Seastars with high AC - 5e idea?

[Cleon]

Yes - going with #3 so looks like this now:

Did you mean for the Stealth to be +4?

It's fine but means it gets another +1 from somewhere besides its Dexterity and Proficiency bonuses.

Also, the Hold Breath and Water Breathing traits are missing and I believe I should have the Regrowth and Rudimentary Vision traits the other way around (monster blocks do normally have them in alphabetical order, right?)

Updating the Giant Brittle Star (Ophiuroid).

 

[Cleon]

The days rather than weeks for regeneration sounds reasonable - 6 (3+1d6) days??

Still not sure about 1d6+3 days for the arms' regrowth speed.

It's hard finding information online, but one experiment shows it takes a couple of weeks for a brittle star to grow about a third of an arm back (37% on average), suggesting a six weeks or so for an entire limb if the regrowth rate is constant.

That's for a tropical species (Ophioderma brevispina) which is noted for its speedy regeneration.

I found a study that shows brittle stars that live in the near-freezing Antarctic waters take many months to regrow an arm, like in 5.6 to 33% of the length in a year, implying it takes 3 years or more for an entire arm.

Invertebrates in near-freezing water tend to grow five to ten times more slowly than warmer water species, so that's hardly surprising, but it suggests it usually takes months to regrow an arm.

Not sure how much use either source is to determine how quickly a monstrous version of the creature should replace a lost limb though!

Hmm, the 3E Giant Octopus takes 1d10+10 days to regrow an arm, or a couple of weeks.

Perhaps we should use that, for 15 (1d10 + 10)?

Or meet partway and make it 9 (1d6+6)?

 

[Cleon]

10 ft reach sounds prudent with arms

I forgot to mention we can make it 10 ft. reach if you prefer.

Brittle Stars are quite variable in arm length, with disc-to-arm ratios from 2:1 up to 20:1. I just randomly picked a ratio of 6-7 but it could easily be 3:1 or so.

So a typical Giant Brittle Star could easily be, say a 4 foot disc with arms 12 to 15 foot long (I'm assuming the attack's Reach is a bit shorter than the arm as it needs some extra length to wrap around the target).

Oh, and I came across a website that says Brittle Stars can swim! Here's a YouTube video as confirmation.

So you're justified in giving them a Swim speed.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Went with 15 (1d10 + 10) days and reordered, chaged stealth to +3

15 ft reach I feel gives them some flexibility in combat which might make for some interest some time

 

[Cleon]

Went with 15 (1d10 + 10) days and reordered, chaged stealth to +3

15 ft reach I feel gives them some flexibility in combat which might make for some interest some time

Yes, I'm liking 15 ft. Reach for them too.

Have updated the Giant Brittle Star (Ophiuroid) again.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Description.....?

The giant brittle star is a large invertebrate that lives in the sea. It has five 20-foot long, slender, whip-like arms joined to a central body disc that is up to 3 feet in diameter. Typical size ranges are disc diameter 32 to 48 inches, arm length 18 to 25 feet and weight 1,200 to 3,000 pounds. Bigger specimens are possible but rare; smaller giant brittle stars are common but rarely attack humanoids. The body is sharply demarcated from from the arms and contains the five-jawed mouth. The body and arms are covered in a meshed chitin-like material with a pattern akin to chainmail, rendering the creature's hide tough and harder to damage. The tube feet are sticky and used to hold and manipulate prey or cling to wet and slippery surfaces, such as cliff faces and cave roofs

Unlike their smaller cousins, giant brittle stars are active predators, combing marine environments for prey. They are regarded as vermin by marine races that take part in husbandry or aquaculture. Their regenerative powers have seen them be used by alchemists in the making of potions of healing and regeneration.

 

[Cleon]

Okay, we're down to the Actions.

Could you answer a couple of questions to clarify how you'd like the monster version of the Brittle Star to handle combat?

Firstly, its Multiattack can attack three times with its arms and then bite a target if one of those arm attacks hits. What if it already has an opponent grappled in an arm from an earlier round? If all three its Multiattack arm attacks miss it wouldn't be able to bite them with that action.

Secondly, can it grapple up to five targets at the same time? One with each limb, like a kraken can simultaneously grapple 10 enemies with ten tackles.

Thirdly, if it can grab up to five foes, do you want it to only be able to damage three of them at a time (via Multiattack) or can it crush four or five of them at once with simultaneous squeezing.

Both the arm and bite should have Attack +4 since it has +2 from Strength and a +2 Proficiency Bonus.

Incidentally, I like the "can only attack grappled targets" restriction of the Bite.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Okay, we're down to the Actions.

Could you answer a couple of questions to clarify how you'd like the monster version of the Brittle Star to handle combat?

Firstly, its Multiattack can attack three times with its arms and then bite a target if one of those arm attacks hits. What if it already has an opponent grappled in an arm from an earlier round? If all three its Multiattack arm attacks miss it wouldn't be able to bite them with that action.

Secondly, can it grapple up to five targets at the same time? One with each limb, like a kraken can simultaneously grapple 10 enemies with ten tackles.

Thirdly, if it can grab up to five foes, do you want it to only be able to damage three of them at a time (via Multiattack) or can it crush four or five of them at once with simultaneous squeezing.

Both the arm and bite should have Attack +4 since it has +2 from Strength and a +2 Proficiency Bonus.

Incidentally, I like the "can only attack grappled targets" restriction of the Bite.

okay - i guess clarifying that bite attack must me on already grappled victim (regardelss of round grappled)
my initial thinking was that it would keep one or two arms to anchor itself...? Could ditch that I guess...?

 

[Cleon]

okay - i guess clarifying that bite attack must me on already grappled victim (regardelss of round grappled)
my initial thinking was that it would keep one or two arms to anchor itself...? Could ditch that I guess...?

It's fine it leaving a couple of arms free to stabilize itself if that's the intention.

The AD&D Giant Cephalopods used two of their limbs for balance while attacking with the others, for example in the 1E Monster Manual (1977):

Giant Octopus​

NO. OF ATTACKS: 7​

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4 (× 6)/2-12 i.e. six 1d4 tentacles plus a 2d6 beak​

A giant octopus will generally attack with 6 of its 8 tentacles, using 2 to anchor itself. Each tentacle striking does only 1-4 hit points of damage, but unless the member is loosened or severed, it will do twice initial damage (2-8 points) each melee round thereafter.​

​

Giant Squid​

NO. OF ATTACKS: 9​

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6 (× 6)/5-20 i.e. eight 1d6 tentacles plus a 5d4 beak*​

When a giant squid attacks it will anchor itself — or stabilize itself — with two of its arms and attack with the other 8. Each tentacle does 1-6 hit points on the first melee round it hits, and thereafter it constricts the opponent for 2-12 points of damage per melee round.​

*You can get 5-20 using 3d6+2 but the 2E AD&D rules specify it's 5d4.​

So you've got precedent!

Incidentally, in both BECMI D&D and 3rd Edition D&D a Giant Octopus has attacks with all eight arms plus its beak, for nine attacks in total, while in 5E a Giant Octopus only makes one attack with all its tentacles.

 

[Cleon]

okay - i guess clarifying that bite attack must me on already grappled victim (regardelss of round grappled)

Another question is are the three creatures grabbed by a Giant Brittle Star's arms restrained or not?

A 5E Giant Octopus does that:

Tentacles: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it is grappled (escape DC 16). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the octopus can’t use its tentacles on another target.​

As does a 5E Constrictor Snake, which I reckon is similar in size and shape to each of the Brittle Star's arm:

Constrict: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the snake can’t constrict another target.​