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Seskadrin, Satrap of the Ahestian Sea CR 13 [2 base, +2 6 HD advancement, +1 size large, +8 associated class levels]
"Too long have we been our own worst enemy. Too long have we thought only of blood and slaughter. Too long have we sought to swim the seas alone. Our birthright, our destiny, is conquest, to make our enemies our slaves and meat." – Seskadrin, addressing the Convocation of Suzerains.
Male Advanced Four-Armed Sahuagin Paladin of Tyranny 8
LE Large monstrous humanoid (aquatic)
Init +5 [+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative]; Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +12 (+16 underwater) [see Skills], Spot +12 (+16 underwater) [see Skills]
Aura of Despair enemies within 10 feet are at -2 on all saves
DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 12 [+2 deflection, +1 Dex, -1 size], flat-footed 21 [+3 armor, +2 deflection, +7 natural, -1 size]
(+3 armor, +2 deflection, +1 Dex, +7 natural [+5 base, +2 size], -1 size)
hp 147 (8d8+8d10+64)
Fort +17 [+2 monstrous humanoid, +6 paladin, +4 Con, +5 divine grace], Ref +14 [+6 monstrous humanoid, +2 paladin, +1 Dex, +5 divine grace], Will +17 [+6 monstrous humanoid, +2 paladin, +2 Wis, +2 Iron Will, +5 divine grace]
Defensive Abilities divine grace, divine health; Immune disease
Weaknesses freshwater sensitivity, light blindness, water dependence
OFFENSE
Spd 30 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee +1 elf bane trident +22/+17/+12/+7 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, -1 size, +1 enhancement] (2d6+7 [+6 Str, +1 enhancement]) and 3 claws +19 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, -1 size, -2 secondary] (1d6+3 [+3 half Str]) and bite +19 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, -1 size, -2 secondary) (1d6+3 [+3 half Str]) or
4 claws +21 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, -1 size) (1d6+6 [+6 Str]) and bite +19 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, -1 size, -2 secondary) (1d6+3 [+3 half Str]) or
masterwork cold iron dagger +20/+15/+10/+5 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, -1 size, +1 enhancement, -2 multiweapon fighting] (1d6+6/19-20 [+6 Str]) and 3 masterwork cold iron daggers +20 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, -1 size, +1 enhancement, -2 multiweapon fighting] (1d6+3/19-20 [+3 half Str]) and bite +17 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, -1 size, -2 secondary, -2 multiweapon fighting) (1d6+3 [+3 half Str])
Ranged masterwork heavy crossbow, screaming bolt +18 [+16 BAB, +1 Dex, -1 size, +2 enhancement] (2d8+2/19-20 [+2 enhancement], all enemies within 20 feet of path of bolt shaken, Will DC 14 negates) or
2 masterwork nets +13 ranged touch [+16 BAB, +1 Dex, -1 size, +1 enhancement, -4 multiweapon fighting] (entangle)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks blood frenzy 1/day, deadly touch 40 hp/day [Pal8 times +5 Cha] (DC 19 [1/2 Pal 8 + 5 Cha]), rake (+19/+19, 1d6+3 [See Special Abilities]), rebuke undead 8/day [3 base, +5 Cha] (+10 [+5 Cha, +2 Knowledge religion, +3 circlet of persuasion], 2d6+10 [paladin 8 – 3, +5 Cha], as 5th level cleric), smite good 2/day (+5 to hit [+5 Cha], +8 damage [Pal8])
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th [paladin 8]):
At will - detect good
1/week – contagion
Spells Prepared (CL 4th [1/2 paladin 8]):
1st - corrupt weapon, divine favor
2nd - eagle’s splendor
TACTICS
Before Combat Seaskadrin prepares for battle by casting eagle’s splendor on himself and corrupt weapon on his trident.
During Combat Seskadrin opens with a screaming bolt, aiming to catch as many foes as possible within the associated fear effect. Against a group of five or less, he then closes, casting a pair of nets (ideally at least one at a smaller or weaker target) once he is within 10 feet. He attacks the entangled foes with claw, rake and trident. Note that the two hands holding ropes are unavailable for claw attacks. Against larger groups, Seskadrin directs any available minions against obvious melee combatants and quaffs a potion of haste. He then seeks to pick off any isolated members of the group in melee, utilizing his superior underwater mobility.
Morale Seskadrin has no interesting in fighting to the death. If reduced to 35 hp or less, he flees, directing any available minions to cover his retreat.
Base Statistics Fort +15 [+2 monstrous humanoid, +6 paladin, +4 Con, +3 divine grace] , Ref +12 [+6 monstrous humanoid, +2 paladin, +1 Dex, +3 divine grace] Will +15 [+6 monstrous humanoid, +2 paladin, +2 Wis, +2 Iron Will, +3 divine grace], deadly touch 24 hp/day [Pal8 times +3 Cha] (DC 17 [1/2 Pal 8 + 3 Cha]), rebuke undead 6/day [3 base, +3 Cha] (+8 [+3 Cha, +2 Knowledge religion, +3 circlet of persuasion], 2d6+8 [paladin 8 – 3, +3 Cha], as 5th level cleric), smite good 2/day (+3 to hit [+3 Cha], +8 damage [Pal8]), Cha 17 [16 base, –2 racial, +2 level bumps 8th, 12th, 16th], Diplomacy +18 [8 paladin ranks, +3 Cha, +2 Sense Motive, +2 Knowledge Nobility, +3 circlet of persuasion], Handle Animal +13 (+17 when working with sharks) [5 monstrous humanoid ranks, 2 paladin rank, +3 Cha, +3 circlet of persuasion]
STATISTICS
Str 23 [10 base, +4 racial, +8 size], Dex 13 [12 base, +2 racial, -2 size, +1 level bump 4th], Con 18 [12 base, +2 racial, +4 size], Int 17 [13 base, +4 racial], Wis 14 [12 base, +2 racial], Cha 21 [16 base, –2 racial, +2 level bumps 8th, 12th, 16th, +4 enhancement]
Base Atk +16 [+8 monstrous humanoid, +8 paladin]; Grp +26 [+16 BAB, +6 Str, +4 Size]
Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (net), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Leadership (Kandrakar, sahuagin cleric 8 of Asmodeus), Multiattack (bonus feat), Multiweapon fighting, Power Attack
Skills Diplomacy +20 [8 paladin ranks, +5 Cha, +2 Sense Motive, +2 Knowledge Nobility, +3 circlet of persuasion], Handle Animal +16 (+20 when working with sharks) [5 monstrous humanoid ranks, 3 paladin rank, +5 Cha, +3 circlet of persuasion] , Hide +10 (+14 underwater) [9 monstrous humanoid ranks, +1 Dex], Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +8 [5 paladin ranks, +3 Int], Knowledge (religion) +10 [7 paladin ranks, +3 Int], Listen +12 (+16 underwater) [10 monstrous humanoid ranks, +2 Wis], Profession (hunter) +10 (+14 within 50 miles of his home) [8 monstrous humanoid ranks, +2 Wis], Ride +10 [5 monstrous humanoid ranks, 2 paladin ranks, +1 Dex, +2 Handle Animal], Sense Motive +15 [13 paladin ranks + 2 Wis], Spot +12 (+16 underwater) [10 monstrous humanoid ranks, +2 Wis], Survival +10 (+14 within 50 miles of his home) [8 monstrous humanoid ranks, +2 Wis], Swim +6 (+14 to perform special action or avoid hazard) [+6 Str]
[monstrous humanoid ranks=(3+8)*5=55. (5+9+10+8+5+10+8)=55]
[paladin ranks = 8*5 = 40. (8+3+5+7+2+13 + 2 speak language)=40]
Languages Aquan, Common, Elven, Infernal, Sahuagin [native, 3 languages from Int, 1 from 2 paladin skill ranks]; empathic link with special mount; speak with sharks
SQ aura of evil, special mount (large shark)
Combat Gear +1 elf bane trident, 2 masterwork nets, 4 masterwork cold iron daggers, masterwork heavy crossbow, 10 screaming bolts, 20 bolts, 2 potions of haste, potion of cure serious wounds; Other Gear bracers of armor +4, circlet of persuasion, ring of protection +2, 4 anchor feather tokens
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Aura of Evil (Su) The power of Seskadrin’s aura of evil (see the detect evil spell) is equal to his paladin level of 8.
Blood Frenzy (Ex) Once per day a sahuagin that takes damage in combat can fly into a frenzy in the following round, clawing and biting madly until either it or its opponent is dead. It gains +2 Constitution and +2 Strength, and takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class. A sahuagin cannot end its frenzy voluntarily. Seskadrin does not make use of this ability.
Deadly Touch (Su) Seskadrin can inflict wounds with a successful touch attack. Each day he can deal a total number of hit points equal to his paladin level times his Charisma bonus. An opponent subjected to this attack can make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 paladin level + Cha modifier) to have the damage dealt. Alternatively, he can use any or all of this power to cure damage to undead creatures. This power otherwise functions identically to the paladin’s lay on hands ability.
Freshwater Sensitivity (Ex) A sahuagin fully immersed in fresh water must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or become fatigued. Even on a success, it must repeat the save attempt every 10 minutes it remains immersed.
Light Blindness (Ex) Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or a daylight spell) blinds Seskadrin for round. On subsequent rounds, he is dazzled while operating in bright light.
Rake (Ex) Seskadrin gains 2 rake attacks when swimming or when he begins his turn grappling. Melee attack bonus +19 [BAB 16, +6 Str, -1 Size, -2 secondary], damage 1d6+3 [+3 half Str].
Speak with Sharks Seskadrin can communicate telepathically with sharks up to 150 feet away. The communication is limited to fairly simple concepts such as "food," "danger," and "enemy."
Special Mount (Sp) Seskadrin’s special mount is a large shark. He can summon it as a full-round action once per day, and dismiss it as a free action. The summoning is the equivalent of a 2nd level spell and lasts for 16 hours. Seskadrin relies on his shark as an ally rather than a mount.
Water Dependence (Ex) Seskadrin can survive out of the water for 9 hours [half of Con 18]. After that, refer to the drowning rules.
DESCRIPTION
Like the shark, sahuagin never stop growing. Seskadrin is 142 years old and a towering nine feet tall. He was a rare four-armed birth, an early advantage on the path to power. Seskadrin is a natural leader with a keen intellect and an unshakeable faith in his own destiny. He believes he was born to establish the rule of the sahuagin over all within the sea. He rejects the dogma of the shark-priests, that sahuagin must destroy their enemies, instead preaching control and subjugation. Seskadrin has battled his way up the ranks of the Convocation of Suzerains by challenge, and rules a full two score sahuagin towns and villages. He embeds the talons of his defeated foes in his chest as grim trophies of his victories.
The shark-priests have branded Seskadrin a heretic, but he is gaining favor among the cult of Asmodeus. One of the Asmodeans, Kandrakar, is Seskadrin’s most trusted advisor and confidant. Following Kandrakar’s advice, Seskadrin has set his sights upon the island-nation Eluraelon, once home to a sizeable sahuagin city. He has infiltrated the ranks of the sea elves and humans of the atoll using the three-fold dictum of Asmodeus: coerce, corrupt, and control. Those he cannot recruit through blackmail or promises of wealth and power find themselves eliminated or enslaved. His agents are at work scouring the ruins beneath the waters, searching for the lost Trident of the Leviathan. With this in hand, he will enlist the legions of Hell itself in the forging of his empire.
PLOT HOOKS
Seskadrin keeps a number of hostages as a means of controlling his agents. One is the wife of the sea elf knight Nariand. After many months of unwilling service, Nariand has learned where his wife is held, and seeks a band of heroes to aid in her rescue. Unbeknownst to Nariand, the information was planted as a test of his loyalty. The sahuagin guarding the outpost have orders to feed the prisoner to their sharks at the first sign of intruders.
Seskadrin has been raiding ships to fund his ambitions. A scout attaches an anchor feather token to the ship, stopping it dead in its tracks. A crack team of sahuagin raiders, often led by Seskadrin himself, boards the ship, killing or capturing all aboard. The survivors are taken to an air-filled prison in Seskadrin’s palace. There, they meet their end in gladiatorial battle with their captors, culminating in a gruesome feast. The attacks have been attributed to a rise in piracy, and adventurers have been hired to safeguard valuable cargoes by the desperate merchants.
Initial Impression: I like this. Very nice. I said "oooh" when I first read the intro and than when I spotted the elf bane trident I knew I wanted to use this guy. My gut dug this. And definately a villain--aspirations of conquest put him right in conflict with the PCs.
Word count: 479.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Ok, using one of the variant paladins from the SRD is an interesting choice. I had to re-familiarize myself with he class (basically it's an LE paladin), and I like that you're using some of the less-traveled paths of the SRD. The depth of that document never ceases to amaze me.
This is skillfully done, and fits perfectly with your country submission. Eluraelon provided a ready-made island kingdom to use as a gateway for underwater adventure and did so ably. Seskadrin is an able villain for that able setting.
But it doesn't really blow me away with its inventiveness. In a setting like yours you'd expect to have a sahuagin villain. Making him a variant paladin is a good idea, and making him more interested in corruption and conversion than in outright slaughter adds a new dimension, but in the end this is pretty boilerplate.
I think well-executed boilerplate might still be good enough to advance in this round, but it's going to sink you soon. You've got the design chops and the ability to execute a concept well. I think you need to push up the concepts one or two notches to stand out enough to keep going in this contest, and I'm not sure if this one does it or not.
I'll come back to this when I've got a better sense of where it stands relative to its peers. It definitely doesn't knock itself out of contention, but nor does it demand to advance.
We'll see.
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Kobold Press
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I'm a big fan of the paladin of tyranny, and I think it's a good class fit for the sahuagin. I'm happy to see further development of Eluraelon, and I like the physical description and the plotting elements.
All that said, a 4-armed sahuagin conquerer is solid but not wildly inspiring. There's some great little touches in the stats: the use of screaming bolts seems very appropriate, as does the mention that Seskadrin doesn't use his blood frenzy ability (very much in keeping with his character). "The Convocation of Suzerains" is a bit of a mouthful, but fine, he's got a shark to ride into battle. I can work with that.
I think this is a solid entry that will probably advance you to the next round. But like Erik, I'm waiting for you to make your big move. This is a very competent, well-executed holding action.
Villain Concept (name, title, is it actually a villain?, design choices, playability?): A-
The Good: I think this is a great villain. Gonzo crazy stat blocks don’t make villains—story and conflict do. Your villain is a bit simple (a sahuagin bad guy), but I love the paladin of tyranny alternate class. Nice work. Going for something new without going crazy. Nice, tight design and theme. Excellent working in with your prior country submission. Great conflict—what is better for a villain than conquest. Four arms? Love it! I am a Tomb of Horrors guy and this makes me think of the multi-armed gargoyle in there.
The Bad: Some could say he is a too simple. I’m not one of them. What you did, you did to fit your concept. There is no design for design’s sake here. I could have used just a tad more uniqueness, but the 4-arm thing goes a long way with me. This is a tad bit safe, but smart safe and good safe.
Stat Block Execution (proper content, proper format, good math, generally mistake free?, not abusing word count?): A
The Good: Very well done.
The Bad: Tactics are great. Gear is great.
Description (quality of writing, hook?, theme?, organization, contains all mandatory content—physical description, motivation/goal, scheme/plot?): A
The Good: This is just good stuff. Good conflict. Good plot hooks. Great story potential. You could fit this in any campaign that has a significant body of water.
Tilt (did it grab me?, is it unique and cool?, do I like it?, flavor and setting?): A-
The Good: Grabbed me and, though it didn’t swallow me whole, it got in a good claw/claw/bite.
The Bad: Maybe just a touch more uniqueness. Maybe a tiny bit on the safe side.
Overall: A-
A fantastic villain, whose only real criticism may be that the author played it a tiny bit safe with this one.
Russ, you squeaked in as an alternate, if I recall, and look where you are now. Nice work. I liked your country and you played to that theme here. I don’t know if you are a golfer, but sometimes you just have to “lay up” if you know what I mean. I sense that is what you did here. In my view, that is a smart move, not a criticism. I hope you advance and I really want to see you swing for the fences next round.
RECOMMENDED for Top 8
Awesome!
On a personal note, when I ran Savage Tide in Eberron everyone was some type of monster race. I allowed one of my players to try a 4 armed Sahuagin fighter; his name was Glugrakkin and everyone called him the 'Fish Tank'. I'll have to forward this entry to the player; although our campaign was just an all out action packed hack n' slash, I think he would love to read this.
I like this guy. I do.
But I feel compelled to point out, especially in light of the specific rule for this round that only SRD content is okay and non-SRD OGC is not, that the Paladin of Tyranny is simply not part of the SRD.
I like the bit of Ottoman Empire flavour that snuck into this one. That's a conception of the sahuagin that I can get behind.
It's a little strange that he's hauling around cold iron daggers, but not ridiculously so.
Tactics didn't touch on whether or not he fights mounted, which I found slightly disappointing. Yes, it's in there under the Special Mount section... due to the word limitations, I'll give you a free pass on that one.
Making his cohort a cleric of a non-proprietary entity shows a pretty deft touch.
Seeing the feather tokens in his inventory made me laugh and laugh, in an entirely evil way.
The adventure hook is... interesting. Hmmm. I'm not sure I'd run an adventure set up to run as "The PCs are hired to rescue a hostage. As soon as the PCs show up, ha ha, the hostage gets killed." Then again, by the time the PCs can raid the stronghold of a CR13 sahuagin, they should be able to circumvent that situation.
All in all, a pretty good showing.
Cheers,
Roger
You may be right about the SRD, but the content is on d20srd where we send people and what we use as a guide for content.
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Kobold Press
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I like this guy. I do.
But I feel compelled to point out, especially in light of the specific rule for this round that only SRD content is okay and non-SRD OGC is not, that the Paladin of Tyranny is simply not part of the SRD.
Not true, RogerC! The Paladin of Tyranny is right here: evil nasty variant class.
This really should get a thread of its own, because it isn't the first time it has come up.
The SRD is the SRD is the SRD, and it's a set of documents published by WotC. Some website can do whatever it likes, but that doesn't change anything.
I know that the official stance of the contest seems to be that when you say 'SRD' you mean 'www.d20srd.org', and hey, it's your contest. But it seems like there's quite enough confusion already out there about what the SRD is without this sort of usage.
So, yeah, I won't hold it against Seskadrin here.
Cheers,
Roger
I can see this guys returning to cause trouble numerous times, either to forward plans for conquest or to repay the PCs for an earlier defeat. I am not a big fan of undersea play, but in this case it is evocative to think of the players (eventually) planning a counterattack against their old foe, who has a convinient escape route in the ocean...
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/whimper...
I love sahuagin and have been wanting to run the Evil Tide (2nd 3d) trilogy again.
would like more motivation and plots though. seems to be a general failing and almost deal-breaker. We get cool monsters, but only a few so far have delved into making that stat'ed out BBEG tick.
Like 'more cowbell' we should have a mantra of "more plot" and specifically, what plots he is working on at the moment esp since it seems Seskadrin would fit in your country entry.
however...so far in my re-read list.
Yeah, I'm running a sea-going campaign, and I can totally use someone like Seskadrin. I like how he fights smart, not hard.
And maybe a giant shark will SWALLOW the princess, then swim away with her in its gullet. The chase is on! Hopefully she's hardy enough to survive several rounds of acid and churning damage. And hopefully the PCs can get themselves a swim speed in excess of 60 feet....
Quick thoughts:
+1 for fitting into a country I voted for :-)
+1 for seeming cool
gets one of my votes, though I'm not sure how much I'd think of him outside the Eluraleon context
Fitting him into the country entry solves a lot of the problems that a lot of the other entries have, the "so what" factor. It provides a ceneptual basis for what campaigns based around him would look like and acts as a force multiplier for your 500 words. I like it!
I like this one. Aside from the fact that several of my players love to play elves, I really love the intro you have and he seems like a solid villian who I could easily center a campaign around (and I might someday). His stats seem sound and the concept is fun. You've probably get a vote from me.
This really should get a thread of its own, because it isn't the first time it has come up.
The SRD is the SRD is the SRD, and it's a set of documents published by WotC. Some website can do whatever it likes, but that doesn't change anything.
I know that the official stance of the contest seems to be that when you say 'SRD' you mean 'www.d20srd.org', and hey, it's your contest. But it seems like there's quite enough confusion already out there about what the SRD is without this sort of usage.
So, yeah, I won't hold it against Seskadrin here.
Roger, you are correct. (dont mind Wolfgang). But as you say we have come to mean the content of the d20srd site not strictly the WotC SRD. I agree a discussion in another thread is useful. But referring to the WotC d20 SRD was a mess because you have to go grab all that content. It isnt organized. So we decided to use d20srd, knowing that it did have some open game content from AU that technically isnt the SRD.
Four-armed Fish Guys with elf-hating tridents... Why can't we have more of them??
This is a solid villain with goals and true direction to his desires.
It goes on my ever-growing short list.
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RPG Superstar 2013
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Steven T. Helt
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Well, it looks like slot number four falls here, or with the ogre-mage.
I have to say I expected to be wowed by more than one or two entries. Seskadrin is powerful, cinematic and dangerous. He has resources, motivation, and you can even create an 'enemy of my enemy' theme by hooking the PCs up with the sahuagin that think of him as heretical.
But he is not especially rare and clever as villains go. He isn't creepy like the old ladies or possessed boy. He's an evil warlord, and he lacks subtlety.
I do like the idea that he can take your campaign to a unique war, and that creates lotsof adventure.
Hmm. Which cliche wins the fourth vote? Seskadrin the warlord? or Onayaku the guildmaster?
While I’m not a huge fan of the variant paladins, I am glad to see someone using the alternate rule set. Nice work!
For those wondering, no, it isn’t SRD, but it is OGL (Unearthed Arcana).
The intro text grabbed me by the collar, shook me around and threw me to the ground...in a good way. Immediately I wanted to know more about this Namor-on-steroids brute. That is saying a LOT, as many of your competitors' entries were very very VERY "meh" in regards to captivating me right out of the gate.
As I read futher, I continued to enjoy the villain as you exposed more of his story and abilities.
I'm strongly considering voting for you. In the mean time, I'd like to flatter you by mentioning that I'm gonna *yoink* the snot outta this NPC for my own use.
Good luck!
I have simply never cared about sahuagin. Nice entry but still a bit "meh" for me.
Very solid boilerplate is of much greater use to me than poorly done new things. besides, this includes a power struggle on the Villains side, and that's always good for my players.
Got my vote.
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Roger, you are correct. (dont mind Wolfgang). But as you say we have come to mean the content of the d20srd site not strictly the WotC SRD. I agree a discussion in another thread is useful. But referring to the WotC d20 SRD was a mess because you have to go grab all that content. It isnt organized. So we decided to use d20srd, knowing that it did have some open game content from AU that technically isnt the SRD.This really should get a thread of its own, because it isn't the first time it has come up.
The SRD is the SRD is the SRD, and it's a set of documents published by WotC. Some website can do whatever it likes, but that doesn't change anything.
I know that the official stance of the contest seems to be that when you say 'SRD' you mean 'www.d20srd.org', and hey, it's your contest. But it seems like there's quite enough confusion already out there about what the SRD is without this sort of usage.
So, yeah, I won't hold it against Seskadrin here.
I think I'm confused ...
No, I'm SURE I am.
I thought the content on the d20srd WAS the SRD. Apparently not?
Where would I go to read the WOTC SRD? What is the difference?
I think I'm confused ...
No, I'm SURE I am.
I thought the content on the d20srd WAS the SRD. Apparently not?
Where would I go to read the WOTC SRD? What is the difference?
This is form the FAQ section of d20srd.org:
Q: Do you plan to add content from other sourcebooks to this site?
A: I cannot include content from any sourcebook unless that content has been released under the Open Gaming License (OGL). This site currently contains content from all sourcebooks published by Wizards of the Coast that contain open content. This includes open content from the following books published in the official d20 SRD:
Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monster Manual
Epic Level Handbook
Deities and Demigods
Expanded Psionics Handbook
In addition, the following open game content has also been included:
Razor Boar and Scorpionfolk from Monster Manual II
"Variant Rules" from Unearthed Arcana
Hopefully there will be content from other sourcebooks released under the OGL in the future. When that happens, you can be assured that I will include it on this site.
This is the official SRD. You might notice that the OGL stuff from Unearthed Arcana is missing from it.
The actual SRD can be downloaded here.
El Skootro
This is the official SRD. You might notice that the OGL stuff from Unearthed Arcana is missing from it.
Hmm. I don't normally think of Evil Geniuses as ... Pirates!
El Skootro
This is the official SRD. You might notice that the OGL stuff from Unearthed Arcana is missing from it.Hmm. I don't normally think of Evil Geniuses as ... Pirates!
El Skootro
Yarrr!
You are getting points from me just for the fact that you didn't use a caster as your villain, kudos!
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Quick thoughts:
+1 for fitting into a country I voted for :-)
+1 for seeming cool
gets one of my votes, though I'm not sure how much I'd think of him outside the Eluraleon contextFitting him into the country entry solves a lot of the problems that a lot of the other entries have, the "so what" factor. It provides a ceneptual basis for what campaigns based around him would look like and acts as a force multiplier for your 500 words. I like it!
Wow! 2 "+'s" from EM. I could see Sesk' being used in Eberron off the coast of Xen'drik. I could see him being used in a Freeport-based game, or in the Realms off the coast of the Pirate Isles, Moonshaes or in the Sea of Fallen Stars.
Sesk' got my vote!
Interesting. A major monster/villain with virtually no offensive magical combat gear. Okay, a +1 trident and some screaming bolts. Hm. High amounts of defensive gear. I think it a curious choice that he went with Asmodeus as a deity. It doesn't quite jibe with what I would expect a sahuagin to pick up, but for some it might.
I liked Eluraelon the last round. It's interesting to see a reference and a tie-in. His piratical efforts seem in keeping with a would-be villain, but his search for his wife does not seem a good plot hook for PCs to interact with. Decent and different (although there's a lot of scaly reptiles in this round).
I think a lot of these design choices add depth (heehee, "depth", deep ones, sahuagin, get it?). The alternate paladin class, the choice to go for corruption over combat, both of these give any GM a lot of room to work with. I think this is an excellent villain, because by his design he should recur. He should plot, he should be intelligent, fun, and pervasive. I can't wait to find an excuse to incorporate these elements, and that's what this is all about!
Yeah, I'm okay with this one. There's a lot here that I already love to use -
1) Sahuagin are much like Deep Ones from Lovecraft, and I like makign that connection. While I'm not an "Aquatic adventures" person, I do like running fights against amphibious beings, in a sort of "Shadow over Innsmouth" way.
2) The Paladin variant is great. In my eberron game, we have a warforged LE Paladin that's great - he's a minor villain, obsessed with the idea of death. HE's creepy, and the players love him.
3) I like how you tie this entry into your previous entry. That's cool.
4) Excellent word choice. I love seeing "Satraps". Period.
I wasn't a fan of Euraleon and I still just generally don't like aquatic stuff, but this guy still somehow intrigues me. I think given his 'corrupt and control' motivation and heretic status that you missed a big opportunity in choosing the 4-armed mutation over the one that would make him appear to be a member of the very race he hates.
Maybe.
By design this is a villain, only the second one I've found.
You will receive my vote.
I like the 'simple yet deep' approach. Sure, a class-leveled evil conqueror. But there is so much to work with here- and it's ready-made. Just add water.*
*pun intended
Very solid boilerplate is of much greater use to me than poorly done new things. besides, this includes a power struggle on the Villains side, and that's always good for my players.Got my vote.
I am siding with Dungeon Grrl on this. Whacked out innovation isn't getting my vote over something that is quality and solid.
I absolutely loved your country, and I love this villain. I want to see Russ working on an AP that has an underwater component to it. I accept you might not be able to have an entire undersea AP, but you can have a chapter or part of a chapter.. and I like how Russ is shaping up to be able to do that.
I also appreciate that this is plotting, scheming, ambitious villain.. not just a directionless or sedentary bad guy.
In no particular order I have opted for:
Abzirael Ul-Shadai, the Cackling Whirling
Voeren van Premie, Herald of Than Aivel
And this afternoon Russ earned vote Number Three
Yep, I like this one a lot, up there with "creepy cultist elan", "mad as a box of frogs demon-genie", and "girl/boy psychic assassin".
Notes:4-armed Sahugin. Reminds me of the 2nd edition monstrous arcana modules. At first I thought he was too limited but then saw that he had is claws into things on land too. Solid if not amazingly creative. Good motivations, I really understand what he wants to do.
Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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Bravo! Great country, and this villain intersects perfectly with it.
As far as evil deities go, Asmodeus seems a weak choice. That's a figure with a real historical basis, and has been written about ad nauseum by TSR and WotC. Plus, nothing about Asmodeus is particularly aquatic. A cunning, manipulative and LE version of crazy Cthulhu would've been cooler and more fitting.
Still, I'm voting for this one for sure. I love it.
Awesome. Simply awesome.