devp
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Post by devp on Oct 23, 2011 12:18:28 GMT -8
A recent DDI issue had a theme of revisiting Kara-Tur, i.e. Oriental Adventures. I've bookedmarked the articles, but I haven't dove into it yet. As ever: I aim to read charitably but I'm pretty much expecting failure.
Has anyone checked it out? Or shall if fall to me to read and review this for aDCQ?
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judd
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Post by judd on Oct 23, 2011 13:41:17 GMT -8
I believe it falls to you.
Good luck.
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Post by shreyas on Oct 23, 2011 22:33:15 GMT -8
A Matter of Honor:
Basically this is one of those "Monte Cook Ruins 4e" articles where the author (Chris Sims, not Cook hisself) posits a mechanized system by which we can measure a person's honorableness and gives them like special feats and shit powered by their honor, but the DM can take away your "honor points" and make you a pariah if he thinks you're being a douche.
It's a dumb rehash of the paladin's code thing. Although it discusses several possible honor codes that derive from different (sub)cultures/organizations and mechanically handles that relativism in a reasonable way (If you're a follower of code X, only other followers of code X perceive your behavior through the lens of honor), the codes themselves are vague, the DM punishment thing is dumb, and IMO their depiction of bushido is like something out of Bleach manga rather than, like, something closer to the ground.
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Post by shreyas on Oct 23, 2011 23:24:57 GMT -8
Fringes of Kara-Tur:
Two themes are presented here, from the Faerûn milieu: the Hordelands nomad and the Sohei.
The Hordelands nomad has a presentation I find somewhat discomfiting, although I am pleased that it does not (from this article) appear to be a caricature so much as a fairly shallow and uninteresting portrayal of an equestrian nomad culture. The one part I find shocking is the line "the folk of the Hordelands live as they have for centuries," "despite the area's turbulent past, the advent of the Spellplague, and the rise of the Tuigan (Hordelands nomad) nation of Yaï-munnahar."
Yeah, I don't believe that centuries of war, an event that measurably changed the metaphysics of the world, and the rise of a unified nomad nation can pass while leaving the culture and daily life of a place untouched. That's simply bad anthropology and someone should punch the author (hey it's Chris Sims again!) for it. I'll accept "they don't have anyone with divine classes usually because their culture reveres spirits rather than gods," but honestly I'd like to know if there EVEN IS or SHOULD THERE BE a difference apart from the abilities they grant their followers.
The mechanics associated with the theme are actually kind of beautiful, however, providing you with a suite of subtle but meaningful defensive movement abilities, some light mounted combat boosts, and some simple lightning-themed attack abilities.
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Post by shreyas on Oct 23, 2011 23:36:16 GMT -8
The sohei part of the article:
Okay, so these guys are the monastic solution to people coming in to fuck up their happy peaceful enclaves. Sure, so far so good. Until we get to "Every sohei...serves those higher in their [religious] hierarchy with obedience."
In every other part of the article there is diversity, in origins, in motivations, in duties to the organization, but here there is the most invasive kind of homogeneity: it's telling you how your character feels and behaves. WTF. However it does play on the ambiguity of the term "monk" which is kinda great - more on that later.
Mechanically, this one kinda sucks. The initial sohei feature is a more killy, less utilitarian version of the monk's flurry of blows, but amusingly it specifically disallows most Monk-classed PCs from using it because it explicitly requires the use of weapon attacks. I find it funny that sohei are monks but most (if they are made by a player with any sense for bunk choices) are not Monks.
Their other attack powers specifically involve being more killy at the cost of dropping one's defenses. That is not a good skill if one is a guardian of any kind of location. Fail.
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Post by shreyas on Oct 23, 2011 23:40:52 GMT -8
Ecology of the Hengeyokai: One-paragraph review!!!
On the whole, do not want! However it is cool that the cover image is a heavyset badger lady laying the smack down with a dragon halberd, even if the anatomy in the illustration is suspect and her badgerbosoms are kinda hanging out. There is no illustration of a grossly sexualized blow-up doll bunnygirl.
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