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Nanoblack
2010-10-11, 08:22 PM
I was browsing through my daily maze of links when I came across this jewel:
(Also conveniently linked here (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=261519))


I was inspired while reading about the tarrasque. Specificaly the bit about its regeneration.

"Once apon a time a nation decided to end the threat of the tarrasque once and for all. An army was assembled, led by the greatest heroes of the age. Most importantly, a number of powerful magical weapons were created for the battle. The monster was lured into a tight canyon and the battle began.

"At terrible cost, the tarrasque was defeated. But not slain. It was impaled by fourteen Immovable Harpoons (like an immovable rod, but spikey), each attached to a thick adamantine chain sunk deep into the canyon walls by magic. The tarrasque was restrained.

"A fortress was built around the tarrasque, to watch over it. Every day it's watchers hack away at the tarrasque with powerful magic weapons to keep it weakened in case of escape. Even so, there are casualties as they misjudge its reach, or as it's angry thrashing causes rockfalls.

"Of course, being a powerful magical crearture, the tarrasque's blood, flesh and other body parts have certain useful properties. A side effect of keeping the tarrasque imprisoned like this was a neverending supply of powerful magical components. A city grew up around the fortress to house the various wizards, scholars and alchemists that came to exploit the tarrasque's bounty. Eventually, it was almost as if the neverending stream of tarrasque blood, flesh and bone was more important than imprisoning the beast itself."

I'm picturing decadant nobles made immortal by their continuued consumption of tarrasque flesh. Warrior-butchers wielding vorpal greatswords to hack away at the tarrasque and channels cut into the stone underneath the beast to channel the valuable blood away. The tarrasque's distant screams and roars would be a continuous background noise for the people in the city, with "tarrasque-quakes" common. Almost an industry of ludicrously expensive magic items crafted from its body parts - tarrasquehide armour, tarrasquebone spears and potions and other alchemical miscellania of course.

You could play up the creepiness of the whole thing, maybe eating the flesh and blood of the tarrasque has unwanted side-effects. I'm thinking of tarrasque blood being analogous to the spice from dune - in this city the blood's used in just about everything and it has unusual effects on the populous.

Even with the tarrasque mostly restrained, getting close isn't a good idea and there'll be pretty frequent casualties amongst the butchers. Because of its reflective carapace, mnagic is a no go so it has to be someone getting in close with a big knife. Every now and then the chains will need to be re-planted to make sure they've not been loosened by the tarrasque's thrashing about - what fun that'll be.

And there's the whole hubris angle - maybe the pressure to cut away more and more of it lets it pull free of one or more of the immovable harpoons. And an inevitable tarrasque-worshipping cult that is covertly planning to free their god.

And if you want to play up the "tarrasque as force of nature" thing, maybe its imprisonment is throwing the natural order of things out of whack. The tarrasque is a necessary part of the ecosystem and plays "natural predator" to something really nasty. Without the tarrasque killing off the nasties every X years they've had time to grow into their adult, even nastier form.

I mean, come on; a fortress built around a chained godzilla who's constantly being butchered is dripping with adventure hooks and just plain cool.


I thought I would present this morsel to the playground for either interesting discussion, or (I hope) to check for interest for a game like this. The one thing that keeps running through my mind is: What sorts of magical properties do you think items made from tarrasque would have?

The-Mage-King
2010-10-11, 08:25 PM
Oh, that? I worked on something involving that on the WotC forums a year back... Let me dig up the link to that thread...

Ah, here (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20069481/Tarrasque-based_city?pg=1) we go.


I contributed... Materials, a few grafts, some magic items, and a race, so...

A form of regeneration, for one thing.

The Glyphstone
2010-10-11, 08:25 PM
well, it's not what you asked, but I can't really think of anything except wonder why they're letting it stay at postive HP - if it was driven into the negatives, there wouldn't be any thrashing or screaming for as long as they kept it there (all it'd take would be 40 HP/round after its DR, a couple of skeletal giants with big swords could do it or something).

JeminiZero
2010-10-11, 08:27 PM
Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

The Glyphstone
2010-10-11, 08:28 PM
Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

But that's not cool.

Elfin
2010-10-11, 08:29 PM
Thanks for the link; that sounds really neat. I, for one, would definitely play in a game based on this - I especially like the "Tarrasque as a natural predator for something even nastier" angle.


Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

On reflection, perhaps in this setting Tier 1 and 2 casters should be banned.

arguskos
2010-10-11, 08:39 PM
Thanks for the link; that sounds really neat. I, for one, would definitely play in a game based on this - I especially like the "Tarrasque as a natural predator for something even nastier" angle.
The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"


On reflection, perhaps in this setting Tier 1 and 2 casters should be banned.
More sensical to just buff the Monster Of Legend so stupid crap can't harm it and such crazy methods are necessary.

Nanoblack
2010-10-11, 08:41 PM
Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

Well while it's relatively easy for a player to have knowledge of the resources required to keep such a creature perpetually incapacitated, in-game it might not be so easy. Also it was stated that there were individuals who worshiped the thing as a god, so it wouldn't be a stretch to assume the superstitious commoners think it to be a trapped god of sorts and, along with its reputation, believe it to be truly unkillable.

ericgrau
2010-10-11, 09:21 PM
Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.
Why stop at the tarrasque? 99% of monsters can't do much either. Which is exactly why that spell (at least if that particular monster is allowed) is broken and should never be allowed in any real game. Ditto for similar spells. And now you can ban those instead of casters.

The-Mage-King
2010-10-11, 09:26 PM
Now, off the subject of Bork'd spells...

Tarrasque related stuff made in that thread.

Some grafts, an elixir, and weapons: This (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20069481/Tarrasque-based_city&post_num=12#346715205) post.

Armor: This (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20069481/Tarrasque-based_city&post_num=23#363051661) post.

Race: This (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20069481/Tarrasque-based_city&post_num=44#378175209) post.

Volos
2010-10-12, 12:33 PM
Hmm... I had been planning something similiar, I needed the BBEG to have a Tarrasque as his pet, but I had no real way to have it held down. With those spears I could... -evil laughter-

kc0bbq
2010-10-12, 12:48 PM
Hmm... I had been planning something similiar, I needed the BBEG to have a Tarrasque as his pet, but I had no real way to have it held down. With those spears I could... -evil laughter-
Is your BBEG a big slug looking dude that eats frog things and keeps princesses in slave girl outfits?

Elfin
2010-10-12, 12:59 PM
The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"

"Long aeons ago, [InsertNameHere] the Ravager, an eldritch abomination of the Far Realm, found its way to the material plane. Spawning legions of its terrible offspring, the monster amassed an army with which it launched an assault upon the then-young world.
At last, the ancient peoples of those days defeated the Ravager and its hordes and imprisoned it deep below the earth, shackled by the roots of the world itself and tied down by the most powerful of magics.
But still, the Ravager had the power to create spawn: and these slowly amassed, eating at their parent's bonds, crawling upwards toward the surface of the world.
To prevent this threat from returning, the alien and remote gods who ruled the earth in those times appointed a creature - the primeval ancestor of the Tarrasque - to, every fifty years, make a lumbering pilgrimage to the cave complex in which the Ravager was imprisoned, and there to feast upon its spawn (which were relatively harmless in their early stages of growth). Thus was the Ravager kept in check: and though the elder gods faded, and the world changed, still the Tarrasque's line continued to make its solitary journeys (even though, as the younger races and gods took power, these became increasingly difficult).
But no longer. Ever since the city's raising, the spawn of the Ravager have been growing in numbers and in power, slowly making their way to the surface of the world, slowly gnawing at the chains that keep the Ravager in check."

Or something of that sort.

More sensical to just buff the Monster Of Legend so stupid crap can't harm it and such crazy methods are necessary.

Yea. That actually does make a lot more sense.

EvilJames
2010-10-12, 01:23 PM
A Dm of mine was planning on running a game something like this accept the tarrasque was viewed as something akin to the Dragon of Tyr ala Dark Sun and all the powerful rulers of this world were undergoing transformations similar to the Sorcerer Kings but becoming more Tarasque like.

Volos
2010-10-12, 01:48 PM
Is your BBEG a big slug looking dude that eats frog things and keeps princesses in slave girl outfits?

No... I was thinking of going all cliche on them, but he's a Great Wyrm Black Dragon with a dragonic prestige class. CR 32 or something like that.

Prime32
2010-10-12, 04:18 PM
The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"X Parasites? (http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/X_Parasite)

What about chuuls (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/chuul.htm)? There was some fluff in a Dragon article which implied that only the first stage of their life cycle has been seen.

Jolee
2010-10-12, 05:00 PM
"Long aeons ago [...]"


Cool, its purpose is to basically gorge itself on Lavos Spawn every half-century.:smallbiggrin:

I noticed that the Tarresque is sapient (Int=3), what does this mean for the setting? I'm starting to picture the Tarresque as some sort of monstrous version of Prometheus: unjustly chained to rock, little creatures cutting away parts of his flesh everyday only for the bits to regrow for another round of torture. On another note, I bet the Tarresque would have picked up the language of its captors by now.

MarkusWolfe
2010-10-12, 05:09 PM
"Long aeons ago, [InsertNameHere] the Ravager, an eldritch abomination of the Far Realm, found its way to the material plane. Spawning legions of its terrible offspring, the monster amassed an army with which it launched an assault upon the then-young world.
At last, the ancient peoples of those days defeated the Ravager and its hordes and imprisoned it deep below the earth, shackled by the roots of the world itself and tied down by the most powerful of magics.
But still, the Ravager had the power to create spawn: and these slowly amassed, eating at their parent's bonds, crawling upwards toward the surface of the world.
To prevent this threat from returning, the alien and remote gods who ruled the earth in those times appointed a creature - the primeval ancestor of the Tarrasque - to, every fifty years, make a lumbering pilgrimage to the cave complex in which the Ravager was imprisoned, and there to feast upon its spawn (which were relatively harmless in their early stages of growth). Thus was the Ravager kept in check: and though the elder gods faded, and the world changed, still the Tarrasque's line continued to make its solitary journeys (even though, as the younger races and gods took power, these became increasingly difficult).
But no longer. Ever since the city's raising, the spawn of the Ravager have been growing in numbers and in power, slowly making their way to the surface of the world, slowly gnawing at the chains that keep the Ravager in check."

Or something of that sort.


Yea. That actually does make a lot more sense.

No, humans, you are the Ravager Spawn!

And then the humans were monsters.

The Glyphstone
2010-10-12, 05:11 PM
No, humans, you are the Ravager Spawn!

And then the humans were monsters.

Cue hyper-epic campaign where the players are immature Tarrasques working to cleanse the world.

MarkusWolfe
2010-10-12, 05:17 PM
Cue hyper-epic campaign where the players are immature Tarrasques working to cleanse the world.

*pictures full grown Tarrasques with 20 levels of player classes*

Chrono22
2010-10-12, 05:21 PM
Here's an idea about tarrasque meat consumption: regular consumption of the meat causes otherwise ordinary people to pass into temporary fits of rage (they go berserk). A single person, unable to distinguish friend from foe, would just be a nuisance for the city guard... but all people that regularly consume the tarrasque meat suffer this side effect simultaneously. When this event will occur is entirely random and unpredictable. It also makes you very hungry, all the time. You require twice as much sustenance as a normal member of your race.
The meat has some beneficial side effects as well: it grants a minor form of regeneration (as ring of regeneration), and it makes you resistant to poisons and disease (it grants a +4 resistance to either so long as you've eaten the meat in the last 24 hours).

Just imagine it. Every so often, the entire city is attacked by violent, crazed killers. And since the people that eat the meat regularly are almost all adventurers... you get the idea.

Flickerdart
2010-10-12, 05:28 PM
Spelljammer had a planet of tarrasques. What if every city was built around one?

Ilmryn
2010-10-12, 05:46 PM
The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"


More sensical to just buff the Monster Of Legend so stupid crap can't harm it and such crazy methods are necessary.

One of the few things in the monster manual that actually has a higher CR than the tarrasque. Dragons. Think about it.

On this world, humans knew dragons as rare but powerful creatures. They were never known for their size, usually not becoming larger than a large horse. Unbeknowst to the humans, the tarrasque was the bane of dragons, their only natural enemy. And now that it is trapped, the dragons have grown...

One day, the largest dragon ever seen, a gargantuan blue wyrm came flying out of the sky, and declared itself absolute ruler of Tarrasque City. He claimed the products of the tarrasque for himself and his spawn, and the dragons, being initially incompatiple with the Tarrasque, have mutated into something vile.

Tersarganlath, the blue wyrm is currently the most powerful being in the world; he is aspiring to rule it all, and is growing ever so slightly insane...

Morph Bark
2010-10-12, 06:18 PM
Spelljammer had a planet of tarrasques. What if every city was built around one?

Or on one.

Like this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_Engines_Quartet).

Flickerdart
2010-10-12, 06:20 PM
A nomadic society that moves based on the movements of their Tarrasque-city? I like it!

Jack_Simth
2010-10-12, 06:58 PM
well, it's not what you asked, but I can't really think of anything except wonder why they're letting it stay at postive HP - if it was driven into the negatives, there wouldn't be any thrashing or screaming for as long as they kept it there (all it'd take would be 40 HP/round after its DR, a couple of skeletal giants with big swords could do it or something).
Oh, that. Perhaps it needs to be awake in order to eat and drink. See, damage from starvation and thirst bypasses regeneration, so they *need* to keep it awake in order to keep 'harvesting' it's components.

Dark_Nohn
2010-10-13, 12:31 AM
"Long aeons ago, [InsertNameHere] the Ravager, an eldritch abomination of the Far Realm, found its way to the material plane. Spawning legions of its terrible offspring, the monster amassed an army with which it launched an assault upon the then-young world.
At last, the ancient peoples of those days defeated the Ravager and its hordes and imprisoned it deep below the earth, shackled by the roots of the world itself and tied down by the most powerful of magics.
But still, the Ravager had the power to create spawn: and these slowly amassed, eating at their parent's bonds, crawling upwards toward the surface of the world.
To prevent this threat from returning, the alien and remote gods who ruled the earth in those times appointed a creature - the primeval ancestor of the Tarrasque - to, every fifty years, make a lumbering pilgrimage to the cave complex in which the Ravager was imprisoned, and there to feast upon its spawn (which were relatively harmless in their early stages of growth). Thus was the Ravager kept in check: and though the elder gods faded, and the world changed, still the Tarrasque's line continued to make its solitary journeys (even though, as the younger races and gods took power, these became increasingly difficult).
But no longer. Ever since the city's raising, the spawn of the Ravager have been growing in numbers and in power, slowly making their way to the surface of the world, slowly gnawing at the chains that keep the Ravager in check."

Or something of that sort.


Yea. That actually does make a lot more sense.
About this, I would like to suggest that the use of multiple Unholy Scions (pg 155 Heroes of Horror) be used for the Ravager spawn, as it would give reason to why the Tarrasque attacks villages seemingly at random (was to prevent the birthing or growth of these evil beings.)

One of the few things in the monster manual that actually has a higher CR than the tarrasque. Dragons. Think about it.

On this world, humans knew dragons as rare but powerful creatures. They were never known for their size, usually not becoming larger than a large horse. Unbeknowst to the humans, the tarrasque was the bane of dragons, their only natural enemy. And now that it is trapped, the dragons have grown...

One day, the largest dragon ever seen, a gargantuan blue wyrm came flying out of the sky, and declared itself absolute ruler of Tarrasque City. He claimed the products of the tarrasque for himself and his spawn, and the dragons, being initially incompatiple with the Tarrasque, have mutated into something vile.

Tersarganlath, the blue wyrm is currently the most powerful being in the world; he is aspiring to rule it all, and is growing ever so slightly insane...
Not sure if I like this version, good aligned dragons are usually the antithesis of evil ones, as well as PCs of either alignment hunting those of the opposed alignment for power.

JeminiZero
2010-10-13, 02:21 AM
Oh, that. Perhaps it needs to be awake in order to eat and drink. See, damage from starvation and thirst bypasses regeneration, so they *need* to keep it awake in order to keep 'harvesting' it's components.


Or you can build a really big Ring of Sustenance that fits on one of its toes.

Rising Phoenix
2010-10-13, 02:49 AM
I can almost see a 'liberate the tarrasque' organization...

Coidzor
2010-10-13, 03:48 AM
Ah, yes, I fell in love with this idea as soon as I saw it some years ago...

The_Snark
2010-10-13, 04:26 AM
Nice. Can't help but be reminded of this (http://www.elfwood.com/~ursula/Crucifixion-City.3309111.html).

Runestar
2010-10-13, 04:32 AM
The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"

It doesn't have to be just one creature.

I recall that in the "Age of Worms" module, one of the adventures has the party travel to an exotic island where all the inhabitants are ultra-advanced versions of the stock MM creatures. For example, the girallons are cr17, roc was a hefty cr18 etc. Maybe the setting has them and the tarrasque is (or rather, was) the only thing keeping their population in check with its aggressive hunting.

With it now imprisoned, those monsters' numbers would balloon after several generations, and start posing new problems. Sure, a wizard20 can probably take them down with minimal effort, but you can't have one accompany each trading caravan as firepower. :smalltongue:

Dark_Nohn
2010-10-13, 05:26 AM
Or there could be only two Tarrasques, one aquatic that is never known by land-dwellers, and as soon as one land-Tarrasque or sea-Tarrasque dies due to a PC killing it, another one pops up, but if they fail to get together and reproduce, they die out permanently, leaving a gap in the natural order of things even more, and this time, irreversibly. And all those of the TLS (Tarrasque Liberation Society) all say "I told you so" as the world burns in flames.

SilverLeaf167
2010-10-13, 05:36 AM
How could the Big T be held in place with Immovable Rods? They can be moved with a Strength check of DC 30, which is easy when you have a Str modifier of +17.

Eloel
2010-10-13, 05:38 AM
How could the Big T be held in place with Immovable Rods? They can be moved with a Strength check of DC 30, which is easy when you have a Str modifier of +17.
They use 2 rods per "hold". Happy?

Coidzor
2010-10-13, 05:42 AM
Nice. Can't help but be reminded of this (http://www.elfwood.com/~ursula/Crucifixion-City.3309111.html).

...Why on earth is that censored? :smallconfused:

Morph Bark
2010-10-13, 05:45 AM
...Why on earth is that censored? :smallconfused:

Presumably the sense of torture it conveys.

Dark_Nohn
2010-10-13, 05:51 AM
Presumably the sense of torture it conveys.

I was thinking because it had religious connotations with the crucifixion conveyed in the title.

Asheram
2010-10-13, 05:54 AM
What if this is history repeating itself? Long, long, long ago, the tarrasque was captured, just as now, and only escaped (levelling the city in the process) after the nobles became so corrupted by the beast's blood that they got stupid and sloppy.

The former nobles, their home destroyed, became savage nomads. Over generations they've grown even more monstrous.

What they called themselves then has been lost to history.

Now, all know them as trolls

I loved that discussion. :D

Coidzor
2010-10-13, 05:55 AM
Presumably the sense of torture it conveys.
Meh.

I wonder if this idea influenced Rich's hydra stand or if they both just emerged from a similar background, much as I wondered as a child whether werewolves/vampires with regenerating abilities could be used with a meatgrinder to produce unlimited supplies of meat/fertilizer.

un_known
2010-12-04, 01:26 AM
Or there could be only two Tarrasques, one aquatic that is never known by land-dwellers, and as soon as one land-Tarrasque or sea-Tarrasque dies due to a PC killing it, another one pops up, but if they fail to get together and reproduce, they die out permanently, leaving a gap in the natural order of things even more, and this time, irreversibly. And all those of the TLS (Tarrasque Liberation Society) all say "I told you so" as the world burns in flames.



I'd see this as being the Tarrasques & the Leviathan. Possibly it could be that they have hundreds of 'children' but the children don't evolve past a certain stage but when one of the parents die a child morphs into the full grown version of it. Sort of like insect colonies where when the queen dies a new one is 'created' through the body morphing due to hormones and coding that is locked inside themself.

SaintRidley
2010-12-04, 01:44 AM
I can almost see a 'liberate the tarrasque' organization...

PETT: People for the Ethical Treatment of the Tarrasque.

Hirax
2010-12-04, 02:01 AM
I scanned and didn't see it mentioned, I think the Waker of the Tarrasque PrC from Dragon is worth bringing up here.

Dr.Epic
2010-12-04, 02:04 AM
Where's the steady food supply for the tarrasque coming from?

dgnslyr
2010-12-04, 02:13 AM
Magic. What can it not solve?

TheStillWind
2010-12-04, 02:15 AM
Yea where would they get enough food to sustain the beast. They wouldn't be able to have their unlimited food supply unless they could afford to feed the tarrasque... o wait. Lets not talk about it.

faceroll
2010-12-04, 02:54 AM
The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"

Kythons.

some more characters

grimbold
2010-12-04, 03:11 AM
pretty cool
and now im figuring out the way an immovable harpoon would work, what a cool weapon that could be...

Coidzor
2010-12-04, 03:12 AM
Yea where would they get enough food to sustain the beast. They wouldn't be able to have their unlimited food supply unless they could afford to feed the tarrasque... o wait. Lets not talk about it.

Since it can't actually die from anything but wish, I believe the default assumption is that they don't need to feed or water it, whatever magic makes the tarrasque be the tarrasque (absorption of ambient magical energies? I believe some magic-radiation called Faz or something is the canon explanation for underdark flora and some of its fauna) sustains it and allows something to be gotten for nothing, or in this case, constant butchery.

Failing that, Create Food and Water traps.

Failing that, divert the course of some body of water and engineer some kind of hyper-nutritious, hyper-propagating algae that's constantly sluished into the tarrasque's maw, possibly through some kind of implanted adamantine tube.

FelixG
2010-12-04, 05:40 AM
I scanned and didn't see it mentioned, I think the Waker of the Tarrasque PrC from Dragon is worth bringing up here.

Waker of the Beast DR# 296 :smallbiggrin:

going to have to look that one up when I get home

Autolykos
2010-12-04, 06:15 AM
Well, it reminds me of Stanislaw Lem's "The use of a dragon" (Pożytek ze smoka (http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pożytek_ze_smoka) - Google Translate (http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=pl&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fpl.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPo%C5%BCy tek_ze_smoka&act=url) - sorry, it seems to be awfully hard to find in English - I wonder it it ever was translated). It's a short story about a huge dragon occupying a whole continent and being the base of the planet's economy - and at the same time a satirical attack at trade and economy in the Warsaw Pact countries.

Rising Phoenix
2010-12-04, 06:41 AM
PETT: People for the Ethical Treatment of the Tarrasque.

Why didn't I think of that?!

Also stands for the opposing organization People Eating Tasty Tarrasque.

AstralFire
2010-12-04, 06:58 AM
Er... why don't people use arrows and spears and catapults to keep the tarrasque down?

The Glyphstone
2010-12-04, 07:49 AM
Great Modthulhu: Thread Necromancy, but I'll leave it open to see if the discussion thrives.

SaintRidley
2010-12-04, 10:15 AM
So options for feeding our beastly source of income:

Rerouting a river and engineering an algae-based food source: Potentially expensive and done with some small difficulty.

Animal sacrifices: one of the more obvious Cult of the Tarrasque moves.

Create Ring of Sustenance. Put it on the Tarrasque's little talon. It should resize.

Other: ???


So, let's say we go with the Ring of Sustenance. Probably the cheapest option in the very long run. Does this society have a plan for adventurers who seek to destroy the Tarrasque? Do they have an elite guard to protect the beast?

Callos_DeTerran
2010-12-04, 10:32 AM
Where's the steady food supply for the tarrasque coming from?

Well if the culture is meant to be slowly corrupted and evil, the obvious answer is they feed it by way of conquest. That is, subjugating nearby nations, taking their people as slaves (to be feed to the Tarrasque when they can't work anymore or die) to work in their own fields and their livestock/crops to feed their bound tarrasque.

Why so successful? Picture every foot soldier with a mild form of regeneration and other tarrasquelike properties from having eaten so much of it. More advanced members of the army having more so and being barely recognizable as what they were. That's a pretty big advantage assuming casters are not prevalent.

hangedman1984
2010-12-04, 11:15 AM
Where's the steady food supply for the tarrasque coming from?

the same place everyone's food is coming from, pieces of the tarrasque

TheWhisper
2011-01-02, 10:11 PM
I don't know offhand precisely how big the Tarrasque is, but it seems that with a little altered flavour, you could make the thing big enough so that the city is built on it, as a parasite rather than a captor, going wherever the Tarrasque goes, and pillaging the ruins left in its wake for wealth.

Amiel
2011-01-02, 10:15 PM
*pictures full grown Tarrasques with 20 levels of player classes*

*Pictures paragon tarrasques*

Halae
2011-01-02, 10:20 PM
*Pictures paragon tarrasques*

*Pictures 49 headed Half-dragon paragon Tarrasque of Legend*

big teej
2011-01-02, 10:23 PM
*pictures the offspring of Chuck Norris and the Tarrasque*

HalfTangible
2011-01-02, 10:29 PM
*pictures the offspring of Chuck Norris and the Tarrasque*

Pft. Like a Tarrasque has a chance with Chuck Norris.

@OP: That's damn awesome and yet so creepy at the same time.

Wardog
2011-01-02, 10:37 PM
Pft. Like a Tarrasque has a chance with Chuck Norris.


Maybe the Tarrasque didn't have any choice in the matter... :smalleek:


Alternatively: Tarrasque-Lagann :smallbiggrin:

HalfTangible
2011-01-02, 10:53 PM
Maybe the Tarrasque didn't have any choice in the matter... :smalleek:


Alternatively: Tarrasque-Lagann :smallbiggrin:

Er, that was meant to imply that Chuck Norris was above dating and/or sleeping with a tarrasque. Meaning he's more awesome.

big teej
2011-01-02, 11:19 PM
Er, that was meant to imply that Chuck Norris was above dating and/or sleeping with a tarrasque. Meaning he's more awesome.

sadly you are correct, I did not completely think through my one-upness :smallfrown:

Amiel
2011-01-03, 12:30 AM
I like the idea that drinking tarrasque's blood forces addiction and dependency upon the imbiber.

The blood and its interactions within the body may result in overloading of the endocrine and lymphatic systems, causing mutations as an unintended side-effect.
Those who do drink the blood may gain the half-farspawn template or the pseudonatural template.


Does the society practice exportation of goods?
Sinister forces at work within the city may be perpetuating these mutations within allied and hostile neighbours.

Zaq
2011-01-03, 12:54 AM
I like the idea that drinking tarrasque's blood forces addiction and dependency upon the imbiber.

The blood and its interactions within the body may result in overloading of the endocrine and lymphatic systems, causing mutations as an unintended side-effect.
Those who do drink the blood may gain the half-farspawn template or the pseudonatural template.


Does the society practice exportation of goods?
Sinister forces at work within the city may be perpetuating these mutations within allied and hostile neighbours.

I could see Tarrasque blood being treated in a way similar to the way in which the Space Pirates treat Phazon, if you're familiar with the Metroid Prime series.

Yvanehtnioj
2011-01-03, 03:39 AM
This idea is really neat.

I did this this back when I played 2nd edition Ad&d in college. In a Red Steel Campain. There was a lot of world background material by TSR / Wotc printed.

One of the things I used in my campaign was a country that was about the size of Russia. They never said what the source of power was for their country but I had their main castle built around a tarrasque.

Their leader was a L18 cleric, L5 Psionicist. Driven mad by consuming some of the Tarrasue's flesh. (This gave those who survived the eating, psion powers.)

His goal of world conquest stemmed from having an item crafted, and a creature found. The creature was found in one of the adventures in Red Steel (a deepspawn). The item was a Crown of Deepspawn Control.

The main villian was already going to feed Dragons (young adult) to the Deepspawn, but wanted the Tarrasque too. [The deepspawn can manufacture whatever creature it eats. No limit on the number. And it controls its offspring.] All you have to do is control the deepspawn.

So main villian was about to feed Tarraque to deepspawn, for an army of them.

The players that I dm'd for were like, "whoa."

Keinnicht
2011-01-03, 11:10 PM
Hee hee, when I was young and into ultra high-power hack and slash games, I had a character who killed the tarrasque and had Tarrasquehide Armor made.

I've always wondered what sort of tools you'd need to make that work. Also, the stats in the linked Wizards forum thread seem ridiculously low. I mean, I think +10 armor is the LOWEST reasonable number.

I mean, I'm pretty sure the Tarrasque's skin is pretty freaking resilient, what with that +30 natural armor bonus.

Tvtyrant
2011-01-03, 11:15 PM
Hmmmm, it would be fun to capture it and then give it mechanical enhancements like metal wings for flight so it can kill things more effectively. Or give it the ability to throw 1d10 Howlers at anyone within 5 miles.

The Glyphstone
2011-01-03, 11:15 PM
Yeah, but Dragons can get natural armor bonuses of more than +30, and yet the best dragonhide armor possible is Full Plate for +8. The Tarrasque's hide is tough, but when you butcher and cut it up, you'll lose some of that, in a 'pieces are less than the whole' way. With giant bony armor plates meant for a Colossal creature, you won't be able to use the parts that give it most of its protection. You have to forge your armor out of the scales on its fingers and toes, or the plates on its ankles, which are weaker than its main carapace because they're smaller targets.

At least, that's one possible way to explain it.

Cerlis
2011-01-03, 11:42 PM
I like the idea of the Tarrasque being the predator of some unholy abomination. Or rather, be it gods or some old council of wizards and druids, they created a powerful being, which would slumber until it sensed monsters of epic proportions. The power required strength nature and chaos. and so much of it they where incapable of making it sensible, So it was left destructive (and thus the Slumber clause in its creation)

When it senses Powerful magics connecting to dark planes. Large auras of Necromancy, or oh to powerful arcane magic it wakes, seeks it out and tries to destroy it. Since its so hard to get to epic level it usually only wakes if the world is in danger. and of course since many of its prey is metaphyisical and it starts rampaging as soon as it senses the threat, it seems as if random buildings or cities are destroyed (if you dont know about a secret cult under your city, then you wont know why the Tarrasque killed your city)

Now you add a double horror. So not only is there the risk of Powerful evils going unchecked, but all the worlds lesser evils sense the pain of the tarrasque and know its power is checked. Every lich, demon, abomination will come out of hiding. Magical animals will grow unchecked, but whats worse...

...For there to always be a tarrasque, the magic is not just in the tarrasque, its in the world. Any animal on the planet has the potential to become a Tarrasque, should the original die permanantly. However the Tarrasque's constant near death state (its physical body greatly harmed and its binding magic blocking its magical life) completely freaks out the magic used to create it. They didnt hink it was possible or didnt think of the option that the Tarrasque would end up in such a position. So while the Tarrasque remains on deaths door. more and more random animals start getting bigger, becoming indestructible monsters. Normally one is chosen at random but the Tarrasque constantly "dies" daily or more than once a day. Mutated Proto-Tarrasques....some fully mutated and just small. Some Panthers with armor, Unkillable wolves, random mutated animals start popping up in every city.

whats worse is that not only are abominations coming out of hiding, and proto tarrasques are increasing in number and visciousness and power (there is the risk of them all getting Near adult size), but they are seeking each other out. The dark creatures want to get rid of the proto tarrasques before they can mature, and the Proto Tarrasques are instinctively seeking their prey....

and the entire world is in the middle of it all.

Moglorosh
2011-01-04, 12:16 AM
...For there to always be a tarrasque, the magic is not just in the tarrasque, its in the world. Any animal on the planet has the potential to become a Tarrasque, should the original die permanantly

So the Tarrasque is Buffy?

ajkkjjk52
2011-01-08, 11:51 PM
So the Tarrasque is Buffy?

Which means you could repeatedly suffocate the tarrasque and then cpr it (if such a thing is possible) and turn little bunnies and kittens all over the world into tarrasques.

Wow, I actually used spoiler tags to hide spoilers. How crazy is that?

LOTRfan
2011-01-08, 11:59 PM
Which means you could repeatedly suffocate the tarrasque and then cpr it (if such a thing is possible) and turn little bunnies and kittens all over the world into tarrasques.

Wow, I actually used spoiler tags to hide spoilers. How crazy is that?

Actually, when Buffy died, she was separated from the conventional Slayer line. If she were to die again, no new Slayer would be activated (as shown when she died in Season 5).

Tvtyrant
2011-01-09, 12:45 AM
The best part is that the city is immune to attack; would you risk the Tarrasque getting loose just for some gold? So the city could effectively become the economic capital of the planet based on its immunity to wars. "We demand a cease to hostilities or we will unchain it. This is not a joke."

Godskook
2011-01-09, 01:37 AM
The best part is that the city is immune to attack; would you risk the Tarrasque getting loose just for some gold? So the city could effectively become the economic capital of the planet based on its immunity to wars. "We demand a cease to hostilities or we will unchain it. This is not a joke."

1.Terrorists

2.That threat cuts both ways

3.Cultists who believe the Tarrasque should be free

HalfTangible
2011-01-09, 01:57 AM
There's a very good chance they will decide it's a bluff since your own city would be destroyed first =/

Tvtyrant
2011-01-09, 03:36 AM
1.Terrorists

2.That threat cuts both ways

3.Cultists who believe the Tarrasque should be free

1. Kind of a blanket out isn't that? Seriously, very few causes are going to involve endangering the entire world.

2. Sort of. If the Mongols are sacking a city the city has nothing to lose; any invasion of the city is going to be thwarted by knowing that if they win the other side will unleash literal hell. Sure someone could let it go, but they would suffer as much as the city in the long run.

3. Your not going to get an army of crazy Tarrasque followers; some, maybe be even plenty, but not enough to invade a good size city. They might try to free it secretly, but the city isn't going to find 15,000 cultists rushing the walls.

Saint GoH
2011-01-09, 03:42 AM
3. Your not going to get an army of crazy Tarrasque followers; some, maybe be even plenty, but not enough to invade a good size city. They might try to free it secretly, but the city isn't going to find 15,000 cultists rushing the walls.

Possible catch for adventurers?

PC's approached by shady dude in a bar (thats how all adventures start right?) requesting their assistance to free a beautiful, lovely, magical creature who is being tortured at the hands of a tyrannical dictatorship. Enter the PC's filled with righteous fire and thunder only to later discover said creature is le Tarrasque. Suddenly, hopefully, they become less concerned with killing the Tarrasque and decide that the people holding it are really evil (along with the cultists that want it free). Thus they fight to free the beast.











Then again knowing PC's they will prolly kill it once they find out what it is, morals be damned :smallannoyed:

Tvtyrant
2011-01-09, 03:48 AM
Then again knowing PC's they will prolly kill it once they find out what it is, morals be damned :smallannoyed:

Just have them do it before they get wish. Then they can't kill it, only keep it incapacitated. Thus the best they can do is what is already being done (or plane shifting it!)

Godskook
2011-01-09, 04:28 AM
1. Kind of a blanket out isn't that? Seriously, very few causes are going to involve endangering the entire world.

Have you watched the news in the past, oh, say 20 years? We live in a world where nuclear fallout has been a real concern, and yet you think that releasing the Tarrasque will be dismissed out of hand?


2. Sort of. If the Mongols are sacking a city the city has nothing to lose; any invasion of the city is going to be thwarted by knowing that if they win the other side will unleash literal hell. Sure someone could let it go, but they would suffer as much as the city in the long run.

That depends entirely on what the viewpoints of those involved are. If the city leadership is LG, and unwilling to release the Tarrasque above all else, they lose against a CE invasion. If you reverse the ideologies, it swings the other way.


3. Your not going to get an army of crazy Tarrasque followers; some, maybe be even plenty, but not enough to invade a good size city. They might try to free it secretly, but the city isn't going to find 15,000 cultists rushing the walls.

Speaking for my own campaign, my homebrew'ed Tarrasque actually generates followers by RAW(According to Dragon, the standard one did it by RAI too). Besides, with cultists, it isn't the horde of low-level minions, its the sneaky PC-esque ones that get you into trouble(like BBEGs)

FelixG
2011-01-09, 06:30 AM
1. Kind of a blanket out isn't that? Seriously, very few causes are going to involve endangering the entire world.

2. Sort of. If the Mongols are sacking a city the city has nothing to lose; any invasion of the city is going to be thwarted by knowing that if they win the other side will unleash literal hell. Sure someone could let it go, but they would suffer as much as the city in the long run.

3. Your not going to get an army of crazy Tarrasque followers; some, maybe be even plenty, but not enough to invade a good size city. They might try to free it secretly, but the city isn't going to find 15,000 cultists rushing the walls.

1) Fanatics work on a different level than you. They could just release it to ravage that city. Especially if they are nationless terrorists.

2) Its called calling their bluff. "If you do this, we are going to release it! We mean it!" so they attack. If the people release it, they get eaten along with everyone else, if they dont release it, they are proven to be full of wind.

3) Why would the cultists rush the walls? Then again, who knows how many cultists it will engender. It really depends on social situations. Some people would be more drawn to the idea of a big monster who will wipe out everything and start everything over if their lives are junk. Smart cultists will get inside the city THEN get the Mongols to attack while they secure their idol.

nedz
2011-01-09, 08:35 AM
Cue hyper-epic campaign where the players are immature Tarrasques working to cleanse the world.
*pictures full grown Tarrasques with 20 levels of player classes*
Or even simply Tarrasques with a better selection of Feats.
Has anyone done the Tarrasque OP build ?

grimbold
2011-01-09, 02:41 PM
Hee hee, when I was young and into ultra high-power hack and slash games, I had a character who killed the tarrasque and had Tarrasquehide Armor made.

I've always wondered what sort of tools you'd need to make that work. Also, the stats in the linked Wizards forum thread seem ridiculously low. I mean, I think +10 armor is the LOWEST reasonable number.

I mean, I'm pretty sure the Tarrasque's skin is pretty freaking resilient, what with that +30 natural armor bonus.

its been done

The-Mage-King
2011-01-09, 02:49 PM
Hee hee, when I was young and into ultra high-power hack and slash games, I had a character who killed the tarrasque and had Tarrasquehide Armor made.

I've always wondered what sort of tools you'd need to make that work. Also, the stats in the linked Wizards forum thread seem ridiculously low. I mean, I think +10 armor is the LOWEST reasonable number.

I mean, I'm pretty sure the Tarrasque's skin is pretty freaking resilient, what with that +30 natural armor bonus.

Listen, those were made as the stuff sold to adventurers in thst city- in fact, to make true tarrasque armor, you need to also bind a fragment of its essence to it, a mighty feat that could be called an Epic Spell.

Yes, I designed that stuff, and it is a matter of pride for me.

Tvtyrant
2011-01-09, 03:43 PM
Have you watched the news in the past, oh, say 20 years? We live in a world where nuclear fallout has been a real concern, and yet you think that releasing the Tarrasque will be dismissed out of hand?

Sure, because you can direct the bombs and the sides involved got locked into the game once the other side had them. If both sides had Tarrasque factories they would be producing Tarrasques left and right to keep ahead, but your argument fails on the point that there has never been an invasion by an army on a nuke equipped nation. Revolts because no one is going to nuke themselves and terrorist attacks where the terrorists are sufficiently spread out to avoid direct use, but nations won't risk that.

That depends entirely on what the viewpoints of those involved are. If the city leadership is LG, and unwilling to release the Tarrasque above all else, they lose against a CE invasion. If you reverse the ideologies, it swings the other way.

We have been discussing a society that is far from LG in this thread; sure its possible it wouldn't be LG, but it also wouldn't have any of the things on the thread that would make it successful. It would be more like a military outpost; nothing to get except losses by invading it.

Speaking for my own campaign, my homebrew'ed Tarrasque actually generates followers by RAW(According to Dragon, the standard one did it by RAI too). Besides, with cultists, it isn't the horde of low-level minions, its the sneaky PC-esque ones that get you into trouble(like BBEGs)

So you agree that there wouldn't be armies invading from the fanatics, but your saying small numbers of people could go in and wreck it? Sure, but that could be said of any other city on the planet; the difference here is no other nation is going to be involved because eventually their nation would be destroyed. So yes some fanatics, no not anyone with real power.



1) Fanatics work on a different level than you. They could just release it to ravage that city. Especially if they are nationless terrorists.

People don't just do things; they have to actual reasons behind their actions. Terrorists, both domestic and foreign, have both stated and implicit reasons. "Wipe out a city that owns a Tarrasque" isn't going to be one that inspires more then 1 or 2 people.

2) Its called calling their bluff. "If you do this, we are going to release it! We mean it!" so they attack. If the people release it, they get eaten along with everyone else, if they dont release it, they are proven to be full of wind.

...Tell me, why exactly would you invade some place with the knowledge there would be no reward from it? You can't take the city without them releasing the Tarrasque, so you essentially get to besiege something which drains your resources, and when they get to the eating their own babies part of the siege they release the Tarrasque and you just wasted years. Or you rush it, and maybe get in before its release, but if it is you lose everything for no gain.

Again, people generally aren't willing to commit suicide for no gain.

3) Why would the cultists rush the walls? Then again, who knows how many cultists it will engender. It really depends on social situations. Some people would be more drawn to the idea of a big monster who will wipe out everything and start everything over if their lives are junk. Smart cultists will get inside the city THEN get the Mongols to attack while they secure their idol.

Said cultists still have to convince the Mongols that they won't release the monster. Which, while possible, seems unlikely to me. Would you invade the Soviet Union if someone in it offered to keep the nukes from firing during the invasion? Its a massive risk, and how much is that one city going to be worth to you?


Basically my point is that compared to a normal city-state the city is extremely protected; it has a totally unique nuke to protect itself with. Under any circumstance where a city is more protected then another one it has an advantage in that it can reduce military taxes and its not going to be making enemies that will close their border to trade.

Godskook
2011-01-09, 04:51 PM
Before I start, Tvtyrant, please note that placing your comments within my quote makes it harder to respond to you. Please comment outside your quotes so that I can 'quote' you properly.


Sure, because you can direct the bombs and the sides involved got locked into the game once the other side had them. If both sides had Tarrasque factories they would be producing Tarrasques left and right to keep ahead, but your argument fails on the point that there has never been an invasion by an army on a nuke equipped nation. Revolts because no one is going to nuke themselves and terrorist attacks where the terrorists are sufficiently spread out to avoid direct use, but nations won't risk that.

1a.First of all, this point is about terrorists, not armies. And when it comes to terrorism, I think I can point out a few that have happened in nuke-equipped countries.

1b.Modern-day terrorists have proven willing to risk pretty much whatever they can get their hands on.

1c.Within the context of nukes/tarrasque parallel, one potential reason terrorists never really try to take nukes by force is that there are more subtle ways to get such a weapon. The tarrasque? He's unique. You want that threat, you've only got one place to go.


We have been discussing a society that is far from LG in this thread; sure its possible it wouldn't be LG, but it also wouldn't have any of the things on the thread that would make it successful. It would be more like a military outpost; nothing to get except losses by invading it.

Well, here's my setting's take: The city was originally generated by a group who's primary motivation was stopping a slaughtering monstrosity from rampaging through town after town, country after country. The alignments involved were fairly mixed, but the overall group's opinion was "this should never be released". In the 100 years that followed, that idea became a culturally ingrained concept within the city, especially since the founders, strangely, haven't aged a day since their diet started consisting of Tarrasque meat.(First noticed among the short-lived goblins and such) Since the average ECL within the city is close to 11(Range is originally 8-14, with younger generations pulling it down), they'd be pretty arrogant about invasions, but 95% of the population of the city wouldn't dare release the Tarrasque. The other 5% would prefer not to, just might, but are unlikely to be the ones who have a say in it.


So you agree that there wouldn't be armies invading from the fanatics, but your saying small numbers of people could go in and wreck it? Sure, but that could be said of any other city on the planet; the difference here is no other nation is going to be involved because eventually their nation would be destroyed. So yes some fanatics, no not anyone with real power.

My setting produces 1 follower per day, pretty much every day, and then catapults him to a minimum of level 9(As in, congrats, here's 36k xp). The waker of the beast class requires a minimum of entry of level 7(so a WotB would be at least a level 8). The concept of 'army' with these guys is much different than in real-world wars.

Tvtyrant
2011-01-09, 06:05 PM
Before I start, Tvtyrant, please note that placing your comments within my quote makes it harder to respond to you. Please comment outside your quotes so that I can 'quote' you properly.

Okay, I will try to do a better job from now on.




1a.First of all, this point is about terrorists, not armies. And when it comes to terrorism, I think I can point out a few that have happened in nuke-equipped countries.
Right, in exactly the ways I pointed out above. No one is going to nuke themselves so revolting isn't as much of a problem, and really spread out terrorists aren't going to be in much danger. But no nation is going to send their agents to do risk the world.


1b.Modern-day terrorists have proven willing to risk pretty much whatever they can get their hands on.

Modern day terrorists also live in a world with upwards of 10,000 nukes lying around, and none of them have been captured. Not one. And the context of this argument is that the city is going to see less outward violence then normal cities due to having such a weapon; its no more vulnerable to terrorists then a normal city is.


1c.Within the context of nukes/tarrasque parallel, one potential reason terrorists never really try to take nukes by force is that there are more subtle ways to get such a weapon. The tarrasque? He's unique. You want that threat, you've only got one place to go.
You also can't target anyone with a Tarrasque, or even move it from place to place. The terrorists actually accomplish the opposite of what they want with it; if they threaten to use it as a weapon then either
A) they are bluffing and wouldn't release it because they lose their weapon.
B) they aren't bluffing and you have nothing to lose by killing them.
As opposed to my point with the city; they would only release it if they were already going to be destroyed, so putting them in danger is a bad idea.



Well, here's my setting's take: The city was originally generated by a group who's primary motivation was stopping a slaughtering monstrosity from rampaging through town after town, country after country. The alignments involved were fairly mixed, but the overall group's opinion was "this should never be released". In the 100 years that followed, that idea became a culturally ingrained concept within the city, especially since the founders, strangely, haven't aged a day since their diet started consisting of Tarrasque meat.(First noticed among the short-lived goblins and such) Since the average ECL within the city is close to 11(Range is originally 8-14, with younger generations pulling it down), they'd be pretty arrogant about invasions, but 95% of the population of the city wouldn't dare release the Tarrasque. The other 5% would prefer not to, just might, but are unlikely to be the ones who have a say in it.
Again, in the case of a lost war releasing it is no worse then just getting sacked. Take the sack of Jerusalem or Antioch in the Crusades; upwards of 60% civilian casualties and mass enslavement and rape. The Tarrasque isn't discriminatory, you might actually have more survivors releasing it then letting the city be sacked.




My setting produces 1 follower per day, pretty much every day, and then catapults him to a minimum of level 9(As in, congrats, here's 36k xp). The waker of the beast class requires a minimum of entry of level 7(so a WotB would be at least a level 8). The concept of 'army' with these guys is much different than in real-world wars.
...How exactly are you justifying this? People of high level suddenly convert to Tarrasqueism? Believing in Tarrasque gives you levels? Sure you can invent rules that make it more dangerous to posses, but at that point I could argue that its flesh makes you all gods and so it is totally safe. What mechanical justification are you using?

Godskook
2011-01-09, 06:52 PM
...How exactly are you justifying this? People of high level suddenly convert to Tarrasqueism? Believing in Tarrasque gives you levels? Sure you can invent rules that make it more dangerous to posses, but at that point I could argue that its flesh makes you all gods and so it is totally safe. What mechanical justification are you using?

I'll give a more thorough response to the other points later, but I have time for one now, and this one struck out as being the most necessary.

1st, I forgot to put it in my last post, but in my setting, the Tarrasque is homebrewed a bit, while Waker of the Beast is a Dragon Magazine published prestige class.

In my setting, the Tarrasque is attracting low-level followers, and then handing them 36k xp as a "here's some power, now use it to release me" type thing.

Tvtyrant
2011-01-09, 06:58 PM
I'll give a more thorough response to the other points later, but I have time for one now, and this one struck out as being the most necessary.

1st, I forgot to put it in my last post, but in my setting, the Tarrasque is homebrewed a bit, while Waker of the Beast is a Dragon Magazine published prestige class.

In my setting, the Tarrasque is attracting low-level followers, and then handing them 36k xp as a "here's some power, now use it to release me" type thing.

That modifies what we are discussing by quite a bit :P In the case of the Tarrasque granting people power to free it the scenario is changed and I agree owning it would not be a safety feature.

Godskook
2011-01-09, 06:59 PM
That modifies what we are discussing by quite a bit :P In the case of the Tarrasque granting people power to free it the scenario is changed and I agree owning it would not be a safety feature.

And it has precedence in the Dragon Magazine prestige class.

Tvtyrant
2011-01-09, 07:20 PM
And it has precedence in the Dragon Magazine prestige class.

If I owned said magazine that would be easier for me to roll with :P

Godskook
2011-01-09, 07:23 PM
If I owned said magazine that would be easier for me to roll with :P
{Scrubbed}

Wardog
2011-01-10, 07:04 PM
Most of the fluff is here.

{Scrubbed}

A character whose sole desire is to destroy the world by unleashing the tarrasque, and it requires a Lawful Evil alignment?



***

On the subject of terrorists trying to release the tarrasque, I'm not sure it's quite as implausable/stupid as suggested. According to that FR (http://www.realmshelps.net/cgi-bin/mainlist2.pl?Tarrasque) site, the tarrasque is only active for 1d3 days every 6d4 months, 1d2 weeks every decade or so.

Which means that if the tarrasque-owning city was sufficiently far from the nation that sponsored the "terrorists"/evil adventurers, it is unlikely to cause much trouble for them.

Imagine two warring empire (e.g. Romans and Persians, or the fantasy equivilent). Both are very large empires, which only border each other in a small area. If the tarrasque-owning city is in the middle of one empire, and agents of the other empire sent agents/adventurers/etc who managed to release the tarrasque, then the tarrasque would trash the empire of its former owners, but would probably go back into hibernation before it reached the empire that had it released.

I could also imagine a scheme similar to that of the rogue Russian general in Octopussy:

Empire A is in a state of cold war with Empire B.
Empire A has an army of near-invincible soldiers, powered by / equipped with tarrasque-derived products.
BBEG of Empire B plots to release the tarrasque, so that Empire A will i) get trashed by a rampaging tarrasque, and ii) will be forced to kill it, thereby losing their tarrasque-powered super-army.
End result: either Empire A is destoyed by the tarrasque, or it is weakened to the extent that Empire B can conquer it.

Its a bit of a risky scheme, for obvious reasons, but its not as if there is a shortage of overconfident BBEGs with more ambition than sense or morals.

Christopher K.
2011-01-10, 07:50 PM
Waker of the Beast looks like a lot of fun. Is there an existing equivalent Paragon Path for 4e?

Endarire
2011-01-10, 08:40 PM
In one of my games, aliens killed the Tarrasque and used its shell for a mother ship. Giant flak cannons and fusion jets were attached to the hull.

HalfTangible
2011-01-10, 09:54 PM
In one of my games, aliens killed the Tarrasque and used its shell for a mother ship. Giant flak cannons and fusion jets were attached to the hull.

They'd have to keep killing it every few minutes so it stayed dead >.>

megabyter5
2011-01-10, 10:10 PM
*Pictures 49 headed Half-dragon paragon Tarrasque of Legend*

*pictures 100-headed Half-Dragon Half-Fiend Pseudonatural Paragon Tarrasque of Legend as a Tauric creature with an Incarnate Construct Half-Golem Paragon Feral Troll, naturally Lycanthropic with a Titanic Legendary Shark*

I'm fairly certain I've made a mistake somewhere in that mess, but if not, I believe I've won.

The Glyphstone
2011-01-10, 10:11 PM
*pictures 100-headed Half-Dragon Half-Fiend Pseudonatural Paragon Tarrasque of Legend as a Tauric creature with an Incarnate Construct Half-Golem Paragon Feral Troll, naturally Lycanthropic with a Titanic Legendary Shark*

I'm fairly certain I've made a mistake somewhere in that mess, but if not, I believe I've won.

Yeah, it's actually an effigy. With a gnome pilot.

megabyter5
2011-01-10, 10:13 PM
An ordinary, non-templated Gnome? That's no fun.

The Glyphstone
2011-01-10, 10:15 PM
An ordinary, non-templated Gnome? That's no fun.

Who said there's only one gnome? We're talking a Colossal+ effigy...there's an entire family of gnomes in there. Maybe multiple generations of them. And they've all got class levels.

Coidzor
2011-01-10, 10:20 PM
Who said there's only one gnome? We're talking a Colossal+ effigy...there's an entire family of gnomes in there. Maybe multiple generations of them. And they've all got class levels.

Heh, now that's a defensible gnome village.

The-Mage-King
2011-01-10, 10:25 PM
Aaaannnndddd now I have to change my Epic Chaotic Artificer's ultimate construction,


Thanks.

Christopher K.
2011-01-10, 10:27 PM
The gnomes will probably have to add extra parts on to support their society's growth. Who'd try to mess with THAT? :smallbiggrin:

Randel
2011-01-10, 11:45 PM
Hmm.... I wonder how the Clone spell would work on a Terrasque or if there is a way to animate the inert flesh somehow.

Imagine a wizard or somesuch getting his hands on a fresh piece of the terrasque thats chained up, secretly growing a clone of it somewhere, then using Magic Jar, Mind Seed, Animate object, or maybe Wish to bring it to life and infuse his conscious mind into it.

Cue super-powerful wizard with a nigh-immortal terrasque body. If they manage to capture him then he'll just cast Teleport or something (actually a spontanious caster might be better for that... a Terrasque wizard without his spellbook kind of loses some of the effectiveness).

megabyter5
2011-01-11, 04:01 PM
The gnomes will probably have to add extra parts on to support their society's growth. Who'd try to mess with THAT? :smallbiggrin:

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now we have Gnome Voltron going on here... And I don't think that fits with the original discussions, whatever that was.