• The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!

Creatures-By-Poll: Fey #4 (recovery effort)

C

Conaill

First Post
Most of this thread is still available through the Google cache, so I figured I might as well extract it while I still can...

----------------------------------------------------- Page 1-------------------------------------------------------------

BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


Project - Creatures-By-Poll: Fey #4
OK, time to start working on the particulars for the next fey, given the guidelines i laid out here: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=161281

Hit Dice: 10-12
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Main Attribute: Another creature type (Earth Elemental)
Environment: Aquatic
Size: Large

so this one is definitely going to be odd - and i like it.

here is one idea from a previous thread:

Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
Earth. Touching on Mortis' idea for fey controllers of continent moving constructs, perhaps this creature guides great earth elementals as they slowly, inexorably move continents towards each other in destructive collisions? Or it's an earthquake spirit, causing tsunamis to threaten coastal settlements that do not appease it with sacrifice!


regardless, they are basically big tough evil earth-spirits that live under the water, one way or the other. that's pretty unique if i do say so myself!

discuss!
__________________
don't quote me on that.
Help update the Creature Catalog!
Check out My Homepage!

Wiki wiki!
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 04:08 PM #2
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


as far as having the "aspect" of earth elementals, there are a number of ways this could be carried out. they could have a stony/earthy appearance or even actually be made from the stuff. they could have some abilities of an earth elemental. they could be extraplanar and come from the elemental plane of earth originally (like tritons with water). they could serve or be served by earth elemental creatures. they could command, summon, or commune with elementals. they could have earth-based spell-like abilities. there are probably even more options than that.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 04:54 PM #3
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




I'm really keen on Demiurge's "plate tectonics" idea. That sound infinitely cool.

This one seems to cry out "not traditional, Celtic fey" and more along the lines of the ragewalker.

Perhaps it uses something akin to whalesong to guide the earth elementals along the way?
__________________
"Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits."

"If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death."

Random Chuck Norris Facts

- Shade
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 06:00 PM #4
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
This one seems to cry out "not traditional, Celtic fey" and more along the lines of the ragewalker.

I do think we need a good answer to the question "what makes these things fey?" Why couldn't they be just another Aberration or Monstrous Humanoid?

The Fey type is described as "a creature with supernatural abilities and connections to nature or to some other force or place. Fey are usually human-shaped." Shade's whalesong suggestion would fit the "connection to nature" aspect.

In my mind, fey are also determined with how they interact with *humans*/humanoids. In our own mythology, the fey were the voices in the dark, the little hands that will snatch the cap off your head or steal your food when you're out walking through the forest, the majesty one feels in a sunlit grove, the unpredictable spirits that delight in tormenting mortals.

So for our large CE aquatic critter to be a Fey, I think it would need some strong personal relationship with the humanoids around it, either coastal settlements, seafaring vessels, or undersea civilizations.

Guiding earth elementals to move tectonic plates sounds way too remote. Siccing tsunamis on coastal settlements sounds better, although perhaps a little too large-scale. How about fey associated with undersea volcanoes? Think Hawaiian islands, with its various volano and fire related spirits, and new islands rising from teh ocean ll the time... Not sure where I'm going with this, but it's got a spark.
__________________
Come join us in the Awakened Animals thread
Questions? Check the SRD, the online d20/D&D rules,
the Official D&D Game Rule FAQ, and Official D&D Errata.
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 07:28 PM #5
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Controlling the world's continental drift wouldn't count as a close tie to nature?

Not all the fey have strong personal relationships with humans/humanoids, but I will concede that the majority do.

I'm really sold on the "plate tectonics" idea Demiurge proposed, but will concede to majority rule. While the undersea volacano idea sounds neat, it is more likely tied to fire elementals (or better yet, magma paraelementals) than to earth elementals. Unleashing tsunamis would fit both the earth elemental and human relationship criteria.

We have plenty of aquatic/coastal humanoids and monstrous humanoids for which they can interact: aquatic elves, merfolk, sahuagin, kuo-toa, etc.

We also have other aquatic fey to look to for inspiration and to avoid overlap: ocean strider, sirine, rusalka, etc.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 07:50 PM #6
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
We also have other aquatic fey to look to for inspiration and to avoid overlap: ocean strider, sirine, rusalka, etc.

Care to give a brief overview of those?
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 08:19 PM #7
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


yes please, just so we have something to compare to.

also, i will say that volcanoes are intimately tied to plate tectonics now aren't they?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
Perhaps it uses something akin to whalesong to guide the earth elementals along the way?


sonar?
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 08:37 PM #8
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Here are overviews of the other aquatic fey:

Bog Imp: Malicious swamp-dwelling fey, they follow a strange set of laws that vary by extended families. They drown creatures, and elves (and only elves) become bog imps.

Fossergrim: Tied to waterfalls as dryads are to trees, they fight those who pollute or dam the river. They sometimes offer aid and information.

Kelpie: Essentially, the legendary "water horse". They drown prey and can assume human form.

Nereids: From Elemental Plane of Water, they share ancestry with tritons. Although extremely shy and noncombative, they can drown with a kiss and summon water elementals to their aid.

Nixie: Nixies are aquatic sprites who dwell in and protect pristine ponds and lakes. They are even more reclusive than most fey and tend to treat intruders with suspicion and hostility.

Ocean Strider: Protect the seas and oceans from those who sail upon them, self-porclaimed defenders of natural waterways, they punish those who would plunder the depths for personal gain.

Rusalka: Lonely water spirits of lakes, rivers, and streams, they often beguile men with their songs for companionship.

Sirine: Playful female fey with a charming song, they are very reclusive when done having fun.

Vodyanoi: Look like potbellied, bearded old men; dwell in rivers and lakes of cold lands, these moody fey can alter a river's water level and thereby control the supply of fish. Vodyanoi act as providers and destroyers to those who live by their domains.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 08:43 PM #9
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Some brainstorms:

- Our fey seek to prevent the undersea realms from "pollution" of the landbound folk, and thus seek to move the continents away from their realm. They are motivated by selfishness, not altruism.

- I don't see a fey whose domain includes the ocean floor, so this could be what they choose to protect in whatever methods we decide.

- Sonar (blindsight) could be a good ability.

- They could embody the ancient spirits of the oldest seas, disliking the intrusion by all the younger races.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 09:54 PM #10
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



First things first... are we all in agreement that we should interpret "Aquatic" as "Oceanic" in this case? Seems like we already have a good complement of freshwater aquatic fey.
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 10:43 PM #11
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


sure, oceanic fey sounds good as that's not really a niche that's been filled.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 03-28-06, 11:41 PM #12
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Just throwing out some loose ideas...

Instead of the fey guiding/commanding earth elementals, we could also have it the other way around. Elder Earth Elementals are Huge, 24 HD and CR 11, with Int 10, Wis 11. Giving them Large, 10-12 HD "minions" wouldn't be too far-fetched.

Interestingly, Black Smokers grow to size Large and larger as well. Coincidence? Maybe not,,,
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 03:44 AM #13
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:10 AM)
Posts: 3,852

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



I like the connected to plate tectonics idea best, but then again, I'm a little biased

Conail's latest idea about the fey being minions rather than masters is an interesting one. How about:

In the deepest, blackest depths of the oceans, great elemental spirits of earth toil, slowly pushing the very continents themselves on an eternal journey. Their minds twisted to evil by bitterness and time, these elementals hate all life above the surface, paranoid and resentful that the drylanders do not respect the sea enough. To ensure such respect, they created (fey X) as something of an emissary, threatening costal settlements with a drowning death if they do not respect the seafloor spirits with gifts of dryland treasures, such as rare foods, rich spices, and exotic woods.

Works with both continental drift and the tsunami creation. Give the fey some ability like control water but deadlier and the capacity to summon smaller earth elementals (although this might have some overlap with the fey circle judges done last poll). As for appearance, they should look something like a humanoid version of a deep sea fish, all glowing barbels and oversized needle teeth and disproportionately large jaws. And, name wise, this should be as un-Celtic as possible. If we can find something Polynesian, all the better.

Demiurge out.
__________________
Villain- A Haiku by Demiurge
The heroes await.
They have come this far only
To die. Ha ha ha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clueless
Prismatic Wall. - Because ships don't have brakes.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 04:33 AM #14
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
And, name wise, this should be as un-Celtic as possible. If we can find something Polynesian, all the better.

Exactly what I was thinking...

Malayo-Polynesian Languages
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 02:51 PM #15
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Excellent! Fear the angler-fish fey!
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 03:31 PM #16
Mortis
Registered User

Mortis's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Liverpool, England
Last Seen: Yesterday (03:22 PM)
Posts: 465




Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
I like the connected to plate tectonics idea best, but then again, I'm a little biased

Me too.

Regards
Mortis
__________________
'Sanity's just a state of mind.'
GBH - 'To Understand'
Mortis is offline Reply With Quote
Mortis
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Mortis
Send email to Mortis
Visit Mortis's homepage!
Find More Posts by Mortis
Add Mortis to Your Buddy List
Add Mortis to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 07:25 PM #17
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
Excellent! Fear the angler-fish fey!

Oh, I would definitely go with an angler-fish fey over a plate tectonic one!
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 08:24 PM #18
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Oh, I would definitely go with an angler-fish fey over a plate tectonic one!


Yeah, but Demiurge's last paragraph successfully incorporates both.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 08:28 PM #19
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


i like much of demiurge's idea, but i don't think i like the elementals as the creators of our fey creature...
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 08:31 PM #20
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:10 AM)
Posts: 3,852

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
i like much of demiurge's idea, but i don't think i like the elementals as the creators of our fey creature...

Co-conspiritors, perhaps? Or even manipulators? Elder earth elementals aren't really all that bright - perhaps the fey steal the tribute and tell the elementals that they aren't respected, causing the elementals to go on an earthquake and tsunami creating rampage?

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 08:48 PM #21
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


any of that would be better, methinks.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 11:10 PM #22
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



I'd much prefer to keep the elementals True Neutral. Doesn't mean their minions need to be - perhaps they just don't care about their minions' alignment. But it does mean we'd have to find a different motivation.

Overall, I think I'd like it better if the fey were in charge, not the elementals. The elelemntals are no more stupid than the average human, but fey just strike me as the smarter ones.


PS: Here's another take on the "Earth" angle... Do coral reefs count as Earth? They sure form islands, and eventually rock when fossilized. So you could argue that corals are a way to grow new rock out of the ocean. A tad far-fetched, but nothing we couldn't make work in a fantasy world. Rocks being born out of a living organism is so more inconsistent than rocks being born out of fire (lava).

Our fey are in charge of supervising and protecting this process - mainly by slaughtering any living creature that might interfere with the coral. Depopulating tropical islands, sinking ships that drop anchor in coral, etc. Give the fey some ability to transform coral into actual rock, and now they're creating new islands, maybe even overseeing the birth of new earth elementals.
Last edited by Conaill : 03-29-06 at 11:14 PM.
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-29-06, 11:27 PM #23
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




I had thought about coral too, but it's more of a living thing than an element. But like you said, we could make it work.

Another thought...what if our guys were once creatures with close ties to the earth, like dwarves, who were cursed to live on the ocean bottoms by some powerful water deity or entity (such as Olhyra)?
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-30-06, 12:12 AM #24
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:10 AM)
Posts: 3,852

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



I'm not fond of the coral connection. It's a bit of a stretch to make it work.

The making the fey cursed dwarves or gnomes (svirfneblin have traditionally been able to summon earth elementals when working in groups, after all), I can go for. The curse may also explain their evil, an extent of bitterness.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 03-30-06, 06:11 AM #25
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Cursed dwarves or gnomes would be a bit problematic, given their Large size...


Ooh... here's a great image:

These fey were once majestic winged creatures, masters of the air and rulers of flocks of air elementals. Due to some ancient transgression they were banned to the depths of the ocean, doomed never to breathe air again - exposure to air burns them like fire. Whereas once they ruled air elementals, now they are forming a pact with earth elementals, trying to exact revenge on those who banished them. They glide like fallen angels on feathered wings through the inky ocean depths...
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-30-06, 06:37 AM #26
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:10 AM)
Posts: 3,852

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Yeah, but if air burns them like fire, they can't interact with surface creatures, which to me has always been a huge part of their appeal. The go-betweens between the surface world and that of the lightless depths, scamming both sides for their own gain.

And I see no reason why Large creatures can't have used to be dwarves or gnomes. If we're basing them on deep sea fish, weird elongations are par for the course. Perhaps their bodies are stretched thin to the near breaking point, only their distended bellies and huge underslung jaws full of needle teeth have any real substance to them.

Of course, I do loves the hideously spindly monsters...

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 03-30-06, 07:37 AM #27
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Hey, I'm just throwing ideas at the wall, seeing if one of em will stick.


I do like the image of fallen angels soaring through the ocean depths though. Maybe they only interact with surface creatures through the earth elementals they send out on raiding parties. And you can't stop the raids unless you go after the undersea fey controlling them...
Last edited by Conaill : 03-30-06 at 07:58 AM.
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-30-06, 03:41 PM #28
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
They glide like fallen angels on feathered wings through the inky ocean depths...


OK, doppelganger...what have you done with our wing-hating Conaill?
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-30-06, 05:27 PM #29
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
OK, doppelganger...what have you done with our wing-hating Conaill?

Yeah, but this is underwater, so they wouldn't actually be using those wings, see?


(Although it'd be fun to watch when they finally do rise up out of the water. I can just see them burst from the ocean, on fire, like a giant phoenix...)
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-30-06, 08:36 PM #30
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


so they might resemble manta-rays?

what i mean is, they'd be humanoid in shape, but on their backs they might be shaped like a manta, with the "wings" having evolved a bit as their function is no longer the same.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 03-31-06, 06:03 AM #31
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



I was thinking of actual feathered bird/angel wings which they use to "fly" through the water with.


I guess the idea was partly sparked by this really cool exhibit I saw once at an aquarium - might have been the Monterey aquarium. They had these smallish duck-like birds in an aquarium with a glass wall, and the birds would dive underwater and "fly" around using their wings for a good minute or so, chasing small fish. Their feathers would trap a thin layer of air, so they looked like silver birds in slow motion. Really cool!
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 03-31-06, 06:22 AM #32
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:10 AM)
Posts: 3,852

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



I kinda like the manta ray fins better. Then again, I prefer the anglerfish-style deep sea fey in general, and the ray fins fit into that rather nicely, if a bit of a mishmash of fish (D&D? Squish together a bunch of animals to make something cool?! Never! )

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 03-31-06, 10:18 PM #33
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




I'm liking the inclusion of the manta-style wings, too. Mmm....buffalo manta wings.

I like your other idea, too, Conaill, but I think I'd like it more on a different creature. Perhaps a future creature by poll?
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 03-31-06, 10:26 PM #34
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


i think this weekend, i want to set up a poll(s) to see which incarnation of this creature works the best for everyone. keep it coming with the ideas, in the meantime though.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 04:08 PM #35
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (04:25 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ from other thread
so the continent-pusher idea dominates (especially when you consider that an additional vote was cast for the construct version), though the coal-grower was not far behind. perhaps we can combine the ideas in some way. we can even add some of the other concepts in as less-important aspects of the fey. let's discuss the results and our plans back in the other thread.


I can't really get behind the coral grower concept for a chaotic evil fey. However, I'd love to see it for a nonevil fey. Perhaps you can make this fey #6 as an alternate for the article?
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 07:17 PM #36
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Eh, I could easily see them as CE. here's from my original post:
Quote:
Our fey are in charge of supervising and protecting this process - mainly by slaughtering any living creature that might interfere with the coral. Depopulating tropical islands, sinking ships that drop anchor in coral, etc. Give the fey some ability to transform coral into actual rock, and now they're creating new islands, maybe even overseeing the birth of new earth elementals.

If the only creatures they care about are the new Earth elementals they're creating, that could easily make them CE. Heck, maybe they're creating these new earth elementals for their own nefarious purposes - maybe they're pitting these new "coral-rock" elementals against the older, "lava-rock" elementals in an effort to gain dominion over the Earth element?

Anyway, just spouting... I do agree that it's hard to integrate this idea with the plate tectonics, and it would probably be cleaner if we didn't. Not sure we need to commit to turning this idea into #6 though. There have been some other good ideas that have come up in the past, and I'm sure we'll have plenty more orphaned ideas by the time we finish with #5. Maybe we should have a separate thread to collect good ideas that don't fit into #1-#5?


So let's get back to our Tectones (how's that for a name?). Right now, they don't strike me as very "fey". Any suggestions to remedy that?
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 08:26 PM #37
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


actually, combining ideas is not as hard as you might think. here you go.

they grow the coral, which they have the ability to petrify (as the petrification ability; i guess the idea would be that maybe they can only petrify coral and similar animals?). in order to summon an earth elemental, what do you need to have present? well rock, for one thing, would do the trick.

they grow beds of coral large enough to summon an elemental of the largest size, then they get their friend to do the heave-ho.

we can make that work. the coral is just a means to an end, and the end is what they are most interested in.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 08:33 PM #38
Raven Crowking
Now With More Dice!

Raven Crowking's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:13 PM)
Posts: 2,662

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



If these fey are in charge of continental drift, then they are extremely long-term thinkers. They would make ents seem positively hasty by comparison. I would imagine that PCs could hang around them for a very long time, and though they would feel their slow malevolence, the fey would be unlikely to act unless the PCs made it necessary.
__________________
Read my article: Faerie Encounters

Read My Stories: Shameless Self Promotion

See my story hour: The Lakelands.

Play By E-Mail 1: Snipe
Play By E-Mail 2: Finnrod
Play By E-Mail 3: Kilendra

Play By Post: Six For Adventure

For Those Who Have Passed On: Afterlives

Personal E-mail: ravencrowking at hotmail dot com
Raven Crowking is offline Reply With Quote
Raven Crowking
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Raven Crowking
Visit Raven Crowking's homepage!
Find More Posts by Raven Crowking
Add Raven Crowking to Your Buddy List
Add Raven Crowking to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 09:42 PM #39
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:10 AM)
Posts: 3,852

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Why would the fey be petrifying coral to summon earth elementals? Why couldn't they just turn their victims into coral, which turns into an earth elemental after a certain number of HD of (humanoid?) victims are petrified and added to the reef?

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 09:50 PM #40
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


*weeps* just trying to come up with a plausible story... *weeps*

heh, sure, if that works just as well, then why not? sounds like a bad 80s horror movie, like Motel Hell or something.


----------------------------------------------------- Page 2 -------------------------------------------------------------


Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (06:24 AM)
Posts: 6,106




I do believe that's the first Motel Hell reference I've ever seen around these parts. Nice job!

If you need me, I'll be resting in Sleepaway Camp.
__________________
"Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits."

"If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death."

Random Chuck Norris Facts

- Shade
Shade is online now Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 10:35 PM #42
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


heheheh... so what's the verdict folks? they turn victims into coral, and then petrify the coral into rock to summon an earth elemental slave or what?

(turning a victim into coral sounds *very* evil-fey to me...)
__________________
don't quote me on that.
Help update the Creature Catalog!
Check out My Homepage!

Wiki wiki!
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 10:45 PM #43
Raven Crowking
Now With More Dice!

Raven Crowking's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:13 PM)
Posts: 2,662

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Works for me, but you might want to consider how many "locked into stone" type fey are going to be appearing in your proposal).
__________________
Read my article: Faerie Encounters

Read My Stories: Shameless Self Promotion

See my story hour: The Lakelands.

Play By E-Mail 1: Snipe
Play By E-Mail 2: Finnrod
Play By E-Mail 3: Kilendra

Play By Post: Six For Adventure

For Those Who Have Passed On: Afterlives

Personal E-mail: ravencrowking at hotmail dot com
Raven Crowking is offline Reply With Quote
Raven Crowking
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Raven Crowking
Visit Raven Crowking's homepage!
Find More Posts by Raven Crowking
Add Raven Crowking to Your Buddy List
Add Raven Crowking to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 10:58 PM #44
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


it will probably be 5 different proposals, like we did with the plants (some of which featured new monsters, some of which were all conversion).
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 11:06 PM #45
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (06:24 AM)
Posts: 6,106




I still think the two themes should be separated, but I'll bow to the wisdom of the group.
Shade is online now Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-05-06, 11:33 PM #46
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
I still think the two themes should be separated, but I'll bow to the wisdom of the group.

Ditto!
__________________
Come join us in the Awakened Animals thread
Questions? Check the SRD, the online d20/D&D rules,
the Official D&D Game Rule FAQ, and Official D&D Errata.
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 12:16 AM #47
Knightfall1972
World of Kulan DM

Knightfall1972's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Last Seen: Today (04:57 AM)
Posts: 4,109

My Bookshelf

Send a message via MSN to Knightfall1972


Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
I can't really get behind the coral grower concept for a chaotic evil fey. However, I'd love to see it for a nonevil fey. Perhaps you can make this fey #6 as an alternate for the article?


If you want a nonevil fey that protect coral then take a look at this post on my Creature Anthology thread.

Of course, that's just a templated creature, not a brand new creature, but I figured I point it out anyway.

Cheers!

KF72
__________________
Robert Blezard
I write, therefore I am!
http://walktheroad.wikispaces.com/

Knightfall's Story Hours
World of Kulan Story Hour (Updated: Apr 12/06)
Kulan: Many Beginnings, One Fate (Updated: Apr 20/06)
Kulan: Year of the Return (New)

The Knightfall Monster Index
You can never have too many Templates...
Knightfall1972 is offline Reply With Quote
Knightfall1972
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Knightfall1972
Send email to Knightfall1972
Visit Knightfall1972's homepage!
Find More Posts by Knightfall1972
Add Knightfall1972 to Your Buddy List
Add Knightfall1972 to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 01:17 AM #48
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


well, if we're keeping the ideas totally separate, then the whole coral thing goes buh-bye.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 01:49 AM #49
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



I was thinking less Motel Hell and more MMIII's splinterwaifs (who, of course, turn their victims into thorn bushes before eating them. Little kids make the tastiest bushes, of course).

Demiurge out.

Edit: Yes, yes, by all means, keep the two ideas seperate. And yeah, there's a lot of stone-trapping going on in this proposal...
__________________
Villain- A Haiku by Demiurge
The heroes await.
They have come this far only
To die. Ha ha ha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clueless
Prismatic Wall. - Because ships don't have brakes.
Last edited by demiurge1138 : 04-06-06 at 01:53 AM.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 04:35 AM #50
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Stop it with the coral already!

Ok, so we have Earth elementals that "slowly push continents to cause disasters above the sea". It does seem very -very- long-term and not terribly Chaotic to me.

Now, that this does not actually preclude option #3 and #4 from the poll: "... that cause undersea earthquakes, bringing tsunamis to destroy coastal settlements", and "...that incite activity from undersea volcanoes, to cause eruptions on the surface". Both of these are natural consequences of continental drift, and would make these guys much more "tangible" opponents.

So, is anyone actually opposed to these options? I know they didn't get many votes (well... just one, actually) in the poll, but that might simply be because everyone was ganging up on the very similar #2 option. (See *that's* why I keep asking for polls where you can vote for more than one option. The chance of getting a tie is just as small, but at least you get a more detailed answer, especially with as few voters as we get here...)
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 06:53 AM #51
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



I have no problem with causing tsunamis and volcanoes at all.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 08:27 AM #52
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


i'm all for including those things.

continent-pushing: long-term goal.

volcanoes and tsunamis: chaotic fun!
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 10:17 AM #53
Mortis
Registered User

Mortis's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Liverpool, England
Last Seen: Yesterday (03:22 PM)
Posts: 465




Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
I have no problem with causing tsunamis and volcanoes at all.

Me neither.

There's a Tsunami spell in the Spell Compendium that we may be able to modify.

Regards
Mortis
__________________
'Sanity's just a state of mind.'
GBH - 'To Understand'
Mortis is offline Reply With Quote
Mortis
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Mortis
Send email to Mortis
Visit Mortis's homepage!
Find More Posts by Mortis
Add Mortis to Your Buddy List
Add Mortis to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 04:53 PM #54
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (06:24 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
I have no problem with causing tsunamis and volcanoes at all.


Same here.
Shade is online now Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 05:30 PM #55
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


good, we're all agreed on that (and cool powers they be!).

now, instead of focusing in on its powers just yet, let's get to what this fellow is all about. it is chaotic evil, and it is a destroyer. i mean, if its main powers involve natural disasters, there's nothing subtle about that.

do we want it to be a mere mindless brute? should there be some subtle machinations involved there? is it out for revenge, or was it cursed like in one of the example origins suggested above? maybe it was even once an animal that got turned into a humanoid creature? does it get off on terrorizing people, and/or is it just greedy for extracting tribute to spare victims?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Right now, they don't strike me as very "fey". Any suggestions to remedy that?


this hasn't really been addressed yet. it's an excellent point. right now there's really nothing about it that a monstrous humanoid, native outsider, or even magical beast couln't cover. maybe compare what we have to some of the fey Shade noted on page 1?
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 05:49 PM #56
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (06:24 AM)
Posts: 6,106




I'd like to look to these fey for inspiration:

Siabrie:

"The siabrie rarely appears to outsiders, and then usually when the intruder has earned its wrath. Few can survive the full focus of an angry siabrie, so word of their existence is slow to spread. A siabrie looks like a beautiful or handsome humanoid, with willowy arms and long, golden hair. Its skin is coppery and upon close inspection seems to be made of fine sand. Its wings are glimmering and crystalline, like stained glass, and its eyes are like the most beautiful of desert sunsets. But when angered, a siabrie undergoes a terrible transformation. Its skin runs like glass and glows with fire, and its face and eyes burn with a seething rage like the light of a thousand suns. An angry siabrie's form shifts rapidly between bestial and humanoid as its rage is made flesh."

"A siabrie's territory in a large desert can extend over dozens of square miles, and each one is perfectly content to wander its dunes and cliffs alone. Nevertheless, every few hundred years, a siabrie can grow lonely and seek out the companionship of others of its kind. When a siabrie cannot find other siabries to visit at these times, it has been known to assume the form of a humanoid and visit communities for entertainment. Rarely, a group of up to seven siabries congregates in one area of the desert, either to share knowledge and companionship or to band together to repel a particularly dangerous or vile threat to their homes. For the most part, though, they avoid crowds and are content to live their immortal lives alone."

"An angry siabrie is a force to be reckoned with. It tries to repulse undesirables from its domain using its formidable spell-like abilities, its sonorous voice attack, and by awakening the very desert itself to drive them off. If these tactics fail, the siabrie manifests in the thick of the intruders and lays waste to them with its touch."

Ragewalker (MMIII):

"Ragewalkers embody the natural forces of war and combat in the same way that a nymph embodies the beauty of nature or a dryad embodies the heart of its tree. These deadly fey emerge from a lnadscape torn and twisted by war, and they are nature's response to the ravages of such battles. The ragewalker, also knonw as the war torn fey, exists to perpetuate combat, turning men and reast alike against one another. Insane by the standards of any but the uncaring forces of nature, ragewalkers seek the annihilation of all war through the annihilation of all who are capable of making war."
Shade is online now Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 05:53 PM #57
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (06:24 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Perhaps they embody the natural wrath of the ocean floor? Maybe it actually despises being underwater, and uses its natural disasters and plate-shifting earth elementals to "sink" the surface world? Maybe they represent the natural forces of earth, and feel oppressed by the water spirits. Since water covers more of the world than land, they are trying to create more surface land to even the score.

Or perhaps they are nature's answer to all the lifeless matter that sinks to the ocean floor?
Shade is online now Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-06-06, 09:49 PM #58
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
Perhaps they embody the natural wrath of the ocean floor? Maybe it actually despises being underwater, and uses its natural disasters and plate-shifting earth elementals to "sink" the surface world? Maybe they represent the natural forces of earth, and feel oppressed by the water spirits. Since water covers more of the world than land, they are trying to create more surface land to even the score.


I like that first one. It sinks the land out of spite more than anything else. I also like the cursed/transformed aspect.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-07-06, 03:25 AM #59
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



So do we let these guys terrorize the coastlines in person? Or do we send the heroes into depths of the ocean to trace the cause of these calamities...?

The latter makes them less generally useable in a campaign, because now you have to commit to an underwater encounter.
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-07-06, 08:58 PM #60
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Well, I still like the idea of the fey coming to scam tribute out of costal settlements, then destroying them anyway. Encountering the fey could happen on land, but actually getting a chance to finish it off might require underwater adventuring.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-07-06, 09:04 PM #61
Raven Crowking
Now With More Dice!

Raven Crowking's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:13 PM)
Posts: 2,662

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
Well, I still like the idea of the fey coming to scam tribute out of costal settlements, then destroying them anyway. Encountering the fey could happen on land, but actually getting a chance to finish it off might require underwater adventuring.

Demiurge out.


If we are trying to make these fey seem folkloric (i.e., like fey that would exist in "real" mythology) then they shouldn't lie. They may tell the truth in a way that completely misleads, of course, but they shouldn't lie outright.
Raven Crowking is offline Reply With Quote
Raven Crowking
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Raven Crowking
Visit Raven Crowking's homepage!
Find More Posts by Raven Crowking
Add Raven Crowking to Your Buddy List
Add Raven Crowking to your ignore list
Old 04-10-06, 05:20 AM #62
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


semi-folkloric, perhaps. i don't see them having a problem with lying.

i think they spend most of their time under the sea, but they can come up to cause havoc when they wish.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-10-06, 07:19 AM #63
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



I see no problem with them lying.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-10-06, 06:12 PM #64
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


i'll try to collect some thoughts for this thread later today.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-10-06, 07:59 PM #65
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
semi-folkloric, perhaps. i don't see them having a problem with lying.

On the other hand, I don't see a problem with them *not* lying. RC is right - it does give a bit of a "fey" tinge to them. And they could still dissemble and mislead all they want.

Just a bit of extra fey flavor, nothing that should really stand in their way of being nasty SOB's

(Heck, maybe they'll get brought up in front of the Brehonmor court if they do lie! )
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-11-06, 01:34 AM #66
Bihor
Registered User

Bihor's Avatar

Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Sherbrooke
Last Seen: Today (01:25 AM)
Posts: 226

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Mabe they are bitter for not being above sea.

Or they where band from earth by the court.

There earth elemental power could be the origin of the monolith circle of the courth, but being band from the surface by the Mincloch they turned Chaotic Evil.
__________________
And no man shall shed blood,
but by man shall his blood be shed.

"... We can't just do everything differently now because it "make sense". -Young-And-Beautiful
-Thunt
Bihor is offline Reply With Quote
Bihor
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Bihor
Send email to Bihor
Find More Posts by Bihor
Add Bihor to Your Buddy List
Add Bihor to your ignore list
Old 04-11-06, 08:25 PM #67
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


I'm going to leave out the issue of truth-telling altogether. The idea of never telling a lie (though to faeries, I know they have ways around this, like half-truths and being cryptic) just conflicts with their alignment - if this one didn't have both Evil and Chaotic as part of their alignment, it might make a bit more sense to me. Our "fey flavor" can come from something else. What "fey" aspects do other evil (or borderline-evil neutrals) fey have that we can adopt here?

Bihor had some ideas worth considering. It looks like he's been paying attention to what we've been up to - although I'm sure he means Brehonmor rather than Mincloch. I could also see our sea dwellers being banned from land by the Seelie Court, or just as likely some Good deity(ies).


Here are the decided facts of our fey currently, as we know them:

This chaotic evil creature is a large creature. It lives at the bottom of the ocean. It guides great earth elementals as they slowly, inexorably move continents towards each other in destructive collisions.

(and I think we had decided to include undersea volcanoes and earthquakes/tsunamis as powers?)


Some other ideas from earlier in the thread to consider, that we can possibly incorporate into this guy (long post; beware!).

Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
an earthquake spirit, causing tsunamis to threaten coastal settlements that do not appease it with sacrifice!



Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
as far as having the "aspect" of earth elementals, there are a number of ways this could be carried out. they could have a stony/earthy appearance or even actually be made from the stuff. they could have some abilities of an earth elemental. they could be extraplanar and come from the elemental plane of earth originally (like tritons with water). they could serve or be served by earth elemental creatures. they could command, summon, or commune with elementals. they could have earth-based spell-like abilities. there are probably even more options than that.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
This one seems to cry out "not traditional, Celtic fey" and more along the lines of the ragewalker.

Perhaps it uses something akin to whalesong to guide the earth elementals along the way?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
So for our large CE aquatic critter to be a Fey, I think it would need some strong personal relationship with the humanoids around it, either coastal settlements, seafaring vessels, or undersea civilizations.

Guiding earth elementals to move tectonic plates sounds way too remote. Siccing tsunamis on coastal settlements sounds better, although perhaps a little too large-scale. How about fey associated with undersea volcanoes? Think Hawaiian islands, with its various volano and fire related spirits, and new islands rising from teh ocean ll the time... Not sure where I'm going with this, but it's got a spark.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
We have plenty of aquatic/coastal humanoids and monstrous humanoids for which they can interact: aquatic elves, merfolk, sahuagin, kuo-toa, etc.

We also have other aquatic fey to look to for inspiration and to avoid overlap: ocean strider, sirine, rusalka, etc.

Here are overviews of the other aquatic fey:

Bog Imp: Malicious swamp-dwelling fey, they follow a strange set of laws that vary by extended families. They drown creatures, and elves (and only elves) become bog imps.

Fossergrim: Tied to waterfalls as dryads are to trees, they fight those who pollute or dam the river. They sometimes offer aid and information.

Kelpie: Essentially, the legendary "water horse". They drown prey and can assume human form.

Nereids: From Elemental Plane of Water, they share ancestry with tritons. Although extremely shy and noncombative, they can drown with a kiss and summon water elementals to their aid.

Nixie: Nixies are aquatic sprites who dwell in and protect pristine ponds and lakes. They are even more reclusive than most fey and tend to treat intruders with suspicion and hostility.

Ocean Strider: Protect the seas and oceans from those who sail upon them, self-porclaimed defenders of natural waterways, they punish those who would plunder the depths for personal gain.

Rusalka: Lonely water spirits of lakes, rivers, and streams, they often beguile men with their songs for companionship.

Sirine: Playful female fey with a charming song, they are very reclusive when done having fun.

Vodyanoi: Look like potbellied, bearded old men; dwell in rivers and lakes of cold lands, these moody fey can alter a river's water level and thereby control the supply of fish. Vodyanoi act as providers and destroyers to those who live by their domains.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
Some brainstorms:

- Our fey seek to prevent the undersea realms from "pollution" of the landbound folk, and thus seek to move the continents away from their realm. They are motivated by selfishness, not altruism.

- I don't see a fey whose domain includes the ocean floor, so this could be what they choose to protect in whatever methods we decide.

- Sonar (blindsight) could be a good ability.

- They could embody the ancient spirits of the oldest seas, disliking the intrusion by all the younger races.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Interestingly, Black Smokers grow to size Large and larger as well. Coincidence? Maybe not,,,



Quote:
In the deepest, blackest depths of the oceans, great elemental spirits of earth toil, slowly pushing the very continents themselves on an eternal journey. Their minds twisted to evil by bitterness and time, these elementals hate all life above the surface, paranoid and resentful that the drylanders do not respect the sea enough. To ensure such respect, they created (fey X) as something of an emissary, threatening costal settlements with a drowning death if they do not respect the seafloor spirits with gifts of dryland treasures, such as rare foods, rich spices, and exotic woods.

Works with both continental drift and the tsunami creation. Give the fey some ability like control water but deadlier and the capacity to summon smaller earth elementals (although this might have some overlap with the fey circle judges done last poll). As for appearance, they should look something like a humanoid version of a deep sea fish, all glowing barbels and oversized needle teeth and disproportionately large jaws. And, name wise, this should be as un-Celtic as possible. If we can find something Polynesian, all the better.


If we can reverse that into the fey being in charge, we might be able to salvage something from that...




Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Malayo-Polynesian Languages






Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
Co-conspiritors, perhaps? Or even manipulators? Elder earth elementals aren't really all that bright - perhaps the fey steal the tribute and tell the elementals that they aren't respected, causing the elementals to go on an earthquake and tsunami creating rampage?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
Another thought...what if our guys were once creatures with close ties to the earth, like dwarves, who were cursed to live on the ocean bottoms by some powerful water deity or entity (such as Olhyra)?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
These fey were once majestic winged creatures, masters of the air and rulers of flocks of air elementals. Due to some ancient transgression they were banned to the depths of the ocean, doomed never to breathe air again - exposure to air burns them like fire. Whereas once they ruled air elementals, now they are forming a pact with earth elementals, trying to exact revenge on those who banished them. They glide like fallen angels on feathered wings through the inky ocean depths...



Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
so they might resemble manta-rays?

what i mean is, they'd be humanoid in shape, but on their backs they might be shaped like a manta, with the "wings" having evolved a bit as their function is no longer the same.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Raven Crowking
If these fey are in charge of continental drift, then they are extremely long-term thinkers. They would make ents seem positively hasty by comparison. I would imagine that PCs could hang around them for a very long time, and though they would feel their slow malevolence, the fey would be unlikely to act unless the PCs made it necessary.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Ok, so we have Earth elementals that "slowly push continents to cause disasters above the sea". It does seem very -very- long-term and not terribly Chaotic to me.

Now, that this does not actually preclude option #3 and #4 from the poll: "... that cause undersea earthquakes, bringing tsunamis to destroy coastal settlements", and "...that incite activity from undersea volcanoes, to cause eruptions on the surface". Both of these are natural consequences of continental drift, and would make these guys much more "tangible" opponents.

So, is anyone actually opposed to these options? I know they didn't get many votes (well... just one, actually) in the poll, but that might simply be because everyone was ganging up on the very similar #2 option. (See *that's* why I keep asking for polls where you can vote for more than one option. The chance of getting a tie is just as small, but at least you get a more detailed answer, especially with as few voters as we get here...)



Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
let's get to what this fellow is all about. it is chaotic evil, and it is a destroyer. i mean, if its main powers involve natural disasters, there's nothing subtle about that.

do we want it to be a mere mindless brute? should there be some subtle machinations involved there? is it out for revenge, or was it cursed like in one of the example origins suggested above? maybe it was even once an animal that got turned into a humanoid creature? does it get off on terrorizing people, and/or is it just greedy for extracting tribute to spare victims?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
I'd like to look to these fey for inspiration:

Siabrie:

"The siabrie rarely appears to outsiders, and then usually when the intruder has earned its wrath. Few can survive the full focus of an angry siabrie, so word of their existence is slow to spread. A siabrie looks like a beautiful or handsome humanoid, with willowy arms and long, golden hair. Its skin is coppery and upon close inspection seems to be made of fine sand. Its wings are glimmering and crystalline, like stained glass, and its eyes are like the most beautiful of desert sunsets. But when angered, a siabrie undergoes a terrible transformation. Its skin runs like glass and glows with fire, and its face and eyes burn with a seething rage like the light of a thousand suns. An angry siabrie's form shifts rapidly between bestial and humanoid as its rage is made flesh."

"A siabrie's territory in a large desert can extend over dozens of square miles, and each one is perfectly content to wander its dunes and cliffs alone. Nevertheless, every few hundred years, a siabrie can grow lonely and seek out the companionship of others of its kind. When a siabrie cannot find other siabries to visit at these times, it has been known to assume the form of a humanoid and visit communities for entertainment. Rarely, a group of up to seven siabries congregates in one area of the desert, either to share knowledge and companionship or to band together to repel a particularly dangerous or vile threat to their homes. For the most part, though, they avoid crowds and are content to live their immortal lives alone."

"An angry siabrie is a force to be reckoned with. It tries to repulse undesirables from its domain using its formidable spell-like abilities, its sonorous voice attack, and by awakening the very desert itself to drive them off. If these tactics fail, the siabrie manifests in the thick of the intruders and lays waste to them with its touch."

Ragewalker (MMIII):

"Ragewalkers embody the natural forces of war and combat in the same way that a nymph embodies the beauty of nature or a dryad embodies the heart of its tree. These deadly fey emerge from a lnadscape torn and twisted by war, and they are nature's response to the ravages of such battles. The ragewalker, also knonw as the war torn fey, exists to perpetuate combat, turning men and reast alike against one another. Insane by the standards of any but the uncaring forces of nature, ragewalkers seek the annihilation of all war through the annihilation of all who are capable of making war."



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
Perhaps they embody the natural wrath of the ocean floor? Maybe it actually despises being underwater, and uses its natural disasters and plate-shifting earth elementals to "sink" the surface world? Maybe they represent the natural forces of earth, and feel oppressed by the water spirits. Since water covers more of the world than land, they are trying to create more surface land to even the score.

Or perhaps they are nature's answer to all the lifeless matter that sinks to the ocean floor?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
So do we let these guys terrorize the coastlines in person? Or do we send the heroes into depths of the ocean to trace the cause of these calamities...?

The latter makes them less generally useable in a campaign, because now you have to commit to an underwater encounter.



Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
Well, I still like the idea of the fey coming to scam tribute out of costal settlements, then destroying them anyway. Encountering the fey could happen on land, but actually getting a chance to finish it off might require underwater adventuring.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-13-06, 05:08 PM #68
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


No comments on that last post? maybe it's too long to wade through and pick stuff out? My bad. Please do give it a look-over at your leisure though.


Let's see... summarizing some of the more popular ideas (you know, where at least one other person said, "hey, I like that!"), and you tell me what you do and do not like:

Allowing them to cause underwater earthquakes and therefore tsunamis

Threaten coastal settlements with drowning that do not appease them with sacrifice

Communicate with the earth elementals using something similar to whale song

Using undersea volcanoes to create new islands from the ocean

Summon and/or control earth elementals (as opposed to just making a "deal" with them)

Looks like a humanoid angler fish and/or manta ray, or looks like a fallen angelic air-spirit

Cursed surface creatures sent to live at the sea floor, looking for revenge (possibly tie-in with the Brehomnor)

Embodies the natural wrath of the ocean floor, causing disasters on the surface world out of spite
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-13-06, 05:29 PM #69
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (06:24 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
No comments on that last post? maybe it's too long to wade through and pick stuff out? My bad. Please do give it a look-over at your leisure though.


I haven't responded because I'm still reading it (going on 15 hours). It is shorter than the average Robert Jordan novel, though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Allowing them to cause underwater earthquakes and therefore tsunamis


Sounds good.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Threaten coastal settlements with drowning that do not appease them with sacrifice


That could work, although I'd like to know what they want sacrificed, and why.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Communicate with the earth elementals using something similar to whale song


I proposed this, thought it was flavorful, but don't really see it as necessary as they'd probably communicate via Terran.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Using undersea volcanoes to create new islands from the ocean


If we go with the "jealous of surface dwellers having the land", then this would run counter to it. If not, it would work with some of the other ideas.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Summon and/or control earth elementals (as opposed to just making a "deal" with them)


Sounds good to me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Looks like a humanoid angler fish and/or manta ray, or looks like a fallen angelic air-spirit


I definitely prefer the former for this critter, but would love to see the latter for a different creature.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Cursed surface creatures sent to live at the sea floor, looking for revenge (possibly tie-in with the Brehomnor)


This could work as an origin. It might just be one of several "sages speculate..." origins.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Embodies the natural wrath of the ocean floor, causing disasters on the surface world out of spite


I think this would justify them being fey.
Shade is online now Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 01:26 AM #70
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



*points up*

I pretty much agree with everything Shade said. I don't think they should create volcanoes to make more land, unless we decide to go full-on with the cursed land-dwellers and make this part of their punishment.

As for what they want in tribute, they want whatever to settlement has the most of, just to make them work and suffer, slowly starving and growing poorer in an attempt to appease the sea-fey... who then destroys them anyway. They don't actually want goods, they just want to make their victims suffer before killing them.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 03:26 AM #71
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



I'd agree with getting rid of the volcanoes and cursed air spirits... and I proposed them
Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
As for what they want in tribute, they want whatever to settlement has the most of, just to make them work and suffer, slowly starving and growing poorer in an attempt to appease the sea-fey... who then destroys them anyway. They don't actually want goods, they just want to make their victims suffer before killing them.

Seems like a weak motive. They could make them suffer a lot more by *using* their earthquake/tsunami powers. (Edit: and if they just did it to make the humans suffer, wouldn't they want to stick around to see it, rather than spending their time at the bottom of the ocean?)

We could always go with a classic stand-by: sacrifice of a maiden or newborn to the sea? Perhaps the fey need the blood of a mortal for a ritual to bind the earth elementals?
Last edited by Conaill : 04-14-06 at 04:17 AM.
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 04:56 AM #72
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
I'd agree with getting rid of the volcanoes and cursed air spirits... and I proposed them

Seems like a weak motive. They could make them suffer a lot more by *using* their earthquake/tsunami powers. (Edit: and if they just did it to make the humans suffer, wouldn't they want to stick around to see it, rather than spending their time at the bottom of the ocean?)

We could always go with a classic stand-by: sacrifice of a maiden or newborn to the sea? Perhaps the fey need the blood of a mortal for a ritual to bind the earth elementals?

Blood sacrifice is always a good thing.

From a storytelling standpoint, that is.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 06:41 PM #73
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Also keep in mind that we can't make the landlubber's lives *too* much of a living hell, or they'll just move inland or find more hospitable shores. One human life per year may be a reasonable price to pay to keep a decent size community safe. (If it's a fishing village, they may very well loose more people than that to the sea anyway.) But if you made them fork over, say, half their harvest, they'd probably move out.

Another issue to consider is that tsunamis and earthquakes can have very wide-spread consequences. Do we want these guys to threaten entire nations? Or just coastal settlements?

Personally I'd prefer the latter - not very fond of epic-level critters. Perhaps the "plate tectonic" earth elementals are just part of the natural process, and not really enslaved to the fey. But the fey have figured out they can create these small earthquakes and tsunamis by irritating the elementals in a specific way: make the earth elementals scratch an itch - cause a tsunami!

This way the earth elementals could be very high powered: Elder or Primal - as they deserve to be for something that pushes continents around. But the fey can be much lower in power themselves (they're only 10-12HD after all), as long as they've found a way to manipulate the single-minded elementals in some minor way without getting squashed...
Last edited by Conaill : 04-14-06 at 06:44 PM.
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 06:50 PM #74
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
This way the earth elementals could be very high powered: Elder or Primal - as they deserve to be for something that pushes continents around. But the fey can be much lower in power themselves (they're only 10-12HD after all), as long as they've found a way to manipulate the single-minded elementals in some minor way without getting squashed...

You know, I think I really like this idea! It would solve a lot of inconsistencies.

It would also make it fun for the fey to bluff the PCs into believing they actually *control* the elementals, whereas in reality, they fey might get swatted like fleas if they pushed the elementals too far for them to actually take notice...
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 07:32 PM #75
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (06:24 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Building off these ideas, perhaps we should consider what sort of sacrifice an earth elemental might want. That way, the fey can play "middleman" and broker a deal for the elementals, while still looking like he's in control.

Elementals do not eat, sleep, or breathe. Maybe they'd like gems or precious metal items? The dao, for example, "love to barter for power and wealth but are apt to discount lesser creatures as mere resources to be exploited, then thrown away."
Shade is online now Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 08:45 PM #76
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Going way back to one of my earlier ideas, items that generally aren't found on the ocean floor would probably be appreciated - things like wood statues, worked gems and metalworks.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 09:53 PM #77
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (04:22 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
Going way back to one of my earlier ideas, items that generally aren't found on the ocean floor would probably be appreciated - things like wood statues, worked gems and metalworks.

I figure they'd probably just show contempt for anything made out of wood. Gemstones and even metals they likely encounter on a regular basis while burrowing through the earth. Worked gems and metal might be interesting though.

Questions is - what would they want so badly that they it would distract them from their important task of keeping the continents moving, and make them cause earthquakes if they *don't* get it...

Overall, I still prefer if it were the fey themselves who want to get the tribute/sacrifice/whatever, while the elementals remain rather oblivious to the fey schemes. That keeps the elementals Neutral and single-minded, while the fey are the cruel tricksters...
Conaill is offline Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-14-06, 10:49 PM #78
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Overall, I still prefer if it were the fey themselves who want to get the tribute/sacrifice/whatever, while the elementals remain rather oblivious to the fey schemes. That keeps the elementals Neutral and single-minded, while the fey are the cruel tricksters...

Well, that's what I've always liked...

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-16-06, 05:32 AM #79
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Today (06:05 AM)
Posts: 15,128


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


Although I like the idea of the fey taking the sacrifices for themselves better conceptually, I think it might make more sense to have the elementals needing the sacrifices. After all, elder (and especially primal, if we go that way) elementals are far more powerful than these fey, and nothing comes to mind that would make them want to work for them. This is still open for discussion, as far as I'm concerned.

Another thing I'd like to solidify is their appearance. Do they look like humanoid(ish) angler fish, manta rays, or a combination of the two? It might help me to have an image of an angler fish to know what it looks like.


I reworked the description I had made so far, using the concepts we apparently all agree on:

This chaotic evil creature is a large fey, a horrible earth-spirit that embodies the natural wrath of the ocean floor. It guides elder/primal earth elementals as they slowly, inexorably move continents towards each other in destructive collisions. Sages speculate that these fey were originally land dwellers, cursed to live beneath the waves, and that they cause disasters on the surface world out of spite. They have the ability to cause underwater earthquakes, resulting in tsunamis, and threaten coastal settlements this way. Land dwellers can appease these cruel tricksters with (sacrifice), which is then given to the elementals to ensure their service. These fey can also summon and control earth elementals, using them to broker deals with their more powerful kin.
BOZ is online now Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-16-06, 06:42 AM #80
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:20 AM)
Posts: 3,854

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Fun deep-sea fish:

Anglerfish
Viperfish
Dragonfish
Gulper Eel

I think it should be as hideous an amalgam of all these as possible, plus the manta ray.

Demiurge out.


----------------------------------------------------- Page 3 -------------------------------------------------------------


Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
Although I like the idea of the fey taking the sacrifices for themselves better conceptually, I think it might make more sense to have the elementals needing the sacrifices. After all, elder (and especially primal, if we go that way) elementals are far more powerful than these fey, and nothing comes to mind that would make them want to work for them.

That's why, in my latest incarnation, the earth elementals are *not* working for the fey. These elementals' only purpose in life is to keep the tectonic plates moving, and they care little about anything else. They're embodiments of the plate tectonic forces of nature, as it were. Just like there's presumably a solar elemental who keeps the sun revolving around the earth.

It's just that the fey have found a way to use some of that raw power for their own purposes: when the elementals "scratches an itch", it causes an earthquake... and the fey have figured out how to make the elementals "itch".

So far, they've being too insignificant a nuisance for the elementals to bother doing something about them.
__________________
Come join us in the Awakened Animals thread
Questions? Check the SRD, the online d20/D&D rules,
the Official D&D Game Rule FAQ, and Official D&D Errata.
Last edited by Conaill : 04-16-06 at 08:10 AM.
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-16-06, 08:15 AM #82
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
Fun deep-sea fish:

Anglerfish
Viperfish
Dragonfish
Gulper Eel

I think it should be as hideous an amalgam of all these as possible, plus the manta ray.

Demiurge out.

Let's not make it too complicated though. I'm still trying to picture how one would attach "manta wings" to a humanoid...
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-16-06, 08:26 AM #83
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:12 AM)
Posts: 3,841

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



I agree with Conail's image of the fey/elemental interaction. The elementals don't really know much about the fey, nor do they care.

As for manta-humanoids, the fleshy wings protrude from the back, forming a semi-rigid flap. I like the idea of them having spindly, webbed arms and legs besides, hopefully with visible bones. Nothing says deep sea like luminescence and transparency.

Demiurge out.
__________________
Villain- A Haiku by Demiurge
The heroes await.
They have come this far only
To die. Ha ha ha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clueless
Prismatic Wall. - Because ships don't have brakes.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-18-06, 05:12 PM #84
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




BOZ asked me to post the following:

Let's discuss how the fey come to be working with the elementals, since they are more neutral with each other.

* Is their association part of the curse?
* Did they originally summon an earth elemental to do their bidding, and realize that they could use that weaker one to make a deal with the more powerful one?
* what is the elementals' stake in helping the fey; what do they get out of it besides just treasure?
* why are the elementals willing to push continents (are they, like Conaill suggests, "embodiments of plate tectonics"?
* If so, how did the fey gain an association with them?

__________________
"Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits."

"If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death."

Random Chuck Norris Facts

- Shade
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-18-06, 09:13 PM #85
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:12 AM)
Posts: 3,841

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



I do like the idea of the embodiments of plate tectonics. Maybe the elementals see the fey as little elementals? It could be that the curse is something like "all will see you as themselves" to some violently vain originals (so they'd look mostly human but with maybe one or two fishy attributes to people they interact with, but look like elementals to elementals). The fey use the elementals because they're one of the few tools the manipulative creatures have left.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-19-06, 04:16 PM #86
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


that is a possibility. we're moving further and further from our original idea, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. actually, in the evolution of our idea it begins to make more sense - why would a CR 10ish creature be able to control an elemental that can (slowly) push a continent?
__________________
don't quote me on that.
Help update the Creature Catalog!
Check out My Homepage!

Wiki wiki!
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-20-06, 03:28 PM #87
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




If they fey were ebodiments of the wrath of nature (the ocean floor), then I would imagine that the elementals would respect them as they respect the earth itself. Heck, nearly all druids can summon earth elementals to fight on their behalf, so I'd imagine they'd be happy to assist fey, who are even more closely tied to nature, in their endeavors. And since elementals are generally neutral, I doubt they'd care that the fey was using them for evil pursuits, as long as it benefitted or did not deriment the earth.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-20-06, 10:25 PM #88
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




BOZ is having trouble logging in again, so he asked me to post this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BOZ
OK, we will need a rewrite if we're moving in a slightly new direction.

This chaotic evil creature is a large fey, a horrible earth-spirit that embodies the natural wrath of the ocean floor. These fey have the ability to cause underwater earthquakes, resulting in tsunamis, and threaten coastal settlements this way. Sages speculate that these fey were originally land dwellers, cursed to live beneath the waves, and that they prey on surface creatures out of spite. These cruel tricksters can also summon and control earth elementals.

These fey discovered a type of elder/primal earth elemental that embodies the plate tectonic forces of nature; these elementals slowly, inexorably move continents towards each other, unwittingly causing destructive collisions that impact the surface world. The elementals respect the fey as fellow earth creatures and freely aid the fey. The manipulative fey, however, use the elementals as tools to destroy the lands of creatures who do not pay them the proper tribute.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-20-06, 10:32 PM #89
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




Note that elder earth elementals only have an Int of 10, while primals are even less intelligent (Int 8). Thus, they are probably easily manipulated.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 12:19 AM #90
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Shade
Note that elder earth elementals only have an Int of 10, while primals are even less intelligent (Int 8). Thus, they are probably easily manipulated.

The Primals also have a Wis of 13 though. Even if they don't have any Sense Motive skill points, you can only pull the wool over their eyes for so long.

Perhaps not quite as immediately dangerous as having a tiger by the tail, but potentially just as fatal...
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 12:27 AM #91
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:12 AM)
Posts: 3,841

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



BOZ's writeup looks good to me.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 02:01 AM #92
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Hmm... I still like my idea better.

A few inconsistencies in BOZ's latest writeup:

- Which are they: earth-spirits that embody the natural wrath of the ocean floor, or originally land dwellers, cursed to live beneath the waves? If they are a force of nature ("embody the natural wrath of the ocean floor"), it seems like they should have been so since the creation of the world. (their banishment may be part of some creation stories, though...

- If they are cursed to live beneath the waves, how do they extract tribute from the land dwellers?

- Do they summon and control earth elementals, or are they respected by the elementals as fellow earth creatures?

- If they prey on surface creatures out of spite, why would they want the surface creatures to pay them tribute? Wouldn't they prefer to just cause as much suffering as possible? Can their wrath be "bought off" that easily, and if so, what is that they value even more than their revenge over the surface creatures?
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 02:04 AM #93
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:12 AM)
Posts: 3,841

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Hmm... I still like my idea better.

A few inconsistencies in BOZ's latest writeup:

- Which are they: earth-spirits that embody the natural wrath of the ocean floor, or originally land dwellers, cursed to live beneath the waves? If they are a force of nature ("embody the natural wrath of the ocean floor"), it seems like they should have been so since the creation of the world. (their banishment may be part of some creation stories, though...

- If they are cursed to live beneath the waves, how do they extract tribute from the land dwellers?

- Do they summon and control earth elementals, or are they respected by the elementals as fellow earth creatures?

- If they prey on surface creatures out of spite, why would they want the surface creatures to pay them tribute? Wouldn't they prefer to just cause as much suffering as possible? Can their wrath be "bought off" that easily, and if so, what is that they value even more than their revenge over the surface creatures?

Cursed to live underwater does not equal incapable of going on land. Presumably, like sahaugin, they can be on land for a while, but then start to suffocate.

And they want tribute just to increase the suffering. Pay, then you get killed anyway.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 02:35 AM #94
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Some ideas regarding tribute and retribution...

For game reasons and consistency, I think we want to avoid having these guys cause earthquakes and/or tsunamis on a regular basis. That seems far too widespread damage for a creature like this, plus I don't think we want them to call on the power of the tectonic elementals *that* often.

So, most of the time, the surface dwellers should be paying their tribute, and the tribute would have to be something the fey value even more than inflicting chaos and suffering on the surface dwellers.

Instead of pretty baubles (which seem more appropriate for a fairy than a large, vicious fey like this), I think the tribute should be something that *really* matters to the fey. For example, what if they were very long-lived but could only procreate through a vile ritual requiring a mortal man and woman of child bearing age? (A woman, because we need a "maiden in distress"; a man, because most of the PCs will tend to be men... what if one of them got jailed right before the tribute was due? ) Nine months later, fishermen report hearing a horrible cry from the depths of the ocean, and a new fey is born.

Plenty of plot hooks that way: the PC's could rescue the woman, one of *them* may become part of the planned tribute (by non-evil villagers), or they could even get contacted by the woman's lover to recue her from the depths before it's too late. And it allows the PCs plenty of time to prepare for a deep-ocean adventure.
Last edited by Conaill : 04-21-06 at 02:38 AM.
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 02:37 AM #95
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:12 AM)
Posts: 3,841

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



OK, that's awesome. Human sacrifice with that Innsmouth-y twist. I like it. A lot.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 04:52 AM #96
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



For even more Innsmouthiness, we could have the fey come on land one night a year to impregnate some hapless woman. The baby is born human-looking, but grows more and more fish-like over time. If the villagers harm the baby, or refuse to hand it over to the sea after X months...

Nah, a little too derivative.
Last edited by Conaill : 04-21-06 at 06:39 AM.
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 05:17 AM #97
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


do we need to start over, or can we salvage something from this trainwreck?
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 06:40 AM #98
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Let me see if I can post a proposed write-up today or tomorrow. Need to catch up on some sleep first.
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 03:44 PM #99
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
The Primals also have a Wis of 13 though. Even if they don't have any Sense Motive skill points, you can only pull the wool over their eyes for so long.

Perhaps not quite as immediately dangerous as having a tiger by the tail, but potentially just as fatal...


So, with no ranks in Sense Motive, and a Wis of 13, they'll have Sense Motive +1. If our evil fey has Bluff in the +20 range, he'll pull the wool over their eyes forever.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 04:35 PM #100
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


OK, stop. I think we need to start over. Go back to the source idea, strip out everything else, then reinvent it again. It's getting too cluttered up with a variety of concepts, and it's getting harder for me to see what we need and what we don't. Plus we've spent a bunch of time on it, and have not come up with a solid concept we can stick with. We've been working on these queries for months and it seems like we're not really getting anywhere with this one.

Let's go back to the basics.

We know it has a relationship (friends, allies, rivals? overlords, taskmasters, slaves?) with continent-pushing elementals of great power.

It dwells at the bottom of the ocean, and is aquatic, its appearance being at least somewhat fishlike. We like the idea that it is amphibious, and while it lives in the water it can move about on land (albeit possibly in a limited fashion).

It is chaotic evil. It likes to destroy, and doesn't particularly care who gets hurt. In fact, maybe it likes to hurt people.

It's a big creature and is more powerful than the average creature, so it should have a fair amount of combat capability (be it melee power, and/or spell energy).

Now, let's take those concepts and make something homogenous out of it. Not every idea has to make perfect sense; it is a game, and there is plenty of silliness in D&D. However, let's make sure that everything we give this creature is something that it needs.

So, take these basic concepts, and tell me what you think needs to be added on to that. Keep it really basic. Once we have the basics firmed up, we can get more specific. Changing the basics over and over again to match up with new specifics is not progress.
Last edited by BOZ : 04-21-06 at 04:38 PM.
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 05:00 PM #101
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




True. It might be enough for a query to simply state:

"These CE fey reside on the ocean floor. Their physical appearance is an amalgam of humanoid and a variety of deep-sea fish. These fey work closely with earth elementals which constantly push the continents of the surface world. They enjoy spreading destruction and causing pain and misery to denizens of the surface world. Possessing an array of physical and magical powers, they are formidable combatants."

If the query gets picked up, we can always get into the "hows" and "whys" later.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 05:06 PM #102
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


yep, exactly.
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-21-06, 10:47 PM #103
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:12 AM)
Posts: 3,841

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Shade's summary looks good to me.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-22-06, 12:06 AM #104
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


well, i didn't mean to leave it *totally* stripped down. what other essential elements do we need to fill in the blanks? i can take what shade wrote, modify it a bit to get across whatever points we need to make, and call it a day.

the amount of time we've spent on #4 here so far was more like the amount of time i would have wanted to spend writing it up rather than just brainstorming for ideas.
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 05:41 PM #105
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



How about this:


"These CE fey reside on the ocean floor. Their physical appearance is an amalgam of humanoid and hideous deep-sea fish. They have found they can cause earthquakes and tsunamis by needling the ancient earth elementals which constantly push the continents of the surface world, deep in the ocean's trenches. Needing mortals to procreate, they use this borrowed power to force the coastal settlements into giving them a human sacrifice once a year. They enjoy spreading destruction and causing pain and misery to denizens of the surface world. Possessing an array of physical and magical powers, they are formidable combatants."
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 07:28 PM #106
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




I'm fine with that, but I'd change "human" to "humanoid" to make the creature more versatile for DMs not running human-centric campaigns.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 08:45 PM #107
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


Just a bit more futzing, and I think we're ready to start picking out some names.

This chaotic evil fey creature is a horrible earth-spirit that embodies the natural wrath of the ocean floor. Its physical appearance is an amalgam of a large humanoid and hideous deep-sea fish. They have found they can cause earthquakes and tsunamis by goading an ancient sect of earth elementals which constantly pushes the continents of the surface world, deep in the ocean's trenches. Needing mortals to procreate, they use this borrowed power to force the coastal settlements into propitiating them with a humanoid sacrifice once a year. They enjoy spreading destruction and causing pain and misery to denizens of the surface world. Possessing an array of physical and magical powers, they are formidable combatants.
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 08:52 PM #108
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


speaking of which...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Malayo-Polynesian Languages
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 09:25 PM #109
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




From the Rapanui dictionary:

a'a, to be flooded; flood, deluge: ku-a'a-á te hare i te vai, the house is flooded with water; ku-rere-á te a'a o te henua, water flowed, inundating the land.

aku, a fish.

pakakina, to crash into, to collide with, to explode; explosion.

parera, sea bottom.

pari, rough (of the sea); waves of a rough sea.

vai kava, saltwater, sea, ocean.

vaka-ivi, graves under ahu which hold skeletons (lit. "bone canoe").

vave, coastal wave (waves in the open sea are called pari).

Vî'e hoa, ancient name of a spirit of the other world..
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 09:33 PM #110
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (06:12 AM)
Posts: 3,841

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Pariaku or even paraku works. I kind of like paraku better. I do also like vakaivi, just because of the etymology. Bone canoe indeed.

Demiurge out.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 09:45 PM #111
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Ooh... "propitiating"... fancy! You been hanging out with G.G. to much, BOZ?
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 09:54 PM #112
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


he does have his own thread here around these parts, yes.

care to make your contribution to the naming-fest?
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-24-06, 10:40 PM #113
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Let's try Hawaiian, since that should be much easier to find translations...

quake - Haʻalulu, naue, naka, kualakai, kūhulukū. See earthquake. The earth quakes, nei ke ʻōlaʻi.
earthquake - ʻŌlaʻi.
tsunami - See Kahinaliʻi, tidal wave.
tidal wave - Kai eʻe, kai hoʻēʻe, kai a Pele. Receding sea, as before a tidal wave, kai mimiki. Cf. Kahinaliʻi.
fish - Iʻa
scaly - Unahi, unahinahi (as fish)
big - Nui, nunui, hālala, māhuahua; impressively—, kaʻapeha.
monster - Pilikua nui.
sea - Kai
deep sea - kai hohonu, kai ʻau, kai hoʻēʻe
dark blue sea - moana uli, moauli.
ocean depths - hohonu kai.
ocean floor - papakū.
thief - ʻAihue.
enemy - Hoa paio, hoa kaua, hoa pāonioni
kidnapper - ʻAihue kanaka. ("people thief")
man - Kanaka (human being), kāne (male); ulua (fig.)


some options:
Pilikua ʻŌlaʻi. - earthquake monster
Iʻa naka nui - big quake fish (I think it's more like big quaking fish, but I love how it rolls off the tongue...)
Iʻa nui - big fish (names don't get much shorter in this language )
Pilikua nui kai - sea monster
ulua kai - sea man
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 06:52 AM #114
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


conaill, i don't know how it appears to anyone else, but to me a lot of the characters you used appear as boxes like so: ʻ
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 07:56 AM #115
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Heh, I know - that's the way the website I got those translations from wrote them. I've always seen Hawaiian written with regular aposrophes, as far as I remember.

For a critter name, we would of course leave out all the weird quotes, so we get:

Pilikua Olai - earthquake monster
Ianakanui - big quake fish
Ianui - big fish
Pilikuanuikai - sea monster
uluakai - sea man
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 03:12 PM #116
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Today (03:56 AM)
Posts: 6,101




Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
Pariaku or even paraku works. I kind of like paraku better. I do also like vakaivi, just because of the etymology. Bone canoe indeed.


How about parakuvakaivi?

While Hawaiian is cool, too, I think the Rapanui "feels" better.
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 04:06 PM #117
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


pariaku/paraku sounds good to me. "parakuvakaivi" is kind of longish. of conaill's examples, i like "big quake fish" the best.
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 07:02 PM #118
Knight Otu
LEW Judge and PbP Mod

Knight Otu's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Germany
Last Seen: Today (01:08 AM)
Posts: 8,944

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



We could always mix the two languages.

Pariaku Olai, for example.
__________________
Omygod, they killed Polly!
LEW Judge;When e-mailing me about LEW, make sure to include a LEW tag in the subject line
Semabin ai Harudan, currently involved in the quest of the Ransom for Retirement.
Ashnar, currently in the Assassin's Knot.
Knight Otu is offline Reply With Quote
Knight Otu
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Knight Otu
Send email to Knight Otu
Find More Posts by Knight Otu
Add Knight Otu to Your Buddy List
Add Knight Otu to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 08:16 PM #119
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (05:59 AM)
Posts: 3,123

My Wishlist



Here's some more rapanui words for the stew:

rûrú, to shake, to jolt; to spray (water).
ákuáku, spirit of the otherworld (good or evil).
pakoga, lower part, deep place
moumou, to take to pieces, to undo, to pull down (a house, a building), to destroy.


I like Paraku Ola'i - it's got that "island sound" to it
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 08:16 PM #120
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: Yesterday (09:24 PM)
Posts: 15,090


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


parikoulai?


----------------------------------------------------- Page 4 -------------------------------------------------------------


Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Yesterday (04:19 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Paraku Ola'i or parikoulai are fine with me.
__________________
"Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits."

"If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death."

Random Chuck Norris Facts

- Shade
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 09:02 PM #122
demiurge1138
Classic Style!

demiurge1138's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: California
Last Seen: Today (12:39 AM)
Posts: 3,850

My Bookshelf
My Wishlist



Parikaoulai works well for me.

(Now we can finally move on to Fey 5 )

Demiurge out.
__________________
Villain- A Haiku by Demiurge
The heroes await.
They have come this far only
To die. Ha ha ha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clueless
Prismatic Wall. - Because ships don't have brakes.
demiurge1138 is online now Reply With Quote
demiurge1138
View Public Profile
Send email to demiurge1138
Find More Posts by demiurge1138
Add demiurge1138 to Your Buddy List
Add demiurge1138 to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 09:16 PM #123
Conaill
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Alameda, CA
Last Seen: Today (12:37 AM)
Posts: 3,142

My Wishlist



Actually, I'd keep it two words, with the apostrophe: paraku ola'i. For extra flavor, plus it makes it easier to pronounce correctly.
__________________
Come join us in the Awakened Animals thread
Questions? Check the SRD, the online d20/D&D rules,
the Official D&D Game Rule FAQ, and Official D&D Errata.
Conaill is online now Reply With Quote
Conaill
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Conaill
Add Conaill to Your Buddy List
Add Conaill to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 09:22 PM #124
Shade
Monster Junkie

Shade's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Plane of Shadow
Last Seen: Yesterday (04:19 AM)
Posts: 6,106




Quote:
Originally Posted by demiurge1138
(Now we can finally move on to Fey 5 )


YES!

And after that, we can finally get back to conversions (it's been nearly four months! )
Shade is offline Reply With Quote
Shade
View Public Profile
Send a private message to Shade
Find More Posts by Shade
Add Shade to Your Buddy List
Add Shade to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 10:35 PM #125
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: 05-04-06 (06:59 PM)
Posts: 15,117


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


Quote:
Originally Posted by Conaill
Actually, I'd keep it two words, with the apostrophe: paraku ola'i. For extra flavor, plus it makes it easier to pronounce correctly.


so let it be written...

and let's all breathe a communal sigh of relief as the home stretch comes within view...
__________________
don't quote me on that.
Help update the Creature Catalog!
Check out My Homepage!

Wiki wiki!
BOZ is offline Reply With Quote
BOZ
View Public Profile
Send a private message to BOZ
Send email to BOZ
Visit BOZ's homepage!
Find More Posts by BOZ
Add BOZ to Your Buddy List
Add BOZ to your ignore list
Old 04-25-06, 10:55 PM #126
BOZ
Creature Cataloguer

BOZ's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Chicago, IL
Last Seen: 05-04-06 (06:59 PM)
Posts: 15,117


Send a message via AIM to BOZ Send a message via Yahoo to BOZ


PS, i'll start #5 in a half hour or so when i get home.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

BOZ

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer
thanks Conaill. this one was done, but i was hoping to preserve the posts made because many ideas were posted that we could use later when/if the creatures are accepted.

is there any chance you could hit up #1-3, when you have some time?
 


BOZ

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer
ah, could be, then... too bad. :(

oh well, we are imaginative enough folk - i think we can take care of business. :)
 

Similar Threads

M.T. Black
D&D General 100 Fabulous D&D Links
Replies
7
Views
2K
el-remmen
el-remmen
Abstruse
Freebies, Sales, and Charity Bundles for April 28, 2024
Replies
2
Views
5K
DLIMedia
DLIMedia
Abstruse
Freebies, Sales, and Charity Bundles for April 21, 2024
Replies
0
Views
6K
Abstruse
Abstruse
Abstruse
Freebies, Sales, and Charity Bundles for April 14, 2024
Replies
1
Views
5K
rhythmsoundmotion
rhythmsoundmotion
Abstruse
Freebies, Sales, and Charity Bundles for March 10, 2024
Replies
0
Views
6K
Abstruse
Abstruse
Remove ads

Top