Evolving Slaadi Hybrids: a Challenge!

[RickAllison]

Alright, this is a challenge to create some terrifying and growing monsters for future DMs to use. This was inspired by the game Evolve, where a group of hunters (effectively, the PCs) hunt down a creature that rapidly grows from egg/infant to kaiju proportions, and the creature that seems to best fit this fluff is the Slaadi. The criteria for this challenge are as follows:

1) A hybrid of Slaadi and (preferably) one other creature type. It should express the high growth and chaotic tendencies of the Slaadi (though possibly tempered by the other creature; it just probably isn't Lawful) and any interesting features of the host. Think how the Xenomorphs are affected by their host, and add in the helpful wizards who created the owlbear.

2) It should grow. When the PCs are told to hunt these down, it is because the larger forms should be harder to cope with. In Evolve, it generally follows the pattern that the younger stages avoid direct confrontation, preferring to isolate easy targets to gain food and thus nourishment. Larger forms, by contrast, have grown powerful enough that they can actually fight the PCs in pitched battle. At the older stages, these creatures should be dominant life-forms, able to defeat unprepared PCs easily and requiring ambushes and other plans to defeat,

3) Be unique. How does a combination with a troll vary from one with a griffin? How about a lich or mummy lord? Dragons and demons?

4) Be more than just a combat encounter. Fluffier abilities that force the PCs to track it by odd methods, ways that it interacts with native flora and fauna. Hunting these should take a session or longer, not just one encounter.

5) Be a threat. Slaadi were born by overtaking a device meant to kill off the chaos that composes them. They swarm and envelop when they are in regular form, a slaad with the blood of a giant should threaten cities or worse.

Thanks in advance to everyone who submits their ideas.

[JNAProductions]

Working on it... Tomorrow.

For now, sleep.

[JNAProductions]

[Ninja_Prawn]

Interesting concept. I'll see if I can come up with anything later.

Have you considered making this a formal contest, with voting and a winner?

[RickAllison]

Interesting concept. I'll see if I can come up with anything later.

Have you considered making this a formal contest, with voting and a winner?

I hadn't planned on making it formal, but that sounds like a great idea!

[Ninja_Prawn]

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

I call dibs on faerie dragon / slaad hybrid.

Spoiler: Fluff

Show

Faerie slaad are wild, capricious beings who view rules as utterly boring and therefore seek to break them at every opportunity. It is totally impossible to predict what a faerie slaad will do, and the older they get the more glee they take in confounding expectations. A faerie slaad will not simply do the thing you least expected; it will lure you into thinking that it isn't going to not do something, then not avoid doing it before you've sorted out all the double-bluffs in your head!

Faerie slaad change in colour as they get older, going through all the colours of the rainbow. Young hatchlings start out red, then they go though yellow, pink, green, purple, orange and blue. Particularly venerable faerie slaad go back to pink, but are also permanently invisible.

Although they are not usually malicious, faerie slaad care little for the lives of humanoids and may be a deadly threat if they decide a spot of violence would be funny.

[Devcon1]

So this appears to be being made into a formal contest? If so, better get started on my entry...

[RickAllison]

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

I call dibs on faerie dragon / slaad hybrid.

Spoiler: Fluff

Show

Faerie slaad are wild, capricious beings who view rules as utterly boring and therefore seek to break them at every opportunity. It is totally impossible to predict what a faerie slaad will do, and the older they get the more glee they take in confounding expectations. A faerie slaad will not simply do the thing you least expected; it will lure you into thinking that it isn't going to not do something, then not avoid doing it before you've sorted out all the double-bluffs in your head!

Faerie slaad change in colour as they get older, going through all the colours of the rainbow. Young hatchlings start out red, then they go though yellow, pink, green, purple, orange and blue. Particularly venerable faerie slaad go back to pink, but are also permanently invisible.

Although they are not usually malicious, faerie slaad care little for the lives of humanoids and may be a deadly threat if they decide a spot of violence would be funny.

That sounds simultaneously adorable and terrifying.

[Devcon1]

I have finally decided. I shall be doing an Illithid-Slaad hybrid known as the Mind Slaad

Spoiler: Information

Show

The Mind Slaad are the horrific result of a slaad tadpole that uses an Illithid as a host body. Originally birthed after an expedition to Limbo that had a turn for the worse, new Mind Slaad are now being made by the Illithids for use as intelligent muscle. Mind Slaad are by nature chaotic and unpredictable, but, through intense training by the Illithids, they are able to seize control of their chaotic instincts, allowing them to follow orders and form and carry out plans without being driven off task by the chaotic impulses that normally drive Slaad.

The tadpoles of the Mind Slaad are the same as normal Slaad tadpoles, but with an appearance that looks like a cross between a Slaad tadpole and an Illithid tadpole. The red stage of the Mind Slaad has the same capabilities as normal, but displays not only a higher intellect, but minor psionic abilities. The blue stage has the same unique qualities as the red stage, though its psionic abilities are more powerful. Upon hitting the green stage, the Mind Slaad has a further increased intellect, and more powerful psionic abilities than the blue. It also gains the illithids’ tentacles, allowing it to latch onto and paralyze particularly pesky foes. It cannot yet devour brains, however. Upon reaching the gray stage, it gains even more powerful psionic abilities, a furthered intellect, and the ability to actually eat brains. It also acquires a less powerful version of the illithids mind blast. And finally, upon reaching the final stage, it has gotten very powerful. Its psionic abilities far surpass those of illithids, and its mind blast is as powerful as an illithid’s. Its intellect has reached its peak as well. Mind Slaadi that have reached this stage have even been known to replace the position of an elder brain when one dies, though this is quite rare, only been confirmed to have happened once.

That's what I have for now. I will probably add more information at a later date, but now I think its time to get on to the statistics of these aberrations.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Faerie Slaad
Faerie slaad are wild, capricious beings who view rules as utterly boring and therefore seek to break them at every opportunity. It is totally impossible to predict what a faerie slaad will do, and the older they get the more glee they take in confounding expectations. A faerie slaad will not simply do the thing you least expected; it will lure you into thinking that it isn't going to not do something, then not avoid doing it before you've sorted out all the double-bluffs in your head!

Faerie slaad change in colour as they get older, going through all the colours of the rainbow. Young hatchlings start out red, then they go though yellow, pink, green, purple, orange and blue. Particularly venerable faerie slaad go back to pink, but are also permanently invisible. Only green faerie slaad are capable of reproduction (which they perform by laying eggs); greens are also incapable of spellcasting, as they must devote some of their energy to laying eggs and raising hatchlings.

Although they are not usually malicious, faerie slaad care little for the lives of humanoids and may be a deadly threat if they decide a spot of violence would be funny.

Spoiler: Red Faerie Slaad

Show

Spoiler: Yellow Faerie Slaad

Show

Spoiler: Pink Faerie Slaad

Show

Spoiler: Green Faerie Slaad

Show

Spoiler: Purple Faerie Slaad

Show

Spoiler: Orange Faerie Slaad

Show

Spoiler: Blue Faerie Slaad

Show

Spoiler: Invisible Pink Faerie Slaad

Show

[Devcon1]

MIND SLAAD (WIP)

Spoiler: Information

Show

The Mind Slaad are the horrific result of a slaad tadpole that uses an Illithid as a host body. Originally birthed after an expedition to Limbo that had a turn for the worse, new Mind Slaad are now being made by the Illithids for use as intelligent muscle. Mind Slaad are by nature chaotic and unpredictable, but, through intense training by the Illithids, they are able to seize control of their chaotic instincts, allowing them to follow orders and form and carry out plans without being driven off task by the chaotic impulses that normally drive Slaad.

The tadpoles of the Mind Slaad are the same as normal Slaad tadpoles, but with an appearance that looks like a cross between a Slaad tadpole and an Illithid tadpole. The red stage of the Mind Slaad has the same capabilities as normal, but displays not only a higher intellect, but minor psionic abilities. The blue stage has the same unique qualities as the red stage, though its psionic abilities are more powerful. Upon hitting the green stage, the Mind Slaad has a further increased intellect, and more powerful psionic abilities than the blue. It also gains the illithids’ tentacles, allowing it to latch onto and paralyze particularly pesky foes. It cannot yet devour brains, however. Upon reaching the gray stage, it gains even more powerful psionic abilities, a furthered intellect, and the ability to actually eat brains. It also acquires a less powerful version of the illithids mind blast. And finally, upon reaching the final stage, it has gotten very powerful. Its psionic abilities far surpass those of illithids, and its mind blast is as powerful as an illithid’s. Its intellect has reached its peak as well. Mind Slaadi that have reached this stage have even been known to replace the position of an elder brain when one dies, though this is quite rare, only been confirmed to have happened once.

Spoiler: Mind Slaad (Red Stage)

Show

Spoiler: Mind Slaad (Blue Stage)

Show

Spoiler: Mind Slaad (Green Stage)

Show

Spoiler: Notes

Show

Okay, got the first three stages done. The spellcasting should be psionics but that statblock creator didn't give the option to clarify that. The CRs will likely need to be reevaluated, so I'll get to that when I can. Hope this is at least decent work

[Ninja_Prawn]

Just dropping in to say I've done 5/8 of my stat blocks now. I'll probably do the rest next week.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Just dropping in to say I've done 5/8 of my stat blocks now. I'll probably do the rest next week.

Done! Take 'am out while they're CR 1 - you don't want to face the CR 26 Invisible Pink Faerie Slaad!!

[Devcon1]

Sorry I haven't been updating, I've been busy with this other project I have going on. I'll go and do the Mind Slaad (Death Stage) next, then work backwards. Definitely going to redo the my first three, as upon looking back at them they're not that good.