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LordErebus12
2014-01-22, 04:51 PM
Skulltulas


https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/1545728_703098333056027_784182474_n.jpg


{TABLE]Size/Type:|Medium Magical Beast (Evil)
Hit Dice:|6d10+18 (51 hp)
Initiative:|+10
Speed:|40 ft. (8 squares), climb 30 ft.
Armor Class:|20 (+6 dex, +2 natural, +2 profane), touch 18, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple:|+6/+8
Attack:|bite +12 melee (1d8+2 plus 1 vile damage)
Full Attack:|bite +12 melee (1d8+2 plus 1 vile damage)
Space/Reach:| 5ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:|Cursed Poison (DC 16; 1d4 Str Drain), Web
Special Qualities:|Darkvision 60 ft., Leaper, Low-Light Vision, Magical Beast Traits, Profane Aura, Tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves:|Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +4
Abilities:| Str 14, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 8
Skills:|Climb +14, Hide +12 (+20 when surrounded by their webs), Intimidate +2, Jump +22, Listen +11, Move Silently +12 (+20 when climbing on their webs), Search +9, Sense Motive +5, Spot +19, Survival +5 (+7 following tracks)
Feats:|improved initiative (Bonus Feat), improved natural attack (bite), vile natural attack (BoVD), weapon finesse
Environment:|any forest, undergound or urban
Organization:|solitary, pair, hunting party (3-5), war party (6-10 medium skulltulas plus 1 large Skulltula)
Challenge Rating:|6
Treasure:|None (Incidental)
Alignment:|Any Evil (Usually Neutral Evil)
Advancement:|7-9 HD (medium), 10-12 HD (large), 13-15 HD (huge), 16+ HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment:|---
[/TABLE]



http://img.gawkerassets.com/post/9/2012/07/skulltula2.jpg
{TABLE]Size/Type:|Huge Magical Beast
Hit Dice:|13d10+91 (162 hp)
Initiative:|+8
Speed:|40 ft. (8 squares), climb 30 ft.
Armor Class:|25 (-2 size,+4 dex, +7 Natural, +6 Profane), touch 18, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple:|+13/+31
Attack:|Bite +21 melee (3d6+10 plus 1 vile damage)
Full Attack:|Bite +21 melee (3d6+10 plus 1 vile damage)
Space/Reach:|15 ft., 10 ft.
Special Attacks:|Cursed Poison (DC 23; 1d8 Str Drain), Web
Special Qualities:|Darkvision 60 ft., Leaper, Low-Light Vision, Magical Beast Traits, Profane Aura, Tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves:|Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +6
Abilities:| Str 30, Dex 18, Con 24, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills:|Climb +22, Hide +8 (+16 when surrounded by their webs), Intimidate +17, Jump +31, Listen +14, Move Silently +12 (+20 when climbing on their webs), Search +8, Sense Motive +7, Spot +22, Survival +7 (+9 following tracks)
Feats:|Awesome Blow, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative (Bonus Feat), Improved Natural Attack (bite), Power Attack, Vile Natural Attack (BoVD)
Environment:|Any Forest, Underground or Urban
Organization:|Solitary or Pair
Challenge Rating:|12
Treasure:|None (Incidental)
Alignment:|Any Evil (Usually Neutral Evil)
Advancement:| 14-15 HD (huge), 16+ HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment:|---
[/TABLE]

Like many monstrous sized spiders, Skulltula are aggressive predators that use their poisonous bites to subdue or kill prey. Unlike Monstrous Spiders, Skulltulas use their high intelligence to their advantage, playing with their prey before devouring them. Skulltula are both hunters and web-spinners, unlike normal monstrous spiders, behaving differently depending on what they hunt or simply on their mood. Some actively rove about, hunting for prey, while some wait silently for prey to become trapped in their webs.

When Skulltulas are in groups, often known as Hollows (smaller groups) or Hives (larger groups), they tend to have a hierarchy not unlike ants in some ways. The medium sized Skulltulas do much of the routine work; including many aspects of building, scouting and hunting around their chosen 'home'. The larger varieties (large and huge) guard the areas nearby the 'King' or 'queen' Skulltula(s) and repel/subdue potentially dangerous threats to the nest. The gargantuan variety, almost always the 'queen' or 'king' of the hive, tends to run things from the center, leading and organising all lesser skulltulas.



Cursed Poison (Su):
A Skulltula has a vicious poisonous bite, which also delivers a curse. The details vary by the Skulltula’s size, as shown on the table below. The save DCs are Constitution-based. The indicated damage is initial
and secondary damage.

Size |Damage|DC
Medium |1d4 Str drain|16
Large |1d6 Str drain|
Huge |1d8 Str drain|23
Gargantuan |2d6 Str drain|


In addition, when the target fails its fortitude save against the poison, the target must make another will save against the same DC. If it fails, the target is cursed. Upon reaching zero strength, the cursed target is temporarily paralyzed with pain, while it slowly becomes transformed into a Skulltula over a period of three hours. It can be removed with a successful casting of a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell.

Leaper (Ex):
They receive a +20 racial bonus on jump checks. In addition, they can make standing long and high jumps as if they were running, and their maximum jumping distance is not limited by height.

Profane Aura (Su):
Skulltulas radiate a dark, evil aura. This aura seems to make it more difficult to hit in combat, granting it a +2 profane bonus to its armor class, increasing by an additional +2 per size category above medium.

Web (Ex):
Skulltula often wait in their webs or in trees, then lower themselves silently on silk strands and leap onto prey passing beneath. A single strand is strong enough to support the Skulltula and one creature of the same size. Skulltula can throw a web at will. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than the Skulltula.

An entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check or burst it with a Strength check. Both are standard actions whose DCs are given in the table below. The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. Skulltula often create sheets of sticky webbing from 20 to 120 feet square, depending on the size of the Skulltula. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground.

Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot section has the hit points given on the table, and sheet webs have damage reduction 5/—. A Skulltula can move across its own web at its climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web.

Size|Escape Artist DC|Break DC|Hit Points
Medium|12|16|6
Large|13|17|12
Huge|16|20|14
Gargantuan|20|24|16


Tremorsense (Ex):
A Skulltula can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground, or within any range in contact with the Skulltula’s webs.

Skills:
Skulltulas have a +8 racial bonus on Climb and Spot checks. A Skulltula can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Skulltulas use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher. Skulltulas also have a +8 racial bonus on Hide when hiding amongst their webs and a +8 racial bonus on Move Silently checks when climbing on their webs.

AuraTwilight
2014-01-22, 05:10 PM
Awesome. Just rad.

Debihuman
2014-01-23, 05:52 AM
Neat.

It has a special ability called Leaper but it's not defined. Or is that just the skill bonus to jump?

Debby

LordErebus12
2014-01-23, 01:55 PM
Neat.

It has a special ability called Leaper but it's not defined. Or is that just the skill bonus to jump?

Debby

forgot about that... It was meant to say:

Leaper (Ex):
They receive a +20 racial bonus on jump checks. In addition, they can make standing long and high jumps as if they were running, and their maximum jumping distance is not limited by height.

XionUnborn01
2014-01-23, 02:20 PM
The only critique I have is that they have such low natural armor, I wouldn't mind seeing it bumped up a few points because of their 'carapace' or whatever you want to call the skull.

Other than that though it looks solidly made.

Steward
2014-01-23, 05:50 PM
Eurgh, these might even be worse than vasuthants. The rapid transformation of the curse victims is an especially horrifying touch -- I definitely like these monsters!

LordErebus12
2014-01-23, 06:26 PM
The only critique I have is that they have such low natural armor, I wouldn't mind seeing it bumped up a few points because of their 'carapace' or whatever you want to call the skull.

Other than that though it looks solidly made.

Shall I bump it up a bit? Perhaps something like Light Fortification on top of solid armor (scaling with size)


Eurgh, these might even be worse than vasuthants. The rapid transformation of the curse victims is an especially horrifying touch -- I definitely like these monsters!

Imagine a small city that becomes infested with them. a hundred victims (turned into Skulltula) could easily become thousands in no time.

LordErebus12
2014-01-23, 07:17 PM
Just posted the huge version, by the pantheon...!

CR 16 is apparently the closest match in power (http://dspeyer.dyndns.org/monster_view.html#Protean Scourge Arcanist)... or so claims
http://dspeyer.dyndns.org/monster_builder.html

I'm gonna go with CR 12

CryWolfCorrupt
2014-01-24, 09:00 AM
This is terrifying. Superb work. I want to cry.

XionUnborn01
2014-01-24, 11:49 AM
Shall I bump it up a bit? Perhaps something like Light Fortification on top of solid armor (scaling with size)

Adding light fortification would be really cool, and you could avoid then raising the AC. Were you talking about scaling the fortification or just armor? Because either way I like it.

LordErebus12
2014-01-24, 07:30 PM
Adding light fortification would be really cool, and you could avoid then raising the AC. Were you talking about scaling the fortification or just armor? Because either way I like it.

I worry about overdoing it, however. Its AC scales quite a bit as it advances.

LordErebus12
2014-01-24, 10:12 PM
Eurgh, these might even be worse than vasuthants. The rapid transformation of the curse victims is an especially horrifying touch -- I definitely like these monsters!

I never really thought of Vasuthants as particularly troublesome... enlighten me, if you will... MM3

razorfloss
2014-01-25, 11:31 AM
This monster is horrifying. I like it pls make a werespider version

LordErebus12
2014-01-25, 01:26 PM
This monster is horrifying. I like it pls make a werespider version

I dont think a magical beast can be turned into a were creature.

Debihuman
2014-01-26, 09:18 AM
I dont think a magical beast can be turned into a were creature.

By RAW, no. Lycanthropes are humanoids or giants who can transform themselves into animals. However, there is precedent for creating creatures that break the rules. Here are two articles from Wizards about doing that.

Creatures That Cannot Be:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eo/20060407a
and Creatures That Cannot Be II:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eo/20070401a

See also this twist on Lycanthropy:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20040621a

A wereskulltula has to at least make a little sense. Whenever I think of spiders, Lolth springs to mind. Also this fits the "curse" that the skulltula carry. Subverting the curse makes sense.

Here is an example of how to subvert the curse:

Since the drow use poison, it's most likely that some drow will try to use skulltula poison. When delivered by weapon instead of bite, the poison and its curse have a 10% chance of turning a Giant or Humanoid victim into a wereskulltula instead of a normal skulltula. [This makes them rare].

Whether or not you can have natural wereskulltula (as opposed to afflicted wereskulltula) is up to you.

How to make appropriate skulltula...that's more the issue. The level adjustment is going to be ridiculously high.

Debby

Steward
2014-01-27, 09:39 AM
I never really thought of Vasuthants as particularly troublesome... enlighten me, if you will... MM3


I didn't say they were strong, I said they were horrifying. As in they make my skin crawl. Almost as much as Shunned.