Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ieattrollsforbreakfast 06-11-07, 02:55 PM	Well, the pressure of work is gone, so I can get back to the monsters! If you're a regular reader, you might notice I take a lot of inspiration from whatever book/show/movie/game I've been reading/watching/playing recently, and this monster is no exception. See if you can guess what it was that inspired this strange creature... A hulking creature ambles slowly through the forest. A long tail with shaggy hair drags behind it, and the shorter fur of its body is streaked with red stripes. A long, wide, jawless snout filled with rows of teeth examines the ground at its feet. Grosenge (CR 5) Always N Large magical beast Init -1; Senses darkvision 60ft., low-light vision, life sense 60ft.; Listen +6, Spot +6 ======================== AC 15, touch 8, flat-footed 16 (-1 Dex, -1 size, +7 natural) hp 80 (7 HD) Fort +11, Ref +4, Will +6 Weakness brittle bones ======================== Speed 20ft. (4 squares), burrow 10ft. Melee bite +11 (2d6+5) and 2 claws +9 each (1d6+2) Space 10ft.; Reach 5ft. (10ft. with bite) Base Atk +7; Grp +16 Atk Options burrowing strike ======================== Abilities Str 21, Dex 9, Con 23, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Feats Endurance, Diehard, Multiattack Skills Listen +6, Spot +6 Advancement 8-14 HD (Large); 15-21 HD (Huge) ======================== Life Sense (Su) A grosenge can sense the presence all living creatures within 60ft. of itself, and need not make a Spot or Listen check to pinpoint creatures within this distance. Any opponent the grosenge cannot see still has total concealment against the grosenge, and the grosenge has the normal miss chance when attacking foes with concealment. Brittle Bones (Ex) Beneath its tough hide and fatty flesh, a grosenge’s bones are strong but brittle. Whenever a critical hit with a bludgeoning weapon deals damage to the grosenge, it becomes near immobile as its bones shatter. The grosenge takes 1d6 points of Dexterity damage, and takes 1d6 points of damage whenever it attempts to move, make a Reflex save, or make a Dexterity-based skill check. In addition, its base speed drops to 10ft, and its burrow speed to 5ft. The effects can be reversed by healing the Dexterity damage. Burrowing Strike (Ex) A grosenge’s powerful bite can tunnel through obstacles to reach its prey. A grosenge’s bite attack deals double damage against objects. If such an object is acting as cover for an opponent, the grosenge may make a free attack with its bite attack against that opponent if the cover is destroyed. Grosenges are hulking beasts search the forests floors of the Eldeen Reaches for their prey. Strategy and Tactics Grosenges are slow and simple creatures. They rely on their strength and toughness to overcome aggressors, clawing and biting while throwing their weight around, and destroy the scenery to intimidate potential threats. Sample Encounter Grosenges are usually solitary beasts, though mated pairs are not uncommon. They tend to stay away from communities, but are sometimes tamed as beasts of burden and to aid in hunting. Border Patrol (EL 7): Two Eldeen hunters (shifter ranger 3) and their grosenge pet search for intruders along their tribal borders. Ecology Grosenges are large creatures resembling giant anteaters found in the vast forests of the Eldeen Reaches, far from the influence of the Five Nations. Grosenges tend to prey on small burrowing mammals such as moles and rabbits, tracking such creatures from above their tunnels, and then boring through the ground with their powerful jawless mouths. This method often leads to grosenges swallowing large amounts of dirt and stones, and while the former is quickly vomited, the latter tends to collect in the grosenge’s gut. Stories of hunters finding gems and dragonshards in the stomachs of their kills, combined with the typical bone-breaking methods of the hunt, have lead to one of the more unusual of the western tribes’ customs: Effigies of grosenges, woven with twigs and leaves and filled with treats, are hung from trees at some of the more light hearted celebrations. It then falls to the children to break apart the effigies with clubs to retrieve the treats inside. Known as ‘pheenyartagh’ in the local shifter tongue, the tradition is beginning to spread to the east Reaches and even Aundair. Enviroment: Grosenges prefer equatorial forests, and are most common in the far western Eldeen Reaches. Typical Physical Characteristics: Grosenges stand roughly 6 feet at the shoulder, and measure near 13 feet from nose to the tip of the tail. A typical male weighs 600 pounds. Typical Treasure Grosenges do not collect treasure, like most animals, and so have no items or coins. However, half the normal amount of gems for a creature of its challenge rating can be found in its gut. Grosenge Lore Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about grosenges. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. Knowledge (Arcana) DC - Result 17 - This creature is a grosenge, a burrowing hunter of small mammals. This result reveals all magical beast traits. 22 – Grosenges can sense living creatures even through dense vegetation and earth. 27 – Grosenges have weak skeletons, making them especially vulnerable to a solid hit from a bludgeoning weapon. There it is. Comments/Suggestions anyone? :D
Zunishahd 06-11-07, 03:42 PM	Interesting creature! I especially like the the ‘pheenyartagh’-bit... made me chuckle. What do you think about adding the gem-in-the-gullet tidbit to the knowledge check results? Is that well known or obscure?
JiCi 06-11-07, 04:32 PM	Looks good Trolls, as always. The concept of an anteater is odd, but makes a nice addition, thought I would reduce the CR by 1 due to the brittle bones weakness. Aside from that, it's all good.
Teron Gorefiend 06-11-07, 09:32 PM	I'm sorry to nitpick (you can take it to mean I like the critter, for what that's worth), but I think a grosenge with broken bones should probably also take damage when it attacks or makes a strength-based skill check. I'm also unclear on how it bites without jaws. In any case, nice work as usual.
yrogerg 06-12-07, 01:09 PM	Got it. (http://gameads.gamepressure.com/tv_game_commercial.asp?ID=1108) Trolls, you are a bad, bad person.
Eled_the_Worm_Tamer 06-12-07, 06:35 PM	Never before have I seen any creature wander so far from its inspiration... took me a while to get the joke but made me laugh. Nice creature too.