I've been thinking up some ideas for Epic-level and higher creatures that act as parasites (of life force/biosphere on a smaller scale, of reality itself on a larger scale) on a regional, continental, planetary, or bigger scale, but I'm stuck for names for all the bigger-scale ones ("Asteroidal Leech", "Vampire Planet", "Eater of Reality" etc just don't cut it). The only name I have nailed down is "Mountains of Voices" (loosely derived from the old William Hope Hodgson novel The Night Land) for the regional/national-scale ones. (They're immense mountainlike structures/beings/entities which emit a mysterious call that draws living beings from the entire region towards them, where they are killed and drained of life & soul.)
Does anyone here know of any mythical/legendary/old-enough-to-be-out-of-copyright fictional inspirations for names for this kind of thing? Or any other good names? I'm considering "Cosmophage" for the biggest scale one, but that's not that great...
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I've been thinking up some ideas for Epic-level and higher creatures that act as parasites (of life force/biosphere on a smaller scale, of reality itself on a larger scale) on a regional, continental, planetary, or bigger scale, but I'm stuck for names for all the bigger-scale ones ("Asteroidal Leech", "Vampire Planet", "Eater of Reality" etc just don't cut it). The only name I have nailed down is "Mountains of Voices" (loosely derived from the old William Hope Hodgson novel The Night Land) for the regional/national-scale ones. (They're immense mountainlike structures/beings/entities which emit a mysterious call that draws living beings from the entire region towards them, where they are killed and drained of life & soul.)
Does anyone here know of any mythical/legendary/old-enough-to-be-out-of-copyright fictional inspirations for names for this kind of thing? Or any other good names? I'm considering "Cosmophage" for the biggest scale one, but that's not that great...
Can you wait until after the Vampire Bestiary is out...there could be a few in that which might help, but I don't want to give too many spoilers just yet.
Can you wait until after the Vampire Bestiary is out...there could be a few in that which might help, but I don't want to give too many spoilers just yet.
OK, sure. I don't want to copy any names you're using in that one, though.
And frankly, they're not going to turn out that vampire-like; if you've read The Night Land, they're more like the evil powers in that book. More soul-eaters than blood-drinkers.
__________________ Aaaah! It's a Spellstitched Half-Golem Kobold Sorcerer Lich!
It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that there'd be a cosmic point where vampires progressed from driking blood to drinking souls...U_K might have different ideas, though.
__________________
I have given proud Atlantis to the sea,
shattered ancient Lemuria beneath my fist,
and razed the arrogant spires of Ys to gleaming rubble...
This is the end of your world!
I shall remake all creation in my image!
I am the Omega.
And as all life was created from Chaos...
so shall it be DESTROYED!!!
It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that there'd be a cosmic point where vampires progressed from driking blood to drinking souls...U_K might have different ideas, though.
True... but these are tied to Entropy/destruction (of things that would otherwise be eternal = souls). Well, I'll write them up and worry about names later...
__________________ Aaaah! It's a Spellstitched Half-Golem Kobold Sorcerer Lich!
__________________ What comes beyond the Akalich?
Black light which burns away the shadow.
What is beyond the great Cogent?
A mind which makes the stars go mad.
When Amilictli goes beyond,
The storm is better known as sunspot.
And when the Odium evolves,
You'll see a galaxy in green.
It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that there'd be a cosmic point where vampires progressed from driking blood to drinking souls...U_K might have different ideas, though.
I have been thinking along those lines myself...a temporal vampire might drink your 'life-force' by stealing your 'time'..."BWAHAHA I've just stolen your Action Point!"
Paragon Tier solo (Epic Tier equivalent) - Huge/Gargantuan - Boulder/Cliff Sized
Epic Tier solo (Legendary Tier equivalent) - Mega-scale - Hill Sized
Legendary Tier solo (Immortal Tier equivalent) - Giga-scale - Mountain/Asteroid Sized
Immortal Tier solo (Sidereal Tier equivalent) - Tera-scale - Planet Sized
or does it need to be scaled up to:
Epic Tier solo (Legendary Tier equivalent) - Huge/Gargantuan - Boulder/Cliff sized
Legendary Tier solo (Immortal Tier equivalent) - Mega-scale - Hill Sized
Immortal Tier solo (Sidereal Tier equivalent) - Giga-scale - Mountain/Asteroid sized
Sidereal Tier solo (Eternal Tier equivalent) - Tera-scale - Planet Sized
The first sounds better, since an Eternal-equivalent should be the equivalent of an universe, not a mere planet: but is that right?
__________________ Aaaah! It's a Spellstitched Half-Golem Kobold Sorcerer Lich!
Paragon Tier solo (Epic Tier equivalent) - Huge/Gargantuan - Boulder/Cliff Sized
Epic Tier solo (Legendary Tier equivalent) - Mega-scale - Hill Sized
Legendary Tier solo (Immortal Tier equivalent) - Giga-scale - Mountain/Asteroid Sized
Immortal Tier solo (Sidereal Tier equivalent) - Tera-scale - Planet Sized
or does it need to be scaled up to:
Epic Tier solo (Legendary Tier equivalent) - Huge/Gargantuan - Boulder/Cliff sized
Legendary Tier solo (Immortal Tier equivalent) - Mega-scale - Hill Sized
Immortal Tier solo (Sidereal Tier equivalent) - Giga-scale - Mountain/Asteroid sized
Sidereal Tier solo (Eternal Tier equivalent) - Tera-scale - Planet Sized
The first sounds better, since an Eternal-equivalent should be the equivalent of an universe, not a mere planet: but is that right?
Currently there are 6 sizes above Gargantuan, or rather, six size modifiers.
Mega from 31, Giga from 39 and Tera from 47 have all been discussed
Continuing that scale
Peta = Sun sized, from 55
Exa = Nebula/Solar System sized, from 63
Zetta = Galaxy sized, from 71
Theoretical extension would see
Yotta = Universe, from 79
Xona = Super-Universe, from 87
Weta = "Real", from 95
However, I don't want anything higher than 71 because you cannot conceivably support more than three additional tiers to 4E (31-60). Supporting even one more tier will be a challenge.
Which means beings like Time Lords will only be about the Size of a Sun/Star up to a Solar System.
When you leave the 'Universe' the laws of physics no longer apply, so Size is somewhat relative really...probably relative to power I'm thinking. Additionally, because physics laws are irrelevant, universes may be bigger on the inside than on the outside (which is a nice in-joke).
Furthermore, size 'rules' are not as math intensive as in 3E, so you don't really need to work out negative AC penalties and strength bonuses anymore.
Size basically isn't that important, which is why I'm having simple 'general' guidelines for really big monsters and enemies (Castle-sized, Mountain-sized, Planet-sized etc.) rather than going into the specifics of how many feet exactly.
Which means beings like Time Lords will only be about the Size of a Sun/Star up to a Solar System.
Ok, that's big enough for most purposes! The Cosmophage I'm thinking about can fit into Solar System size, since it's basically a living binary star system.
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Furthermore, size 'rules' are not as math intensive as in 3E, so you don't really need to work out negative AC penalties and strength bonuses anymore.
How mechanically significant is it? Would it be horribly unbalancing to have a Nebula sized Sidereal? Because I have a character concept for a deity (The Maimed Queen) who is a living nebula, and I really can't justify her as a Demiurge or a Time Lord; she's very specifically a *component* of the universe, though a major one, and one that's lost power significantly. So probably an Old One, downgraded from First One.
In 3e stats I've just had to treat her "real" size as being that of her central body, and treat the nebula as a 'special effect', basically an aura; but in 4e I'd like to have her be -literally- a living nebula.
Thinking out this character is the only time I've been happy about the underplaying of alignment in 4e, since she'd have to be something like Chaotic-Lawful-Evil at the moment.
(Also, does an avatar or aspect automatically go down in divine status when the originating deity does? I have one of The Maimed Queen's aspects as - for all intents and purposes - living a separate life, worshipped by people who have little or no knowledge of the true being. And can an aspect gain power by being worshipped, if this lifts it above what an aspect of that deity should have?)
__________________ Aaaah! It's a Spellstitched Half-Golem Kobold Sorcerer Lich!
Last edited by Khisanth the Ancient; 22nd October 2009 at 04:11 AM..
Ok, that's big enough for most purposes! The Cosmophage I'm thinking about can fit into Solar System size, since it's basically a living binary star system.
I have a being in the Vampire Bestiary called a Chronophage, but its a different 'kettle of fish' than the monster you are proposing.
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How mechanically significant is it?
Directly, not very. Indirectly there are half a dozen rules I'm currently tweaking for the new sizes.
In fact at this point there is no actual strength difference or constitution difference for being Mega, Giga etc. sized.
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Would it be horribly unbalancing to have a Nebula sized Sidereal?
I don't think so, especially as its an actual Nebula, which is itself gaseous, rather than something solid or liquid.
I see the size categories as more indicators for Solid states. The Less Tangible, the bigger it can be.
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Because I have a character concept for a deity (The Maimed Queen) who is a living nebula, and I really can't justify her as a Demiurge or a Time Lord; she's very specifically a *component* of the universe, though a major one, and one that's lost power significantly. So probably an Old One, downgraded from First One.
Kewl!
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In 3e stats I've just had to treat her "real" size as being that of her central body, and treat the nebula as a 'special effect', basically an aura; but in 4e I'd like to have her be -literally- a living nebula.
Well Sidereals have Levels 51-60, which is 42-51 Solo Monster.
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Thinking out this character is the only time I've been happy about the underplaying of alignment in 4e, since she'd have to be something like Chaotic-Lawful-Evil at the moment.
I wasn't happy about this myself, but the new alignment is growing on me.
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(Also, does an avatar or aspect automatically go down in divine status when the originating deity does? I have one of The Maimed Queen's aspects as - for all intents and purposes - living a separate life, worshipped by people who have little or no knowledge of the true being. And can an aspect gain power by being worshipped, if this lifts it above what an aspect of that deity should have?)
I think this would be up to individual DMs. Certainly I think Avatars and Aspects can break away or somehow be seperated from the core being and go on to become their own unique beings.
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