Thursday, February 1, 2018

MY 100% SERIOUS D & D CHARACTER IDEAS 1-25!

My 100% Serious D & D Character Ideas 1-25

I have really invested in twitter lately as a way to interact with D & D community. My favorite contribution has been sharing character ideas! There simply aren't enough games for me to get to play every character I wanna play, so sharing these ideas is the next best thing!

Feel free to use any of these in your games!

#1
A small-sized clone of a medium-sized wizard.

#2 
A squirrel wizard that lives in the branches of a treefolk controlled by my friend.

#3
A toaster, an electric blanket, a radio, a lamp and/or a vacuum.

#4
A sleepy genius hero with a narcolepsy curse that always has the answer but the GM rolls a d20 every time he talks too long and at the beginning of every combat round to see if he passes out. 


#5 
A flying monkey looking for work after their last two bosses got crushed by a house and melted by a bucket of water.

#6 
A peasant named "Tongo Brungus" that somehow stumbled into becoming the highest ranked member of the adventurer's guild. He is proficient in pitchforks. He pretends he is an expert but is internally panicking 100% of the time. 

#7 
Magically conjoined twins: they share the same position in space-time but can't exist simultaneously. I'd swaps back and forth between female and male twins that share everything but have never met. 

#8 
A luck dragon who got his wish to experience a lifetime as a person. White hair, red eyes, and miraculous timing. (5e Variant Human with Lucky feat.)

#9 
An artificial adventurer who escaped from a model dungeon created by a beholder for his twisted amusement. He created sadistic challenges for them and, when they died, he puts them back together to reset for the next "game"

#10 
An prince exiled by his father... the invincible all-powerful evil overlord. He seeks to regain his father's favor or betray him to claim the throne. He fakes his identity and joins the heroes on their quest as a guide. 

#11 
In a game with a invincible evil overlord is an undead menace, his twin brother, who is also undead and scary, is actually a big sweetheart paladin who helps little old ladies cross the street and gets cats out of trees. 

#12 
A curious heroine who, as a child, stumbled upon a portal to a mad but wondrous fey kingdom. She visited it in her dreams and befriended the fey. But she grew up--the dreams stopped. She now seeks adventure and a way to return to her friends.

#13 
A prophecy foretells the evil overlord's death and mentions a dog. He has all of the dogs in the kingdom exterminated. To save his beloved dog, a wizard turns him into a human and raises him as his ward. Dog Knight is born!

#14
A tailor who adventures to see the fashions of the world and become a legendary designer. Fashion has to be more interesting in a high fantasy world: designers have access to magic, exotic materials, and the funding of fantasy villains.

#15
A dashing merfolk prince who has left the sea on a quest to prove his father wrong about humans. His father is Ao Guang, the legendary Loong-Wang (dragon king) of the East Sea, and the prince has hundreds of royal siblings

#16
A spellcaster tried to bypass divine powers to resurrect his mother using his father's research. He and his brother failed and paid dearly. He now quests to find his father and help his brother get his body back.

#17
 A talking pig. Maybe he was cursed by a witch or awakened by a farmer druid or from a land of fables and wants revenge on the big bad wolf. Or maybe just a witch with a pig familiar. Pigs!

#18
A godling who has been cast out of the heavens for his transgressions. He must prove himself worthy as a mortal, putting his life on the line, before he can regain his godhood. 

#19
A teddy bear awakened by a wish spell. He becomes an adventure when his owner is kidnapped, grows up or becomes an adventurer. Gods help you if you do anything to hurt his owner.

#20
The illegitimate child of the legendary hero. The hero had many lovers and love children before he became the king. Now, the bastard and a party of half-siblings is on a quest to get revenge or years of unpaid child support. Or maybe they're fighting over their father's inheritance?

#21
A ratfolk chimney sweep who becomes an adventurer to impress a female human/elf spellcaster he has fallen in love with. Bad cockney accent and all. Lucky feat at 4. Bard or rogue?

 #22
A sorcerer who specializes in fire and ice spells. His father is a legend but an abusive & demanding patriarch. Our hero seeks to forge his own identity and destiny separate from his father's selfish designs.

#23 
A young woman, Sophie, raised by her brothel-owning aunt wanted nothing more than to escape a common life. Women aren't allowed in the bard college, so she took to dating students to ply them for their books and teach herself.

Sophie practiced in a garden near the school. Her results were mediocre. A strangely handsome & enchanting fellow approached her and gave her some tips. He agreed to teach her but for a price: a kiss for each lesson. Reluctantly, she agreed to pay it.

The lessons went on throughout the summer and, while the fellow made Sophie uncomfortable, she showed progress. One day, the fellow revealed his true self: he was a fey noble and would soon be forced to return to the feywild before first leaf's fall of autumn.


The fey confessed that he had fallen in love Sophie. He asked her to come with him to continue her training in his palace, staying forever young, and to become his bride. Sophie declined his offer. She thanked him his help but she declined his offer. The fey's eyes became ice.
The fey noble enchanted Sophie and stole her away. He used his magicks to keep her under his control, marrying her against her will, and keeping her in a blissful and timeless haze as a prisoner in his palace. One day a small voice broke her walking dream.
A mouse had been living in her dresser and took pity on her. While she seemed happy in her waking hours, each night he heard her tossing, turning, screaming in her sleep. He broke the spell and begged her to escape before the fey lord knew his charm was broke. He knew.
The fey noble came into the room and stomped on the mouse. Sophie screamed in despair as he turned his icy eyes on her. Before he could cast his charm, Sophie counter-spelled. His ice turned to flame but she had learned. She spoke his true name. She injured him. She then ran.

The way back to the portal was all confusion but her heart knew the way. She returned to the material plane. It was summer's end but the garden was gone. It hadn't been days, weeks, months, seasons, years-- it had been a century. Sophie had escaped her common life.

Now what?
#24 
An awakened gelatinous cube. She wants to hug everything but is made of acid.

#25 
Vainglory the Unicorn was once a legend but has become a spoiled jerk. He is punished by a vengeful fey queen to learn humility and grace. Vainglory must prove himself to regain his place in the fey court.

For more of these ideas and other random musings, check out https://twitter.com/Imple_Jr

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

MY BEST GAMES OF E3 2017 LIST!

I want to start by saying I decided to skip grading the conferences. I didn't really get a chance to watch any of them in totality between my great grandmother's passing and my niece's birth. I did have time to watch the trailers and a lot of the conferences and so I decided to be a "Best Of" instead.

Here are my general thoughts about this E3 before I award my picks for "best of" in a number of categories:

This year wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing either. The conferences didn't have a ton of weird or amazing moments, there were very few brand new IPs shown off, and the announcements, except for a few exceptions, were subdued. My biggest disappointments were Bethesda not announcing a new Elder Scrolls or new ip ("Please buy Skyrim and Fallout 4 again!") and several games that were missing-in-action (Last of Us, Shenmue 3, Final Fantasy 7, etc.) That said, what we go instead of spectacle, were a lot of new games for 2017-2019 (2020 and beyond for Square Enix games). In fact, there were so many games that it was difficult to narrow things to a top ten list like I've done in the past. What did you think? Let me know but here goes my picks for the best games!!!

Remember: These are my opinions. They are not yours. Your opinions are valid. And, if you don't like it....


BY GENRE

BEST ACTION


"Bright Lord! Dark Lord! Same thing really!"

I really enjoyed Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. It really scratched my "stealth and combat open world" game itch and the nemesis system gave the game a unique characteristic that kept me engaged for the whole campaign. When combined with the world of Tolkein, the best open world mechanics of Assassin's Creed/Far Cry, and the combat/stealth system of the Batman:Arkham series and you've got a winning combination. The sequel looks even more interesting with the conquest mechanics and the orcs and troll characters are even more interesting!

Runner-Ups: Crackdown 3, Day's Gone, God of War, Spider-Man, & Assassin's Creed: Origins

Terry Crews should be a fun addition to Crackdown but I need to see more of the game's comedy in-game, Day's Gone is the most interesting zombie game in a world where I am sick of zombie games, God of War's combat system never really grabbed me (but this game's story does), Spider-Man was gorgeous but very QTE heavy and Assassins' Creed is Asassins' Creed--but seriously the setting looks cool!

They all look fun!

BEST ADVENTURE


This game has a ton of potential to be a big break-out hit for co-op fun: puzzle solving, exploration, dungeon delving, ship-to-ship combat, and skullduggery of varying degrees that just looks like it will result in a lot of memorable moments. It remains to be seen the exact scope of the game but this looks more exciting every year and had me and my friends talking!

Runner-Ups: Detroit: Becoming Human & Ashen & Shadow of the Colossus remake

Detroit: Becoming Human looks like it could tell a great story but, admittedly, I was hoping we'd get to see more of the android detective character from last year's preview. Ashen looks promising for co-op dungeon-delving but I felt like I saw about as much as I saw last year. And Shadow of the Colossus remake looks brilliant and much more compelling than another "HD remastering".

BEST FIGHTING GAME


I am by no means a fighting game aficionado (my favorite fighting game series is Smash Bros.) but this game looks most likely to see play among me and my friends. I love Dragon Ball Z and I think we've all been waiting for a new take on the DBZ fighter. The beautiful animation reminds me of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm a bit and that's a good thing.

Runner-Ups: Pokken Tournament DX

I've never had a chance to play Pokken but, like I said, I am not a big fighting game fan. So, please, bail me out if you guys know better than me about this category!

BEST PLATFORMER


I love 3D Mario games, from the classic Super Mario 64 to the masterful Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 to the multiplayer fun of Super Mario 3D World and, besides Breath of the Wild, this is the most anticipated Nintendo Switch since launch. The gameplay gimmick in this mario, besides returning to a classic open-world style 3D platformer, is the mario hat mechanic that allows him to possess enemies in the game to temporarily overcome obstacles and discover secrets and it looks absolutely fun.

Runner-Ups: Cuphead, Kirby, Yoshi & Super Lucky's Tale

Cuphead was announced in 2014. I talked about it in my last E3 article. I want it.

Kirby and Yoshi look cute! Between the two: I am more interested in Kirby since I still haven't played thru my Yoshi's Yarn on Wii-U but I hope that the co-op Kirby action, which looks fun, is also challenging. Super Lucky's Tale looks like a fun new ip that I can't wait to get on my Xbox One when it releases because there aren't enough platformers!

BEST RPG


So, there was no Final Fantasy 7 this year BUT we got a surprise in the form of a completely new Monster Hunter game coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC! This really came out of left field for fans expecting to hear about Monster Hunter XX coming out on Switch instead but it might be the first Monster Hunter game I ever get to play and my friends can play too! The graphics are gorgeous, the monster design looks great and it honestly looks like a cool experience! I dunno but this trailer is really exhilarating!

You guys ever played Monster Hunter? You wanna play it with me?


I really enjoyed South Park: The Stick of Truth and I'm sure I will enjoyed Fractured But Whole because Mysterion & The Coon episodes are some of the funniest and most memorable episodes in recent years. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 looks like a clutch RPG for the Switch. Kingdom Hearts 3 still has no release date (will it ever) but the trailer looks like a lot of convoluted fun!

BEST SHOOTER


Star Wars Battle Front II (2017) had a hill to climb to become one of my most anticipated games of 2017: Battlefront (2015) was a lot of fun but had limited content because most of the content was stuck behind a $60 season pass. This killed the longevity of the game for myself and a lot of other players because I didn't want to pay double to get the whole experience. This time they've promised to have free DLC, fix the way vehicle combat and power pick-ups work, and brought back classes to the game series.

And the game looks BEAUTIFUL!

Runner-Ups: Call of Duty: WWII, Farcry 5, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, Metro: Exodus, Anthem

There is a lot to unpack here:

Call of Duty WWII will be the first Call of Duty game I've allowed myself to get excited for in years. I got Black Ops III but I didn't really enjoy it that much and I jumped off the franchise with Black Ops 2. My favorite Call of Duty games are Modern Warfare and Black Ops but this game looks like it'll be a blast for me to play with my buddies as it takes us back to World at War.

I'll get Far Cry 5 even if it will probably be a newly reskinned, formulaic open-world game where I climb to the top of towers, clear and take over enemy territory, and look forward to getting to meet the latest charismatic psychopath that Ubisoft presents me.

I still haven't played Wolfenstein: New Order but its in my short-list of back-logged games after MGS 5 and Undertale.

Metro Exodus looks really cool but I am doubtful that the reveal trailer is in-game due to the slickness of the animations. Still, it was one of the most atmospheric games presented in show and I wanna check it out.

Anthem looks like Destiny and Mass Effect had a baby and, unfortunately, I'm not super into that idea but I will be keep an eye on it as it develops.

And to all the alt-right piss-babies out there getting salty over a games where you kill Nazis and cult members:




CONSOLE EXCLUSIVES

BEST XBOX ONE EXCLUSIVE


While a lot of my friends felt Xbox One had the best conference, the fact that a pirate game that hinges on the amount of content (I'm a little worried it won't be deep as the beautiful oceans in the gameplay videos), I was left less impressed. They had the most games BUT most of them weren't truly exclusive and they didn't have a lot of the games that blew me away this year. I will probably get my xbox live gold up and running again soon, but I am a little concerned about the future of the console if they don't invest in more exciting big budget exclusive IPs.

Runner-Ups: Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Cuphead, Ashen

I still haven't played Ori but I hear good things. The trailer looks beautiful.


BEST PS4 EXCLUSIVE


God of War's latest trailer blew me away: last year's reveal caught my interest with the premise of an older Kratos trying to protect his son and getting involved in the politics/war/machinations of the Norse gods. I'm a big fan of Norse mythology and, while I haven't played as much God of War as I'd like, the series was fun. But this year? This trailer had a big surprise: Kratos isn't a dumb, vengeful and ultraviolent creep anymore. He is Dad of War. The moment at the end of the trailer where he drops his weapon into the sea, all hope is lost, and Jormungandr rises from the depths would usually mean Kratos is about to get involved in a giant boss battle. Instead? Kratos's son, who acts his translator throughout much of the game, tells him the world serpent wants to help them. This is an experience I am hyped for.

And I don't own a PS4 but it's about time. I feel like Xbox One doesn't support first party single-player experiences and Sony does.

Runner-Ups: Detroit: Becoming Human, Spider-Man, Day's Gone

BEST NINTENDO EXCLUSIVE


I gotta talk about Mario again? Well...

I also really like the variety of worlds, the looks of enemies-- from the Easter Island heads from Super Mario Land to the Rabbit bosses-- and the music! The jazzier mario game sountrackss get, THE BETTER! The new amiibos look cool too. Speaking of which:


The Metroid and Zelda amiibos are particularly welcome as I am just glad they didn't announce four more Link amiibos!


Runner-Ups: Kirby, Yoshi, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fire Emblem Warriors

I haven't talked about Fire Emblem Warriors yet! I enjoyed Hyrule Warriors so, if there is a gap in my gaming schedule, I will probably pick up Fire Emblem Warriors for a little grindy action although I'm sure we'd all prefer a main series Fire Emblem on the Switch.

I think Nintendo would've won E3 is they had extended their direct/conference and added some demos in there but they definitely got the most hype coming out of the convention.

On a side note, I think EA was boring until Star Wars showed up, Bethesda's conference was disappointing and, to everyone's surprise, Ubisoft kinda knocked it out of the park this year, especially by ending with...

BIGGEST ANNOUNCEMENTS


Beyond Good & Evil 2 caught everybody by surprise: the franchise seemed dead after no news in almost a decade. Then, this trailer is dropped at the end of Ubisoft's conference, and we're all left gob-smacked by beautifully animated cinematic with cursing pig crime bosses, cheeky monkey thieves, and a badass afro chick on a hover-bike. This game looks lit!

Runner-Ups: Xbox One X,  Metroid Prime 4 & Pokemon Core RPG for Switch

Xbox One X looks great for hobbyists but I don't think it is essential unless you absolutely need 4K gaming. That said: it is great for that market. The two surprise announcements from Nintendo's conference was the single frame of Metroid Prime 4, which somehow overshadowed the whole event for a lot of fans who never thought this day would come, and the assurance that, despite not talking about in the recent Pokemon direct, that Game Freak IS working on a core Pokemon RPG for the Switch console. Crazy stuff.

BEST WTF MOMENTS


The rumors and leaks for this game were hard to believe BUT, the closer we got to E3, the reality of this unlikely crossover between a cringey Wii era Rayman spin-off and Nintendo's plucky plumber became increasingly real. Even more surprising than announcement of this game was that Miyamoto himself showed up at the Ubisoft conference and this, followed by a game that looks like a delightful remix of XCOM, turned the entire reception of the game from "you can't be serious" to "I can't believe I am considering buying it?!"

Runner-Up: Final Fantasy XV: Monsters of the Deep 

A VR fishing game spin-off of Final Fantasy would be an April Fool's joke but it is 2017 and every day is a joke. It looks fun.

BEST GAME IN SHOW


I couldn't stop smiling for 2 minutes. That's all folks.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

MIXED BAG. PRE-E3 2017: Dreams & Predictions


Salutacions, mis amigos. This isn't so much a comeback as I wanted to speculate and hype myself up a little bit when it comes to this year's E3 and this is the easiest way for me to share my excitement without annoying every person I know. I've been in a weird gaming rut in a couple years but, since Breath of the Wild's release and the general glut of cool games in 2017, I have been a little more optimistic about this being the start of a new gaming golden age. Yes, despite the fact that last year I was pretty beat down by year after year of tired franchises, micro transactions, pre-order bonuses, over-priced HD re-releases and collector's editions, pay-to-win, bad RNG, open world multiplayer games and all the other nonsense that plagues the industry at the moment, I want to try to get excited about this year's e3. I think there is gonna be a lot of exciting news.

 Before that, a short recap of all things I've done since I put the blog on indefinite hiatus to focus on other projects:



Just kidding. I've been writing a lot of content for 1-2 Dungeons and Dragons supplement books, playing tons of Dungeons and Dragons & Overwatch, I'm gonna be an uncle within a week, I'm still working at my deadbeat job but hey I'm in a better place than 2015-2016! Plus check out these awesome cosplays I did last summer at Anime Blues Con:

I feel pretty good at the moment. Now... ON TO THE SHOW!