tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post7908565489927586563..comments2024-03-28T22:00:35.840-07:00Comments on Playing D&D With Porn Stars: DemonsZak Sabbathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-27882911301790807832012-04-10T11:51:31.567-07:002012-04-10T11:51:31.567-07:00D'oh. No it isn't. It seems to be by Todd ...D'oh. No it isn't. It seems to be by <a href="http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2010/04/orcus-for-unisystem.html" rel="nofollow">Todd Lockwood.</a> Dragon #42, October 1980, pg. 6Alex J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00147269991231314528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-39198543483858882972011-11-30T14:14:24.979-08:002011-11-30T14:14:24.979-08:00The Orcus picture is by Trampier.The Orcus picture is by Trampier.Alex J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00147269991231314528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-72021815943665556922010-06-18T21:48:36.990-07:002010-06-18T21:48:36.990-07:00I’m generally not a fan of Gygaxes use-every-synon...I’m generally not a fan of Gygaxes use-every-synonym and over-classify trends. Demons, devils, and daemons being a perfect example. I’m also generally not a big fan of AD&D alignment.<br /><br />BUT...I’ve always liked the lawful/chaotic split between demons and devils. You can make a deal with a devil. He’s still going to do his best to screw you, but they aren’t totally unpredictable. Demons, on the other hand, cannot be trusted at all. Devils are hierarchial and recognizable. Demons should be a unruly mob of things generated by Raggi’s monster generator thing.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16733274876782876659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-22140273204041707452010-06-10T02:47:35.498-07:002010-06-10T02:47:35.498-07:00Vrocks are perhaps my favorite demon! Yes, even mo...Vrocks are perhaps my favorite demon! Yes, even more than Succubus. I find it neat that succubus are able to summon Vrocks, as to call some muscle when her fragile self is in peril. Like the Let's Play of Neverwinter Nights 2 says, it was weird of the game to throw a ton of succubus on the player when dealing with demons when Vrocks are the front-line soldiers for this kind of thing.<br /><br />There's the dance of doom, that I manage to pull off with wizards making the Vrocks invisible so that the players only hear a lot of weird-ass shrieking and then BAM! Plethora of damage on your head. The spores, a neat touch. Not much damage, but a cool effect that creeps people out.<br /><br />And the fact that they're effing vultures! I know, I know. Warhammer. But I'm still new to warhammer in general, and the setting kind of has to have all this iconic stuff. D&D is fine with Lolth as its iconic evil.<br /><br />I make of vrocks extremely sadistic warriors who like to deliver AND receive grievous wounds.<br /><br />Succubus I never use in a direct fight. If it comes to that she either escapes or surrenders. They're great for everything else.<br /><br />The Hezrou are some kind of interesting dumb muscle, like the demonic version of an ogre. But nothing more...<br /><br />Balors are... kind of iconic but meh at the same time. I'd rather throw a platoon of Vrocks than a single Balor at my players.<br /><br />Mariliths I play as this serious military type that is obsessive with combat skill and a master of misdirection. The "distressed damsel half-way stuck in something" trap never gets old.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00969927102234730796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-76308166043109722102010-03-22T20:06:11.190-07:002010-03-22T20:06:11.190-07:00I actually always liked Type I-IV demons as the so...I actually always liked Type I-IV demons as the sort of thing some mad sorcerer would conjure up to throw at his foes or bind into service.<br /><br />Type I's used to particularly scare my players with that shrieking dance of doom thing 3.5 gave them. The spore thing they got was just weird, though. I don't think I ever used it.<br /><br />Fives make damn good temple guardians or demon queens in general. Kind of a weird Babylonian or Hindu feel to them.<br /><br />And sixes are obviously friggin' Balrogs. Only they are about twice as tall as described, have at least a dozen hit dice, look like the one in the Lord of the Rings movies, and have probably murdered the artist most cruelly for the disservice he did them in the 1e Monster Manual.Big McStrongmusclehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07067031012393190130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-47445137993092779382010-03-16T02:27:50.278-07:002010-03-16T02:27:50.278-07:00i know. but thanksi know. but thanksZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-89443669524147133382010-03-16T00:49:33.731-07:002010-03-16T00:49:33.731-07:00Ok last comment for the evening:
Gygax seriously ...Ok last comment for the evening:<br /><br />Gygax seriously did create monsters based on the toys he had available. He said so in an interview which I am not going to even bother googling but he talks about where the rust monster came from. It was in a bag of plastic toys he got from Hong Kong.<br /><br />So the reason there are so damn many dinosaurs? Because he had so damn many plastic dinosaur toys, and when he needed a fight in a hurry, bam, out comes the dinosaur toys.<br /><br />The implication of the rust monster story is that he actually statted them all out ahead of time, which fills me with horror. I imagine the poor guy cracking open a new bag of freakish plastic toys and spending ALL NIGHT laboring over a battered notebook with a stubby pencil. 'Well, it's 4 1/2 inches tall so let's see... 11HD? Nah, make it 10...'Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13185778323826500331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-12853657674497575202010-03-08T19:45:24.766-08:002010-03-08T19:45:24.766-08:00Vrocks are great. For one thing, demonic vultures...Vrocks are great. For one thing, demonic vultures. For another, they hit you with spores. SPORES. That start GROWING OUT OF YOUR BODY. And you're all freaked out right, because holy crap, demonic spores are growing out of your body. So you'd better get some Cure Disease. But that doesn't even help. The spores "don't do anything." Sure, like any player is going to believe that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-34404187538615410992010-03-08T07:13:45.989-08:002010-03-08T07:13:45.989-08:00Zak: You made the same mistake that I and every ot...Zak: You made the same mistake that I and every other user of the Monster Manual has made since the beginning of time. Everyone I have ever talked to calls him "Jubilex". So do I. Because that sounds like a big fruit punch green slime demon. <br /><br />However, the spelling is actually "Juiblex". Which is ultimately disappointing, as it sounds like a minor league hockey player from Quebec.<br /><br />Normally I would never point something like this out because it makes me seem like a spelling asshole nerd. But when someone recently pointed it out to me it blew my mind that an entire generation or two of players all misread the name of the damn guy.SirAllenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11106665195318475302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-84816221156714377972010-03-07T20:39:44.863-08:002010-03-07T20:39:44.863-08:00Agree with who?Agree with who?Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-34539670506461210312010-03-07T20:24:44.649-08:002010-03-07T20:24:44.649-08:00Asmodeus has an interesting place in Jewish folklo...Asmodeus has an interesting place in Jewish folklore and I used that in a game. It helped me build a game that actually used him. I do agree that he is better suited to other games than D&D.Jomo Risinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13552294536240059611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-70599500091545485112010-03-07T18:15:51.085-08:002010-03-07T18:15:51.085-08:00I really like Mike Mignola's demons- aside fro...I really like Mike Mignola's demons- aside from HB himself, the major demons always kinda give you the impression that you're not actually seeing the demon's true form- just the hodgepodge of vague animal forms and elemental effects that your brain can cobble together from the cosmic insanity being thrown at it. That's how demons and gods always are in my dreams, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-38396825229470346112010-03-07T15:51:20.743-08:002010-03-07T15:51:20.743-08:00I think the first edition demons and devils are co...I think the first edition demons and devils are cool as hell... I was a second edition player when I started, but there were first edition books going around, and psionic and demons were the main factors which drew us back to the first edition, and we were fascinated with these things, and of course second edition screw it up, Planescape were just bad. First edition, on the most primal level were better than second edition because you could actually kill demons, devils and gods take their loot, gather a lot of xp, and level up, and kill some more... One side of the coin is that it is ridiculous, but the other side of the coin is that it was awesome. Even though I never managed to make it to that level... :-)Bardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06020447449864895480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-28758511942085291082010-03-07T14:45:51.388-08:002010-03-07T14:45:51.388-08:00Zak, the Orcus piece is from Dragon #42, page 6. N...Zak, the Orcus piece is from Dragon #42, page 6. No idea who's the artist, though.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03443802251862119159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-52126125253781235322010-03-07T13:04:43.285-08:002010-03-07T13:04:43.285-08:00@Norman Harman- Not to hijack the thread or side s...@Norman Harman- Not to hijack the thread or side step too much but the 'Dirty Pair' is the nickname given to the duo properly code named 'The Lovely Angels' due to their tendencey to turn simple affairs into excuses to cause massive property damage.<br /><br />The term 'Dirty' does not refer to anything sexual but is actually reference to their being overly rough and dangerous, as in 'Dirty Harry'.<br /><br />Yeah, I'm not just a gamer geek. I'm a comic book fanboy, otaku, gamer geek. How cool am I?Adam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-5030283761545532322010-03-07T12:56:42.895-08:002010-03-07T12:56:42.895-08:00anybody know who did the orcus pic and where it...anybody know who did the orcus pic and where it's from?--I don'tZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-10562563720218219842010-03-07T12:28:30.523-08:002010-03-07T12:28:30.523-08:00Great Orcus pic and the Fat Succubus is really ama...Great Orcus pic and the Fat Succubus is really amazing. Disturbing but also beautifully rendered, if that makes any sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-35480501563232989852010-03-07T12:23:34.667-08:002010-03-07T12:23:34.667-08:00J--
Planescape always seemed like sort of attempt...J--<br /><br />Planescape always seemed like sort of attempt to do a Neil Gaiman thing with D&D.<br /><br />It still seemed less compelling than Warhammer or CoC since the alignment/plane + obscure point-of-view war idea at the bottom seemed fundamentally less evocative or meaningful than it should've been since.<br /><br />Demons vs. devils always seemed like an artificial idea to me.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-1189226266943761132010-03-07T10:45:33.939-08:002010-03-07T10:45:33.939-08:00In your dismissal of the demon and devil developme...In your dismissal of the demon and devil development compared to Warhammer, am I to take it that you're unfamiliar with the Planescape campaign setting? If so, that entire D&D setting was underlined by the ongoing war between the two groups. <br /><br />Also, glabrezus inspired the kender in my party to yell "Puppy!" and try to acquire one as a pet. She failed to grasp their underlying evil nature and intelligence. <br /><br />The Vrocks, on the other hand, could be downright terrifying when the party saw them begin to dance.Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04609795745010015616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-90953771371195274402010-03-07T09:28:52.469-08:002010-03-07T09:28:52.469-08:00D Beast indeed Exhibit A, Exhibit B
Urrgh, exactl...D Beast indeed <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/great-adventure-dirty-pair-haruka/1595821007-9sx3fts1qd" rel="nofollow">Exhibit A</a>, <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Dirty-Pair-Strike-Again-2-:-Haruka-Takachiho-%28Paperback,-2008%29_W0QQitemZ341426165818QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20100305?IMSfp=TL100305198010r4322" rel="nofollow">Exhibit B</a><br /><br />Urrgh, exactly why are they called "the dirty pair"? In the immortal words of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayne_Cobb#Jayne_Cobb" rel="nofollow">Jayne</a>, I'll be in my bunk!Norman J. Harman Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01319655075997712313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-89673925043847585502010-03-07T08:51:29.314-08:002010-03-07T08:51:29.314-08:00And then there's the demonic Dragon-Dinosaur c...And then there's the demonic Dragon-Dinosaur crossbreeds in (Return to) the Temple of Elemental Evil.<br />I used a mini of godzilla and another one of Devil Dinosaur (even if they weren't exactly to scale) in that fight and it was AWESOME.<br /><br />OTOH 2 PCs died so I think that may have tainted the party's view of it.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14672917794716928287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-86346567214596144472010-03-07T08:34:01.210-08:002010-03-07T08:34:01.210-08:00All of the Legend of the Overfiend references I ke...All of the Legend of the Overfiend references I keep seeing/hearing in places... I need to finally watch it...<br /><br />Keep up the great blogs, I'm getting quite inspired for my next trip into the madness of DMing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-14384418417117617712010-03-07T07:28:09.637-08:002010-03-07T07:28:09.637-08:00There was a bit in the Fiendish Codex for 3e where...There was a bit in the Fiendish Codex for 3e where they discuss Glabrazu being the tempters who tempt you with power, rather than, like the succubus, sex. I liked that. & the Vrock's magic evil dance? What! DnD Skeksis! Dancing!mordicaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05713766652793265867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-49301593306300442672010-03-07T07:11:15.994-08:002010-03-07T07:11:15.994-08:00Displacer Beasts! Great Gamma Rays! How could I fo...Displacer Beasts! Great Gamma Rays! How could I forget the ultra awesome displacer beast? Oh that is another one where we had a tough time determining its origins. <br /><br />There is a creature that visually resembles the Displacer Beast in Japanese mythology, although its appearance is not identical. <br /><br />When Japanese science fiction author Haruka Takachiho created the short SF/Comedy novels for the 'Dirty Pair' in 1979, a displacer beast appeared on the cover. According to the stories, the creature was the Dirty Pair's sidekick, a genetically altered (or possibly alien in some versions) beast named Mughi.<br /><br />The painting of Mughi on the cover was flat out a Displacer Beast. Or was it? The novel was out in 79-80 and D&D was already available, though possibly not in Japan. At the same time, the creature also resembled the alien Coeurl from A. E. van Voght's short story "Black Destroyer" (1939) and later the SF novel "Voyage of the Space Beagle" (1950) (a favorite of mine).<br /><br />Damn but I do love Sci-Fi. What were we talking about...?<br /><br />Oh and in the TMI category...I find the fat succubus illustration bother repulsive and strangely alluring... (~_^)Adam Dicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840144928096089178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-30143361489061595012010-03-07T05:55:18.703-08:002010-03-07T05:55:18.703-08:00Poll--anyone out there ever been inspired by the V...<i>Poll--anyone out there ever been inspired by the Vrock, Hezrou, or Glabrezu?</i><br /><br />Yes. As far as I'm concerned the Glabrezu is the face of Baphomet; it's what every blood-soaked idol in a smoky demon cult temple should aspire to be.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072272223837426211noreply@blogger.com