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Let's Read: Volo's Monsters
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<blockquote data-quote="Chaosmancer" data-source="post: 6964907" data-attributes="member: 6801228"><p>These guys are one of my new favorites</p><p></p><p>This was one of my 2nd or 3rd thoughts, behind Orcus sending them as punishment to the PCs for messing up his plans one too many times. </p><p></p><p>I'll agree they are a bit of a glass cannon, but my first plan with these guys isn't to have them fight a party. Instead have them walk into a village. The player come back to find people just lying dead in the streets, and when they finally track the death back to the town hall or Temple they find a Bodak, from which Orcus mocks them for their inevitable end. A single Bodak could wipe out an entire village easily, slaughtering the base commoners with just the Aura and then taking care of any of the guards with its gaze. This is one of the few monsters I have ever seen where I feel it can cause massive death and destruction on a scale of towns and villages. A few of these put against a city is a terrifying threat. </p><p></p><p>Or, a minor villain they rather handily beat before, calls out in rage to Orcus, becoming a powerful enemy. </p><p></p><p></p><p>One neat thing, Orcus can see and hear everything any Bodak sees or hears. This makes them perfect not only for killing those who annoy him, but if the Bodak sees the party, it is the exact same as Orcus having seen them himself. </p><p></p><p>Finally, I really want something tangible to figure out how to run one of these Hierophants of Annihilation, they would make a great end boss. One thing I thought of as I considered how I might stat something like that up, I've seen very few places in D&D where something this powerful has a name involving the word "Annihilation" and what earned Orcus' favor enough to preserve these 7 worshipers and raise them so high above? </p><p></p><p>What if they are the beings that created the magic that forms Sphere's of Annihilation? They never were able to get the magic to expand beyond a small sphere, but having them hold a personal Sphere with them, and then the idea that these spheres and the amulets that control them are tools of Orcus' will, meant to end all life in all planes. </p><p></p><p></p><p>This is why the Bodak is one of my favorites, so much cool story.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Sidenote, I originally saw the Bodak with that artwork posted above by [MENTION=32659]Charles Rampant[/MENTION], and it was awful. I always wondered why I had a creepy grey skinned alien in my fantasy book. The new artwork I think really captures a much different horror and makes me actually want to use these spindly, weak looking shambling beings, that kill everything around them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Chaosmancer, post: 6964907, member: 6801228"] These guys are one of my new favorites This was one of my 2nd or 3rd thoughts, behind Orcus sending them as punishment to the PCs for messing up his plans one too many times. I'll agree they are a bit of a glass cannon, but my first plan with these guys isn't to have them fight a party. Instead have them walk into a village. The player come back to find people just lying dead in the streets, and when they finally track the death back to the town hall or Temple they find a Bodak, from which Orcus mocks them for their inevitable end. A single Bodak could wipe out an entire village easily, slaughtering the base commoners with just the Aura and then taking care of any of the guards with its gaze. This is one of the few monsters I have ever seen where I feel it can cause massive death and destruction on a scale of towns and villages. A few of these put against a city is a terrifying threat. Or, a minor villain they rather handily beat before, calls out in rage to Orcus, becoming a powerful enemy. One neat thing, Orcus can see and hear everything any Bodak sees or hears. This makes them perfect not only for killing those who annoy him, but if the Bodak sees the party, it is the exact same as Orcus having seen them himself. Finally, I really want something tangible to figure out how to run one of these Hierophants of Annihilation, they would make a great end boss. One thing I thought of as I considered how I might stat something like that up, I've seen very few places in D&D where something this powerful has a name involving the word "Annihilation" and what earned Orcus' favor enough to preserve these 7 worshipers and raise them so high above? What if they are the beings that created the magic that forms Sphere's of Annihilation? They never were able to get the magic to expand beyond a small sphere, but having them hold a personal Sphere with them, and then the idea that these spheres and the amulets that control them are tools of Orcus' will, meant to end all life in all planes. This is why the Bodak is one of my favorites, so much cool story. Sidenote, I originally saw the Bodak with that artwork posted above by [MENTION=32659]Charles Rampant[/MENTION], and it was awful. I always wondered why I had a creepy grey skinned alien in my fantasy book. The new artwork I think really captures a much different horror and makes me actually want to use these spindly, weak looking shambling beings, that kill everything around them. [/QUOTE]
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