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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    Metastachydium's Avatar

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    Default Songbird race! (And other stuff.))

    Well, this place grew a lot since I let the little birds in this here post fly. For an improved ease of navigation, please find





    Because I like birds.

    Passer

    Passers are avian creatures that resemble songbirds; an average passer has a height of roughly 2' 2". There's little difference between the size and weight of male and female specimens. A passer's wings double as arms, complete with a four-fingered hand.
    Most passers belong to the subrace known as greybirds. Male greybirds have a grey face, belly and cap; the back of their head and their wings are brown. Females have gray bellies with lighter, dull brown caps and wings.

    Passers speak Passer and Common.

    Size/Type: Small Monstrous Humanoid
    Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
    Initiative: +1
    Speed: 15 feet (3 squares), fly 40 feet (average)
    Armor Class: 12 (+1 size, +1 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 11
    Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-5
    Attack: Sickle +2 melee (1d6-2)
    Full Attack: Sickle +2 melee (1d6-2)
    Space/Reach: 5 ft./0 ft.
    Special Attacks: Cry of sorrow
    Special Qualities: Short arms
    Saves: Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +3
    Abilities: Str 6, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 11
    Skills: Balance +4, Listen +4, Spot +4
    Feats: Alertness, Weapon FinesseB
    Environment: Temperate forests
    Organization: Solitary, pair, nest (3-5) or flock (10-40)
    Challenge Rating: 1/2
    Alignment: Usually neutral
    Advancement: By character class
    Level adjustment: +0

    Passer Traits

    A passer character exchanges its 1 HD of monstrous humanoid for its first class level

    Passers possess the following racial traits.
    -4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom.
    Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
    A passer's base land speed is 15 feet. A passer also has a fly speed of 40 feet (average maneuverability).
    Passers (unlike most monstrous humanoids) do not have darkvision.
    Short Arms: Passers' hands are part of their wings, and as such they are shorter than the arms of other races. Passers must enter the space of opponents to make melee attacks against them, unless they are wielding weapons with the reach property.
    Armoured Flight: The fly speed of a passer wearing light armour is reduced by 10 feet and the passer's maneuverability becomes poor. A passer wearing medium or heavy armour cannot fly.
    +2 racial bonus on Hide and Survival checks.
    Cry of Sorrow (Ex): When feeling threatened, a passer can emit a series of short, sorrowful cries as a swift action. Opponents must succeed on a DC 10 Will save or all attacks made by them in the next round against the passer suffer a -1 penalty. The save DC is Charisma-based.
    Automatic Languages: Common, Passer. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Orc, Sylvan.
    Favored Class: Druid.

    Subraces
    The above information describes the greybird passer, the most common variety. There are two other major subraces of passer.

    Greenbird Passer

    Male greenbirds have a bright green plummage with a number of black streaks on their wings and a black cap. Female greenbirds have a green-grey belly with a pattern of green and green-grey feathers covering the rest of their body and a number of black streaks on their wings.

    Greenbird Traits
    These traits are in addition to the greybird traits, except where noted.
    -4 Strength, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma. These adjustments replace the greybird's ability score adjustments.
    +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Hide checks. This trait replaces the greybird's racial bonuses to skill checks.

    Redbird Passer

    Male redbirds have black wings, grey backs and a black cap. Their bellies are bright red. Female redbirds look nearly identical, but their bellies are light brown instead of red.

    Redbird Traits
    These traits are in addition to the greybird traits, except where noted.
    -4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma. These adjustments replace the greybird's ability score adjustments.
    +4 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks. This trait replaces the greybird's racial bonuses to skill checks.
    Favored Class: Sorcerer. This trait replaces the greybird's favored class.


    I'm not sure what their type should be. Currently, I'm thinking monstrous humanoid (since they have that roundish songbird body shape instead a more humanlike one). I'm also not sure whether they should have LA, and if yes, how much.

    Update: Added a stat block, went with monstrous humanoid and no LA for now.
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2023-12-28 at 03:45 PM. Reason: Updated!

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Angry Sparrow Swarm

    These little birds are angry, and there's a lot of them.

    Size/Type: Fine Animal (Swarm)
    Hit Dice: 12d8 (48 hp)
    Initiative: +5
    Speed: 5 feet (1 square), fly 60 ft. (good)
    Armor Class: 23 (+8 size, +5 Dex), touch 23, flat-footed 18
    Base Attack/Grapple: +9/–
    Attack: Swarm (3d6 plus 1d2 acid)
    Full Attack: Swarm (3d6 plus 1d2 acid)
    Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
    Special Attacks: Angry chirping, distraction, droppings
    Special Qualities: Immune to weapon damage, low-light vision, swarm traits
    Saves: Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +6
    Abilities: Str 1, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11
    Skills: Balance +12, Hide +22, Listen +10, Spot +10, Survival +12
    Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Lightning Reflexes
    Environment: Any
    Organization: Solitary
    Challenge Rating: 9
    Alignment: Always neutral
    Advancement: None
    Level Adjustment:

    Angry Chirping (Ex)
    When thousands of angry little birds chirp together, the sound might overwhelm the minds of the weak. Anyone capable of hearing the sparrows must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or become shaken for the duration of the angry chirping. A swarm of sparrows can chirp together for one minute (or 10 rounds). They can then resume chirping once 1d10 rounds have passed.

    Droppings (Ex)
    The swarm excretes copious amounts of droppings as it descends upon its enemies. Each succesful attack made by the swarm deals an additional 1d2 points of acid damage.

  3. - Top - End - #3
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    I like these! Nicely done. I generally don't critique races but I love monster stat blocks.
    P.E.A.C.H. Please Evaluate And Critique Honestly. Being nicer and kinder doesn't hurt either. Note I generally only critique 3.5 and Pathfinder material.
    Please, please, please when using non-core material, cite to the books. There are too many books to wade through to find the one with the feat, special ability or spell you use.
    my creations in homebrew signature thread

  4. - Top - End - #4
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Thanks! I'm happy to hear that (and I just knew including a statblock for the passer was a good idea)!


    Speaking of statblocks, here's a new one. This time it's not a birdy (although if we consider dragons magical dinosaurs, it's close enough), but rather something a bit more folkloric (and so not a talking pyrohydra!):

    Seven-Headed Dragon

    Seven-headed dragons would be indistinguishable from exceptionally tall and wide humans were it not for the colourful scales and scutes, the strong tail and, of course, the seven short-snouted reptilian heads with sharp teeth.
    Seven-headed dragons tend to be hardy fighters, heavy drinkers and many, if not most of them have a weird habit of kidnapping young female aristocrats. They can and often do ride sufficiently sized horses with an unusual number of legs.
    Seven-headed dragons speak Common and Draconic.

    Size/Type: Large Dragon
    Hit Dice: 11d12+66 (137 hp)
    Initiative: +1
    Speed: 40 feet (8 squares)
    Armor Class: 28 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +12 natural, +6 +1 breastplate), touch 10, flat-footed 27
    Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+19
    Attack: Bite +16 melee (1d8+4) or large +4 heavy mace +19 melee (2d6+8) or large +2 scimitar +17 melee (2d4+6) or large +4 heavy mace +16 ranged (2d6+8)
    Full Attack: 7 bites + 16 melee (1d8+4), or large +4 heavy mace +19/+13/+7 melee (2d6+8) or large +2 scimitar +17/+12/+7 melee (2d4+6) or large +4 heavy mace +19/+14/+9 melee (2d6+8) and Large +2 scimitar +17/+12 melee (2d4+4) and 7 bites +11 melee (1d8+2) or large +4 heavy mace +16 ranged (2d6+8)
    Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
    Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, Heavy Throw
    Special Qualities: All-around vision, damage reduction 10/slashing and magic, darkvision 90 ft., dragon traits, immunity to fire, low-light vision, scent
    Saves: Fort +15, Ref +8, Will +9
    Abilities: Str 19, Dex 12, Con 22, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 17
    Skills: Gather Information +9, Intimidate +11, Jump +8, Knowledge (Nobility and royalty) +12, Listen +11, Move Silently +10, Open Lock +10, Ride +8, Spot +11, Search +11, Use Rope +10
    Feats: Endurance, Diehard, Great Fortitude, Improved Two-Weapon FightingB, Weapon Focus (bite)
    Environment: Temperate hills and forests
    Organization: Solitary
    Challenge Rating: 14
    Alignment: Usually neutrall evil
    Advancement: 12-14 HD (Large); 15-20 HD (Huge)
    Level Adjustment:

    All-Around Vision (Ex)
    The multiple heads a seven-headed dragon possessess allow it to look in several directions at once, bestowing a +4 racial bonus on Spot and Search checks. Opponents gain no flanking bonuses when attacking a seven-headed dragon.

    Breath Weapon (Su)
    A seven-headed dragon has one type of breath weapon, a 20 ft. line of fire. Once a seven-headed dragon breathes, it can't breathe again for 1d6 rounds. A seven-headed dragons's breath weapon deals 1d8 points of damage per head. A seven-headed dragon can breathe on up to seven opponents at once. A succesful Reflex save (DC 21) reduces damage by half. The saving throw is Constitution-based.

    Heavy Throw (Ex)
    A seven-headed dragon can throw a heavy mace as if it were a ranged weapon with a range increment of 15 feet.

    Superior Two-Weapon Fighting
    Because each of its two arms are controlled by a different head, a seven-headed dragon does not take a penalty on attack or damage rolls for attacking with two weapons.

    Skills
    Due to having seven heads, a seven-headed dragon has a +14 racial bonus on Spot and Listen checks. It also has a +5 racial bonus on Move Silently, Open Lock, Search and Use Rope checks made while attemting to kidnap somebody.


    I tried to give this an official-looking LA using the guidelines in Savage Species, but at around +13 I gave up on the idea (I blame the guidelines).
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-07-13 at 07:22 AM. Reason: Even BIGGER updates!

  5. - Top - End - #5
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    So. I'm aware there's a thing called camelopardel in Sandstorm, but it's just a short giraffe with some dumb magical auras, and what this game really needs is an actual camel-panther hybrid, i.e. a resilient, predatory spotted camel with sharp fangs that's good at carrying stuff and climbing trees. And here it is:

    Camelopardalis

    Camelopardales resemble camels, and are just as hardy, but their legs are shorter and their yellow-brown fur is adorned by angular, dark brown spots. Camelopardales are omnivorous; however they have a strong preference for meat. Accordingly, their teeth are sharp and so are they claws.

    Size/Type: Large Animal
    Hit Dice: 8d8+56 (88 hp)
    Initiative: +2
    Speed: 50 feet (8 squares), climb 15 feet
    Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14
    Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+15
    Attack: Bite +11 melee (1d10+5)
    Full Attack: Bite +11 melee (1d10+5) and 2 claws +6 melee (1d6+5)
    Space/Reach: 10 ft./ 5 ft.
    Special Attacks: Spit
    Special Qualities: Stubborn endurance, low-light vision, scent
    Saves: Fort +13, Ref +4, Will +5
    Abilities: Str 21, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 2, Wis 9, Cha 14
    Skills: Climb +5, Listen +5, Spot +5, Swim +5
    Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Run
    Environment: Warm plains and hills
    Organization: Solitary or herd (10-50)
    Challenge Rating: 7
    Alignment: Always neutral
    Advancement: 9-15 HD (Large)
    Level Adjustment:

    Carrying capacity
    A light load for a camelopardalis is up to 300 pounds; a medium load, 301-600 pounds; and a heavy load, 601-900 pounds. A camelopardalis can drag 4,500 pounds.

    Stubborn Endurance (Ex)
    A camelopardalis gains a +8 bonus on the following checks and saves: Constitution checks made to continue running, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march, Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst and Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments.

    Spit (Ex)
    A camelopardalis can spit on any opponent within 5 feet as a swift action. The camelopardalis must make a ranged touch attack. If it hits, the target must succeed on a DC 19 Fort save or become sickened for 1d6 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-07-08 at 07:44 AM. Reason: Renamed Endurance (Ex).

  6. - Top - End - #6
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    And here's another, straight out of Borges.

    Krokottas

    Krokottases are canine predators that resemble wolves but have a longer, more angular muzzle and larger, incredibly sharp teeth. Their fur is usually brown or brown-grey.

    Size/Type: Medium Magical Beast
    Hit Dice: 4d10+4 (24 hp)
    Initiative: +2
    Speed: 50 feet (10 squares)
    Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
    Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+7
    Attack: Bite +8 melee (2d4+3+1d8 acid)
    Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (2d4+3+1d8 acid)
    Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
    Special Attacks: Caustic jaws
    Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, unrelenting fangs
    Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +1
    Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 11
    Skills: Climb +3, Listen +2, Spot +2, Survival +3
    Feats: Combat Reflexes, Improved SunderB, Weapon Focus (bite)
    Environment: Warm plains
    Organization: Solitary
    Challenge Rating: 2
    Alignment: Usually neutral
    Advancement: 5 HD (Medium), 6-10 HD (Large)
    Level Adjustment:

    Caustic Jaws (Ex)
    A krokottas begins digesting its chosen prey the moment it sinks its fangs into said prey. For that purpose, it has glands in its oral cavity secreting powerful digestive juices. A krokottas that hits with its bite attack deals an additional 1d8 points of acid damage.

    Unrelenting Fangs (Ex)
    A krokottas is capable of biting through almost anything. Its bite attack ignores armor and natural armor bonuses.
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-03-07 at 07:23 AM.

  7. - Top - End - #7
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Celestial Stag

    Nothing is known about the appearence of celestial stags and it is unclear how they acquired their confusing name.
    Celestial stags speak Common, Undercommon and Terran.

    Size/Type: Medium Aberration
    Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (36 hp)
    Initiative: +0
    Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
    Armor Class: 16 (+6 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16
    Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+11
    Attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+3)
    Full Attack: 2 slams +7 melee (1d6+3)
    Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
    Special Attacks: Meltdown, torment
    Special Qualities: Darkvision 120 ft., oblivion
    Saves: Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +5
    Abilities: Str 16, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 7, Cha 15
    Skills: Bluff +8, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Listen +3
    Feats: Great Fortitude, Improved GrappleB, Iron Will, Persuasive
    Environment: Underground
    Organization: Solitary
    Challenge Rating: 4
    Alignment: Usually neutral
    Advancement:
    Level Adjustment:

    Meltdown (Su)
    Celestial stags desire to reach the surface world without exception; however, allowing them to do so is extremely dangerous. Upon exposure to natural light, a celestial stag's body begins to melt away and the resulting liquid soon evaporates, turning into a rapidly expanding cloud of noxious gas that spreads at a rate of 250 feet per round, dealing 18d10 points of damage to every living creature within a 1 mile radius. The affected area becomes poisonous thereafter for 1d12 weeks, dealing initial and secondary damage of 1d8 Con to any living creature that enters it and fails to make a DC 19 Fort save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.

    Oblivion (Su)
    It is impossible to properly observe or describe a celetial stag, as observers cannot remember their features for any length of time. The DC for Knowledge (dungeoneering) checks made to identify a celestial stag increases by 15.

    Torment (Ex)
    If bribery and persuasion fails, celestial stags sometimes attempt to learn the way to the surface via torture. A celestial stag must succed on a grapple check made to pin the opponent to do so. Each round the pin is maintained, the stag deals 2d8 points of bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage (the stag's choice).


    (I'm aware that Meltdown looks like an overkill, but the creature I adapted here is described as being able to destroy an entire country with this ability, so in fact I might actually be underselling it a fair bit.)
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-07-11 at 01:55 PM. Reason: Gave a rate of spreading to Meltdown.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Hide

    Hides resemble spread out, mud-coloured cowhides lined by four larger and a multitude of smaller eyes. They live in pools and around the fords of larger rivers, and they spend most of their time lying at the bottom of the water, in wait for live prey to ambush.

    Size/Type: Large Aberration [Aquatic]
    Hit Dice: 11d8+33 (77 hp)
    Initiative: +5
    Speed: Swim 20 feet
    Armor Class: 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
    Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+20
    Attack:
    Full Attack:
    Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
    Special Attacks: Constrict 2d8+7+4d6 acid, leaping grab
    Special Qualities: All-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to acid, critical hits and precision damage, innocuous, low-light vision, resistance to cold and fire 10, tremorsense 20 ft.
    Saves: Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +7
    Abilities: Str 24, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 11, Cha 7
    Skills: Hide +10, Jump +20, Spot +6, Swim +7
    Feats: Great Fortitude, Improved GrappleB, Improved Initiative Skill Focus (Jump), Stealthy
    Environment: Aquatic
    Organization: Solitary
    Challenge Rating: 10
    Alignment: Always neutral
    Advancement: 12-15 HD (Large)
    Level Adjustment:

    Acid (Ex)
    A hide secretes digestive juices that quickly dissolve organic materials. A hide automatically deals acid damage with constrict attacks.

    All-Around Vision (Ex)
    Due to the number of its eyes and the positioning thereof, hides have a +4 bonus on Spot checks and they cannot be flanked.

    Constrict (Ex)
    A hide deals 2d8+Str points of bludgeonig damage with each succesful grapple check.

    Innocuous (Ex)
    Due to its shape and size, a hide gains a +4 racial bonus on its Hide checks made in its natural environment. It takes a succesful DC 18 Spot check to identify it as a living creature.

    Leaping Grab (Ex)
    Hides snap out of the water to get hold of their prey. A hide can grab an opponent to initiate a grapple with a succesful Jump check (DC=the touch AC of its opponent).


    I would definitely appreciate some feedback on these if anyone has the time!

  9. - Top - End - #9
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Giant Harvestmen

    Giant harvestman resemble oversized spiders. They have a small, usually black, brown or grey ovoid body and eight long, slender legs.

    Size/Type: Medium Vermin
    Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (12 hp)
    Initiative: +2
    Speed: 40 feet (8 squares), climb 20 feet
    Armor Class: 13 ( +2 Dex, +1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 11
    Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+1
    Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d6)
    Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d6)
    Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
    Special Attacks:
    Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., longlegs, nervous twitch, tremorsense 60 ft., vermin traits
    Saves: Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1
    Abilities: Str 12, Dex 15, Con 15, Int –, Wis 12, Cha 1
    Skills:
    Feats:
    Environment: Temperate hills and planes
    Organization: Solitary
    Challenge Rating: 1
    Alignment: Always neutral
    Advancement: 3-5 (Medium); 6-8 (Large)
    Level Adjustment:

    Longlegs (Ex)
    The body of a giant harvestman is relatively small compared to its huge legs. Any attack made against a giant harvestman has a 50% chance of only hitting one of these legs. The legs of a giant harvestman have an AC of 10 and 2 hit points each; if a leg is severed, a giant harvestman loses half as much from its hit point total.

    Nervous Twitch (Ex)
    Once severed, the legs of a giant harvestman continue twitching on the ground for 1d4 minutes, distracting the opponents of the creature. Each severed, twitching leg imposes a cumulative -1 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, ability checks and saving throws for all opponents who have a line of sight to the legs unless they make a DC 13 Will save. The save DC is Constitution-based.

    Skills
    Giant harvestmen have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A giant harvestman can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Giant harvestmen use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher.
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-07-08 at 07:46 AM. Reason: It was supposed to be Medium all along. Also, Longleg is now Longlegs.

  10. - Top - End - #10
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    And here's an ooze, because this thread didn't have one yet and I'm not gonna be sloppy like that.

    Sitis

    Sitises are amorphous, translucent masses of slime that are roughly 12 to 15 feet wide and up to 14 inches thick. They are largely colourless; however, if a specimen has recently fed, its body temporarily gains a yellowish brown colouration.

    Size/Type: Huge Ooze
    Hit Dice: 12d10+84 (144 hp)
    Initiative: +2
    Speed: 30 feet (6 squares), climb 15 feet
    Armor Class: 10 (-2 size, +2 Dex), touch 10, flat-footed 8
    Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+21
    Attack: Slam +13 melee (4d4+4) or sweep +13 melee touch (special)
    Full Attack: Slam +13 melee (4d4+4) or sweep +13 melee touch (special)
    Space/Reach: 15 ft./20 ft.
    Special Attacks: Adhesive, blood drain, broad sweep, engulf, wilting
    Special Qualities: Blindsight 40 ft., immunity to fire, improved reach, tremorsense 60 ft., vulnerability to electricity
    Saves: Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +0
    Abilities: Str 19, Dex 15, Con 25, Int –, Wis 3, Cha 1
    Skills: Climb +12, Hide +6
    Feats:
    Environment: Warm hills and mountains
    Organization: Solitary
    Challenge Rating: 11
    Alignment: Always neutral
    Advancement: 13-18 HD (Huge)
    Level Adjustment:

    Combat
    Sitises usually wait in ambush for prey to get close and once they sense movement within their reach, they lash out with a sweep attack trying to grab as many opponents as possible. They only use their slam attacks if they can engulf no further prey.

    Adhesive (Ex)
    When a sitis makes a sweep attack, the pseudopod the attack is made with begins to exude a thick, strongly adhesive secretion. Any opponent hit by a sitis's sweep is entitled to make a DC 23 Strength check to break free. If the check fails, the opponent in question is considered grappled by the sitis and it may attempt to engulf them in the next round.

    Blood Drain (Ex)
    A sitis drains blood from its engulfed prey, draining 1d6 points of Constitution each round the victim is trapped within its body.

    Broad Sweep (Ex)
    A sitis can grab up to three Medium or Small, up to six Tiny and up to fifteen Diminutive or smaller adjacent creatures within its threatened area with a single sweep attack.

    Engulf (Ex)
    A sitis can pull an opponent grabbed by its sweep attack into its body with a succesful grapple check. Once inside, victims are subject to blood drain and wilting each round for as long as they remain trapped in the body of the ooze. A sitis can have 2 Medium, 8 Small, 32 Tiny or 128 Diminutive or smaller creatures engulfed at a time.
    Victims may attempt a DC 23 Strength check to break out of the sitis's body each round. Failure to do so imposes a cumulative -1 penalty on subsequent Strength checks made by the same victim to free themselves.

    Improved Reach (Ex)
    A sitis is capable of stretching out its viscous body to an improbable extent. All natural weapons of a sitis have a reach of 15 feet.

    Wilting (Ex)
    A sitis draws the water out of the body of its prey. Engulfed victims must make a succesful DC 23 Fortitude save each round they are trapped inside the body of the ooze or suffer 5d10 points of desiccation damage and become dehydrated. The save DC is Constitution-based.

    Skills
    A sitis has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. A giant harvestman can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. It also has a +12 racial bonus on Hide checks.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Troll in the Playground
     
    PirateGirl

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Looking at some of these like the 7-headed dragon. It should have All-Around Vision and would never be flanked. You might want to look at the multiheaded template. It strikes me as undersized and underpowered. See here: https://www.realmshelps.net/monsters...ultihead.shtml


    Camelopardalis is nicely done. However, I'm not sure it how much this is improved by giving it Endurance as an Extraordinary ability rather than simply giving it Endurance as a bonus feat. Note you cannot give it Endurance as a feat when it advances since the bonuses do not stack even though they are from different sources as they both untyped bonuses. This is always something to consider.

    I think there is an official version of the giant harvestman spider already (could be a previous homebrew though as I am not 100% sure). I really like nervous twitch though so kudos on that. Longleg should probably be renamed longlegs as that the general spelling.

    I don't think I understand how an ooze makes a sweep attack. "Oozes attack any creatures they encounter. They lash out with pseudopods or simply engulf opponents with their bodies, which secrete acids that help them catch or digest their prey." All it needs a better description for the sweep attack. What part of its anatomy does it use to make a sweep?

    Debby
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Many thanks for the feedback!

    Quote Originally Posted by Debihuman View Post
    Looking at some of these like the 7-headed dragon. It should have All-Around Vision and would never be flanked. You might want to look at the multiheaded template. It strikes me as undersized and underpowered. See here: https://www.realmshelps.net/monsters...ultihead.shtml
    As for the size, I was trying to stat up a folkloric creature which is usually an accomplished fencer, dueling various human heroes. While making it medium would have been utterly ridiculous, large felt like a decent compromise.
    Other than that, yeah, you're absolutely right and thank you for reminding me of that template. I'll give the big lizard some upgrades.


    Camelopardalis is nicely done. However, I'm not sure it how much this is improved by giving it Endurance as an Extraordinary ability rather than simply giving it Endurance as a bonus feat. Note you cannot give it Endurance as a feat when it advances since the bonuses do not stack even though they are from different sources as they both untyped bonuses. This is always something to consider.
    That's what I get for being lazy! The name is seriously misleading: the benefits of Endurance (Ex) are not identical to those of Endurance (the feat). The bonus the special ability gives is a +8 rather than a +4, but it does not apply to a number of things the feat covers (swim checks, holding breath, sleeping in armour barding). I'll go rename it.

    I think there is an official version of the giant harvestman spider
    Fun fact: harvestmen are arachnids, but not spiders.

    already (could be a previous homebrew though as I am not 100% sure).
    That's not impossible. There's a crazy amount of monsters in this game, and sometimes I have difficulty keeping track of them.

    I really like nervous twitch though so kudos on that. Longleg should probably be renamed longlegs as that the general spelling.
    Thanks, and I'll fix that.

    I don't think I understand how an ooze makes a sweep attack. "Oozes attack any creatures they encounter. They lash out with pseudopods or simply engulf opponents with their bodies, which secrete acids that help them catch or digest their prey." All it needs a better description for the sweep attack. What part of its anatomy does it use to make a sweep?
    I picture it as the ooze making a broad, sideways sweeping motion with an unusually wide pseudopod (but I'm not sure that makes much sense).

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Metastachydium View Post
    Meltdown (Su)
    Celestial stags desire to reach the surface world without exception; however, allowing them to do so is extremely dangerous. Upon exposure to natural light, a celestial stag's body begins to melt away and the resulting liquid soon evaporates, turning into a rapidly expanding cloud of noxious gas dealing 18d10 points of damage to every living creature within a 1 mile radius. The affected area becomes poisonous thereafter for 1d12 weeks, dealing initial and secondary damage of 1d8 Con to any living creature that enters it and fails to make a DC 19 Fort save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.
    I'm not really familiar with 3.5e monsters, but this seems highly excessive for something CR 4. I'm imaging some lich capturing one to teleport into the middle of a major city.

    I'd maybe up the CR and quantify the spread of the cloud of gas.

    Edit: I really like the harvestman though. A mechanical "creep out" effect is really neat, particularly because I think the players would assume they're going to get jumped by something else while dealing with it.
    Last edited by sandmote; 2021-07-10 at 07:17 PM.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by sandmote View Post
    I'm not really familiar with 3.5e monsters, but this seems highly excessive for something CR 4. I'm imaging some lich capturing one to teleport into the middle of a major city.

    I'd maybe up the CR and quantify the spread of the cloud of gas.
    I know, I know. It is a profoundly unusable monster (except maybe as a plot point). The reason why would be that I tried to replicate the abilities/characteristics of an actula creature of folklore which is inherently and ridiculously unbalanced (a couple unarmed miners can kill it with relative ease while underground but it becomes a weapon of mass destruction (seriously, I'm not making this up (heck, I even scaled down its destructive potential a fair bit))). (Also, rest assured: 3.5 is crazy but not this crazy.)
    As for the spread, well, there are spells with areas measured in miles (Eclipse comes to mind, with its 5 miles radius), so this is more of a balance problem (those spells are, of course, epic spells) than a problem of stuff being poorly quantified.
    Should I, perhaps, put a disclaimer on the thing (WARNING: this is horribly unbalanced and that on purpose! Do not try to use this unless you can make it make sense!)

    Edit: I really like the harvestman though. A mechanical "creep out" effect is really neat, particularly because I think the players would assume they're going to get jumped by something else while dealing with it.
    Thanks! I'm happy to hear that!

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Metastachydium View Post
    As for the spread, well, there are spells with areas measured in miles (Eclipse comes to mind, with its 5 miles radius), so this is more of a balance problem (those spells are, of course, epic spells) than a problem of stuff being poorly quantified.
    I was thinking you should quantify the spread of the gas so there's an explicit event created when the monster dies, where the party has the chance to evacuate as much as they can from that 1 mile radius as the cloud expands behind them. Where a nuke is basically instantaneous and then the remaining radiation deals damage per round, if the cloud spreads at a rate of 100 feet per round (or whatever number), the party explicitly has time to try to save... whoever they might have the chance to save (including themselves) before it reaches them.

    Although I admit this might not fit what the creature in question is actually based on.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by sandmote View Post
    I was thinking you should quantify the spread of the gas so there's an explicit event created when the monster dies, where the party has the chance to evacuate as much as they can from that 1 mile radius as the cloud expands behind them. Where a nuke is basically instantaneous and then the remaining radiation deals damage per round, if the cloud spreads at a rate of 100 feet per round (or whatever number), the party explicitly has time to try to save... whoever they might have the chance to save (including themselves) before it reaches them.
    That… Makes an awful lot of sense. Thanks for the idea!

    Although I admit this might not fit what the creature in question is actually based on.
    That's not going to be a problem. How exactly it does what it does is left a bit vague beyond establishing that it melts into something very smelly.

    Edit: Aand fixed it!
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-07-11 at 01:57 PM.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Re: Dragon

    Since you added a HD, BAB is now 11 and grapple is 19.

    The dragon's attacks are off. I'm gonna go full detail on this to help other homebrewers who also struggle with monster attacks. It's complicated. It's really complicated. I'm sorry if it gives you a headache.


    Is the mace a magical +4 mace? Likewise is the scimitar a magical +2 scimitar because that makes a difference. Italics really help when you are looking at magical weapons.

    Two weapon fighting means that if it fights with both its weapons it takes a -4 penalty to both attacks.

    I can see it having magical weapons but generally statted dragons do not fight with magical weapons. Furthermore, creatures with magic items have it listed specifically in treasure.

    Since you raised the HD to 11, the BAB is now 11. Here is the attack line (it only gets ONE bite in the attack line (regardless of how many heads it has)

    Since a mace isn't designed to be a thrown weapon, a creature throwing it still has to take the -4 penalty to hit and and only uses the dragon's strength modifier in damage.

    "It is possible to throw a weapon that isn’t designed to be thrown (that is, a melee weapon that doesn’t have a numeric entry in the Range Increment column on Table: Weapons), but a character who does so takes a -4 penalty on the attack roll." Note creature cannot make iterative attacks with thrown weapons because it doesn't have it in its possession once it is thrown. [You'd think this would be obvious but it's an easy mistake to overlook. Also this rule "Throwing a light or one-handed weapon is a standard action, while throwing a two-handed weapon is a full-round action. Regardless of the type of weapon, such an attack scores a threat only on a natural roll of 20 and deals double damage on a critical hit. Such a weapon has a range increment of 10 feet." Since the special ability gives it 15 feet that is an exception.

    This all gives the following:
    Melee Attack: Base attack bonus (+11) + Strength modifier (+4) + size modifier (-1) (+1 attack with weapon focus on bite ).
    Ranged Attack: Base attack bonus (+11) + Dexterity modifier (+1) + size modifier (-1) non-standard throwing weapon (-4)


    This is how the attack line should look.
    Attack: Bite is 15 melee (1d8+4) or Large +4 heavy mace +18 melee (2d6+8) or Large +2 scimitar +16 melee (2d4+4) or +2 Large heavy mace +8 ranged (2d6+8)

    The full attack line is a bit tricky because it has so many attacks. because it can make 7 bite attacks, a bit isn't considered a sole weapon so it only gets +4 from Strength not +6.

    Full Attack is where this gets tricky because it uses both natural and manufactured weapons.

    Manufactured and Natural Weapon Fighting
    "Some creatures combine attacks with natural and manufactured weapons when they make a full attack. When they do so, the manufactured weapon attack is considered the primary attack unless the creature’s description indicates otherwise and any natural weapons the creature also uses are considered secondary natural attacks. These secondary attacks do not interfere with the primary attack as attacking with an off-hand weapon does, but they take the usual –5 penalty (or –2 with the Multiattack feat) for such attacks, even if the natural weapon used is normally the creature’s primary natural weapon." Whew that's a mouthful.

    Primary manufactured weapon is the Mace since it has the highest bonus (+4 bonus) and scimitar is the off-hand weapon (+2 bonus). Note it still takes a -4 penalty to using both weapons even with the Two-handed weapon feat.

    Also, an off-hand weapon adds only 1/2 strength bonus not full strength bonus

    If the creature just uses it main weapons you get the following (note it can make 3 iterative attacks with manufactured weapons)
    7 bites + 15 melee (1d8+4), or Large+4 Mace +18/+12/+6 melee (2d6+8) or Large +2 scimitar +16/+10/+4 melee (2d4+4)

    Now when you put this together the creature has to take a -4 penalty to use both manufactured weapons and its bite are secondary attacks. Note also that secondary attacks only allow for half the creature's Str bonus to be applies. Good grief this gave ME a headache just to figure it out.

    Large +4 Mace+14/+8/+2 melee (2d6+8) and Large +2 scimitar +12/+6/+0 melee (2d4+4) and 7 bites +10 melee (1d8+2)

    Full Attack: 7 bites + 15 melee (1d8+4), or Large+4 Mace +18/+12/+6 melee (2d6+8) or Large +2 scimitar +16/+10/+4 melee (2d4+6) or Large +4 Mace+14/+8/+2 melee (2d6+8) and Large +2 scimitar +12/+6/+0 melee (2d4+4) and 7 bites +10 melee (1d8+2) or +2 Large heavy mace +8 ranged (2d6+8)

    Technically, it could throw the large mace at one opponent and attack close opponents with bites but it is better off just making 7 bite attacks +15 melee rather than at +10 melee. This is why I'm not fond of the design.

    It's even more of a headache because if it loses all but one head it loses its Superior Two-Weapon Fighting feat. I think this is too complicated for the CR and for a novice DM to run. It has too much to keep track of and combat will take far too long while the DM figures it out. Nobody likes it when combat slows down the game.

    This is where design matters. I'm not saying it's a bad design. I'm just saying it is overly complicated which makes it harder to run than typical dragons or even say a 7-headed hydra.

    The only advantage to the mace is that it has a 15-foot range.

    As long as PCs have decent ranged weapons, they can plink it off in a lot of rounds. A LOT of rounds; they need to keep their distance.

    Debby
    Last edited by Debihuman; 2021-07-12 at 12:42 PM.
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Debihuman View Post
    Re: Dragon

    Since you added a HD, BAB is now 11 and grapple is 19.
    Forgot about that. Thanks and I'll fix it.

    The dragon's attacks are off. I'm gonna go full detail on this to help other homebrewers who also struggle with monster attacks. It's complicated. It's really complicated. I'm sorry if it gives you a headache.


    Is the mace a magical +4 mace? Likewise is the scimitar a magical +2 scimitar because that makes a difference. Italics really help when you are looking at magical weapons.
    Yup. Will use those italics.

    Two weapon fighting means that if it fights with both its weapons it takes a -4 penalty to both attacks.
    Doesn't Superior Two-Weapon Fighting make those go away?

    I can see it having magical weapons but generally statted dragons do not fight with magical weapons. Furthermore, creatures with magic items have it listed specifically in treasure.

    Since you raised the HD to 11, the BAB is now 11. Here is the attack line (it only gets ONE bite in the attack line (regardless of how many heads it has)
    And I know that! What I don't know is what I was doing there and why.

    Since a mace isn't designed to be a thrown weapon, a creature throwing it still has to take the -4 penalty to hit and and only uses the dragon's strength modifier in damage.

    "It is possible to throw a weapon that isnÂ’t designed to be thrown (that is, a melee weapon that doesnÂ’t have a numeric entry in the Range Increment column on Table: Weapons), but a character who does so takes a -4 penalty on the attack roll." Note creature cannot make iterative attacks with thrown weapons because it doesn't have it in its possession once it is thrown. [You'd think this would be obvious but it's an easy mistake to overlook. Also this rule "Throwing a light or one-handed weapon is a standard action, while throwing a two-handed weapon is a full-round action. Regardless of the type of weapon, such an attack scores a threat only on a natural roll of 20 and deals double damage on a critical hit. Such a weapon has a range increment of 10 feet." Since the special ability gives it 15 feet that is an exception.
    Heavy Throw was supposed to make the penalty go away, but yeah, the wording doesn't reflect that. I'll add an "as if it were a ranged weapon" clause.

    This all gives the following:
    Melee Attack: Base attack bonus (+11) + Strength modifier (+4) + size modifier (-1) (+1 attack with weapon focus on bite ).
    Ranged Attack: Base attack bonus (+11) + Dexterity modifier (+1) + size modifier (-1) non-standard throwing weapon (-4)


    This is how the attack line should look.
    Attack: Bite is 15 melee (1d8+4) or Large +4 heavy mace +18 melee (2d6+8) or Large +2 scimitar +16 melee (2d4+4) or +2 Large heavy mace +8 ranged (2d6+8)

    The full attack line is a bit tricky because it has so many attacks. because it can make 7 bite attacks, a bit isn't considered a sole weapon so it only gets +4 from Strength not +6.

    Full Attack is where this gets tricky because it uses both natural and manufactured weapons.

    Manufactured and Natural Weapon Fighting
    "Some creatures combine attacks with natural and manufactured weapons when they make a full attack. When they do so, the manufactured weapon attack is considered the primary attack unless the creature’s description indicates otherwise and any natural weapons the creature also uses are considered secondary natural attacks. These secondary attacks do not interfere with the primary attack as attacking with an off-hand weapon does, but they take the usual –5 penalty (or –2 with the Multiattack feat) for such attacks, even if the natural weapon used is normally the creature’s primary natural weapon." Whew that's a mouthful.

    Primary manufactured weapon is the Mace since it has the highest bonus (+4 bonus) and scimitar is the off-hand weapon (+2 bonus). Note it still takes a -4 penalty to using both weapons even with the Two-handed weapon feat.

    Also, an off-hand weapon adds only 1/2 strength bonus not full strength bonus

    If the creature just uses it main weapons you get the following (note it can make 3 iterative attacks with manufactured weapons)
    7 bites + 15 melee (1d8+4), or Large+4 Mace +18/+12/+6 melee (2d6+8) or Large +2 scimitar +16/+10/+4 melee (2d4+4)

    Now when you put this together the creature has to take a -4 penalty to use both manufactured weapons and its bite are secondary attacks. Note also that secondary attacks only allow for half the creature's Str bonus to be applies. Good grief this gave ME a headache just to figure it out.

    Large +4 Mace+14/+8/+2 melee (2d6+8) and Large +2 scimitar +12/+6/+0 melee (2d4+4) and 7 bites +10 melee (1d8+2)

    Full Attack: 7 bites + 15 melee (1d8+4), or Large+4 Mace +18/+12/+6 melee (2d6+8) or Large +2 scimitar +16/+10/+4 melee (2d4+6) or Large +4 Mace+14/+8/+2 melee (2d6+8) and Large +2 scimitar +12/+6/+0 melee (2d4+4) and 7 bites +10 melee (1d8+2) or +2 Large heavy mace +8 ranged (2d6+8)

    Technically, it could throw the large mace at one opponent and attack close opponents with bites but it is better off just making 7 bite attacks +15 melee rather than at +10 melee. This is why I'm not fond of the design.[/QUOTE]

    I didn't even consider the possibility of it using the manufactured weapons in conjunction with the bites, but yeah. If I listed every possible option, it's full-attack line would become a novella. I can get why it makes your head hurt.

    It's even more of a headache because if it loses all but one head it loses its Superior Two-Weapon Fighting feat. I think this is too complicated for the CR and for a novice DM to run. It has too much to keep track of and combat will take far too long while the DM figures it out. Nobody likes it when combat slows down the game.
    I don't know what I was thinking. I'll just remove that clause. (I haven't specified the details of how the individual heads can be sundered anyway).

    This is where design matters. I'm not saying it's a bad design. I'm just saying it is overly complicated which makes it harder to run than typical dragons or even say a 7-headed hydra.

    The only advantage to the mace is that it has a 15-foot range.

    As long as PCs have decent ranged weapons, they can plink it off in a lot of rounds. A LOT of rounds; they need to keep their distance.

    Debby
    All true, but hey, it still makes more sense than my celestial stag.

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    Kalypthen
    Kalypthena resemble a long purplish blue cloak wrapped around a vaguely humanoid body of which only a faintly glowing rectangular head is visible. These creatures are usually seen floating a few inches above the ground. A kalypthen is hardly ever encountered alone: they almost always move in a close, geometric formation comprised of up to 150 specimens.
    Kalypthena understand Celestial, Common and Infernal, but do not speak.

    Size/Type: Medium Outsider [Extraplanar, Lawful]
    Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (64 hp)
    Initiative: +11
    Speed: fly 25 feet (perfect)
    Armor Class: 30 (+4 armour, +7 Dex, +9 deflection), touch 26, flat-footed 23
    Base Attack/Grapple: +8/–
    Attack:
    Full Attack:
    Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
    Special Attacks: Hypnic cold, spell-like abilities, wordless suggestion
    Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., DR 5/chaotic or evil or good, immunities, inner glow, mantle
    Saves: Fort +10, Ref +13, Will +15
    Abilities: Str –, Dex 24, Con 19, Int 15, Wis 28, Cha 14
    Skills: Concentration +15, Hide +10, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (the planes) +13, Knowledge (religion) +13, Move Silently +26, Sense Motive +20, Spellcraft +13
    Feats: Ability Focus (Hypnic Cold), Combat Casting, Improved Initative
    Environment: A lawful neutral aligned plane
    Organization: Solitary, gathering (4-9), procession (10-60) or order (60-150)
    Challenge Rating: 12
    Alignment: Always lawful neutral
    Advancement: By character class
    Level Adjustment:

    Combat
    Kalypthena do not normally attack other creatures, unless they are themselves attacked first. On the other hand, they will occasionally react to markedly non-lawful behaviour or thoughts with swarming the offending individual or group, trying to immobilize and subdue them with their auras or through liberal usage of their spell-like abilities.

    Hypnic Cold (Su)
    At will, a kalypthen can project an aura with a radius of 10 feet around itself as a free action. Any creature that begins its turn within this area must succeed on a DC 25 Will save or fall asleep. An opponent that succesfully saves against this effect is instead dazed for 1d4 rounds. In addition to that, such an opponent must also succeed on a DC 25 Fort save each round or take 4d6 points of cold damage. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.

    Immunities
    A kalypthen is immune to cold, stunning, petrification, polymorph and mind-affecting effects. It is not subject to precision damage.

    Inner Glow (Su)
    The floating body of a kalypthen sheds faint light in a 5-foot radius around itself. Shadowy illumination extends to another 10 feet around this area. A kalypthen cannot suppress its inner glow.

    Mantle (Su)
    The shroud that appears to be draped around the figure of a kalypthen protects the creature from harm, providing a +4 armour bonus. A kalypten also benefits from a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Wisdom-modifier. This mantle is an integral part of the creature, but only in the same way as the shell is an integral part of a snail. When a kalypthen is slain, its body quickly dissipates, but the mantle is left behind and it retains the abilities it had while its wearer was still alive (see below).

    Spell-like Abilities
    At-will – mage hand; 10/day – calm animals, protection from chaos (DC 20); 5/day – calm emotions, detect thoughts, dominate animal, lesser geas (DC 22); 2/day – break enchantment, dispel chaos, order's wrath, dominate person (DC 23); 1/day – geas/quest (DC 25). Caster level 8th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.

    Wordless Suggestion (Su)
    A kalypthen can instill thoughts in a creature's mind without making a sound. This ability is the equivalent of a suggestion spell cast by a 6th level wizard (DC=23). The save DC is Wisdom-based.

    Skills
    A kalypthen has a +8 racial bonus on Move Silently checks and a -8 racial penalty on Hide checks.

    New Wondrous Item:

    MANTLE OF THE KALYPTHEN
    Price: 24000 gp
    Body Slot: Shoulders
    Activation:
    Weight: 12 lb.

    This long, heavy, plain purplish blue cloak was once part of a kalypthen, a powerful outsider native to lawful-aligned planes. It grants a +4 armour bonus, and its wearer can also add her Wisdom modifier as a deflection bonus to her AC.
    Unlike other wondrous items, the mantle cannot be crafted by spellcasters, regardless of their skill.


    The next one will not havequite such a pile of special attacks & qualities, I promise!
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-10-08 at 06:59 AM. Reason: A little tweaking here and there, to make stuff make sense. Also, a few additions.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    What armor is a Kalypthen wearing since you list in in the AC.

    If these always travel in a group why didn't you stat this up as a Mob?

    Debby
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Metastachydium View Post
    Kalypthena resemble a long purplish blue cloak wrapped around a vaguely humanoid body of which only a faintly glowing rectangular head is visible, floating a few inches above the ground.
    I would maybe specify the head floats just above the cloak's collar and the general length of the cloak. It can fly closer and further from the ground anyway, so a comparison to the ground doesn't seem useful. Unless you mean the head is a few inches above the ground, near the bottom of the cloak somehow?

    Also, do you have any lore for the Kalypthena? I'm imagining some sort of "ringwraiths of law" type deal, where they have blindly given themselves to serve some greater power keeping the planes of law untainted by other cosmic forces.

    Quote Originally Posted by Debihuman View Post
    What armor is a Kalypthen wearing since you list in in the AC.
    It looks like its the cloak? Not sure why it isn't natural armor if the cloak is part of the creature though.
    Quote Originally Posted by Metastachydium View Post
    Mantle (Su)
    The shroud that appears to be draped around the figure of a kalypthen protects the creature from harm, providing a +4 armour bonus.

    Quote Originally Posted by Debihuman View Post
    If these always travel in a group why didn't you stat this up as a Mob?
    I think that was a reference to the Organization, because its often somewhat awkward to establish how outsiders are acting when you run into them. As opposed to more traditional humanoid settlements, thye often just travel around or guard some esoteric area.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Debihuman View Post
    What armor is a Kalypthen wearing since you list in in the AC.
    Quote Originally Posted by sandmote View Post
    It looks like its the cloak? Not sure why it isn't natural armor if the cloak is part of the creature though.
    It is part of the creature, but it isn't part of the creature's body, strictly speaking. I meant to stat it up as a shoulder-slot magic item kalypthena drop when killed. It might indeed be overcomplicating this, though. Should I just switch that to natural armour?

    Quote Originally Posted by Debihuman View Post
    If these always travel in a group why didn't you stat this up as a Mob?
    I'm not incredibly familiar with mobs, so mostly it just didn't occur to me, although I'm not sure how well mob would mesh with groups of variable size.
    I suppose I'd better just change the fluff text and maybe the Organization line.

    Quote Originally Posted by sandmote View Post
    I would maybe specify the head floats just above the cloak's collar and the general length of the cloak. It can fly closer and further from the ground anyway, so a comparison to the ground doesn't seem useful. Unless you mean the head is a few inches above the ground, near the bottom of the cloak somehow?
    That's just me being unable to compose a sentence that makes sense. The kalypthen floats above the ground (it only has a fly speed) and the head just sticks out of the mantle (so it's not like, say, a lumi or whatever). I'll clarify it.

    Also, do you have any lore for the Kalypthena? I'm imagining some sort of "ringwraiths of law" type deal, where they have blindly given themselves to serve some greater power keeping the planes of law untainted by other cosmic forces.
    I mostly just ignore the official lore on pretty much everything official, so I usually don't bother to give my critters anything like that. That said, I like your idea and might incorporate something like that into the fluff text if you don't mind.

  23. - Top - End - #23
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Metastachydium View Post
    It is part of the creature, but it isn't part of the creature's body, strictly speaking. I meant to stat it up as a shoulder-slot magic item kalypthena drop when killed. It might indeed be overcomplicating this, though. Should I just switch that to natural armour?
    I would do one or the other, just for the sake of clarity. That it is treated as an item but doesn't give rules for how the item works seems to be the confusing part.

    Quote Originally Posted by Metastachydium View Post
    I mostly just ignore the official lore on pretty much everything official, so I usually don't bother to give my critters anything like that. That said, I like your idea and might incorporate something like that into the fluff text if you don't mind.
    I suppose that explains the lack of lore on the rest of the creatures. Feel free to use anything I suggest.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by sandmote View Post
    I would do one or the other, just for the sake of clarity. That it is treated as an item but doesn't give rules for how the item works seems to be the confusing part.
    Okay, I wrote up the mantle as a magic item, and included a few sentences about how the creature drops it when killed under the special ability. Hope that solves the issue.
    (Parenthetical request for aid: I had no idea how to price it, so I tentatively made it a bit cheaper than a +4 bracers of armour/monk's belt combo. If anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears.)

    I suppose that explains the lack of lore on the rest of the creatures. Feel free to use anything I suggest.
    Sorry (I'm boring like that) and thanks!
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-08-17 at 06:10 AM.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    So, let's talk about whatevertaurs! D&D (and I'm pretty sure they are not exactly the only offenders) has this strange habit of considering -taur a kind of postfix that means 'six-limbed creature with four legs and two manipulators' (I'm sure everyone's at least as familiar with the dracotaur and the tauric creature template as I am). This annoys me to no end. It's not quite as bad as whatevermancy (that one gives me physical pain), but it's trying. I mean,
    1. the -taur in centaur is widely believed to come from ταυρος somehow, but κεν doesn't mean 'human' (in fact, linguists are not entirely sure what it does mean, but that's beside the point) and ταυρος absolutely doesn't mean 'with four legs'. As (I'm pretty sure) we (as opposed to whoever made MM3 and Savage Species) all know, it means 'bull'. Accordingly, dracotaur, for instance, means 'dragon bull' (or 'really big snake bull', but let's not dwell on that) which… Doesn't make a lot of sense.
    2. There were variations on the centaur design, historically speaking. Beside the hippocentaur (a classic!), we used to have the ichthyocentaur (two arms, two horse legs and a fish tail) and the onocentaur (two donkey legs and two long human arms, used as arms or legs as needed). There's an easily noticable pattern here: the first half of the name refers to whatever a human torso was mixed up with; meanwhile, the second half is -centaur (rather than -taur).
    More to the point: to vent my frustrations, I decided I might as well just go make an actual tauric creature (in your face, Wizards!), i.e. some random animal with the head of a bull! Since PF already did ophiotaur and Stormwrack (I think) gave us the ramfish which would make an ichthyotaur somewhat redundant, after briefly considering crocotaur and pterotaur, I ended up creating the mighty

    Helicotaur
    The horned head of a helicotaur would resemble that of a bull, were it not for the bony plates covering it. These snail-like, legless creatures carry an enormous, dull grey, spirally coiled shell on their backs.

    Size/Type: Large Magical Beast
    Hit Dice: 3d10+2 (17 hp)
    Initiative: +0
    Speed: 15 feet (4 squares)
    Armor Class: 19 (-1 size, +10 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 19
    Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+9
    Attack: Gore +3 melee (1d8+1)
    Full Attack: Gore +3 melee (1d8+1) and radula -2 melee (1d2)
    Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
    Special Attacks: –
    Special Qualities: Darkvision 10 ft., DR 5/bludgeoning or piercing, resilient shell, tremorsense 5 ft.
    Saves: Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +2
    Abilities: Str 12, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 8
    Skills: Climb +3, Hide +1, Listen +3, Swim +3
    Feats: Athletic, Great Fortitude
    Environment: Temperate marshes
    Organization: Pair or herd (3-8)
    Challenge Rating: 2
    Alignment: Always neutral
    Advancement: 4-5 HD (Large)
    Level Adjustment: –

    Combat
    Helicotaurs rarely attack creatures other than helicotaurs from different herds. When threatened, they will normally try to flee, retreating into their shells if cornered.

    Resilient Shell (Su)
    The shell of a helicotaur replicates the effect of a lesser globe of invulnerability. A targeted dispel magic spell suppresses this quality for one round.
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2021-09-14 at 09:11 AM. Reason: Â.

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Hyad
    Barely five feet tall, a hyad is a Fey creature with translucent pearly skin, light blue lips, and long curly dark hair that waves of its own accord, even when there is no breeze. Hyads are known for their lush gardens, as well as for being steadfast friends to all plants and to those that live from the land that bring soothing rain – or unleash the wrath of the clouds on those that they deem deserving of punishment.

    Size/Type: Medium Fey
    Hit Dice: 4d6-4 (8 hp)
    Initiative: +3
    Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
    Armor Class: 13 (+3 Dex), touch 13, flat-footed 10
    Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+0
    Attack: Punching dagger +5 melee (1d4-2/×3) or sling +5 ranged (1d4-2)
    Full Attack: Punching dagger +5 melee (1d4-2/×3) or sling +5 ranged (1d4-2)
    Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
    Special Attacks: Call downpour, call rain
    Special Qualities: DR 5/cold iron, low-light vision, resistance to electricity 15, spell-like abilities
    Saves: Fort +0, Ref +7, Will +7
    Abilities: Str 7, Dex 16, Con 9, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 14
    Skills: Balance +6, Diplomacy +9, Escape Artist +3, Heal +6, Hide +10, Knowledge (nature) +12, Listen +3, Move Silently +10, Perform (dance) +4, Sense Motive +4, Spot +3, Survival +12, Swim +9
    Feats: Weapon FinesseB, Endurance, Diehard
    Environment: Any temperate or warm
    Organization: Solitary, triad or circle (5-10)
    Challenge Rating: 3
    Alignment: Usually neutral good
    Advancement: By character class
    Level Adjustment:

    Combat
    Hyads are not particularly bellicose and they only fight if they cannot flee. If possible and necessary, they will use their Call Downpour ability to cover their retreat and hinder their foes. If they deem that their foes will be unable to follow, they might use air walk to escape as well.

    Call Rain (Su)
    Three times a day as a full-round action, a hyad may cause rain to fall for 2d8 hours in an area with a radius of up to 1d4 miles. Rain reduces visibility ranges by half, resulting in a -4 penalty on Spot and Search checks. It has the same effect on flames, ranged weapon attacks, and Listen checks as severe wind. Rain that lasts more than two hours has the potential to cause flooding. Plant creatures within the area affected by a rain a hyad calls gain fast healing 1 for the duration of the rain.

    Call Downpour (Su)
    Once per day as a full-round action, a hyad can call forth a heavy downpour that continues to fall for up to 2d6 minutes in an area with a radius of up to 1 mile. Treat the downpour as a severe storm without strong winds. Torrential precipitation reduces visibility to zero, making Spot, Search, and Listen checks and all ranged weapon attacks impossible. Unprotected flames are automatically extinguished, and protected flames have a 75% chance of being doused. A downpour called by a hyad also deals 1d2 points of nonlethal cold damage per minute to each creature that is not a Plant within the area affected by it.

    Spell-like Abilities
    At will: create water; 5/day: air walk; caster level 5th.

    Skills
    Hyads have a +4 racial bonus on Knowledge (nature), Survival and Swim checks.


    So, two issues with the hyad:
    1. their main feature is kind of bulky and I'm not sure what to do about that (or if it is even a serious problem that needs addressing); I think I figured it out. (Thanks, Debby!)
    2. I'd really like to give these an LA, but I'm not sure they are actually playable: their best ability is a decent debuff, but it's very party unfriendly.
    Last edited by Metastachydium; 2022-01-08 at 08:42 AM. Reason: Little tweaks to the flavour text; complete rewrite of Call Rain based on feedback that I'm VERY grateful for.

  27. - Top - End - #27
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    I think tghe hyads could use a slightly more focused description. Not all fey women should be described as "elven." It's really overused. The call rain should match the rain description in the SRD. There are really good weather rules already.


    A hyad is a Fey creature with translucent pearly skin, light blue lips, and long curly dark hair that waves of its own accord, even when there is no breeze. Hyads are known for their lush gardens, and for caring for Plant creatures, especially carnivorous ones such as Shambling Mounds, Giant Sundews, and Giant Venus Flytraps. While they are well known for their ability to call rain, they are loathe to do so unless directly benefits the plants they care for.


    Call Rain (Su): Three times a day as a standard action, a hyad may cause rain to fall for 2d8 minutes. Rain reduces visibility ranges by half, resulting in a -4 penalty on Spot and Search checks. It has the same effect on flames, ranged weapon attacks, and Listen checks as severe wind. Rain that lasts more than two hours has the potential to cause flooding.

    Call Thunderstorm (Su): Once a day as a standard action, a hyad may cause a thunderstorm to appear for 1d4 hours. In addition to wind and precipitation (usually rain, but sometimes also hail), thunderstorms are accompanied by lightning that can pose a hazard to characters without proper shelter (especially those in metal armor). As a rule of thumb, assume one bolt per minute for a 1-hour period at the center of the storm. Each bolt causes electricity damage equal to 1d10 eight-sided dice. One in ten thunderstorms is accompanied by a tornado.

    Call Severe Storm (Su): Once a week as a full action, a hyad may cause a severe storm to appear for 1 hour. Very high winds and torrential precipitation reduce visibility to zero, making Spot, Search, and Listen checks and all ranged weapon attacks impossible. Unprotected flames are automatically extinguished, and protected flames have a 75% chance of being doused. Creatures caught in the area must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or face the effects based on the size of the creature:

    Tiny and smaller creatures are Blown away. Creatures on the ground are knocked prone and rolled 1d4×10 feet, taking 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per 10 feet. Flying creatures are blown back 2d6×10 feet and take 2d6 points of nonlethal damage due to battering and buffeting.

    Small creatures are knocked prone by the force of the wind. Flying creatures are instead blown back 1d6×10 feet.

    Medium creatures are Checked. Creatures on the ground are unable to move forward against the force of the wind. Flying creatures are blown back 1d6×5 feet.

    I hope this helps.

    Debby
    P.E.A.C.H. Please Evaluate And Critique Honestly. Being nicer and kinder doesn't hurt either. Note I generally only critique 3.5 and Pathfinder material.
    Please, please, please when using non-core material, cite to the books. There are too many books to wade through to find the one with the feat, special ability or spell you use.
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Debihuman View Post
    I think tghe hyads could use a slightly more focused description. Not all fey women should be described as "elven." It's really overused.
    Absolutely. I only put that there because hyads (in actual mythology) are a type of nymphs, and all other such creatures written up as monsters in official books that I know of (except perhaps oreads; I'm not sure about that and also too lazy to check the FF) are described as looking like elves. But I'll probably ditch that reference anyway.

    The call rain should match the rain description in the SRD. There are really good weather rules already.
    Yeah, I used those as a basis – and probably went a bit farther than I intended. Sole problem is, wind and lightning are not really part of the hyads' portfolio. Would reverting average rain to the SRD standard, using the rain based parts of severe storm (no visibility etc.) and either giving up on light rain or making it official rain lite solve the problem? I'd also like to keep at the very least the bit with healing plant creatures (they deserve nice things!). Do you think it's too much?

    A hyad is a Fey creature with translucent pearly skin, light blue lips, and long curly dark hair that waves of its own accord, even when there is no breeze. Hyads are known for their lush gardens, and for caring for Plant creatures, especially carnivorous ones such as Shambling Mounds, Giant Sundews, and Giant Venus Flytraps. While they are well known for their ability to call rain, they are loathe to do so unless directly benefits the plants they care for.
    I'm totally going to use some of this if you don't mind. In some respects, my source material, so to say, does bind my hand (hyads are benefactors of small time agriculturalists and aren't really the vengeful CN kind of creature), but I love the physical description and the thing with gardens.

    I hope this helps.
    It sure does! Thanks again, Debby!

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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    And now, for a while we'll go back to where this started: BIRDIES! (Also, other birdy-adjacent entities.) First of these is going to be the

    Ylyk
    Most often found on Acheron, hovering above fields of battle, Ylyks, also known as warhawks, resemble sizable, almost 5 feet tall birds of prey with dark brown feathers . Proud and obstinate, they make fast friend and unforgiving foes.

    Size/Type: Medium Outsider [Extraplanar]
    Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (24 hp)
    Initiative: +7
    Speed: 20 feet (6 squares), fly 60 feet (average)
    Armor Class: 21 (+3 Dex, +4 +1 called studded leather, +4 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 18
    Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+4
    Attack: Talon +7 melee (1d6) or javelin +7 ranged (1d6)
    Full Attack: 2 talons +7 melee (1d6) and beak +3 melee (1d8) or javelin +7 ranged (1d6)
    Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
    Special Attacks:
    Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., DR 10/magic, fortify the line, low-light vision, rallying cry, resistance to fire 5, spell-like abilities
    Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +5
    Abilities: Str 11, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 20
    Skills: Balance +6, Bluff +14, Diplomacy +12, Gather Information +8, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +4, Knowledge (history) +4, Knowledge (the planes) +2, Listen +8, Perform (oratory) +12, Sense Motive +12, Spot +12
    Feats: Hover, Improved InitiativeB, MultiattackB, Weapon Finesse
    Environment: A lawful-aligned plane
    Organization: Solitary or troop (up to 2 ylyks and 20-100 allies)
    Challenge Rating: 5
    Alignment: Usually lafwul (any)
    Advancement: By character class
    Level Adjustment: +1

    Combat
    Ylyks do not engage opponents directly if they can avoid it. Rather than doing so, they hover over the battlefield, bolstering and commending their allies. If forced to mix into melee, they use their wicked beak and powerful talons before retreating, out of reach.

    Fortify the Lines (Ex)
    Ylyks are apt commanders, able to steel the bodies and souls of those they lead into battle by merely speaking. Once per encounter, an ylyk can grant all allies that can hear it a morale bonus to AC, all saves as well as all Constitution-based checks equal to half its HD for a number of rounds equal to its Charisma modifier.

    Rallying Cry (Ex)
    Ylyks inspire and embolden those serving under them. Once per encounter, an ylyk can grant a morale bonus to attack and damage rolls as well as all Strength-based checks equal to half its HD for a number of rounds equal to its Charisma modifier.

    Spell-like Abilities
    3/day: amplifySpC (DC 16). Caster level 8th. The save DC is Charisma-based.

    Skills
    Ylyks receive a +4 racial bonus on Bluff, Sense Motive and Spot checks.

  30. - Top - End - #30
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    Default Re: Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

    Favoured class Marshal, I'll assume.

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