jensen
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jensen on Aug 2, 2010 7:00:31 GMT -6
'Kay, since the magic item thread seems to have taken off so nicely, how about a monster thread? Let's do the mash - THE MONSTER MASH! ;D
Pathoraun
According to scholars of the Orient, a Pathoraun is a rare crossbreed between an Efreeti and a Centaur, although it would be unwise to discuss their ancestry in front of one of these notoriously ill-tempered and tempestuous beings. Their lower body resembles that of a stocky mountain pony, whilst their head and torso bears the square, compact features of a dwarf. Red, orange and sandy yellow are common skin colors amongst their kind, with black frizzy hair and thick eyebrows being the norm. Males almost invariably sport a curly beard, or at the very least a menacing goatee.
Pathorauns possess fiery personalities, and seem to incite heat in their surroundings: any source of fire damage within 100' of a Pathoraun (increasing to 200' when they're angry or excited, which is nearly all the time) will cause an extra point of damage per die of fire damage; e.g. if a flame tongue sword normally does 1d6 of additional fire damage, it will do 1d6+1 fire damage when within range of a Pathoraun. As another example, a fireball spell doing 6d6 points of damage will cause 6d6+6 points of damage if it is cast at or by anyone near a Pathoraun. The Pathoraun itself is immune to fire damage, and will gladly exploit its advantage over any flammable opponents.
Pathorauns can even fan the flames of emotions and passion in others, which has led some Pathorauns to seek out the solitude of deserts or volcanoes, while other, more capitalistically-minded Pathorauns set up business in civilized areas - typically casinos, brothels or illegal gladiator pits.
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Post by capvideo on Aug 2, 2010 18:57:52 GMT -6
Rare: | Deserts | Class: | Divine | Moral Code: | Chaotic Evil | Activity Cycle: | Nocturnal | Diet: | Carnivorous | Number: | 2d10 | Level: | 5+1 | Intelligence: | Average | Charisma: | Average | Movement: | 15 | Attacks: | claws or by weapon | Damage: | 2d4 or +1 | Defense: | +5 | Special Attacks: | wail | Special Defenses: | iron or +1 weapon required to hit | Size: | Medium (6-8 feet) |
The servants of Anubis still skulk the alleys of the ancient desert city and patrol the night outside the city walls. These jackal-headed scavengers of the abyss are thin and lean, with a soft covering of brown fur over their lanky human-like bodies. They carry bronze swords or spears, and can only be hit by iron weapons or +1 weapons. The mananubi look like the traditional Egyptian paintings of Anubis. They act as much like dogs and jackals as humans. They are cunning scavengers and quick to take advantage of weakness. The wail of the mananubi is a plaintive, echoing cry that calls up memories of the dead. Victims who are not yet hostile or aware of the mananubi can be numbed by this cry, as they remember lost loved ones and fear the future. On a failed Willpower roll, victims will be unresponsive for 2d10 minutes—unaware of anything happening around them. Any damage will bring them out of the trance for the next immediate round. Extremely loud screaming or noise will give them one Perception roll to come out of the trance early; because of this, mananubi rarely kill entranced victims who are part of a group. Mananubi have an acute sense of smell and hearing. They can smell things happening just as we can hear them happening. Their senses are so acute that they can negative up to 4 penalties due to darkness or blindness, as long as they can smell or hear their surroundings. In the ancient desert city, mananubi are servants of the city’s people, but these servants rule their weak and decadent masters with whispers, threats, and lies.
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Post by kesher on Aug 3, 2010 11:08:20 GMT -6
These are great! So, continuing the "Man" vibe, here are
Mantipedes
AC: 8 HD: 1 MV: 6" Special: Poison
These bizarre creatures are formed when magical waste products seep into sources of water. Composed of loathsomely large and aggressive centipedes, the swarm will rise from the pool as a hideous, composite mockery of vaguely human shape, and come shambling towards whomever has crossed the line of their territory.
A given colony can produce anywhere from 1-4 mantipedes to defend itself. Each caricature, if deprived of hit points, dissolves into its constituent members, and takes from 1-3 combat rounds to reform. Each time it reforms, it loses one permanent HP---once it reaches zero or less, it can no longer function.
Mantipedes will always lose initiative, but if they hit a foe, they dissolve into an angered clump of individuals each seeking a warm, moist spot to bite. The victim must save vs. poison or be crippled by blinding pain for 1-3 turns.
There are some who claim to have seen gigantic mantipedes formed from giant centipedes, but such individuals can be safely assumed to be outright liars. Probably.
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jasons
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jasons on Aug 4, 2010 15:41:19 GMT -6
Lockjaw beetles HD: 1hp AC: 4 att: bite (1d2) spec: locking jaws, mind-contol (see below) Known alternatively as Giant’s Noserings, these 6-inch long insects feature massively disproportionate mandibles and an aggressive disposition. Lockjaw beetles roam the underworld in packs of 3d6 individuals searching for both carrion, their chief source of nourishment, and live prey, which is vital to their reproductive cycle. Their name is derived from their mode of attack: each successful bite from a lockjaw beetle inflicts 1-2 hp of damage and has a 2 in 6 chance to successfully lock its mandibles on the target. Once in place, the jaws are fiendishly difficult to remove (generally requiring some assistance and metal tools for painful prying) and introduce into their victim a mind-controlling ichor. Failing a saving throw (one chance per attached beetle) produces a magical effect similar to a Charm Person spell. The character retains his personality and faculties (such as they are) but is unshakably convinced that he must travel to the nearest lockjaw beetle breeding ground as fast as possible for a reason he finds impossible to fully explain. The so-affected also resist attempts to remove their new “piercing” by helpful allies. Lockjaw beetle lairs, strange honeycombs of inaccessibly small tunnels that tend to surround a central man-sized pit, are populated by 3d6 x 10 individuals who will collectively combat any attempt to disturb their breeding process. The charmed victim, deeply enamored of the beetles, simply settles in to the semi-comfortable pit where he is fed, given libation, and continuously groomed by specialized service beetles. Over the course of months the character will be carefully drained of an obscure bodily humor (by specialized milking beetles). The beetles, by a strange quirk of nature, require an outside source of this substance to produce viable offspring. Sooner or later, the victim’s overtaxed systems fail, resulting in death and immediate consumption. As for treasure, former victims’ personal effects are always entombed in a sealed chamber in their tunnel systems. Also, as is widely reported in folk tales, the beetles produce a food substance so rich in nutrition a single spoonful will sustain a full grown human for a day. Each colony will have in stock 2d20 daily doses of this nearly perfect food at any given time.
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jasons
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jasons on Aug 5, 2010 17:10:24 GMT -6
Thunderswine HD: 4 AC: 5 attacks: gore (1d8), trample (2d6) Terrible in their fury and utterly fearless, these huge albino cousins of terrestrial warthogs also possess a surprisingly high level of intelligence and the rudiments of culture. They communicate with subtle oinks, snorts, and grunts and utilize a simple cuneiform-like written language of hoof-scratchings on cave walls and floors. As this has yet to be translated, no one knows what wisdom the thunderswine may have accumulated. They are certainly intelligent enough to understand (if not actually speak) the languages of goblins, orcs, and the like. It is possible some thunderswine may enter into arrangements with some of these underworld factions for mutual protection or other purposes. In their native underworld, thunderswine occupy the top tier among scavengers, always claiming the choicest carrion from other subterranean vermin. They supplement this food source with cultivated and tended fungi gardens, which they regularly visit and jealously guard from interlopers. Thunderswine find giant centipedes intolerable and destroy them on sight. When encountered, thunderswine perform a ferocious demonstration of prowess, ritualized to the point of being dance-like, stampeding back and forth and trumpeting warnings at deafening volume. They will attack any foe who fails to flee from this spectacle. Each clan of 2d6 individuals will be led by a massive alpha boar (+1 hp to every hit die), and his harem of equally vicious sows.
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Post by kelvingreen on Aug 6, 2010 1:37:10 GMT -6
My gosh, thunderswine are worth using for the name alone!
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jasons
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jasons on Aug 8, 2010 20:12:20 GMT -6
Giant weaver spiders HD: 2 AC: 6 attacks: bite (1d4+ poison) special: weak poison, initial bite: save to avoid 1d4 turns of delirious agony, each additional bite: save at +2 to avoid 1d4 turns of total paralysis
Highly intelligent and sensibly reclusive, giant weaver spiders create exquisitely crafted couture garments for those who can pay their price. The silk of a master tailor spider is totally devoid of stickiness, of a quality finer than any available from other sources, and several times stronger than steel. Spider-lore attributes this adaptation, and their compulsive need to continually fashion human-type clothing, to centuries of enslavement to human (or pre-human) masters in the distant past. Garments fashioned from this material generally provide the same protection as chain mail, but weigh no more than normal clothing and can be worn by characters of any class. These creatures have long since lost their desire to hunt live prey, preferring to focus exclusively on their craft, and exchange their wares for livestock of the highest quality. Not averse to dickering, they generally start the bidding at a dozen fat hogs or a pair of cows for a single garment. As the spiders tend to lair deep in the underworld, the logistics of such an exchange can be quite burdensome. Ever conscious of their history of slavery, the spiders take great delight in inconveniencing their human clientele. Legends and rumors tell of garments with much greater protective qualities, but warn that the spiders will only accept living humans in trade for these masterworks. Giant weaver spiders use caution in all of their dealings, trading only with trusted parties. Experience has taught the spiders that scoundrels of every stripe will inevitably descend on their underworld stockrooms should their locations become commonly known. These wily arachnids often raise and train less intelligent species of giant arthropods to provide security and obtain comestibles during difficult economic times.
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jasons
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jasons on Aug 8, 2010 20:32:21 GMT -6
Thanks, Kelvingreen. I must remember to never again google names that, however fleetingly, I think might be original. Doing so can bring only tears.
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jasons
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jasons on Aug 11, 2010 20:29:51 GMT -6
Hoard-apes HD: 2 AC: 6 Attacks: ragged fingernails (1d4), bite (1d2), or by weapon type When the corridors and caverns become almost impassably filled with innumerable teetering stacks, unruly odorous heaps, and stone-wrought curio cabinets erupting with dungeon ephemera, watch your backpacks, large sacks, and pouches: you may have stumbled into the habitat of a bizarre underworld dweller, the stuff-obsessed hoard-ape. Hoard-apes appear as stooped, devolved humanoids with huge eyes, over sized lupine ears, disturbingly long, dexterous fingers, and a fully prehensile tail some 15 feet long perpetually coiling, reaching, and probing for interesting objects. Each hoard-ape will be driven to accumulate (and cherish) items of just about any category imaginable, from jewels and magic treasures to skulls, feathers, and coprolites. These creatures frequently have items of great value secreted throughout their junk empires, as they are prone to organize their belongings according to obscure schema not related to monetary worth. Coins and gems, often carefully subdivided according to their intended purpose, are dispersed throughout the total hoard. To facilitate the acquisition of new and sometimes costly items from other underworld occupants, hoard-apes find it necessary to have on hand as much ready cash as possible. While some debase themselves slaving away in hobgoblin kitchens for a handful of coppers a day, most stick to their racial specialties: graft, theft, and murder. These distasteful imperatives aside, the hoard-ape lives to get more stuff in which to wallow, and will be most often found in and about whatever isolated corner of the underworld it calls home. When happened across outside of their lairs, the creatures are on the make, eyes shifting about in search of desired objects, eager to wheel and deal. Hoard-apes buy, but never ever sell. If the hoard-ape discovers its possessions to have been purloined or violated in some way (even only slightly disorganized), it will enter into a berserk frenzy of vengeance, attacking with a speed and savagery belied by its pathetic appearance. Hoard-apes are only ever encountered singly. How they reproduce themselves remains a mystery no one seems particularly interested in solving.
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jensen
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jensen on Aug 18, 2010 6:47:28 GMT -6
Sepulcrow
Necromancers create these monstrosities to act as their lieutenants, leading squads of mindless undead slaves into combat. The ‘body’ of this construct is traditionally an oxen’s skull, with the horns replaced by stocky dwarven arm bones. Black crow or raven feathers are glued on the arms, while a bird beak has been put where the oxen’s tongue used to be, lending a decidedly morbid air to the creature, which matches its cruel and sadistic personality. It can walk, or rather hop 10’ per round, using its arms as crude legs (think of the AT-ST ‘Chicken’ Walkers from Return of the Jedi), but prefers perching on other undead, using them as vehicles as it employs its simple-minded intelligence to instruct them. Sepulcrows can also Animate Dead by touch, affecting 2 HD worth per hand (4 HD, if it uses both hands on a single corpse). The corpses affected rise as Zombies and Skeletons, as appropriate, and only remain undead as long as the Sepulcrow touches them. When the contact is broken, they slump back into listless repose. Sepulcrows often choose the biggest corpse at their disposal as their ‘mount’, leading groups of other undead minions into combat, but also enjoy Animating dead birds or bats, to give the Sepulcrow aerial supremacy. Sepulcrows prefer hit-and-run tactics, using traps and ambushes to their best advantage, as they are keenly aware of their own frailty. Rumor has it that larger and more dangerous versions of the Sepulcrow exist; these specimens are said to made of embalmed Gorgons’ skulls with Duergar mages’ arm bones, with the ability to Animate much larger undead servants (6 HD per hand) and can infect living targets with Mummy Rot by touch, even spreading this contagion through their undead ‘mount’.
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Post by kesher on Aug 18, 2010 15:37:28 GMT -6
Hoard-apes ROCK!
For some reason it reminds me of Labyrinth...
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Post by kelvingreen on Aug 18, 2010 15:56:25 GMT -6
I'm a big fan of the sepulcrow, myself!
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Post by cadriel on Aug 19, 2010 7:31:47 GMT -6
Kamenni
AC 3, HD 2, MV 6 Attacks: by weapon or bite (1-6)
The Kamenni are an ancient race of goblin-like creatures, never more than 4' in height, that have thick skin that feels like stone. They are brutish rather than cunning, and speak only their own language which is distantly related to Goblin. They wear no armor but their stony hides serve much the same purpose. Their faces betray some commonality with goblins, and they have fearsome tusk-like lower teeth that can be used (1-6 points damage) as a biting attack. In combat they wield fearsome stone hammers or axes that do 1-8 damage.
Kamenni lairs are always in mountains or caves. A Kamenni who leaves the underworld for more than 24 hours will slowly begin to waste away (1 hit point per additional day) and cannot be restored except by spending a commensurate amount of time underground. Kamenni tribes range from 4-40 individuals and will be accompanied 60% of the time by a chieftain with HD 3 and AC 2.
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Post by aldarron on Aug 19, 2010 11:22:02 GMT -6
(This is an extremely common folklore in the Philipines, and variations can be found throughout SE asia and Oceana)
Aswang (Mananaangal, Penanggalan, Nukekubi)
Hit Dice: 2 Armor Class 9 attacks per round 1 Damage – 1d6 + sleep inducing bite.
Aswang are young female blood sucking infected undead. Due to their limited magic powers, Aswang are often described as a combination of vampire and witch. Aswangs are able to change their appearance, normally appearing as shy but typical females (although they usually have bloodshot eyes and unusually long tongues), but changing at night to ghoul like creatures that enjoy eating unborn fetuses and small children, favoring livers and hearts in particular. Some even grow long proboscises, which they use to suck children directly from their sleeping mothers' wombs. Aswangs will also suck the blood of males they find attractive – about a pint at a time, but it is usually not their preferred meal.
The bite of the Aswang injects a sleep inducing drug. The victim must make a Vitality Chance Roll to avoid going to sleep in one round. Aswangs also have limited spell casting ability - they can cast 3 Charm spells a day.
Aswangs live no longer than normal humans. Those who have reached the age of 40 transform into Mananangal. Despite being older females, Manananggal are quite beautiful.
The Mananangal gains an additional Hit Die but is identical to Aswang most of the time. However during the full moon, the Mananangal is able to split itself in half and fly through the air to hunt for victims. The head and shoulders, with attached entrails (heart, lung, liver, intestines, spine.) glow and sparkle like fireflies, as the Mananangal flies through the sky using huge bat-like wings it sprouts from its back.
The lower torso is left standing in a secluded lair for safety. While the head and neck are detached, the torso becomes inanimate. The severed lower torso is the more vulnerable of the two halves. It is said that if one finds this torso and either sprinkles salt or sand on it or burns it, the Mananaangal will die with the coming dawn.
Typically, an aswang/manananggal is revealed by using a bottle of a special oil extracted from boiled and decanted coconut meat and mixed with certain plant stems upon which special prayers have been said. When an aswang comes near or roams around the house at night, the oil is said to boil (or froth into bubbles) and continue boiling until the aswang departs.
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Post by verhaden on Aug 19, 2010 13:03:16 GMT -6
Bruderlin Armor Class: 6 [13] Hit Dice: 1 Attacks: Weapon Special: See below Move: 9
Bruderlins are uncommon, small creatures (3-4 ft. tall) of goblin-kin that inhabit villages and cities of all kinds. They are often utilized by scheming politicians, mad wizards, cult leaders, and other such types to spy on foes and gather information. Having eaten an internal organ of another creature, of similar size or smaller, they will assume that creature’s form and personality. Bruderlins are able to cast Charm Person in an attempt to ward away suspicion of their true identities. However, after a period of 1-8 (1d8) years, the Bruderlin will molt and shed its assumed form, leaving behind the formerly ingested organ in the middle of a pile of withering flesh.
Bruderlins are somewhat weary of fire and intense heat, for prolonged exposure will melt away their façade.
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Post by slade on Aug 19, 2010 17:47:38 GMT -6
The Garralous Pesch
Further examination of the tattered tome led to the discovery of the following poem:
'Woe, the Pesch, the Garralous Pesch, No soul untouched, In shadows crept, The chatterers, fell paramours, One's treasured tones, Their's to adore No whispers wasted In rapture tasted'
AC: 9 HD: 1+1 MV: 18" Special: Hold Person (as 3rd Level MU); 1d4 CHA drain; Treasure: Nil
Twin devil-sired sisters, all jagged bone and elongated limbs. Poor of sight though of hearing most acute. Their voices a flurry of varying tones and tongues, ever constant, unwavering of whisper. Men they stalk, stealing from the shadows to immobilize their prey, strong slender fingers peeling back eyelids for the Pesch to lap at the eyeballs in twisted appreciation. Then grasping their prey's head, mimicing the cries and screams until the spell wears off, upon which they flee. Each victim thereafter lacks their former presence, shorn of confidence, often lost for words. Only when the Pesch are slain will the victims regain what was stripped from them.
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jensen
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jensen on Aug 20, 2010 3:01:12 GMT -6
I'm a big fan of the sepulcrow, myself! ;D
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jasons
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jasons on Aug 20, 2010 5:42:13 GMT -6
With so many artists posting to these jensen-launched collections (I am also a cartoonist/illustrator), it might be fun to post some illustrations of each other's posts. I'd love to see a kelvingreen take on a sepulcrow, for instance. Or a kesher (thanks!) hoard-ape, a jensen anything, etc. A little cross-pollination, if you will. An imaginative pic can go a long way towards "selling" the reader (i.e. calithena) on a new monster or other concept.
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jensen
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jensen on Aug 20, 2010 5:46:39 GMT -6
With so many artists posting to these jensen-launched collections (I am also a cartoonist/illustrator), it might be fun to post some illustrations of each other's posts. I'd love to see a kelvingreen take on a sepulcrow, for instance. Or a kesher (thanks!) hoard-ape, a jensen anything, etc. A little cross-pollination, if you will. An imaginative pic can go a long way towards "selling" the reader (i.e. calithena) on a new monster or other concept. Hmm... Most tempting!
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Post by kelvingreen on Aug 21, 2010 1:43:26 GMT -6
I'd love to see a kelvingreen take on a sepulcrow, for instance. I may or may not have already begun work on such a thing...
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jensen
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jensen on Aug 23, 2010 5:42:41 GMT -6
I'd love to see a kelvingreen take on a sepulcrow, for instance. I may or may not have already begun work on such a thing... Ooh! Then I may or may not better get started on returning the favor! ;D
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Post by kesher on Aug 23, 2010 7:20:49 GMT -6
The Garralous Pesch: Licking. Eyeballs. 'nuff said.
Hoard Ape: I just may take a run at that!
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jasons
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jasons on Aug 23, 2010 13:53:25 GMT -6
I may or may not like to take a crack at the terrifying mantipede, despite it being possibly too terrifying to actually draw, as I may or may not discover in the near future.
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Post by kesher on Aug 23, 2010 16:57:29 GMT -6
I may or may not like to take a crack at the terrifying mantipede, despite it being possibly too terrifying to actually draw, as I may or may not discover in the near future. Oh please, please do...
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Post by kelvingreen on Aug 30, 2010 10:40:16 GMT -6
I'd love to see a kelvingreen take on a sepulcrow, for instance.
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Post by kesher on Aug 30, 2010 16:16:49 GMT -6
Sweet!
jasons's done up a truly hideous mantipede, too, so I think I'm going to start up another "Art Talk" thread for this issue with that.
Please contribute illos done for this issue for this section or any other!
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jasons
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jasons on Aug 30, 2010 20:20:20 GMT -6
Very nice, Kelvin. Well done!
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jensen
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 111
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Post by jensen on Sept 1, 2010 5:13:51 GMT -6
Very nice, Kelvin. Well done! Couldn't agree more!
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Post by kelvingreen on Sept 1, 2010 11:31:40 GMT -6
Very nice, Kelvin. Well done! At the risk of turning this into a sickening artist love-in, thanks, and I think your mantipedes are amazing!
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Post by capvideo on Sept 4, 2010 16:17:14 GMT -6
A little something they’re going to meet tonight. Butterfly WarriorsRare: | Mesh hives |
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Class: | Fantastic | Moral Code: | Ordered Evil | Activity Cycle: | Any | Diet: | identity | Number: | 1-10 | Level: | 7+1 | Intelligence: | Good | Charisma: | Good | Movement: | 20 (wings)/13 (tail) | Attacks: | weapon and sting | Damage: | weapon+2, d10 (or d8 or d12) | Defense: | +8 | Special Attacks: | stasis | Special Defenses: | immunity to sleep and telepathy, flicker | Magic Resistance: | 2 | Size: | Medium (or small or large) |
These warriors of the insect mesh appear as normal humanoids—humans, elves, halflings, saurians, orcs, etc.—from the waist up. From the waist down they have a twitching insect-like larval tail, spotted with dull orange, greenish-brown, sickly grayish purple, and a puke yellow. The colors slowly pulsate across their larval lower half. Their larval tail ends in a sharp stinger. They dart about like hummingbirds via beautiful diaphanous wings emerging from their humanoid half. They can also slither quickly via their larval-tail. The Butterfly Warriors are the messengers and guardians of the insect mesh. They are often sent out as spies, to retrieve items, and to perform assassinations. Their knowledge merges with the mesh hive as normal when they return, and they can merge their knowledge with other warriors by touching them or by flickering with them. They attack with weapons and by stinging. They often use jagged scimitars as their weapon attack; whatever weapon they use does normal damage, with +2 damage for strength. They can also use claws if their shape allows it, doing the same damage as the shape normally does, at +2 damage. They can attack with both the weapon and the sting in the same round. They can use their sting in a called shot to place a victim in stasis for a number of rounds equal to half the damage done (at least one round). A victim of stasis is invulnerable for the duration of stasis; they’re literally out of time, able to do nothing and be affected by nothing. They are visible to others, but have no recollection themselves of anything between going into and coming out of stasis. They will continue whatever action they had started before going into stasis. Victims can make an evasion roll to avoid stasis. Butterfly warriors can flicker to a new location within ten yards at the beginning of each round. An after-image remains at their original location for the remainder of the round. The after-image will act separately from the real warrior; it cannot affect the world or be affected by the world, however. It will continue in its ghostly way to perform whatever actions the warrior had been doing when it flickered away. Butterfly warriors can also exchange places with any other butterfly warrior within 100 yards. When such an exchange takes place, the two warriors also share all of their knowledge. The range of potential exchange is increased for each extra warrior in the area. If two warriors are within 100 yards, for example, they could each flicker places with another warrior in 200 yards. If there are three warriors within 200 yards of each other, they can each flicker places with a warrior in 300 yards, and so on. In either case, flickering is a free action; a warrior can flicker and attack normally in the same round. They take the form of whoever they are fighting, but with a multi-colored larvae-like tail that undulates and ripples. Thus, they can only impersonate someone from the waist up. Barring that limitation, they can impersonate vaguely human-like persons from small to large size. When they fight someone, they will start to resemble that person (from the waist up) after every successful hit with weapon or sting. After seven hits (or after successfully putting the target into stasis) they will completely resemble their target, and maintain that form until their next fight. If a butterfly warrior stops fighting before fully taking on the form of their target, they will maintain a “between” form until their next fight. If a butterfly warrior takes on a small form, their sting only does d8 damage; if they take on a large form, their sting does d12. When a butterfly warrior goes unconscious, their wings take over and fly them to the nearest mesh hive or, if they’ve set one up, base camp. When they die, their whole form morphs into a twitching multi-colored larval form that tastes like chicken. Unlike the beetle-like insect mesh, their form does not ripple away in a few seconds, but rather disintegrates somewhat naturally over one to three days. (Modified the morning after to apply differing sting damages for small, medium, and large versions.)
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