Elemental Cyclopes [Creature]

[Gorbash Kazdar]

I'm currently working on getting a new D&D game started, and in the first adventure, I wanted the party to take on an interesting monster that was way too big and scary for them to normally deal with - but since it was crippled, it gave them an opportunity to get away easily if they wanted to, or to have a chance to use their heads. More of a puzzle encounter disguised as a combat, essentially.

I decided to go with something literally big and scary - a giant. But I also wanted something a bit more mystical seeming. I decided to use a cyclops, and particularly I decided to make a whole cycle of recurring monsters for the setting out of them. That is, the cyclopes would be mystically connected to the natural world, though twisted by evil.

The physical aspect of the cyclopes is easy - basically, I'm modifying a hill giant. However, I wanted them to be special. I was disappointed to find that the cyclops from Shining South really is just a one-eyed hill giant. And that's where I need some help. I want to give the cyclopes interesting gaze attacks to make them fun opponents. Nothing too powerful, and specifically I want to avoid petrifying gaze (way too many monsters have that already). Also, I wanted to have the slain cyclops' eye be an item - properly preserved, the party can use it once a day to produce the cyclops' ability. This would be for low-mid level parties (think CR 6-8), so it can't be too over the top (though I can always make the preserved eye weaker than the monster's ability if it gets out of hand during play).

Also keep in mind that the cyclopes are intended to be very savage and feral seeming. They're sort of elemental based - they don't have societies and they're not really mortal creatures. They're not very smart, and really mean.

Anyways, I would welcome suggestions, the more creative the better! I have 6 types of cyclops in mind, but I'd welcome ideas for more, as well as unique gaze attack ideas. Remember, not eye rays or beam attacks, though.

Woodlands cyclops (earth type, lives in forested areas)
Ridge cyclops (fire type, lives in mountains, especially volcanic areas)
Shoreline cyclops (water type, amphibious, lives on coastlines, large lakes)
Tundra cyclops (cold type, lives in arctic areas)
Badlands cyclops (earth type, lives in badlands)
Dune cyclops (fire type, lives in deserts)

Thanks in advance!

[Fako]

Well, I'll give it a go...

Tundra Cyclops

Chilling Gaze: A Tundra Cyclops has lived in the snow and ice for so long that the cold has permeated their soul. Anyone who meets their gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or be overcome by violent shakes (treat as shaken) for 1d10 rounds as their body tries to keep warm.

Another idea is to have them be affected by Slow from the Tundra Cyclops, as they become lethargic with the cold...

[Yeril]

Ridge Cyclops

Sweltering Gaze: A Ride Cyclops is so attuned to their environment that the humidity has permeated their soul. Anyone who meets their gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or become overheated and sweaty to the extent of illness, they take 1d4 Nonleathal damage from heat exhaustion and are sickened for 1d6 rounds.

The Endurance feat applies to this save.

[Mr.Moron]

I'm not sure how to stat it out, but for the woodlands cyclops:

His gaze encases his enemies in bark. Moving and Attacking become impaired if not impossible. Vision and Hearing Impaired if not removed. Begins to suffocate unless bark is removed (by attacking it or appropriate strength check).

[Fako]

I'm not sure how to stat it out, but for the woodlands cyclops:

His gaze encases his enemies in bark. Moving and Attacking become impaired if not impossible. Vision and Hearing Impaired if not removed. Begins to suffocate unless bark is removed (by attacking it or appropriate strength check).

Woodland Cyclops

Gaze of Trees: The Woodland Cyclops has lived so long in the woods, with other creatures running from his steps, that all he has seen for years is trees. As such, when presented with a new sight (such as a human) his mind tries to put it into terms he understands, which just happen to be...you guessed it...trees. Anyone who meets the gaze of a Woodland Cyclops must succeed on a Will Save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or begin a horrible transformation.

1st Round - The victim's skin begins to grow tough and thick, resembling bark. They are treated as if under the effects of a Slow spell.
2nd Round - The victim's legs try to root him to where he stands, and his hair begins to sprout leaves. Land speed is cut in half (round down), and any spell that affects plants (such as Warp Wood) will also affect the victim.
3rd Round - The victim's arms grow rigid and his legs grow roots. The victim can no longer attack or move, and can only speak on a successful Strength check (DC 15).
4th Round - The victim's skin grows thick ridges, and his face is covered by his "skin". The victim is blinded, deafened, and begins to suffocate.
5th Round - The transformation is complete. The victim now resembles a roughly humanoid shape tree, and can only be revived through Limited Wish, Wish, or Miracle.

At the beginning of each round, the victim is allowed a Fortitude Save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) to halt the transformation. On a successful save, ignore the changes of that round and any subsequent rounds. Starting the next round, the changes reverse, just as fast as they had progressed.



Maybe not exact, but that's what I read from your post...

[Yeril]

Woodland Cyclops

Gaze of Trees:

I personaly would say this is overcomplicated, throwing saves for everyone each round and then saves each round to those who failed, keeping track of stages and regression, who passed who failed and the effects seems much too complicated.

Ive got an idea but I can't seem to word it.

Somthing like dex damage gaze attack, reaching 0 dex turns you into a plant, alive but unintelligent, remove curse or somthing to fix it. Maybe +1 natural ACr for "bark-like-skin" while suffering from it.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

Ridge Cyclops

Sweltering Gaze: A Ride Cyclops is so attuned to their environment that the humidity has permeated their soul. Anyone who meets their gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or become overheated and sweaty to the extent of illness, they take 1d4 Nonleathal damage from heat exhaustion and are sickened for 1d6 rounds.

The Endurance feat applies to this save.
I like this concept a lot. I think what I'll do, though, is modify it to use the heat stroke rules from Sandstorm, and move it to the dune cyclops So:

Sweltering Gaze (Su): Anyone who meets a dune cyclops' gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or suffer from heat stroke and sunburn. The character takes 2d6 points of non-lethal heat damage and becomes fatigued. In addition, the character suffers a -2 penalty to avoid damage from heat or fire based sources. After 1 minute, and every 1d6 minutes thereafter, the character must make a new save at the same DC or become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. These penalties last until the character is healed of the non-lethal damage.

This also works really well for establishing how the other gazes should work for me - harassing and status effects rather than direct damage.


Well, I'll give it a go...

Tundra Cyclops

Chilling Gaze: A Tundra Cyclops has lived in the snow and ice for so long that the cold has permeated their soul. Anyone who meets their gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or be overcome by violent shakes (treat as shaken) for 1d10 rounds as their body tries to keep warm.

Another idea is to have them be affected by Slow from the Tundra Cyclops, as they become lethargic with the cold...
Also good, but I think I'm going to again modify it a bit, and pull this time from Frostburn.

Chilling Gaze (Su): Anyone who meets a tundra cyclops' gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or be overcome by hypothermia and frostbite. The character takes 1d6 points of non-lethal cold damage and becomes fatigued, as well as suffering a -2 penalty to their Dexterity score. After 1 minute, and every 1d6 minutes thereafter, the character must make a new save at the same DC or be overcome by severe shivering, being treated as sickened for 1d6 rounds. These penalties persist until the character is healed of the nonlethal damage.


I'm not sure how to stat it out, but for the woodlands cyclops:

His gaze encases his enemies in bark. Moving and Attacking become impaired if not impossible. Vision and Hearing Impaired if not removed. Begins to suffocate unless bark is removed (by attacking it or appropriate strength check).
I really like this conceptually, but it's a bit too strong. The suffocation rules in 3.5 are surprisingly deadly, so I want to avoid a straight-up save or die situation with these attacks.

Entangling Gaze (Su): Anyone who meets a woodland cyclops' gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or suddenly have their skin harden into a bark-like covering, causing them to be treated as entangled as they stiffen up. This condition is also extremely painful and causes 1d6 points of non-lethal damage. After 1 minute, and for every 1d6 minutes thereafter, the character must succeed on a new save at the same DC or become paralyzed for 1 round.

[hr]
Those establish a pattern I like - an initial hit that deals some non-lethal damage and a status effect or two, followed up a minute later (post combat) with a debilitating effect that forces the PCs to deal with the situation. I like the idea of the cyclops giving the characters the "evil eye" and it having do a lingering effect. Non-lethal damage is pretty easy to deal with, though, so it's not a horrendous problem.

[Mr.Moron]

Entangling Gaze (Su): Anyone who meets a woodland cyclops' gaze must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or suddenly have their skin harden into a bark-like covering, causing them to be treated as entangled as they stiffen up. This condition is also extremely painful and causes 1d6 points of non-lethal damage. After 1 minute, and for every 1d6 minutes thereafter, the character must succeed on a new save at the same DC or become paralyzed for 1 round.

Those establish a pattern I like - an initial hit that deals some non-lethal damage and a status effect or two, followed up a minute later (post combat) with a debilitating effect that forces the PCs to deal with the situation. I like the idea of the cyclops giving the characters the "evil eye" and it having do a lingering effect. Non-lethal damage is pretty easy to deal with, though, so it's not a horrendous problem.

Being stuck in bark, is being stuck in bark. I actually think that implementation is cool, but actually be a fun effect to give to certain other creatures.

[Fax Celestis]

Shoreline Cyclops

Waterful Sight (Su): This cyclops has a gaze attack that replicates the drown spell. The target of the gaze attack feels their lungs begin to fill with water and has trouble breathing. The save DC is 14 plus the cyclops' Charisma modifier.

[DracoDei]

Ah... but you may be forgetting the ORIGINAL Cyclops, a big brute who somehow managed to be a decent shepherd (not sure if those are THAT inconsistent with each-other... but play along with me here)... I suggest a simple Charm Animals spell... or make it Dominate Animals for a stronger effect. In any case, put a low hit-die limit on them, and hit them with hordes of low CR creatures in an encounter (with the Cyclops itself in the back throwing rocks until it runs out of disposable minions), plus turn their mounts, Summon Natures Allies and maybe even animal companions, familiars, summoned celestial creatures, and paladin's mounts against them (if you slightly rewrite the definition of what the spell(s) can effect).
Call it a Shore Cyclops or something???

[Assasinater]

Ridge: All metal items worn or wielded by the target are effected by Heat Metal spell.

Badlands: The gaze seems to hit the target with an invisible force. Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round. (maybe 1d4 rounds?)

Alternative Badlands: The gaze distorts the target's sense of gravity. Fortitude save or target's every action carries a risk (%25) of falling prone for 2d4 rounds. Plus, the target is sickened for the duration.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

I like the concept of the badlands one.

Unbalancing Gaze (Su): Anyone who meets the gaze of a badlands cyclops must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or become disoriented, as if their personal sense of up and down has been disrupted. The character immediately becomes sickened, and falls prone, taking 1d6 points of non-lethal damage. After one minute, and every 1d6 minutes thereafter, the character must make a Reflex save against the original gaze attack DC, or again fall prone and become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. These effects persist until the character is healed of the non-lethal damage.

The general idea for the shoreline cyclops makes sense, but the drowning rules are really rough - basically save or die. Maybe keep the original idea, but modified a bit:

Breathstealing Gaze (Su): Anyone who meets the gaze of a shorline cyclops must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod) or find themselves having difficulty breathing. The creatures lungs partially fill with liquid, dealing 1d6 points of non-lethal damage. The character also becomes staggered due to this condition. After one minute, and every 1d6 minutes thereafter, the creature must make a save against the original gaze attack DC, or become stunned for 1d4 rounds as they gasp for breath. These effects persist until the character is healed of the non-lethal damage.

I've decided to change the ridge cyclops to the lavaridge cyclops, and add the gustpeak cyclops. The first gaze is for the lavaridge cyclops, the second for the gustpeak cyclops.

Fumigating Gaze (Su): Anyone who meets the gaze of a lavaridge cyclops must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod). Those that fail immediately begin coughing up smoke, suffering 1d6 points of non-lethal damage. An affected creature is immediately stunned for one round, and is treated as sickened afterwards. After one minute, and every 1d6 minutes thereafter, the creature must make a second save at the same DC or again become stunned for 1 round and thereafter be treated as staggered for 1d4 rounds.

Windblown Gaze (Su): If a creatures meets the gaze of a summit cyclops, it must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha Mod). A creature that fails suffers the same effects as if it had been struck by a great gust of wind. The creature is knocked down, suffering 1d6 points of non-lethal damage due to the force of the blow and falling prone. Afterwards, the character asks as if fighting a strong wind to move, being treated as entangled. After one minute, and every 1d6 minutes thereafter, the affected creature must make a second save at the same DC or be blown away for one round, being knocked prone and pushed backwards 1d4 x 10ft, suffering 1d4 points of damage for every 10 feet blown. The character is then treated as checked for 1d4 rounds afterwards. These penalties remain until the initial non-lethal damage is healed.

[Maldraugedhen]

Plural of cyclops is cyclopes, not cyclopses.

[BisectedBrioche]

I mean this seriously(ish);

Urban Cyclops

Stressful Gaze The urban cyclops has experienced the "hustle and bustle" of large population centers to the point where they can project some of this stress into others. Anyone who makes eye contact must succeed on a DC15 will save or become shaken for 1d6 rounds.

[Assasinater]

I mean this seriously(ish);

Urban Cyclops

Stressful Gaze The urban cyclops has experienced the "hustle and bustle" of large population centers to the point where they can project some of this stress into others. Anyone who makes eye contact must succeed on a DC15 will save or become shaken for 1d6 rounds.

Make them exhausted too, maybe? You know, like after a hard day's work. :smalltongue: