[MEG] The Deep Map: Wow!!

Steverooo · Oct 7, 2003

Still yet another move...

Aeolius · Oct 7, 2003

Steverooo said:
YMMV. Many people seem to find my point of view silly, in a fantasy game.

Not at all. It's all part of the "willing suspension of disbelief" / "Go with what you know" package. At one point, the BPAA PCs used "armor" fashioned of decomposing seaweed, to keep warm (yes, that was a bit of a stretch), while ingesting "floatweed berries" to counter the pressures of the deep. Compared to a "no magic" scenario, both options would seem quite ludicrous. Still, the PCs had to adventure to find both items, so it worked out nicely.

Drylanders, aka "Those Above" would have quite a bit of difficulty in my campaign, as it is geared for those at home beneath the waves.

Offline, I am fascinated by marine life. I have 750 gallons in saltwater aquariums and got Discovery HD solely on the hopes that Shark Week would be available in HDTV ("Sharks Under Glass" on Discovery HD this month!). I try to work common sea creatures and topography into the campaign, for added realism. Granted, the players wouldn't know an imperator angel from a majestic angel, but I feel better for being able to envision the setting myself.

Then, when things seem almost normal, I throw in the sea hags and aquatic demons.

In the end, I'm just happy to see other DMs consider undersea adventures, whether they are no magic, low magic, or Monty Hall.

d4 · Oct 7, 2003

Steverooo said:
The problems aren't caused by SCUBA gear. They're caused by the chemistry and physics of AIR!

i have a question.

do dolphins (and other air-breathing sea mammals) suffer from the bends and nitrogen narcosis? what about fish (and other "water"-breathing creatures)?

i wonder what kind of biology merfolk, sahuagin, locathah, and other aquatic races have.

Steverooo · Oct 7, 2003

Moved.

MerakSpielman · Oct 7, 2003

You know, I wish I had more money... I'd love to pick up all these suppliments, but without actual need, I just can't... I'd start an underwater campaign to create need, but I just boiled off the oceans on my campaign world, so it'll have to wait.

Aeolius · Oct 7, 2003

Steverooo said:
I'm sure you've heard of certain deep-sea species who decompress, explosively, when brought to the surface?

I MUST use that as a weapon, now

The coelacanth comes to mind. While they do not explode when brought to the surface, the change in pressure nevertheless is detrimental. I designed my kolocanth (sea bugbears) after them, much as my blinogo (sea goblins) were inspired by goblin-sharks.

I introduced a new skill called "birding" in my campaign. Simply put, an aquatic race floats a baited lasso to the surface to catch seagulls and the like. Yes, even sahuagin like to vary their diet from time to time.

Aeolius · Oct 7, 2003

MerakSpielman said:
I'd start an underwater campaign to create need, but I just boiled off the oceans on my campaign world, so it'll have to wait.

The oceans are thriving, in my undersea campaign...and I am recruiting

Steverooo · Oct 7, 2003

Another moved...

Aeolius · Oct 7, 2003

Steverooo said:
Heh! How would a normal Human (and not a Druid) survive, down there? Pearls of the Sirines just lying around, waiting to be picked up?

Just one...which the party has yet to find

There is a human in the party, though. Granted, he's 3,000 years old (spent most of that in stasis) and was altered with grafts from a pseudonatural fish hag.

If someone did want to play a human in my undersea campaign, and didn't want to rely on magic items for survival, there are other means to that end. One could use templates, to create a half-elemental human or perhaps a half-merrow or half-scrag. I added the garibaldi, a half-locathah, as well. There are a few PrCs that grant water-breathing at higher levels, albeit without mentioning how well the recipient would move or resist the effects of the deep.

Or there is a more drastic manner that a human could become comfortable in the depths; being slain by a spawn-producing undead and returning as an emancipated spawn.

Speaking of...what do you call a gathering of lacedon?

A flock of sea ghouls