[ISLE] The Isle of Tides

[Baron Corm]

The Isle of Tides (Rookie)

http://www.bigcornisland.com/images/beach.jpg

Description

The Isle of Tides is a relatively large island. It is several miles wide, and its labyrinthine caverns have never had their depth measured. The isle is so named due to the constantly fluctuating passage of time. Random pockets of the island sometimes skip forwards in time by several seconds, and rarely time can advance by even years. These pockets are centered on a square of the DM's choice, at an appropriate tension-building time. Roll 1d8 for the size of the pocket and another 1d8 for the length of time passed.

{table=head]Roll Result|Size (radius)|Roll Result|Time Passed
1|5 feet|1|1 round
2|10 feet|2|1d4 rounds
3|15 feet|3|1d6 rounds
4|20 feet|4|1d8 rounds
5|50 feet|5|1d8 minutes
6|100 feet|6|1d8 hours
7|500 feet|7|1 year
8|1000 feet|8|1d% years[/table]

Time advancement pockets happen more frequently as one gets deeper down into the caves beneath the Isle. Once one reaches a room with a tidal pool (see Secret, below) the pockets cease completely.

As far as the plants and weather of the Isle, one could not tell the difference between this and a thousand other tropical islands. The reason it remains uncharted is because none have ever returned from it alive. The warnings given about the island by old seamen are stern enough to prevent many from attempting it. To some, however, the tales serve only to entice.

As an adventure, the Isle of Tides is suitable for those of reasonably high level. Though many of the inhabitants have a low CR, there are quite a lot of them, and they all have abilities which slow down and impede, making the Isle of Tides more a test of endurance and knowledge than brute power level.

[Baron Corm]

Inhabitants

Getting lost on the Isle of Tides can be extremely dangerous. One might find one's own lifespan slipping away, and unable to stop it. Effects which one counts on to last a good amount of time could disappear in an instant. The local inhabitants capitalize on this natural danger and use it against any trespassers, often using hit-and-run attacks or somehow stalling them so that the island can do its magic. All native inhabitants of the Isle of Tides have the [time] subtype, which is described below.

Time Subtype

The time subtype is given to creatures who have a connection to the ebb and/or flow of time. They are unaffected by magic which changes the flow of time. As examples, a creature with the time subtype could not be magically aged, slowed, or hasted, can act during time stop rounds, and retains his place in the initiative order, even if celerity is cast. The time subtype does not make a creature immortal or change its age in any way.


Surface Dwellers

A variety of typical island creatures live on the surface of the Isle of Tides. Humanoid tribes, wild pigs, and poisonous snakes, to name a few. As noted above, all of these creatures have the [time] subtype. Except for the children, every creature appears to be in the prime of its life, due to their drinking of the tidal pool waters.

The difference between creatures from the Isle of Tides and normal creatures of their type is typically the addition of one or two time-themed abilities. Statted out here will be the dominant race of the aboveground island, a variation of humans called the time-touched. They wield weapons made of a special material, chronosand, described under the stat block.

Time-Touched Warrior
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Time, Human)
Hit Dice: 1d8+4 (8 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 feet
Armor Class: 13, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+2 dex, +1 chronosand hula skirt)
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/+1
Attack: Chronosand spear +2 melee (1d8+1, x3) or chronosand spear +2 ranged (1d8+1, x3)
Full Attack: Chronosand spear +2 melee (1d8+1) or chronosand spear ranged (1d8+1, x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Time warp
Special Qualities: Time traits, extra feat, extra skill points
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +0
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 11
Skills: Swim +5, Perform +4
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Toughness
Enviroment: The Isle of Tides (aboveground)
Organization: Solitary, Hunting Party (2-5), or Tribe (10-20)
Challange Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: -

Combat

The time-touched are extremely possessive of their island, as well as the secret tidal pools within that they consider sacred. Upon seeing any creature not native to their island, the time-touched will go to warn its tribe if solitary, or commence doing the time warp if in a hunting party or full tribe. The time-touched are aware when an intruder makes its save against their dancing and singing, and immediately cease perfoming and start attacking.

Time Warp (Su)

The time warp is an ancient dance that the tribes of the Isle of Tides perform whenever they have intruders. It takes at least two time-touched to perform, and they can perform it for as long as they like, taking up a full-round action each round. Each round, the designated subject or subjects must make a Will save with a DC equal to the combined base ranks of Perform (including Charisma bonus) that all participating members have.

If a creature fails the save, it forgets why it came to the island and becomes part of the tribe. Without the special rites of a time-touched, the creature will quickly age to death. However, the creature gets a new save once per minute at the same DC, and if it ever passes the DC, it cannot be affected by the time warp again for 24 hours, even if it is performed by different time-touched.

The time warp is a mind-affecting effect.

Chronosand

Time-touched have a way of taking the sand from their outer beaches and forging it in the waters of their sacred pools below. The result is chronosand. An object made from chronosand appears as hard as metal, and looks to be smooth, shiny, and sharp. However, it has the texture and pattern of sand. Time-touched fashion spears and armor made entirely of chronosand.

Weapons made from chronosand quickly erode anything defending them, reducing the attacked armor's AC by 1 for each attack, as long as the attack hits. The armor's AC cannot be reduced below 0. It can be restored if the armor is dipped in a tidal pool, or by a wish or miracle. Armor made of chronosand is immune to this effect.

Armor made from chronosand quickly erodes anything attacking it, reducing damage of the attacking weapon by 1 for every attack against it, as long as the attack hits. The weapon's damage cannot be reduced below 0. It can be restored if the weapon is dipped in a tidal pool, or by a wish or miracle. Weapons made of chronosand are immune to this effect.

Cave Dwellers

The caves of the Isle of Tides are home to any number of creatures. There are no organized societies underground, but that's not to say there is nothing intelligent. The magic of the island is more concentrated down in the caves, and being close to it for so many years has warped common bats and fungi with the essence of time. In abundance are the chronomorphs, a species of gelatinous cube which ages things to gain nutrition from them.

Chronomorph
Size/Type: Large Ooze (Time)
Hit Dice: 4d10+32 (8 hp)
Initiative: -5
Speed: 15 feet
Armor Class: 4, touch 4, flat-footed 4 (-1 size, -5 Dex)
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+7
Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d6 plus 1d6 acid)
Full Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d6 plus 1d6 acid)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Chronomorph acid, engulf, paralysis
Special Qualities: Time traits, blindsight 60 feet, immunity to electricity, ooze traits, transparent
Saves: Fort +9, Ref -4, Will -4
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 1, Con 26, Int 0, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: -
Feats: -
Enviroment: The Isle of Tides (underground)
Organization: Solitary
Challange Rating: 3
Treasure: 1/10th coins, 50% goods (no nonmetal or nonstone), 50% items (no nonmetal or nonstone)
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 5-12 HD (Large), 13-24 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: -

Combat

Being mindless, a chronomorph simply moves along the caverns of the Isle of Tides, digesting anything it can with its acid. It can lash out with a pseudopod, but almost always chooses to engulf instead.

Chronomorph Acid (Ex)

Instead of dealing acid damage, the chronomorph's acid ages those touched by it by the rolled number of years. This aging is nonmagical, and so can affect even those immune to magical aging. A chronomorph's acid does not affect metal or stone.

Engulf, Paralysis, Transparent (Ex)

As a normal gelatinous cube.

[Baron Corm]

Treasure

A long time ago, before even the legends of the Isle of Tides were known to old tale-tellers, a crew of human pirates visited the island. They brought with them a large amount of gold and jewels. Being on the run from the law of many cities, they decided that perhaps they should hide their treasure on this island.

However, as they dug deep into the sands, they eventually hit a cavern, and the treasure chest fell deep down where they likely could never recover it. In addition, their delving seemed to release the magics of the island from below. The crew heard an enchanting song, and later became known as the time-touched.

The place where the crew first dug has long since been re-covered by sand, but there exist in legends tales of this treasure. One who digs in the right spot could find himself fall into riches far beyond his wildest dreams. The treasure is in a room covered on all sides by rock, except for the top, and so is impossible to stumble upon in the caverns, unless one can tunnel through rock and knows where to begin.

The treasure, like all things on the island, has been touched by the essence of the weave of time. It was hit by quite a large surge of essence, as it fell into the place where the magic was originally contained, and was hit by all of it as it burst out. Most or all of the gold coins have become things worth much more than their weight in gold, having the ability to move time forwards or backwards. A masterwork rapier gained the ability to cut threads of time, removing a given creature or object from existence. Various other trinkets exist within the treasure as well.

Chronocoin

This minor artifact appears to be a simple gold doubloon. However, when flipped, it can change the flow of time. Chronocoins come in varied shapes and sizes, as they were first collected from many different cities before they gained their power.

A result of heads moves time forward a number of hours equal to the gp value of the coin, while a result of tails moves time backwards a number of hours equal to the gp value of the coin. Once flipped, the coin loses its power. The coin must be flipped by a willing creature for its power to take effect, but the creature does not necessarily have to know of the coin's powers.

Strong transmutation; CL 20th

Tidestopper

This masterwork rapier has a jewel-encrusted hilt. It seems as if it were made more as a fashion accessory than a weapon. However, it is, in fact, a powerful major artifact. The tidestopper can be used to attack and destroy the lifeline of any creature, instead of the creature itself. This can also affect objects in a similar way. The rapier cuts short remaining time and eventually erases things as if they never were.

Treat any attacks by the tidestopper as touch attacks which affect even ethereal creatures or objects. Attacks by the tidestopper ignore all damage reduction and hardness, but do not bypass regeneration. The tidestopper deals normal damage for a masterwork rapier, plus the wielder's Strength bonus.

A creature or object destroyed by the tidestopper (even if it is only used for the final blow) is completely removed from time as if it never existed. This can have gross repercussions.

[Baron Corm]

Secret

Pools of magical water which lay deep in the underground of the Isle of Tides have the ability to reverse time. The various plants which grow on the island all have long and far-reaching roots which lead in some way to one of these magical pools. This gives native plants the ability to resist the time-advancing effects of the island. Likewise, almost all of the inhabitants of the island have sacred rituals in which they make pilgrimages to drink from these pools. The pools are the reason for the island's vibrancy. If the pools were ever drained or taken away, the island would soon advance far ahead into time, with unknown effects.

Visitors to the island commonly seek one of these "Tidal Pools", in hopes of attaining eternal youth. Those in the know will enter one of the island's caves and, once inside, follow the roots of an indigenous plant. Knowledge of the plants is mostly gotten from legends relating to the island. Following the roots requires a DC 15 Survival check. Failure leads the explorer down one of the many other caverns.

Effects of the Tidal Pools

It takes a move action to dip a container into a tidal pool. It takes a standard action to take one gulp. The effects take place immediately. The drinker is made 1 year younger for each gulp he takes. He receives the [time] subtype and all of its benefits for 1 year per gulp.