Villainous Competition XXXIV: Sword and Board

[MisterKaws]

So... We doing the reveal?

[AvatarVecna]

We had a few people signing up to judge. I was gonna wait to reply to judging until we had more than one, but if another one isn't coming, reveal is fine too.

[MisterKaws]

We had a few people signing up to judge. I was gonna wait to reply to judging until we had more than one, but if another one isn't coming, reveal is fine too.

I mean, if they at least confirm their presence now, I'd be okay with waiting.

[jdizzlean]

and the disputes have begun:

Sorry. Entry was a bit last-minute, as I'm sure is discernible from the ruined formatting of the later half, but I should have included Past Life in the DMG II section of the sources. It's in the same section as Prodigy.

It's not a feat, incidentally, which is why it features in the Advancement column instead of the Feats one. More of a pseudo-template.

Short dispute here.

You mention that Severus could easily become just “that spooky enemy we fought once”, but he’s really designed to be a recurring antagonist. That’s the real draw of ghost, here: every time you die you get a roll to straight up return to life (well, undeath) a few days later. Once you reach CR17 it becomes literally impossible to fail that roll, meaning the PCs are required to figure out your backstory and unfinished business to be permanently rid of you (or diplomacy their way out of being your enemy, which has much the same result as far as having to understand and interact with the character). Even in the worst case scenario of failing your very first rejuvenation roll, the players still must have fought you at least twice (once to kill you the first time, and once after you come back as a ghost).

[MisterKaws]

and the disputes have begun:

Are those quoted names right? Doesn't look like they are...

[jdizzlean]

fixed, that was my bad. that's what i get for posting that after i got home from a long day

[WhamBamSam]

I got distracted by Iron Chef. I've made it through a preliminary readthrough, finally. I see we've already got a judge in. I've been a pretty slow judge in the past, but maybe the criteria I set would make this time go more smoothly if people are really clamoring for a second opinion.

[AnimeTheCat]

Originally Posted by the sword master
Sorry. Entry was a bit last-minute, as I'm sure is discernible from the ruined formatting of the later half, but I should have included Past Life in the DMG II section of the sources. It's in the same section as Prodigy.

It's not a feat, incidentally, which is why it features in the Advancement column instead of the Feats one. More of a pseudo-template.

Found it. Took some searching. I don't have the time right this moment, but I'll put a score up at the very latest tomorrow.

Quote Originally Posted by Severus, Knight of Ghostly Thorns
Short dispute here.

You mention that Severus could easily become just “that spooky enemy we fought once”, but he’s really designed to be a recurring antagonist. That’s the real draw of ghost, here: every time you die you get a roll to straight up return to life (well, undeath) a few days later. Once you reach CR17 it becomes literally impossible to fail that roll, meaning the PCs are required to figure out your backstory and unfinished business to be permanently rid of you (or diplomacy their way out of being your enemy, which has much the same result as far as having to understand and interact with the character). Even in the worst case scenario of failing your very first rejuvenation roll, the players still must have fought you at least twice (once to kill you the first time, and once after you come back as a ghost).

I don't disagree with you, espeically since you do get the rejuvenation roll. Again, I do feel that this depends upon the framing. If this foe is in an undead focused campaign and the players know it, I have never experienced a game where someone didn't play a cleric/Radiant Servant and just destroyed undead all day long. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Severus is destroyed via a greater turning, I don't believe they get the option to rejuvinate. If this isn't the case and the only way to actually end the foe is to interact in a non-combative way, that certainly should increase the memorability. How much I'm not entirely sure since CR 17 is quite late in a campaign and I'm not entirely sure that Severus is punchy enough for the party to go out of their way to be concerned with him occasionally popping back up. If Greater Turning doesn't prevent rejuvination, I'll consider awarding more points, but as it stands ghosts are pretty easily countered by clerics.

[NontheistCleric]

I got distracted by Iron Chef. I've made it through a preliminary readthrough, finally. I see we've already got a judge in. I've been a pretty slow judge in the past, but maybe the criteria I set would make this time go more smoothly if people are really clamoring for a second opinion.

I doubt any of us entrants would mind knowing that yet another person had carefully read through and evaluate the submissions we so lovingly crafted.

[RaiKirah]

Really like these builds; good job folks who got theirs in! I personally got discouraged then distracted in my build and thus didn't finish a submission. I was working on a Multiheaded, Abberant Limbs Warforged Juggernaut/Forsaker, but couldn't fit in everything I wanted, and ended up with really low HD. Maybe next time I'll have better luck!

[jdizzlean]

not sure if this was meant to be included in the original dispute, or if this is a rebuttal... i'm brain dead.

Greater Turning "destroys" an undead, and while there's no mention of how this interacts with ghosts' Rejuvenation, the exact wording of Rejuvenation suggests they return to undeath just fine.

The "destroyed" spirit will often restore itself in 2d4 days. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions.

Greater Turning does have a decent chance of ruining Severus' day, even with his Turn Resistance and Cha damaging gaze attack, but it's a pretty specific build that can use it more than once per day (or even at all, for that matter), and Severus doesn't have to be part of an undead heavy campaign that would encourage such a build.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Any word on the dispute(s) and/or possible additional judge?

[jdizzlean]

i've no word on either front

[MisterKaws]

This is weird.

[jdizzlean]

i'm inclined to give it until wed or thurs next week at the very latest, and then just close the round and move on.

[Thurbane]

While we're waiting, I'd like to throw in a vote for an upcoming round: Humanoid only - must have the humanoid type. Still leaves room for funky templates and stuff that don't change type.

You could go for a straight Human Wizard 20, or you could go for some weird template combo...

[PoeticallyPsyco]

While we're waiting, I'd like to throw in a vote for an upcoming round: Humanoid only - must have the humanoid type. Still leaves room for funky templates and stuff that don't change type.

You could go for a straight Human Wizard 20, or you could go for some weird template combo...

Probably need the restriction that the Human Heritage feat is off limits. That would be too easy.

[jdizzlean]

apologies on the delay. the family conspired to give me the plague. I've spent the last week in bed, and doing tables on mobile is impossible. soon as i can stand to sit in front of the computer for long enough to do the reveal, it'll be done

[GrayDeath]

Best Wishes!

Something similar happened to me a few weeks ago.
Shucks.

[jdizzlean]

Entry	Competitor	Description	Score 1	Total	Placing
Karate Kitty	MisterKaws		16.5	16.5	Gold
Azm	Gauntlet		16.5	16.5	Gold
Severus, Knight of Ghostly Thorns	PoeticallyPsyco		15.5	15.5	Bronze
Eve	White Blade		15	15	4th
Amorph Prime	AvatarVecna		15	15	4th
Sword Master	NontheistCleric		-	-	Disqualified

Seems our judge got distracted from finishing up, so we'll leave it w/ the initial scoring and move one.

congrats to all, i'll have the next round up later tonight or in the morning

[remetagross]

NontheistCleric, I really enjoyed your fluff and write-up. Force Golem Three! That had quite some epic flair

Congrats to all participants, it was a bunch of very different builds all around :)

[MisterKaws]

Well, it's a damn shame for NontheisticCleric's entry to stay in judging limbo, since that dispute was granted, and just needed to be scored. Seems AnimeTheCat didn't log in at all in the last few weeks, so I guess we'll have to wait and see if he comes back to score it, just for completion's sake.

I had some disputes as well to settle, but I thought it was petty to try and do that while tied for gold, so those are gonna remain as a draft in my VC entries folder.

[NontheistCleric]

NontheistCleric, I really enjoyed your fluff and write-up. Force Golem Three! That had quite some epic flair

Thank you! I probably spend more time on the fluff than anything else in my entries, so that really makes up for any disappointment I feel.

I had some disputes as well to settle, but I thought it was petty to try and do that while tied for gold, so those are gonna remain as a draft in my VC entries folder.

Well, if there was a real issue with the judging, I personally wouldn't call that petty. After all, it is a competition.

[AvatarVecna]

I had disputes as well, but wanted to wait for a second judge to write em up, partially cuz efficiency, partially cuz they amountee to difference of opinion. The lesser issue was clearing up how Split works: namely that, while yes Splitting the target ooze would have that Ooze at half HP, the total HP of oozes that needs dealing skth remains the same - if the hit split it, it didn't hurt it, so the total HP is odentical, all that's changed is you wasted your turn giving the enemy more actions to work with. The "difference of opinion issue was the judge purporting that I could only Fly once a day for a minute, which is sort of true but sort of not: if I split before using, both uses now have a use. Using Splitting to get around this issue is prolly a little co troversial, though, and given that our one judge was already pretty judgy about using Su abilities at all whatsoever anyway, it felt more prudent to wait for a second judge or to jist not bother more wordy versions of what I've said here.

[NontheistCleric]

our one judge was already pretty judgy about using Su abilities at all whatsoever anyway

I actually found it very interesting how there seem to have been two strongly opposed views on Su abilities as a result of this round's restrictions, and even more so that our single judge would fall on the opposite side of the fence from literally every contestant.

Since this round is officially concluded, I suppose it can now be asked: Chairman, what was the actual 'RAI' of not including Su abilities in the restrictions? Was it, as seems to have been taken by us entrants, simply a way of encouraging more creative ways of introducing magical elements to 'Sword and Board' villains, or was it, as AnimeTheCat took it, an oversight in an attempt to completely eliminate any kind of supernatural aspects from this round's entries?

[jdizzlean]

the "vision" was to have a completely mundane villain from my perspective. having magical abilities that are su or ex instead of spell/psi like was a clever workaround for sure, but still would've been a ding from me had i been judging. that was my initial thought process on the round as a whole.