Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 npc_dave May 12, 2008 17:51:31	So I am setting up an adventure that involves a sphinx and a Light Heldannic Warbird(Flying Ship). While researching the CoM box set and PC2, a few questions came up. 1) Regarding a sphinx immunity to spells of levels 1-3, it obviously refers to damage or incapacitation spells. But what about a spell like invisibility? Or mask alignment? Do people assume that a sphinx can automatically see anyone invisible due to a level 2 or level 3 spell? Would a sphinx casting know alignment not be fooled by the reversed mask alignment? Note that PC2 points out sphinxes are not immune to their own spells, which is helpful but doesn't answer the question above. 2) A fluff question, PC2 mentions there is a sphinx of Halag, basically a sphinx that lives in the Gulf and roars warnings to sailors getting too close to dangerous rocks. Anyone build any fluff based on this? Just curious, the sphinx would be a power in its own right that the halfling pirates and black eagle baron would have to reckon with. 3) According to the CoM card for the Light Heldannic Warbird, it has a blight belcher that is basically a disintegrate spell, once per day, at 300 foot range. The CoM came at the end of the product cycle during the Rules Cyclopedia period, when there was no longer a difference in ranges between indoors(feet) and outdoors(yards) like earlier BECMI. Do people consider 300 feet reasonable for someone going with yard ranges outdoors or is that too close? 300 feet for flying ships feels like being right on top of each other, and 300 yards may be more reasonable. 4) Lastly, not a question, looking at the picture, the warbird has what looks like a cannon, which I assume is the blight belcher.
#2 Cthulhudrew May 12, 2008 18:16:44	1) Regarding a sphinx immunity to spells of levels 1-3, it obviously refers to damage or incapacitation spells. I have always assumed it refers to spells that are directly used against a creature (targeted to hit them, like a magic missile, for example), as if there were a very small field of anti-magic around the creature. As such, they wouldn't be able to see an invisible creature any more than anyone else could. You do raise a good point, though, in regards to mind-affecting spells that don't directly (or at least, solely) target a magic-immune creature. I think you could easily rule it that such spells would also fail to penetrate their magic-immunity (allowing them to see invisible creatures, for example). You might want to check out PC1 to see what/if/how that supplement handles the Wooddrake's magic-immunity (I don't recall offhand). Also, if you have the old Masters set rulebooks, there is a long piece on Anti-Magic in the Master DM's guide that might also give some good guidelines. 3) According to the CoM card for the Light Heldannic Warbird, it has a blight belcher that is basically a disintegrate spell, once per day, at 300 foot range... 300 feet for flying ships feels like being right on top of each other, and 300 yards may be more reasonable. Another good question. If Bruce is still lurking around the boards, you might want to check with him (there was an "Ask Bruce" thread around here if you do some digging). 300 Feet doesn't seem all that unreasonable to me when you consider RW ship-to-ship combat involved ships needing to get very close to one another, and basically scourging the decks and broadsides of their enemy with cannonfire (I'm referring, of course, to c.18-19th century naval engagements). Those early cannons didn't have very good range (I'd say much closer to 300 feet than 300 yards, though I'd have to do some research to be sure). Since the D&D game is supposed to be modeled more on pre-modern era sorts of scenarios (even when taking into account fantasy physics and flying ships), I think the 300 feet figure seems about right. Perhaps especially considering how devastating a Blight Belcher's power is compared to- say- a magic missile ballista. On another note- I must not have read the Cyclopedia very closely. All this time, and I didn't realize they'd gotten rid of the yards/feet distinction between indoors and outdoors! 4) Lastly, not a question, looking at the picture, the warbird has what looks like a cannon, which I assume is the blight belcher. I imagine so. It would probably be a pretty unwieldy piece of equipment, and I think the RW analogues are- ballistas=magic missile ballistas, cannon=blight belcher, catapult=catapult/magic catapult
#3 rhialto May 13, 2008 1:12:32	Based on deckplans, that "cannon" is definitely intended to be the blight belcher.
#4 havard May 13, 2008 2:30:28	2) A fluff question, PC2 mentions there is a sphinx of Halag, basically a sphinx that lives in the Gulf and roars warnings to sailors getting too close to dangerous rocks. Anyone build any fluff based on this? Just curious, the sphinx would be a power in its own right that the halfling pirates and black eagle baron would have to reckon with. That is a pretty interesting tidbit! I wonder how the Sphinx and the Black Eagle have avoided conflict so far. Maybe they are both worried about the consequences of a confrontation? In the case of the Sphinx he might not worry too much about what happens at Fort Doom, though given his behavior, it does seem like he worries about sailors. Maybe he is a follower of Protius? Havard
#5 npc_dave May 13, 2008 19:01:21	That is a pretty interesting tidbit! I wonder how the Sphinx and the Black Eagle have avoided conflict so far. Maybe they are both worried about the consequences of a confrontation? In the case of the Sphinx he might not worry too much about what happens at Fort Doom, though given his behavior, it does seem like he worries about sailors. Maybe he is a follower of Protius? Havard That would be a good fit, even better if the Sphinx of Halag is a she, since the females are clerics. Thanks for the help guys, I will post a new thread detailing this adventure because it all started with an adventure hook from the Shires which I haven't seen anyone flesh out before.