About 5 years ago, I was much more active in producing content for this blog, and part of that was trying to find things to write about. One such concept was with AI. The oldest AI generation tools out there were really new, and for me? An interesting way to produce some content for the blog. The idea being to put in some keywords and try to get something useful to interpret out of the AI generated images; the blurry and chaotic messes which, at the time, couldn't produce anything useful. It was meant to be one of those weird gimmick posts; content for a human driven creation.
I generated a bunch of random images using ganbreeder, later called Artbreeder, clicking on similar images to try and refine the images, and then giving them a name and interpret the messes into something tabletop related, like a monster or magic item. This is almost opposite on how AI is used now. We create a prompt, and the AI interprets it, instead of us interpreting the early creations.
But then, for some reason, I never actually wrote up the blogpost, and the images just sat on my harddrive doing nothing. From a simple gimmick into something that has really come to define and threaten many creative fields and creators, and has become the politicized issue. I like to think of this as a bit as a time capsule.
Random Stuff you may Encounter (Roll 1d6)
[1] Great Luminous Seahorse
Looks like a giant seahorse-shaped lump of algae, seaweed, and flotsam quietly drifting on the seabed, with barely contained light spilling out from the cracks. It's a giant glowing seahorse which uses its long tongue and tail to cover as much of its body as it can with camouflage to prevent it from being targeted by predators or human hunters.
Great Luminous Seahorse (6 HD, +2 AC Camouflage, 1d6+1 Kick, 2d6 Healing Power, Shocking Light)
Morale- 7
Number- Just one, 1% chance of a breeding pair with little babies (1 HD)
Because it glows when not covered, it is very easy to spot. However, it can shed off its "skin" to scare away predators as a last resort, blinding them with light (morale check or be stunned). Finally, the Seahorse has the innate power to heal other beings by channeling some of its inner light, resulting in a 2d6 healing effect on anything it wants once per day. It seems smart enough to know who is a threat to it, and will do things like heal sharks or random monsters who are attacking the party if it feels like they'd be more likely to attack it.
If caught and dragged onto the beach and drained of its glowing fluid, can be used to create a magic lantern oil that turns the undead while it burns and can also be drank to restore your health. Each Seahorse has an amount of oil (1 turn / 1 Hit-Point worth of drink) equal to its total Hit-Points remaining. This means it is much better to catch it while dealing minimal damage. These creatures are very likely to go extinct soon.
[2] Almost People
They almost look like people. People shaped, with folds that make the appearances of faces, clothes, shoes, mismatched fabric-like textures. Not actually people, neither physically or spiritually. Often found crowding around the town squares of deserted and ruined towns, or sometimes traveling in a great group on a "pilgrimage" together, with one or two terrified and emaciated young humans among their midst.
The Almost People feed off validation and attention. If you treat them like people in any way, such as a greeting, offering them food, threatening them, offering to trade, etc. they drain one point of your Charisma and become much more interested in you, staying around to get more of that "humanity" they in all way lack. It is very difficult to get rid of them; as even threatening or insulting them counts as giving them attention; which also heals them by 1d4 Hit-Points each time they drain a point of charisma. The two main methods are to kill them, which must be done without treating them as an opponent (unsheathe your sword to "inspect" it, slashing one in the process) or to ignore them, which is easier said then done. They can't really fight back traditionally (1 HD, 1d2 misshapen fists, -2 AC, etc.) so instead pantomime fighting and take up a stance, perhaps with a crooked sword, trying to get their opponent to pretend they are a real combatant by treating them as a real threat.
Some believe the Almost People are a precursor to the Plague of Men, or some of the "men" who are still in their larval state. Arguably less dangerous in this form, and less psychologically draining to destroy.
[3] Flying Salvation
Sounds like fabrics rustling in the wind, offputtingly large. Only ever arrives from over the horizon in response to a true prayer of need. Animals go quiet in its presence. It looks like an ever-unfurling mass of fabrics and sheets, blooming like a flower. It simultaneously feels as gentle as a butterflies wing and like you're in the eye of the storm.
Flying Salvation (7+7 HD, +7 AC, +7 To-Hit, Angelic, Sweep Away)
Morale- It does not flee from anything you can muster.
Number- Only one.
The Salvation represents something wholly good and uninterested in the affairs of the mundane world; it never touches anything physical, only sweeping besides and generating great gusts of wind. Maybe it's a "Spirit of the Upper Air". As an Angelic being, it is immune to holy magic and banishes all illusions. Instead of attacking, it simply sweeps things away on a successful attack; a wind vortex that touches one person and sweep them into the horizon fast enough to smear them across the sky but leaves the dandelions besides them in the grass unscathed. It can do this to any weight of being, or blast buildings apart; though it can only sweep away one thing per round. When the wicked hide inside a building, it first must sweep the roof away before the next majestic motion of fabric reaches inside and erases the sinners.
[4] Fairy Nautilus
An aquatic fairy. The Fae version of a shellfish. Looks like an elegant shell with two membranous wings that let it float majestically through the water; can only muster a pathetic hopping on ground, unable to sustain its own weight in flight.
While technically a creature, too weak and passive to be a threat to anyone. Hides in places where fairies usually do, but underwater, like underneath a rock shelf with stacked cairn stones or inside a dollhouse inside a sunken ship. Much like a fairy, you can catch it in a bottle and carry it around as an extra "life". (heals you 1d6 Hit Points when you take a lethal hit, but the fairy escapes the bottle). However, this one only works under water. Sometimes when you perform a mortal strike against a giant evil shark or kraken and it burps up some blood but doesn't die? It actually spit one of these out; stored in its stomach instead.
[5] Blue Shell Face
Found only in shallow, cursed pools within the Sapphire Mountains; these parasitic shells latch onto the faces of beings who try to wash their faces in the pools. Unfortunately, they only seem to spare ugly people, only attaching to beautiful hosts (Charisma 13+)
Anyone with a Blue Shell Face attached to them gains +1 AC and immediately halves their Charisma. The shell has control over its hardness, and will choose to become harder and less flexible to prevent its host from speaking (no spell casting) until the shell is fed. It eats whatever the host eats, slupring up some food before hinging open the shell-portion covering the hosts mouth to let them eat too. Can be removed with a remove curse spell, with a prybar (dealing 1d6 damage and -1d4 Charisma permanently to the host), or with a steady diet of muscle relaxants which make the shell fall of naturally (and will make the host extremely floppy, high, and useless for the next 1d6 days).
[6] Purple Stickthing
Found most commonly in forgotten and wayward pocket dimensions and otherspaces created by Sorcerers; these creatures seem to grow from stagnant magical energy and unrealized arcane potential. Have no visible eyes, mouth, or nose, yet always point the tip of their triangular "head" towards nearby magic users and beings. If you have no magic spells, items, or powers you are invisible to these creatures.
Purple Stickthings (2 HD, +2 AC, 1d4+1 leg bash, Haywire Spells)
Morale- 12
Numbers- 2d4
Congregate in open places standing silently, but usually under some kind of cover, like a temple roof or forest canopy. Whenever they detect magic, they will "chirr" which slowly wakes up the group. This takes a round, meaning you won't lose initiative and you can back away if you're stealthy enough.
While the Stickthings can't cast spells themselves, they seem to be able to control magic. Spells and spell-like effects go their way; they automatically make saves against spells and can splash some of it back towards their opponents. They can activate your magic items in inconvenient ways when used (levitation becomes uncontrolled and flings you into a rock, summons stand still or turn on their summoner without a control check, etc.)
Curiously, these creatures do not show up in dimensions used or frequented, only in the old and decaying ones, or ones whose connections to the material world are almost up. They are not like any living creature on earth, but their skin and coverings is most similar to insects; which has lead to the belief that the stickthings are like moths; consuming the enchantments that make up places that should no longer be.
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