Since then I've combed over their first adventure and perused the setting and I'm fairly excited about what Pantheon is putting together here—today I will finally dish on the reasons why. Over the next few minutes I (and your eyes and your mouse hand) will provide you with a general overview of what sets this setting apart from other published works with a focus on the magic of Nobis.

The Revival of 3.5?

A tall order (and 3.5 is far from dead, of course) but Nobis and Pantheon should be big news for any of you out there who liked the grappling rules, cones, or a little disparity in your character classes. After years of tweaking and a mountain of extra material, it's nice to see a focus on whole new ideas for the system I dig the most.

So, what sets Nobis apart?

The Art

I know what I like, and it's dark, gritty, and detailed. The art of Nobis is more realistic than anything we've seen from WotC for some time (excellent though those artists are), and if you visit the Deviant Art profiles of Eren, Jesse, Andrew, or Murat you'll see what their stable is capable of.

Frankly, I want them all to make art for U20.

The Combat (Firearms, Armour, and Fencing)

The world of Nobis is seeing a renaissance of sorts, but cultural and social growing pains abound. As firearms become prevalent (with streamlined, expanded rules, of course) heavy armors are becoming less and less common, and there's a resurgence of finesse over brute force. Enter the art of fencing.

Using the feat system (and who doesn't love feats?) your PC can become a novice, or a master, of several different fencing styles. The styles vary widely and the fencing schools are not always friendly with each other, but Nobis promises to put a new, modernish spin on 3E's combat.

The Socio-Political Climate (The People)

I mentioned a renaissance, and I meant it. Art, business, culture, and opportunity are rife in the newly formed city states of Nobis, but all must share their spoils with the constant danger of a blade in the dark or a political maneuver meant to destroy. The Nobis books are rich with characters that you'll be happy to play, and replay, as they navigate through their world. Better yet, Nobis incorporates a simple reputation system that could provide fame or infamy for your PCs.

The Magic of Nobis

Advances in technology are mirrored by recent, drastic, and somewhat contentious advancements in understanding magic. The vancian spells we love our casters for are still here, but 120 years ago the elves, dwarves, and mongrels (new race) of Nobis (Nobissians?—not an official term) were introduced to simplecraft, and magic was changed forever.

Simplecraft is unstable, low-level magic for the masses. Born from advanced gnomish technology and offered as a gift of sorts to the world by a fallen priestess, simplecraft binds arcane energy to paper using special ink, plates, and seals. What makes it different from the scribe scroll spell? You don't need the Use Magic Device skill, levels in a caster class, or special feats to activate it. Even a 1st-level commoner can unleash a potent spell as long as he has eyes to aim with and hands with which to tear the simplecraft apart (thus upping the commoner's impressive aresenal of weapons to two).

I did mention that simplecraft is a little unstable, though, right? Simplecraft has an expiration date, and terrible mishaps can occur if stores of simplecraft are not carefully maintained and "culled" as they grow older. Like mayonnaise. That burns your face or opens a rift to another plane. A few catastrophic events have taught the people of Nobis to be fastidious when it comes to simplecraft, which is a good thing—such inexpensive wonder has permeated every level of society, and you're as likely to encounter simplecraft along the streets of the city states, as in the taverns, as in the surprise round of that rogue you didn't hear coming.

Lastly, simplecraft is pretty easy to aim, but will still occasionally (a roll of 1) cause a bit of an issue when activated, no matter its freshness. I would probably houserule that you get better with simplecraft depending on a leveling factor, but I take it that Pantheon wants simplecraft to be a bit mysterious and unstable, no matter the wielder.

What's Next for Pantheon, Nobis, and U20?

Nobis is due out in July, and I'm sure Pantheon's first adventure is sure to follow swiftly. Jason Keeley has assured me that the upcoming months will probably be rather busy for them, and I believe it.

For my part, I'd like to continue proofing for Pantheon when I can (monsters and encounters don't post themselves, you know—I've tried), and as far as I know there are no critter-products on the books, so maybe U20 and Pantheon can develop something there (see "jumping the gun").

For now, I'm pleased to report that Nobis is a place I'd like to play or run a game in. Be sure to check it out on release, and thanks for stopping by U20 (I'll have another killer encounter out soon).

Want to learn more about Nobis? Read on...

Atomic Array: Nobis

Game Cryer: Nobis Review

Campaign Mastery: Gaming Renaissance and loving it

Dice Monkey: Orgs and Sects

Vulcan Stev: Looking at the Religion

allgeektout: The Play

The Core Mechanic: Review - Nobis, the City States

Drop by Pantheon Press and pre-order Nobis today!

The Path Through Darkness encounter should appeal to you for a few reasons. First, it's a very simple map to draw. Second, it'll work with any number of critters, whether they're walkers, crawlers, or flyers. Third, it can be rather deadly for a group that isn't willing to take the right precautions. Fourth, it may stretch the legs of various underappreciated skills and specialist characters.

Anyway, here's the map.

 The critter minis are random (but viable) choices. Strong climbers and flyers are especially good choices for this encounter.

Read this to your players as they approach the room:

A cacophany of screeching seems to crescendo as you approach, but it's the smell that worries you—the air has become a heavy miasmic blend of rot and feces that you can taste as it stings your eyes. The room is a small cavern with a narrow, meandering stone walkway of dubious strength reaching from your entrance to an exit along another wall. A roof of centuries-old stalactites stretches for the floor. The ground well below the walkway is covered with great, dark mounds that shudder and writhe. The deafening sound is from a million bats roosting in the stalactites, and the terrible smell is from what must be centuries of their waste, coating everything.

Fun! Naturally, flying, spider-climbing, and teleporting PCs will have an EASY time navigating the path through darkness, but this encounter provides a quadruple-threat for lower-level or more 'traditional' groups with varied abilities, regardless of the edition you're playing or the critters you use.

1. The critters themselves are obviously there to eat the PCs; see my suggestions for a 3.5 edition and 4th edition encounter farther down.

2. The walkway is slick with guano, requiring some care or skill to cross safely. Obviously, fighting on precarious footing risks a terrible plunge (see #4).

3. The bats, if disturbed, will fill every square inch of this chamber for several rounds, blocking sight, impeding movement, and potentially knocking anyone not securely anchored right off the walkway. (The bats filter out through a narrow hole or two in the roof, in case someone asks.) I made this a straight 5% cumulative chance for every round the PCs are present and acting rowdy.

4. The floor of the chamber is not just coated, but filled with guano that reaches as high as you like it—I made mine 10 feet deep, and made it the home of an advanced otyugh that had feasted on rather nutritious guano for years.

The Advanced Otyugh, 3.5E, CR 6ish

Here are the statistics from my advanced otyugh. It's a CR 5 critter, but the additional dangers certainly warrant an extra point or two of rewards.

The mountain of guano and filth shifts and slides off of a disgusting, 12-foot mound of obese flesh with three stumpy legs and a cavernous mouth filled with thorny teeth. Two fleshy clubs covered with sharp barbs and hooks quiver excitedly on the end of tentacles as the beast labors forwards, gasping "Fresh meat! Fresh meat!"

OTYUGH +

Huge Aberration

Hit Dice: 9d8+27 (61 hp)

Initiative: +0

Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares)

Armor Class: 17 (–2 size, -3 dex, +12 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 18

Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+18

Attack: Tentacle +9 melee (1d8+4)

Full Attack: 2 tentacles +9 melee (1d8+4) and bite +3 melee (1d6+2)

Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft. (20 ft. with tentacle)

Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+4, disease, improved grab

Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., scent

Saves: Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +7

Abilities: Str 19, Dex 5, Con 17, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 6

Skills: Hide +0*, Listen +5, Spot +4

Feats: Toughness, Weapon Focus (tentacle), Ability Focus: (Disease), Improved natural armour

Environment: Underground

Organization: Solitary, pair, or cluster (3–4)

Challenge Rating: 5

Treasure: Standard

Alignment: Neutral

A typical otyugh has a body 8 feet in diameter and weighs about 500 pounds. This version has dimensions approaching 13 feet and weighing a good 4000 pounds. A steady, years-long diet of only partially digested bat guano has made it incredibly fat, heavy, and slow, but it's still a serious threat to anything that drops into its lair.

Otyughs speak Common.

COMBAT

An otyugh attacks living creatures if it feels threatened or if it is hungry; otherwise it is content to remain hidden. Otyughs slash and squeeze opponents with their tentacles, which they also use to drag prey into their mouths.

Constrict (Ex): An otyugh deals automatic tentacle damage with a successful grapple check.

Disease (Ex): Filth fever—bite, Fortitude DC 19, incubation period 1d3 days; damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an otyugh must hit with a tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Skills: *An otyugh has a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks when in its lair, due to its natural coloration.

3.5E Path through Darkness Tactics and Tips

• The advanced otyugh is canny enough to place a bit of bait—some weapons, some armour, an old skeleton with the armour still on—near the surface of the guano. Be sure to mention that the object is shiny—PCs are like raccoons this way. The otyugh will wait until a target presents itself. The guano should provide effective camouflage and protection from attacks without hindering its tentacles.
• A single sorceror with spider climb will make all the slick guano in the game world moot. Be prepared for this, and maybe use different critters that can engage the PCs without them falling into the guano pool (A couple of carrion crawlers clinging to the underside of the walkway make for a fine CR 6 encounter, especially if they creep towards the PCs and only uncover themselves when within striking distance. It could also be particularly cinematic if the bats are disturbed, obscuring sight, and once the PCs can see again they find the crawlers in their faces. :)
• Consider how difficult it would be for a PC in a pile of guano to fight effectively. I would reduce movement speed and hinder their action rolls, depending on the depth.
• Not deadly enough? Toss an insect swarm into the guano. Still no good? Make a prolonged stay breathing the guano fumes cause sickness.
• There's a fair chance that, at some point in this battle, somebody's going to get improved grabbed while spider-climbing on the wall or walkway. By the rules, spiderclimb is an undefeatable spell in terms of forced movement on the surface. Pretty lame, right? In my game we instituted a house rule whereby a creature with a strength matching 15 + the spell's caster level can pull the creature off the surface, and a successful grapple check (countered, of course, by the target) deals strength mod damage to the target as he/she is twisted around by the attacker.

Grells for the Win, 4E, Level 10-11 Encounter, 2500 XP

Grells are are mix of disturbing or silly, but always deadly. The spider was my otyugh.

Critters: 1 Grell, level 7 elite soldier; 1 Grell Philosopher, level 11 elite controller, 6 Grell Gnawbrains, level 9 minions.

---

Grell Gnawbrain (silliest name in existence)

level 9 minion; small aberrant magical beast (blind), XP 100

Initiative +3; Senses Perception +10, Blindsight 12

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.

AC 21; Fortitude 19, Reflex 21, Will 19

Immune gaze

Speed 1 (clumsy), Fly 6 (hover)

Tentacle Grab (Standard; at-will)

+12 melee vs. Reflex; target is grabbed.

Bite (minor; at-will) Poison

Grabbed target only; +12 vs. Fortitude; 4 damage and ongoing 3 damage.

Alignment Evil; Languages Deep Speech

Skills Stealth +14

Str 13 (+5)  Dex 20 (+9)  Wis 12 (+5)

Con 14 (+6)  Int 10 (+4)  Cha 9 (+3)

---

4E Path Through Darkness Tactics and Tips

• The grells should stay hidden under the walkways or above in the shadows of the stalactites until they're ready to attack (ideally, when the bats are swarming about since they don't use vision to see). You'll notice that all grells are rather stealthy.
• Be aware that the environment favours your grells heavily, so be ready to award a bit more XP if your PCs aren't all dead.
• Is a particular PC giving you trouble? Have the grell grab them, bite them, stun them, and then move them off the edge of the walkway and drop them to be dealt with later.
• Split the gnawbrains up among the PCs so each is trying to grab hold and bite (it probably won't really pay to focus those little nibbles on single targets).
• Have the philosopher lightning lance any mobile strikers or controllers early and often to keep them blinded.
• Have the grell tentacle rake a target or two before choosing one to tentacle grab onto (don't shy away from one that already has a gnawbrain attached to him) and be sure to use venomous bite on them repeatedly while moving them off the edge of the walkway (escape will only mean they can look forward to a fall).

Phew—that should do it. Apologies for the length, but I hope you have as much fun running this encounter as I have had. If you have any comments, positive or not, please leave 'em!

Bloody gorgeous—their art has a very dark and moody feel to it.

Have you heard of Nobis, Pantheon Press’ new campaign setting? It is yet to be released, but I can tell you that its existence cheers me for a couple of reasons.

1. It’s a 3.5E campaign setting, my preferred edition overall.
2. It includes some very interesting new ideas, chief among them being simplecraft (unstable low-level magic for the masses), rules for fencing, expanded rules for firearms, and a setting that seems to be focused on great social change and upheaval backed by some interesting historical bits.

Really, it's shaping up to have everything you need for a solid new campaign, and I'm excited to see quality new 3.5E content as many of the big boys jump to 4E.

Do you want to know more? You can visit Pantheon’s website for an overview of the setting, but be sure to check back here at U20 on June 5 for a full overview of Nobis with a focus on the Simplecraft and Magic chapter.

Until then, get some gaming in, and be sure to follow RPGike on Twitter—we've got a lot of cool little projects in the works right now.

Be sure to DL the siren from the Weekly Critter Crate right this instant, and enjoy!

Tweet?

Also, U20 is now on Twitter—you should follow us! This will help you understand where your update is at, how we're doing at PAX and other events, the rationale and inspiration behind critter creation, and current project updates (like the RPGBN campaign setting and the U20 store).

Subscribe away! (The link's in the sidebar.)

Go the gentler, empathic, wiser route, and download U20's Canid from the Weekly Critter Crate today (and let me know how you feel about it as it's a bit of a departure from the other core races).

More this... (awesome freaking image, by the way. Kudos to Genzoman)

...than this.

- Homer, The Odyssey

We're going to need a bigger boat...

Marine life of all kinds has always been dreadfully fascinating to me, and the idea of creatures unimaginably huge and driven by alien instincts and base needs is terrifying. Stories like those of the bloop, and our limited knowledge of giant squid and colossal squid really feed my imagination, and as I've complained in the past there are no aquatic creatures in the 4E MM. With that, please help me welcome the level 20 Giant Squid and the level 28 Kraken to the Critter Crate.

You'll see that I left out any mention of their barbed whips (two killing tentacles that are much longer than the standard feeding arms, bringing the squid's total tentacle count to 10), but I felt that they were powerful enough already. No ink cloud, either, for the same reason.

I dunno, Ed. I'm betting that sucker could eat your subaru...

The best part about these critters is that you can use them even if you don't want your PCs to even dip a toe into the water. Any coastal campaign, or any boat trip, can become a terrifying battle with an enormous sea creature. Here are some hooks to work these critters into your D20 game.

* A coastal city is plagued by the sudden rise and fall of terrible storms. In their wake are crushed and broken boats, but the remains of the sailors and fishermen are never found. After several weeks and maybe a high-profile disappearance, the PCs are dispatched to discover the cause.

* Kuo-toa have always plagued merchant shipping routes, but only recently have entire boats failed to reach their destinations. When the Behemoth, a flagship navy vessel, is found drifting at sea with no one but gibbering madmen aboard, the PCs are tasked with discovering how this came to be.

* After 30 years of harmony and success, a coastal village famous for its rich waters is fast becoming a ghost town, threatening to ruin the livelihood of friends of the PCs. The sea life has moved on or is in hiding, but when several dead whales covered in lacerations and circular scars drift to shore the PCs know something is up. (hopefully)

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy!

Extra special thanks to Kimble, Anarchangel, Swordgleam, Scott, Jonathan, Phil, Anarkeith, PrecociousApprentice, Greywulf, Wyatt, Dawn_Raven, WickedMurph, Thasmodious, Donny_the_DM, Daniel Anand, John F, Joshua, DeadGod, Dead Orcs, and Scott. With the following tips and strategies I expect my 4E experiences to be much richer with better, smoother skill challenges, breezy, exciting combat, and cooler magic items.

Skill challenges got you down? Try this!

1. Don’t announce a skill challenge until after the players announce their intentions
2. Don’t announce the number of successes required
3. If the goals are clear, don’t announce the skill challenge at all
4. Avoid making assumptions about your players’ actions
5. Keep skill challenges simple (even if succeeding is not), but think ahead. If the players succeed/fail, know what happens, and how the skill challenge is affected.
6. Call for checks when you feel they’re appropriate and hand out bonuses for good roleplaying, heroic/intelligent actions, or whatever else you feel is worthy
7. Have the DCs in mind, but be willing to modify them depending on player actions

Combat got you down? Try this!

1. Use lots of minions!
2. Cut monster HP in half and add to their damage (good options could be +5 per adventure tier, or + ½ the monster’s level).
3. Lower Monster defenses by one or two.
4. Be the monster, not the guy running the monster (roll with the punches). Just because you're aware you're marked doesn't mean you won't be willing to attack someone other than the marker.
5. Add an in-game time limit to the combat. For example, this level of the dungeon is flooding, and you hand a stopwatch to the players and tell each that they have 30 seconds to choose their actions.
6. Encourage your players to press on, even if they're hurt. Players react very differently when their characters are on death's door, changing the encounter in drastic ways, and perhaps encouraging them to look at fighting smarter, or not at all.
7. Watch encounter group makeup with a militant eye—creature synergies are a big deal. Lots of brutes makes a combat drag. An encounter group made entirely of skirmishers makes a combat drag. Minions and mixed encounter groups do not.
8. Bring the combat setting alive! Add hazards, terrain types, destructible objects, and different altitudes. Encourage the use of stunts (from page 42 of the 4E DMG) instead of the same powers round after round.

Magic Items got you down? Try this!

1. Use magic items form prior editions, or elsewhere, and translate the durations.
2. Modify your outlook—many 4E magic items are now supplements and enhancements to the power system where they’ve been much more dramatic in previous editions.
3. Focus on wondrous items, rings, and artifacts (the coolest stuff) rather than weapons and armor.
4. Mix and match 4E magic item abilities with different types of items—rods to blades to staves to armour to rings and back.
5. Allow healing surges to be spent to reactivate an item’s daily or encounter power.
6. Do away with the limits on the number of daily item powers that can be activated.
7. Bring items to life on your own—history, description, and personality go a long way

(No, you’re the dork!)

Took a while to find a somewhat positive gaming image. Anyone going to PAX this year?

But then what?

I’d bet a hundred gp versus a bent electrum that the average gaming group takes that mini off the table and forgets about it (until it’s recycled, anyway). After all, there are more critters to stab and cursed rings to slip over the fighter’s fingers while he sleeps.

But Why?

I submit that you shouldn’t just take that mini off the table. Leave it there and treat the space as difficult terrain. Take it away and color the area where the hydra fell in concentric circles so you can treat it as a hill, cover, or as a hiding place. In cramped quarters the PCs (or NPCs) might work together to pile those corpses in a doorway or behind a door, creating a very difficult-to-navigate-barricade for the other team. Giants might substitute a fallen genasi or goblinoid slave for a throwing boulder. Be sure to note the effects on the corpse as AoE spells and items go off nearby.

This simple addition provides a lot of potential color, tactics, and fun to your battles.

Also, Sources say U20 is Great

Have you visited the Weekly Critter Crate lately? Want to see a critter that not only transforms mid-combat, but becomes a bubbling pool of hardening lava once it’s killed? Of course you do!

Thanks for stopping by.

Skree! On a side note, Googling "stoned fairy" is far safer than you might think.

Here are several tested methods of representing those pesky fliers from both sides of the screen.

Draw on the Battlemat

A simple notation next to a mini will serve without any pesky balancing acts. However, what do you do when multiple critters share a vertical space?

Pizza Box Lid Supports

These relatively stable little tripods can be glued or stacked precariously for varying heights, and they’ll fit multiple medium-sized or smaller figures within the tower.

Dice

Larger than normal d6s will often work (until someone bumps the table or rolls their d20 through the battlefield). You can use the number at the top to keep track of altitude

Dice Containers

These clear plastic containers do the job, and can be written upon with dry-erase markers.

Pogs

Again, you’ll have trouble placing multiple minis in the same square, and they’re really only good for medium or smaller minis.

Spend Some Money

Buy the professional solution from someone like Fiery Dragon (those spell effect template overlays look pretty sweet)...

What about you?

None of the solutions above are as convenient or effective as I’d like. Do you have a strong idea for showing altitude in combat? Let us know, please!

An on-call player is a backup player that can fill a vacated session slot, ensuring that your game continues to hum along even when one or more of your “primaries” can’t make it to the session.

If your on-call player can’t make it, no problem—the session wasn’t really hinged on them showing up anyway. But as J4 points out in the article, you’ll probably find that your on-call player will become a regular face at the table as there’s almost always something from RL that can keep one of your primary players from making the game.

In short, having an on-call player helps ensure that everyone gets to game more often, which is a big win.

U20 is Still Looking to Hire Artists

Know someone who can draw monsters, maps, comics, and/or scenes of battle? Know someone who wants to practice their craft, get published, and earn some money? Direct them here, or have them email me directly at rpg_ike@unnatural20.com.

If you can draw this I want to hook up!

Critters on the Way to the Crate

We’ve got four critters in the works right now as we hope to fill out a few missing niches in 4E and just provide some cool new character options in 3E. Look for them starting later this week. I hope you like krakens, dogmen, and giant psychic avatars... :)