Send In The Clowns… (or, Converting the Oddballs)

[freyar]

Oh, good. Then we can add the following line to the combat tactics: "Killer spruce fight to the death, not least because they can't run away!"

Given their lack of movement, are these really CR 8? Or should we bump the camouflage DC a bit to make it a little easier for them to surprise 8th level characters?

 

[Shade]

Good point. CR 6?

Bump camouflage to DC 30?

Improved Initiative as bonus feat to help give them one more attack?

I could almost see giving them a volley of poisonous needles to prevent characters from standing out of reach and "XP farming" them.

 

[demiurge1138]

See, I thought they had a volley of poisonous needles! Which I like. We should add it.

Treat it like a manticore, but do damage as darts? Can fire how many per day?

 

[Shade]

Like so?

Poison Needles (Ex): With a flick of its branches, a killer spruce can loose a volley of six poisonous needles as a standard action (make an attack roll for each needle). This attack has a range of 180 feet with no range increment. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. The killer spruce can launch only x needles in any 24-hour period.

For the attack lines...

Attack: Slam +15 melee (1d8+10 plus poison) or 6 spikes +5 ranged (1d4+10 plus poison)
Full Attack: 6 slams +15 melee (1d8+10 plus poison) or 6 spikes +5 ranged (1d4+10 plus poison)

I assumed you meant "damage as Medium darts"...if we upsize them, they deal the same damage as its slams.

 

[demiurge1138]

Yes, Medium darts. How about... 36 needles a day? That gives it six volleys total. Better than a manticore, but keeps it competitve at CR 8.

 

[Shade]

Sounds good. Updated.

Bump camouflage to DC 30?

Improved Initiative as bonus feat to help give them one more strike before others react?

 

[demiurge1138]

Agreed to both.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Finished?

 

[demiurge1138]

Yes, I think so.

 

[freyar]

Looks good to me, too. I like the darts!