Creatures By Poll - Monster #2 Discussion

[Undead Pete]

Re: Prototype #1

Undead Pete suggests a decomposition power with the same range, but I can’t see how both could be constantly active at the same time, unless this one just affects animals.

Sounds like some of you may be misinterpreting the spell decomposition from Masters of the Wild.

It actually doesn't cause plant matter to decompose. Instead, it causes wounds taken within the area of the spell to fester and decompose for 1 hp per round per level of the spell.

So, let's say Joe PC comes across our Jolly Green Giant and takes a brussel sprout upside the head for 5 hp damage.

His forehead splits open, and blood trickles down, ruining his +3 ascot of utter coolness. Joe PC is mad, but he's about to feel a lot worse.

You see.... Joe PC was actually within the decomposition aura, which just happens to be cast at 12th level.

No, Joe, it's not just a bit muggy.

His wound begins to swell up, leaking neon green pus and this burnt Velveeta smell. For the next 12 rounds, he continues to lose 1 hp per round, until it ends, he succeeds at a Heal check (DC 15) or he receives divine healing.

Only one wound can fester at a time, but if he receives a new wound while in the aura, the process starts again....which is likely to happen if fighting this badboy.

So, it doesn't affect plants at all.

 

[Tonguez]

Re: Re: Prototype #1

Sounds like some of you may be misinterpreting the spell decomposition from Masters of the Wild.

It actually doesn't cause plant matter to decompose. Instead, it causes wounds taken within the area of the spell to fester and decompose for 1 hp per round per level of the spell.

So, let's say Joe PC comes across our Jolly Green Giant and takes a brussel sprout upside the head for 5 hp damage.

His forehead splits open, and blood trickles down, ruining his +3 ascot of utter coolness. Joe PC is mad, but he's about to feel a lot worse.

You see.... Joe PC was actually within the decomposition aura, which just happens to be cast at 12th level.

No, Joe, it's not just a bit muggy.

His wound begins to swell up, leaking neon green pus and this burnt Velveeta smell. For the next 12 rounds, he continues to lose 1 hp per round, until it ends, he succeeds at a Heal check (DC 15) or he receives divine healing.

Only one wound can fester at a time, but if he receives a new wound while in the aura, the process starts again....which is likely to happen if fighting this badboy.

So, it doesn't affect plants at all.

I love it!

 

[Storminator]

I'm getting concerned that with all the tacked on powers this guy is shooting towards a 20 CR.

I think we need to winnow down the list of powers so that a DM can actually use most of them during an encounter.

As a force of nature type critter it should have a few powers it doens't have to think about to use. The decomposition power fits in here. Plant growth as well, that's something that should just happen.

As I think about it, it might not even have an attack form of its own. If entangle is done by vines, poison attacks by squirting flowers, and spore breath by exploding toadstools, maybe the thing just sits back and uses spell-like powers.

I think it should have some elemental weaknesses, and I think cold fits in pretty well. Tho fire weakness makes a bit of sense too. I've never been a big fan of coupling natural armor AND DR; seems like double dipping to me, but I know it's done.

Finally, if we make it incorporeal and hidden inside a plant, PCs may never find it! Especially with all the nearby plants attacking from every direction.

From a DM perspective, I only get so many rounds in combats. Give me a few "always on" powers (the auras), a few "allies" (the plants that entangle, poison, spore attack), a few spells to work with, and an attack of last resort and I've got a great encounter. That's the spread of powers I'm looking at.

PS

 

[BOZ]

I'm getting concerned that with all the tacked on powers this guy is shooting towards a 20 CR.

this is of course, always a concern. i think we can afford to have this thing be a real powerhouse, but of course we can't have everything that everyone is suggesting. in the end, we will do our best to winnow out everything that doesn't add up or make sense with the nature of the beast.

i'll take a look at all this later, it's too much to read at the moment. but keep posting people!

 

[Knight Otu]

AC: 15 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +15 natural)

Shoudn't that be 25?

Attacks: +9 BAB

Are size and strength already figured in here?

Personally, I’m partial towards making it a parasitic creature, with the ability to go incorporeal for perhaps a few hours per day. In its true form, it would be a Large-size (though if condensed, its form might be Small) tangle of thorny vines or creepers or something.

That could work.

Anyone for Spell Resistance? Undead Pete suggests Elemental Resistance of 20 (Fire, Cold, Electricity...?) How does that sound? I also like the Jester’s idea of giving it Plant qualities (I actually thought of doing that myself), so that’s in there (immune to mind-influencing, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, polymorphing, critical hits). I can’t see giving it more immunities than that. Maybe immune to disease, but only if it has disease powers.

Yes to spell resistance and Plant abilities.
A single elemental resistance, not more.

I gave it +15 for natural armor. Higher/lower/just right? Undead Pete says Damage Reduction 10/+2, what say you all? (sounds good to me.) Knight Otu likes Fast Healing, sound good?

I'd rather have Fast Healing than Damage Reduction, but that's just me. Regeneration instead of Fast Healing would of course be good.
Natural armor looks good.

MissHappen says we should add burrowing and climbing speeds, maybe 30 and 20 respectively?

I say so, too. (That was something I missed when retyping my original response)

What range should this aura have?

100 feet, perhaps?

I think it should also have a special version of entangle, as suggested by a few people. Also, the briar web definitely has its possibilities.

Sounds good.

Does it need Druid spellcaster levels? If so, how high?

12 sounds like a good number. (Of course, that means we are shooting for a CR 13+ monster here)

Con damage or Int damage?

How about both? Primary Con, secondary Int?

Maybe the poison should work in conjunction with the plant growth, making all affected plants poisonous?

I vote for this!

OK, keep them or drop them:
Breath weapon – drop
Summoning – drop
Fear? - keep for now
Anyone like the "thornball as death throes" idea? - sounds better
Disease? - keep
Corruption? - drop

 

[BOZ]

Shoudn't that be 25?

d'oh!

Are size and strength already figured in here?

if i actually did that correctly, yes.

 

[Ferret]

The creatures skin though tough is constantly regrowing closing over old wounds unless they did significant damage, this allows the skin to fal of and turn to dust like spores, these sprores have two effects: 1)On plant creatures it animates and evilises them, 2)on animal thingies it causes 2d6 con damage(want this too be diseasey not poisony) and any creature that dies by these means turns in to a mold, that is randomly rolled.

 

[MissHappen]

Our Demonic Gardener

I turn my head for a second and you guys plant entirely too many posts.
Pun, yes, sorry.

Simplified version!
-Spell Resistance? Yes, and one elemental immunity... actually, I prefer fire as the immunity in this case. Everyone expects fire to be the plant-bane. Let's make this one the exception. I like the cold making it dormant idea, maybe treating it as subdual damage. If people insist on fire, make electricity the immunity.

-Spores? Ferret beat me to the idea that the spore/breath weapon thing only comes up if the critter is actually wounded. I like that idea. You could easily link the Decomposition effect with this.

-Spells/Druidic power? I like the spell list we've got so far. Yes, all of them. But I think if that would be our spell list proper, then giving it Druid spells too is a little much. After all, this thing has a ton of other abilities.

-Incorporeal? I like the idea of the larvatus, the pseudo-phylactery for an incorporeal body. It's a nice variation on standard themes, very wicked.

-Death blast? I also like this idea, and it works well if you use the spore-cloud 'bleeding' idea. This would need some careful examination, though.

-Fast-healing/Regeneration? Regeneration all the way.

-I also approve of Boz's natural armor scenario, and I vote for keeping any disease-related powers, as well as the poisoned plant barbs/thorns/what have you.

I do think that Storminator is right; the thing should have a lot of 'passive' powers, things it doesn't have to think about. We might consider coming up with a sort of 'Noxious Growth' chart to determine random plant effects that spring up around it (d10 range, I figure). THe aura of growth should have a range of at least 100'.

Still thinking...
-MsM

 

[Storminator]

Re: Our Demonic Gardener

<SNIP>

I do think that Storminator is right; the thing should have a lot of 'passive' powers, things it doesn't have to think about. We might consider coming up with a sort of 'Noxious Growth' chart to determine random plant effects that spring up around it (d10 range, I figure). THe aura of growth should have a range of at least 100'.

Still thinking...
-MsM

Hey! How's this, random plant growth like MissHappen suggested: roll each turn, and if the same thing comes up again, it gets a more powerful version of the power.

Example to explain clearly. You roll, and get "vines." The vines now start Entangling. Next turn you roll vines again, so now those vines do Briar Web. Third vines roll gives Wall of Thorns.

Maybe use a d4:
1=vines
2=poison flowers
3=deadly toadstools
4=woody plants (we've had ideas for the others, need some here)

I'm keeping the die type small so we get lots of repeats. If we don't end up using the repeated plants idea we could extend the table.

Now that I think about it, this could work in everyone's poison ideas, each one at a different level of flowers, and all the diseases could be different levels of toadstools.

Hmmmm, I'm thinking this is cool!

PS

 

[MissHappen]

Green Thumb From Hell

Hey, I like that idea. It would let us give it a very nice range of powers, but the randomness of it would offset the potency somewhat. Plus, it gives flavor to the critter.

Nice shot, 'Storm.

-MsM