Markov's henchmen were based on Rotipher's ideas except Vern (I kept the name but turned him to a dog instead of a monitor lizard BrOne) but the descriptions are mostly mine.
Just noticed that the Withered Brethren (Warrior) are stated to be 4th lvl while they are 5th. Well I thought of doing all the "dirty work" of creating stats for all of them, since it takes too much time to create NPC stats in 3e.
Well in NMNB it appears during a storm and it seems more menacing for it to be able to control weather, makes it more probable to sink a ship too.Jeremy16 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:38 pm Soul Kraken – I don't like granting this creature the ability to control weather, given all its other powers. Also, I don't like making it the Darklord's “pet” either. I think their relationship should be symbiotic but independent of each other, if that makes any sense. Also also, am I missing something - what is the difference between its tentacles and its arms?
It is not actually his pet he does not command it...
Darklord’s Pet (Ex): Whenever Frabtisek Markov closes the borders of his domain the Soul Kraken becomes alert, it defies even the harmful rays of the sun seeking and attacking any ship that tries to cross Markovia’s borders.
I thought since it exists there it is better than the megalodon sharks proposed in 2e Domains of Dread.
Eight of the beast’s tentacles are shorter arms about 30 feet long; the remaining two are nearly sixty feet long and covered with barbs.
No these are actually the wereravens some turned to giant ravens.Jeremy16 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:38 pm Feral Pig / Giant Raven – This set of unique animals split my opinion once again. I like the callback that the Feral Pig has to the Darklord's roots. I kinda see the Giant Raven doing the same thing, just not as well. Is this the source of the rumors of Rocs on the island? Is that the payoff here and I am too dense to see it? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
Were is the rumour of a Roc from?
"Since the transition of Markovia into an island in the Sea of Sorrows, the sea rises and tumble in violent bursts against the shores, and sharks team in the waters, seeking the objects of Markov’s wrath. Strangely the rise of the sea enables ships from Sunset Bay to leave the lagoon even without the tides. It is possible to enter and leave Markovia through the Mists, but they usually do not rise if Markov doesn’t want them to. The Soul Kraken remains dormant during this time as some sharks are so large they are threatening to the sea monster."Jeremy16 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:38 pm Dr. Frantisek Markov– I like presenting 3 different versions of this guy; giving DMs more choices is always a good idea. Additonally, I would rather have him control the storms instead of the Soul Kraken. It's a powerful tool and it shouldn't be overused. Besides, it makes more sense to tie it into the Darklord's border closing special ability.
Hmm... I thought this meant calling a storm in other words, I just noticed that I have cancelled the Kraken's Darklord's Pet ability by writing this (which came later)... So is it Megalodon or Soul Kraken? For now I am inclined to have Markov closing the borders with a storm and the Soul Kraken being dormant because of the sharks (sharks are canon after all). The Soul Kraken can't use it's control weather ability while Markov keeps the borders closed.
Thanks that was an epiphany... Since I always wanted to write something about the Ata-Bestaal it seemed appropriate.
Yes I know I overdid it with Felix. I am not really satisfied with his backstory either and I find it also too superficial and badly written (although it was the reason for discovering shrieking hags while researching for info to use in his background (time for some Children of the Night: Hags topic...). I based it on an idea by Rotipher to have Felix being a human turned into a snow leopard and then to Greater Broken One by Markov (something like a reversed Von Kharkov NPC) since snow leopards exist in G'Henna I thought of making him originate from there too, but making him Ata-Bestaal too was too much. Any ideas to fix his background are welcomed, but I believe that Rotipher's idea (human-turned-animal-then-beastman) should be kept. Maybe bumping to the shrieking hag of G'Henna by accident and turned into a snow leopard is enough.Jeremy16 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:38 pm Felix – Having one Broken One's origin linked to Ata-Bestaal was an interesting twist, but having two is, you guessed it... overkill. Add in Shih Suren and now you could potentially have 3 cat-men running around the island opposing each other. And while I admit that that's an amusing image, it's all a bit much and each character's presence makes the others less unique.
Well you have to have an origin for the Broken Blades and I felt that having them be former Guardian's turned extremists was a good idea. As for the Beast of Ehrendton well he just met Armand Ironhand not the Cornugon itself its not a big deal and there has to be an explanation how the Guardian cells are funded (at least in their beginning).Jeremy16 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:38 pm Father Milhouse – There's some good but a lot of bad in this entry. I like the retcon of giving the Crown of Souls its own Guardians cell. That makes sense, and having Radaga betray them is also very clever. But, what's with adding in the origin of the Brotherhood of the Broken Blades, and even the Beast of Ehrendton to Father Milhouse's history? What, is this guy Forrest Gump?
Well before Markov was a recluse isolated from the world except for scavenging ships and dissecting castaways. With Gaertner he becomes more like a colonialist, even if it is his island (he needed some change after the events of NMNB) and Gaertner becomes his connection to the rest of the world. What was he supposed to do send broken ones across the sea? First they have no idea about navigation and secondly they would mostly be viewed as monsters. Also because of the Grand Conjunction "destruction of the world" myth if any broken one comes back and tells what exist beyond the sea there is a good chance for another rebellion.
Well evil guys need powerful tools too.Jeremy16 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:38 pm I do like the introduction of such powerful magic items; it's just a shame that they've found their way into the hands of someone so evil. You would think an Anchorite of Ezra would have put in some security measures to prevent such an event from happening, or at the very least the church would be actively trying to retrieve them.
Professor Pacali taught in Brautslava Institute it is not such a great thing.Jeremy16 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:38 pm Lina Emmerich – While I like this person very much, I don't think she necessarily deserves such an extensive write-up. Once again, we have an ancillary character whose story stretches credulity by being tied into so many canon people and events (The Brautslava Institute, Professor Pacali, etc). Besides that, I did enjoy reading about the machinations of the Syndicate of Enlightened Citizens because they are such pompous bastards and I see them as a good foil for the Fraternity of Shadows.
His surname is an "Easter Egg"
Is it?
I had him at first having been saved by a broken one of horse stock which used to be his horse. After the Beastman Rebellion the beastman turned into a horse once more and Jens talks to it (and people believe he is crazy). Then I decided to make him exactly as Crusoe. It could be that my first idea was better after all...Jeremy16 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:38 pm Why go so far afield to explain his descent into madness? He's marooned on an island, been isolated for years, and has had several encounters with monstrous humanoids. It seems pretty natural that he would fall into some sort of pyschosis under those circumstances. What would be neat is if while he is in the throes of his delirium he imagined a companion for himself (such as a pal Friday) whom he makes frequent references to in conversation but is never seen!