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7 months ago ::
Nov 19, 2012 - 9:03PM
#1
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Date Joined:
May 12, 2009
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Wandering Monsters
Soldiers of the Blood WarBy James WyattTwo weeks ago, I showed off the story brief I wrote to guide our design team in putting together the beholder for D&D Next. This week, I have the easiest column in the world to write, because I'm pretty much just pasting in those story briefs for a whole bunch more monsters.Talk about this column here.
Yan
Montréal, Canada
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7 months ago ::
Nov 19, 2012 - 9:44PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Apr 12, 2008
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Looks like the Blood War is back on. Finally. Oh, and the rest of the article was okay, too.
In fond memory of Mark "Wrecan" Monack.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 19, 2012 - 10:34PM
#3
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Date Joined:
May 12, 2009
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Good ol' Blood War ! I think James was pretty much spot on on all of his descriptions.
PS I think Succubi should be Demons again.
Yan
Montréal, Canada
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7 months ago ::
Nov 19, 2012 - 11:17PM
#4
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Good ol' Blood War ! I think James was pretty much spot on on all of his descriptions.
PS I think Succubi should be Demons again.
Agreed. Oh and I would like a few more powers to set them a little more apart as being supernatural
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7 months ago ::
Nov 19, 2012 - 11:34PM
#5
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Give them more magic and not just combat magic. Creatures have a life and role outside combat.
I'm sure some people will say the DM can just make those spells happen, but sometimes these spark ideas are and very useful for new DMs who do not have 20 years of experience of roleplaying.
République du Plateau, Montréal, Québec
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7 months ago ::
Nov 19, 2012 - 11:49PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2006
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* I never say Balor, I say Baldrog...(Some names can be changed when they are said by people who speak other language).
* We agree demons/abyssmals are chaotic and devil/baatorians are lawful, but chaothic doesn´t total anarchy. Anarchist can´t build strongholds in the Abyss. Anarchy is only a tendency, with exceptions like state-cities.
I imagine brood wars (I am sorry, I am thinking about Sarah Kerrigan..)......I imagine the blood war like a evil vesion of UN Peacekeeping blue-beret soldiers agains warlods of failen states.
* Zombies are cool, zombies are in fashion, killing zombies is fun... and manes are like zombies.
I would allow "improved version" of manes, like sentient creatures..(it would the exceptions, of course, or because they are about to evolve to the next step of fiend hierarchy, or higger demons who were punished with lower shape like humilliation).
I don´t find the right words... but I would like suggest a zombie-like creature wouldn´t be a true undead but a infected+possesed linked to manes. (have you seen Spanish horror movie "REC"?). Imagine the great surprise when cleric cast spells againt undeads and he realise the fat dwarf zombie isn´t a undead but a outsider.
And lemures like infected zombi-like creatures with the gelatinous template from Savage Species. Do you rembember a 2006 horror movie, the slitther? Imagine a parasitic ooze that transform bodies in D&D lemures..(like a little ghoul/zombie plague).
Manes and lemures would be more terrorific if they were used like simbiotic graft by crazy spellcasters... or like a biological weapon to create horror.
Let´s imagine a sadistic warlock who has punished a slave and he has been possesed by a mane, trasforming his body, and he now is a "pet" who looks a mixture of bulldog and the chatter beast from "Hellraiser: Bloodline".
How would be manes and lemurs if they were monsters from a serie B horror movie (or survival horror videogame like Dead Space)?
* I miss the D&D erinyes. If a module of monster classes is allowed, D&D erinyes should be the first monster class from fiend list. Or create a racial speciality/subclass/build to start like tienfling who transforms to erinyes step by step without breaking balance of power.
* D&D fiends need motives or they will be only the monsters of Act IV from Diablo II. If I could I would plagiarize some ideas (about factions, sebettu/houses) from "Demon: the fallen" by White Wolf. (I suposse other companies isn´t too polite, but D&D is my favorite and I don´t like WW too much).
"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"
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7 months ago ::
Nov 20, 2012 - 12:03AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Apr 21, 2003
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Overall not too bad. It's good to see the Blood War back in what appears to be its classic 2e/3e configuration. The mention of demodands/gehreleths warms my black, twisted Planescape-loving heart. :D It would have been cool to see an equal exploration of the various types of yugoloths. Perhaps as a followup piece? Being that they started the Blood War and actively keep it going, they deserve it.  Succubi need to go back to being demons though. They've been classic demons for three editions - almost longer than I've been alive, and the 4e change of their status not only sticks out like a sore thumb, it causes massive continuity headaches. They should be demons by default, and handled as a campaign setting level change for a 5e Nentir Vale if presented as devils.
Shemeska the Marauder, Freelancer 5 / Yugoloth 10
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7 months ago ::
Nov 20, 2012 - 12:07AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Jan 21, 2004
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I sort of liked the 4e planar cosmology. I'd be happy if demons were born of corrupted primordials. The Blood War in the old cosmology was a bit dull but I can see how it can be given more dimensions if it about more than just Law v chaos. I too want to see Eryines return to more mythical roots as diabolic enforcers.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 20, 2012 - 2:12AM
#9
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Date Joined:
Mar 26, 2007
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Overall not too bad. It's good to see the Blood War back in what appears to be its classic 2e/3e configuration. The mention of demodands/gehreleths warms my black, twisted Planescape-loving heart. :D
It would have been cool to see an equal exploration of the various types of yugoloths. Perhaps as a followup piece? Being that they started the Blood War and actively keep it going, they deserve it.
Succubi need to go back to being demons though. They've been classic demons for three editions - almost longer than I've been alive, and the 4e change of their status not only sticks out like a sore thumb, it causes massive continuity headaches. They should be demons by default, and handled as a campaign setting level change for a 5e Nentir Vale if presented as devils.
Yes, I am pleased at the mention of yugoloths, and would have liked him to elaborate just a tad, they didn't get the same treatment as the demon and devil.
And agree succubus should be a demon, especially considering Malcanthet has her own abyssal layer.
I like the use of spells, and glabrezu effectively having wizard levels.
Next, Modrons!
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7 months ago ::
Nov 20, 2012 - 2:16AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Dec 19, 2007
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The Bloodwar was great. It gave a good reason for the various powers to have their minions actively doing stuff, not just paitently waiting in the outer planes for a high enough level party to visit.
I liked the 4th edition cosomology, the old Great Wheel seemed to have filler planes (LE/NE-Between Hell and Hades) etc.
I like the idea of some 'fiends' working for both sides or their own ends.
I didn't like the large amount of immunities they had in 3rd edition, i'd prefer one immunity and a few resistances.
For Example - Devils immune to fire, resistant to magic. Demons immune to cold, resistant to magic. Neither resistant to poison or electricity. Both vulnerable to holy and silver.
All Devils and Demons that are large or over 8HD should have a Fear aura, similar to Dragons.
Having different fiends with different roles is good, eg some have illusion spells, other have AOE spells, others have necromancy.
You could even link some to the Githyanki vs Githzerai war, thus some encounters on the Astral, Hell, Abyss and Prime material is part of a large web of interested parties.
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