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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LordVyreth" data-source="post: 1011191" data-attributes="member: 9626">If I already posted this, I apologize, but I don't think it ever ended up here.  Anyway, anyone who played  Symphony of the Night will recognize this guy instantly.  Anyone else can just enjoy a really creepy monster.  I need opinions and such, especially the infamous CR issue.  What does everyone think?VyrethGranfaloonGargantuan AberrationHit Dice: 30d8 + 150 (285 hp.)Initiative -2 (Dex)Speed: fly 100 ft. (perfect) AC: 30 (-2 Dex, +22 natural)Attacks: 8 energy rays +17 touchDamage: energy ray 4d8Face/Reach: 40 ft. by 40 ft./15 ft.Special Attacks: Energy Rays, Zombie Shower, Create Spawn, Spell-Like abilitySpecial Qualities: Shield of the Dead, Blindsight 120 ft.Saves: Fort +15, Ref +10, Will +21Abilities: Str 39, Dex 7, Con 20Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 17Skills: (based on 60)Move Silently +18, Intimidate +23, Search +23Feats: Weapon Focus (Energy Ray,) Ability Focus (Zombie Shower,) Run, Quicken Spell-Like Ability(Animate Dead,) Lightning Reflexes, Point-Blank ShotClimate/Terrain: Any land and undergroundOrganization: Solitary,Challenge Rating: 16.Treasure: None.Alignment: Usually neutral evil.Advancement: 31-45 HD (gargantuan,)45-90 HD (colossal)Cruel, malicious, and utterly repulsive, Granfaloons are without a doubt among the most disturbing living beings.  A Granfaloon appears to be nothing but a floating sphere of flesh with eight writhing tentacles, when in its natural form.  However, very few see a Granfaloon in this form, for they practice a strange form of necromancy.  After collecting enough zombie servants, a Granfaloon magically alters the bodies of many of them to form a solid shield of undead bodies, which it uses to totally cover and protect its body.  In between itself and its shield, there exists a space that the Granfaloon packs with more hordes of zombies.  The final appearance hides the monster completely, and makes it look more like a floating sphere of solid corpses!Combat: Most Granfaloons live in graveyards or battlefields, where it can gather the materials for its abilities.  They often willingly work with liches and other powerful undead, protecting them in exchange for the bodies the Granfaloon needs.  Sometimes, Granfaloons serve their allies as living transporters, taking their massive zombie armies over miles of terrain, while proving to be a deadly deterrent to attackers. (Su) Energy Rays: When part of its body is exposed, a Granfaloon can fire one or more rays of energy out of its tentacles.  However, the tentacles are evenly spaced around its body, and can only fire one beam at any spot within a ten foot radius.  Thus, it can’t hit one target more than once unless it is larger than ten feet.  This number increases by 1 for every ten feet of size the opponent has, but with a maximum of four beams.  The beams have a maximum range of 50 feet, with no range increments.  However, its accuracy within fifteen feet is precise enough that it can make attacks of opportunity with the beams.  Note that when a Granfaloon still has its full shield, it can’t fire any beams. (Ex) Zombie Shower: As a standard action, a Granfaloon can release some of its zombie cargo, and use them as a living weapon.  It can direct this attack in the twenty foot radius direction under its body.  When using this attack, most Granfaloons prefer to get under twenty feet above the ground, to avoid damaging its zombies while releasing them.  The number of zombies released is basically 1d4 zombies for every 1/8th of the shield remaining.  Anyone in the area of attack will take 1d4 points of damage per part of the shield remaining, unless they make a Reflex Save (DC 25) to negate the effects.  After the shower, the zombies rise and attack the nearest living target on the Granfaloon’s next initiative.  If dropped from a height that would cause falling damage, the zombies will take it as normal, but if a player takes damage from the shower, they will take half the falling damage, and one random zombie will also only take half damage from the fall.  In any case, the total number of people affected by the shower can’t be greater than the number of zombies, so if there are too many victims, they will randomly be selected to suffer the effects.  Disturbingly, although the zombies are as mindless as all zombies are, they will still scream in fear as they fall. (Su) Create Spawn: A creature killed by one of the zombies of a Granfaloon rises as a zombie 1d4 minutes later.  This zombie immediately is placed on the Granfaloon’s control, unless it exceeds the maximum number of creatures it can control.  A Granfaloon can control four times its HD in zombies, not including the zombies that make up the shield.  It has enough room inside the shield for all of them, but only medium-sized zombies can fit normally.  Large zombies take four times as much room, and huge zombies take 16 times as much room.  Gargantuan and larger zombies can’t fit inside the shell. (Sp) Spell-Like ability: Animate Dead as a 20th level cleric, at will.  However, it can only create zombies with this spell, and generally only creates medium zombies, as they fit inside the shield best.  As mentioned above, a Granfaloon can control four times its HD in zombies, not counting the ones used to make the shield. (Ex) Shield of the Dead: A Granfaloon can use its zombies to create a total shield around itself.  This takes 60 medium-sized zombies under its control, and the process takes 1d4 hours to complete.  Once the shield is complete, these zombies no longer count as zombies under the Granfaloon’s control, so it can animate and control more to replace them.  When the shield at its normal strength, it effectively grants the Granfaloon total cover.  This prevents almost all attacks from reaching the Granfaloon, but it also means the Granfaloon can’t use its energy rays through the shield.  Treat the shield as one large undead creature with 240 hit points, hardness 5, and 30 HD for the purposes of turning.  The shield is treated as an object to determine how energy effects harm it, and as an undead when attacked by effects that have an extra effect on undead.  The shield will not be affected by turning/rebuking, but a turning effect that can destroy it will instantly destroy the entire shield, causing all remaining zombies in the shell to fall out in a massive variant of the Zombie Shower.  Mind-affecting attacks can still penetrate to hit the Granfaloon, but most other attacks instead are stopped by the shield, and have no effect on the shield unless it also effects objects.  A disintegrate will destroy only 1/8 of the shield if it is effective.    Every time the shield takes 30 hit points of damage, 1/8 of it will be destroyed.  This reduces the cover it provides from total to a lesser amount, and instantly provokes a zombie shower with 1d4 zombies.  When reduced to 7 parts, the shield grants 9/10th cover.  It gives ¾ cover when two parts are destroyed, ½ cover when four parts are destroyed, and ¼ cover when only two parts remain.  This makes it increasingly easy to hit the Granfaloon with attacks, and reduces the effects of zombie showers.  However, each part destroyed also gives the Granfaloon another tentacle to use for its energy ray attacks.  In general, as the fight progresses, the Granfaloon stops relying on its zombie showers and instead uses more of its ray attacks. (Ex) Blindsight: Because the Granfaloon can’t see when encased in its shield, it relies on vibrations that strike the shield and reverberate through the bodies.  This vibration-sensing gives it blindsight within 120 feet.</blockquote>

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