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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 6107911" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Issue 312: October 2003part 6/9The ebon maw: Back to the attempts at vile darkness, with one of those all-in-one articles that tries to provide a complete package of setting material and mechanics to back it up. An all-new demon lord, plus details on their cult, servant demons, unique spells and magic items? After all, starting with hints of cultists, and then ending the campaign with a pitched battle to prevent the demon lord himself from escaping the abyss, or if he does, to defeat or banish him before he consumes the world is a classic campaign arc that could well span the full 20 levels. Complete with humanoid form and collossal "true form" (which looks more impressive, but isn't actually that much more powerful) in classic video game styleee. This is a fun article, even if it doesn't feel much like the old demon lords. But then again, you want variety from the abyss, so complaining it's not in the original gygaxian style is stupid anyway. And it does have some very unusual and cool mechanical touches like the ability to gain infinite hit points if it eats enough, which means it feels like a properly epic monster, not some nerfed for balance creature that's nothing but a combat challenge. And it is different. We could definitely stand to see a few more new creatures covered like this, essentially giving them a full Ecology's worth of info in one article, instead of more disconnected monsters that are likely to never be seen again. The ecology of the drider: Ahh, Lolth's angstium batteries. Nice to see them getting the spotlight again. They provide lots of fun for all the family, yet are unable to ever have a family of their own. Since they are outcasts, they have to be tough and self-reliant. Since they are nearly all at least moderately skilled spellcasters, traps and treachery are the order of the day in encounters with them. And since they can climb walls easily, they can put themselves in positions where they can attack you, but you can't get them fairly easily. As is their current formula, this has lots of tactics for both the creature, and people facing them. The length of the ecologies seems to be gradually declining, as if they find it harder to fill up this format than the fiction heavy one. And similarly, I'm finding it harder to find interesting things to write about them, despite their being competently done. That's the problem with following formulas too strictly.</blockquote>

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