Monday, November 6, 2017

Multi-headed and -limbed giants

D&D has a bizarre fixation with making every possible anatomical configuration of giants into a distinct race. For example, every two-headed giant is an "ettin," every three-armed giant is an "athach," every three-headed three-armed three-legged giant is an "ubue," every two-headed cyclops is a "biclops," every two-headed troll is a "two-headed troll" (at this point the writer gave up on trying to devise a new name, what a surprise!), etc.

This became so pervasive that Octavirate Presents: Lethal Lexicon Vol 1 parodies the two-headed cyclops by introducing its own "biclops": a cyclops with two eyes, oriented vertically, that give it better depth perception.

Friday, November 3, 2017

Retyping monstrosities

The inconsistent world building and rules in D&D drives me insane. I finally sat down and took a look at the fifty monstrosities in the MM and changed their type to something that is not literally a miscellaneous category. I included a commentary explaining my decision and, where applicable, the monsters' type in 4e D&D.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Magic and technology, or why I dislike Starfinder

Starfinder is a spin-off of Pathfinder which takes place in outer space. As with typical modernist fantasy, like its predecessor Dragonstar, it treats magic and technology as separate. In Starfinder specially, the use of magic is on the decline as its role is being taken over by the convenience of technology.

I consider this convention, in a word, stupid.