Rinse and repeat

[MissHappen]

This is one of my tributes to the game Wizardry, a DM's accounting nightmare, and something that has made players frantic indeed. Enjoy.

-MsM

BLEEB
Small Aberration
HD: 3d8+12 (36hp)
Initiative: + 11 (+7 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 60’, 40’ Swim, 30’ Burrow
AC: 23 (+1 size, +7 Dex, +5 Deflection Bonus)
Base Attack/Grapple: +2
Attack: Bite +11 (+1 size, +7 Finesse)
Full Attack: Bite +11, 2 Claws +4
Damage: Bite d8, Claws d4+1
Face/Reach: 5’/5’
Special Attacks: Improved Grapple, Pile On
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60’, Scent, Literal Mind, Bonus Feats, Temporal Distortion, Call for Help
Saves: Fortitude +11 Reflex +12 Will +11
Abilities: STR 9 DEX 25 CON 18 INT 9 WIS 14 CHA 18
Skills: Hide 6, Climb 8, Jump 10, Listen 16, Spot 16
Feats[/B]: Weapon Finesse (Bite), Improved Initiative, Scent, Spring Attack, Combat Reflexes
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Varies, usually Band to Riot (6-50+)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

One of the most feared creatures in the known world, Bleebs are small, vaguely batrachian beings that stand barely 3 feet tall. They have short, springy legs with rather flat feet, wiry arms with oversized hands and broad heads that seem to merge with the rather ovoid shape of their body. A pair of very large, perpetually surprised looking eyes blink from above the wide mouth. Their uniform color is usually a rich blue-white, sometimes marked with irregular patterns of extremely pale green, yellow or blue. Their eyes are gold in color. Overall, Bleebs appear timid, and seem to show great trepidation upon noticing anything not a Bleeb. They seem to enjoy the touch of other Bleebs, and often cluster in large groups in well-sheltered areas. Their appearance is almost cute.
However, anyone who stays within sight of a Bleeb group for more than a few seconds finds out that the large hands hide sharp claws, and the mouth expands to a frightening degree to expose rows of black fangs.
Bleebs are hostile towards any other creature, and they attack any ‘intruder’ on their territory en masse. Even worse, however, is their power to summon more Bleebs very quickly when they feel threatened. A Bleeb ‘riot’ that has discovered an ‘intruder’ can triple in size in only minutes, which usually leads to expansion of Bleeb territory.
The most frightening thing about Bleebs is this summoning ability, which is nearly impossible to prevent. No one knows where Bleebs have come from, and nobody knows where the summoned Bleebs come from either. They do not appear to reproduce aside from summoning, and so some believe that they are a sort of construct, an artificial life form. But the truth is still hidden, and most effort tends to go towards destroying any discovered Bleebs as rapidly as possible rather than learning more about them.
Bleebs are omnivores of high caliber; they eat nearly anything organic, and they eat a lot despite their size. They are also amphibious.

Combat: Bleebs are fairly simple in combat, though unpredictable. They immediately swarm non-Bleebs, usually using Spring Attack to hit and run until more help arrives, and then they attempt to latch on to foes with their bite. Bleebs use their Call for Help ability rather a lot, slowing down only when there are at least 20 Bleebs present for any non-Bleeb. At times, for no apparent reason, they will suddenly break and scatter, only to regroup and swarm foes again. Though none too bright, Bleebs show a certain degree of cunning, and are far too paranoid to fall for most traps or ambushes.
Slain foes are torn to pieces and eaten. Bleebs tend to pile and sort items, but do nothing else with them.

Xenophobia (Ex): Bleebs automatically discern whether or not something is a Bleeb, regardless of how that something may be disguised. Even Polymorphed or Shape-Changed beings are immediately recognized as being non-Bleeb, and therefore attacked.
Bleeb senses are incredibly sharp, and they have the Scent ability, as well as a +10 racial bonus to Spot and Listen.
Literal Mind (Ex): Though Illusions can function on Bleebs, Phantasms do not. Bleebs do not have very creative minds, so spells that attempt to use the Bleeb’s mind against it fail. There’s not enough to work with.
Temporal Distortion (Su): Bleebs don’t keep the same time everyone else does. Spells that affect or are based on time do not affect Bleebs, such as Time Stop, Haste or Slow, and they are completely immune to death effects, attribute damage and level draining. Bleebs are treated as if constantly under the effect of a Freedom of Movement spell. Finally, this grants them a +5 deflection bonus to their AC, and a +4 to all saving throws.
Call for Help (Ex): As a free action, once per round, a Bleeb may call for help. This is the trait that gives them their name, because a short flat ‘bleeb’ sound comes from a Bleeb when it does so. When a Bleeb calls for help, d20 more Bleebs show up at the end of that Bleeb’s turn to join the fray. It is unknown where exactly these Bleebs come from, but they are never seen to materialize; they always arrive from ‘just around the corner’, or burrow up from the ground, or even emerge from someone’s backpack. Their entry point is random.
Bleebs arriving from a Call for Help can start Calling for Help the very next round, and they usually do.
There is no known way to prevent Bleebs from Calling for Help, nor does there seem to be any way to stop new Bleebs from arriving once the Call has been made. Silence has no effect, though, curiously, a Bard may attempt to Countersong a single Bleeb. A Wish, Miracle or similar spell can prevent Bleebs calling for help for as many rounds as the caster has levels, though there is a flat 10% chance that such a spell will fail to do so.
Ravenous (Ex): When a Bleeb bites, it may choose to latch on. This is treated like an Improved Grab, with the surprisingly vise-like jaws of the Bleeb granting a +10 bonus to grapple checks. A Bleeb that has latched on inflicts bite damage automatically every round unless removed (requiring a grapple check), and also flails about with claws and feet, making life generally uncomfortable. The price for pulling a Bleeb free is 1 automatic point of damage.
Pile On (Ex): Bleebs are naturals at swarming over foes. Despite their size, up to 18 Bleebs can be grappling a single Medium size foe at any given time. For each Bleeb beyond the second grappling with a single target, other Bleebs gain a +2 to their grapple checks against the target, and if 8 Bleebs manage to pile on a single Medium size foe, that foe is considered flat-footed, losing any Dexterity or Dodge bonuses to AC until Bleebs are pulled off.
Constantly Cornered (Ex): Bleebs are tireless and frantic fighters. They have Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative and Spring Attack as bonus feats, and can not be Bull-Rushed or Overrun; they simply climb over, under or around any foe who tries. Further, because of their incredibly driven but simple psychology, they are immune to any mind-affecting spell or effect, except for fear-based effects, which give them a +2 morale bonus to all saves, attacks and damage. Bleebs fight better when they are terrified.

 

[Krishnath]

Seems like something out of a childs nightmare. These things could do well in a game world connected to the (optional) region of dreams outer plane.

 

[Bulak]

It seems to me that this could be a creature from a Lovecraft story, had he written children's stories. Very cool.
Did you give it a CR?

 

[MissHappen]

Dream a little dream

Dream creature templated Bleebs?!

The idea of Bleebs that do temporary Wisdom damage is a truly frightening thing.
I've never considered the 'dream' angle on the ugly little things before... that's a very intriguing thought. They were always a sort of mystery plague in my campaigns previous.

As for CR... that's something I hoped to get some advice on. If Bleebs couldn't call for help, I'd guesstimate a CR of 5 to 7. Good mass destruction spells can clean a room of Bleebs pretty quickly, with a touch of luck.
It's just that damnable "Call for Help"...


I'll be following this up with some Bleeb subspecies.

-MsM

 

[MissHappen]

Bleeb-kin, part 1

Though the Bleeb was based on a critter from Wizardry, this one is just plain one of mine. Introducing the reason why tossing a Fireball into a pack of Bleebs may not be a good idea...

-MsM


BLAT (Purple Bleeb)
Small Aberration
HD: 4d8+16 (24 HP)
Initiative: + 11 (+7 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 50’, 30’ swim
AC: 18 (+1 size, +7 Dex)
Base Attack/Grapple: +2
Attack: Bite +11 (+1 size, +7 Finesse)
Full Attack: Bite +11, 2 Claws +4
Damage: Bite d10, Claws d6+1
Face/Reach: 5’/5’
Special Attacks: Improved Grapple, Pile On
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60’, Scent, Literal Mind, Bonus Feats
Saves: Fortitude +7 Reflex +8 Will +7
Abilities: STR 9 (0) DEX 25 (7) CON 18 (4) INT 9 (0) WIS 14 (1) CHA 18 (4)
Skills: Hide 6, Climb 8, Jump 10, Listen 16, Spot 16
Feats: Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Finesse (Bite)
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Trio to Gang (3-20)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Blats look a lot like Bleebs. The primary difference is that Blats tend to have mottled purple or violet tints to their bodies, and much larger teeth. Further, they do not look nearly as alarmed as Bleebs do, and it is clear that they move faster and are more aggressive.
Blats tend to huddle in groups with other Blats, small cliques within a crowd of Bleebs. Blats are never encountered by themselves; there are always Bleebs present if Blats are present. Only marginally smarter than Bleebs, they are fearless and frequently charge strong sources of magic in hopes of reproduction.
Blats fight alongside Bleebs, and aside from their aggression, act much like Bleebs. They eat less than Bleebs, and have a penchant for collecting small piles of anything that once was magic or is magical. They do very little with these piles except for guard them ferociously. There is a 5% chance that a single Blat arrives when a Bleeb calls for help in the presence of more than 50 Bleebs.
Combat: Blats do rather more damage than Bleebs, and frequently indulge in Power Attack, charge movements and attempting to trip foes. They always attack targets that emanate magic, and will gleefully charge back and forth through harmful magical effects to create more Blats. If given the opportunity, they will actually hack at each other with magical weapons for the same purpose. When combat begins, they tend to keep close to other Blats, and mob opponents as best as they can. Otherwise, they behave much like Bleebs do.
Blats share the Pile On, Xenophobia, and Literal Mind qualities of Bleebs.

Detect Magic (Su): This is constantly in effect, as if cast by a tenth level Sorceror. Blats tend to make a beeline towards the largest source of magic.
Magic Splatter (Su): If a Blat is struck by a magical weapon or device, the equivalent of a Color Spray explodes from the contact point (Save DC 16, otherwise as if the caster were tenth level). This blast does not affect Bleebs or Bleeb-kin.
Exploding (Su): Blats absorb magical damage, including from weapons. When a Blat has absorbed magical damage exceeding its hit points, it divides into 2 Blats, each tumbling away from the focal point of a small explosion (which sounds a lot like a titanic wet ‘blat’). These new Blats have half maximum Blat hit points. Anyone within the Blat’s reach when it explodes takes 3d8 points of bludgeoning damage, except for other Blats, who count it as magical damage.
Spells that do no direct damage but are still designed to harm or kill (such as Disintegrate) are also absorbed; the Blat makes a saving throw as per normal. Failure means that the spell energy is dissipated and lost. Success means that it is treated as the caster’s level in damage to the Blat’s magic damage total. Magical weapons of any kind only truly inflict d4 points of damage, even on a critical hit.
All other damage goes towards Blat reproduction.
Spells targeting a Blat that don’t harm or kill take effect as per normal, though if a Blat makes a saving throw against such a spell it is ‘held’ in the Blat’s system. The spell is discharged at the original caster’s level on whatever target the Blat strikes in melee next. A Blat can only ‘hold’ one such spell at a time; other successful saving throws simply replace the spell. This is an automatic reaction and the Blat has no control over it.
Blats can not absorb passive spell effects, such as Wall of Force, unless those effects cause damage. For example, a Blat will happily charge through a Wall of Fire, and likely come out the other side as two Blats, but it can not pass a Wall of Force, and it will be affected by a Repulsion spell normally.
Rend (Ex): If a Blat succeeds in hitting the same target twice in the same round, it automatically inflicts an additional d10+2 damage.
Ravenous (Ex): Whenever a Blat scores a hit with a bite attack, it may attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it does so, it automatically inflicts bite damage for each round the grapple is maintained, and it may make additional claw attacks at a +2 circumstance bonus.
Note that a Blat may continue to use the Rend ability even if grappling if both claw attacks hit.
Vulnerability: Blats within the radius of an Anti-Magic Shell take d8 points of damage every round, with no saving throw. They will attempt to flee such an area as quickly as possible. Magic weapons in an Anti-Magic Shell do standard weapon damage to Blats. A Mordenkainen’s Disjunction will slay a single Blat instantly.

 

[MissHappen]

more bleebishness

Another installment of Bleeb-kin. I'll likely be posting some other non-Bleeb related critters from my campaign world on this thread later.



FLACK
Small Aberration
HD: 8d8+49
Initiative: +6 (+2 Dexterity, +4 Improved Initiative
Speed: 30’
AC: 23 (+1 size, +2 Dexterity, +5 natural, +5 Deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +5
Attack: Bite +10
Full Attack: Bite +10
Damage: 3d8+5
Face/Reach: 5’/5’
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, Disease
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60’, Scent
Saves: Fortitude +13, Reflex +8, Will +13
Abilities: STR 20 (5) DEX 15 (2) CON 25 (7) INT 16 (3) WIS 16 (3) CHA 18 (4)
Skills: Hide 7, Climb 10, Jump 8, Move Silently 7, Listen 18, Search 8, Spot 18
Feats: Ability Focus (Breath Weapon), Combat Expertise, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Power Attack
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Solitary to Battery (1-8)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
One of the best and worst things to happen to a Bleeb horde, there is a 10% chance that a single Flack will arrive when a Bleeb calls for help in a group of more than 75 Bleebs. A Flack can be mistaken for a Bleeb at a casual glance, though most observers would still note the slight weight difference; Flacks are more muscular than Bleebs, and their heads are larger. Closer observation reveals none of the Bleeb trepidation. Flack eyes are narrow, shrewd and hostile, set above the wide jaw of powerful razor-sharp shearing teeth. They are built similar to Bleebs, but look knotted with ungainly muscle, and their ribs show prominently. Coloration is more of an ash-grey, touched here and there with light blue and orange patterns.
Flacks seem to be something like sheepdogs for Bleebs and Blats. Whenever a non-Bleeb approaches, the Flack immediately moves to intercept the intruder, and Bleebs seem to act in a slightly more organized fashion if a Flack is present. Oddly, they don’t seem overly concerned about accidental Bleeb casualties from their breath weapon; apparently, getting rid of the resident threat is more important. Certainly, the presence of a Flack does not stop Bleebs from calling for help.
Combat: Flacks provide support for the Bleebs they are always with. They prefer to spearhead Bleeb waves, or provide flanking or ranged support with their breath weapon. Flacks are cunning, and will deliberately breathe on any Blats present to provide reinforcements, and concentrate on disabling any foes so that the Bleebs may easier deal with them. However, they are also extremely aggressive, and Flacks prefer to be in the front line.
Flacks share the Xenophobia and Temporal Distortion traits of Bleebs.
Breath Weapon (Su): As a full attack action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, a Flack can exhale a blast of frightening power. This oddly viscous expulsion of something resembling fire affects everything in a cone 50’ long and 10’ wide in front of the Flack, and everything within 5’ of the Flack on its other facings. Once the breath weapon is used, the Flack must wait d6 rounds before using it again.
The blast has the following effects:
It inflicts 10d10 points of damage (Reflex DC 23 halves this damage) to all things within the blast, ignoring Damage Reduction and the hardness of items. Those with Fire Resistance apply only half of their score against it. Fire Immune creatures reduce damage taken by a third.
It knocks prone anyone failing their saving throw.
It ignores any cover less than full cover.
It automatically causes Blats to divide, with the added inconvenience of giving the new Blats maximum Blat hit points.
Flackpox (Ex): Anyone who is in the area of effect of a Flack breath weapon must make a Fortitude save at DC 21 or suffer from a disease. Flackpox has an incubation time of 1 day, and it deals d3 points of Constitution and Charisma damage each day thereafter. Only magical means may cure Flackpox, and even if cured, 1 point of Constitution is lost permanently from the debilitating effects if the disease has begun to attack the body. Flackpox victims have their skin split and eventually slough off, suffer horrible internal organ dysfunction, and glow phosphorescent blue in the dark. All Bleebs and Bleeb-kin are immune to Flackpox.
Ironjaw (Ex): Flack teeth are extraordinarily hard and sharp. Any successful attack on a foe’s armor or weapon inflicts double damage, and they ignore up to 8 points of Hardness.
Anklebiter (Ex): Any time a Flack successfully hits with a bite attack, it may attempt a Trip maneuver as a free action, with an additional racial bonus of +8 on the check as it jerks the target’s feet out from under them.
Improved Critical (Ex): The Flack’s bite threatens a critical hit on an 18-20.
Mangle (Ex): If a Flack scores a critical hit, it rips a good deal of flesh from the foe. The critical multiplier for a Flack’s bite is x3.
Dangerous When Wounded (Ex): Flacks reduced to 0 hit points continue to fight normally until reduced to -10 hit points, and at 0 hit points gain the use of the Whirlwind Attack feat. This is lost if the Flack’s hit points are raised above 0.
Call for Help (Ex): Twice a day, a Flack may attempt to call for help. If it does so, there is a 75% chance that another Flack will arrive in 2d4 rounds. If no Flack arrives, the call is considered wasted.

 

[MissHappen]

d'arr!

I always forget to tack on a CR for these things. My guess is that Flacks are at CR 12; a good balanced party at that level should be able to take one just fine.

Just don't let it get too close.
-MsM

 

[Devon]

These critters are quite an imaginative bit of horror.

One critique: it would be great if you could list all of the creature's Special Attacks and Special Qualities in the header, so folks can get an immediate idea as to the scope of its abilities. You seem to list these inconsistently.

- Devon

 

[Ferret]

Show the graemlin! The little smillie!

 

[MissHappen]

Devon: Hm, I guess I do, don't I? Thanks for the note... I never noticed that before, and I'll see what I can do in the future about it... also, I'm glad you enjoyed them. I'd like to point out that the Bleebs and Flacks are not entirely original. Inspiration for them came out of the old dungeon-crawl computer game Wizardry. The other two members of Bleeb 'society', Gibblets and Wheedles, will be on the way. I'm having some number-crunchy issues with them at the moment. Wheedles in particular are a little scary.

Any other comments/criticisms?

And Ferret... which Gremlin are we talking about here?

-MsM