Wyatt debuts on Nevermet Press!
Posted: July 29, 2009 Filed under: Fluff/Inspiration, Nevermet Press, RPG 4 Comments »I’m rather excited since today, my first real piece on the Nevermet Press web site has been put up for everyone to see. I’m really pleased with it, and the awesome art by Rob Torno. So please go check it out here and maybe leave a comment – here, I mean, since you can’t comment over there. But maybe you can discuss it on the NMP forums! I think? Is anyone there yet? Doesn’t really look like it, yet. But we do have forums! Not only that, we do intend for people to use them! So I think you might as well start, y’know? You could be the very first one. (Don’t take my word for it.)
I’m looking forward to late in August, where I have some more stuff coming to NMP.
Wyatt Reviews: Kobold Quarterly 10
Posted: July 27, 2009 Filed under: D&D, D&D 4e, Legacy D&D, Products, RPG 20 Comments »
I know I tend to start my reviews with some anecdote that begins with “I’ve always been wary” or “Usually I feel concerned about” and follows with a situation, and it is becoming a cliche.
I also, for new readers, always include silly anime references that you can ask me about later. Though why you would want to know about Yukkuri I cannot fathom, but if you want to know, if you must, I am your guru. We will convene in my hut in the midst of the elder pines, the scent of incense pervading the space, and we will exchange. I have studied many yukkuris in my time. I can help you take it easy~.
Anyway. As we’ve discussed previously (groan, another Wyatt cliche) I’m not good with openings. So here we go: I’ve always been wary and felt concerned about purchasing magazines. I know back when Dragon and Dungeon belonged to Paizo I did not buy an issue because it did not feel like a good use of my money. Especially because I really wanted player content and it seemed like every 3.5 book I opened contained heaps of fluff I’d never use.
This turned me into the knee-biting overly-cautious consumer you see today. I am such a cheap bastard I only bought Kobold Quarterly #10 because I mistakenly believed it cost 8 bucks normally and I could get it for 4, don’t ask me how I made this mistake, but my cheap bastardness was dispelled briefly by my illusion of a half price deal.
Might of Eden: Scholar General
Posted: July 22, 2009 Filed under: Classes, D&D 4e, Homebrew, RPG, Spirits Of Eden 1 Comment »Warlords in Eden are the more formal warriors of their ranks. Even a beastly orcish Warlord can be said to be refined compared to the ranks he leads, more intelligent in certain forms than any of his brethren. A certain kind of genius is required to be a Warlord which no other warrior can boast to have. A Warlord is a leader – either his words and passion, or his knowledge and study, must have a greater depth to it than those of a normal Fighter. This is key, because a Warlord is not a Fighter – he can pretend to be, but when faced with a situation with no army to lead, the differences become clear. A Warlord brings out the best in others by being a different kind of best than them – lacking this element, there is little for one to achieve.
Tacticians require knowledge and study almost on the level of the clergy and the mages of Eden. Many are true products of the armies of Eden. Some Warlords learn from experience, being sent immediately to deal with soldiers and civilians and displaying there the leadership qualities that earn them their position. Others are taught strategies by mentors, going through years of rigorous training. For some, the way of the Warlord is a culture that is passed on to them as any other martial art is, and only to those who have displayed a special touch when dealing with other people.
A Scholar General is a true student of war in ways that others are not. A Scholar General hungers for the history behind every aspect of war, for the tactics ascribed to every weapon, for the veritable game of chess that goes on in every move. They try to recreate those sweeps of historic brilliance in their own lives. They try to prepare for any situation, iconically seen carrying both blade and bow into battle. These Warlords are somewhat rare in Eden, and those who go this path through military training are often kept in reserve, going through less dangerous and more social tasks until such a time as they are truly, desperately required. But many do not even begin in the army – for theirs is a genius that is almost spontaneous, and a lad or lass with a good eye, sharp wits and a quickness for learning could pick up weapons and become one in an almost unassuming way.
[NMP] The Desire 4e, Distributed Workshop
Posted: July 16, 2009 Filed under: D&D 4e, Nevermet Press, NPCs, RPG 6 Comments »At Nevermet Press, we have this thing called Distributed Workshops, where blogs can write stats for the system-neutral things in Nevermet Press’ content to be played with your favorite system. I’m one of the 4e guys doing these for NMP, and when I first saw The Desire, I could only think of my own love for mind control.
I love the Domination effect in D&D 4th Edition, and I love monsters that play around with it. It’s annoying the players however, so there has to be a balance, where Domination is not done so much that a player feels utterly shafted out of his or her character. So without further ado, I wrote some stats for The Desire, the first NMP villain, and a very special henchwoman.
Unlike most D&D 4e human monsters, the Knowledge for these two is gained using Streetwise rather than Nature.
Alternatives To Monster Math
Posted: July 16, 2009 Filed under: D&D 4e, NPCs, RPG 7 Comments »I see a lot of people talking about slashing monster hit points in half, or giving them half their level to damage, and so on and so forth in order to fix the “combat length problems” of D&D 4th Edition. That is to their benefit, and they indeed have gotten the results they wanted from them. But me, I don’t really like slashing anything in half or adding half to anything and so on, because while these changes seem simple, to me they look rather drastic.
The title is misleading in that my alternative monster maths are not going to come from me, but rather from elsewhere in D&D 4th Edition. I’m talking about dealing damage and having hit points like a player does. In my article about using NPCs as enemies I did a comparison of monster’s HPs to NPC (using Player Stats) HPs. Let’s take a look:
A Punishment Ill Fit (III)
Posted: July 14, 2009 Filed under: D&D 4e, Fiction, Fluff/Inspiration, RPG, Spirits Of Eden 4 Comments »Rarely did any junior cleric climb the steps of that stone spire, even rarer so with an invitation in hand. But the paper swan in Frederick’s hands had granted him permission to climb the hallowed tower so prominent in their church, and the feeling was intense. His eyes took in the carvings on the walls of the circling staircase, exquisitely detailed images of his church’s unique beliefs. The church, though one mostly focused on Arcline, also gave a great importance to her “sister,” the goddess Inunkuru.
She was a beautiful spirit, a Iomadi in appearance just like her sister. Intensely beautiful, said to be the most gorgeous of the Nine, but Inunkuru was mistress over some unsightly concepts – tyranny, vanity, greed. Whereas Arcline taught people to be loving and kind to others, Inunkuru taught people to seek their own benefits or even to control others. Frederick failed to understand why a church of Arcline, especially one that routinely did so much good in the world, would even acknowledge Inunkuru. Her grinning visage, detailed and lovely as it was on its own, looked so out of place inside the hallowed spire.
through this affiliate link, for any item, and some of the sale will be used to support this blog.
Spiritual Talk