Plots & PlacesPost your PCs and NPCs for others to reference and enjoy. This is also an alternate location for long-term campaign and plot development. These can be system neutral or relate to any game or system.
Originally posted by Piratecat As for the undead bard, well, stay tuned and grab some popcorn. That's been planned for some time.
Howdy, PCat! If the Defenders haven't already met the undead bard you mentioned a few pages back, here's a bit of Lovecraft I re-read tonight that may be inspirational:
"It was a godless sound....To call it a dull wail, a doom-dragged whine, or a hopeless howl of chorused anguish and stricken flesh without mind would be to miss its most quintessential loathsomeness and soul-sickening overtones." The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
I imagine the necrotic bard strumming an unstrung lute and singing an ancient ballad of a lover spurned and betrayed to her death, with an audience of ghouls groaning each chorus through torn and tongueless throats...
have you thought about making the paralytic effect of a ghoul's touch one of this foe's bardic song abilities?
__________________ A carrot is as close as a rabbit gets to a diamond.
Very cool encounter in the Defenders' supposedly safe castle.
So, what is it? A cross between a Gibbering Mouther and a Chaos Beast?
I am particularly interested in what magical protections you had it use. Creative uses of spells and powers is something I have been working on lately to challenge my moderately powerful group (now 9-11 level).
__________________ I have this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side...
In case you were wondering... Kellharin's favorite pet (named Sluuth) is an advanced, fiendish black pudding with its acid damage vs items tuned down slightly and some nifty special effects added.
After Kellharin scried into the extraplanar castle, he gated it in from the Prime. You folks want to see the stats and the buffing spells?
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Originally posted by DoctorB Can the DoD prevent Scrying into the Castle if they want to?
If you can come up with a way to prevent it, feel free to post it. They're currently leaning towards false vision, although the duration stinks. I'm thinking of extending the duration as a house rule.
I'll post Sluuth's stats.
Last edited by Piratecat; 30th October 2002 at 03:16 PM..
Sluuth Fiendish Advanced Black Pudding (with no buffing spells)
Gargantuan Ooze
Hit Dice: 24d10+174 (306 hp)
Initiative: -2 (Dex)
Speed: 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
AC: 4 (-4 size, -2 Dex)
Attacks: Slam +23 melee
Damage: Slam 2d8+12 and 3d6 acid
Face/Reach: 15 ft. by 35 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, acid, constrict(2d8+12 and 3d6 acid), smite good
Special Qualities: DR 10/+3, SR 24, cold/fire DR 20, Blindsight 60’, split, ooze
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 6, Con 23, Int --, Wis 1, Cha 1
Climate/Terrain: Any marsh and underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 16
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the black pudding must hit with its slam attack. If it gets a hold, it can constrict. Opposed grapple check: 1d20+39
Acid (Ex): The pudding secretes a digestive acid that dissolves organic material and metal quickly. Any melee hit deals acid damage. The pudding’s acidic touch deals 30 points of damage per round to wood or metal objects (remember, objects take half damage from acid). The opponent’s armor and clothing dissolve and become useless immediately unless they succeed at Reflex saves (DC 28). The acid can dissolve stone, dealing 20 points of damage per round of contact. A metal or wooden weapon that strikes a black pudding also takes acid damage unless it succeeds at a Reflex save (DC 28).
Constrict (Ex): A black pudding deals automatic slam and acid damage with a successful grapple check. The opponent’s clothing and armor suffer a -4 penalty to Reflex saves against the acid.
Split (Ex): Weapons deal no damage to a black pudding. Instead the creature splits into two identical puddings, each with half the original’s hit points (round down). A pudding with only 1 hit point cannot be further split. Splitting consumes a move-equivalent action.
Smite Good (Su): Once per day the creature can make a normal attack to deal additional damage equal to its HD total (maximum of +20) against a good foe.
Ooze: Immune to mind-influencing effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits. Can not be flanked.
Reddish-black and drips acid; imprint of ghouls keeps pressing out of ooze.
Originally posted by Piratecat You folks want to see the stats and the buffing spells?
That would be lovely. My table is about to enter into a long Cthonic arc, and I need to make all sorts of intereresting oozes, sahaugin psychic warriors, advanced beholders, and illithids.
Sluuth Fiendish Advanced Black Pudding (with buffing spells)
Gargantuan Ooze
Hit Dice: 24d10+174 (426 hp)
Initiative: +0 (Dex)
Speed: 40 ft., climb 30 ft., air walk 40 ft., fly 90 ft.; freedom of movement
AC: 50% miss chance, AC 15 (-4 size, +0 Dex, +4 armor, +5 deflection)
Attacks: Slam +24 melee
Damage: Slam 2d8+17 and 3d6 acid
Face/Reach: 15 ft. by 35 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, acid, constrict (2d8+17 and 3d6 acid), smite good, transmit disease (cackle fever)
Special Qualities: DR 10/+3, SR 24, improved invisible, retributive strength damage, cold/fire DR 20, spell immunity (see below), Blindsight 60’, split, ooze, nondetection, 50% miss chance,
Saves: Fort +19, Ref +13, Will +8 (+4 resistance already added in)
Abilities: Str 40, Dex 10, Con 33, Int --, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: Jump +45
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 16
Treasure: None
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Retributive strength damage: if a good creature succeeds at a melee attack against an unholy aura-warded creature, the offending attacker takes 1d6 points of temporary Strength damage (DC 23 Fortitude save negates).
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the black pudding must hit with its slam attack. If it gets a hold, it can constrict. Opposed grapple check: 1d20+44
Acid (Ex): The pudding secretes a digestive acid that dissolves organic material and metal quickly. Any melee hit deals acid damage. The pudding’s acidic touch deals 30 points of damage per round to wood or metal objects. The opponent’s armor and clothing dissolve and become useless immediately unless they succeed at Reflex saves (DC 28). The acid can dissolve stone, dealing 20 points of damage per round of contact. A metal or wooden weapon that strikes a black pudding also takes acid damage unless it succeeds at a Reflex save (DC 28). As always, objects take half damage from objects.
Constrict (Ex): A black pudding deals automatic slam and acid damage with a successful grapple check. The opponent’s clothing and armor suffer a -4 penalty to Reflex saves against the acid.
Split (Ex): Weapons deal no damage to a black pudding. Instead the creature splits into two identical puddings, each with half the original’s hit points (round down). A pudding with only 1 hit point cannot be further split. Splitting consumes a move-equivalent action.
Smite Good (Su): Once per day the creature can make a normal attack to deal additional damage equal to its HD total (maximum of +20) against a good foe.
Ooze: Immune to mind-influencing effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits. Can not be flanked.
Buffing spells:
(1) endure elements, prot vs good, sanctuary, shield of faith (18 minutes); jump, mage armor,
(2) empowered x2 bull’s strength (+8), darkness, empowered x2 endurance (+10), resist elements, silence; blur (20% miss chance), cat’s grace, magic mouth, protection from arrows (DR 10/+4 for 170 minutes)
(3) Deeper darkness, prayer (luck – 18 rounds), protection vs elements (fire, sonic, cold; 216 points protected); displacement (17 rounds), fly (17 hours), haste, nondetection (DC 28 level check; 17 hours)
(4) Air walk (1700 rounds), freedom of movement (1700 rounds), spell immunity (1700 rounds – searing light, magic missile, fireball, ice storm); improved invisibility (170 rounds);
(8) Unholy aura (18 rounds)
Yellow spells are reflected in the stats. Green spells are backup. Red spells are NOT reflected in the stats, but are active and important nonetheless.
1. Pulsates with magic in the silent darkness. Victims are silently drawn inside where they can’t be seen. Smells like brimstone and alchemy.
2. Darkness dispelled? The thing drips smoking acid across the floor. Still invisible and silent, victims can’t be heard as the acid dissolves them.
3. Visible? It is pulsing blackish red, and imprints of ghouls keeps pressing out of ooze.
The big advantage here is surprise and fear; no one will know what it is, although it can dissolve and devour.
Last edited by Piratecat; 4th September 2002 at 10:07 PM..
Note that my CR is probably a bit low! i'm sure there are some typos in there, too (such as the hit die calculation not reflecting the altered constitution), but this should give you the general idea.
Last edited by Piratecat; 4th September 2002 at 10:05 PM..
Thats the best time. Flesh heals, Magical Armor doesn't. I'd rather end up naked, and acid scarred, but easily healable, then naked, scarred, and surrounded by the ooze that was my +5 fullplate, shield, and sword.
Originally posted by Quartermoon You are so, so mean. I mean, hey, they're in their PJs, fighting acid!
Meanie.
Yeah. Thank goodness you never did this to me, when you were my DM!!! Think of it as "less cool items to be destroyed," and it's a little less painful.
If you can come up with a way to prevent it, feel free to post it. They're currently leaning towards false vision, although the duration stinks. I'm thinking of extending the duration as a house rule.
Screen is the best way in the core rules, although what happens when you Gate into a Screened area is up to the DM. (I would say it depended on the particular illusion; if there were just subtle changes the Gate would work fine, but obscuring the whole area would prevent spells like Gate from working.)
Otherwise there's not much that lasts any real duration. Scrying is just starting to become an issue in my game, and I've decided that in general it's an offense-happy world: scrying works, and the powers-that-be have come up with ways to deal with it (or not). I strictly enforce the rule that Scrying only works on creatures, which cuts out many abuses.
The one house rule I am considering is for Detect Scrying: if the detecting character succeeds in a Scry vs. Scry roll, they can cast a spell (such as Dispel Magic or False Vision) before the scrier gets a chance to see anything. Haven't decided for sure, though.
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