Dungeons and Dragons: Wyste

[@AJPickett]

Whoops, sorry for the minor sound editing error around the seven minutes and forty second mark, as you can hear, I often just instantly repeat a bit of the script, picking up errors and such you probably can't even hear, but, I missed this one!

[@pensador6953]

hey. AJ 10:00 is that a mutated gnoll??

[@AJPickett]

@@pensador6953 No, that is a Baenoloth, avoid them beyond all other cautions, they are evil incarnate.

[@seancrawford4663]

I've listened/watched your entire library. (With exceptions for some live-streams.) I can appreciate the apology but you're still above 99% in your editing. Try not to let it get you down.

[@AJPickett]

@@seancrawford4663 thanks Sean 🙂

[@darkfograven570]

It seems you’ve gifted me with nightmare fuel for my players

[@purplehaze2358]

Those worms from Peter Jackson's King Kong are referred to as carnictises. From what I understand, they're essentially the descendants of tape worms that found their way into the gorge through their former hosts falling to their deaths.

[@darrellbenbrook6622]

You're in the wrong Fandom Dr.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Interesting. I love gamifying movie monsters to add into a world even if characters never encounter it

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

@@darrellbenbrook6622 5:45 there they are!

[@tyronedavies8680]

Always love to hear more about the far realm!

[@purplehaze2358]

I feel like, if a player character dies from licking the slime of these things, it would just be natural selection.

[@krishollow]

Pretty sure all my players would die. Then complain about dying.

[@johngleeman8347]

Nice. Two for one monster lore. If the wystes are easilly escaped or killed, send in a ravenous dharculus detecting the scent of its slain prey. >:D

[@samsamsamsamsamanilla5281]

The Far Realm as a concept has always been fascinating as applied to D&D, it's roots being HP Lovecraft Cthulu Mythos. To me it seems like any FR creature is a mere 3D projection of a greater creature we can't even conceptualize or sense in any manner, like a 3D shadow. I also think of the FR as the soap bubble thin layer separating "reality" from "unreality", if the bubble were to burst "reality" would be undone in the ensuring annihilation

[@AJPickett]

While the occupants of the Far Realm are HP Lovecraft inspired, the Far Realm itself has nothing to do with that author, its entirely a D&D thing and the man we should praise is Bruce Cordell, you can do so, he is still alive and well and working hard at Monte Cook Games, cranking out Numenera, The Strange, etc. The man is a legit legend in his own time, a genius, and a very nice guy,

[@samsamsamsamsamanilla5281]

@@AJPickett thank you for that bit of information AJ, I'll have to check out Bruce Cordell and his works. I've been hearing for years that The Far Realm was a direct HPL influence so I need to look at it from the D&D perspective. Great video per normal AJ and I greatly appreciate the helpful feedback👍

[@davidkoudelka10]

Something tells me that Firestorm Peaks is like the Event Horizon movie, where people dabbled in things they *should not have* and resulted in death and later "that one place that no speaks of because it definitely doesn't exist".

[@AJPickett]

Firestorm peak is where people are actively dabbling in things they should not dabble at! Its really the origin of a lot of common themes for the Far Realm in D&D today, you can tell it's an old module as it refers to the Underdark as The Underdeep :)

[@krispalermo8133]

Years ago, I ran a WotC 3e Star Wars game where everyone pulled index cards for their PCs, each player had four characters to send through the meat grinder, a lucky one pulled Darth Vader. Rebels and Imperials race to recover a ship and the game was sent up as the Event Horizon with multiple fire fights and cat & mouse. The player running Vader set the ship to blow after it jump back to where it came from as a " going away present." Princess Leia said to Vader, " Did you just save my life ?!" Vader, " I need you alive to bait Skywalker, you are a means to an end." Leia, " Yeah, thanks." Later on in the game, Leia save a few imperials and Vader. Other players ask in character, " Why did you just save Vader ?!" Leia, " Vader is the speed bump to slow those monsters down so we can repair our ships to get out of here alive, Vader is a means to an end." The end of the game, Vader capture Leia and sticks her in his darkside meditation chamber on his private shuttle. Which actives all of her force skill abilities that can be used untrained with a stander ability check roll. Event Horizon is a classic.

[@BlackKing_9]

incredibly early to an awesome video! hell yeah

[@joshuazane3210]

If your character encounters some sort of strange goo and their response is to eat some of it, they're probably not going to live very long in any event. 😄

[@adamwelch4336]

Now I got another beastie for my spelljammer game!

[@soultron4238]

OMG the FM/AM analogy made me 👏 Well done sir, we’ll done.

[@alexandriamason2355]

I never played Firestorm peak, I first encountered Wystes in 'The Speaker in Dreams' part of the 'Sunless Citadel' series of adventures. It was a great monster for dropping the weird in the middle of a narrow street. Not a complicated monster but clearly alien enough to foreshadow bigger weird things on the horizon. Describing the transparent skin seemed the most unsettling part for my players. Keep up the good work, sage.

[@cernunnos_lives]

Absolutely love your coverage of Far Realm material my brother.

[@AJPickett]

Much appreciated

[@lysander9957]

"The forgotten AM radio stations of the multiverse." That got a solid laugh out of me.

[@ianyoder2537]

"the bulbs lumps and goo pose no overt threat to curios player characters unless one of them licks or eats one of these samples" Let's face it, depending on your players this statement is an oxymoron. I know from experience of my chaotic stupid phase, that this would've defiantly killed me.

[@jaredjohnson8200]

Can you go over the history of psionics in D&D, and the way dragons could destroy the abyss? Thank you awesome video as always.

[@AJPickett]

An artifact created from a unique body part from the most powerful non-deity dragon in the multiverse, crafted into a box to hold a shard of ultimate evil like popping your cell phone into a Faraday cage to cut it off from the Wifi, that is basically it in a nutshell. As for the history of psionics in D&D, yeah, sounds like something I would do.

[@teddys5775]

I’d like to know more about fire storm peak

[@coreyeaston6823]

I've used that radio station analogy with the players before. Its a great way to explain different realities. Adding the AM and FM for Great Old Ones vs the shinny and new universe; is just better!

[@christianrodriguez7534]

It's interesting that the goo can awaken sorcerous powers. Honestly I'm surprised there isn't a book on all "environmental factors" that can change a character stats/race or an adventure that focuses on challenges a group of eugenic wizards breeding super soldiers. ...I want that goo.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Get writing, bro

[@Pyre]

"Things the size of continents drift in the distance. And those are the small shapes." Every time the Far Realm comes up, the old DM's Guide description creeps back into my head. Not a place that does exist, not even a place that *could* . But every place that *can't* . Somewhere no magic but the most powerful or secret can touch, and nowhere any creature would actually want to go. So when it sounds like the ecology of these things follows weird, complex rules unattached to normal or even vaguely rational laws, well, yes.

[@destonlee2838]

Am and fm stations, roger. here I had figured those elder evils were stuck on vinyl... Or reel to reel.

[@AJPickett]

Some are, the Draeden are stuck in Vinyl, they are almost stuck out of phase with all other realities, existing as their own demiplanes, no longer able to move.

[@MrBendylaw]

Lol...'Nightmares On Wax'.

[@krispalermo8133]

In 3rdE there was an adventure game booklet covering a city with a clock tower control by wererats, Far Realm cultist book shop, a mind flayer controlling the mayor, and the end boss monster fight was a Wyste. We up the wyste boss fight by making it a half-fiend Awaken Animal spell boosting it with psionic wild talents and defense/attack disciplines turning it into a true mind shattering horror.

[@AJPickett]

Yep, that is one scary alien tapeworm.

[@krispalermo8133]

@@AJPickett Needless to say, at my last game shop I was only really allowed to DM 3 times a month. Players roll their eyes when I tell them it is time to draw three to five PC cards to game with, its meat grinder time. Then again I seen a player chasing a large rat around an 8x12ft room trying to club it with his shoes cause the said rat was chewing on his shoe. He rolled dice for 15min IRL as a 12th-level barbarian, took 20pts dmg from rat bites and the rat still got away with his shoe. After that, the shop named the rat and give it honorary campaign villain. It was a stander rat from the book, just a bunch really bad dice rolls. Then we had the druid spell Awaken Animal cast on the rat, follow with multiclassing. His name was Slinter. The TMNTs fighting an alien tape worm from Dimension X in the swears.

[@trajanfidelis1532]

Love this! Inspiration for my Far Realm effected areas in one of my settings! Thank you AJ!

[@flibbernodgets7018]

What I've been able to find out about the ecology of Skull Island (Kong's home) has been really interesting. Lots of things there that would make great monsters. Those worm things you talked about evolved from tapeworm-like parasites that outlived their hosts. Far Realm stuff is always fun to hear about. I remember seeing the wyste entry but not thinking much of it, but this provided good context for them.

[@tatsusama3192]

5:54 God this scene freaked me out in theaters. Having a cricket, the size of a medium sized dog, jumping on you while an anaconda sized leech envelopes your head [shiver]

[@danielrowan4716]

Mr Pickett - Love your work and attention to details. I’ve been enjoying your content for at least two years and it’s provided me with excellent guidance and inspiration for my campaigns. This creature reminds me of the Neothelid from Pathfinder. Are they relatives?

[@AJPickett]

No, the Neothelid in Pathfinder is directly copied from the Neothelid from D&D, in D&D its a form of Illythid life.

[@kyothewraith1255]

Well if the party decides to start walking in interdimensional swampy muck they can't see thru, one could argue they're asking to get eaten by something unpleasant. Giant aberrational translucent lampreys would easily fit that bill. 😏 lol

[@VerityAran]

Astral dominions! 🤩 So excited!

[@AJPickett]

yeah, its going to get pretty wild.

[@krishollow]

Man, I appreciate how well researched your videos are.

[@Slechy_Lesh]

I'd love a video on gibberlings, I'm intrigued by their vibe.

[@AJPickett]

their vibe is interesting from a safe distance.

[@NanoMayTry]

Thankfully, nobodies tongue turned into a lamprey, this time at least...

[@Slechy_Lesh]

How do you know it didn't

[@garrettdaly9893]

Speaker in Dreams was a wild adventure at one point your player could get thier hands on a scroll of summon wyste

[@demetrinight5924]

These wyste creatures look like giant mutated leeches or lamprey. I suspect that is probably my brain's subtle way of making sense of creatures from that originate in the far realm.

[@AJPickett]

Yes, the first thing you must throw away in the Far Realms is this idea of microbes being small and multicell organisms being large... it just doesn't work like that there. Grells are microbes that live inside VAST creatures of the Far Realm, literally continent-sized forms of life are common there.

[@bergy4958]

My Lord and master Ghaunadaur approves of this aberrant message !

[@walterbunn280]

Gotta love environmental effects boosting a monsters challenge rating.

[@davhot4107]

So the creatures that ate the guy alive in King Kong (2005) was a this thing! Impressive.

[@Kaiju-Driver]

What an interesting creature

[@jacobrancourt2508]

Oh hey my GM hit us with a school of wystes just two weeks ago. Great timing.

[@captainkuddlez]

Currently working on a Campaign where the players are gonna deal with Atropus. So apocalypse on the way! Cant wait to hear the ideas you mention Lore Master AJ.

[@malcolmt7883]

Don't lick the blue stuff, got it.

[@zacharyweaver276]

These guys look similar to those other monsters with the three arms that eat magic and could easily see a person mixing the two up. Also would be interested in a video on those jibberlings you mentioned love hearing about obscure monsters

[@AJPickett]

Gibberlings are obscure now? *Cracks knuckles* time to remedy that!

[@zacharyweaver276]

@@AJPickett anything I haven't heard of is obscure to me I've only been in dnd a few years sorry

[@HowtoRPG]

Thanks AJ.

[@That80sGuy1972]

Is it just me, or is AD&D's Far Realm coming closer and closer to being as close as an Inner Plane? I mean, it used to be just outside of the Abyss, far far away (even planarly speaking) that the Abyss draws it chaos from and is relatively orderly compared to THAT. Beholders used to be aberrations that were vomited from there, not fitting in because of their finding realms like The Prime being more suited to their personality. Is the Far Realm now both an Inner Plane (Ethereal) and Prime-Adjacent Astral? That would kind of kill off it being the Far Realm in every original definition... and also tell us that the AD&D multiverse is about to be obliterated by it because it's about to be consumed by the Far Realm.

[@Pyre]

I kind of like this take better than the Familiarity Creep thats been happening. "Oh yeah, that not-a-place that's impossibly antithetical to reality is definitely real and horrors come out of it all the time" "Okay but that's worse. You get how that's worse, right?"

[@AJPickett]

The far realm is basically " The nightmare dimensions".

[@krispalermo8133]

I played Planescape between 17 ish to 20 years old, had a bad moment in life and lost my books. At 21 years old during 1998 at my first gaming shop they had Planscape box set. The earliest I can recall anything about the Far Realm was 2000's WotC Manual of the Planes source book for 3rdE, and that book only cover about four pages just to add flavor text and two illustrations. Other than the basic theme I was a bit under whelm. To fix that my first shop just applied the druid spell Awaken Animal and then apply the half-fiend template to any given creature. Which up the said creature's charisma score high enough to cast sorcerer spells equal to charisma modifier compared to creature's HD. Along with the half-fiend +2 CR, +3ECL and the half-fiend bonus spell like abilities for its HD/over all character class level. Then I got my hands on WotC Psionic handbook along with when bored we used WotC Star Wars force skill ranking. From WotC D&D or Star Wars having a small purple worm that Mind Blast the party members following with Force Lightning, along with using Fear to whisper sweet nothings into their mind's inner ear. Argument debate problem is that Star Wars Fear force skill is limited to one PC at a time or go with D&D arcane spell Emotion and effected a larger area with Despair. The spell Emotion : Despair or Fear only has a 30ft range and gives a minus -2 penalty to all actions but it is the theme of the encounter that matters, also tossing around Bestow Curse dropping ability stats or saves by 4pts helps to spread the terror of the moment. Also what helps plays with the theme of madness or reality bending effects, try tossing around Hallucinatory Terrian spell. Then argue over the spell 2nd-level Shape Stone, 6th-level Rock to Mud, and 5th-level Wall of Stone with their limited area of effects with what materials can be effected. If the DM and the players enjoy the story and fighting a Beholder reshaping and wrapping the castle/dungeon hallways as it travels through it, go for it. Argument is that Beholders been listed as have the alignment of lawful evil so it is out of the monster character theme to spread chaotic reality wrapping effect, but a beholder, pit fiend will have a different view on what is lawful compared to a human's view of reality. 2.) " Is the Far Realm an Inner Plane ( Ethereal ) and a Prime-Adjacent Astral ?" Good question but does it matter ? Look at the Astral Outer plane Limbo/Elemental Chaos between the Abyss and Asgard. My last two gaming shop just regard the home plane to the Slade and the gith monks to be an unform solar system with free traveling asteroids and stelar gas cloud the size of multiple earth solar systems combined. Then argue in Star Trek/Star Wars about stellar objects moving in clockwork gravity rotation within asteroid fields till someone goes through and firing their ships weapons everywhere creating a fragmentation field. But in Limbo/Elemental Chaos gravity doesn't work by the laws of known physics. b.) All planar planes share more or less the same location but everything is vibrating at a different frequency. Summoning or calling spells just temporary brings another being within the same vibration frequency of a give Prime plane's location. c.) Twist the game a bit, the Abyss wants to consume the multiverse, the Far Realm just is, have flying electric eels that eat only seaweed or kelp they will not active hunt the PCs but their navigating electric pulse will kill them in short order with their minds being beyond understanding. Any mental contact will do 1d4 temporary wisdom dmg. d.) 3rdE source book Tome & Blood had a prestige class that specialize in summoning Far Realm beings, background a caster first Lest Summon Monster I spell accidently called a minor being pseudo-creature from the Far Realm which caused the caster to became derange to make more contact till they go totally mad. e.) When WotC 3e first came out players were enthrall with arcane 4th-level spell Lesser Planar Binding calling an 8hd outsider one day per caster level. Here comes Pin Head for a Hellraiser story time. So you no longer need a 14th-level wizard using 7th-level Ensnarement spell to hell down on yourself as a player. With the source book Manual of the Planes, finding out about the Far Realms, there is always a player's spell caster try to summon a Lovecraft squid that just wants to be .. friends.

[@That80sGuy1972]

@@krispalermo8133 So... sort answer... "yes".

[@krispalermo8133]

@@That80sGuy1972 Hope you are having a good weekend, and happy Halloween.

[@dreamingspace7218]

Love the thumbnail art are those phaerimm?!!?

[@saeyabor]

The ending raises an important point: all of this works they way it does planes are not different places *exactly.* They are far more like "frequencies" that existence itself is tuned to in a given area. Listen to Boromir's description of why "one does not simply walk into Mordor," and compare it to the surrounding-area "Lair Effects" of any archfiend that's been statted for 5E, especially Zariel in MToF. If Mordor, and the square mile or so around a place Zariel has occupied, both sound like they're in the process of having their "reality frequency" set to Avernus, *that's because they are.* I"ll even compare it to the way the land changes in The Lion King.

[@AJPickett]

Yep, that is why a traditional material component of a plane shifting spell is a tuning fork, set to the frequency of the plane one is attempting to reach.

[@saeyabor]

@@AJPickett It even reaches into the visible spectrum: why the astral color pools are different colors.

[@AJPickett]

@@saeyabor if the designers were a bit more studious they would have matched the tuning fork key tone to the right colour match. Yes, colours have sounds, they are frequencies of light, but, as it is, colour pools are hard to identify without investigation.

[@MySerpentine]

I feel like a good Far Realm should feel as bizarre as the ergosphere of a black hole.

[@erroneous6947]

Sounds like firestorm Peak is influenced by H.P. Lovecrafts from beyond.

[@AJPickett]

Bruce Cordell is the Godfather of Aberrations for D&D, no question, he IS the mindflayer empire.

[@efferzzreffe4903]

that's gonna give me NIGHTMARES!!! 😴😫😓😱😰😨 & probably bed-wetting,..... 😟😞,..... 🤐🤫 Great Show Mr AJ Sir Dude! 👏👏👏👏👏 😁

[@andresmarrero8666]

Someone really needs to make a gaint interdimensional sign that says "Don't come here! We are incompatible with you!" In a manner that cannot be misunderstood. I wonder if there is any that does the exact opposite of the blue goo.

[@randallmarcum9998]

Hey AJ I think a full on video dedicated to Malkezid the Branded King would be cool as some 4 letter word just sayin

[@AJPickett]

That is very much part of the lore on the Crown Wars, which is a gnarly and massively complex video I am still working on.

[@randallmarcum9998]

@@AJPickett awesome I’m gonna have to prep my snack and tasty beverage for that one thanks for replying he’s a D&D BBEG I like to pull out on players who think they know all the aberrant gods archfey archdukes and demonlords in the game

[@pbr-streetgang]

Thanks for the vid sir.👍🏼👍🏼

[@chriscalvin5083]

Good video

[@Scortch-lo3xy]

are you okay in this? you sound sick

[@AJPickett]

Good sign audio quality is high, yeah, I bit lurgy in this video, but that's just spring pollen for you.

[@tonyoliver4920]

Hail Tharizdun

[@Emil-Tiger02]

Yay!

[@groudonmario]

Would devils also attempt to deal with far realm breaches as they do the abyss?

[@AJPickett]

Yes

[@groudonmario]

@@AJPickett honestly love all the reasons a devil in theory to work with PCs

[@orochifuror7148]

@@groudonmario Better the devil you know, then the demon or aberration that can't decide what tastes better, your flesh or your suffering.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

@@orochifuror7148 so silly. A demon would savor both equally! And an aberration may not really realize it is chewing on you.

[@guuspot923]

An unusual taste to be sure, but a great batch nevertheless. Compliments to the chef!

[@manarayofhope2374]

Happy Halloween aj

[@bjarnivalur6330]

I really like the Idea of some great elder evil being kept away from the prime material because it's boomer brain hasn't figured out how to switch from AM to FM yet.

[@Slechy_Lesh]

Watch the kurzgezact video on the hunter in the cosmic forest

[@jacobfreeman5444]

Maybe better to think of it as the elder evil simply is unaware of the value of that frequency and can easily make the shift if it ever had reason to tune in to it. So enamored with the amplitude of its current frequency it is blind to all else...for now.

[@bigsarge2085]

Far Realm = Best Realm

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

Wyste-op there?

[@pensador6953]

see, i find it hilarious that gods and demons and what not keep calling mortals oblivious, sure they didn't knew, because nobody told them and they haven't saw, but even if they did, what can they do?

[@AJPickett]

"What can do in the face of such reckless hate?" Good question Theodin, gooood question.

[@pensador6953]

@@AJPickett Theodin?

[@pensador6953]

@@AJPickett also those realms appear way more stable than i expected, i expected shifting terrain, water in the sky, that catches fire , a bluish cold flame that then turn to liquid then, turn to black ice, to pool in the ground soon after, like black mud, players stay away from the black sludge or they'll be melted, you know, a bad shellfish fever dream landscape that thing feels more a like alien , or a prometheus kind of deal.

[@pensador6953]

@@AJPickett just realized, we are talking about demons, for a second i thought they were creatures of the far realm, as in related to beholders.... it sure has enough tentacles in there, i find it odd that rotting as they are there is something.....familiar with demons, perhaps the darkest aspect of mankind see itselfs reflected in the mad horror of their being. At the end of it all they were forced to become insane, by the very energies that birthed them, mortals on the other hand, might bring them about just because they can. And with that thought, dangerously, i find myself agreeing slightly with the devils. perhaps is just my own darkness speaking through the gaps in my mind i must pray, and fast.

[@AJPickett]

@@pensador6953 Oh these are creatures of the far realm, for sure, but, to most monster hunters and sages, there is not much difference between the two... devils, deamons, demons, etc, are all just "Demons" to folks, but, as it is I don't have a far realms playlist yet, so demons was a close enough match, and I should really get my playlists in order.

[@theHedgex1]

Madness

[@Harrowed2TheMind]

Madness?

[@theHedgex1]

@@Harrowed2TheMind this is madness

[@Harrowed2TheMind]

@@theHedgex1 This. Is. SPARTA!

[@theHedgex1]

@@Harrowed2TheMind *eaten by wyste and screams*

[@JoXolah]

+1

[@austinaustin8566]

1st!

[@zmishiymishi5349]

😦