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View Full Version : The Gribble (MitP, PEACH)



Poppatomus
2007-06-07, 07:12 PM
Going for more of a flavor creature here, good aligned, kinda silly, simpler (i hope) than my recent submission, but not trivial. I'd be interested to hear any feedback, good or bad, as this is the first creature I've really tried to build "from scratch." Also, wondering if/how this could be used as a familiar.


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Gribble
"Great for practice, even better for throwing in the paladin's tent after she falls asleep." - Keeril the Jester

Size/Type: Small Magical Beast (Good)
Hit Dice: 2d10 (11 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+10
Attack: Slap +6 melee (1d2 always Subdual)
Full Attack: Slap +6 (1d2 subdual)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, tickle
Special Qualities: Enthusiasm, Natural Grappler, Tickle
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +5, Perform (drums) +0, Spot +2, tumble +2
Feats: Improved Initiative
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Alignment: always chaotic good.
Challenge Rating: 1
Advancement: 3-6 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —

Before you is what looks like a necromancer's experiment gone wrong. A tangled mass of human arms, some used for locomotion, others simply jutting out in random directions, each capped with an eight fingered hand. Though no eyes, mouth, nose or other features are discernable, it occasionally burbles with a high pitched noise similar to an infant's laughter.

Improved grab (Ex)
To use this ability, a gribble must hit an opponent of any size with its slap or enthusiasm attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and automatically begins to tickle. This also triggers on a successful charge.

Tickle (Ex)
The gribble's good nature is irrepressible. After establishing a hold in a grapple the gribble tries to tickle its opponent. Any creature that can be subject to a critical strike is vulnerable to being tickled. Every time the gribble succeeds on a grapple check, the grappled creature must make a DC 12 will save or begin laughing uncontrollably, this save is Dex based. While laughing no spell or ability with a verbal component may be used, including normal speech. For every consecutive round of tickling after the first, the creature takes 2 points of non lethal damage.

After being tickled, any good or neutral creature is gains a +2 morale bonus to all non-INT based skill checks and saves for one hour. Evil creatures only gain a +1 bonus.

For every two successful tickles the victim's attitude towards the gribble is improved by by one catagory, as though the gribble succeeded in making a diplomacy check.

Enthusiasm (Ex)
On its first combat action the gribble may charge towards any opponent. Unlike a normal charge the Gribble may move at triple its normal movement speed. Additionaly this charge may pass through any area so long as it is physically possible for a creature of small size to pass through that area, even if there are partial obstructions or effects that would slow movement.

Natural Grappler (Ex)
A Gribble is treated as though it were two sizes larger than it is for the purposes of grappling.

Background

Gribbles are good natured magical animals, their name a rough approximation of the noise they make. They love bringing joy to other creatures, especially intelligent creatures, physically if they have to. Naturally excellent, if hyper-active pets, they are fiercly loyal to those that have helped them or given them shelter. Gribbles will even, on occasion, come to the aid of random creatures that seem to be in distress. A gribble's good nature prevents it from harming any living creature by its own hands, and it will never deal anything but subdual damage, even in the most dire situation.

The origin of these creatures remains a mystery. Some think they were made by whistful wizards seeking to introduce some levity into a dreary world. Others believe they were designed as training supplements for young fighters and monks. Still others snicker that they are the incarnate spirits of particularly "friendly" bards. Whatever the truth, rare is the adventurer that regrets encountering one, even if they can sometimes be a bit handsy.

Poppatomus
2007-06-08, 09:45 AM
So then, no? You can vote no if you don't like it, I promise not to go on any kind of killing spree.

Poppatomus
2007-06-08, 01:33 PM
At least tell me what it is you don't like about it, or find so mediocre.

Moribundus
2007-06-08, 07:01 PM
MiTP Vote: Yes

I like!
"I'm gonna make you happy even if I have to tackle you to do it!"

aaron_the_cow
2007-06-08, 07:04 PM
yesyesyesyesyes

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll
2007-06-08, 08:30 PM
MitP vote:Yes

pyrefiend
2007-06-09, 12:10 PM
MitP Vote: Yes

deadfalcon
2007-06-09, 01:27 PM
Mitp vote: yes

I really want to throw one of these at my party now. "arrrrraaagghhh what is it doing, must be some weird special ability to kill us!!!!!" (my tank loves to jump to conclusions almost as much as miko)

Icewalker
2007-06-11, 01:54 AM
Heehee. Funny.

Do they know to stop tickling before they knock people out?

Man, from the name and first description, and the abilities, I thought it'd be some small fluffy thing, then I read the description :smalleek:

I like it. Mitp vote: yes

Poppatomus
2007-06-11, 05:15 PM
Heehee. Funny.

Do they know to stop tickling before they knock people out?

Man, from the name and first description, and the abilities, I thought it'd be some small fluffy thing, then I read the description :smalleek:

I like it.

I think that's up to the individual DM, personally, and should vary gribble by gribble. They should always err on the side of overfriendliness, which I hope gets through in the description, but I don't necessarily think that needs to be decided in the text.

Thanks to all that voted above.

As a side note, does anyone have any advice/ideas on how this thing might be used as a familiar? Is there a system to turning an exotic creature into a familiar, or is it ad hoc?

Korias
2007-06-11, 05:44 PM
Changing stuff into familiars: HD becomes 1/2 of masters, Master gains a bonus feat (Or Skill. like +3 to something), and the master and familiar can communicate.

Poppatomus
2007-06-11, 05:52 PM
Thanks Korias. I'll have to think on what an appropriate feat would be.

Icewalker
2007-06-11, 06:02 PM
It's not actually a feat, usually, I think. It's more like a feat-level bonus.

plus a few to a skill, I made one with +30 ft darkvision, that kinda thing.

Poppatomus
2007-06-11, 06:11 PM
It's not actually a feat, usually, I think. It's more like a feat-level bonus.

plus a few to a skill, I made one with +30 ft darkvision, that kinda thing.

Is that the kind of thing that should be included in the description of the monster, or is it usually elsewhere?

Angafirith
2007-06-11, 07:26 PM
I thought the average hp for 2d10 would be 11?

Poppatomus
2007-06-11, 07:29 PM
I thought the average hp for 2d10 would be 11?

and you are correct. Thanks.

Korias
2007-06-11, 07:33 PM
It's not actually a feat, usually, I think. It's more like a feat-level bonus.

plus a few to a skill, I made one with +30 ft darkvision, that kinda thing.

Well, Its like the Raven can speak one language, Something can Add Alertness, something else adds +3 to Move Silently, another adds +3 to Hide... The List goes on and on. A Hedgehog gives +1 Natural Armor, and a Snake gives a poisonous bite.

knightsaline
2007-06-12, 12:46 AM
MitP: yes.

this seems like a funny thing to throw at someone.

(stupid character limit)

DragonTounge
2007-06-12, 10:43 AM
Awesome. A wierd little over friendly monster. My players hate all things good and nice. This would be the equivalent to sending an evil monster at them. AWESOME.

MitP Vote: Yes

cool I turnd into a halfling in the playground:smallsmile:

Lord Iames Osari
2007-06-13, 11:18 AM
MitP Vote: Yes

*counts up the yeses*

Reptilius
2007-06-23, 03:03 PM
Well, Its like the Raven can speak one language, Something can Add Alertness, something else adds +3 to Move Silently, another adds +3 to Hide... The List goes on and on. A Hedgehog gives +1 Natural Armor, and a Snake gives a poisonous bite.

No. Snakes have a poisonous bite. And all familiars grant Alertness.

MitP: Si.

adanedhel9
2007-06-23, 03:55 PM
Both touch and flat-footed AC should be 12.

Base Attack should be +2 (the Base Attack line is for Base Attack ONLY).

I don't think Tickle belongs on the attack lines. Rather, it should simply be described in the ability description.

Reflex save should be +4, and will save should be +2 (you add in all modifiers on this line).

I'm very confused by the skills line. I think you were just attempted to record the ranks taken, but there seems to be one too many (there should only be 5 ranks). Also, you should add up all the modifiers on this line, so, for example, if it has 2 ranks in Perform (drums) then it should say Perform (Drums) +0. Also, alphabetize the line.

Be sure to list what type of abilities each is: Extraordinary, Supernatural, or Spell-like. Like

Ticke (Ex): description goes here

The DC on tickle seems arbitrary; in most situations a special ability's DC should be 10 + 1/2 monster's HD + some ability modifier (I would suggest Dex here, which would make it DC 12). You need to list the ability you choose in the ability description with the sentence "The save DC is Constitution-based.", replacing Constitution with whichever ability you choose. This is so people who advance your creature in any number of ways can figure out what the DC is.



Personally, I wouldn't reference good hope in the Tickle description if it's not the same as the spell. Rather, just describe whatever affects the ability has. Or remove the exception.

I would also reword Tickle to require a grapple check instead of an attack. Just makes more sense (to me at least).

The challenge rating seems high; it should probably be 1, maybe even 1/2.

I'm going to go against the flow here. I'll admit, it's a cute monster, but I just don't like it, and I can never see myself using it, or even taking a DM who uses one seriously.

MitP Vote: No

SydneyLosstarot
2007-06-23, 04:30 PM
MiTP Vote: Yes

'mazing)

EagleWiz
2007-06-23, 06:02 PM
Looks like a CR 1/4 to CR 1 to me.

Poppatomus
2007-06-23, 11:08 PM
Thanks to all who voted above. lowering the challenge rating does seem like the right thing to do, especially given the subdual aspect, but I think one is more appropriate than a 1/4.

Adanedhel9, thanks for the help with the numbers and for the honest feedback. I'm new at this, and still don't fully understand how that stuff works and what I can and can't do arbitrarily. As for the fluff, in my defense, I had just finished making the kinderhorror and kinderfiend (still need a better name for that latter one) and really wanted to go in the complete opposite direction: simple and cutesy. It may be a bit overdone, I'll admit, but I don't think its unusable, especially in a campaign that doesn't want to take itself very seriously.

SydneyLosstarot
2007-06-30, 05:13 PM
oh, just thought:

this one looks pretty much like Bigby's creation ))


you could also introduce different breeds of these depending on the number of fingers

or even create a breed that has its own culture)