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afroakuma
2009-06-01, 05:50 PM
Welcome to the Giant in the Playground Villain Competition chat thread where you can ask questions, comment, or just in general discuss about the submissions to the new fiendish festival!

Kudos to The Vorpal Tribble for the monster competition that I totally stole this from. :smallcool:

Lord_Gareth
2009-06-01, 05:53 PM
Nice, Afro. Very nice.

Quick questions:

1. The villain must be sentient, right? No mindless B.S.?

2. If we want to introduce, say, a duo, do both villains need to be plants, or can one be a nonplant?

Thane of Fife
2009-06-01, 06:00 PM
Does the villain need to be a plant, or merely have a plant theme?

afroakuma
2009-06-01, 06:25 PM
Nice, Afro. Very nice.

Why thank you. :smallbiggrin:

I figured if I was too busy to do it, I'd make the rest of you take over. :smalltongue:


Quick questions:

1. The villain must be sentient, right? No mindless B.S.?

Says so in the rules. You think I'd forget that?


2. If we want to introduce, say, a duo, do both villains need to be plants, or can one be a nonplant?

If you want to go with a duo, they must share the plant theme:


Does the villain need to be a plant, or merely have a plant theme?

Plant theme will suffice, although only time and the voters can tell. :smallcool:

Djinn_in_Tonic
2009-06-01, 06:27 PM
Heh. Heheh. Heheheh.

*rubs hands, cackles*

This will be good...

Thane of Fife
2009-06-01, 06:28 PM
Plant theme will suffice, although only time and the voters can tell. :smallcool:

Actually, now that I look at it again, it does specify that it needs to be a plant. My bad.

afroakuma
2009-06-01, 09:19 PM
...and I just doctored that to plant or heavy plant-theme.

Lord_Gareth
2009-06-01, 11:11 PM
Alright, you can expect to see Mirali Kall and The Rathvine soon ^_^

DracoDei
2009-06-02, 08:38 AM
In another dimension, there was once a great tree spirit whose tree grew so large that its roots began to suck up the very life force of the world. The entire biosphere became bound to this tree spirit, called Nexicul, becoming soulless zombies controlled by him.
Nexicul seeks to expand his influence into other worlds, including Otter Island. Because Nexicul is fae, he cannot go where he is not invited, so he cannot take Otter Island directly. What he can do is find some fool in one of his various dimensions who is willing to take one of his zombies where he wants them to go.

In case you didn't catch the implication, this is a (male) dryad who can not be killed by any means what-so-ever other than killing his tree, which covers the ENTIRETY OF A PLANET (may change this to a similarly sized demi-plane).

afroakuma
2009-06-02, 08:41 AM
Elemental swarm (fire)? :smallamused:

EDIT: Draco, are you sure you landed in the right thread with that one?

DracoDei
2009-06-02, 08:47 AM
Well, since it IS what I am thinking of statting up and entering, I sincerely hope so... Epic Level Threat to the multiverse who is a dryad whose tree is his one weakness... sounds plant themed to me...

Am I missing something?

afroakuma
2009-06-02, 08:49 AM
Ah, no. I just noticed it mentioned fey and was worried it was something involving the monster competition.

Epic immortal fey nastiness? Welcome home, DracoDei. :smallbiggrin:

DracoDei
2009-06-02, 09:00 AM
Linky: http://pandoracomics.wikia.com/wiki/Nexicul

Turns out he does have at least ONE other weakness... yeah, you just have turn off the Weave itself over a good portion of the multi-verse and that should take care of the problem...

I am not sure if I am up to a project this big (especially on a time-frame), but I would at least LIKE to do it.

PS: I am thinking Divine Rank 0 or higher... what would be appropriate?

afroakuma
2009-06-02, 09:02 AM
Ah... see, that's a villain that already exists. You'd need to do a new one.

And yes, it is a bit more scaled-up than the monster competition. If you have the time, we'd love to have you.

DracoDei
2009-06-02, 09:10 AM
Someone statted out the Flying Spaghetti monster for one of VT's competitions... I was under the impression that adapting from non-RPG sources was just as valid for the various contests as something TOTALLY from scratch.

However: Your contest, your rules. So... how sure are you?

afroakuma
2009-06-02, 09:15 AM
Very sure, unfortunately; this contest, unlike the monster competition, is less about the crunch and more about the fluff. It's about you creating the background, motivation, personality and encounter information, with the crunch only a secondary factor.

DracoDei
2009-06-02, 10:28 AM
That is perfectly appropriate.

You may wish to edit your boiler-plate to make that more clear, in case this contest type becomes a regular thing (IE you are probably going to get extremely tired of answering that question from different people by Villain Competition XX if you don't, and maybe even if you do).

afroakuma
2009-06-02, 10:42 AM
A very good suggestion. I have done so.

Sereg
2009-06-03, 11:41 PM
Ok, I have an idea.

I assume that stuff from non-OGL splatbooks and homebrew is allowed and that the villain can have any challenge rating. Is this correct?

afroakuma
2009-06-03, 11:46 PM
If possible, try to keep it within 1-20.

And yes, other material is allowed, provided you also bring in your own. Just remember; if using class abilities, phrase them strictly in the manner that they apply to the villain.

RS14
2009-06-04, 07:19 PM
Mostly for myself, but I post it here for anyone else, I have tried to integrate the format for this competition with the format given in the monster competition. I believe what follows is what was intended as the overall form of submissions.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Name of the Villain

<Size> <Type>
Hit Dice:
Initiative:
Speed: (# squares)
Armor Class: (), touch, flat-footed
Base Attack/Grapple:
Attack:
Full Attack:
Space/Reach:
Special Attacks:
Special Qualities:
Saves: Fort +, Ref +, Will +
Abilities: Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
Skills:
Feats:
Challenge Rating:
Alignment:

A short, one-line description of your villain in clear, precise terms.

A paragraph describing your villain's physical appearance. Include alternate forms if necessary.


Combat

A paragraph describing how your villain acts in combat.

Ability descriptions

The villain's equipment and possessions, if any. A villain is entitled to wealth up to twice that of a player character of level equivalent to the villain's CR.

This section introduces the villain from its earliest history, before the time at which it acquired its current villainous goals and/or became a threat.


The Villainous Turn

In this section, you detail the turning point in the villain's life. What event caused the villain to become what it currently is? Even if your villain was always evil, this is the point at which its motivations, desires and needs become fixed in the final form that the protagonists will encounter.

Explain what this event was, what proceeded from it, what the villain's goals have become and what the villain is currently undertaking to achieve those goals.


Encounters

This section is a detailed description of the villain's behavior, attitudes, personality and habits. Where the villain frequents, who it associates with, how its actions have evolved at present - a snapshot, in other words, of the villain as it currently is.


Plot Hooks


•Plot hook

•Plot hook

•Plot hook

•Plot hook

•Plot hook

•Plot hook

-- -- --

Any extra homebrew material.

afroakuma
2009-06-04, 07:30 PM
Thank you, RS14. :smallsmile:

Lord_Gareth
2009-06-04, 07:52 PM
Due to moving to Kansas City, Missouri, I will not be able to participate in this round. However, Afro, I do have an idea for you -

What if we did something along the lines of VuaV (where you're in charge of tallying the votes) except that, at the end, you open up those criteria to the community as a challenge. So, basically, like this contest, but more narrow and opened up to voter cruelty.

afroakuma
2009-06-04, 08:14 PM
Due to moving to Kansas City, Missouri, I will not be able to participate in this round. However, Afro, I do have an idea for you -

What if we did something along the lines of VuaV (where you're in charge of tallying the votes) except that, at the end, you open up those criteria to the community as a challenge. So, basically, like this contest, but more narrow and opened up to voter cruelty.

Subject the universe to the kind of evil that plagues me? No one would dare. :smallconfused:

I had certainly considered it, but I think we should start with the relatively open round and vote on a parameter for the next.

RS14
2009-06-06, 11:36 PM
I've spent quite a bit of time working on one ability for a PrC, and I would appreciate any advice. Have I left any loopholes? Is it breakable? Does it not work as I think?

It actually started out small, but grew out of hand when I realized that my initial method of feigning death was inconsistent, convoluted, and failed against Deathwatch.

Also, I'm not sure if the name is too silly.


Die (Ex):
A spymaster is capable of feigning his death in an utterly convincing manner. Whenever he survives any effect which, given average results on all rolls for damage and saving throws, would result in his immediate death, he may immediately choose to instead feign death. He collapses dead for 1d6 hours, during which time he cannot move, see, hear, or otherwise act. At the end of this time, he regains the ability to take actions. However, any damage inflicted since the moment he feigned death immediately takes effect. Thus a Coup de Grace inflicted after his death would deal damage as normal, but the spymaster would not need to make a fortitude save to survive. Thus while feigning death after a near-mortal blow is likely to be fatal to the spymaster, particularly if the blow dropped him below 0hp, feigning death after surviving Finger of Death is much less likely to prove fatal.

Even after he returns from the dead, the spymaster is treated as dead for all purposes save his own actions. He is not a valid target for any spell that targets only creatures, unless cast by himself. He is not even undead. Deathwatch reports him as dead, and he is a valid target for spells such as Speak with Dead. He is even a valid target for True Resurrection, which would either have no result (if he refuses to return) or result in his soul departing his body and reforming in the body created by the True Resurrection. Nevertheless, he must eat, sleep, and breath (or not, if those would not typically be required).

As a special case of the above, a spymaster who is animated as undead while feigning death is transformed into an appropriate undead. He retains his mental statistics, skills, feats, class features, and other such abilities, even if raised as mindless undead, such as a zombie. However, in this case, the spymaster would be unable to challenge the absolute control of the caster who animated him. He might even be forced to reveal his intelligence to his master if he is given an order that would normally be beyond the ability of a similar creature to follow. For example, a typical skeleton would be unable to follow an order to "report anyone suspicious," while a spymaster animated as a skeleton would be compelled to.

While feigning death, the spymaster must lay low. He cannot interact with other creatures. If any other intelligent creature--even his animal companion--sees him alive and well, this effect immediately ends. Casting a spell which affect others (a ray spell which misses does not count, while a spell which is resisted or saved against does), or even speaking to them from behind cover both also end this effect. However, he may affect others in an indirect manner. Not if he shoves a boulder from a great height, nor if someone hears him moving, nor even if he leaves notes for others to find does this effect end.

It is inevitable, though, that some spymasters may find themselves unable to escape detection in a manner which would end this effect. To escape such detection, a spymaster may act as a corpse. He makes a bluff check opposed by spot checks of any observers. If he succeeds, they believe him to be a corpse, otherwise the effect ends immediately.

Note that a spymaster may not terminate this effect on his own. If he feigns death and later finds himself entombed alone in a cave, he cannot end it so as to allow others to find him.

afroakuma
2009-06-10, 08:01 PM
That's ten days down; ten days to go for submitting your villains!

Sereg
2009-06-11, 09:07 AM
Ok, he's far from finished and may have some errors in his current condition but I decided to post what I have of Orhyndin anyway as the competition needed a bump and this way I could get some feedback on what I've already got.

afroakuma
2009-06-11, 09:35 AM
An excellent entry, Sereg, and I love the evil vow of poverty thing.

I would suggest that you put the animal companion in a spoiler tag, and move it into combat abilities under Class Features when you get to that point.

Sereg
2009-06-12, 12:58 AM
An excellent entry, Sereg, and I love the evil vow of poverty thing.

I would suggest that you put the animal companion in a spoiler tag, and move it into combat abilities under Class Features when you get to that point.

Thank you. It does wonders for my ego to be praised by the master.

As for the spoiler suggestion. No, problem. I'll do that. I've also realised that I've forgotten to add the [vile] descriptor to Vow of indecency as well as the effects whilst in wild shape. and to increase the fort save from Great fortitude.

I'll probably add a couple more quotes and, if I have time a spell and a couple of new monsters.

Sereg
2009-06-15, 01:05 AM
All right those issues are addresesd. I also fixed his skill bonuses on some things and some spelling mistakes as well as suppliying notes on adaptation.

I still have to add prepared spells as well as any other optional things that I have time for.

This is also a bump as this should be on the first page (as should the competition). Less than a week to go. Come on people, I don't want to win by defaiult.

RS14
2009-06-15, 05:28 PM
I suggest extending it for a few days. I'll try to get my submission done tomorrow, but I start work full time after that, so if it's not done, it may take longer.

afroakuma
2009-06-15, 05:30 PM
I may have to; there are only 5 days remaining otherwise.

Since this is the inaugural round, I'll extend the allocated time to the end of this month.

Sereg
2009-06-16, 10:52 AM
All right. I've added his spells prepared as well as made a couple of other edits.

The competition really needs a bump. Hopefully you can oblige RS14, but I hope that we have some more entries soon.

afroakuma
2009-06-16, 10:53 AM
Well, as I said, I'm extending it to the end of the month. I don't think I'll see more than three entries, though.

Thane of Fife
2009-06-16, 04:41 PM
Hmm, having critiqued you any number of times, I feel honor-bound to contribute something.

Unfortunately, I've got nuthin'.

Sereg
2009-06-19, 08:15 AM
Hmm, having critiqued you any number of times, I feel honor-bound to contribute something.

Unfortunately, I've got nuthin'.

Come on Thane of Fife, you can do it!

Incidently, I'm using my signature to try bring this most excellent of contests some more well-derserved attention.

Sereg
2009-06-21, 06:35 AM
Alright, I've fixed an error in the base attack bonus, added Rytvush's portfolio (not that that was hard) and added a spell and two monsters.

I'm now bumping the threads and hoping that more entries will arrive.

EDIT: Have now also done Rytvush's favoured weapon.

Lord_Zaryn
2009-06-21, 04:05 PM
I like this but it is way too narrow, for example I wanted to submit a Succubus with Druid levels that is a main Villain in my world but to do so not only do I have to make stats/history/hooks and personality but I have to create an entire presteige class/spell/feat/Magic Item and or God. That is a lot of work.

Kudos to Sereg but their is a lot going on in that post.

Sereg
2009-06-21, 11:22 PM
Thank you, Lord Zaryn. It is a pity that you feel unable to compete. It would have been iteresting to have seen your villain.

Incidently, I have made an alteration to the monsters based on a suggestion by Pair'O Dice Lost and have added a couple more spoiler tagws to make everything more managable.

afroakuma
2009-06-21, 11:27 PM
Yeah; I'll keep the contest open until the extended deadline, but it looks like unfortunately it couldn't curdle up enough interest.

LordZarth
2009-06-22, 12:10 AM
Yeah; I'll keep the contest open until the extended deadline, but it looks like unfortunately it couldn't curdle up enough interest.

I'm trying to whip up an entry, but I am inexperienced.

Thane of Fife
2009-06-22, 06:53 AM
I've got an idea, I just need to find the time to stat it up (incidentally, if the villain is just an intelligent version of an inanimate object, does it need to be statted up? Can I just say, "It's a tree, with blah blah blah..."?).

Sereg
2009-06-22, 10:32 AM
I hope that you all have time to finish your entries. It would be a real shame if this contest falls flat. I was looking forward to this being a recurring event that brought out lots of interesting villains for us to veiw and which gave me an excuse to excersize my creativity. Of course for future contests I would likely have smaller entries as I doubt that I would get a concept that required me to do this much homebrewing to get it to work very often.

Oh, and thane of Fife, it would need all 3 mental ability scores to qualify if I understand Afroakuma correctly, of course it's his contest not mine so you'd have to confirm with him what was legal.

Thane of Fife
2009-06-22, 11:15 AM
Oh, and thane of Fife, it would need all 3 mental ability scores to qualify if I understand Afroakuma correctly, of course it's his contest not mine so you'd have to confirm with him what was legal.

It would have all three mental stats, I was mostly just curious if I needed to give it some number of hit points and a strength score, if I could just say that "It's a tree, and, other than having minions and trying to reason with you, it can't stop you from just cutting it down."

afroakuma
2009-06-22, 04:29 PM
It would have all three mental stats, I was mostly just curious if I needed to give it some number of hit points and a strength score, if I could just say that "It's a tree, and, other than having minions and trying to reason with you, it can't stop you from just cutting it down."

Yes, you do. You could rule that it has no Str and no Dex, but then you'd have to put "Str -, Dex -."

At the very least, as a sentient, powered "object," it has hit points and hardness.

Lord_Zaryn
2009-06-22, 11:55 PM
Well, I have decided to work on this character since the more I work on characters the more I flesh out my world. Will post by Friday.

Lappy9000
2009-06-23, 12:14 AM
When it comes to villains, I'd love to show off what I've got but...plants. Plants.

...I got nutthin.

Sereg
2009-06-23, 04:17 AM
When it comes to villains, I'd love to show off what I've got but...plants. Plants.

...I got nutthin.

Sounds like someone feels sympathy for what the voters put Afroakuma through. Maybe you'll have something for future events though.

I look forward to seeing your entry Lord_Zaryn.

EDIT: Lowered the decrease in effective druid level from woodling companion to 4 and added Orhyndin's languages (can't believe that I forgot those).

DracoDei
2009-06-23, 07:20 AM
...I got nutthin.

One might even say you were "stumped". :smallbiggrin:

Lord_Zaryn
2009-06-25, 12:40 AM
That was horrible...I am just going to throw that out there. I can empathize with you whole hardily.

Sereg
2009-06-26, 06:08 AM
I've fixed an error with the companion's base attack, a grammer error and made a slight addition to description. Unless anyone informs me of another error, Orhyndin is now complete.

mercurymaline
2009-06-26, 10:53 AM
I've got...something. But I'll have to reformat it a bit. Might qualify.

Thane of Fife
2009-06-28, 03:33 PM
Alymra is posted. Is it okay, or do I need more of a stat-line/something else?

afroakuma
2009-06-28, 03:42 PM
Your villain does need the full statblock, Thane. If it has no attacks then leave that field blank, but the remainder is relevant information or could become so.

Thane of Fife
2009-06-28, 04:09 PM
It's kind of a sad-looking stat-block, but I think it's acceptable now.

mercurymaline
2009-06-28, 05:31 PM
Ok, I posted what I have. Had to change some things, b/c it was formatted for my homebrew, but I think I got the necessary changes made. If anything's still weird, let me know.

Sereg
2009-06-29, 05:32 AM
Yay, competition!I haven't given them a decent read yet but so far they look interesting. I'll take a better look later.

EDIT: Alright, I've had a better look and I love them! Alymra is a unique and fascinating individual for his challenge rating and Haevarlkoisan has a great backstory that makes one pity him even though he could tear you apart.

I'm not an expert on balance though so I'm not sure about that.

RS14
2009-06-30, 09:06 PM
Well, mine is done and up, finally. I had a hard time summoning the motivation to get it done, hence the 11th hour submission.

Lord_Zaryn
2009-06-30, 10:17 PM
Mine is up too. Please keep this villain competition up, I want to do more...just nothing with plants.

afroakuma
2009-06-30, 10:52 PM
We'll see after the voting.

Sereg
2009-07-01, 05:12 AM
Another pair of interesting villains. I must say though that Sylvia would be difficult to use as written in most campaign settings. I mean, the Blood Victory! Do you realise how much that would mess up the multiverse? Afro's Galadiuts would definateluy become involved. Interestingly though, I can see her convincing Orhyndin to form an alliance with her. That could be quite scary.


Please keep this villain competition up, I want to do more.

Indeed. I've enjoyed this and look forward to further contests. We managed to get some interesting villains out of this and I bet there are others who would enter future contests.

EDIT: By the way, when does voting start?

Lord_Zaryn
2009-07-02, 02:19 AM
Hey, this is homebrew. It is not my problem if you can't incorporate greatness into your campaign :smallwink:.

Sereg
2009-07-02, 08:01 AM
Incidently, in case anyone hasn't realised it yet, voting has begun.