Blog Archive

Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Silver Bulette

Most of the time adventurers in my games are in spires or underground dungeons but at mid to lower levels much of the story is getting to the locations, so wandering monsters are a big part of the game. That's where the Silver Bullete comes in, a huge size, hungry creature that can jump teleport. Plus I just love the name of the creature and what it can do...

Silver Bulette CR 10
XP 3,200
N Huge magical beast
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +11

DEFENSE

AC 27 touch 13, flat-footed 22 (+5 Dex, +14 natural, -2 size)
hp 147hp (14d10+70 con)
Fort +14, Ref +14, Will +5

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Melee Bite +19 (2d10+7) and 2 claws +15 (2d8+7)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks leap, savage bite, Silvery Flash

STATISTICS

Str 25, Dex 20, Con 20, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 3
Base Atk +14 CMB +23 CMD 38 (42 vs trip)
Feats Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (bite), X3
Skills Acrobatics +11 (+19 jumping), Perception +15; Racial Modifiers +4 on Acrobatics checks made to jump

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate hills or underground
Organization solitary (adult)
Treasure Incidental (gems or coins stuck to its hide)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Leap (Ex) A silver bulette can perform a special kind of pounce attack by jumping into combat. When a bullette charges, it can make a DC 16 Acrobatics check to jump into the air and land next to its enemies. If it makes the Acrobatics check, it can follow up with four claw attacks against foes in reach, but cannot make a bite attack.

Savage Bite (Ex) A bulette's bite is particularly dangerous. It applies 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier to damage inflicted with its bite attack, and threatens a critical hit on a 18–20.

Silvery Flash: A Silver Bulette can dimensional jump, moving up to 500 feet away in one round. Treat as an improved bull rush if any creatures are in it's path. It can do this 3 times a day. When it moves in this fashion, there is a momentary flash of silver when it enters and exits the astral.

A Silver Bullette is a legend from the Spirelands - a huge creature that burrows just beneath the surface. It normally feeds on creatures that are in it's path, but if hungry it will go out of its way to attack caravans or other large groups. It is peaceful as long as it gets enough to eat, but when it does not, it starts to look for easy targets that are near it to feed on.

Named after its ability to jump or teleport small ranges, with the associated silvery flash.

These creatures are sexless, they spontaneously compost  into three or four smaller versions of themselves that stay together for 8 - 10 months until they grow large enough to survive on their own.

Tuesday, 11 December 2018

Ferroplasmic Feline (Psionic Cat)


Ferroplasmic Feline (Psionic Cat)

Small Size Magical Beast

Hit Dice:
2d8+2 (11 hp)
Initiative: +2 (dexterity)
Speed: 30 ft

AC: 16 (+2 size, +2 Natural, +2 Dexterity)
BAB / Grapple: +2 / -2
Attacks: +3 Bite (1d3+1)
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: Detect Psionics, Scent, Buffer
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +3

Abilities: Str 6, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 17, Cha 10
Skills: Acrobatics +8, Stealth +8, Move Silently +9, Perception +9, Sense Motive +12
Feats: Weapon Finesse (Bite), Rubbing Buffer
Climate/Terrain: Any (usually urban)
Organization: Solitary or Hex (6 cats)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement Range: 3-6 HD (Small) 7-12 HD (Small)

Rubbing Buffer: After three rounds of rubbing their skin or tail on one creature, that creature gains a +3 on the first saving throw they need to make. Given to allies, most often children.

A small blob of goo is in a corner of the room, jumps up, and moments later you see a small orange colored cat take form hissing at something from afar.

Most generally appear the same size and shape as a regular sized cat, most are black and white or dull orange in color. Often they are trained to hunt & detect undead, rats or other vermin. They are not true cats, as their natural form is a gooey blob of green goo. But they spend so much time in the mortal world they are just as accustomed to their alternate cat form.

Their natural home is a webby nest, within a very small opening, seemingly impossible for them to get through. They can breed both domestically and wild - they prefer to hunt for their own foods, but some are spoiled by human, dwarf or tenderfoot owners. Families are sometimes adopted by the cat, especially if there are friendly children that inhabit the same same area.

Psionics: detect dimensional space, detect evil, dimension door (20 ft), sense link (100 ft), ectoplasmic form; PSP 15; Psion Level: 2

Thursday, 29 November 2018

Grey Dwarves (or Gravity Dwarves) plus Trel Magical Ore

Have long used the fantasy trope of clouds as islands in the sky. These grey dwarves are the major inhabitant. They mine a white ore in the clouds, that enables levitation.

Grav   (Grey or Gravity or Cloud Dwarves)
Medium Sized Humanoids

Hit Dice:                         2d8+6 (17 hp)
Initiative:                        -1
Speed:                             20*
AC:                                 20 (+3 natural, +1 size, +2 Shield, +5 Breastplate), 14 Touch, 17 Flat
Base Attack/Grapple:     +2
Attack:                            Hammer +6 (1d10+3), Heavy Crossbow +2 (1d8)
Special Attacks:              Mass Manipulation, Psionics
Special Qualities:            Low-Light Vision
Saves:                              Fort  +5  Ref  -1   Will  +1
Abilities (Soldier)           Str 16, Dex 7, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
Typical                            Appraise +3, Craft (Stonecutting) +3, Craft (Mining) +3, Perception +3
Feats:                              Weapon Focus (Hammer); Stone Interaction (+5 skill bonus)
Climate/Terrain:              Cloud Isles
Organization:                   Patrol (2-7), Army (20-50), Town (500-2000)
Challenge Rating:            2
Treasure:                          Double Standard
Alignment:                       Lawful Neutral
Advancement Range:       By Class

Gray skinned dwarves, three feet tall and almost as wide, with short white beards that are over 300 pounds. Most wear light metal armor, and use either a pick or hammer for both their work and combat weapon.

Grav are best known as reclusive cloud miners, who exclusively control trel production which is a magical ore that gives the wielder levitation properties. These psionic creatures can manipulate gravity, to levitate or featherfall almost at will. When the grav are transporting their goods they become targets of raiders, so they often look to hire adventuring companions.

Society: Grav society is extremely codified; every citizen knows their exact duties.  Leaders are chosen at birth based on exhibiting greater psionic talents. They are taken away for instruction by the elder counsel, never knowing their birth families only the responsibilities that come with prestige and political power. Nobility or societal rank is rarely hereditary, higher level military station comes from success in battle, similarly, higher social rank comes from action, wealth and fame. Grav give nothing away, those who have something, have it because they earned it.

Those of the lower class usually take one of two roles: soldier or miner. Both are dangerous jobs, however, everyone in grav society has the possibility to advance upward due to performance. They may have little money, but they are a content lot and few grav would ever disobey their elders. Like their land based kin, grav enjoy pints of mead, and it is a little nervy to witness dozens of them drinking together in near perfect unison, no planned co-ordination but their natural instincts taking over.

While friendly, Grav rarely do well with strangers. They don't understand things like artistic expression that doesn't fit into pre-determined functional slots. But what many non-Grav often find most surprising is that for a codified society, they have little fear about expressing themselves or their ideas. All Grav are free to express themselves and to question the reasons for decisions their elders make, the only difference is once a group or society makes a decision, few Grav ever question it, as they trust each other.

Combat They fight using psionics to control the weight of the weapons and armor foes use, making it impossible to wield in battle or strong enough to move more than a few feet without extreme effort. Grav often grapple foes and drag them off a cliff or mountainside then safely levitating back up. They concentrate on an enemies leaders or spellcasters. Grav soldiers never surrender and willingly sacrifice their lives.

Psionics:
Miner or Soldier: mass manipulation (self) PSP: 5  (by HD)
Noble: mass manipulation, phobia amplification (heights), levitate; PSP: 15 (3 HD minimum)


Grav as Characters
+2 Constitution, +2 Strength, -4 Dexterity
Bonus Feat: Weapon Focus (Hammer)
Speed: 20 (15 in armor)
+1 Natural Armor Bonus / 3 HD or class levels
Fighter is the preferred class for soldiers;
Psion for Nobles.
Psionics: +5 PSP, Mass Manipulation

Trelline (Trel) is one of the base magical metals on Nyssa. It is mined almost entirely by the Grav dwarves in the clouds above the land. It is a pure white stone, with small cracks on its surface. The Grav must go into the deepest parts of the cloud to obtain the ore. With a processed piece of Trel, upon concentration, the user can slowly levitate upwards - speed and distance depends upon the user. Their communities are based on permanent cloud isles that must mine for Trel, they need to go to new clouds, find a line and do their work to extract the ore. Unlike traditional ground ores, Trel is always being naturally generated in new clouds. Clouds have a centralized gravity, meaning down is towards the cloud centre base.




Monday, 19 November 2018

Seymourian

A native and twisted plant form found in some of the deepest jungles of the land. While unsure of their origin, they have long been a nightmare to root out. These twisted entities try to manipulate the environments to control others to do their bidding.

Seymourian

NE Medium Plant
Init +2 Senses Low-light vision; Perception +6

 DEFENSE

AC 16 touch 9, flat-footed 16 (+7 natural, -1 size)
hp 75hp (10d8+30 con)
Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +3
Defensive Abilities Immune mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, polymorph, stunning

 OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft.
Melee Bite +8 (1d12+2/X3), Root Tentacles +6 (1d8+3)
Special Attacks Tentacles Reach 25 ft
Spell Like Abilities (CL 9th)
Summon Small Animals, Detect Alignment or Magic (5/day)
Charm Animal or Humanoid (4/day; DC 14) & Control Plant (4/day; DC 15)

 STATISTICS
Str 19, Dex 11, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +7 CMB +12 CMD 22 / +12 to avoid being tripped, bull rushed, etc
Feats Deep Roots, Multi-Attack
Skill Bonus +4 Perception
Skills +7 Perception , +10 Stealth; +8 Knowledge (Plant), +4 Stealth bonus if planted outside
Languages Druid, Fae, Elf plus one

 ECOLOGY
Environment    Any Forest
Organization   Solitary or Pod (2-4)
Treasure Value  Standard
Advancement (11-16 HD - Medium), (17-22 HD Large)

 SPECIAL ABILITIES

Root Reach - Their roots can stretch out up to 200 ft their base. They cannot attack in this area, but can move objects closer to them.

Non-Detection: The Seymourian has a DC 25 to be found or caught by magic spells, otherwise they are observed as normal plants.

This plant has long been a nuisance in forests and gardens. Appear as larger than normal plants, with an extensive root system. But when cultivated by either an evil druid or someone with knowledge they can breed a smart and quite dangerous specimen that is sentient. These creatures control an environment as their home, and anything in their radius can be affected by their charms.

Appear as a large sized, heavily rooted, broad leafed flower, with a bright rose or red petals. While it is almost impossible to immediately notice them (DC 18) if intruders see the Seymourian talk, they notice small eyes, nose and mouth in the largest petal. Seymourians try to control the creatures around them for their own purposes, whether looking for followers, wealth or love.

It often has allies that are only vaguely aware of what they are, they just know the entity can protect or raid a forest area better than anyone else.