Taisper Stozs's page

I'm currently involved a bunch of BBEG battles while simultaneously prepping to run an 8-player lvl 20 adventure at GenCon, and so I'm thinking about the ever-popular "kill the boss" type of fight. Wanted to collect any ideas others may have and share my own. I know this is a perennial topic and thread, but eh.

TIP: BBEGs always get killed faster than you think. It's obvious if you think about it; the BBEG always appears bigger, faster, meaner, etc. (hence the BB part of their name) than any other enemy, or just as often they're the only enemy, so the PCs don't hesitate to unload dailies, pull out that potion they've been saving, try crazy stunts (and inevitably roll a nat 20), etc. It's the main reason I never mind OPing a boss.

It is the best vacation you have ever been on.

You were dubious when you got the message, and you had your reasons; nobody ever gets anything for free, and especially not now. Airfare? Train tickets? Who the hell takes the train in this day and age? And since when did the NEG start mandating "mental health" breaks for workers. But nonetheless, the tickets came, the day came, and off you went. The flight was without hitch, and the stupid train was actually a really nice way to get across the countryside, if rather slow. Even though you have the means to have done something like this yourself, it always feels good to get a freebie, and it's even better when the freebie turns out not to be a pile of b#*%+@*$ from some huckster.

So it is you find yourself in the town of N'Guigmi, on the north end of Lake Chad in north-central Africa, in what used to be Niger. It's perhaps one of the "safest" places in the world to be, right now, in relation to where the Bugs and Kaos Kids are, and the Dagonites haven't even made it up the coast yet much less made their way here. Weather pattern changes have helped push the lake's shores out, once again placing the city directly on the water, and those same weather changes have helped local businesses and increased the salt and textile trade. Indeed, the locals here seem expansive and friendly, always quick with a joke or to buy a drink; the sure sign of an economy on the rise, a nameless but pervasive optimism.

The resort at which you have been placed is modestly-sized but very well-placed; golf courses are a short walk away, there are go-kart tracks, themed bars, karaoke and dance and comedy clubs, brothels, casinos, a futbol stadium, F1 track, theaters, galleries, restaurants...the whole shebang. You weren't given any money for this trip, but you can handle that part on your own; room and breakfast is covered by your hotel reservations, and for the whole week!

You arrived Sunday morning, checked in at 3:00 in the afternoon. Your plane home leaves Saturday evening at 6:00. It is currently 42 degrees celsius at 10:00AM on Tuesday the 14th, 2086, with extremely low humidity. A dry heat. The sky above is clear and almost painfully blue. Another fine start to what is sure to be another terrific day on the best vacation you have ever had.

Please take a moment to describe your appearance and post how it is you are starting your day today on this surprise vacation. You are all at the same hotel. You do not know each other, though it is quite possible the various pilots amongst you might recognize kin. The engel pilots in particular would stand out due to their Interfaces.

Alright, here's the OOC for our Cthulhu Tech PBP. So far we have:
Dies Irae
Ioimprevisto
Corerue
Havoc xiii/Cyra xiii

Let's take a bit of time here to finish any last bits that need finishing. Anyone have any further questions for me?

I'll be doing the startup post tomorrow afternoon, so try to make sure you have your profiles ready to go ASAP. :-)

Hey there! Looking to start up a Cthulhu Tech PBP campaign here on the boards, anyone interested? I've been GMing lots of things for a fair while, mostly IRL but now PBP, too. Here are links to the three PBPs that I am running that are all currently active, been running for just about year each, and all have well more than 2,000 posts each. Please read at least a bit of these to get a feel for how I run things so you can make sure I'm your kind of GM before posting a character concept to this LFP.

My PBPs:
The Legacy of Marianasu
The Seer's Journey
Mists of War

Cthulhu Tech, for those who don't know, is a mashup of Mythos, Mecha, Magic and Monsters. Combat system is ablative, everything runs on d10s, attributes are point buy. I like my PCs to be epic so I'll up the point buy and equipment a bit to reflect that. All classes are welcome. You can find out more about the game and download a free quickstart pdf at the game's website.

Looking for five players (or so). New players are welcome, but must be prepared to submit IC post samples. Veterans please link to post history so I can gauge the quality/quantity of your posting. I need players who can post once a day, minimum, and can interact well with the group. While all character concepts are of course welcome, I should note that I'm not fond of -- well let's be honest; I am predisposed against -- the "I hide darkly in the dark shadows with my dark dark soul and try to out-badass everybody in the dark" batman-wannabe PC.

Oh! Another thing. This campaign will run parallel to an IRL CT campaign I'm starting up in a few weeks. In addition to the three Pathfinder PBPs linked above, I also run 3 IRL Pathfinder games, and all six games happen parallel to each other in the same homebrew world, and all the PCs actions affect all the other PCs. IRL and PBP groups interact with each other, there are thread crossovers, etc. Personally I think that's fun, dunno if it's your thing. It doesn't happen like every week or whatever, of course, but I find it to be a nice way to kinda shake things up once in a while.

Players in all my current games are welcome and encouraged to submit character concepts if they're interested.

As the title asks: Does aura of courage make a Paladin immune to the intimidate skill? I know in the description it says "fear effects, magic or otherwise", but Intimidate is a skill, not an effect, yes? It seems weird to me that a class would be completely immune to a skill as of just 3rd level. That'd be like if rogues got a talent that meant their disguises could never be seen through as of just third level, or something like that.

Starting this thread to have a place for my IRL groups to do super-heavy RP stuff they don't want to rock at the table for fear of bogging things down. It's polite!

First things first. Just so it's all in one place:

SiegOshagairea, a Fetchling Ninja from the plane of Shadows, and Rose's husband.
RoseOshagairea, an Allurin Samurai in the Palace Guard in the Inner City, and Sieg's Wife
DavethAshvale, a Half-Fiend Rogue from parts unknown
KyrasErodel, a Human Power-Word Sorcerer from Warbane
TokineNagano, a Human Cleric of Shelyn and Curator of the Imperial Temple of Cultural Exchange, from Lanzhu, in the Empire
ShanChongde, a Human Magus Samurai, also in the Palace Guard in the Inner City
ShotoImuri, a Human Samurai and Ninja, businessman, and scion of the noble Shoto family, from Lanzhu, in the Empire

The map, and what you know about the world in general.

There are many stories about the mists.

Some say they are the remains of a mighty war between the original inhabitants of this land and a fierce lord of the Water Plane, the defeated elementals now unable to leave the Material Plane but also unable to coalesce, forever doomed to rise and fall at the whims of the winds.

Others say the mists are the tortured souls of those killed by the weapons manufactured and sold around The Land by the Enhathladi, the Empire's brutal elven neighbors to the north.

The mists have been mistaken by some for benign wisps of the fey, curious zephyrs so enamored of mortalkind they disguise themselves -- barely -- as mists so they can cavort openly amongst the residents of the Empire as they go about their business.

Perhaps most popular is the legend that states the mists are all that's left of the denizens of the Old Land, that wasteland of Tane and Fey and Saur that lies immediately west of the Empire, and which is as responsible for the slow trickle of trade and cultural exchange that passes for relations between the Empire and all of the west as anything else might be. It is thought that originally, in time long past remembering, all the ley lines in The Land were contained in the Old Land, but that some catastrophe befell that place and the ley lines were loosed, and all the Wild Magic along with them, to forever change The Land; to ruin its weather and terrain and rock and soil, its inhabitants and enemies and seasons forever changed and changing due to the arcane power of those primal walls of magical force.

As was said; there are stories.

The first thing visitors notice about the mists is that they smell differently at different times, in different places. Sometimes rosewater and jasmine, other times a delightful tea, sometimes steel and blood and stone, still others plum blossoms. Some gaijin have tried to document the shifting of the mists, hoping to deduce some reason for it, or infer some celestial pattern from it. Always have their efforts been in vain, but still they try. Gaijin do that sort of thing.

While an actual phenomena, the mists are metaphorical as well. They describe the endless swirl and shroud of politics and intrigue that masks intent and meaning between businessmen and politicians and warriors and citizens. Everyone, it is a well-known fact, has their angle on things. From the huge and well-off Artists' District to the Univeristy District, from the Inner City, where the palace lay, out to the Market District and the smaller Focus Schools and the Residences. In all these places the citizens of the Empire watch as their fortunes rise and fall and fade and draw, and cannot help but see in the mists mirrored patterns of their own lives.

Being cut off from the west by the impassable Great Trackless Woods to the north, the lethal land of Enhathlad to the north and northwest, and the ruined and terrifying Old Land to the west and south, the Empire has been largely free of strife, pace the odd dynastic scuffle or familial rivaly, and as such has been free to pursue the perfection of the Mortal Arts; painting, music, dance, architecture, writing and poetry, swordsmanship and martial mastery and theater, gardening and landscaping. If there is a territory in all The Land more beloved to Shelyn than the Empire, well, that would certainly be a place to see.

So it comes to pass that tidings of war have reached the ear of the Empire, the Empire, which is used to such tidings and used to ignoring them. This time, however, the messages and terrified whispers from the west are more urgent, the stakes said to be higher. Agents of the Emperor leave and do not return, their fate unknown. Wizards speak of terrible arcane disturbances, the mists smell of swampgas and dead things, the people are on edge. It is of some concern, then, though little surprise, that three groups of Gaijin have arrived in Lanzhu, all arrayed and caparisoned in ways too fantastic to believe: One group, it is said, came on horseback, and are led by an elven princess too beautiful to be believed but of such poor stature and manners her claims to royalty must surely be false. She travels with brigands.

The second group is obviously very noble. They are clad in fine armor the color of blackest obsidian with gilt piping and they carry weapons of exotic build and obvious quality. They came on exotic flying beasts of tremendous power and acumen; Western Dragons (not True Dragons, who everyone knows are long and slim and elegant) whose very jaws drip acid and whose eyes glow green with arcane power and intelligence. Their leader is also a beautiful elven woman, nearly as much so as the supposed princess but possessed of much more elegant bearing and perfect manners, clad in flowing fabrics of the finest silk and most modestly flattering cut. The seamstresses already seek to copy her gown for the coming dance season and Arts Festival.

The third group are zealots of some sort, and are treated with barely disguised contempt by most of the palace staff. Clad in ostentatious silver plate mail emblazoned with a crude western longsword and capped by a gaudy crimson shoulder-cape, these gaijin have come with the worst manners, pleading their case before even their feet hit the ground off the back of their silver Western Dragon, itself as guady and strident in appearance and word as the gaijin who rode in on its inelegant back.

This information all finds its way out of the Inner City and into the mouths and ears of the gossips, and so makes its way around the Empire. Of equal worth to those who speak of such things is this tidbit; Tokine Nagano, the Flower of Culture, Curator of the Imperial Temple of Cultural Exchange has herself been summoned to the Inner City tonight by no less authority than First Governor Li Fang. It is also said that many noble houses will have representatives at this meeting, including the enormously popular and impetuous, the talented and charismatic Shoto Imuri, who in stature is challenged only by the crushingly beautiful Sira Zhiongzhe, eldest daughter of Clan Sira, succesful merchants and explorers. These people all are summoned to a trio of audiences. Over three days, each group of gaijin will be allowed to speak with the First Governor and the Council, with the observers in the gallery, and state their business in the empire, why they have all come at once, and what it is they seek.

Please begin with a paragraph describing how it is you awake, and what you are doing on this fine morning.

Shan, check your profile. Shows you as having 3 HP? Also, need to get your spells and untrained skills up when you get a chance. Basically just go over it with a fine-tooth comb. I know Kyras said he's gotta do the same, and Rose is finishing up as well, this is all part of why we'll start on Monday. Wanna give you all a couple days to finalize. :-)

I have a homebrew world called The Explored Land in which I'm currently running two separate parallel in-person campaigns involving 8 players in two different groups (one party of 5, one of 3). I'm also running two PBPs here on the boards (one of 6 players, one of 5), about which more later, and I'd like to start a third to explore another storyline I have going on. All these campaigns will affect each other; things you do in-game will have a direct effect on all the other players, and vice-versa. So if you, say, cause a volcanic eruption, the resulting ash storm may impede one of the other parties' progress. If they kill a major NPC that you were supposed to seek out, then you're out of luck and will have to find an alternate contact. That sort of thing.

About the world; I use Pathfinder rules, and I use the Golarion pantheon of gods. This is a high-magic, epic world so expect lots of magic items and artifacts. There are no firearms. (Sorry, gunmages.) I lifted a couple things wholesale from the Adventure Path, so you may find yourself interfacing with NPCs or entering cities (e.g., Katapesh is on the map) from that setting, but I try to keep it to a minimum. The map is intended to be as close to 100% homebrew as possible.

I'm very open about what race/class you use, so SGG stuff, Dorkistan stuff, APG, etc. are all fair game. (Most) playtests also welcome. Just check with me if you have any questions.

The Campaign:
This campaign will be starting out in the far eastern land of The Empire of Mists, which you can imagine as being like a mashup of feudal China and Japan. Samurai, ninja, ronin, emperors, geisha, eastern dragons, fox spirits, oni, etc. You get the idea. The beginnings of the adventure will be more political, with some heavier RP, but will get into combat and a long overland campaign eventually. If someone would like to play a Time Thief or Master Spy, that would be amazing and a perfect fit.

Characters:
For this campaign, all characters will start at 6th level. I already have two players picked, one is a Samurai and one a Ninja, both playtesting the classes from Ultimate Combat, and I'm looking for three more PCs. I'd really like to get one more Samurai, but unless you've got a ridiculously awesome build, I think one ninja is enough.

Starting wealth is 20,000gp. All items must come out of this balance. You may spend no more than 5,000 gold on any one item. If something is on the cusp, but it's super cool, check with me and we'll see about making it happen.

Attribute rolls: In short, I want my PCs to be epic, and my rules for attributes reflect that.

For each attribute, roll 4d6, dropping the lowest die. If you rolled less than a 7, re-roll, i.e., 7 is my minimum allowed attribute score.

In addition, roll 7 attribute scores and drop the lowest. Assign attribute scores as you will.

Alternately, you may employ "epic rules" and roll 1d3+15 for any attribute
you choose, BUT for every attribute you roll this way, you must roll
one other attribute as 1d10+6. So let's say you're rolling a
sorcerer(ess). You would probably want to roll 1d3+15 for your
charisma, and then take 1d10+6 for maybe strength or dex, leaving your
other attributes as standard rolls. You get the idea.

Hero Points: Everyone starts with 1 hero point per level (so, 6 total) and I use the full APG rules, so +8 on any d20 roll if spent before the roll, +4 if spent after, and they can be used to pull all kinds of stunts, depending on the situation, and at GM's discretion. I'm a big fan of PCs attempting to pull off ridiculous and epic stunts, just make sure you have the skills/attributes to back it up. :-)

Interested?
Cool! First: Please please please please please take a bit of time to read over the other two games I'm GMing to make sure you like my rules-light "epic OP craziness abounds" style of play, since I'm pretty sure it's not for everyone:
The Seer's Journey
The Legacy of Marianasu

Second: take a look at the map and read the 'what you know about the world' documents that are in this folder. All characters will be from The Empire of Mists for this campaign so that'll make one choice easy, anyway, but there will be some answers for you about how things are in The Explored Land.

I'm a pretty [hyper]active GM, so I'm gonna need people who can commit to fairly regular posting, like ideally a couple a day. If this sounds like something you might be intersted in, please leave a description of your proposed character build here, as complete as you can get it.

Also, if you have a posting history, I would like to see links to other games you're in or GMing, so I can get a feel for your writing style and posting frequency. I'm not super uptight about grammar, etc. -- I value enthusiasm and cool ideas over precision -- but I do need to at least be able to understand your writing and, as said earlier, see that you commit to regular posting.

Anyone who's already playing in one of my other games, if you have comments for people about things you like/dislike about my games and GMing style, please feel free to share. The more info people have, the better they can decide if they're into it.

In one of my IRL campaigns yesterday the topic of "which knowledge check will tell me about this monster?" came up for the 2937478239th time, prompting someone to suggest that in the Bestiaries it might be rad if either by each monster, or even just in a table in the back, there was some description of exactly what Knowledge check would be able to tell you about each specific monster, as opposed to just its type.

But surely this has to exist somewhere already, yes? I know that the Knowledge Skill description in the Core Rulebook has some pointers, but I'm not aware of a chart that really lays it out such that when my party's 9th level Inquisitor wants to use monster lore to learn about the horrid beastie that's about to attack us so he can give us at least a pointer or two in-game on its capabilities, we can quickly know what K skill he should be rolling.

Is this out there somewhere? What do y'all do in these situations?

I have a full fighter, level 6. DEX 18. +6/+1 BAB, obviously. He has Two-Weapon Fighting and Improved Two Weapon Fighting. Longsword in primary hand, shortsword in off-hand. How many attacks do I get:
In a Standard Action?
In a Full-Attack Action?

First things first. Just so it's all in one place:

The Players:
Professor Dolo Luckbender, Gnome, a Summoner from Lesotho
Min Bein'Meleth Rámalóce, Half-Elf, a Dragonrider from Haelith, in Tuatha
Sir Damian Lamorak, Human, a Cavalier from the Protectorate of the Lake
Sylsalitae Dwinghymnaear, Elf, a Dragonrider from the northlands
Belsarious II, Elf, a Witch from the Great Trackless Woods

The map, and what you know about the world in general.

Even here, in the capitol, the sounds of battle can be heard.

All of you have come to Izmir, all for different reasons, and now all of you are stuck here as the armies of the Black Dragonflight attempt to take this city, City of Light, City of the Inheritor. While their forces have been no match for the superior strength and skill of the Paladine on the battlefield, the orcs and bugbears and trolls and hobgoblins and humans(!) of the Black Dragonflight have superior numbers. Thus, so far, the battle is at a stalemate.

You have each been given quarters, and are fed with the scholars or priests or clerics, as you choose. There are various inns and fine restaurants you may patronize as well, though their fare is somewhat diminished in light of the reduced supply routes. You have been granted access to the libraries and museums, and any volunteer effort you wish to provide to assist in defense of the city is welcome, but none is asked. After all, you are guests.

@Belsarious: Give me a will save, please.

@Dolo: Give me a perception check and a spellcraft check.

It is a glorious, sunny fall day, or at least it would be were it not for the hideous black cloud of smoke to the east, caused by the battle. The angle of the sun currently allows its blazing rays to sneak through gaps here and there, but you know it won't be long before the sun is behind the war cloud, not to be seen again until evening.

It is 9:00 in the morning. And you are stuck here.

Please take a moment to describe what you are doing this morning.

First things first. Just so it's all in one place:

The Players:
Kelne, Human, a Fighter from the Forgelands, Van-Monnen to be precise
Karthan Zhosk, Half-Orc/Half-Dragon, a Sorcerer from Stormfare
Tanel Eppun, Human, an Oracle from the Plains of Bennalad
Agon, Human, a Monk from Goreme
Jorzan, Human, a Shadowdancer from the Unclaimed Lands
Sir Justal of NeoWald, Aasimar, from the Protectorate of the Lake

The map, and what you know about the world in general.

It is a beautiful fall day in Stormfare, which is to say it is like any fall day; chilly, and pouring rain. The sun has risen and already gone on to better things up behind the clouds, leaving the residents of the city -- yourselves included -- to deal with the rain on their own, as is usually the case. In the market district and shopping district Marketing Mages employ prestidigitation to cause flashing lights and other hallucinations to appear under the hoods of passersby, in an effort to get them to come into their employers' stores and spend some coin. Students hurry from class to home, home to class, or most frequently -- from anywhere to a coffee shop.

All the coffee shops, as always, are full.

A typical day in Stormfare, with only the arrival of a boat of refugees from the south to give the gossips something to talk about aside from the usual worried chatter about the state of the war, and how much danger the University might be in. The last group of refugees came up from Xai Xai via a quick stop in Mamban, and did not stay long in Stormfare. They hated the weather, they hated the wet, they hated the pale people and the grey sky. They all set off down the coast, sticking close to the ocean but seeking sun. This new ship, a beautiful and huge barquentine clipper called The Everdawn, has sailed from Mamban as well, though this time the ancient port was the origin of the journey. It is said the boat made a number of stops along the way, including one to drop off a curoius load of cargo under cover of night, but now it is here, and already the refugees are starting to infiltrate the city; their strangeness and lack of any idea at all where they are going, not to mention their complete lack of rain gear, causes them to stand out rather sharply.

Please take a paragraph or two to describe how it is you came to be in Stormfare. OR! For those who have already been in the city for a while, e.g., Karthan and Jorzan, please describe what you're doing this fine morning.

It is 9:00 AM, 46 degrees fahrenheit, and raining very hard.

It begins! This group consists of:

kalderaan / dolo - halfling summoner with flying eidolon
corerue / min - NG half-elf Dragonrider (silver)
Terran – dwarven ranger on griffon
Rizzym - elven dragonrider
and, I just decided;
kenderkin - Belsarious II - elven witch/ranger

I will be posting more info about the current known state of the world, and what your characters would know about the war and various cities and regions. Just the general stuff. Once this is up, feel free to pick a place where you're from (though some have already done that), and then you can have full knowledge of that area, in the form of a +6 to Knowledge(Local) checks about your home turf.

More to come!

Okay all, OOC is started. Again, so far this group should consist of:

khaladon / Jorzan - CN human shadow dancer
vagrant poet / tanel - N human oracle
von doom - Agon - LG human zen archer monk
ad astra games - Karthan - CG(ish) half-orc draconic bloodline sorcerer

Couple more to come. I will be posting more info about Stormfare today, as well as the current known state of the world, and what your characters would know about the war and various cities and regions. Just the general stuff. Once this is up, feel free to pick a place where you're from, and then you can have full knowledge of that area, in the form of a +6 to Knowledge(Local) checks about your home turf.

More to come!

I have a homebrew world called The Explored Land ( map here ) in which I'm currently running two separate parallel in-person campaigns involving 8 players in two different groups (one party of 5, one of 3), and I'd like to start a third one here on the boards. All three campaigns will affect each other; things you do in-game will have a direct effect on my IRL players, and vice-versa. So if you, say, cause a volcanic eruption, the resulting ash storm may impede one of the other parties' progress. If they kill a major NPC that you were supposed to seek out, then you're out of luck and will have to find an alternate contact. That sort of thing.

About the world; I use Pathfinder rules, and I use the Golarion pantheon of gods. This is a high-magic, epic world so expect lots of magic items and artifacts. There are no firearms. I lifted a couple things wholesale from the Adventure Path, so you may find yourself interfacing with NPCs or entering cities (e.g., Katapesh is on the map) from that setting, but I try to keep it to a minimum. This is intended to be as close to 100% homebrew as possible.

I'm very open about what race/class you use, so SGG stuff, Dorkistan stuff, APG, etc. are all fair game. Looking for a max of five players.

The Campaign:
The campaign will begin in the university town of Stormfare, in the northwest of the map, just south of the forgeland of Van-Duriss, and end in the arctic, in the far reaches of the Barbarian Kingdom of Allemagh. Well-rounded characters will find many opportunities to use all facets of their build as you'll be passing through deep woods, frozen tundra, plains, ruins, villages,cities, and facing all manner of beastie. There may even be a dungeon or two. ;-)

Characters:
For this campaign, all characters will start at 6th level.

Starting wealth is 20,000gp. All items must come out of this balance. You may spend no more than 5,000 gold on any one item. If something is on the cusp, but it's super cool, check with me and we'll see about making it happen.

Attribute rolls: In short, I want my PCs to be epic, and my rules for attributes reflect that.

For each attribute, roll 4d6, dropping the lowest die. If you rolled less than a 7, re-roll, i.e., 7 is my minimum allowed attribute score.

In addition, roll 7 attribute scores and drop the lowest. Assign attribute scores as you will.

Alternately, you may employ "epic rules" and roll 1d3+15 for any attribute
you choose, BUT for every attribute you roll this way, you must roll
one other attribute as 1d10+6. So let's say you're rolling a
sorcerer(ess). You would probably want to roll 1d3+15 for your
charisma, and then take 1d10+6 for maybe strength or dex, leaving your
other attributes as standard rolls. You get the idea.

Hero Points: Everyone starts with 2 hero points, and I use the full APG rules, so +8 on any d20 roll if spent before the roll, +4 if spent after, and they can be used to pull all kinds of stunts, depending on the situation, and at GM's discretion. I'm a big fan of PCs attempting to pull off ridiculous and epic stunts, just make sure you have the skills/attributes to back it up. :-)

Interested?
I'm a pretty [hyper]active GM, so I'm gonna need people who can commit to fairly regular posting, like a couple a day. If this sounds like something you might be intersted in, please leave a description of your proposed character build here (no need to do a full build yet). I'm gonna leave this open for character proposals until Friday, January 7th, at which point I'll look over whatever character proposals I've got and pick the party. Every character proposal will be considered.

What have been some of your more unique sources of inspiration for plots, monsters, treasure, traps, or any other part of a homebrew campaign? Similarly, what are some of your personal favorite ideas you've come up with, regardless of what inspired them?

One of my favorite sources is using music -- titles and/or compositions -- and it recently led to one of my favorite homebrew monsters. The song "Bladecatcher" by the band Mastodon drove me to create a race of horrid extraplanar sadomasochists, children of Zon-Kuthon, who had supernaturally sharp boomerang-blades they caught by letting the blade sink into their heads, the pain sending them into spasms of pleasure, their insane gibbering and giggling causing fear and madness in their victims.

You?