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3 years ago ::
Jan 18, 2010 - 2:25PM
#121
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qube's miniature giant space hamster
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This does not feel like a real beast companion substitute. It both has constant, poor damage, and constant, incredibly frail health. The fact that it does not scale is perhaps most damning -- I understand the concept of your entry is that the ranger has a hamster as their beast companion, but as presented here, it isn't a viable alternative for the majority of campaigns.
However, I think the entry presented here would work much better as an arcane familiar (cannon of the entry aside). 1 temp hp and minor action "ask for advice" makes an interesting familiar benefit -- perhaps MGSH s should be paragon tier familiars? Though if you ultimately end up going the familiar route, its untyped +1 bonus to hit should be removed for balance reasons.
If you look past the plot and the voice acting, Metroid: Other M was an okay game. Not a great game, but an adequate one.
Not using the Metroid item collect jingle though? That, was a mistake.
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3 years ago ::
Jan 18, 2010 - 9:07PM
#122
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Date Joined:
Oct 23, 2007
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None of them are married to the rules as written because they're better, more flavorful monsters because for it.
how do you figure? would they be worse or less flavorfull if their defenses matched their stats?
Just to preface this, I agree that attributes should give an indication of how a creatures defenses will look. But I don't think being married to the forumla is a good thing either. I think we can agree that the flavor of a creature is still the most important part of the design process. After all everything just gets boiled down to numbers and variables in the end, the primary motivation to play with those numbers is to suite the flavor of your creature.
A thought experiment might help clear up my position on things. Say we are creating a tiny pixie, some sort of caster (lets say an artillery role) of level 12. By the book, one of the attributes in each defense set should be ~20 to get its defenses in line with the ~22 recommended for a creature of that level. The mental stats wouldn't be hard to justify for a pint sized caster like this, 19-21 Int, Wis, Cha are all possibilities. Having high dex makes sense as well, since it's such a small creature. But having a high Str or Con is counterintuative to what a pixie is, and odd on a creature thats barely larger than a guinee pig.
So, we have a choice in our design. The STR score should probably be low, like 5-6, and the con score is left to determine more or less how strong our creatures Fort defense would be. We can:
- bring one of those stats up to the appropriate score (20) so their defenses match the formula.
- assume such a tiny creature is going to have a lower Fort score and drop that stat to say 14, giving it a Fort score 3 below it's other defenses to represent a weakness.
- give it a more realistic number, like 6-7, and assume there is some alternative source to bring up the Fort defense to a less skewed number since we don't want the Fort defense to be 7 below the rest.
Which is the better way to go is somewhat subjective, on one hand you're keeping combat balanced by sticking closely to the formulas at the expense of realistic attributes (and thus skills & ability checks) while on the other you're creating monsters that are more realistically statted but might have their defenses fudged a bit to reflect their strengths and weaknesses without overly stacking or weakening one or more of these scores. Personally, I much prefer entities that are built to work well at the level they are designed regardless of how much deviation from formula it took to get there. I think fudging what needs to be fudged is one of the most important requirements of a DM, and unless you never need to use a creature for more than a punching bag the attention to detail during creation will pay off in the end. I'm disinclined to create NPC shadows of my monsters to use when I could have a perfectly usable monster that was built with this inevitability in mind.
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3 years ago ::
Jan 18, 2010 - 10:57PM
#123
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@Veok, about the GMSH
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The GMSH entry is based on the game Baldur's Gate (BG2 actually, as I didn't play BG1 much), where a bulky ranger Minsc had hit his head, and found his beast compagnion: Something he believes was a GMSH, while most likely it was a normal hamster.
In the game, you have 3 slots for potions/wands, and Boo (the hamster) takes one of these slots. (a.k.a. Minsc is only able to use 2 potion slots). As far as I know, that's the only thing Boo does. (AKA Boo is an animal companion, but in the game, he doesn't act like an animal companion).
So indeed, Mechanically, as for the animal companion feel, the GMSH doesn't indeed doesn't have it ... but only a fool would send a hamster into combat (seriously. hamster meet mace, mace meet bloodsplatter). Instead, I opted to make use of a animal companion, to grant the ranger an new set of class features. instead of the two weapon fighting (use non-off hand weapon in off hand, and gain the toughness feat), the GMSH grants his user higher bonus to attack, and temporary hp.
As for being a familiar, that's indeed a good point. I never thought of making the GMSH a familiar, but now that I think of it, indeed he was Minsc's familiar. But as explained, the GMSH is based on / a tribute to Baldur's Gate. and since rangers don't have familiars but animal companions ... @ Barp
indeed, as I was sleeping it over, I came to a simelar conclusion: removing a dependancy, makes it possible to create creatures that were previously impossible to make.
Qube's block builder: if you want to create blocks for powers, items and monsters for this forum, but don't know html "Signature in a box"
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For years, I've lived a double life. In the day, I do my job - I ride the bus, roll up my sleeves with the hoi-polloi. But at night, I live a life of exhilaration, of missed heartbeats and adrenalin. And, if the truth be known a life of dubious virtue. I won't deny it - I've been engaged in violence, even indulged in it. I've maimed and killed adversaries, and not merely in self-defence. I've exhibited disregard for life, limb and property, and savoured every moment. You may not think it, to look of me but I have commanded armies, and conquered worlds. And though in achieving these things I've set morality aside, I have no regrets. For though I've led a double life, at least I can say - I've lived.
D&D Home Page - What Monster Are You? - Stone Gaint
Scipio: And Chihuahuas have definitely improved in the "attacking ankles, yapping, and being generally annoying" environment.
Me: OK, am I the only who sees an analogy between forum trolls & Chihuahuas?
"Some of my work:"
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"My ego in a box"
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who am I kidding? my ego would never fit in a box
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3 years ago ::
Jan 20, 2010 - 7:59AM
#124
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- Forum Guide
- Hero Craftsman Gold Medalist
- Master Dungeon Master
Date Joined:
Jun 23, 2005
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Another Tiny Terror!
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3 years ago ::
Jan 20, 2010 - 9:36AM
#125
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Date Joined:
Dec 18, 2003
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Its like that chapter of Lord of the Rings that they skipped over in the movies.
That's Someone, with a capital S.
"Cat's out of the bag on that one, isn't it? Who puts cats in bags, anyway? Cats hate bags." -Sheogorath, Oblivion
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3 years ago ::
Jan 20, 2010 - 3:15PM
#126
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Date Joined:
Jan 14, 2010
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Welcome to the XDMCs, Roxas. You should know, however, that this is a Fourth Edition competition.
My 3e is rusty, but it looks like a good submission; just the wront ruleset. Roxas1364, maybe you can rework it in 4e terms and post after the contest is over? Besides, I have a soft spot for Harry Potter stuff. :D
well currently me and my friends play 3.5 edition but i will try to get into fourth edition
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3 years ago ::
Jan 20, 2010 - 9:18PM
#127
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Date Joined:
May 28, 2007
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Got my scores submitted! I'll post comments once all scores are tallied, etc.
Sorceror: "I'll attack the [solo monster] with Chaos Bolt."
Warden: "Don't you ever use encounter powers?!?!?"
Sorceror: (casually) "I don't need to."
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"Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live." - Martin Golding
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3 years ago ::
Jan 21, 2010 - 6:12AM
#128
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- Core Coliseum
- Heroic Dungeon Master
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Grr - and here I was hoping to be the first one done...
I'm over half-way done - so expect scores and comments from me soon-ish.
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3 years ago ::
Jan 21, 2010 - 6:44AM
#129
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Date Joined:
Feb 28, 2008
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Thanks for the update, Clan and Telin
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3 years ago ::
Jan 21, 2010 - 7:29AM
#130
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- Core Coliseum
- Heroic Dungeon Master
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@wrecan - not sure if it is just me, but the link to Veok's entry is incorrect in the list of entries.
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