Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Istesrillith 12-20-07, 11:21 PM	Hey, I'm trying to stat an entity from the Far Realm. Not something that's descended from it, but a creature from it. I don't really know where to start though, besides to make it an outsider. Chaotic Evil definitely. It has a particular taste in cause confusion and madness. Could someone please help me to at least get started?
zeratulcraft 12-21-07, 12:23 AM	Take a look at the Half-Farspawn template from...Lords of Madness? Then improve upon that perhaps.
setekh 12-21-07, 08:41 AM	Lords of Madness and Elder Evils are obvious choices to look upon. Deities and Demigods and the epic Level Hand book might also be an idea, if you want them to be That powerful.
Urithair 12-21-07, 01:18 PM	Try to do wierd, nonsensical things. The Far Realms are what notepad spits out when you tell it to read .jpeg like it's .txt, or when you divide by zero. So I would say Chaotic Lawful, not Chaotic Evil, if it needs an alignment at all. Creatures from the Far Realms are supposed too far removed from this multiverse to speak meaningfully of 'desire' and 'purpose', but it will spread confusion and madness by its' very nature, and should be confused and insane because of being in the 'normal' multiverse. You could give it an aura that requires a Cha check or be affected by the straining of space-time. I wouldn't have any concrete results, but don't make failure automatically bad. Random, just plain STRANGE things will result because of failing, but perhaps an insight is given into how to send it back as well. It should be unkillable and uncontrolled. It cannot die because this universe has no laws that will let it, in fact it isn't really alive to begin with, not in the normal sense. No prison will hold it because its' very presence weakens the rules of the universe. It cannot be communicated with, but the appearance of communication is likely. It is everything and nothing, all at once and not at all. Players percieve the being differently, and that perception changes unpredictably. Spells and abilities that analyze go haywire and return results that are false and contradictory. Viewing it with trueseeing should have very bad results. Players don't know if they are hurting it, or if it even knows they are there (it doesn't). Make it chaotically mobile, then stationary, then follow a pattern for a few minutes, then make it seem almost human, then very much alien, then whatever you want, until the players send it back. Anything that could be statted would simply be the 'corpse' of the original being. Whatever you end up doing, make sure it is something the players don't expect.
Istesrillith 12-21-07, 07:08 PM	@zeratulcraft, I looked at the half-farspawn template. Thanks. I'm going to need that soon. For when the Far Realm opens its maw. :schemes: @setekh, I was thinking about making it an abomination. The template is kinda inconclusive though. It gives you freedom, which is free, but it's also really open. And the CR is kinda important. I plan for him to be one of the last fights so epic might not be a stretch. My players have said they want to go to epic, no matter what the rules are like. @Urithair, Here's a little more background on what is going on. The PCs have plane shifted to a place on the edge of reality, a demiplane of "illusions" (more like where impossibilities are possible). The demiplane is sort of a gateway to the Far Realm. More like it's a small taste of the impossible parameters of the rules of reality disappearing. Time and space have no meaning on the plane, and the plane gives you your deepest desires (you simply will it and it happens). Here they met a being from the Far Realm, a shadow, the spirit of an outsider. They don't know if they can hurt him yet ( I figure since they're half in non-reality, he'd be half "real" basically incorporeal), or if he's really there. They've been questioning it about some things that have been happening on the Material Plane, and it has been chaotically going in circles around them, inflicting pain, confusion, and speaking in metaphors and riddles. Really it's an illusion cast by the real spirit to confuse them. It's working. It's been lying to them from the start sending them back and forth (It confused one of my players so much that she's barely slept since our last session). The last time they left this plane they went back in time, at the time it was nothing, a small joke I stuck in there but now it fits in perfectly. So it has some powers over time. Also the being is part of the soul/spirit of an outsider. They used to be one whole, but the body was destroyed in a great battle/explosion that blew apart the soul and sent the two parts into the only living beings there, two children. If you need any more info I can provide it. Thanks guys for your imput!
faghter_hero 12-22-07, 03:00 AM	Is there a domain that lets you eat your own head as a special ability? Or maybe one that lets your grow a bunch of extra useless eyeballs and devour them for nutritional value... Anyway, there's a Madness domain in Complete Divine and Deities and Demigods. Good place to start. There is also a Summoning Domain, which you can alter to include Pseudonormals only. If you want to orchestrate meetings with this weird god, you could give him a Wild Magic aura or maybe a big resin tent like a Kaorti. If you want stats, you could start with something far sided like the Wyste or Grell and pump the abilities and HD way up. You could also change his size based on viewing angles to reflect the weirdness of the Far Realm's layers. He might be Colossal from one angle, but tilt your head a bit and he looks Tiny, take a step to the right and he's Huge. There's also this fun thing in Vile Darkness called Warp Touch. It has a table for random features. Go nuts with it. Oh, and I hear Call of Cthulhu went d20 a while ago. Might want to find a copy of that. The Far Realm could easily accommodate something like Daoloth, Yog Sothoth, or Azathoth, if you want to start there.
Urithair 12-23-07, 09:18 PM	So you have the soul of an outsider (what type?) split between two children in a realm that touches into the Far Realms? Are the children of the same mind, or do they have opposing goals? Perhaps one wants to go into the Far Realms, and the other wants to go back to the normal multiverse? That would make for a rather uncomfortable situation for the entity, being trapped between what is and what could be. It would also explain why the entity hasn't actualized its desires on a plane of desires realized. Before I can think of possible stats I need to know how you intend for the party to relate to the spirit. What is the level and composition of your party? More importantly, is the party supposed to kill/defeat/stop the spirit? If it is supposed to be too powerful for them then stating it will be much easier. If they are supposed to stop it then a proper balance will be more difficult. The type of outsider this entity used to be is very important. You mentioned CE, was it a demon? Perhaps every time the being strikes a PC they must make a will save or their inner rage and madness causes their nightmares to actualize. If made angry the entity wills the plane to take the qualities of a layer of the Abyss. How exactly do you deal with the whole 'will things into existence' anyway? Could the PC's just 'will the entity away'?
Istesrillith 12-26-07, 01:06 AM	So you have the soul of an outsider (what type?) split between two children in a realm that touches into the Far Realms? Are the children of the same mind, or do they have opposing goals? Perhaps one wants to go into the Far Realms, and the other wants to go back to the normal multiverse? That would make for a rather uncomfortable situation for the entity, being trapped between what is and what could be. It would also explain why the entity hasn't actualized its desires on a plane of desires realized. Before I can think of possible stats I need to know how you intend for the party to relate to the spirit. What is the level and composition of your party? More importantly, is the party supposed to kill/defeat/stop the spirit? If it is supposed to be too powerful for them then stating it will be much easier. If they are supposed to stop it then a proper balance will be more difficult. The type of outsider this entity used to be is very important. You mentioned CE, was it a demon? Perhaps every time the being strikes a PC they must make a will save or their inner rage and madness causes their nightmares to actualize. If made angry the entity wills the plane to take the qualities of a layer of the Abyss. How exactly do you deal with the whole 'will things into existence' anyway? Could the PC's just 'will the entity away'? My party is rather strange and mixed. We have a Human Warlock/Assassin (Character level 10), Human Fighter 10, Doppelganger Ninja (Character Level 10), and a Human Druid 4 (He's missed a couple of sessions and the player tends not to do much with the party and doesn't get much role playing experience. He's getting levels pretty fast though.) I'm thinking unique Demon yeah. One of the kids is more ambitious and was corrupted by this demon so they have very different attitudes now that the boy is being possessed. The girl was mostly able to keep control. When he realized what was happening though, these kids fought the demon (The kids live on the Material Plane, however they were "blessed" with powers over the soul.) They are classed as a Soulwielder (the boy) and a Soulspinner (the girl) which are both on this site under the class section. I can find the links sometime. At some point if they choose to, they will have the opportunity to at least battle it, if not kill it. However the players have told me they would be interested in going into epic level. So it could be too powerful for them to face now. After the battle with the two kids, the demon wasn't destroyed but its body was. Somehow the "soulmagic" of the two kids separated his soul from body. Now he is only truly solid in the Far Realm on his own. On the demiplane he's incorporeal, and on the material plane he's more ethereal. For right now, the PCs can use the illusion of him that the plane provides to gain information about what's happening, but they are getting tired of him. He annoys them with his cryptic speaking. It seems like the plane is doing it all, but really the demon is producing the illusions through the power of the plane. Basically the Demon controls what they get, how they get it, but the plane is providing the power of the illusions. So whatever they ask for that the demon doesn't like, they don't get. I like the ideas of those abilities, and yes, the demon is trapped between reality and non-reality. Not a good place. Basically the girl was sent to the plane with the demon trapped in her, and he eventually escaped the bindings of her soul. The girl desired to leave, so the Demon brought her the PCs (that drove them crazy when they learned that). The PCs escaped the plane, and the girl escaped with them. Unfortunately, they didn't realize that the demon was still attached to her, so they let his influence seep back onto the material plane. It's REALLY complicated I know, I don't believe most of it. A lot of this was just me making stuff up as I went along and whatever came naturally. I hope I haven't lost you, but I understand if I did. The whole epic level idea attracted me to the abomination. However, its kinda complicated, and the epic level monsters are kinda screwy. I was thinking about 20 HD, but I'm undecided.
Urithair 12-26-07, 01:35 PM	Making it an Epic encounter gives you plenty of time to work out the details. I would go with old school Obyrinth Demon Lord. With domains like confusion and madness you could make him a former consort to Pale Night, which gives your players an interesting lead to follow. The event that caused his 'destruction' could have occured during the Law/Chaos war, when the Queen of Chaos went to battle against the Wind Dukes of Aqaa (another lead for the PCs to investigate). As far as abilities go, Form of Madness is a must. Anyone who view his 'true form' must make a will save (DC 35-55) or suffer some sort of madness that can only be cured by Miracle or Wish. Be creative. If a PC makes the save they should be immune to it for a day. He is stuck in the Far Realms, so there should be a general mistranslation effect. 10-25% of the time any action/effect used by or against the entity should simply not work. A knowledge: planes (DC30ish) should reveal that this because of his connection to the Far Realms. A knowledge: Arcana (DC 45ish) will reveal the same thing. Aura of Chaos, 25% miss chance for all attacks that cannot be overcome by any means short of divine intervention. Any attack that is deflected has a 50% chance of being directed back at the attacker. Immune to physical attacks and any effect that is reliant on having a physical form. By the same token he cannot make physical attacks. Immune to madness effects Contact with its mind should force a will save (DC 45ish) or take 3d4 wis, int, and cha drain that cannot be prevented by any means (including Mind Blank and similar effects), and only healed by Miracle or Wish. It should be able to force someone to contact its mind as a standard action, (DC 50ish), but effects like Mind Blank do prevent it from forcing the contact. Hit Points: N/A SR: Yes (how mean do you want to be?) Give it 'at will' spell like abilities like Word of Chaos and Glitterdust. Let it create ancient Obyrinth demons. I don't think the PCs should be able to kill this thing, they should find a way to cut the ties that bind it to the normal mutliverse, shunting it into the Far Realms for good.
Istesrillith 12-26-07, 06:51 PM	Well, technically they can't kill it unless it's on its home plane. So we have to decide whether the Abyss or the Far Realm is his "home plane". I would say at this point, the Far Realm is his home. So they would have to find a way there and kill him there to get rid of him for good. Also I would say that it should be extremely difficult to destroy him. They should have a slim chance. However fighting him in the Far Realm would be insane. Especially since they would be in a place beyond reality. As for stats... I strongly dislike the weaker versions of the Demon Lords and Archdevils in BoVD and the Fiendish Codexes. However, perhaps I could make one one like that as a sort of avatar boss battle near and then stat him as he should be and he reveals himself (using DiceFreaks rules if you know them). And of course he should have the ability to change form at will. Perhaps at random by roll of a d%. Cutting off its ties won't be very easy. The easy ties are the kids. Destroy them and he might be sent back, however, some of the players have become quit fond of the girl and are in fact right now trying to locate her body. Also, one of the PCs is quite taken with the boy in a romantic, crush, want to rip apart to take care of the possession and then piece back together so she can hug him sort of way.
setekh 12-28-07, 01:50 PM	I personally don't like the thought that Madness Equates to Squiggly bits and tentacles. It really depends on what you actually consider the far realms to be? I see it as an alternate Universe that is in the final stages of Entropic heat death, so everything that remains is the most biologically advanced beings possible. The far realms opens up so much opportunity for monsters, you could have beings that use space-time flaws to fly, or colonial parasites that band together into a sphere of Chitin, or beings that aren't even made of Baryonic matter! (Yes, I have been reading Stephen Baxter books :P ) But no. We get tentacles and squiggly bits.
Istesrillith 12-28-07, 06:27 PM	I personally don't like the thought that Madness Equates to Squiggly bits and tentacles. It really depends on what you actually consider the far realms to be? I see it as an alternate Universe that is in the final stages of Entropic heat death, so everything that remains is the most biologically advanced beings possible. The far realms opens up so much opportunity for monsters, you could have beings that use space-time flaws to fly, or colonial parasites that band together into a sphere of Chitin, or beings that aren't even made of Baryonic matter! (Yes, I have been reading Stephen Baxter books :P ) But no. We get tentacles and squiggly bits. Yeah, tentacles are for mind flayers, posers... This demon is not going to be like that. Right now he's a shadowy incorporeal. That's an interesting view point. I like it. Books on it suggest that there are entities that just roam around uncontrolled and powerful. I like the idea of a realm that's beyond reality.
Istesrillith 12-31-07, 09:05 PM	There aren't that many Obyrinths statted out. I may stat out one as a template for him. I'm thinking their version of the balor or pit fiend.
Rohano 01-01-08, 05:15 PM	During my time working frequently with illithids, I was contemplating a creature subtype for Far Realms creatures, something like True Far Realms Entity, but with a shorter name. I was going to include an aura of physics-neglect, as that's usually included anywhere you see Far Realms creatures and portals in D&D material. And yes, I was going to require a will save to prevent some of the effects a person suffers. For the lords of the Far Realms, things equivalent to Cthulhu and so on, the effects of the aura would be crippling. For instance, a failed save might mean that your body, under the stress of its structure and chemical composition being upset (what happens when your blood suddenly stops being blood because the chemicals refused to blend the same way?), simply explodes into a mess of gore that no epic surgeon can hope to identify. A successful save might mean stat damage. I don't remember where I read it, but some guy from Toril or something went to the Far Realms and simply ceased to exist after a few moments. Upon exiting his portal (which itself had emanated anti-physics effects), he found himself unable to breathe, but had anticipated that, so he activated some effect to let him breathe. But then he couldn't swim. And some creatures approached curiously, which caused his mind to shatter because he couldn't comprehend what they were. As he went insane, a larger entity noticed that his realm was being disturbed by something truly groundbreaking (so to speak), and as it approached, the wizard simply went poof. The entity found nothing but a closed portal (a strange portal, at that) and a few of its minions all leaving the location. Bored, the entity moved on. Anyway, I had decided not to bother because I was going to explain to my players that the Far Realms have a 4th dimension, which would mean that anything truly from our dimension would be entirely unable exist there unless using some kind of capsule of 3D binding, but since that would only be temporary or would require epic powers of science and magic, interdimensional travel would be impossible. That means that if Far Realms entities tried to enter the Great Wheel, they'd find themselves in the same situation - unable to make it happen. However, people who push the issue on either side of the "wall" would be able to leak hybrids to either side. Enter pseudonatural beings and aberrations of various types, which exist in our dimension by our rules but are still scientifically bizarre. One would assume that some kind of counterpart might exist there, but since we have no way of finding out, there's no point speculating. However, if you're seriously considering bringing a major entity from the Far Realms to the Great Wheel, I'd definitely assume that the effects would be epic. We're talking permanent damage to space-time that only long-term nurturing by deities would repair (and even then, their efforts wouldn't fix 100% of the damage).
Istesrillith 01-02-08, 06:32 AM	I think that, as a DM, (and to make things easier on me) I'm going to rule that you can pass between the two realms, but it's extremely difficult to find a way. Besides, Manual of the Planes says you can go to it and that combat is normal, it's just that you lose your mind there. Also, he's trapped on a plane that's connected to both so he's fine as long as he's attached to the girl, his tie to reality. That's just my ruling in this single situation.
Istesrillith 01-05-08, 11:14 PM	Here's the demon that I made to use as a template for the Demon Lord. I haven't named it yet. I'm terrible with names. Maybe someone could help me to make a good name? Large Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, Obyrith) HD: 20d8+140 (230 hp) Initiative: +11 Speed: 40 ft. AC: 35 (-1 size, +11 Dex, +15 Natural), touch 20, flat-footed 24 BA/Grapple: +20/+30 Attack: slam +25 melee (2d6+6) Full Attack: 2 slams +25 melee (2d6+6); or spells; or spell-like abilities Space/Reach: 10ft./10ft. Special Attacks: Form of Madness, Innate Spellcasting Special Qualities: DR 15/cold iron and lawful, Fast healing 10, Immunity to poison and mind affecting spells and abilities, Keeper of Knowledge, Obyrith traits, Resistance to acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, and fire 10, SR 38, Telepathy 100ft., True Seeing Saves: Fort +19, Reflex +23, Will +24 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 33, Con 25, Int 37, Wis 35, Cha 36 Skills: Bluff +36, Concentration +30, Gather Information +36, Intimidate +36, Knowledge (arcana) +36, Knowledge (history) +36, Knowledge (local)(Abyss) +36, Knowledge (religion) +36, Knowledge (the planes) +36, Search +36, Sense Motive +35, Spellcraft +36, Use Magic Device +36 Feats: Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Empower Spell-like Ability (chain lightning), Quicken Spell-like ability (Invisibility), Supernatural Transformation (greater teleport), Weapon Focus (touch spells) Environment: The Abyss Organization: Solitary CR: 25 Treasure: Standard Alignment: chaotic evil Advancement: 21-30 HD (Large), 31-60 HD (Huge) Level Adjustment: -- Before you stands a lone figure guarding the doors to a great gate. As you approach cautiously, you hear the moans of thousands of mad souls. The figure just stands there, cloak billowing, features distorted by a shroud of darkness. The demon smiles as you approach; its lip curling in a dark smirk. A voice comes out from the darkness, “We've been expecting you...” The (insert name of demon here) is an ancient race of demons. They are the leaders of the Obyrith demons and easily the most powerful, besides the Demon Lord Pale Night and her former consort, a demon surrounded by mystery and shadow. They are the lone Keepers of knowledge in the Abyss and they are known throughout the Abyss as the most powerful spellcasters among demons. They are a rare sight even in Pale Night's realm so few mortals know of their existence, but perhaps that is for the better. They are fickle and love to toy with any that are foolish enough to cross their path. Only the most powerful spellcasters from the material plane dare to summon them to gain information and even then they keep the meetings brief and take every precaution to keep control in their hands. The information they can provide makes it worth it, but only if you can sort through the riddles, metaphors and false truths. As the gate keepers and keepers of knowledge they decide who comes and goes through their realm. Combat (insert name of demon here)s aren't usually physically combative, preferring to stay at a distance and use their spells and spell-like abilities to cripple their enemies. They often like to summon other demons to fight in the front lines as fodder as they unleash their demonic madness on foes. They are resourceful and intelligent and if a fight isn't going well they will not hesitate to flee to recuperate and plan or to find a better location to fight from. Form of Madness: The (insert name of demon here)'s form of madness ability forces anyone within 60 ft. to make a Will Save (DC 33) or lose the ability to think rationally anymore. The subject takes 2d6 Intelligence drain. This can only be healed by heal, greater restoration, miracle, or wish.Subjects that pass are immune to the effect of that demon's form of madness for 24 hours. Multiple forms do not stack effects. Innate Spellcasting: This ancient demon has become finely tuned with magic over the thousands of millenia. This knowledge of the primal workings of magic grants the (insert name of demon here) with the ability to cast arcane spells as a 20th level wizard. Keeper of Knowledge: The (insert name of demon here) is the fickle guardian of the infinite knowledge and history of the Abyss. Long before the Tanar'i first appeared in the Abyss, they recorded all that happened in tomes. As such they have seen all tongues of all races past and present and will continue to until the end of time, granting them an effective permanent tongues spell. They also use Intelligence to determine the DCs for their spell-like abilities and spells. Obyrith Traits: Fast Healing, Form of Madness, Immunity to poison and mind affecting affects, Resistance to acid 10, cold, electricity 10, and fire 10, Telepathy (100ft.), True Seeing Spell-like Abilities: They can cast these spell-like abilities as a 20th level caster. always active: detect good, detect law, detect magic; at will: chain lightning (DC 29), detect thoughts (DC 25), dominate monster (DC 32), fireball (DC 26) greater dispel magic, greater planar ally, invisibility, magic circle against law, persistent image, plane shift, unholy aura; 3/day: Symbol of Insanity Spells: 4/9/8/8/8/8/7/7/7/7 Supernatural Abilities: Greater Teleport (CL 20)
Urithair 01-07-08, 12:49 AM	How abou Yeter'el?
Istesrillith 01-07-08, 04:06 AM	That's a cool name. Does it mean anything?