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View Full Version : Vote Up a Monster #1 (Monster Complete, PEACH)



Zeta Kai
2008-09-16, 11:02 PM
I plan to make a new monster, & I want some feedback. I am soliciting votes on a number of aspects on this creature. Here are the aspects, in order:


Type/Subtype: Aberration (Extraplanar, Shapechanger)

{table=head]Type|Votes
Aberration|4
Animal|0
Construct|0
Dragon|1
Elemental|0
Fey|3
Giant|1
Humanoid|0
Magical Beast|0
Monstrous Humanoid|0
Ooze|0
Outsider|1
Plant|0
Undead|2
Vermin|3
[/table]

{table=head]Subtype|Votes
Air|0
Angel|3
Aquatic|2
Archon|0
Augmented|0
Chaotic|1
Cold|0
Earth|0
Evil|0
Extraplanar|4
Fire|0
Goblinoid|0
Good|0
Incorporeal|0
Lawful|0
Native|0
Reptilian|3
Shapechanger|7
Swarm|1
Water|3
NONE|0
[/table]
Size: Huge

{table=head]Size|Votes
Fine|5
Diminutive|0
Tiny|0
Small|2
Medium|1
Large|1
Huge|8
Gargantuan|0
Colossal|2[/table]
Alignment: Lawful Good

{table=head]Alignment|Votes|Alignment|Votes|Alignment|Votes
Lawful Good|5|Neutral Good|1|Chaotic Good|
Lawful Neutral|2|True Neutral|2|Chaotic Neutral|1
Lawful Evil||Neutral Evil|2|Chaotic Evil|1
[/table]
Challenge Rating: 13

{table=head]CR|Votes
3|1
4|0
5|0
6|0
7|0
8|0
9|0
10|0
11|0
12|0
13|7
14|0
15|0
16|0
17|1
18|0
19|0
20|1
[/table]
Environment: Any Urban or Ruin

{table=head]Terrain|Votes
Any|0
Aquatic|0
Desert|3
Forest|0
Hills|0
Marsh|0
Mountains|0
Plains|0
Underground|1
Urban/Ruin|10
[/table]

{table=head]Temperature|Votes
Any|8
Cold|6
Temperate|0
Warm|0
[/table]
Special Abilities: Antimagic, Cathedral Form, & Spells (Cleric)

{table=head]Special Ability|Votes
Ability Damage|0
Ability Drain|0
Alternate Form|0
Antimagic|5
Blindsight/Blindsense|1
Breath Weapon|0
Change Shape|3
Charm/Compulsion|1
Cold Immunity|0
Constrict|0
Damage Reduction|0
Darkvision|0
Death Attacks|0
Disease|0
Energy Drain/Negative Levels|0
Etherealness|0
Evasion/Improved Evasion|0
Fast Healing|1
Fear Aura (Su)|0
Fear Cones (Sp)/Rays (Su)|0
Frightful Presence (Ex)|0
Fire Immunity|0
Gaseous Form|1
Gaze Attacks|0
Improved Grab|0
Incorporeality|0
Invisibility|0
Level Loss|0
Low-Light Vision|0
Manufactured Weapons|0
Movement Modes (Burrow/Climb/Fly/Swim)|0
Natural Weapons (Bite/Claw/Gore/etc)|0
Nonabilities|0
Paralysis|0
Poison|0
Polymorph|0
Pounce|0
Powerful Charge|0
Psionics|0
Rake|0
Rays|0
Regeneration|2
Resistance To Energy|0
Scent|0
Sonic Attacks|1
Spell Immunity|1
Spell Resistance|0
Spells|9
Summon|0
Swallow Whole|0
Telepathy|1
Trample|0
Tremorsense|0
Turn Resistance|0
Vulnerability to Energy|0
Cathedral Form (NEW!)|11[/table]


All votes have been tallied. Voting is concluded at this point. The resultant creature, the Gatekeeper has been posted. Thanks to everyone who voted.

Kellus
2008-09-16, 11:10 PM
Awesome. I love these things.

My vote's for Undead (Shapechanger, Water).

Vaynor
2008-09-16, 11:47 PM
Vermin (Water, Extraplanar)

Owrtho
2008-09-17, 12:11 AM
I vote for water subtype.

Owrtho

Pronounceable
2008-09-17, 02:27 PM
An angelic vermin. Why not?

kopout
2008-09-17, 02:36 PM
vermin extra planar

insecure
2008-09-17, 02:38 PM
Type: Outsider

Subtype: Shapechanger

RTGoodman
2008-09-17, 02:47 PM
Type: Aberration

Subtypes: Extraplanar (or Far (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4554114#post4554114)), Shapechanger

arguskos
2008-09-17, 03:13 PM
Type: Aberration

Subtype: Extraplanar

Needs more Far Realm in this thread.

-argus

Bandededed
2008-09-17, 03:17 PM
Dragon, shapechanger:

Because everything is more fun with dragons!!!

Vadin
2008-09-17, 03:28 PM
Fey (Reptilian, Shapechanger)

KKL
2008-09-17, 03:53 PM
Angelic Aberration.

Draz74
2008-09-17, 04:13 PM
Fey (Reptilian).

Shadow_Elf
2008-09-17, 05:23 PM
Make it Fey (Aquatic, Chaotic, Shapechanger)

Changeling Pirate Mermaid Raiders!

Lyndworm
2008-09-17, 05:26 PM
Undead (Reptillian, Shapechanger)

Zack

Maroon
2008-09-17, 05:55 PM
Giant (Aquatic). Because D&D needs more giants. That are aquatic.

Zeta Kai
2008-09-17, 06:01 PM
All votes are tallied so far. Keep it coming. I'll keep the Type/Subtype part open for a while longer, just to get a few definitive winners.

MammonAzrael
2008-09-17, 06:01 PM
Aberration (Angel, Swarm)

Zeta Kai
2008-09-19, 11:23 AM
Alright, the votes are completely tallied, & the winner is:
Aberration (Extraplanar, Shapechanger)!

So, the creature is going to be an Aberration, with the Extraplanar & Shapechanger subtypes. This sounds like it's going to be an interesting one. So next, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Size (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/movementPositionAndDistance.htm#bigandLittleCreatu resInCombat). Votes will be tallied regularly. Please only vote for 1 size, thank you.

Threeshades
2008-09-19, 11:28 AM
I vote Huge

Because you can still say it's biiiig but not cheesy

Magnor Criol
2008-09-19, 12:47 PM
Going out on a limb with my train of thought here. If this thing's an shapechanger, it may well be able to take many forms, so whatever size we choose here will probably be its "base form," right? Also known as: whatever the PCs will fight as the final fight, if this guy makes it as a BBEG.

Ergo, it needs to be something appropriately epic. I vote Huge.

Heliomance
2008-09-19, 12:51 PM
Colossal++

Pronounceable
2008-09-19, 01:29 PM
Small. bah

Jubal_Barca
2008-09-19, 01:36 PM
Fine. Definitely.

KKL
2008-09-19, 01:47 PM
Huge, definately.

Kellus
2008-09-19, 02:28 PM
Medium. Not too big, not too small.

Adumbration
2008-09-19, 02:30 PM
Huge sounds good to me.

vegetalss4
2008-09-19, 02:37 PM
i will join the Huge team

CrazyMacGuy
2008-09-19, 02:41 PM
I vote Huge... if Zeta Kai can't do it, no one can... :-D

Carrion_Humanoid
2008-09-19, 03:37 PM
I vote. . . small!

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-19, 03:42 PM
Fine is fine by me!

Lyndworm
2008-09-19, 03:49 PM
I vote Huge.

Zack

EndlessWrath
2008-09-19, 03:52 PM
colossal ++ !!! You can do it man

RTGoodman
2008-09-19, 04:17 PM
I'll go with Huge. It's big enough to be fearsome, but not so big it's unwieldy or anything.

Draken
2008-09-19, 05:51 PM
Huge gets my vote.

Knaight
2008-09-19, 05:59 PM
Large. Just a hair bigger than the PCs, solidly built, something that is shapechangery without being monstrous while still big and tough.

Shadow_Elf
2008-09-19, 08:02 PM
Fine. It is infinitely more intimidating when it can kill you with its pinky finger and its whole body is the size of your hand...

vegetalss4
2008-09-20, 05:30 AM
hmm. change my vote to fine

Owrtho
2008-09-20, 02:58 PM
I vote fine.

Owrtho

Zeta Kai
2008-09-20, 08:08 PM
Alright, the votes for Size are tallied, & the winner is: Huge!

So, the creature is going to be an Aberration, with the Extraplanar & Shapechanger subtypes. It's Size is going to be Huge. This sounds like it's going to be a very interesting one. So next, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Alignment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/description.htm#theNineAlignments). Votes will be tallied regularly. Please only vote for only 1 alignment, & please don't debate alignments, thank you.

CrazyMacGuy
2008-09-20, 09:14 PM
How about say... Neutral Evil?

Yea... thats my vote and i'm sticking to it...

Knaight
2008-09-20, 09:57 PM
True Neutral.

Owrtho
2008-09-20, 10:10 PM
Alien (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85085)

and barring that, probly neutral evil.

Owrtho

Knaight
2008-09-20, 10:16 PM
Speaking of which it would probably be better to count up the votes on the chaos-law axis, and good-evil axis separately, and find which works best for each one then merge them. After all something with 10 chaotic evil votes, 9 lawful evil votes, 9 lawful neutral votes, 9 lawful good votes, and 0 in everything else should probably be lawful, not chaotic. Similarly something with 10 neutral good votes, 9 chaotic evil votes, 9 neutral evil votes, and 9 lawful evil votes should probably be evil.

Owrtho
2008-09-20, 10:37 PM
but what if you get something like 8 lawful good, 9 lawful neutral, 10 neutral evil, and 9 chaotic evil (0 for everything else). Then it would turn out lawful evil which no one voted for.

Owrtho

Prometheus
2008-09-20, 10:40 PM
However it is counted, my vote is easy: True neutral!

Eighth_Seraph
2008-09-20, 10:46 PM
I dunno if I'm the only one hears this creature roaring "Far Realms!" in a frighteningly thick font, but let's throw something a little different into the mix, shall we? Just imagine a 15-foot tall monstrosity from another dimension...that seeks to defend the purity of the universe and all sentient life within.

I vote for Neutral Good.

shadowxknight
2008-09-20, 10:50 PM
I vote Lawful Good

Just for the possible laughs.

streakster
2008-09-20, 10:55 PM
Chaotic Neutral! Because bicycle elephant turquoise madly!

Knaight
2008-09-20, 11:01 PM
but what if you get something like 8 lawful good, 9 lawful neutral, 10 neutral evil, and 9 chaotic evil (0 for everything else). Then it would turn out lawful evil which no one voted for.

Owrtho

Yeah, its a compromise.

RTGoodman
2008-09-20, 11:14 PM
Well, it's a shapechanger, and to me those always seemed rather Chaotic, so I'll with that on the one axis. On the other, I'm not sure. I don't know about a Chaotic Good aberration (and I don't like Good monsters usually because their harder to work in a lot of campaigns), but I'm not sure about the other two (CN or CE) either.

If I have to choose though, I guess my vote is gonna be for... Chaotic Evil.

Lyndworm
2008-09-20, 11:20 PM
I'm not sure you should compromise on a vote... That's kind of the point, right?

Anyhoo, I vote Lawful Good.

Zack

Heliomance
2008-09-21, 03:18 AM
A huge, shapechanging, extraplanar aberration? Clearly, the only option is Lawful Good, for the lulz.

Kellus
2008-09-21, 04:22 AM
I've always been a fan of Lawful Neutral, myself.

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-21, 04:44 AM
Lawful and neural. LN.

JackMage666
2008-09-21, 04:45 AM
Neutral Good AND Neutral Evil - It's alignment depends on the shape it's in!

vegetalss4
2008-09-21, 05:58 AM
Neutral Good AND Neutral Evil - It's alignment depends on the shape it's in!

that sounds like a good idea. but let us expand it. ALL alingments depending on the shape it is in

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-21, 06:08 AM
that sounds like a good idea. but let us expand it. ALL alingments depending on the shape it is in

You know what? I LOVE THIS IDEA! Kinda like Jekyl/Hyde feeling, shape depends on circumstances and alignment depends on shape.

Pronounceable
2008-09-21, 06:51 AM
^^Hey we got a winner! But 9 shapes? Nah, that's too much.

Alternates between LG and NE.

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-21, 06:56 AM
LG and NE? No. We need a proper flip flop, LG and CE or LN and CN or at least LE and CG. Or what about LG, CN and NE if we want 3 forms.

Zeta Kai
2008-09-21, 10:05 AM
Please only vote for only 1 alignment...

Any votes for more than 1 alignment will not be tallied. I'm sorry, but it's not fair to the people who only vote for 1 alignment.

Vote for alignment will continue for a little while longer.

Gralamin
2008-09-21, 10:17 AM
Well, this monster seems to be going towards Lawful, so I'm gonna put in a vote for Lawful Neutral.

Pronounceable
2008-09-21, 10:22 AM
Any votes for more than 1 alignment will not be tallied. I'm sorry, but it's not fair to the people who only vote for 1 alignment.

Vote for alignment will continue for a little while longer.

:smallfrown: LG then.

Shadow_Elf
2008-09-21, 04:06 PM
LG.

It is created to destroy the universe, but instead it tries to save it.

Zeta Kai
2008-09-22, 08:14 AM
Alright, the votes for Alignment are tallied, & the winner is: Lawful Good!

So, the creature is going to be an Aberration, with the Extraplanar & Shapechanger subtypes. It's Size is going to be Huge. It's Alignment is good to be Lawful Good. This sounds like it's going to be a very, very interesting critter. So next, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Challenge Rating (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/intro.htm#challengeRating). Votes will be tallied regularly. Please only vote for only 1 CR, & please don't vote for epic CR's (IE, CR>20) or CR's lower than 3 (the creature is Huge, after all), thank you.

Pronounceable
2008-09-22, 08:33 AM
Let's try 13. For luck.

Vaynor
2008-09-22, 08:55 AM
CR 17. :smallamused:

streakster
2008-09-22, 09:09 AM
CR 13. It fits, somehow.

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-22, 09:21 AM
13. 13. 13.

CrazyMacGuy
2008-09-22, 10:26 AM
I think people are right... 13 does have a sense of fit for this character...

I vote 13.

RTGoodman
2008-09-22, 11:30 AM
I was gonna say 12 or 14, but what the heck - let's make it 13.

Shadow_Elf
2008-09-22, 03:30 PM
8 13. What the heck, sign me up for 13 also.

Heliomance
2008-09-22, 04:39 PM
I was gonna vote 20, but it looks like the 13s have it.

Lyndworm
2008-09-22, 11:25 PM
13 sounds great.

Zack

Owrtho
2008-09-22, 11:40 PM
I vote for 3, lowest one on the chart.

Owrtho

Zeta Kai
2008-09-23, 10:52 AM
Alright, the votes for Challenge Rating are tallied, & the winner is: CR13!

So, the creature is going to be an Aberration, with the Extraplanar & Shapechanger subtypes. It's Size is going to be Huge. It's Alignment is going to be Lawful Good. It's CR is going to be 13. This sounds like it's going to be a very, very, very interesting critter. So next, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Environment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/wilderness.htm). Votes will be tallied regularly. Please only vote for 1 terrain & 1 temperature, thank you.

streakster
2008-09-23, 11:05 AM
Underground and Any Temperature.

RTGoodman
2008-09-23, 11:13 AM
Well, it's already pretty strange for an aberration, so how about Any Urban.

Owrtho
2008-09-23, 11:57 AM
I'll vote for Desert Cold, just because.

Owrtho

Adumbration
2008-09-23, 12:02 PM
Well, it's already pretty strange for an aberration, so how about Any Urban.

Definitely seconded. I believe that it shall masquerade as a building, or a part of one. Maybe it lives in the sewers?

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-23, 12:04 PM
Any Urban or Ruins.

Prometheus
2008-09-23, 12:09 PM
Desert Cold does sound like a good idea.

Maroon
2008-09-23, 01:06 PM
Cold Deserts.

Heliomance
2008-09-23, 05:08 PM
Cold desert is basically tundra. Not actually that special. So I vote Cold Urban.

Vadin
2008-09-23, 05:43 PM
Cold Urban would actually be really cool for a huge lawful good shapechanging aberration.

Maroon
2008-09-23, 06:07 PM
Cold desert is basically tundra. Not actually that special. So I vote Cold Urban.I was thinking more along the lines of the Gobi desert, actually. Some sort of monstrously deformed hermit that helps travelers in exchange for keeping it company.

Pronounceable
2008-09-23, 07:51 PM
Cold urban sounds good.

Shadow_Elf
2008-09-23, 07:56 PM
Urban any temperature.

It patrols cities, protecting orphanages from mean people and shapeshifting to move around unnoticed.

Lyndworm
2008-09-23, 07:57 PM
Any Urban or Ruins sounds good.

Zack

vegetalss4
2008-09-24, 03:48 AM
Any urban and Ruin i say

shadowxknight
2008-09-24, 07:15 PM
Urban and any temperature

Zeta Kai
2008-09-25, 09:23 AM
Alright, the votes for Environment are tallied, & the winner is: Any Urban or Ruin!

So, the creature is going to be an Aberration, with the Extraplanar & Shapechanger subtypes. It's Size is going to be Huge. It's Alignment is going to be Lawful Good. It's CR is going to be 13. It's Environment is going to be Any Urban or Ruin. This sounds like it's going to be a crazy interesting critter. So lastly, I need you guys (& girls) to vote on the creature's Special Abilities (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/specialAbilities.htm). Votes will be tallied regularly. Please only vote for 2 Special Abilities maximum, thank you.

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-25, 09:29 AM
Gaze and Trample

Adumbration
2008-09-25, 09:30 AM
Votes changed, see later post.

Tempest Fennac
2008-09-25, 09:31 AM
I'd say Spells and Fast Healing (if you need ideas for spells, I'd go with battlefield controll spells).

streakster
2008-09-25, 10:30 AM
Change Shape and Spell Like Abilities

Owrtho
2008-09-25, 01:06 PM
Gaseous Form and Blindsight (non hearing based).

Owrtho

MammonAzrael
2008-09-25, 03:36 PM
Antimagic and Regeneration

Shadow_Elf
2008-09-25, 03:46 PM
Charm and Compulsion and Spell Immunity.

Lyndworm
2008-09-25, 03:47 PM
Change Shape and Spells/SLAs.

Zack

Vadin
2008-09-25, 03:52 PM
Antimagic and SLAs.

Is there some way that he can use his SLAs inside his antimagic field?

RTGoodman
2008-09-25, 04:03 PM
Change Shape (since Alternate Form makes you pick one form) and Telepathy.

Kellus
2008-09-25, 09:37 PM
I probably shouldn't be on, but I saw this and had to post. I'm not sure how specific you want the Special Abilities, since you linked to the generic ones, but here's a nongeneric one I came up with. :smallsmile:

Cathedralform (Su): As a standard action, a --- can alter its form to resemble a wooden building. Its size may remain Huge, or become Gargantuan or Colossal, at its option. This decision must be made when this ability is used, and may not be changed afterwards. The --- gains temporary hit points when it assumes this form equal to the size of the building it changed into: 20 temporary hit points for a Gargantuan building, and 50 temporary hit points for a Colossal building.

While in cathedralform, a --- gains DR 10/– and resistance 10 to cold, acid, electricity, and sonic damage. It becomes vulnerable to fire, taking half again as much damage from fire effects as normal. All movement speeds for a --- in cathedralform are halved. Traditionally, a --- transforms into a building to lure evildoers inside, and then traps them inside as it slowly saunters off to bring them to justice. A --- has complete control over the floor plan of the building it transforms into, and can manipulate the design features of it at will as a standard action (including, but not limited to, the following effects: opening and closing doors and windows, moving entrances and exits, changing the size or locations of stairways, and similar effects).

A --- may remain in cathedralform for as long as it likes, but it may only assume this form once an hour. It may revert to its normal shape as a swift action; any beings inside it when it does so are ejected into the nearest open space.

streakster
2008-09-25, 09:42 PM
I probably shouldn't be on, but I saw this and had to post. I'm not sure how specific you want the Special Abilities, since you linked to the generic ones, but here's a nongeneric one I came up with. :smallsmile:

Cathedralform (Su): As a standard action, a --- can alter its form to resemble a wooden building. Its size may remain Huge, or become Gargantuan or Colossal, at its option. This decision must be made when this ability is used, and may not be changed afterwards. The --- gains temporary hit points when it assumes this form equal to the size of the building it changed into: 20 temporary hit points for a Gargantuan building, and 50 temporary hit points for a Colossal building.

While in cathedralform, a --- gains DR 10/– and resistance 10 to cold, acid, electricity, and sonic damage. It becomes vulnerable to fire, taking half again as much damage from fire effects as normal. All movement speeds for a --- in cathedralform are halved. Traditionally, a --- transforms into a building to lure evildoers inside, and then traps them inside as it slowly saunters off to bring them to justice. A --- has complete control over the floor plan of the building it transforms into, and can manipulate the design features of it at will as a standard action (including, but not limited to, the following effects: opening and closing doors and windows, moving entrances and exits, changing the size or locations of stairways, and similar effects).

A --- may remain in cathedralform for as long as it likes, but it may only assume this form once an hour. It may revert to its normal shape as a swift action; any beings inside it when it does so are ejected into the nearest open space.

Dear Heavens in Betsy. Can I change to this and Cleric SLA's?

Adumbration
2008-09-26, 12:00 AM
Cathedralform (Su): As a standard action, a --- can alter its form to resemble a wooden building. Its size may remain Huge, or become Gargantuan or Colossal, at its option. This decision must be made when this ability is used, and may not be changed afterwards. The --- gains temporary hit points when it assumes this form equal to the size of the building it changed into: 20 temporary hit points for a Gargantuan building, and 50 temporary hit points for a Colossal building.

While in cathedralform, a --- gains DR 10/– and resistance 10 to cold, acid, electricity, and sonic damage. It becomes vulnerable to fire, taking half again as much damage from fire effects as normal. All movement speeds for a --- in cathedralform are halved. Traditionally, a --- transforms into a building to lure evildoers inside, and then traps them inside as it slowly saunters off to bring them to justice. A --- has complete control over the floor plan of the building it transforms into, and can manipulate the design features of it at will as a standard action (including, but not limited to, the following effects: opening and closing doors and windows, moving entrances and exits, changing the size or locations of stairways, and similar effects).

A --- may remain in cathedralform for as long as it likes, but it may only assume this form once an hour. It may revert to its normal shape as a swift action; any beings inside it when it does so are ejected into the nearest open space.

I'm changing my vote to this and cleric spells.

vegetalss4
2008-09-26, 01:44 AM
Cathedralform and clerical spells

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-26, 02:31 AM
Vote change to cathederal form and cleric spells.

Heliomance
2008-09-26, 04:03 AM
Cathedralform, cleric spells and Smite Evil. Also, in cathedralform, the ground inside should be automatically sanctified.

Pronounceable
2008-09-26, 06:09 AM
Cathedralform (BTW why cathedral?) and antimagic.

Evil DM Mark3
2008-09-26, 08:41 AM
BTW why cathedral?

I am guessing the combination of LG, Urban/ruins and shapechanger. He shape chances into a LG appropriate building.

Zeta Kai
2008-09-26, 02:52 PM
All current votes are tallied, but I'm gonna keep the voting up over the weekend, because there are so many Special Abilities to choose from. Check out the table on post #1 for the current tally. Keep 'em comin'!

Knaight
2008-09-26, 02:58 PM
Cathedral Form and Regenation when not in Cathedral Form, when dropped to below -10 hit points automatically turns into Cathedral Form.

Magnor Criol
2008-09-27, 10:10 AM
It should have a sonic-based attack - namely, it should have something related to a large bell, that it clangs when in cathedral form. (Since it's pretty much a given that it'll ave cathedralform at this point...)

Fako
2008-09-27, 03:43 PM
Cathedralform and Cleric spells

shadowxknight
2008-09-27, 04:11 PM
Antimagic and Cathedralform.

Zeebiedeebie
2008-09-27, 04:58 PM
Change shape and antimagic.

Zeta Kai
2008-09-28, 10:53 AM
Alright, the votes for Special Abilities are tallied, & the winner is: Antimagic, Cathedral Form, & Spells (Cleric)!

So, the creature is going to be an Aberration, with the Extraplanar & Shapechanger subtypes. It's Size is going to be Huge. It's Alignment is going to be Lawful Good. It's CR is going to be 13. It's Environment is going to be Any Urban or Ruin. It's Special Abilities are going to be Antimagic, Cathedral Form, & Spells (Cleric). This sounds like it's going to be an insanely interesting critter.

Voting is concluded at this point. The resultant creature is being crafted, & will be posted on Wednesday, October 1st. Thanks to everyone who voted.

Adumbration
2008-09-30, 10:31 AM
Can't wait to see it. I hope you have a good picture of it. Maybe in the cathedral form? :smallamused:

Zeta Kai
2008-10-01, 07:59 AM
As promised, today I am proud to present the monster that you all voted for. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by both the turn-out & the results. This was not a monster that I would have come up with on my own. It has many aspects of its design that are highly unusually, both for me personally & for D&D in general.

Without further ado, I give you the Gatekeeper.

Zeta Kai
2008-10-01, 08:04 AM
“So, are you trying to tell me that the Holy Zenith Cathedral of Heironeous is actually some kind of tentacle monster?”

Gatekeeper

http://www.nashfordpublishing.co.uk/photos/wells_cathedral.jpg
A Colossal Gatekeeper in Shrine Form.

http://images.mmosite.com/2moons/images/mob/tentacle_a.jpg
A Huge Gatekeeper in its natural form.

Huge Aberration (Extraplanar, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 16d8+80 (152HP)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20’ (4 squares), Burrow 10’ (2 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +12 natural); touch 9; flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+27
Attack: Slam +17 melee (2d6+7)
Full Attack: 2 Slams +17 melee (2d6+7)
Space/Reach: 15’/15’
Special Attacks: Spells
Special Qualities: Aberration traits, Antimagic, Cathedral Form
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +12
Abilities: Str 24 (+7), Dex 13 (+1), Con 20 (+5), Int 17 (+3), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 19 (+4)
Skills: Concentration +13, Diplomacy +10, Disguise +22, Hide -7, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (Religion) +14, Listen +10, Search +7, Sense Motive +11, Spellcraft +11, Spot +9
Feats: Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Negotiator, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Disguise), Still Spell
Environment: Any Urban or Ruin
Organization: solitary
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: standard
Alignment: usually Lawful Good
Advancement: 17-25HD (Huge), 26-35HD (Gargantuan), 36-60HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: N/A

The temple before you begins to shudder & shake. In the blink of an eye, the entire building collapses into itself. But instead of a heap of rubble, the remains of the temple have formed into a ropey mass of boney plates & red sinew. The creature’s multiple jaws flex as it spits pinkish froth, & it many eyes stare in your direction with an inscrutable intellect.

Not all beings native to the Far Realm are evil. Despite the ubiquitous madness that pervades that plane, some native creatures there have pure souls, dedicated to the betterment of others. These entities are aberrant even among their own kind, & are most commonly known as the Gatekeepers.

The term “Gatekeeper” refers to their self-chosen role in the multiverse. Known in the myriad tongues of the Far Realm as G@t^k%p*r (or other, stranger variations), the Gatekeepers have taken it upon themselves to protect the “near planes” from the predations of other natives of the Far Realm. They do this by guarding portals to the Far Realm, defending against new & existing Far Realm incursions, & promoting Good-aligned organizations. Although their alien mindset usually precludes them from actual worship of their chosen deities, the Gatekeepers’ service & dedication to the causes of Law & Good make them valuable allies of their respective churches.

Adults are around 24’ long in their natural form, & weigh about 9 tons. It is unknown if there are separate genders of Gatekeepers, or if there is any size or shape difference between these potential genders. Gatekeepers can live to be 1,200 years old, & the speak Celestial, Common, Draconic, & Far Common (Ph@rk*m#n).

Combat
Gatekeepers are cautious, prudent beings, & therefore do not enter combat lightly. While in Shrine Form, a Gatekeeper will usually defend itself from attacks by activating its Antimagic Field, or by using its spells such as calm emotions, hold person, or searing light. In its natural form, a Gatekeeper is more willing to fight back, using its Antimagic Field to negate magical assaults while it slams opponents. When faced with enemies from foreign planes, it often employs spells such as dismissal, banishment, or forbiddance, only using its Antimagic Field as a last resort.

Spells: Gatekeepers in either form can cast divine spells as 12th-level clerics. A Gatekeeper has access to any 2 of the following domains: Good, Law, Protection, Sun, or Trickery. The save DC’s are Wisdom-based (save DC=13 + Spell Level). Typical cleric spells prepared 6/6/5/5/4/4/3:

0th Level: create water, guidance, light, mending, purify food & drink, resistance
1st Level: bless water, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, remove fear, sanctuary
2nd Level: aid, calm emotions, consecrate, enthrall, hold person
3rd Level: daylight, protection from energy, remove curse, searing light, stone shape
4th Level: cure critical wounds, dimensional anchor, dismissal, sending
5th Level: cure light wounds (mass), hallow, summon monster V, wall of stone
6th Level: banishment, forbiddance, planar ally

Aberration traits: Like nearly all aberrations, Gatekeepers possess the following traits:

Darkvision out to 60’
Proficient with its natural weapons
Not proficient with any armor
Must eat, sleep, & breathe

Antimagic (Ex): Three times per day, a Gatekeeper can emit an antimagic field centered upon itself; this field has a 30’ radius, & lasts up to 1 hour; a Gatekeeper can dismiss its own field as a free action, but any time remaining on the effect is wasted; activating a field is a swift action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity; while its field is active, a Gatekeeper must remain in its current form

Shrine Form (Su): A Gatekeeper can alter its form to resemble a building dedicated to the worship of a Lawful Good deity, such as Heironeous, Moradin, or Yondalla. Its size increases by 1 step while in this form; therefore, a Huge Gatekeeper would have a Gargantuan Shrine Form. The Gatekeeper gains temporary hit points when it assumes Shrine Form equal to its Hit Die.

While in Shrine Form, a Gatekeeper gains DR 10/- & Resistance 10 to cold, acid, electricity, & sonic damage. It becomes vulnerable to fire, taking 50% more damage from fire effects as normal. A Gatekeeper in Shrine Form can only travel 5’ per round, & cannot use its Burrow ability. Traditionally, a Gatekeeper transforms into a building to lure evildoers inside, & then traps them inside as it slowly marches off to bring them to justice. A Gatekeeper can also shelter smaller allies within it, protecting them from harm (creatures inside of a Gatekeeper cannot be targeted from the outside). Regardless of intent, a Gatekeeper’s interior can hold 1 Huge, 2 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, 128 Tiny, or 512 Diminutive or smaller opponents; this assumes that the Gatekeeper is originally Huge; a Gargantuan Gatekeeper can hold twice as many, while a Colossal Gatekeeper can hold 4 times as many.

A Gatekeeper has complete control over the floor plan of the building it transforms into, & can manipulate the design features of it at will as a standard action (including, but not limited to, the following effects: opening & closing doors or windows, moving entrances or exits, changing the size or locations of stairways, & similar effects). A typically Gatekeeper’s Shrine Form looks like a small temple building, made of wood, brick, or stone, around 25’×50’ on the first floor. It usually has 1 or 2 upper floors, usually forming a small tower. It often has stained glass windows (which do not permit clear vision, only lighting), & large double doors on one side.

A Gatekeeper can assume Shrine Form as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. A Gatekeeper may remain in Shrine Form for as long as it likes, but it may only assume this form 3 times per day. It may revert to its normal shape as a swift action; any beings inside it when it does so are ejected into the nearest open space.

Gatekeeper Lore
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (Dungeoneering) or Knowledge (The Planes) can learn more about Gatekeepers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DC’s.

Dungeoneering DC18: “There are strange beasts from beyond that are able to take to form of churches.”
The Planes DC23: “Known as the Gatekeepers, they are Lawful Good beings from the Far Realm.”
Dungeoneering DC28: “The Gatekeepers make it their mission to keep other natives from the Far Realm out of the ‘near planes’.”
The Planes DC33: “They are able to cast spells like a cleric, & are particularly adept at projecting antimagic fields.”
Dungeoneering DC38: Characters who succeed this Knowledge check know a Gatekeeper’s typical spell list, as well as the specifics of Shrine Form.


http://www.kansastravel.org/05cathedral2.JPG
Another Gatekeeper protecting its chosen area.

Pronounceable
2008-10-01, 08:45 AM
Hey this is great! Consider it yoinked.

Debihuman
2008-10-01, 09:26 AM
Tsk, tsk you didn't name it Zuul and furthermore you didn't include a keymaster! Oh, the humanity! :biggrin:

Debby

Shadow_Elf
2008-10-01, 05:07 PM
Excellent job! If I played 3.X, I would totally use this.

Zeta Kai
2008-10-02, 08:18 AM
Thank you all for your comments. It took a bit of work to make this creature a coherent creation with a definate theme. I had to tweak a few things, but most of that was cosmetic; the most noticeable changes were with Cathedral Form, which I turned into Shrine Form.

Kellus did a great job creating an interesting & unique Alternate Form variant, & many people liked what he did, so I didn't want to do a major overhaul of something that was voted on. At the same time, I felt that it was necessary to clarify the implications of the ability, while also tying its effects to the creature's HD/Size.

The fluff was mainly crafted to explain how a being with the voted-for stats would fit into a typical D&D cosmology. This thing is essentially a mid-level Lovecraftian ally, which is an unlikely combination of traits. Therefore, a bit of explanation was necessary to justify its unusual role.

I'm so pleased with the results of this contest that I plan on starting another one in the near future, so look for look for Vote Up a Monster #2 to start soon. Thanks again to all who voted this into being, & please don't be shy about adding your comments or critiques here.

Zeta Kai
2008-10-03, 11:56 PM
Ahem... BUMP. :smallbiggrin:

Knaight
2008-10-09, 10:52 PM
So what happens if the gatekeeper goed away from cathedral form whens somebody is in it?

Zeta Kai
2008-10-09, 11:02 PM
So what happens if the gatekeeper goed away from cathedral form whens somebody is in it?

As I said, in the original monster posting:

It may revert to its normal shape as a swift action; any beings inside it when it does so are ejected into the nearest open space.