paizo.com Recent Posts in Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living Dollspaizo.com Recent Posts in Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living Dolls2012-11-15T23:11:17Z2012-11-15T23:11:17ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsArtus Nematihttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#912011-02-19T00:19:54Z2011-02-19T00:19:54Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Quandary wrote:</div><blockquote> So that means we will be getting a top-notch Varstrius encounter? :-) </blockquote><p>That really depends if one of the other contestants chose to use him. The rules said we could not choose our own villain. We'll see on Tuesday if someone chose to make an encounter around Varstrius.Quandary wrote:So that means we will be getting a top-notch Varstrius encounter? :-)
That really depends if one of the other contestants chose to use him. The rules said we could not choose our own villain. We'll see on Tuesday if someone chose to make an encounter around Varstrius.Artus Nemati2011-02-19T00:19:54ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsQuandaryhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#902011-02-18T20:16:30Z2011-02-18T20:16:30Z<p>So that means we will be getting a top-notch Varstrius encounter? :-)</p>So that means we will be getting a top-notch Varstrius encounter? :-)Quandary2011-02-18T20:16:30ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsArtus Nematihttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#892011-02-18T18:54:02Z2011-02-18T18:54:02Z<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>First off, thank you very much for all the discussion over Varstrius. Even as I kept silent during the voting, I would return here often to try and glean insight from your criticism.</p>
<p>Here are a few comments that I think should be made.</p>
<p><ul><li>Ouch. I messed up on the Andoran issue. I will have to watch out not to butcher the I.P.s of those I am essentially being interviewed by in the future.<li>I now realize how important one word can make to the clarity of an entire entry. I should have wrote, "Sarrisia was more careless than usual, and the PCs encounter her while she is <b>smuggling</b> prisoners through Andoran." This would have made it clear that she was not trying to sell the slaves in Andoran. <li><b>To Ryan Dancey-</b> Apology accepted. There can be no grudges when there was no ill will. <li><b>To those of you who came to my aid when I could not defend my work-</b> You helped me sleep at night. Thank you. <li>The biggest hurdle I had with Varstrius was separating him from his surroundings and encounter. Much of how I would show players how he treats his dolls would come from the descriptions I gave of his hideout, and a few villainous ideas I had for his tactics ended up being too location sensitive.</ul></p>
<p>I thank everyone again, and I hope you all like my Round 4 entry.</p>Hey guys,
First off, thank you very much for all the discussion over Varstrius. Even as I kept silent during the voting, I would return here often to try and glean insight from your criticism.
Here are a few comments that I think should be made.
Ouch. I messed up on the Andoran issue. I will have to watch out not to butcher the I.P.s of those I am essentially being interviewed by in the future.I now realize how important one word can make to the clarity of an entire entry. I should have...Artus Nemati2011-02-18T18:54:02ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsDumb Paladinhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#882011-02-16T13:11:22Z2011-02-16T13:11:22Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Varthanna wrote:</div><blockquote><br />
<br />
<p>Going back and reviewing all of Ryan Dancey's (I dont even know who this person is, frankly), it shows a rather concieted "I'm better than this" attitude [snip]
<br />
</blockquote><p>Oh, he's a somebody in the industry.
<p>But I have to say that while Mr. Dancey's apology for his error is certainly a classy thing to do, his critiques have definitely lost ALL credibility with me for the remainder of this contest. </p>
<p>Good job catching this, roguerouge, and Roshan & others for being vocal about this. You may have helped Artus more than you know, since he was bound by the rules of the contest and unable to speak on his own behalf.</p>
<p>Congrats on making it to the next round, Artus.</p>
<p>—DP</p>Varthanna wrote:Going back and reviewing all of Ryan Dancey's (I dont even know who this person is, frankly), it shows a rather concieted "I'm better than this" attitude [snip]
Oh, he's a somebody in the industry. But I have to say that while Mr. Dancey's apology for his error is certainly a classy thing to do, his critiques have definitely lost ALL credibility with me for the remainder of this contest.
Good job catching this, roguerouge, and Roshan & others for being vocal about this. You...Dumb Paladin2011-02-16T13:11:22ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsRyan Danceyhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#872011-02-16T06:06:15Z2011-02-16T06:06:15Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Artus Nemati wrote:</div><blockquote> <b>Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living Dolls</b></blockquote><p>Artus, please accept my apologies for mis-remembering the details of your entry's backstory. I mis-read my notes when writing my critique. I'm happy my error did not affect your advancement to Round 4.
<p>RyanD</p>Artus Nemati wrote:Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living Dolls
Artus, please accept my apologies for mis-remembering the details of your entry's backstory. I mis-read my notes when writing my critique. I'm happy my error did not affect your advancement to Round 4. RyanDRyan Dancey2011-02-16T06:06:15ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsVeneraxhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#862011-02-16T04:45:43Z2011-02-16T04:45:43Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Esmea-Shyva wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Venerax wrote:</div><blockquote> Kinda reminds me of the true blood alchemist? from Fullmetal Alchemist.. i may be mistaken on the name because i haven't seen it in a while but yes...creating living dolls of his daughter...who by his own fault was dead. Creepy.... </blockquote>Oh yeah, the Sewing Life Alchemist! He WAS creepy! </blockquote><p>YEAH!!! that was it.....friggan creepy S.O.B.....Esmea-Shyva wrote:Venerax wrote: Kinda reminds me of the true blood alchemist? from Fullmetal Alchemist.. i may be mistaken on the name because i haven't seen it in a while but yes...creating living dolls of his daughter...who by his own fault was dead. Creepy....
Oh yeah, the Sewing Life Alchemist! He WAS creepy! YEAH!!! that was it.....friggan creepy S.O.B.....Venerax2011-02-16T04:45:43ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsQuandaryhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#852011-02-16T04:26:57Z2011-02-16T04:26:57Z<p>Congrats!</p>Congrats!Quandary2011-02-16T04:26:57ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsErnest Muellerhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#842011-02-16T04:22:02Z2011-02-16T04:22:02Z<p>Congrats. I like this villain. I am somewhat disturbed at how poorly some of the judges read it - we're down to only 16 entries, but it seems like they really read fast through it to misunderstand the things they did.</p>Congrats. I like this villain. I am somewhat disturbed at how poorly some of the judges read it - we're down to only 16 entries, but it seems like they really read fast through it to misunderstand the things they did.Ernest Mueller2011-02-16T04:22:02ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsRyan Marshhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#832011-02-15T03:36:41Z2011-02-15T03:36:41Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">gbonehead wrote:</div><blockquote> <div class="messageboard-quotee">Nicolas Quimby wrote:</div><blockquote>This is why you should always, always, ALWAYS recruit through the Minion Guild. </blockquote><p><i>We represent
</p>
the Min-i-on Guild
<br />
the Min-i-on Guild
<br />
the Min-i-on Guild
<br />
and in the name of
<br />
the Min-i-on Guiiiiiiiild
<br />
We'd like to welcome you
<br />
to Half-ling Land!</i>
<br />
</blockquote><p>Sang that out loud I did. Many strange looks.gbonehead wrote:Nicolas Quimby wrote:This is why you should always, always, ALWAYS recruit through the Minion Guild.
We represent
the Min-i-on Guild
the Min-i-on Guild
the Min-i-on Guild
and in the name of
the Min-i-on Guiiiiiiiild
We'd like to welcome you
to Half-ling Land!
Sang that out loud I did. Many strange looks.Ryan Marsh2011-02-15T03:36:41ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living Dollsgboneheadhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#822011-02-14T20:37:18Z2011-02-14T20:37:18Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Nicolas Quimby wrote:</div><blockquote>This is why you should always, always, ALWAYS recruit through the Minion Guild. </blockquote><p><i>We represent
</p>
the Min-i-on Guild
<br />
the Min-i-on Guild
<br />
the Min-i-on Guild
<br />
and in the name of
<br />
the Min-i-on Guiiiiiiiild
<br />
We'd like to welcome you
<br />
to Half-ling Land!</i></p>Nicolas Quimby wrote:This is why you should always, always, ALWAYS recruit through the Minion Guild.
We represent
the Min-i-on Guild
the Min-i-on Guild
the Min-i-on Guild
and in the name of
the Min-i-on Guiiiiiiiild
We'd like to welcome you
to Half-ling Land!gbonehead2011-02-14T20:37:18ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsNicolas Quimbyhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#812011-02-14T19:42:02Z2011-02-14T19:42:02Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Jason Rice wrote:</div><blockquote> This stretches believability even further. Violent serial criminals nearly always work alone. Occasionally, they will have one, or even more rarely, multiple accomplices. However, these are almost always relatives or very close friends. What they don't do is hire random thugs to help them fulfill some weird doll fetish. If these "mercenaries" are evil enough to help a crazed kidnapper, what's keeping them from blackmailing Varstrius until he is dirt poor, then turning him in (possibly for a reward), or killing him once the money train stops? Would they continue to protect him once the PCs confronted Varstrius? I don't think so. </blockquote><p>This is why you should always, always, ALWAYS recruit through the Minion Guild.Jason Rice wrote:This stretches believability even further. Violent serial criminals nearly always work alone. Occasionally, they will have one, or even more rarely, multiple accomplices. However, these are almost always relatives or very close friends. What they don't do is hire random thugs to help them fulfill some weird doll fetish. If these "mercenaries" are evil enough to help a crazed kidnapper, what's keeping them from blackmailing Varstrius until he is dirt poor, then turning him in...Nicolas Quimby2011-02-14T19:42:02ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsJodi Lanehttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#802011-02-14T19:36:13Z2011-02-14T19:36:13Z<p>I'd love to kill this villain, good job I say! I think most of us have enough imagination to take this to a whole creepy new level. ;o) There's a lot you could do with this guy to make good storyline.</p>I'd love to kill this villain, good job I say! I think most of us have enough imagination to take this to a whole creepy new level. ;o) There's a lot you could do with this guy to make good storyline.Jodi Lane2011-02-14T19:36:13ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsQuandaryhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#792011-02-14T06:06:37Z2011-02-14T06:06:37Z<p>I was pretty careful to deal with your argument and not your character,
<br />
since that is tied into the reason I felt it important to respond in the first place.
<br />
I agree that Varthanna´s insinuation wasn´t particularly helpful.</p>
<p>In any case, you ARE the first and only person to mention this at all, so your hundreds or thousands of other people thinking the same thing are another product of your imagination at this point...
<br />
´Grey area´ material has in fact been touched on in Paizo APs, so I don´t know if that´s a mark against him for a contest run by Paizo and whose reward is writing an adventure for them. Earlier commenters indeed expounded on how they imagined/were scared to imagine how much more evil he was, but they didn´t happen to ´go´ where you went, nor did they express this ´ominous imagination of further evil´ as something against the author/entry, rather they found it powerful and compelling.</p>
<p>The character is explicitly NOT targetting children, nor is any past or present interest in such expressed. Perhaps that would match the Villain´s idolization of his lost sister, so he doesn´t want to target actual children. Conflating your imagined sexual crimes against halflings/gnomes with pedophilia also seems further problematic, because it means Golarion humans can´t ´like´ halflings/gnomes without being pedophiles by your book. It might be an unusual relationship, but I don´t really see why that should be avoided by Paizo. Hell, the existence of halflings/gnomes PERIOD, as ´child-like´ beings who nonetheless have sexual relations with WHOEVER would seem too controversial by your book, but I REALLY don´t think Paizo is going to drop halflings/gnomes, or make them utterly sexless beings.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I don´t really like discussing this subject, so I will leave it at that.
<br />
Everybody can read what his entry actually says.</p>I was pretty careful to deal with your argument and not your character,
since that is tied into the reason I felt it important to respond in the first place.
I agree that Varthanna´s insinuation wasn´t particularly helpful.
In any case, you ARE the first and only person to mention this at all, so your hundreds or thousands of other people thinking the same thing are another product of your imagination at this point...
´Grey area´ material has in fact been touched on in Paizo APs, so I don´t...Quandary2011-02-14T06:06:37ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsDP Smithhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#782011-02-14T05:48:14Z2011-02-14T05:48:14Z<p>I see that I have struck a note with some people. My comment was rather curt so allow me to clarify.</p>
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Quandary wrote:</div><blockquote><p> There´s absolutely no suggestion of that, whether using halflings/gnomes as stand-in´s or not.
</p>
´Dressing them up as gross parodies of Sulliana´ (his murdered sister) is the only mention of what he does with his victims.
<br />
That´s not pedophilia, nor something that I believe most pedophiles are interested in.
<br />
I mean, if he so creeped you out, that you were compelled to imagine how much MORE evil he could be, sure, I can see imagining that (or the plurality of OTHER sick s~•% people have suggested in this thread, e.g. with his daughter), but that doesn´t have a basis in his actual entry. </blockquote><p>And thats the problem, he doesn't say WHAT he does to his victims (beyond the dressing up). There is obviously more because there is no mention of what he does with them between the dressing up and disposing. Leaving a grey area like this is very dangerous for this villian. People will fill this gap with however they interprete it. As is, this villian could never be published because of this. If one person on a message board reads this and says "H'm...thats sounds a lot like a pedophile" then there would be hundreds, thousands of people in the general public who would see the same thing. If this grey area had been filled then I would see this villian differently ( I have no delusion in my mind that he was intended to read this way ), but as is it's a glaring oversight.
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Varthanna wrote:</div><blockquote><br />
<br />
<div class="messageboard-quotee">DP Smith wrote:</div><blockquote></p>
<p>Wow... you made the pedophile villian. Maybe you didn't intend this but that was my first impression.</p>
<p>No vote.
<br />
</blockquote><p>This speaks more to YOU, than to the villain. He has nothing to do with pedophilia. That is a very slippery slope you are on.
<p>Did someone close to you die?
<br />
YES</p>
<p>Were they younger than 18?</p>
<p>YES</p>
<p>Do you love them and miss them terribly?</p>
<p>YES</p>
<p>YOU ARE A PEDOPHILE</p>
<p>???
<br />
</blockquote><p>Haha, flame bait if I ever saw it. But I'll bite.
<p>Saying he has nothing to do with pedophilia is like saying going around your neighborhood, handing out candy from a windowless white van to children has nothing to do with pedophila. However innocent your reasons, people are going to see it that way. </p>
<p>Your slippery slope argument is also absurd, as you are missing the key point: </p>
<p>Do you go around town kidnapping "little folk" to dress up as your dead sister, and then keep around doing SOMETHING with them until you grow bored and sell them into ( more perminant ) slavery?</p>
<p>YES? THEN YOU ARE A PEDOPHILE!</p>
<p>As I said above, he doesn't say what he does with them once he dresses them up. It's not a function of my character or the character of anyone else. Unfortunatly we live in a time when the sexual abuse of minors is in the lime light. These themes are prevalent in our daily lives, regardless of whether or not we want them to be. In the future please attack my arguements over my character.</p>
<p><b>I want to be clear, I do not think that Artus intended this.</b> It probably never crossed his radar, or maybe the word count worked into it and he hoped it wouldn't be seen this way. However when writting for a public audience one needs to stop and think of all the ways their work could be interpreted.</p>I see that I have struck a note with some people. My comment was rather curt so allow me to clarify.
Quandary wrote:There´s absolutely no suggestion of that, whether using halflings/gnomes as stand-in´s or not.
´Dressing them up as gross parodies of Sulliana´ (his murdered sister) is the only mention of what he does with his victims.
That´s not pedophilia, nor something that I believe most pedophiles are interested in.
I mean, if he so creeped you out, that you were compelled to imagine how...DP Smith2011-02-14T05:48:14ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsWyrd_Wik (alias of B_Wiklund)https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#772011-02-13T19:25:10Z2011-02-13T19:25:10Z<p>Sort of creepy and I get what you're going for with the concept. However, and this is a fairly subjective thing, not what I would want to include in a session I was running at my table. I'm not sure where that line is as I've done serial killers adventures and other grisly stuff but I wouldn't go for this.
<br />
Still good luck.</p>Sort of creepy and I get what you're going for with the concept. However, and this is a fairly subjective thing, not what I would want to include in a session I was running at my table. I'm not sure where that line is as I've done serial killers adventures and other grisly stuff but I wouldn't go for this.
Still good luck.Wyrd_Wik (alias of B_Wiklund)2011-02-13T19:25:10ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsVarthannahttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#762011-02-13T17:00:51Z2011-02-13T17:00:51Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">DP Smith wrote:</div><blockquote><p> Wow... you made the pedophile villian. Maybe you didn't intend this but that was my first impression.</p>
<p>No vote. </blockquote><p>This speaks more to YOU, than to the villain. He has nothing to do with pedophilia. That is a very slippery slope you are on.
<p>Did someone close to you die?
<br />
YES</p>
<p>Were they younger than 18?</p>
<p>YES</p>
<p>Do you love them and miss them terribly?</p>
<p>YES</p>
<p>YOU ARE A PEDOPHILE</p>
<p>???</p>DP Smith wrote:Wow... you made the pedophile villian. Maybe you didn't intend this but that was my first impression.
No vote.
This speaks more to YOU, than to the villain. He has nothing to do with pedophilia. That is a very slippery slope you are on. Did someone close to you die?
YES
Were they younger than 18?
YES
Do you love them and miss them terribly?
YES
YOU ARE A PEDOPHILE
???Varthanna2011-02-13T17:00:51ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsQuandaryhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#752011-02-13T06:44:50Z2011-02-13T06:44:50Z<p>There´s absolutely no suggestion of that, whether using halflings/gnomes as stand-in´s or not.
<br />
´Dressing them up as gross parodies of Sulliana´ (his murdered sister) is the only mention of what he does with his victims.
<br />
That´s not pedophilia, nor something that I believe most pedophiles are interested in.
<br />
I mean, if he so creeped you out, that you were compelled to imagine how much MORE evil he could be, sure, I can see imagining that (or the plurality of OTHER sick s•$& people have suggested in this thread, e.g. with his daughter), but that doesn´t have a basis in his actual entry.</p>There´s absolutely no suggestion of that, whether using halflings/gnomes as stand-in´s or not.
´Dressing them up as gross parodies of Sulliana´ (his murdered sister) is the only mention of what he does with his victims.
That´s not pedophilia, nor something that I believe most pedophiles are interested in.
I mean, if he so creeped you out, that you were compelled to imagine how much MORE evil he could be, sure, I can see imagining that (or the plurality of OTHER sick s~&! people have suggested...Quandary2011-02-13T06:44:50ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsDP Smithhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#742011-02-13T04:39:48Z2011-02-13T04:39:48Z<p>Wow... you made the pedophile villian. Maybe you didn't intend this but that was my first impression.</p>
<p>No vote.</p>Wow... you made the pedophile villian. Maybe you didn't intend this but that was my first impression.
No vote.DP Smith2011-02-13T04:39:48ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsJason Ricehttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#732011-02-12T07:35:32Z2011-02-12T07:35:32Z<p>There are a couple of things bothering me about this entry.</p>
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Artus Nemati wrote:</div><blockquote><br />
<br />
<b>Motivations/Goals:</b>
<br />
Varstrius is consumed by one goal: to find a replacement for his departed sister. To that end, he has taken to kidnapping halflings and gnomes, keeping those that have a passing resemblance to Sulliana. His daughter, Sarrisia, sneaks any unwanted prisoners out of the country and sells them to slavers.
<br />
</blockquote><p>Why does he kidnap them if he doesn't want them? You stated that they look like his sister. Furthermore, if he is not motivated by money, it would be more believable to have Varstrius kill the unwanted "dolls" and dump them in a river, or bury them in the wilderness or his back yard. Selling them as slaves means transporting them, greatly increasing the risk that he will be found out.
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Artus Nemati wrote:</div><blockquote><br />
<br />
<b>During Combat</b> Varstrius allows his hired mercenaries to engage potential threats for a few rounds before entering the fray, but he will immediately enter combat after casting his spells if one of the opponents is a halfling or gnome.
<br />
</blockquote><p>This stretches believability even further. Violent serial criminals nearly always work alone. Occasionally, they will have one, or even more rarely, multiple accomplices. However, these are almost always relatives or very close friends. What they <b>don't</b> do is hire random thugs to help them fulfill some weird doll fetish. If these "mercenaries" are evil enough to help a crazed kidnapper, what's keeping them from blackmailing Varstrius until he is dirt poor, then turning him in (possibly for a reward), or killing him once the money train stops? Would they continue to protect him once the PCs confronted Varstrius? I don't think so.There are a couple of things bothering me about this entry.
Artus Nemati wrote:Motivations/Goals:
Varstrius is consumed by one goal: to find a replacement for his departed sister. To that end, he has taken to kidnapping halflings and gnomes, keeping those that have a passing resemblance to Sulliana. His daughter, Sarrisia, sneaks any unwanted prisoners out of the country and sells them to slavers.
Why does he kidnap them if he doesn't want them? You stated that they look like his sister....Jason Rice2011-02-12T07:35:32ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsBenjamin Bruckhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#722011-02-12T06:58:00Z2011-02-12T06:58:00Z<p>This is one of my two favorite entries this round, absolutely voting for it!</p>This is one of my two favorite entries this round, absolutely voting for it!Benjamin Bruck2011-02-12T06:58:00ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsJerry Keyeshttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#712011-02-12T05:28:58Z2011-02-12T05:28:58Z<div class="messageboard-quotee">Artus Nemati wrote:</div><blockquote> <b>Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living Dolls</b></blockquote><p>I had just a small problem with this name and the use of "Connoisseur". Typically a connoisseur is a judge of something, but Varstrius is a actually a <i>doll maker</i>.
<p>I'm splitting hairs, but I think creepier names are out there for you, somewhere.</p>
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Artus Nemati wrote:</div><blockquote><p><b>Description:</b>
</p>
Forty years ago, a helpless Varstrius watched as his drunken stepfather strangled his beloved little sister Sulliana to death. Unable to fight back, Varstrius's agony and rage festered into the insane obsession he carries to this day. Varstrius blindly attempts to regain his lost sister by capturing small folk in Cassomir and dressing them up as gross parodies of Sulliana. </p>
<p>Varstrius stands at an unimposing five and a half feet tall, his hardy body beginning to show his age. He hides the pain of his loss by constantly wearing an arrogant sneer on his face.
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</blockquote><p>At first I start to pity your villain, and then that pity turns to disgust. Not bad for one paragraph, however I have mixed feelings about the last sentence, "constantly wearing an arrogant sneer". Nobody is <i>constantly</i> anything.
<p>If you could soften this a bit to something like, "Varstrius is rarely seen without an arrogant sneer, expressed only to hide his painful loss". (But better.) +1</p>
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Artus Nemati wrote:</div><blockquote><p><b>Motivations/Goals:</b>
</p>
Varstrius is consumed by one goal: to find a replacement for his departed sister. To that end, he has taken to kidnapping halflings and gnomes, keeping those that have a passing resemblance to Sulliana. His daughter, Sarrisia, sneaks any unwanted prisoners out of the country and sells them to slavers.
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</blockquote><p>This could very easily turn silly if the rest of the supporting adventure is not handled grimly enough. My players could burst into a room and find a gnome in curly ringlets and a frilly dress — laughter ensues and the mood is lost. Also, what's with the daughter? She's a distraction that could end up humanizing the creep you just made for us. How about just a bunch of henchmen that do the "usual things" with kidnap victims, but one or two victims go to the boss and his odd penchant?
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Artus Nemati wrote:</div><blockquote><p><b>Schemes/Plots/Adventure Hooks:</b>
</p>
Varstrius has been careful in collecting living dolls, but sometimes a plan plays out imperfectly.
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<ul><li>A recent victim's family is actively searching for their missing daughter, and they believe that the last mercenary they hired was close to finding her before his body was found floating in the harbor.<li>A halfling or gnome PC could become Varstrius's next target.<li>Sarrisia was more careless than usual, and the PCs encounter her while she is traveling towards Andor with a wagon full of prisoners.</ul>
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</blockquote><p>The lead-in sentence is excellent and having three options is perfect. +1
<div class="messageboard-quotee">Artus Nemati wrote:</div><blockquote>[STAT BLOCK]</blockquote><p>Yes, this is a stat block competition, but I'm not a numbers cruncher. I just want something that's close to correct and that makes it easy for me to GM when combat happens.
<p>To that end, I don't see anything too complex here and you didn't fall into the trap of loading him up with nonessentials. But two questions:</p>
<p>1. Why not have a better means of capturing the little folk, other than cracking them on the head?</p>
<p>2. Why kill <i>everyone else</i>? Big people bring money at the slave markets too, and you have to pay those mercenaries somehow.</p>
<p><b>A twisted villain that toes the line of too weird.</b></p>Artus Nemati wrote:Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living Dolls
I had just a small problem with this name and the use of "Connoisseur". Typically a connoisseur is a judge of something, but Varstrius is a actually a doll maker. I'm splitting hairs, but I think creepier names are out there for you, somewhere.
Artus Nemati wrote:Description:
Forty years ago, a helpless Varstrius watched as his drunken stepfather strangled his beloved little sister Sulliana to death. Unable to fight back,...Jerry Keyes2011-02-12T05:28:58ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsCthulhudrewhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#702011-02-12T05:06:06Z2011-02-12T05:06:06Z<p>I like this villain. I enjoy his description and motivation and methods, even though I dislike the choice of ranger for his class (it seems too metagamey- I like the abilities the Urban Ranger has- as opposed to the character's description and history actually fitting the role/archetype).</p>
<p>Voting for it, though, based on the story, not the stats.</p>I like this villain. I enjoy his description and motivation and methods, even though I dislike the choice of ranger for his class (it seems too metagamey- I like the abilities the Urban Ranger has- as opposed to the character's description and history actually fitting the role/archetype).
Voting for it, though, based on the story, not the stats.Cthulhudrew2011-02-12T05:06:06ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsKeldan Marrhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#692011-02-12T04:28:21Z2011-02-12T04:28:21Z<p>I do like the basic concept of this one, but right away I caught hints of Trinity ( Dexter S4 ) in his background, and it looks like I am not the only one who saw this. Still, I like the idea behind this one, and I think it is going into my YES pile. Nicely done and good luck on Monday.</p>I do like the basic concept of this one, but right away I caught hints of Trinity ( Dexter S4 ) in his background, and it looks like I am not the only one who saw this. Still, I like the idea behind this one, and I think it is going into my YES pile. Nicely done and good luck on Monday.Keldan Marr2011-02-12T04:28:21ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsStarglimhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#682011-02-11T09:07:27Z2011-02-11T09:07:27Z<p>It's a deliciously twisted concept. Involving his daughter in his crimes puts the finishing touch to his festering madness. </p>
<p>I wonder if this was the best portrait (its expression, which might suggest a possessive leer, seems like something else to me) and I think I'd like to see this as a multiclass character. For someone of unimposing physique, Strength is still his best ability score. Those are probably pretty arbitrary reactions, though.</p>
<p>His animal companion is a throwaway reference that doesn't really contribute. I think using his hunter's bond to benefit his hirelings and, especially, Sarrissia could have been a better choice.</p>It's a deliciously twisted concept. Involving his daughter in his crimes puts the finishing touch to his festering madness.
I wonder if this was the best portrait (its expression, which might suggest a possessive leer, seems like something else to me) and I think I'd like to see this as a multiclass character. For someone of unimposing physique, Strength is still his best ability score. Those are probably pretty arbitrary reactions, though.
His animal companion is a throwaway reference that...Starglim2011-02-11T09:07:27ZRe: Forums: Round 3: Design a villain: Varstrius, Connoisseur of Living DollsSeabyrnhttps://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ltyt&page=2?Varstrius-Connoisseur-of-Living-Dolls#672011-11-23T19:25:06Z2011-02-11T08:02:15Z<p>One more small comment - I certainly do think that this is one of the best villains this round, and I voted for it on its merits. My issues with it are minor, and for me are not a fatal flaw.</p>One more small comment - I certainly do think that this is one of the best villains this round, and I voted for it on its merits. My issues with it are minor, and for me are not a fatal flaw.Seabyrn2011-02-11T08:02:15Z