Matrix Sorcica
Hero
I'll have time tomorrow (that's about 18 hours from nowYou forgot the hertilod.
). I'll give them a proper viewing taking into consideration the eratta already made
D&D 5E Apostles of Ruin: Enhanced Villains Eve of Ruin
- Thread starter dave2008
- Start date
). I'll give them a proper viewing taking into consideration the eratta already made
FitzTheRuke
Legend
Another editorial dump. I hope my formatting makes sense and you don't have to spend too long looking for what I'm talking about:
Under Lolth:
Naxa: "Naxa is, unbeknownst to her sister, and agent of Lolth." (an agent).
Under Lord Soth:
"He was curesed to live..." (He was cursed).
Lair Actions: Reaping Fear. "DC 15 Wisdom Savint Throw..." (Saving Throw, though you don't always capitalize it).
Under Miska:
Impending Doom. "When Miska initiaqlly" (initially)
Under Strahd
Strahd in: Eve of Ruin: "...could be to much for your group." (too much)
Under Tiamat:
"Avernus, the firt layer of the Nine Hells" (first)
Tiamat in: Eve of Ruin: "she is likely to offer some form of help on their qeust." (quest)
Avatar of Vengeance: "Tiamat might suggest she send her avatar to provdie..." (provide)
Deus Ex Machina: "...final battle and the untied forces..." (united)
Remaking the First World: "... the Cave of Shattered Relection..." (Reflection)
Under Vashishax:
Vashishax's Lair: "Attuned with the turblent energies..." (turbulent)
Under Vecna:
"From humbel beginnings..." (humble)
Vecna in: Eve of Ruin: "This is to difficult a challenge..." (too)
Lair Actions: Terrifying Secrets: "Vecna cast, at 9th level..." (casts)
In the Appendix:
"Additionly, for those who want it..." (Additionally)
The paragraph after (requires attunement): "... the agent of Chaos, adn imprison..." (and)
Later in that paragraph: "the Rod of Lawr" (Law)
On the back cover: "Is your Kas looking or Miska in all the wrong places..." (for)
"Is you Lolth nowhere to be seen." (question mark?)
"For use with the 5th edition of the world most popular..." (World's)
I haven't had the chance to put my Editor's Eye to the statblocks yet (I've only looked at them as a fan of your work) but I DID notice that in Vecna's "God of Undeath" ability there is a floating aphostraphe in the word "his".
Under Lolth:
Naxa: "Naxa is, unbeknownst to her sister, and agent of Lolth." (an agent).
Under Lord Soth:
"He was curesed to live..." (He was cursed).
Lair Actions: Reaping Fear. "DC 15 Wisdom Savint Throw..." (Saving Throw, though you don't always capitalize it).
Under Miska:
Impending Doom. "When Miska initiaqlly" (initially)
Under Strahd
Strahd in: Eve of Ruin: "...could be to much for your group." (too much)
Under Tiamat:
"Avernus, the firt layer of the Nine Hells" (first)
Tiamat in: Eve of Ruin: "she is likely to offer some form of help on their qeust." (quest)
Avatar of Vengeance: "Tiamat might suggest she send her avatar to provdie..." (provide)
Deus Ex Machina: "...final battle and the untied forces..." (united)
Remaking the First World: "... the Cave of Shattered Relection..." (Reflection)
Under Vashishax:
Vashishax's Lair: "Attuned with the turblent energies..." (turbulent)
Under Vecna:
"From humbel beginnings..." (humble)
Vecna in: Eve of Ruin: "This is to difficult a challenge..." (too)
Lair Actions: Terrifying Secrets: "Vecna cast, at 9th level..." (casts)
In the Appendix:
"Additionly, for those who want it..." (Additionally)
The paragraph after (requires attunement): "... the agent of Chaos, adn imprison..." (and)
Later in that paragraph: "the Rod of Lawr" (Law)
On the back cover: "Is your Kas looking or Miska in all the wrong places..." (for)
"Is you Lolth nowhere to be seen." (question mark?)
"For use with the 5th edition of the world most popular..." (World's)
I haven't had the chance to put my Editor's Eye to the statblocks yet (I've only looked at them as a fan of your work) but I DID notice that in Vecna's "God of Undeath" ability there is a floating aphostraphe in the word "his".
dave2008
Legend
Fantastic - thank you!
dave2008
Legend
Picked these up and caught 3 more in the process! Thank you so much!
Shardstone
Hero
So I've been thinking a lot about these monster designs, specifically your Legendary and Mythic Action innovations. I like your Mythic Action (here Ascended or Abyssal) changes a lot; you give them unique differences in the forms of conditions for activation, but they serve to take you to the classic FromSoft second health bar power up a boss ought to have.
Legendary Actions here are one of many different methods I've encountered for running a boss monster. However, you have embraced a method that is more akin to Daggerheart -- though I doubt this intentional -- and its Action Tracker. The Legendary Monster goes whenever it wants, spending its metacurrency (# of actions) to do things on the field. It's a great design and it works with having a few minions because those minions can have a typical place in initiative alongside the PCs. You could push this in many different ways, having the monster gain more actions at the start of a round or losing them depending on certain triggers, etc etc. This is proof the system has a lot of potential for further innovation and fun design!
What I don't like is the idea of using multiple actions on one thing. I understand the intent behind it -- it serves as a balancing act and lets you easily denote big moves from small moves. But I agree with an earlier poster that Recharge is one of a few different ways to achieve the same thing easier. Recharge already has two tiers; 5-6 and just 6. This gives you a scale for moderating out power.
However, typically, Legendary Actions CAN spend several at once....so keep it here! But I'd limit it down to 2 and 3 spends. And then have the ones above that be either a Recharge 5-6 or Recharge 6. This would give you five different tiers of power for Legendary Actions. I would also have the reroll take place at the start of every PC's turn. The Sorcerer casts their Hold Monster and it works, but they see that the Great Wyrm is burning with power -- it will breathe the moment the spell ends. You can easily work it into narration too. "Ok Thundarr, we move to you, who just escaped the dragon's claw. As you prepare to turn your blade against it (roll's d6, gets a 6) you see its Hyper Gonna Kill Ya' Breath is oozing from its mouth -- it has recharged. What are you going to do?"
I think you could also buff all these monsters in the early CR 20's (CR 20-24) by about 100 hit points and they'd be more appropriate. I get the feeling many of them are meant to be with minions, hence the lower totals, so this isn't strictly necessary!
For reference, I do a completely system than you for my boss battles. However, I've been moving to a "Why just have one system" mindset for a while. Between your designs here, my designs, the Dark Souls RPG where they spend HP to target several people at once, and MCDM's Villain Actions, I have a lot of different ways of expressing intense combats. Thanks for adding to my tool belt!
Legendary Actions here are one of many different methods I've encountered for running a boss monster. However, you have embraced a method that is more akin to Daggerheart -- though I doubt this intentional -- and its Action Tracker. The Legendary Monster goes whenever it wants, spending its metacurrency (# of actions) to do things on the field. It's a great design and it works with having a few minions because those minions can have a typical place in initiative alongside the PCs. You could push this in many different ways, having the monster gain more actions at the start of a round or losing them depending on certain triggers, etc etc. This is proof the system has a lot of potential for further innovation and fun design!
What I don't like is the idea of using multiple actions on one thing. I understand the intent behind it -- it serves as a balancing act and lets you easily denote big moves from small moves. But I agree with an earlier poster that Recharge is one of a few different ways to achieve the same thing easier. Recharge already has two tiers; 5-6 and just 6. This gives you a scale for moderating out power.
However, typically, Legendary Actions CAN spend several at once....so keep it here! But I'd limit it down to 2 and 3 spends. And then have the ones above that be either a Recharge 5-6 or Recharge 6. This would give you five different tiers of power for Legendary Actions. I would also have the reroll take place at the start of every PC's turn. The Sorcerer casts their Hold Monster and it works, but they see that the Great Wyrm is burning with power -- it will breathe the moment the spell ends. You can easily work it into narration too. "Ok Thundarr, we move to you, who just escaped the dragon's claw. As you prepare to turn your blade against it (roll's d6, gets a 6) you see its Hyper Gonna Kill Ya' Breath is oozing from its mouth -- it has recharged. What are you going to do?"
I think you could also buff all these monsters in the early CR 20's (CR 20-24) by about 100 hit points and they'd be more appropriate. I get the feeling many of them are meant to be with minions, hence the lower totals, so this isn't strictly necessary!
For reference, I do a completely system than you for my boss battles. However, I've been moving to a "Why just have one system" mindset for a while. Between your designs here, my designs, the Dark Souls RPG where they spend HP to target several people at once, and MCDM's Villain Actions, I have a lot of different ways of expressing intense combats. Thanks for adding to my tool belt!
dave2008
Legend
Thank you for the comments. Lots of good ideas. In the process of fixing typos I am looking at the statblocks again and agree that recharge actions should be dropped completely - if nothing else for the dramatic effect. I have already modified Vecna and will look at the rest.
You could do that, but that would significantly change the CR. For example, if I just add 100 HP to Soth that takes him from CR 20 to CR 23. That is fine if you want him at CR 23, but I want him at CR 20.
Quartz
Hero
Yes: to give full damage a weapon must have certain qualities specific to the critter, for example a flaming weapon. For a more extreme example, perhaps the weapon must have been bathed in The Pool of Virtue. Or personally blessed by Merikka. You could combine those: perhaps it has to be a flaming weapon blessed by Joramy herself.
dave2008
Legend
I guess that is more granular, but too specific and seems even more of booking keeping issue than saying a creature is immune to Rare an lesser magic items. Thank you for the example, but that is not what I am looking for.
Quartz
Hero
The thing is, magic items are as rare as and of the quality that the DM wants them to be. Either they're there or they're not. So going by their rarity or quality isn't meaningful.
