Vampire Bestiary

Upper_Krust · Mar 3, 2010

Rhuarc said:
Hey UK!

Hello there!

Nice monster again, well done

Glad you like it. Next week is when we get epic though.

Just two little clarifications for the powers to read correctly:

One-Two Punch (standard, at-will) - Necrotic
The Bisomus makes a Punch attack. If this attack hits, the Bisomus can make a second punch attack against the same target. If the second attack also hits the target is knocked prone.

Trial Separation (immediate interupt, when target of a melee or ranged attack, recharge 4 5 6 ) - Necrotic, Teleportation
The Bisomus evades the attack and teleports up to 6 squares where it can make the following melee attack: +15 vs. Fortitude; 2d6 + 6 necrotic damage and the target loses 2 healing surges.

Hope you don't mind

Not at all, I can use all the help I can get, thanks.

El Mahdi · Mar 3, 2010

deleted

Pssthpok · Mar 3, 2010

Norton is a joke.

Seriously, I've never had an issue with Krust's site on half a dozen machines. Try AVG. It'll do a better job than Norton and with none of the proprietary garbage or uninstallation ruination.

Upper_Krust · Mar 3, 2010

Hello there!

El Mahdi said:
Went to check out your site, but Norton flagged it as unsafe (reported 2 trojans).

You may want to check into this. I'd love to check out your site, but I won't as long as it's flagged.

Thats totally weird. I have checked and double checked all updates and all code on my website. There is no sign of viruses.

It could be that Norton is reporting that there used to be (as in past tense) viruses on the website (it was hacked last September although that was more to do with the default security privelages of the new server hosts I think). Every time I update the website now I check all the pages.

There shouldn't be any problems, however, if you don't want to visit the website I'll respect your wishes.

Can you give me the specific details of what Norton is telling you - I may email them and see what their problem is.

Upper_Krust · Mar 3, 2010

Hiya mate!

Pssthpok said:
Norton is a joke.

Seriously, I've never had an issue with Krust's site on half a dozen machines. Try AVG. It'll do a better job than Norton and with none of the proprietary garbage or uninstallation ruination.

It was hacked last September, though for some reason it didn't even affect all computers (security presumably?).

I think Norton is perhaps simply reporting that it was flagged 'past tense', rather than is currently flagged. Or maybe they just don't update the whole flagging thing too often...?

I have friends in the computer security industry and basically they all tell me Norton is a waste of time.

Is anyone else getting a warning? I'm not, I'm on the website now and everything seems okay.

Khisanth the Ancient · Mar 4, 2010

Upper_Krust said:
Glad you like it. Next week is when we get epic though.

Will there be two more previews (Epic and Legendary) or will there be an immortal tier one too?

Some of the undead creatures that were slated for the 3.5 Epic Bestiaries 2 and 3 are in, right? I believe you mentioned Nosferatu and Varcolac ... will the Cimeriel/King Wight and Welkin show up too?

And is Alabaster in? I hope so.

Upper_Krust · Mar 4, 2010

Hiya mate!

Khisanth the Ancient said:
Will there be two more previews (Epic and Legendary) or will there be an immortal tier one too?

Depends how quickly I finish things.

...and knowing me that means I may have to go beyond Ultral Tier preivews.

Some of the undead creatures that were slated for the 3.5 Epic Bestiaries 2 and 3 are in, right? I believe you mentioned Nosferatu and Varcolac ... will the Cimeriel/King Wight and Welkin show up too?

I will confirm the Nosferatu and Varcolac are in.

And is Alabaster in? I hope so.

No comment.

beej · Mar 4, 2010

Hey ther U_K! I'm glad to see that the previews are rolling in. And so far, both monsters are very evocative. I really would want to try these out in a game.

Pey

I like how this monster works as a low-level "mini-boss." IMO, there aren't a lot of those around. I also like the singular fang - it's a nice touch. Count me in among those who think the damage output is too high, though; if I were to use this, I'd go with +1d6 on CA, and +1d6 on Bad Romance.

speaking of Bad Romance, here's my suggested wording there:

The pey deals an extra 4 damage against targets it has dominated at any point during the encounter.

Bisomus

Again, props for the creepy/kinky mental image. When introduced correctly, I see the Bisomus really getting into the nerves of the PCs. I am a bit concerned about the strength of trial separation, though. As an interrupt, this can make attacks auto-miss. And it can suck healing surges, too. Was this the intent? I think it would be better as an immediate reaction, IMO.

All in all, I will definitely be getting this book based on these reviews alone.

PS. I was wondering if you've ever stumbled upon the mananaggal of Filipino myth. It is commonly described as a vampire (although it has ghoulish tendencies), though I prefer to classify it as a ghoul. In any case, it segments itself from the waist down, and uses its upper torso to find their victims. Anyway, just wondering if you've heard of it. As a small-time publisher myself, I have my own take on the manananggal coming soon, and I am wondering if you had a crack at it too in the Vampire Bestiary.

PPS. I'm sorry for the shameless plug. :blush:

Upper_Krust · Mar 4, 2010

beej said:
Hey ther U_K!

Howdy beej mate!

I'm glad to see that the previews are rolling in.

It was about time.

And so far, both monsters are very evocative. I really would want to try these out in a game.

Glad you like them.

Pey

I like how this monster works as a low-level "mini-boss." IMO, there aren't a lot of those around.

Probably because of the reasons discussed here in previous posts, you have to be very careful to avoid instant player kills in 4E and solo and elite monsters at low levels have that potential.

I also like the singular fang - it's a nice touch.

I saw that idea in a different (non-vampire) monster about 23 years ago and it always stood out in my mind.

Count me in among those who think the damage output is too high, though; if I were to use this, I'd go with +1d6 on CA, and +1d6 on Bad Romance.

I probably will tweak things a tad. Thanks for the input.

Bisomus

Again, props for the creepy/kinky mental image. When introduced correctly, I see the Bisomus really getting into the nerves of the PCs. I am a bit concerned about the strength of trial separation, though. As an interrupt, this can make attacks auto-miss. And it can suck healing surges, too. Was this the intent? I think it would be better as an immediate reaction, IMO.

I may make one minor tweak to Trial Seperation in that the Bisomus must hit the target when it teleports otherwise the original attack lands...I was toying with that idea back and forth, it was in the initial build.

All in all, I will definitely be getting this book based on these reviews alone.

Thanks. I think the whole will be greater than the sum of the individual parts. I'm actually trying hard not to give away too many new ideas in the previews and save them for the book.

PS. I was wondering if you've ever stumbled upon the mananaggal of Filipino myth. It is commonly described as a vampire (although it has ghoulish tendencies), though I prefer to classify it as a ghoul. In any case, it segments itself from the waist down, and uses its upper torso to find their victims. Anyway, just wondering if you've heard of it. As a small-time publisher myself, I have my own take on the manananggal coming soon, and I am wondering if you had a crack at it too in the Vampire Bestiary.

I do have the Manananggal in the book. So I won't check yours out until after the VB launches just incase I like your ideas better than mine. :heh:

After the book is done it will be interesting to discuss our two approaches to that monster.

When researching this book I checked out about 100 different 'vampire' types and chose the most interesting from what I had seen.

Some of these became Vampire families, as in groups of "vampire" races (like the Nosferatu and Varcolac) while others are treated more as individual monsters that are basically vampire variants (as with the Pey and Manananggal).

PPS. I'm sorry for the shameless plug.

Plug away amigo.

Sykyrys · Mar 9, 2010

Ok, here's a new puzzle.

I have a character that combines the lich, mummified creature, and vampire templates (it's complicated, so please don't ask how).

He has none of the weaknesses of the vampire, but, he might still need to drink blood to maintain his living appearance.

Essentially...if he doesn't drink blood, his flesh might decay in the manner of a normal corpse. While his bones would remain intact.

Now, given that he is impervious to bacteria, chemicals, erosion, and temperature fluctuations and has a density exceeding that of adamantine...

Would he decay?

How long would it take him to decay?

What would the effects of decay be?

PS...What happens if a normal vampire doesn't feed? Does it decay?

Do vampires even decay at all, or do they just get more and more pale as their corrupted form feeds on blood?

Or is this thirst for blood purely psychological, as I suspect?