Help My Campaign: Sloth

[I'm A Banana]

I'd do it myself, but I'm far too lazy...

The PC's endured an epic challenge with Lust, facing her bovine form in a room filled with howling winds, able to defeat her only after their guide and the celestial they were saving recognized that Love was something deeper than skin...after the Cloak of Chastity was placed.

Then, they staunched their stomachs with Gluttony, facing the three-headed boar, as Hunger forced them to eat souls, just as the coneisseur celestial did. Only when the celestial realized Hunger himself did Gluttony show it's true evil...after the Fruit of Temperence was consumed.

And now, they need to be stirred up against Sloth!

Here's the usual list of things having to do with Sloth:

1) The animal is the goat, the color is light blue. The more these can be worked into themes or big bad evil guys, the better.

2) The oppsing virtue to Sloth is Courage. This should be instrumental in overcoming the sloth-goat in some way.

3) Where on the planes should Sloth be? I'm tempted to stick 'em in the Gray Waste, but anything more cohesive?

4) I need a sloth-epitome of about CR 14-16 to be a valid challenge for my power-hungry PC's...

5) I need to present the PC's whith a choice between Sloth and Courage that makes Sloth seem like a valid choice...some situation where they would WANT to be inactive, but which by being active they can redeem the fallen celestial. Speaking of which, how did the Celestial fall to Sloth in the first place?

As much as possible would be greatly appreciated. And since I already made the joke about being lazy, I want none of it!

 

[Creamsteak]

Did you just say goat... cause I've got a CR 48 goat that you would just love...

Too bad it's CR 48.

Though a really lazy CR 48 might... still slaughter everyone.

 

[RC Hagy]

5) I need to present the PC's whith a choice between Sloth and Courage that makes Sloth seem like a valid choice...some situation where they would WANT to be inactive, but which by being active they can redeem the fallen celestial. Speaking of which, how did the Celestial fall to Sloth in the first place?


Eternity is a long time... especially if you do not get killed while
seeing everyone else die around you. Simple despair could allow a
celestial to become despondant and lazy. It takes courage to fight on
century after century long after your companions have died.

Add in a sort of telepathic fugue or miasma from the celestial which
shares his experiences with the party... only each party member sees
people important in their own lives.

Maybe some waking dreams, elaborate phantasms specific to each
individual day after day. Even when one recovers to see their
comrades alive and well, the toll should slowly build.

One on one play or some e-mails a few days, every day ahead of the
sessions leading upto the encounter should get everyone in the
mood...

Or you can tell your group 'when you see the potato, get lazy!'

Everyone responds to props!


Hagy
Vermont


a little edit addition: The above seems a bit cliché... the warrior
tired of fighting... but, for me outside of an outside influence
there is not much which would allow a celestial to become inactive.

 

[tarchon]

1) The animal is the goat, the color is light blue. The more these can be worked into themes or big bad evil guys, the better.

2) The oppsing virtue to Sloth is Courage. This should be instrumental in overcoming the sloth-goat in some way.

3) Where on the planes should Sloth be? I'm tempted to stick 'em in the Gray Waste, but anything more cohesive?

4) I need a sloth-epitome of about CR 14-16 to be a valid challenge for my power-hungry PC's...

It couldn't be a... erm.. sloth, could it?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Eh, why not?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Anything else?

 

[Furtive Noise]

I don't have any specific advice, but something for people to keep in mind is that sloth as a deadly sin was more than simple laziness and 'couch-potato' mentality. It was tied to mental and spiritual despair, hopelessness leading to inaction. The gray waste is a great place for it. Its hard to think of ways to make sloth appear tempting to PC's as its easy enough for players to simply say 'My character does this.' And its done, or at least attempted. Walk 1000 miles of endless repetitive terrain? Okay, he keeps going. I imagine a sloth BBEG having attacks or abilities that induce fatigue and similar effects. Just food for thought.

 

[LGodamus]

sloth should have servants
....maybe sloth doesnt even do anything other than tell its helpers who to hit or what spell to cast...cause it doesnt feel like doing things itself.

 

[Olive]

You could go a Advanced Half-Fiendish Awakened Dire Ram (dire rams are in the ToH). Maybe make it umbral (from SS) as well - if it's that lazy, maybe maintaining a physical body is too much effort for it, and it has faded into somekind of shadowy undeath? That would involve breaking many rules, but I'm sure you'll cope. I have no idea what challenge rating that comes too, but theadvancign will be the key.

Maybe I'll have a go at making up that puppy. Err... goaty.

As for how if fell to sloth, well perhaps it was overcome with dispair at the thought of trying to overcome the fiendish hordes? And as a result, it simply gave up trying, and stopped doing anything at all in the face of hopeless odds.

I like the idea of the grey wastes for it, as it just sems appropriate to me.

 

[Olive]

sloth should have servants
....maybe sloth doesnt even do anything other than tell its helpers who to hit or what spell to cast...cause it doesnt feel like doing things itself.

Actually, give Sloth a few levels of conjurer or perhaps some spell-likes. I often think that lazy people are more likely to be conjurers, especially physically lazy ones, as they can get other creatures to do their bidding.