Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Dhezhan's Oldest (Un)Living Resident
In the pyramid that stands in the midst of the Stardust Desert lives the oldest being known to all of creation. Although he reached his personal zenith of power during the height of the Dhezhan empire, this creature has existed far longer than any mortal creature; perhaps he has even existed since the beginning of the world, though even he can no longer recall his earliest years in the wake of the Dhezhan brightness.
This creature is a rip-off of Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living from Thundercats. His existence is primordial and axiomatic, though his power and influence wax and wane throughout the millenia. Even at a time when his power wanes to the point of isolated confinement within his exotic tomb, this being enjoys almost unparalleled ability in the magical arts.
I need to find some questions to answer about him in order to flesh him out sufficiently. Suffice to say that this is no mere lich or mummy but a nigh-deific power.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Quick Notes on the Faces of Fear
Goblin Kill-Suit - Equivalent to armor spikes; mounted beneath the skin so they burst through and protrude from the body.
Lying and bribing to convert despite elevating free will choice as supreme - Believes that such deception and manipulation are justified to counteract the same practices by the present order. Not a case of hypocrisy because her efforts lead to ultimate truth instead of illusion. "You must never forget that you have been blinded to the glory of our hidden Lords by the present order. If I have deceived you, it is only with respect to its prior deception. I have lied against a lie in order to bring the truth before your eyes. I see your soul writhe with hunger for truth and reality but it lies confined amidst the webs of the present order's deception, unable to free itself. Composed as they are to keep the truth away, the only weapon with which I am left is deceit. You fight fire with fire. What I have said and what I have done are the knife with which I cut you free from your bonds. I have afforded you the liberty to make your own choice, where before you had none. Standing now free, you can choose of your own will to follow what is true, what is right, and what is real."
Lying and bribing to convert despite elevating free will choice as supreme - Believes that such deception and manipulation are justified to counteract the same practices by the present order. Not a case of hypocrisy because her efforts lead to ultimate truth instead of illusion. "You must never forget that you have been blinded to the glory of our hidden Lords by the present order. If I have deceived you, it is only with respect to its prior deception. I have lied against a lie in order to bring the truth before your eyes. I see your soul writhe with hunger for truth and reality but it lies confined amidst the webs of the present order's deception, unable to free itself. Composed as they are to keep the truth away, the only weapon with which I am left is deceit. You fight fire with fire. What I have said and what I have done are the knife with which I cut you free from your bonds. I have afforded you the liberty to make your own choice, where before you had none. Standing now free, you can choose of your own will to follow what is true, what is right, and what is real."
Monday, July 2, 2007
Red Hand of Doom Intro
I am running Red Hand of Doom for my gaming group. One of the players will leave on vacation two weeks into the game but the other three should remain and a replacement might be available in an old member of the group (who was on vacation when we started).
Red Hand of Doom is a module for characters of 5th through 10th. The party takes on an advancing army of hobgoblins and monsters, attempting to stop them from overrunning the Elsir Vale. Due to the unique structure of the adventure (event-based, strict timeline, taking on an army, etc), each encounter is typically the only encounter for that day. This means that each encounter is purposely more difficult and deadly than the D&D norm. My players were warned.
I will add particularly interesting or memorable happenings from around the table here. The game is now two weeks old and while they have accomplished much, the party has a long road ahead of them (we are still only halfway through chapter 1 of 5).
The party created was thus:
Tik-Tik the thri-kreen lion-totem (pounce) barbarian 1 (ECL 5) who dual-wields greatswords. His pride and joy are his twin magic swords, one outfitted with a lesser crystal of acid assault (+1d6 acid damage), and his sole goal in life is to wield two KEEN greatswords of acidic burst. (Tik-Tik is known in the group as Bug and his player spends most of his time clicking together metal dice to make his trademark tik-tik sound.)
Lira Hellsong the human warlock 5. Specializing in her eldritch blast power and occasionally summoning an infernal swarm of rats, bats, or spiders, Lira spreads her brand of at will destruction liberally around the battlefield. She is also the party face. (Lira is known in the group as Whorelock because she wants to sleep with every female NPC. Her player is a dirty, stinking Frenchman wannabe.)
Justice the human (previously warforged) cleric 5 of the Sacred Heat. Devoting himself to both the healing and harming aspects of flame, Justice alternates between healing his comrades and cutting down his foes with his own greatsword. (Justice is known in the group as "cleric" and Pinnochio because he used to be a warforged but now he's a real boy. His player is pissed that he never has enough actions and healing spells to keep the party from getting TPKed all the freakin' time.)
Lokey the elf druid 5. Lokey has two joys in life - summoning 6' wide balls of fire to slam into his enemies and calling down bolts of lightning to fry those selfsame enemies. He is particularly good at both but should they fail to take the field he morphs into a wolf or crocodile and takes matters a little more personally. Accompanied by his vigilant hawk companion, the recent troubles in the vale have led Lokey to consider a more robust companion. (Lokey is known in the group as the Colonel and his hawk is known as KFC and Combo Meal #2. Lokey's player is the newest to D&D but he seems to handle his character a little more competently than everyone else ... except when he forgets every single round that an attack, skill check, and initiative roll always use a d20.)
The group had spent the last few weeks trekking through the Elsir Vale towards the small town of Drellin's Ferry. From there, they could strike out into the Witchwood and explore the ruins of Vraath Keep mentioned on the old map they had found. Prior to reaching the dusty little town, they found themselves surrounded in an ambush. Hobgoblin archers pelted them from the trees and a pair of hellhounds closed in for the kill as a cleric and blademaster appeared on the road before them. The party burst into action, Tik-Tik charging through the undergrowth to engage the well-trained and equipped regulars while Lira and Lokey used their spells to attack from afar. Justice had his hands full keeping the party alive as waves of arrows began to take their toll.
The Blademaster called out an eagerly met challenge to Tik-Tik and the two faced off in battle. Tik-Tik cleaved into the dual-shortsword wielding hobgoblin for 30 damage but the warrior took the blows in stride and struck back with a single strike for 10 (wowed the party because he only rolled a 4). Tik-Tik managed to finish him off the next round. On seeing his champion fall, the hob cleric commanded the bug to flee, drawing attacks of opportunity from the surrounding hobgoblin regulars.
The two hellhounds had managed to drop Lokey and almost drop the warlock and her horse before Justice and Lira could put them down. Justice managed to get the trio back on their feet and fighting fit by the next wave.
Around this time, the initial ambushers were almost all dead with the exception of the advancing cleric and his reinforcements coming from up the road (6 more gobbo regulars). The cleric blessed his warriors for the coming charge and stood ready to enhance the attack further with cure spells and buffs. Two of the warriors were picked off by the druid's call lightning spell and the warlock's eldritch blast, leaving four hobgoblin infantry to charge the bug. They attempted en masse to trip the creature but failed by 1 (19 to 20). The bug proceeded to open a can of sweet hot asskicking, felling two goblins while Lira and Lokey's spells finished off the last two. In the span of one round's time, the cleric watched the party fell 6 regular infantry. That seemed like a good cue to run the hell away. He cast invisibility (yay Trickery domain) and attempted to make off. Lokey would hear nothing of that. He wild shaped into a wolf and tracked the cleric in real time by scent with Tik-Tik at his side to finish the job.
The group looted the corpses and retired to an abandoned farmhouse for the night to rest and play Three-Dragon Ante.
Red Hand of Doom is a module for characters of 5th through 10th. The party takes on an advancing army of hobgoblins and monsters, attempting to stop them from overrunning the Elsir Vale. Due to the unique structure of the adventure (event-based, strict timeline, taking on an army, etc), each encounter is typically the only encounter for that day. This means that each encounter is purposely more difficult and deadly than the D&D norm. My players were warned.
I will add particularly interesting or memorable happenings from around the table here. The game is now two weeks old and while they have accomplished much, the party has a long road ahead of them (we are still only halfway through chapter 1 of 5).
The party created was thus:
Tik-Tik the thri-kreen lion-totem (pounce) barbarian 1 (ECL 5) who dual-wields greatswords. His pride and joy are his twin magic swords, one outfitted with a lesser crystal of acid assault (+1d6 acid damage), and his sole goal in life is to wield two KEEN greatswords of acidic burst. (Tik-Tik is known in the group as Bug and his player spends most of his time clicking together metal dice to make his trademark tik-tik sound.)
Lira Hellsong the human warlock 5. Specializing in her eldritch blast power and occasionally summoning an infernal swarm of rats, bats, or spiders, Lira spreads her brand of at will destruction liberally around the battlefield. She is also the party face. (Lira is known in the group as Whorelock because she wants to sleep with every female NPC. Her player is a dirty, stinking Frenchman wannabe.)
Justice the human (previously warforged) cleric 5 of the Sacred Heat. Devoting himself to both the healing and harming aspects of flame, Justice alternates between healing his comrades and cutting down his foes with his own greatsword. (Justice is known in the group as "cleric" and Pinnochio because he used to be a warforged but now he's a real boy. His player is pissed that he never has enough actions and healing spells to keep the party from getting TPKed all the freakin' time.)
Lokey the elf druid 5. Lokey has two joys in life - summoning 6' wide balls of fire to slam into his enemies and calling down bolts of lightning to fry those selfsame enemies. He is particularly good at both but should they fail to take the field he morphs into a wolf or crocodile and takes matters a little more personally. Accompanied by his vigilant hawk companion, the recent troubles in the vale have led Lokey to consider a more robust companion. (Lokey is known in the group as the Colonel and his hawk is known as KFC and Combo Meal #2. Lokey's player is the newest to D&D but he seems to handle his character a little more competently than everyone else ... except when he forgets every single round that an attack, skill check, and initiative roll always use a d20.)
The group had spent the last few weeks trekking through the Elsir Vale towards the small town of Drellin's Ferry. From there, they could strike out into the Witchwood and explore the ruins of Vraath Keep mentioned on the old map they had found. Prior to reaching the dusty little town, they found themselves surrounded in an ambush. Hobgoblin archers pelted them from the trees and a pair of hellhounds closed in for the kill as a cleric and blademaster appeared on the road before them. The party burst into action, Tik-Tik charging through the undergrowth to engage the well-trained and equipped regulars while Lira and Lokey used their spells to attack from afar. Justice had his hands full keeping the party alive as waves of arrows began to take their toll.
The Blademaster called out an eagerly met challenge to Tik-Tik and the two faced off in battle. Tik-Tik cleaved into the dual-shortsword wielding hobgoblin for 30 damage but the warrior took the blows in stride and struck back with a single strike for 10 (wowed the party because he only rolled a 4). Tik-Tik managed to finish him off the next round. On seeing his champion fall, the hob cleric commanded the bug to flee, drawing attacks of opportunity from the surrounding hobgoblin regulars.
The two hellhounds had managed to drop Lokey and almost drop the warlock and her horse before Justice and Lira could put them down. Justice managed to get the trio back on their feet and fighting fit by the next wave.
Around this time, the initial ambushers were almost all dead with the exception of the advancing cleric and his reinforcements coming from up the road (6 more gobbo regulars). The cleric blessed his warriors for the coming charge and stood ready to enhance the attack further with cure spells and buffs. Two of the warriors were picked off by the druid's call lightning spell and the warlock's eldritch blast, leaving four hobgoblin infantry to charge the bug. They attempted en masse to trip the creature but failed by 1 (19 to 20). The bug proceeded to open a can of sweet hot asskicking, felling two goblins while Lira and Lokey's spells finished off the last two. In the span of one round's time, the cleric watched the party fell 6 regular infantry. That seemed like a good cue to run the hell away. He cast invisibility (yay Trickery domain) and attempted to make off. Lokey would hear nothing of that. He wild shaped into a wolf and tracked the cleric in real time by scent with Tik-Tik at his side to finish the job.
The group looted the corpses and retired to an abandoned farmhouse for the night to rest and play Three-Dragon Ante.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Camp Cleric
This is an idea stolen from Eric of Ptolus's Banewarrens game (though I am certain its origins lie much closer to the birth of D&D than that).
The camp cleric and fighter are a pair of NPC hirelings employed by the PCs to set-up camp, tend to the horses (or more exotic mounts), provide minor healing and spellcasting, stand guard, and run errands while the PCs explore the dungeon. They are of a level low enough to be outclassed if accompanying the party (so as to dissuade such accompaniment) but high enough to provide some benefit and withstand the expected rigors of the environment just outside the dungeon (or on a higher, and thus safer, level of the dungeon). In the abovementioned Banewarrens game, the party was level 6 while the brother and sister fighter and cleric duo were level 2. This means that a level appropriate encounter for the party (EL 6), one that would expend about 20% of the party's resources, would be overpoweringly difficult for an entire party of adventurers the same level as the hirelings (TPK).
The camp cleric and fighter are a pair of NPC hirelings employed by the PCs to set-up camp, tend to the horses (or more exotic mounts), provide minor healing and spellcasting, stand guard, and run errands while the PCs explore the dungeon. They are of a level low enough to be outclassed if accompanying the party (so as to dissuade such accompaniment) but high enough to provide some benefit and withstand the expected rigors of the environment just outside the dungeon (or on a higher, and thus safer, level of the dungeon). In the abovementioned Banewarrens game, the party was level 6 while the brother and sister fighter and cleric duo were level 2. This means that a level appropriate encounter for the party (EL 6), one that would expend about 20% of the party's resources, would be overpoweringly difficult for an entire party of adventurers the same level as the hirelings (TPK).
Monday, June 11, 2007
Flaming, Freakin' Hell
Inspired by this image:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/cardart/TSP/Ignite_Memories.jpg
A man is terrorized by literal demons of hell. The observer of the scene could be his family, helplessly watching, or a passerby, related (by association or blood) or not, for some reason traversing the fiery realm (think Dante, but this is another type of hell, where those punished are not necessarily deserving of their torment - Dante at one point increased the suffering of a soul confined there and was praised for it).
The man is forced to his knees, his arms bound behind him or held out in the fashion of a cross (be it by small, gremlin-like demons or an obvious show of unseen power by the main tormentor - demon jedi mind trick).
Next to the man is a smoking brazier filled with burning coals. A large demon, standing 7 or more feet tall, with flaming red skin, black horns, bulging muscles, large fangs, and glowing, malevolent eyes stokes the coals, throwing a shower of embers into the air. The demon produces a wicked iron mask, the inside surface studded with half-inch long needles of iron, and pulls a length of red hot barbed wire from the bed of coals. He places the mask against the man's face and lashes it tight, winding the burning wire around his head several times. The man screams in agony. His body thrashes against the ground, eyes wide through the holes in the mask, but he is unable to resist. Smoke rises from the wire as it slowly cools against the blood dripping and running from the base of the mask.
The demon then grasps the man's neck in one massive, black-clawed hand and shoves his face into the coals. The screams pierce the air and the man violently shudders and spasms in vain against the awesome might of his captor as the mask glows ever brighter with the heat. With its other hand, the demon raises a dark chalice and, with an unholy supplication, pours the liquid across the back of the man's head. Instantly, the liquid bursts into flame and the demon releases his grasp. The man springs back from the brazier, rolling across the ground screaming, but no relief is to be found. His head is in flames as the scene fades to black.
--------------
Man that would suck. This is exactly the reason I like paladins. They exist specifically to defend against and defeat that kind of inhuman evil.
http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/cardart/TSP/Ignite_Memories.jpg
A man is terrorized by literal demons of hell. The observer of the scene could be his family, helplessly watching, or a passerby, related (by association or blood) or not, for some reason traversing the fiery realm (think Dante, but this is another type of hell, where those punished are not necessarily deserving of their torment - Dante at one point increased the suffering of a soul confined there and was praised for it).
The man is forced to his knees, his arms bound behind him or held out in the fashion of a cross (be it by small, gremlin-like demons or an obvious show of unseen power by the main tormentor - demon jedi mind trick).
Next to the man is a smoking brazier filled with burning coals. A large demon, standing 7 or more feet tall, with flaming red skin, black horns, bulging muscles, large fangs, and glowing, malevolent eyes stokes the coals, throwing a shower of embers into the air. The demon produces a wicked iron mask, the inside surface studded with half-inch long needles of iron, and pulls a length of red hot barbed wire from the bed of coals. He places the mask against the man's face and lashes it tight, winding the burning wire around his head several times. The man screams in agony. His body thrashes against the ground, eyes wide through the holes in the mask, but he is unable to resist. Smoke rises from the wire as it slowly cools against the blood dripping and running from the base of the mask.
The demon then grasps the man's neck in one massive, black-clawed hand and shoves his face into the coals. The screams pierce the air and the man violently shudders and spasms in vain against the awesome might of his captor as the mask glows ever brighter with the heat. With its other hand, the demon raises a dark chalice and, with an unholy supplication, pours the liquid across the back of the man's head. Instantly, the liquid bursts into flame and the demon releases his grasp. The man springs back from the brazier, rolling across the ground screaming, but no relief is to be found. His head is in flames as the scene fades to black.
--------------
Man that would suck. This is exactly the reason I like paladins. They exist specifically to defend against and defeat that kind of inhuman evil.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Blame it on Incompetent Corporate Monkeys
The reason I have not posted in the past few weeks is simple: I was fired from my job about then. Of course it was a wrongful termination and they are kissing my big fat butt until I get back to work tomorrow to avoid a lawsuit.
No work means no creativity (I work best (read: only) when I have a job and school taking up my time; go figure).
No work means no creativity (I work best (read: only) when I have a job and school taking up my time; go figure).
Ice Rocks Make Great Pets
Finally, I am still working on the Iron Heroes in Asgard adventure. Since I want it to be very memorable, I am taking my time and stealing only the best ideas.
What did I steal to prompt this post? The rock boss from Metroid Prime. You encounter it in the Phendrana Drifts right before you get the Spider Ball enhancement. I have not thought about stats yet (the Metroid boss has weak points that can only be seen with the infrared visor and, once breached with the charge beam, are destroyed with missile blasts) but obviously the thing is going to be big, strong, and tough as giant boulders of ice. I look forward to seeing what players think up when confronted with a disjoined series of floating boulders of ice orbiting an unseen, perhaps inconsequential point (i.e. no nexus of energy or brain or other vulnerable centralized command point in the midst of it all; it is just a point in space the rocks spin around).
Storms of razor ice and thrown boulders are obvious attacks, as are a pair of devastatingly powerful slam attacks (one of the rocks making up the creature's arm flies out and crashes into the victim or crushes him against the wall or the ground).
This makes me wish I had nicely painted miniatures.
What did I steal to prompt this post? The rock boss from Metroid Prime. You encounter it in the Phendrana Drifts right before you get the Spider Ball enhancement. I have not thought about stats yet (the Metroid boss has weak points that can only be seen with the infrared visor and, once breached with the charge beam, are destroyed with missile blasts) but obviously the thing is going to be big, strong, and tough as giant boulders of ice. I look forward to seeing what players think up when confronted with a disjoined series of floating boulders of ice orbiting an unseen, perhaps inconsequential point (i.e. no nexus of energy or brain or other vulnerable centralized command point in the midst of it all; it is just a point in space the rocks spin around).
Storms of razor ice and thrown boulders are obvious attacks, as are a pair of devastatingly powerful slam attacks (one of the rocks making up the creature's arm flies out and crashes into the victim or crushes him against the wall or the ground).
This makes me wish I had nicely painted miniatures.
Charisma is a dump stat?
I recently came across a Marshal class rewrite on the Wizards boards that has ensorcelled me (hah, I used ensorcell in a sentence). It combines the core marshal mechanic of auras (which I previously and unwittingly found quite suited to breaking the Diplomacy skill) with maneuvers from the Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords.
I have yet to put together even a first level Sublime Marshal, as it is called, but I have been assembling a mercenary band in my mind. It started when I got the Red Hand of Doom adventure and then found the Warmage and Healer classes from the same Miniature's Handbook as the original marshal. The marshal, warmage, and healer all utilize Charisma, though the healer has it as a secondary, rather than primary, stat. If you add a Bard and a Paladin, you have a five-member party that covers all four primary roles and adds a fifth, support character in the marshal (in a party with the typical Big Four (fighter, rogue, cleric, and wizard), the usual support character in my mind is a Bard because his abilities add to each of the other four and he can step-in for one in a pinch; in this case, the marshal is not a particularly good support character in that respect but his abilities nonetheless complement this team).
None of this being set in stone, a primary idea is for the marshal to have leadership. I want the followers especially and have no idea what to get for a cohort (perhaps a monstrous cohort like a dragon mount).
Anyway, I have only put thought into the marshal and warmage, with a little healer action so far. The bard and paladin were afterthoughts when I discovered the charisma-based cleric substitute. Warmage helped out the plan for a mercenary party because, truth be told, the name suggests a paramilitary group better than does sorcerer.
I will probably post more as I get to it. However, if I follow the stricture of creating a party for Red Hand of Doom, I will have a ranger in the party. I do not want to create a party optimized for Red Hand of Doom but ever since I heard about the adventure I have had the idea for a Ranger with goblinoids and dragons as his favored enemies.
I have yet to put together even a first level Sublime Marshal, as it is called, but I have been assembling a mercenary band in my mind. It started when I got the Red Hand of Doom adventure and then found the Warmage and Healer classes from the same Miniature's Handbook as the original marshal. The marshal, warmage, and healer all utilize Charisma, though the healer has it as a secondary, rather than primary, stat. If you add a Bard and a Paladin, you have a five-member party that covers all four primary roles and adds a fifth, support character in the marshal (in a party with the typical Big Four (fighter, rogue, cleric, and wizard), the usual support character in my mind is a Bard because his abilities add to each of the other four and he can step-in for one in a pinch; in this case, the marshal is not a particularly good support character in that respect but his abilities nonetheless complement this team).
None of this being set in stone, a primary idea is for the marshal to have leadership. I want the followers especially and have no idea what to get for a cohort (perhaps a monstrous cohort like a dragon mount).
Anyway, I have only put thought into the marshal and warmage, with a little healer action so far. The bard and paladin were afterthoughts when I discovered the charisma-based cleric substitute. Warmage helped out the plan for a mercenary party because, truth be told, the name suggests a paramilitary group better than does sorcerer.
I will probably post more as I get to it. However, if I follow the stricture of creating a party for Red Hand of Doom, I will have a ranger in the party. I do not want to create a party optimized for Red Hand of Doom but ever since I heard about the adventure I have had the idea for a Ranger with goblinoids and dragons as his favored enemies.
Invisible Touch
The first of 3 posts tonight. I am holding nothing back.
I already discussed how I get ideas from songs. I may have even mentioned this particular idea but I could not find it in a cursory search.
Some time ago, I saw an anime music video featuring the song Invisible Touch by Phil Collins paired with scenes from Elfen Lied and Neon Genesis Evangelion (and perhaps others). Obviously, the video took the 'invisible touch' lyrics literally and added a creepy, gory turn by making such a touch capable of amputating, beheading, and disembowling people. Just as a note, I refer to scenes in anime featuring excessive blood, gore, and disfigurement (such as eyes bulging or limbs twisting unnaturally) as "psycho horror."
Well, based on the song I had a similar idea and the video reinforced and transformed it. It exists only as a kernel within my mind, a single scene. A young woman possesses an invisible touch. Her hand (and perhaps any or all of her body) can phase through flesh and living matter (and maybe other substances). She can manipulate the phasing to the point that she can, as the song details, reach in and grab right hold of your heart. It takes control and slowly tears you apart.
In my mind, she was horrified by her ability and reluctant to use it, at least at first. While the thought of killing someone by literally crushing his heart in her hand repulses her to no end, in this particular scene she is left with no choice. Perhaps I should actually set the scene.
This woman, wearing a skin-tight white jumpsuit with silver designs reminiscent of something sci-fi, kneels next to a fallen soldier. The soldier's helmet has an open visor that reveals an unconscious, perhaps injured man's face. The woman recognizes him as a former close relation, perhaps a brother or lover. Standing over the woman is another man in a Captain Power-esque sci-fi outfit. He scans the surrounding area, wary of approaching hostiles. The background echoes indistinct shouts of warning and alarm. He looks down at the woman, his compatriot, and realizes that the enemy soldier is her relation (whatever it may be). The feeling is that the two animate characters are rebels or infiltrators of some sort. Their plan has gone awry and it is time to leave. However, the soldier, if revived, would be able to identify them. With a pained urging, he says, "You know what's at stake." She is hesitant, agonizing over a choice that is no choice at all. Summoning her strength, she pulls off her gloves, revealing nothing where hands should be. The soldier's body shudders convulsively as she reaches into his chest and grabs hold of his heart. She can hear his heartbeat thundering in her ears as plain as she can feel it pumping in her hands. As she squeezes, the soldier's eyes snap open. He is unable to mount any real resistance, and the scene fades to black as his breath slips away.
That is the scene, more or less. More of an exercise in conflicted feelings between love and duty.
I already discussed how I get ideas from songs. I may have even mentioned this particular idea but I could not find it in a cursory search.
Some time ago, I saw an anime music video featuring the song Invisible Touch by Phil Collins paired with scenes from Elfen Lied and Neon Genesis Evangelion (and perhaps others). Obviously, the video took the 'invisible touch' lyrics literally and added a creepy, gory turn by making such a touch capable of amputating, beheading, and disembowling people. Just as a note, I refer to scenes in anime featuring excessive blood, gore, and disfigurement (such as eyes bulging or limbs twisting unnaturally) as "psycho horror."
Well, based on the song I had a similar idea and the video reinforced and transformed it. It exists only as a kernel within my mind, a single scene. A young woman possesses an invisible touch. Her hand (and perhaps any or all of her body) can phase through flesh and living matter (and maybe other substances). She can manipulate the phasing to the point that she can, as the song details, reach in and grab right hold of your heart. It takes control and slowly tears you apart.
In my mind, she was horrified by her ability and reluctant to use it, at least at first. While the thought of killing someone by literally crushing his heart in her hand repulses her to no end, in this particular scene she is left with no choice. Perhaps I should actually set the scene.
This woman, wearing a skin-tight white jumpsuit with silver designs reminiscent of something sci-fi, kneels next to a fallen soldier. The soldier's helmet has an open visor that reveals an unconscious, perhaps injured man's face. The woman recognizes him as a former close relation, perhaps a brother or lover. Standing over the woman is another man in a Captain Power-esque sci-fi outfit. He scans the surrounding area, wary of approaching hostiles. The background echoes indistinct shouts of warning and alarm. He looks down at the woman, his compatriot, and realizes that the enemy soldier is her relation (whatever it may be). The feeling is that the two animate characters are rebels or infiltrators of some sort. Their plan has gone awry and it is time to leave. However, the soldier, if revived, would be able to identify them. With a pained urging, he says, "You know what's at stake." She is hesitant, agonizing over a choice that is no choice at all. Summoning her strength, she pulls off her gloves, revealing nothing where hands should be. The soldier's body shudders convulsively as she reaches into his chest and grabs hold of his heart. She can hear his heartbeat thundering in her ears as plain as she can feel it pumping in her hands. As she squeezes, the soldier's eyes snap open. He is unable to mount any real resistance, and the scene fades to black as his breath slips away.
That is the scene, more or less. More of an exercise in conflicted feelings between love and duty.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Stupid, sexy animals
I was reading the comic Goblins today and came across an old strip where children are calling each other names.
The first calls the second a tit mouse and the second counters with pussycat. Then the first comes back with penis monkey and tries to convince the other that "it's an animal." The absurdity of the statement is itself funny to me but the kicker comes in the next comic when, in the first panel, a goblin shares a story beginning, "so there I was, surrounded by penis monkeys ...".
The missing animal is, of course, the famous ball hog.
The first calls the second a tit mouse and the second counters with pussycat. Then the first comes back with penis monkey and tries to convince the other that "it's an animal." The absurdity of the statement is itself funny to me but the kicker comes in the next comic when, in the first panel, a goblin shares a story beginning, "so there I was, surrounded by penis monkeys ...".
The missing animal is, of course, the famous ball hog.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Elven Lies - Possession
I am watching Elfen Lied for the first time. I am about 3-4 minutes into the first episode, so if I happen to create something that is later revealed in the series I am not ripping it off.
The naked girl in the iron mask just backed the lone living guard into a corner and killed him off-camera. His blood ran down the edge of the wall. Then, a bloody handprint with no accompanying limb smeared against the wall and wrapped around a lever to open a door.
My quick idea: A form of possession where the spirit does not inhabit and animate the body but, rather, accompanies it. So, the invisible spirit floats along beside the possessed creature, whispering in its ear and doing its* bidding (perhaps based on telepathy, perhaps based on a combination of observation and great wisdom in reading people).
*This "its" can refer to both the possessed creature and the possessing spirit, depending on the temperment of the spirit. For example, a creature so possessed might find that the spirit does whatever the spirit wants, killing friends and loved ones and allowing all the blame to fall on its haunted host. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the spirit may do whatever the host wants, acting as the host's hands and feet. In such a case, what the host offers the spirit would need to be determined (feeding on his soul; trying to corrupt him by offering the great power the spirit possesses; etc).
The naked girl in the iron mask just backed the lone living guard into a corner and killed him off-camera. His blood ran down the edge of the wall. Then, a bloody handprint with no accompanying limb smeared against the wall and wrapped around a lever to open a door.
My quick idea: A form of possession where the spirit does not inhabit and animate the body but, rather, accompanies it. So, the invisible spirit floats along beside the possessed creature, whispering in its ear and doing its* bidding (perhaps based on telepathy, perhaps based on a combination of observation and great wisdom in reading people).
*This "its" can refer to both the possessed creature and the possessing spirit, depending on the temperment of the spirit. For example, a creature so possessed might find that the spirit does whatever the spirit wants, killing friends and loved ones and allowing all the blame to fall on its haunted host. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the spirit may do whatever the host wants, acting as the host's hands and feet. In such a case, what the host offers the spirit would need to be determined (feeding on his soul; trying to corrupt him by offering the great power the spirit possesses; etc).
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Heartbeat Music
One of my old characters is a superhero I invented while in biology class. His super/mutant power is the ability to take total, conscious control of any of his bodily and cellular functions. His brain differs slightly from the human norm, allowing him to juggle the functions of his entire cellular make-up at once (although it required a lot of practice and plenty of concentration to go that far).
Because of this control, he is as much at the peak of human physical conditioning as Captain America (and maybe even moreso since his is not a simple baseline but a constantly updating, interactive machine).
That is enough for the backstory. Today's creative thought came about, once again, while I was listening to the radio on the way to work. Unlike my last, my current car radio has a dial for adjusting the bass. And songs such as Invisible Touch by Genesis and Rock Star by Nickelback (not sure if that is the real title) sound exceptionally well with the bass at a higher level than normal (but not maximum; I want to hear the music, not be bludgeoned by it).
I noticed how my body involuntarily moved along with the music (swaying, foot-tapping, etc) and I thought about my biological super-soldier having a similar but problematic reaction. While he was still learning to use his powers (he started with controlling entire organs and worked his way to specific intercellular functions), he found that he would subconsciously sync his heartbeat to the rhythm of music.
That would be freaky.
Because of this control, he is as much at the peak of human physical conditioning as Captain America (and maybe even moreso since his is not a simple baseline but a constantly updating, interactive machine).
That is enough for the backstory. Today's creative thought came about, once again, while I was listening to the radio on the way to work. Unlike my last, my current car radio has a dial for adjusting the bass. And songs such as Invisible Touch by Genesis and Rock Star by Nickelback (not sure if that is the real title) sound exceptionally well with the bass at a higher level than normal (but not maximum; I want to hear the music, not be bludgeoned by it).
I noticed how my body involuntarily moved along with the music (swaying, foot-tapping, etc) and I thought about my biological super-soldier having a similar but problematic reaction. While he was still learning to use his powers (he started with controlling entire organs and worked his way to specific intercellular functions), he found that he would subconsciously sync his heartbeat to the rhythm of music.
That would be freaky.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Backstory: The Tenchiverse
Backstory: I wanted this blog to be for new creations but I realize that most of my creative energies go into further exploring several recurrent characters, worlds, and ideas. Some of these recurrent ideas are personal. Oh well, I will just have to share it anyway. All of these recurrent ideas require me to rehash what I have already created in order for the new creations to make any sense (and I am lazy). Oh well, I will just have to type it. Besides, it may help me figure out something if I see my thought process in type.
Tenchi Muyo is my favorite anime. It was one of the first anime I ever watched and it hooked me immediately. After watching both movies and the OAVs, I started watching the TV show, Tenchi Universe, on DVD and Cartoon Network.
Part of the TV show centered on Tenchi and the gang going through various literary and TV show genres, such as 1920s mob crime or the Old West, and taking over the parts of stereotypical characters. I loved the fact that in each genre, a Tenchi character could play an appropriate part while still remaining wholly his or her own self. My brother and I referred to this as the Tenchiverse effect.
I utilize this effect with my own created characters, albeit in a slightly different manner. Each character remains himself in essence (personality and such) but the rules of the world change (the "real world" Eldric differs in capability from the "magic armor world" Eldric differs in capability from the "City of Dimension" Eldric, etc).
So if you see me reference the same character is seemingly contradictory ways, this may very well be why.
Tenchi Muyo is my favorite anime. It was one of the first anime I ever watched and it hooked me immediately. After watching both movies and the OAVs, I started watching the TV show, Tenchi Universe, on DVD and Cartoon Network.
Part of the TV show centered on Tenchi and the gang going through various literary and TV show genres, such as 1920s mob crime or the Old West, and taking over the parts of stereotypical characters. I loved the fact that in each genre, a Tenchi character could play an appropriate part while still remaining wholly his or her own self. My brother and I referred to this as the Tenchiverse effect.
I utilize this effect with my own created characters, albeit in a slightly different manner. Each character remains himself in essence (personality and such) but the rules of the world change (the "real world" Eldric differs in capability from the "magic armor world" Eldric differs in capability from the "City of Dimension" Eldric, etc).
So if you see me reference the same character is seemingly contradictory ways, this may very well be why.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Quotable Quotes
This will be pretty short.
I have a book of quotes called Zingers. It is filled with short, one-line sayings for Christians, especially ministers for using in sermons. I pulled it out of the bookshelf one day a few months ago because my brother was culling quotes to use in D&D from a boardgame he bought (the game is full of quotes from all different cultures). I read Zingers with the same aim in mind. I must have stopped pretty early in the book because my notes from that day (remember how I mentioned I had a pile of scraps with notes?) only have three quotes:
1. "Those who would not walk in the dark are often found strolling in the shade." Light and darkness as metaphors for good and evil are ample in D&D and my campaign world is no exception. I can see a paladin saying this to the party rogue after he suggested a less-than-virtuous course of action.
2. "Glory is the shadow of virtue." Another paladin quote. Of course, as a book written for Christians, the source material is slanted in that direction.
3. "Steel loses its strength when it loses its temper." I believe I slightly rewrote this quote from the one in the book but the meaning remained the same. It is a dwarven warning to remain calm and not let anger get the best of one.
I decided to type this up for two reasons. One, I did not create anything at work today and two, I had a whole sheet of paper sitting around with just the three quotes written on it.
I have a book of quotes called Zingers. It is filled with short, one-line sayings for Christians, especially ministers for using in sermons. I pulled it out of the bookshelf one day a few months ago because my brother was culling quotes to use in D&D from a boardgame he bought (the game is full of quotes from all different cultures). I read Zingers with the same aim in mind. I must have stopped pretty early in the book because my notes from that day (remember how I mentioned I had a pile of scraps with notes?) only have three quotes:
1. "Those who would not walk in the dark are often found strolling in the shade." Light and darkness as metaphors for good and evil are ample in D&D and my campaign world is no exception. I can see a paladin saying this to the party rogue after he suggested a less-than-virtuous course of action.
2. "Glory is the shadow of virtue." Another paladin quote. Of course, as a book written for Christians, the source material is slanted in that direction.
3. "Steel loses its strength when it loses its temper." I believe I slightly rewrote this quote from the one in the book but the meaning remained the same. It is a dwarven warning to remain calm and not let anger get the best of one.
I decided to type this up for two reasons. One, I did not create anything at work today and two, I had a whole sheet of paper sitting around with just the three quotes written on it.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
I am Invincible!
I had this idea months ago but the song played on the way to work so I will type it up now anyway.
I listened to the song Invincible by Pat Benetar and it brought to mind an alien planet torn by war and oppression. One alien race is subjugated to another, stronger race. An individual is trying to inspire a small group of disaffected peers to fight back. They have a legend about a hero called Invincible. No one believes Invincible is real because they ended up in this situation and he never appeared to help. This individual, however, believes he can renew the spirit of the people by fighting as the mythic Invincible.
Such a ploy would likely result in his quick death so the cooperative martyrdom of this group would be required to maintain the image of Invincible. He dies but another takes his place immediately, so Invincible remains so. And so on and so on until the war is won.Unbeknownst to this individual, his group, and his entire race, this exact ploy is how the original legend of Invincible was created long in the past.
Also, just to note, I love Pat Benetar.
I listened to the song Invincible by Pat Benetar and it brought to mind an alien planet torn by war and oppression. One alien race is subjugated to another, stronger race. An individual is trying to inspire a small group of disaffected peers to fight back. They have a legend about a hero called Invincible. No one believes Invincible is real because they ended up in this situation and he never appeared to help. This individual, however, believes he can renew the spirit of the people by fighting as the mythic Invincible.
Such a ploy would likely result in his quick death so the cooperative martyrdom of this group would be required to maintain the image of Invincible. He dies but another takes his place immediately, so Invincible remains so. And so on and so on until the war is won.Unbeknownst to this individual, his group, and his entire race, this exact ploy is how the original legend of Invincible was created long in the past.
Also, just to note, I love Pat Benetar.
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