Some tieflings find that there are easier ways of fulfilling their holy mission than living a hardscrabble existence in the wilderness and preying on hapless travellers. The cities too offer the vicious 'sand devils' plenty of opportunities to inflict pain and death, and to send souls shrieking into the embrace of their ancient lord and master.
Tiefling gladiators are popular among the most bloodthirsty mobs that crowd the cheap seats of the city arenas. For most gladiators, drawing out a fight and making their opponent suffer before the death-blow falls are necessary evils, a way of satisfying the crowd rather than themselves. But tiefling gladiators delight in the screams of their victims, treating an arena duel as an opportunity to inflict as much pain as possible for as long as possible before butchering the whimpering, bloody ruin that is all that remains of their opponent.
After all, do you think Rajaat would have made possible to help him only to ONE race..?
Not a theme, but a Racial Paragon Path for Athasian Tieflings will be more adequate
A theme for "tiefling scions"!! A way for tieflings to better represent their identity and for other characters to play the part tieflings play in the whole "delivering souls to the great master" thing..!
A sort of 'secret devotee of Rajaat' theme, you mean? In my version of Athas, Dark Pact warlocks fill that niche, but that doesn't mean we can't have a theme as well. We have both the SK Pact and the Templar theme, after all.
I think such a theme would have the controller secondary role, with powers that cripple enemies with pain, send them fleeing in terror, or inflict ongoing necrotic and psychic damage as their souls are slowly leached away to the Hollow. I could also imagine a power that transfers the immobilized or restrained condition from the character or one of his allies to an enemy.
Not a theme, but a Racial Paragon Path for Athasian Tieflings will be more adequate
I think you misunderstood what LordArchaon was suggesting. But a Dark Sun specific racial PP for tieflings ('Sand Devil Soultaker'? 'Horned Reaper'?) would be cool too.
Both of these should probably have their own thread(s), though. Back at this thread, does anyone have any comments on the Sand Devil Gladiator?
Back at this thread, does anyone have any comments on the Sand Devil Gladiator?
Incredibly dangerous, frightening, ruthless... I guess it's a good Dark Sun monster
Really, seems good. Although have you considered that this crazed brute could deal 6d10+15+5+5+3d10 to a single player in less than a round? It's 9d10+25. Granted "only" 6d10+25 are really at-will, and the fact it should have a low accuracy (being a brute) should prevent it from slaying the party's defender in 2 or 3 rounds...
In fact, a monster like this practically requires a party with two solid melee defenders.
Although have you considered that this crazed brute could deal 6d10+15+5+5+3d10 to a single player in less than a round?
Let's see...
(Assuming he's bloodied and the target is already prone)
Minor Action: Pain Amplification
Standard Action: Crippling Gash = (2d10 + 5) + 5 (Pain Amp) + 5 (Ruthless Butchery) + ongoing 5
Action Point: Murderous Fury = ((1d10 + 5) + 5 (Pain Amp) + 5 (Ruthless Butchery)) x 3
(Target attacks back, but we'll assume he is no longer prone)
Free Action: Wrath of Burning Blood = (3d10 fire) + 5 (Pain Amp)
Total: 8d10 + 65 + ongoing 5
Yeah, that's quite a lot of damage if all its attacks actually hit. And then the gladiator's allies can benefit from Pain Amplification too...
I think I might reduce Murderous Fury to 2 attacks rather than 3. Pain Amp and/or Ruthless Butchery probably need limiting as well to stop the bonus damage getting too ridiculous. Maybe 2-3 extra damage per iteration would be more sane than 5?
On the other hand, it's not that much more damage than a salt golem (a level 11 elite brute) can dish out when it blows its action point, and the salt golem has a higher attack bonus and doesn't require being bloodied or attacking a prone target to do its damage.
except murderous fury is 2d10 x 3, so a total of 11d10.
Err... yes.
Ruthless Butchery now gives a smaller damage bonus. Murderous Fury is now only two attacks, rather than three. Pain Amplification is now an ongoing damage effect that gets harder to shake off when the target is bloodied, rather than working like a 'vulnerable 5 all' effect.
The total damage potential is now rather more sane. He should no longer be quite so likely to drop the party fighter from full hit points to dead in one round.
Comments?
Seriously, the changes are good, but the first version looked more fun, something inevitable I guess!
I'd reduce the damage of Wrath of Burning Blood (it's supposed to be a burst of flaming blood and like this it feels like a bloody volcanic eruption, at least to me), and return to the old version of Pain Amplification, or if you feel it may become excessive given the multiple attack mechanics of the monster, rework it like this:
Attack: burst 5 (1 creature in burst range)
+12 vs Will
Hit: at the end of each turn during which the target has taken damage, the target takes 5 additional psychic damage (save ends).