Vote Up a Monster (3.X) #8: The Vote That Shagged Me

[Indeed.]

Godzilla, Sin or Cloverfield, it needs something like...

City Wrecker (Ex): When making a sunder attempt on an object of Huge size or larger (such as a building), <monster> is treated as if it had the Improved Sunder feat and gets a +10 bonus on the roll. In addition, a successful sunder attempt sends rubble from the object flying, dealing 8d6 crushing damage to anyone of Large size or smaller within 30 feet with a DC 26 reflex save to avoid.

How about Anti-magic field for the second.

[Knaight]

Write in time.

Aura of Scintillating Dust: At the beginning of every turn, monster X sheds a small amount of dust from each scale. The dust fills an area equal to monster X's reach(for advancement purposes). Each round monster X stands still, the dust thickens, starting out sparse, then thin, then cloud like, then fog like, then almost solid.

Sparse-All enemies gain -2 to AC and reflex. All area attacks used within the cloud are reduced in length/radius by 5 feet, with the exception of those used by monster X. Everybody inside the cloud must make a will save of DC 10+con mod, or be dazed. Strong winds can dissipate the cloud.

Thin-All enemies gain -4 to AC and reflex. All area attacks used within the cloud are reduced in length/radius by 10 feet, with the exception of those used by monster X. Movement is slowed by 5 feet. Everybody inside the cloud must make a will save of 12+con mod, or be dazed. Severe winds can dissipate the cloud.

Cloud Like-All enemies gain -6 to AC and reflex. All area attacks used within the cloud are reduced in length/radius by 20 feet, and do half damage, with the exception of those used by monster X. Movement is slowed to half. Everybody inside the cloud must make a will save of 14+con mod, or be dazed. Monster X gains 50% miss chance. Windstorm force winds can dissipate the cloud.

Fog Like-All enemies gain -6 to AC and reflex. All area attacks used within the cloud are reduced in length/radius by 30 feet, and do half damage, with the exception of those used by monster X. In addition, line effects and rays are completely blocked. Movement is slowed to 5 feet per turn. Everybody inside the cloud must make a will save of 16+con mod, or be stunned. Monster X gains total concealment. Hurricane force winds can dissipate the cloud.

Almost Solid-Attacks from outside the cloud to inside the cloud are impossible. The cloud has AC 10, 20 hardness, and 100 hit points per 5 feet. A tornado can dissipate the cloud. Those inside the cloud are totally immobilized, but can make a strength check at 20+con mod to move 5 feet.

All clouds automatically decrease in thickness by 1 level per round monster X is not in them.

City Wrecker

Obviously you might want to make some heavy modifications to Aura of Scintillating dust.

[Zeta Kai]

All votes are currently tallied.

City Wrecker? A cool unique ability.

Aura of Scintillating Dust? A long, rambling power which will have DM's either avoiding the ability, or the monster that has it; it will need to be re-written extensively to be a workable power.

[S. J. Floyd]

Lessee...

I like Trample and Swallow Whole, I could lore-wise see Spell Immunity/Resistance working, Invisibility would be hilarious, Frightful Presence seems a bit redundant considering how terrifying it would have to be face to face anyways, as do the other Fear abilities, and I don't really like Change Shape.

Pointless run on thought aside, I'll vote for just Antimagic now. Swallow Whole is an awesome ability, but considering that it probably eats elephants (or something large) anyway, well, yeah.

By the way, I love the giant turtle idea. Just an opinion.

[Knaight]

Aura of Scintillating Dust? A long, rambling power which will have DM's either avoiding the ability, or the monster that has it; it will need to be re-written extensively to be a workable power.

Thought so. I've been trying to figure out how to simplify it. Maybe something like this:

Scintillating Cloud(ex): Monster X constantly radiates little pieces of scale. Each round Monster X stays still, all area spells cast within the cloud lose 1 die of damage, and there is a cumulative -2 penalty to all attacks. Furthermore each round Monster X stays in place, it gains 5% miss chance. Windstorm or higher wind speeds dissipate the cloud, the effects of the cloud decrease by 1 step each turn Monster X is not in it. Any creature that starts off within the cloud must make a DC 10+constitution modifier(will be replaced by an actual number naturally)+2/round the cloud has been building or be affected by a sleep effect.

[kopout]

City Wrecker and Anti-magic field

[Llama231]

Regeneration and Gaseous Form.
Why not?

[Krazddndfreek]

I vote for Swallow Whole 'cuz every giant lizard needs to eat little pesky adventurers.
And for Antimagic partially because everyone else is doing it and because magic is mean to monsters. and because we don't need another flying lizard/dragon thingie.

[grungar3x7]

I cast my vote thusly, AMF and Swallow Whole.

[Zeta Kai]

All votes are currently tallied.

I'm gonna let this poll continue for a bit longer, since the CR is so high.

[paddyfool]

I'd like to post a write-in, but this obviously can't count as a vote for it since I've voted already:

Slimy scales. If it chooses to, this gargantuan reptilian can secrete a thick, acidic slime to coat its scales, protecting it from the attacks, and particularly the grasp, of its enemies. This takes one hour to take effect, and its effects last until 12 hours after the giant chooses to stop. It grants the following abilities:
- high acid resistance,
- moderate fire, electricity and cold resistance,
- acid damage when attacking/being attacked in melee and when grappling/being grappled,
- bonus to escape artist (as if it needed it)
- bonus to swim speed
- bonus to anyone tracking it (it leaves a scorched and blackened trail on the earth, and a slimy slick in the water)

[Knaight]

Alright, I'm changing my vote from Scintillating Cloud to Slimy Scales. My other vote remains City Wrecker.

[Zeta Kai]

All votes have been tallied. Voting is concluded at this point. The resultant creature, the Ymir, will be posted on Thursday, March 26th. Thanks to everyone who voted.

[Zeta Kai]

“Of old was the age, when Ymir lived;
Sea nor cool waves, nor sand there were;
Earth had not been, nor heaven above,
But a yawning gap, and grass nowhere.”

- The epic Norse poem Völuspá

Ymir

Spoiler

Show

File #1: A depiction of an ymir, drawn by a survivor of the former town of West Gurren.

Colossal Giant (Reptilian)
Hit Dice: 50d8+490 (715HP)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40’ (8 squares), Swim 40’ (8 squares)
Armor Class: 37 (-8 size, -1 Dex, +36 natural); touch 1; flat-footed 37
Base Attack/Grapple: +37/+71
Attack: Claw +47 melee (6d6+18)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +47 melee (6d6+18) & Tail Whip +45 melee (8d6+9) & Bite +45 melee (5d6+9)
Space/Reach: 30’/30’
Special Attacks: Antimagic Field, Breath Weapons, City Wrecker, Improved Grab, Rock Throwing, Swallow Whole
Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 15/epic, Fast Healing 10, Giant traits, Immunities, Regeneration, Resistance to Energy (all types) 10, Rock Catching
Saves: Fort +36, Ref +21, Will +23
Abilities: Str 46 (+18), Dex 8 (-1), Con 29 (+9), Int 5 (-3), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 13 (+1)
Skills: Balance +8, Hide -2, Jump +27, Listen +13, Move Silently +11, Search +7, Spot +12, Survival +10, Tumble +9
Feats: Alertness, Awesome Blow, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Epic Reflexes, Epic Will, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Hide), Stealthy
Environment: any land
Organization: solitary
Challenge Rating: 25
Treasure: ½ standard
Alignment: often Chaotic Good
Advancement: 51-100HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: N/A

The towering beast is like a mountain of scaly flesh on legs. Its stature boggles the mind, & its bearing is undeniably hostile. Its hide is dark & rough, & its eyes are cold & forbidding. Most fearsome of all, though, are the sharp spines on its back, as well as its long curved claws, each larger than the mightiest sword.

Few creatures inspire fear among the giants. They seem to exist in a different world than the smaller folk, untouched by predators & other hazards. No force seems to be able to threaten them for long; even dragons are sometimes stymied by their lumbering march across the land. But their arrogance & self-assurance is shattered by the presence of an Ymir, a living epitaph of a bygone era.

Named after the primordial progenitor of all giantkin, the ymirs are an ancient race of giantfolk that have walked the earth for untold eons. Although they are widely thought to be dying out, an individual ymir (EE-mur) can live for over a thousand years, & so their decline may last for many ages. Ymirs are rarely seen in civilized lands, preferring to keep to the wilderness, which reminds them of the way that the world used to be.

Every once in a great while, an ymir will go on a rampage through settled areas, stomping & blasting farms, villages, & even cities into utter ruin. Perhaps this is a violent attempt to return the land to its primeval state; these rare destructive episodes are often seen as the wrath of an angry god. More often, though, they will keep to their remote mountain peaks, their dense forests, their inhospitable deserts, or their vast trackless oceans. Many of them want nothing to do with the modern world, & so they live their hermetic lives, shunning human & giant alike.

An ymir is about 80’ tall, & weighs around 160 tons. It speaks Giant, albeit poorly & not often.

Combat
An ymir is a simple creature, & its tactics are simple, as well. They are also brutally effective. Protected by its almost ubiquitous antimagic field, its regenerative power, & its many immunities, an ymir is free to assault opponents with its many forms of attack. It usually engages its enemies by first unleashing one of its breath weapons. It will then charge into melee, employing its many natural attacks. If it can, it will grab a foe in its mouth & attempt to swallow it.

Antimagic Field (Ex): An ymir constantly generates an antimagic field with a radius of 60’. The field is an invisible barrier that is impervious to most magical effects, including spells, spell-like abilities, & supernatural abilities. Likewise, it prevents the functioning of any magic items or spells within its confines, except for the ymir’s own supernatural abilities. This effect is otherwise like an antimagic field cast by a 25th-level caster.

Breath Weapons (Su): Once every other round, an ymir can unleash a 120’ cone of energy. This blast deals 20d6 points of damage, from any one energy type (acid/cold/electricity/fire/sonic), chosen at the time of use. Opponents can make a Reflex save (DC44) for half damage; the save DC is Constitution-based.

City Wrecker (Ex): When making a sunder attempt on an object of Huge size or larger (such as a building), an ymir is treated as if it had the Improved Sunder feat & gets a +10 bonus on the roll. In addition, a successful sunder attempt sends rubble from the object flying, dealing 8d6 crushing damage to everything within 40’ (except the ymir itself); a successful Reflex save (DC26) is needed to avoid.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an ymir must successfully perform a Bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold & can either get an automatic hit with one of its Breath Weapons or Swallow Whole.

Rock Throwing (Ex): Adult giants are accomplished rock throwers and receive a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls when throwing rocks. An ymir can hurl rocks weighing up to 1 ton (2,000 pounds, Large size) up to five range increments (100’ range increment).

Swallow Whole (Ex): An ymir can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Huge or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 3d6+18 points of crushing damage plus 4d6+16 points of acid damage per round from an ymir’s digestive juices. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by dealing 65 points of damage to the containment chamber (AC24). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. An ymir’s stomach can hold 1 Huge, 4 Large, 16 Medium, 64 Small, or 256 Tiny or smaller creatures.

Giant traits: A giant possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry); a reptilian creature is scaly & usually coldblooded:

• Low-light vision.
• Proficient with all simple & martial weapons, as well as any natural weapons.
• Proficient with whatever type of armor (light, medium or heavy) it is described as wearing, as well as all lighter types. Giants not described as wearing armor are not proficient with armor. Giants are proficient with shields if they are proficient with any form of armor.
• Giants eat, sleep, & breathe.

Immunities (Ex): An ymir is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, & morale effects). In addition, it is immune to all forms of ability damage, ability drain, disease, energy drain, non-lethal damage, paralysis effects, poison, polymorphing, death effects, & sleep effects. Lastly, it is immune to acid- & electricity-damage, both from magical & non-magical sources.

Regeneration (Ex): No form of attack deals lethal damage to an ymir. An ymir regenerates even if it fails a saving throw against a disintegrate spell or a death effect. If an ymir fails its save against a spell or effect that would kill it instantly (such as those mentioned above), the spell or effect instead deals nonlethal damage equal to the creature’s full normal hit points +10 (or 725HP). An ymir is immune to effects that produce incurable or bleeding wounds, such as mummy rot, a sword with the wounding special ability, or a clay golem’s cursed wound ability. If an ymir loses a limb or body part, the lost portion re-grows in 1d4 minutes (the detached piece dies & decays normally). The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump.

Rock Catching (Ex): An ymir can catch Huge or smaller rocks (or projectiles of similar shape). Once per round, an ymir that would normally be hit by a rock can make a Reflex save to catch it as a free action. The DC is 10 for a Small rock, 15 for a Medium one, 20 for a Large one, & 25 for a Huge one. If the projectile provides a magical bonus on attack rolls, the DC increases by that amount. An ymir must be ready for & aware of the attack in order to make a rock catching attempt.

Monster Lore
Characters that have ranks in Knowledge (History) or Knowledge (Nature) can learn more about ymirs. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DC’s.

• DC30: “There were once cyclopean beings that walked the land, dwarfing even the largest of giantfolk.” A character making this check recalls all reptilian giant traits.
• DC35: “These ancient creatures are the ymirs, & they still live today, albeit in smaller numbers.” A character making this check knows the workings of the creature’s Special Qualities, including Damage Reduction 15/epic, Fast Healing 10, Giant traits, Immunities, Regeneration, Resistance to Energy (all types) 10, & Rock Catching.
• DC40: “An ymir usually lives like a recluse, & it is very dangerous to disturb their self-imposed isolation.” A character making this check remembers the mechanics of the creature’s Special Attacks, including Antimagic Field, Breath Weapons, City Wrecker, Improved Grab, Rock Throwing, & Swallow Whole

A more accurate depiction of an ymir, standing in mid-roar.

[Malfunctioned]

That......looks......awesome

[kopout]

the picture at the top is broken for me. I think you may have left out a [or ]somewhere

[Knaight]

Broken for me too.

[Zeta Kai]

the picture at the top is broken for me. I think you may have left out a [or ]somewhere

No, the image just won't work on the forum for some reason. I turned it into a link, so that people can see the image.

[UnChosenOne]

Why this monster look's like it that it would cause a cause a non-epic party wet their pants?

[Juhn]

So this thing is just as hard to kill as the Tarrasque, is largely immune to magic, is several times as destructive, and there's more than one of them?

Fun.

[paddyfool]

I hate to be a critic of such an awesome monstrosity, for fear that it might destroy me, but how is this Chaotic Good? If this was a bit of fluff that this was the sort of thing that deities nudge/manipulate into destroying tyrant armies, and the cities & fortresses that spawn them, OK. But a loner who just destroys stuff for the heck of it? That's CN at best, bordering CE.

On another note - if this thing were to get into a fight with the Tarrasque, who would win? The Tarrasque benefits mightily from the full BAB with that many hit die, plus the extra HP etc. The Ymir, on the other hand, is faster, slightly smarter, and has ranged attacks; if an Int of 5 is enough for this thing to get even a little bit tactical, it could run rings around the Tarrasque while pelting it with boulders, small hills and largish buildings. Pretty image, no? (Yes, I am aware that a win would hardly be permanent on either side, and that the real loser would be everything else in the vicinity).

Also, shouldn't the city wrecker ability only do collateral crushing damage to creatures of a certain size or lower? It hardly seems reasonable that the Ymir itself, or other collossal or gargantuan creatures would be too bothered about this.

[Zeta Kai]

So this thing is just as hard to kill as the Tarrasque, is largely immune to magic, is several times as destructive, and there's more than one of them?

Fun.

To be fair, most of them just want to be left alone. They are not designed to be engines of destruction, like the Big T may have been.

And they are CG because I say so. Seriously though, I dunno, I justify it by saying to myself that they are doing good by staying away from everyone. Sometimes that's the best you can do.

The Tarrasque would probably slowly beat out an Ymir in a one-on-one fight, but only because of their Regeneration being superior. It would be a cataclysmic battle, though, lasting a good while & ruining a large area around it. I wouldn't wanna be there, but it would make an epic YouTube video.

And lastly, City Wrecker turns buildings into shrapnel. Why wouldn't that harm larger creatures?

[kopout]

thank you for making him the tri-star godzilla that movie was my favorite as a kid and before discovering it on wikipidia I had no idea that people hated it, not just didn't like it but outright hated it, and that they where in the majority. So thank you for making it the Tri-star godzila, my childhood feels better now.

[paddyfool]

And lastly, City Wrecker turns buildings into shrapnel. Why wouldn't that harm larger creatures?

Fair enough. But does the shrapnel harm the Ymir itself?

[Zeta Kai]

Fair enough. But does the shrapnel harm the Ymir itself?

I've made an edit to City Wrecker, increasing its range to 40' & specifying that the ymir does not harm itself in the process.