#also what a neat legendary creature | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

orrianreaper · 1 month

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GW2 people - Pitch me YOUR idea for an Expansion!

What's the theme, where are we going, what lore threads are we picking up on, what's the story premise, what mechanics do you think it could have.

I love spitballing ideas when I'm talking with friends so I'm posing the question To Everyone because I know everyone has some pet concepts floating around. As self-indulgent as you'd like, as unrealistic as you like, just throw ideas around, I wanna hear them!

The One I think I have the most rounded ideas for would be an Underwater Expansion. Picking up on the threat of whatever is terrorising the deep oceans, having some exploration of the Largos and bringing back in the Quaggan and the Krait maybe!

I love the sort of depths we get in maps like Frostgorge sound, and underwater combat has badly needed a rework and a tune up - there's loads of skills which straight up don't work and break entire builds underwater, and this would be a perfect excuse to try bring it up to speed. Maybe even make the underwater weapon sets function on land, to satisfy those who're after more weapons. You could make the maps a mix of true underwater and perhaps giant air bubble caves so you still had some land exploration even in maps otherwise set deep under the ocean. A map meta split with land phases and water phases. Additionally as personal bias wish, I'd love map event/meta design more like HoT. A map-wide Story with a few chains with specifically Build into the actual true Meta. I also simply love the idea of having a bunch of enemy designs based of the ocean and the abyss, there's so much incredible inspiration and interesting marine life. and biomes too! Give me a hydrothermal vent section in one of the maps, hell underwater 'water' in the form of brine pool 'quicksand'.

The Turtle might get some more use out of it's underwater, and skimmer would absolutely get spotlight as a skyscale isn't going to get you too far here - hell maybe even some speedy new underwater mount could be a fun addition to the roster.

I can see a plot being around trying to work with the Largos, The 'Terror of the Deep' being a danger and learning from them about how to survive the hostile environment and also convince them work with you to Hunt the 'Terror'. Maybe you come to the area of the ocean with the Quaggans and it's convincing the Largos to take them seriously as allies against whatever you're fighting? A quaggan companion character would be really fun, and you could easily bring back Sayeh al' Rajihd from the personal story given Largos involvement. I think not only would it be something very different in terms of the maps, which granted quite a few people might not like (thalassophobia reasons, or general Dislike of Water Gameplay reasons), but I think a rework of the underwater mechanics would benefit a bunch of places and it's something that really doesn't get touched outside of base game and maybe like, the Leviathans in EoD. There's so much neat creature design inspiriation swimming around out there, and I know so many people love the largos and even if not playable getting to see more of them could be neat! Also - it'd finally make all those legendary full people happy. A Legendary Aquabreather :P.

And a new suite of legendary underwater weapons since the G1 set. (and not themed pretty please make them all Unique.)

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #apollo talks #I would also adore a fully underground give me three-four tangled depthslike cave maps for an asura expansion where they go back undergroun #to explore and something's trying to capitalise on the hole left by Primordus #and something with the Norn heading back up into the northern shiverpeaks again and similarly dealing with #whatever is trying to fill the jormag power vaccum #and how the spirits are doing #there's so much solid stuff to play with

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adobe-outdesign · 11 months

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May I request a Xerneas/Yveltal review ? Those two are among my favourite "game mascot" legendaries (too bad that X and Y weren't really interested in building a plot that would have done them justice)... Alternatively, I was thinking about the Talonflame line. (I've also been in quite a Spheal mood as of late, yet I couldn't find a review of the line on your blog, which feels a little odd, I must say...)

Xerneas is pretty neat looking, and my personal preference between these two. Conceptually, it represents life itself—kind of an abstract theme, but they did a good job getting the point across. It also arguably takes some influence from the deer that fed on Yggdrasil, what with it up and turning into a tree now and again (with the antlers becoming branches, which is a nice touch).

I like how it's kind of a deer, but also has a lot of uncharacteristic elements, like a canine-ish tail, pointed feet that remind me of Arceus a bit, and antlers that bleed right into the head without a clear division between the two. It gives it a very powerful, somewhat unearthly look that's befitting of a creature representing life itself.

Visually, the multi-colored antlers are the focus point of the design and stand out nicely. The light yellow accents on the body also create a sense of upward flow that's also reflected in its blue collar, antler shape, and tail. While the antlers are somewhat complicated, they're not hard to read; beyond that, the design is pleasantly simple and clean.

My only nitpick is that it has these random colored speckles on its back that don't add anything and kind of take away from the antlers. They're not even present in its neutral mode either, making them feel all the more like an afterthought.

Speaking of which, it also has a neutral mode. I like it when legendaries don't have a bunch of different forms, so it's nice that it's the exact same design, just with slightly simplified antlers and a different accent color. The active form looks better—the yellow compliments the blue much better than this more monotone look does—but it does get across a "inactive" feeling well enough.

There's also Yveltal, which integrates its letter considerably better than Xerneas does. The tail-hand thing it has is pretty cool, and the intense red-and-black color scheme certainly makes it look ominous and like a creature that Literally Kills Everything when it dies.

My only issue with its design, and the reason I like Xerneas a bit more, is that it feels a bit too busy and visually messy—it takes a while to figure out what's actually going on with it. This is because its vein-like markings don't really break the body apart, and actually make the design more busy instead.

This is especially apparent in the head, as while the chest line suggests it should go straight up under the chin, it suddenly reappears past the mane in a different spot, and then gets lost among four (4) pairs of black horns. It's not too bad, especially when it's posed more like the above screenshot, but it does cause the details to get a bit lost. Other than that, however, it's pretty solid.

(Actually, come to think of it, Yveltal looks better in like literally any other pose that isn't the one in the official art. I think it's both of a combo of it looking more bird-like and its head reading clearer when it's not right against the wings).

Anyway, overall, these two are good legendaries—they're not too overly complex in concept, they don't have 200 forms, they're not overworked and overly busy, etc. They're just powerful, cool looking creatures that convey their themes nicely.

#you guys can send in requests for talonflame or spheal but I'm not doing them all in one ask this is long enough as is #xerneas #yveltal #pokemon #pokemon reviews

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freshlybakedspiderbread · 9 months

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my immediate (well its been a whole day and then some, so not really) touhou 19 impressions for all the new characterbelow the read more so beware spoilers!

for context, all my knowledge and understanding of the plot and dialogue comes from a scattered mix of the translated omake, official profiles, a pal explaining this or that line, various different snippets of online talk i saw, and general me absorbing vibes through the screen after playing the game for over seven hours. if i got something wrong, oh well, there will be plenty of time to come to get a clearer picture of everyone!

its neat how the three new animal girls on the cover are all associated with one of the leaders from the animal realm. Although at first i assumed that meant there wouldnt be much to think of them beyond that because i also assumed they came from the animal realm to work with their respective leader. But actually they all come from Gensokyo, and the animal leaders got them to join their cause! That's way more interesting to me, and makes me wonder if all those three's posturing about taking over gensokyo might not just be hot air after all...

All three of them also have either direct or indirect connections to the final boss but i'll get to her later. for now my thoughts of all the newcomers one by one...

son biten 🐵 : okay so when i first saw an image of her, i went 'oh its sun wukong. okay...' and didnt think much of her beyond that, but her story is a lot more funny than that. she was (is) in fact just a normal monkey girl (normal by gensokyo standards) who got into big trouble but was 'saved' by Yachie, who convinced her that she's the legendary sun wukong. Now she proclaims herself as a hero and thinks Yachie, who only wants to use her as a tool, is her best friend. That's a lot more endearing to me than i thought and maybe i am more than a little invested in this bizarre dynamic between monkey and tortoise.

mitsugashira enoko 🐺🐺🐺: pretty similar to Biten's story albeit more straightforwardly charming. she was a regular animal who turned into a monster and was well on her way to becoming a really nasty one at that, but then Saki came along, showed off her back muscles, and was like 'join my gang', and then Enoko calmed down and was happy to do so! its funny but also kinda sweet? but really the most i have to say is that the bear traps on her wrists are funny. the profile and ending images make it seem to me like they do Not come off and those may as well be her hands. I know for sure Saki offered to shake her hand and did not regret it 🤠

tenkajin chiyari 🩸: what a freak!!!!!!! just some lanky, hunched over creature that literally nobody even knows what species she is, who lurks in the deepest depths of hell who loves doing nothing more than gulping up pools of cursed blood in her free time. I thought Momoyo, who lives in a cave and eats rocks was a freak, but Chiyari is on a whole other level. I love her. it's so easy to see how she and Yuuma beccame friends due to their 'common interests'.

yomotsu hisami 🍇: she's so cool!!!!!!! i can't believe she's probably the least revelant out of the newcomers 😂 great design and concept, and her whole thing in nearly every route she appears in is trying to drag you to hell, offering a sweet deal and then happily resorting to force if refused, its so good. Hisami is also technically subservient to the final boss Zanmu (because she's hot) but will also just do whatever she wants and Zanmu just has to deal with that... Speaking of!

nippaku zanmu 👹: i think she's neat 🙂 I mean, like a lot of touhou final bosses, most of their meat comes from their elaborate backstory and someone else will have to comment about how its a cool intepretation of this or that myth. as mentioned, she has at least some form of role whether minor or direct to the backstory of every other newcomer, which is cool and lends a more connective tissue to the cast as a whole, and she's also a big authorative figure in hell! all the different profiles like to emphasize how Zanmu is a planner type who controls everything with guile and information, and the plan she sets in motion in the game's plot mostly goes off without a hitch, even with so many different characters butting heads with one another. The most interesting bit of all this only really comes in at the very very end, where she calls off her plan to take control of everything herself, instead choosing to trust Reimu because she sees her as a kindred spirit. fun to think about the implications of that...

#touhou #th19 #i may or may not make another post going into how i feel about the gameplay and the mechanics #though i dunno if id have much to say other than 'i had fun 😁'

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quibbs126 · 3 months

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Also on the subject of the Legendaries, I don’t know, but 2023’s Legendaries (which we can also include Xylitol Nova in if we want) feel largely unnecessary to me

Like, the original Legendaries were elemental deities and then an evil one, that makes sense. Then there’s Timekeeper who controls time, also seems reasonable. Then there’s the dragons who are legendary and powerful creatures, so I guess it makes sense that all of them are Legendary

But then you have this year’s Legendaries, starting with Abyss Monarch. Like don’t get me wrong, I like Abyss Monarch, but realistically, why did we need them? We already have water Legendaries in the forms of Sea Fairy and Lotus Dragon, and even if Abyss Monarch is supposed to be deep sea horror, we already have that in Squid Ink and then Black Pearl in CRK. And yeah, CRK and CROB aren’t the same games, but why have two Legendary Cookies that largely embody similar concepts?

And then there’s Sugar Swan. Now Sugar Swan has more justification, considering we already knew she was a big deal in the Cookie world, but why is she a Cookie? Like her story description and her story event don’t really give any justification as to why she’s a Cookie. Millennial Tree had justification, with him originally being a tree that wished to take the form of a Cookie, and there’s many in game depictions of him as a Cookie, but the same can’t be said for Sugar Swan, why was she made into a Cookie other than people wanting that?

And finally we have Xylitol Nova. Now on paper I wouldn’t say his existence feels unnecessary, since if we have a Legendary based on time, having on based on space is logical and makes sense for a Legendary. And while there is Moonlight, she protects the City of Wizards and has more to do with the moon and stuff about the stars, not outer space itself, so there’s room for new ideas with a space themed Legendary. But the problem lies in that we know Xylitol Nova isn’t the only one and that there’ll be three others who serve similar functions, and that Xylitol Nova is not like the keeper of space, just the ruler of Planet Xylitol. So why is he a Legendary?

I’m not saying I necessarily hate these Cookies, I like Abyss Monarch, Xylitol Nova’s neat and Sugar Swan is…neutral to me, but I’m just wondering what exactly makes their concept “legendary” status?

#sorry sometimes I have days where I’m just on an overly critical tirade #or one thought leads to another and we get here #but this is just something I was thinking about #cookie run #cookie run ovenbreak #legendary cookies #abyss monarch cookie #sugar swan cookie #xylitol nova cookie

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petrenocka · 10 months

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I'm thinking about how fitting the word "Legend" is for tloz:totk.

Because if you think about it, the escapades of Link in this game are some really mythical stuff. I mean, the Regional Phenomenon monsters are, well... that. These creatures threaten entire people and alter whole regions with just their presence. Colgera in particular is a god damn mass extinction event! And you just kind of, deal with it. Just like that.

That's some real Heracles stuff. Especially with the Zora domain quest basically being the 5th labor.

But in the game it all feels so grounded. Even in the more epic moments. Nobody feels like a mountain splitting god when playing as Link. No, everyone talks about him as this scrungly guy with wacky magical tricks and maybe some real neat swordsmanship.

Speaking of the tricks: The way you are given them by this benevolent guiding spirit at the start of your journey and then keep finding surprising, clever and oddly specific ways to apply them to problems? Classic ancient myth stuff.

It's just that ToTK really hits the vibe of these myth compilations that would zero in on a particular protagonist and their escapades for me. And it's so perfect how it has both "legendary swordsman beats up dragon with a club" and "local dumbass solves riddle using a donkey, a broken tooth and some glue from a nearby wizzard".

But what is so captivating about it, is that it doesn't have this massive wall of cultural distance that I often find separating me from people who wrote the ancient legends and people who they wrote them for. Somehow, while hitting on these ancient beats, Link's antics are also fully immersive as a story, and not just fascinating the way museum exhibits are.

Idk, it's neat. Very very neat.

________________

I couldn't tie this to the main post but I want it out there as well.

It's really fun also to think about how playing as this super powered hero alters our perception of Hyrule as a place.

I mean, according to Paya if you speak to her wearing the Yiga outfit, most if not all Sheikah have varying degrees of PTSD about the Yiga Clan. They are a genuine nightmare fuel to people of this world. Yet we as Link can afford to think of them as these goofy goobers.

It's just kind of odd, remembering that a single red bokobling encounter is like, a lethal threat to an average citizen of Hyrule.

#damn i need to work on my post wrap ups #it always ammounts to a typed equivalent of a shrug #tloz #totk #link #analysis

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herebecritters · 1 year

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Hey guys, how ‘bout a fun fact science corner? I’m wanting to talk about Kimbetopsalis Simmonsae. I know it’s a big word, sadly we don’t have common names for most extinct animals so any creature that hasn’t existed within the last 1000 years is gonna be a mouthful.

Now what does Kimbetopsalis have to do with Cro-Marmot and Dumuzi? This is where science and my headcanons merge.

So Let’s talk Dino-Sore days.

If Cro was around during the age of the Dinosaurs, that dates him all the way back to the Mesozoic era. So let’s throw him at the tail end of the Cretaceous period, when the most popular of the giant reptiles reigned, tyrannosaurus, the titanosaurs, pteranodon, ect.

Marmots did not exist at any time during the entirety of the Mesozoic. In fact, though many of the mammals that lived during that time were very rodent like, true rodents did not even appear for another 10 million years after dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the planet. And marmots did not evolve for at LEAST another 48 million years after THAT.

So Cro and his sister Dumuzi could not have been marmots. So then what were they?

Time to put on my paleonerd hat.

Meet Kimbetopsalis Simmonsae

To the left we have paleoart of what we believe Kimbetopsalis to have looked like, and to the right we have a modern day marmot. Not too drastically different, eh?

Now here’s what’s really cool about Kimbetopsalis. We have fossil evidence that tells us that they are one of the few survivors of the K/PG mass extinction. That’s right, these are one of the legendary mammals that survived the famous asteroid impact that wiped out all the non-avian dinosaurs and played a role in bringing forth the Age of Mammals. If it weren’t for little survivors like them, we wouldn’t be here!

Kimbetopsalis is part of a group of mammals that no longer exists, the multituberculates. These group of animals survived for 130 million years, dying out and disappearing from the fossil record forever in the late Eocene. But don’t be too sad! Multituberculates existed for longer than ANY other group of mammaliforms, including the one that you, I, and every canon character of htf belongs to. The placentals. Today there are only three living groups of crown mammals (aka true mammals): the monotremes (such as the platypus and echidnas), the marsupials (such as kangaroos and opossums), and the placentals.

Now I could go on forever about taxonomies but trust me we’d be here forever. Especially since we are still learning what we can to fully understand mammal evolution. You see, the fossil record for Mesozoic mammals is scarce. Mammals did not get much larger than a badger throughout all the Mesozoic so they did not fossilize easily. Most of what we know about them from that time is from small fragmentary remains, mainly teeth. But despite very few full fossils having been found, we are learning and discovering something new about our ancient mammalian ancestors every day. What we know is constantly changing, but that is the nature of paleontology.

Like I said. We’d be here all day. So let’s move on.

As far as mammals go, Multituberculates like Kimbetopsalis were very common during the Mesozoic. They are easily identifiable by, you guessed it, their teeth.

As you can see, the molars have some crazy cusps on them, also known as “tubercles” hence the name. Their teeth are designed for chomping and crunching all kinds of vegetation. These teeth are very unique among mammals and probably helped them to have a generalist diet which would have aided them greatly in surviving the aftermath of the Chicxulub asteroid impact.

Anyways, Kimbetopsalis is a survivor and a cool little critter, much like Cro is. They lived among the largest land animals to ever walk the earth. They survived the horrifying event that saw an end to the Age of the Reptiles.

I dunno bout yall, but I just think that’s pretty neat.

#happy tree friends #htf #htf cro marmot #Dino-sore days #htf oc #maybe I’ll do a little science corner for all the prehistoric ocs #I love rambling about cool critters #paleo #loretime

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typescrambledex · 1 year

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What is your favorite of the new pokemon?

I waited until I beat the game to answer this since I hadn't completed it yet, but now that I have (Obviously, spoilers under the readmore)

I can't 100% pick a favorite so you're just getting a list of ones I feel stand out.

>Skeledirge, Fuecoco's final evo, is pretty solid.

>Dudunsparce is perfect. It's exactly what I wanted a Dunsparce evolution to be.

>Nymble and Lokix, Lokix especially, might be my top favorite of the gen. I've waited so long for a grasshopper Pokemon and it delivers.

>Greavard and Houndstone. I was so afraid Greavard's evolution was gonna pull of Boltund and lose all of its interesting features but little did I know it would get GNARLIER it's so cool.

>Farigiraf, mostly appreciating that it's not the predictable "Tail-head gets bigger" kind of evo.

>Revavroom is funny and neat, I mostly just wish they gave it a more interesting body than just "car-shaped stone".

>Cetitan really harkens back to Pokemon's early days of "Make up a creature vaguely based on a real-life animal" in a way I really like.

>Glimmet and Glimmora are other contenders for my #1 fave this gen. Their designs are interesting in how inorganic they are, in the sense that they really look like sentient minerals. But also looking a bit like sea-floor life is such a neat idea for a cave-dwelling creature.

>Brambleghast is another Pokemon that's based on something I've wanted in Pokemon for so long, as a tumbleweed. And it doing its best jack-o-lantern impression is wonderful.

>Slither Wing, Volcarona's prehistoric ancestor, is a cool take on Volcarona and it's super neato that we get a flightless moth Pokemon. (Those are actually a thing!)

>Wo-Chien has got to be one of the coolest Legendaries to date.

>Tinkaton is simple, but it's hard to go wrong with "Girl with giant weapon."

>Ceruledge is entirely too extra. It's like a Mega Man Zero boss or Net Navi or Black Ace from Star Force 3 escaped Capcom HQ and snuck into a Pokemon game. And I love every second of it.

>Another contender for #1 is the convergent critter for Tentacool/Tentacruel, Toedscool and Toedscruel. Like, a woodear fungus with long, noodly legs built like Tentacool/Tentacruel has got to be one of the more absurd concepts in the series. Helped all the more when its design also calls Japanese Octopi-Aliens to mind.

Damn good gen.

#Asks #Not Art #Pokemon Spoilers #Scarlet and Violet Spoilers #Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

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muzzleroars · 5 months

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It is interesting that the Angel hierarchy has the most human-looking ones like Gabe and the council at the top but also establishes that human souls can only be lesser ranked abstract/animal-looking if manifested as an angel yet if the soul manifests as a husk in hell it stays humanoid (Minos and Sisyphus pre-priming) or at least you can tell it used to be a human (hell's doing?), which is strange since humans were meant to be the creations closest to god's own image. A possible forshadowing of god's own flaws that the creatures closest to his nature are unable to climb to the highest rungs of virtue?

Also I like to think one of the human-born ranks of angels look like sphinxes with masks instead of real faces, I just think it would be neat. :)

ouuuughhh yes i love the angelic structure and the husk system presented in ultrakill - there is an idea about traditional angelology that the higher the angel, the less human they are, and that's true to an extent. the three highest choirs are 2/3 on this: thrones are the default "biblically accurate angel", being wheels covered in eyes, cherubim are animal-like with four faces, but seraphim, the highest choir, are distinctly human in shape. additionally, the archangels and several other unranked angels in the bible are described as men made of gemstone and bronze. but ultrakill presents a strict dual system, with true angels resembling god (angels are supposed to appear as the "sons of god" after all) and the human angels stripped of their "godly" image (and so, be extension, placed below true angels) i think there is some sense to this, as the resurrection is meant to reunite human souls with their revived earthly bodies...but this promise never materialized in this world. the husks, meanwhile, are likely a mockery of "god's image" as heaven sees it, the divine mirror given way to the rot of corpses - if this is an invention of hell, i think you're probably right!! it could be meant as a jab at the rotten core of god's nature, that his image isn't nearly as holy as his perfectly formed angels are. they are what gets left behind, and how much they are "allowed" to resemble god is based on their "value" in life, which is pretty interesting in itself (with the prime souls going even further down the rabbit hole of who's responsible for the form of hell's citizens, given their power). so his image remains far more now in hell than it does in heaven, to the extent where those truly like him are the rulers of their layers...makes me wonder if that's just another reason he wanted to so badly turn away from hell, and perhaps a small part of why the kings were dealt with so severely by the angels.

(and i LOVE the sphinx idea....they're one of my favorite legendary creatures, and i think they absolutely suit angels well :])

#looking human is a privilege in heaven #while it's something made to terrify in hell #god is just so. continuously ashamed of what he did #so he surrounds himself with angels in his image #all 'perfect' and 'without blemish' which speaks to a LOT of gross biblical ideas of what people 'should be'#while he also conveniently forgets lucifer #cake answers

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mtg-card-of-the-day · 14 days

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Today's Date is May 3rd, 2024, and today's card is Queen Allenal of Ruadach (Showcase)!!

Fun Fact of the Day: You may remember the artist of this card from a recent controversy regarding the card Faithless Looting. This involved a huge negative reaction from mtg players who thought the art on that card was ugly. Personally, however, I don't think it's all that bad. Ever since I had heard of her, Carly Mazur has been one of my favorite mtg artists!

[ID The image depicts a woman in a very unique art style. The art style paints her body in a very realistically shaded way, but in contrast her clothing and the background is shaded to look more flat. The woman depicted has grey hair tied in a neat bun, and pointed ears and green eyes below it. She has high cheekbones and beyond her eyebrows maybe doesn't really seem to be wearing much makeup. She has various grey metal rings worn along the bottom ridge of her long pointed ears and once on both earlobes. On her forehead you can see some sort of leather bands crossing twice horizontally and once as an arrow pointing down. In the middle of the arrow there is a diamond shaped emerald held by the leather. She's wearing very pretty and decorative green and brown clothing, and has darker green tattoos twisting along her arms, which stand once covering her heart (left arm, right side) and one arm standing up vertically with the hand lying palm upward (right arm, left side). She's surrounded by many flowers some daisies, some morning glories, and some narcissus monal/yellow daffodils with orange centers. For those who don't know what those look like; daisies have lots of white petals and a circular yellow center, morning glories are a deep blue the fades inward to a yellow, and the yellow daffodils have big-ish yellow petals with an orange protruding center or a trumpet. There's also some thin brown branches and a flat-ish deep blue background with black crack lines across most of the painting.

She is a green and white Legendary Creature that costs 1 Green mana and 2 White mana. Her subtypes are Elf Noble and she is an Uncommon.

Her rules text reads "Queen Allenal of Ruadach's power and toughness are equal to the number of creatures you control.

If one or more creature tokens would be created under your control, those tokens plus a 1/1 white Soldier creature token are created instead."

Queen Allenal's power and toughness are both denoted with an asterisk (*).

Her artist is Carly Mazur and her print year is 2022. She's from the set Dominaria United. End ID.]

#magic the gathering #mtg #Dominaria United #DMU #$0.01 #queen allenal of ruadach #green #white #selesnya #legendary creature #legendary #creature #elf noble #elf #noble #carly mazur #2022 #uncommon #showcase

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inventors-fair · 9 months

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Team Spirit - The Power of Friendship Runners-Up

Ken the Eagle by @sparkyyoungupstart - Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

A few minor formatting issues aside (why hybrid frame), this card is a really cool way to show off fighting game characters and mechanics in Magic. Obviously having combat-viable creatures is a must, but making them also be combat tricks is a really cool way to invoke that flavor of switchups, super moves, and just generally turning the tables on your opponent in dramatic, violent ways. The reminder text for tag-in is a bit hefty, but the safety nozzles do seem to be necessary. I assume special rulings would be made to remember the tag-in restriction even as the commander becomes a new object, but seems simple enough. It is interesting that tag-in is instant speed, but you chose a representative character with an ability you only ever use on your turn- it would have been neat to see something that could be useful to tag in on either your or an opponent’s turn.

Terry Bogard, Wild Wolf by @dabudder - Fatal Fury

Fighting game number 2 of the runners up! Terry is intense, but in a good way. That rummaging buff can certainly get out of hand if your opponents let it, especially since you can do it after blockers, but the lack of any built in evasion helps even it out. Lineup is... ambitious, for sure, but cool as hell. It makes for a lot more bookkeeping, but at least commander tax will be easy to track than if you just had three unrestricted commanders. I do like the idea of caring about where a card was in your starting lineup, but I do feel like there’s enough memory issues with that that it could start an argument on turn 10 about who was where. In addition, Terry seems to be pulling in a few different directions, since he’s cheapish, aggressive creature that also wants to be last? Ie you have to cast and kill two other commanders in order to get to him. Admittedly, that payoff is worth it, being able to nuke creatures, planeswalkers, and battles from orbit is very nice. A lot of really cool ideas here, and they came together pretty nicely.

The Future Devil by @real-aspen-hours - Chainsaw Man

I think devil’s bargain might be my absolute favorite mechanic of this week. I love “power at a cost” mechanics, and this is just my dream. Opening the pool to every legendary human (and changeling) ever printed seems very intense (especially since this means you can easily have a 4 or 5 color deck), but I guess that’s why you pay a price. Gushing aside, I don’t think this is the best example of the mechanic. Hand revealing is a lot of mental upkeep for both you and your opponents, and it makes for a lot of logistical issues, and slows gameplay down. The downside is super flavorful, and plays well with the other abilities - surveiling means you’ll know what you topdeck next turn and can plan around it, but your opponents won’t until it’s too late- but I don’t know if that makes the headache of this card worth it.

See you in a few days for general commentary! Holiday Monday, so might take a bit longer.

~judge @naban-dean-of-irritation

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair #runners up #power of friendship

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harpagornis · 3 months

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MTG Analysis: Archons part 2

a while back I wrote an extensive article on the archons of Magic: The Gathering. Since I don't feel like making a fool reboot (and I can't add more images to that article) I've decided to make a sequel article dealing with the archons we haven't reviewed yet.

Archon of Coronation

Released in Commander Legends this archon hails from the plane of Fiora. Given what a political clusterfuck that plane is, I don't know what the archons political stance is, but I suppose they support whoever's in charge (currently Marquesa).

This is the first archon with an actual bird steed (unless we count Ornitharch's flock of birds?) which makes it stand out quite a lot. I also like the pure black face, so eerie for a White card. I guess it could be mask like a robber's mask, which makes it funnier in my opinion.

Archon of Cruelty

Introduced in Modern Horizons 2 this one is the first non-White, mono-Black archon, which I quite dislike since it plays into the whole "Black if evil" shenigans. As we previously discussed, Archons represent the cruel side of White mana, so this makes even less sense flavourfully.

The design at least it's interesting, with a hooved carnivore like a mesonichian with bat wings as steeds. The exact plane where it lives is not clear, but judging by the Bolas horns it might either be from the Meditation Realm (which would make it the only living thing besides the imprisoned dragon twins there) or Amonkhet, which has no precedent for archons but enough for angel-fuckery. Maybe Bolas meddled with it and that's why it's mono-Black?

Guardian Archon

(Apologies for image quality, it was the only large pic I could find without the card)

Debuting in Strixhaven: Commander, this owl ridding archon has a quill-end like shield, which I find it quite adorable for a sinister force of violent order. The pen might be mightier than the sword... which is why its a shield instead of a weapon. Clever girl/boy/non-binary!

Archon of the Wild Rose

We return to Eldraine with this imposing white-stag riding archon. Like previous Eldraine archons it looks quite luminous and ghostly and we actually have a reason why! Accroding to the D&D tie-in monster manual, Eldraine archons are actually deceased knights. They live at the boundaries of the wilds, marking the border between the human and fae realms. Human knights often pick up a fight with an archon in order to expand the humans' domain, which is fruitless as the archons don't get to decide where the boundaries are. Silly humans.

The return to Eldraine also introduces the card Archon's Glory, showing an archon flaring before what I assume is one of Ashiok's nightmare thingies. Not much to say except it looks pretty cool.

Ezrim

We conclude this sequel with the second legendary archon, Ezrim. From Ravnica, Ezrim started as an Azorius archon, before quitting because the other archons were apparently too much for him. He then went on to found a truth cult (ironic considering mythological archons are all about keeping the illusion of the material world) until it grew into a detective agency. He is a major character in the Murders at Karlov Manor storyline; not a lot of quirks but has quite a presence. We also see through him that an archon and steed can momentarily seperate... which he uses to file paperwork. Neat.

I like the use of browns in his depiction, like a very subdued gold. Besides the trenchcoat - working wonders to hide his face btw - he wilds a blue staff, which I assume he uses to unvield the truth. His steed is some sort of sharp toothed bull with two tails and four wings; it isn't described in detail in the story, I'm assuming because either the final design wasn't ready when it was written or because it's simply not easy to described

And that's it for now

Creative has made Archons quite a rare creature type, and have played quite a bit since we last sank our teeth, subverting both the MTG rule as White's bad side and the mythological role as masters of illusion.

Let's see what the future holds.

#mtg #magic: the gathering #magic the gathering #archon #archons #gnosticism #gnostic

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adobe-outdesign · 1 year

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What are your thoughts on the Poipole line?

Poipole is a neat creature, with a giant head and a vaguely draconic body. I will say that it does feel a bit less "UB-ish"; it's relatively comprehensible, the design's pretty simple, and it Has A Face, whereas most UBs break these rules in order to feel more alien-like. Maybe it's just the result of it being a pre-evo, but you could probably pass this thing off as a legendary and not need to change the design much.

Design wise, the blue-purple-pink color scheme works well and the head's size and color helps draw one's focus to it, seeing as that's where all the stingers are. The little pink spots on the underside and tail help break up the body a bit and draw the color through, and the expression's fun. Pretty solid overall, even if it could've stood to be a bit stranger.

Side note: One of my personal favorite things about Poipole is that it's actually a starter in its home dimension. Do you think people there would be horrified by a Bulbasaur if it accidentally came through a wormhole?

Thankfully, things get significantly weirder by the time we get to Naganadel. First, the eyes are a completely different shape, almost forming a visor of sorts around the head, which help make it less Pokemon-like. This also ties into one of the neatest aspects of this thing: the "abdomen" is actually still the head! It contains its brain, implying the "head" is actually just a modified tail. That's just a really cool way to handle the evolution, and makes it really Weird, which is always a good thing with UBs.

The design also has a somewhat dragon-like upper body that's at odds with the wasp-like lower body, with said wasp abdomen adding some extra context to the needle points (they're similar to wasp stingers). It's a neat creature design. I also like the patterns added to the abdomen and how the spikes on the shoulders parallel the stingers. I do think that the upper body's maybe a bit busy—the wings in particular feel like they have a bit too much detail—but as a whole, it's pretty cool.

Overall, some solid UBs. Poipole has some neat lore, while Naganadel has a really solid alien design and some really funky anatomy that adds a lot of flavor to the line. Good stuff.

#poipole #naganadel #pokemon #pokemon reviews

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grailfinders · 2 years

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Fate and Phantasms #284: Artoria (Caster)

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re finally heading back to D&D 5e for all of… one build. You know her, you love her, she just made a CEO at Lasengle richer than the entire country of Greece, it’s Artoria (Caster)!

Now admittedly I’m still not 100% sure what Castoria does in Lostbelt 6, but neither did DW when they made her kit-if anything, this build’s extra authentic. Besides, she’s an Evocation Wizard, so you’ll have a billion and one chances to pick up whatever spells you want anyway. We’ll also pick up a blade from a Dao as a Warlock, just in case you feel like making a legendary sword the old-fashioned way.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: That’s not what we meant when we called the horny police on Kiara.

(Also worth noting, Artoria does have a big role in the sixth lostbelt, so expect spoilers for said chapter ahead!)

Race and Background

So… this Artoria is weird. She’s kind of a faerie, kind of not a faerie, but either way she doesn’t even do faerie stuff, so we’ll play it safe and make her Custom Lineage instead for +2 Intelligence, a smaller size, and darkvision over a skill proficiency. That’s not to say you’re not Skilled though- you’ve spent plenty of time working on your thievery skills, like Thieves’ Tools, Stealth, and Deception. You’re also a Folk Hero for a… generous definition of “hero”, giving you proficiency with Animal Handling and Survival. You lived in a barn, that kinda thing’s gonna happen.

Ability Scores

Your number one score is Intelligence- your magic and your skills were both honed through study. After that is Charisma. You made contact with faeries and didn’t get murdered day one, that’s a successful persuasion check in my book. I doubt that’s for a lack of trying though, so your Constitution is above average too. You also don’t wear too much armor though, so let’s keep your Dexterity above a ten too. This means your Wisdom isn’t as high as it could be, but we’re dumping Strength. She’s a caster for a reason.

Class Levels

1. Wizard 1: Starting as a wizard is neat- you get proficiency in Intelligence and Wisdom saves as well as two wizard skills like Arcana and Insight. Your magic may be weak by faerie standards, but you’re still a game-breaking caster. Also, people who can’t tell when faeries are lying aren’t going to last long in Britain unless they’re the main character.

You can cast Spells using your Intelligence and your spellbook, which holds a buttload of magic that you prepare from. Obviously we’re just going to mention the important ones here, but you get six at level one and two each level after that, plus any spells you pick up along the way.

That’s a lot of magic, but you can use even more of it thanks to your Arcane Recovery, letting you recharge some spell slots once per day on a short rest.

As far as spells go, we’re picking up the standard Mage Armor and Magic Missile to not die and make some caster balls, respectively. We’ll also get some sleeping pills with the Sleep spell. We’ll also start on your path to making weapons and defenses with Shield and Ice Knife. Humble beginnings.

… feels kind of weird finishing a first level synopsis in a reasonable amount of time.

2. Wizard 2: Anyways. At second level you study the School of Evocation, making you an Evocation Savant, so you spend less money and time copying evocation spells. You can also Sculpt Spells, so you can allow a number of creatures to automatically pass their saves when you cast an evocation spell. This also means they take no damage instead of half, if applicable. I mean I don’t think there’s many faeries you’d want to save, but maybe you’ll meet a nice human one of these days.

3. Wizard 3: At third level you get second level spells! If your lockpicks fail to open a door, Knock can probably get it open, albeit with a lot of noise. You can also build an actual weapon now with Shadow Blade, creating a simple melee weapon that deals psychic damage and gives you advantage in dim light or darkness. Annoyingly it doesn’t use your spellcasting ability like Flame Blade, but still, a sword’s a sword.

We’ll also get Magic Weapon next level, but if you want to help reforge your friends’ swords you can grab it now, nobody’s gonna stop you.

4. Wizard 4: Fourth level wizards get their first Ability Score Improvement, so we can finally round up your Intelligence and Constitution. Odd numbers are bad, m’kay?

5. Wizard 5: At fifth level you get access to third level spells like Fireball for some bombs and Wall of Sand, the best wall you can get to date. It… doesn’t actually stop anyone, but it blocks sight and makes anyone moving through it super slow, so it’s good for a low-level spell.

6. Wizard 6: At sixth level you have Potent Cantrips, so your save-based cantrips still deal half damage if their target succeeds their save. I think the only cantrip we have that’s actually affected by that is Thunderclap. Ah well, at least it’s better.

7. Wizard 7: At seventh level you get fourth level spells like Fabricate to make your own swords for real and Greater Invisibility. It’s not quite defense, but if it keeps your enemies from hitting you I’ll count it. It’ll be a while ‘til we get a decent shield anyway.

8. Wizard 8: At eighth level you get another ASI, so bump up your Charisma. That’s about to get a lot more important.

9. Warlock 1: It gets more important with your first level in warlock. I know Merlin being your mentor is kind of a thing, but I want the spells from the Dao Genie list and Merlin grants wishes sometimes so now he’s a genie. Besides, you’re clearly not getting your power from the Archfey this time around, she hates you. You get a Genie’s Vessel, which isn’t super in-character but we’ll take it. You can use it as a Bottled Respite, letting you hide inside it for a couple hours per day, and it also gives you access to the Genie’s Wrath, adding some bludgeoning damage to one of your attacks each turn. Yeah your swords are a little dull, you’ve just started making them that’ll happen.

For spells, grab Blade Ward for another kind of protection if your shield fails, Green-Flame Blade for extra-spicy forging, Charm Person to survive in Faerie Britain, and Sanctuary for some extra protection against the faeries. It forces any creature you tries to attack you or cast a harmful spell to make a wisdom save, and if they fail they have to change targets or waste that attack/spell. It only lasts a minute or until you make an attack though, so you’d better be careful with it.

10. Warlock 2: Second level warlocks get Eldritch Invocations to customize their hellish existence as England’s chosen one, so grab Eldritch Mind to keep your spells up for longer with advantage on concentration saves. We’ll replace your second invocation eventually, but for now pick whatever you’d like.

You can also Detect Evil and Good now, which despite the name actually lets you detect fey creatures.

I don’t know if you know this, but I think… just a hypothesis, but there might be some fey creatures in Fey Britain. I know, it’s shocking, right? At least they can’t sneak up on you now. For ten minutes per spell slot.

11. Wizard 9: Ninth level wizards get fifth level spells like Wall of Force. Now we’re getting somewhere! This wall is immune to damage, and can’t be dispelled, and it even blocks passage through the ethereal plane. The one downside is it only lasts 10 minutes, plus Disintegrate does what you’d think it’d do to the wall.

Also, you get Legend Lore. It’s hard being a child of prophecy if you don’t even know what the prophecy is. I mean it’s hard either way, but at least you’ll have some idea what you need to do.

12. Wizard 10: Tenth level evocation wizards have Empowered Evocation, letting you add your intelligence modifier to the damage of a spell for one target. Not really that wild compared to fifth level spells, but not every level can be a banger.

13. Wizard 11: Eleventh level wizards get the best defense possible with the sixth level spell Globe of Invulnerability. It makes a 10’ radius ball around you that can’t move, but it blocks the effects of all outside spells of level 5 or lower. This is a great option for protection, though it doesn’t affect objects, so arrows and people with legs can still get in. I mean people without legs can get in too it’s just- I’m going to stop talking now.

If you’d rather use the swords you’re making, Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise lets you use your Intelligence to stab people, plus you get a second attack each turn.

14. Wizard 12: Make your intelligence even better for the smartest dang Artoria you ever did see. It also boosts your spell power and maybe your sword power if you’re using that spell I literally just brought up.

15. Wizard 13: Thirteenth level wizards get seventh level spells. Forcecage is a great option to block attackers as long as they’re large or smaller. You can make it have gaps to trap something that is gargantuan, though that leaves space open for it to attack. Not only does it block all matter and spells, it can even eat up teleportation spells, forcing a charisma save on anyone trying to use one to escape.

The one downside is it costs 1,500 gold to cast this spell, which is pretty steep for someone living in a barn.

A more economical option is creating Mordenkainen’s Sword for a minute at a cool 250 gold. It’s an action to cast, and as part of that action and as a bonus action each turn you can slap a creature near the sword for a lot of force damage.

16. Warlock 3: We finally head back to warlock to get the Pact of the Blade, letting us make a sword properly, one that will always stay with us. It’s Chastiefol, basically. Especially when you turn that second invocation into Improved Pact Weapon so you can cast spells through your sword and turn it into just about any melee weapon you want.

We’ll also pick up Shatter for some homemade pipe bombs. CIA, I am clearly talking about in D&D here, it’s something Castoria does, calm down.

17. Wizard 14: Fourteenth level wizards get our final feature, Overchannel. Once a day you can deal maximum damage with any wizard spell of 1st-5th level you cast. I mean you can do this more times per day too, but each time you take necrotic damage based on the level of the spell, starting at 2d12 per level and increasing by 1d12 each time you use it. I honestly don’t know why they bothered giving it a type since it ignores resistances anyway, but there you go. If you ever wanted to give your life to hit something really, really hard, now you can! I’m sure that’ll never come up in-story though, don’t worry.

18. Wizard 15: Fifteenth level wizards get eighth level spells, and if you’re tired of defensive spells that require your concentration check out Mighty Fortress. The casting time’s a lot, but it makes a real-ass fortress that lasts for seven days, or permanently if you keep casting it in the same spot.

19. Wizard 16: Use your last ASI to grab the Tough feat for 38 extra HP now, plus 2 more when you level up. Better make sure you don’t heroically sacrifice yourself before the third act, after all.

20. Wizard 17: Seventeenth level wizards get ninth level spells, and they’re just as overpowered as you’d think. Invulnerability is exactly what it sounds like: you are immune to all damage for 10 minutes, or until concentration drops. There’s like, one ability that makes a concentration check without dealing damage though, so it’s pretty much at will. If you’d rather go on the offensive with the holy sword, Blade of Disaster is your go-to. As a bonus action you make a big-ass sword and swing it, dealing tons of damage. You have triple the critical hit range, and it deals triple the damage on a crit too. You can keep using this sword each bonus action for up to a minute, and it passes through any barrier.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Overchannel has a very interesting effect with spells that deal damage over time, like your spell Shadow Blade. It just makes that spell deal maximum damage, period. Not the first damage you deal, not to one creature, just. Big. Sword. With a fifth level spell slot, that’s 33 damage per turn, or 65 with a critical hit. For context, a level 20 barbarian deals an average of 18-19 damage per turn, with an average of 45 on a crit. This isn’t even the wildest option for overchannel either, just the one that’s most in-character. You can do crazy damage if you get creative.

On top of that, you’re great at preventing damage too, you can increase AC, reduce damage, make yourself impossible to hit, and even become immortal. Hell, you have a first level spell that lets you take their damage and push it somewhere else. You’re like Shuckle, if Shuckle could kill people. So like Shuckle.

Finally, you’re still a wizard, so you have tons of utility options and flexibility when it comes to your spell list. I think we mentioned like half the spells you can get, so you have tons of space to play with even before we bring up spell copying.

Cons:

Using Shadow Blade for big damage requires, y’know, swinging a sword. Your best attacking stat is a +1, you’re not hitting that often.

On a related note, your AC is fourteen, and your HP doesn’t go over 200. You really shouldn’t be on the frontline, even if you’re the best shield the party’s got. Also, casting spells from HP really stacks up quickly, so don't get too wild with the damage.

A lot of your best spells use Concentration, and even if your saves are good thanks to Eldritch Mind, you still only get one concentration spell at a time.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #Castoria #Wizard #Warlock

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juleteon · 1 year

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Artwork by the amazing @stardragons, feat. Selkouni and the All Seeing Eye

Selkouni, Lunarian & Bug - The wanderer trio. The main leads of the story as it revolves around their journey to uncover disturbances which chain effects seem to grow more violent and dangerous enough to put entire worlds at risk. There is no leader in the trio, each one possesses a different ability, background and knowledge that benefits the whole group, and combining their skills they're able to achieve more than any could individually.

Selkouni is the lead protagonist, however, the story begins and ends focusing on their journey from before they meet the other two.

Selkouni is the youngest and least experienced, an extremely curious being fascinated by the universe. They are also The Messenger - as different cultures might call them in variations of the title referencing a tale of a creature born of the heart of the planet, possessing a soul that's unbound to the gravity of their body - an ability to allow the being to serve the purpose of observing that, which the universe keeps hidden in the matters of life and granted the choice to reveal and forward those secret messages to those who need them.

In more practical terms, when Selkouni is asleep, they awaken in other's dreams, lucid and in control of their consciousness, they are free to roam the space conjured by a complete random stranger's mind even if they might be galaxies away. Selkounis senses are cloudy, but present, in that state. Instinctively, they always try to avoid influencing or interacting with the original dreamer and their plot. If and when they do - it takes a good amount of energy recourse, and will leave them more tired and less clear-headed once they awake. This entire experience leaves them in a chronic state of some dissociation, while they clearly can distinct between the awake and dream, it blurs the outline of their body and clouds their memories. Being a creature that experiences both the awake and dream worlds so vividly in their senses, communicating that just in language becomes limiting and challenging - after all, how would you describe the scent or taste of a fruit that the other person has never even heard of, for example? Their communication with their fellow companions, Ian and Bug, is easier and much more comfortable for them as the trio has ways to speak that exceed spoken language.

Selkouni is an extremely curious being with great desire for learning, exploring and discovering. They're fascinated by the design of the worlds, the geology, the astronomy, the flora and fauna and the repeating galaxies of patterns that structure them. They really are like a starry eyed kitten, eager yet cautious, friendly but distant, mostly calm but can be easily excited when something sparks their interest. At the beginning of their life, they've been a rather daring, reckless feral creature, but following the events that lead to separation from Rana, their caretaker, they've grew to be more vigilant, restless and careful.

Selk is a very kind, honest and compassionate being. Empathetic and respectful to the world around them, living or not. They contemplate for hours in their mind and with their companions. As someone that communicates easier through not exactly common means of language, they might feel a bit awkward and held back when interacting with strangers at verbal speech, but their kindness and gentleness makes up for it for most. They carry themselves as a timid, optimistic passerby that appreciates the view and is impressed by the cultures and people they encounter on their path.

Once chosen by the All Seeing Eye, their responsibility and title begins to catch up and weigh on them. They become more anxious and suspicious. While the addition of having the voice of a legendary ancient relic and two demi-god snakes is pretty neat, it also is a constant reminder of what they have to do and achieve in their lifetime, that, which they have not yet figured out what it is except for that it has to do with putting an end to the cause of the disturbances in the universe that they have been tracking down. And that is more than enough to make anyone's knees tremble and lose their balance under such a pressure.

#Terra Sonalis #Original Character #OC: Selkouni #Hell yeah I decided to say Fuck It and share this over here as well #>:} Welcome to my worldbuilding chaos #I love Selk a whole lot and they're a really really important character of mine.. I'm glad to share about them with others at last

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