[3.5] [Creature] Soda Vulture (P.E.A.C.H.)

[DracoDei]

EDIT: This is an old post and, as such, it is against the forum rules to respond to it. If you have comments, then please PM me, or start a new thread with a link in it to this one.

I guess nobody really likes my pun-riddles? Or are they just THAT hard?

The term the pun is based on is "Sotto Voce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotto_voce)", which is technically Italian (not French like I thought it was).
Soda Vulture
Small Elemental (Air, Water)
HD 2d8+2 (11 hp)
Speed 10 ft. (2 squares); Fly 40 ft (Clumsy)
Init: +1 (+1 Dex)
AC 14; touch 12; flat-footed 13
(+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 Natural)
BAB +1; Grp -2
Attack Bite +2 melee (1d4+1 plus Killing Touch)
Full-Attack Bite +2 melee (1d4+1 plus Killing Touch)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks Elemental Vomit, Killing Touch
Special Qualities Immune to disease, Take-off Roll, 50% chance of Scent (roll once for all encountered at one time), Turn Resistance +2
Saves Fort +4 Ref +4 Will +2
Abilities Str 12, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 5
Skills Spot +15
Feats Dodge
Environment Any Non-Arctic (but most often in deserts), Elemental Plane of Air
Organization Solitary or Flock(3-10)
Challenge Rating 2
Treasure None
Alignment Always Neutral
Advancement 3-4 HD (Small); 5-7 HD (Medium)
This creature is a mass of water, shot through with a huge number of small bubbles. Its shape is like that of a great soaring bird, right down to the feathers, except for the head which is noticeably smoother.

Combat
Soda vultures are scavengers, only attacking the dead or dying that they spot while soaring high above... they will approach a dying creature with care, and waiting patiently until it can put up little or no further resistance. If attacked, they will use their elemental vomit, but they do not generally attack fleeing foes. They may however follow them at a distance, just like they would any other creature.

Elemental Vomit(Su): As a last resort defensive measure a soda vulture may greatly increase the slightly acid nature of a small part of its substance and vomit it at an attacker. This deals the soda vulture 3 hp of damage, has a range increment of 10 feet, a maximum range of 30 feet, and is otherwise similar to Melf's Acid Arrow with a caster level equal to double the soda vulture's hit-dice.

Killing Touch(Su): Soda vultures do not eat or drink in the normal senses of the words, but rather must take air and water from other organisms to survive. If a soda vulture hits a living creature that breaths air and contains water with its bite attack, or would have hit had it been a touch attack, and (after damage, if any, from the bite attack is resolved) that creature has less than zero hit-points then the creature is instantly slain as the soda vulture draws forth the water from the body and the air from the lungs. On the following turn it incorporates these materials into its body as a full round action. This ability also works on dead (NOT undead or deathless) creatures that have been dead for less than 2 hours per hit-die that the soda vulture possesses. In either case, the remaining corpse is totally desiccated, but if handled with care to prevent too much fracturing/tearing (and not previously undead etc etc), is still suitable for Raise Dead. If Create Water and Gust of Wind are both cast on a water bird within one round of eachother, this also will sustain it as if it had "eaten" until it could "eat" no more.

Take-off Roll(Ex): Soda vultures must run for a full round in a straight line, moving the maximum distance their speed would allow (so 40 feet), to build up speed for one round before taking off and may not change direction while flying the following round.

Skills
Soda vultures have a +8 racial bonus on Spot checks and may use Spot in place of Heal and/or Sense Motive to determine the state of health of creatures.


Soda vultures often mutter words under their breath although they have no more understanding of what these words mean than a parrot does. This ability is inborn and requires no exposure to language of any kind. Soda vultures are occasionally domesticated for use converting freshly slaughtered animals into jerky(in such a case some of the cleaning/dressing process occurs before the water bird is allowed access to it, and some afterward). Such a trained creature is worth 10 gold pieces, and can be reared from an egg (1 gp value) with a successful Handle Animal check DC 15. This process takes 2 months but only 1 hour of work is needed per day. Note that training them to do anything but make jerky for you, not bite people who enter their cage and not try to escape their cage TOO hard is next to impossible.

[Debihuman]

Killing Touch is too powerful and awkwardly phrased. Why isn't there a Save to avoid being dessicated? Also, shouldn't the water bird gain some benefit from incorporating the water and air from its dessicated foes?

For example:

A water bird that successfully attacks with its bite, may use its killing touch to dessicate its foes Reflex save DC 13 or no damage. On prone, helpless, dying, or dead opponents treat this as a coup de grace attack with no Save. Dessicated creatures are instantly slain as the water bird draws forth the water from the body and air from the lungs. On the following turn, the water bird incorporates these materials into its body as a full round action and is healed for 1d8 hit points. The remaining corpse is totally desiccated, but if handled with care to prevent too much fracturing/tearing, is still suitable for raise dead. The Save is Constitution based.

Debby

[DracoDei]

"and (after damage from the bite attack is resolved) that creature has less than zero hit-points " is the key phrase. It only works on dying creatures, now granted that at level two, the space from -1 hp to -9 hp is non-trivial, but it is still a large limitation. If I DID decide to grant a save, it would be a Fortitude save, not a reflex save, the attack has already made contact.

I considered having them heal a bit from it, but decided that that would make it too sensible for them to Melf's Acid Arrow something to death. I could consider putting that part back in. Maybe 1 hitpoint per 2 hit-dice of the slain creature? As it currently stands benefit is the same as eating a nice pie for the average character... keeps them from starving to death.

EDIT: Do people think I should give them turn resistance so clerics with the Air or Water domains can't easily end up walking around with TOO many Acid Arrow spitting birds that they can "reload" with one Cure Light Wounds, Mass. Perhaps I should give it a range increment of 10 feet and a maximum range of 30 feet?

[Debihuman]

Gotcha. If you fix the first sentence on killing touch to separate the action on living opponents from dead ones, it would be a lot clearer. It also helps if you list all the requirements first such as needing less than zero hit points, breathing air and containing water. Plus, if this is the only way they gain sustenance, it makes them a bit creepier.

Some creatures can continue fighting without penalty while dying like dire boars. Shouldn't they have save even if normally there isn't one?

Since dying creatures are normally unconscious, does it matter if the previous attack is successful or not?

Debby

[DracoDei]

It matters because the same bite that puts the target into the negatives with hitpoint damage will kill it.

I will try to reword... note that I put another hint in at the beginning of the description section. It is the stuff about them muttering recognizable words.

[DracoDei]

Bump to give people more of a chance to guess the real name...

[Terror_Incognito]

Is it from the Final Fantasy series?

[DracoDei]

I doubt it. It is a pun I came up with myself.

[DracoDei]

Nobody has a guess?
Hint: It is technically French, but its usage is as stage (can't remember if it is opera or play or what) jargon.

[DracoDei]

Bump because I decided that time was up for guessing, and thus edited in the real name.

[Tempest Fennac]

What was the other name? I don't remember seeing this thread until now.

[DracoDei]

"Water Bird"