RobF's page

Well, the OP was also interested in the Age of Worms.

In that case, beyond the notes on 124 I'd suggest some of the following:

Kyuss is replaced by one of the Lords of Dust. Unless he plays a direct role, he can be kept fairly vague in regards to stats.

Artificers find work in the mine region working as handymen. Repairing things, running forges, etc. The blacksmith is a good NPC to replace with a magewright, and an artificer could be an apprentice that exceeds his master.

I'd personally replace the Shadow with the Fury in the Triad. The Hextorites become Mockery devotees, the Shadow rules Vecna's Labyrinth, and the grimlocks worship the Fury.

That's all I can think of for now.

I'm pretty patient about these things. My group tends to move at a glacial pace, but they've managed to get all but the last room of the dungeon and are on their way to the farmhouse. from there, the tower shouldn't take too long, so it'd be nice if it could be completed before my next game. Not sure when that would be, since because of work we're on a variable schedule.

He got them through Balabar Smenk. Balabar has the wealth necessary to procure whatever Filge needs in his research, which is why they have such a great working relationship

Ants.

I hate ants. The way they seem to move in a random pattern, but with an underlying order. They are individual creatures, but guided by an inscrutible intelligence that science is only beginning to understand. They commit all the atrocities of man: slavery, genocide, war, environmental devastation...only on a much smaller scale.

Formians, therefore, are the ultimate in cosmic horror to me. Particularly taskmasters. The way I see it, when a formian taskmaster uses his dominate ability on you, he doesn't just control you. He erases you. Your will is sublimated to the Hive. You have no thoughts of your own, no existence beyond serving the Hive.

*shudders thinking about it*

Actually, forms of intravenous infusions were used as early as 1670. 1853 was when the first true syringe was invented. Since I run in Eberron where the technology level is much higher than other fantasy worlds, 1853 seems fully within the limits.

Really? I don't see where it says that. It would be quite a departure from the standard potion rules.

DMG, pg 229: "The drinker of a potion is both the effective target and the caster of the effect."

PHB, pg 215:
"Cure Light Wounds
...
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
...
"

PHB, pg 235
"Ghoul Touch
...
Range: Touch
Target: Living humanoid touched
..."

So, other than the effects, both are delivered in the same way. A potion of cure would harm an undead if it were to drink it. Likewise, a potion of inflict would heal the undead but harm the living. So there is precedent for harmful potions as well, just they're not particularly common.

Also, note that the syringes specifically say they make it possible to deliver potions to unwilling targets. It seems perfectly in line with Filge's character to create a potion that can paralyse a target.

RobF wrote:

It's even obliquely suggested that it might be used that way, particularly by the potion of ghoul touch which would act as a paralytic agent.

The way I understand it, the Ghoul Touch necroturgeon would act on its recipient as if the recipient had cast Ghoul Touch, i.e. giving the recipient a paralyzing touch attack.

Nope. Otherwise a potion of cure would allow you to make a melee touch attack to cure someone. The imbiber is both the caster and the target.

Good point about overcoming DR, but the problem with making it a touch attack is it then ignores plate mail and even the thickest natural armor. That's a bit silly to me.

While I think it's really cool and thematic that Filge uses syringes for his potions, I realized that there's an unexplored potential there for offensive potion use. It's even obliquely suggested that it might be used that way, particularly by the potion of ghoul touch which would act as a paralytic agent.

However, there is no system for using a syringe in this way. My idea is to treat it as a melee piercing attack. It does 0 damage, but is treated as if it did 1+str for purposes of overcoming DR. If it manages to hit and overcome DR, then you can inject the potion as a free action.

I could see many evil applications of this technology.

The way I see it, a city this gritty and corrupt could be run one of two ways: Sin City or Ankh-Morpork.

Sin City would be if I wanted to emphasize the utter squalor and destitution of the city, and how the Age of Worms might end up being a good thing, devouring the diseased flesh of the city like maggots on a gangrenous wound.

Ankh-Morpork would be more if I wanted to emphasize the sheer over-the-topness of the city. Reading the description of some areas, like the Whirling Giantess and the old observatory with its rotating cast of mad wizards, I couldn't help but think of Discworld. The lake even reminds me of the Ankh river.

Which do you think is more appropriate to the tone of the series, or do you think it would be somewhere in between?