|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 4:48AM
#21
|
|
|
Oh look, arbitrary Elven immunity to Ghoul paralysis.
Rhyme or reason?
Nope.
So, will Halflings be immune to Vampire drain attacks?
How about Dwarves immune to the a Displacer Beast's displacement?
I'm glad we can worship the sacred cow for it's own sake.
However, even beyound that bit of pointlessness, Ghouls are still contentious. People have seen too many versions for them to all fall under the same umbrella. This version isn't any better or worse than any others in the past.
Vampires, on the other hand, seem to have missed the mark.
D&D Vampires have only recently been about drinking blood, they were about level drain via slam attacks before. Oh, I don't mind a shout out for sanguivores, but it is also a divergence.
Skeletons and Zombies are pretty hard to mess up, so everything seems in it's propper crypt there.
Still haven't addressed what moves the Skeleton around tho.
I have an answer for you, it may even be the truth.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 4:52AM
#22
|
|
|
Vampires, on the other hand, seem to have missed the mark.
D&D Vampires have only recently been about drinking blood, they were about level drain via slam attacks before. Oh, I don't mind a shout out for sanguivores, but it is also a divergence.
As a fan of AD&D 1e I was never a fan of the energy drain vampires. Felt like fitting a square peg into a round hole. Vampires should avoid combat, their strengths are using their intellect to isolate lone prey and charm them. That doesn't mean that a vampire can't be an unholy terror in combat, but they should just hit hard and move fast, ultimately trying to get away and get back to their strength.
Kalex the Omen Dungeonmaster Extraordinaire Concerning Player Rules Bias
Show
Gaining victory through rules bias is a hollow victory and they know it.
The argument goes, that some idiot at the table might claim that because there is a "default" that is the only true way to play D&D. An idiotic misconception that should be quite easy to disprove just by reading the rules, coming to these forums, or sending a quick note off to Customer Support and sharing the inevitable response with the group. BTW, I'm not just talking about Next when I say this. Of course, D&D has always been this way since at least the late 70's when I began playing.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 5:08AM
#23
|
Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2006
|
About vampire draining I suggest forgeting about losing levels and using a system of level of healths, something like a pool of "points of blood". It would the pool to be used when there are penaltys by fatal injuries, sickness, poisons..). The idead isn´t like a second pool of hitpoints but somethink more similar to heath levels of Storytelling System by White Wolf publishg. I suposse it would simpler that losing levels or abilities scores.
But the special attacks about draining levels or abilities scores should be "modular", optional, like templates added to monsters.
"Say me what you're showing off for, and I'll say you what you lack!" (Spanish saying)
Book 13 Anaclet 23
Confucius said: "The Superior Man is in harmony but does not follow the crowd. The inferior man follows the crowd, but is not in harmony"
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 5:37AM
#24
|
|
|
Oh look, arbitrary Elven immunity to Ghoul paralysis.
Rhyme or reason?
Nope.
So, will Halflings be immune to Vampire drain attacks?
How about Dwarves immune to the a Displacer Beast's displacement?
I'm glad we can worship the sacred cow for it's own sake.
Just say that the paralysis is a magical sleep effect.
Or an echantment effect (letting elves get a save bonus)
Hold Person is an enchantment effect after all.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 6:07AM
#25
|
|
|
Just say that the paralysis is a magical sleep effect.
Or an echantment effect (letting elves get a save bonus)
Hold Person is an enchantment effect after all.
Or just ditch the arbitrary immunity.
I mean, trying to fit the ghoul paralysis under Elven resistances, while keeping poison immunity impotent against inTOXICation shows a level of internal inconsitency that is almost insulting.
I have an answer for you, it may even be the truth.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 9:33AM
#26
|
|
|
I really enjoyed the article.
I have a suggestion when dealing with Zombies and Ghouls and the concept of being turned.
I understand the idea of Zombies as described in the article and I also understand plenty of people's ideas of a zombie in the broader pop culture sense.
I offer to the community the idea of Zombies creating Ghouls. Ghouls themselves wouldn't be undead technically, but infected creatures from claws and bites from Zombies. If a creature dies without being cured of its Ghoul disease, it becomes a Zombie. This requires Ghoul bodies to be burned or destroyed in some other fashion to prevent them rising. Necromancers and Liches could control Zombies, but not Ghouls since Ghouls aren't undead (under this proposed suggestion.)
This offers a symbiotic relationship between Zombies and Ghouls, while allowing the two of them to stand out on their own as well. This also shows the inherent double edge sword that the undead masters must deal with when attempting to use Zombies to their beckoning. This also explains how certain Ghouls could be very intelligent based on the infected individual, albiet consumed with disease and madness.
This idea also offers a plot hook of a player being infected. Others could try to find items to cure the player or maybe the player needs to do a favor to be cured? Or perhaps divine intervention could step in?
This also perserves the idea of a plague or outbreak being written into the fabric of D&D without specifically giving too much to one or the other. Thus, making one obsolete or redundant. As it stands and has stood for awhile, I never really saw a clear distinction between a Zombie or a Ghoul from a theme sense. This idea I believe accomplishes that.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 9:53AM
#27
|
|
|
Just say that the paralysis is a magical sleep effect.
Or an echantment effect (letting elves get a save bonus)
Hold Person is an enchantment effect after all.
Or just ditch the arbitrary immunity.
I mean, trying to fit the ghoul paralysis under Elven resistances, while keeping poison immunity impotent against inTOXICation shows a level of internal inconsitency that is almost insulting.
It's got to be some type of effect... it might be necromancy or just fear, it might be paralytic poison.. but apparently it is enchantment of some kind.. which actually makes sense since hold person is and enchantment effect.
Elves happen to be extra resistant to enchantment... it all fits quite well.
Poison resistance should without doubt work against intoxication.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 9:59AM
#28
|
Date Joined:
May 24, 2012
|
I have always thought that Skeletons move because the magic that has animated them acts as muscles and cartilage to allow for the bones to move around and for them to have strength.
I like to think of ghouls as being like the wendigo of Canada. It is a curse bestowed by the gods for engaging in cannibalism. It wouldn't be contagious. However, the attacks of ghouls would be highly poisonous. Maybe death by ghoul should result in a chance to be reanimated as a ghost or banshee or some other similiar restless undead?
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 10:11AM
#29
|
Date Joined:
Jan 10, 2012
|
About vampire draining I suggest forgeting about losing levels and using a system of level of healths, something like a pool of "points of blood". It would the pool to be used when there are penaltys by fatal injuries, sickness, poisons..). The idead isn´t like a second pool of hitpoints but somethink more similar to heath levels of Storytelling System by White Wolf publishg. I suposse it would simpler that losing levels or abilities scores.
But the special attacks about draining levels or abilities scores should be "modular", optional, like templates added to monsters.
oh no the draining will work just like the Wraith does with max hit point drain.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 10:18AM
#30
|
Date Joined:
Jun 17, 2010
|
Drain really needs a more mechanically simple in-combat resolution.
Nothing was more infuriating than trying to essentially rewrite my character sheet after my wizard took a swing from a wraith.
Now, out of combat? Sure, make all the changes you want. Level, hitpoints, spell availability, combat dice quantity or size, whatever. But in combat it has to be simple, and easy to adjust on the fly.
I'm a fan of the "stacking penalty to everything" concept. Attacks, damage, defenses, saving throws, skill checks, whatever, that gets worse the more times you're hit. But keep that separate from actual character changes that may also occur, and let us deal with those when we're not tracking initiative.
D&D Next = D&D: Quantum Edition
|
|
|
