Lometlak (Implacable Guardian)
The Makers left behind innumerable automatons to defend and maintain their edifices, among the weakest being the single-minded lometlak. Broad and squat (5’), lometlak patrol both the Vaults and ancient sites on the surface of sha-Arthan. They relentlessly attack anyone unable to produce evidence of sanction to enter the areas they guard, employing both physical attacks and a powerful energy weapon (range 180’).
DR 17, HD 4** (18hp), Att 2 × blow (1d8) or energy blast (2d6), AB +3, MV 90' (30'), SV F10 D11 M12 E13 S14 (4), ML 12, XP 175, NA 1d4 (1d4), TT None
- Detect invisible creatures: Within 60’.
- Spell immunity: Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading disciplines and spells.
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| A lometlak by Zhu Bajiee |
Interesting, that stat block is heavily tweaked from previous sample critters. DR is presumably ascending AC, AB has replaced THAC0, and the SV categories are altered.
ReplyDeleteArt's certainly staying consistent and high quality.
The rules are evolving in response to internal playtesting. By the time it's all done, I expect Secrets of sha-Arthan will be more strongly a variant of D&D than it was at the start.
DeleteNot a bad thing IMO. Recent events have me strongly questioning the value of adhering closely to older rule sets.
DeleteIn my case, it's entirely a function of a newfound willingness to depart from a rule when the original one no serves the purpose for which I am using it. There's nothing revolutionary about this – referees having been doing this for decades – but I'm not a tinkerer by nature, so this is unusual for me.
DeleteI'm somewhat prone to fiddling with house rules and mods by nature, but more often when there's a glaring omission than just for the sake of change - eg adding a mechanic for what happens when your mount gets killed to Forbidden Lands, which left it out despite having an entire character class devoted to being a rider.
DeleteWholly in favor of ascending ACs and attack bonuses in a D&D-adjacent game, FWIW. One of the best things WotC did with 3.0 was removing the need for consulting charts to determine to-hit numbers.
My philosophy is; find/create a simple game mechanic system that works, is easily understood by players, and then rely on the GM for everything else. The real enjoyment of any RPG is the imagination, the story and the world you play in. Rule system should be secondary to the adventure. Most game mechanics tend to get more and more complicated by pandering to individual players or with the intent to make it a more realistic simulation, which detracts from the fundamental enjoyment. I thought that simplicity was the basic axiom behind OSR in the first place. My feeling is, "Less rules = More enjoyment".
ReplyDelete