Fanboys, be careful with cool stuff... (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Fanboys, be careful with cool stuff... (PEACH) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Karn Dragonsbane
05-14-06, 04:07 PM Fanboys, be careful with cool stuff... (PEACH)

"Then who are you?"
"You mean you don´t know me? I don´t think so."
"I mean... Sephiroth isn´t real!"
"From where I´m standing, I´m real. What about you?"
"I... I..."
"Come on. You said I was more powerful than anything... existence is only a small percentage of my powers. Let me show you."

A belief construct is an idea that takes onto existence by feeding on the belief of those who harbor it. As simple as it might sound, it actually is a bit more complicated than that. A belief construct won´t come from a madman´s mind, only from hundreds or thousands. Several cases that include just a dozen or so people believing to create a full-fledged construct have been documented, but then the construct was extremely brittle and seemed to live for only a short span of time.
This particular case is a construct based on Sephiroth´s perception seemingly. I have used a most obvious case for a candidate, but this isn´t a Sephiroth clone meant for actual usage into a game; it actually would work better as a bogeyman or something the likes of that. If you wish to incorporate an actual Sephiroth clone into your game, dozens of them pollute the boards.
This monster was inspired, before you ask, in a small thing that happened to me today (12/05/06) during school. Please don´t read, it´s not supernatural.
I saw a small graffiti on the table I was sitting at. It was a caricature of someone with a big nose and an exagerated jaw, not very well shaved. He had a text globe that readed that someone had been touched in the behinds, and blamed someone else (written in 2nd person). I thought... Also I could write a text globe on him, with the current thing I had in mind. We were seeing a kind of rhyme, composed of four verses, two with four lines and two with three lines. It´s sonnet in english, I think. Well, the first line has a rhyme ending with a syllabe defined as A, the second line B, the third B, the fourth A, repeated on the second verse. The third verse has a first line C, a second line D, a third line C, and the last line is D C D. I thought that I could write on him: "ABBA ABBA CDC DCD Yee-haw! Mehehe!". Then I thougt that character might, over the course of the generations, develop as a representant of the college, and in the end even be believed to exist, until one day he phisically manifested...

Belief Construct (Sephiroth)

Medium-size outsider (extraplanar)
Hit dice: 14d8+28 (91 hp)
Initiative: +7 (+3 dex, +4 improved initiative)
Speed: 30 feet, fly 90 feet (good)
Armor Class: 12 (+2 dexterity)
Base attack/Grapple: +14/+19
Attack: 1 big damn sword (Masamune) +21 4d6+7 or mistery punch +15 1d2+5 plus daze 1 round.
Full Attack: Masamune +21/16/11 4d6+7 or linkage +15/+10/+5 plus daze 1 round.
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Special weapon, Spell-like abilities.
Special Qualities: Improved speeds, Unnaturality, Horrid Form.
Saves: Fort +11, Refl +12, Will +11.
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 24.
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) +17, Knowledge (Nature) +19, Listen +19, Search +17, Spellcraft +19, Spot +19, Survival +19 (+2 aboveground, +2 for tracks), Tumble +20.
Feats: Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (Masamune) x2, Track, Weapon focus (the only thing he carries).
Environment: Anywhere.
Organization: Hey, it´s the only one! Perhaps two or three fanboys? No.
Challenge rating: 12
Treasure: Uhh... Some round stuff and a beeeeg exotic sword dealing 2d8 damage?
Alignment: Uhh... Dunno.
Advancement: Nonep.
Level Adjustment: -

The belief construct speaks any languages the nearest believer speaks.

COMBAT

A belief construct fights mostly the way it´s believed to fight. Thus, a swordsman character will use its sword as much as possible, a magician might use many spells. A monster will attempt to demoralize at the start of every battle, and so on. Exceptions are, however, in this case, the rule.
This particular case is a melee combatant, also carrying some degree of flashy magic and several transformations.

Special weapon (Ex): Regardless of how does the belief construct wield his weapon, or whatever it is, his weapon will deal 4d8 base damage.
Spell-like abilities (Sp): At will- Cone of cold, Delayed blast fireball, Chain Lightning, Fly, Mirror image, Cure Serious wounds. 1/hour- Teleport. Caster level 18th; save DC 17 + spell level. The save DCs are charisma-based.
Unnaturality (Ex): Most of the time, belief constructs looks and behaves in a particularly strange way. Its colors, to begin with, are unworldly and rather crazy. Thus it takes a -8 penalty to disguise checks, as it is of no particular race. However it grants the construct an edge at attracting attention, thus allowing him a +2 circumstance bonus to intimidate and diplomacy checks.
Horrid form (Ex): Some belief constructs are supposed to attain horrific forms that are far more enduring and powerful than themselves should be. If a belief construct knows it is going to be defeated, it may choose to transform should it fall below 0 hp. Morphing is an immediate action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
While morphed, a belief construct gains DR 5/-, fast healing 1, all-elemental resistance 10, stays hasted for as long as he is morphed, all of his spell-like abilities are quickened and empowered, and becomes two sizes larger, boosting his scores by the right amount (i.e. Str +16, Con +8, Dex -4). However its speeds lower by 30 feet, possibly rendering it immobile.
The duration of the morph is as long as needed to finish the encounter where it "died". If its opponents run away, the morph might be finished beforetime, with the construct restoring all of its hit points. It may not, however, run away itself.

CREATING A BELIEF CONSTRUCT

Belief constructs have very simple rules to create. The first thing to do is assign them a hit dice. That is done this way:
A harborer is any person aware of the existence of the idea. This is to say, how many people know of the concept, not of the construct´s existence. The number of harborers adds to the main HD.

Number of harborers: Hit Die:
About a dozen 2
Near a hundred 4
A hundred to a thousand 6
Many thousands 8
Nearing millions 10
Way too many millions 12

Then, a powerlevel estimate is done. The power the idea supposedly has; this is to say, how powerful is it fictionally.

Powerlevel Estimate: Additional hit die:
None necessary 0
Survived something 2
Has some power actually 4
Has much power 6
All-powerful 8

The minimum HD/size table in the Monster Manual is also required; should a belief construct have less HD than its size guarantees, then it is not viable.

Finally it is time for assigning its scores and special powers.
Strength: The base strength for a belief construct is equal to 10 + its size modifier to strength + the ad hoc str modifier.
Dexterity: The base dexterity for a belief construct is equal to 10 + its size modifier to dexterity + the ad hoc dex modifier.
Constitution: The base constitution for a belief construct is equal to 10 + its size modifier to constitution + the ad hoc con modifier.
Intelligence: The intelligence for a belief construct is 10 + its ad hoc intelligence modifier.
Wisdom: The wisdom for a belief construct is 10 + its ad hoc wisdom modifier.
Charisma: The charisma for a belief construct is 10 + its HD + its ad hoc charisma modifier.
Ad hoc modifiers: A belief construct has a number of bonus ability points that have to be distributed. The number of points is 10 + its HD.
The example belief construct has 24 bonus points: 10 strength, 6 dexterity, 4 constitution and 4 wisdom.

Special powers: A belief construct has several special abilities. Exactly which ones depend on each different one. The usual amount is 1 for every 4 HD. The absence of unnaturality is considered a positive one.
Improved speeds (Ex): A belief construct is supposed to have some other ways of moving. It gains 90 feet of speed, which it may distribute among its speeds. It may add flight or swimming.
Devastating weaponry (Su): A humanoid belief construct carrying a weapon and using it solely gains a massive amount of power with that weapon. When it wields its weapon, the weapon deals damage equal to that of a bite attack by a creature three sizes larger. It may take the Improved Natural Attack feat for its weapon.
Spell-like abilities (Sp): A belief construct typically counts some spell-like abilities. No rule governs how many or how few does it have, although a teleport 1/hour is common for those whose travel time is negligible. A number of spell-like abilities equal to its charisma modifier would be appropiate, but might be hard to respect.
Horrid form (Ex): Some belief constructs are supposed to attain horrific forms that are far more enduring and powerful than themselves should be. If a belief construct knows it is going to be defeated, it may choose to transform should it fall below 0 hp. Morphing is an immediate action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
While morphed, a belief construct gains DR 5/-, fast healing 1, all-elemental resistance 10, stays hasted for as long as he is morphed, all of his spell-like abilities are quickened and empowered, and becomes two sizes larger, boosting his scores by the right amount (i.e. Str +16, Con +8, Dex -4). However its speeds lower by 30 feet, possibly rendering it immobile.
The duration of the morph is as long as needed to finish the encounter where it "died". If its opponents run away, the morph might be finished beforetime, with the construct restoring all of its hit points. It may not, however, run away itself.
Relevance (Ex): A belief construct is the ultimate specialist in whatever it is supposed to know. It has, thus, a +4 competence bonus in skills that are relevant to it. It may not be enough, however, to provide a satisfying answer.
Unnaturality (Ex): Most of the time, belief constructs looks and behaves in a particularly strange way. Its colors, everything about it is unworldly and rather crazy. Thus it takes a -8 penalty to disguise checks, as it is of no particular race. However it grants the construct an edge at attracting attention, thus allowing him a +2 circumstance bonus to intimidate and diplomacy checks.

Hmmm... I don´t like it. And you?
Oh, BTW: There´s one I can´t stat... From Planescape: Torment. Can anybody help me with Adahn?
This is the concept:
Adahn appears if you go around telling everyone that your name is Adahn (the main character is nameless). He has some stuff he gives to you, but only if you don´t tell him that you made him up. He can give you his ring (if you ask him to check his left sleeve), some money (if you ask for the money that came with it), and his special dagger (if you ask him for that old magic item he was going to give to you). There is NO further relation, and yes, he gives you the items if you make them up as you made him up.