Whenever I put on music to either get my creativity flowing for writing or game or just just mind in the right spot, I usually have themes. Typically this is things like metal or Iron Maiden for D&D. Classic rock or newer hiphop for modern supernatural games. 70s hard rock for other games and so on.
But one performer/band comes through for me for nearly everything. That is Carlos Santana.
Santana, either as a solo act, part of the Santana Brothers or with his band Santana, always has such a sound. Yeah it is latin, but it also classic rock and 80s and new millennium ... well for a lack of better word, groove. Listening to Santana is like driving at night, the world is familiar, but also very, very different. Santana has had nearly 50 year career, I am going to focus on the songs that most people know...and the ones that have videoes of course.
Let's get into it!
"Evil Ways" was one of Santana's earliest hits. From his self titled album Santana, it's about what all good Santana songs are about, a woman. Here is his career making turn at Woodstock.
Abraxas, Santana's 2nd album, might be one of the best albums ever recorded. Certainly in my own top 25. If I want to write about magic and just get into the right mood then I put on Abraxas. This album gave us the hits "Black Magic Woman" and one of my favorites "Oye Como Va".
The bulk of his 70s catalog is very jazz-inspired and cool, but not what I need when I want a little darkness. The next album of Santana's I really enjoyed was the double album Moonflower. In truth this is where I first heard Black Magic Woman as a live song. But the stand out song for me was a cover of an old Zombies song "She's Not There". Again, Santana is at his best when playing or singing about a woman.
Shangó is another one of those career changing albums for Santana. I listened to this album so many times in Jr. High. In fact it was playing around the exact time I was first playing D&D. "Hold On" is another song about a woman, but also about a particular time and place. This song always reminds me that "Now" will never happen again.
Supernatural became Santana's next biggest album and one of the biggest of his career. It was also one of the albums I had playing on constant rotation while working on the d20 version of the my Witch book and then later Buffy and Angel. "Smooth" was just one of those songs that pulls you right in. Plus it features a then somewhat unknown actress Rosario Dawson.
"Put Your Lights On" written by and featuring Everlast was actually the first song I heard from the album. I was a big fan of House of Pain in college so this was a nice a little treat.
A new Kickstarter was brought to my attention this week that looks rather cool.
I love audio-books. I spend a lot of time driving to work, to campus so I get to listen a ton of books. So this new one from JJ Sherwood looks really great.
Hard call. It really is a toss up between my home brewed Mystoerth campaign world for *D&D or Victorian England.
Mystoerth grew out of a need for my then DM and I to merge our worlds. He was a huge Greyhawk fan (as was I, but less so) and my world was the known world of Msytara.
Map by Rich Trickey aka chatdemon
We did not call our world Mystoerth. That name as far as I can tell came from +James Mishler and +Rich Trickey. Rich made that nice map.
In this exquisitely-made and terrifying new horror film, the age-old concepts of witchcraft, black magic and possession are innovatively brought together to tell the intimate and riveting story of one family’s frightful unraveling. Set in New England circa 1630, The Witch follows a farmer who get cast out of his colonial plantation and is forced to move his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest rumored to be controlled by witches. Almost immediately, strange and unsettling things begin to happen-the animals turn violent, the crops fail, and one of the children disappears, only to return seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. As suspicion and paranoia mount, everyone begins to point the finger at teenage daughter Thomasin. They accuse her of witchcraft, which she adamantly denies…but as circumstances become more and more treacherous, each family member’s faith, loyalty, and love will be tested in shocking and unforgettable ways. Writer/director Robert Eggers’ debut feature, which premiered to great acclaim at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival (and won the Best Director Prize in the U.S. Narrative Competition), painstakingly recreates a God-fearing New England decades before the 1692 Salem witch trials, in which religious convictions and pagan folklore famously clashed. Told through the eyes of the adolescent Thomasin – in a star-making turn by newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy – and supported by mesmerizing camera work and a powerful musical score, THE WITCH is a chilling and groundbreaking new take on the genre.
Not to be to blunt, but it is everything I have ever wanted in a horror game. I poured blood, sweat and tears into this game. But that means nothing to Joe or Jane Player out there. It is also a fun game, with a great setting, some great monsters and, in my opinion, one of the best magic rules I have ever used.
If I never publish another game or book I will be content because I wrote this one.
Rewind to 33 years ago today, the latest movie in the early 80s flirtation with Swords & Sorcery hits the late summer movie theatres. Everyone was going to see the dearing-do of Marc Singer as Dar "The Beastmaster"!
ok. Not everyone really. The movie didn't do that hot. Plus, lets be honest here just as many of my friends went to see it for Tanya Roberts as much as the sword & sorcery content. But The Beastmaster left a solid dent in the game playing of many of my peers for years. I remember seeing tons of "Beastmaster" classes. I even helped make one of my own.
The idea is a compelling one really. A barbarian (of sorts) but has the magical ability to communicate with all animals. Maybe even he (it's almost always a he, but I have a few great exceptions to that rule) has the abilities to fight like an animal. Fiction is replete with such characters. The aforementioned Marc Singer role, Tarzan, Sheena Queen of the Jungle, Vixen from DC Comics, Mowgli, even various "wolf boys" or "wild childs" that appeared in true and fictionalized accounts of children left in wilderness.
The Beastmaster of this book is an interesting class. It is actually closer to a monster in terms of play. For example it uses a 1d8 for hit points (like fighters and monsters) and it uses the monster attack matrix using it's level as HD. This makes it a very good fighter. It's saving throws are from the cleric list (good choice) so it will feel different than playing a fighter.
The beastmaster's prime ability is Strength. This makes it slightly different than say your typical barbarian and their reliance on Constitution. The reason given is that nature respects strength. This is true, but I think nature respects survival more than anything. So Constitution would have been a good choice too in my mind. The beastmaster also needs a better than average Charisma.
Becker's beastmasters have a number of abilities that set them apart. First is their ability to learn the languages of animals. This is quite a nice skill because it is a gateway to other abilities the beastmaster has such as Calling, Befriending and Mastering. These are really the key elements of any beastmaster archetype. Think of Tarzan and his trademarked call. Ok, think of the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan.
In many ways the closest AD&D class to the beastmaster is the Ranger and not the Druid. In fact I would have upped the XP per level for the beastmaster a bit and given him some Ranger like abilities including a starting animal companion (though you can get one with Mastering) and maybe some beast-like fighting styles. But I see why that was not done here since it would make the beastmaster more like a reskinned ranger than something unique.
The beastmaster is hardly ever surprised, can't wear man made armor and has a limited number of weapons to choose from. All of this works with the character concept really.
But don't just take my word on this. Jonathan did a series of posts himself on his beastmaster. Our opinions differ a bit; but only as creator vs user.
It is an interesting read combined with the final Beastmaster in the book.
Other Beastmasters of Note
The big one is the beastmaster of the Compleat Adventurer book from Bard Games written by Stephan Sechi. As Becker claims this is the obvious inspiration for his beastmaster class. This class also adds animal Turning to their skills. Not like undead turning, but the opposite of friendship.
The next one is the Beastmaster kit for the Ranger for 2n Ed AD&D found in the Complete Ranger Handbook. As with many of the kits this one was fairly over powered in my mind, giving the beastmaster telepathic communication with their animals at a low level. Though the same feel is here, all three could exist in a room together without breaking the laws of the universe.
Finally, though by no means the only, there is the beastmaster archetype from the new 5th Edition of D&D. It is in many ways a spiritual successor to the Bard Games beastmaster and if you are looking for cross system compatibility it makes for a good translation of Becker's beastmaster. This one is more animal companion focused. But in truth you can easily take one of these beastmasters and use them to emulate the others with good roleplaying.
The final question always is "would I play this class?" Well. yes. In fact like I mentioned above we had done our own beastmaster back in the day and I played the hell out of that class.
From 1986 or so.
Absom Sark
Level 7, Beastmaster ("Wild Guardian"), Male
Neutral
Absom Sark was the child of a prince and his wealthy wife until their caravan was attacked on route to a diplomatic mission. Everyone was killed in the ensuing battle save for little Absom, who was only a baby. Wolves came to feast on the remains and found the crying baby. A large she-wolf fostered the child, recognizing a kindred spirit in him.
Absom grew into the protector of the wild and he vowed that no one would use his wild to murder others.
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Our beastmaster had a limited selection of various druid spells. I don't think it added much to the class to be honest, but maybe even a more restricted list focusing on animals might be nice. Summon Animal I, II, and III would be good. Limit the beastmaster to 3rd level spells or something.
The class is really fine as is. I just have a thing for spell-casting classes.
How effective is this class? Well in the dungeon it might end up like a fighter. But in the wild they shine.
Here is video documentation of one beastmaster (though she might have some levels in bard) attacking two treants. She speaks avian, mustelid, rodent, and ungulate.
