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KaVir
God Wars II Admin
Germany
3397 Posts |
 Posted - 01/01/2011 : 3:00:13 PM
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I've been trying to decide how best to handle the appearance of a lich. Normally everyone's default form has a human appearance, with other appearances tied to a shapechanged formed - Titans are an exception, but their appearance is tied to their subclass talent.
The original plan was that liches would appear human, but be able to transform into their "Apocalyptic Form". However no longer like that idea - I think liches should always appear as undead.
But I do think the appearance should change based on the type of lich. In particular, I'd like Death liches to appear as skeletons, Famine liches as ghouls and Pestilence liches as zombies. Not quite sure how War liches should appear...perhaps shades? Or blackened skeletons? Or even mummy-like?
The problem is handling the default for liches that don't have a lich lesser calling. Perhaps they should appear desiccated? Or they could be skeletal by default?
May thy fangs stay ever sharp, thy soul ever dark. |
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onodera
Member
Russia
104 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2011 : 6:07:06 PM
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Default lich appearance should be of a comparatively fresh corpse: pale or yellowish skin, dull sunken eyes, bloodless lips, rigid movement.
War liches should probably be mummies, because there's no other instantly recognised appearance left. |
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Devoid
Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 15/02/2011 : 2:43:26 PM
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quote:
Not quite sure how War liches should appear
Empty armour of course, you know ghosts that posses a suit of armour.
Titan is the god wars II equiilant of cheat mode: inulnerability plus one hit kills.
the only way to balance the game now is to ether remove Titans or remove all non Titan classes as obsolete.
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onodera
Member
Russia
104 Posts |
Posted - 16/02/2011 : 5:13:41 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Devoid
quote:
Not quite sure how War liches should appear
Empty armour of course, you know ghosts that possess a suit of armour.
What if don't want to wear armour? Or better, what if you do? Will you look like an armoured suit of armour? |
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Devoid
Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 21/02/2011 : 9:17:13 PM
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with armour I would Imagine you would look like your armour.
I guess without armour would ether be a generic armour appearance, or a shadow/ghost of some sort.
I cant really see someone wanting to use War Lich unarmoured but to each their own I guess. |
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Xakarii
Member
USA
725 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2012 : 9:54:39 PM
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war lich could be a shade and choose either to wear nothing and harvest organs from players for various bonuses much like dragonbarding does with precious metals, or they could use conventional armour with a more limited set of customizable body-parts being more of a skeleton than a shade they could take on organs, but not skeletal structures as a shade might be able to aquire through its inherent formlessness.
You sink your teeth into Rennard's throat and tear out his jugular vein.
You wipe the blood from your chin with one hand.
Rennard is mortally wounded, and spraying blood everywhere.
[2211 exp] <66hp 100m 100mv> wield sword
You wield a standard issue sword.
[2211 exp] <66hp 100m 100mv> decap rennard
You bring your weapon down upon Rennard's neck!
A misty white vapour pours from Rennard's corpse into your body.
You double over in agony as raw energy pulses through your veins.
Info -> Rennard has been decapitated by KaVir.
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Hertz
Member
8 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2012 : 01:34:21 AM
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"I'd like Death liches to appear as skeletons, Famine liches as ghouls and Pestilence liches as zombies. Not quite sure how War liches should appear...perhaps shades? Or blackened skeletons? Or even mummy-like?"
Death liches -> skeletons: This fits well with the robed-skeleton embodiment-of-death that everyone is familiar with. Emphasise the relative elegance of a plain skeleton in comparison with the others, corresponding with the relative simplicity of death itself, opposed to death by X.
Famine liches -> ghouls: What is the thematic link between widespread starvation and ghouls?(One might even ask, "WTF is a ghoul, anyway?") Why not just a disgustingly thin and yellowed, but otherwise normal, human form?
Pestilence liches -> Zombies: DISCOLOURED FLESH FOR EVERYONE!
DID SOMEONE SAY CANCEROUS BULBS? No drooling or requests for brains though, please.
War liches -> shades/blackened skeletons/mummies: I have no idea how to overcome the fact that the rest of the game is based around fighting and distinguish a character as warlike, but I pray to Kavir that it be not mummies, or anything else that be just picked for the sake of it. |
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Xakarii
Member
USA
725 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2012 : 06:25:36 AM
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They may all be similar in appearance but I imagine that like Fatebound they'll have powers that make up for any lack of shapechanging proficiency. They aren't just skeletons but supernaturalis in skeletal form, like a crappy insurance policy their lich-pact or whatever didn't account for things like tissue-rot so they had to get creative with the only thing they could bind their souls to: human or in some cases animal bone.
I'm personally in favor of at least some shapechanging through powers that let you harvest bones or organs for your own repurposing.
I think everyone would really enjoy being a conglomerate of other players' or mobs' organs with particular bonuses based on powers and/or talents that part may have associated with it.
Death lich
A skeletal death-lich could harvest bones in particular to either replace their own or create weapons, armour. Potentially you could have an entirely bone-suited knight of sorts. As far as appearance I imagine they'd have a number of colours from swamp-green to black... but I think it would be fun if they could through some means replace bone-shapes if not through harvesting then by knowledges in the "Abyss" or whatever plane liches come from. Giant dirt-brown winged skeletal mammoth sounds like an intimidating and varied look.
Famine Lich
Ghouls look slightly different in all games, but generally have a lots of rotting meat involved in their true form and have all types of colours.
"A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as but not necessarily undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights. The term is first attested in English in 1786, in William Beckford's Orientalist novel Vathek,[1] which describes the ghul of Arabian folklore."
"In ancient Mesopotamia, there was a monster called 'Gallu' that could be regarded as one of the origins of the Arabic ghoul.1 Gallu was an Akkadian demon of the underworld 'responsible for the abduction of the vegetation-god Damuzi (Tammuz) to the realm of death' (Lindemans). Since Akkad and Sumer were very close to the Arabian deserts, Arab Bedouins in contact with Mesopotamian cultures could have borrowed the belief in the ghoul from the Akkadians."
"In addition,..." "...mentioned the story of Arqam Bin..." "...al-Arqam in which a ghoul appeared and kidnapped al-Arqam's, son who was on a desert journey. The ghoul, disguised in the form of a woman, carried the boy on its back. When they saw al-Arqam's friend, the woman pretended to be the boy's attendant (al-Wâqid... 1984, 104). This story emphasizes the well-known deceitful and wicked character of the ghoul. In folktales, motif (G443.2) 'Ogre abducts woman's children…' (El-Shamy 1995, 149) is similar to the account given above. In general, the Pre-Islamic ghoul is known as a devilish female creature that intends to inflict harm on travelers and is able to change its form. In most cases, the ghoul is defeated by striking it with a sword."
Guess they don't deal with cut damage any better than you would expect from a pile of meat, maybe it has to be a badass sword though.
'The star Algol takes its name from the definite Arabic term "al-ghul", "the demon".'
So it looks like the original ghouls might have been adept at shape-changing as well, which leaves a bit of room for variance
Pestilence liches
Could also take a variety of forms, sizes, abilities depending on the associated lore. Also related are some interesting zombie-like creatures:
"The Anchimayen (in the mapudungun language, also spelled "Anchimallén" or "Anchimalguén" in Spanish) is a mythical creature in Mapuche mythology. Anchimayens are described as little creatures that take the form of small children, and can transform into fireball flying spheres that emit bright light. They are the servants of a kalku (a type of Mapuche sorcerer), and are created using the corpses of children.
"A jiang shi, also spelled jiangshi or chiang-shih (in Wade-Giles), and also known as a Chinese "hopping" vampire or zombie, is a type of reanimated corpses in Chinese legends and folklore. "Jiangshi" is read as Gangshi in Korean and Kyonsh; in Japanese. According to legend, in the day, the jiangshi rests in a coffin or hides in dark places such as caves. At night, it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their qi"
A ro-langs is a zombie-like creature from Tibetan folklore. Ro is the word for corpse and Langs is the perfect tense of "to rise up", so Ro-Langs literally means "a risen corpse". A ro-langs is usually created by a gdon spirit, or a sorcerer.[1] A ro-langs cannot speak or bend over, it signals its victims by wagging its tongue back and forth. They can not bend at any joints, which makes them walk with a stiff-armed lurch. In regions of Tibet there are low doorways to keep the ro-langs out[2] Similar to that of a Western Zombie, such as the so-called "Romero Zombie."
"Draugar were believed to live in the graves of the dead, with a draugr being the animated body of the dead. As the graves of important men often contained a good amount of wealth, the draugr jealously guards his treasures, even after death."
War/shade
"The rider of the second horse is often taken to represent War[2] or mass slaughter. His horse's color is red fire). In some translations, the color is specifically a "fiery" red. This color, as well as the rider's possession of a great sword, suggests blood that is to be spilled"
The other heritages may know how to fight, but this is -the- branch for mass slaughter on the battefield (provided you're any combination of non-corporeal and/or shapechanging physical parts you've collected.
A shade would naturally be shapeless until you choose to bind yourself to a set of human arms, snake legs, no torso or head location (just empty space, or empty armour), with a demon's bladed tail. Corresponding powers replaced by the Horseman of War power/heritage.
Though it may be a hell of a thing to flesh out as far as details, but that should settle some of your questions. |
Edited by - Xakarii on 07/02/2012 06:53:21 AM |
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Xakarii
Member
USA
725 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2012 : 06:14:18 AM
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The problem is handling the default for liches that don't have a lich lesser calling. Perhaps they should appear desiccated? Or they could be skeletal by default?
"Liches are depicted as being clearly cadaverous, their bodies desiccated or even completely skeletal. Liches are often depicted as holding power over hordes of lesser undead creatures, using them as their soldiers and servants.
Unlike a zombie, which is often depicted as mindless and/or under the control of some magician, a lich retains its independent thought and is as intelligent as a living human - and often, far more so. In some works of fiction, liches can be distinguished from other undead by their phylactery - an item of the Lich's choosing into which they imbue their soul, giving them immortality until the phylactery is destroyed."
Perhaps the default appearance could be determined in part by the players' choice of phylactory. Or the appearance command would allow a range of decayed-states and a phylactory would add particular traits, in much the same way the bladed-tail power modifies descriptions. A zombie might take a dragonbone dagger as a phylactory
and gain internal damage soak, bonuses to regen and/or (aesthetic or functional, would still allow for all kinds of macabre combinations)- exposed bone structures on zombies, skeletal lichs with ethereal phylactories could be blackened skeletons, or even suits of physical armour seemingly moving about on their own.
As far as I understand the process, the appearance of a lich is based in part on the skill of the magician's binding spell and/or time passing and causing the body to rot if the spell was imperfect.
Ideally true-blooded liches could be indistinguishable from normal humans, though there are a variety of binding spells and techniques for accomplishing such a feat, depending on the magician's time, means and skill as well as their own values : IE : a power-hungry magician seeking to raise an army may opt for a skeletal form with a different potential for specialization- Controlling skeletal minions, whereas another might value aesthetics and the finesse/dexterity allowed by preserved musculature, joints, tendons and fascia tissue, while still another may covet the magical prowess and mobility of a shade.
A bone-material item as phylactory could confer the skeletal appearance and particular benefits to summoned skeletons/skeletal related powers (regen rates come to mind).
Meat or flesh material items could be especially beneficial to ghouls and confer bonuses related to bite damage, brute strength, physical damage, metabolism.
As for Zombie- cloth immediately comes to mind as they are so often depicted as wearing no armour, though that would be an option of course (alternatively you could bind your soul to a piece of steel armour or weapon to enhance combat prowess over speed and defence. I know most people don't immediately think of zombies as fast, but think about all the other zombie legends and mythical zombie-beast hybrids. Definitely room for us to use our collective imagination.
Shade could be difficult, as their appearance would naturally be indistinguishable from shadow and would therefor appear featureless, unless you were to be able to alter your appearance and allow for partial or total opacity. IE: A pair of corporeal disembodied giant arms, or a seemingly floating partially transparent gorgon head.
How 'bout it? |
Edited by - Xakarii on 09/02/2012 06:35:50 AM |
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Lich Appearance
