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Post by countingwizard on May 24, 2017 12:30:38 GMT -6
Fair warning before reading. If you are tetramorph or one of his players and haven't played the module I am about to run on Friday in his local game, do not read further.
My question is what are the visual characteristics of an ethereal creature? For example, phase spiders become ethereal except when they attack. Do they appear as normal physical spiders, ghostly spiders, indistinct blurry spiders, transparent spiders, grey ectoplasmic condensation [BECMI] creatures, as invisible, or what?
I think how I treat these creatures in game will drastically affect the outcome of a first encounter with these types of creatures. I've had one DM treat them like blink dogs, constantly appearing and disappearing as they attack. If I was to run them as written, they would be just like normal spiders except that all attacks would pass through them unharmed unless performed at the exact moment they are attacking. I'm more interested about the intent/inspiration behind the creature and whether it is intended to trick players or if it is based on some other fictional source and possesses attributes that just aren't described.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2017 11:48:55 GMT -6
"the best way is to decide how you would like it to be, and then make it just that way!"
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Post by talysman on May 25, 2017 16:38:24 GMT -6
"the best way is to decide how you would like it to be, and then make it just that way!" Exactly. My personal preference is to base the description on what I imagine the creature's relationship to the ethereal state is. Things like phase spiders are physical creatures with an ability to become ethereal. I'd describe them as I would other giant spiders, except when they phase through solid objects. Or maybe I'd give a hint beforehand and mention that sometimes, it looks like one or more of the spider's legs disappears, then reappears.
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Post by countingwizard on May 26, 2017 6:37:15 GMT -6
That's what I thought. Always do what you want as long as it doesn't contradict the rules. And if it does just put it in your house rules.
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