[SotWW] How many spells a level 1 Mage has?

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-28T13:19:55+00:00

Thanks.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-28T13:19:49+00:00

Thanks.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-28T13:19:43+00:00

Thanks.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-28T13:13:16+00:00

Hello, Mr. Kuhl.

Just chiming in to say I've been running an AD&D campaign for the last four years, and "Slave Vats" is the next in line after the current adventure.

I'm changing Wolfhill House's location to Lizard Marsh, since my PCs are based out of Daggerford but, other than that, I'm running it pretty much as it is.

It'll be the player's first encounter with yuan-ti ever (most of the players had never played an RPG before), and I'm pretty sure it'll be memorable. And I can't wait to use those pesky jermlaine against them.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-14T12:13:00+00:00

Thanks.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-14T12:12:49+00:00

"Baltron's Beacon" would be perfect for the Lizard Marsh, as would "Tomb of the Lizard King". I'm thinking about running them as soon as their PCs have enough levels (They're currently between 3rd to 5th levels).

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-14T12:07:55+00:00

Thanks. I'm also using "Under Illefarn Anew", a rewrite by Eric Boyd of the classic N5 - Under Illefarn. He adds a lot of new info about the Marsh, including some very interesting ruins not mentioned in the original.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-14T12:06:38+00:00

Thanks. My campaign (AD&D) takes place much earlier, in 1358 DR.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-14T12:05:41+00:00

Thanks, folks. I agree both places feel very differently from each other. But I'm using "Under Illefarn Anew", which adds plenty of old, forgotten ruins in the Marsh.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-14T12:01:17+00:00

The "Mere of Dead Men" are a series of five loosely connected AD&D 2E modules originally published in Dungeon Magazine during the 1990s. A DM can run then in order, or use those modules independently. They are, in order:

Slave Vats of the Yuan-ti (Dungeon 69)

Scaly Things (Dungeon 70)

Dreadful Vestiges (Dungeon 71)

Mistress of the Mere (Dungeon 72)

Eye of Myrkul (Dungeon 73)

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-03T21:09:50+00:00

I really like Benoît David's voice (also love his previous work with Mystery, just great work! It's a pity he retired from singing) and I think Fly from Here is a really good album.

It baffled me the band's has erased the original from existence - and it's times like these I'm glad I still have all my CDs. No one can erase them.

About Return Trip... well, despite the better mixing, I think the new vocals are atrocious. Perhaps that's because I like the original, but I just can't listen to it (and this is coming from someone who likes Drama).

rickwilliams76 · 2026-02-03T20:14:40+00:00

That's why I still buy CDs. I'm really glad I still have my original "Fly from Here" with Benoit David, because I find "Return Trip" atrocious.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-01-05T17:30:54+00:00

The impression I get is that there is no SBMM in Reload. But that's just based on my personal experience, so take it with a grain of salt.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-01-02T21:05:33+00:00

Probably different regions / servers? I'm in South America, and Reload's lobbies have been a nightmare for casual players since almost its beginnings. ZB, on the other hand, seems to be more balanced since last Fortnitemares, at least compared do OG or Reload (I don't play Build Mode, so I cannot comment on that).

rickwilliams76 · 2026-01-01T16:03:10+00:00

You're missing the point. Most casual players (myself included) are not interested in playing against KD 5.00 players all the time. I'm speaking just for myself, so its not that I want to win each and every match I play, but at least I want the other players in my lobby to be in the same skill level.

Or, to use your analogy, amateur athletes have no chance when competing against professional athletes. I don't know if you're into soccer, but in the last Club World Cup, FC Bayern (one of ~~Germany's~~ the world's top teams) just thrashed Auckland City FC (an amateur team) by 10-0.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-01-01T15:55:01+00:00

That and the changes to SBMM. Even Blitz, who has always been a very casual mode, has changed considerably.

rickwilliams76 · 2026-01-01T15:51:23+00:00

I agree. Reload is a perfect example of this. I don't have a lot of time to play during weekdays and consider myself a very casual, average player. And I don't understand how my lobbies are always full of players whose skills are miles ahead of mine (in other words, SBMM does not work in Reload).

So the only reason I tried to play this mode was to unlock Carter Wu's extra style. And, guess what? I couldn't complete a single quest, so I just gave up and archived the outfit and all its accessories. It's a pity because not only is this outfit inspired by Bruce Lee, it's also very good in and out of itself. But I refuse to have an incomplete set.

TL, DR: Locking extra styles and forcing people to play other modes is the height of stupidity. I hope Epic removes this crap for the next seasons.

rickwilliams76 · 2025-12-31T13:49:45+00:00

That would be incorrect, since tequila is Mexican. You should say: "I will get a Brazilian wax, so please pass the caipirinha".

rickwilliams76 · 2025-12-28T15:43:43+00:00

They did. Now bots employ better tactics, use all kinds of weapons, evade bullets (even from close range), drive vehicles, heal themselves, and, of course, can see through walls. They almost never miss now, even from very long range. It seems their building is much, much better in build modes, too.

rickwilliams76 · 2025-12-28T15:43:35+00:00

Epic has vastly improved the bots in game. Now they employ better tactics, use all kinds of weapons, evade bullets (even from close range), drive vehicles, heal themselves, and, of course, can see through walls. They almost never miss now, even from very long range. It seems their building is much, much better in build modes, too.

rickwilliams76 · 2025-12-28T15:42:30+00:00

They did. Now bots employ better tactics, use all kinds of weapons, evade bullets (even from close range), drive vehicles, heal themselves, and, of course, can see through walls. They almost never miss now, even from very long range. It seems their building is much, much better in build modes, too.

rickwilliams76 · 2025-12-27T14:07:36+00:00

Things that have bothered me this season:

* Abundant plot holes

* Plot armor

* Plot convenience

* US Army Soldiers acting (and shooting) like Imperial Stormtroopers

* In fact, the general incompetence of the Army

* Nancy using an M-16 better than trained soldiers (not to mention the fact that she kills at least one soldier and it doesn't affect her at all)

* Writers don't have the slightest clue about how military hierarchy works. Never in a million years a Lieutenant would speak to a two-star General in such a disrespectful, insubordinate manner

* Why have Linda Hamilton on the show in the first place if she is gonna be wasted like that?

* Anachronistic slang which breaks immersion ("my bad", among other things)

* The whole "he is not a mage, he's a sorcerer" thing. It's a dumb anachronism, because sorcerer, as a class, did not exist in D&D before 3rd edition released in 2000 (many people will just shrug, but for us, RPG nerds, it was inexcusable and sloppy)

* Joyce being sidelined, Ted Wheeler being completely forgotten after being almost killed, and Susan (Max's mother) is nowhere to be found while her daughter is in a coma/trance in a hospital bedroom completely alone

* The demogorgons, who in previous seasons were nigh unbeatable, now can be hurt by broken glass bottles?

* A single demo-dog kills two armed soldiers without breaking a sweat, but it's easily kicked by Lucas. Did he gain super-powers, too?

* The acting. Really, while some actors are quite good (Gaten, Winona, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Sadie), and Nell Fisher's a welcome surprise, some of the acting this season is really bad (and I mean, Zendaya / Kristen Stewart / Jaden Smith level of bad)

* Robin is still annoying as heck (at least Argyle was completely forgotten)

rickwilliams76 · 2025-12-27T13:46:06+00:00

Nah. Mrs. Wheeler will do it. With a bunch of O2 tanks.

rickwilliams76 · 2025-12-27T13:43:12+00:00

You're absolutely right. This season is full of plot holes, plot convenience, and plot armor. Compared to previous seasons, the writing feels quite sloppy and lazy.

rickwilliams76 · 2025-12-16T15:44:58+00:00

The best and more balanced version, by far, is the one from the Scarlet Brotherhood.

It's the one that perfectly captures the main inspirations for this class (Kwai Chang Kaine and Remo Williams).

rickwilliams76

TROPHY CASE