Monsters of Chult (now with the great taste of linnorm!)

[demiurge1138]

Ok, here we go. And remember to feel free to comment at any moment.
This first creature has already appeared on the "I was a teenage monster maker" thread, but it fits the theme.

Death Newt
Huge Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 10d10+40 (95 hp)
Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex)
Speed: 30 ft, swim 60 ft
AC: 12 (-2 size, +4 natural)
Attacks: Tongue slam +16 melee, bite +11 melee or rib spine +16 melee
Damage: Tongue slam 2d8+8, bite 2d6+4 or rib spine 3d6+poison
Face/Reach: 10ft by 20ft/5ft (up to 50ft with tongue)
Special Attacks: Improved grab, swallow whole, rib burst, poison
Special Qualities: Fast healing 3, fire resistance 20
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +4
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +8, Hide +11*, Listen +6, Move Silently +3*, Spot +5
Feats: Power Attack
Climate/Terrain: Warm forests and swamps
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 11-15 HD (Huge), 16-20 HD (Gargantuan)
Death newts are giant salamander like creatures that snare prey with their huge tongues.

Death newts appear to be giant newts. They have lumpy black skin, with a red underbelly. Their ribs are visible through the skin. They are about 30 feet long, including the tail and have a 50-foot long tongue. Even sages who have dissected these creatures are sure where the tongue fits inside the newt’s body. They live in jungles and swamps, fulfilling the same roles in the ecosystem that crocodiles and chuuls do; that of top semi-aquatic predator. They prefer to ambush their prey, swimming towards their targets until they are within range of its tongue. It then snares its target with its tongue, swallows it whole, and then swims back to its lair to digest its meal.

Combat
Death newts try to snare victims with their tongues in order to swallow them whole. If surrounded, they expand their ribcage to impale the creatures flanking them.

Improved Grab (Ex): In order to use this ability, the death newt must hit a Medium-size or smaller foe with its tongue slam attack. If it gets a hold, it retracts it’s tongue (a move-equivalent action) and tries to swallow the foe.

Swallow Whole (Ex): A death newt can try to swallow a Medium-size or smaller opponent whole by making a successful grapple check. The swallowed creature takes 2d8+8 points of damage of crushing damage per round plus 8 points of acid damage from the death newt’s stomach. A swallowed creature can cut it’s way out by dealing 10 points of damage to the newt’s stomach with its claws or with a Tiny or Small slashing weapon (AC 18). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole, and another swallowed opponent must again cut his way out.
The death newt’s stomach can hold 2 Medium-sized, 4 Small, 8 Tiny, or 16 Diminutive or smaller opponents.

Rib Burst (Ex): If surrounded by foes and under extreme duress, a death newt can force its ribs to puncture through its body wall and at its attackers. The newt takes 3d6 points of damage, but so do all foes that are flanking the death newt. As the ribs go through the newt’s skin, they pick up the poison on its skin and inject it into the opponent. A death newt can only do this once per day.

Poison (Ex): Rib burst, Fortitude save (DC 20) initial damage 1d6 temporary Dexterity, secondary damage 1d6 temporary Strength. A creature that bites a death newt also receives the same poison.

Skills: When in their native forests and swamps, death newts gain a +5 bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks.

In The Realms
Death newts are native to the jungles of Chult, where they prey on humans and lizard-folk. The yuan-ti who live in these jungles are reported to use death newts as watchbeasts.

 

[demiurge1138]

Now, monster #2. Another dinosaur, because you can never have enough.

Therizinosaurus
Huge Beast
Hit Dice: 16d10+128 (216 hp)
Initiative: +1 (Dex)
Speed: 30 ft
AC: 18 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +9 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws +18 melee, bite +13 melee
Damage: Claw 2d8+8 (19-20, x4), bite 1d4+4
Face/Reach: 10ft by 10ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Augmented criticals, rend 4d8+12
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +11, Will +6
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 12, Con 26, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +10, Spot +10
Climate/Terrain: Warm forest, hills, plains or marsh
Organization: Solitary, pair, flock (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 17-32 HD (Huge), 33-48 HD (Gargantuan)

The therizinosaurus is a bizarre omnivorous dinosaur that, while relatively docile, is dangerous when provoked.

Therizinosaurus stands about 20 feet tall and about 30 feet long. Unlike most dinosaurs, it has a semi-erect posture instead of holding itself parallel to the ground. Its arms are long and apelike, ending in three razor-sharp claws. It has a long neck and a disproportionately small head, with both teeth and a beak. A downy coat covers its entire body.

Therizinosaurus eats mostly fruit, leaves and insects (tearing open termite mounds with its massive claws), but is not averse to scavenging. It will also eat the meat of anything it slays in defense.

Combat
Therizinosaurus, when riled, attacks with its massive claws, tearing at its opponents flesh until it dies. The kills of a therizinosaurus tend to be messy, a fact which makes them avoided by all intelligent inhabitants of their territory.

Augmented Critical (Ex): The claws of a therizinosaurus are very thin and razor sharp. It threatens a critical hit with its claws on a natural attack roll of 19-20. On a successful critical hit, the claw attacks deal quadruple damage.

Rend (Ex): If a therizinosaurus hits with both claw attacks, it latches on and tears its opponent’s flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 4d8+12 points of damage.

In the Realms
Therizinosaurus is common in the jungles of Chult, where it is more likely to actively hunt than in most other places. Its claws are prized by the humans and lizardfolk of the jungles for the making of scythes. A scythe made from the claws of a therizinosaurus is automatically, non-magically, treated as keen.

 

[demiurge1138]

Alright, number 3, and the grand winner of the poll, the jungle goblins!

Batiri
Small Humanoid (goblinoid)
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30ft
AC: 13 (+1 size, +2 leather)
Attacks: Light mace +2 melee or longbow +2 ranged
Damage: Light mace 1d6 or longbow 1d8
Face/Reach: 5ft by5ft/5ft
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60ft, improved tracking
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +1
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +6*, Listen +2, Move Silently +3*, Spot +3
Feats: Track
Climate/Terrain: Warm forests
Organization: Gang (4-9), tribe (10-100 plus 100% noncombatants, 50% slaves [1st level other humanoids], 1 3rd level captain per 20 adults, 1 chief of 4th-6th level, 1-8 silent runners, 2-4 dinonychus) or hunting party (8-24, plus 1-4 silent runners)
CR: ½
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
ECL: +0
Batiri are a race of goblinoids that live in jungles, hunting and tracking humanoids for food, trophies and slaves.

A batiri resembles a regular goblin in most respects; they are short, flat-faced and beady-eyed. However, the batiri have mottled green skin instead of the usual yellow to red colors of average goblins, and their muscles are wiry and more developed. They wear little but loincloths when engaged in their average business, but wear thick leather armor when hunting or waging war.

Batiri speak a heavily accented dialect of Goblin; a speaker of Goblin only has a 75% chance of understanding the Batiri dialect.
These statistics reflect a batiri warrior of 1st level.

Combat
The batiri are better at combat than their weaker cousins, and are capable of concocting elaborate strategies. When hunting, they tend to set up ambushes and create traps such as deadfalls and snares. They often hunt merely to subdue, as they like to take slaves. Although they will flee a hunt if it goes poorly for them, they defend their homes to the death.

Improved Tracking (Ex): The batiri are skilled at following potential prey and identifying game trails. They make Spot checks instead of Wilderness Lore checks when tracing a creature’s passage.

Skills: Batiri gain a +4 bonus to all Hide and Move Silently checks made in heavy forests and jungles.

Society
Batiri live in nomadic tribes deep within the jungles. An average tribe will make camp in an area for several months, hunting and collecting slaves, then leaving when the best game has been depleted. As nomads, they have little need for material possessions, but do take pride in collecting trophies of their greatest hunts. Their leaders tend to be the most cunning and strongest of them, and the chief’s tents are often decorated with the bones and heads of their greatest conquests.

In the Realms
Batiri are native to the jungles of Chult, and hunt the dinosaurs and lizardfolk who live in it. A particularly intelligent tribe of batiri, dubbed the Redfangs due to their tendency of domesticating snakes, has learned that they are not the only society that prizes slaves. As such, they have taken to under-the-table dealings with merchants from Calimshan, trading slaves for metal weaponry and even minor magic items.

 

[Krishnath]

Very nice, I like. I might even use the batiri in my campaign...

 

[demiurge1138]

Very nice, I like. I might even use the batiri in my campaign...

Would this be the Aztec campaign you keep asking for monsters for?
Also, is the exceptional tracking too powerful for an ECL +0 species?

 

[demiurge1138]

Alright, #4. It's the silent runner mentioned in the batiri entry.

Silent Runner
Medium-sized Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+12 (34 hp)
Initiative: +6 (+2 Dex, +4 feat)
Speed: 60ft, climb 40ft
AC: 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural)
Attacks: Bite +7 melee
Damage: Bite 1d8+4 plus poison
Face/Reach: 5ft by5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Pass without trace, quiescence, scent, SR 16, woodland stride
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 9, Wis 18, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +11, Hide +7*, Listen +8, Move Silently +26, Spot +9, Wilderness Lore +6
Feats: Improved Initiative
Climate/Terrain: Warm forests and marsh
Organization: Solitary, pair or pack (2-8)
CR: 5
Treasure: Half standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Medium-size), 7-9 HD (Large)

The silent runners are canny jungle predators, using superior stealth and a feral intelligence to track and kill their prey.

A silent runner superficially resembles a snake. Its head is like that of an adder, broad and triangular. Unlike a snake, however, the silent runner has ten pairs of small legs along its body, with which it uses to slither through the dense foliage where it lives with an alarming speed. Armored scutes, like those of a crocodile, line its back. Unusually, the silent hunter makes no sound as it moves, nor does it leave any sign of its passing.

Silent runners are more intelligent than their bestial appearance betrays, and they sometimes form hunting packs to take down larger prey than they are normally capable of killing. They also have been known to serve the batiri as hunting animals and mounts, much as worgs serve goblins in more temperate climates.

Combat
Silent hunters always attack from hiding, waiting in ambush along game trails. They are unusually sadistic, and have been known to bite an opponent, then retreat, then strike again, keeping up the game until the prey collapses from exhaustion or the runner’s poison.

Pass Without Trace (Su): Silent runners leave no mark of their passing. They cannot be tracked by any non-magical means, as per the spell.

Poison (Ex): Bite, DC 16 (Fort negates). Primary damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage paralysis for 1d4 minutes.

Quiescence (Su): A silent runner makes no noise, as if affected continuously with a silence spell. This grants them a +20 bonus to all Move Silently checks (a silent runner can still make noise indirectly, such as by purposely causing a branch to snap).

Woodland Stride (Ex): Silent runners are remarkably adept at weaving through braches and vines, even at the speeds they normally travel. A silent runner may travel at its normal speed through briars, thorns, and thick undergrowth, and does not sustain damage when traveling through such natural obstacles. They are also immune to entangle and wall of thorns spells.

Skills: A silent runner gains a +8 racial bonus to all Hide checks made in heavy forests, swamps and jungles.

In the Realms
The batiri of Chult are quiet fond of silent runners, and often breed them for mounts and hunting beasts. However, the city of Mezro, tired of losing citizens due to silent runner attacks, has posted a 50gp bounty on the heads of silent runners. Some especially canny batiri have taken advantage of this by killing their elderly and weak runners and collecting the bounty through middlemen.

 

[demiurge1138]

One more today. It's been a productive President's day. This is Fan select #2, the slug. Or, at least, that's how it started. I got the Tome Of Horrors yesterday, and it has the giant slug in it. Not wanting to re-iterate Scott Greene's work, I took the concept to a bit of an extreme. Thanks go out to Dungannon for giving me the idea of this critter's name.

Crothina (inspired by Crothian, the epic Oozemaster)
Large Ooze
Hit Dice: 9d10+69 (118 hp)
Initiative: +4 (Dex)
Speed: 30ft
AC: 13 (+4 Dex, -1 size)
Attacks: 2 slams +11 melee
Damage: Slam 2d6+6 plus 2d6 desiccation
Face/Reach: 5ft by5ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Improved grab, osmose
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60ft, bludgeoning immunity, ooze traits, salt vulnerability, thirsty body
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 18, Con 22, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
Climate/Terrain: Warm forest
Organization: Solitary
CR: 9
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 10-18 HD (Large), 19-27 HD (Huge)

Easily mistaken for an overgrown slug, the crothina is in fact an ooze that drains water from its prey.

The crothina resembles a slug about the size of a horse. It holds up the front end of its body, from which two “eyestalks” extend. These eyestalks are in fact hunting psuedopods, which lash out at passing prey. A trail of translucent slime follows the crothina as it travels along the leafy ground where it lives, adding to the realism of the mimicry, but this is in fact the dead cells of the plants, drained of all of their moisture.

Crothinas feed on moisture, and so absorb it from any living thing that touches them. Every living thing in the jungles thus fears them. Their only known weakness is salt, which causes their waterlogged cells to shrivel and plasmolyse.

Combat
The crothina has little to fear from most creatures of the jungle. As such, it slithers into combat and does not leave until it or its prey is dead. When fighting groups, it grabs and drains one individual while ignoring others. Creatures slain by a crothina are withered mummies, their flesh reduced to a leathery parchment.

Improved Grab (Ex): When a crothina hits a Medium-sized or smaller creature with a slam attack, it can make a grapple check as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +16). If it succeeds, it can conduct the grapple normally, or it can grapple with only the tentacle (-20 penalty to the check, but it is not considered grappled). In either case, each successive grapple check deals slam damage, and the crothina begins to osmose its prey.

Ooze Traits: Immune to mind-influencing effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits. Cannot be flanked.

Osmose (Ex): Each round that a crothina grapples a foe, that opponent takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage as the crothina drains it of its precious bodily fluids.

Salt Vulnerability (Ex): The water-draining nature of a crothina can be used against it. It takes 2d8 points of damage for every pound of salt it contacts.

Thirsty Body (Ex): The desiccating nature of the crothina is not limited to its hunting tentacles. Any creature that hits a crothina with a natural attack takes 2d6 points of desiccation damage.

In the Realms
Crothina are the terrors of the jungles of Tashalar, where they are viewed as a menace by yuan-ti, batiri, lizardfolk and humans alike. They were created accidentally several hundred years ago by a mad wizard renowned for his use of water-oriented spells. Rumor has it that this mage was the great Abi-Dhalzim, the first mage to ever write the spells horrid wilting and control water in their present, arcane forms.

 

[Ashwyn]

I really like the Batiri. Very nicely done.

 

[demiurge1138]

I really like the Batiri. Very nicely done.

Why thank you. I try.
Anybody have any suggestions for what I can create after I run my latest batch dry?

Demiurge out.

 

[Krishnath]

How about a feathered dragon

As for the Batiri, no that's not really to powerfull for and ECL +0.

Of the new creatures I like the ooze-slug the most. But they are all good.