Please Say this is a Joke

[adamtaa]

I usually just lurk but this is what brings me out. Wotc, Games workshop and others are too busy "protecting their intellectual property", mostly from fans of it, to take themselves and do something constructive. Where is my good d&d movie? Where is my 40k movie. Why are you picking on fans of your work instead of growing this IP into something more universal and interesting.

Nobody cares about your monster names Wotc. Why did d&d online fail when Wotc practically owns the dungeon crawl. Innovate, and stop the nonsense. This is the most recognizable version but they are too busy harassing people who like their work to go on and make it bigger and better than a bunch of books and some shiny trading cards. Sorry, rant over

Btw, I love both of these companies and I just wish they would get it together. Goblins forever.

[CelineSSauve]

Wotc, Games workshop and others are too busy "protecting their intellectual property", mostly from fans of it, to take themselves and do something constructive.

Well, I don't know about GW, but WOTC is just returning to its roots... Look up TSR's rampage on its fans back before the company crashed, to see what I mean.

[adamtaa]

I called out GW because of the recent problem they had with the term "space marine" being used by other than them. Have you heard of that?

[CelineSSauve]

I called out GW because of the recent problem they had with the term "space marine" being used by other than them. Have you heard of that?

Ah. Vaguely, I think.

[ForgetsOldName]

As I've pointed out in the Twitter thread, Thunt and I are both Canadians. WOTC and Thunt's publisher (I suspect) are both in the US.

I think that may be the main issue: Thunt has to ensure his books and card game don't possibly get those in the US in trouble for his creations.

Blind Ferret is Canadian, actually. It's the co-owned by Ryan Sohmer, the LFG and Least I Could Do guy. I doubt if it matters though, they do plenty of business in the US.

[Zathyr]

Naga is a separate creature in the Monster Manual(tm). Calling Kin one would be confusing since, in D&D, a naga doesn't have the humanoid torso - just a head then snake body. She's specifically a yuan-ti abomination, since most yuan-ti don't have the snake tail.

I remember being a little concerned when Kin was first introduced in the comic. But after expressing concerns, for some reason I'd gotten the impression Thunt was using it with permission. I don't remember why I thought that, but I guess I was wrong.

[T-RexWithTourettes]

For some reason, just reading the tweet itself just made me roll my eyes, go "oh, Thunt" and go on with my day. And then, for some reason, just seeing this thread just made me fear that it may have not been a joke D: I reallllly wish Thunt would just admit it was an evil joke or look us dead in the eyes and assure us he's being serious.

[willpell]

DM is an easy change to GM, Player's Handbook can be changed to Player's Guide. It'll be a ton of work, but won't change the way the comic reads much. Mags and Yuan-ti will be harder to replace, but those ones are more likely be assailed. He probably needs to replace Drider and maybe Owlbear as well. Those ones are the real pain in the butt. How universal is the term "Dungeon Crawl"?

He should leave one reference to the Drider un-changed, then change a different reference so that someone calls it a "Spider-Man". Then when Wotco and Marvel both go to sue them, he just ducks and they destroy each other.

Naga is a separate creature in the Monster Manual(tm). Calling Kin one would be confusing since, in D&D, a naga doesn't have the humanoid torso - just a head then snake body. She's specifically a yuan-ti abomination, since most yuan-ti don't have the snake tail.

Abominations have a snake head; none of them is still human. Kin is a half-blood.

[GriffinDWolf]

Where is my 40k movie.

off topic somewhat: They actually just released the 40k movie on March 5th, can't say its any good though. No interest in seeing it, game fine, movie ehh pass.

I doubt if it matters though, they do plenty of business in the US.

On Topic: Not to mention I don't think pissing off a company like that would make entering US for cons any easier for Thunt.

[RocketScientist]

DM is an easy change to GM, Player's Handbook can be changed to Player's Guide. It'll be a ton of work, but won't change the way the comic reads much. Mags and Yuan-ti will be harder to replace, but those ones are more likely be assailed. He probably needs to replace Drider and maybe Owlbear as well. Those ones are the real pain in the butt. How universal is the term "Dungeon Crawl"?

He should leave one reference to the Drider un-changed, then change a different reference so that someone calls it a "Spider-Man". Then when Wotco and Marvel both go to sue them, he just ducks and they destroy each other.

I would pay money to see that.

Mythologically, I think Kin is an echidna. (No, not the spiny anteater kind.)

I think he should let Minmax rename Maglubiyet. Maybe call him Mug-of-Blubber or Maggot-Bubble. Or Midget-Bubbler.

[CelineSSauve]

Mythologically, I think Kin is an echidna. (No, not the spiny anteater kind.)

How on Earth did that search bring up Chimeras?

I think he should let Minmax rename Maglubiyet. Maybe call him Mug-of-Blubber or Maggot-Bubble. Or Midget-Bubbler.

You want to end the world!?

[RocketScientist]

Google is weird that way. I guess it just figured one pieced-together wizard monster was as good as another.

[Alecat]

Whoa awesome. Our Aussie monotreme was named after a snake goddess! I had no idea. Kin should totally be an Echidna, it would be so delightfully confusing.

[Zathyr]

Abominations have a snake head; none of them is still human. Kin is a half-blood.

Woops, that'll teach me to say things without my Monster Manual(tm) handy.

The internet is my auto-correct.

[Wild Thyme]

Thunt could craft his own monster race that is dependent of any thing else for Kin and the other monsters. This is his world. His homebrew rules.

If he were to base Kin off of a real world monster, Nagas aren't the only choice. There are also Gorgons and, thanks to John Keats, Lamia. Heck, he doesn't even have to stay with the Grecian or Hindu. Snakes are featured in myth and legend through many cultures in this world from the Americas (quetzalcoatl and the Snake people of the Hopi tribe), Africa, Norway, etc. Too tired to look up other examples. Third shift caught up with me.

[willpell]

Whoa awesome. Our Aussie monotreme was named after a snake goddess! I had no idea. Kin should totally be an Echidna, it would be so delightfully confusing.

This would be particularly fitting given that one of the alt-kins has multiple snake tails, something which I don't think Yuan-Ti ever do, but Echidna does in some myths according to a page I found through RS's search.

[Amara]

Some Yuan-TI do! I remember it being one of the possible mutations listed when I was trying to figure out how to adapt a naga character of mine to D&D. (I eventually gave up after getting frustrated by Yuan-to racial stuff and the ridiculous level adjustment taur + snake templates gave...)

[willpell]

The thing that really baffles me, and the most distinctive thing about Yuan-Ti specifically as opposed to snakepeople in general? Yuan-Ti are psionic. I have NO idea why. It makes perfect sense for Aboleths and Mind Flayers to have a version in the XPH, but Yuan-Ti and Couatl? I don't get it.

Anyway, we've never once seen Kin use the spell-like abilities that Yuan-Ti always have, so turning her into a generic snakeperson is no great loss. Maglubiyet is a much bigger problem.

[Amara]

Agreed, there.
(The psion bit was what made me shy away from them, as it didn't suit him.)

[RedwoodElf]

Nobody cares about your monster names Wotc. Why did d&d online fail when Wotc practically owns the dungeon crawl. Innovate, and stop the nonsense.

Um...DDO failed? Tell that to my beholder pet, sir...he's looking at you funny and, you know, looks CAN kill...

Have you ever played DDO, or did you just assume it "Failed" because it's not got as big an advertising campaign as World of Warcrack? No advertisements featuring Mister T?

[willpell]

Agreed, there.
(The psion bit was what made me shy away from them, as it didn't suit him.)

If you don't like psionics you can still use the MM1 version. What bugged me about them was the Alternate Form into vipers, combined with the fact that the Purebloods are supposed to infiltrate human communities but are really terrible at it. That's why in my campaign, I replaced their Alternate Form power with a slew of skill bonuses to make them consummate manipulators and spies.

[misfit119]

Maglubiyet is a much bigger problem.

Not necessarily. The name, without the accents, is just Ma─ƒlubiyet which means loss or defeat in... Persian I think? So if you just change it to the word with the accent mark it's still more or less the same name, it's just a foreign word and not a direct lift of the proper name and it now means defeat which is pretty much on the nose for a god of goblins.

[Marnath]

spell-like abilities that Yuan-Ti always have, so turning her into a generic snakeperson is no great loss. Maglubiyet is a much bigger problem.

Of course we've never seen her use her powers. Obedience to the leash holder is only part of the collar's power, the other part is to nullify her abilities.

[willpell]

spell-like abilities that Yuan-Ti always have, so turning her into a generic snakeperson is no great loss. Maglubiyet is a much bigger problem.

Of course we've never seen her use her powers. Obedience to the leash holder is only part of the collar's power, the other part is to nullify her abilities.

I'm pretty sure that was only as long as someone was holding the leash.

[Marnath]

spell-like abilities that Yuan-Ti always have, so turning her into a generic snakeperson is no great loss. Maglubiyet is a much bigger problem.

Of course we've never seen her use her powers. Obedience to the leash holder is only part of the collar's power, the other part is to nullify her abilities.

I'm pretty sure that was only as long as someone was holding the leash.

http://www.goblinscomic.com/10222006/

The wording would seem to be unclear. You could be right, or the part about her powers being subdued could be a different part of the sentence.

"When you're holding the leash she can't commit a violent act and her powers are subdued"

Or

"when you're holding the leash she can't commit a violent act, and it also subdues her powers"

I tend to assume the second meaning because if she did have access to her powers when no one is holding the leash then I feel like we'd have seen them used before this. If not by our Kin then certainly by one of the more aggressive Alts.