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View Full Version : New monster: the mind howler (PEACH)



inuyasha
2013-03-26, 07:23 PM
Mind howler



Size/Type:
Medium Undead (Extraplanar)


Hit Dice:
12d12 (72 hp)


Initiative:
+6


Speed:
30 ft (6 squares)


Armor Class:
19 (+2 dex, ++3 natural, +4 insight), touch 16, flat-footed 17


Base Attack/Grapple:
+6/+9


Attack:
tentacles +10 melee (1d4+3 plus 1d6 sonic)


Full Attack:
4 tentacles +10 melee (1d4+3 plus 1d6 sonic)


Space/Reach:
5ft/5ft


Special Attacks:
mind blast,psionics,improved grab,extract


Special Qualities:



Saves:
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +9


Abilities:
Str 16, Dex 15, Con -, Int 20, Wis 9, Cha 17


Skills:
Bluff +18, Climb +18, Concentration +15, Intimidate +18, Jump +18, Listen +14, Sense Motive +14, Spellcraft +20, Spot +14


Feats:
combat casting, improved initiative, weapon focus (tentacles), Alertness, Iron will


Environment:
underground


Organization:
solitary, pair, or trio


challenge Rating:
10


Advancement:
by character class


Level Adjustment:
--


Every so often, a mind flayer dies on the howling plane of pandemonium. When this happens, they do not just die. They return as horrible undead monstrosities known as mind howlers. They retain their intelligence and charisma, their speed and strength increases as negative energy corrupts and strengthens their bodies, they however have decreased in sanity as the howling winds of pandemonium remain in their heads for the rest of their undead existance. A mind howler appears as a grey, white eyed, smooth skinned mind flayer. Sonic energy and howling shrieks surround a mind howler, and their tentacles are sharpened to stab into heads and inject chaotic shrieking noise, while removing precious grey matter.
Mind howlers speak undercommon, and up to 5 more languages, unlike their living kin, they cannot telepathically communicate.

Combat
Mind howlers always try to stun opponents with its mind blast before doing anything else. But if that works, they go into melee to remove brains, if it doesnt...they still go into melee to remove brains...because the whispers tell them too.

Mind blast (Sp)
This attack is a cone 60ft. long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed at a will save (DC 19) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds.

Psionics (Sp)
At will-- Blasphemy, Charm monster, Detect thoughts, Suggestion.
Save DCs are intelligence based

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, the mind howler must hit a small to large creature with its tentacle attack. If it gets a hold, it it attaches the tentacle to the opponents head. A mind howler can grab a huge or larger creature, but only if it can somehow reach the creatures head.
After a successful grab, the mind howler can try to attach its remaining tentacles with a successful grapple check. The opponent can escape with a single successful grapple check or escape artist check, but the mind howler gets a +2 circumstance bonus for every tentacle that was attached at the beginning of the opponents turn.

Extract (Ex)
A mind howler that begins its turn with all four tentacles attached and successfully maintains its hold automatically extracts the opponents brain, instantly killing them.

Pandemonious Wail (Su)
Once used this supernatural ability can't be activated again for 3 rounds but no more than 3 times a day. Activating it is a standard action.
All creatures, other than undead, within 30ft must make a will, at a DC of 10 + 1/2 it's HD + it's charisma, save or become confused, as the spell, for 10 rounds and must make a further will save, with a reduced by -6 DC, each round they remain confused or become permanently inflicted with insanity.

Debihuman
2013-03-27, 11:39 AM
These look pretty good. If the hp bonus is +0 you'd normally leave it out of the stat block. If they die on Pandemonium why don't they have the extraplanar subtype?

Debby

Silva Stormrage
2013-03-27, 11:53 AM
What caster level are the Spell Like Abilities? Also you should probably remove Wail of the Banshee from a CR 10.... That is a bit too strong and is likely to TPK parties

eftexar
2013-03-27, 01:59 PM
Why not modify wail of the banshee instead? While overpowered for CR 10 it certainly fits the them. Just to throw an idea out:
Pandemonious Wail (Su)
Once used this supernatural ability can't be activated again for 3 rounds. Activating it is a free action.
All creatures, other than undead, within 30ft must make a will, at a DC of 10 + 1/2 it's HD + it's charisma, save or become confused, as the spell, for 10 rounds and must make a further will save, with a reduced by -6 DC, each round they remain confused or become permanently inflicted with insanity.

This ability while potentially a combat ender leaves time to be countered and feels more chaotic to me. The recharge time means it can't be spammed, but can be used often enough to throw a wrench in the works.

Besides that, while the description has me anticipating, the abilities feel like vanilla Mindflayer to me. Sorry for being blunt, but the abilities just don't live up to the description and, if I remember correctly, I believe there is already an undead mindflayer somewhere with similar abilities.
For example you could replace mind blast with some sort of similar sonic effect that dazes for a shorter time than the stun, but deals damage and shatters objects ala the shatter spell.Or you could allow the Mindflayer to use it's sharpened tentacles to make sweeping trips or actually stab people like in it's description.

Debihuman
2013-03-27, 02:42 PM
If no caster level is mentioned, it is equal to HD. It's in the SRD. However, you need to note which ability the save is based on.

Debby

inuyasha
2013-03-27, 03:39 PM
thanks for the responses everybody, thank you so much, I just figured pandemonium needed more fun, and I had a picture of a zombie and a mind flayer in front of me...so i thought...hmmmm

I will be fixing those things, and thanks for the pandemonious wail ability eftexar. and also, my reason for the sharpened tentacles is thats how they channel the sonic energy into your head, by stabbing and injecting it almost like a syringe (that probably sounded really stupid though :smalltongue:)

Debihuman
2013-03-28, 12:38 AM
Pandemonius Wail should be a Standard Action to activate. And it probably should be limited to 3 times a day.

Debby