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Author Topic: Shadow of the Demon Lord Quickstart?  (Read 1046 times)

Aglondir

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Shadow of the Demon Lord Quickstart?
« on: September 18, 2022, 06:12:14 PM »
Does one exist? Checked out the website and DT-RPG but I didn't see one. Can someone offer some bullet points on the system (good/bad)?

Eric Diaz

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Re: Shadow of the Demon Lord Quickstart?
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2022, 06:39:15 PM »
Here are my impressions after playing an entire campaign (level o to 10). Overall, I think it is a very good system.

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2022/06/shadow-of-demon-lord-review-i-book.html
« Last Edit: September 18, 2022, 07:48:22 PM by Eric Diaz »
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Aglondir

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Re: Shadow of the Demon Lord Quickstart?
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2022, 07:10:59 PM »
Thanks Eric!

It sounds promising, especially the system. What are Changelings as a PC option?

Eric Diaz

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Re: Shadow of the Demon Lord Quickstart?
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2022, 07:47:41 PM »
My pleasure!

Changelings are a race of shape-changing humanoids (i.e., hey can transform into other people). Since no players picked one, I don't remember the exact details. I remember finding it an odd choice, I'd expect elves instead, but elves are in another book.
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Aglondir

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Re: Shadow of the Demon Lord Quickstart?
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2022, 08:32:18 PM »
Are they face changers (I'm the King!) or shape changers (I'm a bird!)

Sounds like the former?

weirdguy564

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Re: Shadow of the Demon Lord Quickstart?
« Reply #5 on: September 19, 2022, 01:24:41 AM »
I have the players handbook PDF.  However, I’ve never read it too thoroughly, let alone played it. 

The choice of races are not traditional.  Humans and dwarves are typical, but the other choices are changeling, clockworks, goblins, and orcs.  Faeries steal babies, but craft changeling babies from clay to hide this fact.  The adult changeling can copy the appearance of people they see.  Clockworks are magic robots with a soul from the underworld bound to it, and powered by a windup key spring.  Goblins are goblins, but vary in appearance so each one is individually distinct.  Ugly and small, but distinct.   Orcs are big brutes and were created as slave soldiers made from giants and magic, but are now in full revolt. 

Interestingly you don’t roll starting attributes.   Your race just starts with a fixed number, and you increase some stats as you level up.  There are only 4 stats.  Strength (also your hit points), Agility (your base armor class), your Intelligence (used for many skills), and Willpower (used to cast magic). 

Starting “Novice” classes are the typical quartet of warrior, priest, rogue, and mage at level 1.   At 3rd leveled you specialize a bit, which is varied.  16 “Expert” classes by my count, mostly traditional classes like Paladin, Thief, and Druid as examples.  However, at level 7 you can either dual class, or pick a “Master” class from about 60 choices.  Your starting novice class, level 3 expert class, and level 7 Master class all combine so you get something at every level, including a couple attribute points.  Your Novice choice gives you stuff at levels 1, 2, 5, and 8.   Expert choice gives benefits at levels 3, 6, and 9.   Master gives benefits at levels 7, and 10.   Level 4 bonuses are from your race.  So all four choices of race and three classes combine to give you your level progression table from levels 1-10.

Dice.  Just the 1D20 for skill checks, and D6 for everything else.   It’s not super different, but I thought it noteworthy to mention your D4, D8, D10, and D12 will never be used.

Magic is not Vancian.  You have a Power rank from your choices of Novice, Expert, and Master classes.  That power level determines how many times you can cast each spell you know until you rest.  Spells are ranked by Power levels as well.  In essence you can cast a spell of their equivalent power level once per day, and smaller spells a few times per day.  They’re cast as a skill check unless you cast it on yourself.  Then it always works.  The target number is one of the other guy’s four attributes, or a 10 if it’s cast on the environment.   Spells are also grouped into many categories like the classic earth, fire, wind, and water, or things like illusions, conjugations, forbidden, or curses.

What the players handbook lacks is a bestiary of any kind, or information about the world setting the game was written for.  This is understandable as the name of Player Handbook clearly means this game was written in the classic D&D 3-book collection to make them more money.  Aka, buy the GM Guide and Monster Manual to get the whole game. 
« Last Edit: September 19, 2022, 01:28:45 AM by weirdguy564 »
I’m glad for you if you like the top selling game of the genre.  Me, I like the road less travelled, and will be the player asking we try a game you’ve never heard of.

Aglondir

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Re: Shadow of the Demon Lord Quickstart?
« Reply #6 on: September 19, 2022, 06:13:20 PM »
I have the players handbook PDF.  However, I’ve never read it too thoroughly, let alone played it. 

The choice of races are not traditional.  Humans and dwarves are typical, but the other choices are changeling, clockworks, goblins, and orcs.  Faeries steal babies, but craft changeling babies from clay to hide this fact.  The adult changeling can copy the appearance of people they see.  Clockworks are magic robots with a soul from the underworld bound to it, and powered by a windup key spring.  Goblins are goblins, but vary in appearance so each one is individually distinct.  Ugly and small, but distinct.   Orcs are big brutes and were created as slave soldiers made from giants and magic, but are now in full revolt. 

Interestingly you don’t roll starting attributes.   Your race just starts with a fixed number, and you increase some stats as you level up.  There are only 4 stats.  Strength (also your hit points), Agility (your base armor class), your Intelligence (used for many skills), and Willpower (used to cast magic). 

Starting “Novice” classes are the typical quartet of warrior, priest, rogue, and mage at level 1.   At 3rd leveled you specialize a bit, which is varied.  16 “Expert” classes by my count, mostly traditional classes like Paladin, Thief, and Druid as examples.  However, at level 7 you can either dual class, or pick a “Master” class from about 60 choices.  Your starting novice class, level 3 expert class, and level 7 Master class all combine so you get something at every level, including a couple attribute points.  Your Novice choice gives you stuff at levels 1, 2, 5, and 8.   Expert choice gives benefits at levels 3, 6, and 9.   Master gives benefits at levels 7, and 10.   Level 4 bonuses are from your race.  So all four choices of race and three classes combine to give you your level progression table from levels 1-10.

Dice.  Just the 1D20 for skill checks, and D6 for everything else.   It’s not super different, but I thought it noteworthy to mention your D4, D8, D10, and D12 will never be used.

Magic is not Vancian.  You have a Power rank from your choices of Novice, Expert, and Master classes.  That power level determines how many times you can cast each spell you know until you rest.  Spells are ranked by Power levels as well.  In essence you can cast a spell of their equivalent power level once per day, and smaller spells a few times per day.  They’re cast as a skill check unless you cast it on yourself.  Then it always works.  The target number is one of the other guy’s four attributes, or a 10 if it’s cast on the environment.   Spells are also grouped into many categories like the classic earth, fire, wind, and water, or things like illusions, conjugations, forbidden, or curses.

What the players handbook lacks is a bestiary of any kind, or information about the world setting the game was written for.  This is understandable as the name of Player Handbook clearly means this game was written in the classic D&D 3-book collection to make them more money.  Aka, buy the GM Guide and Monster Manual to get the whole game.

Thanks for the synopsis, Weirdguy.

I'm on the fence with this. There are some really good ideas (advantage, magic) and some ideas I'm not fond of. I think it might be a bit heavier (rules-wise) than what I'm looking for right now.