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[BOZ]

next!

#68
Small Aberration
HitDice: 2d8+2(11hp)
Initiative: +2 (Dex)
Speed: 5ft.,fly 60ft. (average)
AC: 17 (+1 size,+2 Dex,+4 natural)
Attacks: 2 claw +3 melee; or bite +3 melee
Damage: Clawld4+l,biteld6
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, explode
Special Qualities: Flight, damage reduction 20/slashing or piercing, all-around vision
Saves: Fort + l,Ref+2,Will+2
Abilities: Strl2,Dex 14,Conl2,Int8,Wis9, Cha8
Skills: Hide + 12,Listen+7,Spot+7
Feat: Flyby Attack
Climate/Terrain: Any warm land
Organization: Solitary or swarm (2-10)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3-4HD (Small), 5-6HD (Medium-size)
The SPHERE is a bizarre creature that may be distantly related to beholders, but its general lack of magical abilities lends little weight to this rumor. A SPHERE is approximately 3 feet in diameter. Its reddish skin is a thin but tough and rubbery membrane. The spherical ( body of a SPHERE is highly elastic and filled to near bursting with a lighter-than air flammable gas that smells of rotten eggs (sulfur). Atop its round body are 6 eyes on retractable stalks. Dangling beneath the body are two strong stubby legs with sharp claws. A SPHERE eats, breathes, and excretes through an aperture best described as a mouth. This mouth is lined with a ring of sharp teeth that face inward to help it force food into its gullet.
COMBAT
SPHEREs primarily attack with their claws, only resorting to biting after they have latched onto their prey. A SPHERE will attack and try to eat whatever it thinks is edible - generally including anything that moves that is smaller than the SPHERE. Its strange metabolic processes instill it with an almost insatiable hunger.
Improved Grab (Ex): In order to use this ability, a SPHERE must hit a Medium-size or smaller opponent with both of its claw attacks in a single round. If it gets a hold, it can either automatically deal claw damage (Id6) every round or attempt to swallow the prey whole. The SPHERE has a grapple bonus of -2.
Explosion (Ex): A successful hit with a piercing or slashing weapon or by spells that deal damage forces the SPHERE to succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/ 2 the damage done) or explode. This immediately kills the SPHERE and deals Id4 damage to all creatures within 5 feet; Reflex save (DC 12) for half damage.
Flight (Ex): A SPHERE's body is naturally buoyant. This buoyancy allows it to fly as the spell, as a free action, at a speed of 60 feet. This buoyancy also grants it a permanent feather fall effect with personal range.
Ail-Around Vision (Ex): A SPHERE's many eyes give it a +2 racial bonus to Spot and Search checks, and it cannot be flanked.

 

[demiurge1138]

Hmm... delete the reference to automatic claw damage or swallowing whole in the Improved Grab text, and standardize that to 3.5 kosher. You also might consider giving them a +4 racial bonus to grapple checks. If you really wanted to keep the automatic damage, I've been using an ability in my oni conversions I've grown fond of, called worry or chew. It's basically a constriction-type ability dealing bite damage every round. The idea is adaptable to claw damage certainly (tear or squeeze, perhaps?), but would require its own special attack distinction.

A SPHERE should only have 5 skill points, but they seem to have a lot more. I'd suggest 1 in Hide, 2 in Listen, 2 in Spot. And you might want to raise the Wis score a bit (again with the dump stats...). And I'd lower the DR to 10/slashing or piercing.

Also, again with the OGL details, you can still refer to beholders, right? Or are you going to have to call them eye tyrants or something?

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

i don't even know why it says swallow whole (since it doesn't appear to have that ability). maybe i should switch out improved grapple for Attach, since most Small or smaller creatures don't really have improved grab (which comes standard with a grapple bonus - see stirge and weasel).

i'm going to ask them about the beholder reference.

 

[jgbrowning]

Or are you going to have to call them eye tyrants or something?

Beholder is PI of WoTC. More than likely so is Eye Tyrant. I'd go with Eye Orbs or say something like "related to famous multi-eyed monsters"

joe b.

 

[demiurge1138]

Attach is probably a good idea.

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

Eye Orbs

the boss has spoken!

Attach is probably a good idea.

Attach (Ex): If a SPHERE hits with a claw attack, it uses its claws to latch onto the opponent's body. An attached SPHERE is effectively grappling its prey. The SPHERE loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 15, but holds on with great tenacity. SPHEREs have a +X racial bonus on grapple checks (already figured into the Base Attack/Grapple entry above).
An attached SPHERE can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached SPHERE through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the SPHERE.

as for the grapple bonus... keep in mind this is a CR1 creature, so it needs to have something high enough to be able to easily grapple with the average level 1 PC. i think from +4 to +6 should do the trick, what do you say?

 

[demiurge1138]

A +6 racial bonus, for a total grapple bonus of +4 (+1 BAB, +1 Str, -4 size, +6 racial) sounds appropriate.

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

cool. how about this one?

Explosion (Ex): A successful hit with a piercing or slashing weapon or by spells that deal damage forces the SPHERE to succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/ 2 the damage done) or explode. This immediately kills the SPHERE and deals Id4 damage to all creatures within 5 feet; Reflex save (DC 12) for half damage.

 

[demiurge1138]

The damage for the save seems about right, although a case for 5 +1/2 damage dealt could be made. 1d4 damage, though, seems low. I'd boost it to 2d4 or even 2d6. Make them dangerous.

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

Well, its Fort save is very weak. So, even if it is hit for, say, 4 damage from a sword, it has a DC 12 save, and needs to roll an 11 or better to avoid death. A DC 7 saving throw would be much easier to make. But then, maybe we *want* this thing to explode, don't we? I think I'll stick with the save as written. If the creature advances, its saves will improve and will be less likely to die from a single hit.

By the same token, these guys travel in groups. If I increase the damage from the explosion too much, then they will really be deadly in groups (unless the PCs figure out not to pop the gas-bags). How about that awkward "spells that deal damage" part?

I know there is at least one creature or PrC that flies into a rage when it takes damage; any idea where I can look that up for a formatting reference?