This is a placeholder thread for the time being.
It is for all those of us , who wont let them down by not being in the Top 32 and play along with the deadline and assignment game and nevertheless design a monster ( I will, it's a too good chance for exercise under controlled circumstances to let it pass).
Important:
Do not post your non-submissions here before the actual deadline has passed. And focus your feedback and comments on the real Top32, they deserve the attention and spotlight and from now on are dependent on our support and votes. This thread is just for fun and flexing some creative muscles, the real contest is elsewhere
My personal deadline for this will be Friday 8PM , 6 h after the normal deadline. let's see if I (we) can create a good monster until then.
sounds like some fun. *rubs hands menacingly* now were is that portfolio full of ideas...
Yeah! Sounds fun!
::mumbles:: My thread title was better....
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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I had a rough monster idea (and also ideas for domains, spells, feats, a villain, two prestige classes and a high-leveladventure).
But I'll probably submit my mock entry Saturday, because work suddenly took a higher priority when I didn't advance. : }
But I'll probably submit my mock entry Saturday, because work suddenly took a higher priority when I didn't advance. : }
Yeah, same for me. But life is life, i will try to stick to my self-set deadline nevertheless.
The basic idea stands however.
Glad to see this thread (and the other two :) ), and that others will be "playing along". I too have a monster concept that I will be sharing once the deadline for The Thirty-Two has passed.
First draft stands.
Way over word count.
Yes! If I were in the top 32, I would be posting before the deadline!
Done, dusted and at 277 words according to Word 2003. :)
Now just to sit on it till after we've seen the real entries...
Yes! If I were in the top 32, I would be posting before the deadline!
Done, dusted and at 277 words according to Word 2003. :)
Now just to sit on it till after we've seen the real entries...
Be careful, you have to figure in 7 years of inflation. as of 2010 you might be over 300 words ;)
I'm at 299 or 98 and feelin' uncomfortable so close to the max.
Not sure when I'll have monster in- stuff at jobs got hectic yesterday. Hope to have something by tonight though.
consider my entry to be submitted, i will post it as soon as the real top32 deadline was crossed.
Part of me would suggest waiting to post these submissions until after Round 2 voting has finished. I am a bit concerned that if a monster posted here is somewhat similar to one created in the contest that it might have the potential to fiddle with the voting more.
I may be overly paranoid, but I am a bit afraid of the barest chance that someone might say, "This sumbission is lacking, that one similar monster in the 'If I was in the top 32' thread did it so much better. Here is a list of things it did better."
That probably wouldn't happen for many reasons, but I would rather delay this than chance messing with the actual contestants.
Or I could be crazy and/or it will be all fine.
So, you guys will be allowed to put yours up as soon as the deadline goes past (in a few hours), right? They're not making you wait until Tuesday?
I think it might be fine. People are suggesting changes to submissions all the time, while saying they are better on many regards.
Also there are literally thousands of Monsters out there the submissions will be compared to, 5 more in this thread probably wont make a difference.
I will stick with my schedule. This way we have the weekend commenting on our non-submissions, and next week we can focus on the actual Top 32. Also this way we can follow the contest for the following rounds. and We assure that the monsters here and in the Top were developed independently.
But official comments on this matter are welcome.
So, you guys will be allowed to put yours up as soon as the deadline goes past (in a few hours), right? They're not making you wait until Tuesday?
Hey, that way YOU have the chance of being the commentator, ripping our Monsters apart. surely a relief from being restricted to smiling and nodding regarding our comments on your monsters :D
So, you guys will be allowed to put yours up as soon as the deadline goes past (in a few hours), right? They're not making you wait until Tuesday?Hey, that way YOU have the chance of being the commentator, ripping our Monsters apart. surely a relief from being restricted to smiling and nodding regarding our comments on your monsters :D
Ha!
Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. Get back at you all while I still can, before my own precious pet goes to the dunk-tank. :evileyes:
(I DO think it will give us something fun to do before the contest picks up again next week, especially those of us who are still in a monster-brewing headspace)
And now to a more serious attempt:
Bonefiddler
Description:
Sometimes the cruelest punishments are not reserved for heinous criminals, but for those who fail to amuse their liege. When a jester is killed for nothing but an ill received pun, he may rise as a bonefiddler, an undead mockery of the fool he once was.
A bonefiddler appears as a mostly skeletal, withered version of his former self, his eyes burning with hatred and glee, and still wearing the tattered remains of once joyful clothes.
Most bonefiddlers roam the land, spreading fear and terror while gathering a gruesome parade of skeletal minions, playing a horrible instrument crafted from their own bodies –the bonefiddle.
Powers and Abilities:
A bonefiddler can dance trough the air with ease, his toes enshrouded by eldritch flames. A bone fiddler can magically manipulate sound and minds alike, while sharing the resistances and immunities of his skeletal minions, but his most feared weapon is his bone music.
When a bonefiddler plays his fiddle he creates an insidious rhythm of discordance that is unbearable for most mortals, yet deeply resonates within their bones.
With this music he can cause skeletons to dance and fling themselves wildly abound, forcing living creatures to reign in their seizing bodies, concentrate his music on one creature, taking control of it like wicked puppeteer, raise corpses as skeletons under his control and create bone-shattering bursts of dissonance.
By sacrificing some of his energy he can cause his music to be transmitted via the medium of negative energy rather than sound, making it even more deadly to living creatures and bypassing magical silence.
If hardly pressed he can even use his fiddlestick as a weapon of last resort, as it drains the life force from any living creature it touches.
of course. thats one of the main reasons I'm doing this.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
aka Benchak the Nightstalker
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And now to a more serious attempt:
Bonefiddler
** spoiler omitted **
Aside from some language issues (forgivable considering English is your second language, is it not?), this is a pretty cool concept!
I like the idea of the skeletal musician, dancing around the battlefield sowing chaos. I am wondering what challenge rating you had in mind though, because from the Powers and Abilities section is seems like he's got a lot of stuff going on at once?
Also, I think there was a spell in 3.5 called bonefiddle, wasn't there? I want to say it summoned a spectral bow to play on the enemy's bones, I remember really liking it flavor-wise.
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This, then, would have been my attempt:
Chitterwolf
Description: A chitterwolf is a wrinkly, hairless aberration with eight legs like a spider, but with a stunted head and claws like a canine. A chitterwolf has three eyes on either side of its head, and hosts a jutting, lipless jaw filled with thick, dagger-like teeth. Mature chitterwolves grow roughly to the size of a large dog and almost always hunt in packs. An individual chitterwolf is not much of a threat for well-prepared adventurers, but chitterwolves are rarely encountered individually.
Ranging in color from milky-white to dark brown, chitterwolves are territorial pack animals most commonly found in naturally dark habitats such as deep forests, large ruins, and caverns. Disliking bright light sources, chitterwolves are adept burrowers, and will dig out a burrow hole large enough for only a single chitterwolf to occupy. As such, a typical chitterwolf lair is pockmarked with deep holes to provide shelter to all members of the pack.
Powers and Abilities: Though chitterwolves only possess animal intelligence, they are adept pack hunters and commonly use swarm tactics to bring down larger prey with their bites and claws. The chitterwolf’s powerful legs and thick claws allow it to burrow quickly in soft earth and dirt, with slower burrowing through solid stone. In addition to burrowing, a chitterwolf’s powerful legs allow it to jump great distances, and attacking chitterwolves will often leaping upon surprised prey. A chitterwolf’s powerful jaws lock upon whatever a chitterwolf bites, allowing a chitterwolf to attempt a grapple with a successful bite attack. Finally, as pack creatures, a chitterwolf may emit a high-pitched howl that it may use to summon others of its kind and to frighten weak-willed prey.
Ooh, this looks like fun! My creature is a WAITAMINUTE...
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8
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Hmmm. I posted my actual monster, but would it be alright if I posted the one I didn't go with? (I had it down to two and my gaming group voted the other one in. With some pretty good reasons, I thought.)
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7
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OK, here we go:
Mnemonic Ooze
Description
The mnemonic ooze appears, like many oozes, to be nothing more than a damp, glistening coating to whatever surface it covers. It has no discernible coloration and with its clear physical being, is often mistaken for a wet area by less than observant adventurers. Unlike other oozes, however, this creature is sentient and rather intelligent. While it does maintain as nondescript an appearance as possible, if need arises it can assume a crude semblance of a translucent medium bipedal creature, less a head.
Powers and Abilities
Mnemonic oozes possess an Intelligence draining attack, which, while hazardous in itself, becomes even more terrifying when a spell caster is the target of the attack. In such cases, the mnemonic ooze has a 10% chance for each point of Intelligence drained from such a target of draining a number of prepared spell levels equal to the twice the amount of the Intelligence drain. The drained Intelligence becomes a temporary Intelligence bonus for the ooze and any drained spells are usable by the ooze. In combat, the ooze benefits from its lack of support structure imparting a DR 10 versus physical attacks. Fire, however, is especially damaging to mnemonic oozes, inflicting twice the normal damage. Cold attack slow down a mnemonic ooze and inflict 1 point of Intelligence damage.
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7
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This, then, would have been my attempt:
** spoiler omitted **
First thing I thought was
mutant chihuahuas ... not terrifying on their own, but get enough together and you'll be hating life.
Can they actually burrow through solid stone? Or did you mean rocky soil? If it is solid stone, that could be a nasty infestation for a castle or keep ...
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7
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Uhh, actually:...Describe a new fantasy monster for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. This includes its description (physical shape, mental outlook, and so on) and a summary of its powers and abilities. Do not submit game statistics for the monster. Make it interesting and world-neutral, just like the monsters in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary--the focus is on the monster, not the setting...There is a 'Do not submit game statistics' in there. Sorry: I think that would have been trouble if this had been for real zylphryx. :(
On the bright side, it wasn't and I had to go check that out, so thanks again. :D
See, I read the "no game statistics" as "no stat block", but in reading through the FAQ, yeah, the percentage for spell drain and DR would have most likely knocked it out. Should have left those as generic descriptors (i.e. - "can pull spells from the spell caster" or "physical attacks have limited effect").
Size was touched on, in that it could coalesce into a medium bipedal form and, yes, I should have mentioned the subterranean aspect.
But such is life. Thanks for the review Charles. :)
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
aka Benchak the Nightstalker
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I have to ask, was this at all inspired by the real life Wolf Spider? Because that's the first thing I thought of when I read this entry, that it was a literal wolf spider!
The image of a creepy, hairless dog-thing with a bunch of extra legs is also pretty darn interesting. While I'm pretty ambivalent about most animal mash-ups, I think this one works.
I think Charles may be right about this being more mechanics than the rules allow. Specifically the powers and abilities section, where you talk about draining 'points' of intelligence and what the creature's DR is.
That said, I think this would be a pretty good monster entry with a little rewrite, the idea of an ooze that sucks spells out of your brain and fires them back at you is wicked cool.
Edit: Ninja'd by YOU!
Ok I met the self deadline though I am sure if the pressure was on I would have pattered, puttered, and played with it for much, much longer O:)
Irrisen Sun Grizzly
Description
Also known as the red steg-ursus, this large omnivore usually ambles on four sharp-clawed legs. Nine bone spikes erupt from its unusually long tail and great triangular plates jut from the creature’s spine. Growing up to two feet in length each plate has many grooves that reflect light in the colors of a setting sun. Displays from burnt ambers to raw siennas or splashes of violet surround the beast. The hard, hornlike material cuts those who touch it the wrong way as serrated edges line each plate.
When agitated the bear rears up on its hind legs granting claws and tail greater maneuverability. On its chest, a circular ring of gold fur interrupts an otherwise sorrel coat. On nursing females this ring is solid. Like a sun breaking through red clouds at sunset this feature gives rise to the adage ‘red sun at night, ‘tis no worse sight.’
Powers and Abilities
The sun bear has greater than animal intelligence. Teeth and claws are only used against berries and small prey. With more serious adversaries the spiked tail often knocks prey dozens of feet as often as it punctures a victim’s lung. The plates often damage those foolish enough to make natural attacks against the bear. They also offer protection against spells requiring attack rolls and some tales even say rays can be returned to the caster. The sun grizzly has it own magical abilities as well, using the light patterns off these plates to dazzle or confound their opponents. A handy trait when robbing the combs of giant bees.
I gotta say it cool to see so many of the Top 32 here O:) I hope it is good practice for y'all.
COOKIE MONSTER
Hmmm. I posted my actual monster, but would it be alright if I posted the one I didn't go with? (I had it down to two and my gaming group voted the other one in. With some pretty good reasons, I thought.)
I would love to say yes but, this could be dangerous if it has any similarities to your entry (even just the author's voice). If so it could be construed as 'additional material' Wait a week. You can either post when you are done working on round 3 or when you are done with round 3. :) You too Bill Dodds, though if everyone got round 2 done your alternate can come in sooner.
I will comment on each as a few more get posted, but in general I think bonefiddler, chitterwolf, mnemonic ooze and even the haystack are creative monsters. That is the first quality I will vote on in the top 32 O:)
EDIT: despite my shiny new pin O:)