Common Side-Effects of Imperfect Potions for the RPG Blogger Carnival

If regeneration effect lasts more than four hours please contact your local cleric.

Did you ever think about what happens when an Alchemist doesn't brew that potion just right? Maybe his or her measurements were just a tad off. Sure, the potion looks and smells exactly right, but maybe it's just a little off. Maybe, just maybe, the potion you're drinking might have some nasty side effects. Everyone knows that the side effects of the medicine may often be worse than the disease. Recently we saw the return of Skryim to the video gaming scene. It's one of my all-time favorite games, in fact it's the only game I've ever gotten 100% completion on. It took about 250 hours to accomplish that, but then they came out with bloody DLC. As I went on this little trip down memory lane I recalled some of the good times that I had making potions. The system for crafting potions in Skyrim is quite fascinating and I think Dungeons and Dragons could learn a lot from it. Here's a nifty little guide to potions and alchemy in Skyrim for those who aren't educated in such things (I don't have the lists memorized or anything, because that would be creepy).

Perhaps you can surmise the topic of this month's RPG Blogger's Carnival. I used to participate in the event pretty regularly way back when. I thought to myself the other day, I wonder if that's still going on; it sure was! What better way to get back to the RPG Blogging world than to throw in my two cents for this month's carnival as well. Get my take on the subject after the jump.

Dumping Compatibility, A lesson in de-optimization

I was browsing the new posts of the other bloggers on the network and i found a fantastic one that i think people should read.

Is Making Compatibility a Dump Stat Really Necessary? by Exchange of Realities
http://exchangeofrealities.today.com/2009/06/25/is-making-compatibility-a-dump-stat-really-necessary/?comment=new#comment-27034

He makes a great point. There are things as a player you shouldn't do. The above is one of them. It kind of makes me want to start a series on de-optimizing your group as examples of things that you shouldn't sacrifice to have a better time, because when you sacrifice them, everyone suffers.

The Dump Stat Joins the Ranks!

Hello to all the followers and fellow members of the RPG Bloggers Network. The Dump Stat has been granted admission into your auspicious ranks. I’m proud to now be a member of this esteemed network. I hope that I can add my 2 cents to the communal thought pool.

When I initially started developing the dump stat, my goal was to provide a source for information for both DM’s and Player’s, which could be used to maximize the fun you have around the game table. I’m trying to keep away from commenting on the actions of Wizards of the Coast, but every once and a while something will come up on my blog about them.

I really think that the community of Dungeons and Dragons is the driving force behind 4th Edition. The Wizards forums are a great source for discussing game concepts and homebrew, so I’m on the forums looking around a lot. When I find something interesting, you’ll often find links to it on my blog,

I’ve got a great line-up of planned articles coming up. I’ll be finishing my series on Druid Tech before delving into other technological power sources and how they fit into Dungeons and Dragons 4e. I will also be posting some of the results for the WotC forums contests: Hero Artisan, Hero Craftsman, Expert Dungeon Master, and Master Dungeon Master, which I am often a participant in, but rarely a winner of anything. I’ll be talking about my entries as well as the winning ones from the recent contests. I am also currently doing a guest spot on Stargazer’s World, my current weekly series called the “Gamer in Japan” details the time I spent in Tokyo and how it affected my pen-and-paper RPG adventures. Following that I will be doing a series on “World Building the Japanese Way;” this column will discuss Japanese themes and how they can be used effectively to create a splendid world of fantasy regardless of setting or time period.

Finally, I will be posting chapters from the nearly completed novel I’ve been working on inspired in part by a D20 Modern game I’ve been running for a while, set around the Japanese underground and crime world of the Yakuza. I will also be posting character fiction and back stories for several of the characters in my gaming group as well as my past and present characters.

I hope that everyone can enjoy these articles. I am glad to be able to share my thoughts on the hobby with people from around the world and I would really love to hear people’s comments and criticism for anything I post up here on the blog.

Looking forward to a wonderful new relationship.

-Shinobicow