Editing
Midnight RPG - Notes on Zal's Becoming
(section)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==== Kevin, read this: http://darknessfalls.leaderdesslok.com/world_creatures-trapped.htm > I'm a little unknowledgable about exactly what/why this means not > being overly familiar with D&D in general. So "native" means that is > their home plane? On their home plane they CAN be killed > permanently? As I understand it, an outsider is simply a creature that isn't a natural (or magically natural) creature on the common material plane. The Native subtype is applied to outsiders that are partially from this plane. == (from the SRD) Native Subtype: A subtype applied only to outsiders. == These creatures have mortal ancestors or a strong connection to the == Material Plane and can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as == other living creatures can be. Creatures with this subtype are native to == the Material Plane (hence the subtype’s name). Unlike true outsiders, == native outsiders need to eat and sleep. I don't think this really describes Zal's condition. But, in Midnight the design is such that Outsiders are trapped spirits and therefore cannot have the Native subtype. I admit I'm a little hazy on this too, but I also don't think it's worth worrying about because Native just isn't a possible option in Midnight. > That's what I did... that's correct right? Yes, I think that everything you've done with the way astiraxes are handled in combat has been correct so far. > So any Outsider POSSESSING a body would be the same. Correct? An astirax IS an outsider possessing a body. So the way astiraxes have been handled is the exact same way other outsiders will be handled, yes. A succubus, Faravor, etc. The exception is the body left behind, which is going to be dead if the spirit leaves it (read on for more on this). Other trapped spirits like elementals are a little different, but not THAT different. I think that it's entirely likely that the earth elemental that comprised the necromental is now going to be capable of going on to manifest a new earth elemental body if it so wishes. Away from the influence of the eye it wouldn't be necrotic. > But any Outsider being summoned or manifesting its own body ONLY > disipates going incorporeal when its BODY is reduced to zero hit > points. Then or if it's hit points are reduced to zero from damage > that gets through its Damage Resistance type (whatever that is) > kills it completely... Right? A creature summoned has an artificially-created temporary body, and may not necessarily BE the type of spirit that normally would be the creature summoned. For example, a trapped spirit is summoned when Eranon summons dolphins, but that spirit might normally be a fire elemental or a faerie. Regardless, when the magically-created body is destroyed or the spell ends, the spirit goes back to floating around bodiless like it was before. An outsider doesn't really manifest it's own body, per se. It possesses something else and transforms THAT to its own body. But, in the case of finding a demon that possessed a farmboy a long time ago and transformed the body into a demon, then the demon's spirit can choose to leave the body at any time (which it likely WON'T because that would be stupid). It will be forced out of the body if the body is killed and the spirit is not. If the body is attacked by something keyed to its vulnerability, then the spirit dies (and handle that as you like - I enjoy the cinematic-ness of the spirit flying out to die where we can see it). > Belal could go incorporeal anytime... float incorporeal as they can, > then reform as he likes? Belal could go incorporeal anytime, yes. Read the rules on being Bodiless, there are a lot of limitations on this. It sucks, on the whole. However, he can NEVER just "reform." Outsiders possess, they don't "form" anything. So Belal could jump from his body into that of a worg, and attempt to possess it. If Belal fails, then he can attempt to possess something else, but if his old body effectively became an imp, then the host he once possessed is dead. Outsiders cannot possess dead bodies. So Belal just jumped out of his body, killing it, failed to possess the worg, and is up a creek. Of course, if you are making exceptions for Belal, that makes sense and he's not totally up a creek (Zal CAN call him again), but until some solution comes along Belal would be bodiless and wishing he weren't. Outsiders that are in the process of transforming the body they possess (like Zal has done to his old Sarcosan body) might jump out, because their old host IS NOT dead yet, and they have a better chance of getting back into it because it's mind is tanked down to 0. But once it has transformed, you better believe they aren't giving that up easily. Also, astiraxes don't transform. They effectively possess a living creature of the Animal type at all times. So if they leave, that animal is still alive. Being that they only possess animals, they have a pretty easy time of it since animals usually have poor stats for resisting that sort of thing. > Is it "either" [magic or a specific material for vulnerabilities] or both? Magic is an option on the randomizing chart. It has a note that channelers can spend spell energy free-form to create barriers against creatures with this limitation. Check out the rules on vulnerabilities, it's pretty clear. Another option, just to give an example, is wood. So a +1 weapon isn't going to be that creature's vulnerability, unless it's made of wood. > BUT - my caveat is always HOW HOW HOW would you (Kyuad) have that info?? > [regarding an outsider's vulnerability] I can't agree that just > because "according to the rules" it really makes any sense that Kyuad > (or anyone) would have access to that information. You should read the rules on vulnerabilities. All of the methods you listed as ways of finding out a vulnerability are valid, according to the rules, and good ideas. And it does say that it's at the GM's discretion. One thing I need to be clear on is that there is NO SUCH THING as a "normal" vulnerability. ALL outsiders have RANDOM vulnerabilities. A demon might actually be vulnerable to fire. Or bone. You never know just by looking at the thing. So it shouldn't necessarily be as hard as finding a hidden treasure for every creature we face. I think that's why there are so many options for finding the vulnerability - otherwise no outsider would ever die. The way we've described Zal's Knowledge (spirits) skills before, I think it's totally valid that he could roll the skill on a specific thing like Faravor, and if the roll's high enough then he's heard stuff about the guy that gives him the vulnerability. Kyuad's more of a functional and fact-based guy, so at least the DC aught to be higher. But still, that's in relation to a speicific and known outsider, due to the fact that they've been around forever. Zal might not even know his vulnerability yet, so I'd say the Lorebook won't have any information on it since there's no way Kyuad has run into something that would have it. However, Knowledge (spirits) MIGHT work, simply because Kyuad has been observing Zal for some time, and that's probably the most appropriate skill to represent an inference based on how Zal has subconsciously responded to various things in his surroundings, and how Kyuad would filter that through his knowledge of trapped spirits in general. But yeah, it's up to you. > Please define this for me. > I suck at understanding [DR] Read this: http://dndsrd.net/abilitiesAndConditions.html#damage-reduction and this: http://dndsrd.net/monsterTypes.html#damage-reduction The basic answer is that if something has DR, it probably has a key for that DR that overcomes it. If the key is chaotic, evil, or chaotic and evil, then Zal has that key. From a design perspective, most DR is built to either have one key or multiple keys, but never multiple options for keys. You don't see DR 10/Good or silver. The key can be Good, it can be silver, and it can be Good and silver both (meaning a Lawful silver weapon ignores none of the DR), but it's not one or the other. -Bill
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to RPGnet may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see
RPGnet:Copyrights
for details).
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Page
Discussion
English
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
RPGnet
Main Page
Major Projects
Categories
Recent changes
Random page
Help
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Special pages
Page information