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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other Giant monstrous chameleon (3.5e monster)



Uncle Pine
2020-11-08, 06:24 AM
I was playing Ys VIII a couple days ago and after facing a certain boss I just couldn't resist the idea of turning it into a d&d monster. Therefore, without further ado, behold the:


https://i.imgur.com/8jJd6Zt.png

BIG TONGUEY BOY
Giant monstrous chameleon (or GMC, for short)

Mostly based on a behir to which I added the chameleon creature template (Underdark 83), I opted to post it in Homebrew Design as I took a couple liberties with its tongue attack and the way it interacts with Improved Grab. This is because I didn't like that the tongue's reach was a static 10 ft. regardless of the creature's size, which is Huge in this case, and I wanted the giant monstrous chameleon to pull people into its mouth like a regular chameleon would.

Huge Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 9d10+45 (94 hp)
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +11 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+25
Attack: Tongue +8 ranged touch (see text) or bite +15 melee (2d4+12)
Full Attack: Tongue +8 ranged touch (see text) or bite +15 melee (2d4+12)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. (25 ft. with tongue)
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, constrict 2d8+8, improved grab, rake 1d4+4, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Can’t be tripped, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to electricity, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 13, Con 21, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +16, Hide +13, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Spot +2, Survival +2
Feats: Cleave, Extended Reach (tongue), Martial Study (Shadow Jaunt), Power Attack
Environment: Warm Hills
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 9*
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often Neutral
Advancement: 10-13 HD (Huge); 14-27 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —

Breath Weapon (Su): 20-foot line, once every 10 rounds, damage 7d6 electricity, Reflex DC 19 half. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Constrict (Ex): A GMC deals 2d8+8 points of damage with a successful grapple check. It can make six rake attacks against a grappled foe as well.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a GMC must hit a creature of any size with its tongue or bite 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 it establishes a hold and can attempt to constrict the opponent or swallow the opponent in the following round.

Rake (Ex): Six claws, attack bonus +15 melee, damage 1d4+4.

Shadow Jaunt (Ex): Once per encounter, as a standard action, a GMC can teleport up to 50 feet away as per the Shadow Jaunt maneuver (ToB 79). The GMC must have line of sight and line of effect to its destination. The GMC usually uses this ability to flee from a strong enemy or to retire from battle after having swallowed enough creatures to fill its gizzard.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A GMC can try to swallow a grabbed Medium or smaller opponent by making a successful grapple check. A GMC that swallows an opponent can use its Cleave feat to bite and grab another opponent.
A swallowed creature takes 2d8+8 points of bludgeoning damage and 8 points of acid damage per round from the GMC’s gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 15). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A GMC’s gizzard can hold 2 Medium, 8 Small, 32 Tiny, or 128 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

Skills: GMCs have a +10 racial bonus on Hide checks and a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks. They have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

*This is an ad-hoc evaluation, as a chameleon behir would technically be a CR 9 creature on its own despite the chameleon template not adding much to it since it has no touch spells to deliver with its tongue and behirs already have low-light vision and a more than reasonable climb speed. As such, I believe the newly improved reach and tongue attack (along with the sneaky addition of Shadow Jaunt via Martial Study) could be easily incorporated within the +1 CR adjustment from the template. YMMV, but if you plan to run the chameleon as a CR 10 creature I'd advise to up its Hit Die count to 10 or 11 mostly to make it slightly more durable and hold its ground better.

As far as feats go I had also considered Martial Study (Fiery Riposte) to allow for "reactionary gulps" on the GMC's part, but ended up keeping the option to use Cleave to swallow two opponents in a round and then teleport away during the following round because I felt it could create scarier moments for a group of players.


Giant monstrous chameleon, lightscorned
These sneakier, faster and more malicious cousins of normal giant monstrous chameleons live away from the surface in large underground cave systems of the underdark. They have adapted to the colder environment and blend far more easily with the environment, usually waiting for potential preys to wander into areas with glowing fungi or attractive landmarks.
Mechanically, they have a base speed of 50 ft., a climb speed of 30 ft., resistance to cold 10, can see four times as far as normal in dim light, and can use hide in plain sight as long as they're not exposed to natural daylight or a similar effect. They have a Hide modifier of +21 and a Move Silently modifier of +11. Their Challenge Rating is 10 and they are often Neutral Evil in alignment.

(Effectively, this is a GMC with the dark template from ToM 161 except I didn't like the idea of it having the extraplanar subtype. Instead, lightscorned GMCs are simply way better at doing what chameleons do best: disappear! No magical connection to the Plane of Shadow needed.)