Quote from the other thread to bring discussion into the new one (along with dante's pretty-damn-cool ability suggestions):
Upper_Krust said:
Hey dante dude!
...you know i started a new Ascension thread mate...but since you are already here.
dante58701 said:
Blade [Effect] (Su)
Your [Effect] ability manifests as tangible blades.
Prerequisites:[Effect] Ability, Immortal.
Benefit:Your [Effect] Ability manifests as tangible blades, inflicting +1/4 piercing damage and +1/4 slashing damage. These blades remain embedded upon inflicting damage, as they are quite real, and must be forcibly removed. Each time this ability is taken it applies to a different [Effect] ability.
Chain [Effect] (Su)
Your [Effect] ability manifests as tangible chains.
Prerequisites:[Effect] Ability, Immortal.
Benefit:Your [Effect] Ability manifests as tangible chains, inflicting +1/6 bludgeoning damage, +1/6 piercing damage, and +1/6 slashing damage. These chains can be used in conjunction with the Dancing Chains ability as they are quite real, although they only inflict damage when this is the desired effect. Each time this ability is taken it applies to a different [Effect] ability.
Dancing Chains (Su)
Your divine aura manifests corporeal chains similar to those controlled by a dancing chains spell.
Prerequisites: Divine Aura, Immortal, Self Mastery.
Benefit:Your divine aura manifests corporeal chains that attack and move, according to your whims, as per a dancing chains spell. These chains are indestructible. These chains are negated by a dead magic zone.
You know I almost had an ability in Ascension called Weapon [Effect]. Which was basically like a sort of flechette/shard/metal [Effect]. But it just seemed a bit hokey and in terms of damage was the same as Force [Effect]. So I just thought it would be more likely that War deities (for example) would have Force effects shaped like weapons.
I think it might be worth mentioning, at this point, the fact that Exalted has several Charms and Sorceries that could be used for Divine abilities in the IH system, though obviously copyright issues would prevent UK himself from publishing them. This note about the Weapon [Effect], which I suspect would be something akin to a shower of shurikens or the like out of a wuxia film (correct, UK?), reminds me immediately of the
Death of Obsidian Butterflies, which is one of the lowest "level" attack spells in Exalted. It basically creates a football-field-sized cloud of butterflies literally made of obsidian, volcanic glass, that just whirl and fly around at high speed and shred everything in the area.
Upper_Krust said:
Although, that said, I like the idea of the chains, reminds me of Hellraiser.
I think it reminds
everybody of Hellraiser.
That's not a bad thing, of course- I long ago made an Epic template for my game to create "Pain Elementals" which are highly derivative of the Cenobites. IH rules would make creation of such beings easy, and you can even stat up Leviathan from the second movie while you're at it, if you're so inclined.
Upper_Krust said:
dante58701 said:
Mask of Darkness (Su)
Your face is concealed by a mask only you can remove.
Prerequisites:Apocrypha, Divine Aura, Immortal, True Seeing.
Benefit:Your divine aura manifests a seemingly porcelain mask that only you can remove. No other being, including those of higher divine rank, or circumstances can remove this mask. Furthermore this mask is impenetrable to all forms of discernment or divination, effectively concealing you identity. This mask also renders it's wearer impervious to all gaze attacks and effects, as well as all attacks and effects reliant upon hearing, scent, sight, and taste. Removing or replacing this mask is a free action. This mask is negated by a dead magic zone.
Porcelain mask!? Thats very cool. I like it.
It reminds me of some anime I've seen, perhaps mostly of "Spirited Away" with the being that was all mask with just some nasty faceless goo underneath. But still, it is a pretty cool ability there, particularly if it were worded "Your Divine Aura manifests
as a seemingly-porcelain mask..." which would mean the actual aura is not present while the mask is worn. That would allow the deity to walk around in any company, concealed effectively as a non-divine being. Also, it's perfect for a being like Hastur, who in his aspect as the King in Yellow goes around concealed under a mask. His ability to cause insanity in people affected by his Divine Aura would logically be suppressed while wearing said mask. That jibes perfectly with the stories which exist of that entity; supposedly seeing beneath the Pallid Mask causes complete and permanent insanity in the viewer.
Upper_Krust said:
dante58701 said:
Raiment of Darkness (Su)
Your divine aura manifests as an intangible raiment of darkness that moves according to your whims.
Prerequisites:Apocrypha, Divine Aura, Immortal, Self Mastery.
Benefit:Your divine aura acquires the additional effect of the Apocrypha ability. This effect benefits all of your allies. It also provides a +20 equipment bonus to all hide and move silently checks for both you and your allies. This raiment cannot be destroyed or removed and is never a hindrance to you. This raiment resembles any form of clothing ensemble desired. This raiment is negated by a dead magic zone.
Thats not bad.
Don't feel you need to mention dead magic negating a (Su) ability every time.
Isn't this a Cosmic ability, granting Apocrypha to those within the Immortal's Divine Aura? Still, I suppose it could be on par relative to other Divine abilities as "top-of-feat-chain" feats like Whirlwind Attack are to other feats. One has to take a couple of Divine abilities to even get it, so it's definitely a "top of the Divine ability chain" ability.
Anabstercorian said:
Upper Krust, just remember - for every ability, we need to know how often it can be used, what it does, and what the saving throw difficulty is and how it's calculated. You forget to specify those quite often.
Agreed- though I would remark that this is something that can be added in to the "Fix This!" thread. Usually, when I've used these abilities to stat up a monster or deity so far, I've explicitly written them out in mechnics-friendly form, specifying what type of action is used to activate the ability (if it's not constant), any daily limit on its use, and other similar considerations. For example, I figured that Divine Immensity requires the being to use a standard action to make a single size shift, and so growing or shrinking
two sizes would require two actions (and thus most likely two rounds). This may not be what UK intended, but the existing Divine Immensity description doesn't make it clear.
