Codename: Swampgas, Like Frostburn, but with Swamps

[Collin152]

My artistic ability is sporadic at best.
If something useful ever spawns from these horrible claws of mine, I'll relinquish it. Unlikely, though.

[batsofchaos]

Well, I'm offering up my services. I certainly won't be able to draw everything (plus having multiple artists on a project like this is a must, in my opinion), but I can do several illustrations for it. Just let me know what you'd like me to draw and I'll get to work.

[Szilard]

I'll look through the list, but first a question. What kind of things would you draw? Monsters? Specific types of Monsters? Weapons? Items? etc.

[batsofchaos]

I'm easy. Whatever needs to be drawn can be drawn.

[Szilard]

How about some adventurers traveling through the swamp, maybe running into one of the enviornmental hazards in the first post.

[RTGoodman]

Wow! Sudden surge of posts!

I've been working pretty hard on just finishing term papers, so I haven't done anything for this in a while, but after May 10 I should be good to do all sorts of stuff. First order of business is sample NPCs and fluff/info about PrCs, and extended non-crunch info on Frogfolk and some of the other monsters I've done.

We had a lot of stuff added right before the thread kinda sank away, so once Icewalker updates the List of Done and Not Done post, we'll know exactly what's left, and it isn't too much. If I remember correctly, it's mostly just the fluff stuff, a ton of spells (since we don't have many), more hazards/traps, some feats, and a couple of sample cities/encounter areas. We're definitely done with monsters, but more can't hurt, right?

I wouldn't mind making a village, since I've got an idea already, but maybe someone else could come up with some sort of ruins or a dungeon that fits the theme?

I'm about as artistic as Collin sounds, but if someone else is good at really realistic art, I think there's potential for an awesome picture using the Mire Halflings, faces painted like skulls and bearing raiding party weapons (and maybe a few shrunken heads).

Also, we definitely need a cool picture for the flesh to mud spell.

[batsofchaos]

Szilard: I'm on it. I'll post a pencil sketch when I'm done with it. That way, if anyone has any suggestions of changes I'll be able to make them, and a specific medium can be decided.

[Szilard]

Sounds cool.

[Icewalker]

I'll get the list done at an unspecified point in the future. This next week I might have a little extra time because it is STAR Testing, so some classes may give less homework. The list as is isn't too out of date. Spells are the current big one, as is environment fluff. Please vote on the name for the environment, by the way (I mentioned starting a vote on the previous page)

[batsofchaos]

I vote for Murk.

I'll post the rough either tomorrow or Tuesday (possibly wednesday, but I doubt it).

[Szilard]

I look forward to it.

[batsofchaos]

Hey all,

The pencil work is about a third the way through, and I wanted to share the first finished character design of a frogfolk rogue. I've settled on digitally coloring this one, so he's light on details that will come out in inks and coloring, but the basic design and pose is finished. He'll be clinging to a tree that's been drawn seperately.

Any thoughts?

[Icewalker]

Damn, that's awesome. Needs a dagger on his belt by the time the drawing is done, but that's my only real comment.

Awesome...I like the tunic.

[batsofchaos]

Thanks! I'll be sure he gets a dagger.

[RTGoodman]

Yeah, that is awesome. A dagger in his belt (and maybe a flute or something, to reflect their music nature?) is all it needs!

Also, has anyone thought of doing racial feats for some of the races? I've got a couple I just thought of for Frogfolk, but I think that would be an easy way to get a few feats and add some cool character options. And you could use any of our homebrewed races, or any other swamp races (especially Lizardfolk, since they're awesome and basically built for this environment anyway). Either way, expect a Frogfolk Croak feat and then maybe a Frogfolk Sticky Feet feat sometime in a couple of days.

[Szilard]

That frog is awesome, can't wait to see more.

[batsofchaos]

I appreciate all the compliments! I'm almost done with the second character; I ended up stopping early last night (read: 2 AM. I seem to have lost the ability to sleep normally...), so it's neither finished nor scanned. But I do know what I'm going to do for the whole picture.

It's a night scene, and Frogman up there is on the side of the tree scouting. Meanwhile, a dwarf who is rather out of his element (complete with rusting armor!) has noticed that his torch is flickering madly and has no idea what importance that has. He'd probably be warned by their third companion to douse the light since he's a lizardfolk and used to those sorts of things, but the vines have risen up from the swamp, silenced him, and are threatening to drag him down to a murky grave.

Anyone object to this scene?

[Collin152]

Awesome frog. Right hand looks alittle off, but I know firsthand how difficult hands are, so you get off free.
I like that scene idea.
Specially the Dwarf being baffled.

[batsofchaos]

RE: the hand

Clarifying details will come out in inking. It looks a little awkward because you can't determine any weight-balance nor perspective from the straight-out pencil lines, but it'll (hopefully) be more clear when inked and colored.

And yes, I totally agree that hands suck. I practice hands more than anything else, and I try and use reference photos (or live models. That's what wives are for, right? ) for every drawing of hands I do.

[Icewalker]

I like the sound of the scene. Seems like it'd probably be just some generic scene near the front of the book, there are quite a few of them in the first chapter.

[Szilard]

I like the sound of the scene. Seems like it'd probably be just some generic scene near the front of the book, there are quite a few of them in the first chapter.

That is what I had in mind when I requested it.

[batsofchaos]

And it's what I had in mind when I started planning.

Looks like we're all on the same page!

[Szilard]

Yay! Let's all throw a big party!

[batsofchaos]

Update!

I altered the frog-dude a little. He has a dagger now, and I also realized that he'd probably roll up his pant cuffs to keep from getting them soaked, so I redrew that. I've also finished up the second character, the dwarf confused about his fire:

Some notes: Rusting will be added in the coloring stage, so his armor looks fairly normal for the moment. Additionally, the fire is going to be entirely digital; the quick little sketch of fire was added to make sure I'd gotten the pose right but will be removed when inking.

Any thoughts on this one?

[Szilard]

Nice drawing, I'm looking forward to the rest.

As for the homebrewing, I think we don't have magic Items, so maybe someone could make a Staff of Marsh/Murk/Mire/Swamp/Whatever swampy name we can think of. I think I might make it myself, though I have to learn how to make one.

[batsofchaos]

So I drew more last night and finished up the lizardfolk. I meant to post it by the boards were acting up for me. Well, here it is now:

Additionally, I made a quick mock-up of how the finished illustration will look. Ignore the crappiness of the background, it's sort of a placeholder sketch.

Any thoughts on either the liZardman or the layout?

[RTGoodman]

Looks good to me, but just a couple of suggestion. I'd say maybe put the Lizardfolk guy a little closer to the others, and definitely give the poor fella some trousers of some sort.

[batsofchaos]

Really? I kind of like him without pants. I can move him closer, and I suppose if he NEEDS pants he can have some.

[Collin152]

No pants. Keep it that way.
Maybe a belt with some gear on it, though.
Really, why would a creature with such thick hide wear clothing? They wouldn't be able to feel it.
I like the layout.
I really like the lizardfolk. It makes me want to play one.

[batsofchaos]

We've got one vote for pants, and one vote for no pants. I'm more inclined for no pants, but I'll add some if it's requested of me. What's everyone else think about pants?

I was contemplating adding weapons, but I wasn't sure where to put them. A belt would be workable, though.

(also: pants)