Breathing New Life into your Monsters

[szilard]

I love this thread.

-Stuart

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm glad to see this thread back as well!

I posted these in this thread :http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...settings-i-get-2.html?nojs=1#goto_threadtools

2) Thorn Fey: Take elves and give them some kind of plant template, like the Woodling. Add in a bit of Spiker, and you have Elves who are part Cactus.

3) Warforged: given their construction, they'd make ideal desert war constructs...and "clockwork" critters fit in with Ravenloft. An additional tweek- lift a page from Dr Who's Cybermen & Daleks- they're not actually constructs, but some kind of creation into which psionically active brains have been housed (make them natural psionics, drop a couple of their immunities).

4) Take some kind of corporeal undead like Wights or Ghouls and make them living critters. Transform their energy drain attacks into moisture drain attacks.

5) Horned Lizard Men/Kobolds. Add a special attack- "Squirt Blood from Eye" (Ex), works like a Daze cantrip, usable at will (requires a Fort save by PC for each use over 3). Reduce their natural claw/bite attacks to minimal, give them natural armor with spikes.

In addition, I've jazzed up other creatures as well:

Thalassans (Sea Fey) As written, Aquatic Elves are kind of boring. Lifting a page from the Thorn Fey above, give them some twists that set them apart from other aquatic races.

Make them have a dietary preference for cnidarians- Coral, Sea Anemones, and Jellyfish- and cephalopods - squids, octopi, cuttlefish and nautilioids. Like Nudibranchs, they are capable of taking the nematocysts (stinging cells) of the cnidarians they eat and storing them in their own epidermis. Thus, when they make unarmed strikes or natural attacks, they may simultaneously release neurotoxins into their targets, possibly resulting in intense debilitating pain, paralysis or even death.

Much like their absorption of nematocysts, they also absorb the chromatophores of their cephalopod prey. This means they can be brightly- even psychedelically- colored or invisibly camoflaged. Their control is such that they even have a visual language "spoken" by using chromatophores to flash color in patterns.

 

[S'mon]

As a Scots-Ulsterman whose wife and son Billy are rarely out of their University of Tennessee at Knoxville 'Tennesee Vols' orange outfits, I find the characterisation of Ogres as Appalachian-Americans, or the pejorative 'Hillbillies', to be Highly Offensive, and I demand an immediate apology from Paizo. Reparations should go to buying off coach Phil Fulmer's contract.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As a Scots-Ulsterman whose wife and son Billy are rarely out of their University of Tennessee at Knoxville 'Tennesee Vols' orange outfits, I find the characterisation of Ogres as Appalachian-Americans, or the pejorative 'Hillbillies', to be Highly Offensive, and I demand an immediate apology from Paizo. Reparations should go to buying off coach Phil Fulmer's contract.

LOL!

What about Ogres as just stereotypical "Ugly Americans" with the whole "bull in the china shop" shtick? They aren't necessarily unintelligent, but like their RW counterparts, they strut around like they own the place, talk slowly to the natives as if they believe that tempo = translation, especially at high volume. Meanwhile, they completely dis the local culture. Knowledge of geography? Optional at best.

 

[avin]

hat long, long ago but don't remember.

Goblins were taller, smart and some of them at Ultima Underworld II were non aggressive... they seemed mopre humanoid than classic D&D's...

That reminds me I need to adapt Ultima Pagan to a game someday...