Welcome to part 2 of a 3 part interview with Søren Keis Thustrup. Siobharek on the AE forums, author of the Circle of Rites adventure. You can find part 1 here
12. What did you learn about Circle of Rites during play-testing? (prototype, beta, or both) What did you change as a result?
Mostly that it worked, and as far as I recall I didn't change an awful lot. I remember tightening the connections between the different clues. That's a thing to learn - about adventure writing in general and murder mysteries in particular: Don't assume your reader (the DM) is stupid, but don't make him work for the information. The Pathfinder series from Paizo - brilliant as it is - does make you sweat for the info, but that's mostly because it's so packed with stuff. So I take it on faith that I will get a reference there, but I wouldn't expect anyone to trust me to know what I was doing. Therefore: Spell it out, connnections, secrets, things to come later in the adventure.
13. Did you make any other mistakes or miscalculations in the design process? How did you fix them?
I... don't think so. I caught one my editor made. For some reason he thought the hawk totem warriors in the warehouse should be sprytes, and he gave them dire arrows to make up for the reduction in damage. Of course, there's no such thing, and with half an hour to go before the adventure went into production, the Shattering weapon ability was born.
14. Are you happy with where Circle of Rites is today?
Yeah. As of a few months ago, it was still selling, which I find amazing. I'd love for it to have company in the form of more adventures by the same author, though ;-)
15. What makes a good AE product?
That it showcases how AE works and what sets it apart from other d20.
16. What is your favorite AE product (besides yours and the core book)?Where to start?
... Mystic Secrets is, I think, very under-estimated and -appreciated. But it's Legacy of the Dragons that will always accompany me into the Lands of the Diamond Throne. Oh, and Spell Treasury is THE most useful book for converting adventures. Seriously, don't read Dungeon or Pathfinder without it.
17. What is your favorite Non-Monte AE product and why?
Let's go with Mystic Secrets. Mike Mearls made a great book there. The ideas about runes are so AE while they at the same time open up for a lot of additional stuff. That said, I will buy anything with Bill Collins' name on it (he's co-written Akashic Nodes and Tell It To My Axe, for starters).
18. What is your favorite Non-Malhavoc press AE product and why?
Siege on Ebonring Keep is so HUGE and it has so much adventure in it. Plague of Dreams from Fiery Dragon had the distinction of being the first adventure, and it did a bang-up job of setting up the world, but Siege just had more. And it played a large part in my own campaign, but that's another story ;-)
19. What has been your best moment playing with an AE product?
Having a player crack open the core book, start reading and with a chuckle say, "This is so cool." Honestly, my players love AE and won't ever go back, I think.
20. What has been your most memorable fan response to Circle of Rites?
There wasn't one that stood out. I've had a lot of positive comments - especially on Monte's boards - but there wasn't one that leapt out at me.
21. What role do you think Circle of Rites plays in the AE gaming community?
LOL! I honestly don't know. I hope people use it, and if my next adventure, Beyond Creation, ever sees the light of day, I'll make sure to tell everybody how the two are connected.
22. To You knowledge has Circle of Rites ever been played using Fantasy Grounds?
Not to my knowledge, no.
Continue to part 3
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Søren Keis Thustrup, Author of the Circle of Rites adventure.
Over the next three days I will be posting a 3 part interview I did with Søren Keis Thustrup. Siobharek on the AE forums, author of the Circle of Rites adventure. (I am also hoping to finish an AE monster this week and post it as well).
1. Could you please provide a brief bio about yourself, you gaming habits, and your professional work.
I was introduced to D&D in 1984 through a colleague of my mom (which proves that sometimes teenagers should listen to their parents), and I haven't looked back since. I'm a proud member of the Council of Magisters for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, and I honestly think my first trip to Gen Con in 2004 was the best thing that happened to him—after meeting my wife and becoming a father. I've authored and co-authored several Arcana Evolved scenarios. I live in Copenhagen, Denmark, with my wife, my five-year old daughter, and the usual collection of comics, DVDs, RPG books, and minis. I have a M.A. in English with a minor in TV and Film analysis. Professionally, I'm a copywriter at a small business-to-business agency, where I write English and Danish copy.
2. Could you please sum up Circle of Rites in a sentence or three?
The Circle of Rites is my way of proving that you can indeed make a RPG murder mystery while giving players access to all the neat spells (well most of them). It concerns the murder of a well-loved giant, and while the identity of the killer may soon become apparent there's more to the story than that.
3. How did you first become interested in creating Circle of Rites?
I was lucky enough to be asked by Fiery Dragon Publishing to write an adventure. But for the life of me, I can't remember how it became a murder mystery, other than I'd tossed the idea of Ceremoniums (a pretty important location in the adventure) around at Gen Con 04.
4. Could you list some of your major influences in the creation of the adventure?
A night-time discussion with Bill Collins (Varianor on Monte's boards) gave birth to the idea of Ceremoniums. I think I wanted to do something that wasn't a hunt for a doodad, a battle against a villain and his minions, or a travel adventure. So at the time, I pretty much felt it left the murder mystery. Arcana Evolved and Legacy of the Dragons were two other influences, but really, it was just my fetid imagination,
5. Did Circle of Rites have other working titles? How did you settle on the final name?
Nope. I envisioned the Ceremonium early on as a circular compound, and I liked the name to be evocative but not give anything away.
6. What are the strengths of Circle of Rites over other adventures?
Pandering to my modesty here, eh? The most common praise the module has received was that I'd taken magic into account and provided answers. In the original manuscript, I had several Loresight readings, because I'd always read the spell to be able to "go back in time" and find out about the second-most recent owner, etc., but that was taken out of the module.
7. Describe your best moment working on Circle of Rites.?
Definitely seeing Claudio Pozas' drawings and Ed Bourelle's map, I know it's not part of *my* design process as such, but it was awesome. Bear in mind that I write for a living, so the rush you feel when everything falls into place, while great, isn't that new to me.
But puzzling out the clues was fun, I'll admit!
8. What do you feel was the most ingenious part of Circle of Rites that you devised?
I wouldn't call the adventure ingenuous as such. I pretty much feel I took existing elements (from the game, I mean), and shook them together. But I had almost too much fun devising the ways Kadaran tries dissuading the adventurers to back off (conjured energy creatures down a chimney? That's just mean!)
9. What specific design choice are you most happy with, and why?
I liked the interplay and background of Kadaran and how his feelings for Vi-Taran changed as the sibeccai Evolved. And I enjoyed writing the akashic memory scene. I thought it might be taken out in editing for being too gruesome and too unlike how the akashic record is supposed to work, but it stayed in.
10. Which design element was the hardest to figure out, and why?
The overall trail of clues was hard to work out. I still worry about it being too complicated.
11. What did you learn about adventure design and especially murder mystery adventures?
Honestly, not that much. I'm a fairly introverted guy, and I learn the best from discussing with others. I'm afraid I don't dwell enough on what I've done to learn something from it! Working with Monte Cook on "Vault of the Iron Overlord" (we each wrote half) was much more of a learning experience.
Continue to Part 2
1. Could you please provide a brief bio about yourself, you gaming habits, and your professional work.
I was introduced to D&D in 1984 through a colleague of my mom (which proves that sometimes teenagers should listen to their parents), and I haven't looked back since. I'm a proud member of the Council of Magisters for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, and I honestly think my first trip to Gen Con in 2004 was the best thing that happened to him—after meeting my wife and becoming a father. I've authored and co-authored several Arcana Evolved scenarios. I live in Copenhagen, Denmark, with my wife, my five-year old daughter, and the usual collection of comics, DVDs, RPG books, and minis. I have a M.A. in English with a minor in TV and Film analysis. Professionally, I'm a copywriter at a small business-to-business agency, where I write English and Danish copy.
2. Could you please sum up Circle of Rites in a sentence or three?
The Circle of Rites is my way of proving that you can indeed make a RPG murder mystery while giving players access to all the neat spells (well most of them). It concerns the murder of a well-loved giant, and while the identity of the killer may soon become apparent there's more to the story than that.
3. How did you first become interested in creating Circle of Rites?
I was lucky enough to be asked by Fiery Dragon Publishing to write an adventure. But for the life of me, I can't remember how it became a murder mystery, other than I'd tossed the idea of Ceremoniums (a pretty important location in the adventure) around at Gen Con 04.
4. Could you list some of your major influences in the creation of the adventure?
A night-time discussion with Bill Collins (Varianor on Monte's boards) gave birth to the idea of Ceremoniums. I think I wanted to do something that wasn't a hunt for a doodad, a battle against a villain and his minions, or a travel adventure. So at the time, I pretty much felt it left the murder mystery. Arcana Evolved and Legacy of the Dragons were two other influences, but really, it was just my fetid imagination,
5. Did Circle of Rites have other working titles? How did you settle on the final name?
Nope. I envisioned the Ceremonium early on as a circular compound, and I liked the name to be evocative but not give anything away.
6. What are the strengths of Circle of Rites over other adventures?
Pandering to my modesty here, eh? The most common praise the module has received was that I'd taken magic into account and provided answers. In the original manuscript, I had several Loresight readings, because I'd always read the spell to be able to "go back in time" and find out about the second-most recent owner, etc., but that was taken out of the module.
7. Describe your best moment working on Circle of Rites.?
Definitely seeing Claudio Pozas' drawings and Ed Bourelle's map, I know it's not part of *my* design process as such, but it was awesome. Bear in mind that I write for a living, so the rush you feel when everything falls into place, while great, isn't that new to me.
But puzzling out the clues was fun, I'll admit!
8. What do you feel was the most ingenious part of Circle of Rites that you devised?
I wouldn't call the adventure ingenuous as such. I pretty much feel I took existing elements (from the game, I mean), and shook them together. But I had almost too much fun devising the ways Kadaran tries dissuading the adventurers to back off (conjured energy creatures down a chimney? That's just mean!)
9. What specific design choice are you most happy with, and why?
I liked the interplay and background of Kadaran and how his feelings for Vi-Taran changed as the sibeccai Evolved. And I enjoyed writing the akashic memory scene. I thought it might be taken out in editing for being too gruesome and too unlike how the akashic record is supposed to work, but it stayed in.
10. Which design element was the hardest to figure out, and why?
The overall trail of clues was hard to work out. I still worry about it being too complicated.
11. What did you learn about adventure design and especially murder mystery adventures?
Honestly, not that much. I'm a fairly introverted guy, and I learn the best from discussing with others. I'm afraid I don't dwell enough on what I've done to learn something from it! Working with Monte Cook on "Vault of the Iron Overlord" (we each wrote half) was much more of a learning experience.
Continue to Part 2
Monday, October 29, 2007
I just wanted to buy a wand!
WANDCRAFT'S CRAG
Exterior: "This large windowless shop appears to be made in the giantish style, with seamless magically reinforced stone, and a huge front door, it has a large overhanging platform at the top where you can see a tethered roan colored pegasus. A sign hangs over the door with a picture of a wand resting upon a mountain. "
Cryer:
- "Enter within and purchase the vessels of mystic fire"
- "Hold Might and Power in the palm of your hand"
- "The supernatural rods of Wandcraft’s Crag can be used by all"
- "The great equalizer is here, defend thyself with a wand from the Crag"
Interior Appearance: "within you see a staggered counter some 15 feet away from the wide door of three different heights and a set of circular stairs that rise up to the high platform above, the room itself is perhaps 30 feet across. Above and behind the counter near the ceiling some 50 feet of the floor is a tiny iron door the kind only a sprite could fit through."
Products and Services: Wandcraft's deals charged wands, these wands are usable by anyone and everyone, he can create any simple or complex wand, which cast at any level up to 10 th; and any effective spell level of 4th level or lower. The shop is open from dawn till dusk
Staff: Raya Wandcraft (female sprite magister 5) this youthful sprite wears a bright purple dress embroidered with silver, her eyes are a soft violet and her wings glitter like silver.
Raya never seems to want someone to leave without purchasing something, even if it is from the cursed bin. She has been the saleswomen of the shop since it first appeared, though no one knows of her before this time. She is always overly positive to the point of overselling her products, though she never makes claims that are not literally true. She is a gifted identifier of wands, and most other charged magical items, and seems to be able to sense cursed items just before she touches them. She is well respected by here customers, who have enjoy her products and her enthusiasm for her wands. She truly believes that buy arming folk with wands she can level the playing field against abusive magisters, dragons and the potential corruption of the giants. She knows every single customer who has ever bought a wand here and can often tell you where they are at now.
Security: there are a number of slaying wands that are programmed to kill intruders who make their way into the interior of the shop.
Secret: What is really going on behind the tiny door?
The real business here is in single shot wands, which destroy themselves after use. These are sold in secret through the nightwalkers unbeknownst to Raya. They make a great deal of profit, and avoiding the interference of the Stewards of the Diamond Throne.
The Hypnolox are creating time bombs out of these wands as they plan to be able to trigger all of them at once creating massive explosions in highly populated areas, they are currently researching a way for the wands to regenerate their charges.
This is in reality a front for a dragon invasion Raya is a traitor and puts tracer spells and has lock down command words built into the Crag’s creations this way the dragons know where great gatherings of magical power are likely to be held, along with the ability to shut down some opposition.
Exterior: "This large windowless shop appears to be made in the giantish style, with seamless magically reinforced stone, and a huge front door, it has a large overhanging platform at the top where you can see a tethered roan colored pegasus. A sign hangs over the door with a picture of a wand resting upon a mountain. "
Cryer:
- "Enter within and purchase the vessels of mystic fire"
- "Hold Might and Power in the palm of your hand"
- "The supernatural rods of Wandcraft’s Crag can be used by all"
- "The great equalizer is here, defend thyself with a wand from the Crag"
Interior Appearance: "within you see a staggered counter some 15 feet away from the wide door of three different heights and a set of circular stairs that rise up to the high platform above, the room itself is perhaps 30 feet across. Above and behind the counter near the ceiling some 50 feet of the floor is a tiny iron door the kind only a sprite could fit through."
Products and Services: Wandcraft's deals charged wands, these wands are usable by anyone and everyone, he can create any simple or complex wand, which cast at any level up to 10 th; and any effective spell level of 4th level or lower. The shop is open from dawn till dusk
Staff: Raya Wandcraft (female sprite magister 5) this youthful sprite wears a bright purple dress embroidered with silver, her eyes are a soft violet and her wings glitter like silver.
Raya never seems to want someone to leave without purchasing something, even if it is from the cursed bin. She has been the saleswomen of the shop since it first appeared, though no one knows of her before this time. She is always overly positive to the point of overselling her products, though she never makes claims that are not literally true. She is a gifted identifier of wands, and most other charged magical items, and seems to be able to sense cursed items just before she touches them. She is well respected by here customers, who have enjoy her products and her enthusiasm for her wands. She truly believes that buy arming folk with wands she can level the playing field against abusive magisters, dragons and the potential corruption of the giants. She knows every single customer who has ever bought a wand here and can often tell you where they are at now.
Security: there are a number of slaying wands that are programmed to kill intruders who make their way into the interior of the shop.
Secret: What is really going on behind the tiny door?
The real business here is in single shot wands, which destroy themselves after use. These are sold in secret through the nightwalkers unbeknownst to Raya. They make a great deal of profit, and avoiding the interference of the Stewards of the Diamond Throne.
The Hypnolox are creating time bombs out of these wands as they plan to be able to trigger all of them at once creating massive explosions in highly populated areas, they are currently researching a way for the wands to regenerate their charges.
This is in reality a front for a dragon invasion Raya is a traitor and puts tracer spells and has lock down command words built into the Crag’s creations this way the dragons know where great gatherings of magical power are likely to be held, along with the ability to shut down some opposition.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
A horse(man) of a different color
I love monsters, there is nothing like the smell of frightened PC's in the morning, here is a variant centaur I came up with a long time ago, I think it is quite appropriate considering the Dramojh penchant for magical crossbreeding and manipulation.
Nov-Nessus (The Stallion Anew)
Variant Centaur
Large Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (39hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Longsword +9 melee (2d6+6/19–20) or composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +7 ranged (2d6+4/x3)
Full Attack: Longsword +9 melee (2d6+6/19–20) and 2 hooves +4 melee (1d6+2), or composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +7/+2 ranged (2d6+4/x3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Gaze of lust, poisoned blood
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., stargazer
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 19
Skills: Listen +4, Sneak +4, Spot +4, Survival +3
Feats: Ability Focus (Lustful Gaze, Poisonous Blood)
Environment: Any Temperate Land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
DESCRIPTION
“Teach you to see the stars? You do not even know how to look at women. You must be able to perceive what is beautiful about every woman you see. A lady is like a rose awaiting morning’s glory, to whose warmth she must also open herself. When a woman looks into your eyes she should be overwhelmed by the truth of the reflection of her beauty. When you can do this, then I will teach you to see the stars.” Excerpt from Beautiful Beasts by Nov-Nessus the Centaur as transcribed by Bryeep of Harrowdeep.
You see a massive creature with the lower body of a roan-colored horse and with the upper torso and limbs of a man, but you are surprised to find that its head is also that of a horse.
I have a fine physique; being much larger than most of my cousins, I stand slightly over eight of your feet high and weigh just about 2,200 stones. In my youth, a great godling hero killed me with a poisoned arrow while making away with his abandoned wife. However, she later secretly had me resurrected so that she could keep me as her lover. I found that my rebirth and the hands of the Worldsmith had caused the stars of my life to change.
Men have called me a rake, speaking ill of me, saying I use foul and dark forms of Elan (magic) to corrupt the minds of women. I use nothing more than the gifts the Worldsmith gave me. If your wife leaves you, it is because you have ignored her, ridiculed her, or brutalized her. Though I love women, I love the stars even more. My greatest passion is the fire and ice that lies in the night sky. I can see the course of the future set in the stars, but the stars do not force me to speak, much less speak the truth of it.
I have killed men men the most famous of was the Young Lion of Ka-Rone, so certain his victory against the dragon Phaphnir was written in the heavens, he took his death as a great suprise. I took his young wife to my mountain retreat to console her.
I can speak Common and Sylvan.
COMBAT
Nov-Nessus employs a lance that deals double damage when he charges, just as a rider on a mount does.
Lustful Gaze (Su): Nov-Nessus can excite lust and desire in any female who looks into his eyes within a range of 30 feet. These females must succeed on a Will save (DC 17) or fall instantly under the Nov-Nessus’s influence as though by a dominate person or suggestion spell (Nov-Nessus’s choice, caster level 12th). If a female is married, the DC increases to 19. The DC of the saving throw is Charisma-based.
Poisonous Blood (Ex): Contact, Fortitude DC 21, initial and secondary effect as the confusion spell (caster level 12th). The save DC is Constitution-based. Nov-Nessus has a +4 racial bonus to his poisonous blood. If damaged by a melee slashing weapon all those within 5’ must make a successful Reflex save (DC 17) to avoid contact. Nov-Nessus’s blood retains this quality even after his death. Rumors persist that Nov-Nessus is considering poisoning his own arrows with his blood but he has not done so at this time.
Stargazer (Ex): By reading the proper alignment, position and omens of the heavens, Nov-Nessus gains a mystical insight into the world. He must make a Wisdom check DC 15. If he’s successful, Nov-Nessus makes three statements on the subject at hand. However, Nov-Nessus does not believe in a set future, he believes these statements describe what is likely to happen, not what will happen. So, these statements do not always prove to be true, often serving as warnings rather than true predictions. These statements always address of the future. Nov-Nessus can only use this ability about a single subject once until that prediction has come to pass.
Nov-Nessus (The Stallion Anew)
Variant Centaur
Large Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (39hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Longsword +9 melee (2d6+6/19–20) or composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +7 ranged (2d6+4/x3)
Full Attack: Longsword +9 melee (2d6+6/19–20) and 2 hooves +4 melee (1d6+2), or composite longbow (+4 Str bonus) +7/+2 ranged (2d6+4/x3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Gaze of lust, poisoned blood
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., stargazer
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 19
Skills: Listen +4, Sneak +4, Spot +4, Survival +3
Feats: Ability Focus (Lustful Gaze, Poisonous Blood)
Environment: Any Temperate Land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +3
DESCRIPTION
“Teach you to see the stars? You do not even know how to look at women. You must be able to perceive what is beautiful about every woman you see. A lady is like a rose awaiting morning’s glory, to whose warmth she must also open herself. When a woman looks into your eyes she should be overwhelmed by the truth of the reflection of her beauty. When you can do this, then I will teach you to see the stars.” Excerpt from Beautiful Beasts by Nov-Nessus the Centaur as transcribed by Bryeep of Harrowdeep.
You see a massive creature with the lower body of a roan-colored horse and with the upper torso and limbs of a man, but you are surprised to find that its head is also that of a horse.
I have a fine physique; being much larger than most of my cousins, I stand slightly over eight of your feet high and weigh just about 2,200 stones. In my youth, a great godling hero killed me with a poisoned arrow while making away with his abandoned wife. However, she later secretly had me resurrected so that she could keep me as her lover. I found that my rebirth and the hands of the Worldsmith had caused the stars of my life to change.
Men have called me a rake, speaking ill of me, saying I use foul and dark forms of Elan (magic) to corrupt the minds of women. I use nothing more than the gifts the Worldsmith gave me. If your wife leaves you, it is because you have ignored her, ridiculed her, or brutalized her. Though I love women, I love the stars even more. My greatest passion is the fire and ice that lies in the night sky. I can see the course of the future set in the stars, but the stars do not force me to speak, much less speak the truth of it.
I have killed men men the most famous of was the Young Lion of Ka-Rone, so certain his victory against the dragon Phaphnir was written in the heavens, he took his death as a great suprise. I took his young wife to my mountain retreat to console her.
I can speak Common and Sylvan.
COMBAT
Nov-Nessus employs a lance that deals double damage when he charges, just as a rider on a mount does.
Lustful Gaze (Su): Nov-Nessus can excite lust and desire in any female who looks into his eyes within a range of 30 feet. These females must succeed on a Will save (DC 17) or fall instantly under the Nov-Nessus’s influence as though by a dominate person or suggestion spell (Nov-Nessus’s choice, caster level 12th). If a female is married, the DC increases to 19. The DC of the saving throw is Charisma-based.
Poisonous Blood (Ex): Contact, Fortitude DC 21, initial and secondary effect as the confusion spell (caster level 12th). The save DC is Constitution-based. Nov-Nessus has a +4 racial bonus to his poisonous blood. If damaged by a melee slashing weapon all those within 5’ must make a successful Reflex save (DC 17) to avoid contact. Nov-Nessus’s blood retains this quality even after his death. Rumors persist that Nov-Nessus is considering poisoning his own arrows with his blood but he has not done so at this time.
Stargazer (Ex): By reading the proper alignment, position and omens of the heavens, Nov-Nessus gains a mystical insight into the world. He must make a Wisdom check DC 15. If he’s successful, Nov-Nessus makes three statements on the subject at hand. However, Nov-Nessus does not believe in a set future, he believes these statements describe what is likely to happen, not what will happen. So, these statements do not always prove to be true, often serving as warnings rather than true predictions. These statements always address of the future. Nov-Nessus can only use this ability about a single subject once until that prediction has come to pass.
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