Instead of focusing on the actual titles themselves, and the fact that they're Catholic in nature, perhaps we should be looking at the fact that specific designations were/are needed for those stations within monastic orders, and create parallel titles/ranks for our own monastic orders?
Even though this is decently done, however, I must disagree with other commenters as to how useful it is. Economics states that the consumer pays for value added: what value was added here? Simply organizing such ranks together into a list with categories isn't good enough to be worthy of a write-up, in my opinion. Is there honestly nothing we can add to this to make it more than just a list of rankings? Go to Comment
This is a concise, well thought out and well written article covering a topic that does raise some questions when considered. Nicely done. Go to Comment
This is amazing. I cannot think of a single submission that matches this one. The depth and scope of this piece, to say nothing of the amazing prose, is astounding. Kudos for you, you most definitely deserve the First-Place this piece was awarded.
Regarding inspiration and the feel of the character, I had gotten a Voldemort vibe near the end, but mostly the name that came to mind was "Hitler". Go to Comment
I find this book's actions to be quite in line with most supremacists, who aren't above harming even their own for "the greater good." I do think just copying the spells out of nearby spellbooks would be enough for the book, though eating magical items of any sort would certainly be allowable within the supremacist motif. Go to Comment
Excellent! This is simple, to the point, and perfect for its purpose. It can be dropped in just about any location, even in a more fantasy-oriented campaign (in which case the PCs are probably going to be a bit confused by the pipes if they haven't hit steamtech yet, but the players will recognize maintenance tunnels...probably). I love the simple horror of the unknown here. It's so simple and uncomplicated, yet it reeks of terror. Go to Comment
I'm impressed with this one. It steps far outside the boundaries of stereotype, while at the same time retaining the entire feel of a fantasy princess. Well, one with tusks anyway. This is an entirely plausible character and story for any world where orcs are more than just brutish monsters. Go to Comment
I'm honestly seeing this one as a GM's avatar, a personified deus ex machina. He has backstory and description, but no true purpose. I think this could use a bit more work. Go to Comment
Barbarian Horde is our generic title for the nameless folks who don't want to take the time to register, but want to post a comment anyway. Feel free to copy your addition into a new comment, and click the scroll button instead of the submit comment button. Go to Comment
I'm imagining that it finally DOES breed, before anyone realizes what it is. It's not really searching for anything. It just wants food, territory, and to reproduce. Given a few months, these things could become a true threat to the stability of a world. Imagine the scenario after these storms have been reproducing for a few years. The earth is one massive storm front, people are living underground, because it's too dangerous up top. Creative post-apocalypse ftw. Go to Comment
This is a good submission. Over time, it could become quite a useful thing. As of now, it could use a little fleshing out on the original submission, saying what sort of thing qualifies for inclusion. Minor tools and comfort items only, since those aren't worth full submissions?
Side-thought: if this is a scroll about items that aren't really worth making subs for, why is it a codex? Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Go to Comment
There are times when one needs to have a focus for spells, but the generic power of a staff isn't good enough, or the carrying of a staff is impractical. Regardless, there is a need for a specific tool that can act as a focuser for a specific range of spells. The benefit of this is twofold: power, and size.
1) Size - Size is always a consideration, especially for those of the adventurer-upon-return persuasion. The fact that this is a specialized tool allows the imprinting of a magical matrix on a smaller item. In addition, there are always times when you just can't take your staff in, and not always is it environmental. In such cases, a rod or wand of some sort finds itself quite concealable and easy to wield.
Quite obviously from the name, a wand or rod is going to be about a third of the size of a staff, tops. Remember, the point is portability. Most of these are hand-held items, maybe a foot or two in length.
2) Power - Thanks to the specialization of such a tool, the focusing capabilities are much stronger in a wand than they are in a general-purpose staff. This directly interplays with size considerations, since you can get the same or more bang for your buck with a wand instead of a staff.
In game terms, a wand or rod that has been imprinted with a magical matrix is bound to one school of magic (masters of the art may get more mileage, getting two or even three schools within a single item). This gives it double the bonuses of a generic staff when focusing spells of that school, but it cannot be used for spells outside of its specific school.
The main drawback to this sort of tool is that it's limited in scope. Barring Harry Potter-type worlds, where wands are the only real way to cast magic, a wand is always going to be much more limited in what it can do for you as a magical focus. This is the trade-off for the extra power you can get out of it. If you want versatility, you need to have an actual staff, or other generic focusing tool. Go to Comment
Woah. Just...Woah. I was expecting..I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this! Gimme a day or so to sit on this one before voting. As a preliminary, the twist at the end is interesting. I'm not entirely sure how to roll with it, but no matter. It adds an air of eccentricity. Go to Comment
Your comment about being a hot dunshar made me snicker, and made me realize that this would be amusing to toss into a campaign with PCs that happen to have that level 17 bard ability. She might consider their advances anywhere along the line from amusing to revolting, with comic results. Not to mention frustrated PCs. And of course the scene, "We've always gotten the girl before..." "This one is a blob of goo that animates material and shapes it into a body to occupy." *various disturbing PC comments here* Go to Comment
I like this lass. The description of her is especially enchanting.
As a thought: since she prefers woods over mud and rock, will she be changing her material from softwoods, to harder and harder hardwoods? How do other dunshar view her progression? Will they find her to be a fragile, delicate beauty, or simply a less-advanced comrade? For some reason, I'm getting the feeling that she might epitomize the dunshar equivalent of the thin pale beauty that seems desirable by large numbers of today's populace. She's pretty, but some feel that she really just needs to fill out a bit more. Go to Comment
Systems (Societal/ Cultural) (General)
Even though this is decently done, however, I must disagree with other commenters as to how useful it is. Economics states that the consumer pays for value added: what value was added here? Simply organizing such ranks together into a list with categories isn't good enough to be worthy of a write-up, in my opinion. Is there honestly nothing we can add to this to make it more than just a list of rankings? Go to Comment