The last book of The Many Lives of Steven Leeds. I'm a fantasy of Brandon Sanderson. He's great. The last story in that collection though was just... Bad.
I might do short range does less damag, but really its dealers choice. Point blank against an opponent who is aware and riled up is usually going to be less effective than at a distance unless you manage something immediately lethal. At the same time, point blank can be significantly easier to hit, (though if the target is close enough to knock the gun aside, your milage may vary). At the same time, even relatively small distances can make for difficult shooting. Most people can't shoot a pistol accurately past 15-20 ft. (including me. I am most people.) And that is at targets. Flood a body with adrenaline and accuracy drops like a rock. Rifles are a little different, but again most people with little to no experience with firearms can only hit out to 50ft. or so reliably. Of course that depends on how much adrenaline is in their system, rifle make and model, etc. Reliable bolt actions shot from stealth will be a lot more accurate than a AR-15 while under fire. Again this is greatly oversimplifying and its reliant on training, familiarity, conditions, etc.
Sadly, depending on what you "really" want versus what you are "willing to take" will determine the base price. Bigger names mean bigger price tags... lesser names, lesser so. No names will be dirt cheap by comparison. What you are asking for is highly subjective as what you think is wicked cool, someone else will think is trite and under whelming. Artists are the same. Layout is the same. I've always stressed product over pretty. Work out all the bugs in your games, give it some traction with local testers or BETAs - unless you've already done that. Then get some basic art that won't break the bank for your first outing. Layouts are assumed to suck for a first shot. Well unless you did layout as a profession prior to this... and honestly it could still suck (subjective remember). Once ALL of that is done then figure the budget for making it pretty. Pretty things sell initially but will fall off steep when folks figure out that's all it is - not to imply what you are doing sucks, just pointing out a common flaw. Good stuff sells and keeps selling because it's good not because it's pretty. You can always make a pretty set when people are clammering for it.
I'm almost sure I'm going with stock art for my initial runs, but Layout is so important to me as a reader, that I want to do it right, even at the cost of art.
I agree. One of the strengths of fifth edition is that there are literally dozens of high production value settings with neat little aesthetics to them.
One of these came through during my clinicals. At the time I was thinking about going through a Path Assistant path, and asked if I could watch the gross. The pathologist said it was fine, and opened it up for me. The internals looked like someone had dragged it behind their car for a few hundred meters, and sealed it back up. Necrosis was present throughout, and I didn't realize internal organs could become that shade of green, even after being washed.
I had that problem as well but since switched to Foundry as my go to VTT the problem with size is gone. Wasn't fun to take your nice map and then downgrade the quality to fit the VTT.
Yeah, my problem with foundry is that there is just so much of it. I want a simple VTT. Foundry is... not that. Honestly though I wish they'd make like Foundry lite. Something closer to Owlbear Rodeo in terms of feature set, but locally hosted. God I'd love that.
Updating - while you absolutely should update, there is no reason to use an ancient version of the tool. But updating it will not "fix" the file size, because it is not an "issue" in the first place - it's how large image files work.
Star Wars RPGs are one option. Stars Without Number is another. I'd say its a little closer to mass effect in how it plays out, but it might be what you are looking for. Bonus is that there is a free version, and you can get almost anything in that free version to what the paid version has.
Rituals is meant for long term magic. Spell craft is what everybody thinks of: short term immediate effects. Alchemy is short term effects in a bottle, pill, or tea. Enchanting is imbuing items with smaller effects that can be powerful with time.
That seems like an order of magnitude advancement, so perhaps the equivalent for the martial capstone is command of a loyal army—either assembled by the player or granted by a friendly kingdom—capable of changing the balance of power and fate of nations.
At the upper end (+3 and 4) maybe. Low end rituals though are more tame. Make a few members of a village sick with a curse, summon a minor demon to hunt a single enemy, etc.
You’re the second person to mention “xianxias” but I’ve never heard of that before. I will google it as well, but would appreciate your definition if you don’t mind.
Xianxia is cultivation fantasy based off of Daoist philosophy and Chinese folklore. At least thats the generic version. It reads like the monk classes from D&D with a lot more political nonsense added on.
Spell points. You have a number of spell points equal to the spells that you would usually be able to cast. For instance, if a person could usually cast 2 1st level spells and 1 2nd level spell they have 4 points total. It takes a number of points equal to the spell level to cast.
Just finished Tyrant philosophers 1 and its So good. Started book two tonight and it seems the same way. Can't wait for my copy of Salute the Dark and Scarab Path to come in.
I'd love to see Laird start a Patreon account. If a hundred of us joined at a monthly $10 level and kept it going for a few years, that's a considerable revenue stream. I'd join in a heartbeat.
A lot authors don't like it, because it incentiizes content rather than quality. Some of the more prolific authors don't mind that because it was stuff they were going to write anyway, and it gives them early feedback and let's them deal with some of the easier corrections before an editor gets involved. That kind of feedback though also comes with downsides. A lot of Patreon writers get feedback from people that mean well but aren't good with phrasing which can be discouraging. And there are always a few trolls willing to pay money to diss an author they don't like to the authors face. I'm not saying a Patreon is a bad idea, but there are also a lot of reasons why Laird may not have opted for that route.
I am loving City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Just about Anything by Neil Gaiman Just about Anything by Terry Pratchett Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff Empire of the Wolf by Richard Swan
That last bit is correct. A lot of people seem to be missing that I wanted something similar to Workings or the Galdormens long casting times. Namely I want magic to not be shooting off a fireball in combat and more extended rituals with a cost (whether it be gold or life). Like a scrying ritual or Summoning some otherworldly being to do a task
I would remove mages as a class then, and replace them with "The Wise" class in the supplement book. From there, I would place rituals, spells, and arts in the world as loot, adjusting them as needed to make them so what you want. Anyone can use them so long as they have the magic skill and the time/other requirements to cast.
My solution was basically to rebuild the skills list from scratch ad add capstone skills. For instance a magical skill tree that included alchemy, enchanting, and spell craft with a capstone skill of rituals. The ritual skill is equal to the lowest score in the magic skill tree.
I thought this was my Gene Wolfe/Book of the New Sun subreddit when I saw the title. People love saying that BotNS is the Dark Souls of books or some such (never played the game)
No. A lot of authors (for good reason) treat patreon as a safe space for them. They aren't interested in hearing criticism of their work there. These are supposed to be their biggest fans, and when they log into patreon the last thing they expect is for a bunch of fans to jump on them.
The last book of The Many Lives of Steven Leeds. I'm a fantasy of Brandon Sanderson. He's great. The last story in that collection though was just... Bad.
And the whole Christianity is not only logical and reasonable, atheism is not. Like a sub par Pascal's Wager.
I didn't get that from the stories, though I'll admit its been almost four years and a few hundred books since then, my memory may be a little fuzzy.
I might do short range does less damag, but really its dealers choice. Point blank against an opponent who is aware and riled up is usually going to be less effective than at a distance unless you manage something immediately lethal. At the same time, point blank can be significantly easier to hit, (though if the target is close enough to knock the gun aside, your milage may vary). At the same time, even relatively small distances can make for difficult shooting. Most people can't shoot a pistol accurately past 15-20 ft. (including me. I am most people.) And that is at targets. Flood a body with adrenaline and accuracy drops like a rock. Rifles are a little different, but again most people with little to no experience with firearms can only hit out to 50ft. or so reliably. Of course that depends on how much adrenaline is in their system, rifle make and model, etc. Reliable bolt actions shot from stealth will be a lot more accurate than a AR-15 while under fire. Again this is greatly oversimplifying and its reliant on training, familiarity, conditions, etc.
Sadly, depending on what you "really" want versus what you are "willing to take" will determine the base price. Bigger names mean bigger price tags... lesser names, lesser so. No names will be dirt cheap by comparison. What you are asking for is highly subjective as what you think is wicked cool, someone else will think is trite and under whelming. Artists are the same. Layout is the same. I've always stressed product over pretty. Work out all the bugs in your games, give it some traction with local testers or BETAs - unless you've already done that. Then get some basic art that won't break the bank for your first outing. Layouts are assumed to suck for a first shot. Well unless you did layout as a profession prior to this... and honestly it could still suck (subjective remember). Once ALL of that is done then figure the budget for making it pretty. Pretty things sell initially but will fall off steep when folks figure out that's all it is - not to imply what you are doing sucks, just pointing out a common flaw. Good stuff sells and keeps selling because it's good not because it's pretty. You can always make a pretty set when people are clammering for it.
I'm almost sure I'm going with stock art for my initial runs, but Layout is so important to me as a reader, that I want to do it right, even at the cost of art.
A one-page dungeon, unless there isn't much to it, probably won't have room for stock art.
Yes, but I also have other projects. The one page dungeons are just one part of the picture.
What we need is more settings.
I agree. One of the strengths of fifth edition is that there are literally dozens of high production value settings with neat little aesthetics to them.
One of these came through during my clinicals. At the time I was thinking about going through a Path Assistant path, and asked if I could watch the gross. The pathologist said it was fine, and opened it up for me. The internals looked like someone had dragged it behind their car for a few hundred meters, and sealed it back up. Necrosis was present throughout, and I didn't realize internal organs could become that shade of green, even after being washed.
Did you manage the smell or were you fortunate enough to find a full hazmat suit?
It had mostly been cleaned out. There was a little bit of smell, but nothing too terrible.
Look I know you want the book, but this isn't really acceptable.
I had that problem as well but since switched to Foundry as my go to VTT the problem with size is gone. Wasn't fun to take your nice map and then downgrade the quality to fit the VTT.
Yeah, my problem with foundry is that there is just so much of it. I want a simple VTT. Foundry is... not that. Honestly though I wish they'd make like Foundry lite. Something closer to Owlbear Rodeo in terms of feature set, but locally hosted. God I'd love that.
Updating - while you absolutely should update, there is no reason to use an ancient version of the tool. But updating it will not "fix" the file size, because it is not an "issue" in the first place - it's how large image files work.
Thank you. I think some of it at least is that I was using 300 PPI. If Roll 20 is using 75 that is a huge difference.
I can think of a couple.
Star Wars RPGs are one option. Stars Without Number is another. I'd say its a little closer to mass effect in how it plays out, but it might be what you are looking for. Bonus is that there is a free version, and you can get almost anything in that free version to what the paid version has.
What does Rituals give the PC? The only thing coming to mind is some kind of chaining or multi-attack ability.
Rituals is meant for long term magic. Spell craft is what everybody thinks of: short term immediate effects. Alchemy is short term effects in a bottle, pill, or tea. Enchanting is imbuing items with smaller effects that can be powerful with time.
That seems like an order of magnitude advancement, so perhaps the equivalent for the martial capstone is command of a loyal army—either assembled by the player or granted by a friendly kingdom—capable of changing the balance of power and fate of nations.
At the upper end (+3 and 4) maybe. Low end rituals though are more tame. Make a few members of a village sick with a curse, summon a minor demon to hunt a single enemy, etc.
Dungeon Crawler Carl is excellent and had a number of books out already.
You’re the second person to mention “xianxias” but I’ve never heard of that before. I will google it as well, but would appreciate your definition if you don’t mind.
Xianxia is cultivation fantasy based off of Daoist philosophy and Chinese folklore. At least thats the generic version. It reads like the monk classes from D&D with a lot more political nonsense added on.
Spell points. You have a number of spell points equal to the spells that you would usually be able to cast. For instance, if a person could usually cast 2 1st level spells and 1 2nd level spell they have 4 points total. It takes a number of points equal to the spell level to cast.
Empire of the Wolf by Richard Swan and Jay Krostoff's empire of the Vampire.
Adrian Tchaikovsky has Tyrant Philosophers 3, Service Model, and Alien Clay.
My man Adrian T doesn't know how to stop, what a champion.
Just finished Tyrant philosophers 1 and its So good. Started book two tonight and it seems the same way. Can't wait for my copy of Salute the Dark and Scarab Path to come in.
I'd love to see Laird start a Patreon account. If a hundred of us joined at a monthly $10 level and kept it going for a few years, that's a considerable revenue stream. I'd join in a heartbeat.
A lot authors don't like it, because it incentiizes content rather than quality. Some of the more prolific authors don't mind that because it was stuff they were going to write anyway, and it gives them early feedback and let's them deal with some of the easier corrections before an editor gets involved. That kind of feedback though also comes with downsides. A lot of Patreon writers get feedback from people that mean well but aren't good with phrasing which can be discouraging. And there are always a few trolls willing to pay money to diss an author they don't like to the authors face. I'm not saying a Patreon is a bad idea, but there are also a lot of reasons why Laird may not have opted for that route.
Fantastic writeup!
Lord of the Mysteries. Granted is (poorly) translated. But it gets so many recommendations.
I am loving City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Just about Anything by Neil Gaiman Just about Anything by Terry Pratchett Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff Empire of the Wolf by Richard Swan
That last bit is correct. A lot of people seem to be missing that I wanted something similar to Workings or the Galdormens long casting times. Namely I want magic to not be shooting off a fireball in combat and more extended rituals with a cost (whether it be gold or life). Like a scrying ritual or Summoning some otherworldly being to do a task
I would remove mages as a class then, and replace them with "The Wise" class in the supplement book. From there, I would place rituals, spells, and arts in the world as loot, adjusting them as needed to make them so what you want. Anyone can use them so long as they have the magic skill and the time/other requirements to cast.
My solution was basically to rebuild the skills list from scratch ad add capstone skills. For instance a magical skill tree that included alchemy, enchanting, and spell craft with a capstone skill of rituals. The ritual skill is equal to the lowest score in the magic skill tree.
So I have a few.
I thought this was my Gene Wolfe/Book of the New Sun subreddit when I saw the title. People love saying that BotNS is the Dark Souls of books or some such (never played the game)
I can sort of see it. Ive tried book of the new sun several times but its just so dense...
Oh. So the author of just a little bitch?
No. A lot of authors (for good reason) treat patreon as a safe space for them. They aren't interested in hearing criticism of their work there. These are supposed to be their biggest fans, and when they log into patreon the last thing they expect is for a bunch of fans to jump on them.
Sure. Sci-fi, horror, religious nonfiction, history, noir, etc.