Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Vorpal Tribble 10-11-06, 10:56 PM	Succeeder Traits * Immunity to cold, pressure, and suffocation. * Blind (Ex): A succeeder is completely blind, using acute hearing and its mindsight and starmind abilities to detect its surroundings. * Dreamless (Ex): Though a succeeder does appear to sleep, instead of interacting with the region of dreams its minds stretches away into its future realm. Thus it is immune to magic sleep effects and any mind-affecting spells or powers dealing with dreams. * Mindsight (Ex): A succeeder can detect and pinpoint beings that are not mindless (anything with an Intelligence score of 1 or higher) within range of its telepathy. This works much like blindsense - the succeeder knows exactly where the thinking being is as if it was truley seeing it. The succeeder also perceives several observable characteristics about each being detected with mindsight, including the being's type and Intelligence score. The succeeder need not take any additional or special actions to gain this information; it is as obvious to mindsight as the being's race and clothing would be to eyesight. * Disturbing Telepathy (Su): A succeeder can communicate telepathically with any creature within 1000 feet that has an Intelligence score. The creature can respond to the succeeder if it wishes - no common language is needed, though the creature must succeed on a Will save each minute while in contact to keep from being rendered insane (DC = half creature's HD + Int modifier) for 1d6 rounds after mental contact. * Starmind (Ex): A Succeeder's mind possesses a crystal clarity that is wholey undisturbable. They have complete immunity to Confusion, Dazing, and Insanity. As well they automatically succeed on Concentration checks. * Wake of Thought (Su): A succeeder seems to be able to read the thoughts of objects themselves, and can track and view what they've 'seen'. This simultaneously acts as the Read Object and Psychometry psionic powers. -=-=-=-=-=-=- Woleioo Medium Aberration (succeeder) Hit Dice: 21d8-42 (52 hp) Initiative: +7 Speed: Fly 80 ft. (perfect) Armor Class: 27 (+3 dex, +7 insight, +7 natural), touch 20, flat-footed 24 Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+20 Attack: Slam +20 melee (1d3+5 plus touch of the new) Full Attack: 2 slams +20 melee (1d3+5 plus touch of the new) or 2 touches +20 melee (touch of the new) Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Clarity of insanity, stark lands, touch of the new Special Qualities: Construct traits, dislocate, immunity to cold, pressure, and suffocation, regeneration 5, succeeder traits Saves: Fort +6, Ref +14, Will +16 Abilities: Str 21, Dex 16, Con 5, Int 25, Wis 18, Cha 11 Skills: Autohypnosis +28, Escape Artist +27, Knowledge (any three) +31, Listen +28, Move Silently +27, Tumble +27 Feats: Diehard, Dodge, Elusive Target (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Elusive_Target,CW), Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness, Insightful Reflexes (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Insightful_Reflexes,CAd), Mobility Environment: Any land Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 12 Treasure: None Alignment: None Advancement: - Level Adjustment: - A woleioo appears as a somewhat elongegated, vaguely humanoid creature of flawless greyish-white skin that gives off the faintest glow. From its shoulders sprout three large, tear-drop shaped heads, two facing forward, the other backward. They have tiny, lipless mouths but the rest of their face is merely gently rounded skin, devoid of eyes and nose. At the end of their lengthy arms the limb merely tapers off into two, long, opposing digits devoid of nails. The legs are similiar, though ending in a brief pad before sprouting two toes. Though the stand straight they appear quite boneless, flexing effortlessly in impossible contortions. The Woleioo are, to put it roughly, Preparers, beings sent to prepare a place for beings located outside of known reality. Wherever this place is has never been discovered. Many say the Far Realm, others a horrible alternate reality. There are indications however that chill even the hardest hearts... that they come from the future, beyond the end of this universe. As aboleths and others hail from a multiverse before this time, so to will this universe somehow end and be transformed into something even stranger. The few that have dared delve into this theory reason that the illithids themselves come back in time for a purpose many have not considered. The reason they must insure their own existence is because something is trying to halt it, some enemy from beyond the future that the illithids will meet and be forced to flee from. Whatever it is the Woleioo do, they are beginning the preparations. They tend to appear in a blazing of light that falls rapidly to the ground, blasting the surroundings for a dozen miles into utter lifelessness. Life simply ceases to exist, and the entire area instead of burning is deeply frozen. The woleioo are found in the midst of the destruction, whom quickly seek the highest elevation. They stride about in a bizarre dance-like movement, their touch causing strange formations to form as soil and stone crumble away. Once done, in the center, on one of these revealed formations, stands the woleioo, heads raised to the stars and mouths open in an unheard song. To creatures watching from without, the woleioo appears to remain from several minutes to a number of weeks before abruptly vanishing. The fact is that they are specially preparing not only a place, but a specific time as well. Thus though they appear to disapear they still remain vigilant, just in the past as most being know it. Woleioo stand around 7 feet tall and weigh around 110 lbs. They speak via telepathy only. Combat Clarity of Insanity (Su): A woleioo on earth almost continuously sings, though only two heads are required to produce the song, leaving a third to direct the body. Thus it may sing without conflicting with its movements. Living creatures with an intelligence score of 1 or higher that come within 100 feet of a singing woleioo with 10 HD or less have their sanity snapped instantly, with no save. Creatures with more than 10 HD must succeed on a DC 27 will save. This madness is not normal madness. It produces a mental clarity that minds of the Past simply were not meant to handle. They gain a cold logic devoid of emotion or scruples. Those affected become immune to emotional spells and effects such as Crushing Despair and Fear, and they lose any alignment they possess. Creatures with an aligned subtype still retain the subtype, but they no longer act in accordance. These individuals thus seek out any goals they have without a care for the means, being as willing to kill as not, depending on the situation and supposed neccessity. Every 1d4 days however the victim's mind cracks under this unnatural condition, rendering them normally insane for that day, though by the next they have often regenerated their clarity. Spells and powers that would restore insanity may cure the condition as normal. This is a sonic, mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Intelligence-based. Dislocate (Ex): A woleioo's limbs and heads seem to be only for convenience, and if any are lost, such as from a Vorpal weapon, the bits merely seperate cleanly and float until the woleioo's next round when they recombine. While floating these limbs and head operate normally despite their being unconnected to the body. They may be caught and grasped as if they were a wielded weapon held by the woleioo, quickly disolving into a chalky powder if snatched from the body's control. A woleioo regrows these organs within 1d4 rounds. Even if all heads are removed the body still functions normally, though loses its Starmind ability until they regrow. Stark Lands (Ex): While a woleioo remains singing, and for 1d4 minutes, afterwards it creates a bubble of nulled time and alien conditions that spreads out several thousand feet in all directions. This locale has the traits mentioned below. If the woleioo is killed it seems to no longer have existed. The destruction caused by its arrival has never occurred, with only those in the rapidly shrinking bubble remembering its coming. Touch of the New (Ex): The mere touch of a woleioo causes material of the 'Old Realm' to appear to grow old and quickly crumble away. Non-succeeders must succeed on a DC 20 fortitude save or take 10d6 points of damage. Elementals, which are intimately entwined with nature, take double damage. When used against an object, the touch simply disintegrates as much as one 10-foot cube of nonliving matter. Thus, the touch disintegrates only part of any very large object or structure targeted. The touch does not afffect objects constructed entirely of force, such as forceful hand or a wall of force. A creature or object that makes a successful Fortitude save is partially affected, taking only 5d6 points of damage. If this damage reduces the creature or object to 0 or fewer hit points, it crumbles away into a strange white powder that immediately fades away. The save DC is Charisma-based. -=-=-=-=-=- Stark Traits * Timeless: Age, hunger, thirst, poison, and natural healing don't function in the place, though they resume function when those within leave. As well, spells and powers dealing with time automatically fail. * Alterable Morphic Trait. * Vacuum: The area within the Stark locale is as the depths of space, possessing no air. When in this vacuum, a character must make a DC 20 Consitution check or suffer from aeroembolism ("the bends"). The character is thus stunned until brought to normal atmospheric pressure. Failing the check by 5 or more renders the character unconcious (and therefore unable to hold his breath). To hold his breath, a character must make a DC 15 Consitution check each round; the DC increases by 1 each round (this is due to the lack of any pressure outside the body). Failure indicates the character can't hold his breath any longer and begins to suffocate; follow the rules for drowning. Sonic-based spells automatically fail. * Unearthly Cold: While in the Stark unprotected characters take 1d6 points of cold damage and 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per minute (no save). Partially protected characters take damage once per 10 minutes instead of once per minute. (See Frostburn, p. 9) * No Elemental or Energy Traits. * No Alignment Trait.
Talisman 10-12-06, 06:23 PM	* Disturbing Telepathy (Su): A succeeder can communicate telepathically with any creature within 1000 feet that has an Intelligence score. The creature can respond to the succeeder if it wishes - no common language is needed, though the creature must succeed on a Will save each minute while in contact to keep from being rendered insane (DC = half creature's HD + Int modifier) for 1d6 rounds after mental contact. Is this identical to the insanity spell (which is, in turn, based on confusion) except for duration? If so, it should be noted. Or perhaps simply "confused for 1d6 rounds" would clarify things. I'm in a rush, and will return to give the Woleioo the examination it deserves. For now, let me just say that it's extremely disturbing.
pita 10-12-06, 07:06 PM	In a good way? ;) I think it just means babble and shoot people insane, not confusion spell insane. Please?
cog_and_taz 10-13-06, 02:48 AM	Okay, this is probably your best yet VT, very scary and amazing... I love it.
Foxhengeyokai 10-13-06, 08:26 PM	Is this a HP lovecraft reference? "IE In strange aeons event death may die"
Talisman 10-17-06, 03:50 PM	Woleioo: Very creepy; very Lovecraftian. Armor Class: 27 (+3 dex, +14 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 24 That's kinda high natural armor (and low touch AC) for such a weird, unearthly monster. Maybe drop natural armor to +7 and add Int modifier as an insight bonus? It produces the same net effect, but feel better to me. Attack: Slam +20 melee (1d3+5 plus touch of the new) Full Attack: 2 slams +20 melee (1d3+5 plus touch of the new) Can a woleioo make touch attacks instead of slams? This would deal only touch of the new damage, losing the 1d3+5 slam damage, but would require only a touch attack. I assume that an Int 25 creature can determine that the AC 30 fighter is a lot easier to touch that to smash. Special Qualities: Construct traits, dislocate, immunity to cold, pressure, and suffocation, regeneration 5, succeeder traits Construct traits? This is highly unusual for an aberration, and warrents an explanation. All of the construct traits? Some? If it has all construct traits, then immunity to suffocation is redundant. And what about regeneration? What's it bypassed by? If "nothing", how can this booger be killed? An un-killable monster is near-Tarrasque in power. Feats: Diehard, Dodge, Elusive Target, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness, Insightful Reflexes, Mobility You need Endurance to take Diehard. Either designate Diehard as a bonus feat or replace it with another. I recommend the latter, since a Con of 5 isn't going to get much mileage out of Diehard anyway. At 21 HD, this thing can take one epic feat. Blinding Speed might replace Diehard nicely, and fit into the whole "othertime" concept as well. Challenge Rating: 12 Looks about right. Alignment: None I'm sorry...you have to put something here. Neutral, maybe? If it's a creature, not an object, it has an alignment. Even mindless entities have alignments. Love the description and flavor text. This thing is scarier than hundreds of clawed, fanged demons. Clarity of Insanity (Su): A woleioo on earth almost continuously sings, though only two heads are required to produce the song, leaving a third to direct the body. Thus it may sing without conflicting with its movements. Living creatures with an intelligence score of 1 or higher that come within 100 feet of a singing woleioo with 10 HD or less have their sanity snapped instantly, with no save. Creatures with more than 10 HD must succeed on a DC 27 will save. This madness is not normal madness. It produces a mental clarity that minds of the Past simply were not meant to handle. They gain a cold logic devoid of emotion or scruples. Those affected become immune to emotional spells and effects such as Crushing Despair and Fear, and they lose any alignment they possess. Creatures with an aligned subtype still retain the subtype, but they no longer act in accordance. These individuals thus seek out any goals they have without a care for the means, being as willing to kill as not, depending on the situation and supposed neccessity. Every 1d4 days however the victim's mind cracks under this unnatural condition, rendering them normally insane for that day, though by the next they have often regenerated their clarity. Spells and powers that would restore insanity may cure the condition as normal. This is a sonic, mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Intelligence-based. I have a couple of problems with this. First, no save?? I HATE "no-save" effects. A creatures under 10 HD isn't going to make a DC 27 save anyway, but it's wrong to arbitrarily decide they have no chance. Especially for a CR 12 monster...imagine the 10th-level party that has one or two 9th-level members. 10th level...you've got a chance. Slightly weaker..nope! You're just automatically, arbitrarily insane! Sure, your 10th-level friends can cure it...but if they spend a combat round curing you, you snap back to insanty immediately unless they first teleport away! Second, this doesn't even take an action! However, if you drop the "no save" rule, this becomes much less of a problem (like a medusa's gaze...it's always on). Third, you can't have "no alignment." From the description, it looks like Neutral or perhaps Neutral Evil, since characters are willing to kill, etc., to accomplish their goals. Sort of a "sociopath-inducer." BTW, this is a KILLER ability to use against paladins, monks, and others who most observe specific alignment tenents. 9th level monk? Boom; no save, and you can never take another monk level. Too bad for you. Stark Lands (Ex): While a woleioo remains singing, and for 1d4 minutes, afterwards it creates a bubble of nulled time and alien conditions that spreads out several thousand feet in all directions. This locale has the traits mentioned below. If the woleioo is killed it seems to no longer have existed. The destruction caused by its arrival has never occurred, with only those in the rapidly shrinking bubble remembering its coming. How far is that? Whatever the GM want's it to be? 2d4 x 1,000 feet? Ten miles? Touch of the New (Ex): The mere touch of a woleioo causes material of the 'Old Realm' to appear to grow old and quickly crumble away. Non-succeeders must succeed on a DC 20 fortitude save or take 10d6 points of damage. Elementals beings intimately entwined with nature, take double damage. And that save is based on...? It looks to be Charisma based, since that's the only ability with a +0 modifier (which itself is kind of odd). And what, exactly, are "Elemental beings intimitely wntwined with nature"? Elementals? Fey? Animals? Plant creatures? Druids? Clerics with the Plant domain? I get the general drift, but some specifics would be useful. A suggestion: As alien as this beastie is, Frightful Presence might not be out of place. All in all, I like the woleioo; it's alien, malevolent without being arbitrarily evil, and very, very creepy. Clarify a few things, and you'll have a Grade A+ monster here.
The Vorpal Tribble 10-17-06, 05:13 PM	Maybe drop natural armor to +7 and add Int modifier as an insight bonus? It produces the same net effect, but feel better to me. Yeah, I like that, hadn't thought about an insight bonus, which makes pefect sense. Can a woleioo make touch attacks instead of slams? This would deal only touch of the new damage, losing the 1d3+5 slam damage, but would require only a touch attack. I assume that an Int 25 creature can determine that the AC 30 fighter is a lot easier to touch that to smash. Yeah, they can just touch. Will specify in the crunch. Construct traits? This is highly unusual for an aberration, and warrents an explanation. All of the construct traits? Some? If it has all construct traits, then immunity to suffocation is redundant. Yes, all the constructs traits. Basically its physiology does not coincide with any known life on this universe, and positive/negative energy for example doesn't affect it in any way. And yes, immunity to suffocation is redundant in this case, but Succeeder traits can be used to make other creatures that don't have construct traits. As for the regeneration, once you have reduced a creature to below -10 hp, are they not considered dead even if they can come back to life? If they are reduced to that they suddenly do not exist. They may not have truley 'died', but they are out of your hair... or are they? ;) I'm sorry...you have to put something here. Neutral, maybe? If it's a creature, not an object, it has an alignment. Even mindless entities have alignments. For all intended purposes its an object in this universe. Where it comes from there are no ties to alignment. Basically the Stark land conditions it is making is the closest it can come to its own time, which also has the No Alignment trait. I have a couple of problems with this. First, no save?? I HATE "no-save" effects. A creatures under 10 HD isn't going to make a DC 27 save anyway, but it's wrong to arbitrarily decide they have no chance. Especially for a CR 12 monster...imagine the 10th-level party that has one or two 9th-level members. 10th level...you've got a chance. Slightly weaker..nope! You're just automatically, arbitrarily insane! Sure, your 10th-level friends can cure it...but if they spend a combat round curing you, you snap back to insanty immediately unless they first teleport away! Well, the deal with this is, so what if they have this insanity? While in the Stark lands there are two courses of action that is likely to help them with their goals. Either they will fight the creature out of survival or they will leave it to kill off their former friends. Once they are out of the battle however and see how this person has changed they'll have to find a way to cure it, which requires a spell that is quite easy to cast. All in all, for purposes of the fight, it doesn't really hurt or aid folks all that much. Third, you can't have "no alignment." With all the weird and whacky spells in D&D, what is so unusual about a spell that cuts off your connection to alignment? How far is that? Whatever the GM want's it to be? 2d4 x 1,000 feet? Ten miles? Well, several generally means three, but yes, the exact dimensions I think needs left to the DM. And that save is based on...? It looks to be Charisma based, since that's the only ability with a +0 modifier (which itself is kind of odd). Yes, Charisma based. Will specify. And what, exactly, are "Elemental beings intimitely wntwined with nature"? Elementals? Fey? Animals? Plant creatures? Druids? Clerics with the Plant domain? I get the general drift, but some specifics would be useful. Its supposed to read: "Elementals, which are intimately entwined with nature, take double damage. " A suggestion: As alien as this beastie is, Frightful Presence might not be out of place. Was afraid it might already have too much going for it.
Talisman 10-18-06, 05:52 PM	As for the regeneration, once you have reduced a creature to below -10 hp, are they not considered dead even if they can come back to life? If they are reduced to that they suddenly do not exist. They may not have truley 'died', but they are out of your hair... or are they? Only if they are killed by an attack that deals lethal damage. As written, NO attack deals lethal damage to a woleioo, so the only things that can kill them are starvation, thirst, or suffocation. From the SRD (snipped): Regeneration (Ex): ...Damage dealt to the creature is treated as nonlethal damage...Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, deal lethal damage to the creature, which doesn’t go away...A regenerating creature that has been rendered unconscious through nonlethal damage can be killed with a coup de grace. The attack cannot be of a type that automatically converts to nonlethal 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. For all intended purposes its an object in this universe. Objects in D&D aren't animate. They aren't intelligent, and have no Wisdom or Charisma scores (representing awareness of self and others). Constructs are creatures, not objects, even though they're mindless hunks of rock--they're moving mindless hunks of rock. "Object" and "creature" mean rather specific things in D&D, and the two do not overlap (except in the case of intelligent magical items). Where it comes from there are no ties to alignment. Basically the Stark land conditions it is making is the closest it can come to its own time, which also has the No Alignment trait. Planes can have the "no alignment" trait, but unless you house-rule it, every creature (that is, every thing that has at least a 1 in Wisdom and Charisma) has an alignment. The default alignment for mindless creatures, automatons, and others like animals that don't really think about Law, Chaos, Good or Evil, is Neutral. It's only going to come up if the PCs hit it with an alignment-based attack, such as holy smite. A Neutral creatures essentially takes half-damage from such attacks. If that's a problem, add Unnatural Ethics as a special quality: when subjected to an effect that targets alignment, the woleioo takes the best possible result (so it counts as good if hit by a Holy sword, etc). Or make it totally immune to alignment-based effects. If you do, though, that's a special quality and needs to be detailed. With all the weird and whacky spells in D&D, what is so unusual about a spell that cuts off your connection to alignment? Nothing; what's weird is not having one at all. For all practical purposes (since I hope you're not allowing PC woleioos), Neutral is about the same as No Alignment. Was afraid it might already have too much going for it. Well, as written it looks like a good CR 12...a bit light on hit points, but with some impressive attacks and defenses. A round or two against the PC fighter, who can afford to soak up 20d6 damage, and the woleioo is down...not dead, maybe, but out of the fight. Frightful Presence might bump the CR to 13.