Knight Otu
First Post
Hi, all!
I would like to invite you to join the Creatures by Poll thread series in the Creature Catalog forums, an team effort in Monster Creation. The basic idea is as follows:
BOZ, who originally had the idea for this thread series (I'm just taking over), set up a number of polls to get the general idea of a monster, such as "Medium-Size Magical Beast of Lawful Evil alignment and 5 - 7 HD." This core concept then is used as a basis for the other posters to build up and post their ideas what it could be, such as "a blind monstrous tubeworm".
These concepts form the next poll. The concept with the most votes gets built upon. Two further polls generate an idea for the ability scores and special abilities of the creature. As a team effort, these will form the final creature. Then it is time for the last part - the creature's name. We gather a number of names and, you guessed it, make a poll.
In this thread, I'll keep you posted on the progress of the creature that is currently in development and post links to the current thread (always in the first post, so you don't have to scroll that much).
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT:
Creature by Poll #8 and #9 has started! Come and discuss the Raven Entities and the Astral Manes!
And also meet the Moss Gnome, Behemoth Dread Otu and Greater Naga, below, and the void dragon in the attachments!
FINISHED CREATURES:
Moss Gnome
Small Fey (Gnome)
Hit Dice: 3d6+3 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft.
AC: 13 (+1 size, +2 Dex)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-5
Attack: Poison touch +0 melee touch or sickle +0 melee
Full Attack: Poison touch +0 melee touch or sickle +0 melee
Damage: Poison touch 0 and poison, sickle 1d4-2
Face/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, spell-like abilities, summon plants
Special Qualities: DR 5/cold iron, gnome traits, low-light vision, speak with nature, tree stride
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +6
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 16
Skills: Animal Empathy +8, Climb +3, Handle Animal +10 (+8 with non-animals), Heal +5, Hide +14*, Knowledge (nature) +7, Listen +12, Move Silently +6, Profession (herbalist) +8, Spot +10, Survival +8
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude
Climate/Terrain: Any forest
Organization: Solitary, pair or copse (3 - 12 and 1 - 4 plant creatures with 3 or less HD)
Challenge Rating: TBD (seems 2ish or 3ish to me)
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 4 - 9 HD (Small)
The moss gnomes, who refer to themselves as sylvwids are a small fey race somehow related to gnomes, tending the plants of the forest. Generally peaceful, they do act if something threatens their habitat.
A moss gnome looks much like a gnome in appearance, but it is clearly a fey. It's hair is composed of grasses, moss, and short vines, and it's eyes are the color of emeralds. A sylwvid's ears are long and pointed, resembling elf ears. Their skin is usually a brown color. Moss gnomes usually wear simple clothing in earth tones. There are both males and females of the race.
Despite being neutral in alignment themselves, they understand that good creatures are more likely to show respect for the forests than evil creatures, and thus favor good creatures. Yet, they do not show any close ties to non-feys, and among the feys, only good ones are generally respected. Even gnomes are only rarely seen among them, despite their relations. The only creatures really likely to become a close friend of a moss gnome are plant creatures.
Despite their preferences, it is not unknown for a moss gnome to succumb to evil behaviour todefend the forests, and there are hints that certain sylwvids develop disturbing powers, transforming them into a truly evil variety of gnomekin.
While moss gnomes normally advance by Hit Dice, several of them advance by character class. Most choose the paths of the druid or the ranger.
Moss gnomes speak sylvan, gnome, and elven.
Combat
moss gnomes usually leave combat to their plant allies, but if necessary, they join combat with either their strange greening poison or their sickles.
Poison (Ex): Poison touch, DC 12, primary 1d4 dex, secondary creature becomes greenish and grows leaves.
Spell-like Abilities: At will - diminish growth, obscuring mist and plant growth; 3/day - barkskin, entangle, goodberry, and spike growth. As a 5th level druid (DC: 13 plus spell level)
Summon Plants (Sp): Once per day, a moss gnome can summon a number of plant creatures, with a total HD of double the moss gnome's HD, with no creature having more than 1/3 the total in HD. These creatures remain for 1 hour, and cannot use their own summoning ability (if any) for 1 hour.
Gnome Traits: Moss gnomes share a number of abilities with forest gnomes, as follows:
Moss gnomes have the innate ability to pass without trace (as the spell).
+2 racial bonus to saving throws against illusions.
+4 dodge bonus against giants.
Speak with Nature (Ex): Moss gnomes can freely talk to animals, plants and rocks, as the spells speak with animals, speak with plants and stone tell. In addition, this ability allows the moss gnome to use its Animal Empathy skills on plants with an Int score below 3 (including plants without an Int score).
Tree Stride (Su): Three times per day, a moss gnome can duplicate the effects of the tree stride spell as cast by a druid of 5th level.
Skills: Moss gnomes receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks, *which improves to +8 in a wooded area. Also, moss gnomes receive a +2 racial bonus to Listen checks, for their keen hearing.
Greater Naga
A human/snake beast.
Huge Magical beast
Hit Dice: 12d10 + 36 (104 hp)
Initiative:
Speed: 20 ft.
AC: 20 (+12 natural, -2 size)
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+14
Attack: Spear + 11 melee(20/x2/1d8+2);or sting +6 melee(20/x2/1d8+1 plus poison); or beam +11 ranged touch(19-20/x2/1d4 plus stun)
Full Attack: Spear + 11 melee(20/x2/1d8+2), sting +6 melee(20/x2/1d8+1 plus poison); or beam +11 ranged touch(19-20/x2/1d4 plus stun)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Spit venom, alter self, hypnotic gaze, poison
Special Qualities: DR 5/stone
Saves: Fort:+11 Will:+8 Ref:+6
Abilities: Str:15 Dex:10 Con:17 Int:13 Wis:15 Chr:11
Skills: Spot +12, Climb +12, Swim +12, Listen +12
Feats: Improved Initiative (x2), Toughness (x2), Power Attack
Environment: Any warm land
Orgranisation: Solitary or nest (2-5)
CR: 10
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 13 - 28 HD (Huge); 29 - 36 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: +5
A greater naga resembles a 20-foot-long snake with the upper body of a huge woman. The creature's human half is tinged with lavender, and the snake half is a deep purple. The greater naga fear sand and stone, because they were cursed to have sand slip between their scales and stone pierce their bellies by some ancient god.
COMBAT
Greater nagas try to fascinate their foes with their hypnotic gaze and paralyze them with their venom.
Hypnotic Gaze (Su): By staring into an opponent's eyes, a greater naga can fascinate creatures. A Will save (DC 16) is required to negate this effect. Those failing their save are stunned for 1d4 rounds. Once a creature has been affected by this gaze or has made a saving throw against it, it is not affected by this ability for 24 hours.
Spit Venom (Ex): Ranged touch attack (+9); primary damage paralysis 1 minute, secondary damage paralysis 1d4 turns; Fort DC 19.
Alter Self (Sp): Thrice per day, a greater naga may use alter self as a 6th-level wizard to appear as a constrictor, a human, or a naga form with four arms. Otherwise, this ability is as the spell.
Poison (Ex): On a successful sting attack; primary damage paralysis 1 minute, secondary damage paralysis 1d4 turns; Fort DC 19.
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Author: Khisanth the Ancient
Behemoth Dread Otu
Gargantuan Vermin
Hit Dice: 23d8+230 (333 hp)
Initiative: -5
Speed: Swim 5 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (-5 Dex, -4 size, +20 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +17/+41
Attack: Tentacle +25 melee (2d8+12 plus 2d8 electricity plus poison)
Full Attack: 4 tentacles +25 melee (2d8+12 plus 2d8 electricity plus poison)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft. (100 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Digestive polyps, electricity, improved grab, poison, psionics
Special Qualities: Amorphous, blindsight 250 ft., damage reduction 15/-, humanoid symbiosis, levitate, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +2, Will +2
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 1, Con 31, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +13 (+3 if inhabited)*
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary, hive (1 plus 2 - 20 monstrous jellyfishes) or inhabited (1 plus 1 - 8 humanoids)
Challenge Rating: 17
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 24 - 31 HD (Gargantuan); 32 - 69 HD (Colossal)
The behemoth dread otu is a colony of polyps living in close symbiosis, similar to the man-o-war, but reaches the size of a small island. As large as it is, it is hard to see since it is mostly transparent except for purple veins running through its body and its enormous tentacles. A dread otu produces some strange effect that causes smaller jellyfish to congregate around it, sometimes forming a strange hivemind capable of creating psionic abilities. A side effect of the gathering is the appearance of the normally subterranean oddities known as flumphs around the dread otus. While normal creatures would propably be annoyed by the flumphs, the dread otu found a simple and elegant solution to this dilemma. It considers flumphs to be a delicasy. A few dread otus seem to be able to bond with humanoid creatures, allowing themselves to be inhabited.
Combat
An opponent can make sunder attempts against a dread otu's tentacles as if they were weapons. A/n xxx's tentacles have 40 hit points. If a dread otu is currently grappling a target with one tentacle, it usually uses another limb to make its attack of opportunity against the sunder attempt. Severing a dread otu's tentacle deals damage to the dread otu equal to half the limb's full normal hit points. A dread otu usually has 8 tentacles capable of attacking, but only four can do so in a normal situation. If it loses all but 2 tentacles, it withdraws from combat. A dread otu regrows lost tentacles within 2d4 days.
Digestive Polyps (Ex): A dread otu can try to convey a grabbed opponent of up to two sizes smaller into one of its digestive polyps by making a successful grapple check. The "swallowed" creature takes 2d8+12 points of bludgeoning damage and 16 points of acid damage per round from the xxx's digestive polyp. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 40 points of damage to the polyp (AC 20). Once the creature exits, the polyp releases all other creatures it holds; an opponent held by a different polyp must cut its own way out.
A Gargantuan dread otu's digestive polyp can hold 1 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, or 128 Tiny or smaller opponents. The number of digestive polyps a dread otu has is limited, but in most cases can be treated as unlimited.
Electricity (Ex): The tentacle attacks of a dread otu deal an additional 2d8 points of electricity damage with each successful hit.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a dread otu must hit with its tentacle 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 and can attempt to convey the victim into its digestive polyps the following round.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude save DC 31, initial and secondary damage 1d6 points of temporary Strength damage.
Psionics (Sp): A dread otu that is accompanied by monstrous jellyfishes (or similar creatures) can cannibalize the life force of these creatures to create some psionic abilities. As the dread otu and the jellyfishes form a very primitive hive mind, it can use the abilities somewhat appropriately (the actual Intelligence of the dread otu and the jellyfishes does not change). The numbers in brackets before the save DC notes the number of Hit Dice the dread otu must cannibalize (treat as negative levels) from the jellyfishes to manifest the power (note that monstrous jellyfishes, as found in the Tome of Horrors, page 172, have 3 HD). Cloudkill (10 HD, DC 17), greater magic fang (self only, 6 HD), ice storm (8 HD, DC 16), major image (6 HD, DC 15). Caster level 23. Save DCs are Charisma-based.
If you have access to the psionic rules you could consider adding some of the following powers (replacing some of the above, if you wish): Charm monster (6 HD, DC 15), crisis of breath (6 HD, DC 15), dissolving touch (8 HD, DC 16), recall agony (10 HD, DC 17).
Amorphous (Ex): As a being made up of a large number of comparably small creatures, a dread otu is not subject to flanking and critical hits.
Humanoid Symbiosis (Ex): In a few rare cases, a dread otu might form a symbiosis with humanoids or monstrous humanoids instead of jellyfishes, allowing a family to inhabit and harvest food from its body. A typical dread otu can support up to eight Medium humanoids (adjust the numbers accordingly to the size of the humanoids and the dread otu ). A dread otu in a symbiosis with humanoids can utilize its psionic abilities, but instead of negative levels, it deals permanent Wisdom damage, distributed evenly among the inhabitants (affected creatuers can attempt a Will save DC 23 to reduce this damage to temporary ability damage). As a side effect, symbiotic humanoids can use mind-affecting effects on the dread otu, circumventing its immunity to such effects. Rumours persist about a whole city of inhabited dread otus, but if it exists, it has yet to be found.
Levitate (Su): By inflating its float, a dread otu can continually levitate, as per the spell of the same name.
Vermin Traits: Immune to mind-affecting effects. Note that symbiotic humanoids can use such effects on the dread otu (see humanoid symbiosis, above).
Skills: Dread otus receive a +30 racial bonus to Hide checks, as they are highly transparent. Despite their size, they are extremely hard to spot. *An inhabited dread otu is obviously easier to spot, and receives only a +20 bonus to Hide checks
I would like to invite you to join the Creatures by Poll thread series in the Creature Catalog forums, an team effort in Monster Creation. The basic idea is as follows:
BOZ, who originally had the idea for this thread series (I'm just taking over), set up a number of polls to get the general idea of a monster, such as "Medium-Size Magical Beast of Lawful Evil alignment and 5 - 7 HD." This core concept then is used as a basis for the other posters to build up and post their ideas what it could be, such as "a blind monstrous tubeworm".
These concepts form the next poll. The concept with the most votes gets built upon. Two further polls generate an idea for the ability scores and special abilities of the creature. As a team effort, these will form the final creature. Then it is time for the last part - the creature's name. We gather a number of names and, you guessed it, make a poll.
In this thread, I'll keep you posted on the progress of the creature that is currently in development and post links to the current thread (always in the first post, so you don't have to scroll that much).
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT:
Creature by Poll #8 and #9 has started! Come and discuss the Raven Entities and the Astral Manes!
And also meet the Moss Gnome, Behemoth Dread Otu and Greater Naga, below, and the void dragon in the attachments!
FINISHED CREATURES:
Moss Gnome
Small Fey (Gnome)
Hit Dice: 3d6+3 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft.
AC: 13 (+1 size, +2 Dex)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-5
Attack: Poison touch +0 melee touch or sickle +0 melee
Full Attack: Poison touch +0 melee touch or sickle +0 melee
Damage: Poison touch 0 and poison, sickle 1d4-2
Face/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, spell-like abilities, summon plants
Special Qualities: DR 5/cold iron, gnome traits, low-light vision, speak with nature, tree stride
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +6
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 16
Skills: Animal Empathy +8, Climb +3, Handle Animal +10 (+8 with non-animals), Heal +5, Hide +14*, Knowledge (nature) +7, Listen +12, Move Silently +6, Profession (herbalist) +8, Spot +10, Survival +8
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude
Climate/Terrain: Any forest
Organization: Solitary, pair or copse (3 - 12 and 1 - 4 plant creatures with 3 or less HD)
Challenge Rating: TBD (seems 2ish or 3ish to me)
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 4 - 9 HD (Small)
The moss gnomes, who refer to themselves as sylvwids are a small fey race somehow related to gnomes, tending the plants of the forest. Generally peaceful, they do act if something threatens their habitat.
A moss gnome looks much like a gnome in appearance, but it is clearly a fey. It's hair is composed of grasses, moss, and short vines, and it's eyes are the color of emeralds. A sylwvid's ears are long and pointed, resembling elf ears. Their skin is usually a brown color. Moss gnomes usually wear simple clothing in earth tones. There are both males and females of the race.
Despite being neutral in alignment themselves, they understand that good creatures are more likely to show respect for the forests than evil creatures, and thus favor good creatures. Yet, they do not show any close ties to non-feys, and among the feys, only good ones are generally respected. Even gnomes are only rarely seen among them, despite their relations. The only creatures really likely to become a close friend of a moss gnome are plant creatures.
Despite their preferences, it is not unknown for a moss gnome to succumb to evil behaviour todefend the forests, and there are hints that certain sylwvids develop disturbing powers, transforming them into a truly evil variety of gnomekin.
While moss gnomes normally advance by Hit Dice, several of them advance by character class. Most choose the paths of the druid or the ranger.
Moss gnomes speak sylvan, gnome, and elven.
Combat
moss gnomes usually leave combat to their plant allies, but if necessary, they join combat with either their strange greening poison or their sickles.
Poison (Ex): Poison touch, DC 12, primary 1d4 dex, secondary creature becomes greenish and grows leaves.
Spell-like Abilities: At will - diminish growth, obscuring mist and plant growth; 3/day - barkskin, entangle, goodberry, and spike growth. As a 5th level druid (DC: 13 plus spell level)
Summon Plants (Sp): Once per day, a moss gnome can summon a number of plant creatures, with a total HD of double the moss gnome's HD, with no creature having more than 1/3 the total in HD. These creatures remain for 1 hour, and cannot use their own summoning ability (if any) for 1 hour.
Gnome Traits: Moss gnomes share a number of abilities with forest gnomes, as follows:
Moss gnomes have the innate ability to pass without trace (as the spell).
+2 racial bonus to saving throws against illusions.
+4 dodge bonus against giants.
Speak with Nature (Ex): Moss gnomes can freely talk to animals, plants and rocks, as the spells speak with animals, speak with plants and stone tell. In addition, this ability allows the moss gnome to use its Animal Empathy skills on plants with an Int score below 3 (including plants without an Int score).
Tree Stride (Su): Three times per day, a moss gnome can duplicate the effects of the tree stride spell as cast by a druid of 5th level.
Skills: Moss gnomes receive a +4 racial bonus to Hide checks, *which improves to +8 in a wooded area. Also, moss gnomes receive a +2 racial bonus to Listen checks, for their keen hearing.
Greater Naga
A human/snake beast.
Huge Magical beast
Hit Dice: 12d10 + 36 (104 hp)
Initiative:
Speed: 20 ft.
AC: 20 (+12 natural, -2 size)
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+14
Attack: Spear + 11 melee(20/x2/1d8+2);or sting +6 melee(20/x2/1d8+1 plus poison); or beam +11 ranged touch(19-20/x2/1d4 plus stun)
Full Attack: Spear + 11 melee(20/x2/1d8+2), sting +6 melee(20/x2/1d8+1 plus poison); or beam +11 ranged touch(19-20/x2/1d4 plus stun)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Spit venom, alter self, hypnotic gaze, poison
Special Qualities: DR 5/stone
Saves: Fort:+11 Will:+8 Ref:+6
Abilities: Str:15 Dex:10 Con:17 Int:13 Wis:15 Chr:11
Skills: Spot +12, Climb +12, Swim +12, Listen +12
Feats: Improved Initiative (x2), Toughness (x2), Power Attack
Environment: Any warm land
Orgranisation: Solitary or nest (2-5)
CR: 10
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 13 - 28 HD (Huge); 29 - 36 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: +5
A greater naga resembles a 20-foot-long snake with the upper body of a huge woman. The creature's human half is tinged with lavender, and the snake half is a deep purple. The greater naga fear sand and stone, because they were cursed to have sand slip between their scales and stone pierce their bellies by some ancient god.
COMBAT
Greater nagas try to fascinate their foes with their hypnotic gaze and paralyze them with their venom.
Hypnotic Gaze (Su): By staring into an opponent's eyes, a greater naga can fascinate creatures. A Will save (DC 16) is required to negate this effect. Those failing their save are stunned for 1d4 rounds. Once a creature has been affected by this gaze or has made a saving throw against it, it is not affected by this ability for 24 hours.
Spit Venom (Ex): Ranged touch attack (+9); primary damage paralysis 1 minute, secondary damage paralysis 1d4 turns; Fort DC 19.
Alter Self (Sp): Thrice per day, a greater naga may use alter self as a 6th-level wizard to appear as a constrictor, a human, or a naga form with four arms. Otherwise, this ability is as the spell.
Poison (Ex): On a successful sting attack; primary damage paralysis 1 minute, secondary damage paralysis 1d4 turns; Fort DC 19.
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Author: Khisanth the Ancient
Behemoth Dread Otu
Gargantuan Vermin
Hit Dice: 23d8+230 (333 hp)
Initiative: -5
Speed: Swim 5 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (-5 Dex, -4 size, +20 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +17/+41
Attack: Tentacle +25 melee (2d8+12 plus 2d8 electricity plus poison)
Full Attack: 4 tentacles +25 melee (2d8+12 plus 2d8 electricity plus poison)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft. (100 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Digestive polyps, electricity, improved grab, poison, psionics
Special Qualities: Amorphous, blindsight 250 ft., damage reduction 15/-, humanoid symbiosis, levitate, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +2, Will +2
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 1, Con 31, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +13 (+3 if inhabited)*
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary, hive (1 plus 2 - 20 monstrous jellyfishes) or inhabited (1 plus 1 - 8 humanoids)
Challenge Rating: 17
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 24 - 31 HD (Gargantuan); 32 - 69 HD (Colossal)
The behemoth dread otu is a colony of polyps living in close symbiosis, similar to the man-o-war, but reaches the size of a small island. As large as it is, it is hard to see since it is mostly transparent except for purple veins running through its body and its enormous tentacles. A dread otu produces some strange effect that causes smaller jellyfish to congregate around it, sometimes forming a strange hivemind capable of creating psionic abilities. A side effect of the gathering is the appearance of the normally subterranean oddities known as flumphs around the dread otus. While normal creatures would propably be annoyed by the flumphs, the dread otu found a simple and elegant solution to this dilemma. It considers flumphs to be a delicasy. A few dread otus seem to be able to bond with humanoid creatures, allowing themselves to be inhabited.
Combat
An opponent can make sunder attempts against a dread otu's tentacles as if they were weapons. A/n xxx's tentacles have 40 hit points. If a dread otu is currently grappling a target with one tentacle, it usually uses another limb to make its attack of opportunity against the sunder attempt. Severing a dread otu's tentacle deals damage to the dread otu equal to half the limb's full normal hit points. A dread otu usually has 8 tentacles capable of attacking, but only four can do so in a normal situation. If it loses all but 2 tentacles, it withdraws from combat. A dread otu regrows lost tentacles within 2d4 days.
Digestive Polyps (Ex): A dread otu can try to convey a grabbed opponent of up to two sizes smaller into one of its digestive polyps by making a successful grapple check. The "swallowed" creature takes 2d8+12 points of bludgeoning damage and 16 points of acid damage per round from the xxx's digestive polyp. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 40 points of damage to the polyp (AC 20). Once the creature exits, the polyp releases all other creatures it holds; an opponent held by a different polyp must cut its own way out.
A Gargantuan dread otu's digestive polyp can hold 1 Large, 8 Medium, 32 Small, or 128 Tiny or smaller opponents. The number of digestive polyps a dread otu has is limited, but in most cases can be treated as unlimited.
Electricity (Ex): The tentacle attacks of a dread otu deal an additional 2d8 points of electricity damage with each successful hit.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a dread otu must hit with its tentacle 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 and can attempt to convey the victim into its digestive polyps the following round.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude save DC 31, initial and secondary damage 1d6 points of temporary Strength damage.
Psionics (Sp): A dread otu that is accompanied by monstrous jellyfishes (or similar creatures) can cannibalize the life force of these creatures to create some psionic abilities. As the dread otu and the jellyfishes form a very primitive hive mind, it can use the abilities somewhat appropriately (the actual Intelligence of the dread otu and the jellyfishes does not change). The numbers in brackets before the save DC notes the number of Hit Dice the dread otu must cannibalize (treat as negative levels) from the jellyfishes to manifest the power (note that monstrous jellyfishes, as found in the Tome of Horrors, page 172, have 3 HD). Cloudkill (10 HD, DC 17), greater magic fang (self only, 6 HD), ice storm (8 HD, DC 16), major image (6 HD, DC 15). Caster level 23. Save DCs are Charisma-based.
If you have access to the psionic rules you could consider adding some of the following powers (replacing some of the above, if you wish): Charm monster (6 HD, DC 15), crisis of breath (6 HD, DC 15), dissolving touch (8 HD, DC 16), recall agony (10 HD, DC 17).
Amorphous (Ex): As a being made up of a large number of comparably small creatures, a dread otu is not subject to flanking and critical hits.
Humanoid Symbiosis (Ex): In a few rare cases, a dread otu might form a symbiosis with humanoids or monstrous humanoids instead of jellyfishes, allowing a family to inhabit and harvest food from its body. A typical dread otu can support up to eight Medium humanoids (adjust the numbers accordingly to the size of the humanoids and the dread otu ). A dread otu in a symbiosis with humanoids can utilize its psionic abilities, but instead of negative levels, it deals permanent Wisdom damage, distributed evenly among the inhabitants (affected creatuers can attempt a Will save DC 23 to reduce this damage to temporary ability damage). As a side effect, symbiotic humanoids can use mind-affecting effects on the dread otu, circumventing its immunity to such effects. Rumours persist about a whole city of inhabited dread otus, but if it exists, it has yet to be found.
Levitate (Su): By inflating its float, a dread otu can continually levitate, as per the spell of the same name.
Vermin Traits: Immune to mind-affecting effects. Note that symbiotic humanoids can use such effects on the dread otu (see humanoid symbiosis, above).
Skills: Dread otus receive a +30 racial bonus to Hide checks, as they are highly transparent. Despite their size, they are extremely hard to spot. *An inhabited dread otu is obviously easier to spot, and receives only a +20 bonus to Hide checks
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