Creature Crucibles - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Creature Crucibles

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Mar 11, 2005 8:01:49 Just wondering:
Which Creature Crucible did you eventually find useful in your campaigns?
#2
zombiegleemax
Mar 11, 2005 8:17:01 I can tell u which ones I DID USE IMC.

I made extensive use especially of PC1, Tall Tales of the Wee Folk. The Sidhe and Wooddrake class are wonderful, even if I noticed that many of these classes/races had XP tables that were excessively heavy for the powers they got.

I also used PC4, Night Howlers in many of my sessions (even had a werewolf PC!) as well as PC2, Top Ballista (although I never got my players to visit Serraine, I used many of the rules presented there to design gimmicks and flying ships, as well as to let my players use gremlin and gnome PCs).

I never got to use PC3, Sea People, because I never planned an underwater adventure. I must say that prolly PC3 is the most difficult book to exploit for this precise reason: it's too tied to a very restricted niche.

TO sum up:
MOST USED: PC1, Tall Tales of the Wee Folk
BEST READ: PC2, Top Ballista (gotta love those pesky skygnomes!)
:D ;)
#3
Hugin
Mar 11, 2005 16:53:49 I never got the chance to have a PC from those rules, but I did use them alot for NPCs; from most to least, PC4, PC1, PC2, PC3. Like DM said regarding the Sea Peoples, it is a niche supplement. I thought it was good but just never really got into underwater adventures.

I do remember the first time I saw (and then read) the Creature Crucibles, I thought "this is SO cool!". I hate the way creatures were always of the same power level. To this day, my group knows that to say "an orc is an orc is an orc" is pure and utter folly! ;)

The PC series really opened up my D&D experience.
#4
Cthulhudrew
Mar 12, 2005 7:54:01 Like DM, I never actually used PC3 in any of my campaigns. I love the product, and it's one of the best of the 4, but it's just too limited in its scope. Unless you are playing an underwater campaign, it's not much use.

PC4 is probably my favorite, though it got only limited use (some NPCs and one PC infected)- it has loads of campaign info that was awesome, though. And the mile/hex map of Morlay/Malinbois- excellent!

PC1 is the one I got the most use out of- one of my campaigns had a woodrake, a centaur, a couple of sidhe, a hsiao, and some humans thrown in for good measure. Many of those characters ended up dying during XL-1: Quest for the Heartstone (which is a pretty lethal adventure!). The woodrake, hsiao, and one human ended up surviving, though, and became recurring NPCs in my other campaigns.

PC2 is my least favorite. I like some of the races- and finally getting a gnome race was nice- but it was, overall, too humorous. Some of the races were just too exorbitantly expensive (xp wise) to make viable characters- the Sphinx, the Nagpa- and a couple others were done oddly. The Pegataur, for one, seemed a little wonky, mechanics-wise. Their spellcasting didn't quite fit with the monster description for some reason, and then they have the option of becoming wokans? Weird...
#5
zombiegleemax
Mar 15, 2005 9:23:51 I actually ran a fairy campaign. Of course, I had to greatly expand on the work provided in PC1.I used 2 ed rules at the time. I ripped alot of myths and legends straight from Irish lore. My players consisted of A Noble shidhe lordling named Lugh Coolidhe; his shidhe sheildman Fionn MacCumhail; A Mealadil elven lorekeeper named Lorquis Oakleaf; a mortal son of Ordanna, who was a greenwood ranger, named Colwin; and a dryad named Honey.
The end goal was to find the Silver Branch of Ordana so they could defeat Queen Mabd who had been using the Bronze Cauldron of the Dagda to weaken the Seelie court. After a long campaign and many trials they succeeded in finding the branch but just as they were storming Mabd's tower they "broke" the artifact. They managed to defeat Queen Mabd, but she escaped soon after and killed Honey in the process. The dying dryad had been secretly hiding the broken branch and her blood mixed with the artifact and became the Red Branch. Upon seeing his wife lying dead at the hands of Mabd, Lugh goes berzerk and swears vengeance upon her and the Unseelie Court. He forms the Red Branch Warriors who always fight in the forefront of that war and earn great reknown even among the more learned mortals.

If anyone is interested in more info let me know.
#6
zombiegleemax
Mar 15, 2005 9:59:33 PC1 has a fabulous adventure - 'The Missing Tax Collector' or something similar. I've used that a few times.

I've mainly used PC2 for it's gnome class.

I've never used PC3.

I use PC4 all the time. Wererats are my favorite badguy, so I use it all the time for that. Also it has tons of Glantri information and is essentially a sequel to GAZ3. IMHO, PC4 was the last great Known World product.

R.A.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Mar 11, 2005 8:01:49	Just wondering: Which Creature Crucible did you eventually find useful in your campaigns?
#2 zombiegleemax Mar 11, 2005 8:17:01	I can tell u which ones I DID USE IMC. I made extensive use especially of PC1, Tall Tales of the Wee Folk. The Sidhe and Wooddrake class are wonderful, even if I noticed that many of these classes/races had XP tables that were excessively heavy for the powers they got. I also used PC4, Night Howlers in many of my sessions (even had a werewolf PC!) as well as PC2, Top Ballista (although I never got my players to visit Serraine, I used many of the rules presented there to design gimmicks and flying ships, as well as to let my players use gremlin and gnome PCs). I never got to use PC3, Sea People, because I never planned an underwater adventure. I must say that prolly PC3 is the most difficult book to exploit for this precise reason: it's too tied to a very restricted niche. TO sum up: MOST USED: PC1, Tall Tales of the Wee Folk BEST READ: PC2, Top Ballista (gotta love those pesky skygnomes!) :D ;)
#3 Hugin Mar 11, 2005 16:53:49	I never got the chance to have a PC from those rules, but I did use them alot for NPCs; from most to least, PC4, PC1, PC2, PC3. Like DM said regarding the Sea Peoples, it is a niche supplement. I thought it was good but just never really got into underwater adventures. I do remember the first time I saw (and then read) the Creature Crucibles, I thought "this is SO cool!". I hate the way creatures were always of the same power level. To this day, my group knows that to say "an orc is an orc is an orc" is pure and utter folly! ;) The PC series really opened up my D&D experience.
#4 Cthulhudrew Mar 12, 2005 7:54:01	Like DM, I never actually used PC3 in any of my campaigns. I love the product, and it's one of the best of the 4, but it's just too limited in its scope. Unless you are playing an underwater campaign, it's not much use. PC4 is probably my favorite, though it got only limited use (some NPCs and one PC infected)- it has loads of campaign info that was awesome, though. And the mile/hex map of Morlay/Malinbois- excellent! PC1 is the one I got the most use out of- one of my campaigns had a woodrake, a centaur, a couple of sidhe, a hsiao, and some humans thrown in for good measure. Many of those characters ended up dying during XL-1: Quest for the Heartstone (which is a pretty lethal adventure!). The woodrake, hsiao, and one human ended up surviving, though, and became recurring NPCs in my other campaigns. PC2 is my least favorite. I like some of the races- and finally getting a gnome race was nice- but it was, overall, too humorous. Some of the races were just too exorbitantly expensive (xp wise) to make viable characters- the Sphinx, the Nagpa- and a couple others were done oddly. The Pegataur, for one, seemed a little wonky, mechanics-wise. Their spellcasting didn't quite fit with the monster description for some reason, and then they have the option of becoming wokans? Weird...
#5 zombiegleemax Mar 15, 2005 9:23:51	I actually ran a fairy campaign. Of course, I had to greatly expand on the work provided in PC1.I used 2 ed rules at the time. I ripped alot of myths and legends straight from Irish lore. My players consisted of A Noble shidhe lordling named Lugh Coolidhe; his shidhe sheildman Fionn MacCumhail; A Mealadil elven lorekeeper named Lorquis Oakleaf; a mortal son of Ordanna, who was a greenwood ranger, named Colwin; and a dryad named Honey. The end goal was to find the Silver Branch of Ordana so they could defeat Queen Mabd who had been using the Bronze Cauldron of the Dagda to weaken the Seelie court. After a long campaign and many trials they succeeded in finding the branch but just as they were storming Mabd's tower they "broke" the artifact. They managed to defeat Queen Mabd, but she escaped soon after and killed Honey in the process. The dying dryad had been secretly hiding the broken branch and her blood mixed with the artifact and became the Red Branch. Upon seeing his wife lying dead at the hands of Mabd, Lugh goes berzerk and swears vengeance upon her and the Unseelie Court. He forms the Red Branch Warriors who always fight in the forefront of that war and earn great reknown even among the more learned mortals. If anyone is interested in more info let me know.
#6 zombiegleemax Mar 15, 2005 9:59:33	PC1 has a fabulous adventure - 'The Missing Tax Collector' or something similar. I've used that a few times. I've mainly used PC2 for it's gnome class. I've never used PC3. I use PC4 all the time. Wererats are my favorite badguy, so I use it all the time for that. Also it has tons of Glantri information and is essentially a sequel to GAZ3. IMHO, PC4 was the last great Known World product. R.A.