Drow Priestess

Not very safe for work, you know. :)



Drow Priestess by ~Atlantean6 on deviantART

Just a Drow Priestess of Eilistraee. :D

Orc Barbarian

As if that's original. *grins*

Here is an orc that is in the desert. He's wearing barbarian clothes, but that's hardly anything new (M4's wardrobe is severely lacking, I've even tried Poser Addicts for different clothes).

Character DuJoir: Sakura the Psychic Warrior

Sakura the Psychic Warrior 2 by ~Atlantean6 on deviantART

Sakura is an Atlantean Psychic Warrior who immigrated to Atlantis from the Far East.  She joined the Atlantean Army because her family was rich and noble.  However, after training as a psychic warrior and on her first Campaign she had a stupid commander who she went over his head and helped the Atlanteans defeat the Hyperboreans (re. Norsemen who vyke).  However, no good deed goes unpunished and she was immediately court martialled and sold into slavery.

She was bought by her current Master who tried to save her from a life of slavery.  However, the taskmasters were too thorough, she's thoroughly submissive now.  She won't leave her master's side.  She acts as body guard, guide, and other things -- although some of the things she wants to do makes her Master sweat.

Atlantis: the Movie?

I'm taking part in a Wealth Building consultation exercise. Or in other words, I'm getting some help in starting my business from CEOSpace. So what does this mean?

How about a movie based on Atlantis? RPGs aside, mass communication is the best way to reach a large audience. I'm thinking about a movie plot where a young man from our time is Summoned to Atlantis to help solve a problem that the Atlanteans have. Nevermind he looks exactly like the Crown Prince, and nevermind that he and the Crown Prince are "doubles." (The crown prince is the counterpart of our hero).

(I could put in an El Hazard twist in there and the Crown Prince becomes the crown princess, and the crown princess is a hedonistic 'dyke.' -- but that's been done.)

So, what is the problem that the Atlanteans have? Terrible diplomatic relations with a neighboring country? Someone's been trying to take them over from the inside? Is our boy to be a decoy?

More at eleven (to twist this around, what if it was a she? And the Crown Prince identifies himself as female and looks very feminine?) Oh, the possibilities!!

Schools of Fighting

One of the difficulties of Roleplaying a fighter with capabilities is that most players would always make their fighters resemble one another. One of the interesting things to encourage roleplaying is to actually split what the fighters learn into different schools. Each country or nation has three basic schools -- a Military School, a School of Defense, and a School for streetfighting. So, fighters learn three basic different styles:

Swordsmanship -- the basic martial art of Swordsmanship allows the fighter to learn the usual techniques of fighting. The martial art specializes in attack, and teaches some defense. A fighter in a swordsmanship school learns these basic feats:
Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Disarm, Combat Expertise, Improved Feint, Improved Critical

The Arte of Defence -- The martial art of Renaissance Fencing is also taught in several schools. The basic art specializes in personal defense with your rapier and then attacking when you see an opening. While Swordsmanship is fluid, the Arte of Defence is even more so. A fighter or combat oriented Rogue learns these basic feats:
Combat Expertise, Parry, Intricate Swordsmanship, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Dodge, Mobility, Improved Critical

Streetfighting -- Street fighting is taught to fighters, thugs and rogues who are combat oriented. Also, since Streetfighting is barbaric in nature, barbarians often learn the style as well. Axes and other weapons can be taught to be used to great effectiveness. Streetfighting concentrates on overpowering your opponent, by any means necessary to win the fight. The basic feats taught are:
Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Improved Overrun, Improved Critical, Weapon Focus, Improved Critical, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack

The Schools of the Nations!

There are several basic schools for each nation or culture that teaches swordsmanship.

ORCS

Grey Wolf Academy of Orc Martial Arts
Fighter, Rogue, Barbarian

The Grey Wolf Academy of Orc Martial Arts teaches honor in fighting, and to respect your enemy. Honor, the orc's virtue of Integrity, is the style of orc martial arts that mainly specializes in the Axe. Orcs learn axe fighting, and how to conduct themselves with honor. The Grey Wolf Academy teaches Combat Oriented Rogues Orc Martial Arts and Orcish conduct in fighting. The academy is maintained and run by the Silverfang Clan.

Skills taught: Battle, Intimidate, Appraise, Knowledge (Weapons)

Feats taught: Weapon Group (Axes), Weapon Focus (one handed axe), Power Attack, Combat Expertise, Improved Critical, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, the Way of the Wolf, Anghâsh Greywulf's Technique


The School of Vipers
Rogue, Courtier

This is the orc nation's premier training academy for the Orcs' intelligence organization -- the Shadowed Hand. The School of Vipers teaches orc rogues the art of subtlety and orc courtiers the art of grace. The school is maintained and run by the Desert Viper Clan. The school teaches the Arte of Defense, but it also specializes in dirty tricks (sneak attack, Improved Evasion, spell stopping, and finishing moves).

Skills Taught: Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Gather Information, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (almost any), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Survival, Tumble, and Use Rope

Feats Taught: Weapon Group (Light Blades), Combat Expertise, Parry, Intricate Swordsmanship, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (dagger), Weapon Focus (rapier), Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Dodge, Mobility, Improved Critical, Skill Focus, Nofritari's Technique, Way of the Viper


The School of the Battered Axe
Barbarian, Fighter, Hunter

The School of the Battered Axe is a school specializing in strength and power. This is the archetypical Orc school, as the martial art of the Clan of the Battered Axe specializes in savage fighting, hacking, and overpowering your opponents. The School emphasizes brute strength, and runs orcs who are weaklings through strength training programs designed to build muscle and endurance.

Skills Taught: Battle, Intimidate, Jump, Survival, Swim

Feats taught: Weapon Group (Axes), Weapon Group (Heavy Blades), Weapon Group (Exotic Weapons), Athletic, Blind Fighting, Brawl, Iron Will, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Critical, Greater Critical, Improved Sunder, Greater Sunder, Improved Bull Rush, Raakhuga's Technique, Way of the Bear

More orc schools and more about these three orc schools will be provided in a future supplement: THE ORCS OF THE KNOWN LANDS


HUMAN WARRIOR SCHOOLS

Academy of the Art of Mars
Fighter, Hunter, Rogue

The Academy of the Art of Mars is named after the pagan God of War, Mars. The Academy specializes in human swordsmanship, pure and simple. The school teaches battle techniques, survival on the battlefield, how to parry and dodge your opponent's attacks. The basic sword taught is the Arming Sword, and basic strength training is emphasized.

Skills taught: Battle, Intimidate, Jump, Survival, Swim

Feats taught: Weapon Group (Heavy Blades), Weapon Group (Polearms), Weapon Group (Spears and Lances), Weapon Group (Bows), Weapon Group (Maces and Clubs), Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Disarm, Combat Expertise, Improved Feint, Improved Critical, Greater Critical, the Way of Mars, Jason's Technique


Department 7
Ninja, Rogue

Department 7 is the teaching academy of Caithness' Intelligence agency, the Impossible Mission Force. Department 7 is where human rogues specializing in subtlety and assassination learn their trade. As the Impossible Mission Force focuses on missions of document recovery, shadowy intrigue, intelligence, hostage extraction, and assassination; human rogues are expected to be trained to handle many situations.

Skills taught: Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Gather Information, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (almost any), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Survival, Tumble, and Use Rope

Feats taught: Weapon Group (Simple), Weapon Group (light blades), Weapon Group (Crossbows), Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Dagger), Weapon Focus (Light Crossbow), Point Blank Shot, Far Shot, Precise Shot, Self Sufficient, Skill Focus, Lightning Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Stealthy, Nicolas' Technique


Donatello's School of Fencing
Fighter, Rogue, Courtier

Donatello's School of Fencing is one of the most prestigious schools of defence in Caithness. The style taught is akin to Elizabethian Fencing -- specializing in two weapons: the rapier and the dirk, or the rapier and the fencing cloak. Nobles from around the kingdom of Caithness come to learn how to fight and also to learn style and grace in court. The school was named after Alexandro Donatello, an expatriate from the land of Genoa who brought Genoa's Art of Defence with him.

Skills taught: Battle, Appraise, Balance, Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Tumble.

Feats taught: Weapon Group (Light blades), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Fencing Cloak), Combat Expertise, Parry, Intricate Swordsmanship, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Dodge, Mobility, Improved Critical, the Way of Defence, Donatello's Technique


The Bastion of Light
Paladin

The Paladins, the highest paragons of human virtue and faith; are taught in the Bastion of Light. Here they learn the way of Faith and how their Faith in the Holy Light will increase their power and might. Pages and squires of paladins are taught virtue, morals, and ethics and how to uphold them. Paladins are also taught how to use many weapons: including swords and hammers and the best way to use their shields. They are honed as mighty warriors, and then they are inducted into the Knights of the Platinum Dragon; the Paladin Order in Caithness.

Skills taught: Paladin class skills

Feats taught: Martial Weapon Proficiency (Hammer), Weapon Group (Heavy Blades), Power Attack, Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Skill Focus, Spell Focus, Improved Sunder, Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Way of the Light, Galahad's Technique

More on on these schools and more martial art schools will be presented in: CATHNESS

Next: Martial Art schools of the Elves

Some Orcs are Pussies!

An Orc by ~Atlantean6 on deviantART

While some kick tails!

Massalian Elf Mage

Massalian Elf Mage by ~Atlantean6 on deviantART

Even some mages deserve some classy garments. :)

New DAZ Studio renders

I have been busy!

I have done a couple of new Renders that would be of interest. First, an elvish woman from Cyre (who is strangely beginning to define beauty for me).


Khoravar Elf by ~Atlantean6 on deviantART

Second, I'm trying to capture the Illuminati feeling that goes along with Eberron. With my Inspired Secret Master.


Inspired by ~Atlantean6 on deviantART

And a Talenta Halfling on his Carver in the Talenta plains. A second picture has been commissioned for this one.


Talenta Halfling by ~Atlantean6 on deviantART

The best way to work in 3D is practice, and I have practiced a lot today. All of these can go into a fantasy collection of art.

Julie the Guardian by ~Atlantean6 on deviantART

Sometimes, you need to guard a shrine. Another use of the elite texture.

World Building . . . BORING?!

This is a knee jerk reaction to Ben Stein's "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" documentary on the debate between Intelligent Design and Evolution. One apologist for Darwinism said one thing that irked me: Creation is boring.

Excuse me? Creation is boring?

BORING?

Something so wonderful, so beautiful, is boring? How can he say that? I felt totally, and completely insulted at what this evolutionist said. As a game designer, I often try to design worlds that scientists would approve of. Something other world designers don't do. The Known Lands is built on a world that works on scientific principles. I studied a lot of science to do this, and there is still not a lot that I don't know.

Solar system models, planetary accretion, moon models, atmosphere and ocean dynamics, oceanography, biology, wildlife, ecology, desert ecology (I have a text book on deserts to help explain Athas' environment, the world of Dark Sun); anthropology, history, civilization. A lot of knowledge and work went into creating the Known Lands. I'm just describing it in scientific terms (then bring in the religious world view of the inhabitants). And what I do is boring? How can he say that?

Frankly, I don't know what your religious leanings are. If you are a Darwinist or not, if you play or GM D&D; you still participate in world design. I realize I do, and I actually get a beautiful rush doing it. I get high on building worlds. It makes me happy. Frankly, who has the authority to say in an authorative canonical statement that what I do is boring? It's pure and utter nonsense for one man to say that the activity that makes me happy is boring. I think this person is just monumentally naïve on how much work is put into creating a high quality, scientifically based, "fantasy" world.

The first person that stands up and says that the Known Lands is science fiction gets a candy, but I still say its built for fantasy gaming. :)

Works in Progress

I love it when DAZ gives me some new things to work with. One day, I grew tired of rendering toothpicks, so I decided on a full figured woman. I got luscious curves the other day and wanted to experiment with Frazetta's style.

Rolemaster Adventure: Interlude

Before we get into keying, we need to talk about Rolemaster itself.

There are two products for Rolemaster. Rolemaster Classic, and Rolemaster the Standard System/Fantasy Roleplaying. I want you to know -- both have their strengths and weaknesses.

Rolemaster Classic
Rolemaster Classic is the original Rolemaster system. With all of it's associated problems: profession creep, and a large amount of rules in each of the Companions its silly. But the rules are optional. All you really need for Rolemaster Classic are Character Law, Arms Law, and Spell Law. The pictures are found below of each of these books. If you are the GM, Creatures and Treasures comes in stark reality.

It is going to be the system of use for this series because the original system is simpler and it is easier to generate NPCs for it. Only the first three books are going to be used -- Character Law (and Campaign Law), Arms Law (2003 Edition), and Spell Law.

Rolemaster Fantasy Roleplaying (or the Standard System) is a more advanced system where you need just the basic professions, but you use training packages to produce your characters. There are many sourcebooks for RMFRP, all of which are either available from ICE, your local game store, and the web.

Three products transfer from RMFRP directly into Classic easily. Parts of Character Law (RMFRP version), Arms Law, and the Armory (with it's famous table for throwing gnomish -- or halfling -- henchmen). Rest assured, though, the Stat Blocs in Classic are easy.

More DAZ Studio adventures

I have completed a new image, Elton's Angels Reworked. Each character is from a roleplaying game I game mastered. Each character is mostly distinguished by the color of their hair.

Lilac color = Nanami
Walnut brown = Seito Risa
Honey blonde = Seiko

I enjoy working in 3D.

Jules Verne

Before I talk about the Journey to the Center of the Earth film I saw yesterday, I should probably talk about the Grandfather of all Science Fiction: Jules Verne. Jules Verne is an inspiration to me in various ways. although more indirectly through movies produced based on his works than with his works themselves.

Jules Verne is responsible for my journey into Atlanteology. More so than Ignatius Donnelly, which I will talk about later. Jules Verne, when he wrote his Exploration Imaginares, was a visionary man. He also inspired many people to build on his ideas. These people are called Vernians, since they take Jules Verne's writings as fact.

At present, my favorite novels of his are: A Journey to the Center of the Earth, Paris in the Twentieth Century, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the World in Eighty Days. The last of which inspired a Forgotten Realms novel -- Around the Realms in Eighty Days.

Jules Verne is the Author who wrote memorable impressions of Atlantis. Atlantis was first introduced in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea as a group of ruins. Something that stayed in my mind.

Many authors of Adventure and Science Fiction look to Jules Verne for inspiration. Aside from Sir H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines and his adventures of Alan Quartermain, Jules Verne is directly responsible for today's Adventure and Science Fiction. Aside from Plato, which started the Fantasy and Science Fiction Genre (if you read the Timaeus and Critas, which I have) Jules Verne has helped many bring their imaginations to life. And George Lucas is right, there are people without imaginations.

Ack, still alive!

I've been working hard getting readmitted to the Salt Lake Community College and haven't been able to offer any updates. I've also been pretty tired lately. Meanwhile, here is a picture for your perusal. It's Pin-Up art from Howard David Johnson. Since this site is educational, this falls under educational use.

Confessions of an LDS Free Thinker (2)

Dealing with unrequited love can really be a bear, really. Although Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Theory really help, it can be quite a burden.

I keep declaring that I love my princess. The reason why is simple, every time you declare something; something immediately happens and the Universe swings its way. Remember the power words article below? Anyway, it works in love like this. I declare my love for this woman, and she instantly responds no matter where she is in the Universe. So, she aught to know that a real man actually loves her very deeply in her unconscious mind.

My description of the last time I saw her is getting very poetic. Anyway, with legs like hers, she really should show them off. And I acknowledge that she may not want to. But this is a confession so I'd like to confess a desire. Unlike me, I have a feeling that she isn't a nudist, but I'd love her to be.

Here is my desire:
We are on a dinner date at one of the best restaurants in Salt Lake City (yes, I know, there are probably a lot of restaurant critics who have been in better restuarants in other cities -- Salt Lake City doesn't really have the best restuarants in the country let alone the Universe). While eating our main course, she reveals to me, hesitantly, that she's a nudist. Containing my excitement, I ask her out on a hiking date. She accepts and then I surprise her by showing off my hiking clothes -- going skyclad. She gets skyclad too and we have a wonderful hike, as any anxiety between us is immediately dispelled. The next week, we go to Hawaii and on one of the nude beaches in an Edenic paradise; I ask her to marry me and bring along a ring for the occasion.

That would be awesome.