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Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-12-12, 07:50 PM
Just a homebrew monster for Swords & Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, and similar. Inspired by the Spynxxxx from The City of Dreaming Books, by Walter Moers.

CRYPT SCUTTLER
Hit Dice: 2+4 (13 hp)
Armor Class: 3 [16]
Attacks: Bite (2d6); see text
Saving Throw: 13
Special: Trap
Move: 12
Alignment: Neutrality
Challenge Level/XP: 4/240

The crypt scuttler is a spider-like monstrosity, roughly the size of a horse, that traps its prey underneath its belly inside a cage of legs. Its moth is located on the stomach, designed for blighting downwards.

A crypt scuttler, as an attack action, can attempt to trap a victim no larger than a large human inside its cage of legs. The victim can make a saving throw to avoid being trapped. A trapped victim cannot move from underneath the crypt crawler, and attacks at a -2 penalty. The crypt crawler can only bite trapped victims.

Crypt scuttlers are more vegetable than animal, with completely alien anatomy, and fight until slain.

4th number
2012-12-12, 08:01 PM
Does that Move 12 correspond to a 60ft move in modern D&D?

Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-12-12, 08:04 PM
Does that Move 12 correspond to a 60ft move in modern D&D?

No. At least in Swords & Wizardry, which is what the monster was primarily built for, humans have move 12.

4th number
2012-12-12, 08:23 PM
Pathfinder conversion, just for fun:


CRYPT SCUTTLER
CR 1 XP 400
N Large Aberration
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60ft, scent; Perception +
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18 (+0 Dex, +8 natural)
hp 13 (2d8+4)
Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +1
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee claws +4 (1d6+3 plus grab)
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 6, Cha 2
Base Atk +1; CMB +5; CMD 15 (can't be tripped)
Skills Acrobatics +2, Climb +3, Perception -2, Stealth +6; (Racial modifiers: Stealth +7)
ECOLOGY
Caves, dungeons, and crypts
Organization solitary, pair, or nest (3–8)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Grab(Ex): On a successful claw attack, a crypt scuttler can initiate a grapple with a +9 bonus. While grappling, a crypt scuttler cannot attack any other opponents.
Fangs(Ex): While an opponent is grappled, a crypt scuttler can bite its victim with the fangs on its underbelly. This attack deals 2d6+3 piercing damage.

Grelna the Blue
2012-12-12, 09:10 PM
I haven't read the source material, but after seeing the words "spider-like monstrosity" coupled with "size of a horse", I felt rather sad when I saw it requires only 13 hit points of damage to take it down. I expect more of horse-sized spider-things. Were I a player encountering one of these for the first time, I think I might even be a little disappointed.

I think this creature has great flavor, though. Maybe they could come in various sizes, with the big ones being tougher?

4th number
2012-12-12, 10:06 PM
This is a scary encounter the first time, though. It grabs someone and starts gnawing at him, and you've gotta get your buddy out before it eats him totally.

Chainsaw Hobbit
2012-12-12, 11:17 PM
I haven't read the source material, but after seeing the words "spider-like monstrosity" coupled with "size of a horse", I felt rather sad when I saw it requires only 13 hit points of damage to take it down. I expect more of horse-sized spider-things. Were I a player encountering one of these for the first time, I think I might even be a little disappointed.

I think this creature has great flavor, though. Maybe they could come in various sizes, with the big ones being tougher?

Good point. Perhaps I will make a scarier "greater" verity. However, bare in mind that it also has a quite respectable armour class, so landing a solid blow is difficult.