Holy Hardened Humps, I get distracted for a few weeks and ArenaNet puts Monk Elites into the blender! Healbot’s leeroy-pwning use of Unyielding Aura is now impossible. It has nearly switched spots with Aura of Faith…now a short Protection Elite. I think the best change may be the one to Healing Burst, but I haven’t logged on to test yet. Perhaps Healbot can be an UA monkette finally…
Plus, I’m reading a thread (rumor?) about a new Hero that will be available to players with all three campaigns.
When you visit GENCON for the first time, be prepared for gaming overkill. Register for events, save your every copper, and break in your walking shoes before the month of GENCON is nigh. Although I hadn’t been to downtown Indianapolis before, I was familiar with how cons are usually managed. For instance, I knew I’d be able to attend seminars without a ticket because “educational” panels are rarely monitored. I did buy a ticket (sitting in on a game at this event costs extra) for a quick adventure being hosted hourly to honor the late Mr. Gygax. Ironically, my random character was a Cleric who died in the first room. I blame the sub-standard hit points my poor curate had, and weak buffs.
The Exhibition Hall was impressive, with all the leading companies and illustrators present. However, to find deals or play demos you would have to camp in the shoulder-to-shoulder nerd traffic for a long time. I don’t have the budget for collecting new game systems, so there wasn’t much point in hanging out there long.
Sadly, nobody promoting Guild Wars was there, but I did meet some editors looking for comic/fantasy art. Soon, the focus at my website will become more holistic, with projects related to everything from Basic D&D to GW2.
Well, the days of convention pilgrimages are upon us! My GENCON INDY badge is packed, although I can only afford to stay for part of the event. Cons in major cities are a pricier holiday than small gatherings at universities or mediocre hotels. Of course, the larger the event, the greater importance it is to the industry (no, I still don’t know if NCSOFT/GW will be there).
There is a little Healbot art tucked into my portfolio, just to show what I’ve been doing online. Normally, you don’t try to put in a lot of parody or non-original work. You never know when a prospective employer might really object to fan-art indulgences.
After seeing my friend win fame & glory on Shirt Woot, I thought I’d give it a try. I pulled some art from an old project and made an abstract shirt resembling a tumbleweed of destruction. It kinda fits the “Old West” theme this week, so I uploaded it. Here is the entry link, voting has requirements I think…
http://shirt.woot.com/Derby/Entry.aspx?id=19936
Healbot finally made it to the end of the Luxon “road”, and is now picking up the Elites near Harvest Temple. Trudging through the under-populated Jade Sea is something I will do only once. She needed to cap SoJ and Healing Burst for herself, and more for the Hero hench. I’m doing well on Necro Elites - gotta acquire Spoil Victor and Jagged Bones before Livia is fully “endowed”. One nice thing about the EotN campaign is the short path to Bosses with the rare Elites. For example, Eviscerate is much simpler to get from Lissah the Packleader than Tanzit Razorstone.
Since I refuse to be a Searing Flames spammer, I’m hunting down the non-Fire Ele Elites too. Zhed is my Earth user, and I’m finally outfitting Vekk for Air & Water (finding a gold Dolyak Prod decided his career). Since I’m taking Hayda along on missions more, I should probably jump over to NF for more Para Elites.
With a tip of the wizard’s hat to an online printer, supporters of classic RPG-ing have now produced a magazine brimming with unique material. Since I also have fond memories of pre-3rd Edition D&D and its iconic art, I contributed a few sketches for their current issue (number 2). So I say to any readers that miss publications like Dungeon and Polyhedron, check out Fight On!
I’m hoping that in a future issue I can submit a fully illustrated article, condensing the best stuff from my Tajamul AD&D setting (online in the “Ghost Tower” section —>)
Here is a recently finished sketch with everyone’s favorite Elite corpse creation. The Golem is actually fairly easy to draw since its humanoid in shape. Much simpler than trying to recreate Necro armor, which is complex and dark in shade. That goof Sousuke is there by request…
With the help of her all-knowing magic 8-Ball, Healbot can now reveal 4 awesome classes sure to be popular among gamers. With these trendy additions, GW2 will undoubtedly dominate the MMORPG universe!
Click here for the concept art!
The H&H will get a corner of the revised gallery for their comics too. Below is the drawing I’m going to use to show their great struggle against the forces of…fire, and awkward moments?
Speaking of our AI pals, I’m trying to determine which one of my crew does the best job setting the enemy on fire (really nice for HM monsters). Usually, I bring Acolyte Jin and her Burning Arrow, but now I’m thinking that Hayda and her brand of paragon hotness works better.
Last week I wasn’t vigilant about disconnecting during a storm, and my broadband equipment was partially fried. Naturally, this was a day before some GW gaming had been planned. So, instead of simply meeting over the net, I had to drive to my cohort’s house and borrow an ethernet card, plus leech his connection. Anyway, Healbot helped my friend gain 1.5 levels, which is a big step for someone who hasn’t made it to lvl20 in 2 years :/
