The Inphidian Strikes Back: Let's Read Tome of Horrors II [Archive]

Rappy

2011-05-25, 04:46 PM

While my last Let's Read kind of died halfway through, I've long been itching to finally get to the sequel to my first ever LR: the Tome of Horrors. So here we are.

While still produced by Necromancer Games, the 2004 release of the Tome of Horrors II had some notable differences from its predecessor. For one, it was cut almost in half; 200-some creatures rather than over 400. Said creatures were also newly-statted creations rather than 3E conversions of legacy monsters. Of course, that doesn't mean that they don't have a bit of a nostalgic feel to them. Necromancer still took the "3rd Edition Rules, 1st Edition Feel" motto seriously, with this volume being made up of a mixture of creatures from folklore, deadly beasts, creatures connected to some classic unique monsters and concepts, and some really, really weird stuff here and there.

So without further adieu, we shall begin our look at the next in the Tome of Horrors trilogy.

Contents
Aberrant, Abyssal Wolf, and Ahlinni (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11067957&postcount=2)

Empyreal Angel, Arcanoplasm, Asrai (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11083466&postcount=6)

Barbegazi, Bedlam, Giant Beetles (Blister, Saw-Toothed, and Water) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11119993&postcount=8)

Bloodsuckle, Bog Creeper, Brass Man (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11153307&postcount=10)

Burning Dervish, Cadaver, Caterprism (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11155462&postcount=12)

Cave Leech, Cerebral Stalker, Church Grim (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11179102&postcount=13)

Cinder Ghoul, Clamor, Jade Colossus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11208930&postcount=17)

Corpse Rook, Corpsespinner, Crag Man (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11260181&postcount=19)

Crucifixion Spirit, Draconid (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11286812&postcount=21)

Dragons (Dungeon and Smoke), Dragonship (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11298588&postcount=24)

Elusa Hound, Encephalon Gorger, Fear Guard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11321735&postcount=31)

Fire Crab, Fire Phantom, Fire Whale (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11342761&postcount=33)

Giant Flea, Fulgurate Mushroom, Fungoid (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11378749&postcount=34)

Fyr, Gallows Tree, Gallows Tree Zombie (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11476076&postcount=35)

Gelid Beetle, Geon (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11570416&postcount=36)

Giants (Cave, Ferrous, and Volcano) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11607664&postcount=42)

Gloom Crawler, Golems (Furnace and Iron Maiden) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11712604&postcount=43)

Golems (Magnesium, Ooze, and Rope) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11717588&postcount=48)

Grave Risen, Grimstalker, Gutslug (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11815926&postcount=52)

Hanged Man, Helix Moth, Hoar Spirit (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11952292&postcount=53)

Giant Hornet, Huggermugger, Inphidians (Common, Cobra-Back, and Dancer/Charmer) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12074455&postcount=61)

Kathlin, Cavern Lizard, Magmoid, Mawler, Mimi, Murderborn (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12243912&postcount=66)

Niln, Nuckalavee (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12324261&postcount=74)

Rappy

2011-05-25, 05:50 PM

Aberrant
Our very first monster is a CR 5 Giant, so we're already starting with an oft-overlooked creature type. At first glance, one might mistake the aberrant for filling the same niche as the ogre; after all, it's size Large, it's brutishly strong, it's usually evil, and it wields big clubs to smash things. On the other hand, the aberrant is as intelligent as a human and otherwise has pretty high ability scores all around (although the mental ones are still below those that grant the aberrant its physical powerhouse status).

Then, of course, there's the table-based elephant in the room: mutations. While it isn't specifically stated why, all aberrants are born with decidedly noticeable mutations that ostracize them from other giants and make them decidedly hostile to outsiders. While some of these mutations, such as one of their arms growing in an offset place or a Bigfoot-style cone head, are purely cosmetic, the majority provide some form of benefit; for instance, rolling a 4 on the d10 gives your aberrant a third eye protruding from the back of its head, granting it a bonus to Spot checks and preventing flanking.

All in all, this is a fun monster to start off with. Giants, along with Fey, hold a soft spot in my heart as monster types that don't get the limelight often enough, and one as odd as the aberrant only further gets my attention.

Abyssal Wolf
Holy cow, we have an eater of sapients that isn't specifically attracted to humans, elves, dwarves, or gnomes. No, this CR 7 Magical Beast feels that tieflings, demons, and celestials are what's nommilicious. It also has an arsenal of weaponry to allow its taste in meats. Never mind the fact that it's a wolf that's as big as an a lion and intelligent as an orc; no, this thing has a paralysis gaze! So, in short, you have an intelligent, oversized, paralysis beam-shooting wolf that hunts in the nightmarish landscapes of the Abyss. Yikes.

Ahlinni
Also known as the cackle bird, the ahlinni is the first entity in this title up to bat for "really, really weird monster". A heron-like bird with a beak as long as the rest of its body, ahlinnis impale foes that they are capable of handling in melee. If outmatched, these cowardly (yes, the title specifically uses the world cowardly to describe them) avians will unleash a truly baffling breath weapon: one that imparts the spell hideous laughter. Unlike some dangerous birds from d20 titles, though, the ahlinni isn't evil or predatory, it just happens to have an obsession with gathering shiny gemstones for its mate. You know, sort of like adventurers.

Thurbane

2011-05-26, 06:50 PM

Sweet! I enjoyed the "Lets Read ToH 1" thread a lot, so I'll be following this one. I don't currently have ToH 2, so this might insire me to go out and get it.

Does the Aberrant have LA listed as a playable race?

Side question: can anyone confirm 100% whether or not the original ToH revised was released as a hardback or not? I've heard conflicting reports...AFAIK, only the original printing (3.0) got a print run, and the Revised version (3.5) was pdf only? If there exists a hardback of the 3.5 version, I must have it! :smallbiggrin:

Koury

2011-05-26, 08:51 PM

I approve of this thread. :smalltongue: I hope you make it to the end, which should be easier since you said you've been wanting to do it. :smallsmile:

Makiru

2011-05-27, 04:20 AM

Sweet! I enjoyed the "Lets Read ToH 1" thread a lot, so I'll be following this one. I don't currently have ToH 2, so this might insire me to go out and get it.

Does the Aberrant have LA listed as a playable race?

You're in luck...sort of. It's ECL 12 (8 HD, +4 LA), so while it is playable, it might not be worth it to a lot of people.

On the other hand, I'm glad to see you start on this, Rappy. I can't wait until you get to my absolute favorite monster in this book, the troblin. Also, I really want to hear your take on the N'gathau, because I still can't make out what they're trying to do or be.

Question: Do you have any future inklings to do the Book of Fiends? It is a pretty big book with a lot of similar content, so I wouldn't blame you if you didn't; just curious.

Rappy

2011-05-27, 08:45 PM

Side question: can anyone confirm 100% whether or not the original ToH revised was released as a hardback or not? I've heard conflicting reports...AFAIK, only the original printing (3.0) got a print run, and the Revised version (3.5) was pdf only? If there exists a hardback of the 3.5 version, I must have it! :smallbiggrin:
As far as I know, the 3.5 version didn't have a print version. No word on whether or not the Pathfinder version will have a hardback, either.

You're in luck...sort of. It's ECL 12 (8 HD, +4 LA), so while it is playable, it might not be worth it to a lot of people.
Yeah, aberrants are a bit on the hefty side of LA.

On the other hand, I'm glad to see you start on this, Rappy. I can't wait until you get to my absolute favorite monster in this book, the troblin. Also, I really want to hear your take on the N'gathau, because I still can't make out what they're trying to do or be.
Oh yes, the N'gathau. So much wasted potential...

...But that's still a ways to go, so I'll keep my thoughts to a minimum on that.

Question: Do you have any future inklings to do the Book of Fiends? It is a pretty big book with a lot of similar content, so I wouldn't blame you if you didn't; just curious.
I'm not sure about it at the moment, but I will say I do like the Book of Fiends. Qlippoths and daemons of Gehenna for the win.

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Angel, Empyreal
The CR 13 empyreals are sort of like the seraphim angels of lore; they are the warriors of the angels, can burst into fire at will, and have the ability to blast out a radiant burst of shiny doom, dealing 15d6 damage and blindness with its sheer shimmering awesome. And...that's about it, really. What is it about angels that I can't really put out much thoughts on them?

Arcanoplasm
An amoeba-like creature that isn't an Ooze? Madness! Madness being a decidedly apt word, as the CR 7 arcanoplasm is an Aberration. Arcanoplasms are a type of creature that the folks at Expeditious Retreat Press have referred to as a magiotroph: a creature that sustains itself on magical energy. Unlike a placid little magic-enveloped plant or such, though, the arcanoplasm can constrict its acidic body with the best oozes out there, and its diet consists of far more than residual magic. Spells that strike an arcanoplasm are not only eaten, but they are both converted into HP-healing energy and can be mimicked and shot right back at their caster. This is a bit of a conundrum for me. On the one hand, I'm often wary of creatures designed specifically to combat one class/class type. On the other...it's a giant spellcasting amoeba! That's just so out there and insane it ends up being an interesting monster. Add to that its mysterious origins and the fact that it hangs out in old wizard's towers and similar buildings and you have an enigmatic entity that is begging to be further explored.

Asrai
Mythology-based and of the Fey type? Double points to the CR 5 individual in the early pages of the book! The asrai get their name from old English lore, and they're pretty much true to mythology in their Tome of Horrors II incarnation. As in folklore, they are water fey that resemble miniature young maidens; somewhat like a shrink-washed nymph, one might say. Also as in folklore, they are extremely cold to touch. Unlike folklore, however, the asrai are statted as being water-dependent, losing Constitution points on land. In the original mythology, the asrai's fatal enemy was said to be the sun, but given how dry and sunny the land can be on the right day, I guess this is a minor quibble to spout at a gift horse. Their spell-like abilities are entirely speculative, as the lore gives no real outright statement on them having magical power, but they seem to be in order: spells such as hideous laughter and dancing lights for the "tricksy fey" archetype, and ones such as obscuring mist for the shy and reclusive nature attributed to the asrai. This monster wins an official seal of "yay!".

The Dark Fiddler

2011-06-01, 07:05 PM

How on Earth did this slip under my radar? Another Rappy LR? Yes please!

The Arcanoplasm sounds like a nasty little surprise. I love stuff like that.

Rappy

2011-06-01, 11:57 PM

The Arcanoplasm sounds like a nasty little surprise. I love stuff like that.
Necromancer Games is pretty good on delivering "Gotcha!" monsters like that.

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Barbegazi
Wow. Another legendary creature right after the asrai? This can only be described as...
http://www.commenthaven.com/glitter/zimg/6/z4de70dad06a65.gif
Erm, yes, my legend/lore bias is showing a little, isn't it? Let's move on...

The barbegazi are based off of gnome-like beings in Swiss lore. Indeed, here they are specifically noted to be LA +2 Humanoids with the Gnome and Cold subtypes. Hardy survivalists of the alpine snow fields, barbegazi use their big flat feet to cross snow without difficulty and have chill metal and icicle blast (burning hands, but cooooold!) as innate spell-like abilities. To add some D&D flavor to them, it is stated that white dragons love the taste of barbegazi, and that they have a cultural hatred of the frost men (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8384800&postcount=111).

With 2 natural Hit Dice and a penalty to Charisma, offset by a bonus to Dexterity and Constitution, as well as Hide and Spot checks, barbegazi are built to be Rogues rather than spellcasters like the typical gnome. If you're looking for a - dare I say it? - more dwarven gnome for your games, this is an interesting potential player race.

Bedlam
CR 9 Aberrations made of "pure chaos" - just how one can concentrate and purify chaos into a lifeform is beyond me, but hey, Aberrations - the bedlams are Chaotic Neutral beasts sent to chaotic places by chaotic spellcasters to guard said places by messing up spells and magic items in their vicinity while busting out law-damaging beams of doom. Because Chaos, that's why.

Beetles, Giant
Wow, deja vu. Our big, bad beetles this time are the CR 1 giant blister beetle, CR 3 giant saw-toothed beetle, and CR 3 giant water beetle.

While having the lowest Challenge Rating of the bunch, the halfling-sized giant blister beetle is definitely one of the most interesting. It's not really a human-killer, instead having a taste for giant bees, which is eviscerates without fear thanks to its poison immunity. Of course, just because something's not your predator, doesn't mean it can't hurt...and boy, do giant blister beetles hurt. As their name implies, they can blast out an acidic spray that blisters skin. While a normal-sized blister beetle is likely to just give you a nasty blister on your thumb, you're more or less going to come out looking like you fought with a nest of bees and lost if you draw the ire of these chemical weapon-toting giant insects.

Giant saw-toothed beetles are decidedly less interesting. They are highly aggressive, hide in the forest underbrush, and...that's about it, really. They are in the Medium-size category, just like the slightly more interesting giant water beetles. While they have an inky blast and wave-sensing abilities, it's less the stats and more the concept of the giant water beetle that makes them have some appeal. It is more of a mixture of memories of being bitten by normal-size water beetles far too often in the swimming pool and my recollection of the annoying dungeon-cleaning quest surrounding giant water beetles in the computer game Siege of Avalon.

Makiru

2011-06-05, 02:38 AM

Bumping with somewhat meaningful replies.

I really don't get the obsession that third-party companies have with making a bunch of giant mundane creatures to fill their books, especially beetles, for some reason. It just feels overdone and a cop-out when they could actually make a creature that is unique to their books that gets them to stand out on the shelves.

I guess what I'm trying to get out is: why you afraid of thinking? Break the mold and do something that hasn't been done (or at least hasn't been done enough times to make it feel like a rehash)

I don't mean for this to come off as attacking the companies that put out these books. They're good books, but just have some weird consistencies.

Rappy

2011-06-06, 06:44 PM

I really don't get the obsession that third-party companies have with making a bunch of giant mundane creatures to fill their books, especially beetles, for some reason. It just feels overdone and a cop-out when they could actually make a creature that is unique to their books that gets them to stand out on the shelves.
Personally, I feel it's less form and more function. Giant versions or normal creatures can be interesting with the right creature; a pistol shrimp, for instance, could be great as a monstrous vermin. It's just that a "giant saw-toothed beetle" has nothing to really differentiate it from a giant slicer beetle, giant ripper beetle, or giant-whatever-generic-beetle.

I don't mean for this to come off as attacking the companies that put out these books. They're good books, but just have some weird consistencies.
In this case, it somewhat comes down to that whole "old school vibe" that Necromancer loves. Looking at my old copy of the 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual, it had six giant beetles and a grand thirty other insects, many of which made it into the first Tome of Horrors.

Oh, and the 2EMM's insect entry contains the giant tick, which isn't an insect at all. I just noticed that.

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Bloodsuckle
What is it with giant intelligent plants always thirsting for blood? Ah well, the CR 6 bloodsuckle does at least have one creepy trick up its sleeve: mind-altering drug sap! Instead of waiting for new prey to come to it all the time, it injects sap into those it snares in an attempt to turn them into mind-slaves that are effectively cattle to the bloodsuckle, coming when called to provide more blood to sustain the freaky foliage.

Bog Creeper
Hm, two plants in a row. At least this one doesn't also suck blood! It is, however, absolutely weird. For starters, its appearance is that of a stump with a long, vaguely humanoid wooden hand protruding from it. If that alone wasn't enough to spark your "what the hell"-o-meter, bog creepers can actually swim and move across marsh territory without penalty, as well as sense any creature standing in the marsh with it within 60 feet. It can also spit out digestive acids, because why not? I guess if you ever said "hey, I need a CR 8 plant monster to face my characters, and they're in a swamp"...you still could have just used multiple shambling mounds instead of this thing. On the other hand, maybe some refluffing to make this creature some sort of demented relative to the shambling mound and tying their origins and/or habits together might make for some interesting story potential.

Brass Man
The first of several ports of creatures from Necromancer Games' hefty efreeti-themed title City of Brass, the giant brass men are CR 7 constructs that are specially built by the efreet to act as guardians and war machines. And war machines they can easily be, with an armament of huge metal fists, a built-in giant greatsword, and the ability to churn their innards to blast out molten brass at an opponent to deal fire damage. As if that wasn't bad enough, their golem-like magic immunity means that, when attacked by your spellcaster, they are only slowed by electricity and healed by fire. They are natives of the Elemental Plane of Fire, too, mind you; unless you're lucky, their very environment is likely to keep them going as nightmarish juggernauts coming to gut you like a pig. The lesson here: don't screw with the efreet, as they are vengeful and have giant brass constructs.

Thurbane

2011-06-06, 07:35 PM

The Brass Man sounds a little like the Colossus from jason and the Argonauts...

Oh, and the 2EMM's insect entry contains the giant tick, which isn't an insect at all. I just noticed that.
Yeah, 1E and 2E loved their giant creepy crawlies. As well as insects, you had the various arachnids (spiders, scorpions and even ticks), not to mention all the other arthropods, like giant crayfish, crabs, centipedes etc.

Giant crayfish were surprisingly common opponents in early modules. I always felt like my characters should carry around a giant keg of butter, just in case! :smalltongue:

Rappy

2011-06-06, 11:46 PM

The Brass Man sounds a little like the Colossus from jason and the Argonauts...
A fully advanced brass man is size Huge and has 30 Hit Dice. I'd say that could definitely fill in for Talos. Just refluff the brass as bronze and the molten brass as Talos' ichor flow, and viola.

Giant crayfish were surprisingly common opponents in early modules. I always felt like my characters should carry around a giant keg of butter, just in case! :smalltongue:
And with the giant crayfish having been in the original Tome of Horrors, you can recreate all the fun of a crawdad boil with your fire-blasting Wizard and company! :smalltongue:

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Burning Dervish
Hey, another City of Brass inter-title refugee. The burning dervishes are CR 7 outsiders dedicated to zealously serving and spreading worship of the Sultan of the Efreet, ruler of the aforementioned book's titular city. They were once a tribe of jann, until they decided they wanted Ultimate Power™ and made a pact that sold their souls to the Sultan; as a result, they are now evil, fiery, and slightly unhinged. They are actually pretty dangerous in combat, wielding falchions and capable of setting themselves ablaze to immolate opponents. In addition, they have the ability to shrink enemies or enlarge themselves for an advantage in combat, become invisible to sneak upon a foe, and plane shifting for when they feel the battle isn't going their way and they want to run away and live to fight their holy war another day. This is an interesting monster, truly, but it does have the slight detraction of either needing refluffing or requiring you a further to shell out $50 or more to get City of Brass and find out more about the end goals of the Sultan of the Efreet.

Cadaver
I'm surprised we went this long without seeing an undead. In spite of its rather generic name, the cadaver is actually a pretty nasty surprise for players. While it resembles a zombie, and indeed shares said monster's mindlessness, these CR 2 creeps spread filth fever and are very hard to keep down...and by "hard to keep down", I mean "you'd better hope you have a Cleric on hand". Unless they have been turned by a Cleric or had gentle repose cast on them, cadavers felled by reduction to 0 Hit Points simply begin regenerating before they're up to fight again. While you could theoretically whittle them down with enough time and magic (damage dealt by spells or magic weapons don't regenerate), the fact remains that an undead monstrosity that can seemingly constantly rise back up from being re-slain is a dirty trick. And I love it.

Caterprism
Om-nom-nomming their way through the Elemental Plane of Earth, caterprisms are large CR 6 earth elementals that resemble caterpillars made out of crystal. While they're rather dangerous in combat, with a vorpal bite and the ability to shoot out piercing crystal silk, what's really notable is this line in the fluff:

Dwarves have been known to bring caterprisms under some degree of control, using them to help carve out new mines and dwelling places.
I think the mental imagery of that statement speaks for itself.

Rappy

2011-06-10, 01:02 AM

Cave Leech
While they act like what you'd expect from a giant leech, the CR 6 Magical Beasts known as cave leeches at least have a novel appearance. They look like a giant leech crossed with something like an aboleth, with flailing tendrils whipping around their toothy maw. Still, they're kind of boring, and are basically leeches that happen to be able to tentacle-drag you before they suck your blood. They might have some refluffing potential, though...

Cerebral Stalker
If slaad didn't already make you unnerved by frog-like monsters in D&D, these CR 8 Aberrations are likely to. They are positively disturbing in nearly every facet of how they live. They can glide through the earth, meaning one can come up without even stirring the soil to blast you with a fear gaze, grapple you, and drag you down into the shadowy depths. Then, once they've taken you to their lair, they cocoon you in webbing excreted from their body, chew on your skull, and devour pieces of your brain while you are still alive. Then, to put the icing on the cake, they spit your brainless corpse back out of the earth, which then proceeds to become a wandering zombie. The cerebral stalker doesn't even control the zombies it creates, making it an even more eery mystery. It states in the text it's unknown how the cerebral stalkers reproduce; could they possibly use zombies as squishy flesh-nests for their tadpoles, which consume their shambling undead nanny before heading out into the world to find brains of their own? It sounds like a plot to me.

Church Grim
Another creature from mythology, yay! This time it's the church grim of English lore, also known as the kirk grim or kyrkogrim in the Nordic lands, one of several types of dog-shaped spirits found in the lore of western Europe. A pretty popular legend, considering it was strong enough to migrate with immigrants to America, taking the form of lore such as the Mississippi headless hounds and the black mastiffs of New England. They are the guardians of sacred land, created by a dog specially sacrificed and buried on the church grounds that they guard. They are defenders of the buried and companions of those that mourn the individuals that have passed on, but become vicious combatants against demons, grave robbers, and the undead. All in all, a pretty cool cat dog with a widespread folkloric background.

Thankfully, while only CR 5, the stats presented here for the church grim really does them justice as wardens of the cemetery. As incorporeal Magical Beasts, they aren't quite undead, but have several undead-like traits, including being bound to their cemetery and the ability to rejuvenate from destruction as long as their cemetery's church remains intact and its grounds hallowed. In addition, they have a mighty howl that causes evil creatures and ill-intented individuals to become shaken, and an incorporeal bite that both deals damage as a holy attack and inflicts 1d4 points of Wisdom damage. Last but not least is the increased casting DC of any animating spell performed in the grounds kept by the church grim, not to mention the immediate "bite me in the ass" target the caster paints on themself by using such a spell in detectable range.

BobVosh

2011-06-10, 03:58 AM

I actually really like the sound of the bloodsuckle.

Also I'm glad you are back to doing this Rappy. :D

Terraoblivion

2011-06-10, 07:31 AM

This book certainly has the old school feel down. Most of these monsters are either completely insane or just over-sized critters, with the occasional folkloric thing that doesn't seem to fit anything else. In short, it's quite amusing.

Also, this time I won't lose track like the last one, I've subscribed.

Solaris

2011-06-10, 08:26 AM

Rappy

2011-06-14, 06:50 PM

Cinder Ghoul
This CR 7 undead is the product of people killed by magical fire; why exactly this makes them Large size and capable of flying is beyond me, but there it is. In addition to having the Fire subtype, their arcane origins grant them the ability to take the form of smoke, as well as deal Constitution damage by clogging opponent's organs with their burning smog. I'll give you three guesses as to what type of player this monster is meant to punish. No, the first two guesses don't count.

Clamor
While the last monster is meant to be a bane to a specific player, this creature performs the exact opposite function as a boon for a specific character class. Clamors, so called because of their multiples mouths making hefty amounts of noise, are naturally invisible CR 4 Aberrations. They are heavily associated with sound and music, with their ability to mimic any sound perfectly, has a sonic burst attack, is affected in strange ways by sound-based spells, and...well, I think this ability really needs to be quoted in full.

Speed of Sound (Ex): Once per day, a clamor can move at the speed of sound for a number of minutes equal to its Hit Dice. Its speed becomes 6,820 feet per round (1,364 squares), but it cannot attack or make use of any of its other abilities when moving this way.
Yes, that quote is real. In any case, as I previously stated, clamors are meant as a bit of a boon creature, in that a Bard of 5th level or higher can communicate with and subsequently befriend a clamor to act as a companion of sorts. If nothing else, it's one hell of a conversation piece.

:roy: "How exactly did you end up with a one-legged mouth-covered abomination against nature as your adventuring partner?"

:elan: "We have an understanding."

Colossus, Jade
Ah, colossi, those mighty uber-golems outfitted with massive size and heaps of Hit Dice. They're pretty fun higher-level monsters, but alas, only the jade colossus has shown up for the Tome of Horrors II party. Still, one is better than none, and in spite of being "only" CR 16, the jade colossus has one amazing pair of party tricks. Of course, this isn't a surprise; in addition to being a colossus and all, these jade giants are built by powerful spellcasters and the denizens of the City of Brass...again, it's generally a good idea not to upset the efreet.

Anyway, the jade colossus can blind foes that use light attacks on it, since its body just bounces that light around inside before blasting it back. In addition, the jade colossus has a breath weapon that deals a whopping 15d6 points of untyped damage, and turns those killed by it into jade statues.

There is also a sidebar detailing the Jade Guardian, a unique CR 20 jade colossus built to defend the City of Brass. Its weapon of choice (besides the whole breath wepaon thing) is the Ruby Star of Law: this fancy tool of totalitarianism slows lawful creatures, stuns and deals 6d6 points of damage to non-lawful creatures, slows lawful creatures, and deals a mighty 6d4 Constitution damage to genies.

Terraoblivion

2011-06-15, 07:36 AM

At least all those efreet based monsters should do something about efreet abuse...Or you can hope at least.

Rappy

2011-06-22, 12:14 AM

Corpse Rook
A three-headed giant raven that is the favored prey of red and green dragons, rocs, and wyverns. Because they're tasty or something.

...I'm so confused. :smallsigh:

Corpsespinner
Horrendous CR 11 Magical Beasts, corpsepinners are another pf the demented residents of the Astral Plane, hunting astral sharks (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8058359&postcount=19) and planar travelers. While being a giant astral spider with venom-laden fangs and a deathly pallor wasn't creepy enough, corpsespinners are also intelligent and capable of necromancy. Yes, necromancy. They create their own form of undead known as the corpsespun, which we'll meet when we reach the templates appendix. This means that a fight with a corpsespinner can be livened up by web-mummified croneys of many different sorts. This means you can induce both arachnophobia and necrophobia in the same encounter, hooray!

Crag Man
Yet another monster with ties to the first ToH, the cranky crag men are evil CR 5 Aberrations (no clue why they aren't elementals, as they are vaguely humanoid chunks of rock) that have long been at war with the vilstrak (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9250588&postcount=353) for some reason. While most captives of the crag men are captured to be eaten, the tunnel thugs are killed on sight or enslaved. In combat, crag men are brute force fighters with their spiky hands, but also have the stealthy ability to camouflage themselves by reverting to their natural form: that of a stalagmite. And speaking of the stalags, the big power the crag men have is that they have a 50-50 chance of being able to produce a "piercer hellstorm", raining down 2d10 piercers (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9362234&postcount=399). Ouch.

Terraoblivion

2011-06-22, 09:32 AM

Three-headed raven? Odd...Everybody knows that if ravens need to break the general body type of their kind it should be by having three legs.

Necromantic, astral spiders is pretty bizarre too, to be honest. I mean, how did anybody come up with that idea?

Rappy

2011-06-25, 07:32 PM

Necromantic, astral spiders is pretty bizarre too, to be honest. I mean, how did anybody come up with that idea?
I believe it involves a form of illicit drug, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, just two entries today, as the next few monsters are in a set (see if you can guess what said set is given by the name of the second monster here).

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Crucifixion Spirit
As the name implies, this incorporeal undead is the ghostly spectre of an individual that has died a very specific death: namely, crucifixion (what a tweest!). They aren't particularly jolly fellows, especially given that their wrists are broken and contorted even in death, and most of their scorn is directed toward divine spellcasters. They are CR 11, and with good reason; while many undead these days have turn resistance, crucifixion spirits have turn immunity, rendering Clerics impotent when it comes to the standard turn/rebuke strategy. In addition, they have impressive ability scores (including a Charisma of 20!), hefty spell resistance, a paralytic incorporeal touch, and a particularly wicked supernatural ranged attack: Crucify Soul. As its name implies, this special attack rips the soul from the body, leaving a translucent soul that is clear to all and crucified mid-air by ethereal nails that cause intense spiritual pain. Dealing a negative level per round, the soul crucifixion has the added whammy of "even wish, miracle, and resurrection have a 50-50 chance of failing to bring you back after you die from this ability". To top that off, the Will save to escape the soul crucifixion is based on the spirit's highest ability score: its Charisma. I think somebody was in a vindictive mood when they came up with this creature, but I can't deny it has a certain interesting quality to it.

Draconid
Technically, the demons and devils are in a block after the crucifixion spirit, but as with the ToH, I'm going to do them last as a pseudo-appendix, lest I have an aneurysm. So...draconids. In spite of the name, these are Aberrations, not true dragons; specifically, they are CR 9 hydra (or maybe not, as the text is vague on whether or not they look like they are part hydra or part indeterminate dragon)-spider hybrids that live in the terrifying depths of the underdark. They have two venomous bites, they have a fiery breath weapon, they can shoot webs! What can't they do? The answer to that question is "pretty much anything else". Bafflingly, draconids have an Intelligence score of 6, higher than that of either the monstrous spider or the hydra.

Thurbane

2011-06-26, 09:02 PM

Necromantic, astral spiders is pretty bizarre too, to be honest. I mean, how did anybody come up with that idea?
Maybe they are the spawn of Chupocolops (ToM) - or was he Ethereal?

Shadowknight12

2011-06-26, 09:23 PM

Crucifixion Spirit

I would bet my right knee it has been at least influenced by a certain historical figure who suffered a similar death and whose first name is a current internet meme preceded by the word "Zombie" and/or "Raptor."

Rappy

2011-06-27, 05:15 PM

I would bet my right knee it has been at least influenced by a certain historical figure who suffered a similar death and whose first name is a current internet meme preceded by the word "Zombie" and/or "Raptor."
The illustration of the particular entry adds credence to that, but I wasn't going to make any jokes due to the forum rules.

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Dragon, Dungeon
Ha ha! Metahumor. From the name to its modus operandi, the CR 9 dungeon dragon is the ultimate in-joke monster, encapsulating many D&D stereotypes into a single creature. Dungeon dragons get plenty of amusement out of being an expy for the DM, crafting elaborate mazes and dungeons, placing traps, and importing monsters, before heading out in the guise of a humanoid to announce that there's "this totally awesome dungeon with treasure out there for reals!" Indeed, unlike many dragons, the dungeon dragon has no real attachment to its treasure: all the shinies are simply a means to an end, with that end being attracting adventuring parties. After its prey has reached the dungeon, this dragon sits back and enjoys the show with its crystal ball. After all, if blood sports worked for the Romans, it sure works for a powerful draconic mastermind.

As far as powers go, the dungeon dragon is definitely geared more towards support rather than active combat. Its breath weapon induces the spell confusion rather than dealing damage, and its other main abilities are dominate monster to capture new critters for its games, shapeshifting to bring forth adventure hooks, and the innate ability to craft crystal balls to oversee its exploits. This means that the dungeon dragon isn't so much the BBEG as it is the Q or Mytzlplk. In the end, the dungeon dragon is a trickster that just wants to have fun, and it just so happens that its definition of fun puts the adventurers in danger.

Dragon, Smoke
Inoffensive CR 2 omnivores, the small smoke dragons aren't exactly the paragon of ferocity. With the ability to take on a smoky form and breath painful but nonlethal smog breath, they aren't so much opponents as they are nuisances. Indeed, considering their high intellect, I can't help but wonder if they were meant to be an alternative to the pseudodragon as a draconic companion. The notes on how many eggs and young are typically in a nest seems to lend credence to this idea...

Dragonship
You know those Viking longboats with the draconic figureheads? Yeah, that's basically what these massive CR 10 Constructs are. Their innate navigational skills, control over the winds, and fiery breath weapon means they are a tool for the PCs or some band of raiders or other maritime opponent.

LOTRfan

2011-06-27, 05:33 PM

Congratulations. I now have to buy this book, if only for the Dungeon Dragon. :smalltongue:

Volthawk

2011-06-27, 05:34 PM

Congratulations. I now have to buy this book, if only for the Dungeon Dragon. :smalltongue:

Yeah, it's a pretty awesome monster.

Occasional Sage

2011-06-27, 05:41 PM

Clamor
While the last monster is meant to be a bane to a specific player, this creature performs the exact opposite function as a boon for a specific character class. Clamors, so called because of their multiples mouths making hefty amounts of noise, are naturally invisible CR 4 Aberrations. They are heavily associated with sound and music, with their ability to mimic any sound perfectly, has a sonic burst attack, is affected in strange ways by sound-based spells, and...well, I think this ability really needs to be quoted in full.

Speed of Sound (Ex): Once per day, a clamor can move at the speed of sound for a number of minutes equal to its Hit Dice. Its speed becomes 6,820 feet per round (1,364 squares), but it cannot attack or make use of any of its other abilities when moving this way.

Yes, that quote is real. In any case, as I previously stated, clamors are meant as a bit of a boon creature, in that a Bard of 5th level or higher can communicate with and subsequently befriend a clamor to act as a companion of sorts. If nothing else, it's one hell of a conversation piece.

:roy: "How exactly did you end up with a one-legged mouth-covered abomination against nature as your adventuring partner?"

:elan: "We have an understanding."

The real question is, how do you make a saddle for this thing?

Cerebral Stalker
If slaad didn't already make you unnerved by frog-like monsters in D&D, these CR 8 Aberrations are likely to. They are positively disturbing in nearly every facet of how they live. They can glide through the earth, meaning one can come up without even stirring the soil to blast you with a fear gaze, grapple you, and drag you down into the shadowy depths. Then, once they've taken you to their lair, they cocoon you in webbing excreted from their body, chew on your skull, and devour pieces of your brain while you are still alive. Then, to put the icing on the cake, they spit your brainless corpse back out of the earth, which then proceeds to become a wandering zombie. The cerebral stalker doesn't even control the zombies it creates, making it an even more eery mystery. It states in the text it's unknown how the cerebral stalkers reproduce; could they possibly use zombies as squishy flesh-nests for their tadpoles, which consume their shambling undead nanny before heading out into the world to find brains of their own? It sounds like a plot to me.

To me too, and I would totally play in whatever game used that hook...

Dragonship
You know those Viking longboats with the draconic figureheads? Yeah, that's basically what these massive CR 10 Constructs are. Their innate navigational skills, control over the winds, and fiery breath weapon means they are a tool for the PCs or some band of raiders or other maritime opponent.

...as long as you promised I'd get one of these eventually.

Terraoblivion

2011-06-27, 05:52 PM

You know, that historical figure comes in a lot of varieties. Apart from the ones mentioned so far, I can think of Yamato, emo, youkai and lesbian magical girl varieties. It's quite impressive, actually.

Also, they just had to make not one but two monsters based on dragon puns. That's actually quite sad.

Shadowknight12

2011-06-27, 08:09 PM

The illustration of the particular entry adds credence to that, but I wasn't going to make any jokes due to the forum rules.

I will say only this:

Now, at long last, we can say in a game (for real): "The Crucifixion Spirit saves. The rest of you take full damage."

Also, they just had to make not one but two monsters based on dragon puns. That's actually quite sad.

I concur. Verily.

erikun

2011-06-27, 08:49 PM

Hiya Rappy!

You've reminded me that I haven't stopped by the chat in awhile. Also, it seems like Ponydom has gone that far. :smallwink:

Aberrant
An Aberrant that isn't an abberation? How noticably odd.

Arcanoplasm
An amoeba-like creature that isn't an Ooze? Madness!
Aww, Phasm (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/phasm.htm) is disappointed that it isn't remembered. Then again, I don't think anyone ever used it either...

Bedlam
CR 9 Aberrations made of "pure chaos" - just how one can concentrate and purify chaos into a lifeform is beyond me
How indeed. (http://images.wikia.com/forgottenrealms/images/d/dd/Slaad.jpg) You even mentioned Slaad in a later post! :smalltongue:

Also, with all the creatures related to the City of Brass module - doesn't that module have its own monsters? You'd think that book would have made better use of all these related creatures.

Other than that, these are always fun to read - even if I don't have a handy response to most of them.

Rappy

2011-06-30, 04:40 PM

Congratulations. I now have to buy this book, if only for the Dungeon Dragon. :smalltongue:
Indeed. The dungeon dragon managed to actually become the cover boy for the 3rd-Party Pathfinder book of templates, even:
http://ritepublishing.com/images/545_BOMT-Cover3.jpg

Speaking of Pathfinder, Bestiary 3 will apparently have more traditional "savage" cyclopes, Sleipner, kappas, Chinese/Imperial dragons, and kaiju in it. Curse you for keeping me spending money on a rules system I don't use just because I love the fluff and beautiful artwork, Paizo.

Also, with all the creatures related to the City of Brass module - doesn't that module have its own monsters? You'd think that book would have made better use of all these related creatures.
I think the main purpose was a bit of cross-promotion. More people would have been likely to purchase the second ToH over a title based around the City of Brass.

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Elusa Hound
Used in spellcaster-to-spellcaster rivalries as well as inquisitions, the wolf-like elusa hounds are CR 3 Magical Beasts with the purpose of hunting down magic users. They work just as you'd expect: they can "smell" magical auras and track them as if they were normal scents. Beyond that, there's not really much to say about them. The elusa hound is one of those monsters that is very malleable to what your campaign world and its perception to spellcasters are like.

Encephalon Gorger
The first Tome of Horrors brought us non-Product Identity equivalents of the slaadi (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9237911&postcount=349) and yuan-ti[/URL. Here, we are given the same treatment for the illithids. Encephalon gorgers are Aberrations, breed in underground cranial fluid-drenched pools, have strong mental power, keep slaves/thralls/food, and eat brains. The major differences are the strength levels (thanks to their ability to speed itself up by drinking adrenal fluid, the gorger is slightly higher at CR 10) and the dressing of it all; while we all know and love the flayers as squid-headed freaks of nature, the encephalon gorgers look like like a vampiric Gene Simmons.

[U]Fear Guard
CR 5 Chaotic Evil incorporeal undead that can induce fear, create spawn, and deal Wisdom damage. Where have I heard this setup before?

erikun

2011-06-30, 06:04 PM

Fear Guard
CR 5 Chaotic Evil incorporeal undead that can induce fear, create spawn, and deal Wisdom damage. Where have I heard this setup before?
I don't know; Allips are Neutral Evil, after all. :smalltongue:

Rappy

2011-07-04, 12:25 AM

Fire Crab
Because, when all else fails, put the damn crabs on fire! That'll show 'em. Vermin native to the Elemental Plane of Fire, fire crabs come in two forms: the Small CR 1/2 lesser fire crab and Large CR 3 greater fire crab. Both exude heat from their shells and have vice-like grips that deal both constriction and fire damage. They are said to dwell in volcanic lakes and rivers of liquid fire, so...do with them what you will, I guess. Seriously, what is up with the Plane of Fire? Is its ecology just "Earth's oceans, but in lava!"?

Fire Phantom
Oh, hey, I saw the cinder ghoul too.

Fire Whale
Also known as the burning leviathan, fire whales are the icing on the "liquid SPACE!! fire works like liquid water" cake. They are CR 10 Magical Beasts that are basically baleen whales that happen to be able to swim in lava and spray scalding hot air out of their blowholes. Again, I'm not quite sure I understand the Plane of Fire's ecology. At all.

Rappy

2011-07-08, 10:29 PM

Flea, Giant
CR 1/2 cat-sized fleas...gyeh. Even thinking about them makes me itch. While their blood drain isn't exactly an impressive amount, they can transmit any non-supernatural disease, and they tend to hang out in thick clusters or even huge swarms, so fighting just one giant flea is unlikely. Indeed, even fighting a group of giant fleas alone is unlikely, as they're pretty much always encountered as hitchhikers on giant warm-blooded animals such as dire bears and rocs.

Fulgurate Mushroom
A CR 4 hazard, the fulgurate mushroom emits 3d6 electricity damage when you come in contact with it, or 6d6 if it's hit by a cold effect. Not quite sure why this is in the main text, rather than a sidebar or an appendix, but whatever.

Fungoid
Fungoids are CR 3 Plants which vaguely resemble Swamp Thing and live in groups of 2 to 10 that spend each night roaming miles away from home to find food to bring back to their mushroom-studded lair. What is that food, you might ask?

Fungoids delight in attacking creatures that wander too close to their lair. Fungoids are carnivores and consider the flesh of humans, elves, and goblins a delicacy. When food is scarce, fungoids become scavengers and feed on carrion.
Yep. Human and elf: still the "other" other white meats.

Rappy

2011-07-22, 05:26 PM

Fyr
Now you can have your very own pygmy satyr for the low, low price of Level Adjustment +2! It slices, it dices, it travels around with dire goats!

Seriously though, fyr are a CR 2 (and, as mentioned above, LA +2) Fey that resemble gnome-sized satyrs with the features of an ibex instead of a goat. As their ibex features suggest, they are nomadic mountain-dwellers that rarely stay in the same place for long. They are master jewelers that trade their craft with druids, treants, elves, gnomes, and halflings, as well as humans and dwarves when they feel generous. Of course, as with most nature-folk, they hate orcs and goblinoids. In addition to naturey spell-like abilities, spell resistance, damage reduction bypassed by iron, the ability to speak with animals, and such general nature feyness, the fyr have an interesting extra ability tied into their mystical nature and craftsmanship: namely, they can attune any weapon to make it a +1 masterwork weapon as long as they hold it. In this way, you could almost make them out to be spirits of war as well as nature, or some sort of aspect of elemental metal.

Gallows Tree
Basically the hangman tree (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8421928&postcount=140) crossed with the yellow musk creeper (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9275962&postcount=364).

Gallows Tree Zombie
The plant-zombies made by the gallows tree. They have slowness-inducing spore blasts and, as long as they are connected to the gallows tree by a bungee cord-like vine, fast healing.

Rappy

2011-08-04, 05:58 PM

Gelid Beetle
Monstrous beetles getting boring? Spice them up by giving them the Magical Beast type and a cold aura!

...Or, you know, just apply an elemental template to an already-existing giant beetle. It'd probably be more interesting.

Geon
The enimatic geons are basically boulders with legs and faces, given some sort of task by an unnammed earth deity that they won't hesitate to use force to keep going. They are very much a blank slate monster as far as fluff goes, so we're basically obligated to look at their game mechanics. First off, it's worthy of note that geons can somehow wield weapons in its feet and still keep stable. That's pretty impressive, considering that in such a case you'd basically have a geon balancing on one foot-hand while swinging a sword around in the other. Their magical abilities are what you'd expect, with earth-themed spells such as wall of stone and transmute rock to mud, as well as the ability to animate rocks in a way similar to how treants animate...well, trees. They are also immune to electricity, slightly resistant to fire, and vulnerable to cold, so there's that. All in all, a mechanically solid (no pun intended) CR 9 elemental that needs a bit of love and attention to craft it into something specific for your campaign.

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Only two entries today, again, because the next set of entries are a group category like the dragons.

Terraoblivion

2011-08-04, 06:06 PM

What is it with these compilation of monsters meant to be old school and just making infinite variants of beetles? It's like they think they're evolution or something.*

Also, the Geon's are just weird. What possible use could you ever have for them? Other than the comedy of seeing them flail weapons around with their toes while trying to keep their balance, at least.

*Around 40% of all known species of insects are varieties of beetles.

Volthawk

2011-08-04, 06:10 PM

Also, the Geon's are just weird. What possible use could you ever have for them? Other than the comedy of seeing them flail weapons around with their toes while trying to keep their balance, at least.

Well, given how the fluff that is there talks, it sounds like they're the agents of the earth gods (they tell a geon to do something, they go out and do it). Plus the Animate Boulders ability when combined with Freeze (DC 30 Spot check to tell that it isn't really a rock) could basically mean it keeps on animating geons while being undetected itself.

Terraoblivion

2011-08-04, 06:14 PM

Rappy

2011-08-04, 07:29 PM

I mean, what narrative purpose could they serve? They work for vague goals for vague entities that might not even exist in a given setting and the only other thing known about their habits is that they can use weapons with their feet. I don't really care as much for the tactical usages, I don't play 3.5 but even if I did I'd go for narrative role over mechanical one when choosing monsters, and they just seem baffling outside that.
Hence why they need a little tinkering for personal use. I can see where they might be useful, though, such as:

Using them as elemental guardians of stone, sort of like treants are for plants. Dwarves beware!
Have them be fanatical servants of the giants, possibly even going so far as to be living projectiles for the truly massive ones.
Emulate Rockbiter from The Neverending Story, just 'cause.

Terraoblivion

2011-08-05, 06:27 AM

Be those underground boulder people from that old Uncle Scrooge story, who compete to see who can create the biggest earthquaks. I know that I would find it funny, at least.

Rappy

2011-08-10, 01:10 AM

Giant, Cave
Love 'em or hate 'em, it's hard to deny the cultural impact of giants. We have the trolls under the bridge, the town giants of the United Kingdom, the cannibal ogres of Native American lore, and various gigantic humanoid-shaped nursery bogies from all over the world, just to name a few. It should come as no surprise, then, that like its predecessor, this title has full-fledged giants in it. The first of these is the cave giant, a massive brute standing eye-to-eye with the mighty storm giants.

The CR 9 cave giants resemble oversized versions of Neanderthals, and have the attitudes of your stereotypical B-movie "cavemen" as well: they live in caves, are dumb as a rock (Int 4, even less than the hill giant!), eat raw food they hunt in the mountains, can't even use fire, and rule their clans through brute force. Still, the idea of an evolutionary throwback for giants has potential, and their combat abilities are definitely noteworthy. While they don't get rock throwing as most true giants do, cave giants can trample opponents (something all three of the giants in this book have the ability to do, actually) or grapple opponents before utilizing them as bludgeons.

Giant, Ferrous
These 20-foot titans are quite metal...literally. They are giants made out of pliable iron, and live solitary lives out in the wilderness as they forge weapons to pass the time. They seem more of a quest creature than anything else, in the manner of "hey, you want this fancy weapon? Go find the crotchety reclusive giant that lives out in the dangerous wilderness and convince him to make it". Of course, that's not to say that a ferrous giant can't hold its own in combat; after all, it's a CR 17 creature for a reason. In addition to the trample and pound abilities shared by the cave giant, ferrous giants have an immunity to mind-influencing effects and metal-themed spell-like abilities to back them up in battle.

Giant, Volcano
Volcano giants have both the Earth and Fire subtypes, a breath weapon, the aforementioned trample ability, and are tribal. Other than that, there's not really that much besides the Huge size that differentiates them from fire giants as far as their role goes. I could be wrong and just too tired to pay attention, though.

Rappy

2011-08-24, 09:57 PM

Gloom Crawler
Magical cave-dwelling land squid. Eh.

Golem, Furnacec
Looking like something you'd expect to see out of the Black Cauldron and capable of immolating people within their own bulk or spewing forth flames, the gigantic suit of armor-shaped furnace golems are CR 14 golems created...to be treasure guards. Huh. I'm not sure if it's just me noting the obvious or thinking outside of the box, but wouldn't furnace golems be great tools for colonizing polar regions of a given world? They could act as walking never-dimming campfires, warming encampments and forts, as well as using their breath weapon as a defense against cold-aligned creatures.

Golem, Iron Maiden
Yes, this exists. A CR 9 horrific shambling iron maiden, capable of impaling beings inside of it all Inquisitorius-style. Iron maiden golems have no real special attacks like many golems, but they make up for it by being able to steal energy and abilities from the zombified corpses of those they impale. Yes, the iron maiden golem runs on energy from soylent green zombie torture. Oddly enough, there is no explanation for why the iron maiden golem exists, like there is for pretty much every other golem in the Tome of Horrors series. It could be that they are just made by bored necromancers for the kicks, but what if they really are inquisitorial weapons? A fanatical group of crusaders might find the fact that they animate the undead forgivable since they also torture them, and the undead in question are made from the bodies of their enemies...ends justifying the means and all that.

Terraoblivion

2011-08-25, 04:15 AM

BobVosh

2011-08-25, 04:35 AM

The perpetual fire in Furnace Golems really does seem to have a lot of uses. What about melting just the right bits of snow to cause avalanches or clear roads? Also, using them as forges for small to mid-sized objects seems obvious. Really, make them treasure guardians is just about the worst usage you can find as far as I can tell.

Oh please, I can find a ton of worse ones.
Guardians of your ice.
Matron of the orphanarium.
Table.
Bathroom Attendant.
Emergency pants.

Ok, off of that topic. I like the Ferrous Giant, simply due to the fact that it is different enough from most giants to be semi unique. Most giants/titans are so bland they just blend together to the point I can't remember the difference.

Thurbane

2011-08-25, 04:41 AM

Fire Phantom
Oh, hey, I saw the cinder ghoul too.
I think this guy (from the name, at least) is a conversion of a 1E Fiend Folio creature. Hey, at least now we have something for the "fiery humanoid shape" version of Dancing Lights to emulate! I think I was actually getting mixed up with the Phantom Stalker.

Flea, Giant
CR 1/2 cat-sized fleas...gyeh. Even thinking about them makes me itch. While their blood drain isn't exactly an impressive amount, they can transmit any non-supernatural disease, and they tend to hang out in thick clusters or even huge swarms, so fighting just one giant flea is unlikely. Indeed, even fighting a group of giant fleas alone is unlikely, as they're pretty much always encountered as hitchhikers on giant warm-blooded animals such as dire bears and rocs.
You fight quite a few giant fleas (especially as random encounters) in the ToEE computer game. Amusingly, they use a mini version of the umber hulk model for them. Nasty and annoying, especially since they usually cause a disease after a bite.

---

The Iron Maiden Golem sounds like a must have in any heavy metal-themed game. :smallbiggrin:

erikun

2011-08-25, 08:54 AM

Giant, Volcano
"...when suddenly, you are ambushed by a wandering band of Giant Volcanos!"

"Wait what? How do you get ambushed by volcanos?! What do they even look like?"

"They look like... oh, wait. Then aren't Giant Volcanos, they are Volcano Giants. Tall, giant humanoids with volcanos on their heads."

"You know what? The wandering Giant Volcanos were more interesting."

Golem, Iron Maiden
Let me guess, they are made out of heavy metal and crafted by Bards? :smalltongue:

Rappy

2011-08-25, 03:59 PM

I think this guy (from the name, at least) is a conversion of a 1E Fiend Folio creature. Hey, at least now we have something for the "fiery humanoid shape" version of Dancing Lights to emulate! I think I was actually getting mixed up with the Phantom Stalker.
Yep, definitely the phantom stalker you were thinking of.

You fight quite a few giant fleas (especially as random encounters) in the ToEE computer game. Amusingly, they use a mini version of the umber hulk model for them. Nasty and annoying, especially since they usually cause a disease after a bite.
D'aww, miniature umber hulks sound kind of cute.

Let me guess, they are made out of heavy metal and crafted by Bards? :smalltongue:
*Rimshot*

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Golem, Magnesium
The CR 6 magnesium golem's a bit of an odd duck, being both human-sized and capable of human speeds when moving, making it a more quick and subtle...if you can call a walking silver Oscar subtle...golem as opposed to the bash-n'-smash tactics of iron and clay golems. Speaking of iron golems, like the iron maiden golem, the magnesium golem shared the iron golem's rust vulnerability. It also has a sickness-inducing aura and fists that can punch the Dexterity right out of you at 1d4 points per failed save. While their purpose is undocumented, they definitely seem like they'd be good assassination tools, assuming you can cover up their gaudy color with a good illusion spell.

The stat block also has a note on anodized magnesium golems. Basically, take a magnesium golem, soak it in acid, and zap it with electricity spells. Tada! You now have a rust-immune magnesium golem. Hmm, I can't help but think that'd be an interesting principle to extend to iron golems as well. After all, if we're pilfering a chemical reaction for one golem, why not apply it to another?

Golem, Ooze
Remember those tubs of goo that you can buy in dollar stores? Yeah, I can't help but imagine these golems being like giant buckets of that. Still, at CR 8, these creations of the clerics of Jubilex aren't exactly kid's toys. With fast healing, inability to be flanked due to their odd forms, acidic bodies, and corrosive death throes, ooze golems are definitely challenging enemies in the collection of servitors to the Faceless Lord.

Golem, Rope
Our final golem is this one. Yes, as its name implies, this CR 5 golem is made of rope. It is vulnerable to fire, and not really that statistically impressive, but I've got to give it some credit. After all, what other golem whips out its noose-hands to play hangman with adventurers?

erikun

2011-08-25, 04:29 PM

Golem, Magnesium
The CR 6 magnesium golem's a bit of an odd duck, being both human-sized and capable of human speeds when moving, making it a more quick and subtle...if you can call a walking silver Oscar subtle...golem as opposed to the bash-n'-smash tactics of iron and clay golems [...] It also has a sickness-inducing aura and fists that can punch the Dexterity right out of you at 1d4 points per failed save.
Is this supposed to be some kind of chemistry joke I'm not getting? When I think magnesium, I think fire and going pop when exposes to water. I don't think quickness, subtlety, or making people sick.

Also, how the heck is someone from medievia and without modern industrial techniques going to get their hands on pure magnesium, anyways?

The stat block also has a note on anodized magnesium golems. Basically, take a magnesium golem, soak it in acid, and zap it with electricity spells. Tada! You now have a rust-immune magnesium golem. Hmm, I can't help but think that'd be an interesting principle to extend to iron golems as well. After all, if we're pilfering a chemical reaction for one golem, why not apply it to another?
Won't work. Anodizing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing) works with magnesium and aluminum because the material naturally coats itself with a layer of "rust" that prevents the rest of the material from being effective. All anodizing does is make this layer deeper, so that minor scuffs and dents are less likely to break through that layer and allow corrosion deeper in the metal.

Iron rust actually helps the rate of rusting, so attempting to anodize it would simply cause problems. For iron, you want to use galvanization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust#Galvanization) or galvanic anodes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathodic_protection).

Golem, Rope
Our final golem is this one. Yes, as its name implies, this CR 5 golem is made of rope. It is vulnerable to fire, and not really that statistically impressive, but I've got to give it some credit. After all, what other golem whips out its noose-hands to play hangman with adventurers?
Combine this with an assassin vine, and you have the perfect setup for every japanese adult cartoon out there. :smalltongue:

Rappy

2011-08-25, 04:51 PM

Iron rust actually helps the rate of rusting, so attempting to anodize it would simply cause problems. For iron, you want to use galvanization (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust#Galvanization) or galvanic anodes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathodic_protection).
Yeah, I more meant the process than the specifics. Namely, because I forgot about galvanization for a moment.

erikun

2011-08-25, 05:17 PM

Ironically enough, giving the golem zinc boots should make it immune to rust attempts, at least until the boots rust away.

Rappy

2011-09-09, 06:51 PM

Rappy

2011-10-01, 10:52 PM

Hanged Man
Unsurprisingly, the CR 3 hanged men are undead who wrongfully died by, you guessed it, experimental surgery.

Seriously though, they've got some rope-dragging tricks, but hanged men aren't anything to really write home about as-is. Eh.

Helix Moth
Acid-spewing giant moths. Eh.

Hoar Spirit
The undead apparition of one who died from extreme cold. It does pretty much what you'd expect. It is worthy of note, however, that there appears to be a bit of a Take That in the imagery: namely, the illustrated hoar spirit is that of an elven warrior wearing the stereotypical "chainmail bikini".

Rappy

2011-10-17, 05:49 PM

Just bumping this to state that the Let's Read isn't dead, but a lot of stuff has been going on in my life, and the general lack of response means I'm not really going to justify forcing myself to churn out a post here when my mood would be better suited trying to attain happiness.

Shadowknight12

2011-10-17, 07:21 PM

Grave Risen
Created by the blood of a spellcaster being spilled over a buried a corpse, grave risen are CR 4 Undead with claws that deal blood poisoning and the ability to animate skeletons and zombies to aid them. For the most part, grave risen are actually pretty content to just chill out in their resting place, enjoying the, and I quote, "serenity of death that lingers in the air". Okaaaaay...

Erm, anyway, the only time the grave risen get particularly ornery is when those pesky mortal lifeforms happen to bumble along and disturb their Undead Zen or whatever you'd call it. Oddly enough, in spite of their reverence for their own state of undeath, a living creature killed by the grave risen has its body mutilated and unceremoniously buried. Odd, that.

I like undead and I like variety, so I'm yoinking this one to use in the future. Also, you may disagree, but I really do like the concept they've got going on for these guys and their Undead Zen. I'd just strip the part where they attack people or mutilate corpses and bury them unceremoniously, and they're good to go.

Grimstalker
Oh hey, another Fey! Yay! The grimstalker (known by others of its kind as the banaan) is specifically a CR 5 Fey that resemble claw-bearing elves made out of wood. They are feared and revered as expert assassins, their claws leaking with poison and their control of plants allowing them to control things such as scythe or hangman trees to do their bidding. They aren't particularly fond of people entering their woods, either, so pretty much the only individuals that aren't attacked by grimstalkers are evil Druids.

I am so tired of evil fey. So tired.

Hanged Man
Unsurprisingly, the CR 3 hanged men are undead who wrongfully died by, you guessed it, experimental surgery.

Seriously though, they've got some rope-dragging tricks, but hanged men aren't anything to really write home about as-is. Eh.

Those mad doctors will never, ever learn.

Hoar Spirit
The undead apparition of one who died from extreme cold. It does pretty much what you'd expect. It is worthy of note, however, that there appears to be a bit of a Take That in the imagery: namely, the illustrated hoar spirit is that of an elven warrior wearing the stereotypical "chainmail bikini".

I find the mental image incredibly hilarious and will most definitely use it in the future. I do wonder if I can actually play it for drama rather than easy comedy...

Just bumping this to state that the Let's Read isn't dead, but a lot of stuff has been going on in my life, and the general lack of response means I'm not really going to justify forcing myself to churn out a post here when my mood would be better suited trying to attain happiness.

I don't know how receptive you are to constructive criticism, but if you would care for a suggestion, a potential reason you aren't getting much responses is because your wit has been in decline lately. I mean, sure, there might be a percentage of people who read this to know what the book is about, but I assure you that a great deal of readers (like me) come here for the witty MSTing of the book's contents, which you're rather good at. Feel free to vent your frustrations on the book in the wittiest way you can. That will help you regain your readership. :smallsmile:

Terraoblivion

2011-10-17, 08:27 PM

Another reason I believe that comments might have been dropping off is that these last few monsters aren't the most inspiring. There just doesn't seem to be much oddness to really focus on and they don't quite write the snark themselves the way some of the more bizarre critters have done in the past.

Chained Birds

2011-10-17, 09:07 PM

I'm inspired. Use a Rope Golem with 2 Hanged Men in either "hand" and have him remain still until the undead are destroyed. Or it could use readied actions to pull or push the undead in and out of combat.

PC: "I'll fire my last flaming arrow at Undead #1." *rolls*
PC: "Rolled an 18! That's 26 to hit!"
DM: "*YOINK!* *CRACK!* The Hanged Man seems to fly violently to one side, away from the flaming arrow with a grotesque cracking sound coming from its neck."
PC: "...****..."

Once everything is resolved, the Golem rises up to claim new victims, or use the immobile corpses to bash the PC's heads open when they're busy looting.
I envision a Rope Golem as 2 pieces of simple rope coiled around one another with at least 2 nooses coming from the coils. At least that's how I would fluff it if I'm wrong on how they actually look.

Thurbane

2011-10-18, 02:34 AM

Rappy

2011-10-18, 04:18 AM

I don't know how receptive you are to constructive criticism, but if you would care for a suggestion, a potential reason you aren't getting much responses is because your wit has been in decline lately. I mean, sure, there might be a percentage of people who read this to know what the book is about, but I assure you that a great deal of readers (like me) come here for the witty MSTing of the book's contents, which you're rather good at. Feel free to vent your frustrations on the book in the wittiest way you can. That will help you regain your readership. :smallsmile:
It's possible. I've been having to be at the hospital for my grandmother 90% of most days, and sleeping for the other 10%, and my chronic depression's been creeping back.

You have a good idea, though; I've heard before that venting in writing form both helps the writing and the writer, and I'll freely admit I've been brooding. So yeah, thanks for your constructive criticism and commentary...and y'all too, Thurbane, Terra, and Chained Birds.

My grandmother went through feeding tube insertion without any complications yesterday, so I think I'll try and see what I can do with the next five monsters. Yes, five. We've reached another case of "the third monster is in a named set".

Shadowknight12

2011-10-18, 11:25 PM

It's possible. I've been having to be at the hospital for my grandmother 90% of most days, and sleeping for the other 10%, and my chronic depression's been creeping back.

You have a good idea, though; I've heard before that venting in writing form both helps the writing and the writer, and I'll freely admit I've been brooding. So yeah, thanks for your constructive criticism and commentary...and y'all too, Thurbane, Terra, and Chained Birds.

My grandmother went through feeding tube insertion without any complications yesterday, so I think I'll try and see what I can do with the next five monsters. Yes, five. We've reached another case of "the third monster is in a named set".

I most definitely hope your grandmother and yourself get well soon. I'm glad I could help and I look forward to the atrocities to come. :smallbiggrin:

Rappy

2011-10-21, 09:54 PM

Well, today hasn't exactly been the greatest, so I figured instead of sitting around in a slump, I'd feed my rage (ha-tchtchtchtchtch) into productivity instead. So, let's finally get through of the H entries and get into the product identity avoidance schemes

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Hornet, Giant
What's the difference between a giant hornet and a giant wasp? Very little; just an added bite attack and some attack bonus-producing anger hormones. Really, looking at the stats, they seem to speak to me as less "giant hornet" and more "revised giant wasp". When I think of a monstrous hornet, I imagine a cow-sized version of the Asiatic hornet, decapitating with its vorpal mandibles as its flesh-dissolving enzymes are squirted violently to deal acid damage to the unfortunate giant bees and their cloud giant wranglers (because cloud giants love them some fresh giant honey).

Huggermugger
In addition to having one of the silliest names of any gnome-esque small humanoid ever, the huggermugger presents us with the oddity that is a size Small creature of the Humanoid type that has a Level Adjustment of +2; I can't think of many of those in existence off the top of my head. The reason they get this LA is because they've got both the minotaur's uncanny natural cunning and a confusion aura made by babbling in a three-huggermugger chorus, all wrapped up in a high-Dexterity package. As for what role the huggermugger plays, well... Imagine a kender, only the authors realize that they're jackasses. That, in essence, is what the huggermugger is.

Oh, and they have their own exotic racial weapon, a curved knife called the hook-blade. It's okay, but nothing to write home about.

Inphidians (General) and Inphidian, Common
See? The title of this thread didn't lie! Yes, the inphidians, those yuan-ti with the serial numbers filed off, are back with a vengeance. While the original Tome of Horrors only had one inphidian (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8434589&postcount=143), this title expands on them since it is no longer constrained under the "mostly 1E/AD&D conversions" premise. While their origin is shrouded in mystery – our good friends, those wacky sages, are unsure whether they are the results of mad wizard hanky-panky or a serpent deity's equivalent of a drider – they are rather well-known to societies around them, spending a lot of time on plying the underdark merchant circuits with both slaves and venoms/antivenoms made by their master distillers.

In addition to reprinting the common inphidian, as well as the inphidian gauntlets and Serpent clerical domain, from the first ToH, we have two new inphidians added to the group by this book. Before those two, though, I figured I'd note the revisions to the common inphidian between the first and second Tomes. Namely: there aren't any revisions, at least as long as you have the Tome of Horrors Revised Edition like I do. I don't have a copy of the original 3.0 ToH, though, so I can only guess that the common inphidian's changes revolved specifically around edition differences. Anyway, let's get moving on...

Inphidian, Cobra-Back
Based around spitting cobras, the CR 3 cobra-back inphidians are distinguished from their common kin by neck hoods and their muscular bodies. In game terms, the main differences are 2 more points of Strength and 1 more hit die than the common inphidian, as well as projectile venom instead of the blinding liquid the common inphidian can squirt out. In inphidian society, the cobra-backs are the enforcers, acting as guardians that are loyal but prone to overdoing the violence on enemies and bullying other inphidians to "toughen them up"...which means that we can only conclude that inphidian society is basically high school.

Inphidian, Dancer Charmer
Dancercharmer inphidians, in addition to having one mouthful of a name, trade out some of the the standard inphidian's Strength and Constitution in favor of rather impressive Charisma, and they have a charm spell-inducing dance rather than any projectile weapons. They also...hm...wait...

*Looks a bit further down* Ahhh, they're either called a dancer ophidian or a charmer ophidian; one really should put a / in that entry name, then.

Anyway, dancer/charmer inphidians are an-always female subspecies of inphidians that are basically an entire race of belly dancers. Because when I think "serpentine Monstrous Humanoids", I totally think a culture spawning a caste of individuals that act on human attraction...unless they actually were originally human, but still. To add to the Arabic feel, there's a statement in the text of a rumor that the ruler of the inphidians has a palace with a harem of dancer/charmer inphidians, because if you're going to take that first step, why not go the whole way?

Thurbane

2011-10-21, 11:25 PM

"Huggermugger"? Oh my...

Nice to see some more Inphidians. :smallbiggrin:

Terraoblivion

2011-10-22, 01:49 PM

So how do Inphidians charm gay men and straight women?

Rappy

2011-10-22, 02:36 PM

So how do Inphidians charm gay men and straight women?
Oh, you and your logic. :smalltongue:

In seriousness though, I did have an idea about that. Instead of having the dancer/charmer inphidians use "teh Sexay" belly dancing attire to magically seduce people, I thought about some of the old fair folk lore about "being caught up in the dance". Perhaps, rather than rhythmic seduction, dancer/charmers use dancing that is intoxicatingly catchy, sweeping up people in a magical spell that convinces them to join in the revelry.

Shadowknight12

2011-10-23, 07:57 PM

Huggermuggers are hilariously silly. I hate them so. :smallbiggrin:

Also, the writers of this book are so adorably sexist. I just want to pat them in the head and go "D'awwww, your antiquated gender views are just so adorable!"

Rappy

2011-11-19, 05:44 AM

Kathlin
The kathlin is a six-legged horse that is pretty endurant. That’s...pretty much it, really. One might compare it to Sleipnir in spite of it being two legs short, but the kathlin doesn’t exactly have the “best horse ever” powers of Loki’s horse-child. Given that they are always Neutral Good and can understand Sylvan and Common, I can only imagine they might be intended as a Druid’s equivalent of a Paladin mount, albeit not noted out in stone as being such. Still, food for thought, that. Of course, there is a template called Sleipnirrin from the book Template Troves: Serpents, Spiders, and Godlings, designed to grant the blood of Sleipnir to a horse-like creature. Adding that would make the kathlin +2 LA cooler.

Lizard, Cavern
Other than having an Intelligence score of 3, there’s pretty much nothing about the cavern lizard that is worthy of noting beyond standard giant lizard fare. Yeah, this is one of those sets of three. ...Actually, you know what? Since I had technical difficulties over the past few weeks that delayed this post, combined with the boredom factor of some of these critters, I’ll go double for a total of six.

Magmoid
The CR 7 magmoid is an evil fire creature that likes to spread destruction for the lulz. We’ve totally never seen that setup before, have we? But seriously, the magmoid has a vaguely familiar feeling to it beyond that. It might be the “melts metal, but doesn’t harm wood” oddity that the lava child also has. Indeed, the magmoid has a lot of similarities to a magma child. Perhaps too many, even. Surely the lava children aren’t literally the children of the magmoid, are they? Now there’s an idea. More monsters need connections between each other, really.

Mawler
Oh, hey, it’s a monster connected with another! What are the odds? It’s almost like...I had planned that last statement in advance! Le gasp.

As their name implies, the mawlers are mostly mouth (maw) and like to maul people. They take on the form of an article clothing, which has led our textual sage friends – what would we do without them? - to suggest that they are offshoots or either the mimic or the executioner’s hood. Given their shapeshifting abilities, I’d personally say the “spawn of mimics” theory is more likely, but who knows? In any case, the mawler is a pretty nasty critter. With a combination of improved grab, constrict, and a vorpal bite, the mawler is definitely one of the more dangerous CR 4 Aberrations out there. Ahh, clothing-miming creatures with vorpal bites...now there’s some nightmare fuel for your players.

Mimi
If there are two things that there need to be more of, it’s cold-weather monsters and fey. The (thankfully non-screaming) mimis are both, being size Tin CR 1 faerie folk with the power to chill the air around them and utilize several ice-related spells. Unfortunately, mimis are also Chaotic Jackass “whimsy through aggravation” fey, leading me to feel rather conflicted about them. Now, to put things straight, I like the idea of fey as tricksters. It’s just that...well, something about it just seems more Chaotic Neutral than the supposed Chaotic Good such fey are labeled as.

Murder-Born
What’s creepier than an evil baby? An evil undead baby. Oh yes, they went there. Murder-born are CR 6 undead for when you want the unsettling factor of the atropal in a conveniently lower-level package, being the undead spirits of unborn babies who died with their murdered mothers. Their violence and unfulfilled rage manifest in a curse-inducing wail that reduces the amount of experience points gained by those effected by it and a touch that deals Charisma damage. Of course, the existence of the murder-born does produce a few questions, such as what happens to the mother. After all, she was murdered as well, so does she rise as an undead as well? Perhaps she becomes a stronger incorporeal undead such a ghost. On the other hand, if she doesn’t rise as one of the undead, what factor separates her from her bloodthirsty undead baby?

Thurbane

2011-11-19, 07:27 AM

Well, at least the Cavern Lizard can take class levels, thanks to it's INT. :smalltongue:

Terraoblivion

2011-11-19, 07:46 AM

Ah, random collections of generic monsters that can't have taken many minutes to make, how I love you.

Also, is it just me or does "fairies as tricksters" often end up being "fairies as hyperactive children as imagined in the 50s"? They just often seem to end up completely amoral, completely without longterm foresight and more petty and annoying than anything else.

Thurbane

2011-11-19, 05:05 PM

Ah, random collections of generic monsters that can't have taken many minutes to make, how I love you.
Indeed - it makes me wonder how much "filler" there is in ToH3.

Antonok

2011-11-19, 08:31 PM

Mawler
Oh, hey, it’s a monster connected with another! What are the odds? It’s almost like...I had planned that last statement in advance! Le gasp.

As their name implies, the mawlers are mostly mouth (maw) and like to maul people. They take on the form of an article clothing, which has led our textual sage friends – what would we do without them? - to suggest that they are offshoots or either the mimic or the executioner’s hood. Given their shapeshifting abilities, I’d personally say the “spawn of mimics” theory is more likely, but who knows? In any case, the mawler is a pretty nasty critter. With a combination of improved grab, constrict, and a vorpal bite, the mawler is definitely one of the more dangerous CR 4 Aberrations out there. Ahh, clothing-miming creatures with vorpal bites...now there’s some nightmare fuel for your players.

So going to have to use these sometime.

DM: You find a glowing chain shirt on the headless corpse.

Player: I put it on.

DM: Mwuhahaha....

Murder-Born
What’s creepier than an evil baby? An evil undead baby. Oh yes, they went there. Murder-born are CR 6 undead for when you want the unsettling factor of the atropal in a conveniently lower-level package, being the undead spirits of unborn babies who died with their murdered mothers. Their violence and unfulfilled rage manifest in a curse-inducing wail that reduces the amount of experience points gained by those effected by it and a touch that deals Charisma damage. Of course, the existence of the murder-born does produce a few questions, such as what happens to the mother. After all, she was murdered as well, so does she rise as an undead as well? Perhaps she becomes a stronger incorporeal undead such a ghost. On the other hand, if she doesn’t rise as one of the undead, what factor separates her from her bloodthirsty undead baby?

Also something I'm going to have to use sometime. Not for any real particular purpose, but combined my group owns/has access to almost all 3/3.5 material so I always like finding something to throw at them they'll never expect.

Also noticed in the description they do drain, not damage. (supported by the victim dying once it hits 0 cha instead of just being knocked unconcious iirc.)

Rappy

2011-11-20, 06:09 AM

Indeed - it makes me wonder how much "filler" there is in ToH3.
The ToHIII's not too bad about it, but there are some examples such as the giant horsefly, gelatinous golem (a golem literally made out of dead gelatinous cubes slapped together into a Gumby-esque block man), and the puntastic thermite (a fire-breathing giant termite! Ahahahaha...no, not funny).

Also something I'm going to have to use sometime. Not for any real particular purpose, but combined my group owns/has access to almost all 3/3.5 material so I always like finding something to throw at them they'll never expect.

Also noticed in the description they do drain, not damage. (supported by the victim dying once it hits 0 cha instead of just being knocked unconcious iirc.)
Huh. Yeah, it's labelled as damage, but it definitely seems to be drain as far as rules go. Unless I'm mixing up my damages and drains.

DemonRoach

2011-11-20, 07:09 AM

Murder-Born

Urg, my imagination is to vivid to think long on that one....

Makiru

2011-11-23, 01:09 AM

It brings a smile to my face to see you updating this again, Rappy. Like everyone else, I wish your grandma the best.

Now, for random comments!

The inphidians always kinda struck me as odd ducks in these books, like they were just there to fulfill the quota for "new low LA race" that these books like to have. There's nothing wrong with the inphidians; I just feel that they just aren't any more interesting than the OA nagas.

The mawler continues the long tradition of "everything in Greyhawk is trying to kill you". Seriously, this is two monsters off the top of my head (the other being the ragamuffyn) that can make putting on your underwear ruin your life.

The fact that you're glad mimis don't scream made me chuckle just a little bit, if I'm thinking of the same game you were. Also, it has to be really frustrating for you to have this new wealth of fey only to realize they're all Chaotic Stupid.

Rappy

2011-12-04, 08:42 PM

The inphidians always kinda struck me as odd ducks in these books, like they were just there to fulfill the quota for "new low LA race" that these books like to have.
Personally, I'm fairly sure that they are meant to be Open Game Content alternatives to the yuan-ti.

Just two monsters this time in comparison to the six last time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Niln
Also known as vapor horrors, the CR 5 nilns are water-air elemental hybrids from the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Vapor. They aren't really much more than summoning fodder, really; their ability to exude a fog cloud spell and a naturally gaseous body allow them to get the enemy's goat, and their drench ability makes fire-users useless. Add to that the statement that they serve those that summon them without requesting anything in return, and you can see exactly what they're for.

Nuckalavee
Have you ever read any Orcadian folklore? You haven't? Well, it's a shame, as this monster comes from that lore! A rather horrendous creature, the nuckalavee is akin to a centaur with its skin flayed off (and, according to some legends, a single cyclopean eye) and is a bearer of plague and horror. In its D&D incarnation here, the nuckalavee are said to be either cursed centaurs or demon-centaur hybrids, neither of which seems like a particularly pleasant story. As per its folkloric roots, the nuckalavee's fetid breath is a festering mess, acting as a breath weapon dealing loads of untyped damage. In addition, to push them further up into their listed Challenge Rating of 9, the horrific appearance of the nuckalavee's flayed body deals hefty Strength damage, and its hooves can trample foes beneath. Of course, being a folkloric monster, I heartily endorse this creature's presence. Still, I must wonder why it's typed as an Aberration when Orcadian lore classified them as a baffling but nonetheless faerie-type fey. Eh, I guess that's up to the designer.

Thurbane

2011-12-05, 01:37 AM

Personally, I'm fairly sure that they are meant to be Open Game Content alternatives to the yuan-ti.
Yeah, that's my guess as well.

Nuckalavee
Have you ever read any Orcadian folklore? You haven't? Well, it's a shame, as this monster comes from that lore! A rather horrendous creature, the nuckalavee is akin to a centaur with its skin flayed off (and, according to some legends, a single cyclopean eye) and is a bearer of plague and horror. In its D&D incarnation here, the nuckalavee are said to be either cursed centaurs or demon-centaur hybrids, neither of which seems like a particularly pleasant story. As per its folkloric roots, the nuckalavee's fetid breath is a festering mess, acting as a breath weapon dealing loads of untyped damage. In addition, to push them further up into their listed Challenge Rating of 9, the horrific appearance of the nuckalavee's flayed body deals hefty Strength damage, and its hooves can trample foes beneath. Of course, being a folkloric monster, I heartily endorse this creature's presence. Still, I must wonder why it's typed as an Aberration when Orcadian lore classified them as a baffling but nonetheless faerie-type fey. Eh, I guess that's up to the designer.
These guys existed in 2E (Mystara Monstrous Compendium), but AFAIK, never got any official update to 3.X. Sounds like this version is not based upon that one, however.