[quote="bruce"]Commentary on the vision:

This is an utterly typical <i>Fiend Folio</i> monster: inconsistent, useless, and overpowered in a stupid way.[/quote]

I agree, but it's appeal from a STORY standpoint is gold. GOLD.

I'd explain more, but that would be [i]telling![/i] Hee-hee! Help, fairies and pixies have stolen control of my keee-board and are prancing about!! Help!!

Kind of similar to a 3rd edition ghost, but a ghost can still damage you if you can't see it (unlike the hitchikers guide's bugblatter beast of treeal). Though I believe that the ageing effects are a special attack, but boy does that suck if you do get hit...

-LG

Commentary on the vision:

This is an utterly typical <i>Fiend Folio</i> monster: inconsistent, useless, and overpowered in a stupid way.

Let's start by examining the nature of the creature itself; it's kind of like an illusion-magic undead creature. It's not really undead--you can't turn it--but it's like one in terms of its effects and shadowy appearance. But <i>bless</i> hurts it.

It potentially makes you age 10 years per round. Now, this is quickly deadly if you're human or half-orc, but is a much less big deal for a dwarf or an elf. On the other hand, the--completely nonstandard (3d6+3 vs INT?) saving throw--isn't hard to beat. Once you've beaten it, it can never touch you again.

Also, of course, if you just close your eyes, you're totally safe from it.

I am reminded of the Revenant (another <i>FF</i> special, come to think of it)in <i>Castle Greyhawk</i>, which was in the room entitled "Ridiculously Powerful Monster Misused By Game Designer" or something like that. You see, the revenant can't attack you unless you attack it first, or you're the person who killed it, so the revenant in this room is reduced to asking, "Are you my killer? Are you sure? Don't you want to take a swing at me?"

I think the best use of the Vision is to follow the party around and make them trip over stuff because they have to keep their eyes closed.

Bruce

[quote="Ice Cream Jonsey"]
In the blue book was the description for an undead monster called the "vision." Does anyone have the book that I am describing? Does anyone have the DM entry for that particular monster? The vision has been removed from subsequent versions of AD&D, so all my texts come up short. I kind of need to have my memory refreshed on the vision for this thing I am doing, so if anyone has access to the text and can post it or take a scan of it, that would be of tremendous aid to me.

Thanks...[/quote]

Well, I've already talked to Jonsey on the phone, but what the hell.

This is from AD&D v1 <i>Fiend Folio</i>, 1981, which is probably the source for the Vision in the later Expert set which I don't have. The Vision isn't in the 1980 Expert set, which I do have.

The following text is doubtless now owned by Hasbro, but whatever:


<b>VISION</b>
FREQUENCY: <i>Very rare</i>
NO. APPEARING: <i>1</i>
ARMOUR CLASS: <i>0 (10)</i>
MOVE: <i>15"</i>
HIT DICE: <i>8</i>
% IN LAIR: <i>Nil</i>
TREASURE TYPE: <i>Nil</i>
NO. OF ATTACKS: <i>Nil</i>
DAMAGE/ATTACK: <i>Nil</i>
SPECIAL ATTACKS: <i>Ageing</i>
SPECIAL DEFENCES: <i>Semi-ethereal, immune to normal weapons and missiles</i>
MAGIC RESISTANCE: </i>75%</i>
INTELLIGENCE: <i>High</i>
ALIGNMENT: <i>Lawful evil</i>
SIZE: <i>M</i>
PSIONIC ABILITY: </i>Nil</i>
Attack/Defence Modes: <i>Nil</i>
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <i>VI/825 + 10 per hit point</i>

Misguided research by a high-level illusionist (which led quickly to his death) created the visions -- summond beings which appears as shadows. The visions are unable to return to their own plane until their physical manifestations are destroyed on the <i>Ethereal/Prime Material Plane</i>; thus they roam the underworld in perpetual frustration and attack all they meet.

A vision exists partially on the <i>Prime Material Plane</i> and partially on the <i>Ethereal Plane</i>; if attacked from the material plane they are treated as AC0, but if attacked ethereally they are AC10.

A vision attacks by suggestion, not by physical means. Anyone seeing a vision within 30' must roll 3d6, add 3, and compare the result with his intelligence. If the character's intelligence is the greater, he has saved and can no longer be threatened by that particular vision. Any previous 'ageing' he has suffered is seen to have been unreal. A character failing to save will believe that he has aged ten years (the effects of ageing are covered in <b>ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE</b>). Each character seeing a vision is 'attacked' in the same way and must attempt the special saving throw, repeating the process each round.

If a character kills a vision, he must make a normal saving throw against magic; if this is successful, the apparent ageing vanishes, but if not it is real and permanent.

A vision can only be attacked by magical or silver weapons on either plane of its existence. The clerical <i>bless</i> spell inflicts 3-18 hit points of damage on it, while <i>dispel illusion</i> cast on a vision causes 0-5 (d6 minus 1) hit points of damage on it per level of the caster (so a 7th level illusionist casting this spell on a vision would roll d6 seven times, subtracting 1 from each roll and adding the results).

I used to have a blue D&D book in my possession. I can't quite find it, it's probably in New York. Anyway, years ago TSR separated D&D from AD&D. The D&D game had a lot less to it, and the manuals were much smaller. You'd buy the "red" books to get started (Beginner levels, I think), graduate to the blue ones ("Expert"? Can't recall the exact term) and then go onto, I think, cyan and then orange.

In the blue book was the description for an undead monster called the "vision." Does anyone have the book that I am describing? Does anyone have the DM entry for that particular monster? The vision has been removed from subsequent versions of AD&D, so all my texts come up short. I kind of need to have my memory refreshed on the vision for this thing I am doing, so if anyone has access to the text and can post it or take a scan of it, that would be of tremendous aid to me.

Thanks...