Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 20 Jan 2003 to 21 Jan 2003 (#2003-22) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 22/01/2003, 19:01 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 9 messages totalling 494 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. [Blackmoor] -Questions for Mr. Quinn (2) 2. Mega dungeons in Mystara (2) 3. Magic Circle of Ailuromancy (2) 4. (3) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 15:15:28 +0100 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Havard=20Faanes?= Subject: [Blackmoor] -Questions for Mr. Quinn --- Jeffrey Quinn wrote: > > PS - I'm the guy who scribbled the first preview :-) Hello Jeffrey, Welcome to the list. We are all very pleased to receive such attention from active Game designers. I had a brief look at your website, but unfortunately didn't find any mention of Blackmoor there. So maybe you could indulge us with answering a few questions? What is your connection to Blackmoor/Dave Arneson? What kind of work will you be doing for Zeitgeist Games? Do you have any experience/connection to Mystara? Im just a curious guy, but if you'll answer these questions id be grateful :) Cheers! Håvard ______________________________________________________ Få den nye Yahoo! Messenger på http://no.messenger.yahoo.com/ Nye ikoner og bakgrunner, webkamera med superkvalitet og dobbelt så morsom ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 09:32:31 -0500 From: Geoff Gander Subject: Re: Mega dungeons in Mystara Mike Harvey wrote: > Also there is Ardelphia, Wereskalot, Krakatos, the Haunted Keep... > that extensive dungeons have not been mentioned may just mean that > they have not yet been discovered... IMC, I also gave Corunglain a large dungeon, too. From the Darokin Gaz, it mentioned that the original Corunglain burned to the ground after it was invaded by orcs. I decided that, during the reconstruction, a large part of the old downtown core was simply built-over, and now it is connected to the sewers (and orc tunnels, also rumoured in the Gaz) that run under the city. My players haven't reached the old city yet, but I had some random thoughts as to who - or more appropriately, what - might be down there. Geoff -- Geoff Gander, BA 97, MPA 02 Carnifex Loremaster/Mad Roleplayer Master of the Elemental Plane of Bureaucracy au998@freenet.carleton.ca : www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/2091 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 15:07:46 -0000 From: Colin Davidson Subject: Re: Mega dungeons in Mystara > Also there is Ardelphia, Wereskalot, Krakatos, the Haunted Keep... > that extensive dungeons have not been mentioned may just mean that > they have not yet been discovered... > Unless I've missed it, the home of the king and queen of the Frost Giants on Frosthaven hasn't been mentioned, nor has the enormous number of caves in the Wyrmsteeth (doesn't take much imagination to think of many of them being interlinked). ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 15:27:47 -0000 From: Colin Davidson Subject: Magic Circle of Ailuromancy This is something I've had in my campaign for years. Although there are no practicing ailuromancers in the current adventuring party, there have been a few in the past. The rules as stated here work reasonably well in my campaign, although I tend to improv what happens when things go wrong. This uses the 'Magic Circles' tules from the Glantrian supplement. Ailuromancy The Magic of Cats Well known to the Rakasta mages of Myoshima, and known to a few Alphatian mages, this school is otherwise quite rare. Ailuromancy is the art of controlling, utilising and, ultimately, becoming powerful felines. Protection from Cats (first circle) The caster can protect himself from one or more cats. This ability is automatically successful against up to twice the casters level in HD of cats. The cats will be aware of what is happening, and most likely be extremely pissed off. They will probably not be cooperative but they can make no offensive action against the Ailuromancer (although they are not prevented from attacking others who accompany the caster). The effect lasts until dispelled, the cats are more than 50 feet away, or the caster takes any offensive action against the cats. On a roll of 01, the cats will attack the caster, remorselessly, until either they or the caster are dead. Catsense (second circle) The caster can take on all of the senses of a big cat. That means he can see in near darkness, can attack purely by scent, can hear very quiet sounds, and will most likely become very picky about foods. The caster will be nearly faultless at tracking (90% success) , can only be surprised on a 1 on 1d6, and can hear noise (as per the thief skill) with a 90% chance of success. Lasts for 1 turn per 2 casters levels. Cat Claws (second circle) This power allows the caster to sprout sharp claws for use in combat. Claws can be grown on one or both hands, as the caster wishes, and are good for 1d8 damage each. This effect lasts for one round per casters level. Cat Feet (second circle) The caster gains the agility of a cat. This doesnt grant any offensive dexterity bonus, but it deos allow the caster to balance on ledges, tree branches, etc., and provides a 3 bonus to armour class. Duration 1 rnd/lvl. Cat Call (second circle) By emitting a sickening caterwall the ailuromancer can summon any and all cats within 800 yards. The cats will understand and obey simple commands, but their morale stays as normal. The maximum hit dice of cats that can be controlled is equal to the casters level. Duration 1 turn/2 levels. A roll of 01 will cause said cats to attack the caster, as described for protection from cats. Cat Plague (third circle) The caster can create up to his level in HD of any cats he chooses. The cats are utterly loyal, and will remain for 1 turn per level of the caster. Army of Cats (fourth circle) The ailuromancer can split his life force between a number of cats. Upon use, the caster disappears, and a number of cats making up the casters level in their HD appears. The life force of the caster controls each one, hence the caster acts directly through all of them. They must all remain within 150 foot area, and as long as one of them survives then the caster cannot be slain. Duration is 1 turn per level. High Master of Ailuromancy (fifth circle) The high master of cats can, in a process requiring 1d4 rounds to complete, become the ultimate cat. This lasts up to 1 hour per level of the caster, and the caster can change back and forth during that period at will (to allow the caster to use spells, items, etc). If the high ailuromancer is below 24th level, the form is that of a lesser sky wyrm, if above it is that of a greater sky wyrm. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 17:31:57 +0100 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Havard=20Faanes?= Subject: Re: Magic Circle of Ailuromancy My immediate reactiom was "what!?" My reaction after reading through it was "Hey, this is pretty cool!" :) I think this looks pretty good. I like having the Skywyrm as the ultimate cat. Perhaps they play an important role in Rakatsa Mythology aswell? Any thoughts on how to adapt the Magic Circles rules to 3E? Havard --- Colin Davidson skrev: > This is something I've had in my campaign for years. > Although there are no > practicing ailuromancers in the current adventuring > party, there have been a > few in the past. The rules as stated here work > reasonably well in my > campaign, although I tend to improv what happens > when things go wrong. > > This uses the 'Magic Circles' tules from the > Glantrian supplement. > > Ailuromancy > The Magic of Cats > Well known to the Rakasta mages of Myoshima, and > known to a few Alphatian > mages, this school is otherwise quite rare. > Ailuromancy is the art of > controlling, utilising and, ultimately, becoming > powerful felines. > > Protection from Cats (first circle) > The caster can protect himself from one or more > cats. This ability is > automatically successful against up to twice the > casters level in HD of > cats. The cats will be aware of what is happening, > and most likely be > extremely pissed off. They will probably not be > cooperative but they can > make no offensive action against the Ailuromancer > (although they are not > prevented from attacking others who accompany the > caster). > > The effect lasts until dispelled, the cats are more > than 50 feet away, or > the caster takes any offensive action against the > cats. > > On a roll of 01, the cats will attack the caster, > remorselessly, until > either they or the caster are dead. > > Catsense (second circle) > The caster can take on all of the senses of a big > cat. That means he can > see in near darkness, can attack purely by scent, > can hear very quiet > sounds, and will most likely become very picky about > foods. The caster will > be nearly faultless at tracking (90% success) , can > only be surprised on a 1 > on 1d6, and can hear noise (as per the thief skill) > with a 90% chance of > success. Lasts for 1 turn per 2 casters levels. > > Cat Claws (second circle) > This power allows the caster to sprout sharp claws > for use in combat. Claws > can be grown on one or both hands, as the caster > wishes, and are good for > 1d8 damage each. > This effect lasts for one round per casters level. > > Cat Feet (second circle) > The caster gains the agility of a cat. This doesnt > grant any offensive > dexterity bonus, but it deos allow the caster to > balance on ledges, tree > branches, etc., and provides a 3 bonus to armour > class. Duration 1 > rnd/lvl. > > Cat Call (second circle) > By emitting a sickening caterwall the ailuromancer > can summon any and all > cats within 800 yards. The cats will understand > and obey simple commands, > but their morale stays as normal. The maximum hit > dice of cats that can be > controlled is equal to the casters level. Duration 1 > turn/2 levels. > > A roll of 01 will cause said cats to attack the > caster, as described for > protection from cats. > > Cat Plague (third circle) > The caster can create up to his level in HD of any > cats he chooses. The > cats are utterly loyal, and will remain for 1 turn > per level of the caster. > > Army of Cats (fourth circle) > The ailuromancer can split his life force between a > number of cats. Upon > use, the caster disappears, and a number of cats > making up the casters level > in their HD appears. The life force of the caster > controls each one, hence > the caster acts directly through all of them. They > must all remain within > 150 foot area, and as long as one of them survives > then the caster cannot be > slain. Duration is 1 turn per level. > > High Master of Ailuromancy (fifth circle) > The high master of cats can, in a process requiring > 1d4 rounds to complete, > become the ultimate cat. This lasts up to 1 hour > per level of the caster, > and the caster can change back and forth during that > period at will (to > allow the caster to use spells, items, etc). > > If the high ailuromancer is below 24th level, the > form is that of a lesser > sky wyrm, if above it is that of a greater sky wyrm. > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: > http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to > LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ______________________________________________________ Få den nye Yahoo! Messenger på http://no.messenger.yahoo.com/ Nye ikoner og bakgrunner, webkamera med superkvalitet og dobbelt så morsom ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 12:07:13 -0500 From: Jeffrey Quinn Subject: Re: [Blackmoor] -Questions for Mr. Quinn Håvard, > Welcome to the list. We are all very pleased to receive such attention from active Game designers. I > had a brief look at your website, but unfortunately didn't find any mention of Blackmoor there. I'm happy to be here. Sorry about the look of the website, I haven't updated it in a few months. And it's my pleasure to indulge your questions. > What is your connection to Blackmoor/Dave Arneson? The only connection I have with Blackmoor or Dave is through Zeitgeist Games. Back in September I contacted Dustin Clingman (co-owner of Zeitgeist Games) when I discovered that Dave's Blackmoor was coming to Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Of all the projects I have worked on, or am working on, this one is my absolute favorite. I look forward to speaking more with Dave and Dustin as the project speeds its way to a tenative Origins release. > What kind of work will you be doing for Zeitgeist Games? I'm one of the writer/designers working on the d20 Blackmoor project. I'm also working on a few extra "splatbooks" designed to open up new options that some of the OD&D - 2D&D players and GMs will definitely love to get their hands on. I know that the Peshwah and the Afridhi are going to have their "black and whites" given some new living and vibrant colors. As far as for the future, I'm going to be drawing on the available materials about Blackmoor and ZG's vision to give it a new facelift and a bit of modernization, while staying true to the source. Feel free to ask myself, Dustin, and the rest of the ZG crew anything. We love to here from the players, since it is your world we are defining. > Do you have any experience/connection to Mystara? I've been playing and GMing for over 20 years. My own campaigns were once based entirely in the world of Mystara. Some of my favorite NPCs came from the aranea societies. When the first hints of 3rd Ed came out, I once again hunted for every piece of Mystara I could find. I converted every piece of it to 3E and ran an entirely new generation of gamers through it. From the times of "Escape from Zanzer's Dungeon" straight through to Hollow World. I have never published anything based strictly on the Mystara campaign setting, but most of my writing has been heavily influenced by it. As far as any connection to this list is concerned, Dustin pointed it out to me just about a week ago (I'm not all that web-savvy). I've enjoyed these first questions, keep them coming. Jeffrey Quinn Freelance Writer/Game Designer http://jpquinn.mortality.net/ --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.394 / Virus Database: 224 - Release Date: 10/3/2002 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 04:29:47 +1100 From: Jonathan Nolan Subject: Hi Jonathan Nolan here. I have just rejoined the list after the last time I quit it in irritation... I am the CEO of Pisces All Media. We publish a line of partly Mystara-inspired d20 sourcebooks. The homepage for this stuff is at www.geocities.com/heirsofskullcraig. In relation to the d20 Blackmoor book, it might be smart for the powers that be on that project to start advertising or publicising it a bit more as it has zero profile at present. I started a thread about it on a few game forum websites and no-one knows anything. The moribund Zeitgeist website doesn't exactly inspire confidence either. On a different topic, has anyone here done something with the 3e rules in Dragon 301 for swashbucklers etc.? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 23:05:17 -0500 From: Dustin Clingman Subject: Hi Jonathan! Welcome back! I agree with you about the advertising, we are in negotiations with a few companies regarding some issues related to Blackmoor. That's one reason I have held off with the PR. We spent a lot of energy in setting up the website, I have just been too busy to keep it up to date. I also don't have a web monkey to handle those things. :) As soon as some of the other biz stuff is out of the way, I promise an update. Also, the Peshwah preview will go into wide release as of tomorrow. I will be posting the PR on all the major sites. :) Dustin -----Original Message----- From: Mystara RPG Discussion [mailto:MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM] On Behalf Of Jonathan Nolan Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 12:30 PM To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Hi Jonathan Nolan here. I have just rejoined the list after the last time I quit it in irritation... I am the CEO of Pisces All Media. We publish a line of partly Mystara-inspired d20 sourcebooks. The homepage for this stuff is at www.geocities.com/heirsofskullcraig. In relation to the d20 Blackmoor book, it might be smart for the powers that be on that project to start advertising or publicising it a bit more as it has zero profile at present. I started a thread about it on a few game forum websites and no-one knows anything. The moribund Zeitgeist website doesn't exactly inspire confidence either. On a different topic, has anyone here done something with the 3e rules in Dragon 301 for swashbucklers etc.? ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 16:04:08 +1100 From: Jonathan Nolan Subject: Hey Dustin! Respect. I think having a Blackmoor "OGL" would be cool also. I know we have a couple mad keen Blackmoorites who would like to make standalone "duchies" or whatever to fit into the grand Blackmoor scheme. Anyhoo, back to the Mystara related wackiness... ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 20 Jan 2003 to 21 Jan 2003 (#2003-22) ***************************************************************