OSSR: Bastards and Bloodlines

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Prak
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Post by Prak »

The book has three artists, James Ryman, Toren "Macbin" Atkinson, and Julian Allen (probably not that Julian Allen, but I don't know). All the pictures in "Chapter 2: Specific Half-Breeds," as well as the cover, were done by James Ryman, who also does Magic the Gathering art and art for a lot of other games, and I really like his pieces.

Macbin is good, he was just given a lot of chapter starting battle scene assignments, so he doesn't come up unless he just drew something crappy. His best piece in the book is probably this:
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Allen, I assume, due to the lack of a Ryman or Macbin signature, drew the party of screwed adventurers that started chapter 1:
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And drew (again, I assume due to lack of signature) a handful of other images, ranging from action scenes:
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to portraits
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The portraits are somewhat boring--with nothing going on, you're left with the clear but plain pencil style of Allen.

But Ryman has a clear, detailed style and a good grasp of the language of forms. And, yes, seems to draw on the imagery of English metal singers for a lot of his savage humanoid half breeds.
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Post by Username17 »

Half Ogres are totally a thing in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. They are called Ogrillons, and the other half is Orc.

Anyway, the Harpy thing is weird to me, because 3rd edition D&D actually uses the Harpies from Jason and the Argonauts, which look like this:

Image

Harpies are avian in 1st and 2nd edition AD&D, but they are also all female in those editions (reproducing asexually by parthenogenesis). They are male and female in 3.5, but don't have any feathers. The only edition that has male and female harpies and also gives them feathers is 4th edition D&D. Despite being from a shitty edition, those are basically my favorite harpies, but obviously they didn't come out until much much later than the bastards and bloodlines book.

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Post by Prak »

That is a good point which I didn't catch. I would side with B&B's assumed avian harpies, because I'm a mythology nerd (as my griping about Pegasus and Medusa shows), but that doesn't change the fact that 3.X had chiropterid harpies.

And yeah, half-ogres are fucking all over the place D&D.
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You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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Post by TiaC »

Prak_Anima wrote:It's just... "my character is a rape baby" is the ultimate cop out for characterization. The dark ages may have been really horribly terrible, but do we really need to make our games "Game of Thrones dialed up to 11 and the knob broken off?"
I want to see a flashback that makes it look like a character is a rape baby, only for it to turn out that they were just misreading a consensual BDSM scene.

With regards to Half-ogres, the Dragon magazine versions are actually pretty good because if they increase a size category, they get all the stat boosts that grants monsters. The SS version was given a +2 LA in Races of Destiny, which makes them crap.
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Post by Prak »

Also a good point, and makes that template worth a good bit more.

I remember an episode of House that started out with what looked like a home invasion rape scene, and quickly turned out to be a kinky roleplay scene, which was hilarious.
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You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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Post by Username17 »

If I were to do Harpies, I'd probably have them be hybrid 4e/2e Harpies. So: males are rare and tend to have Harpy Harems, but a female alone can lay her own egg and make a Harpy child (who could be either sex, but will probably be a female) once every two years.

I have no particular use for the Pathfinder Harpy, which is just a 3e Harpy with most of the 2e Harpy's flavor text and whose art doesn't match the description at all.

In any case, I see the main harpy distinctions as being:
  • Arms. Some versions of Harpies have wings instead of arms. Others have arms in addition to wings. For D&D purposes, Harpies with hands are clearly superior because it means that they can do shit like use bows.
  • Feathers. Some versions of Harpies have feathers. Others are basically pteradons or bats. I prefer the feathers thing as a purely aesthetic choice.
  • Sex. Some versions of Harpies parthenogenesize eggs, others have males and females. Harpy females are generally more interesting than Harpy males, but as mentioned above I would like to support both concepts.
  • Beauty. The actual faces of Harpies are described as beautiful or hideous in different versions, with almost nothing in between. I actually don't have hugely strong opinions, but lean more towards hotness just on general principles.
  • Butts. Everyone agrees that Harpies have monstrous clawed feet, but where exactly the Harpies stop being humanish might be anywhere from the waist to the calves. Very importantly, this means that some versions of Harpies have what are essentially human genitals, while others have some kind of bird vent. Honestly, while I support human hips, it's mostly best bird butts don't really seem to support the ability to stand in ways that I think they should.
Image
So really, I seem to support the 4th edition Harpy.[/list]

Image
And not the AD&D Harpy

Image
Or the 2e AD&D Harpy

Image
Or the 3e Harpy.

I'd put a Pathfinder Harpy up, but they don't seem to have consistent art direction so there's no standard.


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Post by TiaC »

FrankTrollman wrote:Arms. Some versions of Harpies have wings instead of arms. Others have arms in addition to wings. For D&D purposes, Harpies with hands are clearly superior because it means that they can do shit like use bows.
I have seen armless harpies with fully prehensile feet as a compromise.

FrankTrollman wrote:Beauty. The actual faces of Harpies are described as beautiful or hideous in different versions, with almost nothing in between. I actually don't have hugely strong opinions, but lean more towards hotness just on general principles.
I lean towards beautiful but subtly wrong and inhuman.
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Post by Prak »

I guess I've usually figured that harpies are ugly, while sirens are beautiful. But then I also usually figure sirens are not temptresses as the sirens were. Given that, mythologically, there's little difference between the two, and all the difference that there seems to be is in origin and behaviour, and that D&D has combined them, I'd go with the 4e version as well.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Prak_Anima wrote:Given that, mythologically, there's little difference between the two, and all the difference that there seems to be is in origin and behaviour, and that D&D has combined them, I'd go with the 4e version as well.
I think you mean physically, both being inconsistently-described bird/woman hybrids. Mythologically, Sirens represent self-destructive desire (through the song that lures you to death) and harpies represent a guilt that takes all the pleasure out of life (through stealing your food and shitting on your plate).
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Post by Prak »

Yeah, that too.
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Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
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You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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Post by Dean »

On this post: This is my 1000th post and I am excited about that.

On the beauty of Harpies: The Xanth novels had Harpies who were super hot in their teens and early 20's and then age badly so they look like crones and hags by middle age. I thought that was cool. It meant you could have sexy bird ladies luring men to Harpy caves where they are torn apart or mated with (as you like). It gave Harpy tribes a hive like feel, where depending on your age you had a different use to the tribe. Young hotties can draw people in with beauty and song and old harpies can kill and terrorize with bows and ancient magics.
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Post by Koumei »

Frank: wow, I thought the reason you liked the 4E harpies was that if you give them bows, it illustrates a huge problem with the whole game, shooting holes in it similarly to how they shoot holes in half the PCs who literally cannot do anything about the situation.

But there's more to it than that. I'll admit that of the art provided, I prefer those ones. Indeed, hotness aside, being able to stand somewhat normally is a good thing (the rest varying between "has to perch, gripping a surface" and "perpetually squatting like it's taking a shit"), and it might even be able to sit down! Which is important, as sitting at a bar is the only way characters can get quests.
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Post by codeGlaze »

I have to admit that I think the 3e harpy looks pretty fuckin mean.

...in the slang sense that actually means 'cool' in a subtley different way. >.>

I could live with the 4e harpy, too, though.
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Post by Count Arioch the 28th »

WTB a kestrel waifu...
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Post by Prak »

Would you be interested in a kestrel husband? We're a bit short on women.
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You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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Post by Count Arioch the 28th »

Prak_Anima wrote:Would you be interested in a kestrel husband? We're a bit short on women.
I could make it work depending how pretty he is...
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Post by Prak »

So, I had intended to continue this OSSR this weekend.

Unfortunately, my mother's company decided to upgrade her wifi, and AT&T is incompetent, so at the moment I am sitting at a Dennys just so I get some amount of wifi fix today. I will consider heading out to Starbucks with the pdf tomorrow and continuing there, but short of that, I don't know how much I'll be online this weekend.
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You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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Post by JigokuBosatsu »

Don't the Xanth harpies shit exploding eggs, too? There's an SA you don't see every day.
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Post by Voss »

I mostly only remember them camped by love springs, so they could rape passers-by. Which really makes the aging thing irrelevant, because it means they get fuck-slaves regardless of whether they look hot or ancient.
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Post by Count Arioch the 28th »

Reading the xanth novels as a young lad fucked me up in the head...
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Post by Prak »

Ok, I have internet, and I felt like doing an OSSR, so I'm back. We're still in "Specific Half-Breeds," there's 12 more of these guys, but some of them are notably shorter. That said, I think I'm going to break from the four half-breeds per post model and just do however many I can stay engaged in at a time.

Merg

A Merg is what happens when a human finds a merfolk's genitals and an author scrapes the bottom of the barrel for a race name.

Image
*Gasp* IT EVEN SHARES THREE LETTERS WITH MERMAID!

It talks about the usual "sailor falls in love with fish tailed maiden, finds a way to make biologically implausible banging happen," and the much less common story of "maiden falls in love with fishtailed dude" and about how such tales usually end in tragedy or powerful magic. It then goes on to use two terms for entirely separate mythological creatures, and a pun as alternate terms for mergs- selkies, fetches and gillettes. Yes, really.

Most of the description talks about how mergs are pulled between two different directions, the land and sea, and how they usually live with only one of their parents because... I don't know, I mean, it's not like "Amulets of water/airbreathing" couldn't be a thing. Also, apparently these pretty half-breeds suffer prejudice... because... there are stories about fish people stealing our women? No, seriously, it says that, like this is Lovecraft. I mean... there's no picture, but they are described as "lithe and well-formed. ... essentially human in appearance, though thin webbing connects their fingers and toes." Some have pointed ears, but not all. and they usually have human coloured skin, but blue, green or pearly hair and eyes. They also, of course, have gills. They wear light clothing, but never boots or gloves, to prevent discomfort or damage to their webbing. I can see that for the gloves, but I'm not sure how boots would risk damage to the webbing of their toes.

In essence, they look like Lagoona Blue from Monster High, just with human skin

Image
And kudos to Mattel and the MH wiki for not allowing right clicking on their images. I had to go to Tumblr instead

Demeanor informs me that "mergs have a reputation as flighty and shallow, with some justification." So...

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If not for the fact that B&B predates Monster High by about a decade, I'd think this was purposeful.

...for those who did not spend the 2012 Christmas season stocking MH toys for Toys R Us, Lagoona is the genuinely intelligent, but slightly ditzy aussie surfer daughter of the creature of the black lagoon.


It goes on to say they have quick tempers and wild mood swings, and basically try to manage this by trying to not focus on "depressing or dire." They dance and tell stories, and are basically aggressively pollyanna and probably get on their parties' nerves. I suppose it's better than getting a lightning bolt up the arse from your own pissed off druid. They are huge wanderers, which make them good adventurers, but their tendency to wander between land and sea... not so much. If a player is good, this could add an interesting dimension to the character if they're kept from wandering into the sea on a somewhat regular basis, which they likely will, as sea campaigns are tricky.

The writeup isn't necessarily shorter than others, but it feels it, since it just keeps saying the same things. Mergs have happy childhoods but face trouble in adulthood, they wander, they're capricious, etc.

Mergs have a bonus to dex and no neg, 30' land speed and 20' swim, and that swim speed is halved if they wear boots or gloves. Low-light vision, amphibious and no LA. It feels light, akin to the half-orc write up. Not necessarily terrible (unlike half-orc...) but definitely a less than optimal choice.
Last edited by Prak on Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.

You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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Post by radthemad4 »

Woohoo, update.
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Post by Prak »

Mind Ripper
Any humanoid/Mind Flayer
Medium Monstrous Humanoid


Ah mind flayers, the creatures in D&D with perhaps the most convoluted, multi-faceted, nonsensical reproductive strategy in D&D. Look, I'm ok with mind flayers making new flayers by depositing tadpoles in peoples' craniums. I personally say that mind flayers only eat the actually higher brain, and leave the stem and all of that, at least when they're going convert a victim. I'm even ok with tadpoles living in the Elder Brain pool and only the fittest surviving with the rest eaten. Hell, I'm fine with mind flayers having vestigial rubbery bits left behind in their transformation that they can rub against other peoples' rubbery bits.

This has nothing to do with any of that.

A mind ripper is the result of a desperate mind flayer enclave's numbers dwindling, and turning to experiemental methods to shore them up. And no, climbing on top of a slave and thrusting away with a tentacle is not the experimental method.

Warning: Quote from book, may induce squick
Bastards and Bloodlines, Mind Ripper wrote:Though the appearance of a mind ripper depends on its heritage, the horrid process needed to create one involves so much psionic manipulation that all mind rippers are similar enough to be treated as a single crossbreed race. Almost always, a non-mind flayer mother is impregnated by an ooze made of the remains of dozens of mind flayers.
Yeah, they mind rape female slaves, then funnel liquified mind flayer into their wombs, and then use magic and psionics to make this actually function for reproduction.
Mind rippers look similar to their non-flayer mother (it's always a non-flayer as the mother), but they're always medium, regardless of the mother's size and they have no nose, but four thin tentacles around their mouths. They prefer brain matter, but do not require it. Three out of four mind rippers are female.

Image

They're "best described as intense and vicious." Given the gauntness they're typically portrayed with, it would not be incorrect to picture Snape with tentacles, I don't think. Most are evil, but due to nurture rather than nature. They are poor multitaskers, but have immense focus, working away on something until it's done, even forgetting to eat or sleep. They basically "go big or go home," thinking that burning down a town in retribution against a single merchant, or buying a bar just so they can fire a bartender who insulted them perfectly acceptable.

Unsurprisingly, mind rippers are rarely accepted by their mothers, and it's not like their "fathers'" race has any love for them either. They're basically treated as free labor as soon as they can do more than squirm. They may occupy a social rank only slightly higher than "slave/munchie fix," but they have actual upward mobility, trained as soldiers and assistants. A lot also run away by the age of ten, and even the non-acceptance of the surface is usually better. It says that due to their non-acceptance, they often turn to brigandry and thievery, but then later says they are mostly lawful. Someone add another point to the "reasons alignment is dumb" board. When they adventure, they frequently become leaders of their parties because they're intelligent, confident, and basically charismatic.

+2 dex, wis, cha and +4 int, 30 ft land speed, natural 1d8(!) tentacle attacks, a weak single target Mind Blast that does a point of damage to the target's Int and Wis and dazes them for a round usable (Cha mod) times per day that deals 1d2 temp con damage to the mind ripper each time they use it, darkvision 60', +2 to any skill check they take twenty on, but they take -4 to listen or spot during that time. Favoured class is psychic warrior, and they have a +4 level adjustment. Yes, fucking seriously. I mean, sure, it's a powerful race, but not that powerful, not without hit die to make them able to stand up in level 4 combat.
Last edited by Prak on Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.

You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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Post by Whipstitch »

Prak_Anima wrote: They wear light clothing, but never boots or gloves, to prevent discomfort or damage to their webbing. I can see that for the gloves, but I'm not sure how boots would risk damage to the webbing of their toes.
This whole thing bothers me much more than it should. Mittens are not a complicated technology. Just say they usually don't wear shoes because they live on warm beaches, you stupid assholes.
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Post by Prak »

With the idea that boots are cramping and could damage their webbing, I wouldn't count on mittens to be any less so, especially with the webbing of their thumb.
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Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.

You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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