Official Blood and Bewitchment Character Creation Thread

[CoyoteCamouflage]

I'm liking this much more now. It also really reminds me of a Genestealer cult on an organism level, not a planetary one-- what with the subversion of a whole entity, then calling upon its brethren to take advantage of its actions.

The caveat to Aberrant Mind is a nice touch-- I like specific catches like that.

I like Aetheric Screech-- especially in that it is both useful and potentially harmful to a group. The DC seems rather high to me at first appearance, but with it also potentially harming allies, I think that's fine in the long run, as it (ought to) make the player consider when happens to be the correct time to use the ability.

I struggle, however, to visualize this as something different from a Headcrab...

I do have a question though-- What exactly is the relationship between the grub and its host? For example, were you to stab the host in the foot, what would become of the grub? Would it feel pain, would it be injured, would it even care? And is the grub also forced to control all of the common biological functions of its host, potentially despite its own 'tastes' (should it have such things). And, humorously, does the grub actually gain the instinct or knowledge to fulfill the mandatory biological needs of its host (such as when Satan is forced to endure having Fry's hands...)? In other words, is it meant to be a long-lasting device that works to coexist with the host, or is it something that is meant to burn bright and fast as a weapon, forcing the host to work until it destroys itself?

[Nomadic]

I do have a question though-- What exactly is the relationship between the grub and its host? For example, were you to stab the host in the foot, what would become of the grub? Would it feel pain, would it be injured, would it even care? And is the grub also forced to control all of the common biological functions of its host, potentially despite its own 'tastes' (should it have such things). And, humorously, does the grub actually gain the instinct or knowledge to fulfill the mandatory biological needs of its host (such as when Satan is forced to endure having Fry's hands...)? In other words, is it meant to be a long-lasting device that works to coexist with the host, or is it something that is meant to burn bright and fast as a weapon, forcing the host to work until it destroys itself?

Heh actually my original intent with the mind grub was to create a cunning and intelligent headcrab. Ultimately it's Steerpike's call here but as I originally developed the idea I thought I should toss in my 2 bones. The result is basically a fused entity, the mind grub bonds so fully with the brain that it basically becomes an extension of it. There isn't much of a differentiation between the parasite and the host once the infection is complete. A human mind grub doesn't think of itself as a parasitic grub it considers itself an intelligent bipedal creature with very human needs, wants, and desires. It knows it isn't human but it doesn't think of itself as a grub inside of a larger creature if that makes sense. It retains all the instinctual capabilities of its host as it only wipes out the hosts higher functioning memory not the hard coded stuff that's "hard coded" into the mind from birth. The Cestoids wanted a slave that was capable of caring for its own needs. That way they had a more long term supply of troops to use for their needs. The reason their minds aren't affected by humanoid influencing magic and effects is that their presence alters the design of the brain into a very alien design that the magics don't work on as effectively.

[Steerpike]

My feeling was that the cestoids intended a bright-and-fast expendable psychic weapon, but now that the psychotheurgic network is defunct new/remaining mindgrubs are forced to become more than they were ever intended to be.

Psychic/intelligent headcrab is definitely the vibe I'm getting too.

I'm with Nomadic insofar as the fusion of host and parasite - the mindgrub is tapped into the nervous system of its host, so it feels pain etc.  As I'm understanding the creature it doesn't achieve sentience until it seizes control of a brain - boring into a skull is an instinctive behaviour, not a conscious act per se.

[Nomadic]

As I'm understanding the creature it doesn't achieve sentience until it seizes control of a brain - boring into a skull is an instinctive behaviour, not a conscious act per se.

My thoughts were sort of that the grub itself never achieves true sentience. What it does is (to use computer terminology for a second) piggyback onto the memory and processing capabilities of its host letting the hosts mind think for it. It's less of a memory addon and more of a chip with a set of instructions that rewires the hosts brain to do what the cestoids want it to. The grubs mind is 100% instinctual, the sentience comes when it hooks into the hosts much more advanced mind.

[Steerpike]

Right, the grub doesn't become sentient, it becomes part of the brain itself (effectively) and rewires it into something new.

I wonder if the grub could be surgically/sorcerously extracted somehow.  Remove Disease and other healing spells don't really exist (or at least aren't widely available)...

[Nomadic]

Right, the grub doesn't become sentient, it becomes part of the brain itself (effectively) and rewires it into something new.

I wonder if the grub could be surgically/sorcerously extracted somehow.  Remove Disease and other healing spells don't really exist (or at least aren't widely available)...

The only way to remove it I think would be to remove the brain since once the parasite has run its course it and the hosts mind are the same thing. And well, I doubt a host could survive losing its brain heh.

[Superfluous Crow]

I was wondering, did you ever make a write-up of the cestoid as a race? I know you didn't intend them as playable, but I still love them as creatures and wonder how they are handled mechanically.  

[Nomadic]

I just had a horribly disturbing thought. What if the mind grubs are severely warped cestoid offspring. Like they were experimenting on their own young to create a vector for these super soldiers... eww.

[Steerpike]

Great idea!  That makes a lot of sense - they're some sort of mutated cestoid larva.

I'm going to do a write-up for the cestoid racial block.

Also, on an unrelated note, I was reviewing the racial stats and realized I wasn't happy with the lilix female ability modifiers, so I changed them to +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution.

[Steerpike]

Does this seem remotely balanced?  Burrow speed, defense bonuses, multiple limbs, and some hefty ability bonuses are partially offset by a steep Charisma penalty and Large penalties, so I estimate the LA at +2, but I'm not sure whether or not that's really accurate... thoughts?

Cestoid

+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, -4 Charisma
   
Speed 30 ft., Burrow 10 ft.

Type: Vermin '" cestoids do, however, retain an Intelligence score, and are not immune to mind-influencing effects, though they do resist them (see Eldritch Inability, below).

Darkvision 60 ft.

+2 Defence from Natural Armour (chitin plates).

Large Size: -1 Attack and Defence, +4 Special Attack Modifier (bull rush, grapple, overrun, trip), -4 Hide; Face/Reach 5 ft./5 ft. (despite their size, cestoid arms are no longer than humanoid ones).

Many Limbs: Cestoids have between three and seven many-jointed arms array about their large maws.  Once, the number of limbs indicated caste and thus social status and occupation; now, such distinctions have been lost, though seven-limbed cestoids '" always exceptionally rare '" are still highly considered and sometimes become chieftains of some kind.  Most cestoids have five limbs '" for combat purposes, one primary hand and four off hands.

Eldritch Inability: The cestoid mind is too alien to grasp humanoid witchcraft.  While cestoids receive a +2 bonus to resist mind-influencing effects, they cannot become Witches.  Once cestoids had their own arcane art '" psychotheurgy '" but this practice has long been lost.

Automatic Languages: Cestoid, Shambles.  Cestoids can understand spoken languages but can only speak Cestoid.  The can, however, write in the languages of other species.

Favoured Class: Worm-at-Arms.

LA: +2

[Nomadic]

So laying it out you gave them as bonuses:

+4 Strength
+2 Constitution
+2 Defense from Natural Armour
+2 bonus to resist mind-influencing effects
Large Size
Many Limbs
Burrow 10 ft.
Darkvision 60 ft.

And for penalties:

-4 Charisma
Cannot become Witches

They get a ton of bonuses and only really one penalty. The -4 cha does balance out the +2 con but the inability to become a witch doesn't mean much as their stats aren't good for a witch anyways and so even if they could become witches I doubt most would (I don't see any potential players becoming witches with them if it was possible). So it takes away something that wasn't being used in the first place. Note additionally that in their case large isn't a penalty, due to their stats and build layout they are the kind of race designed for an in your face smash and grapple where large size is an advantage. The rest is pure bonuses. After the balance you have as a bonus:

+4 Strength
+2 Defense from Natural Armour
+2 bonus to resist mind-influencing effects
Large Size
Many Limbs
Burrow 10 ft.
Darkvision 60 ft.

I'd say LA+2 isn't too off, it's probably closer to 2.5 technically but I'd say you're roughly in the right spot.

[Steerpike]

What if I made their ability bonuses +2 Str +2 Con?  Would that be closer to LA+2?

Also, Large does come with an Attack/Defence penalty, although it's still probably a slight bonus overall.

[Nomadic]

What if I made their ability bonuses +2 Str +2 Con?  Would that be closer to LA+2?

Also, Large does come with an Attack/Defence penalty, although it's still probably a slight bonus overall.

Probably closer yes. And while Large does have a bonus to Attack/Defense there are a couple things here that offset that to make it a bonus...

1) It currently has a +4 to strength which means a +2 on its attack rolls effectively giving it a slight attack bonus.
2) The +4 to strength also means a bonus to its grapples in fact at level 1 assuming a BAB of 1 and a base str of 10 it has a grapple bonus of +7. Someone who is actually playing them as meant (close in grappler) is going to dump points into str and probably give them 20-22 str which means at level 1 they could have a +11 to grapple. In short a cestoid that gets into close range with something like a human is going to be well equipped to beat the hell out of them.
3) A similar thing happens with trip attacks and (to a small degree) overruns
4) Yes you take a defense penalty however you get a +2 defense from your natural armor which not only offsets this but gives you a small defense bonus.

The only real penalty you get from being large is the -4 to hide and that's not really a big penalty and is probably offset by one of the bonuses. They probably would be an LA+3 except that you gave them a 5ft reach instead of a 10 foot reach combined with the -4 charisma.

[Superfluous Crow]

I think it would be a pity to make them less powerful just because it would balance them out. Cestoids are freakishly strong creatures - they are meant to be able to charge you head-on and crush you. The rules as-is seem to simulate this perfectly.
A few notes however:
Perhaps there should be some mention of their inability to communicate vocally?
Their reach could easily be shortened despite their size.
The same goes for their speed. I don't see them as particularly fast.

[Steerpike]

Good thoughts.  I kept the Strength, reduced the reach, and made a not about spoken language.  I'm keeping the speed since there are a few allusions to cestoid rickshaw drivers, so it makes sense for them to be at least adequately speedy.