Hi,
I've been GMing a modified version of Troubles in Otari (no spoilers) and came across the Yellow Musk Creeper. While a cursory glance makes it look like a standard zombie maker monster, reading the description of the thralls makes you realize that the thralls might still be alive!
This means that if the PCs want to save the thrall they would be striking with a -2 for non-lethal; would have to perfom a DC 22 medicine 1 hour surgery for each thrall; possibly have to complete all the surgeries in less than 24 if they killed the creeper; and, just to spice things up, the thralls have the following ability:
Limb Extension Free Action Trigger The yellow musk thrall is reduced to 4 HP or fewer; Effect Creeper tendrils tear through the thrall's limbs, causing its forearms to tear loose. The thrall's melee reach increases by 5 feet.
So, despite the PCs best efforts, the survivors may end up maimed for live, partly because of the actions PCs took to save them. Have you found a similar cruel monster?
Humbly,
Yawar
Within the first few days after its transformation, a thrall or brute can be restored to its normal life with any magical effect that can remove disease or a 1 hour procedure that requires a successful DC 22 Medicine (expert) check and deals 2d6 slashing damage to the thrall or brute.
I'd rule the above to mean that remove disease or a medicine check restoring the victim to normal life also restores the limbs to normal function. That's what the slashing damage is for as part of the medicine check: excision of the tendrils.
The issue is that it explicitly says "causing its forearms to tear loose". Personally, I changed it as to only one forearms tears loose.
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Sometimes we get these reminders that monsters are monstrous.
I had a wake up call playing Deadlands which uses many of the same creatures as D&D, but of course in a horror setting. Reminds you that yes, dragons eating people is horrific, etc.
Heroic fantasy skirts the boundaries, with the heroes prevailing, yet often at a cost to the civilians. I think in this case saving the victims was an afterthought just in case for games with a different tone.
I'd adjust the ability to account for one's tastes/genre/campaign.
But yeah, brutal.
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There's regeneration for the maiming I guess. Might make for a good adventurer origin story: Young man feels responsible for the maiming of a young girl he rescued from the thralldom of a Yellow Creeper, and so now adventures as a means of looking for a way to restore her lost limbs to her and free her mind from the trauma.
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It is why people joke about Golarion being absolutely horrible planet to live in.
Like did you know that canonically there is NE CR 20 creature in Sandpoint Region not that far off from the town? Its small obscure spot on map nobody knows about, but still ;D
Golarion has a thin shell of life where good struggles.
Go into space and find aberrant horrors and cruel civilizations.Go into the depths of the ocean...aberrant horrors and cruel civilizations.
Depths of the earth? Yeah, more of the same.
And so many of the lesser beings, the "commoners" from these areas would be horrible unleashed against humanity (and its buddies). Heroes have to keep busy with all these incursions, not to mention The Whispering Tyrant (et al) making Golarion's surface itself unstable. Jeesh.
Oddly, traveling to the Outer Planes offers safer passage than most anywhere in Golarion's universe. Starfinder broadened this a bit, yet that's the future and it has its own frontiers where evil forces press inward.
Good thing a lot of said enemies are chaotic and hate each other too.
Oddly, traveling to the Outer Planes offers safer passage than most anywhere in Golarion's universe. Starfinder broadened this a bit, yet that's the future and it has its own frontiers where evil forces press inward.
Yeah, the setting is so cruel that death is really what it takes to escape most of the horrible things in the world (and not even then, as there are plenty of fiends that snatch souls).
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Just dawned on me where all those post-AP PCs in the 16th+ ranges go.
They get to be big fish in the Golarion pond then go out in the real universe and get shredded. Thankfully, that sets most invasions back since the overlords then think Golarions are dang strong! What must their armies be capable of?!
Of course, sometimes they see through this and we get an invasion AP, but gosh the gods of narration/Paizo/Golarion step in and bring up another batch of heroes, oddly in the nick of time as usual. Hmm...
(In that way PF resembles the superhero genre.)
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It is why people joke about Golarion being absolutely horrible planet to live in.
Like did you know that canonically there is NE CR 20 creature in Sandpoint Region not that far off from the town? Its small obscure spot on map nobody knows about, but still ;D
Golarion has a thin shell of life where good struggles.
Go into space and find aberrant horrors and cruel civilizations.
Go into the depths of the ocean...aberrant horrors and cruel civilizations.
Depths of the earth? Yeah, more of the same.
And so many of the lesser beings, the "commoners" from these areas would be horrible unleashed against humanity (and its buddies). Heroes have to keep busy with all these incursions, not to mention The Whispering Tyrant (et al) making Golarion's surface itself unstable. Jeesh.Oddly, traveling to the Outer Planes offers safer passage than most anywhere in Golarion's universe. Starfinder broadened this a bit, yet that's the future and it has its own frontiers where evil forces press inward.
Good thing a lot of said enemies are chaotic and hate each other too.
I am pretty sure Evil PCs would be acutely aware of how all the odds are stacked against them with so many good-doers out there, not to mention your Evil rivals.
We just have the description for what mostly good PC parties face, that's all.
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I am pretty sure Evil PCs would be acutely aware of how all the odds are stacked against them with so many good-doers out there, not to mention your Evil rivals.
We just have the description for what mostly good PC parties face, that's all.
Most of the champions of good are pinned down battling bigger fish. There couldn't be unified front against Cheliax back then, because the Worldwound is a bigger threat is a bigger existential threat; there can't be one right now, because the Wispering Tyrant is a bigger existential threat; Kyonin has a Treerazer problem; etc.
So, as long as an evil party doesn't do anything too obnoxious, they they should remain beneath the notice of good heavy-hitters. Incidentally, Geb's non-intervention policy makes it a low priority target for most type of crusade.
Humbly,
Yawar