Sagiro's Story Hour Returns (new thread started on 5/18/08)

KidCthulhu · Feb 22, 2002

Sagiro said:
Yikes! Since the interest is so high, I decided it would be easier to just post a web-page with the stats.

You players of mine who are here: please do not look at this page. I trust you.

Here's the link to the Null Shadows.

Must - not - check - page. Must - resist - temptation.

Sito Rotavele · Feb 22, 2002

KidCthulhu said:
Must - not - check - page. Must - resist - temptation.

Wow. +18 to hit any worshipper of Yondalla. I guess that makes sense though, what with them not being able to cross through a circle made of baking powder and all... Doh! Did I say that out loud?

Axeboy · Feb 22, 2002

A question

Sito Rotavele said:
Wow. +18 to hit any worshipper of Yondalla. I guess that makes sense though, what with them not being able to cross through a circle made of baking powder and all... Doh! Did I say that out loud?

Lol!

Thanks, Sito; that's some good humor!!!

A question, though: I knew KidC and Piratecat were in the game, but I didn't realize KidC was playing Ernie. Is this right? I thought she was playing the General (Kay? Man, my mind is going; can't remember the names of the characters in one of my favorite story hours!) Could we get an update on who's playing whom (if they post on the boards--don't want to mess with anyone's privacy or anything...) Maybe this would help those of us that are going senile ([old man voice] and it'll happen to you, too! [\old man voice])

KidCthulhu · Feb 23, 2002

Sure:

Dranko - Played by PirateCat
Ernie - Played by me.
Aravis - Played by a guy who occasionally posts as "Aravis"
Kay, Greywolf, Morningstar, Kibbe - Played by non-posters
Step, Flicker and a cast of thousands - Played by Sagiro.
Mrs. Isabel Horn - Played by Sialia
Tor Bladebearer - Played by "Tor Bladebearer"

Does that help?

The really scary part about PC and I is how often we slip into character as Ernie and Dranko when we're not gaming. They are very comfortable people to be, although I do find it a challenge to be as cheery and nice as Ernie. I have to bite my tongue a lot at Sagiro's game table.

Little_Buddha · Feb 23, 2002

hobbes said:
Also, if you had to assign a DC to one of these bad boys, do you know where it might fall?

DC is difficultly class, used to establish how difficult a save or skill check is. You're probably after the challenge rating of the creature. That's more "feel" than calculation, though. There was that Dragon magazine article (#276?) that laid out some guidelines, but there's no hard-and-fast rules.

The CR "guesstimator" in Dragon #282 has them coming out at around CR4 (!) because it doesn't much allow for special abilities ("add one or two to its effective hitdice for each special ability" doesn't really cover abilities that should be worth five or six effective hitdice).

To be honest, because of the way D&D works the Null Shadows don't really work into a CR. Their abilities present an immense challenge to high-level parties (with their heavy reliance on spellcasting and magic). Low-level parties (with non-magical weapons and one sleep spell

) should find them on par with most of their opponents, since they manage to circumvent most of the monster's abilities simply by being crap!

[Edit: For example, my current party (all 3rd level) would vastly prefer fighting Null Shadows to fighting Ghouls. I suspect the Defenders would differ.

]

kaboom · Feb 25, 2002

Sagiro, would you put the stats for a bugmonkey on your website?

Micah5 · Feb 26, 2002

Into the arena float the Null Shadows. Our current champions of horror and fear. Ready yet again to annihilate any contenders.

From the challenger's corner; the epitome of springtime happiness and fluffy thoughts, it's the Pink Bunny and the Yellow Chick. Ladies and Gents, we present the Peeps!

Does anyone else forsee this ending in one black sticky mess of goo?

Tis the Season,
Cheers Sagiro

KidCthulhu · Feb 26, 2002

Micah5 said:
Ladies and Gents, we present the Peeps!

Oh please, don't start the peep thing again! I beg you, not the peeps.

Tony Vargas · Feb 26, 2002

The stats of the Null Shadows were interesting, but I have to wonder about the 'why' of them. Why are seemingly incorporeal shadow-creatures vulnerable to normal weapons, but immune to magical ones? I mean, there must be some reasoning beyond 'stick it to the PC party that's all spell-casters.'

BTW, if they had even one pure warrior type in thier ranks, they wouldn't find the Null Shadows wouldn't be nearly so fearsome.

KidCthulhu · Feb 26, 2002

Tony Vargas said:
BTW, if they had even one pure warrior type in thier ranks, they wouldn't find the Null Shadows wouldn't be nearly so fearsome.

Ah, but you see, battle with the Null Shadows isn't about just hunkering down and doing damage. They collectively attack the highest magic source in the party. Many parties are good at laying down the smack. The problem is protecting one single member when all attacks are focused on that person. Especially as that person will be the low HP mage.

They have great potential to kill a PC because of this. We, who cannot afford to lose our mages (Maze and Stomach), are compromised in our ability to work because of this. One third of our fighting power isn't hitting, they are pouring healing into the mage. More fighters aren't going to help with that.