Patryn of Elvenshae
First Post
Have you considered looking at the Parasitic / Living Equipment in the Eberron Campaign Setting?
After all, they were created by daelkyr ...
After all, they were created by daelkyr ...
Eberron Aliens movie conversion
- Thread starter Errant
- Start date
Chaldfont
First Post
This is a fun idea for a game! It would be great for a convention.
To increase the Eberron feel, you could make the creatures aberrations left behind by the daelkyr. The cyst where the creatures were entombed could also hold some daelkyr artifacts that might lead to another adventure.
To increase the Eberron feel, you could make the creatures aberrations left behind by the daelkyr. The cyst where the creatures were entombed could also hold some daelkyr artifacts that might lead to another adventure.
I would think the goal of basing off a movie is to recreate the feel of it, and emulate interesting scenes from it. The nature of Aliens was creepy tunnels, fierce enemy, holing up and defending a position, lots of running away, and setting a big bomb. And don't forget the corporate double-screw job. As far as infection goes, that's what NPCs are for, especially for the first revelation. Later, it's the PC's arse if they get caught.
Here's what I'd do:
don't make them look like aliens from the movie
don't give them a name. It's the unfamiliarity which is what is disconcerting. Let the players name it.
if you do an infection ability on somebody, use an NPC for the first time, let the PCs try to figure out what's happening (they probably will, so it's actually best to avoid this).
Simply use the humans as food for the hatchlings. The aliens grab people, and haul them to the egg chamber, where they get tied up with goo. That alone will freak out any PCs, giving the rest of the players a chance to attempt a rescue plan.
The initial contact scene should be two parties. A team of NPCs and the party (with a few more NPCs). The NPC team gets ambushed, and the PCs have to react to it (perhaps hearing screams for help). This wipes out the extras early on (less to track), and lets you present the aliens without immediate interaction with the party. The party needs to see glimpses of the alien, with examples of their power, but you want to wait for full assualt for later. You've got to herd them to a safe spot, so they can lick their wounds and come up with a plan. This also gives them a chance to witness the results of an infection (if you use that characteristic).
Maps of the facility should be available in the "safe place" If you were able to grab a PC, cut to them, showing the scary egg room, but nothing happening yet. This should drive the rest of the party to formulate a rescue plan. There should be obvious spots that look like a nesting room (and by letting the players see the trapped PC scene, they can figure out where it is). In fact, just to get this scene to happen, I would NOT have an infection ability. The players need to feel that they can rescue the PC (and having an infection ability would put the PC on the "forget him, he's gone" list regardless of how it actually works. The players should not have time and resources to fully understand the enemy, that's the point.
Once the PC's have formulated a plan of some sort, the aliens attack their position, driving them into motion (and hopefully rushing them a bit).
It would be fair to assume that the climax should be rushing to the ship, and blowing the facility up (there is blasting powder or something, right).
From there, assume one snuck aboard (hopefully a queen). The final fight should be in the loading bay (and open floor area on the bottom of the ship, where supplies are hoisted in. This should have chains and other cool ladders. The goal being, get the alien onto the chains, over the hole, and cut the chain, letting it fall to its doom (the ship being MUCH higher now).
Here's what I'd do:
don't make them look like aliens from the movie
don't give them a name. It's the unfamiliarity which is what is disconcerting. Let the players name it.
if you do an infection ability on somebody, use an NPC for the first time, let the PCs try to figure out what's happening (they probably will, so it's actually best to avoid this).
Simply use the humans as food for the hatchlings. The aliens grab people, and haul them to the egg chamber, where they get tied up with goo. That alone will freak out any PCs, giving the rest of the players a chance to attempt a rescue plan.
The initial contact scene should be two parties. A team of NPCs and the party (with a few more NPCs). The NPC team gets ambushed, and the PCs have to react to it (perhaps hearing screams for help). This wipes out the extras early on (less to track), and lets you present the aliens without immediate interaction with the party. The party needs to see glimpses of the alien, with examples of their power, but you want to wait for full assualt for later. You've got to herd them to a safe spot, so they can lick their wounds and come up with a plan. This also gives them a chance to witness the results of an infection (if you use that characteristic).
Maps of the facility should be available in the "safe place" If you were able to grab a PC, cut to them, showing the scary egg room, but nothing happening yet. This should drive the rest of the party to formulate a rescue plan. There should be obvious spots that look like a nesting room (and by letting the players see the trapped PC scene, they can figure out where it is). In fact, just to get this scene to happen, I would NOT have an infection ability. The players need to feel that they can rescue the PC (and having an infection ability would put the PC on the "forget him, he's gone" list regardless of how it actually works. The players should not have time and resources to fully understand the enemy, that's the point.
Once the PC's have formulated a plan of some sort, the aliens attack their position, driving them into motion (and hopefully rushing them a bit).
It would be fair to assume that the climax should be rushing to the ship, and blowing the facility up (there is blasting powder or something, right).
From there, assume one snuck aboard (hopefully a queen). The final fight should be in the loading bay (and open floor area on the bottom of the ship, where supplies are hoisted in. This should have chains and other cool ladders. The goal being, get the alien onto the chains, over the hole, and cut the chain, letting it fall to its doom (the ship being MUCH higher now).
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
I went through this recently, and decided that kythons are a lot scarier and more interesting than kruthiks, especially when you get deep into wherever they've taken over, and a huge slaughterking rises up from the nest, and the players soil themselves as a unit.
Having said that, I agree with keeping them as mysterious as possible and layering non-Aliens elements to keep them from metagaming.
Having said that, I agree with keeping them as mysterious as possible and layering non-Aliens elements to keep them from metagaming.
shadowbloodmoon
First Post
All of these ideas are great.. I was going to mention the slaad too, however, if you're willing to do a bit of work, (or wait for me to get around to it) Palladium's Aliens Unlimited Galaxy Guide race, the Riathenor ( a pretty direct rip of Aliens and Predator) have an interesting lifecycle kind of like the Guyver idea you had. Essentially a host is taken, a ritual performed (did I mention these aliens were intelligent?), the host is covered in goo. Later, turns out the goo is the alien itself in larva form, it seeps into the body and changes the victim into a Riathenor, complete with living weapons and armor, as well as Spell-Like abilities... Character sheet is destroyed, character belongs to DM as nigh unkillable killing machine...
I know, a bit much, but I like it...
I know, a bit much, but I like it...
Ooooh, lots of great suggestions!
The aliens definitely won't look like their movie inspirations; some maps, a couple of Scrying scrolls & some Sending scrolls in the stockade office (to show how the expedition kept in touch with home base) will let PCs spy on anyone captures; & first contact will be with NPCs snatched by creatures that carry the NPCs off before the PCs can intervene (or get a good look).
"Herding" the players into "safe spot" before they are attacked might be difficult, but a hard battle with a couple/few creatures that retreat (carrying off a handy NPC or two) after they incapacitate at least one PC might do the trick. That should be enough encouragement to get them retreat, regroup & use the scrolls found in the stockade to spy on the captured NPCs.
I like the Daelkyr/Symbiont/living equipment idea. A high Knowledge-Arcane check by a PC spotting one of the creatures will confirm that they have a strong resemblance to descriptions of humanoids wearing full Symbiont armor. I think I'll even include the listed abilities for Living Breastplates and Tentacle Whips in the monster stat blocks. Hopefully the resemblance and similar abilities will give the players the clue that the creatures are linked to the Daelkyr somehow and that they are attached to (& therefore may be detached from) their humanoid victims. In fact I think I'll attach a Tentacle Whip to each of the creature's arms & boost the Poison attack to a nasty paralysis/unconsciousness effect.
I'll drop my original incubation/infection, the creatures will just immobilise their victim's in goo and forcibly place a spore on the back of their necks that slowly grows until it has encased the victim. The egg/face-hugger stages can be what the creatures revert to if the host victim dies from starvation or such (like when the "originals" where entombed by the ancients).
I'll try not to name the creatures in for the players, but if I don't have something to call them I may blurt out 'the alien...’ Aberrant Greater Symbionts will confirm the connection to the Daelkyr armor, but I'm thinking "Kri" has a better ring to it.
Is there any online reference to Kythons & Slaughterkings? They sound very suitable but I'm not sure I want to shell out $50 or more for a book I may not use for any more than one or two sets of monster stats (bear in mind I'm only an occasional DM at the moment).
The aliens definitely won't look like their movie inspirations; some maps, a couple of Scrying scrolls & some Sending scrolls in the stockade office (to show how the expedition kept in touch with home base) will let PCs spy on anyone captures; & first contact will be with NPCs snatched by creatures that carry the NPCs off before the PCs can intervene (or get a good look).
"Herding" the players into "safe spot" before they are attacked might be difficult, but a hard battle with a couple/few creatures that retreat (carrying off a handy NPC or two) after they incapacitate at least one PC might do the trick. That should be enough encouragement to get them retreat, regroup & use the scrolls found in the stockade to spy on the captured NPCs.
I like the Daelkyr/Symbiont/living equipment idea. A high Knowledge-Arcane check by a PC spotting one of the creatures will confirm that they have a strong resemblance to descriptions of humanoids wearing full Symbiont armor. I think I'll even include the listed abilities for Living Breastplates and Tentacle Whips in the monster stat blocks. Hopefully the resemblance and similar abilities will give the players the clue that the creatures are linked to the Daelkyr somehow and that they are attached to (& therefore may be detached from) their humanoid victims. In fact I think I'll attach a Tentacle Whip to each of the creature's arms & boost the Poison attack to a nasty paralysis/unconsciousness effect.
I'll drop my original incubation/infection, the creatures will just immobilise their victim's in goo and forcibly place a spore on the back of their necks that slowly grows until it has encased the victim. The egg/face-hugger stages can be what the creatures revert to if the host victim dies from starvation or such (like when the "originals" where entombed by the ancients).
I'll try not to name the creatures in for the players, but if I don't have something to call them I may blurt out 'the alien...’ Aberrant Greater Symbionts will confirm the connection to the Daelkyr armor, but I'm thinking "Kri" has a better ring to it.
Is there any online reference to Kythons & Slaughterkings? They sound very suitable but I'm not sure I want to shell out $50 or more for a book I may not use for any more than one or two sets of monster stats (bear in mind I'm only an occasional DM at the moment).
Jack of Shadows said:
Why use kythons at all with aboleths? Skum that retain some of their original form (enough that you can tell which human they were) should be scary enough. To pump up the skum's combat ability, just add barbarian or ranger levels. Mix in some enslaved underground critters like minotaurs to provide variety.
