What's the dumbest idea you have seen in a rpg?
For me it's the dwelf from rolemaster a half eld/half dwarf shoud not exist.
|
I always hated modrons.
Like, triangle guys with three legs, and then rectangle guys.
I was fascinated with the ludicrous simplicity of their pictures in the 1E MM2. The idea of a species based on the cold, simple perfection of mathematics was intriguing, but there was nothing attractive about telling players they were being attacked by a swarm of spear-wielding Rubik's Cubes.
And then Tony DiTerlizzi got his pen and ink on them. I just couldn't get enough of his illustrations for Planescape no matter what he was drawing, but he made the modrons look cool.
|
In one of the Tome of Horrors or Creature Collections (I don't remember which), there is a creature called the Jungle Squid. The picture shows it sitting in a tree, ready to nab unaware passersby with its tentacles. CR 16.
Edit: I don't mean to disparage those books. I love them. All of them. But c'mon! Jungle Squid?
I am NOT a dumb creature! ~snorts~ Humans!
Already posted this in another thread, but now it's enhanced with a great link: The Asswere
You'll have to scroll down a bit, but it'll be a fun time getting there.
I disliked the various "it's a plot device, but let's pretend it's a monster" monsters from Fiend Folio like the Hound of Ill Omen, the Trilloch, and the Nilbog. Did anyone ever have any fun with those? (Maybe the nilbog...)
I have to throw in my vote for the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing from the 1E MM2. For those of you who don't know it, the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing is a monster that has evolved (?) to visually mimic a tree stump with a horned rabbit sitting on it.
Hey. HEY! Don't you go makin' light of the Wolf-in-sheep's-clothing! There's nothing funny about getting your arm chewed off just because you like to pet the bunnies. They won't get ME again, I tell you what! I had all the tree stumps on my property dynamited to the kingdom come. Not get gonna get me again!
As for dumb monsters - how 'bout the tojanida? The carbuncle? The wolfwere? There's plenty to choose from.
Ooh...I forgot about the carbuncle. A rich armadillo that messes with your mind, and then commits suicide. Genius!
Bullywugs. A poor man's lizardman. Dumb name, not scary or intimidating. You wanna talk frogs, give me a froghemoth (That's not a frog, THIS is a frog!)...
I have to throw in my vote for the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing from the 1E MM2. For those of you who don't know it, the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing is a monster that has evolved (?) to visually mimic a tree stump with a horned rabbit sitting on it.
That was originally from Expedition to Barrier Peaks module.
That was a downed spaceship on a high fantasy planet adventure. So the monster was meant to be a freaky genetic experiment or some such.
I have to throw in my vote for the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing from the 1E MM2. For those of you who don't know it, the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing is a monster that has evolved (?) to visually mimic a tree stump with a horned rabbit sitting on it.
That was originally from Expedition to Barrier Peaks module.
That was a downed spaceship on a high fantasy planet adventure. So the monster was meant to be a freaky genetic experiment or some such.
That's not a good enough reason for such a daft monster.
The Bowler was a pretty stupid idea- a monster that's basically the stone Ball from Raiders of the Lost Ark chasing you like a petrified Pac-Man.
I have to throw in my vote for the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing from the 1E MM2. For those of you who don't know it, the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing is a monster that has evolved (?) to visually mimic a tree stump with a horned rabbit sitting on it.
That was originally from Expedition to Barrier Peaks module.
That was a downed spaceship on a high fantasy planet adventure. So the monster was meant to be a freaky genetic experiment or some such.
That's not a good enough reason for such a daft monster.
The Bowler was a pretty stupid idea- a monster that's basically the stone Ball from Raiders of the Lost Ark chasing you like a petrified Pac-Man.
I will concede the point, Firbolg. ;)
I disliked the various "it's a plot device, but let's pretend it's a monster" monsters from Fiend Folio like the Hound of Ill Omen, the Trilloch, and the Nilbog. Did anyone ever have any fun with those? (Maybe the nilbog...)
I've used a trilloch before, a few times actually (assuming we're talking about the parisitic negative energy critter). I'm not that familiar with the original 1e version, but its writeup in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium III was awesome.
|
|
I disliked the various "it's a plot device, but let's pretend it's a monster" monsters from Fiend Folio like the Hound of Ill Omen, the Trilloch, and the Nilbog. Did anyone ever have any fun with those? (Maybe the nilbog...)
I've run a couple of awesome adventures with nilbogs as the monsters. They were both intensely silly adventures, mind you, but they were awesome nonetheless.
Jeremy Puckett
Adding a nilbog into an adventure with regular goblins can be quite fun - for the DM.
Vampyr, Goblyn or other critters with names like from a failed student have always had a special place in the more disdain-filled areas of my heart. :)
I'll get flamed for this... but I always hated Drow - if I play a ranger they are always my #1 favored enamy, even if I'm told by the DM there are none planned to show up...
Not flamed, just laughed at derisively for making stupid character choices based on player dislikes. Hahaha! ;-P
What about the hollyphant, and its bizarro twin, the maelephaunt (might have spelled those wrong, don't care)?
|
Vampyr, Goblyn or other critters with names like from a failed student have always had a special place in the more disdain-filled areas of my heart. :)
Not flamed, just laughed at derisively for making stupid character choices based on player dislikes. Hahaha! ;-P
I'll get flamed for this... but I always hated Drow - if I play a ranger they are always my #1 favored enamy, even if I'm told by the DM there are none planned to show up...
It was great to see the one time we did meet drow though and I jumped in and cause all the drow to be chopped to tiny bit... all the while screaming "It's sacrilege for elves to live under ground... elves... should... live... in.... trees!"
|
I might get kicked off the boards for this but the stupidest idea ever has to be a vampire/dragon.
I don't care about a backstory involving Dragotha getting pissed of and cursing an enemy.
I just see this vampire walking up to a silver dragon going,
"I vant
to suck
your blud."
It's stupid.
Lashona
is
stupid.
-W. E. Ray
I might get kicked off the boards
You don't have any friends, do you? ;-P
I disliked the various "it's a plot device, but let's pretend it's a monster" monsters from Fiend Folio...
The original Fiend Folio was occasionally useful -- but it was often frightfully dumb. You could open to a random page and have a good chance of winning this discussion.
I just remembered *the* worst monster of the 1st ed. Fiend Folio: the umpleby. As stupid as it's name sounds, it's a humanoid covered in long, shaggy hair. It crafts nets, ropes and triplines from its incredibly fast growing hair, and...
...wait for it...
It can deliver electrical shocks from huge amounts of static build-up in it's pelt.
|
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
|
I might get kicked off the boards for this but the stupidest idea ever has to be a vampire/dragon.
I don't care about a backstory involving Dragotha getting pissed of and cursing an enemy.
I just see this vampire walking up to a silver dragon going,
"I vant
to suck
your blud."It's stupid.
Lashona
is
stupid.-W. E. Ray
A dragon could become a vampire through an evil pact, necromantic magic, or a curse. Then THAT vampiric dragon could suck other dragons dry, and turn them into vampires, just like humaoid vampires could turn other humaoids into vampires.
I can also see a powerful 20th level vampire beating a dragon, sucking it dry, and having a kick ass vampiric dragon thrall that it used as a mount.
I always hated modrons.
Like, triangle guys with three legs, and then rectangle guys.
Modrons I disliked- until planescape, that is. Then they went from the kind of thing you'd doodle in the back of class to some seriously odd extraplanar aliens.
A particularly stupid monster I remember from Runequest was the Jack-o-Bear.
Yup, a grizzly with a pumpkin head and hypno vision.
Or something.
I always through that the Al'mir'aj (likely spelling error) were pretty dumb, to combine the theme of bunny monsters and the original fiend folio. These were basically unicorn horned rabbits.
I give those a pass since they are actually from mythology though. As for the topic I think I must have blocked out any dumb creatures. I know I've seen them but I really only pay attention to creatures I like.
I always through that the Al'mir'aj (likely spelling error) were pretty dumb, to combine the theme of bunny monsters and the original fiend folio. These were basically unicorn horned rabbits.
Yep. Nothing like lunch that has the capability of putting your eye out.
What's the dumbest idea you have seen in a rpg?
For me it's the dwelf from rolemaster a half eld/half dwarf shoud not exist.
Man, I don't even want to think about that!
I always through that the Al'mir'aj (likely spelling error) were pretty dumb, to combine the theme of bunny monsters and the original fiend folio. These were basically unicorn horned rabbits.
It's one thing to have a silly-looking monster, but still be a reasonable monster crunch-wise. The al'miraj falls in this category; it looks silly, but it doesn't have any powers that make it particularly odd. It's basically a giant rat with a different paint job.
It's another thing to have a reasonable-looking monster, but with silly powers. The nilbog falls into this category. It looks like a goblin, but it has a bizarre "no save" power grafted onto it.
But it takes real talent to create a ridiculous-looking monster with ridiculous powers (unrelated to its appearance). All hail the CARBUNCLE!
:)