Special Conversion Project: Greater drakes
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
). I'm inclined to just go with the locust swarm but call them wasps.
Shade
Monster Junkie
How's this rewrite?
Cloud of Wasps (Ex): The arsalon sports a unique form of attack, based on a strange symbiosis between the drake and normal wasps. The arsalon secretes a wasp-attracting nectarlike substance in its throat bladder. Over time, the bladder becomes home to an entire wasp nest, and the arsalon can excite the wasps simply by contracting its throat bladder and exerting pressure on the hive. Use the statistics for a swarm of locusts to represent the wasps. The enraged wasps do not stray far from the arsalon, but dissipates once all creatures (other than the arsalon itself) are out of sight.
Fortunately, the arsalon’s unusual “breath weapon” is a one-shot deal; once the wasps have been sent out into battle, the drake must wait 24 hours to secrete enough nectar to attract a new swarm. Because of its thick, platelike scales, the arsalon is immune to the stings of wasps and other similar-sized creatures like bees and hornets.
Cloud of Wasps (Ex): The arsalon sports a unique form of attack, based on a strange symbiosis between the drake and normal wasps. The arsalon secretes a wasp-attracting nectarlike substance in its throat bladder. Over time, the bladder becomes home to an entire wasp nest, and the arsalon can excite the wasps simply by contracting its throat bladder and exerting pressure on the hive. Use the statistics for a swarm of locusts to represent the wasps. The enraged wasps do not stray far from the arsalon, but dissipates once all creatures (other than the arsalon itself) are out of sight.
Fortunately, the arsalon’s unusual “breath weapon” is a one-shot deal; once the wasps have been sent out into battle, the drake must wait 24 hours to secrete enough nectar to attract a new swarm. Because of its thick, platelike scales, the arsalon is immune to the stings of wasps and other similar-sized creatures like bees and hornets.
Shade
Monster Junkie
RETCHENBEAST (MUCK DRAKE)
Medium Dragon
Hit Dice: 10d12+30 (95 hp)
Initiative: -1 (Dex)
Speed: 20 ft., swim 20 ft., fly 70 ft. (poor)
AC: 15 (-1 Dex, +6 natural)
Attacks: Bite +12 melee, 2 claws +7 melee
Damage: Bite 1d8+2, claws 1d4+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spit muck
Special Qualities: Acid resistance 5
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +7
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 9, Con 16, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9*, Listen +10, Spot +10
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Snatch (MM, p. 62)
Climate/Terrain: Swamplands
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 11-15 HD (Medium), 16-20 HD (Large)
The retchenbeast, or muck drake, is not only one of the smallest of the greater drakes but also one of the ugliest. Rather than sporting the graceful draconian form common to the other drakes, the retchenbeast resembles nothing so much as a giant, bloated toad with short, stumpy wings that can barely support its weight in flight. Like a toad, the creature’s eyes bulge from the top of its head, allowing it to submerge all but its eyes under the swampy waters of its home territory. Its neck is much shorter and thicker than those of other drakes. All four feet are webbed, allowing for a faster swimming rate. The retchenbeast retains the standard drake’s long, serpentine tail, which looks misplaced on the creature.
When clean, retchenbeasts are a grayish-brown, with irregularly sized scales. (The larger ones often have wartlike projections on them, further enhancing the likeness to a giant toad.) However, clean retchenbeasts are rarely seen, for they are habitually covered in the muck and slime of the swamps, bogs, and quagmires that they call home. While not swift, retchenbeasts are excellent swimmers, able to keep afloat even in quicksand and bogs.
Combat
A retchenbeast prefers to stay submerged up to its protruding eyeballs until ready to spring out at its prey. Inherently lazy creatures, retchenbeasts prefer to dispatch their victims with as little fuss as possible. While their froglike mouths are filled with sharp teeth and they sport wicked little claws on the ends of their webbed digits, retchenbeasts prefer grappling prey and holding them underwater until they drown.
Spit Muck (Ex): Retchenbeasts have a revolting attack they can bring to bear - vomiting up a sticky, sludgelike liquid from the storage pouch in their throats. The victim of a retchenbeast’s “muck” attack (only one victim can be targeted with each attack; treat it as a ranged touch attack) must make a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or experience extreme nausea, striking with a -2 circumstance penalty until able to wash the gunk off. The muck has a tendency to drip into the victim’s eyes and slows movement to the extent that the victim’s AC is penalized by 2 points whether or not the victim makes his save. In addition, anyone within 10 ft. of a “mucked” victim (with the exception of retchenbeasts themselves, who are immune) must make a successful Fortitude save (DC 12) or strike at -1 to hit for 1d4 rounds due to the stench.
The retchenbeast must have access to a fetid, swampy region to replenish its disgusting “muck” attack, for the creature’s “muck” attack draws heavily on the mud and mire of the swampland environment. The retchenbeast can employ its sit muck attack once every 3 rounds, so long as it has access to swamp muck and mire. Salivary glands help “store” a dose of wet muck in the retchenbeast’s throat bladder for nearly a month between uses.
Acid Resistance 5 (Ex): Because of the damp environment in which retchenbeasts live and the thick coating of slime and ooze covering their bodies, retchenbeasts ignore the first 5 points of acid damage each round.
Medium Dragon
Hit Dice: 10d12+30 (95 hp)
Initiative: -1 (Dex)
Speed: 20 ft., swim 20 ft., fly 70 ft. (poor)
AC: 15 (-1 Dex, +6 natural)
Attacks: Bite +12 melee, 2 claws +7 melee
Damage: Bite 1d8+2, claws 1d4+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spit muck
Special Qualities: Acid resistance 5
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +7
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 9, Con 16, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +9*, Listen +10, Spot +10
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Snatch (MM, p. 62)
Climate/Terrain: Swamplands
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 11-15 HD (Medium), 16-20 HD (Large)
The retchenbeast, or muck drake, is not only one of the smallest of the greater drakes but also one of the ugliest. Rather than sporting the graceful draconian form common to the other drakes, the retchenbeast resembles nothing so much as a giant, bloated toad with short, stumpy wings that can barely support its weight in flight. Like a toad, the creature’s eyes bulge from the top of its head, allowing it to submerge all but its eyes under the swampy waters of its home territory. Its neck is much shorter and thicker than those of other drakes. All four feet are webbed, allowing for a faster swimming rate. The retchenbeast retains the standard drake’s long, serpentine tail, which looks misplaced on the creature.
When clean, retchenbeasts are a grayish-brown, with irregularly sized scales. (The larger ones often have wartlike projections on them, further enhancing the likeness to a giant toad.) However, clean retchenbeasts are rarely seen, for they are habitually covered in the muck and slime of the swamps, bogs, and quagmires that they call home. While not swift, retchenbeasts are excellent swimmers, able to keep afloat even in quicksand and bogs.
Combat
A retchenbeast prefers to stay submerged up to its protruding eyeballs until ready to spring out at its prey. Inherently lazy creatures, retchenbeasts prefer to dispatch their victims with as little fuss as possible. While their froglike mouths are filled with sharp teeth and they sport wicked little claws on the ends of their webbed digits, retchenbeasts prefer grappling prey and holding them underwater until they drown.
Spit Muck (Ex): Retchenbeasts have a revolting attack they can bring to bear - vomiting up a sticky, sludgelike liquid from the storage pouch in their throats. The victim of a retchenbeast’s “muck” attack (only one victim can be targeted with each attack; treat it as a ranged touch attack) must make a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or experience extreme nausea, striking with a -2 circumstance penalty until able to wash the gunk off. The muck has a tendency to drip into the victim’s eyes and slows movement to the extent that the victim’s AC is penalized by 2 points whether or not the victim makes his save. In addition, anyone within 10 ft. of a “mucked” victim (with the exception of retchenbeasts themselves, who are immune) must make a successful Fortitude save (DC 12) or strike at -1 to hit for 1d4 rounds due to the stench.
The retchenbeast must have access to a fetid, swampy region to replenish its disgusting “muck” attack, for the creature’s “muck” attack draws heavily on the mud and mire of the swampland environment. The retchenbeast can employ its sit muck attack once every 3 rounds, so long as it has access to swamp muck and mire. Salivary glands help “store” a dose of wet muck in the retchenbeast’s throat bladder for nearly a month between uses.
Acid Resistance 5 (Ex): Because of the damp environment in which retchenbeasts live and the thick coating of slime and ooze covering their bodies, retchenbeasts ignore the first 5 points of acid damage each round.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Hmmm...since it doesn't really rely on flight, maybe the feat would be better spent on improving its chances of hitting with its spit muck attack? Weapon Focus (spit muck) would help offset its Dex penalty. Sound OK?
Added to http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=3985789&postcount=227.
Added to http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=3985789&postcount=227.
