Jürgen Hubert
First Post
It seemed like such a great idea. With Urbis, I wanted to take all the familiar tropes of D&D and create a campaign world around them that truely seems like a coherent whole, instead of just being a large mess of various dubious justifications and additions that "explain" why the world still basically looks like medieval Europe as envisioned by Conan the Barbarian.
And with "all the familiar tropes of D&D", I meant all the common races, spells, magic items - and monsters.
And then Wizards of the Coast pulled some very noteworthy monsters out of the SRD, such as mind flayers and illithids.
Bummer.
By then, I had already written these two species into Urbis. So I needed a substitute for them, despite my original intention not to add any new stuff...
Oh, well. Here is the first draft of a creature that will substitute for mind flayers, and I'd like to have some input on them. I've tried to create a creature that fills the same "ecological niche" as mind flayers without being too derivative...
Daresh
Daresh are a species of aberrations that have been created as scouts by aboleths. They have been seeded on various worlds and formed their own communties deep in the bowels of the earth or below the habitats of other beings - without knowing their ultimate purpose.
Daresh change drastically during their life cycle, and thus are represented by several entries.
Daresh, Larval
Fine Aberration (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 1/4 d8 (1 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), climb 5 ft., swim 10 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (+8 size), touch 18, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-20
Attack: Bite -4 melee (1)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1)
Space/Reach: 1/2 ft.
Special Attacks: Brain burrow
Special Qualities: Aboleth servitor
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 6, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +9, Hide +9, Move Silently +9, Swim +9.
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or Swarm (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 1/4
Alignment: Always lawful evil.
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -
Larval daresh look like tiny, slimy grey worms 2 inches in length with a large mouth filled with sharp teeth.
The larval stage of the daresh have only one goal: The acquisition of a host body. To this end they hide near places where larger creatures congregate and try to catch one sleeping so that they can slither into their nose, ears, or mouth and burrow into their brains. Usually, however, adult daresh plant them directly on a captured victim.
Combat:
Larval daresh are almost helpless against a determined opponent, and accordingly avoid direct combat at all costs. They will always try to catch a potential host unaware.
Brain burrow (Ex): If a larval daresh makes a successful attack against a prone living creature, it slithers into the nose, ear, mouth, or similar orfice and burrows into the target's brain after an additional 1d4 rounds, doing 1 point of damage per round and 1 point of permanent Wisdom and Intelligence damage once it arrives in the brain. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Reflex save to get the daresh off it before it is too late (DC 20 if the target was previously unaware of the Daresh). Once it is within the target's brain, the daresh can cast a suggestion at will against the target (DC 12). The suggestion will usually be: "There is nothing wrong with you apart from a headache, which will go away on its own eventually. The daresh will then start devouring the brain of the target, causing a permanent loss of 1 point of permanent Wisdom and Intelligence damage to the target every six hours. Once either Wisdom or Intelligence reach zero, the target is dead and the daresh enters the juvenile stage of its life.
Aboleth servitor (Ex): The larval daresh automatically fails any saving throws against psionic powers manifested against them by aboleths.
Skills: Larval daresh have a +8 racial bonus on Climb, Hide, Move Silently and Swim checks. A larval daresh can always choose to take 10 on Climb or Swim checks, even if rushed or threatened.
Daresh, Juvenile
Juvenile daresh are daresh that have recently (within the last two years) found a host body and eaten its brain. They have attained complete access to the host's memories and control the body like a puppet. While they are often still weak in this form, they are nonetheless very dangerous because they look just like the host creature and can perfectly imitate it.
Creating a Juvenile Daresh
"Juvenile Daresh" is a template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to aberration. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus or saves.
Special Qualities: A juvenile daresh has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities:
- Aboleth servitor (Ex): The juvenile daresh automatically fails any saving throws against psionic powers manifested against them by aboleths.
- Consume memories (Ex): The juvenile daresh gains access to the memories of any creatures whose brains it has eaten. This works as the speak with dead spell, except that there is no limit to the number of questions the daresh can ask and that the target creature does not get a saving throw.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2, Cha +2.
Skills: A juvenile daresh gains skill points as an aberration and has skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier) x (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation - the juvenile daresh gains aberration skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature's list as well as Bluff as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
Challenge Rating: +1
Alignment: Usually lawful evil.
Level Adjustment: +2
Daresh, Adult
Adult Daresh have fully transformed their host body into something capable of housing their vast intellect. The brain case is visibly swollen to twice its size, which makes it impossible to mistake the daresh for an ordinary member of the host species, and the host's skin is now covered with a disgusting, grey slime. While they now can no longer hide among members of the host creature's species, they often make up for this by developing potent psychic powers, usually gaining levels in the psion (telepath) class.
Daresh are usually considered "Adult" until they have reached an age of approximately one hundred years.
Creating an Adult Daresh
"Adult Daresh" is a template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to aberration. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus or saves.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +2 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).
Special Qualities: An adult daresh has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities:
- Aboleth servitor (Ex): The adult daresh automatically fails any saving throws against psionic powers manifested against them by aboleths.
- Consume memories (Ex): The adult daresh gains access to the memories of any creatures whose brains it has eaten. This works as the speak with dead spell, except that there is no limit to the number of questions the daresh can ask and that the target creature does not get a saving throw.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2, Int +4, Cha +4, Wis +2.
Skills: An adult daresh gains skill points as an aberration and has skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier) x (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation - the juvenile daresh gains aberration skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature's list as well as Bluff as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
Challenge Rating: +2
Alignment: Usually lawful evil.
Level Adjustment: +4
Daresh, Elder
The brain cases of Elder Daresh have swollen so much that their bodies have great difficulties in supporting their weight, and as a result they prefer to spend most of their time sitting, with various braces relieving the pressure on their bodies. They might not be very mobile, but their massive mental powers ensure that they are usually in control of any daresh communities.
Elder daresh usually live to an age of 150 years. At this point, their brain cases burst and reveal 50-100 new larval daresh. Not surprisingly, many elder daresh try to delay this fate, with some even turning to undeath to avoid it.
Creating an Adult Daresh
"Elder Daresh" is a template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to aberration. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus or saves.
Speed: Divide the creature's speeds by half, and round up to the next 5 ft..
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +4 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).
Special Qualities: An elder daresh has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities:
- Aboleth servitor (Ex): The elder daresh automatically fails any saving throws against psionic powers manifested against them by aboleths.
- Consume memories (Ex): The elder daresh gains access to the memories of any creatures whose brains it has eaten. This works as the speak with dead spell, except that there is no limit to the number of questions the daresh can ask and that the target creature does not get a saving throw.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex -2, Con +4, Int +8, Cha +8, Wis +4.
Skills: An elder daresh gains skill points as an aberration and has skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier) x (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation - the juvenile daresh gains aberration skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature's list as well as Bluff as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
Challenge Rating: +4
Alignment: Usually lawful evil.
Level Adjustment: +6
Well, what do you think? Are the challenge ratings and level adjustments appropriate. Is this creature interesting enough, or should I put in a few additional twists? And do you have any further suggestions?
And with "all the familiar tropes of D&D", I meant all the common races, spells, magic items - and monsters.
And then Wizards of the Coast pulled some very noteworthy monsters out of the SRD, such as mind flayers and illithids.
Bummer.
By then, I had already written these two species into Urbis. So I needed a substitute for them, despite my original intention not to add any new stuff...
Oh, well. Here is the first draft of a creature that will substitute for mind flayers, and I'd like to have some input on them. I've tried to create a creature that fills the same "ecological niche" as mind flayers without being too derivative...
Daresh
Daresh are a species of aberrations that have been created as scouts by aboleths. They have been seeded on various worlds and formed their own communties deep in the bowels of the earth or below the habitats of other beings - without knowing their ultimate purpose.
Daresh change drastically during their life cycle, and thus are represented by several entries.
Daresh, Larval
Fine Aberration (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 1/4 d8 (1 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), climb 5 ft., swim 10 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (+8 size), touch 18, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-20
Attack: Bite -4 melee (1)
Full Attack: Bite +8 melee (1)
Space/Reach: 1/2 ft.
Special Attacks: Brain burrow
Special Qualities: Aboleth servitor
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 6, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +9, Hide +9, Move Silently +9, Swim +9.
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or Swarm (5-20)
Challenge Rating: 1/4
Alignment: Always lawful evil.
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -
Larval daresh look like tiny, slimy grey worms 2 inches in length with a large mouth filled with sharp teeth.
The larval stage of the daresh have only one goal: The acquisition of a host body. To this end they hide near places where larger creatures congregate and try to catch one sleeping so that they can slither into their nose, ears, or mouth and burrow into their brains. Usually, however, adult daresh plant them directly on a captured victim.
Combat:
Larval daresh are almost helpless against a determined opponent, and accordingly avoid direct combat at all costs. They will always try to catch a potential host unaware.
Brain burrow (Ex): If a larval daresh makes a successful attack against a prone living creature, it slithers into the nose, ear, mouth, or similar orfice and burrows into the target's brain after an additional 1d4 rounds, doing 1 point of damage per round and 1 point of permanent Wisdom and Intelligence damage once it arrives in the brain. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Reflex save to get the daresh off it before it is too late (DC 20 if the target was previously unaware of the Daresh). Once it is within the target's brain, the daresh can cast a suggestion at will against the target (DC 12). The suggestion will usually be: "There is nothing wrong with you apart from a headache, which will go away on its own eventually. The daresh will then start devouring the brain of the target, causing a permanent loss of 1 point of permanent Wisdom and Intelligence damage to the target every six hours. Once either Wisdom or Intelligence reach zero, the target is dead and the daresh enters the juvenile stage of its life.
Aboleth servitor (Ex): The larval daresh automatically fails any saving throws against psionic powers manifested against them by aboleths.
Skills: Larval daresh have a +8 racial bonus on Climb, Hide, Move Silently and Swim checks. A larval daresh can always choose to take 10 on Climb or Swim checks, even if rushed or threatened.
Daresh, Juvenile
Juvenile daresh are daresh that have recently (within the last two years) found a host body and eaten its brain. They have attained complete access to the host's memories and control the body like a puppet. While they are often still weak in this form, they are nonetheless very dangerous because they look just like the host creature and can perfectly imitate it.
Creating a Juvenile Daresh
"Juvenile Daresh" is a template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to aberration. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus or saves.
Special Qualities: A juvenile daresh has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities:
- Aboleth servitor (Ex): The juvenile daresh automatically fails any saving throws against psionic powers manifested against them by aboleths.
- Consume memories (Ex): The juvenile daresh gains access to the memories of any creatures whose brains it has eaten. This works as the speak with dead spell, except that there is no limit to the number of questions the daresh can ask and that the target creature does not get a saving throw.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2, Cha +2.
Skills: A juvenile daresh gains skill points as an aberration and has skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier) x (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation - the juvenile daresh gains aberration skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature's list as well as Bluff as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
Challenge Rating: +1
Alignment: Usually lawful evil.
Level Adjustment: +2
Daresh, Adult
Adult Daresh have fully transformed their host body into something capable of housing their vast intellect. The brain case is visibly swollen to twice its size, which makes it impossible to mistake the daresh for an ordinary member of the host species, and the host's skin is now covered with a disgusting, grey slime. While they now can no longer hide among members of the host creature's species, they often make up for this by developing potent psychic powers, usually gaining levels in the psion (telepath) class.
Daresh are usually considered "Adult" until they have reached an age of approximately one hundred years.
Creating an Adult Daresh
"Adult Daresh" is a template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to aberration. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus or saves.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +2 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).
Special Qualities: An adult daresh has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities:
- Aboleth servitor (Ex): The adult daresh automatically fails any saving throws against psionic powers manifested against them by aboleths.
- Consume memories (Ex): The adult daresh gains access to the memories of any creatures whose brains it has eaten. This works as the speak with dead spell, except that there is no limit to the number of questions the daresh can ask and that the target creature does not get a saving throw.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2, Int +4, Cha +4, Wis +2.
Skills: An adult daresh gains skill points as an aberration and has skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier) x (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation - the juvenile daresh gains aberration skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature's list as well as Bluff as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
Challenge Rating: +2
Alignment: Usually lawful evil.
Level Adjustment: +4
Daresh, Elder
The brain cases of Elder Daresh have swollen so much that their bodies have great difficulties in supporting their weight, and as a result they prefer to spend most of their time sitting, with various braces relieving the pressure on their bodies. They might not be very mobile, but their massive mental powers ensure that they are usually in control of any daresh communities.
Elder daresh usually live to an age of 150 years. At this point, their brain cases burst and reveal 50-100 new larval daresh. Not surprisingly, many elder daresh try to delay this fate, with some even turning to undeath to avoid it.
Creating an Adult Daresh
"Elder Daresh" is a template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to aberration. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus or saves.
Speed: Divide the creature's speeds by half, and round up to the next 5 ft..
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +4 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).
Special Qualities: An elder daresh has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities:
- Aboleth servitor (Ex): The elder daresh automatically fails any saving throws against psionic powers manifested against them by aboleths.
- Consume memories (Ex): The elder daresh gains access to the memories of any creatures whose brains it has eaten. This works as the speak with dead spell, except that there is no limit to the number of questions the daresh can ask and that the target creature does not get a saving throw.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex -2, Con +4, Int +8, Cha +8, Wis +4.
Skills: An elder daresh gains skill points as an aberration and has skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier) x (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation - the juvenile daresh gains aberration skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature's list as well as Bluff as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
Challenge Rating: +4
Alignment: Usually lawful evil.
Level Adjustment: +6
Well, what do you think? Are the challenge ratings and level adjustments appropriate. Is this creature interesting enough, or should I put in a few additional twists? And do you have any further suggestions?
