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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Customizing Monsters
We’re past the monster lists, but there’s still a fair amount of book to cover. Its final third is dedicated to Encounter Options, and the first subsection of that is a small lesson on Customizing Monsters.
The gist of it is that when you want to bring a “generic” D&D monster to Athas, you should change them a little to make them fit the more brutal and desperate tone of the setting. In other words, you should make them Darker and Sunnier.
The next page has a few tips on how to do that. First, you should keep the monster recognizable, since it both keeps things a little familiar and makes the differences stand out that much more. And then you can apply one or more of the customization guidelines they suggest, each with an example:
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No change: Some monsters already fit the aesthetic and could just be dropped in where you need them. Gnolls and bullettes, for example.
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Altered Appearance: Some monsters need a little extra make-up to fit the visual style of Athas. You’ll rarely find traditional mammals here for example, but you could have equivalent creatures that have carapaces, scales, and bony plates instead of soft fur. Hill giants might look more rocky, with skin matching the colors of the surrounding terrain.
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Altered Environment: Creatures that live in frozen or aquatic biomes in their original forms could be changed to live in the desert wastelands of Athas instead. Sure, the aquatic ones could live in oases, but turning them into sand-burrowers can be a “nice” surprise for the players.
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Alternative Lore: This most important for creatures whose lore has extensive ties to the Astral Sea and divine magic, both of which are mostly inaccessible in Athas. Eidolons are one example, and they’d need to be changed to be tied to arcane or primal magic instead unless they’re relics from when the gods were still around. Angels and the like should also be reskinned unless your entire game revolves around the mystery of why they appeared.
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New Powers: New mechanical abilities might be just the thing to make a given creature Darker and Sunnier. This should mostly be handled through Monster Themes, which are discussed in the next page.
Sample Converted Monsters
These two are given as examples, and in some cases are also stealth updates to the originals, using the new Monster Manual 3 math.
Silt Shark
Based on the Fleshtearer Shark from the Monster Manual 2, this creature occupies a similar niche to the bullette, with slightly different abilities. Its water-based traits were replaced with sand-themed equivalents, and it’s been given training in Athletics to make higher jumps. It “swims” through sand and loose soil.
The Silt Shark is a Large Natural Beast and a Level 10 Brute with 128 HP. It has a ground speed of 5, and a burrow speed of 8, with low-light vision and Tremorsense 10.
The original shark’s Aquatic trait has been replaced with Silt Swimmer, which lets the shark shift and charge while burrowing, and gives it a +2 damage bonus while burrowing against any creature without a burrow speed. It cannot burrow through solid stone, however.
The shark has a basic Bite, and a Lockjaw Charge maneuver that deals the same damage and grabs on a hit. While the shark has a grabbed victim, it can automatically deal damage to them with Shredding Teeth. And once the grab ends, the victim takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends).
If the shark starts its turn within 5 squares of a bloodied creature, it enters a Feeding Frenzy, and makes a free attack against a creature adjacent to it. If it was grabbing someone, it releases them first.
Ssurran Dune Mystic
This is a Greenscale Marsh Mystic from the Monster Manual, modified into a Ssurran version. The swamp theme of the original’s abilities has been switched to a sand and desert theme, its Constitution was increased a little, and its basic attack has been given a push rider to match the Ssurran Shaman from that entry.
We end up with a Level 6 Controller (Leader) with 72 HP and a ground speed of 6 with Earth Walk. It has a Sun Blessing aura (5) that heals 3 HP to any ally that stats their turn inside, and fights with a spear that damages and pushes 2 squares on a hit.
The mystic also has a couple of fireball-style combat spells: Salt Cloud (recharge 5+) deals poison damage and dazes for a turn; Sand’s Grasp (encounter) is non-damaging, but it immobilizes (save ends) and creates a zone of difficult terrain that lasts for the rest of the encounter.
Impressions
It’s quite likely that anyone who still actively plays D&D 4th Edition is experienced enough at reskinning monsters that they don’t really need this advice. Nevertheless, it’s still good to see it printed, and with worked examples to boot.
Next up: Monster Themes!
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Let's Read the 4e Creature Catalog: Zeburon, the Iron Rider
Zeburon The Lore
Zeburon is the leader of the Black Sands Raiders, a brutal and feared bandit gang that hides out in the Black Sands. According to rumor they always number a hundred, and ride war-trained kanks to assault caravans and settlements around the Black Sands.
The Iron Rider got this title because of his signature metal helmet, which has a pair of prominent horns and completely conceals his face. Not even most of the Raiders have ever seen it - only his most trusted lieutenants (such as the defiler Fevik) know what he looks like.
And this is because Zeburon’s big secret is that he’s a tiefling. The book lists reasons why no one has figured it out yet, and they’re actually a little funny. He lacks a tail because he cut it off himself years ago. People tend to mistake the reddish tone of his skin for sunburns instead of natural pigmentation. And they think the horns are part of the helmet, when in fact they’re poking through a pair of holes in it.
Zeburon hides his true nature from the rank and file of his gang because he’s afraid of how they’d react if they found out. Given bigotry is never in short supply around Athas, I’m guessing the answer is “not well”. And being a fearsome individual warrior is not very helpful if about ninety guys on war kanks decide they want you dead and charge you all at once.
The Numbers
Zeburon is a Level 12 Elite Soldier with 246 HP. He has a ground speed of 6, low-light vision, and Resist Fire 10.
All of his attacks deal bonus damage against bloodied targets due to his Bloody Violence trait. He fights with a Bastard Sword that can make standard basic attacks and be used in a Wild Bloodletting maneuver, attacking a Close Burst 1. A hit deals damage, slows the target, and inflicts ongoing 10 damage (save ends both). This recharges when he’s first bloodied.
As a minor action he can use his Iron Fist (metal gauntlet!) to make another attack, which does the same damage as the sword, and immobilizes for a turn.
Finally, he has the tiefling Infernal Wrath power which, when used, gives him a bonus to attacks and damage against any enemy that hit him since the end of his last turn. This lasts for a turn or until he hits an enemy.
Encounters and Final Impressions
A fight against Zeburon will also include a sizable contingent of Black Sands Raiders, as well as his best buddy and top lieutenant Fevik the Defiler. Plus any amount of kank mounts you deem necessary. It will likely come after the PCs have fought multiple encounters against the raiders, too.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen someone a lot like Zeburon in one of the many Brom illustrations for DS: muscles, leather straps, face-concealing horned helmet, menacing pose. I haven’t read any older DS material to know whether he’s someone from the old days, or if he’s new and just likes following local fashions.
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Let's Play Hell's Rebels: Origin Corrections
“Wait,” you might ask, “are you still doing this?”. Yes, I am! I have been doing it since shortly after the last time I talked about it, off and on, but I haven’t posted anything else here in the blog for entirely personal reasons that I should overcome any day now.
And we’re going to start with a little correction here, because over the course of my play, I’ve looked at the timelines a bit closer and the details for the Knight of the Deep origin don’t make sense as written.
The PC arrives at Kintargo at the start of Adventure 01, which is supposed to last at least eight weeks or so given the pace at which the “strategic” rebellion turns move.
However, the aquatic elves that origin is concerned with rescuing are only captured in the final stretch of Adventure 02. Here’s the timeline as written in the adventure:
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The elves arrive in town maybe a week or two before the day of their capture. This would be in the middle of Adventure 02.
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They are seeking Shensen’s help with their problems back home. When they fail to find her, they spend some time exploring the waters around Kintargo before being captured by the aboleth’s minions.
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The day of their capture is “fuzzy” - it’s the day before the PCs first enter the adventure’s final dungeon. Once they do, the GM is supposed to track their condition over time.
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The elves might starve before being rescued, and if they’re still alive after two weeks they’re taken back home to be dominated by the aboleth.
If we take the Knight’s current background as written, it would mean the elves have been captured before Adventure 01. If we want the PC to have any chance at all to rescue the elven scouts, we either have to make the Lucky Bones delve the very first thing the PCs do after the riot, or we have to change the background.
Doing the former is actually no trouble in Dungeon Fantasy. Starting delvers are already strong enough to tackle the place, you just might need to put some magic weapons within easy reach in the first level. If that’s what you want, just have Laria Longroad point them to the place directly instead of the Wasp Nest.
Since I have already played through the Wasp Nest storyline on my own and I don’t want to restart the game all the way from the beginning, though, I’m going to change the background.
Instead of being sent to rescue the scouts, the Knight will be sent in to seek Shensen’s aid. This gives them a stronger reason to stick with the rebellion, and a better clue of which path to follow in pursuit of their goals.
The scouts still go to Kintargo in Adventure 02, but this time they do so to find the Knight, who has been taking much longer than anticipated to return with Shensen.
Rules-wise, the only thing that changes is that the optional Obsession to find Aava becomes an Obsession to find Shensen, worth the same number of points.
I’ve also changed the description of the theme in the original post.
PC Origin: Knight of the Deep
You come from one of the subaquatic communities off the coast of Ravounel, where you enjoy an heroic reputation. You recently went to visit your friend Aava in the coastal village of Acisazi, only to find the village suffering under a strange malaise. The village’s elder told you this was caused by a curse that was beyond her power to break, and begged you to seek the aid of Shensen, a powerful bard and priest of Sarenrae who lived in the city of Kintargo. You accepted.
You arrive at this land-lubber town to find it embroiled in a lot more trouble than you thought possible. Shensen is nowhere to be found. You suspect she vanished into the prisons of the despotic Barzilai Thrune, and your queries have led you to the Aria Park protest. You suspect you might need to bloody this human despot’s nose to fulfill your mission, and that’s just fine with you.
Prerequisites: You must belong to a species capable of breathing underwater! Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level contains two possible choices here: the Sea Elf and the Water-Infused. From this blog, you might also pick the [Argonian][2] or perhaps a Warforged who has been modified to be hydrodynamic and Amphibious. And of course we also have a whole article about the [Denizens of the Sea][5] that also contains a few usable ancestries.
This theme is open to any profession, but martial types should probably keep in mind the rules for [underwater combat for fish-people][3].
Benefits: The people of Acisazi know and trust you, and Aava is your good friend (or even a relative if you’re also a sea elf).
You can add Swimming, Aquabatics and Survival (Undersea) to your template as optional skills, and should probably put some points in them during character creation.
Drawbacks: Add Obsession (find Shensen) (12) {-5} to your template as an optional disadvantage. It’s what you already want to do anyway, but like the Last Archivist’s Obsession it might drive you to unwise actions.
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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Ulruun The Repugnant
Ulruun, a bald and beardless dwarf in a fancy tunic. He's smiling repugnantly. We’re fresh out of Sorcerer-Kings, but there are still a couple of randos to read through.
The Lore
Ulruun used to be a skilled gladiator who managed to survive the arenas of Nibenay for many years, a rarity. He eventually won his freedom, not for his victories, but as a reward for murdering someone for his patron.
The dwarf then proceeded to become a living example of the cycle of abuse as he went on to become a slave auctioneer for House Shom, and to run his own slave trading operation on the side. The money he earned from both activities made him wealthy, and finally allowed to achieve the luxurious life of debauchery he so envied in the people who had forced him to risk his life for entertainment.
His epithet, “the Repugnant”, is not someone people call him to his face, but it still describes his demeanor very well. He always travels with plenty of bodyguards in case a competitor or the “merchandise” decides to take a swipe at him, and has been known to take shelter behind lines of chained prisoners and other innocents when attacked. If pressed, he can still rely on his arena skills - that walking stick is mostly for show.
The Numbers
Ulruun is a Level 8 Soldier with 89 HP. As a dwarf, he has a ground speed of 5, +5 to saves against poison, low-light vision, and the same Stand the Ground and Steady-Footed traits PCs get. These reduced forced movement inflicted on him by 1 and allow him to roll a save to avoid falling prone.
Ulruun’s main weapon is a Dagger whose basic attacks damage and mark for a turn, and which can be used in a Hamstring maneuver that deals the same damage and causes the target to fall prone if they move more than half their speed before the end of their next turn. If a marked enemy tries to shift away from him, he can use Hamstring on them as an interrupt.
If his pursuers are too insistent he can surprise them with a Hurled Cane (minor, ranged 5), which targets Reflex and on a hit knocks prone and immobilizes for a turn. This is an encounter power, as he only has one cane on him.
Encounters and Final Impressions
Ulruun prefers his obvious bodyguards to be very large and intimidating, so he tends to recruit goliaths and muls to the role. He also has more discreet humans and halfling guards hidden in nearby crowds when walking through the city. And if there are any innocents on the map when a fight breaks out, he’ll use them as cover as well.
Ulruun is, well, repugnant, though other than being a dwarf there’s probably not much that’s unique about him. I think he’s meant to be a typical example of a sleazy slave trader.
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Let's Read the 4e Dark Sun Creature Catalog: Tectuktitlay
Tectuktitlay, dressed in extravagant regalia and holding a human heart. The Lore
Tectuktitlay is the king of Draj, and while he is not the only sorcerer-king to claim to be a god, he’s apparently the one most willing to enforce that claim.
His priests tell the story of how he’s the son of the moons Ral and Guthay, who descended into the mortal realm already a god. This divine family gave Draj the gifts of bountiful harvests and prowess in battle, and can easily revoke them if they’re not properly worshiped.
Disagreeing with Tectuktitlay about any of this is a particularly painful form of suicide. He constantly appears to his people at the top of his stepped-pyramid palace (the “Temple of the Father and Master”), and his vigilant gaze is etched on structures all through Draj. It’s hard to tell whether his subjects believe he’s really a god - they have gotten extremely good at going through the motions of worshiping him in the name of self-preservation.
I honestly couldn’t tell from the book’s description if Tectuktitlay really believes in his own divinity. Whether he does or not, he also knows he’s the weakest of the Sorcerer Kings, and probably has something of an inferiority complex about it. He tries to compensate for his personal weakness by making his realm military strong instead.
The Numbers
We get three stat blocks here. Draj is the Aztec-themed domain, so everyone here just loves to rip out people’s hearts.
Moon Priest
This is a typical templar of Draj, equal parts bureaucrat and enforcer of his god’s creed. They’re always on the lookout for heresy, and ready to violently punish it.
Moon Priests are Level 11 Controllers with the Leader tag and 110 HP. Their leaderly qualities come from their aura of Enforced Zeal (1) which gives allies inside a +2 damage bonus; and from Blood Demands Blood an encounter power that gives allies within 5 squares a +2 attack bonus as a reaction when the priest is first bloodied.
They fight with a Scourge that damages and inflicts a -2 attack penalty for a turn. They also have a dagger in hand that has a scarier purpose: the Worthy Sacrifice maneuver (melee 1 vs. Reflex), which knocks a target prone on a hit and lets them make a secondary attack against the same target. If that hits, it deals heavy physical damage, dazes (save ends), and gives 10 temporary HP to each nonminion ally the priest can see. They try to rip your heart out! And this is at-will.
They can use a minor action to charm an enemy with a Sacrificial Summons (ranged 15 vs. Will) which pulls 5 squares and makes the target grant combat advantage for a turn. If this ends up with the target in melee reach, it’s that much easier to hit them with the big sacrifice attack.
Jasuan Temple Guard
These are elite bodyguards hand-picked from Draj’s knightly orders for their unquestioning devotion to their god. They protect the Father and Master Temple, and Tectuktitlay himself. They’re Level 21 Soldiers with 200 HP.
They fight with Obsidian Broadswords that deal immediate and ongoing physical damage, and also mark (save ends both). And they can throw Bone Harpoons that deal physical damage and immobilize (save ends). Once a target has been immobilized, they can be targeted by Reel In (minor, ranged 10 vs. Fort), which pulls them 5 squares or knocks them prone on a hit. If they end up adjacent to the guard, the guard can hit them with his sword again.
Finally, their Wicked Cruelty gives them 10 temporary HP whenever they bloody an enemy for the first time, and it’s the first time that enemy has been bloodied in the fight.
Tectuktitlay, Sorcerer-King
Tectuktitlay is Level 22 Elite Artillery (Leader), lower level than any other of the sorcerer-kings we saw so far in this book. He has 316 HP and a speed of 6.
Tectuktitlay projects a large aura of Imposed Zealotry (4) that gives a +2 attack bonus to allies inside, and another one of Bloody Vigor over the same area that heals 10 HP to any bloodied ally that starts their turn inside.
He has a dagger for melee, but the real star of the show here are his spells, all of which have a maximum range of 20. Arrows of the Two Moons deals necrotic + radiant damage, the most unexpected combination I’ve ever seen. Spear of the Sky is a selective area attack that deals fire + lightning damage, and Double Attack lets him use both spells in the same action.
Kiss of the Two Moons is his limited-use special, firing off two separate bolts at different targets. The first does necrotic damage and weakens (save ends); the second does radiant damage and blinds (save ends). A miss on either attack deals half damage and inflicts the associated condition for a turn. This recharges when he’s first bloodied.
Last but not least there’s Thief of Hearts (vs. Fort, recharge 5+), in which he attempts to teleport someone’s heart to his hand. A hit deals damage equal to the target’s healing surge value, and hit or miss the target is dazed (save ends).
If Tectuktitlay is hit with a melee or ranged attack, he can order an Involuntary Sacrifice as an interrupt, choosing an ally within 4 squares. That ally shifts to be adjacent to his master, and is hit by the attack instead of him.
Encounters and Final Impressions
Tectuktitlay wants to stay 20 squares away from the PCs and bombard them with spells. His at-wills are annoying enough, but what will really light a fire under the PCs to end him as soon as possible is when Thief of Hearts lands for the first time. I initially read it as dealing damage equal to the target’s bloodied value, but even if the actual damage is just half that, the psychological impact is still high.
The party will want to get into melee with him as soon as possible, as he has no protection against opportunity attacks, but that will be made harder by the small army of jasuan guards and maybe up-leveled priests that will also be there. They’ll get in the way, and their king can pull them in to take hits in his stead.
The next best thing is to inflict dazes or stuns on him, since he lacks protection against those aside from the usual elite save bonus.
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