D&D 3E/3.5 Knightfall's "Codex of Madness" Templated Aberrations Thread (Updated: May 19/05)
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Krishnath said:
Ahh, I didn't doublecheck that when I was writing it out. Just goes to show that one should never assume.
Kelleris
Explorer
My, uh, entry is the Bioweapon template. It converts a creature of construct type into something squishier and more deadly, naturally of the aberration type. It was inspired by the sample Aboleth Savant on p. 32 of the book that should have been named the Codex Anathema. It's a cool idea, allowing the PCs to encounter a savant mano-y-mano, but Iltharshub is accompanied by a greater stone golem. The idea of this Huge stone statue walking underwater while Iltharshub swims slowly behind it wondering why his people make such slow and non-aquatic servitors was funny to the point of unscarying the encounter if it was ever sprung on me. Besides, the Shabolath Golem really wants to be a Bioweapon anyway - the idea just fits aboleths better.
Alright, tell me what you think of this:
BIOWEAPON
Bioweapons are magically- or alchemically-created horrors modeled on the sturdy golems more commonly favored by spellcasters looking for servitor creatures. They are also popular among some aberrant races, such as Illithids and Aboleths. Creating a bioweapon requires exactly the same spells, XP, and gold piece expenditure as creating a normal construct of its type, but requires the Craft Engineered Creature feat instead of the Craft Construct feat. Bioweapons are typically more expensive than golems and other constructs, as well, since growing the body requires a great deal of sophisticated alchemical equipment.
SAMPLE BIOWEAPON
TITAN OF THE DEEP MASTERS
Huge Aberration (Augmented Construct)
Hit Dice: 42d8+168 plus 13 (370 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), Swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 30 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +21 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 27
Base Attack/Grapple: +31/+52
Attack: Slam +42 melee (4d8+13)
Full Attack: 2 slams +42 melee (4d8+13)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Berserk, slow
Special Qualities: Darkvision 85 ft.*, engineered vitality, immunity to magic, unfathomable mind
Saves: Fort +20, Ref +15, Will +23
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 7
Skills: Balance +5, Hide +10, Listen +12, Move Silently +10, Spot +12, Swim +23
Feats: Aberration Blood (bulging eyes), Aberration Blood (tail), Aberration Blood (webbed hands), Awesome Blow, Cleave, Diehard, Durable Form, Endurance, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Inhuman Vision*, Power Attack, Toughness
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or gang (2–4)
Challenge Rating: 17
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Before you towers an immense humanoid creature, superficially like a monstrous skum with its flesh horribly flayed from stony bones. The creature has slick seaweed-like muscles bunched and corded around monstrous bones made of some black-green mineral. Nameless and unfathomable organs pulse wetly inside its torso, and its eyes glow malevolently as it moves to crush you with its immense fists.
A Titan of the Deep Masters is an abhorrent variation on the familiar stone golem that serves the most powerful of aboleth savants in their eternal quest to bring forth the darkness of their stygian seas.
The Titan understands Aboleth, but speaks no language, though it roars with anger and screams with pain in combat. It walks with a ponderous but precise gait.
Combat
Titans of the Deep Masters are powerful opponents, being physically powerful and difficult to harm. They display a feral cunning in battle, and are adept at protecting their aboleth masters, generally interposing themselves so as to provide cover and allow the aboleth to make tentacle attacks around the bioweapon.
Berserk (Ex): When a Titan of the Deep Masters enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that it succumbs to bloodlust and goes berserk. The uncontrolled bioweapon goes on a rampage, attacking the nearest living creature or smashing some object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach, then moving on to spread more destruction. The Titan’s creator, if within 60 feet, can try to regain control by speaking firmly and persuasively to the creature, which requires a DC 19 Charisma check. It takes 1 minute of inactivity for the bioweapon to reset its berserk chance to 0%.
Slow (Su): A Titan of the Deep Masters can use a slow effect, as the spell, as a free action once every 2 rounds. The effect has a range of 10 feet and a duration of 7 rounds, requiring a DC 35 Will save to negate. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Engineered Vitality (Ex): Titans of the Deep Masters have an unnatural metabolism that does not require them to eat or drink, though they must still breath. In addition, bioweapons do not age and are immune to poisons. They also gain fast healing 1. These qualities make them excellent guardians, as they can be left to a task for as long as desired and may operate independently during that time.
Immunity to Magic (Ex): A Titan of the Deep Masters is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature: a transmute rock to mud spell slows a stone golem (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, with no saving throw, while transmute mud to rock heals all of its lost hit points. (These spells target the bioweapon’s skeletal system.) Additionally, a stone to flesh spell negates its immunity to magic for 1 full round (but does not actually change the creature’s form).
Unfathomable Mind (Ex): Titans of the Deep Masters are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). They exist only to serve their aboleth masters, and are implacable in this purpose unless they become berserk (see below).
Construction
A Titan of the Deep Masters’ skeleton is chiseled from a single block of hard stone, weighing at least 30,000 pounds. The stone must be of exceptional quality, and costs 5,000 gp. Assembling the skeleton requires a DC 17 Craft (sculpting) check or a DC 17 Craft (stonemasonry) check. The flesh of the Titan must be grown in a special alchemical laboratory; this process costs 40,000 gold pieces and requires a DC 24 Heal or Craft (alchemy) check.
CL 14th; Craft Construct, antimagic field, geas/quest, slow, symbol of stunning, caster must be at least 14th level; Price 236,000 gp; Cost 145,000 gp + 7,640 XP.
CREATING A BIOWEAPON
“Bioweapon” is an inherited template that can be added to any creature of the construct type (hereafter referred to as the base creature. A bioweapon uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to aberration, and it gains the augmented construct subtype. Size is unchanged. Bass attack bonus is unchanged, but the bioweapon gains a good Will save.
Hit Dice: The base creature’s HD become d8s. The base creature loses the bonus hit points based on size granted to constructs, but gains hit points based on its Constitution score.
Speed: A bioweapon may run or charge normally. In addition, the base creature gains one of the following effects: +20 feet to its land speed, a fly speed equal to its base land speed with average maneuverability, or a swim speed equal to its base land speed (plus the aquatic subtype and the amphibious special ability).
Armor Class: Add 3 points for the bioweapon’s improved Dexterity.
Attack: The bioweapon has the same attack forms as the base creature.
Special Attacks: A bioweapon retains all the special attacks of the base creature, and gains the following special attack:
Berserk (Ex): When a bioweapon enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that it succumbs to bloodlust and goes berserk. The uncontrolled monster goes on a rampage, attacking the nearest living creature or smashing some object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach, then moving on to spread more destruction. The bioweapon’s creator, if within 60 feet, can try to regain control by speaking firmly and persuasively to the creature, which requires a DC 19 Charisma check. 1 minute of inactivity resets the bioweapon’s berserk chance to 0%.
Special Qualities: A bioweapon has all the special qualities of the base creature, except that any material-based damage reduction it may possess. In addition, a bioweapon gains the following special qualities:
Engineered Vitality (Ex): Bioweapons have an unnatural metabolism that does not require them to eat or drink, though they must still breath. In addition, bioweapons do not age and are immune to poisons. They also gain fast healing 1. These qualities make them excellent guardians, as they can be left to a task for as long as desired and may operate independently during that time.
Unfathomable Mind (Ex): Bioweapons are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). They exist only to serve their creator, and are implacable in this purpose unless they become berserk (see below).
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +6, Wis +2, and Cha +6. The bioweapon gains a Constitution score, rolled normally with a bonus of +4 plus 2 per size category above Medium. It also gains an Intelligence score, rolled normally but with a -4 penalty.
Skills: A bioweapon gains skill points as an aberration and has skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die. Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation – the bioweapon gains aberration skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. The following skills are class skills for a bioweapon: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival, and Swim.
Feats: A bioweapon gains feats as normal for its type.
Environment: Same as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.
Alignment: A bioweapon has the same alignment as its creator.
Alright, tell me what you think of this:
BIOWEAPON
Bioweapons are magically- or alchemically-created horrors modeled on the sturdy golems more commonly favored by spellcasters looking for servitor creatures. They are also popular among some aberrant races, such as Illithids and Aboleths. Creating a bioweapon requires exactly the same spells, XP, and gold piece expenditure as creating a normal construct of its type, but requires the Craft Engineered Creature feat instead of the Craft Construct feat. Bioweapons are typically more expensive than golems and other constructs, as well, since growing the body requires a great deal of sophisticated alchemical equipment.
SAMPLE BIOWEAPON
TITAN OF THE DEEP MASTERS
Huge Aberration (Augmented Construct)
Hit Dice: 42d8+168 plus 13 (370 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), Swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 30 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +21 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 27
Base Attack/Grapple: +31/+52
Attack: Slam +42 melee (4d8+13)
Full Attack: 2 slams +42 melee (4d8+13)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Berserk, slow
Special Qualities: Darkvision 85 ft.*, engineered vitality, immunity to magic, unfathomable mind
Saves: Fort +20, Ref +15, Will +23
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 7
Skills: Balance +5, Hide +10, Listen +12, Move Silently +10, Spot +12, Swim +23
Feats: Aberration Blood (bulging eyes), Aberration Blood (tail), Aberration Blood (webbed hands), Awesome Blow, Cleave, Diehard, Durable Form, Endurance, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Inhuman Vision*, Power Attack, Toughness
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or gang (2–4)
Challenge Rating: 17
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
Before you towers an immense humanoid creature, superficially like a monstrous skum with its flesh horribly flayed from stony bones. The creature has slick seaweed-like muscles bunched and corded around monstrous bones made of some black-green mineral. Nameless and unfathomable organs pulse wetly inside its torso, and its eyes glow malevolently as it moves to crush you with its immense fists.
A Titan of the Deep Masters is an abhorrent variation on the familiar stone golem that serves the most powerful of aboleth savants in their eternal quest to bring forth the darkness of their stygian seas.
The Titan understands Aboleth, but speaks no language, though it roars with anger and screams with pain in combat. It walks with a ponderous but precise gait.
Combat
Titans of the Deep Masters are powerful opponents, being physically powerful and difficult to harm. They display a feral cunning in battle, and are adept at protecting their aboleth masters, generally interposing themselves so as to provide cover and allow the aboleth to make tentacle attacks around the bioweapon.
Berserk (Ex): When a Titan of the Deep Masters enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that it succumbs to bloodlust and goes berserk. The uncontrolled bioweapon goes on a rampage, attacking the nearest living creature or smashing some object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach, then moving on to spread more destruction. The Titan’s creator, if within 60 feet, can try to regain control by speaking firmly and persuasively to the creature, which requires a DC 19 Charisma check. It takes 1 minute of inactivity for the bioweapon to reset its berserk chance to 0%.
Slow (Su): A Titan of the Deep Masters can use a slow effect, as the spell, as a free action once every 2 rounds. The effect has a range of 10 feet and a duration of 7 rounds, requiring a DC 35 Will save to negate. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Engineered Vitality (Ex): Titans of the Deep Masters have an unnatural metabolism that does not require them to eat or drink, though they must still breath. In addition, bioweapons do not age and are immune to poisons. They also gain fast healing 1. These qualities make them excellent guardians, as they can be left to a task for as long as desired and may operate independently during that time.
Immunity to Magic (Ex): A Titan of the Deep Masters is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature: a transmute rock to mud spell slows a stone golem (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, with no saving throw, while transmute mud to rock heals all of its lost hit points. (These spells target the bioweapon’s skeletal system.) Additionally, a stone to flesh spell negates its immunity to magic for 1 full round (but does not actually change the creature’s form).
Unfathomable Mind (Ex): Titans of the Deep Masters are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). They exist only to serve their aboleth masters, and are implacable in this purpose unless they become berserk (see below).
Construction
A Titan of the Deep Masters’ skeleton is chiseled from a single block of hard stone, weighing at least 30,000 pounds. The stone must be of exceptional quality, and costs 5,000 gp. Assembling the skeleton requires a DC 17 Craft (sculpting) check or a DC 17 Craft (stonemasonry) check. The flesh of the Titan must be grown in a special alchemical laboratory; this process costs 40,000 gold pieces and requires a DC 24 Heal or Craft (alchemy) check.
CL 14th; Craft Construct, antimagic field, geas/quest, slow, symbol of stunning, caster must be at least 14th level; Price 236,000 gp; Cost 145,000 gp + 7,640 XP.
CREATING A BIOWEAPON
“Bioweapon” is an inherited template that can be added to any creature of the construct type (hereafter referred to as the base creature. A bioweapon uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to aberration, and it gains the augmented construct subtype. Size is unchanged. Bass attack bonus is unchanged, but the bioweapon gains a good Will save.
Hit Dice: The base creature’s HD become d8s. The base creature loses the bonus hit points based on size granted to constructs, but gains hit points based on its Constitution score.
Speed: A bioweapon may run or charge normally. In addition, the base creature gains one of the following effects: +20 feet to its land speed, a fly speed equal to its base land speed with average maneuverability, or a swim speed equal to its base land speed (plus the aquatic subtype and the amphibious special ability).
Armor Class: Add 3 points for the bioweapon’s improved Dexterity.
Attack: The bioweapon has the same attack forms as the base creature.
Special Attacks: A bioweapon retains all the special attacks of the base creature, and gains the following special attack:
Berserk (Ex): When a bioweapon enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that it succumbs to bloodlust and goes berserk. The uncontrolled monster goes on a rampage, attacking the nearest living creature or smashing some object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach, then moving on to spread more destruction. The bioweapon’s creator, if within 60 feet, can try to regain control by speaking firmly and persuasively to the creature, which requires a DC 19 Charisma check. 1 minute of inactivity resets the bioweapon’s berserk chance to 0%.
Special Qualities: A bioweapon has all the special qualities of the base creature, except that any material-based damage reduction it may possess. In addition, a bioweapon gains the following special qualities:
Engineered Vitality (Ex): Bioweapons have an unnatural metabolism that does not require them to eat or drink, though they must still breath. In addition, bioweapons do not age and are immune to poisons. They also gain fast healing 1. These qualities make them excellent guardians, as they can be left to a task for as long as desired and may operate independently during that time.
Unfathomable Mind (Ex): Bioweapons are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). They exist only to serve their creator, and are implacable in this purpose unless they become berserk (see below).
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +6, Wis +2, and Cha +6. The bioweapon gains a Constitution score, rolled normally with a bonus of +4 plus 2 per size category above Medium. It also gains an Intelligence score, rolled normally but with a -4 penalty.
Skills: A bioweapon gains skill points as an aberration and has skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die. Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation – the bioweapon gains aberration skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. The following skills are class skills for a bioweapon: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival, and Swim.
Feats: A bioweapon gains feats as normal for its type.
Environment: Same as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.
Alignment: A bioweapon has the same alignment as its creator.
Kelleris
Explorer
Olly said:Very nice, indeed.
You should probably think of a better name for the template, though. 'Bioweapon' just seems a bit 'modern' to me...
Any suggestions? I thought it got the "construct made into an organic killing machine" flavor across, but it is rather modern-sounding.
Angel Tarragon
Dawn Dragon
Atma?Kelleris said:
Kelleris
Explorer
Krishnath said:
Ah, it was inspired by something in (TBTSHBC) Codex Anathema, and I used a sample creature that fits in well with aboleths, one of the coolest aberrations, and, well, I was already working on it and a few posters commented that they wished there were more templates that "aberrationed" the templated creature. So those are my excuses.
Bionoid sounds a little goofy to me, though. I think I will change it, though, since it seems to be getting the wrond message across.
"Living Weapon"? "Synthetic Lifeform"? (not sure that one's any better)
Kelleris
Explorer
Frukathka said:
Ooh, this one sounds good. And anything that lets me reference FF VI is A Good Thing. So the base name for my sample creature would be "Greater Stone Atma Weapon"? Or just "(Greater) Stone Atma"? Hrm...
On another note, does the +1 CR look good to everyone?
And should I convert the Shaboath into an aberration with this template, for a second sample creature? I mean, the thing's made of aboleth snot, so it's just a step away from being a bioweapon already.
Krishnath
First Post
hmm.... +1 CR sounds good, but you need to mention that the template removes any magic immunity the "base creature" might have had. Instead it could grant a spell resistance equal to the creatures CR + 12)Kelleris said:
As for the creatures ability scores, instead of say rolled normally, you should probably say:
The creature gain a Con score rolled with 3d6+4. For each size category it is above medium, it gains an additional +2 bonus to constitution. The creature also gains an Int score rolled with 3d6-4 (minimum 3).
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