Pyramid #3/50: Dungeon Fantasy II

[Bruno]

I absolutely don't see a problem with Alternate Form (One specific kind of demon). I don't really see much problem with full fledged Shapeshifting either - you're limited by the point pool, and the player just can't make them up - that's the Improvised Forms enhancement. It's fundamentally gated by the GM, who decides what's a valid demon in his game, and what isn't.

For what it's worth, I extend the ability for druids to include adding various elemental lenses onto animal templates, and to shapeshift into dire animals, and so forth. A grizzley bear is just so much grist for a dragons mill, after all.

[Carlos]

Originally Posted by Refplace

The main problem with shapechanging into a demon is point balance.
Animals are pretty limited in scope but demons not so much.

I don't see your point here. What is the point-balance problem?

Originally Posted by Bruno

...and the player just can't make them up - that's the Improvised Forms enhancement.

Sorry, I didn't get it.

Originally Posted by Bruno

For what it's worth, I extend the ability for druids to include adding various elemental lenses onto animal templates, and to shapeshift into dire animals, and so forth. A grizzley bear is just so much grist for a dragons mill, after all.

Looks good. Can you give some examples?
And where can I see stats for Dire Animals?

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Carlos

Sorry, I didn't get it.

For example, a character with 100 points in his Shapeshifting pool.

Even in a game where there are many many many kinds of demon, the player cannot abuse the power by saying "I need to shapeshift into a demon who is just like a human, but has +10 ST." Unless the GM agrees that there is a demon who is just like a human, but has +10 ST, that's not something he can shapeshift into. He cannot make up demons to shapeshift into just because there are infinite varieties of demon.

Or to put it another way, you can put restrictions and bounds on infinity without it becoming finite. That's one of the wonderful things about infinity :)

So even in a cosmology like D&D's where the Abyss is infinite and the variety of demons is infinite, all demons are Always Chaotic Evil. For example.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Carlos

Looks good. Can you give some examples?
And where can I see stats for Dire Animals?

I need to go to sleep, so I will have to handle these tomorrow after my trip (or while stuck in the airport) but I like the idea that not all elementals have to look like versions of humans. A quick way to make an elemental animal is to apply an appropriate Body Of metatrait to the animal. You can also play around with the options in DF Allies, DF Summoners, and the lenses in DF Monsters 1.

There are Dire Wolves in DF 2, and GURPS Fantasy has some guidelines for making giant animals. So does GURPS Horror. My usual rule of thumb is x1.5 ST, x1.75 HP, and +1-3 DR for every +1 SM, and I quickly add Spikes or even an Impaling Aura attack to them (I like D&D 3e style dire animals with big bony spikes and plates, because it makes them tougher against adventurers). Consider adding lenses, upgrading cutting attacks to impaling, or giving them extra heads just for fun.

[Dammann]

Originally Posted by Carlos

And where can I see stats for ... Animals?

Try here.

[Bramble Thorn]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Because more is always better, e23 presents Pyramid #3/50: Dungeon Fantasy II.

This needs a Pyramid tag on e23.

[PK]

Originally Posted by Bramble Thorn

This needs a Pyramid tag on e23.

Huh, it does. Thanks!

[Steven Marsh]

Originally Posted by Bramble Thorn

This needs a Pyramid tag on e23.

And now it has one fnord.