Shade
Monster Junkie
While we were converting the spanner (see http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/cc/converted/view_c.php?CreatureID=774), I thought it would be cool to create a rope variety. The bridge in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom came to mind, and I imagined what it would be like if it were sentient.
Comments are appreciated. I toyed with giving it improved grab and constrict as well, but ultimately didn't. If you think it should have them, let me know.
Rope Spanner
Gargantuan Construct
Hit Dice: 15d10+60 (142 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)
AC: 19 (–4 size, -3 Dex, +16 natural) touch 3, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+33
Attack: -
Full Attack: -
Space/Reach: 50 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Entangle, release, swing
Special Qualities: Camouflage, damage reduction 10/slashing, tremorsense 150 ft.
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +7
Abilities: Str 31, Dex 5, Con -, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 17
Skills: Bluff +8, Climb +15, Diplomacy +11, Disguise +12 (+15 acting), Gather Information +8, Handle Animal +8, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (any one) +4, Listen +6, Sense Motive +9, Spot +4
Feats: Ability Focus (swing), Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator
Environment: Any land or underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 16-30 HD (Gargantuan); 31–45 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: -
A rickety-looking rope bridge spans the chasm ahead. It appears well-worn with age, with a few planks missing here and there, and frayed ropes dangle at many points.
A rope spanner is a smaller version of the spanner. Like spanners, rope spanners were probably first created through magical experimentation, and later escaped thanks to their own sentience. Today they may be found working for a caring master, or simply standing watch over rivers or ravines or other appropriate locales. Rope spanners move themselves around by snaking along the ground using the many ropes that comprise them. A rope spanner will remain in one place for many years, but will move if the locals discover it or stop talking to it.
A rope spanner is extremely difficult to differentiate from an ordinary bridge. When killed, a spanner becomes a normal, inanimate rope bridge. A spanner is able to alter its surface to fit in better with the local scenery, and can stain itself, encourage plant growth, and make its wooden planks and rope seem more weathered to better perfect its disguise.
A rope spanner can locate any creature that is standing on it by detecting its weight on the rope spanner’s surface. A rope spanner is intelligent enough to understand that wildlife may wander onto a bridge, and that a talking bridge may frighten such creatures. Rope spanners appreciate natural life, and will allow such creatures to cross unmolested. However, rope spanners are intolerant of unnecessary hunting in their territory, and will automatically attack anything that hunts for sport. A rope spanner can truly benefit its surroundings, as it has no real physical needs and punishes those who abuse the environment.
A rope spanner is benign and often friendly, and is curious to know anything and everything about the world around it. Intelligent creatures can often negotiate passage across a spanner simply by providing it with news, gossip, trivia, or other information. Rope spanners are often serious gossip-hounds, and sometimes liars. A rope spanner will tolerate a fair amount of verbal abuse, as long as creatures continue to talk to it.
A rope spanner does not value material treasure, but there may be assorted valuables in its vicinity. Such prizes are usually left over from victims that have suffered from a fall as the result of a rope spanner attack.
Rope spanners are 40-60 feet long and 5-10 feet wide, and can weigh about 1 ton.
Rope spanners speak Common and delight in learning the language of any creature that will talk to them.
Combat
While normally friendly, rope spanners do not take kindly to those who cross them without asking permission. A rope spanner will often wait until creatures are more than halfway across, and then will let go of one side of the chasm, dropping the creatures atop it to their doom.
Entangle (Ex): As a standard action, a rope spanner can entangle all creatures upon it with some of its loose ropes. A creature can break free and move half its normal speed by using a full-round action to make a DC 20 Strength check or a DC 20 Escape Artist check. A creature that succeeds on a DC 27 Reflex save is not entangled but can still move at only half speed across the spanner. Each round on the rope spanner's turn, the plants once again attempt to entangle all creatures that have avoided or escaped entanglement. The save DC is Strength-based.
Release (Ex): A rope spanner can let go of one side of the expanse it crosses, causing it to slam into the other side. Any creatures upon the spanner must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save or fall off the spanner, taking appropriate falling damage for the distance. Those that make their saves must make a Climb check (DC 10) each round to hang on. The base DC for Climb checks to climb the rope spanner is 15. The save DC is Charima-based.
Through a combination of swinging itself and expanding its ropes, a spanner can reattach itself to the other side of the expanse as a full-round action.
Swing (Ex): A rope spanner can swing itself violently from side to side. Any creatures standing upon it must succeed on a DC 22 Reflex save or fall off the spanner, taking appropriate falling damage for the distance. Those that make their saves must succeed at a Balance check (DC 15) or fall prone. The save DC is Charima-based.
Camouflage (Ex): A creature must make a successful Knowledge (architecture or engineering) check (DC 15) to notice that a spanner is anything other than a true bridge. Anyone who examines the spanner can detect the ruse with a successful Spot check opposed by the spanner’s Disguise check.
Skills: A rope spanner receives a +6 racial bonus to Disguise checks.
The rope spanner is based on the spanner originally found in Monstrous Compendium MC14 - Fiend Folio Appendix (1992, Tim Beach).
Comments are appreciated. I toyed with giving it improved grab and constrict as well, but ultimately didn't. If you think it should have them, let me know.
Rope Spanner
Gargantuan Construct
Hit Dice: 15d10+60 (142 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)
AC: 19 (–4 size, -3 Dex, +16 natural) touch 3, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+33
Attack: -
Full Attack: -
Space/Reach: 50 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Entangle, release, swing
Special Qualities: Camouflage, damage reduction 10/slashing, tremorsense 150 ft.
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +7
Abilities: Str 31, Dex 5, Con -, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 17
Skills: Bluff +8, Climb +15, Diplomacy +11, Disguise +12 (+15 acting), Gather Information +8, Handle Animal +8, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (any one) +4, Listen +6, Sense Motive +9, Spot +4
Feats: Ability Focus (swing), Alertness, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator
Environment: Any land or underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 16-30 HD (Gargantuan); 31–45 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: -
A rickety-looking rope bridge spans the chasm ahead. It appears well-worn with age, with a few planks missing here and there, and frayed ropes dangle at many points.
A rope spanner is a smaller version of the spanner. Like spanners, rope spanners were probably first created through magical experimentation, and later escaped thanks to their own sentience. Today they may be found working for a caring master, or simply standing watch over rivers or ravines or other appropriate locales. Rope spanners move themselves around by snaking along the ground using the many ropes that comprise them. A rope spanner will remain in one place for many years, but will move if the locals discover it or stop talking to it.
A rope spanner is extremely difficult to differentiate from an ordinary bridge. When killed, a spanner becomes a normal, inanimate rope bridge. A spanner is able to alter its surface to fit in better with the local scenery, and can stain itself, encourage plant growth, and make its wooden planks and rope seem more weathered to better perfect its disguise.
A rope spanner can locate any creature that is standing on it by detecting its weight on the rope spanner’s surface. A rope spanner is intelligent enough to understand that wildlife may wander onto a bridge, and that a talking bridge may frighten such creatures. Rope spanners appreciate natural life, and will allow such creatures to cross unmolested. However, rope spanners are intolerant of unnecessary hunting in their territory, and will automatically attack anything that hunts for sport. A rope spanner can truly benefit its surroundings, as it has no real physical needs and punishes those who abuse the environment.
A rope spanner is benign and often friendly, and is curious to know anything and everything about the world around it. Intelligent creatures can often negotiate passage across a spanner simply by providing it with news, gossip, trivia, or other information. Rope spanners are often serious gossip-hounds, and sometimes liars. A rope spanner will tolerate a fair amount of verbal abuse, as long as creatures continue to talk to it.
A rope spanner does not value material treasure, but there may be assorted valuables in its vicinity. Such prizes are usually left over from victims that have suffered from a fall as the result of a rope spanner attack.
Rope spanners are 40-60 feet long and 5-10 feet wide, and can weigh about 1 ton.
Rope spanners speak Common and delight in learning the language of any creature that will talk to them.
Combat
While normally friendly, rope spanners do not take kindly to those who cross them without asking permission. A rope spanner will often wait until creatures are more than halfway across, and then will let go of one side of the chasm, dropping the creatures atop it to their doom.
Entangle (Ex): As a standard action, a rope spanner can entangle all creatures upon it with some of its loose ropes. A creature can break free and move half its normal speed by using a full-round action to make a DC 20 Strength check or a DC 20 Escape Artist check. A creature that succeeds on a DC 27 Reflex save is not entangled but can still move at only half speed across the spanner. Each round on the rope spanner's turn, the plants once again attempt to entangle all creatures that have avoided or escaped entanglement. The save DC is Strength-based.
Release (Ex): A rope spanner can let go of one side of the expanse it crosses, causing it to slam into the other side. Any creatures upon the spanner must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save or fall off the spanner, taking appropriate falling damage for the distance. Those that make their saves must make a Climb check (DC 10) each round to hang on. The base DC for Climb checks to climb the rope spanner is 15. The save DC is Charima-based.
Through a combination of swinging itself and expanding its ropes, a spanner can reattach itself to the other side of the expanse as a full-round action.
Swing (Ex): A rope spanner can swing itself violently from side to side. Any creatures standing upon it must succeed on a DC 22 Reflex save or fall off the spanner, taking appropriate falling damage for the distance. Those that make their saves must succeed at a Balance check (DC 15) or fall prone. The save DC is Charima-based.
Camouflage (Ex): A creature must make a successful Knowledge (architecture or engineering) check (DC 15) to notice that a spanner is anything other than a true bridge. Anyone who examines the spanner can detect the ruse with a successful Spot check opposed by the spanner’s Disguise check.
Skills: A rope spanner receives a +6 racial bonus to Disguise checks.
The rope spanner is based on the spanner originally found in Monstrous Compendium MC14 - Fiend Folio Appendix (1992, Tim Beach).
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