Jon_Dahl
2023-07-17, 07:26 AM
Stone tainter
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5c6270755afec869fb69876623439ade-970-80.jpg.webp
Image source: https://www.pcgamer.com/turtle-rock-unveils-evolves-biggest-monster-and-the-monster-race-edition/
This monster was inspired by GoT’s stonemen.
Ages ago, there was a powerful cleric of an evil god of earth (e.g. the Earth Dragon, Luthic). In a time of great desperation, as the cleric, the local cult, and their local temple faced an imminent destruction, their god sent the first stone tainter to aid them. The creature proved to be very effective against the enemies of the cult and fiercely loyal to the cleric – at least to the point when the cleric tried to negotiate with the enemies of the cult, after which the stone tainter turned on the cleric. The cleric was killed, and the stone tainter led other stone tainters to unknown place, most likely deep underground.
Size/Type: Medium Aberration (Earth)
Hit Dice: 15d8+78 (148 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), Burrow 5 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (-1 Dex, +10 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+16
Attack: Claws +16 melee (1d6+7 plus disease) or melee touch +16 (disease)
Full Attack: Claws +16 melee (1d6+7 plus disease) or melee touch +16 (disease)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Disease
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +10
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 8, Con 20, Int 3, Wis 9, Cha 11
Skills: Climb +6, Listen +1, Spot +1, Survival +16
Feats: Alertness, Improved Natural Armor, Toughness, Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will, Great Fortitude.
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or flock (3-13)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Any evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Stone tainters are psychopathic killers by nature. They prefer solitude, and live under the ground close to surface. Stone tainters live almost like wild animals with the exception that unlike animals, they enjoy inflicting pain and destroying things, although they do not actively seek opportunities to do either. Their maximum lifespan is around thousand years. Stone tainters are sexless and do not reproduce. While stone tainters are not religious, they have a strong intuitive obedience and piety towards their creator god. Usually, they are unaware of this inherited trait unless, for instance, they see the unholy symbol or meet a cleric of the said god.
Once in a millennium, they get an irresistible urge to visit the place where the first stone tainter was brought to existence by their god. Virtually none of them know about this historical event nor are they aware of the god, but nevertheless they must visit the place. Their instincts guide them to the right place with a 50% accuracy. During these “pilgrimages”, they band together in flocks as if they were pilgrims. These flocks grow through coincidental encounters with other journeying stone tainters. All members of a flock will instinctively think that the leader (who is usually the senior) of the flock knows how to bring everyone to the right place, although this hunch is correct only half of the time. Those who manage to reach the correct location experience a strong spiritual sensation. Not much more happens, and then they travel back alone without their ex-tempore flocks. Those who do not find the right place eventually give up, which is a very frustrating experience for a stone tainter.
It is possible that a stone tainter understands common and other languages, but their very low intelligence makes communication virtually impossible. They cannot speak.
Combat
Upon encountering a creature, a stone tainter will immediately attempt to kill anything larger than a house cat. If a creature touches them or if a stone tainter touches a creature, this creature will not be pursued by a stone tainter if it flees or withdraws. The explanation for this behaviour is that a stone tainter senses that once it has tainted a creature, this creature may become a stone tainter as well: a stone tainter has no desire to hunt and kill one of their own, nor are they cannibals.
Disease (Su)
Stone taint. Affects only humanoid targets. Fortitude DC 18, incubation period 1 day, special damage. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a racial penalty. Stone taint’s method of delivery is contact, which means that it is transmitted through any physical contact with a stone tainter or with a subject who is currently infected with stone taint.
A humanoid subject whose size is not medium and that fails their save against stone taint suffers 1d3 point of Intelligence damage each day. No further saves. A humanoid subject whose size is not medium suffers the usual consequences for Intelligence damage, including having an Intelligence score of 0, which results in an inability to think and being unconscious in a coma-like stupor, helpless.
A medium-sized humanoid subject who fails their save against stone taint suffers 1d3 point of Intelligence damage (to the minimum of 3) while Strength and Constitution are increased by 1d3 (the maximum for both is 20). If the subject already has a Strength score of 21 or more, there is no increase, and the same applies to a Constitution score of 21 or more. Subject’s natural armour bonus is increased by one. The subject takes the Intelligence damage and has their Strength, Constitution, and natural armour* increased as previously described each day until Strength and Constitution are both 20 or more and Intelligence is at 3 or less. At this point, the subject becomes helpless for 24 hours, at end of which the subject is now a stone tainter. Note that this means a complete transformation, including losing the feats and skills of the previous form and adopting the ones of a stone tainter. Also note that if the subject’s Strength and/or Constitution were above 20 before the final transformation, they remain as they were.
Once a subject has lost or gained any ability points or natural armour bonus due to the infection, the disease can only be removed with a limited wish, miracle, remove disease, or wish spell. Removing the diseases removes all associated bonuses and penalties. Once the 24-hour transformation is completed, its effects cannot be reversed, even with a wish or a miracle.
A stone tainter has -4 racial penalty on the save DC of its disease attack, because stone taint is much less contagious than an average contact-transmitted disease.
*Once the natural armour bonus is +3 or more, it stops increasing.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5c6270755afec869fb69876623439ade-970-80.jpg.webp
Image source: https://www.pcgamer.com/turtle-rock-unveils-evolves-biggest-monster-and-the-monster-race-edition/
This monster was inspired by GoT’s stonemen.
Ages ago, there was a powerful cleric of an evil god of earth (e.g. the Earth Dragon, Luthic). In a time of great desperation, as the cleric, the local cult, and their local temple faced an imminent destruction, their god sent the first stone tainter to aid them. The creature proved to be very effective against the enemies of the cult and fiercely loyal to the cleric – at least to the point when the cleric tried to negotiate with the enemies of the cult, after which the stone tainter turned on the cleric. The cleric was killed, and the stone tainter led other stone tainters to unknown place, most likely deep underground.
Size/Type: Medium Aberration (Earth)
Hit Dice: 15d8+78 (148 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), Burrow 5 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (-1 Dex, +10 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+16
Attack: Claws +16 melee (1d6+7 plus disease) or melee touch +16 (disease)
Full Attack: Claws +16 melee (1d6+7 plus disease) or melee touch +16 (disease)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Disease
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +10
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 8, Con 20, Int 3, Wis 9, Cha 11
Skills: Climb +6, Listen +1, Spot +1, Survival +16
Feats: Alertness, Improved Natural Armor, Toughness, Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will, Great Fortitude.
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or flock (3-13)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Any evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Stone tainters are psychopathic killers by nature. They prefer solitude, and live under the ground close to surface. Stone tainters live almost like wild animals with the exception that unlike animals, they enjoy inflicting pain and destroying things, although they do not actively seek opportunities to do either. Their maximum lifespan is around thousand years. Stone tainters are sexless and do not reproduce. While stone tainters are not religious, they have a strong intuitive obedience and piety towards their creator god. Usually, they are unaware of this inherited trait unless, for instance, they see the unholy symbol or meet a cleric of the said god.
Once in a millennium, they get an irresistible urge to visit the place where the first stone tainter was brought to existence by their god. Virtually none of them know about this historical event nor are they aware of the god, but nevertheless they must visit the place. Their instincts guide them to the right place with a 50% accuracy. During these “pilgrimages”, they band together in flocks as if they were pilgrims. These flocks grow through coincidental encounters with other journeying stone tainters. All members of a flock will instinctively think that the leader (who is usually the senior) of the flock knows how to bring everyone to the right place, although this hunch is correct only half of the time. Those who manage to reach the correct location experience a strong spiritual sensation. Not much more happens, and then they travel back alone without their ex-tempore flocks. Those who do not find the right place eventually give up, which is a very frustrating experience for a stone tainter.
It is possible that a stone tainter understands common and other languages, but their very low intelligence makes communication virtually impossible. They cannot speak.
Combat
Upon encountering a creature, a stone tainter will immediately attempt to kill anything larger than a house cat. If a creature touches them or if a stone tainter touches a creature, this creature will not be pursued by a stone tainter if it flees or withdraws. The explanation for this behaviour is that a stone tainter senses that once it has tainted a creature, this creature may become a stone tainter as well: a stone tainter has no desire to hunt and kill one of their own, nor are they cannibals.
Disease (Su)
Stone taint. Affects only humanoid targets. Fortitude DC 18, incubation period 1 day, special damage. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a racial penalty. Stone taint’s method of delivery is contact, which means that it is transmitted through any physical contact with a stone tainter or with a subject who is currently infected with stone taint.
A humanoid subject whose size is not medium and that fails their save against stone taint suffers 1d3 point of Intelligence damage each day. No further saves. A humanoid subject whose size is not medium suffers the usual consequences for Intelligence damage, including having an Intelligence score of 0, which results in an inability to think and being unconscious in a coma-like stupor, helpless.
A medium-sized humanoid subject who fails their save against stone taint suffers 1d3 point of Intelligence damage (to the minimum of 3) while Strength and Constitution are increased by 1d3 (the maximum for both is 20). If the subject already has a Strength score of 21 or more, there is no increase, and the same applies to a Constitution score of 21 or more. Subject’s natural armour bonus is increased by one. The subject takes the Intelligence damage and has their Strength, Constitution, and natural armour* increased as previously described each day until Strength and Constitution are both 20 or more and Intelligence is at 3 or less. At this point, the subject becomes helpless for 24 hours, at end of which the subject is now a stone tainter. Note that this means a complete transformation, including losing the feats and skills of the previous form and adopting the ones of a stone tainter. Also note that if the subject’s Strength and/or Constitution were above 20 before the final transformation, they remain as they were.
Once a subject has lost or gained any ability points or natural armour bonus due to the infection, the disease can only be removed with a limited wish, miracle, remove disease, or wish spell. Removing the diseases removes all associated bonuses and penalties. Once the 24-hour transformation is completed, its effects cannot be reversed, even with a wish or a miracle.
A stone tainter has -4 racial penalty on the save DC of its disease attack, because stone taint is much less contagious than an average contact-transmitted disease.
*Once the natural armour bonus is +3 or more, it stops increasing.