Miscellania

[Corwin]

Okay, I'm pretty much done with my write-up for the Cauldron. I'm using items that shouldn't be too difficult to reproduce, yet unique enough that if I need to pay for their creation, just let me know, Dune.

Some quick design thoughts. You said the gnomish communication orbs could be using either sending or telepathic bond as their base, so they should be capable enough to handle communication across the planes, perhaps with an extra cost to cover the gap. The standard two-way communication ones would be at about 10k or thereabouts, since that's how you priced the repair on the original orbs, I figure.

The special ones would each use an emulation/custom spell of Greater Plane Shift 2/day that works on objects instead of people, say, and Invis 1/day on top of the standard communications package? Maybe some flight into the mix, I think the orbs were floating on their own as is but it might be neat to have it follow the people I'm chatting with as they walk.

The soul/essence/mind transfer part touches on what I brought up IC with Elle and Lagann, and that clay assassin guy is doing similar things. In any case, the bulk of that room's enchantment should be the equivalent of an emulate/custom Mass Magic Jar spell 1/day? Lagann can make very nice figurines with plenty of gears, but I doubt that actually costs any real cash, just an investment of time. Hallucinatory Terrain or a variant thereof should be able to take care of the details within, and Veil to likewise cover the participants looking like they expect to be and not as clockwork robots?

The Gerelethen magical doll setup was 5k per orb, from memory, but I think each orb could summon more than a single apparition from a template. I also believe that while retaining memory and following their programming, they didn't have a sense of self, as such. If I'm wrong and I should treat them as people, you could either tell me here or have me learn the lesson as I watch them in action.

The last thing is the Animate Objects for the dragon statues. You approved the spell use itself, but if there's a problem with the amount I'm implying to use it for or you'd like to add other conditions on its use, here's the chance.

[Anastasia]

Spawn of Jormugandr is up. Na'lith is next, he'll probably be up later in the week.

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That all reads about right, Cor. I'll post again after I've read and commented to the Cauldron writeup.

[Corwin]

Relevant to today's session. I've done work on reinforcing an epic seal before, and I've studied others like them on several opportunities. If I were to try and (re)create a seal from scratch, can I do it? What would I need for that, magic-wise, skill-wise, time-wise?

Any thoughts on the above post, btw? I'll assume the Cauldron stuff is easy enough to arrange over time and doesn't incur extra costs if you don't list your objections.  >_>

For the dragons, how about using the template for the Gargantuan object meshed along with a bit from the Awaken spell?
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/animatedObject.htm
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/awaken.htm

A G-sized construct, with 3d6 int and +2HD? If that sounds acceptable, I'll post the stat block.

[Anastasia]

Go go go late replies.

Yeah, you could. I'd rule it something like gemstones + time + spellcraft checks + K:A checks. The gemstones are simple for you, the time would be a week or two.  You think you could manage the checks decently well. A variant of Awaken's fine, though not the +2 HD. That's for animals, this is closer to the tree application and using the animated object template anyway.  If you really want another HD or two, I'd just add it as is.

The rest of the stuff above is fine.

[Anastasia]

This is a general cosmology commentary on the more active parts of Creation. This seeks to redefine what you know and clear up various misconceptions. Besides, I need a project to relax.

Chapter 1: Baator

Alternate Names: The Nine Hells, Hell, Perdition, The Pit.

Changes from the canon: A whole lot. Two sources influence Balmuria's Baator, the Fiendish Codex 2 and the Gates of Hell.

Notable NPCs aligned to Baator: Antenora(formerly), The Lords of the Nine, Agares, the various Dukes and Archdukes of Hell, Eblis(formerly), Verrier.

Summary: Baator is the nine-tiered home of Lawful Evil and the devil race. It is a society of might, power and cruelty. In it's enslavement all will be brought low and into the Pit. Such is the absolute will of Hell, which every devil strives for in the service of Hell. Those of Baator believe themselves superior, and devils believe themselves superior to all other races.

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Layers and notable devils:

Powers of Hell Overview: It should be noted here that the Archdukes of Hell have Divine Rank 0, while the Lords of the Nine have full divine rank of varying levels. The FC2 stats for them should not be considered. Since this is an epic level game that should be a given anyway.  Also, assume that any listing of dukes within the FC2 is inaccurate unless stated otherwise, as the Gates of Hell material generally supersedes.

Power structures: There are two main power blocks in Hell: The Fallen of Belial and Baazlebub and formerly Zariel, and the True Devils of Mephisto and Dispater and formerly Mammon. Bel stands alone for now, a new lord that few trust, though some suspect he'll end up with the true devils eventually.  Mammon lies in disgrace, having betrayed his former allies to save his skin during a previous power shakeup. Levistus is imprisoned, the ally of no one. Glasya is newly risen and ignoring offers of alliance, her own true motives completely hidden from all but herself.

1: Avernus.  Avernus basic is essentially as it is presented in the Fiendish Codex 2, though the names and flavor vary much more towards the Gates of Hell. It is an infernal battleground, where the combined forces of lawful evil oppose the ravages of the Abyss. The numbers are generally understated in the FC2 - combat in Avernus is between armies of devils against vast hordes of demons, not to mention whatever else gets involved. Legion names, types and so forth favor the Gates of Hell rather than anything in the FC2. For example, Abigor runs the Supreme Legion, versus another devil running a differently named legion in the FC2.

Besides Bel's very basic history and the  few mentions of Zariel, the notes of various notable devils there are entirely inaccurate. The Gates of Hell Duke/Archduke/Lord of the Nine structure is used instead. Duke Abigor leads much of the defense of Avernus, Duke Malphas is the Infernal Armor-master who also has a big stake in Hellfire and so on. There are outcasts devils in Avernus, mostly semi-exiled Archdukes and fugitives that have chosen not to leave Baator. Finally, the exact history of Bel is uncertain. It is known that he overthrew Zariel and is said to hold Zariel in bondage. Beyond that it's unclear, though it is generally known he was a superb leader in the Blood War before his Lordship.

2: Dis.  Dis is essentially as presented in the FC2 barring one notable exception. God Street does not exist, all true powers have their own realms or reside in the realms of their superiors.  A devil with divine rank would be an Archduke, an outcast devil or a Hellspawn, none of which would have them within Dispater's realm.  Everything else is more or less accurate, though it should be noted few reach deeply within the Iron Tower, and reports of what truly lies inside vary.

Dispater is more or less as presented in the FC2. However, he has an obsession with effort and enriching himself. He is not Mammon, but he relishes his underlings pursuing pointless labor. It is said that a gang of soul shells travels down a road and paves it, and as they finish, another game comes along to begin tearing it apart once more. This defers to the Gates of Hell Dispater, though it's not a huge difference as much as elaborating on what he is and his tendencies. As for other devils, it is known that Titivilus is the Herald of Dispater. He is not his Nuncio, but the difference is minimal.

3. Minaros. This section has minimal to no changes.

Mammon is more or less as presented in personality. His true form is not that of a golden serpent, but as a corpulent, golden fiend of incredible wealth, decadence and greed. Generally the Gates of Hell material about his is preferred, simply because it's far more in depth. He is served by Dukes such as Scax and Melcholm, who have both been mentioned within Balmuria.

4. Phlegethos. This material is essentially intact. It should be noted the Lake of Fire and Brimstone is guarded by far more than 9 cornugons, the FC2 seriously lowballed that.

Belial and Fierna favor their Gates of Hell incarnations. This does make Belial a Fallen as stated above, though this fact is known by very few anymore. His station isn't quite as secure as the Gates of Hell indicates, Fierna is a dangerous foe but also a bit more like her FC2 portrayal. Belial is served by Dukes such as Rosier, a Fallen Planetar. In general, many Fallen for the sins of lust and the flesh end up under Belial's thrall.

5. Stygia. This material has been used wholesale within Balmuria.  No real changes.

Levistus is detailed further within the Gates of Hell, but neither material generally contradicts each other. It should be noted that Agares was a Duke of Stygia with a far different focus, rather than the land oriented Duke of Malbolge.

6. Malbolge. The FC2 material supersedes here entirely. There is no Lilith as the Lord of Malbolge; Glasya rules instead. It is possible there is an Archduke or exiled devil Lilith kicking around somewhere, but she would not be akin to her Gates of Hell incarnation.

Glasya prefers her Gates of Hell incarnation, albeit that she has a new edge over her brother, the Archduke of Undeath Lixer. How this affects their relationship is not currently known, nor how it affects other plots. The Dukes of Hell and Archdukes for Malbolge can be assumed to be essentially the same, though with possible serious alterations to compensate for Glasya's rule.

7.  Maladomini.  Pretty much everything fits.

Baazlebub does not have a slug-like form, though common misconception(Said to be spread by Mephisto or other enemies) does spread this lie about. His true form is that as described in the Gates of Hell, in general that material is completely supreme. I distinctly prefer it to a slug-like Baazlebub, while not entirely flagrant about it, the material seen IC for Baazlebub favors this.

8. Cania. Hellfire and the School of Hellfire does exist in Caina. However, it is part of the greater Academia Caniae lead by Duke Murmur. It is one of many projects Mephisto has, not his only gambit. Duke Malphas of Avernus has a stake in Hellfire as well, the exact agreement and workings of this dark alliance are not fully clear.

Mephisto is his Gates of Hell incarnation entirely. I find GoH Mephistopheles infinitely more compelling as an enemy and a rival to Asmodeus than FC2 Mephistopheles.  The general gelugon population is hostile to the Hellfire project, but they have not been entirely chased out of Mephistar. Mephisto is served by Dukes of Hell such as Murmur.

9. Nessus. Little of Nessus is known. What truly lies at the bottom of the Pit is a question that many pray will never be answered.

[Anastasia]

Antenora took another dose of Extra Smiting, while Oberuth took Steadfast Determination. He needed Endurance for Dwarven Defender, so why not get a good feat it helps him qualify for?

Now with proper aim.

[Anastasia]

Note to self for later: Look at Invisible Eye Monk ACF for Oberuth's next level. Gives a save bump at 20 and Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat. He wants that so he can get Spellcasting Harrier at some point.

Second note to self for later: Slighty revise Spellcasting Harrier for clarity.

[Anastasia]

The Tarrasque

The Tarrasque is a destroyer of nations, a render of the earth, a slayer of all. Contrary to popular myth is it known that more than one exists. Be they clones, siblings, or from some sort of faraway place where they are born naturally is not known. Creation stories of them vary wildly. Some blame the Elemental Evils for them, though legends conflict on which one created such a horror. A few place the blame on Ogremoch, while others blame Imix. However, a lack of obvious evidence and disagreement does lessen this claim. Another is that they come from Baator. In fact it is known that devils have claimed this. However, this claim is not well accepted in general. The Tarrasque is simply not Baator's style. Others blame Shar or Talos, though the claims of these legends are older yet.

The tarrasque is an engine of massacre. It's bite swallows you whole, often reaving off limbs if you happen to survive. It heals wounds capable of slaying a demi-power within a few rounds and is resistant to all but epic weapons. Most effects such as energy drain or ability damage fail, and it's shell reflects cones, rays and lines of effect. It is immune to fire and highly resistant to other elements. In addition it's keen sense of smell allows it to locate invisible, displaced or hidden foes with unerring accuracy, though oftentimes it simply tramples them over so it hardly matters. While slightly slow moving, it can make infrequent rushes that cover vast amounts of ground at once.

To destroy the tarrasque you must manage to subdue it. No known damage deals lethal harm to it. Once subdued, a wish or a miracle must be employed to ensure it never rises again. Otherwise, it will regenerate, even if reduced to nothingness.  Even weapons that bypass it's damage reduction don't defeat it's regeneration. If slain, it's said that it's shell and blood can be forged into a trio of shields, while it's flesh can be boiled in liquid adamantine to produce a potion that will grant vast amounts of natural resistance to the imbiber.

It should be noted that the Tarrasque is not a particularly intelligent foe. Nor can it entirely explain all of the Destroyer's behavior. In particular, it's near supernatural ability to hunt down those who violate it's realm does not fit with any of the legends at all.

[Corwin]

Brief post of placement and plans.

On the Kesse front, Valar is to be triangulating things. Kresset should track down the assassin soon enough, and if Valar thinks he can handle that on his own, that's perfectly fine. If not, I'll make an appearance. Likewise for the fire guy.

On the Donald front, once he is done with training the agents we're sending to Prime, he can have his fun redemption quest~

In Balmuria, I will need a few moments to chat with Oberuth/Abagail/Mia+Gilartal, broken up whenever. I'd like to give my answer to the Arbiter before chatting with Obi, but it also shouldn't take too long.

Epic tarrasque. It would be fun to fight one! I'll bring Amaryl, and Yoshi and Lagann will be there for support. I kinda want Abby to be around to see this since she was with me originally on it.

A reminder for you to post the custom spell that messes with scrying if you can manage that.

[Ebiris]

Alicia will arrange an expedition to study the Mist Coil, led by Jornsen since he's all into illusions which has some thematic similarity to ethereal stuff so hopefully he's a good pick for it. He can bring along a bundle of assistants and guards anyway to round things out.

[Anastasia]

- Oberuth's gear has been boosted. I do this periodically since he draws upgrades from his position. Armor and shield's enhancement bonus went up by 1, gauntlets went up to +4 strength, gained a cloak of resistance+3. Nothing interesting, just mundane boosters.
- House rules post about Spellcasting Harrier. Also cleaned up house rules topic and will further spruce it up as the night goes on.
- The epic materials were folded into the house rules. A few things were clarified or tweaked, though nothing serious except for Dire Charge. Mostly this is cleaning up and restating what I meant in a better organized way. I wrote those over a year ago and I've learned a lot since then.
- Thinking about tweaking Magic Disjunction again. Any house rule suggestions while I'm under the hood?

[Anastasia]

Suggested new house rules, let me know if any feel off to you. Most of these are odds and ends I'm doing while I'm working.

5. Paladins gain Knowledge: Planes as a class skill.
9. Sorcerers gain eschew materials as a bonus feat at 1st level. They gain a bonus metamagic feat at 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter.
2. Fighters gain spot and listen as class skills.
2. Diehard is now a fighter bonus feat.
4. Endurance is now a fighter bonus feat.
8. Weapon Finesse loses it's prerequisite of BAB+1 and gains a prerequisite of dex 13.

Also, I have a banned spell list now. I just have a few on, let me know of any others I've nixed so I can add them.

[Anastasia]

Brief post of placement and plans.

On the Kesse front, Valar is to be triangulating things. Kresset should track down the assassin soon enough, and if Valar thinks he can handle that on his own, that's perfectly fine. If not, I'll make an appearance. Likewise for the fire guy.

Okay, they'll pass on word as it goes. If they need your help you'll get word.

On the Donald front, once he is done with training the agents we're sending to Prime, he can have his fun redemption quest~

When timewise? Are you thinking after this Tarrasque thing or later down the line?

In Balmuria, I will need a few moments to chat with Oberuth/Abagail/Mia+Gilartal, broken up whenever. I'd like to give my answer to the Arbiter before chatting with Obi, but it also shouldn't take too long.

Sure, whenever.

Epic tarrasque. It would be fun to fight one! I'll bring Amaryl, and Yoshi and Lagann will be there for support. I kinda want Abby to be around to see this since she was with me originally on it.

Okay.

From IRC:

<Seira> Cool. The rest is basically ongoing stuff I wanted to ask you about, like the Kesse project. There are several of them running, so should I just let them go at the speed of plot? Should I get heavily involved? I'm seeking guidance.

Well, look at how many direction Seira's been pulled in lately. Can Waukeen or Tempus appear in every affair they have a stake in? Really, a God is like a modern celebrity. You don't meet every fan or sign every autograph. But you do have an image you cultivate, and have aides and helpers cultivate that image. They get your word out for you, since it's not practical to be everywhere at once and be monitoring every situation yourself. I'd figure out which ones really need your attention or you really wanna deal with. Let others deal with the less important things.

[Anastasia]

Alicia will arrange an expedition to study the Mist Coil, led by Jornsen since he's all into illusions which has some thematic similarity to ethereal stuff so hopefully he's a good pick for it. He can bring along a bundle of assistants and guards anyway to round things out.

Replying to this fell between the cracks, but okay.

[Ebiris]

On a similar note she'll get some nameless scholars in Sylica to read over the Titan's library for any useful information.