the Icewall Glacier, north takes you to the tropics, which includes the Isle of Dragons, west runs into heavy winds that make sailing near impossible, east will take many months (though aided by strong winds) before reaching a land with creatures and people very different from Ansalon. A map shows the climate regions and currents. Finally, a table lists the various nations, the major race, the dominant alignment, products, and further notes. I'd assumed the dwarves allied with the Knights were Thorbardin, but they are isolationist Neutral with Good tendancies (just starting up trade with humans and elves). The Kaolyn Dwarves (who gifted Kharas with his hammer) are LG and "very loyal to the knights." The racists of Qualinesti and Silvanesti somehow get designated CG. A third dwarf nation is Zhakar, alignment listed as L(E) but notes saying Mysterious race of evil dwarves. Palanthus is noted as the center of good religions, but the alignment is N. One more update on characters before I'm declaring Mission Accomplished, because I'm not delving into an appendix for cleric spheres and spells. srhall79 fucked around with this message at 09:12 on Oct 8, 2022 |
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Oct 8, 2022 08:29
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srhall79 posted:
So I feel like adding to some of this, as a few contradictory and vague aspects were retconned or added in subsequent editions. I'm pulling this info from the 3e War of the Lance sourcebook. Weis and Hickman worked on that book, which more or less makes it G-level Canon if we use Star Wars terminology. quote:
This gets a lot more coverage in a big sidebar part of outlining the dwarvish history of 3e WotL. It covers the Neidar (hill dwarf) diaspora, the cultural distrust of wizards due to Fistandantilus' betrayal, and its impact on modern-day dwarven politics. quote:
People are not rational actors, especially when your children are being held hostage. And given how rare dragons are even at this point in history, children aren't "replaceable." quote:300-320 Agents of Evil- Goddess Seeking Man. Me, eternal, five headed, conquest-oriented. You, 150 years old with a green gemstone stuck in your chest. (so yeah, we do get color here). Takhisis' personal ad gets no reply, so she decides, gently caress it, let's get things going. The Dragonarmies used the poor living standards of goblinoid and ogre tribes to make them expendable soldiers. It was common for humans to have more elevated positions in the military; it wasn't uncommon to have a human lieutenant leading all-goblin battalions, for example. And yes, this wasn't lost on the monstrous races. In the original Dragonlance Chronicles most of the humanoid foes are goblins and draconians with some ogres here and there. It's not until later in the module that the Dragonarmies start sending out more humans to the front lines. quote:End of the page, next two pages show the post-war (and post-cataclysm) Ansalon. Lines and dots mark the areas still under dragonarmy control. Red holds a lot of Nordmaar. Black has the bulk of Kendermore. White has a chunk of Icewall. Blue covers from Lemis to Sanction. Green heads from south of Sanction into Silvanesti, stopping short of Silvanost, leaving everything south and east of that unoccupied. There's textured area running from Khur through Neraka and up to Kalaman which I think may belong to all the armies? From the map, it appears the conquests in Abanasinia and Solamnia were temporary and those lands have been reclaimed. The Taman Busuk region (that's the big mountain chain in Central Ansalon with Neraka and Sanction) is the "capital province" of the Dragon Empire. As such, it has representatives from each Dragonarmy holding it as a shared collection. Unofficially, the Red Dragonarmy is the highest-ranking of the Dragonarmies after Verminaard's death, when Emperor Ariakas appoints himself the Red Dragon Highlord. Khur is under Green Dragonarmy control on account of its Highlord Salah-Khan being from that region and part of the most powerful tribe. quote:349 Takhisis turns to Silvanesti- Three pronged attack into the elf lands. Elves put up more resistance than humans or kender, with magic, discipline, and knowledge of the terrain working to slow the advance. Takhisis sends her two remaining Dragonarmies (the Dragonarmies are seeming a lot less scary when one elf nation is able to check the entire all that of evil). These added forces push the elves back, and dragons go out destroying food stockpiles (well, hopefully grabbing some of them- I think an army with ogres and dragons is going to need a lot of MREs). In the autumn, the capital is evacuated. Fighters remain, most of the elves take ship to Southern Ergoth. On the last day of the year, King Lorac tries to use the Dragon Orb, but it takes control and plunges the land into living nightmare. One should also consider that the elven nations are one of the only high-magic nations remaining in post-Cataclysm times. Much like how the USA was untrained in guerilla and jungle warfare at the time, the Dragonarmies were mostly trouncing low-magic local fiefdoms and tribal kingdoms who didn't have standing armies or magic. Silvanesti was a pretty big turning point in military strategy from then on out. quote:350 Rearming evil- The dragonarmies rebuild, retrain. They now control all of eastern Ansalon. The minotaurs of Mithas and Kothas are recruited, though too late to catch the elven fleet. Apparently no one out west thinks they should be concerned. This was a very chaotic time in the Dragon Empire. The nightmare doesn't discriminate when it comes to Dragonarmies, which effectively closed off Silvanesti's exploitable resources (and they had a lot, particularly when it came to magic items). Ariakas was pissed, the fall of the elven nation bled them dry. Someone had to be blamed for Lorac's nightmare; a lot of Stalin-style purges happened in the government. Even a few Dragon Highlords found themselves getting assassinated. IIRC Verminaard managed to gain Highlord status as a result of his superior being executed. quote:351 Evil turns west- with the spring, a new offensive starts. The Blue Army spearheads the strike across Solamnia, overrunning Kalaman, Vingaard, and Solanthus. Ah, "disorganized and bickering" the Knights are slow to respond. Lemish sides with evil, the Kaolyn dwarves hold out and cause problems on the flanks. Solamnia was united by a common history and language, but wasn't a single nation-state. Think of it more like pre-1800s Germany which had a bunch of competing kingdoms all with their own ideals of what to do. In fact, most of Solamnia wasn't Knight-controlled at this time, on account many still looked at them with disdain as word spread that one of their own failed to prevent the Cataclysm. You had cities governed by councils of wealthy commoners as well as more traditional nobility. quote:The Red Army takes an amphibious assault to the Plain of Abanasinia. The barbarian tribes are "absorbed" (join up? conquered? disappear in fiery breaths?) and the army makes it to the borders of Qualinesti. While the Silvanesti were able to resist the entire Dragonarmy, Qualinesti apparently can't even handle the Red Army, so they also flee to Southern Ergoth. By the year's end, the army is at the gates of Thorbardin and settles in for siege. Given what happened with Silvanesti, the Qualinesti government decided to prioritize mass evacuations. A skeleton force was left in Qualinesti to stand guard by the time of Dragons of Autumn Twilight; their capital city was pretty empty. quote:This is also the year (though not mentioned in the history) that the companions meet up in Solace. I hadn't realized that the war started 3 years earlier- over half their 5 year quest was during the war, even if it wasn't going on in the places the companions were. This is the part of Dragonlance I find hard to believe. Even if travel is hard and time-consuming, the Dragonarmies actions would definitely spread via word of mouth; people still travel and trade. Heck, if we use AD&D canon the Empire's economic policies of converting to metal ingots in lieu of steel pieces would be something merchants would be advising each other on. quote:Finally, a table lists the various nations, the major race, the dominant alignment, products, and further notes. I'd assumed the dwarves allied with the Knights were Thorbardin, but they are isolationist Neutral with Good tendancies (just starting up trade with humans and elves). The Kaolyn Dwarves (who gifted Kharas with his hammer) are LG and "very loyal to the knights." The racists of Qualinesti and Silvanesti somehow get designated CG. A third dwarf nation is Zhakar, alignment listed as L(E) but notes saying Mysterious race of evil dwarves. Palanthus is noted as the center of good religions, but the alignment is N. The Zhakar dwarves are deep in Taman Busuk, and were one of the first nations to join the Dragon Empire, helping supply them with arms and equipment. In my fanon I made it so that the Dragon Empire used divine magic to severely reduce the Zhakar Mold Plague, effectively saving their people from ruin. Edit: Another thing I wanted to add. For much of post-Cataclysm Krynn and pre-War of the Lance, professional standing armies who could invade and occupy other territories for prolonged periods were pretty rare. Local militias and guards of royal estates were common and more defensive-minded. You had exceptions with the martial cultures like the Knights of Solamnia in Sancrist and the dwarves, although they were also more defensive-minded. In the dwarves' case they wanted little to do with a chaotic outside world, and in the Knights' case they were loathed in much of Solamnia and wouldn't be welcomed back until Sturm's sacrifice. Emperor Ariakas studied up on a lot pre-Cataclysm military history in learning how to build a proper imperialistic force; they absorbed the infrastructure of local governments who decided to comply with the Empire and torched the rest. Lemish is a great example, as they approached the Empire on non-hostile terms and were fine with serving as a southern beachhead into Solamnic territory and part of a supply train into southwestern Ansalon. Combine this with aerial dragons, divine magic, and a variety of monstrous races, and you have a pretty big edge over most countries on Ansalon. Edit 2: quote:Discussion on climate, reminder that Ansalon is in the southern hemisphere. Qualinesti to Silvanesti sees severe winters. The western islands get mild winters, which still include plenty of snow. Beyond the map, heading south hits the Icewall Glacier, north takes you to the tropics, which includes the Isle of Dragons, west runs into heavy winds that make sailing near impossible, east will take many months (though aided by strong winds) before reaching a land with creatures and people very different from Ansalon. A map shows the climate regions and currents. I find this rather amusing on account that the Ergothians are renowned sailors who by the 5th Age are a common sight in many port towns. Perhaps these conditions made them such great sailors in the first place. Interestingly Northern Ergoth is one of the few countries on Ansalon that never had war come to their shores. They were definitely scared of it and joined the Whitestone Council, but overall the country was a pretty peaceful place to live. Southern Ergoth, on the other hand, was mostly controlled by Knights of Solamnia outposts and ogre tribes. Not as peaceful. Libertad! fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Oct 8, 2022 |
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Oct 8, 2022 21:53
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On Dragon Eggs. In D&D they noted to only hatch under certain situations, they just sort of remain in stasis until put in the proper environment. Fizban's Treasury of Dragons posted:Once an egg comes into being, it must mature before it is ready to hatch into a wyrmling. Typically, an egg thrives only in an environment appropriate for a dragon of its kind—nestled in a pool of lava for a red or gold dragon, in ice for a white or silver dragon, in rotting vegetation for a black or green dragon, in sun-heated sand for a brass or blue dragon, or in a storm-wracked sea cave or inhospitable moorland for a bronze or copper dragon. The incubation period for any egg might range from 6 months to several decades or longer. MonsterEnvy fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Oct 8, 2022 |
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Oct 8, 2022 22:15
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 It’s been nearly seven years since the highest-rated 5th Edition adventure was published. Continuing a proud tradition nearly 4 decades in the making, the iconography of the Devil Strahd and his doomed obsession with Ireena is now something D&D gamers of all generations are intimately familiar with; and in turn the broader setting of Ravenloft. During the same year of Curse of Strahd’s release the Dungeon Master’s Guild came out, allowing third party publishers to use the explicit IP of Wizards of the Coast to make their own sourcebooks. Drawing from fans of the broader Demiplane of Dread to exclusive Barovian castle delvers, fan-made Ravenloft supplements are almost as numerous as that of Eberron’s. In the Halloween spirit I’m reviewing a variety of such products, with an emphasis on the more obscure sourcebooks. I may review the more popular ones in due time, but in focusing on the relative unknowns I’m hoping to find some rare gems that have been overlooked by the gaming community. I’m going to adhere to a set of standards for these reviews, outlined below. Insert Image Here Product Link: This links to the product’s storefront, usually the Dungeon Master’s Guild. Product Type: This specifies what kind of product this sourcebook is: adventure, location/domain, bestiary, etc. CoS-required? Explains whether the product is intended to be used in line with the Curse of Strahd adventure. In knowing my own limits, I’m doing individual reviews of shorter soucebooks. Usually 20 to 60 pages, rarely more than 100 which would be split into multiple parts. I would like to review at least one of the bigger Ravenloft books, particularly One Night Strahd, She Is the Ancient, the Barovia Gazetteer Collected Edition, or the Realm of the Blood Queen. But those are much larger undertakings, and we may get one at best by this Halloween.  Product Link Product Type: DMing Tools/Bestiary CoS-Required? Yes History literally repeats itself in the nightmare domain of Barovia. Strahd Von Zarovich has lived a thousand lives and perished a thousand deaths, his existence played out like a demented opera for the Dark Powers. A man whose selfish desire for a woman made him lose everything, even his life and soul, as he became master of his birthright domain. But what if things turned out different? What if by some twist of fate, Strahd found himself damned in some other way, a circumstance altogether new yet no less horrific? The Multiverse Files explore various “what ifs” of Strahd’s backstory, and how it can be used to run a familiar-yet-different Curse of Strahd. Each alternative tale lays out mechanical and aesthetic changes, from the land to the monsters, as well as the relationships and tactics of certain characters in the adventure as a result of this altered Strahd. Beast of Ravenloft explores a reality where Strahd became cursed with lycanthropy, that of a wereraven’s, instead of vampirism. In this world, he pledged himself to the god Malar to gain strength in fighting the old enemies of pre-Mists Barovia. The story plays out similarly, although the tragedy of Castle Ravenloft occurs when Strahd prayed to Malar for guidance at winning Tatyana’s favor when she fell in love with Sergei instead. A bestial fury wrought of divine power descended on the Count, and the castle ran red with blood. In this world, Malar is considered a dark aspect of Mother Night, the Keepers of the Feather are an evil organization who view Strahd as a demigod servant of Malar, and Strahd’s human form is unknown to the general public which can mean that a d8 table of existing NPCs can reveal who his secret identity is in the module. The Sunsword is reflavored into the Moon Sword and is effective against shapechangers instead of undead, and the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind is instead the Holy Symbol of Night which can turn lycanthropes and cast the moonbeam spell. Strahd as the Beast of Ravenloft has altered stats emphasizing a mobile lycanthropic fighter. He doesn’t have wizard spellcasting like the default Strahd, instead having a few innate spells he has access to in human form. His legendary actions are focused around speed and fly-by attacks, and he also has the ability to mentally charm ravens and wereravens at will as opposed to humanoids. Although this Strahd can move faster and operate in sunlight, he is a bit lacking in who he can charm (albeit as a bonus action instead of an action) and in having less spells, even if he can cast them as part of Legendary Actions.  Dark Machines asks the question of what if Barovia was a province of Karrnath in the world of Eberron, or rather originated in that setting. Here, Strahd is a scientific general in an undead mechanical shell. He sought to win Tatyana’s hand by showing her and Sergei a mighty mobile warcastle, but its arcane engine catastrophically detonated. The explosion killed him, the couple, and everyone inside, causing the Mists to descend. In this version of Barovia, Castle Ravenloft is a mobile steampunk fortress, part of a greater plot to amass a grand army of unholy constructs to take over a Karrnath he will never see again. There are more mechanical monsters serving Strahd, the now-vanished Dragonmarked houses show their influence in rare marks in certain noble families (the Kolyanas being one of them: House Deneith), and those lured into Barovia often find themselves at an abandoned lightning rail station. The Keepers of the Feather are an underground resistance movement lead by the monster hunter Diana Van Richten, the Amber Temple is a prison housing comatose daelkyr, and the Sun Sword is reflavored as the Blade of Dol Arrah which deals additional damage to constructs instead of undead. We have a new stat block for Bloodforged (evil humanoid constructs that weaken in sunlight), and Strahd’s stat block is a lightning-wielding construct who looks human on the surface but reveals more of his mechanical nature the more he’s damaged. Escape Plan is what happens when Strahd gets genre savvy. In this timeline, the Count is not only aware of the Dark Powers, he’s been privately plotting a way out of Barovia once and for all. In this version, Strahd seeks to coax and manipulate the PCs into committing greater acts of evil as a means to have them replace him as Barovia’s new Darklord. Once that occurs, he plans on using the Zarovan Vistani to take him out of the plane. Not only that, he has also learned the true names of several imps, which he uses to stalk the party at all times as invisible spies. Strahd already killed or otherwise permanently hobbled several potential allies: Van Richten was captured, used as bait, and eventually killed to lure out Ez to turn her into a vampire spawn, the majority of the Keepers of the Feather are dead, he stole Mordenkainen’s staff and spellbook, and the undead paladins of Argynvostholt have been chained to wooden wheels at the bottom of Lake Zarovich. Strahd still cares for Ireena even though she’s no longer his primary focus, although in capturing her to keep in his castle she now knows much of its layout and inhabitants. This is Curse of Strahd on hard mode, and the book even highlights this saying that it’s better-suited for players familiar with the original 5e adventure. Strahd’s stats are the same, although there’s a sidebar giving him access to higher-level spells such as Antimagic Field as well as more “self-aware” tactics like noting which of the PCs is likeliest to use the Sunsword and will only kill a character who refuses to be corrupted. Heart of the House makes Castle Ravenloft itself the Darklord, with Strahd but a mental thrall of the building’s will to serve as the face of Barovia’s evil. The Castle has the ability to gain mental control of those who spend time inside it, and craves the attention of outsiders for some stimulation in its droll existence. Ireena is strangely immune to the Castle’s psychic puppetry, and so the darklord fills her life with tragedy in the belief that her good heart is the source of this resistance. The DM rolls 3 times on a table to determine which big-time NPCs are already puppets, which can even include the mighty Mordenkainen or even Madam Eva! The PCs can find an unlikely ally in Baba Lysaga, who raised Strahd like her son and wants to free him from the Castle’s dreadful influence. In this version, the Heart of Sorrow is the true final boss, having its own stats as a CR 15 monster which can attack with slashing grappling tendrils, an AoE frightening aura, and Legendary Actions and Resistances. Hoard of Blood posits Strahd as being an undead dragon. In this version, he was impaled on one of Argynvost’s scales when he was still a mortal human. Seeking to avoid eventual death, he performed necromantic experiments on the dragon’s corpse to heal himself, and became a dragon-vampire hybrid. This new state proved a blessing politically, as he expanded his ancestral lands’ reach to conquer all of Barovia. But this only frightened Tatyana into Sergei’s arms, repeating a tragedy we know all too well. In this version Strahd can take the form of a human, transforming into a dragon with its own stat block under certain circumstances such as being reduced to 0 HP and triggering a Phase Two Boss Battle. Strahd’s goals in this version are to accumulate more wealth for his hoard, creating “children” in the form of dragon-blood infected hybrid abominations,* and finding a way to transport Barovia back to the Material Plane so he can expand his dominion. His obsession with accumulating magic items allows him to cast divination spells on the party as they find more of the three great Treasures of Ravenloft. The undead knights of the Order of the Silver Dragon are more active in resisting Strahd’s tyranny via building siege engines in the forests and riding into town to try and recruit people. They haven’t gotten far on this last part on account of their undead nature, so they do their best to disguise themselves under full plate armor. *which are a template adding more dragon-themed abilities to an existing stat block.  Reversal of Roles is our final entry, making it so that Tatyana was the one who became the Darklord of Barovia. In this tale, she was already a vampire before she met the Von Zaroviches, and turned Strahd and Sergei against each other via courting both. This caused Strahd to kill his brother in a fit of murderous jealousy. Unlike the original Strahd, Tatyana is a villain with good publicity. Although Barovia is a gloomy and forlorn land, the general public view the Dowager Countess as a benevolent ruler eager to make the major towns good places to live via charitable investments in infrastructure. The undead in the land are controlled by her, but she claims that they’re cursed soldiers of Strahd seeking to undo everything she has built. Tatyana does believe that she is Barovia’s greatest protector…but only if she can utterly control every aspect of the people’s lives. In this campaign, she is more of a behind the schemes manipulator, using propaganda to turn townsfolk against the PCs, trying to manipulate the PCs into killing Ez, and is consumed with finding and destroying the Sunsword. Sergei exists as a dullahan with a unique stat block, unwillingly serving Tatyana as long as she is in possession of his head. Instead of the Tome of Strahd, that treasure is replaced with the Reins of Bucephalus, which casts Find Greater Steed to summon a nightmare horse of the same name with enchanted armor. Tatyana’s stat block is perhaps the most underwhelming, being that of a (still-powerful) Monster Manual Vampire, but with warlock spellcasting. Overall Thoughts: In regards to the alternate Strahds, my favorites are Dark Machines and Escape Plan. The gothic steampunk atmosphere and Castle Ravenloft as a mobile dungeon really tickle my fancy, and Escape Plan is a good reflection in-character of an immortal vampire growing increasingly obsessive over the ennui of his time-loop imprisonment. I am not as fond of the Beast of Ravenloft or Reversal of Roles; the former in that wereravens aren’t the iconic type of lycanthrope and I cannot help but feel it makes Strahd weaker overall (less magic) and also ties him too closely to a Faerunian-centric deity. As for Reversal of Roles, I feel that She Is the Ancient does a much better job of “Strahd But Female,” and the whole “female villain using seduction to do evil villain things” is a well-worn cliche. But overall, I like this product. It has a variety of interesting spins on Curse of Strahd to make for fun alternatives, and the addition of new stat blocks, magic items, and monsters is a welcome touch. The product’s page count is brief, but it feels dense in material. Its major weakness is that most DMs aren’t likely to use the product to its fullest, given that the Curse of Strahd campaign takes a lot of time to run to completion. Join us next time as we go foraging for herbs in the Svalich Woods in A Botanical Guide to Barovia! Libertad! fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Oct 8, 2022 |
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Oct 8, 2022 23:03
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Escape Plan sounds awesome, I love these.
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Oct 8, 2022 23:25
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srhall79 posted:
So I mentioned before about Mormon Satan, and here's a good time to talk about Mormon Satan. This comes from Joseph Smith's extrapolations of the Book of Moses, which is some of the Mormon scripture in the book The Pearl of Great Price, and it's part of the Mormon creation story. So to summarize the story, God creates humanity and gets Jesus and all the angels together to show them. And God says, "So, this is humanity. How do we make sure they do what's right? So Lucifer says, "You should just make them do what's right. Force them. Just don't let them do or even think about evil.", and Jesus answers, "That's a bad idea. The purpose of these bodies is so that souls can have experience on earth and grow before the end up in heaven, and that means being free to make mistakes. So what you should do is teach them the difference between right and wrong, and give them the freedom to choose, to make mistakes and to sin, but to learn from their sins and repent and grow from them. That way when they die, they'll go to heaven with free understanding and choice." And so God was like, "Jesus, I like your idea better. Lucifer, that was a stupid plan." At which point, Lucifer got all the rebel angels together and they tried to launch a rebellion to overthrow God. So basically, the Kingpriest's idea is Lucifer's idea. They both want to make humanity good, but they want to do it by taking away choice, and rebel when they can't.
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Oct 9, 2022 00:15
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Epicurius posted:So I mentioned before about Mormon Satan, and here's a good time to talk about Mormon Satan. This comes from Joseph Smith's extrapolations of the Book of Moses, which is some of the Mormon scripture in the book The Pearl of Great Price, and it's part of the Mormon creation story. So to summarize the story, God creates humanity and gets Jesus and all the angels together to show them. And God says, "So, this is humanity. How do we make sure they do what's right? So Lucifer says, "You should just make them do what's right. Force them. Just don't let them do or even think about evil.", and Jesus answers, "That's a bad idea. The purpose of these bodies is so that souls can have experience on earth and grow before the end up in heaven, and that means being free to make mistakes. So what you should do is teach them the difference between right and wrong, and give them the freedom to choose, to make mistakes and to sin, but to learn from their sins and repent and grow from them. That way when they die, they'll go to heaven with free understanding and choice." Satan (Prince of Darkness, Lord of all Evil): Medium Outsider Al: LG
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Oct 9, 2022 01:52
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Everyone posted:Satan (Prince of Darkness, Lord of all Evil): Medium Outsider Al: LG I'm Christianity in general, everything and everyone is good to start with. Satan becomes evil because he chooses to rebel against God and chooses not to repent for his disobedience, perverting his natural goodness into evil.
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Oct 9, 2022 02:17
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Libertad! posted:So I feel like adding to some of this, as a few contradictory and vague aspects were retconned or added in subsequent editions. I'm pulling this info from the 3e War of the Lance sourcebook. Weis and Hickman worked on that book, which more or less makes it G-level Canon if we use Star Wars terminology. I think Dragonlance Adventures really needed more time and space. 350 years, covered in 2 pages, a lot of history gets skipped over. Good that later works expanded. Libertad! posted:People are not rational actors, especially when your children are being held hostage. And given how rare dragons are even at this point in history, children aren't "replaceable." Dragon aren't people :P But, when written by them, yeah similar motivations. I'm not a parent so maybe I'm too detached with my reaction. But, it's a hostage situation that stretches on for over 50 years. In all that time, it's only Silvara who starts thinking, "Hey, maybe the EVIL dragons shouldn't be trusted here"? Libertad! posted:Not necessarily to the bold. It may be cliche, but Silvanesti is best compared to Vietnam; by the time of the US invasion, the Viet Cong was made up of some very hardy veterans who had experience fighting French and Japanese colonialism, and made use of jungle terrain and tunnels to stay out of sight of helicopters. They also made use of Soviet technology (which wasn't outdated at the time) to counter American aircraft by peppering the sky with scattershot artillery, making it less practical to fly in conventional ways. Now apply this with arcane magic. Vietnam's loss certainly contributed to a shaken disillusionment in American culture, but we were still a global superpower and remained so for...until now, really. I like the analogy and yet- the Viet Cong has veterans from a lot of invasion. Silvanesti is a lot more isolated. It doesn't look like anyone would be getting much past the edge of the forest in the last three centuries. But again, knowledge of the terrain and magic are going to have an effect, lots of magic, and this is probably the first time anyone has been able to fight back. Libertad! posted:Solamnia was united by a common history and language, but wasn't a single nation-state. Think of it more like pre-1800s Germany which had a bunch of competing kingdoms all with their own ideals of what to do. In fact, most of Solamnia wasn't Knight-controlled at this time, on account many still looked at them with disdain as word spread that one of their own failed to prevent the Cataclysm. You had cities governed by councils of wealthy commoners as well as more traditional nobility. Here's another pout where DLA could really use more page count to give use some information on the lands. There's a big section of the map with "Solamnia" writ large across it. We get told a lot of the knighthood moved out to Sancrist, but the rules for Knights Circles gives a big bonus for being inside traditional Solamnic borders- both Sancrist Isle and Solamnia proper, which implies there's a strong presence of knights there. Libertad! posted:Given what happened with Silvanesti, the Qualinesti government decided to prioritize mass evacuations. A skeleton force was left in Qualinesti to stand guard by the time of Dragons of Autumn Twilight; their capital city was pretty empty. Fair on the Qualinesti. But yeah, the Brothers Majere had been merc'ing around, shouldn't they have heard something? I don't recall if Sturm came back with Solamnia with any tales. Libertad! posted:Edit: Another thing I wanted to add. For much of post-Cataclysm Krynn and pre-War of the Lance, professional standing armies who could invade and occupy other territories for prolonged periods were pretty rare. Local militias and guards of royal estates were common and more defensive-minded. You had exceptions with the martial cultures like the Knights of Solamnia in Sancrist and the dwarves, although they were also more defensive-minded. In the dwarves' case they wanted little to do with a chaotic outside world, and in the Knights' case they were loathed in much of Solamnia and wouldn't be welcomed back until Sturm's sacrifice. Oh sure. The Dragonarmy seems a unique situation, and I'm not surprised they were able to dominate their neighbors. Dwarves going isolationist seems to make sense, Thorbardin very much seems we're going to pull up the welcome mat and close the door. The action of the Kaolyn dwarves is more remarkable. It seems with three years between the Dragonarmy starting and when they reached Solamnia, the knights should have been able to get something going. But, that removes the human element that the knights had a lot of arrogant, stupid people who either thought they should be in charge, or did a lot of naval gazing trying to find solutions in the Measure.
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Oct 9, 2022 04:21
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srhall79 posted:Fair on the Qualinesti. But yeah, the Brothers Majere had been merc'ing around, shouldn't they have heard something? I don't recall if Sturm came back with Solamnia with any tales. He did. When they first meet at the inn, Tanis, Caramon and Sturm all report rumors of armies in the north (with Sturm pointing out that some of the rumors are of strange, inhuman creatures), and Tanis's original plan once they get out of Solace is to head north and see if the rumors are true (and, as Raistlin points out, try to find Kitiara)
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Oct 9, 2022 04:35
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srhall79 posted:Here's another pout where DLA could really use more page count to give use some information on the lands. There's a big section of the map with "Solamnia" writ large across it. We get told a lot of the knighthood moved out to Sancrist, but the rules for Knights Circles gives a big bonus for being inside traditional Solamnic borders- both Sancrist Isle and Solamnia proper, which implies there's a strong presence of knights there. In the upcoming Shadow of the Dragon Queen adventure that will put DL into 5th Edition canon, the setting takes place in the Solamnic city of Kalaman as the Dragonarmies invade. This city in particular was pretty much an early republic phase that after overthrowing the Knights redistributed the wealth and instituted generous social safety nets. Powerful trade guilds ended up becoming the real political power, but it was a pretty interesting example in a departure from feudalism and reflecting Solamnia's diversity. I don't exactly have much faith in WotC, but I'm hoping with Shadow they touch upon the city's unorthodox political system and Solamnia's regional variations beyond "land of goodly knights." Kalaman being one of the easternmost cities pretty much unprepared to know what they were really going up against, and Lady Kitiara of the Blue Dragonarmy used it as a base of operations. So I'm quite sure that the module will be the Fort Sumpter or Pearl Harbor of the Solamnia-Dragonarmies War.* *not an official name, I made it up Libertad! fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Oct 9, 2022 |
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Oct 9, 2022 04:52
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Libertad! posted:In the upcoming Shadow of the Dragon Queen adventure that will put DL into 5th Edition canon, the setting takes place in the Solamnic city of Kalaman as the Dragonarmies invade. This city in particular was pretty much an early republic phase that after overthrowing the Knights redistributed the wealth and instituted generous social safety nets. Powerful trade guilds ended up becoming the real political power, but it was a pretty interesting example in a departure from feudalism and reflecting Solamnia's diversity. I don't exactly have much faith in WotC, but I'm hoping with Shadow they touch upon the city's unorthodox political system and Solamnia's regional variations beyond "land of goodly knights." I am curious how WotC's take on it all shakes out. DLA has Nordmaar, east of Kalaman, attacked in the opening of the war. Kalaman only gets mention in the summary table of nations, human, neutral with good tendencies, "ravaged by war."
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Oct 9, 2022 05:38
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Epicurius posted:He did. When they first meet at the inn, Tanis, Caramon and Sturm all report rumors of armies in the north (with Sturm pointing out that some of the rumors are of strange, inhuman creatures), and Tanis's original plan once they get out of Solace is to head north and see if the rumors are true (and, as Raistlin points out, try to find Kitiara) Ah good. Though it seems like the dragons were still a surprise, and that feels like a detail that would have gotten mention (or I'm talking out of my rear end having not read the novels in years).
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Oct 9, 2022 06:17
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MonsterEnvy posted:On Dragon Eggs. In D&D they noted to only hatch under certain situations, they just sort of remain in stasis until put in the proper environment. In 5e, sure, but I don't recall that in 1e AD&D. (if someone has a source please share, I've been making a new habit of collecting the game's dragon trivia.)
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Oct 9, 2022 07:17
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srhall79 posted:Ah good. Though it seems like the dragons were still a surprise, and that feels like a detail that would have gotten mention (or I'm talking out of my rear end having not read the novels in years). I don't have a quote, but there's a poo poo ton of shoe leather in the first book about how there's always whispers about dragons just over there, in a cousin's-friend's-dog's story way. A lot of "There's rumors of dragons in the east!" "There's always rumors of dragons in the east!".
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Oct 9, 2022 07:47
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Dragonlance Adventures Part 22 Personalities of the Age of Dragons and the end of this review More characters with histories and mini-stat blocks (well, mini from my perspective. I guess they're kinda big when you consider modules would have entire characters presented as a line- Here's Tika from Dragons of Despair: Tika Wayland (Barmaid). AL NG; MV 12; hp 16; AC 9; HD 3; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 (with pan)) Takhisis, the Queen of Darkness. She can appear as any form, be it male, female, or dragon. Favored forms include the Dark Temptress as the most beautiful, desirable woman a man has ever seen (80s D&D, we're very cis-het here). The Dark Warrior wears dark armor, has eyes of fire, and a sword of flame, and of course the five-headed dragon. Anyone in her presence feels awe and reverence, as she is one of the three creators of the world. Her stat block just says to go look at her god entry, so not sure we really needed this. Fizban the Fabulous- no stat block, again directed to the god section, but not even a page number. But Fizban is SILLY! His hat's almost off his head! He can almost never find a spell in his shabby spellbook "generally to everyone's relief"! The pouches on his belt might contain spell components, or socks! "The beloved, befuddled old wizard is a wonderful character who can have players gasping with laughter even while they're ready to wring his neck." But remember that the same people who wrote that also think we're going to enjoy kender antics. It's noted that Fizban never takes away free will, and is likely to make situations worse rather than better. And Fizban's ultimate goal is to restore the balance of good and evil, not see one triumph over the other- which as we've discussed before, is great!... except if you're in a D&D world with defined good and evil. Balancing the two isn't good's job. Pyrite- Fizban's companion, an ancient, senile, gold dragon. He's an ancient huge gold dragon, go look it up in the Monster Manual. Again, not sure why we wasted the text space. Raistlin Majere- Now I don't know a lot about this guy... So, yeah, probably the most famous character out of all of Dragonlance. So famous they don't bother giving us a physical description. If you don't know about his gold skin and hourglass eyes, just be prepared for your players to mock you and the idea that you could DM Dragonlance. We do get how he acts and thinks. His frailty is presented as a possible ruse. He speaks softly so others have to pay attention. His goal- become a god. This is Legends era Raistlin, so we're told he doesn't love Crysania, but desires her and "feels natural feelings of protectiveness..." which :/ His only deep feelings are for his brother, but it's love and hatred and jealousy, but all of these feelings, Raistlin is able to use to manipulate. He has a powerful charisma, enough to get Dalamar to stay despite the danger. Crysania is drawn to him. Raistlin is Evil, he's not going back to the red robes, and certainly not white. "Raistlin is truly evil. He chose to be evil." (he's Chaotic Evil, so really EVUL) Stats, Raistlin is a 20th level black robe wizard. Which, no, no he is not. There can only be one black robe wizard of master rank or higher, and that's Ladonna. Raistlin probably could have killed her and taken the spot, but he didn't. A Sage Advice talked about Raistlin breaking the rules (I think in the context of casting fireball, which is outside Black's spheres). This could all be solved by stating that Raistlin is a RENEGADE. He may like dressing in black and owns one of the Towers of High Sorcery, but he's not paying dues or showing up to any troop meetings. If he was anyone else, the rest of the order would have pulled him out of the tower and executed him, but I think it's text that the order is scared of him. Book Rasitlin could be a black robe, but when we move into Game Rasitlin, he should follow the rules to some degree. But, I don't think the authors are willing to have their most famous character not appear to be the world's version of wizard Actual stats, his charisma is 15, good, but I'm not sure it's reflexive of the charm he has on Crysania. His second highest stat is Dexterity at 16. Of course, as the most powerful wizard Krynn has ever seen, his intelligence is... oh, it's 17. Raistlin can't cast 9th level spells. These are the stats he has in Dragons of Despair (except for Charisma which got boosted from 10). I get not wanting to just pump up his ability scores, but... I mean no one played Raistlin for the hours and hours to reach 20th level. Might as well give him an extra point in Intelligence. Raistlin's constitution is a 10. So, yeah, his frailty may be a bit of a put on. Or it could be the equivalent of when someone has a 9 or 10 intelligence and they get played like a bad 1960s caveman. Lord Soth, Knight of the Black Rose- Described as a death knight with a pointer toward the Fiend Folio. He does get a physical description, with Knight of the Rose armor, blackened as if by fire. All that can be seen of his face is two flaming orange eyes. He has the fear aura of a death knight, which can make a kender "feel a bit queer". He's thoroughly evil, but proud and will fight an enemy honorably. For stats: He's actually weaker than a Death Knight- in FF, they're listed as Strength 18/00, while Soth only has 18/99. Centuries of undeath seems to have rotted his brain- his Int 10 barely qualifies him for Knight of the Rose; his Wis 9 means he doesn't even qualify for Knight of the Crown. He has a con and cha of 17, but I'm not sure he's getting the full con bonus- his HP are 59, and death knights are supposed to have 9d10 HP. Despite being honorable evil, he's Chaotic Evil. Death Knights are cool, so Soth is too, even if he totally futzed his major living quest (and we're told to look back to the Knights of Solamnia for his personal history). Kitiara- the former Companion, older sister to Raistlin and Caramon, she went over to team evil in a big way. She hoped to conquer the world for the Dark Queen, but that didn't work out. But, she's secured Sanction enough that even the knights with the good dragons don't want to try to attack (fight all five Dragonarmies, sure, but hey, better not mess with the Blue Army now). She is not a fan of Raistlin challenging the Dark Queen. She does have a thing for Dalamar (with the text stating she would rule the world with him at her side). Kitiara is an impressive 15th level fighter. The non-Raistlin Heroes of the Lance we see statted up are 12th level (well, 10th for Tika, but she was starting lower). Although yeah, you want strong villains, it seems like the Heroes should have kept pace with Kit. In terms of stats, she's frankly not that impressive. Oh, Dexterity 18 is nice, for sure. But she's getting nothing from Strength and Con both at 14, and 14 Charisma gives a minor boost to loyalty and reactions. Her wisdom 7 might explain some poor decisions, like keeping around a stalker death knight. Duncan- King of the Dwarves of Thorbardin. 200 years old when the Dwarfgate War was fought. "Quick-tempered, blunt, and gruff... shrewd old dwarf." He kept the throne despite various factions, through "wisdom, diplomacy, and common sense." He fought the war knowing Thorbardin didn't have enough to feed its people and the dwarves and plainsmen outside. But, the magic explosion killed most of the combatants faster than famine. His sons died in battle, and Duncan followed soon after dying "of a broken heart." He's a 10th level dwarf fighter. 17 strength, 15 con, 13 wisdom, and the others 10. Listed as Chaotic Good. Kharas- Dwarven hero. Taller than your average dwarf and handsome. Pre-Cataclysm, he fought alongside the Knights during the Goblin Wars. In recognition of his skill, valor, nobility, and honor, the Knights called him Kharas, which means "'knight" in Solamnic (Solamnic also shows up in the Oath- it seems to not be a language commonly spoken, maybe more like Latin). We're never told Kharas's real name. Also, naming him Kharas was one of the highest honors the Knights could bestow on another race, which, um, okay. Kharas is also known for wielding a hammer he made himself, possibly with Reorx's help. Which... the Hammer of Kharas entry said it was gifted to him by the Kaolyn dwarves. And if he did craft it, that further messes with the idea that it's needed for the full dragonlance. "Huma, we give you the dragonlance- but you're not getting the full to-hit bonus, that only will come with a hammer made by a dwarf who won't be born for a few more centuries. He fought for the mountain side in the Dwarfgate War. He shaves his beard, a sign of dishonor because he feels there's not honor in fighting the hill dwarves, but he's loyal to his king. In the final battle, he thinks it's just slaughter for hatred, so he collects the corpses of Duncan's sons and retreats. Here it's presented as the king, shocked by the deaths of his sons and so many others, stops eating or drinking, eventually wasting away, which isn't as poetic as "died of a broken heart". After, Kharas buries him in secret and hides his hammer, telling the Thanes there won't be a king until someone brave enough seeks out and returns the hammer. Kharas is a 14th level dwarf fighter. His 18/56 strength will let him wield his hammer to full effect, and 12 Int plus 17 Wis mean he won't fall under its influence. He has a 10 charisma, which seems low (same for Duncan). Yes, dwarves get a penalty to charisma, but Mountain Dwarves can still attain a 16 Reghar Fireforge- Hill dwarf leader, described as elderly, he's also Flint's grandfather. He believed the mountain dwarves had treasure and food that they were keeping for themselves- the text notes he'd believed it for too long, and needed that food to be real for the hill dwarves to survive. Although... the hill dwarves did survive without it... maybe the blast that annihilates the armies wiped out enough hungry mouths? Reghar dies in the blast ending the Dwarfgate War. One of his sons dies of the same heart disease that kills Flint, the other is Flint's father. Reghar is a 9th level dwarf fighter with so-so stats, although 10 Int and 8 Wis. His 12 CHR is the highest a hill dwarf can have, and puts him ahead of the mountain dwarf leaders. He's Chaotic Good, the same as Duncan. Seems an odd alignment for the normally LG dwarves, particularly for the dwarven king (Kharas is LG) Amothus Palanthus- Lord of Palanthus. The modern day lord, I think, but the text doesn't clarify so if you don't recognize him from the books, you're SOL (though, I don't think Palanthus is visited when Caramon travels to the past, so I guess, yes, probably the modern lord). The Palanthus family has ruled the city of Palanthus for hundreds of years, with rulership usually passing to the eldest son and the younger sons join the knights, but Amothus is an only child. He's also a bachelor, perhaps the most eligible bachelor on Krynn. He's a 7th level fighter and not particularly remarkable. With an 11 strength, he's probably have been an aristocrat if AD&D had 3e's NPC classes. Elistan- Cleric of Paladine. The prophet of Paladine, learning of the gods from Goldmoon then leading the resurgence of good clerics. Now, he's gravely ill but refuses to allow anyone to heal him- bringing back the gods and building a temple for Paladine is all he's wanted, so he's content with life. He has been given knowledge from Paladine that Crysania will lead the church with wisdom and compassion if she succeeds on her quest (we'll get into the problems with that when we discuss her entry). Taking a cue from his god, he'll Elistan is an 18th level cleric, as is appropriate for Paladine's chosen prophet. His wisdom is 17, so, no 7th level cleric spells here. Charisma 16 is pretty good. You're directed to the modules for Elistan during the War of the Lance. Par-Salian- Head of the Conclave. An old man, early 70s at the close of the War of the Lance, and one of the most powerful wizards on Krynn. He leads the white robes, adorned in snow white robes with no runes. He's the one who let Raistlin take the Test so young (and per AD&D rules, Raistlin would have been young- if I remember, the twins were 25 in the first Chronicle, and Raistlin had taken the test 5 years earlier. Starting age for a magic-user is 24+2D8, so really, Raistlin is a year away from when he should have been a 1st level M-U (but, this then screws things up for Caramon, as the oldest starting fighter is 19). Some think Raistlin's youth was what made him fall for Fistandantilus' deal. But, Par-Salian also thinks the war would have been lost without Raistlin (none of the high level wizards in the conclave seemed in a particular hurry to get out there and challenge the Dragonarmies, so I suppose he's right). Par-Salian would like to retire, but not while Raistlin is still a threat. He's an 18th level white robe wizard. He does have an 18 intelligence, so does have access to 9th level spells. He should be able to match or overcome Raistlin in spell-power, but he's a scholar, not a fighter. Justarius- Head of the Order of Red Robes. He's in his late 40s, a big, robust man, but with a limp. His left leg was crippled during the Test, with the prominent rumor being that he was proud of his physical prowess, so during the Test he had to choose between strength and magic. So we now have the results of two tests- Raistlin's leaves him with gold skin, hourglass eyes, and TB, while Justarius has a permanent limp. So flashback to 13 year old me, planning to run Dragons of Despair but let everyone create their own characters. The wizard's going to have completed his Test, so it stands to reason he must be marked, or changed, or disfigured in some way. Which, then you have the player of said wizard, who's not really interested in picking up a disability to play a wizard. I could have used a bit more guidance in the results of a Test, or maybe a random table ("You rolled 22- says you had to make a choice between magic and beauty, so now you look like Two Face. Flipping a steel coin to make decisions is optional.") Also, I'm a little concerned about the Test in general. Sure, sure, you're taking a life or death test to continue doing magic- but seems you also like running a bit too much. Gonna have to break your foot so you remember Magic Over Everything. Although the likely successor as head of the conclave, Justarius is in no hurry, and likes adventuring. Says a party might even get him to come along on a quest, particularly if there's a chance for an artifact, spell book, or other interesting item. Seems pretty easy to get support from a LEVEL 17 WIZARD! He has magical means for compensating for his disability, some of which can be "extremely startling and surprising." So surprising we're not going to mention them in this book. Justarius has a 17 intelligence, 16 dex, and everything else in the low teens. Ladonna- Head of the Order of Black Robes. Extraordinarily beautiful, in her 60s, still striking despite her age (which she does not use magic to hide). Here it's outright stated that she runs the Black Robes because Raistlin has never challenged her, and if he did he would kill her. So, she hates and fears him and will do anything she can to stop him- as long as she's not in the line of fire. I don't think it's stated anywhere, but I'd guess she was the source of the "Let's stick the dark elf in his tower as a spy" plan. She and Par-Salian were lovers in their youth. Ladonna is a 17th level wizard. She's another of the 18 intelligence types, combined with 18 dexterity and charisma (and 16 wisdom). If she can get stats like that, why can't we get super-wizard Raistlin an 18 intelligence? All three heads of the order are Lawful. In an editing error, Par-Salian has the 13 Thac0 of a high level wizard, but Justarius and Ladonna have 12s. Raistlin has a 9, which just shouldn't be possible (I did briefly think MAYBE it was counting in magic items, but the Staff of Magius is a +2 weapon, the Dagger +3, so he shouldn't have better than a 10). Maquesta Kar-Thon and Bas-Ohn Koraf, Pirate and Minotaur First Mate. Bundling these two together. I believe they show up for a couple chapters in Spring Dawning. We probably get more info on them here than in the books. Maquesta's father ran up a bunch of debts then died after being betrayed by a friend, so he instilled in her that she should make as much money as she can and trust no one. And she trusts no one, except for Koraf, as they helped each other escape from Minotaur Death Row on Mithas. Maquesta is the stereotypical playah-pirate, with a lover in every port, except she's a woman and she has handsome, brainless men out there. But, she truly loves Koraf, though she has a hard time getting past his appearance. And as in any good(?) romance, he loves her but figures he doesn't have a shot because he's so ugly. drat. Tanis and crew shouldn't have been so worried about winning the war, they should have been trying to bring these crazy kids together. Oh, hey. Maquesta: A very attractive black woman... Ladonna: An extraordinarily beautiful human female... looking ahead Crysania: An attractive young woman... Tika: Tika is a lovely young woman... Somehow Kit is spared this. Kharas is noted as handsome, but none of the other male characters gets their attractiveness rated in the first sentence. Maquesta is an 8th level half-elf fighter/thief, which, if I'm going to be pedantic (and why stop now?) the 125k XP you'd need to make you an 8th level fighter would have you as a 9th level thief. She's got an 18 dex and 16 con. Bas-Ohn is a 10th level fighter, with an 18/90 strength, 8 int, and 6 wis and cha. Player Characters from the DRAGONLANCE Legends Books The Legends books are about people being tested, a component of nearly all of the characters described on the coming pages. The DM and players are urged to refer to the novels for ideas and descriptions. These characters are presented as potential PCs for a Legends campaign- although you'll still have to figure out what gear and such they have. Many of them also have... issues. (Quick note, I had it in my head that Legends was 5 years after the Chronicles, but it's actually about 2 years. Maybe I was thinking about Heir to the Empire) Dalamar- Dark Elf Wizard. He's a young elf, about 90 at the start of Legends, which is about 25 in human years. By the character age rules, 25 is too young for a human wizard (24+2d8), and 90 is too young for an elf wizard (150+5d6). Heck, for high elf, Young Adult doesn't even start until 100. In game terms, Dalamar is a child. But, hey, let's not get hung up on the age rules (although we see some of the issues with age and race in D&D- Dalamar is three times as old as Raistlin. Being lower level and status, it's like, did he just slack off for decades? Do elves have developmental issues? These days, I go with the idea that elves age normally to start, then their physical aging stops around 25) He's just completed his Test, with is first task to serve as apprentice to Raistlin. Cool- the council so fears Raistlin, that they ask... a child mage... to volunteer to spy on the evil crazy renegade. Good thing Lawful Good Par-Salian signed off on this plan. And Raistlin must have seen right through it. "Oh, the Order sent an elf to apprentice to me, NOTHING SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THAT!" Dalamar was part of a low caste, so would have been limited in how far he could advance in magic (which, wtf? He's probably told that growing up, sure, but once he gets to the Tower to Test, is he seriously going to be like, "Oh, better stop learning. I need to go back to Silvanesti and be low class.") Or maybe they weren't going to let him take the Test? But then it wouldn't really matter what magic he was studying, I guess. But, ambition and power and thirst for knowledge sends Dalamar into researching Black magic. Because in story terms that makes sense, but in game terms it's like, those four necromantic spells are too sexy to pass up. Or maybe a lust for illusions? Oo oo oo, maybe it's the allure of probably never advancing past 12th level and never casting fireball? Whatever the reasons, Dalamar gets found out, and since elves ONLY wear the white robes, he's bound hand and foot and blindfolded (that one seems a little extreme- are they worried he might find his way back IN HIS HOME COUNTRY? Or is it "You will never again look upon the beauty of this land, even while we take you out of it"?) and carted out of Silvanesti. That's about a year after the WotL, and then Dalamar makes his way to the Tower of Wayreth and takes the Test (which maybe possibly the elves wouldn't have let him take anyway?). His Test apparently concerns his love for his homeland, which he must separate himself from so as to devote himself to magic (I get the sense wizards don't do a lot of sexy times- even worse then Jedi, any attachment is going to get in the way of their devotion to Magick). Dalamar is fascinated and impressed by Raistlin, but also has enough wisdom to know that killing the gods just isn't done. Not enough wisdom to keep him falling for Kitiara, as many have done before. So, Dalamar is an apprentice, just took his Test maybe a year ago. Which means he's 4th, maybe 5th level. Nope, he's 13th level. gently caress, he really is a PC, gaining 10 levels in a year (also, only one Black Robe is able to advance to 13th or above per the rules, and that's Ladonna. Don't give us rules that purport to model the world of the novels, and then break them). Dalamar has a 17 intelligence, alongside a 16 dexterity, wisdom, and... strength? Crysania- Cleric of Paladine. As mentioned, she's an attractive young woman, with black hair, white skin, and grey eyes. Her face appears colorless and cold, which are attractive features (?). She's from an ancient, noble family of Palanthus, and could have had her choice of husbands due to her manners, attractiveness, and wealth. While dangerously close to a Jane Austen novel, instead she wanted more than raising children. She became one of Elistan's early converts. She's devout and ambitious, and knows she can run the church after Elistan goes. She has the strength and ability, but needs compassion, humility, and tolerance or she'd go the route of the Kingpriest. The text notes that, just like wizards, clerics get Tested. But, their Test comes from the gods and may come at any time. The Kingpriest was tested and failed, thus, Cataclysm. Crysania traveling through time and to the abyss is her test of faith. Crysania is a 14th level cleric. That comparison to the Kingprist is apt- like him, she has a 13 intelligence and 12 wisdom. THIS is the expected successor to the church of Paladine? A reminder, 12 wisdom means no 7th level spells. Not even 6th level spells. No bonus spells. In fact, there's a 5% chance she fails whenever she casts a spell. I just don't get it. Look, she doesn't need an 18 wisdom, but, if she's seen as the successor to the Prophet of Paladine, she should maybe be as wise as Dalamar the wizard. (also, pretty impressive that she reached 14th level in like three years, especially without the XP bonus for high wisdom). She does have a 16 Charisma (and constitution), so maybe it's spiting all of us who took Charisma as a dumpstat. I've had people argue that the Heroes of the Lance were just ordinary folk, nothing special, and that Crysania is following that. But that's not true (and not just counting the small collection of magic weapons and minor artifacts among them). Of the eight, there are two 18/xx strengths. Except for Tas, everyone has at least two 16s in stats that make sense (Goldmoon going 16 Wis/ 17 Cha is not the most optimal, but it's not bad). Set Cryania next to them with her 12 wisdom/16 Con and Cha, she's going to look really out of place. Some people also get it in their heads that AD&D characters were rolled up, 3d6 down the line. The Player's Handbook doesn't actually present a method for coming up with ability scores. The DMG has several, with Method I being 4d6-L, arrange to taste Players Handbook posted:The premise of the game is that each player character is above average - at least in some respects - and has superior potential. Furthermore, it is usually essential to the character's survival to be exceptional (with a rating of 15 or above) in no Normal folk. Caramon Majere- I remember Caramon's introduction in Legends. How the mighty had fallen. The nice guy of the Chronicles, the tower of muscles, was a lumpy mass of drunken blubber. He had lived his life for Raistlin who made it clear he no longer needed Caramon. And Tika had her focus on running the Last Home. So, he started drinking and that became his world. Caramon is a 12th level fighter. He also is the only character with a Willpower stat. It starts at 1. if he passes by a bar, he rolls a d10. If he rolls higher than his willpower, he goes in and gets drunk. Less than or equal, he's able to walk on by. While drunk, he's at -10 to hit and his AC is 8 regardless of armor. And as long as he drinks at least once every three days, he's got a constant -5 to hit and +5 to AC. His mood shifts from noisy and rude to sulky and blubbery and back, and he can't travel more than two miles. Not drinking is not good, at least short term. If he goes more than 3 days without a drink, he'll get violently ill, attacking anyone who gets between him and a drink (though not well). He can't travel more than a mile, and can't defend himself or engage in combat (except for when he attacks someone between him and alcohol?). That state lasts for just a day, then he's back to his -5/+5 penalty. Each week that he's sober, the penalties go down by 1 and his willpower increases by 1 (max 10). So eventually he'll hit that 10 willpower and always make his check- but if he does drink for some reason, his willpower will drop by 3. So, it's a neat mechanic for dealing with alcoholism (could be tightened up so one state doesn't cause him to attack people while also unable to engage in combat). At a glance, it doesn't seem terrible or insulting. Tasslehoff Burrfoot- We're told the deaths of two people he loved- Flint and Sturm- made him more serious-minded than your average kender, but the text can't help but remind us that's not saying much. And now I've had to spend more time thinking about kender, and they're saying that they're never affected by death? Only Tas of all kenders has cared about someone enough that them dying has made him grow up? His test is learning to accept responsibility for his actions and that sometimes you need to be serious. Also, "he should learn that evil isn't exciting and interesting. It is often ugly, hurtful, and destructive." Like Istar. Of course, because of the setting's love of kender, "he teaches as well as learns." His humor and compassion and loyalty, his joy for living, are all things he shares with his companions. Tas is a 12 level Thief (with his stat block appending "...er... Handler"). His 16 dex is his highest stat. He is as wise as Crysania. Tika Waylan Majere- Tika has loved Caramon since she was a girl, and he loves her too. After the war, she rushed him into marriage, thinking she could take Raistlin's spot. She could not. She's ashamed of Caramon's descent into the bottle, and for herself for hiding his condition from friends. She doesn't feature much in Legends beyond kicking Caramon out on to his quest, telling him not to come back until he knows himself. Tika is a 10th level fighter. Her high stat is a 16 dex. She's as smart as Tas, with a 9 intelligence, and just as wise as him or Crysania. Tanis Half-Elven- Married to Laurana, happy but very busy. He doesn't like the public attention his role brings, and feels inadequate for the task of putting the world back together. He also carries the fantasy of Kit in his head, strengthened by her helping with the escape from Neraka. Although Tanis doesn't travel to the past, his write-up offers it as a possibility if playing the novels; perhaps he and Tika try to find Caramon in the time before. Tanis is a level 12 fighter, with a 16 strength and dexterity. Half-elves on Krynn have a max level of 9. Being single classed, Tanis gets +2, but that's still only 11. Sage Advice suggested that spending some time hanging around with Paladine may have afforded him an extra level. Or someone goofed. And that's it. We get a family tree of races, pre-and post grey game. A Unified Ansalon Monster, which I think is almost every monster to appear in a Dragonlance module done in one line; Khisanth, guardian of the Disk of Mishakal is name checked, and there's Gorzaug, a type V demon (Marilith for later editions). The character class and race tables that don't always align with earlier text. Gnome tech poo poo. A breakdown of the godly spheres and which clerical spells are in each. Summary of wizard spells. And the table for Knights Circles. In the end, it's there. It needed more pages, to flesh out the world, expand on the new classes. And it needed better editing, better developers to point out the flaws in things. It probably would have benefited from a box set, as the Forgotten Realms would soon after. But maybe TSR needed to get this out early. By the end of the year, Weis and Hickman would be gone from the company. Over 30 novels would come before Hickman and Weis released new Dragonlance books in 1995. From earlier reviews of later material, most of this material gets recycled and expanded in the 2nd edition.
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Oct 9, 2022 09:31
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Raistlin's listed con vs his roleplayed con in the books is always one of the things that stood out to me.
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Oct 9, 2022 10:04
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 Product Link Product Type: Character Options, Bestiary, Adventure CoS-Required? No, but the adventure ties into it Barovia is famed for its immortal ruler, the monsters that stalk the night, and its foreboding wilds. But often overlooked are the boons and banes that grow beneath the feet of men and monster alike, sheltered within the Svalich Woods. A Botanical Guide to Barovia gives us a diverse assortment of flora-themed material with a touch of gothic horror. We’ve got new equipment in the form of harvested herbs, two new subclasses, six monsters, nearly 20 new pieces of equipment and magic items, and an adventure to top it all off! Subclasses gives us the Tree Speaker for the Ranger and Circle of Rot for the Druid. The Tree Speaker gains a variety of class features making them closer to the green, such as learning Druidic, casting Ensaring Strike a limited number of times per long rest, can turn their flesh into rough spiky spark to deal damage to grappling creatures, coat their weapons in acidic or poisonous sap, and can cast either Awaken or Wall of Thorns once per long rest as the capstone ability. As for the Circle of Rot, it gains a variety of damaging and debuffing bonus spells such as Blight, Bestow Curse, and Ray of Enfeeblement. It can also let one expend uses of wild shape to summon twig blights which explode into a burst of necrotic energy upon death, can detect the presence of charmed/cursed/diseased targets, gain resistance/advantage against necrotic damage and disease, and can summon a necrotic awakened tree as its capstone ability by expending a use of wild shape. The Tree Speaker is a bit limited in that aside from speaking Druidic and the Awaken ability, the bulk of its abilities are strongly geared towards combat. The spiky armor has a nice +1 AC but its damage only triggers when being grappled, which not all monsters do. It doesn’t get bonus spells like the Gloom Stalker or Fey Wanderer, and the addition of a loyal monster via Awaken comes in too late in comparison to other subclasses such as Drakewarden or the revised Beastmaster. Circle of Rot has some good offensive spells, but typically speaking that isn’t always the druid’s strong suit, and the exploding twig blight is a bit weak to use in lieu of the more versatile Wild Shape.  The Plants of Barovia is the real plant-based meat of the book. The new plants are effectively items, detailing their common biome, notable uses and effects, rarity, and description of their appearance and where they grow. We have plants of more beneficial use to adventuring types, such as the Daydreamer Peony which can be brewed into a trance-inducing tea that grants one visions of the recent past in an area, the prized Morcant Burl which can grant +1 enchantment to wooden weapons and armor forged from it, the pest-like yet healthy Screamvine which can grant advantage on saves vs disease, and the resilient Sshadowgrass which can be made into strong hemp but disintegrates quickly outside of Barovia. On the hazardous side of things we have Sunblotter Thickets which envelop the canopies of trees, making sections of wood pitch black at all times of day, the predatory Burnblisters which grapple onto living creatures and can explode on contact with fire, and the mobile Fool’s Moss which can trick travelers into losing their sense of direction. In several cases we get descriptions of how Barovians incorporate the plants into their daily lives, such as the Ammarona Bushes whose flowers are ground into a reddish powder for makeup which was favored among the old nobility. New Magic and Mundane Items gives new gear. On the magic side we have items such as the Clearing Sickle which can spend charges to do a cone-shaped AoE slash that deals double damage to plant creatures, Root Boots which grant advantage on checks to climb and avoid forced movement, and a Censer of Spores which is wielded like a flail that deals bonus poison damage and can cast cloudkill once per day, and Mother Night’s Draught which grants darkvision, 13 temporary hit points, and allows the drinker to replace a d20 roll with a 13 one time. For mundane items we have the herbalized forms of the effects of the preceding Plant section, such as Tinderpetal Powder which is effectively a medieval flashbang grenade or Aivless Tea which acts as a mild poison to drinkers with a soul or who are not native to Barovia (but can restore hit points to the undead). Copper Stretch Goal is a supplementary PDF providing us with 5 new magic items on account of the Botanical Guide reaching Best Copper Seller on the DM’s Guild. It provides us with a Forest Ranger’s Hat that grants the wear the ability to put out fires, a Circlet of Flowering which can sprout one of three flowers that each have their own unique buff that lasts for a minute (cold resistance, advantage on insight and nature checks, can cast speak with plants), a Shield of Ages that is a +1 shield that increases Wisdom by 1 and makes the wielder immune to magical aging and the slow spell, a Staff of the Forest which can substitute one’s spellcasting ability for Strength when using it as a weapon along with charges that can be spent on a short list of plant-based spells, and a Backwoods Key which if placed into the keyhole of a door opens up into an extradimensional space that is a 100 foot long hallway made of wood and foliage that can be used to to 3 times. Each use creates increasingly creepy areas, with ravens that only say “doom, doom” on the 2nd use, and a terrifying plant creature using boneclaw stats on the 3rd and final use.  Monsters gives us a half-dozen new foes to menace the good people of Barovia. Four of them are on the low end of the Challenge Rating spectrum, with two (Chaanshaaz and Janus Tree) at higher 6 and 7 respectively. Burnblisters are corrupted plants which slowly move and grapple targets, but take triple damage from fire and grappled creatures take 1.5 times the damage from the fire as well. Wereraven Elders are more powerful versions of wereravens, with a modest selection of druid spells and can toss a handful of blinding pocket feathers at enemies in melee. Shadowfell Dryads are stronger versions of their normally benevolent race corrupted by the Shadowfell, and trade in their Innate Spells for a more offensive variety. Treelings are tiny creatures made of animated wood that live in small tribes; they are fluent only in Druidic and are more of nuisance than a threat, attacking with blowguns. Chaanshaaz appear as hulking elk carcasses reinforced by a parasitic plant, being a plant-undead hybrid for creature type with a damaging unnerving stare that can blind and stun as well as shedding a noxious ichor. Janus Trees are inhabited by the spirits of soulless Barovians, capable of draining the essence of creatures it grasps with its roots, can deliver a damaging cacophony of wails, and can summon spirits to fight on its behalf. But if Barovians are soulless, how do they have spirits? Barring the Treelings, the monsters have a good variety in what they can do to stymie adventurers. Burnblisters serve best as traps or paired up with enemies who know to take advantage of their explosive properties, and the Dominate Beasts/Plants ability of Shadowfell Dryads can easily justify having any sort of natural minions alongside them in combat. While neither have Legendary nor Lair Actions, the Chaanshaaz and Janus Tree have “boss monster” vibes for low-level groups in their variety of attacks, several of which are multi-target.  The Grove of Grey Mists is a short adventure taking place in a demiplane adjacent to Barovia. While the Dark Powers have a sick kind of fondness for Strahd in their tormenting of him, they do not underestimate his power and thus created a failsafe in case he ever grows too uncontrollable. They created a grove held in a secret demiplane within the Shadowfell, and its location and purpose are unknown to Strahd. If he becomes aware of its existence, it will be a sunk cost in that the various minions he sends to infiltrate it end up dead or disappearing. Within the grove is the Heart of Barovia, a cursed stake that can be used to slay Strahd for good…at a terrible price! The book gives various ways of incorporating the Grove into a Curse of Strahd adventure, as well as means to use it in other settings. The grove is in an unusually silent area of the Svalich Woods, with a ring of impenetrable trees that need to be climbed or flown over in order to enter. A wereraven elder associated with the Keepers of the Feather will warn the PCs away, even resorting to non-lethal combat should they persist (he calls for a ceasefire if the PCs harm him enough). The entryway to the demiplane is a dark tunnel made up of a canopy of thick branches, continuing for a third of a mile shrouded in thick mists. The grove itself is an open-ended location with six areas to visit, and PCs will be trapped in the demiplane until they kill one of the vampire spawn in the Grove or when the wood woad acting as the guardian for the Heart gives the party its blessing to leave. Some interesting people and places in the Grove include… …a skeleton animated by illusions of the Dark Powers that tells the party about a weapon that can end the dark lord in the heart of the grove. …omens that can be seen in the surrounding mists when the PCs take a rest. …a hag by the name of Marsha who will bribe the PCs with coins and a magic scroll if they kill the other inhabitants of the grove who she doesn’t trust/is annoyed by. …a dusk elf cursed to forget recent events every thirty minutes, continually fishing with a spear at a pond. At the bottom of the pond is a sarcophagus containing a vestige with a dark gift that allows the pactmaker to turn invisible for a limited time, but every time it’s used a loved one forgets their love for them. …a Shadowfell Dryad who wants to escape the grove and has a pet shambling mound to defend her, and wants the PCs to kill the wood woad in the belief this will help her goal. …a Janus tree whose souls are those slain by Strahd’s forces, and can be reasoned with by PCs via a skill challenge. Success allows the tree to magically bless a weapon the party is carrying. …the Wood Woad, guardian of the grove who stands vigil over the only way into the heart of the grove. He will not allow the PCs to pass, but can give his blessings to allow them to leave the grove. PCs will have to fight him in order to pass. …the dark heart of the grove, which contains a tiny tree that stands as tall as a halfling. It absorbed all the nutrients in a 30 foot radius, creating a circle of bare, cracked earth. The center of the tree has a thick, perfectly shaped stake that is actually the Heart of Barovia. This legendary magic item functions as a +3 dagger that can gain up to 13 charges, with 1 charge for every creature it kills. The charges can be spent to deal 4 force damage per charge spent, and grants an equal number of temporary hit points to the target. But gaining this item comes with a cost. First, a trial, for it is guarded by vampire spawn held in place by the roots of the tree snaking through the ground. They can attack the PCs with unique lair actions such as creating magical darkness, lashing tree branches, and skeletons burrowing their way to the surface. A character who touches the dagger is contacted by the Dark Powers, and the Heart’s properties can only be used and attuned by someone who accepts the deal. The accepting character also gains a randomly-determined Dark Gift from a table in line with a particular vestige, such as teleporting in darkness but becoming weak to sunlight as a vampire, or being able to cast counterspell with a free 7th level slot once per day but one’s lifespan is shortened by half. But worst of all, a character who attunes to the Heart of Barovia can never leave the domain, and if they slay Strahd with the stake they become the new Darklord of Barovia. The curse cannot be broken save via a Wish spell or by killing Strahd…at which point it’s moot, as Darklords are unable to leave their own domains. PCs who reject this dark offer won’t leave empty-handed. There’s an Arrow of Construct Slaying embedded in one of the trees in the dark heart of the grove. Overall Thoughts: I’m not exactly thrilled by the subclasses, but I like everything else in this book. The plants and items provide a variety of useful ends for PCs, which can encourage parties to brave the wilds of Barovia for the desired herbs. The setting-specific lore is brief enough that this book can be easily ported to other worlds, and I talked about why I like the monsters. The grove is a good adventure, particularly in that the cursed nature of the Heart of Barovia mimics the tragic fall of willfully making the ultimate price to defeat a greater evil. This price isn’t foisted unexpectedly upon the characters either: they must choose to ignore the wereraven’s warnings, choose to slay the grove’s protector who tries to warn them again, and then they must choose to make a pact with the Dark Powers to gain the Heart. Of course, such an offer may not be all that tempting to certain gaming groups, so the addition of other treasure in the Grove is helpful. My only main criticism besides the subclasses is the lack of market prices provided for the plants or mundane items, which I feel is an oversight. Join us next time as we defend the town of Vallaki from a Shadowfell-spawned colossus in Duskwalker!
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Oct 9, 2022 12:04
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taichara posted:In 5e, sure, but I don't recall that in 1e AD&D. (if someone has a source please share, I've been making a new habit of collecting the game's dragon trivia.) It appears to be the case in 3e Draconmicon as well. I don't have access to the 2e version or the massive amount of Dragon Magazine issues that would probably go into detail on Dragons.
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Oct 9, 2022 12:48
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srhall79 posted:Oh yes. It's like they realized "we're no longer representing Wizards of the Coast, we can be as gross and juvenile as we want. Maybe toss in some swear words. Let's do The Hills have Eyes with ogres." I ran Runelords from start to finish with my current group years ago, so I'm really interested to go back through it again! It had some cool stuff in it, but it also had some really hosed up stuff.
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Oct 9, 2022 17:47
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I had desperately been hoping someone had made the Chakats in Traveller or something else so that I could talk about CHakona Space here to gently caress with Purple after I finish my D20Mecha compendium overview.
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Oct 10, 2022 01:41
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  Product Link Product Type: Adventure Cos-Required? Yes Duskwalker is a short, 33-page adventure meant to be used as part of the greater Curse of Strahd campaign. Upon opening this book, it has a distinctly different outline and art style, and looking up the author’s other works on Drive-Thru RPG it is clear why: he publishes 3rd party content for MÖRK BORG, a dark fantasy OSR game whose pages look like something out of a death metal magazine.  Duskwalker is meant to trigger sometime when the PCs are 5th or 6th level, coming back to the town of Vallaki after completing some other quest, likely after the PCs interrupted the druidic ceremony on Yester Hill. The title of the book is the same name as the major monstrous threat, where the Strahd-worshiping druids sent an emissary to the Shadowfell to summon a being of great power to Barovia. A towering, shadowy beast seemingly made of oil descended upon Vallaki, reaching through windows to snatch villagers out of their beds and carry them off into the mists. The Duskwalker cannot be killed from wounds alone; those who see the monster become cursed on a failed Charisma save, and every night they risk turning into the monster on a natural 1…of a 1d100 roll. The PCs roll this every night they remain cursed, but if none trigger it then a villager does and becomes the monster. Complicating factors are that members of the Keepers of the Feather have been kidnapped when trying and failing to kill the beast themselves. Urwin Martikov was poisoned as a result, and has quarantined himself in a secret basement beneath the Blue Water Inn. The basement serves as a six-room dungeon occupied by shadow monsters Urwin is vomiting up, although PCs can convince a swarm of ravens to fight by their side in freeing their friend. PCs who exorcise the curse from Urwin cause a shadow elemental to leave his body and attack. It is like the classic four elemental monsters, albeit its attacks can drain Wisdom, it can create an aura of damaging magical darkness, is weak to sunlight, and can move through narrow spaces and the squares of hostile creatures. In addition to the gratitude of the Keepers, the PCs can find some useful items and treasure down here, such as partial maps of Castle Ravenloft that allow them to avoid a limited number of random encounters in that dungeon. The Duskwalker will attack the first night the PCs spend in Vallaki. It is a very strong Huge undead with high physical saves and poor mental ones along with a bunch of condition immunities. Its physical blows can cause cumulative Dexterity loss in addition to damage, has a necrotic breath weapon, can vomit up shadows by sacrificing some of its own hit points, and also has Legendary Actions. Even if PCs are victorious against the monster it will continue to rise every night thereafter. Finding a more permanent solution involves following it leaving the town, which it will do if it manages to grapple and kidnap five people. PCs who follow it into the Svalich Woods can trigger one of six random encounters in following it. They all have strange and supernatural events, such as a hunter cursed into the form of a talking stag asking the PCs for help in changing back somehow, a pair of phase spiders luring prey into a cave with illusions and whose organs can be used to brew Oils of Etherealness, and a blink dog who can join the party if saved from six dire wolves. The Duskwalker takes its victims into a large and colorful meadow, adorning a massive tree with captured villagers. The monster fades away as the sun rises, and the villagers are trapped in a magical resin which can be melted via Dispel Magic or a similar effect. PCs must fight a insect swarms and a Carnivorous Tulip (new monster that ensnares targets and digests them via burrowing underground and springing up beneath their feet) to reach the tree.  The Weeping Tree is a three-room dungeon. The Erzdruid, the evil mastermind who summoned the Duskwalker to Barovia, is here and will fight the PCs, with help being summoned every other round from a random table of nature-themed enemies. The final room has a being only briefly described as a shriveled, shadow-infused creature called simply “the Thing.” It is practically a noncombatant with Commoner stats, but killing it ends the Duskwalker curse and thus the monster, although Greater Restoration and Wish can have the same effect. The adventure has two resolutions. A win scenario that permanently banishes the Duskwalker makes it so that the druids scatter in disarray and it will take decades for them to build back up their power. But if the PCs die or are otherwise unable or unwilling to stop the Duskwalker, Vallaki ends up all but depopulated in short order. In addition to the loss of Barovia’s largest town and its various benefits, Strahd is granted a gift by the Erzdruid where in the final fight the vampire lord will have two shadow elementals accompanying him. Overall Thoughts: This is a cool, creepy adventure that makes for an inventive change of pace. Individually most of the encounters are not too hard for 5-6th level PCs, but the major threat is the race against time. The more the PCs wait, the more people the Duskwalker claims. I also like how the PCs can gain some aid in their quest, albeit of the furry and feathery kind than your more typical two-legged NPCs. The treasure types that can be earned are pretty neat, and the creepy garden and mossy tree make for a rather atmospheric dungeon crawl for a group of evil druids. I do have some criticisms. The adventure is a bit railroaded in that several areas of resolution (curing Urwin, saving the resin-coated villagers) can only be accomplished by magic spells not all PCs may have. Additionally, the brevity of descriptive text doesn’t leave much room to expand on tactics. For some, such as the Carnivorous Tulip, this isn’t a big deal, but for the boss-level enemies such as the Duskwalker and Erzdruid it would’ve been helpful to list likely actions the enemies would do in response to common scenarios. While I do appreciate it tying in the Keepers of the Feather to show that Vallaki isn’t entirely defenseless, it doesn’t take into account its other likely monster-hunting occupant, Rudolf Van Ri-I mean, Rictavio! What’s the unassuming carnie doing when an undead kaiju is kidnapping villagers? Join us next time as we set sail and explore new places with Captain Snowmane’s Guided Cruise Through the Domains of Dread!
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Oct 10, 2022 04:17
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I'm loving sorry, did they seriously call it the CÜRSE? The THÏNG that has the CÜRSE???
Torches Upon Stars fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Oct 10, 2022 |
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Oct 10, 2022 04:44
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 Pathfinder: Rise of the Runelords session 0 Session 0, in which we layout the history and overview of the first Pathfinder Adventure Path, and my connection to same For me, a story carries with it a lot of backstory. I'm a lot like a Paizo adventure in that way. But while they keep their lore hidden from everyone except the DM, I put mine out so my listener/reader gets exactly what I'm talking about. If you want to delve into how this produce came about and what I've done with it, keep reading. If you're the type that turns to the back page to see who dunnit, For a 2007 product, our story starts over 30 years earlier. In 1976, TSR launched The Dragon (later just Dragon), a more fully realized concept of The Strategic Review magazine, focused on gaming in general, and role-playing games in specific. While D&D/AD&D always had the focus, most months had some content outside of TSR stable. It was joined in 1986 by a magazine devoted to adventures with the obvious title Dungeon. By my memory, there was a hiccup in publication in 1997 because TSR couldn't afford to pay their printer. Wizards of the Coast swooped in with their Magic checkbook, bought TSR and took over publications of the magazine. In 2002, the periodicals department was spun off into a new company, Paizo, headed by Lisa Stevens, employee #1 at WotC. Paizo was licensed to publish Dragon and Dungeon (I assume the economics of magazine publication worked better for a smaller, dedicated company, and someone's spreadsheet at Hasbro looked nicer). Under Paizo, while Dungeon continued to turn out a few random adventures each month, they also started the Adventure Path plan. Each Adventure Path was a complete campaign, a dozen linked adventures, multiple authors working toward an overarching plot. These were Shackled City, Age of Worms, and Savage Tides. There are two types of gamers- there are those who play, and those who read. For the readers, this was great. A serialized story, new encounters and maps each month. For those who play, hey, a whole campaign, ready to go, don't have to spend your time trying to make links between adventures, or find level appropriate adventures. The work was all done for you. Except, that was a lot of material to play through. And a new chapter was coming out every month. I'm sure there were groups that could play through each chapter in a month. Mine was not one of them, so each new issue meant falling further behind. And I know I wasn't alone- I remember on the Paizo forums seeing write-ups of an in-office game, the Paizo staff playing through, I think it was Age of Worms. My recollection is, they didn't get very far. And sure, they're busy people, but, so were a lot of their subscribers. And it did get me wondering, how much is some of this stuff getting playtested? The people putting together the magazine apparently don't have time to try it all out. In 2007, Wizards of the Coast announces that they're ending the magazine license, taking Dragon and Dungeon back in-house. Or maybe Paizo made the announcement, same effect. They did get an extension to finish out the Savage Tide adventure path, so the final print issues would ship in August (I took the magazines with me to my one GenCon). WotC was taking the magazines digital. Lots of geeks took this as a sign of a new edition, but, honestly, lots of geeks take anything and everything as a sign of a new edition, then pat themselves on the back when it turns out they're right (at the time of this writing, there are a lot of D&D writers feeling very proud of themselves for calling a modest patch to 5th edition "6E"). Paizo, a company created to publish the official D&D magazines, no longer had the magazines (attempts to diversify into other magazines had failed). Paizo had a lot of subscribers that had prepaid for issues it would no longer be able to produce. It also had a lot of dudes skilled at making up adventures and monsters, and a distribution agreement. So Paizo was going full in on the adventure game. They would produce individual adventures, but they'd also each month release Pathfinder, a hybrid adventure book/magazine. They would continue to do adventure paths, now trimmed down to six adventures. But each adventure would run 50+ pages, allowing for more adventure content each month (overall, the adventure paths would be shorter; the Dungeon paths might take you to 20th, while the Pathfinder paths only ran to about 15th level. The remainder of each volume's 96+ pages would have game rules, setting information, and monsters, similar to the content one would get out of Dungeon and Dragon, though now focused around the single adventure. Buying the physical volume also got you the PDF. Subscribers were given the option of refunds, store credit, or to have their subscriptions rolled over to Pathfinder. I took that option, my subscription had been renewed recently enough to get me the first five volumes and I paid for the sixth of the initial adventure path, Rise of the Runelords. I did run for a time and was interested, getting through volume 1 and at least some of the way into volume 2 before becoming disillusioned or distracted. My marriage was reaching its natural conclusion, and there was a new edition of D&D coming out! I went big into 4E. Meanwhile, Paizo no longer had special status with WotC. They didn't like the 3rd party developer agreement that came with 4E (much delayed as I recall, which didn't help matters when you're trying to plan how to retool your business). They felt they couldn't make the adventures they wanted to make. So, by the power of the OGL, Paizo created and released Fast-forward to 2014. My old group had imploded and moved away. D&D 5E was in the works and I was feeling much like the players who felt abandoned by 4E (though I was a lot quieter about it). I'd introduced my future wife to board games, she found they were Good, and she pulled together a weekly group. And then the day came that they asked, "Can you teach us D&D?" Oh, I sure could, I'd teach them 4E. And... it didn't work out. Lots of reasons. 4E does have a lot of decision points right at the start. We were doing D&D as like, one of the games we might play in a week, not really dedicated. And I'd started grad school, which was taking up a big mental foot print. 2016, we play through the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, based on the Rise of the Runelords adventure path. I finished up grad school and got married. And I was still thinking about D&D. Well, hey. Humble Bundle had a deal and I now had a huge collection of Pathfinder RPG stuff in PDF. I'd sold off the physical Runelord books, but I still had the PDFs. Pathfinder was basically an enhanced 3.5, I could teach that easily enough. The players would have familiarity with the Runelord story (the card game was skimpy on details, but cover the major points in broad strokes). I had the adventures, my prep time would be negligible (running for a bigger group than the expected 4, so I think I bulked up encounters). So I took my second attempt at running the adventures and had a good time. We made it deep into, or maybe reached the end of volume 4 before the players wanted to try other things (we might have moved from this to the Evil adventure path, because one player was really pushing to play evil and the others went along... and then concluded that evil people suck and that game died in the second volume). Rise of the Runelords (what is this and what does it cover?) Rise of the Runelords introduces us to Golarion, or a section of it. Eventually Golarion would grow to be a real kitchen sink setting. You want pirates, we got pirates. You want Egypt-like, we got that. Nation of devil worshipers, sure. Nation overrun by demon invaders, got it. Techland, it's here. This section is pretty normal, D&D world... except thousands of years ago it was ruled by the Runelords, seven epically powerful wizard-kings, each a specialist and also each aligned with the one of the Seven Deadly Sins (the first one-off adventure Paizo put out was the Seven Swords of Sin, released at GenCon 2007 and used for their delve that year. From the description, the rooms were designed through a "Deadliest Room Contest", so I'm sure it was a lot of fun. I played in the delve that year, first room had some shambling mounds that wrecked us. Looking up the stats, one mound is CR 6, and it was a 7th level adventure, so if there were multiple... I also think I scored a crit and was told it didn't work, but can't really trust 15 year old memories). The Runelords went down and their civilization went with them. But now one of them has woken up. I recall discussion that Wrath would have been the default answer for a villain, but Paizo decided to go with Greed to have that for motivation. But 1st level nobodies have no business with fighting immortal wizard-kings, so there's lots of fighting things vaguely related to the Runelords first: 1. Burnt Offerings- Paizo shows off its zany goblins who want to burn down Sandpoint's cathedral and pretty much everything else. The PCs need to end the goblin threat and probably miss out on a lot of backstory fed to the DM. 2. The Skinsaw Murders- There's a murderer in town, and tracking him down leads the party to a haunted house. It's a great start that fizzles out as they then move to the big city that has a cult that's a lot less interesting than the murderer. 3. The Hook Mountain Massacre- Re-establishing contact with a border fort puts the party in conflict with Paizo's take on ogres. Supposed to be mature and scary, I remember it as more juvenile and gross. 4. Fortress of the Stone Giants- Not the missing chapter of Against the Giants. An army of stone giants marches on Sandpoint. Defeat them, then backtrack to their base. 5. Sins of the Saviors- Start exploring the ruins of the Runelords, hoping to find directions to... 6. Spires of Xin-Shalast- the big finale, destroy the runewell and defeat the Runelord. Each volume also contained a few articles related to the adventure, and a bestiary with new monsters introduced in the adventure, or sometimes just native to the area. There were also pregens for the four characters (human fighter, human cleric, human sorcerer, elf rogue), so you didn't have need to roll a character to start playing. This roll-out was great for those who mostly interact with the hobby by reading (as per what I said about the two types of gamers, if you skipped that, for shame). Cover price is $20, I think subscription provided a discount, but in 2007, that wasn't a bad price for near 100 pages, full color, nice paper, a wordy adventure and some articles. A new one each month, new content to consume. For those who like to play, it's great to start. Six meaty adventures to get through. But whether you've finished the first part or not, 30 days later another volume is showing up. I ended my subscription with issue #6, but I'm sure others just let it continue, and 30 days later part 1 of another Adventure Path showed up. It's been several years since I've DM'd Pathfinder or run anything with the 3.5 rules. I've still got a lot of it floating through my head, so I may call out rules issues if I notice them. For the rest of it, my focus is on the adventure, but I'll bring up the other articles and may delve in if something seems amazing or hosed up.
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Oct 10, 2022 08:50
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Looking forward to this one.
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Oct 10, 2022 09:24
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