[Pathfinder] The Divine Caster You've Been Looking For?

Tuesday, November 29, 2016


If you're anything like me, you've always found the Cleric class to be a little weird. Where other than media that specifically springs from D&D do you see this divine, "godly" character who prays for spells and runs around in a breastplate eviscerating opponents with their deity's preferred weapon? Aren't most of the divine spellcaster type tropes out there of robe and cloister types, or at least your duster and tie types like John Constantine? Even the evil divine types are always portrayed in heavy black robes with deep hoods or something of the like, preferring darksome spells and magically enhanced minions to wearing metal armor and beating people with their own two hands. The cleric we have is kind of a weird design artifact, born from the wargaming roots of D&D and oddly unchanged since its conception.

The priest attempts to address that gap between the more commonly seen trope of the berobed and scholarly divine petitioner and the mechanical need for a spellcaster who can provide magical healing and support while surviving the rigors of an adventuring life, so let's take a look at how it does, hmmm?

REDUX: A Wee Challenge and a Wonderful Character Generator

Tuesday, November 22, 2016



 
I've found myself at the head of another Dungeons and Dragons group recently, and we just lost our first character after our third session. It got me thinking about rolling characters and how I might be able to shake things up a bit this time around. I was reminded of this character generator and the interesting quirks it throws out. I'm throwing this out there again for anyone thinking about a new character but isn't sure where to go with it. Check it out.

Changes to Somnambulant Gamer

Tuesday, November 15, 2016


Hey there, folks. I'm substituting our regular post to tell you about some changes coming to Somnabulant Gamer that you may or may not have been aware of. Since this site began in 2008 (yes, we've been shouting into the void for that long) a lot has changed about the way we provide our content as well as the way that people generally consume it. We've grown, though in small increments, each year and I am proud of the voice we have found amongst the din of larger sites.

It has always been our goal to provide you with our own, unedited opinions on the games we like and dislike as well as the challenges we see for this industry. That won't change. However, we will be disabling comments from here on out. Our small community hasn't really used them and they have not proven to be a place that has brought any more depth to what you get from our site.

As you may know, Michael Sayre, one of our writers and a very good friend of mine has been working on a few projects outside of Somnambulant Gamer. His first large book, Akashic Mysteries from Dreamscarred Press, is a loving adaptation of one of Mike's favorite elements from D&D 3.5, the Magic of Incarnum. He has worked very hard on this book and it shows in every page. If you play Pathfinder at all, even if you aren't typically one for third party content, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It is excellent.

Mike has already worked on a number of other supplements and third party content and is fast becoming a well known name in the Pathfinder community. If you are interested in tabletop games at all, you owe it to yourself to become more familiar with this man's work. He is insightful and sharp, and first and foremost has the interests of all players in mind. Akashic Mysteries has managed to take a system that I felt was clunky and overcomplicated and massaged it into a smooth and intuitive ruleset.

In other news, I have been pursuing a game design degree for the past six months. I've been very happy with my progress so far and hope to bring some of the insight I have gained to bear on our future work here at Somnabulant Gamer.

Thank you all for reading through the years. If you're a long time reader or just joining us, please stick around. There are great things ahead.  

Mars Rover Rescue is a kid's Science Book By Space X Engineers

Thursday, November 10, 2016


I know it's a hard time for a lot of people out there, so let's keep this light. I was made aware of a new Kickstarter campaign by Andrew Rader, an MIT Phd and Space X engineer. It's a children's book called Mars Rover Rescue and it is aimed to present space science in a way that is approachable and easy for kids to understand. It is a really interesting project that I think you should support, especially if you have or know any children who are interested in space. 

Battlefield 1: All the Horror, All the Glory

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Battlefield 1 is a return to form in some respects. DICE has done away with the claustrophobic spaces of Battlefield 4 and Hardline. Finally we see the return of vast, open maps that are shaped by the conflict that takes place within their confines. No wall or building is ever absolutely safe. At any moment, a shell, tank or explosive could shatter the walls or even bring the building down on top of you. Every window or ledge could harbor a sniper. Finally, we have a Battlefield game that achieves the scope of older entries in the series, but it comes at a price.

Dragonball Xenoverse 2: An Excellent Game for Fans and Those Who've Never Seen the Franchise Alike

Tuesday, November 1, 2016




If you haven't played the first Xenoverse, let me open by telling you that it was great, but had a few hiccups. The servers were constantly crashing or unavailable, you could level up faster than you could learn relevant techniques, your character who spends 99% of their time flying around at high speeds had to walk everywhere out of combat, etc. Dragonball Xenoverse 2 takes notes from those failures and addresses them all with varying degrees of success, but is universally an improvement.