Your preferred fantasy

[Morganti]

Raising the dead gets very Deus Ex very quickly. I hate it. Despite not actually banning res magic in any game I've run, most of my players and I would prefer to just make a new character if the old one dies.

My favorite res spell is reincarnation, from Rokugan.  we had a player who died, three times, in one night (Rappun Athuk) so the joke was that they were all on the same wagon passing by.

~D~

[foproy]

In terms of settings though, i would like to try and run a setting like the movie 300, in that era.

right now i am playing in a loosely greek based game for dnd. it has turned quite interesting quick. of course dropping that anchor on top of the saugan head didnt help.

[Crafty_Alex]

I love Bronze Age fantasy, namely because it's firmly in the swords and sorcery realm (the heroes have the swords, the bad guys have the sorcery - be it magics, monsters, or whatever). Incidentally, I'm doing the swords and sorcery subgenre setting for FantasyCraft, where I intend to layout the campaign qualities, rules and other bits that help make that genre really sing in Spycraft. Granted, the setting will not be Greek in theme, but the S&S info should be quite helpful for heroic fantasy/mythological heroes/Conan-style antics regardless

[Grunge_Honey]

I do dislike restictions on my casting, you can only have it at level 12 and once per day, etc.

 Why not make it on a points basis so each spell cost a certain amount of points that you can earn at character creation and which would go up by doing rituals in your own time and a set amount of points when you lvl up. So if you want to be silly and have one spell to power your katana you can (I really hope that makes sense )

Stupid spells like dancing light, no really what is the point? I want harmful spells, armour spells, invisibility spells, spells so that my shots hardly ever miss, then utility spells that I can use to pick locks (Not shatter them I don't want people to know I have been rumaging through their porno collection) or so I can see what happened in a room in the past 6 hours. I'm sure I can think of more but you probably want to kneel on my throat till my eyes pop now 

[Morgenstern]

Heh, back in 2e AD&D I had a lot of fun with the house rule that 'Raise Dead has a duration' - one day per caster level, then you die, and nothing can bring you back. The spell allows you to tie up loose ends, finish a quest, eat a really good meal, and borrow lots of money before shuffling off this mortal coil and joining the choir invisible. Higher level resurrection magic did not exist.

The Auld Grump

I believe the technical term at this stage is YOINK.

Remind me to send you a copy of The Summoner when I get to it .

[Morgenstern]

O.M.G. That is, as they say, fracking brilliant. You've taken your 'penalties are what makes the real difference' attitude to a fantastic endpoint. I started laughing in total fantastic agreement once I saw where you were going with this. Wonderful idea.

It just means the spell comes with built-in plot. "Pay 25,000 gold  suns" is an accounting footnote. "Thank the Powers you've returned to us! But I'm afraid that Noragnor the Black Dragon of the Wastes once again rides the stormclouds above Urduk..." is an ivitation to set right what was unsettled by your rebirth.

[Mister Andersen]

Returning to the idea of truly fantastic settings, I offer up the bizarre and charming fantasist art of Ursula V (mostly work safe).

[Valentina]

Is there one single thing that's a complete deal-breaker for you as a fantasy gamer?  Did Talislanta's "No Elves" policy make you say "No Way"?

Nah, mostly up to the system and mechanics. First time I saw....some D20 spinoff who's name escapes me currently, I saw lots of races with "quirky" traits and one +2 stat for two -2's. That was stomach-cramp inducing, and I ended up playing something as far from that design philosophy as I could get.
So if it sucks I'm right out, Elves or otherwise.

[Krensky]

I'm pretty accepting of anything with a decent back story and the potential for a good story out of it.  Especially if it's believable and consistent (scowls at Greyhawk).

As for things I'd like to play or run... Well two books I recently reread come to mind, Doc Sidhe (and it's sequel Sidhe Devil) and Wizards Bane.

Doc Sidhe (Aaron Allston) basically runs on the premise that the Fair World runs 80 or so years behind our Grim world.  And that the Man of Bronze (without the tan) is the last of the Daoine Sidhe.  A fun read, a nifty world and concept.

Wizards Bane (Rick Cook) basically involves a programmer getting kidnapped to a magical world and discovering that his programming skills combined with the root nature of magic there makes him the most powerful mortal wizard around.  Alien elves, eldritch horrors, dragon cavalry, consulting gigs, and a great geeky sense of humor round it out.  May not be a great setting to play in but then again it might.

Now that I think about it, David Weber's War God series would probably be fun.  Berserker foxes, evil sorcerers, Gods taking a 'direct' role in the world but who can't actually do a whole lot directly (issues of the amount of power they'd unleash crushing the world like a walnut under a diamond press).  A paladin hero who keeps telling his God off, wishing he'd never gotten involved in the initial incident that kicks all this off, and hating the song his best friend wrote about him that keeps getting more popular, bawdy, epic, insulting, and silly every time it's mentioned.  Great fun.

John Ringo's Council War series is also a nifty take on fantasy, namely by being a post singularity/apocalyptic setting filled with subtle and geeky references to pop culture and history.

Checking over this post, I realized the first book or two of these series are available online free:
Doc Sidhe: http://www.webscription.net/p-110-doc-sidhe.aspx
Wizards Bane: http://www.baen.com/library/rcook.htm
Oath of Swords (War God 1): http://www.webscription.net/p-297-oath-of-swords.aspx
There Will be Dragons (Council Wars 1): http://www.webscription.net/p-412-there-will-be-dragons.aspx

[Mister Andersen]

Posted somewhat tongue-in-cheek:

(click to show/hide)

[OverNinja]

Is that from Dragon #359?

[Mister Andersen]

I believe so.

[Gentry]

#359 was the thong issue, then?

[Mister Andersen]

It would seem so. It would also appear to see the introduction of the Bigby's sports bra wondrous item... 

[Gentry]

That would be the one with Mordenkainen's Underwire included?