Special Conversion Thread: Microscopic Monsters

[Cleon]

Added to Homebrews.

It should have 3 tentacles when full attacking, not 2.

Same size and weight as a Peridinium, since they're a similar "armoured lump with thin tendrils that shoot out"?

A typical giant elphidium is 2 feet in diameter and weighs about 100 pounds.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

 

[Cleon]

Updated.

That looks about it for them mechanically. Maybe add a bit more description or tactics?

These marine relatives of amoebas are found in sandy patches on the shallow sea floor, in both warm and cold oceans. An elphidium mostly just lies on the sea floor and stretches out out thin filament-like pseudopods. Any passing bit of food that gets stuck to these pseudo-tentacles is pulled in to their body to be ingested.

A typical giant elphidium is 2 feet in diameter and weighs about 100 pounds.

COMBAT
Elphidium attacks with its pseudopod tentacles, grabbing opponents and gradually crushing them. If it kills an opponent, it pulls the corpse close to its body and slowly ingests its new meal.

An opponent can attack an elphidium's tentacles with a sunder attempt as if they were weapons. A elphidium's tentacles have 1 hit points each. If a elphidium is currently grappling a target with the tentacle that is being attacked, it usually uses another limb to make its attack of opportunity against the opponent making the sunder attempt. Severing one of a elphidium's tentacles does no damage to the creature. An elphidium can grow a replacement tentacle in 1d4 rounds.

 

[freyar]

That would be fine.

 

[Cleon]

That would be fine.

Do you want to move on to the Globigerina then?

 

[freyar]

Seems like this one's done, at least.

 

[Cleon]

Seems like this one's done, at least.

Well in that case, we can at least start thinking about our next creature while waiting for Shade.

 

[Shade]

Updated.

And here's the globster...

Globigerina
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 10-60
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 0
HIT DICE: 2
% IN LAIR: 0
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1/3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-2
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RES.: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: See below
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Globigerina is a floating form consisting of a relatively small central coiled shell (3’ diameter) with long, slender, needle-sharp spines extending to a total diameter of 15’. A character attacking the cell with any weapon other than a long lance or a missile suffers 1-4 hp damage from the spines, never reaching the central shell, unless the spines are first broken away (a risky task itself). The cell floats passively, waiting for prey to blunder into it. The sharp spines do an initial 1-4 hp damage, followed by an attack made by thread-like lobes of cell material. On a hit, this attack does 1-2 hp additional damage, and also causes the victim to become stuck among the spines and threads. Subsequent attacks on trapped prey (three per turn) are made at +2. To escape, a character must make a saving throw vs. paralyzation at -4.

Although Globigerina cannot actively swim, it can slowly sink or rise in the water column. When a group of cells is encountered, they will be arranged at a variety of depths, much like a field of floating mines. A field of Globigerina can be particularly deadly when encountered at night.

Globigerina is only found in salt water. It is generally restricted to fairly deep, open water, although occasionally one may drift into a harbor.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #111 (1986).

 

[Cleon]

Updated.

And here's the globster...

Globigerina
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 10-60
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 0
HIT DICE: 2
% IN LAIR: 0
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1/3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-2
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RES.: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: See below
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Globigerina is a floating form consisting of a relatively small central coiled shell (3’ diameter) with long, slender, needle-sharp spines extending to a total diameter of 15’. A character attacking the cell with any weapon other than a long lance or a missile suffers 1-4 hp damage from the spines, never reaching the central shell, unless the spines are first broken away (a risky task itself). The cell floats passively, waiting for prey to blunder into it. The sharp spines do an initial 1-4 hp damage, followed by an attack made by thread-like lobes of cell material. On a hit, this attack does 1-2 hp additional damage, and also causes the victim to become stuck among the spines and threads. Subsequent attacks on trapped prey (three per turn) are made at +2. To escape, a character must make a saving throw vs. paralyzation at -4.

Although Globigerina cannot actively swim, it can slowly sink or rise in the water column. When a group of cells is encountered, they will be arranged at a variety of depths, much like a field of floating mines. A field of Globigerina can be particularly deadly when encountered at night.

Globigerina is only found in salt water. It is generally restricted to fairly deep, open water, although occasionally one may drift into a harbor.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #111 (1986).

So, spiny defense. If it's a 15' sphere of spines with a 3' ball in the middle its spines are 6 feet long, so weapons with reach can circumvent the spines as per standard.

A 3 foot spherical creature is probably Medium sized. (e.g. a Beholder is twice that diameter and Large).

Do we want to give it a 5 ft. swim speed to represent its very limited stationkeeping / changing depths in water speed?

Looks like it normally has 1 spine attack (1d4 damage) with either Improved Grab or Attach, followed by automatic damage from the threads plus attacks by three spines.

That suggests the creature can attack a 5 ft. square with up to 4 spines (the initial spine plus the 3 follow-ups).

What kind of damage do the threads do? Presumably they digest the victim, so I'm thinking maybe acid damage?

 

[freyar]

I like all those ideas.