Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 boozerker Apr 02, 2008 1:12:56	Show *Flavoresque*
#2 boozerker Apr 02, 2008 1:16:06	Why the campaigns section isn't optimal for my proposal. Campaign Workshop's heading entry reads: "Discuss the books that allow you to create your own campaign world..." A person's first impression is of discussions about books dealing with rules. And a visit there shows nothing remotely close to pure, easy-to-luggage fluff. But in my proposed flavor section, you don't need rules or design knowledge. You just add whatever items you find and voila! For example, near the pond on a foreign roadside, toads breathe out a puff of misty colorful vapor with each breath. Doesn't affect anything, not even useful for medicine. Or, perhaps there's a spiffy way for natives to greet visitors. Little tidbits to sprinkled into any place or system to color wilderness treks. Imagine if Wizards had let questions about monsters be asked in the "What's a DM to do" section instead? DMs are the ones who really use monsters, but not only would that overcrowd the DM section, less visitors might then feel compelled to discuss monsters. And, seeing lots of threads with related topics actually inspires the viewer with new possibilities. How many times have you gone to ask a question, but meanwhile another thread caught your interest? And on that note, after a similar question had recently been asked, it's much easier to cite the pertinent thread "oh, they had a good thread on that in Fluff about 3 days ago". Thus, a continuous stream of fluff inspires you to write even more fluff. __________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
#3 boozerker Apr 02, 2008 1:17:24	*Color mechanics: Turning* It's reasonable that when being turned, undead should have a greater fear of clerics whose goodness shine powerfully. Yet the rules have undead cowering before neutral and evil clerics, which is hardly necessary since those already halt and command undead. I've reassembled the (SRD) listed powers of clerics over undead, giving the (moral) alignments 3 powers each. Usually, an evil cleric has 4 powers: halt, awe, control, or bolster. However it's just as easy to imagine undead cowering before a good cleric, in fear rather than awe. So let it be done. Far as destroying undead goes, at first glance it might seem natural for a good cleric (to do so), but wouldn't giving the undead a peaceful rest or sacred ceremonies be even more "good"? My thoughts are that alignment best fits Turning in the following ways. Good. If turn attempts would destroy an undead creature, its body instead lays peacefully to rest (as a corpse or spirit), incapable of undeath ever after. Otherwise, undead cower or flee. Neutral. Positive energy -- halt, rout (drive off), or destroy undead. Negative energy -- halt, control or bolster undead. Evil. Awe (rebuke), control or bolster undead. __________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
#4 boozerker Apr 02, 2008 1:19:36	*Subtle time progression* Show change, and use it to cue time's passage rather than saying outright how much time went by. - "Your shadows are casting longer and longer shadows until the dusk wipes them away". - "Sometime during your information gathering, the air went from carrying the baker shop's breakfast smells to the late day sizzle of woodland roast" - "..hear roosters in the distance" - "Even with the sun out higher and brighter, her magic's blinding flash still burns your eyes". - "The birds have begun their northward migration" - "More and more groundhogs are poking their heads out" - "The woodpeckers are beginning their mid-season cacophony" - "Leaves changing their color" or "Dead leaves crunching underneath" - "Those supplies are out till next year when the spring trade routes re-open" Unfamiliarize the familiar. (Some items below might only apply if the PCs have been gone a while) NPC attitudes change drastically; A bridge that you once described as sturdy now has weeds poking through and visible signs of disrepair; The moon is at a different cycle; The nights are colder (seasonal and/or geographical change); Fields overflowing with one crop have been replanted with a new crop, or are now bare; an NPC had died of natural causes days after the PCs left; A city that once welcomed the PCs as heroes is barring their entrance at the gates, and there's a price on their heads (courtesy of a villain who made use of the PCs' time away); Child NPCs are more grown (deeper voice, taller, etc); A previously shy NPC is now more charismatic, or a talkative NPC became withdrawn; A kingdom changed rulership; a family feud has been settled (or one has begun); A familiar creek is drying up, or toads which commonly orverran a field are becoming more scarse each year; The flocks of migrating birds increase each week; Roadside grub is thinning out weekly (or growing more abundantly); Former allies are now bitter at each other; It turns out the village finally defeated a goblin raid on their own (while the PCs were away), a new hero emerges (and if your group needs a PC, bingo!); Shoes are worn out from travel; Leaf colors are changing. __________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
#5 boozerker Apr 02, 2008 1:21:51	*Fluff section examples* 1001 Things Found In A Barrel Fashion tips for Dark Lords how to get the most out of your monster manual random aquatic notes Ask an Aberration! with Thiloq and Dragx __________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
#6 boozerker Apr 02, 2008 1:22:44	*Overlooked DC enhancers* Sneaking across an open field when the sun is lower might cast long shadows that increase the "virtual" size of a PC -- and though a PC can be camouflaged, a lone dark shadow not as easily. An encounter with an animal that fears a single party member. If that character takes a walk, the ranger gets a reduction in his handle animal DC.* A source of light is behind you. Sneaking up to the guard's room, your approach could easily be given away by your own growing shadow. If you first put out the light to "normalize" the DC, that would almost certainly be noticed. The locked and trapped chest is in deep shadows, but could probably be carried out into bright sunlight if anybody thinks of it.* A door out of the guard's line of sight. If the rogue can shut it quietly, the armored oafs in the party get a fat bonus to their stealth checks.* The DC to lift a wooden crate increases by lots as it's stuck in mud. Perhaps whoever removes it needs a reflex save to keep from falling backwards when the crate suddenly plops out of the mud (if the PC doesn't succeed at the Strength check by 5 or more). The party sets camp, but the noise of a churning river or hammering wind raises the DC to hear approaching orcs. (Remember, don't use overlooked DC enhancers too often! Just rarely enough to tickle..) *entries by swallowyersoul __________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
#7 boozerker Apr 02, 2008 1:28:58	*Hay is for...* Fantasy twist on a variety of raw materials and outdoor crafts/implements. We'll start with hay. silken hay (from elven meadows) dwarven hay (coarse, matted) longstraw (southern) giantstraw (from giant lands) reedsnap (from swamps, nutritious) golden (eastern, named for its color) darkweed (withered strands from a cursed necromantic/haunted area, ingested Fort save DC 15, success = 1d4 days exhausted and nauseated, failure = death). Very rarely they'll sneak into an animal's hayfeed, usually by ill purpose, but sometimes innocently. faerieweed (like catnip for large farm animals, when ingested). Occasionally it finds its way into hayfeed, sometimes by faerie mischief. moonstraw (grows only by light of the moon). Gives no effects, though it retains moisture even when dried well. Also: greystraw, sun-weathered, clipped, and hickory smoked are various names of hay. Some preferred by farm animals, other not. __________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
#8 boozerker Apr 02, 2008 1:35:06	*For the dogs* Show Pseudo-alignments for our pets.