garmorm

the Jester

Legend
Here's an ol' Planescape weirdo for y'all.. what do you think of the conversion? Oh yeah- it's slightly tweaked for my campaign; I use a magic-psionics "translucency" system so its PR and SR are different...


GARMORM
Size & Type: Large Outsider
Hit Dice: 5d8+25 (52 hp)
Initiative: -1 (dex)
Speed: Fly 150’ (poor); astral 140’
AC: 20 (-1 size, -1 dex, +12 natural)
Attacks: Primary mouth +11 melee, five secondary mouths +9 melee
Damage: Primary mouth 2d6+6, five secondary mouths 1d4+3
Face/Reach: 5’x10’/5'
Special Attacks: Improved grab, song of absorption, spells
Special Qualities: Immune to mind-influencing effects, PR26, SR16
Saves: Fort+9, Ref+3, Will+7
Abilities: Str22, Dex9, Con20, Int14, Wis17, Cha17
Skills: Concentration +13, Move Silently +7, Perform +11, Search +5, Spellcraft +9, Spot +11, Use Magic Device +11
Feats: Multiattack, weapon focus (bite)
Climate/Terrain: Any (astral plane)
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement Range: 6-8 HD (large); 9-15 HD (huge); 16-20 HD (gargantuan)

A garmorm is also known as a mindworm or faceworm. It looks like a huge fat worm with a toothy jaw and faces pressing out from within its skin. As it approaches its victims a garmorm sings its horrible song. A garmorm feeds on mental energy and completely absorbs its victims into itself, consuming them; the victims become more faces pressing out, but singing joyously the song of the garmorm.

A garmorm’s treasure is in its gut, and often it can use the magic items within it to its advantage. Occasionally a garmorm will vomit an item up and employ it with its mouth (such as a wand).
Combat: In combat a garmorm sings its deadly song. At certain points of the song it snaps its teeth, using all of its mouths at once on various targets around it. Worse still, if it grabs a target it can attempt to use its Song of Absorption power. A garmorm is also able to cast spells if it has absorbed spell casting creatures. It can use one mouth to cast a spell at the same time as all its other mouths attack but can only cast one spell per round.

Improved Grab (ex): To use this ability the garmorm must hit with its primary bite attack. If it gets a hold it can attempt to use its song of absorption ability the same round.

Song of Absorption (su): A grabbed victim must make a Will save, DC15, or have its mind absorbed, becoming one of the garmorm’s mental choir. The victim is swallowed whole and another mouth sprouts on the garmorm. If the victim could cast spells, the garmorm gains that character's spellcasting ability.

Spells: A garmorm usually has some spellcasting ability, depending on what it has consumed. It can cast spells just as spellcasting creatures it has absorbed could. Each day the garmorm's spellcasting abilities are refreshed just as if it had prepared or prayed for new spells. Exactly what spells it has should be determined by the dm; typically it will have the spellcasting ability of a caster of level 1d10+3.

[edited to fix some stuff]
 
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the Jester said:
GARMORM
Size & Type: Large Outsider

Should have the (Chaotic, Evil) descriptor


Hit Dice: 5d8+20 (42 hp)

Hit points should be 5d8+25 (Con bonus is +5). Avg hp should be 27 (4.5*5 +5)


Speed: Fly 150’; astral 140’

Flying speed needs a maneuverability class (I would recommend Poor). Also, Astral movement is not a type of speed so it shouldn't really be listed here. I would just list it as its normal move speed (which should be lower I think).


Attacks: Primary mouth +12 melee, five secondary mouths +10 melee

Attack bonus is a little off. Should be "primary mouth +11 melee, 5 secondary mouths +9 melee". Here is a breakdown for ya:
5 (BAB) + 6 (Str) - 1 (size) + 1 (Weapon Focus)


Face/Reach: 5’x10’/10’

Large (long) creatures have 5 ft by 10 ft/5 ft Face/Reach. This guy's reach should be "5 ft."


Skills: Concentration +13, Move Silently +7, Perform +11, Search +5, Spellcraft +9, Spot +11, Use Magic Device +11

Removing all skill modifiers for ability scores, this guy has 56 skill points (ranks). By his HD he should only have 50 total skill points (ranks). (outsiders get 8 + Int mod per HD).


Challenge Rating: 7 (base; increases with spellcasting ability- see text)

The monster needs a set CR. Since it can cast spells (if it absorbs a spellcasting creature) it should be factored in already because the chance that it can is there. Even if it doesn't get to use this ability. I would set its CR to 5. CR 7 is a little high for this guy, even though he can cast spells sometimes.


Advancement Range: 6-8 HD (large); 9-15 HD (huge); 16-20 HD (gargantuan)

Monsters can advance to a maxmimum of 3x their HD, so this guy's cut-off is 15 HD.


Spells: A garmorm usually has some spellcasting ability, depending on what it has consumed. This is best determined by the dm’s needs. A garmorm’s CR should be increased by 1 if it can cast spells of up to 2nd level; by 2 if it can cast spells of up to 5th level; and by 3 if it can cast spells of up to 9th level.

CR shouldn't flucuate based on this. While I can see the rationale for it, 3e doesn't handle things this way. I would rephrase this as such:

"Spells (Sp): The garmorm gains the spellcasting abilities of any creature whose mind it has absorbed and can cast spells as a caster equal to the casting level of the creature absorbed. The garmorm cannot regain spells and cannot cast spells the creature already cast before being absorbed. Spells cast are of the same type (divine or arcane) as the creature absorbed."
 

Re: Re: garmorm

Grazzt said:


Should have the (Chaotic, Evil) descriptor

Oops, you're right!

Hit points should be 5d8+25 (Con bonus is +5). Avg hp should be 27 (4.5*5 +5)

Bad math...

Flying speed needs a maneuverability class (I would recommend Poor). Also, Astral movement is not a type of speed so it shouldn't really be listed here. I would just list it as its normal move speed (which should be lower I think).

Yeah, I had the astral movement listed for ease of play (10xint bonus) in a game I ran last week, I just left it there because it's primarily encountered on the astral plane.

Attack bonus is a little off. Should be "primary mouth +11 melee, 5 secondary mouths +9 melee". Here is a breakdown for ya:
5 (BAB) + 6 (Str) - 1 (size) + 1 (Weapon Focus)

Bad math again... hehe...

Large (long) creatures have 5 ft by 10 ft/5 ft Face/Reach. This guy's reach should be "5 ft."

Removing all skill modifiers for ability scores, this guy has 56 skill points (ranks). By his HD he should only have 50 total skill points (ranks). (outsiders get 8 + Int mod per HD).

Good points again... this is why I posted... thanks!

The monster needs a set CR. Since it can cast spells (if it absorbs a spellcasting creature) it should be factored in already because the chance that it can is there. Even if it doesn't get to use this ability. I would set its CR to 5. CR 7 is a little high for this guy, even though he can cast spells sometimes.

I kinda felt that way too but was unsure as to how to handle that since it could conceivably come out tossing Energy Drain and Meteor Swarm! Plus the six attacks (all at a decent attack bonus) tends towards a lot of damage... add in its SR/PR and immunity to mind-influencing effects and I think it's a potential party-killer. Although I have to admit that it didn't kill anyone in the party I run (levels range from 5-10 and it was definitely a decent challenge for them).

Monsters can advance to a maxmimum of 3x their HD, so this guy's cut-off is 15 HD.

In my campaign I have a lot of exceptions to this general guideline, generally with ageless creatures that keep growing as they age, many elementals and outsiders, certain self-expanding constructs, etc. But you're right by the guidelines.

CR shouldn't flucuate based on this. While I can see the rationale for it, 3e doesn't handle things this way. I would rephrase this as such:

"Spells (Sp): The garmorm gains the spellcasting abilities of any creature whose mind it has absorbed and can cast spells as a caster equal to the casting level of the creature absorbed. The garmorm cannot regain spells and cannot cast spells the creature already cast before being absorbed. Spells cast are of the same type (divine or arcane) as the creature absorbed."
:rolleyes:

Thanks for the feedback, I will have to mull and then edit.
 


Er... as I was mulling and editing, I found that (unless I missed something here) the skill points minus ability mods come out to fifty, unless there's something you caught that I missed (some sort of modifier or something?)
 

I also got 50 skill points.

Concentration 13-5=8
Move Silently 7+1=8
Perform 11-3=8
Search 5-2=3
Spellcraft 9-2=7
Spot 11-3=8
Use Magic Device 11-3=8

Total = (8x5)+3+7 = 50
 
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