[3.5]The Last Unicorn: Statting the Red Bull (PEACH)

[Cieyrin]

So yeah, I had a strange inkling yesterday that got me to wanting to watch the Last Unicorn, which I finally did this morning and it got me to thinking about what the various characters would be represented. The Unicorn Amalthea started the film as a modified Celestial Charger, from which she leveled over the movie till she reached the next tier of spells for her final confrontation. Mommy Fortuna and Schmendrick are Sorcerers focusing on Illusions, Fortuna also dealing in Enchantments, Schmendrick dabbling in Transmutations and has a couple levels of Wild Mage, especially when he lets his magic "do what it will" :smallwink: Captain Cully and his band are Rangers and Rogues, possibly with a little Fighter of the Thug variety. Molly Grue is an Expert, pure and simple. Haggard and Lír are Fighters, Lír maybe having a couple level of Knight as well.

This leaves me with the Red Bull. The Red Bull isn't easily explained, as there isn't something in the rules, at least Core, that directly details it. Not wanting to let my ideas on it float away, I looked into what the Unicorn stats are and how powerful the Red Bull would have to be to chase masses of unicorns into the sea by King Haggard's castle. Then I realized they're only CR 3, which explains how they're so easily dealt with en masse. 10-12 Unicorns is an EL 10 encounter, meaning I'd want something in the range of CR 12-14 so that it could easily deal with them and be a viable threat to a leveled Celestial Charger, for which, since she raised Lír from the dead, puts her at Cleric 9 and about CR 15, which is my sweet spot.

Looking at viable creatures in the MM, the Nightmare and consequently the Cauchemar caught my eye as a good starting place, being huge and firey. Just need to improve on it and make it more Bull than Horse. So, below, is my attempt at making a viable Red Bull, aiming at CR 15.


http://pictures.fanart-central.net/c/Christiane/153748.jpg

The Last Unicorn and the Red Bull by Christiane (http://www.fanart-central.net/pic-153748.html)
The Red Bull
Huge Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Fire)
HD 20d8+160 (250 hp)
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares); Pursuit
Init: +7
AC 27; touch 11; flat-footed 24 (-2 size, +3 Dex, +16 natural)
BAB +20; Grp +40
Attack Gore +30 melee (3d6+18 plus 2d6 fire)
Full-Attack Gore +30 melee (3d6+18 plus 2d6 fire)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Burning trample, flaming horns, powerful charge, smite good
Special Qualities DR 10/good, darkvision 60', immunity to fire, pursuit, resistance to cold 10, scent, spell resistance 25, vulnerability to cold
Saves Fort +19 Ref +15 Will +14
Abilities Str 34, Dex 17, Con 24, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 12
Skills Hide +18, Intimidate +32, Jump +45, Listen +27, Move Silently +26, Search +23, Spot +27, Survival +25 (+27 when following track, +31 when following tracks by scent)
Feats Alertness, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness, Power Attack, Run, Track
Environment Beneath King Haggard's Castle
Organization Unique
Challenge Rating 14
Treasure None
Alignment Always neutral evil
Advancement - Favored Class -
Level Adjustment -

Burning Trample (Ex/Su): The Red Bull can, as a full round action, run down creatures smaller than it, crushing them beneath its searing hooves. The Red Bull moves up to twice its speed and any creature that its bulk fully covers their squares may either make an attack of opportunity at -4 against the Bull or make a Reflex save (DC 32) for half damage. Trampled creatures take 2d8+12+2d6 fire damage. The save DC is Strength-based.
Flaming Horns (Su): A blow from the Red Bull's horns sets combustibles alight.
Powerful Charge (Ex): The Red Bull does 6d6+36+2d6 fire damage when it makes a charge attack.
Pursuit (Ex): When chasing a creature that is faster than it, the Red Bull gradually builds up speed at a rate of 10' of movement per round till it matches the pursued creature +5'. For example, if the Red Bull, who normally has a move speed of 40', pursues a normal unicorn, which has a move speed of 60', the Red Bull would go 40' in the first round, 50' in the second round, 60' in the third round and finally 65' in the fourth round on. The Red Bull can only maintain this increased speed while focused on one creature. If it changes targets or stops chasing any creatures, it returns to its normal speed.
Smite Good (Su): Once per day, the Red Bull may make a normal melee attack to deal +20 damage against a good creature. If it smites a non-good creature, its smite is wasted and expended for the day. The smite can be made on a Powerful Charge.
Skills:The Red Bull has a +6 racial bonus to Jump and +4 racial bonus to Survival when following tracks by scent.

So, thoughts? Did I achieve my goal or is the Red Bull lacking?

EDIT: WOOT! FINALLY HIT TROLL RANK! :smallbiggrin:

EDIT EDIT: CR lowered, though may change pending on whether Nightmare movement suite (Flight, Astral, Ethereal movement) is re-added or not. Changed once more, after talking to people in the unoffical Giantitp IRC. Writing up fluff and tactics in a bit.

[Doorhandle]

Havn't seen the last unicorn, but I have to say that giant bull monster was not what I was thinking when I heard the term "red bull."


...Give it wings. Just for pun's sake.

[Blynkibrax]

Better yet, give it some kind of magical ability to turn people into birds or flying insects of something similarly inoccuous and winged.

Red Bull gives you wings, after all.

[Cieyrin]

Better yet, give it some kind of magical ability to turn people into birds or flying insects of something similarly inoccuous and winged.

Red Bull gives you wings, after all.

I don't think needing to making puns on a creature in reference to an advertising campaign is really needed. Not meant to be a parody. That's something for a different thread.

What I'm really looking for is whether the Pursuit ability works as intended and whether it's melee brute enough to justify its CR. Going by the MM, it would seem to work out right, especially since I pseudo-applied Fiendish to a Nightmare, advanced the HD and gave it the elite stat track. Probably should add PEACH to the thread title...

[Maraxus1]

When this thing charges towards you, you will want to cast fly on yourself. :)

Besides this, in a low ceiling cave system, or simply from an ambush (where do huge creatures lay ambushes?), this sounds interesting and about worth it's CR.
*checks again* Hm, maybe not. The Powerful charge is really impressive but after this, 2d8+12+2d6 either as an attack or trample does not sound to threatening for a level 15 party. I'm quite out of practice lately so I might be wrong, but I'd guess it's more of a good 13.

[Cieyrin]

When this thing charges towards you, you will want to cast fly on yourself. :)

Besides this, in a low ceiling cave system, or simply from an ambush (where do huge creatures lay ambushes?), this sounds interesting and about worth it's CR.
*checks again* Hm, maybe not. The Powerful charge is really impressive but after this, 2d8+12+2d6 either as an attack or trample does not sound to threatening for a level 15 party. I'm quite out of practice lately so I might be wrong, but I'd guess it's more of a good 13.

Yeah, the fly situation is something to worry about. I suppose I could stick the Nightmare flight and planar movement back on. I just took them off, due to the Red Bull never exhibiting their usage, at least far as I'm aware.

As for the ambush bit, check the Hide and Move Silently. The size penalty to Hide hurts but adequate skill ranks and good Dex makes it pretty decent at ambushing, provided cover. The movie had lots of hills, forests and twisty caves that could give enough cover for even a Huge creature to lurk before coming out of nowhere, at least against creatures not optimized in their perception abilities.

As for the balance point, I was basing it off of how a Celestial Charger Cleric 9 would deal 1v1, though I do concede that the rest of the party involved is a Sorcerer/Wild Mage focused on Illusions and Transmutations, not even of the buffing variety, an Expert and a Fighter/Knight, so perhaps I aimed too high. CR 13 sounds 'bout right, now that I think some more on it, but do you think it'll change much of the CR if I give it back the Nightmare mobility suite of Flight, Astral and Ethereal movement?

[Debihuman]

Nice conversion as far as I can tell. It's been a long time since I've watched the The Last Unicorn. Just a few things might clarify it some and make it a bit tighter.

I think some of your damage is worded poorly. For example, burning trample should cause 2d8+12 points of damage plus 2d6 points of fire damage unless you mean it is all fire damage. Flaming Charge should be 3d6+36 points of damage plus 2d6 points of fire damage unless you mean it is all fire damage. I would be hesitant to making it all fire damage but YMMV.

Using pursuit should probably cause the red bull to be fatigued for a time after catching its prey. How often can it use it before it is exhausted?

Debby

[Cieyrin]

Nice conversion as far as I can tell. It's been a long time since I've watched the The Last Unicorn. Just a few things might clarify it some and make it a bit tighter.

I think some of your damage is worded poorly. For example, burning trample should cause 2d8+12 points of damage plus 2d6 points of fire damage unless you mean it is all fire damage. Flaming Charge should be 3d6+36 points of damage plus 2d6 points of fire damage unless you mean it is all fire damage. I would be hesitant to making it all fire damage but YMMV.

That was my intention, making the 2d6 fire and the rest physical.


Using pursuit should probably cause the red bull to be fatigued for a time after catching its prey. How often can it use it before it is exhausted?

Debby

That's actually a nice little thing I hadn't considered. I hadn't thought about the physical expenditure involved. On the other hand, if it changes targets on Pursuit, it essentially ends the ability and would suffer the fatigue. Perhaps there should be a time limit that it can use Pursuit before fatigue sets in, like Con rounds per day or something like that?

[Mulletmanalive]

It's difficult, if not impossible to make a non-flying CR 15 creature because of the flying magic prevalence but i'm going to ignore that.

This needs some means of attacking more than one creature in a round. The D&D Cleave won't help, but the Pathfinder version would work, perhaps themed as a head sweep. If you were making it a special ability, perhaps they could even do this on a charge.

Some kind of mass Intimidation seems appropriate too [highly efficient too], possibly with the ability to cause greater levels of fear; after all, you need your opponents moving incoherently if you're to drive them off cliffs.

[Cieyrin]

It's difficult, if not impossible to make a non-flying CR 15 creature because of the flying magic prevalence but i'm going to ignore that.

This needs some means of attacking more than one creature in a round. The D&D Cleave won't help, but the Pathfinder version would work, perhaps themed as a head sweep. If you were making it a special ability, perhaps they could even do this on a charge.

Some kind of mass Intimidation seems appropriate too [highly efficient too], possibly with the ability to cause greater levels of fear; after all, you need your opponents moving incoherently if you're to drive them off cliffs.

It's sitting at CR 14 currently, via suggestions from the unofficial giantitp IRC, but I was considering putting the Nightmare movement suite (flight, astral & ethereal movement) back on. Would that change your opinion at all of it's perceived power?

For multiattack charge, perhaps should be an expansion of Burning Trample? That potentially hits multiple creatures when it's not doing its Powerful Charge. Not sure I want to go a Pounce route with this, though.

The Red Bull is already good at Intimidation (Skill mod +32 :smalleek:), so expanding on that could be an interesting idea, perhaps having an outright fear aura wouldn't be out there. I'm starting to worry about power creep as abilities get tacked on, though...

As for pushing creatures off cliffs, it's already pretty good at that as-is, as it has a Bull Rush mod of +26 when charging. What kind of Bull wouldn't have Improved Bull Rush, eh? :smallwink: