Octokin [3.5 Race/Monster]

[Obrysii]

Octokin
Medium Aberration (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 1d8-1 (3hp)
Initiative: +1 (dex)
Speed: 20ft. (see text); Swim 20ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+1 dex + 4 natural +2 shield)
Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +0/+8**
Attack: Longsword +0 (1d8) or Tentacle +0 (1d4)
Full Attack: Longsword +0 (1d8) and 4 tentacles -5 (1d4) or 6 tentacles +0 (1d4)
Special Attack: Tentacles, Gas Escape
Special Qualities: Floating, Amphibious
Saves: Fort -1, Reflex +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 8, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +5, Spot +6, Listen +6, Swim +8
Feats: Lightning Reflexes
Alignment: Usually Lawful Neutral
Organization: Solitary, Group (2 to 8), or larger
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2
**If specific rules are used, the Octokin's extra limbs give it a +8 bonus on grapple checks.
Possessions: Longsword, Light Wooden Shield

[I]A cloaked figure apporaches you, wearing a long and heavy cloak - though as you look deeper you can see there are no legs beneath the cloak - that it hovers in the air. Two large eyes are visible beneath its hood. With a shriek, it moves toward you - a pair of wiry tendrils beneath propelling the creature forward.

Octokin are uplifted octopi given a curious locomotive form. When unclothed, they appear to be typical, medium-sized octopuses with a slightly swollen body sack. Inside this sack is a bag of lighter-than-air gasses that enable it to float across the land; two of its eight tentacles maintain contact with the ground, and help to propel it forward. Another pair have evolved to handle objects, leaving the remaining four to be useful grappling and otherwise assisting it.

Octokin are not by their nature aggressive, though their alien forms and surprising cleverness lend them a tendency to adopt a negative outlook on life.

Combat
Octokin, when driven to attack, use the fullness of their condition to their benefit, grappling when possible but otherwise fighting like a human might.

Tentacles (ex): Octokin have 8 tentacles, two of which are used solely for locomotion, and two of which can wield weapons. The other four can be used to bludgeon enemies, and if it is only wielding one weapon, it can use the fifth in attacks. These tentacles give it similar traction to humans, and so it is not more affected by high winds.

Buoyant (ex): An Octokin floats in the air, lifted by lighter-than-air gases. Its carrying capacity is half that of a normal Medium creature (the same as a Small creature), but it is able to go over obstacles without any reduction in speed.

Gas Escape (ex): When sufficiently threatened, an Octokin can release a violent blast of its lifting gas - jettisoning it backwards up to 100ft. This gas is poisonous, and enemies within a 20ft. radius centered on the Octokin's position when it fired the gas must make a fortitude save, DC 9, or be paralyzed for ten minutes. The save DC is con-based.

This technique is not without risk. An Octokin may only use this once per day, and after doing so has rendered itself unable to use its Buoyant ability; it can only suffice to crawl along the ground slowly - it must use six of its limbs, and its speed declines to 5ft. It loses all of the benefits of its Buoyant ability for one hour.

[Milskidasith]

Not really worth LA+2.

[Obrysii]

Changed it to LA +1.

How is it now? Any other thoughts?

[Debihuman]

hit points are 3 not 7. The average hit points of a 1d8 is 4.5 and you always round down so the standard average is 4. 4-1=3.

Amphibious is not a subtype. Did you mean Aquatic?

If two of the octokin's tentacles are used solely for locomotion, it should be that one can wield a weapon for it to have 5 tentacle attacks. 2+1+5=8.

A better term for "Floating" is "Buoyant." If it is floating in the air shouldn't it have a fly speed rather than a standard walking speed?

Debby

[Mulletmanalive]

I disagree, it's probably actually worth a +2 LA.

- 4-6 Natural Attacks depending on armament
- +8 on Grapples
- Net +4 on stats [+2 Dex, +4 Wis, -2 Con]
- Amphibious
- Ignores Difficult terrain
- Advancing DC paralysis effect that can apparently be used ad nauseum AND catapults you backwards
- Improved Grapple as a bonus feat [that's +12 grapple for those of you who're counting, which, incidentally was missed out in the stat-block]
- Swim speed...

No matter what your reply is to this one Milskidasith, i'm not going to accept that that's not worth a +2 LA.

[Gorgondantess]

I'd say give it a few more stat bonuses to make it more worthy of +2 LA, though yes, it certainly is +2 as is. I doubt another +2 to attributes would propel it to +3 LA.
Anyways, very interesting race. Both fluff-wise and mechanically. I'd never use it, as it's just plain weird, but very interesting.:smallwink:

[Obrysii]

hit points are 3 not 7. The average hit points of a 1d8 is 4.5 and you always round down so the standard average is 4. 4-1=3.

D'oh. It's normally maxed for PCs, haven't made a monster in a while.


Amphibious is not a subtype. Did you mean Aquatic?

d'oh again. Yep. Changed.


If two of the octokin's tentacles are used solely for locomotion, it should be that one can wield a weapon for it to have 5 tentacle attacks. 2+1+5=8.

I guess I don't understand. That's what I said. That's what the stat block says ("Longsword +0 and 5 tentacles -5").


A better term for "Floating" is "Buoyant." If it is floating in the air shouldn't it have a fly speed rather than a standard walking speed?

Debby

Thank you. I will change that word.



- Advancing DC paralysis effect that can apparently be used ad nauseum AND catapults you backwards
- Improved Grapple as a bonus feat [that's +12 grapple for those of you who're counting, which, incidentally was missed out in the stat-block]

Thank you for pointing this out. I did not intend for the paralysis to be usable at will. I have corrected that section.

And I have adjusted the Improved Grapple. They are more powerful in grapple than I intended - do you have any suggestions on what to do, besides, of course, taking away that feat?

[boomwolf]

I say reduce the natural bonus to +4, he will still be damn good at it-but a bit less.

Also-cute idea, but I fear that it got over-the-top number of natural attacks, I mean-at 3rd level you can have freaking 6 attacks. I bet you can find some why to abuse this.

[Debihuman]

Octokin are uplifted octopi given a curious locomotive form. When unclothed, they appear to be typical, medium-sized octopuses with a slightly swollen body sack. Inside this sack is a bag of lighter-than-air gasses that enable it to float across the land; two of its eight tentacles maintain contact with the ground, and help to propel it forward. Another pair have evolved to handle objects, leaving the remaining four to be useful grappling and otherwise assisting it.

Note the bolded section; you make it sound like 2 of the tentacles can handle weapons in the fluff but in the stat block only 1 can handle a weapon. One of these is wrong.

Debby

[Mulletmanalive]

The defence mechanism is now crippling to them. It seems more likely that it would just slow them down for a while rather than pin them in place. Maybe just removing their Boyancy for a few minutes and increasing the number of limbs needed to 6, rather than the speed limitation [Boyancy is pretty potent as it is but trading it out for a slightly unreliable paraplysis defence does not likely survival make].

I don't know if the grappling thing is a specific problem: they don't have Improved Grab or Constrict, but there isn't really the need to have both the innate grapple [which i would keep] and Improved Grapple as a bonus feat. Surely they can learn to get better with practice, unless wrestling is a cultural essential...

[Obrysii]

Note the bolded section; you make it sound like 2 of the tentacles can handle weapons in the fluff but in the stat block only 1 can handle a weapon. One of these is wrong.

Debby

Because the example is not dual-wielding? If I gave it a shield would it make more sense to you?


The defence mechanism is now crippling to them. It seems more likely that it would just slow them down for a while rather than pin them in place. Maybe just removing their Boyancy for a few minutes and increasing the number of limbs needed to 6, rather than the speed limitation [Boyancy is pretty potent as it is but trading it out for a slightly unreliable paraplysis defence does not likely survival make].

Well, a commoner would have to roll 10 to not be paralyzed by it ...

I have changed it to being able to drag itself with 6 limbs, so it could still fight if needed.


I don't know if the grappling thing is a specific problem: they don't have Improved Grab or Constrict, but there isn't really the need to have both the innate grapple [which i would keep] and Improved Grapple as a bonus feat. Surely they can learn to get better with practice, unless wrestling is a cultural essential...

I removed Improved Grapple as a bonus feat to lower its grapple bonus.

[Debihuman]

Actually if it can wield a shield and a sword, then it only has 4 tentacle attacks. I think you need to decide which way you want this creature to work. If it can use a sword and shield and still have 4 other attacks, then that is how it should be reflected in the statblock. Which do you prefer? I'm merely pointing out the inconsistencies between the fluff and the statblock.

Debby

[Mulletmanalive]

Well, a commoner would have to roll 10 to not be paralyzed by it ...

I have changed it to being able to drag itself with 6 limbs, so it could still fight if needed.


Still doesn't scream reliable survival.

Are these things natively aquatic? It's not really explained. If they weren't this would be a trait that would get them killed; if they are, they could just never leave 100ft from water and aim for it to make a getaway.

[Obrysii]

Actually if it can wield a shield and a sword, then it only has 4 tentacle attacks. I think you need to decide which way you want this creature to work. If it can use a sword and shield and still have 4 other attacks, then that is how it should be reflected in the statblock. Which do you prefer? I'm merely pointing out the inconsistencies between the fluff and the statblock.

Debby

No offense, but please read the stat block.


Full Attack: Longsword +0 (1d8) and 4 tentacles -5 (1d4) or 6 tentacles +0 (1d4)


Are these things natively aquatic? It's not really explained. If they weren't this would be a trait that would get them killed; if they are, they could just never leave 100ft from water and aim for it to make a getaway.

They are evolved from aquatic creatures, of course. I imagine they would only use that escape mechanism when they are at 1 hit point and might die regardless - because, hey, any chance is better than no chance, right?

[Debihuman]

Full Attack: Longsword +0 (1d8) and 4 tentacles...

Shouldn't it be:
Full Attack: Longsword +0 melee (1d8) and 5 tentacles...?

Either way it should get 6 attacks at full melee not 5 or am I missing something?

Debby

[DracoDei]

Shouldn't it be:
Full Attack: Longsword +0 melee (1d8) and 5 tentacles...?

Either way it should get 6 attacks at full melee not 5 or am I missing something?

Debby
3 tentacles as I read it.

[Obrysii]

Shouldn't it be:
Full Attack: Longsword +0 melee (1d8) and 5 tentacles...?

Either way it should get 6 attacks at full melee not 5 or am I missing something?

Debby

I don't understand. You cannot attack with the same hand you have a shield on. You can't wield longsword and dagger and have a shield equipped. One of those hands is lost to the shield.

It has 6 attacks at full melee if it is not wielding a shield. The above example has a shield (note the "shield" bonus in the AC section).

So its tentacles / attacks looks like:

Tentacle 1: Longsword
Tentacle 2: Shield [no attack]
Tentacle 3: Attack
Tentacle 4: Attack
Tentacle 5: Attack
Tentacle 6: Attack
Tentacle 7: Traction [no attack]
Tentacle 8: Traction [no attack]

So the stat block states,

Full Attack: Longsword +0 and 4 tentacles -5.

if it were dual-wielding, it would have

Attack: Longsword -2 and dagger -4 and 4 tentacles -5
(or whatever the bonuses would work out to be).

[Debihuman]

Okay, I missed where it was actually carrying the shield earlier. It is missing Touch and Flat-footed AC. You changed "floating" to "buoyant" but not in the statblock. Finally, I think perhaps you should list which armor and weapon proficiencies the octokin has. Perhaps it should have Multiattack as a bonus feat.

Debby

[Scorpions__]

Is this by any chance inspired by Duke Nukem's octobrains?






DM[F]R

[Debihuman]

I wonder if the creature's natural attacks should be considered primary even though it can and does use weapons. If that is the case, then the tentacles aren't secondary weapons. If the tentacles are secondary weapons, then perhaps they should always be at -5 even if used as the only attacks.

Debby