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Jorin Embersmith
Acolyte
USA
48 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Nov 2010 : 18:12:12
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Hey all. I'm a DM running 4 people through the Cormyr/Shadowdale/Anauroch trilogy campaign.
The party took the passage under the Old Skull Inn, up a slow-moving stream about 5-8 feet wide and a few inches deep running along the bottom of a small chasm, where they encountered a Beholder(Azmaer's Folly, area 21, Encounter F7). During the fight, the druid (level 9) was Disintegrated by an eye-beam.
After the fight, they tried to gather up the druid's remains...
My question is this: If someone gets disintegrated while in a moving body of water, is it even possible to gather up the "remains" needed to cast a Reincarnate on them?
The variables include: the wizard tried to strain out some ashy goop on the surface of the water with a canvas cloth...
There were other bits of ash from where the eye beams failed to fully disintegrate other players...
There was a leaking pile of dead beholder upstream from where the ashes were collected...
So, if the learned scribes here could help me out...or even *gasp* a tip from The Great Sage himself....
I would be deeply in your debt!
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Karavarus: I polymorph into a Hydra and let loose a bellowing roar! Is he intimidated?
Me: No, but the female hydra behind him certainly notices you... |
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Kilvan
Senior Scribe
Canada
896 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2010 : 18:33:19
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I would allow it, if only because I hate killing a character because of a single failed save. The spell states that the condition/portion of the remains doesn't matter, so your ashy goop variable makes sense.
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Jorin Embersmith
Acolyte
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2010 : 18:51:59
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Thanks Kilvan, but what about the Beholder blood and the ashes from 2 other characters? (1 male Aasimar and 1 Dwarf)
Oh, I forgot...and poop from a lizardfolk who fumbled his intimidate check! |
Karavarus: I polymorph into a Hydra and let loose a bellowing roar! Is he intimidated?
Me: No, but the female hydra behind him certainly notices you... |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2010 : 19:00:07
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I would allow it, but have a little fun with it. You can either use the 'Goopy' or the 'poop' (or both, if you're mean).
If you go with 'Goopy', then the character should have a sort-of 'melted' look about him (shave a couple of points from his charisma). This affect should be 'curable' though - maybe a quest for the church of Sune, or some-such. You could also give him a weakened skeletal structure, but I think that would be too mean (negatives to Con and Str). I'd have fun with it, but not be so drastic.
As for the Poop: some of it accidentally got mixed into the Res pile... and the character now has a strange odor about him (-1 Chr for anyone within 10 feet). No amount of washing will get rid of the smell - its become part of him. This one I would make un-curable, just because it opens up so many hilarious Roleplay opportunities.
Think about - most folks will be giving him funny looks... but a female Orc or Goblin may be strangely attracted to him.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 16 Nov 2010 19:01:10 |
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Jorin Embersmith
Acolyte
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2010 : 19:06:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
No amount of washing will get rid of the smell - its become part of him. This one I would make un-curable, just because it opens up so many hilarious Roleplay opportunities.
Think about - most folks will be giving him funny looks... but a female Orc or Goblin may be strangely attracted to him.
By Tempus' spiky codpiece!
THAT IS A GREAT IDEA! |
Karavarus: I polymorph into a Hydra and let loose a bellowing roar! Is he intimidated?
Me: No, but the female hydra behind him certainly notices you... |
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Jorin Embersmith
Acolyte
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 04:50:33
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| Although, I really want to do something with that beholder blood. Any suggestions? |
Karavarus: I polymorph into a Hydra and let loose a bellowing roar! Is he intimidated?
Me: No, but the female hydra behind him certainly notices you... |
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Abenabin Gimblescrew
Seeker
USA
75 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 07:33:46
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| Maybe he grows a third eye in his forehead when Reincarnated or maybe in his hand. It might even have a minor magical function or if you are feeling generous maybe make it a 1/day version of one of the beholder's eyes rolling randomly on a die. If you put the extra eye in his hand you could always allow him to see with it so he can look around corners or behind himself. Perhaps even a slight bonus to Perception. It would definitely add a cool twist to the character, plus give people a bit of a pause if they actually ever saw him. It would show some of the aberration taint that mixed into his ashes. At least that the suggestion I would make if you want to add in the beholder blood into the Reincarnation of the character. |
Invention is the key to staying ahead of the competition. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 18:11:57
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| I would avoid the poop smell, as that can ruin a character for a player. I would actually have one of his eyes come back a different color, and possibly have a scaled down effect one of the eyes. Then, I would also swap two of his new racial traits for one of each of the aasimar and the dwarf. |
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Jorin Embersmith
Acolyte
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 01:47:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Rhewtani
I would avoid the poop smell, as that can ruin a character for a player. I would actually have one of his eyes come back a different color, and possibly have a scaled down effect one of the eyes. Then, I would also swap two of his new racial traits for one of each of the aasimar and the dwarf.
Perfect. But I'm keeping the poop smell. He deserves it for ignoring (literally) an Avatar of Azuth...who came down and TOLD the party where to go... |
Karavarus: I polymorph into a Hydra and let loose a bellowing roar! Is he intimidated?
Me: No, but the female hydra behind him certainly notices you... |
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Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 16:25:58
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| Ok, I'll grant you that. But - I would throw in there that he could get it reversed with a wish, not telling him that when he does he loses all the other changes, too. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 18:22:55
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I'd personally require use of other magics to reconstruct the ashes into a corpse and work from there. Perhaps a Reintegrate (reversed Disintegrate) spell, perhaps a nasty mad scientist alchemical-necromantic process or Clone or Regeneration cast upon the ashes, certainly a Limited Wish or the like would work (perhaps I'd even allow the body to be - just barely - alive), plus of course there's always Wish and True Resurrection. The various Transmute spells, Purify Water, or common filter papers might suffice to collect enough of the "body" to make life easier.
Reincarnate doesn't require any character remains anyhow. It forms a new (reformatted) echo of the character which just magically appears, new body and all.
I'm not comfortable with a decent character getting wiped by a single failed save, either. But drawing the line (and consistently sticking to one side of it) lets spells like Disintegration retain their healthy and fearful respect. A less drastic option is to rule the character sacrifices some favourite magic item or perhaps "just" a limb or two when hit by Disintegrate, though such must be applied to friend and foe alike to keep the game fair. Sudden-Death spells are necessary to avoid the game just turning into a war of hit points, and are excellent at helping Kilo-hitpoint characters remember that they are not impervious to harm. You could go easy on the party by using sickly or variant Beholders who only fire off blasting rays of dice rolling damage instead.
Beholder blood might somehow be employed as a spell component which allows one to cast Beholder-type powers (Charm, Cause Light Wounds, Telekinesis, etc) through scrying devices. Or as an ingredient in Oil of Antimagic or more powerful Dispel Magic castings. Or used medicinally as a powerful levitant. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 18 Nov 2010 20:22:17 |
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Arianthus Deszault
Acolyte
15 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2010 : 20:01:31
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(Assuming I were the DM)
If you give him some of the abilities (and the physical traits that come with them) of a beholder, you can always give him a quest to cleanse his body. He is a druid after all and most of them are about physical purity and destroying abominations to nature. Depending on how well he roleplays this, I would give him something of a unique reward for possibly sacrificing himself to remove the taint. |
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Jorin Embersmith
Acolyte
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 25 Nov 2010 : 09:16:17
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thanks for all your suggestions guys! (Forgot to mention that his character was Human, Age 63, so...you know...old!)
I ended up doing this:
Physical stats reset to "adult" from "venerable" (reincarnate says so)
+1 Con and lose 6 inches from height, beard regains color and grows another foot. (from Dwarf)
+1 Wis and skin takes on a slightly brassy hue (From Aasimar)
+1 Str, +1 Natural Armor as skin becomes slightly calloused and scaley. (From Lizardfolk)
-6 Cha due to beholder blood...aberration taint makes other subconsciously uncomfortable, AND he's just ugly as Ghaunadar's smallclothes.
1/day random beholder eye beam from left eye. (Started out as activating randomly on first crit or fumble of the day, learning how to control it over time), with side effect of 1D4 points subdual damage from eye bleeds every use.
It was going well...until the very next encounter: a pair of Maugs and, when the mage flew up in the sky and started using lots of lovely flashy spells...the Cleric of Bane(6) and 2 Fiendish Ettins from the next area....and the druid failed to defensively cast EVERY time, and plain forgot about the ability to wild shape. (this is about 7 hours after losing his Monitor lizard companion because he was mouthing off to Scyllua Darkhope herself as she rode back to Shadowdale at the head of 125 Zhentish troops(after a skirmish with the Aramathors of newly-reclaimed Myth Drannor).
Needless to say, he died, the lizardfolk died, the Lathanderite cleric flew away, and the wizard fled on foot (cleric dispelled him).
Any advice on how to get players to start using better strategy? For instance, not mouthing off to the angry woman riding a nightmare at the head of an army of Zhents, or the Diviner(Wizard-specialized) using Clairvoyance, Augury, Contact Other Plane, and Divination to scout a courtyard, then ignoring the results?
I'm going bald here!
(And I'm hopeful it's not my DMing, I've had the same players for 5 damn years - [one for 7 years and another for 8!!!]...you'd think they'd be used to my style and "tells" already!)
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Karavarus: I polymorph into a Hydra and let loose a bellowing roar! Is he intimidated?
Me: No, but the female hydra behind him certainly notices you... |
Edited by - Jorin Embersmith on 25 Nov 2010 09:24:05 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 25 Nov 2010 : 09:28:34
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quote:
Jorin Embersmith
Any advice on how to get players to start using better strategy? For instance, not mouthing off to the angry woman riding a nightmare at the head of an army of Zhents, or the Diviner ... then ignoring the results?
No advice. Just keep doing what you're doing, lol. Some children are persistently stubborn and defiant at the most inappropriate times, they need to learn there'll be consequences or spanking.
I like the format of your oddball Reincarnation. It seems (seemed?) "logical", original, and reasonably balanced. I'd still suggest using Beholder blood as a medicinal levitant, not because I really have any clue what that means but only because it sounds cool. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Jorin Embersmith
Acolyte
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 25 Nov 2010 : 10:21:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Arik
quote:
Jorin Embersmith
Any advice on how to get players to start using better strategy? For instance, not mouthing off to the angry woman riding a nightmare at the head of an army of Zhents, or the Diviner ... then ignoring the results?
No advice. Just keep doing what you're doing, lol. Some children are persistently stubborn and defiant at the most inappropriate times, they need to learn there'll be consequences or spanking.
I like the format of your oddball Reincarnation. It seems (seemed?) "logical", original, and reasonably balanced. I'd still suggest using Beholder blood as a medicinal levitant, not because I really have any clue what that means but only because it sounds cool.
Thanks mate! My rules on beholder blood are basically knowledge (arcana) DC 15 to know, Alchemy DC 15 to harvest, feather fall effect + DC 13 fort save vs. nauseated effect (handy if you fall!) |
Karavarus: I polymorph into a Hydra and let loose a bellowing roar! Is he intimidated?
Me: No, but the female hydra behind him certainly notices you... |
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A ruling on Reincarnate from Disintegrate
