2002-09-13 - 4:09 p.m.
Well, it's finished! The final version of Vancouver: 2020 is done, in both .doc and .pdf formats. It clocks in at 120 pages, has 50 characters and tons of other goodies, and looks very nice with its spiffy new artwork. I actually finished it last night, but I haven't had time to deal with net-related stuff today, and I'm running a little behind schedule.
Having said all of this, I have decided to hold off for a couple of days in releasing the finished product to the public. The reason for this is that I would like to release Paragon 2.0 on the same day. I had hoped to have that book finished by today, as well, but an unexpected trip out of town yesterday fouled things up. It will be worth the wait, though, as I am using the opportunity to finally put in something that has been on the backburner for ages now: a small collection of prestige classes. Looks like there will be 6 or 7 in a brand new Appendix B. So, when the smoke clears, either Monday or Tuesday should be the big day -- or, at least, that's my current plan.
Anyway, I just thought I would take a few minutes to share the good news and bring everyone up to date. Now, it's back to work!
2002-09-05 - 9:12 a.m.
Just a quick note to say that the text submission deadline for Vancouver:2020 has been and gone, so I will no longer be accepting characters for this book. I hope to spend the next couple of days getting all of the text cleaned up and inserted. During the beginning of next week I'll be collecting and adding the art, then generating the .pdf version. So, all things being equal, the final version of Vancouver: 2020 should be released either at the end of next week or the beginning of the week after. Look for a release of Paragon 2.0 either at the same time or shortly thereafter.
Speaking of Paragon, I just noticed that the downloads for it over at RPG Hoard just broke 1000 (347 .doc + 668 .pdf), so that's kind of neat. Actually, I suppose it probably passed 1000 a while ago, if you count up all the places it has been downloaded and passed around, but this is the first single place I know of to hit that milestone. Of course, now I'm going to turn around and remove it to put on the new version... Oh well.
Anyway, for obvious reasons, I will be pretty busy for the next few days, so this may be my last blog entry for a while. Hopefully, the next one will be discussing the recent release of both books!
2002-08-25 - 9:46 a.m.
Just a quick reminder that the deadline for submitting characters to Vancouver: 2020 is rapidly approaching. Since I am going to be busy the first few days of September and won't be able to work on the book during that time, anyway, I have decided to extend the deadline to cover those days. So, the official deadline for character submission has finally been set: midnight, Wednesday, September 4th, 2002.
Do keep in mind, however, that from this point on, the chance of your submission receiving a character portrait will decrease rapidly with each passing day. Those submitted after August 30th definitely will not get one, as I will not have the opportunity to get the finished version to Clarence so that he will have enough time to work on it.
In the works: I have been pretty tied up with my own Dark Ascension campaign (if that doesn't mean anything to you, then you need to read this blog more often), but, in between that, I have been tinkering with a new Paragon supplement. A while back, I was toying with the idea of doing a Gamma World-/Metamorphosis Alpha-type setting, since I realized that Paragon's Powers would work very well for it and greatly decrease the amount of extra effort the character creation system would require. Last week, I was reminded of that idea when I saw the latest issue of Polyhedron, which contains the Omega World d20 supplement. I couldn't see forking out the $12+ the magazine now costs here in Canada, just for that one article, but it got the fire under me to start working on something similar for Paragon (Hey, what can I say? I'm a cheap s.o.b.) Frankly, I think this will be better, anyway, since it will be a whole lot more detailed, power-wise. I'm not sure when or even if I'll release this one to the public (I'm just wrapping up the Race section right now, so I have a long ways to go), but I'll keep the blog updated with pertinent info.
2002-08-20 - 10:37 a.m.
As you may have guessed, I have been busy or simply absent a lot, the last few days, and, thus, have not had a lot of time for internet-related activities. I thought I'd better pop in here for a minute, though, and assure everyone that I'm still alive. :-) This also gives me a chance to post a new feat and a new general Power Reducer -- the first in quite a while. Both of these are Fate-related and, thus, apply only in campaigns that use the optional Fate rules. They should also both be considered "official" and will be appearing in the next version of Paragon.
MARKED BY FATE [General]
For some reason, the forces of Destiny have taken a special interest in your life. Although unfortunate events tend to happen to you on a regular basis, you often derive some indirect benefit from them. While catastrophe may follow in your wake, it oftens seems to leave you physically unharmed.
Prerequisite: Bad Luck
Benefit: Each time that your Bad Luck Weakness comes into play, you automatically regain one lost Fate point, up to your maximum normal score. This occurs whenever the DM singles you out for abuse, due to your Weakness, applies the usual "once per adventure" disaster, or doubles the random chance of something bad happening to you, as opposed to some other member of the group (although, in the latter case, it only applies when you do actually become the victim). Obviously, this feat can only be taken in a campaign that uses the optional Fate rules.
Emergency Only: Although you can control the activation of your Power, to a degree, you can only do so when you are in a tense situation or when it would be dramatically appropriate for you to do so. In game terms, you must spend one Fate point to activate your Power, in addition to the usual Energy cost. Once the Power has been activated, it lasts for the normal duration. Continuous Powers can be maintained by spending additional Energy, as usual -- you need not spend another Fate point. Similarly, instantaneous Powers and others that do not have a continuous Energy cost can be used repeatedly, through the expenditure of Energy alone, as long as they are used during consecutive rounds. A new Fate point is only required to activate the Power if one or more rounds of non-use passes between each duration. If this Reducer is applied to a persistent Power, this means that it is no longer persistent. It now has an activation time of 1 action and a duration of 1 minute/level (D), with a continuous Energy cost of 1. Obviously, this Reducer can only be taken in a campaign that uses the optional Fate rules.
2002-08-11 - 12:05 p.m.
I just sent out the latest mailing, so, if you are on the list, you should be receiving it any time now. There are a few things in it that are of general interest, so I will quote them here:
I would really like to see all submissions for Vancouver: 2020 in by the end of August, so that I can get everything put together during the first week of September. Hopefully, the final version will then be released around the middle of September, after any last minute art stuff has been finished. Around the same time or just after, I intend to release a final version of Paragon - equivalent to version 1.3 (although I'll probably call it 2.0 for the sake of completion). It will be pretty similar to 1.2 but have a few of the new feats and such that I have been putting on the blog, an expanded FAQ, etc. It will not have any changes that will affect V:2020, so don't worry about that.
This does not mean that there will be no new Paragon stuff, after that, however. I just want to have the core book completed, so that people don't have to keep downloading it over and over again (and I don't have to keep uploading it). Sometime after that, I will probably release a short, separate supplement containing new feats, powers, etc. - especially ones that other people have been sending me. For copyright reasons, I did not want to include other people's stuff in Paragon, itself; however, it would be a shame not to release some of the niftier additions in some manner.
I have no plans, at the moment, for the name of this book, its size, its release date, or anything else - just a vague notion that I should release it sometime in October. It probably will just be a small booklet, but the final size will depend on how much stuff other people send in, i.e. I'm not going to try to fill it to a certain size with my own stuff, as has been the case with V:2020. In fact, this whole project will be a good deal quicker and less formal than V:2020. Most of the material in it will be considered "optional", as opposed to "official", so I can be a bit less picky about balance, consistency, etc. It is really just designed to be a forum for people who want to contribute to Paragon, itself.
So, to make a long story short, if you have any feats, powers, or whatever that you would like to see in this booklet, submit them to me sometime over the next few weeks, and I will take a look at them. Keep in mind, however, that this will not be a priority until V:2020 is released - and it will be a casual project even after that.
2002-08-05 - 9:48 a.m.
I thought I would take a break from posting Dark Ascension stuff, since it has been a while since anything else appeared here. My own DA campaign is going very well -- possibly one of the most interesting games I have run in years. Each of the four players has had a solo introductory adventure, and they have all had a couple of adventures together, as well. The fact that they did not understand (or even know about) their powers, initially, made things particularly interesting. This, combined with the fact that they were each given different clues about very different aspects of this funhouse mirror world during their solo adventures, has made for a somewhat surreal X-Files sort of introduction, which has kept them off balance but eager to find out more. Very atmospheric. The players are more hooked on this than anything else we have done for a long time, so I would have to say that this may be my best use of the Paragon rules, so far (ironic, considering how very non-four-color DA is).
While we're still on the DA topic: a couple of people have mentioned that they really liked the Mage prestige class but are having a heckuva time trying to get a clean copy to print out from the weblog. The price you pay for having a nifty graphical interface and java scrolling, I guess. If you are in that boat, yourself, just contact me, and I'll send along the original .doc version, which has much neater formatting and is all set to print out.
Anyway, this post was not supposed to be about DA, so it's time to switch topics. I thought I would throw out four more feats that have been in my notes for a while but just never made it into any version of the book. I'll attach them to the end of this entry.
I'm probably going to be taking off for a few days this week, so things will be a little quiet around here. When I get back, I'll be sending out some sort of "we're still here" mailing for those on the list, since it has been a while. That gives you slackers a few days to get some more characters sent in, so that I don't have to single you out for abuse in the mailing. ;-)
AFFLUENT [General]
Your financial resources are significantly greater than those of the average person.
Prerequisite: None
Benefit: Your Wealth level is increased by three steps, e.g. from Lean to Well Off. This is in addition to any bonuses you have gained by taking a Weakness or having an inconvenient and/or dangerous occupation, as described in section 1.6. Remember that your Wealth level cannot be increased beyond Filthy Rich in this or any other manner. This benefit may represent an inheritance, an allowance, or simply a particularly good wage: you should decide which and make this part of your background.
NOSE FOR NEWS [General]
You are unusually good at noticing when people are trying to bury inconvenient facts and at sniffing out the real story behind their fabrications.
Prerequisite: None
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Gather Information and Sense Motive checks.
SMOOTH OPERATOR [General]
You are unusually good at cajoling information out of other people, while preventing them from doing the same thing to you.
Prerequisite: None
Benefit: You get a +2 bonus on all Bluff and Gather Information checks.
VERSATILE COSTUME [Power]
You have access to a unique costume (or material from which you can create a costume) that works with your self-modifying Powers, rather than hindering them.
Prerequisite: None
Benefit: For Powers that already affect a certain amount of additional mass, such as Duplication, Morphing, and Teleportation, the costume's weight does not count toward the usual limit. For Powers that provide no such advantage on their own, such as Chameleon, Elongation, Growth, Imitation, Shapeshifting, and Shrinking, the costume grants this benefit to itself (only). In effect, the costume behaves exactly like a part of your body, i.e. blending in with Chameleon, stretching with Elongation, and so forth. This feat not only provides you with the costume in question but also with the means to replace it, should it be permanently lost or destroyed -- although the DM need not make this easy, if you become too casual about losing it.
Special: This costume can be enhanced with gadgetry just like any other piece of apparel. For example, a Gadgeteer could use his talents to add Natural Armor to the costume, so that it provides a defensive bonus, in addition to its usual benefits.
P.S. If you are diving into this in the middle and feeling puzzled, make sure that you click on the Older button to check out the very first introductory post. The Paragon rules and Vancouver: 2020 primer can be found at RPG Hoard. If you want to comment on this page, just click here, or press the Contact Cwylric button, to the left, to send me an email. Remember that the kermode.net address listed in older versions of Paragon and Vancouver: 2020 is no longer active, so please use one of these two methods to get in touch with me, instead.
