fangthane
2006-08-30, 10:24 PM
Continuing the cryptic trend of subject posting, here's another of my creations, this one entirely original (though as you'll see it can be complex to actually keep track of the thing's stats)
I originally envisioned this as something similar to an Otyugh, but it's evolved somewhat since then. You have my permission to groan at that pun.
Submitted for Monsters in the Playground (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=homebrew;action=display;num=11557461 87;start=0)
Adapter
Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 12d8 + 36 (90 hp)
Initiative:+7
Speed:30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 Natural), touch 13, flatfooted 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+12
Attack: Pseudopod slam +13 melee (1d8+3)
Full Attack:2 Pseudopod slams +13/+8 melee
Space/Reach:5 ft/10 ft
Special Attacks: Adaptive Mimicry, Pseudopod Slam
Special Qualities: Adaptive Absorption, Adaptive Defense, Darkvision 60', Fast Healing 5, Linguistic Adaptation, Reactive Resistance, +2 (racial) bonus to all saves
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +10
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +14, Swim +14, Climb +14, Spot +13
Feats: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Weapon focus (slam)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: 13-18 HD (Medium); 19-30 HD (Large)
An Adapter may resemble a small otyugh, but the truth is that the Adapter has much more refined tastes.
The Adapter consists of four legs supporting a leathery torso roughly the size and shape of a pig with a single large tentacle sprouting from its back. It has no apparent facial features but a small cluster of cilia-like sensory appendages surround the "tentacle," which is actually an extruded pseudopod and allows the creature both to attack and to absorb food. A multi-coloured, oily sheen covers the Adapter, making it somewhat difficult to focus - an impression helped by the fact that the Adapter's flesh constantly changes texture, colour and consistency as well as being in a state of persistent twitching, roiling motion.
Combat - Adapters in combat typically attempt to knock down a first or single foe with a trip attack, then attack their opponents once each if possible in order to gain the benefits of their Adaptive Absorption. They make liberal use of their Improved Trip and Combat Reflexes feats in order to keep as many opponents as possible out of an immediate conflict, and tend to fight conservatively and carefully. An Adapter losing a fight is generally more inclined to flee and nurse its wounds if possible than to fight to the death.
Languages Spoken: Common, Special (see Linguistic Adaptation below)
Adaptive Absorption (Su): The Adapter constantly seeks to emulate its foes' strengths, and is able to do so to an extent. Whenever it hits any foe for the first time in a 24-hour period, it receives a temporary +2 to the ability score which is highest for that opponent. Modifiers from up to 1 different foe per two Adapter HD stack, although the temporary scores fade after 1d4 hours. When encountered, a typical Adapter will have two +2 enhancements to its ability scores (roll 1d6 or select)
Adaptive Defense (Ex): The Adapter's exact texture and composition is in a constant state of flux, so that the creature can adapt most favorably to any condition. At any given time, the Adapter resists physical damage or the type it most recently sustained above all others; it receives DR 2/- and DR 5/anything but the most recent damage type it received (slash/pierce/bludgeon). For example, an Adapter who's been hit most recently with a club will have DR 2/-, and 5/(slashing or piercing). If the most recent hit dealt multiple types of damage, the Adapter may select either one of those two as its strong resistance.
Adaptive Mimicry (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, an Adapter may use a full-round action to duplicate the effect of any offensive spell of which it has been the target since its last action. The target is selected by the Adapter, and the effect has a caster level of (and effects based on) half the caster level of the original spell. Its DC and any effect dependent on casting ability modifier uses the original caster's ability score. Use of this ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Linguistic Adaptation (Ex): An Adapter produces language by modulating vibration of certain of its sensory appendages to create sound and communicate. An Adapter's bonus language is unselected and reflects any language, of the Adapter's choice, spoken by any creature it has touched (excepting languages with both audible and visual components, such as hand-signals). Once selected this language may only be changed upon contact with a creature possessing an applicable language.
Pseudopod Slam (Ex): Due to its purpose both as an instrument of combat and of digestion, the Adapter's slam incorporates enzymes designed to reduce any target to its component particles. As such, rather than the standard 1d4 it instead deals 1d8 damage.
Reactive Resistance (Su): The Adapter secretes a fluid which coats its skin and allows it to resist elemental attacks of the type from which it most recently sustained damage. Whenever the creature is damaged by acid, fire, electrical or cold damage the fluid reacts to intercept the next attack of that elemental type. If the damage is of multiple elements the Adapter may choose which to subsequently resist. The fluid enables an effect similar to Protection from Energy with the following exceptions: the maximum value of the protection granted is triple the Adapter's HD, and the protection remaining increases by 1 point per round for every 2 Adapter HD.
Edit - realised the base attack was off, and modified to incorporate repairs to the damage resistance ability. That'll teach me to make up monsters while I'm smoking...
Ok, that's the feats patched up and the +2 to saves inserted as a racial special - if I were enhancing it beyond 20 I'd consider raising that to +3 or +4. I've thought about the AC and I'm not sure it needs much work - with a few dex absorptions it rises nicely enough, though I did rethink the fast healing - 5 is more appropriate. I may have got a bit verbose with the Reactive Resistance section ;) As to CR, I was initially thinking to post it as a CR 8 but decided I'd made it a bit ornery; still, it's not a 10. I did realise though that for a reaching tripping critter who likes to hit multiple targets, Combat Reflexes was a retroactive no-brainer. Rethought again and added a +2 natural - 5 is consistent with tough hide. Should give it a little more melee resilience.
Edit - added enough intelligence to take advantage of Combat Expertise and trip. Duh.
I originally envisioned this as something similar to an Otyugh, but it's evolved somewhat since then. You have my permission to groan at that pun.
Submitted for Monsters in the Playground (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=homebrew;action=display;num=11557461 87;start=0)
Adapter
Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 12d8 + 36 (90 hp)
Initiative:+7
Speed:30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 Natural), touch 13, flatfooted 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+12
Attack: Pseudopod slam +13 melee (1d8+3)
Full Attack:2 Pseudopod slams +13/+8 melee
Space/Reach:5 ft/10 ft
Special Attacks: Adaptive Mimicry, Pseudopod Slam
Special Qualities: Adaptive Absorption, Adaptive Defense, Darkvision 60', Fast Healing 5, Linguistic Adaptation, Reactive Resistance, +2 (racial) bonus to all saves
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +10
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +14, Swim +14, Climb +14, Spot +13
Feats: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Weapon focus (slam)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: 13-18 HD (Medium); 19-30 HD (Large)
An Adapter may resemble a small otyugh, but the truth is that the Adapter has much more refined tastes.
The Adapter consists of four legs supporting a leathery torso roughly the size and shape of a pig with a single large tentacle sprouting from its back. It has no apparent facial features but a small cluster of cilia-like sensory appendages surround the "tentacle," which is actually an extruded pseudopod and allows the creature both to attack and to absorb food. A multi-coloured, oily sheen covers the Adapter, making it somewhat difficult to focus - an impression helped by the fact that the Adapter's flesh constantly changes texture, colour and consistency as well as being in a state of persistent twitching, roiling motion.
Combat - Adapters in combat typically attempt to knock down a first or single foe with a trip attack, then attack their opponents once each if possible in order to gain the benefits of their Adaptive Absorption. They make liberal use of their Improved Trip and Combat Reflexes feats in order to keep as many opponents as possible out of an immediate conflict, and tend to fight conservatively and carefully. An Adapter losing a fight is generally more inclined to flee and nurse its wounds if possible than to fight to the death.
Languages Spoken: Common, Special (see Linguistic Adaptation below)
Adaptive Absorption (Su): The Adapter constantly seeks to emulate its foes' strengths, and is able to do so to an extent. Whenever it hits any foe for the first time in a 24-hour period, it receives a temporary +2 to the ability score which is highest for that opponent. Modifiers from up to 1 different foe per two Adapter HD stack, although the temporary scores fade after 1d4 hours. When encountered, a typical Adapter will have two +2 enhancements to its ability scores (roll 1d6 or select)
Adaptive Defense (Ex): The Adapter's exact texture and composition is in a constant state of flux, so that the creature can adapt most favorably to any condition. At any given time, the Adapter resists physical damage or the type it most recently sustained above all others; it receives DR 2/- and DR 5/anything but the most recent damage type it received (slash/pierce/bludgeon). For example, an Adapter who's been hit most recently with a club will have DR 2/-, and 5/(slashing or piercing). If the most recent hit dealt multiple types of damage, the Adapter may select either one of those two as its strong resistance.
Adaptive Mimicry (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, an Adapter may use a full-round action to duplicate the effect of any offensive spell of which it has been the target since its last action. The target is selected by the Adapter, and the effect has a caster level of (and effects based on) half the caster level of the original spell. Its DC and any effect dependent on casting ability modifier uses the original caster's ability score. Use of this ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Linguistic Adaptation (Ex): An Adapter produces language by modulating vibration of certain of its sensory appendages to create sound and communicate. An Adapter's bonus language is unselected and reflects any language, of the Adapter's choice, spoken by any creature it has touched (excepting languages with both audible and visual components, such as hand-signals). Once selected this language may only be changed upon contact with a creature possessing an applicable language.
Pseudopod Slam (Ex): Due to its purpose both as an instrument of combat and of digestion, the Adapter's slam incorporates enzymes designed to reduce any target to its component particles. As such, rather than the standard 1d4 it instead deals 1d8 damage.
Reactive Resistance (Su): The Adapter secretes a fluid which coats its skin and allows it to resist elemental attacks of the type from which it most recently sustained damage. Whenever the creature is damaged by acid, fire, electrical or cold damage the fluid reacts to intercept the next attack of that elemental type. If the damage is of multiple elements the Adapter may choose which to subsequently resist. The fluid enables an effect similar to Protection from Energy with the following exceptions: the maximum value of the protection granted is triple the Adapter's HD, and the protection remaining increases by 1 point per round for every 2 Adapter HD.
Edit - realised the base attack was off, and modified to incorporate repairs to the damage resistance ability. That'll teach me to make up monsters while I'm smoking...
Ok, that's the feats patched up and the +2 to saves inserted as a racial special - if I were enhancing it beyond 20 I'd consider raising that to +3 or +4. I've thought about the AC and I'm not sure it needs much work - with a few dex absorptions it rises nicely enough, though I did rethink the fast healing - 5 is more appropriate. I may have got a bit verbose with the Reactive Resistance section ;) As to CR, I was initially thinking to post it as a CR 8 but decided I'd made it a bit ornery; still, it's not a 10. I did realise though that for a reaching tripping critter who likes to hit multiple targets, Combat Reflexes was a retroactive no-brainer. Rethought again and added a +2 natural - 5 is consistent with tough hide. Should give it a little more melee resilience.
Edit - added enough intelligence to take advantage of Combat Expertise and trip. Duh.