How Does Shapechanger Work?

Posted on December 10, 2019 by

ThinkDM

Today we’re exploring a rules clarification with the new Eberron Changeling. The Changeling gets a racial feature called “Shapechange” which allows it to change form. Here’s the relevant part we’ll be examining:

Shapechanger redacted

The language of the feature says that you can change your appearance as an action. It also says you stay in this form until you revert to your true form or die. The question is whether the language indicating the duration functions as a limiter to the initial action.

  • If yes, then a Changeling would need to revert to its true form before using its Shapechange ability to assume a new form.
  • If no, then a Changeling can freely change between different forms.

Analysis

Without clearer language, there isn’t a way to determine whether the second paragraph limits the first.

The first sentence doesn’t indicate that there is any limitation on using your action to shapechange…

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The reality of virtual reality

Posted on December 10, 2019 by

Later Levels

I’m old enough to recall virtual reality (VR) as we know it today being released the first time around in the 1990s. I remember going to the London Trocadero and getting caught up in a swarm of other teenagers, all eager to be transported to another world.

The fad didn’t last long though. The huge and extremely blocky gap between a digital experience and real-life thanks to premature technology meant VR never really took off. But it made a comeback this decade when the release of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive drew our attention back to virtual lands; and then console manufacturers jumped on board to give us hardware such as the PlayStation VR (PSVR). We’ve had one of these on our house since picking it up for Christmas in 2017 and every family member has had a go.

Except for me, that is. I’ve never used our headset…

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Said the Dying Season

Posted on December 10, 2019 by

Ilyanas Tomb of Doom

isabel

Isabella leaned over the railing of what she called, Bridge Lament, which was hidden deep in the dragon infested dungeon of Destard, next to a lonely resurrection ankh. Once cleared of vermin, the bridge gave her solace for the dark times when they came on.

The woes that stung her now were nothing new. She had experienced them before. Anriel, an elder vampyre she knew, had once told her to “pay as little attention to them as you would of a moth on the side of a great tree, for they are merely your impressions of what has transpired and nothing more.”

And where was Anriel now? He was almost shadow when she met him in a distant plane called Krilldonia, met him right in front of Britain Bank. He knew her “condition.” He called to her without speaking, and together they walked for a time under Krilldonia’s moon, her…

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Firetha TR 5, Darthpyre TR 20

Posted on December 9, 2019 by

Micki's Delirium

After keeping Firetha at lvl 20 for a while, today I finally TR’d her and Darthpyre. Here are the before and after pictures
Firetha
human 20 wizard                                                      tiefling 2 favored soul

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B/X D&D Basic Rules book: 1st print vs subsequent prints

Posted on December 9, 2019 by

Wayne's Books

As far as I know, the 1st printing of the Moldvay Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules book has only slight graphical details setting it apart from later printings.

But, hey, in collecting the details are everything.

Zenopus Archives noted similar changes in the Expert Book.

The Acaeum describes the 1st print book in the 8th print box. The Moldvay D&D Basic Box continues on to 9th, 10th, and 11th printings.  Holmes Basic and Moldvay Basic are so vastly different, I have to say I can’t agree with the Acaeum’s combining them in the same printing sequence. Ditto with Mentzer Basic. I understand the Acaeum was trying to reconcile common term usage, but the various incarnations of D&D Basic really are distinct editions.

D&D Basic in our shop

Front cover, the “1” is in a white circle in later prints. And the fonts of the promotional and legal text were adjusted.

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My Games Played for 2019

Posted on December 9, 2019 by

The Ancient Gaming Noob

I realize that we’re only a few days into December at this point, leaving almost 8% of the year left to go, but there are also only so many days in a month and I had nothing else brewing for a post, so I am going to run with this a bit earlier that usual  This is where I look at, in a broad sense, which games I ended up playing in 2019 relative to what I thought I might play.

Back at the start of January I wrote a post about what I thought I might end up playing, so this is the nearly end of year follow up to that post.  There is something of a tradition around here with this sort of post, going back years at this point.

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D&D Diary – Lost Mine of Phandelver – Session 14

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

Family Game Night

At last! The finale of The Lost Mine of Phandelver. And our heroes actually talk their way out of their first fight.

Starter PhandelverGosh, this will be the last time I use this photo. I’m gonna miss you, good buddy.

When last we left our heroes, they have been exploring the Wave Echo Cave. They’ve killed the main bad guy, Nezzar, and have been searching the dungeon, looking for pieces to open a magical lock. While searching, they stumbled into the lair of a Wraith who has mistaken the players as Orc invaders. They know his name is Mormesk because he keeps referring to himself in the third person. “I, the great Mormesk, will destroy you!”

WraithMormesk sees dead people.

Our brave heroes tried to run away, but the Wraith just chased them through the walls. Reluctantly, they are forced to face this unholy aberration.

Now, the module states that…

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Video games: a blogger’s perspective

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

Later Levels

Collaborations are one of my favourite things about blogging. Over the past few years they’ve become massive, growing in both size and length – but there are also loads of smaller projects going on that may not get as much attention, but are just as creative and community-focused.

One example is Charming and Open hosted by the awesome Ian over at Adventure Rules. The question I asked him this time was focused on the community rather than gaming: I wanted to know how he thought collaborations would evolve and what he’d like to see from them in 2020. In return he asked me how blogging about video games for a few years now has changed how I play or think about them. So let me grab a cup of tea while I mull it over for a few minutes, and then we can begin.

Play games for playing’s sake

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Best Video Games For Every Year of the 2010s

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

Tristan Zelden

The decade is almost over, and 2020 is around the corner. The last 10 years had plenty of incredibly memorable games to play with some not so great games in between. With a new console generation, Kojima starting a new studio, and Bowser taking over Nintendo, there is a lot to reflect upon, but this is about the best games for every year across the 2010s.

2010: Red Dead Redemption (May 18)

When Rockstar releases a new game, it is hard for any of the competition to beat out the legendary developer. The sequel to the 2004 Western Red Dead Revolver took those concepts and turned into a stunning open-world adventure.

The best quality of any game from the developer comes down to the story. The single-player campaign for Redemption is an emotional ride that every gamer must experience.

The online lacks depth for today’s standards, but in 2010, it…

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Thazmaniac soloing R2

Posted on December 7, 2019 by

Micki's Delirium

After my new warlock hit cap I’ve been mostly farming Ravenloft on R1 for ED xp and it’s been hard with a lot of deaths. I’ve brought my alt Darthpyre along to pike for xp and usually posted an lfm with not too many joiners. Last week I decided to run Wheloon for first time bonus xp, and this time I stepped in on R2. After a difficult Lesson in Deception I stepped into Thrill of the Hunt – expecting the end fight to be really really hard. Somehow I not only managed to find a spot where I could stand and not get hit – I even managed to rescue the captive. I was thrilled. I continued with Army of Shadow and even though the hireling died a lot, I didn’t, and also managed to complete that one with no deaths. In an off ED.

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