1/29/2011 5:01:28 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Name Needle Gar
No. Enc. d4 (5d6)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 90' (30')
swim 180' (60')
AC 4
HD 6
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d8 +blood drain
Save F3
Morale 6
Hoard Class none
These 12-15' long fish have gills, lungs, fins and legs. They are also transparent and effectively invisible underwater and at night. The beak has been modified to drain blood and if the fish hits with an 18+, it sucks an additional 2d8 points of damage before withdrawing from the victim's flesh and returning to the lair. Needle gar are visible after feeding for d4 hours while it is digesting the blood. They are found in the rivers that originate at the Wellspring and come ashore to hunt at night. Though they lair in weedy areas, needle gar will travel several miles on land and in the water to find food. As they do not kill many of their victims, the spear marks they make on wildlife (and the occasional person) are the best sign they are in the area.
Name Nayvar
No. Enc. 3d4 (6d8)
Alignment Neutral
Movement fly 180' (60')
enhanced flight 300' (100')
AC 6
HD 1/2
Attacks 1 or 1 (touch or magic missile)
Damage 50 xp or d6+1
Save M1
Morale 10
Hoard Class special
Nayvar are giant intelligent moths found in Anvil, the Kiln and the Vault. They are 3' long, immune to heat and cold attacks, can change color and their touch drains memories (experience points). They lair underground near access to the surface. They use the xp drained for defense (a magic missile costs 10 xp per caster level), to increase their speed (10 xp increases their flight for one turn) and to create crystals that enslave creatures to the moths' will. Anything intelligent that comes within a mile of the lair may be attacked mentally by the crystal. Treat this as a charm person spell except the moths have more control over their slaves (up to suicide attacks). Nayvar use their slaves as hands and constantly expand and upgrade their lairs. Wizards are commanded to create magic defenses and items that the moths can use directly, especially potions. Others do physical labor and provide their masters with all their creature comforts. Some are even sold to other races as docile servants. Some arena monsters are nayvar slaves as they can not be controlled in any other fashion except powerful, expensive magic. The only way to release the slaves is to destroy the crystal. It has an AC of 0, 100 hit points and its destruction kills all the nayvar it is connected to.
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1/30/2011 4:40:51 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Name Heart
No. Enc. 1 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 30' (10')
AC 6
HD 2
Attacks 1 (caustic blood)
Damage d4+4
Save F1
Morale 12
Hoard Class none
Name Brain
No. Enc. 1 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 30' (10')
AC 9
HD 1/2
Attacks 1 (spark)
Damage d4
Save M1
Morale 12
Hoard Class none
Name Bones
No. Enc. 1 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 60' (20') to 180' (60')
AC 4
HD 2
Attacks 1 (slam)
Damage d4+1
Save F1
Morale 12
Hoard Class none
Name Skin
No. Enc. 1 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 10' (3')
AC 9
HD 3
Attacks 1 (engulf)
Damage suffocation
Save T2
Morale 12
Hoard Class none
Most, if not all alchemists do not use protective gear. Their bodies aborb all kinds of nasty substances and over time this alters or kills them (usually in a gruesome manner). The Dragon article Curses in issue 229 is an excellent source of ideas on how this might affect alchemical workers. Another is that occasionally some of their organs animate, rip free and go on a rampage. Usually only one organ (or set of bones) does so- it takes a lot of reagents to animate the smallest body part.
Hearts pump caustic blood at their victims, inflicting acid damage to 20'.
Brains throw sparks. Most are electrical but some may be mental energy. The range is 20'.
Bones animate as a group- a whole limb (which the alchemist may survive), skull and spine or ribs. They scuttle around attempting to impale any living thing they encounter.
Skin animates as a whole and tries to engulf living creatures to suffocate them. Skin is immune to blunt weapons.
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1/30/2011 5:09:42 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Name The Black Eel
No. Enc. 1 (1)
Alignment Neutral
Movement swim 480' (160')
AC -4
HD 50
Attacks 2 or 1 or 1 (claws or tail or electric field)
Damage 3d6/3d6 or 4d12 or 10d6
Save F19
Morale 12
Hoard Class special
The Black Eel is a construct ship, a submarine that pirates in the Northen Ocean. It is large enough to carry a crew of 25 and can supply them with an unlimited amount of air and food. It is immune to pressure, can only be damage with +3 or better weapons, has a tail used to sink vessels and destroy underwater buildings (it can't be used on something as small as a human). To deal with humans, the sub can emit an electric charge that fries anything within 250', an attack that can be used every d4 rounds. A save versus death reduces this by half. The Eel has two grasping claws which is used on ships and underwater buildings. If both hit in a single round, the Eel tears out a part of the wall or hull and forms a water tight seal with its "mouth". The crew then enter the target and escape the same way. What makes the Eel much more useful than most ships is that she obeys the orders of her captain. She is no smarter than any other golem but that matter little when most of the time she has the advantage over he prey.
Some "creatures" don't really deserve stats. Plants and small animals that are objects and yet have psionic or magic powers. Or hell, just adding a spell or two to normal animals can get some interesting results.
My personal favorite, and one I would expect to be very popular on the Forge, are trees that cast Create Food and Water daily. I put the caster level at 10 but that doesn't matter much. They can reproduce slowly and their food can feed anything alive.
Locusts that emit a psionic call that induces hunger forces predators to gorge on the grasshoppers, other prey and even each other. The insects can't hurt anything human sized, at least by themselves.
Fish that have Raise and Lower Water. They make their own ponds and lakes to keep away from aquatic predators. They even have personal (or school) access via the spells if they need to leave to breed.
Not that they need it much on the surface of the Forge, but plants that cast Light or Continual Light can thrive almost anywhere the climate allows. Throw in Protection from Elements and Create Water and they can survive everywhere.
Mice that have Create Darkness have no eyes. They force cats and other predators to adapt to total darkness or starve to death. Or they might use Water Breathing and escape into streams and ponds where no cat will follow.
Fabricate is a fun spell that allows many creatures to build lairs. What would the lair of a swarm of house flies look like? Or wolves?
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1/31/2011 5:37:38 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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This is a bit more complex than my usual age charts as I wanted something to really drive home their potential.
Name Cracker
No. Enc. 1 (1)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 60' (20')
swim 30' (10')
AC 4
HD see chart
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage see chart
Save F (1/2 HD +1)
Morale 8
Hoard Class none
Found near temperate and tropical freshwater, crackers are giant terrapins. They have three life stages after hatching- wood, bone and stone. The woodcracker grows very quickly as it gorges on vegetation (its bite does double damage against plants). Anything in contact with the plants, such as wooden shields, may be eaten by accident. After a few days, the animal's diet turns to bone and marrow (its bite does double damage against bare flesh and bone). It becomes an ambush predator that hunts very much like crocodiles. After a couple years, the animal gains the ability to turn flesh to stone on contact (save versus spells to negate) and eats fossilized creatures (its bite does double damage to everything and is factored into the age charts). Unlike woodcrackers and bonecrackers, stonecrackers spend a great deal of time away from the burrow it dug as a hatchling. It does not leave a trail of statues behind it as it controls the effect and in fact occasionally feeds on flesh and bone. Each stage has value to spell casters and alchemists for components and reagents.
Woodcracker
Age (hours) Hit Dice Notes
0-1 1 bite does d2 (all damage doubled against plants)
2-5 2 bite does d4
6-10 3 bite does d6, AC 3, movement rates increase to 90' (30'), swim 60' (20')
11-20 4 -
21-30 5 bite does d6+2
31-40 6 bite does 2d4
41-50 7 -
51+ 8 bite does 2d4+2
Bonecracker (months) Hit Dice Notes
2-6 9 bite does 3d4 (all damage doubled against flesh and bone)
7-12 10 -
13-18 11 bite does 4d4
19-24 12 -
25-36 13 bite does 5d4
37-48 14 AC 2, movement rates increase to 120' (40'), swim 90' (30')
Stonecracker (years) Hit Dice Notes
2-10 15 bite does 8d6, touch fossilizes flesh
11-25 16 AC 1
26-50 17 bite does 10d6
51-100 18 AC 0
101+ 19 bite does 12d6
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2/1/2011 4:59:06 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Sometimes a creature doesn't have a common name. It makes sense to provide on from a design stand point but not from a setting stand point. And then there are those creatures that have many common names, one or more for each region they are found. Just something to keep in mind when designing your own critters.
Name Vine
No. Enc. 0 (6d8)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 0'
AC 5
HD 5
Attacks 1 or 1 (vine or root)
Damage special or 3d8
Save F3
Morale 12 (2 versus fire)
Hoard Class incidental
This is not a species, but rather several that are affected by areas of strong magic. They seem to be common on ruins in Wildwood but can be found in any tropical region with enough rainfall. The vines add meat to their diet by grappling anything that moves within 10'. Those trapped have a 50% chance of having their arms bound. They can escape by slaying the vine, burning it (which causes the vine to release immediately) or charming it with powerful magic. It takes the vine d2 round to position the prey near enough to its roots to allow them to drill and rip. The roots do triple damage to stone and they are among the most erosive plants on the Forge.
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2/2/2011 5:47:08 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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I have an idea for a "creature" but no idea how I would stat it. Intelligent landscape, storms, natural disasters and such. Or even a battle storm where the combatants are water and air elementals numbering in the scores to millions (the latter would be a battle cyclone).
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2/2/2011 4:15:06 PM
Greg Dent
Administrator
Posts: 195
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Derek Holland wrote:
I have an idea for a "creature" but no idea how I would stat it. Intelligent landscape, storms, natural disasters and such. Or even a battle storm where the combatants are water and air elementals numbering in the scores to millions (the latter would be a battle cyclone).
If you figure this out, you could take a stab at stats for Cryothan, the intelligent clacier that is moving north from the vault!
--
President, Epidemic Books
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2/3/2011 4:59:43 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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That's true. Actually I do know of one resource that covers creatures of that size (Distant Horizon's Eclipse) and it is basically "no human, or even collosal (sp), sized creature can affect monsters with sizes over 1/4 mile or so". Only area of effect spells have any chance of harming them and even then, what is 500 hit points to a creature with thousands of hit dice?
Name Plague Rat
No. Enc. d6 (3d6)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 180' (60')
swim 150' (50')
AC 6
HD 1-4
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d3-2d4
Save F (1/2 HD)
Morale 7
Hoard Class VII
Name Giant Flea
No. Enc. 10d6 (10d6)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 150' (50')
climb 120' (40')
AC 7
HD 1/8-1
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage 1
Save F0
Morale 10
Hoard Class none
Plague rats are feared not for the diseases they may carry but rather for the plague of fleas they transport. Normally they are the size (and have the stats of) normal rats. When they see fire, the rats enlarge themselves to between the size of a medium dog to a war horse. Their fleas also enlarge. When the fire is put out or the rats escape from it, they reduce back in size but not so with the fleas. The insects are permanently stuck in giant form and usually abandon the rats for larger hosts. Both the rats and fleas may carry disease and they may even have different diseases.
Name Blood Stain (Aquatic/Terrestrial)
No. Enc. 1 (1)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 90' (30')
swim 360' (120')
[burrow 360' (120')]
AC 4 [0]
HD 18
Attacks 2 (tentacles)
Damage 2d8/2d8 [3d8/3d8]
Save F12
Morale 8
Hoard Class XX
Name Skeeter [Gnawer]
No. Enc. 4d8 (special)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 30' (10')
fly 180' (60')
[90' (30')]
AC 6
HD 2
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d3
Save T1
Morale 10
Hoard Class none
Blood stains are liquid creatures found in water or, rarely, soil. They are powerful oozes that use other creatures to hunt. Water dwelling blood stains take mosquito eggs and infuse them with magic. The result are skeeters- 3' long insects with a 6' wingspan. Soil dwellers use ants and get gnawers, which are 2' long. Both insect mutants drain blood from warm blooded creatures for d6 rounds and then return to the stain that created them. The insect is consumed along with the blood. If a stain is tracked and attacked, it can turn all the appropriate insects in the area (scores to hundreds of thousands) into skeeters or gnawers but this reduces their hit points by half. Stains can also defend themselves with two tentacles and if need be, can escape in their element as few creatures can match their speed in such.
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2/4/2011 4:24:30 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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After reading the recent goings on in Penance, I was thinking of how would I change warfare in OB. Magic would play an important part as would creatures such as these:
Name Balloon Beast
No. Enc. 7+ (7+)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 180' (60')
AC 6
HD 2
Attacks 3 (claws and bite)
Damage d4/d4/d4
Save F1
Morale 12
Hoard Class none
One of several creatures meant to bolster a military force or blunt an invasion, balloon beasts are the cheapest. They are huge, impressive looking creatures that have little substance. Each has a unique appearance as not to arouse the suspicion of the enemy. The only thing out of place, at least from a distance, is the beasts' unusual speed. They seem to bound over the ground much faster than their bodies would indicate, thus the name for them. Balloon beasts are created with a 4th level spell (wizard, cleric and possibly druid and ranger). One is produced per caster level and they last one hour per caster level.
Name Living Mine
No. Enc. 9+ (9+)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 150' (50')
AC 4
HD 8
Attacks 3 (claws and bite)
Damage d6/d6/d8
Save F10
Morale 12
Hoard Class none
These creatures work best in small communities. They are meant to stop raiders and make invasions expensive in terms of blood. They look like the race living in their home until they are needed. When they see an enemy or are attacked, living mines howl to call the others in the area and transform into 10' tall humanoid reptiles. When the enemy is dead, the mines revert to their former appearance, though they will show wounds taken in battle. Living mines do nothing but patrol for danger and many can deplete the food stores of smaller communities. A 5th level wizard spell is needed to create them. One is produced per caster level and they last one month per caster level.
Name Slime Trooper
No. Enc. 10d6 (10d6)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 90' (30')
AC 4
HD 3
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d8
Save F4
Morale 12
Hoard Class none
Created to make armies out of plants, slime troopers are humanoid fungi. They are created from a central mass that can cover several acres. The more plants fed to the mass, the faster the production of troopers, to a maximum of one per hour. Though they only last a month, the troopers' numbers and poison give them an advantage over base soldiers. The poison does 5 points of damage on a successful save and 20 points of damage if the save is failed. Slime troopers are 6' tall, have a fibrous skin that is difficult to cut and puncture and have a huge maw with many fungal teeth. A 9th level wizard or 7th level druid spell is needed to create a mother mass and it lasts until the creator wills it otherwise. In fact the troopers only obey the spellcaster and if he dies, they die.
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2/5/2011 5:48:38 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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A new race that could make for an interest bunch of seeds.
Name Scalid, Larva
No. Enc. 0 (4d8)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 150' (50')
AC 6
HD 2
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d3
Save T1
Morale 5
Hoard Class none
Name Scalid, Young
No. Enc. 6d4 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 120' (40')
AC 5
HD 4
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d6
Save F3
Morale 11
Hoard Class none
Name Scalid, Worker
No. Enc. 10d6 (100d6)
Alignment Lawful
Movement 120' (40')
AC 5
HD 6
Attacks 1 (weapon)
Damage by weapon
Save F6
Morale 8
Hoard Class V
Name Scalid, Adult
No. Enc. d4 (3d6)
Alignment Lawful
Movement 120' (40')
AC 4
HD 12+
Attacks 2 or 1 (claws or weapon)
Damage d6/d6 or by weapon +8
Save M12+
Morale 10
Hoard Class XXI
Scalids are magical reptile people with a complex lifecycle. Larvae, brown snake like creatures, hatch from the eggs. They are 6' long and are cared for by the workers and adults. After a few months of growth, they gain legs and become young. Young scalids are released into the wild on the surface to study, explore learn and eventually die. They are omnivores and most people consider them mild pest, especially in their early years when they have yet to learn to talk. After their 50th birthday, young become more aggresive and search out those who would harm their people (morale 12). Any living creature (excluding outsiders, plants and elementals) that slays a young scalid after its 50th birthday becomes a worker scalid, no save. This process takes 5 rounds and the creature is helpless during the change. It retains some of its memories. For adventurers, this means a worker scalid has 1/2 of their old class levels. For creatures with supernatural powers, the worker retains them at a weaker level. Workers are bright red and orange, 8' tall and humanoid. They construct the scalid's ornate underground cities, farm the fungi they and the adults eat, ranch the insects they feed to the larvae, do most of the bartering and fill out the scalid defense forces. Those who survive to their 500th birthday go through a painful metamorphosis into adults. They are semi bipeds with 6 arms, crests and 5 more eyes. They walk on their 2nd and 3rd pairs of hands unless they needs to cast spells. Adults start with the ability to use magic as 12th level wizards as well as retaining the knowledge and powers from their days as workers. As they learn to lead their people, they become even more powerful. They are immune to 1st and 2nd level spells and resist all others at 25%. Adults are sages, diplomats, inventors as well as merchant lords and breeders. They die of old age around their 5th millenium and then their body turns to bronze. Their remains are used as statues to inspire the younger generations to greatness.
Scalids usually ally themselves with gnomes or dwarves and provide muscle when needed and magic when times are desperate. They live in the shallower areas underground and trade with surface communities, most so that their young aren't slaughtered as animals. Their cities are open and usually have a mixture of races. But they are the masters of their domain and others either follow their laws or are banished. Some one so marked in one city can not enter any of them- the adults of all cities communicate and assist each other, though politics occasionally limits this. Those scalid cities in or near deserts are more popular than most as they can produce much more food than surface communities. This creates a dependance but it is very rare for scalid adults to use this except in times of war.
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2/5/2011 6:16:04 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Name Scarlet Runner
No. Enc. d4 (3d6)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 120' (40')
climb 90' (30')
[150' (50')
climb 120' (40')]
AC 6
HD 3
Attacks 1 or 1 (slam or bite)
Damage d3 or d6+2
Save T3
Morale 4 (10)
Hoard Class VI
Normally these large monkeys are docile leaf eaters that use fairly weak punches to defend themselves. They are found in the temperate forests of Wildwood and Pennance. They are greenish brown except when Storm is alone in the sky. During those times, the primates turn bright red and turn carnivorous. Their teeth enlarge and sharpen. Going on a bloody rampage, the runners spread out and attack any warm blooded creature to gorge on as much meat as possible before Storm sets or Crux rises. Their nests typically have bones and swarms of flies in and below them.
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2/6/2011 6:04:57 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Name Noble Hound
No. Enc. 3d4 (3d6)
Alignment Lawful
Movement 240' (80')
AC 6 or armor
HD 3
Attacks 1 or 1 (telekinesis or bite)
Damage special or d6
Save F3
Morale 10
Hoard Class VII, XX
From a universe where dogs were uplifted to help human explore the stars, noble hounds were taken by Haiel to survive, or not, in the northern forests of Wildwood. They are telekinetic and each can lift 1-6 objects with a total weight of 100-150 pounds. Noble hound can speak and have adapted almost as well as ologatu. They build warrens like those of rabbits or badger setts. The homes are sprawling and have several escape routes as well as lethal traps to deal with some of the smaller predators that abound in these forests (smaller being a maximum human sized). The build these homes as far from towns as they feel safe as they do not want to draw trouble from either civilization or the wilderness. Noble hounds wear armor and clothing and most are fairly wealthy. Their ability to scent is less than a normal dog but still better than a human so suprising them is difficult for most creatures.
Name Anchie
No. Enc. d20 (10d10)
Alignment Neutral
Movement see chart
AC 7
HD see chart
Attacks 1 (slap)
Damage see chart
Save m (HD)
Morale 9
Hoard Class incidental
Anchie are found in the Central and Northern oceans are a major thorn in the ceptus' attempts at world domination. They are intelligent sea lilies that slow as they age, eventually anchoring to the sea bottom and taking up an advisory role. They cast spells as magic users of a level equal to their hit dice. Anchie communities are not cities or towns per se as they make little in infrastructure and care nothing for wealth. Cravasses are created by the elders to keep themselves hidden from the larger predators, including ceptu armies, and annoying seekers of knowledge. As anchie age, they develop a hivemind within their generation and the information they store is simply amazing. As they care not for wealth, trying to get them to give up this information is difficult. Some barter for other knowledge but most are apathetic to anything less than a full scale invasion (and most are pigheaded enough to die before speaking even in that case). The only group that gets results are telepaths as anchie magic has little or no effect on psionics.
Age (years) Hit Dice Notes
0-50 4 damage is d3, movement is swim 180' (60')
51-100 6 damage is d4, movement is swim 150' (50')
101-150 8 damage is d6, movement is swim 120' (40'), hivemind forms
151-200 10 damage is d8, movement is swim 90' (30'), AC 5, is size large
201-250 15 damage is d12, movement is swim 30' (10'), gains double first and second level spells
251-300 25 damage is 2d8, movement is swim 10' (3'), gains double third level spells, is size huge
301+ 40 damage is 3d8, movement is 0', gains double fourth and fifth level spells
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2/7/2011 5:08:54 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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All (most?) of the races in OB so far are based on real biology more or less. Why not have some that aren't?
Name Black Mud
No. Enc. d4 (3d6)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 30' (10')
swim 90' (30')
AC 9
HD 4
Attacks 1 (slam)
Damage special
Save F3
Morale 5
Hoard Class incidental
Found in the lakes and swamps of southern Wildwood, black muds are intelligent oozes. They are feared not for their ability to suffocate their prey but rather their experiments. Their spellcasters are rune mages and they form the runes with their entire bodies. Every since they were pulled on to the Forge, all black muds have been attempting to discover the method of returning home. They are quiet alien in though but a few have been able to hire others to search out the answer. In combat, they are very difficult to slay as they are harmed only by +3 or better weapons and spells. Killing one generally means the rest retreat but occasionally they mark the murderers for death later via magic. When they discover the method of creating keys of binding (the only way they can escape), the muds will start travelling the Forge attempting to find all the components to allow their entire species to escape as one.
Name Blister Wasp
No. Enc. swarm
Alignment Neutral
Movement 10' (3')
fly 60' (20')
AC 3
HD 12
Attacks contact
Damage 2d6
Save F6
Morale 10
Hoard Class special
Not wasps or even insects, blister wasps are intelligent green and brown crystals. They look like 3" tall sea urchins and the tips of their are very fragile. Anyone foolish enough to touch one or earn their ire must save versus poison or have some of the tips stuck in their flesh. Every time the victim fails a save, one hit point is drained (ie can not be healed). Only surgery or cure disease will restore these lost hit points. They have no eyes but can detect everything within 50' with sonar. Blister wasps need bare stone to nest and and breed. Several of the larger ruins in Wildwood and much of the undercity of Penance have blister wasp colonies. They are hiveminds and are quite willing to guide or inform in exchange for certain gems such as topaz and garnet. Some find their telepathic speech painful and races such as nightlings and valco either avoid or destroy them. The name comes from both the wounds they inflict and the effect their nest has on stone.
Name Billus
No. Enc. 3d4 (3d4)
Alignment Lawful
Movement 90' (30')
AC 4
HD 6
Attacks 4 (slams)
Damage d6+2/d6+2/d6+2/d6+2
Save F6
Morale 10
Hoard Class VI
Found only in Arena, billus are intelligent creatures made from something similar to stone. They have no organs yet bleed a black goo when injured. Their stance is on eight legs and four protective wing like structures emerge from their spherical bodies. Their diet is made up of bone and earth elementals and their mouths are on the bottom of their body. As they are immune to natural heat and pitting, billus prefer to hunt in sand storms. They are blind yet can detect anything within 200' (similar to the haze's mindsight). An honorable people, billus are hired by many as guides or guards. In combat they bat with their wings and are strong enough to crush stone. Many, especially the guides, have assistants to help them carry their gear and money (something quiet alien to their homeworlds).
Name The Rainbow People
No. Enc. d4 (5d6)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 120' (40')
AC 8
HD 25 (attacks as 5 hit die monster)
Attacks 2 (slashes)
Damage d20/d20
Save F19
Morale 12
Hoard Class special
Another inhabitant of Arena, the rainbow people are made of glass. They are photosynthetic and change their color scheme every time they consume sand. Rainbow people have several shapes- spider, centipede, snake and canine are the most common. They aren't exactly races but each individual has a perfered shape and rarely changes to another and the different shapes tend to live seperately. Though they are fragile, rainbow people can melt and reform themselves easily (regeneration 15 in addition to their high hit dice). Their attacks are with razor thin limbs and if they strike an armored opponent without causing damage (and attack roll of 1-5 below the number required), they take 2d6 points of damage as the limb shatters. Rainbow people live in pits made of liquid glass and trade special kinds of glass with other races. They do accept coins but as these are held at the bottom of the pit, other races don't bother trying to steal them. Wizards are not common and they specialize in light and crystal based spells.
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2/8/2011 5:09:18 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Name Star Walker
No. Enc. 3d6 (?)
Alignment Lawful
Movement fly 600' (200')
AC 3
HD 5
Attacks 1 (ray)
Damage 3d6
Save F9
Morale 11
Hoard Class VII, special
Star walkers are creatures made of darkness. Their features are all but impossible to see and apparently they have no faces. They do have 3 limbs used as arms and legs, they fly without wings and they can emit rays that sear flesh. A ray has a range of 100' and can strike only one target. Star walkers are immune to mundane weapons and have a magic resistance of 25%. They live between the stars and the Forge, spinning huge webs that collect the divine energy leaking from the planet. The only time they are seen on the surface is when they are selling some of the energy in brightly glowing vials*. What they do with the energy they keep or the money they take in exchange for the energy is unknown. How many there are in the universe is likewise unknown.
*The divine energy can be used to replace up to 1/2 the xp needed for an enchantment of the flesh. The amount the walkers charge is usually 10 gp per xp worth of energy.
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2/9/2011 5:19:48 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Name Blood Farmer
No. Enc. 2d4+8 (10d8)
Alignment Lawful
Movement 90' (30')
AC 2
HD 3
Attacks 1 (touch)
Damage 3d4
Save M3
Morale 6
Hoard Class VII, XXII
Found in Arena, Penance and the Kiln along the oceans' shores, blood farming community are hives of activity. The farmers themselves are wingless beetles with 4 different forelegs, tools used in their work. Blood farmers can not speak Common and hire interpreters to speak for them. Blood farmers have 4 components to their society- alchemists, grafters, merchants and workers. They do not have, nor need, leaders. Blood farms are made up of burrows and glass houses. Pipes and retorts filled with alchemical reagents (many of them red), vats of growing flesh and hatcheries are found under glass. The farmers use the proceeds of their work to buy raw materials and luxury items (they love toys and games). People from all over the Forge (and some from beyond) come to them looking for specialized, powerful alchemical substances as well as upgrades to their bodies. The latter can be represented in several ways- low level spells, changes to attribute scores or other bonuses.
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2/12/2011 8:14:53 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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A MF critter I think would work wonders (or actually horrors) for an OB campaign. Some times farming can be much more dangerous than one might think.
Name Wild Ricebean
No. Enc. 3d6 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 90' (30')
AC 6
HD 3
Attacks 1 or 1 (seeds or leaves)
Damage 3d4 or special
Save L2
Morale 11
Hoard Class none
Beanrice is a common wasteland crop. It needs little water and can survive, but not thrive, in poor soil. When it escapes, beanrice turns feral in a single generation. Farmers who grow beanrice know to clip certain stalks and leaves, lest the crop become dangerous. The stalks bear secondary, explosive seeds (range 10') and the leaves can change color, hypnotizing any who see them (save versus stun).
Mutations: dazziling display, free movement, full senses, explosive fruit
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2/21/2011 4:58:30 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Name Grave Worm
No. Enc. 1 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement burrow 60' (20')
AC 6
HD 4
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d8
Save L8
Morale 12
Hoard Class special
Created to rob the dead, grave worms are 20' long constructs made of insects, worms and other invertebrates. Grave worms dig into coffins, take the buried valuables and consume the creatures that came to eat the corpse. In combat they regenerate 6 hit points per round whenever they have access to any invertebrates (so almost all the time) as living animals replace the dead. Some have a toxic attack depending on the animals that make up their mass. They are temporary constructs and only last one hour per caster level. High level necromancers have found ways to prolong this (with higher level spells) and even make grave worm familiars.
Name Killer Sand
No. Enc. d10 (d100)
Alignment Neutral
Movement burrow 90' (30')
AC 4
HD 8
Attacks 1 (slam)
Damage 3d6
Save L4
Morale 12
Hoard Class incidental
Killer sand is an ooze that spends most of its life as a sack of normal sand. When a dormant killer sand touches water, it revives in d4 round and attempts to drain all moisture from the area. Their attack does half physical damage and half dessication damage. When it starts to dry, the sand burrows as deep as possible and then breaks up into a hundred or more tiny killer sands. They have a huge death rate as they die if exposed to the sun without access to water.
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3/4/2011 4:54:27 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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Another MF critter that would work well on the Forge.
Name Cave Worm
No. Enc. 1 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement burrow 180' (60')
AC 5
HD 150
Attacks 1 (swallow whole)
Damage swallow whole
Save L21
Morale 12
Hoard Class XXII (X5)
Mutations: aberrant form, gigantism, loss of trait
Name Spring Worm
No. Enc. 0 (4d4)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 30' (10') jump 150' (50')
AC 6
HD 2
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d4+2
Save L1
Morale 9
Hoard Class none
Mutations: aberrant form (natural attack), gigantism
Cave worms are 600' long kaiju seen on the surface rarely. They are much wider than tall and have a very unusual method of predation. They come to the surface, swallow whole many different creatures and then return to the depths. Anything within 25' of the worm's target is automatically swallowed. The worm has lost all of its digestive enzymes and in fact its gut is mostly dry. It waits for the creatures it swallowed to slay and consume each other. By the end only spring worms, giant nematode symbionts of the worm, remain and they consume everything else. The cave worm survives on the waste of the spring worms as well as the creatures it swallowed. Spring worms are nasty because they normally survive in the cave worm's blood stream. They can slip into and out of the gut anywhere without damaging the lining. They coil and spring when attacking and their heads are reinforced with something like chitin (ie it isn't soft like an earthworm). There can be many thousands of spring worms in a cave worm and most people who are swallowed never have a chance at escape.
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3/6/2011 5:07:02 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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More MF critters that work well on the Forge. And they cover several domains.
Name Umbrella Roach
No. Enc. d10 (6d4)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 180' (60') burrow 30' (10')
AC 5
HD 6
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d6
Save L8
Morale 4 day, 12 night
Hoard Class VII in nest
In the most brutal hot deserts, umbrella roaches build concrete shades to keep cool during the day. The insects are 8' long and their shades are 30-50' high. The roaches slowly move during the day, keeping out of direct sun. Come nightfall, the break up into groups and devour all the dead plants and animals within scuttling range of the shade (usually those that died from the heat). People who want to use the shade drive the cockroaches underground using fire. But they only stay till dusk. Once the sun goes down, the insects come up and don't back down from a fight. People don't eat them or even rend water from them because of the class 8 poison in their hemolymph.
Mutations: chemical gland, gigantism, immunity to poison, increased sight, neural telekinesis, toxic weapon
Name Howling Roach
No. Enc. swarm
Alignment Neutral
Movement 90' (30') burrow 10' (3')
AC 6
HD 18
Attacks contact
Damage 2d6
Save L2
Morale 12
Hoard Class incidental
High in the mountains, howling roaches carve exposed stone. The resulting surface alters the pitch of the wind's sound and acts as a lure. Every creature 10 miles downwind must save versus stun or be drawn to the stone and allow themselves to be consumed. Even though the bodies and skeletons of scores to hundreds of creatures can be found around the stone, the victims still wander helplessly towards their doom. As the roaches don't have to eat as much as a vertebrate, there are even creatures that wait days to die. If the wind stops, the victims regain their senses and may attempt to escape or kill the insects- a difficult proposition as most of the time they hide deep within the bedrock.
Mutations: aberrant form (natural weapon)
Name Dam Fish
No. Enc. d6 (0)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 10' (3') swim 210' (70')
AC 6
HD 10
Attacks 1 (bite)
Damage d6
Save L5
Morale 5
Hoard Class none
Giant catfish weighing in at two tons, dam fish are found only in rivers and lakes. Dam fish can "walk" but do so slowly and surface only when scavenging. They telekinetically control water, forming dams in rivers or massive, stagnant waves in lakes. When the water hits a certain level, the fish release it, causing a flood. The dam fish then surface and eat every animal that drowned or was battered to death. People who hunt them must use very long ranged weapons as the fish do use the water for defense. A water shield reduces damage from most weapons by half and totally negates most energy weapons. Only explosives can get through.
Mutations: aberrant form (xenomorphism), gigantism, neutral telekinesis
Name Breeze Barnacle
No. Enc. swarm
Alignment Neutral
Movement 0'
AC 3
HD 12
Attacks special
Damage special
Save L1
Morale 12
Hoard Class incidental
These tiny creatures are terrestrial moss animals. They can not survive UV and so are found in permanently shaded areas. So named because they are constantly inhaling, the barnacles convert some of the elements in the air to food and poison for defense. Large patches produce enough air movement to drive off spiders and other animals that need stagnant air. If damaged, a patch will release a cloud of class 6 poisonous gas. This cloud is 30' in diameter and lasts for a turn. The mystery of the breeze barnacle is how it spreads. One day a ruin can be free of them and the next several patches adorn their interior walls.
Mutations: aberrant form, chemical gland, epidermal susceptibility, toxic weapon
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3/14/2011 4:38:42 AM
Derek Holland
Posts: 366
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And yet more MF critters that would work very well on the Forge.
Name Weed Wacker
No. Enc. 1 (2d4)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 90' (30')
AC 6
HD 10
Attacks 1 (tongue)
Damage special
Save L6
Morale 8
Hoard Class none
A giant anteater, the weed wacker has become herbivorous. Its tongue is covered with a powerful enzyme that destroys plant matter and allows the creature to slurp up the remains. A hit means the plant must make a save versus death. Failure means death and the plant is cut in two. Success means the plant takes 5d4 points of damage. Against non-plants, the tongue does d6 points of damage. Weed wackers are popular with tribes that have to deal with many dangerous plants. The downside is they move slowly (usually 30' (10')) and devour all green matter in front of them, leaving bare soil behind. Useful for farming, no so good for hiding from monsters. And it also allows some types of burrowing monsters access to places they were formerly denied.
Mutations: gigantism, special
Name Phoenix Plant
No. Enc. 0 (1)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 0'
AC 4
HD 12
Attacks special
Damage special
Save L6
Morale 12
Hoard Class none
This small tree has bark that glows with a patchwork of brilliant colors. It can be seen up to a mile away at night and colors draw and hypnotize creatures. It produces seeds but they do not germinate until exposed to powerful radiation (gamma eyes or class 6 or better). When an adult phoenix plant dies, it detonates exposing everything within 1/2 miles to class 8 radiation and 5d6 points of damage. Save versus energy attacks to halve the damage. The nearby seeds then germinate and grow but somehow only the strongest survives. It sucks the life out of all the others within a mile, giving itself a significant boost for growth and energy storage. There are many people who try to grow phoenix trees to use their colors as entertainment, divine inspiration or as weapons to deal with monsters and outsiders. Fortunately most fail as they do not provide the needed radiation.
Mutations: dazzling display, special
Name Magnet Snake
No. Enc. 1 (d8)
Alignment Neutral
Movement 150' (50')
AC 5
HD 3
Attacks 1 or 1 (tail or bite)
Damage special or d4
Save L2
Morale 6
Hoard Class VII in lair
Found usually in ruins and badlands, magnet snakes are best left alone. They are 6' long and fairly docile. When annoyed they strike large metal objects with their tail. Only robots and basic androids have a save, versus stun, to avoid being magnitized. The pull of the resulting magnet is equal to a strength of 20 and the field is 30' in diameter. People in affected metal armor usually fall over as their legs are stuck to each other. Or they are drawn to the magnet and can't escape without assistance. If a magnet snake is harmed, it uses its class 6 venomous bite and attempts escape. Some people keep them as pets or guardian creatures. The latter are surrounded with small metal objects meant to engulf invaders (rules for that is up to the GM).
Mutations: toxic weapon, special
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