# DiasExMachina 4ED Update



## DiasExMachina (Jul 29, 2008)

As many know, Dias Ex Machina is releasing its 3.5 game, Amethyst, to 4th Edition.  We have signed onto the GSL and are hard at word adapting the "clash of magic vs. science in the real world" concept.  

The 3.5 version of Amethyst was recently given an Honorable Mention at the 2008 Ennie Awards for Best Setting.


Some of our concepts include a lilfepath (also recently revealed with the Forgotton Realms book).  At 1st level, you choose ONE lifepath. It can never change and affects how your character lives through life. It does not force your journey, only influence it. Certain paths free up a whole group of new feats unique to that path. Some may even allow a paragon path also unique to that lifepath. What's important to note is that these are not balanced with others nor are they all the same. They are mostly regional though a few of the disciplines and supernatural lifepaths are not bound by a location. Some have a half dozen feats available while others have none. These may require some extensive playtesting to ensure some are not wholly more powerful than others. I am about half-way through them at this point.

Here is a preview of one of our races:

KODIAKS are now a playable player race. Let's show them...

RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 6’4” – 7’2”
Average Weight: 350 -450 lb.
Average Starting Age: 15 years.
Estimated Life Expectancy: 80 years

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution.
Size: Medium
Speed: 6
Vision: Low Light

Languages: Common, Kodiak.
Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Athletics

Enraged: When bloodied, you gain a +1 bonus to hit to any enemy that strikes you with a melee attack. This is not cumulative.

Bear Charge: You have a +2 bonus to Strength when making a Bull Rush and the distance pushed and shifted is doubled. (See the DND 4E PLAYER’S HANDBOOK on “Bull Rush” and “Charge”).

Natural Runner: If you drop what you are holding and run with all four limbs, you can run at your speed +4 (See the DND 4E PLAYER’S HANDBOOK on “Run”). You are too large and clumsy to ride a mount (and you are not shaped correctly to take a rider) but you can cover 40 miles a day without tiring.

Imposing Form: As a Kodiak, your body is not shaped like other humanoids. All armor costs +25% more as it must be customed to your body. You are also clumsy with many small weapons, suffering a -1 to hit with all weapons you wield one-handed.

Natural Weapons: Your claws are powerful weapons. You have a +2 proficiency bonus to hit with them and they do 1d6 damage. At 11th level, your bonus increases to +4 and they inflict 2d6 damage. At 21st level, the bonus increases to +6 and they inflict 3d6 damage.

I'll update this often as progress continues...


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 1, 2008)

At this rate, it should still be the weekend before emails go out for playtesters. (Still time to get onboard) I can say without a shadow that the first phase will be heroic fantasy adventuring. Just pick any old dungeon romp see if any of the lifepaths and feats break the system. Paragons can also be tested. It may be until September before techans are done.

We are STILL debating EDF rules but I think we are closing in on a final solution which will result in one initial roll, and one follow-up roll depending on the first. That's a maximum of two rolls per round, not per character.

Weapons will be made like magic items. Is that lazy? I don't think so. It is a simnple solution and allows us to skip the stress of testing out an entirety different scaling system. So in theory, the plasma pistol and a traditional firearm may not be so different. Both would do 1d6 damage though with the Plasma weapon being TL5, it would add an additional +5 to damage. We are not sure yet if we will give it a bonus to hit or offer the bonuses within the classes to balance. Said plasma pistol would also inflict additional fire damage as well. Other attributes would apply as well. After I spellcheck the playtesting package (It will have errors, folks), I'm tackling those...and honestly, they'll be a walk in the park in comparison to paragon paths.

I had this conversation with another member where we commented that DnD 4ED kinda throws sand in your face about the differences between the classes. There really isn't very many. There are just variations on themes. A good example are paragon paths. Count how many different ways there are to use an action point. Ever path has one...and there are like 30 different paths in the book...but only maybe five different ways to use an action point among them. My anxiety was to create something different for each one of ours without just photochoping their ideas. At about 15 paths, I decided to stop. That's not including another 5 or 6 techan paths to come.

Lifepaths? We're up to 35.

Oh, and the Kannos Kavalier has a paragon path called the Kaptain...then I realized that was stupid and called him a Mutaharrik Captain.

Equestrian Charge Mutaharrik Captain Utility 12
Encounter Martial, Mounted
Move Action
Effect: If your mount moves more than 4 squares, either in as an attack (charge or trample) or a move action, you can jump from your mount as a move action. You are considered running for the jump and gain a +5 bonus to the Athletics roll. Pick an unoccupied square in range to land into. You provoke no opportunity attacks as you jump or land.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 5, 2008)

Talking with someone on painkillers on ideas for the new DEM logo was an interesting experience which included such progressive ideas as presenting it as kanji writing, including a picture of god zotting a player with lightning bolts, or just a god-sized fist coming from one side and roflstomping a fighter's face like Neo to Agent Smith at the end of Revolutions.

I am not one to talk. Two days ago, I thought up a Laudenian martial class called the Keeper of Stones. It had such progressive ideas as making your weapon bigger and making it set on fire... Yeah I know, I deleted it and judged my paragon path making days done for now. I moved onto Equipment.

...Which is proving easier than I thought. Echan weapons are already done and techans are about 75% complete. The way it works is that weapons are built around magic items but not presented as such. If you remember tech levels from the 3.5 game, they are back. Only this time, instead of just determining rarity and disruption chance, they also denote a weapon's enhancement bonus to hit and damage. It might not make sense on the surface until you understand that a plasma pistol and an autoloader do the same damage. But an autoloader is a TL0 weapon and the plasma pistol is TL6, so right there, the plasma weapon does +6 damage. In addition, to supplement the Weapon Properties section of the 4ED PHB, we've added new ones to apply to these weapons. They include: Laser, Plasma, Gauss, etc.

Here is an example:

Laser: Lasers weapons give away their firer's location but deliver devastating damage few can resist. They can also track targets easier with subsequent impacts. There are laser pistols, rifles, and assault cannons.
Critical: 1d8 damage per tech level and the target is blinded (save ends).
Special: If you strike successfully with a laser, every subsequent round gains a +1 to hit that same target. This is not cumulative and is removed if you don’t fire at the same target or if you miss that same target the following round.

Ahh...you ask, aren't all lasers the same tech level? Nope. There are lasers that are TL 4 and TL5. The same goes for most weapons. There will be less selection than the last book, but that's because we really didn't see the reason to include 11 different calibers of firearms. From where there were 23 total pistols, now there are only 16. It just makes it easier because really, who thought that was good?

We decided to finish weapons and EDF before really diving into techan classes. They're coming soon. Oh, and I know we have not contacted playtesters yet. Soon...soon...


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 8, 2008)

So, no Cybernetics...

In a world where technology breaks down after time or the further you walk away from where it was built, the idea of replacing a fully functional organic limb immune to the effects of disruption would seem somewhat foolish. So, no, there are no cybernetics being presented in Amethyst. High tech level bastions don't make more resistant cybernetic limbs, they make stronger organic ones. A strange decision since I put all that work in the D20 Ghost in the Shell Game I posted two years ago on Serena Dawn. It would have been easy.

I made a claim somewhere that armor was going to be finished two days ago. That ended up not occurring. This is because of a realization that struck me yesterday. Techans have a limited selection of items, weapons, and armor. Why? There are no custom items. A plasma weapon does not start at +1 enhancement and move up to +6. You have a gunpowder autoloader at 1st level and save up for the +5 plasma when you hit 21st level. This ended up balancing rather nicely. However, I can't in clean conscious make 40 different types of unique armor. As a result, there are only 23 different variations of techan armor. Of course, you can buy fantasy scale or leather. The majority of these techan suits occur at paragon and epic levels. This was not the real concern.

The concern was all the other magical items in the book. There is no technological equivalent of +6 cloak of protection or gauntlets of ogre power. Sure, we have micromachine injections that will offer some options but these also somewhat rare (at least they should be). We have infrared goggles to offer nightvision and light benders for invisibility but we can't just start making excuses for technology because it will just appear like we are redressing magic as technology (I am sure there is some philosophical point hiding here somewhere...maybe a quote from one of Arthur C. Clarke's three laws).

I wanted to make it appear plausible. Therefore, the number of items with enhancement bonuses is rather limited. Micromachines and Armor fill in the rest. Beyond what I mentioned about the MM Injections being able to replicate a few items (enhancement bonuses to Fort, Will, and Ref for example), Armor is the real balance for echa. High tech level armor combines the benefits of several items, not just armor. Our power armor, for example, not only offer bonuses to AC, but to Fort, Ref, and Will as well (Item bonuses, so they don't stack with the aforementioned MM Injections). They also offer bonuses to Acrobat rolls, Athletic rolls; many have fire and/or cold resistance. The big ones even have +1 reach. The higher Tech Level armors will appear severely over-priced. They have a price listed two levels above their expectation. This is because they are killing two birds (or occupying several slots) at once. And yes, in case you were wondering, higher level armor counts as two items if you create a character at a higher level.

Skinplate:
Defense Bonus: Gain +4 item bonus to Reflex Defense and +4 item bonus to Fortitude Defense.
Boosters: Gain a +5 item bonus to Athletics when performing a jump.
Power (daily): Minor Action. If disrupted, the machine comes back online.
Resistances: Gain resist 5 fire, resist 5 lightning, resist 5 acid and resist 10 poison.
Maneuverability: You also gain a +2 item bonus to all acrobatic rolls and a +1 item bonus to speed.
Special: The power system operates the entire suit and if it is disrupted, the suit becomes immobile until back online. Entering and powering the suit is the same as donning full plate.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 13, 2008)

You see, originally, we had stat boosts for techans via a nano/micromachine injections, an idea I carried over from my free Ghost in the Shell D20 RPG from Serena Dawn.  Basically, it was a way for techans to up their stats without having to wear powered armor all the time.  The problem with them was the fluff.  By definition, they were high-tech, and thus hard to find.  Technically, they would also be expensive.  I stated earlier that a Tech Level is now an enhancement bonus (and also sometimes an item bonus) to various applications including hit and damage bonus (Didn't I mention that?  Oh well, I did now).  So in effect, the micromachine injections would be breaking the rules unless we only offer them at a +4 bonus, making techan characters underpowered in respect to a fantasy party until they got them.

To explain the rest, I need to set the "way-back" machine to last week when I was creating enhanced equipment for technology.  The lazy approach (and hopeful this won't upset other companies doing it like this) to creating said gear would be to create cloned equipment that operate exactly like their fantasy counterpart....like a cloak of techno-invisibility or cyber gauntlets of robot power (I know Jibblets is going to declare that a super awesome idea...I'm waiting).  I decided against it and instead created items that would logically offer said bonuses based on probable progress.  So, even though we still have goggles of darkvision (Infrared nightvision headset) the majority of the other items make sense.  This unfortunately opened a gap in technology.  There was simply not enough technology for 30 levels of techans.  I mean, when you actually add up all the fantasy magic items, we are talking over 600.  There cannot be six levels of aforementioned infrared goggles.  I even had to invent generic power armor with scaling costs from 175,000 to 3,000,000 to offer some variety.  Therefore, this left a significant gap, specifically, with cloaks.  Some powered armor offer additional enhancement bonuses to Reflex and Fortitude but they don't offer anything to Will.  All techan players have a bonus to will because of their resistance to magic (until they welcome it in), but there is simply no techno-cloak to offer bonuses to Reflex, Will, and Fortitude.  

So, back to injections.  Initially, this became our solution.  Micromachines would alter your body and instill the bonuses naturally.  Since techans equipment does not work with echans and echan magic items do not work with techans, we could get away with creating a new "slot" just for techans.  However, there was still an issue with availability.  There is only one bastion outputting high tech in Canam and they're xenophobic.  There had to be a way to make injections accessible to lower level characters.

Drugs...well, not just drugs.  The lineup is as follows:  TL1 and 2 = +1 and +2 bonuses = drug injections.  TL3 and 4 = +3 and +4 bonuses = Viral/Gene therapy.  TL5 and 6 = +5 and +6 bonuses = Micromachine injections.  This offers players to access lower tech bonuses that make sense in the fluff.  Naturally, this offers up an additional issue.  While micromachine injections and gene therapy could be permanent, drug shots would not be.  So these injections via jet hypo would be temporary and only last to the end of the encounter.  They are much cheaper than the TL3+ injections, requiring players to shoot up if they really feel they need that +2 bonus to Ref or Will.  I feel this angle is a wonderfully dark approach to the material, forcing techan players to make tough decisions about what they are willing to risk and sacrifice for that extra edge.  These bonuses are also not exactly like cloaks, so there is not one that offers bonuses to Reflex, Will, and Fortitude.  Each injection adds a bonus to one with an additional ability.  You can have up to two in your system without problems and being enhancement bonuses, they do not stack with cloaks or bonuses offered by powered armor.


	Agility:  This booster improves overall reaction time and swiftness.  
	Enhancement Bonus:  Gain the TL as an item bonus to Reflex Defense.
	Property:  Gain the TL as an item bonus to Acrobat checks.	  
	Property: TL1&2—Power (Encounter) Minor Action, stand up from prone.  TL3&4—Power (Daily) Free Action, reroll an Acrobatics roll you just made.  You must use the new result.  TL5&6—Gain a +1 item bonus to speed.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 15, 2008)

As many have read, there is an update to the GSL coming soon (most likely after GenCon) which will address certain issues 3PPs have had with the wording.  They promise (or hope being a better word) to alleviate restrictions within the license.  How will this impact the development of Amethyst?  

Not in the slightest bit.  Unless they make it MORE restrictive (which in unlikely) no additional freedom they will offer will really affect the progress we are making.  We will still be renaming all our creatures; we will still be keeping the rules unchanged.  Whether or not we will keep Cleric, Paladin, and Warlock from the system remains to be seen.  But when it comes to the changes we instigated to follow the GSL, we are actually happier now with our new version than the last one.  Don't expect a huge retroactive post based on the revisions of this new GSL.  

me out.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 17, 2008)

Damaskans
Dealing with some of the fluff with Amethyst, I wanted to bring up Damaskans first. Damaskans are the de-facto primary non-human race of Amethyst. They are the most numerous, the most often seen, and the ones that mingle the most with other races, notably mankind. Like all the races in the setting, Damaskans are created part from boyhood fantasies, part from historical relevance, and part from philosophical metaphor.

As many know, all the civilized races in Amethyst (save for man) are members of a greater kingdom called fae. If you were to use formal nomenclature towards it, the original fae would the domain all others came from, as well as the name of the first species, now since extinct. Narros, chaparran, and laudenian would comprise of the relevant families with damaskans, tenenbri, and gimfen all falling into the category of genus. Damaskans, themselves, can be broken into both Canam and Lauropa damaskans with gimfen, puggs, and gobbs breaking off further down. Damaskans were the first species to form after the first schism. This first schism occurred slowly as the original fae turned initially into laudenians, then later into chaparrans and finally Narros—the only three races broken directly from the original stock. Damaskans came from laudenians, emerging smaller, more naïve, and shorter lived than their ancestors. Their creation also sparked the widespread fear among older fae that the ultimate path of all of them would be to alter and change into other forms, most of whom they considered to be inferior. The Laudenians were the first to encounter this but we’ll deal with how they reacted when I talk about them. The damaskans were not actually dumber but did not have the grasp of magic their parents did. They also were shorter lived but actually more agile than the slender laudenians. Damaskans don’t need more than 400 calories a day to function perfectly and weigh not much more than 60 lbs. Beyond this, they were still very reminiscent of the parents they broke from. It’s in their emotional traits did they mark their differences.

Damaskans are not paranoid like many others. As the damaskan family of fae continued branching, they became more sociable. Unfortunately, this eventually turned into violence as marauding camps of gobbs and puggs would force themselves into the societies of others. Because damaskans were “blessed” with slightly shorter lifespans, they were compensated with a fiercer reproductive cycle than the laudenians or chaparrans. This resulted in a sudden surge of damaskans worldwide, eventually surpassing all others put together. This was also amplified by the social behavior, which encouraged the mingling of foreigners. Where tribes of chaparrans or laudenians would keep to themselves, damaskan villages would often mix their populations. By the time of the Ixindar migration, damaskans were in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, yet few damaskans were turned to corruption with the arrival of Mengus. On the other hand, chaparrans and laudenians lost nearly half their numbers with chaparrans suffering the most. This could be connected to the idea that the corruption affected the oldest races first. Using that assumption, the feral lower species would be nearly immune. Damaskans, along with narros, took on the mantle of defense to protect the civil forces of good against the encroaching shadow of evil and their population dwindled in that war.

Meanwhile, damaskans continued to develop their culture. In the early days, their youth forced them to absorb traditions from their elders. These customs were rejected when the damaskans found their own voice. They possessed strength with engineering even the narros could not match. The narros knew stonework and could carve great fortresses in mountains but could not come close to the city planning of damaskans. In centuries, cities of towering spires and perfect construction dotted the globe. Their shorter lifespan also gave to their drive of knowledge. Laudenians seldom write anything down because memories don’t fade and those that remember seldom die. Damaskans embraced the concept of knowledge retention and proceeded to write everything down. At first, this emerged with scrolls, but later bookbinding would find its way.

Laudenians were not alone in the concern of species degradation and damaskans were soon breaking into gimfen, puggs, gobbs, and others. Each branch was more social and shorter lived, finally ending in the puggs whom barely live more than 10 years and could produce offspring every month (which they did often). Damaskans did nothing to offset this trend and their faith in their continued survival laid simply in the footprint they had already established in the world. Proud members of royalty like Ellenthose Telurian and Ravenar Limshau rallied masses into their kingdoms.

The exodus caused the single greatest loss of life in damaskan history. Many could not manage the journey into the world of dreams when the Hammer fell. They were still the most numerous of all the refugees but had still lost the most. Upon their arrival in the modern world of Earth, two distinctive camps emerged. Ravenar Limshau was a progressive ruler, still encouraging the mingling of foreigners and the pushing of knowledge, believing the future of the fae depended on keeping their eyes open. Telurian was a conservative that pulled her people back to their roots, embracing older ways and encouraging more isolation with proven traditions. On the exodus, by design or by accident, the two rulers emerged on two different sides of the globe. Ellenthose and her loyals found land west of the Dragons in Lauropa, and Ravenar appeared in a massive field in the center of Canam.

In the thousand years since arriving, both sets of damaskans have taken distinctive turns, which have altered their culture as well as their physical appearances. Damasia in Lauropa is an expanding city of needle-like spires where Limshau in Canam is marked by a tight organized puzzle of leveled buildings bound in by walls. Damasia had no neighbors to speak of other than the archons of Dracontia. Limshau was surrounded on nearly every side by growing human settlements. Limshau made a point to contact them and attempt diplomacy. They formed alliances with Kannos and later, Abidan. Ravenar’s descendant, Limshau III, approached the bastion of Angel and came to realize the extent of the human footprint before their own cataclysm brought them down. Limshau was an exotic—an elf with aged wisdom and strengths no human could replicate. His charisma, as well as his familiar physical characteristics which bore similarities to the Asian population in Angel, resulted in a huge following of wide-eyed and romantic supporters trailing behind as he returned to his empire. This influx encouraged more humans from struggling villages across the entire continent. Despite the encouragement to welcome outsiders, damaskans, like all fae, are skittish to bond with those they don’t understand. Despite whimsical pursuits and the nonstop of exposure to mankind, there are still very few bonds of damaskan and human. It did not change a certain influence, which altered Limshau damaskans. They now have dark hair to the Damasian blonde. They also obsess over details and organization while Damasians are more like their laudenian ancestors and handle affairs more loosely. All damaskans still possessed a lingering mistrust of newcomers. They loathe vocal outbursts, distractions, and the need to fill silence with conversations.

Humans got to calling damaskans “elves”, a term they also apply to other fae races, though not as exclusively. This is because, in Canam, the gimfen and damaskans are usually the only fae any humans ever encounter. They resemble the traditional elves nearly to a tee. They are romantic and kind and are the pursuit of many suitors, though they often encountered failure.

From a story perspective, damaskans represent the pubescent goals of adults dreaming about their youth. Because of their position in the world, and specifically Canam, they are under the crosshairs of many of dire intent. They are the focus of hate from the dark halves of humanity, symbolizing the various minorities hunted down because of their differences or positions in society. Because they are the de-facto elves, and the poster-images of all non-humans, they are the most victimized by the monsters of men. When the slavers in Baruch Malkut print posters with reward for capture, they show an image of a damaskan. Because of their progressive and alternate views of society, they have been declared infidels, demons, or generally inferior. Damaskans, like all fae, don’t fall into the feral instincts like man (because fae were never animals). They don’t have the overpowering drive to reproduce or envy what others possess. They don’t have addictive personalities and are not bound by greed or selfishness. They are comfortable with their own boundaries and don’t try to push their values on other so don’t have laws against drug use, prostitution, or homosexuality. This places them at the centre of hatred for a variety of immature and racist eyes. In that, damaskans are a surrogate for every minority in humanity that has been victimized or abused. The fact that damaskans are peaceful, wise, and beautiful (at least, in my opinion), makes such symbol even the more jarring. Other humans like all of those living in Limshau as well as the allied human lands of Abidan and Kannos do not understand this machine of hatred that is being fueled. Baruch Malkut has turned the machine into a profit by enslaving elves to serve their own needs.

Damaskans learned quickly that humans are all different. Unlike fae, where a species will share similar ideas and dispositions regardless of where they were raised, humans are bound by those around them. Damaskans despise the people of Malkut but trust those from other realms. Humans are still welcome within their walls and elves are still known to take human mates, sacrificing part of their lifespan to that of the shorter-lived spouse. Although the standard elf of the setting, damaskans are by no means simple or boring. Their obsession with knowledge and the challenge and duty of combating the evils done against them makes them one of the most interesting races to play.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 21, 2008)

So, here is how we set it up.  We got this huge 4 foot by 8-foot table in the middle of my living room.  On it is a huge 9-foot long wet-erase grid-sheet that also doubles as our dungeon and combat grid-map (yes, which is as awesome as it sounds).  On that, we have written each of our four techan classes with lines for each power level (Encounter, Daily, Utility).  Then we have printed up 200+ techan powers and are assigning them locations.  Several (actually a quite a few) will carry over to several different classes.  This is not due because of laziness but because all the techan classes share a core concept.  In the world of fantasy, techans must work together.  I will have more for the weekend 'cause I wanted techan classes ready for testing by Monday.  We are still finalizing the names to.  I have a few of my favorite powers below...

*System Shock*								Attack
	The creature has no idea how deadly your last strike was.  It continues wandering about the battlefield, unaware of the level of pain it’s about to experience when the shock wears off.
	Daily * Martial, Sniper, Weapon
	Standard Action					Ranged Weapon
	Target:  One creature
	Attack:  Dexterity vs. AC
	Hit:  1 [W] + Dexterity modifier damage and the creature is dazed (save ends)
	Effect:  The moment the target stops being dazed, it takes an additional 4 [W] damage.

*Meat Shield	*							Utility
	You can see the dilated pupils of the enemy in front.  Before the body slumps to the soil, you grab its shoulder and hold it up as cover.
	Encounter * Martial
	Free Action						Melee Touch
	Requirement:  You must have killed a medium sized creature in an adjacent square this round.
	Effect:  You hold the target in place.  It provides cover.  Only you can gain the effects of the shield.  The meat shield cannot move but you can move around it.  You can only use one-handed small arms while holding onto the shield. 
	Sustain Minor:  If you let go, the meat shield drops.

*Use the Mil Dot*							Utility
	You balance every aspect of your weapon, including compensating for range, gravity and wind. 
	Daily * Martial, Sniper, Weapon
	Standard Action				Personal
	Effect:  Double both the normal and the long range of your weapon until the end of your round.

*Natural Healer*					Field Expert Utility
	There’s an arrow in your head.  Whatever you do, don’t laugh.
	Encounter (Special)	 * Healing, Martial 
	Standard Action			Melee touch
	Special:  You can use Natural Healer as many times during an encounter as your Wisdom modifier.
	Requirement:  You must be trained in Heal.
	Target:  You or one ally.
	Effect:  You or the ally can spend a healing surge and regain additional hit points equal to the total skill bonus of your Heal skill.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 23, 2008)

I'll get back to Techan Classes later, but for now, I wanted to repost a message I made to question on Gleemax regarding Lifepath:

When I say they are unbalanced, I don't mean that one path has, let's say, a bonus to damage with melee weapons and another has, Ohhhh, a natural talent for calligraphy. I mean they are very different in their approach. Where the Forgotten Realms Background concept deals primarily with skills and maybe the odd resistance or two, there are some lifepaths which are exquisitely (yes, I chose the word exquisitely) detailed. But they are not all the same.

Let me take three examples:

DOPPELSHIDO
Path: Discipline
Prerequisite: Narros, Strength 16
BENEFITS
Double-Form: If wielding a weapon two-handed, you are counted as wielding two weapons for the purposes of applying the benefit of two-weapon feats. Choose one of the following weapons to be used with Double-Form:
Any versatile weapon OR
Any two-handed, non-reach weapon
You must be proficient with chosen weapon. Your chosen weapon is the only type of weapon you can receive these bonuses from. You may purchase magical versions later but the specific weapon type cannot be changed.

So, this one allows the alteration of certain conditions with attack powers but really...it’s more a style issue. At the very best, it saves you on money in buying a second magic weapon later and offers a +1 to damage and AC if you select the right feats. Not a huge bonus. But you also have to be a Narros (dwarf).

KINETASSANA
Path: Discipline
Prerequisite: Tenenbri, Wisdom 14, Dexterity 14
BENEFITS
Snap-Draw: If you select the Quick-Draw feat, you gain a feat bonus to initiative checks equal to 2 + your Wisdom bonus. You can only withdraw a melee weapon if taking advantage of this alteration.
Propriocepting Posture: If you ready an action as an immediate reaction to an enemy’s move into an adjacent square, you gain a bonus to hit equal to your Wisdom bonus on your first attack roll with that strike.

With this one, you gain an additional bonus to initiative if you select the right feat and the other ability only comes into play on a very unique situation.

LIBRARIAN
Path: Regional
Prerequisites: From Limshau
BENEFITS
Branch Expertise: You gain a +1 to History (Limshau and surrounding areas). You also gain an additional +1 to either Arcana, History (pick another named location in Canam), or Religion.
Selected Lore: Choose any number of creatures from the Amethyst Bestiary or from the MONSTER MANUAL equal to your Intelligence Bonus. You are an expert on said creatures and pass all DC20 knowledge skills when recalling about their lore.

Now, this one seems the least powerful. You gain bonuses to a few skills. But the second ability has astounding role playing potential for those willing to take it on. Also, this path has more feats attached to it, which require this path as a prerequisite. Ninety percent of all our new feats are lifepath specific. With the librarian, one can increase the number of creatures, increase the DC, or even gain a bonus to hit one of those creatures.

Now, it should be noted, this is not ANY librarian, but one specifically from a city of books called Limshau.

How is that?


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 27, 2008)

This is the Pugg

The Pugg is two feet tall and hideous.  The Pugg has sex five times a day.  It has four mates.  You probably don’t even have one.    The Pugg…is better than you.

This is the Neirryd Riverblessed.  

The Neirryd is the most beautiful creature on the planet.  Mortals search their whole lives looking for one.  You want her to like you…but she doesn’t…because you’re dumb.  The Neirryd…is better than you.

This is the Rookxs Wrathshroud

The Rookxs is a demonic creature that can suck out your life force to use it to power its necrotic abilities.  You suck at math.  The Rookxs Wrathshroud…is better than you.

This is the Dojenn

The Dojenn is blind.  The Dojenn is ugly and mean.  But it also can walk on walls.  Can you walk on walls?  No, you can’t.  The Dojenn…is better than you.

This is the Chiggoth

The Chiggoth…Well…the Chiggoth is twenty times larger than you.  It steps on you…then it eats you.  The Chiggoth is better than everybody.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 28, 2008)

There was a question on Gleemax on the extent of Amethyst's compatability with future DND books. I thought the answer deserved to be reposted here...

There are two forms of Amethyst: Mine and yours. I can declare what is in the official Amethyst and what is not. That does not change what you do with your game. I got a guy on the playtest who has a group including a Kodiak and a Gimfen from Amethyst gaming with a Dragonborn and Tiefling, which would never happen in the real Amethyst as there are no Dragonborn and Tieflings in Amethyst. You play your game as you wish.

The 3.5 book detailed what monsters were in the official version of that game. Since we are making a lot more original monsters, the number of official DND monsters has decreased substantially for the 4ED game.

This spreads to the Player's side as well. The official Amethyst has no Clerics and no Warlocks but it won't stop a DM from allowing it in his or her game. It all depends on how much you want your game to match what's presented in the book. So for the 4ED core PHB, we said Fighters, Rangers, Rogues, Warlords, and Wizards are in. The others are out. We also said certain Rituals were out. We declared ALL PHB races were out, replaced by our own. So that answers part of what people may be asking. Unlike Eberron, which was "everything included and more", Amethyst is attempting to be a totally original fantasy setting, which means certain elements have to change.

But you asked about future books...and that is a point we discussed at length. This is why we didn't bother making a single new fantasy class. Why bother? WOTC will do it for us and we can support the DND franchise that way. There are rumours PHBII will have Barbarian, Druid, and Monk among others. A DM is can make whatever judgement calls he or she wants for their game. I can safely say that all Martial class will be welcome. Druid may be as well. Any spellcasting classes will be problematic (given our definition magic). Our setting has its own races, so any monster or races that have developed an actual civilization won't appear in the official Amethyst. As these future books are released, we'll post on our site what elements can appear in a "canon" Amethyst game. I imagine some buyers may care while others will do as they like. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, someone might just buy the game and pull out our techans classes and create a science-fiction RPG with no fantasy elements whatsoever—which is starting to look like a selling point.

If there is a weakness with Amethyst, it is because it is not designed to be a modular 100% compatible DND role-playing game (like Eberron). It is designed to be a story setting where you can have role-playing adventures within it (closer to Midnight in its application). As the game has been developed over SIX YEARS...(cough), it has been modified repeatedly to make it more original, which has resulted in many of the DND and clichéd fantasy staples being removed. The first game, as it was built in 2002, was just like Eberron. It has evolved since then to be more than a simple RPG campaign setting packed full of dungeon crawls. It’s meant to be a plausible, living, breathing setting with its own distinct voice.

So...ahem...yeah, there will be opportunities to use future DND books with Amethyst but we can't say for sure as to what extent until we read them.

That’s a page long explanation for me saying, “I dunno.”


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 31, 2008)

Let’s talk competition.

	I began working on an entry dealing the origin of Amethyst.  It got to three pages and decided I would break it up for future posts.  

	I have often fielded comments comparing Amethyst to a variety of other fantasy/science-fiction settings including Rifts, Shadowrun, Final Fantasy, and Arcanum.  I have often found it odd that my friends and I differ on what franchises we defend Amethyst against.  I guess it depends on what we take personally.  The first accusation (and the most prevalent) was Shadowrun, a game I never actually played.  Not only that, I never even read any books on it.  I was aware of the setting and knew it was a fantasy/cyberpunk.  The concept is neat but it’s not Amethyst.  The big difference being is the stark division between science and fantasy.  Disruption is a core pillar of the Amethyst setting.  The fantasy side was a true-to-book mystical world against the bastions of technology trying to survive.  Like Shadowrun, it was set in the real world but Amethyst takes it to a level of detail reaching an obsession.  There is a difference between a story being set on Earth and a story being set in the real world.  Everything in Amethyst had to make sense and be plausible.  Amethyst was not only Earth, but also our world—a world with D&D and Lord of the Rings, a world with increasing ethnic violence and greed over dwindling resources.  Amethyst was going to inject a side of philosophy and symbolism in its setting readers could discover if they looked beyond the first later.   I always found the Shadowrun accusation more bothering than the others did did.  

	Now Rifts is also set on Earth and set a long time in the future, enough time for the world to forget how it was before (same as Amethyst).  My friends never liked Rifts but I always thought it was neat (though I never really ran it enough to even justify the cost of the first book).  When comparing it to Rifts, my friends would often be the ones getting bent out of shape.  Rifts still had a merging of technology and fantasy in some areas.  There was still not the divide that Amethyst was boasting.  Rifts was also a dark cyberpunk-styled world and Amethyst was promoting more of a world of wonder outside the walls of technology.

	Few people ever made Final Fantasy comparisons.  Even more than before, Final Fantasy always had a mixing of magic and technology where Amethyst had none.  Now Arcanum….man oh man.  I never even heard of this game until a few months ago.  Hell, I never even played Fallout (same developer).  Arcanum is a PC game that was released in 2001.  It was a fantasy RPG set in a fictional world.  Now this game does have fantasy and technology and actually has disruption.  Here was a similar setting I am willing to admit, albeit coincidentally.  Where Arcanum differs is that their setting is a fictional world where magic dominated and technology has emerged in its infancy and as it grows, magic fades.  Amethyst is the mirror opposite in application.  Once again, it is set in the real world and magic is returning to it after man had reached a significant level of technological development and has been fighting a losing battle ever since.  Because of my obsessive compulsion about detail, Amethyst also deals with layers of philosophy, chaos theory, particle physics, racism, sexism, and various other issues being tossed around a lot these days.  It actually contains sidebars where scientists try to explain the outside world and how it interacts with what they call “reality.”  I am hoping people who play in the setting try to make something more out of it other than a simple dungeon crawl.  The races are presented to be more than a listing of stats.  As stated with a previous post on Damaskans, there are benefits and consequences to every race in the setting.  Not only that, but a principle pitch of the setting is the asking of a simple question:  Would you give up?  Central heating?  Internet? Cable TV?   Automobiles?  Refrigerators?  You would have to if you wanted your elves, magic, and dragons.  Suddenly, the setting forces people to look at the real-life consequences of their actions.  On top of this, you have the world of fantasy broken into a one of chaos and one of order where the order is the corrupting force of evil and the force of chaos is the power where all magic and life stems from.  You wrap that all up together; you have a setting, which, I hope, people will look to for something beyond a simple dungeon romp.  

	Of course, if you still want to buy it for you dungeon romp, that’s ok to.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 3, 2008)

THE BIG NEWS.  TECHNOLOGY IS HERE IN 4ED

	We’ve spent the better part of a month on nearly 100 pages of new crunch dealing with the other side of the coin—techa.  This is the side of humanity that refuses to accept the new rules of fantasy and clings onto the old-world of science and normality.  These rules were developed to be independent to keep the worlds of reality and fantasy separate.  In Amethyst, the disruption of technology by fantasy is a core tenant of the setting.  It is not placed there entirely for balance issues (although originally, it had its genesis in that reasoning).  It is meant to create a setting that is different from other techno-fantasies.  

	Disruption only occurs one way.  Magic breaks down science.  This is because the setting is about the assault of one world by another.  If they both broke each other down equally, eventually there would be a harmony, as a balance would eventually form.  Magic is not really magic, but the invasion of ulterior rules of science.  These alterations cause disruption.  Disruption is not some magic wand—wait…technically, it can be.  Let me try this again.  Disruption is not some undefined radius of voodoo that makes machines go wacko.  It is a side effect of these new and changed rules that allow effects that people can ascribe to magic.  As a result, there is no way for technology to radiant some normality about it.  This is part of the core idea of chaos within the setting.  There is a conflict of order and chaos.  For order to win, everything must be the same and perfectly organized.  For chaos to win, it only needs to change…one thing.  This is why technology always loses.  The only way for technology to win against magic is to push out all the users of magic from the land…or wipe them out altogether.  

	The flow from the chaos gate of Attricana reflects off the living and not the dead; so, push out the magical creatures and the overall intensity of magic drops.  If they were equal, this conflict would not seem so desperate for the side of technology.  The setting makes it perfectly clear that technology has been fighting a losing battle for nearly 500 years and has only reached a stalemate by throwing up walls and keeping all the magic users out.  Those inside the walls either live out their lives in ignorance or take an interest in this outside world by either joining it or plotting out its destruction.  This is where the title of the book comes into play (but more on that later). 

	We considered reducing disruption as an annoyance but in the end, it came back to the foreground, albeit now as a single roll.  It only affects technology and not fantasy and the higher the tech, the greater the chance of disruption.  Disruption can cause items to not work for several rounds or an entire encounter.  It may also cause an item to break down completely.  

	Is it required for gameplay?  Technically, you don’t have to do anything in your game.  Once again…my Amethyst…your Amethyst.  I don’t believe the techan game is broken if you decide to forget the rules except that a pillar of the setting is their separation, meaning I would still not recommend clerics with plasma blasters or paladins with an enchanted Holy Railcannon.

	Could you remove the techan section and create your own science fiction game?  This is the most asked question of late.  And the answer is ABSOLUTELY.  Rules dealing with disruption feature only heavily in one class, but it is still only half that class.  With the wonders that are available power options, simply don’t select the powers dealing with disruption.  The other classes rarely mention disruption at all.  

	So we have created a (hopefully) 100% compatible Science Fiction 4ED plug-in for all your 4ED needs.  I will say as a disclaimer (despite what some have said or read), that this is NOT 4ED Modern.  It just isn’t.  It’s a science fiction add-on.  You cannot be a 28th level Personality or Negotiator.  We have not offered a +6 .357 magnum or a +5 Flak Jacket.  You also cannot create a first level character with powered armour and a plasma carbine.  It deals with scaling technology, meaning Lasers are +4, +5, and +6 and traditional firearms are +zero, +1, +2 and +3.  Of course, this system could be house ruled to just say a +6 .357 magnum exists…but for balance sakes, you have to explain why it also costs a million gold.  

	Still, as stated, it is a complete Science Fiction element that can actually stand on its own.  It’s designed for Amethyst but you can insert the techan classes into ANY D&D game.  We have not added any new rules to the fantasy side to make techans incompatible with other D&D games.  So drop some colonial marines against some demons, throw some Mobile Infantry against some kruthik—there is no limit of what you can do.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 5, 2008)

TECHANS REVEALED

In total, there are four techan classes.  Like D&D, they are the best of their profession and are combat orientated.  They have a handful of their own feats but not as many as you might thinkg as many of the D&D feats still apply.  The same goes for skills.  4ED intentionally made skills compact and streamlined rather than convoluted.  So we only have 4 new skills (Demolition, Engineer, Sciences, and Vehicle Operation).  On the other hand, we have 36 pages of weapons, grenades, and armour.  Weapons are offered through a narrow spectrum of enhancement.  Plasma weapons are not available until +5.  Revolvers are available at +0.  Magnetic weapons have bonuses against cover and have a high-crit.  Plasma weapon can inflict additional fire damage on a critical hit.  These are but some of the many weapons offered.  

	Tactical Body Armour is available at +2 and Power Armour starts at +3.  Of course, you don’t have to have Power Armour.  There are stealth suits as well.  We have about a dozen vehicles but all the city transports are gone.  All we have now are the lumbering, echan transports, which basically start as giant caravans that reach to sizes that would make Jawa Sandcrawlers weep.

	So with no more gilding the lily and no further adieu, I present to you your techan classes. 

*Grounder:*  The grounder is your primary hitter.  As a grounder, your speciality is with wearing the most powerful armour and wielding the most powerful weaponry.  Everyone has firearm proficiencies but you are adept with the use of auto weapons.  With auto and heavy auto weapons, you can perform ranged burst attacks and create area denial zones enemies cannot pass through without getting hit.  Your utility actions are mostly ally based where you can support adjacent friends when they are hurt including moving them from combat.  A group of just Grounders is not worthless as they can support themselves on the front line.

*Marshal:*  Often the commander of a group, the marshal is the observer and controller, and often enough, the puppeteer.  As a marshall, your attacks are related to the grounder’s, save for the area effect attacks from heavy auto weapons.  You hit as hard with the same weapons but your strength comes with your application of combat tactics, allowing you to shuffle allies and even enemies around the battlefield (although more the former than the latter).  You also have a lot of combat boosting powers to keep allies alive.  The others will not complain about you pulling your weight when you use a power that allows everyone else a bonus ranged attack.

*Operator: * The operator is the support member of a group, though not a slouch at all in combat situations.  As an Operator, you have the biggest responsibility.  This is because you are not a specialist.  You are a generalist.  Not only can you handle yourself in combat, you are sole the one person that can keep technology functional.  You know how to recover items from disruption and make quick repairs when an item breaks.  That’s not all; you are also gifted with medical training and can heal nearly as well as any divine holy man.  Not enough, well how about the fact you can modify your weapons to fire further with more damage.  Did I mention you probably also drive the car?

*Stalker:  *Stalker is all about the being on your own.  Though still a part of a team, you are best when separate.  This comes from two distinct build options.  The first is fast movement and close burst attacks from small arms.  You can slide through enemy lines and fire multiple shots at point-blank range.  You can break up an enemy flank dramatically this way, or you can be more subtle.  This comes from the second build…sniper.  You can take on the role as the long range support specialist.  You can fire at distance, causing debilitating effects on enemy targets before they even get in range.  Further options include moving by stealth and delivering a single kill on a target before the encounter can even begin. 

	As you move into Paragon paths, there are thirteen available including two snipers paths, two pistol/gunslinger paths, a medic, a mechanic, an infantry support specialist, and one that simply likes breaking people’s necks.

	Of the eight epic destinies we’ve offered, five of them can apply to techans including a military promotion, free company general, and my personal favourite…machine of war…

	Immortality?  Heck no…you’re a nihilist.

	That’s 4 classes with nearly 300 powers, 13 paragon paths, 5 epic destinies, all adding up to a pretty cool techan section, and I hope worthwhile of your investment…


I’ll end this with a few of my favourite powers:
*Just Got the Wind Knocked Out*		Grounder Utility 22
	What?  Nah, nah, I’m doing just fine.  	
	Daily * Healing, Martial 
	Immediate Reaction				Personal
	Trigger:  You suffer damage from any attack.
	Effect:  You ignore the damage and any effects from that attack for as many rounds as 2+ your Constitution modifier.  
	Special:  After the time period expires (or at the end of the encounter), you suffer the damage and the effects from the attack.  


*Watch Your Back	*				Marshal Attack 13
	You call for an assist from a comrade that takes care of the enemy behind you
	Encounter * Martial, Weapon
	Standard Action					Ranged Weapon
	Requirement:  You must be flanked by two creatures.
	Target:  One creature flanking you.					
	Attack:  Dexterity vs. AC
	Hit:  3 [W] + Dexterity modifier damage. 
	Special:  Any ally in line of sight makes a ranged basic attack on the other creature flanking you.  Ally receives a +2 bonus to attack.


*Gauss Weapon Tweak	*			Operator Attack 27
	You play with the accelerator, increasing the kinetic energy of the weapon.  You think it has something to do with the linear or homopolar motors powering the magnetic…honestly, you’re not exactly sure.
	Encounter * Martial, Weapon
	Standard Attack					Ranged Weapon
	Requirement:  You must be wielding a rail or coil weapon.
	Target:  One creature
	Attack:  Dexterity vs. AC.  Ignore all cover penalties. 
	Hit:  4 [W] + Dexterity modifier damage and the target suffers 10 ongoing damage.


*Clean Kill	*							Stalker Attack 29
	The first shot wasn’t intended to kill the target but just to bring its head around for the final shot.
	Daily * Martial, Sniper, Weapon 
	Standard Action				Ranged Weapon
	Target:  One creature up to double your weapon’s long range.  
	Attack:  Wisdom +2 vs. AC
	Hit:  2 [W] damage.
	Effect:  If the first attack hits, make a follow-up attack.  The target is helpless for this attack and it follows the effects of a Coup de Grace.
	Attack:  Wisdom vs. AC
	Hit:  3 [W] + Wisdom modifier damage
	Miss:  Normal damage with the first strike.  No secondary strike.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 7, 2008)

Making things more difficult...

	If you open the player’s handbook, you will see two pages that represent the elvish and dwarven scripts—-the basis of their written language.  Of course, what it really boils down to is just a simple substitution cipher.  Twenty-six letters and 10 numbers.  Why is that?  Ten digits, sure, but 26 letters.  Less than a half-dozen languages in the world are like that (go head, check…I’ll wait).  So why would a fantasy language have to follow that form.  

	To that end, we are redoing ALL the languages in Amethyst.  Gone are EVERY language from Players Handbook.  Yup, all of them.  You can make up any excuse you want for when you you include monsters from the Monster manual.  Here is our list:  Adonnic, Argose, Chaparra, Corrupt, Damasan, English, Englo-Lingo, Ferran, Guttoran, Ignotan, Indic, Laudenian, Narroni, Old Fae, Onsespeak, Paggin, Romanic, Semetic, Sinitic, Slavic, and Tenenbra.  Each language is described, explaining if it is a pictographic language or a logographic language, whether it is stress-timed or syllable-timed.  Point is, these fae languages are not English-based, another cliché I want to smash.  Seriously, though English is the most widely spoken language on Earth, but it is not the one language the majority of the planet calls its mother tongue.  On that list, its third.  Yup, third.  Guess what the other two are.  Chinese?  No good, specific.  Mandarin.  Better, guess the second.  Punjabi?  Wrong.  Arabic?  Close but no.  Think about conquering empires.  Spanish?  There you go.  Remember hundreds of years ago when Europe divided the planet?  Spain got all of South America…you know, not counting that teabag part of Brazil that speaks Portugeese (my parent’s tongue).  To that end, some Fae languages’ written form resemble Chinese or Japanese; the narros script is based of Korean.  Laudenian is based off of Aramaic.  The Tenenbri tongue is part of their echo-location.  The new draconic language, Adonnic (also called Pleroma), rises from the page in three dimensions, making its natural development a virtual impossibility.  

	I hope this begins to shed light on how we are approaching this setting—-by taking every single cliché of fantasy, and DnD specifically, and turning it on its ear.  By addressing the setting as a real-world concept, we  must look at issues like this. 

	Oh, and did you notice there was no Common?


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 10, 2008)

There have been a slew of 4ed products released as well as on the horizon.  I kept a keen eye on these releases and wondered how they could release them so fast and be safe from the inevitable erratas on their product.  Then I realized how many pages they were and are...48, 60, 105.  

30,000 words.   70,000 words.

Then I felt better why we were not going to make the October minimum release date for GSL compliant products.  At its current count, the Amethyst 4ED core rulebook passed 204,000 words today, which would make it larger than the DnD Player's Handbook.  I can't really give a page count estimate because we have no finalized art and no layout.  I mean, if you add it all up, it ends up around 235 but that's not including an index or contents or the afortmentioned artwork...and the book is still not done.  

Yessss, yes, yes, yes--I know the 3.5 Amethyst had 373,000 words and 399 pages but we really don't want our readers to go blind.  I think, honestly, one of the reasons we didn't score more noms for the ennies was that no one wanted to read a 400 page book in a week (keep thinking that, buddy). 

So, the writing continues.  Obviously, some of this is being held back.  Even now, we are planning on more monsters above the budgeted ones already set aside for this book.  The issue I have is that, as I said, I am still not done.  Not only is there background fiction for monsters yet to come, but we also plan on an adventure to be included in the book as well.  I'll keep you guys and gals informed on how this plays out...

Me out.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 14, 2008)

_"Do you accept electrum?"
"We accept silver, copper, gold, and huge bags of sh#$, but no sir, not electrum."_

Blatant clichés aside, I am here to talk money, specifically the point of currency.  Now, we're not going to remove the gold piece or the copper or the famous platinum.  A stamped piece of currency worth its weight in the mineral it is made from is actually a realistic approach.  So in that regard, things don't change.  We do have names for various coins just for giggles and fluff.
*	Copper/Brass/Bronze Coins (=1 CP)*
Abidan / Limshau / Gimfen Penny
Baruch Malkut Copper
Kannos Kuedo 
Narros Copper Tooth
Orchis Casten
Torquill Pence

*Silver Coins (=1SP)*
Abidan Dagot
Kannos Kroenan
Baruch Malkut Silver
Gimfen Pebble
Limshau Carmot
Orchis Noman
Narros Silver Finger
Torquill Tence

*Gold Coins (=1GP)*
Abidan Sovereign
Kannos Kannon 
Baruch Malkut Dollar
Gimfen Gold Stone
Limshau Chryso
Narros Golden Foot
Torquill Pound

We did have an issue with techan currency and we added rules dealing with that.  

It would be great to think that one could pass into the walls of a city of industry with a bag of gold and buy a laser gun.  Alas, it is not that simple.  Not only do bastions not accept gold, but they also do not accept tender from other bastions.  Because of bastions' desperate need for resources, currency is printed on the cheapest of materials.  They all commonly feature a half-plastic/half paper medium impossible to copy with more than 300 counterfeit measures including holographic imagery and computer encoding.  Each has special imprinting from its home Bastion.  For the sake of clarity, these moneys are given the term Universal Credits, for they represent the legal tender of all bastion currency.

*Various Bastion Currencies: * Angel Dollar, Mann Credit, Sierra Madre Bar, Selkirk Pound, York Dollar.

Although you cannot trade one bastion currency for another bastion currency, they are all considered equal in value in regards to echan currency.  You may not convert UC to echan currency but you can convert echan currency to UC.  This is because echan currency is worth the value of its mineral and since they are usable materials, bastions are always in the need for them.   

*The Unfortunate Side Effect of Treasure:*  Alas, unlike echans, techan characters will seldom (if ever) find their technology in the lair of a dragon or any other creature for that matter.  This means techans must return to a bastion to re-arm and upgrade their technology.  Nothing they find in field will applicable to them.  If they gain a level in a dungeon, they won’t conveniently find a higher level weapon after they slay the next big monster.  In long, protracted adventures, this may create problems.  Vehicles are a wise base of operations as they may hold many times over the ammunition capacity a single techan character.  This may solve the unfortunate issue of ammunition but not about the eventually need to upgrade technology and the lack of being able to apply found treasure immediately in the field.  Alas, the echan wilderness is not called a wasteland by the techans for nothing.  The DM has options to offset this.  In the end, very little is more satisfying than returning to a bastion with your holds overflowing with gold.  

*Note:*  One final word.  Just a shout out to Scott Rouse for his efforts with the GSL.  Amazingly enough, we at DiasEx found the confines of the GSL a catalyst for a more original setting and hope he understands there are many of the silent masses thanking him for his work on the revision--an appeasement Wizards was under no obligation to offer.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 16, 2008)

History of a Game.  Part 1:

	I wanted to take a moment to talk about the history of Amethyst…in the real world, that is.  Amethyst began in the shower after I had watched the film Dragonslayer.  Yes, that long ago.  Okay, the film was on CBC and it was probably 1994 or ‘95.  I had this strange habit when I was young where I would take ideas I had seen on television that was not science fiction and skew it into science fiction.  I considered a setting where dragons would rise up from the ashes of a nuclear holocaust and humans were forced into walled cities to survive.  Now, this was years before the film Reign of Fire would be released.  There was no real fantasy in the setting save for the dragons.  All the human characters lived in the various walled cities scattered over the planet.  There were no elves, no demons, and no disruption.  These dragons were not just monsters but the classic fantasy iterations with heightened intelligence, shape changing, and basic magical powers.  They could speak and were both benign and wicked.  The story dealt with one bastion, Angel, and its constant attack from a family of evil dragons to the south.  There was an Asian city within Angel where a Chinese dragon was thought to be hiding.  That creature was the one called Amethyst.  I honestly could not tell you why I thought of that name at the time.  Maybe I thought it was just cool.  I wrote a short treatment and had some ideas in mind.  I shelved the idea as I was trying to be a screenwriter (and that worked out AMAZINGLY) and Amethyst was a little much for spec script.  

	Then Reign of Fire came out and I got annoyed and forgot about Amethyst, I thought permanently.  Now, I had given up role-playing.  I did not have a reliable group anymore and a girlfriend at the time that didn’t approve of it.  The last game I had done was one from the late ‘90s.  It was a science fiction game called Pathfinder (seeeeeee…).  It ran for nearly two years and collapsed before its final plotline could be resolved.  That’s a common point for many RPG campaigns (am I right, DMs of the world?).  Not long after, I was forced out of my gaming group because of internal politics (It’s an old story.  Gamers start dating, wackiness ensues, etc).  I had attempted it again but every time, it never lasted more than a session.  I figured I had outgrown it.  Then 2002 came.  About this time, my friend, Chris Brown, returned from the south, hoping to rehook with old friends and start gaming again.  He really wanted to try the new version of D&D everyone had been playing where he lived.  I was never as much a diehard fan of fantasy like I was for science fiction.  I agreed to do my Alien-FUZION game for him and a few other friends.  It was an enjoyable game that ran for over a year.  By the end of the Campaign’s 2nd season (I had planned for four…yes, that’s how I run my games), Chris convinced me to take a short break and run a D&D game.  He claimed the new 3.0 rules had resurrected the franchise.  In the end, the Alien-FUZION game collapsed (as they always do, right? RIGHT?).  One player lost his backbone and dropped out from spousal pressure.  The others wanted to try something new.  I insisted on bringing in a friend from a previous game, Brian Duffels.  With Glen Waughtel, Chris Brown, and Mike Alborn, we had a group.  I wanted some originality with the setting so I looked over my old story treatments for inspiration…and Amethyst was the only one.  Chris quickly kyboshed the idea of creating science fiction characters because he really wanted to play a mage.  So instead, the setting became Amethyst with the 3.0 D&D setting crammed into it.  I didn’t even change the names.  Monsters were everywhere and bastions had a real hard time surviving.  We introduced Saints as a science fiction villain and gebermach as a demon armor that killed Brian’s character’s family.  Straight forward enough.  Fairly soon, Mike would leave, Glen would leave, replaced soon by Conan Veitch and Rene Landry.  At this point, it was still a traditional techno fantasy, where wizards could wield lasers if they wanted to.  One player did, and I quickly found out how broken the game could get when technology and magic was used side by side.


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## Voadam (Sep 16, 2008)

DiasExMachina said:


> There have been a slew of 4ed products released as well as on the horizon.  I kept a keen eye on these releases and wondered how they could release them so fast and be safe from the inevitable erratas on their product.  Then I realized how many pages they were and are...48, 60, 105.
> 
> 30,000 words.   70,000 words.
> 
> Then I felt better why we were not going to make the October minimum release date for GSL compliant products.




Is there a current anticipated release date? December or so or 2009? October but not on the 1st?

Anything like "not sure, depends on a lot of things, but definitely not before X"?


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 17, 2008)

Voadam said:


> Is there a current anticipated release date? December or so or 2009? October but not on the 1st?
> 
> Anything like "not sure, depends on a lot of things, but definitely not before X"?




December or so or 2009 maybe? Not October.

Not sure, really.  It depends on a lot of things, but definitely not before X--I-I mean...  

To be perfectly honest, I cant be perfectly honest.  Give me a few weeks.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 19, 2008)

History of a Game.  Part 2:

	Throughout all of this, I never thought of Amethyst as a serious setting.  I set it on Earth because the original treatment was set on earth.  It was easy to mess with.  There was not much of a story, just an obvious McGuffin to keep the players moving place to place.

	Then I ran into David Fidler.  My best friend from years past, we had drifted apart because he went to university and I went to college.  We bumped into each other again at work and I told him I had been dragged back into role-playing from nearly a 3-year hiatus.  He asked what the setting was and I explained, “It’s a techno fantasy not unlike final fantasy except that the world of fantasy and science don’t mingle at all…in fact, they actively disrupt each other’s existence.”  

	He said, “Wow, that sounds quite original.”

	And I replied, “Yeah…you’re right.”  I didn’t tell him at that point that the last part didn’t exist until it leapt from the lips.  That was what I needed…the final mark of the setting to make it original.  It cured a massive setting flaw in the story where science should be able to overwhelm magic.  It also answered many problems, gave motivations to people on the other side, and fixed a glaring game mechanic.  I began a huge retroactive shift in the setting.  As a casualty, Rene left the group but the others would stay for the duration, eventually taking on Mike McMullen in replacement.  The setting was still too much like D&D but I eventually uploaded what I had onto the same site where my Alien FUZION game sat.  After the campaign finished two and a half years later—yes finished, actually finished—I began a second edition to be posted online.  I also began working on a Ghost in the Shell D20 game, which is still online today.  While I was working the second edition, I began another round of setting alterations, taking out more of the D&D cliché and inserting more original content.  I was also planning on a third d20 free RPG, for The Matrix.    

	Amethyst was a collection of ideas based on original concepts and other inspired from artwork I had seen online.  I had gotten permission from several artists to use their artwork for free on my page.  Some of these names are quite well known in the industry.  The first were Jaime Jones and Katherine Dinger, and eventually more threw in their support (Roman Kochnev, Fredrick Ramqvist, Christopher Vacher, John Wallin and a dozen others).  When I started working on the second edition, I had also gotten Derrek Herring, Andy Simmons, and Nick Greenwood.  Despite being allowed to use their art for free for my free game, Amethyst still had no original art to call its own.

	By the fall of 2006, my finances were in trouble, and I was lacking direction.  I was part of a car club, which became one of the most foolish endeavours of my life.  It cost excessively much with a reward that never reached the level of investment.  I love cars; I really do, always will.  I just don’t like many of the people that pursue the passion enough to want to join a club.  I recovered myself financially around the same time my original crew got together once again to start a second Amethyst game (after a 15-month break where we played the GITS game).  This one would be set 500 years after the original Amethyst.  Called Logos, it would be based off the new setting, not the original game that played years earlier.  After seeing the potential of Print-On-Demand, and the slew of electronic PDF RPGs on the market, I conversed with Conan about publishing Amethyst for real.  He supported the move.

	It would still be six months before my finances were in a position where I could save money to publish such a book.  Plans for the Second Edition were shelved and I started nearly from the ground up once again to develop the setting as an original 3.5 game.  I approached possible artists and the first few I asked were the first to show their support initially.  Most of them were busy but like the concept.  Who knew this one little game published free could orbit around and net them money?  My plan was to publish the game and not consider its profit potential.  I wanted the game to be the best it could be.  Progress moved smoothly as the game grew.  Eventually, I needed a black and white artist but found few.  One of the original artists that supported me with free work offered his talents for B+W.  This would be Nick Greenwood, which would eventually be the most productive relationship I have had outside of my local gaming group.  

	The setting was still evolving.  Disruption was only an electromagnetic pulse, allowing the use of enchanted traditional firearms and steam power, giving Amethyst a Steampunk layer.  I realized that this still didn’t work with that I wanted and altered the setting again, taking out even this compromise.  Now all technology above 18th century would break down.  Anything more complicated than a windmill was vulnerable, and I had to lay down reasons for all this to occur.  Now the motivation for those following technology was even more important.

	Then 4ED was announced.  We were admittedly not pleased.  We spent the better part of 13 months creating a kick-ass 3.5 variation that was unique without overly breaking the system.  We contemplated holding back by the confusion from WOTC made making a decision impossible.  I decided I didn’t want to waist all the work that had been done with the 3.5 version.  We would release it and see what response it got and wait and see how the landscape changed with the release of 4ED.  SerenaDawn had developed a massive hit ratio and the popularity of Amethyst initially bled from there.  I was still perfecting the setting, only leaving enough of the traditional D&D clichés in order for the mechanics to work.  

	After the release of 4ED, everyone associated with the project supported the move.  We had three options:  Jump onto 4ED, jump onto a variant like True20 or C&C, or create our own OGL-based setting.  In the end, it came down to either an original OGL, which we almost did, or 4ED.  After the GSL, I realized how 4ED was perfect for our needs.  It made me (made me) rip out the remaining D&D clichés and create Amethyst as it was original intended.  

	Just over a year ago, my friends handed me George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones and I was floored.  I decided to put my screenwriting days behind me and try writing a novel again.  I began writing a novel for Amethyst, which also evolved the setting substantially.  Part found its way into the 3.5 Amethyst but even those were re-written after the 3.5 book was published. 

	Which brings us to the present.  Amethyst is now 4ED, my novel is being edited, and I have a purpose.  With hopes, as we get close to final publication, an agent will pick up the novel and gain some synergy for publication.  Only time will tell.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 22, 2008)

By the end of the weekend we're be nearing the end of the primary draft.  

I once said to my staff that if we didn't make the October release but we worked our asses off, then I can at least say we are putting out one hell of a product that will justify the time spent and validate the patience fans have invested with us.  

By today, we hit 255,000 words, that’s 50,000 words more than the DnD PHB.  We are going to be removing certain elements (a race, a few feats, paragon path or two) to get us in our page budget.  These sections are not being deleted; they're only being culled into the next book.  I finished rituals and unique magic items and am currently polishing monsters with Jibblets.  He still has nearly a dozen more monsters to go, half of which will probably be cut for a later book (sorry Jibbs).  

Expect an announcement dealing with our planned release date hopefully soon.  Also, by next week, we'll have a complete playtesting package ready for those interested.  

I mentioned rituals.  I didn't mention Foundation Spells.  Foundation Spells were a game balancing effect we messed with in the 3.5 version.  In order to fix issues we had with escalation of power levels (something still not addressed to my satisfaction with Pathfinder), we capped spells at 6th level and selected only a handful of spells from 7 to 9 to become foundation spells.  To use a foundation spell, you had to have acquired an anchor--kind of a semi-unique magic item which contains the essence of the spell.  We had thoughts of taking them out altogether but I really enjoyed the idea of wizards leading quests to foreign lands to find a unique spell.  

The way this works is that Foundation Spells require their anchor in hand to cast.  They come in two different forms:  Rituals and Powers.  Rituals are just like normal rituals except they also require the anchor in hand when casting.  Power Foundation Spells are swappable powers for your class.  They have a level suggestion, just like any other magic item, and with the wizard Foundation Mage epic destiny, you can swap out an existing power with this foundation spell.  Like before, you must have the anchor in hand to cast.  They are more powerful than the spell they are replacing and have costs to their casting.  Here is one from our list:

TRICKSTER’S BULLET
	It is no simple orb.  It does not reflect the future or foresee the falls of kings.  You hold up the silver sphere to the enemy.  You whisper the word and it leaps from your hand, eviscerating your enemies from the sheer force of its inertia.  It continues to bounce and penetrate enemies.  Such a simple sphere could cut down an entire army.  
	Level:  21						Class:  Power	
	Anchor:  A silver sphere.
	Effect:  You gain Trickster’s Bullet as an alternative daily attack power.
Trickster’s Bullet						Foundation Attack 19
	Daily * Arcane, Foundation, Implement
	Standard Action				Ranged 10
	Primary Target:  One creature
	Attack:  Intelligence vs. Reflex 
	Hit:  3d10 + Intelligence modifier damage and the target is knocked prone.
	Secondary Target:  One creature except the primary target.  The target cannot be more than 10 squares from the primary target (but can be more than 10 squares from you).	
	Attack:  Intelligence vs. Reflex 
	Hit:  3d10 + Intelligence modifier damage and the target is knocked prone.
	Tertiary Target:  One creature except the secondary target.  The target cannot be more than 10 squares from the secondary target (but can be more than 10 squares from you).
	Attack:  Intelligence vs. Reflex 
	Hit:  3d10 + Intelligence modifier damage and the target is knocked prone.
	Sustain Standard:  You may sustain as many additional rounds of continuous fire from Trickster’s bullet equal to your Intelligence modifier.  

	Sacrifice:  You must hit ten targets with Trickster’s Bullet before your time runs out or the sphere will return to you with the same velocity.  You are helpless for this attack.  If you hit ten times, the sphere returns to you safely.

	History:  Unlike other foundation spells, there is documented evidence of this one’s existence and use.  A narros general in command of the armed forced of the Fargon city of Jareg Devonen, Kingsman Lanis, was able to employ such a device against an invading force of skeggs into his land.  The spectacle was witnessed by a shaman of a kodiak village of significant strength, who promptly fell to his knees and swore loyalty to the narros from then on.  When Lanis died several years later, the sphere was bequeathed to his daughter, but the artifact was never found.  A similar, or perhaps the same sphere, was spotted in use by a group of pagus in an assault across Tethuss nearly a century later.  The wizard in control of the sphere did not fully understand the potential of the device and when an errant arrow missed his ear and distracted the pagus, the sphere recoiled back and killed him instantly.  The body and the sphere fell into the lack and were never recovered.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 28, 2008)

I know you will all understand that many of these previews are early stage.  With the first draft actually done, we are going back and seeing all the stupid sh@$ we’ve written.  Sometimes its goofy grammar (I admitted I have bad spelling, maybe even a mild dyslexia...or just ham-fat-fingers and too tired all the time), sometimes it’s a minor alteration.  Already we have made large changes to a few ideas, and I haven’t even gotten to the foundation spells yet.  At this point, we like what we’ve done with our techan classes and our races have few problems, but we have modified several elements within the classes, totally screwed with one of them, and made a few alterations to lifepaths and equipment.  Thankfully, nothing yet has occurred which has forced us to throw anything out.  I will admit that we would throw out elements if we felt they weren’t working.  

	For Foundation Spells, these were always meant to be quest items—a reason for a voyage, and not something a player just got for free.  They were something you fought and almost died to earn.  Not only that, it was more powerful than the slot it filled, though you could only achieve it at a level when other abilities were as or almost as powerful.  The question is: does the sacrifice counterbalance the slight increase in power the spell offers?  This point was brought up by someone dealing with disruption, where we said disruption was not required to balance technology and was only a fluff point those pulling the techans out of Amethyst could ignore.  We are not going that direction with foundation spells and like the idea of a spell that requires a sacrifice—which, by the way, is a fluff part of the novel I am trying to incorporate.  This may not work and we may scale them back so the spell is different but not more powerful then the level it is acquired at.  The plan was for them to be the outcome of a wizard’s final journey, something more tangible and believable than that goofy “demispell” idea.  Foundation Mage is an Epic Destiny but not the only one for Wizard.  I am looking at ways for other people to use them as well, making them strange magical relics rather than spells.  Like I said, it’s a work in progress.

	At 251,700 words, this first draft is done.  Now, we test, retest, cut and modify until we have something that’s print-worthy.  Truthfully, nothing would test the system more and find all the mistakes than to post these rules online and have all of you read it over and offer advice.  Unfortunately, that’s just not an option.  It’s not that I don’t trust those who post...it’s those you don’t.  

	I leave you today, with something special.  Nick has been tiredly working on new artwork and I am hoping his sketches of final works will generate the same buzz the old sketches did.  Here are two of my favourites...and yes, it was hard to choose.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 3, 2008)

I know. Not much has been said in the past few days. As you might have read here already, the book is done but now needs testing. Artwork is currently flowing down from the mountain as the long train of testing begins. For those that have already received the play testing package, we have made so many changes to the rules, we are not able to release an update file and will actually have to print up a whole new set of rules. This comes down to game balance issues mostly, though we did make some changes to starting techan classes that offer a few more build options. I also had to make significant changes to equipment.

With a hard-line cut-off of 195,000 words, give or take, and 256 pages for the first book, we are looking at what can be moved aside for now to offer the best value while still conveying why we think this setting is so special. The setting detail, also called framing fiction, also called “fluff”, will still be a strong component and one I am unwilling to compromise in favour of rule crunch.

There will be an announcement soon regarding the release date. On that day, we will unveil our new company logo and the product plan for the future. Once you all read that announcement, I think you will understand why we have been so cautious about timetables. I would hate to announce something we couldn’t deliver on.

One thing I have been wondering about is if people would rather have the skeletal framework for large-scale campaigns the DMs can design and customize themselves or they would rather have dungeon crawls using our races and monsters. Amethyst encourages larger story-arcs and vast, encompassing storylines and I hope to challenge storytellers out there to take our setting and create an original tale that takes characters across the world, uncovering a great mystery, meeting strange new people...and killing them. So what’ll it be? A skeletal framework for a campaign or a classic dungeon crawl?

I should add that we have created techan characters to test our system. Obviously, we are injecting our own unique brand of humour into the affair. I play a character named Steven Van Damme, Conan has created a gimfen (Halfling) called Ringo Chavez and Schuyler has entered the fray with Alexander Cosmonaut---yes, you heard right...Alexander...Cosmonaut.

Oh, and Amethyst’s first book has a name. We can’t and don’t really want to call it core rulebook, so as of this week, it has been titled Amethyst: Foundation


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 6, 2008)

A question posed I realized I should answer concerns the setting differences between the 3.5 Amethyst and the 4.0 Amethyst.  Would there be any?  Should there be any?  The answer is yes on both accounts.  The follow-up question could be what but the important question that should be asked is why.  The answer is that we had to make certain sacrifices with the old system to accommodate the rules.  This may sound weird considering the limitations of the GSL.  Here’s how our logic works:

	Our old 3.5 system required the ownership of the 3.5 core books or an understanding of the OGL rules.  We had planned with our next edition to completely reprint the OGL and make significant changes to it in order to accommodate our ideas.  We were going to redo all the spells, remove base attack bonus, and create about 40 new monsters.  So you can understand that moving to the 4.0 saved us quite bit of trouble while also allowing us to maintain our vision.  Amethyst was intended to be mediocre in magic power and despite the spell names and descriptions in 4.0, are not unbalanced compared to martial classes.  A base class can’t cast a wish or a true resurrection.  With rituals, we can remove what we don’t like them and not break anything.  We could add and remove elements and not modify what was in place.

	So what are the actual fluff differences between 3.5 and 4.0?  The old game removed all the races and replaced them, so that hasn’t changed.  What was added were clarifications on certain issues with races.   The rules now reflect their true form and most were heavily modified.  Narros are no longer redressed dwarves and laudenians are now no longer useless.  Damaskans, though the de facto elves of the setting, carry over none of the abilities of the 4.0 elf.  They are closer now to what they were originally intended.  

  	We never added fluff to classes so that hasn’t changed.  Lifepaths are a different story.  These replace “class focus” while also offering significantly new setting background.  While Custodians come from the old book, most others are brand new and offer expanded fluff on the various roles characters can play.  It dives deeper into certain nations and cultures.  The same goes for paragon paths.  Instead of only a handful, we have over a dozen, all of which are setting specific.  Where before we had Urmage and Janoahn Knight, now we also have Order of Abraham, Crimson Leaf, Scholar Warden, Koana Academic, and Mutaharrik Captain.  Epic destinies are also setting specific and include Foundation Mage and Lord of a Free House.  Techan classes are no longer redresses from D20 modern and were built from the ground up.

	I always had an issue allowing clerics in the setting and now we have been able to remove them (as always needing a cleric is not mandatory anymore) and replace them with supernatural lifepaths like Incarnate and Vivicator.  Foundation spells, once a patch to allow high level spells, can finally now become the rare artifacts they were intended to be (well…not actual artifacts, we call them relics…legalese).  

	Probably the biggest change was the removal of classic D & D monsters being replaced with our own.  This is where how I mentioned the GSL helped us comes into play.  If we could alter entries, we very well might have kept kobolds and goblins in the game, though they never actually matched our ideas of how we wanted them presented.  We would have to modify their history, their lore, and their stats.  Now we can throw them out of the setting, introduce our Puggs and Boggs, and separate the setting even more from classic Dungeons & Dragons.  We don’t have to redress a Blue dragon and call it a Cancer dragon.  We can now make it how we wanted it.  

	In the end, as I mentioned once before, where the 3.5 Amethyst was at about 80% of the canon setting, 4.0 is closer to 95%.  It isn’t perfect.  We do somewhat ignore how flamboyant certain attack powers get because they are kept within the confines of the encounter.  We also allow most monsters from the D & D monster manual even though the majority of them would never be seen.  Like I said before, there are two Amethyst:  Mine and Yours.

	Finally, there are the big secrets.  The 3.5 core Amethyst does reveal more than the 4.0 version.  So for those who have read the old book, I will warn you and say more changes were made beyond what is presented in the first 4.0 book, Foundation.  We only touch upon the demons/Shemjaza.  Expect a few changes with them.  The same can be said about the Saints, which are getting nearly a total facelift in culture and history, though they will not be introduced until a later book.

	Here’s something interesting...Shotguns

*Shotgun:*  Shotguns impact with tremendous force at close range but this stopping power diminishes rapidly.  They are fairly distinct and few models are on the market. 
*Critical:*  On a critical hit, the target is knocked prone.
*Special: * Shotguns do +3 damage if fired at 2 squares or closer. 
*Weapon    Prof.   Damage   Range   Price   Weight   Clip  Cell	Level	TL  *
Shotgun	+2	1d10	10/20	40	10 lb.	       6	   --	    1	0


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 8, 2008)

Time to give credit where credit’s due. Although I have talked artwork before, I don’t think I have personally done it justice...so here I go, without a net.

When Amethyst was in its infancy, I went searching around for inspiration. Online artwork was a good place to start. I toured through GFX, Deviant art, Epilogue. During my surfing, I came across dozens of artists that reflected what I was looking for. At first, I used them for personal use only for my gaming group. As I moved the game online, I sought permission from these artists to use their work with Amethyst (it was free at this point). It is funny to note several of these talents have gone on to much bigger things. Some of them were already big. Let me start by saying these artists know perfectly well people download their images and are using them in ways where the artist should receive some compensation or at least permission. So when I contacted these artists with requests to use their artwork for a free RPG, you would be surprised how many said yes. Not only that, they were appreciative by simply being asked. Just ask and most will say yes. In fact, in the five years I have been following online artwork and getting permission to use artwork for these free projects, only two have said no. One was some Hollywood matte painter. You might think, “Of course, that person would say no,” but you’d be wrong. I had two other matte painters that said yes.

The first contacted was William Campbell of Spinefinger designs. William was one of those artists that inspired concepts that didn’t exist until I saw his work. Art fell into two categories: Art that I was looking to represent something specific or art that inspires something that didn’t yet exist. Often times, the idea that comes from the piece doesn’t resemble anything like the concept I explore, while other times they are creepingly similar. I did this for months, acquiring hundreds of images, many of which I abandon as my tastes narrowed and matured. I even got permission to use some terragen images by a talented artist who name escapes me now. Many of these moved on as I shifted from digital renders and moved towards digital paintings. William is now working for Kaos studies, recent publisher of Frontlines: Fuels of War. The second artist I contact was Jaime Jones, a young and talented painter with some astonishing work. He also said yes and expressed an interest in the setting, even to the point of doing free work for it (that never ended paying off but funny story on that one). Katherine Dinger was another artist I also got permission from in the early days. Jaime Jones would get a job working for Arenanet with Guild Wars and Katherine Dinger became a principle artist on George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire RPG and CCG, also being featured in Midnight. Fredrick Ramqvist (Magic: The Gathering), John Wallin (Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and Gears of War), and Christopher Vacher (a gaggle of Disney films—yeah, a matter painter; I told you) all allowed me to use their personal work for free. Other fantastic names followed like Gary Tonge, Seung Ho Henrik, Roman Kochnev, Hampus Gimfalk, and Andy Simmons. Fairly soon, I moved the game online as a free RPG and began seeking out even more artwork, but this time, art that fit and flowed with the others. Gone would be the renders, replaced with a more classic style that didn’t jar with the others. Dinger and Jones, Gimfalk and Kochnev all were kept around. This time, mere months before going online with the 2nd edition free Amethyst, I had acquired Derek Herring, Marek 'Prasa' Hlavaty, Martin Bland, and a gentleman by the name of Nick Greenwood.

As mentioned previously, this second edition never saw the light of day. It was abandoned and I threw down a challenge to my friends in creating a legit version of Amethyst that could be published, albeit on the internet. We needed art and we couldn’t use a single piece we had acquired because all of those were dependant on use not making money. I could buy the rights to them, but I felt it would be stronger to ask these supporting artists for original work. What better way to reward someone support like coming back and commissioning them with money...real money. Obviously, the first people I contact were the first that said yes: William Campbell, Katherine Dinger, and Jaime Jones. A second round went out to Derek Herring, Andy Simmons, Marek Hlavaty, and Nick Greenwood. Being a fan of other artists that didn’t respond to my requests, I did so anyway and mailed out inquiries to Keith Thompson and Jason Engle. Because of Campbell’s obligation to Fuels of War, he was too busy, as was Herring and Hlavaty. Jones still wanted to be part of the project despite his full time job but could only finish four pieces. Dinger would throw down with 8. Our biggest issue at this point was format. We originally tried to justify only a handful of color images, including a cover. Jones got the cover, which he dove into with both feet…and promptly vanished into for four months. Apparently, artists like cutting to the last second before delivering. Give an artist six months and he’ll go on vacation for five. Better to give goals like “three by this week” then repeat every week thereafter.

Either way, Jones didn’t want to do Black and White and we knew the majority of the book would be. Because color cost so much more, we needed to find a B+W artist. Alas, all the artists I had acquired only do color and I had to real fight to find one that would take the cut in commission. On our end, Black & White represented a classic time of RPGs. We don’t need color. Have we all been spoiled? Yes…and I was cheap. Well, not cheap. I simply didn’t have the money for dozens of color images. When Keith Thompson expressed interest, we were overjoyed…then we saw his rates and gloom began to set in. I’m not kidding folks, his B+W was twice as much as Jones’s color. We accepted we may only have five or six images for the 3.5 Amethyst.

God bless Nick Greenwood.

End part 1


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 11, 2008)

Nick Greenwood has an immense strength with organic illustrations that cannot be compared.  He is able to switch formats with ease and has mastered both without flaw.  He did work for Goodman Games and Green Ronin.  It was a dwarf monk that had caught my attention.  Nick liked my proposal and offered a rate that was competitive and relative to the others (other meaning artist that could do black and white, but just didn’t want to).  I initially offered Nick 25 pieces.  These were half page sprawls of races, a few chapter starts and the like.  Then we started getting images.  Two half-page commissions became nine ¼-page commissions.   Ten half-page chapter starts became eighteen.  Fairly soon, Nick’s commission ballooned to fifty.  My budget exploded as some of the most impressive artwork I had ever seen starting flowing down.  I couldn’t help myself.  This was Amethyst.  I had found the one eye that could match my voice.  On the basis of just his sketches, we were getting acclaim from people checking our posts.  When the finals came down, we were slack-jawed.   We never expected in any dream that we would have this much artwork with this much quality for our publication.  Every review posted praised the art, wondering how such high quality work could appear under a new company first book.  We don’t have a staff of dozens.  We have no office.  This is about the joy of the work and I could tell early on that Nick loved what he did.  Through the expression of a few muddled ideas and hackneyed words, Nick was able to channel exactly what I was picturing, often times delivering something I wasn’t even expecting.  Oh yes, not all of them were perfect, but my obsession of perfection was shared by him.  If something didn’t feel right, I would tell him…often times resulting in several new sketches until we finally got the one that worked.  I have a rejected folder of images I like to keep.   Most of those were so good, we ended up ordering them as well.   When we order an image that is 100% there, no need letting the one that is 98% there go to waste.






	In the end, a commission I asked from an acclaimed artist fell through (a professional with a signed contract is expected to deliver and not ignore emails…how sad) and so that got passed onto Nick as well.  A good chunk of the work he did for Amethyst, including his seldom seen alternate cover, can be found at his site at Nick Greenwood © - Illustration and Graphic Design.  The 3.5 book is not perfect.  Beyond my unchecked spelling mistakes (insert baby crying), it features some artwork I am not personally happy with.  With the 4.0 edition, we committed ourselves to not make any compromises.  Although we could have acquired a shotgun blast of artists to handle dozens of commission all at once (like everyone does it), we decided not to.  Why can’t there be a singular voice to the artwork.  It’s one thing about the Palladium games I always appreciated was the singular style of its art.  Many games, even big ones, have been criticized for having an inconsistency with their art, ranging from the evocative and beautiful to the absolute embarrassing, often within a page flip.  






	This is one aspect of the game I gloat about…because I am not the one doing the drawing.  I could not see doing this project with anyone else with the pencil and paint.  I can see that dedication in the artwork for the 4.0 edition.  I rarely reject anything.  Nick usually does it himself, having taken a personal investment in the final quality.  There is no phoning in of any talent, forcing us to live up the artwork he presents.  For a signature piece for Thornshroud, Nick must have gone through a dozen sketches before he even let me look at them.  The final is nothing short of magnificent in its own revolting way.  Nick is also doing to cover for the 4.0 Ed, and I can’t wait to see what he bring to that.  






	My common comparison, without making too many allegations, associates Nick’s relation to Amethyst as John Howe to Lord of the Rings.  Howe, a Canadian artist out of Vancouver, is the closest name associated with the franchise other than Tolkien himself (and now Peter Jackson, of course).  Along with Alan Lee, Howe created many of the most striking visuals of the entire franchise.  All of this, and I have never even met Nick.  No idea if he is short, tall, black, white, Sasquatch.   I know little more other than from the dedication of his work and the fact he is extremely productive—he has four daughters.  Practice though I have, I have failed to even get married.  All I have to show for the last two years was a persistent eye twitch which has not gone away and a book with a brilliant artist behind it.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 13, 2008)

On Sunday, October 19th, there will be a special announcement regarding Amethyst: Foundation. 

Check one of the running forum threads or our development forum on that day for important information regarding the future of Amethyst including a release date. 

It’s the biggest announcement we will have until the actual release and our new company logo.  Can’t tell you anymore about it until then.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 15, 2008)

Ok...let me start with evidence of the extent of our geekness.  We got to talking about Albert Camus, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, renowned for his novels about existentialism.  His novel, the Stranger, comments on the nonexistence of god and the point is that life has no meaning.  Albert Camus died on a car accident three years after winning the Pulitzer and I added at the end of the conversation, “not that it matters...” making it the longest time to a joke about nihilism I have personally encountered.  We are all horrific geeks.

	Okay....weapons.  We have pistols, classed as one-handed small-arms.  These ALL do around 1d6 damage.  They are light and can be used in adjacent squares without provoking opportunity attacks.  Rifles and other longarms are classed as two-handed small-arms.  Their damage ranges from 1d8 to 1d10.  They do provoke opportunity attacks and if you move faster than shift, you suffer a penalty to ranged attacks (A grounder option can remove this penalty).  Heavy weapons, which are just that, cannot be moved in the same round they are fired (a grounder option can allow limited movement).  Their damage is between 1d8 to 1d10 as well but usually have larger ammo capacities and additional capabilities (like Heavy Auto).   

	This does not actually convey the differences between the weapons.  For one, where magic has 6 levels of enhancement, technology has 6 tech levels from basic chemical firearms (TL0-2) to plasma weapons (TL5-6).  So, like magic, you add the tech level to attack and damage rolls.  Also like magic items, higher tech items also have additional abilities dependant on their type.  Gauss, for example, which are weapons like coilguns and railguns (TL4-5), have the following abilities: 

*Gauss: * These weapons fire extremely fast and deliver astounding kinetic potential.  
*Critical:  *1d6 damage per tech level.
*Special:  *Gauss weapons reduce cover penalties by 2.   
*Rail special rule:  *If a rail (rail only) weapon shell kills a target with a critical hit, the shell continues on a straight path from the weapon, making a single free attack on any target in direct line of attack in the weapon’s range.  This may only occur once per shot.

	There are similar properties for Laser, Pincher, Plasma, Shotgun, Sonic, etc.   Some properties are applied only with certain powers.  For example, an “Auto” weapon offers benefits with the Burst Fire feat and can be used with powers with the Auto keyword.  Similarly, there is also a Sniper weapon that can be used with powers with a Sniper keyword.  In all of these, our weapons are used just like D&D classic weapons in every way.  And yes, there are combinations of these powers.  There are both “Auto Lasers” and “Sniper Gauss” weapons.  

	We also offer a unique selection of weapons that can only be used with a ranged basic attack.  These are weapons that have specific properties which act like power features.  A good example is the extremely powerful TL6 Vapor rifle…

*	Critical:  *+8 damage per tech level 
*Effect:  *This weapon does not require a roll for damage.  It inflicts maximum [W] damage with every strike.  

The only real exception to these rules is those of Grenades and planted explosives, which have their own unique power anyone can use:

*Planted Explosives Attack						Alternate Attack 
* _The enemy strays to close to your plant and the explosion hopefully will go off as planned.
_ *At-Will * Martial, Weapon
	Standard Action				Special
	Requirement:  *You must have succeeded in your Demolitions skill check.
*Special:  *Refer to the table above for damage, range, and area burst.  
*Target:  *All creatures in burst.
*	Attack:  *Intelligence vs. Reflex.  Add the Tech Level of the detonator to all attack rolls.
*Hit:  *1 [W] + Dexterity modifier damage.  Increase to 2 [W] + Dexterity modifier damage at 21st level.
*Miss:  *Half damage for those in burst
*Special:  *All classes may use this power as an alternative basic attack.

Next time, I’ll talk about Power Armor.

And just to remind you, big announcement on Sunday, October 19th.


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## Angel Tarragon (Oct 15, 2008)

Just out of curiosity is the OGL version going to remain available at Lulu after the GSL version is available for purchase?


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 15, 2008)

No, the GSL stipulates the OGL version cease publication upon the 4.0's release or January 1st, whatever comes first.


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## Angel Tarragon (Oct 16, 2008)

DiasExMachina said:


> No, the GSL stipulates the OGL version cease publication upon the 4.0's release or January 1st, whatever comes first.




I'm guess I'm going to have to hold off on buying Batman The Animated Series for a while. I don't want to miss the opportunity to grab Amethyst as OGL while I have the chance.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 17, 2008)

Earlier this week, I talked about weapons, now I shall deal with armour.  Techan armour is laid down the same way as techan weapons.  At later levels, we have Aramid Survival Suits, Nanotech Combat Armours, and Combat Exoskeletons.  The big point being addressed with armour is that they fill in several different roles.  There is no such thing as magical cloaks.  Advanced armour, like power armour, counts as multiple items.  Mobile Motor Armour, for example....

*	Defense Bonus:*  Gain the Armor’s TL as an item bonus to Fortitude Defense and AC.  Gain half the armor’s TL (rounded down) as an item bonus to Reflex Defense.

*	Large or Agile:*  The armor can either be medium and agile or large and intimidating.  If Agile, the armor gains a +2 item bonus to all acrobatic rolls and a +2 item bonus to athletics when performing a jump.  If Large, the armor gains +1 reach.  Both armors can wield two-handed weapons as one handed.

*	Resistances: * Gain the armor’s TL as resist to cold and fire.  

	Mobile Motor Armour starts at Tech Level 4 (TL4 or +4 enhancement) and continues up to TL6 (or +6).  It counts as multiple items if chosen at a higher level.  Some larger armour even has temporary hit points, their own base speed and built in weapons.  Of course, they cost a fortune.  Although we would love to offer actual mecha, we’ll save those for a later book.     

	Two more days until our announcement...

Me out.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 21, 2008)

Obviously, the big news is out.  Shortly after our Honourable Mention at the ’08 Ennies, we began negotiations with Goodman Games to distribute Amethyst to the masses.  This was a great opportunity and one we had no intention in passing.  Of course, we couldn’t release the details on the agreement until we signed the line which was dotted.  Even then, we needed to ensure all the “I”s were dotted and the “T”s crossed.  And then we needed the proper moment to make a solid impression.  As stated, we have not compromised our setting in any way and there have been no demands placed on us to change the setting beyond the intentions we had already planned upon.   I can’t say we are throwing more into this than before as a result.  I don’t do anything half-ass…which may explain the daunting 275,000 words of the 3.5 Edition.  It is not our plans to create one book and fade into the background.  We are already in the planning stages and have created content for three future books, not including any modules on the horizon.  

	So, we have a release date, a book length, and a battle strategy.  I am making it a commitment to attend GenCon and meet many of those that have supported us since our April release.  I can’t really convey properly how confident we are with this 4.0 Edition.  We had our second Techan battle and we were blown away at how fun it was.  The aspect of teamwork was really present and we hope others will pick up on that as well.

	We’re not finished by a significant margin.  Aspects of the game are not finalized and we are still figuring out what will be included in this first book.  I hope to keep people’s interest in the coming months.

In case you didn’t know, you can check the announcement here

Me out.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 25, 2008)

The lack of posts this week has not been over us working too hard.  Though we have, we always have time to chat.  No, the real reason was a computer failure.  

What happened was that we were planning on a podcast to show off the gaming potential of techan classes.  We had Goodman Games' DGC module, Sellswords of Punjar and were going to record our techan characters' progression through this simple and small dungeon.  Suffice to say, it was memorable.  It was funny, insightful, and we learned a lot about our system and where it needs to be improved.  But it does show how the group works together to combat a threat.  

Two hours into the podcast, my computer reboot.  I lost the entire recording and everything has been going downhill ever since.  The next morning, I took the computer to get fixed and they have had it since Thursday.  

It’s currently sitting disconnected as I am at work, typing away on my break.  I have not been able to receive or send out any emails so my apologies for anyone that has tried to get a hold of me.  Normal operations should resume Sunday, the 25th.  

One a side note, I have gone over the techan classes and made a major rework of several powers.  We have nearly a dozen pages of revisions and additions to these classes, all coming from the last two weeks of playtesting.  Those on the playtesting group should check the Development forum as there will be a downloadable file of the changes.  Equipment has also been tweaked.  Expect a major change to both Operator and Stalker.

Me Out.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 29, 2008)

Okay, here's the deal: The guys and I sat down with Goodman's Sellswords of Punjar adventure but played the dungeon crawl with 4 techan classes. The first podcast got lost so this one recaps the first session and dives right into combat. 

Listen as four rifle/pistol/pipewrench weilding techans wade through the slums of the city's underground, battle accountants and theives, and somehow redirect an Otyugh into fighting on their side. This is a three part podcast. 

Here is a list of the characters:

Sgt Ruttigar Howard -- A 3 foot tall Marshall from the Bastion of Mann.  He specializes in redirecting enemies and granting allies additional attacks.

Einokchuk -- A grounder armed with an assault rifle and a pistol, trained in laying down area denial powers to prevent an enemy's advance.

Hugh Mann, the 3rd -- An Operator trained as a mechanic, even though the group is carrying Tech Level 0 technology and the only weapon that can disrupt is his own.  He does still have abilities that boosts the capacity of his own technology.  

Lamb Shanks -- A sniper-build Stalker in a dungeon where none of his sniper abilities can be used.  He quickly rebuilds himself as a two pistol combat guru.  

PODCAST


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 31, 2008)

As I overcome a strange three-day virus that thankfully coincided with three days off I had (yeah), I have gone over the book for a third time and made yet another series of changes based on the experience of our playtesting.  I played around with weapons again, added a few more items, included a Techan Adventurer's Kit (which was lacking and needed), and played around with the techan At-Wills.  Altogether, the groups is really responding well to this altered approach to gameplay--based around movement and teamwork rather than singular grinding combat.  

This week, we made a decision to remove Epic Destinies and everything relating to them from the first book.  The reason came from a need to cut something that is being replaced by an included adventure.  We're not removing the epic levels of techan classes as that would make them incomplete.  We figured it would be better to remove large sections rather than nitpick through the book and cut the uniqueness of the book.  Besides, with a second volume already being written for release in the same year, it’s not like players will get to Epic destinies before the second book comes out.    It would just be better to have all the epic destinies in one spot than break them up over two books.  

As stated in the press release, there will be a module released on the heels of the core book.  That's being written as we speak.  We hope to tie in the included adventure with this module and the adventure being written for Free RPG Day.  Can't say more about this adventure other than it's inspired by a classic.

As a teaser today, I leave you with...A Flamethrower

*Flamethrower:  *This weapon shrunk in size over many years.  Though still two-handed, it no longer requires an unsafe nozzle to an even more hazardous backpack.  Modern flamethrowers keep their tank mounted under the weapon stock.  The tank is comprised of a relatively safe solid fuel.  When combined with air, it actually reacts into an expanding foam.  A small battery compresses air in a separate chamber.  The foam enters the final chamber and when allowed to uncompress, sprays out in liquid form.  A final magnesium igniter at its barrel sends the superheated stream of flame to its target.  Despite rumors and urban legends, both older and modern flamethrower tanks do not explode easily if ruptured or if a spark flicks nearby.  If the weapon tank is ruptured, the foam would break and spray but not automatically ignite.  Even older models would only burst like aerosol cans and not violently explode.  

*Property:*  Target/s takes 4 ongoing damage (save ends).  This damage is not cumulative with consecutive hits.  This weapon can only be used with ranged basic attack.  
*Attack:* Each creature in a burst3 area in weapon range.
*Critical:*  +1d6 fire damage per tech level


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 5, 2008)

As we polish up the core book and the starter adventure, we've begun to look into the future (to coin a phrase) at our next book and the first module, due to be released around the same time as _Foundation_.  As promised, we are applying our own unique style to everything, despite certain concedes that are needed to be made in a module's construction.  Despite having some classic dungeon crawl themes (like ludicrous traps and numerous though seemingly random and illogical placed monsters), we are still pushing for a plot-heavy adventure that's still easy enough for any green player to run through.  As always, DMs create their own level of involvement--about how much of the module they are going to use and how many they are going to ignore.  

Even though these first modules have yet to be named, we can reveal certain elements of what to expect.  The first one is a classic mystery that blends into science fiction and finally into horror.  The module is a tribute and homage to a classic Gygax adventure some of you may be aware of, called Expedition to Barrier Peaks.  I have a copy of said module but will not be re-reading it.  Rather, I just plan on taking its lead in doing something with my own brand of adventure and story.  When I say I have a copy of the module, I mean I really do have a first printing, dated 1981, not the reprint in Realms of Horror many years later, including the cheesy color art and mammoth maps that required four screens!  I hope to pay service to a few other beloved or derived franchises with this module like Alien, Outland, and even Event Horizon.  I'm already about a quarter into the module.  

Not much has happened with the core rulebook.  As I was saying earlier, I think the majority of any issues would occur with character creation and equipment and once we are happy with that, the rest should fall together.  Not willing to rest upon those achievements, we are already working with the GSL limitations to expand possibilities for this game and possible future products from the company.

Oh, and heavens forbid anyone should take anything we say with any merit, but from a bunch of Canadian hosers to all citizens of the United States, I would like to say that regardless of who you voted for, you made your voices heard by, as the President Elect said Tuesday, "rejecting the myth of their generation's apathy."  Job well done.


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 9, 2008)

The second podcast should be up Sunday.  The final draft of Amethyst Foundation was completed this week and no we proofread.  Meenwhile, I wanted to pass along a Glossary of terms used in Amethyst:

GLOSSARY

	A.E. (After Enchantment):  The progress of time in this new era.  The game begins for many in the year 508 A.E., just a little over 500 years from when the White gate reopened.

	Arkonnia:  The same region occupied by the old Continent of Africa in old Earth.

	Alternate Quantum Vibrational States:  The generic title to any physical state out of phase with our own.  "Echans" or magical folk call this state etherealness—being of this reality but not, where you can observe the real world, but exist separately.  The real world may or may not detect you and may or may not be able to interact.  "Techans" or techa-Folk progressed little in this field.  A few bastions discovered a way for machines to enter this state so that they could pass through walls and slip past guard towers without detection.  This is advantageous over simply being invisible because Etherealness displaces the subject out of the material reality altogether.  Some scientists refer to the realms beyond the gates also as Alternate Quantum Vibrational States and claim the EDF derives from this. 

	Attricana:  The term given to the enchanted realm existing beyond the white portal.  It is often referred to as the gateway itself.  

	Bastion States:  Sanctuaries of man's old ways.  These are massive technological cities usually heavily fortified and densely populated.  Most are echaphobic and forbid the use of magic within its walls.  Each bastion stands as its own country, with very little to no contact with the outside world or even other bastions.

	Blinder:  A common derogative nickname mages and other magically imbued individuals call techans.

	Canam:  The continent previously occupied by Canada, the USA, and Mexico.  It is commonly separated into Eastern Canam and Western Canam.

	Corpus Continuity:  The belief held by many echans and techans, corpus continuity postulates the similarities in enchanted species of fae and the evolved species of man proves the existence of God.  The humanoid form comprising binocular vision, binaural hearing, base ten appendages, erect stature, and mammalian physiology matches the fae species exactly, a species not evolved from primate, but formed from magic itself.  With the exception of the pointed ears and the variation of fae species when they branch into subspecies, there still remain remarkable similarities scientists cannot explain to this day.  Because fae arose first, many believers of corpus continuity also subscribe to echalogical influence.

	Dragons:  The first species to achieve high intelligence on Earth.  They were originally dinosaurs touched with magic and coaxed into a greater form.  No one knows how they achieved such power.  They were the first race under Attricana, followed some time later by the first fae.

	Earth:  The common name for the world everything resides on.  It’s odd that many timelines refer to "before the first hammer" and "after the second hammer," eluding that the time between (about 65 million years) simply did not count.  

	Echa:  The slang given to magic or 'enchantment'.  It often refers to visual use of magic (spells and magically infused items).

	Echalogical Influence:  The manipulation / influence via the previous echan age of Terros on mankind's evolution and cultural development.  Various theories exist attempting to explain why the previous age of Terros matches those of literature and mythology of humanity's past.  One theory points to inherited knowledge, through genetics or fragments of lost magic, converting into mythology.  Mythology altered over time, but many truths survived to this day.  This theory remains popular among many trying to explain how dragons, elves, and magic exist in this world once previously only found in books of fiction.  

	Echan:  Someone touched by magic or using magic.  This term often refers to humans specifically embracing the path of enchantment.  Echans still consider this ugly bastardization of "Enchantment" derogatory.  Unfortunately, it stuck.

	Echagenics / Echalogy:  The study in both echa and techa cultures of the similarities between humanity and its recorded history against the fae, dragons, and their recorded history.  This analyzes the obvious physical similarities between fae and man in conjunction with historical coincidences in their religions, legends, and mythologies.  Theologians studying echalogy are referred to as echalogians.  They claim much progress, ascertaining the similarities to the will of creation.  Studying echagenics in techan cultures remains an uninspired field bearing little fruit.  They admit too many coincidences exist between the time of Terros (old Earth) and modern Earth and are confounded with the numerous references on the world of Terros in mankind's mythology and religious dogma.  After a thousand years of study, a firm, scientific answer has yet to arrive.  A popular theory recently accepted pointed to a remnant of magical knowledge passing through time like inherited genes.  This field coined the term "echalogical influence."

	EDF - Enchanted Disruption Field:  The enchantment disruption field prevents radio communication and disrupts electronic circuits like an electro-magnetic pulse when extremely powerful magic is nearby.  It also carries the tendency of jamming many mechanical devices more complicated than a windmill.  

	Evolved Races:  These are the few species of Earth science created through natural selection.  These are the species untouched by magic, even though they can still possess and use it.  Man is an evolved race.  If both gates were closed, only the evolved races would remain.  Obviously, humans and fae bear many similarities on almost every level.  Popular theories point to residual background magic (like radiation) that continued to influence the planet even when the gate was closed.  This is vital to echalogical influence. 

	Fae:  The first species born naturally from magic after the dragons.  All dominant magical races derive from them.  Many races claim to be of the original stock and no known original fae live today.  The fae descendant races include the narros, laudenian, gimfen, damaskan, tenenbri, tilen, sylphids, puggs, etc.  The oldest race to not make that claim is the titans.  

	First Hammer:  The first impact that destroyed the dinosaurs and ended the first reign of magic.  It struck what would be called Mexico and initiated the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event.

	Inosi:  The region of Earth previously referred to as India.

	Indoaus:  The region of land previously occupied by Australia and Indonesia.

	Ixindar:  The name given to the realm existing through the black gate, where evil and hate lurks.  The evil fiends set up a nation around it called Kakodomania. 

	Kakodomania:  An obsidian glass spreads from Ixindar.  In modern times, this realm envelops most of central Slav.  Under permanent darkness, nothing entering returns the same.  The Reluctant Wall borders the land of Shemjaza.

	Lauropa:  The term given to the region covering all of old Europe and western Slavic countries.

	Second Hammer:  The second impact that destroyed the technological empire of man.  It struck Siberia, exactly where Ixindar lay buried.

	Slav:  Often separated into Western and Eastern Slav, this region on Earth covers the majority of China and the entire Russian / Slavic region.

	Southam:  The region of Earth occupied by South America.

	Spawn Races:  Enchanted creatures emerging from previous animal forms.  Most of these are young races, birthed when the gate reopened.  Very few develop any form of culture 

	Terros:  What many non-human echans used to call Earth.  The similarity of Terros and Terra (as well as Eoroe, Araa, and half a dozen other similar expressions tied to Earth in human languages) is one point of many connecting threads between the time of old Earth and new Earth.  Most species separate the old time to the new time by identifying Terros as the time before, and Earth, the time after.  Only laudenians refer to modern Earth as Terros.

	Techa:  The slang term given to the technology of man and is usually reserved for the bastions and their machines.

	Techan:  One using technology.  Unlike echans, techans do not find their title derogatory.


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 13, 2008)

Techan Podcast, Part 2, where our techan heroes conclude their battle with the bums, grubbs, and senile otyugh. After its conclusion, listen to the extents the players will go to acquire treasure. I won't ruin the surprise but it does involve a flashlight and a human suppository...


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 15, 2008)

Never before had I ever encounter such bizarre gameplay like these past few weeks playtesting.  One aspect of our podcasts I elect not to include involves conversations as we find breaks in our system.  Quite often, though, what I discover is that a player had not read a power entirely before using it, often resulting in far-reaching effects that would appear broken.  I know they are not cheating because this is not really a game, just a playtest, but every once and a while, I can see players wanting their side to win more than analyzing why they could be losing.  It dawns on me that there is much more trust involved in 4th ED than in 3rd ED.  You have to trust the players that they have only used their encounter powers once.  You have to believe them when they say they have not cooked off their dailies yet.  I find it ironic since accusations of deception from players to players resulted in the largest retroactive continuity shift in this game universe in the first place—the signature (and possible notorious) disruption rule.  

	Last game test, we tackled the Umbra Drake, the final boss in Sellswords of Punjar.  It nearly destroyed them.  Once the group got out of the tight confines of the dungeon and onto the roofs of the town, everything changed and the group was able to finally take it down…but not before nearly losing two team members.  By the end of the evening, I went back and downtuned some of the later powers and rewrote the sniper’s marksman rules.  Heavy weapons have been expanded.

	We have hollered to bleeding ears about how techans require teamwork.  They also need room to move.  In narrow confines, it’s difficult to bring enough firepower to bear.  In the open, a techan group can be a serious threat.  As it was, in the single-square wide hallways and 4-square sized rooms of Punjar, it was a constant struggle to survive.  By this point, I believe we are 90% from being completely ready on the techan side.  It was the biggest job with the highest potential for errors.  After we feel the system works, we hope to use that as a road map for other modern and science-fiction-based 4th ED games.  The success of Amethyst will help us plot out that path.  

*MARKSMAN TALENT*
	When using powers with the Sniper keyword, you gain the ability to inflict additional effects depending on how much you defeat your enemy’s defense by.  
*	Enemy’s Defense Beaten by		Additional Effect*
		5				Target is slowed for one round
		7				Target is weakened for one round.		
		10				Target is dazed for one round.
		14				Target is knocked prone.

	If the target is already suffering from the same effect when applying this condition, than the target fails its next saving throw against the effect.  You only apply one condition listed above per attack and may choose which condition goes into effect you are able to (e.g.:  If you beat the enemy’s defense by 7, you may inflict slowed or weakened, but not dazed).  If you score a critical hit, you must still determine by how much you bit the enemy’s defense by.

	You may decide to use Marksman Talent after resolving an attack.  You can employ Marksman Talent as many times per an Encounter as your Wisdom modifier.


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 21, 2008)

With a busy week ahead of us, blog posts have been lacking, so I apologize.  Everyone should expect a Module for Free RPG Day on June 20th.  

	The real thought going through my mind (and yes, only one at a time) is the potential of science fiction role playing.  Our group (as they have been going grinding through Punjar) has been talking about possibilities of future products.  For me, I have always loved science fiction.  I grew up with, not D&D primarily, but Mekton and Cyberpunk 2020.  Anyone that knows me, is fully aware of my past with RTG and their Interlock and FUZION systems.  I’d still be writing for that system if 3.0 hadn’t re-written every rule about role playing.  Since then, hard science fiction has fallen on the wayside a tad and it bothers me.  As I look over the 4ED landscape in front of me, I have noticed a marked lack of hard science fiction.  Some fear breaking GSL stipulations while others claim that science fiction role playing is a fading if not dead genre.  Some of you have been expecting a 4th Edition Modern, a title seemingly meant only for memories.  Some have even hoped that Amethyst would fill that niche--a hope we are trying to satisfy.  I won’t claim Amethyst is just about technology.  Technology only accounts for about 30% of the setting, as it occupies around 30% of the final book (I am totally pulling that guess out of my posterior).  

	In many ways, the setting can be reduced to a world where a fantasy role playing game and a science fiction role playing game are at war with each other.  I guess who wins will determine our next game line.  

	I never played Star Frontiers despite owning the first edition box.  Never played Gamma World either and I owned that first edition as well.  Played West End’s Star Wars quite bit and enjoyed the experience.  I did manage to run a handful of sessions of Rifts but I gave up when the first of the World Books started coming out.  Back then, Palladium also had Robotech and we really wore those books down, regardless of my feelings on their system.  Although I owned and read Leading Edge’s Aliens game, I never ran a session.  

	No, for us, it was R. Talsorian.  We ran homebrew sessions of Mekton and Cyberpunk 2020 for years.  It was my bread and butter and when they opened Fuzion for legal use, I jumped at the chance.  Those games occupied my entire role playing life from the late 80s to early 90s.  Alas, a friend convinced me GURPS was the solution for Pathfinder (my mid 90s homebrew game) and I was forced to adopt that system for two damned years.  Beyond that exception, it was RTG’s family of books, of which the Bubblegum Crisis RPG would be the last I would purchase.  I guess we all have shelves of books of games we never played.  Along with the one’s I just mentioned, there was Mechwarrior, Battletech (yes, I know, but not connected), WOTC’s Star Wars, and D20 Modern, though the latter I would use as reference for both Ghost in the Shell and the 3.5Ed Amethyst.  Personally, I never thought D20 Modern was well constructed.  First level characters were a joke and it had an abysmal currency system.  

	Now, it looks like the prospect of 4th ED Modern may be dead…but Amethyst was never coming close to being 4th ED Modern.  At the very least, it was science fiction 4th ED.  Some of you have asked how universal Amethyst’s system is and I believe it’s about 90% where anyone would want it (yes, another number, I pulling right from my colon).  It would require some house ruling to adapt it but I believe I could do so with a solitary page.  The job would not be difficult.  

	 I guess the challenge and question fielded is can someone make a GSL compliant 4th Edition hard science fiction game?  I think so.


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 25, 2008)

Will Amethyst feature cybernetics?  No, and for good reason.  Amethyst is neither Rifts nor Shadowrun.  It is not cyberpunk.  Since you don’t have severed limbs in 4th ED, there is no need to include them unless using them for augmentation.  That being said, it is not like we’re scared of that.  When I did Ghost in the Shell D20, I went ballistic on cybernetics, so I know how to write them.  I just chose to keep them out of Amethyst because I wanted to ensure a separation between Amethyst and other fantasy titles on the market.  Higher TL bastions have nano-recovery units that repair damaged tissue and we do have micro-machine injections that actually offer permanent boosts and basically replace the bonuses offered by magical headgear in 4th ED.  Let’s be serious, though…if I wanted cybernetics, it wouldn’t be hard.  

	I got power armour…is that good enough?
*
	Second: * Non-Combat rules.  Do we have any?  Well, there are no mirrors for rituals with technology.  That being said, we do have stunt rules for vehicles, the disruption of technology, and… well… explosives…

*DEMOLITIONS (Intelligence) 
	Trained skill only.*
	You can set and disarm explosives.  This includes all manners of mechanical and electronic detonators.  
	Setting a simple explosive to blow up at a certain spot doesn't require a check, but connecting and setting a detonator does.  Also, placing an explosive for maximum effect against a structure calls for a check, as does disarming an explosive device.
*	Attacking with Explosives: * Using Demolitions involves setting an explosive prematurely to an engagement or during one.  
*Setting Explosives:*  Setting explosives takes a standard action in combat or can be used as part of a skill challenge.  
*Wiring Explosives Together: * DC15 for every additional block wired up.  Additional blocks increase damage and burst (See Grenades and Explosives).
*Timed Detonator:*  DC10+2 / Tech Level of detonator to set timed explosives.  Timed explosives detonate at a set time and cannot be prematurely detonated.  
*Remote Detonator:*  DC15+2 / Tech Level of detonator to set up a wired or wireless detonator.  You may detonate an explosive by using a minor action.  You may also detonate it as a readied action.
*	Triggered Explosives:*  DC15+2 / Tech Level of detonator to set up a triggered detonator which explodes when certain conditions arise.  These detonate on their own and do not require a minor or a readied action.  They go off when a target either crosses over it, or before it moves out of its burst area.
*Failure: * Failure means that the explosive fails to go off as planned.  Failure by 10 or more means the explosive goes off as the detonator is being installed.  You can make an explosive difficult to disarm.  To do so, make a skill check and your roll is equal to the disarm DC.
	You cannot detonate explosives when wiring them together.  A failure with wiring explosives together means the extra explosives will not go off and additional time may be required to retry.
*Proper Placement: * You can carefully set the explosive in such a way to do maximum damage.  If you beat the DC roll by 5 or more, you gain +2 damage from the explosive.  If you beat the DC roll by 10 or more, you gain an additional +4 damage from the explosive.    
* 	Disarm Explosive Device:*  Disarming an explosive that has been set to go off requires a demolitions check.  The DM can decide a DC or make a skill check of who planted the explosive.  The DC to disarm is the Demolition roll made when it was set.  If you fail the check, you do not disarm the explosive.  If you fail by 10 or more, the explosive goes off.
*Special:*  You can take 10 when using the demolitions skill in the setting of explosives, not in the disarming or when in a combat encounter.  The DM may allow you to take 10 in disarming if there is enough time to do so.
*Bide Time: * If you miss the DC on a timed explosive by 4 or less, you push the detonator trigger point back one round.  

*General Detonator			Demolitions DC*
	Heroic Tier					20
	Paragon Tier					30
	Epic Tier					35


*	Third: * I will divulge that the work on Amethyst, and the success that hopefully follows it, will be used as a road map for a ruleset which will deliver everything you have all been asking for in a hard science fiction, GSL-compliant, 4th Edition game.   I cannot say more than that other than fan support will be key in this regard.  Though I won’t reveal the name of the product, I can divulge our internal designation for the ruleset: _ The Ladder._


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 5, 2008)

I do apologize for the delays to the site of late. Priority was on the book. The final polish on the writing of Amethyst is done. Now it's in the hands of layout, artwork, and graphic design. Like everything in life, we're not sure if it's ready...but I don't think anyone on our position would say "Nope, no more testing, we're good." Heck no, we could test for another 12 months and still see other parts of the game untested or unproven. But we are confident with the results, and that's what's important. We're already 80,000 words into the second book and a third into the first module.

Someone was mentioning out of combat rules. Spurned by that, I went back into the Engineer skill and added this:
*
Building Technology:* If you have the time and the parts but are nowhere near a bastion or a market that sells technology, you may try to build the item from scratch. You can only build items with a rated tech level (0-6). You must have the item’s cost in widgets (not the UC, the widgets) on hand. You must meet the level requirement for said item as well. The item’s level is also the time in days it takes to build the item. You need at least six hours of work on the item for it to be considered a day’s work. You cannot speed up this process but you can take your time. At the end of each day, you must make an Engineer roll to beat the build DC. If you beat the DC, you count the day in question towards the time required to build the item. You can take 10 on this roll. The DC is 15 + 2 x the item’s tech level.
--Creating grenades takes half the time.
--Vehicles take twice as long and require a facility.
--For techan armor, you must meet the listed price and the time for construction is the two highest values added together.
--You cannot build demolitions, medical, or repair kits. You cannot build boosters or medical injections.
--Items without a listed level take 1 day to construct.
--Ammunition’s tech level is equal to the weapon it is made for.
*Failure:* If you fail, the work time is wasted (1 day) but the widgets are not.


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 7, 2008)

ROLE MODELS

	Recently, I realized that some people may be confused by the indicated roles of our techan classes.  In our attempt to think outside the box of traditional classes, we realized our classes may not fit into the ironclad rules listed in the player’s handbook.  Some playtesters mentioned being confused by our listed roles in comparison to the definition.  The PHB mentions healing, support, offense, defensive, support, and focused defence.  These are detailed into four roles:  Controller, Defender, Leader, and Striker.  But we didn’t feel the techans needed to fit these roles exactly.  So let’s break it down:

Grounder:  The Grounder has the hit points of a fighter and the high kill abilities also associated with one.  So you would assume Defender.  But he also has the capacity to lay area effects at a distance.  He cannot mark but can prevent enemies form attacking him or others.  This would make it closer to a Controller.  We decided upon Defender because, in the end, the Grounder is the heavy hitter.

Marshall:  The Marshall and the Warlord are similar and so you would assume Leader…but our Marshall is deficient in healing and is able to not only move allies but enemies as well.  In spirit, he is still a leader, though he is also a defender as well.  

Operator:  The operator is a heavy healer but he is not a leader.  He cannot inspire, he lacks good defence and is not as trained in assisting allies as a Grounder and Marshal.  We listed him as a controller because of his ability to ensure the stability of the group. 

Stalker:  The Stralker is listed as a Striker since he can deliver devastating damage to single targets but he also can commit to close attacks that strike multiple enemies at once.  But he can also deliver status affects with his sniper attacks, making him closer to a controller.  

I know, we could create new roles, but I figured that was unnecessary.  With techans I hope players will read them thoroughly and understand the method of our madness.  If I could see an argument for changing Operator from Controller to Leader but that that would be against what we think an Operator is designed for.   I can see further complications with this in the future and we may end up introducing new roles that better explain our intents.  

Another point brought up deals with the mixing of techans and echans (science-fiction and fantasy).  Like I said, we designed the techans to operate on their own without mixing with fantasy players.  The disruption rules support this but that doesn’t mean a group can’t try it.  You can pick-and-mix whatever you like but some of these classes may not work well with others unless they are armed with machine gunes.  For example, the Marshall has dozens of abilities that grant him and allies ranged basic attacks, a useless feature if the Marshal is surrounded by fighters and paladins.  A Grounder is a heavy ranged attacker with support abilities that help other ranged attackers nearby, another useless feature if the grounder is the only one at range.  Amazingly enough, a Grounder would not be a fighter in a fantasy party but a Wizard (another argument for them being a Controller rather than a Defender).  A Marshall could replace a Warlord but would very much be bad at it.  The same goes for Operator but he, at least, would be a welcomed and vital healer if a Cleric was nowhere to be found.  A striker is the only class, I think, which would be able to hold his own if alone in a fantasy party.  They have few supporting powers and feature a set of unique abilities no other fantasy player has.  It would be a challenge but I believe that’s half the fun.


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 13, 2008)

"Mission to Marsh" 


Yes, that is the current internal name of our Free RPG Day module.  We are not going for a clichéd dungeon romp but a nonstop scrub of gunfire from beginning to end as a group of gun-toting techans find themselves trapped in a wasteland and are forced to dive deeper into danger to recover a missing piece of technology they need to survive.  The module will include 5 techan characters at 6th level pre-generated players can just dive right into.  

AND in case anyone is in the Prince George area, Conan and myself will be each running the module for anyone interested at Great White Entertainment.

Meanwhile, despite the fact the game is done and off to layout, we are still testing the system.  Alas, we've already found a couple issues that need clarifying but nothing currently that breaks the system or requires anything more than an erratum.  For one, we list Demolitions as an Intelligence-based skill everywhere except under the Operator class, where it is listed as Wisdom.  Stuff like that.

Oh...and we have a FOURTH Techan Podcast, which concludes our group's foray into Punjar.  This is the funniest podcast we have ever recorded.  We have trouble listening to it ourselves.  If you listen to any of them, listen to this one.  They players come across the biggest threat yet and I do everything in my power to kill them...

http://www.diasexmachina.com/Techan-Podcast4.mp3


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 25, 2008)

In an effort to keep the word count down and make room for more artwork, we are pulling Medical injections from the book for now.  They will pop up in the next one.  Meanwhile, we have played around outside of the box s'more and created new powers for a few classes to replace some duplicates which are shared between them.  This includes Operator attack powers that do no damage and massive heavy automatic burst attacks that only do 1 point of damage.  We also got a look at our final cover. 

	 As I have often said to friends, family...and people I pass in the street, that we have been blessed with a great artist/collaborator in Nick Greenwood.  He is responsible for 90% of the artwork in the 3.5 book, nearly 100% in the 4.0 book, including out new cover.  Suffice to say, this looks amazing.  What's particularly interesting is that it is a full 16x11 wrap-around and unlike others you might have seen, there is activity through the entire image.

	People whose opinion really shouldn't matter have convinced me to start a MySpace and Face Book account.  I am not sure why.  The face book page gets all the attention currently.  I am uploading old and new Amethyst artwork there.  You’ll find it under my full name of Chris Dias.

	As a final sign-off before Christmas, I leave a gift...one ENTIRE Paragon Path...  Merry Christmas (by the way, this one isn't finalized yet):

*MUTAHARRIK CAPTAIN*
	Leading the Kannos Kavalry are the Mutaharrik Captains.  You have probably spent more hours on your horse than others have on their own feet.  Regardless if you raised your steed from birth or bought it from a stable, as an elite from Kannos, you can whip any animal for combat within a week.  You do not afford yourself anymore luxuries than the men under your command.  You wear the same light armor, ride a horse with no barding, and charge alongside the line rather than behind it.  
	You and your animal are now one combined spirit and you are no longer even required to whistle for its attention or whip it to speed.  It only requires a few words or a nudge.  It may even act on its own if you require it.  The elite order of Kannos officers forego all other pleasantries in favor of their bond.  You don’t bother with wives or children.  It has even been said a Captain’s steed lives for the entire life of its master, dying the second its Captain does.
_Prerequisites:_  Kavalier or Halfmaster lifepath.  You must also return to Kannos for promotion.  You must own a large natural beast as a mount.  You must have selected the mounted combat feat.

*MUTAHARRIK CAPTAIN PATH FEATURES*
*	Whisperer (11th level):*  Any riding horse you own becomes a warhorse.  It is only a warhorse while under your command.  Your warhorse gains +2 movement during a Trample attack.    
*High Ground (11th level):*  You gain a +1 to attack with a melee weapon to adjacent foes if you are on your mount.  You also no longer provoke opportunity attacks if you fire ranged weapons while on your mount.  
*Master Warhorse (16th level): * If you spend an action point before initiating a trample attack while on your mount, you gain no additional action, but your mount ignores all opportunity attacks during said trample and it and you have Combat Advantage against anyone you strike until the end of your round.     

*MUTAHARRIK CAPTAIN EXPLOITS
Plow through the Lines					Mutaharrik Captain Attack 11*
_	You assault through an enemy’s flank, slashing down at those that move away from your steed’s assault._
*	Encounter * Martial, Weapon
	Standard Action					Melee Weapon
	Requirement:*  You must be mounted.  
*Target: * All targets in reach during the horse’s trample.
*Effect:*  Your horse initiates a trample attack.  Every target in your reach during the trample can be attacked by a melee weapon.  
*Attack: * Strength vs. AC.
*Hit: * 1[W] + Strength Modifier 
*Special:*  This is not a charge attack so does not gain the Charger bonus with a warhorse when initiating a charge. 
*
Equestrian Charge						Mutaharrik Captain Utility 12*
_	You leap from you mount, over the heads of your enemies, and land without injury._
*	Encounter * Martial, Mounted		
	Move Action						Personal		
	Effect:*  If your mount moves more than 4 squares either as an attack (charge or trample) or a move action, you can jump from your mount as a move action.  You are considered running for the jump and gain a +5 bonus to the Athletics roll.  Pick an unoccupied square in range to land into.  You provoke no opportunity attacks as you jump or land.  

*Unbridled Loyalty						Mutaharrik Captain Attack 20*
_	You need a quick escape in a dire situation and your mount is more than happy to comply.  As the animal charges in, you take advantage of the distraction._
*	Daily * Martial, Weapon
	Standard Action					Melee Weapon
	Requirement:*  You and your mount must be separated but within range of the animal’s trample attack.  
*	Effect: * Your mount initiates a trample attack and passes either by an adjacent square to you or through your occupied square.  You suffer no damage from the trample. 
*Target:*  Any creature that is knocked prone by the trample and in reach from the square you occupy.
*Attack: * Strength vs. AC.  (+2 for Combat Advantage)  You score a critical on a natural roll of 19 or 20.
*Hit: * 3[W] + Strength Modifier.  
*Special: * As the animal tramples by, you mount it.  It continues its trample attack if it has any remaining movement.


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 31, 2008)

Funny thing happened on the way to the blog

	Yesterday was a big day for us.  After 27 months, we finally concluded our Amethyst game.  Of course, we were not playing Amethyst anymore but the second chapter after Amethyst.  No, this is not the second book coming out late 2009.  That’s still original Amethyst.  Every book we are doing for the initial Amethyst run (about 4) deals with only the first three seasons of the original Amethyst campaign (there were 4 seasons).  There is a lot to cover.  All of it loosely based on the original campaign I ran with my players (one of which is still with the project).  That lasted two and a half years.  What we have been playing recently is the next chapter in a grand arc of which Amethyst is only one part.  It still is Amethyst with the same setting and same rules.  I have mentioned it before in a previous blog.  It was an interesting game with an ending I think I could have done better.  

	But I digress.  As I have closing this one chapter, I have been buzzing along with several others.  There are two other writing projects due on the 15th I am polishing up.  Meanwhile, we’re revving up the press release of our next product line.  I know...I said two games.  Here is how we work:  I am spontaneous and my friends slap me.  Seriously, what actually happened was that one project pushed itself to the foreground to such an amazing degree as to shove the other right off our 2009 line-up.  It’s still being made but occasionally, you get an idea which is so impressive, there is just this little voice that confirms it.  I get that sometimes.  I think other people do as well.  It reminds me of a Carl Sagan quote which... I actually can’t recall specifically.  Basically this idea started off based from an old game of mine and a sudden inspiration pushed it into a direction that, when I shared it with the others, got an amazing reaction.  Now they all want a piece of it and we can’t wait to start working on it.  I really hope you can feel our enthusiasm for it when we announce it in a few days.

	So the second project, though it will be developed this year, may not be released until the next.  Besides, we still have more from Amethyst including more sourcebooks and modules.

	As for a timetable, we’re going to be researching back-story for this new game (yes, it requires research) for the next month to two months while also developing a basic framework for the rules and classes.  A prototype to be tested won’t occur, I imagine, until Amethyst is released, then we will offer basic rules to playtesters based solely on illogical and unreasonable conditions no one but us will understand.

	Pssssst...I gave you all a little hint on what this game is...or rather what it’s based on.


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## Angel Tarragon (Dec 31, 2008)

Thanks for the sale on RPGNow. Amethyst is very, very cool. I wish I would have bought it much earlier. I can see a lot of material that I'll be using wholecloth for my Mutants and Masterminds Guardians of Gaia game and a whole heck of a lot of stuff that will be modified for the Tale.

I also ordered the hardback at Lulu. Absolutely cannot wait to wrap my fingers around it! I feel all giddy knowing its on its way.


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 4, 2009)

Reveille said:


> Thanks for the sale on RPGNow. Amethyst is very, very cool. I wish I would have bought it much earlier. I can see a lot of material that I'll be using wholecloth for my Mutants and Masterminds Guardians of Gaia game and a whole heck of a lot of stuff that will be modified for the Tale.
> 
> I also ordered the hardback at Lulu. Absolutely cannot wait to wrap my fingers around it! I feel all giddy knowing its on its way.




Awesome.  Thanks.  Alas, yes, the sale is over and the book is gone forever...  (sniff)

I think you might have been our last sale off Lulu.  



The comments on NeuroSpasta have been amazingly supportive and I hope it continues to spread.  It really seems like there are quite a few of you out there that had been waiting for something like this to come around.  Though we have a lot of the ideas in place, other responsibilities beckon us away until at least the 15th, when we start going full time into this.  

Meanwhile, while carousing through Amethyst, yet again, I found I had listed 3 new skills when in truth, we had added 4.  Sigh...just goes to show that some things still get missed.  I fixed that little nugget and moved on.  Meanwhile, Conan and his extremely significant other have been working on a new character sheet designed exclusively for Amethyst (making room for techan skills, lifepaths, and the sort).  I have been spell-checking.  Nick Greenwood finished our cover...

...yes...he finished our cover.  Wanna see?  Well...you can't...sorry.  Have to leave something for a surprise.  I will clip these two images for ya.  These are EXTREMELY small crops of the full image.  The originals are ginourmous.


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## benensky (Jan 6, 2009)

Just a small portion huh?  Wow each detail looks like it can stand on its own.  The whole cover msst be killer.  Thanks for the preview.

-benensky


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 8, 2009)

Ohhh....you have no idea...There are certain elements you will simply love.  


___________________________________

It will be interesting to see how our Free RPG turns out.  I think it is as much of a challenge to players as it is to the GM.  As stated before, it will have additional downloadable content which includes 5 premade techan characters and three additional encounters a GM can add to flesh out the module and extend the mounting tension before its conclusion.  

	I was dreaming of Gears of War the other day.  This is strange considering I have neither played the game for any real length of time nor even own an Xbox.  The dream was interesting enough and when I had woken, I had drilled my fingernails into my palm from a clenched fist.  Apparently, the game is frustrating in every format.    Upon recollection, I started to understand something about Amethyst.  If playing as a techan party, a DM could recreate ANY first person shooter that has ever been made.  From Doom, to Quake, to Half Life to Fear, to Gears of War, you begin with basic weapon, travel through a landscape killing monsters, all the while upgrading your weapons from crowbars and shotguns to plasma cannons and rocket launchers.  Gears of War has an additional similarity because of its cooperative format—where multiple players can team up to tackle the game instead of trying to take each other out.  In Amethyst, the players start with TL0 rifles and pistols and by the time they reach epic, they have upgraded to power armour, thumper rifles, and rail cannons.  Although it was not our intent to create the possibilities of such empty storytelling, a group could go into the game with that mentality.  This also means a GM could recreate nearly any one of these franchises with Amethyst with little to no modifications.   Of them, I think Fear would be my favourite to see recreated using these rules.  It was my favourite of those games.


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 12, 2009)

Six more images exclusive to the new Amethyst 4.0 RPG have been uploaded.  Where are they?  They are not here.  Three of them can be found on Nick Greenwood's official page.  The other three are on my facebook page.   

We finished the FREE RPG module, Hearts of Chaos last week.  The primary adventure has three 5th level encounters, 1 puzzle, and a significant amount of role playing opportunities.  The downloadable package available before FREE RPG day will have three more encounters and four pregenerated techan characters.  

And let me tell you, the United Nations Charter is an astoundingly interesting read.  I plan on the same level of obsessive detail over NeuroSpasta as I am about everything else I do.  For example, I just outlined in loose note form how the Security Council gets reformed after an Emergency Special Session is convened to ratify Article 29 dealing with veto power over the permanent five members.  Follow any of that?


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 18, 2009)

The last lingering threads of Amethyst were sewed into place today.  How it is now is how it shall be.   I didn’t realize until this week that a large part of our techan—and thus, our science-fiction element—is based entirely on the success of one new rule.  Yes, we added lifepaths, but those were easy and seen in so many other games already (actually, I’ve only seen it in Forgotten Realms, but the statement is probably sound).  Ranged weapons…we’re not breaking the system adding them in.  No, the real test will be people’s response to autofire.  The entire rapid-fire system is very very touchy and it was the most ardently tested of any new rules in the game.  How would a system like 4ED incorporate rules for burst fire.  You can’t just make it a power…it’s got to be more than that.  But it also can’t be overly complicated.  In the end, we used a combination of powers and feats to establish what we wanted.  If successful, NeuroSpasta will incorporate this same mechanic.  

	Basically, it involves 1 feat, the burst fire feat.  It allows you to fire five shots per attack roll and adding 1 more point of damage.  Seems easy enough.  The problem is, of course, that you need a weapon capable of firing those additional shots…soooo, you need Auto weapons.  But the rate of fire for an AK-47 and a M134 Mini-Gun are radically different, forcing us to create a second class of weapon, the Heavy Auto.  Heavy Auto weapons require a minimum strength to lift without a mount, you can’t move and shoot on the same round, but it does fire twice as many rounds as an auto weapon and does more damage depending on what tier your character is in.  Not only that, we have dozens of powers (mostly Grounder) that specifically require Auto weapons and these powers carry additional effects based on if you wield an Auto or a Heavy Auto weapon.  Auto weapons can be fired on the same round your character moves, but he suffers a penalty to hit if he does anything but shift (so if he fires and then attempts to move, he can shift only).  We are simplifying it a bit here.  There are a few more bits we haven’t mentioned (can’t tell you all the tricks, yet, right?). 

	What kinds of powers, you ask?  Good question.  The Grounder, though our heavy hitter, has two unique builds:  One is a direct-fire on specific targets and the other lays down area effects.  You can probably see where the Heavy Auto can come into play.  Using combination of feats and powers, a Heavy Auto weapon has the potential of firing, quite literally, hundreds of rounds in a single standard action.  Okay…not hundreds…maybe over a hundred…assuming you use a large area effect power…like this one:

*Clearing the Room								Grounder Attack 13
Your weapon fires back so fast and so loudly, most enemies recoil just from the noise.
Encounter * Auto, Martial, Weapon	
Standard Action					Ranged 5
Target: * One, two, or three creatures
*Attack:  *Dexterity vs. AC, three attacks
*Hit:  *1 [W] + Dexterity modifier damage and target is pushed back 2 squares.  Targets that cannot move further back than 2 squares suffer an additional 2 [W] damage.
*Special:*  If you use a heavy auto weapon, targets are pushed back 4 squares and suffer additional damage if they cannot move further back than 4 squares.


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 25, 2009)

You would think now that Amethyst has moved onto the next step that things would temper. They have not. Now we are looking ahead with NeuroSpasta as well as polishing off the artwork demands. In total, we have twice the artwork from the original 3.5 edition of Amethyst with the majority of work that I was personally not happy with removed for the 4th Edition. I can’t say all this artwork will make it into the new book. For one, we have certain monsters drawn that won’t appear in until the second book.

We got Jeremy Simmons on board. This guy is a really prolific cartographer and artist and he is handling all our dungeons as well as our character sheet. Ah, yes, character sheet. I am going on a limb and saying that I have not felt comfortable with any 4.0 character currently out and I have seen a few. So we are designing one that 1) feels efficient, and 2) fits with both our fantasy and techan characters.

I hope to get back into talking about races again soon. I started with Damaskans and want to continue with all of them in time. Meanwhile, I have been trying to wrap my head around the Israel-Arab conflict for NeuroSpasta...yeah, you read right. It’s difficult to develop a possible outcome after 60 years that won’t totally piss off someone. You have to get used to the fact that some people just won’t like what you are selling. Though Amethyst had four 4-star reviews on RPGNow, we did have that one 1-star review that was deleted by the Staff because they felt the reviewer was simply mean spirited They also thought that he hadn’t fully read the book. He accused Amethyst of having a “Creationist” agenda. Yeah...a creationist agenda. Beyond DEM’s religious views (which are our own, if we have them), I can safely say there was never a Creationist agenda. In fact, quite the opposite. Still...I can’t lie and say there was not an agenda. Amethyst always had a lot to say about the world and the people living in it. Yes, it does paint mankind in a colourful image but I feel that’s realistic. We have surfed through the landscape of criticism surprisingly unscathed. We have yet to slam against any condemnation about the dealing of our subject matter—another reason why I am not worried about our use of modern religion in a 4ED GSL-compatible game. NeuroSpasta does aim the reticle a little closer to home, however, but I am still not worried.


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 29, 2009)

Guns Guns Guns

I could go into a commentary about violence in games.  I could mention that I have never even held a gun and that I have no desire to hold one, let alone fire or own, regardless of design or purpose.  I am, and will forever be, a happy ignorant city-boy, never questioning the ingredients of my bratwurst (minced flower petals).  That being said, there will always be a level of violence in the majority of our interactive entertainment.  When it comes down to violence, you either wield firearms, blades, bows, or your own talented appendages.  Amethyst allows for all of those.  Thankfully, our friends at WOTC offered us most of these.  Our primary responsibility is to supply the first one...guns.  

We have mentioned before that Amethyst deals with increasing tech levels (TL) which coincides with enhancement levels—and the two figured are equal and function identically.  So where a 9mm autoloader would be TL0, a phase plasma rifle would be TL5 or 6.  That being said, there are 9mm weapons at both TL1 and TL2 and some advanced firearms (like caseless and electronically stacked projectiles) at TL3 and TL4 but the most powerful weapons are those able to cremate someone’s skin, like our TL6 vapour rifle.  

Because this technology derives from separate and independent bastion states, a TL1 weapon from one city could look radically different than a TL1 weapon from another, despite operating exactly the same.  As a result, it would be impossible to supply artwork for all of them.  

When you account for the different TLs and the difference variety of weapons, I have calculated we actually have...155 weapons...wow...I didn’t think it was that high.  This allows substantial amount of personality to any weapons a character possesses.  They could, especially at later level, vastly conflicts designs in gear and weapons.  They could have two identical gauss pistols from two different bastions and they could look totally different.

I mean you have the typical...





The advanced...





And...well...the bizarre...






Speaking of which, the vapour rifle is part of a strange class of weapons we have called Speciality Weapon which can only be used with Ranged Basic Attacks.  Given this limit, we are able to play with the rules that we established for the rest of them.  Here is the Vapour Rifle as an example...





*Vapor Rifle
Critical:*  +8 damage per tech level 
*Effect:*  This weapon does not require a roll for damage.  It inflicts maximum [W] damage with every strike.


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## Voadam (Jan 29, 2009)

Nice art on those guns.


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 5, 2009)

We have vehicles…yes we have vehicles.  Vehicles take a backseat in Amethyst, something we decided early on.  They are meant to punctuate a battle.  They either drive in and ram something and the characters file out or you jump in and hit the accelerator for a quick getaway.  They have stats and we have skills for their use (“Vehicle Operation”) but it was the least tested part of the entire process.  I didn’t see a lot of opportunities for the vehicles to be active in combat.  For one, they are fairly big and expensive and important to be put into harm’s way.  

Our vehicles are not your standard cars and bikes.  Most of them are ETVs.  ETV stands for Echan Terrain Vehicle—insulated juggernauts that plough their way through fantasy, sealed off from the outside magic so the squishy humans and power system are safe inside.  Some are not much larger than hummers, like the scrambler, while others are mammoth mobile bases, like the behemoth.  Some have weapon mounts while others don’t.  Some are designed for agility while many break and scar the environment as they thunder along.  Some have wheels--four to eight--and some have tank treads.  Some have rechargeable power packs with photovoltaic cells; some use a nuclear reactor.  

We don’t have classes based around vehicles.  We offer a variety of vehicle-based feats.  A few offer additional bonuses while others include a new vehicle based utility or attack power.  Vehicle Operation can be used for hard manoeuvres and stunt driving.

Here is a pair of driver power feats

*Hull-Down
Prerequisite:*  Paragon
Benefit:  You gain Hull-Down as a feat power.
*Hull-Down										Feat Power*
You find a spot in the terrain where your vehicle gains an advantage against incoming fire.
*Daily * Martial, Vehicle
Minor Action						Personal
Requirement:*  Finish a move and stop the vehicle this round.
*Effect:*  The vehicle gains cover from ranged attacks and area and burst effects until the vehicle moves again.

*Jump the Crash
Benefit: * You gain Jump the Crash as a feat power.
*Jump the Crash									Feat Power*
Just before the end, you jump from a potential disaster.  
*Daily * Martial, Vehicle, Weapon 
No Action						Personal
Trigger: * You are in a vehicle that crashes.
*Effect:*  Shift 4 squares from point of impact and take no damage.  You may pass through enemy occupied squares.  You may then make a ranged basic attack at any point during the jump.

There are about six of these but, in the end, vehicle combat was not the priority in Amethyst so the rules may appear a little glossed over.  NeuroSpasta will step from this baseline and include a slightly more complicated car-combat system…but, saying that, NeuroSpasta doesn’t have a nuke truck…






Nuke Truck:  In order to combat the EDF interference outside their walls, Angel R&D created a vehicle with its own shielded micro-nuclear fission power pack.  The result is an extremely expensive and risky long-range carrier simply dubbed "the nuke truck."  The reactor, though miniature, does supply a full 1-year lifespan of power until needing service.  Because of the reduced degradation of Uranium-235 in EDF and its increased resistance to shedding neutrons, scientists switched to Radium 226 and Thorium 232, which accelerate their decay while in magic.  Since these materials cannot be found easily in nature, the only way to service and re-supply a nuke truck involves taking it to one of only two breeder reactors in Canam, one in York and the other in Angel.  The breeder reactors expel more fissionable materials than they receive, but the process is not cheap and a full service and re-supply of a nuke truck takes a week and costs 25000 UC.  The advantages are plain to see.  This makes the vehicle sustain itself indefinitely save for the service.  The extensive radiation shielding virtually removes a chance of shorting out in EDF.


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 15, 2009)

Gimfen




	Gimfen are both the kindest and the most controversial race in all of amethyst, more so than even the tilen.  Although not a single voice has ever spoken in objection to their introduction, elements of their profile carry undertones readers may find unsettling.  They are the de-facto Halflings of Amethyst.  In literature, they are reflections of the playful and kind fairies that build toys and shoes as well as the annoying little elves that bother a family while they sleep.  In various books and films, they are often presented as children, to reflect their playful dispositions, but also because it is easier to cast children as short fantasy creatures than adults or even those affected by dwarfism.  Though the gimfen don't have wings, they are the most aloof and playful and innocent of the fae races in Amethyst…at least the ones the rest of the planet has had any exposure to.  In comparison, all other fae races are dull and serious way too often.

Gimfen represent this common seen element in fantasy literature--childlike creatures whose intents, though mischievous or inquisitive, are rarely malicious.  Despite not having overly large shoe sizes, the gimfen take pride in their nonchalant attitude towards life, indulging in whatever vices they desire from petty theft to recreational drug use, thus part of their controversial nature (more on that later).   

Gimfen are one of the last fae branches.  What once started as the statuesque laudenians moved onto the damaskans.  The gimfen are a late step from this branch and despite some claims, never developed a branch to another species later.  The three main divergences of the original fae became the chaparrans (mostly feminine), narros (mostly masculine), and damaskans.  The latter, though not having a gender dominance, were more social to each other and outsiders and when the gimfen broke from the damaskans, they emerged greatly amplified if this trait.  The damaskans would also eventually have branches with the skeggs, boggs, and the feral puggs.  Gimfen share with the boggs and puggs an overt joy of life in general.  Gimfen believe themselves the eventual final form all fae should aspire to become.  They have yet to devolve into a lower form and have coincidentally gained an ability unique to their species many others both envy and decry.

The entire fae species, being a creation of magic and not evolved, lack the instinctual drive to reproduce or dominate the land and others they see.  This obsessive push is a feature of evolved animals like man.  This is why humanity created an industrial age in the same span of time while the fae were riding horses and brachiating between trees.  But the gimfen, though not sharing the human's obsession for advancement, do share their curiosity.  This caused the gimfen to begin asking questions no one else had until that point.  In the short time they were on Earth before being banished to Attricana like all the other fae, they acquired knowledge no of the others had even dreamed.  They added leaf springs to wagons, discovered the basics of chemical explosives, and even proposed the basics of steam power.  Although much slower than humanity, the gimfen were beginning to develop technology.  Alas, the EDF prevented them from pursuing past this point but, upon their return to Earth and their discovery of humanity, were able to springboard past this hurdle.  In the modern age, the gimfen still have no idea how the majority of human technology works.  They can recreate it but still have problems understanding the intricate nature of it all.  They also do no generate the magical disruption field as all fae despite being a creation of magic.  They can never be a replacement for humanity but are still the only species of fae able to enter bastions without breaking everything, by disruption that is.  This has created a minor schism in gimfen society.  There are those agrarian gimfen that keep to the old ways, maintaining farms and living in small houses, drinking and partying to the morning's rise.  They keep no obligations and despise restrictions and bureaucracy whenever they find it.  On the other side are the growing ratios that have embraced the machine.  If you were to give them a Model T, they could recreate a Model-T but would take a thousand years before they could build a Prius.  Even with that limitation, these gimfen had surrounded themselves with machines and gadgets, most of which don't work.  Their society reflects this and nowhere is this more clear than in the grind towers--mammoth buildings sprouting from the soil that mark the towns and cities of the subterranean, mechanically adept fae.  The people within them are adorned with a variety of ugly and shuddering machinery.  The gimfen developed their bizarre talent to be able to reverse-engineer nearly everything they find and rebuild it with immunity to disruption.  However, the task creates a device so clumsy and finicky that said gimfen is the only one able to use it.  

So with one race, the gimfen represent not only the playful miniature elves of legend and lore but the tinkering and mechanically inclined as well--wrapped in a package we hope will be attractive to players.  The only aspect that can never change is their appearance.  Gimfen appear as children through their lives and though no taller than 4 feet, also never look a day over 15 until they shuffle on.  Even still, they look even younger reaching adulthood and remain that way for hundreds of years.  This only changes in the last few days and weeks of their life, as their age literally rushes onto their skin and they grow feeble and frail just before the end of their natural lives.  But until then, they are gifted with the miracle all others envy.  

This presents the uncomfortable conundrum.  Regardless of their path, be it tinkerer, thief, soldier, serial-killer, etc, gimfen always present the childish image, making the application of many of these roles uncomfortable (or further uncomfortable).  It presents an enigma, one recently dealt with in a minor degree in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (a film I recommend despite comments about the film's length).  How does someone’s outward appearance affect how you address them?   This is not about being ugly or fat but strictly how you age.  In a scene in the film, Button is a toddler of 7 but with the face and body of a 73 year old trying to have a friendship with a 7 year-old girl.  We are bothered by it as are those who don't know about Button's origin, but to him, this is who he connects to.  When the roles are reversed, the film jumps away from a similar conflict.  Button (played by Pitt) is seen in his teens, then again at 10 (played by another actor).  The following scenes pass by quickly and the similar uncomfortable atmosphere we picked up early in the film is not repeated.  Gimfen don't age backwards.  They never age at all, so a gimfen adult of 250 years could still have the face of a 14 year old.  This makes their presence on the battlefield a little disturbing.  Similarly, as all fae are romantic, nearly every race has intermarried at least at one point with another race, including man.  If you met a gimfen young in life, you would grow old but the gimfen would stop just before society would deem it acceptable to pursue them romantically.  Yet it does happen.  Hell, in Amethyst, all pairings are possible.  In the novel, a nymph is seen married to a bear (That's a reference to Russian mythos for those unaware).  To push this even further, in the game, there is a paragon path for gimfen called a Redcap, which turns your average diminutive gimfen into a jumping blender of death, all the while smiling and cackling like playground child.  

When the races began to get established, I looked at the gimfen as the riskiest endeavor.  I thought of literature, how they were presented in the various fictions of the world, and also, honestly, how they could easily be presented in a film without breaking the bank (yes, I actually had thought of that).  Unlike the 3.5 Gimfen, which were clones of Halflings, our new variation is distinct with abilities all their own.  They are still not my favorite race but they are no longer my least favorite and they offer great opportunities...if one is able to overcome one uncomfortable hurdle...


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 22, 2009)

Just so everyone knows where we're at:

As Amethyst chugs along to its release, we already have nearly 90 pages written for the second book.  I won't go into any details as yet because the feedback we receive from the first volume will dictate how much work will be required for the second.  For now, what we CAN confirm is that there will be at least 1 additional race as well as lifepaths and paragon paths for that race.  Our previously discussed Foundation Spells will finally make their presence known as well as Amethyst-unique epic destinies.  We got some new monsters and perhaps, just perhaps, the Saints from the 3.5 book will FINALLY reveal themselves.  We may also open the setting to Southam (South America).  Other possibilities include finally going a little evil and opening up racial templates for pagus as well as corrupt lifepaths and paragon paths.


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 12, 2009)

By popular demand, we have recut all four techan podcasts into a single Best Of Podcast with all the funniest moments cut into a single file. Hope you all enjoy it.


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## Voadam (Mar 13, 2009)

I went to pick up the pdf of the d20 version of Amethyst on rpgnow and saw it was gone. With the revision of the GSL are you going to put it back up for sale?


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 15, 2009)

With a new GSL on the scene, a few people have been asking if the D20 3.5 version of Amethyst will be put back on sale. The removal of article 6 of the GSL would obviously allow it. The answer is no, we won’t be putting the 3.5 version back on sale...at least not officially. Obviously, the main reason is that we don’t want to divert attention away from the 4.0 Edition version of Amethyst due in a couple months. I also believe this new version is much closer to the actual Amethyst as I conceived it. Now that being said, we do still have a dozen or so softcovers in a box in storage. We were using them as personal stock but there are still some mint, shrink-wrapped to cardboard. Those wanting them should contact DiasExMachina personally and we can organize a donation and we’ll respond with a few books. Once these last few copies are gone, they are gone forever, never to be sold again.

One of the elements of the old book you’ll never see are the old maps. A lot of people know I was not terribly happy with our maps from the 3.5 book. With a new edition comes a new cartographer, Jeremy Simmons. He’s done work for Goodman, Bastion Press, and Monte Cook. He has replaced our pencil world map with a full color digital one. We won’t have the zoomed sections in this book (they’ll be in the second) but at least we’ll have a full two-page color spread in this first book. Jeremy did a real bang up job and we all look forward to working with him further, both in Amethyst and in NeuroSpasta. He has tackled the dungeon maps for the included module as well as the free-RPG in June. He also made our character sheet as well.


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 23, 2009)

Yes, after many months of teasing, we are finally ready to release the NEW AMETHYST COVER!
Of course, this one lacks the DEM and Goodman logo, a subtitle, borders, and even a proper title layer, leaving just the cover and all its glory.


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 1, 2009)

It is good that a few people read these because as you all should be aware...
...Goodman Games is releasing From Here to There, a compilation of small adventures meant to...ahem...”bridge” points between encounters of a bigger adventure or campaign.  Yes, yours truly is one of the writers of this module.  I hope everyone will have a chance to get this.  I enjoyed the hell out of the experience.

Goodman Games

Meanwhile, I should let you know that I have seen the final version of the Amethyst FreeRPG, Hearts of Chaos.  It looks fantastic.    

Also...although it’s unfortunate, Amethyst’s release has been pushed back to May.  Sorry folks.  Couldn’t be avoided.


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 12, 2009)

Sorry for the delays. I just spend the last week giving the core book a final polish along with the help of our editor before it goes to layout. This gave me on last opportunity to fix any issues we might have had. I can't say every spelling mistake and punctuation error was fixed but I will say most of them have been. Actually the real benefit has been the work on NeuroSpasta. I didn't take a break after finishing Amethyst; I jumped right into the next game. I carried over the rules I needed from the previous game and started creating another 200 powers. Getting the opportunity to touch up Amethyst one more time, I was able to put back the elements I carried from Amethyst to NeuroSpasta BACK into Amethyst, not revised with the experience of the intervening months. These include certain wordings to prevent confusion but the big alteration was with ground vehicles. We admitted kinda playing it loose with vehicles with Amethyst but we knew we needed a more strict set of rules of NeuroSpasta. Well, I took this opening to insert the new NeuroSpasta vehicle rules into Amethyst, to give players more options and to make vehicle combat more appealing and more realistic (well, as realistic as we can get). We'll have more info on exact releases quite shortly, I imagine.


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## benensky (Apr 14, 2009)

Sounds like you are wrapping Amethyst up.  The change to May does not mean you will not release hardback at GenCon, does it?

-benensky


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 24, 2009)

The hardcover is still bound for GenCon...


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## DiasExMachina (May 7, 2009)

As we try to balance a financial system in NeuroSpasta, I decided to finally make a post.  I haven't much to report.  NeuroSpasta's playtest kit is being pieced together.  We are looking for ways for people to spend their money (cybernetics, vehicles, weapons, etc).  

I still cannot fully go into details as the delays with Amethyst.  As stated, the editing has been completed and it’s currently in the layout phase.  It will be for sale in PDF and print though the exact day cannot be locked down.  

On another topic, totally related, I have had a look at our free-rpg module, Hearts of Chaos.  It looks pretty impressive.  You get two books in one, with it being bundled with Goodman's Hero's handbook:  Immortal Heroes.  The other book is reversed and upside down.  Fans are encouraged (really encouraged) to download the premade characters when they become available.  The limited edition art print made by Nick Greenwood is the cover of this new module.


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## DiasExMachina (May 20, 2009)

So what have we been doing?  Well, for one, we have a couple articles to appear in upcoming issues of Level Up.  The first details the basics of the setting and won't include much (if any) fluff.   The second, hopefully for August, should have some never-before-seen crunch which will not be found in the primary rulebook.  As always, Nick will be supplying art for both those articles.  I wrote them both personally.  The second will detail a new race, along with a paragon path and a monster tied into that race.  

Sorry that I don't have a definitive lock on the release.  Once I know, you'll know.  

It should be noted that the second book has already been planned and I would say it was probably half-way finished...but I won't even begin to talk releases date for that one.  Did I mention I have had a chance to look at the freeRPGDay module we have?  I know I did.  Mentioning it again...it's awesome.  Make sure you ask your local hobby or game store to sign up for this event.  I know I asked my local store and they forgot...twice.  I had to tell them again yesterday.  You know they procrastinate.


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## DiasExMachina (May 20, 2009)

<deleted>


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## DiasExMachina (May 26, 2009)

Just so everyone knows

Goodman Games

Wheels are moving...

Like I said, I think it looks great.  Check out the link and make sure your game store gets it.


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 1, 2009)

June Marks two important events.  One is the release of the Amethyst FreeRPGDay module, Hearts of Chaos.  The second is the publication of the second issue of Goodman's Level Up magazine, which features an article on Amethyst.  The article features some of my best writing.  I tried to lock down in under 2500 words everything about Amethyst I love.  I tried to write from what I know, as if selling it to myself rather than trying to imagine what readers would want me to say.  There are no rules in the article, just pure setting and imagination.  All the aspects of the setting are touched upon but even this does not fully encapsulate everything we are trying to achieve.  All the work we put into the four techan classes or the new races or paragon paths was time consuming and enjoyable but it's the setting that I have the most fun writing for.  It's not often a role playing game is released that tries to inject a heavy dose of philosophy in its presentation.  

	It is more than the simple conflict of chaos and order (order being the force of evil and chaos being the force of good) but also about freedom of choice.  I am dealing with similar issues in NeuroSpasta but that game directly goes after consumerism and the definition of a democracy in a growing capitalist society (yeah, you just read that).  Amethyst proposes what kind of choices people would make when faced with the possibilities of not being tied down to any ethnicity, any government, or any religion.  Even your own genes can't claim control of your actions as the fae run against the normal inclinations of a biological creature.  Humans wandering the world of magic are placed under that same pressure.  

	In bastions, people have the reliability and safety of technology so they can live longer and happier, but they are by no means free.  The chaos of the world around--the very freedom of endless possibilities--actually keeps those people trapped.  The freedom of anarchy keeps those in bastions from being completely un-tethered.  They would claim this is the sacrifice one must make.  If you want to be content and safe, certain liberties need to be lifted...not unlike certain controversies occurring around the world today.  In the real world, we see government regulations lifted in exchange for a free market, which ends up creating chaos, forcing governments back in to regulate it.  In Amethyst, bastions are formed from a united need to survive and maintain the traditions of technological man and with the parables to their old ways, the people may believe themselves in a democracy but they are not, as their desires and wants as well as their need for safety dictates the actions of their leaders.  Politicians, meanwhile, maintain power over their population by using their fear of the outside world to limit their liberties.  Those in the fantasy world, despite being under equal threats, have an expanding landscape to their own.  Limshau and Abidan, for example, are ruled under positive ideologies, with an optimistic view of the future.  It makes you wonder what kind of world we would have if you were to remove all borders, ethnic conflicts, and erase the rampant consumerism the free market has make us believe is necessary.  In many ways the order/chaos conflict of Amethyst can also be read as a clash between freedom and suppression--where the freedom is the limitless scope of imagination and the suppression is the maturity of the individual into the role of pacified consumer.

And this is a role playing games, folks...


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## Silversun (Jun 1, 2009)

Having bought the 3.5 hardback while it was avaiable at Lulu, and reading these updates, I have to admit I am really looking forward to the 4E release.

I have to admit that the Tenebri and Tilen are my favorite races of the setting and I intend to convert them over to my Pathfinder homebrew, with the Tenebri replacing the elves of the setting.


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 5, 2009)

If that is true, Silver...then may I also suggest picking up the third issue of Goodman's Level Up as well.  No reason.   


NeuroSpasta reached 129,000 words today.  What's left?  A few little things here and there...languages and currency for one.  We just finished robots.  Robots represent a new approach we had not thought of until we tackled it.  Like we mentioned earlier, we are striving to create a money sink for every type of class.  Whether it be weapons, armor, vehicles, or cybernetics, everyone has something to spend their money on.  Robots are a new addition and a great way for non-combat orientated characters to spend their money.  What we needed to conquer was a way for a player to either let the robot control itself or to take control of it directly.  What advantages would there be to control the robot directly over letting it handle itself.  We wanted the player to use actions to control their robots over letting the machines control themselves.  We needed to really think about it and the answer came naturally.  The system in place is easy and uses mechanics within 4th Edition which allows the robot/s to get better with level progression.  We have base weapon platforms, rover robots, and android bodyguards.  Of course, these can also all be used as monsters as well.  Monsters, by the way, are the only real thing we have left to do.


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 26, 2009)

Our friends at Gnome Stew posted a great review of our Hearts of Chaos module.


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 1, 2009)

Just FYI

A lot of people have been asking if the our well-received Free RPG Module "Hearts of Chaos" is going to be offered outside of the event. I just found out, it will be made available. The HOC module will be released in mid July in PDF. It "should" include both the print module and the download package. If not, you can still down the supplement from us.


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 8, 2009)

More from our friends at Gnomes Stew. On Friday, July 10th, they will be running an article on NeuroSpasta. This will include never before released information on the setting and game mechanics as well as an exclusive preview of the game's breathtaking logo.


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 23, 2009)

Eighteen groups are currently playtesting NeuroSpasta. So far, feedback has been positive and useful. There have been quite a few issues we have tried to deal with. Some of them relate to Amethyst.

The most notable of these have dealt with ammunition usage and firearm damage.

I have noticed quite a few homebrew gamers working on their own variation of modern weapons. In every situation, we here at DEM have felt the damage outputs of these weapons have been remarkably high. Simply put, there is this common belief that a 9mm round will do two or three times more damage than say, a broadsword.

When did this occur?

Comparing a pistol to a short sword and saying the pistol should do more damage makes little sense to me. Compare a Heavy machine gun to a katana? The only advantage a firearm has to a melee weapon is range. When it came to actual physical damage to an unarmed opponent, the melee weapon wins. Yet I see these damage capacities for weapons listed as 2d10 and 3d6. Yes, pistols in Amethyst and NeuroSpasta do 1d4 - 1d6. Two-handed weapons like rifles and small machine guns do 1d8. Heavy machine guns do 1d8 to 2d6. Amethyst has enhancements so that a railgun is a +4 weapon and a laser is a +5 weapon. Further, NeuroSpasta has both hardness values and armor penetration so that a pistol cannot damage a tank while a tank will utterly destroy a normal person.

The other point was ammo. Simply put, we didn't want to confuse issues so rapid fire weapons were always in increments of 5 but even adding additional rounds, the damage increase was not severe. This was because we didn't want the damage capacities of firearms to get away from us. In the end, your powers will dictate your high-damage hits, not the weapons. This was another fact people seemed to forget. In Amethyst, yes, a machine gun does 1d8...but certain powers with them are 6[W]. That's an insane amount of damage from only 10 bullets. The other point is that ammunition usage can really get away from you. If you do an area effect with a heavy weapon, targeting 6 guys and you go full out with Burst fire, you just used 90 rounds of ammunition in 6 seconds. That seems a lot, right? Check out the M-60 and see how many rounds of ammunition it can fire in 5 seconds (here's a hint, its 92). Thankfully, there is also a feat which reduces this number. Yes, this means you'll be changing clips. Yes this means you may run out of ammo. This is the problem you must contend with in a modern game with firearms.
Another issue was movement. In both Amethyst and NeuroSpasta, if you move before you fire your weapon, you incur a -1 penalty to attack rolls. This means if you don't want this penalty, you will have to shoot first and then move on your round. Heavy weapons are even worse; it's a -4 penalty if you move before shooting. Yes, its high...it's almost useless to even shoot. That's the point. Despite what you have seen in movies, it is nearly impossible to fire a heavy weapon while running at full speed. Thankfully, certain classes suppress or decrease this penalty. In Amethyst, the Grounder ignores the penalty of two handed small-arms and heavy weapons are treated as two-handed small arms. In NeuroSpasta, both the Heavy and Man-At-Arms classes feature similar rules (the Heavy gains it with heavy weapons; Man-At-Arms gains it with two-handed small arms). We were more worried about ammunition usage in Amethyst because players have to buy everything. In NeuroSpasta, bullets flow like water.

Next time, I talk philosophy again...

...I can hear you groaning...


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 29, 2009)

Today, I begin a series of articles on the details of the NeuroSpasta setting, specifically around many of the philosophical points being presented.

Archon is considered the prototype of not only a new government, but a new mindset. It is considered by proponents and critics alike as the catalyst for the slow elimination of ethnic groups and traditional values. This is due not only by the city's policy, but by its level of technological advancement and that advancement's effect on its population and state of mind. Archon is not alone in this trend, though it is considered the trailblazer. Other progressive municipalities, like Tokyo, Berlin, and Brasilia, although following this similar trend, and decades ahead of most of the rest of planet, still pales in the progress of Archon, the test bed of nearly every technological breakthrough not subsidized or controlled by one government. The most obvious and significant example of this development is the SEED, which is prevalent in 99% of the working population of Archon, more than any other region on Earth. Archon also has a largest ratio of prosthetics and virtuants, though Japan still prides itself the largest manufacturer and operator of robots. With no history to call its own, Archon became the refuge of millions seeking a new life or to escape their old one, thus the draw by those with questionable ethnicity. As the development of cybernetics increased and the potential of the Seed expanded into regions the designers thought possible, yet the public was not expecting the mindsets of the residents of Archon began to differ from those living in traditional nations. This included their concepts of free will, consumerism, self-identity, and the definition of what makes one human.

When the SEED prototype was revealed, it was advertised as the greatest single advancement of mankind since the internet, not in as much as the breakthroughs of cybernetics and nanotechnology, but in its potential effect on the human race. Before, internet users were limited to sharing clumsily worded blogs or ineffectual data bursts of 140 characters. More devoted supporters would upload and share video and music files across massive social networking sites. With the SEED, such archaic social circles became obsolete. Not only could every brain be a hub of social interaction, but there was no longer a limit of which human senses to convey. With the SEED's capacity to record incoming stimuli, new networking sites that popped up strained the bandwidths of current internet providers. By then, traffic had already reached a point of hundreds of petabytes of data being moved across the planet every minute. The entire planet would have to share the workload to meet the demands of the new generation. There were few networks which were rooted entirely in one location, facilitating the demand for even more powerful central computers, which led to gargantuan servers like MCP and SIM. Of them all, MCP was the largest, and designed to handle such huge amounts of information. It became the home of nearly every social interacting site in the world. With a free and virtually unlimited refuge of data, the amount of uploadable information skyrocketed, which resulted in even more consumers purchasing and installing SEEDS. The majority of this uploaded information came in the form of human memory, which users were recording and uploading at an alarming rate. Not just the venue of pornography, these memory-swaps grew in size as people began uploading their vacations, sports victories--any event that someone else could find entertaining. Eventually, even the mundane found demand. Some users got to uploading every single moment of their lives online, in some insane drive for immortality. A user wishing to access the memory need only stream it from the site and experience it as fresh as if he or she were living in the moment.

The fear emerged quickly that people would stop living their own lives and the true progress of civilization would only experienced by a handful and shared with the mindless masses below. They would unplug themselves from their more interesting surrogate to eat and sleep and resume following the loves and pains of the one that actually lived. A later modification made the addition even more alluring, when a brilliant programmer by the name of Akira Okuda developed the TCA protocol. Okuda had attention deficit disorder and had grown impatient with his streaming memoires. The Time Compression algorithm software became standard with GNOSOS 1.2. Okuda had calculated how fast a human being could receive and process a memory and developed a system which streamed the incoming memory much faster than real time. To the viewer, the memory appeared normal and the experience was "lived" in normal time, but when disengaged from the memory, less than a fifth the time had actually passed. Now the concern would be that people wouldn't make room for their own memories, only download more from others.

End part 1...


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 31, 2009)

For all of those you curious, Hearts of Chaos is now available for sale on RPG Now as a downloadable PDF. It's being sold at a very reasonable $4.99.

Amethyst: Hearts of Chaos - Goodman Games | RPGNow.com


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 1, 2009)

Back on my Neurospasta talk

THE NEW CONSIOUSNESS, part 2
The eventuality that did occur was not expected. Although millions of people would download memories daily, most of the time, the memories they preferred to experience were their own, which they would replay from home servers. Many times, instead of downloading new memories, they would repeat older ones personally experienced over and over again. This new addiction was unforeseen and psychoanalysts attempted to classify this dependence. It was easy to identify why an individual would prefer their own memories over others, but to spend their lives repeating those over and over confounded many of them. Even today, vast numbers of people world-wide stopped forming new memories, merely reliving events of their youth. This addiction was eventually called Pervasive Reminiscence Replication Disorder (PRRD).

Oddly enough, this addiction is much more prevalent in lower-class communities, and especially in nations with a lower quality of living. In Archon, this addiction is only noticed in areas like the REZ. In A3 and Loka, it is virtually nonexistent. That being said, the downloading of "foreign" memories is more popular than ever in more advanced nations.

The drawback with recorded memory, of course, is a complete lack of control over the experience. The user would see the face of the real source of the memory in a mirror and have no influence over his or her actions, even to the point of being unable stop actions that go against the moral fortitude of the downloader. This introduced another psychological condition: Cognitive Proxy Separation Anxiety (CPSA). CPSA had its roots over a century ago as experts analyzed the effect of violent visual and auditory stimuli on children, namely with the introduction of violent television and movies. It was discovered that a small percentage couldn't separate the anxiety encountered by characters on a screen from their own. Further, these stimuli influenced their behavior as it exposed them to actions they found a compulsion to replicate. Even more found the experiences desensitizing. However, the vast majority were able to detach experiences seen on a screen with those actually experienced. Downloadable memories, unfortunately, circumvent that barrier the human psyche places on stimuli received from a TV/movie screen or from a radio. The event feels completely real and is regarding as a true memory by the one streaming it, despite the jarring shifts in self-image and attitude. CPSA occurs in individuals that develop other deep-rooted psychological conditions from viewing other people's memories. They develop post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias as well as social anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders. Some patients went further and had complete emotional and psychological breakdowns from which they never recovered. This is in despite of the emotional state of the person originally experiencing it. For example, a popular choice for memory downloads were experiences by soldiers in armed combat. These were tempting and were streamed by the millions, especially by teenagers addicted to simulated combat via computer games. But the soldiers recording those memories were trained for months if not years to handle such stresses and with no such padding, the streamed memories caused significant emotional damage, especially since, with the advent of the TCA protocol, the entire memory could be downloaded and experienced in minutes before the brains desire for food or sleep overrode the reproduced memory. When experiencing a memory, a person is emotionally connected to it and most people can't terminate the experience once it begins unless certain fail safes kick in, including any stimuli from the outside world meant to jostle the subject. Those that have no such event occurring, and place no such fail safes themselves, are often forced to experience the memory until its conclusion. Websites where memory systems were exchanged became known as Memory Swaps, while the actual memories themselves were nicknamed ProMs (Proxy Memories). Soon after, ProMs were defined specifically as real memories created by one source and downloaded by others. Syms, or Synthetic Memories are nearly identical except the memory has been intentionally modified or is fabricated from the ground up to alter realty. Synthetic memories are not as popular as real memories as users want the authenticity of reality. If they wanted something completely fabricated, another type of virtual experience was waiting to cater to that desire. Those addicted to these experiences, including sufferers from CPSA, have been called proxiphiles, loose strings, and sometimes just zeros.

While memory swaps were gaining in popularity, other aspects of the SEED were quickly maturing. This included reversing the recording sensors of the Seed, overriding sensory input to a body. This was a feature always included as it allowed users to access built in music and video players. They could make phone calls and surf the net without ever requiring a screen or keyboard. Beyond this, companies started developing passive spam simulations, which involved creating advertisements in one's visual field when they enter a certain area. These features could be suppressed but, soon after, it expanded into the entertainment industry. Instead of clumsy and unrealistic holograms, gamers would simply tie into the Seed network for the simulation. It was then easy to fabricate an artificial environment using direct sensory input, leading into two distinct experiences, virtual recreation and total immersion experiences. Virtual recreation involves matting virtual images into real backdrops. This includes simulated people and even sets. This makes the experience feel more real and also makes rendering cheaper as the backdrops don't need to be digitized. Several large recreation facilities offer day-long virtual adventures in hanger-sized sets with little more than a few boxes, a handful of buildings, and rows of artificial plants. Total immersion, a far more expensive option, disengages the subject's motor functions and overrides all sensory input. In these sceneries, there is no limit on the extremity of the event. Several corporations install catheters and food tubes for immersion experiences that can last for days. Total immersion allows the use of time compression, allowing a dozen hours of gameplay in only two, unlike virtual recreation, which must be in real time. Both of these experiences allow direct user input to change events and circumstances. The players can look like themselves or anyone else they wish. There was still, however, the problem of CPSA, as the experiences were direct and unavoidable, meaning the target believed they were in that situation. Though the vast majority of users could separate fantasy from reality, those susceptible to CPSA could not as the barrier the human mind places on traumatic images and stories relayed by an external device was circumvented. It became even more prevalent the detachment felt by those experiencing someone else's memory was no longer present, and the number of global CPSA cases grew. Society, unfortunately, was unwilling to wait for treatments or tolerances before moving on.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 3, 2009)

Last word on NeuroSpasta, we had polished up most of our opponents. Suffice to say, I know we are after the deadline. I know I said we were selecting playtesters at the beginning of August and it looks like it may still be another week. Apologies, once again. Although I know a few of these may not make it to the final book (put off for the second one), currently we have over 50...

...Well...because of a little rule we are implementing...that 50 actually increases to 130. And no, we won't go into that yet.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 10, 2009)

THE NEW CONSIOUSNESS, Part 3
Here is the third and final part in the series...

	The overriding or augmentation of sensory input started increasing worldwide.  The number of hackers employing it was rather low.  The user would enter an area with a simulation marker, that marker would ask the user if it can present the simulation.  The simulation carries an "invisible" ID tag that tells the brain the image is not real, regardless of the detail of the actual simulation.  Users can be set to "auto-receive" or "auto-refuse" or selective prompt, not unlike cookies of computers.  Most hackers, unable to crack that defense feature, have been forced to hack the simulations, which could always be turned off.  Hackers able to break the GNOSIS defense protocols are extremely few.  Beyond advertising, these open-simulated areas, or "Osim" expanded to dozens of applications, including sporting events (relaying driver information over the race cars as they circled the track), combat training (tracking enemy hits), and education (showing graphs and equations without worrying over eyesight and clumsy chalkboards).  Photo realistic simulations were and still are extremely difficult to produce, preventing the home consumer from fabricating illusions on the fly.  Programs could be purchased allowing one to hang great pieces of art from the walls of their home without the pesky complications of buying the art or nailing a frame to a wall.  The program would install the image and display that image on a marker you place on the wall.  With this technology, the only limit was the lack of tactile and olfactory response.  Visual and auditory stimuli could be replicated with precision if given enough time and money.  Tactile impute required a great deal of additional information and was only capable with total immersion experiences which shut down all external inputs for its own. 

	The newest craze to hit the digital age relating to Seeds are virtual cafes.  These are real locations that allow the mingling of virtual and physical people.  Users downloading to the location pay for access to the cafe while real people need only order food or coffee.  The cafe creates a perfect representation of the individual you want to be (either from a template or from photos you provide) and generates the avatar in the cafe all other Seeds users there can talk and interact with.  Virtual Cafes have expanded to also be virtual arenas, virtual schools, and virtual stores, where simulated people can access for a small fee (or no fee depending on the situation).  This form of telepresence gave those afraid of the outside world access they had not previously believed.  Eventually, these introverted individuals stopped leaving their homes altogether, refusing to interact with anyone unless through their virtual self.  Total immersion simulations allows tactile interaction if necessary but most of the time, these simulated representations, known as "proxies" would occupy more than half of these real/virtual locations.  

	Archon has the highest number of V/P Sites (Virtual / Physical) in the world.  UN policy prohibits any employee or diplomat from using a proxy in the work place.  The UN buildings are limited in their Seed simulations, only making exceptions for dignitaries unable to attend certain events.  It has been estimated that nearly 500,000 people telepresence into Archon from outside the city every day.

	The variety of organic and synthetic representation has brought an examination of the definition of humanity and the mark of a civilized being.  Philosophy classes around the world began specialized lectures dedicated to this new mindset.  It was beyond the definitions of the soul but in the value of an intelligence wasted in comparison to an intelligence utilized.  There were an increasing number of humans on the planet that were no longer being productive.  This was not because of poverty or mental disability as this growing demographic had no such limitations, and many of them were wealthy.  These individuals would stop generating new memories in exchange for experiencing the memories of others.  In addition, those generating new memories are now able to transmit their likeness to other places in the world without ever leaving their home.  They are going places without having travel, which cut heavily into the tourism market.  Countries started attacking Memory Swap sites because of the damage being caused to their economy.  Pay sites were making a modest profit but their traffic paled in comparison to the hundreds of free sites across the world.  As the number of memories exploded in a matter of months, it was easy to download a lifetime worth of memories that were not your own.  What defined a human being if it wasn't memory?  Their personality?  Personality is shaped by genes but also by life events.  Memory was now an open domain for all to experience any event anyone else wanted to share...and share they did.  Everything from sexual encounters, thrill sports, to crime could be found.  At the same time, a person's heritage and race was also in question as a definition of one's self.  Beyond plastic surgery and sexual identity operations, people could now change everything about them.  Some did it via virtual imagery, some through a slave robot, but many allotted to swapping their body out altogether.  The only part organic that remained was the brain.  Sexual preference, racial profiling, and gender roles simply didn't matter in the wake of undefined human identity.  Alarmists feared a growing insanity was about to burst--as individuals with no roots, heritage, or race would turn to anarchy.  Although a few did, most...turned to Archon.  A city with no heritage was the perfect refuge for those abandoning their old lives.  This new demographic refused to envy the past, only learn the mistakes made then.  National paranoia developed in many countries as what defined their sovereignty was also in question.  Fanatics from nearly every religion accused those abandoning their flesh as renouncing god and dozens of prosthetics fell to hate crimes since emerging into the public.  Even still, prosthetics could still be defined as human, as they had a human brain.  But a human brain in an artificial body filled with synthetic and surrogate memories can hardly be considered human.  Mankind had just learned to accept the growing nugenic population--people whose god-given genes were modified against nature's will by parents looking to improve upon the design.  

	Robots, on the other hand, were an easy target for hate.  Few looked human and those that did could only barely simulate human responses.  Even the companion robots, believable in almost every way, still lacked a certain spark.  Despite the arguments of their owners, robots didn't have souls or personalities.  Artificial Intelligence was just that, a simulated intelligence that mimicked behavior through programming rather than a soul.  No matter how intelligent they got, or how human they appeared, they were not sentient.  Then the virtuants appeared.

	Virtuants are created in a program simulation similar to the basic building blocks of DNA and genes.  The basic disposition is formed using algorithms meant to mimic a newborn.  The synthetic personality is then grown with artificial and surrogate memories, shaped by their into the exact final form as ordered by the buyer.  Virtuants are aware of their purpose and are raised with the desire to carry it out, forgoing the need of parameters and failsafes.  Virtuants lived their youth with fake memories but, upon emerging into the real one, begin creating their own.  Virtuants are generally not allowed to telepresence outside of the location of their central server and the majority don't wish to.  They seldom want to experience synthetic memories.  Even total immersions virtual experiences seldom excite them (although, since they are each as different as normal people, exceptions do occur).  Virtuants use human-based prosthetic bodies which are indistinguishable from ones used by organic brains.  Only visible marking allows others to tell them apart from prosthetics.  They also have true personalities, not a series of programmed responses.  They act human and look as human as most others encountered, yet society refuses to accept them as such.  Unlike some organic humans living through the memories of others and producing nothing with their intellect, virtuants strive to earn their place.  Despite their worth in society, they have yet to earn the same rights as their masters.  

	As this new consciousness grows and expands, newer extremes have emerged.  This includes humans with no body, wired directly into a machine without a prosthetic, or humans that have implanted so many of their memories in digital storage, they have been able to swap out more and more of their own organic brain.  If a human is able to transfer his or her intellect to a machine, would that intelligence have rights?  What would define it as being human?  In addition, it has been theorized that a cloned human brain with cybernetic implants may be implanted with a virtuant personality.  Would that be a human?  As the progressive side of humanity pushes further into future, the disparage between them and the traditionalist side widens.  As this traditional segment of the popular grows more fearful and fanatical, it threatens to tear certain countries apart.  Archon is seen as the flagship of this new self identity and the center point where like minded individuals congregate.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 12, 2009)

For the past three weeks, I have been fielding comments that the damage output of our weapons is too low--that they should be way higher than a crossbow or longbow.  Despite my simple arguments, people still seem to think that a 13 gram bullet should be doing more damage than a 450 gram arrow...and not a single increase in die damage (1d6 to 1d8).  We are talking if a longbow does 1d10, then an M16 should be doing 3d6.  

Firstly, you have to understand how much energy they carry.  Bullets have a lot of energy in their release, but they are light.  A knife or an arrow moves a lot slower, but they weigh a heck of a lot more.  An arrow has its shaft to carry additional energy in a way your arm does when it pushes in a blade.  This why arrows and knives can actually penetrate most bullet proof vests.   If you have ever seen an arrow in slow-motion, you'll notice it flexing as it passes through the air.  When it impacts, that stored energy in the shaft (flexional energy, I looked it up) causes it to straighten, transferring that power back into its tip.  It's more than the fact that arrow tips are pointy and most bullets are not (or at least not as).  In fact, mass can have as much or a greater impact on damage to the target than velocity.  Expert bowman had seen the damage potential of their tools, penetrating deeper than even high powered rifles.  

Consider this thought experiment.  Fire a baseball to bowling pins and see if that ball can carry enough energy to knock all 10 pins...compare that to the slow speed of a rolling 16 lbs resin ball.  And don't bring up the Hollywood effect of people being thrown off their feet.  Anyone who watches Mythbusters knows...it all just wires.  That being said, even though a baseball can hit harder with a baseball when thrown by a MLB pitcher than an archer's arrow, the baseball probably won't get through plate mail.  The shape does matter.

Now, at some point, velocity does become an issue.  For those still paying attention, it's called hydraulic force.  This is the shock wave that resonates from a bullet hit in the soft tissue after impact.  This causes the internal bleeding and bruising and what not.  Arrows, though large, are never fired with enough velocity to create significant hydraulic shock (it actually deals with momentum, and yes, momentum and velocity is different).   However, this depends on a variety of issues including range and point of impact.  A bullet looses momentum quickly but we can't factor that in the rules.  Additionally, we can't include body locations, which can also greatly affect the amount of tissue damage.  

So we have a balance.  Despite the bullet carrying amazing power, the arrow will penetrate further.  That is fact.  It's proven.  The bullet can cause wound damage from hydraulic shock because of its velocity, which an arrow cannot replicate.  This is also fact, also proven.  We also balance this with the fact that a GREATSWORD does 2d6 damage.  This is a gigantic chunk of sharpened steel that carries penetration and blunt force trauma.  It can kill you without even breaking skin.  Sooo...Pistols do 1d4-1d6, rifles do 1d8 to 1d10, and heavy weapons do 1d10 and up. 

Here is an example I found online.  If one fills a 5 gallon plastic pail with sand and fires both a .357 magnum and a heavy hunting arrow at it, the bullet will be stopped by the sand, while the arrow will penetrate the pail completely.  The .357 magnum handgun has a 158 grain bullet traveling at 1250 fps, for a momentum of 0.83 slug-feet per second, and a kinetic energy of 520 foot-pounds.  A 710 grain arrow at 183 fps has only 0.57 slug-feet per second of momentum, and a mere 52 foot-pounds of kinetic energy.  These are actual combinations used to demonstrate the penetration power of a heavy hunting arrow.  A major factor between the bullet and the arrow is the increased resistance force met by the higher velocity bullet.  While the bullet has ten times more kinetic energy, and 37.5% more momentum, than the arrow, it's almost seven times higher velocity causes the bullet to be met by nearly fifty times as great a resistance force as that encountered by the arrow!  Another major factor between the handgun’s bullet and the arrow is the longer time period of the arrow’s impulse; which results from its higher mass.  Though the arrow is traveling much slower than the bullet, and has less momentum than the bullet, it derives a greater percentage of the momentum it does possess from its mass.  It is "heavier".  The heavier (and lower velocity) arrow “decelerates” more slowly than the bullet or, if one prefers, it has a longer time period over which the force acts.  Force multiplied by the time it acts equals the impulse.  The heavier arrow retains a higher percentage of its force for a longer period of time than does the bullet.  The bullet’s total net disposable force, though very high relative to the arrow, is entirely dissipated in milliseconds.

Can I put this to bed now?  

(Thanks to Ed Ashby for his science)


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## JVisgaitis (Aug 12, 2009)

Why bother trying to make the damage of a gun scale realistically with a bow and arrow when the entire hit point system isn't modeled on realism?


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## Mustrum_Ridcully (Aug 13, 2009)

Yeah, I wouldn't base on it realism argument, purely on gameplay (balance) arguments. 

I suppose you might face a problem that might be common in the audiance for modern settings - they are more fans of "realism"/"simulation", which D&D is never great at, and 4E cares even less about that then earlier editions.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 14, 2009)

Oh, I know, guys.  Making this argument was way low on my priorities until the number of comments, both pointed to DEM product and those generic, forced my hand.  I would not be defending this if it wasn't for those comments, which specifically pointed to their belief that firearms penetrate further and do signifcantly more damage than a longbow.  They were using their opinion based on reality and claimed our damage output was too low and should be higher. 

I felt I should voice our opinion that not only is it important for game balance but also important given the scale the other weapons are listed at.  Further, people seem to assume that when you hit someone, it is always a direct strike.  A good GM with good players can always interpret damage sustained in a variety of different ways.   

The comments received specifically asked why our damage outputs were low when compared to a crossbow...which is why I formed the answer this way.  Yes, it's game balance, but when you take the weapons themselves, I believe they are still balanced.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 19, 2009)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teAnl1WPR8Q"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teAnl1WPR8Q[/ame]


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 29, 2009)

Writing ... Finished
Art ... Finished
Editing ... Finished
Layout ... Finished

Printing.  Only one step to go.  Right now, we are just seeing if our final draft fits in our allotted space.  I will add that I was able to include several story segments from new novel to help flesh out the setting, something I know of you have been asking and hoping about.  As stated, we are a little over budget but we are discussing ways to fit everything we want in.  

Imagine pre-orders will be made available soon.  What's soon?  Couldn't tell you.  I will say that many of the things we have learned with NeuroSpasta has been retrofitted back into Amethyst, including clearer burst fire rules and easier move and fire guidelines.

Also, me and Conan will be taking a group of experience 4th Edition gamers with NO experience in Amethyst and sending them through the paces of Hearts of Chaos with the final edition of Amethyst's rules.  That will be recorded as a podcast.  We hope this one will not be as insane as the techan podcast earlier this year.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 3, 2009)

I was going to talk about hacking today but I had a chance to read the Skill Powers preview from DnD Insider.  Basically, players can now elect to choose a power based on skills they have training in over their class.  I think this is another great idea and one I wish we had thought of.  The ladder system is similar in idea but not in application.  Skill Powers are obviously skill base and only require your training in a skill to select it.  Ladders are entire assortment of attack and utility powers are based around your character's attribute build.  You can still choose skill powers instead of your class or ladder abilities and this offers unlimited options of variety.  That being said, many of the Acrobat skill powers can be found with the Runner Ladder and the Runner ladder offers you additional character creation abilities as well as boosts at later levels.  Expect us to incorporate elements of the later PHBs into NeuroSpasta as time marches on...

..Except their vehicles...still not good enough for us.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 8, 2009)

Big and good news from DEM and Goodman.  Amethyst - Foundations is expanding.  Originally, we had stated the first book will clock in at 256 pages.  Because of all the STUFF we are packing in on this book, we have decided to expand this to 288 pages.  This newer length will include story segments (a popular request) and the Amethyst character sheet.  It will also have a full color map of Canam on the inside cover.  I imagine the next thing you'll hear from us regarding Amethyst will be is release date...and then the race is on!

Don't forget the 2nd issue of Level Up has an article involving Amethyst.  The third issue will as well.

I'll try to add some meat to these blogs again soon.  By busy with another project.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 24, 2009)

There have been significant diversions of late which have prevented me from updating the site and for that, I apologize. We're working on the front and back cover composition for Amethyst currently. We're already starting a small erratum for the final product but so far, it is only three points. This is thanks to the NeuroSpasta playtest, which is populated by 5 times the number of testers as the Amethyst playtest. As we stated before, Amethyst - Foundations has been expanded to 288 pages. It now includes an introductory module and four pre-generated techan characters. Just to cover what is included for those still paying attention: Six new races (chaparran, damaskan, gimfen, laudenian, narros, tilen), four techan classes (grounder, marshall, operator, stalker), nineteen paragon paths, 200+ techan weapons, and 30+ new monsters. This in addition to the setting, which I personally think is the product's greatest strength.

As many already know, the second issue of Level Up has a non-crunch article on Amethyst written by yours truly. The third issue ALSO has an Amethyst article. This one introduces a race mentioned but not expanded in the core rulebook, the tenenbri. The article introduces the race, several lifepaths, and a monster anathema which is branched from the tenenbri race. Oh, we're not done yet. The fourth issue ALSO is going to have an article, this one dealing with Amethyst epic destinies. Once again, these are all techan-based.

To coincide with the release, we will be posting a sneak preview of the final product relatively soon. Keep your eyes open for that.
As for NeuroSpasta, it continues to grow and perfect itself. Just yesterday, we added expanded rules with the garrote, including feats and an assassin paragon path with abilities and powers that use the garrote exclusively. Following that, we are developing an expansion to the Engineer skill to include sabotage. And after popular request, we have included alternate ammunition for your favorite weapons. This includes tracer, armor piercing, and hollow point rounds. Explosives have been expanded and we recently included a new rule to allow players to create their own skill challenges to enemies (and vice versa).

One an unrelated topic involving equipment, a recent...ahem...colorful conversation with someone else on the WOTC board has given me the inspiration to play with finances. I am inspired by the Wheel of Fortune...yes, Wheel of Fortune. You remember those final rounds of WoF. Contestants were allows to pick 5 consonants and a vowel. Well, they always picked RSTLNE, without fail. So eventually, the show just gave them those for free and asked them to pick a few more (of course, those ended being all the same as well). We are doing that same thing. So all classes are being given options for standard equipment. Non-combat classes are given substantially more than combat classes (just 'cause). This way, 1st level equipment carries costs that are more realistic. There are still substantial options for standard equipment but it seemed ridiculous to make a sniper class pay for his sniper weapon.

Finally, I am leaving you with concept art for NeuroSpasta. These do not represent final visions but concepts in progress. As always, all artwork is by Nick Greenwood...


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## Urizen (Sep 24, 2009)

Nick Greenwood's an Amazing artist.

I'm working with him on a few projects as well.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 5, 2009)

Me and the powers that be have been discussing matters over our two product lines, Amethyst and NeuroSpasta. As we have already revealed, playtest feedback from the Hearts of Chaos FreeRPG module prompted us to address certain lingering issues with our firearm combat rules. With the advent of our significant playtest size for NeuroSpasta, I have been able to incorporate even more revisions without the need of a pesky errata. These are not broken rules, something I need to make perfectly clear. These are expansions and concepts we didn’t believe needed to be addressed. Feedback from our playtesters has convinced us there would be no reason in keeping them out. One such concept, as some have read prior, is for damaging structures with explosives. There are many more trickling in. For those still patiently waiting for our seminal GSL cyberpunk, testers are still in character creation. I foresee an extended playtesting period. So, for those hoping for a definitive release date, I don’t want to lead you on with such a locked date.

As for Amethyst, with the expansion of the main book from 256 to 288 pages, we are doing more than just making pictures bigger (although we are doing that), we are going to be expanding elements of the game taken from the aforementioned NeuroSpasta. This will involve going back a step and playing with the layout to fit these revisions into place. The cover is still chugging along and I sincerely hope to have that available for all to see quite soon.

The promotion of Amethyst will also be revving up soon. We are going to be recording another podcast along with sending out preview copies to various websites to look over and report on. Next week, I am going to be posting hard crunch rules on Amethyst’s combat system and how it has evolved from the version seen in Hearts of Chaos to the revised edition seen in both NeuroSpasta and the final Amethyst-Foundations sourcebook.

Oh yeah, and this is awesome...

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Partnerships


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 11, 2009)

So, as promised, I am releasing detailed information on our modern combat system. This should give you an idea which way are heading. For those that acquired our Hearts of Chaos module, you will notice differences. These have been revised from feedback...

*WEAPON GROUPS*
The weapons covered here are grouped into categories based on their general utility:

*Heavy Weapons:* These are large weapon systems that require a tripod, a base, a platform, or any other stable point from which to fire. Examples include sentry weapons, and a variety of artillery emplacements and turrets.
_Properties:_ Heavy weapons grant opportunity attacks to adjacent squares if fired. Because of their cumbersome nature, if you move or are moved any distance you suffer a -4 penalty to attack rolls with heavy weapons until the beginning of your next turn (meaning you can shoot first and then move to avoid the penalty).
_Special:_ These weapons may be purchased for a large user (e.g.: advanced armor). If so, heavy weapons become two-handed weapons. They are no longer able to be used by medium users.

*Small Arms, One Handed:* These are single-handed firearms which are renowned for their ease of use and compact style, making them an easy choice for those preferring stealth.
_Properties:_ One-handed small arms do not grant opportunity attacks if fired. These weapons include basic pistols and small machine guns. They cannot be wielded by large creatures (i.e.: advanced armor).

*Small Arms, Two-Handed:* These are larger, slightly clumsier weapons usually preferred for longer ranges and high stopping power. With the development of technology, the latter became less a factor but two-handed arms have the capacity for larger clip capacities, greater accuracy, and the option of fast automatic fire. These include machine guns, most sniper rifles, and assault rifles.
_Properties: _Two-handed small arms grant opportunity attacks to adjacent squares if fired. Because of their cumbersome nature, if you move more than 1 square or are moved more than 1 square, you suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls with two-handed small arms until the beginning of your next turn (meaning you can shoot first and then move to avoid the penalty).
_Special:_ These weapons may be purchased for a large user (e.g.: advanced armor). If so, these become one-handed small-arms. They are no longer able to be used by medium users.

*Specialty Weapons: *These are weapons with a unique function that require specific training. These include sonic weapons, pincher weaponry, and rocket launchers. There are one-handed, two-handed, and heavy specialty weapons.
_Properties:_ Specialty weapons can only be used with a ranged basic attack (ranged basic attack, not a class/ladder granted basic attack). They also count as one-handed, two-handed, or heavy weapons and all rules applying to those weapons apply to specialty weapons as well.

I'll talk about weapon properties next...


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 13, 2009)

Have you ever wondered how the world would ACTUALLY change in 80 years?  Look back 80 years from today as examples.  Countries we hear about every day, like Israel and Iran, were both declared in this time period.  In my lifetime alone, we saw the largest single nation on Earth shatter into a half-dozen smaller republics.  After that, another country, far smaller, got drawn into a civil war which created splinter nations of only a few hundred thousand people.  Other countries were considered property of a monarch, including my own.  We have the fall of the Soviet Union, the rise of Japan as an economic superpower, and seen the transfer of power from kings and military juntas to democracies across the world.  We have witnessed the greatest nations disintegrate and the rise of superpowers from the brink of collapse.  

	As NeuroSpasta's rules chugs along in playtesting, I have returned to working on its setting.  I realized to make a sensible timeframe, I need to explain everything, at least for my own personal records.  In aid in that, I have started writing a brief history of every country of consequence over the next 80 years. From the creation of the republic of Palestine to a reunification of Korea, I've left no stone unturned.  I imagine this may take a while.  I understand some choices may seem bizarre, others may appear blatantly controversial.  Some countries won't be mentioned as they are not expected to change (like France...seriously, what would you expect).  However, I do go into minute details if they affect the overlying geopolitical landscape.  I understand readers may not be interested in the goings-on between Bangladesh and India or why Lebanon regained the title of "Paris of the Middle East".  No one asks what goes on in Ghana in today's news.  I hope, by creating this rich tapestry of political conflict, it will serve to inspire adventures with some credence to them.  

	I am currently still debating if I should divide the United States or not.  I sunk half of the Netherlands and shattered the economy of Kuwait.  You may think that's cruel, but this afternoon, I wiped out Maldives. 

Nuff said...


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 18, 2009)

I won't offer names, but one of my playtesters blows up stuff, more likely works with people who blow up stuff. I can say this career is legal, upwardly mobile, and part of the government. That being said, we have been working hard in exploring the options available for explosives. This includes the setting and disarming of bombs. We had added in recently rules for wiring explosives together and catching collateral explosives (like gas barrels) in the initial blast. You can even set an explosive which requires a skill challenge to disarm...

Here are examples from our entries from the Weapons chapter and Skills chapter...these rules are going into both NeuroSpasta and Amethyst.


They are, of course, still being playtested.

*GRENADES & EXPLOSIVES*
All planted explosives require a detonator. With many, they detonate on contact by compressing a trigger or breaking a seal, which creates the charge. Others detonate with a signaled charge relayed from an implanted or remote source.
Most explosives listed can be either a grenade or a planted explosive. Grenades can be thrown or loaded into a grenade launcher and they detonate upon impact.
You can use a grenade or explosive only with powers listed with Explosive keyword. There are basic explosive and basic grenade powers. These do not count as a melee or ranged basic attack.
Planted explosives require a detonator and a demolitions roll. For every additional block of explosive used (all the explosives wired to the attack), add an additional +1[W] damage and +1 AP. For every two additional blocks wired to an attack, add an additional +1 to area burst. There is no blast radius limit but there is a damage limit based on your level: Heroic 3[W] damage; Paragon 4[W] damage; Epic 6[W] damage. This applies for each detonator.
You can trigger several detonators you have control over with a single power activation, but resolve each detonator/wired block individually.
You can use any explosives with an explosives attack, even grenades. If you use grenades as a planted demolition, use Demolition skill rules and detonate using an Explosive attack, not a Grenade Attack.
*Special Rule--Damaging Structures:* If planting explosives around structures (buildings, bridges, dams, etc), there is no damage limit. In addition, these structures are considered helpless. This does not apply to non-structures caught in the same blast. In this case separate the attacks and damage values between the structure and normal targets.
*Detonating Collateral explosives:* Explosives caught in the area of detonated explosives have a chance to explode as well. There is no hard yes/no rule and is up to GM discretion on each unique situation whether explosives caught in the pressure and heat of an explosion detonate. A moldable explosive may not go up but a tank of gasoline might. If so, the collateral explosive is included in the initial power only if the collateral explosive is located in the same square as the primary explosion. If in a separate square, the collateral explosive is handled as a separate attack.
*Eg: *If you strap a grenade to a tank of gas, the tank can be considered part of the primary explosion. Therefore, it adds damage and increases blast radius of the initial power. If caught in a separate square, it explodes as well, but it is handled separately.
*Listing:* These are the types of improvised explosives one might during an encounter. All collateral explosives have an area burst of 1. 

*DEMOLITIONS (Intelligence) *
Trained skill only.
You can set and disarm explosives.  This includes all manners of mechanical and electronic detonators.  
Placing an explosive for maximum effect against a structure calls for a check, as does disarming an explosive device.
*Attacking with Explosives:*  Using Demolitions involves setting an explosive prematurely to an engagement or during one.  
*Setting Explosives:*  Each Demolitions skill roll takes standard action.    
*Wiring Explosives Together: * DC15 for every additional block wired up.  Additional blocks increase damage and burst (See Grenades and Explosives).  Only one detonator is required per wired block but the blocks must be all in one spot.  You can string several explosives at several locations up to be triggered at the same time but the detonators must all be the same.  Each location must have one detonator.   You roll to wire blocks to a detonator, not when wiring detonators together.  Detonators wired together do not all have to be triggered at once.  You can choose to trigger any detonators you have control over with your action.   
*Timed Detonator: * DC15.  Timed explosives detonate at a set time and cannot be prematurely detonated.  
*Remote Detonator:*  DC15.  You may detonate an explosive by using a minor action.  You may also detonate it as a readied action.
*Triggered Explosives:*  DC20.  These detonate on their own and do not require a minor or a readied action.  They go off when a target either crosses over it, or before it moves out of its burst area.
*Eg:  *Kathryn Lindune wants to set off two blocks of explosives each at ten different locations, all at once.   They must all be the same.  She makes them remote detonated.  One remote detonator must be placed at every location but the two blocks at each location only require one detonator.   Kathryn can trigger any number of detonators with a single action but each detonator triggers two blocks of explosives.  She can, if she wishes, trigger all ten with a single action.  
*Failure:*  Failure means that the explosive fails to go off as planned.  The explosives are not lost.  Failure by 10 or more means the explosive goes off as the detonator is being installed.  You cannot accidentally detonate explosives when wiring them together, only when implanting the detonator.  A failure with wiring explosives together means the extra wired explosives will not go off. 
*Proper Placement: * You can carefully set the explosive in such a way to do maximum damage.  If you beat the DC roll by 10 or more, you gain +2 damage from the explosive.  If you beat the DC roll by 15 or more, you gain an additional +3 damage from the explosive.  Your final Demolitions skill roll is also the DC someone other than you needs to beat to disarm your explosive.   
*Disarm Explosive Device:*  Disarming an explosive that has been set to go off requires a demolitions check.  The GM can set the DC or make a Demolitions skill check of who planted the explosive.  The DC to disarm is equal to the Demolition skill roll made when the explosive was set.  If you fail the check, you do not disarm the explosive.  If you fail by 10 or more, the explosive goes off.
*Effective Training:*  If you are trained in Demolitions, you gain a +2 proficiency bonus to attacks with the Explosive Keyword.
*Special: * You can take 10 when using the demolitions skill in the setting of explosives, not in the disarming or when in a combat encounter.  The GM may allow you to take 10 in disarming if there is enough time to do so.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 25, 2009)

*WEAPON PROPERTIES*
In addition the properties listed in the D&D PLAYER’S HANDBOOK, Weapons in NeuroSpasta and Amethyst can also carry these additional features:
*Auto:  *A weapon with the auto property can fire one round of ammunition per attack roll with any ranged attack power without an auto keyword.  You fire five rounds of ammunition per attack roll with attack powers with the auto keyword.  An auto weapon is not a heavy auto weapon.  Heavy auto weapons are weapons with much higher firing rates.
*Burst:  *Burst weapons, when they impact on a target or a square, do their damage as burst 1 or more.  Burst weapons are specialty weapons.
_Special:  _You can use blast weapons only with a ranged basic attack.
*Conceal:  *These weapons are so small, they offer a +2 bonus to Sleight of Hand checks to conceal them.
*Gauss:  *Coil and rail weapons involve a process by accelerating metal shells using magnetism.  The specific process is complicated and both coil-based and rail-based technology fire their shells using different means.  These weapons discharge extremely fast and deliver astounding kinetic potential.  
_Property:  _Gauss weapons reduce cover penalties by 2.  Additionally, if you roll the maximum result on any of your damage dice on a hit, all other damage dice on that same hit gain a +1 bonus to damage.  This is cumulative if other rolls are maximum as well.
_Rail special rule:  _If a rail (rail only) weapon shell kills a target with a critical hit, the shell continues on a straight path from the weapon, making a single free attack on one target in direct line of attack in the weapon’s range.  This may only occur once per round of ammunition.  This is a ranged basic attack and cannot be part of a power (or an at-will power being used as a ranged basic attack)
*Grenade:  *Grenades use their own form of attack that depends on the specific grenades.  Refer to grenades later.
*Guided:  *These weapons assist in aiming after being fired and can even make a secondary attack if the first one misses.    
_Power (Encounter):  _No Action.  Before firing, you can either grant your attack a +5 power bonus to attack or allow a reroll if the attack misses.
*Heavy Auto:  *These larger weapons have no single shot option.  They always fire at least ten rounds of ammunition per attack roll, regardless of the power being used.  If you fire a heavy auto weapon with a non-auto power, the additional ammunition used is wasted.  Some attack powers have additional abilities when firing weapons with the heavy auto property.  Heavy auto weapons not mounted require a Str 13 to use.  Heavy auto weapons are all heavy weapons.
_Property:  _Heavy auto weapons inflict additional damage as the firer becomes more experienced using these kinds of weapons.  A heavy auto weapon inflicts a +1 enhancement bonus to damage with every successful strike.  At 21st level, it increases to +2 damage.  This is in addition to extra damage from the Burst Fire feat.  You must be proficient with the weapon to gain this damage bonus.  
*Pincher:  *These weapons deliver an electromagnetic pulse that disrupts any item that requires a battery or an electric current to operate.
_Property:  _This weapon delivers lightning damage with every strike.  If any lightning damage penetrates past AP and is inflicted on the target you can activate one of the following powers (you can only do one per hit):
_Power (At-Will):  _Free action.  Target suffers a -2 penalty to all saving throws until the beginning of your turn.  This penalty does not compound.
_Power (Encounter):  _Free action.  The target is stunned until the beginning of your turn.
_Power (Daily):  _Free action.  The target is stunned (save ends).
_Power (Daily):  _Free action.  Targeted vehicle suffers a -5 penalty to all Vehicle Operation skill checks (save ends).  The vehicle brakes every round until it saves.
*Shotgun:  *Shotguns impact with tremendous force at close range, but this stopping power diminishes rapidly.  They are fairly distinct and few models are on the market. 
_Critical:  _On a critical hit, the target is knocked prone.
_Special:  _Shotguns do +2 damage if fired at 2 squares or closer.  At long range, they only deliver half damage.  
*Sniper:  *These weapons contain advanced targeting systems for long-range fire.  
_Power (Daily):  _Free action.  If you hit, add +5 to attack for the purposes of Marksman Talent.
_Special:_  Sniper weapons list two bonuses for proficiency.  You only receive the full proficiency bonus if you use a move action to aim.  The full proficiency bonus ends if you move or are moved.  The effect does not expire otherwise.  
*Self Propelled Projectile (SPP):  *SPP weapons are small rockets fired from pistols or rifles that continue to accelerate after an initial air compression push fires them from the shell.  Although more expensive, they proved useful for engagements when range mattered.  The ammunition for SPP weapons are known as sabot rounds as the shell ejected breaks apart and the contained self-propelled projectile ignites, breaking from its seal.  All SPP weapons can fire underwater, though their range is half.  They have definitive advantages, such as explosive warheads and guidance systems.  	
_Power (Daily):  _Free action.  Before firing, you may decide to re-roll a miss or gain a +5 to your attack roll.

Oh yeah...there are more...


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 28, 2009)

SNAKES AND...

After nearly a year, we are ready to talk about one the most important concept in the history of this company, Ladders.  Very few companies out there have made a serious effort to radically alter the rules of 4th Edition D&D.  Of course, when I mean alter, what I mean is, amend and add to.  Already, we made a huge step with the addition of modern and futuristic firearms.  It wasn't enough to just give them damage values and ranges; we needed to construct a system which had to be rigorously tested (and still is).  

NeuroSpasta implements a change as radical as modern firearm rules are with Amethyst.   The reason we didn't incorporate this system with Amethyst was twofold.  For one, it didn't exist yet, but more importantly, making the character generation of modern characters more complicated than their fantasy counterparts in the same campaign setting may discourage people from attempting those roles.  But if we separate this element into its own game, away from fantasy, it makes this additional level of complication easier to swallow.  Of course, for players still wanting to slot in these new rules, they can.  

This new system is called the Ladder system.  We hope that this bundle of new GSL-compliant rules would be universal for all DEM products and as such, all Dungeons & Dragons products.  We could implement the ladders not only with NeuroSpasta, but every other campaign world we release using 4th Edition mechanics.  

As some of you have previously read, the ladder system implements two important concepts.  

1:  It thoroughly reduces the number of available powers for classes.  Where a fantasy class would have 70+ powers from levels 1-30, a class using our system only has between 30 and 40.  Thus, we can include more classes in our books.  The majority of these classes are also single builds.  So if we were making a ranger, there would be two distinct ranger classes, a dual wielding blade master and an archer.  Think this is limiting?  Wait.  

2:  The inclusion of ladders.  Ladders define what your character is like rather than the role he or she plays.  It represents abilities and powers based not on your vocation in life, but your natural talents either chosen or bestowed from birth.  As such a ladder does not have a boiler plate of defining a role, proficiencies, hit points or healing surges.  In fact most ladders give you none of these.

Originally, ladders were only meant to offset the lack of scaling magic in a modern setting like NeuroSpasta with the intent of drastically reducing the obsessive need to always acquire money.  The ladder offered you free "magic" effectively as you developed.  This later expanded to include level 1 abilities as well as alternate powers, all based around a common theme with the ladder you've chosen.

So, at first level1, before choosing a class, you select a ladder.  Each ladder focuses on two dominant attributes.  We chose two instead of one because we didn't feel focusing only on one would be fun or realistic.  

Here are our ladders:

Born Leader:  Charisma, Intelligence
Juggernaut:  Constitution, Strength   
Runner:  Dexterity, Wisdom
Savant:  Intelligence, Wisdom
Veteran:  Charisma, Wisdom
Warrior:  Dexterity, Strength

Each ladder first lists features a character gains at 1st level.  These initial abilities are huge, as they not only alter your character's outlook, the actually altar the class you will later choose.  If you select warrior ladder, you can use Dexterity for all your melee attack powers regardless of what your class indicates.  If you select the juggernaut ladder, you can use Constitution for your ranged attacks when employing two handed or heavy weapons.  Pushing this further, a savant ladder is able to drop attack powers in favor of more utility powers.  Nearly every ladder has some feature which allows you to alter your class.  In addition, there are also alternative powers as you progress.  A warrior has more alternative attack powers while a savant would have more utility powers.  In all, each ladder offers about a dozen+ alternative selections.  

Not only that, at 3rd, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th level, you gain the option to acquire a free new ability or opt to acquire a financial windfall which you can put towards better weapons or gear.  

So let us turn back to the ranger example.  As stated, a ladder-based ranger would be two classes, a swordmaster and an archer.  Those are two character builds.  With the six ladders we have included thus far, you now have twelve...twelve different distinctive variations of those two classes.  Twelve different ways you can approach a ranger.  Wanna make a ranger that can run across tree branches scale over buildings like a parkour master, select the runner ladder.  Want a ranger that is also the leader of armies and the proud icon of authority, select the born leader.  

The initial fear was that certain ladder/class combinations were obvious choices for power gamers.  Although we knew this couldn't be prevented, we discovered, to our amazement, that nearly every class didn't have one obvious choice.  Our playtesters discovered new strengths with combinations we never knew existed.  With NeuroSpasta's 10 classes and 6 ladders, that introduces 60 combinations in just a little more space than that of the PHB's class chapter.  

When we asked our testers if this added level of complexity was too much despite the variety, we discovered they were welcomed with open arms.  Of course, the ladder system is designed only to work with the modern classes we are making for NeuroSpasta and others future games.  There are currently no plans to go backwards and start playing with fantasy classes, though this could change.  Future products could add more ladders but would most likely add new classes, as each new class would represent six new builds.  

So what do we have in our gaming group?
Veteran--Sniper
Born Leader--Combat Authority
Juggernaut--Heavy
Savant--Manipulator
Runner--Infiltrator
Warrior--Man-At-Arms

And you can now see why the ladder system will require almost as much playtesting as the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules.  And yes...playtesters are still welcome...


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 12, 2009)

My internet was cut off this week for reasons which will take too long to explain.  So as I shift providers, I am going to have sporadic communication with the outside world.  Everything should be back and running by November 20th.  However, I can now finally announce something I had been sitting on for a few weeks.  Dias Ex Machina & Goodman Games will be releasing a mini-module similar to the Hearts of Chaos module introduced at free RPG day.  

	This new adventure, Biohazard, is not set in the Amethyst canon universe.  Instead, it is intended to showcase what you can do with our new technology-based rules outside of the setting for all those readers out there interested in home-brewing your own techno-fantasy or pure science fiction adventure.  Biohazard introduces the latest phase of our rule revisions so those already familiar with our Hearts of Chaos module should read these over to see the new changes and alterations based on feedback received.  Those with issues with that system should check out the latest version as we have addressed and fixed many of the problems you reported and we found ourselves.  As before, there are five pregenerated characters using our four techan characters included in the Amethyst rulebook.  

	What is the module about, you ask?  Good question.  The answer is simple…zombie apocalypse.  Our latest module has the players take control of a modern/near future Special Forces team called SPIDER as they are stranded in a small town being overrun by hordes of running and screaming infected.  

	Biohazard includes five new monsters, from infected animals and guards to gargantuan behemoths.  It includes rules for burst fire, grenades, and planted explosives.  Although many of the impending encounters involve small numbers of opponents, the final battles contain dozens upon dozens of swarming undead as the players fight to escape the infestation.  The module attempts to play homage to the recent wash of zombie movies, games, and novels on the market.  Clichés and melodrama are the norm.

	It is important to mention that the rules in Biohazard, like the ones in Hearts of Chaos, are still being tested.  To that end, we invite all players and readers to post their comments and advice on the forums of either company’s sites.  The final rules based on this feedback will find themselves in the final book upon printing.  

	Of course, the leads us to the final point, price.  Biohazard will be released FREE TO ALL.  That’s right.  Everyone is invited to download this module and run your own zombie apocalypse.  In only a few short months, we will have yet another free module showcasing what our new classes can do, this time with paragon builds as a precursor to the final release of the main sourcebook.  Amethyst is more than just powered armor and plasma rifles.  Half the book is still fantasy with numerous new races, lifepaths, and paragon paths.  

	Expect Biohazard within a few weeks.  

	Me out.


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 23, 2009)

The Irony of Avatar...

	Just came back from 2012 and saw the latest trailer for Avatar.  I had seen it online weeks ago, of course, but it reminded me of a featurette I had seen hours earlier on the official movie page, which talked about the technology used by mankind in the film.  I have been an apologist for the film as most of my friends have discounted Avatar was a tired retread of a plot seen a dozen times prior, from Pocahontas and The Last Samurai, to Lawrence of Arabia and the recent animated Battle for Terra.  I have some faith that it will rise above its cliché and be entertaining.  I am bringing this up because of this featurette.  Now Avatar does pit the high technology of man against the primitive ways of the alien Navi.  Mankind flaunts fanjet attack vehicles and powered armor.  On the surface, there is an element of Amethyst to all of it.  Of course, we pit technology against magic, a far more even conflict.  Specifically, this featurette refers to a concept often ignored in these films.  Carl Sagan and Arthur C. Clarke said it best (and no, this was not dealt with the featurette, only suggested) that an race capable of interstellar travel arriving at a new world incapable of interstellar travel would appear so technologically advanced that not only would they appear as gods, but the level of technology would be so vast superior that a conflict would be hopeless for the lesser advanced species.  If you can travel faster than light, then no race of bows and beasts can measure up, no matter what regional advantage they may boast.  Avatar apparently acknowledges this point and tries to propose that the world of Pandora as one with magnetic fields so strong that it not only allows the suspension of massive rocks disobeying gravity, but it...ahem...disrupts the high technology mankind used to traverse the vastness of space to arrive here.  As a result, instead of plasma weapons and gravity tanks, there are fanjets and chemical propelled projectiles.  So...as technology increases, the greater the chance it won't function.  This includes a scene of the pilot of a fanjet complaining about the lack of proper radar.  Annoyed?  Not particularly.  Beyond the fact that I hope this will finally dismiss the accusations comparing Amethyst to Shadowrun, Avatar doesn't deal with the philosophical points proposed by Amethyst...that and the entire "magic is cool" idea.  This is not to say that I don't think Avatar and Amethyst share several points.  I think visually Avatar could very well share moments where it blurs the line with Amethyst.  

	Biohazard is finishing layout and several websites will be receiving previews of this adventure this week, before it gets posted.  Meanwhile, NeuroSpasta continues its drive for detail.  I just made South Africa fall to a Military Junta and the land from the Congo to Rwanda just got turned into a no-man's land called Hetgwauge, the African myth of Hell.  Oh, and I wiped out The Netherlands...sorry guys.  That's what you get for being below the water line.


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 4, 2009)

We have our first piece of official Neurospasta internal artwork, one of our favorite robots.








Additionally, we have created a whole slew of universal opponents which can be modified with one of several templates to adept them for any purpose.  You can have terrorists, special forces, civilian mobs, or even robots.  After a dozen or so pages of opponents, our names for these got a little strange...
*
Ill-Equipped Combatant	
Man with Pipe Wrench 
Phallic Compensator 
Bell-Tower Bastard 
Ammo Waster 
Machine Gun Menace	
Flesh Fortress 	
Pyrophiliac*

Yes, I could have called him a Pyromaniac but...hmm...it's been done.  So here is how it works.  We have eight templates you can apply to our seventeen non-unique troops.  Here is an example:

*Regimented*
Regimented units work as a team and must deploy in numbers in an encounter to be effective.  On their own, they are useless.  Unlike a mob however, these forces have undergone training to work together, and as such are not known for acts of stupidity like breaking from a line.
The adversary gains a +2 enhancement bonus to AC while adjacent to another adversary.  In addition, the adversary gains the immediate reaction power Combat Drill.
*Combat Drill (immediate reaction; when an ally shifts into or out of an adjacent square)*
The adversary may shift one square.

And then you can apply it to any of these universal opponents like this...
*
Ammo Waster (Ranged)		Level 5 Minion
Medium Natural Humanoid		XP *50
*Initiative *+4						Senses Perception +3
*HP *1; a missed attack never damages a minion
*AC *21; *Fortitude *14, *Reflex *15, *Will *14, *Firewall *19
*Hardness *1
*Speed *6
*RBA SMG* (standard; at will) * Weapon
	Ranged 10/20 +9; vs. AC; 5 damage; AP 1
*Wild Spray* (move action; at will)
	The adversary must hit with its ranged basic attack. Immediately after resolving damage it may make one SMG attack against an enemy adjacent to the target.
*Alignment *Any				*Languages *Any	
*Skills *Intimidate +7, Stealth +9
Str 13 (+3)	Dex 14 (+4)	Wis 12 (+3)
Con 12 (+3)	Int 12 (+3)	Cha 11 (+2)
*Equipment *SMG


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 4, 2010)

It's been a month and we're finally back.  I didn't want to post useless drivel during the shopping season and have something worthwhile when the time was right.  For one, stage 2 of NeuroSpasta playtesting just began.  This involves not only all the updated rules from the past five months of testing but now all the setting detail as well.  

On the Amethyst front, the Biohazard module I had once promised for November is finally finished.  Copies have been mailed out to several websites and expect it available both here and at Goodman Games relatively soon.  As promised, this module is free and showcases the new modern combat rules being utilized in both Amethyst and NeuroSpasta.  Gamers are encouraged to post their feedback on our forums to make the final product of Amethyst the best it can be.  

Additionally, starting this week, DEM will be starting a series of video commentaries dealing with the development of its artwork.  Both myself and Nick Greenwood contributed to the video.  No, you won't be seeing us.  Instead, you will see some of Amethyst's best artwork from early sketches to their final forms.  There are dozens of pieces never before seen.

The first part is available here


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6uVFKYgNuY]YouTube - Amethyst: Artistic Retrospective - Part 1.wmv[/ame]


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 8, 2010)

Part 2 of our Amethyst Retrospective is now online. Once again, its Nick and I.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk9eV-cXizw]YouTube - Amethyst - Artist Retrospective - Part 2.wmv[/ame]


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 10, 2010)

Part 3 is now available...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZBU9YEqkno]YouTube - Amethyst Artist Retrospective - Part 3.wmv[/ame]


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 13, 2010)

Part 4 of our 5 part series on out Amethyst Artist Retrospective is now online. Meanwhile, over with our friends at Emerald Press, they have announced a cool surprise regarding Amethyst in their premiere podcast of CALive.

Oh yeah, and Goodman's Coming Soon page lists Amethyst with a pre-order price of $34.99. We are working on a package for those who pre-order the game before the release.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSHZ9DuiydU]YouTube - Amethyst Artist Retrospective - PART 4.wmv[/ame]


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 15, 2010)

The fifth and final part of our Amethyst Artist Retrospective is now online...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9dtgtuO3NA]YouTube - Amethyst Artist Retrospective - Part 5.wmv[/ame]


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 20, 2010)

Granting Combat Advantage

As promised, this week marks the release of the Biohazard Playtest Module, showing off the current edition of Amethyst's science fiction rules.

Thanks to Emerald Press for slipping this puppy into the latest issue of Combat Advantage. For those not subscribing, we will be posting the module on our site and Goodman's site next week...but don't wait. Head on over to Emerald and download it NOW!


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 22, 2010)

Got some reviews to share...

NEUROGLYPH Games » Pre-Release Review: BioHazard (Playtest Module) by Dias Ex Machina

"Overall, the BioHazard Playtest Module is a very impressive demonstration into just how inventive the Amethyst Setting & Rule System is going to be. It’s also an excellent example of the Author’s imagination and game-design skills, taking the existing DnD 4e ruleset and taking it to a fun new place that will entice Players and Game Masters of science fiction, horror, and modern genres to the 4e experience."

Free Stuff: Biohazard, an Amethyst Adventure - Gnome Stew, the Game Mastering Blog

"Biohazard is a fun, action-packed adventure, that plays well, and a highly entertaining. The adventure can be run in a single evening, and can make nice break from your normal game. If you have any interest in what a 4e modern game would be like; this is the game for you."


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 1, 2010)

Our 3.5 Version of Amethyst listed nine playtesters.  The 4th Edition boasts around 50.  It just goes to show that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.  So I want to take a moment and credit those playtesters which gave their time to ensure a high quality product...


Michael Andaluz
Charla Anderson
Daryl Anderson
Miquel Creus Bassas 
Pamela Bennett
Trevor Bennett
Jeff Berndt
Gary Bratzel
Eric Braun
Chris Brown 
Greg Brown 
Jason Brown 
Jordi Martin Castany 
Andrew Cermak
Schuyler Den Dulk 
Chris Dias 
Pere Rodriguez Franch 
Jordi Franch Ventura
Marc Franch Ventura 
Glen Gratton
Aaron Hengst
R William Herschler
David Hoyer
Jennifer Hoyer
Steve Hoyer
Christopher Hunt
Ian Hunt 
Jordi Sala Ibars 
Geoffrey Lamb
Tiffany Lamb
Edward William Martin
Paul Johnson
Cameron Lauder
Robert Mann
Alan Mills
Mike McMullen 
Michael Murphy
Jon Ohman 
Jewel Sandeen 
Kiara Sandeen 
Sean Sandeen
Brad Scoble
Marc Sonnenberger
Clarence Sterling
Tim Sullivan 
Sean Thompson
Chris Tyler
Ivolytch Tzulusky 
Marina Ursa
Phil Vecchione


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 7, 2010)

Got something cool to share... The final cover of Amethyst--what to look for on the shelves when it comes out...


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 18, 2010)

I wanted to discuss something I posted on another thread on RPGNet...there has been a lot of discussion on the possibilities of gamers creating their own original setting utilizing our rules.  Turns out this is easier than it appears.  As a result, I am going to attempt to include a new section in the new book detailing on how to do that.  Here are the highlights of what I am thinking...

If you wish to keep the technology relatively low, you can choose to either create higher enhancement levels for low tech items or bestow free enhancements, thus removing the need to always acquire higher level weapons. Realistically, this only works if you allow magical firearms in your setting (see later for details).

Otherwise, it makes more sense to allow players to retain their original level 1 weapons and offer free enhancements to coincide with the character's capacity to use the weapon better (the gun isn't magically getting better, just the character's skill with it).

Armor works the same way. You can permit magical technology or bestow enhancement based on character level as said character gains more experience. You must however, consider financial rewards when employing automatic enhancement. Players would not require as much money because they wouldn't need to upgrade their weapons and armor.

Employing powerful weapons like plasma throwers and rail cannons (all Tech Levels higher than 0), require you to scale back their enhancements if introducing them at first level. Not only do weapons like railcannons begin at enhancement +4, they also feature abilities which may throw the balance of power if employed by a first level character. There are several solutions when wishing to use high tech weapons in a low-level game.

The first deals with simply rebranding low tech weapons. Perhaps all weapons are energy weapons and the high tech varieties are simply much more powerful versions of these smaller designs. If you want to remove the need for characters to purchase weapons repeatedly throughout their lives (like mentioned above with low tech games), you could use the same system above with one additional rule dealing with when the character acquires the weapon's special feature.

The only character class to be affected with a homebrew game is the Operator. This is an easy fix as a player just needs to avoid selecting any class powers which mention or deal with disruption.

Allowing fantasy classes to utilize technology is also a simple proposition. Depending on your setting, you may permit certain classes to have proficiencies in firearms. The general rule being that if a class has a proficiency only in simple ranged weapons, they may also have a proficiency in one-handed small arms. Those classes proficient in military ranged weapons may also have proficiencies in both one-handed and two-handed small arms. Heavy weapons may be a more difficult notion to explain away without the player selecting the proficiency feat later on. As a result, it is quiet easy to allow a Ranger to employ both one-handed and two-handed firearms with all of her ranged attack powers. Similarly, a useful rule could also be implemented to allow the Rogue the capacity to assume that all one-handed small arms also count as a hand crossbow (for the purposes of sneak attack and powers). This later rule can be employed in canon Amethyst as well for a techan character wanting more stealth and close-quarters assassination over the Stalker class.

Similarly, there is nothing to stop your custom game from throwing out the disruption rules with magical races and creating a techan group populated by orcs, elves, and dwarves.


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 19, 2010)

Amethyst is now available through Alliance distribution.  Which means your FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) can no order it in.  So if I ever asked anything from anyone, now is the time.  Call or go down to your FLGS and ask that they carry Amethyst.  

The Product Number is GMG4370
Amethyst through Goodman Games


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 24, 2010)

LivingDice.com has posted exclusive coverage of Amethyst including portions of the final cover and its first chapter.  This is the most extensive coverage yet!


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 1, 2010)

I think I talk too much.  Todd from Emerald Press doesn't think so.  He interviewed me on CALive a few weeks ago and it finally got posted this week.  The link follows.  Maybe I just don't like the sound of my own voice.  

We talk about the history of Amethyst and upcoming April release, mention NeuroSpasta briefly and dive into why players (at least mine) appear predisposed to create characters that beget the end of days.  Maybe it's just my players that find satisfaction in the creation the antichrist... 


Home - Emerald Press PDF Publishing


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 6, 2010)

One of the complaints I am actually looking forward to fielding involves the usage of ammunition.  Last session, my rogue activated a close burst ranged ability involving thrown daggers but hadn’t accounted for the number of daggers required to fulfill the power.  He was trying to make the argument that ammunition usage is not covered in the rules.  You use the power and disregard the specifics.  He was joking.  I wasn’t laughing.  

The idea of one bullet per attack roll seems pretty basic—following the same logic of one arrow per attack roll for the ranger or rogue.  But where the ranger only fires one arrow at a time (mostly at least), a stalker or a grounder have the capacity of firing multiple weapons multiple times.  I asked both my group and my playtesters if our ammunition usage was too strict.  The unanimous response was “no”.  You can increase damage with Akimbo, a feat which uses the same ammunition in your secondary hand as your primary hand.  You can do likewise with the Burst Fire feat, which increases rate of fire to 5 shots per attack roll with autofire weapons instead of 1.  If you are wielding machine pistols, these values stack.  However, as clearly seen, you just went from using 1 shot per attack roll to 10 shots per attack roll.  Despite what you might think, I discovered to my amazement, that players were willingly using this additional ammunition for a very mild increase in damage.  

Then comes Passing Kill.  Passing Kill is a Minor action power which causes 1 point of damage.  Add in Akimbo and Rapid Fire, and it increases to an impressive 3 points of damage.  So…10 shots = 3 points of damage for a minor action power.  Take into account your standard attack power and you can see where ammunition usage can go out of control.  Players may bit--…complain that ammunition usage is too high, that it’s not worth the extra ammo.  Well here is the response:  You don’t have to do it.  If you are down to your last few clips, don’t use the extra ammo.  Conserve.  From playing first-person-shooters, the idea of conservation may seem foreign, especially in an environment where players can just pick up randomly fallen clips as they venture through a hostile landscape.  In the real world, this doesn’t occur, especially in the fantasy landscape of Amethyst, where you have only what you take with you.  

So three weeks ago, I started my THIRD Amethyst campaign, dubbed “Cradle” (long story).  We’ve been running these games since 2002.  My co-writer and friend, Conan, selected a two-pistol Stalker build and was impressed in himself with his 270 rounds of ammunition  (9 clips worth for his dual machine pistols) he acquired at 1st level.  With both Akimbo and Burst Fire, he had the capacity to rain some impressive damage upon his foes.  He was also confident his supply would carry for the duration of the dungeon module I was starting them on.  

He employed Passing Kill and Boundary Threshold on a regular basis and after the VERY FIRST battle against a group of Boggs, Conan was slack-jawed at his ammunition usage.  He had used 40 rounds in the first battle.  14% of his entire supply gone on the opening encounter.  With no capacity to reload until they get back to a town, Conan realized that Passing Kill’s balance is the severe ammunition usage for the promise of a mild increase in the damage he inflicts in a turn.  Ammo is quite cheap but not free.  He also has a limit on how much he can carry.  

We are now into our third session in this dungeon and the module is just hitting the half way point.  Conan will be surely out of bullets by the end current battle.  Player pressure has prevented him from avoiding the use of Passing Kill.  When I informed him a certain enemy had only 3 hit points left, instead of letting one of the other three players (all of whom went before the monster) make the killing blow/shot, Conan activated Passing Kill, fired 10 shots of ammunition, did 3 points of damage, and claimed the kill as his own…because he’s a player…and he’s stupid.  This didn’t occur once.  It happened numerous times throughout the day.  

Point is ammunition is part of the balance of Amethyst and our modern rules as a whole.  Yes, we have massive powers which can lay huge effects across many enemies.  But to do so requires significant ammunition to accomplish.  When I considered that ammunition usage may be a bit steep, I looked at the number of bullets spent in an average conflict in our real world…and I realized we were still somewhat frugal.


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 7, 2010)

Here is something someone asked:  What can we take out?  Which of our new rules for applying modern technology to 4th Edition can a GM ignore (or alter) without affecting game balance.  In truth, there are only a few rules we added, mostly dealing with moving and firing with heavy weapons.  We didn’t insert armor penetration or hardness or the resilience of cover (we do that in NeuroSpasta).  But if a group believes a certain rule is uninteresting or too complicated, can it be removed without breaking the game? 


This topic was discussed at length in the development of the rules.  One co-developer insisted that our disruption rules be a game-balancing effect.  The rest of us were adamant that this not be the case.  As I stated in an earlier post, disruption rules are optional (even in an Amethyst game) and should only be implemented if the group is being irresponsible with their technology in the fantasy world.  You can ignore them as you see fit, regardless of which game you are running.  Other rules of question include ammunition usage, move and fire penalties with two-handed weapons, and the advanced rules regarding explosives and vehicle combat.  Everything else in the book are based on rules already present in the GSL, so removing them is ignoring rules from core D&D (so do so at your peril). 


I believe whole heartedly that players keep track of ammunition as its acquisition and management is a key issue of the Amethyst setting.  However, this may not be a necessary if you are running a modern setting with these same rules.  I still would prefer people track their ammunition as it does force an additional level of skill.  If a GM is expected to track the hit points of a dozen monsters, I am certain said GM can ask his/her players to track how many bullets they fire.  If you are reenacting the Mogadishu conflict of Black Hawk Dawn, I would still suggest you enforce the tracking of ammunition usage.  If you have to do that when playing Fallout 3, you can do it here.  It’s simple common sense.  Now that being said, if you still insist on claiming this rule as clumsy, you can still ignore it without breaking game balance.  The only power I think it would affect would by the aforementioned Passing Kill power available to the Stalker.  I could consider amending it to a move action but personally, I wouldn’t bother.  So technically, ammunition usage can go. 


Move and fire rules are present only to offer realism to those untrained in how to effectively use two-handed and heavy weapons.  This is why these move and fire rules are ignored with the grounder class.  You can choose to disregard them for all classes, but then the grounder looses a class feature (as it is shared by the whole party now).  I would still insist heavy weapon incur an attack penalty when moved.  Once again, it’s not game balance.  It’s just common sense.


Vehicle Rules are complicated and only present for those wishing to take advantage of it.  With these, I figured there were too options:  Not make them detailed and offer the opinion we didn’t care or make them detailed and allow you to make the judgment on how you wish to implement them.  If you just want a basic skill challenge without the math, please go right ahead. 


Explosives may feel complicated but they are actually only there when someone dives into their use.  Meaning, if a PC doesn’t take the Demolitions skill and purchase the necessary explosives and detonators, he/she would never encounter the complicated layers of planting explosives.


Finally, I’ll end off with several rules which I DO believe would break game balance if they were ignored.  The first and most obvious one deals with firearm damage.  Beyond the argument comparing damage outputs of arrows versus firearms (ignoring their damage in comparison to melee weapons), some people still insist that a bullet should do two or three times more damage than a sword.  Obviously adjusting these damage values would greatly affect game balance.  The same goes for our unique weapons.  These are speciality weapons which can only be used with a ranged basic attack.  If you choose to overlook this rule and allow their use with an encounter or a daily power, the results would be…well…biblical. 


Here is another argument toward using ammunition.  Let’s say your character finds a high tech weapon (higher tech = higher enhancement) early on.  This can be a plot point or a connection to his or her back-story.  I am doing this currently in my Amethyst game.  By using ammunition (in this case, an energy cell), you allow that PC a weapon that is impressive and potentially game breaking…until it runs out.  I made it perfectly clear to a player that was given a +5 Plasma pistol that once said weapon runs out of shots (he has used about 4 of its 10 charges already); he will not find another power cell until ohhh....about level 20.  I also then don’t have to worry about him being near a store which could sell technology that high when he achieves that level.


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 17, 2010)

Gamers that pre-order Amethyst either through Goodman Games or your friendly local game store will now receive exclusive downloadable content (DLC, commonly seen with modern computer games).The DLC package is over 100 MB and includes these awesome bonuses:

--Two adventures including the Hearts of Chaos 2009 FreeRPGDay module
--A user-editable Amethyst character sheet
--Six high-res images suitable for poster printing
--A massive two-page full-color world map
--And last but certainly not least, the entire original 3.5 Edition of the Amethyst RPG which was released in 2008 to glowing reviews

Place your pre-order with your local retailer today!
Offer expires May 1, 2010.


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 25, 2010)

Couple interesting tidbits this week.

Lots of good responses from the offer of DLC for those who pre-order. As result, I have expanded the DLC from 120 megs to 150 megs. There is now more artwork and a file containing original fiction set in the Amethyst setting.

I made a few final minor tweaks to the combat engine based on some more additional Biohazard feedback. The book is set and is heading to printers.

Based on that thought, Amethyst is now open for reviews. Anyone wanting to get on the list, should contact me, along with the blog, site, or publication you represent.


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 29, 2010)

Amethyst - Foundations has gone to the printers. 
REPEAT. Amethyst - Foundations has gone to the printers. 
It will be in stores either late April or early May. It will be out by the Ennie cut off and will be submitted for recognition. Thanks to everyone who has support us.


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 10, 2010)

We always brag about what's in Amethyst (classes, races, etc), but what's NOT in Amethyst?  

	Well from a setting perspective, and if we are talking strictly canon, no outside civilized races other than ones we endorse.  So no elves or dwarves other than our elves and dwarves.  No eladrin or tieflings.  No gods, period, which leads into the reason why we don't have paladins or clerics in this setting.  Divinity is still a matter of faith without proof.  When someone asks if a party is unbalanced without such heavy healers, I look to my current Amethyst group.  They seem to do just fine without them (we have some lifepaths which should help for those really desperate for some healing feeling).  Of course, this has not stopped playtesters from ignoring these guidelines, which is fine.  I know one guy running an Amethyst game with a tiefling in the party.  

	What else?  Since we messed around with wizards, all other spellcasters are out.  That's pretty much it for PHB.  As for monsters, if they are based on mythology, they are in Amethyst as long as we HAVEN'T replaced them already.  So there are no goblins, bugbears, or orcs, because we have boggs, skeggs, and pagus.  No kobolds...puggs.  We have our own dragons as well.  However, we didn't replace trolls or gargoyles.  The idea being that if the monster is in anyway social (they form communities, regardless of their stability), they won't be seen here unless we create them.  

	But the real meat of the post is what the actual book lacks.  We keep our monsters around Heroic tier so you will find few to none in paragon and epic.  Although we have full classes (1-30) and we have paragon paths, we do not have epic destinies.  These were all written but eventually removed because of space concerns (I could remove artwork or story fluff...but I really didn't want to do that).  Certain races not often seen in Canam have also been omitted.  We mention the tenenbri a lot in the game but don't offer them as a race option.  The same goes for pagus or half-pagus races--listed as monsters but not as an available race.  

	Another interesting omission is evil.  Yes, we took out evil.  Originally, we had numerous lifepaths, races, and paragon paths for those wishing to take the dark path of Ixindar.  These were also omitted but not on any ethical reason.  It was logical to remove them all as they could still find themselves bundled together with an expansion supplement later.  

	One strange side effect of these deleted items is that they are propping up in other places.  Issue 3 of Level Up Magazine features the tenenbri race, along with unique lifepaths, paragon paths, and a monster based off their lineage.  If memory recalls, issue 4 will also feature content for Amethyst not available in the Foundations core book.

	So you can expect to still see these concepts and rules eventually.  Once again, it's all hinging on the success of the first book.


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 14, 2010)

Well, obviously I don't need to mention Neuroglyph and his review of Amethyst.  Part 1 is up now; part 2 should be up by the time most people read this.  It is, however, not the only review of Amethyst which has hit the net.  Matt Staggs over at Realms of Fantasy (yes, THE Realms of Fantasy) has reviewed Amethyst for their May/June issue, but you can read it now here.

Watch out for extensive coverage with Gnome's Stew this month as well.  

In other news, our swag package for pre-orders is getting larger.  Now, for those not noticing, all our press releases (as well as our flyer) advertise over 100+ megs of files in our DLC package for those that pre-order Amethyst through your FLGS or through Goodman's site, but Goodman's main page accidentally indicated it was 300+ megs.  Well thankfully, that typo became reality.  Because we are switching to a private downloading site, we are able to make this DLC package larger, close to if not exceeding the 300+ meg promise thrown down by Goodman's page.   I will offer up more detail as I nail down the specifics.  So...more free stuff.  That's good, right?


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 17, 2010)

In Neuroglyph's praise of Amethyst, he did voice some criticisms I would like to address.  

The first, and I placed it there for a reason (thanks Justified) deals with the character roles we assigned our techan classes.  We eventually decided to double title our classes (Defender/Controller, Defender/Leader, etc).  Now, Mike stated that the Grounder is a strange Defender because he doesn't have an at-will ability to mark targets.  Now, he DOES have some marking abilities (about three or four if I recall through the class) but the reason we assigned the Defender position (beyond the fact that marking is not specifically mentioned as being a requirement) was the fact that the Grounder has the capacity to defend his position and prevent enemy advancement.  Area Denial allows you to shoot enemies that get too close.  Meat Shield allows you to hold up in a defense position as well.  He is also a controller as he can lay down area affects to multiple enemies.  

The Marshall is a Defender/Leader and he totally fills that as he DOES have an at-will which marks and he does alter the combat field by moving both allies and enemies around the combat field.  He does have some healing but it is insignificant to the Warlord equivalent.  The Operator is labeled Leader/Striker.  Massive healing means leader but Striker?  Strikers inflict heavy damage to single targets.  Well, the Operator has one of the most powerful at-will's you will ever find, Weapon Savant.  He also has other powerful single target abilities like Pattern Recognition, Weak Spot, Disruption Blast--in fact most of this attack powers involve single target attacks with some inflicting condition.  Now that being said, the Stalker is listed as being a Defender/Striker....yup, that's wrong.  He's a Controller/Striker.  Oh well.  Mistakes do occasionally occur.  

Now, as for the Non-AC bonuses, if you take a real close look at the techan classes, you'll notice their Will Saves don't get much better with time compared to fantasy characters.  Other than drugs and a few implants, it was hard to create items which can boost these.  So we wrote in a fluff piece indicating that techans were especially resistant to enchantment and offered them all a +2 bonus to Will Defense.  That was basically it.

Additionally, Mike brings up the common issue people have--the removal of divine classes.  Firstly, from a crunch point of view, the alteration of these classes to confine into Amethyst's view of "non-gods" may be interpreted as redefining--something the GSL states clearly we cannot do.  Second, canon Amethyst has wizards and magical items (both natural and forged).  It even has alchemy and although a few people exhibit some natural powers, there is nothing in the setting which allows someone to bond with a gate. 

The mentality being that I don't see clerics in Middle Earth.  I don't see clerics in Harry Potter.  Do I sacrifice setting integrity for crunch or do I follow the canon and simply say, no clerics?  I just felt spinning the rules around to find an excuse for Warlocks and Clerics was just that...an excuse.  Amethyst is intended to be a medium to low magic setting, and if there are all these power casters walking around, the entire setting falls into the absurd...in my opinion.  Spellcasters in Amethyst are intended to be rare.  Many people try, but not a lot of them succeed.  As one character says in the novel...

     "If everyone could wave a wand, there'd be anarchy."


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 24, 2010)

Something which has been brought up a lot recently deals with canon and non-canon classes and races from later WOTC publications.  We state with the first PHB which classes are canon and which are not--the guide being that divine classes are all out and the only arcane class is Wizard.  This actually extends to further publications as well.  Amethyst has always been a low-to-medium magic setting.  There is powerful magic but it's rare.  So there should only be one arcane character per group. 

 As for races, the same rule applies--no races other than our own...so let's go back to classes. 

Let's look first at Player's Handbook 2:

Avenger:  A divine class so no.

Barbarian:  This is the tricky one.  While there is nothing to really prevent someone from choosing barbarian, it's something you would never see in my personal Amethyst game...at least if my players were good guys.   Many of the nations in Amethyst are too civilized to really have them.  Still, I won't say they are non-canon.  If anything, I would avoid making these human.  Chaparrans, pagus, sure.

Bards:  If these guys were charismatic leaders with the power to sway the masses with their words (like the way we altered them for Amethyst 3.5 or how Goodman presented them in their book last year), I wouldn't mind...but PHB2 makes them spellcasters...so they're out.

Druid:  Druids were present in the 3.5 Amethyst and we have lifepaths which emulate some of their powers.  This is another tough one.  I would definitely see them with the condition that they are rarer than wizards and nearly always non-human (once again, chaparrans being the best suggestion).

Invoker:  This is another divine class so they are out.

Shaman:  Another primal class and like Barbarians, would be well suited to the wilder races (chaparrans, pagus).  This is another rarity but not against canon.

Sorcerer:  Nope.

Warden:  This one's good but still another common sight with wilder races.

So in conclusion, we can see how this is going.  Arcane and Divine classes are always out.  Primal classes are optional on the condition the fluff matches.  I recommend connecting them to wilder race in Amethyst like Pagus, Half Pagus, and Chaparrans and some humans.  You would never see a primal class with Damaskans, Laudenians, or humans from a kingdom or free house. 

Now to Players Handbook 3:

Here is a shock...I could see allowing Minotaur.  It is a mythological creature based on real legends...so I could see allowing it in canon.

Now PHB3 introduces Psionic classes.  It should be noted that psionics don't technically break canon, but we don't explain why.  For now, let me say that they are not a common sight and would be the rarest class in the game. 

Ardent:  As stated, we would allow Ardent...though we cannot say why yet. 

Battlemind:  Same as above...

Monk:  Despite being called psionics, Monks are good. 

Psion:  Kinda pushing it, this one.  Just saying.  I would avoid it and keep with the other three.

Runepriest:  Divine...waaait.  Not necessarily.  If you homebrew a rule swapping divine runs for Pleroma...I could see allowing it.  This would be really rare and I would only allow it if a player was really begging.

Seeker:   Returning to the Primal conversation with PHB2, this can be included, though it would be rare and more accustomed to wilder races.

So PHB3 spices things up a bit.  For one, we make an exception for Runepriest and give a provisional tolerance to the psionic classes on the condition they be allowed sparingly.

After all is said in done, of the 14 classes in between PHB2 and 3, ten are good to go, though some are more well suited than others.  Personally, I would allow any primal classes if the player wanted to play chaparran.  But beyond that, I would recommend my player group stick with the staples.   

In a strange sense of irony, it should be noted that (with the exception of the necromancer), the classes in both Forgotten Heroes: Scythe and Shroud and Forgotten Heroes: Fang, Fist, and Song are all allowed.  And it's not just because they are also published by Goodman.


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## jeanlee411 (Apr 25, 2010)

Nice! I'll start saving up some scratch for this


great news, i love my seed upgrade.


Any one?


To be continued....

__________________________
Watch The Losers Online Free
Watch The Back-Up Plan Online Free


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 26, 2010)

Couple little points, all of them big.

Firstly, Gnomes Stew has an article where they thoroughly cover the first four chapters of Foundations. They'll be doing a full review in a couple weeks but this is a great article about the character generation in Amethyst.

Amethyst Sneak Peek: First Four Chapters - Gnome Stew, the Game Mastering Blog...

Second, the Pre-Order package has increased yet again. We have created four high-res wallpapers which are being included in the DLC. You can see them below. They won't be available to regular download for some time after the release. They come to us from our resident master painter, Nick Greenwood. I think these are fantastic.


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 28, 2010)

Two things today:

1)  I can happily announce that the PDF of Amethyst will have a small difference from its print version.  Just to remind, the PDF is being released AFTER the print version, not at the same time (to support local game stores).  However, the PDF will be partially in color.  That's right, color.  The powers are color-coded.  The character sheet is in color.  The world maps are in color.  Even a few images in the book are in color.  Not only that, but we are also offering it as a low-ink PDF which reduces strain on inkjet toner.   This version has no background imagery, though it does have art.

2)  Completely unrelated.  From advice from friends, I have joined Webook (Book Publishing Companies - Publishing Books - WEbook Online Company).  I have posted two "first-pages" so far.  One is Amethyst - Aiden's Way (based on game), and the second is a fairy-tale called House of Skye.  If any of you are signed up (or plan on signing up), and if you happen to come across any of these, I hope you will give it a favorable score (Amethyst currently has a 62% approval which is REALLY high for that site and for the number of hits I have).


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## DiasExMachina (May 2, 2010)

Even though "I" haven't gotten my copy of Amethyst 4.0 yet.  Several other people have.  This is real fast, since most stores don't even have their stock yet.  

One customer sent me a photo...


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## DiasExMachina (May 12, 2010)

Amethyst Foundations has JUST squeezed into the deadline for the ENNIES.  

	PHEW!  

	That was close.  It was tight, I will admit.  I know our subtle and reserved Biohazard Zombie Apocalypse mini-module was submitted as well as our Artist Video Podcast.  We are up against some stiff competition JUST to be nominated.  Just for starters, there's Fantasy Flight's Dark Heresy and Green Ronin's Song of Ice & Fire and a little product from Paizo called Pathfinder.   I know I can place Nick Greenwood's art against anyone anywhere, but I also know some people turn a blind eye to B+W artwork, thinking color is the only way to go.  I also hope those not playing 4E can still take the written material on its face value.  I am very proud of the final result, extremely proud.  I will say that if nominated, I will make every effort to personally attend GENCON, disregarding its vast distance from my home town.    Those with a good memory (huh?) will remember that Amethyst 3.5, despite having no major distribution, was still acknowledged with an honorable mention.  

	For Cartography, we have Jeremy Simmons, a real veteran.   Along with Nick, I think we have a real chance at interior and exterior art.  I am really hoping for a cover nod.  Nick deserves all the attention he can get.  

	One of the funnier questions on the GENCON application regards what song we would like to be played if we were to win an award.  Conan and I were given this question in 2008 when it was a possibility we could get nominated.  Taking this very seriously, Conan immediately offered this:  [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntlQpNRfst4&feature=related"]Underwater Music from Super Mario Bros.[/ame]

	Yes that one.  We finally settled on a decision which we repeated in our application this year.  This time we REALLY took it seriously.  We finally settled on this one... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COYRxf13tIg"]You Got the Touch from Stan Bush[/ame].  

We do take the ENNIES seriously and I really really want to win...but that doesn't mean we can't poke a little fun at ourselves.


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## DiasExMachina (May 20, 2010)

Long month for me.  I've been in and out of town on business trips and vacations.  I finally came back into town and found my copy of Amethyst: Foundations snuggled in my mailbox.   It's bigger than I was expecting, thicker than even the Players Handbook.   Have to admit, it looks pretty cool.  

This week, I direct interested parties to HereBeGamers, an Australian Podcast dedicated to role playing games.  They speak highly of Amethyst.  I suggest hearing the whole thing but the Amethyst's coverage begins around the 20 minute mark.

Also, the pre-order period on Amethyst is now done...because the product is now officially on the shelves.  Canadian and international buyers may have to wait a few more days but if you don't see it on the shelf of your local game store, ask them.  To coincide with the release, Goodman Games have updated their site.  You may notice a new banner.  Thanks again to our ever vigilante Nick Greenwood for supplying us with it.

On another topic, I want to throw a shout-out (HEY!) to two specific game stores which have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their support of Amethyst.  

Firstly, I want to mention New Moon Comics out of New Jersey.  They have been amazingly enthusiastic in supporting us.  I honestly think they had the highest number of preorders of Amethyst.  

The other store is Strategies Games and Hobbies out of Vancouver, BC, one of the very first stores to EVER support Amethyst, long before I finally met its owner two weeks ago.  Thanks guys.


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## DiasExMachina (May 23, 2010)

So...first week of Amethyst on the shelf.  How do I feel?  Still paranoid.  Oh well, it happens.  Canadians will still need to wait a few more days before seeing it on their shelves but it shouldn't be much longer.  I know I got mine.  

On a related topic, I have started up a facebook fanpage dedicated to Amethyst.  You can join it here.  I plan on updating it with more artwork and exclusive bits as time trudges on.  Please show your support, join up, and share it with friends.

Also, to those people wanting to dive into the Hearts of Chaos module (like those getting it as DLC from preordering), I have created updated characters to replace those included in the module.  You can find the file here.

The questions have already been rolling in regarding our rules.  I will post the important ones as we go along.   

_Why does high level techan armor have multiple levels?_
Good question. What this means is that the armor counts as multiple items. This is because it does more than just offer an AC bonus. If you buy the armor off the shelf, you can ignore these values. However, if you are making a character at a later level or if you find one and your group is determining who gets it and who doesn't, it's important to know how this armor relates to other items. 

A good example are the power armors. The Apostle Motor slave is a 25/25/14. This means it is 2 level 25 items and a level 14 item. If you look at the description, you can see why. More than just AC, it offer you weapons, resistances, more hit points, amplified strength, etc. It's actually a steal. In the case of the Force Body Vest, it also offers a +1 bonus to Reflex and Fortitude, which is why it also counts as a level 1 item as well as a level 3.

_What  are techan starting currency?_
Unchanged from Player's Handbook. 100 gp/cr for starting characters.
However, please not that you can get additional gear based on lifepath and/or if your group is signed with a specific group. Check out Organizations, as some offer major bonuses (like discounts off all level 1 equipment).

_Are the EDF roll modifiers cumulative or not?_
What that is SUPPOSED to mean is that the number of monsters does not affect the roll, only the number of types of monsters. So that means if there is ONE pagus in the group, the penalty is -1. If there are ten pagus, it is still -1. If there were fifty pagus, boggs, and puggs, it would still be -1. 

Throw in a single dragon, and it goes to -2.

So taking the table into account, if you have four echan players in the party, the techan suffers a -4 to his roll. That is cumulative. However, the number of monsters does not affect the roll, only the number of types. That being said, I do invite GMs to ignore the first penalty (or keep the penalty only at -1) if they really want a mixed group. Like I told my players, I only roll if you are being stupid and flagrant with your mixing of technology and magic. My techan player in my echan group is paranoid enough and I through a couple threats his way, but I am not concerned about rolling every round. It's much more useful as a cinematic device.


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## DiasExMachina (May 30, 2010)

It can now be shouted from the rafters!  The newsreaders are announcing it from their stone pedestals in front of parliament.   Our heralds have the notices and are carrying them to the masses.
*
Amethyst Foundations is now on PDF.  *






Doesn't that look pretty?

One thing you might notice as you browse the PDF...is the color.  Yes, the powers are color-coded in the PDF.  The character sheet at the back is color.  The full size map of Canam is in color.  There are two color images inside the book (Abidan and Limshau).  

Click on the many links to acquire your own digital copy...

http://paizo.com/store/downloads/goodmanGames/4E7b5a3/other4E/v5748btpy8f58

Amethyst: Foundations - Goodman Games | RPGNow.com

Amethyst: Foundations - Goodman Games | DriveThruRPG.com


There has been some talk about Amethyst's approach to classes.  We admitted that we didn't feel obligated to follow the lead of Wizard's design philosophy.  Namely, we didn't feel that we had to create a class which fell into the ironclad role of a leader, defender, controller, or striker.  At one point, we actually considered making up new roles.  

Then we realized that was stupid.  

Beyond the fact that the Stalker is mislabeled as a Defender/Striker when he is intended to be a Controller/Striker, we really felt that we wanted to create a class that looked cool and then we would try to label it.  We had a Grounder which had single target powers and area affects.  With area effects, he becomes a controller.  With a few marking abilities and the class feature Area Denial, we thought Defender was an appropriate title to hang off him.  

The healing surges and capacity to grant attacks to allies easily made the Marshal a leader.  Healing also gave that same title to Operator.  Operator also has some vicious direct fire attacks, also making him a striker.  However, we did receive criticism that the Grounder is not a defender as he cannot mark.  I never considered that mandatory.    His capacity to push enemies from allies and protect the squares said allies inhabit by laying down suppressive fire can be considered a controller or a defender feature.  We consider Area Denial a defender feature.  

If you do have a question or a concern, please come to Dias Ex Machina, register to the forum, and post it.  Let us help you make your gaming experience fair, easy, and balanced.  You can also email me personally if you so desire.  We are running a FAQ on the site as well.  This is not an errata, just a FAQ to clarify certain confusions.


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 4, 2010)

There has been some talk about philosophy.  Not the philosophical points mentioned in Amethyst but the design philosophy of 4th Edition D&D.  There have been comments which have criticized Amethyst for not following the design philosophy of 4th Ed.  What's interesting was that I had no idea we were obligated to do so.

	Back when the 3.0 OGL was making rounds, companies were very quickly finding ways to break the system and alter it to their own needs.  With 4th Edition, the limitations of the GSL prevents some of the extreme tinkering seen with some of the earlier games.  Still, we wanted to see if we could alter some people perspectives in regards to 4th Edition.  This didn't always work out as planned.  

	The first problem was that Amethyst was billed in many circles as the promised 4th Edition Modern WOTC never produced.  As a result, there were many expectations going into the product.  The first issue came with races.  Our races actually have minor penalties to add color and role playing.  This is against the approach in D&D, which only applies bonuses.  A counter argument was offered that since we included human, we needed to have our races balanced to other fantasy races, even those not canon in Amethyst.  I understand that some people want to include non-canon races…so this is something we may address.

	The next issue came with classes.  We designed our four techan classes to enmesh with each other, not with the fantasy classes of D&D.  The first rule we broke came in their creation, where we intentionally didn't assign their roles to define what they could and could not do.  The Grounder was the heavy hitter.  He would have the capacity to prevent enemies from getting too close and to protect his allies as well as lay down area affects from a distance.  We knew he would be a controller but we also felt he had elements of a defender.  But at no point did we ever say to ourselves "He's a controller" or "He's a defender".  We just made him.  We gave the Marshall the marking ability with the capacity of making an ally the source of the mark.  In the Stalker, he was a dual build with controller-like sniping powers and controller-like area-effects.  

	It should be noted that all of these classes were created in the fall of 2008.  This was before similar worded abilities emerged with other classes (like Bard) in later Player's Handbooks.  People assumed we were inspired by hybrid classes.  Hybrids didn't exist when we started.  It was also well before a lot of the later errata emerged.  As a result, in the fall of 2009, we went back before the finished layout stage and made 44 pages of changes to the rules.  Yeah…44 pages of rule changes.  Let me just say, our layout artist Joshua Raynack is an absolute angel.  Alas, we didn't catch all of these required changes.  A few slipped by (like the sustain limitations with Sustain Barrage…sigh). 

	The classes were designed to work with each other, so we didn't think the specific roles needed to be ironclad.  Yes, this could result in a class which may not work as well with a fantasy group.  People could complain that the Grounder is a poor defender or that the Marshal is a poor leader.  These classes could be when compared individually, but a group of four techans will work very well together.  

	What we discovered upon playing was that at a distance, the techans don't move but are forced to move constantly when in close combat.  People noted this.  Some considered it against the design intent of D&D that the techans don't move in a combat encounter.  We neither considered it an issue nor did we ever think of it as being a mandatory requirement that our classes move.  Techan strengths are dependent on the combat theatre.  In the tight confines of many dungeons, techan groups have to be careful to plan out their movement.  There is no isolated combat tactics.  It is all about a team effort.  In my fantasy game, I see my players doing their own thing.  Each character is independent with the healer moving around to help people.  Even the Warlord basically just offers a heal or an attack and doesn't shift the combat area like a Marshal does.  With a techan group, I noticed my very same players talking more with each other, planning out their actions with each other.  They observed later that very same distinction.  We felt it worked.  That and the fact that ranged damage was more severe than close combat damage since ranged fire didn't put you in harm's way.  In a large combat area, the techans would have a full round if not more of free fire before being placed in danger.  Add in the Grounder's area denial and the Marshal's moving ability and you have several moments where the techans are able to offload their weapons without the fear of a counter attack.  This resulted in our damage values for techan powers being slightly lower than melee combat powers in traditional D&D.  

	If you think Amethyst breaks the design philosophy of D&D, heaven forbid what the critics will say about NeuroSpasta.  We have at least two classes that cannot inflict damage at all.  We did away with enhancement and even removed the need to acquire money at every level.

	Next week, out group is going to be recording a second TECHAN PODCAST.  I know.  I know.  Our last was not very informative.  I understand my group is slightly insane (slightly).  They have promised to behave this time and present a combat example you can actually glean information from.  We'll be taking the revised character builds from Hearts of Chaos and running it through a Hearts of Chaos module adventure.  I'll keep you all updated on the progress of that.


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 10, 2010)

*THE FRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI**

PART 1*
Trying to control my group is a futile effort.  This has never been truer than when recording a podcast.   My group sat together to create yet another Techan Podcast, one which we had hoped would properly present our techan characters given the current build of the rules.  This was still an arduous task as my players have neither a mute button nor the discipline to remain focused on the task at hand.  We will not be posting the podcast as, like our humorous Techan Podcast, there is nothing to learn from it.  The article, however, is still good.  This is our extensive coverage…






*Level 6 encounter (xp 1250)*
48 puggs (level 1 minion)
3 skegg pugg-drivers (level 4 brute)

This was an equal size encounter for five level 6 techans.  The opponents consisted of 3 Skegg Pugg Drivers and 48 rabid Puggs.   The characters were as follows (you can download them in detail here: http://www.diasexmachina.com/HeartsOfChaos--NewCharacters.pdf

*KONRAD TOMBS Level 6 Grounder. Played by Conan
WILHELM KAUFF Level 6 Marshal. Played by Grayson
ELIAS HANNOVER Level 6 Operator.  Played by Brad
THEO VANDERSAAR Level 6 Stalker. Played by Mike
JIMMY FELDT Level 6 Operator.  Played by Chris *

Initiative was rolled.  I placed 12 puggs and one skegg on the table.  Every round for three rounds, I add 12 more puggs and one more skegg, and on the final round, I added the final group of puggs.

*Initiative*
29 Mike/Stalker
21 Grayson/Marshal
18 Monsters
17 Chris/Operator
13 Brad/Operator & Conan/Grounder
*
ROUND 1*
The beginning of the battle had 13 opponents placed 20 squares away.  At first, the Grayson the Marshal and Mike the Stalker held back, defaulting to their fantasy roots of allowing enemies to close distance.  I had to stop and remind them that at 20 squares, they were in range of all their weapons.  In fact, the extra round of fire proved vital.  






_(Use your distance.  Fighters want to run up.  Rogues want to sneak.   The Fighter must draw the fire from the Wizard.  Techans don’t have a wizard role.  Grounders don’t need to move until the enemy gets close.  Use distance.  Plant Area Denials and attack the closest threats.  Prevent their advance.  It is about team work and players thinking like fantasy characters will quickly become overrun)_

So we retracted a round and allowed the Stalker to and Marshal to attack.  Grayson the Marshal offered his attack to Mike the Stalker to use Combat Theatrics again after using it on his round.  He took out four puggs from six attacks.

The puggs charged at full speed but did not get to adjacent squares on their round.  This left Chris the Medical Operator to Double Tap and take out two more.  Brad the Mechanic Operator followed up and lobbed a grenade into a crowd of puggs, attacking three, and missing every single one of them.  Oh dear.  Conan the Grounder launched his wall3 Rapid Fire, hurting a skegg for 8 damage and taking out two more puggs.  He then placed his area burst 1 Area Denial in front of the group to attack any target that crossed that area.

*ROUND 2*
Mike the Stalker used Combat Theatrics again, this time on the injured Skegg driver in the lead.  He only hit once, dealing 9 damage.  Grayson the Marshal, knowing a good thing, used Make Room again to allow Mike the Stalker three more attack with Combat Theatrics.  Mike did so, killing three more puggs.  Grayson then added in his move action Spotter ability, giving Conan the Grounder a +1 power bonus to attack the injured Skegg.

_
(Just because you don’t want to move doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use your move.  Every class has move powers at 1st level and most classes have move powers which can actually attack enemies)_

This got interesting, as 12 more puggs and another Skegg landed on the table and immediately double run across the board.  Because the puggs outnumbered the players more than 3-to-1, they gained bonuses to both attack and damage.  One pugg ran through Conan the Grounder’s Area Denial and was instantly attacked and killed.  The surviving puggs from the first wave reached base to base, two on Brad the Mechanical Operator, one on Grayson the Marshal.  Both puggs attacking Brad hit, inflicting 10 damage from Sticks and Stones.  The other attacking Grayson the Marshal missed as does the skegg on Brad the Mechanical Operator

Chris the Medical Operator lobbed his grenade into a dense group of five puggs, taking out four of them.  Brad the Mechanical Operator followed up by activating his daily I Think I Got It Angry which can inflict 3[W] damage on a hit.  He attacked an undamaged Skegg, but misses.  Conan the Grounder ended the round by placing Area Denial again in front of the second wave of puggs and did a another Rapid Fire attack, killing two puggs and injuring the leading skegg driver again for 5 damage.






*
END PART ONE*


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 16, 2010)

I will be posting the second part of our "Fridge over the River Kwai" soon but I wanted to mentioned a podcast over at The Tome Show. You can find it here...

The Tome Show » Blog Archive » Tome 137: Amethyst Foundations

They critique Amethyst's approach to 4E Design philosophy but they praise the final product. The podcast summarizes with an interview I gave with them last week. I think it and I came off pretty good.


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 18, 2010)

Two points today:

1) Kobold Quarterly has posted a review of Amethyst Foundations.

2) The public has demanded and we have answered. You can now download the Amethyst Character Sheet. It has editable field codes.


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 27, 2010)

FRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI
Sorry for the delay.  So here we are, returning to our battle from two weeks ago.

ROUND 3
Mike the Stalker unleashed his Grand Slam ability that attacks a target up to three times as long as the target is not bloodied on the second Skegg, hitting twice.  Grayson the Marshal offered up Make Room again, giving Mike the Stalker another round of Combat Theatrics, taking out two more puggs.






The puggs assaulted and swarmed the group.  However, they were unable to dish out much damage.  Meanwhile, the final puggs and another Skegg charged from the edge.  Conan the Grounder was hit thanks to the reach on the Skegg’s prodder.  He was also surrounded by three puggs and a skegg.  Chris the Medical Operator was hit twice by puggs, taking 10 damage.  

Since Chris the Medical Operator was trapped in close combat, he shifted a square back out of combat.  He then followed-up by Weak Spot, doing 9 damage and weakening one of the Skeggs.  Brad the Mechanical Operator used the Weapon Savant ability on the Skegg Chris just damaged, doing 10 damage and finally killing it.  Conan used Head Down which allowed him to move out of dire situation and gain a bonus to AC.  He also could not grant combat advantage though he could be hit with opportunity attacks.  However, with a 25 AC with Head Down, he escaped harm.  He then lobbed his last grenade, taking out three puggs.

ROUND 4
Mike the Stalker unleashed another round of Combat Theatrics, taking out two more puggs.  Grayson offered Make Room to Mike the Stalker, who repeated his attack, doing 19 damage.  The skegg is still alive.  Mike is also out of ammo on both pistols.






Conan the Grounder was now out in the open.  With his ability still working from his previous round, his 25AC  prevents most attacks as he is surrounded on all sides by puggs and 2 skeggs.  Even with this, two puggs still hit inflicting 8 damage.

Brad the Operator used a legal maneuver (unfortunately) to lob a grenade at Conan the Grounder’s feet.  Six puggs are hit and killed.  The skegg is knocked prone.  Conan the Grounder was shockingly not hurt (hmmm).  Conan moved from the mayhem around him and used Covering Fire on the less damaged Skegg.  He hit, doing 8 points of damage and immobilizing the target.  However, the skegg’s ability allowed it to strike back with reach, hurting Conan in a counterattack for 12 points of damage.  Conan was bloodied.

Chris the Operator ended the round by using Natural Healer on Conan the Grounder, recovering 17 hit points, and then attacked a skegg, missing him.






ROUND 5
Mike’s flagrant ammunition usage caught up with him and he was forced to use two move actions to reload both pistols, taking him out of this round.  Grayson uses Stick to the Plan, which was a 2[W] damage hit with an ally move.  He attacked the immobilized skegg, inflicting 16 damage.  He then shifted two allies (Conan and Brad) away from close combat with the remaining puggs and skeggs.  

Despite the skegg being immobilized, it has reach and attacked Conan the Grounder, doing another 10 damage.  It then threw a pugg with its minor action, moving it to base with Conan the Grounder, hitting as well, and doing 2 damage.  Another pugg attacked Conan the Grounder and missed.

Chris delayed his turn to go after Brad and Conan.  Brad the Operator attacked the other skegg with Move to Assist, a 2[W] attack which allowed a shift and an ally heal.  His attack hit, doing 9 damage.  Conan shifted back a square and laid down Rapid Fire, killing two more puggs.  Chris ended the round using Field Shot, doing 14 damage on a skegg and shifting two squares back away from combat.






ROUND 6
Mike the Stalker opened the round with Kinetic and Fluid, which allowed an attack, shift 4 squares, then another attack.  His first attack hits, killing the lead skegg.  He shifted but since the power must target the space opponent, he is unable to make his follow-up attack. 






Grayson the Marshal directed Mike to make another round of Combat Theatrics, hitting twice, and killing the last Skegg as well.  

This ends combat.

The end of the battle resulted in total victory for our techans.  Two characters had been reduced to half hit points but a timed heal from the Operator fixed that.  We discovered many things from this battle, the most important being that the presumed imbalances claimed by some people appear to be based on individual experiences based on the battles at hand.   When we ran the encounter, the Stalker was the single most powerful class in the game.  Combat Theatrics was devastating to both large targets and minions.  With a Marshal on the table, the leader would use Make Room and offer yet another attack with the Stalker, offloading Combat Theatrics a second time.  Meanwhile, the Grounder is placing Area Denials on the table, forcing enemies to suffer an attack when they cross it.

Lobbed grenades cleared out the minions and the Grounder continued his controller roll by launching both Strafe and Rapid Fire attacks.  One is an at-will wall3 attack while the other is an encounter wall3 which includes a move.  

The techan characters were designed to enmesh with each other, not with fantasy characters.  When they do, their defined roles change.  A Stalker’s role changes depending on this power choices, the same as Operator.  The Grounder is controller unless paired with a Marshall.  Add in certain powers, and he takes on properties of a Defender.

That being said, we are endeavoring to make our rules more comfortable to new players.


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 6, 2010)

We have two big announcements...coming.  One will be the release of the next Amethyst book.  The second will be the release of the Amethyst errata.  I can't go into any details at the moment on either, other than the fact they are coming. 

I will say the errata will include clarifications and minor changes to existing presented rules.  We are also working on an "Expanded Rules" section which will expand the playability of the classes, races, monsters, and lifepaths presented.  Both these will obviously be free (though they will be included in our next book for both of our fans that don't own computers.

Yes, we are working on a new book.  The problem is…I'm not sure what to call it...

Dias Ex Machina Games • View topic - Amethyst, Book 2 - Choose its title

 Check out the link and cast your vote or speak your mind here:

DEFIANCE

FACTION

VENDETTA

FRACTURE


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 9, 2010)

Today marks an important day.  July 9th happens to be my birthday.  Also it marks the announcement of an Amethyst errata.  Yes…believe or not, we have an errata.  I am sure we may expand it later, but for now it is 3 pages.  It includes obvious errors and modifications but it also includes additional rules to enhance game balance and to more properly define the roles of the techan classes.  In addition, we’ll be doing a podcast to detail these changes, answer questions, and offer a few homebrew rules we are not including in the errata.  I’ll keep you updated on that as well.  For now, here are a few noteworthy amendments being added into the errata:

*PAGE 61:*  Replace the text for the Brotherhood class feature with the following text.

*BROTHERHOOD*
If an ally is hit by any marked target (in which you are the source of the mark), you may initiate a basic attack against the marked target as an immediate interrupt.

*PAGE 62*:  For the Double Tap at-will power, add the following Special entry.

*Special: * You cannot select this at-will as your basic attack.

*PAGE 72: * Add the following Marshal class feature.

*AS ONE*
At 11th level, when you grant yourself or an ally a basic attack (via power, feature, or feat), gain a +1[W] bonus to the hit.  This can only apply to hits that inflict at least 1[W] damage.

*PAGE 95: * In the Combat Theatrics at-will power, add the following Special entry.

*Special:*  You cannot score a critical hit with this power.  You still automatically hit with a natural 20.  

Expect the errata in the following week but those that pre-ordered, worry not.  Those that pre-ordered Amethyst Foundations will have the errata mailed directly to you (well, the download link at least).  Not only that, those that pre-ordered will get it sooner (within 24 hours of the posting of this message).


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 15, 2010)

Goodman Games and Dias Ex Machina are now presenting the Amethyst Errata.  Although many of its points are from concerns we had late in the game’s development, the vast majority came as a result from buyer feedback. It may not be the last but we feel comfortable this covers the vast majority of issues. The errata contains corrections, modifications, and additional rules to improve game balance.

In addition, we will soon be posting a podcast to detail these changes, answer questions, and offer a few homebrew rules not included in the errata.


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 23, 2010)

In order help ease people into the new Amethyst errata, Conan and I sat down with the document along with the FAQ an explained it all in a helpful PODCAST.  We are as civilized as always. Along with answering questions, we also supply a few extra rules not offered in the errata that go into our personal game.  It runs about 65 minutes after I cut about 45 minutes of Conan’s bodily functions.  

Heed warning, I do believe certain vulgarities slipped through.  With us, putting a microphone on us is like throwing gasoline on a flame.


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 28, 2010)

I really like this one.  I think this guy really got it.

World vs. Hero: Spotlight World: Amethyst Foundations


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 8, 2010)

The first piece of “leaked?” art for the second book of Amethyst (title still pending) has been released.  This is a sketch and not the final work.  You can find it below as well but it’s been available on Amethyst’s facebook page for several days now.  Check there for more posts and sketches.  







The second book is at about 88,000 words so far.  This is not including the new techan class being offered.  Also expect to be able to go evil in this one, with rules on Ixindar and corrupt races.  

As some you know, neither I nor Goodman Games are attending GenCon.  This does not mean in any way we are dropping 4th Edition or gaming in general.  I’m half-way across the country for one thing.  HOWEVER, for those at GenCon, if you happen to see Amethyst related areas (games, booths, etc).  Please take a photo and post it.  Thanks all.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 10, 2010)

Two points today, both involving interesting posts on the DEM forums.  

The first regards the definition of disruption and how it affects classes.  Martial classes are not magic but the items they wield are.  So someone asked if a techan class could dive into fantasy multiclass feats.  And the answer is yes, absolutely.  

Humans can choose any of the available classes listed, so the four techan classes and the growing list of fantasy (from PHB1, 2 and 3) save for divine and psionic paths (and all arcane save for two). When you choose a class, you fall into the role of echan or techan human at that point...well...not technically. Yes, if you chose a techan class, you are a techan human. When you start using magic, you turn echan, but you could be a techan human fighter and until you start using magic, the choice to wield tech is still there. It’s when you start to use and carry magic when things get difficult.  

You can ABSOLUTELY select fantasy multiclass feats if you are a techan class. Obviously, you would have to stick with martial class multiclass feats but that still allows you to tap into fighter, ranger, rogue, warlord, etc. 

And by the way, this should also work for hybrids as well. Until you start using magic items, you are still open to use technology.  This works the other way around to.  Pick a fighter and grab a techan multiclass feat.  Or better still pick that along with the Crossroad's Drifter lifepath.  Grab an immune gun and presto, you're a magical fighter with double barreled shotgun...all perfectly legal and canon in Amethyst.

The second point involves our motivation for having limitation in the canon Amethyst setting.  Specifically, the point involves our "mindset" and if we were still thinking like 3rd Ed player or 4th Ed players.  The answer is that there was no "game mindset” when we created Amethyst. It's a very specific playground, as specific as playing in Middle Earth, Harry Potter, or A Song of Ice and Fire. That was the mindset, as a novel or non-game setting that was adapted into a game, rather than a game setting built from the ground up.

This was first brought up with The Tome Show. They mentioned Amethyst is about saying no while 4th Ed is about saying yes.  Obviously, I have issues with that.  Games, by definition, must limit player freedom. 4th Edition does say no, as do DMs. They say no all the time. Classes are limited in their roles. Powers have specific attributes tied to them (oddly enough NeuroSpasta counters this by offering incredible adaptability). My group made a joke recently that 4th Edition gives the illusion of freedom but in actually is nearly as limiting as the previous edition.

Amethyst has a lot of detail, but I wouldn't say it limits freedom anymore than playing in Middle Earth or Song of Ice and Fire. I think people were expecting Amethyst to be Eberron, meaning its everything D&D offers plus ours. Amethyst was written as a separate setting away from D&D and then it was adapted into 4th Edition.

There was a mindset, but it was not 3rd- or 4th-oriented. Amethyst was a setting created in 1992 and this is an adaption of that setting, in as much as the aforementioned fantasy novels mentioned above. Of course, a lot of people just want the techan rules for their own custom-created game. Some others adapt Amethyst to their own voice, which is also supported and encouraged. 

This is only the official canon Amethyst setting. You are free to do what you wish in your own custom game. It's also ironic that WOTC, encouraging "yes", released the GSL, which limited the freedom of 3rd Party Games. “No” and “Yes” and interchangeable. It is correct that we say no to divinity. There is a very good reason why (as further reinforced by the GSL) they were removed. We could also say that we say yes to technology, yes to power armor, yes tanks and robots. We say yes to druids, barbarians, fighters, rogues, shamans, rangers, monks, and others. We have a massive world the size of North America and detail less than 1% of its landmass. 4th Ed has one elf race, we have three. Our humans are the same with additional options for techan paths. In the next book, we say yes to evil races, corrupt magic, and invaders from another planet (might said too much).

You may be surprised some of interesting ideas I have seen players come up with. One DM on the WOTC forum told me of a player that is using a Warforged template to create a robot PC. I think that's really clever. Another group simply pushed more into D&D and has an Amethyst party with tieflings. My group involves the following:

Techan Stalker
Human Monk
Tenenbri Wizard
Narros Ranger
Gimfen Rogue
Human Warlord

The wizard is off and on (more off) so we are about to add a techan grounder into the fray in a few weeks.

Here is another interesting oddity: Next week, we are taking a break from our regularly scheduled campaign to run a one-off WOTC dungeon WITHIN the architecture of Amethyst. It is P3-Assault on Nightwyrm Fortress. There shouldn't be a lot of alterations to make it work. This group consists of a damaskan melee-ranger, a chaparran archer-ranger, a pagus shaman, a pagus barbarian, and a kodiak warden. Not sure why a scholarly and civilized damaskan is wandering around with a bunch of uncultured warmongers but hey, whatever.

Also remember, we removed divine only because the GSL prevented us from modifying them to work within our framework. If we could have, we would have removed the proof-of-god-requirement and fluffed them back in. You're more than welcome to do the same.  We also made an exception for runepriest. Also note that all primal classes are in, including druid.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 16, 2010)

NeuroSpasta has crossed its last "T" and dotted its last "I".  It now stands ready.  Anyone that has been tapped for playtesting, if you have not faxed in or emailed the NDA, now is the time.  For those still interested, from the date of this post you have 48 hours before the files go out.

We recently added super heavy weapons, action set pieces, and general combat encounters.

Another addition is an optional rule I want to throw out there for people to read and gauge their interest.  It may help people wanting a more traditional role-playing game without being tied down to tracking every 24-hour period.


*OPTIONAL RULE –
EXTENDED RESTS, POWER RESETS, & MILESTONES *
Simply put, there are NO extended rests in NeuroSpasta.  The GM may allow them at the end of an adventure, with the GM determining when said adventure is officially over.  The rules regarding extended rests are ignored (and in effect removed) until the adventure is concluded.  If the game is considered one unbroken campaign, this rule is still in effect, meaning the resetting of powers and healing surges can only occur through the use of milestones.
*Milestones:*  When you reach a milestone, not only do you gain an action point, you also recover ¼ of your total healing surge value (round down), and can reset one daily power (daily attack or daily utility).  At 11th level, you can reset two daily powers instead of one and at 21st level, you can reset three daily powers.  However, at these additional tiers, you still only regain ¼ healing surges and one action point.  If in a fantasy game, the resetting of one magic item’s daily power does not count towards your resetting of others.


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## DiasExMachina (Aug 25, 2010)

I am not one to rant.  Over the past few months, Amethyst has had numerous positive reviews. In fact, I would say we've been blessed.  Of course, it's not all been smelling roses.  We've fielded our critics.  Even the ones that love us have commented on certain decisions we made in service to the setting.  One of the biggest changes we made concerned the lack of gods.  Since Amethyst is set in the real world, we couldn't have proof of god/s.  Therefore, we removed divine classes, as we could not alter them to fit fluff per GSL.  I note The Tome Show, although praising the final product, mentioned this as a sticking point.  The interviewer even asked me that exact point.  Amethyst says no when the new mindset says yes.  Beyond the fact that this is not true (as I feel like a broken record saying), I have explained that Amethyst is not a D&D setting but a fantasy setting using D&D base architecture.  

Well, now we have a new D&D setting, Dark Sun, which is a return to an old setting I never played.  Yup, full disclosure, I ran Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms and even Spelljammer for a short time, but I simply missed out on Dark Sun, despite the appeal the setting actual has on me.  I didn't know a lot of the specifics, including regarding the new 4th Edition update.  That being said, imagine my surprise upon being told that divine classes are nowhere to be found in this new setting.  Wow.  No divine classes.  Of course, WOTC also says that you can make an exception with a rule saying a cleric is a primal class instead of a divine class…which is great.  Too bad GSL stipulations prevent us from saying the same thing.  As it is, we are putting a lifepath in the next book that offers a loophole, but we only inserted this because of the backlash we received for removing divine in the first place.  And here is a first party D&D setting doing the exact same thing.  I am laughing…on the outside and the inside.  So I guess it's okay if WOTC does it but heaven forbid a third party company does something against expectations.  

…sigh…yes well; this is what happens when you try to be different.  With NeuroSpasta, we are offering non-combat classes and free enhancement without the need of buying gear.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 1, 2010)

To say there has been no activity has been an understatement.  On the contrary, I've been working so hard, I have had no time to do much else.  After only a month of playtesting NeuroSpasta, I have already made over 300 changes to character classes alone.  Among the many amendments include adjusting class power level to balance with other 4th Edition D&D classes, even ones seen in later publications.  We have made the non-combat classes better by making their non-damaging powers even more effective.  

Meanhwhile, in Amethyst, We have locked down our three new races for the book (Pagus, Kodiak, Tenenbri) and are polishing up the mixed martial arts-inspired vanguard class.  

Oh and this…


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 11, 2010)

There has been a real debate among the playtesters of late.  It pretty much resolved itself but I wanted to share what it was and why.  It also involved a friend of mine that runs a very successful D&D blog site.  Since he hasn't mentioned the conversation, I won't mention who it was.    

Anyway, the entire topic dealt with the design philosophy of WOTC and if 3rd party publishers have an obligation to follow it.  I heard about this a couple times.  About the "yes" mentality instead of "no".  My opinion, and my entire group agrees, that yes and no are interchangeable depending on how you word your question.  You can word a question in order to get a yes/no response and have it say exactly the same thing.  A game is about yes and no.  No DM in the world says yes to everything.  A game has rules...rules are a series of no's and yes's.  Plus there is such a thing as "Yes, but why" which is still a "no" (Elf gives you bow and Dex bonuses…so…Fighter?)  4E gives the illusion of freedom while still as constricting as most other games.  Alignments (something I never agreed with) impose a moral view you may not agree with (and there are fewer in 4E).  People cannot all be settled into four profiles.  

When 4E PHB1 came out, the roles imposed by these new classes absolutely shoehorned you into a specific way of thinking.  In fact, people say Amethyst says no, while we have Lifepaths that modify classes (custodian), and then we introduce techan classes that say, "hell with roles, we're doing what we want."  We offered dual-role options and classes more malleable depending on how you created it.  

Then we got criticism about that to.  Some people WANTED those defined role--those series of absolute yes's and no's.  We present techan classes, which many people thought couldn't be done.  We said, yes...here...guns...go at it.  But the setting--the thing that is NOT 4E D&D--says these two worlds are separate.  One critic said "that's a no".  Then I countered, "Run a canon Middle Earth game.  Would you, as a DM, say yes to someone wanting to bring in a tiefling?  Saying yes to everything leads to chaos...yes...I very much know the irony in that.  People create settings all the time that limit options.  

This leads me to Dark Sun.  Amethyst disallowed divine classes.  Now Dark Sun has done the same.  What Dark Sun has done is nothing bad.  I love they did it...because it shows that this mentality moving through critics is a paradigm that WOTC doesn't completely endorse.  They know that certain settings will limit options.  They are retroactively paving the way for us.  Not every setting has to have every race and every class.  Not every game has to be Forgotten Realms and Eberron.  Dragonlance limits options, so does Middle Earth or Dark Sun.

In 3.5 Amethyst, we allowed divine classes because we could redefine them as tapping an undefined power from the gate some people "claimed" as divine.  We created (as some have said) the single best paladin prestige class in all of 3.5.  It had powers based on an internally defined virtue.  In some places, people use such power without being religious.  In 4E, with limits on the GSL, we could not do that, so I took them out.  

Why couldn't we just ignore it?  Well, that means we allow the proof of god/s.  This is very dangerous in many ways.  If we allow a priest to have divine powers and cleric to have divine powers, this forces a proof of god into the setting in some readers.  You have dozens of people with divine powers, each that verify their god as fact…and thus rendering them all false, as they can't all be true.  We could say, "Your faith gives you power, not your god."  Well, that's heretical as well.  We're not smoothing the waters by saying "sure, go at it."

Amethyst is not a Dungeons and Dragons setting.  It's Amethyst using 4th ED architecture.  DMs and players don't need me to give them reasons to change it.  We list the canon setting as it is and let the group alter it how they see fit.  The canon setting has limited magic use.  So I disagreed with those few critics saying Amethyst follows a 3rd Edition mentality of saying "no."  That would be like saying Harry Potter follows a 3rd Edition mentality by saying no, or Song of Ice and Fire, or any other setting established as a fantasy over just a D&D Campaign.  In the end, I think that was the issue.  Some people expected a setting that was just "Guns on top of Forgotten Realms".  Well, you can do that.  Grab the guns and classes and away you go.  That's not Amethyst.  I didn't want to use virtue as I did in 3.5 because I felt that was a cheat.  You can spend years reading books to cast a spell or you could just "believe" really hard.  

Now, a point came up that we have demons, therefore hell, but not heaven or angels.  The demons of Ixindar are only called that because that is the word people use.  They look nothing like demons.  They don't call each other demons.  It is the conflict of chaos and order.  They have spellcasters.  We have spellcasters.  They have monsters.  We have monsters (we actually have a lot more monsters).  They don't have evil clerics, so neither do we.  It is incorrect to assume Ixindar is hell.  People like saying it is, but there is no fire or brimstone, no forked-tail devils.  Religion made these connections and they are not all true.  Just the same, Attricana is sure as beans not Heaven.  Nearly all monsters on this Earth are from its influence.  Trolls, ogres, dragons, all sorts of abominations, all from Attricana.  

I wanted to enforce the idea that WE, the human race, are still the same from modern day.  The issues over religion and faith are unchanged.  I wanted it to be a mirror of our real world, which means divine power is delegated to holy books and bad Kirk Cameron films.  

What does this have to do with our playtesting?  Nothing…well, not exactly nothing.  I'll explain it all next time…


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 1, 2010)

I am sure fans are wondering about the lack of updates (Bob).  The reason for my recent absence can be tracked to LivingDice.com.  Starting this week, I'm handling guest blog duties while the website's operator is held up with a broken appendage.  

I'm not sure for how long this gig will run.  My first feature was posted on Wednesday, dealing with the lack of 3rd party products that try to push or bend the system.  Next time, I deal with a slightly less inflammatory topic—as to why does Dungeons & Dragons require the inclusion of deities.    

Additionally, I have also joined the staff of Emerald Press as part of the Combat Advantage team.  Through its distribution and pages, I hope to share details on future products through DEM, mostly the upcoming release of Ultramodern4.

Links to share:

LivingDice.com
Home - Emerald Press PDF Publishing


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 7, 2010)

The Social Network is an awesome film and let's move on…

The title is set.

The decision has been made.  Our finalists are Amethyst:  Fracture and Amethyst:  Factions (with Fracture in the lead).  We decided to go with Amethyst:  Factions.  That being said, there is a possibility Factions may be the third book, not the second.  More on that in the next few weeks.

Also, anyone seen the new game, Brink?  I did and I found this…






That is concept art from the game.  






And this is the preview for NeuroSpasta and Ultramodern4.  Our image was commissioned and completed late last year.  Just wanted to make sure people know that. 

...and ours is better... 

I'm not accusing anyone.   I know this is a pure coincidence as both probably took inspiration from this image…






Finally, some of you may know that before Amethyst and DiasExMachina.com, I ran a fanpage called SerenaDawn.com.  DEM is hosted off the SerenaDawn account.  That original site actually gathers more hits and unique visits than DEM's site, probably because SerenaDawn is old.  It's really old.  How old?  Well, let's just say that I've owned the address longer than Gabe and Tycho have owned Penny Arcade.  In 2008, I discontinued my blog on that site.  I maintain it because it's a part of my life I don't need to sacrifice.  On it are my old free game adaptations.  There used to be quite few, but I've limited it to Pathfinder (a science fiction game using GURPS that predated Firefly/Serenity—for those that check), my renown Alien-FUZION RPG (the site's largest attraction) and the last project I did before committing to Amethyst, a Ghost in the Shell D20 conversion.  

I bring this up because a guy named Gershom Reese Wetzel created a truly fantastic character sheet for the Ghost in the Shell D20 RPG.  It's really good.

http://www.serenadawn.com/Files/Ghost-in-the-Shell-D20-RPG-CharacterSheet.pdf


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 17, 2010)

Amethyst Factions is moving right along and is still expected this winter.  I can confirm that not only will we be offering three new races (pagus, kodiak, and tenenbri), but also new lifepaths (including a loophole to put clerics back in the game).  On the side of magic, we're finally including the ultra-powerful foundation spells along with mystic rituals.  For technology, we have weapons designed around the new "nuclear" keyword, super-heavy weapons, and larger powered armor (up to 30 tons).  Aircraft are being included from the single-seated York Wasp to the massive Selkirk Armored Zeppelin.  Armor piercing, high-explosive, hollow-point, tracer, and rubber rounds are being offered as alternate ammunition.  And that's not all…

I feel like a rep from Ronco.     

We mentioned a new echan/techan class, the vanguard.  Along with the class, we're also including alternate class features and powers for all four original techan classes from Foundations.  These are substitute features that replace existing features, like the grounder's Action Shot class feature, which replaces his Area Denial power.  Each class will also offer a dozen new alternate powers including a sixth 1st level at-will option.  

What else?  Eight new paragon paths.  Twelve epic destines.  100+ feats.  Yes, that's right, over one hundred new feats tied specifically to races, classes, lifepaths, and regions.  Every race gains new feats that boost racial abilities and alter their class.  With techans, we have more firearm feats and a whole bunch of vehicle- and explosive-based feat powers.  I haven't even gotten into the twenty-plus mixed martial arts powers we cooked up.  

…As for the second half of the book…  

Demons are finally making their appearance, raising the stakes and advancing the setting.  More monsters, both technological and organic.  After all of this, we end it all with a huge chapter detailing ways to create and run your own Amethyst game along with a bunch of story-based mini-adventures you can run.

We still have enough content for another book but I think this is good for now.  After Factions comes Ultramodern and NeuroSpasta.


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## davidwillson (Oct 18, 2010)

DiasExMachina said:


> You see, originally, we had stat boosts for techans via a nano/micromachine injections, an idea I carried over from my free Ghost in the Shell D20 RPG from Serena Dawn.  Basically, it was a way for techans to up their stats without having to wear powered armor all the time.  The problem with them was the fluff.  By definition, they were high-tech, and thus hard to find.  Technically, they would also be expensive.  I stated earlier that a Tech Level is now an enhancement bonus (and also sometimes an item bonus) to various applications including hit and damage bonus (Didn't I mention that?  Oh well, I did now).  So in effect, the micromachine injections would be breaking the rules unless we only offer them at a +4 bonus, making techan characters underpowered in respect to a fantasy party until they got them.
> 
> To explain the rest, I need to set the "way-back" machine to last week when I was creating enhanced equipment for technology.  The lazy approach (and hopeful this won't upset other companies doing it like this) to creating said gear would be to create cloned equipment that operate exactly like their fantasy counterpart....like a cloak of techno-invisibility or cyber gauntlets of robot power (I know Jibblets is going to declare that a super awesome idea...I'm waiting).  I decided against it and instead created items that would logically offer said bonuses based on probable progress.  So, even though we still have goggles of darkvision (Infrared nightvision headset) the majority of the other items make sense.  This unfortunately opened a gap in technology.  There was simply not enough technology for 30 levels of techans.  I mean, when you actually add up all the fantasy magic items, we are talking over 600.  There cannot be six levels of aforementioned infrared goggles.  I even had to invent generic power armor with scaling costs from 175,000 to 3,000,000 to offer some variety.  Therefore, this left a significant gap, specifically, with cloaks.  Some powered armor offer additional enhancement bonuses to Reflex and Fortitude but they don't offer anything to Will.  All techan players have a bonus to will because of their resistance to magic (until they welcome it in), but there is simply no techno-cloak to offer bonuses to Reflex, Will, and Fortitude.
> 
> ...



As many have read, there is an update to the GSL  coming soon (most likely after GenCon) which will address certain  issues 3PPs have had with the wording.  They promise (or hope being a  better word) to alleviate restrictions within the license.  How will  this impact the development of Amethyst?

__________________
watch movies online


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 19, 2010)

I can't make any assumptions until said GSL update is offered.  I will repeat as I often said that Amethyst was made better because of the GSL, as it forced us to create original content, where before we might have just re-branded an old monster.  

I assume that any GSL would be offered to update to the current rules compendium, but more importantly, to the essential classes (like in Heroes of Fallen Lands).  The point is the rules were altered but it doesn't affect the core experience, and even if they don't change the GSL, it doesn't prohibit us from addressing the evolved game.  

For example, we could offer "Essential" alternatives to techan classes without an update to the GSL.  Goodman did the same thing with the first 4E modules they released before the GSL was official.  We just can't directly reference an Essentials product.  It is something we are seriously looking at for the next book.  

As for clerics (something a lot of people are bringing up), we are offering a loophole in Factions to permit their inclusion.  But the setting won't change one bit...


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 23, 2010)

The news today deals with Essentials and how it affects the future of DEM.  Recently, WOTC…released…another…update…to D&D.  This one reflects most of the design changes showing up in Essentials.  It doesn't directly alter the original classes but makes the system receptive to the new ones arriving with the Essentials line.  I neither purchased the Red Box nor the Rules Compendium, though I did have the opportunity to read the latter.  Funny story there, when I sat down at a table at my local gaming hole, I found an open copy of Amethyst next to me.  Being idiot that I am, the first thought that entered my mind was, did I open this book like four months ago and it's been open ever since?  No, someone was reading it.  Beyond that, the rules aren't dissimilar to the rules in the original 4E…IF you update it, which I have done.  

By the way, don't do that.  

I spent six hours pasting rules directly into my books and the result is efficient but appalling upon a cursory examination.  It was necessary when dealing with creating monsters, which I am currently doing for the next Amethyst book.  I did, however, purchase the new Heroes of Fallen Lands.  I now understand the mind of Mearls.  Do I approve?

Actually, yes.  

As a player of D&D.  

As a business man trying to write within their system, it's somewhat frustrating.  For one, they rewrote mount rules, meaning if you had chosen a Kannos Kavalier, everything the path and paragon offers…you can now do for free.  So we may need to address that.  WOTC also retroactively changed their races.  This means Amethyst should do so as well.  At least this way, there is a precedent.  Therefore, expect to see an update relatively soon from DEM regarding new revised races for the original Foundations.  This will only be the stat block and not a complete reprinting of the race.  Those that pre-ordered will get it first, followed by everyone on our facebook page, and then after it will find itself on DEM's website.

Will we do the same for the classes as well?  Noooo.  4E is a specific sandbox and Essentials, though using the same rules, feels like a different sandbox.  So we won't be erasing the mechanics of the original Foundations classes.  That would be cruel and unnecessary.  We already announced that the next book will be a partial splat book, offering alternate features and powers for all the techan classes (as well as a new class, the vanguard).  What we are currently playing with is the possibility of offering an "Essential" build to each of our techan classes.  So far, the experiment has appeared promising.  The end result will require someone to own both Foundations and Factions but if you do own both books, you'll be able to create traditional 4E techan classes as well as "Essential" techan classes.  For those not endorsing or not liking Essentials, don't worry.  We haven't embraced it whole cloth.  The Vanguard will be offered in both formats.  All those alternative powers are not available to someone using the Essential build.  The final Factions word count is incredibly over-budget, meaning it may have to be split in half.  I may get groans for this except that I won't be charging you full price for each book…in fact, it'll be about half.  But if this does happen, it will be separated into a player supplement and a campaign supplement, which may be a good idea in any case.  

As for my opinion on Essentials, personally, I think I'll reserve that for a Living Dice article...

On similar grounds, we probably won't be inserting Essential builds into Ultramodern4.  U4 takes the 4E engine and offers even more variety, opening up the system to a new level of complexity.  Essentials goes in the opposite direction.  Since the system is already complicated enough, it may collapse if I try and cram in another bunch of rules.

I'll leave with our current build of a revised race.  Since everyone appeared to complain about the Tilen, I'm offering them up now.  This is not official until the file is made public, so if there are issues, speak now.  

*TILEN *
*RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height:*  5’8” – 6’4” 
*Average Weight:*  45-70 lbs.
*Average Starting Age*:  30 years
*Estimated Life Expectancy:*  600 years
*Ability Scores*:  +2 Wisdom, +2 Strength or Dexterity
*Size:*  Medium
*Speed:*  6
*Vision: * Darkvision
*Languages:*  Two human languages, one fae language
*Skill Bonuses:*  +2 Heal, +2 Insight
*Blessed Body:*  You receive a +2 to all defenses against necrotic attacks.
*Blood Surge:*  You gain Blood Surge as a racial encounter power.
*Blood Vengeance:*  You receive a +2 racial bonus to attacks and damage rolls against all undead.  You also receive an additional +1 bonus to attack and damage against ghulath (vampires).  
*Reduced Healing:*  Hit point recovery from healing spells, powers, healing surges, rituals, potions, and any other healing effects are halved.  You can offset this with Blood Surge.  Keep your unmodified healing surge amount recorded.  
*Vampiric Remnants:*  Under direct sunlight, your vision is reduced to 10 squares and you lose all racial skill bonuses.  Additionally, when you get emotional in any way (like in a combat encounter, when angered, or in passion), old vampiric traits emerge.  Your eyes glow yellow or white or red (depending on the specifics of the character), and your incisors extend.  When in this state, you gain a +2 bonus to intimidation, but a -4 penalty to diplomacy.  

*BLOOD SURGE						Tilen Racial Power*
_Out of necessity, but still filled with trepidation, you drain the blood of a target to heal your wounds.  _
*2/Encounter * Healing, Reliable
Standard/Special				Melee touch 
Target*:  Any living creature 
*Attack:*  Strength +2 vs. Fortitude or Dexterity +2 vs. Reflex.  Increase bonus to attack to +4 at 11th level and +6 at 21st level.
*Hit*:  The target is grabbed.  Spend a healing surge and the target takes damage equal to your full healing surge value.  Every additional round in the grab inflicts an additional 1d6 + Constitution modifier damage.  Increase bonus to attack to +4 at 11th level, and to +6 at 21st level.  You are healed the same amount of damage inflicted (which is not lessened by Reduced Healing).  Additional damage caused by the power also heals.  You do not need to spend a healing surge on subsequent rounds.  
*Special:*  When you create your character, choose Dexterity or Strength for the key ability for Blood Surge.  This choice remains through your character’s life.  If the target is offering itself willingly, you can control the amount of damage inflicted and the amount healed increases by +1d6 (increasing to +2d6 at 11th level and +3d6 at 21st level).  Subjects killed via Blood Surge do not become ghulath (vampires).  If you already have a target in a grab, this power is reduced to a move action.


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## DiasExMachina (Nov 7, 2010)

So the worst kept secret is finally official.  Amethyst Factions is being split in half.  Simply and truthfully, it's basically getting too large.  At this rate, it will be the size of the original Foundations book.  Though some people may not have an issue with that, few games have ever gotten away with it.  Besides, it will be better for those wanting a player's book and campaign book separately…which is exactly what we're doing.  

The two other advantages of splitting Factions are that the first book will be out sooner and will be cheaper.  How cheap?  Well, exactly 50% actually.  So no accusations of mimicking Blizzard here.  So the second book is carrying the name Factions and will be a campaign guide.  The first book will be a player's guide and go by the name Amethyst: Evolution.  It will feature the new races, new class, essential techans, new paragon paths, new epic destinies, new feats, and new equipment (including super heavy weapons and aircraft).

  As a result, I can also say we have finished the first draft of Amethyst Evolution and it is now being edited.  Still no locked release date yet but I have hopes for mid-winter.  Factions should be out by the end of the season, before the release of Ultramodern4.


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 1, 2010)

Had my head dug in my netbook for the last month.  Just when I think I am done with Evolution, something else pops up I have to put in.  But this week does mark the end of the first of two rounds of edits.  At this point, Evolution stands at 93,000 words, and it's unlikely to change as we close in on the final.  I'll explain how it breaks down.
36% of the book is all fantasy.  Which puts about 60% (ignoring fluff) for rules that are exclusively techan.  This percentage is skewed by the new weapons and armor.  This is to be expected and it matches the percentage of the previous book. For those fearing or hoping that our "Essential" rules may dominate this new book, it doesn't.  For one, an Essential class is significantly smaller so even though we got them all covered, both core classes and paragon paths only take up 31% of the total book.  

So to cover the specifics
Revision original races
New races (kodiak, pagus, and tenenbri).
Essential techan classes:  Front grounder, heavy grounder, officer marshal, mechanic operator, medic operator, gunslinger stalker, sniper stalker, sentry vanguard.
Nine traditional paragon paths
19 Essential paragon paths (translated from Amethyst Foundations)
13 Epic destinies
4 weapons with the new "nuclear" property
3 ESP swarm weapons
7 super heavy weapons
9 techan melee weapons
7 hostile injections
5 alternate ammunition types
5 advanced armors
7 aircraft
5 new rituals…

And I'll leave it with another sketch.  Expect the final in the eventual book…


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 4, 2010)

Two months ago, I did an interview with Gnomes Stew, regarding the future products of DEM.  Since I did this interview, we did announce that we were indeed splitting factions into Factions and Evolution, the latter to be released first.  However, it is still an informative interview and I love supporting the "gnomes".

We'll have more information in the weeks leading to the release.  For now, here is the link to the interview:  

What’s Up With DEM Games - Gnome Stew, the Game Mastering Blog


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 13, 2010)

Couple more links today:

First, we have The Hopeless Gamer.  Some time ago, he did some coverage of Amethyst.  He's now followed up with not only a two-part review of Foundations (written by his GM), but a ten question interview with yours truly.

The Hopeless Gamer: Behind the Screen Part 1: The Sleepy DM’s Frist Impressions of Amethyst

The Hopeless Gamer: Behind the Screen Part 2: The Sleepy DM’s Post-Game Impressions of Amethyst

The Hopeless Gamer: 10 Questions with Amethyst Creator Chris Dias

And then we have Castles & Cooks.  He recently posted an article about how you can use certain games with your favorite film or TV franchises.  When he reaches Avatar, I was happy to see which game he recommended.

Double Feature: Movies & Gaming, Part 2 | Castles & Cooks


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 15, 2010)

Every once and a while, we here at DEM like releasing a preview that utterly confuses people.  This image is a figure of a much larger illustration offered as a high-res download for those people purchasing the upcoming Amethyst Evolution.  What is it, you ask?  

Only time will tell...


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## DiasExMachina (Dec 30, 2010)

For those wondering what's going on, for the past two weeks (during the holiday season), we here at DEM have decided to return to our vehicles.  Our initial rules were simple, and even though no one complained about them, I always had a few issues over their deployment.  With that in mind, we've decided to give them an enhancement.  

To coincide with these improvements, we added in over a dozen new alternate powers and feats, vehicle modifications, and the biggest addition of all, aircraft.  We avoid fixed wing airplanes and kept with vertical takeoff vehicles.  So now techans can acquire a York Wasp, an Angel Hammerhead, or even a Mann Pantokrator.  







Not leaving echans out, we are also offering blimps and dirigibles.  

Yes, you heard right, blimps.  

Both techans and echans can acquire lighter than air vehicles to avoid the pesky annoyances of ground monsters.  You can outfit them with sails, steam boilers, or photovoltaic cells.   As for ground vehicles, you can get increased armor, improved suspension, power upgrades, and one modification I couldn't help but include…

*Nawz!:  *You gain the NAWZ! daily power.

*NAWZ!								Feat Power*
_Your customized vehicle has a slight modification you haven’t told anyone else about._
*Daily * Martial, Vehicle
Minor Action			Personal*
*Effect:*  The speed of your vehicle increases by +2 for the rest of the encounter.
*Special:*  This is not counted as a vehicle action

The new vehicle rules are going into the next errata.  

Speaking of which, hopefully in the next few days, maybe even for New Years, DEM will be releasing the 2.0 Amethyst Errata, which will update the rules in preparation for the release of Amethyst Evolution.  This will include all the rules of the original errata plus a bunch of new ones.  Many of these changes are actually enhancements made to adapt Amethyst to the evolving rule system that is 4th Edition D&D.


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 3, 2011)

We mentioned a second Amethyst Errata.  It will be arriving this week.  In other news, Evolution is waiting on final artwork before proceeding with layout.  Art is a serious subject with us and we've one amazing artist…but he is also only one.  The consequence is the delay in quality…it will be worth it.  

So let's talk about the upcoming errata.  What will it include?

1)  Everything from the old Errata.  Well, this is a given.  All the old fixes will be included.

2)  Revised Races.  In mid 2010, WOTC released their Essential line, which revised the core races of the original PLAYER'S HANDBOOK.  Simultaneously, they released an updated errata for their traditional 4E books which included these new race revisions.  So, following their lead, Amethyst will be revising its races to follow the same paradigm shift.  These revised races will be in both the errata and in Evolution.

3)   Revised Classes & Monsters.  The release of PLAYER'S HANDBOOK 3 and MONSTER MANUAL 3 shifted the power slightly with both monsters and classes.  As a result, several classes and monsters have received a mild tweak.  This comes in the form of an increase in AC or hit points as well as a few new class features.

4)  Adjusting to Revised Rules.  The recent RULES COMPENDIUM released by WOTC includes all the amendments made with the numerous errata.  Some of these rules were changed in such a way as to counter certain elements that Amethyst presented.  We have adapted these rules to allow these elements to remain viable.

5)  Vehicles.  Amethyst Evolution is introducing aircraft into its setting.  Because of this, we have been compelled to return to the vehicle rules to make them more effective in combat situations.  Both vehicle combat as well as the Vehicle Operation skill have been revised.  These revisions have also been reprinted in Evolution.


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## DiasExMachina (Jan 11, 2011)

So here it is, Edition 2.0 of the Amethyst errata.  As we have said a few times already, this is less a correction and more of an update, intended to amend the current Amethyst rules to be in line with the recent revisions by Wizards of the Coast last year.  This errata also includes all the updates from the previous version.



The first change everyone will notice is a relist of all the original Amethyst races.  As D&D has updated their races, we've done so as well.  The techan classes have also all received a tweak.  This once again is intended to match with the power scale offered with later books. 



A big revision are the new vehicle rules (taking up a large portion of the errata), including an advanced version of the Vehicle Operation skill.  These changes came about because even though the old rules were effective, they were not entirely practical if a GM wanted to create a combat encounter revolving around vehicle movement.  So as Ultramodern4 (our non-fantasy universal 4E ruleset coming soon) was featuring more vehicles, we decided to incorporate those rules into Amethyst.  It was also important as aircraft are being featured in Amethyst Evolution, the next book.  Instead of being offered as a single skill roll, vehicle movement was designed as a sort of "mini-skill challenge) allowing multiple rolls for several stunts to occur all during the same vehicle move action.



Finally, we have updated our monsters to match with the design shift seen with Monster Manual 3.



The revised races and new vehicle rules will be found in Amethyst Evolution as well.



http://www.diasexmachina.com/AmethystErrata2.0.pdf


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 14, 2011)

We're finally back.  We never went anywhere.  There have been no issues.  Nothing was set on fire.  We have our editor working.  We have our artist drawing.  And during it, I have been tweaking the game to make it better.  Last week, we sent out a file to a few sites that have supported us in the past.  This file included all the new "alternate builds" being offered in Amethyst Evolution.  Alternate builds are variations on the traditional 4th Edition D&D classes we had in Amethyst Foundations, made to resemble those in the new D&D ESSENTIALS line from Wizards of the Coast.  This is only a small portion of the upcoming book, saddled also with dozens of new powers, feats, and weapons.  Finally reaching a point where we can show off, DEM is now releasing a sneak preview of these "alternate techans".  I sent out a feeler to see which ones people wanted to see the most.  We got equal votes for our marshal and our gunslinger stalker…so we decided to include them both.  The final product will have eight such classes, so we are not spoiling the book by including two.  This product is pre-final edit and final layout.  So it may undergo some final changes and won't look like this when it hits digital shelves hopefully sometime soon.  

On related news, we have decided to release Ultramodern4 after Amethyst-Evolution.  Originally, we planned on the releasing the player-based Evolution and then follow it with the GM-based Amethyst Factions, but seeing that current need for a modern 4th Edition game, we have decided the time has come to push U4 to release.  I can't release a date yet, but I will assure you it will be coming before the end of summer.

So with no further adieu, here is the sneak preview for Amethyst Evolution…

http://www.diasexmachina.com/Amethyst-EvolutionPreview.pdf


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 21, 2011)

The last post proved without hesitation that DEM is committed to 4th Edition D&D and whatever future is in store for it.  Next week, there will be an important update about a certain piece of artwork we’ve been teasing about for the better part of the winter but never shown in its entirety.  

Meanwhile, the Evolution preview that went up passed 500 downloads in less than a week.  Thanks to Enworld for that promotion.  As stated, it’s one step before final, so a few more changes are expected to be made.  However, I am quite proud of the result.  From vernacular, to fluff, to overall power level, I think we did a pretty good job.  

As I wait for my editor, artist, and layout guys (all different) to finish their work, I can finally return to Ultramodern4.  Up until now, we’ve been checking out power levels and the overall feel of the rules as well as the altered character creation process being introduced.  It’s still not complete and the latest draft being done is the largest since September.  As a result, those that have signed onto the playtest should check back at the forum, as only people committed to the project will receive the latest update.  This new version, let’s say v.0.8, is changing the wording of all the powers to match them with what we learned through writing Amethyst Evolution.  Ladders (our new rule mechanic ) are also being tweaked to make them more about altering classes rather than offering their own abilities.  Up until recently, U4 and NeuroSpasta was one complete unit.  Separated, NeuroSpasta inherits hacking, cybernetics, robots, and the setting, while U4 gets the rest.  This latest version reflects that division.

On a related topic, U4’s ladders have always been limited to six options: born leader, juggernaut, runner, savant, veteran, and warrior.  I recently announced to the playtesters that there will be a seventh, known as the survivor (Constitution, Wisdom/Intelligence).  I’m contemplating offering an eighth to make it a nice even number, but I’ve decided to open this to the readers and testers.  Does anyone have an eight ladder path?

Here is what it is required:  The ladder must be based around a theme.  It must focus on one primary attribute along with a secondary attribute.  That pairing cannot be shared by another ladder.  So far, these are the ones that are taken:

Born leader – Charisma, Intelligence
Juggernaut – Constitution, Strength
Runner – Dexterity, Intelligence/Wisdom
Savant – Wisdom, Intelligence
Survivor – Constitution, Intelligence/Wisdom
Veteran – Charisma, Intelligence
Warrior – Dexterity, Strength

There are dozens of other pairings but is there a theme that matches them?  All we would need is a proposal.  The winner gets a special credit in the final book and a free copy of the end result.  It’s a first come, first serve contest and applicants can post here, on the DEM forum, or email me directly.


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## DiasExMachina (Feb 27, 2011)

Now everyone can feast their eyes on the finally released Amethyst Evolution cover...


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 10, 2011)

Included in Amethyst Evolution, the new techan class, the vanguard. Presented in both tradition 4E and Essentials builds.  Here is an exclusive preview:






*VANGUARD
CLASS TRAITS*
*Role:*  Defender/Striker.  You have been trained from an early age to take punishment and to inflict it upon an enemy.  You can either weave through enemy lines to attack the most powerful target or anchor yourself and let enemies come to you.  
*Key Abilities:*  Strength, Dexterity, Constitution

*Armor Proficiencies:*  All techan light armor, cloth, leather, and hide, chainmail, scale, plate.  Select two techan heavy armor.
*Weapon Proficiencies:*  Simple one-handed melee, military one-handed melee, unarmed combat, one-handed small arms.
*Bonus to Defense:*  +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex

*Hit Points at 1st Level:*  15 + Constitution score
*Hit Points per Level Gained:*  6
*Healing Surges per Day:*  9 + Constitution modifier.

*Trained Skills:*  From the class skills list below, choose four trained skills at 1st level
*Class Skills: * Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis) History (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex)

*Class Features:*  Combat Stance, Fighting Form, Full Contact

You are specialized in the application of a craft that some people consider primitive.  Despite any ranged combat skills you may have, you prefer it personal.  You have practiced day and night in the perfection of the craft.  There may be countless reasons why you prefer close combat over firearms.  Your strengths rely on your lethality in every situation.  You require no augmentation, no steel or explosives to articulate your skill.  Your weapons cannot be removed.  There is no scanner or sensor to identify you as a threat.  You often lead a group through the door.  You can suppress opponents without causing harm; remove a threat without making a sound.  Firearms are a final, violent solution and most times a restrained hand is needed.  

As a warrior, you've been trained from an early age by choice or by inheritance to take the role of a combatant.  Your natural gifts were discovered and focused into a lifelong dedication.  This is not to assume you're a warmonger, as such training comes early with the responsibility to know restraint.  For many, having the skills is a means for self-discovery.  This can apply in the application of hand-to-hand combat, the use of melee weapons, or in the proficiency of small-arms.  You might have devoted your life to the implement of one craft or the broad use of many.  

*CREATING A VANGUARD*
The vanguard can fill a vital role in a techan party.  Being a close combat defender means the vanguard may be the only opposition from monsters wishing to close the distance to your ranged allies.  Even if opponents attempt to move, you can keep with them and prevent your allies from coming to harm.  In a fantasy party, the vanguard fills the same role as any other close combat defender. 
With the selection of martial feats, you can specialize in a variety of different regional variations of melee and unarmed combat.  This will radically alter how you apply the powers of the class.  You can be a direct fist and kick fighter or a wrestler.  You can specialize in flips, locks, or direct blunt force trauma.  

*SENTINEL VANGUARD*
A sentinel does not hide.  You stand brazenly in front of your allies, preventing enemies from passing you.  In the middle of close combat, you are not easily evaded.  You can track enemies that move out of combat, impede movement, and punish those that don't pay close attention to you.  Your talent lies in bringing enemies toward you.  For a sentinel, Strength should be your highest concern, as it will assist grappling powers.  
*Protective Discipline
Suggested Feat:*  Improved Unarmed Attack
*Martial Power Feat:*  Evolution of Pankration  
*Suggested Skills: * Acrobatics, Athletics, Endurance, 
*Suggested At-Will Powers:*  Bone Breaker, Ground & Pound
*Suggested Encounter Power:*  Sack the Mark
*Suggested Daily Power:*  Back Control

*INFILTRATION VANGUARD*
Unlike the sentinel, the infiltration vanguard doesn't immediately present himself as a target.  You move in close and fast through cover, striking an enemy that is not immediately rushing into combat.  Your talent lies in moving closer to your marked target, avoiding the lesser threats.  This is especially useful when keeping larger targets away from your allies.  For an infiltrator, Dexterity should be your primary attribute as it will aid in maneuverability.  
*Mobile Discipline
Suggested Feat:* Improved Unarmed Attack
*Suggested Skills: * Acrobatics, Athletics, Stealth
*Martial Power Feat:*  Unarmed Expanded Profile  
*Suggested At-Will Powers:*  Swift Strike, Fake Out
*Suggested Encounter Power:*  Sudden Leap
*Suggested Daily Power:*  C-C-Combo Breaker


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## ChristianLindke (Mar 11, 2011)

I have to say that the d20 glut made me wary of new 3pp for Wizards products, but this stuff looks great.  I'll be picking up some Amethyst stuff shortly.


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## DiasExMachina (Mar 17, 2011)

We're wondering how much people would spend on a hardcover of Amethyst Evolution.  Would you spend $35 for the next book in color or $20 for it in black & white?  Full disclosure, the vast amount of artwork in the book is still in B+W—customers would be paying $15 extra for a few color images as well as color-coded powers.  Before anyone jumps the gun, these prices are estimates and referring to the print edition, not the eBook edition.

You can reply here or follow the post below and vote.
Dias Ex Machina Games • View topic - How much would you spend for Amethyst?

On another topic, Neuroglyph Games have posted a preview of Amethyst Evolution.  Follow the link below.

NEUROGLYPH Games  Return of the Techans: A Preview of Amethyst: Evolution


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 5, 2011)

There has been a lot of activity around DEM and me in particular in the last few weeks. This revolved around an open letter I posted on Living Dice some weeks back suggesting that WOTC take a more involved role in the RPG community outside of their website, adding that this should involve supporting the 3rd party DUNGEONS & DRAGONS publishers producing content under their GSL license. The letter sparked a debate across the entire internet with vastly polarizing opinions depending on where you surfed. I won't go into detail here about it, but I eventually posted an epilogue to this event a few weeks later. Those that have read it know that DEM is currently investigating converting Amethyst to Paizo's Pathfinder system. Loyal fans will remember that Amethyst was released as a 3.5 D20 sourcebook less than two months before the release of 4th Edition, a line we abandoned in favor of 4E, a decision I must stress that we still do not regret. With the revisions to the GSL and the invitation offered to us by none other than Vic Wertz, technical director of Paizo, DEM is now moving forward with this conversion, with an official announcement sometime in the not-too-distant future. As I have mentioned on the websites that have covered this, this will not be a direct carry-over from the 2008 D20 book but a new book taking the best parts of the D20 edition and the Amethyst Foundations 4E edition. For now, our priority still remains with our 4E lineup, specifically the soon release of Amethyst Evolution and after by Ultramodern4. Future products will depend on the sales of these two books.

In order to prepare for the release of these books in the next few months, we have updated our Games page.

On an unrelated point, I have received a few requests for when/if Evolutions or Ultramodern4 will be made available for pre-order. To put it simply, they probably won't be. Firstly, I don't require pre-order income to fund these books. They will not be made any faster with an injection of funds. Second, because of the unpredictable nature of freelance work, I am oftentimes a slave to people I have little influence over. As a result, a product can be delayed through factors completely out of my control. I don't want to alienate potential loyal customers waiting for months (or longer) for a game that may be delayed. That being said, Evolution "may" take pre-orders but this will only occur once the product is ACTUALLY finished (leaving only "'i" dotting to remain), meaning that only an act of god will prevents it final release (it will be in be a dying wish and mentioned in my will) .


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## Erudite Frog (Apr 6, 2011)

I see what you did there


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 11, 2011)

For those out there not subscribing to our seldom updated YouTube page our often updated Facebook page, this video just went live...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CyHWNRLGYo]YouTube - Amethyst: Evolution[/ame]


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## Zil (Apr 11, 2011)

That that was a very effective video/art montage and choice of music.    Looking forward to eventually seeing a Pathfinder version if that happens down the road!

Speaking of the music, what was that classical piece?  I feel like I ought to know - it's certainly very familiar.


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 13, 2011)

Zil said:


> That that was a very effective video/art montage and choice of music.    Looking forward to eventually seeing a Pathfinder version if that happens down the road!
> 
> Speaking of the music, what was that classical piece?  I feel like I ought to know - it's certainly very familiar.




Familiar because it's a commonly used piece of music.  It is also my all time favorite classical tune.  My mom prefers Midnight Sonata; I prefer this one.  It's Symphony No. 7 in A major.  There are several variations, mostly based on tempo.  This version can be heard in Tarsem's "The Fall" and Proyas's "Knowing".  You also would have heard another variation in "The King's Speech".


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## Scott DeWar (Apr 16, 2011)

chrise is a spambot and has been reported.


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 17, 2011)

Zil said:


> That that was a very effective video/art montage and choice of music.    Looking forward to eventually seeing a Pathfinder version if that happens down the road!
> 
> Speaking of the music, what was that classical piece?  I feel like I ought to know - it's certainly very familiar.




To add, Midnight Sonata places third on my list.  Bolero ranks number 2.  That's a piece seldom heard in its original format but has popped up in a few films.  A variation ends Moulin Rouge and another can he heard in Femme Fatale.


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## DiasExMachina (Apr 20, 2011)

Surely, you have all seen this one coming.  At least now it's official.  It also officially has a name.  DEM is proud to announce that we will be adapting Amethyst to the Pathfinder game system, titled Amethyst Renaissance.  This will be an adaptation of Foundations and the soon to be released Evolution books for 4th Edition, not an adaptation of DEM's 2008 D20 game.  Remember, this is an expansion, not a shift.  We still have at least three books coming for Amethyst 4th Edition.  The cover is temporary.


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## DiasExMachina (May 13, 2011)

Finally.  

After over a month, the final draft of Ultramodern4’s character creation system has been completed.  It now heads off to the players for a final round of testing.  Suffice to say, this took a lot longer than I was expecting, having instigated over a thousand changes across the 118 page file.  Everything from word replacements to entire class rewriting.  This new draft includes one new ladder (the survivor) and one new class, the techie.  The character progression is more complicated than even 4th Edition, reflecting the design motive of DEM in regards to U4.  Where Amethyst attempts to keep in line with evolving 4Th Edition philosophy, U4 keeps with the traditional 4th Edition mindset—that of freedom of choice and complexity.  I still have to read through and edit the Equipment and GM chapters, but these should be easy in comparison.  After that, it’s off to its editor and then to layout.  

Meanwhile, in the world of Amethyst, all paths lead to the layout artist, Joshua Raynack.  The release date of Amethyst lies solely in his hands.  When he finishes his layout, we’ll print a prototype and then on the heels of that, the game will be made available.

I’ll end this long overdue entry with a preview of the new SURVIVOR ladder…

*SURVIVOR*
Regardless of how you have lived or where you were raised, you have always found a kinship with nature.  You find salvation where others find death.  While others starve, you prosper.  No matter the environment, from bitter cold to scorching heat, you know the secrets to best stay alive.  You can identify which foods will kill you or which animals will attack you.  This is not knowledge gleaned from books but practical experience you may have earned the hard way.  You may embark on weekend expeditions in the wilderness or elect to spend your entire life isolated from industry and population.  You refuse to depend on technology.  If the world were to fall into ruin, you would still survive.  In your spare time, you prepare yourself for the next day.
Key Abilities:  Constitution, Wisdom

*LADDER FEATURES*
As a survivor, you gain all the following ladder features at character generation.

*BACK OF YOUR HEAD*
You gain a +1 bonus to Perception and an additional +1 bonus to Passive Perception.

*FREE RANGE*
You are trained in Endurance and gain the skill focus feat with it.

*HUNTER*
You can use Wisdom in place of Dexterity for attack and damage rolls for ranged attacks.  You can use Constitution in place of Dexterity when applying it to your AC.

*NATURAL EQUILIBRIUM*
You gain a +2 bonus to Stealth checks when in a natural environment (forest, grass, snow, etc).

*SHRUG IT OFF*
You gain +1 bonus to Fortitude defense.

*3RD LEVEL *
Enhancement Bonuses:  +1 AC; +1 Attack; +1 Fort
Select either the ability below or 1040$
Tough it Up:  Roll twice for all Endurance checks and take the higher value.  You also gain a +2 bonus to Fortitude defense against disease or poison attacks.

*6TH LEVEL*
Enhancement Bonuses:  +2 AC; +2 Attack; +2 Fort; +1 Ref; +1 Will
Select either the ability below or 3,600$
Unimpeded Locomotion:  Select two of the following terrain walks:  earth walk, forest walk, ice walk, swamp walk.

*11TH LEVEL*
Enhancement Bonuses:  +3 AC; +3 Attack; +3 Fort; +2 Ref; +2 Will
Select either the ability below or 18,000$
Night Eyes:  You gain darkvision. 

*16TH LEVEL*
Enhancement Bonuses:  +4 AC; +4 Attack; +4 Will; additional +1 to either Fort or Ref.
Select either the ability below or 90,000$
Call of the Wild:  You gain climb 3 and swim 3.

*21ST LEVEL*
Enhancement Bonuses:  +5 AC; +5 Attack; +5 Fort; +4 Ref; +4 Will
Select either the ability below or 450,000$
Natural Resistance:  You gain resist 5 fire and resist 5 cold.  

*26TH LEVEL*
Enhancement Bonuses:  +6 AC; +6 Attack; +6 Fort; +5 Ref; +5 Will 
Select either the ability below or 2,250,000$
Commando:  You gain all-around vision and truesight 2.


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## DiasExMachina (Jun 9, 2011)

J.R. Smith sent me a revision Amethyst character sheet. You can now save entered data with Adobe Reader and save the result. It also does most of the menial calculations for you. If there are any issues, let us now and JR will be happy to correct it.

http://www.diasexmachina.com/AmethystCharacterSheet.pdf


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 6, 2011)

Amethyst: Evolution will have its PDF release on its creator's birthday.

That's July 9th. POD edition will follow shortly. 

I told you I wouldn't lock down a date until we were positive we would meet it.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and undying support.


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 15, 2011)

And our first review....a good one to...

Amethyst Evolution - World vs. Hero


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## Jadeite (Jul 26, 2011)

Reported spam. Please delete this post after the spam has been taken care of.


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## DiasExMachina (Jul 27, 2011)

All new reviews...and one that apparently I missed for a year.  

Marcelo Dior (Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil)'s review of Amethyst Foundations

RPGNow.com - Amethyst: Evolution Reviews

RPGNow.com - Amethyst: Evolution Reviews

AND a blog review.  We're at 28 minutes...

Pulp Gamer - Pulp Gamer Out of Character - PGOC 177: Tell Us Your Fantasy


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 3, 2011)

I wanted to wait until I had the second prototype in my hand before I posted again.  Alas, it did not arrive this Friday, meaning we are backed up at least until Tuesday, since Monday is a holiday in BC.  

Grrrr.   

One thing I can report is the upcoming price point for the Amethyst Evolution hardcover.  

The original cover price will be listed at $26.99 but will have a sale price of $21.99.  

Those that want the color PDF and the B+W hardcover only need to spend $3.00 more.  

Now, to the couple hundred people that have downloaded Amethyst Evolution so far, you are not getting burned.  EVERYONE that has purchased Amethyst Evolution before the release of the hardcover is being sent a coupon that will allow them to purchase the hardcover for 13.99.  For those wondering, that's a greater discount than the $3.00 price difference between the hardcover and the hardcover/PDF bundle.  It's not much…but it is less.  

I just finished a 10,000 word article for Living Dice which was broken up into six parts and which will begin on Monday.  It deals with an exchange between Dias Ex Machina and a forum that ran a database of illegally distributed 1st and 3rd party games.  The dialogue was more or less civil and the end result is a surprising announcement from DEM regarding the future of one of its product lines.  

That is really the only good news to report.  My netbook died on my during August, and I lost about three weeks of work on the Invasion Proxy module that is being released for free and is being bundled in with the Ultramodern4 rules system.  That's a setback.  It gets really hard to get in front of a keyboard and type when you are just trying to reconstruct work you had already completed.  Oh, and I got evicted.  Awesome.


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 7, 2011)

The hardcover release of Amethyst Evolution is finally here.  

If you have purchased Amethyst Evolution and NOT received your email, then you have selected to not receive emails from the publisher.  Contact DiasExMachina personally and they will verify your customer ID and send you a coupon.


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## Jan van Leyden (Sep 8, 2011)

securitycamera2000 said:


> The Dojenn is blind.  The Dojenn is ugly and mean.  But it also can walk  on walls.  Can you walk on walls?  No, you can’t.  The Dojenn…is better  than you.




Spam reported...


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 16, 2011)

Louis-Philippe Simoneau sent me these essential techan characters. These are some of the coolest character sheets I've ever seen. The artwork is borrowed from various artists. 

If you have played Amethyst, are thinking of playing Amethyst, or if you're curious how the modern rules work for non-fantasy games (outside of Amethyst), these are a must-look.

*Disclaimer:* Louis-Philippe is not associated with DEM.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7032230/taskforce-arrowhead.pdf

*Art Credits*
Patrick Brown:  patrickbrown's deviantART gallery
colobind (Johan Wahlbäck):  Colorbind on deviantART Colorbind's deviantART Gallery
0800 : fgjdgj by ~0800 on deviantART
Kerem Beyit:  Browsing deviantART
Shimmering-Sword (Anthony Scroggins):  Browsing deviantART
Kaisi:  Commissh - Motoko Kusanagi by *kasai on deviantART
Psycho Fish (Max Dunbar):  Mercenary 01 by ~Psycho-Fish on deviantART


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 17, 2011)

Recently, I began a series of articles on LivingDice.com involving copyright infringement and internet piracy.  It concerns a report that Amethyst was being distributed via certain websites, which led to a specific forum, where I began a dialogue with the users there.  

Part 1 and 2 are already up, with further posts following every week.

At the end of this six part series will be an announcement regarding the future of one of our product lines.  Stay tuned.

PART1

Questioning Piracy, Part 1 ? Cease & Desist | LivingDice.com

PART 2

Questioning Piracy, Part 2 ? The Curtain of Profit | LivingDice.com


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## herrozerro (Sep 19, 2011)

DiasExMachina said:


> Louis-Philippe Simoneau sent me these essential techan characters. These are some of the coolest character sheets I've ever seen. The artwork is borrowed from various artists.
> 
> If you have played Amethyst, are thinking of playing Amethyst, or if you're curious how the modern rules work for non-fantasy games (outside of Amethyst), these are a must-look.
> 
> ...




MAn I wish i could get a blank one of those...


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 20, 2011)

Amethyst Evolution is now for sale on the Paizo website.

http://paizo.com/store/downloads/diasExMachina/v5748btpy8ob2&source=search

We also have some sample images from the Evolutions book...


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 24, 2011)

As the GSL now permits it, and considering we are moving into Pathfinder soon, we here at DEM have decided to allow customers the opportunity to stroll down memory lane with this piece of novel nostalgia.  For only $3.99, you now purchase the original D20 Amethyst, published in 2008.  It received numerous awards, including an honorable mention at the 2008 Ennies.  

Fair warning to all, this version of Amethyst is no longer canon, and it is also not the Pathfinder version due out soon.  But it does have that awesome Jaime Jones cover (before he became a celebrity in the art field), and it is nearly 400 pages of content, with most of its fluff still not covered by the 4th Edition version.  I am hoping at that price point, people may be interested in seeing how it all started.

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=55253


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## DiasExMachina (Sep 30, 2011)

DEM has recently acquired a handful of Amethyst Evolution hardcovers.   They were promised to a local game store but they cut their order in half at the last minute.  So now we're offering them to fans and supporters.

We are selling the books for $25 CDN each.  This limited  print run will also include an 8x10 full color image from Nick Greenwood (you'll have your choice of four images – Foundations Cover, Evolution Cover, Gebermach Vs. Amethyst, or Origins) and will be signed and numbered by the writer.  If interested, email or message me with your address and I will get a shipping quote. 

 Payment will be accepted via Paypal.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 5, 2011)

Of the 25 Limited Edition Amethyst Evolution books I received, 10 have already been taken.  That leaves only 15 (wait….carry the 5….yeah, that's right) for those people interested.

The other news to report is that the Amethyst Pathfinder edition, known as Amethyst: Renaissance has officially opened its playtesting phase.  Interested parties will need join the forum on Dias Ex Machina and then message the administrator.  They will gain access to the playtest forum where they will need to check up on occasion to find new and updated files as well as discuss the evolving rules.  Initially, we only have races, but classes and equipment will follow soon after.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 15, 2011)

As some of you've figured out by reading Amethyst's facebook page or reading the articles on LivingDice.com, we recently made a relatively big announcement.

Ultramodern4, our universal 4th Edition science fiction / modern game system will be offered as an OGL.  Anyone can download the bare files for free.  Any publisher under the GSL can use them in their own game.  We will not be distributing the final production for free, just the raw rules.  So if you want the layout and the art, we hope you'll pick up the final product.  

Call it an act of faith, so that people can download the rules, see if they like them, and purchase the game based on that opinion.  Not only that, but we would do OUR part to help the GSL community…as much as we can actually do.  The OGL files will be released a week or two after the release of the final production PDF / POD.  As for the release of the actual book, I'm still hoping for a winter 2011 release.  It will still depend on men who are not me, namely my layout guy, my editor guy, and my artist guy.  Once all those come together, the final product will be released.  

It all came about because of forum that was found distributing 3rd party D&D games. After talking with the men and women of the site, I began to consider a new business model, effective for those without the advertising budget of WOTC.  Is it a risk?  Sure it is; WOTC has privately disclosed that they thought the OGL for 3rd edition was a mistake.  It might have been for them, but we are willing to give it a shot.  Whether or not it succeeds will depend on many conditions, it not sucking being a pretty big one, the condition of the D&D 3rd party market being another.  And finally there is the fan variable, whether or not after having acquire the free product a fan will still pay for it.

Meanwhile, Amethyst Renaissance is moving at a shockingly fast rate.  If it keep on moving this fast, It'll out before Ultramodern4 (Renaissance requires little editing and no new artwork).  If Renaissance sells well, I can see the next Amethyst book coming under both systems simultaneously.


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## DiasExMachina (Oct 19, 2011)

On Sunday, October 18th, I was interviewed by the boys of Gamer's Haven.  Fans will remember I was interviewed by them before, back in 2010, after the release of Amethyst Foundations.  They had praised the final product with some caveats dealing with issues later addressed with the errata or with Amethyst Evolution.  

Ethan Parker had stated they had done a review for Evolution and wanted to interview me on the details.  Although, they were once avid 4E players, I definitely got the impression they had all shifted to other systems, namely Pathfinder and Savage Worlds.  In fact, I believe the interview was extended from its standard 30 minute length to the 90 minute result based solely on me stating that our next Amethyst book was a Pathfinder update.  Most of the remaining interview dealt with the development of Amethyst Renaissance as well as upcoming release of Ultramodern4, the latter being released as an OGL.  After the interview, they go about discussing what they go out of it as well as praising Evolution in their official review.  I can't wait and see what think of Renaissance, when it gets released.

 You can listen to the podcast on the Gamer's Haven website.

Gamer’s Haven Episode 87 – Dias Ex Machina Games  Gamer's Haven


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