M v. K voting - best Mournland aberration [Archive] - Wizards Community

M v. K voting - best Mournland aberration [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ORC_Paradox
09-22-05, 12:54 AM Mournland vs. Khyber first-stage voting - best Mournland aberration

It's time to see which of our contestants goes on to represent the Mournland in this battle of the aberrations. You have the following terrifying creations to choose from:

1: Overwrought by Slagger the Chuul

2: Weeping Willow by Save-vs-DM

Every vote counts, so get voting - this poll ends Friday at noon EST, and the winner goes on to face the winning Khyber aberration in the second-stage poll, ending mid-day Sunday.

Overwrought:
Are you sure you'd want warforged with full healing? Unnatural things can happen when you try to combine the energy of life with the forged body of a construct, but there's a ruined country out there where someone might try something dangerous. What if the result was a creature whose body spits in the face of nature, but whose mind never even learnt how and why not to destroy?

Perhaps a little like this.

Overwrought
Medium Aberration (Psionic)
Hit Dice: 12d8+72 (126 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
AC: 19 (+1 Dex, +8 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+14
Attack: Tendrils +14 melee (1d4+5 plus wrought infection) or slam +11 melee (1d4+2)
Full Attack: Tendrils +14 melee (1d4+5 plus wrought infection) and 2 slams +11 melee (1d4+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Constrict, improved grab, psi-like abilities, wrought growth, wrought infection
Special Qualities: Adamantine plating, damage reduction 2/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., light fortification, immune to disease, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, poison, and sleep effects, regeneration 9
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +10
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 12, Con 22, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 17
Skills: Concentration +15, Listen +7, Spot +7
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Open Minded, Power Attack, Stand Still
Environment: Any land
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: 13-18 HD (Medium); 19-24 HD (Large)

The adamantine plates that make up this creature's armoured form constantly buckle and flex as fibrous tendrils burst forth, only to be severed as the plates reshape themselves. As it advances, grasping metal hands and tortured limbs form from the ground, as though some mechanical charnel was concealed just beneath the surface.

The overwrought were part of an experiment that simultaneously failed catastrophically, and succeeded beyond all expectations. In the years following the Last War, the Lord of Blades sought to make warforged that were more alive; weaving the residual magic of a cataclysm into a terrifying life energy and instilling it in the very fibres of their being. Most burst their bodies within moments of their awakening and dispersed into nothingness. Some collapsed within themselves. A few managed to house a life force so aggressive that it could not be fully contained, even by their own eternal bodies. Only a few of these disastrously "overwrought" specimens ever emerged from the creation forge, and all were driven off because of the dangerous effect they caused within their environment.
Despite their prodigious abilities, the overwrought are mentally stunted compared to normal warforged, denied access to formative training because of their unusual state. The psychic powers that all overwroughts possess are seeded by their powerful desire to make contact with other creatures. Their attacks serve but one purpose; to obtain companionship and guidance, by force if necessary. They have learnt no better.
Overwroughts spend their time wandering the Mournland in an effort to make contact with other warforged, which usually do not survive the encounter. On rare occasions, the body of a warforged slain by an overwrought becomes a new overwrought. Overwroughts avoid each other, seeing no advantage in the company of other knowless creatures.

COMBAT
An overwrought pursues opponents relentlessly, its regeneration allowing it to absorb all but the most severe damage without pause. It makes frequent use of id insinuation in an attempt to contact the mind of its target.
Constrict (Ex): An overwrought automatically deals damage with its tendrils on a successful grapple check.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an overwrought must hit a Medium or smaller opponent with its tendrils. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.
Psi-Like Abilities: At will--body purification (8 points*), detect hostile intent, id insinuation (five targets, DC 19*). 1/day--fuse flesh (DC 19). Manifester level 11th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
*Includes augmentation for the overwrought's manifester level.
Wrought Growth (Su): All surfaces within a 30-foot radius of an overwrought sprout misshapen warforged limbs and parts that flail and grasp at nearby creatures. The affected area is considered difficult terrain for any creature except an overwrought. Each round, on the overwrought's turn, all creatures in the area are automatically subject to a grapple attempt (the growths have a total bonus of +10) with no initial touch attack required. If they fail, they are grappled by the various appendages in the area and take 1d4 points of damage. Creatures already grappled by the growths are not subject to an additional attack; the grapple check is simply repeated each round.
The aberrant growths become inert and decay into rusty powder as the overwrought moves away. Only the area within 30 feet of the overwrought remains under this effect.
Wrought Infection (Su): Creatures struck by an overwrought's tendrils must make a DC 22 Fortitude save or be infected by its rampant life force. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d4 points of Constitution damage as warforged parts grow on and over its flesh. Creatures immune to disease are immune to this effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Adamantine Plating (Ex): The adamantine plating originally used to build an overwrought provides a +8 armour bonus and grants damage reduction 2/adamantine. This plating is not natural armour and does not stack with effects that give an armour bonus (other than natural armour). This plating occupies the same space on the body as a suit of armour or a robe, and thus an overwrought cannot wear armour or magic robes. An overwrought can be enchanted just as armour can be. The creature must be present for the entire time it takes to enchant it.
Adamantine plating also provides an overwrought with a 35% arcane spell failure chance. An overwrought is considered to be wearing heavy armour that allows a maximum Dexterity bonus of +1 and provides a -5 armour check penalty.
Light Fortification (Ex): When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a warforged, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damage is instead rolled normally.
Regeneration (Ex): Acid and electricity deal normal damage to an overwrought . If an overwrought loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 1d4 rounds. The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump.

Weeping Willow:
Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (68 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 Size, -2 Dex, +8 Natural), touch 7, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+16
Attack: Slam +12 (1d8+9 plus 1d6 negative energy)
Full Attack: 4 Slams +12 (1d8+9 plus 1d6 negative energy)
Space/Reach: 10 ft/15 ft.
Special Attacks: Animate dead, improved grab, mournful tears
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., damage reduction 5/good and magic, spell resistance 15
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +8
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 7, Con 19, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 17
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +13, Move Silently +9, Spot +13
Feats: Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (Slam)
Environment: Mournlands
Organization: Solitary + 1d8 Zombies
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Double goods
Advancement: 9-14 HD (Huge); 14-20 (Huge)
Level Adjustment: --

Before you is a large and twisted Weeping Willow tree standing alone in the landscape. It appears to have been twisted in the mourning and several corpses seem to hang from the tree, swaying slowly in the slight breeze. The tree holds an aura of evil and malevolence in the still night air of the Mournlands. As you approach the corpses slowly start moaning and spring from the tree, shambling towards you with undead speed.

The Weeping Willow have only existed on Eberron for roughly four years, dating to the day of mourning. Once simply trees where criminals and innocent alike were hung by mobs, they have long stood in deserted fields and moors across the nation of Cyre. During the mourning these trees were given a malevolent intelligence when the magical firestorm that created the Mournlands ripped through Cyre.
Weeping Willows are also sometimes called Hanging Trees. The undead that sway in the branches have lent this aberration its unusual name, for they are sometimes the more deadly threat. Composed of the worst murders and those who were hung without cause, they both fight like demons under the command of the Weeping Willow.
Another unusual facet of the Weeping Willow are the small tears that constantly pour from the leaves and bark of the creature. These tears can bring about a sense of deep sadness and some say that if you collect them each tear holds a vision of the mourning seen from the eyes of each of the dead a Weeping Willow has animated.
Weeping willows prefer to wait in lonely moors or in the midst of old battlefields or graveyards, waiting in perfect stillness for weeks at a time. They draw nutrients from blood soaked earth and the very taint of the mournlands.

Combat
Weeping Willows are ambush hunters, posing as simple hanging trees until prey come within striking range. They are somewhat intelligent but utterly twisted and seek only to destroy the living, driven by the memories of both criminal and dead innocent alike.
Animate Dead (Sp): If a weeping willow slays a living creature with its slam attack the weeping willow can place the corpse in its branches to hang. The corpse is animated as a zombie of the same size 1d4 days later under the control of the weeping willow. A weeping willow can control a number of undead created in this manner equal to two times its hit dice.
Blindsight (Ex): Though the weeping willow has no eyes, its entire body is a crude sensory organ. Weeping willows can sense all foes within 60 feet as a sighted creature could. Beyond that range, they treat all targets as having total concealment.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a weeping willow must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Mournful Tears (Sp): The weeping willow constantly exudes salty tears infused with the deep sadness at the loss of Cyre. As a full round action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity the weeping willow can shudder and spray a cloud of tears in a 10 foot radius centered on the weeping willow. Any living creature in this area must succeed at a DC 15 Will save of succumb to the effects of a crushing despair spell (caster level 8th). The save DC is Charisma-based.
PoeticJustice
09-22-05, 02:23 AM Ignore.
Solarious
09-22-05, 04:54 PM The Weeping Willow has the innocent seeming and creepiness that typifies the Mournland. Its also one of my favorite trees, which helps. Great work, Save-vs-DM! :thumbsup: Going to be hard deciding between you and trolls. :weep:
MarkB
09-23-05, 01:06 PM Voting is now closed.

Congratulations, Save-vs-DM, the Weeping Willow goes on to face the Shalkhaar in the final.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ORC_Paradox 09-22-05, 12:54 AM	Mournland vs. Khyber first-stage voting - best Mournland aberration It's time to see which of our contestants goes on to represent the Mournland in this battle of the aberrations. You have the following terrifying creations to choose from: 1: Overwrought by Slagger the Chuul 2: Weeping Willow by Save-vs-DM Every vote counts, so get voting - this poll ends Friday at noon EST, and the winner goes on to face the winning Khyber aberration in the second-stage poll, ending mid-day Sunday. Overwrought: Are you sure you'd want warforged with full healing? Unnatural things can happen when you try to combine the energy of life with the forged body of a construct, but there's a ruined country out there where someone might try something dangerous. What if the result was a creature whose body spits in the face of nature, but whose mind never even learnt how and why not to destroy? Perhaps a little like this. Overwrought Medium Aberration (Psionic) Hit Dice: 12d8+72 (126 hp) Initiative: +1 Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares) AC: 19 (+1 Dex, +8 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 18 Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+14 Attack: Tendrils +14 melee (1d4+5 plus wrought infection) or slam +11 melee (1d4+2) Full Attack: Tendrils +14 melee (1d4+5 plus wrought infection) and 2 slams +11 melee (1d4+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with tentacles) Special Attacks: Constrict, improved grab, psi-like abilities, wrought growth, wrought infection Special Qualities: Adamantine plating, damage reduction 2/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., light fortification, immune to disease, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, poison, and sleep effects, regeneration 9 Saves: Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +10 Abilities: Str 20, Dex 12, Con 22, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 17 Skills: Concentration +15, Listen +7, Spot +7 Feats: Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Open Minded, Power Attack, Stand Still Environment: Any land Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 10 Treasure: None Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral Advancement: 13-18 HD (Medium); 19-24 HD (Large) The adamantine plates that make up this creature's armoured form constantly buckle and flex as fibrous tendrils burst forth, only to be severed as the plates reshape themselves. As it advances, grasping metal hands and tortured limbs form from the ground, as though some mechanical charnel was concealed just beneath the surface. The overwrought were part of an experiment that simultaneously failed catastrophically, and succeeded beyond all expectations. In the years following the Last War, the Lord of Blades sought to make warforged that were more alive; weaving the residual magic of a cataclysm into a terrifying life energy and instilling it in the very fibres of their being. Most burst their bodies within moments of their awakening and dispersed into nothingness. Some collapsed within themselves. A few managed to house a life force so aggressive that it could not be fully contained, even by their own eternal bodies. Only a few of these disastrously "overwrought" specimens ever emerged from the creation forge, and all were driven off because of the dangerous effect they caused within their environment. Despite their prodigious abilities, the overwrought are mentally stunted compared to normal warforged, denied access to formative training because of their unusual state. The psychic powers that all overwroughts possess are seeded by their powerful desire to make contact with other creatures. Their attacks serve but one purpose; to obtain companionship and guidance, by force if necessary. They have learnt no better. Overwroughts spend their time wandering the Mournland in an effort to make contact with other warforged, which usually do not survive the encounter. On rare occasions, the body of a warforged slain by an overwrought becomes a new overwrought. Overwroughts avoid each other, seeing no advantage in the company of other knowless creatures. COMBAT An overwrought pursues opponents relentlessly, its regeneration allowing it to absorb all but the most severe damage without pause. It makes frequent use of id insinuation in an attempt to contact the mind of its target. Constrict (Ex): An overwrought automatically deals damage with its tendrils on a successful grapple check. Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an overwrought must hit a Medium or smaller opponent with its tendrils. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict. Psi-Like Abilities: At will--body purification (8 points), detect hostile intent, id insinuation (five targets, DC 19). 1/day--fuse flesh (DC 19). Manifester level 11th. The save DCs are Charisma-based. *Includes augmentation for the overwrought's manifester level. Wrought Growth (Su): All surfaces within a 30-foot radius of an overwrought sprout misshapen warforged limbs and parts that flail and grasp at nearby creatures. The affected area is considered difficult terrain for any creature except an overwrought. Each round, on the overwrought's turn, all creatures in the area are automatically subject to a grapple attempt (the growths have a total bonus of +10) with no initial touch attack required. If they fail, they are grappled by the various appendages in the area and take 1d4 points of damage. Creatures already grappled by the growths are not subject to an additional attack; the grapple check is simply repeated each round. The aberrant growths become inert and decay into rusty powder as the overwrought moves away. Only the area within 30 feet of the overwrought remains under this effect. Wrought Infection (Su): Creatures struck by an overwrought's tendrils must make a DC 22 Fortitude save or be infected by its rampant life force. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d4 points of Constitution damage as warforged parts grow on and over its flesh. Creatures immune to disease are immune to this effect. The save DC is Constitution-based. Adamantine Plating (Ex): The adamantine plating originally used to build an overwrought provides a +8 armour bonus and grants damage reduction 2/adamantine. This plating is not natural armour and does not stack with effects that give an armour bonus (other than natural armour). This plating occupies the same space on the body as a suit of armour or a robe, and thus an overwrought cannot wear armour or magic robes. An overwrought can be enchanted just as armour can be. The creature must be present for the entire time it takes to enchant it. Adamantine plating also provides an overwrought with a 35% arcane spell failure chance. An overwrought is considered to be wearing heavy armour that allows a maximum Dexterity bonus of +1 and provides a -5 armour check penalty. Light Fortification (Ex): When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a warforged, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is negated and damage is instead rolled normally. Regeneration (Ex): Acid and electricity deal normal damage to an overwrought . If an overwrought loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 1d4 rounds. The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump. Weeping Willow: Large Aberration Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (68 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares) Armor Class: 15 (-1 Size, -2 Dex, +8 Natural), touch 7, flat-footed 15 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+16 Attack: Slam +12 (1d8+9 plus 1d6 negative energy) Full Attack: 4 Slams +12 (1d8+9 plus 1d6 negative energy) Space/Reach: 10 ft/15 ft. Special Attacks: Animate dead, improved grab, mournful tears Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., damage reduction 5/good and magic, spell resistance 15 Saves: Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +8 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 7, Con 19, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 17 Skills: Hide +9, Listen +13, Move Silently +9, Spot +13 Feats: Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (Slam) Environment: Mournlands Organization: Solitary + 1d8 Zombies Challenge Rating: 7 Treasure: Double goods Advancement: 9-14 HD (Huge); 14-20 (Huge) Level Adjustment: -- Before you is a large and twisted Weeping Willow tree standing alone in the landscape. It appears to have been twisted in the mourning and several corpses seem to hang from the tree, swaying slowly in the slight breeze. The tree holds an aura of evil and malevolence in the still night air of the Mournlands. As you approach the corpses slowly start moaning and spring from the tree, shambling towards you with undead speed. The Weeping Willow have only existed on Eberron for roughly four years, dating to the day of mourning. Once simply trees where criminals and innocent alike were hung by mobs, they have long stood in deserted fields and moors across the nation of Cyre. During the mourning these trees were given a malevolent intelligence when the magical firestorm that created the Mournlands ripped through Cyre. Weeping Willows are also sometimes called Hanging Trees. The undead that sway in the branches have lent this aberration its unusual name, for they are sometimes the more deadly threat. Composed of the worst murders and those who were hung without cause, they both fight like demons under the command of the Weeping Willow. Another unusual facet of the Weeping Willow are the small tears that constantly pour from the leaves and bark of the creature. These tears can bring about a sense of deep sadness and some say that if you collect them each tear holds a vision of the mourning seen from the eyes of each of the dead a Weeping Willow has animated. Weeping willows prefer to wait in lonely moors or in the midst of old battlefields or graveyards, waiting in perfect stillness for weeks at a time. They draw nutrients from blood soaked earth and the very taint of the mournlands. Combat Weeping Willows are ambush hunters, posing as simple hanging trees until prey come within striking range. They are somewhat intelligent but utterly twisted and seek only to destroy the living, driven by the memories of both criminal and dead innocent alike. Animate Dead (Sp): If a weeping willow slays a living creature with its slam attack the weeping willow can place the corpse in its branches to hang. The corpse is animated as a zombie of the same size 1d4 days later under the control of the weeping willow. A weeping willow can control a number of undead created in this manner equal to two times its hit dice. Blindsight (Ex): Though the weeping willow has no eyes, its entire body is a crude sensory organ. Weeping willows can sense all foes within 60 feet as a sighted creature could. Beyond that range, they treat all targets as having total concealment. Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a weeping willow must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. Mournful Tears (Sp): The weeping willow constantly exudes salty tears infused with the deep sadness at the loss of Cyre. As a full round action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity the weeping willow can shudder and spray a cloud of tears in a 10 foot radius centered on the weeping willow. Any living creature in this area must succeed at a DC 15 Will save of succumb to the effects of a crushing despair spell (caster level 8th). The save DC is Charisma-based.
PoeticJustice 09-22-05, 02:23 AM	Ignore.
Solarious 09-22-05, 04:54 PM	The Weeping Willow has the innocent seeming and creepiness that typifies the Mournland. Its also one of my favorite trees, which helps. Great work, Save-vs-DM! :thumbsup: Going to be hard deciding between you and trolls. :weep:
MarkB 09-23-05, 01:06 PM	Voting is now closed. Congratulations, Save-vs-DM, the Weeping Willow goes on to face the Shalkhaar in the final.