Beamdog working on a new D&D CRPG (cancelled)

[ERYFKRAD]

. I don't remember what happens to Aribeth after she becomes a Blackguard

You kick her arse.

 

[Lilura]

Aribeth is one of the greatest characters in RPG history.

 

[Cael]

No, the OC ends by killing what's-her-face, the lizardfolk goddess/queen. I don't remember what happens to Aribeth after she becomes a Blackguard.

Aribeth becomes a Blackguard at the end of Chapter 2 and leads the Luskan forces against Neverwinter. In Chapter 3, you are trying to find the Macguffins while Neverwinter is getting its ass kicked. In Chapter 4, you finally confront Aribeth in the warzone that is Neverwinter and depending on how you treated her in Chapter 2, either repents and turns herself in to Don Nasher d'Shittio or you have to kill her. You then have to enter the place where the lizardfolk chumps and assassinate their queen. Returning back to Neverwinter after that completes the game. If Aribeth lives, Don Fuckhole Jerkwad has her executed out of political expediency after the game ends, just like he did Fenthick at the end of Chapter 1. You get to meet her shade in HotU and if you play your cards right, get her to join your party where her Blackguard sneak attack and Nathyrra's Rogue/Assassin sneak attacks makes mincemeat of every poor slob you run across.

 

[Dux]

Aribeth is one of the greatest characters in RPG history.

Well she's got a pair on her, I'll give you that much. I mean I would inspect that melon patch a bit closer, no doubt, to gauge the ripeness and all, if you catch my drift.

Seriously, tho, she's got a decent rack, um, I mean her character arc is quite compelling. Going from good to bad like that, with running mascara and angst. The death of her token gay friend Fenthwick really hit her hard and her world got turned upside down because everything's isn't flowers and bees and shit. It's writing like that that sticks with you. She also had armour which put breast in breastplate and you can't stay mad at a girl like that for long. Know what I'm saying? Because I don't.

 

[fantadomat]

Aribeth is one of the greatest characters in RPG history.

It certainly turns my dick rock hard when i play the game.The best wiffu material,she is good with sharp weapons and can chop a nice salad,she have healing spells and you could do rough sex with her.

 

[Thonius]

Oh no.

Eye of the Beholder Enhanced Editions.

I would play that....

 

[Cael]

It certainly turns my dick rock hard when i play the game.The best wiffu material,she is good with sharp weapons and can chop a nice salad,she have healing spells and you could do rough sex with her.

Dude, if you are not using an ad blocker, you are in for a treat :D

 

[fantadomat]

Dude, if you are not using an ad blocker, you are in for a treat :D

I don't use it only on torrent sites and the codex. Also i know my hentai/porn sites .

 

[Cael]

I don't use it only on torrent sites and the codex. Also i know my hentai/porn sites .

Aww. For a while, I had to use another browser without an ad blocker, and I had Aribeth's boobies staring at me because of the NWN Online ads. Hilarious because they cropped it so that ONLY the boobies were present :D

 

[fantadomat]

Aww. For a while, I had to use another browser without an ad blocker, and I had Aribeth's boobies staring at me because of the NWN Online ads. Hilarious because they cropped it so that ONLY the boobies were present :D

I get adds about bitcoins and similar shit....should watch more porn then.

 

[Cael]

I get adds about bitcoins and similar shit....should watch more porn then.

Nah. Just hang around MMO websites. It was shilling for NWN Online, which is basically WoW reskinned in NWN/DnD stuff.

 

[Sinatar]

I would play that....

What could they possibly add to a 28 year old DOS game that would convince you to play it over the easily obtainable version currently available?

 

[LESS T_T]

Phil Dagle's hobby game development with Gamemaker 2 (obviously graphics are mostly from Warcraft):

 

[Feyd Rautha]

rainbow camp

 

[DeepOcean]

Nice grip and stance. Is she about to throw the sword?

It has the retardation no nos of fantasy combat:
Free long hair to be pulled? Checked.
Long cape to be pulled? Check.
Weak one hand grip asking to be disarmed? Check
Weak shield asking for a fracture on the elbow after a powerful blow? Check
Uncovered, unarmored hand asking to be cut off after blade is deflected by shield and hit the hand? Check

It is not only a woman fighting but probably a woman drawn this too.

 

[Theldaran]

Yes, hate women.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys...12&fit=max&s=1119f7c3a4b19d73f96f6a6789f3dbc4

 

[Dzupakazul]

Nice grip and stance. Is she about to throw the sword?

It has the retardation no nos of fantasy combat:
Free long hair to be pulled? Checked.
Long cape to be pulled? Check.
Weak one hand grip asking to be disarmed? Check
Weak shield asking for a fracture on the elbow after a powerful blow? Check
Uncovered, unarmored hand asking to be cut off after blade is deflected by shield and hit the hand? Check

It is not only a woman fighting but probably a woman drawn this too.

Silly art aside, I really don't understand why most of these are even problematic in a high fantasy environment that most D&D games subscribe to. Over on The Gazebo we have a thread full of "classic" fantasy art (that is generally considered incline) which has stuff like cheesecake in bikini armor. Archetypal savage warrior has long hair (just look at the typical depictions of Conan the Barbarian) and often also a beard (like the Vikings), yet we never have people complaining that dwarven beards make them much easier to commit some underhanded moves against.

Frankly, D&D always deals in exceptional individuals and it's not unlikely that the 5th level female paladin in question is already such a local badass that she can easily avoid any sort of shenanigans associated with long hair issues or capes getting caught up - especially the latter, given that capes in D&D usually give you many magical properties. If she has 16-18 Strength, like any typical martial character of that level, she is probably among the strongest individuals around, and probably has insane deadlift, no matter what real life tells us about women's strength capacity. D&D is about fantasy superheroes, and not gritty adventures where you roll peasants and die of cholera. It's like how superheroes also have outfits that signal a ton of flair.

And let's be honest - "weak shield asking for a fracture on the elbow after a powerful blow" is a moot point in a setting where you are likely to face an ogre, yet the game still abstracts the shield to somehow work even against an attack that should, by any logical means, simply splatter ya. The shield might be magical, or the shield (and a warrior's fighting style) is designed specifically to parry away attacks from smaller creatures, etc, etc. You can fluff these kinda issues however you want - in this case, I feel like you're nitpicking simply because the art itself is subpar.

I once met an AD&D 2.0 DM who claimed he was in the D&D business for many, many years. He actually didn't impress me in terms of game management, and during a break he claimed that he frowns upon dual-wielding in his RPGs, actively hampering characters who choose this fighting style, and especially doesn't allow dual-wielding axes. When asked why, he said "well, axes get stuck in carcasses due to pressure. They once had a strongman try and pull out an axe from a dead calf, and he couldn't do it with both of his hands because the difference in pressure caused the flesh to "suck" the axe in. So it's unrealistic".
"But wizards that can alter the universe and clerics who perform minor miracles from level 1 are completely fine", I clarify.
"Yep", he responded. Just like that. No reflecting on why this might be silly. Level 20 Fighters are still rank-and-file soldiers whereas level 20 Wizards are literal gods, because, after all, Wizards don't have to conform to reality while Fighters always do.

A heroic Fighter should be on the level of Achilles or at least Incredible Hulk, being able to just bash through walls of a dungeon instead of looking for doors, leaping extremely long distances, surviving falls from ridiculous heights and redirecting rivers with his bare hands. In the usual D&D game, the heroic Fighter is only capable of hitting harder and faster with his beatstick.
To extrapolate on that, I think that we should let the fucking Conan and Red Sonja wear their loincloth armor and have their long hair flow in the air as they fight. They earned it.

 

[Lacrymas]

There is nothing wrong with both approaches, whether style and camp over realism or the other way around. There is enough space in the world for both. The problem is, like it has always been, how it is used and whether the setting permits it. Forgotten Realms does permit it and we get campy adventures featuring dwarves with beards 3 days long, dual-wielding axes while being drunk.

 

[ArchAngel]

Nice grip and stance. Is she about to throw the sword?

It has the retardation no nos of fantasy combat:
Free long hair to be pulled? Checked.
Long cape to be pulled? Check.
Weak one hand grip asking to be disarmed? Check
Weak shield asking for a fracture on the elbow after a powerful blow? Check
Uncovered, unarmored hand asking to be cut off after blade is deflected by shield and hit the hand? Check

It is not only a woman fighting but probably a woman drawn this too.

Silly art aside, I really don't understand why most of these are even problematic in a high fantasy environment that most D&D games subscribe to. Over on The Gazebo we have a thread full of "classic" fantasy art (that is generally considered incline) which has stuff like cheesecake in bikini armor. Archetypal savage warrior has long hair (just look at the typical depictions of Conan the Barbarian) and often also a beard (like the Vikings), yet we never have people complaining that dwarven beards make them much easier to commit some underhanded moves against.

Frankly, D&D always deals in exceptional individuals and it's not unlikely that the 5th level female paladin in question is already such a local badass that she can easily avoid any sort of shenanigans associated with long hair issues or capes getting caught up - especially the latter, given that capes in D&D usually give you many magical properties. If she has 16-18 Strength, like any typical martial character of that level, she is probably among the strongest individuals around, and probably has insane deadlift, no matter what real life tells us about women's strength capacity. D&D is about fantasy superheroes, and not gritty adventures where you roll peasants and die of cholera. It's like how superheroes also have outfits that signal a ton of flair.

And let's be honest - "weak shield asking for a fracture on the elbow after a powerful blow" is a moot point in a setting where you are likely to face an ogre, yet the game still abstracts the shield to somehow work even against an attack that should, by any logical means, simply splatter ya. The shield might be magical, or the shield (and a warrior's fighting style) is designed specifically to parry away attacks from smaller creatures, etc, etc. You can fluff these kinda issues however you want - in this case, I feel like you're nitpicking simply because the art itself is subpar.

I once met an AD&D 2.0 DM who claimed he was in the D&D business for many, many years. He actually didn't impress me in terms of game management, and during a break he claimed that he frowns upon dual-wielding in his RPGs, actively hampering characters who choose this fighting style, and especially doesn't allow dual-wielding axes. When asked why, he said "well, axes get stuck in carcasses due to pressure. They once had a strongman try and pull out an axe from a dead calf, and he couldn't do it with both of his hands because the difference in pressure caused the flesh to "suck" the axe in. So it's unrealistic".
"But wizards that can alter the universe and clerics who perform minor miracles from level 1 are completely fine", I clarify.
"Yep", he responded. Just like that. No reflecting on why this might be silly. Level 20 Fighters are still rank-and-file soldiers whereas level 20 Wizards are literal gods, because, after all, Wizards don't have to conform to reality while Fighters always do.

A heroic Fighter should be on the level of Achilles or at least Incredible Hulk, being able to just bash through walls of a dungeon instead of looking for doors, leaping extremely long distances, surviving falls from ridiculous heights and redirecting rivers with his bare hands. In the usual D&D game, the heroic Fighter is only capable of hitting harder and faster with his beatstick.
To extrapolate on that, I think that we should let the fucking Conan and Red Sonja wear their loincloth armor and have their long hair flow in the air as they fight. They earned it.

Well there is internal logic in blocking high level Fighters doing crazy magic like stuff. Wizards have limited spell slots, need to use components, have spellbooks they depend upon, can be foiled by Magic resistance and dead magic zones and the rest. When you put a wall or a locked door in front of a wizard he still needs to use a limited power to circumvent it. If you let a lvl 20 fighter become hulk, he can bust all doors and walls within a dungeon without spending anything and it completely changes the game.

 

[Dzupakazul]

Well there is internal logic in blocking high level Fighters doing crazy magic like stuff. Wizards have limited spell slots, need to use components, have spellbooks they depend upon, can be foiled by Magic resistance and dead magic zones and the rest. When you put a wall or a locked door in front of a wizard he still needs to use a limited power to circumvent it.

By the time we're talking about high levels, a Wizard is likely to have feats or other extraneous abilities that allow him to safeguard his spellbook, spells that completely lower Magic Resistance, and multiple doohickeys to cast low-level spells like Knock at no expense to actual important resources.

Not to mention, DMs or adventures that rely upon "oh whoops I'm deliberately cutting off your player character from all the resources he needs to actually do his job" are NOT fun. A barebones Fighter without excessive help from magic items is completely worthless against stuff like any flying creature with a ranged attack, especially given that D&D asks you to specialize in either melee or ranged. "Just have a backup ranged weapon" is usually a worthless argument given the skill/feat tax on archery. Hell, at level 1, a simple archer on a low cliff is a ridiculous challenge to your bread and butter melee fighter. You don't want to roll a Fighter in a campaign where all enemies fly, or are Rust Monsters, or whatever. You don't want to spend a session as a Rogue against undead or golems who can't be backstabbed and are strong against archery. You don't want to play a game as a Wizard where every time your skills could shine, you are in a dead magic zone. If your party is roleplaying a group of wandering knights, they probably aren't going to enjoy a dungeon where you need a dedicated trap disarmer. Relying on straight-up negation is just a weak argument. It's a cheap copout and often not creatively implemented. Often you can spend a ton of time deliberately casting abjurations on your spellbook and hiding it with illusions, and the DM still railroads you towards losing it because lol I can't have you one-shotting my self-insert.

If you let a lvl 20 fighter become hulk, he can bust all doors and walls within a dungeon without spending anything and it completely changes the game.

If you let in a level 20 Wizard at all, he uses scrying to locate the target inside the dungeon, teleports in, destroys the opposition, and completely circumvents the challenge. Unless the enemy awaiting within is also a spellcaster. And this is the same game that claims that characters of the same level are equal choices to one another.

At level 20, characters are supposed to fight on other planes against archliches. The only thing that fighters do toward that end is lots of damage. Given the typical pitfalls of RPGs, such as a 5 minute adventuring day, where any of the concerns regarding the mage's supposed issues with resource managements, it is the fighter who actually requires more resources - because he needs to play "mother may I" with the DM to get an item that would circumvent his shortcomings, such as a ring of jumping or boots of flying or some item that allows teleportation. Wizards get all of that through their own powers. Instead of nerfing the Wizards in arbitrary, bullshit ways and ensuring that they can't have fun, buff the Fighters so that *everyone* has fun. If "internal logic" applied, a Human Fighter should not wear heavy plate to fight against a Frost Giant, instead trying to be as lightly armored as possible in order to dodge their attacks, because no matter what you do, once the Giant hits, you're pudding.

 

[ArchAngel]

Oh I am not saying high level non casters don't need some help, just that giving them unlimited magic abilities is not the way.

Also that thingy that mage will use to easily circumvent lower level challenges are same magic items that you later complain that fighter need to use. So is it bad to need those or good? You cannot have it both ways.

 

[Dzupakazul]

just that giving them unlimited magic abilities is not the way.

No one says they should have unlimited magic abilities. Tome of Battle for 3.5 had some good ideas for this. 4e also did, to the point where much of these features were implemented into kits like Battlemaster Fighter. What would be useful is some at-will abilities that preserve the martial flavor (and if it's too videogamey to imagine that you have only three uses of "Heroic Jump" or whatever it is that your Fighter does to keep up the pace with a mage who can teleport to another continent with a snap of his fingers), let's just assume that it's an extremely exhausting trick that only works when the martial character is driven by enough hot blood.

And all I'm arguing for is that the world is already unrealistic enough that long hair worn to battle or slightly unrealistic weaponry should REALLY not be a problem. Even if we're not talking epic levels, a level 6 character is already an elite, probably capable of bathing in the blood of many goblins or generic human bandits. Let the heroes of all kinds be exceptional. It's more interesting that way. Especially given that many people who adhere to the notion of "realism" in their RPGs only have a very vague sense of what passes as historically authentic, and making judgments based on that is ludicrous.

Even if a Fighter can jump off a mage's tower and survive, he still takes sizable HP damage. Most of the amazing feats that Fighter could and should be able to do also don't have to come for free. And on top of that, giving Fighters more options as they progress also absolves them of the "I Hit It With My Axe" syndrome.

Also that thingy that mage will use to easily circumvent lower level challenges are same magic items that you later complain that fighter need to use.

Wizards can create wands of utility spells that they know. Fighters cannot, because they do not know spells.

 

[octavius]

Nice grip and stance. Is she about to throw the sword?

It has the retardation no nos of fantasy combat:
Free long hair to be pulled? Checked.
Long cape to be pulled? Check.
Weak one hand grip asking to be disarmed? Check
Weak shield asking for a fracture on the elbow after a powerful blow? Check
Uncovered, unarmored hand asking to be cut off after blade is deflected by shield and hit the hand? Check

It is not only a woman fighting but probably a woman drawn this too.

At least her breasts are protected.

 

[Melcar]

Nice grip and stance. Is she about to throw the sword?

It has the retardation no nos of fantasy combat:
Free long hair to be pulled? Checked.
Long cape to be pulled? Check.
Weak one hand grip asking to be disarmed? Check
Weak shield asking for a fracture on the elbow after a powerful blow? Check
Uncovered, unarmored hand asking to be cut off after blade is deflected by shield and hit the hand? Check

It is not only a woman fighting but probably a woman drawn this too.

At least her breasts are protected.

Which makes it worse.

 

[Cael]

Nice grip and stance. Is she about to throw the sword?

It has the retardation no nos of fantasy combat:
Free long hair to be pulled? Checked.
Long cape to be pulled? Check.
Weak one hand grip asking to be disarmed? Check
Weak shield asking for a fracture on the elbow after a powerful blow? Check
Uncovered, unarmored hand asking to be cut off after blade is deflected by shield and hit the hand? Check

It is not only a woman fighting but probably a woman drawn this too.

At least her breasts are protected.

Well known genre fact: The more exposed a woman's breasts are, the more heavily armoured she is. That is why Amazon warriors always run around topless.