My next project (#5)!

[BOZ]

dismemberment is a fine thing.

anyway!

#11
Large Vermin
HitDice:5d8+10(32hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft., burrow 10 ft. (4 Squares, 2 Squares)
AC: 17 (-1 size, +8 natural)
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+10
Attack: Bite +6 melee (ld8+6 (males) or ld4+6 (females))
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (ld8+6 (males) or ld4+6 (females))
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Vermin, tremorsense
Saves: Fort +6, Ref+1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 10, Con 15, Int ?, Wis 10, Cha9
Skills: Hide+4*
Feats:
Climate/Terrain: Desert
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement : 6-10 HD (Large), 11-15 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: ?
The SCARAB gets its name from its environment, not from its coloration: the creature is a shiny, uniform black, the better to capture precious droplets of condensed dew as it forms at the break of day. SCARABs have thin, whip-like antennae, slender legs and a sleek build, to facilitate burrowing under the sands of the deserts in which they make their homes. SCARABs have lost the ability of flight.
SCARABs keep no permanent lairs, digging under the sand when they need shelter and constantly roaming the desert for food. They are truly omnivorous, living on desert plants (especially cacti), animals and even carrion. They have a slow metabolism and an efficient digestive system allowing them to make the most out of everything they eat. As a result, a SCARAB can go for over a week between meals if needed. They prey upon just about anything moving on or under the desert sands, even poisonous creatures; while not immune to poisons, a SCARAB knows enough to snip off a rattlesnake's head or a scorpion's stinger with its mandibles before eating the rest of the animal.
Combat
SCARABs attack with their powerful mandibles, with males causing more damage than females. (As in many beetle species, sexual dimorphism is apparent in SCARABs, with the males having larger and more prominent pincers.) They spend much of their time burrowing under the sand, just below the surface. With their sensitive antennae, they can sense movements on the surface above them and burrow up to attack their prey from below. Once on the desert, a SCARAB generally remains above the surface while attacking its prey, digging its way back underground only if fleeing battle with a more powerful foe.
SCARABs habitually roam the desert sands when hungry during the daytime, then bury themselves under a layer of insulating sand during the cold desert night. If not particularly hungry, they remain poised just below the layer of sand, patiently waiting for prey to pass by overhead.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the SCARAB must hit an opponent of Medium or smaller size with its bite attack. Grabbed victims are subject to automatic bite damage each round.
Tremorsense (Ex): A SCARAB can automatically sense the location of anything within 60 feet in contact with the ground, even while it is buried below the surface of the sand.
Vermin: SCARABs are immune to mind-influencing effects. They also have darkvision (60-foot range).
*Skills: SCARABs receive a +16 circumstance bonus to their Hide checks when buried under the sand.

 

[demiurge1138]

BAB/Grapple should be +3/+11, although the actual attack listing is correct. Remove the 2 squares from the burrow description. Give it Hide +0*. Change Improved Grab to be 3.5 kosher. No level adjustment, of course.

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

shouldn't the Hide be -4* ? (size adjustment, no ranks) i'm going to up the circumstance bonus to +24 to even it out.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the VERMIN must hit an opponent of Medium or smaller size with its bite attack. Grabbed victims are subject to automatic bite damage each round.
that "subject to automatic bite damage" is a natural part of the ability isn't it?

is there a better way to list the different base damage that males and females do so the attack lines aren't so cluttered?

 

[Mortis]

is there a better way to list the different base damage that males and females do so the attack lines aren't so cluttered?

Other than list them as two seperate creatures?

Maybe a line or two in the Combat section.

Regards
Gary

 

[BOZ]

the only difference is the base damage on the bite attack - i don't want separate stat blocks just for that.

 

[Knight Otu]

indeed. sometimes, the *@#$@*!s who first did the editing on this book subtracted the size penalty from the BAB and grapple as well as the attack lines.

So you are saying - that guy never wondered why he added two different size modifiers to grapple?!

 

[BOZ]

it appears that way, yes. you wonder why i get irate working on that source.

 

[BOZ]

shouldn't the Hide be -4* ? (size adjustment, no ranks) i'm going to up the circumstance bonus to +24 to even it out.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the VERMIN must hit an opponent of Medium or smaller size with its bite attack. Grabbed victims are subject to automatic bite damage each round.
that "subject to automatic bite damage" is a natural part of the ability isn't it?

good questions.

is there a better way to list the different base damage that males and females do so the attack lines aren't so cluttered?

Other than list them as two seperate creatures?

Maybe a line or two in the Combat section.

has that been done before? got an example or should i invent it?

 

[demiurge1138]

Go for the inventing. And the auto bite damage as part of the grapple is up in the air. According to the 3.5 MM, it is. According the the MMIII's glossary, it isn't. It might be wise to keep it there explicitly.

Demiurge out.

 

[BOZ]

OK, i just tossed it in the text where it was mentioned anyway.

#12
given the fly speed, I'm inclined to go magical beast...

need 3 feats of course (maybe just stuff common to sharks?)

Large Beast
Hit Dice: 6dlO+12 (45 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: Swim 60-ft, fly 40-ft. (good) (12 Squares, 8 Squares)
Armour Class: 18 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +5 natural)
Full Attack:+3/+10
Attacks: Bite +6 melee
Damage: Bite +6 melee (ld8+4)
Space/Reach: 5-ft. by 10-ft./5-ft.
Special Attacks: ?
Special Qualities: Blindsight, keen scent
Saves: Fort+7, Ref+9, Will+3
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha4
Skills: Listen +6*, Move Silently +9, Spot +6*
Feats: ?
Environment: Any aquatic or any land
Organization: Solitary, school (2-5) or pack (6-11)
Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: ?
Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: ?
FLYFISHs are similar in appearance to normal sharks, with the addition of large, bat-like wings granting them a flight ability. From their dire bat progenitors they also gain blindsight and the ability to breathe air, although the shark's gills are still in place allowing the FLYFISH to exist both in and out of water. FLYFISHs use their wings as flippers when swimming. Like their aquatic progenitors, FLYFISHs are in constant motion.
They are aggressive and fearless predators, attacking any prey regardless of size. It is believed that FLYFISHs were originally created as guardians, although their tendency to roam over vast areas in search of food makes them haphazard ones at best.
Combat
FLYFISHs attack with a bite made vicious with many overlapping layers of razor-sharp teeth. They have a sense of smell as keen as that of any shark and the scent of blood can have a pack of FLYFISHs convening upon the wounded prey from miles away.
Blindsight: FLYFISHs can 'see' by emitting high-frequency sounds, inaudible to most other creatures, that allow them to locate objects and creatures within 120-ft. A silence spell negates this ability.
Keen Scent: A FLYFISH can notice creatures by scent in a 180-foot radius and detect blood in the water at ranges of up to a mile.
Skills: FLYFISHs receive a +4 racial bonus to Spot and Listen checks. *These bonuses are lost if blindsight is negated.