The Beasties of Beowulf

[demiurge1138]

I was stricken by the sheer awesomeness of Beowulf reading it in my English class, and I am a disgusting monster fanatic. So, two great tastes that taste great together. Comments and criticisms are always accepted.

The bad news is that, since I was foolish enough to loan out my MM today to a friend who's working on some original monsters, some of them (Grendel's mother and the firedrake spring to mind) will have to be postponed. But, on with the show!

Time and again, foul things attacked me,
lurking and stalking, but I lashed out,
gave as good as I got with my sword.
My flesh was not for feasting on,
there would be no monsters gnawing and gloating
over their banquet at the bottom of the sea.

Lines 559-564

Whale-beast
Huge Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 9d10+54 (103 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: Swim 50ft (10 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+26
Attack: Bite +16 melee (2d6+13)
Full Attack: Bite +16 melee (2d6+13)
Space/Reach: 15ft/10ft
Special Qualities: Blindsight 120ft, hold breath, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 29, Dex 15, Con 23, Int 3, Wis 16, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +11, Listen + 13, Spot +13, Swim +17
Feats: Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Run
Environment: Cold aquatic
Organization: Solitary or pod (6-11)
Challenge Rating: 6
Advancement: 10-18 HD (Huge), 19-27 HD (Gargantuan)

The bizarre creature resembles a sharp-toothed whale covered in fine scales instead of skin. Its fins and flukes are long and narrow, and it moves towards you with a feral grace.

The whale-beasts live in the cold waters off of Geatland, where their normal prey is mostly seals, dolphins and large fish. Solitary whale-beasts will even leap out of the water to grab low-flying sea birds. They do, however, attack swimmers if they get the chance, and have been known to follow ships for days in order to eat refuse (or its passengers should it happen to sink). The whale-beast’s similarity to mundane whales is the matter of much conjecture; many sages believe that the whale-beasts owe their scaled hides and dim intelligence to some distant draconic ancestor.

The hero Beowulf fought several whale-beasts in his earlier days; once, a swimming contest that lasted five days was forcefully terminated by an attack from a pod of whale-beasts. Beowulf killed all nine of them, as he had worn his chainmail and sword to protect himself and to prove his strength.

Combat
Whale-beasts are rarely solitary, and they will only attack humans in numbers. Commonly, two or three whale-beasts will swim in and bite a foe, and retreat while another wave of whale-beasts attacks. They are fearless in combat, and rarely retreat unless dying.

Blindsight (Ex): Whale-beasts can “see” using high-frequency sounds inaudible to most creatures. This allows them to locate creatures and objects within 120ft. A silence spell negates this and forces them to rely on their vision, which is roughly as good as a human’s.

Hold Breath (Ex): A whale-beast can hold its breath for a number or rounds equal to 8x its Constitution score before it risks drowning.

Skills: A whale-beast has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
A whale-beast has a +4 bonus to all Spot and Listen checks as long as its blindsight is functioning.
A whale-beast has a +4 bonus to all Jump checks, due to their muscular tails.

Demiurge out.

 

[Krishnath]

Are these creatures mentioned as whale-beasts in the story? If not, may I suggest changing their name to Wave Drakes or some such and changing their creature type to dragon. This is because from their description they seem more like reptilian creatures than anything else.

Anyways, it's just a suggestion. Good work anyhoo!

 

[demiurge1138]

They are indeed called whale-beasts. Of course, they are also called sea-beasts and sea-monsters. Those Angles loved their compound words.
And you will be getting dragons soon enough, Krish. Two of them, in fact.

Demiurge out.

 

[demiurge1138]

And now, the beastie of Beowulf everyone's been waiting for (if anybody out there cares)...

So, after nightfall, Grendel set out
for the lofty house, to see how the Ring-Danes
were settling into it after their drink,
and there he came upon them, a company of the best
asleep from their feasting, insensible to pain
and human sorrow. Suddenly, then
the God-cursed brute was creating havoc:
greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men
from their resting places and rushed to his lair,
flushed up and inflamed from the raid,
blundering back with the butchered corpses

Lines 115-125

Grendel
Cain-son* Bog Giant Barbarian 2, Rogue 1
Large Giant
Hit Dice: 8d8+2d12+1d6+99 (159 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40ft, swim 40ft
Armor Class: 22 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +11 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+24
Attack: Claw +19 melee (1d6+12)
Full Attack: 2 claws +19 melee (1d6+12), bite +17 melee (1d8+6)
Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Rage 1/day, rend 2d6+18, sneak attack +1d6
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60ft, DR 15/bludgeoning, low-light vision, trapfinding, scent, uncanny dodge
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities**: Str 35, Dex 15, Con 29, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +11*, Listen +7, Move Silently +11, Swim +20
Feats: Cleave, Great Fortitude, Power Attack, Stealthy
Environment: Cold marsh
Organization: Unique
Challenge Rating: 11
Treasure: Dragonskin bag of Grendel
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class

This loping horrid creature resembles a man, but no man was ever so tall or so feral. Its hide is thick and its jaws and claws appear adept at tearing human flesh. It carries over its shoulder a massive bag crafted out of dragonskin.

Grendel is the ogre-like descendent of Cain, the first murderer. Hated by the gods, he lived in a haunted mere with his mother, a powerful hag. Grendel fed on wild game and the occasional traveler until King Hrothgar built Herorot, a great hall with the purpose of being a stronghold and center for merriment. When investigating Herorot, he heard a song singing the praises of the Creator, and fell into a blind and hateful rage. From that day forward, he raided the hall nightly, grabbing and killing sleeping warriors and shoving them in his dragonskin bag to be eaten later.

Grendel’s reign of terror lasted 12 years, before the hero Beowulf came to Herorot to kill him. The unsuspecting Grendel found himself in the iron grip of Beowulf, who wrenched off his arm as the creature escaped. Grendel then died in the swamps from his grievous wound, and his mother swore revenge.

Combat
Grendel prefers to avoid fair fights, and always attacks from ambush. Whether this consists of hiding in the mere or merely creeping towards a sleeping human depends on the situation. If he fails to kill his opponent on the first attack, he is liable to fly into a rage, biting and clawing his foe until one of them is dead.

Rend (Ex): Whenever Grendel hits an opponent with two claw attacks, he grabs and tears the opponent’s flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 2d6+12 damage.

Skills: Grendel has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
Grendel has a +4 racial bonus to all Hide checks. This bonus increases to +8 in marshes.
* The Cain-son template is the half-troll template, with the fast healing replaced with damage reduction.
** These abilities are based on the elite array.

New Magic Item
Dragonskin bag of Grendel: This large sack is crafted from the hides of black dragons and swamp serpents. The bag has the ability to affect any objects carried within it as if a shrink item spell had been cast on them. The objects remain shrunken until they are removed from the sack. Grendel was not the first owner of this item; he gained it by waylaying a traveler. Grendel uses the sack to store and carry bodies.
Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, shrink item; Price 18,000gp (15,000 if made as a mundane sack); Weight 2 lbs

 

[Krishnath]

Very cool. I like.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

Ooo, I loves me some Dark Ages-type monsters. Are you going to do the nycars? (I think that's the name)

 

[demiurge1138]

Nycars, eh? I was wondering if the swamp serpents that attack Beowulf in the mere had a name. Yes, I will be statting these out shortly. But first...

Quickly the one who haunted those waters,
who had scavenged and gone her gluttonous rounds
for a hundred seasons, sensed a human
observing her outlandish lair from above.
So she lunged and clutched and managed to catch him
in her brutal grip; but his body, for all that,
remained unscathed: the mesh of the chain-mail
saved him from the outside. Her savage talons
failed to rip the web of his warshirt.

Lines 1497-1505

Grendel’s Mother
Cain-son* Advanced Annis Hag Fighter 4
Large Giant (Augmented Monstrous Humanoid)
Hit Dice: 11d8+4d10+105 (176 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20ft, swim 40ft
Armor Class: 24 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +14 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 23
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+36
Attack: Claw +28 melee (1d6+13) or Large +2 shortsword +29 melee (1d8+15)
Full Attack: 2 claws +28 melee (1d6+13), bite +25 melee (1d8+6) or Large +2 shortsword +29/+24/+19 melee (1d8+15) and bite +25 melee (1d8+6)
Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Improved grab, rake 1d6+13, rend 2d6+19
Special Qualities: Blood curse, darkvision 60ft, DR 15/adamantine, hold breath, scent, SR 19
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +10
Abilities**: Str 36, Dex 12, Con 24, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +11, Listen +14, Move Silently +15, Spot +14, Survival +8, Swim +21
Feats: Alertness, Blind-fight, Cleave, Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Track, Weapon Focus (claw)
Environment: Cold marsh
Organization: Unique, or troupe (Grendel’s mother plus 1d4+1 swamp serpents)
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: Large +2 shortsword, Large +1 adamantine giantbane greatsword and double coins
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class

This strange creature is shaped vaguely like a woman, but she is bony and gaunt, and taller then any normal woman. Her skin is covered in a layer of tough scales, and sharp claws tip her webbed fingers. Her gate is awkward and bent on land, but she moves with unusual grace underwater.

The true name of Grendel’s mother is unknown; her small role in history is completely defined by her son. She was a large hag-like creature who lived in a submerged hall in a haunted mere with her son. She was more intelligent and wary than her offspring, and she often lurked in the swamps, feeding on lost travelers and wildlife while her son brought her treasures from the outside world.

When she found Grendel dead in the mere from obvious battle-wounds, she flew into a flurry of rage, and traced her son’s blood back to Herorot. She waited until the warriors had fallen asleep, then stalked into the hall and killed Aeschare, Hrothgar’s counselor, taking his body into the swamp to mimic how her son was taken from her. Beowulf followed Grendel’s mother into the swamps and dove after her. Although Grendel’s mother was able to out-grapple Beowulf, her claws could not find purchase in his chainmail. After dragging Beowulf into her hall to finish him with her knife, he used a giant sword from her hoard to behead her.

Combat
Grendel’s mother dislikes fighting fair; she usually attacks from ambush. She prefers to grapple opponents, drag them into the mere, and tear them to pieces with her claws. If this fails, she relies on weapons, which she keeps in her hall.

Blood Curse (Su): In addition to her damage reduction, Grendel’s mother is protected by a vindictive curse should she happen to die. Any slashing or piercing weapon that deals the killing blow to Grendel’s mother is utterly destroyed, melting into a puddle of bloody metal. A magical weapon gets a Fortitude save (DC 22) to avoid this effect.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, Grendel’s mother must hit an opponent with a claw attack. If she gets a hold, she deals automatic claw damage every round and can rake.

Hold Breath (Ex): Grendel’s mother can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to 6x her Constitution score before she risks drowning.

Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +28, 1d6+13 damage.

Rend (Ex): If Grendel’s mother hits an opponent with two claw attacks, she grabs and tears the opponent’s flesh. This attack automatically deals 2d6+19 points of damage.

Skills: Grendel’s mother has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. She can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. She can use the run action while swimming, provided she swims in a straight line.
* The Cain-son template is the half-troll template, with the fast healing replaced with damage reduction
** These ability scores are based on an elite array.

Demiurge out.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Does the cain-son template give a variable damage resistance? I see 15/bludgeoning for grendel, and 15/adamantine for his mom.

 

[demiurge1138]

Presumably. The template isn't really much more then a convenience in order to stat the creatures due to their descriptions in Beowulf.
In Beowulf, no blade can pierce Grendel's hide, but although his sword is useless against Grendel's mother, Beowulf beheads her with a giant-forged weapon he finds in her lair.

So, if I was to actually make a Cain-son template, I would have the DR a percentage rolled for.

Demiurge out.

 

[Krishnath]

Very cool, so what's next?