Vote Up A Villain IX! (3.X) [Voting Closed, Villain Complete!]

[afroakuma]

Since these seem to be enjoyed... (this was a bad one, as I'm sure the voters remember)

Notes From Vote Up A Villain IV: The Augmoha

Spoiler

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Hey look! Even Krimm showed up for this round!

Hiss... swarms AGAIN. ...and Heliomance earns a stabbing.
Ditto UnChosenOne. I will Finnish Him.

Thank you Frigs for the deciding vote. Vermin.

Types, quickly. Rats, bugs, worms and super-creepies, like pill bugs, millionthousandpedes and the sickly onychophoran. Platyhelminthes? OOH: Doom Tapeworm.

So, Rodent, Insect and... Arachnid? Still kinda close. Something worse than that... Something Worse it is. See if that inflames their imaginations.

And Swarm. They're gonna bug me (pun!) if I don't, and it'll outflank them. Also: distinct.

Er... rodents are animals. Weird. *sigh* roll with that.

OK, so: Mindless to get around. Parameters of the type indicate that I could get around that... but then I can't play fast and loose with the good stuff. So, to be crafty.

Non-resident brain? Perhaps a literal hive mind, carried in a distended ovipositor? Human brains knotted via immature metaganglial tissues, vascularised and held in resin? Mmm, resin.

Mmm, massive overwhelming bandwagon. Inflaming SUCCESS! Now, Mindless still means it has no native intelligence, so no alignment. No class, obviously, because vermin have no class. (Pun!) Post that, and hey, the round will go faster too.

Ignoring the debate. Okay: What's worse? Need a basic body structure, something established as vermin-y. Assassin-bug sorta thing? No... something festering, something basic gone absolutely mental...poisonous, clawed, WINGED...

Big bee. Massive bee. Masive bloated six-legged, denuded, resin-slick bee-thing. Keep pulling the lever, add more until it stops being a bug and starts being Something Worse... brain-cracking-open parts to the mouth? Hollow, cavernous bubbles all over the barely-covered exoskeleton? Ovipositor defended in a clutch by two hind legs (ten total!) that contains the "hive mind!" The hive directs the creature in its goals, conferring an intelligence that it lacks. Being that it's a lower-biological exofunction, the creature remains mindless and without alignment, and ignores Int-based attacks since neither it nor its butt-head have anything to lose.

This is awesome. What if the bee, the regular bee, became territorial? And acquired the knowledge and understanding of a whole city simply to further its bee goals? Would it gain a fundamental understanding of its actions through the eyes of its victims? How would it feel about being driven by instinct despite tapping higher reasoning processes? How would it feel about being able to feel?

Hehehe, now imagine a hive mind of hivemindy bees. That would be messed beyond recognition. "We are going to eat your entire civilization and puke it out onto our butts, to build a giant hive that behaves like a twisted, honey-loving, instinctual, unspeaking mockery of human achievement and accomplishment throughout all of time." Bit much; I'll save it.

Uh oh, we haz debates. On the bright side, "Oh look! A City! OM NOM NOM"

Durg. Long debates. Apiforme antagonists must be put on hold briefly.

Alright, so brainstealing. Core ganglion. Where do I put the stinger? More than one? Beedrill sort of thing?

Discouragement. Ohhhhhhhhhhh so very not happy at this momentt. Ummm., I do not want to cencel thisd contest

ARGHHHHHHHH I'm furtsrated now stabbings flames wrath. WHY@! What is wrong with trying this it should work. It should work. Should be able to make it work. I'm good enough to make it work why must I be tolde that I can't amke it work!!!!

Calmed. Alright, this one just... I can't do it. It doesn't fit. It's got

Bee doesn't work. Needs to have Int or else it isn't a villain. There goes the bee. New idea. Too tired to think of one right now. Some worm? I don't don't have it in me tonight. Let them know what it was. Can't use it anyway.

Beast, was the other type. Grr. Alright, well, Int score. We have an alignment again.

Keep the crowd entertained, rotate the vote, bed. thining is for tomorrow

Ugh i feel insulted and i feel depressed and now i want sleep

worm thing i guess australian glue worm velvet skin work thing and maybe thats a good start

where the flip did they hide the good uvudaum? I want one.

ELH: Bad one
LOM: no
MM? wasn't in the mm
Google Images: there we go. What book? its too late, i just am in no mood to care. have an uvuudaum folks.

hooray, i win. can i win at sleep? NO

Okay, back on track, what do I have. Velvet worm... Australian glue worm, that's what, onychophoran? Eew, gross wiki pic. I like it already,

Well, the thing from Alien was verminesque. Xenomorph drool-ology, carapace, smooth cowl, no eyes for that added WTF factor. Those stubby pointy creepy legs

I can't keep that thing on my screen, it messes me up. The god of Australia had like - goatmadness or something, making up that sort of shudderness.

Pointy creep legs, no. Tentacles!!! Body split at the bottom like a cheesestring thing. No antennae, because those suck. Claws! Hellish number of them. Hooray for claws!

Now, glue... web? Web effect? Could probably make it Ex, which keeps me in type.

Heliomance goes two for two on the Stab meter today.

Agh HEADS CUT OFF AGAIN

Okay, ignoring the boards. Creepiness factor... how do you make a Something Worse a threat? Has to be a demonstrably comparative threat to the world.

It's a botworm.

Okay...now...

Dragon botworm.

There we go. Now, add some Zerg factor... it slowly grows more dragonish, gets bigger, stronger, smarter. Has to have an ability to ward off the dragons that could actually kill it. Gross pheromones? Ten points. Burrowing. It needs distractions so it can get to the eggs. It is its own best distraction, mind...

Dragons vs. Humans, refereed by the gross doom thingy. But how do the dragons know where to look? Stink?

IT EATS CITIES. Under we go. OM NOM NOM. Baits dragons, leaves, sneaks in and botwormizes an egg or two. Out of time, bloody early shift. CE, though, so I totally get away with this.

Alrighty, and it will be able to infest THE WORLD!!!! except CR 8, so only a few mini-swarms, but still: THE WORLD!!!!

Now, if greater good wins, I am simply going to FLAY THEM ALL ALIVE. it had better not win, I can't junk it all again, I'll go ballistic. Now, survival fits. It's not just out to be a jerk, it's selected dragon egg as its nutritional supplement of choice. Better yet, it wants to assimilate draconic traits. Rudimentary, icky wings? Why thank you, I think I will. Serve the Hive. Feel the groove.

Survival winning...

Name, fast, name,

a
arg agh aghmalga argmola ashgola mola mora remora no no moga moa moha agmoha augmoha argmoha ahrgmoha aghmoda agmoha

AUGMOHA go to press

Survival!

[Magnor Criol]

Good...use your aggressive feelings, boy!

I plan to.

I...find myself glad I wasn't around for the Augmoha competition. Doesn't seem to have been a very happy round. Turned out alright in the end, though.

Also: The pics for velvet worms aren't that creepy...actually I think the little guys are kinda cute.

[LucyHarris]

Wow...the Augmoha sounds suitably horrifying.

Where can I find the stats?

ETA: Never mind, found it.

[afroakuma]

Just one of those things that sets me off, and I'm never sure why. Weirdest things freak me out.

Lucy: in my sig, through my full homebrew, or go to the first page and pop open the first Spoiler. The link is in there.

[LucyHarris]

Wow...this is the first time I've had an edit get ninja'd. But thanks for the pointer nonetheless!

[afroakuma]

I switched over to my dark ninja POWER!

Just for you!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled POWER!

[afroakuma]

*facepalm* I forgot to post it.

Despite offering to give this monster a Class, you have thrown this offer back in my face, telling me in no uncertain votes that there shall be No Class.

So, this vulgate villain now needs its Challenge Rating. And since this is the boring part, we're going to sacrifice its day in the sun (snow...) for the purpose of regaining some lost time.

You have until 0000 EST (0500 GMT) to file your vote.

[lesser_minion]

Well, with no character class, I think I'll have to go with a CR7.

[thegurullamen]

CR 12 Right in the middle. To the right.

[Pronounceable]

Six. My favorite number is six. Sometimes I spend the whole afternoon sitting around and singing a tune about six...

[Limos]

CR 12 thanks.

[arguskos]

*sigh* This villain already seems... special. Anyways, let's go with CR 7.

[MammonAzrael]

Hmm, two for CR 12 and two for CR 7. I think I'll split the difference and for for CR 9...and a half.

[Juhn]

Your posting of the Augmoha notes makes me want to see what that first idea would have ended up like.

Same goes for the one you had to scrap in favour of the Hellstar.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Hmmm... Cr 9 sounds about right to me.

[vegetalss4]

ill go for nine too.

also afro thanks for showing us a glimpse of how your mind work, that was very cool.

[afroakuma]

I like to think that my mind works in a more structured fashion. What's there is literally notes that I mash out on the keyboard while bored or when planning and able to commit to computer, rather than personal, memory.

I did strip most of the more important stuff from those, like the crunch shells, game mechanic thought processes, some concept links and any thought process that wasn't "ooh, shiny must play must play." The actual magic scaffolds of POWER are the real way my mind works, and won't be released.

[The Mentalist]

Seven sounds appetizing

[Alteran]

I agree, 7 sounds good.

[watsyurname529]

I think I prefer CR 9 with this one.

[Magnor Criol]

Hm...9, or 12?

I'll go with 9...lower is more accessible. And again...I wanna save up for next round.

[Juhn]

I like to think that my mind works in a more structured fashion. What's there is literally notes that I mash out on the keyboard while bored or when planning and able to commit to computer, rather than personal, memory.

I did strip most of the more important stuff from those, like the crunch shells, game mechanic thought processes, some concept links and any thought process that wasn't "ooh, shiny must play must play." The actual magic scaffolds of POWER are the real way my mind works, and won't be released.

So, you deliberately strip out all of the useful stuff? What's the point of releasing these if you're doing your best to make sure we can't learn from em?

[The Bookworm]

CR Seven! That seems about right...

[afroakuma]

So, you deliberately strip out all of the useful stuff? What's the point of releasing these if you're doing your best to make sure we can't learn from em?

What do you mean, "the useful stuff?" I cut all of the numbers and left the formative info, for whoever wants to steal it and do it up in their own fashion. Sure, I only left the slush, but it's some darn good slush.

What specifically did you want salvaged?

[watsyurname529]

What do you mean, "the useful stuff?" I cut all of the numbers and left the formative info, for whoever wants to steal it and do it up in their own fashion. Sure, I only left the slush, but it's some darn good slush.

What specifically did you want salvaged?

We wanted the pure essence of said magical scaffolds of POWER so that we could see the workings behind the afro.

[Mercenary Pen]

Now, despite a sudden, inexplicable hankering for a CR19.5 monster, I'll go for CR12 instead.

[thegurullamen]

Afro's a real creator now; everyone's asking that question that let's you know you're there:

"Where do you get your ideas?"

I give it five years before afro buys a machete that he'll affectionately name "The Answer".

[Juhn]

What do you mean, "the useful stuff?" I cut all of the numbers and left the formative info, for whoever wants to steal it and do it up in their own fashion. Sure, I only left the slush, but it's some darn good slush.

What specifically did you want salvaged?

Ah. I'm sorry if that came off as rather harsh - my head's feeling a little off at the moment, for some reason. As such, please excuse any possible lack of tact in this post as well. It was mostly the "I did strip most of the more important stuff from those" and the "any thought process that wasn't 'ooh, shiny must play must play.'" that made it sound like you were cutting out most of "the useful stuff", as I put it.

[puppyavenger]

well, highest that has a chance of winning CR 12

[LucyHarris]

CR 12 for the win, baby.

Also: I like the postings Afro does of his notes. It's always interesting to see someone's thought process (and said notes made me curious about the monster, which resulted in me going and reading the entire Augmoha thread). If you have any moar, keep 'em coming!