Altrunchen
2015-02-06, 02:23 PM
Hello there, this is a monster I developed when I realized that the party was depending more on the possession of magical items rather than creativity and quality role-playing. Essentially, this monster is like a rust-monster for mages. Giving the melee fighters something to do instead of waiting for their mage to end the fight.
It's especially good at providing an incentive for the party to keep moving on an adventure. This is because if the party stays put with lots of magical items on them, then it gives the worms more time to catch up, assuming the mana-worms are even stalking the party to begin with.
What it also does is force the party to budget their magical items and be judicious about what they need and what they merely want to bring. It provides a new dynamic for the party to have to take into account. What's more is that it also forces mages to want to be more careful about casting their most powerful spells as casting a 9th level spell for a min/maxed caster will most definitely draw mana-worms to the residual aura of the spell as well as their own as a caster.
It also provides the DM with counter-ammunition against min/maxed casters who threaten to ruin the game by exploiting the magic system.
http://i.imgur.com/53EW7KC.png
Mana Worm
Size/Type: Medium Aberration (Pseudo-Ethereal)
Hit Dice: 10d8+50 (95)
Initiative: +9
Speed: Fly 60 ft. (Perfect)
Armor Class: 19 (+4 Dex, +5 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/ +15
Attack: Sting +11 melee touch (2d6+7 plus devour)
Full Attack: 2 stings +11 melee touch (2d6+7 plus devour)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Devour
Special Qualities: Spell-Like Abilities, Pseudo-Ethereal, Sense Magic
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +15
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 18, Con 20, Int 4, Wis 24, Cha 2
Skills: —
Feats: Improved Initiative, Improved Grapple
Environment: Roaming
Organization: Solitary, Infestation (4-8), Swarm (9-16), or Hive (17-32)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Devour (Su): On a successful sting attack, the Mana-Worm may consume all magic on the target and heal itself. This process happens instantly. The healed amount is equal to (Caster Level*1d10) hitpoints and can heal the Mana-Worm beyond it's maximum hitpoints. If the target is a sentient magical caster, then all their magical spells for the day are drained. If the target is a magical object, then the magic in it is immediately disjoined and forever lost. Only relics gain a saving throw versus this ability. The DC is Wisdom based, and it negates the devour ability. With the default stats of this monster, the DC is 22.
Sense Magic (Su): The mana-worm can pinpoint the location of any and all magic within a ten-mile radius.
Magically absorbant(Su): Any and all spells cast upon the mana-worm instantly are absorbed and heal the mana-worm for CasterLevel* 1d10 hitpoints. The spells take no effect whatsoever.
Pseudo-Ethereal (Ex): Mana worms aren't completely ethereal, nor are they completely material or entirely corporeal either. They can be hit by physical objects, yet their sting and bite seem to phase through the material plane. They are able to move almost as if they were ethereal but are still visible. What's more is that mana-worms seem to die when subjected to intense physical forces.
Greater Teleport (Sp): Functions like the spell Greater Teleport, caster level 7. Can be used once per hour as a full-round action.
Weakness to Anti-Magic (Ex): Mana worms are instantly undone by anti-magic. They receive no saving throw whatsoever if they enter an anti-magic field and are utterly destroyed. As such, mana-worms will stay away from any anti-magic at all costs and will flee as soon as they detect any within 10 miles of their position.
Behavior:
Mana-worms are only ever seen in areas of considerable magical concentration. Magic Shops have to be careful and mask their magical auras or risk drawing Mana-Worms to their intense cumulative magical aura. Adventuring parties with an a great deal of magical equipment should beware of carrying all of it at once as any cumulative maical aura greater than 10 has a chance to attract a group of mana worms.
Cumulative magical aura is calculated by adding up the caster levels of all magical items as well as the caster levels of all mages in the group. The sum determines the strength of the aura and thus the chance of attracting one or more mana-worms. Roll a d% once every 7 days to determine if mana worms start stalking the party or not.
The hazard goes up by the strength of the cumulative magical aura.
Caster Level vs Chance of encounter within 7 days:
<=10 0%
11 10%
12 20%
14 30%
15 40%
16 50%
17 60%
18 70%
19 80%
20 90%
20+ 100%
It's especially good at providing an incentive for the party to keep moving on an adventure. This is because if the party stays put with lots of magical items on them, then it gives the worms more time to catch up, assuming the mana-worms are even stalking the party to begin with.
What it also does is force the party to budget their magical items and be judicious about what they need and what they merely want to bring. It provides a new dynamic for the party to have to take into account. What's more is that it also forces mages to want to be more careful about casting their most powerful spells as casting a 9th level spell for a min/maxed caster will most definitely draw mana-worms to the residual aura of the spell as well as their own as a caster.
It also provides the DM with counter-ammunition against min/maxed casters who threaten to ruin the game by exploiting the magic system.
http://i.imgur.com/53EW7KC.png
Mana Worm
Size/Type: Medium Aberration (Pseudo-Ethereal)
Hit Dice: 10d8+50 (95)
Initiative: +9
Speed: Fly 60 ft. (Perfect)
Armor Class: 19 (+4 Dex, +5 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/ +15
Attack: Sting +11 melee touch (2d6+7 plus devour)
Full Attack: 2 stings +11 melee touch (2d6+7 plus devour)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Devour
Special Qualities: Spell-Like Abilities, Pseudo-Ethereal, Sense Magic
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +15
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 18, Con 20, Int 4, Wis 24, Cha 2
Skills: —
Feats: Improved Initiative, Improved Grapple
Environment: Roaming
Organization: Solitary, Infestation (4-8), Swarm (9-16), or Hive (17-32)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: —
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Devour (Su): On a successful sting attack, the Mana-Worm may consume all magic on the target and heal itself. This process happens instantly. The healed amount is equal to (Caster Level*1d10) hitpoints and can heal the Mana-Worm beyond it's maximum hitpoints. If the target is a sentient magical caster, then all their magical spells for the day are drained. If the target is a magical object, then the magic in it is immediately disjoined and forever lost. Only relics gain a saving throw versus this ability. The DC is Wisdom based, and it negates the devour ability. With the default stats of this monster, the DC is 22.
Sense Magic (Su): The mana-worm can pinpoint the location of any and all magic within a ten-mile radius.
Magically absorbant(Su): Any and all spells cast upon the mana-worm instantly are absorbed and heal the mana-worm for CasterLevel* 1d10 hitpoints. The spells take no effect whatsoever.
Pseudo-Ethereal (Ex): Mana worms aren't completely ethereal, nor are they completely material or entirely corporeal either. They can be hit by physical objects, yet their sting and bite seem to phase through the material plane. They are able to move almost as if they were ethereal but are still visible. What's more is that mana-worms seem to die when subjected to intense physical forces.
Greater Teleport (Sp): Functions like the spell Greater Teleport, caster level 7. Can be used once per hour as a full-round action.
Weakness to Anti-Magic (Ex): Mana worms are instantly undone by anti-magic. They receive no saving throw whatsoever if they enter an anti-magic field and are utterly destroyed. As such, mana-worms will stay away from any anti-magic at all costs and will flee as soon as they detect any within 10 miles of their position.
Behavior:
Mana-worms are only ever seen in areas of considerable magical concentration. Magic Shops have to be careful and mask their magical auras or risk drawing Mana-Worms to their intense cumulative magical aura. Adventuring parties with an a great deal of magical equipment should beware of carrying all of it at once as any cumulative maical aura greater than 10 has a chance to attract a group of mana worms.
Cumulative magical aura is calculated by adding up the caster levels of all magical items as well as the caster levels of all mages in the group. The sum determines the strength of the aura and thus the chance of attracting one or more mana-worms. Roll a d% once every 7 days to determine if mana worms start stalking the party or not.
The hazard goes up by the strength of the cumulative magical aura.
Caster Level vs Chance of encounter within 7 days:
<=10 0%
11 10%
12 20%
14 30%
15 40%
16 50%
17 60%
18 70%
19 80%
20 90%
20+ 100%