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fandomhigh2008-09-29 01:30 am
berserkerminsc.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2008-09-29 01:30 am
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Care for Magical Creatures; Monday, Period One; September 29.
The danger shop today was set up on a great, grassy clearing, bordered on one side by trees and on the other with mountains. Across the plain, strange creatures idly roamed, and, near the entrance to the scene, stood Minsc, dressed in full, actual armour but, respecting the rules of the school, armed only with pretendy danger shop weapons. Near him stood more stands with moddable armour and weapons for the kidlings.
"Good morning, children!" he greeted them brusquely, quite obviously in his element. Even Boo seemed ready for battle, safely tucked in the pouch at Minsc's belt. "I hope you are feeling awake, or else you maybe feeling sore. Today, you see, is for battle!" He pumped his fist, tight around a sword, into the air. "For fighting!" Another energetic pump. "For glorification of arms and the good, sweaty feeling of combat! Today, we speak of magical creatures who will fight beside you for justice! Or against you for badness! And we must know how to approach them, to fight beside them or fight against!"
He waved his sword toward the battlefield, pointing out the creatures with its end. "Pay attention, now!"
"Allow me to introduce the first creature, the umber hulk. Do not look closely! Any creature that sees all four of this insectiod's eyes at once will immediately fall into a fit of confusion, become so driven into befuddlement, that will either render them useless or might even cause them to attack their own! This is very inconvenient if your enemy has umber hulks, but imagine the advantages if it is you who has them! Other things to keep in mind: they tend to focus on just one person at a time in a battle, which makes them good for small skirmishes, but not for epic fights! And not good at all if you're the person they are focusing on! They like to have their meal and just go, but if you show them a good whooping, they are known to retreat. They are clever enough to know that some meals are just not worth it! This could make them unreliable in a pinch, though."
"Confusing your enemy with just a look not enough? Maybe you'd be more interested in a basilisk, then! These repiles are very dangerous, though, and not to be considered lightly! Not only do many of them leave a terrible trail of poisonous venom whereever they go, but they also have a lethal bite and a straight look from a basilisk will turn a man to stone! If it is a weaker one, the effect may be only temporary, but if it is stronger...." Minsc gave a grave chuckle, "get used to being decor, my friends! But I will let you in on a secret: the basilisk has one weakness, guaranteed to work every time! You see, there is one smell that basilisks cannot stand, and that is one of a weasel! I do not think, however, they sell that as an eau de toillette!"
"While dabbling in necromancy is very dangerous territory, there is a lot to be said about recruiting the undead for your battlefield. Most likely, they are quite a renewable resource, as well. Skeleton warriors might be delicate against a fierce blow, but when you are just bones, it's easy to just pick yourself up again! They are immune to almost all sorts of magic and you can just forget about any missle weapons! What are you going to do, piece its heart with your arrow? It's spleen with a crossbow bolt? Scatter and crush the bone! That is the only thing to stop these warriors! Of course, without muscles, their hits aren't that strong and they are pretty defenseless. Power in numbers with these guys! And persistance!"
"Also in this category are zombies; though they are more physcially thick than the skeleton, they are similar in weaker but persistant attacks. And crushing a zombie will only slow them down! One must destroy the brain to get them to cease!"
"The gnoll. Filthy, disgusting dog creatures of the most dispicle manners and taste in human flesh, but I will be the first to admit that the smelly bastards can put up quite a fight. They will rarely work with humans, but it is not entirely unknown if a deal that satisfies their putrid desires. They work in armies amongst their own, so they translate well onto the battle field...if you can trust them! Tall, usually clad in armour and weilding large weapons, their barbarism and tendancy to try to eat off your arm while you swing it at them, makes them a formitabble opponant, and they are known to fight to the death when pressed."
"Troll may rhyme with 'gnoll,' but there is a very big difference between the two. Trolls, however slimy, are still not as smelly as gnolls, but this might be a personal preference. While they are definitely often bad, they are not as dishonest or brutal or savage as gnolls. In fact, while a gnoll cannot be trusted, a troll is often too trusting, tending to be very gullible. But very unhappy when they find out they've been duped! They are adaptable creatures that can learn very quickly, but they do have a bit of a...superiority complex and might take some convincing to change! This stubborness shows off when they reach the point of death. There are many ways to put a troll out of commission, but there is only one way to kill them without having them regenerate with their quick healing powers. And that, my friends, is to kill it with fire! Many of them can also make illusions to distract their enemies; that can be very useful, too, especially if it is their dinner on the line!"
"If you are more of a strategist than a die-hard combatant," although Minsc couldn't understand why anyone would be, "perhaps a kobold is more up your alley! These smart little buggers can hold their own in a fight with their sharp, pointy teeth and razor class, but they are much more fond of clever, tricksy ways of besting their enemies. They are known for setting exceptional traps, which make them very good for battles to be had in wooded or tight spaces. And they have a nasty throw! I'm sure I have at least a few good dents in this old noggin caused by a kobold throw or two! They are particular unfriendly toward gnomes; a territory dispute, I believe, but none of you are gnomes, that I am aware, so they will only be moderately unfriendly to you, not to worry!"
"Now, please keep in mind, my students! The creatures discussed today are only a few of the possible creatures that may help or hinder you in a battle! Many of the others you might see are very big and large and splendiferous, and we will be covering them much later in class, in a different section!"
"What I would like you to do today is, first! We will discuss our options. Tell me: if you had to chose only one of these creatures to assist you in battle, which would you choose? And why? The Whys are very important! Do not fear to engage your fellow classmates in debate and discussion, either! Do you agree? Disagree? And, again, with the important Why's! It is important to know all about a creature before you engage it."
"And engage you will! After we have discussed matters, go ahead, and go out into the field to engage whichever creatures you please. Try to get them to help you. Fight them bravely! But be warned; these are just pretend monsters, and if things get a little hairy, I will have to end your battle, just to be safe. I know, I know. Such a killjoy, but this is a classroom, and veneration from a good, hearty fight will have to wait for after hours!"
[[ many images and descriptions taken and paraphrased from DragonLance's The Bestiary by Steven "Stan!" Brown and has made me really miss tabletop RP.Please to be waiting for the OCD is up! Forward! To BATTLE! ]]
[[ Class Roster and Syllabus
"Good morning, children!" he greeted them brusquely, quite obviously in his element. Even Boo seemed ready for battle, safely tucked in the pouch at Minsc's belt. "I hope you are feeling awake, or else you maybe feeling sore. Today, you see, is for battle!" He pumped his fist, tight around a sword, into the air. "For fighting!" Another energetic pump. "For glorification of arms and the good, sweaty feeling of combat! Today, we speak of magical creatures who will fight beside you for justice! Or against you for badness! And we must know how to approach them, to fight beside them or fight against!"
He waved his sword toward the battlefield, pointing out the creatures with its end. "Pay attention, now!"
"Allow me to introduce the first creature, the umber hulk. Do not look closely! Any creature that sees all four of this insectiod's eyes at once will immediately fall into a fit of confusion, become so driven into befuddlement, that will either render them useless or might even cause them to attack their own! This is very inconvenient if your enemy has umber hulks, but imagine the advantages if it is you who has them! Other things to keep in mind: they tend to focus on just one person at a time in a battle, which makes them good for small skirmishes, but not for epic fights! And not good at all if you're the person they are focusing on! They like to have their meal and just go, but if you show them a good whooping, they are known to retreat. They are clever enough to know that some meals are just not worth it! This could make them unreliable in a pinch, though."
"Confusing your enemy with just a look not enough? Maybe you'd be more interested in a basilisk, then! These repiles are very dangerous, though, and not to be considered lightly! Not only do many of them leave a terrible trail of poisonous venom whereever they go, but they also have a lethal bite and a straight look from a basilisk will turn a man to stone! If it is a weaker one, the effect may be only temporary, but if it is stronger...." Minsc gave a grave chuckle, "get used to being decor, my friends! But I will let you in on a secret: the basilisk has one weakness, guaranteed to work every time! You see, there is one smell that basilisks cannot stand, and that is one of a weasel! I do not think, however, they sell that as an eau de toillette!"
"While dabbling in necromancy is very dangerous territory, there is a lot to be said about recruiting the undead for your battlefield. Most likely, they are quite a renewable resource, as well. Skeleton warriors might be delicate against a fierce blow, but when you are just bones, it's easy to just pick yourself up again! They are immune to almost all sorts of magic and you can just forget about any missle weapons! What are you going to do, piece its heart with your arrow? It's spleen with a crossbow bolt? Scatter and crush the bone! That is the only thing to stop these warriors! Of course, without muscles, their hits aren't that strong and they are pretty defenseless. Power in numbers with these guys! And persistance!"
"Also in this category are zombies; though they are more physcially thick than the skeleton, they are similar in weaker but persistant attacks. And crushing a zombie will only slow them down! One must destroy the brain to get them to cease!"
"The gnoll. Filthy, disgusting dog creatures of the most dispicle manners and taste in human flesh, but I will be the first to admit that the smelly bastards can put up quite a fight. They will rarely work with humans, but it is not entirely unknown if a deal that satisfies their putrid desires. They work in armies amongst their own, so they translate well onto the battle field...if you can trust them! Tall, usually clad in armour and weilding large weapons, their barbarism and tendancy to try to eat off your arm while you swing it at them, makes them a formitabble opponant, and they are known to fight to the death when pressed."
"Troll may rhyme with 'gnoll,' but there is a very big difference between the two. Trolls, however slimy, are still not as smelly as gnolls, but this might be a personal preference. While they are definitely often bad, they are not as dishonest or brutal or savage as gnolls. In fact, while a gnoll cannot be trusted, a troll is often too trusting, tending to be very gullible. But very unhappy when they find out they've been duped! They are adaptable creatures that can learn very quickly, but they do have a bit of a...superiority complex and might take some convincing to change! This stubborness shows off when they reach the point of death. There are many ways to put a troll out of commission, but there is only one way to kill them without having them regenerate with their quick healing powers. And that, my friends, is to kill it with fire! Many of them can also make illusions to distract their enemies; that can be very useful, too, especially if it is their dinner on the line!"
"If you are more of a strategist than a die-hard combatant," although Minsc couldn't understand why anyone would be, "perhaps a kobold is more up your alley! These smart little buggers can hold their own in a fight with their sharp, pointy teeth and razor class, but they are much more fond of clever, tricksy ways of besting their enemies. They are known for setting exceptional traps, which make them very good for battles to be had in wooded or tight spaces. And they have a nasty throw! I'm sure I have at least a few good dents in this old noggin caused by a kobold throw or two! They are particular unfriendly toward gnomes; a territory dispute, I believe, but none of you are gnomes, that I am aware, so they will only be moderately unfriendly to you, not to worry!"
"Now, please keep in mind, my students! The creatures discussed today are only a few of the possible creatures that may help or hinder you in a battle! Many of the others you might see are very big and large and splendiferous, and we will be covering them much later in class, in a different section!"
"What I would like you to do today is, first! We will discuss our options. Tell me: if you had to chose only one of these creatures to assist you in battle, which would you choose? And why? The Whys are very important! Do not fear to engage your fellow classmates in debate and discussion, either! Do you agree? Disagree? And, again, with the important Why's! It is important to know all about a creature before you engage it."
"And engage you will! After we have discussed matters, go ahead, and go out into the field to engage whichever creatures you please. Try to get them to help you. Fight them bravely! But be warned; these are just pretend monsters, and if things get a little hairy, I will have to end your battle, just to be safe. I know, I know. Such a killjoy, but this is a classroom, and veneration from a good, hearty fight will have to wait for after hours!"
[[ many images and descriptions taken and paraphrased from DragonLance's The Bestiary by Steven "Stan!" Brown and has made me really miss tabletop RP.
[[ Class Roster and Syllabus
Re: Class Discussion -- 09/29.
"The gnoll cannot be trusted, and the troll can be too easily fooled. The kobold is clever and tricksy, and could be a worthy ally." He dropped his head to nibble at his fetlock, as if struck by a sudden itch, and added in a mutter, "A unicorn would be best of all."