Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Mobra_Elemental 03-17-07, 04:49 AM	Breathdrinkers from Monster Manual 2 are totally non-sensical. They're Air Elementals. Seems easy enough at first. But basically their only purpose in their terrible whispy lives is to consume, that's eat and digest, the air from the lungs of other creatures. Doesn't sound crazy. In Monster Manual 3.5's description of Elementals and the Elemental type in and of itself the last bullet point reads: Elementals do not eat, sleep, or breathe So the entire point of Breathdrinkers, to drink and consume the breath of others, is made totally moot by the fact that Elementals don't eat. Or Breathe for that matter.
jakelslang21 03-17-07, 10:09 AM	I think they are like demons. They eat to harm others. They dont need to eat but they are evil so they will stalk a foe and suffocate them by "eating" their breath. Its pretty dumb and doesnt make much sense but yeah...
Edymnion 03-17-07, 10:46 AM	And, by the books, Vampires don't *NEED* to drink blood either, they just like to.
smeagol_lied 03-17-07, 11:56 AM	And, by the books, Vampires don't *NEED* to drink blood either, they just like to. Read Libris Mortis. 'Side from that, what happens when a breathdrinker meets an air elemental? And air elemental is essentially made of breath... right? I don't have MM2 though, so yeah... *is obsolete*
Return of the Flumph 03-17-07, 04:54 PM	Breathdrinkers from Monster Manual 2 are totally non-sensical. What made this particular creature stand out?
Mobra_Elemental 03-17-07, 08:26 PM	The fact that I have totally irrefuttable proof that its ****ed up, not just in concept or playability but rule-wise as well.
Rake 03-17-07, 11:19 PM	Elementals don't have to eat, sleep, or breathe... I don't believe there's any rule that states that they cannot.
IceGod 03-17-07, 11:35 PM	If you're a humanoid, you need to sleep. Unless, of course, you're an elf.
Illithid_Tentacles 03-17-07, 11:37 PM	So the entire point of Breathdrinkers, to drink and consume the breath of others, is made totally mute by the fact that Elementals don't eat. .... Riiiiight...
ChimericPhase 03-18-07, 12:14 AM	The fact that I have totally irrefuttable proof that its ****ed up, not just in concept or playability but rule-wise as well. I think you missed the joke. Most of the monsters in MM2 fit that description .... Riiiiight... I think he meant 'moot' as in 'moot point' (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moot_point)
Prak, the Mad 03-18-07, 02:06 AM	'Side from that, what happens when a breathdrinker meets an air elemental? And air elemental is essentially made of breath... right? hmm... sorta... breath is either what you inhale or what you exhale, so, I suppose so, I suppose breath drinkers on the elemental plane hunt air elementals
Singer_of_the_Song 03-18-07, 02:31 AM	Don't get me started on the MM II...
Mobra_Elemental 03-18-07, 03:47 AM	I think you missed the joke. Most of the monsters in MM2 fit that description I think he meant 'moot' as in 'moot point' (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moot_point) Exactly. I'll edit it so I don't look like a more of a tool than necessary.
Mobra_Elemental 03-18-07, 03:51 AM	Elementals don't have to eat, sleep, or breathe... I don't believe there's any rule that states that they cannot.Elementals do not eat, sleep, or drink. I'm not a total stickler for rules, but when something says that it doesn't do one action, then there's a monster that's entire existance is based on that action, even it's name, that's a little bit too suspect for me to not call stupid.
MystErikEry 03-18-07, 03:55 AM	Or it could be an exception.
retillin 03-18-07, 01:24 PM	Breathdrinkers are a monster based on a germanic myth. I can not recall what exactly it was, but it was a monster that would steal the breath from a humans lungs. It could live just breathing air, but human breath was an almost intoxocating delicacy for it. Sorry I cant recall much more at the moment.
Karak_Nechot 03-18-07, 01:42 PM	Just remember, we humans don't need to figure out ways to fly, or to communicate across continents, or spend time creating monsters for our make-believe heroes to slay. Sometimes creatures do things that are not 'meant' to do. Now, if you want to talk about what is not logical with the breathdrinker, the first thing you should notice is the mode in which it gains access to the Material Plane really doesn't make sense. Summoned creatures, by the definition of summoning in the PHB, can't just choose to stay and kill some more. That does not make sense in the slightest. Frankly, an air elemental creature sucking the breath out of someone to feed on them (which it does not seem to actually need but merely enjoys from the description) really is the most logical part about this monster.
Karak_Nechot 03-18-07, 01:42 PM	Breathdrinkers are a monster based on a germanic myth. I can not recall what exactly it was, but it was a monster that would steal the breath from a humans lungs. It could live just breathing air, but human breath was an almost intoxocating delicacy for it. Sorry I cant recall much more at the moment. Wasn't something similar told of the original succubus/incubus?
Mobra_Elemental 03-18-07, 05:21 PM	Just remember, we humans don't need to figure out ways to fly, or to communicate across continents, or spend time creating monsters for our make-believe heroes to slay. Sometimes creatures do things that are not 'meant' to do. Now, if you want to talk about what is not logical with the breathdrinker, the first thing you should notice is the mode in which it gains access to the Material Plane really doesn't make sense. Summoned creatures, by the definition of summoning in the PHB, can't just choose to stay and kill some more. That does not make sense in the slightest. Frankly, an air elemental creature sucking the breath out of someone to feed on them (which it does not seem to actually need but merely enjoys from the description) really is the most logical part about this monster. Sometimes creatures do things that are not 'meant' to do. If you justify one of these screwed up actions than you justify them all with the same rule. I'm not saying that both parts of this creature that have been discussed aren't totally retarded, I'm infact saying that they ARE equally retarded and neither can be actually justified. As much as I'm biased against one-sided evil like the one were expected to beleive the Breathdrinker posseses, even I can easily argue that it doesn't justify an action that's already been extablished elementals do not do, beyond the actual physical questions of how an being made completely of air digests something in the first place. Imagine an 'evil' earth elemental eating cows just because his bad gas terrorizes the local human country folk and he gets his evil jollies from that. Sound a bit stupid? That's basically what a Breathdrinker is justified as, but with different names.
mythSSK 03-18-07, 11:25 PM	Breathdrinkers are a monster based on a germanic myth. I can not recall what exactly it was, but it was a monster that would steal the breath from a humans lungs. It could live just breathing air, but human breath was an almost intoxocating delicacy for it. Sorry I cant recall much more at the moment.Really? If you could find (or remember) any further details at all on this, I'd be very interested in it. Even a name would do, so that I could look it up myself.
Prak, the Mad 03-19-07, 11:17 AM	Imagine an 'evil' earth elemental eating cows just because his bad gas terrorizes the local human country folk and he gets his evil jollies from that. Sound a bit stupid? That's basically what a Breathdrinker is justified as, but with different names. actually, it'd be more akin to an earth elemental with an uncanny malignant inteligence that drinks the bones of humans. perhaps the breath-drinker and my bone-drinking earth elem. suffer from a decay of form and their apetites ensure the constant-cy of their forms, as they are rebuilding them.
Mobra_Elemental 03-19-07, 06:33 PM	actually, it'd be more akin to an earth elemental with an uncanny malignant inteligence that drinks the bones of humans. perhaps the breath-drinker and my bone-drinking earth elem. suffer from a decay of form and their apetites ensure the constant-cy of their forms, as they are rebuilding them. I find it funny that you could make this monster make sense off the top of your head, yet the writers of Monster Manual 2 couldn't or didn't. I'd at least partially accept your answer, but the fact remains that so far with no explanation other than "It's evil, that's why they do it" this monster is as logical as Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. But very much 'unlike' B&T's EA this monster is not fun or hilarious. Just stupid.
Illithid_Tentacles 03-19-07, 08:24 PM	I think he meant 'moot' as in 'moot point' (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moot_point) Yes, I know, which is why I pointed it out.
Cryforge 03-19-07, 11:05 PM	Don't get me started on the MM II... Why does everyone rag on the MM2 so much? It's not really all that bad. It has a lot of awesome monsters.
Thomar_of_Uointer 03-20-07, 01:57 AM	actually, it'd be more akin to an earth elemental with an uncanny malignant inteligence that drinks the bones of humans. perhaps the breath-drinker and my bone-drinking earth elem. suffer from a decay of form and their apetites ensure the constant-cy of their forms, as they are rebuilding them. Exactly. You're looking at an imperfect creature, not a paragon of elemental power like true elementals, djinn, efreeti, and so on. If you really have to, just change it to be a vacuum elemental, vacuum goes right next to air in the cosmology. This would be a very cool way to present a Final Fantasy-esque campaign in which the world decays due to corruption of plot artifacts. MMII has lots of fun resources (though not as fun as MMIV, I'm tempted to buy that one) that require the right situation to use them. I have seen a watered-down Tetramorph used, and neogi are quite popular. One more point, Mobra. MMII was published before 3.5 came out. :P