GenCon part 4
Here are a few video clips from my favorite part of GenCon 2007 – “Monte Cook Speaks”. Here Monte speaks about a variety of things: take a look.
An interview with Monte Cook at GenCon 2007. Monte talks about what it’s like to be at GenCon as a participant instead of a vendor for the first time. He goes on to talk about the removal of demons and devils from D&D in 2nd edition,
Monte talks about “A Paladin in Hell”, and his experience writing that during a time when TSR had removed the demons and devils from Dungeons & Dragons.
Monte talks about the last days of 2nd edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the reasons for the success of 3rd edition, and what that means for the upcoming 4th edition.
Monte gives some advice on getting into the gaming industry.
For more about Monte Cook, check out his site here.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged fun, GenCon 2007 by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
GenCon part 3
Costumes! There were lots of great costumes at gencon… I didn’t want to just stop people all weekend long and take pictures with my crapy camera, though, so I just took a couple here and there. Here’s a sample of what was to be seen:
So, till next time, here’s me and (young) Old Ben, reminding you to watch who you mess with!
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged fun, GenCon 2007 by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
GenCon part 2
So the True Dungoen was awesome. They wouldn’t let me take any pictures, so sorry about that. I ended up, totally randomly, being put into a party with my buddy Dan who I haven’t seen in a year. I played a paladin. There were two options for the dungeon run, combat and puzzle. We did the puzzle run, which had four or five great puzzles of varying difficulty. Two we just couldn’t figure out at all, and the other three involved some trial and error, and some loss of hit points before we finished them. It was very immersive: everything looked really good, from the decomposed skeleton lying on the ground to the monster costumes, to the floating eyeball and the pitch black “passage through the shadow plane”.
Then, when you were done, you could hang out in the Green Griffon Tavern, a medieval-looking tavern with a cash bar. Dan and I had a drink and caught up. I’m thinking about opening one such tavern here in Austin, right next to the game store, with a bar, snacks, and tables big enough to game on in the back. Whadda you think? Would you come to a medieval tavern, to hang out or to game at?
After that I went to their “black and white” ball, a dance in one of the opulent hotel ballrooms. The DJs were up on a balcony and responded well to requests accompanied by bribes. They kept doing that annoying thing where they’d shut the music off during the chorus, forcing the crowd to shout the words out loud. So basically they hired wedding DJs. But the dance was lots of fun anyway.
So, my favorite parts of the con? Miniatures. I just love those elaborate playscapes, be they large or small. Here’s a couple of pictures of my favorites.
And of course, lots of small sets (click on any of them for a larger image).
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged fun, GenCon 2007 by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
GenCon part 1
So just a few quick notes on GenCon. This is my first time at Gencon but I know already it won’t be my last. I haven’t been to a con in a long time, about 17 years, but I’m really glad I came.
I arrived the first night and just wandered around confused. You’d think that at a gaming convention there would be easier maps. But the real cause of the problem was the sheer size of the thing. GenCon is the entire convention center, all three floors, and all the ballrooms and conference rooms in five or six hotels.
Lots of great costumes too. Another post to come with those pictures soon.
So Thursday was a waste, except for finding out that not only do people still play classic Battletech, but that this company has secured the license and is publishing it, with the rules streamlined, and some sheets for mechs already filled in. It’s like they took all the suck out.
Today was much better. I spent all day going to various forums on game design and publishing, which if you read this blog you can safely assume I’m interested in. I also went to all my favorite publishers in the dealer’s room and talked to them some. The folks at Goodman Games, makers of Dungeon Crawl Classics, and the people at Paizo, who put out
Dungeon Magazine, all said they liked the look of the issues of Claw / Claw / Bite! that I brought with me. Plus, I got to touch Monte Cook! So today was a good day.
Look! I’m saying something and Monte is listening to me!!!! —->
Anyway, I’m about to go run through the “True Dungeon”, a life-size dungeon that you actually adventure through yourself! Footage of that coming soon, if all goes well.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged fun, GenCon 2007 by Adam A. Thompson with 1 comment.
Phase Living
It’s just a phase… he’ll get over it.
This spell was discovered by the elder wizard Faduardo Gantonín in the Phyloctæte, who was hell-bent on prolonging his life. Sadly for him, he never made it very far (only a round forward and a round back), but other mages have since put this magic to good use in less grandiose contexts. Occasionally, mages will need to cast this on themselves to synchronize with items they have phased out of existence, for instance when an object which has had phase object cast upon it is dispelled or otherwise disrupted while the object is out of time (and thus out of mind).
Phase Living (Time / Transmutation) Lvl 7
Transmutation [Time]
Level: Cleric 7, Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Effect: One living being shifts in time in defined cycles
Duration: 1 cycle/level (see text)
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
By waving her index finger and repeating the verbal component, Os-Il-Ayt-Mi, the caster shifts the target in time one round forward or back from the present, alternating back-present-forward-present and so on for 1 cycle/lvl. The caster must continue the verbal component at relative intervals (after each cycle) to maintain the spell. This doesn’t interfere with other spells since the verbal component is so simple.
If cast on an unwilling target, the caster must overcome the target’s willpower.
The Greater version of the spell (9th level) allows the caster to shift a number of beings up to half their level a number of cycles up to their level into the future and past.
Posted in Uncategorized and tagged cleric spell, cleric spell level 7, sorcerer / wizard spell, sorcerer / wizard spell level 7 by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Caesinthurirl, deep forest dragon
This Deep Forest Dragon lives in the far northern reaches of Elsemere Wood.
Caesinthurirl CR 13
male young adult iron dragon
Ng large true dragon
Init: +0 Senses: Listen +?, Spot +?
Aura: frightful presence (DC 23)
Languages: draconic, sylvan, common, elvin, gnome, goblin,
AC: 27 (-1 size, +18 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 27
Damage Reduction: 5/magic
HP: (HD 19d12+76)
Immune: acid and electricity
Spell Resistance: 20
Fort: +15 Ref: +11 Will: +15
MV: 40 ft., burrow 30 ft.
Attack: bite +24 (2d8+6)
Full Attack: weapon bite +24 (2d8+6), 2 claws +19 (1d6+3), 2 wings +19 (1d6+3)
Attack Options: Breath Weapons (wind or electricity)
Space / Reach: 10 ft. / 10 ft.
Base Attack: +19 Grapple: +28
Abilities Str 23 Dex 10 Con 19 Int 18 Wis 19 Cha 16
SQ: DR 5/magic, SR 20, acid and electricity immunity
SA: spells, spell-like abilities, breath weapon
Feats: Name,
Skills: Name +?,
Spells Available: casts as 5th level sorcerer with access to druid spell list and strength domain. Spell DCs are 13 + spell level.
0th: (6/day): resistance, daze, detect magic, arcane mark, read magic, dancing lights
1st: (7/day): shield, mage armor, expeditious retreat, silent image
2nd: (5/day): invisibility, whispering wind
Spell-Like Abilities (Su): 3 / day: calm emotions, wind wall. 1 / day: call lightning. Possessions: horde:
Breath Weapon (Su): A iron dragon has two types of breath weapon, a cone of wind and a cone of lightning. Creatures within a cone of wind must succeed on a strength check opposed by DC 23 or be moved away from the dragon as though bull rushed (1 ft for every 2 points by which the check is failed). The cone of electricity does 10d6 points of damage, and half that on a successful DC 23 reflex saving throw.
Posted in 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons / d20 fantasy / Pathfinder, Character and tagged dragon, true dragon by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Tinleaf Trupacious
The end result of Faduardo Gantonin’s apprentice Yoranda Delane’s attempts to create an assistant and friend, sinch she had little emotional support from Faduardo or anyone. Locked away in the lab researching Faduardo’s various temporal magicks, she developed the Phase Guardian. Tinleaf Trupacious was meant to be the next step toward more human-like constructs.
It is neither living, nor dead, nor undead. It occupies that space at the intersection of the three. He performs actions as if alive, but cannot think beyond his rudimentary tasks, and does not eat or sleep. It does, however, require maintenance.
Tinleaf Trupacious (CR 4)
Medium Construct
Hit Dice: 7d10+20 (54 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (+10 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+11
Attack: Slam +8 melee (1d6+6)
Full Attack: 2 slams +8 melee (1d6+6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60 ft., find master, guard, low-light vision
Special Defense: Phasing
Spell Resistance: 50%; Immune to all spells when out-of-phase, susceptible when in phase.
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
The tall, lanky figure seems to disappear completely every few seconds, reappearing a few seconds later. For a moment, you can make out the symbol of an hourglass, but only for a moment. Its body seems made of a metallic leafy fiber, which wraps around the carapace like scales or links of a chain.
Forever oscillating in and out of phase with the current time, Tinleaf Trupacious is a slave to time and its master. When one is fashioned, the phase guardian is keyed to a particular magical timepiece. Henceforth, it regards the wearer of that timepiece to be its master, protecting and following that individual everywhere (unless specifically commanded not to do so).
Tinleaf obeys its master’s verbal commands to the best of its ability, although it is not good for beyond simple manual labor and occasionally a simple conversation. It can also be keyed to perform specific tasks at specific times, down to six second accuracy, if it’s in phase when the alarm goes off. The wearer of the timepiece can call Tinleaf from any distance, and it will come as long as it is on the same plane.
Tinleaf is 6 feet tall and weighs a mere 100 pounds. It cannot speak, but it understands commands given in any language, though only in six-second increments, when it phases out of time. Its true master can phase with it, as can any mage with phase self.
Combat
Tinleaf was not designed for combat and is thus horrible at it.
Find Master (Su): As long as Tinleaf and its timepiece are on the same plane, it can find the timepiece wearer.
Guard (Ex): If ordered to do so, Tinleaf moves swiftly to defend the wearer of its timepiece, blocking blows and disrupting foes. All attacks against the timepiece wearer take a –2 penalty when Tinleaf is adjacent to its master.
Phase Other (Sp): Forever oscillating in time, Tinleaf must phase through time. If the Phasing is ever dispelled or otherwise disrupted, Tinleaf is trapped in whatever time it is disrupted in, and begins losing hit points at a rate of 1HD/rnd.
Construction
Tinleaf is built of tinleaf, a magical plant-metal alloy. The materials cost Yoranda Delane 15,000 gp. The timepiece also runs on two ounces of magesilver, kept within an hourglass that constantly resets itself every round, the amound of time it takes for the magesilver to flow from the top bulb of the hourglass to the bottom one.
Creating the body required a DC 16 Craft (blacksmithing) or Craft (carpentry) check. The keyed timepiece is fashioned at the same time, and its cost (20,000 gp) is on top of the cost of Tinleaf itself. After the body was sculpted, Tinleaf was animated through an extended magical ritual that required a specially prepared laboratory or workroom (she borrowed Faduardo’s). A similar lab, such as an alchemist’s laboratory would cost 500 gp to establish. If the creator is personally constructing the creature’s body, the building and the ritual can be performed together.
CL 9th; Craft Construct, limited wish, discern location, shield, phase other, caster must be at least 9th level; Price 40,000 gp; Cost 32,500 gp + 2,300 XP.
Timepiece
If Tinleaf’s timepiece is destroyed, it ceases to function until a new one is created. If the wearer dies but the timepiece is intact, Tinleaf carries out the last command it was given.
Posted in Creature and tagged construct by Stephen Hilderbrand with 1 comment.
Drop Vine
This undead plant grows over common dungeon passages and gaps in the forest.
These wandering vines wrap themselves around trees and survive on moonlight through a process called lunasynthesis. They slowly draw nutrients from the soil and their unwilling hosts, invading dimly-lit natural groves, mausoleums and other such locales where they can acquire better sustenance from the fluids of corpses.
Underground, these plants’ roots and tendrils will often stick through the soft soil ceilings of natural caverns, which drop down upon their tender prey.
Drop Vine CR 5
Undead plant
Neutral Evil Medium plant
Init: +2 Senses: Blindsight 45 ft. Listen +1, Spot +1
Aura: Fatiguing Radiance 30 ft.
Languages: none
AC: 16 (+5 Natural, +1 Dex) touch 11, flatfooted 15
HP: 70 (HD 8d12)
Immune: Unholy
Fort: +5 Ref: +2 Will: +3
Weakness: Holy
MV: 10 ft.
Attack: +3 vine 1d6+3
Full Attack: 2 attacks with +3 vine 1d6+3
Attack Options: improved grab
Space / Reach: 10 ft. / 10 ft.
Base Attack: +6 Grapple: +17
Abilities Str 16 Dex 13 Con – Int 3 Wis 12 Cha 13
SQ: undead and plant traits
SA: improved grab, blood drain
Feats: Improved Grapple, Weapon Focus Tendril
Skills: +8 Move Silently
Possessions: whatever was left by previous victims: standard treasure.
Improved Grab (Ex): Upon a successful melee attack, drop vines can attempt to start a grapple with their enemies. Upon a successful grapple, they will draw their victims in toward their central body. If they are successful, they get another attack.
Blood Drain (Ex): At the start of its round, each living creature caught in a grapple with a drop vine will take 1d4 points of constitution damage.
Blindsight (Ex): Drop Vines have no visual organs but can ascertain all foes within 45 feet using sound, scent, and vibration.
Anyone with ranks in Survival or Knowledge (nature) can use one of those skills instead of Spot to notice the plant. Dwarves can use stonecunning to notice the subterranean version.
Undead and Plant Traits:
– Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
– Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain.
– Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
– Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, disease, and death effects.
– Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
– Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
Posted in Creature and tagged plant, undead by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Deep Forest Dragon
Just in time for GenCon, here’s another new True Dragon for you to use in your games. For anyone going to Indianapolis, I’ll see you at the gaming table!
-Adam “doom” Thompson
Known variously as Storm Dragons, Iron Dragons, and Deep Forest Dragons, these dragons are very wise and calm, like an ancient sequoia. They spend their time outside of their lairs hiding as part of the landscape once the are old enough to blend in. Often, iron dragons are friendly to druids, as their calmness lends to neutral tendencies. In general they are very reclusive, hiding in forest and mountain terrain. They bear a great enmity to green dragons, who they consider pushy, rapacious and cruel.
Among other elder forests, Deep Forest Dragons live in the untainted part of Elsemere Wood.
Storm / Deep Forest / Iron Dragon
Iron Dragon
Size/Type: Dragon (Earth)
Environment: Temperate forests, hills and mountains
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2-5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1-2 and 2-5 offspring)
Challenge Rating: Wyrmling 4; very young 5; young 7; juvenile 10; young adult 13; adult 15; mature adult 18; old 20; very old 21; ancient 23; wyrm 24; great wyrm 26
Treasure: Triple standard
Alignment: neutral good with lawful tendencies
Advancement: Wyrmling 8-9 HD; very young 11-12 HD; young 14-15 HD; juvenile 17-18 HD; young adult 20-21 HD; adult 23-24 HD; mature adult 26-27 HD; old 29-30 HD; very old 32-33 HD; ancient 35-36 HD; wyrm 38-39 HD; great wyrm 41+ HD
Level Adjustment: Wyrmling +4; very young +4; young +5; others —
A iron wyrmling’s scales are green-gray with iron highlights. As the dragon approaches adulthood, its color gradually dulls into reds until the hide has the color of a moss-covered redwood. Iron dragons have vestigial wings that do not allow them to fly but that assist them in burrowing.
Combat
Iron dragons are generally calm and do not seek out combat except when faced with intrusively destructive or aggressive foes. Stealth and ambush are the chief tactics of iron dragons. After preparing with barkskin and magic fang, they will burrow up beneath foes or lie camouflaged and use call lightning to harry foes before showing themselves.
Breath Weapon (Su): A iron dragon has two types of breath weapon, a cone of wind and a cone of lightning. Creatures within a cone of wind must succeed on a strength check opposed by the breath weapon DC or be moved away from the dragon as though bull rushed (1 ft for every 2 points by which the check is failed). The cone of electricity does damage as listed below.
Skills: Hide, Wilderness Lore, Knowledge (Nature), and Spellcraft are considered class skills for iron dragons.
| Age | Speed | Initiative | AC | Special Abilities | Caster Level |
SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||
| Wyrmling | 40 ft., Burrow 20 ft. | +0 | 17 (+1 size, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 17 | immunity to acid & electricity | — | — |
| Very young | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 19 (+9 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 19 | Calm emotions 3 / day | — | — |
| Young | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 22 (+12 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 22 | Wind wall 3 / day | 1st | — |
| Juvenile | 40 ft.,Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 24 (-1 size, +15 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 24 | DR 5/magic |
3rd | — |
| Young adult | 40 ft.,Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 27 (-1 size, +18 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 27 | Call lightning 1/ day | 5th | 20 |
| Adult | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 29 (-2 size, +21 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 29 | DR 10/magic |
7th | 22 |
| Mature adult | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 32 (-2 size, +24 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 32 | Plant growth 1 / day, Rusting Grasp 1 / day |
9th | 24 |
| Old | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 35 (-2 size, +27 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 35 | DR 15/magic | 11th | 26 |
| Very old | 40 ft., Burrow 30 ft. | +0 | 38 (-2 size, +30 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 38 | Control winds 1 / day, Transmute Metal to Wood 1 / day |
13th | 27 |
| Ancient | 40 ft., Burrow 40 ft. | +0 | 39 (-4 size, +33 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 39 | DR 20/magic | 15th | 29 |
| Wyrm | 40 ft., Burrow 40 ft. | +0 | 42 (-4 size, +36 natural), touch 6, flat-footed 42 | Earthquake 1 / day |
17th | 30 |
| Great wyrm | 40 ft., , Burrow 40 ft. | +0 | 41 (-8 size, +39 natural), touch 2, flat-footed 41 | Control weather 1 / day | 19th | 32 |
| Age | Size | Hit Dice (hp) | Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha | Base Attack/ Grapple |
Attack | Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Breath Weapon (DC) |
Frightful Presence DC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyrmling | S | 7d12+7 (52) | 13 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | +7/+4 | +9 | +6 | +5 | +7 | 2d6 (14) | — |
| Very young | M | 10d12+20 (85) | 15 | 10 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 12 | +10/+12 | +12 | +9 | +7 | +9 | 4d6 (17) | — |
| Young | M | 13d12+26 (110) | 17 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | +13/+16 | +16 | +10 | +8 | +11 | 6d6 (18) | — |
| Juvenile | L | 16d12+48 (152) | 19 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | +16/+24 | +19 | +13 | +10 | +14 | 8d6 (21) | — |
| Young adult | L | 19d12+76 (199) | 23 | 10 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 16 | +19/+29 | +24 | +15 | +11 | +15 | 10d6 (23) | 23 |
| Adult | H | 22d12+110 (253) | 27 | 10 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 18 | +22/+38 | +28 | +18 | +13 | +18 | 12d6 (26) | 26 |
| Mature adult | H | 25d12+125 (287) | 29 | 10 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 18 | +25/+42 | +32 | +19 | +14 | +19 | 14d6 (27) | 27 |
| Old | H | 28d12+168 (350) | 31 | 10 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 20 | +28/+46 | +36 | +22 | +16 | +22 | 16d6 (30) | 30 |
| Very old | H | 31d12+186 (387) | 33 | 10 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 22 | +31/+50 | +40 | +23 | +17 | +24 | 18d6 (31) | 32 |
| Ancient | G | 34d12+238 (459) | 35 | 10 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 24 | +34/+58 | +42 | +26 | +19 | +27 | 20d6 (34) | 35 |
| Wyrm | G | 37d12+333 (573) | 39 | 10 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 26 | +37/+63 | +47 | +29 | +20 | +29 | 22d6 (37) | 37 |
| Great wyrm | C | 40d12+400 (660) | 43 | 10 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 28 | +40/+72 | +48 | +32 | +22 | +32 | 24d6 (40) | 40 |
Posted in Creature and tagged dragon, earth subtype, true dragon by Stephen Hilderbrand with no comments yet.
Shadow Mastiffs
Here’s another encounter from the upcoming adventure The Horror of the Old Ones. A group of shadow mastiffs hunt this portion of the Elsemere Woods.
Here in the deep shadows of the thick canopy, beyond the foliage to the side of the trail, there is a gully with what appears to be a deep cave or burrow in it’s side.
Creatures: a pack of shadow mastiffs calls this cave home. Having heard the approaching party, they have spread out along the path in two pairs and wait in the shadows, with total concealment due to their shadow blend ability.
Shadow Mastiffs (4): HP: 27, 27, 28, 29
Tactics: The two pairs will pounce on, flank and trip the two weakest looking party members. If successful in tripping someone, one will take the opportunity on their next round to howl, hoping to panic and scare off those not being attacked. If brought to half hit points the dark hounds will pull back and howl, hoping to thin the numbers of their foes. If unsuccessful in scaring anyone they will flee once brought to 1/4 hit points.
Treasure: Within the cave, amongst the bones of many creatures, there are 200 gold, 2000 silver, a jeweled anklet worth 1000 gold, and a ring of blinking (worth 27,000 gold).
Posted in Encounter and tagged Elsemere Wood by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.