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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other Guttersnipe (a freaky Dickensian undead child, for the holidays)



OttoVonBigby
2016-12-22, 09:09 AM
"This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased." - Ghost of Christmas Present, A Christmas Carol

The following monster is based on a dream I had last night. I use a 3.5/PF hybrid system, which here is really only applicable to the skills IIRC.

My overall goal here is twofold: one, be creepy, and two, be a monster of the "item-stealing" archetype. I'm wondering if it's too weak for its intended function, like maybe it needs paralysis or something. I'd be willing to bump its CR up by maybe one. PEACH...

Guttersnipe
Small Undead
Hit Dice: 7d12+14 (59 hp)
Initiative: +4 (+4 Dex)
Speed: 30 ft.; climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +5 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+4
Attack: Bite +8 (1d6+1 plus disease) or claw +8 (1d3+1 plus disease)
Full Attack: Bite +8 (1d6+1 plus disease) and 2 claws +6 (1d3+1 plus disease)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Disease, improved grab, pounce
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., inescapable craving, resistance to cold 10, unholy toughness, +2 turn resistance
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +8
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con —, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 15
Skills: Acrobatics +7, Appraise +12, Athletics +4 (+12 when climbing), Bluff +13, Concentration +5, Disguise +5, Escape Artist +8, Intimidate +5, Perception +7, Search +5, Sense Motive +8, Sleight of Hand +15, Spellcraft +4, Stealth +15 (+19 when hiding), Swim +4
Feats: Improved Grapple, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Multiattack, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Any urban
Organization: Solitary, club (2-4), bunch (5-12), or gang (13+)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 8–10 HD (Small)

Though the creature before you appears to be a local child, it bears obvious marks of physical violence and is pale, gaunt, and poverty-stricken. "Please, sir," it says in a sweet voice belied by the malevolent glint in its eyes, "do not fight back, or I shall have to cry out that I am being brutalized."

When a humanoid street orphan is killed by violence, and/or in an area charged with negative energy, it can return within hours as a "guttersnipe"—a strange undead creature that craves the wealth it was denied in life.

Guttersnipes use their unholy speed and stealth to waylay victims in dark and secluded urban areas. Via either threats or violence, they try to obtain whatever visible valuables they can carry, then disappear into the recesses of the city to revel in the acquisition. However, they soon forget about each purloined item, and return to their hunt.

Guttersnipes tend not to endure for so long a span of years as some undead, partly because their craving for stolen baubles can override their better judgment, allowing victims to escape. This draws the attention of authorities as soon as they hear more than one tale of undead street urchins, and can lead to the guttersnipe's discovery and destruction. That said, in the larger cities, and those with plenty of places to hide, entire gangs of guttersnipes can arise—in some cases edging out competition through their savage attacks. However, their cleverness is counterbalanced by their myopia, and they lack the wherewithal to engage in back-alley politics in any fashion.

Guttersnipes range from 2 to 4 feet in height and weigh around thirty to fifty pounds. They speak whatever languages they knew in life.

Combat
Guttersnipes carefully observe potential victims from hiding, and reveal themselves only if they expect to be able to acquire valuable items from them. One tactic is to pounce from hiding, relieve the victim of worn jewelry or a coinpurse, then use their attacks as necessary to facilitate escape. Between their unholy cleverness and their dim memories of life, guttersnipes are able to differentiate between easy marks and potentially lethal adversaries; for instance, they avoid attacking any but the weakest clerics. Groups of guttersnipes tend not to employ tactics, since each one must satisfy its own need to steal—and, indeed, they may turn on each other if left without enough trinkets to go around.

Guttersnipes sometimes acquire magical or high-quality weapons, but are intelligent enough to only wield easily-concealed or -discarded weapons, such as daggers. Their peculiar lust for items of value generally causes them to hoard acquisitions, rather than to use them.

Disease (Ex): Filth fever—bite, Fortitude DC 16, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a guttersnipe must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Inescapable Craving: Guttersnipes have an inescapable craving (Libris Mortis pgs. 8-10) for stealing valuable items. The items themselves do not satisfy the craving—it is the act of stealing them that satiates the guttersnipe.

Pounce (Ex): If a guttersnipe charges, it can make a full attack in the same round.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3x/day— swift expeditious retreat; at will— detect good, detect magic. Caster level 7th.

Unholy Toughness (Ex): A guttersnipe gains a bonus to its hit points equal to its Charisma modifier x its Hit Dice.

Skills: Guttersnipes have a +8 racial bonus on Appraise, Bluff, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks.

Feats: Guttersnipes receive Improved Grapple as a bonus feat.