Volcano Pig

Casimir Liber

Adventurer
So this is a personal one as one of my kids coined this concept when they were little and I adapted it later. Figured it was cool - combining the destructive energy of a rampaging wild boar with earth and fire - magma paraelemental plane criter....anyway @Cleon what you reckon?

Pondering on them having a rocky crust and soft hot interior and how that can translate into an unusual combat feature - maybe "any hit from a piercing or slashing weapon that does more than 15 damage resultis in a gout of superheated air and flame from its wounded hide to all within 5 feet? DC 12 DX save to avoid 1d8 fire damage"?
 

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Cleon

Legend
Updated version - also incorporated a quasi-bloodied reaction...

volcanopig2-png.149989


Okay, this appears to be based on a combination of a Fire Elemental, Earth Elemental and Giant Boar, which makes sense considering the concept.

Can see some questionable elements in the stats, but I don't have time to comment on them now since I'm about to set out for a bit.

Might post some feedback later, but more likely it'll be in a day or three.

Have a fair amount of stuff coming up in the start of the week.
 




Cleon

Legend
Okay, I'll post a blank monster and then go through the Volcano Pig writeup with comments/suggestions.

It'll likely take a few days to get through the whole thing.
 

Cleon

Legend
Volcano Pig
Large elemental, neutral
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 92 (8d10 + 48)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 10 ft.

STR​
DEX​
CON​
INT​
WIS​
CHA​
18 (+4)​
10 (+0)​
22 (+6)​
5 (–3)​
9 (–1)​
5 (–3)​

Damage Vulnerabilities cold
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages understands Ignan and Terran but cannot speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3

Volcanic Charge. If the volcano pig moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a tusk attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. In addition, if the target is a creature or a flammable object, it takes 7 (2d6) fire damage and catches fire; until someone takes an action to douse the fire, the creature takes 5 (1d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

Hot Inside. Volcano pigs radiate heat, but not intensely enough to cause damage unless their rocky skin is broken. If the pig takes 8 or more piercing or slashing damage from an attack a gout of superheated air and flame bursts from the wound, causing 1d6 fire damage to all targets within 5 feet. However, if a volcano pig takes 5 or more points of cold damage over one round this chills its crusty exterior, cooling its heat gouts enough they cause no damage that round. Once the pig is reduced to 30 hp or less, its cracked hide produces a gout of heat whenever it takes any amount of damage from an attack that does not include cold damage.

Relentless (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). If the volcano pig takes 20 damage or less that would reduce it to 0 hit points, it is reduced to 1 hit point instead.

Water Susceptibility. For every 5 feet the volcano pig moves in water, or for every gallon of water splashed on it, it takes 1 cold damage.

Actions

Multiattack. The volcano pig makes one tusk attack and one snort attack.

Tusk. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) slashing damage.

Snort. Melee Weapon Attack: The volcano pig exhales a gout of superheated gas at one opponent within 10 feet. The target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the target is a creature or a flammable object, it also ignites if it fails the save. Until a creature takes an action to douse the fire, the target takes 5 (1d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.

Lava Bomb (Recharge 5-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. The lava bomb then explodes in a shower of lava and incandescent gas; all targets within 10 ft. of the impact must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the target is a creature or a flammable object, it also ignites if it fails the save. Until a creature takes an action to douse the fire, the target takes 5 (1d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.


Description
Volcano pigs, also known as magma boars, are beings from the Plane of Magma (the border plane between the Elemental Planes of Fire and Earth). They resemble sturdy giant boars with a crusty brown-black rocklike hide. These creatures have magma-like fluid for blood and their vital organs are incandescently hot. However, their stony exterior is so thick and insulating their skin only feels uncomfortably hot to the touch. The pigs' eyes, nostrils, mouth and veins glow orange-red from their internal heat, and their fiery lungs continuously breathe out smoke, hot ashes and cinders. If a volcano pig's skin is cracked by disease or injury its wounds spurt scorching fluids or gases, then angrily glow redly until they heal.
Gluttonous Arsonists. Outside their native plane, a volcano pig's nature is highly destructive to its surroundings. They eat almost any material that will burn, with timber and thatch cottages being particular favorites. Volcano pigs also consume heat, inhaling flames and drinking molten lava. They relish setting objects alight and savoring the fumes. A volcano pig can live in places cool enough for normal humanoids to inhabit, but it finds them uncomfortably cold and must eat vast quantities of flammable materials to fuel its internal fires (keeping a pet magma boar is as costly as continuously running a forge). They prefer to sustain their heat using external sources such as magma pools or forest fires.
Elemental Beasts. Volcano pigs can be summoned to the Material Plane by conjuration magic, though some wander through natural gates of their own accord in such places as volcanoes or lava flows. Malevolent wizards have been known to summon them in forests or crowded cities to spread burning mayhem.

(Original monster designed by Casimir Liber and Cleon on the Creature Catalog Monster Homebrews forum)
 
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Cleon

Legend
Updated version - also incorporated a quasi-bloodied reaction...
Volcano Pig
Large elemental, neutral
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (5d10 + 25)
Speed 50 ft.

Okay, 52 hits is far too few for a Challenge 5 melee monster. A Fire Elemental has 102 hp and an Earth Elemental has 126 gp.

Either increase the Hit Dice to around twice the current number for Hit Points 104 (10d10 + 50) or so or keep the HP/HD and aim for a lower Challenge of around 3.

The speed feels a bit iffy. I'd prefer 40 ft. like a Giant Boar. That's equidistant between a Fire Elemental's 50 ft. and an Earth Elemental's 30 ft. so seems appropriate.

I'd consider giving the Volcano Pig one a Burrow Speed like an Earth Elemental, although maybe a slower one like burrow 10 ft or 20 ft.?
 
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