Hello Faustus

>From The Desk of Wolfy at Money Talks Enterprises,

On 16-Jan-02, you wrote:

> Hey Wolfy:
> 
> I envy you the fact that you are shifting genres. You can do almost
> anything creative and just have it be a cool mutation. Like suppose the
> "Mind Flayers" no longer had heads at all because they had mutated so
> their brains were protected within their torso, and their heads now have
> mouths where the neck stumps used to be. The tentacles are still there but
> now they are 8 feet long and barbed.
> 


It is possible in mutazoids (even old 1st and 2cd edition) to select by hand
all the traits to create something that looked, had the powers of, and
acted like a "real" mind flayer. In theory, the exact pattern could be
rolled completely at random, but the odds are rather astronomical, and the
personality traits are available only by choosing not randomly.


> Same monster stats block, completely new and kewl creature. And nobody
> will complain because YOUR "mind flayer" doesn't look like the traditional
> version.


If I called it a mind flayer, yes people would probably complain about it.
If I called them "Mutaflarazoid" (pronounced- Muta-Flare-Azoids), and
described a totally different culture for them, I would get less flack but
it would still prolly come.


> 
> That sort of leeway kinda gets the creative juices flowing ...


There are pros and cons to post apocalyptic sci-fi genre. I still face the
same scrutiny as a fantasy game, maybe even more from certain quarters (P-A
Players can be tuff critics). The subject is wide and ever-expanding(is
that a pro or con, I forget), but the SRD and legitimate OGC that I have
encountered does not "yet" support outside genres very well.  Every stone
in the SRD must be picked up dusted off and examined for elements that I
don't want, or elements that I want to keep, but have to rework into a
non-magical element. Honestly it's been like the roller coaster ride at the
six flags over pandemonium.  


> 
> Faust
> 
> PS. Feel free to use the above...
> 

Not even my developers are in agreement on this.  One guy sends me a
perfectly legal (well, legal after I snipped a line or two) representation
of the Bugbear, the Troll, and some others to be used. yet while another
thinks it's a dumb idea to have ANY direct dnd creature conversions in
Mutazoids3e at all.  

I still agree with your statement below, and say if I can't properly flesh
out the creatures in the SRD, then "give a little guidance and let the fans
do it themselves if they want to."  

> 
>>> 
>>> I personally think the case can be maintained that divergent 
>> descriptions
>>> of the same monster is a bad thing...
>>> 
>>> Faust
>> 

It's like being told that it would be really cool to create a penny-loafer
from the penny up, by pretending that penny-loafers don't already exist.
You are told you should call it a penny-loafer and it will have a penny in
it somewhere, but when you emerge with your divergent creation, everyone
(including the people who gave you all this wonderful advice) row is
wearing real penny-loafers, and you're left with a box of shoes that nobody
wants to wear. 


Mutazoids, It's not just for breakfast!
-- 
Wolfy
http://www.mutazoids.com/ 

ICQ- 13469530
AIM- Wolfy2264


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