Malhavoc Press

Chat Transcript: Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions

May 13, 2004 — 5 p.m. PST

I was pleased to welcome about two dozen of you to our chat room last week to talk with me and my codesigner Mike Mearls about our new release, Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions. Sue also chimed in to update you about some of the other products you'll be seeing from Malhavoc Press later this year. Thanks to everyone who attended! We were testing out a new chat room for this one, and we think we'll try it again soon. Thanks as well to Matt Locke for moderating and to White Wolf's Conrad Hubbard for sending us this transcript*. —Monte

Galhavoc
Today we're here to talk about the new book by Mearls and Cook, Book of Hallowed Might II. It came out recently in PDF format, so hopefully by now you will have some questions stocked up. The book is all about new spells, feats, and magic for divine spellcasters. It also includes five hallowed locales... sacred places from the Forge at the Heart of the World to the Mountain of the Voice. I'm sure we'll be happy to take questions on other topics as well. Now, let's start with the first question...

nightbringer
How compatible or adaptable is the Book of Hallowed Might II to an Arcana Unearthed campaign?

Monte Cook
Very compatible. There's an appendix in the back that converts all the material to Arcana Unearthed.

Caledonian
How would you suggest using the heavily-divine magics of the Hallowed Might books in campaigns that lack supernatural good and evil?

Monte Cook
Well, first off, Book of Hallowed Might II specifically doesn't deal with good and evil in a big way. Just about every world has religion. Book of Hallowed Might II deals with vengeance, and foretelling the future, and other rather "neutral" topics, actually, from a religious point of view.

nightbringer
What really sets the k of Hallowed Might II apart from other d20 products? What would make the k of Hallowed Might in particular worth spending one's scant gaming budget on it, as opposed to something else?

Mike Mearls
Excellent question! I think the key is that we give you an integrated context for all the crunchy bits. Everything in the book fits into an organic whole. There's nothing that's isolated.

Caledonian
Does that make it difficult to pick and choose which things to use in a particular campaign?

Mike Mearls
I think it's easier. If you like one of the gods, then the mechanics built around his followers -- feats, magic items, spells -- all fit into the deity's theme.

Monte Cook
I don't think so, either. The whole thing is based around a single pantheon, but you can use any of the material in a modular way as well.

Mike Mearls
Yes, the gods are all distinct - they can exist on their own, but they also make sense within the context of their own panethon.

Monte Cook
And in regard to the previous question, I'd say that like all Malhavoc books, the thing that makes it stand out from other d20 products is that the people working on it have a real solid grasp of the rules. Not to be immodest, but I'm still surprised by how badly some other products out there handle the concept of balance, integrating new rules and developing brand new subsystems that work with the core.

Guest
Will there be a lot of cross-product connections with future products, such as Beyond Countless Doorways?

Monte Cook
Yes. You'll see the Celestial River, the idea that ties the pantheon in Book of Hallowed Might II together, show up in Beyond Countless Doorways. You'll also see the Nexus from Book of Eldritch Might III.

Mike Mearls
The stuff I'm working on tends to be fairly modular, but I'm a sucker for easter eggs.

Monte Cook
I like doing stuff like that. You'll find that the cosmology in Beyond Countless Doorways works well with both Arcana Unearthed and the Ptolus campaign from The Banewarrens. THere's even a reference to Demon God's Fane as well.

Peterson
How concerned were you guys with balance, in regards to Book of Hallowed Might and Book of Eldritch Might? Were there any glaring problems that you could see if one used both in the same setting?

Monte Cook
It's important to me that we maintain a balance with the core rules and with all Malhavoc stuff. Beyond that, I can't make any promises.

Mike Mearls
Balance is a tricky thing, but AFAICT they should play well together. We tend to be very aware of what we're doing between products, plus the playtesters are very helpful.

Caledonian
Does this represent the beginnings of a distinct Malhavoc cosmology?

Monte Cook
Well, to be honest, at least from my point of view, the products have always all kind of hung together, because so much of this comes straight from my own campaign. But, yes, Beyond Countless Doorways does a lot to tie it all together so that other people can see it as well. I'm anxious, as always, to see what Mike throws into the mix.

Mike Mearls
I'm not sure we'll be in a position where our generic d20 books are tired to a specific world. I think we draw on our own games, but I don't think we'll have an Arcana Unearthed level of integration into a setting.

Shadoblaque
Not really a question, but I must say I liked the 'keyed item' concept -- innovative. Wish I'd thought of it.

Monte Cook
Thanks. It's proving popular in my home campaign as well.

Caledonian
Malhavoc Gang: Regarding The Complete Book of Eldritch Might, did it worry you to be putting out a product made up out of previous products?

Monte Cook
To be honest, I really wasn't all that worried. It's something that people had been asking for since Book of Eldritch Might III came out. It's done really well for us. Apparently, retailers were suprised that a "reprint" book sold so well. I think it's because it's so handy to have it all in one book. I know it's really much easier for me to use in my weekly game.

nightbringer
How, specifically, is Beyond Countless Doorways going to be tied into Arcana Unearthed, which is strongly presented as a relatively aplanar setting? Could you give us a few hints?

Monte Cook
Well, if you look at the section in The Diamond Throne about cosmology, you'll get an idea of how the Beyond Countless Doorways cosmology will be set up. The cosmology of the Beyond Countless Doorways is called "the Countless Worlds."

Guest
Any plans to publish science fiction, modern, or horror products?

Monte Cook
Well, never say never. Chaositech, for example, could be used in a SF or modern game pretty easily, and I've heard from people who're doing just that. However, there are no current plans to stray from fantasy at the moment.

Mike Mearls
I don't think there's anything that we flat-out won't do, aside perhaps from licensed games. There's a lot of space to maneuver in d20. I think if we did do something SF or modern, it'd be like Arcana Unearthed -- we'd try to do something really unique, interesting, and playable.

nightbringer
How would keyed items work for Arcana Unearthed? Would they qualify as constant items? If so, what about spells that have a Constant n/a modifier?

Monte Cook
Keyed items have a lot less utility in Arcana Unearthed because of the way spellcasters work. However, I'd classify them as spell-completion items, I think (that's the thought that just now occurred to me).

herald
Has anyone considered making a book just on constructs?

Mike Mearls
An entire book might be a bit too limited, but constructs are pretty cool....

Monte Cook
Yeah, it's a cool idea. I'm not sure, off the top of my head, where we'd go with it. I'd want to do something really different with them to justify a whole book.

nightbringer
Wouldn't a short and cheap PDF be a good format for a construct book, then?

Monte Cook
Sure. We're focusing our energies right now on larger products that will be both PDF and print, however. That's really our business model.

Mike Mearls
We tend to have too many fixed costs -- things that take a minimum time and effort regardless of the book -- to justify anything that's going to be really short. We haven't really talked about PDF-only products, but it's something I've thought about.

Guest
I'd like to see something like the way intellegent items worked, but also with classes too.

Monte Cook
Classes for items and/or constructs? Neat.

Mike Mearls
I like the idea. I mentioned on the Malhavoc board that I'm unhappy with the Level Adjustment mechanic, and monstrous PCs are definitely something I like to think about.

nightbringer
Are there any plans for a sequel to Children of the Rune?

Galhavoc
Children of the Rune comes out in August at Gen Con. It is our first anthology of fiction. We had so much fun doing it, that we decided to put another one on the schedule! Look for it early next year. Mike, are you going to do a story for it?

Mike Mearls
Hopefully! I know I'll submit something.

Caledonian
Is it difficult to create mechanics for "seeing the future" in a game system that's so subject to player whim and pure chance?

Monte Cook
In a word, yes. It's extraordinarily hard for a DM to say "your god says that X will happen in the future" and then NOT be heavy handed in making sure that it happens. Or, alternatively, risk the god being wrong. So, in Book of Hallowed Might II I go on (kind of at length) on how to deal with that. Mostly, the idea is to empower the PCs to realize that the future isn't set. But there's more to it than that, of course.

Mike Mearls
Yeah, it's hard in any sort of game. With four or five people taking part in an RPG, it's hard to predict anything.

bh
Again, I have to ask: Is Malhavoc highering freelance or considering doing it in the future?

Monte Cook
Not at this time, no. Sorry. We're operating at about maximum capacity at the moment. We couldn't add new products written by new authors to our schedule even if we wanted to. Thanks for asking, though.

Peterson
Is there a sequel in the works for Chaositech, or perhaps another book similar in scope?

Monte Cook
While there's no sequel in mind at the moment, books like Chaositech, that provide a complete and unique (and hopefully cool) subsystem like Chaositech are the kinds of books I really like to do. It's a little like our concept of event books, really.

litorian
About Hyperconscious, any updates about it? will it introduce psionics to Arcana Unearthed?

Galhavoc
Well, Hyperconscious is not an Arcana Unearthed book. What it will do is offer an all-new psionics adventure using the rules from the expanded 3.5 psionics handbook. It also will update the previously published psionic rules from Mindscapes and If Thoughts Could Kill. I'm not sure at this point what sorts of Arcana Unearthed tie-ins it will have.

Monte Cook
I don't think it will have specific Arcana Unearthed ties. Arcana Unearthed does have its own breed of psionics, and it's got little to do with the standard psionics material (or rather, it's got no more to do with it than it does with spells).

Zak Arntson
Will Malhavoc be present at the Dragonflight convention in Seattle this year?

Monte Cook
Maybe. We always seem to be out of town during Dragonflight, but I'd like to come.

Galhavoc
We wanted to go last year but my parents were in town. :)

Shadoblaque
Why the 'Portents and Visions' title? (Did I miss that?) Is there a theme focus on divination? I haven't read much on the book yet (and can't buy it until I get home).

Monte Cook
Yes. There's a big section of the book that deals with omens, visions, divinations, foreseeing the future, etc. Not only new feats and spells and items that deal with it, but lots of DM advice for how to better handle such things, which can be hard on a DM in a game.

Guest
About the mega adventure poll on the boards, have you decided if you will do it?

Monte Cook
We're going to be doing something really big and really interesting next year, but it's not going to merely be a big adventure as discussed on the boards.

Mike Mearls
Yeah, I think socks shall be knocked off, but we can't say much yet./ga

SlappinJoe
There's a lot of crunch out there for d20 (ie: prestige classes), even with themed titles like Book of Hallowed Might, are they obligatory nowadays vs. space used for content like NPCs, factions, or encounters?

Mike Mearls
It's hard. The challenge for a designer is to create stuff that a DM can't come up with. Background stuff can be hard because it's so subjective, and every DM has a different campaign. With a book like Book of Hallowed Might II, we tried to blend the mechanics and background into one whole. That way, you have a clear, good reason for the background, and vice versa with respect to the mechanics. If you like feats and spells that an evil cult could used to corrupt others, than Mallock's background fits right with the mechanics that provide that.

Monte Cook
In my time working on D&D or d20, I've probably churned out as many feats, spells, prestige classes, etc. as anyone, and far more than most. Prestige classes were my idea, in fact. But I've never said to myself, "Well, I'm going to have to come up with a bunch of game stuff now to fill the book" or "I'm going to have to cut material to make room for some new feats" or anything like that. While we've done a lot of books that were very mechanic-heavy, that was intentional. We also are doing books that are very mechanics light. Beyond Countless Doorways, for example, has no new feats, spells or prestige classes in it (it does have a few new monsters and templates, though). We try to do what's appropriate for the given book./ga

Mike Mearls
I think the best mechanics have a context with the game world reality -- whatever campaign you might be using. if we make a construct race, to pull an example from before, it would need background to explain its context. You don't have golem people just show up in the city of Greyhawk without anyone noticing or the world changing.

SlappinJoe
Any plans for a new Skreyn's Register? Especially with stuff from the latest books?

Monte Cook
We're talking to Sean about doing another book, but it may or may not have anything to do with Skreyn's Register. (In other words, we don't know yet.)

Starspectre
The Book of Eldritch Might II outlined alternate bard and sorcerer classes. Any chance this or a future Book of Hallowed Might might outline variant paladin/cleric/druid etc. classes? What about focusing on paladins/rangers in their combined divine-martial capacity?

Monte Cook
The first Book of Hallowed Might has a variant paladin and ranger, actually.

Mike Mearls
I'm not sure you'll see variant clerics or druids, though the greenbond would make a good alternate druid. Some classes, like fighters, are already flexible enough that a variant would be easier to create just by making new feats for them.

a madman
The focus of recent books seems to be on creating places and people (as opposed to new rules and items, as in much d20 material), but are there plans for new event books?

Monte Cook
Not at the moment, no. I still think they're a cool way to present ideas, though.

Inalchuk
How is Book of Hallowed Might II being received in the marketplace? I enjoyed the mini-settings, but its emphasis still on feats, prestige classes, and paragon progressions.

Monte Cook
Sales are pretty good, and it seems like people like it. To be honest, the true test is when it comes out in print form (in July). I think, in general, people are still eager to get stuff to use in their games but are overwhelmed by new feats and spells and whatnot. That's why we did the book the way we did.

Mike Mearls
It's gotten very good reviews, and from what we've seen people are happy with it. I think RPG development is a continuing process -- I doubt we'll ever sit back and say *this* is how we'll do the rest of our books.

nightbringer
Why were the schools of magic deemed unimportant in Arcana Unearthed, placing emphasis on descriptors instead?

Mike Mearls
I can't answer the why part of that question, but I think from a design standpoint it opens up a ton of cool effects. A school is an either/or proposition. A spell is from one school and no others. Descriptors are more flexible, and they also let you link together spells but how they do stuff, rather than what they do. that's a level of flexibility that i really like in the descriptor system.

Monte Cook
Simply put, the schools of magic didn't do what I wanted or needed them to do. I wanted to be able to focus on other things (elements, positive/negative energy, curses, etc.). I also wanted to get away from the D&D specialization concept, which didn't really fit my concept for Arcana Unearthed at all. When working on 3rd Edition, descriptors were something that I really loved, but didn't think we did enough with.

Erekose13
Mike, I wondered if you could elaborate a bit more on your next Arcana Unearthed title?

Mike Mearls
Well, I can't say too much. It's my next book -- my current book is a general d20 title.

Mike Mearls
But I think that if you liked the Arcana Unearthed magic system, you'll love Mystic Secrets. It expands on magic in Arcana Unearthed in a lot of directions -- I really want to take ceremonies and show how they can play an important, useful role in everyday life. I have an article in the current issue of Dragon -- the 30th anniversary of D&D issue -- and if you check it out, you can get an insight on some of the directions I'm looking at. (It's the second article, not the one about how dragons can fit into a campaign world.) Anyway, there's expansions for all the magic-using classes, with new spells and character options. I hope that it's the kind of book that everyone looks at and wants because it adds some useful, evocative new sub-systems to their Arcana Unearthed game.

Matt Locke
Well, that's all the questions for tonight. I'd like to thank Mike, Monte, & Sue for coming out to answer all our questions ^_^

Monte Cook
Thanks everyone, for coming and for your great questions. We really appreciate that you'd take the time to come hang out with us.

Mike Mearls
Thanks everyone! This was fun!

Galhavoc
Thanks so much to you all for coming! We'll have the chat transcript up next week at montecook.com.

Monte Cook
'night, everyone!

* Transcript edited for style and clarity.