Reltzik
2005-10-07, 05:43 PM
Okay. There I was, browsing these forums (having come here from the comic), and I came across the Contest forum. I saw the Make Some Monsters contest. I read a few entries. The brain juices started flowing, which is a really iciky metaphor if you think about it. I thought, hey! I've got a few neat ideas for that! So I spent a couple of hours I should have been job-hunting drawing up a nice rip-off of zombies.
So I register.
I go to post.
I realize that all the topics are locked, and that the contest ended seven days ago and is now in voting.
Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!
In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm a newbie.
Anyhow, this seemed like too neat an idea to go to waste, and this SEEMS like the right forum to post it in. (If not, I'm sure many people will tell me, very very quickly. How many mistakes are we newbies allotted, anyway?) Constructive comments and criticism are invited.
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Monster: The Starved
Description: An emaciated humanoid, pale and weak-looking, more bones and skin than flesh.
There are some very bad ways to die in the world, and death by hunger of thirst is near the top. It happens just as often in the back alleys of a metropolis as it does in long, desolate reaches of wilderness. It is a very long, slow, agonizing death, and sometimes the extended suffering is enough to cause the corpse to rise as a Starved. Some Starved are in advanced state of decay, while others (especially those who died in dry or cold climates) could pass as living. Starved that died together (usually as a travelling party in the wilderness) tend to stay together in undeath. Larger parties are often accompanied by about one ghoul or ghast for every twenty Starved.
Starved:
Medium Undead
HD: 2d12 (13)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares, can't run)
Armor: 12 (+2 natural)
Base attack/grapple: +1/+3
Attack: Slam +3 (1d6 + 2)
Full attack: Slam +3 melee (1d6 + 2)
Space/Reach: 5/5
Special Attacks: Spoil (see below)
Special Qualities: Single actions only, damage reduction 5/slashing, undead traits
Saves: Fort + 0, Ref - 2, Will + 0
Abilities Str 14, Dex 10, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: None
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, or party (any size)
CR: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Evil, because, hey, ALL undead are evil.
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: --
Starved are neither intelligent nor particularly violent. They explore their surroundings, looking for something to eat or drink. Though they speak their native tongue, this is only an echo of things said before death, usually half-coherent mumblings about thirst or desperate beggings for sustenance or the like. When they do accost people, their purpose is robbery rather than harm. In this manner, they will break into homes, wander into a travelling party's camp and rifle through its supplies, or simply sit on a street corner begging for handouts. Starved are incapable of eating or drinking. They'll go through the motions, but won't actually sip from a cup or put food in their mouths. However, any food or drink they come into contact with automatically becomes the target of their Spoil ability, and from that moment on they are uninterested in it.
In combat, Starved will ignore all other considerations and try to find food. This may mean just trying to walk by their attackers and towards the larder, or it might mean grappling with their attackers to steal their waterskin, at which point they'll just ignore the person sticking a sword in them, even provoke an attack of opportunity, in order to take a drink. They may attack those who they think have food, who restrain them, or who block their way, but will completely ignore anyone else. They do not consider anything living creature to be food, though will readilly ruin orchards and vegetable fields by harvesting and spoiling them.
Spoil: Any food or drink which the Starved comes into physical contact with becomes Spoiled. It becomes rotten and contaminated, at a rate of five cubic feet per round, and is obviously discernible as such by sight or smell. Simply tasting it will cause most creatures to retch. Those who choke it down suffer food poisoning. Treat this as a poison doing d4 points of Con damage and with a Fort save of 15. Additionally, spoiled provisions provide no sustenence. Purify Food and Drink will reverse this effect, as will similar spells and spell-like abilities, but mundane measures (such as cooking, filtering, etc) will not.
((The above is for human Starved. Creating a template for Starved in general is left as an exercise to the reader. And yes, I used zombie stats as base.))
So I register.
I go to post.
I realize that all the topics are locked, and that the contest ended seven days ago and is now in voting.
Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!
In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm a newbie.
Anyhow, this seemed like too neat an idea to go to waste, and this SEEMS like the right forum to post it in. (If not, I'm sure many people will tell me, very very quickly. How many mistakes are we newbies allotted, anyway?) Constructive comments and criticism are invited.
-------------
Monster: The Starved
Description: An emaciated humanoid, pale and weak-looking, more bones and skin than flesh.
There are some very bad ways to die in the world, and death by hunger of thirst is near the top. It happens just as often in the back alleys of a metropolis as it does in long, desolate reaches of wilderness. It is a very long, slow, agonizing death, and sometimes the extended suffering is enough to cause the corpse to rise as a Starved. Some Starved are in advanced state of decay, while others (especially those who died in dry or cold climates) could pass as living. Starved that died together (usually as a travelling party in the wilderness) tend to stay together in undeath. Larger parties are often accompanied by about one ghoul or ghast for every twenty Starved.
Starved:
Medium Undead
HD: 2d12 (13)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares, can't run)
Armor: 12 (+2 natural)
Base attack/grapple: +1/+3
Attack: Slam +3 (1d6 + 2)
Full attack: Slam +3 melee (1d6 + 2)
Space/Reach: 5/5
Special Attacks: Spoil (see below)
Special Qualities: Single actions only, damage reduction 5/slashing, undead traits
Saves: Fort + 0, Ref - 2, Will + 0
Abilities Str 14, Dex 10, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: None
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary, or party (any size)
CR: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Evil, because, hey, ALL undead are evil.
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: --
Starved are neither intelligent nor particularly violent. They explore their surroundings, looking for something to eat or drink. Though they speak their native tongue, this is only an echo of things said before death, usually half-coherent mumblings about thirst or desperate beggings for sustenance or the like. When they do accost people, their purpose is robbery rather than harm. In this manner, they will break into homes, wander into a travelling party's camp and rifle through its supplies, or simply sit on a street corner begging for handouts. Starved are incapable of eating or drinking. They'll go through the motions, but won't actually sip from a cup or put food in their mouths. However, any food or drink they come into contact with automatically becomes the target of their Spoil ability, and from that moment on they are uninterested in it.
In combat, Starved will ignore all other considerations and try to find food. This may mean just trying to walk by their attackers and towards the larder, or it might mean grappling with their attackers to steal their waterskin, at which point they'll just ignore the person sticking a sword in them, even provoke an attack of opportunity, in order to take a drink. They may attack those who they think have food, who restrain them, or who block their way, but will completely ignore anyone else. They do not consider anything living creature to be food, though will readilly ruin orchards and vegetable fields by harvesting and spoiling them.
Spoil: Any food or drink which the Starved comes into physical contact with becomes Spoiled. It becomes rotten and contaminated, at a rate of five cubic feet per round, and is obviously discernible as such by sight or smell. Simply tasting it will cause most creatures to retch. Those who choke it down suffer food poisoning. Treat this as a poison doing d4 points of Con damage and with a Fort save of 15. Additionally, spoiled provisions provide no sustenence. Purify Food and Drink will reverse this effect, as will similar spells and spell-like abilities, but mundane measures (such as cooking, filtering, etc) will not.
((The above is for human Starved. Creating a template for Starved in general is left as an exercise to the reader. And yes, I used zombie stats as base.))