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Italian Archmage Karsus
Learned Scribe
126 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Aug 2022 : 00:52:43
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Hey, I've been wondering for a while about the poison of copper opposums (Elminster's Ecologies- The Settled Lands- p. 14). Per the chap describing it, it's a paralyzing poison, but the sidebar giving out the game terms says it induces temporal stasis. Usually I don't mind such quibbles, but that's a pretty huge difference.
An opposum that paralyzes its predators I get, but one that induces TP stasis should leave a track of indestructible creatures frozen in place 'till they are hit with dispel magic or Temporal Reinstatement. I can't think of anything in Cormanthor and Cormyr that would do that, nor do I recall any other realmslore that says predatory animals in the forest are sometimes frozen in place... I was wondering if anyone knew what was up with that? I seriously love the idea of a critter's poison doing what wizards need an 8th-level spell to pull off, but I'm not sure if that's the intention or just me being a munchkin looking for something to abuse.
Anyone know something about that particular discrepancy?
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2022 : 03:35:20
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Accomplished wizards can only produce temporal stasis effects at highest levels. With limited durations.
So I imagine this creature's poison would have a limited duration. Perhaps only seconds, minutes, hours - perhaps only long enough for it to escape the threat or to position itself for a decisive attack.
Note that other creatures can induce "permanent" effects like charm, paralysis, petrification, or disintegration by simple gaze. But most of these (medusa, gorgon, basilisk, cockatrice) tend to be rare and reclusive - avoided by all but fools and adventurers. While others (beholders, illithids) tend to form groups which anyone with a brain will deliberately avoid.
If the creature is indeed a menace which rampantly litters the landscape with temporally frozen victims then it's sure to be hunted down, killed, or captured. Perhaps their population is low and scattered. Perhaps they use this poison attack only as a last resort, when cornered and provoked, defending their young, afflicted with some kind of opossum rabies, or desperately hungry. |
[/Ayrik] |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2022 : 04:18:26
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It's not a discrepancy. It's a screw up. Given Rick Swan wrote the execrable Great Glacier accessory too, that isn't surprising. It's dumb and should be ignored. Ignore it.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - 31 Aug 2022 : 23:21:55
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I had started to write them up for 3.5E Bestiary of the Realms 3, which never got finished. I went with the more interesting temporal poison. Here were their extraordinary and supernatural abilities as I started. Of course, this poses all sorts of issues with why people aren't in temporal stasis wherever the opossums live. I think you'd have to put a time limit, if you will, on the temporal stasis:
Copper Gullet (Ex) Copper opossums have a highly efficient immune system and relatively low body temperature that grants them a +8 bonus on saves against disease and a +4 bonus on saves against poison.
Feign Death (Ex) When threatened copper opossums may feign death, by curling up and slowing their breathing and heart rate. As such, they appear dead unless a successful Heal check (DC 10) or Spot check (DC 15) is made.
Temporal Poison (Su) The legs of a copper opossum have tiny spikes located just above its feet with which the animal lashes out. The poison causes an effect similar to a temporal stasis spell (PH 293). Unless the subject makes a successful Fortitude save (DC 15), it is placed into a state of suspended animation. For the creature, time ceases to flow and its condition becomes fixed. The subject does not grow older and its body functions virtually cease. This state persists until the magic is removed or the poison neutralized (such as by a successful break enchantment, dispel magic, freedom, heal, or neutralize poison spell). The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2428 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2022 : 07:07:47
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Temporal Stasis is suspended animation. That is, almost as good as lethal without being actually lethal.
Maybe just replace "stasis" with "uncontrolled feign death" effect, for >1 hour (as in "hey, there's still a chance scavengers won't start eating before it wears off"). |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
Edited by - TBeholder on 01 Sep 2022 07:19:31 |
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TheIriaeban
Master of Realmslore
USA
1289 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2022 : 20:29:39
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| Make the opossum a carnivore and change it to the feign death effect like TBeholder suggested or just change it to straight up paralyzation. That could make it into a real horror show. I have a member of the Night Parade that paralyzes a person by touch and then eats them alive (that is after he charms them into coming over and "please just scratch my back. I can't reach where it needs to be scratched".) |
"Iriaebor is a fine city. So what if you can have violence between merchant groups break out at any moment. Not every city can offer dinner AND a show."
My FR writeups - http://www.mediafire.com/folder/um3liz6tqsf5n/Documents
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Italian Archmage Karsus
Learned Scribe
126 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2022 : 20:11:45
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If I may... I checked some 2e stuff, and there may be a way one doesn't get infinite eternal color statues from a critter that places people in temporal stasis. You see, there's a half dozen critters that can dispel magic- not all are rare.
The random encounter tables for the Settled Lands don't give you a lot of options- just, pixies, and the shamans of orcs, kobolds, goblins, who got access to the protection domain in 2e. Pixies, OTOH, all have that spell. So I'd say it's less that the monster freezes everything forever, and more that if you anger the oppossum, the next thing after your party leaves you behind is that a local spots you, talks about you in the tavern- and finally, a shaman, whether kobold, orc, fire giant or whatever, unfreezes and beats the beer money out of you, now that you are alone and they can set up as perfect an ambush as they want. Less of an "autokill" and more of an "auto-solo kobold or fire giant shaman, depending on how badly you ticked off the GM".
If you're really unlucky, you're kidnapped by the fey folk for use as furniture until one of them pranks your owner by dispelling you instead. (I think Temporal Stasis didn't allow you to be moved around, but if it did, you're deffo becoming furniture.) If you're an unlucky woodland creature instead, the pixies will prolly dispel you back to animation just to be nice- but they might as well cover you with an illusion and use you as a trap for Villains, releasing you with a spell for adventurers to fight you.
This has no bearing on whether it's really what was meant to happen when it poisoned a target. But on the chance the temporal poison was to be understood as the correct one, I think it kinda works- also lets me claim that oil of timelessness is made from oppossums, which I think is kind of funny. OTOH, there are also stats for paralyzing poison. Injected, paralysis, that was type O in 2e, which implies a default onset of 2d12 minutes. |
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TheIriaeban
Master of Realmslore
USA
1289 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2022 : 21:06:36
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| If you are going to take that path, don't forget disenchanters. They could actually have an almost symbiotic nature with the opossums or actually keep them to generate food for them (disenchanters are intelligent). |
"Iriaebor is a fine city. So what if you can have violence between merchant groups break out at any moment. Not every city can offer dinner AND a show."
My FR writeups - http://www.mediafire.com/folder/um3liz6tqsf5n/Documents
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TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - 12 Sep 2022 : 20:51:45
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| Good ideas all. I like the idea of the linkage with the disenchanters in particular. Very cool. |
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Italian Archmage Karsus
Learned Scribe
126 Posts |
Posted - 13 Sep 2022 : 23:20:57
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Are there disenchanters in the Settled Lands, though? I thought disenchanters lived east of Anauroch, near Raven's Bluff, while the possum was featured in the Cormyr/Sembia/The Dales, special mention to Cormyr foothills?
I mean, I know there are isolated populations of everything because things sometimes stray across the Underdark, but still. |
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TheIriaeban
Master of Realmslore
USA
1289 Posts |
Posted - 14 Sep 2022 : 03:07:04
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| They are said to be around the Sea of Fallen Stars. That would include Sembia. Dales and Cormyr aren't that much further. |
"Iriaebor is a fine city. So what if you can have violence between merchant groups break out at any moment. Not every city can offer dinner AND a show."
My FR writeups - http://www.mediafire.com/folder/um3liz6tqsf5n/Documents
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The copper opposum's poison
