Production Update: Getting There!
over 8 years ago – Thu, Aug 03, 2017 at 03:18:32 PM

Brushgather Farm, the single largest component of the book and a ~120-page standalone adventure unto itself, is nearing completion.  The large, four-story house is entirely finished, and the much-more-enormous, three-level basement is about 80% done as well.  I hope to finish it by end of this week.

Next week should see the start, and completion, of the comparatively straightforward Watchspire, a setting kind of structure that is repeated throughout western Aquilae.

From there, it'll be full-steam on the post-cataclysm structures outside of the city.  These are beautifully detailed, darkly atmospheric maps (I'm a bit partial, heh), but the fact that the citizenry has been ravaged by evil and the population decimated will make these structures relatively straightforward to flesh out in a rapid manner.  To offset the relative simplicity, I'll sprinkle in Quests throughout; I've already added on a few.

Onward!

Preview: Quadded Challenges
over 8 years ago – Fri, Jul 28, 2017 at 01:52:12 PM

To wrap up the week, here are some preview Quadded Challenges.  Challenge is a general term for anything that requires a non-combat check--doors, locks, jumps, falls, social or conversational challenges, that sort of thing.

Here are two versions: One is "non-quadded", meaning PCs of any level experience the same situation.  The other is quadded, meaning that depending on the difficulty level band of the PCs, they experience an easier or more difficult version of the challenge.

This isn't rocket science; most doors, for example, simply up the DC by 2 for each band.  However there are cases where the nature of the challenge encountered changes, as well as slightly upping the check value required to defeat.

Preview: Quadded Treasure
over 8 years ago – Tue, Jul 25, 2017 at 01:48:04 PM

Another new feature coming to Berinncorte Basecamp that represents an improvement over Dark Obelisk 1: Quadded Treasure.

Here's an example.  The format allows for two types of treasure: Common Treasure and Quadded Treasure.

Common Treasure is marked with all four Variable Difficulty badges, and is there regardless of what level the PCs are.

Quadded Treasure is split out, reflecting the iteration of treasure that is found depending on the Variable Difficulty band the PCs are when they happen upon it.

The Hallway Chest example below contains both.  Specifically, PCs of any level will find the identical journal book; further treasure is also found and its contents and value depend on how skilled the party is.

 Onward with more content writing!  Book is up to 733 pages and growing.

Preview: Quadded Traps
over 8 years ago – Mon, Jul 24, 2017 at 06:54:48 PM

Significant progress; the Brushgather Farm standalone adventure chapter is about 50% complete and consists of many of the neatest maps in the book.

Here's an example of a new feature in IGS books, which premieres in Berinncorte Basecamp: Quadded Traps.

All this means is that each trap gets Quadded Statblocks.  Meaning, every trap has four descriptions, each scaled for a different level of variable difficulty, roughly equating to PC character levels 1, 6, 10, and 14, though there's a great deal of flexibility in there.

This is just like every NPC and monster that's been in our books from the beginning, but now, based on feedback and reviews, the intent is to have the same approach for traps, some skill checks, and locks.

So without further ado, here's a pretty standard poison needle trap, Quadded out (Pathfinder rules system version of the book):

Preview: Prose from the Gates
over 8 years ago – Fri, Jul 21, 2017 at 02:05:49 PM

Terror & Fear: Opposing Forces

One might reasonably ask why a population fleeing a situation like that within the city would end up so close to it—after all, wouldn’t it make more sense to run farther away from the thing you’re afraid of?

There are two forces at work here: terror, and fear.

Terror is the immediate threat, the burned-in vision of neighbors and colleagues being torn apart by demons, and the physical wounds that are still healing. This is what has caused the flight from the city to any other place of save haven. 

Fear, however, is what keeps the battered citizenry close to their home: monsters from the city have in some cases found their way out, and are roaming the countryside. To venture too far afield might mean running into them, and having zero support structure to call upon. 

So while it might drive some to madness, and many may question whether a better choice may be possible, for the time being, at least, the population dwells right outside the city walls. 

Nightly, they hear sounds of the horrors within wage further destruction upon their former home. Daily, they question their sanity, and second-guess the decision. 

But uprooting and moving elsewhere seems unthinkable. To leave their home would mean truly giving up on it, to admit defeat, and to recognize that things will never return to normal. 

There’s a certain inertia in near-term defeat, a glum resignedness to the status quo, that has permeated the hearts of those huddled in the muddy shadows about the base of their onetime place of safety.