Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ieattrollsforbreakfast 04-08-07, 08:17 PM	Just a quick note: If your name is Belabras, Flame Drake, Forged Fury, Akavasha D'Morney, Lakom or Dreaming Wolfman, its probably a good idea to stay away from this monster for the time being. You can probably guess why. ;) For the rest of you, I now present the skumling. Its a kind of lesser skum and another fishy slave race of the aboleths. I don't know what more I can say, so I'll just give you the monster. A small, fish-like humanoid with dark green scales crouches in the shadows. It flexes its long, webbed claws and its mouth opens wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth. A spiny crest runs down its back, ending in a short, stumpy tail. Thick mucus covers its skin. Skumling (CR 1) Usually LE Small aberration (aquatic) Init +3; Senses darkvision 60ft.; Listen +2, Spot +2 Languages Aquan ======================== AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +1 size, +2 natural) hp 8 (1 HD) Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +0 ======================== Speed 20ft. (4 squares), swim 30ft. Melee 2 claws +2 each (1d4+1) and bite -3 melee (1d6) Space 5ft.; Reach 5ft. Base Atk +0; Grp +3 or -9 (see text) ======================== Abilities Str 12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 9 SQ amphibious, mucus Feats Toughness Skills Hide +9, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Spot +2 Advancement by character class; Favoured Class rogue ======================== Mucus (Ex) Skumlings are coated in a layer of sticky mucus. Whenever a skumling is hit with a melee weapon, the weapon becomes stuck to its skin. The attacker may immediately attempt a DC 12 Strength check to rip away the weapon. If the check is failed and the weapon is not attached to the bearer, the attacker can choose to let go, in which case a touch attack against the skumling is required to grab the weapon again. Otherwise, the skumling can make an attack of opportunity against the attacker. Creatures stuck to the skumling through this ability are not grappled, but are treated as flat-footed and cannot move beyond the reach of the stuck weapon away from the skumling. A stuck creature can attempt a new Strength check as an attack action. The mucus also grants skumlings a +6 racial bonus on Climb checks and Grapple checks made to initiate or maintain a grapple, and a -6 penalty on Escape Artist checks and Grapple checks made to escape a grapple. Skills Skumlings have a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Listen and Spot checks underwater. A skumling has a + 8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special actions or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line. Skumlings are a smaller variant of the skum race, created by the aboleths to serve as slaves and sometimes spies and assassins. Strategies and Tactics Skumlings prefer to attack from ambush, gaining the upper hand early in a fight. They usually swarm larger opponents in melee, grappling spellcasters and stealing the weapons of melee combatants using their mucus. Sample Encounter Skumlings group are usually found alone, in the case of spies or assassins, or in large groups. Skumlings in large groups often mix with skums and other aberrations allied with, or controlled by, their aboleth masters. Lord of the Deep (EL 9): An aboleth controls a sunken ruin, and is protected by a band of eight loyal skumlings. Ecology Skumlings are created by aboleths, the ancient masters of the deep. Like skum, skumlings are made to serve their masters loyally and without question as slaves, but particularly talented skumlings serve as spies and assassins. As skum are derived from human stock, skumlings are created from goblins. As such, skumlings may be more common than skum in areas controlled by goblins, such as certain parts of the swampy wilderness in the Shadow Marches and Darguun. Although skumlings are aberrations, they hate the creatures of Xoriat with a passion. The aboleths are children of Khyber, not the realm of madness, and when the Daelkyr invaded Eberron the skumlings found their own lands invaded by the extraplanar aberrations. Even after the war, the rise of the Cults of the Dragon Below dedicated to Xoriat creatures was seen as a terrible blasphemy by the skumlings, who knew their own masters to be true creatures of Khyber, while the Daelkyr and their minions were merely invaders in the underground realm. Environment: Skumlings are found in across Eberron, in deep waters alongside the aboleths that choose to remain hidden, and in the swamps where more active aboleths weave their schemes. Typical Physical Description: Skumlings are of similar build to goblins, standing 3 to 3-1/2 feet tall and weighing 40 to 45 pounds. Alignment: Skumlings are obedient followers of their aboleth masters, making them usually Lawful Evil. Typical Treasure Skumlings are not permitted by their masters to own possessions, and as such carry no treasure. Skumlings as Characters Skumlings are sometimes trained as spies and assassins, taking levels in classes such as rogue or ranger. Skumling adepts and clerics worship their aboleth overlords as a type of cult of the Dragon Below. Level Adjustment: +3 Skumling Lore Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about skumlings. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. Knowledge (Arcana) DC - Result 11 - This creature is a skumling, a aberrant humanoid often found in swamps. This result reveals all aberration traits. 16 – Similar to their aboleth masters, skumlings are coated in very sticky mucus. 21 – Skumlings were originally created by aboleths from goblin stock.
JiCi 04-09-07, 06:57 AM	Hmmm... interesting, very interesting Trolls. As delvers have a acid that can be neutralized, how about a way to wash off the mucus and adding a cooldown for the skumling to secrete more mucus ? Like alcohol, vinegar and such ? For example: Skumling: "Can you douse on me this barrel of ale, please ?" PC: "Why for ?" Skumling: "I can't get out of these ropes... that's why." I think you should you grant the skumling a bonus when it initiates a grapple, but a penalty when escaping a grapple. Aside from that, it's all good ?
ieattrollsforbreakfast 04-09-07, 12:41 PM	Hmmm... interesting, very interesting Trolls. Cheers :) As delvers have a acid that can be neutralized, how about a way to wash off the mucus and adding a cooldown for the skumling to secrete more mucus ? Like alcohol, vinegar and such ? For example: Skumling: "Can you douse on me this barrel of ale, please ?" PC: "Why for ?" Skumling: "I can't get out of these ropes... that's why." That's a pretty good idea. I think 1 point of acid damage might do the trick...neutralising the mucus for 1 minute? Maybe 1d6 rounds? I think you should you grant the skumling a bonus when it initiates a grapple, but a penalty when escaping a grapple. Already in there, at the end of the mucus description, along with bonuses/penalties to climb and escape artist.
JiCi 04-09-07, 05:38 PM	That's a pretty good idea. I think 1 point of acid damage might do the trick...neutralising the mucus for 1 minute? Maybe 1d6 rounds?1 minute seems to do the trick; it keeps a regularity over the skumling's metabolism. Already in there, at the end of the mucus description, along with bonuses/penalties to climb and escape artist.Whoops... my bad. Nevermind that then :P