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Fantasy Monsters in Star Wars
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 12:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also, I have on occasion considered allowing the amulet of the Alien Student of the Force to serve as a power focus, providing a +1D bonus to all Force skills if held in the student's hand (or leaf, in the case of the Revwien).
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Whill
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 12:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

CRMcNeill wrote:
Just had a random thought...

Depending on how you view the Ewok movies, there is precedent for shape-shifting in the SWU. Recall that Charal - the Nightsister in Ewoks 2 - was able to shape-shift into a raven with the help of a "magic ring." There is also precedent in the SWU (Splinter of the Mind's Eye, specifically) for inanimate objects that enhance the wielder's Force power (the Kaiburr Crystal), and the Tales of the Jedi Companion mentions several Sith artifacts that impart special abilities.

I always figured the ring in Ewoks 2 was something along the lines of the Kaiburr crystal, in that it generally enhanced the wielder's Force power. The official story, however, is that the ring had a very narrow focus, and could only turn the user into a raven and back again (and Charal was trapped in raven form when the ring was destroyed).

I'm still on the fence, but if one were really interested in introducing fantasy elements to Star Wars, in many ways, the precedent for shape-shifting is already there...

I can maybe buy that a ring that enhances the Force like a Kaiburr crystal, but I still can't buy that the Force, no matter how enhanced, could turn a normal-sized adult female near-human into a raven and back. Where does the significant difference in mass go to and come from? Some feats of the Force may be mistaken as magic by the uninformed, but magic does not exist in my Star Wars universe. The Force simply can't do everything that "magic" can in a pure fantasy setting.

I always figured that the Ewok live action TV movies and animated series were just largely exaggerated stories told by Ewok years later.
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As I said, I'm on the fence, and I have difficulty conceptualizing how the Force could be used in this fashion, as well. The closest I get would be something along the lines of forcing a portion of the character's physical mass out of phase with the physical universe, maybe something along the lines of the teleportation abilities of the Aing-Tii monks in the HoT books. It's still there, connected to the character, but is not physically present, so to speak...
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Forceally
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 11:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I created a Force compendium of sorts a few years back that covers Force abilities other Force-using traditions, like the Baran-Do, use. I listed various Dathomiri and Nightsister abilities in there, and one of them is the shapeshifting ability Charal used. I drew on the Book of Sith for that. Do a search for it, and you should find it.
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 11:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Forceally wrote:
I created a Force compendium of sorts a few years back that covers Force abilities other Force-using traditions, like the Baran-Do, use. I listed various Dathomiri and Nightsister abilities in there, and one of them is the shapeshifting ability Charal used. I drew on the Book of Sith for that. Do a search for it, and you should find it.

Do you still have a copy of the compendium itself? If not, what key words do you suggest for a search?
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Whill
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 9:42 pm    Post subject: Re: The Force Compendium Reply with quote

Forceally wrote:
I created a Force compendium of sorts a few years back that covers Force abilities other Force-using traditions, like the Baran-Do, use. I listed various Dathomiri and Nightsister abilities in there, and one of them is the shapeshifting ability Charal used. I drew on the Book of Sith for that. Do a search for it, and you should find it.

https://rancorpit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=129896#129896
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TauntaunScout
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 7:43 am    Post subject: Re: Fantasy Monsters in Star Wars Reply with quote

CRMcNeill wrote:
Has anyone ever crossed over any of the famous "fantasy monsters," specifically those of D&D fame?


I am late to this discussion but yes. Lizardmen will be first. I am slowly acquiring all the old Ral Partha, Grenadier, and Martian Metals lizardmen sculpts for The Anointed People. In addition to a squad of 10 infantry and a hero on foot, I'll add a squad of 5 Likka mounted cavalry so they can be a combined-arms force. I might try to convert a mounted hero as well.

I still need 6 old school lizardmen then the painting will commence.
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MrNexx
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:12 am    Post subject: Re: Fantasy Monsters in Star Wars Reply with quote

TauntaunScout wrote:
CRMcNeill wrote:
Has anyone ever crossed over any of the famous "fantasy monsters," specifically those of D&D fame?


I am late to this discussion but yes. Lizardmen will be first. I am slowly acquiring all the old Ral Partha, Grenadier, and Martian Metals lizardmen sculpts for The Anointed People. In addition to a squad of 10 infantry and a hero on foot, I'll add a squad of 5 Likka mounted cavalry so they can be a combined-arms force. I might try to convert a mounted hero as well.

I still need 6 old school lizardmen then the painting will commence.


Speaking of Lizard Men, I have long toyed with including the Tzen from Robert Aspirin's "The Bug Wars" as a species.
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TauntaunScout
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
I can maybe buy that a ring that enhances the Force like a Kaiburr crystal, but I still can't buy that the Force, no matter how enhanced, could turn a normal-sized adult female near-human into a raven and back. Where does the significant difference in mass go to and come from? Some feats of the Force may be mistaken as magic by the uninformed, but magic does not exist in my Star Wars universe. The Force simply can't do everything that "magic" can in a pure fantasy setting.

I always figured that the Ewok live action TV movies and animated series were just largely exaggerated stories told by Ewok years later.


Just to be silly, it could have been a really heavy bird. There's no such thing as conservation of volume. Can't fly if you're that dense? No problem, use the force.

I too think the ewok cartoons and movies are stories told about Wicket, by future generations of ewoks, which have only a kernel of truth. A lot of magic would be accepted by ewok audiences as perfectly plausible alongside blasters and other off-world "magic".
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Whill
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TauntaunScout wrote:
I am late to this discussion but yes. Lizardmen will be first. I am slowly acquiring all the old Ral Partha, Grenadier, and Martian Metals lizardmen sculpts for The Anointed People. In addition to a squad of 10 infantry and a hero on foot, I'll add a squad of 5 Likka mounted cavalry so they can be a combined-arms force. I might try to convert a mounted hero as well.

I still need 6 old school lizardmen then the painting will commence.

Please share an image of your Anointed Ones when they are done! I'd love to see them.

TauntaunScout wrote:
Whill wrote:
I can maybe buy that a ring that enhances the Force like a Kaiburr crystal, but I still can't buy that the Force, no matter how enhanced, could turn a normal-sized adult female near-human into a raven and back. Where does the significant difference in mass go to and come from? Some feats of the Force may be mistaken as magic by the uninformed, but magic does not exist in my Star Wars universe. The Force simply can't do everything that "magic" can in a pure fantasy setting.

Just to be silly, it could have been a really heavy bird. There's no such thing as conservation of volume. Can't fly if you're that dense? No problem, use the force.

That drastic of a change in volume and density may not be impossible in science but that doesn't mean it would be easy. And another hard part is the transformation into a different life form class (mammal and bird). Yeah, silly.
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 1:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
And another hard part is the transformation into a different life form class (mammal and bird). Yeah, silly.


Yeah. More likely it's a mistranslated passage from an ewok epic poem.
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've always liked the concept of Star Dragons / Duinuogwuins, but felt that the concept was poorly realized. For one, all of the art for Duinuogwuins looks gangly and goofy. I'd love to see an artist come up with a decent-looking fantasy dragon as adapted for life in a zero-G environment.

If I can find some art to inspire me, I'd like to flesh out the idea by making adult Star Dragons truly awesome opponents, ala D&D dragons, but allow PCs to play dragon hatchlings that are smaller and weaker than their parents, and on par with most PCs. Maybe some sort of open-ended growth as they age, so that truly ancient Star Dragons are the size of small-to-medium capital ships, and far more formidable.

I picture star dragon flight being based more on some form of naturally generated directional impeller field that generates from their "wings" (maybe something along the lines of the flank spines on the Chitauri Leviathans from the first Avengers film), perhaps with some sort of visual distortion that mimics the appearance of wings without the actual substance.
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Whill
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

TauntaunScout wrote:
Yeah. More likely it's a mistranslated passage from an ewok epic poem.

Coatee cha tu yah wah!

CRMcNeill wrote:
I've always liked the concept of Star Dragons / Duinuogwuins, but felt that the concept was poorly realized. For one, all of the art for Duinuogwuins looks gangly and goofy. I'd love to see an artist come up with a decent-looking fantasy dragon as adapted for life in a zero-G environment.

If I can find some art to inspire me, I'd like to flesh out the idea by making adult Star Dragons truly awesome opponents, ala D&D dragons, but allow PCs to play dragon hatchlings that are smaller and weaker than their parents, and on par with most PCs. Maybe some sort of open-ended growth as they age, so that truly ancient Star Dragons are the size of small-to-medium capital ships, and far more formidable.

I picture star dragon flight being based more on some form of naturally generated directional impeller field that generates from their "wings" (maybe something along the lines of the flank spines on the Chitauri Leviathans from the first Avengers film), perhaps with some sort of visual distortion that mimics the appearance of wings without the actual substance.

Intriguing. So you want to allow baby star dragon PCs that can survive in a vacuum and fly though space under a their own natural power?
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
Intriguing. So you want to allow baby star dragon PCs that can survive in a vacuum and fly through space under a their own natural power?

Obviously there would be offsetting disadvantages of some form. Dragon hatchlings as PCs has precedent in both D&D and Rifts; there may be others I'm unaware of. The basic idea is that, at such a young age, a dragon is roughly on par with a low- to mid-level PC.
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TauntaunScout
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whill wrote:
Please share an image of your Anointed Ones when they are done! I'd love to see them.


It's been very sow going.

Recasts of most of the poses show in the book are available but shipping is a ****. The Martian Metals lizardman is very hard to find, although I finally managed to get one. The Grenadier lizardmen are expensive as recasts and come in a 4 pack which includes one each of the Grenadier poses shown in the book and 2 each of a 3rd, not pictured, pose. I can't decide if I should leave this 3rd pose out of my squad or not.

The Ral Partha ones are the lion's share of the squad in the book. I have found a source for these but they aren't cheap, they come in a box which includes 6 poses I can't use, and shipping's really high. So I've been dragging my heels on that. Someday when I have more money than brains I'll order a box.

I also couldn't find a nice, round, stone thatched hut like the one in the book. So I sculpted a mediocre one, made a sock mold from latex, and cast several plaster of Paris copies so they can have a village.
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