Thursday, September 27
As Gray and Cold as Stone - Part 8a: A Restless Night
Kham dusted himself off. “From what I was able to find, Adolphos val’Tensen made a deal with your father to reject your hand in marriage. Basically, it was a ploy to say no to the Emperor without publicly dishonoring your family.”
“Katticus…” said Ilmarė.
Elandre’s eyes narrowed and her lips curled angrily. “So, father would use me as a pawn in his political games, would he?”
“But then I suppose you knew that already,” continued Kham.
“Katticus…” said Quintus.
Elandre resumed stalking up and down the parlor floor. “Dangle me as bait to keep the Emperor happy, hoping to snatch me away before the jaws close on me?”
“I mean, Roderick would have to be an idiot to marry you. Going along with the marriage is tantamount to a hostile takeover.”
“Kham!” shouted Ilmarė. “Roderick went through with the proposal!”
Kham coughed into one fist. “Oh.” [MORE]
Labels: arcanis
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Friday, September 21
Bob's Quick Guide to the Apostrophe, You Idiots
God bless Bob.
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Game Review: Overlord
When I found out that Overlord was a cross between Dungeon Keeper (where you get to play the bad guy in a fantasy world) and Pikmin (where you get to control different colored carrot people in quests), I was sold. [MORE]
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DVD Review: The Bourne Supremacy
Bourne Supremacy feels more like an episode in a series than a movie. Bourne fans won't be disappointed, but the rest of us will have to wait until the third installment comes out on DVD to see Bourne develop beyond an amnesiac killing machine. [MORE]
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As Gray and Cold as Stone - Part 7: Meet the Parents
Kham got a quick glimpse of Acastus’ reaching for the statue of Illiir. He tapped it once and it glowed with the brilliance of daylight. Then he ducked down again to avoid being seen.
The door closed behind them. As soon as it was closed, Acastus snarled at Roderick. “What treachery is this, boy? Your father and I had an agreement!”
Kham hung from the windowsill by his fingertips.
“Yes m’lord,” said Roderick, nervous. “And believe me, I had every intention of rejecting your offer, just as my father instructed.”
It was cold outside. Kham’s arms were beginning to hurt.
“Then what in Illiir’s name happened?”
Kham made the mistake of looking down at the tindertwig he had hastily discarded. It tumbled down the slope. That’s when he realized he that the villa was built into the side of a hill. It was a long way down. [MORE]
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Monday, September 17
DVD Review: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
Your perception of all this is really dependent on your perception of the show. It won't turn you into a fan. In fact, the entire intro is a joke on those "let's go out to the movies" dancing food characters, with various angry incarnations of movie junk food screaming to thrash metal, "You came here. Watch it. Don't like it? Walk out."
I didn't walk out. If you're a fan of ATHF, you won't either. [MORE]
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DVD Review: Meet The Fockers
If you are recently married or have a kid, the movie's struggle over childrearing is a very funny debate indeed. If you don't, then Meet the Fockers is probably only mildly amusing. Since my son was born the same month I saw his movie, it had particular comedic resonance, and my parents (who are definitely Focker-types) and my wife laughed all the way through. [MORE]
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Sunday, September 16
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF VERY STUPID MONSTERS.
You just have to read this article to appreciate it. [MORE]Labels: gaming news
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Saturday, September 15
As Gray and Cold As Stone - Part 6b: Love at First Sight
Roderick stepped forward among the murmuring of surprised, even shocked, voices. He bowed formally to Acastus. When he rose, there was a self-assured smile on his face.
“Master val’Assante, you do my nation and myself a great honor here tonight. The goal of bringing Coryan and Milandir together by bonds of marriage, rather than by force of arms, is a laudable one. However, I cannot…” his voice trailed off as he stared across the courtyard. The smug grin on his face had disappeared.
“I…cannot…”
Elandre had returned. She stood framed in the archway, wearing a long dress of white silk that caught the moonlight. She didn’t look happy, but that did not change the fact that she was a remarkably beautiful woman.
Ilmarė slapped her forehead. She hadn’t managed to get that kind of reaction out of Roderick. [MORE]
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Tuesday, September 11
As Gray and Cold As Stone - Part 6a: Love at First Sight
“Quintus, have you ever thought of joining the Mighty Oak?” asked Nicia with a smile. “We could use a man with your experience.”
Quintus smiled. “You are very kind, lady val’Dellenov, but my first love is my legion. Did I mention the time when we took on the Nierites in Ventaka? We were outnumbered…”
Ilmarė’s keen hearing picked up on the conversation from across the room. She was struggling to keep focused on the idiots before her.
“That is SO fascinating!” said Roderick, staring not quite into her eyes. “I’ve always wondered about the Elorii culture.”
“Yes,” said Brendis, one of Roderick’s pack. Or as Ilmarė thought of him, Idiot Number Four. “Tell us more, dear lady.”
Ilmarė patted Roderick’s arm. The boy’s eyes lit up at the touch. “Enough about me. Tell me more about you,” she said.
“Oh, nothing nearly as exciting as you,” said Roderick. “Do all elorii have purple hair as beautiful as yours?”
Ilmarė smirked. This was too easy. “Sometimes I’m not sure which color is my original hair,” she said, twirling one silvery curl around her finger. “But yes, it’s my natural color.”
The constant murmur of conversation grew suddenly louder near the main entrance to the villa. Then it abruptly fell silent.
The majordomo’s voice rang out to announce the arrival of another group. “The Light of the World, by the grace of the Pantheon, Emperor of Coryan, Calsestus val’Assante!” [MORE]
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Thursday, September 6
As Gray and Cold as Stone - Part 5: Study Break
The shelves were crowded with books, most of them religious in nature. Atop the desk were a few unfinished documents, as well as several blank sheets of vellum, a writing kit. There were also a variety of small paperweights, including a statuette of Illiir. There were several drawers in the desk, one of which appeared to be locked.
“They always put it in the false drawer,” said Kham with a knowing smile. Another few minutes of fumbling with the hilt of his dagger and the drawer popped open.
Inside were a variety of letters, most of which dealt with fairly mundane church matters. All except for two.
Kham scanned the letters. His eyes went wide as he finished. “Holy crap,” he whispered.
Then the door creaked opened. [MORE]
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Tuesday, September 4
What's New in D&D 4th Edition
If we use Star Wars Saga Edition as a guide, here's what's new in D&D:- Skill Consolidation: Search, Spot, Sense Motive, and Listen have become Perception. Diplomacy has become Persuasion, Bluff has become Deception. [SOURCE]
- Trained/Untrained Skills: No more skill points, just a skill bonus of 1/2 character level + relevant ability modifier + 5 (if trained) + 5 (if Skill Focus). [SOURCE]
- Skill Bonuses: The feats that provided a +2 bonus to two skills are gone, as are species traits or class features that provided a bonus to skills. Synergy bonuses have been eliminated as well. [SOURCE]
- No More Multiple Attacks: Characters no longer gain multiple attacks as they go up in levels, meaning that a character gets only one attack in a combat round, even at 20th level. Instead, all heroic characters gain a bonus on their damage rolls equal to one-half their heroic level. [SOURCE]
- AC/Defense and Saving Throws: Combined into Reflex, Fortitude, and Will Defense. A character's defense scores are equal to 10 + her heroic level + the relevant ability modifier. A character wearing armor replaces her level bonus to Reflex Defense with the armor's bonus to Reflex Defense, and some suits of armor also provide an equipment bonus to Fortitude Defense. Yes, this does mean that there's really no difference between a Reflex save and Armor Class anymore. [SOURCE]
- Condition Track: There are now wound penalties for getting hit. Though the first two steps on the condition track are relatively minor, the third step (–5 to all defenses, attack rolls, and skill checks) requires a hero to step back and recover a bit before rejoining the battle. In addition, some characters have the ability to push someone up and down the condition track with other actions. [SOURCE]
- Healing: Any character who takes damage heals naturally with 8 hours of rest, regaining a number of hit points equal to her character level. Additionally, as a swift action once per day, she can gain a "second wind," which allows her to regain a number of hit points equal to 1/4 of her total hit points or equal to her Constitution score -- whichever is greater. This rule allows characters to keep going between fights, even if they can't be healed anymore. [SOURCE]
- Unconsciousness and Death: An unconscious character can take no actions for 1 minute and then must make a DC 10 Constitution check. If the check succeeds, she moves one step up the condition track and regains a small number of hit points, allowing her to rejoin the fight. However, if the check fails, her wounds are too grievous to allow her to keep acting, and her condition becomes persistent. Until she rests for 8 hours or has surgery, the character can't gain hit points from natural healing or use the recover action to move up the condition track. Furthermore, she must keep making Constitution checks for each hour she is unconscious, and grievous failure results in death. [SOURCE]
All these rules may not make it into D&D 4.0, but chances are a lot of them will!
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Monday, September 3
As Gray and Cold as Stone - Part 4: The Party Begins
“All you’ve got to do is keep them busy,” said Kham.
The majordomo’s voice cut through the din of conversation. “Roderick val’Tensen, Margrave of Moratavia and party!” The other guests murmured as the young nobleman entered the courtyard, clad not in a toga but in the finest of Milandisian fashions. He was perhaps eighteen years of age and accompanied by a quarter of other similarly dressed young men.
Roderick bowed politely to Acastus as he entered. A knowing glance passed between them. As Roderick and his party arrived, Elandre quietly slipped out of the courtyard and headed back towards her chambers.
Quintus meandered his way back to the generals, a goblet of wine in his hand. He was talking excitedly with the female general.
Kham nudged Ilmarė in the ribs. “You remember how to do that, right? Talk to other people and pretend that you don’t want to throw up?”
Ilmarė’s lip curled in irritation. Then she looked over at Roderick. “Yes, I think I do remember how to do that.” Her sneer transformed into a dazzling smile. She adjusted her hair. “You might want to leave now,” she said to Kham. But he was already gone.
The elorii shrugged. Then she strode across the room towards her prey. [MORE]
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The Tresca Portfolio
Check out my sister-in-law's online portfolio at http://www.mtresca.com/. But don't take my word for it...visit the site and she'll give you an overview of the portfolio herself!And of course there's my brother's portfolio at http://www.jtresca.com/. He just celebrated a birthday August 31. Happy birthday Joe!
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