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So long as the Summons size is not large or bigger. It will have the correct Shadow skin effect. Otherwise is will have the orbiting wave effect instead. There is a work around for it however. The DM doing the job will have to skin the summon as an invisible medium creature 100. Then place the tail of the appearance you want. This will force the size and visable appearance of the summon you want and the Shadowshield will apply correctly. But the summon loses its Large size bonuses and penalties.

Why do characters have ~War Knight~ in their character names? I never quite understood the OOC reasoning behind that. Is it there because my character is supposed to know that they are one or something? Sort of like an OOC marker that this is something my character should know?

It is completely OOC. The reasoning behind adding those tags is stylistic and nothing else really.

It's safe to say anything you ever see in someone's name tag is never to be taken IC. Even if they are someone your character knows, don't jump to the conclusion that you'd recognise them, they could be wearing a disguise. I know I've made that mistake in the past and people have done it with me, can be frustrating. But a little extra observation can go a long way.

I personally think the faction tags are relatively useless and invite meta gaming, but by now I'm sure most people are of the impression that if they don't want their affiliations meta'd then don't add the tags. They may have some use, like ease of finding other faction members should you need to contact them via tell for some reason if you didn't know they were of the faction otherwise or something, but other than that I don't know any explanations behind having them, even the one I mentioned isn't necessarily essential.

You know those people who still wear bowler hats? Or who open their laptop at a busy Starbucks to work on their novel? Or who own show dogs?

Their reasons for doing what they do are about the same reasons why people use those tags in their names.

Whoah hey leave bowler hats out of this.

Faction tags are like red kerchiefs in the right back-pocket.

Say, is such a thing in the realm of possibility:

I got a character that has 8 BG levels, the Create Undead feat summons a Mohrg on levels 1-5, and a Wraith starting on 6.

Can it be scripted, so that it summons a Mohrg, not a Wraith?

There's always reskins if you are open to it.

Hey, i'm open for anything, but i want to explore all possibilities because i can't do much with just 5 DC's.

I'm looking for the cheapest option to start a certain process. See, i have a character that has 5 summoning feats, 4 of them are undead summons - and they're all bloody Wraiths! Since my character is supposed to be skilled at the art of undead creation, i need to actually be able to present these abilities in RP, so ideally, i'd want all of these feats summon different types of undead.

Could be wrong but I'm not aware of cheaper alternatives, myself. There's always the chance of people chipping in with the cost too, if they are nice/generous enough. I've even seen on a few occasions people contributing for how good requests were and wanted to pay toward the great ideas they are requesting to put into play, in game.

But as I'm sure you know, reskining even just two - three summons can be expensive if you're short on DC's.

Cheapest would be to reskin some of the summons.

Glim wrote:

Cheapest would be to reskin some of the summons.

And easiest, okay but, specifically, is it possible to request a script that would reduce the CL on Blackguard's Animate Dead feat?

If yes, would such request fall under this price category:

Quote:

- Custom scripting:
1. Items with (combat/game-mechanical) powers: 15 DCs + 1 DC/5 minutes of scripting (”Discofee”)

meaning, a widget item that would do stuff on activation? Or can it be done permanently?

Also, Wraiths are incorporeal, reskinning them to corporeal undead i feel might be a bit fishy...

Alternatively you could do a Bottle Companion if you didn't need it to be combat-capable. But no, changing the way the script reads CL just for one person isn't something we'd do I'm afraid, and there isn't a way to modify that besides modifying the script.

That being said, you mentioned you had 4 undead summons? If that means you have PM levels, then you could do a custom spell that could draw upon a lower CL and just use the same summons. I think it'd be a waste of a custom spell myself, and would cost more than the other options, but *shrugs* it's an option.

Context: I've recently had a summon reskin on my character, but as the character takes more levels, the summon changes. The reskin was working fine whilst it was the same type of summon as the character grew, but as soon as it was a new type, the reskin stopped working. (Summon upgraded, but from the same summoning ability.)

Questions: Is there any way to lock the appearance of the reskin, or does it need to be redone each time the summon upgrades? I expect the summon to upgrade twice more over the character's career, so should I wait until it is in it's final stages before getting this fixed?

Aeqvinox wrote:

Hey, i'm open for anything, but i want to explore all possibilities because i can't do much with just 5 DC's.

I'm looking for the cheapest option to start a certain process. See, i have a character that has 5 summoning feats, 4 of them are undead summons - and they're all bloody Wraiths! Since my character is supposed to be skilled at the art of undead creation, i need to actually be able to present these abilities in RP, so ideally, i'd want all of these feats summon different types of undead.

Be open to not doing anything, there are changes to how summons are arbitrated coming soon and it would be silly to expend the effort and time on reskinning.

Thank you guys for the hints, i'll wait for the upcoming changes and see what i end up to work with. In the meantime i'll hoard DC's, didn't think of requesting a custom spell actually.

Last two questions.

Which "price category" does custom spell request fall into? I can't find anything specific in the "How to make special requests" thread.

This i've been wondering about for quite some time - can DM's award DC's for bits of RP posted on the forums? Like for example, if i'd write a complete story in several parts, with ingame screenshots included, detailing the progress my character made on mastering the arts of undead creation?

Custom spells cost, I believe, depends on the power of the spell and how difficult it is to script. Generally I think it ends up between 15-25?

I haven't heard of any instance of DCs being awarded for a forum post (well, there was the one "contest" Glim held for players to contribute to Tarkuul's lore). That's not to say it couldn't happen, mind. Just that it hasn't/I'm unaware of it having happened.

Gobbledygook wrote:

Context: I've recently had a summon reskin on my character, but as the character takes more levels, the summon changes. The reskin was working fine whilst it was the same type of summon as the character grew, but as soon as it was a new type, the reskin stopped working. (Summon upgraded, but from the same summoning ability.)

Questions: Is there any way to lock the appearance of the reskin, or does it need to be redone each time the summon upgrades? I expect the summon to upgrade twice more over the character's career, so should I wait until it is in it's final stages before getting this fixed?

Huh... I thought it stayed with it by default, but guess not. We can certainly keep up with keeping it re skinned as per the original request, at no extra cost.

Aeqvinox wrote:

Thank you guys for the hints, i'll wait for the upcoming changes and see what i end up to work with. In the meantime i'll hoard DC's, didn't think of requesting a custom spell actually.

Last two questions.

Which "price category" does custom spell request fall into? I can't find anything specific in the "How to make special requests" thread.

This i've been wondering about for quite some time - can DM's award DC's for bits of RP posted on the forums? Like for example, if i'd write a complete story in several parts, with ingame screenshots included, detailing the progress my character made on mastering the arts of undead creation?

We don't award DCs for forum RP, only IG RP. Custom spells cost a base of 10 DCs + scripting fee (which is determined by the difficulty of scripting, and the time it takes to script) which usually ranged from 13 for easy stuff to 20+ for difficult, multi-script things.

I have tried searching the forums but can't find anything about it. How does the Job Painter work? I've figured out how to paint people, but I'm curious if it's possible to write your own description, so you can decide yourself how you potary a person, or the background for example? Or do you just get a painting with the PCs name on it? ^^

You can give your own descriptions, and names too. Need to use the scribe desk and edit that way. I can't remember the commands for doing so, as been forever since I edited any of my own but I believe the desks themselves tell you how.

/s ds_j name Put the name here
/s ds_j bio Put the description here
/s ds_j append Put more description here.

Ah alright! So I need to take the job Scribe as well? Fair enough. :mrgreen:

No, there's actually a slim chance of success even without the scribe job.

Yeah, what Onni said. It's only supposed to be a 10% chance and can fail fairly often, so best thing to do is copy+paste the description until success has struck. Otherwise you could invest in a single job rank for scribe if you find it fits your character at all and don't have other jobs you'd put in its place that are more befitting, of course.

Naivatkal wrote:

Does a staff need to be held to receive the benefits? As in, can you RP that you rest the bottom end on the ground and lean it back against your chest and shoulder so you can easily have your arm around it and read a book? I've RPed it that way before, but wanted to make sure.

I'm referring to stuff like a INT bonus. Don't know if it has to be in your hand (obviously it can't be in your bag).

Reposting.

Does a ring need to be on your finger in order to receive its benefits? It depends on the ring.

Fairly certain in the past that people have been told things along the lines of "You have boots equipped then your character is wearing boots and it should be clearly displayed so others can see" sort of thing. I think the same applies to what you're asking about staves, much like the stance on classes, if you want to be a certain class you are required to take levels in said class.

General question regarding the job system and/or DC requests:

Is it mechanically possible to DC request more job system points? I've got this notion that the job system would be a bit awesomer if it were able to support certain synergies among jobs that share similar skill sets: for example carpenter/sawyer, or preacher/theologer, or weaver/tailor, or (the case I'm mostly curious about, for Kaithan) herbalist/alchemist/botanist.

Afraid not.

That's kind of a bummer. To be perfectly frank, I'm finding more and more that I like the idea of a job system a lot more than I like our actual particular implementation of a job system.

MoshingChris wrote:

Compression is under discussion in the backroom already, almost every job can be compressed. Time issue is time issue though, since it's Curling season for Glim. And curling is awesome.

How are we defining "compression" in that context?

In this case it's more on the "the act of increasing the density of something" side of the definition. I won't say much more than that, other than I'm pretty sure you'll like it more than dislike it, and rest assured that it's being looked into.

are their ways to sell/give people's souls to demons/devils (before death)? or do the souls have to go willingly?

I might be wrong, but devils require someone willing to sign their infernal pacts and thus get the mortal in question's soul. There is the option of corrupting an individual (leading them to say... murder an innocent or whatnot) which can result in that person's soul making a one-way trip to the Abyss or Baator after death, though that's usually what demons and devils do. Still, don't see why they couldn't do so through mortal agents as well.

Other than that... I don't think casting Trap the Soul or Soul Bind on someone and giving the resulting gem to a fiend would be exactly what you're looking for, since the soul is... well, trapped and if ever freed it'll just go merrily about its business, not become the propriety of said fiend.

Hey guys,

I have an underdark ranger character, and the selection of animal companions is pretty sparse for us. Dire rat and giant spider seem the only two that really fit, but I was wondering if there are models in the module that I could use to reskin some companion?

Only thing is, I don't know much about underdark fauna. I did a brief google search and most people said vermin essentially took the place of animals, so I imagine the ranger could have tamed things like giant beetles, giant bats, giant lizards, that kind of thing. I'm just testing the water since I don't know if that would be appropriate, what the range of options are, and what 'default' animal companion stats would translate over well. For example, I imagine the bear would be represented by some giant lizard beefstick monster, but the Wolf with its fear howl could be represented by something else. I still don't really know which one I want to stick with, though. I was more just looking for ideas.

Well, the lizard (riding lizard to be more precise) is one of the best bets you could go with. It's not uncommon and is typically used by drow, as the name suggests, as a mount. Then there's the spider, which could work as well.

The only other animal I can think of, at this hour, is the rothe. Basically a cow. I think that most of the UD "fauna" is... well, either goblinoids or aberrations (cloakers, hooked horrors, beholders, illithids, and so on).

I went through this when selecting the companion to my (Caver / Tunnel Fighter) Dwarf Ranger. She ended up finding her Dire Rat companion when she saved him from the Amian Trolls (//she reached R6 by killing a Troll).

Here's some (c) material extracted here for convenience.

Underdark Campaign Setting wrote:

ANIMAL LIFE
The Underdark supports a surprising variety of animals. A few herbivores exist there, but most are predatory in the extreme. Many mundane hunting animals, including bears, lions, bats, rats, and monsters of all sorts, can be found in cozy underground lairs near the surface. In deeper places, animals must shift from the surface world ecology to the Underdark ecology. Many sur- face creatures are ill suited for such shifts and therefore cannot be found more than a few hundred feet from a cave mouth, except for places where a surface ecology is somehow maintained in the Underdark.
Bats: Better adapted to a life in darkness than most other animals, bats are extremely common in the Upperdark and Mid- dledark. Only the lowest, most inhospitable reaches are free of these creatures, and even then, monstrous varieties such as dire bats and deep bats flourish. Near the surface, these creatures are simply surface-world bats that lair in Underdark caverns. Titanic roosts that house many thousands of such creatures can be found in some spots. Lower down, most Underdark bats are fungivores or insectivores.
Fish: Many of the rivers, lakes, and seas of the Underdark are filled with cave fish. For the most part, such fish are small, pale, relatively inoffensive creatures. Most are blind, though some that reside in illuminated caverns may retain their eyes. In the larger bodies of water, subterranean versions of dangerous fish such as sharks may be found. Cave fish need something to eat, of course, so isolated lakes don’t support cave fish populations unless they’re large enough to support plant life that can survive in absolute darkness.
Lizards: the Underdark is home to a variety of lizards, rang- ing from the poisonous spitting crawler to the wild varieties of pack lizards and riding lizards. Some are fungivores; others are dangerous hunters that can easily make a meal out of a human. Domesticated giant lizards are commonly used as beasts of burden and mounts in drow and duergar settlements.
Rothé: These grazing, muskoxlike creatures are well adapted for life in the depths. Subsisting on fungi, moss, lichen, and almost anything else that grows in the Underdark, rothé are highly valued by most Underdark races and often kept in large corral-caverns.
Vermin: Perhaps the most common of all Underdark creatures are vermin. The versions native to the Realms Below range from mundane creatures the size of a mite to Gargantuan spi- ders and centipedes. Many, such as giant beetles and cave crick- ets, are fungivores, but varieties of deadly hunting vermin such as spiders and scorpions also infest the depths. The Underdark races keep some of the edible ones (mostly beetles or crickets) as livestock of a sort, but few vermin are palatable, and the giant sort are simply too dangerous to keep.

This doc also has a fun description of the Vermin Keeper prestige class.

Quote:

Most creatures view creepy, crawly insects with revulsion. To a vermin keeper, however, they’re perfect killers—creatures whose supreme adaptations to their environs inspire a sense of awe.

Masters of the Wild wrote:

Most animals (other than bats, lizards, rats, snakes, toads, and the dire versions thereof) are unaccustomed to dwelling underground .Bears, even though they live in caves, are not truly native to subterranean habitats.Surface-dwelling animals are reluctant to proceed into confined spaces and tight, sunless corridors.Even ifthey can be convinced to enter the dungeon, most animals have great difficulty dealing with pits, steep inclines, narrow crevices,and similar dungeon challenges.

And if you want to be creative and go for the uniqueness of a Summon Reskin, I think this awesome list is still up to date ?

Linlan

Is the shifter class considered a shapechanger for bonus damage on weapons?

No, those are keyed to race, rather than class

When doing a full rebuild, in which a new instance of the character will be made, is it possible to have the currently existing instance renamed and then archived, or moved to an inaccessible folder ("deleting" them) so that when the new instance is made, nothing funky has to be done with the name to keep them from being overridden by the original instance?

What is "(Insert class name here) Endurance," the feat?

linlan wrote:

-useful stuff-

Aha, yeah, I'd looked around a bit on the net and found the Vermin Hunter resources, and some stuff about Underdark Rangers that says, for the purposes of the Animal Empathy skill, vermin can be tamed too, but I'm not sure how feasible it is to put that in-game. That summon skin list is a big help though, so thanks a lot! Gives me some interesting things to think about, at least. Dire maggot animal companion, anybody..?

LetumLux wrote:

When doing a full rebuild, in which a new instance of the character will be made, is it possible to have the currently existing instance renamed and then archived, or moved to an inaccessible folder ("deleting" them) so that when the new instance is made, nothing funky has to be done with the name to keep them from being overridden by the original instance?

When you create a new characters, that name is used for the characters .bic file. So renaming the last character and naming the new one the exact same as the previous one was will result in the same bug.

Best thing to do, have the old renamed so you don't get it mixed up with the new one, make the new one with a unique name so it isn't the exact same as the last, then have said characters name changed to whatever it is you want.

E.g

Original char:

Name - Letum - change to 'old' when getting a full rebuild from scratch.
File name - Letum.bic

Rebuilt char:

Name: Letumm
File name - Letumm.bic

You then rename the character Letumm to Letum in game, the character name is then changed but the file name is unaffected, it's a little extra work, but atleast it won't cause the same bugs as using the exact names on creation and you won't have to put up with any silly punctuation marks, like full stops '..Letum' etc..

A question I had... is the Black Blade of Disaster on Amia the blade shaped planar rift as it is presented in 3.5 and later materials or is it the Stormbringer-esque super demon blade that it is said to be in its description in game? I personally prefer letting it be up to the player but the later does have interest for me and a certain albino mage I play.. >.> Thanks!

The BBoD is a rift in time and space, hence why it's immune to everything but Disjunction (being closed) and attempts to teleport away select pieces of whatever being it strikes (on hit instant death).

Its description does say it to be something entirely different and IMO more exciting. One could easily see how such an epic and super sword would be immune to all the same and could be dispelled (Unsummoned perhaps to its home plane?). I'm just curious what the DM consensus is.. I see no reason why it could not be both, depending on the caster. Then again I just want to be Elric :p.

More... exciting... than an invincible, mono-molecular edged rift and time and space - that looks like a sword - which teleports the flesh, bone and blood of your enemies into the astral plane? I think you've got it backward.

CouncilofAutumn wrote:

More... exciting... than an invincible, mono-molecular edged rift and time and space - that looks like a sword - which teleports the flesh, bone and blood of your enemies into the astral plane? I think you've got it backward.

Easily more exciting... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormbringer

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