DSB interface

[cowsmanaut]

matte painting is usually a combination, live photography mixed with actual painting. So that's what this is..

[cowsmanaut]

concept sketch for new screamer.. final to come later..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/ ... eamer2.jpg

[Sophia]

It's well-drawn and all but as for the style... I'm not a fan, personally. I like the traditional look of the screamer.

[Gambit37]

I think it's quite cool, and definitely more scary than the old one!

[cowsmanaut]

I tried the screamer as traditional. it looks like broccoli with a mouth and thus looks stupid.. as a monster impractical and in great need of redesign.. my initial redesign was to have hidden pods amongst leaves.. rather than a series of mouths.. you saw it in ZYXs dungeon.. and now this is my later design where it's evolved a bit more from that.. losing the leaves.. gained thorns. Something more like a rose..

[Gambit37]

I guess it really depends on whether you want to keep to the spirit of DM, or if your updates will make it look totally different?

[cowsmanaut]

well some things will be very similar, just not the stupid things.. I'm sorry.. but screamers just don't make any sense at all gigglers will probably be fairly different too..

The rest will have the same general form and idea.. just trying for a more advanced presentation of them.

[Gambit37]

Do fantasy creatures have to make sense? Screamers, as we know, were the FTL version of the DnD Shrieker, which is a fungus:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_ ... _PG112.jpg

I very much like your version but I do think it's very far away from what FTL intended. Nothing wrong with that at all, if the intention is to make a set of graphics that are unique and copyright free. But if you want to keep the spirit of DM, perhaps it's a jump too far? I personally don't mind one way or the other, just curious about the ultimate goal?

[cowsmanaut]

i find the veiny shaft in the center.. somewhat... disturbing..

however, it's got more potential than the one in DM. maybe I'll revisit it again..

[beowuuf]

Shriekers attrach creatures with their sounds, and were a fungus. I liked to think that screamers were one step above, and actually inflicted damage from the pitch of their screams. I played it this way when I was writing the story, and also added a fungal spore component that damaged you that way for the game D&D game. Both are condusive for them simply opening up orifaces near you instead of needing something extendd to bit you. for the D&D game I even stole the violet fog idea of having small roots to flick at you too.

[Ameena]

Yeah, in my story version of DM I'd had Screamers inflicting harm by the pitch of their screams. They sort of suck in air (maybe through the trunk?) and let it out all really fast through all those little holes in the top. I think those new-design Screamers do look cool, but they don't look like Screamers - they look more like something that attacks by biting or by lashing out with the thorny branches, not by somehow pulling in air and "exhaling" it to make a loud noise.

[Sophia]

In the actual DM code, having high wisdom is what helps you resist damage from Screamers. Armor and such wouldn't help you at all. This seems to go along with the interpretation that the scream itself has harmful properties.

[Ameena]

Wooo, killer sonic energy of death .

[cowsmanaut]

there.. sonic slits..

[Jan]

Ummm. Well... that's... interesting?

[ian_scho]

It's more screamerish, that's what it is. Only in more than 16 colours.

[cowsmanaut]

attempting to avoid the swollen bum hole look :
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/alumn ... ker2nd.jpg

and tried vents/slashes in the surface which could blast air at a high pitch..

[Jan]

That's more traditional and "probable" and I like it. I also like the small screamer-babies.

[ian_scho]

You're able to switch between styles quite happily I see. Well done!

[Gambit37]

Not sure about the vented version, looks a bit too much like a face or helmet? I actually quite like the swollen bum hole look that you linked to... perhaps I'm weird!

[cowsmanaut]

it could be a large fallace with open sores too..

[Ameena]

Err, I'm guessing you mean "phallus" there, Cows . But yeah, that one does look a bit...wrong, somehow . I like the good old hole-topped mushroom-tree thingys anyway .

[cowsmanaut]

I knew by the little red underline that it was incorrectly spelled.. but knew people would get my meaning rather than run around and figure out the spelling just be glad I'm not an english teacher

[Ameena]

You could have just said "knob" and saved the trouble of problematic spelling at all .

[cowsmanaut]

very true

[Joramun]

The screamer was always reminiscent of this to me : Broccoli

At least it's not in any way similar to a manly attribute.
Adding a slimy poisonous feel shouldn't be too hard. After all, we know vegetable are DANGEROUS !

[cowsmanaut]

so summer school just ended. I have time for a few more portraits if anyone wants to direct me. (Note the portraits stopped when the requests stopped )

[PeteC]

I tried the screamer as traditional. it looks like broccoli with a mouth and thus looks stupid..

Screamers are a knock off of D&D's Shreikers. It's supposed to look like a fungus. On a similar note, Wizards Eyes were originally called Beholders.

Sorry, realized to late that this point had been addressed. Jumped the gun.

[beowuuf]

No problem, we post a lot I think wizard eyes are the 'Eyeball' kin, and of course beholders especially are a specific D&D property so you'll never see them in the SRD or in non-D&D games without some subtle name changing

[cowsmanaut]

ok, bumping this thread since I've jumped back into the swing of it.. though remembering that the previous images were all done at their actual size.. so I may go back and up res them. perhaps daroo? hissa? re-creepify mophus? Gothmog?