Converting Epic Level Beings

Clifford · Jan 2, 2004

I think we should think of them as semi epic sense the goal seems to make them less powerful than the elder titans from the ELH.

cliff

BOZ · Jan 2, 2004

LOL something like what clifford said twice.

krish you might have missed that way back, but let me recap. we decided that these "greater titans", as they were called back in the 1E D&DG, were not on the same level as the elder titans. read the description of what the elders are all about - they're about something completely different. the elders are about silent meditation and contemplation with a strictly neutral alignment. but the titans of legend are not of that strain! the conclusion i came up with is that the elder titans are SO old, that they predate these greater titans. therefore, we decided to put them somewhere in between the elders and the MM titans. got it?

that said, DR 20/epic sounds good enough, and i will definitely take your spell-likes under consideration. as for epic spells... well, i don't want to get that deeply involved with the ELH. at most, if i included something on that, it would be really no more than a footnote.

BOZ · Jan 2, 2004

Some bits from 1E D&DG:

“25th level cleric”

easy enough

“He shape changes at will”

like the spell?

“at the beginning of any battle, he hurls lava balls (created out of thin air) up to a maximum range of 200 yards, each doing 4-40 points of damage per strike”

ranged attack?

A bit more extrapolation on his weapon from the 2E L&L:

“Although it is not magic, Cronus’ adamant sickle cuts through any material it touches, effectively lowering his opponents’ AC to a maximum of 5 (unless due strictly to Dexterity). Beings hit by the sickle must save versus death or lose whatever appendage it hits (DMs should determine this randomly or by decree based on the situation).”

And how many attacks per round should he have with his weapon (at least two)?

BOZ · Jan 2, 2004

Shade said:
Weight: 750,000 lbs.? (See my thoughts on Atlas' weight above to see where I'm coming from).

that might just work. there is no upper maximum for colossal creatures. the elder titan in ELH is listed at 75 tall and 400K pounds, so 750 at 100' tall might just make sense.

i'd say kronus should weigh the most out of the 100-footers, just because.

Shade · Jan 2, 2004

BOZ said:
“He shape changes at will”

like the spell?

Or like the phasm?

Alternate Form (Su): Cronus can assume any form of Colossal size or smaller as a standard action. This ability functions as a polymorph spell cast on himself (caster level 20th?), except that Cronus does not regain hit points for changing form. Cronus can remain in his alternate form until he chooses to assume a new one or return to his natural form.

BOZ said:
“at the beginning of any battle, he hurls lava balls (created out of thin air) up to a maximum range of 200 yards, each doing 4-40 points of damage per strike”

ranged attack?

Sounds right. Should it set combustibles alight?

BOZ said:
A bit more extrapolation on his weapon from the 2E L&L:

“Although it is not magic, Cronus’ adamant sickle cuts through any material it touches, effectively lowering his opponents’ AC to a maximum of 5 (unless due strictly to Dexterity). Beings hit by the sickle must save versus death or lose whatever appendage it hits (DMs should determine this randomly or by decree based on the situation).”

Well, adamantine handles the "cut through material" function now. For the AC lowering, we could give him armor destruction similar to the bebelith. Vorpal would be the closest to severing an appendage, and Improved Critical (sickle) or making it keen would help, too.

BOZ said:
And how many attacks per round should he have with his weapon (at least two)?

I'd give him 4, since it is a manufactured weapon and his BAB would allow 4 attacks.

BOZ · Jan 2, 2004

Shade said:
Or like the phasm?

Alternate Form (Su): Cronus can assume any form of Colossal size or smaller as a standard action. This ability functions as a polymorph spell cast on himself (caster level 20th?), except that Cronus does not regain hit points for changing form. Cronus can remain in his alternate form until he chooses to assume a new one or return to his natural form.

that's an interesting way to do it - might just work.

Sounds right. Should it set combustibles alight?

hell yeah!

this ain't no fireball!

Well, adamantine handles the "cut through material" function now. For the AC lowering, we could give him armor destruction similar to the bebelith. Vorpal would be the closest to severing an appendage, and Improved Critical (sickle) or making it keen would help, too.

ok, i'll look into all that.

I'd give him 4, since it is a manufactured weapon and his BAB would allow 4 attacks.

kewl

Krishnath · Jan 3, 2004

Oh, I didn't miss the part about making them weaker than the elder titans, I just got carried away there for a bit, but I still think he should have more than 51 HD...

Hmm.... Maybe SR equal to CR + 15, thus making him on par with some of the more powerful dragons and outsiders?

BOZ · Jan 5, 2004

ok, while the server was down (groan) i took the time to write up Cronus's descriptive text. one question - do we have D&D stats for a sickle, or would scythe work just fine?

This colossal humanoid is a handsome man, dressed as a warrior of great skill. His dark eyes betray a sinister gleam.

Cronus, whose name means “crow,” was once the mighty ruler of the gods, but is now just a prisoner. He was the youngest of the first generation of Titans born to Uranus and Gaea, and served as the leader of the greater titans. Cronus hated his father, and his ambition was great enough to attack Uranus to usurp his throne as ruler of the universe.

Uranus had gleefully imprisoned Cronus’ siblings, the Hecatoncheires and the Cyclopes, in the prison of Tarterus. This pained Gaea greatly, and she conspired with Cronus and the other Titans to teach Uranus a lesson. She gave Cronus a special adamantine sickle, with which he ambushed his father and castrated him. After humbling Uranus, Cronus took the throne, with his sister Rhea as his Queen. They had six children: Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cronus also had a son with Aphrodite, Pothos, and fathered the centaur Chiron with Philyra, the daughter of his brother Oceanus.

Gaea prophesied to Cronus that one of his children would overthrow him just as he had his father. The despot was fearful, and swallowed up each of these six gods as Rhea gave birth to them. When he meant to swallow Zeus, Rhea instead tricked him into swallowing a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. Rhea hid Zeus in a cave until he was grown, when he returned and lead a successful revolt against Cronus. Zeus forced Cronus to disgorge his siblings, and then followed a great war between the Titans and the Olympian gods. Ultimately the titans lost, and Zeus imprisoned Cronus and his brother titans in Tarterus after freeing Cronus’ monstrous siblings from that plane.

Though he was once a greater god of harvest and agriculture, mortals no longer worship Cronus; but as the lord of sinister ambition he seeks to change this. He maintains several small sects of priests dedicated to him who are constantly trying to recruit worshipers through the promise of power or money. His inability to directly influence the events of the mortal world angers him greatly. Cronus dwells in Mount Othrys on the first layer of Carceri, where he holds court.