Call to Brew! [Crossroads]

[SuperDave]

Attack bonuses need fixin'. Bite should be +36, claws should be +35, tail slap should be +30, and the tongue should be +17 (also, it's a ranged touch attack, not a melee one).

OK, so if it's +35 for the primary bite attack, then how much for the secondary bites? (Also, what did I forget that the attack bonus should be ten points higher than I calculated? I must've left out something pretty important to wind up with such a low number!)

I don't think it's a CR 24, though. It's a big beastie, but it doesn't have any of the stuff that epic-level encounters really need to present a credible threat to high-level parties.

Well, that's the number that came up when I ran it through Vorpal Tribble's CR calculator. You're right though; most epic-level monsters will have way more SLAs and special abilities than this guy, but I just don't know the spells well enough to figure out which SLAs it should have, if any.

What CR do you think it deserves?

[Admiral Squish]

OK, so if it's +35 for the primary bite attack, then how much for the secondary bites? (Also, what did I forget that the attack bonus should be ten points higher than I calculated? I must've left out something pretty important to wind up with such a low number!)



Well, that's the number that came up when I ran it through Vorpal Tribble's CR calculator. You're right though; most epic-level monsters will have way more SLAs and special abilities than this guy, but I just don't know the spells well enough to figure out which SLAs it should have, if any.

What CR do you think it deserves?

+36 for the primary bite. Secondary bites should be +31. Secondary attacks take a -5 penalty. Wait... Forgot to check for multiattack in the feats. Secondary bites should be +34, and the tail should be +33. Also, I assumed the tongue as a secondary, but I see it's a primary in the other blocks. Should be +22.
I think you forgot the strength mod, but I'm not honestly sure how you got some of the numbers you had.

As for the new CR, I'm not really certain. Still in the high end, but not epic, certainly. 16-18, maybe?

[SuperDave]

OK, I fixed the attacks and lowered the CR to 17. I hereby pronounce the Cipactli... completed!

And, as promised, here's the Obsidian Butterfly Swarm that I've been working on.

Spoiler

Show

A swirling cloud of black, faintly translucent butterflies emerges from the chanting spellcaster’s outstretched hand. They make no sound as they fly, except for a faint tinkling like tiny wind-chimes. As they come closer, your eyes catch sunlight glinting off the razor-sharp edges of their wings.

Obsidian butterfly swarms are most frequently summoned by worshipers of Ītzpāpālōtl, the skeletal warrior-goddess of infant mortality, women who die in childbirth, and leader of the tzitzimime star-demons.

Obsidian Butterfly Swarm CR 4
XP 800
N Fine Construct (Swarm)
Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Lifesense; Low-light vision; Perception +5
____________
Defenses

AC 20, touch 20, flat-footed 18; (+8 Size, +2 Dex, +0 Natural)
HP 3d10 (16 hp)
Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +3
Defensive Abilities mindless, swarm traits; Immune electricity damage, mind-affecting effects, bleed, disease, death effects, necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning, weapon damage
___________
Offenses

Speed fly 30 ft. (average)
Melee swarm (1d6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach —
Special Attacks distraction (DC 11), shred, wounding
____________
Statistics

Str 3 (-4), Dex 15 (+2), Con —, Int 1 (-5), Wis 14 (+2), Cha 4 (-3)
Base Atk 3; CMB —; CMD —
Feats Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Fly +10, Perception +5
SQ construct traits, swarm traits
____________
Ecology

Environment any temperate or tropical
Organization solitary, pair, flight (3–6 swarms), or colony (11–20 swarms)
Treasure none

____________________
Special Abilities

Distraction (Ex)
Any living creature that takes damage from an obsidian butterfly swarm is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC 11) negates the effect.

Lifesense (Su)
Because they actively seek out the warm blood of sacrificial victims to sustain their patroness, an obsidian butterfly swarm notices and locates living creatures within 60 feet, just as if it possessed the blindsight ability.

Shred (Ex)
An obsidian butterfly swarm causes damage to unattended objects in its space each round as though they were creatures, but only if the object has a Hardness score of 5 or less (examples include glass, paper, cloth, rope, leather/hide, and wood).

Wounding (Ex)
Any living creature damaged by a obsidian butterfly swarm continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.

[Perturbulent]

First off, SuperDave...that's amazing. I really like it. I might think of it as CR 3...but I can see why either might make sense. I also feel like it might be immune to fire damage, which at that level, might be the difference between cr 3 and 4 (considering most area of effect stuff is lightning or fire).

Truly terrifying. I could have nightmares about those.

Tizheruk
What at first seems like the back of some small whale is half surfaced at the edge of the water before flying out wildly, the massive head of this beast, hurtling toward the dock.
CR 10
N Huge magical beast
Init +6; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision; Perception +6

DEFENSE
AC 25, touch 8, flat-footed 23 (+2 Dex, +17 natural, –4 size)
hp 150 (12d10+84)
Fort +17, Ref +12, Will +6
Defensive Abilities Cold Resist 30

OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee bite +22 (4d8+22/19-20 plus grab), tail slap +17 (3d6+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks capsize, constrict (3d6+18), swallow whole (2d8+18 bludgeoning damage, AC 18, hp 15)

STATISTICS
Str 34, Dex 14, Con 25, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +12; CMB +26 (+28 Bullrush; +30 grapple); CMD 38 (40 vs Bullrush; can't be tripped)
Feats Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Acrobatics)
Skills Acrobatics +24, Perception +6, Swim +20
(+8 racial bonus to swim)
SQ Hold Breath
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Capsize (Ex)
A Tizheruk can attempt to capsize a boat or ship of its size or smaller by ramming it as a charge attack and making a combat maneuver check. The DC of this check is 25 or the result of the boat captain's Profession (sailor) check, whichever is higher.
Leap (Ex)
A Tizheruk can make an acrobatics check to jump from the water. If it does so, it jumps double the distance listed in the acrobatics skill entry, and is always regarded as having a running start. It is also considered charging for the purpose of performing a bull rush.


ECOLOGY
Environment Arctic Oceans
Organization solitary
Treasure none
Tales of Tizheruk exist frequently in icy coastal areas. They are well known for their massive heads, making up nearly half their body length. They have only insubstantial flippers on the sides of their bodies, but they have a complete whale's tail. It's mouth, which hangs low beneath the bulk of it's head, is full of infrequently placed outcroppings of teeth.
The whole thing faintly resembles a shrunk and stretched out sperm whale. Typical Tizheruk are 20 feet in length and weigh 1,500 pounds.

They are known for knocking sailors off of docks and ships by jumping into the air.

[SuperDave]

The Tizheruk looks great, but it's a little hard for me to visualize. Do you have an image to go with the stats?

(minor correction: I think would be "hurtling", rather than "hurdling". )

First off, SuperDave...that's amazing. I really like it.

Truly terrifying. I could have nightmares about those.

Thank you very much! I was happy with how they turned out. I felt like we needed more low-CR beasties, and these guys fit the bill pretty well. Plus, they're pretty flavorful for the setting, IMHO.

I might think of it as CR 3...but I can see why either might make sense. I also feel like it might be immune to fire damage, which at that level, might be the difference between cr 3 and 4 (considering most area of effect stuff is lightning or fire).

So you think that it should be CR 3 as-is, or that the addition of fire immunity would bump it up to CR 4? I only added the electricity immunity because I learned that the Maya and Aztecs considered obsidian to be fossilized lightning, so it seemed appropriate. Since obsidian is made of lava, I can see how a fire immunity might make sense, but then again stone golems don't get a free immunity to fire just 'cause they're made of hardened lava.

And that makes 12 beasties, I might be ready for a break soon. hahaha.

An even dozen? Really? I'm impressed! *clap clap clap clap clap*

I guess I need to pick up the pace with my homebrewing if I'm gonna keep up with the rest of you guys.

[Perturbulent]

I didn't know there was a difference between hurtling and hurdling, I had only heard them before.

I fixed that, I'd offer an image, but I am neither a talented artist, nor did I find any satisfactory ones online. It's kind of weird set of features. I imagine the head to look vaguely like a humpback whale's head, and the body to turn into a strange mammalian sea monster. I feel like the myth certainly came from some sort of whale.

And yes, as it looks now, I'd call it CR 3, but that's just my feeling. With the Fire Resistance or immunity, I'd call it CR 4.

[Bhu]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/shows...&postcount=955

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/shows...&postcount=956

Paija and Matlose are done. Will try Thelgeth and Skatene next.

[SuperDave]

I didn't know there was a difference between hurtling and hurdling, I had only heard them before.

It's OK, don't be embarrassed. As an English major, I can tell you that English has a very, very messed-up spelling system. As the linked article states, "The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw is said to have joked that the word ‘fish’ could legitimately be spelled ‘ghoti,’ by using the ‘gh’ sound from ‘enough,’ the ‘o’ sound from ‘women’ and the ‘ti’ sound from ‘action.’ ”

I fixed that, I'd offer an image, but I am neither a talented artist, nor did I find any satisfactory ones online. It's kind of weird set of features. I imagine the head to look vaguely like a humpback whale's head, and the body to turn into a strange mammalian sea monster. I feel like the myth certainly came from some sort of whale.

Spoiler: Well, will any of these do?

Show

Edit:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/shows...&postcount=955

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/shows...&postcount=956

Paija and Matlose are done. Will try Thelgeth and Skatene next.

Matlose looks great! It's good to see the lower-CR creatures getting representation here. (Incidentally, what effect would a Spirit Shaman be able to have on its powers, exactly?)

Regarding the Paija: Deadly Gaze sounds terrifying! And it would be doubly-dangerous in this context, because the the victim's body would become prohibitively heavy for transport by dogsled. Which means that if a PC falls to her gaze, then their comrades would have to make a difficult choice: Do they throw away almost all of their supplies (and maybe even food!) in order to throw the statue on their sled and make the tortuously slow journey back to civilization? Or do they leave him where he fell, run to grab a shaman, and hope that the statue doesn't break or get stolen while they're gone? (Actually, that might affect her CR...)

Would the Paija's having a single leg translate to a CMD penalty against being tripped?

Edit: Oh, I think I might have found a good (and more importantly, PG-13) image of the Paija for you:

[Perturbulent]

The last image seems closest, but I imagine it without the flippers, and a neck/body that are about half as long. It's funny-shaped.
That said, the reason it was so blush-worthy is that I myself am an English major. I suppose it can be shrugged off though.

[Admiral Squish]

Sweet! Four new very cool creations to review!

Obsidian Butterfly Swarm
Gotta say, this is a very, very cool visual and a very creepy critter.
Math Check: Everything looks solid! I had to double-check the construct traits in PF, but you're good.
I would say I think the int score should be a nonability. I mean, they are constructs, after all, and mindlessness is a very common trait among them. It's not like they desperately need the feats, anyways.
I definitely like the special abilities.
Shred in particular makes this a much more significant threat beyond it's combat abilities. A obsidian butterfly swarm loose in a city could chew through huge areas of the city if it's not quickly stopped. Though, perhaps you should indicate that it ignores hardness of such things, as well. As it stands it's only going to nick things up a bit (1 damage/6 rounds-ish on wooden items.)
But yes, very cool, very well-made. *high five*

Tizheruk
Ahh, another creation of the generous perturbulent! I shall enjoy this.
Math Check: All good!
I think the creature could use a bit more detailed description. Even if it's never really covered in the myth, you gotta fill in the blank spots a bit. All I know from what you have here is it kinda looks like a whale and half it's body is head. I don't know if it's got legs or just flippers, if it's got sharp teeth (I assume so), if it's got whale-like skin or scales or fur...
I am curious, how does the tail grab as well? Is it prehensile?
You use male pronouns in the leap ability. Not really a problem, but mostly people use gender-neutral.
I very much like the idea of this creature, it looks like it would be a very interesting combat encounter, I just wish there was more description to make it feel real, you know?

And two new contributions from Bhu! Marvelous!
Paija
I will admit, I've been curious to see how this lady-beast would be handled.
Math check: It looks like the attack bonuses are off. By my count it should be +20 and +15, not +30 and +25. (+12 bab, +10 str, -2 size).
I wonder, from where did the whole 'meet it's gaze and be petrified' idea came from in the human psyche...
Wintry nature seems to be worded oddly in my mind. I would write it as 'Paija takes no penalty to spot or search checks from snow, sleet, or fog (why rain?), and can move normally over icy or snowy terrain'.
Also, I feel she could use a bit more flavorful description.
Overall, very cool. I would not like to run into her.

Matlose:
Interesting critter.
Math Check: I think the attack bonus should be +12 on the claws and +7 on the bite. (7 bab + 5 str, no penalty)
Paralyzing roar seems to have a typo in the save area. It would be a charisma-based DC, wouldn't it? Calling it a willpower save is unusual, but not bad.
Overall, very solid!


I'll be updating the first post momentarily with the new totals/creations.

[Perturbulent]

I went through and made some minor edits. I added some more description to how I am seeing the beastie. I removed the tail's grab ability (I put that there when I was under the impression he'd be longer, and thus able to coil around other critters. Finally, I adjusted the infrequent use of "he."

[Admiral Squish]

Marvelous! I do quite appreciate it. Now I've got a much clearer image of what the thing actually looks like.

[Bhu]

Edit:


Matlose looks great! It's good to see the lower-CR creatures getting representation here. (Incidentally, what effect would a Spirit Shaman be able to have on its powers, exactly?)


Would the Paija's having a single leg translate to a CMD penalty against being tripped?

From what I've found her single leg doesn't seem to hold her back any.


Spirit SHaman is a Druid/CLeric variant from Complete Divine focused on spirits. It has powers to detec, damage or otherwise affect spirits, which include :


All incorporeal undead
All fey
All elementals
Creatures in astral form or with astral bodies (but not a creature physically present on the Astral Plane)
All creatures of the spirit subtype (see Oriental Adventures)
Spirit folk and telthors (see Unapproachable East)
Spirit creatures created by spells such as dream sight or wood wose (see Chapter 7).

[Admiral Squish]

I seem to remember spirit shaman being its own base class. I might be confused, though.

As to one leg, I think it'd kinda ruin the mystique a bit of she was falling over all the time. I'm fine with no penalty.

[Bhu]

It is a base class, but it casts druid spells. For all intent it's a Druid with anti spirit powers instead of wild shape.

[Debihuman]

I'd like to put dibs on Gwagwakhwalanooksiwey- A huge flesh eating raven. Sorry I haven't been too active as I've been sick lately I'll put it up in a day or so. Still need to get a better grasp of Pathfinder Rules. Since these feast on brains (using their sharp beaks to crack the skulls), I think the victims should rise as zombies... which is why they are always looking for brains themselves!

Debby

[Admiral Squish]

Sorry to hear you've been sick. I hope you're feeling better!

Alright, I'll update your claim into the first post. I'm not sold on the zombie angle, I think they're just more like big birds with unusual eating habits, but I'll reserve judgement until I see the finished product. A little creativity never hurt anyone, after all.

[Perturbulent]

I'm going to begin work on Baba Yaga... this may take a while

[Bhu]

Fixed math on Matlose and Paijaa, will have the other two done sooon.

[Debihuman]

I'm going to begin work on Baba Yaga... this may take a while

Baba Yaga and her hut were officially statted out on Paizo's site; you might want to look at that first.

Debby

[Admiral Squish]

Baba Yaga, awesome. As for it being done by paizo, I remember that being brought up before. I can't remeber what happened with it, though. Googling on the d20pfsrd gets me results for baba yaga's house, her riders, and various other related monsters, but nothing for baba yaga herself. Maybe it's there and I'm not finding it, or it's not tagged properly, maybe it's not there. I dunno.
I will render verdict thusly: Baba Yaga and her house are not required monsters, however, if they are created, I may well use the brewed version over the written version, depending on which one works better in the setting and overall.

Glad to hear you got the math fixed, bhu, looking forward to your next creations!

[Debihuman]

Here is the link on Paizo's site to Baba Yaga (it's fan created so that might be why you didn't find it): https://sites.google.com/site/pathfi...-lab/baba-yaga

Here is Shade's conversion from EnWorld: http://creaturecatalog.enworld.org/c...reatureID=1084


Debby

[Admiral Squish]

Oh, yeah! That's what it was. I think I remember that now. I think I decided I wasn't gonna use it if it was third-party, just out of the interest of limiting the number of people who I have to get permission from. Also I would probably have to edit some of it and that just makes getting the permission harder.

[Bhu]

I read a long version of the navajo war myth. Delgeth and the other Anaye are alien gods, and as such would have at least divine rank 0. Thelgeth actually appears to be a corruption of the cannibal antelope Delgeth.

[Mith]

With Sinterklaas, are you wanting the specific Netherland version which is the actual Saint, or would you be OK with a more Winter-Druid version that reflects the Germanic Influences of Odin, and has a spirit of hospitality that rewards you with food and firewood in the dead of winter if you were a good host, and sometimes kills you if you were an atrocious host?

I have an idea of making him have an 8 legged horse for land, a boat that needs no wind or oars to cross the water, and he has a wendigo named Krampus bound to serve him, who he unleashes on bad hosts.

I do not have any experience with Pathfinder, so it may take a while.

[Perturbulent]

With Sinterklaas, are you wanting the specific Netherland version which is the actual Saint, or would you be OK with a more Winter-Druid version that reflects the Germanic Influences of Odin, and has a spirit of hospitality that rewards you with food and firewood in the dead of winter if you were a good host, and sometimes kills you if you were an atrocious host?

I have an idea of making him have an 8 legged horse for land, a boat that needs no wind or oars to cross the water, and he has a wendigo named Krampus bound to serve him, who he unleashes on bad hosts.

I do not have any experience with Pathfinder, so it may take a while.

That sounds amazing and I'm excessively excited to see it.

[Admiral Squish]

Anaye
Woah, really? Sounds AWESOME. I would love to get a link to the story you found or the name of the book or however I have to get my hands on it.

Sinterklaas
What you've suggested sounds pretty seriously awesome, just pick your favorite version/version and go nuts, man.

[Bhu]

I can't post that link here because it's extremely nsfw, as it's basically a myth on why certain forms of sex are evil. The basics I can share with you is that the Navajo Gods decide to separate by gender in an abstinence contest, the women break the rules, and not long after give birth to a race of evil Gods called the Anaye, which the gods then go to war with and kill all but 4: Poverty, Cold, Hunger and Old Age.

Information on them is sparse and many were all but invulnerable to even the God of War without his using special weapons created by his father. If we do the Anaye they should have Divine Rank in d20 terms, and info on them is damn sparse. We'd have to fill in a lot of blanks as they're supposed to be all but unkillable.

[SuperDave]

Question: Should the Flying Head be an aberration or an undead, possibly vampiric in nature? I can kind of see it going either way, and I can't get started until I make a decision. (While I'm at it, do we want stats for Rolling Heads as well? They could turn out really disturbing, if I do 'em right; like horrible versions of those green heads from Spirited Away.)

Personally, I suspect that Flying/Rolling Heads may be related to the South American Chon Chon, and/or the Malaysian penanggalan.

------------------

With Sinterklaas, are you wanting the specific Netherlands version which is the actual Saint, or would you be OK with a more Winter-Druid version that reflects the Germanic Influences of Odin, and has a spirit of hospitality that rewards you with food and firewood in the dead of winter if you were a good host, and sometimes kills you if you were an atrocious host?

I second that motion. Make it happen, man!

he has a wendigo named Krampus bound to serve him, who he unleashes on bad hosts.

Idea: What if this wendigo isn't the original Krampus, but a new servant that dear old St. Nick picked up when he moved to the New World? The story of how he bound this wicked monster to his will would make most epic Christmas-carol ever!

[Mith]

Do the Saami people (Laplanders) have a Wendigo-like creature? They could all be a variant of each other.