RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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So, my party of 5 level 12 powerful PCs (homebrew PRC and Splatbooks agogo) has just started The Lightless Depths. I've decided to swap out the Kopru and Behemoths for Mind FLayers and Beholders.
Mostly because I don't like Kopru.
Issue 1
Now, the switch from Kopru to Mind Flayer is reasonable - simply replacing them one-for-one swaps CR6 beasts for CR8. The jump is covered by a) an extra PC and b) the splatbooks and other tweaks.
Swapping Kopru Bholders one-for-one for Beholders is a different proposition. I may use one Beholder to replace 1 Behemoth AND 1 Dark Naga. What do you guys think?
Issue 2
Kopru can worship Big D. Why would Illithid be worshipping him?
Hope you guys can help me - I think these beasts fit Golismorga nicely and they're classic D&D monsters we've rarely used and always wanted to.
They also tie in to a certain Monkamuck/Turin Lich via a portal, which will really freak out my players!
Issue 1: Sounds fine. The Naga seem rather out-of-place there anyway. I replaced them with Kopru Mages.
Issue 2: Perhaps they don't worship him so much as are taking advantage of things left behind by the Aboleth that D has gotten his tentacles into? Or perhaps the reason they moved into Golismorga is that their old Flayer Enclave kicked them out for being a little too fanatical to a demon lord?
Well they don't have to work for big D, the first and foremost thing you need is "Why are the using the Bilewitch to make pearls" and "Why are they sending them out to the fleet."
They could be working out a mutual trade, in the as written STAP Khala and the Fleet ARE sending fresh slaves down every time they pick up pearls. So this could now be seen as a trade: "We send you down pearls and you steep them in Black-Bile, we give you slaves" And Mind-flayer slaves are ofcourse 1 part work-force 1 part food. The flayers need not even know what the Black Pearls do, all they care about is more slaves.
You could use a certain kind of deathbug with a few templates as well ... after all, with a certain feat the awaken spell can be applied to vermin.
Sapient death bugs could be the descendants of an aboleth servitor race ...
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Turin, that's just wrong! (though deathbugs - your solid fog ones - will definitely appear somewhere.)
Orthos, Zombie Boots, I think that's the simplest option. They filled in the gap left by the aboleth, they work for Khala and they get slaves as payment.
I'll pimp the Bilewretch (Turin's Cuddles may make an appearance at last) and use a Mind Flayer corrupted by Khala as the boss. Which means, of course, the dual actions ability ;-)
The players can fill in the blanks and further details themselves. It's not like a Mind Flayer is going to give them a soliloquy or something!
Now... what to replace that Elder Black Pudding with?
What about a massive yellow musk creeper ?
I like that. The Creeper really doesn't get enough attention - it's a great monster that's unfortunately underplayed.
I like that. The Creeper really doesn't get enough attention - it's a great monster that's unfortunately underplayed.
Especially if you monkey with it a bit - if nothing else, a combination of changing the appearance to something suitably "aboleth-y" (to fit in to Golismorga's twisted landscape) with setting the Knowledge (dungeoneering) DC to 20 + CR to start learning stuff about what it does.
The best part ? It already has tentacles ... :)
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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I like the Creeper too - especially as the Int damage will freak out the wizard. Mind you, with all the illithid coming up, that could be Int-damage overkill. Still, better a coherent theme than a mish-mash of stuff "just to be different".
I also like the "aboleth servitor race" idea, hanging around near the sleepers, maybe even bringing them tributes occasionally. I've had quite a few plants and undead recently, and we're still playing 3.5, so I think this beastie should be crittable and sneakable. So - what to reskin it as?
Floating blob with tentacles, like an Asheron's Call 2 Niffis or a corporeal energon maybe? Burrowing, tunneling worm? It has to be amphibious I guess...
I like the Creeper too - especially as the Int damage will freak out the wizard. Mind you, with all the illithid coming up, that could be Int-damage overkill. Still, better a coherent theme than a mish-mash of stuff "just to be different".
I also like the "aboleth servitor race" idea, hanging around near the sleepers, maybe even bringing them tributes occasionally. I've had quite a few plants and undead recently, and we're still playing 3.5, so I think this beastie should be crittable and sneakable. So - what to reskin it as?
Floating blob with tentacles, like an Asheron's Call 2 Niffis or a corporeal energon maybe? Burrowing, tunneling worm? It has to be amphibious I guess...
Simply add in a special quality that removes being uncrittable / un-sneak-attack-able - in trade for a nice upgrade package that changes its type to aberration, ups INT to 5 or 7, adds another 30 feet to tremorsense, good saves are Fort and Will, base attack, increase reach a bit (depending on size). It'll be a new critter, but starting from the creeper stat block saves you some time.
I'm now thinking of a gang of Pugwampi Druids in precarious surroundings for lots of laughs :-)
^_^ Summoned waves o' stirges too ? ^_^
Instead of Kopru... Derro? :-)
I think the intent behind kopru is "amphibious tentacled aberration critter that does NOT eat brains".
Deep Ones with tentacles perhaps ?
How did the pugwampi bug herders go ?
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Aw, they chickened out and spent half the night shopping! And... role-playing, of all things! So then they started getting antsy and wanting a combat before it was time to go home an I didn't want to shoot the pugwampi wad without a few hours to mop up, so I chucked them a few spectres. Hopefully I'll see an opening for the little buggers this week!
As far as Kopru as concerned, I thought they were more there as hommage to the original module. I'm starting to think my Mind Flayer Golismorga will be tougher than Mantru, so I may tone down the Lords of Dread. All the players know is that they wear cloaks, so I can do anything :-)
Derro are demon-worshipping freaky little mentalists who IMO would quite happily work with Cuddles to make pearls in exchange for slaves. And I have lots of cool Derro stuff from Halls of the Mountain King.
Oh the awesomeness of seeing Cuddles in action once more! Sounds like the derro are a good way to go.
BTW, I've taken the liberty of revamping the Graul clan. My group will see them in Chapter 3 of Kingmaker. Take advanced + ogrekin human + Ravenous ... and make 'em all Magi (from the UM playtest) ... well, you might imagine the horror. Chuckles, Drooler and Biggun` got a "treatmeent", as did Muck...
If you want the gruesome stat blocks lemme know, I'll have them done in a few days.
Oh the awesomeness of seeing Cuddles in action once more! Sounds like the derro are a good way to go.
BTW, I've taken the liberty of revamping the Graul clan. My group will see them in Chapter 3 of Kingmaker. Take advanced + ogrekin human + Ravenous ... and make 'em all Magi (from the UM playtest) ... well, you might imagine the horror. Chuckles, Drooler and Biggun` got a "treatmeent", as did Muck...
If you want the gruesome stat blocks lemme know, I'll have them done in a few days.
I would never turn down a chance to peruse your stat blocks Turin, no matter HOW gruesome.
Oh the awesomeness of seeing Cuddles in action once more! Sounds like the derro are a good way to go.
BTW, I've taken the liberty of revamping the Graul clan. My group will see them in Chapter 3 of Kingmaker. Take advanced + ogrekin human + Ravenous ... and make 'em all Magi (from the UM playtest) ... well, you might imagine the horror. Chuckles, Drooler and Biggun` got a "treatmeent", as did Muck...
If you want the gruesome stat blocks lemme know, I'll have them done in a few days.
I would never turn down a chance to peruse your stat blocks Turin, no matter HOW gruesome.
^_^ Glad to hear that, Hired Sword.