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I know it's in a later bestiary, and I'm remembering it as an ooze, but what it is is a land that is unintelligent, but has a will. It often chooses someone to speak for it, and it may pick up characteristics of this emissary. I remember the CR as being fairly significant. Sorry, but my mind is slipping, and I've already introduced it in my game, and can't remember much else.
They'll be living in a mountainous area, high in the hills, but not on a mountain, per se. There's a crazy canyon that cuts through the village, which has bridges arching over it, and most of the buildings are decent sized multi-story affairs, in an almost gothic style, but with a fantasy flair. Some details will be worked out more once I decide on the main race - they do keep slaves, perhaps two or three races. Mongrelmen will likely be one. The area will be for lvl 7-8 characters, so almost any monstrous humanoids (up to CR 4, maybe 5) should be possible contenders. This allows for multiples in an encounter, and class levels and/or templates as I see fit. For what it's worth, I plan on using a ratfolk merchant npc there, so they shouldn't be too inimical to him.
He's for my big main city. There are four big power centers that have been worked out: the king, N, is just concerned about keeping the city afloat. He's no fool, nor is he any kind of real hero. The primary temple, LN, of a god of law and knowledge, they like things quiet and orderly. The second most powerful temple, CG, a counterpoint to the other temple and the sheriff, they're pretty popular with adventurers and common folk alike, who all balk at the rather vicious justice the law deals out. That leaves our sheriff as the fourth major power center. He has a streetwise crew of constables that are likely all corrupt, but it flows to the top. He also knows all the local crime bosses, several of whom owe him, and he prefers it that way. At 13th level, he's more than a bit scary, in my world, where 99% of the populace is under 4th, and anybody higher than 10th is a celebrity unless they hide it. This is a truly big city, with a population over 100k, and maybe a dozen people it it of his caliber. I'm making him a Slayer (cutthroat), unless anybody has a better idea. I want him efficient and deadly. His right-hand-man will be an Investigator in the 7th to 9th level range. I've built plenty of characters, but I miss a lot of interesting tricks, so I'd love to see if anybody can come up with ways to make him really stand out as the guy you hate, but have to grudgingly respect. He'll be human, and likely with the elite array modified by level and whatever gear (no more than maybe half again or double standard NPC for his level.) He should be dangerous to a level 10 party, all by himself, not that you'd catch him alone.
I just discovered the Aghori. They're morbidly fascinating. In adapting these ritualistic cannibal 'holy men', I want to make them into spirit warriors, incorporating a lot of their bizarre feel - they'll be neutral extreme naturalists, just like the actual Aghori, living like outcasts in the streets, respected in spite of their horrific practices. I have a land in my homebrew that's a rough analog to India, so that's where I'll drop them, protecting mankind from divs, evil geniekind, rakshassa, and the like. I'm thinking of adapting the devilbane priest, using death as their only domain, allowing them only bone armor, and giving them bonuses from various repulsive rituals and the like. Thoughts? Ideas?
I was just fiddling around with a concept - a sideshow guy that does wild bear wrestling/combat - unarmed and unarmored, no actual gimmicks. I was thinking about making him an orc, and likely some level combination of barbarian and brawler. 15 points for stats. What's the lowest level that has the bear beat? I really don't expect anyone to build it for me, but I figured I'd throw the idea out there as a challenge for anyone interested! :)
Seriously, they give up an awful lot for the social persona, and when they make the shift, I think they should be seriously impressive. Like - Barbarian/Wizard/Paladin impressive. At least. Hardly any character I can think of with a secret identity is less impressive than a basic character type of their respective world.
I'd love some input. I run my own world, so canon means nothing to me (though I do draw from it). The idea is that some of the angels have fallen. They aren't demons/devils/what have you yet, but they someday will be. For now, I just have some muddy ideas. There is an ongoing war in the heavens. Two or three of the gods have decided that the mortal races are just failures - that the prime just isn't going the right direction - what have you. I'm thinking this is a case of LG gods deciding that too much free will and freedom in general has failed all of creation, so they've become dangerous, and their servants are coming to the prime to 'correct things' as the war rages. I think I like the idea that, sometime during the conflict, one of the gods dies, and his host of angels descend upon the prime with a vengeance. The god rises again, undead, and things really go bad. I love templates, so a lot of the upper-end challenges will be templated angels. Some might be devils or what have you as they finally change - a whole new 'race' of devils might be fun, here. Just to explain a bit more about my world - I'm a huge Lovecraft fan, and there are gods much older and more powerful than the 'mortal' gods of my campaign - it would have been one of them that instigated the whole thing, just to watch it happen (or with a strange, mysterious motive of it's own, more likely). So - I welcome any input, from more ideas on the war itself, to better concepts about the fall, or just pet ideas about individual angels or even gods caught up in a mess like this! Oh, definitely mythic.
They've lost their heavy hitters. I'm looking for 1 or 2 to replace them. Right now, they're 4th lvl, and all becoming undead - vampires, as a rule, though there may be flexibility on that. Character gen. is from the books - pick one stat for an 18, one for an 8, and roll the rest at 1d10+8. They lost a serious melee fighter and an anti-paladin, so similar characters will be preferred.
Ever since the game I got into collapsed, I've been craving a game. Been rolling up random characters, thinking about scenarios. I may be wasting my time, but it's a fun waste if nothing else. Your mission, should you accept it: Convince me I'm not wasting my time. Tell me how much you crave this great, silly game yourself, and make me want to run it enough to actually start a game.
Too many players come and go. I'm looking for a hero in the making...I'm looking for dedication. The group's frontliner seems to be gone for good, so they need one. That's priority. I can take two more players, with the assumption that the oracle may yet return. I prefer humans, but with the right backstory, will look at anything. I'm using the grid system, and allowing for rerolls. Heroes are larger than life! This game will go mythic... It's moving slower than I wanted, due to player posting habits. If I can get some players willing to move the story along, I'll happily do my part. Feel free to bombard me with questions if you can be the sort of player I'm looking for. ps: With only one magic weapon (2nd lvl group), it would be a priority if you can wield a greataxe.
Don't bother responding if you can't manage a minimum of a post a day. I'm tired of investing heavily in games for groups that can't manage a few minutes a day. I also want input from players...when I told my players that I thrive on feedback, I got silence...and I have too much invested to just let it die...so I'm thinking it's time to find some people that actually. WANT to play.
Bill and Jaer: 'The Grounds' has an official name, but nobody uses it: Morella County Militia Training Grounds and Armoury.
It's just about a mile and a half from the outskirts of the town of New Greenleaf...or more precisely, the ruins of Old Greenleaf. There's a trail that's incredibly well-worn...good enough to get any cart or wagon through...it follows the banks of the Toliver river, just like it has for generations. The militia doesn't train as much as it used to - it's been a pretty peaceful past seven years - but every able-bodied man in New Greenleaf has been there to learn how to fight, at least once or twice. Sergeant Forbes still maintains his small house there, and is available for beatin...er...training any new recruits seven days a week. What's more, Bill Godfrey's shop sits there, right off the trail, and he is usually toiling away at his anvil and forge, maintaining the militia's weapons and armor. It's a nice spring day. It would be quiet, if Bill wasn't banging away, working out the final details on a blade for Jaer, who stands in his shop, waiting and watching...
Ok, it's just an idea. Maybe I've been watching too much Walking Dead... What would be more interesting, set in a fantasy/medieval or modern? I've never seen it in a fantasy world...but I have ideas. By the way...there is NO WAY I will do this without a lot of feedback, so if you just like your game served up to you with little effort on your part...don't bother asking.
I started drawing it up a while back...I'd hate to give too much away, but it starts in a tiny village, during a big festival... and holds the promise of some of the truly iconic mythic enemies...but the players didn't gel. I use the grid system for character generation...no gunslingers or synthesist summoners... not fond of 3rd party, but will consider. I'll lay out more info if I get good responses at all. Feel free to ask questions.
The image of a major league lich mounted, wearing heavy armor,and fighting in melee as one of the true horrors of the world is rather appealing to me...he was a Duskblade in 3.5... What path? I see 3 excellent possibilities... Archmage, of course...Champion, naturally... and Marshal... leading a force of undead knights... Thoughts?
I'm just wondering if anyone has gotten into the system to build mythic big bads and done anything particularly interesting... I've started working on a few characters that were begging for mythic treatment... the sort that really shouldn't die without a huge effort by the PCs. As examples, I've got an almost unstoppable barbarian with 740 hp, DR 20, and insane attacks... and I'm working on an archmage that has very few limits. I'm hoping they're powerful enough to be the world shakers they're supposed to be. What has anybody else come up with?
This is him, sans skills and items, all the way to 20th: (25 points) Spoiler:
Gurak Tharm Half-Orc Bbn1/Sor9/ElK10 Str 16/22(26) Dex 14 Con 14(18) Int 10 Wis 10 Cha 16/21 Crossblooded: Orc/Draconic Red Traits:
Feats (Bloodline Powers)
I'm still debating on the spell for Spell Perfection.
...the Monk archetype. Don't worry too much about stats...assume 25 pb, if it helps, but I use the grid. I think it could really be an interesting build, but I'm not 100% sure how to go about it to make it work...especially as it rises through the levels. What race would be ideal?
Unarmed is fine, but not really the idea...unarmored is the idea.
I got inspired by dhamphirs...and Calistria. What can I say. I have the image...CN, very devil-may-care...living what he has of a life to the fullest...a bit perverse...he capitalizes on the blood-drinking racial feats...not sure what he channels, yet...charming, yet damn creepy. A dark gigolo. Working out his stats is giving me a headache. He'll wear leather or studded armor, so he doesn't need to be real strong, but I'd like him to be halfway combat capable. His Dex should be better...Con will probably blow. His two big stats are Wis and Cha, of course, but he'll have jack for skill without Int. Working with 20 points, this is what I've come up with: Str: 10, Dex: 14, Con: 10, Int: 12, Wis: 15, Cha: 16 Wis sucks at only 15, but what to sacrifice?
I recently built an awakened crocodile for my campaign. I wanted to level it some...with a little thought, it dawned on me that they were natural rogues. The move stealthily in the water, then do a sudden, surprise attack... Boars seem to be natural barbarians. There was a scenario where an awakened whale became a druid, which kind of makes sense. What other interesting...natural-seeming pairings are there? I like awakened animals...they really make for interesting NPCs, and I'd like to 'collect' a few.
I have two interrelated concepts that I'm looking to do...and I'll do them, if nobody else thinks it'll be fun to do it. I'm ok at making templates...but just ok. I want these to rock. ;) There is a wasteland across an isthmus in the world I'm working on. It's been sealed off, as there was some horrid magic unleashed there...there are some hasty monsters that roam about, some packs of wild and nastier-than-usual humanoids...and a great thing roughly equivalent to a Great Old One...though it's dead...it isn't that hard to bring it back with a ritual, and the blood of a truly holy being...so it happens, from time to time... Fortunately, the ritual takes a long time, and isn't very stable. There is a castle atop cliffs that rise high above the end of the isthmus - the cliffs are known as the 'Watcher's Stone', and the tower overlooking the wastes as the 'Watcher's Keep'. The first template...the big one, likely a +3 or more, is 'Watcher over the Wastes'. There is only ever one in the world, selected by a spirit of the land, when the present Watcher dies or is dying. The template transfers in a ritual ceremony. The Watcher has the power to sense the disturbance the ritual causes, and powers related to knowing what's going on in the wastes...and fighting whatever evil might come through. The Watcher is almost always a high level...usually druid/ranger or a cleric with nature-related domains...and hardly ever anything but a human. The second template is one given to the volunteers that undergo a lesser ritual - the 'Eyes of the Watcher'. It becomes their job to hold the keep...and the walls over the cliffs...and to make forays into the wastelands. They are literally the eyes, in one sense, as the Watcher has the ability to see directly, through their eyes. There should be some other abilities related to survival in the wasteland, but the total of this template shouldn't exceed +1 or +2. Any takers? :)
I'm thinking about setting up dungeons...a handful...for a world I'm developing. I want them unique and memorable, so this is about the dungeons themselves...not the adventures, but the actual holes in the ground (or not). There are a lot of interesting, unique things about a lot of different dungeons...I'm curious, which ones really made the dungeon memorable? I won't know every dungeon, so please explain what it was about the dungeon that made it really interesting...and if it was home-designed, I definitely won't be familiar with it...and still, a lot of homebrew dungeons might be even better than the published stuff! I am familiar with a lot of the published stuff, but I still won't know what features made it memorable for YOU...so...I want your memories! ;)
This is all about the dynamics of the game. I have 2 main goals in my game...to make the players feel like they have the real heroes of the world, and to make the monsters even more monstrous...and actually a bit scary. You see, I'm a big fan of horror...good horror, that is. Lovecraft, Poe...and a handful of the newer authors. Here's how I manage to fit that all in one game: NPCs are lower level than standard. There are very few NPCs over 10th level in the world...and most that are, are evil, or neutral at best. They aren't out to save the world, at any rate. PCs have better stats, as a rule, too. Now...once the PCs get past 5th-6th level, there are almost no good characters that are decidedly better...in their area. The sheriff might be a 5th level fighter. There's usually a higher level cleric, for emergencies...but they're of the non-combat variety...wearing light armor at best, and not being strong or tough. Hey, they run a temple, they have their duties. So...NPCs are a CR or 2 lower, generally...while real monster encounters are PL+1 or +2, at a minimum. Sure, there are other encounters...humanoids, for example...'monsters' of a sort...but they're usually not powerful, and in groups, just so that the PCs can feel their power. A half-dozen orcs, led by one 2nd level Bbn, and the 6th lvl fighter can shrug and tell the rest of the party to carry on, he'll handle it. He's the stuff of legends...in the making...they're simple speedbumps. Not so, the monster. It's a slavering beast that attacks from the darkness, almost slaying one of the weaker party members in an instant...it inspires FEAR. Now...when there's a huge troll up in the hills eating the local farmers' children, the PCs are the ONLY choice to take care of it. They're the only ones who can.
I haven't built the character, but it seems like a nice fit...you have a heavy-hitter with a BIG weapon charging at someone...and getting SA to boot. Spring Attack seems to be a worthwhile investment... Has anybody ever tried this out? Any suggestions? I may try a build later, but I gotta go do stuff for now.
I see one thread after another ranking on fighters...most of them seem to me to be threads started and perpetuated by people that really don't get fighters...at all. Let me introduce you to what fighters actually DO. This is a bit of a challenge...as of now, freeform. The Fighter's Challenge: For the fighter, I will assume a reasonably optimized fighter, well-rounded and conversant with melee, ranged, and close combat...carrying a decent array of weapons, and in good appropriate heavy armor, at level 12. He meets random encounters, none higher than CR8. They come at him every 2d6 rounds, showing up at varying ranges as he traverses varied terrains. What class survives longer than him at level 12, assuming they have to deal with each encounter?
I have a concept that's stewing in my brain...a secret society that rises every 200-300 years and causes extreme havoc throughout a significant part of the world...sometimes are worse than others. The root of the problem: A massively powerful godlike (think Great Old Ones ala Lovecraft) linnorm is stirring - as he reawakens over decades, a figure is reincarnated - a not quite human, though born of a human mother...he is the manifestation of Ouroboros itself. He manifests great magical power, and omens are foretold, but he usually lives to maturity, and the society steps up activities. Most members are recruited through their dreams...though a core of serpentfolk have served him for time immemorial. The Ouroboros symbol starts showing up at strange events, usually connected to something horrific. Some events are very much linked - the child that is the reincarnated is reborn through a dream of the linnorm...at his puberty, the events start happening so that they become noticeable, and the linnorm enters stage 3 sleep. As it enters stage 2 sleep, the reincarnated is an adult, and feeling the power grow (low level...sorcerer? magus?) and activities are stepped up. As the linnorm slips into stage 1 sleep, some years later, the reincarnated one is passing through mid levels...and the world is becoming far more chaotic. Eventually, the linnorm fully awakens, the reincarnated achieve incredible power, and the world is thrown into total chaos. The linnorm is making its way slowly through the bowels of the world, to become its master on the surface. So far, every time, the reincarnated is killed sometime along the way, and the linnorm passes back into sleep...and the society disappears. I have tons of things to work out...this should be something of a backdrop for a sandboxy campaign...and even the final emergence of the linnorm doesn't signal the end of the world, just a remarkably bad left turn. Of course, other linnorms would come into the cycle...the serpentfolk...sorcerers with an Ouroboros bloodline? (needs to be worked out)...I need to figure out what the reincarnated truly is...he has powers similar to a vampire...and his class...etc... Any ideas are welcome.
I'm not trying for utter optimization...PCs should see them as very tough at early levels, but not overly threatening as they level up into mid levels...still a significant obstacle, though, if it comes down to it. RRC - SOLDIERS
Oh...I'm going to be switching the ranks in Climb to Profession: Soldier.
I was thinking this would be a fun thread, and handy for GMs. I was fiddling around with the Animal Archive and the Advanced Race Guide when these two came to me: A Kitsune Carnivalist with a fox familiar and a troop of trained canines to boot...does 'dog' shows in the market. A Merfolk Mad Dog with an elasmosaur animal companion...makes a great underwater friend, or a terrible enemy. Feel free to add odd concepts, wherever they come from...let's get some unique characters in here for GMs...and players that like unusual characters, too!
This is an NPC...right now I have him at MA8/Shd6. I have a few things worked out about him...I roll stats 3 of 4 on the grid system, and he has killer stats...Dex wasn't as good as I would have liked, but he has a 17 as long as I get him the +2, and his Wis matched (as does Con!). I'll be giving him some obvious things - Nightmare fist...Weapon Focus and Specialization - unarmed...he'll have a Monk's Robe...I want him to be a freaky, behind the scenes guy...he's part of a secret society that plays the local duke like a puppet. The guy is true neutral. I'm looking for suggestions...anything you think might add to the mystique...I like his power level...14th lvl is about as nasty as anyone in the city.
I know the suggested way to use Mythic is 2 character levels/1 mythic...and for the best balance for PCs, that's probably not a bad idea - (it's been suggested that a 1st level/tier 10 should be fighting CR 11s...an obvious issue!) but what about NPCs? I like the idea of being able to mix it up...maybe I have a guy who's pretty proficient, but not that mythic (I have plans on an inquisitor in my campaign...final level will be something like 8-10...with 2 mythic tiers) or a character truly blessed by the gods...like a child who was chosen by...say Sarenrae...to make a major change in one part of the world...so she's an oracle 1/guardian 5. How well does this work, in practice? I'll actually be playtesting it. I don't expect my 'holy child' to be able to hold her own in a CR 6 encounter...but she should be significant... Has anybody tried things like this, already? I doubt there will be a problem with my inquisitor...but that's in the future, at this point, and I'd like to prepare myself. |
