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awa
2010-05-01, 12:09 AM
im building a dungeon and im looking for monsters that could be reasonable expected to survive despite being locked up with out food or water for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Undead and constructs are self evident but the place is already crawling with them so you should avoid suggesting them

Ive already got gargoyles

WildPyre
2010-05-01, 12:16 AM
You could toss in some oozes... they could feed off of insects and vermin that might be found there until the adventurers come along.

awa
2010-05-01, 12:18 AM
I should also mention that cr 10 or less would be preferable
oozes could work but id like to give rouges something to do

Nanoblack
2010-05-01, 12:20 AM
Dragons can gain nutrients from any organic matter so they're always an option. Also beholders can eat anything organic so they might last awhile.

Runestar
2010-05-01, 12:20 AM
Give someone an eternal wand of create food and water and you can feed at least 15 people indefinitely. :smallbiggrin:

Outsiders don't need to eat or drink, so you could add in a few fiends here and there.

An elan npc can also subsist indefinitely using its racial ability.

WildPyre
2010-05-01, 12:22 AM
I should also mention that cr 10 or less would be preferable
oozes could work but id like to give rouges something to do

Lots of traps, or use the Pathfinder variant where constructs and most undead can be sneak attacked/critical hit.

I think outsiders live a long time too so you could throw in some demons or what have you... though I imagine animals with the fiendish template might still need to eat.

There's also the option that if the cleric is long lived enough they could survive, they have a couple of spells that create food and water.

Oh and there's also the ring of sustinance.

awa
2010-05-01, 12:45 AM
the outsider is a good idea and if beholders live long enough i might stick one in as well.

Dragon don't really fit the theme and i think id rather avoid rings of sustenance and create food and water

Zeta Kai
2010-05-01, 12:49 AM
Well, let's see:
{table]Aberration|Could theoretically wait forever.
Animal|Could breed, depending on circumstances.
Construct|Could theoretically wait forever.
Dragon|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Elemental|Could theoretically wait forever.
Fey|Could theoretically wait forever.
Giant|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Humanoid|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Magical Beast|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Monstrous Humanoid|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Ooze|Could breed, depending on circumstances.
Outsider|Could theoretically wait forever.
Plant|Could breed, depending on circumstances.
Undead|Could theoretically wait forever.
Vermin|Could breed, depending on circumstances.
[/table]

AslanCross
2010-05-01, 12:58 AM
Dragons can gain nutrients from any organic matter so they're always an option. Also beholders can eat anything organic so they might last awhile.

Actually, dragons can eat anything. Their metabolism is so powerful it can break down inorganic material. However, they need to have a lot of food, so I don't think they'd work here.

I'd go for Outsiders (they don't need to eat or sleep, but they need to breathe), and elementals.

awa
2010-05-01, 01:07 AM
I think its going to be some kind of outsider.
My game style is a lot of relatively weak battle one right after another and i needed some kind of monster i can have a number of with out it seeming odd.
Although i think i will put a beholder in a room full of mirrors.

The outsiders will allow characters with precision damage something to contribute

TheThan
2010-05-01, 01:09 AM
Undead seem like your best bet, as long as they don’t have to consume the souls of the living or drink blood or somesuch to sustain themselves.

hamishspence
2010-05-01, 02:17 AM
And even if they must- they will still live (or rather, un-live :smallamused:), just paralyzed or insane.

At least, if you're using Libris Mortis rules. (a diet dependant undead denied access to food eventually loses mobility at Wis 0, an undead with an inescapable craving becomes frenzied at Wis 0).

Ponce
2010-05-01, 02:22 AM
You could get creative. Say in one room you have that one magical pouch from MIC that creates one gold piece every day. Maybe there's a rust monster that's been eating out of that bag for who knows how long?

JeminiZero
2010-05-01, 02:38 AM
Have some Release Monster Traps perhaps. Essentialy the monster in question is submerged in quintessence (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Quintessence) putting it in a state of temporal stasis. Should the party trigger some trap, the quintessence is sucked off the monster and it is free to act once more. Any monster can be stored in this manner.

WildPyre
2010-05-01, 04:02 AM
Have some Release Monster Traps perhaps. Essentialy the monster in question is submerged in quintessence (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Quintessence) putting it in a state of temporal stasis. Should the party trigger some trap, the quintessence is sucked off the monster and it is free to act once more. Any monster can be stored in this manner.

Or you can simplify that with magic traps set to cast summon monster when triggered.

The Rose Dragon
2010-05-01, 06:17 AM
You could get creative. Say in one room you have that one magical pouch from MIC that creates one gold piece every day. Maybe there's a rust monster that's been eating out of that bag for who knows how long?

But... but... gold doesn't rust...

KillianHawkeye
2010-05-01, 07:32 AM
But... but... gold doesn't rust...

Try telling that to the Rust Monster. :smallamused:

Ixahinon
2010-05-01, 08:00 AM
Lots of traps, or use the Pathfinder variant where constructs and most undead can be sneak attacked/critical hit.

Where do you find the rules for this variant? Not wanting to steal a thread, or anything, but my DM is putting my Pathfinder group up against a nest of vampires at 5th level...no one has Restoration, and the nearest outpost is 2 days away. Someone is bound to get drained, and subsequently fail their 24 hour check, and gain a permanent negative level.

I'm rather scared, so arguing for this variant would be nice.

Calmar
2010-05-01, 08:21 AM
A portal with an unknown key could provide an excuse for someone more short-lived to be in that dungeon.

Greenish
2010-05-01, 09:13 AM
Well, let's see:
{table]Aberration|Could theoretically wait forever.
Animal|Could breed, depending on circumstances.
Construct|Could theoretically wait forever.
Dragon|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Elemental|Could theoretically wait forever.
Fey|Could theoretically wait forever.
Giant|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Humanoid|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Magical Beast|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Monstrous Humanoid|Would probably require stasis of some sort.
Ooze|Could breed, depending on circumstances.
Outsider|Could theoretically wait forever.
Plant|Could breed, depending on circumstances.
Undead|Could theoretically wait forever.
Vermin|Could breed, depending on circumstances.
[/table]Aberrations, animals and vermin need to eat. Plants also need sustenance (and usually light). I'm not an expert on D&D biology, but I don't see any reason to assume that the critters could breed without any food.

JeminiZero
2010-05-01, 09:34 AM
Or you can simplify that with magic traps set to cast summon monster when triggered.

You could, but a quitessence trap can be stocked with *any* monster (except maybe the incorporeal/ethereal ones), whereas summon monster runs from a more limited spell list.


Plants also need sustenance (and usually light).

Actually you could try keeping a small population of plants alive with a bunch of eternal torches on the ceiling (to provide light) and a steady supply of water (underground river, decanter, or just trickling rain water seepage). Said plants maybe creatures themselves, or might be used to feed other things.

Greenish
2010-05-01, 09:49 AM
Actually you could try keeping a small population of plants alive with a bunch of eternal torches on the ceiling (to provide light) and a steady supply of water (underground river, decanter, or just trickling rain water seepage). Said plants maybe creatures themselves, or might be used to feed other things.Yes, if you had food and water in the dungeon that explicitly doesn't have food or water, yeah. Also, if D&D plants actually photosynthesize (instead of just "liking" light), torchlight won't be enough, and they'd still need nutrients.

Of course, you could have a whole ecosystem there if there could be an ecosystem: that's quite irrelevant to the topic.

[Edit]: Oozes also need to eat, as far as I know.

Raewyn
2010-05-01, 10:04 AM
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/elan.htm

They get two free power points and 1 pp means they don't have to eat/drink for 24 hours. So long as they don't die of boredom, they'll be fine. And best of all, they look identical to humans so that'll mess even more with your players' heads.

dspeyer
2010-05-01, 10:38 AM
I realize it isn't what you asked for, but I like the idea of a coherent, non-light-based ecology. Have some geothermal vents spewing high-energy sulfur compounds and climb the food chain from there. Describe real-world animals that rival aberrations for creepiness.

If you don't want to go there, creatures time-frozen until needed are handy. They also explain why the creatures haven't gotten bored and wandered off.

Fishy
2010-05-01, 10:44 AM
Rust Monster + Bag of Endless Caltrops?

Sir_Elderberry
2010-05-01, 10:45 AM
Aberrations...Could wait forever.
I think you mean, "that is not dead which can eternal lie".

pffh
2010-05-01, 11:08 AM
A group of trolls that eat parts of each other (or even themselves) regenerating the missing parts and then eating them again.

They would need to breathe but they have an infinite amount of food.