Intrigued by some things, but surprised (and a bit disappointed) to see they made it such a high level creature. That means I'll probably never end up using it since most of my campaigns never get that high.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hiKCxXmh4Xk/U-rfoVRoVUI/AAAAAAAABbI/SuDycDKY6WQ/w667-h879-no/MM_Sphinx-1.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--zK2oVpyAqk/U-rfotZz_2I/AAAAAAAABbM/s2SIvpLZHsA/w667-h879-no/MM_Sphinx-2.jpg)
Quote from: Sacrosanct;779102Intrigued by some things, but surprised (and a bit disappointed) to see they made it such a high level creature. That means I'll probably never end up using it since most of my campaigns never get that high.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hiKCxXmh4Xk/U-rfoVRoVUI/AAAAAAAABbI/SuDycDKY6WQ/w667-h879-no/MM_Sphinx-1.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--zK2oVpyAqk/U-rfotZz_2I/AAAAAAAABbM/s2SIvpLZHsA/w667-h879-no/MM_Sphinx-2.jpg)
Looking at the 1e/2e experience tables where 9-10th is 250-300k you should be fine to reach 13-19th level.15th level is like the old 9-10th level. 5e wants you to play up to 20th level unlike the older versions where it was wasted page count unless you played RC and Mystara.
It seems like everything has either a really low CR or a really high one.
Quote from: Sacrosanct;779102Intrigued by some things, but surprised (and a bit disappointed) to see they made it such a high level creature. That means I'll probably never end up using it since most of my campaigns never get that high.
Given the trope of a Sphinx as a creature so powerful you have to think your way past it rather than fighting it, I would class that as a feature not a bug. :)
An androsphinx bears the head of a humanoid male on its lion's body.
A gynosphinx bears the head of a humanoid female.
Both pictures depict them with lion's heads.....
Did the artist not bother reading their art notes?
What I really like is that three out of the four Lair abilities could actually be really helpful. Its well worth negotiating with sphinxes.
Quote from: BarefootGaijin;779149An androsphinx bears the head of a humanoid male on its lion's body.
A gynosphinx bears the head of a humanoid female.
Both pictures depict them with lion's heads.....
Did the artist not bother reading their art notes?
I wonder if they were going for "lion-ish face" and it just kinda went there. He's got a fake Egyptian beard, though, that's kind of fun.
Quote from: jadrax;779152What I really like is that three out of the four Lair abilities could actually be really helpful. Its well worth negotiating with sphinxes.
"Enough. To the elemental plane of fire with us." *blink* "Enjoy!" *blink back*
Quote from: LibraryLass;779120It seems like everything has either a really low CR or a really high one.
Looking at the Basic update and the Hoard pdf, there seems to be a pretty big gap from about CR 9 to CR 16. I only found 4 or 5 creatures in that range.
I'm guessing that this is partially due to bounded accuracy, in which sufficient numbers of lower level monsters stay relevant longer, and partially due to the fact that both the starter set and the first ToD book focus on lower levels.
"Standard" things for which I haven't seen a CR assigned yet: most devils & demons, liches, spellcasting vampires, beholders, mind flayers, pyrohydras, djinn and efreet, weretigers, iron golems, solars, ogre magi, aboleths, rakshasa, night hags, ettins and dracoliths, to name a few. Some of those should fall into that range.
Whenever I look at that pic I think of this one:
(http://images.starpulse.com/pictures/2011/10/05/previews/The%20Lion%20King-20111005-42.jpg)
So I think they messed up by making it a lion's face instead of like the description.
Quote from: Saplatt;779174Looking at the Basic update and the Hoard pdf, there seems to be a pretty big gap from about CR 9 to CR 16. I only found 4 or 5 creatures in that range.
I'm guessing that this is partially due to bounded accuracy, in which sufficient numbers of lower level monsters stay relevant longer, and partially due to the fact that both the starter set and the first ToD book focus on lower levels.
"Standard" things for which I haven't seen a CR assigned yet: most devils & demons, liches, spellcasting vampires, beholders, mind flayers, pyrohydras, djinn and efreet, weretigers, iron golems, solars, ogre magi, aboleths, rakshasa, night hags, ettins and dracoliths, to name a few. Some of those should fall into that range.
I think you're correct because the second part of ToD comes out before the DMG and goes from 8-15th iirc. So there's a big middle range in there.
I'm a bit disappointed that there's not a hint of the classic Dragon Magazine April Fools issue article "Sex In D&D."
NOT keen on if you kill the sphinx you still don;t get the McGuffin cos god says so.
If that is the case why would god use a sphinx or limit them to 199 HP when they could make them regenerate 198 HP per round or whatever.
Smacks of RAILROAD to me.
Quote from: Sacrosanct;779178Whenever I look at that pic I think of this one:
(http://images.starpulse.com/pictures/2011/10/05/previews/The%20Lion%20King-20111005-42.jpg)
So I think they messed up by making it a lion's face instead of like the description.
Or... This...
(http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/Jungle%20Emperor%20Leo-1.jpg)
Huh. It really does kind of look like Simba.
They're trying to make them look Simbathetic.
I'll get my coat...
Quote from: jibbajibba;779208NOT keen on if you kill the sphinx you still don;t get the McGuffin cos god says so.
If that is the case why would god use a sphinx or limit them to 199 HP when they could make them regenerate 198 HP per round or whatever.
Smacks of RAILROAD to me.
I read it as you only fail to get the treasure if you enter into the Sphinx's magical test and fail. If you never enter into the test and just go for combat, the treasure is yours.
Creatures that choose to face a Sphinx's test are bound to that test unto death......when a creature fails a sphinx's test, the path to the object...it guards vanishes. Even if a sphinx is attacked and defeated, a quester will still fail to gain the secret it sought...Maybe I'm parsing things out too selectively, but that's how I'll run it, if it ever occurs.