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| Undernetter04-07-06, 09:30 PM | Okay, here it goes: In a region to the west, there is a desert that is eternally twilit due to a strange spell cast upon this desert long ago by an unknown mage. Not many plants grow there because of the lack of light and the low temperatures, but there are a few species that manage to grow. In the middle of a low valley of sand, there is a large, blue-lit village full of mantis-like creatures. These Thri-Kreen stand six feet tall and are colored a dark blue to camoflauge in the dimly lit deserts. They have also evolved large, moth-like wings to glide silently through the air. They still have all of the traits of the original Thri-Kreen, and have evolved larger feet to lower the risk of sinking into the ever shifting sands. The Thri-Kreen houses are no more than deep, reinforced, furnished dens. They feed on San-bah worms (they look like large caterpillars with illuminated spots on both sides of every segment of their bodies) and Ilo-Mu-Nite cacti (massive barrel-cactus like plants that give off a very bright light). Not many adventurers visit this land because of its constantly shifting sands, Sand Vortex's (like ant lions but are about 50 feet long and eat anything that they sense nearby), the extremely hostile Twilight Thri-Kreen, the Giant Illuminated Scorpions, and the swarms of highly venomous Sand Flies (they are like the flying bugs on Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando except they are bigger, blue, and they can spit a stream of acid up to 50 feet). Also, the magic veil here prohibits low-light and darkvision, so be prepared. Twilight Thri-Kreen The Twilight Thri-Kreen are a partially nomadic race, only moving when conditions can't support them. They were once worshippers of the Kaiser, but then later exiled to this small, twilit part of the Kaiser Desert by the Kaiser because of their odd appearance. They are extremely hostile to outsiders because it was the outside world who shunned them. Sand Flies These flies weren't originally venomous, but with the drastic increase in Giant Illuminated Scorpions and the Twilight Thri-Kreen eating all of the Ilo-Mu-Nite Cacti, they needed a new method of defense and a way to get more food. The venom and the acid do just that. The acid will melt through the toughest scorpion hide, and the venom helps them take down the much-larger San-Bah worms. They are not aggressive more the most part, but certain things will provoke them into a swarming frenzy. Although the desert may sound like it would be suicide to go there, people do because the juice from the ilo-mu-nite cacti is both refreshing and possesses incredible healing properties. the sand can be melted down into glass so beautiful and fragile, that sculptures made out of this cobalt glass are worth several hundred gold pieces. the venom from the sand flies can be processed into an anti-venom that can cure most kinds of poison. |
| Drindin04-08-06, 02:22 AM | Is this desert connected or near the desert of the lizard men, or is it near or connected to the Kaizer deserts? Are they connected to either? If they stand alone, were they always there or were they created in the same fasion the Kaizer desert was? If it's connected to the Kaizer deserts, are the thri-kreen connected to the Fall of the Kaizer? Were they perhaps followers of the Kaizer? If they're connected to the Lizard Man's desert, how do they co-exisist with the Lizard men? Why are all the creatures in the desert seemingly so dangerous? Were they always like this, or were they created in the Breaking of The World caused by the Kaizer? Are they part of the Riz-Ira? Why is the desert in an eternal twilight? Deserts generally have very high temperatures due to exposure to sunlight, is this desert therefore extremely cold? If it's eternaly twilight, does this mean it's never night time, so it's always in a lowlight state? Do the thri-kreen have a developed culture, or are they very nomadic? Why are they so hostile? Generaly desert-dwellers tend to be friendlier because of lack of resources, but are the thri-kreen xenophobic because of the scarcity of resources, and want to horde them for themselves? Why have the sandflies developed venom? Are they carnivorous? |
| Rny204-08-06, 01:15 PM | I see Drindin's already asked some of my questions, here's the rest. They have also evolved large, moth-like wings to glide silently through the air. They still have all of the traits of the original Thri-Kreen, and have evolved larger feet to lower the risk of sinking into the ever shifting sands. How would the wings develop? What need is there to be able to glide, much less glide silently, especially since the Thri-kreen are already such able sprinters and leapers? Is this desert in general of a subtler, quiter sort than the busier sorts elsewhere in this world? Provisions seem already in place for the natives to flourish in however alien conditions, so it seems like a world off on its own, completely isolated. Even if explorers and adventurers come here one day without being trapped in the sands or slain by the Thri-Kreen, there would be little of use to anyone on the outside. The Thri-Kreen houses are no more than deep, reinforced, furnished dens. They feed on San-bah worms (they look like large caterpillars with illuminated spots on both sides of every segment of their bodies) and Ilo-Mu-Nite cacti (massive barrel-cactus like plants that give off a very bright light). still, what do they construct these dens out off? Sand, I presume, as using that would certainly require reinforcement. What would be the need for the San-Bah and Ilomunite to generate light? It being so bright already, would it not be more efficient for each species to use darkvision or low-light vision rather than produce light indepentely? Maybe the rules of this Twilight-Desert specifically restrict vision-enhancement somehow? Intriguing, a mental asylum a quater the size of Texas. |
| Undernetter04-08-06, 01:59 PM | well, the wings developed because of the need to be able to stalk outside races when they intrude. the dens are made by digging a large hole and reinforcing it with the skeleton of an Ilo-Mu-Nite cactus. the species generate light because it is actually darker than twilight. I just couldn't think of better descriptive words to describe how i imagined it. the way i originally imagined it was a large desert of sand with a um, lets see... dark blue shadow over it. I just think that "eternally twilit" sounds cooler, no? But Rny2 that thing about prohibiting low-light vision is a good idea. i think ill use that. tanx. |
| Drindin04-09-06, 10:57 PM | well, the wings developed because of the need to be able to stalk outside races when they intrude. the dens are made by digging a large hole and reinforcing it with the skeleton of an Ilo-Mu-Nite cactus. the species generate light because it is actually darker than twilight. I just couldn't think of better descriptive words to describe how i imagined it. the way i originally imagined it was a large desert of sand with a um, lets see... dark blue shadow over it. I just think that "eternally twilit" sounds cooler, no? But Rny2 that thing about prohibiting low-light vision is a good idea. i think ill use that. tanx. The lighting, then, would be similar to a cloudless full-moon? Also... I feel left out. :( none of my questions were answered. Rny2: I know, I sounded so much like you it scared me. |
| Rny204-10-06, 06:47 PM | Hmm, if you look at undernetter's original post i believe you can see he's edited it a bit to answer a few of your questions. Drindin: I know; I'm scared too, I just can't get away from sounding like myself. |
| Undernetter04-11-06, 06:32 PM | actually i prefer to be called "Under" |
| Undernetter04-12-06, 09:53 PM | thank you |
| Rny204-12-06, 10:34 PM | No Problem, renett Under |
| the_one_true_shea04-15-06, 04:19 PM | hehe In a good way. I like the Thri-Kreen. What say we throw the sprouts (tumbleweed people) into the Twilight desert as well! As far as the wings... I have a solution - these are not "thri-kreen" very similar but they have always had wings. Thats all. Simple "grasshopper people" they always had wings. We could even connect them to the Arkhan from the underdark - say the Arkhan lost their wings.. where as these guys didnt! :D Just a request :D Can we change the name from "thri-kreen" I ask because I like the thr-kreen.. but I don't like the word thri-kreen. Its.. "unweildy" :shifty: maybe its me. @ Dindrin - let me take a whack! s this desert connected or near the desert of the lizard men, or is it near or connected to the Kaizer deserts? Are they connected to either? I say we connect it with the Kaiser. Theoretically even blaming the Kaiser for the twilight. (hehe what if they did it on purpose .. so they could stargaze - arrogant sobs those Kaiser) If they stand alone, were they always there or were they created in the same fasion the Kaizer desert was? natch If it's connected to the Kaizer deserts, are the thri-kreen connected to the Fall of the Kaizer? Were they perhaps followers of the Kaizer? Kaizer Worshipers... that was probably a bad idea (on their part not under's). Must consider variables. :thinks:. If they're connected to the Lizard Man's desert, how do they co-exisist with the Lizard men? just working from themes lets start with a tacit "no" why? Virix = Sun worshipers. Their desert is most certainly not described as one in perpetual twilight. Why are all the creatures in the desert seemingly so dangerous? Were they always like this, or were they created in the Breaking of The World caused by the Kaizer? Are they part of the Riz-Ira? have you ever been to the desert? Tough critters. Umm, but other than the glowing scropians and the acid spitting mosqitos... and the feral grasshopper people.... whats to dangerous about it? I think it comes back to the "Can ladybugs live there?" Phenomena... ok I better explaine that :rolleyes: Sometimes when making worlds you reach this point where you have to ask yourself: "can ladybugs live here?" - if not... you might want to consider this region as qualifying for "extra planer" instead of "material" local -aka- if basic ecology has been thrown out of wack too far then it might be too wack for the material plane :D That said -> I think ladybugs can live here. Glowing scorpions (ack), Acid spitting Flys (eek), and malicious thri-kreen (ohmy) aside there is plenty of room for the things those creatures eat. Frogs and deer, fish and lizards, birds and ladybugs! Practically the only major ecological difference between this desert description and this one is that here the scropions glow... whereas the sky doesnt. and I like the idea of giant acid spitting mosquitos... pervasivly (everywhere)! Why is the desert in an eternal twilight? Deserts generally have very high temperatures due to exposure to sunlight, is this desert therefore extremely cold? Actually deserts swing. Thats why the creatures are so tough. Hot as hell durring the day, cold as hell at night. Animals are usually awake durring the day or the night - being more acclimatized to the heat or the cold respectivly. Since we have no night, and no day.. what? "temperate desert?" or we could say that the temprature is not effected by the "twilight spell" that covers the area. The inhabitants have adapted to respond to the rapiud temperature change instead of the rapid light change. Do the thri-kreen have a developed culture, or are they very nomadic? Why are they so hostile? Generaly desert-dwellers tend to be friendlier because of lack of resources, but are the thri-kreen xenophobic because of the scarcity of resources, and want to horde them for themselves? My version of this question is: Do they have a league of nations or cheif of cheifs? Or are the twilight thri-kreen Isolationist/Tribal even amongst themselves? Why have the sandflies developed venom? Are they carnivorous? the better to eat you with.... :dragon: |
| Undernetter04-16-06, 12:29 PM | yeah we could throw the sprouts in, and thats a good idea that they've always had the wings. how about the only reason they are called thri-kreen is because of their close physical resemblance to the thri-kreen. but i want to keep the name Twilight Thri-Kreen because it sounds kewl. Hey, anybody have any ideas for other creatures to live in the Twilight desert? So far we have sprouts twilight thri-kreen sand vortex's san-bah worms ilo-mu-nite cacti i think it'd be pretty cool to come up with some kind of flying predators, and we need some kind of small felines. also, im also going to be adding a few large oasises so we need some kind of small underwater life to live in them. o, and i think we need to have some more plant life |
| the_one_true_shea04-19-06, 10:25 PM | And the sprouts have a home! Twilight Thri-kreen does have a nice sound to it, I'll admit ... :thinks: must be the dash that gets to me, never mind! Cats? Cats in the desert? Do you have an image of the Twilight Thri-Kreen keeping cats like pets? or like the mexicans keep chihuahua? |
| Undernetter04-19-06, 10:40 PM | Also, living in this desert are a type of creature called "zards". there are many different kinds of zards. Zards have only two legs, ending in large, bird-like feet, large dinosaur-like heads, and small bodies. Toad Zards: Have green, bumpy skin. They burrow under the sand during the day to keep moist. They are not agressive, but if they are scared, their skin secretes a highly lethal and noxious smelling poison to fend off attacking species. Ray Zards: Have glowing golden skin with blue lines down the sides. They are not typically aggresive, but have sharp fangs for catching prey. Tadpole Zards: Amphibious. Have blue skin covered in a slimy film that irritates the skin of anything unshelled that touches them. They have a small, thin tale used like a flipper and webbed toes. They are not as big as the other zards and live in the oasis pools. Raptor Zards: The only aggressive zards. They have dry scaled bodies with green skin and red stripes. They live in packes and roam the desert looking for prey. They have long talons on their feet and razor sharp fangs. Along with the zards are Emporer bats. They have a 5ft. wingspan and large, furry ears. They roam the desert freely picking up stray insects. Also, there are other species of plants. Nightspore Flowers: small flowers that only bloom in low light. (they are always in bloom in the twilight desert). When the buds open, blue dust is released from the black petals. This dust has the power to put even the mightiest desert dwellers to sleep. The base of the flower is full of extremely refreshing necter. Tower cacti: Cacti with sharp leaves at the bottom, with a large stalk (ranging from 10 ft to 30 ft!) ending in a gigantic flower bud. When this bud blooms, it shoots off a 5ft high fountain of spores that domes out around it. That is why these cacti are normally found in large forests of them. |
| Undernetter04-19-06, 10:43 PM | to answer ur question shea, i guess i could come up with some kind of desert cats like cougers only smaller and can be trained. i could see that happening. they could also have zards for pets (see post above this one). good idea |
| the_one_true_shea04-19-06, 11:18 PM | Zards. Those are nifty. I can see it now. I just got like a flash of this crazy blue desert, giant mantis people with hunting cats, tumbleweed traders.. and little zards squirming around like prarie dogs! Yeah. The twilights are tribal right? I'm starting to get a whispy idea of a creation myth, but it would necessitate the thri-kreen being somewhat savage. |
| Undernetter04-20-06, 03:15 PM | well, pitch the myth to me cuz i don't have any ideas for a creation myth. |
| the_one_true_shea04-28-06, 02:57 AM | The glowing desert, also called the twilight desert and the sunless waste by some, is a land of great misery. The sunless place is held in perpetual twilight, with only the stones and the cacti there to shed light on the beatiful, deadly, and wide wide (too wide) desert. The twilight dunes are beyond the meager survival skills of the average mammal. Most of the beast that survive there are some form of abberation, or a throw back. An elder breed of thri-kreen persists within the bounds of this desolate place. The winged twilight thri-kreen. The presence of the winged insectoids declares obviously the age of the phenomena known as the twilight desert. For this eldritch blocking of the sun to have locked these sentients at this earlier state of development it must have predated the breaking. Reports of these times are sketchy at best, but to our credit - the emperial declarative of the merecene empire has collected three contradicting accounts of the origins of the twilight desert. Scrolls, ;) A gnomes tale tells that the twilight desert was a curse of the gods. A diety, called by them "The Badger Hunter" "Evenar" or "The tall grass walker" he was from the southern lands.. and had traveled north to the desert before it was cloaked in twilight. Now, this was a time when the gnomish empires ruled the lands and the seas. Evenar was a god of the grass and the trees. He had turned his eye to the north for his lack of favor toward the gnomes. When he came in avatar to the great northern desert the god thought, my its really bright and he set about to speak with the animals of the desert. He asked each of them why is it so bright and each of them had a different responce for him. {insert story for each creature here, particularly the thri-kreen} so one day the Tall Grass Walker came upon an idea. Now this was a pixie god now mind you, and flighty.. but very powerful. The fey lords are even closer to the elder gia beings than the elven gods, but as I was saying.... So Evenar blotted out the sun. He turned it off.. here. Its not "clouds" or anything silly like that.. simply as the sands grow thick.. so do the stars. It is said that if you knew the exact wording of the faery spell used to cast the desert into twilight.. you could bring the dawn... but those are silly stories. Fairy Tales, go to sleep now child, and never mind the lights. Deep in the dark history of the desert known as the sunless waste lays a secret. The secret of the twilight dragons, sometimes called the Hybernese. These "scholar drakes" once ruled the desert now known as twilight. They were said to have created great and unparalled works of art. Palaces for gods, and testaments to the wolrlds beauty. Little known to others, the work was perfomed by the thri-kreen. Long before the breaking, or the formation of the hibernyse council - the "twilight dragons" claimed this region as thier home. The thri-kreen were chosen of the desert's natural inhabitants (this desert being the eden of the thri-kreen of the world) to serve the dragon kings. This was a time before the thri-kreen had called down their own gods and before the gods of mortals had time to come to their rescue. The grasshopper people were proud to serve the dragons, but the dragon were no true kings of anything. Their testaments were battle flags, and as always their servents were eventually put to war. {insert tragic prose here} and one day the twilight thri-kreen threw off their draonic masters and claimed the desert as their own. The twilight thri-kreen drove the twilight dragons out of the desert, but in the war the dragon kings had one great victory. In dragoninian spite the great dragons stole the sun from the twilight desert. Perhaps a god could return the sun, perhaps not. But it was the hybernese that stole the desert sun. It was the hybernese that cursed the winged thri-kreen to eternal night. .... presuming the thri-kreen have any problems with the darknes from a Merecene imperial archive.. .. it is however intersting to note that sudden scorching of the virixian desert corresponds almost exactly with the shrouding of the twilight desert.... an exerpt from an imperial speculation regarding possible divine interventions, |
| Lord_Canius04-28-06, 11:34 AM | This desert sound awesome, a great place for one of the undead I've created! Check it out (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8857095&postcount=43) , see if it works for you. I think it fits well, with its great speed, it could stay above the sands, or it could sink a little to better stalk its prey (anything it can kill :D ). Even better, its a stalker/hunter creature, perfectly themed for a desert of eternal twilight! Anyway, I think you got a good idea man, continue on! |
| Undernetter05-09-06, 10:50 PM | Nice myth shea. now to add to it. oh, and i'll add those undead to the desert. it sounds like their kind of place Twilight Thri-Kreen When the good gnome avatar came, the Twilight Thri-Kreen were wary of him. Although he seemed well enough, the ancient Twilight Thri-Kreen Shaman felt something was wrong. They welcomed the king into their city (they were not nomadic then) but not without suspicion. When the king asked them why it was so bright, the head shaman said it was because darkness threw them into a beastly rage. The king, however, didn't care just what one race had to say. There were other races, too. The Lupusapians did not like the sunlight because it hurt their very sensitive eyes; the Sprouts said that the heat was unbearable; the sand dragons said that the heat baked the sand on their bodies, making them superheated; and last but not least, the Desert Truffle people said that the heat made their caps wither. So, the king cloaked the land in darkness. After the Thri-Kreen turned into the beast-like people you know today, the head shaman, last to retain his memory,cloaked the city in a golden light from another realm, thus welcoming the Planeshifter people into a new castle. Planeshifters The Planeshifters were a nomadic people from the realm of the spiritual arcane. They were constantly shifting planes and places to find a paradise for them, but were shunned from all places because their body was invisible to most nonmagical or nonpsionic races. Then, while traveling through the realm of the spritual arcane, a hole opened up. When they glanced through the hole, an elderly insectoid welcomed them into his city. They cautiously entered the portal to find themselves in a gigantic golden city. The Planeshifters were happy here, so they cloaked the city in an impregnable shield of light to prevent anyone but the truly good-hearted from entering. Some say that there are immense treasures hidden inside the city, but none have inside. Now then, that's enough storytelling for now, children. I shall return when the time is right. |
| the_one_true_shea05-15-06, 10:39 PM | The golden dawn of the Twilight Desert... "Sun City" A single city of light in a sea of darkness. No longer a city.. but a ruin. However a ruin that contains gateways. Many brave adventurers have sought out this pathway to the relms divine, only to fall victim to the ravenous Thri-Kreen savages. Beings of great power will often enter via Sun City - its remote location under the twilight shroud - provides a level of privecy even to the gods. That said - some lesser gods have entered the material relm only to fall victum to the powerful twilight thri-kreen the same as any mortal. You did say there is a golden city in the deep desert right - the former capitol of the thri-kreen/Kaiser civilization. |
| the_one_true_shea05-16-06, 03:46 AM | Me am very big on the whole Merfolk issue right now. Had this idea - what if there was a underground waterways? Accessible via caves in the mountins - an oasis or two... and the sewers of the ancient thri-kreen city! These waterways have - of course - Merfolk. Not allot of merfolk - too much would be too much. A small tribe of Tribal Merfolk. Perhaps steer clear of them being luminescent but they could use luminescent animals as tools. The merfolk "technology" is druidic you see. They don't need to have shining eyes - they keep glowing fish in jars on the end of staves! Twilight Star Fish Staff Alchemical Item 200 gp: This otherwise normal staff has a stoppared jar worked into the capstone. A star fish from the twilight desert is kept in the jar providing 30' radius light for as long as it remains fed. Card- Equipment 2 colorless Equip: 1 blue Equiped creature can provoke. ..... Twilight Star Fish Summon Fish 1 blue 2 white All blue creatures you control gain island walk. 1/1 |
| Undernetter05-16-06, 10:17 AM | i've been thinking of an underground river. how else would such a thriving desert get their water or how would the oasis' stay full? The merfolk are a good idea too. i think we should add them to the desert. Maybe they could have tadpole zards for pets, since the senses of the zards are heightened specifically to where they live. |
| the_one_true_shea05-17-06, 08:15 PM | The Thri-Kreen are savages... sprouts are nomads... but the most civilized people around could be the merfolk hidden underground! I don't think there should be a massive civilization though. More like an emergency recourse for PCs trapped in the desert You come accross a oasis.. thankfully no Thri-Kreen warriors are there but you see a merfolk swimming in the pool!? OOhh and if "no-one knows" about the Twilight Merfolk! We know of course.. but if the commoners of the world have no clue that the merfolk are there. Even the sprouts and thri-kreen are majoritivy unnaware of their underground neighbors. |
| Undernetter05-20-06, 09:07 PM | those are awesome ideas about the merfolk. but i don't know who would be more civilized: The Planeshifters or the Merfolk. |
| Undernetter05-25-06, 08:09 PM | I think i have another idea. Beneath the sands, accessable only via the underground river, there is a network of stone corridors. These corridors are not dark and dank, at least not all of them. The dark tunnels wind underneath the twilight desert, until they all come to an inevitable fork: to the right a shining corridor leads to Sun City. these networks are occasionally found by small groups of twilights, and the light returns them to their normal state. to the left, however, is another story. The corridor darkens and darkens until not a speck of light can be seen. Then, it suddenly lightens to the shade of the desert outside. if one were to look up, one could see a large opening in the top of what looks like a large cone of rock. This is Vampire Mountain, an inactive volcano. Inside there is a village, with a large, looming castle to the north of it. This city is inhabited only by vampires. they are wary of trespassers and visitors alike. They are not hostile for the most part, but they are still thought of as monsters to those who do not know of their ways. These vampires are very peculiar, though. Although they are weakened by the Cross, holy water, and garlic, these vampires are not heavily affected by them. They can turn into large, gargoylic (cool word :D ) beings. The white wolf, the gargoyle, the curling mist, these forms are all natural to these vampires. While most vampires hide in shadow, these vampires can walk freely in sunlight. They still hunger for blood, but much less. They possess incredible strength, and magic powers equal to a demigod. Also, if they drink the blood of a human or elf, then return the blood taken, anyone they bite after that will become their children and will do their bidding without question. Although the Twilight Vampires may sound like barbarians, they are truly not. They are very civilized, and if one were to befriend them, they would be outgoing to him and all of his companions. |
| the_one_true_shea05-26-06, 06:37 PM | Woot! I like the Vampire Volcano and being right above the Sun City! The brightest place in the Twilight Desert... underground! I think we should pull back on the super uber mega vampires though. Everybody wants the super uber mega vampire... well... every body does want the super uber mega vampire... what do the raw ones have? hmm, \!!!/ :thinks: |!!!| well if there were only a couple.. like fifteen super uber mega vampires? Hmm, me? I don't jive with vampires very well. Seem to be over used somehow - yet still "necessary" ... :idea: everybody wants to kill a vampire. What if our regular vampires were not nearly as cool (easily defeatable), and then we have these mega vampires (really tough) that live in the land of twilight. They keep a fabulous mansion and palaces next to the sun city, which they rule! Now sun city - is the sun of the underdark? What do you say? That arrangment is so.. so... really weird. What with the world being hollow there needs to be light. I was thinking some sorta ambient light or cracks or a hole on one end or something, but what about a sun city underneath the twilight desert.. ruled by vampires ... illuminating the inner world. Hmm, poetic. Twilight Vampires - Dusk Walkers? They can stand anything but direct sunlight without penalty - and say they loose DR/Regen in the sun instead of spontaniously dying? d20 style. M:tG - 15 legendary vampires, and a Vampire Volcano Land? I presume.. |
| Undernetter05-30-06, 08:49 PM | Revised vamp stuff (I love vamps!) To the west of Sun City, only accessible by the underground tunnel (see my post above) or by something that can fly really high, there is an inactive volcano that houses Dusk Walker City. These vampires are like your normal vampires, except that they are completely impervious (cool word :eek: ) to all ice and darkness based attacks (i.e. ray of frost). They live in little houses with the thatched roofs and such, and function somewhat like a human or elf village. However, scattered around the city, living in castles, palaces, huge mansions, etc., are the 7 Lord Dusk Walkers. They have all the powers mentioned in my above post, and they each command their own part of the city, as well as their own legion of Dusk Walker Elites. These vampires can only be hurt by holy weaponry, light-based attacks, and silver blades, unless someone uses like, uh, i dunno, a spell to illuminate all around the vampires, then they'ed be vulnerable. um...yeah... if ne1 comes up with some ideas, just post'em here. o, and sorry if i caused ne confusion with the underground entrance to the sun city. It is actually above ground, but i decided to give it an underground entrance so that way not all of the twilight thri-kreen would be savages. they could find there way into the river somehow and see the light and be drawn to it and when they enter the city, they return to their normal state. |
| the_one_true_shea05-31-06, 05:50 PM | I was thinking that Sun City could be underground. Instead of above ground. Sure thrikreen could get there... oooo! What if we went for this crazy liek upsidedown city. That only flyers... flying thri-kreen dusk lords... could manuver in. Basically a mostly empty place (unless we want to whip another race - one that can fly that is not thri-kreen) without an actual civilization. Then! The volcano village could be populated with actual people that the vampires feed off of. Kinda transelvanesqy. Or something. Cause that is important for vampire - herds. |
| locksley9206-09-06, 06:55 PM | I was thinking that Sun City could be underground. Instead of above ground.Wow that would be ironic. The ruins of the Sun City underneath the Twilight Desert. That is cool :D |
| Book506-10-06, 11:51 AM | Twilight Star Fish Summon Fish 1 blue 2 white All blue creatures you control gain island walk. 1/1 Shouldn't That be "swamp walk" ?? I think it should. The desert is Blue/Black, but a little star fish would help you through the darkness....not the water. Life Savers - 5blue Summon Merfolk 2/4 :t: Grant Island Walk to target creature. If your opponent has an Island all your attacking creatures have regeneration. |
| Undernetter06-11-06, 10:32 PM | Okay, shea, i've been thinkin about putting Sun City underground, and I know just how to do it now! When you go into the underground tunnel, there will be the option to go straight. If you choose to go straight, you walk up an enormous winding staircase that will lead you up to Vampire Mountain, an enormous inactive volcano housing the large vampire village blahblahblah. But, if you go right, you will walk down a long tunnel, barely lit by the greyish-blue glow of the Twilight Crystals that grow underneath the deserts. Then, you will emerge into a large, underground, um...chasm kinda thing with Twilight Crystals jutting out from the walls and floor in large spikes (DMs tell the players to make a vertigo check. the dc is 2 so you roll a d2 lolz!). Then, hanging from the ceiling of the cave is a gargantuan city made from what appears to be Twilight Crystals, except that they glow a bright golden color (I shall call them Dawn Crystals). This is Sun City (I imagined it looking like kind of a giant chandelier thing), the Light of the Underdark, right below Vampire Mountain. For the most part, non-flyers, non-levitators, etc. can't get into Sun City. But, if you do not wish to harm the city or any of its inhabitants, just step forward and a golden bridge of light shall extend to you. If you do come with malicious intent, however, then you will fall and be impaled upon the crystal spikes at the bottom of the chasm, just like so many others. Now then, the Crystals are the source of all life in the Twilight Desert. All of the Crystals were once Dawn Crystals, but the spell cast by the gnome king long ago dimmed most of the crystals, draining the light from the desert. (Betcha didn't know I had thought of an explanation as to the darkness of the desert didja?). Because the magic powers of the crystals were altered, so did the inhabitants. They rapidly evolved to fit the needs that presented themselves in this new land. Weapons used by the inhabitants of Sun City: Dawn and Twilight Weapons: Any weapon can be made into a Dawn or Twilight Weapon, just as long as it has a metal blade. The metal is then removed and replaced with a blade made out of your selected crystal. The art of Crystal Weapons is only known by Twilight Thri-Kreen and Planeshifters and it is forbidden to teach any outsiders this sacred art. Dawn: Can only be wielded by Lawful characters. If you roll a natural 20, you may then roll another d20. Increase your party's HP by the numer rolled times 2. +2 against opposite alignment. Twilight: Cannot be wielded by Chaotic or Lawful characters. If you roll a natural 20, you may roll another d20. Damage all enemies by the number rolled +5. +2 against opposite alignment. Chaos (both crystals magically fused together) Can only be wielded by Chaotic Characters. If you roll a natural 20, you may choose to make a Will save (DC 35). If the save is passed, damage all enemies by 30, then heal your party by 30 HP each. +2 against non-neutral alignment. So, if you have any suggestions about the weapons, please post them. (Don't ask how much they cost because I'm tryin to think of suitable prices.) Man that was a lot of typing! |
| the_one_true_shea06-13-06, 01:38 PM | I want some Dawn Crystals! Twilight desert, sun city, dawn crystals... oooh so coool! I like the idea of the dawn and twilight crystal weapons. They "flare" as opposed to shock or burn. Like... um instead of being a "flaming blade" they are shining blades, or hammers... !!! "The Hammer of Dawn" oooh - sounds like an awesome weapon. But yeah I like the crystals - because they are area effect weapons. One thing though - I would almost want to take out the "enemies and allies" thing and just go with the area effect. That would make the dawn crystal weapons less "useful" and the twilight crystal weapons more dangerous. Instead of "all" allies or enemies or refering to your party - you could give it say.. 20' burst? And to clear up any confusions - the person who just got got and the person wielding the weapon could be immune to the effect. Sorta of a carona effect.. actually that would be a good term to describe that "area of effect" not a 20' burst, but a 20' carona. I like the bridge of light, sorta birfrosty! :D |
| Undernetter06-13-06, 07:33 PM | that 20' corona effect sounds a lot more convincing. ok, updated crystal stuff: Dawn: Can only be wielded by Lawful characters. If you roll a natural 20, you may then roll another d20. Heals all allies in a 20' radius by the number rolled. (Dawn Corona effect) +2 against opposite alignment. Twilight: Cannot be wielded by Chaotic or Lawful characters. If you roll a natural 20, you may roll another d20. Damage all enemies within a 20' radius by the number rolled +5. (Twilight Corona effect) +2 against opposite alignment. Chaos (both crystals magically fused together) Can only be wielded by Chaotic Characters. If you roll a natural 20, you may choose to make a Will save (DC 35). If the save is passed, damage all enemies within a 20' radius by 30 and heal all allies within the same radius by 30. If the save isn't passed, damage all allies within a 20' radius by 10 and heal all enemies within the same radius by 10. (Chaotic Corona effect) +2 against same and opposite alignment. Ok, if you have anything else, then let me know. (thanks for the help shea!) |
| the_one_true_shea06-16-06, 09:27 AM | Hmmm, I am still concerned about the allies and enemies thing. Sometimes these deliniations can be hard to quantify in the "heat of battle" and then you have the question of - what about the nuetral parties? Innocent bystanders? etc. However~! I do have a suggestion in that line. There is no deffinitive rule declaration of Allies and Enemies, but there could be. An ally is defined as any character that has a Helpful Attitude towards the wielder of a weapon. An enemy is defined as any character that has a Hostile Attitude towards the wielder of the weapon. With that I would add one more effect to these dawn / twilight crystal weapons! Whenever a dawn or twilight weapon "flares" all characters within the corona (including the wielder) must make a fort save DC equal to 10 + the damage dealt or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. |
| Undernetter06-18-06, 08:54 PM | those are good definitions and i like that blindness thing. btw, thanks for the help. I have a habit of making weapons uber powerful even though i don't mean to. |
| the_one_true_shea06-21-06, 04:21 PM | I know how it goes. Most people have creation bias towards helping the characters - and thusly make overpowerd items. I tend to think in terms of "how can I overcome that" - I call it dungeon master thinking. A good dungeon master can outclass their player ever time (they know the stats of the sheet) and so therin lies the art of the dungeon master. "To terrasque.. or not to terrasqu" thats the question. If you look at the item in terms of what you would need to have to overcome its benifit it is allot easier to keep the abilities balanced. |
| Undernetter06-23-06, 03:00 AM | I c. I never thought of it like that. I'll try that whenever i make my next dnd wep (i don't do it very often because im not a dm) |
| the_one_true_shea07-14-06, 06:38 PM | Ahh, but when making suggestions.... You strike me as the kinda guy that has bright ideas here and there Under. I think suddenly of a game I played (not ran) - had a horrible "unruley" character, Half Elf Half Dragon with three paragon race classes (human, elf, halfdragon) and additional LA+1 for taking a Dragon Size. Another LA+2 to take the winged creature template, and furthermore I had taken Improved Familiar Twice and selected an Elephant. The morale of this story - I was doing this because it was neat, it was fun, and I was making rule modifications that actually hurt my character in the long run. Kalzaron was size large (wings), and had allot of skill points, but his spell casting was of abismal (mostly based around emulating draconic abilities) and when I got around to rewritting him some months afterword (using more accurate rules and functions) he was much more powerful. Another story comes to mind actually, "The Uber Knights" I kid you not a budy of mine created an "Uber Knight" base class. Basically his take on Midevil Fantasy Jedi. We're talking magic lightsabers and +30 psionic bonus to jump, +30 psionic bonus to bluff, etc, etc, etc... all by 5th level. Blech. After we worked it over the saber didnt even show up till fifth, the skill bonuses were syncronized with their wisdom score (basically became a "Wise Paladin" ) and we hammered out a balanced spell list (and skill list for that matter). The morale of that storie? Don't make a class that "always wins" no-one wanted to play it more than once. After we adjusted it there was room for personalization and while it had strengths (fighter HD/BAB, a special weapon that ignores natural armor and still does damage to flesh, psi), but was also weak enough to have challanges (low skill points per level and few class skills, very limited weapon familiarities, limited/paladin style spell list). Thirdly from a design perspective you want to look at using SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) - as in the case with the dawn/twilight crystal weapons - you were targeting "party" which is a non-technical trait. There is no "party" identifier. Allies? sure, Friendly? sure, Hostile? Certainly! Party.. not so much. Range is good too. I like using range and attitude as targeting traits. :D |
| Undernetter07-16-06, 12:24 AM | hmmm.... i'll be sure to remember all this (i'm workin on a race so this is helpful) |
| Rny207-24-06, 01:32 PM | lol, the exact opposite happened to me: when I first began making my own material, I was so terrified of making something unbalanced that I everything several times. Mind you, I didn't and still don't have a taste for crunch and I'm just too lazy to do playtesting, so generally I stick to flavour. |
| the_one_true_shea07-24-06, 11:47 PM | hehe, what can I say - If I had to pick one or the other.. I'll take fluff anyday.. but I like to practice my crunch too... :rolleyes: |
| Undernetter07-26-06, 04:08 AM | heh... |