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The most fearsome, frightening monster in any RPG is...

Doctor Sbaitso

SO, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS.
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Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Grab the Codex by the pussy Serpent in the Staglands
Twice I have run into The Cat Lord (once out of level) and it has kicked my ass both times. If I see it again I might pee a little.


This thing is easy to miss among summoned or similar monster types but is very, very deadly, with a potent mix of melee damage, stat damage, status effects and magic paired with the highest armour of any Unique in Vanilla Angband. I have died to it twice. Getting clawed for up to 144 damage and confused followed by paralysis and blindness means you are dead. Better have the right resistances if you come across it. Better yet, do what I didn't do and RUN.


The Cat Lord f
=== Num:516 Lev:66 Rar:3 Spd:130 Hp:4800 AC:200 Exp:30000
Master of all things feline, the Cat Lord moves with unsurpassed stealth.
This creature moves normally. He is always created sluggish. He is invisible. He usually appears with escorts. He is magical, casting spells which teleport to or summon similar monsters; 1 time in 3. He can bash down doors and open doors. He resists poison, cold, and fire. He cannot be slept or confused. He is ever vigilant for intruders, which he may notice from 1000 feet. He will carry up to 8 good objects. He can claw to confuse with damage 12d12, claw to reduce dexterity with damage 2d12, claw to blind with damage 10d5, and bite to paralyze with damage 15.
 
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deuxhero

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Flowery Land
I know this might sound ridiculous to most, but the creature that frightened me the most when I was a young BECMI D&D player (and still creeps me out when I play) is the stirge. It is one of the weakest creatures in the game with less than a handful of hit points, but it waits out of range and then does a speed dive at your character for a bonus chance to hit. If it hits it does damage, but then automatically latches on and begins to suck blood for more unavoidable damage per round. But the worst thing is that the stirge is typically not found by itself, but instead attacks in groups or swarms, so if several latch onto your characters, you can only be pulling or stabbing one off of your body per round while the others are sucking you dry. And once that swarm is all around you, it's not like you can fireball them off without killing off your own characters. Seriously, fuck stirges. I'm glad no one has tried to implement their mechanics properly in any of the D&D games.


There are actually a few in Temple of Elemental Evil during random encounters in swamp tiles. A bit of a pain when you want a random encounter to get the last few XP needed for a new level during the early game and you get these instead of bandits.

I think the only one in game otherwise is a single one on the first basement of the temple, which is laughably easy to kill by that point and makes me wonder what the hell it's for.
 
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Doctor Sbaitso

SO, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS.
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Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Grab the Codex by the pussy Serpent in the Staglands
I know this might sound ridiculous to most, but the creature that frightened me the most when I was a young BECMI D&D player (and still creeps me out when I play) is the stirge. It is one of the weakest creatures in the game with less than a handful of hit points, but it waits out of range and then does a speed dive at your character for a bonus chance to hit. If it hits it does damage, but then automatically latches on and begins to suck blood for more unavoidable damage per round. But the worst thing is that the stirge is typically not found by itself, but instead attacks in groups or swarms, so if several latch onto your characters, you can only be pulling or stabbing one off of your body per round while the others are sucking you dry. And once that swarm is all around you, it's not like you can fireball them off without killing off your own characters. Seriously, fuck stirges. I'm glad no one has tried to implement their mechanics properly in any of the D&D games.


There are actually a few in Temple of Elemental Evil during random encounters in swamp tiles. A bit of a pain when you want a random encounter to get the last few XP needed for a new level during the early game and you get these instead of bandits.

I think the only one in game otherwise is a single one on the first basement of the temple, which is laughably easy to kill by that point and makes me wonder what the hell it's for.

I think there are a number of them in an old altar room with busted out stained glass. I remember thinking they could have been the ones to break the glass to get in. One of the few memorable encounters.
 

deuxhero

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I think we're talking about the same area. I just misremebered the count.

I only remember that fight for the wrong reasons: they were pathetically weak for when they were encounter and there was nothing of interest in that area anyways.
 

v1rus

Arcane
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Jul 14, 2008
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I was actually quite scared by Dragon Age's broodmother shit.

Not that I wasn't scared by Dragon Age as whole, that game is pure horror. I had nightmares that were easier to navigate through.
 

Lomer2

Educated
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Aug 28, 2012
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In no particular order:
Nessie from Wizardry 8
The werewolf from Bloodlines
Your first orc in Gothic 2 (I run in great terror to the city gate with him on my tail and let the guards slaughter him)
Morinth in Mass Effect 2 (the conversation on her couch (before Samara interferes) is very creepy as you expect her to attack you suddenly)
The Witcher has some nasty looking monsters (such as the Striga, the Bruxas and some others)
 

Deleted Member 16721

Guest
I think its why no saving except in towns was good. In bards tale or might and magic when you were deep in a dungeon and had run out of magic and potions you got nervous! I know modern games will not do that. The save/reload mechanic kills tension

True. I was hoping Elminage Gothic would have had a limited saves option. The game is great but a lot of the tension is broken by being able to save anytime, anywhere.
 

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
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Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Orcs in Gothic are right bastards, but the first time a shadowbeast comes at you can be a fright, moreso because it stays in poorly-lit areas and can one shot you something horrible. Ghouls in Risen were pretty bad too.
 

hell bovine

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Sep 9, 2013
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Secret Level
Morrowind gets mentioned, but not this?

32506-1-1277262709.jpg


edit: I don't know who made it, but it is beautiful
tumblr_nl5r5vCsFH1tbfzr5o1_500.gif
 

Sigourn

uooh afficionado
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Feb 6, 2016
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Sorry for the HUGE image, but this fucker in Morrowind makes me shit my pants. His fucking destroy equipment spell is annoying as hell, the first time I faced him in the vanilla game I had to cheese my way through the fight because he kept destroying my weapon and armor.

latest
 

Eirikur

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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015
Driders are among the more disturbing creatures. Dark elves that's been partly transformed into spiders through a long and painful process, as a form of punishment. I was very creeped out by them when playing D&D and Eye of the Beholder as a kid.
 

Deleted Member 16721

Guest
I think I heard Fargo say limited saves was an option in Bards Tale IV. Hope so.

Yep, I believe this will be an option. I tweeted him awhile back and asked him, and he assured me that there would be many "hardcore" options for those who want them. I also read in an interview that they were considering different options for limited saving as well. Awesome.

One of the many reasons I'm really excited for Bard's Tale IV.
 

octavius

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The Death Knight in Disciples of Steel.
Reminded me of the Cyber Demon in Doom, but instead of launching rockets he fired a crossbow which took out half my party in one turn.
 

Johannes

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casting coach
Roguelikes are the scariest since a tough monster will make you start over and not just restart (if you can't run away, at least).

Ogre Mages are always scary early on in ADOM - they cast invisibility so you can't see them, and they cast quite damaging ice bolts. But from where they cast the attack spell, you can judge their current position. They do walk around you constantly instead of sitting still, though.

Werewolf Lords are another possible early threat - they're much faster than most PCs, and summon more wolves, sometimes even more werewolves, to their side. This often makes running away impossible. They also hit very hard with their melee attack.

Tower of Elemental Flames and the Ancient Chaos Wyrm in it are probably the most exciting setpiece fight, you can never be 100% sure you make it unless you grind a lot.

But now when I think of it, when I played enough, it wasn't frightening to meet these guys so much. Just a welcome, exciting challenge. With time you learn that not even stat draining monsters are such a big deal in the long run.
 

eXalted

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Dec 16, 2014
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Every time I swim deep in the water in a 1st/3rd person RPG. Knowing that every moment a giant fish or a predatory water monster can jump from somewhere while I am surrounded by water... Fuck that.

I have no problems swimming in real life, but in real life there isn't all kind of shit living underwater while you are near the beach or in a swimming pool.
 
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*-*/\--/\~

Cipher
Joined
Jul 10, 2014
Messages
909
Interesting how almost all the entries are from older games... is it the general pussyfication of gaming? Or the fact that old games left much more room for your imagination while the current graphics whoring serves you everything on a silver platter?
 

SwiftCrack

Arcane
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
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Interesting how almost all the entries are from older games... is it the general pussyfication of gaming? Or the fact that old games left much more room for your imagination while the current graphics whoring serves you everything on a silver platter?

If anything it's less punishing mechanics than pure graphics that kill tension/fear.
 

Jack Of Owls

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May 23, 2014
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Massachusettes
Yeah, I have to admit that the first time I encountered a controller with its deadly ranged psionic attack in S.T.A.L.K..E.R: SHoC was one of the defining moments of terror in a computer game for me. That was one jarring moment. I thought that muthafucker was a boss, he was so powerful. Took me out with one hit. Barely knew what hit me.
 

SwiftCrack

Arcane
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Oct 3, 2012
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Tenchu games were pretty great, but that motion capture video is fucking weird as fuck
 

nomask7

Arcane
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Apr 30, 2008
Messages
7,620
This thread reminds me of someone's sig at ADOM forums:

"You attack the Ancient Pink Dragon with all of your force, but do not manage to harm it! The Ancient Pink Dragon breathes a death ray, poison, fire, acid, ice, lightning, water, corruption, missile, petrification, and stun breath at you. All of your equipment is torn apart! You die..."
 

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