Posted By Editor-in-Chief on September 1, 2010

“Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long, fifty-four inch wide GORILLA?” ~ Frederick (Young Frankenstein, 1974)

Necromancers have long been part of heroic fantasy.  Magicians which have congress with dead spirits, ghosts, and other undead have appeared in many fantasy novels, such as R.E. Howard’s Conan stories to Glen Cook’s Black Company series.  Often these arcane dabblers of undeath are themselves undead, as if the very nature of consorting with such ghastly powers brings about a metamorphosis so that the “master” eventually becomes like the “servant”.

Dungeons & Dragons has never had a true Necromancer class, although in previous editions it was possible for a Wizard or Sorcerer to specialize in necromantic spells, albeit with some severe deficits to other magic schools.  And of course, in 3.5 edition, there were a variety of Prestige Classes to help mold a Character into a Necromancer, ranging from the True Necromancer (Tome and Blood/Libris Mortis) to the Thrall of Orcus (Book of Vile Darkness)!

But D&D 4E has yet to produce a Necromancer class from “official” sources, as yet – rumor has it that Heroes of Shadow will have a Necromancer –  although there have been a few interesting attempts at home-brew versions popping up around the web.  But for those who do not wish to wait nearly a year to create an undead-consorting arcanist, Three Sages Games has offered up not only Necromancer Player content, but also necromantic lore for use by Dungeon Masters as well in Libri Necromantica!
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Category: Character Classes, Dramatis Personae, Dungeonmasters' Insider, House Rules & Variations, Monsters, RPG News & Reviews, Role-Players' Edge | 1 Comment »
Tags: D&D 4e, GSL, necromancer, review, Three Sages Games

Posted By Editor-in-Chief on August 30, 2010

“Now let me ask you a question: Would an imbecile come up with this?” ~ Norville Barnes (The Hudsucker Proxy, 1994)

In some respects, Dungeon Mastering might be considered a hobby within a hobby.  Players of Role-Playing Games, like D&D 4E, show up at their weekly or bi-weekly session, slip into their Characters’ persona, and spend several hours enjoying their hobby.  They react to situations, make decisions based upon what they “feel” their Character would do, and try and outwit the monsters in the adventure that the Dungeon Master presents to them.  And when the evening’s play is over, they slip out of their persona, make their final notes, and their hobby is done until the next session.

But between those sessions, the Dungeon Master labors on, plotting and planning for the next gaming session.  Like the Players, he participates in each gaming sessions and practices his Role-Playing hobby, but there is another whole “hobby” he participates in which most Players never partake in – Preparing for a Role-Playing Game.  Many Players would argue that it is just part of the same hobby they play, but given the amount of hours Dungeon Masters spend a week planning encounters, writing plotlines down, creating treasure, scribbling out maps, and a host of odd book-keeping chores, Preparing for a Role-Playing Game feels an awful lot like a whole hobby in and of itself!
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Category: Dungeonmasters' Insider, RPG News & Reviews, Tricks of the Trade | 3 Comments »
Tags: adventure hooks, D&D 4e, Eureka, Gnomestew, review

Posted By Editor-in-Chief on August 29, 2010

Feeling a mite under the weather today, so did not have time to prepare my usual commentary on this week’s D&D 4E News – there is nothing is quite so obnoxious as coming down with a head cold in hot summer weather. But to highlight this week’s activities, I would have to say that Magic Items and Monsters were definitely the topics to watch.

Kobold Quarterly’s King of the Monster Contest 2 announced its finalists, and there are some very interesting specimens of beasties and critters to check out on the official site. Voting for the Winner will begin tomorrow, August 30th.

And the sweeping changes to Magic Items, announced in the Countdown to Essentials column on the official Wizards of the Coast site sparked some interesting discussions around the web on blogsites and forums – including this one, of course. [Editor's Note: Personally, I could not be happier with the changes, and I am thrilled that the power over magic item rewards once again rests in the wise and capable hands of the Dungeon Master.]

There are some interesting reviews planned for this week and the weeks to come, so check back to find out more about GSL and Official Products! The Dark Sun Creature Catalog should be shipping out soon, and Neuroglyph Games will have a review as soon as possible once the Brown Box finally gets it here!

So until next blog… I wish you Happy Gaming!
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Category: RPG News & Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: D&D 4e, news, review

Posted By Editor-in-Chief on August 27, 2010

“Ars prima regni posse te invidiam pati.” ~ Seneca (The Madness of Hercules, d. 65 AD)
Translation: “The first art to be learned by a ruler is to endure envy.”

This week, the list of the ten finalists for Kobold Quarterly’s King of the Monsters Contest 2 was released – and sadly, my entry was not among them.  The Kobold Quarterly website has been posting  the “official” winners (two per day), so that D&D and Pathfinder gamers can view them prior to the final judging and voting.

Speaking of voting, be sure to keep your favorite monster in mind, because you can cast your vote on August 30th to help decide the winner of the contest!   And Good Luck to all the Finalists – may the best monster win!

Now while I will not reveal which of the Monster Finalists I will be voting for on August 30th, I figured that there was no reason not to share my own entry for the King of the Monster Contest 2, even if my poor critter did not make the cut.  It might not be a king among monsters, but I think this is one nasty beastie to have lurking in the Underdark or perhaps the Elemental Chaos! (more…)

Category: Dramatis Personae, Dungeonmasters' Insider, Monsters, RPG News & Reviews | No Comments »
Tags: D&D 4e, Kobold Quarterly, monster, news

Posted By Editor-in-Chief on August 25, 2010

“But I want it NOW!” ~ Veruca Salt (Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, 1971)

This week, WotC’s Mike Mearls posted a new “Countdown to Essentials” article regarding some rather major changes to magic items.  Entitled Magic Item Rarity, it discusses how magic items will be sorted as Common, Uncommon, and Rare, and redefines how the Enchant Item Ritual works in the game.  There had been some hints about these changes during the D&D Product Seminar at GenCon 2010, although this recent article gives considerably more information than mere hints.

It is also not surprising that these changes to magic item distribution come clinging to the coat-tails of D&D Essentials.  One of the most challenging concepts for new Dungeon Masters is what an appropriate magical reward looks like, and having not structure in place to guide D&D 4E newcomers into avoiding becoming “Monty Halls” seems like a very good idea to me.  I know from personal experience that in my early Dungeon Mastering days I swung back and forth between “too much” and “too little” in my treasure distribution, and it took time and experience to find that “just right” balancing point.
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Category: Dungeonmasters' Insider, House Rules & Variations, RPG News & Reviews | 6 Comments »
Tags: D&D 4e, editorial, magic item, new rules, news