[3.5] How would you stat out a Giant Chain Chomp (from Mario 64)?

[newbDM]

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/59e13668.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/b81a746d.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/87f25f14.png
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/326b2d4a.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f173/celestialkin/ef3214a0.jpg

Here is a great YouTube video focusing on these guys:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mxscuyi_m1Y&feature=related

Here is the Super Mario Wiki entry on Chain Chomps:
http://www.mariowiki.com/Chain_Chomp


After rushing to a local Burger King to get the latest Mario toys and cups (I am a Mario collector) I instantly noticed the potential for the Chain Chomp toy. It really is the perfect size for D&D scale (25mm I believe). I have some old 40K bases in the garage, and I recently got some wooden sticks from Home Depot I was going to use for another project that did not get anywhere. So I thought back on my cherished memories of this game and got to work with my dremel and pliers.

I plan to buy two or three more tomorrow to convert like this. I do not remember why, but I think the make up of Mario game levels makes four a good number for these.

Now I just need to figure out how to stat these things out. Any ideas guys/gals?

I managed to get the chain to extend just right so the figure reaches exactly 4 inches from the base, which I believe equals 20ft in D&D 3.5 scale. The base itself is equal to a D&D large creature. How this would work into the mechanics I do not know, but I feel it is important.

I am thinking it should be immune/resistant to arrows and ranged attacks as well? If it is not I feel PCs/players would just range attack the thing without much effort.


As always, any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Ziegander]

Well, it would be a large creature, with extraordinary reach, and would have merely a single Bite attack which deals quite a lot of damage.

I agree it should have some resistance to ranged attacks. Maybe energy resistance and DR (lots)/Bludgeoning and Slashing and Magic.

My only trouble with this concept is this: Why would the party ever even fight one? Mario sure doesn't fight them, unless they have something he absolutely needs (hell, half the time aren't they invincible anyway?). I guess maybe if there was no way to get to something they needed without killing it...

Oh, and it's certainly a construct with all the usual immunities and traits.

[Mercenary Pen]

If you're going to use it, it wants to be used as an ambush predator/hazard. Placement in an alcove off an otherwise nondescript corridor, or in a smallish room that doesn't let the adventurers stay out of reach is ideal.

[Zeta Kai]

Chain Chomp King
Large Construct
Hit Dice: 16d10+30 (118HP)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 20’ (4 squares)
Armor Class: 29 (-1 size, -2 Dex, +22 natural); touch 7; flat-footed 29
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+26
Attack: Bite +21 melee (6d6+10)
Full Attack: Bite +21 melee (6d6+10)
Space/Reach: 10’/10’
Special Attacks: Snap Attack
Special Qualities: Construct traits, Long Reach, Tethered
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +4
Abilities: Str 30 (+10), Dex 6 (-2), Con -- (+0), Int -- (+0), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 1 (-5)
Skills: N/A
Feats: N/A
Environment: Any
Organization: solitary or chain gang (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: N/A
Alignment: always Neutral
Advancement: N/A
Level Adjustment: N/A

Snap Attack (Ex)

Long Reach (Ex): Chain Chomp King can lash out with its Bite attack once every 1d4 rounds, hitting opponents up to 20’ away (NOTE: it may also hit opponents that are only 5’,10’, or 20’ away at no penalty, if it chooses); this attack is identical in all other respects to the normal Bite attack

Tethered (Ex)

[newbDM]

Well, it would be a large creature, with extraordinary reach, and would have merely a single Bite attack which deals quite a lot of damage.

I agree it should have some resistance to ranged attacks. Maybe energy resistance and DR (lots)/Bludgeoning and Slashing and Magic.

"Extraordinary Reach"? Is that an official ability?

And I agree on the single bite attack.

And I love the DR (??)/Bludgeoning, Slashing, and Magic idea! I would throw in psionics as well for my games.


My only trouble with this concept is this: Why would the party ever even fight one? Mario sure doesn't fight them, unless they have something he absolutely needs (hell, half the time aren't they invincible anyway?). I guess maybe if there was no way to get to something they needed without killing it...

I had forgotten that they could not be killed in the Mario games. I believe that even in the 64 game all Mario did was break their chains to set them lose, or break their chains and toss them away. How would this work in D&D?


Oh, and it's certainly a construct with all the usual immunities and traits.

I was also thinking construct.




If you're going to use it, it wants to be used as an ambush predator/hazard. Placement in an alcove off an otherwise nondescript corridor, or in a smallish room that doesn't let the adventurers stay out of reach is ideal.

That is genius! Thank you. I was wondering how to use them properly in D&D.

Maybe they would be great for an abandoned castle dungeon I could work up with a Mario theme?


And why wouldn't I use them? Is there something wrong with this idea/concept?




Chain Chomp King
Large Construct
Hit Dice: 16d10+30 (118HP)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 20’ (4 squares)
Armor Class: 29 (-1 size, -2 Dex, +22 natural); touch 7; flat-footed 29
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+26
Attack: Bite +21 melee (6d6+10)
Full Attack: Bite +21 melee (6d6+10)
Space/Reach: 10’/10’
Special Attacks: Snap Attack
Special Qualities: Construct traits, Long Reach, Tethered
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +4
Abilities: Str 30 (+10), Dex 6 (-2), Con -- (+0), Int -- (+0), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 1 (-5)
Skills: N/A
Feats: N/A
Environment: Any
Organization: solitary or chain gang (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: N/A
Alignment: always Neutral
Advancement: N/A
Level Adjustment: N/A

Snap Attack (Ex)

Long Reach (Ex): Chain Chomp King can lash out with its Bite attack once every 1d4 rounds, hitting opponents up to 20’ away (NOTE: it may also hit opponents that are only 5’,10’, or 20’ away at no penalty, if it chooses); this attack is identical in all other respects to the normal Bite attack

Tethered (Ex)

Wow. Thank you so much Zeta Kai! This is awesome. :smallbiggrin:

I love how you worked out the Long Reach (EX). It seems so simple in hindsight, but these are the little tricks and things I need to learn.

I will just throw in the damage reduction Ziegander suggested and I might having something here. However, how much do you think the DR would affect it's CR?


And just a few question I am confused about please:


How did you intend Snap Attack (Ex) to work?
By Tethered (Ex) did you simply mean simply mean that it can not go any further than it's chain allows?
Why does it not have skills? I thought constructs did have them. In the games they always seemed to have a six-sense about when the character (usually Mario) was near, so would it make sense to put the few skills constructs get into Listen and Spot? What about throwing them into Hide, for when they hide in alcoves and such?



Again, thank you so much!


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

edit:
Oops. I made a big mistake. I only measured how far the chain itself went out on the 1inch grid. It turns out the figure itself is around 2in in diameter, and the small length of chain-like grey area that is part of the figure is another 1/2in. This means the figure actually extends out 6.5in, which is equal to 35.ft in D&D 3.5 movement.

[SAMAS]

According to the wiki, Chain Chomps can be killed by stars or Koopa shells. The big one can be stunned by bombs.

I think their best defenses are natural toughness (They're made of iron, after all), and good placement by the DM (i.e.: Out of the way until it's too late) to avoid them getting killed off from a distance.

You should do the regular and Fire Chomps, too.

[Zeta Kai]

I love how you worked out the Long Reach (EX). It seems so simple in hindsight, but these are the little tricks and things I need to learn.

I wrote Long Reach for use with several monsters in my Resident Evil D20. It's come in very handy for video game based creatures.


I will just throw in the damage reduction Ziegander suggested and I might having something here. However, how much do you think the DR would affect it's CR?

I'd say +1CR for every 5 points of DR/-, up to +3CR.


And just a few question I am confused about please:


How did you intend Snap Attack (Ex) to work?
By Tethered (Ex) did you simply mean simply mean that it can not go any further than it's chain allows?
Why does it not have skills? I thought constructs did have them. In the games they always seemed to have a six-sense about when the character (usually Mario) was near, so would it make sense to put the few skills constructs get into Listen and Spot? What about throwing them into Hide, for when they hide in alcoves and such?


I was intending for you to come up with the crunch for Snap Attack & Tethered. I'd say that SA would be like a special Bite attack (+1.5 Str), usable every 1d4+1 rounds as an immediate action. As for Tethered, yeah, I'd say that the CC can't move more than X feet from its post unless its chain is broken (providing rules for breaking the chain).

Also, a creature with no Intelligence (--) do not have any skills or feats, except for bonus skills/feats.


Again, thank you so much!

No problem. I had a spare minute, & I was in monster-making mode.