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I_Got_This_Name
2006-02-04, 08:37 PM
The Vorpal Tribble's Hidden Stream (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=gaming;action=display;num=1139026606 ) inspired this, a sentient weather phenomenon.

Storm of Fury
Colossal Elemental (air, extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 26d8 + 104 (221 HP)
Initiative: +10
Speed: Fly 100 feet (perfect)
AC: 18 (+10 natural +6 dex -8 size) Touch 8, Flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+45
Attack: Sieze
Full Attack: Sieze
Space/Reach: 30 ft/80 ft
Special Attacks: Deafening Winds, Great Reach, Lighting, Rain, Razor Wind, Sieze, Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60', Cold and Fire resistance 15, Damage Reduction 20/magic, Elemental Traits, Immunity to Acid, Electrical, and Sonic damage, Stormy Mind
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +21, Will +8
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 23, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +17, Spot +16
Feats: Ability Focus (Lightning), Ability Focus (Razor Wind), Alertness, Empower Spell-Like Ability (Control Weather), Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Endurance, Quicken Spell-like ability (Summon Nature's Ally V), Run
Environment: Flat aboveground or Elemental Plane of Air
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 19
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Evil
Advancement: 27-80 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: -

The storm weaves across the land, every wind surging with evident malice. Lightning leaps between its black clouds, and a horrific rain pours down from them.

Storms of Fury are deady beings native to the Elemental Plane of Air that sometimes come to the material plane to wreak havoc for the sheer joy of it. They are almost entirely destructive beings, although they do not hate that which they destroy; instead, they merely enjoy destruction. They appear primarily as a tornado funnel rising up about five feet per hit die (130 feet for an average specimen), although their tops are surrounded by black clouds stretching out for dozens of feet around, and they drive weather conditions for the worse around them. Storms of Fury speak Auran through subtle changes in the sound of their storm.

Combat: Storms of Fury come to the material plane to destroy, not to fight, but they are able to ignore most attacks. When faced with a threat, they will size it up (as much as their limited intelligence allows them to), and decide to attack or to flee. If they attack, they rely heavily on their summoned air elementals and on their Sieze ability, using Lightning when only a few targets are available, and Razor Winds for larger groups. Cloudkill is often used to massacre groups of weak, non-threatening enemies, and Fog Cloud is used, not to hide the Storm, but to blind enemies near it.
Deafening Winds (ex): The winds of a Storm of Fury are mighty. No ranged attacks through the storm's space or against the storm are possible, even with siege weapons. Within its reach, listen checks and normal ranged attacks are impossible, and siege weapons take a -8 penalty to hit. Rays are unaffected, and magical energy missiles, such as Melf's Acid Arrow, function as siege weapons. The Storm of Fury can extinguish any nonmagical flame in its reach as a free action. Boats and ships caught in the Storm's reach may be capsized as if in a hurricane. These winds always blow in a circle around the Storm; their direction may be changed as a full-round action. During a round where their direction is being changed, the winds have no effect (although the Storm is still immune to all ranged attacks). If the Storm speaks, it can still be heard over the force of its winds.
Great Reach (ex): The Storm of Fury has a reach of 5' per hit die after the first 10.
Lightning (sp): As a standard action, a Storm of Fury may cause 1d8+2 targets near it to be struck by lightning. Pick those targets closest to the storm first, and work outward, not counting those siezed by the Storm. Each target must make a reflex save (DC 29, Constitution-based) or take 8d10 damage; a successful save means that the lightning strikes another target. Anything wearing metal armor or primarily made of metal does not get a save. Advanced storms increase their damage; the number of dice is equal to 1/3 of the Storm's hit dice. Once this ability is used, the Storm must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again. Lightning can only strike out to the Storm's reach. Other Elemental (Air) creatures are not considered for targets.
Rain (su): The Storm of Fury is continually surrounded by rain. Anything within its reach is immune to dessication, such as that from a Horrid Wilting spell. This rain also demoralizes those near the storm, causing them to have to make a will save (DC 23, wisdom-based) or take a -2 morale penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws. This lasts for 1d4 hours and is a mind-affecting ability.
Razor Wind (su): The Storm of Fury may, as a move action, temporarily create a number of small blades in its wind. This causes 4d6 damage to every creature in the Storm's reach, with a reflex save (DC 25, Wisdom-based) for half damage. Incorporeal or Elemental (air) creatures are immune to this ability.
Sieze (ex): The Storm of Fury pulls all prone creatures in its reach into its area, and any creature that it passes through in the course of a move must make a reflex save (DC 34, strength-based) to avoid being sucked in and forced to move with the storm. On all subsequent rounds, creatures pulled into the Storm's space are randomly redistributed throughout the Storm, and grapple with the Storm, although they cannot attack it. The Storm is not considered grappling, and, as a free action once per round, may make a Grapple check to inflict 2d8+16 damage to every grappled creature. Further, each time a creature takes damage, it is elevated a number of feet equal to half of the damage it takes; when it escapes the grapple it falls this distance, although it cannot go higher than five feet per hit die of the storm (130 feet on a normal specimen). A siezed creature may be ejected as a free action, putting it anywhere in the Storm's reach; it may fall or not, depending on the Storm's decision. A Storm of Fury cannot by grappled any other way. Elemental (air) and incorporeal creatures are not affected by this ability.
Stormy Mind (ex): Due to the odd functioning of the creature's mind, it may attempt a new saving throw against any mind-affecting effects on it every round. This is a free action. Mind-affecting effects that specifically target elementals ignore this ability.
Spell-like Abilities (sp): At Will: Fog Cloud (extends to full reach, not dispersed by winds). 3/day: Cloudkill (DC 15, not dispersed by winds), Control Winds, Summon Nature's Ally V (Large Air Elemental or 1d3 Medium Air Elementals only). 1/day: Control Weather. 1/week: Teleport, Plane Shift. Caster level 20, DCs are Charisma-based.

Comments, critisism?

Edited to implement The Vorpal Tribble's suggestions, and again for Tarkahn.

The Vorpal Tribble
2006-02-04, 09:55 PM
Well, there is both a Storm Elemental (MM III) and a Thunder Worm (FF) that resembles this creature's theme and certain abilities pretty closely, but it has some unique abilities so its not really obsolete. Specifically liked the Rain ability. Seems this guy would also have the Water subtype?


Numberwise:


Colossal Elemental (air)
Probably would also have the extraplanar subtype.


AC: 18 (+10 natural +6 dex) Touch 8, Flat-footed 12
It'd also have a -8 size mod.


Special Qualities: Blindsight 60', Damage Reduction 20/magic, Elemental Traits, Immunity to energy damage, Stormy Mind
Isn't complete immunity to all energy a bit much? Specially when you add in the damage reduction?


Improved Natural Armor
Generally improved natural armor is only a good feat for giving to a creature when you are increasing its HD. Otherwise since this is a representative example of its kind you might as well up its natural armor and use the feat for something else.


Ideas for what CR it should have?
I come up with a CR of about 19.

I_Got_This_Name
2006-02-05, 01:31 PM
Water Subtype: Maybe. If there was a way to give it a minor water inluence, it would, but, as it is, it's an air creature that has some power over water.

Extraplanar Subtype: Will add.

AC: Noting size mod; it is included in its stats, just not listed.

Special Qualities: Well, the damage reduction is there because it's almost incorporeal, but not quite (not even a magical weapon can cut a storm, but magic and magic weapons can damage the essence of this one), and can be ignored by most PCs well before they fight this. The energy immunity is because you can't burn a storm, you can't electrocute a storm, you can't kill it with sound, you can't corrode it with acid, and you can't freeze it away. I suppose I could make it so that it takes no damage from any energy but cold, and takes half damage from cold (cold disrupts its patterns), but I'll leave it as-is for now unless its immunity to energy makes it too deadly. Magic Missile, Disintegrate, Harm, and similar spells work just fine on it, especially because it has no SR.

Improved Natural Armor: I seriously had no idea what to put there, I'd already decided on a nat armor of 10, so I decided to switch some of its natural armor out to a feat. I'll swap it out for Endurance.

19 sounds good for CR, I'll stick that in.

(Edited): I'm considering swapping out Empower Spell-like Ability (Control Weather) for either a new Extend SLA feat in the same spell, or for Empower SLA in Lightning, so that three times per day it hits half again as many targets for half again as much damage. Should I do that? Which way should it go? Also, I was considering adding a Plant Growth (Enrichment) effect, probably better than the spell, to any plants it rains on. That would, however, make this less of a purely destructive creature.

Everyman
2006-02-05, 06:33 PM
VT's right. Complete energy immunity means there is no way for the average mage to harm the creature, and the Lighting and Razor Wind abilities make quick work of the big damage dealers (namely fighters and barbarians). It seems that only people with Will save-based artillery are going to make a dent in this thing, and then the creature gets two saves.

Frankly, I'd cut back on some of the abilities. This creature does not need Deafening Winds, as the ability is effectively prevents anything smaller than Colossal from fighting it directly (hurricane winds?!). Second, I'd give it (maybe) energy resistance 15. Yes, storms can't be stopped by energy, but this is a creature. This is not a nigh-intangible force of nature. It's a CREATURE. Besides, complete immunity prevents it harm or benefit from positive and negative energy, and that just doesn't sit right with me.

With these adjustments, it still would be worthy of a CR 19, but then it would be much more reasonable of a challenge.

I_Got_This_Name
2006-02-05, 07:22 PM
How about if I make Deafening Winds just apply to ranged attacks and listen checks, so it has to use its other abilities to deal damage?

I didn't mean to include positive and negative energy in its immunities; will change them and nerf its fire and cold down to resistance 15. I still hold that no mage will ever be able to stop a storm, even a storm creature, with a loud noise, acid, or by electrocuting it. Fire is probably the most-used damage spell type, so this gives even a wizard who didn't prepare spells with the plan of killing one of these things a chance to fight it.