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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MortalPlague" data-source="post: 6154952" data-attributes="member: 62721">I don't know how story branding makes the game take a back seat.  Having these connections and ecology that links these monsters can only serve to make the game richer.  DMs who are new to the game can draw upon those connections for inspiration.  DMs who are experienced can ignore them or use them at their discretion.  Having things linked together doesn't make the game any weaker...Good point.  I admit, I don't know very much about Araneas.  I really want to keep the corrupted ettercap, I think a constant diet of pixies turning you into some even-more-horrible monster is fantastic.  If they go with a non-aranea version and cook up something new, then I'm still on board.I think this is more targeted at convention play and adventure writing.  If the writers crafting an adventure for use in Forgotten Realms are working from the same notes, more world consistency is achieved.  Orcs behave like orcs, regardless of who's writing the adventure.  If the DM running said adventure wants to change it up, they are welcome to.  But how often have you flipped through an adventure, tilted your head, and said, "What the hell?  Why is a beholder doing that?  I thought they were supposed to hate all other creatures."I don't picture this as a give-and-take barter.  No, the ettercap skitters out of the woods near the dark and scary hut, where the Hag lives.  The hag emerges, and the ettercap fights down the urge to flee.  The hag stretches out a bony, clawed hand.  The pixie dust is relinquished, and the Hag tucks it away in her pouches.  Then she produces three elf eyeballs from a jar and hands them over.  The delighted ettercap skitters away.Perhaps the ettercaps don't realize it's happening?  They don't have a magical progress bar telling them they're at 14 / 20 pixies eaten to assume their new form.  Rather it's a gradual progression to a point where they will change.  They don't eat pixies to change form, they change form because of all the pixies they've eaten.</blockquote>

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