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Happy New Year Todd!
I'm interested in stating up the harbingers and the former horsemen. I'm not very experienced with high level stat blocks. Any advice? And is there any chance you'll do all the hard work for me?
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Happy New Year Todd!
I'm interested in stating up the harbingers and the former horsemen. I'm not very experienced with high level stat blocks. Any advice? And is there any chance you'll do all the hard work for me?
Avoid needing their stats directly for as long as possible!
Almost every campaign I've ever run, the final BBEG usually had stats of CR 25 or higher, and some of them were present in one form or another (whether they were obvious as a villain then or not) from almost the first session of the campaign, but most of them I didn't give formal stat blocks to until the sessions that combat might occur. Prior to that point a lot of handwaving because usually at those early encounters combat wasn't a realistic possibility and the PCs are like gnats to them not worthy of taking the time to actually kill.
I tend to treat such adversaries as forces of nature more than NPCs with stat blocks for much of the campaign. Vorkannis the Ebon, the BBEG of my first Planescape campaign was well north of CR 30 (among multiple NPCs in the same echelon), while in another campaign I ended up using the original Gith as a BBEG again north of CR 30, and most recently Tegresin the Laughing Fiend as not actually having a statblock at any point because he/she/it was (within their demiplane that the PCs encountered them) effectively omnipotent within certain hard restrictions.
For the last of those, I impressed upon the PCs early on that combat wasn't an option (though opposition clearly was), with instances like the following dialogue between an NPC in the campaign, the blue dragon Bezalasus the Looming Thunder and the PCs.
Bezalasus: "He [Tegresin] sat down in front of me, looked up and giggled. So I breathed a bolt of lightning."
PC: "I figure that didn't do much..."
Bezalasus: "His head exploded like a goblin holding a sword above its head during a thunderstorm. His burning brains and flesh splattered across the room with the reek of ozone and the sickly sweet smell of carbonized viscera... it was all rather satisfying until the bits of him started moving on their own accord and oozing back together, twitching their way across the floor and slowly reforming. As soon as his larynx and throat were formed to the point of being capable of it, he started cackling again even as the rest of his head was simply missing and still in the process of regenerating."
"So no, it didn't exactly do much."
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Happy New Year Todd!
I'm interested in stating up the harbingers and the former horsemen. I'm not very experienced with high level stat blocks. Any advice? And is there any chance you'll do all the hard work for me?
Additionally, if you absolutely need stat blocks, I'd use the ones already made for the current Four (in Bestiary 6) as baselines and derive from there (adding in formal Mythic feats and such) as required if your campaign is using that system. For instance if you're using Vorasha the Ophidian you could take Trelmarixian's stats and swap out some of his abilities with empowered baseline meladaemon powers (since she's effectively an exalted meladaemon, which of course is what he started out as) and abilities in line with her portfolio of poisons, toxins, and incurable afflictions.
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What makes a daemon a harbinger?
Do you have any idea what CR specific harbingers are?
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What makes a daemon a harbinger?
Do you have any idea what CR specific harbingers are?
Elevation by one of the Four Horsemen automatically makes you one of that rank, though clearly it isn't an absolute requirement since Llamolaek is a harbinger and dwelling in exile (though as a former Horseman stripped of his power but since having regained sentient thought and clawed his way back into power on his own, he's a special case really). So I'd state 'elevation by a Horseman, but with case by case unique outliers that don't require this'.
Harbingers range from CR21 to CR25. I haven't given particular thought to ranking any of them at specific CRs, though Zelishkar of the Bitter Flame has stats and is CR 21, and since Vorasha the Ophidian has been described as the most powerful of their kind, I'd place her at CR 25.
Beyond that it probably wouldn't be proper for me to suggest CRs for any of them since I don't want to contradict any future placement of those CRs should they be provided published stats.
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How does your average daemon advance in power? I believe all the daemons are associated with the way they died, do they ever go through metamorphosis into other types of daemons?
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How does your average daemon advance in power? I believe all the daemons are associated with the way they died, do they ever go through metamorphosis into other types of daemons?
They kill and in doing so they advance, mixed with the option of granted advancement either by a harbinger whose court they might fall within, or by one of the Horsemen themselves (like Trelmarixian going straight from Hunted to meladaemon at Lyutheria's behest - though given how he died and what he did in life it's likely that he would have been spontaneously fast tracked to some more powerful daemon (and eventually meladaemon by Lyutheria) simply by surviving the initial culling period as Hunted if she hadn't ensnared him straight off).
There's no formal and organized process, nor any specific hierarchy of advancement like devils, but it isn't entirely random or borne of self-generated Will like you might see in demons.
The one absolute that comes to mind is that deacons of the Four (leuko/purro/mela/thanodaemons) aren't generated randomly but must be specifically advanced into that direct servitor class by the specific Horseman that they would fall under.
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How do daemons view the other fiendish races?
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How do daemons view the other fiendish races?
For the most part they see them as utterly irrelevant except when they can provide a means towards causing mortal death or enabling the daemons to do so in more efficient ways or in greater numbers.
Szuriel probably has the most pragmatic approach since she openly sells her armies' services to anyone capable of paying her price (usually souls and the rights to collect the souls of any mortals who die on the field of battle regardless of what side).
Trelmarixian on the other hand views them as a fascinating source of food. They aren't mortals, but a given devil for instance might have originated as a mortal soul directly or a demon might be cobbled together from mortal souls absorbed by the Abyss and spat out in a new form for instance. He's obsessed with souls as food, and more unique souls including other outsiders regularly grace his table as side dishes or perhaps as aperitifs to the main and unending buffet.
I figure that of the fiendish races, only qlippoths might stand a chance of being overlooked for the moment by the daemons because the original natives of the Abyss predate mortal life (the proteans do as well but they aren't fiends) and so they don't possess any link to the object of the daemons hatred and hunger. Of course the daemons are probably the highest thing on the qlippoth's shit list because one of the Horsemen (most likely Lyutheria, possibly in conjunction with a then harbinger Trelmarixian) was responsible for the experiment that created the first demon and then seeded it callously into the Abyss, ultimately taking down the qlippoths' dominion over the Abyss and spectacularly blowing up in the daemons' faces and leading to the deaths of multiple Horsemen at Lamashtu's hands.
How would azura, oni, and rakshasa interact with each other?
1) Is Camazots related to the Sahkils?
Both enjoy scaring mortals and reside in Xibalba.
2) What differentiates a fiend from an evil outsider?
3) Will there ever be any Negative Plane Fiends or is that impossible due to the nature of souls?
4) If you have to make a new major plane, what would it be?
5) How would a Sahkil-born Tiefling be like? What stats would it have?
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1) Is Camazots related to the Sahkils?
Both enjoy scaring mortals and reside in Xibalba.2) What differentiates a fiend from an evil outsider?
3) Will there ever be any Negative Plane Fiends or is that impossible due to the nature of souls?
4) If you have to make a new major plane, what would it be?
5) How would a Sahkil-born Tiefling be like? What stats would it have?
1) Since I haven't done any work with either Camazots or the sahkils, I'd refer you to either James (since he's the master of all things related to the Abyss) or to Adam (since the sakhils are his little "fear-babies").
2) Mechanically speaking, the presence of the [Evil] subtype. Beyond that it's a little bit of a grey area as the stable of evil outsiders has expanded. Are they themselves composed of the metaphysical substance of Evil (as opposed to just being of evil alignment)? This predisposes them to being native to planes that in and of themselves are formed of and reflect one of the Evil alignments, but I can see some edge cases in fiends that originated in other planes and migrated elsewhere. Thus I would consider both kytons and sahkils as fiends.
3) Not if I'm the person writing about it, just based on preferences for the nature of the plane and its relationship with souls. But my personal preferences here are in no way binding to future development of material I've written for in the past, even in situations where I've written a majority of the extant wordcount. Shared world settings are like that. :)
The sceaduinar for instance are not fiends. They ended up being evil aligned, but they're not composed of the metaphysical stuff of any alignment. So there's an example of an evil outsider that is not a fiend. The raptors of the void need more details and expansion certainly, but as they're the major natives of Negative Energy, I think it's best to develop them than add in a fiend race (and to not perpetuate the prevalent but incorrect notion that negative energy itself has any intrinsic evil, though it can be more easily utilized for evil purposes).
4) I want to lodge Gehenna from Planescape into the Great Beyond. That's what I want. I will never get that. But that's what I want. :D
5) I'll let you go ask Adam Daigle this question. That's his stuff (and I want to eagerly see what his answer is actually). :)
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Was Llamolaek formerly the horseman of war or pestilence?
How long does a horsemen's "term" typically last?
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Was Llamolaek formerly the horseman of war or pestilence?
How long does a horsemen's "term" typically last?
They were at the time, Horseman of Pestilence. While the text in BotD3/BotD doesn't openly state it as such, it can be inferred from the fact that their killer Roshmolem the Steel Weaver was Horseman of War, and there has only been one Horseman of Death (Charon), and only two Horsemen of Famine (Lyutheria and Trelmarixian*).
*It isn't absolutely set in stone that Lyutheria was the original Horseman of Famine but it's heavily, -heavily- implied, and that was the intent though obviously there's the potential for that to alter in the future, slim chance though it might be.
Eons. Think punctuated equilibrium. Long periods of static rule by a Horseman and then conditions in Abaddon are such that there's a decent amount of turnover in a relatively quick period of time. At least that's how it has been for both War and Pestilence. Death has never had turnover, and Famine has only changed once (though technically Lyutheria is still around, partially, maybe, kinda sorta).
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Are there Axis-aligned and Maelstrorm-aligned worshipping cults?
How do they look like?
I'll get back to you on that one.
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Between Szuriel and Apollyon who has served as a horseman longer?
Do daemons prefer to speak Abyssal or Infernal? Why don't they have their own language in the first place?
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Between Szuriel and Apollyon who has served as a horseman longer?
Do daemons prefer to speak Abyssal or Infernal? Why don't they have their own language in the first place?
The timeline isn't absolutely precise here, largely by intent to allow for new things to be inserted to fill present or presumed gaps in recorded events. Szuriel has been Horseman since Lamashtu's invasion of Abaddon, whereas Apollyon assumed his position after Yrsinius the Horseman of Pestilence vanished, which was a long damn time ago but not solidly placed with respect to the former. I would say that Apollyon has been Horseman longer, however that answer isn't canonical obviously until it appears in print.
Their not having a language is to be honest, an artifact of the 3.x system being in use prior to having Pathfinder and their not being a language then for NE fiends. I would give them their own language, daemonic, if it were up to me, but it's perfectly easy to rationalize if they don't. There's a certain overwhelming creepy as hell factor at play when you play daemons as being completely and utterly silent, using only their telepathy and thus appearing to anyone observing them to be as silent as the grave. I like that.
I certainly like the idea of a daemonic -written- language whose existence I certainly tried to suggest, as evidenced by the printed details on the Withered Footsteps of the Dire Shepherd, the Book of the Damned (daemonic), and the text on the island at the center of the Mere of Broken Angels in BotD3. The origins of it I'd link to being derived from both Abyssal and Infernal with a substantial underlay of whatever dead language the mortal who would become the Oinodaemon spoke natively.
However there have been a few instances of daemonic being listed as a language in printed material (notably Villain Codex) but I'm almost positive that it was an error in editing (probably introduced because Hero Lab has daemonic as a potential language and someone probably did some raw stat block builds using that program, but that's just a guess on my part).
I don't think that any given daemon would prefer any particular spoken language. Daemonic and Abyssal are the most likely options if they do, but they're probably just brutally pragmatic about speaking whatever works best in a given situation. However I guarantee that they won't willingly speak out loud in any mortal language.
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Creepy. I don't think I'll be able to role play daemons completely silent because I enjoy creepy voices far to much!
Do you think daemons have any special interaction with earth? Because earth exists in the Pathfinder universe apparently.
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Bit of a more personal question... but how nervous were you the first time you put in a writing sample to an RPG company? (I just put my first application in and I THINK I have a good shot, but man alive I feel nervous and vulnerable)
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Bit of a more personal question... but how nervous were you the first time you put in a writing sample to an RPG company? (I just put my first application in and I THINK I have a good shot, but man alive I feel nervous and vulnerable)
Depends on what you mean by providing a writing sample. I got started in Dragon and Dungeon magazines when Paizo was in charge, and while I pitched ideas for articles, I never had to provide writing samples/example work prior to turning in the draft of an accepted article concept, and after turning in a rough draft I never had any rejections (though Wesley Schneider sure took a well deserved red pen to the passive voice in my first turnover and gave it back for revisions!)
The thing is, before I submitted stuff to Paizo for the magazines, at least Wes was aware of who I was prior to that point because of my Planescape storyhour (which is still ongoing). And then once I was in the magazines, I started writing for Pathfinder itself later, then stuff for various 3PPs, WotC proper on one occasion, etc. The only time I had to submit writing samples was when I tried to get in on writing some of the Pathfinder web fiction. That I was nervous for curiously enough, and I got a reject without any specific comments, and Pathfinder web fiction ended shortly thereafter. So perhaps not the best feeling coming out of that venture, but it's not like I haven't been paid for fiction before and rejects are not uncommon in the slightest.
Of course going back to school full time for my pharmD has put a limit on how much I can reasonably commit to writing (though that didn't stop me from contributing to a trio of hardcovers over the past year so yeaaah... poor self control and awesome book concepts).
Takehome message: don't feel so nervous. At worst you get a reject, but if you do hopefully you get constructive feedback, and of course even with a reject you keep trying! :D
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So as a total aside, it's worth noting that for anyone who has followed my Planescape storyhour over the years (and I'm still writing it over a decade after starting it!) I've been running an in-character @AskShemeshka account on Twitter for a few weeks (note the spelling difference of the name follows the published spelling rather than the storyhour spelling, but as the Marauder would say, "Shemeska or Shemeshka, I'm still the b*tch with the razorvine crown who's better than you.")
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Bit of a more personal question... but how nervous were you the first time you put in a writing sample to an RPG company? (I just put my first application in and I THINK I have a good shot, but man alive I feel nervous and vulnerable)Takehome message: don't feel so nervous. At worst you get a reject, but if you do hopefully you get constructive feedback, and of course even with a reject you keep trying! :D
Sound advice Todd, thank you. Apparently, I still have some lucky horseshoes hanging around though, because I got it! I can't say what or for who, but I got it. Your advice really helped me manage my nerves while waiting and I really appreciate it.
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Would it be too much to ask if you have a top 30 preference of monsters you made using Outsider Groups as single entries?
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Sound advice Todd, thank you. Apparently, I still have some lucky horseshoes hanging around though, because I got it! I can't say what or for who, but I got it. Your advice really helped me manage my nerves while waiting and I really appreciate it.Bit of a more personal question... but how nervous were you the first time you put in a writing sample to an RPG company? (I just put my first application in and I THINK I have a good shot, but man alive I feel nervous and vulnerable)Takehome message: don't feel so nervous. At worst you get a reject, but if you do hopefully you get constructive feedback, and of course even with a reject you keep trying! :D
Congratulations! You have talent to make someone notice and ask to see more! Once you can talk about it, chime back in and let me know what it is so I can go take a look :)
I'm really glad that I could help calm your nerves!
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Would it be too much to ask if you have a top 30 preference of monsters you made using Outsider Groups as single entries?
My top 30 outsider monsters that I've worked on?
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any monster you've worked on. Sorry, I worded that weird
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Hey: I'm using Szuriel as a template for one of four "big villains" in a brief homebrew game, I'm playing. Thanks for making her!
(She is never referred to as Szuriel, and is ultimately a different character, but the inspiration is extremely obvious to any who know; fortunately, I can borrow that freely because my wife isn't that familiar with her.)
In case you'd like to see the pantheon:
In the strange quadralistic religion of the charau-ka, hobgoblins, and kappa, there are four gods, each of which represent a general collection of concepts that are interpreted according to their religion. While each deity is more associated with a specific race (and, in fact, said race is “supposed” to follow those deities’ specific tenets), all four are ultimately associated with all three races. The four gods were four placed in their role of the keepers of the hells by the Oath of the Sky (an obscure concept the details of which has been long lost) and made into the tanri of the three forsaken people, and the blessing of the Nuur Bai-Ulgan (lake of magnificent wealth – what many scholars interpret as Lake Ashenpool).
Dame Knight (communal/warrior, female/luxury, positive)
Blind Eyes, Crow of Desolation, Fallen, Rider of War, Victory-Song in Devastation
- Iconography: black sword, pale hand, red silk
- Domain: victory/deceit, growth/warfare
- Colors: black, red, white
- Creatures: Khüülreaan Aimshig <Crimson Nightmare> (horse*),
- Tsaivar Goojuulna <Pale Guzzler> (vulture*), Tsenkher Shönö <Blue Night> (raven*)
- Hell: Dainy Talbar <the plains of war/war field/battlefield>, or Cinder Furnace
- Races: charau-ka, hobgoblins
Dame Night (self/emotion, female/luxury, positive)
Blind-Eyes, Claw of Regency, Feminine, Poet of Whimsy, Risen
- Iconography: red silk, pale hand, black claw
- Domain: submission/pleasure, prayers (wishes)/adoration
- Color: red, white
- Creatures: kharbönn <black-bun> (böjin/bunny), tsusnyamaa <blood-billy> (yamaa/goat), sünskhüren <Ghost Rothe> (yak, rothe)
- Hell: Galzuu Spirali <spiral of madness/crazy spiral> or Davuu Tal <loop of delights> or Saikhan Öngörüüleerei <circle of delights/enjoy it>, or Tender Grasp
- Races: charau-ka, kappa
Dark Knight (communal/warrior, unknown/hidden, negative)
Black Baatar, The Brutal Baatar, The Cold Iron, The Faceless Foe, Raven Warrior, The Risen
- Iconography: black sword, black armor, black claw
- Oversees: honor/failure, death/glory
- Colors: black
- Creature: khar shuvuu <black bird> (crow, raven), tsös ülger <bile fairy> (cat), süüdrin garz/tamyntukhai <shadow mastiff/hell hound> (dog)
- Hell: Dainy Süüder <the shadow of war/war shadow/shadow war>, or Coal Compress
- Races: hobgoblins, kappa
Dark Night (self/emotion, unknown/hidden, negative)
Endless, The Faceless Foe, Fallen, The Formless, The Mire
- Iconography: black claw, black orb, black tendril
- Domain: emotions/action, darkness/essence
- Color: black
- Creature: khar kurs <black pudding> (oozes), naimaalj <crab/octopus> (aquatics), temtrüül mogoi /mogoi mogoi < tentacle snake/snake snake> (caecilians), amid üdegdel <living pit/survival> (aberrants), süüdriin mangas <shadow monster(s)>
- Hell: Süüldrin Gol <shadow shaft/shadow shade> or Khar Nükh <dark pit/black hole>
- Races: all three, minor deity
Heavy Mongolian references/language use, as the thing is placed somewhere on the border of not-China, not-Mongolia, and not-India (and using some 3.5 FR-based Moonsea adventures as adventure structure templates - look, it's meant to be a fast-n-loose game as we strive to not-be-sick anymore XD).
"Lake Ashenpool" (tentative title) is the setting (which is a name I'm certain I've stolen from somewhere, but can't recall, now - but it's basically just a Chinese version of the Moonsea, anyway), but all of the adventure(s) so far have been in "the mighty and lonely Leng Huise de Zhaoze" (that is, the great "cold gray swamp") and the city of Chaizhang (I... don't remember if this meant anything or not) found on the north-central shore of Lake Ashenpool, on the edge of Leng Huise de Zhaoze. I've set up potential future business with the rival city Het'Zhen (found on the west coast of the lake).
It's a solo, rules-lite game, but the PC has the possibility of (maybe) becoming one of the four dark gods - and even claiming her own hell! (not something she's thrilled with, though she looks forward to conquering them) - and guiding the fate of her new people... or becoming something much, much worse ().
Anyway, all of this rambling is to say that, basically, while we were sick and unable to play, I saw Szuriel and this whole... thing just came into existence because of her*, so... thanks! You've enabled use to make fever, coughing, sore throat, and other horridness quite bearable by making a miserable creature I hate**! You rock, my dude!
**
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any monster you've worked on. Sorry, I worded that weird
For many of these I both created them and also did the stats. However some monsters I created but didn't do the stats and I'll note those or other such situations.
In no particular order of preference:
Keketar protean
Imentesh protean
Naunet protean
Izfiitar protean
Oshageros protean
Pelagastr protean
Azuretzi protean
Hegessik protean
Axiomites
Fetchlings (created them but didn't do their stats)
Lurkers in the Light
Vulpinals
Astradaemon
Meladaemon
Purrodaemon
Erodaemon
Obcisidaemon
Phasmadaemon
Suspiridaemon
Sepsidaemon
Temerdaemon
Trelmarixian
Szuriel
Apollyon (didn't create but wrote most of their flavor and stats)
Charon (didn't create obviously but did their stats and flavor)
A large number of daemonic harbingers
Erum-Hel the Lord of Mohrgs (did their writeup and stats but did not create them)
Wight Mother of Isger (did their writeup and stats but did not create them)
Arantaros the Ravener (did their writeup and stats but did not create them)
Warmonger Wasp
Thrushmoor Angler
Those are 30 I've worked on, and there are more. Jeez I've worked on a bunch of critters. I didn't think it'd be that many, and that's including a slew of things without formal stats like protean lords, harbingers, former Horsemen, entities like Tegresin the Laughing Fiend, etc.
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I know the usual number of the horseman is four for war, death, pestilence and famine, but have you ever thought about making a fifth horseman based on conquest? How would you go about that?
Also, there’s the line from Rev 6:8: “And Hades followed behind/with him,” him being death. Could that line fit in the setting somehow?
Also-also, is there anything else from the boon of revelations that inspired daemonkind that we haven’t made note of yet?
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I know the usual number of the horseman is four for war, death, pestilence and famine, but have you ever thought about making a fifth horseman based on conquest? How would you go about that?
Also, there’s the line from Rev 6:8: “And Hades followed behind/with him,” him being death. Could that line fit in the setting somehow?
Also-also, is there anything else from the boon of revelations that inspired daemonkind that we haven’t made note of yet?
Not really, because we went with the pop culture 4 Horsemen of War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death instead of the Biblical 4. Honestly I think more people are familiar with the pop culture 4 than what are technically there in Rev. Additionally it's a bit difficult to avoid the ease with which War and a putative Conquest Horsemen would conceptually overlap. The one thing that I can think of would be to have an early Horseman of Conquest who vanished, was replaced with one calling themselves War, and War then scrubbed the history books and memories of their servitors to remove their predecessor. What happens then if Conquest shows back up? That could be fun in a home game and there's a rife tradition among daemons of massive cycles of new Horsemen replacing their predecessors and rewriting the history books to suit the new boss (except for Charon, unless he's just the best of his kindred at that).
However I think there's a general reluctance to pluck concepts and names too directly from modern, living religions, and honestly within the context of Golarion it would strike me as somewhat out of place to be making overly direct allusions to widely known biblical canon (though I'd gleefully pillage the pre-600s gnostic pseudoepigraphia and later middle age Christian demonological texts like the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum for inspirational fodder).
That being said, the general guidelines that I'd operate under when writing for publication and canon are different than the more open approach that you have for your own home games and I'd encourage you to run with whatever concepts and inspiration that strikes your fancy!
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On a personal and business level, how do the four interact with urgathoa and zyphus?
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Have you seen the Planer Adventures cover yet? How excited are you by it?
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Have you seen the Planer Adventures cover yet? How excited are you by it?
I was commenting about it in the Planar Adventures thread :)
It's amazing!
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Sound advice Todd, thank you. Apparently, I still have some lucky horseshoes hanging around though, because I got it! I can't say what or for who, but I got it. Your advice really helped me manage my nerves while waiting and I really appreciate it.Bit of a more personal question... but how nervous were you the first time you put in a writing sample to an RPG company? (I just put my first application in and I THINK I have a good shot, but man alive I feel nervous and vulnerable)Takehome message: don't feel so nervous. At worst you get a reject, but if you do hopefully you get constructive feedback, and of course even with a reject you keep trying! :DCongratulations! You have talent to make someone notice and ask to see more! Once you can talk about it, chime back in and let me know what it is so I can go take a look :)
I'm really glad that I could help calm your nerves!
I can finally say what it is!
I'm working on Dark Eras 2 for Onyx Path Publishing, writing the history section for 1001 Nights.
Question: What movies and/or novels would you say are good inspiration for Planescape that aren't usually brought up in conversation? I'm trying to do something of a palette cleanser to look at the setting, especially the sects and factions, with fresh eyes.
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I can finally say what it is!I'm working on Dark Eras 2 for Onyx Path Publishing, writing the history section for 1001 Nights.
Question: What movies and/or novels would you say are good inspiration for Planescape that aren't usually brought up in conversation? I'm trying to do something of a palette cleanser to look at the setting, especially the sects and factions, with fresh eyes.
Well a month later I finally notice this and respond!
Congratulations! That's seriously awesome! :D
I've got a few things from Onyx Path, though I'm not up to date on any of the WW setting lore since I don't have a group locally playing in that game. I always adored the lore and in-game history in both OWoD and NWoD, with some of the vampire/strix history being my favorite in NWoD.
In answer to your question though, this is tough, because I truly have no idea if my own take on Planescape is in line with others or just a particularly quixotic take on the setting since I legit didn't get into gaming until 3e, even if I went on to write material for the setting. I never got to take part in the original 2e fanbase, which I lament deeply. So my own inspirations for the setting may be different from the original authors and fans. My own group has characterized some of my GM'ing style for the setting as 'running Call of Cthulhu with Dungeons and Dragons'.
That's probably not too far off track and my inspirations run decidedly more in the horror side of things. I love Lovecraft (for all his personal and literary warts) and Clark Ashton Smith even more so (I actually own one of the original print run of CA Smith's Double Shadow collection, with typos corrected by the author's hand). China Mieville, F Paul Wilson, and similar authors.
I've been watching a bunch of Channel Zero lately, which is spinning several seasons off of a number of the more prominent Creepy Pastas out there (Candle Cove, The No-End House, etc). As far as movies, The Ritual is an amazing recent horror movie that would absolutely fit into Planescape in a number of ways.
Honestly I've doubled down so much into the fiends and fiendish politics that my experience with the factions themselves is arguably lacking by comparison. My own palette cleanser was writing Pathfinder stuff with its different cosmology, and while I did kind of go crazy with daemons, I've had even more fun with proteans and axiomites, probably because I -couldn't- use slaadi or modrons, and I had to have a conceptual break and just start from scratch (whereas Planescape had to make sense of a bunch of cosmology material and monsters that to be honest, might not have all started off with any deep conceptual thought behind them, why they were the way they were, and how they fit into the setting).
I've also been absolutely buried in pharmacy school (despite having worked on 3 hardcovers in the past year...) so I haven't been doing a lot of extracurricular reading and media watching, so stuff for inspiration isn't immediately coming to mind beyond what I mentioned already. I've spent more time writing fanfiction (including fan fic of my own published work) and storyhour stuff than anything else. Heh :)
Oh! The Booth At The End. You must watch it. Two seasons. Probably the best television show I've ever watched. It was originally a Hulu exclusive, and it has since vanished from Hulu but it does exist online if you go google mining. You could spin so many Planescape plots from even just an isolated episode or two. Amazing stuff.
Hopefully some of that helps, and again, congratulations on getting that freelance work! I look forward to snagging a copy and reading it!
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Here's a query!
Do you enjoy C.A. Smith's funny stories as much as his more traditional horror yarns? (I personally find "The Seven Geases" to be the height of understated comedy)
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I can finally say what it is!I'm working on Dark Eras 2 for Onyx Path Publishing, writing the history section for 1001 Nights.
Question: What movies and/or novels would you say are good inspiration for Planescape that aren't usually brought up in conversation? I'm trying to do something of a palette cleanser to look at the setting, especially the sects and factions, with fresh eyes.
Well a month later I finally notice this and respond!
Congratulations! That's seriously awesome! :D
[awesome suggestions]
Good things come to those who wait :) Thanks Todd!
What was the reaction of your players at the table when they found about
in the last couple of updates?
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Good things come to those who wait :) Thanks Todd!What was the reaction of your players at the table when they found about ** spoiler omitted **
in the last couple of updates?
Genuine WTFery. Honest shock that I'd do that given the assumptions that they had regarding the character and my none too subtle deep appreciation of them (to say the least). It also hammered home that the 'loths were stabbing one another in the back even as they did their best to grab the multiverse and jump down a slide labeled "horror and misery".
I wish I could have seen my own expression in response to theirs. Genuine pride on my part to blindside them. :D
Okay. Okay, okay, okay.
So.
Okay, so, Todd.
Hear me out.
Okay, so. Though I've known about and enjoyed it for a long time, I recently came across the fusion psionic power again, and it was kind of inspiring for stuff. Since that stuff was "horrible monstrosities," I, naturally, thought of you!
ANYWAY! Ahem.
If you could apply the abomination or amalgam template to a rast (such as your avatar) and one other creature, which other creature would it be, and why?
If, on the other hand, you could combine any the following creatures together, only from that list, which pairings would you make? (Each creature can only be "chosen" once, but all should be chosen!)
- axiomite
- inevitable (specify which kind; only choose this option once, despite lots of kinds of inevitables)
- daemon (specify)
- daemon (specify; must be different than the above)
- protean
- rast
- yugoloth
- qlippoth
- genie (specify)
- sahkil
- dragon (specify)
- fey (specify)
- aberration (specify; can be 3.X or PF)
- aberration (specify; can be 3.X or PF)
Also, also, why is "rast + elohim" the best/worst pairing?
Bear in mind, I'm not asking for stats or anything, I'm just curious what you think would make some neat and weird monster ideas!
Have fun!
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I went on a wikipedia walk one day and learned about the existence of a group of fallen angels known as The Watchers, specifically the angel known as Sariel. That angel has a lot of derivative names but the one named "Suriel" struck me. Is that how Szuriel got her name?
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I went on a wikipedia walk one day and learned about the existence of a group of fallen angels known as The Watchers, specifically the angel known as Sariel. That angel has a lot of derivative names but the one named "Suriel" struck me. Is that how Szuriel got her name?
This I can answer!
There wasn't a conscious decision on my part to name Szuriel after or inspired by any specific real world figure from mythology, be it Enochian angelology or anything derived from that source or any other sources. Was there subconscious influence from naming conventions of angels in that broad corpus of work? Very likely.
For Szuriel the character concept and appearance came first and the name came much, much later.
So I'm in the midst of adapting Wrath of the Righteous for a Discord-based, uh... what do you even call that... play-by-post? Maybe? It's more like a Live Messenger, thing, but... anyway, one of those - that was set in the Anauroch/Forgotten Realms, and I was altering the nature of the World Wound to fit with some of the themes of the game I'm running and wanted your opinion on some things, as a big cosmology kind of guy.
While the Anauroch has become the worldwound (due to the 4e-Spellplague and the old phaerimm life drain magics, collapse of the Sharn wall, and other similar events) I posited that the anarchy that flooded the place was part of the cause of the World Wound effect, and it opened portals to many lower planes, not just the Abyss (though, unbeknownst to those outside of the place, the demonic forces had the greatest influence in the area due to Areelu's machinations and ancient demon lords and whatnot).
While I've already established that there are hobgoblins who are mostly the devil-servants, and the demons are just as prevalent as normal (though succubi, in keeping with 5e lore are their own kind of thing), and the 'loths are mercs keeping the peace war between the other two fiends, I also incorporated bits of the daemons and other PF-related stuff.
ANYway, this is all to ask: if you could recommend some specific diabolic influence in such a region (similar to how there is specific demons in charge of certain areas), and 'loth-ic influence (man, the 'loths have a hard name to English-ize), and other fiendish forces, which ones would you suggest, and why? If you know the AP, would you recommend any of them in specific parts of the AP?
While I'm mostly planning on keeping the big D-man himself as himself, technically that's not necessary; I don't think he's really been a part of the AP in any significant way (and, if anything, I might change him to cockroaches or something, given the hilariously bad time my players have had with such, so far). I am planning on keeping the Baphomet as himself, as I've already established that as a thing.
Nocticula I'm thoroughly split on. I have the whole succubus thing set up to go, but I'm also thinking about having it attached to the Empire of Shade (who still exist, somehow, but also have been having issues, naturally, being surrounded by fiendish forces and having their power shrunk to a singular mountain range surrounded on all sides) - basically having the "midnight isles" be literally several floating islands attached to the primary one. As for Nocticula herself, I've been thinking of leaving her, and/or replacing her with Malcanthet, and/or having her have taken over Shade... it's an open question in my mind, and that part hasn't been established enough, in-character. The other thing I've been toying around with is doing something with the Shadovar, drow, Shar, Lolth, and succubi/shadow demons and some sort of hidden upheavals in the Shadovari (or just retconning reality) such that there is some blend or overlap going on there (either by a quiet assassination and replacement of Shar by Lolth - or, going the other way, of Lolth by Shar, or some even less likely scenario, such as a shocking success of Nocticula/Malcanthet, and the expanding Shadovari are literally (secretly) using the corpses of one or more of their goddesses as floating island/cities... or not, or something else) for that portion of the adventure.
For deities, I've mostly replaced Iomedae with Torm as a one-to-one, but also brought in Bahamut and Ilmater (for the Triad effect), placed Amaunator in place of Sarenrae, Sune/Hanali Celanil in place of Shelyn, and a few other gods (Sapphire , Waukeen, and so on. I don't have a direct analogue for Erastil or someone similar... I suppose Mialikki could do, though, and will likely settle on her.
As an aside, the child of a god is an unknowing daughter of Hanali Celanil. Because all three chose a "red" theme (red hair or eyes, or, in the case of the dragonborn, being of red dragon descent), her heritage is actually obscured... though an NPC has started calling her "little firehair" (on account that she has magic hair that glows when she sings... and it's red/gold... and she worships Sune Firehair... so).
As an aside, I'm thinking of making Shamira one of the daughters of Sune and/or Basha Amaunator corrupted by Shar's malevolent influence and taken over by Nocticula-Malcanthet-or-whatever-it-is-I-settle-on.
Any other comments, ideas, or suggestions? I'm especially shopping around for the major powers in the region for non-demonic stuff, but I'm receptive if you want to suggest other things. I'm specifically asking you because of your interest in old Planescape cosmology.
Also, a more specific question: which, if any, daemon and/or 'loth would have a major presence in such a situation?
Obviously all questions are optional, but I'm just curious about your thoughts, and guessed you might enjoy such an exercise - no pressure or expectation, if you don't want to or can't! Later!
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What can you tell me about Tellura’s Lantern?
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What can you tell me about Tellura’s Lantern?
That it's very noncanonical!
It serves a function in a story I wrote called, 'I love you even now, in the only way I understand'.
http://pathfinderchronicler.net/i-love-you-even-now-in-the-only-way-i-under stand-by-todd-stewart/
Unless a reference to the artifact shows up in print (I don't think they did) it doesn't really matter.
But if you want to pull content from my home game, it was an artifact possibly owned by the mortal who would become the Oinodaemon. It burns souls as fuel and grants whispering guidance to any who hold it. It was by means unknown obtained by Tegresin the Laughing Fiend who gave it to a harbinger who used it to gain Horseman status, only to step down from that post upon Tegresin calling in on their bargain millennia later. Their fate, the date of the artifact, Tegresin's goals, and the nature and fate of other items held by the mortal who would be Oinodaemon after death is unknown.
'I love you even now, in the only way I understand'
Link fix!
(Took me a bit to realize what the problem was, myself, with following it! Thanks for the awesome story!)
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Thanks for the awesome story!)
Absolutely welcome! I write a ton of little non-canonical vignettes like this for my home campaign, usually as an adjunct to the campaign or just to develop character backstory.
Cool!
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Why do the Horsemen allow Urgathoa, Ahriman, and other divinities to reside in Abandon?
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Why do the Horsemen allow Urgathoa, Ahriman, and other divinities to reside in Abandon?
There are two possibilities alluded to in the text:
1) Having allied divinities residing in Abaddon provides the daemons with protection against overt deific retaliation for their soul stealing (to go alongside the idea that this doesn't happen already because without the Four it's plausible that the Oinodaemon would wake up and nobody actually knows how much worse that would be for the cosmos, leading to a bit of a standoff fueled by utter ambiguity as to the Oinodaemon's nature, status, etc).
2) The Four want the plausibility of the first possibility to lure in gods so they can study them and eventually at some point turn their deific domains and every petition there into a soul-buffet to end all soul-buffets.
What precisely the reason is, be it one of those two options, or something else entirely is up to each individual GM to decide for their campaign. :)