Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 7:18:24 PM)
test

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 7:46:15 PM)
Hey, everybody!

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:49:09 PM)
We should be ready to start in just a few minutes.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:49:34 PM)
While you're waiting, I wanted to mention that Monte just finished updating his site and has some real goodies...

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:49:55 PM)
For instance, a new web enhancement for Mystic Secrets by Mike Mearls -- the hounds of annihilation new monster.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:50:10 PM)
Also by Mike, a free adventure for 5th-level characters, titled The Severed Oath.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 7:50:37 PM)
I have been a busy little elf!

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:55:12 PM)
Well, I think we can probably get started. Thanks to all of you for coming!

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:55:49 PM)
Today's topic is Mystic Secrets, a new magic sourcebook by Mike Mearls.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:56:08 PM)
While we're waiting for our moderator to arrive, I'd like to ask Mike to tell us a little about the book.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:57:01 PM)
(Monte and Mike will also be happy to take questions on other topics a bit later...)

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 7:57:01 PM)
Sure thing! Mystic Secrets is my stab at presenting magic that is distinctly AU in nature. I didn't want to just do a book of spells or something else that would fit into any D&D game. It covers rituals, runes, and new options that are closely tied to AU and its themes.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 7:57:43 PM)
My guiding principle was to highlight stuff that was distinctly AU.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 7:58:09 PM)
Hopefully, I succeeded in that goal. I had a lot of fun writing it.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 7:59:40 PM)
Mike, what are some examples of distinctly AU elements?

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:00:37 PM)
By the way, during this chat, you can use our EZBoard chatroom (accessed from our messageboards main page) as a side chat room if you wish.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:00:47 PM)
Well, the rituals are all grounded in the implied setting of AU. I tried to make them all relate to the basic concept behind each race. The runes fall into a similar category - they're something that you don't really have in vanilla D&D.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:02:01 PM)
Okay, everyone, I'd like to start taking questions now. Looks like I will be playing moderator tonight, so please private message me your question for Mike and I will relay it to the room for him to answer.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:04:38 PM)
Okay, I see there are problems -- hang on a sec!

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:04:49 PM)
Was it hard to go from designing for straight d20 to designing for AU, Mike?

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:05:57 PM)
Hello -- sorry I'm late.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:06:04 PM)
Yes, it was quite an adjustment. The themes are easy to pick up, and in a lot of ways I like the change in the basic feel of the game. The mechanics take some time getting used to, and in a lot of ways it's a learning process. /done

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:06:21 PM)
Please feel free to send me your questions... simply type them in and they will come to me.

Lord Nightbringer (Sep 30, 2004 8:07:00 PM)
Is there anything in particular that you would have liked to do in more detail?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:08:16 PM)
Funny you should ask. I just had to rearrange the contents of my latest book because I realized that I had one sub-system that needed, I don't know, about 50 pages to do right! In Mystic Secrets, I wish I had more space for rules on creating rituals, plus a more thorough look at runes. I'm the type of writer who gets more ideas as he writes, so every day there's more and more stuff I want to include in the book./done

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:08:34 PM)
Just as a reminder to all guests

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:08:44 PM)
Please to ask your questions, do not private message me.

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:08:59 PM)
Instead, just type your question in to the status line and I can release it to the room.

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:09:16 PM)
If you have already PMd me, please retype your question. Sorry!

BrandonQ (Sep 30, 2004 8:09:24 PM)
Is there anything particularly cool in Mystic Secrets that might be useful to a DM with his own non-vanilla world? I.e., something that is easily dropped into my world and very cool. :)

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:10:23 PM)
I think the heralds of annihilation are easily ported to any rules. I wanted to create a sort of iconic brand of villain for AU, a single, really tough, really nasty sort of guy that can give the characters fits. I think you can easily use them in any game./done

Benoist (Sep 30, 2004 8:10:37 PM)
What is the origin of rituals and ceremonies in the lands of the DT? The coming of the giants? The dramojh or their human slaves?

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:11:22 PM)
Thanks for reposting the questions, you guys. I appreciate it.

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:11:41 PM)
For new arrivals, we're chatting with game designer Mike Mearls about his new magic sourcebook Mystic Secrets.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:11:52 PM)
I see rituals as something that is a part of all races. Note that in Legacy of the Dragons, the vast majority of the monsters had ceremonial feats. Rituals are something that arises naturally in the world. Almost every intelligent race engages in them.

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:11:58 PM)
Rituals and ceremonies go all the way back to the beginning of the setting's history. They've always been a part of things, for as long as there has been a civilization.

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:12:06 PM)
If you have a question, simply type it into the status bar line and send it -- that will get you in the queue. Thanks.

Arbiter of Wyrms (Sep 30, 2004 8:12:23 PM)
Will the Book of Iron Might include info for use with AU?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:12:45 PM)
It's a very interesting question, though. I see them almost like something tha people aren't really sure about how they arose. You could almost see them as an argument for a creator diety or something like that - there's no clear link of where they came from. /done

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:13:12 PM)
Yes, Book of Iron Might includes AU rules. It's very portable to the game. I'm fairly certain you can use it in almost any d20 game that uses attacks of opportunity. /done

SethKlein (Sep 30, 2004 8:13:25 PM)
WHat is the maximum number of Power Rituals a person can know since in Mystic Rituals the section about learning them, says the number is listed above, but the number isn't found anywhere... the only maxium listed above is the number of personal rituals

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:14:10 PM)
Ah, you're making him get out the book!

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:14:51 PM)
Yeah, give me a second. Off the cuff, I don't there's a given maximum. I think there's a maximum you can start with (1 + Int modifier), but there isn't a limit I know of. Of course, it's been a while since I looked at the book. I'll pop open my copy...

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:16:00 PM)
On page 8 we see that a starting character knows a number of them equal to 1 + Int mod

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:16:22 PM)
You can learn more as you gain levels by gaining new ranks in Knowledge (Ceremonies).

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:16:36 PM)
For each rank gained above 4, you learn one new power ritual.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:17:16 PM)
There are other methods for learning them as well. However, I see what you mean about the maximum. Mike, did you have a max in mind?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:17:43 PM)
Yeah, there's no limit that I can see. Seth, if you have a page reference for anything that says there's a maximum to the number you can know, post it on the message boards or message me and I'll take a look at it. There's a max based on how many you learn for free, but you can (in theory) learn every ritual in the book. The cost of using a ritual is the price you pay for using it. Learning it without using it doesn't really get you much. /done

Lord Nightbringer (Sep 30, 2004 8:18:07 PM)
There's been some speculation as to whether the art on pages 38 and 61 represent mojh, heralds of annihilation, or something else entirely. Can you clarify that?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:19:15 PM)
Well, it could be a mojh herald. Let me see if I can find my copy...

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:19:34 PM)
Yes, I think it is a mojh herald.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:19:36 PM)
Well be back shortly....

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:19:53 PM)
And I also believe that the one on page 61 is also a mojh.

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:20:09 PM)
It's interesting to work with different artists for different interpretations of character races.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:20:20 PM)
Yes, that's correct. I can't seem to find the final file..../done

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:20:37 PM)
We've used Sam Wood's vision of the mojh for a long time... James Ryman had a bit of a different take. /ga

BlackMoria (Sep 30, 2004 8:20:46 PM)
Mystic Secrets confirms how runes affect all aspects of life. How did the focus on runes come about? Is it related to the idea that creation started with a word, or in this case, a rune...and that runes now a foundation of creation and therefore so pervasive in the setting?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:22:27 PM)
I love runes. I love the idea of words of power, and how a lanuage can mean so many different things. My background is in computer science, so it fascinated me that a "language" could be something I use to tell someone "I want spaghetti for dinner" and also something I could use to direct a computer to thresh through 2.5 million email address, pull out all the ones that don't fit standard email formats, and categorize them by the type of error.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:22:54 PM)
It's almost like runes are the machine code of the universe, and spells are one particular type of programming language./done

glenravin.com (Sep 30, 2004 8:23:06 PM)
Mike, with respects to the social design of each race, what did you do in the design of specific rituals with respect to each culture? IE: Sebeccai seem to be social extroverts, with loud parties and such, while giants seem introverted.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:24:44 PM)
I tried to focus on the racial descriptions from the core AU book. I like the idea of using game rules to highlight differences between each race and to reinforce that playing a giant means something different than playing a litorian. On top of that, it helps build up player expectations and makes the setting come to life. If you expect giants to be serious minded caretakers, that one, crazy, drunk giant unfettered stands out all the more. It builds a baseline, I guess you could say a Common tongue, for the gaming group./done

Arbiter of Wyrms (Sep 30, 2004 8:24:56 PM)
How many total rituals can we expect to see in Mystic Secrets. How many are common, everyday rituals that I can roleplay with any random PC?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:26:23 PM)
I believe that there are about 40 to 50 rituals that have game mechanical effects. A lot of them are specialized for certain tasks, but about a dozen or so represent things you might do every day. Unfortunately, I didn't really have space for rituals that don't have a mechanics effect, but it would've been neat to write about simple rituals for each race.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:26:25 PM)
/done

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:26:56 PM)
There are 10 general power rituals, 4 for humans, 3 for faen...

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:27:00 PM)
Actually, that's more like 30 to 40, I believe./done

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:27:16 PM)
3 for each race, about a dozen general ones./done this time, really

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:27:21 PM)
6 for giants, 3 for litorians, 2 each for mojh and sibeccai, and 3 for verrik

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:27:32 PM)
Yeah, me too. /ga

SethKlein (Sep 30, 2004 8:27:37 PM)
In Mystic Secrets there are Rune Weapons, why was there no section on Rune Armors? (Other than applying a Rune Template to an armor)

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:29:18 PM)
Good question! When I tried to design rune armor, they turned out boring. Fire rune armor gives you... fire resistance! Sonic rune armor gives you... sonic resistance! I had some ideas for really intricate rune armor, but they started to turn into the fantasy equivalent of powered armor, and I didn't really have the space to do them justice or make them cool. When in doubt, I cut out stuff that strike me as something that doesn't require much creativity on my part. I mean, fire rune armor giving fire resistance... that's not exactly a stunning creative leap there... /done

Ashanderai (Sep 30, 2004 8:29:33 PM)
Is there anything that didn't make it into the book that you decided could go into a later supplement? If so, can you give us a hint as to what that might be or relate to?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:30:49 PM)
Well, there's the rune armor ideas. I also have this minor obsession with what I call chording - adding together two more things to create this third effect relating to them. So, if you wear the gloves of the fire rune and fight with the axe of the time rune, they combine to inflict a continuing fire damage effect on a foe in addition to their own effects.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:31:20 PM)
I also had ideas for runes you could scribe on stuff to get minor effects, but that veered to close to the runethane's turf./done

Benoist (Sep 30, 2004 8:31:36 PM)
MCAU is without alignments. But I notice that Heralds of Doom like Darkbonds are like the "bad guys" where "good guys" would be Runechildren and Greebonds. Is it really antagonistic with the "moral relativity" of MCAU? Will other publications help to not fall into that view of badguys vs. good guys?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:32:22 PM)
That's definitely something I considered, but I decided in the end that I wanted a really nasty bad guy. I think shades of gray are a lot of fun in gaming, but sometimes you just need a bad ass villain who kicks puppies because he likes to. /done

DrewBert (Sep 30, 2004 8:32:40 PM)
Are there Strong ties between rituals and runes?

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:32:41 PM)
Just because there aren't alignments doesn't mean there aren't heroes and villains. There aren't alignments in the real world but there are good guys and bad guys.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:32:44 PM)
One more thing - the idea of moral flexibility definitely shows up in force in later books/

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:34:13 PM)
I tried to keep a barrier between rituals and runes, since I wanted them to be unique. In the setting, I think they're definitely linked. I refered to this before - runes are like the binary code of the universe. Rituals (and spells) could be thought of as human readable interfaces that allow you to manipulate that code./done

Anio (Sep 30, 2004 8:34:21 PM)
Mike, you mentioned earlier that there are some sub-systems that require 50 pages to do properly. Were there any sub-systems that you dropped entirely from Mystic Secrets for lack of space or other reasons ?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:35:02 PM)
Aside from the rune armor, not really. In Mystic Secrets, its was more an idea of sifting through what I had to keep the core, useful ideas while letting the extra stuff fall away./done

Benoist (Sep 30, 2004 8:35:15 PM)
Do you think ceremonies and rituals could involve rune manifests, and vice versa? Like rune manifests having to participate in some huge ceremony affecting the concepts of creation, etc? In clear, are these concepts inter-related? Or could they?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:37:01 PM)
Definitely. I love the idea of rune manifests, and I could see them teaching rituals connected to their concepts to living creatures. If they arise spontaneously as avatars of their concept, they could confer their knowledge to the humanoid races. I like the idea of the "programming language" of the universe (runes) programming its users, intelligent races. I love the interplay between humanity and tech, and that reflects that. It's also a good excuse to roleplay with the rune manifests as NPCs rather than foes./done

BlackMoria (Sep 30, 2004 8:37:28 PM)
There as been lively debate on Monte's boards about the intent of the Rune of Martial Prowess. Some people think that using the rune to acquire an Exotic spell, or a item creation feat or spell templates is alllowed. Others think it is strictly martial feats like Rapid Strike or Power Charge and the like. What is the intent of that rune?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:37:46 PM)
One sec... let me look it up.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:39:09 PM)
That should be a combat rune, but it's not clear.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:39:20 PM)
/done

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:39:33 PM)
I mean feat. /done, really!

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:40:06 PM)
On a related note to that question, SethKlein asks whether that rune is too powerful for a power rune, as it lets a runethane get any one feat he could qualify for at a time. Your opinion?

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:41:10 PM)
While Mike is thinking about this one, I'd like to thank you all for your questions. I'm going to have to close the queue now.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:41:29 PM)
I don't think so! Well, it would be funny if I thought so. A runethane really isn't a tough, combat-oriented character. d20 is funny in that not all benefits are equal. You could give a magister who has an 8 Str access to tons of combat feats, but they're not that useful when you compare them to casting sorcereous blast or something similar.

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:41:36 PM)
I have about six questions left for Mike.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:41:38 PM)
My design credo is, you can only do 1 thing each combat round.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:42:09 PM)
that definitely shapes how I look at benefits that improve a character's non-core competencies. Of course, I could be wrong. In the battle between DM and designer, the DM always wins!/done

Arbiter of Wyrms (Sep 30, 2004 8:42:27 PM)
Can we hope for a web enhancement with strictly roleplaying rituals? i.e. this is the one for breakfast, this is how I welcome a guest, etc.

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:42:57 PM)
I like that idea.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:43:24 PM)
There could be, but right now things are pretty chaotic with my schedule. That's something that might be really fun to open up to the fans, just to see what people come up with. It would be really fun to see, though./done

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:43:46 PM)
Perhaps the guys on the Diamondthrone.com could give it a try.

Benoist (Sep 30, 2004 8:43:54 PM)
Can a complete and updated list of all spells available for each level in all MCAU products be published any time soon? Combining the Grimoire, Grimoire II, Mystic Secrets, etc? As a goodie for the website perhaps... ? ;-)

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:03 PM)
Monte?

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:08 PM)
Hmmm. We'll certainly give that some thought. It would be cool, wouldn't it? Maybe Sue can do that in all her spare time...

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:15 PM)
Hey!

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:24 PM)
Sounds like a plan to me!

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:30 PM)
No fair!

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:35 PM)
Well, then it's settled.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:39 PM)
BTW Sue, if you have some spare time, I have this book that needs writing...

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:46 PM)
Next question PLEASE...

Lord Nightbringer (Sep 30, 2004 8:44:49 PM)
Did you ever consider doing a runic warrior type of class?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:45:05 PM)
Maybe....

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:45:39 PM)
I created a really kick-ass runethane warrior for my home game. The runethane can already do that to a degree. That said...

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:45:44 PM)
it's definitely a cool idea, but it isn't something I put a lot of thought into./done

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:46:08 PM)
there is something a LITTLE bit like that in a product for next year. /done

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:46:15 PM)
This next one is for either or both of you...

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:46:18 PM)
yeah, i've heard rumors.../done

Ashanderai (Sep 30, 2004 8:46:21 PM)
Will you ever expand on the concept of charms that were presented in Legacy of Dragons?

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:46:53 PM)
Maybe. I think it's a cool thing, mostly because it's so visual.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:47:35 PM)
Never say never. I'm not sure if there's something like that on the horizon./done

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:47:51 PM)
I like that it explains why so many miniature figures and characters in fantasy art have strange things hanging from their weapons and armor and clothes./done

SethKlein (Sep 30, 2004 8:48:00 PM)
Is it possible for a weapon to have two Rune Weapon Runes on it since several of the Rune Weapons make the weapon 'look' like either a flame, or that it's made of light, etc... (assuming they wouldn't conflict like Darkness and Light would, as described for Rune Templates.)

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:49:24 PM)
Mechanically, it's possible. I tend to err on the side of letting you abuse the rules rather than shut down ideas. The effects would modify each other if they weren't in opposition. So, flame and acid might produce flickering, green flames. /done

Benoist (Sep 30, 2004 8:49:36 PM)
As a general Diamond Throne question: is there a global meta-plot for the setting that will be unfolded in future publications? Did it affect Mystic Secrets in its design?

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:49:51 PM)
Nope, there was no metaplot influence on Mystic Secrets./done

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:51:16 PM)
Not really. Arcana Evolved will present some "events" that occur, some of which simply explain some of the new rules material. But I'm not a big fan of metaplots for campaign settings, simply because it's YOUR campaign, not ours. Even the things that are revealed in Arcana Evolved are really up to the DM to incorporate and--far more importantly--resolve.

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:51:43 PM)
You won't find out in some product down the line that we just blew up De-Shamod and you can't use it anymore, for example./done

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:52:18 PM)
And our last question for the evening...

Hydro (Sep 30, 2004 8:52:21 PM)
What was your favorite rune, spell, or ceremony in Mystic Secrets? You know, the one where you read it back to yourself and think, "yea, that's just what I was shooting for!"

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:54:18 PM)
I'm blanking on the name, but it's the bond of friendship that allows a PC to come back from the dead to aid his friends. That really, really appealed to me. Everyone I explained it to loved it. I'm really intrigued by the mechanics of death in an RPG, because it's a big event but the rules don't really talk about it. Most RPGs say, "OK, when your hps hit -10 you're dead. Moving right along, AC means..." but in play, it's like, Blackleaf's dead, and now the game is turned completely upside down./done

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:54:26 PM)
Cool. Well, that wraps things up. Sorry we got a bit of a late start. I'm going to run off and watch the presidential debate. Thanks for coming, everyone! I'm sure we'll have another of these in a month or so to talk about Book of Iron Might. That's going to be another really cool book.

Monte Cook (Sep 30, 2004 8:54:54 PM)
And thanks to Mike for putting so much work into a cool book for us in Mystic Secrets.

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:55:09 PM)
To balance Monte's civic highmindedness, I'm going to break my roommate's neck in Splinter Cell II! And yes, I really looking forward to the Book fo Iron Might. I can't wait to talk more about it.

Matt Locke (Sep 30, 2004 8:55:14 PM)
Thank you to everyone for your excellent questions. You kept the guests busy!

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:55:15 PM)
Thanks for coming, everyone!

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:55:20 PM)
Good night, all!

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:55:29 PM)
The questions were great. Have a good night!

Galhavoc (Sep 30, 2004 8:55:46 PM)
We will have the transcript of this chat available on Monte's site later for you to read, if you came in late!

Mike Mearls (Sep 30, 2004 8:56:03 PM)
Later!