Results 1 to 17 of 17
-
2006-09-02, 11:06 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
[Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Black Passion
Black passions were once the playthings of malicious members of the Unseelie Court. Maddened with rage by the intricate tricks and mockery of the fey creatures, a further cruelty was placed upon them, an inability to step down from the heights of this rage. In fact, all the anger was allowed to stack itself upon the other until a strange thing occurred. Such was their insane anger that they gained strength from it and reveled in the power it gave them. They became beings of the blackest passions, addicted to a hatred of such magnitude that they gained a cold control, no longer able to properly vent the emotions roiling within.
Though they hate it as they do all things now, they are then forced by their tormentors to serve them, guaranteeing them a chance to partially take out their unrelenting frustrations on the unseelie's enemies.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Sample Black Passion
The ground thunders as a heavy creature approaches at great speed. Into view comes a centaur that seems positively swelled with menace. His face and skin is the deep purlish black of someone in a horrible rage. Throbbing veins pulse with an ominous tick. You then look into his flickering eyes and feel your strength and will drain away...
Black Passion Centaur
Large Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 4d8+20 (38 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 65 ft. (13 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+15
Attack: Longsword +10 melee (2d6+7/19–20) or composite longbow (+6 Str bonus) +5 ranged (2d6+7/x3)
Full Attack: Longsword +10 melee (2d6+7/19–20) and 2 hooves +6 melee (1d6+3); or composite longbow (+6 Str bonus) +5 ranged (2d6+7/x3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Favored enemy, if looks could kill, menacing countenance, utter fury
Special Qualities: Cold fury, damage reduction 2/-, darkvision 60 ft., enraged mind, flight of passion
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 14, Con 21, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 15
Skills: Intimidate +12, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Spot +2, Survival +1
Feats: Dodge, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (hoof )
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +6
Combat
A black passion centaur prefers to charge into battle, crushing panicked foes beneath with a positive delight as he decapitates those farther away with thrusts of incredible power.
Cold Fury (Ex): A black passion centaur is already in the ultimate throes of anger possible and as such is immune to spells and abilities that deal with anger. As well, a black passion is so enraged that they are immune to intimidation and fear affects. A Calm Emotions spell and other emotional dampening spells and affects renders the black passion nauseated for their duration. These spells and abilities may still be blocked by the black passion's enraged mind (see below).
Enraged Mind (Ex): Touching upon a Black Passion's mind is like tapping into an explosion of mindless rage and hatred. Those that attempt to use a mind-affecting effect on a black passion must succeed on a Will save (DC 14) or be stunned for 1 round per point the save was failed. If the save is made the effect functions normally.
Favored Enemy (Ex): Any being that attempts to attack, trap, intimidate or in some way annoys the black passion centaur becomes the target of its horrible hostility. The centaur gains a +2 bonus on Intimidate, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against this target. Likewise, the centaur gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against his current enemy. A black passion centaur may choose two beings to be his favored enemies at any one time.
Flight of Passion (Su): A black passion centaur may literally fly into a fit of rage. It gains a fly speed of 40 feet with average maneuverability for up to 2 minutes, and gains the benefits of the Flyby Attack feat.
If Looks Could Kill (Su): A black passion centaur can allow its hate to seep out in the form of a killing look. If he directs his killing look at a person or objects within 30 feet, he makes a gaze attack. A target that meets the black passion's gaze must make a successful fortitude save (DC 14) or die. Even if the save is made the target takes 4d6 points of damage. A black passion centaur may make a total of 2 killing looks per day.
Menacing Countenance (Ex): Such is the unspoken rage of a black passion that any creature within a 20-foot radius of one must succeed on a Will save to resist being cowed (DC 14). Those who fail take a –2 penalty on attacks, AC, and saves when these apply to the centaur for 24 hours or until they successfully hit it. A creature that has resisted its menacing aspect cannot be affected again for 24 hours.
Utter Fury (Ex): The black passion centaur nearing death may finally release the torrent of emotion within. It is not treated as disabled at 0 hit points, nor is it treated as dying at -1 to -9 hit points. Even if reduced to -10 hit points or less the centaur continues to fight normally for 4 rounds. At that point, the effects of its wounds apply normally if they have not been healed. This ability even prevents death caused from massive damage, but not from spell effects such as slay living or disintegrate.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Creating a Black Passion
Black Passion is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal giant, humanoid, or monstrous humanoid with an intelligence score of at least 3, hereafter referred to as the base creature. A Black Passion uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: Humanoids with this template become monstrous humanoids, but otherwise the creature type is unchanged. Size is unchanged.
Speed: All of a black passion's speed types increase by 5 for each size category they are above Tiny.
Special Attacks: A black passion retains all attacks of the base creature plus the following attacks.
Favored Enemy (Ex): Any being that attempts to attack, trap, intimidate or in some way annoys the Black Passion becomes the target of their horrible hostility. The black passion gains a +2 bonus on Intimidate, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against this target. Likewise, the black passion gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against his current enemy. A black passion may have a number of favored enemies at any one time equal to their Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
If Looks Could Kill (Su): A black passion can allow its hate to seep out in the form of a killing look. If he directs his killing look at a person or objects within 30 feet, he makes a gaze attack. A target that meets the black passion's gaze must make a successful fortitude save (DC 10 + half creature's HD + Charisma-modifier) or die. Even if the save is made the target takes 1d6 points of damage per HD of the Black Passion. A black passion may make a number of killing looks per day equal to his charisma modifier.
Menacing Countenance (Ex): Such is the unspoken rage of a Black Passion that any creature within a 20-foot radius of one must succeed on a Will save to resist being cowed (DC 10 + half creature's HD + Charisma-modifier). Those who fail take a –2 penalty on attacks, AC, and saves when these apply to the black passion for 24 hours or until they successfully hit the black passion. A creature that has resisted its menacing aspect cannot be affected again for 24 hours.
Utter Fury (Ex): The black passion nearing death may finally release the torrent of emotion within. It is not treated as disabled at 0 hit points, nor is it treated as dying at -1 to -9 hit points. Even if reduced to -10 hit points or less the black passion continues to fight normally for a number of rounds equal to its Charisma-modifier x2. At that point, the effects of its wounds apply normally if they have not been healed. This ability even prevents death caused from massive damage, but not from spell effects such as slay living or disintegrate.
Special Qualities: A black passion retains all qualities of the base creature plus the following qualities.
Cold Fury (Ex): A black passion is already in the ultimate throes of anger possible and as such is immune to spells and abilities that deal with anger. As well, a black passion is so enraged that they are immune to intimidation and fear affects. A Calm Emotions spell and other emotional dampening spells and affects renders the black passion nauseated for their duration. These spells and abilities may still be blocked by the black passion's enraged mind (see below).
Enraged Mind (Ex): Touching upon a Black Passion's mind is like tapping into an explosion of mindless rage and hatred. Those that attempt to use a mind-affecting effect on a black passion must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + half creature's HD + Charisma-modifier) or be stunned for 1 round per point the save was failed. If the save is made the affect functions normally.
Damage Reduction (Ex): A black passion gains damage reduction 2/-.
Flight of Passion (Su): A black passion may literally fly into a fit of rage. They gain a fly speed of 40 feet with average maneuverability for a number of minutes equal to their Charisma-modifier, and gain the benefits of the Flyby Attack feat.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +6, Con +6, Wis -2, Cha +4.
Skills: Black Passions have a +10 racial bonus on Intimidate checks. Otherwise same as the base creature.
Feats: Black Passions gain the Power Attack feat. Otherwise same as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +2.
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4Last edited by The Vorpal Tribble; 2010-08-27 at 12:43 AM.
-
2006-09-02, 05:51 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Atalya
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Hooooooly craaaaaap!
*hides in the safety of schoolwork from the scary deathcentaur*Terrence Randall and the Kinslayer by NEO|Phyte
Dencamp Bertrande takes a bow.
Spoiler
Terrence Randall by The Stoney One
Rennac Belnades by Lord Iames.
-
2006-09-02, 06:32 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2006
- Location
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
I think I like this template. I think I like it quite a bit, in fact. :)
Here I was thinking it was a Futurama reference... Buuut, I guess we're just two different people...Don't bother trying to appeal to my better nature; I don't have one.
-
2006-09-02, 06:35 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2006
- Location
- Northen Virginia
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
For the speed increase, would that increase/decrease is one them them was enlarged/shrunken?
-
2006-09-02, 06:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Originally Posted by Fangthane
Its a famous quote out of Moby ****:
"And he piled upon the whales white hump a sum of all the rage and hate felt by his own race. If his chest had been a cannon, he would have shot his heart upon it..."
For the speed increase, would that increase/decrease is one them them was enlarged/shrunken?
-
2006-09-02, 07:22 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2006
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble
Do you mean save was failed? I don't think fail is a noun that you can apply saved to.....Of course, by the time I finish this post, it will already be obsolete. C'est la vie.
-
2006-09-02, 07:52 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Originally Posted by Jack_Simth
-
2006-09-02, 08:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2006
- Location
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Hmm, you're right - should actually be "per point by which the saving throw failed" to be strictly grammatical. :)
Bah to Melville. I tried to read Moby **** once, I really did. Didn't enjoy it, didn't finish it, don't remember much of it. I was always much more into Asimov, Huxley, Wells and Donaldson - the subject matter of most of the 'classic' writers never really appealed.Don't bother trying to appeal to my better nature; I don't have one.
-
2006-09-02, 08:46 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2006
- Location
- Water Tribe, South Pole
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
*whistles* This is some powerful stuff, VT. A death attack, albeit one with a ridiculously low DC; a fly speed for two minutes a day (I think that's the duration of the spell in 3.5, isn't it?); and some major inate abilities. Woe to the low level party who thinks they can defeat such a creature by force of numbers. Beautiful.
MitP vote: Yes.
One thing: can a Good creature acquire this template? Maybe some prereqs are in order...Water, Earth, Fire, and Air: Benders of the Avatar worldAvatar By the amazing Mephibosheth
-
2006-09-02, 09:13 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Originally Posted by Eighth_Seraph
-
2006-09-02, 09:24 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Atalya
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Originally Posted by The Vorpal TribbleTerrence Randall and the Kinslayer by NEO|Phyte
Dencamp Bertrande takes a bow.
Spoiler
Terrence Randall by The Stoney One
Rennac Belnades by Lord Iames.
-
2006-09-02, 09:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2006
- Location
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Who's to say that these Black Passions aren't what the rest of the fey make of an evil Inveigler's table scraps? :)
How's that for a shameless plug? :)Don't bother trying to appeal to my better nature; I don't have one.
-
2006-09-02, 11:51 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2006
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Interesting, but I'd say If Looks Could Kill + Utter Fury = Massive Party Deaths:
1. Take one lvl-1 kobold sorcerer (Cha 18/+4). The lower the HP, the better.
2. Apply Black Passion template. (+4 Cha bonus = Cha 22/+6)
3. Let the foolish players knock him below 0 HP.
4. Fry six of them with DC 21 death gazes while they can't kill it.
5. Spend the last 6+ rounds whacking the survivors as they (futily) try to kill it.
Between the CHA-based invincibility, the fly ability, and the CHA death gaze, I'd say the class that benefits most from this template are sorcerers. And this is from a CR 3 creature. The medusa, a CR 7 creature, has a DC 15 gaze attack. And, if you follow the DMG rules (p.294), the PCs could be making 2 saves a round against it (one passive, one directed), instead of one.
I'd suggest:
1. Changing Utter Fury to an automatic Rage (or Greater Rage) once he drops to 0 HP or below instead of a multi-round invincibility and removing the Looks Could Kill DC bonus; it fits the template but lets the PCs still try to take it down fast.
2. Changing Flight of Passion from a fly ability to a jump ability. Seeing a creature fly just because it got angry enough strikes me as a "WTF?" moment. Seeing a creature get angry enough to leap 50 ft. into the air and land on the party wizard (crushing him into a slimy pulp) is an "Oh, ****!" moment.
3. Removing the Cha bonus. Why would a character that's lost all control of its mind get a Cha bonus?
-
2006-09-03, 01:14 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
1. Take one lvl-1 kobold sorcerer (Cha 18/+4). The lower the HP, the better.
A normal kobold would have a Charisma of 10. Add +4 and its only 14. This is an average DC 12 save at third level. 17 if he's being killed. Thats not exactly over the top when the nice thing about gaze attacks is you don't 'have' to look at the guy. But if I get rid of the bonus when they are dying then the saves, as has been mentioned, aren't much of a threat.
1. Changing Utter Fury to an automatic Rage (or Greater Rage) once he drops to 0 HP or below instead of a multi-round invincibility
and removing the Looks Could Kill DC bonus; it fits the template but lets the PCs still try to take it down fast.
2. Changing Flight of Passion from a fly ability to a jump ability. Seeing a creature fly just because it got angry enough strikes me as a "WTF?" moment. Seeing a creature get angry enough to leap 50 ft. into the air and land on the party wizard (crushing him into a slimy pulp) is an "Oh, spoon!" moment.
3. Removing the Cha bonus. Why would a character that's lost all control of its mind get a Cha bonus?
"They became beings of the blackest passions, addicted to a hatred of such magnitude that they gained a cold control"
#2. These guy's charisma is so high because they are so mad and radiating agression that they can cow and intimidate like nothing else. They have a veritable presence to them. An aura of menace one might say. Certainly seemed to fit to me.
-
2006-09-03, 02:05 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2005
- Location
- Mare Imbrium, The Moon
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
+2 sounds a little low, given that they get faster, get to fly, get a save-for-damage-or-die gaze attack, etc.
Combined that with the nasty ability modifiers? It's definitely more powerful than a Half-Dragon, I would give a +4 CR boost at a guess.
I also quibble about the "stunned for 1 round for each point they miss by" - this could be a quite fearsome save for a high-cha monster, and not only does it require unnecessary bookkeeping but is basically a potential save-or-lose for any mindreaders. Given that WotC's policy is typically save or fail, I'm generally leery about scaling fail attempts, and would give it something similar to 1d4+1 rounds.
Other than that, very scary, and I like it.
-
2006-09-03, 02:46 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2006
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble
My second point is that the "get in melee and bash them" traits, which should take center stage in a template like this, pale next to the twinking you can accomplish by giving this to a Cha-reliant class. Every ability's DC is Cha-related, with no boons to melee besides the +6 Str/Con and +2 damage.
For a template that's supposed to have absolute control over its angry strength, there's more that suggests Emotional Psionics than Focused Bonecrushing Blows here. Perhaps adding a special melee attack that causes extra damage and acts like an Improved Bull Rush (even if the passioned didn't charge) would balance that out?
Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble
Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble
Originally Posted by The Vorpal Tribble
-
2006-09-05, 11:04 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2004
- Location
- The Mindfields
- Gender
Re: [Template] If his chest had been a cannon...
Originally Posted by Mike_Lemmer
My second point is that the "get in melee and bash them" traits, which should take center stage in a template like this, pale next to the twinking you can accomplish by giving this to a Cha-reliant class. Every ability's DC is Cha-related, with no boons to melee besides the +6 Str/Con and +2 damage.
For a template that's supposed to have absolute control over its angry strength, there's more that suggests Emotional Psionics than Focused Bonecrushing Blows here. Perhaps adding a special melee attack that causes extra damage and acts like an Improved Bull Rush (even if the passioned didn't charge) would balance that out?
Deathless Frenzy. I still say making it go into a Rage instead of increasing the save DC of its gaze is the way to go with that. And, looking at the Frenzy duration listed, it relies on Con instead of Cha. You could use a number of rounds equal to its Con and still get a high value without resorting to doubling it.
Isn't that what the +10 template bonus to Intimidation is for? I think the passioned would be handicapped at everything else Charisma modifies. The transition resulted from a mental breakdown modified by a curse, after all.