| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Mandras |
Posted - 13 Feb 2007 : 10:55:03
Hello.
I designed for my game a ritual to acquire non-inherited fiendish template. I'll post it here and hope to get some feedback.
My idea is partly based on two articles from the WotC website ("Fiendish Creature and Werebear Template Classes" by Sean K Reynolds, www.wizards.com, 11/14/2003 & „More (Half-)Fiendish Variety, Creature Incarnations“ by Robert Wiese, www.wizards.com, 06/30/2006) where is briefly talked about options to acquire half-fiend and fiendish templates in non-inherited way.
In addition I had some inspiration from Acolyte of the Skin prestige class described in "Tome and Blood" and "Complete Arcane" accessories.
The calculations (prices and save DC-s) are based loosely on Lich template, it's phylactery and spells DC-s as casted by minimum level caster neede to become lich. I took the Lich template because that can be added to NPC-s (and PC-s if DM allows) quite easily, and adds +2 to CR as does fiendish template for 8+ level characters.
I based my ritual and template description on 3.0 D&D rules (with minor rule clarifications from 3.5 edition) as I use it in my game. Anyone wishing can quite easily modify this ritual into 3.5 rules.
In my game the ritual is based on Forgotten Realms history and specifically Netheril empire. Anyone wishing can modify this aspect easily too.
So here it comes:
The Ritual of Fiendish Blood Transfusion
The Ritual of Fiendish Blood Transfusion is a blasphemous ritual invented by the Netheril's Lichlord that was eradicated already during Netheril's Age from most arcane libraries, but a few barely legible copies of the text describing the ritual have survived.
The first part of the ritual is creating a magic potion in which the creator stores the liquid essence of fiendish blood. The creation of the potion requires Brew Potion and Craft Wondrous Item feats. The creator must be able to cast spells and have a caster level of 11th or higher. The potion costs 120,000 gp and 4,800 XP to create and has a caster level equal to that of its creator at the time of creation. The liquid essence in the potion retains it´s magical properties infinitely.
A typical potion consists of 2 ounces of liquid held in a metal vial fitted with a tight stopper. The stoppered container is usually no more than 2 inches wide and 3 inches high. The vial has AC 13, 1 hit point, hardness 10, and a break DC of 20.
Secondly the subject of the ritual must drink the potion. The subject can be any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin of nongood alignment (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The subject can be unwilling (in that case the Fortitude save DC 19 negates the merging effect). The potion does not work on good-aligned creatures, for those it is considered poison (ingested, Fortitude save DC 19, initial 1d6 Con, secondary 2d6 Con damage).
The drinking of the potion starts merging the essence of fiendish blood with subject. The merging takes 10 rounds from consumation of the liquid to completion, and once begun, nothing can halt its progress. The fiendish essence subsumes the caster's own blood, an agonizing process that deals 1d4 points of damage each round of the merging. Wise subjects keep some cure potions or a healer willing to help on hand. On the tenth round the subject must succeed a Will save (DC 19) to avoid going mad from the pain and evil. If the subject fails the save he becomes insane (as if under Insanity spell). Whether the subject became insane or not - at the end of the rite, the subject's blood acquires darker shade and barely discernable smell of sulphur. The subject has now acquired fiendish template.
Ritual of Fiendish Blood Transfusion ritual infuses base creature permanently with fiendish essence, giving the recipient non-inherited fiendish creature template. The magical effect after merging is instantaneous and therefore can't be dispelled.
Add fiendish template to creature. Animals or vermin with this template become magical beasts, but otherwise the creature type is unchanged. Since the creature with non-inherited fiendish template is native to Material Plane it does not have extraplanar subtype on that plane.
The template is mostly designed for NPC-s but can be used by PC-s with DM-s approval.
So - what do You think? Is it balanced? Any serious flaws?
Best Regards,
Mandras |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mandras |
Posted - 15 Feb 2007 : 18:18:02
quote:
Originally posted by ShadezofDis
Alright, I REALLY like the idea, I think it's great. Now, as for specifics in it, those I'm a little warry about :)
First things first, if you consider for a moment, devil's will likely kill anyone who tries to become a "real" devil [...]
Alright, the contents of the potion, I think it should be a surpremely difficult potion to make. [...]
Thanks for Your kind words.
I think I must redesign the description of the ritual (especially the fiendish blood part) as it seems to be slightly misguiding.
The fiendish template does not mean the creature becomes a fiend (demon/devil/yugoloth). It does not in this case even mean becoming outsider (the subjects type would remain the same it used to be before the ritual (native to material plane).
It would simply mean that the creature is imbued with the essence of lower planes (the so called evil radiation of the land). Let's say he has been soaked in pure evil and some of that has stuck inside him.
He is no demon/devil/yugoloth. He is EVIL.
Also - i believe the fiends would really enjoy such kind of characters - they guy has the alignment you represent, has been touched by your plane and seems like a nice fellow to make deals with for advancing your agendas in Prime Material Plane. See how the Acolyte of the Skin prestige class works...
About the creation of the potion - it's up to DM how easy or hard he/she makes the collecting of needed components. I simply used the price and XP cost for making lich phylactery as lich has also CR+2 abilities in game terms.
PS! I designed the ritual to be used by and evil NPC in my game. I would not let my players use it... (or if they went that way i would make them my NPC-s).
:)
Best Regards,
Mandras.
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| ShadezofDis |
Posted - 15 Feb 2007 : 16:20:49
Alright, I REALLY like the idea, I think it's great. Now, as for specifics in it, those I'm a little warry about :)
First things first, if you consider for a moment, devil's will likely kill anyone who tries to become a "real" devil due to the facts that they aren't as "perfect" as devils (neither as lawful nor as evil) and that they are outside the hierarchy of hell, this information tells me that devil's would really hate this sort of ritual, to the point where they would likely try to whipe any trace of it from the cosmos.
As for demons, I don't think they'd like it, but I don't think they'd care as much, though I can see Eltab and Orcus and to a lesser extent Lloth taking an interest in the "new demon" (two bits about this, first, it seems that they are the "most active" high end demons in the realms, and yes, that's a bit of a strech to call Lloth a demon {but I'm old school!} and these beings interest is a really, really bad thing *g*} and for Yugo's . . . well, I think they'd just pick you up and say "hey dude, welcome to the life of the interplanar merc" *g*
Alright, the contents of the potion, I think it should be a surpremely difficult potion to make. In fact, I would say that it would require the "life essence" of a devil/demon/yugo/outsider of most any sort would probably work (ie. you have to take them down on their home plane and probably "trap the soul" to use in making the potion. . . if you get what I'm sayin *g*) (Of course, with that said, you may just be able to get away with taking a demon down in an Abyssal Cyst {is that what they're called? the little pockets around Narfell and what not} since it is sort of the Abyss *g*)
I would also make the template hinge on the outsider's CR, rather than the PC's level (I was going to say the outsiders HD but I think the CR is a better measure of the outsiders "power") and I would further make it a contested will save, the outsiders will save vs the potion drinkers will, if the potion drinker fails the contested save then the outsider takes over the body (I would do this AFTER doing a Fort save to survive the imbibing of "outer planar essence")
Heck, I'd even add in a Will save vs the CR of the outsider, if the save is successful then you keep your personality, if the save fails then you become the "planes alignment" because you are fighting the pure essence of the plane. (this would be after the fort save and after the contested will save)
I guess, what I'm basically getting at, is that I'd make this ritual insanely difficult because . . . well, because I think it should be insanely difficult to aquire an outsider template :)
Heck. . . it's sort of a "symbolic rebirth" sorta jam (to make it mesh with canon) so I'd even add ANOTHER will save to avoid losing "yourself" and end up like an infant who was just born (in fact, you can add to the ingredients of the potion a drop or two from the river Styx, to facilitate the "rebirth" process)
Phew, ok, I'm gonna shut up now :) |
| Mandras |
Posted - 15 Feb 2007 : 09:14:49
quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
I like your work, however, I believe it is too powerful. If you think about what e.g. a race such as the drow gain for a +2 CR increase the fiendish blood templete granting so much more abilities should be increasing the CR by even more, IMO.
Hey.
This is official template from Monster Manual (and official CR addition) that can be by game rules added to humanoids (simply this must be added when the NPC is born).
Drow are CR +1, they are ECL +2 which is different thing. Compare fiendish template to lich, vampire and half-fiends templates (those are all CR +2) and it does not look overpowered.
I agree that if you let the PC get this template you should modify his/her ECL level more than +2. Perhaps ECL +3 or +4 would be right.
Best Regards,
Mandras |
| Ergdusch |
Posted - 15 Feb 2007 : 08:30:41
Hey mandras! Thanks for restating the templete! How could I have missed it the first time?!?
Anyhow - I agree with your argumentation about changing the alingment. it does make sense.
I like your work, however, I believe it is too powerful. If you think about what e.g. a race such as the drow gain for a +2 CR increase the fiendish blood templete granting so much more abilities should be increasing the CR by even more, IMO.
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| Mandras |
Posted - 14 Feb 2007 : 17:34:05
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630a
That is the article about half-fiends.
Best Regards,
Mandras
PS! I would really appreciate any comments about the ritual. |
| Purple Dragon Knight |
Posted - 14 Feb 2007 : 16:57:42
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
You might also want to check out the 3rd Hordes of the abyss web enhancement which features a formula for making half fiends differnet from each other ie a Half Balor gets different bonus then a Half Vrock etc
Dear Dargoth, I cannot find that most intriguing Web Enhancement... mind pointing me in the right direction? Cheers! |
| Mandras |
Posted - 14 Feb 2007 : 10:22:54
quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
One more thing (or have I missed this part somehow???): what changes does the templete acutally bring along?
Example with D&D 3.0 edition rules: 9th level human fighter with fiendish template would gain the following:
1) darvision 60ft
2) cold & fire resistance 15
3) damage reduction 5/+2
4) spell resistance 18
5) ability to smite good - once per day the fighter can make a normal attack to deal additional +9 points of damage against a good foe.
The fighters challenge rating would be 11.
In the 3.5 edition these abilities would be the following:
1) darvision 60ft
2) cold & fire resistance 10 (from 1-7HD resistance 5, 8+ HD resistance 10)
3) damage reduction 5/magic (for 1-3HD none, 4-11 5/magic, 12+ HD 10/magic)
4) spell resistance 14 (spell resistance equal to the creature’s HD + 5 [maximum 25])
5) ability to smite good - once per day the fighter can make a normal attack to deal additional +9 points of damage against a good foe.
The fighters challenge rating would again be 11.
About the alignment change - i would not force on the good aligned creature an alignment change. Simply the essence of pure evil is like poison for those kind of creatures. You either survive it or die but it does not make you evil.
On the other hand the willing consumation of the potion could be considered evil act, that will change the alignment of the drinker to evil.
I think that the unwilling drinking of the potion and the failure to resist the merging with fortitude save will cause the creature to be tainted with evil essence and become evil-aligned from that moment on.
Also, I think that the making of the potion or willful drinking of it is considered blasphemy by many good churches (Lathander and Torm for instance) and could bring along quite dangerous consequences for the potion maker and the new fiendish creature.
Best Regards,
Mandras |
| Ergdusch |
Posted - 14 Feb 2007 : 08:50:07
One more thing (or have I missed this part somehow???): what changes does the templete acutally bring along? |
| Ergdusch |
Posted - 14 Feb 2007 : 08:48:42
I like the idae - most definitly. But I would change it in some way or the other similar to Aureus' suggestions concerning good aligned creatures. And what happens with neutral aligned creatures? Do they necissarily change alignment than, too? Even if they drink the potion unwillingly or without knowing what evil they are about to do?
Further I wonder: You list up Ooze as possible creatures to be effected. Now, how would an ooze be able to consume the potion? And with what 'blood' would the potion mix as oozes have no blood? |
| Mandras |
Posted - 14 Feb 2007 : 06:03:27
I thought I'll post the official fiendish template stats here for easier reference (as they are covered by OGL license I think this will be OK):
Fiendish Creature Template
(based on D&D 3.0 edition with some minor clarifications from 3.5 edition)
"Fiendish" is a template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin of nongood alignment (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A fiendish creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.
Size and Type: Animals or vermin with this template become magical beasts, but otherwise the creature type is unchanged. Size is unchanged. Since the creature with non-inherited fiendish template is native to Material Plane it does not have extraplanar subtype on that plane.
Special Attacks: A fiendish creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following:
* Smite Good (Su): Once per day the creature can make a normal attack to deal additional damage equal to its HD total (maximum of +20) against a good foe.
Special Qualities: A fiendish creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following:
* Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
* Cold and fire resistance (see the table below).
* Damage reduction (see the table below).
* SR equal to double the creature’s HD (maximum 25).
Hit Dice / Cold, Fire Resistance / Damage Reduction
1-3 / 5 / -
4-7 / 10 / 5/+1
8-11 / 15 / 5/+2
12+ / 20 / 10/+3
If the base creature already has one or more of these special qualities, use the better value.
Base Saves: Same as the base creature
Abilities: Same as the base creature, but Intelligence is at least 3.
Skills: Same as the base creature
Feats: Same as the base creature
Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature
Organization: Same as the base creature
Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, as base creature
4 HD to 7 HD, as base creature +1
8+ HD, as base creature +2
Treasure: Same as the base creature
Alignment: Always evil (any)
Advancement: Same as the base creature
Any insight and feedback about the ritual I designed is very welcome.
Best Regards,
Mandras |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 13 Feb 2007 : 16:49:52
I think Savage Species has something on this, but as I'm not at home right now, I can't check on this.
Edit: Home now . . . there are rules on page 149 of Savage Species about this, basically saying that it costs 1000 x caster level of the ritualist x starting ECL of the creatures being turned into, and that the spellcaster performing the ritual must be at least equal in level to the ECL of the creature turned into, at a minimum level of 7th.
Also noted under this method is that a caster cannot perform a ritual on themselves. |
| Mandras |
Posted - 13 Feb 2007 : 13:42:47
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Did you check out the Nar Fiend Bond spell in LEOF?
You might also want to check out the 3rd Hordes of the abyss web enhancement which features a formula for making half fiends differnet from each other ie a Half Balor gets different bonus then a Half Vrock etc
I read that web enchantment (and made a reference to it - „More (Half-)Fiendish Variety, Creature Incarnations“) but it deals mostly with half-fiends.
My intention was to give NPC-s ability to acquire fiendish template, which is quite a different thing. Basically "fiendish" is a creature soaked in the essence of a lower plane and some of that has stuck but it still the creature it used to be, on the other hand - half-fiend is partly demon/devil/yugoloth and partly the creature of prime material.
You create half-fiend by either mating fiend with person from material plane and the offspring is the half-fiend or you could somehow force fiend and some other creature in a single body. Anyway - the thing you get is usually quite hideous (or at least detectable as something unnatural from quite far far away).
The person enhanced with fiendish essence on the other hand is a more subtle adversary. A good way of describing fiendish creature is this example: you take a human village from Dalelands and somehow move it into Abyss with it´s whole population. The villagers manage to survive, continue more or less their usual lives (farming, drinking, sleeping, breeding). After some generations the essence of the Abyss has imbued them - they are still humans but the plane has changed them - they have become more evil, they have developed some new powers. Essentially the fiendish creature template added to human. But they are not demons.
But the official rules say that the fiendish creature template is inherited template - so You are either born with it or not.
My idea was to design a way for a person to use the ritual to imbue oneself with the pure evil - to have a creature with the essence of lower planes run in it´s veins. Due to that essence the creature would have some nasty powers, but it would look like it used to be before the transformation.
Best Regards,
Mandras
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| Dargoth |
Posted - 13 Feb 2007 : 13:06:59
Did you check out the Nar Fiend Bond spell in LEOF?
You might also want to check out the 3rd Hordes of the abyss web enhancement which features a formula for making half fiends differnet from each other ie a Half Balor gets different bonus then a Half Vrock etc |
| Aureus |
Posted - 13 Feb 2007 : 12:26:03
you could enter that if a good one drinks it, survives it and doesn't succed a certain willcheck he will have an alighnment change to evil and aquiere the template, if he succeds the willcheck, he will stay good and doesn't aquiere the template |
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