Just want some input... balanced?

SkyeFyre · Unread post by **SkyeFyre** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:50 am

Ok, so I've been prepping for my game... while watching old slasher flicks.

So obviously I've come up with some ideas inspired by them... but one of them stands out as particularly either balancing or overpowered. (I'm not mentioning where this one came from, you can guess... I'm not trying to do a conversion, was just inspired)

My player group varies in power... A dogboy, a crazy, and some super symbiote natural MDC powered thing from Phase World that regenerates fast enough to make a vampire go :shock:

Basically I've got an astral demon that feeds on the fear of people and delights in their pain and suffering and death... ya know... it's a demon... this is normal.

How does it attack? It will pull a character's astral body from their physical body and attack them on the astral plane, or just nearby... as spirits. Non psychics need to roll a 10 or higher to save against this. Minor and Major have to roll higher than 5, and Master psychics cannot be pulled at all. While sleeping, their mind is more at rest and defenses are not as high, thus everyone gets a penalty of -5 to save... this means that even Master psionics must roll a 5 or higher to save.

The reason why I like this idea is that all astral bodies are SDC structures... this means that regardless of which player character is attacked, they all have an equal chance. In fact... the weaker physical characters can excel and may actually perform better due to psychic abilities.

I think it would make an excellent Madhaven baddie. What does everyone think about HF? I was thinking that it would start fairly low... maybe 10... but as the entity learns more about it's victim, it can learn better ways to scare them. Maybe... after every encounter or two the HF increases by one?

Is this balanced? Or do you see a lot of dead player characters?

sasha · Unread post by **sasha** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:03 pm

It certainly could be balanced but it could be tipped, too.

I think it's a cool idea so go with it, especially if you add other elements of horror making the PCs question their sense of reality, their sanity.

DhAkael · Unread post by **DhAkael** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:07 pm

Thogh it's not rifts / phaseworld based, one particular type of villan I like is the evil 'Fleshsculptor'

Regardless of if the PC is MDC or SDC based; flesh is flesh.

To a 'sculptor, it's all clay to be molded shaped and "played with".

I have one as a reoccouring villan who basicly has the PC's scared stiff just from comming across his past "art-projects".

Amazing what a little descriptive fluff-text and judicious dice rolling Vs. HF can do for upping the anxiety of players AND Pc's, neh?
:demon:

Oh, and in answer to original question. Sure, why not. In a universe were creatures can manipulate elemental powers with their will & minds, no reason a demon can't tear your astral form out of your body to play around with

SkyeFyre · Unread post by **SkyeFyre** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:19 pm

sasha wrote:It certainly could be balanced but it could be tipped, too.

I think it's a cool idea so go with it, especially if you add other elements of horror making the PCs question their sense of reality, their sanity.

Actually that's just what I was thinking.

sasha · Unread post by **sasha** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:53 pm

SkyeFyre wrote:
sasha wrote:It certainly could be balanced but it could be tipped, too.

I think it's a cool idea so go with it, especially if you add other elements of horror making the PCs question their sense of reality, their sanity.

Actually that's just what I was thinking.

Then I'm flattered 8-)

KillWatch · Unread post by **KillWatch** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:22 am

Um everyone should check for insanity. You are ripping people who are sure of one world and pulling them kicking and screaming into a new world where what they knew means nuttin.

Not saying don't do it. You could even start spooking them with rumors and legends, or ven just physical evidence of past victims

bigbobsr6000 · Unread post by **bigbobsr6000** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 9:04 am

Here's a nightmare I came up with at this POST. Hope this is something to your liking. Feel free to adjust it to your campaign, maybe as a taste of what's ahead for the PC's. Or actual attack in the Astral Plane.

Enjoy, Big Bob...................... :-D

Sentinel · Unread post by **Sentinel** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:17 pm

Conditionally, I like the idea. :ok:

Be sure to let us know how it turns out. 8-)

SkyeFyre · Unread post by **SkyeFyre** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:00 pm

Yeah, but there's still such thing as balance.

When a player makes something overpowered it's called a munchkin
When a GM makes something overpowered it's called unbalanced.

SkyeFyre · Unread post by **SkyeFyre** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:21 pm

Be my guest :-D

Dog_O_War · Unread post by **Dog_O_War** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 3:51 pm

I wouldn't be worried at all.

You're proposing a monster that offers a more even encounter for all the players involved, which is a completely unbalanced party otherwise. I think it would go a long way into showing your players that there are other threats out there other than the kind that deals MD via weapons and magic.

bigbobsr6000 · Unread post by **bigbobsr6000** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:21 am

I have used an area where the PCs had to fight duplicates of themselves. No one else could interfere with the other, single combat only with themselves. I had copies of their character sheets which became my NPCs for this encounter.

Natasha · Unread post by **Natasha** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:06 am

bigbobsr6000 wrote:I have used an area where the PCs had to fight duplicates of themselves. No one else could interfere with the other, single combat only with themselves. I had copies of their character sheets which became my NPCs for this encounter.

I was in a party in similiar situation.

Once we had to fight ourselfs; they were exact copies as far as stat block go but they looked much more grotesque and mutated.