Design Discussion

[Jengenritz]

Hey guys,

This is a hazard that I'm planning on including in Castle Whiterock, as I was writing I thought it may come in handy for our tournament and be a subtle tie-in.

This is a first-pass treatment of mindfire moss, but the core idea is there.

Hazard – Mindfire Moss

This moss is common in marshes and other areas of slow-moving or stagnant water. Its slimy texture and rich green color makes it almost indistinguishable from mundane mosses, but it exudes an odorless, poisonous gas that interferes with the mental processes of mammals. Otherwise the plant is completely harmless.

The area affected by this gas depends on wind conditions. In places with light or no wind, mindfire moss gas spreads over a 50 ft. area, halved in areas with moderate wind. The gas is entirely dispersed and harmless in areas with strong or more intense wind conditions.

The most common variations of mindfire moss emit a gas that requires a DC 15 Fortitude save per round of exposure. Anyone failing the save suffers the effects of the gas for as long as they are exposed and 1d2 hours afterward.

The gas forbids anyone from taking 20 on a skill check, and casting any spell requires a DC 10 Concentration check. If someone affected by mindfire moss gas is required to make a Concentration check for some other reason, increase the DC of the check by +5.
Finally, anyone affected by the gas who attempts to prepare spells must make a series of Concentration checks, one for each spell level they’re trying to memorize, lowest to highest. The DC for this check is 15+level of spell. Failure indicates the spellcaster cannot prepare any spells of that level or higher for the day.
For example: Issele, a third-level wizard suffering from mindfire moss gas, wants to prepare four 0-level spells, three 1st-level spells, and two 2nd-level spells. She has to make three Concentration checks, the first at DC 15, the second at DC 16, and the third at DC 17. She makes the first, and therefore can prepare her four 0-level spells. Unfortunately for her, however, she fails the next check, and cannot prepare any 1st- or 2nd-level spells for the day.

Rarer strains have higher Fortitude DCs and stiffer Concentration DCs. Regardless of source, anyone who makes ten consecutive Fortitude saves against mindfire moss gas has built up an immunity to it and never again needs to save again. Creatures that do not breathe, and non-mammals, cannot be affected by mindfire moss gas.

We always disallow taking 20 during the tournament. This way they've got at least a shot by allowing them a save. Of course, we crafty dungeon designers know rogues have crappy Fort saves, and cackle at the illusion of the Fort save.

[Jengenritz]

So the thread's been dead a while...

Where are we at? What further do we need to discuss, hash out, bounce around, approve, disapprove, push, file, stamp, brief, debrief, or index?

[goodmangames]

If I remember correctly, I think we're waiting until after December 1 (right, Harley?) -- there are a lot of other DCC projects deadlining right around now, and we'll be better able to focus after December 1...

[Jengenritz]

Got it! We'll pick this up in a few weeks!

[Harley Stroh]

Design Team,

Well, it has been more than a few weeks. My apologies. I'm putting the final touches on the invitation to submit to the tournament and wanted to double check my bases:

Round 1: Lvl "0" PCs; Castle w/ multiple entrances; ELs mapped by Harley.
Round 2: Lvl 5 PCs; Druid tower; single path; writer defined ELs.
Round 3: Lvl 9 PCs; flying castle; single path; rooms built off Round 1 rooms; writer defined ELs.

//H

[Jengenritz]

Looks about right. We could branch round 2 a bit (get it..."branch"...it's a giant tree! I kill me.), maybe have some areas accessible by the "main route" through the tree but also accessible by climbing the exterior, although spells like spider climb and fly ruin the dramatic tension of scenes like that, and would be available to OGL level 5 PCs if they have a single-class wizard.

Since this guy is all wind-elemental-y, you could have vortices of air that shunt the party from Point A to Point C, bypassing Point B.

I gotta say, I'm looking forward to seeing how this one plays out. I think we've got some fun ideas here.

[Harley Stroh]

I spoke with Joseph last night, and he suggested that we refine the stable of writers for each level to lessen the need for coordination. We discussed tapping you (Adrian) and Chris for a fair chunk of the writing, but I need to make sure Whiterock is well on its way. Expect emails later today, Adrian.

//H

[Jengenritz]

Hey guys...I was thinking about the prize support for this year's tournament...remember back in year 1 when we had an artist do up a sketch of a character/NPC?

What if we had the winning team supply us with their home-grown characters (or ones they specifically make) to be the pregens in a forthcoming module? I would say "tournament" there, but the tourney pregens are a pretty tricky balancing act probably best not left non-design-team personel.
Maybe we even don't announce that's a prize until round 3.

Anyway, just a thought.

[goodmangames]

That's a cool idea, but it's difficult to execute in practice. Unless the artist is very well known and everybody loves him up front (like if we got Elmore to do them), what usually happens is that the fan thinks the art isn't quite right. The sword pommel doesn't have the insignia of the paladin's noble house... or the dwarf's beard is braided wrong... or whatever. The fans usually submit these super-detailed character sheets, and then complain because they don't understand that artists often omit certain elements in order to emphasize others.

I'm just scared of this kind of prize. Too much potential to backfire!

[Jengenritz]

No sweat...I was just taking a wee break from working on the mercenaries for Castle Whiterock and the thought popped in my head.
I suppose the time to pull out a super-cool prize would be for year 5, in truth, some kind of extra-special anniversary prize.

[Harley Stroh]

Yeah...I for one would still like to find a gigantic awards trophy.