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Gygax Memorial Fund

Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 4e Content, Gaming News with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 12, 2010 by boccobsblog

Last week we ran an article about the new Tomb of Horrors. That discussion got me thinking about Gary, and his massive impact on millions of people. After I posted the article regarding ToH, it dawned on me that I should have mentioned the memorial fund working to honor Gary with a bronze statue in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I would like to take that opportunity now.

The Gygax Memorial Fund is a non-profit organization led by Gary’s widow, Gail Gygax. You can make a donation on the fund’s website or by writing to Gail directly (her address can be found on the fund’s site). So take a moment and check out the site, and be sure to read some of the testimonials of gamers explaining how much D&D has improved their lives.

If you have it to spare, give something to honor the man who gave us all so much.

-Andy

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Mapping software

Posted in Product Review with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 9, 2010 by boccobsblog

Campaign Cartographer 3

CC3 from Profantasy software is the height of mapmaking. With time and skill you are able to create maps of the quality found in professional game products. The program uses a system of layers, each adding a new dimension of detail. The program is easy to learn, but much harder to master. If you expect to produce pro-quality maps right of the bat, you may be disappointed. It takes time and effort to learn the small details that take a map from good to great (details that I’m not sure I have fully learned yet).

While there is something of a learning curve to CC3, the people at Profantasy are extremely helpful and have a series of detailed videos posted on Youtube to help you learn. At forty-five dollars, the software is a bit of an investment, but if you want quality and have the time to pursue it, CC3 is for you.

Hexographer

Hexographer is an amazing site for several reasons. While it doesn’t offer the same flexibility as CC3, it is much easier to use while still producing high quality maps. You start by telling the program how big you want your map (in hexes), then you simply select a terrain style (forest, mountains, grasslands, etc) and click the empty hexes. This approach to mapping is very quick and easy to learn. You can speed things up even further by setting a terrain style as the default. For example, if your map is a large archipelago, you can set the default to water and then place land over top of the water.

There are two things I love about this software (above and beyond its ease of use). First, they offer a free demo of several of their programs on their site. These demos allow you to create complete maps and save them to your computer or print them out. Second, the maps are an exact match to the old hex maps popular in second edition. When I saw the example maps on the site for the first, I was pulled back to 1991, because the maps have the feel of the Mystara maps in the Rules Cyclopedia.

The Pro version is thirty dollars for a full license, or ten dollars for one year.

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Both of these programs will greatly enhance your games and help you create stunning maps, check them out.

-Andy

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Tomb of Horrors is back!

Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, D&D 4e Content, Gaming News with tags , , , , , , , , on July 5, 2010 by boccobsblog

image found at Wizards.com

Tomb of Horrors is back. If you’re keeping track, this will be the Tomb’s seventh incarnation, eight if you count the novel of the same name. (You would think Acererak would be getting tired of having his ass whooped and move out of the tomb and into a condo in Florida by now.)

The module, written by Gary Gygax, has managed serious staying power since its 1975 debut at Origins 1. The fabled adventure has been reprinted in all four editions of Dungeons and Dragons, its last was released as a free download at Wizards.com on Halloween 2005 to celebrate D&D’s 30th anniversary.

According to Wizards of the Coast, “This D&D adventure is designed for characters of 10th–22nd level and includes a full-color, double-sided battle map designed for use with D&D Miniatures.”

The tomb is set for release on July 20th, 2010.

-Andy

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Boccob on Twitter

Posted in D&D 3.5e DM Content, Gaming News, Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 3, 2010 by boccobsblog

Boccob is now on Twitter. That’s right, the god of magic has asked me to tell you that you can now follow him on Twitter. While he did not say so in words, Boccob hinted that if you didn’t follow him, he would gate in a Balor to your Fourth of July picnic and order the demon to devour your granny.

-Andy

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Spells that can help you get more from your miniatures

Posted in D&D 3.5e DM Content with tags , , , , , , on July 2, 2010 by boccobsblog

Alter Self (PHB)

The spell states that you take form of a different creature of the same type. Therefore if you only have a metallic dragon miniature, but you need a chromatic one(which cost significantly more), have your tricky dragon be under the guise of Alter Self and surprise the party, rather than simply placing a copper dragon on the table and asking your players to pretend its red.

Alter self also allows the caster to appear one size category smaller or larger. This trick will not only keep your party guessing why that medium dragon is so tough, but will allow you get more mileage out of your minis.

Enlarge/Reduce Person (PHB)

This spell functions much like the example above, but it is limited to humanoids. “Are those ogres, or enlarged orcs?”  You can justify using large and huge sized miniatures without changing the creatures CR.

Shadow Conjuration/ Greater Shadow Conjuration (PHB)

Since the Shadow Conjuration spells produce effects and monsters at a fraction of their power (20 and 40 percent respectively), they can be used at low levels to summon very intimidating forgeries. The spell states that illusions look real until the PC succeeds at a will save; that means you can slap down that Pit Fiend or dragon miniature that you otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to use until the party is a much higher level.

Simulacrum (PHB)

This spells works in much the same manner as Shadow Conjuration, but the creature created will be half the power of the original. The spell states that the monster looks just like the original, to include size. Again, this trick allows a clever spell caster (and DM); place a nasty and seemingly unstoppable monster on the table without going over the CR of the encounter. Watch your players pale when you set the Balor on the table in front of their level ten party and then revel in their surprise after he crumbles into a pile of snow and ice after the battle.

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Each of these spells will allow you to pull some interesting tricks at the table and provide excellent story hooks (The “gold” dragon that has been burning down villages, for example). In addition, these spells will allow a DM to better use the minis he has rather than buying new ones for a single encounter.

–Andy

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Week one Kudos and a game poll

Posted in Poll with tags , , , , , , , , on June 28, 2010 by boccobsblog

Boccob is more than pleased with the site traffic we received in the first week. He was so satisfied that he actually slapped me on the back and told me that I was, “less useless than normal”. That is quite the compliment, usually he ends staff meetings by hurling maximized meteor swarms at me while he screams that I’m not half the man Gary Coleman was. Thank you for your support.

In an attempt to continue Boccob’s good mood, I would like to poll the B3 readers so that we can tailor the blog to your preferences.

That said, on which game systems would you like to see content?

-Andy

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Two Useful Websites for 3.5e (and they’re free!)

Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, Dungeons and Dragons with tags , , , , , , , , , on June 25, 2010 by boccobsblog

The following are two websites that I use frequently, and they have been extremely useful so I thought I would share them with you.

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The Hypertext D20 SRD

The SRD (or System Reference Document) is a website that contains all the open license information found in the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, Epic Level Handbook, Deities and Demigods, and the Expanded Psionics Handbook (Plus the open content from Unearthed Arcana). The site allows for quick reference without the need for costly game books.

The website is laid out in a clear and organized manner so finding what you need is a breeze. The only drawbacks to the site (which are due to legal constraints, not design flaws) are that some content is not available. Anything that is property of Wizards of the Coast will not appear on the site. For example, Mind Flayer, Slaad, and Displacer Beast are copy written creations and cannot be published under the open gaming license.

The site itself is free, but it can be downloaded for greater ease and mobility for ten dollars.

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Monster Advancer ™

This site, true to its name, automatically advances the hit dice of the chosen monster. Also, the site has a number of templates that can be applied and then does the math for you. For example, you can select a basilisk, advance it up to 18 hit dice, and apply a fiendish template, click the button and a printer friendly version will appear in a new window. Along with the ability to increase hit dice, and add templates, the site allows you to add levels to your monsters.

I cannot begin to explain how useful this site is for busy DM’s that don’t have the time to sit and rework the monsters in their game. We all know how tedious it can be to add templates, increase the size, and add levels to monsters. The site breathes new life into monsters that your players have outgrown, and allows for maximum use of expensive miniatures. Haven’t been able to use that CR 7 Hill Giant because your party is too powerful? Literally, with two clicks from a drop down menu, you can advance that Hill Giant to 24 hit dice, add ten levels of Barbarian and you have a CR 20 bruiser ready to crush anything in its path.

My only complaint about the site (and it is a small one), is that the ability score increases that each monster receives every four levels are not automatically calculated. That said the advanced entry will have a line that tells the DM how many ability points the monster has accrued.

As with d20srd.org, the site does not have creatures that fall outside of the open game license. The site also has a quickened version of its program as well as a random monster chart generator.

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Both of these sites are free (though they do appreciate donations from grateful gamers), and they will make planning your games easier and quicker.

-Andy

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Greetings from Boccob!

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on June 21, 2010 by boccobsblog

I have wanted to sit down and write a blog for some time now, but my duties as the supreme deity of magic were not especially conducive to such frivolities. Recent changes in the cosmological plan, namely Ioun being chosen as the goddess of magic, have freed me up a bit. (For those of you a bit tardy to the party: I was the chief god of magic in the Greyhawk game setting from 1983 until 2008. I was asked to retire prior to the release of 4th edition. You would think with limitless access to every divination spell, and an intelligence score over 50, that I would have seen that coming.)

Though I do miss my old job, retirement suits me. I have plenty of time to practice the arts, take long walks (though I do tire of people on the streets confusing me with Elminster and asking me for my autograph), and this Wednesday I am going to try something called Zumba, it should be interesting.

Boccob’s Blessed Blog is dedicated to all things related to gaming and gamer culture. While this site will emphasize Dungeons & Dragons (especially 3.5e), gamers of all systems will find useful, and sometimes entertaining information. There will be content for World of Darkness, Star Wars, GURPS, Shadowrun, Pathfinder, and Savage Worlds, just to name a few. For the most part, I will leave the articles and daily maintenance of the blog to my minions, but I will drop in from time to time.

Therefore, I hope you will subscribe, and if you like what you see, tell a friend.

– Boccob

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