(3.5) Tarrasque too easy? I think so...

[demonickin0]

So I was preparing the final part of my campaign when I realized that the Tarrasque from D&D 3.5 Monster Manual 1 is too easy. Being the case that my party enjoys stacking their offensive powers what would they do if I made the Tarrasque into something just as dangerous. I want a fight that will last more then 2 rounds. SOOOOO I came up with the Night-Hollow Tarrasque. I took the original stats of the Tarrasque and slapped a few templates onto it.

The origin is the one Tarrasque in the plane of amani was defeated by a great an powerful guardian known as Drex Fincross. Drex sealed it away and now that Drex is dead, the Tarrasque is being broken out of it's seal by a powerful Anti-Guardian known as Crofax the Wicked.

Spoiler

Show

Night-Hollow Tarrasque
Colossal Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 48d12+594 (919)
Initiative: +11
Speed: 20 ft. (4 Squares)/ 40 ft. Flying (4 Squares)
Armor Class: 47 (-8 size, +3 Dex, +12 Shield +30 Natural), Touch 5, Flat-footed 44
Base Attack/Grapple: +48/+81
Attack: Bite +57 melee (4d8+17/18-20/x3)
Full Attack: Bite +57 melee (4d8+17/18-20/x3) and 2 horns +52 melee (1d10+8) and 2 claws +52 melee (1d12+8) and tail slap +52 melee (3d8+8)
Space/Reach: 30ft/20ft
Special Attacks: Augmented Critical, frightful presence, improved grab, rush, swallow whole, Energy Drain, Improved Initiative, Breath Weapon
Special Qualities: Carapace, damage reduction 15/epic, immunity to fire, cold, electricity, sonic, poison, disease, energy drain, ability drain, and ability damage, regeneration 40, scent, spell resistance 32
Saves: Fort +38, Ref +29, Will +20
Abilities: Str 45, Dex 22, Con 35, Int 3, Wis 18, Cha 18
Skills: Listen +17, Search +9, Spot +17, Survival +14 (+16 following tracks)
Feats: Alertness, Awesome Blow, Blind-Fight, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Toughness (6)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 25
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: 49+ HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: --
Combat:
Augmented Critical (Ex): The Night-Hollow Tarrasque’s bite threatens a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 18-20, dealing triple damage on a successful critical hit.
Frightful Presence (Su): The Night-Hollow Tarrasque can inspire terror by charging or attacking. Affected creatures must succeed on a DC 36 Will save or become shaken, remaining in that condition as long as they remain with 60 feet of the Night-Hollow Tarrasque. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the Night-Hollow Tarrasque must hit a Huge or smaller opponent with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check. It establishes a hold and can try to swallow the foe the following round.
Rush (Ex): Once per minute, the normally slow-moving Night-Hollow Tarrasque can move at a speed of 150 feet.
Swallow Whole (Ex): The Night-Hollow Tarrasque can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Huge or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d8+8 points of crushing damage plus 2d8+6 points of acid damage per round from the Night-Hollow Tarrasque’s digestive juices. A swallows creature can cut its way out by dealing 50 points of damage to the Night-Hollow Tarrasque’s digestive tract (AC 25). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole, another swallows opponent must cut its own way out.
The Night-Hollow Tarrasque’s gullet can hold 2 huge, 8 Large, 32 Medium, 128 Small, or 512 Tiny or smaller creatures.
Carapace (Ex): The Night-Hollow Tarrasque’s armor like carapace is exceptionally tough and highly reflective, deflecting all rays, lines, cones, and even magic missile. There is a 30% chance of reflecting any such effects back at the caster, otherwise it is merely negated. Check for reflection before rolling to overcome the creature’s spell resistance.
Regeneration (Ex): No form of attack deals lethal damage to the Night-Hollow Tarrasque. The Night-Hollow Tarrasque regeneration even if it fails a saving throw against a disintegrate spell, or a death effect. If the Night-Hollow Tarrasque fails its save against a spell or effect that would kill it instantly (such as those mentioned above), the spell or effect instead deals nonlethal damage equal to the creature’s full normal hitpoints+10. The Night-Hollow Tarrasque is immune to effects that produce incurable or bleeding wounds, such as mummy rot, a sword with the wounding special ability, or a clay golem’s cursed, wound ability the Night-Hollow Tarrasque can be slain only by raising its nonlethal damage total to its full normal hit points +10 and using a wish or miracle spell to keep it dead.
If the Night-Hollow Tarrasque loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows it 1d6 minutes (the detached piece dies and decays normally). The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump.
Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by the Night-Hollow Tarrasque’s natural weapons gain one negative level. For each negative level bestowed, the Night-Hollow Tarrasque gains 5 temporary hit points. A hollow can use its energy drain ability once per round.
Hollow Body (Ex): A hollow has a 20% to take no damage from sneak attacks. However, unless the hollow has wings or some mode of movement that allows flight, it must stay on solid ground but may move through 5ft of solid objects as willed.
Breath Weapon (Su): A Night-Hollow Tarrasque has one type of breath weapon, a burst of superheated plasma which is treated as a ranged touch attack, available once every 1d3 rounds as a swift action. A Night-Hollow Tarrasque's breath weapon has a range of 500 feet, deals 10d8 damage (half of which is fire, the other half of which is untyped), and deals half damage again on the next round.

Skills: The Night-Hollow Tarrasque has a +8 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.

[JoshuaZ]

The main weakness of the Tarrasque is flying things. Adding the breath weapon does certainly make it closer to being actually worth its CR. But with an 80 foot range, that still isn't that far for flying adventurers. Have you taken a look at what Pathfinder's Tarrasque does?

[gooddragon1]

It's still not immune to ability drain which can lead to a wizard using a swarm of allips to neutralize it.

[demonickin0]

I debated whether or not giving it wings. Plus my party only has one archer who can reach past 80ft so I'm not too worried, plus it can charge 150ft to eat him. I'll give the pathfinder one a look.

[demonickin0]

It's still not immune to ability drain which can lead to a wizard using a swarm of allips to neutralize it.

It's naturally immune to ability damage bro, I consider ability damage a form of drain.

[gooddragon1]

It's naturally immune to ability damage bro, I consider ability damage a form of drain.

You might, but the rules don't:

Ability Damaged
Ability Drained

Construct Type

Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.

So if you're making this for general use it might not be as useful.

[vasharanpaladin]

Needs to be immune to ability drain and any condition that prevents it from taking actions. Also, I recommend devamping 4e's version, which also makes it a proper terror on the attack (ignore damage reduction, crit the uncrittable) and allows it to deal with would-be smart-alecks by forcing everyone to keep both feet on the ground at all times (Earthbinding Aura, ftw!).

Still a joke compared to a wizard who's actually at a level expected to fight the damn thing, though...

[bobthe6th]

Also, give it less bad feats... and 10 should be epic feats. You can do a lot with 10 epic feats. epic skill focus(jump), skill focus(jump), leap to the heavens, jump attack... replace all 6 of those toughness with epic toughness.

[Tvtyrant]

D20 Modern Arcana has a creature called a Nuclear Toxyderm which is a radiation elemental (basically a living nuclear weapon.)

Take its special attacks and give them to a Tarrasque, but increase the breath weapons range to 1,000 ft. That means that fighting it involves getting within its range. Nothing is immune to radiation sickness, so it can kill incorporeal creatures as well as normal enemies.

Spoiler

Show

Radiation (Ex): The area within a quarter-mile of a nuclear toxyderm is considered highly irradiated (see Radiation Sickness, below), so characters receive a low exposure to radiation if they remain in the area for less than a minute and a moderate exposure if they stay longer. If the nuclear toxyderm hits a creature with a slam attack, that creature receives a severe exposure to radiation.

Breath Weapon (Ex): The nuclear toxyderm’s breath weapon is a 100-foot cone of white-hot nuclear slag and fullspectrum radiation. It deals 20d6 points of damage to all in its path, or half damage if a Reflex save succeeds (DC 10 + 1/2 toxyderm’s Hit Dice + toxyderm’s Constitution modifier). Any creature that takes damage from the cone also suffers a high exposure to radiation (see the Radiation Sickness).

Chain Reaction (Su): If the nuclear toxyderm is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it explodes in a blinding flash of light that deals 400 points of damage to everything (creatures and objects alike) within 400 feet and 100 points of damage to everything within a mile; a successful Reflex save halves the damage (DC 10 + 1/2 toxyderm’s Hit Dice + toxyderm’s Dexterity modifier). This explosion generally results in a milehigh mushroom cloud and a highly radioactive crater a quarter-mile across.

[TuggyNE]

D20 Modern Arcana has a creature called a Nuclear Toxyderm which is a radiation elemental (basically a living nuclear weapon.)

Take its special attacks and give them to a Tarrasque, but increase the breath weapons range to 1,000 ft. That means that fighting it involves getting within its range. Nothing is immune to radiation sickness, so it can kill incorporeal creatures as well as normal enemies.

But… why would a Tarrasque be radioactive?

Note that I've cobbled together a Tarrasque improvement before, although it didn't use any homebrew. Or, if you really want homebrew, try this ToB-based upgrade.

[Tvtyrant]

But… why would a Tarrasque be radioactive?

Note that I've cobbled together a Tarrasque improvement before, although it didn't use any homebrew. Or, if you really want homebrew, try this ToB-based upgrade.

Because while some believe the Tarrasque should be less like Godzilla, I want it to be more like Godzilla.[/SPOILER]

[LordErebus12]

give it a big racial bonus on jump checks or a ranged attack, like the spines ability for the pathfinder Terrasque

[Vessyra]

I think that most of it's good, although the +52 on most of the attacks is going over the top. Especially with power attack, because if the party rogue as an AC of, let's say, 33, then the Tarrasque could power attack for +21 damage on all attacks and still hit on a natural two. Apart from the crazy high attack bonus, though, it seems good

[rferries]

Here's my take. Tried to adhere to the 3.5 version somewhat, while still revamping a few key things (dragon type, breath weapon, antimagic, and immunities); n.b. I balanced it around CR 20 like the original rather than making it a CR 100 god-killing entity. I decided against making it an abomination (Divine Rank 0) or giving it DR/epic, as it should be feasible to defeat it without epic weapons.


TARRASQUE

---

COLOSSAL DRAGON
Hit Dice: 48d12+816 (1,128 hp)
Initiative: +11
Speed: 100 ft. (20 squares), burrow 100 ft., climb 100 ft., swim 100 ft.
Armor Class: 33 (+3 Dex, +20 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 30
Base Attack/Grapple: +48/+81
Attack: Bite +65 melee (4d8+17)
Full Attack: Bite +65 melee (4d8+17) and 2 horns +65 melee (1d10+8) and 2 claws +65 melee (1d12+8) and tail slap +65 melee (3d8+8)
Space/Reach: 30 ft./30 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, improved grab, pounce, swallow whole, terrifying presence
Special Qualities: Carapace, darkvision 60 feet, hardness 20, immortality, immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, scent, spell resistance 58
Saves: Fort +38, Ref +29, Will +28
Abilities: Str 45, Dex 16, Con 35, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 14
Skills: Climb +23, Intimidate +53, Jump +96, Listen +53, Spot +53, Swim +23
Feats: Improved Initiative, Improved Multiattack, Multiattack, Preternatural Grace x4
Epic Feats: Epic Toughness x6, Multiattack Rend, Superior Initiative
Environment: Any
Organization: Unique
Challenge Rating: 20
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -

A creature of unspeakable might, sent by the gods themselves solely to destroy...

The Tarrasque is near-divine in its power and inscrutability. It emerges from its eons of hibernation only to lay waste to civilisations that have displeased the deities.

Although it is intelligent and comprehends an unknown number of languages, the Tarrasque never speaks.

Combat Abilities
The Tarrasque is swift and brutal in combat, charging to devour foes quickly.

The Tarrasque's natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and hardness.

Breath Weapon (Su)
Pulse of destructive power affecting everything within one mile, once every 1d4 rounds, damage 12d6 force, Reflex DC 51 half; creatures and objects reduced below 0 hit points by the force are completely disintegrated. The pulse also dispels magic and suppresses magic items as if by greater dispel magic (caster level 48th). The save DC is Constitution-based.

Carapace (Ex)
The Tarrasque's hide is imbued with protective magic, and generates a field that counters other magic. The Tarrasque benefits from constant inherent death ward, freedom of movement, mind blank, and true seeing effects (caster level 48th). Additionally, a counterspell attempt is made against any spellcasting within one mile of the Tarrasque as if by greater dispel magic (caster level 48th).

Hardness (Ex)
The Tarrasque's hide is as hard as adamantine. Subtract 20 from any damage it takes (whether physical, magical, or energy-based attacks), except for the damage from adamantine weapons. Halve the damage from ranged weapons before applying this hardness.

Immortality (Ex)
The Tarrasque heals naturally every round rather than every day. It may heal ability drain in this way as though it were ability damage, and regenerates lost limbs and organs every 1d4 rounds. If reduced below 0 hit points the Tarrasque continues to heal in this way, and may only be permanently slain by reducing it to -10 hit points and casting wish or miracle.

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, the Tarrasque must hit a Huge or smaller opponent with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can try to swallow the foe the following round.

Pounce (Ex)
If the Tarrasque charges a foe, it can make a full attack.

Swallow Whole (Ex)
The Tarrasque can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Huge or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d8+8 points of crushing damage plus 2d8+6 points of acid damage per round from the Tarrasque’s digestive juices. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by dealing 50 points of damage to the tarrasque’s digestive tract (AC 25). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. The Tarrasque’s gullet can hold 2 Huge, 8 Large, 32 Medium, 128 Small, or 512 Tiny or smaller creatures.

Terrifying Presence (Ex)
The Tarrasque is a truly awe-inspiring creature. Once each round it may make an Intimidate check as a free action against all creatures that can see, hear, or otherwise perceive it. Enemies that fail this check are shaken for 1d4+1 rounds (stacking up to panicked as normal for multiple failed checks). Remember that as a Colossal creature, the Tarrasque has a +16 bonus on Intimidate checks against Medium creatures. This is an exceptional fear effect.

Skills
The Tarrasque has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. It also has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

New Feats
Multiattack Rend [Epic]
You can tear your foes limb from limb.

Prerequisites
Dex 15, base attack bonus +9, three or more natural attacks, Improved Multiattack, Multiattack.

Benefit
If you hit an opponent with two or more natural weapons in the same round, you may automatically rend the opponent. This rending deals additional damage equal to the base damage of the smallest weapon that hit plus 1 ½ times your Strength modifier. You can only rend once per round, regardless of how many successful attacks you make.

Preternatural Grace
You move with an agility that belies your size.

Prerequisites
Large size or larger, Dex 12.

Benefits
For the purposes of Armour Class and attack rolls, you are treated as being one size category smaller than your actual size (to a minimum of Medium).

Any penalty to your Dexterity score from advancing your size (e.g. from enlarge person or from advancing your racial Hit Dice) is reduced by 2.

Special
You may select Preternatural Grace more than once. Its effects stack.