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.
Archive for Pathfinder
Boccob on Twitter
Posted in D&D 3.5e DM Content, Gaming News, Uncategorized with tags Boccob, D&D, D20, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, GURPS, Larp, Miniature, Pathfinder, RPG, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, Twitter, World of Darkness on July 3, 2010 by boccobsblogSpells that can help you get more from your miniatures
Posted in D&D 3.5e DM Content with tags D&D, D20, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, Miniatures, Pathfinder, RPG 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
Two Useful Websites for 3.5e (and they’re free!)
Posted in D&D 3.5 e Content, Dungeons and Dragons with tags D&D, D&D3.5 SRD, D20, DM Content, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, Monster Advancer, Pathfinder, RPG, Useful Websites on June 25, 2010 by boccobsblogThe 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 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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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
Greetings from Boccob!
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Boccob, D&D, D20, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming, GURPS, Larp, Pathfinder, RPG, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, World of Darkness on June 21, 2010 by boccobsblogI 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
Boccob's Blessed Blog 
