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CurseLord
Acolyte
35 Posts |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 06:52:26
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Finally...
I knew Lord M. would soon be getting some focus in the Realms Personalities column, I just didn't think it would take this long.
Anyway it's nice to see some 3e stats for the Pendant of Ashaba. I must compare it with the 2e write-up.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 07:41:15
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| The only thing that bugs me about that write-up is that the events of 1358 are referred to as "recent." Little Scotti should be 15 by now, and I find it a little hard to believe that nothing else noteworthy has happened in Shadowdale since 1358. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 07:47:45
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Being one to nitpick about minor inconsistencies, I've got some pretty big nits, and I'm gonna pick them here.
Nit #1: Equipment Update
Mourngrym here has a +1 longsword, +1 mithral chainmail, a +1 amulet of natural armor, and the Pendant of Ashaba as his significant equipment, along with a masterwork composite longbow (without a Strength rating), and arrows.
In previous editions, Mourngrym's sword was a broadsword +3 (it would now be a longsword). His armor was plate armor (though an upgrade to magical, mithral armor can hardly be complained about). He also had a ring of protection +1, a dagger that could transform into a shortsword on command, and a shield +1- all of which are now gone. His amulet takes up the same magic item space as the Pendant of Ashaba, which is a major oversight.
Lastly, according to Heroes' Lorebook, "The Lord of Shadowdale
disdains the use of missile weapons, preferring to get into the
thick of battle with the most powerful sword available to him." I don't see why he'd carry around a bow.
Nit #2: Proficiency Update (Skills and Feats)
I am wondering how Lord Amcathra's ability as an armorer (present since 1st Edition) has been updated to 3E/3.5. He hasn't a single rank in Craft (armorer). His previous proficiencies haven't been adequately covered, in my opinion, and would require some ranks in Knowledge (nobility and royalty) to cover heraldry, at the very least.
As a noble of Waterdeep, I'd have expect there to be some reflection of this in his statistics, perhaps even a regional feat somewhere in his selections.
Nit #3: Statistics Update
Mourngrym's stats are wildly off from previous editions. Str 15 Dex 11 Con 14 Int 13 Wis 9 Cha 11 (in both 1E and 2E) are now Str 18 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 12 Cha 12. While the various ability scores have been rebalanced over the change of editions, it seems strange that three different ability scores would jump by 3 points each.
Nit #4: Languages Update
Mourngrym speaks Dwarven in addition to Common and Elven, and as a native of Waterdeep, he would also speak Chondathan. |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 09:12:28
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This one certainly caught my eye. I surprised such a personality has made it to the WotC site based on previous Realms Personalities.
I often used Mourngrym as an NPC in my campaign. |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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Sarta
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 09:54:59
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Garen, my take on the equipment downgrade is the desire for characters to conform to the wealth per character level chart of the DM's guide. They probably felt that at 8th level, he didn't merit as much cash as they had given him in equipment.
Of course this is patently rediculous for a noble, but still probably a factor when doing an official character write up.
Sarta |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 11:41:09
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hmmm no Cavalier Levels
Pity, it would have been nice if his stats had gone full circle |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Lady Kazandra
Senior Scribe
Australia
921 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 14:01:56
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Which sourcebook was Lord Amcathra's 2e stats written in?.
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"Once upon a time the plural of 'wizard' was 'war'." -- The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchett |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 15:03:03
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'Fraid I'm not much impressed either. The writing is bathetic or unRealmslike: 'He had several friends', 'martial arts', 'process', 'issues', 'combat', 'reservations regarding'... It's the same as a lot of mediocre Realms work: gets most of the facts right (thought Boozer seems not to have researched his fiction appearances at all) but not the living heartbeat. There'll probably be an updated writeup for Mourngrym when Ed's Knights of Myth Drannor novels appear, too.
Previous writeups: 1987 Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, FR7 Hall of Heroes (full stats), Heroes' Lorebook (conversion to 2nd edition) |
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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2004 : 15:19:45
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Sarta: The wealth limit enforcement seems selectively implemented. In FRCS, for example, Alusair has far more than the 16,000 gp she is allotted by table 4-23 in the DMG. In fact, her sword alone is worth 120,000 gp, and far more than the 50,000 gp her father's +4 defending longsword-his other favorite sword- is valued at. Her armor (which is mithral plate, not the dwarven plate of 3.5) would be valued at 10,650 gp, her rings at 35,000 (for proof against detection) and 40,000 (for free movement), and her shield 4,170 gp.
Mourngrym's equipment comes reasonably close (not counting the Pendant of Ashaba) to the numbers from the DMG, but there are drastic changes in his gear, some of which can't be accounted for by price. A +1 ring of protection costs the same, and has the same impact on total AC, as a +1 amulet of natural armor. That's before mentioning that Mourngrym now has two amulets to put in his one neck slot for magical items, and no rings for his two slots...
Dargoth: I agree somewhat that it might have been nice to see Mourngrym as something akin to his previous version, rather than what seems to be "generic fighter guy with lots of cross-class skills." That he wasn't made a cavalier doesn't bother me as much as it might, since he'd have one or two levels in the class, no more, and since FRCS clearly states him as a NG human male Ftr8.
Lady Kazandra: Mourngrym's full 2E stats appear in the Heroes' Lorebook supplement, on page 89 (just after the color panels). For those that can't find the paper version, it's available for purchase in PDF form at RPGNow.com or SVGames.com, the latter of which also has a hardcopy version for $10 USD. |
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Realms Personalities:Mourngrym Amcathra
