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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pants" data-source="post: 3997675" data-attributes="member: 8849">Something old, then something newOLD MAN OF THE SWAMPMedium Fey (Aquatic)Hit Dice: 14d6+70 (119 hp)Initiative: +6Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), swim 60 ft.Armor Class: 24 (+2 Dex, +12 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 22Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+13Attack: Claw +14 (1d6+6 plus debilitating strike)Full Attack: 2 claws +14 (1d6+6 plus debilitating strike)Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.Special Attacks: Call Swamp Creatures, Debilitating Strike, Spell-Like AbilitiesSpecial Qualities: Amphibious, Bonded Swamp, Damage Reduction 10/magic and cold iron, Low-Light Vision, Spell Resistance 25Saves: Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +13Abilities: Str 22, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 16, Wis 18, Cha 18 Skills: Bluff +8, Concentration +22, Disguise +8, Hide +25*, Knowledge (geography) +20, Knowledge (nature) +26*, Listen +21, Move Silently +30*, Search +26*, Spot +21, Survival +27*Feats: Dodge, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Track(B), Weapon Focus (slam)Environment: Temperate and warm marshesOrganization: Solitary or retinue (1 old man of the swamp and 1-2 shambling mounds and 1-4 medium water elementals)Challenge Rating: 12Treasure: Double StandardAlignment: Usually neutral evilAdvancement: By character classLevel Adjustment: -From the cloying mists of the swamp emerges a hobbling old man, his gnarled fingers gripped tightly about the top of a stout, wooden walking stick.  Wisps of white hair hang from his wrinkled head. His back is hunched and he winces with every careful step he makes.Stories circulate around roaring fires about strange, old hermits that live at the center of swamps and attack unwary trespassers. In every story, the traveler is approached by a weak old man, who either asks that the traveler escort him to somewhere in the swamp or that the traveler give a bit of coin or food. If the traveler refuses (and, in these stories, he always does), the old man reveals himself and attacks the traveler, summoning the very swamp to defend him.  Snaking vines and mounds of shambling moss rise from the swamp to drag the greedy interloper to a shallow, watery grave. Other stories tell of how the traveler manages to slay the old man, only to encounter that same old man again during a later foray into the same swamp.Masters of swamps and deception, these fey are often colloquially referred to as ‘the old man of the swamp.’  They are wholly evil and almost always make ambiguous or impossible demands for their tolls.COMBATAn old man of the swamp prefers to start combat on his terms, usually by duping or otherwise tricking a group with its wide array of spells. Many old men spy on trespassers prodigiously before striking, often sending out small groups of lesser creatures to test their strengths and weaknesses before striking himself.An old man's natural attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.Amphibious (Ex) Although an old man of the swamp is aquatic, he can survive indefinitely on land.Bonded Swamp (Su) An old man of the swamp is magically bound to a single swamp. While it is within its bonded swamp, an old man of the swamp cannot be permanently killed. If an old man is killed within its swamp, the waters rise around its corpse and the swamp reclaims it fully in 1d6 rounds. 1d4 days later, the same old man steps from the waters of its swamp, fully healed.  The old man retains all of its memories and any gear it had on its corpse when the swamp reclaimed it.  It is, for all effects and purposes, the same old man of the swamp as before.  If the old man is slain while it is outside its bonded swamp, it remains dead until its body is returned to its swamp, at which time it returns to life as specified above. Only a death effect or a properly worded wish or miracle can slay an old man of the swamp permanently, even if it is within the boundaries of its bonded swamp. Additionally, the old man cannot be tracked within its swamp (it just fails to leave any tracks) and its movement is not impeded by the marsh’s terrain or foliage.Though it can freely leave its bonded swamp should it choose to, it rarely does so considering that many of its powers would be lost. Call Swamp Creatures (Sp) Once per day, an old man of the swamp can summon aid from the creatures that inhabit the swamp. The old man can call either 1 large water elemental, 1 shambling mound, 1-2 vine horrors (Fiend Folio 185, substitute assassin vines if you do not have this book), or 1-3 medium water elementals. The creatures summoned are composed entirely of elements of the swamp. The creatures remain for 1 hour before breaking down and rejoining the swamp. If any of the summoned creatures leave the old man’s bonded swamp, they immediately die. This is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.Debilitating Strike (Su) Anyone struck by an old man’s claw attacks must succeed on a Fort save (DC 22) or take 1d4 points of Strength or Dexterity drain. The old man can choose which score to apply the drain to each time he successfully hits. The save DC is Charisma-based.Spells: An old man of the swamp casts spells as a 10th-level druid. Saving throw DC's are 14 + spell level. He often has the following spells prepared:5th – call lightning storm (DC 19), insect plague4th – cure serious wounds (2), dispel magic, freedom of movement3rd – call lightning (DC 17), contagion (DC varies), poison (DC 17), spike growth2nd – barkskin, chill metal, fog cloud, tree shape, warp wood1st – cure light wounds (2), entangle (DC 15), faerie fire, obscuring mist0 – cure minor wounds, detect magic (2), guidance, know direction, read magicSpell-Like Abilities: At will – clairaudience/clairvoyance (DC 17), command plants (DC 18), disguise self, hallucinatory terrain (DC 18), speak with animals (marshland animals only), speak with plants; 3/day – control water, evard’s black tentacles (DC 14), suggestion (DC 17); 1/day – commune with nature, wall of thorns. Caster level 14th. The save DC's are Charisma-based.Skills An old of the swamp has a +6 racial bonus on all Hide, Knowledge (nature), Move Silently, Search, and Survival checks while it is within its bonded swamp. It also has a +4 racial bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks. These bonuses are included in the statistics above.ECOLOGYAn old man of the swamp's natural habitat is (unsurprisingly) a marsh, fen, bog, or swamp of some sort. The old man usually lives in an old, ramshackle hut located somewhere near the center of the wetland. Some even dwell within hollowed out trees, dank caves, or beneath the stagnant waters.It is unknown how or even if an old man of the swamp can reproduce. Many theorize that an old man is simply the spirit of a swamp made physically manifest or that a set number exist in the world, a number that never decreases or increases. Even if a particular old man is killed, another arises elsewhere to fill the void.Typical Physical Characteristics: An old man of the swamp looks like an old, frail human with wispy hair, a hunched back, and an overall pitiful appearance. This is just an illusion. In its true form, an old man is tall and physically powerful, with peat-green skin, dark eyes, black nails and a mouth full of sharp fangs. An old man's feet are always caked thick with swamp mud in its natural form.SOCIETYAn old man of the swamp usually lives alone at the center of its swamp. Sometimes an old man will traffic with sirens, hags, or evil nymphs or dryads, but its existence is usually a solitary one.TYPICAL TREASUREAn old man of the swamp usually has an assortment of magical trinkets at its disposal, mostly minor wondrous items, scrolls, potions, and maybe a wand or two. This particular old man has the following items: boots of elvenkind, potion of cure serious wounds, potion of barkskin (+3), scroll of flamestrike, and a masterwork darkwood quarterstaff.OLD MEN OF THE SWAMP WITH CLASS LEVELSAn old man's favored class is druid and many choose to advance in it. Some of the more unhinged old men take levels in barbarian to improve their combat abilities. Still others advance in rogue or ranger.COMMENTI got the basic idea for this from the excellent Monsternomicon, but I just wasn't happy with the implementation. So I decided to make my own version. Voila!</blockquote>

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