Forum Project: THe Custom Creature Collection!

I guess my only question is for clarification. There seems to be some sort of consensus to use Masterplan files as the method of sharing creatures here. Can one simply cut and paste that Masterplan file to this forum so everyone can see it? Or would we have to download a linked Masterplan file and open it in Masterplan (or other compatible software) to view it?

Personally, I don't mind which image format is used. I would just like to be able to directly see the creatures on the screen when I view this forum. If I want to actually use the creature, I will manage a way to get it into my own personal workflow. I get things from multiple sources across the web and so I can make things work for my own system.

So I'm wondering why it matters what application I'm using outside of this forum to generate/view creatures. Personally, I don't use Masterplan. But that is irrelevant. I am just curious as to why it is so important to establish how a creature is posted and shared to this thread.

Because the plan is for this to be a community project and its highly important that the community pick a single accepted format. In addition to increasing general efficiency and ease of use (Otherwise people like me would have to get one of each format to actually make use of the files) it also creates solidarity. If you just want to view the image thats fine but if you are posting creatures here for others to use, its just basic courtesy to post more than an image. Otherwise they have to input the entire creature manually into whatever system they use.

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Thats the link to download it.

If you want to use adventure tools instead then actually vote for it but you have to post a link to the offline adventure tools assuming there even is one anymore. But my vote is for Masterplan.

Anyway I recommend a brand new thread for the actual posting.

Verbannon,
I have the File/s for the Offline Adventure Tools and can Upload it so others can download and Install it. I have confirmed that it works on Windows 10. I'll post a link once its up. Also, I vote to use the Offline AT as our Primary/Official monster creation Program as it has options to Copy the Monster infos to Text or Image data so they can be pasted into a Text File Program or Image Editing Program. I also have a couple of other things that can help the process, such as a Average Damage by Level Chart for the MM3 damage levels. I'll include it too.

GF

UPDATE: File is here...

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Password is...

Shuvel0182

Also, I'll post a new thread for posting monsters sometime this weekend. I need a bit of a rest after the Painting Commission and stuff. Also, I could use a couple of ideas for the first few monster building "Themes" and groups/types we can work on. Post any you think of in this thread for now.

Okay well here is my new idea for the standard format we should use. This time I'll make a complete post. Lets do vermin and other servants of Torog as our first theme. Right now all he has is some wrackspawn. And there are surprisingly few vermin options.

Note, Image and Adventure Tools /monster files required all else is optional

HIGH PRIESTESS OF TOROG

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Quick remarks:
- the fluff is very nice, but it does make the statblock much heavier to parse

-Steel Bone - I don't think there's really a need to cap the thp to 10. She's a solo, so likely to be the main target, it seems unlikely that she could amass vast amounts of thp.

- Agonize - as written, it's much better to miss with it (as the priestess doesn't lose her thp)
Possible new wording:
Hit: damage equal to the number of thp you have
Miss: half damage
Effect: lose all you thp

- Two Arms - I appreciate that it's not necessary to hit the same target. Perhaps something to help with her mobility?

- Paingasm - the name (I get it, but still). The wording is a bit ambiguous:
Possible new wording:
Trigger (immediate reaction): an attack scores a critical hit against the priestess or bloodies the priestess
Effect: the priestess gains temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt by the triggering attack and the priestess can use pain link as a free action against the creature that made the triggering attack

OR did you mean: when she suffers a crit (anytime) or any hit (while bloodied) - if so:
Possible new wording:
Trigger (immediate reaction): an attack scores a critical hit against the priestess or an attack deals damage to the priestess while she is bloodied
Effect: the priestess gains temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt by the triggering attack and the priestess can use pain link as a free action against the creature that made the triggering attack

Note: wouldn't agonize be more appropriate?

- Agonize and Pain Link: there's no 1/round limit, the optimal strat would always be to use pain link three times each round (save for that one round where she would use torment on a creature just hit with pain link)

Also, there seems like there would be precious few situations where agonize would be worth using over pain link.

Overall comment
- this seems like it would lead to a pretty static fight: she doesn't provoke OA, so no need to move. She has pretty massive range that ignores cover/concealment, so no reason to seek it. The creature itself creates a pretty "tank and spank" situation where any variance in tactics would have to some from the environment (or accompanying creatures)

- in addition, the thp creation can be counted on to a fair extent: in essence, it's mainly an increase in her hp pool (staying power). It doesn't really do anything other than this.

How I would do it:
- change all her ranged attacks to regular ranged attacks (that provoke OA)

- give her a trigger where she gets a significant offensive buff from being struck with an OA

- this (admittedly fairly involved) mechanic: forge a "pain link" with an opponent for the duration of the encounter. Whenever she looses thp, the linked creature suffers that amount of damage.

In conjunction, I would make her thp "shield" fade after a round. This would suggest a tactic of hitting her, then defending/running away to let the thp fade, and then hit her (repeat). [But that's me - I really like these kinds of strategy suggesting mechanics. I know it's not for everyone.]

- she generates thp as you've built her: successful melee attacks and being struck with a crit or on every hit while bloodied

All my comments are to be taken as personal preference.

@Steel Bone Comment: If she gets critted by an ally than uses steel bone twice without the limit it just adds to it, though I guess thats not too bad a thing. So I'll make that change.

@Agonize Comment: Oh thats an oversight. Sorry I'm used to writing them for myself. Thanks I'll fix that.

@Two Arms: Thats what Pain Link is for, daze the fighter then move after the weaklings.

@Paingasm: I ran out of alternate names since I already used pain, torment and agonize. Though I guess I could rename Agonize Suffer. Yeah I'll do that.
Just the bloodying attack.

@Pain Link Pain link did have a one round limit, I wonder why it didn't carry over from the Adventure

@Overall comment: Well when you consider pain link is once per turn, then if she doesn't move then all she is doing is trading blows with the defender which is always reason enough to move, you only need mechanical reasons I think when the creature has a low intelligence, otherwise basic tactics is reason enough. Always target the healer first then characters that are staying at range. Save the defender for last. Also the increase in staying power is another reason I limited the hits to 10 hp.

The idea is that she gets crit for like 40 damage then can spend that tmp hp to do at least 20 damage to one of the players once she is bloodied. Creating a devastating threat when she is bloodied.

I actually already ran her using the powers as envisioned not written. The fighter is a brawler fighter so right in the beginning she was knocked prone and grabbed then marked by the second defender causing a total of -4 to her attacks. In response I had her total defense while trying to pain link the grabbing fighter. It took 4 rounds but I finally stunned him, stood up and charged the party healer, then next turn moved double striked it aped and finished it off. Koing the healer. I used my second ap to ko the controller the next round. Then I stood by the controller tanking near it while the blood wrack penalized the controller's death saves and managed to reko the healer after being bloodied with agonize. And a couple other party members got koed twice. In the end the controller died, the healer's healing was used up and out of six characters only two were standing at the end of the fight.

Okay updated it with everything you said. Oh some thing I forgot to responnd to.

1. If her ranged attacks triggered oa she would be completely useless since she relies on her ranged attacks for her mobility.

2.Thats actually as useful for solos as you might think. It work for giving them an 'extra attack. so they can maintain a 5 monster level damage output. But as for actually protecting them against oas, can only oa once a turn so what they put out is no where close to what they end up taking in. So it has to be supported with something else. But more importantly she does enough damage already so if I added something like this somehing else would have to be removed.

3. I already did that with some broken wrackspawn elites.

4. I would have to increase her tmp hp shield and make it every hit. Not a bad idea but it makes her a completely different monster. And I honestly wanted to play up the angle that as Priests of Torog they cause themselves pain but only get benefit from the pain itself. And more importantly that the pain doesn't fade.

And he tmp hp also increases her mobility a bit indirectly. If she has tmp hp built up from steel bone then she has a shield against oas. Hitting against with steel bone would just waste the tmp hp it otyherwise would have given her. Might as well move and go after the weaker ones.

I also feel that any true mobility options would be thematically incorrect since having her try and avoid attacks seems just wrong for someone who worships pain.

You're quite right!

I angled away from "talk about this creature" into "how would you do this" way too much.

Yeah, the changes, taken piecemeal would not work, they were meant as a whole - and they would significantly alter the nature of the creature. So yeah... sorry about that.

As it stands, the "tactics" section is very appropriate as this monster really benefits from a tactical approach - looks good as is.

Thanks! In my campaign I am currently creating a whole slew of Blazewyrms for a dungeon I am about to send my party into. I feel that Blazewyrms since they have the ability to merge with other Blazewyrms probably don't have 'adult' or 'elder' forms per say as other dragons. Instead most remain as just 'Blazewyrms' so I'm making Blazewyrm sparks, a Blazewyrm Hydra solo and I'm going to stat out the Mother Blazewyrm just because. I'll post them for review before siccing them on my players.

Here are actually two modified devils I did before working on the wuyrms. My method is to reduce a monster's level by 6 every time I upgrade it one tier and vice versa. This way I can use monsters that are outside my party's range. Plus it gives a more definitive feel of power progression when they face that solo Ice devil again 12 levels later and its just a standard.

Spoiler:

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Spoiler:

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Hey. Been Sick for a bit. Getting better and gonna post that new thread here in a bit.

GF

Oh cool, I already had these prepared so I'll post these here then tomorrow add some that I have that fits that theme to the new thread.

Blazewyrm Hydra:

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Blazewyrm Spark:

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Mother Blazewyrm:

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