3rd Party 4e if anyone's interested...

[Asbestos]

Dias Ex Machina/Goodman Games released the followup to 'Amethyst: Foundations' (http://www.goodman-games.com/4370preview.html) which, if anyone recalls, is their seriously tweaked 4e setting where parties can run around blasting goblins (or 'Pugs' as the nearest Amethyst equivalent would be) with machine guns and grenades.

The followup is Amethyst: Evolution and is currently on sale in PDF form at RPGNow. I'm still thumbing through (scrolling through?) my copy, but it seems like a solid followup. All the races/classes have alternate options available so that they fit with the Essentials style (:smallyuk: but still nice to have new options) and there are several new races (including magically up-lifted grizzly bears) and a new class (usable by both magical and non-magical parties, its a lot like the brawler version of the Fighter in terms of what it does) and new weapons, armor, etc. All the stuff you'd expect in a solid splat book. It also has all the errata for the first book in it. Only downside is that I think they reused some of their artwork (which is fantastic) in the same book (like, a particular illustration shows up twice in the book)

So, just thought people would like to know...

[DiasExMachina]

I knew we were going to be repeating images between traditional classes and essentials classes. I needed to figure out how to break up the text without paying for more art. SO...the first thing we did is flip the images around. But that still wasn't enough. SO, if you look at the Marshal and Operator, you will notice...they ALSO have goatees.

And you know a goatee makes completely a different person.

(like Spock in Mirror, Mirror)

Am I really that old?

:)

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/225847_203898432979390_118810444821523_492307_8065 733_n.jpg

[Starsinger]

Oh that's cool, I really liked Amethyst. My only issue was the (easily house ruled away) part where you can't really have a functioning mixed party. I'll have to check this out.

[DiasExMachina]

Evolution is meant to address that. ;)

Check out the previews.

[ninja_penguin]

Neat, can you get ahold of an actual physical book at all as well? I'm happy to see Evolutions has finally released, but it's a pain for me to read pdfs.

I'm also really waiting to take a look at UltraModern4 and Neuros..pasta? Whatever the cyberpunky looking one was.

[Asbestos]

Neat, can you get ahold of an actual physical book at all as well? I'm happy to see Evolutions has finally released, but it's a pain for me to read pdfs.

I'm also really waiting to take a look at UltraModern4 and Neuros..pasta? Whatever the cyberpunky looking one was.

The pdf is on sale until the physical book is released. I think that the pdf is sort of a 'soft opening' and any major errors found will be corrected before the book is printed (Which supposedly should be soon).


The cyberpunk one is NeuroSpasta (I know, I keep seeing 'pasta' in there too).

I'd wager that 'DiasExMachina' is the admin over at the DEM forums... considering he posted the exact same thing to a comment I made over there :smalltongue:

And, as I said over there, I hadn't noticed that the images were inverted, much less the goatee. But, in fact, the 'Alternate Marshal' sports an evil-twin goatee.




Edit: I believe the previews for Evolution can be found here:
http://www.diasexmachina.com/Games-Amethyst-Evolution.htm

[DiasExMachina]

The pdf is on sale until the physical book is released. I think that the pdf is sort of a 'soft opening' and any major errors found will be corrected before the book is printed (Which supposedly should be soon).

That.




I'd wager that 'DiasExMachina' is the admin over at the DEM forums... considering he posted the exact same thing to a comment I made over there :smalltongue:


If you can't plagiarize yourself, who can you plagiarize?



And, as I said over there, I hadn't noticed that the images were inverted, much less the goatee. But, in fact, the 'Alternate Marshal' sports an evil-twin goatee.

Edit: I believe the previews for Evolution can be found here:
http://www.diasexmachina.com/Games-Amethyst-Evolution.htm

Yeah, although the chins are covered up by the Operator and Marshal, so we couldn't do that with them. :)

Oh, and I was actually talking about the preview at our RPGNow page. It's more accurate...

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=93001

[ninja_penguin]

I guess if you're looking for errors: What's the difference in 4e between an opportunity action and an immediate action? I'm trying to figure out how the Improved Area of Denial Feat works with the Alternate-essentials style grounder, and their extra immediate actions per turn.

[Kurald Galain]

I guess if you're looking for errors: What's the difference in 4e between an opportunity action and an immediate action?
You get one immediate action per round, and one opportunity action per turn (and you can use neither on your own turn).

[DiasExMachina]

To stress what Kurald Galain said...

Outside of your turn, you get only one immediate action per round. Opportunity attacks are once per enemy turn.

This means with area denial, where originally, you could only hit one target per use of the power, with the Improved Area Denial feat, you can use the power once per target that enters the zone. Now, how does this help the essentials grounder?

It doesn't....because the feat is meant to be used with the traditional grounder that doesn't get additional immediate actions with his class. :)

[ninja_penguin]

It doesn't....because the feat is meant to be used with the traditional grounder that doesn't get additional immediate actions with his class. :)

Ah-hah, good to know. You e-mailed one of my players a playtest pdf and I've been running it for them. Mercifully, I don't have to tell the Alternate gunslinger stalker that he has to give up his Mobile Motor Suit; Also good to know that they'll probably more or less keep the same feats.

I like that you guys added some actual feat support to explosives, although I think they're still a little lackluster, especially compared to the hilarious amounts of firepower that three brothers of blood standing next to each other can toss out.

[DiasExMachina]

I guess that means they will also pick up the Team epic destiny as well. :)

[ninja_penguin]

Oh dead gods, that's a lot.

On a side note, in the copy of the pdf I've got, you've got two Chapter 3s: Origins and Decisions.

[MeeposFire]

To stress what Kurald Galain said...

Outside of your turn, you get only one immediate action per round. Opportunity attacks are once per enemy turn.

This means with area denial, where originally, you could only hit one target per use of the power, with the Improved Area Denial feat, you can use the power once per target that enters the zone. Now, how does this help the essentials grounder?

It doesn't....because the feat is meant to be used with the traditional grounder that doesn't get additional immediate actions with his class. :)

Opportunity actions are on every turn in a round (except during your own turn) in a round, not just enemy turns. It just seems like that since it happens more often on an enemy's turn. For instance playing a knight adjacent to an enemy who is adjacent to your wizard friend. Your wizard casts magic missile, this provokes an opportunity attack from an enemy, that provokes an opportunity attack from the knight on the wizard's turn.

[Asbestos]

Oh dead gods, that's a lot.

On a side note, in the copy of the pdf I've got, you've got two Chapter 3s: Origins and Decisions.
I seem to be the only person that didn't notice that (well, me and the initial editors)

Someone posted this on the DEM forum as well, so it should be fixed in time for the print edition (and the pdf should eventually be updated)