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D1Nonly
Acolyte
Norway
15 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Jan 2011 : 04:08:52
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just skimmed the book and their challenge rating seems somewhat low.. that being compared to other beings. IIRC they are all ancient, evil and out to destroy the world, but at a CR of 20 that hardly seems feasible..
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2011 : 05:38:37
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| I agree: I have always portrayed these CR~20 Elder Evils as the 'avatars' or aspects of the true EE. The inclusion of stats in this CR range was (IMO) done to give DMs of Epic campaigns some more critters to throw at uber-powerful PCs. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2011 : 09:47:51
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| Most of the combat, if I'm remembering right from my reading through of the book a while back, was against cultists, servitors, aspects, and other things that would stop the Elder Evils, not against the actual evils themselves. I also actually liked that most of the creatures were in the vicinity of CR20, I never run epic so culminating a campaign revolving around the world being threatened with the PCs finishing in the 16th-20th level range and just able to possibly pull it off seemed perfect to me. I haven't gotten to use any of the Elder Evils yet though, so I'll have to see how it feels when a campaign of mine gets that far. |
Edited by - idilippy on 04 Jan 2011 09:48:31 |
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Immortalis
Acolyte
28 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jan 2011 : 11:19:38
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| I think I remember reading somewhere that they didnt make anything above 20th level as that would require the epic level handbook and as that was a non core book they didnt want people having to have it to run things. If my memory serves it was mentioned about one of the fiendish codexes, as in why the high powers were only cr 20. |
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Fellfire
Master of Realmslore
1965 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jan 2011 : 13:28:03
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| Anybody have any more information regarding Holashner and the Black Bile of the World or bilestone, beyond what is in the Book of Abberations and Savage Tide? I discovered the Black Rock Magi in the Slayer's Guide to Duergar and am pondering a connection. |
Misanthorpe
Love is a lie. Only hate endures. Light is blinding. Only in darkness do we see clearly.
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but.. blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to me." - Bane The Dark Knight Rises
Green Dragonscale Dice Bag by Crystalsidyll - check it out
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jan 2011 : 15:06:33
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Two extreme positions in statting characters/monsters are a rigid objective scale, which is inflexible and alien to how stories usually work, and scaling to match the protagonists, which tends towards an amusement-park solipsism.
I don't think any version of D&D, or the Realms, has been consistent about the level scale (what degree of competence a given level means) across authors and over time. I'm no fan of level inflation, but I think the benefits of such consistency would be rather obscure.
There were lots of board brouhahas in the 3E era about such-and-such a favoured entity being underrated, and I think most designers would agree that no decision re these questions would suit everyone and their campaigns. |
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Elder evils
