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The Inevitable Iron Shadow

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Fri, 2006-04-21 11:11
#1
KujakuDM
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The Inevitable Iron Shadow

In my current game world, The Iron Shadow (from the infinity staircase) has warped the minds of the Inevitables and has basicaly set them upon destroying the Prime world of my PC's.

So i am coming up with a template for those infected with the Iron shadow (mind you that not all of the inevitables will be infected).

here is what ive come up with thus far:

Type: Gain "Lawfull" subtype, lost "Chaotic" or any such associated with it (i.e. Tan'ari)
HD: As Base
Speed: As Base:
AC: As Base*
Attacks: All attacks gain the lawfull subtype, including weapons and ranged.
Damage: All non magical attacks gain the "Personality Drain" ability
SA:*
Personality Drain: +1 Charisma damage when attacking with a weapon or Natural attack, If a creature is reduced to 0 Cha this way, they become one iwht the Iron shadow (they may not gain the template, but they do become allied with it). Save: Ford DC 10+1/2 HD+Wis Mod
Smite Chaos: 1/day as per spell
Spell Like Abilities: @ Will: Comand, Protection From Chaos; 3/Day: Greater Command(Spell Compendium), Mechanus Mind (Spell Compendium) 1/day: Dispel Chaos (all saves are wis based and have caster level equal to HD)

SQ:*
Single Minded: -4 on saves v. Compulsion effects, Immune: Fear, Mantle of Law (SR 12+HD v. Chaotic Spells)

Saves: As Creature*
Abilities: +4 wis, -4 cha*
Skills/Feats: as creature/Axiomatic heritage (Planar handbook)*

CR/Level Adjust: +2 to CR, +4 ECL*

Everything with the * are things that i feel i need some assistance with.

Any assistance will be apreciated, thank you.

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Fri, 2006-04-21 13:31
#2
ripvanwormer
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The Inevitable Iron Shadow

That's an interesting take on it. In TftIS it was an entirely destructive force rather than a creative one, draining the creative spark from whatever it touched, and definitely made those it touched weaker, excepting only the kytons, who are supremely uncreative.

I can imagine the Shadow leaving inevitables unharmed. Having them actually made more deadly by it is something I hadn't considered - I think it's a valid approach, but I wouldn't apply the template to many other creatures. Rilmani touched by the Iron Shadow turn to salt, formians and slaadi become stupid and listless, and so on. Giving victims of the Shadow a penalty to their ability scores as if they were in a plane of opposed alignment wouldn't be out of line.

Fri, 2006-04-21 13:39
(Reply to #2) #3
Seprakarius
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The Inevitable Iron Shadow

This might just be some little nitpicking on my part, but should a plague that drains inspiration wind up inspiring others to take up its own cause?

Maybe those reduced to Charisma 0 should wind up lacking any kind of creativity or inspiration of their own. While not vegetative, victims would follow orders blindly and keep repeating tasks unless told to do otherwise. Left to their own devices, victims would probably stare blankly into space.

Depending on how severe you want the 'infection' to be, a victim might only be curable after witnessing some sort of creative or artistic masterpiece. Also, if you want the infected creatures to act as hosts for the Shadow, maybe they could deal Charisma damage to those around them once/week or something, with Cha 0 victims falling under the same conditions.

Single-Minded should probably add to saves instead of subtracting from them; being more devoted to a cause should make you harder to sway.

As for abilities, Wisdom doesn't seem to fit, at least in my opinion. Those infected by an anathema to new ideas shouldn't be getting more perceptive. I'm not sure what else would go in its place, though.

+4 ECL seems a bit much; this template doesn't seem to be as powerful as the half-fiend/celestial.

Finally, you may want to add something dealing with evil in some shape or form; after all, the Iron Shadow is described as "an evil, ultimately destructive manifestation of Order."

Hopefully you can pull something out of that to help with your revision.

Sun, 2006-04-23 09:45
(Reply to #3) #4
KujakuDM
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type 2

Type: Gain "Lawfull" subtype, lost "Chaotic" or any such associated with it (i.e. Tan'ari)
HD: As Base
Speed: As Base:
AC: As Base*
Attacks: All attacks gain the lawfull subtype, including weapons and ranged.
Damage: All non magical attacks gain the "Personality Drain" ability
SA:*
Personality Drain: +1 Charisma damage when attacking with a weapon or Natural attack, If a creature is reduced to 0 Cha this way, they become one with the Iron shadow (they may not gain the template, but they do become allied with it). Save: Ford DC 10+1/2 HD+Wis Mod
Smite Chaos: 1/day as per spell
Spell Like Abilities: @ Will: Comand, Protection From Chaos; 3/Day: Greater Command(Spell Compendium), Mechanus Mind (Spell Compendium) 1/day: Dispel Chaos (all saves are wis based and have caster level equal to HD)

SQ:*
Single Minded: +4 on saves v. Compulsion effects, Immune: Fear, Mantle of Law (SR 12+HD v. Chaotic Spells)

Saves: As Creature*
Abilities: +4 wis, -4 cha*
Skills/Feats: as creature/Axiomatic heritage (Planar handbook)*

CR/Level Adjust: +1to CR, +2 ECL*

My reason for Wis bieng what goes up is that it is what can define a persons faith and zeal. Plust it just seems to work better than INT.

What should single minded do then, also, should anything else happen?
Any ideas?

Thu, 2006-04-27 02:05
(Reply to #4) #5
simmo
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The Inevitable Iron Shadow

One possible explanation is that an inevitable was summoned to the Prime to carry out some destructive act. However, during its mission it came in to contact with a creature that infected it with the Iron Shadow.

This resulted in the inevitable's "programming" to get locked in to one cycle. That being to constatnly carry out its order of destruction and to also summon other inevitables to aid in achieving that task. The other inevitables that are summoned become infected as well and the cycle repeats itself.

It's a variation on the golem left to do one task and then forgotten about, or not given new orders, with the addition of a contagion that spreads it to others of its kind.

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