Converting Epic Level Creatures

Nookie · Mar 19, 2012

Maybe the stock has its own stomach and after the victum is digested, its pulpy yum goo is swallowed the rest of the way.

Cleon · Mar 19, 2012

Nookie said:
Maybe the stock has its own stomach and after the victum is digested, its pulpy yum goo is swallowed the rest of the way.

A separate gizzard at the end of each stalk seems a very unergonomical and inefficient means of food processing, a central grinder makes much more sense.

Besides, that'd be contrary to the original text, which says the grinding stomach is inside the main body.

I prefer the "space warp" solution - the throats are shorter on the inside than they are on the outside.

That means a Draedan's a SIDRAT!

Incidentally, that 5164 mph I calculated earlier is approximately the muzzle velocity of a new Navy railgun BAE Systems test-fired recently.

If a Draeden could swallow that fast, it could probably regurgitate that fast, suggesting one of its most devastating attacks is spitting.

Hmm, and it has a stomach full of huge diamond boulders... :hmm:

freyar · Mar 19, 2012

Ahh, right, I was forgetting that these things come in clusters! Good catch, Mortis!

I thought we had agreed that we were going with an adjusted Swallow Whole where you can't escape by grappling unless you could move very fast. This is a good point about cutting yourself out. I'd be fine with adding "in a single round" as a qualifier to that.

Cleon · Mar 20, 2012

freyar said:
I thought we had agreed that we were going with an adjusted Swallow Whole where you can't escape by grappling unless you could move very fast.

Well that's what we've got in the current Homebrew. What value of "very fast" are you proposing?

freyar said:
Ahh, right, I was forgetting that these things come in clusters! Good catch, Mortis!

I thought we had agreed that we were going with an adjusted Swallow Whole where you can't escape by grappling unless you could move very fast. This is a good point about cutting yourself out. I'd be fine with adding "in a single round" as a qualifier to that.

If we stick to the "going down the gullet" approach we need to add an "X feet per round toward the draeden's central body" as well as an "in a single round".

We might also want an intermediary grapple result in which the swallowed victim prevents themselves sliding without making any progress towards the mouth (and thus can try to cut a way out over several rounds).

Oh, and it should do mucho mucho extra crushing and acid damage if the victim reaches the central stomach.

freyar · Mar 22, 2012

Shade thought xixecal or devastation vermin should "have a fighting chance." Devastation vermin have a base speed of 80 ft; is that fast enough? Xixecal have 140 ft, which seems somehow better.

Want to implement your suggestions?

Cleon · Mar 23, 2012

freyar said:
Shade thought xixecal or devastation vermin should "have a fighting chance." Devastation vermin have a base speed of 80 ft; is that fast enough? Xixecal have 140 ft, which seems somehow better.

Want to implement your suggestions?

Not particularly, since I'm OK sticking to standard Swallow Whole for them.

freyar · Mar 24, 2012

I'll give it a go.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A draeden can try to swallow a grabbed opponent which fits in its Engulfing Maw by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 10d10+45 points of crushing damage plus 8d12 points of acid damage and travels 140?? ft toward the draeden's central body per round. No creature with speed less than 80?? ft can climb out of the draeden's maw by making an opposed grapple check; however, a successful grapple check prevents the victim from progressing farther toward the central maw. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 60?? points of damage to the interior of the tube (AC 90); if the damage is not done in a single round, the victim must maintain position by winning opposed grapple checks. Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A victim that reaches the central gizzard takes 100d10+45 bludgeoning and 80d12 acid damage per round. A draeden can hold an effectively limitless number of creatures up to Colossal size.

Cleon · Mar 24, 2012

freyar said:
I'll give it a go.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A draeden can try to swallow a grabbed opponent which fits in its Engulfing Maw by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 10d10+45 points of crushing damage plus 8d12 points of acid damage and travels 140?? ft toward the draeden's central body per round. No creature with speed less than 80?? ft can climb out of the draeden's maw by making an opposed grapple check; however, a successful grapple check prevents the victim from progressing farther toward the central maw. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 60?? points of damage to the interior of the tube (AC 90); if the damage is not done in a single round, the victim must maintain position by winning opposed grapple checks. Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A victim that reaches the central gizzard takes 100d10+45 bludgeoning and 80d12 acid damage per round. A draeden can hold an effectively limitless number of creatures up to Colossal size.

Hmm, it doesn't give any indication as to how long (in distance or rounds) is the trip to the "central gizzard".

Also, once a victim reached said central gizzard they presumably don't need to cut their way out in a single round.