Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Strabo 07-26-06, 12:32 PM	I was thinking about the Alien movies the other day, and thought that they might make a rather good monster for higher level characters to deal with an infestation (I'm thinking about CR 6 for the face-huggers [but in large numbers], CR 15ish for the soldier aliens, and CR 20+ for the queen). Problem is, I haven't made new monsters before. Some help could be appreciated. I'm planning on making the face-huggers tiny with a big racial grapple bonus (they latch onto your face and lay eggs in your chest, acidic blood, good jump score), the soldiers large-sized (special coup-de-grace attack with their secondary mouths, very fast, acidic blood), and the queen either gargantuan or colossal (acidic blood, barbed tail with acid damage, etc.) All of them have a good hide bonus when hidden by darkness, and do not have eyes (they see with some sort of echo location, like the Yrthak) **Acidic blood-when wounded, highly acidic blood spurts from the wound, dealing 2d6 acid damage to weapons? or creatures within 5 feet of the wound. I'm going to give them very high DEX scores to reflect their speed, and a movement speed of about 20 for the face-huggers, 50 for the soldiers, but I don't know how fast the queen should be (I'm thinking about 80) Should I make the soldiers intelligent? In the movies, they show some degree of intelligence, so I'm thinking maybe 8-9 INT. The queen is definitely intelligent, maybe 14-15. The face-huggers are as intelligent as your average rat. The egg I will probably make small sized, but I don't have any idea as for hardness/hp/break DC *The Alien Life-Cycle* A face-hugger attaches to the face of a small to large sized creature, choking the humanoid until it falls unconscious. The face-hugger then implants an egg in the victim's chest. After planting the egg, the face-hugger falls off and dies in 1d10+3 minutes. In 1d4+2 days, a baby soldier alien bursts from the victim's chest cavity, instantly killing the victim. After 1d4+3 days, the soldier alien has grown into the full-sized beast. The soldier alien's role is to defend the nest, and to bring unconscious creatures to the nest for face-huggers. An unconscious creature brought to the nest is secured to a wall with layers of a secreted glue-like fluid (STR DC 26 to break) with an egg about 5-10 feet in front of him. The egg opens like a flower, and a face-hugger attaches to the victim's face. Some face-huggers lay a queen alien egg inside it's victim. The egg incubates for 2d6+6 days, at which point the baby queen bursts from the victim's chest cavity, instantly killing the victim. After 2d8+9 days, the queen is full grown, and can lay eggs 3d6+10 days later. Aliens reproduce asexually, and the queen is the only variety that can lay eggs. A hive is usually ruled by a single queen, but there have been tales of enormous world-sized hives ruled by a single Paragon Sorcerer Advanced Queen (Colassal+, CR 30+) with many normal queens, millions of soldiers, and billions of face-huggers under her government. Such Queens are amazingly powerful, and are highly intelligent (INT 28ish) Do you like it?
Rickiel 07-26-06, 12:52 PM	I like the general idea so far, but before I get my books and go a-number crunchy for ya I'd like to point out that in the Aliens movies the baby soldiers take maybe a few hours to come out and a few hours to mature to size. So maybe if you adjusted the time frame to be 1d4+2 hours for the egg to hatch and 1d4+3 hours for the soldiers to mature (though that might be a bit slow even then...) Overall I think I'll be giving it another look soon and help ya make some of these baddies :)
Montyhaul 07-26-06, 01:31 PM	Sounds awesome. I know if I was a player and a freakin Alien came at me, I'd leg it. The closest thing I ever saw so far was the suspiciously familiar monster called a 'Kython' in the Book of Vile Darkness: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/bovd_gallery/88161_620_56.jpg (http://http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/bovd_gallery/88161_620_56.jpg) http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/bovd_gallery/88161_620_56.jpg
Callahan 07-26-06, 01:34 PM	http://members.toast.net/talien/michael/freebies/indexpredator.html they shouls really have this link up on the front page along with "how to kill Tarrasque"
Verelor 07-26-06, 03:02 PM	Click on Callahan's link. It is awesome stuff and has everything you need for d20 Aliens/Predator.
Anubis.c.k 07-26-06, 05:36 PM	hi theree if you have read tha alien books not the film one you would find that there broken into drones soliders and queen drones have a intelligence of a well trianed dog soliders a good average human and the queen was pushing top of our human limets hope this helps
Blaze_the_Dragon 07-26-06, 07:23 PM	The D20 Modern Champaign has stats for something very similar to Aliens.. Called Grendlespawn...Has stats for Hunters and the Queen, though I think they Omitted the Face Huggers..
Strabo 07-26-06, 09:51 PM	I wanted to make them pretty powerful, even epic in some cases. I like the Alien book, though. I think I'll use some of it. I don't like the "attached" queen thing, as they always seemed (in my mind, anyways) as a gigantic killing machine. I like the face-hugger, though. Well done. *steals*
Benicus 07-26-06, 10:19 PM	Hey, I'm a long time fan of the Alien/Predator mythos and currently would like to say: Good Job ol' Boy! Keep it up, I'll pop in every now and again and give my two cents. As for baby drones, no, Chestbursters, yes! The chestbursters also need to consume some type of food before they molt, larger than their own body mass. Also you forget, Predaliens (could be cool), Runners(Dog-Aliens), that freaky human one from alien ressurection (I personally hate it), oh and Pretorians. Pretorians are kind of like juvenille queens, they are drones that molt again. They are usually driven out of the colony and forced to make their own way, then several years later they molt again and take the form of a queen. They then return to their original colony and either take dominance or just take some of the drones.
Orchomenos 07-27-06, 12:59 PM	About the reproduction, it looks similar to the bees. When she leaves her native nest, a "princess" (unfeconded queen) is followed by a few drones who fecond her, and die short after. The queen now hold enough seed to hatch eggs for a few years. The Queen then lay eggs. The eggs hatch and give birth to larvaes (face huggers?), who does nothing but eating. Then the larva become a chrysalis (inside the victim's chest?), that then hatch as a full-grown bee. So for our allien monsters, that would introduce us a new variety: a drone. The drone might be like a soldier, but a bit stronger, and with a better intelligence. Perhaps some kind of "captain" or something like that?
Ront Iron-Roar 07-27-06, 05:37 PM	Don't forget the King Alien. More or less thier pretorians that molted into queens but do to some defect they couldn't fully mature. Instead they became far more aggressive to the point of attacking most other aliens. Surprisingly, enough they rarely attack the queen and often become guardians. Then there are the Reds.
Anubis.c.k 07-27-06, 06:33 PM	isnt there a creature that looks like them in one of the monster manuals im sure ive seen one
urial angel of death 07-27-06, 07:20 PM	steel predator looks like one, but it's stats and abilities are nothing like aliens.
frankthedm 07-27-06, 08:05 PM	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenomorph_%28Alien%29 has some decent Info. I’ve always like the idea the tail was venomous, though the movies have glossed over that. The D20 future rule set has a template that should be easy to build the critter with. EXTRATERRESTRIAL (TEMPLATE) The term “extraterrestrial” is used to describe creatures from other worlds. Extraterrestrials capable of space travel can be encountered almost anywhere. Some present themselves as friendly explorers, while others are interested primarily in conquest or colonization. Others are simply predators that make their way from one world to another. TEMPLATE TRAITS “Extraterrestrial” is an inherited template that can be added to any living creature (referred to hereafter as the “base creature”). The creature retains its original type. It uses the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Challenge Rating: Same as base creature, with modifiers as noted under Special Qualities, below. If the total CR modifier is a fraction, round up or down to the nearest whole number; for example, an extraterrestrial that gains a breath weapon (+2/3 CR), improved natural armor (+1/3 CR), and power resistance (+1/3 CR) has a total CR modifier of +1. Speed: The extraterrestrial can replace one of the base creature’s modes of movement for another, gaining the ability to burrow, climb, fly, or swim. Burrow: The extraterrestrial can burrow at a speed equal to one-half its base land speed. Climb: The extraterrestrial can climb at a speed equal to its base land speed. It also gains a +8 species bonus on Climb checks. Fly: The extraterrestrial has wings and can fly at twice the speed of its base land speed (poor maneuverability). Swim: The extraterrestrial can swim at a speed equal to its base land speed. It also gains a +8 species bonus on Swim checks. Special Qualities: An extraterrestrial retains all the special qualities of the base creature. It may also gain one or more special qualities, chosen from the following list: Special Quality CR Modifier Acidic blood +1/3 Blindsight +1/3 Breath weapon +2/3 Damage reduction 5/– +2/3 Death cloud +2/3 Energy resistance 10 +1/3 Fast healing 5 +2/3 Improved natural armor +1/3 Poisonous bite +2/3 Power resistance +1/3 Psionics +1/3 Scent +1/3 Acidic Blood (Ex): The extraterrestrial has acidic blood. Each time it takes damage, it deals acid damage to all adjacent creatures and objects as it splatters its blood on them. The amount of damage equals 1d6 per 3 Hit Dice of the creature (rounded down), to a maximum of 5d6 points. A successful Reflex save (DC 15) halves the damage. Acidic blood increases the creature’s CR by +1/3. Blindsight (Ex): Blindsight increases the creature’s CR by +1/3. Breath Weapon (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, the extraterrestrial can breathe a 30-foot cone of cold or fire, or a 60-foot line of acid or electricity. The breath weapon deals damage of the appropriate energy type to all opponents within the effect, and the amount of damage is equal to 1d6 per Hit Dice of the creature, to a maximum of 15d6 points. Targets who make a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 creature’s HD + creature’s Con modifier) take half damage. A breath weapon increases the creature’s CR by +2/3. Damage Reduction (Ex): The extraterrestrial gains damage reduction 5/–. Damage reduction increases the creature’s CR by +2/3. Death Cloud (Ex): When it dies, the extraterrestrial expels a cloud of poisonous gas that fills its fighting space and all squares within 10 feet. Any creature in the cloud must succeed in a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the dead creature’s Hit Dice + the dead creature’s Con modifier) to negate the initial and secondary effects (1d6 points of Constitution damage each). The death cloud increases the creature’s CR by +2/3. Energy Resistance (Ex): The extraterrestrial gains resistance 10 to one type of energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic/concussion). Energy resistance increases the creature’s CR by +1/3. Fast Healing (Ex): The extraterrestrial has fast healing 5. Fast healing increases the creature’s CR by +2/3. Improved Natural Armor (Ex): Increase the base creature’s natural armor by +3. This increases the creature’s CR by +1/3. Poisonous Bite (Ex): The extraterrestrial’s bite attack is poisonous. (Only creatures with a natural bite attack can gain this ability.) A successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the creature’s Hit Dice + the creature’s Con modifier) negates the effect. The poison’s damage can vary, as shown below; either roll randomly or choose the type that best suits the creature. A poisonous bite increases the creature’s CR by +2/3. Roll d% Initial Damage Secondary Damage 01–17 1d6 Str 1d6 Str 18–34 1d6 Dex 1d6 Dex 35–50 1d4 Con 1d4 Con 51–67 2d4 Wis 2d4 Wis 68–84 2d4 Cha 2d4 Cha 85–100 None Paralysis 1d6 hours Power Resistance (Ex): The extraterrestrial gains power resistance equal to its Hit Dice. Power resistance increases the creature’s CR by +1/3. Psionics (Sp): The extraterrestrial gains the use of one psionic power of 2nd level or lower. It can use this power three times per day. This ability increases the creature’s CR by +1/3. Scent (Ex): This ability increases the creature’s CR by +1/3. Feats: An extraterrestrial may replace one of the base creature’s feats with the Planetary Adaptation feat. If the base creature has no feats, it does not gain Planetary Adaptation as a bonus feat.
Twink_007 07-27-06, 08:19 PM	well, hell, we don't need to say much, now.....thats all i'm saying. Thats pretty impressive.
Strabo 07-27-06, 11:05 PM	Thanks for the format frankthedm. Looks pretty useful, I think I'll use it. (Flying Aliens?!? *Shudders*) Which skills should the Aliens have racial bonuses for? I'm thinking climb, swim, jump. Also, I believe that in Aliens (the 2nd movie), they spit acid. It's been a while since I've seen it, though, so I would appreciate anyone telling me about this. I like the egg's psionic ability to lure prey towards it. I prefer the idea of them being intelligent, it would make them even scarier if it would wait to attack until the party was asleep. . . Wow that wiki site is detailed. *Ohh they climb on the ceiling! Yay even more fun!*
frankthedm 07-29-06, 06:02 AM	Also, I believe that in Aliens (the 2nd movie), they spit acid. It's been a while since I've seen it, though, so I would appreciate anyone telling me about this.IIRC in the second movie the alien did not 'spit' the acid, the acid sprayed onto a marine when the alien was shot in the mouth. In the 4th movie the alien in the containment cells learned thier blood was corrosive. Once they seemed to realize that, they sacrificed one of thier number to escape the cell. In AVP it was shown again that the alien will realize it's blood is acid when presented with evidence of such. The alien then improvised it as a weapon. That alien then freed the queen from her bindings by biting her, causing her to bleed her acid, melting her restaints. In the comics and video games some develop the nack to spit thier acid IIRC.
Zombayz1 07-29-06, 07:24 PM	Why don't we just use these: Alien, Facehugger Tiny Aberration Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp) Initiative: +9 (+5 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft. Defense: 18 (+5 Dex, +2 size, +1 natural) Attacks: Tail +5 melee or Grapple +7 Damage: Tail 1d2+3 Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft/5 ft Special Attacks: Acid blood, improved grab, leap attack, constrict, implant Special Qualities: Blindsight (60 ft.), energy resistance (cold 5, electricity 5), immune to acid, gas, vacuum, and mind-altering effects Saves: Fort +0, Ref +5, Will -1 Abilities: Str 17, Dex 21, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 4, Cha 2 Skills: Climb +15*, Hide +15*, Jump +15* Feats: Improved Initiative Challenge Rating: 1 Looking somewhat like a long-tailed, pasty white spider, the facehugger is short-lived outside the egg, which normally protects it. It will be dead within a few (1d4+1) hours after leaving its egg. Armed with a long grasping tail and the single-mined desire to impregnate a single selected prey using its extending probe, it will fearlessly pursue and attack a single selected target until it has succeeded in attachment or it or its target is dead. COMBAT Facehuggers typically wait inside an egg, springing out on an unsuspecting victim with their Leap Attack. Rather than deal damage, they try to grapple their prey to implant an embryo in them. Facehuggers that leave their eggs before there is a victim nearby typically try to hide, often by climbing walls, and leap onto unsuspecting prey. If that fails, they chase their prey, using their speed and climbing and jumping ability to quickly reach their target. Acidic Blood (Ex): When a facehugger takes damage, it deals 1d6 acid damage to any creatures or objects within its square. A successful Reflex save (DC 15) halves the damage. Leap Attack (Ex): If attacking from its just opened egg, the facehugger gains a +4 circumstance bonus to an attack against a flat-footed opponent within range of its Jump check. Improved Grab (Ex): If the facehugger hits with its tail attack, it can attempt to start a grapple as a free action. Despite the facehugger’s small size, the fact that the majority of its muscles are in its tail give it the ability to effectively grapple as a Large creature. The facehugger gains a +4 bonus to grapple checks and can grapple creatures of up to Medium size. Implant (Ex): Once a facehugger has successfully pinned a grappled opponent, it secretes a fluid which renders the victim unconscious (no saving throw). The facehugger then keeps the victim alive for approximately 24 hours while it implants a single Alien embryo. After this has occurred, the facehugger detaches from the victim and dies. An implanted host must weigh at least 30 lbs for a drone embryo to develop. The host must weigh at least 50 lbs. for a praetorian. The host of a queen must weigh at least 100 lbs. This gestation period takes 1d4 hours for the drone and praetorian chestburster and 7+1d4 hours for a queen chestburster. The only way to remove the embryo between the time of implantation and birth is through a Heal check (DC 25). If the check fails, the surgeon can try again, but each attempt (successful or not) deals 1d6 points of damage to the patient. Constrict (Ex): A facehugger can constrict for 1d6 points of damage each round on a successful grapple check, in addition to the tail's normal damage. It normally only does this in response to attempts to remove it before it has used its Implant ability. Skills: Racial bonuses of +10 to Climb, Hide and Jump (included above). Alien, Chestburster Tiny Aberration Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hp) Initiative: +9 (+5 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 60 ft., swim 40 ft. Defense: 19 (+5 Dex, +2 size, +2 natural) Attacks: Bite -1 melee Damage: Bite 1d3-2 +1d6 acid Face/Reach: 2½ ft. by 2½ ft/0 ft Special Attacks: Acidic blood, acid bite, birth Special Qualities: Blindsight (60 ft.), energy resistance (cold 5, electricity 5), immune to acid, gas, vacuum, and mind-altering effects, regenerate 5 Saves: Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +0 Abilities: Str 6, Dex 21, Con 12, Int 4, Wis 4, Cha 2 Skills: Hide +15*, Intimidate +1, Move Silently +15* Feats: Improved initiative Challenge Rating: 1 A chestburster weighs a little over a pound and looks like a cross between a drone Alien and a facehugger: it has the head and upper arms of an adult, but retains the long, powerful tail of the facehugger. COMBAT Chestbursters avoid open combat, preferring to hide until they are fully grown. Birth (Ex): When a chestburster matures, it rips its way violently out of the host’s body cavity. This causes extreme pain and causes a grievous wound. The chestburster makes a special Coup de Grace attack against the host as it emerges. This attack deals 4d6 slashing damage and 2d6 acid damage. The host must make a Fortitude save (DC 10+damage dealt) or die. If the host survives the coup de grace attack, it may still need to make a massive damage save to avoid being reduced to -1 HP. Acid Bite (Ex): A chestburster deals an extra 1d6 points of acid damage every time it bites an opponent. It can use this ability to chew or burrow through solid matter as well. Acidic Blood (Ex): When a chestburster takes damage, it deals 1d6 acid damage to any creatures or objects within its square. A successful Reflex save (DC 15) halves the damage. Regenerate (Ex): Because the chestburster is growing so fast and regularly shedding its skin, wounds heal over at high speeds. Damage dealt to the chestburster is treated as non-lethal damage. The chestburster automatically heals non-lethal damage at a fixed rate of 5 hit points per round. Fire deals lethal damage to the chestburster, which doesn’t go away. A regenerating chestburster that has been rendered unconscious through non-lethal damage can be killed with a coup de grace. The attack cannot be of a type that automatically converts to non-lethal damage. Attack forms that don’t deal hit point damage ignore regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating chestbursters can regrow lost portions of their bodies. Skills: Racial bonus of +10 to Hide and Move Silently. Alien, Drone Medium Aberration Hit Dice: 4d8+12 (30 hp) Initiative: +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 40 ft., climb 40 ft., swim 30 ft. Defense: 18 (+2 Dex, +6 natural) Attacks: Bite +6 melee, 2 claws +8 melee, tail +6 melee, grapple +8 Damage: Bite 1d6+2, claw 1d4+5, tail 1d6+2 and poison Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft/5 ft Special Attacks: Acidic blood, improved grab, poison Special Qualities: Blindsight (60 ft.), climb, energy resistance (cold 5, electricity 5), hive mind, immune to acid, gas, vacuum, and mind-altering effects Saves: Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4 Abilities: Str 21, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 9 Skills: Climb +13*, Hide +12*, Intimidate +10*, Jump +11, Move Silently +12* Feats: Improved Initiative, Multiattack Challenge Rating: 4 Alien drones are horrific creatures, with gangly legs, a long whip-like tail, sharp claws, and elongated cylindrical heads. Their hides are chitin exoskeletons which provide them with ample protection. Drones tend to do the labor in an Alien hive, building the nests, collecting hosts, and tending to the needs of the queen. COMBAT While drones have many natural weapons, they tend to avoid open combat. Whenever possible, they try to use their stealth abilities to ambush weak or unaware potential hosts. They use grapple attacks and their poisonous tails to incapacitate hosts, then take them back to the hive for implantation by facehuggers. Unless commanded by the queen, they avoid open combat, and then only attack in numbers. Acidic blood (Ex): Each time a drone takes damage, it deals 1d6 acid damage to all adjacent creatures and objects. A successful Reflex save (DC 15) halves the damage. Climb (Ex): Drones have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. The drone must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC of more than 0, but it always can choose to take 10 even if rushed or threatened while climbing. The drone climbs at the given speed while climbing. If it chooses an accelerated climb it moves at double the given climb speed (or its base land speed, whichever is lower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Drones cannot run while climbing. A drone retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus on their attacks against a climbing drone. Hive Mind (Ex): All Aliens within 50 miles of their queen are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No Alien in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are. Improved grab (Ex): When a drone hits with both claws against a single foe in the same round, it can automatically initiate a grapple attack as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. Poison (Ex): Any creature hit by a drone’s tail attack must make a Fortitude save (DC 15, Con based) or take 1d6 initial Dexterity damage and 2d6 secondary Dexterity damage. Skills: Racial bonus of +10 to Hide, Intimidate, and Move Silently (included above). Drones gain an additional +10 circumstance bonus to Hide checks made in an Alien hive. Alien, Praetorian Medium Aberration Hit Dice: 6d8+24 (55 hp) Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 40 ft., climb 40 ft., swim 20 ft. Defense: 21 (+3 Dex, +8 natural) Attacks: Bite +8 melee, 2 claws +10 melee, tail +8 melee, grapple +10 Damage: Bite 1d8+3, claw 1d6+6, tail 1d8+3 and poison Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft Special Attacks: Acid blood, frightful presence, poison, pounce, trip Special Qualities: Blindsight (60’), climb, energy resistance (cold 5, electricity 5), hive mind, immune to acid, gas, vacuum, and mind-altering effects Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +4 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 9 Skills: Climb +14*, Hide +13*, Intimidate +12*, Jump +12, Move Silently +13* Feats: Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Lightning Reflexes Challenge Rating: 7 A praetorian Alien is the queen's royal guard and the protector of the Alien hive. They are distinguished from Alien drones by their completely smooth head plates and six digits on each hand (four fingers and two thumbs), as well as their larger size. Praetorians stand nearly 7’ tall when on their hind legs. COMBAT Praetorians fight fearlessly. Individually, an Alien praetorian is bad news. In a group, it gets worst. Able to instantly communicate telepathically, they share one hive mind. What one sees, all see. Praetorians use pack hit and run tactics against groups, but are willing to stand and fight against solitary opponents or pairs, or when commanded by the queen. Acidic blood (Ex): Each time a praetorian takes damage, it deals 2d6 acid damage to all adjacent creatures and objects. A successful Reflex save (DC 15) halves the damage. Climb (Ex): Praetorians have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. The praetorian must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC of more than 0, but it always can choose to take 10 even if rushed or threatened while climbing. The praetorian climbs at the given speed while climbing. If it chooses an accelerated climb it moves at double the given climb speed (or its base land speed, whichever is lower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Praetorians cannot run while climbing. A praetorian retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus on their attacks against a climbing praetorian. Frightful Presence (Ex): Praetorians can cause fear in their victims from their frightening appearance, ability to evade detection, and general deadly nature. Any foes with fewer hit dice than the praetorian within 30’ who are aware of the praetorian’s presence must make a Will save (DC 12, Cha based) or become shaken (-2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks). Creatures who fail their save by 5 or more are frightened (as shaken, plus flee the area if possible). Creatures who fail their save by 10 or more are panicked (as shaken, plus flee at all costs in random directions, or cower if flight is impossible). This is a mind influencing fear effect. Hive Mind (Ex): All Aliens within 50 miles of their queen are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No Alien in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are. Improved grab (Ex): To use this ability, the praetorian must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. Poison (Ex): Any creature hit by a praetorian’s tail attack must make a Fortitude save (DC 17, Con based) or take 1d6 initial Dexterity damage and 2d6 secondary Dexterity damage. Pounce (Ex): When a praetorian makes a charge attack, it can make a full attack action at the end of the charge. Trip (Ex): A praetorian that hits with its tail attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+3 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the praetorian. Skills: Racial bonus of +10 to Hide, Intimidate, and Move Silently (included above). Praetorians gain an additional +10 circumstance bonus to Hide checks made in an Alien hive. Alien, Queen Huge Aberration Hit Dice: 15d8+120 (202 hp) Initiative: +4 (+4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 50 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 40 ft. Defense: 25 (-2 size, +17 natural) Attacks: Bite +19 melee, 2 claws +21 melee, tail +19 melee, grapple +31 Damage: Bite 2d6+6, claw 2d8+12, tail 1d12+6 and poison Face/Reach: 15 ft by 15 ft/10 ft Special Attacks: Acid blood, frightful presence, poison, pounce, rend, trip Special Qualities: Blindsight (60’), climb, egg sack, energy resistance (cold 15, electricity 15), hive mind, immune to acid, gas, vacuum, and mind-altering effects Saves: Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +11 Abilities: Str 34, Dex 10, Con 26, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 14 Skills: Climb +30*, Escape Artist +18, Hide +12*, Intimidate +30*, Jump +20, Move Silently +18*, Sense Motive +20 Feats: Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Cleave Challenge Rating: 10 The Alien queen is a hulking black monstrosity, with the distinctive Alien anatomy. Queens stand between 15’-20’ tall, with the typical whip-like tail, gangly limbs, and elongated cylindrical head. Queens are distinguished by both their size and the fact that they have a hard crenellated plate covering their heads. They also possess a small pair of extra “arms” with which they can manipulate objects. COMBAT A queen typically does not engage in combat, relying on her hive to protect her. If the hive is in danger of destruction or the queen’s egg sack is destroyed, however, she will detach herself and become a fearsome opponent, using a mixture of brute force and sly cunning to defeat her foes. Acidic blood (Ex): Each time a queen takes damage, it deals 5d6 acid damage to all adjacent creatures and objects. A successful Reflex save (DC 15) halves the damage. Climb (Ex): Queens have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks. The queen must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC of more than 0, but it always can choose to take 10 even if rushed or threatened while climbing. The queen climbs at the given speed while climbing. If it chooses an accelerated climb it moves at double the given climb speed (or its base land speed, whichever is lower) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Queens cannot run while climbing. A queen retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus on their attacks against a climbing queen. Egg sack (Ex): Queens are typically found attached to an egg sack, surrounded by recently laid eggs and protected by praetorians and the facehuggers ready to spring out of their eggs. While attached to the egg sack, the queen is more or less immobile, and only able to make attacks against foes foolish enough to come within range. In this state, a queen’s Dexterity is reduced to 6 (Initiative +2, Defense +23, Reflex +5) but gains Fast Healing 10 (Ex) and is in telepathic communication with her hive, able to direct any aliens within 50 miles of her nest. The egg sack doesn not increase the Queen's size or reach. The egg sack has a Defense score of 12 (-8 size, +10 natural), 25d8 HD (112 hp), immunity to bludgeoning damage, and all of the immunities and resistances of the queen. It takes 1d4-1 rounds for a queen to detach from her egg sack, making her a fierce opponent, but doomed to die within 2d4 days. Frightful Presence (Ex): Queens strike terror in their victims. Any foes with fewer hit dice than the queen within 30’ who are aware of the queen’s presence must make a Will save (DC 19, Cha based) or become shaken (-2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks). Creatures who fail their save by 5 or more are frightened (as shaken, plus flee the area if possible). Creatures who fail their save by 10 or more are panicked (as shaken, plus flee at all costs in random directions, or cower if flight is impossible). This is a mind influencing fear effect. Hive Mind (Ex): All Aliens within 50 miles of their queen are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flatfooted, none of them are. No Alien in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are. Poison (Ex): Any creature hit by a queen’s tail attack must make a Fortitude save (DC 30, Con based) or take 1d6 initial Dexterity damage and 2d6 secondary Dexterity damage. Pounce (Ex): When a queen makes a charge attack, it can make a full attack action at the end of the charge. Rend (Ex): If a queen hits with both claws against a single opponent in one round, she rends the opponent for an additional 2d6+18 damage. Trip (Ex): A queen that hits with its tail attack can attempt to trip the opponent (+8 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the queen. Skills: Racial bonus of +10 to Hide, Intimidate, and Move Silently (included above). Queens gain an additional +10 circumstance bonus to Hide checks made in an Alien hive. Alien Egg An Alien egg is a 3’ tall leathery sack with four outward folding flaps on the top. Eggs are treated as objects, with Defense 7 (+2 size, -5 immobile), 8 hit points, and Hardness 5. When a creature of at least Small size comes within 10’ of an egg, the facehugger inside may attack. The flaps open (a full round action), then the facehugger waits for a chance to strike. If the egg is destroyed before the facehugger attacks, the facehugger also dies. CR 1/2 Hazard Don't blame me for the fact that I haven't converted them from d20 Modern yet though.
Strabo 07-31-06, 03:49 AM	Q1: Aren't those just copied from that one Alien D20 book? Oh well. Never mind that. Now I just need to raise their stats a bit, and they're ready for my high level underdark campaign. *Laughs evilly* :devil: I suppose I could just apply the paragon template to the praetorians and the queen, that oughta make them a considerable challenge:D My campaign idea: The Aliens were created by a city-state in an attempt to decimate a rival. However, things went horribly, horribly, horribly wrong, resulting in calamity accross the entire miniature country. Soon, the population was either killed, or used to create more Aliens. As they spread, the warring cities declared a temporary truce in order to exterminate the monsters. They are paying top dollar for brave souls to aid them. . .
Anubis.c.k 07-31-06, 11:00 AM	think they should be tough monsters there heads deflects bullets and there outer skeleton should offer good enviroment resistance look at the one thats dropped into molten metal they can survive extream cold what else are they able to withstand so a person with a sword should beable to dispeatch them very quick also see hit points being low as well as there dex i mean they can run around on walls and have cat like grace so think a 14 is well below what they should have
Callahan 07-31-06, 11:08 AM	think they should be tough monsters there heads deflects bullets say what? Are you thinking of Star Craft?
Anubis.c.k 07-31-06, 02:17 PM	nope sure when there in the air vents trying to get away a alien is heading right for them and the first few small arms shots get deflected of the aliens head but i could be wrong
Lafarallin 07-31-06, 02:48 PM	Small arms fire wasn't very effective against aliens in the movie. The marines were using assault rifles with armor piercing caseless rounds. They would probably have exoskeletons similar to being made out of adamentite. They have acid for blood which would pretty much destroy all weapons that come in contact with them. The drones (soldiers) are not intelligent...they do take telepathic commands from the Queen. All and all they are the perfect killing machine. The only problem is if you placed them in a world they would quickly over-run the entire planet. You'd have to have them trapped somewhere they could not get out of to make it believable. Perhaps have them be a creation made by a mad wizard. He erected a forcefield to keep them from spreading out and died in the process. The adventure could start with the forcefield starting to fail...(perhaps only the aliens are prevented from escaping but others can enter). The group need to wipe out the infestation before they are unleashed on the world.
Gryllmyre 07-31-06, 03:03 PM	I tried this concept a while back. The player ended up losing a lot of weapons from the acid during just one battle, so I scrubbed the idea. The queen took over a cave that used to belong to a red dragon (picturing a queen thrusting its mouth into the chest of a red dragon trying to fly away just strikes home how completely bad-a** she is) and set up a lair there. Finding the dragon outside the cave with its chest cavity torn out should give the PC's a bit of a scare. I made them resistant to fire and cold, immune to acid. Sonic and lightning would hurt them normally, I think. Slashing and piercing weapons would suffer acid damage, bludgeoning maybe not so much. Magic missiles would strike normally but possibly spray some acid. I would figure make the face huggers CR 2, crawlers CR 1, adults CR 8 and the queen CR 14 or so, to not make them so epic. I suppose it depends on the current level of your PC's.
Dracomortis 07-31-06, 03:04 PM	In AVP it was shown again that the alien will realize it's blood is acid when presented with evidence of such. The alien then improvised it as a weapon. That alien then freed the queen from her bindings by biting her, causing her to bleed her acid, melting her restaints. Actually in AVP, the queen called the warriors to her and commanded them to "bite" her, meaning she already knew her blood was acidic. Also, the two in Resurrection that killed the other one to get out of the containment cell had not been previously injured, meaning they must have known innately that their blood is acidic. I believe the correct term for this is imprinted knowledge. nope sure when there in the air vents trying to get away a alien is heading right for them and the first few small arms shots get deflected of the aliens head but i could be wrong I presume you're talking about AVP, since nobody had guns in the first or third movies, and I don't remember them ever being in vents during the second or fourth ones. I believe it wasn't so much that they bounced off as the dude simply missed, from a combination of poor lighting (it was pitch black; the only reason we saw light was because, obviously, we had to see what was going on for the movie) and sheer panic.
Lafarallin 07-31-06, 03:12 PM	I presume you're talking about AVP, since nobody had guns in the first or third movies, and I don't remember them ever being in vents during the second or fourth ones. I believe it wasn't so much that they bounced off as the dude simply missed, from a combination of poor lighting (it was pitch black; the only reason we saw light was because, obviously, we had to see what was going on for the movie) and sheer panic. I assume he is refering to the scene in ALIENS (the best in the series) where the Lt. and Ramirez (the hispanic lady) are fleeing down the air shaft. He is injured and she is dragging him basically. They get cut off and surrounded. They end up pulling a grenade and blowing themselves and the aliens to hell. EDIT: It is important to note...when firing at aliens without assault rifles, it seems like you have to stick the weapon in their mouth or directly to their head. The only firearms that were tried and true were the assault rifles.
Dracomortis 07-31-06, 04:48 PM	I assume he is refering to the scene in ALIENS (the best in the series) where the Lt. and Ramirez (the hispanic lady) are fleeing down the air shaft. He is injured and she is dragging him basically. They get cut off and surrounded. They end up pulling a grenade and blowing themselves and the aliens to hell. Ahh I remember that part now. He was using a handgun, right? They might have bounced off then, but it was probably just one of those moments where the director just randomly says "Hey guys wouldn't it be cool if the alien got shot in the head but the bullet bounced off?" rather than something the aliens are actually supposed to be able to do.
Werecow 07-31-06, 07:28 PM	1. I think the alien drones and queen need a higher Dex 2. I don't remember their tails being poisonous. 3. I think the small arms fire either missed because of the creatures Dex, or the rounds couldn't pierce the exoskeleton. 4. The Xenomorphs didn't seem to feed, only breed. The used all their kills for reproduction. 5. The soldiers were 8-9ft tall and the queen was 14ft tall., I don't know what the length was. So huge might be a little too large.
Rerecros 07-31-06, 09:05 PM	A template is probably the best way to go with any adult alien, and gains most of the host's abilities and memories (skills). The cast structure is just stupid. The runner was a product of either a dog or an ox. A Xenomrph's body is a polarized silicon alloy, I'm not sure how strong this computes to, but I'm thinking epic DR. Xenomorphs don't eat, and they only kill in self defense/revenge. They typically lobotomize their targets with their tongues and glue them to the wall to be infected by face huggers. Dead hosts do not yield new drones. Xenomorph's are probably best typed as living constructs. Except when laid by a queen, eggs can be transmuted from almost any material. The face hugger transmutes the chest burster out of flesh. Than the chest burster develops it's adult form out of surrounding material (spaceship grade metal mostly) Only the original alien movie, H.R.Giger's alien makes complete sense, after that they majorly started screwing around with the alien and it's mythos. And anything in AvP mythology is outright wrong. They screwed with the aliens design in Aliens, giving them no eyes instead of a visored skull and turned them into freaking ants. Any adult alien can lay eggs, or more accurately transmute their surroundings to form eggs. You might want to stat the Jockey as well, colossal living construct. The aliens used to be something else entirely, they gained the whole biomechanical acid-blooded thing from the jockeys, and their common form from humans.
sgt_mango 08-01-06, 06:04 AM	The bullets only bounce of alien heads when you roll poorly.
Razieliffied 08-01-06, 06:49 AM	http://members.toast.net/talien/michael/freebies/indexmatrix.html This is a free set of rules for d20 modern, I have found that they work rather well, though a lucky roll or two and you could accidentally kill the party. From what you guy's have said so far, I am with you, the original alien was my favorite in terms of design, though I am rather fond of a queen for mass production of eggs. I tend to make mine a hybrid form based off the original movie [gigers designs] and the fourth [ the mutations]. I should also note that the above rules give a template for use with the alien. I feel that they could all do with some tweaking to fit them better into D&D as opposed to d20 modern. Edit: Re-reading those rules, I can only say how disapointed I am, you have my complete aid for any endeavers to recreate the aliens. I'll just say that the series of movies contains ALL of my favorite movies [except AVP, that doesn't count], I like to think that I'm somewhat of an expert on them nowdays.
babysamurai 08-01-06, 06:58 AM	I assume he is refering to the scene in ALIENS (the best in the series) It was good, but I still think the 1st one was the best. Aliens was definitely a great sci-fi action film, whereas Alien was a real “horror” film.
Dumat 08-01-06, 08:06 AM	The only problem is if you placed them in a world they would quickly over-run the entire planet. You'd have to have them trapped somewhere they could not get out of to make it believable. Perhaps have them be a creation made by a mad wizard. He erected a forcefield to keep them from spreading out and died in the process. The adventure could start with the forcefield starting to fail...(perhaps only the aliens are prevented from escaping but others can enter). The group need to wipe out the infestation before they are unleashed on the world. Two words: decaying mythal.