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View Full Version : It'll try to couple with your head... [Monster]



Nebo_
2007-08-02, 06:43 AM
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/w/images/5/54/Headcrab.jpg




Headcrab
λ
Size/Type: Tiny Aberration
Hit Dice: 2d8+ 4 (13hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +2 size), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1, +5
Attack: Bite, +2 melee, 1d4
Full Attack: Bite, + 2 melee, 1d4
Space/Reach: 1 ½ ft/ 0ft
Special Attacks: Coupling (Ex.), Leap (Ex.)
Special Qualities: Blindsight (Ex.), Improved Grab
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +2
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12 , Con 15, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 4
Skills: Hide +11, Jump +10
Feats: Weapon Focus (bite) Improved Grapple B
Environment: Black Mesa Research Facility or Xen
Organization: Solitary or Gang (2-20)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Chaotic Awesome
Advancement: 3-4HD tiny, 5-6HD, Small
Level Adjustment: -

Ambling slowly towards you is a small creature shaped somewhat like a melon. Two fierce looking talons protrude from it’s front and gesticulate threateningly as it rears on its hind legs, revealing a beak like maw. Suddenly it leaps, letting out a keening screech as it does.

Coupling (Ex.): Headcrabs are treated as two size categories larger for the purposes of grapple checks. To couple with a target’s head, a headcrab must make a jump check equal to the target’s touch AC. If this check succeeds, treat the headcrab’s attack as a charge (+2 attack, -2 AC) except that it does not provoke an attack of opportunity as normal for entering a target’s space. On the round that it establishes a hold and every round that it remains attached, a headcrab deals automatic bite damage and deals one point of constitution damage to the target. Any creature killed in such a manner becomes a headcrab zombie. (I’m working on this)

Leap (Ex.): Headcrabs treat standing jumps as if they were made with a running start and do not take the normal penalties to jump checks for having a speed slower than 30ft. In addition, Headcrabs have a +8 racial bonus to jump checks.

Blindsight (Ex.): Headcrabs have Blindsight out to 60ft.

Improved Grab (Ex.): To use this ability, a headcrab must hit with a bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity, if it wins the check it attaches to the opponents head as per the Coupling ability.

An arcane caster may take a headcrab as a familiar with the improved familiar feat at CL5.


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This is my attempt at converting the Half-Life headcrab to D&D. Let me know what you think. I'm planning on making a few more monsters from the game too, so keep an eye out.

Zeta Kai
2007-08-02, 06:49 AM
Coupling (Ex.):Headcrabs treat all opponents as two size categories smaller than they actually are for the purposes of grapple checks. For example: a medium creature would have a -8 size penalty to grapple checks when attempting to dislodge a headcrab.

Wouldn't it be easier to simply treat the Headcrab as 2 size categories LARGER (giving them a +8 grapple bonus) than to recalculate each opponent's grapple modifier as if they were 2 sizes smaller?

Also, Headcrab Zombies should be a template. See the SRD's Zombie template, or my Resident Evil d20 thread for alternative Zombie templates.

Nebo_
2007-08-02, 06:54 AM
Wouldn't it be easier to simply treat the Headcrab as 2 size categories LARGER (giving them a +8 grapple bonus) than to recalculate each opponent's grapple modifier as if they were 2 sizes smaller?

Also, Headcrab Zombies should be a template. See the SRD's Zombie template, or my Resident Evil d20 thread for alternative Zombie templates.

Well, yes. That didn't occur to me for some reason. I'd already decided to make the zombie a template, I just haven't started work on it yet.

Nebo_
2007-08-04, 05:21 AM
Bump Curses, foilied again by the character limit, my old archrival.

Matthew
2007-08-05, 12:24 AM
Skills are slightly off [5 x (4 - 3)] = 5

Jump 2(10)
Hide 2(11)

Zeta Kai
2007-08-05, 01:54 AM
Skills are slightly off [5 x (2 - 1)] = 5

Jump 2(10)
Hide 2(11)

That may be due to the creature's small size &/or its low speed. But I did notice it's Space/Reach: 1½’/0’. Tiny creatures actually have Space/Reach: 2½’/0’.

Matthew
2007-08-05, 01:57 AM
Huh, I always forget about how Speed effects Jump. Actually, though, that should knock his Jump Modifier down by -12! :smalleek:

Maldraugedhen
2007-08-07, 03:02 PM
Potential cheese with the Headcrab Familiar: if it couples with an NPC, does that whole NPC count as your familiar, or do you lose control of the Headcrab, or do you now have a slab o' meat attached to your familiar? If you gain control of the NPC, then why wouldn't you want to take Headcrab as your exotic familiar?

What skill boosts, if any, do you get for having a Headcrab Familiar?

Then there's Poison and Fast Headcrabs and Headcrab Zombies, as well as Zombine.

Hyrael
2007-08-14, 11:46 PM
Well, the headcrab zombie template is easy. Same as normal D&D zombie, except type changes to abberation instead of Undead, and Zombie has the headcrab's mental ability scores. Victims can be restored by Heal combined with Regeneration, Miracle or Wish.

Fast and poison headcrab zombies are easy, too. Fast Zombies have Toughness as a bonus feat, +20 ft landspeed, 20 ft climb, +4 dex, and A fear arua (10 ft radius, DC 10+1/2 HD+Dex Modifier, Shaken for 1 round),

Poison Zombies have Two Toughness Bonus Feats and Imroved Toughness, and an additional +4 str. Poison Headcrab Venom is DC 14 2d6 con/1d6 con (min 1 con), and the zombies can launch their riding headcrabs as a ranged touch attack, range increment 20 ft(if the headcrab hits, it immediately gets a free bite attack)