Creature Catalogue Overhaul Project Revisited

[Cleon]

EDIT: Upon reflection, I'm tempted to add a "launch" between the rowboat and keelboat on the DC progression, although that's a non-SRD vessel. Maybe Capsizing Hoist DC 24, Ramming Breach DC 23? The previous SA uses the same Ramming DCs as the Chont for the sake of consistency, but I'm tempted to tweak the Rowboat down and put the Launch in a gap between it and the Keelboat (i.e. "The break DC varies with the type of vessel rammed, as follows: rowboat DC 18, launch DC 21, keelboat DC 23,…" instead of "rowboat DC 20, launch or keelboat DC 23,…"

I decided to include the launch but tweaked the Capsize DC up by 2 points to 26 since whaleboats are known for their seaworthiness - if they could capsize easily they wouldn't have hunted sperm whales in them!

 

[Cleon]

Yes, I like this! Am I right in assuming that the ** on the Yacht is just supposed to be a single *? I also wouldn't mind putting a sentence in the footnote that a DM can substitute other ship rules if desired. So shall we say that the whirlpool is done?

It seems simpler to just change the first line to "Campaigns that use the Stormwrack book or another nautical system may use that source's vehicle sizes and ship-sinking rules instead."

Updating the Whirlpool Working Draft.

Forgot to update the Afanc Working Draft with the completed Whirlpool SA.

 

[freyar]

The first two paragraphs are good, but the bit about falling around on the boat is a bit surplus to requirements, isn't it? I mean, it is cool, but I don't see it in the original afanc (unless I just missed it). Wouldn't that be under some kind of basic seafaring rules in rough conditions?

 

[Cleon]

The first two paragraphs are good, but the bit about falling around on the boat is a bit surplus to requirements, isn't it? I mean, it is cool, but I don't see it in the original afanc (unless I just missed it). Wouldn't that be under some kind of basic seafaring rules in rough conditions?

The bit about "falling around on the boat" was based on the CC's ramming attack, not the Afanc's ADD&D incarnations:

Ramming (Ex): As a standard action, a chont can swim at up to quadruple speed (200 feet) and ram a waterborne target (such as a ship or another creature). To ram, the chont must end its movement in the target's space. This attack deals 2d8+5 points of damage. If the target is a creature, it can attempt either an attack of opportunity or a DC 18 Reflex save for half damage. The save DC is Strength-based.

Upon ramming a ship, the chont can make a Strength check to breach its hull, which causes the ship to sink in 1d10 minutes. The break DC varies with the type of vessel rammed, as follows: rowboat DC 20, keelboat DC 23, sailing ship or longship DC 25, warship DC 27, or galley DC 30. (See Equipment in the SRD for information about ships). Regardless of the check result, every creature aboard must attempt a DC 15 Reflex saving throw. Success means the creature takes 1d6 points of damage from being thrown about by the impact; failure means the creature is hurled overboard.

In my Cleon Special version of this ability I "complicated it up a bit" to include a wider range or results (damage, knocked prone, hurled overboard. or nothing for the skilled & lucky).

Should you insist, I'd tolerate using the chont's "everyone takes damage, plus gets dunked if they fail a save" approach or one somewhere in-between the two extremes but would rather not cut it out entirely.

 

[freyar]

Well, since it's that's important to you, let's leave it as is and put it in the working draft!

Think we're set for SAs and SQs? Ready for skills and feats?

 

[Cleon]

Well, since it's that's important to you, let's leave it as is and put it in the working draft!

Done! I'll update the Afanc Working Draft before you change your mind…

Think we're set for SAs and SQs?

We need a damage for the Capsizing Ram attack. The chont does 2d8+5 and is a Large Magical Beast with Strength 21, suggesting 4d8+12 for the Gargantuan Strength 35 Afanc.

Initially I was uncertain about giving the Ram attack a damage that's 2d8 more than its Bite, but upon reflection it's likely going to get Power Attack which can give it up to +15 damage on melee attacks which makes it seem a trivial worry.

Speaking of which:

Ready for skills and feats?

The working draft assumes its skill points are split between Listen and Spot and augmented with the Alertness feat like the SRD Whale.

It has 18 SPs, so that's 9 ranks apiece plus the standard Swim ability for:

Skills: Listen +12, Spot +12, Swim +16

Skills: An afanc has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

For feats, how about Alertness, Diehard, Endurance from the Cachalot Whale plus three combat-oriented feats?

I think Multiattack and Power Attack are a good start, which leaves one more - Awesome Blow is tempting but requires Improved Bull Rush as a prerequisite. We could drop the Diehard or Endurance for that but I think I'd rather upgrade the Multiattack to Improved Multiattack to remove the flippin' secondary natural attack penalty, resulting in:

Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Diehard, Improved Multiattack, Multiattack, Power Attack

 

[Cleon]

We need a damage for the Capsizing Ram attack. The chont does 2d8+5 and is a Large Magical Beast with Strength 21, suggesting 4d8+12 for the Gargantuan Strength 35 Afanc.

Initially I was uncertain about giving the Ram attack a damage that's 2d8 more than its Bite, but upon reflection it's likely going to get Power Attack which can give it up to +15 damage on melee attacks which makes it seem a trivial worry.

Oh, and its Swallow Whole needs a damage too.

The original monster killed swallowed victims in the same time as an AD&D Purple Worm, so we might as well use the same damage as the SRD Purple Worm, namely 2d8+12 points of crushing damage plus 8 points of acid damage per round.

 

[freyar]

4d8+12 Capsizing Ram, 2d8+12 crushing and 8 acid Swallow Whole sound good. I'm also happy with your skill and feat suggestions.

Tactics: whirlpool ships over 30 ft, ram smaller ships?

 

[Cleon]

4d8+12 Capsizing Ram, 2d8+12 crushing and 8 acid Swallow Whole sound good. I'm also happy with your skill and feat suggestions.

Updating the Afanc Working Draft.

4d8+12 Capsizing Ram, 2d8+12 crushing and 8 acid Swallow Whole sound good. I'm also happy with your skill and feat suggestions.

Tactics: whirlpool ships over 30 ft, ram smaller ships?

Let's see, what did the CC's 3.0 version have again?

The afanc likes to attack small ships with its whirlpool attack, or charge at small boats and rafts to capsize them. It will usually avoid ships more than 60 feet in length, but it may ram then to see what happens. If it can swallow prey in the water it will, otherwise it attacks with bite or flippers. Using its "disguise" as a whale, the afanc often waits for prey to come looking for it, rather than hunting.

Hmm…

The afanc often waits for prey to come looking for it, rather than hunting, by using its "disguise" as a whale. It likes to attack medium-sized ships (around 30 to 60 feet) with its whirlpool attack, or charge small ships, boats and rafts to capsize them. An afanc will usually avoid vessels more than 60 feet in length, but it may ram then to see what happens.

If it can attack opponents in the water it will in preference to attacking a vessel. An afanc prefers to bite and swallow prey but will use its flippers if hard pressed.

Afanc are somewhat intelligent so may develop their own tactics and tricks, such as singing to lure ships onto reefs or calling for help to tempt beachgoers to swim out to them.​

Come to think of it, shouldn't we give it something to represent that disguise as a whale trick?

Maybe add "An afanc has a +8 racial bonus on Disguise checks to impersonate a whale (this includes the -2 "disguised as different race" penalty)" to the Skills section?

That'd give it Disguise +0* (+8 as whale).

 

[Cleon]

Okay, for the rest of the text. The 3.0 version has:

The afanc is a gigantic, carnivorous fish that creates a whirlpool to sink ships. This predator swims leisurely in shallow saltwater oceans, and its grey or blue gray body leads it to be often mistaken for a whale at a distance. This great fish does have a whale-like body, though it has fish head, scales, and a vertical tail. They are capable of breathing both air and water, but have no capacity to move on land.

Afanc are minimally intelligent, and have learned how to trick sailors to their doom. Some stories suggest that some afanc have learned to speak or even sing, in voluminous yet dry voices.

This great fish has a whale-like body covered in thick scales. It has a massive blocky fish's head, a vertical tail, and two long forefins which resemble a humpback whale's flippers.

The afanc is a gigantic, carnivorous fish that creates a whirlpool to sink ships. This predator swims leisurely in shallow saltwater oceans, and its grey or blue gray body leads it to be often mistaken for a whale at a distance. They are capable of breathing both air and water, but have no capacity to move on land.

While adult afanc dwell in the sea their young live in rivers. Afanc can tolerate brackish waters and swim up large rivers to lay their eggs, which are a prized delicacy in some nations (a complete clutch is typically worth ## to ##% of a single CR ## creature's treasure per encounter value, or ## to ## gp).

Afanc are marginally intelligent, and have learned how to trick sailors to their doom. Some stories suggest some afanc have learned to speak or even sing in humanoid languages. Their voices are voluminous yet dry, like a storm giant with a mouth full of gravel.

An afanc is about fifty feet long from nose to tail and typically weighs around 25 to 30 tons. Afanc are capable of speech but normally only know their own language, which sounds much like whalesong. Exceptional individuals with bonus languages from high Intelligence or the Speak Language skill usually learn Aquatic and/or Common.