#but why did her friend group have to consist of witch with mostly human features only?

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

it always pisses me off when fantasy stories have a cast of conventionally attractive humanoid characters with like,, different colored hair or something. like what do you mean your story is set in this amazing fantastical world with monsters and centaurs and aliens and sentient blobs, but your main cast is just a bunch of average joes?

[jones-friend]

BECAUSE I GOT ASKED TO DO THEM ALL

1. A favorite character you have played.

Boyd Pengelly. He was a barbarian/rogue multiclass who used his Rage feature whenever he got angry enough. The unpredictability mixed with low expectations on his longevity was a great time.

2. Your favorite character that someone else has played.

This is a hard question to answer, and I don’t like playing favorites so here’s a top three:

@darien-king-of-synergy ‘s Trick, Gentleman Adventurer. Classy theif with the cane and suit to back it up.

@krakenattack ‘s Lieklo, the nerdiest dragon

@graspingeden ‘s Avery Holimon, the sweetest silver dragon to soar the friendly skies

3. Your favorite side quest.

Anytime Lord Baron Rikshaw, Kobold Nobleman kidnaps my players with the assistance of Mr McKemby and Pent, a winged kobold and kenku cleric of Pelor. Grand Budapest styled shenanigans ensue.

4. Your current campaign.

I’ve created a loose one shot system with a hub world called the University of Corcyra Isle. The idea is a sphinx teacher organizes a school of magic to learn through space and time with the assistance of all kinds of strange teachers. I can’t wait for them to meet my mindflayer humanist.

5. Favorite NPC.

That’s a tough question that changes day to day so I’m gonna talk about one of my favorites I haven’t before: Isarthi

Isarthi is a mindflayer humanist living in a colony deep in the underdark. She sees humanoid creatures like we would see a bunny or dog: adorable but also pretty dumb. She wants to uninslave the humanoids in the colony but its a radical idea that isn’t taking hold anytime soon. For now she ushers them about in secret, offering biology lessons where sometimes her papers mix with her Dungeons and Dryads character sheets (a game she is fully willing to play with your characters).

6. Favorite death (monster, player character, NPC, etc).

That’s hard because as I’ve continued, I don’t like death in my D&D. I used to let it happen pretty consistently but its a story telling element I don’t like using unless its really the best way to tell the story.

That being said, I do have one character planned. Tieflings have a Ritual of the Returned, you can petition to have a Tiefling returned from the hells under a specific contract. One tiefling thought he was clever and his contract states that he will only be returned if he plays a song so beautiful that it makes a dragon cry.

Avery is a silver dragon who will find him freezing on the mointaintops. Eventually he falls in love with her, and she persuades him to give up his grasp on this unlife, and elevates his soul to heaven. In his acceptance of this he plays a song to Avery, thanking her and coming to terms with his death, and that song brings Avery to tears completing his contract.

7. Your favorite downtime activity.

Making magic items yo

8. Your favorite fight/encounter.

I made a swamp on wooden catwalks and put a black dragon in the water beneath them, 10/10 would recommend.

9. Your favorite thing about D&D.

The interactive part. My players have such a sway over the story, I really just direct them and they lovingly contribute so much to the world they’re in.

10. Your favorite enemy and the enemy you hate the most.

I love myconids, their ressurrection spore makes any D&D creature into a clicker from last of us

My least favorite enemy is the zombie beholder from 5e. I’ve seen them outright kill two players in one shot (I was one of the two) and the level of power they have is extreme for the challenge rating they hold.

11. How often do you play and how often would you ideally like to play?

In person? Rarely. Its mostly over text and even then its not as much as I’d like to with job searching.

12. Your in game inside jokes/memes/catchphrases and where they came from.

So in one session we split the party to break into a house. Me and my friend Tanner were roof team: our job was to wait on the roof for the party could come up so I could polymorph into a dragon and fly us away (something I didn’t realize you couldn’t do).

Instead of staying on the roof, roof team went to the first floor, drank poisoned alcohol, and vomited everywhere escaping as a drunken dragon.

ROOF TEAM

13. Introduce your current party.

I have a lot of students but I can introduce my antihero party! Its my Suicide Squad of morally gray characters

Boyd Pengelly: angry criminal from the city. Acting on impulse got him here and it sure isn’t bringing him anywhere else so why not.

Henrietta Lynch: in Barlowe Landing, her werewolf sister fatally wounded a boy she was seeing. A witch in the woods gave her a bad spell and now she has a zombie ex boyfriend she’s lugging around. At first she thought he was alive incorrectly. As he rots away shes slowly coming to terms with what she did.

Brass: Ex soldier of Vollenth’s military, Brass defected during a war march and works as a hitman or hired muscle. His aim with a crossbow is remarkable and he’s sure to let you know that. He defected from Vollenth’s army to be a free man only to realize there was nothing of him left.

Tiamir: A dragonborn who grew up a servant of red dragons, she stole the rite of being Tiamat’s Paladin from the family’s hatchling, and enforced Tiamat’s ideaology of might makes right wherever she goes.

14. Introduce any other parties you have played in or DM-ed.

One time I played in a session where we had:

Bird police (me)

Russian dwarf cleric

Necromancer

Barbarian vampire person who hisses a lot

15. Do you have snacks during game times?

Oh for sure. Clean snacks that don’t make crumbs are best. Frozen pizzas work great, you can make a bunch and cut them up into squares.

16. Do you play online or in person? Which do you prefer?

I’ve really been enjoying the amount of control playing over text gives me, though that has its limits when it comes to complex combat

17. What are some house rules that your group has?

Don’t be rude

No rape. Find a different way to tell your story.

18. Does your party keep any pets?

Once they had a gryphon hatchling

19. Do you or your party have any dice superstitions?

There’s a set of pink dice @darien-king-of-synergy owns that have killed two PC’s and a whole campaign but give him nothing but high rolls

20. How did you get into D&D? How long have you been playing?

I’ve been playing for 6 years now, my friends in college got me into it. I made a gnome atheist who disowned the gods when his gelatinous ooze cube was slaughtered.

21. Have you ever regretted something your character has done?

Once Boyd alerted the entire area with a nat 1 on stealth I RP’d by getting spooked and punching a man in the face. I probably should’ve let the DM decide what happened there

22. What color was your first dragon?

Crudak! My copper baby. A desert shopkeep who’s quite excitable and quite a fast talker.

23. Do you use premade modules or original campaigns?

Nope! I make all my own.

24. How much planning/preparation do you do for a game?

Usually 3-4 hours for one shots. Over text I make an outline and follow through as necessary.

For DMs

25. What have your players done that you never could have planned for?

One of my players romanced a dragon NPC and that changed everything

26. What was your favorite scene to write and show your characters.

The hatching of a baby gold dragon in the middle of a city, which the players had to smuggle through said city

27. Do you allow homebrew content?

Yes as long as its to have fun not to break the game

28. How often do you use NPCs in a party?

In online or in person? Almost never. In one on one I pair you with an NPC that rounds you out.

29. Do you prefer RP heavy sessions or combat sessions?

RP heavy for sure!

30. Are your players diplomatic or murder hobos?

They better not be murder hobos

For Players

31. What is your favorite class? Favorite race?

Warlock has the coolest options

Human, funny enough. I find human PC’s bring out their character more than other races do.

Under that is dragonborn for fire breathing.

32. What role do you like to play the most? (Tank/healer/etc?)

Magic support or heavy beater. Once I had paladin’s divine smite, barbarian’s reckless attack, and fighter’s improved critical all on the same attack

33. How do you write your backstory, or do you even write a backstory?

I make the character and whatever backstory is necessary to understand the character! I used to write long backstories but now I’m more involved with the role playing aspect.

34. Do you tend pick weapons/spells for being useful or for flavor?

FLaVoR

35. How much roleplay do you like to do?

All roleplaying all the time

[a2mgo-blog]

A Book Review

“The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman

Introduction

             The “Graveyard Book” is a story that narrates the adventure of a boy named Nobody Owens also known as Bod. Bod is a normal boy, normal except he was raised by ghosts and has a guardian that is neither living nor already dead and lives in a very special nature reserve graveyard. Bod is the only living person that was given the “Freedom of the Graveyard”. While, he isn’t allowed to go out of the graveyard as the ghosts and his guardian stated that he wasn’t “ready” and it is too “dangerous” for him. Beside from that, when Bod will leave the graveyard, his life will become risky from the man named Jack. Some of Bod’s adventure in the graveyard includes: the search for the ancient grave; meeting the ghouls and the witch; and the mysterious Danse Macabre.

            This book is written by Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman, the author of Coraline, Sandman and American Gods. He is an English author, voice actor, comic book creator and a screenwriter who writes books for all ages. This man is not just your ordinary author but he is also an award winning author who won several awards from his various creations, from Hugo awards to Carnegie medals. A self-described “feral child who was raised by patient librarians”, as he loved their local library (at Sussex) as a child who haunted the books it possess. Neil Gaimann, the man who loved graveyards as much as he feared them.

            The Graveyard Book was inspired by the son of Gaiman, Michael, who was just a child riding his tricycle, through the graveyard past the grave belonged to a “witch”, what Gaiman thought before. Influenced by Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, The Graveyard Book as Gaiman stated “composed of short stories”. Written from December 2005 to February 2008, Gaiman confessed that this book is something he wanted to write for over twenty years and that the first chapter he wrote for the book was the book’s chapter four. The Graveyard Book won several awards such as Locus Young Adult Award, UK’s Booktrust Prize for Teenage Fiction, the Newbery Medal (“the highest honor given in US children’s literature”), as well as the Carnegie Medal. This book also made Gaiman the first author to gain both Newbery Medal and Carnegie Medal with the same book.

by: Joan Andrea Giralao

 Plot

            Neil Gaiman’s “The Graveyard Book” was all about mystery, fantasy, magical and the longing of a normal human life. The plot of the story was written appropriately from the introduction until the end. Even though the chapters of the book had different stories, it was still alright because the stories are still connected with each other. That's why it’s interesting, because readers are required to think critically, and read the story thoroughly. The beginning was interesting because it started with a murder case. In this part it slowly gave hints about the main characters’ identities in the story. As the story goes on, it was surprising because of its sudden twist, which the author actually wrote it well. The climax until the end was written consistently for it attracts the readers’ attention and it was written in a suspense manner.

            Since it was my first time to read a whole story of the book, and it was good and interesting for me. Even though it’s good, I suggest that it should be end up like the antagonist should not killed so that the protagonist and his friend never gave up their friendship because of this misunderstanding. In other words, I guess that the story should end up in a happy ending.

by: Liezel Macariola

Characterization

Nobody “Bod” Owens

            Nobody Owens was actually not supposed to be the Nobody Owens of the graveyard, actually, he was supposed to be normal human. His surname was actually Dorian and by a streak of luck, he coincidentally escaped from death and arrived at a local graveyard. He was then raised by the dead, a living child being raised by the non-living. As he grew up, the author directly characterized Nobody Owens as a child with sober grey eyes and mouse-colored hair. Also, it was stated that Bod was actually obedient, but at the same time, inquisitive. Lastly, as he grew old and turned to 11 years, his mouse-colored turned darker, and he became lean as stated in the book.

            As we were reading through the novel, we managed to characterize the main protagonist of “The Graveyard Book” as adventurous, which became more evident during the final chapter when he was about to leave the graveyard, saying different things about the places he wants to try, experience and places to go to. He was also a brave person, being able to stay calm most especially when he and her first living friend, Scarlett Amber Perkins, were inside a cave located in a certain hill in Bod’s graveyard. Aside from that, he was also a wise child, being able to think of calling Night-gaunts to help him when he was abducted by ghouls, and especially when he was dealing with the Jack of All Trades. Furthermore, he was a caring and a somewhat sweet boy which was seen when he decided to buy a gravestone for a dead witch named Elizabeth Hempkins.

            I don’t know if my groupmates would agree with me but personally, what I like about his character is that he’s curious, and whenever his curiosity were answered, he would totally learn to remember it. He’s also got a sharp memory which, in return, becomes the foundation of his own wisdom. Thus, apart from the ghastly supernatural things that he can do most especially when he’s inside the graveyard’s premises, I, myself, would love to acquire his wisdom and obedience. On the other hand, like Nobody Owens, there are also children who lost their real family at a young age, and raised with strangers, or someone close with their parents, our group seems to never experienced it though. I also liked the fact that the author narrated how Nobody changed from the day he first came to the Graveyard, to the day he left the Graveyard because he can stand on his own, which in return, made the readers understand how Bod thinks more.

 Silas

            Silas is a dark and mysterious character who played an important role in the main protagonist’s life. When the spirits of Mr. and Mrs. Owens decided to adopt and raise Bod, Silas volunteered to be the child’s guardian, promising that he’ll be the one to provide the boy’s foods and do many things for him. As for his physical features, we’re afraid that it wasn't really described very much in the novel, however, it was stated that he has bony fingers and wore a dark velvet coat. Apparently, the novel stated many times that Bod’s guardian is actually not a ghost, and is neither alive nor dead. Lastly, during the chapter where Nobody Owens came to another graveyard, Owens was told by ghosts living in the said cemetery that his own guardian, Silas, was part of a group called Honor Guards.

            Truth be told, what boggled our minds is this question, “If he is neither alive nor dead, then what kind of creature is Silas?”. We later found out that Silas has the ability to turn into a bat-like creature when he saved the arrested Nobody Owens from the police with something he did not do, and although it was not explicitly stated, Silas also seems to have no reflection on any mirror, thus, we deduced that Silas could be a vampire. On the other hand, Silas was a wise and knowledgeable about many things since he answered Bod’s questions about many things with clarity, and he also became the protagonist’s first teacher. He is also secretive, keeping the fact that he’s an Honor Guard, that he fights an evil organization during his ‘trips’, and hiding the fact about Bod’s real parents and their fates. Moreover, there were also times that he’s becoming overprotective about Bod, like when Bod decided to go to school. However, despite all of that, Silas is still a caring and responsible character because he still never forgets to bring Bod his necessities and provides the protagonist his own needs.

            We think of Silas as a father-like figure for the protagonist, and not just a normal father but a cool and great father. Well, even though Nobody Owens has his foster father, Mr. Owens, we still think that Silas was more influential to Bod.  On the other hand, although we think that the author meant Silas to be a mysterious character, whose life should be kept a secret, we still also think that it would be better if we knew more about Silas. We can’t relate on what’s happening with him since, as stated earlier, he’s too mysterious, though we still like his character. Furthermore, adding mystery on his character makes Silas more exciting, although again, I personally think that it went a little bit too much. Despite all of that, for me, Silas was actually narrated in the story very well, and even if his character is full of mysteries, we all believe that these questions added a great ‘spice’ in the story though.

 Jack Frost

            A tall man with dark hair and dark eyes, and it was also stated that those who see him will feel intimidated, and uncomfortable. He also serves as the main antagonist of the novel, and the one who killed Nobody Owen’s family, his mother, father, and his older sister. Furthermore, it was revealed that Jack Frost is a member of a dark organization called the “Jack of All Trades”. In the novel, it was stated that he mostly wore shiny black leather shoes, thin and black leather gloves, a long black coat, and uses a sharp knife for killing his victims. During the seventh chapter, thirteen years has passed after his attempt to kill Nobody Owens, he disguised and goes by the name of Jay Frost, where he befriended Scarlett Amber Perkins, who was the protagonist’s living friend, in hopes of finding leads for Bod. During those parts, he wore a tweed jacket and a fawn mackintosh, his hair also had gone thinner and gone grey, and Scarlett also mentioned he was also nice. Lastly, Jack Frost stated himself that he was prideful.

            He was cold-blooded, and no mercy, he was a professional killer, and with this, it seems that he’s very trained not to feel guilt to those he killed. In fact, he was very used to corpses, and blood, which was very evident when he killed Bod’s family. It was also obvious that he has inhuman senses, he uses his sense of smell to track his ‘preys’, and he can see well in dark, although not very clear as Bod’s. Like Bod, he also doesn’t get scared easily, although Frost was surprised when Bod used Fade to turn invisible, he was not afraid of Bod, and he was not really scared very much when the Sleer appeared in front of him and the protagonist. He was also the person who never gives up until he finished his mission/s completely, in fact, he never forgotten about the toddler who managed to escape from his hands. However, he was a really friendly and sociable person when he is pushed, truth to be told, when he was under the disguise of Jay Frost, whom Scarlett befriended, he was totally different from the cold-blooded killer who murdered persons in his past.

            If only Jack Frost was always Jay Frost, he could be very a nice and kind person. Personally, I’m afraid to think that his sociable self was all an act, that his friendship with Scarlett and his laughs with Mrs. Perkins weren’t fake. I mean, if only Jack Frost changed at the seventh chapter and somehow say that he learned his lessons, he may not have died, but unfortunately, he didn’t change. Well, we guess that it must’ve been better when he’d changed since he’s got of potential. Moving on, aside from his friendly personality and his ‘not-giving-up spirit, we don’t like his other personalities. Although personally, I’d love to have his enhanced senses. Basically, we can’t also relate on his character very much, because just like Silas, Jack Frost was also mysterious. If only he shared his past, like telling his own story, why did he became a member of the organization of the Jacks, and his family, although there was once a part in the novel where it was revealed that Frost had a grandmother, then we can relate with him more. However, since Jack Frost’s character was really meant to be the main antagonist on the novel but aside from his motive to kill Bod, there’s no other explanations or revelations about him as a character.

by: Carl Jev Orcullo

 Art & Delivery

            This illustration shows what the whole novel wants to tell, life and death, the two different worlds of bod. World of the dead, where he used to live in shadows, grew up for years and where his guardians protect him against the dangers of the living world. While the Living world that lies behind the gate through the world of the dead, colorful as it is, full of life, temptation and dangers for bod yet, as years passed by, Nobody “Bod” Owens learned to accept the fact that he has to leave the world of the dead, his comfort zone and live his life.

            I chose this illustration for, just looking at this art; it would instantly give the true essence of the story, the life of a person living both worlds which able to grow, survive and live.

By: Nur-Aisa Askalani

 Final Verdict

            Neil Gaiman, we must say, did a job well done for this novel. The story well plotted, from the beginning to the end, it never ceased to excite us, most especially the protagonist’s adventures, and the mysteries of the graveyard. What’s more is that the characters themselves were wonderfully thought, most especially the main protagonist of the story. Another great thing in the novel was the unique idea of the author, a normal human child raised by ghost. Personally, I loved the way of narration in the story, it was certain to make the readers’ imagination run wild.

           However, it feels that some things were left unanswered, although the author probably decided that himself, for the readers to expect a sequel. However, if I am to be asked if this novel deserved a sequel, yes it does, but it seems that Bod’s adventure in the graveyard ended, his life in the graveyard ended, and so as the story. Unless Gaiman, thinks of more wonderful plot twists, or he thickens the plot, it’ll not be the same Graveyard Book that we read.

           Yes, Gaiman’s work is a must read, it gives the ‘feels’ of childhood, it’s adventures, and its magic. That’s why, if you want to read something unique, and feel the hopes, and dreams, and the adventure of life, then we suggest that you read this novel. Commentaries aside, we rank “The Graveyard Book” 8 out of 10.

by: James Philip Ayop