Chimeras: How do you make them cool?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

They're on the cover of Practical Guide to Monsters, but inside, unfortunately, the book is light on new coolness for chimera (compare with three pages of goodness for medusas). So how would you do it? What have you done to make chimeras cool and interesting in your games?

 

[pawsplay]

I had a gang of lizarfolk barbarians who each rode one of a different color. Initially, they were tracking a white one, and they were aware of a red one. They attacked. Then the green one appeared. Then the black one. And the players said, "Oh, sh...."

 

[humble minion]

Chimeras are messengers sent from the lower planes as emissaries to powerful mortals. They act as familiars, in a way (or the Dread Companions from Ravenloft to be a little more precise) - reflections of their masters inner desires and temptations. The goat head speaks to the master's lust, the lion head to his pride, and the dragon head to his anger.

(Or possibly vice versa with the lion and dragon - I haven't decided yet)

A chimera's master is of course wise to keep his creature close, as it the reflection of his psyche and knows all that he knows, and this can be exploited by his enemies...

 

[Drowbane]

Chimeras are messengers sent from the lower planes as emissaries to powerful mortals. They act as familiars, in a way (or the Dread Companions from Ravenloft to be a little more precise) - reflections of their masters inner desires and temptations. The goat head speaks to the master's lust, the lion head to his pride, and the dragon head to his anger.

(Or possibly vice versa with the lion and dragon - I haven't decided yet)

A chimera's master is of course wise to keep his creature close, as it the reflection of his psyche and knows all that he knows, and this can be exploited by his enemies...

very cool.

I'd go with Goat = lust, Dragon = Pride, Lion = Wrath

 

[hong]

Turn them into... UNDEAD chimerae! That want to eat UR BRANE. And wear trenchcoats.

 

[humble minion]

Turn them into... UNDEAD chimerae! That want to eat UR BRANE. And wear trenchcoats.

They'd angst over it later though...



(You know, when I saw the thread title "Chimeras: How do you make them cool?" with hong as the latest poster, I was sure that the most recent post would read something along the lines of "Put them in the fridge!"

You've disappointed me, hong.)

 

[theredrobedwizard]

I'm pretty sure that Lion makes more sense for Pride.

Hurr hurr pride of lions hurr.

-TRRW

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Hmmm, they are supposed to be able to speak Draconic. Interesting idea, humble minion. It also plays off both meanings of their name, sort of.

 

[Dr Simon]

I just and checked what we've got in the Lazy GM: Dungeon Beasts to see if we did anything nuts with them but not especially.

So far, stats for base chimera up to 27HD plus skeleton, zombie, fiendish and phrenic chimera are all represented. I'm kind of tempted by putting in a half-dragon template for one where the dragon head is 'in charge' and also maybe fudging some sort of gorgimera variant. As they speak Draconic, that says 'Sorcerer' to me too.

Of course, that's just stat blocks. What you do with them is up to you, and that's where most of the coolness comes in.

 

[Aeolius]

When I converted "Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor'alq", my undersea PbP, from 1e to 3e I had to move the timeline forward by 12 years. So I devised the hydrimera. Part feline sea lion (now sea cat), part dire shark, and part giant squid, its ink clouds turn victims to stone. So, the PCs took a 12-year nap as statuary on the ocean floor.