Creatures & Critters

[mahrundl]

Oops, forgot to say:

Have an Exalt on me!

[mahrundl]

I suggested this creature in one of the threads about magic resistance, and finally got around to writing it up. None of this has been tested for usability, and I'm essentially outlining some game-world physics off of the top of my head here , so treat this as very much a first draft.

Gravity Slug

MR: 10 - 100 (very occasionally, a larger gravity slug will be found, with MR up to 500)
Combat Dice: 2+5 - 11+50
WIZ: MR / 5

Special Abilities
Altered Perception
Gravity slugs have no eyes or ears. They can perceive the world around them by means of vibrations in the ground and air, up to MR x 5' away (maximum of 200') under normal circumstances. They are therefore unaffected by darkness, blinding effects, and the like, but small or stealthy movements can be hidden from them by a stronger vibration.

Gravity Control
The gravity slug can control the level of gravity within certain limits. For every 10 points of *current* MR, the slug can increase the gravity level on a single creature by 10%. This has the following effects:

• Reduces the targeted creature's melee combat ability by the same amount as the gravity increase, to a maximum of 90% (but see below);
  
• Reduces the target's speed by the same amount as combat ability;
  
• Increases the needed SR for missile combat by 1 level per 10% of gravity increase.
  
• For each full 100% increase in gravity, the target automatically loses 1 ST per combat round due to fatigue, and the level of IQ SR to cast spells increases by 1 (it's harder to concentrate).
  
• Increases any other ST reduction due to fatigue that the target suffers by the same amount as the gravity increase.
  

Using this ability costs the gravity slug 1 WIZ per full turn for each 10% of gravity increase. They do not recover WIZ while using the ability. The creature must be within the gravity slug's perceptual range to be affected.

These values apply to a creature of roughly Large size. For Small creatures, the effect is doubled; for Very Small creatures, it is quadrupled; and for Tiny creatures, it is multiplied by 10. On Huge creatures the effect is halved. The size values are essentially those defined for 5th edition missile combat (Section 2.33):

Size Category	Size Range	Examples
Huge	12' and over	Dragons, balrogs, giants and whales
Large	5' - 12'	Ogres, humans, trolls and goblins
Small	2' - 5'	Hobbits, dwarves, wolves, large birds and children
Very Small	4" - 2'	Rabbits, rats, many birds and fairies
Tiny	up to 4"	Insects, coins, hummingbirds and mice

Normal flying creatures lose the ability to fly if gravity is increased by more than 50%. They can land safely as long as the increase is no more than 100%; above that amount, they are essentially falling and will take the appropriate amount of falling damage for a fall of that height, but increased by the amount of gravity increase. Magical flight is not prevented, but any costs associated with it are increased in line with the gravity increase.

Once gravity reaches 300% of normal, combat (both missile and melee) is effectively impossible. The creature can still move but only at a crawl, and this doubles the loss of fatigue.

If gravity is increased to more than 500% of normal, the affected creature cannot move at all.

Once the gravity slug stops using this ability, gravity returns immediately to normal and all of the listed effects cease. Damage and fatigue taken while the gravity was increased are recovered as normal.

Special Attack
4/Gravity Spike
The gravity slug causes a very short-lived gravity field of 10 times normal. This causes D6 damage to the creature for each 10% of gravity increase that the gravity slug is generating. The size modifiers do not change this amount of damage; a fairy and a giant will take the same damage.

Notes
Gravity slugs move fairly slowly - about 20' per combat round - on the surface, and about half of that speed underground. They prefer to travel underground, but will poke their heads out every so often to check the air for predators or prey. They are about as intelligent as a snake.

They are carnivorous, but will eat carrion if they find it. Normal sizes range from 1' to about 6' long. They are a dusty brown colour, and otherwise look like a large earthworm with sharp teeth. If a bird suddenly falls from a branch and lies struggling on the ground, expect to see one of these creatures appear very soon.

Eventually, I'll write up one of the things that preys on it. ;D

[mahrundl]

Skathros,

I just realised that I'd never Exalted you for creating and continuing this thread. Fixed now!

[skathros]

Thanks for the exalt, all! I'm still contributing to this thread because, frankly...i get a kick out of doing it. And i'm lovin' it that others are adding thier own monstrous creations as well. Very cool!

[skathros]

Ratlings
MR: 30
Combat Dice: 4d6+15
Special Damage: 1/1 – normal spite damage.
Special Abilities: Cateyes – This ability proves useful for navigating the lightless sewer complex’ where ratlings make their homes.

Standing no taller than 4’, ratlings, as their name implies, resemble humanoid rodents. Although not much of a threat individually, ratlings tend to attack in packs of 10 to 20 ratlings.


Note: I'm using these low powered critters for an adventure designed for low level delvers. The delvers are charged with investigating the strange happenings beneath a city (sewers).

Eventually, the delvers will discover that a cursed gem which found its way into the sewers is slowly mutating the rats dwellin therein into humanoid ratlings.

[skathros]

Lightning Lizards
MR: 180
Combat Dice: 19d6+90
Special Damage: 5/Blasting Power – A lightning lizard may spew a crackling stream of lightning to assault its foes.
Special Abilities: Armor – Its scaley hide offers 5 HITS per combat round.

Lightning lizards stand 4’ in height and may reach a length of 10’. Their scales are a shimmering blue and sparks of lightning constantly crackle around its maw. Lightning lizards have sometimes been used as mounts for powerful goblin chiefs or tribal lords.

[branderwydd]

Tou Powi
Monster Rating: 98 (typically found on dungeon level 1)
Combat Dice: 10d6+49
Special Damage: 1/2 – Multiple horn gouges cause double spite damage

Tou Powi are gigantic and dangerous saber-toothed and horned arctic cats. They favor cool climes, like upper mountain reaches. Tou powi are always hungry, and therefore always in a bad mood. In the autumn, tou powi will migrate south, though none has ever seen them quite so far south as Skully’s Harbor (set in a warm badlands region). They have no magical abilities, although they are rather cunning hunters. Their thick pelts and many horns provide them with 5 hits off. They are occasionally encountered in dungeons, placed there as guardians by some wizard or powerful monster.

These are taken from the cool Lejentia setting, catalyst-style, done in part by FBI.

[branderwydd]

Scarlet Streaker
Average MR: 50, or 500
Combat Dice: 6+25 or 51+250

Special Damage: 1/3: Because of their venomous bites, each point of spite damage counts as triple!

Aggressive red and white sea serpents. They come in two sizes: lesser (50 MR; 10’ long) and greater (500 MR; 100’ long). An exotic delicacy in Gaulden, they are quick and fierce – tough creatures to hunt. They must often be lured into nets by their favorite food (turtles). Greater streakers prefer the cold waters of northern climes, but lesser streakers can be found in the warmer waters of Gaulden. Streakers are prized for their flesh, the rumored aphrodisiac qualities of their oils, their skin (which is fashioned into amulets and charms), and their ivory tusks.

Gaulden is a port city in the Lejentia setting (down river from Skully's Harbor). Scarlet Streakers are mentioned in brief, passing comments in CityBook II: Port o'Call.

[unclecranky]

Green Death Rabbits
MR 7-700
# app: well, they ARE rabbits...
Combat dice 1-70
Special damage 1/2 poison (continuous)
Small (at least at first) and inoffensive looking, Green death rabbits look like the very stereotype of a bunny-cute, very cuddly, playful. These flop-eared delights from the plane of Nature, however, are carnivores with venomous fangs. Moreover, Green death rabbits NEVER stop growing, and being carnivorous, are very aggressive.
Their color ranges from yellow-green to a very deep pine, and often, mottled rabbits intermingle with pure-colored ones in a happy, hopping horde.
The venom of the fangs is sufficient to double the damage offered by spite, and doesn't wear off- if a character takes a hit, he or she loses 2 Con pts each combat turn until death or healing takes place. Common, everyday mud placed on a wound will draw the venom out, but not heal the injury.

[unclecranky]

Purple Slime
MR: 200-20000
# app: 1
Combat dice 21 -2001
Purple slime is sentient, mobile, hydrochloric acid. How and why it GOT mobile and sentient is anybody's guess. It was there in the beginning, and will be there at the end. It can climb walls, at least until it eats through whatever the wall's made of, and it can cling to ceilings until they're gone, too. Fire and water based attacks have no effect whatsoever on it, and weapons dissolve at the rate of 1 die per combat turn when used on it, although they will damage it in the process. When all combat dice are gone from the weapon, all that is left is the hand holding the slime-encrusted handle. Freezing it does stop it from moving for as many turns as the level of spell used on it. Electrical spells and attacks cause Purple Slime to spatter, which only makes more, smaller slimes. The best way to deal with it is by adding baking soda to it, which causes it to fizzle and creates fumes, but which does dilute it. Purple Slime is slow, only moving at 1/3 human speed. Purple Slimes split into two separate but equal slimes when they eat (dissolve) twice their MR in armor (as measured by protection), weapons (as measured by dice) Fixtures (as measured by weight) and/or beings (as measured by con/MR). Thereafter, each purple slime goes it's own way and will attack other purple slimes upon sensing them.
Special: Eats skin, metals, wood, and d**n near everything else except glass, at the rate of damage indicated by it's combat dice. All damage accrues to armor, every combat turn, which means that this thing kills heavy plate armor with 20 hits of damage, A Pavise with 7 points, and no, armor doubling ability doesn't work here. Warriors cannot double what is no longer there, after all. Leather clothing and cloth clothing take 1 combat turn to eat through each.

[Toad-Killer-Dog]

Wendigo

M.R. 80 ( or higher for high level adventurers )
Dice: 9+40 ( Teeth & Claws )
Special Abilities:
Camouflage: As long as a Wendigo remains motionless it is effectively invisible.
Fur Armor: The Wendigo has 6 points worth of fur armor.
Audio illusions: A Wendigo can create auditory illusions that it uses to confuse, misdirect and lure it's prey.
Trackless movement: The Wendigo can move through deep snow or dense forest without leaving any visible trail.
Control Wolves: The Wendigo can summon and control wolves to do it's bidding.
Summon Blizzard: The Wendigo can summon heavy snows and winds to it.
Berserker Fury: A Wendigo fights with Berserker rage allowing it to keep all it's dice & adds until dead.

The Wendigo (Singular or plural ) are cannibalistic wilderness spirits that hunt and devour all that attempt to travel or settle in it's territory. Part feral spirit, part vengeful ghost, clothed in the flesh of a cunning and relentless killing machine.

The Wendigo will attempt to terrorize it's victims and slowly pick them off one by one. As a spirit animal the Wendigo feeds as much on the fear and desperation of it's victims as their flesh. Often waiting until a group is near some form of shelter, a cabin, keep or cave and then summoning a storm to force them to take shelter and then begin it's campaign. Using it's power of Audio Illusions to work on the sanity of the group or lure single individuals away from the others.

Only after the terror of it's victims is at it's peak, will it begin open assaults with wolves and at the climax the Wendigo will attempt to kill the last remains of it's prey in one orgy of slaughter feasting on both their bodies and the height of their fear.

Wendigo are most active during the winter when they can trap their prey separating groups from civilization without the possibility of rescue.

Description: Large 7' to 9' feet tall hulking humanoids covered in white fur. Long clawed fingers tip huge grasping hands and wild crafty eyes peer out from beneath heavy brows over a mouth filled with uneven razor sharp teeth.

[apeloverage]

Oct 17, 2008 6:13:10 GMT -5 Toad-Killer-Dog said:

The Wendigo will attempt to terrorize it's victims and slowly pick them off one by one. As a spirit animal the Wendigo feeds as much on the fear and desperation of it's victims as their flesh. Often waiting until a group is near some form of shelter, a cabin, keep or cave and then summoning a storm to force them to take shelter and then begin it's campaign. Using it's power of Audio Illusions to work on the sanity of the group or lure single individuals away from the others.

Maybe the victims have to make saves against WIZ or INT - if they fail, the Wendigo gains MR equal to the amount they saved by?

[Toad-Killer-Dog]

Oct 17, 2008 18:23:51 GMT -5 apeloverage said:

Oct 17, 2008 6:13:10 GMT -5 Toad-Killer-Dog said:

The Wendigo will attempt to terrorize it's victims and slowly pick them off one by one. As a spirit animal the Wendigo feeds as much on the fear and desperation of it's victims as their flesh. Often waiting until a group is near some form of shelter, a cabin, keep or cave and then summoning a storm to force them to take shelter and then begin it's campaign. Using it's power of Audio Illusions to work on the sanity of the group or lure single individuals away from the others.

Maybe the victims have to make saves against WIZ or INT - if they fail, the Wendigo gains MR equal to the amount they saved by?

That would be a great equalizer for using Wendigo against high level parties, but it seem like it would make the Wendigo a little to tough to face off against low and mid level parties.

Perhaps that would be a good ability to give a "Greater" Wendigo hmmm, yeah I like that. ;D

P.S. I can't help but think about sticking the party with escorting a group of Settlers/Pilgrims and the PC's discovering that the people they are guarding are making the Wendigo stronger with their fear. That could get hairy in a Good way!

[Toad-Killer-Dog]

Piranha Rats

M.R.60 a pack
Dice: 7+30 ( Teeth )
Special Abilities:
Armor Piercing: Piranha Rats leap onto their victims and attack unarmored areas, like joints the throat and the groin. Piranha Rats ignore 1/2 their opponents armor.
Hibernation: Piranha Rats voracious appetites quickly reduce all food in it's area to nothing. When this happens Piranha Rats can enter a state of suspended animation for years,decades or perhaps even longer given their magical origins.

Piranha Rats are the result of a magical experiment to create an inexpensive guardian for wizards lairs and tombs. Unfortunately they where far harder to control than first thought turning on their original creators.

That was how the first Piranha Rats escaped into the wild and even today some wizards still produce new batches of the efficient little killers.

Piranha Rats are clever enough to lie in ambush or drop from above onto their prey. They attack with no fear driven on by their monstrous hunger.

Description: Slightly larger than normal rats with grossly overdeveloped scissor-teeth and jaws.

[machfront]

Ooo. Just in time for Halloween. I was thinking about using All Flesh Must Be Eaten as a resource for various types of zombies, but I dig the wendigo idea too. Decisions....