QotD(ish): Which D&D monster is the awesome-est in your opinion, and why?
Coolest is Hags. But awesomest, as in the sheer unrivaled majesty and brilliant wonder of a creature? Well that title would very obviously go to Arasta of the Endless web, followed by the Jabberwock.
QotD(ish): Which D&D monster is the awesome-est in your opinion, and why?
Illithids, aka Mind Flayers.
First, they mix cosmic horror and body horror perfectly. They're alien entities from the Far Realm that reproduce by corrupting people with their tadpoles. Oh, and they eat brains. That's just scary, which makes them great villains. Additionally, the "reproduction through tadpole" allows for a variety of types of Illithid hybrids, like the Mindwitness and Urophion. Their design is iconic, their powers are frightening, and their callous view of humans as mere food/slaves is great for instantly motivating the party to hate them.
Something I've noticed about some of the greatest antagonist species from Fantasy and Sci Fi is that a huge part of what makes them effective and scary villains is their ability to corrupt people to join their ranks. Vampires, Zombies, Eldrazi, Phyrexians, the Borg, Cybermen, and so on. I believe that it's the fear that you could become one of them that makes villains of this type so effective. Mind Flayers are one of the only iconic D&D monsters that have this ability.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
QotD(ish): Which D&D monster is the awesome-est in your opinion, and why?
Illithids, aka Mind Flayers.
I'll be honest, mind flayers are starting to really bore me. Cosmic horror needs to move on from tentacles. When I saw that the new Phandelver book was cosmic horror theme, I was excited until I learned that by cosmic horror, WotC just meant mind flayers and tentacles.
QotD(ish): Which D&D monster is the awesome-est in your opinion, and why?
Illithids, aka Mind Flayers.
I'll be honest, mind flayers are starting to really bore me. Cosmic horror needs to move on from tentacles. When I saw that the new Phandelver book was cosmic horror theme, I was excited until I learned that by cosmic horror, WotC just meant mind flayers and tentacles.
I've always thought it's weird that you can consistently expect there to be a tentacle or two in cosmic horror. Yeah, we get it, they feel kinda slimy and weird, no need to make them foundational to a whole genre.
That said, I still like illithids, it's just more in spite of the tentacles instead of because of them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
QotD(ish): Which D&D monster is the awesome-est in your opinion, and why?
Illithids, aka Mind Flayers.
I'll be honest, mind flayers are starting to really bore me. Cosmic horror needs to move on from tentacles. When I saw that the new Phandelver book was cosmic horror theme, I was excited until I learned that by cosmic horror, WotC just meant mind flayers and tentacles.
What about a Death Kiss? Tentacles without the cosmic horror.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
QotD(ish): Which D&D monster is the awesome-est in your opinion, and why?
Illithids, aka Mind Flayers.
I'll be honest, mind flayers are starting to really bore me. Cosmic horror needs to move on from tentacles. When I saw that the new Phandelver book was cosmic horror theme, I was excited until I learned that by cosmic horror, WotC just meant mind flayers and tentacles.
I've always thought it's weird that you can consistently expect there to be a tentacle or two in cosmic horror. Yeah, we get it, they feel kinda slimy and weird, no need to make them foundational to a whole genre.
That said, I still like illithids, it's just more in spite of the tentacles instead of because of them.
Blame it on H.P. Lovecraft and his fear of the ocean (and everything else that he didn't understand). The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Call of Cthulhu helped invent the cosmic horror subgenre.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
QotD(ish): Which D&D monster is the awesome-est in your opinion, and why?
Illithids, aka Mind Flayers.
I'll be honest, mind flayers are starting to really bore me. Cosmic horror needs to move on from tentacles. When I saw that the new Phandelver book was cosmic horror theme, I was excited until I learned that by cosmic horror, WotC just meant mind flayers and tentacles.
I've always thought it's weird that you can consistently expect there to be a tentacle or two in cosmic horror. Yeah, we get it, they feel kinda slimy and weird, no need to make them foundational to a whole genre.
That said, I still like illithids, it's just more in spite of the tentacles instead of because of them.
Blame it on H.P. Lovecraft and his fear of the ocean (and everything else that he didn't understand). The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Call of Cthulhu helped invent the cosmic horror subgenre.
Yeah, H.P. Lovecraft incorporated his many fears into his books, the ocean, the dark, and speaking of dark, african-americans. That's why his books are so racist. Moving on from that, yeah, HP Lovecraft is to be blamed for many cosmic horror tropes, but also without him, cosmic horror would likely not exist.
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Your friendly trans bard!
She/They pronouns
The Goddess of the Strings (thanks for the title Drummer!)
Yeah, H.P. Lovecraft incorporated his many fears into his books, the ocean, the dark, and speaking of dark, african-americans. That's why his books are so racist. Moving on from that, yeah, HP Lovecraft is to be blamed for many cosmic horror tropes, but also without him, cosmic horror would likely not exist.
Hrm. I'd disagree with the last statement.
Someone would have written something (story wise) about the fear of squids and octopus, for sure, at some point. :D
Yeah, H.P. Lovecraft incorporated his many fears into his books, the ocean, the dark, and speaking of dark, african-americans. That's why his books are so racist. Moving on from that, yeah, HP Lovecraft is to be blamed for many cosmic horror tropes, but also without him, cosmic horror would likely not exist.
Hrm. I'd disagree with the last statement.
Someone would have written something (story wise) about the fear of squids and octopus, for sure, at some point. :D
Yeah, and there are older works that developed without his influence that would be considered cosmic horror. He had a huge influence on the genre and he made it popular, but he didn't invent it.
A genre that can't create anything new after a hundred years is a sad genre. Thankfully there are newer conceptual/weird horror stories that aren't just "I dug up a scary tentacled giant and it ate my crew" ad nauseum.
A genre that can't create anything new after a hundred years is a sad genre. Thankfully there are newer conceptual/weird horror stories that aren't just "I dug up a scary tentacled giant and it ate my crew" ad nauseum.
Yeah. Phew. Thankfully D&D isn't just elves, dwarves, humans and dragons, for like the last 40 years, huh?
Hold on a second.....
lol
To be fair, every genre can be broken down to the basic level.
For example...
A genre that can't create anything new after a hundred years is a sad genre. Thankfully there are newer conceptual/fantasy stories that aren't just "some wizard, some elves, and some magic item with dragons in it" ad nauseum.
Or...
A genre that can't create anything new after a hundred years is a sad genre. Thankfully there are newer conceptual/scifi stories that aren't just "flew out in space and discovered a weird, angry alien species" ad nauseum.
Cliches and tropes exist for a reason. Some genius like Tolkien or Lovecraft took something that already existed but wasn't super popular and then used it incredibly well. Everybody saw how good it was and tried to copy it resulting in overused story elements.
Then you have The Princess Bride and Terry Pratchett's books where overused cliches and tropes are taken and made fresh again.
For those of you looking for tips on how to write a D&D Campaign - this has some good info, especially for people just starting out their DM career, which I know a few folks in here are...
QotD: If you could be any D&D race/species IRL, and it wouldn’t be a problem, what would you choose and why?
Oh gosh. I honestly kinda like being human but I'd probably say Elf just for the increased lifespan. Though that would kinda isolate me from human society so I really dunno. A lot of the species I like to play like Kobolds, Goblins and Yuan-Ti might not be held in super high regard IRL. And they aren't as cool as things like a Goliath, though those guys inherently have an urge to basically get themselves killed quickly in some versions of the lore.
So yeah, there are boatloads of cool options such as a lot of the sea dwelling species, but I''d probably say I'd most wanna be an Elf. As an Elf, I'd potentially adventure or live with humans or whatever but mostly hopefully not manage to let 700+ years of life pass without truly massively impacting anything important & chasing my elven dreams. Next, I'd say dwarves would be my second pick because they have a gargantuan life span and fit in better with human society. Sadly, they die way younger than elves.
My third choice'd be humans because I am - TOTALLY ;) - one of these guys already and kinda like continuing being one and not having to adapt to drastically different customs and stuff. Finally, fairies are cool since they can fly and I agree with TheFriendlyArchfey that being one would be awesome.
QotD(ish): Which D&D monster is the awesome-est in your opinion, and why?
Zero clue. I like Gelatinous Cubes and all oozes and the Animated Objects and so many more beasts. Literally, for years before I played the game I used to peruse my father's copy of the Monster Manual. I even love goblins as mobs (yes I've been playing too much MInecraft lol) so picking a favorite is literally impossible to me. I guess I'll just go with the big Gelatinous Cube and hope it doesn't swallow me next time as a show of gratitude for the choice. :)
PS. Sorry if I"m blabbering like an incoherent Gibbering Mouther or if my yapping is getting to you. I only got 6 hours of sleep and have sleep apnea so I'm probably not writing properly at the moment.
A genre that can't create anything new after a hundred years is a sad genre. Thankfully there are newer conceptual/weird horror stories that aren't just "I dug up a scary tentacled giant and it ate my crew" ad nauseum.
Yeah. Phew. Thankfully D&D isn't just elves, dwarves, humans and dragons, for like the last 40 years, huh?
Hold on a second.....
lol
To be fair, every genre can be broken down to the basic level.
For example...
A genre that can't create anything new after a hundred years is a sad genre. Thankfully there are newer conceptual/fantasy stories that aren't just "some wizard, some elves, and some magic item with dragons in it" ad nauseum.
Or...
A genre that can't create anything new after a hundred years is a sad genre. Thankfully there are newer conceptual/scifi stories that aren't just "flew out in space and discovered a weird, angry alien species" ad nauseum.
You get the idea. :D
I mean you're making my point in a way. D&D remains fresh for most groups because it's not just replaying Fellowship of the Ring again and again for fifty years. Many beloved adventures have broken from this pattern. Think of how CoS incorporated horror, and Barrier Peaks introduced sci fi. Having read all of Lovecraft's stories, I can say first-hand that he gets very formulaic.
I'll re-state my point with respect to Lovecraft. First, write a list of your favorite cosmic horror stories. Now, strike off those that are over fifty years old. For me, very few remain.
I think we may be butting heads because I'm trying to distinguish using Lovecraftian tropes from reusing plots wholesale.
PS. Sorry if I"m blabbering like an incoherent Gibbering Mouther or if my yapping is getting to you. I only got 6 hours of sleep and have sleep apnea so I'm probably not writing properly at the moment.
Coolest is Hags. But awesomest, as in the sheer unrivaled majesty and brilliant wonder of a creature? Well that title would very obviously go to Arasta of the Endless web, followed by the Jabberwock.
I LOVE THE JABBERWOCK! IT ALMOST KILLED ME AND IS HORRIFYING BUT I LOVE IT!
Conflicted
Confused
Maybe I will return. Perhaps not.
Extended Signature!
Illithids, aka Mind Flayers.
First, they mix cosmic horror and body horror perfectly. They're alien entities from the Far Realm that reproduce by corrupting people with their tadpoles. Oh, and they eat brains. That's just scary, which makes them great villains. Additionally, the "reproduction through tadpole" allows for a variety of types of Illithid hybrids, like the Mindwitness and Urophion. Their design is iconic, their powers are frightening, and their callous view of humans as mere food/slaves is great for instantly motivating the party to hate them.
Something I've noticed about some of the greatest antagonist species from Fantasy and Sci Fi is that a huge part of what makes them effective and scary villains is their ability to corrupt people to join their ranks. Vampires, Zombies, Eldrazi, Phyrexians, the Borg, Cybermen, and so on. I believe that it's the fear that you could become one of them that makes villains of this type so effective. Mind Flayers are one of the only iconic D&D monsters that have this ability.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I'll be honest, mind flayers are starting to really bore me. Cosmic horror needs to move on from tentacles. When I saw that the new Phandelver book was cosmic horror theme, I was excited until I learned that by cosmic horror, WotC just meant mind flayers and tentacles.
I've always thought it's weird that you can consistently expect there to be a tentacle or two in cosmic horror. Yeah, we get it, they feel kinda slimy and weird, no need to make them foundational to a whole genre.
That said, I still like illithids, it's just more in spite of the tentacles instead of because of them.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
What about a Death Kiss? Tentacles without the cosmic horror.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Blame it on H.P. Lovecraft and his fear of the ocean (and everything else that he didn't understand). The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Call of Cthulhu helped invent the cosmic horror subgenre.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Yeah, H.P. Lovecraft incorporated his many fears into his books, the ocean, the dark, and speaking of dark, african-americans. That's why his books are so racist. Moving on from that, yeah, HP Lovecraft is to be blamed for many cosmic horror tropes, but also without him, cosmic horror would likely not exist.
Your friendly trans bard!
She/They pronouns
The Goddess of the Strings (thanks for the title Drummer!)
Hrm. I'd disagree with the last statement.
Someone would have written something (story wise) about the fear of squids and octopus, for sure, at some point. :D
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Yeah, and there are older works that developed without his influence that would be considered cosmic horror. He had a huge influence on the genre and he made it popular, but he didn't invent it.
A genre that can't create anything new after a hundred years is a sad genre. Thankfully there are newer conceptual/weird horror stories that aren't just "I dug up a scary tentacled giant and it ate my crew" ad nauseum.
Yeah. Phew. Thankfully D&D isn't just elves, dwarves, humans and dragons, for like the last 40 years, huh?
Hold on a second.....
lol
To be fair, every genre can be broken down to the basic level.
For example...
Or...
You get the idea. :D
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Cliches and tropes exist for a reason. Some genius like Tolkien or Lovecraft took something that already existed but wasn't super popular and then used it incredibly well. Everybody saw how good it was and tried to copy it resulting in overused story elements.
Then you have The Princess Bride and Terry Pratchett's books where overused cliches and tropes are taken and made fresh again.
For those of you looking for tips on how to write a D&D Campaign - this has some good info, especially for people just starting out their DM career, which I know a few folks in here are...
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1671-how-to-write-a-d-d-campaign
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Oh gosh. I honestly kinda like being human but I'd probably say Elf just for the increased lifespan. Though that would kinda isolate me from human society so I really dunno. A lot of the species I like to play like Kobolds, Goblins and Yuan-Ti might not be held in super high regard IRL. And they aren't as cool as things like a Goliath, though those guys inherently have an urge to basically get themselves killed quickly in some versions of the lore.
So yeah, there are boatloads of cool options such as a lot of the sea dwelling species, but I''d probably say I'd most wanna be an Elf. As an Elf, I'd potentially adventure or live with humans or whatever but mostly hopefully not manage to let 700+ years of life pass without truly massively impacting anything important & chasing my elven dreams. Next, I'd say dwarves would be my second pick because they have a gargantuan life span and fit in better with human society. Sadly, they die way younger than elves.
My third choice'd be humans because I am - TOTALLY ;) - one of these guys already and kinda like continuing being one and not having to adapt to drastically different customs and stuff. Finally, fairies are cool since they can fly and I agree with TheFriendlyArchfey that being one would be awesome.
Ps. I know I'm a human it was a joke :(
Zero clue. I like Gelatinous Cubes and all oozes and the Animated Objects and so many more beasts. Literally, for years before I played the game I used to peruse my father's copy of the Monster Manual. I even love goblins as mobs (yes I've been playing too much MInecraft lol) so picking a favorite is literally impossible to me. I guess I'll just go with the big Gelatinous Cube and hope it doesn't swallow me next time as a show of gratitude for the choice. :)
PS. Sorry if I"m blabbering like an incoherent Gibbering Mouther or if my yapping is getting to you. I only got 6 hours of sleep and have sleep apnea so I'm probably not writing properly at the moment.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.Gibbering Mouthers can be quite dangerous. Kind of like Intellect Devourers, they can bat higher than their CR would indicate.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Ever have D&D dreams? Like the sleeping kind?
I know for sure I had WoW dreams.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I’ve had dreams about some of the D&D campaigns I played in.
I really like D&D, especially Ravenloft, Exandria and the Upside Down from Stranger Things. My pronouns are she/they (genderfae).
I mean you're making my point in a way. D&D remains fresh for most groups because it's not just replaying Fellowship of the Ring again and again for fifty years. Many beloved adventures have broken from this pattern. Think of how CoS incorporated horror, and Barrier Peaks introduced sci fi. Having read all of Lovecraft's stories, I can say first-hand that he gets very formulaic.
I'll re-state my point with respect to Lovecraft. First, write a list of your favorite cosmic horror stories. Now, strike off those that are over fifty years old. For me, very few remain.
I think we may be butting heads because I'm trying to distinguish using Lovecraftian tropes from reusing plots wholesale.
Hey, did somebody say my name? /Jk
Hello! I am a perfectly sane gibberer. Hi! :D
Locations are dead, the Temple of Potassium has fallen but its ideals live on
A mysterious link of chain... (Extended signature). PRAISE JEFF THE EVIL ROOMBA! REALLY cool video.
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Titles: The Echoing Story Spewer from Drummer, the Endless Maws from Isis, the Mad Murderer from PJ