Gluttnous Sponge (monster)

[Earthstar_Fungus]

Gluttnous Sponge
Small Aberration
HP: 2d8 +6 (15hp)
Initiative: -0
Speed: Stationary
AC: 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-
Attack: Spit Acid (1d6 )
Full Attack: Spit Acid (1d6 ) and poison initial 1d2 str, secondary damage 1d2 con (fort 11 negates)
Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Vacume
Special Qualities: Immune to critical hits, Blindsight, Damage reduction 2/slashing or piercing, Hive Mind
Saves: Fort +? Ref ? Will +5
Abilities: Str - Dex - Con 10 Int 16 Wis 20 Cha 5
Skills: Knowledge(any)+10, Hide+4
Feats: Alertness, Skill Focus (knowledge)
Environment: Swamps or damp places, always grows on metal
Organization: Solitary or Brood (10-15)
CR: 2?
Treasure: Always metal
Alignment: Any, but one brood always has the same alignment
Advancement: +2-3 medium +4-15 large +16-31 huge +32-63 gigantic +>=64 colossal
LA: -

The soil in the swamp has turned a silvery color. Squelching sounds come from the ground as you step on it. Suddenly, a squirt of acid touches your boots, melting them!

Gluttnous sponges are one of the most misunderstood monsters in existance. Originaly, they were all part of one colossal telepathic sponge that floated under water, using its mental powers to explore as far away as another plane. One day, it ventured too near an aboleth community and tried to impress them with its knowledge. It so bothered the aboleths that they used all their mental powers in order to shred the sponge in to pieces and spread them all over the Material Plane. The aboleths also cursed the regenerating sponge particles in to spitting acid and poison whenever they tried to share their knowledge.
If above water, the sponges must live in a moist place to keep from drying out. They grow on top of metal, such as the remains of an adventurer's sword or a few copper coins. They are completly immobile and reproduce by fission if there is enough metal to do so. Dragons consider them a nusance as sponges growing on their treasure impedes its mobility and value.
When meeting an adventurer, a friendly sponge will typicaly try and communicate with her. This raises the curse the aboleths placed on it and causes it to seem like the sponge is attacking the adventurer. Some sponges have rethought out their existance and enjoy killing adventures. These sponges are either killed or, if solitary, attempt to breed more who will agree with them.
Gluttnous Sponges speak their own language composed of soft squelching sounds. It is impossible for them to pronounce any other language, although they may understand them.
All sponges await the day when their numbers will grow great enough for them to be able to fuse together and form the colossal sponge once again. Their growth is hampered by the fact that burning the sponge and inhaling the fumes causes a hallucinogenic effect (Inhaled DC Fort 12, price 10, addiction low)
Vacume (Ex): If a creature the same size as the sponge or smaller is in a square touching the squares the sponge is in, the sponge can suck in the creature and engulf it, but only one at a time. Fort save 10 to prevent being engulfed. If engulfed the creature takes 1d3 points of acid damage per round. The engulfed creature can deal 5 points of damage to break free. If the sponge is defeated, the creature inside automaticly breaks out.
Blind Sight (Ex): A gluttnous sponge can "see" by feeling the vibrations through the ground to a distance of 60 ft. If an earthquake or other spell is cast that causes vibrations in the ground, the sponge is effectively blind.
Hive Mind(Su): A brood of sponges is not a true hive mind in the sense that individual sponges can think but they share similar qualities. All sponges in a colony are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No sponge is considered flanked unless all of them are.
Skills: A sponge has a +4 racial bonus to hide checks(+8 if in a swamp)

[hr]
This is my first monster and there are some things I'm not quite clear on. If anyone could help me fill in some things it would be much appreciated. :)

[Earthstar_Fungus]

Having rescued this page from the unfathomed of depths of page 2, I really must ask of you to comment. I know my work isn't the most perfect thing ever.

[DoomHat]

I like it, but my question is, how is anyone ever going to guess that they’re intelligent? Seems like a superfluous joke for the Dm to quietly laugh to themselves about if these things are squibling around trying to tell adventurers ancient secrets and just getting stabbed for their trouble.

Also, what possessed this village to responded to a giant burbling sponge by making it a genuine threat and spreading it across the world for everyone to be confused and threatened by?

[Earthstar_Fungus]

You're right, it was just a sick, sick joke between my DM and me. We wanted to make the most miserable monster ever. Also, it probably would be really annoying to have a monster that could use telepathy constantly talk to you. There would be no way to tune it out.

[Zeal]

Initiative should be +0 if Dex is a non-ability.

A good second feat would be 'Improved Initiative', or possibly 'Skill Focus (knowledge)'

Also, where did you get AC 5 from? Unless it has negative natural armour or some such, it should have at least 11.

As for CR, I'd give it a 2 at most.

But as for the concept: ;D

[vanyell]

I'd call it about CR 3-4, for it's almost rust monster type skills. acid on absolutly everything? I'd have it destroying everything that hits it, and if it hits, destroying armour. that much acid is never good

[Mewtarthio]

What about spells like "Comprehend Languages"? Do those allow you to partake of the infinite knowledge of the sponge? And, if so, what sort of knowledge would you get? Of course, the odds of someone actuallly using "Comprehend Languages" on what appears to be a mindless aberration are near nil, but you have to prepare for all contingencies (or people who hire wizards to permanency whatever they think will be useful).

[Earthstar_Fungus]

My DM said that this should have the knowledge of the secrets of the universe. I suppose the knowledge gained by the spell should probably be a DM decided thing that has absolutly no impact on the campaign, such as finding out why all the insane wizards bred magical creatures that then turn on their masters or something like that.

Hajih
How do you calculate AC?

[Zeal]

The rules for calculating AC are in the D20 Srd if you want to take an in depth look (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/combatStatistics.htm#armorClass) at them.

However, I'll repeat them here for the sake of convenience.

AC’s start at 10. Your creature is small size and so should get a +1 bonus for size, if your creature is naturally resistant, it can have a natural armour bonus.

[fangthane]

Without dissecting things too far, I note you've got a 10 Fort DC on the "vacume(sic)" ability (which should really just be a flavour of engulfing or grabbing, I'd have thought). Assuming you leave it as is, the DC should by rights be at least 11 - 10 base, +1 for 1/2 its hit dice and +0 for its con modifier. If you opt to base it on intelligence or wisdom (which wouldn't make much sense) it'd be higher.

You also need to give figures for its acid spit; does it affect an area or a target, require a save or a to-hit, increase in potency as the creature gets bigger, what's its range increment (or max range), etc.

Also, given that the sponges live on metal, wouldn't it make sense to stipulate that all the useful treasure nearby would have to be non-metal? It should have digested or ruined most of the metallic items, no?