Anticipation! It's like being a kid on Christmas eve, unable to go to sleep because soon there will be .
I eagerly await unwrapping some inspired adventures! This weekend will be a long one ;)
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Sorry for the delay! Here are some answers/rambling responses to your concerns: Background:
There is too much background info for this encounter. My error: I was writing as if this would be a module, not a single encounter, so I put in extraneous information that—while it may (or may not) be interesting—doesn’t contribute significantly to the encounter. Reining myself in and learning to edit mercilessly are skills I need to develop. Map Choice/Encounter Overview:
When examining the three maps for the first time, I gravitated toward the bridge map—it seemed to be the most adaptable to a variety of encounters. I ultimately chose the dungeon map since it better suited my location idea (subterranean laboratory).
The name of the encounter is a bit ornate, isn’t it? I wasn’t sure if it was evocative or overdone, but it appears to be the latter. When I was designing the encounter, a tiny voice (in the section of my brain I shall now call the “Spicer Region”) told me to go for the final, BBEG encounter. I didn’t listen, and see where that got me? :) I agree that the encounter doesn’t provide the PCs with many options besides: kill enemies or sneak past (and I doubt many players would choose the second option). Of the enemies I included, I’m pretty happy with the skinstitch and the snake swarm (both thematically and as forces to challenge the PCs). The shadow, well…I should never have included it (not in this encounter, at least). I’ll write more about Turlik in his own spoiler section, but suffice it to say, he is woefully underpowered. Turlik:
Alas, poor Turlik! The PCs never knew him (they were too busy killing him in one round ;)
I like the idea behind Turlik (and I think several of you did as well), but his CR and tactics leave much to be desired. Ditching the shadow would allow Turlik to be a higher level—that would be the simplest fix, allowing him to survive long enough to make an impression (and possibly be interrogated or tricked into providing information). One reason I included the shadow was to show how the researchers bullied Turlik. I didn’t show, however. I told. GMs reading the encounter would get it, but there’s no reason PCs (or players) would. Besides, the skinstitch’s presence should disturb Turlik more than a shadow (after all, the skinstitch is a grisly reminder of the price for failure/incompetence). A more-challenging Turlik might get away with the tactics I presented, but, as written, I agree it makes little sense. As far as making hand of the acolyte attacks through the arrow slit…I never thought of that. I assumed he would stand in the doorway at the top of the stairs in order to attack. I don’t think an arrow slit would be big enough to attack through (especially with a warhammer). The arrow slit is a holdover from an earlier iteration involving an archer, though I left it in because it seemed logical to have a place to watch the entrance from improved cover. Since Turlik isn’t too bright—and has a chip on his shoulder that could encourage foolish bravery—he might attack invaders rather than immediately fleeing to warn others (or noting PC tactics/abilities, then fleeing, as a smart guard would do). He’s definitely wise enough, however, to quickly realize he’s overmatched, so I think he would flee after one round of combat. This assumes he survives one round, which (as you have stated) he probably wouldn’t at his current CR. * * * As with my kravyad follow-up, I’m sure I could ramble on further if I let myself. I hope this clears up a few issues you had. I doubt I answered or responded to all of your concerns, so if you want more clarification, please let me know. Thank you again for taking time to read and comment! And thank you for helping me grow as a designer—some lessons are tough to learn, and I know I have a long way to go, but I truly appreciate your feedback and support!
p.s., I will respond to your encounter comments soon (the next couple of days). ~Bill~
Thanks to everyone who commented on the Laboratory (and my previous entries)—your feedback and kind words are much appreciated! I am sincerely grateful to have been a part of RPG Superstar. I want to thank Paizo, the judges, my fellow competitors, and—of course—voters who have supported me throughout the contest.
Once again, Thank You!!
Congratulations, Top Four!
Congratulations, Top 4! It's been an honor competing with you, and—though I'm sad this is the end of my Superstar journey—I'm glad (and excited!) for each of you :) Thank you, everyone, for your feedback and support throughout the competition! I'm proud to have been a part of this contest and plan to continue learning, growing, and developing my design skills. Again, congratulations, good luck, and I look forward to seeing your entries! ~Bill~
Thank you :) I really like your idea for reworking the immolation ability!!
There's still drive-in theaters?! AWESOME!! Agreed! PDK made me curious, so I checked online and, sure enough, there's a drive-in theater near(ish) to me! Why am I just learning this?!
A ton o' nuns = a double-edged sword. Once released, they continue rampaging à la the Tarrasque until banished or otherwise defeated. IHIYC soon learns this, when the 2d6 nun swarms turn their dreadful attention to him/her. Corporal nun-ishment ensues. And IHIYC's death... eventually.
The capital of Azerbaijan—Baku—is:
Thank you for your time and feedback, judges! I will be happy to respond to questions when playtesting/voting ends. ~Bill~
Shernethion: The Runelord of Sloths. No, not ''Sloth", "Sloths".
She was never defeated by her fellow Runelords, but fell into a particularly deep sleep and hasn't woken for the past 10,000+ years. Wise folk dread (?) the day she rises again...blinks for a couple of seconds, yawns cu-u-utely, then goes back to sleep. * Ytilbephyne:
Yes... I might be a necromancer in real-life if granted magical powers. If I don't survive this round, would you mind turning me into an undead creature? Something cool, like a juju zombie or wrai—wraith! I call dibs on being a wraith! I assume you can cast greater create undead, right? Oops, I mean, if you had magical powers. *wink, wink*
Hehe, what a crappy Bluff check ;)
By making a successful Bluff check ( ), I distract Sissyl and switch our coffees.
Luckily for me, Humperdinck (via The Machine) kills Sissyl later. Mostly, anyway.
I fill a bucket with fire-resistant Tribble-rot grub hybrids (Rot Grubbles? Fraggle Rots?) and dump them on Molten Dragon. My scheme appears foiled when his/her damage reduction prevents infestation, but I was unaware of Molten Dragon's secret weakness... The ever-growing, squirming mass of fuzzy purr-asites soon overwhelm Molten Dragon, whose manic giggling suddenly stops... forever. Cause of death: Ticklishness. (or maybe vulnerability to furries, I'm not entirely sure).
Anyone else have the feeling that somewhere, someone out there is judging you? Multiple someones, each with a bevy of spell-like abilities: at will—aid, bestow insight, guidance, helping hand, locate weakness, suggestion3/entry (more or less)—clairannoyance, cone of scold, endure bad design elements, magic circle against flaw, passwalloftext 1/entry—antipathy, sympathy, or power word meh ;)
Nudleismstein: To understand this word, you must break it down into its components:
Flumdurp:
Now that I’ve submitted my encounter for Round 4—and took last night off to vegetate—I’m back to give some answers/feedback concerning the kravyad. I will post these in the form of spoilers to save space and make it easier if you’re looking for a specific topic. Name:
A couple of years ago, while searching the internet for gaming inspiration, I discovered a kravyad article (probably on a mythology website) and scribbled ideas in one of my notebooks. I loved the concept of a sentient, flesh-eating funeral pyre (my take on the “destructive aspect of Agni” version of kravyad), so that became the framework guiding my monster design. The rakshasa connection also intrigued me, but didn’t think it fit with my critter concept, so I went a different route.
As for pronunciation…I don’t know how to pronounce the real-world word (and couldn’t find out from a casual search), but I go with: KRAH-veh-YAWD. Formatting Fumble:
Separating elements of the monster (esp. the howl of hungry flames and immolation abilities) onto multiple lines helped me organize my ideas during the creation process.
Unfortunately, I was careless and didn’t correct these carriage returns before submitting the monster. I’ll try to be
now on ;) “Fire Bear”:
Hehe ;) Now that several of you have pointed this out, I see that the kravyad could be a little weirder/more unique in description and abilities to keep it from being pigeonholed as a Fire Bear.
My original concept was closer to a giant wolverine (the wolverine’s scientific name, Gulo gulo, comes from the Latin word for gluttony), but I thought that describing the kravyad as “wolverine-like” or “mustelid” in the flavor text would be awkward. I went with “ursine” instead, since a bearish kravyad also seemed appropriate. Additionally, I picture a kravyad’s face to have bulging eyes, exaggerated tusks, and a manic appearance similar to some Balinese demon masks, though less humanoid. I think that the major issue may be the “fire” part of the “Fire Bear”—the kravyad’s description and abilities are narrowly-focused. During the creation process, I often struggled to design a suite of abilities for the kravyad that: worked together, made sense, fit the creature concept and CR, *and* seemed fresh (before the competition, I had no idea how hard trying to do this would be). I knew I wanted fire-based abilities (to fit my “sentient, flesh-eating funeral pyre” concept), but I also wanted abilities that would fit an eternally-gluttonous monster. Did I make a cohesive set of abilities? I think so. Are they too limited/concentrated on fire? Quite possibly. The kravyad is a decent creature (in my opinion), but it may not have been the *best* choice to showcase Superstar-level imagination. Still, I’m glad enough of you liked it to give me a shot. Thank you :) Burning Spittle:
After reading your feedback, I agree that this ability should require a standard action to use. I was trying to cram too many actions into one round :P I am happy I gave the kravyad a ranged attack so it had options besides straight-up melee combat.
Originally, I gave the kravyad a breath weapon that dealt fire damage (with those failing their Reflex saves catching on fire) and created a temporary cloud of smoke & ashes. Eventually I ditched the breath weapon since it felt too dragon-y (and I was already pushing the word count). Howl of Hungry Flames:
This was the centerpiece of my design—an ability that played off of the other abilities while doing something (hopefully) splashy and new. The howl ability directly influenced (and restricted) the design of the other abilities, and sometimes I wonder if I was too attached to it. Overall, however, I’m pretty happy with it, though the wording might be clearer (and I’d correct the combat maneuver defense capitalization error, of course).
does it drag everything in range closer as much as it can or is it more selective? I think a kravyad, being nearly insane with hunger, would want to get everyone as close as possible to gobble up. Though somewhat intelligent (and with above-average Wisdom), a kravyad doesn’t favor clever tactics or practical concerns. It’s more like, “Mmm, tasty meat! Get in mah belly!” Immolation:
Possibly the ability causing the most concern, according to your comments. It does seem overpowered (especially if the kravyad is paired with other fire-wielding enemies). The process behind this ability’s creation is long and frustrating…I’ll try to explain without giving myself (or you) a headache:
Okay, I had the “sentient, flesh-eating funeral pyre” concept and the Howl ability pretty much set. I knew I needed a way for the kravyad to catch people on fire, so at first I just gave it the burn universal monster ability. This seemed logical, but didn’t work at range (so it wouldn’t enable the howl ability) and made the kravyad too similar to a fire elemental. Next, I gave the kravyad a breath weapon. That didn’t work (as I explained in the burning spittle section). A gaze attack that caused people to catch on fire? Maybe…but I wasn’t sure that fit (I’m interested to know your opinions, however). Eventually, I created the immolation aura, which (via ranged burning spittle attacks) would help the howl ability work as planned. It’s far from perfect and could probably be revised. Possible solutions:
The one bit I think is missing is for the immolation ability how it interacts with objects. It seems a bit weird that creatures catch fire, but oil soaked straw wouldn’t. I see your point. I suppose I could change the wording to “When any creature or object within 30 feet…”. This would make the immolation aura even more powerful, however, so another solution might be better. Damage Output:
A kravyad does a lot of damage, which was intentional: I wanted it to be a brute. I thought that it would be okay if fire damage nudged the kravyad’s damage output over the limit a bit, since fire is (in my experience) the most common type of energy damage, and the type PCs often have resistance to. Parties without fire protection could be toast, however, so maybe the damage output is too high…Oh well, more food for the kravyad ;) I could go on an on if I had more time (and were a faster writer), but I think I’ll stop. Please excuse me if I failed to address your concerns—feel free to PM me and I’ll try my best to respond.
of Gallagher, his
Just submitted my encounter. Now I'm taking the rest of the night off—anxiety, dread, and those inevitable would'a-could'a-should'as will have to wait until tomorrow.
I'm honored you chose to keep me in this competition—Thank You! My responses to your feedback from the monster round will have to wait until Friday—I really need to buckle down and work on my encounter entry. Sorry for the delay, and thank you for your patience!
Thank you so much—voters, judges, and all who provided feedback (even, and maybe especially, those without mercy ;)—I could not have gotten this far without your support and advice. Congratulations to my fellow Top 8'ers (Taters?)! And, to those who didn't make it, I want to say: It's been an honor competing with you. I'm proud to have such creative and intelligent peers; I think you are all amazing. Now...off to finish my encounter. Stress level: Magenta. ~Bill~
Yellow Sign on
KahnyaGnorc has 83 teeth. ..and only one is in his/her mouth. ...but that one is, like, two inches long, so there's that.
Ouch! Sorry to hear you're sick (esp. gastroenteritis), that really sucks.
IHIYC draws spiritual sustenance from each false factoid we deliver. As this (unholy) thread grows larger, IHIYC grows more powerful, more insidious, and more likely to achieve apotheosis.
I just discovered this thread—so many interesting facts/discussions! L-L-Love it! "My" contribution:
(I love the linked website for its cool trivia and puzzles. Please excuse me if it's been mentioned here before.)
hehe, yes :)
My corpse clogs up the steamboat's paddle wheel, setting in motion a calamitous mechanical malfunction. The steamboat—with IHIYC on board—soon explodes in a bloom (carnation?) of orange flame.
However, it's—technically—not a humanoid (it's undead).
I use a scroll of lesser planar ally to call a fiendish chupacabra, then train the creature to hum the Thrune coronation anthem while gargling goat guts. Then... I use my assassin's death attack ability against GoatToucher while the fiendish chupacabra distracts him/her with the aforementioned humming routine.
That's what I meant. After looking up grappling in the PRD, that is :)
I'm Hiding In Your Closet can—in reality—only hide in wardrobes.
Hue? Probably greenish-gray ;)
Yeah, I think the intention was that a crawling hand would have the "holding power*" of a hand attached to a humanoid. Leverage doesn't really apply in this case... (disregard logic) *actually, a crawling hand has greater-than-average "holding power". Not only can it grab a Medium creature, it can grapple with only one hand.
Well... a grappled creature cannot move, so I believe the PC in question would be held in place. A crawling hand does have a Strength of 13, so it's not inconceivable.
HERESY!!!
So...how ya holdin' up? Was it okay? Recommendation? Or recommendation't?
Ha! Two left hands! [performs sinister shadow puppet play] IHIYC is banned for Rakshasa bias (shame on you! We're people-ish, too).
* Which, basically, means that elves are perfect for becoming undead... I used to think that the likelihood of an elf seeking lichhood (lichdom?) was extremely unlikely, due to elven longevity. But now, due to my personal relationship with aging, I change my outlook. No matter the lifespan, I think intelligent beings desire more...more!...MORE!! Um, er, I'm not suggesting that I, personally, am considering lich-hood-dom...
It's not worth seeing SGU, or rather it's worth seeing only the second half of season 2 of SGU.And—not to go too far off topic—I really need to watch Stargate: Atlantis (finished SG-1, but never went further).do it.... you can marathon it because it ended ad kind of chose a decent spot to end... the only question is whether SGU is worth watching afterwards. Sorry about the late reply (and brief off-topicalness...off-topicality?). I'm actually re-watching the later seasons of SG-1 right now. When I finish, I plan on watching SG-Atlantis. Haven't even considered SG-U yet...is it really that bad?
equinoxmaster is banned because I just saw Jayne (from Firefly) in a Stargate SG-1 episode. Connection? I don't know. Banned nonetheless.
sub-butler. A vortex
Aww, you could've had a prismatic wedding ;) (Congratulations!, by the way)
Good advice, thank you! I must admit, I've had to grow thicker skin* over the course of this competition—but I realize this is a good thing! Feedback so far has usually been helpful, rarely been sugar-coated, and occasionally (especially in the current round ;) been brutally honest. I hope to learn from this experience. *my natural armor bonus is now at least +2
Tatalia: A gossiping potato-scrubber. Hiqwarth
Fnoringas: When someone in a group farts, the group may politely attempt to ignore the gaseous emission to prevent embarrassing the perpetrator. Occasionally, however, the fart is too overwhelming/noxious to overlook. The result is fnoringas. Yarmwollops
Thank you, Judges, for your feedback. I will be happy to answer questions after the voting session ends. ~Bill~
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