BCD's Lizard Kingdoms - nudge nudge wink wink

[Psion]

I was just absorbing Beyond Countless Doorways, and I notice something in the lizard kingdoms section. I saw several creatures and conventions that would be, shall we say, well handled by closed content such as:

- mantisfolk. Okay, you can use an ankeg and give it "intelligence and minor psionic abilities". Or you could just use Thri-kreen
- Beefolk - okay, you could use giant bees and make them intelligent, or you could use the Abeil.
- general lizardy things - there are a number of lizardlike creatures here you are expected to come up with version of. Is applying the reptilian template pretty obvious to anyone else?

So, does anyone but me see some "nudge nudge, wink wink" going on here?

Or, more generally, and futher thoughts on how to implement the lizard kingdoms?

Or still more generally, any other "nudge nudge, wink wink" moments about closed content by third party books you can think of (like, serpentine = malhavoc's lingo for "yuan ti.")

 

[Nightfall]

Yes well nudging and winking is what Malhavoc and Monte is all about some times Psion.

 

[Crothian]

THe Possessors the Philip Reed put out are obviously based on the Mindflayers....

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Cases in point: a reference to "tentacle-headed thrall-takers from the underworld" in When the Sky Falls and a monster in Mindscapes that is said to possibly be related to a certain well-known many-eyed monster...Yup. Malhavoc rocks.

 

[GSHamster]

Beyond Countless Doorways also references "boxes with skinny legs and wings" and a "cult of dragon-worshippers from an ancient and forgotten realm".

Lots of nice touches in that book.

 

[Psion]

I just noticed that, in the Lizard Kingdoms section (again), the "Round Road" sounds suspiciously like Sigil...

 

[Henry]

Beyond Countless Doorways also references...a "cult of dragon-worshippers from an ancient and forgotten realm".

"...no kings on thrones, but the dead. Dragons shall rule the world entire..."

 

[jester47]

I love BCD. I think the coolest thing about it is the conjunction/disjunction/severance concept. The thing is that they say in it that is does not work with the "great wheel" cosmology. It was a classic "bang head on wall" moment when I read that. How could it not be?

WhatI am doing with the great wheel? Its no longer the great wheel, it is now the Grand Conjunction. Its a huge collection of planes in conjunction with one another. There are more planes, and not just demi-planes, out there that are occasionally reachable through normal conjunction/disjunction.

I really like the way BCD is written.

Aaron.

 

[Psion]

I love BCD. I think the coolest thing about it is the conjunction/disjunction/severance concept. The thing is that they say in it that is does not work with the "great wheel" cosmology. It was a classic "bang head on wall" moment when I read that. How could it not be?

WhatI am doing with the great wheel? Its no longer the great wheel, it is now the Grand Conjunction. Its a huge collection of planes in conjunction with one another. There are more planes, and not just demi-planes, out there that are occasionally reachable through normal conjunction/disjunction.

For those who still want to use the great wheel, it's not all that difficult. A few methods on integrating it into the Planescape cosmology are mentioned
in this thread on the ROE PS forums.

As for me, I just tweaked up the planes a little.

- I am using the River of Worlds (described in FFG's Portals and Planes) in the place of all that Phlogistoin/Spelljammer junk in the prime material.
- My shadow planes extend from the material planes to the lower planes.
- The deep ethereal leads to the spirit world, and thence to the upper planes
- The infernal rivers (Styx, etc.) flow through the lower planes, and then to the river of worlds via the shadow plane
- The river oceanus flows through the upper planes and thence to the river of worlds through the ethereal.
- Heavens and hells can be plugged in as realms or planes that intersect the outer planes, or coincident with the shadow or spirit realms.
- Alternate worlds are placed in the river of worlds

This lets me plunder both the official great wheel and anything else I want.

Edit: One thing I did not like was the Eschewing of planar alignment traits for heavens and hells. Easily enough fixed, IMO. The Ten Hells are Lawful and Evil aligned IMC.

 

[Nightfall]

Actually I didn't mind they didn't include alignment traits for the planes. (Even the Heavens and Hells ones.) But yeah it's pretty darn easy to fix based on the predominant powers involved.