|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 Recent Posts
Yeenoghu has an Undeath aspect? That strikes me as odd. Is that in FC I? Indeed it is (though I had to look it up to make sure). He's got power over gnolls and ghouls primarily (though the White Kingdom of the true ghouls is under the control of Doresain, the King of Ghouls, Doresain pays fealty to Yeenoghu. Yeenoghu has stolen a lot of Orcus's powers in this respect (including the White Kingdom). I think it's mostly due to his cannibalistic nature.
Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry. I forgot to specifically address the OP's questions. Re: age - Apparently Gnolls mature *very* rapidly, and are near full grown in about 2 years. As for their maximum age, there's no information on that in the MM IV. Re: a name - Saern's suggestions are pretty good, but I'd also like to throw in that Gnolls just about universally worship Yeenoghu, the Demon Prince of Gnolls and Undead. So that may influence your name choice there.
There was an article on gnolls in Dragon #63 by Roger Moore entitled "The Humanoids" (obviously, covering more than just gnolls). Dragon #289 had the Gnolls of Naresh, from the Chainmail game. That's all dragon's had on gnolls. Gnolls have a section of their own in the Monster Manual IV. It includes the slave-taker (gnoll ranger 2), the fiendish cleric of yeenoghu (fiendish gnoll cleric 3), and a half-fiend gnoll warlock (half-fiend gnoll warlock 4). It also has sample encounters (using said NPCs) at ECLs 6, 9, and 12. Finally, it has a detailed ecology (one full page), and another section specifically on society (about a half-page). It also has information for gnolls in Eberron and Faerun, and a "Gnoll Lore" sidebar with Knowledge checks for Local, Nature, and Religion that regard gnolls. So, if you don't have the MM IV, that may be a good reason to check it out. I'd suggest asking your FLGS if you can browse it before you buy it, though, as it hasn't been as well received as, say, the MM III, because of its expanded (several page) entries on Drow, Githyanki, Gnolls, Lizardfolk, Ogres, Orcs, and Yuan-ti, as well as the often derided Spawn of Tiamat. However, if you're looking specifically for expanded information on these classic monsters (or are interested in the spawn), this could indeed be a useful book for you.
The elevator that breaks does not rise to allow entry. When the sarcophagus is pointed at it, it begins rumbling, as whatever controls its ascension has gotten jammed. It continues to rumble and grind for 3 rounds. These rounds do not have to be consecutive. If the PCs think quick and move the sarcophagus again on the first round, then when they eventually move it back it will rumble for 2 rounds. After the 3rd round, the elevator drops completely, its support having broken under the strain. At this point the PCs can begin to make Listen checks to hear the bugs coming. If I recall correctly, the bugs come up 2 rounds after the elevator falls. This can give the PCs time to prepare for the unknown, potentially. TK
Say the cleric worships Kord, but when he's traveling, he looks for guidance from Farlanghn. So you want them to travel a certain direction; Farlanghn sends a magical talking crow to tell the party to follow him. It's totally unrelated to the cleric's spell list and uncontrolled by the cleric since he/she doesn't worship Farlanghn, but you as the dungeonmaster can use it to steer the game. The cleric still has the Kord domains, none from Farlanghn. I could totally see an allied deity (esp. a trickster like Olidammara) 'highjacking' a cleric's domain powers. I could just see a Heironean cleric waking up one day with the Luck and Trickery domain powers. He'd be all, "Huh? What just happened? Did anyone get the license on the diety that just hit me?"
Not sure if these are the official rules, but they're what I use: Alcohol is a unique poison. For the most part, it follows the same rules (Fortitude DC, initial and secondary damage). However, there are a few differences. For one, the DC increases by 1 for each drink a character has in a 12 hour period. The DC and amount of damage depend on the type of alcohol (typically DC 10, 1d2 damage for common drinks). Nonmagical alcohol deals an amount of temporary Dexterity and Wisdom damage, which recovers at a rate of 1 per hour (or two if tended as per the Heal skill). If damage from alcohol reduces a character's Dexterity or Wisdom scores to 0, that character passes out for 2d4 hours (during which time the character's temporary ability damage does not recover). If damage from alcohol reduces both Dexerity AND Wisdom to 0, that character passes out for 3d4 hours and takes 1d2 points of Constitution drain (permanent). If the DM wishes, he may call for a Fortitude save to resist addiction when a character fails his save against alcohol. Addiction is treated as a disease, with the same DC as the base DC for the beverage the character was drinking at the time. It deals 1d2 Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma damage each day the character does not have a drink at least as stiff (with at least the same DC) as their addiction. Additionally, the character may have to make a Will save if stressful situations happen. Failure indicates the character "needs" a drink. If a character goes "cold turkey" for 3 days, he gets a +2 bonus to his Fortitude save to kick the disease, and another +2 bonus for each additional week he goes without.
Here's a question: What do you think of dwarves tumbling in full plate? Is that allowed under your rules (as it is under standard D&D)? That's one of those things that makes me go 'huh.' Granted, I had a tiefling who tumbled in full plate, but that was before I realised that wasn't technically possible. Now that I look back at it it seems kind of rediculous. EDIT: Also, what amount of points are you using for your point buy? I'd like to stat up a few characters to see how your changes work, but figuring the stats is a crucial first step.
Rain. If there's a believable way to bring rain into the equation, then the ogres can pinpoint the ranger. Maybe the artifact itself resists being taken. Make it intelligent, with 120 ft. blindsight, and any sort of powers you wish, from invisibility purge, to control weather, to simply shout or even ghost sound.
Here's a cool idea someone on the WotC Eberron boards came up with a while back.
I would count them as being mounted. Any similarly shaped creature as well... perhaps as a function of stability? *imagines a dwarf running down a hall with a lance*
Well, the problem with worshipping the "Greyhawk pantheon" is that it is made of several radically different groupings of deities. I could see worshiping a racial pantheon - Baklunish, Suel, Olman, Elven, etc.. The alignment of the pantheon would be neutral in most cases, depending on the general leanings of the assembled deities. For instance, the Baklunish pantheon would be a strongly Neutral force (allowing any Neutral Cleric), with likely the scimitar as a favored weapon. Favored domains of Baklunish clerics would be Knowledge and Luck (though I suppose they could pick any Baklunish domain) The Suel pantheon would be, despite the cultural leanings of the Suel themselves, Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Good. I'm not sure what their favored weapon would be, though. Favored domains would be Strength and Travel. The Flan pantheon would Neutral, with strong elements of Good. The sickle would be an ideal favored weapon for the Flan. Domains would be Animal and Plant. The Oeridian pantheon would be Neutral Good, and the longsword would be the favored weapon. Domains would be Knowledge and Travel. So the idea can work -- the question is how to limit a pantheon-worshiping cleric. After all, he's then able to pick and choose any domain he wants from the whole pantheon... Perhaps he would have to give up some Cleric element: Domain powers
What do you think?
Im curious as to how someone holds and uses a lance with 2 hands while on horseback.You can ride your horse with your knees if you suceed in a Ride skill, then you'll have both arms free to hold the lance You can indeed guide your horse with your knees. However, if you're slamming an 8 foot long weapon into an enemy from atop a horse, you'd better have a hand on your mount, or you'll learn about center of gravity the hard way. This is one of those cases, much like centaurs climbing cliffs, where the rules allow it, but a bit of common sense has to intervene. Now, I'm not saying you can't do it. If your group can really imagine someone doing something like that without extraordinary aid, fine. But I can't see it.
If this is in the description then your group is just going to back up and shoot it 20 or 30 times with ranged attacks and gain some free EXP. Most of the PC's in my game have some sort of enhanced movement from magic items or special abilities, they dance about the battle map. Guess I should have made note of the environment. This creature would likely be encountered in the cramped confines of a sewer... I was also considering giving it a disease with its bite. Would filth fever (DC 21) bring the CR to 7? I'm actually not sure that disease would affect the CR at all. It takes 1 to 3 days for the disease to set in, and thanks to the "Heal Plz" view of clerics, curing a disease is only a spell slot away for 7th level clerics - not a challenge at all. What do you think?
Men and orcs are not the same thing with only cosmetic differences. Orcs, elves, dwarves, humans, and half-orcs are all completely different animals altogether with different physical and mental abilities. Would you regard a dolphin to be smarter than a jellyfish? Same principle. In the next campaign I run, I am considering disallowing half-breeds for this reason. The plumbing just shouldn't work. At most, a half-breed would be quite rare and quite sterile (not that virility comes up in my games, mind...)
What would you put the CR on this creature? Grossly Obese Rat
Based off of the calculations in the Monster Manual, this monstrosity would have a CR no higher than 3... but that's obviously wrong. What do you think?
I am pleasantly surprised by the MM V's cover (and the round robin of paizo staffers and writers who contributed!). I always thought that the creature on the cover of the MM IV looked like some kind of doped out mole. How lame. The art just didn't convey what I'm sure it was supposed to there. V, on the other hand, looks like a more than appropiate companion for I and III (II is kind of eh - I've never been sure what it was supposed to represent, and the colors clash too much). Any new kinds of rakshasa in there? (Three is simply not enough)
I assume that dragons have to choose the cleric spells they wish to add to their spells known, rather than having a list of known sorcerer spells and complete access to certain cleric spells, but I'm just double checking and seeing that I'm correct. I don't remember ever seeing an official clarification on that. Makes sense to me - but then, communal clarification is why I started this thread. It'd be even better if we had an answer from, say, James... just in case some draconic sorcerers just kinda showed up in his inbox. Ya know... just saying. ^^
It was incorrect either way - monster abilities only improve in DC with racial hit dice. Can you give me a reference for that? Not that I think you're wrong - I've just seen both ways used. It makes sense to me that racial abilities shouldn't improve from class levels (the whole getting the cake and eating it too scenario) - but for instance, drow (and azers, and many others) have spell resistance that specifically scales with class levels.
Okay, here's my take on it: 1) A pin must be established. If the enemy in question (hereafter referred to as the victim) can still maneuver in grapple, he's too squirmy to be thrown. 2) After establishing a pin, the prospective thrower may attempt a throw on his next successful grapple check. An opposed Strength check is made, with a +4/-4 modifer for every size a creature is away from Medium. A creature using more than two hands in the grapple receives a +2 bonus on this roll, and creatures that are exceptionally stable receive their +4 bonus. (This is hereafter referred to as the throw check) 3) Success indicates the victim has been thrown. The victim is thrown a foot per point of difference between the opposed rolls, rounded down to a multiple of 5 (minimum 5 feet). Failure ends this throw attempt (but the victim remains pinned). 3) For every 10 feet the victim is thrown (including vertical movement, of course), he takes damage as normal for falling. The victim is counted as making a charge (without the bonus to hit, but with the penalty to AC and the extra damage from spears set against charges). The victim is prone upon landing. 4) If attempting to throw the victim at an opponent, the thrower makes an attack roll for using an improvised thrown weapon. The victim must be within the thrower's light load, and deals 1d6 points of damage for every 200 pounds of the victim's weight. The range increment is 5 feet, and maxes out at 25 feet. This works with the throw check - If the thrower wishes to fling his victim onto an enemy 15 feet away, he must exceed his victim's opposed Strength check by at least 15 points, and then succeed on a ranged attack roll with a -10 penalty (-4 for improvised weapon, -6 for 3 range increments). If the thrower would have flung his victim 50 or more feet away based on the throw check, an additional 1d6 points of damage are dealt per 50 feet (again, as normal for falling objects). I think that covers everything. TK EDIT: Oh, and I agree with Ender - the victim should be allowed to make a Tumble check to negate damage as normal for falling - though if thrown at an opponent, I think that opponent would still take damage if the thrower made a successful attack roll.
Some creatures (such as true dragons, couatl, and most angels) are natural spellcasters - they cast arcane or divine spells as a member of a specific class does (for instance, true dragons cast as sorcerers). However, sometimes these creatures have expanded spell access. In the case of dragons, some of them can know and cast spells from the cleric spell list as well as from a few select domain lists, as arcane spells. Okay, you know that already. Here's the question: If you give a creature that has expanded spell access levels in the class that it naturally casts from (for instance, giving an old red dragon sorcerer levels), does that creature continue to have expanded spell access for caster levels gained from class levels?
No this isnt a paranoid rant about how the government is watching you. Of course since I have been on my meds, they havent been watching me as closely. Ok, to my real question. I was thinking about changing the prestige assassin to allow any non good into it. I was wondering if anyone out there has tried this and if I could maybe get some feedback. Story wise, we can come up with some good reasons for this in my campaign, but I would like to hear what others think. I typically have assassins be any nongood in my campaigns. I think the argument boils down to poison: poison use is a class ability for assassins, and using poison has typically been cast as an evil act in D&D. And yet, creatures such as the Couatl and the Guardian Naga (both good aligned creatures) have poison innately. So the poison is evil argument simply doesn't hold water. Evil is in the act, not the tool (crossbows don't kill people! People do, with crossbows!).
The DC is 23. The golem's prismatic spray is a supernatural ability that mimics a spell (rather than a spell-like ability), so the DC is 10 + 1/2 the golem's HD (18) + the golem's Charisma modifier (-5), or 23. Were it to be a Spell-Like ability, the DC would be an extremely pitiful 12 (10 + spell's level + golem's Charisma modifier)... so that's why it's a Supernatural ability.
What SHOULDN'T I allow a group of ECL 16 characters to get their hands on? The DMG (p 199) suggests a limit of no single item worth more than a quarter of a character's wealth, or limiting by type (minor, medium, major, epic). In my games, I use both. The level points for types in my game are based off of DMG table 3-5: Treasure. That is, minor items can be purchased at any level, medium starting 6th level, major starting 10th, and epic at 21st. At 16th level, your players have 260,000 gp each to throw around. Using the DMG suggestions, they could purchase any major magical item worth no more than 65,000 gp. So for instance, +5 ghost touch armor, a staff of evocation, and any wondrous item up to and including a pearl of power, 8th-level spell would be fair game. The weapons you described are both +7 equivilant weapons (costing 98,300 gp and change) - which is more than the suggested maximum, but not really by a whole lot at that level. It also suggests that characters may make use of item creation feats, but must expend the same amount of experience they normally would (which would start them out somewhere in 15th level). Personally, I wouldn't have them expend the experience; however, I would have created items cost an extra 5 gp per experience point they *would* have paid would they have made the item in the normal course of game. Finally, it suggests that one-use items should cost 5 times their normal price and charged items have 1/5 as many charges. Unless you think your players would abuse the one-shot and charged items, I wouldn't bother making this adjustment.
Avoid anything that transports objects or people away or in, as well as anything that can enslave or control those who could do the same. Throw a dimensional anchor on the prison (but let the players know ahead of time not to expect an easy exit). Wouldn't be much of a planar prison if the incarcerated could just warp out, now would it?
I love the music from Chrono Chross. Also Xenogears. I think they had the same composer. Also good is the soundtrack to Princess Bride. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for Zelda (Listening to "Hero of the Wind" from Wind Waker right now). Even if their lyrics make no sense most of the time, System of a Down is good listening for character creation.
My confusion revolves around why you stated him at 5th? Ah. Well, I do intend to make higher level builds - That way he can be used as a reoccuring villain, growing ever more dangerous each time they meet. I figure statting him out at each 5th level increase will give me enough to fudge around if the party isn't quite in that neighborhood.
Okay, here he is at level 5: linkyInteresting but the problem is this guy is going to die nearly instantly against the raging Barbarian or any of the rest of the PCs. With a mere 20 hps and an armour class of 12 his life expectancy is extremely limited. Note that he does have mage armor prepared. AND, his weapon of choice? A wand of vampiric touch. If he can't seem to touch anybody with the wand before he gets seriously hurt, he's got that potion of cure light wounds. Yeah, he can go down pretty fast against even 3rd level characters (for whom he would be considered a 'boss') - At this level it would be best to have him in a group of enemies, so that he will have no more than 2 PCs on him at a time. If you want to give him a little more protection, swap out one of his burning hands for shield (and then remove identify from his spellbook). But I'll admit - at this level he isn't very effective. He's taken Two-Weapon Fighting, but can't get any real use out of it until he picks up Wandstrike and Dual Wand Wielder. Scribe Scroll, Craft Wand and Legendary Artisan aren't combat applicable feats (though the latter two did allow him to have a 3rd-level wand as a 5th-level NPC, ever so barely). Weapon Finesse is a saving grace for him, especially since he makes touch attacks - but it's still not an impressive attack bonus at 5th level. Perhaps you might change his touch of idiocy out for invisibility (dropping perhaps locate object from his spellbook), cast that before combat, then have his familiar deliver a ghoul touch to the party tank to start off the battle? How about that?
Crap, found a flaw in the plan: Wizards can't take Wandstrike at 3rd level, due to the 4 rank Use Magic Device prerequisite. The only thing I can think of to fix this is to switch Wandstrike with Weapon Finesse - so that delays the lightning bolt smacking until 12th level. Ah well, I'm still statting it up.
Just to be clear here: Using each wand expends one charge from that wand.
So our zapper would expend 3 charges for each use of the primary wand and 4 for each use of the secondary wand (after receiving Reckless Wand Wielder) - and with TWF (if that would be allowed) he could potentially use the secondary wand twice per round - expending 8 charges if both attacks hit. Whew... this guy's wands are going to be SMOKING when he's done with them. If the party defeats him, they will find that his clothes are made of wands... He would need to have some sort of Caddy Homonculus to carry around the extra wands... "Farnswell, my 9-curse, would you? That's a good chap."
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
