Malhavoc Press

Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Chat Transcript

April 2, 2003 -- 5 p.m. PST

Monte hosted a two-hour chat in our very own chat room to answer your questions about Arcana Unearthed and more. Thanks to the more than 50 people who attended this chat, as well as room moderator Matt Locke for making it happen and for sharing this transcript* with us.

<Monte> Hello everyone. I'm glad you could all make it, and honored that you'd take the time.

<Carthain> I think I'm going to end up being "the moderator," so any questions you want to ask Monte, send them to me and I'll pass them on -- in order, so much as I can organize that ^_^ .

<Monte> This is a pretty good turnout for our first ever official chat. I'm here to answer questions or talk about whatever you'd like. It looks like Sean Reynolds is here as well, and of course the other half of Malhavoc Press, Sue (Galhavoc). I'll try to answer any questions you have. I would of course love to talk about upcoming Malhavoc Press products, like Arcana Unearthed.

<Carthain> First question I got was from Moofree_the_Cow: "Are there any plans to release any of the OGC from Arcana Unearthed in a SRD-ish type deal?"

<Monte> Good question. We're starting to work out what will and won't be open in Arcana Unearthed. It's my intention, however, to make it available for a lot of people to build off of and use. I don't know if we'll make a whole SRD, though. Probably just a declaration of open content in the book.

<Carthain> From Desmond: "Any chance we can see a preview of something from Arcana Unearthed in The Stuff anytime soon?"

<Monte> Maybe. We'll definitely put together more than one preview. I don't know if it will be soon. Probably at least another 6 weeks or so. Remember, we're still working on it. (We're close to finishing, though.)

<Galhavoc> (Now editing chapter nine!)

<Carthain> Somewhat related to that -- any plans for a web enhancement yet? Or is that still work to come?

<Monte> There will be more than one web enhancement. For one at least, I'm thinking about taking some D&D classes and Arcana Unearthed-izing them. Just for fun. There will also be lots of suggestions for conversion and working the stuff together with existing D&D and d20 material.

<Carthain> From Soulknife: "Will Arcana Unearthed be compatible with 3.5, or will it have different take on 'revised 3rd Edition rules'? Do you plan on having Malhavoc support the Arcana Unearthed line instead of the WoTC 3.5 edition?"

<Monte> Well, currently in our message boards there's a post from me entitled "the definitive compatibility post." In short, though, it will be as compatible with 3.5 as it is with 3.0. There will be future Malhavoc products aimed specifically at Arcana Unearthed (but usable as d20 products), and those meant to be more general d20 products (like Cry Havoc).

<Carthain> From Vaxalon: "What's the biggest mistake you ever made as a DM?"

<Monte> Hmm. I guess that would be letting in players that turned out to be bad for the game. They weren't good roleplayers and were disruptive. The moral is, I think, don't game with anyone you would not want to spend an evening with doing something else.

<Galhavoc> I think his biggest mistake is not letting my character do anything I want, but that's just me....

<Monte> Sean, what was my biggest DMing mistake?

<SeanKR> I don't really recall any big mistakes. I was quite pleased all around. :)

<Monte> Aw, what a pal. 10 XP for you.

<Carthain> Okay, next question then ^_^ . From cetiken: "What's your favorite aspect of Arcana Unearthed that you've finshed thusfar?"

<Monte> Another good question. I guess that's got to be the magic system, taken as a whole. It's very, very flexible, since people can adjust the power of their spells (heightening them or dimiinishing them) and you can put together spell slots of lower levels to cast higher level spells, and so on.

<Carthain> From Sutekh: "To a new roleplayer, how would you describe products that Malhavoc produces? For an experienced gamer or the moderately experienced?"

<Monte> I would say for at least a moderately experienced player/DM. Mostly I think that people who are really new should probably stick with the core books for a while before they start venturing into d20 territory.

<Carthain> From Ander: "Little has been said on Arcana Unearthed's take on feats. How much of Arcana Unearthed's feat list is new (or modified from previous books)?"

<Monte> :D The Design Diary that I'm writing this afternoon is all about feats. I'd say about 60% to 70% of Arcana Unearthed feats are new. There are two new types: Talents (feats you take only at 1st level) and Ceremony feats. Ceremony feats require a minor magical ritual to initially acquire them.

<Carthain> From Josh: "Would it be possible to do some online playtesting with prefab characters?"

<Monte> Right now, playtesting is finishing up. Thanks for the offer, though.

<Carthain> From ilzarion: "Are you planning on writing a chapter on integration into other game worlds?"

<Monte> Not in the actual Arcana Unearthed book. I'll put stuff like that for free on the website, and I'm also going to provide a detailed discussion of it in the upcoming DM's Screen/Player's Guide product that comes out in September.

<Carthain> From DrAwkward: "What have the playtest sessions been like? Have there been any surprises?"

<Monte> Thankfully, no huge surprises from my in-house or out-of-house playtesters. I guess experience has helped me get to the point where I'm able to weed out the really big problems on my own. The playtests have been really fun. We're going to post the playtest characters from my playtest game on the site once the book comes out. Man, it still feels so far off. August can't come soon enough for me.

<Carthain> From Leiff: "Where did you get your inspiration for Arcana Unearthed?"

<Monte> Sue says that I get all my inspiration from my wife.

<Carthain> heh

<Monte> However, lots of other things helped too. Stephen R. Donaldson's work, some books by David Zindell, and a few other things. And movies, D&D, and my own campaign.

<Carthain> From cetiken: "Will monsters be signficantly changed in Arcana Unearthed?"

<Monte> Interesting question. In order to use Arcana Unearthed to its fullest, a few monsters need a bit of tweaking. For example, there's an ability called "Familiarity with Magic" in Arcana Unearthed. Dragons, really, should have that as well. There's also a slightly different way of handling elements and energy types. So elemental creatures need a small tweak. But those are really minor. Diamond Throne, however, will have all new monsters as well as lists of monsters from the MM, Creature Collections, and Tome of Horrors appropriate for the setting and exact conversion notes. And then next year we'll do what will be close to a full-blown bestiary for Arcana Unearthed.

<Carthain> From ArthurQ: "Just how creamy will the core book be. We know its crunchy from the design dairies, but will we chip a tooth on it? Or is it more like Creamy Jiffy with chunks?" ... and I'm informed that is a serious question ^_^ .

<Monte> It's creamier than the D&D PH, if I get your meaning. It has a lot more flavor and is less general than the PH.

<Carthain> From Desmond: "For a little whimsy, what alignment would you consider yourself?"

<Monte> Chaotic Good. I'm very much an individualist, but I'd like to think I'm a good guy. :)

<Carthain> From Moofree_the_Cow: "What future Books of Eldritch/Hallowed Might are planned?"

<Monte> It's likely that we'll do a Book of Hallowed Might II sometime in the future. Other than that, no plans as of right now. We might do a sort of "warrior's might" kind of product, as well. We'll see.

<Carthain> From Leiff: "Arcana Unearthed is about alternative rules. Do you feel that some of those rules *needed* to be changed, or just stuff that you thought would be interesting ideas to play around with?"

<Monte> Another good one. Really, both. Mostly these are just *alternate* ideas. However, a few things just needed to be fixed or ejected from the game. D&D 3.5 recognized many of these latter issues as well, but not all of them. They also chose to change things that I don't think need changing. A few of which are bad changes, but oh well. And no, I won't go into details.

<SeanKR> (Quick comment) I tend to agree with Monte about 3.5, FYI. (And I have to run ... train to catch. Bye, enjoy the chat!)

<Monte> Bye, Sean!

<Carthain> From ilzarion: "Any treatment of epic play in the Arcana Unearthed core rules?"

<Monte> Epic level stuff isn't open content. Arcana Unearthed just goes to 20th level. I could write a 20+ level system of my own, but Ihave no current plans to.

<Carthain> From Vaxalon: "Question: Do you feel that there is any danger that the D20 market will become fragmented in the way that D&D became fragmented in the past (by Birthright, the Realms, Greyhawk, Planescape, and Dark Sun), with all of the different settings available, such as Kalamar, Scarred Lands, the Realms, the new "setting search" setting, and the Arcana Unearthed setting?"

<Monte> Yes, I feel that's a danger. And I feel that it will also shake out eventually in that, just like with all the TSR settings, many of which eventually fell by the wayside, the cream will rise to the top, so to speak, and you guys -- smart, discerning customers -- will ignore the crap. Plus, I'll add, people can take the Arcana Unearthed rules and put them in other settings, if they wish.

<Carthain> Here's a couple questions about 3.5 (while it's not too far away). From chaosdragon: "Monte, what are your feelings on 3.5?" And from ascendance: "What are some of the changes you think are unecessary?"

<Monte> Well, like I said, I won't really go into detail (in fact, I can't -- I have signed a Non Disclosure Agreement). I can say that some of the changes are good, some not so great, and... okay, there's no "and." I just can't say more. I wish I could. Sorry.

<Carthain> And thus, the NDA ends Monte's reply ^_^ . From Josh: "How would one get involved with playtesting Arcana Unearthed?"

<Monte> Well, like I said, Arcana Unearthed playtesting is about done. However, I have a list of people who want to be playtesters for various things. You can email me if you want to be on the list. Include details about you and your group in the email, and realize that currently, the list is very long.

<Carthain> Do you check it (the list) twice?

<Monte> Hohoho :)

<Carthain> From Tiburon: "Do you anticipate the Arcana Unearthed classes extending into epic levels?" ... That's probably providing that epic rules become OGC ^_^ .

<Monte> It's possible that we'll do an epic supplement if the rules were OGC, but we have no plans at the moment for that.

<Carthain> From Elsin: "Monte: Are you looking for writers or freelance help?"

<Monte> At the moment, no. Sorry. Thanks for asking, though.

<Carthain> From NewEcon: "Any plans to ever take any of your ideas or products into other media, such as film or video games?"

<Monte> Sure. Wanna make me an offer? Truthfully, that would be great. At the moment, I'm focusing on the game.

<Carthain> From Moxyblade: "Will Arcana Unearthed characters have more feats?"

<Monte> Yes. Factored into the balance of the classes is that everyone starts out with one more feat, taking into account the new Talent and Ceremony feats.

<Carthain> From Liquid_SpoonGuest: "One of the major weaknesses of d20, in my opinion at least is that all damage is converted into hit points, which are a bit to abstract to really explain. Will Arcana Unearthed be using a modified damage system? Have you ever considered a modified system?"

<Monte> I considered it, and ultimately decided to go with hit points. I understand some people's problem with their abstract nature, but I think that's actually their strength. I am, however, working on the side on an alternate hit point and AC system. That will probably see light in a product in the next year or so.

<Carthain> From Havoc: "What level of dependency will there be on magic items?"

<Monte> Basically, the same as standard D&D. Changing that would be drastic enough so as to not make it compatible with d20 anymore. However, some day I'd love to present an alternate set of core classes designed around having powers instead of items. That would be cool.

<Carthain> From Desmond: "Aside from the Malhavoc imprint and the standard Wizards of the Coast books, what is the most creative and unique product produced for d20 that you've seen?"

<Monte> I really liked Nyambe, as you can see from the review in the archives of our site. For pure creativity, though...

[Pause]

<Galhavoc> Let's all hum quietly to ourselves while Monte searches his game shelves for this one book...

[Pause]

<Galhavoc> Lalalalalalala

<Monte> Book of the Righteous from Green Ronin, with Relics and Rituals coming a close second.

<Carthain> Thanks for the updates Sue ^_^ . From Elsin: "Can you tell us a bit about the religion in the Diamond Throne?"

<Monte> Each race has its own culture and way of looking at religion. For reasons too complicated to get into here, many humans reject the gods or don't believe in them, while faen have more gods than anyone can count. The verrik also have a complicated relationship with their gods. By removing the "power of the gods" from character abilities (i.e., no cleric), it gives more freedom to have some really different ways of looking at gods. However, if you want a more standard D&D-style religion system, that's no problem. In fact, clerics can be inserted neatly alongside the Arcana Unearthed classes without any problem or even major overlap.

<Carthain> From Soulknife: "Monte, have you ever considered growing a beard? And if you did, what would you name it?"

<Monte> I have a beard. And I guess if I was going to name it, I'd call it Carl.

<Carthain> From DrAwkward: "You've worked in game design for a long time. How has it been designing a new game for an established system like D20?"

<Monte> Well, a bit strange since I was one of the designers of d20, and then created a variant to it with Arcana Unearthed. It's given me a whole new perspective on things, I think.

<Carthain> From Moofree_the_Cow: "What artists are gonna do the Arcana Unearthed art?"

<Monte> Take it, Sue.

<Galhavoc> We're really happy to have some terrific artists working on Arcana Unearthed. For instance, Sam Wood is doing quite a number of the interiors. We love his stuff... you'll also see his work on the cover of The Diamond Throne and the DM Screen and Player's Guide. In addition we're including a lot of work from an illustrator named David Hendee. We have never published his work before, but his terrific and moody grayscales look great. All the art is due this week, so we've been having fun seeing w hat's coming in. You will also see some lovely pieces from Malhavoc faves Toren " MacBin" Atkinson and Stephen Shepherd. Mark Zug's cover painting for Arcana Unearthed has inspired quite a bit of the art you'll see in the DM Screen and Player's Guide, and we'll be including some character studies from Mark in b/w in that book as well.

<Carthain> From ilzarion: "Who plays the giant from the playtest in your home campaign? (I was at I-Con.)" [Monte ran a demo adventure there. -- Ed.]

<Monte> Bruce Cordell. Bruce likes to be large and in charge.

<Carthain> From Josh: "Will there ever be a Plotus Campaign Setting?"

<Monte> Hmmm... maybe. Seriously, we're considering it. But it won't be this year, for sure..

<Carthain> From Hildulf: "What sort of inspiration was gotten from Stephen R. Donaldson?"

<Monte> Donaldson has a wonderful way of having people's outlook form into actual physical powers. For example, the Bloodguard have a commitment to the Lords (if you're familiar with the books) so that it sustains them and gives them strength. That's kinda like how the oathsworn class in Arcana Unearthed works, with different flavor. Similarly, Donaldson has giants who are not hill giant types, but instead wise and noble. I like that a lot.

<Carthain> From Guest104: "if someone wanted to design something like Arcana Unearthed, where would you suggest they start?"

<Monte> WIth the big picture. Figure out where you want to go. Basically, why are you doing it -- what are the design goals? Everything after that becomes much simpler, as long as you keep those overall goals in mind. For example, some of the goals I had were to inject a different kind of flavor into the game, to put more emotion and personality into the races and classes, and to make things a little more open-ended from the DM's point of view. That's just some of the goals, but they helped me steer.

<Carthain> From yangnome: "I want more info about the minis." Or, in other words: "Monte, any information at all about miniatures that will support Arcana Unearthed?"

<Monte> We're working on a really exiting deal regarding Arcana Unearthed miniatures. Ask me again in about a week.

<Carthain> From Moxyblade: "Can you tell us more about the title Diamond Throne and what it relates to in the campaign?"

<Monte> The Diamond Throne is the name for the hereditary seat of power held by the giants in the setting.

<Carthain> From Leiff: "This question is for Sean and Sue -- what type of games would you say Monte runs?"

<Monte> Sean's gone. Take it, Sue.

<Galhavoc> Well, I think Monte likes to run plot-oriented campaigns more than just hack-and-slash. The games that I've been in, from Call of Cthulhu to Ptolus and Arcana Unearthed and more, have all centered around epic plots that the characters involve themselves in. There are always a lot of props and emphasis placed on setting the right mood, which I appreciated. He usually has far more tangents planned than the PCs ever explore.

<Carthain> From Rhyxivar: "What does the rest of the year look like for Malhavoc products? Anything else Big?"

<Monte> Well, Hallowed Might just came out. Then there's Anger of Angels...

<Galhavoc> Yeah, Sean's just finished his big new sourcebook for Malhavoc. It covers playing angelic (and demonic) races -- including a dozen or so angelic races and how to include angels in your campaign, if not as PCs then in mentor roles or other NPC roles. It's looking great! It will be out in PDF in September and print in December.

<Monte> I forgot When the Sky Falls from Bruce Cordell. That's an event book dealing with a meteor strike. It details all kinds of effects you can introduce in your game with a meteor, including some really imaginative ones (you'd expect that from Bruce, though).

<Galhavoc> Yes, the scientist in Bruce makes that book top-notch!

<Carthain> Does Cry Havoc have a release date set?

<Galhavoc> Cry Havoc is released in late July in PDF and in print in October.

<Monte> Cry Havoc is another event book, from Skip Williams, that will include a mass combat system for d20. I was just reading it this morning. It's great. Then there's Arcana Unearthed, followed by the Screen/Player's Guide, and then Diamond Throne.

<Galhavoc> The Diamond Throne should actually be available to buy in PDF form in August, even though the print edition doesn't come out till November.

<Monte> Diamond Throne, of course, has setting material for Arcana Unearthed, as well as prestige classes, monsters, and magic items. That's what I'm mostly working on now. That's it for this year.

<Galhavoc> Also you should look for some cool tie-in adventures from our Arcana Unearthed partners. Fiery Dragon Productions is publishing an entry-level adventure coauthored by Monte called Plague of Dreams in August, and Mystic Eye Games has a cool epic adventure in anthology form called The Siege at Ebonring Keep, also due in August. I believe FDP also has Counter Collection IV due out for Gen Con, and it is all Diamond Throne!

<Carthain> From Kerrick: "What do you think about other people expanding on some of the rules/ideas/information in the Books of Eldritch Might, if they reference the relevant item(s), but don't reprint it/them?"

<Monte> Kerrick, I think that's cool. That's what the d20 license is all about. It would be very cool, however, to let me know that you're doing it, when you do.

<Carthain> From cetiken: "A tendancy in the core books is for non magic classes to be a bit front-heavy, gaining the majoity of abilities before level 10. Will this be true in Arcana Unearthed?"

<Monte> No. I'm anti-front loading whenever possible.

<Carthain> From Moxyblade: "Will skills (in Arcana Unearthed) like Concentration, Tumble, and Spellcraft be opposed rolls?"

<Monte> Yes.

<Carthain> From Vaxalon: "In the process of the shakeout of the better settings, do you feel that the problems that the fragmentation created in the past (that is, each market becoming small enough that it was no longer profitable) will become a problem again?"

<Monte> Not for long. It might for a while. Basically, once the good ones rise to the fore, they'll do just fine (I'm a big fan -- to a point -- of the free market economy).

<Carthain> From stRBB: "Have the Arcana Unearthed playtesters mentioned any flavor/feel thing from regular core D&D that they miss (from being able to fireball to something more subtle)?"

<Monte> Not too much. Mostly, I think they're intrigued by the new options rather than focusing on what's not there. If there was something like that, I'd put it back in. I don't want to accidentally leave anything out.

<Carthain> From Moxyblade: "Will Arcana Unearthed be adopting the new DR system of 3.5?"

<Monte> Arcana Unearthed is set up to handle both 3.0 and 3.5 DR (basically, because it only discusses DR in a general way -- remember, this is a variant PH, and most of that comes up in the MM and DMG). In the Diamond Throne, I'll probably do the monsters in 3.5 format with notes on how to deal with it using 3.0 rules. The DR thing is one of the things about 3.5 that I'm not too sure about yet, as far as how I feel about it.

<Carthain> Here's two that are related. From Ander: "Will you do a formal review of 3/5 once it's publicly released?" And from ilzarion: "Will you perhaps write an opinion article for dragon/your website on some of the less desirable changes in 3.5 come july when your NDC no longer applies?"

<Monte> Yes. It's already started, in fact. It will be, however, about both the good and the bad, not just the bad. There ARE some really good things about 3.5.

<Carthain> From stRBB: "When 3.5/Arcana Unearthed are out, will you write columns about how you use 3.5 and 3.5/Arcana Unearthed in your Ptolus or other campaigns? (3.5 changes, optional rules used, etc.)"

<Monte> Yes.

<Carthain> Here's another two similar ones. From DrAwkward: "I understand that there will be a lot of background information in Arcana Unearthed. Do you foresee any supplemental fiction? Short stories, novels, and the like?" And from cetiken: "From what I've heard, an Arcana Unearthednovel would be really cool. Will this ever happen, or am I doomed to dream?"

<Monte> That would be really cool. Maybe for starters I'd do something like that on the site, I don't know. The thing is, we'll just have to see how well the whole thing takes off first.

<Carthain> From Moxyblade: "Will there be new weapons and equipment in Arcana Unearthed that you can tell us about?"

<Monte> There are a lot of new weapons and armor in the game. Exotic weapons, in particular, with Arcana Unearthed flavor. Like the litorian warclub and the sibeccai khopesh. The new armors are my attempt to create a balanced set of armor, so that they are all good choices. It's always bugged me a little that some of the D&D armor choices are just bad. And there's more to both armor and weapons than just that. I'll do at least one whole Design Diary about that. Oh, and new alchemical stuff!

<Carthain> From Elsin: "Monte, do you play any other RPGs? Mage?"

<Monte> I've never played Mage, but I've heard great things about it. I used to play a lot of Call of Cthulhu, but I haven't for a while. Way back, I was a fan of the Hero System and Rolemaster, as well as a little Earthdawn, Runequest, and a few others. Oh, and long, long ago -- Villians and Vigilantes!

<Carthain> From Isida: "Monte, what's your favorite prestige class? Official and/or unofficial." (And to add on to that, do you pay any attention to the PrC contests that Kraah runs in the D&D Characters forum?)

<Monte> The Knight of the Pale in Book of Hallowed Might is my favorite. I do try to check out those contests when I can.

<Carthain> From Cordo_Crowfoot: "Question: In Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, with the errata to the howler making it quite a bit more challenging than the stat block in the original module, would you recommend DMs use the tough, errata version, or use the perhaps more balanced weaker, original, albeit incorrect version?"

<Monte> The original version. That's what was playtested. It was modified to be just right for that encounter.

<Carthain> From Desmond: "In your Ptolus campaign, how do you treat the deities? Are they standoffish, expecting their followers to do their bidding, or are they hands-on, sending their avatars and celestials where they're needed?"

<Monte> In Ptolus, there are some of each. Not all the gods are the same. Most, however, are too busy to notice what's going on unless it's really big or when their powerful servants are in need. There are special circumstances, however, that make it so that only a celestial (and never an avatar) who agrees to come to Ptolus will come. Because they can't ever go back.

<Carthain> From chaosdragon: "Do you like d20 better than old system?"

<Monte> Better than AD&D? Absolutely. Hands down.

<Carthain> From ArthurQ: "Monte, what are your Gen Con plans/schedule like? When can we come chat with you, or shake your hand?"

<Monte> I always like meeting players.

<Galhavoc> We don't know the times yet, but here are our Gen Con events: Meet Malhavoc Press, Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed: Design Diary Live, "Between Life and Death" Arcana Unearthed game (6 sessions), "Into the Harrowdeep" (winners of the previous advance to this round)...

<Monte> I won't be running all those sessions, by the way. Just the "Into the Harrowdeep" one.

<Galhavoc> ... ; Cry Havoc Boot Camp, and "Wreak Havoc!" event for 16 people. Plus I will be conducting the editor's workshop again, and Monte and I should be available to say hi at the White Wolf/Sword & Sorcery booth!

<Monte> Please come by.

<Carthain> From chaosdragon: "Do you enjoy playing more or running?"

<Monte> I like DMing more. I like playing, but I've been the DM, about 99% of the time (or more). I like the outlet of creativity that is being a DM. I also use it as an opportunity to playtest new ideas for products.

<Carthain> And to end it with a fitting comment from ldyvelvet: "No question, just a thank you for continuing to expand the world of fantasy RP for those of us who like to play pretend, no matter how old we get."

<Carthain> ... and that's the last of the questions ^_^ .

<Monte> Wow. Thanks. That's really nice to say.

<Galhavoc> This has been just great, everyone!

<Monte> I really, really appreciate all of you coming and sticking around almost two hours.

* Transcript edited for style and clarity.