LA Assignment Thread X: New Year, New Management, Same Old Unplayable Monsters

[Debatra]

Before anything else, let me once again thank Inevitability for running these threads over the last five years. I hope to hold up to the standard he set.

New Archive Link

We'll be starting this one off with Libris Mortis, AKA "The Book of Bad Latin". As you might expect, this one is packed with various undead monstrosities. And this first one is... something...

On asterisk ratings:

The asterisk is not necessarily 'this will be tricky to normally use'. It denotes 'this has an ability that would be completely broken if allowed, and the rating assumes you remove it'.

The problem with 'low movement speed' and 'has to find a host' is that there's no real trait to remove. Take away 1 ft. movement and... replace it with a basic human walking pace? Remove the symbiont's power restrictions when unattached? There's no obvious way to remove

Furthermore: we've rated monsters that wouldn't fit in most dungeons, monsters that need water to breathe, monsters that die from water, monsters that would get run out of any civilized place, and monsters that explode if you leave them out in the sun. None of those traits got them asterisk-ed, because the underlying assumption that they'd only be played in the campaigns that could accommodate them.

What monsters did get an asterisk? Those whose abilities would innately and effortlessly disrupt any campaign. A dryad can't be used in any campaign that involves 'going places'. A shadow can't be used in any campaign that involves interaction with humanoids. An efreet can't be used in any campaign that involves, well, the PCs having goals.

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Angel of Decay

Despite the name and appearance, Angels of Decay are not in fact undead angels. Well, they don't have to be.

My breakdowns are going to be a bit more detailed than Inevitability's were, though not quite as thorough as Thurbane likes to get.

Size & Type: Large Undead
HD: 26 - That's right folks, we're already starting off Epic. Need I say more? Well let's keep going anyway.
Speed: 30' land, 50' fly (poor)
Ability Scores: Str +26, Dex +4, Con -, Int +10, Wis +10, Cha +8
Natural Armor: 13
Natural Weapons: Two Primary claws (2d6), two secondary wing slams (1d6)
Skill List: Concentration, Diplomacy, Hide, K: Arcana, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival
Body Shape: Humanoid
Speech (Languages): Yes (Common, Abyssal)
CR: 15
WotC LA: -
Our LA: -0

You've got DR 10/adamantine and magic, SR 24 (good for its CR, irrelevant for its ECL), 60' darkvision, and Unholy Grace (Cha to AC and saves). If it hits the same thing at least twice in one round, its Rotting Touch deals an extra 1d6+6 damage and heals it for 5. It also has a party-unfriendly Rotting Aura with no apparent way to turn it off. Each round, any corporeal creature standing on the ground within 15' takes 5d6, Reflex for half. Regardless of that save, they also have to make a will save or be nauseated for the round. Like its touch, the aura heals it for 5 whenever it damages something.