Cecaelia [P.E.A.C.H.] [Archive] - Wizards Community

Cecaelia [P.E.A.C.H.] [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DebiHuman
04-18-08, 09:38 AM I picked up a copy of Broadsides and it included a monster called an Orctapus which I thought was really silly. Nevertheless it reminded me a bit of Ursula, the Sea Witch from the Disney cartoon, The Little Mermaid. Then, I found this on Wikipedia:

"A cecaelia (pronounced as seh-SAY-lee-ahh; though unrelated to the Latin-originated name Cecilia) is a composite mythical being, appearing occasionally in art and literature (notably from Japan), combining the head, arms and torso of a woman (more rarely a man) and, from the lower torso down, the tentacles of an octopus or squid, as a form of mermaid or sea demon. The term derives primarily from the distorted mispronounced name of a character/story title from a black-and-white comic in Vampirella Magazine featured in the early 1970s which shows a woman/octopus hybrid character called "Cilia."

Here's where the muse took me....

Cecaelia
Large Monstrous Humanoid [Aquatic]
Hit Dice: 8d8-8 (28 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 10 feet (10 squares), Swim 40
Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dex, -1 Size +4 Armor Bonus (from spell Mage Armor)) Touch 15, Flat-footed 13
BAB/Grapple: +8/+16
Attack: Large Trident+ 11/+6 melee (2d6+4/x2) or tentacle +6 melee (1d4+4)
Full Attack: Large Trident +11/+6 melee (2d6+4/x2) or 8 tentacles +6 melee (1d4+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d4+4, Spells
Special Qualities: Amphibious, Darkvision 60 feet, Jet
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 21
Skills: Bluff+5, Concentration +5, Hide -2, Craft (coral weapons)+8 Knowledge (Arcana)+8, Spellcraft +8, Swim+12, Use Magical Device +8
Feats: Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Magical Aptitude
Environment: Any salt water
Organization: Solitary or family (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 6 ?
Treasure: Standard,
Alignment: Any Chaotic
Advancement: By character class, (favored class is sorcerer)
Level Adjustment: +4

Cecaelia
Cecaelias or octofolk have human-looking torsos with arms and a human head while their lower half resembles that of an octopus, with eight powerful tentacles.

Cecaelias can breathe both air and water. On land, cecaelias slowly drag themselves across the ground with their massive tentacles, but they are graceful and agile in water. Moreover, they are vain and dislike other races seeing how ungainly they are on land. They also have delicate skin and risk dehydration quickly if they stay on land longer than a day. Cecaelias are known for being notoriously selfish and self–centered.

While cecaelias resemble octopi, they are not related and take offense when other races infer this. Unlike cephalopods, cecaelias cannot change color unless they do so by using magical means. They do not have ink sacs. Their human skin is very pale lavender and they often have white hair but their lower half is inky black.

They typically wield large tridents, typically made from coral and the flotsam from a shipwreck. Adults females are 8 feet tall can weigh up to 500 pounds. Male cecaelias are smaller rarely reaching 6 feet and weighing no more than 250 pounds. Cecaelias can live to be 150 years old, though the males rarely survive much past their first breeding season. Cecaelias speak Aquan and Common.

Cecaelia Society: Octofolk generally live lonely lives, meeting only to mate and rear young before resuming their solitary ways. Male cecaelia often die within a few months after mating, leaving the female cecaelia to rear the young who mature quickly and are self-sufficient within 10 years.

Both sexes are noted for their passion for all things magical in nature. Many cecaelias have or create unique magic items. Cecaelias often trade their magic potions other to intelligent undersea creatures notably both merfolk and sahuagin for magical items without regard to the buyer's alignment.

Cecaelias prefer to have allies who owe them a favor or two. A cecaelia never makes a bargain unless she is confident that it is better for her than for the other party. If a deal looks to be going sour, the cecaelia will back out without remorse even if she has to make up an excuse.

A cecaelia’s favored class is sorcerer with many of them taking levels in the Sea Witch Prestige Class (see Stormwrack).

Combat

Cecaelias typically engages in combat directly and brutally, charging forward to take full advantage of their multiple attacks.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability a cecaelia must hit with a tentacle attack. If it gets a hold, it can constrict.

Constrict (Ex): A cecaelia deals automatic tentacle damage with a successful grapple check against medium-size or smaller creatures.

Jet (Ex): A cecaelia can jet backward once a round as a double move action, at a speed of 240 ft.

Spells: Cecaelias cast spells as if they were 8th level sorcerers. This ability stacks with any sorcerer levels a cecaelia takes otherwise it remains static.

Typical spells known
DC is 15 + spell level. [They can cast 6/6/6/5/3 but they know 8/5/3/2/1]
0 Level: Daze, Detect Magic, Light, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance, Whisper ;
1st level: Mage Armor, Summon Monster 1, Charm person, Disguise, Hypnotism;
2nd level: Locate Object, Summon Monster 2, Blindness/Deafness,;
3rd level: Dispel Magic, Breathe Air (from Stormwrack);
4th level: Black Tentacles.

Skills: A cecaelia has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. She always can choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered when swimming. A cecaelia can use the run action while swimming, provided that she swims in a straight line.

Variant Cecaelia

A rare few cecaelia's are born with the ability to spray a cloud of ink like an octopus. This ability is considered a deformity in cecaelia society. Individuals known to have this deformity are generally shunned though most can adequately hide this feature.

Ink Cloud (Ex): a deformed cecaelia can emit a cloud of jet-black ink 20 feet high by 20 feet wide by 20 feet long once per minute as a free action. The cloud provides total concealment, which the cecaelia normally uses to escape a losing fight. All vision within the cloud is obscured.

Designer Notes:

I started with the elite array Con 8, Wis 10, Int 12, Dex 13, Str 14 and Cha 15 and added 2 points (for 8 HD) to bring Cha to 17 which leaves +4 to Str and +4 to Cha as racial traits.

The creature has 22 skill points with all bonuses factored in already. Yeah, I should have shown the math but it looks awful that way so I just left it off.

Feats: I wanted the cecaelia to have unusal feats - especially the brew potion. Initially, I wanted it to have craft magic arms & armor too but I think brew potion is fine. I switched out craft magic arms & armor for combat casting. Finally, I haven't seen any creatures with Magical Aptitude a feat so, I made that my third choice.

I haven't a clue as to how to figure out a creature's typical spells. After too much :censored: editing, I think I've gotten the spells the way I like them.

Mage Armor doesn't lose you the bonus to touch AC if I read the entry correctly.

I'm not sure of CR and Level Adjustment--just took wild guess. If I left anything out, or messed up anything, let me know.

Debby
bhu
04-19-08, 05:40 PM I dont have time to review it right now, but this is awesome. One of my most favorite monsters in artwork. Id link to pics but for some reason they're always topless :rolleyes:
Rappy
04-20-08, 12:04 AM I dont have time to review it right now, but this is awesome. One of my most favorite monsters in artwork. Id link to pics but for some reason they're always topless :rolleyes:

I think I have a topped pic of one that I can link to from a site that shows a good amount of chimaeric humanoids of mythology, but I cannot find it at the moment.

In any case, Debi, this one looks good. I'm a bit disappointed that it has no ink attack, but to each their own. It looks like a potentially fun encounter monster, especially as a psychological tactic. The drowning sailor sees what he thinks must be a mermaid due to the whole "woman of the waters" factor, and then...snap! Tentacle grapple to neck.
bhu
04-20-08, 02:40 AM Okay i has looked it over and my only question is:

A large critter with no Con Bonus or Natural AC Bonus :eek:

Well okay 2: Regarding the spellcasting. Does their ability to cast spells as a Sorcerer increase with Hit Dice or is it fixed at 8th level. And does it stack with sorcerer levels. Okay that was 3.

I'd put level adjustment at +4.

But you're still awesome.
DebiHuman
04-20-08, 01:37 PM Here's the answer to your questions:
Bhu:

1. I think a Con of 8 pretty much shows that they don't get a Con bonus. These aren't tough creatures and the males tend to die off. They may be big but they are fairly delicate as I explained.

2. They don't have an AC bonus because they are pretty much octupus/human hybrids no natural armor there.

3. I actually hadn't thought of that. Good question. I have no idea how this mechanic works. I would like their sorcerer levels to go up w/hit die so a 9 HD cecaelia would cast as a 9th level sorcerer. How do I best show this? BTW, I HATE advancing monsters. I was sorely tempted to leave advancement off this but it seemed like a necessary evil.

Rappy:
Just for you!

Variant Cecaelia
A rare few cecaelia's are born with the ability to spray a cloud of ink like an octopus. This ability is considered a deformity in cecaelia society. Individuals known to have this deformity are generally shunned though most can adequately hide this feature.

Ink Cloud (Ex): a deformed cecaelia can emit a cloud of jet-black ink 20 feet high by 20 feet wide by 20 feet long once per minute as a free action. The cloud provides total concealment, which the cecaelia normally uses to escape a losing fight. All vision within the cloud is obscured.

I'll lower the level adjustment to 4.
SmiloDan
04-21-08, 01:28 AM This looks like a fun beasty!

Maybe just make Advancement be "By character class?" Then you don't have to worry about advancing them. Also, sorcerer levels DO stack according to the MM1 3.5.

I would probably get rid of Brew Potion as a feat, unless the only purpose for these guys is to create potions of Mage Armor and Air Breathing for the PCs. Maybe give them Blindfighting instead, and let all of them have the ink cloud, usable as a free or swift action once a minute or something. That would be fun to fight against.

Also, some of your skill points don't seem to add up: Magical Aptitude + Cha 21 + at least 1 rank in Use Magic Device should have a bonus of at least +8.

Maybe make them be like Artificers or Warlocks and have the ability to make and/or use a variety of magical items. Then you can give them 1 or 2 bonus Item Creation feats. And maybe the ability to take 10 on Use Magic Device checks. And give them a bunch of wands, scrolls, etc. to use.

And mage armor gives you an Armor Bonus to AC, which isn't counted on Touch AC. Maybe you were thinking of Deflection bonuses? I would give this beasty a natural armor bonus, or maybe even a wonky deflection bonus to AC equal to its Cha bonus. Aquatic Grace or Unearthly Grace or something like that.

I might have to use a version of this in my campaign. I really like this a lot.
bhu
04-21-08, 02:02 AM Even small Octamapusseses have a +2 Natural AC Bonus :D

FOund more art of cecilia somewhere but alas they're all still quite nude...
DebiHuman
04-21-08, 03:42 AM This looks like a fun beasty!

Maybe just make Advancement be "By character class?" Then you don't have to worry about advancing them. Also, sorcerer levels DO stack according to the MM1 3.5.

I would probably get rid of Brew Potion as a feat, unless the only purpose for these guys is to create potions of Mage Armor and Air Breathing for the PCs. Maybe give them Blindfighting instead, and let all of them have the ink cloud, usable as a free or swift action once a minute or something. That would be fun to fight against.

Also, some of your skill points don't seem to add up: Magical Aptitude + Cha 21 + at least 1 rank in Use Magic Device should have a bonus of at least +8.

Maybe make them be like Artificers or Warlocks and have the ability to make and/or use a variety of magical items. Then you can give them 1 or 2 bonus Item Creation feats. And maybe the ability to take 10 on Use Magic Device checks. And give them a bunch of wands, scrolls, etc. to use.

And mage armor gives you an Armor Bonus to AC, which isn't counted on Touch AC. Maybe you were thinking of Deflection bonuses? I would give this beasty a natural armor bonus, or maybe even a wonky deflection bonus to AC equal to its Cha bonus. Aquatic Grace or Unearthly Grace or something like that.

I might have to use a version of this in my campaign. I really like this a lot.

1. They brew potions and stuff to trade with sahuaigin and other undersea creatures. I tend to think of cecaelias as the mafia of the seas. Everyone owes them a favor or two. The water-breathing and air-breathing spells come in handy for those kind of things as well. Sahuaigin in particular rely on the breathe air spells! The sea-elves and sahuaigin are mortal enemies but both are trading with the cecaelias trying to get the upper hand. It fits the ecosystem without having to retrofit anything.

2. The only reason I gave them an ink cloud was to make Rappy happy (sorry it rhymes). Their whole culture centers around them negating their ancestry and so this is actually important. It's a sensitive spot and one that could be exploited. PLOT DEVICE! Feel free to allow all cecaelias to have ink clouds in your campaign. :)

3. I hadn't thought about Blindfighting, but underwater it seems less necessary: "An invisible creature in the water displaces water, revealing its location. The invisible creature, however, is still hard to see and benefits from concealment."

3. Thanks for letting me know about the character class. I thought that's what it was but I this is my first spellcasting creature so I didn't want to mess it up too.

4. I messed up UMD. I didn't put a rank in it so, they only get the skill (2 points) from Magical Aptitude. I should have added their Charisma bonus to it bring it to +7 (they don't get a synergy bonus as there are only 4 ranks in Spellcraft. ). If I drop spellcraft to +8 I can put UMD to +8 and that makes a little more sense. Pardon me while my head explodes now :)

Debby
DebiHuman
04-21-08, 04:04 AM Even small Octamapusseses have a +2 Natural AC Bonus :D

Found more art of cecilia somewhere but alas they're all still quite nude...

I know that octupi get the +2 bonus to AC BUT these are not octupi, they are monstrous humanoids who don't get a bonus to AC. "A natural armor bonus improves Armor Class resulting from a creature's naturally tough hide."
I stated earlier that these were delicate, and so they don't benefit from natural armor. Now, they do benefit from mage armor.

As I've stated earlier, you can make another variant that has ink cloud and has a +2 natural bonus to AC if you like. It's not unbalancing or anything, but it's also not terribly necessary. AC 15 isn't horrible, just not very impressive. Then again, underwater who is going to be wearing armor?

Debby
SmiloDan
04-21-08, 11:08 AM I know that octupi get the +2 bonus to AC BUT these are not octupi, they are monstrous humanoids who don't get a bonus to AC. "A natural armor bonus improves Armor Class resulting from a creature's naturally tough hide."
I stated earlier that these were delicate, and so they don't benefit from natural armor. Now, they do benefit from mage armor.

As I've stated earlier, you can make another variant that has ink cloud and has a +2 natural bonus to AC if you like. It's not unbalancing or anything, but it's also not terribly necessary. AC 15 isn't horrible, just not very impressive. Then again, underwater who is going to be wearing armor?

Debby

That knight over there, drowning. ;)

Actually, the mage armor helps a lot. A 6th level tank is going to have a BAB of +6, probably a +3 Str bonus, and a +1 weapon, for a total of +10 on attack rolls. Without the mage armor, the tank will be hitting on a 2 or higher, with it, the tank will be hitting on a 5 and higher.

Also, I was thinking Blindfight would help in the inky cloud.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DebiHuman 04-18-08, 09:38 AM	I picked up a copy of Broadsides and it included a monster called an Orctapus which I thought was really silly. Nevertheless it reminded me a bit of Ursula, the Sea Witch from the Disney cartoon, The Little Mermaid. Then, I found this on Wikipedia: "A cecaelia (pronounced as seh-SAY-lee-ahh; though unrelated to the Latin-originated name Cecilia) is a composite mythical being, appearing occasionally in art and literature (notably from Japan), combining the head, arms and torso of a woman (more rarely a man) and, from the lower torso down, the tentacles of an octopus or squid, as a form of mermaid or sea demon. The term derives primarily from the distorted mispronounced name of a character/story title from a black-and-white comic in Vampirella Magazine featured in the early 1970s which shows a woman/octopus hybrid character called "Cilia." Here's where the muse took me.... Cecaelia Large Monstrous Humanoid [Aquatic] Hit Dice: 8d8-8 (28 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 10 feet (10 squares), Swim 40 Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dex, -1 Size +4 Armor Bonus (from spell Mage Armor)) Touch 15, Flat-footed 13 BAB/Grapple: +8/+16 Attack: Large Trident+ 11/+6 melee (2d6+4/x2) or tentacle +6 melee (1d4+4) Full Attack: Large Trident +11/+6 melee (2d6+4/x2) or 8 tentacles +6 melee (1d4+4) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Constrict 1d4+4, Spells Special Qualities: Amphibious, Darkvision 60 feet, Jet Saves: Fort +1, Ref +8, Will +6 Abilities: Str 19, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 21 Skills: Bluff+5, Concentration +5, Hide -2, Craft (coral weapons)+8 Knowledge (Arcana)+8, Spellcraft +8, Swim+12, Use Magical Device +8 Feats: Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Magical Aptitude Environment: Any salt water Organization: Solitary or family (2-4) Challenge Rating: 6 ? Treasure: Standard, Alignment: Any Chaotic Advancement: By character class, (favored class is sorcerer) Level Adjustment: +4 Cecaelia Cecaelias or octofolk have human-looking torsos with arms and a human head while their lower half resembles that of an octopus, with eight powerful tentacles. Cecaelias can breathe both air and water. On land, cecaelias slowly drag themselves across the ground with their massive tentacles, but they are graceful and agile in water. Moreover, they are vain and dislike other races seeing how ungainly they are on land. They also have delicate skin and risk dehydration quickly if they stay on land longer than a day. Cecaelias are known for being notoriously selfish and self–centered. While cecaelias resemble octopi, they are not related and take offense when other races infer this. Unlike cephalopods, cecaelias cannot change color unless they do so by using magical means. They do not have ink sacs. Their human skin is very pale lavender and they often have white hair but their lower half is inky black. They typically wield large tridents, typically made from coral and the flotsam from a shipwreck. Adults females are 8 feet tall can weigh up to 500 pounds. Male cecaelias are smaller rarely reaching 6 feet and weighing no more than 250 pounds. Cecaelias can live to be 150 years old, though the males rarely survive much past their first breeding season. Cecaelias speak Aquan and Common. Cecaelia Society: Octofolk generally live lonely lives, meeting only to mate and rear young before resuming their solitary ways. Male cecaelia often die within a few months after mating, leaving the female cecaelia to rear the young who mature quickly and are self-sufficient within 10 years. Both sexes are noted for their passion for all things magical in nature. Many cecaelias have or create unique magic items. Cecaelias often trade their magic potions other to intelligent undersea creatures notably both merfolk and sahuagin for magical items without regard to the buyer's alignment. Cecaelias prefer to have allies who owe them a favor or two. A cecaelia never makes a bargain unless she is confident that it is better for her than for the other party. If a deal looks to be going sour, the cecaelia will back out without remorse even if she has to make up an excuse. A cecaelia’s favored class is sorcerer with many of them taking levels in the Sea Witch Prestige Class (see Stormwrack). Combat Cecaelias typically engages in combat directly and brutally, charging forward to take full advantage of their multiple attacks. Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability a cecaelia must hit with a tentacle attack. If it gets a hold, it can constrict. Constrict (Ex): A cecaelia deals automatic tentacle damage with a successful grapple check against medium-size or smaller creatures. Jet (Ex): A cecaelia can jet backward once a round as a double move action, at a speed of 240 ft. Spells: Cecaelias cast spells as if they were 8th level sorcerers. This ability stacks with any sorcerer levels a cecaelia takes otherwise it remains static. Typical spells known DC is 15 + spell level. [They can cast 6/6/6/5/3 but they know 8/5/3/2/1] 0 Level: Daze, Detect Magic, Light, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Read Magic, Resistance, Whisper ; 1st level: Mage Armor, Summon Monster 1, Charm person, Disguise, Hypnotism; 2nd level: Locate Object, Summon Monster 2, Blindness/Deafness,; 3rd level: Dispel Magic, Breathe Air (from Stormwrack); 4th level: Black Tentacles. Skills: A cecaelia has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. She always can choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered when swimming. A cecaelia can use the run action while swimming, provided that she swims in a straight line. Variant Cecaelia A rare few cecaelia's are born with the ability to spray a cloud of ink like an octopus. This ability is considered a deformity in cecaelia society. Individuals known to have this deformity are generally shunned though most can adequately hide this feature. Ink Cloud (Ex): a deformed cecaelia can emit a cloud of jet-black ink 20 feet high by 20 feet wide by 20 feet long once per minute as a free action. The cloud provides total concealment, which the cecaelia normally uses to escape a losing fight. All vision within the cloud is obscured. Designer Notes: I started with the elite array Con 8, Wis 10, Int 12, Dex 13, Str 14 and Cha 15 and added 2 points (for 8 HD) to bring Cha to 17 which leaves +4 to Str and +4 to Cha as racial traits. The creature has 22 skill points with all bonuses factored in already. Yeah, I should have shown the math but it looks awful that way so I just left it off. Feats: I wanted the cecaelia to have unusal feats - especially the brew potion. Initially, I wanted it to have craft magic arms & armor too but I think brew potion is fine. I switched out craft magic arms & armor for combat casting. Finally, I haven't seen any creatures with Magical Aptitude a feat so, I made that my third choice. I haven't a clue as to how to figure out a creature's typical spells. After too much :censored: editing, I think I've gotten the spells the way I like them. Mage Armor doesn't lose you the bonus to touch AC if I read the entry correctly. I'm not sure of CR and Level Adjustment--just took wild guess. If I left anything out, or messed up anything, let me know. Debby
bhu 04-19-08, 05:40 PM	I dont have time to review it right now, but this is awesome. One of my most favorite monsters in artwork. Id link to pics but for some reason they're always topless :rolleyes:
Rappy 04-20-08, 12:04 AM	I dont have time to review it right now, but this is awesome. One of my most favorite monsters in artwork. Id link to pics but for some reason they're always topless :rolleyes: I think I have a topped pic of one that I can link to from a site that shows a good amount of chimaeric humanoids of mythology, but I cannot find it at the moment. In any case, Debi, this one looks good. I'm a bit disappointed that it has no ink attack, but to each their own. It looks like a potentially fun encounter monster, especially as a psychological tactic. The drowning sailor sees what he thinks must be a mermaid due to the whole "woman of the waters" factor, and then...snap! Tentacle grapple to neck.
bhu 04-20-08, 02:40 AM	Okay i has looked it over and my only question is: A large critter with no Con Bonus or Natural AC Bonus :eek: Well okay 2: Regarding the spellcasting. Does their ability to cast spells as a Sorcerer increase with Hit Dice or is it fixed at 8th level. And does it stack with sorcerer levels. Okay that was 3. I'd put level adjustment at +4. But you're still awesome.
DebiHuman 04-20-08, 01:37 PM	Here's the answer to your questions: Bhu: 1. I think a Con of 8 pretty much shows that they don't get a Con bonus. These aren't tough creatures and the males tend to die off. They may be big but they are fairly delicate as I explained. 2. They don't have an AC bonus because they are pretty much octupus/human hybrids no natural armor there. 3. I actually hadn't thought of that. Good question. I have no idea how this mechanic works. I would like their sorcerer levels to go up w/hit die so a 9 HD cecaelia would cast as a 9th level sorcerer. How do I best show this? BTW, I HATE advancing monsters. I was sorely tempted to leave advancement off this but it seemed like a necessary evil. Rappy: Just for you! Variant Cecaelia A rare few cecaelia's are born with the ability to spray a cloud of ink like an octopus. This ability is considered a deformity in cecaelia society. Individuals known to have this deformity are generally shunned though most can adequately hide this feature. Ink Cloud (Ex): a deformed cecaelia can emit a cloud of jet-black ink 20 feet high by 20 feet wide by 20 feet long once per minute as a free action. The cloud provides total concealment, which the cecaelia normally uses to escape a losing fight. All vision within the cloud is obscured. I'll lower the level adjustment to 4.
SmiloDan 04-21-08, 01:28 AM	This looks like a fun beasty! Maybe just make Advancement be "By character class?" Then you don't have to worry about advancing them. Also, sorcerer levels DO stack according to the MM1 3.5. I would probably get rid of Brew Potion as a feat, unless the only purpose for these guys is to create potions of Mage Armor and Air Breathing for the PCs. Maybe give them Blindfighting instead, and let all of them have the ink cloud, usable as a free or swift action once a minute or something. That would be fun to fight against. Also, some of your skill points don't seem to add up: Magical Aptitude + Cha 21 + at least 1 rank in Use Magic Device should have a bonus of at least +8. Maybe make them be like Artificers or Warlocks and have the ability to make and/or use a variety of magical items. Then you can give them 1 or 2 bonus Item Creation feats. And maybe the ability to take 10 on Use Magic Device checks. And give them a bunch of wands, scrolls, etc. to use. And mage armor gives you an Armor Bonus to AC, which isn't counted on Touch AC. Maybe you were thinking of Deflection bonuses? I would give this beasty a natural armor bonus, or maybe even a wonky deflection bonus to AC equal to its Cha bonus. Aquatic Grace or Unearthly Grace or something like that. I might have to use a version of this in my campaign. I really like this a lot.
bhu 04-21-08, 02:02 AM	Even small Octamapusseses have a +2 Natural AC Bonus :D FOund more art of cecilia somewhere but alas they're all still quite nude...
DebiHuman 04-21-08, 03:42 AM	This looks like a fun beasty! Maybe just make Advancement be "By character class?" Then you don't have to worry about advancing them. Also, sorcerer levels DO stack according to the MM1 3.5. I would probably get rid of Brew Potion as a feat, unless the only purpose for these guys is to create potions of Mage Armor and Air Breathing for the PCs. Maybe give them Blindfighting instead, and let all of them have the ink cloud, usable as a free or swift action once a minute or something. That would be fun to fight against. Also, some of your skill points don't seem to add up: Magical Aptitude + Cha 21 + at least 1 rank in Use Magic Device should have a bonus of at least +8. Maybe make them be like Artificers or Warlocks and have the ability to make and/or use a variety of magical items. Then you can give them 1 or 2 bonus Item Creation feats. And maybe the ability to take 10 on Use Magic Device checks. And give them a bunch of wands, scrolls, etc. to use. And mage armor gives you an Armor Bonus to AC, which isn't counted on Touch AC. Maybe you were thinking of Deflection bonuses? I would give this beasty a natural armor bonus, or maybe even a wonky deflection bonus to AC equal to its Cha bonus. Aquatic Grace or Unearthly Grace or something like that. I might have to use a version of this in my campaign. I really like this a lot. 1. They brew potions and stuff to trade with sahuaigin and other undersea creatures. I tend to think of cecaelias as the mafia of the seas. Everyone owes them a favor or two. The water-breathing and air-breathing spells come in handy for those kind of things as well. Sahuaigin in particular rely on the breathe air spells! The sea-elves and sahuaigin are mortal enemies but both are trading with the cecaelias trying to get the upper hand. It fits the ecosystem without having to retrofit anything. 2. The only reason I gave them an ink cloud was to make Rappy happy (sorry it rhymes). Their whole culture centers around them negating their ancestry and so this is actually important. It's a sensitive spot and one that could be exploited. PLOT DEVICE! Feel free to allow all cecaelias to have ink clouds in your campaign. :) 3. I hadn't thought about Blindfighting, but underwater it seems less necessary: "An invisible creature in the water displaces water, revealing its location. The invisible creature, however, is still hard to see and benefits from concealment." 3. Thanks for letting me know about the character class. I thought that's what it was but I this is my first spellcasting creature so I didn't want to mess it up too. 4. I messed up UMD. I didn't put a rank in it so, they only get the skill (2 points) from Magical Aptitude. I should have added their Charisma bonus to it bring it to +7 (they don't get a synergy bonus as there are only 4 ranks in Spellcraft. ). If I drop spellcraft to +8 I can put UMD to +8 and that makes a little more sense. Pardon me while my head explodes now :) Debby
DebiHuman 04-21-08, 04:04 AM	Even small Octamapusseses have a +2 Natural AC Bonus :D Found more art of cecilia somewhere but alas they're all still quite nude... I know that octupi get the +2 bonus to AC BUT these are not octupi, they are monstrous humanoids who don't get a bonus to AC. "A natural armor bonus improves Armor Class resulting from a creature's naturally tough hide." I stated earlier that these were delicate, and so they don't benefit from natural armor. Now, they do benefit from mage armor. As I've stated earlier, you can make another variant that has ink cloud and has a +2 natural bonus to AC if you like. It's not unbalancing or anything, but it's also not terribly necessary. AC 15 isn't horrible, just not very impressive. Then again, underwater who is going to be wearing armor? Debby
SmiloDan 04-21-08, 11:08 AM	I know that octupi get the +2 bonus to AC BUT these are not octupi, they are monstrous humanoids who don't get a bonus to AC. "A natural armor bonus improves Armor Class resulting from a creature's naturally tough hide." I stated earlier that these were delicate, and so they don't benefit from natural armor. Now, they do benefit from mage armor. As I've stated earlier, you can make another variant that has ink cloud and has a +2 natural bonus to AC if you like. It's not unbalancing or anything, but it's also not terribly necessary. AC 15 isn't horrible, just not very impressive. Then again, underwater who is going to be wearing armor? Debby That knight over there, drowning. ;) Actually, the mage armor helps a lot. A 6th level tank is going to have a BAB of +6, probably a +3 Str bonus, and a +1 weapon, for a total of +10 on attack rolls. Without the mage armor, the tank will be hitting on a 2 or higher, with it, the tank will be hitting on a 5 and higher. Also, I was thinking Blindfight would help in the inky cloud.