Survivors of the Mourning - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Survivors of the Mourning

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
werwoelfin
Mar 22, 2008 7:15:33 If you use a survivor of the mourning (that has been twisted by event) in one of your adventures or if one of your player wants to play such a character, how do you handle it?

Is it just a kind of fluff thing or do you use any mechanics (flaws, traits, templates, feats) for that? As an example: Would you say that someone whose legs have melt together and who's moving forward like a snail still counts as a Humanoid? Or would he be an Aberration instead? And wouldn't looking like this effect his social interactions?
#2
Nived
Mar 22, 2008 7:21:32 I think it was in the last print edition of Dragon Magazine Kieth Baker tackled that very question. Survivors of the Mourning (if they exist in your Eberron) are pretty screwed up in the head, completely sociopathic (utterly lacking any empathy or compassion) was one of their hallmarks if I remember right. I'll see if I can't dig it out later and talk about the article in those general kinda terms that don't violate copyrights.
#3
Edymnion
Mar 22, 2008 20:52:19 I would use it as an opportunity to use the "weird" templates you find here and there. Like Half-Ooze or Half-Undead.

I do have one Mourning "survivor" that I never got a chance to play. A Karnnathi Zombie that was in Cyre when the Mourning occurred. His backstory is basically that he walks out of the mists seemingly unharmed, but sentient (as in fully sentient) with scattered memories of his life before he died. The driving force for the character would be to figure out who he is, or was, and then trying to find a way to return to life.
#4
werwoelfin
Mar 27, 2008 6:22:15 There's a Half-Ooze Template out there?!? Oh, that's really a weird thing.

I found these two feats that seems to fit thematically: Mourning Mutate (DR 359) and Aberration Blood (Lords of Madness). Both are Aberrant feats (that means you get cumulative penalities on some social skills and animal empathy). They really support the idea of what I had in mind (disturbing physical feature and social backdraws), but spending a feat slot for a trait that just disguised as a feat seems to be a bad deal.

While looking for other options, I've read about a Mistling Template from Forge of War, but I couldn't found more infos about it. Does anyone own this adventure and can tell me a little more about the template (and how good the adventure itself is)?
#5
Edymnion
Mar 27, 2008 11:50:48 Another option, look at the Taint rules in Heroes of Horror, it has a good number of physical and mental deformities caused by exposure to evil twisted things, which you could easily say are Mourning related.
#6
werwoelfin
Apr 15, 2008 7:56:17 Yes, that seems to fit very good, too.

While browsing in the Book of Vile Darkness, I just came across the Warp touch disease (p31+32): Not useable one to one for the Mourning, but it gives some ideas.

In case of the PC, we decided to let it just be a fluff thing with no numeric penalities or boni at all. (However, he is strange-looking and a lot of people will not be very happy about having him around.)
#7
Edymnion
Apr 15, 2008 12:01:48
Yes, that seems to fit very good, too.

While browsing in the Book of Vile Darkness, I just came across the Warp touch disease (p31+32): Not useable one to one for the Mourning, but it gives some ideas.

In case of the PC, we decided to let it just be a fluff thing with no numeric penalities or boni at all. (However, he is strange-looking and a lot of people will not be very happy about having him around.)

You could always, btw, just take a penalty to your Diplomacy checks, and give an equal bonus to Intimidate. Say +/-2?
#8
naturax
Apr 15, 2008 13:02:22 In a game I ran one of the PCs was a mercenary who was spying on a Cannith facility during the Mourning. When he awoke he found that he had a hunger for money: literally. He could only survive if he ate hundreds of gold pieces worth of precious metals every day. Munching on copper just wouldn't sustain him, but gems would. He was unable to consume food or drink. I really enjoyed taking the character's worst vice and making it a true affliction.
#9
rania
Apr 15, 2008 14:15:16
In a game I ran one of the PCs was a mercenary who was spying on a Cannith facility during the Mourning. When he awoke he found that he had a hunger for money: literally. He could only survive if he ate hundreds of gold pieces worth of precious metals every day. Munching on copper just wouldn't sustain him, but gems would. He was unable to consume food or drink. I really enjoyed taking the character's worst vice and making it a true affliction.

That's goo~d. I like.
#10
pivotal
Apr 16, 2008 3:14:50 I have a survivor of the mourning in a campaign of mine and he got the necropolitan template. He was going for the template in the first place and we talked about it and figured out the the mourning was a good source for it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 werwoelfin Mar 22, 2008 7:15:33	If you use a survivor of the mourning (that has been twisted by event) in one of your adventures or if one of your player wants to play such a character, how do you handle it? Is it just a kind of fluff thing or do you use any mechanics (flaws, traits, templates, feats) for that? As an example: Would you say that someone whose legs have melt together and who's moving forward like a snail still counts as a Humanoid? Or would he be an Aberration instead? And wouldn't looking like this effect his social interactions?
#2 Nived Mar 22, 2008 7:21:32	I think it was in the last print edition of Dragon Magazine Kieth Baker tackled that very question. Survivors of the Mourning (if they exist in your Eberron) are pretty screwed up in the head, completely sociopathic (utterly lacking any empathy or compassion) was one of their hallmarks if I remember right. I'll see if I can't dig it out later and talk about the article in those general kinda terms that don't violate copyrights.
#3 Edymnion Mar 22, 2008 20:52:19	I would use it as an opportunity to use the "weird" templates you find here and there. Like Half-Ooze or Half-Undead. I do have one Mourning "survivor" that I never got a chance to play. A Karnnathi Zombie that was in Cyre when the Mourning occurred. His backstory is basically that he walks out of the mists seemingly unharmed, but sentient (as in fully sentient) with scattered memories of his life before he died. The driving force for the character would be to figure out who he is, or was, and then trying to find a way to return to life.
#4 werwoelfin Mar 27, 2008 6:22:15	There's a Half-Ooze Template out there?!? Oh, that's really a weird thing. I found these two feats that seems to fit thematically: Mourning Mutate (DR 359) and Aberration Blood (Lords of Madness). Both are Aberrant feats (that means you get cumulative penalities on some social skills and animal empathy). They really support the idea of what I had in mind (disturbing physical feature and social backdraws), but spending a feat slot for a trait that just disguised as a feat seems to be a bad deal. While looking for other options, I've read about a Mistling Template from Forge of War, but I couldn't found more infos about it. Does anyone own this adventure and can tell me a little more about the template (and how good the adventure itself is)?
#5 Edymnion Mar 27, 2008 11:50:48	Another option, look at the Taint rules in Heroes of Horror, it has a good number of physical and mental deformities caused by exposure to evil twisted things, which you could easily say are Mourning related.
#6 werwoelfin Apr 15, 2008 7:56:17	Yes, that seems to fit very good, too. While browsing in the Book of Vile Darkness, I just came across the Warp touch disease (p31+32): Not useable one to one for the Mourning, but it gives some ideas. In case of the PC, we decided to let it just be a fluff thing with no numeric penalities or boni at all. (However, he is strange-looking and a lot of people will not be very happy about having him around.)
#7 Edymnion Apr 15, 2008 12:01:48	Yes, that seems to fit very good, too. While browsing in the Book of Vile Darkness, I just came across the Warp touch disease (p31+32): Not useable one to one for the Mourning, but it gives some ideas. In case of the PC, we decided to let it just be a fluff thing with no numeric penalities or boni at all. (However, he is strange-looking and a lot of people will not be very happy about having him around.) You could always, btw, just take a penalty to your Diplomacy checks, and give an equal bonus to Intimidate. Say +/-2?
#8 naturax Apr 15, 2008 13:02:22	In a game I ran one of the PCs was a mercenary who was spying on a Cannith facility during the Mourning. When he awoke he found that he had a hunger for money: literally. He could only survive if he ate hundreds of gold pieces worth of precious metals every day. Munching on copper just wouldn't sustain him, but gems would. He was unable to consume food or drink. I really enjoyed taking the character's worst vice and making it a true affliction.
#9 rania Apr 15, 2008 14:15:16	In a game I ran one of the PCs was a mercenary who was spying on a Cannith facility during the Mourning. When he awoke he found that he had a hunger for money: literally. He could only survive if he ate hundreds of gold pieces worth of precious metals every day. Munching on copper just wouldn't sustain him, but gems would. He was unable to consume food or drink. I really enjoyed taking the character's worst vice and making it a true affliction. That's goo~d. I like.
#10 pivotal Apr 16, 2008 3:14:50	I have a survivor of the mourning in a campaign of mine and he got the necropolitan template. He was going for the template in the first place and we talked about it and figured out the the mourning was a good source for it.