Dog Moon's Creatures [Updated 10-05-13]

The Amalgam Template is essentially combining two creatures, like the Owlbear, for example. It's the ultimate experimental template.

Tauric is basically like the centaur, just using different tops and different bottoms.

Yeah, I know that the Homebrews section is low traffic. It's a pity, and I don't just mean for my thread. I like to believe that more people would post if it had more traffic and this Forum would be awesome with much more traffic and postings.

Paper Golem!

Okay, this isn't quite ready IMO, but I'm posting it for Jdvn1's sake. It's technically ready to go, but I feel like it's missing something and I can't quite figure out what it is. This isn't an NPC, but is just a miscellaneous creature, a Golem, if you will, so it doesn't have a background or adventure hook, though it does have a brief idea of how I pictured it.

I used the base Paper Golem found in this thread: http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=2857025&postcount=1 and modified it a little, giving it a base Intelligence [personal thing; I like the idea of Intelligent Golems].

Modifications: Add a couple of abilities such as Changing Attack and Wounding, advanced it several HD, and gave it a modified Swarm-Shifter because I thought it was fitting and believe it should be allowed for more than just Undead as long as it is fitting in a theme [Normal shape was bats, but I changed it to paper]. I also gave it a couple of qualities from the Ablative Template, the ones I thought most fitting.

I'm not entirely sure CR 7 sounds right though. It just doesn't seem QUITE that buff, but it does have several useful abilities. Couple levels of Fighter would make it scary.

Oh, and if anyone has any additional options for variant versions, that would be great.

Advanced Paper Golem Swarm-Shifter (CR 7)
Medium Construct
HD: 6d10 ; 67 hp
Init +7
Spd: 30 ft
AC: 16 (+3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13

BA/Grapple: +4/+5
Attack: 2 Paper Cut +7 melee (1d8+1)
S/R: 5 ft./5 ft.
SA: Changing Attack, Flaming Limbs, Swarm Attack 2d6, Wounding
SQ: Construct Traits, Darkvision 60ft, DR 5/Slashing, Flammable, Immunity to Magic, Swarm Form

AL Chaotic evil
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Str 12, Dex 17, Con -, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 1

Skills: Listen +5, Spot +4
Languages: Common [understands commands in common, but cannot speak it]

Feats: Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack, Weapon Finesse
Advancement:

Changing Attack (Ex): A Paper Golem may, at will as a move equivolent action, change its form to accomodate either a Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing attack, bypassing the appropriate DR.

Shapelessness (Ex): By spending one full-round action to become shapeless, a Paper Golem can squeeze through openings of incredibly small size (as little as 1 inch in diameter). The creature can move along small fissures, ooze under doors, pour into containers of its size or larger, and perform other similar feats. Land speed, climbing speed, and burrowing speed in this formless state is reduced by half, and the creature retains many vague, distorted features of the base creature. A shapeless amorphous cannot fly using wings. Another full-round action is required to regain the base creature’s original shape. While in shapeless form, the creature’s natural armor bonus is halved. A shapeless amorphous can bear any object it carries along with it, but such equipment may impede the creature’s movement in shapeless form. For instance, the static shape of his plate armor would burden an amorphous knight. Many amorphous creatures elect to eschew cumbersome equipment for this reason.

Stretch (Ex): An amorphous can double its natural reach by stretching its arms, legs, tail, and other appendages in combat. This increase of reach can be initiated as a move action and maintained for a number of rounds equal to 1 + the amorphous creature’s Constitution bonus (minimum of 1 round). The creature may use the ability again 1d3 rounds later.

Wounding (Ex): A living creature damaged by the swarm attack continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped with a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic. This can only be used when the Paper Golem is using a Slashing attack.

Paper Swarm
Diminutive Construct (Swarm)
Speed: 5 ft, fly 40 ft. (good).
Special Attacks: A Paper Golem in Paper Swarm form has the following additional special attack.
Wounding (Ex): A living creature damaged by the swarm attack continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do no result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped with a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Special Qualities: A Paper Golem in Paper Swarm form has the following additional special qualities, in addition to darkvision out to 60 feet and undead traits.
Immune to Weapon Damage (Ex): Weapon attacks are useless against a swarm of Diminutive creatures.

Hive Mind (Ex): A swarm-shifter with this ability is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate).

Swarm Form (Su): The base creature can take the form of a swarm of papers at will. Changing shape to or from swarm form is a standard action The golem cannot change from swarm form to its normal form in an area where its body could not normally fit. As with the alter self spell, the base creature's items are absorbed into the swarm form and provide no benefit. When it would normally be dispersed to damage taken, the swarm reverts to the base creature's form and is destroyed. Although the use of this ability is a supernatural effect, remaining in one form or another is not supernatural, and the base creature in swarm form does not change into its normal shape in an antimagic field. True seeing and similar magic reveals both forms.

Encounter:
Paper Golems are frequently found in libraries or laboratories, guardians of the information inside. They tend to hide among the papers, appearing as nothing more than papers spread out on tables tops or even places within books, but not bound to the spines. When someone approaches who is not their creator, the papers fly out from their positions and turn into the Paper Golem. Frequently, there is writing on the pages to give the further appearance of being normal papers, but most often, these pages contain pointless writing, poetry, for example.

Variants:
Not all Paper Golems are created the same. Several optional variants are listed below.

Fire resistant
These Paper Golems are dipped and soaked thoroughly and repeated in a substance to prevent them from starting on fire. These Golems lose their Flammable Quality, but they also lose their Flaming Limbs attack.
CR: +0.

Spellruned
Some casters write runes on the papers, giving an added surprising. When one of these runes strikes a person, the spell is triggered. These spells can only be touch spells or ranged touch spells which losed their range aspects but can only target a single creature. Unlike normal, these do not become touch attacks, so the Golem must make a normal attack, but these spells also do not need to be cast. [Treat these spells as being held charges, released only when the Golem specifically attacks with that page] Otherwise, treat all spells as normal.
Spell Runes: The Spellruned Paper Golem gains 2 first level spells of which can be cast a total number of 4 times per day, the numbers which must be set when created. Thus a Golem who has the spells Shocking Grasp and Ray of Enfeeble can be created to cast 3 Shocking Grasps and 1 Ray of Enfeeblement per day. Neither the spell nor the number of times can be changed. If made by a Cleric, the Spellruned Golem can cast Cleric spells; if made by a Wizard, the Spellruned Golem can cast Wizard spells. The Caster Level is equal to 1/2 the Golem's HD and the DC is equal to the level of the spell + Wis modifier.
Abilities: Wis +2.
CR: +1.

Playtest notes: Two things I noticed: I think the creature should have a 16 Strength instead of 12. I know Strength is desirable, but even with the Wounding, the 1d8+1 really isn't enough damage against characters of levels 5-7 where they might be fighting it to be threatening much. The Spell Runes may give it enough damage to make up for the low Strength, but at 1-2 attacks per round and a maximum of four damaging spells, they may or may not enough overall.

It is a fairly defensive creature, however, and our group realized that in Swarm Form, since it's a golem, it's immune to pretty much everything they could conceive of to attack with it. Most spells were already not an option, but as the Wizard was about to cast an Orb spell, he realized that it was immune to non-ae spells in Swarm form and that physical attacks couldn't even damage it.

Also, I ended up having the swarm-form change as part of a move action. The tactics became as followed, but the group never noticed it, for some reason: if it can hit multiple creatures within the 10' swarm-form, it did that. If it couldn't, it stayed in humanoid form. This was something I did in order to prevent it from being immune to the current characters by always staying in swarm form [and not to make it more powerful, actually], which I wouldn't really see any reason why it wouldn't, honestly. This tended to allow it to switch forms every 1-2 rounds depending on the characters' movement.

I also thought of two different variants, neither of which I used:

Paper Shred: By taking 25% damage upon itself, it can shoot a great amount of the papers currently holding it together. This allows it to take an attack on all opponents within a 15 foot cone. It uses the creature's current attack and damage values. It can do this however often as it likes unless subtracting 25% damage from it's current total would drop it to below zero.
CR: +0

Absorb Paper: If there is paper around the golem, which there frequently is because it's usually placed within a library of sorts, it can take a standard action to grab several books and rip out the paper, absorbing the papers into it's own body. It 'repairs' 3d8+6 damage. Caster level is the same as the HD and the spell used is equal to the max spell level a cleric of equal HD could cast. Therefore a normal one cast use a 3rd level spell due to effectively having a caster level of 6, which can cast 3rd level spells. A 17th HD golem could use a 9th level spell to cure itself of 9d6+4/level. Well, this is how it works in my campaign. I guess normally, it would go until Cure Crit at 7HD+.
CR: +1.

Ablative Template [Modified]: Book of Templates [Silverthorn Games]
Paper Golem: http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=2857025&postcount=1
Swarm-Shifter [Modified]: Libris Mortis

I don't know if this is useful or not, but the flesh golem is a CR 7, is large, and it has 79 hp, and an AC of 18. And Full Attack: 2 slams +10 melee (2d8+5).

Much fewer special attacks, though. Just something to chew on.

Nice to see this stuff back here, (testimony to the low traffic of the Homebrew forum, last time I looked I didn't see this... that means +or- three weeks at least).

Actually I'm enthusiastic because of the paper non-tauric golem, that is the kind of thing I do most of the time when I feel like creating, I take a base creature and start adding and substracting to my leisure.

Will we be seeing more stuff along those lines in the future?

Land Outcast said:

Nice to see this stuff back here, (testimony to the low traffic of the Homebrew forum, last time I looked I didn't see this... that means +or- three weeks at least).

Actually I'm enthusiastic because of the paper non-tauric golem, that is the kind of thing I do most of the time when I feel like creating, I take a base creature and start adding and substracting to my leisure.

Will we be seeing more stuff along those lines in the future?

Click to expand...

You mean more stuff as in non-Tauric, right?

If so, the answer is yes. I just went through a Tauric phase a while ago in which I had a thread along that theme, and I'm pretty sure that I have non left. Occasionally, I may make another Tauric creature, but for the most part, all the current ones are already posted.

Jdvn1, I decided for the Golem to keep it's CR 7 atm, though I did give it a second attack. Still trying to decide whether or not I should lower it, but if nothing else, anyone who might want to use it should know that CR 7 might be too high.

And sorry for the slowness this past week or so, but I've had to make 4 Pbp characters for new games, so most of the time I'd spent on creatures was spent on those. Should pick up shortly.

Grentok, Advisor of the Brokenclaw Tribe

Okay, he doesn't have 2 Adventure Hooks [only 1, and it's kind of simple, sorry], but I figured I would post it cause he's been done for a couple days except for the Adventure Hooks.

This is Hlikar's Advisor. As weird as it sounds, he doesn't have any sort of templates attached to him.

Grentok
Gnoll Druid 3/Divine Oracle 6(CR: 10)
Medium Humanoid (Gnoll)
HD: 5d8+6d6+11 ; 16 hp
Init +0
Spd: 30 ft.
AC: 13 (+1 natural, +2 leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 13

BA/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Quarterstaff +7 (1d6+1)
S/R: 5 ft./5 ft.
SA: -
SQ: Animal Companion, Darkvision 60ft, Divination Enhancement, Nature Sense, Prescient Sense, Scry Bonus (+1), Trackless Step, Trap Sense (+2), Uncanny Dodge (Improved), Wild Empathy, Woodland Stride

AL Chaotic evil
Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +11
Str 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 8

Skills: Concentration +13, Kn (Geography) +16, Kn (History) +16, Kn (Local) +18, Kn (Nature) +4, Kn (Religion) +15, Survival +4
Languages: Common, Gnoll, Sylvan, Undercommon

Feats: Combat Expertise, Education, Skill Focus (Religion), Sudden Empower
Advancement: By class

Spells: 5/5/4/2/1
Domain: Oracle
1st- Entangle, Omen of Peril, Shillelagh, Speak with Animals, Wood Wose D: Identify
2nd- Animal Messenger, Briar Web, Share Husk, Snake's Swiftness [Mass]x2 D: Augury
3rd- Plant Growth, Speak with Plants, Spike Growth, Vigor [Mass, Lesser] D: Divination
4th- Burrow [Mass], Lay of the Land D: Scrying
5th- Commune with Nature D: Commune

Equipment 19,950gp.
Horn of Fog 2,000gp.
Ring of Detect Thoughts 10,800gp.
Wand of Cure light Wounds (37 charges) 700gp.
Potion of Fly 750gp.
Potion of Invisibility 300gp.
Figurine of Wondrous Power [Blue Quartz Crystal] 5,400gp.

Detect Thoughts (Underdark)
On command, this ring allows the wearer to read thoughts, as though with the detect thoughts spell.
Faint divination; CL 3rd; Forge Ring, detect thoughts; Price: 10,800gp.

Blue Quartz Eagle (Races of Faerun)
A blue quartz eagle becomes an eagle on command, but with vision akin to that granted by eyes of the eagle (+5 circumstance bonus on Spot checks). Another command sends it aloft. It will not attack, even to defend itself, but it will obey the telepathic commands of its owner as long as it remains within one mile of her. If forced to move beyond that distance, a blue quartz eagle will immediately revert to statuette form (usually shattering if it falls a great distance to the ground). While the figurine is transformed, its owner can mentally view everything the eagle can see, although the owner must use a standard action to observe what the eagle sees in that round. It can maintain its nonfigurine status for only 24 hours per tenday, but the duration need not be continuous.
Caster Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, animate objects, clairaudience/clairvoyance; Market Price: 5,400 gp; Weight: -.

Description
Grentok appears similar to all other Gnolls, except that he doesn't wear army and he isn't as strong as those around him. He clutches his staff close to him, using it to walk and makes himself appear older than he truly is. Parts of his fur is dyed white to continue his disguise, hoping that he is underestimated.

Background
Grentok was different from other Gnolls when growing up. He wasn't as bloodthirsty as the others and when the opportunity arose, found himself as a novice to the tribal shaman. Unfortunately, he found that he quickly surpassed the knowledge and power of the shaman. The only option left for Grentok was to join the army, which he did. His spells quickly became useful and he was considered almost a hero. His lucky day came when the Gnolls invaded and conquered a small monostary. The books inside were about to be burned, saved only because of his reputation and what the Gnolls had seen him do. When he requested the books as his share of the treasure, they could not deny him.

He took the books back to the Gnoll encampment. He studied and learned from them. The monastary books held secrets of war which he memorized. Using what he learned from the books and his experiences from the battles, he became a skilled tactician. It shouldn't be surprising that as Hlikar began to raise himself to power, Grentok quickly attached himself to the other Gnoll and helped him out, lending his powers when needed. Although Hlikar desires to conquer all the nations, Grentok recommends waiting, moving slowly, knowing that in the past, lack of caution may have surprised the other peoples, but had in the end caused their downfall. He works to help Hlikar's dreams only because of the prestige it grants himself as well. He has no true goals and in fact doesn't even desire to become the Gnoll leader because he will then become a target and blamed if things go wrong. He is enjoying his position and will not let anyone come between him and his life of luxury.

Tactics
Grentok is a tactician more than a fighter. He uses his abilities to scout out the enemy fortifications and armies and to prepare for the best positions for Hlikar's army. If forced into a battle, he stays back if possible and either uses his AE spells to the best of his ability or begins summoning creatures if he believes that his more divining spells cannot be used for a time, though he tries to keep one so he can watch out for where to retreat or to chase those retreating.

Adventure Hooks
1.Hook: The PCs are hired by a couple of monks [not the class] to retrieve a valuable book that had been stolen from them by a Gnoll.

Background: The monastary which had been looted of its books had one important book to the faith. They members of the faith want it back.

Adventure: Grentok has the book in his personal home in the center of the Gnoll village attached to that of Hlikar. The PCs must break into there and grab the book. Killing Gnolls is optional, though no one is going to care if violence is necessary.

Continuing the Adventure: Well, if Grentok lives, he will likely want the book back. This could go one of many different ways, including him disguising himself and hiring adventurers to grab it back or sending Gnolls to fetch it. If this occurs, the monks will want Grentok permanently disposed because of the trouble he is causing.

Alternatively, the monks may not actually be a part of monastary at all and they want what they had tried to do but weren't successful at before: grab the book. The book is a powerful tome. These monks want the book at all costs and they believe their chances are better now than ever before. This means that if given the book, these monks will use its powers for badness and the PCs will be forced to stop them.

Divine Oracle Prestige Class: Complete Divine
Druid Class: Player's Handbook
Gnoll: Monster Manual

Hlikar, leader of the Brokenclaw Tribe: http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=2847271&postcount=15

Fire Wolf

Okay, for this, I took a Winter Wolf, changed it to a fire wolf [partly by adding the Half-Elemental Template to it], advanced it a little bit, and added the Shapelessness quality from the Amorphous Template. IMO, it's the only thing about that template that is fitting for this creature. As for the Winter Wolf itself, I removed the natural bonus to hide checks, you know, cause it's like made of FIRE. Also, it doesn't gain a bonus to hide in snow or whatever like it used to for previously mentioned reason, although I am giving it a bonus when hiding in fires.

Fire Wolf
Advanced Amorphous [modified] Winter[Fire]wolf
Size/Type: Large Outsider (fire)
Hit Dice: 10d8+30 (92 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 100 ft
Armor Class: 18 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 17

Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+18
Attack: Bite +14 melee (1d8+6 plus 1d6 fire)
Full Attack: Bite +14 melee (1d8+6 plus 1d6 fire)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, flaming bite, trip
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire, low-light vision, scent, vulnerability to cold

Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +8
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 10

Skills: Escape Artist +14, Hide +12, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (nature), Listen +17, Move Silently +17, Spot +17, Survival +16

Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Stealthy, Track

Environment: Elemental Plane of Fire, Large Fires
Organization: Solitary, pair, or pack (3-5)
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: 1/10 coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Advancement: 11-18 HD (Huge)

Burn (Ex): Those hit by a fire wolf's natural attack also must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 10 + one-half the elemental creature’s Hit Dice + its Constitution modifier) or catch on fire. Creatures hitting a fire wolf with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take fire damage as though hit by the fire wolf's attack, and they also catch on fire unless they succeed on a Reflex save. Creature lit aflame by this ability stay on fire for 1d4 rounds, unless they take active measures to put out the fire (see Chapter 8 of the DMG).

Shapelessness (Ex): By spending one full-round action to become a shapeless form of fire, a fire wolf can squeeze through openings of incredibly small size (as little as 1 inch in diameter). The creature can move along small fissures, pass under doors, pour into containers of its size or larger, and perform other similar feats. Land speed is reduced by half. Another full-round action is required to regain the base creature’s original shape. While in shapeless form, the fire wolf's natural armor bonus is halved.

Breath Weapon (Su): 15-foot cone, once every 1d4 rounds, damage 4d6 fire, Reflex DC 18 half. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Trip (Ex): A fir wolf that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+8 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the fire wolf.

Skills
Fire wolves have a +1 racial bonus on Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks. A fire wolf has a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent. *Their natural coloration grants them a +7 racial bonus on Hide checks in firey areas such as a burning building.

Description
Fire crackles from all around, heating your body beyond normal temperatures. Beads of sweat drip down your forehead and as you wipe them away, you see flames beneath the door. The flames pass under the narrow opening and continue to approach. You ready your weapon as the flames leap into the air, changing shape as they do so. The vague form of a wolf snaps its jaws at you, it's entire body made from fire.

Encounters
Fire Wolves are not found in the wilderness because they tend to burn things that they touch. For the most part, they are kept as guardians, summoned from the Elemental Plane of Fire. However, when the flames become great or hot enough from a fire [such as a spreading fire within a town or forest], Fire Wolves are said to be able to break through the barrier between the Elemental Plane of Fire and cause even more havoc than necessary.

Variants
Greater Fire Wolf
Generally, Fire Wolves are the typical reddish-orange color, but occasionally, there are reports of people who have encountered white versions of these wolves. These tend to be even hotter than normal, so hot, in fact, that they ignite unattended objects within a 15 foot radius around them. These objects have no save. Creatures entering this range suffer 1d6 damage per round from the heat and are treated as being Burned [Ability as described above]. However, they cannot take preventative measures to avoid being burned as long as they are within the radius. These hotter wolves deal more damage with their flames, 1d8 instead of 1d6 for their bite and 4d8 instead of 4d6 for their breath attack.
CR: +1.

Dual-Natured
Thought to not be existent because such a thing would go against all logic but has recently been seen on rare is a Wolf combined of fire and snow. People who have claimed to see this are laughed at by most, but some are indeed curious about the true nature of these beings.

Their bodies are in constant motion, a swirling of blues and reds/oranges.

Notes: Dual-Natured Wolves are of both Cold and Fire Subtypes. They are immune to both fire and cold. When attacking, their elemental damage is half fire and half cold [their bite as well as their breath]. They lose the Burn quality and do not gain the bonus on Hiding in the firey element [nor do they gain any bonus to hiding in a snowy environment either].

Amorphous Template: Book of Templates [Silverthorne Games]
Half-Fire Elemental Template: Manual of the Planes
Winter Wolf: Monster Manual

Dog Moon said:

Special Attacks: Breath weapon, freezing bite, trip
Environment: Cold forests

Click to expand...

These things just stuck out to me.

Jdvn1 said:

These things just stuck out to me.

Click to expand...

Heh. Wouldn't it just figure that I spend the time to make sure that all of the abilities say Fire Wolf instead of Winter Wolf, and yet I totally miss those two little things.

Yeah, I was reading through the description and was thinking, "These would be cool to see in the Elemental Plane of Fire, I wonder if that's their environ--cold forests?!"