Shadowdragon said:
@xenoflare -
Is Tauric a type of giant eagle from another book because it isn't in the MM. Or is it a template from another book because, again, I can't find it in the MM.
You list Naga and Yuan-Ti as favoured enemies. If Naga were supposed to be good then does that make Garuda evil? Or were they both good but they just really didn't like each other? Also, are Yuan-Ti Hindu, or did you just include them as favoured enemies because I have Yuan-Ti listed under Egyptian (the only reason they're under Egyptian is because they will make great Set cultists. I don't know if there are real legends of snake-men in Egypt).
Thanks for the suggestions for Asian creatures but I don't think my campaign will be going as far east as Aisa. The furthest the PCs may go is India. I can still include Asian creatures if anyone else is going to use this list and wants Asian creatures included.
Hi,
Tauric is a template from the MM2, i believe. it's like a centaur - you give two different creatures traits of each other. Garuda are half-eagle, half-man beings; over in Indonesia and Thailand, some banks and offices use him as a symbol of protection and royalty. In fact, the national airline of Indonesia is Garuda Airlines haha...
Check this out:
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/karura.shtml
As regards the enmity between the Garuda and the Serpent folk, it seems that the Garuda has some legendary anti-poison qualities and in folklore is always depicted as hunting the venomous snakes who are otherwise too dangerous to hunt. In that sense, it is Heaven's way of providing a check and balance for the scaled folk... Naga and dragons are usually nature-spirits who are mostly good, but then it is the Dharma (way) of beasts and serpents to be venomous and dangerous when provoked. The site i've posted mentions that only those nagas and dragons who are given Buddhist tokens and other forms of divine sanction by the deities are off-limits to the hunting talons of the Garuda...
As regards the yuan-ti, i may have made a boo-boo. I thought they were Southeast Asian/ Indian... but then i checked my notes again and realised that their habitats are listed as rainforests and tropical jungles, but they themselves are not in anyway drawn from those mythic traditions. Sorry! Still, the Garuda likes to hunt evil dragons and serpent-folk, just in case you're interested. The yuan-ti make most excellent snake cultists, what with their subterfuge and all.. it's just that their psionic powers and poison/ acid/ camouflage in jungle stuff all seem to point towards a very Indian/ Southeast Asian feel.
About the Inevitable that Ferret posted - yeah, the Maruts (Big CR 15 guys) are storm/ war demigods i believe, who are related to Lord Shiva. In his plague-bearer and war-monger aspect of Rudra, Lord Shiva decided to create his most powerful child with one of his lovers, Diti, an Earth Goddess. She wanted vengeance of the Thunder God Indra who had killed one of her progeny i think, and so she used magical means to either have sexual intercourse with Lord Shiva for a hundred years or remain pregnant for 100 years - the sources are a bit woozy at this point. Indra got wind of the plot however and threw a thunderbolt at Diti, and her concentration/ fetus/ or something was shattered and the uber-godling was transformed into many lesser divinites. Hence the Maruts were born from this melding of destruction, earth and thunder - very, very gung-ho and warlike folk! However, they're not mechanical in the legends, as far as i remember, but their personalities are somewhat similar - hardcore terminators who run about killing stuff that stay dead.
Got a small article here on them:
http://www.fact-index.com/m/ma/marut.html
The Avoral, Lillend, and Nymph also have their presence in Hindu myth as various celestial beings. The celestial beings known as Gandharvas and Kinnaras are half-bird, half-human demigods who serve as musicians, healers, illusionists, and protectors of children, and culture. The Gandharvas are quite close to the Avoral because they enjoy a harmony with nature and have special power over animals and beasts.. the Kinnaras are the patrons of the musical arts, much like the Lillend is a muse of inspiration. Lastly, the Nymphs, or Apsaras, are divine dancers who entertain the gods but are sometimes sent down to distract powerful humans and rishis (seers) who threaten to upset the divine order through their individual meditations. In other words, if you don't want some new Epic character to mess up the divine scene, you send a pretty girl to dance and make merry with him, then he gets all distracted from silly things like getting Epic Psionics and Epic Spells ;-P
Check this out for some references -
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/hachi-bushu.shtml
Lastly, the Juggernaut (construct from MM 2 i think) has its roots from the word "Jagganath", which is the title of Krishna, avatar of Vishnu. It means "Lord of the World" - people conduct these religious ceremonies where a massive wagon is pulled, with a large statue of Krishna on it, all across town. I think the festival is supposed to celebrate the overcoming of problems by Krishna as he runs over them, literally barrelling past them... it is supposed to be good luck to run in front of Krishna in this festival, i've heard, so people run in front to get divine favour. Problem is, in the ensuing chaos, lots of them get crushed by the wagon... which crunches and kills lotsa them. Hence, "Juggernaut" to describe a huge massive unstoppable destructive force, i think... The MM2 beastie looks like a large wagon to me! Just put a Stone Golem or something on it, and you'll be all set to go.
Hope this helps. Ta!
Yours,
shao