Dungeon 144

[Raloc]

Not new -- but always great fun. That's a classic BD&D monster that has also appeared in the Epic Level Handbook, IIRC.

Ah, my mistake I've never used it myself (typically don't get games into Epic, and BD&D is before my time). This version of it might see use in my game, though I like the Bilewretch a lot more (and am doing a large Underdark trek IMC soon so...).

I'll just add this for folks if they were curious, but the "Plane of Gloaming" is a demiplane, while the diamond mine in question is a location within Elemental Earth. That was the case pre-edits.

This is still the case (sorry about the short summary of Diplomacy, it's not that easy to write one for compared to the others hehe).

Oh and Raloc, can you type up the preview for Dungeon #145 for us?

I'm afraid you'll have to ask Edgar Cayce or someone from Paizo perhaps (as I see James mentioned about the next STAP). I just happened to get my #144 with a shipment of other stuff (including the rather nice limited Art of Dragon).

 

[James Jacobs]

Thanks James. I get confused as to how far along the "path" this series is. I'm still waiting for an appearance by Orcus.

Which one is Orcus again? Is he the one that's in that one Spelljammer adventure?

 

[Shemeska]

Which one is Orcus again? Is he the one that's in that one Spelljammer adventure?

*chuckle*

 

[Cthulhudrew]

We've got another classic character coming soon... a pretty awesome one at that. Stay tuned!

Hmm. Looking forward to it- like others have said, I love seeing the classic characters in the Critical Threats.

Speaking of which (this may be a question more appropriate for the Paizo boards, so apologies if you'd rather I asked there): Do you/would you ever consider doing a Critical Threat that consisted of more than one character? Like a small party of adventurers? I'm thinking in terms of a particular classic group of characters here, but also just asking in a general sense.

 

[James Jacobs]

Hmm. Looking forward to it- like others have said, I love seeing the classic characters in the Critical Threats.

Speaking of which (this may be a question more appropriate for the Paizo boards, so apologies if you'd rather I asked there): Do you/would you ever consider doing a Critical Threat that consisted of more than one character? Like a small party of adventurers? I'm thinking in terms of a particular classic group of characters here, but also just asking in a general sense.

The critical threat format is pretty restrictive; we only have 2 pages to devote to it, and that includes a stat block, art, and the history/description/tactics/personality stuff. Basically, there's 1,250 words to write all that stuff up. For the most part, that's enough words to do one character justice. We did a sort of experiment several issues back with a derro and his band of creepy merchants, but I'm not sure I like how it turned out.

So in any case, critical threats are gonna be staying 1 NPC shows.

If you want to do a small party of adventurers, you might consider submitting it as an article for The Cast in our Campaign Workbook section; those generally have room for 3 stat blocks (assuming they're relatively simple stat blocks; nothing complex like a 15th level wizard!). Alternately, if your idea is to present a "bad-guy" group of adventurers, the best route is probably to figure out an entire adventure to build around them and submit it as an adventure; lots more room there to do stuff.

 

[Mortis]

http://pandius.com/bargle.html {Stats I'm conficent dungeon can do better than]

Possibly, then again with my conversions of the Karameikos NPCs I was sticking pretty much to things just available in the SRD.

I'd certainly like to see another take on Bargle.

Regards
Mortis

 

[Shade]

The revised arcanaloth is a CR 17 creature, and it's significantly more of a CR 17 creature than the version that appeared in MMII. I know this creates an unfortunate bit of weirdness with the MMIII ultraloth being CR 13. For Dungeon's take on what I think a "proper" ultraloth should look like, check out page 84 of issue #141 for a CR 19 advanced version of the one from MMIII.

I'd hoped to be able to print the actual stat block of the revised arcanaloth in the issue as a new monster, along with the 3.5 stat block for the other updated planar creature that appears in that adventure as well (it's a tertian modron), but the issue was really jam-packed and there just wasn't room to do so. I did give the arcanaloth back a version of his ability to blast enemies with fire if he so chooses (something that they haven't had since 1st edition), though. They're properly tough customers again, I'm happy to report.

Where do we send your e-valentine, James?

I suppose the next project should be the hydroloth, or maybe the dergholoth...

Piscoloths are updated in the Fiend Folio, and are actually pretty faithful updates at that. Gacholoth's be cool to update just because they first showed up in Dungeon way back when. As for the altraloths... I'm not sure what needs to be done there. That'd probably be best as its own article, or at the least as an adventrue based on them. They wouldn't do as an isolated Wandering Monster at the back of an issue, that's for sure.

To borrow a term from Shemeska: fiendgasm.

 

[Shemeska]

To borrow a term from Shemeska: fiendgasm.

Hehehehe.

 

[Shemeska]

Gacholoth's be cool to update just because they first showed up in Dungeon way back when. As for the altraloths... I'm not sure what needs to be done there. That'd probably be best as its own article, or at the least as an adventrue based on them.

Expect some queries from me in the Dungeon inbox tonight

 

[Razz]

Nope; generally, if we do a Critical Threat, we won't do a Wandering Monster. There's plenty of new/updated monsters in the issue though. Aside from the updated arcanaloth and modron, there's the non-epic version of the brain collecter (which also first appeared way back in X2: Castle Amber), and the all-new bilewretch of Holashner.

I can be happy with the updated Arcanaloth and Tertian Modron (now I can use it to try and convert the other modrons from 3.0 to 3.5), and I do agree with a dhergaloth being done next.