| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| silverwolfer |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 00:02:02
http://imgur.com/a/jq3au |
| 22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Irennan |
Posted - 14 Aug 2014 : 03:18:04
Yes, the Tarrasque basically is a magical dinosaur. What I meant is that -like you pointed out- I don't see many reasons or situations that would make me want to use it in a story, but mainly because I tend to not like using powerful but stupid monsters. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 14 Aug 2014 : 03:06:06
quote:
Originally posted by Irennan
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I've never really understand this fascination with the Tarrasque.
Yes, I appreciate it's a wildly fantastic and destructive creature, but I can't ever conceptualise a basis for when I would want to use the beast in any of my campaigns.
Maybe it's just because I've never ran too many high-level/Epic-level PC-oriented games.
Personally, I don't like the Tarrasque, as the concept of huge powerful monsters who are also very stupid never struck me as interesting. They only seem to be useful as ''minions''.
See, I don't think that's such a deal-breaker.
One of my passions is the study of palaeontology and the evolution of dinosaurs. And the long debated dinosaur-brain size conundrum pretty much sets the standard for powerful creatures who may, at least by our limited measures, be interpreted as "stupid" or "dumb."
So interpreting the Tarrasque as a powerful monster who is also very stupid is simply, as I see it, an extension on that real-world principle in a fantasy equivalent. |
| Delwa |
Posted - 13 Aug 2014 : 22:54:11
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
It might be easiest to drop a planar gate on the beast than to kill it. Send it somewhere else, lots of other worlds where this creature could happily frolic.
Send it to Falx. Then we'll find out if the Tarrasque-like creatures there are the real deal, or just imitation leather.  |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 13 Aug 2014 : 22:47:55
It might be easiest to drop a planar gate on the beast than to kill it. Send it somewhere else, lots of other worlds where this creature could happily frolic. |
| Delwa |
Posted - 13 Aug 2014 : 16:38:18
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Everybody is always trying to destroy the silly thing. +5 Plutonium Longswords, wishes, disintegrations, acids, burning, keep that insane regeneration under control!
Methinks theyve lost their minds. Should be cloning the thing instead. Making Tarrasque simulacra. Attempting to breed and crossbreed a pet Tarrasque population. No evil megalomaniacal necromancer-lich-kings have ever tried? Seems like a great option for Szass Tam, nothing left to eat in Thay so the beast will rampage neighbouring turf.
A Doomsday Cult tried this in my DM's home Realms game. We never found out what happened.
I've never used the Tarrasque, personally, and I don't see a reason story-wise to do so for my own home games. I do run one-shot sessions where it's more of a tactical, "let's see what we can accomplish in one night" deal, and someday I might try a Tarrasque. But other than that, he's just a bookmarked stat that I open to when the PC's get a little rowdy, and they immediately settle down.  |
| Irennan |
Posted - 13 Aug 2014 : 16:09:22
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I've never really understand this fascination with the Tarrasque.
Yes, I appreciate it's a wildly fantastic and destructive creature, but I can't ever conceptualise a basis for when I would want to use the beast in any of my campaigns.
Maybe it's just because I've never ran too many high-level/Epic-level PC-oriented games.
Personally, I don't like the Tarrasque, as the concept of huge powerful monsters who are also very stupid never struck me as interesting. They only seem to be useful as ''minions''.
But then, a smart Tarrasque would be hilarious... |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 13 Aug 2014 : 15:49:38
quote:
Originally posted by LordofBones
All this hype over the thing and everyone forgets that any wizard capable of summoning allips can kill it as soon as they learn summon undead III.
The tarrasque is a joke.
It used to require a wish to kill the tarrasque, and that was after it had been reduced to -30 hp. Given its immunities to a lot of spells and its regeneration, that's hardly a joke.
Even this (apparently nerfed) version is still going to be able to ignore a single undead. |
| LordofBones |
Posted - 13 Aug 2014 : 13:41:58
All this hype over the thing and everyone forgets that any wizard capable of summoning allips can kill it as soon as they learn summon undead III.
The tarrasque is a joke. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 22:46:55
Everybody is always trying to destroy the silly thing. +5 Plutonium Longswords, wishes, disintegrations, acids, burning, keep that insane regeneration under control!
Methinks theyve lost their minds. Should be cloning the thing instead. Making Tarrasque simulacra. Attempting to breed and crossbreed a pet Tarrasque population. No evil megalomaniacal necromancer-lich-kings have ever tried? Seems like a great option for Szass Tam, nothing left to eat in Thay so the beast will rampage neighbouring turf. |
| Brian R. James |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 15:48:46
Indeed, the Tarrasque vignette in the Grand History is built upon the lore in my "Reign of Dragons" article from Candlekeep Compendium IV. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 04:43:57
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Albeit, as far as I know, the Tarrasque hasn't been wielded by any authors yet. It hardly appears in the Realms at all, except for within an adventure set in ancient Netheril. And as an entry in the random(!) encounter tables within some of the earliest "epic" modules. I suppose the beast on the Moonshaes may have been a sort of mini-Tarrasque, as well?
Ed Greenwood penned the "Ecology of ... " article for the Tarrasque in the final issue of the printed DRAGON Magazine [#359]. That contained a few Realms-tidbits as I recall.
There's also pg. 30 of The Grand History of the Realms which includes some info about the Tarrasque nesting for a period in the continent of Katashaka. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 04:20:20
quote:
Originally posted by Seravin
The Forgotten Realms comic series had the Tarrasque; I believe they are canon as well.
Correct on both counts. It was the second arc of the comic, issues 5-8, as I recall. |
| Seravin |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 04:14:55
The Forgotten Realms comic series had the Tarrasque; I believe they are canon as well. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 04:01:42
quote:
The Sage
I've never really understand this fascination with the Tarrasque.
The Tarrasque is basically the biggest and baddest thing to be found in the monster books. Aside from, perhaps, other top-tier "monsters" as Tiamat and Asmodeus. Being Number One attracts a lot of attention.
Albeit, as far as I know, the Tarrasque hasn't been wielded by any authors yet. It hardly appears in the Realms at all, except for within an adventure set in ancient Netheril. And as an entry in the random(!) encounter tables within some of the earliest "epic" modules. I suppose the beast on the Moonshaes may have been a sort of mini-Tarrasque, as well? |
| Seravin |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 03:32:50
Actually, that would be a sort of neat RSE to me; the Tarrasque awakens in the Heartlands and goes on a rampage, doing terrible damage to (but not destroying) cities in Cormyr or Sembia or the Dales; in the background there could be political motivations to bait the Tarrasque into attacking a particular kingdom, a party of heroes that is tasked with stopping it through some artifact (where an army of war wizards or mercenaries fail); and in the end it could just be put to sleep rather than killed so you're never quite sure if it will come back.
I guess this is way too similar to the plot of a Godzilla movie but still, I like it. Think Tuigian Horde but just one giant monster instead of 20,000 horsemen. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 03:29:14
I've never really understand this fascination with the Tarrasque.
Yes, I appreciate it's a wildly fantastic and destructive creature, but I can't ever conceptualise a basis for when I would want to use the beast in any of my campaigns.
Maybe it's just because I've never ran too many high-level/Epic-level PC-oriented games. |
| nblanton |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 02:09:44
But a better RSE. DM generated for his/her personal campaign and not intended to ruin the Realms for the rest of us. |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 01:55:04
Not me - the Tarrasque is a walking RSE. |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 01:47:38
In FR, I hope we actually get to see a little more of him at some point. I guess that would require a Katashaka description somewhere though which I wouldn't get too much much of my hope up for. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 01:11:37
Not a lot different from the 2E Tarrasque, overall. A slight hint of Dino-Diablo, though. |
| silverwolfer |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 00:34:28
Yes |
| Irennan |
Posted - 12 Aug 2014 : 00:20:43
He looks like a mix between
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allosaurus#mediaviewer/File:Allosaurus_in_Baltow_20060916_1500.jpg
and
http://www.rareresource.com/photos/dinosaur-gallery/Ankylosauru.jpg
Btw, is that from the Monster Manual? |
