Word of Wizards - D&D Podcast: Skill Challenges (April 2009)

D&D Podcast: Skill Challenges (April 2009)

In this podcast, Mike Mearls and Jeremy Crawford discuss about skill challenges by answering some questions that were sent in to them. They talked about some issues with the DCs, aid another, failing skill challenges and giving options to the players when in the middle of skill challenges.

Most of it is sound advice, if not unheard of, but definitely worth a listen to if you need some help to wrap your head around skill challenges. There are some good examples provided by Mike Mearls on to make skill challenges work or flow better in the game so you can take those as reference when designing your own.

The main points that I could catch from this podcast is to make Skill Challenges challenging because that's what they are suppose to do, so there has to be a tension when the players are in one. Secondly, skill challenges are meant to complement and move the story forward, not grind them to a halt. So think about the consequences to both success and failure to defeat a skill challenge. These I think are the essential guidelines of creating skill challenges and how to implement them into your game.

Breaking up skill challenges into easier but multiple bits is a strategy that is suggested which might be worth looking into or trying.

What do you think about skill challenges after listening to this podcast?

Word of Wizards - Dangerous Delves Preview 4

Dangerous Delves Preview 4

Today's preview features 2 monsters that will be appearing on the Monster Manual 2. They are the Frost Giant (which was also recently featured in an excerpt) and the Rust Monster. But let's also take a look at the others shall we?


Frost Giant
Looks fairly good if only the face could be a little more detailed. Thankfully this is a visible miniature so generally no complaints on this one. The stat cards are very similar to the stats in the excerpt linked above so no surprises there too.


Rust Monster
This is probably another monster that has been in high demand and haven't been made into a miniature until now. Can't really say much on this miniature other than being a brown plastic that is vaguely shaped like a rust monster.

From the stat card of this uncommon critter, it says that the Rust Monster is a Level 6 Skirmisher. Its Bite (standard; at-will) reduces the AC of any character that wears metal armor by 1 up to a cumulative maximum of -5. The same is done towards any metal weapon that hits its Rusting Defense which reduces the damage.


Blood Scarab
I'm not sure where does this common bloodsucker come from. It might have appeared somewhere else or is an entirely new monster. From its stat card, the Blood Scarab is a Level 3 Lurker with a Blood Drain aura that weakens anyone who start their turn within the aura 3. I'm not a big fan of bugs but this could easily act as any medium sized bugs.


Githyanki Warrior
I've been desperately wanting some good Githyanki miniatures since 3.x when I wanted to start an Incursion campaign and since it's also my favorite monster of all time. The Githyanki has also been one of the unrepresented races in the previous sets so I'm glad to see this one in this set. My only complaint is that it's a freaking rare!

Like the foulspawn in the previous preview, we can expect to see more variations of githyanki miniatures in the future sets for this year. Needless to say, I'm terribly excited for the love that the githyanki is deservingly getting.


Githzerai Zerth
If you love the githyanki then the githzerai comes as a naturally close second. We will also be seeing more of these guys in future sets but this Zerth is also a rare.


Any thoughts on these miniatures?

Word of Wizards - Dungeon 165 Art & Map Gallery

Dungeon 165 Art Gallery
Dungeon 165 Map Gallery

This month's Dungeon comes with marked and unmarked maps that include ice caverns, a couple of farmhouses and a ruined tower.

For the art gallery, players would find the dragonborn spearman pretty nice. While DMs could surely use some illustrations of a drake, a couple of gargoyles and some sahuagins too. There also some landscape artwork of a cliffside city and a shady town street but the one above looks like a very interesting place for adventure.

Word of Wizards - D&D Test Drive

D&D Test Drive

Wizards is offering a very generous test drive of the new 4E rules to old and new or interested players alike.

H1 Keep on the Shadowfell and the Quick Start Rules booklet that comes with the pre-gen characters are now freely and legally available on the Wizards' website as separate PDF downloads.

They've also included a download link to the free version of the Character Builder so that you can create your own character up to level 3, which should include the options from Player's Handbook 2.

Even if you already own the module, it is still probably worth it to download this version of the adventure. There are some minor additions, changes to some of the encounters and even new monster stats that are in this PDF.

So what are you waiting for? It's free and it's legal! So now you don't have a good reason to not try out 4E at least once!

Word of Wizards - May Editorial Calendar

May Editorial Calendar

The May Editorial Calendar is up, so mark your calendars for some of these tentatively scheduled highlights. Please be aware that the editorial calendar serves only as a rough guideline and Wizards have been known to not to stick to the exact date at times.

Freebies:

• Monster Manual 2 excerpts will continue until the week before the 19th when the book will be officially released.


• Starting on the 18th, we will start seeing excerpts from the Eberron Campaign Guide which I'm really excited about!


• There is probably some free monster stats from the Forgotten Realms novel; Restless Shore that will be out on 18th.


• The usually monthly features such as Steal This Hook! Spotlight Interview, Use This Book Tonight, Vicious Venues, D&D Alumni and maybe a couple of podcasts.

Subscriber content:

• The playtest for Monks in the Player's Handbook 3 is surely what some of us have been waiting for some time and it is currently scheduled to be out on the 11th.


• The adventure in which the Penny Arcade/PvP crew played in the recently concluded D&D podcast will appear in this month's Dungeon on the 13th.


• It looks like there will be a couple of setting specific articles coming up in this month's Dragon with Expeditionary Dispatches (Eberron) and Gontal (Forgotten Realms). Both appearing on Fridays on the 15th and 22nd respectively.


• There will be a Monster Manual 3 playtest appearing on the 25th which should be interesting.

It generally looks like a good month but it seems to look better for subscribers overall. Are you excited about any of the upcoming articles in May?

Word of Wizards - Dragon 372 Art Gallery

Dragon 372 Art Gallery

This gallery has some nice illustrations of Devas, orcs, a drow archer, a tiefling infernal warlock and some frost feys. There is also a map for a White Lotus Academy which looks like an arcane college.

This is certainly useful for players who are playing as Deva characters and DMs who are looking for new orc artworks. So go check it out.

Word of Wizards - Excerpts: Remorhaz

Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Remorhaz

Today we are again reintroduced to another returning favorite monster of mine for 4E; the smoldering Remorhaz.

The Remorhaz is a Level 21 Elite Brute which emits a Blistering Heat aura that deals 10 fire damage to anyone who starts their turn within 2 squares of it. When bloodied, the heat increases to an Enraged Heat (immediate reaction, when a creature hits the remorhaz with a melee attack; usable only when bloodied; at-will) which deals 10 fire damage to any creature that hits the remorhaz.

It can also use its heat as an offensive attack through its Immolating Carapace (standard; recharge 6) that burns anyone within a close burst 1 for 3d10+5 fire damage if they don't manage to evade with their Reflex. Those that are damaged would continue to take an ongoing 10 fire damage until they end their turn in a square that is not adjacent to the Remorhaz.

Even in a straight-up fight, the Remorhaz is certainly not a push over. Its Bite (standard; at-will) deals 2d12+10 damage and automatically grabs the target within reach 2. This can be quickly followed by a Swallow (minor; at-will) against Fortitude. Once swallowed, the target is restrained and can only make melee or close attacks. No one except for the Remorhaz has line of sight or effect on the swallowed target and the target can only target the Remorhaz while swallowed. At the start of the Remorhaz's turn, the target takes 20 damage, half of which is fire.

The only way to escape is by dealing 30 damage to the Remorhaz in a single attack or if the Remorhaz dies. The target appears in an adjacent square if it's the former while it reappears on the former square of the Remorhaz as a move action if it's the latter.

If the Remorhaz is not interested in swallowing anyone, it can simply just Trample its enemies. By moving its speed across enemy squares, it can cause 2d10+5 damage and knock the targets prone if they can't avoid it with their Reflex.

It certainly feels that they have upgraded the Remorhaz for 4E and elevating its status to an Epic tier monster just makes fighting it all the more exciting. I really hope that they use the above artwork which is very cool instead of the 3.x one from the 3.x Monster Manual that was shown in the excerpt.

What do you think of the new Remorhaz?

Questing's Readings - 26/4/09

It's been another week of good readings. There's been some heavy and in depth discussions on rules and players which shows an interesting contrast to how we approach gaming. On the lighter side, there's a couple of posts on skill challenges and the PHB2 along with the usual dosage of good advice to improve your game. Expect to see villains going to be the center of attention this week and next week.

There's been alot of talk about Arcane Power too but I sort of gave up trying to follow those because they almost said the same things. All I can say is that the RPG Bloggers Network seems to give it a unanimous thumbs up so it's probably worth having the book in your game.

Let's get on with the good stuff.

At Will
PHB2 In Play: The Bard
Gamefiend giving a comprehensive review of the 4E bard. Bards don't suck anymore.

How To Design a Skill Challenge Part 6: Strategies
How to let players make strategic decisions before going into a skill challenge.

Well-Meaning, Nihilistic, Civilized-yet-Deranged: Three Villains
Three villain archetypes.

Bard of Valiant
5 Worldbuilding Links
Viri pointing us to the directions on how to improve your worldbuilding.

4 Villains Ideas You Didn't Think Of
An interesting link on some historical personas who weren't really villains.

Bat in the Attic
Can't stop the sand from running out of the box!
A very good article on running sandbox games.

Dungeon's Master
More Than Just Minions
4 new ways of using minions differently.

ENWorld Forum
Stalker0's Guide to Anti-Grind

Exchange of Realities
But What Can I Do?
PCs have to feel that they are making a difference. Some good thoughts for creating plot hooks.

Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer
Support Squad #1: The Researcher
Support Squad 2: The Driver & The Hacker

Lord of the Green Dragons
What applies to Game Rules applies to Game Setting
Some thoughts on how we should see rules and setting 'canon'.

The Academic Study of Dungeons and Dragons
Why D&D or RPGs in general aren't taken seriously in the academic field. Would really like to see the reference list. There seems to be some pretty interesting books on the subject.

Mad Brew Labs
Designing Games at a New Level
Some advantages and disadvantages of levels in RPGs.

Villainous Vivisection
10 mechanisms of a good villain.

Playing Passionately
The Culture of Outcome
Some thoughts on player-driven narratives and post-resolution mechanics. (Thanks to The Harping Monkey for pointing this one out)

RoleplayingPro
Character Motivations: Why Adventure? [Part 1]
Character Motivations: Why Adventure? [Part 2]

A two-part series on why do characters adventure due to campaign circumstances and character choice. Some great ideas on creating better character backgrounds.

RPG Blog II
They Don't Remember The Mess (Too Much)
Why DMs shouldn't sweat about the details too much.

RPG Dumping Ground
Celebrations of Life and Death
Some interesting plot hooks and ideas on birth, marriage and death.

Sham's Grog 'n Blog
D&D Essentials and Concepts
10 concepts introduced into the game by Dave Arneson that we should be thankful for.

Sly Florish
Three Cheap 4e Game Aids
3 dirt-cheap to free accessories you can use for your game without buying the more expensive ones.

The Bone Scroll
I Disbelieve Illusion
How rules and setting can affect players' suspension of disbelief.

The Ghost Tower of Dustiness
(Mostly) Free Typefaces I Use for RPGs
Feeling old school? How about some old school fonts?

The RPG Athenaeum
Quandry-Based Villain Creation
Villains created by your PC's actions. An interesting approach to villain creation.

Uncle Bear
Expanding Skill Challenges into adventures
Uncle Bear giving some ideas on how to turn skill challenges into adventures.

Unnatural20
4E Bringing You Down? Try This!
Some new ways to make combat, skill challenges and magic items in 4E fun.

Word of Wizards - 25/4/09

Wizards has been feeding the flame with the release of Arcane Power and E1 Death's Reach, this week. Art and map galleries, ideas on how to use them and a rules update were some of the highlights this week. Other than that, excerpts from Monster Manual 2 followed by previews of the Dangerous Delves miniatures is setting up for a monstrous month ahead.

Also happening this week was Wizards taking a deep look back at Dave Arneson that revealed some things that we may not know about his contributions to D&D which was pretty interesting.

Havent' been around this week? Then catch up with the rundown below.

Monday (20/4/09)
Arcane Power Art Gallery
Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Giatns

Tuesday (21/4/09)
Arcane Power Update

Wednesday (22/4/09)
E1 Death's Reach Art & Map Gallery
Steal This Hook! Arcane Threats
Use This Book Tonight! E1 Death's Reach
Dangerous Delves Preview 2

Friday (24/4/09)
April 2009 Character Builder & Compendium News
D&D Alumni: Dave Arneson
Dangerous Delves Preview 3
Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Pod Demon
Player's Handbook Heroes Miniature Gallery

There's nothing going on next week other than the compilation and the galleries from both Dragon and Dungeon. But I guess we can expect a few surprises?

Word of Wizards - D&D Miniatures Gallery: Player's Handbook Heroes Set 1

Player's Handbook Heroes Set 1

The full gallery of all the Player's Handbook Heroes miniatures are up at Wizards' so you can take a look at all 18 of them there. It seems that they have skipped one box of Arcane Heroes in their preview which has a male human wizard, a female Eladrin sorcerer and a half elf fighter/warlock. So I'm going to review just the miniatures since they didn't include the power cards that come along with them in the gallery.


Human Wizard
The yellow seems a little corny and from what I've heard so far is that the color scheme of the same mini varies in different boxes. If that is true, I think this miniature could look better in other colors. With the staff and a book in hand, it makes the perfect miniature that uses both of these implements. Overall, a generically useful miniature.


Eladrin Sorcerer
Or should I say sorceress? Although the blue does make it look like some sort of frost mage (which is cool by the way), the whole tights look does make it feel more like a superhero than a sorcerer. I guess this can be a hit or miss for some but I like to see it as the miniature's versatility across genres, no less.


Half-Elf Warlock/Fighter
I'm not sure how is this a warlock, maybe it's the dagger? But the armor does make this a great substitute for a warlord, paladin or cleric and it can easily represent a human, elf or eladrin. A pretty nice miniature overall if I could discern his weaponry.

Overall, I would have to say that this set feels a little meh. Not many of the sculpts are very impressive or just have very unheroic poses and I believe there are better sculpts to reuse than these. Another disappointment is that not all the races and classes from the Player's Handbook 2 have been represented (deva, shifter, gnome, warden, shaman, invoker) while some other races (human, eladrin, elf) and classes (cleric and barbarian) have been repeated far too much. The lack of a dragonborn fighter or any of the heavier martial classes just seems weird.

But there are still some gems among these though so make no mistake. So I'll also be looking forward to the next set.

Want share any thoughts on the first Heroes set?

Word of Wizards - Excerpts: MM2 Pod Demon

Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Pod Demon
Today's excerpt takes a look at an interesting demon that is possibly linked with the Chained God; the Pod Demon.

A Pod Demon is a Level 15 Elite Artillery that has a variable resistance of 15 which it can use twice per encounter. At the start of its turn, a Pod Demon creates a Spawn known as a podspawn within 2 squares of it unless it already has four. It can also Generate Podspawn (standard; recharges when first bloodied) in any unoccupied square within a close burst 2 until it reaches four. Any enemy that is caught within the burst will have to evade with their Reflex or take 3d6+5 poison damage.

A Podspawn is a Level 15 Minion Skirmisher that shares the resistance of its progenitor Pod Demon. The podspawn also gains combat advantage against enemies that have entered its Dangerous Proximity which affects adjacent enemies. This makes it easier for its Corroding Slime (standard; at-will) to hit against the target's AC and deal 12 acid damage.

Podspawns also have a strategic value to a Pod Demon. Sometimes in order to gain a better position in combat, a Pod Demon may Transfer Essence (move; at-will) to a podspawn. This allows a Pod Demon to switch positions with a podspawn within 10 squares. A podspawn is also a walking living mine. A pod demon may choose to Detonate Minion (minor 1/round; recharge 5,6) within range 10 that makes the podspawn explode and deal 1d8+3 poison damage to all enemies adjacent to it.

Other times, a Pod Demon creates a new podspawn to be used as ammunition to bombard enemies in range or when there are in place. For ranged attacks, a Pod Demon may Fling Podspawn (standard; at-will) that deals 2d6+5 acid damage in an area burst 1 within 10 squares. Once in close range, it can Spew Podspawn (standard; at-will) that deals the same damage to those within a close burst 3.

By itself, the pod demon still should not be underestimated. It has a Slam attack that can deal 1d6+5 and 5 ongoing poison damage (save ends) and any opponent that grants it Combat Advantage will take an extra 2d6 damage from its attacks.

I have to say that this is a really interesting monster and would like to see how it runs in combat. It's also quite tough for an artillery so it's quite good on its own and since it also pumps out its own minion on every turn, makes it a complete encounter by itself.

What do you think of the pod demon?

Word of Wizards - Dangerous Delves Preview 3

Dangerous Delves Preview 3
Today's preview gives us a look at some of the Aberrant from the set. But before I proceed further, I would to make a disclaimer for some of errors I made in my previous coverage of the previews.

It seems to have slip my notice that the visible miniatures are not actually rares but are uncommons painted with the quality of a rare. I'm not sure if saying this would make a difference since the miniatures are visible anyway but I just wanted to be clear and make sure that we are still on the same page. If there are anymore errors that I may have made in this or my previous posts, please feel free to correct me in the comment box.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes! Let's look at some Aberrations.


Aboleth Slime Mage
The much demanded Aboleth has finally taken shape and the best part of it all is that it is a visible uncommon. So you can surely pick up one or two of these for your devious needs. It generally looks alright too.


Beholder Eye Tyrant
A rare miniature that was previously only available in 2005, so now is your second chance to get a hold of this if you fancy some fearful eye rays. Again, looks alright without anything impressive.


Berbalang
Although the solo status of this monster would have normally made this to be a rare but it's duplicate summoning ability means that it is quite likely that PCs will be facing more than one of these in a fight. Thus it has been regulated into an uncommon which would make it slightly easier for DMs to have a few more of these handy.

I'm glad to see that some common sense is put in the process of determining the rarity of a miniature as it would helped immensely for DMs and collectors alike. No complaints for the appearance of this miniature as well.


Foulspawn Grue
This common foulspawn grue is the first in line of a collection that will give the other 3 remaining foulspawns shape by the end of the year. Some themed monsters are also going through this process as more sets are introduced. Seeing that this is a common, I think it works well as a zombie except that it's small.....maybe as halfling zombies?


Xen'Drik Drow Stingblade
While this rare drow isn't an aberrant but it's a preview from the Eberron Campaign Guide that won't be released until June. From it's stat card, you might want to watch out for its poison attacks. Since the Player's Handbook Heroes set doesn't include a drow in their lineup, this will have to do as a PC, although getting this will be a little tough.


So any thoughts on these miniatures?

Word of Wizards - D&D Alumni: Dave Arneson

Dave Arneson

It's been 2 weeks since Dave Arneson has left us and in this month's D&D Alumni, Wizards has chosen to commemorate some of his contributions to the game that some of us may not be aware of.

Most of us are likely able to relate Dave Arneson with his Blackmoor campaign setting which is known to be the first published campaign setting of the game and his Temple of the Frog which is also the first published adventure module. However from reading this article, some of us may not have known that Sahuagins, monks and assassins were also some of his major inventions in the game.

He also introduced the mechanics for catching diseases, curses and the not-so used hit locations in combat.

If you are new to gaming or don't know much about Dave Arneson and his contributions to gaming, I would recommend you to read this article. It pinpoints some of Dave Arneson's contributions fairly in detail and provides some snippets from bygone products, which is always a good thing to learn about gaming.

Word of Wizards - April 2009 Character Builder & Compendium News

April 2009 Character Building & Compendium News

This month's batch update for the Character Builder and the Compendium is up and the database is updated with stuff from Arcane Power, Dragon 373, Dungeon 164, E1 Death's Reach and presumably the power cards from the Player's Handbook Heroes Series 1.

There's also some added features in the Builder such as a minor redesign of the Gear page and they've included a Glossary tab in the Compendium.

There's even a little something for non-subscribers too. The demo version of the Character Builder has added in the content from Player's Handbook 2 but you can only use it to generate characters up to level 3. Try it out and maybe it's a good time to reconsider that subscription.

{Quest Log} Questing for Top 10 RPGs

I'm trying to start another weekly feature which I'm calling it the Quest Log. Every Thursday, this feature will be a post about my rants, ramblings, musings, memories or other complete randomness about gaming-related topics. Let's see if I can pull this off and hope that you'll enjoy reading it. Comments and feedback, whether about this new feature or the weekly content, will be most appreciated as always.

On Monday, Zachary Houghton from RPG Blog II had just concluded his contest for voting our Top 25 RPGs. Being a gamer that is remotely away from the gaming scene, I certainly didn't have 25 games to list but I managed to cook up 10 games that I've played and would want to play if I ever get the chance. It wasn't easy coming up with these games. Most of them would be unheard of here and I only got to know about them through forums and blogs, so don't be surprised if some of these choices sounded cliche.

DISCLAIMER: After I submitted my list for the contest, I noticed that, interestingly, I had left 4E D&D out of the list. It must have completely slipped my mind while I was writing it or my mind must have assumed that it would be in there somewhere. So the list below is a slightly edited version of the list that I had submitted but my choices for the contest would still stay the same.

Anyway, here goes in descending order...




1. Dungeons & Dragons 3.x
The first real D&D game that I got myself into and where most of my gaming years and money is spent. If I would call myself a grognard someday, I would be a 3.x grognard. I still think this game is playable and serviceable which is also the catalyst for the game I picked at no. 5 and no. 6 so this game does mean quite a lot to me.


2. D20 Modern
My second favorite genre of RPGs would be modern-era espionage, military or mercenary games. D20 Modern was the first modern game I had and since it was made by Wizards and the d20 system, it was a smooth transition for me as a 3.x gamer. I love the system because of its cinematic feel and it really encourages a lot of explosive game play. The support line for D20 Modern were great in concept even if they didn't transfer very well into other eras. If I can't play as a sword wielding dragonslayer, I play as a double barrel shotgun wielding gunslinger any day.


3. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition
My first published RPG games. Before that I was using homebrewed systems designed by me or my brother to play RPGs and when I got my hands on the Player's Handbook for this, it opened up my door into becoming a lifelong gamer. In fact, I ran this game even without a DMG or MM so my group wasn't probably using all the rules but our imaginations alone did gave us alot of fun. Hoping one day to get myself the full set of this game and have players who would play this for old time sake.


4. Trinity
My first and only attempt at a White Wolf game (had a false start with Werewolf but the game never kicked off). I never got a hang of the mechanics because I was only 9 or 10 years old at the time. I rolled those d10s whenever I was told to. I still remember the character I played which was fun. A psychic doctor that could manipulate organic/biological matter and bursting the enemies organs was cool back then even today. It did make a little place in my heart for all things psionic (fantasy or SF).



The four games that I've mentioned are the ones that I've played. For the remainder of this list are games that I haven't but am eager to try them out very soon.



5. Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition
Believe it or not, I still haven't had my first taste of a 4E game after it has been released for so long. Although the changes seem a bit radical from previous editions but from the rules, it looks fun and something that my group would enjoy. Needless to say, I'm very excited to try out the new rules and get a session or campaign running very soon.


6. Pathfinder
The spirit of 3.x lives on and I'm very excited to see the changes that they made towards the OGC d20 system. This is also coupled by the fact that Paizo has been a favorite of mine for their creative description and fluff. Very eager to try this out (if my gaming group don't convert into 4E fanboys) and hopefully it will stand side by side with my no. 1.


7. True20
I haven't taken a real deep look at this system yet but it looks like a simplified and streamlined version of the d20 system. It's also very generic which makes it a handy toolbox to run and create a specific feel for a setting or campaign that I am reminded about in my head once in a while.


8. D6 Fantasy
Dices are a rarity from where I come from. D6 dices are the only abundant dices that we can find and this is my pick of a fantasy game to introduce to new players who are not equipped to play a d20 game. It uses a point buy system that I'm quite intrigued to test out but simplicity without impeding creativity is where I give this game a place in my list.


9. Primetime Adventures
The very concept of this game just intrigues me. Getting to literally replay those television moments (and it spans across genres too) is something that really plays up the childish dreams and nostalgia of becoming an actor on TV. But I have to say why this game is great is because of its uniqueness and paradigm shift from conventional roleplaying. Only reason why this game is quite low on my list is because it is even harder to explain how it works and finding the right players to make this game enjoyable can be quite a challenge.


10. Exalted 2nd Edition
If you noticed by now both White Wolf games are at the bottom of my played and want to play list. I don't have alot of love for White Wolf probably because I don't quite get the mechanics. However, I'm giving Exalted a chance because of 3 reasons. One, I got it for free thanks to PDFgate. Two, I give praise for White Wolf's effort to try a make a fantasy game that does not involve vampires, werewolves, wraiths and golems. Three because despite the system, I like White Wolf's style towards setting and mood which as a fluff addict wants to take a shot at this.

Word of Wizards - Arcane Power

Arcane Power Update PDF

It looks like there were some mistakes that Wizards haven't been able to correct before Arcane Power hit the printers. So upon release, there's already a rules update. Most of it are just nerfs that reduce the range, damage dice or the usage of the powers though. Still waiting to see if Wizards would clear up the quirkiness of the Archlich.

Word of Wizards - Dangerous Delve Preview 2

Dangerous Delve Preview 2

Today's excerpt takes a look at the Unicorn, a Medusa Archer, a Harpy, a Yuan-ti Fangblade and a Snake Swarm. There's also a little information about how the stat cards would look like.

For the stat cards, it will have two sides. On the 'front', it will have all the defenses, hitpoints, aura and other relevant abilities that are useful outside of the monster's turn. On the other side are all the attacks. However, not all monsters will be designed like this and may not fit into a single stat cards, such as the case of solo or elite monsters.

As mentioned in the first preview, each box will have a certain theme and 3 out of the 5 miniatures in this box are snake related (medusa, yuan-ti, snake swarm), so that explains what the theme is for the box. Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to tell what the theme is from the visible miniature which was the unicorn in this case. So I guess, there's a little random factor in this which I'm not sure if it's a good thing.

Now, let's look at the miniatures themselves.


Unicorn
I really don't like the spots on this one and the color scheme doesn't really show that this miniature has gone through many paint steps.


Medusa Archer
This one is another rare and it looks quite alright to me.


Harpy
I'm not too sure why is this a rare and I'm really not too impressed by its paint job. I would actually be needing more of this than the medusa and the blue dress just doesn't sit well with me.


Yuan-ti Fangblade
The uncommon in the pack. The crooked sword is a bit of a concern for me but generally no complaints on this one.


Snake Swarm
The other common in this pack. I don't really have a problem with these type of miniatures which I use to represent a single or swarm of snakes anyway. Although as a common, getting this frequently might be an incentive to run a snake-based adventure. This could probably be useful to represent traps anyway.

So any thoughts on the first box preview of Dangerous Delve?

Word of Wizards - Use This Book Tonight: E1 Death's Reach

E1 Death's Reach

This month's Use This Book Tonight might be useful for DMs who can't wait to start prepping or running E1 Death's Reach. It gives a few pointers about epic tier play since most DMs are probably new to it.

It even recommends how running an epic tier campaign could work and gives some ideas on how to manage it from character creation, character development and what to expect from the epic tier.

Word of Wizards - Steal This Hook! Arcane Threats

Arcane Threats

Arcane Power may be more of a player's book but what's stopping the DM to use it and come up with several plot hooks to incorporate the new rules into the campaign?

This month's Steal This Hook! presents three plot hooks that can potentially be arcane related but also just plain mundane.

The first hook involves the PC meeting someone who is digging up his 'brother' who is supposedly buried alive in a tomb by kidnappers who wanted a family heirloom. The direction where this could go is the real relationship between the digger and his 'brother', whether the brother is still alive or what is inside the tomb.

The second hook is when PCs heard news of a halfling caravan that has stopped in the woods and not making any progress towards it destination. When the PCs investigate, the caravan has seem to settle down in the woods and it is up to the DM (or PCs) to decide what is the reason for this. Could it be a Wizards duel? An evil force in the forest? Or has the leadership of the caravan been compromised?

The last hook is about 3 spirits that the only ways of entering a locked tower have escaped and one of them may have taken refuge inside one of the PCs. A group of adventurers who accidentally released these spirits are searching for them and it could up to the PCs to discern whether it is for a good cause or there is a hidden plot behind them. Or it could be the spirits that cannot be trusted? What is inside the tower anyway?

Any adventure ideas coming up to mind after reading these plot hooks that you would like to share?

Word of Wizards - E1 Death's Reach Art & Map Gallery

E1 Death's Reach Art Gallery
E1 Death's Reach Map Gallery

Now that the Arcane Power art gallery is up, let's not forget about E1 Death's Reach. From the 16 illustrations itself, it looks like its going to be quite an epic adventure but there are a couple of reused art from Dragon. The map gallery, as usual, makes its round of useless marked maps.

Word of Wizards - Excerpts: MM2 Giants

Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: - Giants

Today is a special double monster excerpt which shows the 4E-fied version of the Frost and Stone giants that will return in the Monster Manual 2.


The Frost Giant is a Level 17 Brute that have resistance against cold 15 and can travel on ice very quickly. Their Icebound Footing also makes them very stable on ice which reduces the number of squares of forced movement by 2 and they can make a saving throw to keep them from being knocked prone.

In combat, they wield an Icy Greataxe (standard; at-will) with a reach 2 that deals 4d6+7 cold damage. For ranged attacks, they prefer throwing an Icy Handaxe (standard; at-will) that deals 2d8+7 cold damage.

To make their opponents more prone to their frost weapons, they use a Chilling Strike (standard; recharge 5,6) that only deals 2d6+7 damage but makes the target gain vulnerable 10 to cold.

A Frost giant fights viciously to the death, even with they die they make a Dying Swipe (when the Frost giant drops to 0 hitpoints) with their Icy Greataxe.


A Stone Giant is a Level 14 Soldier that is immune to petrification and has Stone Bones (immediate interrupt; when the Stone Giant is hit by an attack, not usable when bloodied; at-will) that grants resistance 5 against any attack.

Stone giants Hurl Rock (standard; at-will) at distance targets or when they are playing their dangerous rock throwing games at each other on thunderous nights. These thrown rocks deal 2d8+6 damage to any target that is hit.

In close combat, stone giants use a Stone Greatclub (standard; at-will) to deal 2d10+4 damage against a target within reach 2 and marks the target until the end of the giant's next turn. Once marked, opponents are placed under a Hardened Threat (opportunity, when a creature marked by the stone giant and within its reach moves or shifts; at-will) by another Stone Greatclub attack if it attempts to disengage from the giant.

A stone giant is most dangerous when it uses its Staggering Sweep (standard; recharges when first bloodied) that is used to press on nearby enemies. Any enemy that is hit within close burst 2 takes 2d10+4 damage, is pushed 2 squares and are marked until the end of the giant's next turn. After making this sweep, the giant is able to shift 2 squares but must still be within 2 squares of any marked enemy.

Not much has changed, flavorwise, for these giants and still maintained the recognizable hallmarks that identify these giants from previous editions. They are still quite challenging monsters to spring onto your paragon tiered players and I have a feeling that's not all the giants that we will see returning to the Monster Manual 2. I would also be expecting to see arcane version of both these giants which could add an interesting control element when the players are facing them.

What do you think about these giants?

Word of Wizards - Arcane Power Art Gallery

Arcane Power Art Gallery

With the official release of Arcane Power tomorrow, they have posted up the art gallery of the book for your perusal. 66 illustrations of arcane character portraits and dazzling spell battles that are very inspirational. There's even a couple of illustrations for tiefling and human archers.

I have to say that the artwork for this book is quite well done except for a few recycled artwork. It really brings out the awe of being a powerful spellcaster and blasting through your enemies with eldritch energies. It also gives a sense of how spellcaster accumulate power through different levels at each tier.

Questing's Readings - 19/4/09

This week we have a couple of good posts and discussions on government, grindy combat, dungeons and simplifying 4E NPC stats.

The pace and number of postings in the RPG Bloggers Network seem to be going very strong. In fact, we have just seen a new expansion in the network as a few new blogs have been inducted in. So here's a welcoming greeting to these new bloggers. Everyone say hi to:

GamesTopica.Net
Mostly Geek
RPG Athenaeum
Symptoms of Madness
Trollish Delver

I'll be watching them for any great content. One of them have already made it into this week's list. Speaking of which, let's get on with the readings.

A Butterfly Dreaming
The Lighter Side
How to inject humor into in-game elements.

At-Will
Five Ways to Spice up your Encounters
5 good ways to make the 4E grind less boring.

Bard of Valiant
unique lock
A very interesting lock for your dungeon.

I felt like a failure
How to save a session that is going bad?

A new school perspective
The Bard interviews another blogger to get a perspective on newer games.

Life After People
A very nice combination of links for imagining the post-apocalypse.

Bat in the Attic
Wresting with Old School
What really matters most about GMing with accessories.

Campaign Mastery
Lore Enforcement: The Legal System in an RPG
Thinking about real world legal systems and how can it be applied to your RPG setting.

Dungeon's Master
Reputation (Part 3)
This series concludes with what happens when PCs have undeserving or unmanaged reputation.

Skill Focus: Heal
10 new ways to use the Heal skill.

Campaign Design: Politics and Groups of Influence
Some pointers to think about power groups in your campaign.

Exchange of Realities
Basic Clothing and Characterization
More Characterization Through Clothing

A very good two-part series on what and why people wear clothing. Very useful for character descriptions.

Gaming Brouhaha
How RPG Piracy works - Part 3
MJ Harnish giving his closing remarks on RPG piracy.

Greywulf's Lair
Side scrolling dungeons!
A simple different way of looking at dungeons in multi-levels.

Living Dice
GTS 2009 Dungeons and Dragons Seminar
Scott Rouse talks about the future plans of D&D in the coming years and what will be installed in some of the new releases coming.

Musings of the Chatty DM
Afterschool Trope Special: The Dungeon Crawl, Part 1
The Chatty DM returns to examine one of the oldest tropes in RPGs; the dungeon crawl.

Newbie DM
1d12 questions with....Mike Mearls
The Newbie DM took a d12 and rolled a 7. So here's 7 questions for Mike Mearls about his thoughts on 4E.

RoleplayingPro
Top 20 Gaming Tools & Accessories
20 recommended gaming accessories based on their utility and their price.

RPGCentric
Krod Mandoon and Your Campaign
Some humorous snippets of the new Comedy Central show that seems to reflect in-game situations (and how my group handles them).

Sly Flourish
4e Adventure Checklist
A comprehensive list of what makes a 4E adventure great and easier to remember.

The RPG Athenaeum
How do campaign governments deal with adventurers?
A look at how local, regional and national governments look at the progress of characters through the levels.

100 Subjects for tavern chatter
A very useful list for rumors, plot hooks and odd pieces of topics to be (over)heard in a tavern. A nice chart to roll a dice with.

The Spirit of Eden
Still Doing It My Way
A suggestion of what to include in a 4e stat card.

Turtles All the Way Down
Fantastic Governments
3 new fantasy-based forms of governments for your consideration.

Options of Mortocratic Leadership
A look at how living in a kingdom ruled by a lich, vampire or death knight as a ruler would be like and what strange customs could be practiced by their citizens.

Uncle Bear
Savaging 4th Edition D&D: NPCs and Monsters
Using the Savage Worlds method, all the NPCs stats you ever need in one line.

Fantasy Worldbuilding in Action: A Magna Carta
An interesting approach towards worldbuilding, telling yourself what you like and dislike.

Vulcan Stev's Database
Struck for a Prophecy?
A link to a random prophecy generator.

WWdN: In Exile
a few thoughts and lessons learned from behind the dm screen
Wil Wheaton share some thoughts about DMing for his kid and friends and even gives out so good old DMing advice.

Word of Wizards - 18/4/09

It looks like the heated fuss from last week has settled down but things does not seem to have slowed down from Wizards.

This week, we started with the excerpts from Monster Manual 2 and E1 Death's Reach. Then we continued with the miniatures preview both for the Player's Handbook Heroes and the Dangerous Delve monsters.

We also got a couple of the monthly features of Vicious Venues that had a really interesting location, in line with the familiar rules from Arcane Power and a Spotlight Interview with the designers of Dungeon Tiles.

Don't miss out with any of these with the rundown below.

Monday (13/4/09)
Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Adamantine Dragon

Tuesday (14/4/09)
D&D Insider Survey Results

Wednesday (15/4/09)
Vicious Venues - The Three Dancing Cats
Martial Heroes
E1 Death's Reach Excerpts

Friday (17/4/09)
Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Maw of Acamar
Spotlight Interview: Dungeon Tiles
Dangerous Delve Preview 1

Next week, Arcane Power and E1 Death's Reach will be released which will be accompanied by their art and map galleries. We would also expect to see the excerpts and previews from Monster Manual 2 and the Dangerous Delve minis. In addition, we might get a chance to Steal This Hook!

For Insiders, it's going to be a big week with some great articles like Ecology of the Deva and another playtest for Player's Handbook 3.

So anyone want to speculate what's in the playtest?

Word of Wizards - Dangerous Delve Preview 1

Dangerous Delve Preview 1

Now that we're done with the heroes miniature boxes, let's take a look at the side of the Dangerous Delve monster line. No single miniature preview yet on this one but there is a whole lot of information on how this line would work in terms of distribution.

The line in total has 40 different miniatures (16 rares half of which are large, 8 visible large uncommons, 8 uncommons and 8 commons) with monsters from the Monster Manual, Monster Manual 2, Eberron Campaign Guide and Open Grave.

Each booster comes with 5 miniautres. One visible large uncommon, one rare, one uncommon and 2 commons. Each of these miniatures will come with a simple stat card that can make things easier to use in combat. If you buy a case, it comes with 8 boosters that will give you one of all the visible uncommons.

They are trying to make soldier, brute, skirmishers and minion type miniatures to be more common while solo and elite miniatures will be rarer. Each booster might also have a theme. For example, an Orc Eye of Gruumsh (rare) might come with a couple of Orc Terrorblade (common) to make a complete Orc encounter.

Generally, all the miniatures will be receiving 50% more paint steps which means that they would have better paint jobs. While that sounds and looks impressive based on the Cyclops Crusher miniature above, I'm having some doubts that it isn't that great after seeing the Heroes line which was pretty underwhelming. I won't be taking their word for it seriously. Guess I'll just have to wait for the previews and a chance to see it for myself.

If that is the distribution plan that they are sticking to, I think it is a very good incentive for me to buy these miniatures. I would most likely be going for a case than individual boosters though.

How do you think the Dangerous Delve is shaping up?

Word of Wizards - Spotlight Interview: Dungeon Tiles

Spotlight Interview: Dungeon Tiles

This month's interview takes a step away from interviewing designers of rules, supplements and books and steps into something simpler but is just as important as having a good gaming experience on the gaming table whether during combat or exploring dungeons.

Wizards asked Andy Collin, Chris Perkins, Logan Bonner and Peter Lee on how the Dungeon Tiles were first conceptualized, designed and developed since it was launched in August 2006. It's an interesting look to get behind the whole process of producing these tiles and what is installed for them in the future. There's even some tips on how to organize or store them.

However, the most interesting bit of the whole interview is when asked would they be planning to reprint the older tiles which has recently seen heavy use and demand in the Scales of War adventure path and Dungeon Delve that comes with recommendations on which tile sets to use.

Andy replies that Wizards will be looking into ways of reintroducing the older tile sets (maybe in new tile sets?) and they are hoping to get a plan done for this

That sounds great and would be looking forward to any announcements that they have about this.

Any thoughts on this interivew?

Word of Wizards - Excerpts: Maw of Acamar

Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Maw of Acamar

For today's excerpt, we are introduced to a new monster type called Starspawns and a sample of it, the Maw of Acamar.

Once in a while when the stars are correctly aligned, they send down a starspawn that is the manifested will of the star to wreak havoc upon the inhabitants on the world that gaze upon them from afar. The Maw of Acamar is one such starspawn. A ravenous progeny of the dead star Acamar which devours anything that gets too close to it.

The Maw of Acamar is a Level 15 Controller and it has the aura of a Hungry Star that makes it hard for anyone to escape from its hunger. Anyone that is within its aura of 5 will have to spend 3 more squares of movement to enter a square further away from the Maw.

The Maw is deadly when it is within range. Every square that is closer to the Maw is in danger of being captured by the Maw and it is also even harder to escape from it. It starts with its Corpse Star's Grip (minor; at-will) that pulls targets within a close burst 5 up to 3 squares if it overcomes their Fortitude.

Once within 3 squares, the Devouring Star (standard; at-will) deals 10 ongoing damage (save ends) to anyone within close burst 3 against Fortitude.

When close enough, it reaches a target with its Devouring Touch (standard; at-will) that has a reach 2 against Reflex to deal 15 ongoing damage (save ends). The Life Devourer (immediate reaction, when a creature within 2 squares of the maw spends a healing surge; at-will) is drawn to a strong life force and expands its influence to draw them in. Until the of its next turn, the reach of its Devouring Touch and range of its close burst powers increase by 2 when this is triggered.

As a Destroyer of Life, it continues to drain its enemies even though it has released itself from its grasp. Anyone adjacent to the Maw that makes its saving throw against the Maw's ongoing damage still take 5 ongoing damage.

By itself, I think this is a very deadly lock down monster and having more than one on the field could turn into a party's tactical nightmare. Fortunately as a controller, it doesn't really have alot of hitpoints but if accompanied by a soldier or brute with staying power to defend the maw, it would be one heck of a fight.

What do you think about the Maw or Starspawns in general?

Word of Wizards - Martial Heroes

Player's Handbook Heroes Preview 5

In the previous Martial Heroes box preview, we were shown the elf ranger, human fighter and dragonborn rogue. Now we take a look at the second boxed set that will have the missing martial class, the warlord.

Together, the male Tiefling Warlord comes with a female Eladrin Fighter and a male Dwarf Rogue.


Tiefling Warlord
An armored warlord with shield makes it suitable to be used as a fighter or paladin. This warlord leads a Rousing Assault (level 1? at-will) that allows him to add his charisma mod to his healing powers for a certain duration in combat.


Eladrin Fighter
It's a reused sculpt but I like the pose of this one. There is supposedly an emblem of Corellon on the shield which means that this miniature can also be used as an elf or eldarin cleric of Corellon (the longsword was his favored weapon). As a fighter, she can deliver a Knockdown Assault (level? encounter?) that knocks an opponent prone when hit.


It is hard to find dwarf miniatures that are not in heavy armor and a hood so I'm quite grateful that this one came up. Although I prefer him to be carrying a crossbow but that is a Hidden Blade (level 6; encounter) that is handy to have.

That should be the end of the preview for the heroes miniature set so we can expect to see monster miniatures coming up next. Can't wait.

Any thoughts on this box or the heroes minis in general?

Word of Wizards - D&D Insider Survey Results

D&D Insider Survey Results

In February, Wizards had conducted a survey on which application should they develope for D&D Insider after rolling out the Character Builder, the Compendium and a batch of minor applications.

The results are in and they have managed to receive 4,000 feedback on how the D&D Insider is doing and what they do next.

While subscribers and non-subscribers would like to have applications to customize and print monsters as their second choice for D&D Insider, their first choice was divided between campaign managing tools and allowing users to print pre-made adventures. With 83% subscribers for the managing tools and 56% of non-subscribers for the adventure options.

At the bottom of the list for these 2 groups seems to be creating character portraits and playing D&D over an online tabletop with less than 70% for subscribers and less than 50% for non-subscribers.

I wouldn't read too much into these numbers as any kind of indicator of what people feel about DDI but I think it sets the direction of where the next application will address. Although Wizards have said that they are acting based on this feedback, I have been hearing reports that Wizards is starting development of the virtual tabletop so I'm not sure where does the result come in or how it has affected Wizards initial plans for DDI.

Does anyone have anything to say about these numbers?

Word of Wizards - Vicious Venues - The Three Dancing Cats

Vicious Venues - The Three Dancing Cats

Familiars have been featured in Arcane Power and this month's Dragon and I think it's making pet loving gamers swoon with appreciation. Although this month's Vicious Venues isn't in the form of a podcast that I expected, they have introduced a new location that can be a great place to incorporate familiars into your game. Where else, other than The Three Dancing Cats, a pet or should I say familiars shop.

The shop is owned by Felethiel, a tiefling female and Turuthon, a male elf that were adventuring companions before they managed to grab this shop after clearing out a lair of marauding ettercaps. They share a love and passion for animals and have settled down to run this shop as veterinarians, trainers and caretakers for stranded and injured animals that are looking for new masters. There's is more than three cats in the shop but one of them is the resident fey panther, Isyl, which the couple saved when it was a starving kitten.

This article gives a very good and clear description of the shop itself and what assortment of mundane to exotic pets that can be found in it. There's also some plot hooks that can connect this shop with some devious plots of all things related to cute and cuddly animals.

There's an added level of depth to the owners who expresses their views about adventurers and how do they treat their animal companions. If a fight ever breaks out in the shop, there are combat stats for the owners and some of their pets. It's a simple EL 5 encounter but an equal leveled PCs will be in for some deadly surprises.

Overall, the details of this shop is very well done and I really like the commentaries made by the owners about animal treatment by adventurers. It's something that rings very true in my group especially. I should probably introduce a group of animal rights activists in my game after seeing this article.

Any thoughts on The Three Dancing Cat and its quirkiness?

Word of Wizards - Excerpts: E1 Death's Reach

E1 Death's Reach Excerpts

Terribly sorry for the late update, I was caught up with some stuff that disturbed my writing mental state that required some concentration so I've missed the updates on Wednesday. Thankfully, that's gone now so I can catch up to what I missed and will be bringing you the rest of the updates that will be coming on Friday shortly.

In this excerpt of E1 Death's Reach, we are given four encounters and a background excerpt. There is quite a heavy amount of spoiler content in these excerpts so DMs who are intending to run this module might want to encourage his players to stay away from these excerpts and this review.

The background excerpt reveals some lore that DMs might want to look ahead and it be would highly recommended to get yourself a copy of Dragon 364 (which should be free) to get more information or add more depth to the faction that will be the main antagonists for the PCs in this adventure.

They've included the opening encounter for the module which can give DMs a head start to prepare and there's a fight with an Aspect of Orcus which is epic. The rest of the encounters seem to introduce alot of new monsters that are devastating which makes this look like a pretty challenging module to run and play.

Any thoughts about the module based on these encounters?

Look! It's Vin Diesel...again.

We've seen a couple of videos (here & here) of Vin Diesel talking about his gamer life recently. But in those videos, Vin Diesel was pretty tight lipped about it and didn't really show much affection and how important gaming meant to him.

So, here's another video where Vin Diesel really gets into character and openly shares about his gaming. I think this video is quite an inspiration for us who are afraid or ashamed about gaming.

Enjoy.



He might even be old school!

Word of Wizards - Excerpts: Adamantine Dragon

Monster Manual 2 Excerpts: Adamantine Dragon

So, for the first excerpt from Monster Manual 2 they've decided to reintroduce the metallic dragons for 4E and a new metallic species ; the Adamantine Dragon.

For this excerpt, we are given an Elder Adamantine Dragon which is a Level 21 Solo Soldier that has resist 25 against thunder.

If the PCs ever get into a fight with an Elder Adamantine Dragon, they must first overcome its Frightful Presence (standard; encounter). Enemies within close burst 10 that fail to defend with their Will are stunned until the end of the Elder Adamantine Dragon's next turn. After that, they still have a -2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).

Once the PCs have invoked its Draconic Fury (standard; at-will), they're in for a world of hurt. The dragon makes 4 claw attacks, each dealing 1d12+8 damage, on a single target and 1 bite attack on a different target that deals 2d8+8 and ongoing 10 damage (save ends). All of these attacks have a reach 2 and are against Reflex.

If an enemy enters or leaves an adjacent square from the dragon, he gives them a taste of its Wing Buffet (immediate reaction; at-will) that also has a reach 2 but this time against Fortitude. If hit, the enemy takes 1d10+8 damage and is knocked prone.

For its Breath Weapon (standard, recharge 5,6) it releases a close blast 5 of thunder against Fortitude that deals 3d12+6 thunder damage. Any miss still does half damage. However, at the start of the dragon's next turn, it makes a thunderous roar that automatically hits all within close burst 3 for 15 thunder damage. Like all dragons, the Adamantine Dragon can make a Bloodied Breath (free, when first bloodied; encounter) when it has bear the brunt of the PCs' attacks.

The Adamantine Dragon also has a minor version of its breath weapon. It can emit a Painful Resonance (minor, recharge 6) against the Fortitude of a single target within range 20 that deals 10 ongoing thunder damage and causes the target to be dazed (save ends both).

Now if you haven't heard, flavorwise, the metallic dragons were expected to go through some changes in 4E that will shed a bit of their goody image. Metallic dragons in older editions, as far as I remembered, were not constantly hostile and were sometimes friendly sources of advice or even jokes (Copper Dragon). This made them very helpful or even potential allies to the PC. But invoked their wrath and you are up for.....well, whatever angry dragons do.

Now in 4E, the metallics were suppose to be more aggressive so that PCs have more reasons to walk into a metallic dragon's cave ready for a fight than a nice chat (did someone tell me that 4E was not combat focused?) but this threw me a little off the boat.

Despite their relatively benign nature, many metallic dragons engage in cruelty.

Cruelty? I can certainly imagine a short-tempered or prone to violence metallic dragon (if you really want to play up the whole combat-oriented thing) but cruelty to me just sounds like a shinier version of the Chormatics. If that's the case, I'm not so sure if there is anymore real difference between the Metallics and Chromatics at all in terms of behaviour.

Well, perhaps the fact that maybe Chromatics prefer shiny objects for treasures while the Metallics prefer books. Books! Yes, Metallics have turned into bookwyrms!

I know I shouldn't be throwing my arms about this and I'm not really. Just pointing out the twisted metallic taste in my fluff tongue. I'll be looking forward to what see what I can do with this new flavor, hmm....a draconic dean in a university torturing students with an essay on adventurer consumerism? Wait, that sounds like real life.

What do you think about the Adamantine Dragon? Share your thoughts , whether about its stats or flavor, in the comments.

Questing's Readings - A List of Lists Edition

While I'm on a quest to better gaming, I'm also on a sidequest to be a better RPG blogger for better viewing pleasure when you are reading this blog in the future. This blog, among other RPG bloggers from the RPG Bloggers Network, is currently participating in the 31 Days to a Build a Better Blog Challenge hosted by ProBlogger.
One of the exercises that we have done so far is write a list post so there's been quite a number of list post popping up on the network. After discussing this with the rest of the bloggers, we have agreed that compiling a list of our list posts could help us to improve our blogging through friendly feedback.

So conveniently, here's 10 posts of lists post that have appeared on the RPG Bloggers Network this week.

1. A Hamsterish Hoard of Dungeons and Dragons
   Ten Botanical Treasures


2. Bard of Valiant
   10 Conspiracy Theories for a Fantasy Campaign


3. Chgowiz's Old Guy RPG Blog
   9 People to thank for the original edition of D&D


4. Dungeon Mastering
   Top 5 Ways to Conquer Your DM Block


5. Exchange of Realities
   Five Concepts to Kick-Start a Short Campaign


6. Jonathan Drain's D20 Source
   Why Has Wizards Cancelled All PDF Products?


7. Mad Brew Labs
   10 Reasons to Play Games at the Table


8. RPG dumping ground
   Five Features for the Dungeon


9. The Core Mechanic
   10 Reasons Why Wizards of the Coast Pulled PDF Sales


10. Vulcan Stev's Database
    10 Theories About WotC's Bonheaded Decision

As a special bonus, here's one more that is from yours truly.

13 Reasons Why Wizards Want You To Buy a D&D Book Instead of a PDF