Vote Up a Monster (3.X) #10: Votement Day (Monster Complete, PEACH)

[Zeta Kai]

Vote Up a Monster (3.X) #10: Votement Day
So, seeing as this is our tenth VUAM contest, I thought we should take a look back, & see what has been voted upon before:

A benevolent worm from the Far Realm that could turn into a church.
A robot angel.
A swarm of ghostly goo.
An evil shape-shifting elemental.
An epic semi-undead dragon.
A race of baby-stealing faeries.
A ethereal shrieking space-whale
An epic ur-giant.
A host of fallen angels.

All in all, not a bad group so far. I'm more proud of some than others, but I think we've done a good job so far. For this one, let's see if we can out-do ourselves.

Here are the official VUAM Rules for Voting™. Please read these, as a violation may result in your vote not being counted:
Please only vote for the options provided. Write-in options are largely discouraged. In exchange, I will offer a wide variety of options, including a few that would normally be impossible, given the previously-chosen aspects. The only exception to this would be for Special Abilities. I do encourage people to write in any Special Abilities that they find appropriate (either from published monsters or homebrewed), & people are free to vote for those, if they so choose.
Please do not criticize or disparage the votes of other forum members. Let the votes fall where they may. A later VUAM may go your way instead, so just be patient, & allow other voters to voice their own opinions.
Please do not offer suggestions on the monster’s concept, behavior, appearance, etc. That is all part of my creative process, & it is stifling to consider write-ins. It is also unfair to other voters, as many do not make suggestions, & suggestions are not voted upon anyway.
If you must change your vote, please let me know that you are doing so, & what your original vote was. I tally votes often, to keep post #1 up to date, & it’s hard enough to keep track of which posts haven’t been tallied yet.
If your vote cannot be tallied due to violation of any of these rules, I will post to inform you of that before voting ends. I will also ask you to modify your vote, so that it may be changed.
I am, again, soliciting votes on a number of aspects on this next creature. Here are the aspects, in order:


Type: Monstrous Humanoid

{table=head]Type|Votes
Aberration|1
Animal|0
Construct|0
Dragon|0
Elemental|0
Fey|0
Giant|0
Humanoid|0
Magical Beast|2
Monstrous Humanoid|6
Ooze|0
Outsider|0
Plant|4
Undead|0
Vermin|0
[/table]
Subtype: Aquatic & Cold

{table=head]Subtype|Votes
Air|0
Angel|0
Aquatic|6
Archon|0
Augmented|0
Chaotic|0
Cold|6
Earth|0
Evil|0
Extraplanar|0
Fire|1
Goblinoid|0
Good|0
Incorporeal|0
Lawful|1
Native|0
Reptilian|0
Shapechanger|0
Swarm|2
Water|1
NONE|0
[/table]
Size: Small

{table=head]Size|Votes
Fine|0
Diminutive|0
Tiny|0
Small|8
Medium|6
Large|2
Huge|0
Gargantuan|0
Colossal|0[/table]
Alignment: Lawful Evil

{table=head]Alignment|Votes|Alignment|Votes|Alignment|Votes
Lawful Good|1|Neutral Good||Chaotic Good|
Lawful Neutral|2|True Neutral||Chaotic Neutral|4
Lawful Evil|8|Neutral Evil|1|Chaotic Evil|1
[/table]
Challenge Rating: 1

{table=head]CR|Votes
¼|1
⅓|0
½|0
1|8
2|0
3|0
4|0
5|0
6|0
7|0
8|1
9|0
10|7
[/table]
Special Abilities: Natural Weapons, Psionics

{table=head]Special Ability|Votes
Ability Damage|0
Ability Drain|0
Alternate Form|0
Antimagic|2
Blindsight/Blindsense|0
Breath Weapon|1
Change Shape|0
Charm/Compulsion|0
Cold Immunity|1
Constrict|0
Damage Reduction|0
Darkvision|0
Death Attacks|0
Disease|0
Energy Drain/Negative Levels|0
Etherealness|0
Evasion/Improved Evasion|0
Fast Healing|1
Fear Aura (Su)|2
Fear Cones (Sp)/Rays (Su)|0
Frightful Presence (Ex)|0
Fire Immunity|0
Gaseous Form|0
Gaze Attacks|0
Improved Grab|0
Incorporeality|0
Invisibility|0
Level Loss|0
Low-Light Vision|0
Manufactured Weapons|0
Movement Modes (Burrow/Climb/Fly/Swim)|1
Natural Weapons (Bite/Claw/Gore/etc)|7
Nonabilities|0
Paralysis|0
Poison|3
Polymorph|0
Pounce|0
Powerful Charge|0
Psionics|6
Rake|0
Rays|1
Regeneration|0
Resistance To Energy|0
Scent|0
Sonic Attacks|0
Spell Immunity|0
Spell Resistance|0
Spells/SLAs|0
Summon|0
Swallow Whole|1
Telepathy|2
Trample|0
Tremorsense|1
Turn Resistance|0
Vulnerability to Energy|1[/table]

All votes have been tallied. Voting is concluded at this point. The resultant creature, the Ice Fang, has been posted. Thanks to everyone who voted.

[Saint Nil]

How about a Magical Beast?

[Malfunctioned]

I vote for Monstrous Humanoid!

[Owrtho]

Well, if we want to out-do past VUAM creatures, then I'd say we'll need to go with Aberration.

Owrtho

[Rhiannon87]

Magical Beast! They're magical!

[afroakuma]

Do I sense a wee bit of homage to a certain other VUA's tenth iteration? :smallwink:

[kopout]

Enough of the epic, otherworldly and unfathomable, lets have a Monstrous Humanoid!

[Debihuman]

I vote for Monstrous Humanoid . At least, it is something that hasn't been done already.

The first one was an aberration; the second was a construct; the third was an ooze; the fourth was an elemental; the fifth was a dragon; the sixth was fey; seventh was a magical beast; eighth was a magical beast and the ninth was also an aberration.

Debby

[UnChosenOne]

Î vötë für Monstrous Humanoid.

Êdït. I did forgot bold my vote.

[Alteran]

I will also vote for Monstrous Humanoid.

Bandwagons FTW, apparently?

[Pramxnim]

I vote for Plant, because a quick glance at older entries saw Monstrous Humanoid being done before (the Changelings).

[vegetalss4]

yeah bandwagons for the win
Monstrous Humanoid

[Pronounceable]

There's already millions of monstrous humanoids out there (homebrew or otherwise). Plants however...

[Zeta Kai]

All votes are currently tallied.

[The Mentalist]

That Plant idea sounds like a good one.

[Ellye]

Plant for this one.

[Zeta Kai]

Alright, the votes are in, & the winning Type is: Monstrous Humanoid!

So next, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Subtype (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#subtypes). Votes will be tallied regularly. As always, please only vote for 1 subtype, & please peruse the voting rules. Thank you for voting.

[Malfunctioned]

I think Aquatic sounds good :smallsmile:

[Alteran]

I like the sound of a shapechanger.

Never mind, I see we've had several of these. My vote goes to Cold.

[Ellye]

I want to see it with the Cold subtype.

[erikun]

Don't mind me randomly commenting here, but I love the Polymental. Thanks for listing them all; I would've missed it otherwise.

[unosarta]

hey, bandwagons are fun!

Cold

[Pronounceable]

Alignment subtypes never got picked (except evil I think). So lawful.

[UnChosenOne]

Î vötë für Swarm.

[Faulty]

I vote Aquatic!

[Zincorium]

Swarm!

If only because it has never been done before! (that I'm aware of)

[paddyfool]

Another vote for the life aquatic

[Rhiannon87]

I'm gonna vote fire.

[Zeta Kai]

All votes are cur- Ph'nglui mglw'nafh C'thulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

Sorry, the Aberrations were speaking through me. All votes are currently tallied.

[LordShotGun]

Cold Subtype seems interesting. Also, whats up with all the vote up a monster contests going back and putting down thier previous monsters?

If anyone here has ever seen a DnD version 1.0 monster manual they would not feel so bad. I mean they had floors and ceilings that could eat you !! Also we had really wierd monsters like "sheep in wolf's clothing" (seriously look it up, it was in durokan's dungeon)

[Debihuman]

AAARG I am torn between Cold Aquatic as a favorite. I'd vote for both if I could but since I can't, I guess I'll vote Aquatic.

Debby

[The Mentalist]

Cold...spit goes clunk cold.

[DoomedPaladin]

Aquatic,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Krazddndfreek]

Water!
Haven't seen too many of these (at first I thought it was new/made-up).

[The Bookworm]

Aquatic! ........

[Lord_Gareth]

Cold, I do decree!

[Zeta Kai]

The votes are in, & the winning Subtypes are: Aquatic & Cold!

So next, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Size (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/movementPositionAndDistance.htm#bigandLittleCreatu resInCombat). Votes will be tallied regularly. As always, please only vote for 1 size, & please peruse the voting rules. Thank you for voting.

[Alteran]

I vote for medium.

[Blue Ghost]

Haven't been to one of these VUAs for a while. I'll cast my vote for small.

[Faulty]

I vote Small.

[Lord_Gareth]

Medium is > Small.

[Limos]

Small it is.

[Rhiannon87]

Medium. So the DM doesn't have to go hunting for special-sized minis.

[UnChosenOne]

I vote for Large.

[shadowxknight]

I vote LARGE

[Pronounceable]

Small. lalala

[Malfunctioned]

Medium! :smallbiggrin:

[Zincorium]

Small. Fit more of 'em in.

[vegetalss4]

Medium bigger than small, smaller than large, it is just perfect

[paddyfool]

Small (Penguin men!)

[Reverent-One]

I say Small.

[Zeta Kai]

Hey man, all votes are, like, totally tallied, dude. :smalltongue:

[Ellye]

Medium would be nice.

[kopout]

small. yes?

[Zeta Kai]

Alright, the votes are in, & the winning size is: Small!

So next, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Alignment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/description.htm#theNineAlignments). Votes will be tallied regularly. Votes will be tallied regularly. As always, please only vote for 1 alignment, & please peruse the voting rules. Thank you for voting.

[Rhiannon87]

Neutral Evil. Haven't had an evil creature in a bit.

[unosarta]

Lawful Evil, with the cold subtype, it just makes sense.

[shadowxknight]

Chaotic Evil

They are always fun.

[Juhn]

Lawful Neutral; I don't think we've had one of those yet.

[UnChosenOne]

I vote for Lawful evil. You know it's only lawful aligment that we haven't see yet.

[Pronounceable]

Cold, wet and small... It'd make anyone barmy. Chaotic neutral.

[Zincorium]

Chaotic neutral.

[Ellye]

I want a Evil monster for a change (that's weird to say). I would prefer NE or CE, but since Lawful Evil is looking more likely.. there we go.

[DoomedPaladin]

Chaotic Neutral, Cold Magmin? I hope not.

[paddyfool]

I was so tempted to micturate towards where the air currents are flowing from by voting LG, but instead, I'll jump upon the most acceptable of the bandwagons. Lawful Evil it is. EDIT: Scheming penguin men.

[The Bookworm]

Lawful Evil is super awesome!

[Malfunctioned]

Awwww, I wanted to start the bandwagon again :smalltongue:, but I think I'll just jump on the Lawful Evil one. :smallsmile:

[Lappy9000]

I vote Lawful Good.

[Faulty]

I vote Lawful Evil. Let's get some scheming deep sea arctic monsters going.

[Alteran]

Looks like I'm hopping on the Lawful Evil bandwagon.

[Zeta Kai]

Evai baimor tsamaz sefai enar.

[The Mentalist]

I vote Lawful Neutral on the it doesn't have a prayer ticket.

[kopout]

Chaotic neutral.for freedom!

[Zeta Kai]

The votes are in, & the winning alignment is: Lawful Evil!

So next, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Challenge Rating (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/intro.htm#challengeRating). Votes will be tallied regularly. As always, please only vote for 1 CR, & please peruse the voting rules. Thank you for voting.

[Limos]

CR 10

yay maximum number!

[LordZarth]

*Sigh* 10.

[Alteran]

Sure, let's go with 10.

[DoomedPaladin]

15......................

[Llama231]

1/4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay fractions! ^.^

[Rhiannon87]

Let's go with CR 10!

[Ellye]

10 indeed.

[Owrtho]

CR 1. Maybe we could get a race out of this.

Owrtho

[Faulty]

CR 8.

Yeah, I went there.

[Malfunctioned]

CR 10 Bandwagonning!

[paddyfool]

CR 1. Being small and LE fits well with an organised horde of these things, which is rather easier to arrange if the CR isn't too high.

[Zeta Kai]

15......................

Unfortunately, that is not a valid option. Please vote again.

All other votes are currently tallied.

[UnChosenOne]

I vote for CR 1.

[DoomedPaladin]

So sorry. 10 then.

[DoomedPaladin]

I don't know what I was thinkin'.

[kopout]

CR 1.A playable race with little level adjustment (if any).

[Lord_Gareth]

CR 1 for the most epic win of all time!

[Blue Ghost]

I'll cast another vote for CR 1.

[grungar3x7]

CR 1please!!:smallcool:

hidden text is hidden

sorry I missed out on most of this one

hidden text is hidden:smallbiggrin:

[Zeta Kai]

All votes are currently tallied.

We currently have a tie between CR1 & CR10. I'd like to see the tie broken, if for no other reason than to know if I'm designing a strong monster or a player-compatible race. Anyone up for breaking the tie?

[Pronounceable]

Me! With 1.

[Zeta Kai]

Good enough for me! The votes are in, & the winning Challenge Rating is: CR1! It looks like we might have a race after all.

So lastly, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Special Abilities (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/specialAbilities.htm). Votes will be tallied regularly. Please only vote for 2 Special Abilities maximum, & please peruse the voting rules. Thank you for voting.

[Alteran]

Antimagic and Telepathy.

[Blue Ghost]

Breath weapon and poison.

[pondshadow]

Psionics and fearful aura, be afraid, be very afraid

[Ellye]

Having in mind that it's a CR 1: Movement Modes and Natural Weapons.

[Owrtho]

Antimagic and Natural Weapons.

Owrtho

[Rhiannon87]

Natural Weapons. Waiting to see if anything else interesting pops up before voting again.

[UnChosenOne]

I vote for Darkvision and Tremorsense.

[The Mentalist]

Natural Weapons & Poison

[Zincorium]

Telepathy and Fearful Aura. It's gonna get inside your head, man.

[Malfunctioned]

Darkvision and Natural Weapons, Small, cold, shark people!

[paddyfool]

Psionics and Movement modes

[arkol]

Cold Immunity and a Cold Ray

[Faulty]

Psionics and Darkvision.

[DoomedPaladin]

Considering that as an Aquatic creature some of the abilities here are almost a given (like movement modes). I'm going to have to go with Psionics and to see how you'd do it, Swallow Whole.

[Zeta Kai]

All votes have been tallied so far.

Now, before any of you assume that my tally of the votes implies a tacit approval, let me set you straight; it does NOT. :smallannoyed: Many of you have wasted your votes on abilities that this creature will automatically have, due to type/subtype traits. Here are the traits this creature will have, based on your votes so far:
Aquatic traits: All creatures with the Aquatic subtype possess the following traits:

Swim speeds & thus can move in water without making Swim checks.
Can breathe underwater, & are immune to drowning (but not suffocation).


Cold traits: All creatures with the Cold subtype possess the following traits:

Immunity to all cold-based damage & effects.
Vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.


Monstrous Humanoid traits: All creatures with the Monstrous Humanoid type possess the following traits:

Darkvision out to 60’.
Proficient with all simple weapons.
Monstrous humanoids not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor or shields.
Monstrous humanoids eat, sleep, & breathe.

To simplify that verbiage, it basically means that the VUaM #10 will get a Swim speed, Cold Immunity, Vulnerability to Fire, & Darkvision automatically.

Now, who wants to change their votes? :smallconfused:

[UnChosenOne]

Cuzz it do get a Darkvision (I did remember that the Monstrous Humanoid do have a low light vision) I change it to Psionics.

[Malfunctioned]

In that case I'll change my Darkvision to Fast Healing

[grungar3x7]

Psionics and natural weapons for me!

(Hey, look! A band on a wagon!! :smallwink:)

[paddyfool]

Given that, I'd like to swap Movement modes to Acid vulnerability (although I was tempted by blindsight/blindsense). This thing is going to need some disadvantages to stay CR 1, and if you're vulnerable to fire, acid also makes sense chemically.

[Ellye]

My Movement Modes vote was already meant to be something extra (besides swim - like burrow or something), so I guess I'll keep that vote.

[Faulty]

I change my vote of Darkvision to one for Poison.

[arkol]

Can I use my wasted vote to remove a vote from the psionics tab? :smallbiggrin:

Assuming I can't I'll go with... Natural Weapons

[Zeta Kai]

All votes have been tallied. The winning special abilities are: Natural Weapons & Psionics!

Voting is concluded at this point. The resultant creature, the ?????, will be posted on Tuesday, May 12th. Thanks to everyone who voted.

[Zeta Kai]

Ice Fang

http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs11/i/2006/166/2/c/A_Merman_by_lanisaz.jpg
An ice fang in a moment of relative peace & good cheer.
Small Monstrous Humanoid (Aquatic, Cold)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5HP)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 10’ (2 squares), Swim 60’ (12 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 leather); touch 12; flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-2
Attack: Glaive +3 melee (1d8+1/×3) or Claw +3 melee (1d4+1)
Full Attack: Glaive +3 melee (1d8+1/×3) or 2 Claws +3 melee (1d4+1)
Space/Reach: 5’/5’
Special Attacks: Psi-like Abilities
Special Qualities: Aquatic traits, Cold traits, Monstrous Humanoid traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 13 (+1), Dex 13 (+1), Con 12 (+1), Int 12 (+1), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 8 (-1)
Skills: Hide +4, Spot +5, Survival +5, Swim +4
Feats: Power Attack
Environment: cold aquatic
Organization: solitary, pair, vanguard (3-8), school (9-28 plus 50% non-combatants plus one 2nd-level chief & 1-2 sharks), or tribe (29-128 plus 50% non-combatants plus one 5th-level chief & 5-8 sharks)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: standard
Alignment: usually Lawful Evil
Advancement: by character class
Level Adjustment: +1

The creature before you looks like a small, wiry merman. Upon closer inspection, though, it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary merfolk. Its scaly hands are tipped with wicked claws, & its grin reveals a mouth full of dagger-like teeth. Most telling of all, though, is the fact that its entire body is covered in fine bluish-green scales, entire the more human-like parts.

In the depths of the coldest oceans lurk dangerous predators. Sharks, narwhals, orca whales, & cold-adapted sahuagin prowl the seas, hunting for prey. Some natives of arctic lands report another killer under the waves, though, one that can come onto dry land & terrorize people out of the sea. These gruesome beings are known as Ice Fangs.

The ice fangs are a ruthless, cruel people, with a Darwinian philosophy born of their harsh environment & meager food supply. Known amongst themselves as the Vaqzuu (VAHK-zoo, singular Vaqzo), they are often ravenously hungry, & they rarely care where their next meal comes from. Their society has a strict hierarchy, with rigidly defined roles for each caste strata. At the bottom of the proverbial food chain are the Chattel (Naapth), who are the slaves & indentured servants. Above them are the Seekers (Rrozcae), who make up most of an average tribe’s population; they are the ones that do most of the work. Then there are the Marshals (Jaaschy), who lead the seekers on raids & enforce the tribe’s laws. Next are the Shamans (Ccaeño), who organize the community & direct the worship of the Ice Fang pantheon, the Quolbuba. At the top of the pecking order are the Chieftains (Aivraal), who rule the other ice fangs with an iron fin.

Most surface folk only encounter the ice fangs that dwell in icy coastal waters, the ones known as Shallow Fangs (Ooda-Vaqz). Less commonly known are larger (IE Medium size) Current Fangs (Zoury-Vaqz), who reside in deeper seas, riding the cold currents. A seldom-seen variety are the Deep Fangs (Quaaj-Vaqz), the Large-sized sub-race that inhabit the most frigid reaches of the ocean floor. The rarest type of ice fang are the Exiles (Vuqzi Choipa), who reject the Lawful Evil tenets of ice fang society.

An ice fang is about 3½-4½’ long, & weighs about 65-80 pounds. They speak their own language (Phthuulyg), although the more learned of them speak Aquan, Common, or Sahuagin.

Combat
Ice fangs are natural predators, & they treat any encounter like just another part of the hunt. They eagerly do batter with foes, usually attempting to first pick off prey that they perceive as weak or otherwise easier to kill, before moving on to stronger opponents. They will often begin a battle by employing one of their psionic powers; most likely their mind thrust, given their penchant for offensive tactics. This is almost always followed up with melee attacks, either with a glaive or their bare claws. They wisely choose to engage enemies underwater if at all possible, where they are in their element; an ice fang that is encountered on land is much more likely to retreat.

Psi-Like Abilities

1/day: force screen, mind thrust (DC13).
Manifester level 1st. The save DC is Wisdom-based. 3 Power Points per day.

Aquatic traits: All creatures with the Aquatic subtype possess the following traits:

Swim speeds & thus can move in water without making Swim checks.
Can breathe underwater, & are immune to drowning (but not suffocation).

Cold traits: All creatures with the Cold subtype possess the following traits:

Immunity to all cold-based damage & effects.
Vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.

Monstrous Humanoid traits: All creatures with the Monstrous Humanoid type possess the following traits:

Darkvision out to 60’.
Proficient with all simple weapons.
Monstrous humanoids not indicated as wearing armor are not proficient with armor or shields.
Monstrous humanoids eat, sleep, & breathe.

Monster Lore
Characters that have ranks in Knowledge (Nature) can learn more about Ice fangs. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DC’s.

DC11: “In the icy polar waters of the world, there are merfolk-like marauders that voraciously hunt & eat any creature that they can reach.” A character making this check recalls all aquatic cold monstrous humanoid traits.
DC16: “Commonly known as the ice fangs, these piscean predators scour the seas with their claws & their mental powers.” A character making this check knows the workings of an ice fang’s natural weapons & psi-like abilities.
DC21: “Ice fangs come in many shapes & sizes, although most people will only encounter the tyrannical Shallow Fangs.” A character making this check remembers the mechanics of an ice fang’s abilities & racial features.
DC26: “They called themselves the Vaqzuu, & they worship the Quolbuba, a pantheon of brutal, rapacious gods.” A character making this check is familiar with the nearest ice fang settlement & how to contact them.

Abilities & Racial Features

+2 Strength, +2 Wisdom.
Monstrous Humanoid (Aquatic): An ice fang is not subject to spells or effects that affect humanoids only, such as charm person or dominate person. It is still subject to charm monster or dominate monster, however. They have swim speeds & thus can move in water without making Swim checks, can breathe underwater, & are immune to drowning (but not suffocation).
Cold traits: All creatures with the Cold subtype are immune to all cold-based damage & effects. They also have a vulnerability to fire, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from fire, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.
Small Size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting & carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
An ice fang’s base land speed is 10 feet.
An ice fang’s base swim speed is 60 feet.
Darkvision out to 60 feet.
Psi-Like Abilities

1/day: force screen, mind thrust (DC13).
Manifester level 1st. The save DC is Wisdom-based. 3 Power Points per day.

Natural Weapons (Ex): 2 Claws (1d4 + Str); slashing damage.
Automatic Languages: Phthuulyg. Bonus Languages: Aquan, Common, or Sahuagin.
Favored Class: Ranger (male) or Monk (female).
Level Adjustment: +1.


http://cghub.com/files/Image/010001-011000/10497/806_large.jpg
Another ice fang, poised to attack.

[Ellye]

Pretty cool.
I'll probably be adding this race as a NPC Race to my campaign world, since my current campaign takes place in cold regions. :D

[Alteran]

Psi-Like Abilities
1/day: force screen, mind thrust (DC13).
Manifester level 1st. The save DC is Wisdom-based. 3 Power Points per day.


I admit I know very little about this sort of thing, but how would the DC scale with level? Would it not? I imagine that if it stayed the same it would become almost useless at higher levels.


...who rule the other ice fangs with an iron fin.


I laughed out loud at that part. :smalltongue:

Overall a very cool monster/race. It doesn't have the incredible abilities of higher CR monsters, but I find myself very impressed regardless. I only wish I had more to say about it. Well done, Zeta. ...again.

[Zeta Kai]

Pretty cool.
I'll probably be adding this race as a NPC Race to my campaign world, since my current campaign takes place in cold regions. :D

Thank you. I'm pleasantly surprised that someone will be using this as an actual race.

I tried to make it as appealing a racial option as I could: they are only an LA+1 race, but they get a (fast) Swim speed, they don't have to make Swim checks, they can breathe underwater, they have no ability score penalties, they get Darkvision, Cold immunity, 2 claws, & 2 daily psionic powers. Their only significant drawbacks are their vulnerability to fire damage, & their slow land speed. By all rights, I'd say that they are almost too strong for LA+1. But I wanted to make a playable race for once (which is where all the extra cultural info came from), so I pulled a designer fiat. :smallwink:


I admit I know very little about this sort of thing, but how would the DC scale with level? Would it not? I imagine that if it stayed the same it would become almost useless at higher levels.

Well, the DC for a saving throw against psi-like abilities is equal to 10 + the psionic power's level + the creature's relevant ability score (in this case, Wisdom) modifier. Both PLA's are level 1 powers, so the DC is 10+1+2, IE 13. The only way to raise the DC is to raise the creature's Wisdom score, which is par for the course when scaling up a monster. An ice fang that wants to ensure that it's PLA's are a threat to higher-level opponents needs to keep an eye on that WIS mod.


I laughed out loud at that part. :smalltongue:

Tee-hee, thanks. :smallbiggrin: I couldn't resist throwing in a (small) joke. I'm usually able to sate myself by making up silly names for feats & spells (something that Afro frowns upon), but not this time. :smallredface:


Overall a very cool monster/race. It doesn't have the incredible abilities of higher CR monsters, but I find myself very impressed regardless. I only wish I had more to say about it. Well done, Zeta. ...again.

Well, if the votes had won out for CR10, the psionic powers would've taken center stage, making for a wild mind-blasting monster. But that would be unsuitable for a PC race, so it's always a trade-off. I just go where the votes carry me, which makes it such a fun & interesting project. I never really know what I'm gonna be making next, so the journey of discovery is very rewarding. I never would have conceived of any of the monsters that resulted from the VUaM contests, but now, I'm proud to have made (almost) every one of them, & will be using some of these creatures in future projects.

[Debihuman]

I'm a bit confused. You have them listed as size Small in the stat block but under Abilites and Racial features you list them as Medium creatures. Which one is correct?

Debby

[Zeta Kai]

I'm a bit confused. You have them listed as size Small in the stat block but under Abilites and Racial features you list them as Medium creatures. Which one is correct?

Small is correct; this has been fixed. Thanks for the catch, Debby.

BTW, just so everyone knows, I will not be doing another VUAM until both the VUACS & FFXd20 projects are complete & posted. I need to dedicate myself to finishing what I started, & as much as I love running these contests, I can't keep making my own distractions. Thanks again to everyone who voted &/or made a comment, & I assure you, VUAM will one day return.

[Faulty]

Well done, sir.

[Zeta Kai]

Well done, sir.

Thank you very much.

Also, if I had found this (http://www.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/cthulhu-minions.jpeg) picture sooner, I'd have build the monster around it instead. What game can't use Cthulhu-Spawn?

[paddyfool]

Damnit, I've tried to stay away, but I just have to say: congrats. Another fine monster, rich in possibilities for use. Plot hooks to do with rescue missions, defense missions, solving mysterious disappearances, etc. would be eminently do-able, and as characters, one of these also has plenty to tempt a player in (in addition to ranger, I reckon they'd also work well, and flavorfully, for a barbarian, a psychic warrior, a rather different cleric or druid, a scary little paladin of tyranny... any of which could easily give a characterful main antagonist for a mission besides, even if the druid and barb would have to be at least one alignment step away from the norm).