So very close to done with the mapping tutorials for now. On Sunday I described how to create the heightmap for a mountain range, and how to render it. On Wednesday I showed how to create the landform for a non-straight mountain range (because the previous article used straight, parallel ranges). …
I’ve written a couple times recently about simple techniques for drawing mountain ranges. Yesterday I showed how I draw the basic landforms, and on Sunday I showed how I manipulate them to relieve monotonous elements and make them look better to me. Under normal circumstances I would have presented the material …
On Sunday I posted a tutorial on a technique I use when drawing mountains. This tutorial focused on a specific set of techniques used to cause a frighteningly boring mountain range — in this case, several parallel ‘ranges’ that were completely straight, uniformly straight, and parallel. They demonstrated how to …
Yesterday I wrote about using flaws and curses when an enchantment check fails, and quirks even when it (barely) succeeds… but what’s the difference? All flaws and curses can be expected to be undesirable and have negative effect on an item or its wielder, and even quirks can be unwanted, or …
When enchanting magic items in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, part of the process requires that you make a skill check (usually Spellcraft) with a DC equal to 5 + caster level. This is usually pretty trivial for most crafters — a caster who has maximum ranks in Spellcraft and Spellcraft as a …
On G+ I saw a map that I quite liked, but there was a mountain range on it that seemed too perfect. The ridge line of the range was very clean, with a couple sections that were quite straight (and at almost right angles), and another that followed a smooth …
As part of my research for graded items, I reviewed the Dynamic Magic Items material from Pathfinder® Roleplaying Game: Pathfinder Unchained™. The system there is rather more complicated than I am interested in — I generally favor simpler solutions — but I do have use for the Perks and Flaws presented. …
A graded wand or staff can include metamagic feats. The metamagic feats apply only to spells activated from the wand or staff, count as qualities of a grade equal to the spell slot adjustment, and increase the number of charges needed to activate the spell. Below I present the wand of miltiary …
I thought I’d take a few minutes and do a quick summary of where I stand with this year’s A-Z Challenge. The big topic this time around is graded items, special items with abilities of various grades or degrees of power or utility. I’ve got a few posts about encounter …
Last night I wrote about 2,400 words on legendary/spontaneous graded items. On my way in to work on the bus this morning, I realized I might have overthought things. As much as I like the ‘quest’ aspect of it, the entire thing can probably be simplified. Spontaneous Graded Items, Simplified …