Post originally by Anders at 2003-04-08 11:57:56
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Thanks for the review; it's informative and very interresting to read. It's good that you distinguish between the various possible applications of the book, so that it's possible to make up one's mind about whether or not it is usefull.
Post originally by Brian Cooksey at 2003-04-08 14:12:49
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I agree. Great job! You answered nearly all of the questions I had about this product. This was well organized and very clear. Thanks for the detailed information on the templates, grafts, etc.
Post originally by Dan at 2003-04-09 00:14:19
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Hrm, it looks like some of the names are just as bad as in the original Fiend Folio (which even articles in Dragon magazine made fun of when it came out).
Xerfilstyx? They can't be serious...
Caryatid Columns are probably still misnamed, if they apply to female figures.
Maelephant? Yeesh.
And then it's pretty funny that the review makes fun of the word "bhut" for a new ghost-like undead, since it's not only tons better than the vast majority of other names listed in the review, but is actually a real-word term used to refer to ghosts in India.
Without seeing the book, I won't know if the monsters are any good, if the stats make sense, or if there's enough info about each to run them well. But at least it's clear that a good portion of the creatures would have to be renamed to make sense in a campaign.
Post originally by Gez at 2003-04-09 01:14:52
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Xerfilstyx -- they probably wanted to make the Styx association less obvious.
Maelephant -- this comes from Planescape. It's the evil twin of the Holyphant. The holyphant was probably started as a joke, and the maelephant was made later just because.
About caryatids, why would they be misnamed ?
"caryatid , a sculptured female figure serving as an ornamental support in place of a column or pilaster. It was a frequently used motif in architecture, furniture, and garden sculpture during the Renaissance, the 18th cent., and notably, the classic revival of the 19th cent., when caryatids were popular as mantelpiece supports. The motif appeared in Egyptian and Greek architecture; the most celebrated example extant is the Porch of the Caryatids, forming part of the Erechtheum. Here six beautifully sculptured figures, acting as columns, support an entablature on their heads. Caryatids were used also in two small treasuries (6th cent. B.C.) at Delphi. Male supporting figures are called atlantes."
From http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0810668.html
"Caryatids were draped female figures used instead of columns to support the entablatures of temples. They are named after the women of a Spartan town (Karyai), according to Vitruvius.
The most famous caryatids are on the porch of the Erechtheum (420-415 BC), on the Acropolis.
They are sometimes called korai maidens."
From http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_caryatid.htm
Post originally by Gez at 2003-04-09 01:17:32
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Grafts and symbionts works like templates or magic items: you "plug" it on a creature, and said recipient gains something. Symbionts have a will of their own, grafts don't.
Linear Mode
