The Scuttler

[Sporemine]

Hi everybody, this is the monster for my new campagain, it will be used as a general, face eating type of vermin. This is still in the early stages of development so any thoughts or tips will be appreciated.

I will add more about it later and make periodic updates.

I hope you enjoy it.

-Sporemine

 

[Pennarin]

Might benefit from being able to see/sense in the dark. Darkvision, tremorsense, etc.

 

[Mesh Hong]

This looks ok as a standard monster.

The damage on the attack should probably be either +2 (using strength) or +4 (using dexterity); but +3 is the standard for a level 3 creature.

I notice you are using the lowest damage tier and both attacks are essentially using the basic attack. As this is a skirmisher you could add a power that improves the damage when the creature has combat advantage. For this tier it would be +1d6 damage, but you could just give it say a bonus +4 damage.

From your stats and the skirmisher type your defences are a little off, though you might have altered them due to the power that increases them in darkness.

I get them to be:
AC 17; Fortitude 15; Reflex 17; Will 15

Hope this helps.

 

[Sporemine]

Thanks for the pointers people.

The first encounter with scuttlers looks like it will be in a room riddled with small tunnels, some scuttlers (probably 4-5) will attack the party from the darkness then scuttle into a hole, they will then come out of other holes, including some on the walls and celings. Very annoying encounter.

Also I am working on this campagain with a friend who wants to dm and is assisting for this one to learn how.

Some important points with scuttlers:

They live in LARGE family groups (100-100,000), reproducing quickly and laying eggs (a delicacy) in a central chamber (Quest hook). They hunt in groups with the larger, more intelligent ones controlling the smaller ones with pheremones.

They each have a star shaped peice of metal (adamantine) in their backs that grows as they consume anything with even microscopic amounts of adamantine in it's system. An entire nest will go after a single pound of adamantine until the weilder is dead or they all are. The size of the star in their back directly affects growth, making them much larger if they eat more of the metal. This very valuble trinket can be fished out of dead scuttlers with a Dc XX knowledge (dungeoneering) check and sold or made into items.

Scuttlers are carnivourous, 16 legged monstrosities that will strip a living creature to the bone in minutes, an infestation is deadly and needs to be dealt with immediately after discovered (Quest hook).

Do not feed the scuttlers.

The new improved scuttler is here as well.

Juvinile scuttlers, larger scuttlers and hatching scuttler swarms will be posted on this thread sometime soon. If you can think of any others go ahead and make a stat block.

Feedback is appreciated

Thanks

-Sporemine

Enjoy and give more feedback

 

[pointblank]

Scuttler

very cool creature. You should probably make an artillery Scuttler.

 

[pointblank]

Spitting Sculler

The Spitting Sculler is in middle of the pecking order in Sculler society. It uses it's nozzle a top it's head to shoot down prey.

Spitting Scuttler Level 3 Artillery
Small Aberrant Beast XP 150
Initiative +4 Senses Perception +9; darkvision
HP 35; Bloodied 17
AC 15; Fortitude 15, Reflex 16, Will 15
Speed 6 climb 6

Claw (standard; at-will)
+10 vs AC; 1d6 + 3 damage
+2 to hit in dim light or darkness.

Spit (standard; at-will)
Ranged 10/20; +10 vs AC; 1d10 + 3 damage
Ongoing 5 acid damage in dim light or darkness.

Acid Web (standard; encounter)
Area burst 2 within 10; +8 vs AC; 3d6 + 3 damage
Target is immobilized. Target takes an ongoing 5 acid damage in dim light or darkness.

Void Crawl (minor)
The Spitting Sculler shifts 4 squares. Usable only in dim light or darkness.


Str 14 (+3) Dex 17 (+4) Wis 14 (+3)
Con 11 (+1) Int 11 (+1) Cha 11 (+1)


Spitting Scuttler Lore
DC !5 Nature: The Spitting Sculler is a dangerous raged foe.

 

[Mesh Hong]

Quite a while ago I used some reasonably similar style creatures whilst my players were exploring an ruined subterranean prison complex. These creatures were 4 legged “spider” like creatues with a disc like body with a mouth on its underside.

As I said I created these a good while ago, and have learned a lot since then, but they worked well at the time. Anyway they may give you some inspiration for your scuttlers.


Yellow Spore Foul Runner Level 3 Lurker
Small aberrant beast XP 150

Initiative +5 Senses Perception +7; darkvision
HP 34; Bloodied 17
AC 17; Fortitude 16, Reflex 15, Will 14
Immune sleep
Speed 8, Climb 6

Claw Swipe (standard; at-will)
Attack +8 vs. AC; 1d6+3 damage; +1d6 damage if the Runner has combat
advantage

Grab and Bite (standard; at-will); charge attack only
Charge attack only; attack +7 vs. Reflex; 1d8+3 damage; on hit the
target is grabbed and takes 5 ongoing damage (escape ends)

Swipe and Dodge (standard; at-will)
Attack +8 vs. AC; 1d6+3 damage; +1d6 damage if the Runner has combat
advantage; the Runner can shift 2 squares after the attack

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Acrobatics +8, Perception +7, Stealth +8
Str 16 (+4) Dex 14 (+3) Wis 12 (+2)
Con 10 (+1) Int 10 (+1) Cha 3 (-3)

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Yellow Spore Foul Darter Level 4 Skirmisher
Medium aberrant beast XP 175

Initiative +7 Senses Perception +8; darkvision
HP 50; Bloodied 25
AC 18; Fortitude 14, Reflex 17, Will 16
Immune sleep
Speed 8, Climb 6

Claw Swipe (standard; at-will)
Attack +9 vs. AC; 1d6+4 damage

Swipe On The Run (standard; at-will)
Attack +9 vs. AC; 1d6+4 damage; The Darter can move up to 8 squares
and make an attack at any point, moving away does not provoke an
opportunity attack from the target

Yellow Spore Dart Strike (standard; at-will)
Ranged 10/20; attack +9 vs. AC; 1d10+4 damage; on hit target is dazed
(save ends)

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Acrobatics +11, Perception +8, Stealth +11
Str 10 (+2) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 12 (+3)
Con 10 (+2) Int 12 (+3) Cha 4 (-1)

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Yellow Spore Foul Impaler Level 5 Soldier
Medium aberrant beast XP 200

Initiative +5 Senses Perception +7; darkvision
HP 62; Bloodied 31
AC 22; Fortitude 18, Reflex 16, Will 15
Immune sleep
Speed 8, Climb 6

Vicious Claw Swipe (standard; at-will)
Attack +12 vs. AC; 1d10+4 damage

Double Claw strike (standard; at-will)
2 attacks against the same target; attack +10 vs. AC; 1d10+4 damage; if
both attacks hit the target is knocked prone

Implant spawn (standard; recharge ); poison
Attack +10 vs. Reflex; 2d6+4 damage; on hit secondary attack +10 vs.
Fortitude 1d6 poison damage and become Spore Host (see notes); this
attack is made with a stinger that shoots out of the top of the Impalers
body and retracts after the attack, on a successful hit it squirts a sticky
brown fluid into the wound.

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Acrobatics +8, Perception +7, Stealth +8
Str 18 (+6) Dex 12 (+3) Wis 10 (+2)
Con 14 (+4) Int 12 (+3) Cha 4 (-1)


Spore Host (treated like a disease)

Endurance or Heal: Daily Roll (upon waking), if being treated by someone
with the heal skill and you opt to make an endurance roll gain a +2 bonus.

Result
16 or less = worsen
17 to 23 = maintain
24 plus = improve

Effect Track
- 2 : Cured
- 1 : Feeling much better, wound still feels slightly tender
Initial : Brown staining around wound, feels sore to the touch
-- lose 1 healing surge
+1 : Brown staining spreads, stomach cramps
-- lose another healing surge, -1 speed
+2 : Brown staining spread, stomach swells, intense pain if you move
-- lose all healing surges, you are immobilised by pain
+3 : Stomach burst open and 2d6 Yellow Sporelings crawl out and start
eating your corpse. If attacked they attempt to flee. -- DEAD

Yellow Sporeling Level 1 Minion
Small aberrant beast XP 25

Initiative +2 Senses Perception +4; darkvision
HP 1; Bloodied a missed attack never damages a minion
AC 16; Fortitude 13, Reflex 14, Will 12
Immune sleep
Speed 8, Climb 6

Claw stab (standard; at-will)
Attack +6 vs. AC; 4 damage

Dodge and Stab (immediate reaction, When missed by Melee Attack; at-will)
Attack +6 vs. AC; 3 damage; Sporeling can shift 1 square before or after
its free attack

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Acrobatics +7, Perception +6, Stealth +7
Str 16 (+3) Dex 14 (+2) Wis 8 (-1)
Con 10 (+0) Int 8 (-1) Cha 3 (-4)

 

[Sporemine]

Good work people

Here is the new defender scuttler

it defends the outer borders of the nest and scuttler eggs, like the normal one it has an adamantine star in its backbone however it lacks the drive to make this bigger as it regenerates to the same size everytime it is thrown.

Continue the good work as anything submitted is appreciated

-Sporemine

 

[Mesh Hong]

I’m sorry Sporemine but that creature is massively overpowered. These are my immediate reactions and as always just my opinion.

General comment
This is an artillery creature so it probably shouldn’t have the bonus to hit and extra damage in darkness feature on any of its attacks. My personal philosophy is that sort of extra damage is for lurkers and skirmishers.

1: Bite attack
Bite attack should probably do 1d6+4 without the extra to hit and damage. Artillery creatures should be strong at range and weaker in melee, as a general rule.

2: Adamantine Star
Again 1d10+4 by itself is enough damage, again I don’t think there is any need extra to hit and damage feature.

3: Barrage of Stars
Have you realised that this power enables the creature to do up to 80 damage every other turn? (recharge of 4,5,6) Now a standard encounter containing these guys would be 5 of them, for a level 5 party…..thats up to 400 damage. I know this is the maximum but doesn’t a level 5 character have about 45 HPs?
I think making barrage of stars a Close burst 3 attack recharging on a 5,6 doing 2d6+4 is a lot more reasonable.

4: Creature of Darkness
Again my instinct is that this sort of power is for a lurker or a skirmisher, or an important elite or solo.

5: Regeneration
If you want to use regeneration I would take the theme of Creature of Darkness and give it regenerate 5 when it starts its turn in darkness or dim light. Regeneration 2 wont really give you enough effect for the effort of keeping track of it.

The creature concept is sound, and I like the regenerating shuriken thrower idea. But I think you may have got a little carried away with imagining this thing running about throwing stars out like a machine gun

 

[Sporemine]

Sorry about the overpoweredness but I had to do the entire creature in like 10 minutes. It will be fixed, probably within the next 24 hours.

Thanks for the feedback

-Sporemine