From "The Future is Wild": Titan Landsquid and Sharkopaths [Archive] - Wizards Community

From "The Future is Wild": Titan Landsquid and Sharkopaths [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
RavenDrake
08-02-05, 06:41 PM Those of you who've seen the Special will recognise these creatures, I think. To those who haven't seen them, the basic premise is that, humans, long ago emegrated from earth, send probes back to examine how creatures on earth are evolving. These are two of the more interesting and creaturely critters featured, and I stated them up awhile ago... seeing the post on the Jungle Octopus made me think to post them and get some feedback.

Titan Landsquid
Huge Animal
Hit Dice:15d8+30 (90hp)
Iniative: +1
Speed: 40ft
AC: 16 (+1 Dex, -2 Size, + 7 Natural); 9 Touch, 15 Flatfooted
Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +15 / +33
Attack: Tentacle Rake +19 Melee (1d8+10), or Bite +19 melee(2d6+10)
Full Attack: 4 Tentacle Rakes +19 melee(1d8+10), Bite +14 melee(2d6+5)
Face/Reach: 15ft / 10ft (20ft with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+10, Improved Grab, Ink-Spray, Trample 2d8+15
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60ft, Lowlight Vision
Saves: +11 Fort, +10 Ref, +6 Wil
Abilities: 31 Str, 13 Dex, 15 Con, 2 Int, 12 Wis, 2 Cha
Skills: +13 Spot*, +8 Listen
Feats: -
Environment: Warm Forrest and Marsh
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 16-30HD Huge, 31-45HD Gargantuan

The Titan Landsquid is a mystery to many scholars. Seemingly related to the swift aquatic creatures, these emmense bulky creatures resemble a cross between a squid and an elephant. They have four long attacking tentacles, each with a wide, triangular pad at the end, which they use to grasp prey and a wide snapping beak at the base of thier bodies. Thier bodies are very much similar to regular squids, if a bit stockier and rounder, and vaugely triangular with a pair of wide, keen black eyes near thier mouth at the base of thier body-column. They stalk about on six heavy, tree-trunk thick tentacles in search of prey.

Titan Landsquids live only in perptually damp environments, swamps, marshes, rain forrests and jungles mostly. They are agressive and predetory, and generally will attack anything they encounter that is smaller than themselves.

Combat

When hunting for prey they use thier emmense bulk to shake trees, occasionally pushing them over, and then lash out with thier tentacles against any creature that stirs from thier home, sometimes eating dozens of monkeys, birds, and similar small animals a day. If they encounter anything of medium size or larger they will try to catch and constrict it, choking the life from it. They usually restrict their ink attack for escapes.

Constrict(Ex): Each successful grapple check a Titan Landsquid makes deals constrict damage in addition to tentacle rake damage.

Improved Grab(Ex): If an Titan Landsquid hits an opponent at least one size catagory smaller than it's self with a tentacle attack it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity(grapple bonus +33). If successful, it can constrict.

Ink Spray(Ex): Once per minute, a Titan Landsquid can release a spray of a slick, oily ink. This is a 30ft cone of ink that covers everything and everyone within the area unless they succeed a reflex save (DC 19). Any creature covered in the ink, or attempting to pass through it, must succeed a balance check at DC 15. Success means that you can move through the area at half speed, failure means you can't move, failure by more than 5 points means you fall prone. The ink can be washed away with a quart of a weak acid, like wine, or with soap and water. Washing away the ink is a full round action action.

Trample(Ex): As a standard action, a Titan Landsquid may attempt to trample opponents one or more size catagories smaller than itself. This attack deals 2d8+15 points of bludgeoning damage. Targets may attempt either an attack of opportunity at a -4 penalty, or a reflex save at DC 27 for half damage.

Sharkopath
Large Magical Beast (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 10d10+10 (60hp)
Iniative: +8
Speed: Swim 80ft
AC: 23 (+4 Dex, -1 Size, +10 natural)
Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +10 / +22
Attack: Bite +18 Melee (1d8+12 / 19-20 plus wounding)
Face/Reach: 10ft / 5ft
Special Attacks: Serrated Bite
Special Qualities: Blood-Frenzy(Alpha Only), Darkvision 60ft, Hivemind, Keen Scent, Lowlight Vision
Saves: +8 Fort, +11 Ref, +5 Wil
Abilities: 27 Str, 19 Dex, 13 Con, 8 Int, 14 Wis, 12 Cha
Skills: +4* Hide, +10 Listen, +10 Spot
Feats: Weapon Focus (Bite), Improved Critical (Bite), Power Attack
Environment: Any Aquatic
Organization: Solitary, Pack (3-5), Shoal (1 Alpha Sharkopath, 10-15 regular sharkopath, and half that many non-combatants)
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 11-20HD Large, 21-30HD Huge

Sharkopaths are vicious and malicious aquatic beasts that use superior tactics and numbers to capture prey. They hunt all the time, often killing prey and taking it to caverns to store it for later consumption if they're not hungry. They move quickly, and even a small party of them can destroy nearly any aquatic animal or beast, short of sea-going dragons.

Sharkopaths are blue/black in colouration, with long stripes of bio-luminesant material down thier sides that change colouration to help the sharkopath blend in. Otherwise, they are nearly identical to regular sharks except for thier unusually expressive faces, and triple row of wide, serrated teeth.

Sharkopaths don't have a spoken language, but communicate telepathically amoung themselves. If they can understand any other languages they give no indication.

Combat

Sharkopaths are rarely, if ever, encountered solo. A solitary sharkopath is usually either a sentry, or bait to lure opponents into a trap. Usually, they hunt in packs, each family shoal sending out two or more packs in a radial spiral pattern from thier home, the Alpha sharkopath co-ordinating the effort from thier home. An attack on a sharkopath home will result in the entire shoal being called back in to attack, usually under Bloodfrenzy. Sharkopaths that set up near human areas will often shadow smaller boats, waiting for sailors to lean over the edge(fishing, disposing of refuse, being sea-sick, etc), then leaping from the water to bite them and drag them under.

Alpha sharkopaths are almost always advanced sharkopaths(usually 20HD+) that rule the family unit with an iron will. Sharkopaths are unusually egalitarian, and female and male alphas are encountered in about even numbers.

Serrated Bite(Ex): A Sharkopath's three rows of serrated teeth shred flesh whenever they score a successful bite attack. Any bite they deliver continues to bleed for 2 points of damage each round thereafter for one minute. Multiple bites result in extra blood loss(4 points for two bites, 6 for three bites, etc.) This bleeding can be stopped with a successful heal check(DC 15) or be applying at least one point of magical healing.

Blood Frenzy(Ex): In order to defend thier homes and young, or if they are attacking a particuarlly dangerous enemy, an Alpha sharkopath can cause itself and all of its subordinates to fly into an unquenchable rage once per day. This rage causes all sharkopaths within their Hivemind radius to gain +4 Strength and +4 Constitution, but -2 AC. This rage lasts until every single enemy is slain, or every every sharkopath is dead. Afterward, Sharkopaths are exhausted for 1d4 hours.

Hivemind: All Sharkopaths within 25 miles of thier Alpha are always in telepathic contact with each other, and can see and experience what every other sharkopath does. No sharkopath in a particular group is flatfooted unless they all are, and no sharkopath in a particular group is considered flanked unless they all are.

Keen Scent: A sharkopath can notice creatures by scent in a 180ft radius, and can detect the presence of blood in the water for up to a mile.

Skills: Sharkopaths get a +10 racial bonus to hide checks against rocky surfaces and sea bottoms as long as they're stationary.
oracleofbargth
08-02-05, 07:00 PM I enjoyed that show immensely.
I thought it was funny how they said the last mammals would be small rodents that would be used as foodstock by giant spiders.

What was the name of that giant tortoise? I'd really like to see stats for it.
Ought to be somewhat similar to some of the dinosaur entries, but with lots of DR (or maybe hardness) and a really good Natural Armor.
Hammerclaw
08-02-05, 08:38 PM Titanoton?

What was the name of that giant tortoise? I'd really like to see stats for it.

Ought to be somewhat similar to some of the dinosaur entries, but with lots of DR (or maybe hardness) and a really good Natural Armor.
The_Rose
08-02-05, 08:42 PM Well, Raven, if my squid and your squid went to school together, your squid would beat my squid up and take its lunch money every day...
RavenDrake
08-02-05, 09:35 PM Well, Raven, if my squid and your squid went to school together, your squid would beat my squid up and take its lunch money every day...

True... but then, mine was based on a much larger creature. You're actually reminded me more of the other creatures they created(refered to as "Squibbons"), that were intelligent tree-dwelling molusks that moved via brachiation?(allowing you to swing from treelimb to treelimb).
RavinRay
08-03-05, 05:47 AM Titanoton?
What was the name of that giant tortoise?
It's the toraton, a Colossal Animal. I don't have the book or video, but read sneak peak JPEG's.

BTW, the titan landsquid should be a Huge Animal under 3.5 rules, as the Beast type in 3.0 has been melded into it.
RavenDrake
08-03-05, 06:04 AM Gack... didn't realise... I'm still updating some three years of 3.0 into 3.5...
Feathercircle
08-03-05, 07:41 PM Gack... didn't realise... I'm still updating some three years of 3.0 into 3.5...

You're ahead of me. I'm still refusing to update. :P

Anyway, nice job on these. The sharkopaths are a bit smarter and magick'd up from what I would have done, but you're going for D&D-campaign-funness rather than strict accuracy with your interpretation, aren't you?

I think your version may work better for my homebrew than the way I would have done it, actually... your sharkopaths would make great minions for a certain evil storm goddess of mine.
RavenDrake
08-03-05, 11:04 PM Heh... I liked the Sharkopaths, and I felt that, given a proper magical(or Psionic) environment, they'd evolve to make use of it. I was just filling in some background info on them and it wound up giving them hivemind.

I used the Sharkopaths in a campaign already... they tore the party up pretty bad since thier cleric, who was a worshiper of a Sea Diety, refused to take part in the battle, so they were constantly trying to apply heal checks to stop the bleeding and invoking attacks of opportunity... If you'd like to use them, feel free. They make excellent minions for any cleric of a Sea Related Diety, as they are as likely to be worshippers of that diety as any other. Be careful about including the Alpha... tacking on a 20+ HD critter who can cause them all to enter a berserk rage can boost the encounter WAY higher than it normally would be.
Rohano
08-04-05, 11:08 AM Excellent. I'd like to see more of the creatures from The Future is Wild!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RavenDrake 08-02-05, 06:41 PM	Those of you who've seen the Special will recognise these creatures, I think. To those who haven't seen them, the basic premise is that, humans, long ago emegrated from earth, send probes back to examine how creatures on earth are evolving. These are two of the more interesting and creaturely critters featured, and I stated them up awhile ago... seeing the post on the Jungle Octopus made me think to post them and get some feedback. Titan Landsquid Huge Animal Hit Dice:15d8+30 (90hp) Iniative: +1 Speed: 40ft AC: 16 (+1 Dex, -2 Size, + 7 Natural); 9 Touch, 15 Flatfooted Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +15 / +33 Attack: Tentacle Rake +19 Melee (1d8+10), or Bite +19 melee(2d6+10) Full Attack: 4 Tentacle Rakes +19 melee(1d8+10), Bite +14 melee(2d6+5) Face/Reach: 15ft / 10ft (20ft with tentacles) Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+10, Improved Grab, Ink-Spray, Trample 2d8+15 Special Qualities: Darkvision 60ft, Lowlight Vision Saves: +11 Fort, +10 Ref, +6 Wil Abilities: 31 Str, 13 Dex, 15 Con, 2 Int, 12 Wis, 2 Cha Skills: +13 Spot, +8 Listen Feats: - Environment: Warm Forrest and Marsh Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 12 Treasure: None Alignment: Always Neutral Advancement: 16-30HD Huge, 31-45HD Gargantuan The Titan Landsquid is a mystery to many scholars. Seemingly related to the swift aquatic creatures, these emmense bulky creatures resemble a cross between a squid and an elephant. They have four long attacking tentacles, each with a wide, triangular pad at the end, which they use to grasp prey and a wide snapping beak at the base of thier bodies. Thier bodies are very much similar to regular squids, if a bit stockier and rounder, and vaugely triangular with a pair of wide, keen black eyes near thier mouth at the base of thier body-column. They stalk about on six heavy, tree-trunk thick tentacles in search of prey. Titan Landsquids live only in perptually damp environments, swamps, marshes, rain forrests and jungles mostly. They are agressive and predetory, and generally will attack anything they encounter that is smaller than themselves. Combat When hunting for prey they use thier emmense bulk to shake trees, occasionally pushing them over, and then lash out with thier tentacles against any creature that stirs from thier home, sometimes eating dozens of monkeys, birds, and similar small animals a day. If they encounter anything of medium size or larger they will try to catch and constrict it, choking the life from it. They usually restrict their ink attack for escapes. Constrict(Ex): Each successful grapple check a Titan Landsquid makes deals constrict damage in addition to tentacle rake damage. Improved Grab(Ex): If an Titan Landsquid hits an opponent at least one size catagory smaller than it's self with a tentacle attack it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity(grapple bonus +33). If successful, it can constrict. Ink Spray(Ex): Once per minute, a Titan Landsquid can release a spray of a slick, oily ink. This is a 30ft cone of ink that covers everything and everyone within the area unless they succeed a reflex save (DC 19). Any creature covered in the ink, or attempting to pass through it, must succeed a balance check at DC 15. Success means that you can move through the area at half speed, failure means you can't move, failure by more than 5 points means you fall prone. The ink can be washed away with a quart of a weak acid, like wine, or with soap and water. Washing away the ink is a full round action action. Trample(Ex): As a standard action, a Titan Landsquid may attempt to trample opponents one or more size catagories smaller than itself. This attack deals 2d8+15 points of bludgeoning damage. Targets may attempt either an attack of opportunity at a -4 penalty, or a reflex save at DC 27 for half damage. Sharkopath Large Magical Beast (Aquatic) Hit Dice: 10d10+10 (60hp) Iniative: +8 Speed: Swim 80ft AC: 23 (+4 Dex, -1 Size, +10 natural) Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +10 / +22 Attack: Bite +18 Melee (1d8+12 / 19-20 plus wounding) Face/Reach: 10ft / 5ft Special Attacks: Serrated Bite Special Qualities: Blood-Frenzy(Alpha Only), Darkvision 60ft, Hivemind, Keen Scent, Lowlight Vision Saves: +8 Fort, +11 Ref, +5 Wil Abilities: 27 Str, 19 Dex, 13 Con, 8 Int, 14 Wis, 12 Cha Skills: +4 Hide, +10 Listen, +10 Spot Feats: Weapon Focus (Bite), Improved Critical (Bite), Power Attack Environment: Any Aquatic Organization: Solitary, Pack (3-5), Shoal (1 Alpha Sharkopath, 10-15 regular sharkopath, and half that many non-combatants) Challenge Rating: 9 Treasure: None Alignment: Always neutral evil Advancement: 11-20HD Large, 21-30HD Huge Sharkopaths are vicious and malicious aquatic beasts that use superior tactics and numbers to capture prey. They hunt all the time, often killing prey and taking it to caverns to store it for later consumption if they're not hungry. They move quickly, and even a small party of them can destroy nearly any aquatic animal or beast, short of sea-going dragons. Sharkopaths are blue/black in colouration, with long stripes of bio-luminesant material down thier sides that change colouration to help the sharkopath blend in. Otherwise, they are nearly identical to regular sharks except for thier unusually expressive faces, and triple row of wide, serrated teeth. Sharkopaths don't have a spoken language, but communicate telepathically amoung themselves. If they can understand any other languages they give no indication. Combat Sharkopaths are rarely, if ever, encountered solo. A solitary sharkopath is usually either a sentry, or bait to lure opponents into a trap. Usually, they hunt in packs, each family shoal sending out two or more packs in a radial spiral pattern from thier home, the Alpha sharkopath co-ordinating the effort from thier home. An attack on a sharkopath home will result in the entire shoal being called back in to attack, usually under Bloodfrenzy. Sharkopaths that set up near human areas will often shadow smaller boats, waiting for sailors to lean over the edge(fishing, disposing of refuse, being sea-sick, etc), then leaping from the water to bite them and drag them under. Alpha sharkopaths are almost always advanced sharkopaths(usually 20HD+) that rule the family unit with an iron will. Sharkopaths are unusually egalitarian, and female and male alphas are encountered in about even numbers. Serrated Bite(Ex): A Sharkopath's three rows of serrated teeth shred flesh whenever they score a successful bite attack. Any bite they deliver continues to bleed for 2 points of damage each round thereafter for one minute. Multiple bites result in extra blood loss(4 points for two bites, 6 for three bites, etc.) This bleeding can be stopped with a successful heal check(DC 15) or be applying at least one point of magical healing. Blood Frenzy(Ex): In order to defend thier homes and young, or if they are attacking a particuarlly dangerous enemy, an Alpha sharkopath can cause itself and all of its subordinates to fly into an unquenchable rage once per day. This rage causes all sharkopaths within their Hivemind radius to gain +4 Strength and +4 Constitution, but -2 AC. This rage lasts until every single enemy is slain, or every every sharkopath is dead. Afterward, Sharkopaths are exhausted for 1d4 hours. Hivemind: All Sharkopaths within 25 miles of thier Alpha are always in telepathic contact with each other, and can see and experience what every other sharkopath does. No sharkopath in a particular group is flatfooted unless they all are, and no sharkopath in a particular group is considered flanked unless they all are. Keen Scent: A sharkopath can notice creatures by scent in a 180ft radius, and can detect the presence of blood in the water for up to a mile. Skills: Sharkopaths get a +10 racial bonus to hide checks against rocky surfaces and sea bottoms as long as they're stationary.
oracleofbargth 08-02-05, 07:00 PM	I enjoyed that show immensely. I thought it was funny how they said the last mammals would be small rodents that would be used as foodstock by giant spiders. What was the name of that giant tortoise? I'd really like to see stats for it. Ought to be somewhat similar to some of the dinosaur entries, but with lots of DR (or maybe hardness) and a really good Natural Armor.
Hammerclaw 08-02-05, 08:38 PM	Titanoton? What was the name of that giant tortoise? I'd really like to see stats for it. Ought to be somewhat similar to some of the dinosaur entries, but with lots of DR (or maybe hardness) and a really good Natural Armor.
The_Rose 08-02-05, 08:42 PM	Well, Raven, if my squid and your squid went to school together, your squid would beat my squid up and take its lunch money every day...
RavenDrake 08-02-05, 09:35 PM	Well, Raven, if my squid and your squid went to school together, your squid would beat my squid up and take its lunch money every day... True... but then, mine was based on a much larger creature. You're actually reminded me more of the other creatures they created(refered to as "Squibbons"), that were intelligent tree-dwelling molusks that moved via brachiation?(allowing you to swing from treelimb to treelimb).
RavinRay 08-03-05, 05:47 AM	Titanoton? What was the name of that giant tortoise? It's the toraton, a Colossal Animal. I don't have the book or video, but read sneak peak JPEG's. BTW, the titan landsquid should be a Huge Animal under 3.5 rules, as the Beast type in 3.0 has been melded into it.
RavenDrake 08-03-05, 06:04 AM	Gack... didn't realise... I'm still updating some three years of 3.0 into 3.5...
Feathercircle 08-03-05, 07:41 PM	Gack... didn't realise... I'm still updating some three years of 3.0 into 3.5... You're ahead of me. I'm still refusing to update. :P Anyway, nice job on these. The sharkopaths are a bit smarter and magick'd up from what I would have done, but you're going for D&D-campaign-funness rather than strict accuracy with your interpretation, aren't you? I think your version may work better for my homebrew than the way I would have done it, actually... your sharkopaths would make great minions for a certain evil storm goddess of mine.
RavenDrake 08-03-05, 11:04 PM	Heh... I liked the Sharkopaths, and I felt that, given a proper magical(or Psionic) environment, they'd evolve to make use of it. I was just filling in some background info on them and it wound up giving them hivemind. I used the Sharkopaths in a campaign already... they tore the party up pretty bad since thier cleric, who was a worshiper of a Sea Diety, refused to take part in the battle, so they were constantly trying to apply heal checks to stop the bleeding and invoking attacks of opportunity... If you'd like to use them, feel free. They make excellent minions for any cleric of a Sea Related Diety, as they are as likely to be worshippers of that diety as any other. Be careful about including the Alpha... tacking on a 20+ HD critter who can cause them all to enter a berserk rage can boost the encounter WAY higher than it normally would be.
Rohano 08-04-05, 11:08 AM	Excellent. I'd like to see more of the creatures from The Future is Wild!