Alienist access anywhere? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Alienist access anywhere? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Archwolf
09-04-07, 04:42 PM I have a halfling wizard summoner who has dreamed all his life of contacting the Far Realm and becoming an alienist. My halfling lives in Nyrond. Without naming the mods, do any exist which provide such contact? Is there a metaorg I don't know about?

Thanks.
cetiken
09-04-07, 05:04 PM Yes.
trollbill
09-04-07, 05:19 PM I believe that you can also become an Alienist by have contact with another Alienist, as well. So another option would be to try to find another Alienist in the area and try to arrange to play with him and make sure the DM notes it on the AR.
Rerednaw
09-04-07, 05:30 PM I have a halfling wizard summoner who has dreamed all his life of contacting the Far Realm and becoming an alienist. My halfling lives in Nyrond. Without naming the mods, do any exist which provide such contact? Is there a metaorg I don't know about?

Thanks.

My wizard has access via AR. So yes it does exist.

Personally, unless you focus on being a one-trick pony, I think the class is highly overrated. You give up all non-templated summons plus take some hefty stat penalties...still it is a :coolcthul -ey concept
Archwolf
09-04-07, 05:39 PM all the access I've heard about from talking to folks was in year 5 mods, so they're out of date, but I guess there are a couple of mods still floating around. Plus, i didn't know about the playing with an alienist option. That's handy.

I can see how it's not optimized, but the character already specializes in summoning, and I love the flavor.
TWG_Prometheus
09-04-07, 05:54 PM all the access I've heard about from talking to folks was in year 5 mods, so they're out of date, but I guess there are a couple of mods still floating around. Plus, i didn't know about the playing with an alienist option. That's handy.

I can see how it's not optimized, but the character already specializes in summoning, and I love the flavor.

I'd be careful about the 'playing with an alienist' option. Most of the rulings I've seen about stuff like that tend to state that the access must come from an AR directly. That, in turn, makes you wonder why we say some options are Open in the first place, but hey...

You might be able to get access that way, but I'd try Britt's thread before even considering it.
Sieylianna
09-04-07, 06:01 PM It's out there. My barbarian/wizard has access from an AR, but it doesn't do much for him.

Ed
copper_wyrmling
09-04-07, 06:24 PM It's out there. My barbarian/wizard has access from an AR, but it doesn't do much for him.

Ed

My wild mage has gotten access twice iirc, and once was from a mod still in play.
jstorrie
09-04-07, 06:29 PM Not only is access out there in a currently active mod–you should be easily able to tell which mod it is by reading the blurb, or even the mod's title (!). Just do a little browsing. I figured it out pretty easily myself and ran a starting wizard through it at APL 2 specifically for the access. That's how obvious it is.
Wraith235
09-04-07, 10:29 PM if the Whole Meeting a member of an organization Worked I'd easily have my Access to Shadowbane inquisitor ....

I know theres nothing in Nyrond that gives that .... my only hope is a Core Mod that Does .... anyone know anything about that ?
clannagh
09-04-07, 10:36 PM The PrC requires peaceful contact with an alienist or supernatural creature. However I suspect you would need to contact your triad to find out whether a DM noting that you played an adventure with a PC alienist is acceptable to them.

I have seen 2 core and 1 regional alienist access and one of the cores has expired. There is also special missions.
Archwolf
09-04-07, 11:01 PM Not only is access out there in a currently active mod–you should be easily able to tell which mod it is by reading the blurb, or even the mod's title (!). Just do a little browsing. I figured it out pretty easily myself and ran a starting wizard through it at APL 2 specifically for the access. That's how obvious it is.

Thanks for the tip, I think I guessed it. Now to arrange to have the mod run at the right APL...
jstorrie
09-05-07, 12:30 AM I wouldn't worry at all about the class being unoptimized, either. It's great for nonsummoners, too–template for your familiar, bonus metamagic feats, save bumps, etc.. Alienist is pretty nice as far as arcane prestige classes go, even if it's no Fatespinner.
JohnduBois
09-05-07, 06:47 AM SNIP

Mark

This reply clearly spoils the access for an active adventure. Please change it to not actually NAME THE ADVENTURE.
mark1978
09-06-07, 04:46 AM This reply clearly spoils the access for an active adventure. Please change it to not actually NAME THE ADVENTURE.

The access from that adventure is FAR better than the one access you get that I mentioned. Moreover, how does knowing this change the module? I played it once and judged it twice, and knowing this does not change how it is played, or the challenge, surprises, and darned near two-round time it takes to complete it.

"Spoil'zs my adventure'z Mark has not. Come and play, yes, yes!"
-Doatzys
jstorrie
09-06-07, 12:19 PM Maybe. But it's flat out in the LG rules that you do not specifically say which mods have which accesses.
Rerednaw
09-06-07, 12:31 PM The access from that adventure is FAR better than the one access you get that I mentioned. Moreover, how does knowing this change the module? I played it once and judged it twice, and knowing this does not change how it is played, or the challenge, surprises, and darned near two-round time it takes to complete it.

"Spoil'zs my adventure'z Mark has not. Come and play, yes, yes!"
-Doatzys

I actually agree with you. However, I believe it is policy not to provide any information beyond the name, APL and blurb info. Prevents meta-gaming, etc. Of course for me I always end up playing the wrong character in a mod. My barbarian has great arcane access, my druid has cleric access, my wizard has great martial access and so forth. :)
Wraith235
09-06-07, 01:06 PM yes .. its in the Rules .... the only thing I have Lately ... and I am starting to Really believe this ... if the Rules stop the player from having fun ... then some rules need to go away... Right now I'm finding myself probably unable to play Red hand with my friends because of the access Rules ... or option 2 ... play 7 mods in 3 weeks to bring a level 5 Char along ....

now if I had known about the region change before I Burned a Recent mod I wouldnt be having the problems .... sorry this is just the Rant of someone who is frustrated
mark1978
09-06-07, 03:38 PM [/SIZE]

I actually agree with you. However, I believe it is policy not to provide any information beyond the name, APL and blurb info. Prevents meta-gaming, etc. Of course for me I always end up playing the wrong character in a mod. My barbarian has great arcane access, my druid has cleric access, my wizard has great martial access and so forth. :)

And, this policy is complete BS. My 8th level cleric/fighter/sacred purifier still has not gained access to a wand of lesser vigor, and would love to have one handy for outside of combat. I understand where describing certain access could spoil the adventure or annoy players at a table as a certain player searches unerringly for an item they know they gain access to in an adventure, but aside from some distraction, what is the harm? D&D should not be about wasting 90& of our character's time running through modules, cross our fingers, and praying to Pelor or whomever we get good access this module we can use. I say, in LFR, give players good hints in the blurb about access that doesn't break the challenge of the module. BTW, my cleric/fighter/sacred purifier also has busted wizard access she can never use.

Mark
KarmaInferno
09-06-07, 04:19 PM Then you will get situations where game days and cons select which mods to order based purely on the access they provide.

Not on stuff like, "is the mod any good".

-karma
mark1978
09-06-07, 04:29 PM Then you will get situations where game days and cons select which mods to order based purely on the access they provide.

Not on stuff like, "is the mod any good".

-karma

Whether a player plays a module for the flavor or for the access should be up to the player. The number one problem I would foresee with this is if a module has good fighter access, the tables of this module having a bad party composition from the overwhelming number of melee characters playing it.

The whole access system is BS to begin with. I like the Xen'drik system better. Access is a part of it, but the primary system is built around expansion slots and EV.

Mark
Rerednaw
09-06-07, 04:48 PM yes .. its in the Rules .... the only thing I have Lately ... and I am starting to Really believe this ... if the Rules stop the player from having fun ... then some rules need to go away... Right now I'm finding myself probably unable to play Red hand with my friends because of the access Rules ... or option 2 ... play 7 mods in 3 weeks to bring a level 5 Char along ....

now if I had known about the region change before I Burned a Recent mod I wouldnt be having the problems .... sorry this is just the Rant of someone who is frustrated

Well you could try this method:

Powerlevelling in LG (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=912091) The TU's don't matter anymore of course. I think it comes to 4 or 5 mods. :)
Rerednaw
09-06-07, 04:54 PM Whether a player plays a module for the flavor or for the access should be up to the player. The number one problem I would foresee with this is if a module has good fighter access, the tables of this module having a bad party composition from the overwhelming number of melee characters playing it.

The whole access system is BS to begin with. I like the Xen'drik system better. Access is a part of it, but the primary system is built around expansion slots and EV.

Mark

LOL...oh yeah access stories. Our entire party got access to close wounds. And no one played a cleric. Another time the whole group got access to Wild Mage and Alienist. And no one played an arcane. I played 3 mods with a druid to give my bard a rest and they all had bard access that I never expect to see again anywhere. But my bard has Natural Bond access...and so on.

So I agree. Hopefully LFR will take the best parts of LG and Xen'drik (expansion slots were one of the best things to come out of Xen'drik, other than faction play.) The access rules in LG were an attempt to level the playing field which I can understand. Unfortunately, in practice, unless you cheated/meta-gamed or were incredibly (improbably) lucky the best access usually gets wasted.

Of course now with TU limit going poof you can just stick to one primary character and hang the rest (unless you retire him).
Howie23
09-06-07, 06:36 PM And, this policy is complete BS.

That may be your opinion. Others may share it. However, when you walk into someone's house, and they have a rule that you take your shoes off, you take your shoes off. When you play LG, you play by LG's rules. Otherwise, your act of civil disobedience has a negative impact on others.

David
Wraith235
09-06-07, 07:05 PM [/SIZE]

Well you could try this method:

Powerlevelling in LG (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=912091) The TU's don't matter anymore of course. I think it comes to 4 or 5 mods. :)

Played all those mods so I had to come up with another Way ...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Archwolf 09-04-07, 04:42 PM	I have a halfling wizard summoner who has dreamed all his life of contacting the Far Realm and becoming an alienist. My halfling lives in Nyrond. Without naming the mods, do any exist which provide such contact? Is there a metaorg I don't know about? Thanks.
cetiken 09-04-07, 05:04 PM	Yes.
trollbill 09-04-07, 05:19 PM	I believe that you can also become an Alienist by have contact with another Alienist, as well. So another option would be to try to find another Alienist in the area and try to arrange to play with him and make sure the DM notes it on the AR.
Rerednaw 09-04-07, 05:30 PM	I have a halfling wizard summoner who has dreamed all his life of contacting the Far Realm and becoming an alienist. My halfling lives in Nyrond. Without naming the mods, do any exist which provide such contact? Is there a metaorg I don't know about? Thanks. My wizard has access via AR. So yes it does exist. Personally, unless you focus on being a one-trick pony, I think the class is highly overrated. You give up all non-templated summons plus take some hefty stat penalties...still it is a :coolcthul -ey concept
Archwolf 09-04-07, 05:39 PM	all the access I've heard about from talking to folks was in year 5 mods, so they're out of date, but I guess there are a couple of mods still floating around. Plus, i didn't know about the playing with an alienist option. That's handy. I can see how it's not optimized, but the character already specializes in summoning, and I love the flavor.
TWG_Prometheus 09-04-07, 05:54 PM	all the access I've heard about from talking to folks was in year 5 mods, so they're out of date, but I guess there are a couple of mods still floating around. Plus, i didn't know about the playing with an alienist option. That's handy. I can see how it's not optimized, but the character already specializes in summoning, and I love the flavor. I'd be careful about the 'playing with an alienist' option. Most of the rulings I've seen about stuff like that tend to state that the access must come from an AR directly. That, in turn, makes you wonder why we say some options are Open in the first place, but hey... You might be able to get access that way, but I'd try Britt's thread before even considering it.
Sieylianna 09-04-07, 06:01 PM	It's out there. My barbarian/wizard has access from an AR, but it doesn't do much for him. Ed
copper_wyrmling 09-04-07, 06:24 PM	It's out there. My barbarian/wizard has access from an AR, but it doesn't do much for him. Ed My wild mage has gotten access twice iirc, and once was from a mod still in play.
jstorrie 09-04-07, 06:29 PM	Not only is access out there in a currently active mod–you should be easily able to tell which mod it is by reading the blurb, or even the mod's title (!). Just do a little browsing. I figured it out pretty easily myself and ran a starting wizard through it at APL 2 specifically for the access. That's how obvious it is.
Wraith235 09-04-07, 10:29 PM	if the Whole Meeting a member of an organization Worked I'd easily have my Access to Shadowbane inquisitor .... I know theres nothing in Nyrond that gives that .... my only hope is a Core Mod that Does .... anyone know anything about that ?
clannagh 09-04-07, 10:36 PM	The PrC requires peaceful contact with an alienist or supernatural creature. However I suspect you would need to contact your triad to find out whether a DM noting that you played an adventure with a PC alienist is acceptable to them. I have seen 2 core and 1 regional alienist access and one of the cores has expired. There is also special missions.
Archwolf 09-04-07, 11:01 PM	Not only is access out there in a currently active mod–you should be easily able to tell which mod it is by reading the blurb, or even the mod's title (!). Just do a little browsing. I figured it out pretty easily myself and ran a starting wizard through it at APL 2 specifically for the access. That's how obvious it is. Thanks for the tip, I think I guessed it. Now to arrange to have the mod run at the right APL...
jstorrie 09-05-07, 12:30 AM	I wouldn't worry at all about the class being unoptimized, either. It's great for nonsummoners, too–template for your familiar, bonus metamagic feats, save bumps, etc.. Alienist is pretty nice as far as arcane prestige classes go, even if it's no Fatespinner.
JohnduBois 09-05-07, 06:47 AM	SNIP Mark This reply clearly spoils the access for an active adventure. Please change it to not actually NAME THE ADVENTURE.
mark1978 09-06-07, 04:46 AM	This reply clearly spoils the access for an active adventure. Please change it to not actually NAME THE ADVENTURE. The access from that adventure is FAR better than the one access you get that I mentioned. Moreover, how does knowing this change the module? I played it once and judged it twice, and knowing this does not change how it is played, or the challenge, surprises, and darned near two-round time it takes to complete it. "Spoil'zs my adventure'z Mark has not. Come and play, yes, yes!" -Doatzys
jstorrie 09-06-07, 12:19 PM	Maybe. But it's flat out in the LG rules that you do not specifically say which mods have which accesses.
Rerednaw 09-06-07, 12:31 PM	The access from that adventure is FAR better than the one access you get that I mentioned. Moreover, how does knowing this change the module? I played it once and judged it twice, and knowing this does not change how it is played, or the challenge, surprises, and darned near two-round time it takes to complete it. "Spoil'zs my adventure'z Mark has not. Come and play, yes, yes!" -Doatzys I actually agree with you. However, I believe it is policy not to provide any information beyond the name, APL and blurb info. Prevents meta-gaming, etc. Of course for me I always end up playing the wrong character in a mod. My barbarian has great arcane access, my druid has cleric access, my wizard has great martial access and so forth. :)
Wraith235 09-06-07, 01:06 PM	yes .. its in the Rules .... the only thing I have Lately ... and I am starting to Really believe this ... if the Rules stop the player from having fun ... then some rules need to go away... Right now I'm finding myself probably unable to play Red hand with my friends because of the access Rules ... or option 2 ... play 7 mods in 3 weeks to bring a level 5 Char along .... now if I had known about the region change before I Burned a Recent mod I wouldnt be having the problems .... sorry this is just the Rant of someone who is frustrated
mark1978 09-06-07, 03:38 PM	[/SIZE] I actually agree with you. However, I believe it is policy not to provide any information beyond the name, APL and blurb info. Prevents meta-gaming, etc. Of course for me I always end up playing the wrong character in a mod. My barbarian has great arcane access, my druid has cleric access, my wizard has great martial access and so forth. :) And, this policy is complete BS. My 8th level cleric/fighter/sacred purifier still has not gained access to a wand of lesser vigor, and would love to have one handy for outside of combat. I understand where describing certain access could spoil the adventure or annoy players at a table as a certain player searches unerringly for an item they know they gain access to in an adventure, but aside from some distraction, what is the harm? D&D should not be about wasting 90& of our character's time running through modules, cross our fingers, and praying to Pelor or whomever we get good access this module we can use. I say, in LFR, give players good hints in the blurb about access that doesn't break the challenge of the module. BTW, my cleric/fighter/sacred purifier also has busted wizard access she can never use. Mark
KarmaInferno 09-06-07, 04:19 PM	Then you will get situations where game days and cons select which mods to order based purely on the access they provide. Not on stuff like, "is the mod any good". -karma
mark1978 09-06-07, 04:29 PM	Then you will get situations where game days and cons select which mods to order based purely on the access they provide. Not on stuff like, "is the mod any good". -karma Whether a player plays a module for the flavor or for the access should be up to the player. The number one problem I would foresee with this is if a module has good fighter access, the tables of this module having a bad party composition from the overwhelming number of melee characters playing it. The whole access system is BS to begin with. I like the Xen'drik system better. Access is a part of it, but the primary system is built around expansion slots and EV. Mark
Rerednaw 09-06-07, 04:48 PM	yes .. its in the Rules .... the only thing I have Lately ... and I am starting to Really believe this ... if the Rules stop the player from having fun ... then some rules need to go away... Right now I'm finding myself probably unable to play Red hand with my friends because of the access Rules ... or option 2 ... play 7 mods in 3 weeks to bring a level 5 Char along .... now if I had known about the region change before I Burned a Recent mod I wouldnt be having the problems .... sorry this is just the Rant of someone who is frustrated Well you could try this method: Powerlevelling in LG (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=912091) The TU's don't matter anymore of course. I think it comes to 4 or 5 mods. :)
Rerednaw 09-06-07, 04:54 PM	Whether a player plays a module for the flavor or for the access should be up to the player. The number one problem I would foresee with this is if a module has good fighter access, the tables of this module having a bad party composition from the overwhelming number of melee characters playing it. The whole access system is BS to begin with. I like the Xen'drik system better. Access is a part of it, but the primary system is built around expansion slots and EV. Mark LOL...oh yeah access stories. Our entire party got access to close wounds. And no one played a cleric. Another time the whole group got access to Wild Mage and Alienist. And no one played an arcane. I played 3 mods with a druid to give my bard a rest and they all had bard access that I never expect to see again anywhere. But my bard has Natural Bond access...and so on. So I agree. Hopefully LFR will take the best parts of LG and Xen'drik (expansion slots were one of the best things to come out of Xen'drik, other than faction play.) The access rules in LG were an attempt to level the playing field which I can understand. Unfortunately, in practice, unless you cheated/meta-gamed or were incredibly (improbably) lucky the best access usually gets wasted. Of course now with TU limit going poof you can just stick to one primary character and hang the rest (unless you retire him).
Howie23 09-06-07, 06:36 PM	And, this policy is complete BS. That may be your opinion. Others may share it. However, when you walk into someone's house, and they have a rule that you take your shoes off, you take your shoes off. When you play LG, you play by LG's rules. Otherwise, your act of civil disobedience has a negative impact on others. David
Wraith235 09-06-07, 07:05 PM	[/SIZE] Well you could try this method: Powerlevelling in LG (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=912091) The TU's don't matter anymore of course. I think it comes to 4 or 5 mods. :) Played all those mods so I had to come up with another Way ...