Ambrosia Slaad |
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Or the mist itself is alive, one vast organism, made up of millions of smaller mist-creatures, in a hive-mind swarm, like DS9 shapeshifters resting in their 'great link.'
Jeff Erwin wrote:Hmm. Castrovel is the psychic world, after all. Perhaps it somehow controls the peoples of the world...
And, I had a thought - if the Elves don't have to sleep - can resist sleep - when one's mind is conceivably most open to psychic influence and domination - perhaps the natives of Castrovel have evolved resistances to this. But visitors haven't.
Ooh, that's a cool/strange idea, a place or people who know that every night, when they sleep, something comes and lives an entire life of it's own, *in their bodies.* Maybe some have come to an understanding, and leave their bodies in places convenient to their possessors (and vice versa), maybe some feel it is a spiritual event of significance, that they were bred for a higher power to use as vessels in this manner, and maybe in some places, it is a thing of horror, with the possessors cruelly abusing the bodies they are 'riding' for the night (and the people attempting to prevent this from happening by chaining themselves up at night, preventing their possessors from working any evil in their bodies).
Each tweak on the interaction between the possessors and the possessed, from willing vessels to enslaved 'meatsuits,' creates a new line of story possibilities. The exact nature of the possessors (fey tricksters? a race that has 'moved on' past corporeal existence? the ancestors of the current generation of 'possessees?' aberrations from beyond the dark shelf? time or dimension travelling alien scholars?) also could greatly change assumptions....
Could Castrovel, the planet itself or at least it's biosphere, actually be sentient? Perhaps it sees the humanoids and other fauna as useful tools for it's own purposes, influencing them during dreams or outright possessing them? The elves, being naturally resistant or evolving/bioengineering an inheritable defense, could have become a impediment or threat? Which means the elves remaining on Castovel reached some accord with the faunamind/worldmind.
Set's possession/body-renting idea is brilliant and I love to see it fleshed out more. I'd be a helluva surprise for visitors from Golarion on the first visit.
Mikaze |
Could Castrovel, the planet itself or at least it's biosphere, actually be sentient? Perhaps it sees the humanoids and other fauna as useful tools for it's own purposes, influencing them during dreams or outright possessing them? The elves, being naturally resistant or evolving/bioengineering an inheritable defense, could have become a impediment or threat? Which means the elves remaining on Castovel reached some accord with the faunamind/worldmind.
Set's possession/body-renting idea is brilliant and I love to see it fleshed out more. I'd be a helluva surprise for visitors from Golarion on the first visit.
Huh...
This could mean that seemingly spontaneous and temporary instances of Awakened animals could be a regular thing. It could be someone's pet suddenly hosting the planet/biosphere consciousness to communicate something or a predator temporarily uplifted to assassinate someone the local natural world has decided needs to go.
And if there's an intelligence within the planet itself or its biosphere, what about its language? Maybe it could be the First Tongue of Castrovel, possibly even the root of that planet's version of Druidic.
It would be the single worst planet on which to be a Captain Planet villain...
Mikaze |
Somehow I see kamadan as being appropriate.
Oh wow. I keep forgetting about them... That is a good fit!
No idea what this is, and I can't find mention of it. What is a Couerl?
Kamadan seems like a good fit - it is one of those critters I always wondered if the Paizo crew had a specific idea or reference in mind.
Couerls and Kamadans are actually fairly close in general shape. If you remember displacer beasts from D&D, those were actually based on the Couerl from the A. E. van Vogt story "Black Destroyer" from 1939.
The couerl appeared in one of Second Darkness' bestiaries as part of a one-time special arrangement with van Vogt's estate. The other one-time special appearance like this was Penny Arcade's Deepcrow*, also in Second Darkness. Neither creature is likely to be reprinted or mentioned anywhere else due to the nature of their licensing, but both were real treats to see and does make them a part of the Pathfinderverse. :)
(couerls also turned up in Final Fantasy and probably, by proxy through the displacer beast, inspired the Demon Cat** from Adventure Time)
*Speaking of strange creatures that would be appropriate for alien biospheres... Though one might want to "skin" it into something a bit mroe alien.
**Speaking again of creatures with visuals that could fit alien worlds. Though beings with obviously missing but still apparently functioning body parts might fit better on Aucturn...
Set |
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Could Castrovel, the planet itself or at least it's biosphere, actually be sentient? Perhaps it sees the humanoids and other fauna as useful tools for it's own purposes, influencing them during dreams or outright possessing them? The elves, being naturally...
That's an awesome idea. Perhaps each living creature on the world is a single cell in it's planet wide 'brain,' with a collective unconscious built up of the sum of their parts. The world itself would only be partially conscious, as we understand the concept, being, literally, a world away from any defintion of 'sentience' that we'd define, so it wouldn't be some scheming puppetmaster with an agenda, more of a reactive spirit of nature that exists within every living thing on Castrovel (although making it too much like 'Aya' from Avatar could be taking it too far into derivative territory, and making it anything at all like Force Midichlorians could leave to aesthetic revolt...).
Animals would provide lower level awareness than sentients, perhaps, and be easier to possess. Undead would be cut off from the planet wide network, and be a sort of cancer, like dead cells, or, in the case of places with lots of undead, tumorous growths that threaten the health of the worldmind.
Castrovel itself would be heavily influenced in personality by the 'spirit of the times,' and as cultures go to war, it becomes more aggressive and confrontational, with even the animal life becoming more vicious and unruly. During times of peace, the worldmind is contemplative, and great strides in cultural development / advancement / etc. are possible. A mass panic in a neigbouring region could 'psychically spill over' into adjacent lands (and also affect the local wildlife).
It's also possible that one or more races might be more or less in-tune with the worldmind. Perhaps Lashunta are very 'in-tune,' while Formians are very 'out of tune' and have their own invidual hive-minds that resist becoming part of the worldmind. To follow the brain metaphor, the Formians, if this is the case, could be equated with a parasitic infestation. Of course, not all infestations are bad for the organism, they could end up changing the nature of Castrovel in the way that gut bacteria colonized us and allowed us to switch from mostly carnivores to total omnivores, which led to agriculture and city-states and supermarkets and high fructose corn syrup and reality television.
(Well, not sure about that last one. It ran away from me.)
Set |
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*Speaking of strange creatures that would be appropriate for alien biospheres... Though one might want to "skin" it into something a bit mroe alien.
Plant / animal hybrids seem like an obvious fit for this world. 'Skinning' a kamadan to be an animal predator that is symbiotically linked with vine like growths on it's back that attack and poison its prey as it leaps upon them all big-cat-like could be one way to go.
Skulks could be humanoids who have been infested with a strange floral growth that changes their personalities after a short period of intense fever that not all survive (that tends to burn out their original memories and make them 'new people'), and also can change it's coloration, providing them with camouflage. They shed their clothing as they awaken, wanting every bit of their plant-covered (and now more resilient) skin to be exposed to sunlight and wind and water (which obviously facilitates their camouflage abilities), and become primitive but cunning hunters, nourishing their bodies by stalking, hunting and killing various creatures, some of whom might be members of their former species...
Erik Mona Publisher, Chief Creative Officer |
DM_aka_Dudemeister |
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Skull & Shackles made good use of a choker variant called the Vine Choker, its skin was bark like with small leaf like growths adding to the camouflage, it had a really awesome del Toro style image too.
Kingmaker had some wicked plants that communicated psychically (they appear in Blood for Blood in the Bestiary).
xidoraven |
Kamadans.... the only thing that could make this creature any more terrifying (save for laser guns) would be telepathy.... Oh, oops - on Castrovel, they seem to share a hive mind. Eep. :P
The world-mind is a great concept. I've wondered about that idea for a while now, in a more philosophical sense..... The world knows what you are trying to do to it, and it is about to make you reconsider your behaviors....... >.>
xidoraven |
And, you know what: we need that critter in the image on page 4 with stats.
I am dubbing it a Squargle. Monkey familiar, magical beast type, Int 5, with a prehensile tail, slower speed/Dex, telepathy 100 ft. in a few languages (no vocalizations, or simple "worbling" sounds - no mouth). I am also thinking they need a mind blast ability with a low save DC, which stuns opponents. Improved Familiar.
Erik Mona Publisher, Chief Creative Officer |
Dragon78 |
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Not all creatures on the planet will have psychic abilities, I am sure there will be plenty that have no psychic powers, will be resistant to psychic powers, or can counter or feed off of psychic powers.
Though it might not be a bad place for thought eaters and brain moles.
It would be nice to psychic plant creatures not just animals and humanoids.
I remember distant worlds mentioning beastmen, I wonder if it was just a term for the animal based humaniod races on the planet or a specific race.
Jeff Erwin Contributor |
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Mongrelmen could also be a substitute for beastmen.
Hmmm... though beastmen suggests something more Moreau-ian to me. Though if there is a disembodied psychic or planetary intelligence here, it could be "awakening" and "evolving" creatures. Perhaps the theme of uplift or even an adaptive biosphere that evolves at an accelerated rate could be explored here. Instead of being Castrovel's greatest threat, intelligence that evolved symbiotically with the pervasive psychic/psionic network could be an innate immune system. It could also explain how they show such variation, and if the elves are any example, are better at not destroying the ecology.
Mikaze |
Mikaze wrote:*Speaking of strange creatures that would be appropriate for alien biospheres... Though one might want to "skin" it into something a bit mroe alien.Plant / animal hybrids seem like an obvious fit for this world. 'Skinning' a kamadan to be an animal predator that is symbiotically linked with vine like growths on it's back that attack and poison its prey as it leaps upon them all big-cat-like could be one way to go.
Skulks could be humanoids who have been infested with a strange floral growth that changes their personalities after a short period of intense fever that not all survive (that tends to burn out their original memories and make them 'new people'), and also can change it's coloration, providing them with camouflage. They shed their clothing as they awaken, wanting every bit of their plant-covered (and now more resilient) skin to be exposed to sunlight and wind and water (which obviously facilitates their camouflage abilities), and become primitive but cunning hunters, nourishing their bodies by stalking, hunting and killing various creatures, some of whom might be members of their former species...
I really want Skulks in Castrovel now. Especially with their new look introduced in a recent PF adventure module. And this plant-based take really clicks.
Also, concerning the plant-transformation idea: Maybe moonflowers are a part of that cycle, or have evolved alongside it. Looking at how they reproduce, it's a lot more extreme than what you're suggesting but maybe it's connected to whatever evolutionary/magically maniuplated chain that produced your Skulks and similar plants that depend on infecting/transforming animal life.
William Ronald |
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Well, for inspirational reading, I would suggest Ursula K. LeGuin's
"The Word for World Is Forest" which reminds me a lot of the themes that we are talking bout Castrovel. The planet may have a consciousness, and manifest that in various ways. (Hmm, if the planet is a conscious and is self aware, is there a chance that Castrovel itself could count as a deity of sorts?)
Dragon78 |
Here some creatures from the Bestiary 4 that would fit Castrovel.
Barometz(though would have to change it to resemble a animal native here)
Bodythief
Boilborn
Drake, Mist
Hungry Flesh
Incutilis
Julunggali
Kaiju(at least one)
Kapre
Leaf Ray
Living Topiary(maybe)
Lorelei
Manitou
Mindslaver Mold
Mudlord
Myrmecoleon(could be a pet for Formians)
Nycar
Pard
Peluda
Sea Cats
Seaweed Siren
Vouivre
Weedwhip
Xanthos
Xenopterid
Yaoguai
Ypotryll
Zomok
I didn't mention any fey, animals, or vermin because any that are at home in Castrovel's environment would fit. Also we already know that the Formians and Selkies are found there as well.
LazarX |
Although there is absolutely no precedent for a connection between elves and the first world, I tend to think of elves as being fey-kin, the table here. Even though it doesn't necessarily have to be...
There's been a strong effort to make Pathfinder's elves a bit different from the standard TSR/WOTC motifs, and one of the changes made from the standard model was to remove the fey connection and give it to the gnomes. Which goes a long way to undo the damage Tracy and Hickman did to the latter race.
Dragon78 |
Creatures from Bestiary 3
Ahuizotl
Alraune
Ascomoid
Axe Beak
Bandersnatch
Brain Ooze
Carbuncle
Carnivorous Crystal
Catfolk
Cerebric Fungus
Dragonne
Drake, River
Flumph
Garden Ooze
Giant, Jungle
Grodair
Jubjub Bird
Kamadan
Leshy
Lukwata
Mobogo
Myceloid
Phantam Fungus
Popobala
Ratfolk
Sea Serpent, Deep
Spider Eater
Tatzlwyrm
Thriae
Tojanida
Troll, Moss
Troll Hound
Voonith
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Yithian
Zoog
Dragon78 |
Bestiary 2
Akata
Amoeba, Giant
Amphisbaena
Aurumvorax
Bat, Mobat
Carnivorous Blob
Catoblepas
Drake, Forest
Drake, Sea
Elementala(Lightning, Mud)
Giant, Marsh
Giant, Wood
Grick
Grippli
Krenshar
Leucrotta
Mihstu
Mongrelmen
Moonflower
Mu Spore
Phycomid
Quichwood
Reef Claw
Serpentfolk
Slime mold
Slurk
Tendriculos
Tentamort
Vampire Mist
Viper Vine
Water Orm
Worm that Walks
Xtabay
Yrthak
Dragon78 |
Not a lot of new info on Castrovel from People of the stars but here is what we do get.
-Mobats, moonflowers, and cerebric fungi are commonly found there.
-Resources would be bountiful flora and fauna, magic items, and psychic magic lore.
What we already know.
-Centipede ticks, elves, formians, isopods, lashunta, mountain eels, selkies, shota, sky fishers, and various mega fauna are common inhabitants.
-Areas of interest such as El, the colonies, etc.
-The planet's diameter, mass, gravity, orbit, and atmosphere.
The Pathfinder wiki also says that coeurl and ratfolk can be found there.
I also heard that catfolk could be found on castrovel but that was never confirmed.
jtlenz |
I'm relativley new to Pathfinder, but not RPG games. And I find Castrovel facinating. Before I found this thread I had decided to flesh out Castrovel myself. And to that extent, I thought bout the moldstorms. And from that made me think that fungul lifeforms would be rather common. But alas there isn't too many fungul monsters that I can find. I decide that the Mi-Go woyld be a factor on the planet. I also decided that abberations would be rather common too. By abberations I do mean the monster type....aka cloakers, faceless stalkers, etc. Which if one thinks bout the wild nature of the planet, and the fact that most jungles arine very shadey enivorments due to dense canopy, abberants seem to fit.
I also decided that the drow would be interesting touch. Since elves already are there, drow wouldn't be unreasonable. To that end I made a area of jungle where the flora is almost all black and is so dense ithe area is always dark. At noon the floor is as bright as a full moon night. Also in this area I decided would be a troglodyte empire the likes that is hinted at in the Bestariay troglodyte entry. Another kingdom in the Sable Jungle is the Mi-Go Hegemony. Now I have been toying with the idea of using a race from a older d20 game. A noctural primate race with a membrane that stretches from wrist to ankle.
Well that's my ideas for now for Castrovel. Any input be nice. Thanks
Drahliana Moonrunner |
Dragon78 wrote:I really hope this year coming up will have product(s) with some new info about Castrovel.I'd settle for some rules to help play Lashuntas: age categories, stats for ther giants lizards mounts, a racial archetype or two, and something to nuance the Sexual Dimorphism racial trait.
The last you already have in the racial modifiers given to the race. The dimorphism isn't that extreme beyond appearance... it's not one gender ruling another, nor is it a race of female super genius and males who can barely manage a syllable. It's considerably a lot less extreme than Pulp Venus.
Dragon78 |
They are still different enough that each gender could get it's own options.
Alternate racial traits or added racial abilities for house rules.
Male could get a +2 intimidate and/or +2 survival while females could get +2 diplomacy and/or +2 sense motive.
Females could proficiency with scimitars and tridents while males could get battle axes and war hammers.
Also there dimorphism in more then appearance, that's why they have different stat mods.
I would love an alternate racial trait that changes there stat mods.
Female- +2Int +2Cha -2Str
Males- +2Str +2Int -2Cha
Cruel Illusion |
Cruel Illusion wrote:The last you already have in the racial modifiers given to the race. The dimorphism isn't that extreme beyond appearance... it's not one gender ruling another, nor is it a race of female super genius and males who can barely manage a syllable. It's considerably a lot less extreme than Pulp Venus.Dragon78 wrote:I really hope this year coming up will have product(s) with some new info about Castrovel.I'd settle for some rules to help play Lashuntas: age categories, stats for ther giants lizards mounts, a racial archetype or two, and something to nuance the Sexual Dimorphism racial trait.
It's not so much about how exteme the dimorphism is, rather, it's about it being established as an absolute. There are strong,ugly men and pretty, delicate women. That's it. I'd like options for Lashuntas having strong women and pretty men, or for the existence of androgynous Lashuntas to allow for characters to exist beyond the stereotypes the race is based on.
Cole Deschain |
Cole, we have over 50 0HD races, that boat sailed long ago.
If I'm already carrying too much junk, that's no reason to add more, especially if the sole intent is "Like the Lashunta as written but slightly different."
Dragon78 |
I think Cruel Illusion wants more then just "slightly different". Besides I am sure there is a planet somewhere that has a race like what Cruel Illusion wants. I just don't want it be the Lashunta. If were going to make changes then start with the more common races like dwarves who don't drink and love to sing and dance. How about orcs who are peace loving and wise. How about some drow that don't worship fiends or evil deities and hate spiders. How about an evil type of halfling that lives in the darklands.
Cruel Illusion |
The fact that females are always attractive, lithe, and tall and the males are always strong, short, and hairy is not a stereotype but biological fact. If you want diversity then humans are the go to race.
Cole, we have over 50 0HD races, that boat sailed long ago.
There are not many 'always' in biology, especially when it comes to sex. There are maned lionesses and unmanned lions, there are roosters without big tail feathers, and many other such occurences.
As for in-game races, if we can have Witchborn Changelings or Kindred-Raised Half-elves, I don't see why Lashuntas couldn't have such an optional racial trait to allow some diversity.
It sure would be easier than finding a reason to play humans in a Castrovel campaign, just because you don't want all your male characters to look like Wolverine.
Dragon78 |
There might be a reason that the race is the way it is. It might be evolution, divine intervention, scientific experimentation, or something to do with the planet itself.
Just be glad male lashunta don't look apes like there pulp counter parts did.
If this is bothering you so much then talk to Sutter or Mr. Jacobs about it.
Drahliana Moonrunner |
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:It's not so much about how exteme the dimorphism is, rather, it's about it being established as an absolute. There are strong,ugly men and pretty, delicate women. That's it. I'd like options for Lashuntas having strong women and pretty men, or for the existence of androgynous Lashuntas to allow for characters to exist beyond the stereotypes the race is based on.Cruel Illusion wrote:The last you already have in the racial modifiers given to the race. The dimorphism isn't that extreme beyond appearance... it's not one gender ruling another, nor is it a race of female super genius and males who can barely manage a syllable. It's considerably a lot less extreme than Pulp Venus.Dragon78 wrote:I really hope this year coming up will have product(s) with some new info about Castrovel.I'd settle for some rules to help play Lashuntas: age categories, stats for ther giants lizards mounts, a racial archetype or two, and something to nuance the Sexual Dimorphism racial trait.
The presentation as given is a direct shoutout to the original space pulp adventure fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the like. That said, there is absolutely nothing preventing a DM from flavoring the fine details as he or she sees fit.
Cruel Illusion |
There might be a reason that the race is the way it is. It might be evolution, divine intervention, scientific experimentation, or something to do with the planet itself.
Just be glad male lashunta don't look apes like there pulp counter parts did.
If this is bothering you so much then talk to Sutter or Mr. Jacobs about it.
I never said it was bothering me, only that I hoped we could have more options thant what we have.
I'm not saying the Lashuntas shouldn't follow the venusian pulp archetype, just that it'd be nice if we could additionally have the possibility to create a character who doesn't fit this specific stereotype.
Having the option to play a dusk elf or an imperious human doesn't change the races as a whole. It merely adds the possibility to play a variation of the general theme.
Castrovel is a whole planet after all, and the Lashuntas are supposed to be the dominant sapient species there. There is no reason some populations couldn't have some local specificities or that some individuals couldn't demonstrate some peculiar traits.
Also, "be glad it's not worse" isn't a flattering way to speak about anything. :)
tbug |
Note also that Vudra claims to be the oldest human civilisation in Golarion (much like the Hindu tradition, actually), older than Azlant. And hit has half-elves, who, according to the old Campaign Setting book, had access to psionics.
We know there's an interplanetary gate from Qabarat to somewhere on Golarion (PF90 p. 80), but as far as I can tell we're given no hints as to the Cage-side location. If it's in Vudra then that could explain why there hasn't been any mention of it in an Inner Sea sourcebook.