Cogwheel
2007-10-13, 01:05 AM
It is your third day of trekking through this place, this cold, harsh, cruel land known only as the Frostfell. Yet even this land has mercy, you realize, as the blizzards abate. The clouds split, revealing a glorious shining sun that illuminates the land.
And then, all too suddenly, something blots out not only the sun, but the sky itself.
A horrid sound, midway between a screech and a roar, rips through the air, and a terrible cold surrounds you, harsher yet than the cold that this land holds. It appears to have once been a whale of some sort, but now its horrible, serpentine visage is covered in scales of white ice, and bloodied, tooth-shaped icicles jut out from its deformed mouth, dripping great globs of acid down onto the land, melting through the snow in the spots where it strikes. A pair of vast, bat-like, frost-covered wings, akin to those of a dragon, flap at its sides, keeping it aloft. Though its eyes seem almost blind, it senses you, bearing down from the sky with a horrible roar of glee, its breath a gust of ice and unearthly chill, colder than the worst blizzard.
Moments later, the ground holds nothing but a frost-covered, shattered sword and a small patch of blood - the beast is gone.
Pics of the various templates and a Zeuglodon, to give you a better idea.
(a picture of a pre-template Zeuglodon, for those of us who don't own Frostburn) http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/fb_gallery/83547.jpg
horrid creatures (rat, wolf, ape)
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82169.jpg
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82170.jpg
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82176.jpg
half-dragon (unfortunately, it's on a humanoid, and entirely the wrong kind of dragon - look for the one on the left side of the picture)
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG147.jpg
Cold Elemental Creature (no go here, the picture is of the next best thing - an ice paraelemental).
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MotP/Paraelementals.jpg
Might be legal if you apply the templates in the right order, might not be legal at all. Oh well... Since it has no base land speed to base half-dragon flight speeds on, I used its swim speed instead. I am also applying the acid damage from the horrid template to its bite instead of tail slam because, well, I'm having trouble imagining an acidic tail slap.
half-white dragon, cold horrid Zeuglodon (DChZ)
Gargantuan Dragon (cold, augmented animal)
HD 15d10+180 (262 hp)
Speed Swim 40 ft. (8 squares); Fly 80 ft. (average)
Init: +1
AC 30; touch 7; flat-footed 29
(-4 Size, +1 dex, +23 natural)
BAB +11; Grp +41
Attack Tail Slam +25
(4d6+18, 20/x2 +2d6 cold)
Full-Attack Tail Slap, Bite, Claws +25/+23/+23 (4d6+18/4d6+11/3d6+11, 20/x2 +3d6 acid +2d6 cold [all attacks])
[b]Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks Stunning Strike, Acidic Attack, Breath Weapon, Cold Attack
Special Qualities Immune to Cold, Acid, Poison, Paralysis, Stunning and Critical hits, Low-light Vision, Darkvision 60 ft., Blindsight 120 ft., hold breath, DR 10/magic, Improved Natural healing
Saves Fort +21 Ref +10 Will +11
Abilities Str 46, Dex 13, Con 34, Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills Listen +15, Spot +15, Swim +26
Feats Improved Natural attack (Bite, Claw, Tail Slap)B, Diehard, Endurance, Power Attack, Alertness, Iron Will
Environment Any Cold
Organization Solitary or Pod (2-3)
Challenge Rating 12
Treasure None
Alignment Always Neutral Evil
Advancement 16-30 hd (Gargantuan); 31-45 hd (colossal)
Level Adjustment -
The DChZ speaks either Auran or Aquan.
Stunning Strike (Ex): Any creature struck by a critical hit from the DChZ's tail slam attack must make a DC 35 fortitude save or be stunned for 2d4 rounds by the force of the blow. The DC is strength-based.
Blindsight (Ex): DChZs can "see" by emitting high-frequency sounds, inaudible to most other creatures, that allow them to locate objects and creatures within 120 feet. A silence spell negates this and forces the DChZ to rely on its vision, which is approximately as good as a human’s.
hold Breath (Ex): A DChZ can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 8 x its constitution score before it risks drowning.
Acidic Attack (Ex): A DChZ's bite attack deals an additional 3d6 acid damage.
Cold Attack (Su): All of the DChZ's natural attacks deal an additional 2d6 cold damage.
Breath Weapon (Su): Once per day, the DChZ can use its breath weapon to deal 6d8 cold damage in a 30 ft. cone (Reflex half, DC 29)
Improved Natural healing (Ex): The DChZ heals naturally at 3 times the normal rate, recovering 3 hit points per hit Die with a full night's rest.
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So... what do you think? hardly optimized, given the stacking of templates, the feats mostly being left as-is, and so on. Still, it should be enough to give the players a scare, no?
And then, all too suddenly, something blots out not only the sun, but the sky itself.
A horrid sound, midway between a screech and a roar, rips through the air, and a terrible cold surrounds you, harsher yet than the cold that this land holds. It appears to have once been a whale of some sort, but now its horrible, serpentine visage is covered in scales of white ice, and bloodied, tooth-shaped icicles jut out from its deformed mouth, dripping great globs of acid down onto the land, melting through the snow in the spots where it strikes. A pair of vast, bat-like, frost-covered wings, akin to those of a dragon, flap at its sides, keeping it aloft. Though its eyes seem almost blind, it senses you, bearing down from the sky with a horrible roar of glee, its breath a gust of ice and unearthly chill, colder than the worst blizzard.
Moments later, the ground holds nothing but a frost-covered, shattered sword and a small patch of blood - the beast is gone.
Pics of the various templates and a Zeuglodon, to give you a better idea.
(a picture of a pre-template Zeuglodon, for those of us who don't own Frostburn) http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/fb_gallery/83547.jpg
horrid creatures (rat, wolf, ape)
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82169.jpg
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82170.jpg
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82176.jpg
half-dragon (unfortunately, it's on a humanoid, and entirely the wrong kind of dragon - look for the one on the left side of the picture)
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG147.jpg
Cold Elemental Creature (no go here, the picture is of the next best thing - an ice paraelemental).
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MotP/Paraelementals.jpg
Might be legal if you apply the templates in the right order, might not be legal at all. Oh well... Since it has no base land speed to base half-dragon flight speeds on, I used its swim speed instead. I am also applying the acid damage from the horrid template to its bite instead of tail slam because, well, I'm having trouble imagining an acidic tail slap.
half-white dragon, cold horrid Zeuglodon (DChZ)
Gargantuan Dragon (cold, augmented animal)
HD 15d10+180 (262 hp)
Speed Swim 40 ft. (8 squares); Fly 80 ft. (average)
Init: +1
AC 30; touch 7; flat-footed 29
(-4 Size, +1 dex, +23 natural)
BAB +11; Grp +41
Attack Tail Slam +25
(4d6+18, 20/x2 +2d6 cold)
Full-Attack Tail Slap, Bite, Claws +25/+23/+23 (4d6+18/4d6+11/3d6+11, 20/x2 +3d6 acid +2d6 cold [all attacks])
[b]Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks Stunning Strike, Acidic Attack, Breath Weapon, Cold Attack
Special Qualities Immune to Cold, Acid, Poison, Paralysis, Stunning and Critical hits, Low-light Vision, Darkvision 60 ft., Blindsight 120 ft., hold breath, DR 10/magic, Improved Natural healing
Saves Fort +21 Ref +10 Will +11
Abilities Str 46, Dex 13, Con 34, Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills Listen +15, Spot +15, Swim +26
Feats Improved Natural attack (Bite, Claw, Tail Slap)B, Diehard, Endurance, Power Attack, Alertness, Iron Will
Environment Any Cold
Organization Solitary or Pod (2-3)
Challenge Rating 12
Treasure None
Alignment Always Neutral Evil
Advancement 16-30 hd (Gargantuan); 31-45 hd (colossal)
Level Adjustment -
The DChZ speaks either Auran or Aquan.
Stunning Strike (Ex): Any creature struck by a critical hit from the DChZ's tail slam attack must make a DC 35 fortitude save or be stunned for 2d4 rounds by the force of the blow. The DC is strength-based.
Blindsight (Ex): DChZs can "see" by emitting high-frequency sounds, inaudible to most other creatures, that allow them to locate objects and creatures within 120 feet. A silence spell negates this and forces the DChZ to rely on its vision, which is approximately as good as a human’s.
hold Breath (Ex): A DChZ can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 8 x its constitution score before it risks drowning.
Acidic Attack (Ex): A DChZ's bite attack deals an additional 3d6 acid damage.
Cold Attack (Su): All of the DChZ's natural attacks deal an additional 2d6 cold damage.
Breath Weapon (Su): Once per day, the DChZ can use its breath weapon to deal 6d8 cold damage in a 30 ft. cone (Reflex half, DC 29)
Improved Natural healing (Ex): The DChZ heals naturally at 3 times the normal rate, recovering 3 hit points per hit Die with a full night's rest.
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So... what do you think? hardly optimized, given the stacking of templates, the feats mostly being left as-is, and so on. Still, it should be enough to give the players a scare, no?