Tekpersona website is complete, and my current status.

Last Time I blogged it was about J.C.Kendall's website Tekpersona. At the time some of the links were not yet set up as the site was under re-development. Now the site is finished with more articles (in the articles and docs section) coming soon.

In case you didn't read my last post Tekpersona is a company with many years experience in social media and web presence advertising.

As for me, I haven't been blogging much lately as first I was distracted playing minecraft and running a multiplayer server. It was alot of fun but alas has died down and now there is little activity on the server, maybe we just need some new players. I then spent awhile trying League of Legends. Which I enjoyed more then I thought I would considering how much I don't like pvp typically and that is what League of Legends is all about.

However its one of those supposedly free to play games that I just can't stand. Basically it's free but if you want more then just whatever champions are currently free to play, that costs money (although some can be unlocked just by playing alot) All the skins cost money anything you can buy in game can also be bought with money.

I just can't play a game that constantly wants my money.

Also I am going to be moving soon, we have a house in mind and are likely to get it, and also got on housing which is going to be a pain dealing with all the paper work, but could pay about 30 % of my rent or something. It's a nice house though, in a sub urban area very middle class which is way more then I am use to.

So I haven't been working on any of my game design projects at all. I'm not even sure how I intend to move forward on them. I might just start from scratch using game maker. I found an old copy of game maker 7 on my computer so maybe I wont have to deal with yoyo games bull crap this time. Yay, lol.

A Twist on Orcs

In my new Kurahast Campaign I am hoping to only introduce new or different monsters or takes on monsters. I am still in the planning phase of the campaign but I want to avoid goblins for now so I decided to mess with Orcs.

My idea I came up with randomly was to have an Orc race that was originally made like Homonuculus' and also add in some elements from animated objects, IE their hardness and ability to have different limbs.

I used the Legends and Labyrinths monster creation tool to start out with for the Stats. It has not been play tested but I tend to fix rules and costs and they come up in game.

So here it is.

Orc

Small Construct
CR 1/2
HD: 2d4 (4)
Hardness: 1
AC: 13 (10 +2 dex +1 Size)
Attack: Claw +2, Dmg 1d4
Fort: NA  Ref: +3 Will: +3
Size:  Small
Speed: 30 walking, crawling, or hopping,
Str 10, Dex 14, Con NA, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 8,
Climb +4

Flying Orc

Small Construct
CR 2
HD: 3d4 (6)
Hardness: 4
AC: 13 (10 +2 dex +1 Size)
Attack: Claw +4, Dmg 1d6+1
Fort: NA  Ref: +5 Will: +3
Size:  Small
Speed: 10 Fly 50
Str 10, Dex 14, Con NA, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 8,

Spot +5

An Orc is a pig or gargoyle faced construct shaped from a mixture of black clay, ashes, mandrake root, water, and one pint of the creator’s own blood. The materials cost 50 gp.  Creating the body requires a DC 12 Craft (sculpting) check or a DC 12 Craft (pottery) check.

After the body is sculpted, it is animated through an extended magical ritual that requires a specially prepared laboratory or workroom, similar to an alchemist’s laboratory and costing 500 gp to establish. If the creator is personally constructing the creature’s body, the building and ritual can be performed together.

An Orc with more than 2 Hit Dice can be created, but each additional Hit Die adds +2,000 gp to the cost to create.

Additional Limbs may be added for a cost of Y² x 1000 gp, Y equaling the number of Additional limbs. These limbs can add benefits like an extra attack or a bonus of +10 to speed.

The Creator of an Orc does not normally become its master as the ritual is intended to create a chaotic evil creature of destruction.  They can and will pick up weapons to use if they find them and work better than their claws.

About the reviews I do.

I originally started this blog to post about various projects or ideas I come up with about D&D or various rpg's. Then I began occasionally including some of my flash fiction. But it also became a place I could talk about the games and products that I am checking out, rather then just ranting at my wife about them.

But I have noticed that I have a tendency to only post good reviews and opinions and bouncing from topic to topic. Such as talking about Legends and Labyrinths and Adventures Dark and Deep. I think the reason my reviews tend to be good is that if I don't particularly have an interest in a product then I have no motivation to write about it.

I'm sure that at some point I will write about something that didn't live up to my expectations but first I have to care enough to have some expectations.

Anyway I just wanted to mention that no one, not Justin or Joseph or any has specifically asked me to post a review or a good review. Anytime I give an opinion on a product it is my real honest opinion.

If ever I am asked to post a review such as my upcoming review on "The New Death and Others" Then I will post clearly on that page that I have been asked to review it, but my review will still be an honest one.

Product Idea

Using some of the research I did on Stirges, I am thinking about adding in some of my own ideas and maybe making a small pdf product centered around Stirges. Maybe some new species, behavior, ecology, life cycle.
I might even try too make a small adventure.

One of the idea's I had for the product was too include stat blocks for multiple editions of dnd. Possible making them designed too be balanced for Adventures Dark and Deep, Legends and Labyrinths and 4th edition, That would also make it compatible with 1st edition (I hope) and 3rd edition.

What would you like too see in a product like this? What would make it most fun and useful for you?

Legends and Labyrinths: Updated Funding goal and landmarks.

Justin has posted his new additional perks for those who are helping fund Legends and Labyrinths. So you get the perks based on how much you have helped fun with over at 8-bit funding and the additional landmark perks posted >> here.

If you don't know what Legends and Labyrinths is you can find out more information on the project page. If your interested in the project then by helping fund it you will help make the project better and gain access to some nice perks.

If you do know what Legends and Labyrinths is and would like too see some first impressions here is a link too Justin's blog were they talked about some first impressions, and here is a link directly too some of my first impressions.

Legends and Labyrinths Early Bird Landmark

Legends and Labyrinths has reached $2139 of their $3000 and if they hit their goal by mid night tonight , anyone who funded ($30 and up) will receive PDF copies of Mini-Adventure 1: Complex of Zombies and Mini-Adventure 2: The Black Mist as a free bonus when the project is funded.

So everyone head over to 8-bit funding so we can hit this landmark.

Legends and Labyrinths: First Impressions (post 2)

This is continuing my first impressions post for Legends and Labyrinths. The first post can be found here.

I actually just messed up and lost the second half of the post but I am going to try and reconstruct it or hit the main points.

I noticed that 1st level characters start with one contact. I thought this might slow things down but I quickly wrote my father was a gem cutter and moved on.

When buying armor I liked that the donning time (such as for putting on plate mail) was listed on the same table as gold piece cost and AC. When buying weapons It was nice too see that the splash weapons was on the same page as regular weapons. However I could not buy a throwing axe and the club didn't have range listed so as a cleric I felt kinda forced into buying daggers for a one handed throwing weapon. Also none of the weapons were free, that might be a good thing.

The equipment section had advice on what too buy that might be invaluable for new players

Adventuring Gear is broken into smaller sections and each section is placed too where their descriptions are on the same page as their prices.

I finished the character at exactly 2:45, so it took me 45 mins and could have taken 35 since now I know where too look for the class skills and HD. I imagine I could shave off 10 or more mins making a human fighter.

When making a character in many other rpg's it takes me 2+ hours. I think that when I am ready to play 3rd edition again I will be using L&L as my system of choice. In many ways this book is a DMG and PHB in one. I also like the system for making monster, traps and npc's. I originally was worried about the stunt system but that is actually looking great now that I see how it works.

If you know what Legends and Labyrinths is trying to do then I think it does just that very well. It has not lost any of the flavor of 3.5 and yet it looks like it can be easier and quicker too use.

Now I just hope they get enough funding too release the free supplements too those of us that have funded it.

Legends and Labyrinths: First Impressions

I finally got the Legends and Labyrinths Black Book Beta, Justin sent too me since I helped fund the project. I decided I would try to make a character as I went through the pdf. (that's what I usually do with any new rpg game.)

So here is my first impressions as I made a character in Legends and Labyrinths.

A large factor for me right now is how much time I spend on charactor creation. So I started at exactly 2pm mountain time and timed myself. Too make it fair I would not choose a human or a fighter type.

I ended up making a dwarven cleric and thought this was a good test for making the character. Stats and race were quick and simple since it was exactly like 3.5 and using the 4d6 drop the lowest method. Then I was surprised to find encounter building and earning xp before the classes chapter. I'm not sure about some of the layout because of oddities like this.

Moving on and skipping most of this I liked that the classes chapter had a description of ability types such as spell-like or supernatural. Making the cleric, I didn't see it explain specificly that you get spell casting at level 1,  but that should be pretty obvious. I just wondered how long I would have been confused by that if I were totally new.  

Then somehow I missed the spot that said my HD and class skills. It was off to the side and small almost as if it were inside of the Sidebars that are used very often I like the sidebar referance system but it made me miss this so I wasted 10 mins jumping around the skills and charactor making sections and back too cleric before I found it.

Then the class skills listed didn't mention what stat they were based on. This wasn't a problem luckily since I knew from playing 3.5 and it was easy too check in the skill chapter. I still think I would have liked it mentioned in the class.

I liked that I did not need too choose skills and that there were less class skills, this sped things up and of course was still compatible with the normal skill system from the PHB.

There were many chapters in between classes and equipment or spells, So I spent awhile hitting page down before I got to pick my spells and buy equipment.

Their are less spell options but they are all familiar and I'm sure I could pull out my 3.5 supplements and choose other spells, but for new players or quick characters this was nice. In little time I had my spells and Domains. I'm not sure if the book explained bonus spells but I skipped that because I knew I got one based on my wisdom.

Too stop this post from running on to long I broke it into two posts. The second one is here.

Legends and Labyrinths is now Availble

Now that on 8-bit funding Legends and Labyrinths by Justin Alexander, has reached more then half their goal of $3,000 the beta pdf is finally available. Too get legends and labyrinths go over to 8-bit funding and choose how much you want too fund the project and once you have funded it, or if you have already, then click on project updates and follow the instructions too get the pdf.

Also if they hit their goal of by the end of the month anyone who funded $30 or more will get two free adventures.

If you don't know what Legends and Labyrinths is you can read all about it on their project page.