Plots & PlacesPost your PCs and NPCs for others to reference and enjoy. This is also an alternate location for long-term campaign and plot development. These can be system neutral or relate to any game or system.
Originally posted by Plane Sailing it's a jolly good job it wasn't a typical Shadow STR drain, otherwise Velendo would currently be an undead shadow of his former self - probably some others too!
Two completely different items. The shadows personal ability is via touch and that drains strength and creates a shadow if it kills you. The ability used against the Defenders was a psionic ability. Now if every strength drain by a shadow can cause it victims to be raised as fewllow shadows then all shadows from now on take a single level in mage to get the Ray of Enfeeblement spell and get a LOT more dangerous.
Quote:
Originally posted by Plane Sailing it's a jolly good job it wasn't a typical Shadow STR drain, otherwise Velendo would currently be an undead shadow of his former self - probably some others too!
(I like the idea of allowing still spells to be cast while incapacitated at 0 Str, I think I'll use that)
Originally posted by DocMoriarty
Two completely different items. The shadows personal ability is via touch and that drains strength and creates a shadow if it kills you. The ability used against the Defenders was a psionic ability. Now if every strength drain by a shadow can cause it victims to be raised as fellow shadows then all shadows from now on take a single level in mage to get the Ray of Enfeeblement spell and get a LOT more dangerous.
*yoink*
Actually, I think that could work *really* nicely as a visual ... instead of the usual appearance of the spell the Shadow's version could be for it to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out to the PCs, mimicking a real life shadow. Same game impact, much greater "ooga booga" spooky effect.
Even if you didn't allow the spell effect to raise further shadows (which, of course, it shouldn't), I'm guessing it would scare the pants off a few players!
And if PC is looking for ideas for non-Ghoul enemies for the Defenders to fight, may I suggest:
As a youth, Solnir a Ranger (enemy: Aberrations) who was captured and enslaved by Mind Flayers. After a number of years of slavery (feel free to make this a really long time if you make Solnir non-human) chance circumstances lead to his escape ... possibly it was even a True Ghoul attack.
Swearing vengeance on the Mindflayers, and realising that Undead were immune to the Illithid's major powers, Solnir became a Necromancer (Barred: Enchantment ... too similar to the powers the Mindflayers used on him), and subsequently a Pale Master.
His motivation for assisting the Ghouls may be to protect a particular settlement (per the offer the Defenders were given) or simply because they are helping him kill Mindflayers.
One of the nice aspects of this is that Solnir can get away with being N or CN in alignment quite easily, if you want to push the Defenders into something of a moral dilemma.
Feats: Solnir should have Iron Will, Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration as feats, to reflect his Illithid-hunting preferences.
As people may have guessed, I have plans to use Solnir as a foil for my own players at some point. My draft has him at Ranger 1 / Necromancer 5 / Pale Master 6, which is nowhere near enough to challenge the Defenders, but if pushed up a bit and given support, he could prove a nasty surprise.
Ok, I asked you in the story hour thread but didn't get a response. Can I please, please, please use Calphas in my homebrew campaign, World of Kulan?
And can you please, please, please fill in the following for me (if you've even got that far when it comes to your pantheon)? Stuff you haven't done I'll just make up.
CALPHAS The Wallbuilder
Lesser, Intermediate, or Greater Deity (?)
Symbol: (?)
Home Plane: (?)
Godly Realm: (?)
Alignment: (?)
Portfolio: (?)
Worshipers: (?)
Cleric Alignments: NG* and (?)
Domains: Earth, Wall* and (?)
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff* (?)
* Gleaned from Velendo's character sheet
I promise I'll leave you alone after this. Well, maybe. Did I say please?
__________________ Robert Blezard I write; therefore, I am!
D&D v.3.5, d20 Modern, OSRIC, Pathfinder, True20... OGL Forever! Walk the Road
Avatar by Sialia
Knightfall, absolutely you may! I'll stat that up for you tomorrow.
__________________ - Piratecat, EN World Admin
Currently editing the 4e War of the Burning Sky adventure path. Support EN Publishing, get excellent modules!
Maybe you get enough ideas here, maybe shadows are done too often, maybe life would be different if the moon really was made of green cheese, but in any case, I had an interessting yet relatively simple idea to spruce up spooky encounters.
I was just thinking that it would be really neat to have a villainous spellcaster who had a shadow with a life of its own, a la (sp?) Peter Pan. What would be different though is that this shadow and its owner are linked, so that they have all of their hp added together into one pool. All target non-area spells that affect one affect both (so if they are affected by something like curse, they are both affected) and if both are caught in a single area spell the pool would be hit twice. They would fortify each others turning resistance, giving something like +4 to each other (which is why this version using an undead shadow works best with another undead) and they are telepathically linked. Noticeably, on a turning attempt they can only be turned, not destroyed, unless *both* are destroyed by the same attempt. This idea would probably work well with a high-level undead cleric, and would be really creepy to describe that they realize their opponent suddenly casts no shadow, then have the shadow attack from behind. Said shadow would have maybe half of its owners HD rounded up. Modify as wished and enjoy.
__________________ -Kaodi
Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls.
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.
-Iago, Shakespeare's Othello, Act III. Scene III. Lines 180-186.
Originally posted by Piratecat Knightfall, absolutely you may! I'll stat that up for you tomorrow.
Woohoo!!
Thanks P'Cat...
__________________ Robert Blezard I write; therefore, I am!
D&D v.3.5, d20 Modern, OSRIC, Pathfinder, True20... OGL Forever! Walk the Road
Avatar by Sialia
Wow. Just found this thread yesterday. Many thanks to PCat for its existence. And now for my musings...
Going back to the undead monks, you could have it so that in a large cavern, they leap down from concealed ledges, strike, and using spring attack and leap of the clouds hop back up. When the PCs fly up to investigate, they are greeted by the ten goulish sorcerers, all of which have prepped fireballs... Ten saves, tens sets of 6d6 damage, and the gouls aren't even high level. Plus, the monks are still there...
And, for something different, add levels of blackguard to the monks. Sneak attacking, spellcasting, smiting goodness.
Oh and to Gideon... you stole my name! Or I stole yours... this could get confusing if I start posting with any frequency.
Hmm, that's a good point about Horrid Wilting. 8th level Wizard spells are really powerful. On the other hand, I don't think that Psions have anything close as powerful as Horrid Wilting. I don't have the book on me, but I thought that the "blast" power at that level did 15d6 damage. I'm not sure about the exact wording of the Shadow's touch attack. Can Baendril bring someone to 0 Str with Shadow Blades and then touch them once to turn them into a Shadow?
I wonder if any powerful creatures about to be killed by Malachite know enough to kill itself or ensure that it dies either to someone else or by Malachite's Positive Energy Burst or turning instead of his blade.
Originally posted by Elric I wonder if any powerful creatures about to be killed by Malachite know enough to kill itself or ensure that it dies either to someone else or by Malachite's Positive Energy Burst or turning instead of his blade.
Nope. They don't even know he has that power! Boy, will they be mad when they find out.
"He can lock us into permanent death. He must die first!"
__________________ - Piratecat, EN World Admin
Currently editing the 4e War of the Burning Sky adventure path. Support EN Publishing, get excellent modules!
Originally posted by Knightfall1972 CALPHAS The Wallbuilder
Lesser, Intermediate, or Greater Deity (?) Intermediate
Symbol: (?) Either a stone shield or a stacked pile of five bricks
Home Plane: (?) Elysium
Godly Realm: (?) Haven, a place of beauty and safety where none can be hurt
Alignment: (?) NG
Portfolio: (?) Protection (of the weak), safety, civilization over raw nature
Worshipers: (?) Ummm... yes?
Cleric Alignments: NG* and (?) LG, with some true N and LN sects
Domains: Earth, Wall* and (?) Protection
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff* (?) or hammer. Big on shield bashing, too.
Last edited by Piratecat; 29th August 2002 at 06:14 AM..
I don't know if this belongs here, but it seems like as good a place as any.
The Situation
The wizard stares intently at the cracked, evil visage of the lich-king. As he looks around at his companions, he knows that they don't stand a chance without him. They are powerful, yes, but against such a mighty spell-caster, only he holds the key to their success. With determination etched on his face, he casts the Mass Haste spell that he prepared for the occassion. He revels in the power of magic as his every action is accelerated to a blur of speed. Then he goes for what he hopes will be the beginning of the end for the lich-king as arcane words of power fill the air. With satisfaction he looks around at the effects of the Time Stop. His companions' expressions are frozen on their faces. A droplet of water hangs motionless in midair, just inches from the stalactite from which it just fell. As the wizard prepares to unleash his full fury upon the undead abomination, his jaw drops in horror. The lich-king turns its head toward him, its eyes burning points of hatred, and smiles. Eldritch magic spills from its lips, and the wizard screams, knowing that only the lich can hear.
What happened
The lich-king has epic levels, and he took the feat Spell Stowaway. The spell he chose, of course, was Time Stop. Too bad for the wizard, as now it's the lich's turn.
-------------
Piratecat, I don't know if your players ever use the Time Stop spell (I haven't noticed it yet), but this would be a great surprise to spring. Personally, I can't wait until my players reach that level...
Last edited by Schmoe; 29th August 2002 at 02:56 PM..
Thanks P'Cat. His portfolio isn't exactly what I thought it would be but it's intriguing none the less. I'll probably add some additional elements to his portfolio regarding masonry and builders.
And the worshippers section refers to the format they use in Deities & Demigods book, which lists the classes (besides clerics), races and professions most likely to worship the god.
{EDIT}
BTW, is it alright for me to include these stats under my Story Hour or is there anything listed above that you don't want your players to see. (Most likely not but I figured I should ask.)
__________________ Robert Blezard I write; therefore, I am!
D&D v.3.5, d20 Modern, OSRIC, Pathfinder, True20... OGL Forever! Walk the Road
Avatar by Sialia
Speaking of which, where do Velendo's Protection from Evil, 1/week/level; Sanctuary, 1/day; and Wall of Calphas, 1/day abilities come from? Are they just standard Calphasian perks, like the brick thing? Are they related to him being a Proxy for Calphas?
Originally posted by Knightfall1972 Thanks P'Cat. His portfolio isn't exactly what I thought it would be but it's intriguing none the less. I'll probably add some additional elements to his portfolio regarding masonry and builders.
Right! They're in there, too. Whoops.
And yes, creating bricks out of nothing is a granted power, usable an unlimited amount.
__________________ - Piratecat, EN World Admin
Currently editing the 4e War of the Burning Sky adventure path. Support EN Publishing, get excellent modules!
And yes, creating bricks out of nothing is a granted power, usable an unlimited amount.
Hmm. That's actually scarily utilitarian. It's just one brick at a time, right? No creating 500 bricks in the air above your enemies, I mean
Even then, it has a lot of uses: it's an unlimited source of impromtu missiles, for one thing (how does Calphas feel about his Priests lobbing bricks at the bad guys?). And I can easily see most parties leaving a long string of fortified camp sites behind them on their travels. Mine certainly would.
Not to mention building their strongholds on the cheap!
Location: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
Posts: 50
Re: Creepy Idea
Quote:
Originally posted by Kaodi Maybe you get enough ideas here, maybe shadows are done too often, maybe life would be different if the moon really was made of green cheese
It's only green cheese on our side, it's honey on the other side *oooh, I'm so bad!!*
Shadows are never done too often, as long as they're done right..
I smell a prestige class in that idea of yours, mebbe? huh?
__________________ "Anyone who complains will be shot!"
A prestige class would seem to me to be a tad complicated to balance, so I was actually thinking more along the idea of some sort of minor artifact, and hey, can there possibly be *any* shortage of evil, undead artifacts sitting about in the Kingdom of the Ghouls?
__________________ -Kaodi
Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls.
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.
-Iago, Shakespeare's Othello, Act III. Scene III. Lines 180-186.
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