Homebrew Making a time gargoyle (weeping angel)

[xiphumor]

I think I’m going to echo the sentiment that Time Gargoyles are probably actually best as an exploration challenge. What makes the weeping angels scary (just rewatched The Time of the Angels last night, coincidentally) is that you have exactly one defense against them which is very precarious, and if it fails, you lose instantly.

They also need to be impossibly fast, because if you can run away from them, they’re no longer scary. Maybe a mechanic where they can borrow speed against their future movement like quantum particles? Or at least Sprint around corners.

 

[Corinnguard]

And what about the Weeping Angels ability to permanently teleport you back into the past? There's Banishment, but it doesn't last long.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Nothing to contribute at the moment, but I love this goal and the D&D-ification of the angels to gargoyles.

 

[Morrus]

And what about the Weeping Angels ability to permanently teleport you back into the past? There's Banishment, but it doesn't last long.

Yeah, that's another part of the stat block. I'm mainly trying to get this bit right at the moment.

 

[nevin]

I think I’m going to echo the sentiment that Time Gargoyles are probably actually best as an exploration challenge. What makes the weeping angels scary (just rewatched The Time of the Angels last night, coincidentally) is that you have exactly one defense against them which is very precarious, and if it fails, you lose instantly.

They also need to be impossibly fast, because if you can run away from them, they’re no longer scary. Maybe a mechanic where they can borrow speed against their future movement like quantum particles? Or at least Sprint around corners.

that's easy dimension door to within 5 foot of prey. make dimension door an at will ability.

 

[Pedantic]

Quantum State. A time gargoyle cannot move or take actions while it is being observed. A creature may attempt to keep a time gargoyle under observation, which requires the creature to maintain concentration as though casting a spell. A creature can only concentrate on observing one time gargoyle at a time.

If the time gargoyle is not under observation it may act normally. If it is under observation, and a creature observing it fails to maintain concentration, it uses its lunge reaction to close and attack its target.

Timelocked. While frozen due to being observed, a time gargoyle is immune to any attack or effect not of the time school of magic. A creature may avert its gaze, attacking at disadvantage, as long as no other creature is also observing the time gargoyle. While the observer's gaze is averted, the time gargoyle may act normally and is affected by attacks and other effects as normal.

I think concentration is a good model, but I'd add some more caveats, specifically requiring line of sight, and something that natively triggers saves to model the difficulty of not blinking. Maybe "A creature concentrating on observing a time gargoyle must make a Constitution save DC X at the start of its turn or lose concentration as it blinks or glances away. A create may not begin observing a time gargoyle again in the same turn if it fails this save."

And then to highlight their scary appearing closer and closer thing, I'd give them some kind of reaction power to move and/or attack in response to someone losing concentration.

 

[Morrus]

And then to highlight their scary appearing closer and closer thing, I'd give them some kind of reaction power to move and/or attack in response to someone losing concentration.

Oh, it has one! It's mentioned in the Quantum State feature.

 

[Morrus]

Minor update. Still not there, but it's getting closer.

Quantum State. A time gargoyle cannot move or take actions while it is being observed. A creature may begin keeping a time gargoyle under observation as a bonus action; keeping the time gargoyle under observation requires the creature to maintain concentration as though casting a spell. A creature can only concentrate on observing one time gargoyle at a time, and suffers disadvantage on all attacks or ability checks which do not relate directly to the time gargoyle it is concentrating on.

If the time gargoyle is not under observation it may act normally. If it is under observation, and a creature observing it fails to maintain concentration, it uses its lunge reaction to close and attack its target.

Timelocked. While frozen due to being observed, a time gargoyle is immune to any attack or effect not of the time school of magic. A creature may avert its gaze, attacking at disadvantage, as long as no other creature is also observing the time gargoyle. While the observer's gaze is averted, the time gargoyle is no longer considered to be under observation, may act normally, and is affected by attacks and other effects as normal.

"Under observation" kinda needs to be a condition, but creating a condition for one creature is overkill.

 

[Micah Sweet]

as with everything in modern Dr who continuity means nothing thus everything you've ever learned will be contradicted at some point because it's easier than having a living breathing universe with rules.

Define "modern Doctor Who"? 9th Doctor forward, or after that in your definition?