Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Guilberwood" data-source="post: 6067862" data-attributes="member: 15692">Hi guys,I'll soon be running a E6 low magic, low fantasy game in a homebrew fictional setting heavily inspired by real life earth from the 10th century. The idea behind this setting is to recreate a world much like ours, but in which classical middle-age legends like dragons and faeries were actually true. This specific campaign is set on region called Falheim, which is based upon real life Scandinavia, so the game will have a Viking theme, something like the 13th warrior movie with a little bit of fantasy added to it.I believe that in this sort of game it is possible for characters to have encounters with magical or otherworldly creatures, but such encounters should be rare and always memorable. One such encounter I have planned for this campaign is the hunting of a basilisk that lives in a burial mound where a ancient king was buried. The characters will (hopefully) want/need to visit this tomb and therefore meet the basilisk that now inhabits the place. In order to avoid making this encounter a simple hack and slash combat, I decided to delve a little into the ecology of the basilisk and make this encounter with a fantastical creature as interesting as possible.I did a little research about the basilisk and its history (nothing fancy, just internet and encyclopedias mostly) to improve my knowledge about this creature and created a place for it in my world. I made a list of information that could be gathered about the basilisk via different knowledge checks (some true, some false), based on real life assumptions about it and added a few of my own.In terms of game stats, I basically used those found in the Pathfinder SRD and made small changes based on other bits of information I found on my research. I added a poison to its bite since most medieval descriptions of the creature mention it and changed its selection of feats to better represent its fighting behavior.Anyway, this is what I came up with. I'd love to hear your thoughts about it and any feedback or criticism is appreciated.BASILISK    CR 5XP 1,600N Medium magical beastInit –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10DEFENSESAC 18, touch 9, flat-footed 17 (–1 Dex, +8 natural, +1 Dodge)hp 52 (7d10+14)Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +3OFFENSESpeed 20 ft.Melee bite +10 (1d8+4), plus poisonSpecial Attacks gaze, poisonSTATISTICSStr 16, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11Base Atk +7; CMB +10 (+12 trip); CMD 19 (33 vs. trip)Feats Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Improved Trip Skills Perception +10, Stealth +10; Racial Modifiers +4 StealthSPECIAL ABILITIESGaze (Ex)Turn to stone permanently (as flesh to stone), range 30 feet, Fortitude DC 15 negates. A creature petrified in this matter that is then coated (not just splashed) with fresh basilisk poison (taken from a basilisk no more than 1 hour dead) is instantly restored to flesh. A single basilisk contains enough poison to coat 1d3 Medium creatures in this manner. The save DC is Constitution-based.Poison (Ex)Bite - injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1 Dex; cure 2 savesEcologyVery little is known about the appearance of this foul creature, for few have survived an encounter with such a terrible beast. It is believed, however, that the basilisk is an eight-legged reptile, measuring up to 13 feet long and weighing 300 pounds. It has a very long tail and small crests of bony growths like crowns, which explain the origin of its name ("King of Serpents"). Folklore states that basilisks are hatched from eggs laid by snakes and incubated by a lizard.Basilisks can live in nearly any terrestrial environment, from forests to deserts, and the color of their hide and scales tend to match that of his surroundings. Desert dwelling basilisks might be tan or brown, while forest ones will probably have bright green colors. Since they are not homothermic creatures, basilisks usually live in caves, burrows or other sheltered areas, with easy access to water and small animals to prey upon. Such dens are littered with petrified forms of animals (even humans) in lifelike poses - the petrified remains of the basilisk's meals.It is believed that a basilisk can turn a living creature to stone with its gaze. It is also said that they are poisonous. Some legends refer to an "air of corruption" around the creature. Plinius the Elder wrote that the basilisk "leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal". The same author gives a detailed (but probably highly exaggerated) description of the creature:   "When it hisses, all the other serpents fly from it: and it does not advance its body, like the others, by a succession of folds, but moves along upright and erect upon the middle. It destroys all shrubs, not only by its contact, but those even that it has breathed upon; it burns up all the grass too, and breaks the stones, so tremendous is its noxious influence. It was formerly a general belief that if a man on horseback killed one of these animals with a spear, the poison would run up the weapon and kill, not only the rider, but the horse as well".A basilisk's diet consists of small mammals, birds and reptiles, but they can eat shrubs and other plants or even stone if needed. It has the ability to consume the creatures it petrifies, as their crunching stomach acid can dissolve and extract nutrients from stone, but the process is very slow and inefficient, making them lazy and sluggish. When hunting, basilisks strike from hiding spots, returning to a safe place after each attack. It usually counts on its poison or petrifying gaze to kill its victims, and rarely stalks victims who resist its gaze attack, save to protect its nest.The basilisk is also a common subject in the studies of alchemy. Some tomes include it in the family of the salamanders, which symbolize the destructive fire that preceded the transmutation of metals. Others associate the basilisk with the acquisition of wealth. Theophilus of Prestburg, for example, mentions a recipe for turning the basilisks ashes into copper.  The most feared enemy of the basilisk is the weasel. Apparently, weasels and ferrets are immune to its gaze, and they are known to sneak into basilisks lairs to eat their eggs or newly born. The rooster and its crow are also considered deadly do the basilisk. According to Plinius the Elder's tome "Naturalis historia",  "to this dreadful monster the crow of a rooster is fatal, a thing that has been tried with success, for kings have often desired to see its body when killed; so true is it that it has pleased Nature that there should be nothing without its antidote. The animal is thrown into the hole of the basilisk, which is easily known from the soil around it being infected. The weasel destroys the basilisk by its odor, but dies itself in this struggle of nature against its own self".Knowledge ArcanaDC 10 - Father Maltus' "Servants of the Adversary" states that: "a basilisk is a hideous creature that resembles a rooster, with bat-like wings and a lashing tail" (False: this is the description of the cockatrice).DC 15 - Doran the White's bestiary describes the basilisk as an "an eight-legged reptilian creature that can turn creatures to stone with its gaze".DC 20 - Many sources agree that the basilisk's bite is poisonous. Curiously, its poison, while still fresh, can turn recently petrified victims back to normal.DC 25 - Obscure alchemy tomes suggest that the poison of the basilisk can be conserved and stored by alchemical means and, although not as powerful in this state, it can be used in stone to flesh rituals.Knowledge DungeoneeringDC 10 - Basilisks are eight-legged lizards that live in underground tunnels.DC 15 - Basilisks can turn its prey to stone with a glance. Explorers report that a basilisk lair is often filled with small petrified animals.DC 20 - Basilisks are not very fast, but they can either walk above ground or burrow underground. Their lairs contain small caves and holes. (Partially false: basilisks have no burrow speed, though they do dig caves and holes in their lair).DC 25 - Alfonso Domingo's traveling diaries mention that basilisks employ hit and run tactics. They remain hidden in their holes and come out quickly to strike and then return to a safe hole. They count on their poisonous bite and petrifying gaze to kill their victims.Knowledge NatureDC 10 - A basilisk is an eight-legged reptilian creature that can turn creatures to stone with its gaze.DC 15 - Basilisks are poisonous. According to Denarian folklore, its poison is so nasty that even indirect contact is enough to kill a person, such as holding a sword that hurts a basilisk. (Partially false: only its bite is poisonous, indirect contact with its poison produces no effect).DC 20 - Plinius the Elder states in his "Naturalis historia" that "weasels are excellent basilisk hunters and the creature fears their odor". They are immune to the basilisk's petrifying gaze and often sneak into basilisks lairs to eat their eggs. (Partially false: weasels are not immune to the petrifying gaze, but they use their scent ability to hunt with their eyes closed. Having a weasel nearby grants a +2 bonus on perception and survival checks to spot or track basilisks).DC 25 - A basilisk usual prey includes small mammals, birds, reptiles and similar creatures which it waits to ambush, turn to stone, and then eats at its leisure. They are omnivorous and able to consume their petrified victims, a sign that often indicates a nearby lair.Knowledge HistoryDC 10 - It is said that the first basilisk hatched from eggs laid by snakes and incubated by a lizard. A basilisk can turn people to stone with its gaze.DC 15 -  Ronald Arkwood, King of the Helveti tribe, killed a basilisk with the crow of a rooster (false).DC 20 - The saga of Edmund Giantsbane tells that Edmund's father, Sigfried, blinded a basilisk with a spear before killing it.DC 25 - In the halls of the far north, bards sing the ballad of Lucien and Hermes, in which Lucien of Arcadia was kidnapped and put in a cell guarded by a basilisk. Her lover Hermes killed the beast with its own gaze, reflected in a silver mirror. (False: the guardian in the original story was actually a medusa. Basilisks are not affected by the reflection of their own gaze).HealDC 15 - Bearing the fangs of a poisonous snake on a necklace or armband makes a person immune to the basilisk's poison (false).DC 20 - Eating the raw heart of a rooster can protect a person from the petrifying gaze of a basilisk (+2 bonus on fortitude saves vs. paralysis for one hour).</blockquote>

Verification