Author: fineyoungmisanthrope

Daily Punch 3-21-14 Extra Style feat for DnD Next

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Well, the DnD Next rules are almost done.  I’m really liking what I’ve seen in the public play test and the latest DnD encounters season.  With that in mind, how about a feat to help fighters out a bit?

 

Extra Style

You’ve trained yourself as a weapon.  Now you’ve gone beyond most weapons and have truly become the double edged sword.

prerequisite: member of a class that has fighting style and has taken one fighting style

You can the following benefits

  • Gain a +1 to one ability of your choice
  • Gain a second fighting style

 

 

Thoughts?

Silver Screen Smackdown-Movie Review of Tangled

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Movie– Tangled

 

tl;dr– An awesome beta test for Frozen! 97%

 

Basics– This movie is loosely based on “Rapunzel.”  The movie expands on the story by starting with the witch singing to a magic, sun-like flower to stay young.  A Queen becomes deathly ill, and she sends men to find the flower.  The queen uses the flower in a tea, become well, and later has a child with long blond hair.  The witch returns and finds that singing to the hair will restore her youth, but when it is cut the hair loses its magic.  She steals the child, puts her in the famous tower.  This leads the King and Queen to release floating lanterns each year on her birthday in remembrance.  Rapunzel wants to leave the tower to see the lights in the sky, but her witch “mother”, for obvious reasons, forbids her from ever leaving the tower.  Near Rapunzel’s 18th birthday, a thief named Flynn Rider steals the stolen princess’ crown and runs into the forest abandoning his two cohorts along the way.  He sneaks into the tower, and Rapunzel hits him with a frying pan.  She steals and hides the crown promising to only return it when Flynn takes her to the lights.  Flynn reluctantly agrees, and the adventure begins.  Now the other thieves, the witch, and guards are all of the Rapunzel and Flynn!  And it wouldn’t be Disney without some random sidekicks like a smart horse, a smart aleck chameleon, and some true love.

 

Plot-The plot follows the base story with lots of new fun elements.  It’s a fun ride with some good songs, memorable moments, and crazy action sequences.  After seeing all of Disney’s movies, it’s not Disney’s best.  But, it’s up there.  What costs it here is it’s not as memorable as many of their other films with a similar princess-kidnap-true love formula. 4.5/5

 

Acting-The characters do feel lifelike, and the actors do a good job of bringing them to that life.  I didn’t recognize most of the voice actors, but two of the side characters did stand out: Ron Perlman and Brad Garrett.  Obscure casting isn’t bad, but I was surprised. 5/5

 

Visuals-This movie is completely computer generated.  It’s semi-realistic with comedic touches.  I liked the style.  After seeing a few of these, I think Disney is going to use this as their default style for animated pictures. 5/5

 

Summary- I really liked this movie.  Not as much a Frozen, but it’s a good movie.  I saw this after Frozen, and that might have hurt the rankings of this film.  It’s never a good idea to go head to head with a major award winner!  However, this film feels like a well done test of what Frozen was and brings back some classic Disney:  some good songs, good acting, fun action, and nice visuals.  You won’t leave the theater singing the songs like you did when you left Frozen or Mulan, but some family entertainment, it’s hard to do better! 97%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Adventure Path #58: Island of Empty Eyes

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product– Pathfinder Adventure Path #58 Island of Empty Eyes

Producer- Paizo
Price- $20

System-Pathfinder

TL;DR- Another well done Pathfinder Adventure 90%

 

Basics- Shiver me timbers!  If you’ve played the last three Skull and Shackles adventure path adventures, the players have won the Free Captains Regatta, and also won a chance to become Free Captains themselves.  To do this they must clear the Island of Empty Eyes and prepare a feast for the visiting Free Captains who will judge the players on how well they have prepared.  This sounds easy, but it never is…. This book also contains a section describing the Cyclopes, popular rumors of the Shackles, and the fourth part of the story continuing across all the Skull and Shackle Adventures.

 

Crunch or Mechanics- This adventure had some interesting mechanics associated with it.  There players get to freely explore an island and decide what they will do with anyone they meet there.  Overall I liked it, but some things were somewhat problematic like super high DC.  My party doesn’t min/max much, so the higher, single DC tend to cause them to fail. 4.5/5

 

Fluff or Story- This is a pretty free form story for the main adventure.  If your party needs to be a bit more on the rails, then they will falter when given some freedom.  The story is well done, as are the Cyclopes section and the rumors.  Well done. 4.5/5

 

Execution- Don’t have to say much here.  Paizo is awesome at what it does, so they earn their score.  Good art, reader friendly, but I could have used a few more section breaks or a better indicated area on how to fix up the island instead of having it buried in the middle of a paragraph. 4.5/5

 

Summary- I enjoyed running this for my players, and my players had a ball too.  It’s not ship heavy, but it’s a nice break in the standard pattern.  You will have to read your players to find out if they need a little helping had to keep on track on the island.  But overall, it’s a well done adventure! 90%

Ring Side Report- Board Game Review of Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Fortress of the Stone Giants

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Product- Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Fortress of the Stone Giants

Producer– Paizo

Price– $20

Set-up/Play/Take-Down– 1 Hour per scenario (5 scenarios)

TL;DR-Maybe one of the better expansions! 85%

 

Basics-Time to fight Giants!  Players quest to a Jorgenfist to take the fight away from Sandpoint to the giants themselves.  Along the way they will fight giants, necromancers, undead monks, and lamias.  This game requires the base Pathfinder Adventure Card Game to play.

 

Mechanics- This game follows most the mechanics of the previous adventure card game expansions.  Go through X locations, find the henchmen or villain and destroy them.  This expansion doesn’t stretch the game extremely far, but some of the encounters are a pretty tough.  Also, as each expiation introduces one scenario that has some odd ball, interesting rules, this one features a fight with two villains.  I liked that twist.  It doesn’t feel contrived. 4/5

 

Theme– I felt like I was an awesome warrior fighting giants.  There are the random encounters like the goblin raid that you might have to deal with, but as the expansions become latter in the series, the rule of removing basic cards really does help focus the encounters you see.  I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, but as you get further in, the random nature seems to become less random.  That really helps the theme.  Also, I really liked the villains and henchmen of this pack.  Their powers really hammer home the feel of epic battles and dangerous foes.  4/5

 

Instructions-The instruction are ~ok.  The cards do a good job of getting the point across.  However, I really want more to tell me who these people and monsters are!  The rules are good and the cards do have a bit of exposition, but if you want some rule so help hammer home theme, you won’t get that from the rules. 4.5/5

 

Execution-The art is well done.  It’s standard Pathfinder art.  Most of the art looks like it come from other sources, but that’s ok.  However, after several games, I’ve noticed my cards are beginning to get chipped and ripped.  I’d like heaver cards or card sleeves.  Again, nothing is bad, but watch out shuffling (and you will do that a lot!). 4.5/5

 

Summary-This was a fun one.  I felt like I was a mighty hero fighting monsters.  My wife and I had a blast playing this.  I felt like the challenge was right.  We didn’t have any character death, but we were down to the wire a few times.  That was great.  While the game does use the same locations several times, I felt like I was moving forward in the story, and I wasn’t bored doing so.  I want more story support to help know what the heck is going on, but I do feel like I’m moving in something. 85%

Book Bout-Book Review of The Sundering Book IV: The Reaver

~ fineyoungmisanthrope ~ Leave a comment

Book– The Sundering Book IV: The Reaver

Author – Richard Lee Byers

Price- $19

TL;DR– An Ok Realms story. 73%

Basics–  Set sail for adventure. The Reaver follows the story of Anton Marivaldi, former sailor turned pirate.  Anton and his crew kidnap a boy prophet of Lathander, a formally dead deity.  Anton is betrayed by his crew, and escapes with the boy.  The two have different goals with one trying to sell the other and the boy trying to make his way across the world on a quest he doesn’t understand, but they work together as they can’t survive alone.  Along the way they encounter the church of the evil sea god Umberlee, Thay wizards, a plan to save the Sea of Fallen Stars, and possibly redemption and rebirth.

Setting– The book does feel like it belongs in the Forgotten Realms.  I’ve always considered the Forgotten Realms to be the “God” setting with much of what’s going on having to do with evil gods making plans against the good people of the Realms.  This story is entirely motivated by a good god plans to help the world, an evil gods power grabs, and a lich trying to become a god. 5/5

Characters–  The book falters here a bit.  Anton is the “main” character even though the book is an ensemble cast.  He gets the most screen time, but he also tends to be the one I have the most problems with.  He’s a cold hearted pirate!  But, then he decides to give it all up and help the boy.  He says he’s this monster stating every horrible thing he’s did before the story starts, BUT, given the slightest provocation, he only does good, honorable things.  It felt a bit disingenuous as if he was merely boasting.  3/5

Story– The book falters a bit here too.  It runs a bit longer then it needs to.  When you get into the story, it’s not bad, but I found myself asking “Is this the end yet?” a few too many times.  Also, the book is a bit hard to get into.  You don’t really like the main character for the longest time, and since you spend a long time with him, it’s hard to get into the book.  Brevity and trimming a few of the scene might have helped this story.  That said, I also wanted a bit more in the end.  The book kind of ends abruptly with the character making some quick plans and the book just ending.  Everything is resolved, but I felt like it needed a bit more. 3/5

Summary– Of the Sundering books, this one is probably my least favorite so far.  I’m glad I read it, and anyone who loves the Realms should sit down and read this too.  But, if you want a good introduction to the world of the forgotten Realms, this might not be the best choice.  It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s not the best book I’ve ever read.  73%%

Audiobook Bonus Round!-  I listened to this book as an audiobook.  That may have hurt my impression of this book.  Eugene H. Russell IV isn’t a bad narrator, but he has the habit of breaking into Shatner-esque diction.  Some passages were amazingly clear, but others sounded as if a computer had read the passage with awkward pauses inserted between words. 3/5