Yuan-ti!

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

nytcrawlr

Jun 18, 2003 2:49:18
Going to move the Yuan-ti discussion here, and I know it has been brought up before, but I would like to see some serious feedback here, especially since I think this will be my next big project after ToA and the Villichi thing, will have to get with the rest of the boys and gal and make sure it's cool first, but that shouldn't stop us from posting ideas for now, mwuahahahaha.

Anyways, responding to what the mighty Mach said in an another thread:

Originally posted by Mach2.5
*to the tune of the Married With children theme*

Yuant-ti and Naga, Yuan-ti and Naga, you can't have one without the . . . other!
#2

zombiegleemax

Jun 18, 2003 3:15:46
That actually sounds like a decent adventure synopsis. Keeping Nibenay as the puppetmaster behind the evil sect wouldn't be too hard since he 'created' his own son as a cilops, why couldn't the first yuan-ti have been any different? Perhaps the head of the good aligned sect was this first yuan-ti (son of Nibenay, explains his epic level status) and knew full well the evil that Nibenay was creating, hence the beginnings of the civil war itself. As for ol Nib being yuan-ti, not sure I like that one since the Champions were alledged to be human after all. Its still a decent idea though, it never even crossed my mind to have good yuan-ti *scribble, scribble, taking notes, scribble, scribble*.

I suppose this was another Pristine Tower? Where would this region be located on the official maps?

This started as a joke in my older campaign when the players, after having spent a few adventures involving the Pristine Tower were off exploring the north tablelands. They were comming across a tower and as I described it, the joker of the group exclaimed "Oh no! Its another Pristine Tower! Run!" (especially since he was not real fond of the hard porcupine-like quills that were beginning to grow in place of hair all over his body). It got me thinking, what if there were other towers? My setting involves that idea, that it took a few towers/citidels like the Pristine tower for the Rhulisti to channel the sun's enormous energy. I was thinking of 6 or so, spread across Athas. As for where this region is in relation to the Tablelands, I wasn't going to give it one. Hence it could then be plugged in any direction in relation to the Tablelands.

Illithids are perhaps my ultimate arch villains. For Athas, I was thinking of making them physically different though, with dry, withered skin, and very long tentacles. They could hide beneath the sands and slowly snake out their tentacles, using subtle psionics to calm their prey before striking. I never did flesh them out much and we toyed with the idea of giving them a floating mobile city-state to rule (based on a brief idea that Strut had posted) but scrapped it. Still not sure about them, but they're difinately going to be worked on (especially if they can be worked as a PC race . to the might of the Mind Flayer!
#3

Kamelion

Jun 18, 2003 3:53:57
Have you guys seen the Labyrinth of Madness adventure for 2e? (Not DS but a big dungeon in generic area). It deals with a plot by a variety of Yuan-Ti and, while it's not Athas, the enterprising DM might find a way to replace non-athas creatures with athasian version. It's pretty high-level (15+, I think) but you may find it a source of ideas...

Reptialian races are the norm, with several Naga breeds being viable PC races (along with Nikaal, Ssurran, and a few others).

Jon kindly posted my Ssurran conversion on his site (monster and player race) - they're scaled back a little from 2e but might be of use to you..

http://darksun.3sins.com/3e/3e_monsters.htm
#4

zombiegleemax

Jun 18, 2003 4:51:26
They look great. Good job on making an otherwise bland monster an interesting PC race. I really like the fact that they are primal and animalistic, but know full well that they are, not just because they are too simple or stupid to know anything better. To them, its a choice. Thanks for pointing out the download. I was just browsing Jon's site (and stealing everything I could get my grubby little hands on, mwahahaha) while the boards were down but must have overlooked that one. I'll most likely use the writeup as is, unless someone points out mechanic flaws (with due credit given should I ever get my lazy arse to make a website).
#5

nytcrawlr

Jun 18, 2003 12:06:25
Originally posted by Mach2.5
That actually sounds like a decent adventure synopsis. Keeping Nibenay as the puppetmaster behind the evil sect wouldn't be too hard since he 'created' his own son as a cilops, why couldn't the first yuan-ti have been any different? Perhaps the head of the good aligned sect was this first yuan-ti (son of Nibenay, explains his epic level status) and knew full well the evil that Nibenay was creating, hence the beginnings of the civil war itself.

Ooh! /me goes Illithid on your brain


As for ol Nib being yuan-ti, not sure I like that one since the Champions were alledged to be human after all.

Right, but Rajaat's transformation turned him into the ultimate abomination yuan-ti (translationg: abomination yuan-ti of very high epic level). This was back when I made all the champions have individual forms based on their personality rather than being turned into a dragon, they were more dragon + something else hybrids. I did the same thing for anyone that cast either metamorphosis spell (other than the cleric turned into elemental one), basically you turned into something that more reflected your personality, but keeping most of the stats, the breath weapon would just be different, different hide, etc.

Its still a decent idea though, it never even crossed my mind to have good yuan-ti *scribble, scribble, taking notes, scribble, scribble*.

Hehe, cool.

This started as a joke in my older campaign when the players, after having spent a few adventures involving the Pristine Tower were off exploring the north tablelands. They were comming across a tower and as I described it, the joker of the group exclaimed "Oh no! Its another Pristine Tower! Run!" (especially since he was not real fond of the hard porcupine-like quills that were beginning to grow in place of hair all over his body).

Had a few of those instances in the game.

It got me thinking, what if there were other towers? My setting involves that idea, that it took a few towers/citidels like the Pristine tower for the Rhulisti to channel the sun's enormous energy. I was thinking of 6 or so, spread across Athas. As for where this region is in relation to the Tablelands, I wasn't going to give it one. Hence it could then be plugged in any direction in relation to the Tablelands.

Cool.

Illithids are perhaps my ultimate arch villains. For Athas, I was thinking of making them physically different though, with dry, withered skin, and very long tentacles. They could hide beneath the sands and slowly snake out their tentacles, using subtle psionics to calm their prey before striking. I never did flesh them out much and we toyed with the idea of giving them a floating mobile city-state to rule (based on a brief idea that Strut had posted) but scrapped it. Still not sure about them, but they're difinately going to be worked on (especially if they can be worked as a PC race . to the might of the Mind Flayer!

Yeah, the floating city thing is more of something else that I need to research more before going into, so good thing you didn't go with that.

Good ideas all around though, we definately need to join our minds and do a project on this.



EDIT: I can't type today!
#6

kalthandrix

May 03, 2006 12:18:57
This is the coolest thread EVER!!!!!

Go yuan-ti!!
#7

dirk00001

May 03, 2006 13:15:40
This is the coolest thread EVER!!!!!

Go yuan-ti!!

ROTFL, don't you have anything better to do than bump old posts? Just because none of these messages mean anything doesn't mean you should abuse the system, or become involved in mockery or any other form of demeaning comedy. This is a family-friendly environment, Kal, and no one here appreciates your rudeness.

Go make a PrC or something.

:angelhide
#8

kalthandrix

May 03, 2006 14:51:03
ROTFL, don't you have anything better to do than bump old posts? Just because none of these messages mean anything doesn't mean you should abuse the system, or become involved in mockery or any other form of demeaning comedy. This is a family-friendly environment, Kal, and no one here appreciates your rudeness.

Go make a PrC or something.

:angelhide

You should check yourself there buddy- I was in no way making fun of anyone nor mocking anyone- I just thougth it was funny that this thread was so far back there and yet the topic is still so widely debated.
#9

dirk00001

May 03, 2006 15:00:08
You should check yourself there buddy- I was in no way making fun of anyone nor mocking anyone- I just thougth it was funny that this thread was so far back there and yet the topic is still so widely debated.

Sir, I had merely enabled the tag and may have failed to close it correctly. I do so apologize for any misconstruements that may have resulted.



Er crap...I wonder if you can nestle sarcasm tags.
#10

kalthandrix

May 03, 2006 15:02:36
Sir, I had merely enabled the tag and may have failed to close it correctly. I do so apologize for any misconstruements that may have resulted.



Er crap...I wonder if you can nestle sarcasm tags.

Sorry- I did not mean to come off as a jerk- it has been a long, boring, and fustraiting day at work and I am a bit bit**y - so sorry for my lashing!
#11

dirk00001

May 03, 2006 15:11:46
Sorry- I did not mean to come off as a jerk- it has been a long, boring, and fustraiting day at work and I am a bit bit**y - so sorry for my lashing!

Meh, no worries - it was just that dredging up a 3 year old conversation seemed like that seemed way too sarcastic to begin with, and I've had one of those days at work where I'd kill someone if it *wasn't* for dripping sarcasm. ;)

Edit: Oh noes! Now I don't know if you've enabled a better tag than I have, or have correctly closed my tangle of sarcasm tags...what a predicament! Touche...or not?
#12

nytcrawlr

May 03, 2006 19:59:49
Sorry- I did not mean to come off as a jerk- it has been a long, boring, and fustraiting day at work and I am a bit bit**y - so sorry for my lashing!

Dude, I'm buying you an all in one sarcasm/satire/joke detector for Christmas! I've lost track on how many times you have failed to detect this sort of thing.



Oh and someone stop granting Kal raise dead spells, or erase them from his spellbook, one of the two.

:D
#13

kalthandrix

May 03, 2006 21:18:21
Dude, I'm buying you an all in one sarcasm/satire/joke detector for Christmas! I've lost track on how many times you have failed to detect this sort of thing.



Oh and someone stop granting Kal raise dead spells, or erase them from his spellbook, one of the two.

:D

Spellbook! I do not need such a mortal crutch! Can one deny a GOD. This is well within my domain.
#14

nytcrawlr

May 03, 2006 21:24:17
Spellbook! I do not need such a mortal crutch! Can one deny a GOD. This is well within my domain.

Don't make me go Dark Satire on you, I'll make you cry...



#15

Zardnaar

May 04, 2006 0:09:55
I I recommend whoring out the FR book Serpent Kingdoms for Yuan Ti and bring in the Sarrukh.
#16

dirk00001

May 04, 2006 12:36:59
Don't make me go Dark Satire on you, I'll make you cry...




Er...is that when you put on lots of eyeshadow and white facepaint and complain about how you're "so angst-ridden" and "woe, oh woe is me", while intermittently winking and "shooting" us with your finger so we all know you're just joking around...and repeat non-stop until we can't take it anymore and start crying, pleading with you to stop?
#17

cnahumck

May 04, 2006 13:11:10
Spellbook! I do not need such a mortal crutch! Can one deny a GOD. This is well within my domain.

Kal, are you being dyslexic again? :P
#18

nytcrawlr

May 04, 2006 14:44:51
Er...is that when you put on lots of eyeshadow and white facepaint and complain about how you're "so angst-ridden" and "woe, oh woe is me", while intermittently winking and "shooting" us with your finger so we all know you're just joking around...and repeat non-stop until we can't take it anymore and start crying, pleading with you to stop?

Nah, that's Goth Satire (actually I don't think that Goth Satire exists, I'm just making things up :P ).

Dark Satire is a lot less forgiving and unapologetically so.

It also helps that I get the correct term out there too since Dark Satire is more of a slang term of High Burlesque satire, or so I've read on occasion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_burlesque
#19

dirk00001

May 04, 2006 16:33:43
Nah, that's Goth Satire (actually I don't think that Goth Satire exists, I'm just making things up :P ).

Dark Satire is a lot less forgiving and unapologetic ally so.

It also helps that I get the correct term out there too since Dark Satire is more of a slang term of High Burlesque satire, or so I've read on occasion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_burlesque

Your description of Dark Satire doesn't at all fit in with what that Wiki article says about High Burlesque satire...in fact, it almost sounds like the opposite.

Yay for The Onion.
#20

nytcrawlr

May 04, 2006 17:03:06
Your description of Dark Satire doesn't at all fit in with what that Wiki article says about High Burlesque satire...in fact, it almost sounds like the opposite.

That's because I was just hamming it up for Kal. He can't get basic message board satire that most people can see through usually he certainly isn't going to get satire that is from The Onion and other sources and that was just the point I was trying to make.

Plus I just like to pick on Kal and his "satire is dead" brain. :P



Course no one is perfect, I've been caught off guard by some of the things Penn has said before. :D

Yay for The Onion.

Ahmen brother.
#21

dirk00001

May 04, 2006 17:10:32
This thread is definitely one of those times where I must say, as I would in response to the question "are you being sarcastic?" -

"...I...I just don't know anymore."

:headexplo
#22

dirk00001

May 04, 2006 17:23:58
And, since The Onion was mentioned...

----------

Templar Actually Took Bribe, Says Stunned Mugger

Local freeman and well-known criminal Afgar the Brutal was stunned when a local templar accepted a 2-bit bribe to "look the other way" after catching him subjecting a disabled beggar to a particularly violent assault.
"It was crazy," Afgar told The Cactus during an interview immediately following the event. "There I was, stabbing this poor guy with a ceramic shard I'd picked up after smashing his collections-mug over his head, when that templar walks up and asks me what I was doing. 'Um - violently attacking this poor man?' says I, caught off guard. But despite my obvious guilt, the templar settled for a measly 2 bits! 2 BITS!"
Afgar noted that there were at least 3 more bits and possibly a ceramic piece laying on the ground nearby, in plain sight.

The templar in question refused to comment on the situation. He was later spotted accepting a 3 ceramic bribe to ignore the theft of his short sword, and another 1 ceramic bribe for the subsequent loss of his money pouch.
#23

nytcrawlr

May 04, 2006 17:35:45
Well done!

#24

Pennarin

May 04, 2006 17:46:13
:D

That joke will be added to the Archive's funniest quotes page when the upgraded boards are up.
#25

kalthandrix

May 04, 2006 17:50:18
I don't get it. Is someone trying to offend me?

I get razzed a lot by some of my players for this post here- I can do sarcasm and stuff, I just have a hard time picking up on it something here on the message board.
The Diamond Weapon enchantments are too expensive

That is a very insighful observation. Do you have anything else to add?

I would say that they are rather moderately priced. The bane enhancement is only +1, but gives your weapon an extra +2 vs. a specific foe and deals extra damage. The diamond-razor enchantment allows one to ignore ALL natural armor- so if you were to take on, say, an adult force dragon from the ELH which normally has an armor class of 64, against a weapon which this enchantment it would only have an AC of 20.

Weapons with either enchantment will allow characters to cut through a creatures defenses with ease. Sure, they do not add damage, but to inflict damage you have to HIT them first. Say you had a diamond-edged keen scimitar+1, against creatures with natural armor, you would get a +5 to hit them and critically hit with a roll of 15-20. The +5 to hit aids in confirming the critical so you also have a better chance of actually scoring the extra damage. The above sword would only have a total modifier of +5, and have a final cost of 50,315 gold pieces (out side of Athas). Add bane vs. Thri-kreen and you have a weapon that, without a critical, gets a +7 to hit (not counting BAB), and deals 1d6+3+Str+2d6 damage for a total price of 72,315 gp.

But if you think they are overpriced, you must have a really good reason to think so.

Have a nice day :D

#26

dirk00001

May 04, 2006 20:12:58
Penn/Nyt - *takes a bow*

Kal - I think one or more people are just messing around with you. But as I already said, I really don't know what posts from this thread are sarcastic and which ones aren't anymore, including my own, so I can't guarantee anything.
At least not for free. But for a price...
#27

terminus_vortexa

May 05, 2006 0:14:51
Nobody's messing with you, Kal! But after a long arduous day at work, I can see how the sarcastic humor prevalent in these boards could be somewhat ...... elusive.. Happens to me all the time, like with Jon and his insistance that I named the Terminus Vortexa after some game I'm never even heard of. Roll with the punches and rib back, bro. It's all in good fun!
#28

seker

May 07, 2006 14:38:22
Nah, that's Goth Satire (actually I don't think that Goth Satire exists, I'm just making things up :P ).

hey hey.... watch it.... many goths are masters of satire (listen to a Voltaire song sometime or read one of his books if yo udoubt me.) and there is even an entire type of satire based off their form.

and when I am reffering to goths I am reffering to actual goths (avid fans of goth rock) not the little spooky kids running arround in all hot topic clothes and listening to Manson, HIM, and Cradle of filth (none of which are actually goth bands.)

though this is a very inteesting take on the Yuan-ti for darksun. Personally I have always gone with them being the descendants of a group of Rhulisti... kind of like the Rhul Thuan of the Jagged Cliffs, only they used their remaining knowledge of lifeshaping to "evolve" themselves into a more efficient form. so the purebloods look more like halflings and get larger and more serpent like through a series of Grafts and racial PrC's. (Though it is more a racial class than a PrC to be honest as it can be taken at first level.)
#29

lhurgyof

Dec 17, 2007 14:12:45
Well, in our Dark Sun campaign. The yuan-ti are the only race that can be monks (or knights) and all Yuan-ti must be a knight. A Yuan-ti is a knight of the Temple of the Silent Ones, lead by Sapine, a Large snake that is all-knowing. The Yuan-Ti monks are the only thing that starts the game literate, and they are possibly the most pwnage in Dark Sun ever. At the temple, you can gain any knowlege you want, but you must sacrafice some knowlege that Sapine doesn't know as of yet. All Yuan-ti who wish to leave the temple converse with Sapine, who sends them on a mission (usually of knowlege). The Temple is lush and full of the water and shrubbery that are so rare to the world of Athas. The temple holds one of the thirteen psionic gates which can be used to teleport anywhere in Athas.