Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fithero 08-06-07, 09:56 PM	Who here likes the big guy? Personally, I want to base a whole campaign around him :D For those of you who have played FFX, youll know that Sin pretty much just roams around Spira, trashing everything that he sees. I want to do something like this. Now, ill be giving him the Amphibious and Winged Creature templates to boost up his versatility... and to generally make him that much more frightning. Also, ill change his appearance, because quite frankly, the one in the MM is quite pathetic. It looks like the artist let his 4-year old son design it :( So, what i need help with from ya'll, is what would the background for this thing be? -Where did it come from? Was it born naturally or was magic involved? Why is it here? The whole idea behind the game is that this thing constantly roams the land and destorys any cities that get too large. So the world has been constantly cutt off at the heels ever since its been around. Im wanting to make a game where the pc's go "Thats it, we've had enough. We're takin him out!" and actually have a chance of doing it. Any thoughts/comments welcome. Cheers for your help in advance.
Rerecros 08-06-07, 11:50 PM	Well there's Tarasque Classic, for both look and backstory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarasque You could completely rip off sin from FFX
cog_n_taz 08-07-07, 01:38 AM	him, well, if you want to make it a real challenge (read: utter slaughiterfest, followed by being beaten to deathi with the DMG), add the half-fiend template, it works wonders on something with that many hd, and it adds wings. A match made in hell, no? As for making it scarier, how about the carapace looks slightly molten (or like jagged obsidian, that works too), and seems to suck the light in from around it. It doesn't roar, no, it chitters constantly like a swarm of insects, and its hands become bloody claws of mangled bone halfway. Finally, its eyes are glazed and blank, framing a giant, lamprey-like mouth. ...Okay, that's all the creativity I can muster for now, lemme know if you need more, okay?
Fithero 08-07-07, 09:26 PM	him, well, if you want to make it a real challenge (read: utter slaughiterfest, followed by being beaten to deathi with the DMG), add the half-fiend template, it works wonders on something with that many hd, and it adds wings. A match made in hell, no? Indeed, though im not wanting him to be demonic... though i could just add it and say its a result of something else. As for making it scarier, how about the carapace looks slightly molten (or like jagged obsidian, that works too), and seems to suck the light in from around it. It doesn't roar, no, it chitters constantly like a swarm of insects, and its hands become bloody claws of mangled bone halfway. Finally, its eyes are glazed and blank, framing a giant, lamprey-like mouth. ...Okay, that's all the creativity I can muster for now, lemme know if you need more, okay? Dont worry, thats *more* that enough creativity for today... the big guy now seems a whole lot more eerie :P As for making the world unique, im thinking of making it only humans, and taking out the sorcerer, wizard, druid and cleric class and replacing them with white, black and green mage's (all the wizard class, but white has the cleric spell list, green has the druids and black has the wizards spell list) Each of the mage groups will have their own affilliation and carry their own stigma (black mages distrusted, white loved and respected and all that). It *think* its a good idea, but if you could all tell me what you think of it, it'd be appreciated. Ill also be restricting other classes. Cheers
CrimsonWyvern 08-07-07, 10:36 PM	Here's my suggestions for you in adding to the Tarrasque's appearance. 1: Mouth When I think of an abomination with the destructive capability of the Tarrasque, I think of it having a more deviant mouth. I would suggest for the mouth, make it have a somewhat squid-like mouth, just to add to its oddity. I would think that such a being would have a mouth that is more circular, but that's just me. 2: Carapace I suggest that you have the carapace look somewhat slimy. It just seems more evil-like and monstrous than a shiny carapace. A shiny appearance is too similar to a metallic dragon. 3: Coloration I suggest that you make it be of a different color than the MM has it, as orange isn't nearly as threatening as say, a dark purple/green or black. Also, although the Half-Fiend would make the Tarrasque very dangerous, personally I think that using spell-like abilities might take away some of the sheer rampage flavor of the Tarrasque. I would suggest that instead of using Half-Fiend, you use the Half-Dragon template. How either one of these templates can be applied to the Tarrasque logically, I don't know, but to me, the Half-Dragon seems to fit the Tarrasque's flavor much more readily. Either way, it would get wings, and easily be able to become a fly-by rampaging beast like FFX Sin.
Rerecros 08-07-07, 10:42 PM	As for making the world unique, im thinking of making it only humans, and taking out the sorcerer, wizard, druid and cleric class and replacing them with white, black and green mage's (all the wizard class, but white has the cleric spell list, green has the druids and black has the wizards spell list) Each of the mage groups will have their own affilliation and carry their own stigma (black mages distrusted, white loved and respected and all that). It *think* its a good idea, but if you could all tell me what you think of it, it'd be appreciated. Ill also be restricting other classes. That certainly is an interesting idea, but a little iffy. While not overtly superior, the wizard spell list allows the caster to be damaging, without relying on melee. Cleric and druid spells on the other hand are more utilitarian and support based, and honestly would be ineffective in combat with a wizard's BAB and HP. Also, out of all the spellcasting classes, wizards are the most annoying and tedious to use. The Problem with the Big T, is that without a wish and the party at high levels, he isn't so much a challenge as a plot device. You might want to give the big T the ability to spawn weaker monsters some how.
CrimsonWyvern 08-08-07, 02:11 AM	Wow, I didn't even notice the fact that you asked for our opinions on the mage ideas when I first posted. Man I'm inattentive. Okay, on-topic time. I take it that you're trying to make the game similar to a FF game. I suggest that you use either the Recharge Magic or Spell Points variant from Unearthed Arcana. (Look at d20srd.com if you don't know where to find it) You might also want to homebrew yourself a recharging mechanic if you use the Spell Points variant, as that is very similar to the Final Fantasy game magic mechanic. Then again, if you did that, I would highly suggest that you have some way of increasing the encounters per day. Then again, as you are the DM of said campaign, do whatever you feel like is a good idea, but those are my suggestions. Please do tell us how it goes, if you would.
Free1983 08-08-07, 02:59 AM	As for making the world unique, im thinking of making it only humans, and taking out the sorcerer, wizard, druid and cleric class and replacing them with white, black and green mage's (all the wizard class, but white has the cleric spell list, green has the druids and black has the wizards spell list) Each of the mage groups will have their own affilliation and carry their own stigma (black mages distrusted, white loved and respected and all that). I think that CrimsonWyvern is right when he says that the different spelllists come with different characters. The cleric and druid have a d8 but can't cast fireball. So I guess your white & green mages will be (slightly) underpowered. Will you maintain the spontaneous casting? In that case you restore a little power of the white & green mages. You could try to compensate for the weaker spell lists from white & green by giving them somekind of magical advantage. E.g.: You give the white & green mages the opportunity to learn one spell (per spell level) that they can cast without spellbook or preparation, one single time/day. However I don't know if that makes up for the loss of armorwearing capabilities, the loss of HP, the loss of weapon proficiencies and wildshape/turning. Another thing you should think of is whether your players are going to like this. Will they be happy not being able to play a druid/cleric? In my experience players don't like it when (especially character-) options are taken away from them. I think you've got a cool idea (the color themed mages), but I'm not sure if your players will think the same. I don't know if this matters, but you left out the bard, the ranger and the paladin. It just doesn't seem consistent to change two major spellcasting classes, but to leave another major spellcasting class (bard) alone. Although I wouldn't know how to change the abilities from the bard to a wizard without losing the bard flavor. I really think you have a fine idea. Hope it works out! Cheers
CrimsonWyvern 08-08-07, 03:15 AM	Uh, Free1983, I believe that you meant Rerecros, because that person is the one who talked about the spell list disadvantages, I talked about UA content.
Free1983 08-08-07, 03:44 AM	Right. Little mistake :(.
CrimsonDeath 08-08-07, 04:36 AM	Indeed, though im not wanting him to be demonic... though i could just add it and say its a result of something else. I'd be careful about adding the full Half-Fiend template, since it would apparently make the big lug a CR 23 encounter. But I think that number might be a little low, since it would bump his SR up to 35 (the cap for half-fiends), give him Resistance 10 against acid, cold, and electricity, and give him a number of SLAs-- including Blasphemy 1/day-- at caster level 48. (Which means that, if he starts getting in trouble, he can kill the entire party with no save and no SR by saying one very bad word.) It would also give him 255 more skill points, in case that matters at all. I think it might make his claws his primary weapons instead of his bite (not sure whether that's better or worse).
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-08-07, 04:45 AM	I'm looking a little strange at the effects a rampaging beast that targets large cities would have. Without major cities do nations form up? Armies are right out I would think. And what does it eat when it finishes off the last major city. How many are there and what is the travel time for this sucker to get around the world eating major cities everywhere? Maybe there a dozen variants and each has its own territory? Or is one enough and it has a unique ability that calls it into the presence of rising powers? That being said I'd consider that with major cities being cut down tech may not have progressed as much... War has a tendency to provide a great deal of innovation and without warring city-states or nations things might well slow down not to mention the fact that a lot of knowledge gets lost when one of the rare few existing cities is destroyed. Low tech options such as stone weapons may be more common around your world. Also instead of the 3 mages I'd look at some of the alternatives to spellcasting. Incarnum would fit a game like this very well since you channel the power of mighty beasts in at least one class and your world is dominated by one. Similarly truename magic can be worked so it has a lot of ancient pre-civilization feel to it by simply making the research involve spirits and oracles over musty ancient tomes. Even the warblade makes a great addition since he can quickly take on the effect of channeling a primal energy. Consider switching mages for totemist, clerics for truenamers, and barbarians with warblades. The rogue can even go through spellsword or ninja if you start out with the idea in everyone's mind that traps won't be a major part of the campaign... at least not ones you place, the players are free to dig their own. For the great beastie himself I'd don't know that he needs too much beyond a makeover. You're right about the art but otherwise he fits in nicely. Remove underwater races from your game and the underdark and make the rare cities that do exist exemplary locations which have been built in impossable locations such as underwater, underground, or in the clouds. These are strange and wonderful places that your heros start the game not knowing exist and which are built not through commonplace sorcery but through grand tales of extraordinary effort. The underwater city may well be inhabitted by men who, fearing the tarrasque, used totemist and druids to convice normal sea creatures to help them build a new home for themselves. Thus this a shining point of civilization hidden a savage world. If you want to go this route make sure your players know about the changes in magic before you start and they do NOT know that there exist a city under the ocean, deep under the mountains, etc.
Fithero 08-08-07, 08:18 AM	I really like the idea of using the other forms of spell casting. What do you think about dumping the cleric, druid, wizard, sorcerer and replacing them with Binder, True Namer, Shadowcaster, Warlock and possibly one of the classes from Incarnum (I dont have that book, ill have to get my hands on it :() Dump paladin for knight, replace ranger with scout... and possibly some other changes. As for what the big beast is.... im tryin to think of its origins. -Perhaps a royal line was overthrown generations ago, and the beast will roam the land until the bloodline is restored to the throne. OR -The people of the land were so vile that the gods spawned this creature as punishment. Now generations have passed, people have been forced to work together and cooperate to survive, yet the beast still roams. Personally i like the second one the better... As for what effects the creature would have on life in general. Technological advances would slow to a crawl, as would the speed of their spread (something invented a decade ago on one side of the country, might still be unimagined on the other side). The average size of cities would be greatly reduced, people would prefer to live in smaller, more isolated communities instead of gathering in greater numbers. And of course... armies would be almost unheard of. As for what he is... im still unsure as to his description.. though i know he is a huuuuge creature that just constantly roams (rests for a time underwater or on a mountain) and destroys. Is there anything bigger than the largest dragons? :P So, i guess im looking for 3 things here -The big guys appearance -What his origins are -What effect he would have on the world Cheers
cog_n_taz 08-08-07, 09:21 AM	hmm...appearance, I can do that. In fact, I could even type up something to read to your players word for word. The main question is how creepy you want it to be, really. honestly, I can do much nastier than what I posted earlier. You're talking to the creator of horrid, dire lampreys here:P .
cog_n_taz 08-08-07, 10:49 AM	You know what? Since I'm bored out of my mind anyway, and don't feel like blowing up gundams, here's something that's (hopefully) worth the paper it's printed on, if nothing more. Towering before you is a massive creature of mangled flesh and bone. No skin covers this monstrosity, and muscle and tendons are exposed to the world. Cruel spikes of bone jut from the abomination's flesh, creating large, bleeding wounds. A carapace of jagged obsidian covers its back, its edges and spikes as harsh and unforgiving as mountains. The thing's hands are claws of bloodied, crushed and mangled bone, pieces jutting out from the whole at horrifying angles. The entirety of its body is covered in oozing sores and wounds, ichor and blood creating a trail behind and around it as it moves. Its tail is a single piece of bloody muscle, whipping back and forth silently. As you watch, wings rip out of its flesh and into the air, dripping blood and nameless black liquids. They are wings of bone, flapping membranes only barely stretching between the bones, yet they seem to allow the monster to fly. Plates of solidifying shadows lock together over the entirety of the thing's body, never quite there, yet in some terrible, unnamable way, more real than anything around them, for this is the darkness from before the dawn of the world, of humanity, and they seem to suck the light in from around them. Yet the face...the face is the worst of all, a mask of twisted bone, no flesh at all, only bone and spikes of obsidian. Empty, blasted, grey eyes frame a terrible mouth, a circular, lamprey-like maw, from which a constant, insectile chittering emanates, accompanied by a slow, thick trickle of what you find yourself almost wishing is blood. Suddenly, the chittering stops...for the beast has scented new prey. Slowly, soundlessly, it turns to face you, hunger evident in its eyes. As the chittering begins once more, a feeling of utter despair sinks into you, as a single thought fills your mind: There is no hope, no escape, no dawn for you...for you are the beast's prey. Any good?
Fithero 08-08-07, 11:19 AM	:gah:
CrimsonWyvern 08-08-07, 11:19 AM	Okay, seeing as cog_n_taz already made a description that is quite awesome, I'll try to comment on the other things. As for your replacement magic system, remember that the people may have magic gaps now, and if they actually do, then Warlocks will be everybody's friends with their ability to craft anything. As for how the beasty came to be, I have a few ideas. The land, as almost all lands do, had several wars. Most people will accept war as a fact of existence. However, a deity from your campaign was so distressed by the wars, that (s)he created a creature that would stop all wars. Unfortunately, an evil deity managed to taint said creature, and thus, the Tarrasque was born. Alternately, a mortal used a Wish or something similar to make it such that there would no longer be war, but an evil deity answered the wish, and created the Tarrasque for cruelty's sake. Another possibility is that a deity just created the Tarrasque just to do what it does, limiting city growth. As for what an effect it would have on the world, I do believe that having one city in the sky would probably be a good idea, just because your players will be likely to need one place to buy and sell high level magic items. However, I do believe that there might be a few land-based somewhat big cities, but they should be destroyed as time goes on, and there should be an abundance of small villages that isolate themselves from each other. I also think that places where the Tarrasque attacked should have some ruins, which will probably be a good place for a couple of adventures, and will probably have some good magic items available. I suggest that if you do allow people to enter ruins, trash a lot of the magic items that would be there, so that the party doesn't get too much money. Also, leave behind some of the clues of their technological advances. And although armies would be unheard of, make sure that every town has a small guard, just to justify how they can survive monster attacks.
cog_n_taz 08-08-07, 11:54 AM	:gah: That bad? Alrighty, I guess I'll spare y'all from my awful writing skills and not write any origins for the thing.
Drunk_Yoda 08-08-07, 12:12 PM	I would make that the origin of the Tarraque was that it was created as the perfect war machine to end the previous war, the mage whi created it crafted the perfect engine of destruction but something went wrong no one knows what exactly but the big thing not only destroyed the other army it destroyed everything in its path. Afraid of it some humans crafted the biggest city ever under the mountains hoping for it to die some day and so the stories of the large beeing started, it's path of death and destruction has been seen but all of them who see it have died running away from it. Any way this could allow wrong stories about the big T and at least a big city where people could go to buy stuff and share knowledge, I could imagine the city something like Sharn but inside a mountain. Also there should be hunting parties that say they're trying to kill the Tarrasque and that they are the best and they will but the big T kills them all so hope of ever destroying the big T is gonne.
Drunk_Yoda 08-08-07, 12:26 PM	Also you could put in your campaign that there could be some sort of cult of destruction and they wish to bring foward the creature of legends something that place feared along tima ago... THE TARRASQUE. You could pin the characters to go on a chace to find this cult and stop them but when they get there they find out that they're donne with their ritual and the Tarrasque has been summoned again the wreck havok in this world.
Fithero 08-08-07, 02:11 PM	That bad? Alrighty, I guess I'll spare y'all from my awful writing skills and not write any origins for the thing. Actually, i was meaning that it was scary as hell, id love to know what its origins are :D Good work Drunk Yoda, very good ideas!
Rerecros 08-08-07, 02:32 PM	If you are going for a FF feel... Have this city in the mountain run by a technically LE organization, though they do take care of humanity and are popular, they have their own agenda as well, and would be entirely willing to sacrifice the entire city to achieve their goalss, which are something along the lines of reviving some ancient evil to become as gods. No active gods in this campaign, but a conglomeration of the souls of the dead does form a great entity, but it doesn't try to interfere with the lives of the living. I'm thinking the Big T may be partially created by this entity, or somehow corrupted from it. Maybe the cult that created it stole the most vicious souls from the great entity and now it destroys cities and uses the souls of the dead to make itself stronger, preventing those souls from joining with the great entity.
CrimsonDeath 08-08-07, 09:22 PM	I'm not sure you should use the Truenamer. The Utterances have short durations, largely unimpressive effects, and prohibitively high DCs. And unfortunately, I'm not sure the system can be tweaked to make it effective without losing the flavor of the class. Before you pull out spellcasting entirely and replace it with alternative systems, I'd recommend that you look at the various things that might happen to your players (poison, disease, ability damage/drain, negative levels/level drain, curses, and death, just to name a few) and see first, if there's a way to counteract them, and second, if there isn't a way to counteract them, whether you want such a mechanism to exist. (You may decide that it's not necessary to be able to resurrect people, for example, but level drain can seriously set back a campaign with nothing more than a few unlucky rolls.) Also, you may want to look at the magic items that a typical character will want and decide how they're going to be created without spellcasters.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-09-07, 01:40 AM	Feeling a little bit inspired again (Fithero seems to do that alot) The Creation Myth An old man sits before a fire. A shadow seems to envelope him like an old friend yet his smile is warm. He looks to the children gathered around him and smiles. He looks to their parents and frowns. "This story should have been told long ago. You should all know this story from your cradle on. But too long has it been since the story was told. It is a harsh thing that happens when the story is not told and a worse when the story is not believed." The old man seems in reverie for a moment before bring himself back to the world of the present. "The gods decree that this story should be passed on to each generation and you must remember to do so. To fail will surely lead to destruction..." Barely heard, yet heard by all, is the whisper that comes after. "Again." The Beast has always been and shall always be. In the beginning the gods were mortal and walked this world and the demons lived outside. The demons were envious of the gods and their perfect world and so sought to corrupt and destroy them. The gods withstood their attempts to steal the world away though. The demons quarrelled amongst themselves as to how best to punish the gods. Then a great and ancient evil among them offered a means. They would bend all their evil to corrupt a single god. That god would then awaken a beast which should have slumbered for all eternity. The demons set forth and corrupted a niave yound goddess. They convinced her of her own strength and duty. They told her of the inconcievable horror of this creature. They told her it was her duty to see to it this creature would never wake. The Beast Awoke. The gods warred and brought to bear strength which had fended off ancient evil and horrors unnamed but to no avail. There was no force yet in this world which they could find to stand against the beast and they had noone else to turn to. The Gods Fled. The gods fled the world and went outside to other places where the beast could not follow. There they gained power and immortallity but lost their world. They could no longer return to the home they had left behind for to do so would make them once again mortal and they would surely be hunted by the beast again. But their newfound power was great and now they turned on the demons and drove them back into the darkest corners of the places outside. They looked with longing upon their world and decided that if they could not return they would at least send something of themselves back. The Gods Made The Creatures of The World. They created Men and Elves. They made Dwarves and Giants. They made Beast and Dragons. They forged them all to resemble the mortal creatures they had once been. And they sent these creations back to the world. They sent their creations out with love and a warning. Never grow to mighty for might attracts the beast. Never grow to many for that which grows large enough for the beast to see he devours. Never grow too prideful for to do so causes one to seek that which the beast can scent. The Creatures of The World Make It Their Own. "And so we live in this, the gods chosen world. We live in our villages and our small towns. We live in hiding from the beast, never daring to seek the power which would give us our world fully. There have been those who sought to challenge the beast but those are stories for another day." "There are many other stories I must tell. Stories of demons who became gods through the folly of The Creatures of the World and stories of those who did not learn their lessons from the ancient tales. But I am tired and those stories will have to wait." The old man rose and seemed to fade somehow. In a moment he was gone. Tommorrow
CrimsonWyvern 08-09-07, 02:29 AM	Okay, it'll probably pale to Terjon (Darn you being so good at story spinning /joking jealousy), but here's my back story idea. Humans destroy themselves with much inhumanity. Eventually, humanity will destroy itself with much cruelty. To prevent this, one must create something that is merciless. Mercy allows humanity to survive. Humanity's survival breeds war. War demands cruelty, inhumanity, and much killing. By culling the crop of humanity, it ensures its survival. Clearly then, this is the only way to truly assure the survival of all creatures from the Material Plane. Such was the one way that deities decided upon the creating the Tarrasque. Perhaps not such a surprise, this reasoning was just a trick agreed upon by many evil deities to convince the pantheon of deities to allow such a creature to exist without it being destroyed immediately. Now, many have asked, if such a creature has been figured out to be destructive, why had it not been destroyed by deities yet? Because, many still believe it to be a good idea, or at least something that is not so horrible as to destroy. The only thing that could possibly prevent this Tarrasque from being truly invulnerable, is the intervention of the wisests of deities. Only Boccob (or your own campaign most important diety, or whoever you want to choose) can prevent the evil deities from doing so. But Boccob (and a few other deities if needed) can only do so much. So, it falls upon mere mortals to do what deities cannot. But such a thing is what mortals do so much better than deities. This is the beginning of one story, and although it is not like all beginnings, like all beginnings, there will be much more story to come. That was the best attempt at serious epic storytelling I could do at this hour. By the way, Fithero, I hope this campaign goes well for you, it seems really interesting.
cog_n_taz 08-09-07, 04:39 AM	Alright, I'm feeling less-than-eloquent right now, so I'm not gonna try and one-up Terjon or anything (entirely futile with my skill, or lack thereof, in any case), but here goes... I'm with Terjon as far as the demons/old gods thing goes, but in my scenario, the mortal gods fought them, and won. But many on each side fell, and they never quite died... the rage, the hate, the despair and the primal fear within them remained, and it flowed together into a single, collective concious. By now, this concious was less than the sum of its parts, it was simple and animalistic, there was nothing left of the demons or gods in there, and what was left wanted revenge on the world, the world that it had been cast out of, the world it had fought for, and the world that had, from its twisted viewpoint, killed it. It sunk deep into the earth, and no one ever even noticed it...until one day, it decided that its time had come. It infused the earth with some of its rage, and the resulting volcanic eruption killed thousands and covered the world in ash an smoke for centuries to come. Then, it brought the resulting bodies together, adding their hate, their fear and despair to itself, and animated the bodies, fused them. They sunk into the bones of the earth, and years later, as the ash and smoke that had covered the world for so long finally cleared, it rose from deep within the ground...as the Tarrasque, The Beast.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-09-07, 06:45 AM	Alright, I'm feeling less-than-eloquent right now, so I'm not gonna try and one-up Terjon or anything (entirely futile with my skill, or lack thereof, in any case), but here goes... :angelhide:evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh Actually I like the idea of the dead gods power coalescing in this fashion. Gives him more of a destruction incarnate feel not to mention fits the new physical description he's been given nicely. If Fithero wants I can rewrite The Creation Myth for that form.
cog_n_taz 08-09-07, 08:01 AM	Thanks Terjon, I'm honored. honestly, it's not that good, I wrote it, after all, that should tell you enough by itself...
Fithero 08-09-07, 01:10 PM	Hey guys, I have some of the best minds on this board workin on this idea, so whatever we come up with is bound to be fantastic! :D Im going to use Terjon's Creation Myth, modded by cog_n_taz's 'dead god's power' idea, and finally cog_n_taz's physical description.... this beast is just nasty! I think i might go with a human only campaign, it sort of grounds it as a 'low-fantasy' setting. What sort of attack tactics do you think the big guy would have? Just rush in at high noon and go berserk until an entire area is decimated, or silently glide in at night and let the destruction begin with a suprise attack? All in all, what sort of personality would you give the big guy? Peace
Lyinginbedmon 08-09-07, 01:18 PM	Let's see, it's able to kill gods by the dozen? Well, that certainly breeds some wisdom or tactical ability. I would say that it certainly lands at night, it curls up in its shell in the town square for three days and nights. On the fourth night, it comes out and slaughters everyone around, decimating the area. It purposefully leaves 1 person behind to tell the story. If it needs to, it would use the Summon Monster IX from Half-Fiend to summon a teleporting Fiend to communicate anything it wants to people. Since it's origin apparently involves demons and devils this could be played as the demons trying to get something from the people, rather than the actions of the Tarrasque itself. ;) We all know that fear breeds respect, respect breeds awe, and awe breeds worship. What does worship give us? Power, specifically of the god kind. The Tarrasque goes through the whole song and dance above in order to gain a cult following (Urban legends and all), so that it can gain enough followers to become a god itself. So, this Tarrasque is a malevolent creature. It's not stupid but it does a good job of making people think it's a destructive animal. The ones that survive are certainly going to be completely terrified of the thing, but they'll recognise it's power and it's power of reason by purposefully leaving them alive. This Tarrasque has plans beyond massive destruction but at first glance no-one would know it. It's a malevolent creature, indeed.
CrimsonWyvern 08-09-07, 04:00 PM	I would personally just go with making the beast be just that, a beast. It has a calling to any large cities, but will likely not decide to take longer to attack to have the element of surprise, as such a being has such power that it need not worry about mortals. I believe that such a creature would simply fly straight to the location with the highest concentration of humans. Rage, hate, despair, primal fear, none of these would give a creature much intelligence. This creature would be likely to try to level a city to the ground, destroying creatures en masse. A few people would likely survive in each city, but it would be as though several natural disasters struck at once. The destruction and death would be on the scale of earthquakes, massive fires, and tornadoes all at once. Even though the Tarrasque does have a reasonable Wisdom, it would not be the sort of creature that would fear anything. Using Terjon's story (which was awesome, by the way) not even deities themselves can stop the Tarrasque. If deities cannot defeat them, then what chance do mortals? Such a being probably won't care about or notice tactics. However, the beast's attacks would likely be during the night, as such a being would either be large enough to cause darkness, or at least be constantly followed by it. Besides, the cinematic feel of darkness falling before the beast's appearance is too much for most dramatic DMs to deny.
Lyinginbedmon 08-09-07, 05:45 PM	We need more than 3 Intelligence? Alright then: A 20th level Wizard that starts off with an 18 Intelligence (18+5 = 23) and invests the entirety of his 20th level wealth into an Intelligence-boosting item (SQRT(760)=27, roughly) with the Spell Focus (necromancy) feat, has an 85% chance of successfully possessing the Tarrasque with Magic Jar Among the devils and demons, the top four are Balor (40%), Pit Fiend (35%), Marilith (25%), and Horned Devil (15%) provided they have the Possession ability. Add in later Imprison Possessor and they've got him for eternity. (True Mind Switch works too, but this is the magic version not the psionic) That's way more than enough Intelligence.
CrimsonDeath 08-09-07, 08:14 PM	A 20th level Wizard that starts off with an 18 Intelligence (18+5 = 23) and invests the entirety of his 20th level wealth into an Intelligence-boosting item (SQRT(760)=27, roughly) with the Spell Focus (necromancy) feat, has an 85% chance of successfully possessing the Tarrasque with Magic Jar Actually, according to the Epic Level Handbook, a Headband of Intellect +8 would cost 640,000gp, because any enchantment on the item that exceeds normal non-epic limits has its market price multiplied by 10. It would be more effective to use the +6 headband and a +5 Tome of Clear Thought. If he starts off as a Gray Elf and grows to Old age, that's a total of 38 Int (18 base +2 race +5 level +2 age +5 inherent +6 enhancement). Note that Magic Jar has a limited duration, though.
cog_n_taz 08-09-07, 08:56 PM	'scuse me, but the entire necromancer thing seems a bit contrived..why can't we just arbitrarily give it a higher int? Say, 10 or so. Also, I was going to say that as lyinginbedmon suggested, it glides in at night, and makes sure that its presence is known, all the same. The reason? More fear, despair and hate to add to itself, it only gets stronger with each victim... Oh, and don't forget to swap its feats around, o'course. I mean, come on, what kind of monster needs to be that tough?:P No, give it great cleave, for a start, for the whole sweeping-through-the-village-in-one-go feel. Finally, if you want to give it a breath weapon, I just had an idea...crack your copy of complete arcane open, and look up blackfire. Alternatively, give it a cone of level drain. Blackfire has more style though...cold, black flames that move from person to person, drain your life-force, and turn you into a pile of dust after a whole lot of pain and fear? Sounds like the neo-tarrasque's cup of tea.
CrimsonDeath 08-09-07, 10:22 PM	If you're juggling feats, then Multiattack and Snatch (Monster Manual) would make him more dangerous, as well as Multisnatch, Improved Multiattack, and Rend (Draconomicon). He also qualifies for the Epic feat Dire Charge (which would let him pounce), and if he has the Magical Beast type after you finish applying templates, he qualifies for Rapidstrike and Improved Rapidstrike, applied to his claws, horns, or both (also Draconomicon). If you do apply the Half-Fiend template, note that it grants +4 Int, raising it to 7 (although it cahnges his type to Outsider).
cog_n_taz 08-10-07, 12:21 AM	Ah yes, 7 would be just right... so, what do you think of the breath weapon?
CrimsonWyvern 08-10-07, 02:28 AM	Even though a possession of the Tarrasque by an incredibly dangerous wizard makes me fearful, I personally believe that the Tarrasque would be DM-shielded from possession. I would personally suggest that one doesn't actually give the Tarrasque human intelligence, because it loses the flavor of an instinctive hate-created destructive beast. With a being as powerful as the Tarrasque, Intelligence is no longer very important, as it would have all it needs with its sheer brute force. I'm not saying that Intelligence is an unimportant stat, but it is not needed for a beast created of deific despair, fear, and hate.
cog_n_taz 08-10-07, 02:48 AM	I know, it's just that considering its deific origins, keeping it as a total idiot seemed a tad odd.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-10-07, 06:04 AM	I would think leave it as animal like intelligence. This should be a creature drawn by passions and hatred as it is the remains of a god-demon war. Besides who says gods have to be smart. In many creation myths the first god-power to come into existence is Chaos... a raw power. Perhaps in our world the gods started with human intelligence and demons started with less. While both have gained since then The Beast is the remnants of older power. As for tactics simply give it a automatic knowledge of where concentrations of power lie. It was born of and is drawn to power and seeks to destroy it. The portion of its power drawn from gods seeks to destroy the demonic power within it and gather more divine. The portion drawn from the demons seeks to destroy the power of the gods within it and so wants to destroy outside sources of power they can consume. These conflicting powers culminate in the rage of The Beast. As a side note this allows for a nice little DM hook on how you might destroy The Beast. Since you have two conflicting sources of power within your heros can do what the gods could not by tilting the balance of power within the creature. Of course this begs the question "Do we kill gods (and can we?) and make the creature a force of good or demons and turn it into a directed force of evil." Let the players dangle for most of the game before discovering a means to weaken one half in the existing Beast thus allowing the divine power within to achieve victory.
cog_n_taz 08-10-07, 06:47 AM	Nice idea Terjon. I think Lyinginbedmon's idea of a cult for the thing would work too, but it shouldn't be something planned for by the tarrasque, rather, it should happen by itself, perhaps granting the tarrasque more power, and, since the thing used to be various gods/demons, actually granting them powers. Outta the phb and eberron campaign setting, the domains destruction, evil, chaos, good and passion (because of the massive mix of emotions that it is) fit the bill, but you can chop bits off as you see fit, or ignore me entirely (recommended).
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-10-07, 07:15 AM	Alright new form The Creation Myth An old man sits before a fire. A shadow seems to envelope him like an old friend yet his smile is warm. He looks to the children gathered around him and smiles. He looks to their parents and frowns. "This story should have been told long ago. You should all know this story from your cradle on. But too long has it been since the story was told. It is a harsh thing that happens when the story is not told and a worse when the story is not believed." The old man seems in reverie for a moment before bring himself back to the world of the present. "The gods decree that this story should be passed on to each generation and you must remember to do so. To fail will surely lead to destruction..." Barely heard, yet heard by all, is the whisper that comes after. "Again." Those who came first. In the beginning the gods were mortal and walked this world and the demons lived outside. The demons were envious of the gods and their perfect world and so sought to corrupt and destroy them. Though the gods withstood their attempts to steal the world away their war seemed unending. The demons quarrelled amongst themselves as to how best to defeat the gods. Then a great and ancient evil among them offered a means. They would bend all their evil to corrupt a single god. That god would then infuse the demons with a touch of their own divine power. The demons set forth and corrupted a niave yound goddess. They lied to her of their own strength. They told her of the inconcievable horror they felt at the thought of their own destruction. They convinced her the other gods were wrong for denying them a place in a world that rightfully should have been shared by all. She intended to share only a touch of her divinity so that the demons might be able to forge a peace with the gods. But with the mingling her corruption was complete. The Beast Forms. The next time the demons assaulted it was like nothing the gods had ever known. The gods brought to bear strength which had fended off ancient evil and horrors unnamed. But the demons now had a new strength. They had a single god of their own and now she spawned more dark gods. The gods for the first time fell in battle. Their blood poured out onto their perfect world and mixed with the blood of the demon-gods they fought. Eventually even the mightiest of the gods fled their world seeking new power with which to protect their world. But they, unknowingly, left behind the blood and power of those who had fallen. The Gods Fled. The gods fled the world and went outside to other places where they would grow stronger. There they gained power and immortallity but, so too, did the demons. The gods were forced to make the greatest sacrifice ever. They released their mortality and with it their hold on the world they once called home. No longer able to return to the home they had left behind they turned on the demons and drove them back into the darkest corners of the places outside. They looked with longing upon their world and decided that if they could not return they would at least send something of themselves back. The Gods Made Men They created Men. These men were forged to resemble the mortal creatures the gods had once been. And they sent these men back to the world. They sent their creations out with love and Men, who were blessed by the gods grew many and strong in the world. But this new power would awaken an older one. The Beast AwakesThe gods had forgot the ancient blood and power which had seeped into this world during their war. They had not realized the small spark of divinity they placed into men would awaken it either. The day the beast awoke it destroyed every one of the great cities of man. Its power grew greater with each conquest and it left nothing behind. It devoured great mages and helpless children alike. Above all it sought those who commanded strength and power though. These it seemed to scent in the world and it would travel to the far ends of the world to consume such. Men Make A New Place In The World "And so we live in this, the gods chosen world. We live in our villages and our small towns. We live in hiding from the beast, never daring to seek the power which would give us our world fully. There have been those who sought to challenge the beast but those are stories for another day." "There are many other stories I must tell. Stories of men who became gods or demons through folly and stories of those who did not learn their lessons from the ancient tales. But I am tired and those stories will have to wait." The old man rose and seemed to fade somehow. Remember. Never grow to mighty, for might attracts the beast. Never grow to many, [SIZE="1"]for that which grows large enough for the beast to see, he devours. Never grow too prideful for to do so causes one to seek that which the beast can scent. In a moment he was gone.
Fithero 08-10-07, 09:09 AM	Bloody hell, i leave the thread for a day and it almost doubles in posts! Terjon, youve excelled yourself as usual with the creation myth. cog-n-taz, i agree that there should be forces pushing on both side, trying to gain control of the beast and aim it at the other side. They dont have any control over him at all... its more like their goading him in the enemies direction and hope he keeps going till he gets there. And i love the idea of Blackfire.... totally suits him :P Im going to steer clear of any possession magics. A unique beast this powerful is bound to be immune to such things, no matter how nerfed the wizard is. CrimsonWyvern, i like your idea about force of nature. Do you think the beast would have the ability to cause natural disasters? What about special attacks that are on a country wide scale (For those of you who know FFX, how sin causes tidal waves and does that energy attack at the end, sending out beams in like... 5-7 different directions, each hundreds of miles long) Ill totally be changing its feats, this thing will have to be a combat machine. Also, what if i give it the creature of legend template, that would suit, wouldnt it? As for its intelligence, ill keep it low-medium, but it wont be able to communicate in any way. I doubt it would even listen to any attempts to communicate with it. Do we pay any attention to dogs when their barking? As for why its doing it, im unsure as to wether or not it is malicious in nature, or if its just another force of nature. I think this is a pretty crucial point in the character. Cheers for all your help folks, really appreciate it. Peace Edit: Just as an idea, perhaps after ravaging a city of some size, the beast just sits down and rests for a time in the smoldering ruins. Now this would serve a few purposes- -nobody would go near the city for fear of awakening it -it would possibly contaminate and corrupt the surrounding area... Sort of a 'scorched earth' effect. -It gives the world time to rest and not worry about the damn thing going on a constant killing spree Perhaps it has a constant knowledge about the number of people in the entire world. It knows about the small towns and villages and such, but doesnt bother with them. It waits till a town (or just a gathering of people) gets too large and then goes directly for it, not side tracking for anything, not even to wipe out small towns on the way. As for the whole obsidain like spikes, it has numerous large ones all over his body, larger than a giants great sword, but it probably has thousands of small ones all over it too. When these break off... perhaps they hold power in them or something. I dunno... this is just a random idea. Thats it for the edit.
Lyinginbedmon 08-10-07, 09:45 AM	I'm still going for my whole "The Tarrasque is a devious actor" theory
Karish 08-10-07, 09:58 AM	I'll just throw this out to you. ^_^ In one of mygames I modified the Tarrasque to be, well, the single most powerful nongod in my game (since in my games the gods are more god-ish and technically invincible unless killed by another god). Visually, I altered it to be basically if you took the Tarrasque and made it be this two-hundred foot tall, black ash colored monstrosity, with four leathery wings in a configuration which had two just above and behind the forearms, with two on a ridge in its back above them. Kinda biplane like. He had his carapace become this sleeker, black thing that was covered in spines, his tail was also covered, and his head had that dragon meets collosal megaraptor look to it, with armor plates, horns, and glowing violet eyes. The Tarrasque, which I renamed Khel'themul to fit the game's "old tongue", was basically a massive creature that did not age, need to eat, drink, or breathe, and slept for years at a time, on the highest peak of a shadowy, volcano-strewn mountain range to the north. But yeah, I basically had the Khel'themul (Tarrasque) be one of the six Elder Ones, who were the forces of the mortal world. Khel'themul being Destrustion, an animalistic, feral, and unstoppable killing machine (out of Creation, Destruction, Manipulation, Material, Magic, and Soul as one might call them). I basically based all of the Elder Ones on Tarrasques, and modified them. But the Elders were basically the product of conflict amongst the gods, and exist as the embodiment of the forces used to make the Mortal Realm and the accident of the Makers. Khel'themul was made from the Destruction, which is death, pain, unmaking, everything that the Makers were trying to avoid allowing. The essence of Mortality, it was created by their bickering, disagreeing, and malice when trying to plan the world.
cog_n_taz 08-10-07, 10:55 AM	Karish- Oi, don't throw ideas around like that, that one hit me in the head! Terjon- nice work, as I expected, though why anyone would choose one of my ideas is beyond me. Fithero- much as I'd like to take credit for the opposing forces idea, I believe that was Terjon's idea, on that post of his right before the creation myth, IIRC, or the one before that. Glad you like the blackfire idea, but that's going to up its CR by a mile, I think. I mean, come on, blackfire as a touch attack is a level 8 spell! Maybe as a 1/day ability... this guy is gonna turn out to be pretty epic, though. (As he should be, I suppose) This is going to be quite something, I'm looking forward to the result :D. Nevertheless, if you actually think any of my ideas are good (especially knowing that they came from me), than it's likely high time you bought yourself some glasses.
Karish 08-10-07, 10:59 AM	Karish- Oi, don't throw ideas around like that, that one hit me in the head! Terjon- nice work, as I expected, though why anyone would choose one of my ideas is beyond me. Fithero- much as I'd like to take credit for the opposing forces idea, I believe that was Terjon's idea, on that post of his right before the creation myth, IIRC, or the one before that. Glad you like the blackfire idea, but that's going to up its CR by a mile, I think. I mean, come on, blackfire as a touch attack is a level 8 spell! Maybe as a 1/day ability... this guy is gonna turn out to be pretty epic, though. (As he should be, I suppose) This is going to be quite something, I'm looking forward to the result :D. Nevertheless, if you actually think any of my ideas are good (especially knowing that they came from me), than it's likely high time you bought yourself some glasses. Okay, I'll shoot them out of my hammergun. >:]
CrimsonWyvern 08-10-07, 11:39 AM	CrimsonWyvern, i like your idea about force of nature. Do you think the beast would have the ability to cause natural disasters? What about special attacks that are on a country wide scale (For those of you who know FFX, how sin causes tidal waves and does that energy attack at the end, sending out beams in like... 5-7 different directions, each hundreds of miles long) I believe that the beast would just by its mere presence cause natural disasters, but they wouldn't be caused by magic. When the beast flies over water, it creates a tidal wave because of how much the water is stirred up. When the beast is coming in for a landing, the city should suffer something similar to a tornado. When it attacks, buildings should crumble. If and when it lands, it should create a minor earthquake by virtue of its size. This thing is not only Colossal, it should be Colossal + to help inspire even more fear. It should easily be able to level a city without attacking directly. Not that it would though.:P Ill totally be changing its feats, this thing will have to be a combat machine. Also, what if i give it the creature of legend template, that would suit, wouldnt it? I suggest you make sure it has Hover (so it doesn't need to keep moving while flying and coming in for a landing), Cleave and Great Cleave (obvious advantages for destroying cities quickly. As for its intelligence, ill keep it low-medium, but it wont be able to communicate in any way. I doubt it would even listen to any attempts to communicate with it. Do we pay any attention to dogs when their barking? I suggest that other than having an occasional roar, the beast should be completely silent. Of course, the roar itself should be able to shatter glass and shake buildings that haven't been built sturdy. As for why its doing it, im unsure as to wether or not it is malicious in nature, or if its just another force of nature. I think this is a pretty crucial point in the character. The Tarrasque unmodified would be just a force of nature, but with Terjon's creation myth, it would probably have to be malicious, seeing as its made out of the hate, anger, and despair of deities. Edit: Just as an idea, perhaps after ravaging a city of some size, the beast just sits down and rests for a time in the smoldering ruins. Now this would serve a few purposes- -nobody would go near the city for fear of awakening it -it would possibly contaminate and corrupt the surrounding area... Sort of a 'scorched earth' effect. -It gives the world time to rest and not worry about the damn thing going on a constant killing spree This is a very good idea. This would give the beast's survivors time to flee. The contamination would make the ruins much more hostile for being used for adventures, and I suggest that your adventurers go into the ruins at least once. Giving people time to rest from the beast is also a good idea, because when the beast first rampaged, each city probably built up to try to stand a chance against it. The resting also has one interesting possibility that I'll talk about in my spike response. Perhaps it has a constant knowledge about the number of people in the entire world. It knows about the small towns and villages and such, but doesnt bother with them. It waits till a town (or just a gathering of people) gets too large and then goes directly for it, not side tracking for anything, not even to wipe out small towns on the way. I would suggest that it have a limited life sense that can only be noticed when there are a very large concentration of humans about. It would be like a very slight sound in the beast, that couldn't be even noticed until it became greater. As for the whole obsidain like spikes, it has numerous large ones all over his body, larger than a giants great sword, but it probably has thousands of small ones all over it too. When these break off... perhaps they hold power in them or something. I dunno... this is just a random idea. I suggest that the obsidian spikes should be powerful even when separated from the body, but hold only evil power. Giving a fanatic cultist one would be a wise idea, and having the cultist use a small part of it as a staff crystal or a part of a sword. I also believe that whenever it rests, a few spikes should be embedded in the ground and cause corruption. When this happens, the creature should somewhat lose a bit of blood that seeps into the ground and is what actually forms into certain monsters that inhabit the ruins of where it destroyed.
cog_n_taz 08-10-07, 06:47 PM	hmm...the spikes? If you have the ECS, I suggest you make them keeper's fang weapons, with a mild flavor change. If not, than make em Thinaun.
Lyinginbedmon 08-10-07, 07:00 PM	Thinaun? Darn...what happens when he get's TKO'd? That would mean that his soul would get sucked into one of his spikes (Maybe more), which would make him easier to resurrect, provided you had the right spike, and there's only a couple ways to see if the spike already has a soul inside...Plot hook!
cog_n_taz 08-10-07, 10:57 PM	Exactly, you've "killed" the tarrasque (I recommend a better name, by the way, maybe just a title. The Beast works quite well), leaving you with something to sweat over in the middle in the night...:evillaugh Oh, and I recommend a small and inconsequential, if important change. Give it that ability that allips have, so that if anyone tries to charm it, or read its thoughts or anything, they come into contact with its messed up mind, and go crazy themselves. I could type up something to read on such an occasion, if you like. Oh, and I still hold with the insectile chittering thing, although brief moments of silence work really well too. Your call which to pick, fithero.
Fithero 08-10-07, 10:59 PM	Thinaun? Darn...what happens when he get's TKO'd? Im not up to date on what Thinaun is, but i like anything that causes people to say 'plot hook!' :D Perhaps this effect could be added to the whole "need a wish to kill it" deal, you have to find the spike, do some ritual, *then* cast wish. And it will be malicious in nature. I have this image of this adventurer walking towards it, thinking its asleep. The beast just lays there until the adveturer gets close enough, then just whips his tail around and slaps him into the ground. hehehe :evillaugh As for causing natural disasters, i like it. Another point of this, natural disasters would then be linked to the beast. If an earthquake happens, people will think the beast is close. A tidal wave hits, the beast is comming. Good work ladies and gents!
Fithero 08-10-07, 11:02 PM	Hmmm, im tossing up between the standard T-rex like roar, or an insanly loud chittering sound. Im thinking on the level of millions of insects and rats all screeching in pain. And i like the idea about the charm or mind reading. I think it should be a well known no-no though, anyone who does it goes under the effect of an insanity spell :P And a better name shall be thought of!
cog_n_taz 08-10-07, 11:22 PM	Two names in my head right now: The Beast, and Thul'Karnak. As for thinaun, it's actually something you make weapons out of, like cold iron or alchemical silver, and can be found in complete warrior. Basically, if you kill someone with a thinaun melee weapon, their soul is trapped in it, plain and simple. And I just had an idea for its entry, tied with natural disasters. A volcano would have a massive, crazily large eruption, after which it splits in half, leaving a gaping, glowing, lava-filled, gigantic chasm in the ground, which the Tarrasque comes out of. If you've played chrono trigger, than yes, it's moderately lavos-inspired.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-10-07, 11:53 PM	Terjon- nice work, as I expected, though why anyone would choose one of my ideas is beyond me. You, sir, need to seriously reevaluate your own skill levels. :P Concerning the roar/chittering I'd say go with chittering and simply attach an effect to the rare moment of silence. Perhaps the chittering is a constant d6 of sonic damage a round (minor effect given the level any fights with him will likely be played at but good for seeing building fall from his presence) and when he goes silent he generates an anti-magic aura or he goes silent for several rounds before firing off that blackfire of his. On the spikes I would look into having corruption spread from the spikes wherever they embed themselves. Mayhap he constantly loses spikes whenever he travels but new ones grow quickly when he begins killing (a suggestion of what is happening to those he devours)?
cog_n_taz 08-11-07, 12:36 AM	Yeah, I was going to, but then I looked around for my skill level, and I couldn't find it. As for sonic damage, I'd say stay away from window-shattering noise if it's not a roar, the chittering should be a sharp noise that you can hear from a mile away, and yet it's not actually extremely loud. No, the damage caused would be straightforward divine damage, or, better yet, negative energy. The best energy type for the damage, if you're willing to make the beastie so tough, would be vile damage (can't heal the damage away unless in a consecrated area). Also, Terjon, awesome idea with the spikes, I never thought of that (figures, really). Personally, I'd advise against the anti-magic aura, it doesn't seem to fit. Going silent for a short time before the blackfire breath, however, is perfectly okay.
tenguroEd 08-11-07, 01:03 AM	somebody probaly already brought this up, but, im to lazy to read through it all, but anyways, Me and my group thinks it's funny that the tarrasque doesnt have a climb and a swim speed, so constantley we laugh at the idea of digging a big hole or making it fall into the ocean where it cant move. Also we laugh at if we displaced it and it appeared over greyhawk or a plane other than the material plane.
cog_n_taz 08-11-07, 01:11 AM	Ah, that would be because almost everything with a land speed comes with a built in climb and swim speed, it's just a certain fraction of your land speed.
Fithero 08-11-07, 08:53 AM	I like the idea that you can hear the chittering from miles away, sort of an early warning system. It probably wont do any sort of damage, but i think it should have some sort of magical effect on people. Fear, confusion, stupidity, rage... i dunno... im still thinking on it. I *love* the idea that it goes silent before it lets out black fire. You think its bad when the noise is around, when it stops, you get as far away as possible :P The idea that the spikes hold the souls of the dead is interesting aswell, as is their vile damage effect when left behind. tenguroEd brings up a good point though. The big guy moves kinda slow (20ft) so his swim and climb speed will be something dreadful. If i boost his movement and give him a climb and a swim speed, i think it would make him a lot more intimidating. (Swimming at 5ft a round isnt very scary... thats slower than doggie paddling :P) A burrow speed would be cool too. He could attack a city from below, now *that* would freak you out. Shopping in the market one day and the big guys head just bursts through the ground :D This stuff is gold! Eventually im gonna have to get off the big guy and actually start planning the game :P hehehe, ive got a few ideas down though, ill list them too if you want. Peace
Lyinginbedmon 08-11-07, 09:26 AM	By all means, please do!
Fithero 08-11-07, 10:59 PM	A few things for the setting- I want it to be a large world, with alot of climate and terrain types, since the characters will probably be travelling alot. There will be alot of small towns and such, scattered around the lands. Most towns wont know of each others locations, so merchant caravans will have more of a "lets go in this direction for a while and hope we find a town" mentality. Im thinking that it will be human only. There will be legends of the other races, but they all tell that they left or were killed hundreds of years ago. As for the monsters running around, i might link them directly to the tarrasque. There wont be any orcs/goblins/dragons ect but it will probably be high on abberations and possibly undead. Ill be limiting the classes too, i feel it adds flavour to a game, knowing there arnt any paladins, but knights take their place for example. Ill create a few other myths like Terjons to explain a few of the other aspects of the setting too. Alot of bugs to work though, but it looks like it might work Ps: In place of different races, im thinking of putting in human subraces, each of which have their own ability mods and such. What do you think?
Terjon of the Blue Rose 08-11-07, 11:33 PM	I dunno about vile damage. it tends to push the big guy a little more towards evil i think. That sort of negate the idea that demons and gods have equal influence over him. Of course you could make it so the damage has the same effect but can only be healed in a location sanctified to healing to leave a more rampaging-monster feel but then you need rules for sanctifying an area to healing. As a side thought your going to need a lot of nomadic peoples. When this guy starts coming people should be breaking down buildings and leaving as little as possible behind. Most likely they're splitting in a dozen different directions too.
CrimsonWyvern 08-12-07, 02:27 AM	Okay, I have a couple more suggestions for you. First, as for "Humans only" I would suggest against it, although making the PC's be all human would work, you could just have some small secreted communities of other races, such as having a small town of elves in a forest, a dwarf community underground, a gnomish small community with a lot of tinkerers. I would suggest the same thing for some of the more iconic races, such as having a dragon in hiding from the beast or preparing for it, and possibly a hobgoblin monastery or something like that. Also, for the class removal, I doubt that such a thing would be dangerous so long as you can acquire a similar set of abilities/flavor with class combos as you could with any of the base classes. Also, you may want to use a couple of the Tome of Battle character options for Swordmaster style characters. Also, I would suggest against the human subraces with bonuses and penalties idea, as it would just be evidenced by a human who put more points or rolled higher for a certain stat.
cog_n_taz 08-13-07, 11:36 AM	I like the idea that you can hear the chittering from miles away, sort of an early warning system. It probably wont do any sort of damage, but i think it should have some sort of magical effect on people. Fear, confusion, stupidity, rage... i dunno... im still thinking on it. The stuff that made The Beast, ofcourse. It would cause fear, rage and hate in all who hear it, so that they might either run while making nightmarish screams, or go all bloodshot in the eyes, and start clawing people's faces off. I *love* the idea that it goes silent before it lets out black fire. You think its bad when the noise is around, when it stops, you get as far away as possible :P Yup, all kinds of noises can be scary, but silence is always the scariest if used right... The idea that the spikes hold the souls of the dead is interesting aswell, as is their vile damage effect when left behind. Some of em might even contain the souls of the demons and gods that formed the thing, 's up to you. tenguroEd brings up a good point though. The big guy moves kinda slow (20ft) so his swim and climb speed will be something dreadful. If i boost his movement and give him a climb and a swim speed, i think it would make him a lot more intimidating. (Swimming at 5ft a round isnt very scary... thats slower than doggie paddling :P) A swim speed...doesn't the amphibious/aquatic/whatever template come with a swim speed? If not, give it one equal to its land speed, and don't forget about rush. No need for a climb speed, though. It wouldn't fit, and in any case, it can fly. Oh, and try to remember that sometimes, something slow but utterly inescapable can be much scarier than something fast. Just describe it as being lazy and relaxed, confident in the knowledge that nothing could ever escape it. A burrow speed would be cool too. He could attack a city from below, now *that* would freak you out. Shopping in the market one day and the big guys head just bursts through the ground :D Nah, that isn't dramatic enough. Definitely do a Lavos entrance if you're going that route. If you're unfamiliar with Chrono Trigger, read about 11 posts back from this one (one before my last post) to see my explanation, but skip the volcano bit. If you like, I can write up a description for you to read to your players as it pops up. This stuff is gold! hey, Terjon and crimsonwyvern are on the case, not to mention you, what did ya expect?
LordDewtain 08-13-07, 12:32 PM	It might not fit your campaign, but this thread is also about giving out Terrasque ideas in general. In my campaign, the Terrasque (an old celestial word for Terror), was actually a weapon, designed to end the great war (it was a planar war, with demons, devils, and celestials allied against what amounts to far-realm invaders). It was built to be the ultimate weapon, the weapon so powerful, it should never be used (like the creation of nuclear weapons for WWII). The creature was utterly invincible (though it can be stopped), and extremely powerful. But its power came not from itself, but from everything around it. It basically works like the Hulk, except the absorbs and mutates to reflect the emotions of everyone around it instead. In its natural state, its not that big or powerful (though it still can't be killed). But transport it to a warzone, and it quickly grows to monstrous proportions and insane power. It absorbs the fear of those that look at it, and so grows more terrifying. It absorbs the hatred and anger of those fighting against it, and grows bigger, stronger, and more dangerous. It is effectively a Weapon of Peace, since the only way to stop it once it has been unleashed into a warzone, is for all of the fighters to have a change of heart and think nothing but thoughts of happiness and good will for each other (and the terrasque itself), or for every living creature in the area be destroyed. As an example of how it works, I imagine the PC's finding the Terrasque in a desolate wasteland (the remains of the plane where the battle was last fought). The terrasque is found sleeping (since there are no violent emotions to feed off of). Its about the size of an elephant, and while it may look similar to the standard terrasque, it looks tamer (no spikes, its timid, and so on). But, if one guy appears to attack the PC's (or vice versa), the Terrasque wakes up, and from the energy of one person, it will grow slightly larger (still the same category), and become more vicious (some small spikes along the edge of its carapace, becomes easy to anger). Put it in a situation with actual battle (say one squad vs another squad), and it grows in size (to truck sized), and grows more ferocious). Put it in a larger battle (like when the orks killed boromir), and it grows even more (put it at a standard sized terrasque, which is house sized). But put the thing in the presence of an actual army (defense of helms deep, or the final attack on Gondor), and it becomes unimaginably huge. I'm talking mountain sized terrasque here. Last time it was used, the Allied outsiders released it upon the plane where the Far Realm creatures were making their foothold. It destroyed everything, Far Realmers, Infernals, and Celestials. The only way they could stop its rampage was to seal off that plane (which was done not just to keep it from spreading, but also to keep the other factions from getting a hold of it after the war). The plane it was sealed onto was turned into a frigid wasteland, the creature having destroyed the invaders, as well as the allied armies and the refuges who were trapped there when the plane was sealed (they called them casualties of war). The terrasque, having finally killed every living thing in that plane, fell into a deep sleep, finally allowing peace into the land. In making a section of a campaign designed around it, I borrow several themes involving nuclear weapons. It would be a matter of the PC's learning that one group is going to try to find and unleash the terrasque again, and the PC's have to decide weather or not such power should be wielded by anyone. For that matter, they themselves might be tempted to use the Terrasque to end the current war. In using such a terrasque, the battle becomes not a battle against the terrasque, but a battle against the war. The PC's have to find a way to end the war before the terrasque is used, or decide to use the terrasque and then face the consequencies of unleashing such a weapon.
cog_n_taz 08-15-07, 04:33 AM	Nice idea LordDewtain! Funny though, that you can "beat" the tarrasque with a group hug:P. "Aww, it's the tarrasque...quick, hug it before it's too late, or we're all dead!" On another note, funniest feat to give the tarrasque...mercantile background. "Yeah, my parents were merchants, and I think my brother might have been too, and...yeah, it all gets a bit hazy after that."
FearTheBat 08-23-07, 03:52 PM	How about instead of humans only, have the other races living in hidden places apropriate to their personas, and those could be your large cities? You city in the clouds could be a powerful elf kingdom, held up by ancient elfin magic, the dwarves and gnomes could live in a sprawling underground metropolis, and since halflings are generally nomadic, or at least never really have their own lands, just pepper some small halfling sttlements in with the human ones. That would give them two starting races without destroying the flavor you are going for.