Product Description
A source of inspiration for Dungeon Masters of any level
This core rulebook for the Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game features advice and rules for Dungeon Masters of all levels of experience, with a particular focus on running adventures and campaigns in the paragon tier (levels 11—20). It includes advanced encounter-building tools (including traps and skill challenges), storytelling tips to bring your game to life, new monster frameworks to help you craft the perfect villain, example campaign arcs, a comprehensive look at skill challenges, and a detailed “home base” for paragon-tier adventurers–the interplanar city of Sigil.
So we know that much for sure.
In September, Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 provides an array of new material for DMs, including updated skill challenge rules, more traps and hazards, lots of information for crafting and running paragon-tier adventures, and a paragon-tier city that you can drop into any D&D campaign.
So we're going to get new skill challenge rules. I really hope they're also released in an errata file.
...wwwhhhhhhaaaaaaat!!!??? The DMG 2 is going to be Planescape!!!???
Well at least the last 24 pages probably. Since that is what Fallcrest was in DMG 1, and so probably will be equivalent.
Since Planescape and Ravenloft are folded into the core, perhaps DMG3 (or whatever DMG corresponds to the PH with the Shadow power source) will have a detailed Domains of Dread write-up, perhaps detailing one Domain in detail (Barovia), like Fallcrest in DMG, and giving some details on the surrounding Domains, like the Nentir Vale writeup.
Unfortunately, it does not seem like we are getting the Outlands back
, but I guess I will reserve my opinion until I see DMG2. The write-up in MotP was a good start, and I guess it was too much to ask for a full supplement on Sigil.Problem with Epic is that sooner or later you reach the furthest point from civilization, and then you spend a good amount of time killing the things that live there. The Far Realm is a great place for the last few adventures of a campaign, but is totally anathema to city design, IMO.
Unfortunately, it does not seem like we are getting the Outlands back...
Yea... I am a pretty big fan of the outlands as well. I loved the border towns. Great thematic concept. I too am sad to see it go.
I think at one time counting the entire amount of people in Sigil at a time would be larger then City of Brass but the people that actually live their for years upon years will be much smaller.
As for DMG2 it looks like it'll put in stuff that was left out of the first DMG to help with campaign makig, especially at the paragon tier. We'll likely see addons and revisions to existing systems (like the skill challenges mentioned which are in my opinion too roll over roleplay based for what should be roleplaying opportunities) as well.
Having a city to base paragon tier campaigns out of will be nice as well. Even if people don't use Sigil it should at least give a good idea of what a city at that tier would look like. Sigil after all as stated in Manual of the Planes can be a starting city for adventures, but due to it's nature it's geared more for the paragon and epic tiers (mostly as a nexus/launch point for epic) for actual adventuring inside of.
DMG3 will have an Epic city, so I will go with City of Brass.
Nah, It'll be Menzoberranzan. Excellent city for epic-scale gaming.
Nah, It'll be Menzoberranzan. Excellent city for epic-scale gaming.
I dunno about that. It's a big, important city, sure, but Drow are paragon tier, and Menzoberranzan is an earthly city (in the Realms, no less). That practically screams "Paragon-tier".
What do I want to see in Epic tier? Hestavar. 4E's Manual of the Planes has me hooked on this place! Plus, gods live there; how much more Epic can you get?
Besides, when your character is in epic tier you should be founding your own kingdom or legend, not parading around the backyard of someone else.
Besides, doesn't the Lady of Pain have the power to keep gods out of Sigil? So, while you can be in epic and go through Sigil, isn't there other places you should be, not to mention that might be a bit safer?
Besides, when your character is in epic tier you should be founding your own kingdom or legend, not parading around the backyard of someone else.
In the case of a lot of big fantasy cities (certainly in Sigil's case), the distinction between what's better suited for Paragon-tier or Epic-tier isn't as clear as it is in Heroic-tier. Most of them are actually great locations for either level of adventure (heck, even Heroic if you're careful about it).
What I'm trying to say is that the differences, the reasons for it being "P" rather than "E" are only slightly more, and there's probably a good case to be made to run a whole campaign out of any Paragon or Epic city.
Most of them are actually great locations for either level of adventure (heck, even Heroic if you're careful about it).
Totally, that's one of the points of Sigil/Planescape, to adventure in the planes without being a super bad-ass.
I've been running a Planescape campaign for the past 4 years, which the characters started at 3rd level, and are now 15th (was 3rd Ed, now converted to 4th).
I dunno about that. It's a big, important city, sure, but Drow are paragon tier, and Menzoberranzan is an earthly city (in the Realms, no less). That practically screams "Paragon-tier".
What do I want to see in Epic tier? Hestavar. 4E's Manual of the Planes has me hooked on this place! Plus, gods live there; how much more Epic can you get?
That's what Friday's article on Hestavar is going to be for. Hopefully it has a nice map of the place, as well as more detailed information ala the Mithrendain article we got last year.
That's what Friday's article on Hestavar is going to be for. Hopefully it has a nice map of the place, as well as more detailed information ala the Mithrendain article we got last year.
(Sorry, Rutilus, but I removed your formatting. :P)
I'm excited for the article about Hestavar! That said, I highly doubt it's going to be as detailed as an entire thirty- or forty-page chapter in the a DMG. (Have a quick look at the amount of detail there is for the tiny town of Fallcrest in DMG1; that is what I wanna see for Hestavar.)
(Sorry, Rutilus, but I removed your formatting. :P)
I'm excited for the article about Hestavar! That said, I highly doubt it's going to be as detailed as an entire thirty- or forty-page chapter in the a DMG. (Have a quick look at the amount of detail there is for the tiny town of Fallcrest in DMG1; that is what I wanna see for Hestavar.)
(That's alright about the formatting.)
Looks like it was moved to the 23rd. They better be adding MORE or editing out bugs, >_<. Although I WOULD like to see Fallcrest like detail for places like Hestavar, I know they won't go that far (even if we do pay for it). I'd be content with what we got from mithrendain, but with an actual map of the plane. I don't think wotc yet understands that maps can be CHANGED at the whim of the dm. But having a basic idea of what the plane looks like in map form drawn out is VERY, very helpful. If the manual of the planes would've had those simple maps, I'd have bothered to buy one.
A more interesting approach for an epic-tier City is Dis, 2nd layer of hell. But then, one could argue that in contrast, everything you find there will want to see you dead.
So I'm stumped.
An Astral Dominion for DMG3 will be nice. Celestia Mountain has always given me this "epic homebase" feel, but you have to wing a lot of it as a DM. But then, you will almost never fight anything there, so I think NPC statblocks will be pointless.
A more interesting approach for an epic-tier City is Dis, 2nd layer of hell. But then, one could argue that in contrast, everything you find there will want to see you dead.
So I'm stumped.
It's like I said, man: Hestavar, the Bright City. It's an Astral Dominion city made up of idyllic floating islands above a warm sea. It's home to Pelor, and while the majority of the citizens are well-intentioned, it's a huge city with innumerable places that the corrupt and the evil-inclined can and do operate. Check out the 4E Manual of the Planes for a better description. (Also, there's an article about it coming out on D&DI on this coming Friday.)
Fallcrest could be visited (saved or razed even) by epic PCs but for the most part isn't someplace they'd interact with heavily.
Sigil being Paragon tier actually gives it a wide range. Heroic tier PCs may originate there and deal with a few things in a couple of the wards but they're not likely to be dealing with the Sons of Mercy, The Lady of Pain, or the major players in Sigil. By Epic level they may be pushing their luck with the Lady of Pain and find better opportunities elsewhere for adventure. It doesn't mean they can't come back to Sigil (with the Lady's okay) but like Fallcrest eventually it'll be more of a 'inn for the night' place rather than a center for adventure.
Also the bigger the city the wider the range it can provide for. A small city/town will have a narrow range for adventures (like Fallcrest). Major metropolitan centers which are few and far between in 4e could theoretically cover an entire campain from levels 1 to 30 (Waterdeep and Sigil for example) with forays outside as needed.
Epic tier cities are likely to be classified as Epic more due to difficulty of getting to them and the overall power-level of their inhabitants than anything else. Sigil can give epic tier adventure but is a bit too accessable to be an Epic city. Waterdeep is even more accessible so again not Epic. Drow cities could be epic but are more likely to be paragon. Hestavar would make a good Epic city, as might something in the deeper parts of the Shadowfell. The City of Brass could fit epic but seems similar to Sigil and more a Paragon tier location.
I missed that one, doctorhook. But now that you mention it, I will be checking it out. :D
It's awesome! (I'm quite enjoying the article so far, too.)
It's the Trade City of the Astral Sea. It's idyllic and beautiful, (and of course, fantastic, what with floating islands and all); it's paradise. It's home to Pelor, Erathis, and Ioun. It has shops, bazaars, angels and exalted petitioners, mortals, and travellers from every corner of the planes. It's even got an imprisoned primordial, and an embassy from the Nine Hells!
Hestavar, the Bright City, is absolutely ripe for an epic-themed DMG.