Creepy Take on the Daelkyr's Baleful Polymorph [Archive] - Wizards Community

Creepy Take on the Daelkyr's Baleful Polymorph [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Cuaglar
04-20-08, 10:22 PM I was thinking just now about what kind of horrors the Daelkyr could devise, should I ever run a high-level adventure in one of their demesnes (not likely; I'm of the opinion that the best Eberron is from 5th to 10th level.) And all of a sudden I imagined this tiny, harmless, but utterly disgusting and horrible fleshy crawling thing, like a bean-bag of nearly-translucent skin with weak tentacles and beady little eyes, and I thought: That could have been a human once.
So, I came up with the idea that these creepy things were once hobgoblins, Khyber-shard prospectors that crossed paths with the Daelkyr, or unfortunate Dragon Below Cultists. And then I came up with the idea that, in this high-level adventure vs. the Daelkyr, the PC's come across a room filled with these little horrors (who have the mechanics of toads, only their type is Aberration). The things crawl forward, reaching for humanity, and the PC's wipe them out.
Then, when they encounter the Daelkyr at last, either the Daelkyr demonstrates on a prisoner or person they have to rescue, or on one of the PC's, and they realize that the disgusting things they mowed through were once real people.
Just a little horror I thought that could be used by other people.
naturax
04-20-08, 11:37 PM Neat idea! Thanks!
kntshade
04-21-08, 10:01 AM That reminds me of an adventure I ran back in the 3.0 days where the PCs were assaulting a Demon citadel in the Abyss and they kept fighting these little imp like demons that were twisted but looked vaguely like babies. They weren’t so hard to fight, just mostly disturbing. They slaughtered them with impunity until, to their horror, they found out that they were indeed babies… the first born children promised in deals with the demons. In the depths of the citadel they found a massive machine that was producing these things. At one end of the machine were a bunch of innocent babies. They would be fed through the machine on a conveyer belt and it would transform them into these little demons. I wish I remember what the exact monster I used for these little buggers was. It was deeply disturbing to my players though.

I think any time you are dealing with demons, or the Daelkyr, it needs to be extremely disturbing.
green_yawgmoth
04-21-08, 11:19 AM That's sick. I love it!
kntshade
04-21-08, 12:10 PM I found it! The monster I used for the twisted babies was the Jovoc from the MM II (pg. 58). I thought the picture on the facing page looked like some kind of twisted baby with claws. My inspiration for this also came from the Book of Vile Darkness... On page 22 it describes the Goblin Pits of Io-Rach... maybe I'm just twisted, my players think so.

At some point soon they are going to be facing the Daelkyr and I really like the idea you have here, but I'll probably make the little bulbous monsters a threat (maybe not a big threat) but I just want to make sure that they kill bunches of them before discovering the horrible truth.

Other ideas for how to be mean with evil outsiders. Back in the 2.0 Days there was a great end of the world adventure that was published right before 3.0 came out called the Apocolypse Stone. At one point the PCs tick off Moloch the Arch Devil, and to get revenge on them he messes with them. One of the things he did was particularly memorable. The PCs had stopped off at a roadside Inn (ran by one of the PCs parents), it was a pretty idyllic place and they had a great dinner of these delicious meat pies. It was a nice respite for them since they had seen a lot of action before that. The PC was also happy to catch back up with family.

However, the next day they were awoken to the smell of rotting flesh, and to their horror they found that everyone in the Inn had been brutally murdered, possibly weeks before they arrived. The walls were streaked with long dried blood and broken and rotting bodies were everywhere. However, on the bar, was a fresh plate of hot meat pies and next to it a note from Moloch saying something about how he hoped they enjoyed eating their parents for dinner or something like that…

That really freaked them out.
Mystrich
04-21-08, 01:10 PM That just reminded me of a game I was in, which unfortunately ended. We went into Mordain's territory and fought (despite the warnings due to our warforged who still considered battle the only way to accomplish anything) praying mantis like creatures that had the heads of babies.

Baby faces = as creepy as it gets on monsters
Aeros_of_Q-pid
05-17-08, 04:00 PM the ECS errata removed the Baleful polymorph and replaced it with alter form(su)
Ashlock
05-17-08, 07:12 PM Baby faces = as creepy as it gets on monsters
Sure is. Ever see the Terry Gilliam movie Brazil? They used these creepy baby masks (http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/brazil48.jpg) in choice scenes. Terrifying.
Joni-san
05-18-08, 09:45 AM This thread is a excellent source for Nightmare Fuel (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NightmareFuel)

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7837/gurrendanavatar80x80gi6.png
-Joni
Sarig the Genie
05-24-08, 05:56 PM the ECS errata removed the Baleful polymorph and replaced it with alter form(su)

A DM needs not follow such puny mortal things as erratas to monster abilities!

Especially when it comes to mysterious scary thingies! (:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Cuaglar 04-20-08, 10:22 PM	I was thinking just now about what kind of horrors the Daelkyr could devise, should I ever run a high-level adventure in one of their demesnes (not likely; I'm of the opinion that the best Eberron is from 5th to 10th level.) And all of a sudden I imagined this tiny, harmless, but utterly disgusting and horrible fleshy crawling thing, like a bean-bag of nearly-translucent skin with weak tentacles and beady little eyes, and I thought: That could have been a human once. So, I came up with the idea that these creepy things were once hobgoblins, Khyber-shard prospectors that crossed paths with the Daelkyr, or unfortunate Dragon Below Cultists. And then I came up with the idea that, in this high-level adventure vs. the Daelkyr, the PC's come across a room filled with these little horrors (who have the mechanics of toads, only their type is Aberration). The things crawl forward, reaching for humanity, and the PC's wipe them out. Then, when they encounter the Daelkyr at last, either the Daelkyr demonstrates on a prisoner or person they have to rescue, or on one of the PC's, and they realize that the disgusting things they mowed through were once real people. Just a little horror I thought that could be used by other people.
naturax 04-20-08, 11:37 PM	Neat idea! Thanks!
kntshade 04-21-08, 10:01 AM	That reminds me of an adventure I ran back in the 3.0 days where the PCs were assaulting a Demon citadel in the Abyss and they kept fighting these little imp like demons that were twisted but looked vaguely like babies. They weren’t so hard to fight, just mostly disturbing. They slaughtered them with impunity until, to their horror, they found out that they were indeed babies… the first born children promised in deals with the demons. In the depths of the citadel they found a massive machine that was producing these things. At one end of the machine were a bunch of innocent babies. They would be fed through the machine on a conveyer belt and it would transform them into these little demons. I wish I remember what the exact monster I used for these little buggers was. It was deeply disturbing to my players though. I think any time you are dealing with demons, or the Daelkyr, it needs to be extremely disturbing.
green_yawgmoth 04-21-08, 11:19 AM	That's sick. I love it!
kntshade 04-21-08, 12:10 PM	I found it! The monster I used for the twisted babies was the Jovoc from the MM II (pg. 58). I thought the picture on the facing page looked like some kind of twisted baby with claws. My inspiration for this also came from the Book of Vile Darkness... On page 22 it describes the Goblin Pits of Io-Rach... maybe I'm just twisted, my players think so. At some point soon they are going to be facing the Daelkyr and I really like the idea you have here, but I'll probably make the little bulbous monsters a threat (maybe not a big threat) but I just want to make sure that they kill bunches of them before discovering the horrible truth. Other ideas for how to be mean with evil outsiders. Back in the 2.0 Days there was a great end of the world adventure that was published right before 3.0 came out called the Apocolypse Stone. At one point the PCs tick off Moloch the Arch Devil, and to get revenge on them he messes with them. One of the things he did was particularly memorable. The PCs had stopped off at a roadside Inn (ran by one of the PCs parents), it was a pretty idyllic place and they had a great dinner of these delicious meat pies. It was a nice respite for them since they had seen a lot of action before that. The PC was also happy to catch back up with family. However, the next day they were awoken to the smell of rotting flesh, and to their horror they found that everyone in the Inn had been brutally murdered, possibly weeks before they arrived. The walls were streaked with long dried blood and broken and rotting bodies were everywhere. However, on the bar, was a fresh plate of hot meat pies and next to it a note from Moloch saying something about how he hoped they enjoyed eating their parents for dinner or something like that… That really freaked them out.
Mystrich 04-21-08, 01:10 PM	That just reminded me of a game I was in, which unfortunately ended. We went into Mordain's territory and fought (despite the warnings due to our warforged who still considered battle the only way to accomplish anything) praying mantis like creatures that had the heads of babies. Baby faces = as creepy as it gets on monsters
Aeros_of_Q-pid 05-17-08, 04:00 PM	the ECS errata removed the Baleful polymorph and replaced it with alter form(su)
Ashlock 05-17-08, 07:12 PM	Baby faces = as creepy as it gets on monsters Sure is. Ever see the Terry Gilliam movie Brazil? They used these creepy baby masks (http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/brazil48.jpg) in choice scenes. Terrifying.
Joni-san 05-18-08, 09:45 AM	This thread is a excellent source for Nightmare Fuel (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NightmareFuel) http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7837/gurrendanavatar80x80gi6.png -Joni
Sarig the Genie 05-24-08, 05:56 PM	the ECS errata removed the Baleful polymorph and replaced it with alter form(su) A DM needs not follow such puny mortal things as erratas to monster abilities! Especially when it comes to mysterious scary thingies! (: