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Book Of Vile Darkness
''Book of Vile Darkness'' is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the 3rd edition of the role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The book was written by Monte Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast on October 1, 2002. Described as a "detailed look at the nature of evil," it was the first ''Dungeons & Dragons'' book labelled for mature audiences. Another ''Book of Vile Darkness'' was published for the 4th edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' on December 27, 2011, written by Robert J. Schwalb. Before release Ed Stark, Design Manager for the ''D&D'' game at Wizards of the Coast at the time, explained to ''Pyramid'' that "the idea for ''BoVD'' grew out of both the initial success of the new edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game and the excitement about "nostalgia" products such as ''Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil''. The new D&D game promised people the same "back to the dungeon" feel 1st Edition provided, but with all the improvements twenty-plus years can put on a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monte Cook
Monte Cook is an American professional tabletop role-playing game designer and writer, best known for his work on ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Role-playing industry career Early years Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer for the ''Rolemaster'' and ''Champions'' lines. For a time, Cook was the editor in charge of the "Campaign Classics" line of books for the ''Hero System'' and ''Rolemaster'' lines. Cook worked for Iron Crown Enterprises for four years; two as a freelancer and two as a full-time designer. During this period, Cook wrote the multi-genre setting ''Dark Space'' (1990), a fantasy/science-fiction/horror setting. Cook became the line editor for ''Hero System'', replacing Rob Bell, who left ICE in 1990. TSR Cook began working for TSR in 1992 as a freelancer: "writing a whole slew of stuff for the old Marvel game that never came out ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Campaign Setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A '' campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place. Usually a campaign setting is designed for a specific game (such as the '' Forgotten Realms'' setting for '' Dungeons & Dragons'') or a specific genre of game (such as medieval fantasy, or outer space/science fiction adventure). There are numerous campaign settings available both in print and online. In addition to published campaign settings available for purchase, many game masters create their own settings, often referred to as "homebrew" settings or worlds. While obviously connected to game materials, campaign settings are supported also by other media, such as novels and comic books. Examples of major campaign settings include numerous settings within the '' Dungeons & Dragons'', as well others such as ''Battle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry Higginbotham
Henry Higginbotham is a working artist who specializes in non-primitive art, steampunk, sculpture and more. Education Higginbotham has a master's degree in fine arts from the University of Iowa. Works Henry G. Higginbotham has produced interior and cover illustrations for role-playing game books since 1993. He began his career with White Wolf, on their numerous products for their games '' Wraith: The Oblivion'' and '' Changeling: The Dreaming''. Higginbotham illustrated the covers of several ''Dungeons & Dragons'' books in the game's second edition, and then produced cover art for the third edition game's ''Player's Handbook'', ''Monster Manual'', and ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (2000), ''Monsters of Faerûn'' (2001), ''Monster Manual II'' (2002), ''Book of Vile Darkness'' (2002), ''Fiend Folio'', the 3.5 versions of the ''Player's Handbook'', ''Monster Manual'', and ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (2003), ''Book of Exalted Deeds'', ''Monster Manual III'' (2004), ''Complete Divine'' (20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orcus (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, "monsters" are generally the antagonists which players must fight and defeat to progress in the game. Since the game's first edition in 1974, a bestiary was included along other game manuals, first called ''Monsters & Treasure'' and now commonly called the ''Monster Manual''. Described as an "essential" part of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', the game's monsters have become notable in their own right, influencing fields such as video games and fiction, as well as popular culture. The term ''monster'' in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' can refer to a variety of creatures, including traditional monsters such as dragons, supernatural creatures such as ghosts, and mundane or fantastic animals—in short, "an enormous heterogeneous collection of natural and monstrous foes." While many monsters are adapted from pre-existing myths and legends, others have been invented specifically for the game, sometimes having characteristics specifically sui ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asmodeus (Dungeons & Dragons)
Asmodeus (; grc, Ἀσμοδαῖος, ''Asmodaios'') or Ashmedai (; he, אַשְמְדּאָי, ''ʾAšmədʾāy''; see below for other variations), is a ''prince of demons'' and hell."Asmodeus" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 635. In Judeo-Islamic lore he is the king of both daemons (jinn/''shedim'') and demons ('' divs'').Raphael Patai ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions'' Routledge 2015 page 39 Asmodeus is mostly known from the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit, in which he is the primary antagonist, or the Ars Goetia. In Peter Binsfeld's classification of demons, Asmodeus represents lust. The demon is also mentioned in some Talmudic legends; for instance, in the story of the construction of the Temple of Solomon. In Islam, he is identified with the "puppet" mentioned in the Quran, which dethroned Solomon and reigned over his kingdom until he got his kingship back. Etymology The name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Demon Lord (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, "monsters" are generally the antagonists which players must fight and defeat to progress in the game. Since the game's first edition in 1974, a bestiary was included along other game manuals, first called ''Monsters & Treasure'' and now commonly called the ''Monster Manual''. Described as an "essential" part of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', the game's monsters have become notable in their own right, influencing fields such as video games and fiction, as well as popular culture. The term ''monster'' in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' can refer to a variety of creatures, including traditional monsters such as dragons, supernatural creatures such as ghosts, and mundane or fantastic animals—in short, "an enormous heterogeneous collection of natural and monstrous foes." While many monsters are adapted from pre-existing myths and legends, others have been invented specifically for the game, sometimes having characteristics specifically sui ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devil (Dungeons & Dragons)
A devil (also known as a baatezu) is a fictional character in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game, a powerful group of monsters used as a high-level challenge for players of the game. Devils are Lawful Evil in alignment and originate from the Nine Hells of Baator. True to their Lawful Evil alignment, devils are locked in a strict and brutal hierarchy (changing form as they work their way up the ladder of power). At the top of the hierarchy are the supreme Archdevils, or ''Lords of the Nine'', who are the rulers of the different regions of Baator. Devils often see the various worlds in the D&D metacosmos as tools to use for their own ends, including prosecuting the Blood War, a millennia-long war between the devils and their arch-enemies, demons. Publication history Devils first appeared in the original first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' ''Monster Manual''. Many of the early devils were inspired directly by real-world religion and mythology, with Mephistoph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Character Class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by their class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes to create a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' player character. A character's class affects a character's available skills and abilities. A well-rounded party of characters requires a variety of abilities offered by the classes found within the game. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was the first game to introduce the usage of character classes to role-playing. Many other traditional role-playing games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games have since adopted the concept as well. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' classes have generally been defined in the '' Player's Handbook'', one of the three core rulebooks; a variety of alternate classes have also been defined in supplemental sourcebooks. Classes by type Principal base ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dale Donovan
Dale A. Donovan is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career Dale Donovan began working in the hobby-gaming industry in 1989. A past editor of Dragon magazine, Donovan worked for TSR, Inc., Wizards of the Coast, and Hasbro for more than 12 years, during which time he had been an editor of ''Dragon'' magazine, spent four years on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting team, had a stint as a managing editor, and did work as a writer or editor on every roleplaying game line produced by the company during his tenure. He went freelance in 2002, and has worked for Green Ronin, Upper Deck, White Wolf/Sword & Sorcery, Sovereign Press, Steve Jackson Games, Guardians of Order, and the Valar Project, among others. Works His ''Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, massa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The north was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist states, while the south was supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies. The war is widely considered to be a Cold War-era proxy war. It lasted almost 20 years, with direct U.S. involvement ending in 1973. The conflict also spilled over into neighboring states, exacerbating the Laotian Civil War and the Cambodian Civil War, which ended with all three countries becoming communist states by 1975. After the French military withdrawal from Indochina in 1954 – following their defeat in the First Indochina War – the Viet Minh took control of North Vietnam, and the U.S. assumed financial and military support for the South Vietnames ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
September 11, 2001 Attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners scheduled to travel from the Northeastern United States to California. The hijackers crashed the first two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and the third plane into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States military) in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane was intended to hit a federal government building in Washington, D.C., but crashed in a field following a passenger revolt. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and instigated the war on terror. The first impact was that of American Airlines Flight 11. It was crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan at 8:46 a.m. Seventeen minutes later, at 9:03, the World Trade Cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
