Invasion of the podpeople ( or something like that) [MitP 2]

[DragonTounge]

MitP II is done voting.

Spreader

Example:
Human Commoner, Spreader
Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 1d8+5 (9hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 25ft. (5 squares)
Armor Class: 11 (-1 dex, +2 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+3
Attack: Slam +3 (1d6+2)
Full Attack: 2 slams +3 (1d6+2)
Space/reach: 5ft./5ft.
Special Attacks: Explosive death, place spore
Special qualities: Flammable, plant traits, darkvision, linked mind, fast healing 5
Saves: Fort +5, Ref -1, Will + 0
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 10
Skills: Bluff +1, Listen +0, Spot +0, Disguise +6
Feats: Toughness, Power Attack
Environment: Forests and Urban Areas
Organization: Solitary, "Family" (2-5 spreaders), Urban area (20-100 spreaders), Town (50-120 spreaders), City (130-350 spreaders), Capital (300-1200 spreaders), or Kingdom (1,500-5,000 spreaders)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: 50% coins, 50% goods
Alignment: Always evil
Advancement: none
Level Adjustment: -

Explosive Death: When a spreader is killed it explodes releasing the spores it has been harvesting in its body. Anyone in 15ft. of the spreader must make a DC 13 fortitude save. Those who don’t make the save have the spores began to eat away at them dealing 1 constitution damage every hour. Once the victim dies from constitution damage the spore begins to turn him into a spreader normally. A DC 15 heal check, a heal spell, a remove disease spell, or slow poison spell can get rid of the spores. Plants, oozes, undead, and constructs aren’t affected by the explosive death ability.

Flammable: When a spreader is hit by a fire spell it must make a reflex save equal to 10 + the spells level + the casters main spell casting ability score. If he fails this reflex save he catches on fire taking 1d6 points of fire damage every turn. Also, fire spells incinerate the spores in the spreader and its explosive death ability and its place spore ability can't be used for 48hours. The spreader can use a full round round action and fall prone to put itself out.

Place Spore: Spreaders are constantly breeding there own spores in there body. When a spreader stumbles upon the body of some corporal creature it can place a spore in the victim’s body. The victim then turns into a spreader in the appropriate amount of time. This doesn’t affect dead constructs, oozes, undead, or plants.

Decription:

Spreaders are sponge-like creatures created from spores from a Seeder. When a spore from a seeder hits the corpse of a living creature it begins to devour the corpse. The spore replaces the creatures insides with a sponge like material similar to what makes up a mushroom. The only thing the spore leaves left is the creatures skin, hair, and eyes. This gives it the exact appearance of the creature it took over. The process takes a week to replace a medium creature with sponge-like material, for a small creature cut the time in half and for a large creature double the time. Once the spreader is created it looks exactly like whatever body it consumed. The spreader then goes to a city and attempts to blend in. The spreader is in complete control of the Seeder that created it. Some become thugs, killing innocent people and turning them into spreaders. Others attempt to get job and then murder people higher up in society. As time goes on more and more people in the town become spreaders and soon the entire town completely under the control of spreaders. The spreaders move on from town to town taking them over. All the while the Seeder remains in control. Some Seeders have been known to have taken over entire nations though some say these are pure legend.
Many people say that killing the commanding Seeder will instantly slay all the spreaders under its control. However this is a grave mistake. When a Seeder is killed all spreaders under its control take 1d6 damage and are stunned for 2d4 rounds. Then they go into a berserk frenzy killing all living things, including other spreaders, until they are killed or until its been in this frenzy for a week. After a week all spreaders under the seeders command wilt away into dust.

Spreader Template:

The spreader template can’t be added to oozes, undead, or constructs.

Type: The taken over creature gains the plant type
Hit Dice: Turn all hit dice to d8.
Speed: Spreaders move 5ft. slower than the base speed of its race.
AC: The base creature gains a +2 to natural armor. They always wear the armor the base creature wore and automatically becomes proficient with that type of armor.
Attacks and damage: Spreaders keep all attacks of the base creature and gains a slam attack if the base creature did not have one. Only humanoids may have this slam attack. Damage is listed below.

Small slam does 1d4 damage

Medium slam does 1d6 damage

Large slam does 1d8 damage

Huge slam does 2d6 damage

Gargantuan slam does 2d8 damage

Colossal slam does 4d6 damage

Special Attacks: A spreader loses all the base creatures other special attacks. However a spreader gains the special attacks listed below.
Explosive Death: When a spreader is killed it explodes releasing the spores it has been harvesting in its body. Anyone in 15ft. of the spreader must make a reflex save equal to half the spreaders hit dice + its constitution modifier. Those who don’t make the save have the spores began to eat away at them dealing 1 constitution damage every hour. Once the victim dies from constitution damage the spore begins to turn him into a spreader normally. A DC 15 heal check, heal spell, a remove disease, or slow poison spell can get rid of the spores. Plants, oozes, undead, and constructs aren’t affected by the explosive death ability.
Place Spore: Spreaders are constantly breeding there own spores in there body. When a spreader stumbles upon the body of some corporal creature it can place a spore in the victim’s body. The victim then turns into a spreader in the appropriate amount of time. Dead plants, oozes, undead, and constructs aren’t affected by this ability.
Special Qualities: Spreaders lose all the special qualities that the base creature. It gains the special qualities below.
Flammable: When a spreader is hit by a fire spell it must make a reflex save equal to 10 + the spells level + the casters main spell casting ability score. If he fails this reflex save he catches on fire taking 1d6 points of fire damage every turn. Also, fire spells incinerate the spores in the spreader so its explosive death ability and place spore ability can't be used for 48hours. A spreader can use a full round action and fall prone to put itself out.
Linked Mind: A spreaders mind is always linked to the Seeder that created it. In this way a Seeder is able to control all of the spreaders actions. When the link between a Seeder and its spreader is broken (such as when the Seeder dies or a spreaders head is lobbed off) the spreader goes into a berserk rage attacking everything in sight. It doesn’t gain any bonuses when in this rage.
Fast Healing: A spreader gains the fast healing ability according to the base creatures hit dice. It only heals its self as long as its alive.

1-6 HD fast-heal 5
6-13 HD fast-heal 10
13-20 HD fast-heal 15
21+ HD fast-heal 18

Abilities: Increase from base creature as follows: +4 Str, +4 Con, Dex -2. Intelligence decreases to 1.
Skills: Spreaders have a +5 natural bonus on disguise checks. Otherwise same as base creature.
Organization: Solitary, "Family" (2-5 spreaders), Urban area (20-100 spreaders), Town (50-120 spreaders), City (130-350 spreaders), Capital (300-1200 spreaders), or Kingdom (1,500-5,000 spreaders).
Challenge Rating: 1-13 HD same as base creature +2. 14 HD or more; same as base creature +3
Treasure: same as base creature.
Alignment: Always evil

Tell me if this is already a monster (my lack of monster manuals is killing me ).
I should have Seeders up soon.

[Callix]

Specify they take normal damage from fire. Otherwise, regeneration makes them unkillable. You might mean fast healing as well. Otherwise, kinda cool. Add any other energy types you want them vulnerable to.

[DragonTounge]

I think I fixed its fast-healing ability so its no longer invincible.

[TheLogman]

Great idea, in fact this is similar to a monster, but difference enough that you can't be sued. That monster is the Flood from Halo, the plant type, the spreaders, the seeders, the taking over dead bodies, its all similar, but then again, this has been a common theme since the beginning of fictional story-telling. The theme of (Oh noes the ________ will take over our dead bodies, and turn them into __________'s) has been going on for quite a while, but I'm pretty sure the plant version, especially yours has ever been done by the Wizards or anyone else, and I myself have been thinking about stating out something like this with a hive mind, and the ability to add to its ranks. I do have a thought though, maybe you could allow the Spore thing to give later on Fortitude saves, since at level 1, most PC's are going to fail the reflex save, and then die unless they have a Cleric/Druid who just happened to prepare Slow poison that day (Which isn't likely), or they meet someone with a few ranks in heal, cause at level 1, even a Cleric with 4 ranks in heal is maxed out, and can't even help the dying comrade half the time. Tossing something with 2 HD, and d8's none the less is dangerous when dealing with a 1st level party. Maybe consider raising the CR to at least 2, if not three then considering the special abilities as well?

[Matthew]

This is a pretty cool idea, but I'm not clear how you calculated Skills on the Example. Did you keep the Commoner's Skills before he was assimilated? Very confusing. With Intelligence 1, we're looking at [5 x (2 - 1)] or 5 Skill Points.

or

Are you presenting a Commoner who conveniently had Bluff 4(4) and Disguise 4(4), then added 1 Skill Point to Disguise and +4 from the Template? Are the Skill Points get retroactively reassigned when the Commoner is assimilated?

Sorry, if this is a bit of an odd question. I'm not clear on how this sort of thing should work.

[Vaniel]

I believe the template should have Level Adjustments, but I'm no homebrew expert. It seems a little powerful for a 2DH creature (even commoner). The template is too powerful for just that 1HD of adjustment (JMHO)

Place Spore seems just a little WAY too overpowered. You should add someway to counter the place spore ability, since this could end the life of any high level character adventurer pretty quickly, and he couldn't do anything about it.

[Anxe]

Looks like a good solid template for pod people. Mitp: Yes

[DragonTounge]

I think I fixed the skill points and made it slightly less powerful.

[Lord Iames Osari]

You need to fix your spelling and grammar in several places; you also need to specify whether the special qualities granted by the template are extraordinary, psi-like, supernatural, or spell-like.

Also, reading the Flammable ability, it's unclear if the spreaders can put themselves out once they catch fire; you just say they take 1d6 damage each round.